#tragety

Mayday Mayday! by Allison Coles on Flickr

Summary:  She tried leaving, submerging herself in work to escape the horrors she had seen. The horrors she kept seeing. She never wanted to go back to that life. But when the Empire takes her home, she’s forced to face her past. Can she move on? Can she cope? Or will she require a bit of help? still bad at summaries, still working on it. ever so slightly more than slight AU gadioxoc

Misdiagnosed

...

The morning progressed a lot smoother once Gladiolus and Athenacia had returned from the river. The girl blanched at the sight of her own vomit pile, to which Ignis tasked Gladio to smooth away with water. Happy to comply, the young doctor was forced into a chair in order to rest. It wasn't just the vomit that made her sick, it was the sight of a burn mark in the chair she was sleeping in and she was hoping that no one had taken notice of it, assuming it had happened sometime with the fire popping. Averting the stern gaze of Ignis, she merely accepted the cool drink of honey and ginger for her nerves and kept her attention to her patient. That man likely suspected something of her anyway and Cor wouldn't want him asking questions. At least Prompto was feeling much better, his concussion had taken a big turn in the right direction. When Athenacia had a moment, she put on a pair of latex gloves and started probing around. The swelling had gone down considerably and his conversation wasn't as delayed as yesterday. Okay, so she cheated a little while he slept but no one really needed to know that. His vitals were normal and she took note of it all before she was again forced into a seat to try and relax.

Noctis had made his appearance as well, just as breakfast was ready. Athenacia noted that he looked much better than last night when they had spoken, smiling briefly at him and he gave her a small nod before accepting a plate of food from Iris. The girl happily sat beside him in a chair, leaving Gladiolus the only one without a seat, a problem that he solved quite easily. Handing Athenacia his plate of food left her curiously holding both meals and it was far too late for her to stop his actions when she realized what was happening. Gladio lifted her easily out of her seat and then placed her on his lap once he took the chair from her, making her squeal and face turn that familiar shade of crimson at his actions, wondering how she miraculously hadn't managed to spill either of their breakfast.

"Thanks, Doc!" said the Shield, taking his plate with a grin.

Athenacia had no words, still in stunned silence at what just happened while Prompto was laughing at her red face, wasting no time in gathering his camera to capture the moment. It wasn't until far too late that she had snapped out of it and sighed. That boy was always getting her most embarrassing moments it seemed. Gladiolus kept that grin on his face, the other three in their own world of a conversation, however, the morning would end and when it did the time to hit the road was upon them. Everything was cleaned, packed and ready to go in what seemed to be record time. Once everything was ready, Gladio took his spot in the driver's seat of her truck. The doctor struggled to open the passenger door, groaning in frustration at its refusal to comply with her wishes. Glaring at the Shield who began to laugh instead of helping her, she gave up entirely and climbed into the bed with a huff. Gladio opened the back winder, enabling her to hear him laughing at her. Athenacia groaned again, putting her back to him and crossing her arms as she pointedly looked away.

"Come on, Doc, I'll help you," he said between laughs.

"I'm fine right here, thank you," she said curtly, keeping her gaze on the water.

The Regalia drove away, leaving the two of them where they were. Athenacia watched as it got further, wondering why he was still sitting here. There was no reason to be sitting here, she was fine on the bed of the truck.

"I'll open the door for you," offered Gladio.

"I'm fine. You better get going or we'll get left behind," she replied.

"I'm not moving until you're up here."

"You don't need me in there."

"I'll get lonely."

"Then you should have gone in your fancy car."

"Come on, Doc, get up here."

"No thanks."

"Don't make me come back there," he warned.

She scoffed, "You wouldn't! We're falling behind."

"We'll be even further behind if you make me get out of this seat."

"How do you figure?"

"Because if I have to come back there I'm going to take my time getting you up here."

Her head snapped to meet his gaze. Gladiolus was giving her that wolfish smile and it made her feel heat on her cheeks. Athenacia held her glare though, neither of them moving. The longer they stayed like this the further away the others would get. She also knew that he would make good on his promise, she just wasn't sure whether or not she wanted him to or not. There was no denying it was long overdue, she craved him, however, her logic stopped her from giving in to her whims. The last thing she wanted was the others coming back to check on what was taking them so long. Finally he removed his gaze from her, opening the door and she grew scared.

