xxWitchyLanexx

May you chase dragonflies, play with the fairies, and talk with the moon FF7 lover, rpg player, anime watcher, and aspiring writer

[xxwitchylanexx]

Rebirth Retold-Cloud x Reader Master List

AO3 link

Each chapter will have warnings posted along with potential spoilers

If a * is next to a chapter it means it's been updated. Chapter 10 was the last to be updated and from here on out will be new content! Thanks to everyone who continues to read, and has/is rereading. It's something I can be proud of. Feel free to comment with what you think. Always love to hear how you guys feel about Cloud's portrayal.

*** It's come to my attention that someone is using parts of my chapters in their own story on wattpad. Please be advised that I am the original author <3 ***

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

You had planned to stay on your own forever, really. It was the only thing you could think of to atone for the things you’ve done, lives you’ve taken. To wander from place to place taking on jobs at the ranches in each region and hopefully one day settle down far away in your own ranch. Far far away from the past that haunts you.

At least, that was the goal. You aren’t so sure now. Maybe- with them-there was a better way to set things right.

Chapters

Chapter 1: Wandering the Woodlands *

Chapter 2: Blue Azaleas *

Chapter 3: A Night Under The Moon*

Chapter 4: Miner Encounter*

Chapter 5: One Wheel Short Of A Carriage*

Chapter 6: From the Keys to Your Heart*

Chapter 7: Glories in Gunpowder and Parades*

Chapter 8: Smooth Sailing... Or Maybe Not* NEW SCENE AT THE END*

Chapter 9: Amor's Arrow* NEW SCENE*

Chapter 10: Seasmell Inn* NEW SCENE*

Chapter 11: 9 to 5's Never Felt So Good

Chapter 12: No Plot Left Behind

Chapter 13: Where Our Lineage Lies

Chapter 14: My Home Is With You

Chapter 14.5

Chapter 15: What's Left of the Wreckage

Chapter 16: A Love So Soft And True

Chapter 17: Village of Sadness

[xxwitchylanexx]

Village of Sadness

Cloud x reader Rebirth Retold Ch 17

Masterlist

spoliers for gongaga region

~*~

“TIFA!” The desperate cry of her name rattled around your brain like water circling a drain. His voice conveying every ounce of agony twisting his natural timber into a sound you could hardly recognize. You watched in slow motion how his eyes widened as he realized his actions, how his sword clanged forgotten on the crumbling cement as he desperately reached to grab the falling woman, and how he sank to his knees consumed with self-loathing and emptiness of his broken spirit.

It shouldn’t have been possible. Just moments ago, he was rendered incapacitated by the noxious minty solvent smell of the harvested mako inside the destruction of a former reactor nestled deep within the Gongaga’s jungle. He hadn’t even been able to lift his head let alone fend off the troop of soldiers pouring from every opening into the cavern. You had thrown yourself between him and the oncoming troops, Barret entrusting you with the task of keeping him safe- not that he even had to ask. You had. You aimed for their weakness, the closeness to the mako sparking the remnant lifestream within you pulsing into action, fortifying your unnaturally keen senses and boosting the speed of your movements. Their qi points glowed faintly to your eyes alone like a beacon in the storm. Their qi points glowed faintly to your eyes alone showing you just where to hit to drop them like flies without claiming their misguided lives.

Then suddenly the noise of battle faded into hushed murmurs, their lips moving but the sounds not quite reaching your ears, and then a sinister feeling licked up your back and unintelligible whispers pressed against your eardrums. Reunion.

The hair on your arms raised, the very air in your lungs squeezed tight, your head whipped back to observe the shifting of Cloud’s aura. His hands flew up to cradle his head as he doubled over his face twisted in fear. It was a silent battle, one he’s lost to a few times before now, and all at once he raised to his feet completely devoid of his very essence. His face was devoid of emotion, his advancements toward the incoming troops lithe and beautiful like the angel of death himself with no intentions of showing mercy. Your pulse still thundered in your ears keeping the world at arm’s length as you realized you’ve stood still for too long. The soldiers had surrounded you and while you were more than capable of subduing them it had created too much distance between you and the blonde man, and once you had caught up a fraid of eerie black phantoms swarmed the scene in a gauzy haze barring you from following further.

Your feet faltered, the soles of your boot firmly planting on the edge of the busted-up metal as dark oily wisps of miasma roiled within his head and pushed through the orifices on his head in plumes of tangible smoke. His eyes were dark and sinister, pupils sharpened into catlike slits, and a sadistic smile stretched along his face as he attacked the men around him. He reveled in the kill.

Was it some kind of possession or could it be more of an influence from inner demons that changed him so? Or was his reality altered into an experience that the rest of you could not grasp? One that preyed on his darkest fears perhaps. He was lost, much like your earlier years.

Blood splattered against his face sprinkling a trail of crimson constellations across the bridge of his nose like constellations, and Tifa…

Tifa was gone.

Forced between choosing to fall into lurking mako depths or a fatal slash from Cloud’s sword as he advanced on her during his delusions. She broke the surface and tried to swim to safety before the mako could alter her genetic makeup but just as Barret could almost pull her to safety the very guardian of the planet you defended weeks ago swallowed her up and dove into the uncharted depths of mako.

How the hell did you get here? Just hours prior you had caught up with everyone safely. The villagers were welcoming, the few odd jobs you had accepted were easy, and a good meal fortified the groups’ strength. Now you could hardly breathe.

~*~

“Did I…?” Cloud asked the unchecked guilt swallowing the rest of his question. His frame shook so violently he needed to press his weight against your side to stay upright his hand slicked in cold sweat threaded through your own.

“Yeah.” You spoke lowly and bare.

“What’s happening to me?” he choked his eyes unwavering from the blood smeared along his hand leather bound hand.

“I don’t know.” You whispered. You had heard the doctor: cellular degradation. But it didn’t make sense to you. The other men in robes have all been consumed by the same sensation, but they felt empty. No core human essence within the husk left behind, but Cloud was always there. Each time you’ve seen him falter and change he was still there. Faint, but there. His core never lessened. His essence never consumed. Wouldn’t his soul be eaten away with every change if it was truly cellular degradation? You puffed out a frustrated sigh.

“Are-fuck…. Are you… scared of me?” You looked at him from the corner of your eye. His eyes clenched tight, Adam’s apple bobbing around the fear lodged in his throat, and body rigid. He hung his head to try to escape your scrutiny, and you don’t think you’ve ever seen this side of him before. For all his bravado you never would have guessed that he harbored such desperation to belong somewhere, to belong to someone.

You stood up abruptly and forced your knee between his legs to create room for you to crouch between. You brought both your palms up to cradle his face and lead his forehead to yours. “No.” You declared with conviction. Tears gathered at his lashes, but you held his gaze firm. “You will never scare me.” You pulled the hem of your shirt up to wipe at the blood still lingering on his face. When you were satisfied that the last of it was gone you let your shirt flutter back down in favor of stroking your thumb against his cheek. “We’ll figure this out, together.”

You could tell he didn’t believe you, but he nodded along anyway. If answers don’t come soon the guilt itself might eat him from within.

You don’t know how long you waited there. An hour, maybe two or five. It felt like eternity, and just as everyone began to lose hope the ground beneath your feet began to shake. A thunderous call vibrated through the cavern, the minty green liquid bubbling rapidly in the center, and with a giant leap into the air the guardian returned and bestowed the group with your friend.

*~*

Cloud hadn’t left Tifa’s bedside since they returned, not even through the night. He was racking his memories for the glimpse and pieces of recollection he had to make sense of it. His head had felt like he took a stab to the temple, he thought he’d seen Sephiroth. He didn’t remember attacking the soldiers at all, but he knew he was more than capable of leaving their bodies the way they were. He felt joy, and that scared him. He remembers Tifa’s face. She had looked so sad, but he didn’t know why. Cloud, don’t let her fool you. She has no scar. She’s not Tifa. But didn’t he see the scar? And then she fell.

Did she fall, or did I attack her?

The second she started to rouse he was on his feet. “I’ll go get the others.”

He stepped towards the door but before he could grab the handle she called out his name. He didn’t want to look at her. He didn’t want her to confirm what he knew was true. “You remember how our parents use to tell is that when a person died… their spirit would cross Mt. Nibel?”

He wasn’t sure what he had expected, but stories of their childhood wasn’t it. He resolved himself against his cowardly heart and sank to his knees once he reached her bedside. “Yeah. We all knew it was a story to scare us outta climbing the mountain. You believed it though.”

“I didn’t… At least, I had my suspicions,” she sat up slowly, her eyes still on the ceiling, “but I buried them. I wanted it to be true so badly. I didn’t wanna think my mom was just… gone.” She exhaled a shaky breath before finally looking at him, her crimson eyes as warm as ever. He wasn’t sure if that made him feel better or worse. “Emilio and the others said they’d help me find her, so up the mountain we went.”

“Some help there were- “he scoffed, “running off and leaving you out there.” He tried to keep the venom from his voice but recalling those assholes brought back the years of torment they put him through.

“Not that I knew about any of that…” He cocked a brow.

“You don’t remember?”

“I hit my head pretty hard when I fell off. Everything from around those times a blur. I only knew what the others told me. Didn’t even occur to me to question them.”

He leaned an elbow onto the mattress. “What’d they tell you?” Not the truth, he bets.

“They said that you… egged me on.” He bit back the bitter laugh that wanted to escape him. Of course he was to blame, and the fact she didn’t even question them shows what she thought of him then. The quiet loser neighbor kid that was hopelessly in love with her. “But now, I know. That’s not what happened at all. When the rest of them ran, you were there for me. You stayed when I needed you most. If that’s not a hero, then I don’t know what is.” He did. Complete idiocy on his part.

“I’m no hero.” He looked to the ground. “What kind of hero falls off a cliff with the person he’s trying to save? And pushes ‘em into a pool of mako?” He had to get it out there. He couldn’t live with her burying it under some bittersweet mumbo jumbo. “Sometimes…. I don’t even know who I am.” He stood and faced the wall. “I forget things everyone else remembers just fine… and know things I’ve got no right knowing. It’s like there’s different people inside of me. And the worst part is, I can’t even tell where they end and I begin.” He confessed. He looked at her again.

“Go on.” She urged.

“Soldiers cells degrade… I think that’s what’s happening to me. That I’m… falling apart.” How ironic that now that he found a place to belong he’s disappearing faster than he can enjoy it.

“That’s not going to happen to you.” She gets up from the bed and grabs his hand and holds it tight within hers. He tried his hardest not to let it show, but he could feel the frown pull along his face. He had just almost killed her with these hands, why get close enough to give him another try. “You saved me before, now it’s my turn.” He wanted to argue with her that there was no point in putting in unnecessary effort. They didn’t even know why it was happening, and besides if there was a way to stop the process you’d have thought the other cursed robed men would have found it by now. It was the consequences of his choices. He had dreamed of being famous, of being someone, of being noticed. Now, soon, he’d be no one.

He blinked, and brows crinkled immediately when he realized something was off. Her eyes looked dazed and her line of sight no longer on his eyes. She shifted closer, to lean into him, her expression soft and hopeful. But she’s not you. She could never be you. He turned his head sharply in panic, and a lance of guilt shot through him for them momentary look of rejected flashed in her eyes. She pulled back, and then to make everything worse, some at unwanted observers were chanting “kiss, kiss, kiss” through the wooden door. “I’m- I’m sorry.” He didn’t want to hurt her, but he couldn’t leave this hanging between them. So, he squared his shoulders and met her eye to eye.

“I won’t.”

“’Cause you love her?” She was so soft as if he heard her all her hopes would come crashing down.

“Yeah. I love her.” He declared. He had thought he’d feel embarrassed to admit it to anyone who wasn’t you, but for once he’s pleasantly surprised.

“Right.” She said with a sad smile, but with a nod of acceptance. She collected herself after a moment, and with a small, determined hum she opened the door. Yuffie and Cait Sith fell into the room the moment the wooden barrier was no longer there to support them. He just stepped over them like they hadn’t been there at all and as he crossed into the next room a rock settled in his gut when you were not in it. Shit.

*~*

It was early afternoon; the sun had that bright glow that created a halo if you looked straight at it. You sat on top of the hill near the memorial stone on a soft patch of lush grass with your feet gently kicking over the edge. You like to look at the scenery wherever you go, but never really had a good change in this region, though that was because you hated this region. Hot, and muggy? No thanks. Though you had to admit the big leafy trees held a beauty unlike any other. The town had a nice cooling breeze since the river ran through the center of it, and you were glad the rain had subsided over the night taking a good chunk of humidity with it.

That room was stifling. The atmosphere was draining. You were internally twisted up in worries for Tifa. She had been submerged in mako for hours, and even a little exposure could damage a person beyond healing capabilities so the chances of her waking up at all were slim to none. Yuffie and Cait Sith were on your nerves. The two of them were swooning by making up love stories claiming true love’s kiss was all it would take for Tifa to wake up. You had thought the two of you were pretty obvious when it came to recent feelings especially after Corel, but perhaps Yuffie was as thickheaded as she was a loudmouth. Aerith and Barret kept giving you pitying looks and it all just set you on edge. By first morning light you dipped out. You had just finished your lap around the town and decided to check in when you heard their ridiculous childish chanting and decided they’ll come to find you when everything has been decided.

You feel stupid. It does bother you, but not in the way they think it bothers you. Cloud was not a liar, and so when he confessed at the hotel you took him at his word, and he is loyal where it counts. He said he loves you, so that’s it. He loves you. But the thought of them being close in that way got under your skin, and the way those two knuckleheads are shipping them together bother you. It shouldn’t, but it does. Turns out you might be quite territorial. Just one more fact about yourself that you file away for later.

Most of all, you wanted Tifa to be happy. You’d like to think that if she had just told you before she encouraged you on that blasted beach that you would have no problem to walk away. You never wanted to love the same guy as a dear friend, but even if she had said something that day you were already over your head.

Why didn’t she say anything?

“Y/n?” You partially turned to see the woman who addressed you. It’s like you had summoned her from an orb of materia. Her hair hadn’t been retied up yet and dark locks swayed behind her as a gust of wind blew past. She looked nervous, maybe guilty, and sad. “I’m sorry.”

“Let me fix your hair.” You motioned for the spot next to you. Her eyes were momentarily wide like you caught her off guard before she awkwardly settled beside you. She handed you her hair piece as you started tidying the fly aways. “You have nothing to be sorry for.”

Her shoulders relaxed even though she had more to say, guilt still weighing heavily on her soul. “But I tried to…” She sighed heavily. “You knew how I felt?”

“For a while.”

“I didn’t mean to cause you any pain.”

You fastened the raven locks down at her waist then turned to look at the stream under the cliff. “It’s funny really. You had me fooled. I was… jealous of you in Junon.” You could practically feel her red eyes starting at you like you had two heads. “You two seemed so close and as much as I tried to run from it, I liked him. He said you were like a sister, and I believe him.” You reached to pull her hand in your own. “When you encouraged me on the beach I really believe that was all it was. Until the bridge, and he reached for me.” You sighed. “I could’ve left you know. If you had told me, I would have left.” You looked at her then and seen a mixture of emotion warring in her eyes. “I have trust in him. You have not caused me pain, but I have caused yours.” You watched her shoulders curl in on herself and your heart clenched for her.

Her eyes were full of love as she looked into yours. “You could never.” She’s too kind. You both settled in next to each other basking in the glow of clearing the air before she sighed again. “I’m in love with the boy next door, and part of me was hoping we could go back to that bond one day, but he’s changed so much sense then. Sometimes he feels like a completely different person.”

You hummed. “I’m sure he’s been through a lot. Battle can change a person, and from my understanding you’ve gone through a trauma or two yourself. He’s not that boy anymore and you’re not that girl. It’s time to look forward, not back.”

“When did you get so wise, huh?” she asked with a flick to your forehead.

“Me? Wise? I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She laughed, though it faded as her eyes flickered over your shoulder.

“Seems you have another visitor to entertain.”

“Y/n.” Cloud called from a safe distance so he wouldn’t encroach on your privacy.

“Here I thought it was you who was supposed to be showered in attention.” You gave her hand another squeeze before standing up. “You’ll be okay?”

“Go on. Don’t worry about me.” With one last nod you left the beauty to her own devices and turned your attention to the blonde merc waiting ever so patiently.

“Can we talk?” He asked as you approached him.

“Let’s take a walk.” He nodded and waited for you to take a few steps before him like he thought you’d bolt at the earliest opportunity. It was like having a solid brick wall following you to cut off any escape route, though a wall wouldn’t be as stiff. Hands clutched, brows drawn in, jaw set firm, brain flashing through too many thoughts to show clearly through his eyes. If you hadn’t known better you’d have thought he was preparing for the fight of his life. “I trust that we have our next plan of action in order?”

He crossed to you in the blink of an eye and grabbed you by the shoulders halting you in your steps. He pulled your body into his so your back met his chest, one hand skating down the slope of your arm to entwine your fingers together. “I don’t want to talk about that.” You felt the words rumbling through his chest and into your body.

You looked around the path. You weren’t very far from the village but far enough that you could see the tops of the houses just down the dirt road. The sun had finally fallen from its position in the sky, so the afternoon rays no longer pierced through your corneas. “Did you kiss her?”

“No. Just list- “His hand still on your shoulder gripped a little tighter.

“Did you want too?”

“No.”

“Did you ever want too?” You leaned your head to the side absent mindedly as his finger brushed along your hairline.

“When we were kids.”

You nodded and turned around in his hold. You held his stare and reached up to smooth the wrinkle still stubbornly in place. “I trust you.”

He swallowed thickly before dropping his head to the junction between your neck and shoulder and tiny satisfied grumble came out when your hand automatically came up to tangle and scratch at his scalp. He brought your other hand up to place over his rapidly beating heart.

“So,” you started, “where to next?”

“Cosmo Canyon.”

[meanao3thoughts]

a feel like the new generation of fanfic readers NEED to understand that clicking on a fic (interaction) does nothing. ao3 has no algorithm. your private discord discussions of fic do not reach the authors. if you do not actively engage with writers they will stop posting. this isn’t social media this is community.

[harleyquillao3]

I’m in this photo and I don’t like it 😂😭

[xxwitchylanexx]

A Love So Soft And True

Cloud x Reader Ch 16

Masterlist

Aftermath of the fall and intro to the Gongaga Region

No spoilers for Rebirth but does include part of an og seen with the Turks outside Gongaga.

**all fixed**

~*~

Pain was all you could feel as you started to come back to yourself. Your head, especially, felt like an egg in a microwave. The kind that felt like a hot fire poker piercing through your eye. It demanded every bit of clarity you weakly muster. Eventually it began to subside as your senses kicked in and you grew more aware of your surroundings. The floor was cold and hard against your skin, the smell of smoke and pine clung to your nose, the gentle crackling of a fire, and the faint echo of wildlife in the in the background. Where are you?

Fear coiled in your stomach as you heard the shuffling of feet against the ground. Try as you might you couldn't get you body to respond. You were caught in a semi state of paralysis, and any chance of defending yourself were nonexistent. Your breathing picked up, lungs heaving beneath your ribs, and heart pounding far too quickly to be safe. “Hey.” The voice said the sound calm, cool, and soothing. The footsteps padded closer and you could feel the shift of air as they sat near your head. “You’re okay. I got you.” He said as fingers tangled in the mess of your hair stroking softly to lull you into security. Cloud.

It could've minutes or hours, you don’t know, but his fingers never stopped stroking through your hair scratching at the scalp every so often. At some point you heard him mumble something to himself and you hooked onto the sound of his voice. You fought tooth and nail to collect enough of yourself to slowly peel your eyes open. The light from the fire caused your vision to swim and your stomach to churn but it too faded as you grew accustomed to the light.

Your groan made him falter his fingers going lax in your hair. He was leaning over you now his face set in that permanent scowl you've come to love. His brows pressed tight enough together that you could put a gil between them and it would stay. If you had better control of yourself you'd smooth the wrinkles away, but that would have to wait. He looked paler with bags deep under his eyes. Whatever had happened to land you here had taken its' toll on him. Though dark in color his eyes did hold a sense of warmth and relief as clear as day sparkled in them now that you had stirred. The front of his hair hangs partially over his face, and as he stared into your eyes his frown seemed to wipe away. His fingers returned to play with your hair and all was right, if only for a moment. That’s when you noticed the lack of material covering his torso. Either you were hallucinating or this is one of the weirdest returns to reality you’ve had to date. It was hard to care which one, however, when those firm godlike muscles were in clear sight. You swallowed thick and dry, your voice sounding rough to your own ears. “Why are you shirtless?”

The corners of his lips twitched up and stayed. The sight was so rewarding, you were starting to be okay with whatever dire situation you were in.

“It’s under your head.” Huh. That’s sweet. The sentiment made your heart twist in the best of ways. His complete disregard for himself to care for you made tears prick in the edges of your lashes. No one had ever cared for you like this, and it was nice to have someone who wanted to be here when you couldn't offer anything in return. Maybe it was silly to be emotional over it considering you weren't out of the woods yet. “Where are we?” You whispered, afraid that if you spoke to loud the pretty pink bubble around you would pop and the tears would fall.

“A cave. Figured it’d be safe for the night.”

“Right…”

“What were you doing out there?” His voice was low, but stern. You tried to feel guilty that you had caused this extra burden he had chosen to bare, but whatever you did it had landed you here.

What were you doing? You looked to the fire watching as the light flickered about the cave walls casting tiny images than danced against the stone. It was starting to burn low, so he had to have started it a few hours ago. Long enough for him to stew on your probably idiotic endeavor.

You were sad, that much you knew. They'd all seen you cry and you felt ashamed that you had allowed them to see it. The pain, the anger, the grief. You remember that you needed time to get away for awhile to look at the moon and spill your secrets to her so you could put the piece of yourself back together, but everything was fuzzy after that. Everything had grown eerily quiet, and then…

The Tonberry King. You sat straight up, like a chocobo out of a chute, and instantly regretted the motion as your head fogged out and your stomach revolted. Cloud’s hand came up to rub small circles into your skin as you dry heaved. Everything blurred again and you started seeing double for a few seconds then when you calmed Cloud helped lean you against the wall for support. “The others?” you croaked.

“They took care of it. Barret called.” You must’ve looked confused cause he pulled the same electronic out of his pocket they’d received earlier that day and shook the device to jog your memory.

“Who knew they’d come in handy.” You quipped through gritted teeth. You focused on you breathing allowing yourself to just feel the places that your body had been beaten. Your knee in particular felt like it'd been hammered down to angry nerves and torn tissue. You opened one eyes and sucked a breath your nostrils. It was better and worse than you thought. The joint was clearly out of socket, possibly fractured, but swollen to the size of Barret’s bicep. The whole area was covered in splotches of blue, purple, and red, but at least it was there.

