~(Y/n)'s POV~

I just had gotten back from shopping with Iris. We were preparing a meal for Gladio and the others for when they arrive in Lestallum. On the way home, a group of men had pulled me away from her and tried to drag me into a bar. I was able to knock one out, but one man had slashed me with a knife.

The slash wound reached from my eyebrow to my lower cheek. Luckily, it missed my eye just by a few centimeters. Iris entered my room and gasped. "Did those guys do that?" She ran over to me and examined the small wound. "Yeah. It doesn't hurt, though."

She cleaned the wound for me with cold water. "You know, when Gladio sees this, he's going to go on a rampage." She was completely right. I stormed to the bathroom and found some makeup to cover the wound. I was about to apply it, but Iris stopped me. "You can't put makeup on an open wound like this!"

"Then what do I do? Gladio is going to freak out! He'll probably search all of Lestallum just to find these men!" I flopped on my bed with a small groan. "Maybe we can-" She was cut off by the sound of knocking.

"Uh-oh..." we mumbled in unison. Iris turned to me before she went to answer the door. "I'll distract him. Try to find a way to cover that before he catches on." She closed the door behind her. I got off my bed and went back to my vanity. I pulled on a strand of my (h/c) hair. "Maybe I can use my hair to cover it?" I thought deeply about the idea, but it wouldn't work. The wound is too far for my hair to cover it.

Suddenly the door to my room opened. I didn't have enough time to turn and see who it was before two strong arms wrapped around my waist. Without skipping a beat, I covered the wound with my hand. "There's my girl." I swallowed hard, hoping Gladio didn't see the wound. "H-hey, welcome back!" I made sure to sound cheerful enough to cover my strange behavior.

Gladio gently pulled my body towards his. He rested his chin on the top of my head while his hands traced over my body. Once he reached my side, a giggle slipped past my lips. I heard him chuckle deeply at my reaction. "You're ticklish, aren't you?" Even though I couldn't see his face, I knew he was smirking.

"I was hoping you wouldn't figure it out," I mutter, my cheeks burning in embarrassment. I looked up at him from his embrace. "Please, don't," I beg. His smirk never left his face. That's when Gladio began to tickle my sides without holding back. I couldn't hold in my laughter from his attack. I completely forgot about the wound on my face as I let my hand fall to my side.

Gladio's eyes widened at the sight. "What happened?" He asked in a demanding tone. "I... uh..." I couldn't come up with an excuse. His fingers glided over the wound. Gladio spun me around to face him. Our eyes met and his burned into mine. "(Y/n), tell me." I took a deep breath and sighed. The whole story spewed out of my mouth.

Anger was building inside of Gladio. His hands were clenched into fists and a glower took over his features. He immediately stormed out of my room and out the front door. "What happened to him?" Prompto asked. Ignis, Iris, Prompto, and Noctis gave me a worried look.

"I told him about what happened earlier today," I reply. When I turned to face them, a gasp escaped from everyone except Iris. Ignis quickly got to his feet to examine the wound. "It's not deep but may leave a faint scar." Iris walked over and stood in front of me. "Did you tell him what they looked like?" I nodded slowly.

"He's probably in his way to find them," Noctis said. "I knew he would get angry over this. I'll go get him," I said and left. As I searched the streets of Lestallum, a scream sounded not too far away. I ran towards the loud shriek and found the person I was looking for. Unconscious men surrounded him as Gladio held another man by his collar.

"I-I'm sorry! Please, let me go!" The man begs over and over again. Gladio glared daggers at him. His grip tightened more and caused the man to whimper in pain. "Not until you pay for what you did to her!" He shouts angrily. "I-I don't know who you're talking about!" The man yells back. I couldn't stand watching this.

"Gladio, stop!" In shock, Gladio lets the man go. He scurried away while crying like a child. Once the man was gone, Gladio turned to face me. "Listen, Gladio, I'm fine. Ignis said it might leave a faint scar. Besides that, I'll be okay." I laid a hand on his arm. He sighs and takes my hand in his. "If I see him again, I'm not letting him escape. I'll make sure he pays."

I laughed at his words. "I know you will. There's no way for me to stop you when you go on a rampage. Just make sure not to kill him. I don't need you to be known as a murderer. I'm just glad it wasn't Iris they grabbed." Gladio began messing with my (h/c) hair. He twirled a strand around his index finger.

"You are too good for me, (Y/n)." I smile up at him. "No, we're perfect for each other," I said. Gladio smiled and caressed my cheek with his free hand. Without warning, he leaned down and pressed his lips against mine. The kiss grew more passionate as time flew by. Luckily, no one was able to see us.

After our deep, passionate kiss, Gladio began to grin. "W-what is with the grin?" I took a few steps back. He stuck his hands up and took a step towards me. "I'm glad I learned you're ticklish."

"Bye!" I turn on my heels and began to run. I didn't get far before I was encased in his arms. My feet weren't touching the ground as he picked me up. "Payback for trying to hide what happened," he whispered in my ear. I groan and slump in his arms.

"You are so mean."