how do they love? | ffxv | gn!reader
ᯓ NOCTIS’ love is unusual, a kind of love that’s like an inside joke only the two of you are privy to. a warm kind of string between you both, plucked with the most unconventional timing.
it’s the way he snickers when you pretend you didn’t stumble on your way over to him, or maybe the way you grin at his awkward choice of words when it comes to speaking to you. either way, the two of you have something oddly endearing. ignis will shake his head fondly as he watches the two of you walk side by side, close enough to brush hips although not quite. noctis will only do it to make you laugh, a sweet sound he can’t help but mimic.
his social skills often lack, but his love shows in the smallest ways. holding up his fork, a tomato stabbed in the pointed edges, as a silent offering for you to take. in return, he takes whatever you don’t like the next time. a head rested on your lap, black hair splayed out as he shifts around and tries to get comfy. it’s a sign he trusts you, even with little things like that.
he is also a yearner, through and through. even older noctis, who admires the way you trace his scruff and preen at his lapel. eyes following your every move with nothing but pure adoration; a king soft as mush in the creases of your palm.
his hand’ll reach for yours in the middle of the night, pawing at the sheets until it finds the warmth of your pulse. it only takes a try or two before he succeeds, though. it’s like he knows where you are, even when his eyes are blurred with sleep and soft yawns slip past his lips.
ᯓ IGNIS’ love is thoughtful, something that can be easily passed off as minuscule but one thing you can’t miss is the way it roots itself into the hearth of your core.
on his trips or outings he may take with the boys, he’ll never admit it (and you’ll have to find out by yourself), but whenever noctis takes over the wheel for a while, ignis’ eyes are glued to the scenery in hopes of finding ingredients for a new recipe he can bring home to you.
ignis is often very busy with his royal duties and escorting the prince around, but you’re always on his mind in one way or another — inhabiting the space in his prefrontal cortex and worming around in unorthodox ways, even little stuff reminding him of you.
you complain about how your feet have been hurting for a while? ignis is already there with lotion and comfortable shoes. you need a bit more salt on your food? ignis is already getting up from the table to fetch it from the kitchen for you.
he never expects, let alone asks, for anything of the sort in return. it brings him joy knowing he can do something for you, and he fancies it an admirable trait of his. if you were to ever do something back, or also show your love through acts of service, he’d try to politely decline with a soft smile before you insist. it’s got him thinking about it for days on end, and he swears his heart beats a bit too quickly the following week.
older ignis would especially appreciate this considering his lack of sight, and he only finds salvation within the loving pads of your fingers tapping at his wrist.
ᯓ PROMPTO’s love is bright, too warm to be contained in one vessel; like the head of a flashlight cradled in your palm, beaming rays seeping through the cracks in your fingers and leaking out in vivid streams.
he talks the boys’ ears off with fun facts or small things that remind him of you — which is more like everything, because he constantly finds correlations to things you like and stuff they see on the road. thumbing at the buttons of his camera for the day only to find a selfie you and him took, it makes his heart flutter and his cheeks hurt with the painted smile on his face. gladio doesn’t even have to ask what’s got him smiling, he already knows.
and when he sees you, he can’t help but feel on top of the world. he loves talking to you, and words for affirmation / quality time he definitely does adore. he’ll listen to you speak, practically buzzing as he waits for his turn once you’ve asked him about what he likes, or you’ve started talking about what you like. prompto wants to know you to your very core, the same way his ribs are splayed open with your sweet words wrenching their way into him; bared open for you to see.
falls head over heels for you and will constantly make excuses just to see you. all he craves is a hand on his and a smile on your face. that’s all it takes. he has this thing where if he doesn’t have his camera on him, and he sees a really nice sight, his brain’ll conjure up the perfect aperture and filters and everything for an imaginary photo he only wishes he could take. your smile is one of the things he wishes he could always catch.
you’ve made a home in his heart that beats with a happy signal every time he sees you — almost like a doorbell that always knows when you’re home.
ᯓ GLADIOLUS’ love is protective, a rock with a mess of lava and sunlight bundled up inside of him with ties too tight, where everything ends up spilling out of him anyway.
being the royal shield, his nature and job is naturally to protect. his friends, his family, his honor. gladio doesn’t mind it, in fact, he welcomes it. within the warmth of his grasp, he hopes you find solace because that’s the only way he can rest. he’s constantly looming over you, even without a hand on your shoulder, you can feel his heat radiating off of him.
anybody who sees the two of you will see a tall, dark figure constantly behind you; fooled by the intimidating shadow of your boyfriend constantly lurking around you. gladio’ll even try to fool you himself, but all it takes is a soft hand in his hair and a smile thrown his way and all of a sudden he’s just a big dope. trace over his scars and he’s resisting the urge to get down on one knee.
no matter how tough he thinks he is, gladiolus is never too tough for you. you wanna show him a flower you found in the garden? hell yeah, he’ll keep it in the front pocket of his shirt all day. you wanna go to lestallum? sure, let him just stock up on gas and you’ll go.
and if you manage to get along with his family, he’s absolutely whipped for the rest of his life. seeing iris drag you along the city makes him grin with ease, noctis clapping a hand on his back as he huffs out a small chuckle.
gladiolus amicitia is a true believer that stars dim out just to let you shine, and he’ll tell you as such however many times you crave so long as you are looking for proof that you are worth loving.
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requests are open — april twenty-seventh, 2025













