Hey guys, I wanted to share this story here too. Its currently on A03 and well I wanted you guys to get the chance to read it too. Enjoy :3
It was the dead of night when Gladiolus woke up.
At first he wasn't sure what it was exactly that had brought him out of the clutches of sleep, so he lays there for a moment just listening and breathing. When he heard nothing that alarmed him of danger or concern he shifts a few times to get comfortable, closing his eyes he finds himself teetering on the edge of sleep when he hears the sound again.
It's not loud but he still heard it. It was a familiar sound one he has heard many times before. He sits up looking to the right of himself waiting for the sound again his eyes ghosting to the two smaller forms. He heard the soft cough again and he crosses Noctis off the list, it didn't sound like the king he's heard Noctis coughing and it wasn't like this.
Prompto maybe?
No...Prompto has this weird sucking sound he does after he coughs, claiming it scratches his throat, and he hasn't heard it. That could only leave...
Gladiolus glances down at the sleeping body next to him watching the other waiting. Sure enough Ignis begins to cough again his shoulders shaking slightly with the action. Gladiolus lifts his hand to Ignis' forehead checking his temperature only to find that it was normal. He figured that it was just the chill in air agitating his throat knowing that fall tended to cause Ignis' allergies to be the worse. That had to be it it was just his throat bothering him and Gladiolus thought nothing else of it.
At least that's what he wants to believe. He couldn't help but think back to that morning when they all fell into the frigid waters during the hunter. His mind reminding him that Ignis' immune system is shot due to the fact he doesn't sleep like he should. Gladiolus looks to the roof of the tent praying that Ignis isn't coming down with the flu.
The sun was slowly rising in the sky and Ignis was already up and preparing to make breakfast. He noticed that every so often his throat would itch causing him to cough or clear it.
"Hmmm so it was you." The deep rumbling voice of the kings' Shield reaches Ignis' ears.
"Pardon?" Ignis asks not looking from his black notebook selecting the written spices from under the grill as Gladiolus walks up beside him. "You were the one coughing last night." He explains his eyes hardening "You aren't coming down with anything are you?" Gladiolus asks his voice was low and stern.
Ignis sighs pushing up his glasses as he sets down the canister of oatmeal and various spices. His throat prickles and he coughs again to clear it "I don't think so. I believe it's just my allergies." Ignis states turning on the grill and sets the pot over the flames.
Gladiolus crosses his arms "I doubt anything out here will cause hay fever." He says gesturing to the field around them "Look I'm just worried about you." Gladiolus says watching as Ignis pours the oats into the boiling water and milk "I just know that you get sick super easily. You know that whenever you get sick you're bedridden for weeks." Gladiolus says softly.
"Gladio, rest assured I'm fine." Ignis says adding the spices to the oatmeal along butter "As I said it's just allergies nothing to worry about." Ignis says stirring the pot "Now please go wake Noctis and Prompto."
Gladiolus sighs as he makes his way to the tent "Hey Noct...Prom, wake up Iggy made breakfast." He says hitting Noctis' back and Promptos' leg causing the blonde to groan.
"Come on up and at em." He says watching as Prompto stirs slowly getting to his knees and crawls out of the tent. Watching as Prompto exits Gladiolus turns back to Noctis seeing that he wasn't waking up the Shield settled with dragging the king out of the tent.
Gladiolus picks up Noctis and sits him in one of the camper chairs slapping his face "Come on Sleeping Beauty, Wakey Wakey." He says moving to shaking his king.
"Still not waking up?" Prompto jokes as he climbs back up on to the haven. "When is it ever easy to wake him?" Gladiolus says. Prompto smirks as he walks up to Ignis who hands him a bowl of oatmeal which he promptly begins to drown in sugar.
"So, what are the plans for today?" Prompto asks curiously.
"The usual, we'll just go about our usual routine. We'll pick up some bounties and we'll go from there." Ignis says