Beta read by: SinikkavonWolperting
Request for: laurelilith
Summary: When Ignis disregards Prompto's concerns about the weather, he ends up feeling a little guilty when the blond falls sick with a cold as a result.
xYukiNoYume: Lol, this was just an addition to an earlier chapter of the same name. Someone asked to see their pov. Can't remember the chapter number though... And ikr, if it weren't for Gladio, I'm pretty sure we all know how this would have turned out. -
Bagpipes5K2: Yessssss, I would have no idea what to even do in a situation like this, like what can you do? D: It takes a hell of a lot to cause him to lose his cool, but pretty sure someone almost dying would do it. ;w; And, thank you so much, hope it wasn't too short.
websky: XD Almost all of these come from Archive and Tumblr. If I only took requests on this site, this series would have died long ago. And same, it was an interesting one to do. And hey, if people ask for them, then I would be more than pleased to do so. ^-^
Mirajane92: Thank ya so much, so glad someone actually asked for it. And, was a bit surprised when they did too. Never expected people to wanna see continuations of some of these. And of course, I'll accept any so long as they aren't x-rated...or OCs. lol
His face pressed firmly against his window, the blond groaned outwardly to himself, eyes skimming over the subtly darkening sky. Idly, his fingers tapped against the surface of the door as he casually started humming to himself, slowly growing louder and louder until someone finally gave him the light of day.
"Something bothering you?" Ignis asked in minor annoyance, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. He glanced over when Prompto straightened himself back up now that someone was talking.
He leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms over his chest. "You sure this can't wait until...maybe tomorrow?" he asked, getting right to the point, adding a nervous and forced chuckle at the end.
"It cannot," the adviser replied without thought. "Time isn't on our side as of late, and any unimportant matters shall be dealt with as quickly as possible so we can get back on track."
The gunner rolled his eyes and leaned his head back against its previous resting place. "Doesn't seem like one more day would hurt," he mumbled. "You know it's gonna rain soon, right? Do you really wanna search for tags in the rain? I mean, everything will be shining, it'd be preeeeetty hard to find a piece of metal in something like that," he rambled on, suggestion heavy in his words.
"I'm sure we'll be fine," the brunet sighed. "I little bit of water never hurt anyone."
"As far as you know," Prompto replied, pursing his lips.
From the back, Gladio leaned forward, his face inches from the blond's. "What's the matter," he teased, "afraid the big bad rain is gonna mess up your do?" To add insult to injury, the brute ruffled his blond locks, earning himself a swift swat and a huff.
"Cut it out," the blond muttered, hands already working to fix the displaced strands. "This took all morning ya'know."
The prince scoffed at that. "Yeah, trust me, we all know how long it took," he deadpanned, nearly glaring at the other. "Hey, Ignis," he changed the subject, re-positioning himself, "how much longer until we get there? I'm starting to get a little stiff back here."
"Well, if Your Highness didn't fall asleep for half an hour, then perhaps that wouldn't be an issue," the older man snidely responded, smirking to himself at the expression the other obtained. "But, to answer your question, we should be there within the next five minutes, so I do hope you're fully awake now." Not getting an answer in return, he took that as his approval and fell back into a comfortable silence.
Just as he said, a few more minutes flew by before he was slowing to a stop and pulling over. "And, here we are," he announced, the first to exit the Regalia. The others were close behind, all stretching and complaining to themselves with a chorus of pops.
"My ass is killin' me," Gladio groaned.
"And I could use a new back," Prompto chimed in, working the kinks out. "Oh man, I'm really gonna feel this later," he squeezed out the moment before a resounding pop.
The adviser shifted his weight and waited until they were finished, tapping his foot with an impatient, "I can almost guarantee you three will live." He received a couple more underhanded gripes, but it didn't take much longer for them to be ready to get going. They fell in line behind the most sensible of the three, and with that they were on their way. "Do watch your step," he called over his shoulder, "the land out here is more than a little treacherous. What, with the near constant drizzling in these parts."
Speaking of...Prompto made his distress known at the first sign of rain, the first few drops striking the side of his face, as if it was out to get him personally. "Mannn, this sucks," he muttered, lifting a hand to shield his hands as it slowly picked up. Within minutes, it was pouring, the four of them drenched without a second to spare.