“I didn’t want to wake you, so I left it. ‘M sorry.” He said with averted eyes and his hand scratching at his nape.

“That you knocked us over the cliff or that the cliff beat me up?” You winced as you shifted.

“Both, now shut up. I have to pop it back in.”

“Don’t worry about it. Give me your shirt and I can do it myself.”

“I said shut up.”

You rolled your eyes and sank your teeth into your bottom lip to stop any further remarks as he shifted awkwardly across the hard ground until he hovered over your injured leg. He leaned forward gradually inching closer until his face was close enough to feel the warmth of his breath on your skin. He smelled of the rainforest, sweat, and underlying notes of leather. Was he always this confident? You talked big for someone who's desperately afraid of vulnerability. You could flirt hands down. Teasing, even better. Seduce someone? Not a problem. Giving into feelings? It was like you had to fight against your instincts. Falling in love was an ordinary thing, and yet you were fighting tooth in nail to let it happen. You never thought you'd have this.

Your breath caught in your throat as his nose brushed so lightly against yours. Butterflies took flight on wing of cotton candy pinks, and baby blues the moment his lips melted against you. You offered yourself up on parted lips waiting for the moment his tongue swept in and took every inch for himself. Those three heavy words were stuck in the back of your throat begging for you to give them a physical form as the taste of him burst on your tongue until you separated with a sharp cry as he popped your knee back in place.

You took a shuddering intake of hair, your blissed brain trying to wrap around every sensation to have fleeted through you in the last two minutes. It hurt. Despite intimate familiarity with pain, this time around you seemed to be present in its cruel sting instead of detaching and living parallel to it, but it too shall pass. “That helped. Thanks.” He kissed your cheek, just a small peck, before he withdrew from your space and settled on his haunches his ears glowing a pretty pink from his moment of boldness. You cleared your throat, and blinked your eyes your hand moving out to offer the black shirt. “Now put your shirt back on. You’re distracting.”

He puffed out an amused chuckle before sliding the material back over chest before shifting to tend to the fire he had built behind him.

“You wouldn’t happen to have an orb of healing, would you? Aerith snagged mine to age it up for me.”

“I was hoping you had one.”

“Damn.” You mumbled under your breath. You swept your eyes over the cavern looking to see if Cloud had recovered any of your equipment from the fall. At this point anything would be a blessing. Cloud never carried much, just his sword, whatever materia he had customized onto the blade, and a potion or two for emergencies. You, on the other hand, always had a few tricks up your sleeve but the events of the day made you sloppy. Your sword was left behind, sitting in your tent you had planned to return too. A bad judgement call on your part. So the only weapons you had were a couple of knives hidden in your boots. Your pack laid across the room in an unkept pile but hopefully everything inside was intact. “Can you hand me my bag? I have a couple potions, I think.” You gave a quiet thanks after he tossed it to you afterwards turning to tend the fire. You rifled through it the moment it was in your hands. “Potions, fiend deterrent, a couple poisons…. Oh, and chocobo treats.” You finished with a smile.

“Great. Those’ll be handy when we’re ambushed.” He chided as he walked around the fire.

“Shut up.” You scoffed your faux annoyance betrayed by the gentle smile growing on your face. “Here.” You held a small vile out to him. “Sprinkle it at the mouth. Should keep the fiends out for the night.”

“You should get more sleep.” He said as he swiped the vial from your hand moving to do as he was told. You could tell he was also hurting by the way he was favoring his left side. You wouldn’t ask knowing he'd deny it, but you couldn’t help but wonder if he’d taken the brunt of the fall again. It was almost annoying how you kept finding yourself in situations that you needed to be saved. It was embarrassing this time though you just felt guilty. If you had been paying attention he wouldn't be hurt.

Your time seemed to be up for the day. Blackness ringed around you eyesight and eyelids feeling heavy. You'd pushed yourself too far today and now the exhaustion demanded to be paid. The potion bottle in your hand opened with a loud pop before you brought it to your lips and chugged the contents the bitter taste lingering on your tongue as it slid down your throat. “Come, be my pillow.”

“I’ll keep watch.” Yet he stumbled over to you all the same.

“Don’t be stupid.” You mumbled through a yawn. He slid down next to you, sword propped up against the wall. “My deterrent is top notch…” Your head sagged over onto his shoulder. “Plus, we’re both light sleepers. You need sleep too.” You finished already half way to dream world.

He guided you down to his lap where you nuzzled into his thighs. One of his hands return to your head to run through it like it was a reflex. You were gone before he could even say goodnight.

Cloud couldn’t, wouldn’t, look away from you. He felt like he’s failed you today, and he genuinely thought, for just a second, he had lost you.

Your tear-stained face haunted thoughts while he whittled away time hoping you would wake up. Anger and grief had possessed you throwing caution to the wind and charged in with no regards to your own safety. You killed without hesitation something he was unprepared for since you’ve always aimed to debilitate unless absolutely necessary. The girls dragged him aside as you walked away from camp expressing their concern about the change in your nature in hushed whispers like nosy gossipers. They were scared, like they were with him sometimes, but he only fell for you more.

He’s had several glimpses into your dark side. Moments here and there when your mood started to sour and your eyes darkened. Your snarky quips would disappear only to be replaced with an air of hostility. You'd withdraw rather than deflect with a joke. It happened at that chocobo ranch when he had overhead you threaten the owner, and a night in lower Junon when you felt like a shadow of your usual self. When you spoke to Aerith about your mother when you let him rest on your lap, and tidbits from a group of jockeys that heard you had returned.

He wasn’t scared, never could be. In fact, you astonished him. You made the darkness feel lighter even when you were in the thick of it.

Now you lay asleep on his lap nuzzling into his thighs like he was the best pillow on Gaia, and his heart is at ease for the first time today. You were here, in his arms, look more peaceful than he's seen as of late. And he'll pray to whatever ill begotten deity out there that he could stay with you, just like this, until whatever end his path would bring.

He had no intention of sleeping that night, but by the warmth of the flames and you heart beating a comfortable rhythm underneath his palm sleep slowly whisked him away to join you in dreamland.

~*~

The morning brought a cacophony of the Gongaga region symphony. Water falling down cliffs setting a beautifully beat for the out of tune birds squawking away, croaking of giant toads creating a harmony that made way for the solo of the bazillion insects buzzing, and the most notable melody made from the hearty roars of whatever fiends lie out to wait for their next meal. You woke up with a groan, loud and pissed. Everything hurt and the sunlight filtering into the cavern beamed angrily against your corneas like it had a personal vendetta against you.

“Morning.” You shifted in Cloud’s lap so you could see him more clearly choosing to focus on him instead of your murderous wrath for the great outdoors. It must have been early still for the golden rays to paint Cloud in the most breathtaking glow. The back of his hair was a bit flat, and his eyes shone a brilliant blue in such a lovesick way that you could feel your pulse in the hollow of your throat.

“I like waking up to you.” You said as you reached up to trace along his jaw. Morning time really did paint him in the best of lights.

“We should get moving soon.” He whispered against your fingertips as he kissed the tops of them.

“Five more minutes?” His laughter was your reward, and gods you loved the sound so much it hurt. You pulled him down by the collar of his shirt to meet his lips halfway with your own. It was light and airy, chaste but packed full of your unsaid feelings before parting. “Alright. Time to see the damage.” You moved against him, his hands guiding you up with a hand on your back, until you were in an upright position and then cautiously bent your knee. You sucked in a breath between clenched teeth the pain still very evident in the stiff joint. You cursed letting your head falling back on the rocky wall.

“Can you walk?” He asked.

You puffed out the breath you were holding. “I'll manage.” You did your best to be convincing. Using the wall for support you rose to both feet. It was nearly unbearable, at first. It subsided a little, but it was clear that without some medicinal help you'd be basically useless. “I’ve survived worse.” And you have though a lot of those encounters you just got lucky.

You limped around the cave picking up all your belongings that Cloud had collected yesterday snapping and fastening every piece to the correct spot on your body. Before fastening your satchel back into its place along your on your back you reached into for the last potion and a stimulate. Originally you’d made these ‘treats’ for chocobos that we injured during a race when the rider refused to withdraw them from the next half, then you used it on birds that required lengthy surgical recoveries, but it was more than capable of muting the pain in your leg long enough to make it to the village.

“What’s that?” You spun around to find him in the same spot watching you for any hints of distress.

You looked at the medicine in the palm of your hand before letting him get a good look at it. “A pain blocker, essentially. I'll slow us down to much without it, and before you start,” you held out a finger to shush him before he could say anything, “you’re good, absolutely fantastic in combat, there’s no denying it but we’re not equipped well enough for you to defend me the entire time.” You bit into the bitter substance, only chewing until you could swallow it and drained the potion to kill the taste on your tongue. “The sooner we make it to the village, the sooner I can fix this leg.”

"Let's get this over with."

~*~

Listen, if you have ever expressed your hatred for any other region in Gaia it had been a lie. The jungle was the worst area. Ever. Period. It was hot, sweaty, and difficult to navigate even with a good leg and an experienced chocobo. The pathways were known for deceiving travelers on winding trails that could easily come to a dead end leaving you to choose to push forward or double back. The fiends seem to be hopped up on mako even though the blown reactor was a great deal of miles away, and Gongaga, bless their hearts, was in the center of it all. Your hair stuck to your skin, damp clothes rubbed against you wrong, and the bugs- the fucking bugs- buzzed around you waiting for the perfect opportunity to eat you up like your blood was the nectar of the gods.

The only enjoyable part of this stupid journey was the company. Cloud is not much of a talker, that much you new from the start, but he liked talking to you. You didn't press general chit chat just to lessen the silence. In fact, you made the quiet between you comfortable and without expecting anything from him. That said you also made conversing easy. He didn't have to overthink it with you. You read off your texts from the girls spamming your new phone conveying their fears and relief for your safety, and Aerith sending teasing texts about the two of you being alone together. Just like he shared the texts he got that chastised him for being so rash on the cliff last night. Talking to you felt natural.

“So, other than piano, what other unexpected skills or hobbies are you hiding?” You asked as you carefully climbed over an unearthed tree root snaking up into a thick trunk.

“Card games.”

You rolled your eyes. “Yes, yes, Queens Blood. What else?”

“I can snowboard.” He offered.

“Huh. I would not have guessed that.”

“And darts.”

“That doesn’t count. You have super special soldier powers.”

“Fixing things, I guess. Always liked working on motorcycle engines.”

You hummed in approval. “That’s handy. What I would give for a ride right now.”

He shot you a quick glimpse out of the corner of his eye trying to judge if you were making some type of innuendo. “What about you?”

“Oh, I’m a jack of all trades." You grinned. "I cook; I can sew. I am insanely good at hunting.” You paused the wicked gears in your head turning and a mirthful grin plastering on your face. “Oh, and I’m a phenomenal masseuse.”

He ignored your teasing, fully aware of your skills from the few seconds you teased him near Costa del Sol. “Doesn’t count. Something you enjoy.”

“Making medicinal things. It started as a necessity and turned into a hobby. I love to read, but it's hard to find the time. Oh! And arcade games! I had a lot of spare time my first year at the saucer.”

“Well, if we ever catch a break maybe we could play. If we ever go back.”

“Cloud Strife, are you asking me on a date?” You said with a radiant smile that could rival the heavens, in his opinion.

“Yeah.”

~*~

You wiggled the hilt of the knife back and forth trying to pull it free from the trunk you’d killed a fiend on and wiped the remnants of gore on your thigh before tucking it back into your boot. You’d planned to offer some trash talk or gloat that you were still in the lead of your little competition but the second you turned around Cloud was pushing you against the trunk and his lips pressed to the to your ear. “Shh. Turks.”

You took his word for it, not that you could check even if you wanted to. Nonetheless, you strained your ears to listen for any stray bits of conversation.

“Hey, Rude. Who do you like?” Oh gods no. It’s Reno. Out of all the Turks you could possibly run into why him? You could feel a flush rising to your cheeks as you recalled what happened the time before, and the fact that Cloud had been outside the window to see it all made this moment mortifying. You wanted the ground to split up to swallow you whole. “What’re you getting so embarrassed about? Come on! Who do you like?”

“Tifa.” The stoic man said so low you’d barely heard it. Your mouth dropped open in surprise and hand fisting in Cloud’s shirt to make sure he had just heard what you did.

The red head clicked his tongue. “That is a hard one. But, poor Elena. She… well you y’know…” He trailed off.

“No. She likes Tseng.”

“Get outta here.” You could practically hear the cat-like grin in his voice. “But Tseng loves that ancient…” Aerith. You had gotten that impression when you’d briefly met him, and the other Turks in the mines right at the beginning of your journey. Oh, how far you’d come.

“What about you?” This ought to be good.

“I got that girl on my mind lately. The one from Junon. She was so hot.”

Cloud went rigid against you. His hands that had held you against the tree pressed harder into your skin his hands sliding farther up your skin as he glared down at your face, eyes darker than he’s ever looked at you before. The shit coming out of Reno’s mouth had Cloud smoldering with murderous intent jaw clenched tight enough you feared for the integrity of his teeth as they ground together, the air charging like the ozone before a crack of lightning splits against the sky, the only thing keeping him against you was your eyes staring back into his own.

You knew the moment the words ‘fuckable mouth’ left the filthy redhead’s mouth that Cloud’s resolve cracked, your hands flying up to twist into his shirt as his hand swung over his shoulder for his sword. You mouthed a ‘please’ his eyes lowering to your mouth tracking the way you bit nervously into your plump bottom lip. “We can’t take them. Not like this.” You whispered.

Cloud scoffed his hands yanking away clearly enraged at your request. “Fine." He spat, hands returning only to spin you around and press you against the tree, your face scraping against the bark with your heart in your throat. The contrast of his treatment of you had guilt crawling down your throat. Logically you knew this was right. That the two of you couldn’t fight both of them off with you in this state but he was clearly upset that you hadn’t let him redeem your honor. “Then keep watch.”

“Are you mad?” You frantic whispers turned to gasps as he grinded his hard against your backside. Jealousy? One hand slipped across your throat to keep your head directed at the Turks in front of you while his hips took over his hold on you against the tree, grinding his weight rhythmically to temper the flames simmering in his belly. His other hand moved with purpose over the front of you till it reached one mound, his hand roughly squeezing over the flesh that fit in his palm. He grunted his approval against your skin as he drug the length of his nose up your neck, breathing in the scent of you before nipping the flesh right under your lobe, his warm breath causing a shudder to rip down your spine settling in your toes.

“Did you like it?” He rasped against the shell of your ear. He couldn’t possibly be insecure could he? Though, he did want you to reassure him just two nights prior, the word mine returning with crystal clarity.

"Of course not.” You snarked your words nearly dying on your tongue as he pinched your nipple between two fingers before abandoning your chest in favor of slowly sliding down your ribs, over the trained muscles of your stomach, and settling on the waistband of your pants, his intentions now very clear in your mind. You should stop him. This wasn’t the time or place no matter how much your drooling cunt dripped down your thighs. “Cloud, le-"

“That’s not what it looked like.” You cursed as he drove his knee up between your legs to make more room, your body arching involuntarily like he could command it by thoughts alone. His anger was comical considering he had your body trained to succumb to his affections even before your head admitted what your heart tried to deny for so long. You sucked in a sharp breath through parted lips as he bit down on your neck tongue smoothing over the sting.

“I saw you.” You choked, the throb between your legs too desperate to be touched to care if you were caught like this. You’d wanted him then as he watched the scene unfold from the window, but it was nothing compared to this. Your blood ran hot, your skin craved his touch, your eyes were on the two men retreating farther down the path, but you really only saw the recalled memory of Cloud's face darkening as he spied through the window. “I wanted it to be you. I saw you- oh! Through the glass-” You gasped as he pulled the clasp of your jeans open, "I pretend I was touching you." His fingers slipped under the fabric, fingertips brushing lightly over your skin making your knees buckle your weight falling on the knee keeping you firmly in place.

He clicked his tongue. "Always running that smart ass mouth." The hand on your neck moved upward before he traced the seam of your lips with his thumb, your tongue poking out to taste it before sucking into your mouth. "That's better." He cooed as his other fingers finally dipped into the molten heat between your thighs your muffled moan almost enough to send him over the edge. “Better be quiet. Unless you want him to see me break you apart on my fingers.” He ran them up and down your slit collecting some wetness from your opening before circling your bundle of nerves, purposely avoiding giving you want you wanted. “You’re so wet ‘f me.”

Spit dripped down his thumb, your breath coming out in hushed puffs, your restrained moans enough to light his blood in flames. He withdrew his hand from your face and reached down to whip his dick from his pants gripping it at the base to smack the angry tip against your clothed ass, cursing at the barriers of clothing separating his skin from yours. His name crackled in his ears from the sheer desperation you were pleading with, and his body jerked forward knowing it was your name on his lips instead of that egotistical hothead.

His index finger finally pressed on down on your clit and heaven’s sake you seen stars, all the buildup pushing you so close to the edge and he’s barely touched you. He groaned as he grinded against you, your body rocking back to create a delicious friction. “Just me, okay?” He mumbled as he got lost in his obsession with you. “Only look at me.”

“Promise!” You keened as he slipped a finger into you, then another, his thumb still flicking over your clit. You willed the two men to walk faster as they neared the edge where they’d finally disappear into the background, the last bits of their conversation dying on deaf ears as the tightness in your belly coiled tighter with each stretch of his fingers. You felt him push the waistband of your pants down over the swell of your hips followed by his leaking tip slipping up between ass cheeks, the pre smearing against your feverish skin. The guttural groan he released into your ear sent you higher, the evidence of your desire now running down your thighs.

“’M almost there.” He slurred his head falling to your shoulder blade to watch how his cock slid against your skin.

“They’re… oh… they’re gone.”

“Need y' to come.” Your body was on fire, sparks igniting over the places connected to his, the tension in your core building to pleasure you’ve only ever experienced with him, your high so close you could nearly taste it. His words fueled you. His groans in your ear only confirming he felt as good as you. “Wanna feel it on my hand.”

You came with a cry, broken pieces of his name falling out in babbled nonsense, before his hand clamped around your jaw to turn your mouth to meet his, swallowing your cry in case the Turks were still in ear shot. You shook against him, his hand between your legs continuing to rub lazy circles into you, not caring that you were gasping through the overstimulation. His fingers only withdrew to pull your thigh up and around the tree taking your full weight onto the arm around your waist so he could press the head of him into you. You dug your nails into the bark to ground yourself from the fullness of him.

"Sorry." He grits through his teeth your tight ring of muscle like a vice sucking him in despite the aftershocks still ripping through you. "Had to, shit, had to feel you." He hadn’t planned to be inside you at all. He had been content just to reach his end against you but the temptation to be wrapped in you to feel your warm gummy walls pulse around him was far too enticing to resist. Your hands fell to claw into any piece of him you could reach, your breath rising in a pitch he hasn’t heard before, and your head falling onto his clavicle as you spasmed around the stretch of him.

Each thrust grew harder than the last as he mindlessly chased after his own orgasm, battling a war in his head whether or not he should spill into you. Everyone would know who you belonged with if his seed took hold. The band in his stomach tightened, thrusts growing sloppy, slurred babbles of how good you feel spilling against your skin. "Fuck, please. I- Cloud!" you stuttered against him body tightening around him once more, your toes curling in your boots as a second climax ripped through you before you could even tell you were close, and that was his undoing. He couldn’t stop himself. He should pull out. He knew it, but he didn’t want to. He wanted his cum buried so far into you that you could never be parted.

His hips stuttered against the telltale pulse of desire giving him plenty of warning but two more rough thrusts and he pushed in until he could go any farther, his hand dropping your around your waist sliding down to press just below your belly to feel the shape of him before his cock twitched inside you spilling rope after rope into your pliant body, his groan rumbling against your neck.

His head fell to your shoulder as he came down from the post sex haze. He pulled out of you, eyes glued to where you both were joined to watch his cum ooze out of you only to push it back in his fingers. You gasped in surprise but chuckled all the same. "Jealousy, huh?"

"Shut up." He breathed against your neck. The silence sat comfortably between you for several minutes, neither of you really wanting to leave the comfort of the other but eventually he pressed a soft kiss to your temple before shimming your pants back over your hips and tucking himself back into his pants. “Your knee okay?” He asked voice husky, but soft all the same.

“The block is wearing off, but I’ll live.” You turned to see him face to face, the hardness of his scowl replaced with an after bliss flush.

His knuckles brushed the side of you cheek before tucking a stray lock of hair behind your ear before leaving to fix the zipper on your pants, the domesticity of it leaving a lasting impression on your heart. “It’s only another mile or two.”

“I can make it.”

“Let me know if it’s too much. I can carry you.”

“My hero.” You gushed as you pulled him down to your level, pressing a soft kiss that felt like the butterflies in your stomach burst around you and flapped away on the wind. I love you.

~*~

[xxwitchylanexx]

A Love So Soft And True

Cloud x Reader Ch 16

Masterlist

Aftermath of the fall and intro to the Gongaga Region

No spoilers for Rebirth but does include part of an og seen with the Turks outside Gongaga.

**all fixed**

~*~

Pain was all you could feel as you started to come back to yourself. Your head, especially, felt like an egg in a microwave. The kind that felt like a hot fire poker piercing through your eye. It demanded every bit of clarity you weakly muster. Eventually it began to subside as your senses kicked in and you grew more aware of your surroundings. The floor was cold and hard against your skin, the smell of smoke and pine clung to your nose, the gentle crackling of a fire, and the faint echo of wildlife in the in the background. Where are you?

Fear coiled in your stomach as you heard the shuffling of feet against the ground. Try as you might you couldn't get you body to respond. You were caught in a semi state of paralysis, and any chance of defending yourself were nonexistent. Your breathing picked up, lungs heaving beneath your ribs, and heart pounding far too quickly to be safe. “Hey.” The voice said the sound calm, cool, and soothing. The footsteps padded closer and you could feel the shift of air as they sat near your head. “You’re okay. I got you.” He said as fingers tangled in the mess of your hair stroking softly to lull you into security. Cloud.

It could've minutes or hours, you don’t know, but his fingers never stopped stroking through your hair scratching at the scalp every so often. At some point you heard him mumble something to himself and you hooked onto the sound of his voice. You fought tooth and nail to collect enough of yourself to slowly peel your eyes open. The light from the fire caused your vision to swim and your stomach to churn but it too faded as you grew accustomed to the light.

