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Cloud could not focus. He hadn’t expected this to happen, and although his SOLDIER experience reminded him to be alert in the middle of the battle, he could only worry about you and your wellbeing, your safety.
You had been taking a walk together, moving in silence even if you seemed coordinated, like two bodies that shared a single soul. The day was sunny and warm, and you were enjoying each other’s company. That was, until the enemies suddenly surrounded you and resulted in that sticky situation.
“Cloud?” You gasped, looking around you to observe the beasts that threatened you.
“It’s okay” He only said, using one arm to unsheathe his sword while he pushed you behind him with the other one. Despite his racing heart, he appeared calm. “Stay there”
You held on to him, simultaneously wanting him to feel you close and keep track of your position while at the same time seeking his comfort to calm your nerves. You weren’t used to battle, but Cloud didn’t bat an eye. He expertly swung his sword to one side and the other, leaning his weight in the direction needed without ever moving his feet. He stayed in that spot for your sake, still managing to quickly and effectively ending his opponents while also shielding you.
A bit shaken up by the encounter, you peeked over his shoulder when it was all over, still tightly holding on to him. Noticing your accelerated breathing, Cloud turned his head to you. When his hair brushed against your knuckles over his shoulders, you grew aware of how tightly you were clutching to him.
“Sorry…” You nervously chuckled, taking a step back to give him some space. “I just got a bit nervous”
“You okay?” He turned around to face you again, absently sheathing his sword.
“Yeah, I’m not hurt…”
“Then what’s wrong?”
You stared at him, surprised that he had read through you. Cloud wasn’t usually extremely perceptive, or at least he kept his thoughts to himself. At that moment, though, it seemed like he couldn’t help but to ask.
“I just… I think I really should learn how to fight”
“Not that crap again…” Rolling his eyes, Cloud resumed walking. When you noticed he was heading back for Seventh Heaven, you rushed to catch up to him.
“Listen, Cloud!” You tightly held on to his arm, shaking him a little to ensure he paid attention to you. Much to your surprise, he stopped walking and locked eyes with you. “I’m tired of not being able to defend myself!”
“I can protect you” He quickly replied, although his own answer flustered him and he corrected himself. “Don’t you think I’m capable of that?”
“Of course I do!” Showing him an angelical smile, you cutely tilted your head. “But I want to show you and everyone that I can kick ass on my own”
Cloud opened his mouth to reply, but ultimately closed it and heaved a sigh. He averted his gaze and frowned. There was a pause. The muscles of his arm moved under your fingers when he clenched his hands into fists. You watched him intently, wondering what was going through his head. Just when you thought you were starting to figure him out, he hid himself behind that mysterious façade again.
“Fine” Cloud suddenly piped up. “Meet me here in an hour”
You gasped in awe, startling him a little. He opened his eyes wide, staring at you and trying to understand what had shocked you like that.
“Really?!” You exclaimed, shaking him in excitement and bouncing up and down. “Cloud!!”
“What?” He clicked his tongue in annoyance, trying to get away from you as you continued to shake him around. “Y/N, quit it”
“Thank you, thank you, thank you!” You threw your arms around his neck and hugged him tight. “You’re the best, thank you so much!”
“Stop” Even if he firmly pushed you away from him, his hands on your waist felt gentle as they lingered for a bit longer than they needed to.
“Sorry” You chuckled, unable to contain your enthusiasm.
“Go get ready…” He averted his gaze, even if you caught a hint of a blush in his cheeks. “Before I change my mind”
You knew you were tempting fate, but you still showed him your gratitude with another little gesture. Before running away to avoid the consequences of it, you quickly kissed him in the cheek. You didn’t see the effect it had on him, other than hearing him stuttering and trying to recover.
_
You had been trying to get close to Cloud, but it seemed like an impossible task. The ex-SOLDIER was completely hermetic. When you tried to chatter, he only responded with hums or monosyllabics. When you hinted that you liked him, he was too oblivious to notice. When you touched him, he didn’t reciprocate.
Despite it all, you still had hope. Maybe Cloud wasn’t the best at expressing himself, or dealing with his emotions, but he didn’t reject yours. He might roll his eyes at your senseless chatter, but he never once was rude to you or left you midsentence. Although he didn’t understand the true meaning behind your kind words, he always made an effort to at least give you a small smile or a head nod. Whenever you touched him, he let you do it without pushing you away. It was little things like those that gave you hope.
