#gladio x aranea

[the-blind-geisha]

The Bride of the Four Horsemen - Chapter 5

Chapter 5 - The Red Rider of Blood - War

1 of 2 added chapters as a commission from destinidestati! Thank you so much for your support~! Another chapter will be added either later this week or early next!

When He broke the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, “Come.” And another, a red horse, went out; and to him who sat on it, it was granted to take peace from the earth, and that men would slay one another; and a great sword was given to him. 

◇─◇──◇────◇────◇────◇────◇────◇─────◇──◇─◇

Arcadia | The Wheelhouse

I opened the doors leading to the control room in haste. The front of the airship was seemingly only accompanied by Ignis and a few others who pledged themselves to us and our cause. Hearing them open, my husband turned to greet me. Even without sight, there were times he always surprised me with how acute his other senses were.

“Where is Noctis?” I asked, breathless from my swift and exhausted run through the airship. 

“Fociaugh Hollow, my Bride,” Ignis answered, his tone harboring concern for my own. “He was looking into a small lead in regards to a powerful daemon he hoped to quell.” He met me halfway, opening his hand for me to take. “Is something the matter? You sound.. distressed.”

It was a dream. That’s what I had to tell myself, but there was some truth buried within that ‘dream’ that had me rattled to my core. My fingers caressed his open palm, trying to find comfort in his presence alone. “I had a vision of sorts.”

Ignis’ lips thinned as if already dreading what I were to say. Seems without me even speaking that horrid man’s name, he knew Ardyn was possibly involved.

“I was… I was warned that something could be happening to Gladio in Altissia at this moment.”

“Who warned you of this?”

I shook my head at his desire to pry. “It matters not! What concerns me is that they could be right. We have more enemies there than friends, and I was told only that he ventured with Aranea there for—for something.”

Ignis hummed in thought, glancing away to collect his thoughts on the matter. “He never spoke with me about this. I was even unaware he was heading there to begin with.” There was a bit of pain laboring his tone as he spoke.

I understood why, as those two seemed to share a lot with one another. Just as Ignis and I had our fair share of secrets, I wouldn't doubt those two had the same.

[ffviidirtyconfessions]

I wish SE could pair Barret and Scarlet to continue muscle buffoon X sexy mommy trope as seen in FFIX (Steiner x beatrix), FFX (Wakka X Lulu) and FFXV (Gladio X Aranea).

I'm temporarily going to ignore you breaking a rule here because what you've said about Barret is so much worse.

Barret is not a buffoon. He is the intelligent, caring, passionate leader of an ecoterrorist group, not to mention one of Square Enix's only prominent black characters. Think about what you are saying. Secondly, due to exact reasons mentioned above, he would kill Scarlet within two seconds of being put in the room with her, if strategically viable. So no.

Gladio's not an idiot either. This isn't a XV blog and I haven't played IX or X either, but I'm willing to bet none of those "muscle buffoons" are really just that. And all the women aren't just "sexy mommies" either.

Christ!

[tenebriism]

ship bias: Ignis :3c

Ship Bias Meme - Ignis [ ACCEPTING ] ;;

Ignis X Ebony. That's it, that's the list.

. . . no, but really.

It's a HARD tie between IgNoct and Gladnis. I was on the ' IgNoct is my OTP ' train for a VERY long while ( probably because there are far more Noctis blogs on Tumblr than there are Gladio blogs, so I was very well fed, for a while . . . then @strictomiles came along. >_> Now, I'm playing for both teams, and they're both waving pretty things in my face, so . . . we'll just say, it's a TIE. )

Fleurentia / Ravus x Ignis. I'd go so far as to say they're a CLOSE second/third to the ships mentioned above.

Cignis / Cindy x Ignis, for OBVIOUS reasons. Ma'am.

Highspecs / Aranea x Ignis. I just think they're neat.

