Like clockwork, Gladiolus was up at the same time every day, in sweats and ready to for a morning run. Today was no different, up, ready and with a bag this time as the first rays of sunshine kissed the horizon. Usually he had a set route, all planned out based on where in the Crown City that he was. The morning air was crisp, however he didn't mind at all, knowing that he would easily work up a sweat not only on the run but shortly after he reached his destination. There was a view that he loved, halfway through that always had him stop and admire it. The place always felt sacred, remembering very vividly when it was ever brought to his attention a year ago by you. Keeping a small smile on his face, he quickly checked his watch before continuing on, knowing he had taken too much time already.

Once he reached the high rise of his destination, he opted for the stairs, ten floors high and on the other side of the hallway. The door wasn't locked, it never was and that made him frown. How many times had he mentioned that the locks weren't there for decoration? Bag dropping on the ground, he sauntered past the foyer and went straight for the bathroom, smirking once he stepped inside. Gladio wasn't alone in there, finding you in what looked to be an extremely hot bath that heated the whole room and staring up at him with a brow raised.

"You're late," you told him, sniffling.

The large man crossed his arms over his chest, leaning against the door frame and smirking. Amber orbs travelled from your face and critically observed every crevice of your exposed skin. Despite that you were trying to be mad at him, you found it hard not to blush under his sinful gaze. That man always tried to make you squirm and you found it hard to resist, no matter where you were together.

"Are you just gonna stand there and stare?" you asked, desperate to keep from showing him any weakness.

He shrugged, "I like the view."

You scoffed, giggling despite yourself and pretending he didn't exist. The seconds felt like hours, Gladiolus remaining where he was the entire time that you bathed. Originally you had figured he would be later, having woken up yourself feeling congested. It was your plan to stay in the bath as long as possible in order to let the steam work its magic and so far it seemed like it was working because he hadn't commented on your voice. This was your day off and you were going to spend it with him, get in all the time you could. Just as you were about to leave the tub, the large man decided that now was a good time to strip and join you despite that the water was freezing. There was no reason for you to stay, however, Gladio had other plans, wrapping you in his arms and holding you in place.

"There's no room for you here!" you struggled.

"Who's fault is that?" he laughed at you.

"Yours, for being late!"

Water dripped over the side and onto the floor, making you cringe at the mess you were going to have to clean up. Your body shivered at the temperature difference, trying to reach over and run some more hot water. If you were going to be stuck then there was no reason you couldn't be warm. As you finally found that happy medium, you sighed as you leaned back, coughing a couple times before sniffling and allowing your lids to fall closed against your boyfriend's chest. It wasn't like you really wanted to leave the warmth of the water anyway, feeling like you were frozen despite the temperature in the home. Gladio's arms came around you, holding you against him while the two of you sat in silence.

"You're sick aren't you?" his gruff voice echoed off the walls.

"A little," you admitted, turning to look up at him, "Sorry."

The man shrugged, grunting as he sunk you both further into the hot liquid. Your head was nearly submerged before he pulled up again, causing you to shiver. A groan escaped you, feeling as if your nose was dripping despite that it was only water and your head heavy, falling against Gladio's torse once more. Fingers pruning, you pushed yourself up, carefully stepped out and wrapped yourself in the towel. Amber hues followed your every movement, right up until you offered a small smile and left the room. Once in your bedroom, the towel was discarded and you decided to wrap yourself up in your blankets while you waited for your boyfriend. Clearly he had other intentions when he showed up this morning, the sweat on his face glistening off his skin telling you his plans to continue his morning work out. A blush crept to your cheeks, smiling at the idea of helping him along. Heaving a content sigh, you closed your eyes and revelled in the warmth of your bed.

When Gladio was finished, the towel hung around his neck as he walked into your bedroom - only to find you asleep soundly. Another smirk graced his features, towel thrown into the same pile as yours before rummaging through his bag and joining you. Book in hand, you stirred briefly, the Shield watching to see if you would wake before getting comfortable and continuing from where he left off.

Minutes passed, turning into hours and still you didn't move. Gladiolus had gotten up for a drink, for a snack, other purposes, however, always returned to his original position and kept reading. You hardly moved, shifting positions whenever he got up but then returning back into your slumber undisturbed. There were a couple snippets of conversation that left you, causing the man to chuckle. Gladio kept an eye out every time you stirred, noting the display on the clock and grunting occasionally. You weren't really one to stay in bed and he knew that you hadn't intended on doing this. You hardly got sick and when you did, you never let it stop you from continuing on with your plans.

You must have been feeling absolutely awful, groaning, coughing and sneezing throughout your slumber. Gladio kept watch, making sure your water glass was full since you would reach for it while half asleep. At one point you had awoken, desperate to relieve yourself and noted that your boyfriend was not in your bed like you had thought. Your hair was dry which meant you were sleeping and hadn't expected that whatsoever. The warmth of your sheets told you that Gladio was still lurking around so you opted to try and wait for him again, smiling when he walked in with fresh cupped noodles.

"I could have sworn I got rid of all those," you said, propping yourself up with the pillows.

"I have a stash," he grinned, taking a rather large bite and slurping.

There was no way for you to stop the giggles that erupted from your mouth, ending with an aggressive cough that brought up phlegm. Wincing, you reached for the water glass and then for the noodles in your boyfriend's hand - to which he pulled out of your reach.

"Gladio," you whined, "I'm sick."