"I feel inclined to agree," Noctis said, brushing sodden strands from his forehead and pulled his jacket tighter around himself. "What is with this weather anyway, it's one way one second, and completely different the next."
From the front, Ignis waved his hand for the others to hurry it up. He didn't want to admit it, but he was just as eager to get out of they as they were, if not more so. His clothes were soaked through, and his glasses were damn near impossible to see through. "As soon as we find what we came after, we can get to a hotel and dry off," he promised, hoping that would help light a fire under them.
"Ah yes, and a nice hot shower, comfy beds, and a cup of hot chocolate," the blond said dreamily, already relishing in the idea of it. "Alright, let's get this over with," he added with new found enthusiasm, speeding up until he was ahead of all the others. "Come on, we don't have all day," he urged the others, waving a hand to hurry them up.
With their new pace set, they were making progress much more efficiently than before, covering a lot of ground in minutes. And, they reached their location in no time and were now on the search for the tags, all of them with their noses almost touching the earth. It took a few minutes, and multiple complaints and groans, but eventually, Gladio raised the metallic pieces triumphantly. There was a collective sigh of relief, a burden lifting from their shoulders.
"Freedom at last!" the gunner cheered, both fists in the air as he wasted not a single moment before turning on the spot and heading back towards the car. "Time to get out of this soggy excuse of a forest." The others merely shook their heads, but they'd be lying if they didn't agree. Not to mention the downpour had nearly doubled in intensity, the ground was now squishing under his feet.
By the time they got back to the Regalia, they were shivering and drenched to the bone. "Heeeeeeat," the prince whined from the back, sinking in his seat and wrapping his arms snugly around himself.
"Will you give me a moment to get it started?" Ignis replied with a slow blink of irritation. Without another word, they fell into a silence, all of them too busy trying to retain their body heat to carry out a conversation. The drive was slow and tedious, and it was evening before they caught sight of a hotel, but they finally made it, and they could finally rid themselves of their misery. Ignis swiftly made the purchase and lead the way to their room, the other through almost shoving by in an attempt to get to the shower first.
In the end, it was Noctis that arrived first, instantly shutting and locking the bathroom door behind him. "While he's in there, I suggest the rest of us at least get changed," Ignis said, peeling his still damp jacket from his body. "I'll get some hot beverages started."
His suggest went completely ignored, Prompto hopping on one of the beds and spreading his arms over it. Before he had the chance to get too comfortable, Gladio made sure to let his disapproval known. "Hey," he exclaimed, slamming his hands on the other side of the bed. "Get off the bed with those clothes on, I'm not sleeping next to a sodden lump."
The other wasn't too pleased with the demand, but he figured the man had a point. "Fine," he whined, slowly rolling his way off the mattress. He eased his way to the floor and just lied there instead. Damn he was exhausted, who knew walking through rain could drain a person. "This better?" he asked, eyes closed in bliss.
"No," the shield replied, walking around to his side to gaze down at him. "You still need to get changed. Come on, I'm not your dad, I shouldn't have to tell you what to do," he emphasized his point with a quick kick to his foot.
The blond sighed heavily, but he obeyed, mostly because it was starting to really get uncomfortable. "Ok, ok, I'm going," he said, flapping a dismissive hand. Grabbing his bag, he dragged it back with him. "Uh, mind, you know, turning around?" he asked timidly, making a turning motion with his finger. "Privacy," he clarified, quickening up the movement.
By the time he was changed in dry clothing and sprawled back out, the prince was emerging from the steam, and just in time for the beverages. Gladio took the opportunity to hop in himself, seeing as Prompto had already fallen asleep, never so much as twitching with all the bustling going on around him. Someone at least had the courtesy to drape a cover over him and scoot him over to his side of the bed, making just enough room for another to squeeze in next to him. It wasn't too much longer until the rest followed his example, ready to put an end to this dreary and tedious day. They all hunkered down, out in a matter of minutes.