"Okay, okay!" she conceded, stopping him in his tracks.

Gladiolus smirked, closing the door as she moved to open the window as far as it could. Tossing in her med bag first, she then placed her sheathed weapon on the seat. Finally, she put her arms through the window, pulling herself in. When her upper body was in, she rolled to get her legs there as well and was startled by a swift swat on her left rear cheek.

"Gladio!" she seethed through her teeth as she moved to sit.

He only laughed at her, "Just thought I'd give you a hand."

Athenacia growled at him while he continued to laugh, starting the engine and taking off finally. Turning her gaze away from him again, her face turned red at his actions and she kept her feet on the dash since there was no room for them on the ground. When the Regalia came into view she was able to relax a little, dropping her hands and leaning back in her seat. They were quiet during the drive, Athenacia shutting her eyes tightly. The sun was out and the skies were clear but the rays were hurting her head, rubbed her sinuses above her eyes and wincing at the pain she felt. Lying down and burying her face in her arms was a nice reprieve, smiling when she felt Gladiolus's hand come to rest on her shoulder. Moving it to help block out the light from her eyes, she kept her hand on top of his while he drove, absently wove designs into his skin. That seemed to alleviate the pain and she internally sighed with content. Before long she was dozing, keeping herself conscious but letting her eyes rest in order to ease her pain.

As the time passed she started to feel nauseous. There seemed to be a pulsing wave of dizziness coming from just behind her right ear. Wincing, she sneaking her fingers underneath Gladio's massive hand and rubbed behind the source. It calmed her down a bit, however, she felt herself have a heat flash, trying to remember something important about that spot. Another wave of nausea hit her and she felt sweat coat her entire body. The pulsing only got worse, leaving her light headed and the pain in her sinuses was returning, her face distressed at what she was feeling.

"Doc, you're really warm, you okay?" asked Gladiolus.

He removed his hand, which was almost drenched in her sweat. Looking down briefly, he noted how she covered her face at the light. It wasn't like this morning, she felt more feverish now, like she had caught a cold. He waited for her to answer as she remained still.

"I think I just need some air," she said finally in a light voice.

He nodded, "I'll take care of it."

Athenacia heard him honk the horn - probably to get the attention of the others - before feeling him begin to decelerate, pulling over off the road. She had no idea where they were but once the engine was off she slowly peeled her hands back from her face. The sun rays were still hurting her sinuses but lack of movement helped her nausea and dizziness. Slowly she got up, reaching for the door handle in order to get out. Of course the thing wouldn't budge and she sighed in exasperation, hearing Gladiolus vacate his seat. There was no sense in wasting time so she exited on his side. Gladio stood, not touching her but ready to steady her if need be. The physician caught the curious glance of Ignis while Iris, Prompto and Noctis were looking over the railing at the ocean. Athenacia carefully made her way over there, breathing in the fresh air and feeling her nausea subside. Gladiolus stayed close to her and she wished Ignis would stop staring at her. Clearly he didn't trust her and he had every right not to, however, not for the reasons he was probably conjuring up in his mind.

"Are you ill?" asked the bespectacled man finally.

"No, I think I misdiagnosed," she lied quickly, "My symptoms are that of a mild concussion."

"How did you miss that?" asked Gladiolus.

"Carelessness. I was so focused on Prompto I wasn't really giving myself much thought beyond my obvious physical wounds."

It was sound reasoning and convinced the Shield. Ignis, however, seemed suspicious still but chose not to comment on the matter. At some point they were going to have to confront each other, luckily she had been avoiding most topics of her origin long enough she was adept in it. The doctor wasn't really worried about him figuring out that she was some kind of monster, however, the Imperial spy theory was still at large - though the fate of Athenacia Virum hadn't actually been revealed into the media, she figured that some people might have blamed her for what happened in the Crown City. None of that even mattered, she always had Cor on her side and only a fool would openly defy him.

"Sorry, I just need a minute," she said, hating that she was holding them up.

"Take all the time you need," replied Ignis.

