Gladio reflects on his relationship

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The clouds finally pull away from the moon and its glow shines in through the window. It captures my eyes briefly, allowing my thoughts to drift while I'm lying in bed. I haven't been able to sleep much, something in the air making me more restless than usual. My instincts were usually right when they tried to warn me of omens so I always listened to them. Sometimes I thought I was paranoid, things being a little too quiet lately for me to accept an uneasy peace. Well, whatever passed for peace these days. Or should I say nights? Movement beside me takes me out of my thoughts, drawing my attention elsewhere. A smile came to my face as I gazed down at my beautiful wife sleeping in a rare, undisturbed moment.

Okay, so she wasn't my wife yet but I had referred to her as such constantly since I decided that one day she would be. There really wasn't much of a difference between her and a wife so why not? We've been together a long time and I knew that I never wanted anyone else. It was the same for her, even if she had trouble admitting it. We had been through so much together it was hard to believe how far we came. I still remember the first day I ever met her ten years ago in the Crown City. Doctor Athenacia Virum, walking in, sewing up my face and then leaving without a second thought. I didn't even know her name or where to find her after she left until I got a random call from Prompto. After that, my sights were set on her and I didn't quit.

There was always something about her that made me gravitate in her direction. It wasn't just that light in her eyes I loved so much, it was something more. I found I was going to the emergency room far more than I needed to. It was usually busy so I would wait until it wasn't too bad and make sure she was there before coming with some sort of issue. I could tell the kind of day she was having just by the look on her face. If she sighed heavily, it was a bad one, if it was in exasperation then it wasn't too bad. On the bad ones I never tried to ask her out but at least lighten it for her. On the good ones, I probably laid it on a little too thick but I often find that I can't help myself around her. I kept up my hunt and thought I was making progress until I found out she lied to me, causing her to get seriously injured. I saw her in the Citadel, not really questioning why but finding out that she was going to walk home all by herself at night. I wanted to spend time with her and certainly wasn't going to let her go like that. It had never even occurred to me that she was a former Glaive and could easily defend herself. She lied though, telling me that she was headed to work when in actuality she didn't want me to know where she lived. Seeing it from her end made sense but later on, she was assaulted in the streets and I was furious when I found out. Even to this day, I'm not sure if it was because she lied or if it was because I wasn't there to protect her. The two of us had a fight about it and she made it very clear she did not want to go out with me at all. It was over and I didn't pursue her again.

Then there was a code grey at the hospital. Cor had called us to help since the security wasn't enough. It was a direct order and there was no way to refuse it. I saw Athenacia for the first time since we had that fight in the Citadel and couldn't stop myself from staring at her. The way she commanded everyone and then continued on her job was flawless. It was easy to tell that she had already been there long enough and it was going to be a very long day. I watched from a distance, not wanting to get in her way. I knew she was avoiding me yet extremely aware of my proximity to her. The way she looked at me when she needed me to punch a heart to life again, with absolute trust despite the tension between us, I knew that I wasn't done with her just yet. That was proven further the more I watched her do her job. How she handled the child without her mother was such a tender moment and I was sure that was the first time I ever fell in love with her. Of course, at the time I had no idea I was falling so hard but now it was obvious. The hectic day continued and finally ended after thirteen hours for me. I happened to see her walking down the street, stumbling her steps since she was so exhausted. I couldn't let her walk all the way home so I pulled over to offer her a ride. She graciously accepted and I drove to her apartment building. There was no doubt about it, she was definitely tired because before she left she asked me out for once.

That was how it started, how we started dating. She was ready and waiting, I was running a little later but once I saw her she took my breath away. I must have taken a little longer than I thought to admire her because she was about to go inside. I stopped her and we had our first date. Things were a little shaky at first but we saw more of each other, it just wasn't as often as I liked. She was different from other girls and that was mainly because she had a full-time career that was extremely demanding of her attention. And her job always came first. It was one of the things I admired most about her even if I was a little sullen at not being able to enjoy her company, especially when it came to getting intimate. Our schedules were hardly ever on the same page but we at least were able to make it work. I took my time with her, gave her the space she needed, especially after I found out she was accused of being an Imperial spy and what I thought was the initial reason she left the war to become a doctor. I knew I should have put more thought into it but something about the way Cor trusted her had my gut tell me there was something deeper to this.

