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The room was quiet. The only noticeable sounds were the quiet humming of the cheap AC and gentle breathing. I laid my head comfortably on Cloud’s chest, tucked into his side with my arms on his torso. My legs wrapped around one of his— I would never understand how he could sleep on his back, but I also wasn’t complaining. He made a great pillow this way.
One of the mercenary’s arms was angled above my head so that his now-gloveless hand could rest in my hair, running through the strands mindlessly every so often; the other rested on his chest and over my hand. Here, with him, in these fragile moments of stillness, I felt so safe. Since we’d started sharing a bed, the frequency of his nightmares went down significantly, and my ability to sleep soundly had increased as well. Right now, however, I wasn’t trying to sleep. Rather, I was basking in Cloud’s warmth— thinking about how lucky I was to be the one he chose. Between gorgeous, strong Tifa; beautiful, kind Aerith; and tall, awkward me; I had somehow, by some miracle of the planet, been the one he picked to trust with his heart. Just the thought of it caused my eyes to glaze over a bit.
He was… so perfect. Cloud Strife, my Cloud, was the most incredible, handsome, and adorably dense man to grace Gaia. His physical self— oh, I could go on about him for hours on end. Those striking Mako eyes that seemed to pierce straight into your soul, framed by delicate blonde lashes; his soft hair and sharp features which seemed to contrast just so; his strong physique which was deceptively lean but infinitely powerful— the list goes on and on.
What really caught me, however, was his heart. Cloud Strife was such a gentle soul. Thinking about the pain he’s been through makes my own chest ache, he’s tough as hell but certainly not as mean as he likes to pretend he is. That tenor voice, softening just for me when he asks “are you okay?”, or the gentleness of his hands when he intertwined his fingers with my own and squeezes ever-so-slightly to let me know he’s there— it has more than once caused me to weep.
Here, in this moment, I feel completely whole. My heart overflows with love for the stubborn ex-SOLDIER, and I sigh deeply. This causes him to stir slightly. I can tell by the way he inhales deeply and starts to stroke my hair.
“You’re still awake?” he questions, so quietly that I almost only feel the vibrations from his chest rather than hear him.
“...yeah. Not for any reason, though, don’t you worry.” I whispered back. He hums in response.
The sound of sheets rustling cuts through the quiet, and Cloud rolls over on his side to look at me better. Those bright blue eyes are so captivating, and even though they’re sleepy, I can see the adoration they hold and my breath catches in my throat.
“I’ll worry either way. It’s my job as your personal bodyguard,” he jokes, then adds teasingly, “and boyfriend too, I guess.” I huff at him a little, but smile anyways.
Cloud adjusts himself to accommodate the new angle he’s put himself in, shuffling upwards so that his slightly shorter form envelops my own. He rests his chin atop my head, an arm now wrapped around my back, the other under my head to once again get an angle at resting his hand atop my hair. He knows how much I love it when he plays with my hair, and how much it comforts me— my mother used to brush it for me all the time. She always told me how beautiful it was— how beautiful I was.
Our legs are tangled once more, and he quietly but firmly insists that I try to sleep. And as his fingers card over my scalp and through the strands of thick hair; as I feel and hear his steady breathing and heartbeat, I find it difficult to resist his demands. Starlight washes over our bodies, promising to deliver us sweet dreams as our minds drift into unconsciousness.