The blond groaned with the first signs of daylight, the rays penetrating straight to his sensitive eyes. He could've sworn he didn't get a single wink, his eyes refused to move. Hell, his whole body protested against doing anything except going back to sleep. Which he would have happily obliged if it weren't for the incessant pounding in his head.
"You're awake rather early," came the pristine greeting of the adviser, along with the fresh scent of coffee. The blond only gave a pitiful moan in response, working up the strength to pull the cover over his head and shrink beneath it. "Thought it was too good to be true," Ignis sighed, carrying on with his morning.
Meanwhile, Prompto cleared his throat, trying to scratch that dry sensation from within. Those subtle attempts quickly escalated into coughs, and before he knew it, he was sitting up, struggling to get it to stop. "Dam-it," he choked out, voice hoarse and barely audible. Now that he was upright, all the misery basically hit him at once, overwhelming his senses and he had no choice but to plop back down.
"Prompto, are you feeling alright?" the brunet asked, stopping whatever it was he was busying himself with when he noticed the other's distress. He didn't wait for an answer, just strolled on over, hand at the ready.
The gunner was quick to refuse the touch. "Yeah," he croaked out, putting on the most confident look he could muster, but the slight fog over his gaze wasn't very convincing. "I'll be fine," he repeated, "just...tired." He yawned as if to prove his point. While his eyes were closed, the older man took his chance to press the back of his hand against the other's forehead.
His eyes narrowed and brows knit as Prompto pulled away. It didn't matter, he got the information he needed from that single second of contact. "You have a slight fever," he announced, tone completely flat as if he was stating the obvious. Which, from the subtle flush of his cheeks, he was. "I'll ask you again, are you feeling alright?" He was leaving no room for lies, staring the younger man straight in the eyes, prying for an honest reply.
He thought about it for a moment, and fought against the temptation to play it off, but he was already done for. Once Ignis was convinced something was wrong, there was no swaying him. Breathing deeply, he leaned back. "Like crap," he muttered, closing his eyes longingly, satisfied that it at least lessened the pain in his skull. "And, all I wanna do is sleep, but my body won't let me," he added with a slight whiny undertone. Abruptly, his eyes snapped back open, and he sat up swiftly. "But, it's not that bad," he promised. "There's no need to worry about it, probably just a cold or something from all that rain. We can still leave as soon as we're ready." Even if he wasn't his best, he still didn't want to risk being a burden.
"If you aren't well, then I don't think traveling is the best option," the adviser replied sternly, his caring side shining brightly. The other groaned at that response, not that he had expected anything different.
But, there was no arguing, his mind was made up. "If you say so," he mumbled, easing his way back down and tugging the cover back up to his neck. He wasn't going to lie, he was pretty relieved to be staying here for a bit, but there was still that sliver of guilt that wouldn't go away.
"Guess I should put some tea on, that should help with the sore throat," Ignis thought aloud, hand on his chin. He pushed himself up, head tilted downward in thought as he strolled around to the other side and back towards the stove. Prompto watched as he strolled away, his attention only being pulled away when the man next to him stirred, awoken by all the commotion.
Gladio grunted quietly with a stretch, a yawn crept its way up and he carefully pushed himself up to be propped on one arm. "Wha time is it?" he asked, slightly groggy, one hand slapping along the side table for his phone.
"Just passed seven," the adviser replied before he had the chance to check for himself.
The shield mumbled something under his breath, clearly still half asleep, but he begrudgingly got to his feet anyway to stretch out his back. Glancing over, he almost had to do a double take to see a couple of blue orbs staring back at him. "Is the world ending?" he questioned in amusement. "It's not even the middle of the day yet.
Prompto only shrugged, not wanting to talk and risk coughing again if he didn't have to. He sniffed a couple of times and blinked heavily. "He's sick," Ignis called over, getting right to the point. "Must have caught something yesterday," he added with a sigh, pouring the now heated water into a mug. As he stirred the contents, the shield hummed to himself.
"Not the resilient type, I guess," he chuckled lightly, stepping to the side when Ignis returned. "Hey, is any coffee made?" he asked, already headed towards the pot. He didn't get an answer, but he was welcomed with the blissful beverage already brewed. "Don't know why I had to even ask," he mumbled.