Athenacia smiled at him before he turned his attention elsewhere, leaving her with Gladiolus looking out at the sea. Sighing, she slumped down to her knees, trying to calm down her panic attack. The pulsing behind her right ear had ceased for now and her nerves were getting better, almost as if it were a shot of epinephrine. There were other people enjoying the view: two off to her right and two on the left. The girl leaned her forehead on her hands, that were still grasping the railing. Gladio was a tower over her, hovering protectively despite no danger around them. Her body temperature was lowering, she no longer felt coated in any sweat. The breeze rustled her hair on her back, reminding her that she hadn't bothered to put it up this morning and her bangs were stuck to her forehead from her previous perspiration. Her skin cooled down, forming goosebumps all along her bare arms and she took in a large breath, the nausea finally going away. Those sensitive ears of hers perked up when she heard the men beside her talking.

"Heard about the Imperial base?"

"Yeah, some Lucians went in and raised hell!"

"They raised hell alright! Put the base commander in the hospital."

"I heard that was Athenacia Virum."

"The Imperial spy?"

"Yeah, that one. After she brought down Insomnia she ran back to her masters. The Lucians caught up with her but she turned on her own men to try and keep up her cover."

Athenacia's grip on the railing tightened. She had no idea it was this bad, that the rumours about her had come this far. So she was blamed for the complete fall of the city, she had thought that maybe it would have died down by now, or that she would have been kept out of other mouths. Where did they even get the idea that she was anywhere near that base anyway?

"What does she even want?"

"The downfall of the royal family. The Prince is alive somewhere and still her target."

"The Immortal is stupid to trust her."

"One day that bitch will get what's coming to her."

"Wish it were someday soon."

Athenacia kept an angry frown on her face, absently she moving her hair so that it was hiding the identifying scar on her neck. Gladiolus lifted her from her knees gently, keeping an arm around her shoulders while she tried to make herself as small as possible.

"Let's get out of here," he said in disgust.

She didn't respond but allowed him to lead her back towards her truck.

...

The drive toward Caem continued with Athenacia still feeling sick to her stomach but not the same way as before, now she was just sick knowing she was the scapegoat of the Lucians. Absently she fingered the scab on her left cheek, the one that had started to peel away in some places. The one she had gotten from Caligo after saving a crowd of Lucians from his wrath. There was nowhere she could go without being reminded of the monster she truly was. No one even knew what she looked like, they were just making it up as they went along. In troubled times people always looked for someone to blame. Perhaps that was her punishment after what she had done all those years ago. Internally sighing, she kept her gaze on the ocean, slouching with her legs up on the dash. She couldn't even enjoy the calm beauty of it after what happened earlier, feeling Gladiolus take her hand away from her face and keep it within his own.

"Doc," he called to her gently.

Athenacia didn't wish to acknowledge him, the words of those men still running through her mind. She didn't need his sympathies, hated that she even let any of this get to her. She was better than this and she knew it.

"Hey," he squeezed her hand slightly.

"What?" she replied, a little coldly without meaning to.

"You can't-"

"I don't want to talk about it," she cut him off, taking her hand back.

Gladio frowned, glancing at her briefly. The physician crossed her arms over her chest with that same scowl on her face staring out the window. It was a shame such a beautiful sight was being wasted with hurt feelings. Times like these he wished there was something he could do for her. Back in the Crown City, it was a lot easier to distract her from those kinds of people, however, things were a lot different now. Not only were they not in the City but she was being blamed for the treaty going awry; a treaty that she wasn't anywhere near, a life that she walked away from after the first time. In the city she could live as normal a life as possible and her walls crumbled a lot easier. Now they were back up in full force. It seemed that once he had managed to break through they just rebuilt themselves and stronger than before. Certainly it was a challenge to keep at them, but he wouldn't quit.

"No one that matters believes that," said Gladiolus.

"I said I don't want to talk about it," she repeated curtly.

"I just wanna make sure you know that."

Athenacia looked over at him, the scowl fading from her face. The man had his eyes trained on the road and she was able to see how her distress appeared to bother him. This wasn't the first time she had seen that look before, tearing away her gaze and internally sighing at her own behaviour. It would be foolish to fight someone on her side, she had done enough of that as a youth so she relaxed her defences. The day was growing later and she could see a large lighthouse come into view. It was Caem, meaning their journey together was ending. All the hardened feelings she had dropped with that realization. Last time they parted ways it didn't end well and she didn't want that to happen again this time. Now more than ever she wanted to be close to him.