I kissed her for the first time in the middle of the thunderstorm at the park near her place, assuring her that her past wasn't a problem. Of course, I had no idea how deep it actually went but I knew it didn't matter, until we broke up briefly before the initial trip that led us to where we are now. Ten years ago I set out on a journey with Noct, Iggy and Prompto, brooding about the fact that my girlfriend was not happy about the treaty signing to end the war. It was all a hoax in the end, Insomnia fell and Athenacia went missing, putting herself into isolation in order to keep everyone safe. The Empire wanted her and no one knew why except for Cor. When we did finally get a location it was in the middle of an Imperial base. Cor brought her back after I witnessed her detonation for the first time, having no idea what I was seeing. We all just assumed it was a weapon the Empire was working on but none of it mattered. I had Athenacia back, bloody and broken, but back. It was a long recovery in Lestallum but the journey to Caem brought us closer together. After seeing her overcome the burden she had been carrying around for years I knew for sure that I needed her in my life. The way she showed strength despite doubting herself helped me learn to deal with my own fears that I carried around. I was ready for my own mission and eager to get back to her after the Tempering Grounds.

Once I was finished, both Cor and I returned to Carm and I was happy to see that Athenacia had fully healed from her injuries. There were a couple scars left on her but they were irrelevant to me. We spent time together and it was one night up at the top of the lighthouse where she was nesting that she was happily reading to Talcott. The two of them got along, Athenacia taking care of him while she was there. My sister seemed to also grow closer to her and I felt something I hadn't before in my life. Watching her with Talcott and that light shining in her eyes, it's a sight I'll never forget. That day I realized I loved her. All along I had but it was then I knew it to be true. It was shortly after that she went missing again, Cor sending me away while he went on with his own mission. When we found her she was in better shape despite poison running through her. Ravus was the one who saved her in the end and we all found out why the Empire wanted her and what that large explosion was. It turned out Athenacia is actually Lilium Aldercapt, the daughter of the Emperor. On top of that, the detonation came from her, magic locked away that burst to life completely out of her control.

So many things came into play at that time. All the mystery surrounding her and why Cor was so protective made sense. At the time there were too many things at once to absorb and she was ready to leave but I wouldn't let her. Just because she had a different name didn't mean she was a different person. Long ago I assured her that her past wasn't an issue and I was reinforcing that. I had long since embraced who I was meant to be and I wanted her to know that there was a way to do it and live peacefully. She gave me a choice but didn't know that I had made up my mind. There was no one else I wanted and I made sure she knew that.

I was brought out of my thoughts when she rolled so that she was facing me and I caught sight of her chest. Those perfect handfuls seemed accented in the silvery light of the moon, drawing my attention to them. I felt that familiar haze enter my mind the more I gazed at her. She always took my breath away and was completely unaware of how much she impacted everything I did. I ran my fingers along that creamy, smooth skin, tracing the curve of her hip and all the way up so that I could take one of her breasts. Toying with the nipple made it harder and I was hoping to rouse her from slumber. Tonight she seemed deep in her sleep, only giving me a teasing moan before rolling away without my hand. That only made things worse, giving me a clear view of her entire backside. I couldn't keep my hands off her, running them along that flawless skin again and causing her to stir. She rolled over, taking in a large breath and slowly opening her eyes tiredly.

"Gladio...?"

She mumbled, my name barely audible out of her lips. I brought my hand to cup her cheek, grabbing her chin and kissing her softly. Her eyes looked a little more awake now and I continued my work. Finally, she had reached a point I was looking for, that dreamy hazel stare back up at me as her arms came around my neck while I hovered over her. I knew just from that gaze that I could do anything I wanted. She always surrendered to my whims just as I did for her. She was the only one who had that kind of power over me and she had no idea. Wherever she was is where I always wanted to be, enamoured with her completely as her sounds of approval fueled me further. It was always like the first time, something I could never forget.

Altissia was devastated after Leviathon left her mark. Noct was out, Iggy lost his eyes, Prompto took a beating, myself and Athenacia nearly died. The biggest loss was the Oracle in the hospital right in front of my eyes. It was a dark day for all of us and didn't have much hope of getting better. After all the tension and pain left on us was nearly overwhelming. I remember the look in her eye when she brought Iggy to Noct's room, the look of being done with everything. Everyone was hurting but I wanted to ease her just as she always did for me, probably without even knowing. She walked up to me and it was then I took her for the first time. It was long overdue, constantly being interrupted early on in our relationship and then never having a good time until that moment.

My girl was always as beautiful as ever. Even back then she was flawless and nothing has changed. As I looked at her now I only felt closer to her than the first time I saw her. I loved watching that face, the one of pure bliss at what I was doing. I knew her inside and out, exploiting that knowledge and stretching it as far as it would go. She was completely at my mercy and I felt like I was on top of the world whenever we were here together. She had given me so much I always wanted to repay the favour, one that she wasn't even aware that I owed her. I was in this for life but I also knew that she was too.