Honorable Mentions:

Gilmore x Ignis (I already tagged Rissa once, so I won't tag her again, but . . . you know what you did. )

[akunose]

So there were apparently some hints for another x-over during the boring livestream, so I thought I would write down my wish list 🤞

Going by the Japanese popularity poll for the main line entries:

XIV - Don't Care

VII - Clothes Swap

X - Tidus > Zack, Yuna > Aerith, Auron or Jecht > Cloud or Angeal, Lulu > Tifa or Lucia, Wakka > Yuffie or Barret, Kimahri > Nanaki or Cid, Mommy Issues > Mommy Issues

VI - Terra > Yuna, Locke > Zack, Edgar > Vincent, Sabin > Tifa, Shadow > Yuffie, Celes > Lucia, Cyan > Matt, Angeal or Cloud, Setzer > Sephiroth

IX - we already got that

V - I'm not overly familiar with 5 outside of Dissidia. Gotta revisit later. Cause I don't remember anyone but Bartz, Exdeath and Gilgamesh right now lol

VIII - Squall > Cloud, Zell > Tifa or Zack or just the Balamb Uniform, Irvine or Laguna > Vincent or Barret, Selphie > Yuffie, Quistis > Lucia, Seifer > Sephiroth with Bonus Angeal and Genesis as Fujin and Raijin lol, Ultimecia > Aerith let her be cool and not you know who... you know what, Yuffie or Barret can have the dog launcher..., Ward > Glenn, Kiros > Matt

IV - Cecil > Cloud or Zack, Golbez > Sephiroth or Angeal, Rosa or Tellah > Aerith, Rydia > Tifa or Lucia, Cain > Cid or Cid > Cid lol, Edge > Yuffie, Edward > Matt

XI - Don't Care

XV - if Reno was playable, he would have to be Trash Jesus, NO BUTS. This one is hard... Noctis, Prompto, Ignis, Gladio, Cor, Nox, Ardyn, Somnus, Aranea, Lunafreya, Gilgamesh (not that one)... or maybe the Dad Squad with Baby Cor. Like Reggie, Clarus, Wesk and Baby Cor as Glenn, Lucia, Matt and Baby Seph.

Anyway, I'd whale hard on this or a FFXII one lol

[naviculariis]

Started replaying FFXV again for the first time in a few years and God, my heart. I can still recall the exact sialogue, what scenes happen when, where to find certain thjngs... I ended up rambling to Warner about the timeline & exactly when Kingsglaive takes place, how Kingsglaive ties in, about Nyx and Drautos and Regis and Lunafreya & Noctis- but what I'm getting at is. FFXV x OP.

Like HEAR ME OUT. Noctis' Retinue = Romance Dawn Trio + Sanji + Usopp. Luffy - Noctis, Zoro - Gladio, Sanji - Ignis, Usopp - Prompto. Nami is where I draw a blank, unless she technically falls into the role of Cindy?? Maybe. But then Noctis, like Luffy, picks up new members along the way!! Aranea ( worked for the Imperial Army, bad guy, bad ass fighter & literal mercenary ) - ROBIN!! ( worked for Crocodile, bad guy turned good, bad ass fighter & Assassin ), Cid ( mechanic, old friend of Regis, funky ) - Franky ( Shipwright, funky as hell ), and Cor ( swordsman who tried to protect the ones he loved, was disgraced ) - Brook ( SWORDSMAN WNO TRIED TO PROTECT THE ONES HE LOVED!!!! )

And then the fucking??? Nyx. NYX ULRIC. Loml. The parallels of him & Ace are wild, but Nyx's sacrifice in Kingsglaive = Ace's role in Marineford. Main difference is that Nyx & Noctis weren't as close. But Nyx also has friends ( like Ace ) in the form of Libertus & Crowe [ Marco + Izou ]. Also, Nyx's power manifests in the form of FIRE.

Does this mean that Luffy would have to be an essential prince?? Yes. Does this also mean that Dragon needs to bite the dust? ... yeah sadly.

But also: Vivi in the role of Lunafreya? A Princess who is pushed into a role that requires her to risk her life to protect her kingdom? Going as far as taking part in a war? HELLO?

I could go on & on about this & how Ardyn lowkey gives the same vibes as the Admirals do, the world building, etc. I have a lot of love for Final Fantasy XV.

[iwonn-arts]

Commission for yellow-cactuar  ^^

[alicemoonwonderland]

A Family Of Three

A kind of follow-up of either Let’s Put A Ring On It or Wind Against His Shield. Can be read separate from either pieces, but it will give some nice backstory. 

Summary: Gladio and Aranea get news that Noctis has been released from the Crystal, and take their little Alexius with them for him to meet his Uncle Noctis. Aranea recounting the time she found out she was pregnant.

Fandom: Final Fantasy XV

Pairing: Gladiolus Amicitia / Aranea Highwind

Rating: SFW

Words: 2333

Tags: Established relationship, unplanned pregnancy, alternative universe - everyone lives/nobody dies, mentioning of sexual relationship, parenthood, confessions, worries, return of the sun, some fluff, tiny bit of angst. 

