Sorry for not posting yesterday, I had it ready and posted to other sites and all but FFN was down and I couldn't wait for it to go back up because I needed to go to bed so here's yesterday's chapter, and then today's is gonna follow as soon as I've written it which has not yet happened.

Y'know, I'm having fun with this challenge and all, but I'm really, really looking forward to doing something else than write after work :')

Anyway here's Gladio, and this is not the first thing I've written about him having allergies (it's also featured in one chapter of my 100 Ways to Say I Love You project), but it's just too much fun and it fit the prompt so nicely, so I hope you enjoy!

Prompts:

No. 19: "I'll take one final step, all you have to do is make me."
Floral Bouquet | Psychological | "I'm not as stupid as you think I am."

Warnings: None

Ironically, Gladio discovered that he has a pollen allergy when he started to sneeze around the flowers his mother always kept in her study - the very flowers he's named after, gladioli.

Ever since, spring has been the most miserable time of the year for him, and any time he's in close proximity to just about any plant, he starts tearing up and sneezing before too long.

It's annoying, especially as someone who loves the outdoors, but whatever - just keep antihistamines ready and don't go camping during spring if you can help it. Easy.

Except, he's long since run out of antihistamines and while it's thankfully not spring, it turns out that crawling through the woods in search of some pest the locals want gone is not the ideal pastime for someone with hay fever.

"Gladio, are you quite alright?" Ignis asks when Gladio sneezes five times in a row and nearly walks into a tree in the process.

Sure, Gladio wants to say, but what comes out instead is another sneeze.

"Ah," Ignis says, as if that answers everything, and to be fair it probably does. "I'd forgotten about your allergies."

Noct eyes him with some concern. "Wanna turn back? We can come back some other time, maybe when it's raining. The rain would wash away the pollen, right?"

It would, but Gladio's allergies have always been pretty bad and chances are he'd still end up a sniffling mess, so he waves off their concern.

"Nah, 's fine," he says. His voice sounds stuffy and he has to clear his throat a few times, but it doesn't really do anything. "Just like to get it over with as soon as we can."

Apparently, Malmalam Thicket's mandrake population has been growing uncontrollably over the past few months, and some of them have started venturing out of the woods near the roads. Passing drivers being attacked by a walking flower isn't very good for business, so a hunt was posted in Old Lestallum, and the pay's surprisingly good for a bunch of flowers.

So good that everyone, including Gladio, forgot about the allergy that is currently making his life hell.

Gladio trudges after the others with none of his usual wilderness enthusiasm. The woods are quite pretty, all things considered, but with the way his eyes are itching and burning and tearing up, it's kind of hard to appreciate.

Ignis gave him his handkerchief a while ago and he holds onto it like a lifeline, but it's starting to look a little worse for wear. Unfortunately, though, he's not getting anything better because none of them has thought to bring tissues and Ignis is the only one fancy enough to carry an actual fabric handkerchief.

He also has to rely on the others during fights far more than he'd like, and by the time they discover the mandrake nest, he feels ready to drop.

"Hang back, big guy, we got this," Noct tells him, and Prompto nods in agreement.

"Yeah, what he said!"

Gladio, begrudgingly, does what he's told, recognising Noct's words for what they are - a hidden order. Besides, as much as he hates to admit it, they've got a point. He'd probably be a liability more than anything else.

So he gets out his shield instead of the greatsword and focuses on defense instead because he's not about to just stand by and watch even if he can't do much more than keep himself alive.

Prompto does a good job keeping the mandrakes away from him, and Ignis is sticking close to Noct the way Gladio usually does, so for the most part Gladio is left with nothing but a few beasts who break free from the group.

But then, he has to sneeze mid-block and he falters at the wrong moment. One of the mandrakes bats him away with its tail like it's nothing and he's sent flying, crashing headfirst into a shrub.

Obviously, he hasn't suffered enough yet - the mandrake pounces and nearly crushes him under its weight. Noct warps into it a few seconds later and finishes it off easily enough, but between the mandrake's flower and the greenery he's landed in, he's caught in a sneezing fit that leaves him unable to perceive anything that's happening around him.

"Steady," Ignis' voice cuts through the fog in his head. Gentle hands help him sit up, and Gladio squeezes his eyes shut in an attempt to stop the burning.

"Ugh, I feel like shit," he finally admits, as if it wasn't obvious to anyone with a pair of eyes or ears.

"Look like it, too," Noct says with all his princely charm, but he comes over and starts picking leaves and flowers out of Gladio's hair.

Prompto hovers uncertainly. "Can we leave now? We got them all, right?"

Ignis helps Gladio stand, then when he's certain Gladio can stand on his own, inspects the mandrake that nearly killed Gladio.

