literature

Stars. (Cloud Strife x Reader)

Deviation Actions

xKiaraAngelx's avatar
By
Published:
4.3K Views

Literature Text

Trigger-warning: Mentions of self-harm and anxiety.




She stared into the darkness. The darkness that contained everything and absolutely nothing at all. It was the only thing she could do peacefully, no one could tell her she was doing it wrong, right? Slowly, a light emerged from the shadows, then another and another. Soon enough the sky was filled with stars. She took out a cigarette and lit it, its end burning audibly in the quiet night. She inhaled again, puffing out a little ring of smoke.

The blond had been looking for her for at least an hour now, and then it hit him. There was this one particular place where she retreated to when she felt overwhelmed by, well, everything. Minutes later, he found her. You.
You were still in the same spot, sitting on the cold ground, puffing your cigarette.

"They're beautiful tonight, aren't they?" you said, to let him know you were aware of his presence. He approached you ever so slowly, as not to disturb you. You seemed at peace for once, something he hadn't seen lately. As he sat down next to you, you extended the cigarette to him.
"Want one?" you asked, your eyes not leaving the stars.

"(Y/n), you know I don't smoke." he frowned.

"Oh, that's right." you whispered more to yourself than to him as you put the cigarette out, putting the butt back in the pack. "Stop frowning, it's not a good look on you."

"How do you know I'm frowning? You didn't even look at me." the corners of his mouth slightly turned upwards.

"Cloud, you're always frowning, it wasn't a hard guess." you shoved him playfully. Your (e/c) orbs turned to him for a moment, averting back to the stars shortly after.

"I don't think I've ever seen them shine so brightly." he was trying to make small talk.

"That's because you never take the time to really look at them. They've always been this way." you smiled.

"I guess I've been too busy lately to notice." he sighed, it wasn't just the stars he hadn't noticed properly. It was dark. So dark, he hadn't discovered the marks on her skin. Wounds cut deep by insecurity. That happened a while ago, though. You had risen from that bottomless pit in time. Yet, the feeling of helplessness remained. It was a hard battle. When your enemy is invisible, you don't really know how to fight. For a little while, everything was silent, only the sound of a breeze cutting through the grass and shaky breaths could be heard.

"Why don't we ever believe when someone compliments us a hundred times, yet we believe the first bad thing they say about us?" you spoke up. "It's just something I can't wrap my mind around."

He looked at you, taken aback by your words. It was something he had experienced in the past, but something he still didn't know how to deal with. He hummed, thinking about the right thing to say. He knew that words could cut deep, sometimes leaving wounds that would never heal.

"I think we should stop believing the lies we've been told about ourselves. We are not worth less than anybody else, in any way. You are not worth less than anyone else, (y/n)." you could feel those cerulean eyes staring right at you, but you did not dare meet his gaze. He knew about your insecurity, you weren't sure how, but he knew. Was it that obvious? You wanted to get another cigarette, but as soon as you opened the pack..

"You shouldn't do that, you know." you closed it and put it in your pocket.

"Yeah, I know. Sorry." you whispered, feeling a bit bad about it. "I don't do it that often, though." this was his way of showing he cared. And he did care, deeply. He hadn't felt that way about anyone before. He knew he had to act, it was getting colder and you were bound to head back soon.

"(Y/n)?" he was still not sure how to voice it properly without making a fool out of himself.

"Hmm? What is it?" you smiled at him gently. The gentle smile that he adored and couldn't get enough of.

"If I asked you to name all the things that you love, how long would it take for you to name yourself?" this took you by surprise, and it was written all over your face.

"A while." was the only response you could think of as you forced a laugh.

"Well, I lo-" he started, but you were quicker.

"Don't say it. Not yet." a single finger pressed against his lips. He lowered your hand, keeping it caged inside his own. You were lying if you said it didn't make your heart skip a beat.

"How did you know what I was going to say?" 

"I'm not a fool. I can see it in your eyes, Cloud Strife, as clearly as you can see the stars up there." you chuckled. You knew you had to give him an answer, but you were so scared of his reaction, and quite honestly, you didn't want him to let go of your hand. Ever.
"I need to learn how to love myself first, before loving anyone else. I don't want to let you down, too."

"You won't. I promise." he squeezed your hand just a little tighter.

"Okay." he slowly wrapped his arms around you and you felt... safe. You rested your head on his chest and listened to his heart beat. It showed you the way, like a heartbeat, slow and steady.

The path of healing was not an easy one. But no one said it was a path you had to walk alone. And you were thankful for that.



The End.
I haven't written anything in so long.. I am finally done with all of the exams for now, I got into university, so there's that :meow:

Cloud Strife has been a character I've loved for a long time and I thought I'd try to write him a one-shot after watching Final Fantasy VII Advent Children. Not really related to the movie, but that doesn't matter :3

Lately, I've received notes and comments about some of my stories being reposted on other sites. If you happen to stumble upon something like that, please let me know. (If people steal them, does that mean they're good? lol)
I post these stories on deviantArt, wattpad (www.wattpad.com/user/YamikaKia…) and quotev (www.quotev.com/28309380).  Art theft sucks.

Anyway, thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy :heart:

I don't own the characters, nor the cover picture :iconeweplz:
© 2016 - 2024 xKiaraAngelx
Comments8
Join the community to add your comment. Already a deviant? Log In
UsanoMimi7's avatar
This gave me goose bumps. This is such an amazing story! Thank you for writing this. <3