Tagging:�� @thefriendlytonberry @hypaalicious @angelic-guardienne@stunninglyignis @cupnoodle-queen @chocobruh-art @insomniacapples @insomniasix @fieryfantasy@ladye11e @mp938368 @theprinceofchocobos  @theyearofdiamonddogs @sonsoflucis @mywritingbox @indigochocobo @ffxvhoe @tales-of-a-fallen-star @atlerion

Aranea laughed softly as Alexius bounced on her lap, playing with her silver hair. This little scrap of innocent humanity. She helped creating him, it took her by surprise still almost every day. Her boy stared at her with big amber eyes, a wide grin. He was a bit pale, his tan having a bit of a greyish-undertone, but that was to be expected seeing no one had seen the sun for ten years now. It squeezed her heart to know that her son had never had the chance of experiencing something as important as the sun. And maybe never would.

The ringing of a phone made the two look up, watching Gladio pulling the device from his pocket as he had been standing by the window - leaning against the wall and watching them with a serene smile on his face. His eyebrow arched when he saw the caller ID, and picked it up immediately.

"Yeah, what's up Iggy?" He rumbled curiously, shooting Alexius a smile and waved at the little boy. Alexius giggled in delight and hid his face against his mama's chest. Aranea smiled amused as her fingers played with his silver wavy hair. Her adorable precious boy.

Gladio became as quiet and still as a statue, his focus fully on whatever Ignis Scientia told his friend. Aranea narrowed her eyes with concern as she watched him. Weird tingles spreading through her torso.

"Yeah, I'm on my way right now." He hung up and became like a human tornado through the small apartment they rented in Lestallum, a feverish light in his eyes.

"Gladio, what's going on?" she asked as she put Alexius on her hip and stood up, following him into the bedroom as the little boy chomped down on one of her ponytails. Watching his dad as curiously as his mother did. Gladio threw clothes into a duffle bag, before turning around and cupping her cheek softly.

"Noctis is back."

The words were like a punch to her gut. Her widening startled as she looked up in the eyes her son had. Gladio's eyes. Her hands tightened as she for a moment didn't know what to feel, or think. Let alone say. Then she snapped into action, nodding firmly.

"I'll pack Alex's things," she told Gladio calmly and moved away. But his hand on her arm stopped her. She arched her eyebrow at Gladio. The smile on her lips almost mocking with an edge of danger. "Don't you dare tell me we are staying behind, Gladiolus Amicitia. Don't even dare."

"Aranea....." he sighed, shaking his head with a laugh as he seemed to relaxed when she glared at him, not going to waver from her spot. Alexius mewled confused but beamed when Gladio picked the little boy up so his mum could pack their things. The large man knowing better than to argue with his small but lethal wife.

Araena's heart beat rapidly, her hands becoming a bit clammy as she packed a duffle bag rapidly. Getting ready as fast as possible as they had no time to waste.

The King had returned.

// Hammerhead //

Noctis stared at the little boy who looked shyly at him from Aranea's neck. Trying to wrap his head around the fact that Gladio and Aranea were parents. Gladio with Aranea. He had thought maybe she would get together with Ignis. Or that Prompto would finally win over Cindy and have a little one with her. But no, it was Gladio with one of the toughest and scariest women he had even met.

"How?" he managed to get out, Gladio laughing as he swung his arm around his friend's shoulders. Aranea smiling amused as well. “You…a father? With Aranea Highwind?”

"That's a story for when we have tucked the little one in....but I'll gladly tell you, my friend. By the way, it is Aranea Amicitia." The choking sound Noctis made caused them all to laugh hearty.

// Years Before //

She looked back at the last few months, wondering how things could have gotten where they were right now. It was almost beyond belief. After their first time together, they started to hang our regularly. Quickies behind buildings in outposts. Snog parties in one of their cars. Just...moments together. Mostly just sexual, physical, not much emotions involved. Scratching each other's itches. Then...she slowly started to learn his body language.

How he liked her nails on his back. Or when she collared his throat. When he had to wrestle with her to get her under him. How he liked meat the most with his noodles. Or the little furrow he got between his brows when he was particularly invested in a story he read.

He seemed to pick up on her tell-tale signs as well. When she was tired and would get a bit of a vacant look in her eyes. The way she would come undone if he did that thing with his fingers and tongue. The way her eyes lit up when she saw star fruit or a kitten.

