#or well... be tifa again

[cloudsmateria]

shitty friend. cloud strife x reader

tw: almost smut, forbidden romance

summary: tifa likes cloud, you're pretty sure. and you've been worrying about him ever since you left midgar, until one night in costa del sol you catch him sneaking out, following him on the way in the rain. u might know what happens next.

a/n: guys let me know if you want more of this i might make into a longer thing.

You were stuck sitting at your balcony watching the breeze run through the palm trees, Aerith and Tifa were dead asleep behind you after the long day you had all just had. You should be dead asleep, but your thoughts got the better of you tonight, anytime you laid down your continuous, tangled threads of thoughts came crashing over you. Sector 7, Sephiroth, your parents, Cloud. You were worried about him. He’s been acting off, he’s always been off but now he seemed a lot more lost, frustrated, trying to cover his thoughts up. Even his falling out with TIfa was uncharacteristic of him.

The thought of him was a strange amalgamation of feelings, comforting and fuzzy, or worrying. You don’t know what drew you so much to him, how you felt wasn’t something since you were a kid. You wanted to get to know him as much as possible, to be around him as much as possible, feeling giddier when he gave you a compliment, a look, an anything. Earlier on the beach he came to talk to you, while everyone else agreed to head back, that 10 minute talk felt like an eternity by the sunset, it made you feel warm. 

He worried you beyond what was going on with him. What was going on with you? Why did you like him so much? You had a creeping suspicion it was a crush, but denial didn’t let you acknowledge it. It wouldn’t work. Surely he likes someone else. And you’re pretty sure Tifa’s been in love with him since they were children, that must have gone both ways, especially against you who he’s only known for a month. You groan, leaning your head back against the pillar attached to the balcony fence you were sitting on. The thought of him added to your dizzying thoughts. 

You heard a door quietly creek down the hallway, along with some light noises from the creakier, shitty floorboards, and coincidentally, Cloud walking down the steps of the exit and going for the slim path to the main roads. What was on his mind this time? You silently hop down from your first-floor balcony, quickly walking toward him as you watched him get on the segway, zooming off quite a bit ahead of you. You got on one too, following him to the edge of the touristy bit of Costa Del Sol, getting off when leaving the area. Suspicious? You originally weren’t intending on hiding but that changed, trying to figure out what was going on. 

He ended up walking to the large pond by the cliffside, empty, and quiet, leaning up by one of the boulders and looking the moonlight on the water. You walked out, him looking at you. 

“Hey.”

“Following me?”

“I was worried about you." You said, leaning next to him.

“Why are you still up?”

“A lot to think about.”

“Haven’t got a moment to ourselves since before the reactor.” He said with a sincere look, the buzz was there again. “What’s on your mind?”

“Well, I’m here to talk to you but… Just everything… Sephiroth. Midgar. Shinra. Tifa. Aerith… You.”

“You shouldn’t worry about me.”

“So why are you out here so late? What are you thinking about?”

He shakes his head, it’s sweet how much you care. “Nothing, just needed a breath of air. Wanted to be alone for a bit but clearly the Planet had different plans.”

“Maybe the Planet is giving you a sign… I know you and I can tell something’s wrong, and you’re not alone. You should talk to me.”

It’s quiet for a second, before he decides to speak. “I’ve noticed about you that too, you never talk about what’s going on in your head.”

“If I did then would you talk to me?” 

He hesitates, he can’t remember the last time he really opened up to anyone about what was going on in his head, his thoughts. He opened one suspicion to Tifa, and look where that got him. But something about you makes him think you’ll listen, you won’t think he’s insane, or weak, something about you puts his head to ease. “Yeah. Why not?”

“I was thinking about my parents in Midgar. I’m mostly worried about you. I can tell you’re low, and there’s a lot on your mind.”

“What about your parents?”

You laugh awkwardly, thinking back to them. No one knows about it yet, Tifa and Aerith knows vague bits, but not the whole story. “My mum went missing when I was 15, and my dad has been missing since I was born.” You said, adding the second bit trying to make a joke out of it. “I don’t really know what happened to my mum, she went missing in Wall Market when she used to do underground fighting for money.”

“I’m…” He was lost for words. “Sorry, that’s horrible.”

“It was a long time ago, all of us have lost our parents so it’s not anything special. I just wonder what happened to her sometimes, and my dad, apparently he was a lovely man but she didn’t talk about him much, I have a few photos and a few letters he wrote to me before I was born.” You looked at Cloud. “He was a SOLDIER First Class in Shinra’s All-Star team before your time, so I assume he’s part of the regiment that died, if my mum got a letter she didn’t tell me.” 

He opened his mouth, but no words came out, there was a distinct solemn expression on his face. “You don’t have to say anything.” You said warmly, with a light laugh. 

“I’m sorry, it’s hard.”

“It doesn’t affect me that much. I found Aerith a year later in Sector 5, then Tifa when I eventually moved to Sector 7. So…” 

He stopped leaning against the boulder, beckoning you to come with him, you get up, walking beside him. “I don’t understand how you just open up to people like that.”

“I’ve never told anyone before.”

“What?”

“Tifa and Aerith just know I don’t have parents, they don’t know the details. Telling people about my past freaks me since I’ve never said anything for so long. But I know you feel the same way, I see myself in you, that’s why I can tell you’re off. We trust each other, don’t we? With everything.”

“I trust you, entirely.” You smile broadly, bumping into his shoulder, and in a strange way he felt at peace, being seen for once. 

“So you gonna keep up your end of the promise?”

“I don’t know, it’s a lot.”

“Nothing’s too much, don’t worry.”

“This might sound crazy, but sometimes, I don’t know if my thoughts are my own, it feels like they’re someone elses. I feel like I get memories triggered from a life and I don’t know if they’re mine or not, it’s all jumbled up, and it’s making me feel insane. Some of my memories don’t match up with Tifa’s, inconsistencies when we were in Kalm with Sephiroth. I started to doubt her, and we got into an argument. I feel crazy. I get these headaches and-” His words started to speed up at the end, groaning in annoyance at his own thoughts, wondering why he didn’t feel uncomfortable saying any of this. 

“It’s okay.”

“I get these headaches like my head is collapsing in on itself, ringing in my ears, static and jumping in my eyes, around Geneva, around fires, just randomly, and I see Sephorith and he’s not there, I can’t touch him, but it feels like he’s there talking to me, taunting me. I can barely move, it hurts so bad. Recently, I’ve been feeling like I’m losing touch with myself and thoughts that aren’t me are taking over me, although I’ve been able to keep it under control.”

“That explains so much… Maybe it’s some kind of mako poisoning?”

“I don’t know, I don’t think so. What do you think?”

“I don’t think you’re crazy or insane. I honestly think Sephiroth is messing with your head somehow.” You both have made it to the gazebo in the middle of the large pond, you stop to look at him, holding his hand in both of yours, his head blanking out. “We’ll get through this together, don’t worry.” A heavy weight had just been lifted off his chest, to be without judgement for once, to just say everything out loud without being trapped in his own head, alone.

You see him smile, like he’s about to laugh. “What?” You ask. 

“You scare me.” 

“What?”

“I’m too comfortable around you, it scares me out. You have some like, mind control materia on you. It’s weird.”

You laugh. “I can say the same thing about you.” He’s looking down at you with soft eyes, the green in them feels like it’s moving, the moonlight making them shine brighter. You can hear water lightly rippling around you, and looking at him so closely seems to drown the rest of the world out. When you look up at him, he can see the glossy reflection of the moon in your own eyes, lighting up your face. Your heart picks up, starting to hammer in your chest. You catch onto yourself, turning away and clearing your throat, walking to the edge of the gazebo to look over the water. 

You’re getting the wrong idea. You only met him a month ago, you’re out of your mind if you think there’s anything between you two other than friendship.

“Want to head to the beach?”

“It’s so late.”

“We’re used to restless nights anyway, right? It’s not often we get a moment of quiet in Costa Del Sol.” He said, grabbing your wrist to turn you toward him. “We’ll only be 30 minutes.”

