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guyyurienjoyer · 1 year ago

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Alriiiiight so for the next couple I am gonna be dropping the bullet points because there are some fat fucking paragraphs in there.

On the emotional/psychological side of things

Before Clive came into the picture, Cid was absolutely priming Gav to eventually take up the mantle should he fall in battle or, God willing, his aging body force him into a less active role. The lad’s young, quick-witted, even quicker on his feet, and his sheer gratitude towards Cid translates into a sense of devotion that can’t really be swayed by anything.

However, amidst all that admiration is a burgeoning attraction that Gav doesn’t really understand at first, and eventually comes to grips with the reality that the kind of yearning he's feeling isn’t exactly appropriate given their mission and their respective stations. This make him feel a kind of loneliness he’d never experienced before, something very different than what he’s been feeling every day since the loss of his family. That said, Cid does his best to handle it all with care and help them both navigate the situation as kindly as he can because he's a gentleman.

He eventually gets across just how important their mission is and that it's their duty to see it through to the end, and as such, their rapport has lines that shouldn't be crossed for the sake of ensuring that Gav's every action, every decision puts the cause above all else and never gets superseded by personal feelings.

This saddens Cid just as much as it does Gav, because dammit, he *is* fond of the lad just the same, and he'd be happy to be his rock, his safe haven, make him realize just how much he deserved, how much he can accomplish, and maybe even how good they could make one another feel… but that's a luxury they can’t afford to indulge in with the responsibilities they are each beholden to.

Cid, however, more than makes up for it by offering encouragement, praise and uplifts Gav as often as he can. He also does eventually figure out ways to spoil him a little (nothing inherently sexual, I’ll get into the specifics in another post).

This leads to Gav becoming very, very dutiful in regards to everything related to the affairs of the hideaway, and figuring celibacy is the path he has to follow (which is the last thing Cid wants: he's all for Gav finding intimate companionship, he just isn't in a position to reciprocate), and he erects a barrier around himself that a certain somber hound of a man would eventually burn down before pulling Gav into a tight, healing squeeze.

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Much like you’ve already put it, finding a mate was the absolute last thing on Clive’s mind when he and Gav started working together, and his heart, at the time, was laser-focused on the fact that Jill was alive and the untold joy it brought him, but also on what she meant to him now, and likewise what he meant to her. They eventually decide to focus on healing and supporting one another no matter what, and that whatever will be, Will Be.

Throughout it all, Clive has no problem unwittingly, repeatedly leaning into Gav’s bubble with absolutely zero awareness of how it could come off to Gav or anyone observing. Since the day they got acquainted, Clive’s never felt anything but a deep reverence for a man who repeatedly sticks his neck out for him without a shred of hesitation, is staggeringly efficient on the field despite his youth, while somehow also being one of the most easygoing, grounding people he’s ever met.

The way he’s so incredibly easy to talk to despite a tongue that is at times sharper than Cid’s is one of the first things that starts wearing down the chinks in Clive’s (psychological) armor.

Likewise with the new environment he finds himself in, Clive’s soldier deprogramming begins almost instantly, and he’s more than happy to shed the violence of his past, and finds he much prefers using his voice to praise and give heart rather than to bark orders, and his hands to support and build instead of shedding blood, and Gav’s the first to fall to this onslaught of kind words, praise and unexpected, but not unwanted physical touch.

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There’s a lot about Clive that threw Gav for a loop, like at first, he would have expected the Rosarian to be the kind of person who, hardened by war and strife, wouldn’t gel with or even actively reject the carefree levity he brings everywhere with him. Or perhaps, he would use his heritage to lord him around, even look down on him should he catch wind of his humble upbringing.

Instead, he finds this somewhat awkward, but very steadfast, incredibly thoughtful hulking fortress of a man who responds to every goof, every little jape of Gav’s with a smirk, a chuckle, or even roaring laughter if he’s had enough to drink. And that smile of his is contagious.

Eventually, he becomes comfortable with teasing Clive a little, in itself a form of payback for all the stammering the man's wrung out of him. Of course, Clive’s not the one to take it lying down, but his clapbacks need work and sometimes whoever’s in earshot of one of their little exchanges will do a double take.

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During battle, Gav strives to be Clive’s shadow and isn’t afraid of getting caught in the crossfire of his flashier dominant powers. He and Torgal develop a mutual understanding and seamlessly work together to cover Clive’s blind spots and support one another. The wolf will even listen to Gav’s commands when Clive gets too tied up in his Dominant shenanigans, a mark of respect which Gav returns by sometimes replying to Torgal’s barking or growling in battle with something like “Don’t need to tell me twice!” or “Got it!” as if he’d just been issued an order or directive (or to acknowledge whatever Torgal’s trying to point out).