As time progressed, she started to find his clothes in her drawer. Or a few of his books on her shelf. A growing stock of Cup Noodles. Or a new little clay ornament added to her silly collection. Just small apparently insignificant things.

Then he was just there. Every day. Falling asleep next to her, with his arms always finding a way to get around her and hold her close. Just there.

They never talked about it. Never said it out loud. But she wasn't stupid. He had moved in with her and done so in a hella sneaky way. Little bit at the time so she wouldn't feel pressured or cornered. It felt natural and right. Her...their apartment started to become the meeting point for his friends as well. Ignis and Prompto dropping by from time to time. And it all went smoothly. Too smoothly.

And today the other shoe had dropped. Happiness and joy were never permanent fixtures in her life. She knew something would go wrong. Something would happen that would shatter the little good she has created in her life. And her relationship with Gladio was good. A precious flower that they had nurtured. But so damn delicate. She kept expecting for him to walk out. Find himself a little sweet housewife instead of a dangerous hunter. That he didn't have to worry about if she was coming home after a hunt - and oh boy have they had some fights about that....and incredibly hot angry and make-up sex.

The pregnancy test glared at her. Mocked her. Laughed at her. The little plus telling her that she wasn't alone anymore. Literally. Something even more delicate than her relationship growing inside of her. And it terrified her. She was a hard woman. A warrior. Never had she imagined herself to be a mother. But she would become one now.

What worried her most would be Gladio's reaction to the news. He was an Amicitia, practically blue blood right there. Surely he would want to continue his bloodline, but not with some mercenary-gone-hunter woman who knew nothing of her lineage. Dumped on the steps of an orphanage hours after she has been born.

"Babe?" The knock on the bathroom door startled her. Blinking rapidly and washing her face clean as she tried to get her emotions in order. "Babe, you okay?"

No. She wasn't okay. Cursing herself for her oversight. Knowing precisely the time she must have gotten pregnant. A few weeks back, she had gotten the stomach flu and spend a lot of her time hunched over the porcelain throne. Gladio had been so sweet though. Holding her hair back, rubbing her back. Gone out to the market for fresh ingredients for soup. Just been this sweet teddy bear rarely anyone saw. Her pill must have weakened then. She should have told him to use a condom. It was too late now.

"One sec," she called out to him, feeling his presence radiating through the door. Pocketing the test and drying her face, she took a deep breath. You could do this, Aranea. Opening the door, she looked up in the worried face of her...boyfriend...no that sounded too juvenile. Her partner. Yes. That was what he was. But for how long?

He cupped her face carefully in his hands, the rough callouses almost soothingly against her softer skin. His amber eyes moving over her face as if he tried to figure out what bothered her. "Stomach flu coming for a round two?" He rumbled, and she couldn't help but smile at him. He always tried to make her smile. With him, she was always softer. Less prickly.

"Gladio...I..." she exhaled as she looked away, trying to figure out how to tell him. He didn't push or prod, just giving her the time to figure out what she wanted to tell him. One of the many things she loved about him. Loved. Her heart squeezed with that word. She had tried to lie to herself for so long, but she couldn't any longer. Somehow, she had fallen for this big scarred teddy bear.

He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her against his chest. His heat seeping into her cooler body. She loved to just curl up on top of him like a cat on a heated pillow. His fingers combed through her silly silver hair, a soothing rumble coming from his chest. "Whatever is bothering you, Aranea, we will get through it."

"I'm pregnant," she blurted out. Just like that. Blunt as always. She sucked in a breathe when he felt him freeze. Not looking at him when he pulled back, his stare so intense as anxiety - something she didn't feel often - coursed through her.

He stood there for what felt like hours. Not saying anything. Her eyes starting to burn a bit. Then he sunk down on his knees, and she could see the absolutely delighted look on his face. His hands moving to touch her still flat belly, and he stared at it as if it was the answer to all his prayers. "You sure?"

"Without a doubt." The tests were 99.9% accurate. And she had been experiencing other symptoms: odd cravings, emotional outbursts, and stronger sense of smell.

He looked up at her before pressing his lips against her stomach so gently. All the anxiety started to leech out of her as she moved her hands into that thick dark hair of his. Holding him close to her as she could breathe again. He wasn't mad or against the baby. He wanted just as much as she did. Even though it was far from planned. Far from expected.

"I love you, Aranea." Well that wasn't expected either. She started laughing as he smiled back up at her, his hands resting possessively on her behind, squeezing softly.