“That is such a lie, Cloud Strife.” However, you let him slowly pull you out of the gazebo, in the direction of the beach with a huge smile on his face. 

“You want to, I know you do.”

“You’re such a bad influence.” You say, rolling your eyes sarcastically, walking up beside him, half the way there, you feel a drop on your shoulder. Then two. The four. A few seconds later, a light drizzle. You look at each other and lightning flashes hitting only a kilometer ahead and immediately rain starts crashing down. He grabs your hand since the rain is too loud for you to hear him well, leading you past a tree that seems to lead to nowhere, behind it an entrance into the inside of a hill.

“What’s this?”

“Found it yesterday by accident.” You take a few steps in the dark path, passing through some vine. 

“A lifespring.” You say breathlessly, there’s a small body of water in the middle with a gap in the tip of the hill, rain falling into the pond, the grass, flowers, mako crystals around it, untouched. There’s another hit of lighting and thunder. “Guess I’m stuck out here with you now.”

“This is better than the beach anyway. The rain and thunder add something.”

“Of course, you’d say that, Cloud Strife.”

“Never make a joke again.”

You smile. “It’s calming in a way, I agree with you. I like it too.” There’s a spot beside the pond, close to the crystal cluster you lay in, looking up at the hole rain pouring through, Cloud sits next to you, leaning on his elbows and looking with you. Your eyes shift to him, looking at how his hair has dropped down, swaying back, still fluffy, his side profile is gorgeous too. You could sit there forever looking at him. It seems to click, like a switch in your head. Your heart feels full, your stomach is in knots.

He looks back at you, and he catches the look in your eyes, a light, loving expression. It makes his head go hazy.

His eyes dart back to the sky. He didn't like it. Didn't want to like it. It was a problem, an inconvenience, and yet, he couldn't find himself caring about that. It was an amazing feeling, the feeling he had, even though it scared him. The way your eyes glimmered at him, the soft expression on your lips. 

“Thanks for letting me open up to you, Cloud. It meant a lot.”

"You know I'll always be there for you, you don't have to thank me. If anything, I have more to be thankful for.” There was a moment. “How do you feel about me?”

"I think you're great in every way." You say, vaguely, you cheeks heating up. "I love being around you, you're a good friend. How do you feel about me?"

He hesitates, a pause before he answers, but something about you made him think twice. 

"You're great." You felt a tinge of disappointment but it's what you expected. 

He's looking at you. He wants to kiss you. No. No. Stop. This is the worst thing he could ever do.

"But you don't really see me as a friend, do you?" Fuck, fuck, fuck, he's onto you.

"Cloud, don't be an idiot. Of course, I see you as a friend."

"Then why did you look at me like that earlier?"

"Look at you like what?"

He laughed. "I'm not stupid, you know. You don't have to be embarrassed."

"I..." You didn't know what to say. But you didn't need to know what to say.

“Am I getting the wrong idea?” He said quietly. You shake your head, butterflies being unleashed in your stomach, as his face is so close to yours. He had to be the one with that mind control materia on him, because your head was spinning, before he could even think about what he was doing, he leaned forward and pressed his lips against yours.

The butterflies in your stomach went crazy, you felt like you were flying, his lips were soft, the surprise took you off guard. When he pulled away, the two of you were breathless. You know what you were doing was wrong, but it was already too late, and you were too hazy to care. You turn over, sitting on his waist, his hands drifting to your hips.

He pulls you down again and kisses you, his arms wrapping around your neck, pulling you closer.

 You were kissing him back, not thinking, letting your feelings take over, you felt amazing, so good, so happy, like your stomach was on fire. He felt the same.

"This is bad." You mumbled against his lips.

"Mhm."

"We can't do this."

"Uh huh." He was barely listening to a word you were saying. 

You kissed him harder. He was all you could think about, how badly you wanted him, needed him. You knew you shouldn't be doing this, you were friends. Nothing could ever happen.

And yet, you were kissing him.

When you finally pulled away, your heart was beating a thousand times a minute, your chest was heavy. You didn't want to get off him, he flipped over changing the positions, pressing his lips against your neck. 

"You're not a good influence, Cloud Strife." You said, breathlessly.

"I know."

He was kissing you like it was his last night alive, his hands were everywhere, running through your hair, on your hips, your thighs. And yet, the two of you were not satisfied, not for a moment.

The feeling of his body pressed up against yours made your brain foggy, you could feel his muscles flexing under your touch.

You were completely lost in each other, unable to tell where you began and ended. His hands coming up to your chest, slipping under your flimsy crop top. You put your hand over his, stopping him, getting hit with the first sensible thought. Tifa.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm sorry, we can't. We can't do this, I don't know what came over me."

"I... What?"

"We can't do this." You said. 

"Is there someone else...?"

"No, I’d be a terrible person, I can't do it, can’t do that to my friend..."

"To me?"

"No... Tifa likes you, I'm pretty sure. I just can't..."

"But..." He said, trailing off.

"I can't, and I'm sorry." You said. "You're great, I really like you, but I've already gone too far. “Fuck... I feel awful."

"Don't. I kissed you."

"Let's just... Forget about this, yeah? Just act normal." You tried to stand up, but he pulled you back down.

"I just don't understand, you want this. She's never said anything. Why should we ignore what's so strong between us?"

"But-"

"I'm not interested in her. This is right, us. Don't you feel it?"

"It's wrong, I'm not an option."

"Do you have feelings for me?"

"Yes, almost from the moment I met you and I didn't realise until now, because this can't happen. We're friends. We basically live with Tifa and Aerith, we can't go off complicating things like this."

"They don't have to know."

"Cloud."

"It's worth it, isn't it?"

"Fuck. Fuck. I don't know. I'm scared, and it's too soon, and I'm scared. We can't do this."

...

pt 2?

[ariseur]

how do they love? | ffvii | slight nsfw blurbs too..

ᯓ CLOUD STRIFE’s love is subtle — in a way that the naked eye can’t recognize, only the fluttering in your stomach able to distinguish his feelings. to stand so close to him; enough to feel body heat radiating, is a privilege only given to you — words left unsaid, but always heard.

cloud’s not so physically affectionate, especially in public. he doesn’t do candlelit dinners with wine and sweet nothings, or slinging an arm over your shoulder to press you to his side. but when he comes home after a long day with tifa and the rest of avalanche, dark trails of marks littering his arms and back, he comes to you for patching up.

though it takes a long time for cloud to accept the love you truly have for him (and a lot of late nights spent bickering because he doesn’t want to bother you with the wound he can’t get on his back) — one night, he sits on your bed and wordlessly hands you supplies. his eyes can’t tear away from your soft smile and dreary eyes.

he’s grateful for your patience at his awkwardness. cloud hasn’t exactly had much experience with relationships, and not the best for the ones he did have. he means well; although his words come out strained, like the molasses didn’t come up his mouth right and instead sticks to his incisors, the sweetness of his tone absent and replaced with something almost confused. you reassure him it’s okay, that it’s okay to not say anything. he always wonders how you always know what to say to him and instead lets his hand rub circles into your wrist as a response.

and when you lay at night, he’s subtle too. his soft breaths muffled into the crook of your neck as you mewl quietly, soft words spewed through your lips between sighs. he asks you a question and your brain’s so fuzzy you almost can’t hear it, until you feel fingers hook into your waistband, perched there until he asks you again.

his eyes’ll always find you in a room until your own pair meet his — only then does he look away. he can always find you, from a laugh in a crowded room or from your quiet sobs behind the bathroom door. cloud finds comfort in these moments because he didn’t have anyone to lean on like this. he only hopes you’ll find comfort in it, too.