Your groan made him falter his fingers going lax in your hair. He was leaning over you now his face set in that permanent scowl you've come to love. His brows pressed tight enough together that you could put a gil between them and it would stay. If you had better control of yourself you'd smooth the wrinkles away, but that would have to wait. He looked paler with bags deep under his eyes. Whatever had happened to land you here had taken its' toll on him. Though dark in color his eyes did hold a sense of warmth and relief as clear as day sparkled in them now that you had stirred. The front of his hair hangs partially over his face, and as he stared into your eyes his frown seemed to wipe away. His fingers returned to play with your hair and all was right, if only for a moment. That’s when you noticed the lack of material covering his torso. Either you were hallucinating or this is one of the weirdest returns to reality you’ve had to date. It was hard to care which one, however, when those firm godlike muscles were in clear sight. You swallowed thick and dry, your voice sounding rough to your own ears. “Why are you shirtless?”

The corners of his lips twitched up and stayed. The sight was so rewarding, you were starting to be okay with whatever dire situation you were in.

“It’s under your head.” Huh. That’s sweet. The sentiment made your heart twist in the best of ways. His complete disregard for himself to care for you made tears prick in the edges of your lashes. No one had ever cared for you like this, and it was nice to have someone who wanted to be here when you couldn't offer anything in return. Maybe it was silly to be emotional over it considering you weren't out of the woods yet. “Where are we?” You whispered, afraid that if you spoke to loud the pretty pink bubble around you would pop and the tears would fall.

“A cave. Figured it’d be safe for the night.”

“Right…”

“What were you doing out there?” His voice was low, but stern. You tried to feel guilty that you had caused this extra burden he had chosen to bare, but whatever you did it had landed you here.

What were you doing? You looked to the fire watching as the light flickered about the cave walls casting tiny images than danced against the stone. It was starting to burn low, so he had to have started it a few hours ago. Long enough for him to stew on your probably idiotic endeavor.

You were sad, that much you knew. They'd all seen you cry and you felt ashamed that you had allowed them to see it. The pain, the anger, the grief. You remember that you needed time to get away for awhile to look at the moon and spill your secrets to her so you could put the piece of yourself back together, but everything was fuzzy after that. Everything had grown eerily quiet, and then…

The Tonberry King. You sat straight up, like a chocobo out of a chute, and instantly regretted the motion as your head fogged out and your stomach revolted. Cloud’s hand came up to rub small circles into your skin as you dry heaved. Everything blurred again and you started seeing double for a few seconds then when you calmed Cloud helped lean you against the wall for support. “The others?” you croaked.

“They took care of it. Barret called.” You must’ve looked confused cause he pulled the same electronic out of his pocket they’d received earlier that day and shook the device to jog your memory.

“Who knew they’d come in handy.” You quipped through gritted teeth. You focused on you breathing allowing yourself to just feel the places that your body had been beaten. Your knee in particular felt like it'd been hammered down to angry nerves and torn tissue. You opened one eyes and sucked a breath your nostrils. It was better and worse than you thought. The joint was clearly out of socket, possibly fractured, but swollen to the size of Barret’s bicep. The whole area was covered in splotches of blue, purple, and red, but at least it was there.

“I didn’t want to wake you, so I left it. ‘M sorry.” He said with averted eyes and his hand scratching at his nape.

“That you knocked us over the cliff or that the cliff beat me up?” You winced as you shifted.

“Both, now shut up. I have to pop it back in.”

“Don’t worry about it. Give me your shirt and I can do it myself.”

“I said shut up.”

You rolled your eyes and sank your teeth into your bottom lip to stop any further remarks as he shifted awkwardly across the hard ground until he hovered over your injured leg. He leaned forward gradually inching closer until his face was close enough to feel the warmth of his breath on your skin. He smelled of the rainforest, sweat, and underlying notes of leather. Was he always this confident? You talked big for someone who's desperately afraid of vulnerability. You could flirt hands down. Teasing, even better. Seduce someone? Not a problem. Giving into feelings? It was like you had to fight against your instincts. Falling in love was an ordinary thing, and yet you were fighting tooth in nail to let it happen. You never thought you'd have this.

Your breath caught in your throat as his nose brushed so lightly against yours. Butterflies took flight on wing of cotton candy pinks, and baby blues the moment his lips melted against you. You offered yourself up on parted lips waiting for the moment his tongue swept in and took every inch for himself. Those three heavy words were stuck in the back of your throat begging for you to give them a physical form as the taste of him burst on your tongue until you separated with a sharp cry as he popped your knee back in place.

You took a shuddering intake of hair, your blissed brain trying to wrap around every sensation to have fleeted through you in the last two minutes. It hurt. Despite intimate familiarity with pain, this time around you seemed to be present in its cruel sting instead of detaching and living parallel to it, but it too shall pass. “That helped. Thanks.” He kissed your cheek, just a small peck, before he withdrew from your space and settled on his haunches his ears glowing a pretty pink from his moment of boldness. You cleared your throat, and blinked your eyes your hand moving out to offer the black shirt. “Now put your shirt back on. You’re distracting.”

He puffed out an amused chuckle before sliding the material back over chest before shifting to tend to the fire he had built behind him.

“You wouldn’t happen to have an orb of healing, would you? Aerith snagged mine to age it up for me.”

“I was hoping you had one.”

“Damn.” You mumbled under your breath. You swept your eyes over the cavern looking to see if Cloud had recovered any of your equipment from the fall. At this point anything would be a blessing. Cloud never carried much, just his sword, whatever materia he had customized onto the blade, and a potion or two for emergencies. You, on the other hand, always had a few tricks up your sleeve but the events of the day made you sloppy. Your sword was left behind, sitting in your tent you had planned to return too. A bad judgement call on your part. So the only weapons you had were a couple of knives hidden in your boots. Your pack laid across the room in an unkept pile but hopefully everything inside was intact. “Can you hand me my bag? I have a couple potions, I think.” You gave a quiet thanks after he tossed it to you afterwards turning to tend the fire. You rifled through it the moment it was in your hands. “Potions, fiend deterrent, a couple poisons…. Oh, and chocobo treats.” You finished with a smile.

“Great. Those’ll be handy when we’re ambushed.” He chided as he walked around the fire.

“Shut up.” You scoffed your faux annoyance betrayed by the gentle smile growing on your face. “Here.” You held a small vile out to him. “Sprinkle it at the mouth. Should keep the fiends out for the night.”

“You should get more sleep.” He said as he swiped the vial from your hand moving to do as he was told. You could tell he was also hurting by the way he was favoring his left side. You wouldn’t ask knowing he'd deny it, but you couldn’t help but wonder if he’d taken the brunt of the fall again. It was almost annoying how you kept finding yourself in situations that you needed to be saved. It was embarrassing this time though you just felt guilty. If you had been paying attention he wouldn't be hurt.

Your time seemed to be up for the day. Blackness ringed around you eyesight and eyelids feeling heavy. You'd pushed yourself too far today and now the exhaustion demanded to be paid. The potion bottle in your hand opened with a loud pop before you brought it to your lips and chugged the contents the bitter taste lingering on your tongue as it slid down your throat. “Come, be my pillow.”

“I’ll keep watch.” Yet he stumbled over to you all the same.

“Don’t be stupid.” You mumbled through a yawn. He slid down next to you, sword propped up against the wall. “My deterrent is top notch…” Your head sagged over onto his shoulder. “Plus, we’re both light sleepers. You need sleep too.” You finished already half way to dream world.

He guided you down to his lap where you nuzzled into his thighs. One of his hands return to your head to run through it like it was a reflex. You were gone before he could even say goodnight.

Cloud couldn’t, wouldn’t, look away from you. He felt like he’s failed you today, and he genuinely thought, for just a second, he had lost you.

Your tear-stained face haunted thoughts while he whittled away time hoping you would wake up. Anger and grief had possessed you throwing caution to the wind and charged in with no regards to your own safety. You killed without hesitation something he was unprepared for since you’ve always aimed to debilitate unless absolutely necessary. The girls dragged him aside as you walked away from camp expressing their concern about the change in your nature in hushed whispers like nosy gossipers. They were scared, like they were with him sometimes, but he only fell for you more.

He’s had several glimpses into your dark side. Moments here and there when your mood started to sour and your eyes darkened. Your snarky quips would disappear only to be replaced with an air of hostility. You'd withdraw rather than deflect with a joke. It happened at that chocobo ranch when he had overhead you threaten the owner, and a night in lower Junon when you felt like a shadow of your usual self. When you spoke to Aerith about your mother when you let him rest on your lap, and tidbits from a group of jockeys that heard you had returned.

He wasn’t scared, never could be. In fact, you astonished him. You made the darkness feel lighter even when you were in the thick of it.

Now you lay asleep on his lap nuzzling into his thighs like he was the best pillow on Gaia, and his heart is at ease for the first time today. You were here, in his arms, look more peaceful than he's seen as of late. And he'll pray to whatever ill begotten deity out there that he could stay with you, just like this, until whatever end his path would bring.

He had no intention of sleeping that night, but by the warmth of the flames and you heart beating a comfortable rhythm underneath his palm sleep slowly whisked him away to join you in dreamland.

~*~

The morning brought a cacophony of the Gongaga region symphony. Water falling down cliffs setting a beautifully beat for the out of tune birds squawking away, croaking of giant toads creating a harmony that made way for the solo of the bazillion insects buzzing, and the most notable melody made from the hearty roars of whatever fiends lie out to wait for their next meal. You woke up with a groan, loud and pissed. Everything hurt and the sunlight filtering into the cavern beamed angrily against your corneas like it had a personal vendetta against you.

“Morning.” You shifted in Cloud’s lap so you could see him more clearly choosing to focus on him instead of your murderous wrath for the great outdoors. It must have been early still for the golden rays to paint Cloud in the most breathtaking glow. The back of his hair was a bit flat, and his eyes shone a brilliant blue in such a lovesick way that you could feel your pulse in the hollow of your throat.

“I like waking up to you.” You said as you reached up to trace along his jaw. Morning time really did paint him in the best of lights.

“We should get moving soon.” He whispered against your fingertips as he kissed the tops of them.

“Five more minutes?” His laughter was your reward, and gods you loved the sound so much it hurt. You pulled him down by the collar of his shirt to meet his lips halfway with your own. It was light and airy, chaste but packed full of your unsaid feelings before parting. “Alright. Time to see the damage.” You moved against him, his hands guiding you up with a hand on your back, until you were in an upright position and then cautiously bent your knee. You sucked in a breath between clenched teeth the pain still very evident in the stiff joint. You cursed letting your head falling back on the rocky wall.

“Can you walk?” He asked.

You puffed out the breath you were holding. “I'll manage.” You did your best to be convincing. Using the wall for support you rose to both feet. It was nearly unbearable, at first. It subsided a little, but it was clear that without some medicinal help you'd be basically useless. “I’ve survived worse.” And you have though a lot of those encounters you just got lucky.

You limped around the cave picking up all your belongings that Cloud had collected yesterday snapping and fastening every piece to the correct spot on your body. Before fastening your satchel back into its place along your on your back you reached into for the last potion and a stimulate. Originally you’d made these ‘treats’ for chocobos that we injured during a race when the rider refused to withdraw them from the next half, then you used it on birds that required lengthy surgical recoveries, but it was more than capable of muting the pain in your leg long enough to make it to the village.

“What’s that?” You spun around to find him in the same spot watching you for any hints of distress.

You looked at the medicine in the palm of your hand before letting him get a good look at it. “A pain blocker, essentially. I'll slow us down to much without it, and before you start,” you held out a finger to shush him before he could say anything, “you’re good, absolutely fantastic in combat, there’s no denying it but we’re not equipped well enough for you to defend me the entire time.” You bit into the bitter substance, only chewing until you could swallow it and drained the potion to kill the taste on your tongue. “The sooner we make it to the village, the sooner I can fix this leg.”

"Let's get this over with."

~*~

Listen, if you have ever expressed your hatred for any other region in Gaia it had been a lie. The jungle was the worst area. Ever. Period. It was hot, sweaty, and difficult to navigate even with a good leg and an experienced chocobo. The pathways were known for deceiving travelers on winding trails that could easily come to a dead end leaving you to choose to push forward or double back. The fiends seem to be hopped up on mako even though the blown reactor was a great deal of miles away, and Gongaga, bless their hearts, was in the center of it all. Your hair stuck to your skin, damp clothes rubbed against you wrong, and the bugs- the fucking bugs- buzzed around you waiting for the perfect opportunity to eat you up like your blood was the nectar of the gods.

The only enjoyable part of this stupid journey was the company. Cloud is not much of a talker, that much you new from the start, but he liked talking to you. You didn't press general chit chat just to lessen the silence. In fact, you made the quiet between you comfortable and without expecting anything from him. That said you also made conversing easy. He didn't have to overthink it with you. You read off your texts from the girls spamming your new phone conveying their fears and relief for your safety, and Aerith sending teasing texts about the two of you being alone together. Just like he shared the texts he got that chastised him for being so rash on the cliff last night. Talking to you felt natural.

“So, other than piano, what other unexpected skills or hobbies are you hiding?” You asked as you carefully climbed over an unearthed tree root snaking up into a thick trunk.

“Card games.”

You rolled your eyes. “Yes, yes, Queens Blood. What else?”

“I can snowboard.” He offered.

“Huh. I would not have guessed that.”

“And darts.”

“That doesn’t count. You have super special soldier powers.”

“Fixing things, I guess. Always liked working on motorcycle engines.”

You hummed in approval. “That’s handy. What I would give for a ride right now.”

He shot you a quick glimpse out of the corner of his eye trying to judge if you were making some type of innuendo. “What about you?”

“Oh, I’m a jack of all trades." You grinned. "I cook; I can sew. I am insanely good at hunting.” You paused the wicked gears in your head turning and a mirthful grin plastering on your face. “Oh, and I’m a phenomenal masseuse.”

He ignored your teasing, fully aware of your skills from the few seconds you teased him near Costa del Sol. “Doesn’t count. Something you enjoy.”

“Making medicinal things. It started as a necessity and turned into a hobby. I love to read, but it's hard to find the time. Oh! And arcade games! I had a lot of spare time my first year at the saucer.”

“Well, if we ever catch a break maybe we could play. If we ever go back.”

“Cloud Strife, are you asking me on a date?” You said with a radiant smile that could rival the heavens, in his opinion.

“Yeah.”

~*~

You wiggled the hilt of the knife back and forth trying to pull it free from the trunk you’d killed a fiend on and wiped the remnants of gore on your thigh before tucking it back into your boot. You’d planned to offer some trash talk or gloat that you were still in the lead of your little competition but the second you turned around Cloud was pushing you against the trunk and his lips pressed to the to your ear. “Shh. Turks.”

You took his word for it, not that you could check even if you wanted to. Nonetheless, you strained your ears to listen for any stray bits of conversation.

“Hey, Rude. Who do you like?” Oh gods no. It’s Reno. Out of all the Turks you could possibly run into why him? You could feel a flush rising to your cheeks as you recalled what happened the time before, and the fact that Cloud had been outside the window to see it all made this moment mortifying. You wanted the ground to split up to swallow you whole. “What’re you getting so embarrassed about? Come on! Who do you like?”

“Tifa.” The stoic man said so low you’d barely heard it. Your mouth dropped open in surprise and hand fisting in Cloud’s shirt to make sure he had just heard what you did.

The red head clicked his tongue. “That is a hard one. But, poor Elena. She… well you y’know…” He trailed off.

“No. She likes Tseng.”

“Get outta here.” You could practically hear the cat-like grin in his voice. “But Tseng loves that ancient…” Aerith. You had gotten that impression when you’d briefly met him, and the other Turks in the mines right at the beginning of your journey. Oh, how far you’d come.

“What about you?” This ought to be good.

“I got that girl on my mind lately. The one from Junon. She was so hot.”

Cloud went rigid against you. His hands that had held you against the tree pressed harder into your skin his hands sliding farther up your skin as he glared down at your face, eyes darker than he’s ever looked at you before. The shit coming out of Reno’s mouth had Cloud smoldering with murderous intent jaw clenched tight enough you feared for the integrity of his teeth as they ground together, the air charging like the ozone before a crack of lightning splits against the sky, the only thing keeping him against you was your eyes staring back into his own.

You knew the moment the words ‘fuckable mouth’ left the filthy redhead’s mouth that Cloud’s resolve cracked, your hands flying up to twist into his shirt as his hand swung over his shoulder for his sword. You mouthed a ‘please’ his eyes lowering to your mouth tracking the way you bit nervously into your plump bottom lip. “We can’t take them. Not like this.” You whispered.

Cloud scoffed his hands yanking away clearly enraged at your request. “Fine." He spat, hands returning only to spin you around and press you against the tree, your face scraping against the bark with your heart in your throat. The contrast of his treatment of you had guilt crawling down your throat. Logically you knew this was right. That the two of you couldn’t fight both of them off with you in this state but he was clearly upset that you hadn’t let him redeem your honor. “Then keep watch.”

“Are you mad?” You frantic whispers turned to gasps as he grinded his hard against your backside. Jealousy? One hand slipped across your throat to keep your head directed at the Turks in front of you while his hips took over his hold on you against the tree, grinding his weight rhythmically to temper the flames simmering in his belly. His other hand moved with purpose over the front of you till it reached one mound, his hand roughly squeezing over the flesh that fit in his palm. He grunted his approval against your skin as he drug the length of his nose up your neck, breathing in the scent of you before nipping the flesh right under your lobe, his warm breath causing a shudder to rip down your spine settling in your toes.

“Did you like it?” He rasped against the shell of your ear. He couldn’t possibly be insecure could he? Though, he did want you to reassure him just two nights prior, the word mine returning with crystal clarity.

"Of course not.” You snarked your words nearly dying on your tongue as he pinched your nipple between two fingers before abandoning your chest in favor of slowly sliding down your ribs, over the trained muscles of your stomach, and settling on the waistband of your pants, his intentions now very clear in your mind. You should stop him. This wasn’t the time or place no matter how much your drooling cunt dripped down your thighs. “Cloud, le-"

“That’s not what it looked like.” You cursed as he drove his knee up between your legs to make more room, your body arching involuntarily like he could command it by thoughts alone. His anger was comical considering he had your body trained to succumb to his affections even before your head admitted what your heart tried to deny for so long. You sucked in a sharp breath through parted lips as he bit down on your neck tongue smoothing over the sting.

“I saw you.” You choked, the throb between your legs too desperate to be touched to care if you were caught like this. You’d wanted him then as he watched the scene unfold from the window, but it was nothing compared to this. Your blood ran hot, your skin craved his touch, your eyes were on the two men retreating farther down the path, but you really only saw the recalled memory of Cloud's face darkening as he spied through the window. “I wanted it to be you. I saw you- oh! Through the glass-” You gasped as he pulled the clasp of your jeans open, "I pretend I was touching you." His fingers slipped under the fabric, fingertips brushing lightly over your skin making your knees buckle your weight falling on the knee keeping you firmly in place.

He clicked his tongue. "Always running that smart ass mouth." The hand on your neck moved upward before he traced the seam of your lips with his thumb, your tongue poking out to taste it before sucking into your mouth. "That's better." He cooed as his other fingers finally dipped into the molten heat between your thighs your muffled moan almost enough to send him over the edge. “Better be quiet. Unless you want him to see me break you apart on my fingers.” He ran them up and down your slit collecting some wetness from your opening before circling your bundle of nerves, purposely avoiding giving you want you wanted. “You’re so wet ‘f me.”

Spit dripped down his thumb, your breath coming out in hushed puffs, your restrained moans enough to light his blood in flames. He withdrew his hand from your face and reached down to whip his dick from his pants gripping it at the base to smack the angry tip against your clothed ass, cursing at the barriers of clothing separating his skin from yours. His name crackled in his ears from the sheer desperation you were pleading with, and his body jerked forward knowing it was your name on his lips instead of that egotistical hothead.

His index finger finally pressed on down on your clit and heaven’s sake you seen stars, all the buildup pushing you so close to the edge and he’s barely touched you. He groaned as he grinded against you, your body rocking back to create a delicious friction. “Just me, okay?” He mumbled as he got lost in his obsession with you. “Only look at me.”

“Promise!” You keened as he slipped a finger into you, then another, his thumb still flicking over your clit. You willed the two men to walk faster as they neared the edge where they’d finally disappear into the background, the last bits of their conversation dying on deaf ears as the tightness in your belly coiled tighter with each stretch of his fingers. You felt him push the waistband of your pants down over the swell of your hips followed by his leaking tip slipping up between ass cheeks, the pre smearing against your feverish skin. The guttural groan he released into your ear sent you higher, the evidence of your desire now running down your thighs.

“’M almost there.” He slurred his head falling to your shoulder blade to watch how his cock slid against your skin.

“They’re… oh… they’re gone.”

“Need y' to come.” Your body was on fire, sparks igniting over the places connected to his, the tension in your core building to pleasure you’ve only ever experienced with him, your high so close you could nearly taste it. His words fueled you. His groans in your ear only confirming he felt as good as you. “Wanna feel it on my hand.”

You came with a cry, broken pieces of his name falling out in babbled nonsense, before his hand clamped around your jaw to turn your mouth to meet his, swallowing your cry in case the Turks were still in ear shot. You shook against him, his hand between your legs continuing to rub lazy circles into you, not caring that you were gasping through the overstimulation. His fingers only withdrew to pull your thigh up and around the tree taking your full weight onto the arm around your waist so he could press the head of him into you. You dug your nails into the bark to ground yourself from the fullness of him.

"Sorry." He grits through his teeth your tight ring of muscle like a vice sucking him in despite the aftershocks still ripping through you. "Had to, shit, had to feel you." He hadn’t planned to be inside you at all. He had been content just to reach his end against you but the temptation to be wrapped in you to feel your warm gummy walls pulse around him was far too enticing to resist. Your hands fell to claw into any piece of him you could reach, your breath rising in a pitch he hasn’t heard before, and your head falling onto his clavicle as you spasmed around the stretch of him.

Each thrust grew harder than the last as he mindlessly chased after his own orgasm, battling a war in his head whether or not he should spill into you. Everyone would know who you belonged with if his seed took hold. The band in his stomach tightened, thrusts growing sloppy, slurred babbles of how good you feel spilling against your skin. "Fuck, please. I- Cloud!" you stuttered against him body tightening around him once more, your toes curling in your boots as a second climax ripped through you before you could even tell you were close, and that was his undoing. He couldn’t stop himself. He should pull out. He knew it, but he didn’t want to. He wanted his cum buried so far into you that you could never be parted.

His hips stuttered against the telltale pulse of desire giving him plenty of warning but two more rough thrusts and he pushed in until he could go any farther, his hand dropping your around your waist sliding down to press just below your belly to feel the shape of him before his cock twitched inside you spilling rope after rope into your pliant body, his groan rumbling against your neck.