Initially, Gav’s utter devotion to Clive’s safety is partly rooted in his misunderstanding of Cid’s words above; once he realizes his crush on Clive, he begins overthinking and becomes so, so afraid of ever sharing how he feels with his companion, not just because he’s worried of potentially intruding between Clive and Jill, but also because he doesn’t want to become a weakness for Clive.

However I think once Clive becomes aware of how Gav feels, he immediately begins reassuring Gav that this couldn’t be further than the truth, and that Gav is, if anything, a source of strength for him. After this moment of shared vulnerability, Clive begins making more of an effort to actively synchronize with Gav in the heat of battle and tries to return the vigilance with which the other man keeps spears, daggers and fangs out of his back.

As for Gav, while he struggles to see himself as worthy of Clive’s reverence and admiration even well after they begin to reciprocate one another’s feelings, the desire to come home to Clive safe and sound basically raises his self-preservation instinct by 500%, as he’s willing to be a lot more ruthless and underhanded if it means getting to live another day.

Okay I'll post the rest of it tomorrow, a guy needs his beauty sleep.

Clive/Gav headcanons/rambles/???

remembering i can post whatever i want once again so i'm posting some clive/gav headcanons since i was talking to a friend about our desires for character study slowburn but also our lamentations that we are not fic writers. and how barely anybody else is talking about this ship. so here's the compiled thoughts i've had. (there's more of them than i thought)

(gripping you) think about it with me :) (writers feel free to steal these thoughts as ammunition)

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It's very 'Gav falls first, Clive falls harder'. Gav's got eyes, he see's what we all see and as he sees the kind of man Clive is and he's gonna fall deeper. and he also may think he's out of Clive's league. - Clive's got enough self resentment that he isn't even sure he's allowed to love again. the subject of 'loving somebody' is likely barely on the table in his mind yet after 13 years of spite and revenge, he still needs to catch up. Jill may put it on the table as it was maybe something they once felt, or something they were once expected to have; but they're different people now, trying to find themselves in their new space to do so. And during that time Gav is waiting for that 'will they wont they' to unfold.

Clive has spent a lot of time having to be physically violent against his will, so i think he enjoys getting to actually touch people affectionately for once - which we see for ourselves flusters Gav. as Gav grows accustomed to and even reciprocating of it (Gav having his growing crush and deciding to take what he can get) Clive's very glad with how comfortable he can be around Gav without consciously thinking too hard about it. along with how much i think Clive respects and admires Gav for everything he does, he's glad to continue being physically affectionate to show his appreciation.

Clive reflects on how for 13 years he had nothing to sincerely smile for while stuck as a hateful miserable soldier, and even before then under his mother they were few and far between. and as he's finding his footing for the first time in forever this funny breath of fresh air comes along and suddenly he's smiling. often even. And he can't even remember the last time his smile felt real. The last time he laughed so hard, eventually to the point where it's hard enough to make his chest hurt. that he doesn't quite feel like he's drowning.

he tries not to think too hard when Gav gets either giddy or flustered when he's praised lest the word "cute" fill his head. How he thinks Gav deserves all those kind words every time.

He and Gav have had their quiet moments over the years of the timeskip, and maybe somewhere earlier in the timeline than what happens in the game before joshua's returned, Gav's brings up earlier; "i never got to be a big brother" - losing his family in one night - and instead him relating to Clive on the feeling of failing to protect and save a younger sibling. in that vulnerable moment maybe Gav musters up asking 'was being a big brother nice? atleast for a little while?'. and they can mourn together the lost chances, pressure, and pride.

Along the way Clive picks up that Gav's jokes are how he gets by with the darker thoughts, the self doubts, the feeling of not being enough. and he comes to appreciate the Gav that isn't just trying to make him laugh or ease up, the Gav that is also struggling, that makes reminding him he's special continue to mean more to him. when he wants to be the one that also makes Gav smile and laugh and be happy to be alive in return

Gav's a man who's never been good at fancy words, and suddenly he wants to be a poet because he needs a way to describe the feelings he has. As he lets Clive see all his doubts and flaws but never being shamed for it, continuing to be treated by Clive's kindness, he cherishes feeling legitimately seen and cared for despite his weakness. and he feels like the most honoured man alive whenever Clive confides his struggles in him more and more too

everybody has been watching these two insufferably pine, Gav being more self aware and self concious, while Clive not even figuring out his own feelings yet for so long doesn't realize that he's obvious to everyone else :)

When Clive finally puts all the points together, being struck with the realization he's in love. the subsequent question "oh fuck is that allowed", and is laying in that bed hands in his hair staring wide eyed at the ceiling utterly stricken. But Clive, always the driven man, will eventually resolve to let Gav know, because he thinks Gav deserves that much. to let him know how grateful he is to know how to love someone - him - like this.

a leader and his scout to guide eachother :)

#ffxvi #ff16 #clive rosfield #gav ffxvi #clive/gav #clive x gav #firescout #scoutlaw #headcanons #gav/clive #gav #final fantasy 16 #final fantasy xvi

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