ᯓ ZACK FAIR’s love is boyish — rosy smiles with crinkled eyes, only starlight in them at the way you compliment his technique in battle. proud hands on his hips as he clears his throat with a confident, “yeah? oh, yeah! maybe i’ll teach you sometime!”

when he’s not training under angeal and so busy all the time, being a SOLDIER and all, spending time with you is one of the main ways he shows affection. a hand in yours while the other holds a cup of ice cream, prattling on about how he couldn’t wait to come home; looking over to you once you laugh behind your hand, a grin on his face and a bump of your hip is all he needs and he’d die a happy man.

zack will kiss your tears away and cup your face in his hands, looking down on you with only the softest of gazes. he’ll listen to you talk the same way you listen to him — always. it’s a mutual thing between you two and zack sees nothing but equality in your relationship; so when he’s pulling you close to his chest with a hand on the back of your head, he’ll stand there until his legs hurt and your voice gives out.

he’ll do anything you ask — talk with you, listen to you, pass by the food stall for your favorite on the way home, anything to make you feel better. he’ll even stand there for hours, rubbing circles into your back — cracking only a few jokes to hear the soft rumble in your body, letting a small chuckle of his own slip in.

at night, he’s quick with it even with the hand that cradles the back of your neck; a soft gesture even while he’s rolling his hips harshly and pressing his lips against your own, feeling the smile that breaks out on both his and your face. he can’t help but wanna get closer to you, until your brains meld together with the sweat on your skin and the moon on your faces.

zack smells of citrus and the ground outside; and he can never quite get rid of it. especially since you start using the same body wash and pitter patter along outside to hug him goodbye. he walks away with a grin, his pulse quickening and his stomach tightening with the thought of you.

ᯓ SEPHIROTH’s love is quiet — murmured upon the top of your head where it travels through the flesh and fires your neurons, a softness oozing inside of you. a soft hand at the curve of your lower back, guiding you where he needs you to go, perhaps subconsciously. perceptively eyeing any habits you have; like holding a pencil between your teeth or stumbling over your feet — maybe a few low, playful remarks, too.

he writes you everyday when he’s on long missions. they’re usually short, but the length doesn’t matter compared to the content that’s within them, sweet letters across the page in small handwriting, signed off with his initials at the bottom and the scent of warm leather alongside it.

the warmth of seph’s skin is foreign when you’re so used to his gloves. when he takes them off, it’s a nice change of pace as you can finally feel his skin as he can yours. he’ll come home from dinner, taking off his arm and unsheathing himself for the day — he’s bare and belly-up but seph figures it’s okay as long as it’s you he’s with. he gives a small kiss to your forehead, delicate and careful, as he asks about your day over dinner; and as the lights comes through, glaring at you through the cracks of windows, you tell him.

he’ll talk about you to his friends; angeal and genesis practically rolling their eyes the next time they hear about you. he merely crosses his arms and goes on about you even further to annoy them. what can he say? you have a special place in his mind, inhabiting it 24/7.

sephiroth’s a quiet lover at heart, even while you got your legs wrapped around him, pulling him in closer. his breathing only becomes heavier and you worry he doesn’t feel as good until you involuntarily clench around him; his lashes fluttering with a sudden groan. you crack a grin and he puffs an amused breath through his nose before he leans over you, your pupils dilating at his whispers.

he lies back and lets his eyes flutter close at night. he knows that you only have to press your ear to his chest to hear your name rather than a heartbeat. he only hopes you know, too.

ᯓ ANGEAL HEWLEY’s love is wholehearted — because he figures; why do something if you’re not going to give it your all? angeal doesn’t date often, if at all. he was hesitant to date you only because this relationship with you and his relationship with work would probably be imbalanced and while he did find you attractive both inside and out, he wanted to establish a bond of trust between the two of you before going any further.

angeal is very careful with his love, another perceptive one. even as sleep pulls at his eyelids and a yawn threatens to escape his throat, he will always come home to you and ask how your day’s been, how you’re doing, everything before falling asleep. a soft smile tugs at his lips when he hears you ask the same, following him to the bedroom after the both of you packed and stowed away leftovers. he respects equality and trust within your relationship as well and tries his hardest to maintain a healthy relationship through and through.

he’ll send you lengthy letters full of promises and sweet words, awaiting the day when he comes back home from his longer missions. he’ll tell you about zack, about genesis’ antics, about the dumbapples in his village. he’ll even take you to see them, if you’d like. angeal is also very old fashioned — insisting that you meet his mother and that he asks your parents (or friends) for your hand in marriage when it comes to it.

while not into pda as much, there are times where he’ll sit with you outside and just bask in your presence. hand in his, he’ll turn away to hide the subtlety of his growing smile but only hopes that you don’t hide yours. quality time is especially important to angeal — whenever he has free time to spare, he always spends it with you. a freshly baked cookie; gooey on the inside and crispy on the outside.

angeal is very loving at night, too. though preferring to let you do your own thing unless told otherwise, he is just a sucker for missionary, only because he just wants your space in his; just so you two can clutch onto each other, pulsing excitement threatening to tear a tendon as you both murmur out praises that only make his hips stutter and tilt upward.

as a boy, knee scraped and tears brimming in his eyes, his father told him that something gold waited for angeal. he only truly believed it when he met you, and now everything’s turned to gold.

ᯓ GENESIS RHAPSODOS’ love is poetic — and no, not just because he reads poetry, but because the way he shows his love is almost like a dream. bordering on the brink of a fairytale will genesis’ love be displayed, almost a bit cliché.

obviously he is a first class SOLDIER as well, and balancing all the work he is and public appearances (and his fan club..), he doesn’t want to make you feel neglected! so he’ll come to your home and just want to relax. but at least, he gets to do it with you. waiting for you to finish reading before he turns a page in a book you both have your noses in, until you eventually fall asleep — he resists the urge to keep reading and instantly marks the page, shutting the book altogether and pressing his lips to your forehead in a kiss goodnight.

will also write you letters when he’s far away! (yes, he might be a little sad if he doesn’t get one back) — but the type to do it the most though, as he prefers pen to paper than a call away. yes, he makes sure to kiss the letter before he sends it off. he thinks it helps it navigate itself to you and ensures that it doesn’t get lost. you laugh it off but surprisingly none of your letters have ever gotten lost in the mail. . .

also one to take you to banora to see the dumbapples — he’ll tell you of fond memories and the smell of floral days and sugar slowly creep up on you, and you both smile at it. it might take genesis a while to unfold his secrets, but he’d like to be shown bare with you, nothing hidden. he just doesn’t know how. if you gently clasp his hands and look him in the eye, expressing how okay everything will be even if he doesn’t tell you, you’ve got his hand in marriage.

so talkative even when it’s just the two of you in bed; he’s confident while he’s grinding into you, whispering sweet nothings to you and occasionally laughing at an expression you make. he can’t help but tease you even in your most vulnerable moments. he’ll place two fingers on either side of your jaw and tilt your head up to just look at him — that’s all he wants you to see as you cum. he may be a little possessive.. who knows??

genesis is a lover who shows you that the world is a beautiful place, and that you are but a beautiful piece of nature in this place. he’ll tell you that the wind whispers sweet messages for you, that the sun calls each day wishing to look upon your face, that the ocean sings in its waves in a song just for you — that it’s all for you.

