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miss-tc-nova · 4 years

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A SOLDIER’s Memories - Cloud Strife x Fem!Reader Pt 2

Originally inspired by Panic! At the Disco’s Hurricane, I love this chapter! It also could’ve been much longer with the chocobo race, but that was kinda needless. Last note: I LOVE INFANTRY CLOUD! He’s so adorable!

Gold Saucer Magic

I stuff the clothes into a bag and, just as I get it zipped up, there’s a knock on the door. Brushing hair from my face, I pull the door open, surprised to find the infantry chocobo on the other side.

“You’re not Zack,” I state bluntly.

He avoids eye contact while a hand plays at the nape of his neck. “Uh, yeah. About that, Zack says he can’t come. So he’s sending me.”

“What?”

“They gave him a last minute mission so he gave me the tickets and said I should take you.” As proof, the blonde holds up the pair of tickets.

I put a hand on my hip. “Well that’s honestly an upgrade for me, but are you sure you’re okay with that? It’s a three day trip.”

I love when he’s bashful. “Yeah. I only had one mission and one of the other guys agreed to cover it for me.”

A smile blooms. “Great. Then let’s get going.”

Oh that poor chocobo. Since our first mission, the duo dynamic I had with Zack balanced out with the addition of the level headed boy, and not just on missions. He always tried his best to keep our antics somewhat mild, but he usually just ended up being dragged along; though he did take Sephiroth up on his word and shot Zack once. Granted, Zack was about to blow everyone up by accident, so they made up pretty quickly. As for the two of us, I find hanging out with Cloud usually ends up being my favorite part of the day. I find myself seeking him out on bad days; his calm demeanor talking me down from my emotions. He’s a huge, sweet softie and I love it. But he still suffers from motion sickness.

After one very sick boat ride and a questionable cable car, we arrive at the astounding Gold Sauce, only to find out our room has a single queen bed. There’s a bit of heckling the front desk, but the room is the only one available: it’s that or nothing. We’ve got no choice. I grumble all the while Cloud drags me out to find dinner and quell my anger. I have to admit, the show after dinner did get me to laugh.

I stare down at the single bed, my annoyance working up again. Cloud puts a hand on my shoulder. “Hey, it’s alright. I’ll sleep on the floor.”

“There’s no way in hell I’m letting you sleep on the floor,” I huff, sitting on the edge of the bed. “That’s gross.”

“Really. It’s fine.”

I take a deep breath and try to remember why we’re here anyway. With a devilish grin, I look to my friend. “You afraid of sharing a bed with me?”

The reaction is instant and entertaining. With a bright red face, he stammers, “N-No! I didn’t want to be rude! I just-”

I throw a pillow. “Shut up, turn off the light, and get in the bed.” Crawling up the bed, I make sure to leave plenty of room for him. The light flickers off and, after a moment, I can feel movement on the other side and the blanket pulls a bit. “Silly chocobo.”