Shifting over to where he was, she sneaking her hand into his own and leaned her head on his shoulder while keeping her eyes distant as they once again found the lighthouse. A wave of sadness burst through her, as she squeezed his hand tighter. After all the time since the fall of the city and all the isolation she put herself in she was happy that Cor forced her on this journey; that she was able to spend the time with Gladiolus, restoring the hurt feelings and fixing the issues in their universe. Athenacia watched as the Regalia began to slow down, the brake lights shining back at them and the Shield followed suit, pulling over just as they finished crossing the bridge. Curious, she sat up as he turned off the engine before opening the door. It was odd to stop when they were so close, however, if it meant more time with him she wasn't going to complain. Walking to the front of the truck, she leaned against the hood as she waited patiently for their next move.

"What's up?" asked Gladiolus.

"I want a better view of the ocean!" said Iris excitedly.

"It is going to be dark soon, finding shelter would be the best course of action," mused Ignis.

"Camping again?" groaned Noctis.

"You got a problem with camping?" challenged Gladio.

Athenacia smiled. Obviously, this was a very frequent discussion on their journey. Noctis opted to not engage, which may have been smart on his part. Regardless, settling down for the night was the decision. The doctor didn't mind, happy to spend more time with them since they were basically a hop and skip away from their destination. Grabbing her med bag and weapon, she purposely avoiding the passenger door of the truck, certain it wouldn't open for her anyway and she really wasn't interested in frustrating herself for no reason. Memories flooded her as she followed them down the stairs, Iris getting excited once they made their way toward the shore. Athenacia stopped a moment, as the sun was getting lower to the horizon. The sky wasn't orange yet but it would start soon, a peaceful view of the water finally and then looked on toward the lighthouse solemnly. A sad smile passed across her lips, those earlier feelings of sorrow returning at the inevitable separation she would face once they arrived. An arm snaked around her shoulders and she looked up to see Gladiolus standing next to her. The others were walking away, Iris along the shore with Noctis and Prompto. Before they go too far, she allowed the large man beside her to lead her away, still keeping his arm about her.

There was a haven right near the waterfront, a place she had been to once before that she remembered. On top of that, the Prince had the perfect place to catch them some dinner. Iris and Prompto were happily enjoying watching him fish, something the young doctor did not understand at all, however, she helped set up camp, just as the sun was starting to turn the sky a vibrant orange. Once she was finished, Ignis busied himself with getting dinner ready while Gladiolus had a fire going and that's when she decided to take off her boots. Running her fingers over her shin, the scab from the drill hole was starting to flake away like her other lacerations.

Rising from her seat, she took a look at the water and smiled at the young ones fishing, taking in all the sights before her. Athenacia wished to store them in memory, not wanting to lose this feeling as the lighthouse still to loomed over her. Sighing, her gaze moved down the coast, beckoning to her. Hopping down from the haven, she walked toward the shore, allowing the water to hit her feet. The sun was just above the waterline, and it was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. Smiling, she began to walk away, completely engrossed in her thoughts as the jagged and rocky ground beneath the water forced her to keep her balance. Athenacia thought about Caligo and where he would be once he healed, thought about Ardyn, the Imperial Chancellor that had chased her around the country. Their last meeting had left her nothing but confused about her own origins and while she couldn't trust that man at all - anything he said - she wanted to know his truth, wanted to know what about her was so special to them. More than ever, she wished to meet her mother, the woman absent from her life. Would she even know that her child was still alive? Her hand absently went to her neck, the missing necklace there. The doctor sighed again, wishing that Cor were here so she could speak with him. He had to know what was going on, and had to know something more than he was telling her. All her life she was certain he was keeping things from her, yet he avoided questions so that he could never lie to her.

Athenacia screamed when she felt herself being lifted off the ground. She was met with the smiling face of Gladiolus, who firmly had an arm around her shoulders while holding her legs up at the knees. Relaxing, she let his warm feeling spread through her body, remembering the last time he had held her like this. Well, she tried not to get further into that night, but the start of it was alright. Wrapping her small arms around his neck, she pulled him for a kiss, wishing that their time together could be extended somehow. A content sigh escaped her as she leaned her head against him, her forehead just under his jaw and she breathed in his familiar scent.

"What are you doing out here?" asked the physician, looking up at him

"You looked lonely," answered Gladio.

"I assure you I was not lonely."

"You don't have to lie to me Doc, I know you get lonely without me."

She laughed, "The ego it just never fades, does it?"

"What would you do without it?"