ᯓ RENO’s love is teasing — laughing at you when he has to catch you when you trip, flicking your forehead when you ask him a question you’ve already asked. it’s all lighthearted though, you know it deep down. he’s catlike, one who’ll knock a mug over just to see you scramble to try and catch it or lay across your lap while you’re working.

being a turk also has its downsides for when he’s away from you. he won’t call or write, but reno can never stay away from you for too long or else rude’ll have to endure more of his complaining about the mission being too long. a real whiner, he is. even when he comes home; if you try to give him a hug, he’ll scoff and “try to push you away” which ends up being more like pawing at you instead. oh no, what a predicament he’s in . . whatever will he dooo. . .

he’s much more protective in public or when you’re around friends which is the most you’ll get. his love language is being annoying unfortunately. reno’s not into romantic stuff like that either, no candlelit dinners or dancing in the moonlight. stereotypical romance isn’t for him — even if you try to ask for it.

instead, he’ll wriggle his way behind you when you’re half asleep, nosing his way into your neck as he just . . lays there. he’s got a bruised rib and a wrapped gash across his leg, but he’ll still let you latch onto him when you’re sleeping, as tight as you can — or something, i guess. he doesn’t care. (he totally does).

he tries to act like he knows what he’s doing but reno’s thrusts are a little clumsy, paired with staggered breaths and starved kisses. a hand on his cheek and a soft look in your eyes, though. that’s all he needs before he’s holding back the urge to cum and he kisses you to swallow the whine in the back of his throat.

reno’s love is playful and albeit a little frustrating; but when you feel him reach over to you in the middle of the night for your hand, everything feels right.

taglist ; @xiansiii @alieeelinn @ch3rryfiles @akerasia @meowieesilly @snoopicle

requests are open - april thirteenth, 2025

[secondarysefikura]

Cloud wakes up in a universe where Sephiroth never lost mind, so once the mission was over them and Zack had left Nibelheim and Cloud eventually got into SOLIDER a few months later. So not only is Cloud’s mom still alive(as well as the other villagers who were killed by Sephiroth), but so are Zack and Aerith. But Cloud quickly finds out that in this world him and Sephiroth are together, because Sephiroth is also in the same bed he woke up in. Cloud freaks out which wakes uo this world’s Sephiroth and he’s both confused and concerned, why is Cloud screaming at him to stay away? Did he do or say something wrong? He can’t think of anything, after all last night(especially in bed) had been perfect. Meanwhile back in his world the other Cloud is very confused, he recognizes Tifa, but only Tifa. He doesn’t know who these other people are, and why they’re asking him question. Where’s Zack and Aerith? What happened to Midgar? Can he barrow someone’s PHS he’s supposed to call his mom today? Also where‘s Sephiroth? Eventually Sephiroth does show up and is very happy when Cloud suddenly happy to see him and is very affectionate. Although Cloud’s taking about wanting to visit some dead people.

Also Hojo is dead in the other world too.

Cloud is freaking out in the alt world. First of all, he woke up in bed with Sephiroth. Second, he's at Shinra tower. And third he is SEEING DEAD PEOPLE. Namely Zack, who started following Cloud when he noticed his friend stumbling down the hall like he just witness something horrifying.

Cloud does not take well to the situation he is in. He takes it so poorly, in fact, he ends up having to be sedated when Zack (who is still following an increasingly agitated Cloud through the building) begins to hear his heart rate increase well above a safe level. He then has to be sedated again when he wakes up in medical and his first instinct is to attack the nearest doctor and make a break for it. No one is really having a good time in this universe; least of all Sephiroth, who is heartbroken to see the way Cloud grows more anxious and violent anytime he is around. He has no idea what he did, he just hopes that he can make up for it sometime soon.

Meanwhile alt world Cloud is also freaking out, although he is being much less violent about it. He's mostly just numbly sitting there, trying to make sense of who these people are and what is going on. They keep asking him questions, but anytime he answers they make a face at him or tell him he is wrong. Alt Cloud does not like these people, especially when they start lying to him that his mother is dead. It's not funny, he tells them, but they just sadly shake their heads.

Then Sephiroth shows up, and Cloud visibly relaxes because finally, someone he knows (besides Tifa.) He doesn't even question why Sephiroth seem a bit...off...before running up to him and kissing him on the lips. He's so surprised by Cloud's sudden affections that he doesn't even question Cloud's babbling about wanting to visit Zack and Aerith and needing to call his mom.

Clearly something is wrong with Cloud, but Sephiroth isn't going to complain if that "something wrong" involves Cloud willingly sleeping in his arms.

[rottenpumpkin13]

Tifa always seemed like the person to throw off most or even all traditions or beliefs, superstitions or otherwise. So, of course, now I’m imagining a Tifa who is superstitious in her modern, city bar~ and giggling up a storm~

You throw that damned salt correctly or she’s going to have to throw you through a twice blessed window. It’ll go on your tab.

*Cloud sits at the bar at Seventh Heaven. He casually places his drink atop of one of the cracks in the wood*

Tifa: Have you lost your damn mind?!

*She moves the glass away*

Cloud: …What?

Tifa: You don't put a glass down on a cracked surface! Do you want to summon something awful? That's how you invite your worst nightmare into reality!

Cloud: Oh, come on. That's just a dumb old Nibelheim superstition.

Tifa: It is not dumb! It's real!

Cloud: No, it's not! I grew out of that nonsense when I left town!

Tifa: Oh, really? Just because you stopped believing doesn't mean the rules don't apply anymore.

Cloud: Tifa, the rules were made up by old people who thought sneezing twice in a row meant the planet was cursing you.

Tifa: Well, maybe it was! You don't know!

Cloud: I do know! Nothing's going to happen if I place my glass on a crack on the wood. Watch—

*He slides the glass over the crack again*

Cloud: See?! NOTHING—

*Something hard presses against his back*

Cloud:

Tifa:

Cloud: Why do I feel like that's Sephiroth's chest?

Sephiroth: Because it is.

[ajalholland]

Beach day (Cloud Strife x reader)

Aerith, and Tifa stood around the beach, chatting and laughing among themselves. The two looked to be at ease, having a blast on a hot day at the beach. Cloud glanced at the girl's from the sidelines. He then noticed (Y/n) in the distance, walking towards them. The view was incredible, seeing her in a swimsuit. Cloud felt himself becoming distracted by her beauty, as his face turned bright red. "W-wow..." Is all he managed to mutter.

(Y/n) saw Cloud’s reaction and smirked to herself, secretly pleased by it. However, she didn't let it visibly show, merely continuing to strut towards the group with a confident air about her.

Tifa quickly noticed Cloud's blush. She elbowed him in the ribs with a sly grin. "Looks like someone is getting distracted, eh?" She teased, trying to stifle a chuckle. Aerith also took note of Cloud's reaction and couldn't help but let out a sweet laugh. "Well, can you blame him? Look at her!" She exclaimed, gesturing towards (Y/n).

Cloud's face flushed even more as he was teased by Tifa and Aerith. Despite the teasing, he found himself unable to look away from (Y/n), her confident stride catching his eye. He swallowed hard, trying to compose himself. "Shut up, you two..." he muttered, his voice betraying his flustered state.

"Heya blondie," (Y/n) sauntered up to Cloud, a sly smirk on her face. "I see you were checking me out, yeah?"

Cloud's face turned an even deeper shade of red as (Y/n) approached, her words leaving him even more flustered. He tried to maintain his composure, clearing his throat before speaking. "I... um... I wasn't... I mean, I was just...uh..." He stumbled over his words, his usual confident demeanor slipping away under her gaze.

(Y/n) chuckled at Cloud's flustering, clearly enjoying the game she was playing. She stepped closer, closing the distance between them. "Don't worry, I don't mind. In fact, I quite like the attention I'm getting from my boyfriend." She smirked, her gold eyes glittering mischievously in the sunlight.

Cloud swallowed hard, her smirk only made his flustered state worse. "D-don't tease me like that..." he muttered, his face still red as a tomato. He was torn between wanting to pull away and wanting to lean in closer. Tifa and Aerith watched the scene unfold, unable to hide their giggles at the sight.

(Y/n) couldn't help but find his flustered state endearing, but she decided to leave him alone. "Alright, alright. I'll stop teasing you for now," she said, a small chuckle leaving her lips. She took a step back, giving him some space.

Cloud let out a sigh of relief, and rubbed the back of his neck, trying to compose himself. "I swear, you're gonna be the death of me one day..." he mumbled, his cheeks still slightly flushed.

(Y/n)'s smirk turned into a genuine smile as she heard his words. "Hey, you know you love it when I tease you. Admit it." She lightly poked his shoulder, her playful nature returning.

Cloud chuckled softly, shaking his head in defeat. "Yeah, alright. You got me there." He admitted, his initial embarrassment gradually fading away. He knew that he couldn't stay mad at her for too long, especially when she was being so adorable.

(Y/n)'s expression softened, and she reached out to take his hand in hers. "You know, you look really handsome." She lightly brushed her thumb over his knuckles, her tone genuinely affectionate.