"Careful, it's hot," the brunet warned, pressing the ceramic cup into the gunner's hands. The latter sat back up and took in a generous inhale of the aroma. Not typically a fan of tea, he had to admit, it did smell quite inviting. Just from the scent alone, he could feel some of the fog in his head clear away. "Sip at it, and drink all of it if you are able," he continued to instruct, trusting the other to handle this himself.
Nodding, Prompto took the first sip, the slight burn causing a bit of a flinch. But the taste, it almost made him want to down it in one go. But, he refrained himself, knowing full well a scorched mouth and throat would not have been worth it. "Thanks," he muttered, taking another sip.
"Are you up for eating anything?" the older man asked once he was sure the blond had this under control. He got a small shake of the head as he continued drinking his tea. "Well, you can try, soup it is," he declared, and Prompto was fairly certain he never even had a say on the matter.
"Keep it down," a muffled and annoyed disembodied voice drifted from the other bed, the prince's face buried deep in his pillow.
Now strolling back to join the others, Gladio paused next to him, his intense gaze staring down with one brow arched. "Isn't it about time you got up anyway?" he asked, using his free hand to prod at the lump of covers.
Noctis groaned and turned away in irritation. "Cut it out, it's too early," he complained, voice hardly audibly under the safety of his warmth. He would have easily been able to fall back asleep, but the return of the cough prevented him from doing any such thing. Curiosity getting the better of him, he peeked out from under, finding his friend sitting up in the other bed, one hand over his mouth as he tried to muffle the sound.
It took a few seconds, but the expression on the raven's face fell. "You alright over there?" he asked, finally emerging a little from his confines.
Prompto waved a dismissive hand, a small smile on his face. "Yeah, fine," he croaked, catching the disbelieving look on the other's face. "Really, it's just a cold," he assured, "nothing to get all worried about." He cleared his throat one last time and took more sips of his tea, sighing when it's soothing touch slid down and eased the scratchiness. "Wouldn't mind some more of this stuff though," he uttered to himself, saddened to see there already wasn't much left.
"Not to worry, I made plenty," Ignis promised, pleased that the blond was enjoying his concoction so much, can't say that was expected. "Though, I'd prefer if you were to try and eat something before anymore of that stuff."
He missed the subtle eye roll, but Prompto complied. "Alright, whatever you say," he half complained, setting the empty cup aside and slipping back to lie down. Damn, his head was starting to kill him now, the constant throbbing really was not letting up. And, was it just him, or was it getting unbearably hot in here?
The brute had to have noticed his clear discomfort as he strolled over the moment the disgruntled whine reached his ears. He didn't even bother asking for permission before he, too, had his hand against the other's face, humming at the warmth that radiated from the younger. "You're on fire," he announced, drawing his hand back with a look of concern. "Hey, Iggy," he called out, leaning over a little, "how are we looking in terms of medicine?" Prompto dramatically groaned at the mention of that.
"We should be stocked up," the adviser replied.
"Is that really necessary?" the blond asked, expression set into a scowl. "Honestly, it's fine," he tried persuading, locking eyes with the other in hopes of looking confident. However, one ill-timed sneeze, and the contact was broken.
The shield smirked to himself and pushed himself off the edge of the bed. "Yeah, I'm not buying it," he deadpanned, on his way over to their things.
"Come on," Prompto complained, suddenly feeling much better if it meant he didn't have to take any of that garbage. "Can't I just take the tea and soup, isn't that enough?"
"No," Gladio instantly replied, a couple bottles in hand. "One for the fever, and one for the cough, how does that sound, nothing too extreme." He shook one of them in his hand, as if that would change the other's mind. "Quit being a baby, it's just a couple of pills," he said, positioning himself back on the bed and dumping the appropriate dosage in the palm of his hand. "Hey, Noct, make yourself useful and get a glass of water."
Prompto couldn't help but shrink a little at being waited on like this it was just embarrassing. "Really, I can do things myself," he reminded, face flushing slightly, but it went unnoticed with the rosy tint that already resided there. But, no one listened, they all continued to cater to him, to the point where it was starting to grate on his nerves painfully.
"Guys!" he cried out, mustering as much volume as his body would allow. "Stop, really, it's not a big deal. It's just a cold, what is with all of you?" The others fell silent, the three of them exchanging shocked glances.