“Great” His voice brought you out of your thoughts. “Show me again”
Nodding your head, you prepared your position. Your hands went up, hovering before your face. Your fingers were closed forming a fist, with the thumb out just like he had taught you. You punched forward, twisting your hips as you did to infuse your hits with as much power as possible. You slightly bended your knees as he had reminded you before, prepared to back away or dodge any attacks.
“Kay” His hands suddenly fell over yours, squeezing them a little to make sure your fists were firm and stable. “Uh… M-Make sure you don’t cover your eyes”
“Sure” You tried to pretend like his touch didn’t fluster you, instead concentrating on listening to his advice and lowering your fists a little.
“Now” Cloud cleared his throat, taking a step back to put some distance between you. “Wanna learn how to bring someone down?”
“Yeah!” You threw your fists in the air, being excited still and satisfied with your progress. “Show me, teach”
“You can, uh…” Upon seeing your big genuine smile, Cloud averted his eyes in order to concentrate. “One way to do it is sweep the leg”
“Uh-huh” You encouraged him, energetically nodding your head.
“Throw your body forward and use momentum against them” He continued instructing. “Then also sweep their legs forward with your foot to throw them off balance”
“Got it!” You exclaimed, nearly vibrating in the spot. “Can I try?”
He nodded his head, squaring his feet up and preparing for your attempt. You didn’t fail to notice he seemed quite skeptical, almost like he was just humoring you and didn’t expect you to succeed.
“Move forward” He reminded you, gesticulating from you to him. “And sweep the feet”
You nodded your head, throwing your weight as you held on to his shoulders.
“Like this?” As you pushed him backwards, you yanked his legs forward.
“Ah!” Cloud uttered in surprise, finding himself tumbling down with you on top of him. Even as his back thudded against the ground, he kept his eyes glued to you. “Y-Yeah”
You beamed, peering down at him with a big satisfied smirk. He only gawked at you, equally surprised and impressed.
“Did I hurt you?”
“Course not”
“How’d I do?”
“Good…” He managed to say, even though a tight frown of confusion occupied his features. “Good job”
“Thanks” You smiled, out of breath from the exertion of the whole training.
It was then when you realized how close you were. Apart from the fact that you were sitting on top of him, your noses almost touched and you firmly pushed down on him to keep him locked in place. Your hand was pressing down on his chest, which heaved up and down just like yours. His hands were on your hips as he tried to brace himself for the impact. Even as he had recovered from it, they lingered in that spot just like your hand did on his torso.
Following the example you always set, Cloud wrapped his hand around your wrist to communicate. You still didn’t want to leave off, enjoying that closeness far too much. Nonetheless, you lifted your hand and scurried off him.
“I’m impressed” He admitted, standing up and calmly dusting his pants.
“I’m a fast learner” You muttered in response to his astonishment, shrugging a little.
“Sure… Me too” Cloud said in deep thought, facing his back to you.
You frowned, confused about what he meant. There was something off about him all of a sudden. However, he turned held his hand out for you to take. Once you were pulled to your feet, you stared at him.
“Cloud?” Puzzled, you intently watched him. If you didn’t know any better, you would say he was up to something, and it was unlike him. “Everything okay?”
“You… you did it wrong” He said suddenly, moving too quickly for you to react.
“What did I…” You yelped in startle when he threw himself at you, demonstrating how to ‘properly’ tackle someone as he carefully threw you to the ground. “Cloud!!”
As you both returned to the same position as before, albeit reversed, you stared at each other. There was a new gleam in his mako eyes that made you understand. For the first time, you truly realized what was on his mind.
You had quickly learned how to fight, so much so that you had impressed the cool and stoic Cloud Strife. On the other hand, he was a fast learner too. Mimicking your attempts to bond with him, he had established physical contact in a way very much like him. You didn’t expect him to hug you out of nowhere, or hold your hand without a reason. But tackling you to the ground with the excuse of training you was the closest it would get, and you accepted it.
Taken aback by the moment, you erupted into laughter. Playfully hitting him the chest, you guffawed and kicked your legs as he kept you pinned down under him.
“Like that” His falsely stern tone seemed to intend to remind you of what you were doing. But he didn’t fool you any longer.
“Thanks, Cloud” You said when you recovered a little from your laughter.
He nodded and backed away from you. As he did, you caught a glimpse of a smile adorning his lips, a sight that you treasured in your memory forever.