Cloud's heart skipped a beat at her touch, his cheeks tinted pink again. He squeezed her hand gently, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "You think so?" He asked, a hint of vulnerability in his voice. He still found it hard to believe that someone like her could find him attractive, despite having been together for a while.

(Y/n) nodded without hesitation. "Absolutely. I mean, have you seen yourself? You're a total catch." She grinned, her eyes flickering over his face.

Cloud chuckled, his confidence slowly returning thanks to her words. "You're just saying that because you're my girlfriend." He retorted, knowing full well that she meant what she said. Despite his initial embarrassment, he found himself relishing the attention she was showering him with.

(Y/n) feigned offense, placing her hand over her heart. "Excuse me? Do you think I'd lie to you? I'm hurt, Cloud." She couldn't help but chuckle.

Cloud rolled his eyes playfully, a small smile making its way to his lips. "I know, I know. You'd never lie to me." The corner of his mouth quirked into a small grin. Feeling a little more confident, he wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer to him.

(Y/n) gladly draped her arms around his neck, a smirk tugging at her lips. "Damn right I don't lie to you. Now give me my kiss." She teased, leaning in closer.

Cloud's heart fluttered at her demand, and he couldn't help but chuckle. "So demanding..." he teased right back, before complying with her request. He leaned in, gently capturing her lips in a soft, languid kiss.

After a few moments, they pulled back. "Damn..." she murmured, looking up at him with a mix of awe and affection. "I'll never get tired of that."

Cloud's blue eyes flickered with warmth as he looked at her, a soft smile on his face. "Neither will I." he murmured, gently tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "You always leave me speechless..." His fingers lightly traced her jawline, still marveling at how beautiful she looked.

(Y/n)'s heart skipped a beat as he touched her, the softness of his touch making her shiver. She leaned into his hand, her eyes fluttering shut for a moment before opening again. "You say that every time..." She mumbled, her cheeks reddening slightly. "But I guess I never get tired of hearing it either."

🥰

[strayheartless]

I am of the firm belief that Squall and Cloud are little shits to each other, but in such a deadpan way that their friends never know whether they are flirting or fighting (they’re flirting, they’re just idiots)

It starts with little things: Squall poking Cloud in the side with one of his mini screwdrivers to make Cloud yelp. Cloud licking the last cookie on the plate while Aerith isn’t looking just to see Squall twitch.

You know, silly stuff! But then it devolves into tripping each other and aiming low level spells at one and other under Merlin’s dining table to see if the other will brake. It gets a little out of hand at times when one of them will just casually push the other on the edge of the crystal fissure, just to watch them shit themselves.

Yet it only ever gets a disgruntled “fuck you” face from either of them. Aerith keeps scolding them for being mean to eachother, and every time squall will say “what are you talking about? Cloud is literally the only one of you I can stand,”. It drives her insane. Partly because she can’t figure out why they keep winding each other up so violently, but also because she’s pretty sure they are dating in secret but she can’t PROVE IT!!

“Why do you bully Squall?”

“Who?”

“Squall! Leonhart? You’ve been tormenting him for weeks?! Is this the nibelhiem equivalent of pulling a girls pigtails?”

“Did you drink Merlin’s special tea again?”

“Don’t you gaslight me Cloud Strife! Are you flirting with him?!”

“Who?”

“SQUALL!!”

“Yeah?”

“IM NOT TALKING TO YOU IM TALKING TO CLOUD!”

“But you… whatever”

“Are you dating”

“Who’s dating?”

“You and squall!”

“Dating who?”

“I’m going to kill you.”

“Well be clearer with your questions!”

“Do you keep bullying squall because you like him?”

“Oh, sure if you want. HEY SQUALL!”

“Stop yelling asshole I’m right here!”

“Aerith thinks we’re flirting.”

“Are we?”

“YOU ARE!”

“Huh, cool”

“GOOD GODDESS I HATE YOU BOTH!”

They get endless hours of entertainment from winding her up with it. She will watch as Cloud uses his water bottle to squirt Squall in the face while their training and squint at them for literally any non-verbal hints of romance. She even drags Yuffie and Tifa into it, making them watch Squall like a hawk when he dumps a literal ton of paperwork on Clouds snoozing face, and walks away as the other flails.

Tifa was under the impression she knows Clouds love language, but even she’s confused with whatever this is.

Are they dating? Yes they are.

Are they entertaining themselves by winding eachother and their friends up? Yes, yes they are.

[sephirthoughts]

crisis core but if cloud was aware of his cuteness:

zack: hey, tseng, i forgot my wallet at the office. can i borrow ten gil for lunch?

tseng: you being irresponsible with your things is not my problem. i hope going hungry teaches you a valuable lesson

cloud: tseng-gege, can i—

tseng: here's my wallet take whatever you need

zack:

later on the helicopter to modeoheim:

cloud pouting and rubbing his ass: ow this seat is so hard

zack still mad about lunch: why don't you sit on tseng-gege's lap

tseng: wouldn't be any better

zack:

zack: OH GOD GROSS

after they crash in modeo ravine:

zack: fuck! my leg's broken!

tseng: you SOLDIERs are supposed to be tough. use a cure materia and walk it off

cloud leans against tseng: sorry, tseng-gege. i'm a little dizzy

tseng scoops him up like a princess: i better carry you. can't take any chances with your health

zack: what about his rifle and gear?

tseng: good thinking. make sure you grab those. and pick up the pace, will you?

zack: a̵g̴s̸h̴f̷l̸a̶g̶s̴h̸f̶g̷a̵k̷

later outside the mako extraction facility:

cloud shivers: wow it's pretty cold up here

tseng: zack you can handle a few hundred enemies on your own, right?

zack: well not—

tseng: excellent. take care of this and meet us in town afterward. we'll be at the hot spring baths

zack: COME ON, MAN

years later in nibelheim:

tifa: not goin' too fast for you, am i?

zack: of course not. we're just trying to pace ourselves

cloud: actually, my feet kind of hurt

sephiroth turns around: your feet hurt? you are a shinra trooper. when we are in the field, you represent all of us. you should—

cloud: -takes off his helmet-

sephiroth: —be looked after with the utmost care, like the precious treasure you are. as such, i am duty bound to carry you the rest of the way up the mountain.

zack: IT'S ALL HAPPENING AGAIN

tifa: cloud…?

later in the shinra basement library:

zack visibly twitching: hey, sephiroth. what you got, there?

sephiroth reading a book to cloud, who is sitting in his lap: oh, zack, it's you. you'll never believe this. i'm not even human. turns out i was created in a lab, from the dna of an ancient creature they dug out of a sedimentary rock layer. isn't that cool?

zack: HOW IS THAT COOL? AREN'T YOU DEVASTATED??

cloud snuggling up to sephiroth: i think it's cool, sephi-chan

sephiroth: see? cloud thinks it's cool. i guess you just don't get it. actually, you'd better leave. you're kind of killing the vibe

zack: i̴̘̥̕ ̷̨͗͝å̶̱̝ḿ̴̡̕ ̶̰͋̕b̸̢͚́u̴̘̯͊͂r̸̼̭̐n̵̢̿ȋ̵̜n̴͙̠͒͘ģ̷́́ ̶̦̀t̵̼̗͑h̸̠̺̾͒i̷͚̗̿s̴̡̥͐ ̶̤͝f̵̤͐u̴̖͖͌c̷̱̲͑͗k̸͔̃̾i̵̮̥̊n̴͕̆̓g̸̨̒͝ ̴͎̈́t̵̼̞́̍ṏ̸͚w̷̡͗̃ń̸̫̈́ ̵̟̎t̸̞̓o̶̼̎ ̶̢͔̈́ẗ̸̼̩ḧ̵̳̮́e̴͚̋ ̵͎͚́̅g̴̗͒̈́r̸͉̓̕o̴̗͌̕u̶̹̓n̷̛̘̹d̴̙̑

[tifa-simp]

I swear, Tifa always has some weird ass changes in her English dialogues, like:

- She and Brian ran to the reactor to hide from Sephiroth. (They were evacuating.)