Our lives were such a rollercoaster after Altissia. Ardyn tricked me into leaving Athenacia in order to get his hands on her. I had a different mission to focus on but both roads led to the same place. She was so headstrong she managed to evade Cor and marched straight to Gralea. So many things happened to her and to all of us during our time there, but I learned she wasn't completely human and again I refused to leave her. Noct went to the Crystal and I stayed with her. She was about to detonate and I didn't leave her side. I couldn't, not after I screwed things up with her beforehand. As it turned out, she was able to release that wave of magic and only kill the daemons that were overwhelming us. She was in shock but I knew all along she could do it.

The sun didn't rise after that and we were left putting the pieces back together. It was hard at first to try and move forward but all of us managed in our own way. I knew that we could get through anything as long as she was with me. I was a bit naive then, thinking that this darkness wasn't going to last that long. Eventually we were forced back to Lestallum where she saved my life again and went back to work as a doctor. It wasn't much longer that I started my own training again. Clearly Noct was gonna be a while and I had to make sure I was ready for when he came back.

At some point, I ventured too far and ended up getting my ass handed to me by ancient Niflheim armour in hidden caves inside of a mountain at the border of Solheim. I was rescued by moogles and my life was spared thanks to Athenacia's charm. Evangeline, her mother, kept me alive and bided time until I could escape. I was gone for three years and had no idea how much time passed. The toll it took on my girlfriend was harder than I could imagine. A year after I was gone, she left on her own and wasn't accounted for. Two years she was gone and no one, not even Cor, could find her. Learning everything she had been through since I left, detonating and losing a patient, I knew that she was punishing herself. I was going to find her though, had no intention of quitting. Iris knew I was itching to leave, reluctant to let me go after I was gone for so long.

"Gladdy," Iris's voice was shaky as she spoke to me.

We were headed back after some daemon hunting. I wanted a gauge on her skills and was impressed with how far she had come over the years. I couldn't be more proud of her and I wished our parents were alive to see her.

"About Athenacia... is she... is she really... it for you?"

"What are you getting at?"

"I know you want to go find her but are you really so stuck on one girl? I've seen you with so many."

I raised a brow at her, completely confused by what she was saying. I never thought she paid that much attention but apparently, she had during the time we were both growing up. I knew what she was trying to say and I only frowned.

"I don't want anyone else."

Shortly after that Cor was missing to the point that someone noticed and Ignis had a hidden weapon to find him. Turns out he knew where Athenacia was the entire time, flushing her out of her hiding spot. For the first time I saw hatred and contempt toward me and it nearly broke me right there. But we journeyed together and I was able to get through to her. At least, I thought I was. After she ended up leading us to the moogle village and finding not only Cor, but her mom to, our journey brought us to the Temple of Illume. Far too late we knew that it was a trap, all of us led there so that Ardyn could make Athenacia detonate. He was looking for something and none of us knew what. I had thought I lost her when we were reunited in that forest. It was actually true at the Temple. Ardyn stabbed her, she was bleeding out and she had detonated. I rode it out with her again and then was told there was no way for her to make it. She needed blood and couldn't get any of ours since she wasn't completely human. Evangeline saved her and she started to push me away again. Athenacia was a complete brat all the way back to Lucis, pushing everyone away as we travelled.

It was when she was ready to leave us again that I caught her. That defiance that always rode with her showed its face and she fought me about leaving. It wasn't physical, it was the final battle against those walls she built up around herself for self-defence. She fought hard but I won and learned exactly why she had isolated herself. Turns out she was convinced that she was going to kill everyone, some stupid desire to kill Noct. I didn't believe that load of shit but she did. This scared her more than anything I ever saw, to the point that she made me promise to kill her if it ever happened. I didn't want to let her delude herself by agreeing but I was left with no choice. I had never seen her like this before but knew that this made her relax a little.

The final amounts of her tensions fell and I knew that she had given herself completely to me. I smiled as I looked down her, fast asleep after what I just did to her. I kept my arm around her, absently rubbing my fingers along her shoulder. We've been through so much since then, five years and three of them I wasn't even there. Things were different since then and when I thought that she had given me everything I was proven wrong a few years later. Trach was born and I had my own family now. She gave me a son, something I had long since accepted was never going to happen. Watching her hold our child for the first time, I saw something in her that I never had before. I knew from then that I wanted more, wanted to see that all the time. I did that to her, and I never felt happier in my life.

Athenacia had no idea everything she had done for me in the last ten years and she probably never would. I would do whatever I could in my power to keep that light in her eyes and the smile on her face. I have no idea when Noct's coming back but I'll be ready when he does. Kissing the top of her head, I was finally able to get a little sleep. When Noct comes back I'll make sure that the sun shines so that my family will have a world to grow up in.

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so this is just before Noct comes back from the crystal. I'll be working on some extra chapters that will come up soon but for now, I'm in the process of completing another chapter in Twisted by Design. thanks guys!