"Live peacefully I think," she smirked.

"Watch it, or you'll end up in the ocean."

"Sounds like a better time than entertaining your ego."

He shrugged, "You're the boss," he began to walk deeper into the water.

"What?!" her eyes widened, moving to look at him, "No! Gladio, I was kidding!"

"Sounded pretty serious to me, Doc," he grinned at her.

"Honestly, I'm not interested!"

"I gotta make you wet one way or another."

Athenacia sputtered as her face turned a very dark shade of crimson. The man only laughed at her as they were up to his knees in the water and she held onto him tighter, not wanting to go in. Keeping the grin on his face, his hand around her shoulders dropped so that he could dig his fingers into the sensitive flesh at her ribs. Her resolve was much higher than the last time he had gotten her to detach from him, however, he still won in the end, struggling as she desperately tried to take control of herself.

"Gladio! No!" she shouted once he had finally succeeded.

Her body plunged into the water with a huge splash, Gladio keeping the grin on his face and waited for her to emerge so he could see her disgruntled look. The sun was low enough that he couldn't see her through the surface of the water and she was taking her time to get back up. Narrowing his eyes in suspicion, the waves grew calmer with each passing second and there was still no sign of her. Taking a step forward, he could feel the jagged edges on his feet and wanted to make sure she hadn't smacked her head, certain he was far enough in that rocks wouldn't have affected her. Before he could conduct his search, something small jutted into the back of his knees. It was quick and he had no choice but to fall into the water as well, taken completely by surprise. Surfacing quickly, he saw Athenacia swimming to shore, leaving him in the wake of her laughter. She wasn't getting away with that. Gladiolus easily caught up to her, grinning at the squeal she released when he grabbed her ankles and pulled her body toward his, letting his knees touch the sharp rocks to steady himself. The girl was still struggling, however, he managed to wrap his arms around her, holding her wrists as they crisscrossed against her chest. Athenacia was still giggling as he kept a tight hold on her against him.

"How did you do that?" he asked.

She only laughed harder, "I'm a doctor, Gladio, I know all the weak spots."

"You'll have to show me someday."

"After what you just did? You'll be lucky if you get to see me doctor at all."

"See you doctor?" he quirked a brow.

She giggled again, "Just trying to dumb it down for you to understand."

He brought his lips to her neck, capturing the flesh there, "Don't make me punish you," he said in a low and very husky tone.

The excitement within her jolted awake. Athenacia wanted nothing more than for him to do just that, however, she did not make the same mistake twice. They were in a very similar situation back in the Malmalam Thicket and had been gone long enough, someone would come looking. The sun had almost completely gone down, they were best not sitting around in the dark anyway and she was unarmed. No, the logic knew best, she wouldn't let herself get caught up in her own selfish desires, no matter how hard it was to fight them off. Turning to face him, she tasted him while she could, feeling one of his hands leave her wrist and slowly work its way down toward her abdomen and pull her closer against his body. Gods he was making it so difficult and she allowed him to continue, pushing herself into him as his other hand released its grip and found one of her breasts. The tiniest moan escaped her as his hand was dangerously close to her pant line. When he released her from their kiss he stared at her a moment, taking her in and remembering that dreamy look.

And then he pushed back into the water with a grin.

Gladio was laughing as he rose to his feet beginning to walk away from her. He turned once he heard her growl, only laughing harder at her. Athenacia looked extremely displeased with what had just happened, finding her own feet and attempting to stamp away from him. The actions only caused him to continue to roar, as he gave her left buttock a firm smack on her way by. Growling again, she tried to swat away his hand as she passed by, wishing to get as far away from him as possible.

"Hey Doc," he called after her once his fit of laughter subsided.

"What?" she turned to look at him with her arms crossed.

The Shield walked up to her, keeping that same grin on his face and she didn't falter her glare, truly upset with letting him get to her in the first place. He bent down so that his mouth was close to her ear, the scar on her neck reflecting into his peripherals. Goosebumps formed on her neck as his breath touched her.

"Told you I'd make you wet," he smirked.

Gladiolus roared with laughter again as he pulled away. Although the sun had gone down he knew that her face was extremely red as she sputtered in anger and embarrassment to regain her composure. Finally, she growled again, her fists clenched at her side as she looked at him.

"Y-you wish!" she said in a huff, walking away from him.