"I love you too, you big brute."

/// Hammerhead ///

Aranea watched Alexius babble softly to his aunt Iris, the young woman chuckling amused and ruffling her nephew's hair. The poor lass had rushed as fast as she could back to Hammerhead when she got the news Noctis was back. But she had missed him by half an hour, he and his retinue having set out for Insomnia already. Aranea had hugged her as Iris whispered how she wanted them to all come back alive. And she hoped too. So much.

But seeing what Noctis had told them all. That he had to die for the Starscourge to go away. For Ardyn to be finally defeated. The chances seemed to be small. Small...but not impossible.

She smiled to herself at the stunned look Gladio had when she had handed him the Mega Phoenix Down she had saved all those years for a true emergency. Handing him a Mega Elixir as well.

"Bahamut said he had to die so the Scourge can be destroyed."

"But Bahamut said nothing against bringing him back alive."

He had laughed surprised at that, kissed her deeply before thanking her. Finding loopholes was always one of her strongest suits.

"Mama? When will Papa be back?" Alexius crawled onto her lap as they sat on the roof of the restaurant. Staring in to the direction of the ruins of Insomnia. Iris leaned against her, and she wrapped her arms around them both. Protective and refusing to give into her worries and fears.

"Soon little one. Papa will be whining for noodles when he's back," she joked, trying to keep their spirits up. Time had started to become so slow. Hours. A day. It felt like eternity as they waited for any news. Any sign that they were alright. Alive.

She had wanted to come with them, but she knew she couldn't. She had Alexius to worry about, and she wasn't part of the retinue. This was their battle. And all she could do was wait for them.

"I want noodles too." She and Iris chuckled at Alexius' deadpan comment. Aranea pressing a soft kiss on his forehead. Then, something caught their eyes. Something...at the horizon. Colours changing. A hint of purple...flowing into red...orange...and then almost a yellow white.

"The sun," Iris’ voice sounded fragile as she held onto Aranea's hand so tightly. Knowing what that meant. Noctis had fulfilled his destiny. But was he alive? Were they all alive? Alexius babbled excitedly as he for the first time saw the sun, Aranea putting sunglasses on his face to protect him from the sharp light. Even she and Iris but them on as their eyes weren't used to the sun anymore after ten years of darkness.

Her heart jumped when her phone finally buzzed, unlocking the screen quickly to see who texted her. Hoping it so much to be Gladio. Of course others would text her to celebrate the return of the sun. But there was only one person she truly wanted to hear from.

Teddy Bear: It worked, he is alive...see you soon, my heart

[m0rgan-sims]

“ we’ve taken different paths and traveled different roads, I know we’ll always end up on the same one when we’re old. And when you’re in the trenches and you’re under fire I will cover you. If I was dying on my knees, you would be the one to rescue me. And if you were drowned at sea I’d give you my lungs so you could breathe. I’ve got you brother… ”

[nikicommish]

Commission for Yellow-Cactuar

Commission Info | FAQ | Twitter

[gladnea]

Gladiolus and Aranea by EmmaNettip

Ahhh...this is wonderful 😊 

[taovi-drabbles]

II. An Unexpected Ally

After passing the legendary trial of Gilgamesh, the last thing the King’s Shield wanted to deal with was an ambush by Magitek troopers. Bloody and battered from his battle, Gladio was struggling more than usual. He managed to lessen their numbers, but no matter how many he downed, they just kept coming.

“Damn it, just how many of them are there?” He grumbled, his voice hoarse. He was slowly losing blood, and if this battle was not finished up soon, his trial would be all for naught.

Gladio adjusted his stance, readying himself for battle as his foes approached him. With a swing of his newly acquired Genji Blade, he dismantled multiple troopers, thinning their numbers. However, the attack left his rear unguarded. A Magitek took full advantage of this opening, hitting the young warrior with such force that it cause him to fly back into the unforgiving ground.

Dazed and confused, Gladio tried to gain awareness of his surroundings. Severely weakened, he considered using a potion to tend to his wounds, but his opponents gave him no time to breathe. The same Magitek charged towards him, planning to end the fight with this final strike. Gladio parried the attack and quickly forced himself up to prevent another opening, wiping the blood, sweat, and dirt out of his eyes.

