Reunion

It doesn't matter how much time has passed.

When the wounds were still fresh, it was the most painful sight for Marius. Whenever Ignis struggled and fumbled about due to his lack of sight, Marius could not bear to see him struggle. When he offered to help him, Ignis curtly stopped him and refused his help. Just helping Ignis fix his hair earned his wrists deft slaps. It made Marius' heart sink, he couldn't leave his partner alone, could he be blamed for being concerned? Not concerned, mortified. When the royal retinue left for Gralea, only dread came upon Marius. As days turned to weeks, then to months, no amount of time had made Marius easy.

Marius' steps were heavy down the empty hall. Ignis, Gladio and Prompto had just returned from Gralea. Without the presence of Noctis, he only assumed that they had done only what they needed to do. Everything was so heavy now. In such a short period of time, it's been one tragedy after another; and the only solace he had was that the people he had come to call friends were still alive. He wasn't even hearing his own footsteps as dread rang loudly in his thoughts. A quick bump into someone had interrupted his train of thought. He took a quick moment to collect himself, and looking up, it was Gladio. They shared no greeting, and the bigger man seemed grim. "Iggy's in the next room, maybe you'd want to see him." There was weight in his tone, and Marius simply nodded, not knowing how else to react. As the men passed each other, Gladio lifted a hand to the other's shoulder, "Good to see you're alive." The gesture managed to tug a small smile on Marius' lips. The bigger man gave a few pats to the others' shoulder before going his way. Marius stood by the door, worried that Ignis was in worse shape now. He took off his shades and spared no time in entering the room. Ignis sat on the edge of the bed, sightless and deep in thought. The white haired man took a chair from the table nearby and sat in front of Ignis, who did not seem to pay attention to his presence. "Ignis?" The other man raised his head silently, "Marius."

There was a tense silence between them; a lump in Marius throat prevented him from speaking. Ignis simply sat there, his scarred eyes closed and his brows furrowed. It was unusual for them to sit in heavy silence, and the blind man did not seem to intend breaking it. There was an indescribable pain written all over Ignis, and Marius could not comprehend just what could do him that way. He stood from his seat to approach Ignis, but his steps were halted when Ignis spoke. "I know you are concerned, Marius." He paused briefly, "However. . ." He seemed to want to say something, but held himself back. Marius simply shook his head and sat by his partner, holding his hand. "I guess I worried too much." He spoke softly and apologetically. Ignis let out a breath he seemed to be holding in. "You had every right to." Ignis responded, intertwining his fingers with Marius' own. "I no longer hold it against you."

With his free hand, Marius gently placed his hand on the others' cheek, running his thumb gently near his scarred eyes. The wounds seemed to heal well, but Ignis would no longer see. He was surprised that Ignis did not flinch, and instead raised his own free hand to hold the other's. "Marius." Ignis called. He adjusted himself so that he was facing his partner better, and when Marius saw the scars again in full view his heart sank. He gently brought their heads together until their foreheads were touching. "Marius, I-" Ignis was cut off by the other's hushes. His hands began to tremble and Ignis could feel it. The blind man held his partner close, and it was enough for Marius to tear up and bury his face in the other's shirt. There was a silence between them, and a pang in Ignis' heart when he held his partner close after so long. He returned the embrace and held him tight, a lump forming in his throat.

"I thought you'd never come back."