His head fell to your shoulder as he came down from the post sex haze. He pulled out of you, eyes glued to where you both were joined to watch his cum ooze out of you only to push it back in his fingers. You gasped in surprise but chuckled all the same. "Jealousy, huh?"

"Shut up." He breathed against your neck. The silence sat comfortably between you for several minutes, neither of you really wanting to leave the comfort of the other but eventually he pressed a soft kiss to your temple before shimming your pants back over your hips and tucking himself back into his pants. “Your knee okay?” He asked voice husky, but soft all the same.

“The block is wearing off, but I’ll live.” You turned to see him face to face, the hardness of his scowl replaced with an after bliss flush.

His knuckles brushed the side of you cheek before tucking a stray lock of hair behind your ear before leaving to fix the zipper on your pants, the domesticity of it leaving a lasting impression on your heart. “It’s only another mile or two.”

“I can make it.”

“Let me know if it’s too much. I can carry you.”

“My hero.” You gushed as you pulled him down to your level, pressing a soft kiss that felt like the butterflies in your stomach burst around you and flapped away on the wind. I love you.

~*~

[xxwitchylanexx]

I am somebody that values the hard work that artists and creators put in to their projects, and its always been super important for me for the proper people to receive the credit they deserve for their creations.

I never thought I'd be someone that would be copied so it's an odd experience to have my work copied and pasted and twisted into someone else's story. They don't know understand why I wrote the characters in that specific way or why I think those characters would love on another. They don't know how long I stared at a screen think of the perfect way to convey the words I wanted too.

At the very least I would've loved for them to credit me somehow. So as a reminder, please don't copy other people's work. This won't deter me but it may discourage other people to share their work.

If not for using my work I think this would've been a lovely story. For anyone wanting to read their version at @flame-wing-dragon-phoenix123 wattpad.

[xxwitchylanexx]

What's Left of the Wreckage

Rebirth Retold Chapter 15

Masterlist

*Spoilers for the game but you should note that the end of this chapter and probably the next chapter won't be completely canon so the storyline fits a bit better and to add in og ff7 scenes.*

I am so so thankful for all of my readers. You guys boost my confidence as a writer and while this story is ultimately for me since I dreamed of it for at least a decade I'm so so glad I can share it with people who also enjoy it. Every like or comment really fuels my desire to keep creating even if life is crazy right now. Happy Thanksgiving!

~*~

Truth be told, you’d never set a single foot down here in the underbelly. Maybe it’s because Sam had you living in luxury or maybe it was because it seemed too much like ‘home’, but being put in a cage the minute you arrived in these tainted sands sure didn’t improve your opinion.

You were confident in everyone’s abilities that you weren’t really in danger, but much to your dismay you were forced to leave them behind shortly after Cloud was escorted away. It was almost insulting that assigned a single swarmy thug that was more interested to stare at your ass instead of holding the flimsy rusting blade to your back. An imbecile elevated with faux importance to mindlessly obey the head honcho for the promised price of unwilling women, cause what woman would ever be willing to entertain a man that had no brains and no understanding of simple hygiene. Like come on, what the fuck is that smell? He stank of over ripe onions coated in decomposing potatoes left in the acrid desert sun. The knife wasn’t even pressed to your spine, nor did he restrain you in any way. Why do men in power never feel threatened by a woman? He was so comfortable being near the top of the totem pole that he couldn’t comprehend the danger he’d put himself in, and if not for your friends being held as collateral, you’d hurt him on principle.

You tried to focus on your surroundings, what places looked relatively save and what screamed danger, but the resemblance to Wall Market was uncanny. Not in sight obviously, but the shape, the vibe, the people. Most dwellings looked like they were made of yellowing canvas to combat the UV rays, some more weathered than others probably due to how funds were allocated. There were a handful of shops, most definitely sketchy like the fire arm the dealers looking around for an easy bitch to push around. You must’ve stared for a second too long when one muffin top dude with a shitty toupee smiled at you, front teeth missing the rest turning brown as they rot. Charming. Near every corner you’d see a few whores with ripped up clothing propositioning passersby a good time for a fraction of what it’d cost you at Honeybee Inn. You could see most of their ribs through their clothes, or lack thereof, and you’re pretty sure there’s mold in their matted locks.

It didn’t matter though when your eyes locked onto your destination. Young Billy and Cloud were talking next to slumped over onto the ground. Any chocobo in that condition was heart-wrenching, but you nearly flew scorched Gaia when you realized it was your precious Piko lying strengthless in the dirty sand. How is he here under the safety of the golden city’s protection? Better question, what is Billy doing with your chocobo?

You shot Billy a murderous glare as you approached them before taking a knee to see your precious friend closer. He looked like he had no strength left to even hold his head up and his beak was cracked open sucking labored breaths a goopy strand of drool trickling to the ground. You stroked the feathers around his head. “Hey, boy.” His eyes slowly drifted to you when he heard your voice, a pathetic little chirp sounded in his chest.

You looked to Cloud as he squatted beside you. “If we want to help Barret, I have to win.” There was no need to elaborate on why they came to get you. “Anyway, he can race?”

Your eyes returned to your friend. Your options were limited, either patch him up and send him into a rigorous race or sacrifice the chance to help Barret without a full out slum war. You were angry you were even facing these issues. If Billy had just transported him correctly, they’d both be up there without any risk to Piko’s health, but despite the clear exhaustion showing in those big sky blues there was also determination, and his need to be the best boy for you. It was times like these that you felt a chocobo’s loyalty was misplaced.

“He can do it.” You said numbly. It’s a little ironic, you’d set up a recreation of the saucer’s racetrack just to train him and give the bird confidence since he was such a timid creature when you met. You never thought he’d be enrolled in the competition, and why would you since you can’t race anymore. You’re pissed with Billy having the nerve to even bring him here. He was acutely aware of the fact that Bill had given you Piko’s paperwork, and ownership before you’d left with the group. Bill knew how much you loved him, and they couldn’t get him to stay in the barn anyway, so he gifted him to you as a thank you for all your hard work over the years. At the time you joked that you wouldn’t be gone for long, but now you wondered if he knew your days spent there had ended. You shook your head willing the melancholy memory away to focus on the present replacing your thoughts with what you needed to get him up and moving. Without looking away you rattled off what you needed. Any feed they can find, a special desert flower that is common down here, and your bag from the cell, and with a lingering hand Cloud placed on your shoulder, he tore away to get to work.

“Y/n, I-” Billy tried to start whatever pathetic excuse he had but the words died on his tongue under your threatening glare.

“What the fuck do you think you were doing?! Pushing him through the desert! Are you nuts?”

“Cocoa was sick and-”

You thrust your hand in his face and you turned away; the sheer disappointment churned your stomach. “Your prized chocobo was sick, so you pushed my bird through the sand? You didn’t have the decency to bring him here the safe way?” Selfish. But you weren’t exactly one to judge in that area right now. You exhaled heavily through flared nostrils, your breath ruffling some of Piko’s feathers around his eyes. “Just go away.” Droplets of water clung to his bottom lashes, but he did as you asked. You don’t know where he went after that, but his absence chewed at you. Guilty, maybe?

You encouraged Piko to drink as much as he could, and to pause in between large swallows. Last thing you needed was for him to throw up all the fluid he desperately needed. And thankfully like he could read your mind, Cloud returned with your bag before he even began to look for the rest. You rummaged through your supplies praising the Planet that you stocked up not long ago, and mixed some tulsi, yarrow, and peppermint before compressing the paste into a treat capsule. You could tell he didn’t want to eat it, you couldn’t blame him, the herbs tasted like shit together, but he gobbled it up faster than you could even direct him too.

Cloud surprised you with his ability to anticipate your needs. Instead of just collecting everything and then returning like you thought he would he brought each item as he acquired it to give Piko time to digest it all slowly, and at last he returned with the final flower.

And just in a few hours’ time Piko looked better than ever. You were good, but you couldn’t take all the credit, not when you had a great helper and a determined patient.

“Can she go too?” Cloud asked as you smoothed down some feathers cooing into Piko’s ears about how he was such a good boy his happy kwehs nearly drowning out the merc’s request.

“No can do. Contestant only.”

He crossed his arms and huffed like a scorned teenager before he stomped over to you. A gentle pat to his cheek seemed to pull him from his tantrum though, and this wasn’t the first time you seen the similarity between him and the chocobo. Always quick to brood over the little things, but both give you their undivided attention.

“Trust Piko.” You spoke lowly so your audience couldn’t overhear your conversation. “He knows what he’s doing and he won’t steer you wrong. Copy his movements. It’ll gain you speed. Trust him and you’ll win, ‘k?” You waited for him to nod before you turned back to the bird to give his own pep talk. “You’ll keep my guy safe right?” Piko chirped in response. “You’ll kill it out there won’t you, big boy?” He jumped in place, energized and ready to run, his chirps as loud as any war cry.

“Y/n.”

You know in those movies when the world stops , and the main character just instantly falls in love with the man? You swore your life was ripped right from that film as the warm afternoon sun shined through his spiky hair just right to for it to glow like gold. His eyes were full of apprehensive anticipation but with a crystal clear glean of trust he had placed into your hands, or rather on Piko’s back. Had he always looked at you like this like you weaved the heavens from your fingertips? His insecurity was clear to you. His stance wasn’t as solid as it was going into a fight, and his jawline was rigid trying to hide it.

You closed the gap between you and smoothed the stubborn frown. “You can do this.” You whispered so your audience couldn’t hear you as well. “Afterall my big bad merc never loses. Your eyes flickered to his mouth then back to his eyes, inviting him to meet your lips if he was fine with the audience. You honestly didn’t think he would, being the private stoic man, he was, but he dipped down immediately crashing over you like waves on the shoreline then just as fast he pulled away with a lopsided grin before stepping into the elevator with your faithful companion at his side.

“No sweat.”

~*~

If you haven’t said it yet, you hate the desert. It was beyond hot, and dry enough to make your skin feel like cracked leather. You could practically feel your pores drying out. Your mouth felt like sandpaper no matter how much water you poured down your throat, your tongue stuck to the back of your teeth, you could feel sand working its way under your clothes, and if you had to hear Yuffie say it was hot one more time you’d sock her.

Though it wouldn’t be true Barret fashion if you found him easily though you hadn’t expected to nearly get blown away by a sandstorm.

The more he shared parts of his story the more your own heart ached. He had gone through extreme hardships, most of have, but losing your friend, family, and raising Marlene really pulled at your heart strings. You waited outside the fence as instructed, but watching the two gun marksmen fight threatened the integrity of your emotions. It started with a crack in Barret’s voice, the tough guy facade crumbling under the weight of his best friend’s anger, sorrow, and the ever-steady pressure of guilt. Your throat tightened, and breathing became labored and suddenly you realized you never really understood him at all. Every day he dragged himself up to take care of his best friend’s child, robbed of the chance to have his own with the death of his beloved. Marlene was the physical embodiment of the life Shinra had burned down and yet he’s the best father the girl could ever have, and he thought the whole tragedy was his fault. It’s not fair.

Dyne stomped on the gun that Barret unattached shouting wicked accusations at him, denting the cylindrical barrel that attached at the arm. Barret dropped to his knees, the fight physically beaten out of him. He only wanted a better life for everyone. What was so bad about dreaming of a better life? He didn’t blow up the reactor- it was faulty. He didn’t set the village on fire- Shinra did. He didn’t let go of Dyne willingly- he held on despite being shot multiple times. He didn’t steal Marlene- he saved her. This isn’t fair.

You snapped your head to the gunshots from the perimeter. It’s almost comical that the troopers were there trying to gun down the duo once again. Your body surged forward on its own, flinging yourself at the soldiers striking one after the other down as they rushed the location. All you could hear was the agonizing screams of the villagers as they burned in their houses, feeling the heat of the flames lick at your skin as if you were there. It’s not fair.

Visions of shimmering red and orange clouded your vision until there was no one left coming at you, the corpses of Shinra’s troops littered at your feet much like the massacre of Corel, and only when you faced the scene before you did you come back to yourself. Barret howled as he shook the lifeless body that lay on top of him, the only comfort in this outcome was knowing Dyne returned to his love. It’s not fair.

How had the world let Shinra rise to such power? To determine if a city should flourish or die. To cover up their lies with the other wise innocent party when their death machines caused so much damage. Or more importantly how was it humanly possible to be that greedy that the wellbeing of other people simply didn’t matter anymore. They lit Corel on fire, and watched every man, woman, and child burn to death, they sucked the life out of flourishing areas of the world, and they let their scientist experiment on live human beings. They were so rapacious that the torture of other people no longer mattered- no it almost delighted them, and it created such an overwhelming rage in the pit of your stomach.

You flinched when a gloved hand wiped a wayward tear from your cheek. Cloud didn’t ask what was wrong. He didn’t need to. You were the product of Shinra’s greed. A child still growing in the womb of your comatose mother like a parasite feeding on its host to prosper. A child rendered an orphan and experimented on until they no longer needed you left abandoned in the slum streets to be adopted by one of the biggest crime lords in the city. Orphaned, tortured, nearly pimped out. This life- your life- wasn’t fair.

~*~

They never quit, do they? Buggy bound across the desert the Shinra copter trailed after you dead set in taking the group out once and for all.

“What do we do?” Aerith asked as she watched Barret fumbling with his weapon. The socket was too dented for him to get it on properly, which rendered it useless to him. Yuffie’s efforts were coming back ineffectively the projectile weapon just not sturdy enough to cause any damage instead it only bounced off the aircraft’s armor.

“Shit. Its fuckin busted.” Barret mumbled out like this was somehow his fault too.

You kneeled to inspect the firearm. “Can it shoot?” You asked hopefully.

“I think so. Jus’ can’t get it on.” He answered.

“I need something to hold it steady.” You said as you looked for a makeshift bench rest. Yuffie and Aerith stacked a few of the big bags of something or another and beckoned you forward so they could brace the sides. “How does it work?” You asked, shoot a quick glance at the brute behind you.

“There’s a lever at the bottom to switch between shells n mortars. Pressure trigger s at the top.”

You fumbled around to get a feel for the unique contraption before hoisting it onto the makeshift rest. You flipped the switch from the bullets to heavy projectiles. You were in no mood to go easy on them. Your eyes darted between the rotors. If you could take those out it’d at least give you guys time to get out of there if not seriously hurt the damn roaches. There was no scope, so you’ll have to go by instinct. You steadied the gun on top of your shoulder; your left arm wrapped around the barrel to keep it still, your palm hover over the trigger and your other hand aimed. You took a deep breath in and held it. “Here goes nothing.”

The recoil shot back into your shoulder hard enough to know it was going to need some treatment later, and the blast caused a high pitch ring that swallowed the praise the girls sang for you as the shot smacked into the tail sending the aircraft spinning. Despite the helicopter’s inability to fly straight they showed no sign of retreat, so you loaded another shell into the chamber of the heavy canon and lined up the next attempt. With near perfect aim, the helicopter blew into a puff of hazardous black smoke before hastily spinning out of control and eventually crashing into a sand dune. You’d like to see them walk that one off.

The muzzle blast rendered your ear useless for the time being making you rely on your other ear and lip reading. Barret’s good hand clapped down over your shoulder causing a sharp lance of pain shoot up your side. You hid it well enough that they hadn’t noticed as they were too busy celebrating the narrow escape. Well except for Yuffie. She was hurling over the side. You slumped against the side of the buggy, letting the gun bang against the floor, your stomach sloshing around the stress of this past day and all you wanted was a quiet place to repack all the feelings that were simmering under the surface. The others rushed to crouch next to you, their questions and concerns only partially making sense, but you waved them off with a mumbled I’m fine. You stretched across from Barret who looked just as spent as you, and you’re not quite sure what came over you, but you pressed your feet flat against his boots. His shielded eyes fell to where you touched then darted up to your eyes. A slight nod in acknowledgement was all you got, and honestly that was enough.

It was getting dark by the time Cloud pulled over at the border of the Gongaga region. Camp was set up in a tiny alcove near the rushing jungle waters, and given the somber mood settled over the ragtag group you opted to heave you aching bones to a secluded falls that overlooked a cliff. You just wanted some tranquility.

It was still warm, but the dryness was replaced with heavy humidity, not at all surprising considering where you were. The sounds were completely different though. The desert muffled the surrounding sounds whereas the jungle was bursting with life. Insects buzzing in the distance, rushing waterfalls, alpha animal calls from miles away. You were sat at the very border where the sand meets the clear waters, and yet you could see the bursts of the lifestream pulsing around the vibrant area, and yet none of it could soothe the chaos unleashed within you.

You’re worried Billy won’t pull Piko from this season’s races, especially now that he won. He’s just a kid, you knew, and you shouldn’t have been so harsh with him, but Bill pays to have all race birds transported through the trains, so they’d arrive safely which means this decision wasn’t approved by Bill. You know how hard Billy trained his contestant this year, and you could only assume his desperation to be here for this season, the one Sam was finally set to enter, spurred his ill-advised decision. He’ll be disappointed in the end. Piko was extraordinary, but without a proper jockey he wouldn’t hold up against Sam’s team. It’d be best to search out his questions elsewhere, but Billy, well Billy was still very much a child

And while thinking about children your thoughts drifted back to Marlene and rest of the devastating events of today. You’d never met her, and hopefully one day you will, but she was so blessed to have Barret as her dad. You don’t know the specifics, and it was none of your business whether they’ve told her of Dyne or not, but through Barret she has an exceptional mother figure in Tifa, and from how he talks about Marlene you know she knows of home.

One thing was for certain though, these past few days diving into Barret’s past has changed your opinion of him. His resolve is unchallengeable, strength unyielding even through the worst of today, and loyalty unwavering. He seen the best of Dyne despite all the people he killed today, and although Dyne claimed he stole his daughter it was Barret’s loyalty that brought him into the burning inferno bleeding from his maimed hand and pulled her out from the wreckage.

You don’t know how long you sat out there but long enough that when you stood back up your joints cracked. You looked up to the moon where it continued to watch over you the sight somehow comforting. You breathed in the damp air and willed all the painful memories to stuff back into that box in the back of your head and mumbled a prayer to the moon to give you strength, but there was a shift in the air that put you on edge.

The stillness raised the hair on your arms, and the ambient chatter from the group down the peak went quiet, and when you turned to check you were startled by a tall looming shadow with a single yellow light flickering by its center. Johnny’s request raced to the forefront of your brain, the tonberry crown to display in his case of trophies to attract guests. You grasped for your sword to be met with no hilt remembering that you’d left most of your stuff at camp, stupid of you, you know. Now the only tools at your disposal were a knife strapped to your ankle, an aged fire materia set in your bracelet, and the flimsy flip phone Cait Sith gave you.

It was bigger than you expected, at least five feet above your head, and for once you found yourself in a sticky situation. The fabled fiend wasn’t even supposed to inhabit this area, its normal roaming grounds were in thick swamps closer to Costa Del Sol than the border, and now you faced it with a knife that could be used as its cutlery. Where were the others? Surely you would’ve heard their screams, or battle cry, if they’d seen the beast as well. And then out of nowhere, it rushed you its chubby legs moving faster than they should be able to, considering its weight and size. Faster than your exhaustion weighed brain could process leaving you to only a thin strip of cliff to cling to before it was on you chef’s knife drawn back its blobby arm twitching as it prepared to thrust forward until a body collided into you propelling the two of you falling into the jungle’s depths.

[xxwitchylanexx]

Rebirth Retold Ch 14.5

Just a quick couple scenes for to end the saucer

Masterlist

*~*

“Cloud!” You shrieked from the bathroom, steam billowing out of the door left ajar. You seen no issue in closing it now that he’s seen you naked. You glared at your reflection to where the purplish bruises littered down the side of your throat and peppered past the fluffy towel wrapped firmly around your breasts. You marched to the doorway, each stomp punctuating the sheet annoyance that consumed you, to chastise the merc for his horrible sex etiquette, and the sight of him actually laughing at you with his hair still wild from sleep and a smug grin in place only pissed you off more. “Its not funny!” You screamed as you turned sharply back towards the mirror. “What am I going to do!?!” You groaned loudly. “Aerith is gonna have a field day.”

“Just cover it up.” You jolted as he appeared in the doorway. You hadn't even heard him get up, and gods damn it all its hard to be pissed when he's just so yummy. Chest still bare and displaying every tantalizing inch, a random pair of boxers that he must’ve slipped on on his way in here. The warmth in your belly made it difficult to pay attention to the issue at hand.

You pinched the bridge of your nose as you channeled every ounce of displeasure. “With what?! In case you’ve haven’t noticed, my shirt doesn’t cover my neck!” Your nostrils flared as your hand pulled away from you face dramatically.

“Wear this.” He held up his expecting it would solve everything instead of creating more problems. There’s was better chance of you winning against Shinra on your own than there was of their friends not noticing your suspicious change of apparel.

You grabbed offending article and started smacking him with it, mumbling complaints with each swat, and he just laughed. A real joyful laugh that felt like the sun on your skin as you laid in the tall grass fields. Light like the puffy clouds in the breeze. The sound made you stop mid swing to just stand in awe of the moment, and see the pure happiness written all over his face. Your chest throbbed realizing that you were his source of his joy. He grabbed your hand and twisted you around while closing his arms around you and pulling you into himself. His head dropped to your neck where his crime was boldly painted onto your skin and pressed gentle kisses to each mark. “You did this on purpose.” You mumbled as you melted into him.

You turned your head to look at him, and graciously accepted the light kiss he pressed to your lips before the two of you froze like a deer caught in some headlight as a loud pounding echoed through the door.

“Have you seen y/n?!?!” Aerith’s voice rang clear as day. You groaned and twisted in Cloud’s grasp to bury your face in his bare chest. “She didn’t come to the room last night!”

“She’ll be out in a minute!” You gasped as he sold you out.

“I hate you!” You quiet screamed.

“That's not what you said last night.”

*~*

“Good morning, slut.” Aerith greeted you coyly by the elevator, her grin wide enough to see her back teeth.

You groaned, pulling the neck of Cloud’s shirt higher. “Morning.” You mumbled.

“I’d ask if you had a good night,” She started as she studied the look on your face, “But, we both know you did. Very good if we’re judging by your new choice in clothes.”

You ignored her in favor in walking into the elevator and resting your weight against the railing, your eyes glued to the floor display silently praying that it would move much quicker than last night.

She gasped, her eyes wide, and you momentarily worried if something was wrong until she hastily entered and leaned down to pick something up off the floor. When she stood back up she held out a singular leather glove. “Tell me this isn’t what I think it is.” You stared at the singular glove as you opened your mouth to make an excuse then closed it the quickly in the absence of a come back. “In an elevator?!?!”