- She doesn't know that the vision she sees in the LS is . (She thinks it's her precious memory.)

- She thinks Cloud's compliment is backhanded in the cat mission. (She says she plays the piano well because he's there.)

- Vague statement about if Whispers had taken her memory away even tho the line in JP is very clear about it.

- She has a lot of dialogues that use the word "reach" that could reflect Sephiroth's "your words can reach him now," like in the bird watching mission or the triggered dialog when you find Dio.

Some I might understand due to technical reasons, but others are straight up wrong. Especially the Brian one and precious memory one, those scenes don't even show the character talking, they have no reason to change the meaning that much. There's no lipsync to match, the direct translation isn't that much longer than the JP line so the translators shouldn't have much problem fit in time. The memory line in LS is really important to the future event. The hiding line is especially stupid cos later in Tifa's trial, we see Brian RUNS to the mountain alone to chase after Sephiroth, just like in Trace of Tifa. So making Tifa say she and Brian go to the reactor to hide is just character assassination on Brian part and paints Tifa to be unreliable narrator. Same with Tifa's worry about if the whispers have messed with her memory when she was talking to Aerith in Kalm, it sets up conflict between Tifa and Cloud about Nibelheim accident and explains why she doesn't just tell him the truth, because she doesn't trust herself. But English localization makes it so vague for no reason.

How many ppl can catch that this is Tifa doubting her recollection and considering the possibility that Whispers have taken her memory away like they did with Aerith?

Again, this scene doesn't show the character's mouth, there's no lipsync problem here. The devs lay out a lot of ground for part 3 LSS in Rebirth and some of them just get dismissed like this. It's frustrating.

There'll probably be more translation error finds in the future, and I'm honestly so tired of this. It affects Tifa's characterization, it affects the story, it affects understanding of certain crucial details, it's bad practice, why does it still happen?

[umbralstars]

Actually I'm more in the mood for positivity, so I'm gonna talk about something that feels meaningful to me.

I actually really love Cloud. Surprising I know, but I mean I love how his mental health struggles are actually depicted with empathy. I've had struggles with psychosis and c-ptsd for a very long time (luckily I'm not that impaired day to day but it's still a lot), and Cloud is one of the few times I can think of where a character with similar symptoms is treated well and as a hero in their narrative. Avalanche's responses to his hallucinations and delusions feels Real and human but in a way that doesn't make Cloud out to be a villain. Yes, there are times where Cloud scares them, where he may hurt them in the midst of an episode, and they may not understand what is going on or how to help him (which is rightfully frustrating); but, Cloud is never once abandoned.

He's given friendships and love over and over and over again, and he returns it with his own. Which rarely ever happens in any media I come across. Is he perfect? No. He can be a hard ass and when he's back in the throws of depression he draws away from those he loves; however, he is still not abandoned. I've actually always adored Tifa's speech in Advent Children because Cloud Needed to hear that. I'll be the first tell you that sometimes when you're dealing with severe mental health issues sometimes people you trust need to expressly call you on your shit. And Cloud listened to her. I feel so protective over the ending of Advent Children at times because Cloud absolutely deserves that chance to heal and his smile makes me cry every time because it's, again, one of the few examples I've ever seen of someone like me being allowed to heal. Being given that chance even if his struggles will be lifelong.

I know he's not a perfect allegory. But I can talk all day about how Cloud's struggles still definitely relates to psychosis even with all the ghost shenanigans (and how Sephiroth Is Cloud's mental health demon or a whole host of other things), and it's a hill I'll die on.

[sephifrog]

Zack and Cloud as Fathers

Zack Fair

Worry wort but never full out shows it in public

He’s a girl dad through and through (would be an amazing father with any type of child but I feel he would thrive as a girl dad)

Super supportive even if he doesn’t fully grasp what your kid is telling him

So goes without saying he would support any sexuality or transition they need

Would actually pull rank if someone in Shinra is being an arse

Spoils them rotten

They could get away with murder

But also makes sure they have values and discipline 

Loves having outings with just him and your child

But also really loves spending time as a family

When they start kindy? He is on his knees sobbing not wanting to let go

When they start primary school he’s used to them being out of the house so he’s just as excited 

HE’S IN THE PTA IDSHBIUB

Then the homework starts coming and he helps them procrastinate until you lay down the law and help them

Highschool comes around too quickly and he’s crying again

“Their growing so fasttttt”

When they start dating he’s a mess and full of worry

But seeing them happy he relaxes

Type to test their partner 

If their partner hurts them however not even Sephiroth can stop how far he’s willing to go

On their wedding day, he’s all tears and snot, blames the flowers and Areith just gives him a side-eye 

When his baby has their own child he spoils them just as much if not more

Feel like he would want three but would settle for just one if you didn’t want more than that 

Cloud Strife

Another one to worry but he still has trouble expressing himself so sometimes he can accidentally shout at them in fear

Especially if you have twins oh god

An amazing dad though

Loves telling them stories about his life and how he met you

Tifa is like an auntie and when they become too much and you guys need a break she’ll take them for the night

Not as spoiled as Zack's kid but still 

They follow him like a duck wanting to be just like him

He wonders if he can just leave them with Tifa instead of kindy but relents when they sulk at him

Sometimes he works too much during the week so he has to make it up to them during the weekend

When they start primary he has mellowed out and doesn’t mind them being away from home 

Still isn’t fond of sleepovers unless it’s with someone he knows well

Highschool rebellion hits them hard and they argue a lot

Their still his baby though so after he cools down he brings them their favourite treat

God forbid they get a partner before their 18

When they get married he walks them down the aisle 

“You can still back out you know” “Dad…” “I'm just saying I would cover for you” “..thanks but I think I'll be okay” “alright, just know the offer is always going to be here”

[crisiscutie]

Hi! Sorry for bothering you. Is it alright if I want to make a request?

Like, where the Turks+Rufus, Sephiroth and maybe others that you think relevant, find out that the reader is also an Ancient/Cetra like Aerith but instead of being half-Ancient, the reader is like, fully Ancient. If you understand what I mean. How would they react? What would they do? It can be them being yandere or normal,up to you tho. Again sorry for bothering you.

And sorry if you have hard time understanding this. English isn't my first language 😅.

Hello anon, thank you for the request/scenario. You are not bothering me! Though, I'm sorry to say that I can only do Sephiroth and Rufus for this request as that is too many characters for a scenario (Limit is three) and that I hadn't decided if I want to write for the Turks yet. For the third character... I will do Tifa for this since I hadn't written her yet!

Rufus Shinra: He'd be surprised for sure. He thought there was only one ancient left, and the chances of the company capturing her again were slim to none. So for his darling to be an ancient, he would do his damndest to make sure that they are well-protected. And yes, this means he's going against Shinra's interests to protect them. Even if it means the darling could be Shinra's key to the promised land. They will find another way to it (if it exists) without compromising Darling's identity and safety. I think the only other person who would know about this is Tseng, since he is the loyal right hand of Rufus. He'd be just as dedicated to protecting Darling. Especially since this would certainly bring up memories of the times he watched over Aerith. But this time, this watch will be permanent.

Fluffy Sephiroth: He's honestly amazed as he read about the Cetra during his childhood. Hojo had him study these people in his "free" time. His curiosity would drive him to ask his darling a few questions about it since it'd be interesting to hear first accounts from a legitimate cetra. Still, he is careful not to reduce Darling to their heritage, having firsthand knowledge of what it feels like to be treated like an exotic tool rather than a human being. He'll also keep it a secret, knowing that Hojo would be more than interested in his darling once he finds out. Eventually, he'll make the decision to leave SOLDIER sooner rather than later, in order to protect his darling from a life of experimentation.

