An Angel Blooms (Gladio X Reader)

Chapter 16

"We can get a pretty good view from here," Gladio commented as we sat down in a private booth, Cup Noodles in our hands from one of the food stands.

"Yea, I guess." On the way here, I had started to feel more and more depressed. I didn't understand my feelings and I sure as hell didn't understand Gladio. I thought about what Iris had said about me hiding my feelings for Gladio. Perhaps in my attempt to hate him I ended tricking myself into believing I didn't like him. I wasn't sure. I just sat in silence, resting my head in my hand as the sound of horns filled the air.

"Who do you want to bet on first?" he asked.

I looked up at him and saw that he was holding his phone out to me. I took it in my hands and saw that he had quickly downloaded an app to make bets on the monsters. There were a bunch of teams listed along with what creatures were in each team. I scanned the list of teams that were in the first round.

"Gotta go with Blaster Bro. Coeurls are too tough." I answered plainly as I handed back his phone.

He smiled, "I agree." Gladio placed the bet and then put away his phone. We would be able to turn in any points we earned from it at a machine back at the entrance and exchange them for gil.

We waited for a while, eating our noodles in silence until a horn signaled the start of the first round. We both stood up straight to watch as a Coeurl ran out of one of the gates. Its opponents were a group of Voretooth, a Gigantoad, and some Garula.

I couldn't help but enjoy myself. We watched as the Coeurl sat down at the edge of the arena waiting for each victim to come a little too close. It would electrocute them with lightning or sting them with its whiskers. Each of them would die instantly. The Garula were the only ones that wouldn't fight back. They would stay at the opposite side of the arena until the Coeurl got bored enough to finish them off. It seemed like this Coeurl had been in the show business for a while and understood what was going on. He must never lose a fight.

I grew more and more excited with each match and cheered for the different teams. We had also gotten a horn to cheer on the monsters, and took turns blowing into it.

"So," Gladio said, "Are you enjoying yourself, sweetheart?" I felt him touch my thigh and saw that he was leaning in a little close.

I grabbed his hand to pull it away, "Hey, you need to back off. I'm with Iggy now,"

He chuckled and moved his hand away, "You don't need to lie to me,"

I quickly got defensive, "I'm not!" I yelled. I was about to start screaming profanities until he pulled out his phone. He tapped the screen a few times and handed it to me. I took the phone from him and looked at it. It was a conversation between him and Iris.

Iris: How's our little mission going?

Gladio: What mission?

Iris: Are you saying you forgot?! That's so unlike you Ignis.

I noticed by the time stamp on the next text that Gladio had waited a long time to see if she would explain on her own.

Iris: You're supposed to be making Gladdy jealous, remember?

As I frantically scrolled faster. It became clear that Iris had accidently texted the wrong person. After figuring it out she tried to play it off but eventually had no choice but to give up. She came right out and told him the truth. Finally, the conversation ended with:

Iris: You need to confess to her! You're driving her crazy

Gladio: That's the point

I slumped in my chair feeling defeated. Gladio plucked the phone from my hands and put it back in his pocket.