In addition to hitting critical shots, he knew he also had to be more vigilant in defending himself if he wanted to come out of this battle alive. Weakly and wearily, he readjusted his grip on his blade. Another Magitek came rushing towards him, but before he was even able to lift his sword, the trooper was pummeled into the ground with such ferocity, causing the land beneath him to break.

Exhausted, Gladio fell alongside the trooper, shielding his face from the debris. He wasn’t exactly sure what happened. Perhaps it was reinforcements that came. Cor, maybe? Or Noct and the others? Regardless of whoever it was, he was grateful.

“Need a hand there, big guy?” He could recognize that sultry tone from anywhere. The dust cleared, revealing her slender figure.

“You…”

“Aranea Highwind, Commodore of the Imperial Army, at your service.” She grinned, removing her lance from the dismantled Magitek trooper.

“Why are you here?” He tried to force himself up, but was so exhausted he fell back onto the ground.

“Relax, alright? I’m not your enemy. Besides, I was on my way to train some new recruits when I saw you getting your ass handed to you by our lovely Magitek troopers. Surely I can’t just stand and watch while a civilian gets hurt now, can I?”

Gladio raised an eyebrow. Even if she had assisted him, she was still an enemy. He couldn’t let his guard down.

“So you’re harming your own army to protect me?”

“I’d rather protect the innocent than have the troopers annihilate every living thing. Never liked those Magitek troopers anyways, there’s something odd about them.” Aranea offered her hand, helping the King’s Shield back onto his feet.

“Odd?”

“Yeah, but save that talk for later. We got some Magiteks to take care off.”

The Dragoon quickly sprang into action, leaving Gladio behind. Once again, the young warrior found himself admiring the Commodore, noticing how she flawlessly cut through the enemy lines. However, he couldn’t just stand there and watch her do all the work. He quickly used a potion, and found himself back on the offensive.

The two fought side by side, mercilessly cutting through any foe that comes their way. Every once in a while, Gladio would sneak a glance at Aranea, grinning to himself. It was rare to find a beauty on a battlefield, and even rarer to find a beauty on the battlefield wreaking havoc on her enemies.

After destroying another horde of Magiteks, he once again snuck at glance at her, but instead of admiration, it quickly turned into worry.

“Hey, watch out!” Aranea had left her back exposed, allowing a trooper to take advantage of this opening. Gladio rushed to her side, quickly striking down the Magitek before it could land a hit on her.

“You alright?”

“Yeah…thanks.”

“As the Commodore, shouldn’t you know to watch your back?” The larger man teased.

Aranea scoffed. “Don’t underestimate me. Besides, I have a plan. Distract them while I land my attack, got it? Good.”

“Huh? Wait-wait a second! How do you want me to distract them?!” Before he was even able to protest, she was already gone.

The Amicitia found himself surrounded by what was left of the Magitek troopers. Though the numbers were smaller than usual, they were still capable of overpowering him if he wasn’t careful.

He grumbled under his breath. “Well, here goes nothing.”

He charged into the remaining ranks, destroying anything that got in his way. The sounds of weapons clashing filled the evening air. Gladio fended off the attacks, but already exhausted after fighting Gilgamesh, he found himself quickly losing energy.

“Any time now!” He shouted, hoping to grab the Dragoon’s attention. As if on cue, her silhouette appeared from above, pulverizing the remaining Magitek into the ground.

Gladio once again shielded his face from the debris. “So, this is the power of the Commodore, huh?”

“You sure know how to work a lance!” He smirked as the dust settled. However, it quickly turned into a frown when he noticed the silver-haired woman approaching him aggressively.

“Shit, I knew I shouldn’t have let my guard down!” Gladio thought to himself. After seeing her display her power, he knew she wasn’t going to be an easy fight.

In a blink of an eye, she lunged towards him, giving him no time to parry the attack. He closed his eyes, expecting to feel a painful stab. Instead, as he slowly he opens his eyes, he finds her lance next to his abdomen, completely missing him.

“As the King’s Shield, shouldn’t you know to watch your back?” Aranea teased. Gladio looked behind him and saw a Magitek trooper standing there motionless.

“You…” He started. The Dragoon merely smirked. If she hadn’t intervened, he definitely would have suffered a severe injury, or worse.

The Amicitia chuckled. “You got me there. I’ll call it even.”

The slender yet powerful woman took a step back, studying the young warrior. “Well, you sure made a mess of yourself. Don’t tell me those troopers kicked your ass before I came through.”