"So?"

"So you should share."

"And have you get me sick?"

"Are you really that weak you can't take on a little cold?"

The Shield grunted, unrelenting in his refusal to give you any of his food despite the large rumbling in your stomach. Your hands went there and you looked up at him, pouting at the second pang that greeted you. Gladiolus was a hardass but even he could hardly resist you when you wanted something - at least, not for long. One more grumble and the man finally sighed, taking one last bite before handing you the rest. He laughed at the smile you gave him before happily finishing his lunch and placing the empty container beside your water glass.

"You're a pain in my ass woman," said Gladio smirking.

You pushed yourself beneath his arm, spreading a hand across his bare chest and sighing contently at his heart thumping in your ear.

"I know," you replied, "But I'm your pain in the ass."

Gladio chuckled, combing his fingers through your hair and lulling you back to sleep. You weren't sure if you felt a kiss to your temple or not, dreams flittering through and branching off, incoherent. The man watched over you, amber orbs sparkling and smirking when your stuffed nose caused you to snore. Eventually, you had relinquished your hold and moved so that you had your own space again. Not a moment too soon, you were starting to sweat and he was desperate to get back to his story.

Time continued to pass, you still deep in your slumber. When you rolled over to face him, your hair was stuck to your face with sweat and a lazy half smile graced his features before he carefully moved it aside. Fingertips lingered along your jawline, a teasing moan escaping between your lips. Gladio severed the connection and went back to his book. Shortly after, you moaned again in such a way that he only heard when the two of you were being intimate. Quirking a brow, his eyes rolled over your form as you rubbed your eyes, head tossing away from him. Another small whimper and you had his full attention, unsure if you were in pain or not. The next cry that left you convinced him that no, you weren't.

"Gladio..."

His name was mumbled as it flew out of your lips, causing the large man to smirk in your direction. When he thought you were done, you moaned again, rolling over to face him and letting out a shaking breath. Gladio watched you the entire time, more sounds of pleasure reaching his ears and almost making him jealous. The book was marked and discarded on the nightstand, you continuing your dream while he turned and kept watch over you. Sometimes you would speak his name, others it was a half-muttered sentence about what was happening which made him chuckle lightly to himself. It was over shortly after, your back toward him and his hand reaching out to try and rouse you from slumber - only to fail miserably.

It was a couple hours later that you drew in a large breath, stretching out your body out to its fullest before turning to face the man lying next to you. Gladio was in a book, arm behind his head and eyes lazily turning toward you.

"You're still here?" you asked.

Gladio shrugged, "Got nowhere else to be."

"Oh well then," you scoffed.

You swatted at his arm before turning and sitting up in order to take a proper drink of your water glass that you were certain was near empty the last time you held it. Maybe you were just dreaming about that - although you weren't exactly sure where water fit in once you remembered what exactly had come to mind while you slept. A blush dusted your cheeks, one that you were hoping that Gladio didn't notice.

"So, how was I?"

Shit, "What do you mean?"

"In your dreams," he nodded at you, "how was I?"

Face crimson, you refused to look at him while he continued to smirk knowingly at you. Suddenly, there was no water in the glass, throat parched and desperate for a distraction so that you wouldn't have to answer any more questions.

"Well?" he insisted.

"I don't know what you're talking about," you sniffed, leaving the bed to get yourself another drink.

Gladio followed you, clearly not wanting to drop this and you wondered how he could possibly know what you were dreaming about. It wasn't like you said it out loud, all you did was blush a little in front of him. The man stopped you from going into the fridge to find food, smirking down at you as he waited impatiently for your answer.

"I know you were dreaming about me," he said.

"Get over yourself," you waved him off, trying to get to your pantry.

"I just wanna know who's better," he blocked your path.

You were sputtering once you heard that, trying and failing at finding the correct response to something you had never even considered him to worry about. Giving up on the idea of food entirely, you marched back into your bedroom in the hopes that he would get the message that you weren't interested in talking about this. Before you had a chance to flop back onto the mattress, a pair of strong arms scooped you up, holding on tightly before lips were pressed against yours. An involuntary sigh escaped you, followed by a surprised cry as you both fell down onto the bed. The weight against you held you in place, and you were unable to look anywhere but those mischievous amber orbs.

"How did you even know?" you asked, curiosity getting the better of you.

"You talk in your sleep," replied Gladio.

That dark shade of crimson instantly took over your face, causing him to laugh at you once more. You remembered very vividly the events you were dreaming about and could only imagine the sinful things you spoke of while he was sitting next to you the entire time. No wonder he was so invested, you practically had him on the sidelines the entire time. Your gaze was torn from his, unable to face him any longer with the embarrassment and arousal mixing in with one another. An idea struck you then, teeth sinking into your bottom lip as you brought your eyes back to peer at him through your lashes.

"Maybe you were a little better in my subconscious," you said.

The way he wasn't responding had your pulse quickening. Sometimes it was hard to read him, hard to know what exactly he was thinking whenever you told him things. This was a moment where it could go very good or very bad and the anticipation was making it hard for you to breathe. When you thought that it wasn't going to go anywhere, he finally spoke up.

"Guess I'm just going to have to prove I'm better than dream Gladio."

The words made you laugh, short-lived as another kiss was claimed by him. You hardly had time to even try to compare which was better, Gladiolus more than proving that the real thing was better than any dream could ever be.

...

thanks for reading! I will have the request up as soon as possible!