You snatched the glove and tucked it into your pocket, embarrassment clearly written all over your face. “Not… all the way…”

“Way to go Cloud.”

*~*

“Tell me, ya wore a fuckin’ condom!!” Cloud turned from the hulking brute seemingly ignoring his heated lecture, but the burning red hue coloring his ears betrayed his stoic front. “What the hells the matter w’ you!!! We can’t have a fuckin’ baby screamin’!” Cloud pinched the bridge of his nose wishing the floor would crack open and claim him.

“I don’t think you have anything to worry about.” Red added as he joined the most embarrassing conversation of Cloud’s life.

“What the hells that suppose t’ mean?” Barret asked with a disgusted look on his face.

“I just know.”

“Fuckin’ creepy.” Barret added.

Cloud just cursed under his breath and walked away as he heard Barret continue to curse up a storm. He should probably be more careful, not that any of their concerns was on his mind at the time.

*~*

All fun came to end as a hail of bullets and screams reverberated through the once cheerful halls. You all reconverged at the hallways leading into the coliseum, and into the narrow winding halls down to the entrance to the dust bowl. Bodies lied left and right laying lifeless in puddles of blood, some with more bullet holes than body pieces. The strong stench of iron made your stomach twist, and nostrils sting.

They said it was a man with a gun grafted arm, but you didn't -couldn’t- believe Barret could ever harm an innocent soul, and with the options available to you approached the descending elevator that would lead the five of you to the dangerous ghetto below. The Saucer’s shadow. You’d uncover the truth that bathed your dear friend in infamy.

“Wait, lads!” Cait Sith called as he approached the group. “Take these!” The puppet offered up a digital phone for each of you. “That way if ya can stay connected if ya get separated!” You took one hesitantly watching as he squeezed himself into the tight box with the rest of them. It was certainly a good idea, though the way he just had them on his person was suspicious to you. Something to file away for later.

In the ride down you exchanged numbers then packed it away. Guess the break was officially over.

[xxwitchylanexx]

My Home Is With You

Rebirth Retold Chapter

Masterlist

finally made it to the saucer. Can they keep it together or is the tension boiling over? Spoilers for the game's story

~*~

If one were to inquire you’d say Bill’s ranch was your home since Bill was the one person who took you in without profiting off of you. He opened his home in exchange for labor of course but he allowed you to create your own label under his own business and celebrated your achievements with you instead of claiming your new found popularity as his. Chloe was nine when you moved in, Billy twelve, and she was glued to you though you always kept her at arms length. If you make it back alive at the end of this journey you'd really like to foster that ‘little sister’ bond that she always talks about. Billy was always cautious, seemingly afraid to get close to people much like yourself, but eventually came around. You were more of a mentor figure which was fine by you, but maybe someday that might change.

However the Gold Saucer was just as much your home as the ranch. You were arguably the best jockey anyone had seen. You held the record for shortest race time to this day, and took home the gold almost every championship until you were disqualified over the man you nearly killed. You were content with the outcome, since you saved that girl, but you do miss the thrill of it. Now you occasionally came back around racing season to fulfil your contracts with clients. Every patron who wanted the big payout required a champion bird, and you were the best when it came to chocobos.

The railway darkened as it slipped into range for the virtual projection plunging your surrounding into an endless night filled with flashing colors as the fireworks burst around you. You heard the glimmers of magic chime before you seen the wisps that quickly formed into the holographic deities. The scene was burned into your head, having seen it well over a hundred times, though it never ceased to take your breath away.

The moment you stepped out of the cab you were assaulted by the aroma of fried food, stale soda, and spun sugar, and the feeling of home swelled in your chest. The familiarity of the grates under your boots, and the obnoxiously cheerful music that haunts your dreams was comforting. The delivery boxes stacked against the wall hasn’t changed a bit, nor the overflowing garbage cans in the corners.

You slipped between the guys, and ran after the giggling girls, your feet thinking against sandstone floors as you followed the long curvy halls. Your steps faltered as you rounded a corner and came face to face with another sickly man. Before you could move around him his hands shot out and gripped onto you tight enough hold you in place. The aura that came from within him was thick and oily swirling around like a vortex sucking in the warm pink energy that recharged souls leaving nothing but a dark dismal residue. As the man looked at you with hollow unseeing eyes the pressure inside your head intensified like someone was taking their fingers and pressing them into your eyes that you honest to gods thought your head would split open, and then the ringing started at a constant low note but grew louder and louder. You clawed at the man’s hand desperate to pry away leaving bloody streaks against the white skin but he didn't budge. Darkness threated around the lines of your vision the only thing in perfect clarity was the sinister grin below a sharp nose. You watched his lips part and form letters but the words were lost in the noise. Reunion.

But then it all vanished. You blinked your eyes not convinced the threat was gone and yet when you checked he wasn’t touching you at all. In fact he was four feet away and groaning to the wall. Hallucinating or not you ran. You wanted to be as far away as from these freaks forever, and terrified that you were getting swept away in the conflict that threatened Gaia. Could it be a taste of your future if you continued to follow this path? Or maybe you were just starting to lose your mind. With the horror you've done and seen you wouldn’t be surprised if you started to loose your grip on reality. Maybe you were just really freaked around the robes since the last one, your potential father, attacked you, and you imagined the whole thing. That sounds plausible.

You slowed when the hallway ended, and you paused altogether as you walked through the high pointed arch into the endless night. The nebula danced overhead the glimmering stars sucking up every once of uncertainty, like the sea of stars was blessing wishes upon you. A faux breeze swept across your skin bringing the scent of the imitation palm trees and wild grasses to your nose. You closed your eyes to soak in the magical feeling only this place possessed like all the troubles in the world no longer exist, at least for a little while. You were home.

You didn't need to look to know he was watching you, but the feeling of his side pressing near you was comforting. The side of his hands knocked against yours, his pinky just barely wrapped around yours. So this is what people say are butterflies. No, maybe nowhere was home anymore. Maybe it’s just him.

When you looked to him you found looking at you as if you hand hung each star personally, and it made you heart skip, and if not for Red telling the two of you to hurry up you would’ve stayed like that forever.

Loud groups of people frolicked here and there as the continued the final leg of today’s journey. A family of three stood not to far from the path you walked on, the little girl squealed with glee as they watched the animated theme park moogles babbling recorded messages. More people in robes were grouped in twos and threes in some of the other walkways, the crowd splitting around or away from them to avoid them pointed and griped about their admission to the park, not that anyone could stop them.

You absentmindedly trailed your fingers along the smooth waxy palm leaves as you passed them before really took in the synthetic gardens by your feet as you waited in line. Snowdrops and lilies, some yarrow and rabbits foot clover, even a few peonies here and there. It was lovely, until you learn that the energy to run this place comes from sucking the region dry effectively killing the flora and leaving the environment with hot sweltering sands in its wake.

Big red paws next to your feet drew your attention to your canine like friend mouth open and tongue lolled out as he panted miserably in the never ending heat. “You could jump in y’know.” You suggested. His large oval amber eye looked at you with excitement. Poor guy must he dying with all that fur. “It’s a slow current. Have some fun, Red.” You gestured to the pool of water to your right.

He beamed up at you with a ridiculous toothy grin. “I think, that I shall.” He took off at a run, all four feet moving at a speed you’ll never achieve, before leaping into the water’s current. He did a lap or two, his paws cutting through the smooth surface, before hopping out and met you at the end of the line shaking his fur rigorously. “Ah, that’s better.”

You patted his head as you proceed forward knocking your shoulder against Cloud’s as you moved. Barret strolled over to the animated moogle directory map scoffing as the toy started waving its arms. It’s eyes glowed a pinkish hue as it projected the map of the parks layout, it’s performance pure childlike whimsy. You didn’t stick around to listen having known this place like the back of your hand. You continued on to the crowd gathering between the two colossal moogle statues before the golden gate which could only mean one thing; the show was about to start.

Every evening, as the newest visitors began to arrive from across the land, the Saucer held a big performance. A warm welcome with theatrical entertainers with a rehearsed dance number to hype up the crowd before the legend and park owner, Dio, moves to the to challenge a lucky member from the crowd to a brawl. As embarrassing as it would be to confess this to your friends, you did enjoy filling in for the headliner from time to time for Andi, and yes he did travel from Midgar very often to consult on these performances.

You weaved through the vacationers until you pushed to the front where the other girls were waiting not so patiently. Confetti rained down onto the crowd in sliver and gold and the chattering crowd started to quiet down eagerly to see the show. Childlike wonder glowed in Yuffie’s wide chocolate eyes as she tugged on you to make sure you too were witnessing the festivities.

And you were. You took in the repugnant pink pinstripe suits, and matching top hats. Incredibly large moogles AI danced in their clunky automated style and the lights dimmed low to make space for a much larger moogle accompanied by a Cait Sith rider, microphone phone held proudly as it addressed the crowd. “Alright, everyone!” It exclaimed with fluctuating pitch, it’s syllables quick and vowels elongated. “Let’s get this party started!”

The puppet blew into the microphone summoning cactuars of various sizes that sparkled blue under the materia’s light, quickly joined by, what was hands down, the fattest chocobo you’ve ever seen. The whole scene before you felt surreal, like a fever dream. Flashing lights, and chocobos, and moogles, and tonberries, swirling confetti, but the crowd chanted for more. “Hope you’re ready to boogie!”

The rainbow spot lights lit up the stage and swirled around before a white light stopped on Yuffie, Tifa, and Aerith, and in a blink some of the dancers dragged them off to the dance floor. The women showed them the correct moves and they followed along clumsily and awkward till they started to get into the rhythm. It was entertaining until two more of the dancers came after you. You could've protested, or refused to move, but knowing your friends they would've dragged you up anyway. With one at each arm they guided you to the center, and that’s where you started getting suspicious. Why pull you to the headliner position, unless the one and only director knew of your arrival.

The opposite stage lit up in the whitest of white lights, and in the center directly across from you stood Andrea Rodea, your former instructor, and employer though the relationship was more of a uncle/niece archetype. He was dressed to the nines, like always, with a stark white tail suit tail, and his famous tantalizing chest slit. His team of male dancers marched to the front till he stood toe to toe with you. You could tell he was wildly amused by the shit eating smirk on his stupid face. You stood still with your arms folded across your chest. There was no way you were going to be caught up in more of his ridiculous schemes.

But you didn’t see the growing green glow on his bracelet till he casted the spell, magical orbs of green floated around you until your comfortable work clothes reconstructed into a exquisite formal wear. Morph materia- you should've known.

The deep red velvet added another layer of heat to your already feverish skin, the dark color soaking up more than your fair share of the spot light. Although it was beautiful. It accented the color of your skin, brought out the color in your hair, and showed off the shape of your body. The cropped halter was snug with a more than generous key hole cut between your breasts, and beautiful golden embroidery overlayed the fabric. The thick woven band of the skirt sat just above your navel and ended mid hip length before the skirt flowed like a river of red to the floor. It had two slits on each side, each cut high enough to show some thigh, so the outfit didn’t constrict your movement. The look was completed with a belt made of two golden chains overlapping over your mid waistline wrapping around to overlap again on your back. The single chains laid flat against your hips, and jingled as you moved.

He didn’t even have the decency to look guilty. His stare flickered past you to the front of the crowd, your own gaze following out of curiosity, and then you understood why he chose such a revealing costume.

Cloud appeared stoic, but you caught the wide pupils with barely controlled lust, and flaring nostrils as he reigned himself in. His hands balled into fists at his sides his gaze unwavering just like Junon. And Andi saw it too.

You couldn't breathe momentarily like he had sucked the air from the room. So you danced. He didn't waver once those soldier trained eyes locked onto you, tracing the way your body moved in sync with the performers, the way the slits flew around your legs just barely keeping your ass covered. Your heart throbbed in your throat your skin pricked hot under his attention all while the crowd cheered loudly completely caught up in the magic that no one ever noticed the two of you yearning for each other.

The music stopped, and your feet came to a halt, the hyper charged bubble popping as the crowd parted around the largest jacked up monster truck you’ve ever seen-seriously how do they keep getting bigger?- and stood on top of its cab was the freakish man of nature himself, Dio. His mustache was still creepy, his windblown hair cringey, and his inhuman bulging muscles still grossed you out, though his cape was cool. The women around pushed and shoved and screamed to get as close as they could all fawning at the man in a desperate attempt to get his attention though it never worked. (You were convinced he was in a relationship with himself.)

It took four men to carry the colossus man to the center of the ‘ring’, and as always he made a spectacle of searching for tonight’s opponent. You knew he would pick Cloud before he could even utter the words, and your prediction came true as he scurried towards him with a giant sausage finger pointed at the merc.

“There his is! Our challenger for the evening!” The two women that pulled you onto stage now latched themselves around Cloud, your nose scrunching with contempt at their audacity, and tried their hardest to pull him into the ring. Halfway there he freed himself and tried to walk away, but he was intercepted by some Dio’s drooling fangirls forming a wall around him. “Welcome to our gilded paradise, the Gold Saucer.” Your cringed as his pecs twitched with each word. Dio outstretched a hand to welcome him as he continued his introduction. “Dio, park director, and you sir are?”

Cloud was visibly hesitant, as he should be, to shake his hand, but ultimately took his hand. “Cloud…” Dio jerked him forward wrapping a veiny arm around him. You chuckled quietly at Cloud’s discomfort knowing Dio would hold firm.

“Well, Cloud, shall we duel?”

“Let. Go.” Cloud seethed.

“Now, now.” Dio insisted. “When fate sets us a challenge, we must rise to meet it!” The crowd roared and the platform under their feet rose high into the air for every eye could see.

The cait sith puppet leaped onto the flat stage, the microphone firmly pressed to its mouth-speaker? “Are, ya ready to rumble!”

The platform broke apart in the center and the machine whistled as the stage moved into position across from each other. The hologram projected the chibi avatars the computer generated, and you weren't too proud to admit that the tiny Cloud filled you with glee. In fact you were already plotting to have the staff, your old coworkers, make you a replica.

From your heel Red shouted words of affirmation. Barret wrenched a fist up in support and the girls were blowing your eardrums out as their cheers rang from behind you. “Go, Cloud!” “You can do it!” “Show ‘em who’s boss!”

The strobe lights were pointed directly down, encasing them in hyper whites. The crowd quieted down and focused on the spectacle that was about to go down. “Lets see if you have what it takes, young man.” Dio roared, as his avatar swung the first blow. Cloud’s double ducked, and jabbed a counter taking a third of Dio’s ‘life points’. They went back and forth toe to toe weaving around blows neither really winning until Dio’s tiny figure couldn't keep up with Clouds speed and reaction time. His final blow was a move you've seen many times in the field only this time didn't include his sword, for obvious reasons, and mini Dio fell back onto the ground. The crowd roared in this once of a lifetime display of his defeat. You knew he’d win, he always did, but you were proud anyway. He never did cease to impress.

The platform came together again, and stayed elevated so the crowd could continue to congratulate his victory. The second Cloud was in range Dio grabbed him yet again and thrusted his arm into the air, his booming voice rising above the roaring fans. “Lets give our worthy contender another round of thunderous praise.”

You could practically feel the self satisfaction ooze off if him, that cocky smirk worn proud and mako blues sparkling in the spotlight as they darted around the crowd as if he was searching through the screaming faces. You made it easy, stuffing two fingers into your mouth before giving a splitting fan whistle, his eyes lit up immediately as he found you. His face softened, and shoulders relaxed before he pumped his other fist into the air. Like a cactus in the desert, that stupid spikey head drank in the attention and fame that came with his victory, and well, who could blame him?

The stage lowered to the floor and the your ragtag group ran to him, Red being the only one to hover around the outside with you. Aerith and Yuffie got into his face boasting about his performance so fast that their words blurred together. Tifa waited for a pause in their praise to speak her own. Dio interrupted, bringing an end to the whirlwind of compliments, by throwing his beefy arm around Cloud. He quickly removed Dio’s hand with a cutting icy glare.

Dio only smiled and took a step back. “A small token of my thanks.” He lifted a shiny metal plate up above his head in another dramatic display, the light glinting off it to glare into your eyes under the harsh light. “Your ticket to paradise.”

“Cool.” He said dryly, obviously fed up with with his over the took persona and touchy feeliness. He plucked the token from his grasp.

“Thanks!” Yuffie exclaimed as she bounced on her feet.

Dio glanced at you briefly before doubling back to get a good look at you. Its been a year since you've been here, and the first time you've ever returned with other people. How strange that must be for him. “Welcome home, dear Y/n.”

Cloud raised a brow at you and you without breaking eye contact you expressed your thanks for such a warm welcome. Cloud scoffed like you sharing pleasantries with the owner was offensive. However his faux irritation didn't stop him from raking over your new revealing attire, pausing near the slit exposed your upper thigh, without a hint of shame even after everyone crowded around him again.

“Nicely done.” Tifa said.

“Bet you were pretty nervous.” Yuffie said.

“Nah.” Cloud answered as he finally looked away. The three girls huddled together, as they headed for the golden gate, but you seen the way Aerith made sure to look directly at you. “Cloud is use to performing in front of crowds.” She winked at you over her shoulder. “You should have seen him at the Honeybee Inn.”

“Aerith!” He yelled from behind you before sneaking a peek for your reaction.

“Oh, you’ve got to tell that one later.” Yuffie said in the distance.

“Honeybee?” You asked, a true smile on your face as you stepped closer to him.

“Forget it.”

You went to put your hands on his chest, but thought better of it. “Oops.” You said as you went to pull away, but froze went when his hands wrapped around yours.

“What are doing?” He asked his words packed full of confusion.

“You must be touched out. I forgot-” the words stilled on your tongue as he pulled your palms to rest on his chest.

He turned his head away to try, and failing, to hide the blush rising to his face. Even the tips of his ears burned pink. “Its fine.”

“Yeah?” Your heart squeezed in your chest and warmth spread down your arms.

“Just you.” I want you to, in Cloud talk.

“Okay.” You basked in this moment the two of you shared long after his ears turned pale. When he finally looked back at you, you decided that was enough vulnerability- for now at least. “You must’ve looked so cute in those bee costumes.”

He scoffed, yet the corner of his mouth ticked upwards like he held back a laugh. “Like hell.”

“Tell me… Did you show off there too?” You raised to your tip toes leaning to closer to his ear. “Or was this all for me?” He didn’t have a chance to answer as Aerith called back for a group vote, but the only thing you cared to hear was the heavier breaths coming from his chest. His wavering eyes darkened as he stared at your lips, his jaw rigid to keep himself from saying something stupid, and hand twitching at his sides as he resistance the urge to pull you closer till there wasn't even a sliver that separated you.

When he spoke his voice was deeper, more gravely than smooth and only loud enough for you to hear. It sent a thrill down your spine and tingled in your toes. “Like you didn't just do the same thing.”

~*~

You’ve never really liked this particular hotel. The blood curdling scream just after every faux lightning strike, the mummified hands jutting out if decorative graves, not to mention the tacky costumes. None of it matched the vibe of the rest of the resort, unless you compare it to Dio’s cheesy showmanship. How could the employees listen to this music all day? You almost got a headache for the ten minutes you were in the lobby, though it did strike you as dd that the music in the elevator was your classic soothing chimes you hear any other place.

The heavy doors sealed the two of you in there, the ascent taking minutes a floor it seemed, leaving you with the consequences of all the teasing you've done today. Your tapped your fingers against the circular railing behind you as you surveyed your handywork. All 165 pounds of pure delicious soldier muscle was rigid, unmoving, pupils wide and iris dark as they drilled into pieces of your body.

His jaw was locked tight, his adams apple bobbing as he swallowed. His leather clad hands balled into fists, and just laboring with heavy breaths, but gods how good he looked. You'd have jumped him already if not for the immense enjoyment you got from this cat and mouse game. You relished the attention, felt nearly invincible that you could sway the unmovable merc. The depth of his desire for you burned almost as hot of this shifting wasteland, leaving prints on you long after his touch disappeared.

But it wasn't enough. You wanted- needed- more if only his facade would crack, and lead him right to you. So instead you lifted a leg up to rest your foot flat in the wall behind you, his eyes jerking to follow your movement as the fabric of your skirt parted around your s/c thigh pooling over your barely clothed center. His fingers flexed at his sides as he fought his instinctual need to touch you. It was clear as day that all his senses were in overdrive with no clear direction to take. Your poked your tongue out to slowly wet your lips and nearly gasped at the groan rumbled in his chest.

The number above the door showed you were only a forth of the way up in what had to be the world’s slowest elevator, the whimsical music doing nothing to settle your frantic heart. “Do you have my room key?” You asked, as innocently as you possibly could while you smoothed your palm down the slope of your body luring his eyes to take the same path over the softness of your body.

You hadn’t really expected an answer, just wanted to say something to maintain the energy pulsing between you, but when he raised those stormy blues to your own you the heat swimming in them nearly seared your lungs from the inside. “I have our room key.” His words came out hoarse like he didn't trust his own tongue to speak.

You choked on the scoff that vibrated in the back of your throat expecting it to be a joke, a jab to combat the provocation, but his face was anything but. “You can’t be serious.”

He pushed off the wall, each step seemingly vibrating through the lift, as he stalked closer and closer till you were face to face and then some. His body knocked against yours as you took yet another step back against the mirrored wall behind you, the railing firmly digging into you ass as you stood pressed against him. The mirror rattled as his arm rested just beside your head, your breath coming out in shaky pants as his nose bumped lightly against yours, his breath mingling with yours. His other palm lingered above your thigh, the tips of his finger barely ghosting over your skin leaving bumps along your skin. “Do I look like I’m joking?”

You swallowed thickly trying to muster the ability to talk. “The others-”

“Don’t care.” He interrupted with a firm kiss on your check, and then your jaw, then another just under your ear. Tingles ran down the length of your spine as he pressed his nose to the side of your neck and inhaled the scent of your skin. You couldn’t breath, didn't dare to, until he settled at your collarbone where he peppered more kisses. You nearly whined at the loss when he raised himself to eye level again, his gaze determined. “Done wasting time.” Without hesitation he claimed your lips in a searing kiss that stole the breath from your lungs. No longer needing support, his hand raked down the length of your braid, tugging it free as he twisted his fingers into the wild strands. His other now firmly clutching your thigh.

Your lips parted as you took a breath in through your nose, and with that brief opportunity he let his tongue delve in to taste your sweetness, groaning in relief to learn you taste as good as you smell. Fucking vanilla.