“As if I’d let those Magiteks have their way with me.” He scoffed. “Besides, that wasn’t the reason. I, uh…I underwent a trial. I needed to know if I was strong enough to be the King’s Shield.”

“Surprising to see a man of your stature have such an odd fear. Seeing how you made it out alive, I suppose you passed it.”

Gladio let out a hearty laugh. “It’s gonna take more than that to kill me.”

“Good, because you’re going to need to live up to that title.” She smiled, captivating him. The two stood in silence as the sun began to set. Despite standing in a field of dead Magitek troops, the atmosphere was surprisingly blissful and serene.

“Well…” Aranea broke the silence. “I would love to stay and chat but I am unfortunately a very busy girl. Hopefully next time we see each other, we won’t be saving each other’s asses.” Aranea threw him a potion and began to walk away when she suddenly felt a tug on her arm. She turned around and glanced at Gladio, noticing his much larger hand holding onto her.

“Thanks…for saving my ass back there.” Although his face was covered with blood, sweat, and dust, she couldn’t help but notice how gentle his smile was.

“Sure thing. Give me a call if you get your ass whooped again, big guy.” She playfully winked at him, slyly smirking as she boarded her airship.

Gladio grinned, watching it fly away.

“Aranea Highwind, huh? Looks like I owe you this time.”

---

It’s been a while! Here’s the next piece to my Gladnea series. Enjoy!

[devilhacker]

FFXV RARE PAIR WEEK | Day 2 : Getting Married for @ffxvrarepairsweek

[tarotdeckshuffle]

what song do you think each of the boys(and girls if you’re feeling up to it) make them think of their s/o

I wanted to make a playlist for this request…but there’s just too many songs to choose from. Link playlists in the comments for FFXV x reader love songs if you got them!

Taglist: @idiotflowerex, @laststory1013, @sayaoqueen, @jophinabean, @mysme-already

If you like what you read, please consider supporting me on Patreon or buying me a Ko-fi!

Noctis

He will never admit it, but that boy band song that talks about how beautiful you are and how well he’s going to treat you. 

Prompto

Every single love song on the radio. 

Ignis

A song you danced to together.

Gladio

Any song that you sing along to on the radio. 

Ravus

Very isolated as far as music goes,

So any song that you introduce him to makes him think of you. 

Luna

A jazzy love song that played in the diner when she fell in love with you. 

Nyx

All the songs at the end of chick flicks that you “make” him watch with you. 

Colbie Caillat is his favorite. 

Cor

An old love song he sings on his guitar. Every time he hears those chords, he thinks of you. 

Ardyn

A song from very long ago that used to be a courtship dance. 

You’re never sure why he hums that weird tune. 

Crowe

The first song you sang together at drunken karaoke. 

Aranea

Knows every word to the raunchiest rap songs going and teases you with them,

But sings classic rock love ballads to herself when she thinks of you. 

[folightening]

Gladio x aranea. Both a long time rivals since their family serve the King of Lucis. Aranea is a Spear of the King. Prompto is her brother.

All right, I think this works? Just ideas for something:

- Being the king’s spear implies that Aranea was stronger than Gladio. That’s the way Gladio chose to see it, and he hated it. Not because she was a woman though, Gladio likes a woman who can handle herself. He just hates when his ego gets stepped on by fancy heels and Aranea loves stomping on it.

- They have a mutual respect for one another despite the rivalry. As much as Gladio doesn’t want to admit it, Aranea is powerful and more than deserves her title. Aranea can respect the dedication and loyalty that Gladio has to his job. Even if they were born into them.

- You know how hard it is to be good friends with your sibling’s rival? Prompto does, and he never knows whose side to take when he gets caught in the middle.

- They have a habit of training together. All the years together have made them immune to seeing the other’s body.

- Neither of them can even remember how or why the rivalry started.

- As rivals, they’re always trying to be better than the other in everything. Fighting, protecting the king, games, drinking, exercises, who can manage to fit more innuendo into a conversation, etc…

- That eventually leads to sex. When they say everything, they mean everything.

- If and when romance happens, Prompto realizes before either of them do. The change is obvious to him, but he doesn’t bother saying anything. They’ll figure it out on their own.

- Gladio realizes he’s in love first. Doesn’t want to admit it though- for prideful reasons.

- Aranea isn’t a stupid woman, and picks up on how Gladio has been acting a little different.

- Aranea’s the one who starts their romantic relationship.

- They’re still rivals, they’re just dating while they’re at it.