It stayed that way until the brunet spoke up first. "Apologies, I didn't mean to be...hovering. Guess I feel a little responsible about this, after all." He received a few confused looks, so he elaborated. "I hate to say this, but maybe you were right, it would have been more wise to wait in searching out those tags. And, because of this, you're paying the price."
"Ignis," the blond spoke up, "it's a cold, it's nothing serious. Just a stuffy nose, cough and headache, nothing I can't handle." He shrugged as if to brush the whole ordeal off. Well, when it was said that way, it was a little extreme the way they were behaving. "But," he picked back up, "I wouldn't complain to taking it easy for a day." Besides, they were already going through the trouble, he didn't want to be rude and come off as unappreciative. "Just, there's no need to do everything for me, alright?"
Gladio sighed as he handed the medicine over. "That sounds good to me, I wasn't looking forward to being your slave anyway, so that's a load off my back," he teased, taking the offered water from the prince and handing it over.
"Yeah, I'm not sure how good I'd be at with the whole taking care of others thing," Noctis scoffed.
"Indeed, His Highness can hardly look after himself," the adviser joked, stirring the contents of his pot. "Also, I do hope everyone is fine with soup, seeing as I made enough for everyone."
Gladio shrugged, "Can't complain, as long as it's edible." Noctis felt inclined to agree, after all, now probably wasn't the time to be picky about things. With all that in order, or portioned out the servings and everyone came forth to take their own bowl. All except for Prompto, who had his hauled over by Noctis. He muttered his thanks and dug in.
"So, if all is well come morning, I suggest we head out," the adviser spoke up between spoonfuls. "I figure I can head out today to drop off those tags, don't need the lot of us for that. Then, with that taken care of, we can carry on with what's important tomorrow."
They were all in mutual agreement, then again, no one was really up for a drive. They didn't say it, but they were all craving a bit of a break. It could have come under more ideal circumstances, but it would do. "Will you all be able to take care of yourselves for about an hour?" he asked, a touch of humor in his tone.
"No problem, we'll manage," Prompto answered after a small yawn. "I'm probably just going to call it a day anyway."
"It's only nine," Noctis replied. The blond merely shrugged, not caring about time, it was unimportant. It could be in the afternoon, or seven in the morning, and he'd still be ready for a nap. "But, I don't think it would hurt, I might do that same."
Gladio grunted to himself. "See, they'll be knocked out the whole time, no need to concern yourself with them." That put the brunet's mind at ease, and he gave them all a nod before getting to his feet and collecting the keys and tags. "And, if by some miracle, we do need anything, we won't hesitate to give you a call."
Before the adviser had the chance to leave, Prompto spoke up to stop him. "Oh, Ignis, thanks by the way. And, I don't blame anyone for this, alright? I don't exactly have the best immune system, so I'm sure it was bound to happen no matter what," he slightly chuckled, but it was true. Ignis offered a small grin and a dip of his head. He wasn't about to let anyone feel guilty for something as minor as this, not if he could help it.
~AND I BELIEVE IT IS TIME TO CLOSE REQUESTS~
(I apologize, but they're starting to really add up now. xD)
And, I'm sorry and hate to do this, but from now on, I will message people before I do your story, and if I don't get a reply, it will be skipped until I hear from you again. Only reason I feel the need to do this is because multiple times, I have written a request, and the person would never show up again. And, honestly, these take time, and if the person that asked doesn't stick around, then I don't want to take the time to do it.
Queue as of now:
MsChievous
NicoleBL
Silverheartlugia2000
Bagpipes5k
ADyingFlower
KHDreamfan
Rain446
Farsky
Rubue
Wilting Worries
knowledge-or-death
ImmortalMarshal
mabver321
Shiary
redpandaaprince
Defiant Drift
Prompto-cam
xYukiNoYume
__C'estletemps_
Mirajane92
Brooke3131
Free_Bird
MasterThiefWolf
~IF YOU REQUESTED AND YOUR NAME IS NOT ON THIS LIST, PLEASE LET ME KNOW, I SOMETIMES LOSE TRACK~