Your hands twisted in the textured cotton that covered him. The pads of your fingers slipping under the hem to press against the smooth muscle. He broke away to catch his breath his nose staying pressed against yours as if the distance would kill him. He pressed his hips against yours, grunting in pleasure from the friction. “Cant stop thinking ‘bout this.” He pressed his lips to your jaw. “Thinking bout you.” He pushed your thighs apart to create more space to bury his hips into yours, wasting no to time to rut against you more firmly this time. The gasp that left your kiss swollen lips shooting straight to his cock.

You clawed at his hand, fumbling with his gloves until the offending material landed on the floor. His lidded eyes never left yours as you devilishly slid his palm up, and under your skirt leaving it just inches from where you wanted him. “Then do something about it.”

His lips met yours again the kiss all heat, and tongue as he slid his fingers over your feverish skin only stopping when the tips ghosted over the shape of you, hissing as he realized how warm, wet, and bare you are. Your head fell back against the elevator wall with a thunk as his finger circled around your clit sending shocks of pleasure through your body. The feeling so good you almost forgot you were in a hotel elevator, and worse the though of slamming the emergency stop to let him fuck you right here despite knowing this is being caught by the cameras.

Cloud had dreamed of this moment for so long but out of every single fantasy he never imagined you’d be this soft and pliant beneath his hands. You clung to him like you couldn’t bare to be apart, and gods he hoped that was true. He swallowed up every pant and whimper that you made, your smell so thick in his nostrils he could almost taste it, and the very idea of your slick on his tongue made his dick throb and his head fuzzy. And if it wasn’t for a pause in the elevator shaft he would have knelt down to help himself.

Instead he withdrew from your embrace just in case there were other guests waiting their turn. You whined and slapped at his chest in protest but paused when he slipped his digits into his mouth humming around them as he got drunk on your flavor. He stared into your glassy orbs as he groaned and he couldn’t stop the smirk growing on his face when he seen your thighs press together for any sense of relief.

The chime went off and the door dragged open behind him. “Come on.” He said his voice the roughest he’s ever heard as he took your hand in his. He led you down the carpeted hall, ignoring all the other themed decorations, until he reached the suite number that the two of you were to share, flinging the door open as if it personally offended him. He let you walk in first watching as you stepped in and turned around to wait for him. And fuck you were a vision. Kiss swollen lips, and mussed up hair, glassy yet curious eyes looking to him for what comes next. That’s when it hit him. The anxiety building in his chest as the intimacy finally dawned on him. He closed the door slowly the flip of the lock feeling foreign to him as he slid it in place.

You were on him in seconds, groaning into his mouth as your lips pressed against his. Your hands smoothing down his chest like you’ve done dozens before, but this time you were pulling it off. His chest felt tight, and breathing came harder, and he felt so ridiculous for feeling so uncomfortable. You were perfect, and doing everything he's ever dreamed of, yet the vulnerability sat in his stomach. Your lips descended to his pecs, your fingers pressing into the hard lines and taut muscles he’s earned through countless battles before you settled on a deep scar that he couldn't remember the origins of.

His hands began to tremble as you pressed a delicate kiss to the old wound, the racing of his heart accelerated as your fingers dropped to fumble with his pants. What happens if he can’t please you? If he finishes to quick? What if he does something wrong? He couldn’t live with himself if he hurt you. Before he could chastise himself for being stupid he grabbed your hands. “I-”

Those e/c eyes looked up at him, reminding him of the first day he met you, and like that day in the pasture, you seemed to see right through him. “You okay?”

“I… I never-” How the hell can he tell you that he’s never done this before? He clenched his eyes shut when your hands slipped from his. Was this it then? The rejection? The coolness of your palm startled him, and when he opened his eyes he didn’t expect the softness in your eyes.

“Its okay.” You affirmed, the small smile on your lips was soft and inviting. Your palm raising to cradle his face in your palm. Your soft tone eased some of the conflict that warred inside him. “Its just me.”

“Just you?” You nodded slowly in agreement. He scoffed, his hesitance now being replaced by your obliviousness. “Its always you. When I sleep… or eat…” He pulled you closer till his frame completely covered you. “In between places.” He kissed your cheek. “In a fight.” He kissed your ear lobe as he guided your hand lower. “Fuck, in the shower.” He growled as he pressed your hand over his hardened length. He breathed in a sharp breath as you squeezed around him. “You’re all I want. Just you.” He threw his head back as you palmed him slowly through his pants, half lidded eyes looking down at you.

“You have me.” You shrugged. “All yours.”

His. All his. With just two simple words all rational thoughts flew out the window. Maybe it was the implied possession, or the fact you wanted to be his, but every time he hears it the heat burning in his lower belly flares up through his entire body swallowing up his any logic, and cutting the last but self control. The smoldering embers in his gut finally came to life as you lit the match. He hauled you off your feet by your thighs, your arms circling around his neck for stability, before he thrusted up against your center groaning in annoyance that your damn skirt covered the part of you he yearns to be in. He twisted the fabric up and behind you revealing every dripping inch. He rolled your hips over him watching the wet stain on his pants get darker and darker each time he did it, the moans and gasps in his ear spurring him on. Again and again and again. He couldn't tear his eyes away from the spot until your breath was in pleading in his ear.

“Please.” You brought his earlobe between your teeth, and sucked. “Cloud, please.”

He crossed the room in four quick strides, lowering you to the plush mattress like you were glass, before roughly yanking the skirt, chains, and all from your body and threw it behind him to be forgotten on the floor. He stepped back to take a look at his handy work. He could stop the dark chuckle from leaving his mouth as he watched you struggle to get tour shirt over that pretty head, but when it was finally on the floor he froze to witness Odin’s finest creation.

You were quite literally the most beautiful woman that has ever walked on this pathetic planet, the kind that men would wage wars for.

Pale freckles peppered along your chest like the constellations at night leading down to a well endowed bust. Your stomach was toned from a very dedicated routine, not to mention the years of many undisclosed employment that demanded you be in shape. He found his thumb circling a mole to the left of your navel while his eyes continued to sweep lower catching a on long healed horizontal scar just above your weeping warmth. “Fuck.” He choked.

Your laughter made him smile, not smirk or a twitch of the lips but a full fledged smile. He chuckled a bit too that warmed your heart, before he finally yielded and climbed onto the bed above you. One knee quickly pressed in between your parted legs with one hand settling next to your head bracing his weight as he dipped down to meet your lips. You wasted no time as you quickly broke away to plant kisses along his collarbone and your fingers pressed, traced, and dipped into the firm muscle of his torso. “So hot.” You mumbled between kisses, his amused snort tickling the shell of your ear.

“You’ve already seen it. Felt-” He grunted as you nipped at his pec. “it too.”

You raised a brow at him. Clearly he didn’t appreciate the moment like you were. “It’s not the same.” Another bite before smoothing over the flesh with your the flat of your tongue. “Not when each godlike inch is above me.” A gasp slip past your lips as he bit at the side of your throat. “Fuck…” You threw your head back, body arching into his touch as his lips trailed across your chest. “Touching me.”

He hummed his agreement into your ribs as he left kisses in his wake instilling you with anticipation and a weird sort anxiety. The intimacy of it all was entirely new. All previous sexual encounters were only to blow off steam, fully dressed and slipping away within an hour. This time you were offering up your heart and soul, revealing your deepest scars and shame.

You squeezed your eyes shut and took a deep breath as he ran a finger along the faded red scar, the physical representation of all that Madam M has taken from you. Those ocean blues met your eyes looking at you as if he could read your mind before placing a delicate kiss to the skin like his lips could take away the pain, and maybe they could- for awhile at least. So in true you fashion you did what you always do: run your mouth. “I would’ve let you…” You breathed as he moved on, letting his hands smooth down your thighs. The warmth of his breath ghosting over where you desired him most, the sensation had you choking on the air in your lungs your cunt throbbing in time with each pulse from your heart. “On the beach… in that room- fuck!” You cried as the tip of his tongue dipped between your folds, his groan vibrated through you as he lost himself in your taste.

Each and every gasp, and moan went straight to his cock the lust nearly taking him over completely the only thing holding him back was the need to take care of you first. He flattened his tongue and dragged over your clit over and over, wrote his name into your sopping heat to proclaim to the Planet itself that you were his, and he had no intention of ever letting you go. Your hand threaded through his wild spikes tugging on it when he was in the right spot the other clawing at his hand on your hip. He could feel the pre cum dripping for his tip, his member so hard he couldn't stop himself from rutting into the mattress to ease the ache till he could finally sink into you.

Your hips began to arch upwards, thighs shaking and trying to close around him, your voice desperate and begging. Everything felt hazy, sweaty, the only thing on your brain was him. “Gonna cum… Cloud-” He cut you off as he stuffed two fingers inside, the tight muscle molding around him and sucking him in, and curved the tips. Your hips pushed off the bed as you cried his name. He nearly came then and there, with his name on your lips, your taste on his tongue, and his dick in his pants. He happily lapped up the nectar that gushed from your cunt like it was a fine wine, moaning into you skin as he did so before you were pulling him up by his hair.

You mashed your lips against his, tongue pushing in to taste yourself. His head was foggy, lost in the feel of you, and the heat welling in his body was dizzying. He cursed at himself for not shedding his pants earlier as he hastily yanked at them now hissing at them as they got on his length on their way down. He was hyper aware of your hands as you groped anywhere you could reach- pecs, hips, ass- his hips stilling as you hovered over his dick. He could feel the blood rushing in his neck. Each breath came out shaky with the welling emotions tightening in his chest. He focused on your face, your e/c eyes reassuring that you wanted this as much as he did. His member twitched when the tips of you fingers brushed his tip, and knees buckled as your palm wrapped around him fully. Your hand was so much smoother than his, and the fit was tighter in your smaller hands. Even the friction was softer than when he was alone. It was so good his eyes squeezed shut as he shot his hands down to hold you still so he wouldn’t bust all over your thighs. “That good, huh?”

He let his head fall against your forehead, his lips barely grazing your own. “Do you ever stop talking?” His voice sounding foreign in his ears.

“You gonna make me?” You asked with that mirthful glean in your eyes, lips brushing against his own muttering a challenge as always. Talking shit just to rile him up.

“You gonna ask nicely?” He could see the surprise in your eyes. Clearly you hadn’t expected him to quip back, the gears spinning in your head wondering if your pride was worth keeping. Just once he'd like to see you crack. Be as desperate for him as he is for you. “No?” He asked your breath catching in the back of your throat as he replaced your hand on his dick with his own. He slid the tip between your velvety folds his chest pressing against your tits as he leaned into you. Your eyes fluttered shut, mouth falling open as a breathy sigh escaped your perfect lips. You were so warm, and wet his head spun. He wanted you to break but the limits on his own patience were wearing thin, the white hot heat in his loins sucking every bit of clear thought out of his thick head. “You gonna let me in, or am I cumming like this?”

With a string of curses you arch into him. “Fuck.” You drawled. Your hands fisted into the bedding at your sides. “Such an ass.” He puffed out a stifled laugh. “Cloud…” His chest stilled, breath frozen in his lungs, as chill ran down his back. “Need you inside.” You pecked him lightly on the mouth, your lashes fluttering shut. “Please, Cloud?”

There a was a moment where the world just melted away, a split second that it was just you and him. No dangers lurking beyond the two of you, no Sephiroth to stop, no soul searching to be done. His hand palmed up your neck to caress your cheek, his eyes softening just a bit despite the stormy hue and foggy lust within them. He dipped down to press a slow sweet kiss to your lips trying to convey all the things he wanted to say. Then the lines of reality began to blur away. Both hands skated down your sides to settle roughly on your hips. He urgent yanked your body upward to meet his tip at your entrance, every point of contact causing electrified ecstasy.

Then you were writhing under him, nails clawing down his shoulder blades as he pressed into you in inch by inch the stretch burning in all the right ways. He muttered curses against your neck, breaths shallow. “T-tight.” He hissed. Yet is wasn’t enough for you. You impatiently bucked up causing him to slide the rest of the way in.

“Shit!” You cried out, not fully expecting the full length to have pushed in. “So big.” His breath fanned over your face in heavy pants his nose pinched tight as he tried not to succumb to your gummy walls.

“You okay?” He asked ever the protector.

“Perfect.” You answered with a sigh. You wiggled a bit, earning another yummy moan. “You gonna move?”

He opened his eyes to stare daggers down at you. “Piss off.”

“Not in a mil-” Your quip dying in your mouth as he thrust up into you, pleasure shooting through every nerve. You pulled his head down to kiss his lips, no longer interested in bulling him.

“Not. Gonna. Last.” He spoke his gravely voice broken up by a kiss after every word- every thrust. His grip on your legs pushed against you harder bending your knees towards your ears upwards dramatically changing the angle to slam against the spot he found earlier. The one that tore his name from your mouth, the sound that damn near made him feral.

The smell of sex permeated the room, the frantic sounds of skin slapping against skin was almost deafening. Your shared lustful grunts and breathy moans could be a its own performance and you were lucky enough to have the only front row seat. And for the first time in a long time you've never felt more safe, and dare you say happy. The fears and trauma that stitched you together now seemed to unravel faster than the walls you built to keep it all locked away and his touch alone held you together. His fingers trembled through your hair, his heart beating against yours, the heat from where your bodies joined all created something new, and now you’re not sure how you could ever possibly live without him. What once would have paralyzed you with fear now empowered you, and maybe that’s why you’ve had to endure the life you’ve lived. All of it to lead you here.

“Close.” You whispered against his lips. “Come with me?” You asked sweetly, hoping that the softness you felt for him was conveyed.

“Fuck!” He slammed into you one more time before pressing in as deep as he could before spilling into you, the warmth pooling within you pulsing along your own orgasm.

When you returned to yourself everything felt cozy. Soft breath mingling, his hand in your hair, his warm body against your own. An aftermath didn’t include you hopping out of bed and running away. No, not this time. When you opened your eyes he was staring down at you like you hung the stars in the sky, the tenderness in his irises giving you butterflies and filled your heart with warm gooey honey that you were growing fond of. “I love you.” He spoke so simply like his heart didn't mind carrying that heavy burden. The same words echoing in your chest trying to worm their way off your tongue.

It wasn't loving him that you were afraid of. It was losing him. Maybe someday you’ll be brave enough to tell him. “Me too.”

~*~

Hey peeps! There's about nine more chapters of the series, and as much as I hate to tell you, the chapters aren't going to be coming out as quick. I juggle school, work, my child's schedule, and I'm trying to write my own novel so I'm crazy busy. But i swear I will finish it. FF7 is one of my greatest loves and I will always be writing for it

[xxwitchylanexx]

Look out Tumblr! The next chapter is coming tonight!!!

[xxwitchylanexx]

“Tell me… Did you show off there too?” You raised to your tip toes leaning closer to his ear. “Or was this all for me?” He didn’t have a chance to answer as Aerith called back for a group vote, but the only thing you cared to hear was the heavier breaths coming from his chest. His wavering eyes darkened as he stared at your lips, his jaw rigid to keep himself from saying something stupid, and hand twitching at his sides as he resistance the urge to pull you closer till there wasnt even a sliver that separated you. 

When he spoke his voice was deeper, more gravely than smooth and only loud enough for you to hear. It sent a thrill down your spine and tingled in your toes. “Everything’s for you.”

[xxwitchylanexx]

Here's a little snip it while you wait for me to finish the next chapter

“Don’t care.” He interrupted before placing a kiss on your check, and then your jaw, then another just under your ear. Your breath hitched as he pressed his nose to the side of your neck and inhaled the scent of your skin. You couldn’t breath, didnt dare to, until he settled at your collarbone where he placed three more kisses to your heated skin. You nearly whined when he raised himself to eye level once me his eyes the color Leviathains rushing waters mixed with Ramuh’s storming lightning. “Done wasting time.” Without hesitation he claimed your lips in a searing kiss that stole the breath from your lungs. No longer needing support, his hand raked down the length of your braid, tugging it free as he twisted his fingers into the wild strands. His other batted your hand away to replace the space on your thigh occasionally squeezing at your skin.

Your lips parted as you took a breath in through your nose, and with that brief opportunity he let his tongue delve in to taste your sweetness, groaning in relief to learn you taste as good as you smell. Fucking vanilla.

[xxwitchylanexx]

Where Our Lineage Lies

Rebirth Retold Chapter 13

Spoilers for Barret's backstory

Masterlist

*~*

The current town of Corel looked like the backwater ghettos of the slums, specifically the side streets of wall market. With heaps of trash on either side of the broken down walkway, the buildings were held together by thick fabric cloths and repurposed bricks from the remnants of the original architecture, and by Odin’s beard the people. Their behavior was appalling and cruel, and were emboldened by the sick laughter after each jeer thrown into Barret’s face. Each metaphorical hit like a knife to his heart in spite of the stone cold facade he presented.

You read about the incident that had befallen Corel while you resided at the Saucer, or at least what Shinra’s narrative was. The texts read that the late mining town harbored ecoterrorists, Avalanche, that had sabotaged the reactor and as punishment Corel had been subjected to the scorched-earth policy under their military contract. As the name implies, Shinra came in and set the whole town on fire, even going as far as open firing on civilians that tried to stop the flames from claiming their homes and loved ones. You knew better, even back then. Shinra didn't care if tore apart the peoples lives, in fact you were almost certain they reveled in it. Though the amount of people who bought into this specific incident baffled you. Why would a town that relies heavily on Shinra’s monetary investment hide criminals that would lead to its downfall?

More importantly, you failed to see the correlation between Shinra’s actions and Barret’s involvement. What could he have done to let his fellow neighbors treat him so abhorrently now? He shut Yuffie down when she tried to retaliate in his name, he even dismissed Cloud’s concerning eye. You knew a self inflicted punishment when you saw it. His fists blanched as they clenched by his side as he accepted their mockery, and his jaw set in stone as cheap booze was poured over his head to rain down onto his leather jacket. or thrown on him. He accepted it all as a badge of shame thinking that if he endure this treatment, if they had someone to blame, maybe just maybe their hardships might elevate even just a fraction it would be worth it. Or maybe he really did think he was the villain.

You watched his self restraint war against his determination until it was hanging by a mere thread the only thing keeping him standing was guilt and a sharp hiss through clenched teeth more to himself than anyone. “I can take it.” And you didn't doubt that for a second. He was the most stubborn, hard headed person you'd ever met-Cloud included, and when he decided what he believed to be right, it takes nothing short of a miracle to change his mind.

Tifa and Yuffie didn't agree in the slightest but did back off like they were told. You could tell Tifa was uncomfortable as she shifted from foot to foot with her head hung low. You couldn't fault her. She was very protective over the brute after all they've been through together.

Guilt was a funny thing really. It was crushing, and depilating yet when you have truly done something unforgivable you either wanted it absolved, seek repentance, or death. You didn’t know his story or how his choices impacted Corel, nor would you pretend to, but if this is what he chose to subject himself to to survive then that’s his decision to make.

Two months ago you wouldn't have had any trouble to watch him endure such abuse, yet now it almost hurts to watch this unflinching man subject himself to it. In some ways you envy your past self. Things were more black and white then. With understanding that not all people who do bad things are evil it really made the way you look at the world more colorful. You hope one day Barret could learn to forgive himself, and in the same breath maybe you could learn to accept your own skeletons.

The revelation that Barret had been married halted that line of thought as the dots began to line up. You always assumed there was a woman at one time sense he has a daughter, but there was never any indication he had been married. The pain written on his face was clear as day. Pure unfiltered sorrow from years of tucking it away to be unpacked later. All of him made sense now. Shinra took his world, and instead of feeling the pain he channeled everything into revenge only to be forced face the past at the scene of the crime to save the future.

You cracked your knuckles to keep your hands from reaching for your sword. You didn't care what happened. You didn't care if he blew up the damn reactor himself it was psychotic to even suggest that he could ever replace his wife. That's just not who Barret Wallace is.

“Sorry, Tifa. Just ignore ‘em.” He murmured with a lowered head to mask his breaking heart his knee buckling under him and into the gravel. He couldn’t fool you though, not when you can see his thick bottom lip trembling like a child. Like just one more word, one more sadistic jeer at his beloved, would tear him up completely. Your eyes stung as you planted your feet more firmly into the ground between the white cracker twink and the crumbling shell of the man who lost everything. Your nostrils flared as your menacing stare cut through flesh and bone of the piece of shit in front of you. He scoffed at first, completely blown away that a woman of all people stood in his way, but he quickly realized that even the intimating soldier to the side gawked in awe as you provided him a safeguard without fighting his battle for him.

The man scrambled backwards as he stuttered unintelligibly. You heard Barret’s heavy stature rise to his feet behind you, and lest he see what you’ve done you shook off the tension and regained an aloof composure. For the sake of your friend you forged forward, it wasn't your fault that you happened to ‘stumble’ into that dick hard enough for him to land on his ass.

You were an magnificent enigma to Cloud. Your perpetual bravery and steadfast loyalty brought out an inner need to be just as strong and devoted. You were the pinnacle of Shiva’s wrath, the stone of Alexander’s fortress, and the warmth of the Phoenix’s heart.

*~*

Compared to the rest of this garbage pile the infirmary exceeded your expectations. The old amber lamps above you hummed above you, the one in the far back corner flickering from time to time, as your boots click clicked against the cracking concrete floor. Motheaten curtains separated the large one room into different sections for patient privacy and a medical testing area. A picture on the wall above the creaking desk that piqued your curiosity. A much younger Barret was in the center with one arm around wrapped around a dark skinned beauty with eyes the color of forest trees in the fading sun. The smile on his face was so happy and proud that your chest squeezed tight.

“The hells gotten into you, man?” You whipped around to see the chaos unfolding. Cloud and Barret stood locked together where Cloud’s sword pushed against the heavy gun grafted to Barret’s arm. A sickly robe groaned whimpered behind the larger man as he dragged his bare feet against the concrete not even reacting when the fragile skin tore and began to bleed leaving drops along the pavement. You studied Cloud for signs of distress taking note of his wide eyes and his free hand clutching at his temple.

Before either could resolve the issue, and you could finish your assessment, a short aged man burst from behind the curtain his arms raised high to appear more intimidating. “What’s going on?” He yelled, the deep wrinkles around his mouth sharpened with each word. His eyes were nearly hidden by the of the flickering light casting a glare across his glasses but the warmth of him shone through the thick lens, unlike the other doctor you’d spent to much time with. His hair was unkept and the short hairs nearly stood straight out of his head like he had a fight with the outlet, but it almost made him more inviting. “Barret Wallace!” Finally, someone who was happy to see a long time friend!

“Doctor Sheiran, its… It’s been awhile.” The strained muscles along his body relaxed, and the charged tension between your two friends ease with the doctor’s appearance.