"I believe so. We'll have to take a few of the flowers as trophies. Proof we've finished the job."

With a quick glance at Gladio, he decides, "Four should be enough." Usually, lugging around trophies from their hunts is Gladio's job because those are rarely nice and pocket-sized, but this time, that's obviously out of the question. The flowers are huge but not heavy - they're flowers - so Prompto and Noct each carry one while Ignis takes two, one under each arm.

They probably look pretty ridiculous and under normal circumstances, Gladio would leap at the opportunity to laugh at them, but he neither has the energy nor a leg to stand on in this case - he's sure he looks terrible, all red-faced and snotty. Ugh.

Since the other three quite literally got their hands full, he summons one of Noct's swords and trails behind them, ready to come to their defense should something attack them on the way out.

There are some issues when it comes to the logistics of delivering the mandrake flowers, which they quickly discover when they get back to the car.

"Why can't we just put them into the Armiger?" Prompto asks, which is a fair question.

"Because if we do that, we'd have to pull them out of the Armiger in front of the tipster, and we're still technically travelling incognito," Ignis reminds them.

Prompto deflates. "Riiiight, normal people don't have access to an infinite magical space. I keep forgetting."

"If we put them into the car, Gladio's gonna die," Noct points out helpfully, as if Gladio weren't already dying just from being somewhat near the flowers.

Ignis pinches the bridge of his nose. "Alright, here's what we'll do. Noct and I will take the chocobos to deliver the flowers. We'll use Gladio's and Prompto's chocobos as pack birds. Prompto, you and Gladio get us set up at Telghey Haven and we'll join you as soon as we've made the delivery. Any objections?"

It's a good idea, as Ignis' ideas usually are, so there are no objections as expected.

Prompto, with a dangerous sparkle in his eyes, leans forward, getting into Ignis' space.

"Iggyyy… does that mean… the car..?"

Ignis looks like he knows he'll probably regret everything he's about to say. "Yes, it does mean that you'll drive the car to the haven. But Prompto, mark my words - if you put so much as a scratch into that car, you'll be the one to explain to Cindy exactly what you've done. Understood?"

"Aye aye!" Prompto cheers. "I won't let anything happen to the car - or Gladio!"

True to his word and much to Gladio's surprise, Prompto drives them to the haven without any incidents. Not that Gladio would have noticed most incidents that aren't a collision with a garula - he feels like he's ascended to a different plane, one of pain and suffering and misery.

His head feels as if it's stuffed with cotton, his eyes are burning and his throat is so swollen that it's hard to swallow. He keeps sneezing and sniffling and his nose is running something fierce, and simply existing is an entirely new hellish experience.

Once they're at the haven, Prompto deposits him on a camping chair and goes to set up the tent, with moderate success. It's not put up as neatly as Gladio would like, but it's standing and can probably withstand some wind at least.

"Here, go lie down in the tent," Prompto suggests once it's all set up and ready to use. It's only early afternoon, but the idea of lying down in the dark without the sunlight increasing the urge to sneeze, and without the struggle of sitting upright, sounds heavenly right now.

Prompto disappears for a while and returns with a soaked cloth that he puts over Gladio's eyes, and the coolness brings such relief that Gladio can't quite stifle a groan.

"Thanks," he croaks, sounding every bit as pathetic and weak as he feels, but Prompto doesn't give him any grief for it.

"Welcome!" he says cheerfully, and then he busies himself outside the tent, leaving Gladio alone to regain his bearings.

When the other two return, Noct immediately crawls into the tent to show off their latest purchase.

"Here, we got you antihistamines, nasal spray, and eye drops."

Gladio removes the damp cloth from his eyes and peers at Noct.

"You guys are the best," he sighs gratefully.

Noct helps him sit up enough to take the antihistamines and drink some water, then lets him lie back down and carefully administers the eye drops before he puts the newly wet cloth back over Gladio's face.

"Need anything else?"

Gladio shakes his head. "Nah, just gotta let this stuff kick in. Thanks, Princess."

Noct mutters something indistinct and leaves him alone.

Outside, the others are making themselves useful. Ignis has promised him tea with honey for his throat and the kettle is just starting to whistle, Prompto quietly narrates his attempts to get a fire going to himself, and Noct promises to go catch some fish for dinner down by the stream.

And Gladio simply lies there, listening to them until the medication kicks in enough for him to fall asleep.

Another pretty soft one for a Whumptober fic. Doesn't matter tho, it still fills the prompt and I really like it, so I hope you did too!

I can't give you any spoilers for the next Poor Bastard Of The Day because I have no idea myself, so I guess it's a surprise to everyone involved, including myself.

Take care, and I hope to see you back some other day!