Chapter Text
The entire clusterfuck of a situation, such as it was, had been kicked off with a simple three word text message from a teenage girl to her brother.
Iris: Talcott found something.
Though that assertion is not entirely fair, as the call to action was not completed until a further clarification came through. As it stood, Gladio had simply made a mental note to reply once they were no longer wading through the grimy and pest filled swamps in search of rare frogs. A task far beneath the station of the four who agreed to undertake it. The ‘something’ Talcott supposedly found could have been anything from the location of another ancient magical weapon to a cool looking rock discovered by the lighthouse. Either end of the spectrum deserved their full attention, which was currently dedicated to a game of amphibian “hot or cold”.
Iris: Actually, Talcott found someone
Gladio grimaced at the notification on his lock screen. Now that was a more worrisome spectrum to consider. He began slogging his way out of the swamp and to the safety of dry land before unlocking his phone to write a reply.
“Got it! That’s all five of them!” Noctis called out with a level of pride better reserved for achievements like earning the power of a thunder god. Noct held his prize high for the rest to see. “I toad you guys this wouldn’t take too long!”
“I beg your frog iveness, Noct, for doubting your ability,” Ignis called back from further upstream.
Gladio: Is this a get back to Caem now situation or something that can wait?
“You toad ally nailed that assignment!” Prompto yelled.
Iris: It’s a ‘kind of hard to explain so you need to see for yourself’ situation.
“We should get these back to the Professor, I’m sure she’ll find these specimens ribbeting .”
Gladio: But no ones in any danger, right?
“Yeah, let’s get back to the car before it gets toad .”
Iris: Everyone’s fine. But you should stop by sooner than later.
Gladio composed an affirmative response and hit send before realizing the barrage of verbal torture had stopped. He looked up to see his three friends staring at him with varying levels of anticipation.
“Mm. Frog pun,” he grumbled while returning his phone to his pocket.
“Something wrong big guy?” Prompto asked as they joined Gladio on the shore.
“Iris says we should drop by Cape Caem. Apparently there’s someone we need to meet.” There was a subtle sense of urgency in Gladio’s voice. Iris was more than capable of taking care of herself, but over a decade of big brother instincts were hard to ignore. The tone was obviously not missed by Ignis who gave him a pointed look over his glasses.
“Well, we shan’t keep the young lady waiting then,” Ignis said.
“Alright, off you go now,” Noct said to the squirming creature in his hands. With a flash of bright sparkles the frog was gone, spirited away to his armiger with the rest of it’s jailed brethren. Prompto looked at the empty space the frog had just occupied and frowned.
“Is that ok to do? Like, is there air for them to breathe in your...pocket dimension thing?” he asked. Noctis stared blankly for a few moments before shrugging his shoulders.
“Right, first we visit the Professor with hopefully live specimens, then off to Caem.” Ignis began formulating the perfect route on the map in his mind. “We may be able to make it before sunset.”
“Better hurry along,” Gladio replied, “we don’t want Sania to be hopping mad.”
“Another Lucian citizen finally at peace thanks to the efforts of their humble prince.” Noctis stretched his arms out and laid back in the car seat. His face was beaming with well earned pride. Five living but terrified looking frogs had been handed over to the busy Professor, who was able to spare a moment to heap praise on her ‘grad students’.
“If you could only find that same level of fulfillment from keeping your attire in proper shape or eating a balanced diet, I’d be able to focus on more pressing concerns,” Ignis sighed, completing a three point turn with one hand and clutching a well deserved Ebony with the other.
“Awe, go easy on him Iggy. Noct’s just excited because he’s never had a teacher give him a good grade before.” Prompto turned from the front seat to grin at his friend who was grimacing with his eyes squeezed shut.
“Hey, I got good grades...sometimes,” Noct said.
“Group assignments where I did most of the work do not count,” Prompto replied. Noctis let out a disgruntled huff and settled into the seat further, getting into his usual napping position.
The absence of any witty remarks or half hearted insults from the Shield was palpably felt. Anxiety was creeping into his thoughts. Gladio found himself constantly checking his phone every few minutes, whether a notification chimed or not. It took a few miles worth of thought to pinpoint the worry; it wasn’t Iris he was concerned for. Talcott was the one Iris said found this mystery person. The poor kid had been through enough garbage to last the rest of his ruined childhood. The thought of him stumbling on a gruesomely injured hunter, an opportunistic grifter, or something even worse, put a lump of anger in his throat. He hoped it was some kind old grandma who knit sweaters and baked cookies. That was the only situation he could think of where Talcott running into a stranger and bringing them home didn’t result in trouble.
The sun was on it’s way below the horizon by the time they pulled up to the dirt parking area. Gladio shook the Prince awake, a bit more urgently than usual. He didn’t have the patience for his majesty’s lazy whining right now.