“Certainly has.” Sheiran examined Barret with such scrutiny, his harsh gaze lingering longer on the obvious weapon. “That’s one frightening-looking appendage you got there…” He trailed off. “but hey- least you still seem to have your health.” The smile returned to his face.

“Yeah… and you too.”

The doc chuckled. “Oh I’m feeling the miles, but the work keeps me trucking. I tell ya what though…” His sentence died in his throat as Tifa wormed her way into his line of sight.

“Do you remember me?” Her voice shook as she asked.

“Well, of course I do, Tifa!” He said it like it was absurd she’d even ask, and you didn’t doubt for a moment that he recalled everyone he’s ever treated. “You heal up alright?” His genuine intrigue really completed his caretaker persona.

“I did, yeah. I just wanted to drop by and say thank you. If it wasn't for you… I doubt I’d be standing here today.” Tifa’s shoulders curled inwards and her arms tucked to her sides. Her face felt hollow clearly reminiscent of her near death experience.

“Don’t thank me, thank Lady Luck, and Shinra for that helicopter.”

Her head snapped up in shock. “I’m sorry, Shinra?” The very mention was thick on her tongue.

“I know you might find it hard to believe, but not all the apples in that bunch’re rotten.” Barret scoffed, but Tifa nodded along hesitantly. “But seriously- you’re living proof of the good in people. Don’t ever forget that. It’d be a pity to let their kindness go to waste.”

“Yeah.” The word lacked any real emotion.

“Besides you need to set a good example for your friends here.” You nodded along for the sake of agreement, but darkness lurks in the depths of humankinds souls and in a world controlled by greed and selfishness it shows its heads far to often. After all you're the product of that corruption. “Right. While I got ya, mind helping me out? Need to draw that gentleman’s blood.” He jutted his head in the direction of the man Cloud nearly took out. “Ya think ya could hold him still for me?”

Barret mumbled something your ears couldn’t pick up over the distance but complied all the same. He stalked over and wrapped his the man tight around the arms. Barret’s strength far surpassing the robe’s thrashing as the doc inserted the needle. “At first, I thought it was just mako poisoning…” He started to say as he flipped the cap over the needle and chucked it into the bin on the floor. “That is, until I ran some tests. The results were… strange.” The blue tourniquet snapped free from the man’s arm and the doc quickly placed a band aid over the it.

“Strange how?” Cloud asked from his spot alongside the wall.

“A substance turned up- one I’ve never seen before.” He said as he scurried away to the warn desk on the other side of the curtain and slotted the test tube next to other ones in the holder. “Not sure what to make of it yet, but it did remind me of one I have seen.” His eyes lit up for a second before he walked over to Cloud. “Your eyes. Soldier, right?”

“Ex-soldier.” He answered in his usual bravado, his arms crossing over his chest to keep the man at arms length.

“It’s not a job, son. Once a soldier always a soldier. Spare a drop?”

“No.” Cloud’s voice was sharp and cold.

Sheiran held his hands up in mock surrender. “I ask cause I suspect they’re soldiers suffering from cellular degradation.” Wait… what? You looked to Cloud, only noticing that he didn’t seem as surprised as you. Barret, too looked to him for clarification. “Just a theory for now. And one I can’t prove- not without more testing.”

It’s not surprising there'd be consequences to being genetically altered, but fate seemed to be crueler than normal. All the tiny headaches you’ve seen him grunt about, or the bridge, or hell just seven minutes ago- was it all happening because he was degrading? Would he eventually turn into one of these robed that wandered aimlessly with no true soul? Youve only just submitted to this kinda sorta relationship was he really just destined to slip from your fingers?

What would happen to your genetic makeup? You grew in submerged capsule in one of Midgar’s reactors did that mean you could also degrade or did only soldiers contain this mystery substance that caused this plague? Could the foreign body be passed on to any offspring?

Even after everyone else left the building that pesky voice of intuition was clawing through your head keeping your feet rooted in place. “Doctor Sheiran?” You called out.

“Sorry, dear. I didn’t realize you hadn’t left.”

“Sorry. I just-” You bit your bottom lip, unsure if you even wanted the answers. “Could this affliction be passed down to a child, so to speak?”

His fingers came up to rub at his chin before he finally came to a conclusion. “I’m afraid there’s no way of knowing without further testing I'm afraid I cant be certain, but if the subject was altered on a cellular level it could be possible.”

Your mouth ran dry as you swallowed thickly. “Could you tell if you had a sample to examine?”

“Are you offering?” His eyes held that knowing suspicion.

You opened your mouth then closed it. Instead of gracing him with an answer you extending your arm to him as an offering. The likelihood of it being reality was slim to none, but you knew. “I don’t know when I can come back for the results.”

He prepared a sterile needle and another test tube, his hand wrapped around a marker to write the details on the vial. “Don’t you worry. I’ll store them in your chart. What’s was your name again, dear?”

“Andromeda Eryn.” A name you thought you’d left behind in the sterile walls of the inner Shinra lab, yet here you were wielding the name of your exploited mother. The snap of the blue band released after he got what he needed. You walked to the door quickly to rejoin the others before they noticed you missing, but you paused as you moved to open the door. “Also…” you looked back to where the doc was still writing down notes. “If a robed guy with an 88 tattoo shows up, can you do a paternity test?” The resemblances between you and 88 were as clear as day in your mind. All the features that you laid in bed wondering where you've inherited them all the while staring at your mother’s portrait. Fate surely is cruel.

*~*

You sat wedged between Cloud and Aerith as the sky wheel journeying across the canyon to the Gold Saucer. The mood was sour, and hearts full of sorrow after hearing about Barret’s past. All those people are sooo angry at him, yet none of it was his fault. He only wanted better for his family and his fellow townsfolk yet the blame him for something they too agreed with. And what’s with the spineless mayor? Wasn’t he the one with the final say?

All that pain that should have been shared with each other, to connect and rebuild, was pushed to the a man that only had dreams of security and a hopeful future.

You’re happy to leave the remnants of that fantasy behind in the wreckage and usher in a new dream to the beat of the booming cheerful fireworks welcoming you 'home'.

[xxwitchylanexx]

No Plot Left Behind

Rebirth Retold Chapter 12

Heavy spoilers for the Mount Corel Area Some dialog taken right from the game to stay canon

Masterlist

*~*

“What’s up with you?” Your feet wobbled unsteady, your back leg catching on an unstable patch of gravel nearly bringing you to the ground, as you looked to the hand that pushed you then traced along the slender arm up to the eyes of the perpetrator. Aerith, obviously, looked at you with curious eyes that swirled like the changing hues of Costa Del Sol’s aqua waters framed by her perfect chestnut bangs. “You look,” she scrunched her nose, the tip wiggling a bit as well, as she debated the right word to describe you, “distracted, almost dreamy.”

You puffed a sharp sigh as you pinched the bridge of your nose. You were growing annoyed at yourself for letting your head wander so much, and as a result you were growing sloppy. “Sorry. I didn’t sleep much last night.” Which was true. How could you? When his eyes haunted you, lurking when everyone else was preoccupied causing goosebumps to break out along your flushed skin and every nerve burst into flame. Even long after your lids had closed for the night they haunted you, your subconscious replaying the whole interaction over and over again leaving you on the precipice of madness.

You could still feel his warm breath fanning against your face as his fingers twisted in the sensitive locks at the base of your neck, his burning stare unwavering from your parted lips. The minty taste of him still coated your tongue and your thighs grew slick as you recalled the vibrations from his husky groan that rumbled from his chest into yours as he pressed you back into the gritty bricks behind you. He left no stone untouched as he stole the very air from your lungs, invoking thunder itself as little bolts of electricity shot through every finger and every toe. And, gods, how you wanted to rock yourself against the half hard length pressing into your inner thigh as he absentmindedly dug his hips into yours.

Those heavenly irises honing in on you like you were tonight's dinner and he had you right where he wanted you before pushing off you, clearly satisfied with himself as that devilish smirk painted against his pretty lips, leaving you simmering hotter than any hell fire Ifirit could conjure.

You weren't sure what pissed you off more: him riling you up and leaving you high and dry or that you were losing to pain in the ass, overly cautious, ex-soldier Cloud- fucking -Strife. And you couldn’t have that.

“Well, sharpen up.” The one and only barked only adding to your fury as the corner of his lip quirked up. Cocky son of a bitch. Your nostrils flared as you swallowed thickly. “Time to get to work.”

Your narrowed irises flicked up to the impending heights you’d soon be climbing through, and as much as you yearn to turn the tides back in your favor, the dumb asshole had a point. You had to return to the reason why they were journeying in the first place, and a treacherous unmaintained mountain is not where you’d want to be caught off guard.

Truth be told, you’ve never had to take this route in any of your travels. Corel was an optional stop to the saucer now that there were easier highways to the resort. You had thought about in once, when you caught a glance at its signs for a scenic hiking trail, but the jagged inclines of impenetrable rock, and the decaying trees that were ripped from the earth- roots and all- deterred you from the endeavor. It didn't help that the very first facility at the entrance was a heap of broken down stone with rusted wires and bent signs around it. You'd pass on the tetanus.

You were thankful that your career has been incredibly successful and that your clients were more than happy to shell out the money for the luxury train that ran through this mountain from the seaport right to the ground elevator of the ‘happiest place on Gaia’. Hell, on a few occasions, where time was of the essence, you’ve even been flown there from Junon’s airport. You wondered if Bill had helped your clientele find alternative trainers in your leave of absence or if they were all still waiting for your return to the theme park.

So anyway, you were not the slightest bit surprised the lifts had a huge out of order side against the side of its coppered tin walls, not that you’d have trusted it. “Out of Service.” Red’s full and resonant cadence read of the sign that everyone was staring at.

“So we gotta walk?” Aerith asked with an exasperated disappointment.

“Ah, you’ll be fine!” Yuffie dismissed loudly her voice a tad to condescending for your liking. “Fresh air, nice view…!” She continued as she stretched her arms far above her head. Sure it’s not a big deal for some of you, but from your understanding Aerith hasn’t exactly had a lot of experience, and hiking a full mountain is taxing even on seasoned travelers, yet here she was proudly running her mouth completely oblivious to how rude she sounded.

“The view ain’t all that.” Barret interjected, his eyes strained on the rock above him. “Not unless you enjoy starin’ at ruined reactors.” You peeked at him from the side taking note at the underlying sorrow in his tone. His face was set in stone but his clenched jaw and fisted hand gave it away that he was clearly distressed. His eyes lost their usual luster and in its wake were hardened darker pools of charcoal showing everything he’d never say; grief, and self-condemnation.

“Right…” Tifa drawled slowly weighing her words carefully to avoid upsetting him further. “You grew up around here, didn’t you?”

He brushed past her, ignoring her question altogether, and stalked towards the gate leaving the rest of you to stare after him. “Let’s get a move on.” He called back though it lack his usual bravado.

Cloud surged into motion after him without a word with you close in tow.

You could relate, if only a little. It was difficult to talk about the past especially if you were trying to atone for past crimes. If that was Barret’s experience as well then this homecoming could be one of the hardest things he may have to face. He’ll talk about it when he’s ready.

However, Yuffie, bless her soul, seemed to be completely oblivious to his torment as she excitedly ran circles around everyone to get up in Cloud’s face and waving her arms frantically- needlessly- to grab his attention. He huffed as his boots dug into the ground to avoid crashing into you, his arms crossing across his chest and brow scrunched together in annoyance.

“Hey, Cloud! Materia’s like… super-condensed mako or something right?”

“Yeah.” He deadpanned.

“So… that means, wherever we find mako… we’ll find materia too!” She pushed passed him, no longer interested in his answer, and ran passed Barret to the entrance only calling back with glee. “Alright! Timeout’s over, team! Let’s go!” A punch to the air punctuated her excitement as she got caught up in her own desire for materia.

Yuffie could be a real pain in the ass, but watching as Barret shuffled after her to explain how group dynamics worked brought a slow lazy smile spread across your face. Her natural ability to ease the weigh off other people is her true talent, and you hoped that whatever future lies ahead doesn't dim her shine. Plus free entertainment was hard to find. You bet your ass that you'd pick up your pace just to stay close enough to hear them bickering.

“What? So does that mean I gotta run everything by you first?” She inquired.

“Yep.” He emphasized the pop on the p to make a point.

“So, that’s the game… fine. Permission to sing, sir?” She sang earnestly.

“What?”

“Permission to scratch my back, sir? Permission to blow my nose? Oh, so tired… whoops! Didn’t get permission to yawn yet! Well? Do I get permission or not?” She asked back to back not even letting him get a word in, not that you think he deserved it. He laid that trap for himself.

“Sure,” He said as sweetly as humanly possible for him, “you can do it while you’re warmin’ the bench.” You chuckled, drawing the attention to the blonde beside you. When your eyes met an idea struck you: if he wanted to play then you’d play. You took a step to the right so you walked side by side, close enough that your hand could ghost along the wrinkled leather of his gloves. You watched the drag of his eyes travel down to your hands, the gears in his head turning as he fell for your trap. You could almost feel how strongly how much he wanted to take your hand in his own, and just when he gave into the desire you stepped away giving him a coy smile and a playful wink.

“That’s an abuse of power! Tyrant! Tyrant!” Your head turned sharply at the sound of Yuffie screeching. “Tifa, tell me your secret. How do you put up with this jerkface?”

You hadn't heard Aerith in sometime so instead of listening to the trio any longer, no matter how much you wanted to, you stopped and searched for the Cetra, your eyes softening as you saw the clear exhaustion plastered on her face. She was at the very back near Red who stayed patiently by her side as her feet were stumbling and slipping against the loose gravel. You waited till they nearly crested the hill where you were waiting to grab her hand, and help hoist her up. Her eyes were swimming with gratitude as she looked up at you, mumbling a quiet thank you as she dusted the dirt off her skirt.

You decided to linger around her in case she needed anymore assistance, and in doing so you had adequate time to really take in the scenery. The walkways began to taper off little by little as you scaled on. The loose grit smoothed down to dry dirt and sharp slabs bulging from beneath with winding pine roots trying to unearth themselves to find fertile soil. The foliage that peppered the ground were so brittle and frail that they nearly crumbled under your touch.

Places like these- locations with reactors- all have similar environments. The Planet’s energy is being sucked up right from its core and distributed to the bustling resorts, and thriving towns. Yet the forests, and plains show the damage. The desert around the Saucer for example, or the highway running between Midgar and Kalm. Yet no one but you ever seems to feel its’ pain.

You’ve been called crazy, understandably so, since you'd learned that most people cant feel or see the lifestream, and honestly you felt insane too. You had been deemed a failure in Shinra’s eyes but you've accepted that these abilities were probably the result of Hojo’s experiment, and with them comes the burden- the weight- of feeling its’ pain yet having no power to help.

You like to think that all of the lucent blue whisps that appeared to guide you in your darkest hours led you here, and now that its led you here. To a path you could do something to make a difference. To people who are willingly embracing you despite your reprehensible past.

You took a moment to catch your breath after climbing the top of a particularly steep crag and held out a hand to assist Aerith again. The two of you shared a look, giggling sheepishly, then you took a glimpse at the nice flat rest stop just ahead. And when you say rest stop you mean a decaying wooden bench and an old vending machine that flickered eerily however it did appear to be functional.

“Hey!” You called to the four in their own little group. “Aerith needs a break.”

Tifa turned first and immediately paced over to lend a hand regardless of you waving her off. “I’d say. You’re beat red.” She fussed as she held her hand to Aerith’s forehead.

“Sorry,” Aerith panted, “my legs’re killin’ me.”

“Let’s rest here.” Cloud declared with his eyes completely and wholly on you that swirled with a needless concern. You offered him an awkward thumbs up from your spare hand as you led Aerith to the bench.

“But, if we stop now, the materia-” Yuffie said with the slip of her tongue, “I mean the mystery men might slip away!” You rolled your eyes at her one track mind. Her obsession for materia was certainly annoying at times. “Hey I know what to do!” She proclaimed as she jumped up and moved into action. She was running up the path onwards with nothing but an explanation as she ran off. “I’ll go on ahead, and scout the area for us! You guys can catch up later. See ya!”

“Catch up later my ass!” Barret grumbled as he took off after her.

Tifa looked between Aerith and Barret as she hesitated who she should stick with. “I think I better go keep an eye on them.” She said as she worried her bottom lip between her teeth as she looked to Cloud for confirmation. “Barret’s not himself right now, y’know?”

Cloud nodded in agreement. “I know.”

“Take your time, okay?” She said as she pushed off her knees to a stand, giving Aerith one last assessment prior to dashing off with her boots crunching into the ground in search of Barret until she was no longer in sight.

And just like that it was the four of you sitting in the comfortable silence as Aerith caught her breath. After awhile the ground you had been staring at faded to a blur as you were swept into a moment of dissociation until a pair of black boots ground into your line of sight. You gaze flickered upwards to the man who adorned them, who was no doubt already searching for any signs of distress.

“What about you?” He inquired.

“I'm good.” You shrugged trying to play it cool. “Not my first mountain.” And it wasn't, but climbing and helping Aerith was proving to be quite grueling.

“Right.” He spoke absentmindedly his scrutiny swirling with mismatched emotions stayed fixated on you. You knew he could see straight through you, and it was both heartwarming and infuriating. “Just say somethin’ if you need a break.”

Alas nothing good came from your vulnerability and challenged ego. “Oh please, like you could keep up with me.” Would you ever be able to keep your mouth shut? Aerith ooooed beside you buying into your false bravado and eager to see the events that may unfold between the two of you.

“We’ll see.” He goaded. The sly smirk at the corner making you want to kiss the smugness right off his face and yet you missed it as he faced the next hurdle you'd have to cross. “Breaks over. Let’s go.”

You were pretty sure time stopped as the minutes turned to hours. Your thighs were burning with every step forward and your lungs equally uncomfortable as the air grew thinner. Your palms were aching with each ledge you've had to pull yourself on, and nails cracked from holding on with all the strength you had. Was this mountain particularly wicked or were you starting to decline? Poor Aerith really must be dying.

You were so focused between aiding her and surviving yourself you hadn’t realized Cloud had stopped until you’d walked right into his chest, eyes going wide as the intensity of his half lidded eyes stared down at you. “Shit. Sorry.” The words sounded heavy, sluggish, to your own ears. Why is it he can make your brain liquidate with just a heated stare?

“Can’t keep up?” He asked his attention flickering down to your parted lips. Maybe he wasn’t as unaffected as you thought.

“Some of us are trying to be helpful.” You shot back. You were practically giddy when the light in his eyes grew darker as they traced the way you tongue swiped over your bottom lip. You pushed at his chest to create some space before the others caught on then turned back to check on your friend. “Doing okay, Aerith?” Your voice the poster for a concerned ally.

“Yep! Feel great! I could do this all day!” She cheered, but the way her legs scuffed the gravel said otherwise. At least she still had some spirit.

“You’ve become one with the mountain.” Red explained just pace behind her.

“Say what?” You asked, the edges of your mouth curling into an amused smile.

“Really?! Thanks mountain!” Aerith exclaimed as she charged forward after Cloud, who hadn’t waited for the rest of you to begin scaling up the scaffolding. You smirked fully knowing what he was trying to hide from sight.

“The hell are you doing, Red?” Cloud asked only sparing Red a quick glance over his shoulder. Your thighs clenched. Down at the base of the cliff you had the perfect angle to stare up the his firm muscles flexing each time he climbed a ledge, or perfect glimpse of his ass as he heaved himself over the top.

“Relax. It happens to all new climbers. “If she passes out, I’ll carry her.” Red reassured him.

Red twisted his head back at your fountain of laughter with a growly rumbling from his chest. Oh, he’s serious. It only made you laugh harder. You could only picture him chewing on her dress while somehow balancing himself on two feet just climb the rock. You had to bite your bottom lip to stop it. “You that strong Red? I had no idea.” Once again laughter tried to overtake you as Red hung by his front paws, his claws anchored deep in the rocky ledge, as his back feet kicked off the side to rocket himself higher only yo sink his nails into the next ledge. It’s not funny. It shouldn’t be funny. Gods he's gonna hate you.

By the time you finally settled enough to climb the wall yourself the others were already trailing down the next chunk. It was odd to see them trust so blindly that you were still behind them. A true trust in your abilities for sure. You paused a second to watch the others move on without giving it a second thought to look back for you.

At the top a gloved hand waited to help pull you up and your heart stuttered in your chest. He waited for you.

With a heave you stood toe to toe. “Thanks for waiting.” You reached up to brush your thumb along his cheekbone.

“You okay?” He asked just above a whisper as he leaned into your touch like he'd missed the feeling from the day prior.

Your other hand tangled in his tank to pull him down to your height. You smooth lips just barely brushing against his chapped ones. “Now I am.” You confessed before pressing just that one centimeter closer to meet him, your mouth melting perfectly against him, and warm fireworks boomed all throughout your body. Turns out, you missed it too.

*~*

All the lighthearted fun came to a end in the aftermath of the Turks surprise parting gift. Two tons of flying steel shooting bullets and bombs at each one of you, and when it hadn't succeeded it switched to scorching fire or squashing you flat. It even burned a whole in your favorite boots. But, things didn’t turn sour until after it had been dealt with.

You found it unsettling that the Turks were also following the robed men. Were they hunting Sephiroth as well or were they after something else? Hojo also holds a special interest in. What did Shinra know about them that your ragtag group doesn’t?

Your apprehension didn't dwindle either, even after you met up with Tifa and crew. In fact the remnants of the old reactor only heightened your discomfort. You hoped beyond the most desperate prayer that the creaking grates held under your weight. A person could get mako poisoning just from breathing it in let alone falling into it.

The aftereffects of the explosion was horrifying even after all these years. Shinra hadn't even bothered themselves to clean up the debris. Pipes dangled precariously by a thread, hunks of ruined machinery falling through any cracks as the ground shook, and gaping holes in the walkways that you could easily fall through if you weren't paying attention. And the smell. It smelled like the babbling Brooks and a soothing breeze blowing across the summer trees and all things that life was made from. But it was twisted with an overwhelming pungent solvent mixed in. The effect on you was immediate. Pain blossomed behind your temples and your head felt pressurized yet faint. Your pulse pounded so clearly in your ears that you nearly believed you had gone deaf. To think that your developing body was submerged in this for months.

The merging of all things from the lifestream, and this man made atrocity was mans way of defiling the very laws of life itself. To drill into something so sacred should be impermissible yet the masses gather round and actually thank them. For what? Convenience? Luxury? What good would any of it be if life were to cease to exist and the Planet to run dry.

“Hey…” Yuffie’s voice droned on in the background, “so, what’s the deal with all these creepy hooded guys anyway?”