[spacs]

14. Things you said after you kissed me - Gladio x Aranea

This was so fun to write! I love Aranea so much. Especially after Episode Prompto where we get to see a different (and yet not so different) side of her. She’s caring but in a brash sort of way and I love it. Anyway, I think this is a good ship and honestly probably my second favorite for Gladio. So thank you so much for this request! It’s an excellent prompt with an excellent pair!

AO3 link

Gladio was about five hundred percent done with the dropships that the Empire continued to send. The MTs were machines – they were not.

Under the weight of Gladio’s broadsword, another of the soldierswas cleaved in two. He had a moment to wipe his brow with the back of his handbefore he heard a battle cry from Aranea – a warning to him. He leapt forwardas she brought her blade down on the skull of the MT that had come up behindhim. He whipped around, smirking as she tossed her hair over her shoulder as ifshe’d done something as simple as bending over to tie her shoe.

“So much for a quick run to town,” he grunted, gripping hissword in both hands to ready for their next attack as the remaining enemiessurrounded them.

“You’re the one that decided noodles would be better than whatever Glasses is making,” shepointed out, adjusting her helmet.

“Specs,” hecorrected.

“Whatever.”

They leapt forward, ripping into the reinforcements. Thismodel had quick attacks but slow reaction time, so Aranea excelled in tearingthem apart. Gladio struggled, his sword swinging slower than their own attacks.He pulled his shield in front of him, digging his heels into the dirt as bladespounded against the steel. He pushed back, knocking them off balance and heswung his sword with one hand to cut them in half.

Pain tore through the shoulder of his sword arm. Thebroadsword clattered to the dirt before disappearing back into the armory as hefell to his knees with a cry. He heard a brief shout of his name and feltsomething hit his legs then heard the sound of a body dissipating intonothingness – where these MTs belonged. There was more movement and a grunt asAranea cleared the final soldiers.

“You idiot,” she hissed, kneeling in front of him, puttingher lance into the ground next to them. She wasn’t gentle with her touch,forcing him to move with her as she inspected the wound. “Could be worse,” sheconsidered, but Gladio groaned in pain as she pushed at the broken skin. “Here.”A potion was offered to him and she lifted an eyebrow at him and challenged, “Ordo I have to do everything?”

His lips lifted to bare his teeth a bit and he snatched thepotion from her. Grimacing, he cracked the bottle over his shoulder, lettingthe bottled magic rush over his skin. He sighed as the pain was slowly alleviated,then became very aware that Aranea was still observing him closely.

“What?”

“You’re not going to thank me?” she asked, cocking aneyebrow.

Gladio smirked. “Should I?”

“Well I did giveyou one of my potions. And I kicked the asses of all thesethings,” she gestured to the broken bodies that still hadn’t faded away. “So…yeah. I think I’m owed a little thanks for saving your sorry ass.”

The shield looked her over once then leaned forward andpressed his lips to hers. The surprised sound in her throat was worth it as hetook a hold of her shoulders so he could keep his mouth solid against herslonger. He pulled away after the all-to-brief kiss and grinned.

“Thanks,” he said shortly. “You can kick my ass any time.”

Aranea blinked rapidly as he stood in front of her. Heoffered her a hand that she took so she could bring him down to her level andconnect her fist with his cheek. Gladio had seen Aranea pull the head off an MTso he knew that she held back but…

“Shit,” Gladiogroaned, holding his face.

“You’re welcome,” she said smugly, pulling her lance fromthe dirt and swinging it over her shoulder. “But if you want a potion for that you’re going to have to get onefrom Glasses.”

The shield rolled his eyes and followed behind her. “It’sSpecs and you know it,” he growled.

At that she shrugged, looking over her shoulder to wink athim. “Maybe it’s just to annoy you.”

Gladio decided he could live with that.

I’m sorry. I love surprise kisses in theory but Aranea was like UM excuse me. And Gladio deserved it. But literally after I finished the fight with Aranea the first time I said, “She can kick my ass any time.” It’s probably in the tags from one of the things I’ve reblogged of her. So yeah. It seems logical that Gladio would have the same sentiment.

I hope you enjoyed this anon! Please feel free to send me more rarepairs! It feels great to write Aranea. This is only the second time I’ve gotten to write her, so I am totally down for more!

[destinyislandwanderer]

This chapter is entitled “Prompto Gets to Twerk.” When I die, I hope I will be remembered for this selfless and intellectual literary contribution to the Promptio fandom.

Read on AO3