I hear a sigh, smile to myself, and drift to sleep.

~~~~~

I become aware of my body and the pleasant warmth around me. I snuggle against the source behind me and sigh. A weight on my leg snakes around my waist.

That’s when my brain snaps wide awake. I try to get a grip on my rapid thoughts which ultimately lead me to how comfortable I feel. In fact, this is probably the most peaceful I’ve ever felt; it’s safe. Hoping to indulge in the moment a while longer, I relax and just let it go, falling back into a peaceful doze.

The boy stirring brings me back to consciousness. There’s a light gasp and the arm flies away, but I’m too tired to tease him just yet. I didn’t foresee him gingerly replacing his hand on my side though. There’s a flurry of butterflies in my stomach when he pulls me even closer. I’m terrified he can hear my heartbeat but he relaxes. Once I’m sure my heart won’t burst from my chest, I too return to the serenity of snoozing just a bit longer.

Eventually, we have to get up. The moment I start to stretch, Cloud disappears with a jolt. Rubbing at my eye, I sit up and gently shake the blonde. “Wake up, you sleepy chocobo.”

Without turning back, he replies, “I’m up.” I can just see how red his ear is and grin.

With breakfast out of the way, we set out to wander the park, starting with the arcade area. We pass by a windowed wall where people are shooting at targets. What catches my attention though, is the chocobo plushies hanging across the top.

“Oh I need one of those!” I point them out to Cloud and drag him closer. Apparently, the goal of the game is to shoot out the entire star in the paper. After only the first few shots, I quickly realize I won’t be winning that.

Just as I raise the pellet gun again, a hand reaches out, raising the barrel a bit. “You need to line up the sights,” Cloud says, pointing out the two points on the barrel. “And you want to pull the trigger just before you breathe in.” Next, he bumps the back of the firearm higher up my shoulder. “Try that.”

I do significantly better, but I still don’t beat the game. “Damn,” I mutter.

“You picked it up pretty quickly,” comments my friend, handing the game keeper another handful of gil. I never thought Cloud had a smug bone in his body, but that smirk makes me worried that Zack and I have corrupted this pure little chocobo. Also, my heart might explode. “Let me show you how it’s done.”

I stare, slack jawed, as Cloud perfectly carves out the star with ammo to spare. Setting the rifle down, he turns back to me, still wearing that sly smile.

“What the hell was that?!”

“It’s not the first time I’ve held a pellet gun,” he confesses, some of that smugness fading.

It clicks. “That’s right. You’re a country bumpkin.”

“Shooting tin cans is a favorite pass time of my hometown.” The man running the game places a plush on the counter. He holds it out for me. “Oh, here. You wanted one, right?”

Grinning like an idiot, I wrap my arms around it. I can’t help hiding my face in it, knowing that there’s a blush rising. “He’s so cute. And he looks like you.”

His face goes blank. “Gee. Thanks.”

I giggle. “Thanks Cloud.”

We resume our wandering, have lunch, and generally enjoy the park. Then we stumble upon Chocobo Square.

I squeal, picking up the pace. “Oh my god! Cloud! I found your people!”

“I’m never going to shake this chocobo thing, am I,” he sighs.

The birds race past the fence. “This is so cool!”

“You can try it if you want.” Cloud points out the signup counter. My smiling gasp confirms my excitement. “Have fun.”

I grab his arm. “Oh come on! Come with me!”

“I’m good.”

“Please!” The longer he stares, the more uncomfortable he gets and he caves. Before long, we’re saddled up in the stalls. “You gonna be okay there, bird boy?” Cloud rolls his eyes. “Wanna make a bet?”

At first, I expect him to back down, but he shrugs. “Sure.”

“Loser buys dinner.”

“That’s it?”

“Come on. I was trying to be nice,” I goad.

He thinks on it. “How about an unconditional favor.” I tilt my head. “Loser owes the winner a favor whenever they request it. No exceptions.” That smirk comes back. “They just do it.”

“Ooo! I like it.” The red light flashes and I tense. “Don’t let your motion sickness get in the way.”

Cloud leans forward and the light goes orange. “You’re not winning this one.”

The light turns green and the stalls burst open. It was so close, neck and neck the entire way, but ultimately, I lose.

“I’m beginning to think you’re cheating,” I say, following the winner from the stables.

“You’re just mad you owe me a favor.”

“Speaking of which, when is that happening?” We head for the food court.

“Dunno. Think I’ll hold off for a while, save it for when I really need something.” Smug, mischievous; perhaps we really did corrupt our innocent Cloud.

“Now that’s just rude.”

I pay for dinner as promised and we stroll for awhile until Cloud decides on our next attraction: the gondola. The hanging craft seems popular this time of night but we eventually board. I pat the seat beside me which he takes.

“Hey, picture!” I blurt out, holding up my phone. Cloud doesn’t get a chance to figure out what I said by the time I snap the picture, giving an adorable, innocent face. “Nice.”

“You didn’t give me any warning,” he protests, only to be met with laughter.

“Well I like it. I think I’ll have a copy printed.”

“I wish you wouldn’t.” The scenery of the glowing Gold Saucer is beautiful and we watch in silence until he speaks again. “Did you…notice anything weird this morning?”

Of course I think about our morning cuddle, but he thinks I didn’t notice and I don’t know if I’m prepared for that level of flustered Cloud, or flustered me.

“No. Why?”

“Uh, nothing. I must’ve dreamt it.”

Not exactly.

A loud boom goes off and I flinch, prepared for a fight. I’m filled with dismay when Cloud laughs, putting a hand on my shoulder.

“Calm down. It’s just fireworks.”

“O-Oh. Right.” A hand nervously sifts through my hair before hiding my face against it. As the firework show goes, I think about just how amazing today has been; I need to give Zack my thanks for this later.

“You okay?”

I peer up at him, once again captured in the depths of his eyes. But I look away before I can be pulled in. “Yeah. Thanks for coming with me. I think this is the best birthday I’ve ever had.”

“Birthday?! Why didn’t you tell me it was your birthday?”

I shrug. “It just didn’t seem important. I preferred remember this as a great day with a great person rather than the day I was born. Honestly, I’d probably be working if Zack hadn’t stuck his nose in my business. I’d be pissed that he ditched me if he hadn’t sent a better replacement.”

Cloud’s voice, soft and warm, is right by my ear. “I’m glad you had fun then.”

I don’t really think about it, but I lean against Cloud. “I really did. Thank you.”

The firework show continues and eventually slips from my mind. My thoughts venture down the rabbit hole, coming up with bolder and bolder ideas until I drag my gaze back to Cloud. I didn’t expect him to be so close and hesitate. The pink dancing across his nose and I can tell he’s unsure as well. Steeling my nerves, I turn towards him, slipping a hand onto his chest. By the fabric of his shirt, I pull him closer, feeling his heart pound beneath my fist.

“H-Hey.” His voice is barely above a whisper. “What are we doing?” Despite the question, it’s clear he knows.

I’m not much louder. “You stupid chocobo.”

His lips are softer than I imagined with a slight chill from the night air. He doesn’t pull away, but seems hesitant. I give him several brief kisses, practically begging him for something. He takes it, that hand moving from my shoulder to my lower back to pull me in and kissing back. It’s naïve, like this is his first kiss but he’s as eager as a starving man. I always thought maybe I was the wolf in this relationship; maybe I was wrong, not that it matters. He’s got no idea just how much of a mess I am inside, but I’m in love. In love with someone so kind and genuine that I never had a chance.

Breaking away, I stay close, trying to rein in my breath, my heart, everything.

“Are you okay?” he asks, breathing just as heavily.

A breathy laugh escapes me. “Never better.”

“Good.” His lips to my forehead don’t exactly help. “Now did you call me a stupid chocobo?”

“Yeah you dumb bird,” I reply, leaning back to get a better look at his face when I tell him, “And no, you did not dream what happened this morning. You were spooning me.”

His eyes go wide and his entire body tenses.

I pinch his cheeks. “And here I thought you’d be little spoon.”

“I can’t help I move in my sleep!” He swats my hands away.

Giggling, I slip my hands into his hair and pull his face closer. “I liked it, almost as much as I like you.”

Another one of those breath-taking smiles appears. “I like you too…a lot.”

I’m definitely going to have to thank Zack for the best birthday ever.

#cloud x reader #innocent baby cloud #cloud strife x reader #ffvii cloud #cloud strife #fem!reader

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