Shadow of before (Patreon)

earlier i jotted down and idea

Gladio being abducted and missing so long they thought it was a lost cause

like pre roadtrip

And him being found but hes lost all his bulk

Noctis got the news as he was returning from school and he ran straight there.

Gladio has a long recovery ahead.

Imagine if he was unable to continue as the official shield because he was suffering from PTSD so Iris had to step in - he was still there to protect Noctis but there were doubts if something would affect Gladio and he might not be able to do his job

There would be a very different dynamic the whole way through.