~3rd Person POV~

With another repair needed on the Regalia, the quartet of friends head to Hammerhead. The four were greeted by Cindy and Cid as they pulled into the garage. They hop out of the car and Ignis reports the issue they've been experiencing to the young mechanic.

"Where's (Y/n)?" Gladio asked.

Cindy sent him a grin and raised an eyebrow at the shield. "Whatcha need from Sissy?"

"He's gotta crush on her~!" Prompto teases, causing the brute to hit him on the back of the head.

"Aw, how sweet! She hasn't been in a relationship before. Fair warning, she's not used to affection," Cindy said.

"(Y/n)'s never been in a relationship before?" Noctis asked, completely baffled at the revelation.

"Hard to believe?" Cindy laughs. The four nod in unison with bewilderment written all over their faces.

"Very," Gladio answers.

"Well, if ya wanna see her, check in the garage. She should be finish helpin' our previous customer," Cindy smiles. Just as they were about to enter the garage, a familiar girl with (h/c) hair and (e/c) eyes walks out.

(A/n: Outfit time!)

"I thought I heard familiar voices," (Y/n) said, placing her hands on her hips. She smiled at them brightly and wiped paint off her cheek. "I'm glad you guys stopped by. There's something I need."

"How may we help?" Ignis asked.

"There's a stone I'm in the need of. The properties of the stone would create a scratch-free surface on anything. Hopefully, I'll be able to use it when I need to repaint a car and create a stronger coating."

"What does this stone look like?" Gladio asked.

"It's a simple stone with a few blue crystals on the surface. It shouldn't be hard to find as its commonly found around Galdin Quay. Not sure where, exactly."

"Details, details! We'll find that stone in no time!" Prompto proclaims.

(Y/n)'s smile widens. "Thank you, everyone. Please, be careful. Who knows what monsters are laying in wait."

"Don't worry, Buttercup. We'll be back soon," Gladio smirked at the young woman. (Y/n) waves farewell as they call their chocobos and head to their destination.

After a couple of hours, the group was able to find the stone (Y/n) had requested. Gladio slid it into his pocket before heading back to the main road with the others. They head back to Hammerhead so they could complete the request.

Back at the outpost, the group heard yelling from inside. Cindy was just as confused and all five of them storm into the garage. Gladio was quicker than the others and spotted a man yelling at (Y/n). The young woman had an unamused look on her face, not fazed by the man's booming voice.

"Look, I'm giving you the normal price," (Y/n) calmly explains.

"That's not normal price! You're ripping me off!"

"If you don't have the gil, maybe-"

"Just give me my damn car!"

"No, you haven't paid."

"You-!" The man snaps, rasing his hand and hitting (Y/n) on the cheek. The force of the hit sent the young girl to the ground.

With pure anger boiling in his veins, Gladio stormed over and grabbed the man by the collar. He pulled the man back and delivered a punch to his jaw. A sharp cracking sound was heard as the man collapsed to the ground, passing out from the immense pain he was experiencing.

"Nice punch," (Y/n) compliments. Gladio helped her off the ground, examining her cheek that now had a huge red spot on it.

"I'll go get some ice," Cindy said before storming off. (Y/n) tried to step away from Gladio, but he refused to let go of her. She gazed into his amber eyes with her (e/c) ones. "Gladio, I'm fine. You can let go now."

Without saying a word, he began dragging the girl away from the others. Prompto tried to follow, but Noctis restrained the sharpshooter. (Y/n)'s protest went on deaf ears as Gladio pulled her towards the caravan. Once he knew all prying eyes were gone, he released the girl and faced her.

"Sorry 'bout that," he quickly apologized.

"You're actin' strange. Whatever it is, you can tell me," she said, placing her small hand in his larger one. In the blink of an eye, he bent down to her height and slammed his lips against her soft ones. He gently cupped her cheeks, making sure to not irritate the red mark on her left one. After a long, intoxicating kiss, their joyous moment was cut short by Cindy.

"Sorry to interrupt ya. Here's the ice, Sissy," she said, handing over the bag of ice to her sister with a grin. (Y/n) thanks her with red cheeks and placed the bag against her now swollen one. She winced at the pain and the coldness as she pulled the bag back immediately.

Gladio chuckled, pushing the bag back against her cheek. "I know it's cold and sore, but you've gotta get the swelling down."

"I know, I know. Still can't believe I got slapped."

"And you were just tellin' him the price?" Gladio asked, placing a hand on her head.

"Yeah! I wasn't rippin' him off. He should've checked the prices before puttin' his car in my care."

Gladio pulled her close, kissing her on the forehead. "You sure handled it calmly. If I were you, I would've snapped."

"And that's why you're the King's shield, not a businessman," she sasses.

Gladio chuckles deeply. "Can't argue with that."

(Y/n) glanced up and saw the others signaling Gladio. He sighed and cursed them under his breath. "Guess it's time to head out."

"Feel free to drop by anytime, Gladio. We enjoy the friendly company."

Gladio grinned and pecked her on the lips. "'We'?Don't you mean 'you'?"

(Y/n) shoves him playfully with her own smirk. "Just get goin', ya big lug."

Before leaving, Gladio stole another kiss from the girl. "See you soon, Shortcake." Before he forgot, the brute pulled out the stone and placed it in (Y/n)'s hand. "Don't have too much fun while I'm gone."

"No promises!"