That was a question you had been meaning to ask as well. You were fortunate to have avoided them until now. You'd seen them in the distance as they ambled their way to Junon, and you were asleep on the ship when everything went down. Your skin crawled in their proximity. Their aura pulsated in greasy black waves with only one specific order whispering from their empty husks. Reunion. A sickening chill ran down the length of your spine.

“They’re Shinra’s victims.” Barret answered. That tracks.

“Huh…” She paused looking out. l towards the green pool. “Well, they’re in good company. I’ll give 'em that.”

“How do you figure?” Tifa turned to ask.

”When Shinra invaded Wutai it was… Pretty bad.” Yuffie kicked absentmindedly at some debris at her feet. “They leveled towns, killed thousands. And when the dust settled, they forced some bs truce on us.” She retold her story with a far off look that you've worn from time to time. Reliving the flickers of brutality came to easy when you're growing in the middle of it.

“I thought both sides wanted a cease fire.” Barret asked hoping to shed some light on the wars other side.

“The old geezers at the top did, yeah, but the rest of us were pissed!” Her fist met her palm. “They’d been running Wutai into the ground for years!” She yelled as she threw her hands up. “It was the last straw- we were done! Everyone was ready to kick those old parts to the curb. And that’s when Colonel Lodbrok’s team showed up. Three ex-soldiers ready to join the cause!” Your ears perked at the mention. Curious that not one, but three, soldier to defect to Wutai. Seems rather fishy, no?

“Who’d you say?” Cloud interjected as he walked from the back of the group.

Yuffie whirled towards him. “Lodbrok! His squad saved Wutai from those senile old fossils- paved the way forward! They didn’t do it alone though. While the colonel’s crew was rallin’ the people, their friend Viceroy Sarruf agreed to help. Then bam! Revolution. And that is how the interim government was born.” You'd never paid much mind to current events during the times of war. Not when you were fighting your own beneath the plate, and once you broke free you'd spent so much time wandering from place to place to stay hidden you never thought to read up on it. You knew more about the war with the Republic than this one which was kinda embarrassing, really.

“Revolution, huh? Y'all did good!” You snorted as Barret praised the young ninja. She beamed up at with a smile so bright with a childlike laughter as she soaked up the compliments. You forget she’s just a kid, sometimes.

“But… Why the interim?” Aerith asked from the side, her hand trailing through her bangs.

“Because, once this war with Shinra is behind us, the whole country’s gonna come together and decide what kinda government we want. Which is why we’re doing everything we can to make sure the interim ends in independence. Pretty cool, right?” She punched the air with her peculiar ‘ha ha ha’ that she does when she’s excited. And odd tick, but you all had your idiosyncrasies. Then she dashed off calling back at you. “Gonna stand there? Let’s get goin’!” You shook your head, but began to follow after her nonetheless.

But she was fast, and you didn't dare to leave Aerith’s side. You were sure she was doing just fine, but you wanted to be there just in case. In the lack of conversation and Yuffie’s exuberant presence breathing down your neck the ambiance quickly soured with the robes’ miserable groans taking point.

They were identical in most ways. All colorless skin, sunken eyes, and hooded cloaks. You couldn't make out any identifiable features. Well, maybe if you got closer, but you wanted as much space between them as possible. You were scared one touch would be all it took for their curse to grab hold and pull you down into its foreign clutches.

Did they feel pain? Their agonizing moans sounded like they came straight from the gates of hell, but if there was no consciousness, no host soul, who was in there to feel it?

Who were they all? Were they employees of Shinra, volunteers, or were they taken right off the streets and what experiment were they trying to perfect to have gone as badly as this. And lastly, how did it all link back to Sephiroth?

Your foot slipped out from under you and your hand snapped up to grip harshly at the railing beside you praying it wouldn't come loose. Relief washed over you that no one had seen you, it would’ve have suicide for your image, as you caught your breath. You straightened up and released your chokehold on the rusty tube beside you only for your wrist to be ensnared in a vice grip from behind. Your blood ran cold as the others walked on ahead.

You spun around quickly to frantically claw at his hand growing more desperate with each attempt. Why wont he let go?! “An..dy…” His mumbled words were filled with so much sorrow that it nearly broke your heart. His other hand outstretched towards your cheek. “Andro…meda.”

You ceased all attempts to break free as static took over the channel on your brain. What did he say?

Your arm was harshly ripped from his grip and your entire body pulled inti the firm planes of Cloud’s chest, your feet trembling as you stumbled back into him. Cloud was saying something in your ear an inquiry of sorts, but you were now hyper focused on the man in front of you. At first nothing stood out except the number 88 tattooed alongside his jaw like the other robed men, but the longer your eyes remained you could start to see what he once looked like. Salt and pepper hair that was thinning around his hairline, deep crinkles around his almond eyes like he had smiled a lot with the accompanying laugh lines that now looked out of place. Thin and cracked lips but arched at the top, and indentations on the bridge of his button nose like he wore glasses at one time. For a second you thought you'd seen a glint in his eyes like for just one mere second he had some clarity, but any trace was long gone now.

“Y/n?!” Cloud barked against you as he roughly grabbed your chin to look at you. His eyes were narrowed and sharp, his entire being vibrating with the need to take action. You hadn't meant to scare him so.

You closed your eyes and burrowed into his neck, breathing him in for comfort. “Yeah, sorry. I’m good.” You gave a weak smile to reassure him then stepped back to give him space though his hand stayed open like he hadn’t wanted to let go.

You wouldn't turn back to that shadow now solely focused on steading your legs. You couldn't unpack what just happened yet. Not now. It didn't go unnoticed when Tifa slowed to your side her eyes darting between you and Cloud then back to you as she undoubtedly fret over you. Cloud wasn't any better as he stayed three paces behind you, and didn't let his attention stray once.

You couldn't afford to lose your focus, but his face was burned into your skull. He knew her name. No one knew her name.

Their conversation about mako, and materia was distorted to the whispers in your head. Only when the surface began to bubble did you hear a world shattering cry. “It’s coming.” You whispered as you dug your ear into your shoulder to cease the ringing.

There was a hand on your shoulder, and an inquiry on their tongue, but you attention moved to the surface when the gargantuan beast breached the surface scattering mako droplets from its body through the air. It was breath taking, and frightening. It’s body was anything but smooth. Crumbly rivets swirled about it’s frame yet it was brilliantly silver and harder than any scale you’ve ever laid eyes on. It’s thick corded muscles twisted mid air to reveal the largest materia core recorded in history, before rotating once more to signal its depart. You saw your own reflection in its saucer sized eye, and with it tiny flashes of devastation that disappeared as it dove back into the mako disappearing with a piercing cry everyone heard. A few beads of mako landed on your cheek that your thoughtlessly brushed away. A weapon.

“Whoa!” Yuffie cried as she fell against the metal grate, the vibrations rattling clear under your feet.

“The hell was that thing?” Barret screamed and arm raised in defense.

“A weapon.” You answered, your eyes unmoving from the swirling green below you.

“That's correct.” Red spoke as he trotted over to your side. “Tutelary creatures said only to appear when the planet is in grave danger. Hojo has sought them for years.” You blinked the haze away to look down at him, your hand coming up to scratch absentmindedly at his head.

“Did you see what was inside it?” Yuffie burst and bounce with excitement. “That had to’ve been the biggest freakin’ materia ever! Just gotta figure out how to catch that overgrown fish.”

“The guardian of the planet?” Red asked astounded with the audacity of the little ninja.

“Whatever! I’m not about to let a materia that beautiful get away! And just so we’re clear, it’s mine- I called-”

“Shut up, Yuffie!” You snapped. “Are you so willing to destroy the planet for materia?! How is that any better than Shinra.” You spat and stormed off before you could say anything else. It was like you to lose control, but everything was happening so fast and you couldn't figure out how to handle it all. The man, your mother, the weapon, and now- How could she be serious?

Your foot steps against the metal clanged on even when the fury began to settle into ashes, and with it came some clarity. Guilt gnawed at your innards. You knew why she was so obsessed with materia, and obtaining it, but unchecked desperation was a deadly affliction. If not for the guardian of the planet where would she draw the line? Greed is what lead humanity here in the first place, and with the fiends emergence you'd think all planet dwellers would head its warning.

The soles of your boots halted at the edge of an old elevator. It appeared to be fully functional. All the thick braided cords were connected and intact. The door opened and shut accordingly, and it held your weight appropriately. Perhaps you should wait for the others before continuing onward.

It wasn't long until they came lumbering up the hill. You pushed off the operating console and skippered to the side to allow someone more skilled to have access to the panel. Tifa nudged up to you, looking around her hair that often fell into her face. “You okay?”

“I'm fine.” You said smile that didn't quite reach your eyes and a playful head tint to dissuade her concerns.

Stepping into the elevator was a bit, well much more that a bit, cramped. You body was quickly pushed towards the side as they filed in one by one until Cloud, at last, crammed in in front of you, his chest encroaching on your side in favor of being shoulder to shoulder with Tifa. With a ding that chimed above your heads the doors rattled open into coal mine. Before long the elevator dinged on the lowest floor and opened up into an old mine. You hadn't had a moment to look around lest you wanted to be left behind.

The grand peak you had read about in text books now stood grand before you, the point glinting in the afternoon sun. Of course the anchored gears into the sedimentary looked amiss, but it was once a coal mine after all. Now you stood on the on neglected tracks that once carried said coal straight to the heart of Corel only now the bascule bridge denied you passage.

“Dead end?” Yuffie huffed, very much the petulant child she could be.

“For now. Can’t cross till we lower it.” Red explained.

“Well this sucks.” She announced as she kicked the pebbles near her feet.

You gaze slides to Barret, who became the object of interest to everyone, and it was comical how long it took for him to realize all eyes were on him. “What?!” He barked, his meaty palm shooting up to the top of his head.

“You know this area… don’t you?” Tifa asked sheepishly obviously tip toeing around the obvious sensitive subject.

He scratched at the short hairs on his scalp looked to the mountain. Was the far off look in his eyes retelling all of his fond times or reliving the tragic events that occurred a long time ago? Eventually his hand lifted off his head to point up to the peak. “Control room’s up there at the top of the cliff.”

“How do we reach it?” Aerith asked.

“Through the mine.” He answered through clenched teeth. “Won’t be a walk in the park though. Place’s been abandoned for years.”

Near the base of the bridge cloaks of black stumbled erratically. It all happened so fast that it took everyone by surprise. At every obstacle thus far they had always halted their movements, and waited for the clear path to open up so imagine the horror that lanced through each of you as the first one stumbled right over the side to meet its inevitable demise into the craggy valley and into the unforgiving river that raged below.

“We’re workin’ on it! Just wait a minute!” Barret pleaded.

The hair on your arms and neck raised with alarm as the energy behind you began to change. The once gentle and resolute radiance was permeated by the same bleakness your robed friends were plagued with like a drop of black dye in the clearest of waters. Your breath froze in your lungs as an almost inaudible pressed in your ears, and everything in your being screamed at you to not look over to what you know you’ll see, but you couldn't run from this. You couldn't run from him.

Your fears were confirmed as Cloud took uneven unsteadied steps towards the edge. At first the others hadn't noticed anything was amiss, but as you took even paces towards him Cloud’s unresponsiveness registered on Barret’s radar. As his foot hovered over the edge you finally closed the distance roughly wrapping your arm around his bicep to yank him towards you. You gripped the sides of his face and pulled till he was level with your own.

Your thumb traced absentmindedly along his cheek your gaze piercing into him as an inner war waged on inside him. His eyes were not his own. The same color sure, but his pupils were nothing but dark slits not unlike the Midgar Zolom. “Cloud.” You called your throat constricting around the emotions welling in your heart. Your pulse sped up when your voice seemed seemed to have a clear effect on him. The foreign stare flickering back and forth from this unknown entity, and his own inner person. You could still feel him in there, the Cloud you were so utterly enamored with. “Cloud, come back to me.”

He gripped his head, falling back a step, and screamed in pain. His face set in utter torment before his knees buckled under him and his entire frame falling into you. He nuzzled his nose under your collar and hands clutched your sides hard enough you'd bruise, but his desperation to be as close to you as possible didn't deter you from hooking you arms under his to slowly walk him backwards to the test stop behind you. You refused to falter under his weight your sheer willpower enough to carry his burdens and your determination to be his pillar could overcome your own limitations.

Barret was quickly at your side to assist you and with his help you could comfortably lay him across the bench to rest since he was unable to hold up his own weight. You fetch one of the vacuumed cushions you always made sure to pack and ripped the wrappings off it with your teeth. Once the fabric inflated to its original state you slide it under his head.

“Perhaps the mako got to him.” Red speculated. “Regardless, he’s clearly tired.”

“Cloud could rest here while a couple of us go and lower the bridge, yeah?” Yuffie suggested. A pit of guilt licked at your lower stomach.

“Works for me.” Tifa agreed. You tried to step away just to offer your assistance but Cloud’s outer hand curled around your thigh and held tight. You looked down to where he clutched you. His arm was trembling, and cold, his eyes were squeezed tights and sweat trickled from his hairline. You couldn't bring yourself to try to pry him off, and truthfully you didn't want to leave his side. It was a unrealistic fear, but what if you went the others only to learn he'd leaped. “You should stay behind.” Tifa said as she looked over your shoulder, her voice wistful for something he could clearly not give her. Her gloved fingers tucked the raven strands behind her ears then the her hand fell to her bicep to rub the skin there absentmindedly. “He needs you.” She admitted with a tight lipped smile.

You only nodded in agreement. You had a feeling this cut her deeper than any normal childhood friendship bond could. You could hear the heartbreak, alongside the indisputable worry everyone of you were experiencing, tucked into every word. It was painted in her downcast eyes and inward shoulders.

“When that thing rings,” Barret pointed to the operating phone in the booth to the left. “you’ll know we’re done.” You nodded in understanding. “And you,” he pointed to where Cloud’s head flopped lazily to the side, “don’t move till you’re good and ready.”

“Alright, put your minin’ helmets on and follow me!” Yuffie broke out into a fit of youthful laugher. Whether so was trying to lift everyone's spirits or was genuinely oblivious to the disaster this trip had turned into you could only wished her ability for lightheartedness could be contagious.

*~*

You weren't really sure how long the ago they'd left spending most of it in your head, and the rest of it on the man laying in your lap. Your knew Aerith, and Red were probably just as lost as you were with the latest events, but you surprisingly was not handling it well.

You thrive on chaos and danger. It’s the been the only constant in your life, and you had made a home within it, but it felt like your like world was crumbling from under you.

The only thing you were sure of was that Cloud and the men were connected, and that means everything ties back into Shinra, and more so Sephiroth.

“I know you want to talk about it.” You said your tender gaze unwavering from Cloud’s relaxed face. “I just don’t even know where to start.”

“What do you make of these people?” She asked.

You stared out at the small group that have congregated at the base of the bridge. They no longer showed any signs of impatience, but that lingering thought still stuck to you. “Why did they jump off?”

“I don't know.” She admitted quietly.

“I think they're puppets.” You felt her cerulean depths slide onto you, watching with interest. “They haven't been impatient before right?”

“I don’t think so. They usually just wait around when they have no other place to go.”

“Exactly. Why jump off this bridge when there was no clear path, unless they were told to.”

“But Cloud-” She started.

“Is connected somehow.” You finished for her regardless of if she drew the same conclusion. You twisted your head to her, leaning the weight of it against the bench. “You felt it too, right?”

“I smelled a change for just a moment.” Red concurred from his place below the bench where he stretched his paws.

“It’s Sephiroth, I think.” Aerith said after sometime. “With the weapon appearing, and his search for the promised land cant be a coincidence. I just wished i knew more.”

“I’m sure with time we will soon understand.” He was right, but it didn’t really bring any reassurance.

You needed the information now if you were to help him. Was it possible that the hosts were still somewhere in the disabled bodies? You swallowed thickly before you opened your lips thinking about the incident that started todays downwards spiral, “That man… the one that grabbed me, knew my name.”

Aerith looked at you quizzically. “Y/n, he didn't say your name.”

“He did. I was named, on paper at least, after my mother who became Project Andromeda or Project “A” after she fell into a coma while she worked in mako research.” The two of them shared a look. “She was pregnant at the time so Shinra seized the opportunity to put her on a vent and submerge her body into mako in one of their many reactors to see if they could create a Cetra.”

“Let me guess, Hojo?” Red drawled.

“Who else.”

“So that man…” Aerith started, but then stopped. If she was thinking what you thought she was thinking you were grateful she didn’t put it in words.

You shuddered a breath, “He must've knew her or of her to know her name.” Or loved her, but you couldn't let yourself go there. Not yet. “It was a classified project.”

“I see.” Was all she said, and that’s really all there was to say. The only one who you tell you was him, and he’s in no position to spill.

When you looked back to your lap one gorgeous blue staring back at you without a trace of his earlier discomfort, and a true smile spread across you face. The weight that had settled on your chest was finally lifted. He's okay. “Morning sleepy beauty.”

He nuzzled his cheek farther into the fat of your thighs. “Hey.”

*~*

“Hello, hello! This is special agent Yuffie! Can you read me, Commander Cloud?” Her voice rang through the speakers as bright as sunshine. Cloud shook his head, amused by her perpetual cheer, and walked over to the phone. “How you doin’? Feelin’ better?”

“I’m good.” He responded.

There was some chatter that filtered through as if there was a struggle for the phone, before Barret’s husky timbre spoke through the static. “We’ll take a cart back down. You three follow the tracks till you hit the bridge in town. Figure we link up there before heading in. You copy?”

“Copy.”

“Oh, and set our route while you’re at it, will ya? The gentler the ride, the better. Don’t want anyone losin’ their lunch.” He chuckled.

“I’m beggin’ ya, Cloud please!” Yuffie pleaded like her life depended on her.

“I wouldn't mind some excitement, but whatcha gonna do?” And the line went dead.

Cloud faced everyone still here and squared his shoulders. He had a part to play. “Time to go.”

Cloud did what he could to push his growing fears back where it came from, but this latest episode had rattled him. He’d seen what was happening to Broden back in Kalm but he reasoned with himself that his time was farther down the road. ‘Don't take your youth for granted.’ He’s only twenty-one years old. He should have had years left, but it was hard to ignore the signs when he almost just walked ,off the cliff. He would have too, if it hadn’t been for you.

He wasn’t sure how or why but your voice had acted like a beacon, a light in the dark, to lead him back through the thick muffled void that threatened to swallow him whole. Your grip on his arm kept him grounded, and once he found himself pressed to your bare skin with your scent lining his nostrils he could finally feel himself again. When he woke he thought he might have died for a moment when your sweet face beamed down at him like the world was right again, and honestly he would've welcomed death if it had meant he got to be in that position every day with your fingers in his hair and the heat of your body seeping into his own.

But reality came knocking, and shit has to go on so he’s doing what he does best: put on a brave face and push forward.

When you reached the divergence in the tracks he quickly shot over to the navigation map to oversee what route their cart was charted to take. Once he figured which route lead where he opted to give Barret his thrill as a thank you, but he couldn't bare to move the level as your hand covered his. He swallowed thick as he met your eyes, then darting down to the sheepish grin, and back to your eyes. He let you pull his hand into the safer option.

“I owe Yuffie.” Was all you said and who was he to deny you when all he wanted was breathe the same air as you.

He was thankful for the fiends that provided him with something to occupy his mind from the darker thoughts that lurked between his ears but really you were proving to be all he needed to pull him off his axis. Your shining braid twisting through the hair as you moved around fiends, soft skin that brushed against his own from time to time that spread goosebumps in your wake, your bell like laugh as you bantered with Aerith and Red. Every little detail made his chest puff with longing, and he didn't know how much more he could take before all the desire in came to a head. He was no longer confused about what he felt, and he didn't give a shit if anyone else was looking anymore. He was done wasting what time he had left. He loved you, clear as day. It was fact. It was as true as the sun rising each day or the very blood that pumped through his veins. Youve stolen his heart that very first day you'd looked into his eyes, and he’d be damned if you didn’t keep it till his time was up.

*~*

Bonus scene 1

“So, Red…” Aerith started a hint of mischief playing on her tongue.

“No.” He flat out refused any whims she may be thinking. His delivery pulling out yet another one of your heart clenching laughs.

“I didn’t even say anything yet.” Aerith pouted.

“You didn’t have to.” He countered.

“One squeeze?”

“No.”

“Please? If not for me, at least for Cloud?”

He shrugged, feeling glad for once to be pulled into the silly banter. “I mean, I am kinda curious…”

A low growl emanated from beneath the tufts of red on his chest. A warning to heed.

“How ‘bout this?” Aerith started. “At the next inn, we treat you to a foot massage!”

“I was trained to give impeccable hand massages.” You chimed in though the thought of you treating him to one too had heat rushing to his face. At least he was in the front.

“Not you too.” Red sighed. You held your hands up in defeat and Cloud couldn’t contain the light laugh, your head turning quickly to eye him up.

“Did you just laugh? Guys!” You bounced on the balls of your feet. “Cloud Strife, just laughed.”

Bonus Scene 2

“Who’s this?” Aerith inquired as the both of you watched this cute little ball of golden fluff fly around Cloud even as he aimed to swat the creature away. To your delight it’s determination won out in the end as it chirped happily as it settle onto Cloud’s shoulder.

“Think of him as a tagalong.” Yuffie skipped directly into you too, wide smile in tow. She’s always so elated to stir up more trouble.

“Wait a sec…” Aerith whispered as low as possible into your ear. “That is uncanny.” She pointed between the tiny cluckatrice chick’s spikey coat and the near identical style of the merc’s hair.

“I know, right?” Yuffie cried out. “Meet ‘Cloud jr.’”

You stepped closer, as steady as you could as to not frighten the chick, and reached a finger out to scratch the tuffs just under its beak. The chick chirped and spread it wings, soaring around your head on its route to Cloud Sr.’s unamused face.

“Kill me.” Everyone chuckled at Cloud’s dismay, but the attention quickly shifting to Mama Cluckatrice’s grand entrance giving you ample time to soothe Cloud’s ruffled feathers.

With a quick look around to make sure no one else was looking you spun your finger around one of the front locks. You leaned in so your lower voice could be heard. “Don’t worry. You’re cute too.”

This was a very heavy chapter and the bonus scenes at the end just didn't fit the mood of the chapter all together but still moments that would be canon in this spin. Im hoping to have the next chapter out quick since it should be a smaller piece. Until then my friends.

[bonnibelleangelica]

Me core

[atefingersdagger]

Me: I'm writing for myself, I started this fanfic for myself, and because I have a passion for writing

Also me: *doesn't get new comments in a week* Fuck, I should just quit right now