The long walk up the hill to the cabin felt more of a chore than usual. Sounds of the two younger boys whining about their ruined hair were drowned out by thoughts of what could possibly wait behind the door coming into view. Iris was uncharacteristically not waiting for them on the front porch. Gladio picked up the pace to get at the head of the marching order. He attempted to step quietly up the front stairs, not so easily done with a man of his girth on old creaking wood. He placed his hand on the door knob and pressed the side of his face against the door. There were no sounds save the never ending banter of his traveling companions.
“Everything alright?” Ignis asked in a hush voice.
“Oh yeah, Noct, that reminds me. Why do you always open the door like that?” Prompto asked, not so quietly.
“Like what?” Noct replied.
“You know…” Prompto mimed opening a door, “you always press on the wrong-”
Gladio grunted in frustration and decided to get on with the mission.
“See! You see?! That’s how you’re supposed to open a door, but you don’t do that!”
Gladio held back the urge to slam the door shut behind him as he half jogged into the cabin’s main room. The hair on the back of his neck began to stand on edge when he surveyed the area and found no sign of Iris or Talcott. His pulse was quickening, getting ready for a fight. He began to silently curse Iris for her vague messages, and himself for putting the welfare of a few frogs over hers.
“Iris?!” he yelled, making his way to the staircase. Before he could decide which way to go, a quick pattering of footsteps from above led to the door of the recreation room opening. Iris stepped out, looking pissed, and gently closed the door behind her.
“Iris, what the hell?” he asked his sister. “Is Talcott ok? What’s going on?” Despite himself, Gladio never quite shook the ‘I’m angry because I’m scared and I love you’ big brother voice and he was using it to full capacity now.
“Would you quiet down? Loud noises freak him out!” Iris stage whispered while walking towards the stairs.
“If you had cause for such worry, why didn’t you tell us?” Ignis crossed his arms and gave Gladio his disapproving mom face.
“Wait, is something wrong? What happened?” Noctis asked in his ‘I just woke up’ teenager voice while Prompto stared wide-eyed like a terrified dog.
The whole family was here.
“We’re fine, I told you we were fine Gladdy! But I need all of you to get a lot less intense before I can explain.” Iris punctuated her command by stiffly placing her fists on her hips.
“Of course, our apologies Iris,” Ignis offered, knowing no one else would. “Gladio said you had someone for us to meet?” She nodded before turning around and gesturing for them to follow her upstairs.
“Talcott was walking around the shore by himself. If I’d known what he was up to I’d have gone with him,” Iris began.
“Awe, poor guy probably just needed some personal time. Staring out at the never-ending sea, contemplating the fragility of life,” Prompto said wistfully.
“Yeah, more like he was investigating a rumor of buried pirate treasure said to hold the missing crown of a Lucian queen over a century old,” Iris laughed.
Noctis grinned. “Yeah, that sounds more like Talcott.”
Iris paused before reaching the door she came from and looked at them. “Anyway, he came running back to the garden where Monica and I were working, completely panicked out of his mind, and...well...long story short, he found another kid.” She grabbed the door knob and breathed a deep sigh. “Next to, we think, his dead mother.”
Gladio felt his heart sink. It was exactly what he hoped wouldn’t have happened. He didn’t turn to see the others' reactions but the quiet sounds they each made told him exactly how they felt. “The kid in there?” he asked, gesturing towards the door.
Iris nodded. “Both of them. Just, keep your voices down and be nice. Poor kid’s a scared wreck.” She slowly turned the knob and stopped, thinking for a moment. “And...don’t freak out but...well, you’ll see.” She finished opening the door and peeked her head in. “Hey, it’s me! I’m back, just like I said.” Iris was very good at forcing cheeriness when the situation desperately called for it. “I brought a few friends to say hello, is that ok?” She stepped in and waved the others in behind.
Gladio made to follow but felt a hand on his shoulder hold him back. He turned to find Ignis casually pushing his glasses up his nose.
“A thought, if I may?” he asked, not waiting for an answer, “If there is indeed a traumatized young child in there perhaps four strange men crowding him all at once would not be the best means of salutation.” Gladio nodded and looked at the other two young men at the back of the lineup.
“Well Iggy, you are the mom friend,” Noctis said while crossing his arms, “you should probably handle the introductions.”
Ignis gave a slight nod before Noct could finish, signifying he already knew he’d be first, and moved to walk through the door. He paused, however, before walking past the threshold. He grimaced, ever so slightly, looking between the room’s interior and where Noctis and Prompto stood.
“Dude, Iggy, you’re kind of freaking me out,” Prompto whispered. “It’s just a kid right?”
Ignis opened his mouth to respond but before he could find the words Gladio gently pushed him out of the door frame.
“Enough with all the suspense.” He strode into the room in search of the creature responsible for the day’s drama.