Tifa Lockhart: When her darling first told her about their heritage (during their childhood), she told all the other kids in Nibelheim about it. Darling's adoptive parents quickly debunked the "rumor" once it reached the adults, leaving Cloud as the only child who still believed it. Now, as adults, Tifa would feel guilty about it once she learnt more about the Cetra and what Shinra wanted to do with them. She'll approach the darling and apologize for spilling their secret out during their childhood, even though nothing really came about it. But even as darling forgave her and reassured her, Tifa couldn't shake some of the guilt off. So now, she always glances at Darling when the topic of the Cetra comes up, making sure they're fine and their secret stays safe. If someone asks Darling about it, she will definitely jump into the conversation, either by quickly changing the subject or diverting attention to herself to protect Darling.

[dollcieee]

Beside you

Advent Children Cloud Strife x fem! reader

<3 Just another normal day in Midgar

Cloud has been delivering packages all day outside of Midgar, the sunlight burning through his skin. The motorcycle roared to life as Cloud straddled the smooth machine, his gloved hands gripping the handlebars with a firm yet phlegmatic grasp.

He just really wants to go home, back to you. All this work has drained the energy out of him and he needs to recharge. He already thought of what he's going to do first once he gets back. Take a shower, talk to you, eat lunch with you, watch some news with you, take a nap with you, cuddle with you, or perhaps...

Lost in thought, Cloud sees ahead of him the sight of the domineering power-base that is Midgar. With a twist of the throttle, Cloud unleashed the motorcycle's potential, propelling forward with an exhilarating burst of speed. The wind whipped through his blonde spiky hair, his mako colored eyes focused on the road, as he leaned into his ride home.

⋅˚₊‧ ୨🧁୧ ‧₊˚ ⋅

After parking Fenrir to the side of the small cottage house, he walks back to the front door to be greeted by a small cute sign that reads 'Cloud &Y/n's house', going inside, he's greeted by the smell of sweet pastries, the smell overwhelms his nose in a good way.

'Y/n must've made those blueberry muffins again..'

Walking over to the kitchen, he meets the perpetrator of the creations of blueberry muffins, his sweet and amazing girlfriend, Y/n.

"Welcome back! You're just in time, the muffins are all good to eat" y/n places the tray of muffins to the table, walking back to the near kitchen counter to take off her frilly apron, folding it neatly and putting it inside the drawer.

"So..how was your day?" They both sat down at the table facing each other, Cloud took a muffin and looked at it. The muffin boasted a golden-brown crust with tantalizing cracks, revealing pockets of juicy blueberries nestled within., "it was okay..nothing much going on" he takes a bite of the muffin as he chewed, Cloud savored the harmonious blend of moistness and density, relishing the interplay between the muffin's rich buttery notes and the bursts of tangy sweetness from the plump blueberries.

"You?" Cloud asked, "Oh me? Just selling some bread and helping Tifa out at the bar" she replied, taking a bite out of her muffin.

They quietly eat their muffin. By the time they're finished, Cloud washes the dishes while Y/n dries them, leaving the two in a comfortable silence.

It would always be like this, moments of complete silence but it never bothered the two. To them each other's presence was enough, Cloud wasn't really the type to express his feelings much, but Y/n understands and knows Cloud loves her very much just like how she loves him as well.

⋅˚₊‧ ୨🧁୧ ‧₊˚ ⋅

"I'm gonna take a shower, wanna join me?" Cloud grabs his towel in a rack and gazes upon his girlfriend scrolling through her phone, "I'm good, just showered earlier" she quickly smiles at him and back at her phone.

"Okay, I'll be quick.." he walks upstairs, leaving Y/n downstairs. Cloud walked into the bathroom, closing the door quietly behind him. He turned on the shower, feeling the water gradually warm up as it slides down from his hair to his back and down to his feet. He lets the soothing stream cascade over their body, washing away the day's stress. The steam filled the room, creating a tranquil and comforting atmosphere, enveloping Cloud in a peaceful embrace.

⋅˚₊‧ ୨🧁୧ ‧₊˚ ⋅

"So many brownie recipes.." She kept scrolling up on her phone. She's been planning on making brownies and giving them to Marlene as a thank you for helping her clean the bar.

Y/n adores Marlene. Whenever she sees Marlene doing something like reading a book or playing outside of Seventh Heaven with her friends, she imagines herself taking care of her own child. The thought of being a mother warms Y/n's heart.

She wonders if Cloud liked the idea of creating a family of their own someday.

"A family with Cloud.." she whispers, looking at the window in front of her blankly.

"What's that?"

"OH- Cloud you scared me" Y/n places a hand to her chest, shocked by the presence of her boyfriend behind her "Well that was quick" she laughed, checking Cloud out, he went from his everyday clothes to a black t-shirt and some gray sweatpants to go along with it.

"I told you I'd be quick" he grabs a chair and sits down beside Y/n, his head resting on her left shoulder. Y/n tries to act cool as possible, she continues to scroll through her phone searching for a good brownie recipe. Hoping Cloud didn't hear what she said just now.

Cloud looks at Y/n her eyes focused on her phone. He wanted her to talk about their day again. He felt that the conversation they had earlier was too short. But it seems like Y/n has other things to do, he could start the conversation but..

'Y/n might think I'm clingy.. I'm not clingy!'

'But Y/n might think I don't want to talk to her..'

'...'

'I'll just look at what she's doing' Cloud sighs softly. Looking down at her phone, he sees numerous links to brownie recipes.

"What's that?" Cloud asked, Y/n has the tendency to talk a lot when it comes to baking. He doesn't understand most of it, but it got his girl all happy and talking, so he just nods along, happy that Y/n can share the things she likes with him.

"Oh, it's just these past few weeks Marlene has been helping me with cleaning the bar at night. I just wanna make her some brownies as a 'thank you', and also if she wants, she could share some with her friends if she wants to" Y/n clicks a link, reading its contents while still talking to Cloud, "I've also been wanting to learn how to make brownies, they don't really sell brownies down here so it's hard to find such sweet delicacy." Cloud hums in agreement, reading through her phone as well, "And when I make Brownies, I wanna put small cute toppings like marshmallows...or peanuts!" she smiled at the thought of sweet tasty brownies, "Hey, when you go outside tomorrow can I join you? I'll buy some ingredients for the brownies and also stock up our fridge. It's kinda getting empty now hehe.." she giggled wholeheartedly.

Cloud wraps his arms around her waist, pulling Y/n closer to him. He raises his head up and kisses her on the temple, then snuggles his face into the side of her neck.

"Of course...I'll go with you, because.." Cloud pauses for a moment "because I wanna spend some time with you..."

"We're gonna have a long date at the supermarket then" she laughs, and he just smiles, hugging her close to him.

[vincentvalenfine]

solstice kiss

vincent valentine/reader alcohol use, fluff, he just deserves a mistletoe kiss ok? wc: 621

After the festivities at the bar die down finally, late into Winterfest's last hurrah before the solstice ends, you spend the last few sips of your drink giving everyone an appropriate show of affection. Hugs for Tifa, Yuffie, and Barret, a solemn nod and fistbump for Cloud, mane ruffling for Red, and then you're headed out the door to walk home, just a little tipsy. Okay, maybe buzzed... it's a pretty decent buzz. Too bad the cool night air will make it dissipate faster.

A shadow detaches itself from behind a lamppost and begins following silently. You give him about half a block of pretending to be oblivious before deciding to make your move.

(If Vincent didn't want to be noticed, he wouldn't be. A former Turk is much better at tailing people than this, so it's clearly for your benefit.)

"Geeeeeeez, it's just so cold out here! It'd be so nice if some tall, handsome stranger decided to help me warm up..." You talk louder than you know is necessary, and still manage to start just a little when his arm settles over your shoulders with the warmth of his cloak draping there as well.

"You don't need to shout," Vincent says mildly, and you lean into him with a pleased grin.

"Weeeell, no. But it was funny."

He snorts at that, and keeps your tipsy stumbles from dropping you to the sidewalk on the way back to your apartment. The good news is his warmth helps you stay feeling pleasantly buzzed, and at your door the world still has a warm glow to it that'll disappear once you go to sleep. Vincent has already slipped your keys from your pocket to get the door open, giving you the chance to lean into him some more and soak up the feeling of having his arm around you. He's so absurdly dextrous even with that gauntlet, flicking through the keys precisely before the right one lands in his fingers.

