Full AU History (WIP)

[lose_the_jacket]

ZERO TO TWENTY

He was one of those kids who proudly announced that his parents could easily kick the other kid's parents' asses.

Since before Gladio was even old enough to talk, all he'd known is a family of those who fight against crime. By the time he was old enough to actively speak and run around, he was constantly glued to either his mother or father's (sometimes both) side, begging to go to work with them. When they asked why he was so determined to, he announced that it was because he was going to become a police officer. He was only five at the time; they each chuckled and pet his head, encouraging him that he'll be able to do anything he wanted. It wasn't until he was eight, however, his mother (named Acacia) finally caved and let him sit in her patrol car. His grandmother (named Camellia) managed to talk her son-in-law (named Jarred) into letting Gladio hang out in his office on what was technically his day off; he usually went into work on days he was supposed to be off, so... why not?

Camellia died when he was eleven; that was the first time he ever saw his mother cry.

While his mother was constantly on the streets and working to lock away bad guys (a job she clearly loved), his father, a police chief, was working to guide members of the force. And, because he never saw his mother and father so much as argue, he grew up believing them to be very much in love with one another, regardless of how little time they actually sat in the same room. He couldn't have asked for anything better in regards to parents, right? Sure, they were busy, but they were always smiling, always laughing... And they always took at least one day out of the week to go somewhere as a family! Even when he graduated school, got a full time job, and moved out (at the age of eighteen), they all still found time to do something together.

...Apparently they were just really skilled at hiding the truth (looking back, well after the fact, Gladio was able to see obvious signs). They waited until after his celebratory dinner (something his mother chose to throw for her son for ranking up) to announce it to him in private: they were getting a divorce. While the young policeman practically demanded to know what happened, his mother just gave a sad smile and shook her head. It was his father who told him to mind his "own business."

That night was forever known for two things: the divorce announcement, of course, but also the night in which Jarred punched his twenty-year-old son in the face for getting in his face and screaming that he hated him.

TWENTY-ONE TO TWENTY-SIX

Two years later, Gladio and his father were practically pushed back onto speaking terms, but for a reason that neither of them could be happy about. Acacia was in a car accident that ended with her being in a coma. Jarred and Gladio were up all night together, talking about the past and catching up. That was the night that Gladio learned that his father never stopped loving his mother -- he'd divorced her to give her space. They'd married young, so he believed she'd never gotten to live a free life. For the first time in his life, Gladio saw his father cry.

The next day, Gladio was told that his father had been shot and killed in the parking lot of a flower shop.

With the weight of his mother's life on his hands, as well as the weight of planning his father's funeral, Gladio discovered just how capable he was of ignoring his own feelings. Nobody saw him cry (not that he didn't do that in private, of course), but they did see him holding his head high while helping to carry the casket. When he talked about his father, he'd managed to steel his expression enough and make it as clear as possible that he was proud of everything his father had done.

Regardless of how busy his day is, he always makes time to see his mother; he tells her about his day and whispers that he loves her, all in hopes that she'll wake up. Some part of him is hoping that "I love you" is what she'll wake up to. It's because he visits the hospital so much, however, he's on a first-name basis with some of the staff. One staff member (named Sara) occasionally has coffee and a sandwich waiting for him in the room.

A year later, however, he became one of their patients. One night, he was on patrol and spotted a man holding an older, married couple up at knife point. Thanks to his reflexes, in spite of the man slashing into his face, he managed to save one of them... but not the other. It was the other who had a moment of blind bravery. He rushed forward after seeing the attack on Gladio, which resulted in him being stabbed. Fortunately, they didn't suffer; they died on-site. To this day, Gladio doesn't know what happened to the other half of the couple, but he did make a point to keep an eye out for them whenever patrolling that area.

During his hospital stay, a couple of staff threatened to strap him to the bed... because he sure did walk over to visit his mother even while he was a patient.

It was after he'd had time to heal up for the most part, they tried giving him an award for the bravery he showed when fighting to save the old couple; he outright refused to accept it. As for the man who stabbed the old man and sliced Gladio's face? He was killed in prison six months later. Gladio heard about it from the news, and some part of him wanted to feel at least a least bad, but...

Years passed. By that point, in spite of his face being healed, the scar was still very visible; it became a reminder of that night.

He became "married" to his job, according to some of his co-workers (or... anyone he talked to on a regular basis, really). He was very determined to not let anyone else die on his watch, so he began working out even harder at the gym and in training. Regardless of the nagging from those who had begun calling themselves his friends, he needed to find a hobby... or a girlfriend at least. The guy didn't so much as take a sick or vacation day since his time in the hospital... but, in effort to shut them all up, he did adopt a dog. His name is Rufus!

So, from that point forward, whenever he went for his morning jog, he started taking Rufus along. One of his neighbors (a buddy named Joe) took up the task of taking Rufus for a walk once a day, or more if Gladio was working late (which was... often).



------WIP------



-He and Nyx became sorta-friend-things after the fourth time of Gladio showing up when the police station was called.
-He met Prompto via Nyx trying to teach him a lesson and calling Gladio, asking him to help a bro out.
-Gladio threatened to post Prompto's picture all over the police station as a means of scaring him into behaving.
-He actually sees a lot of good in him.
-Cue him now keeping an eye on him these days, even if he's not announcing it.
-He stops by to chat with Nyx during downtime.
-He recently bought some land just outside Recollé Woods and is in the process of building a cabin there.