Sure enough, sitting on the floor at Talcott’s side was a trembling little kid. He was visibly smaller, and most likely younger than their precocious historian. The kid looked exhausted and underfed, practically swimming in a too-large red wool sweater. The brightly colored garment stood out against his pale white skin and made the light splash of freckles around his nose more pronounced. He was looking back at Gladio with wide blue eyes partially covered by unkempt dirty hair. The longer Gladio stared, the more the kid seemed to shrink in on himself.
“Huh,” was all the Shield managed to get out. He looked over at Iris standing on the boy’s other side.
“I told you not to freak out,” she said matter-of-factly. “Looks exactly like him, right? I was kind of hoping someone might recognize him. Does Prompto have any cousins?” She kneeled down to the boy’s level. “This is my brother. He won’t hurt you, okay? He looks scary but he’s harmless.”
The kid made no indication he’d heard anything she said. Nothing on his face but wide eyed terror. Gladio recalled once seeing a similar expression on the face of a voretooth that stood in the middle of the road staring at the Regalia’s headlights. And just like that voretooth, the kid seemed to make a quick decision to stand tall and face his fate.
That hadn’t worked out well for the voretooth.
The boy stood at attention, looking like a little Chocobo Scout ready to receive his merit badge for doing something adorable like popsicle stick crafts. He stood up against the wall, head back, arms straight at his side, shoulders square, and sweater cuffs trailing over his hands down to his knees. His eyes were no longer locked with Gladio’s, but staring sharply at something behind him. The kid’s bottom lip began to tremble before he visibly gulped and tried to speak.
“This- I’m...Sir. Sorry Sir. Didn’t...I di-....mean to...” The words came out between choking gasps for air. He was struggling for composure and squeezed his eyes shut while furrowing his eyebrows. He quickly returned to attention and locked his gaze once again to a point by the door. “I willingly disobeyed orders and will accept the consequences.” The kid said in a rehearsed manner that indicated this was a common statement for him. Gladio followed the kid’s line of sight in an attempt to find what had triggered such a frantic response from such a small child.
The visual path led directly to an incredibly distressed looking Prompto.
“Hey, it’s ok. It’s just Prompto!” Talcott came to the younger boy’s side and gently placed his arm around his shoulders.
“Yeah, heh, just Prompto is pretty accurate. Nothing to be scared of here!” Prompto blurted awkwardly. “You don’t have to get all formal and all that.” He rubbed his hand behind his neck, looking visibly uncomfortable, his left leg beginning the tell tale nervous bounce.
The kid once again made no indication of hearing anything anyone said. He stood there waiting for a punishment that wasn’t going to happen if Gladio had anything to say about it.
Iris looked at her brother with a mournful expression. “So much for the long lost relative angle. He might be a refugee, maybe from a military camp or Imperial base? Someone’s been terrible to this kid.”
“That’s the understatement of the year,” Gladio huffed. He kneeled down to get to the kid’s level, waving his hand in front of his face to get his attention. The kid’s eyes snapped back to him. “Hey, I don’t know what orders you had, but I’m the top ranking guy around here,” Noct’s indignant grunt behind him did nothing to derail his statement, “and right now your only orders are to take some deep breaths and tell me your name.”
The kid looked between Gladio, Prompto, and Talcott, fear slowly replaced with confusion. Gladio’s well intentioned order seemed to have backfired. The tears that had been threatening to spill finally began falling down his pink cheeks. He shook his head and squeezed his eyes closed. Iris moved to action, carefully scooping the small bundle into her arms and holding him.
“I asked him the same thing earlier, and got the same answer,” she whispered. The sobbing kid buried his face into her neck and gripped his arms around her tight. Talcott stood by Iris’ side and took one of the smaller boy’s hands in his.
“He just needs a warm meal and a long nap,” Talcott offered. He moved to look the boy in his scrunched and drenched face. “I’ve lost someone too, and it doesn’t make it go away, but it helps a little bit.”
“Agreed,” Ignis finally spoke up from his place by the doorway, “I’ll take stock of what’s available in the kitchen.”
“He can have some of my Moogle O’s if he wants!” Talcott called to Ignis as he began to walk away.
The Shield took a few steps back and turned to the other two men. “Think we could all use a home cooked meal and a soft bed.”
“And a shower,” Noctis added, “I smell like a Crow’s Nest dumpster.” Noct moved to leave the room but stopped when he realized his best friend wasn’t following behind. “Hey, you alright?”
Prompto, much like his miniature doppelganger, had failed to respond to any verbal stimuli for the past few minutes. His arms were crossed, leg bouncing, eyes fixed on the little red bundle in Iris’ arms. He seemed far away from Cape Caem and even further from the right now. His dead silence was unsettling. Gladio could see some nameless emotion forming on the blonde’s face.
Prompto Argentum was most definitely not alright.