"Hey, Vincent?"

He glances down at you while opening the door, brow quirked in wordless invitation to continue, and you wait for just the right moment beginning to step through the doorway. "Look up."

Eyes darting up, and he spies your well-laid trap: the sprig of mistletoe taped to the top of your doorframe inside the apartment, hanging above your heads as you smile innocently. He looks down at you again, brows lifted with surprise while his cowl hides the rest of his expression. It can't hide the color starting to seep across his face though.

"It's good luck to kiss right before midnight on the solstice you know," you tell him with a mischievous little grin.

"That is still five minutes away."

His deadpan tone doesn't deter you, and you slip your index fingers through a beltloop each to pull him snugly up against you. A little grunt escapes him at the move but he doesn't pull away, and his hands come to settle on your waist, though he doesn't yet lean down for you.

"You are still tipsy," he murmurs.

"I like you when I'm sober too, Vincent," you reply, feeling the alcohol's warmth in your chest and your own giddiness at his proximity in your cheeks. He hums quietly at that. Then he leans down finally and presses his lips to yours, soft and fleeting before he's already pulling back. It's not enough, it's never enough of course, but you're still enthralled by the softness in his expression, the warmth in his eyes reserved just for you.

"You will catch a cold like this."

He starts ushering you inside, and even though you pout at him you still let it happen - it's too precious when he's protective of you.

[secondarysefikura]

If Sephiroth found out that Vincent was his real father he’d at first he relieved to know that his father isn’t Hojo, but then he quickly be annoyed by the fact that not only is Vincent trying to stop him from becoming a god like those others he’s been traveling with, but he’s not supporting him wanting to be with Cloud and that genuinely upsets him. If his mother is able to besupportive of both his plans and his and Cloud’s relationship then why can’t Vincent?!

*The party is standing outside a shop in a town, checking their supplies and money while deciding what to buy. Vincent is leaning again a wall in the shade.* Sephiroth, appearing: VINCENT VALENTINE! We need to talk!

Vincent: ...

Sephiroth: When I first discovered that you were my father, I was rather happy. But the more I have thought about it, the more angry I feel! You have never been there for me and to make matters worse, you don't support me!

Vincent: ....

Sephiroth: In fact, you are actively trying to sabotage my ascent into godhood. What kind of father does that?

Vincent: ....

Sephiroth: And that's not all! Don't think I haven't noticed that you don't support my relationship with Cloud.

Cloud: Your what with me?

Sephiroth: If you don't start acting like a better father, then I am going to go no contact with you! Oh, and don't even think about coming to the wedding if you can't support us!

Cloud: WHAT WEDDING?

Vincent: ...

Sephiroth, sniffling: Fine. I see how it is. Goodbye then, Vincent Valentine. Come on Cloud, lets go. *walks away*

Cloud: Okay, well I'm definitely not going with him. He seems more insane than usual.

Tifa: Yeah, no, that was weird even by Sephiroth standards. I mean, Vincent is so stunned he can't even speak!

Vincent: Huh? Oh, I fell asleep. Did we get the supplies?

Cloud: I cannot believe you slept through that.

[takerfoxx]

A while back I said I was getting more into poly shipping, and now I'm kind of really into it, so here's a list of ones I really like.

Shinji, Asuka, and Rei from Neon Genesis Evangelion, aka the Israfel Special.

I've already talked at length about them. Hell, I'm writing a whole fanfic series about them, so you know they're my fave. Once again, could not and should not work in canon, it would be a total disaster, but you can just barely glimpse the world where they could open up to one another and how good it would be for them, and man, I do wish we got to see that world.

Kyoko Sakura, Mami Tomoe, and Sayaka Miki from Madoka Magica.

KyoSaya is my number 1 ship of all time, but if they were to expand, bringing in the girl who's Kyoko's ex and Sayaka's idol is the way to go. Both girls looked up to Mami as a mentor, only for it to end badly in both cases. And Mami is desperately lonely. Having her two former proteges back in her life would be a Madokasend, while giving them some much needed grounding.

Also like the Kyoko/Sayaka/Madoka variation as well, because it's so damned cute.

David, Lucy, and Rebecca from Cyberpunk Edgerunners

(would you believe that this is the only official art of just the three of them that I could find?)

Man, Night City sucks, and they sure packed a whole lot of tragedy in a few episodes. But had things not gone down like they did, this is one that I actually see as being kind of probable. I mean, they're all traumatized outlaws used to living on the edge. Other than the whole Adam Smasher thing, the only roadblock is that Becca and Lucy didn't have much of a dynamic, but that could've easily changed had they all escaped together.

Cloud Strife, Tifa Lockhart, and Aerith Gainsborough from Final Fantasy 7.

So yeah. Guess what I've been playing lately?

Y'know, out of all the the throuples here, this one actually had the best chance of happening. Cloud had a real Betty and Veronica situation going with his tough childhood friend and the sweetheart flower girl, with there clearly being mutual attraction in both cases. However, Tifa and Aerith really don't display much jealousy and in fact become besties. Hell, if Aerith didn't go and get herself Sephirothed, this could really (and should have been) a possibility.

Alas, she did indeed get herself Sephirothed.

Hey, have they reached that point in the remakes yet? I heard there might be a chance of changing it.

Subaru Natsuki, Emilia, and Rem from Re: Zero

So, apparently this has actually been brought up as a possibility in the light novel or something? I certainly can see it, and it does probably have the best chance of actually becoming canon. I mean, I still kinda think that Subaru and Emilia are endgame, but let's face it, what he has going on with Rem is adorable, and while Emilia and Rem don't have much of a one-on-one thing, I don't really see either one really objecting.

Y'know what, let's put a pin in this and see what happens. Could come true.

Cocona, Papika, and Yayaka from Flip Flappers.

Look, Cocona and Papika were really cute and I'm glad they hooked up, but Yayaka was best girl and deserved love! Sure, she and Papika were kinda on the antagonistic side, but let's face it, Papika is like the last person to object to that kind of thing.

[rwac96]

Yang Stands Up and Falls (April Fools Shitpost)

Yang: *holding a microphone* "Heya, Ladies & Germs! How's things goin' for ya? Sunny or...Grimm?"

*Cricket Sounds, not even a chuckle*

Yang: *blinks* "C'mon, people. Trying to start a conversation here. There's no need to be so cold about it. What is this?...Atlas?"

*Cricket sounds again, unamused groans and jeering*

Yang: *grimaced* "Yeesh! Tough crowd. Where's your sense of humor at?"

Katsuki: *in the audience, angry* "I GOT ONE FOR YA: WHERE'S THE FUNNY?!"

*The crowd chuckles at the heckling, much to Yang's annoyance*

Yang: *rolls her eyes* "Oh, boy. A heckler. I guess people have different tastes in comedy. Like with food, there are picky eaters."

Sonic: *in the audience* "Uh, if the chef can't cook worth a damn!"

*The crowd erupts into laughter at the comment, Yang's anger beginning to grow*

Yang: *angry* "Well-Well, uh! I'm just warming up!"

Tifa: *in the audience* "Warming up? All I'm getting is the fucking cold!"

*The crowd cackled loudly, Yang's eyes turning red*

Yang: "HEY! I'm the comedian here!"

Mina: *in the audience* "Comedian? More like something from the Spank Bank!"

The Audience: *woooing* "OOOOOOOHHHHHH!!!"

Yang: *enraged* "THE FUCK?!"

Android 21: *in the audience* "Oh, looks like the E-Thot's breaking down. Hey, how about you stop embarrassing yourself and go back to twerking for simps?"

*The Audience laughs again while Yang's Semblance activates in a roar of utter rage*

Yang: *IBurn active, red eyes and hair ablaze* "I ONLY TWERK FOR BLAKE, YOU HAG!"

*Yang dives into the crowd to tackle Android 21, only to be roundhouse-kicked through the stage by the auburn-haired woman*

Android 21: "And you also suck at fighting!"