#cloud strife reader insert

Your apartment had long been plunged into darkness when the front door creaked open, admitting a late-night visitor. Or rather, a late-night homecomer, as this apartment was not yours alone.

Cloud placed his sword by the door, propping it up against the wall once he had shut the door behind him. He let his eyes drift to you, curled up on the couch beneath a blanket. You hadn’t greeted him as you were completely indulged in your study of the weighty book resting in your hands. It didn’t bother him.

“Hey,” he spoke offhandedly, not expecting a response as he stepped further into the humble apartment. You gave off a hum in response, brows knitted together as you committed your whole attention to the words swimming in front of your tired eyes. Cloud hesitated then at the hallway leading to your separate rooms then, glancing back at you briefly.

“Whatcha reading?” He asked casually, choosing to commit a moment longer to you, his roommate. It just so happened that Midgar was short on apartments for broke people, and it just so happened that you were one of the few people that he could put up with. You were quiet, calm and minded your own business. You asked nothing of him, only that he paid his half of the rent. He was fine with that. But over the weeks, living within the same apartment had inevitably led you to become more acquainted with one another. Talking became more natural, all while holding that nonchalance that had always been there. Conversations that didn’t mean anything. The easy kind.

Grateful for an excuse to get away from your reading if only for a moment, you let your gaze wander to Cloud, lazily stretching out over the couch. He was filthy. Cloud always came back like that. In the early hours of the morning, looking like he had just tumbled in the Midgar dirt. You never really asked him why, just like you never asked him about the massive sword he carried around. This was Midgar, after all. Nothing’s too weird to be true. The blonde had opened up to you about a couple things in time, though, as you had with him. “Oh, you know, the usual.” You gave a quiet groan, rubbing your hand over your eyes. They were burning from the strain of pulling an all-nighter. “University stuff.”

“Yeah.” Cloud nodded then, somewhat awkwardly. Like he didn’t know how to respond to that. He wasn’t big on talking. “You want a coffee?” But he was still very thoughtful, in his own way. You smiled at the proposition, nodding as you suppressed a yawn.

“Yeah. That’d be great, actually.”

“Give me a minute.” 

“Thanks, Cloud.” You called after him, but you got no response. Sighing through your nose, you curled back onto the couch, casting a wary look down at your book. You had been at it for hours, slaving away at your university assignments. It may seem silly to those like Cloud who were out there doing actual jobs. But to you, it was important. It was your chance at a better future than one in the slums.

You hadn’t realized you were falling asleep right then, nodding off as you fell deeper and deeper into your thoughts until Cloud came back with two mugs in his hands. “You okay?” He asked you, mako eyes burning into your face as you were startled awake with a quiet snort. You flushed in embarrassment but the mercenary didn’t even seem to notice it, handing you your cup of coffee.

“Thanks.” You brought the drink to your lips, feeling Cloud’s weight plop down on the couch next to you. He casually slung his arm over the side of the couch opposite of yours, making himself comfortable in his filthy state. You didn’t complain. “Did you get in a fight with Barret again?” 

Cloud’s gaze followed yours, focusing on a bruise on his arm, one too large to have been caused by a mere trip-up. He didn’t show a reaction, leaning back against the couch as he shrugged.

“Maybe.”

You laughed quietly then, shaking your headd. Sounds about right. It did kind of surprise you, though, that a guy as quiet as Cloud always seemed to be getting into fights. A silence fell over you both as you held your mugs in your hands, simply enjoying the cover of peace that only existed at night in this city. You could still hear the distant ruckus of breaking glass and drunken shouting from further down the street, sure, but it was nothing to how rowdy it would get during the daytime.

“You should really go sleep if you’re tired.”

Cloud’s voice broke into your thoughts as you looked over to him, finding him looking back. His expression was its usual. Neutral, unreadable. Except in time you had learned to pick up one small but crucial detail. His brows were furrowed in the slightest, eyes set on you intently. Like he meant it. He had shifted out of his lazy slouch, sitting up in the slightest. Attentive.

You showed him a tired smile then. Cloud was right. Some shut-eye wouldn’t hurt you. But you absolutely had to get this reading done by tomorrow. “I know. But these books won’t read themselves.”

“Can I help?” 

You had to admit you were surprised by the prompt reply, feeling his eyes burn into yours. It didn’t seem like he was letting up. Truth be told, this kind of attention was not something you saw everyday from your roommate. It was a side of him you got to see slowly, bit by bit as talking became easier. In a way, perhaps he was seeing that side of you too, ever since you had first offered to stitch up his wounds for him.

You shook your head. After that it was like Cloud hadn’t said anything at all, his posture relaxing as he laid back against the couch and turned to focus on the empty TV screen. But you did reconsider his offer after a moment. “Well… There might be something.” You heard him hum absently. “Maybe you can stay up with me until I’m done?”

Cloud didn’t respond right away. You figured he was giving it some thought as he leaned back further against the couch and crossed his arms. His answer came shortly after. “Sure. I wasn’t planning on going to sleep yet, anyway.”

“Great.” You showed him a grateful smile, making yourself comfortable on the couch. “Thanks.” 

And so you read, and so did Cloud, picking up some book he found laying around. ‘LOVELESS’. Ha. You hadn’t taken him for the type. Or perhaps he wasn’t. Peeking at him from over the top of your book, watching his focused eyes and tireless demeanor, you had to wonder if he really had meant to stay up or if he was doing it because you had asked him to. Regardless, his company was… nice. It made it easier to study this late into the night, knowing someone else was there with you.

About an hour in, just as you were nearing the end of your chapter Cloud slid off the couch, stretched his hands over his head and straightened out. “Going to shower. I’ll be back in a bit.” He told you from over his shoulder, blue eyes briefly meeting yours as you nodded. He left, the sound of the shower soon letting itself be known as you dove back into your reading.

By the time Cloud came back you were fast asleep, book held limply in your hands as your body was slumped against the back of the couch. He frowned a bit, examining the scene as he wondered what to do. In the end he chose not to wake you. Instead he moved the book out of your hands, marking the page before he placed a blanket over you. The nights were cold in the slums. He let himself observe you for a moment, shaking his head. He wished you had taken his words more seriously. At this rate you were working more than he was. However, it seemed sleep had gotten the better of you. In any case, it seemed that reading that was so important to you would have to wait until tomorrow.

“Night.”

“Today’s special, please.”

There he was again. That stoic merc everyone in town had been talking about lately. Rumour says he was a rather unsociable man, but… 

He came to your café once, and had been coming back since. Once a week, Thursdays, 2pm flat. Every single time.

And for a guy who had such an intimidating reputation… Well. He surprised you with his politeness every time he came in.

“Coming right up. Take a seat.” Bowing respectfully, you retreated within the confines of the kitchen to cook up Cloud Strife’s meal. Today? Spaghetti with garlic bread. Simple, but comforting. Your homemade food was what your regulars coming back weekly. Or at least that’s how it had been before.

“Thank you for waiting.” Within a few minutes you came back to your sole customer of the day. He had taken a seat by one of the three round tables sitting outside the abandoned wagon you had sought refuge in lately. Not as charming as those higher-class cafés and restaurants, that’s for sure. Business… had been rough lately. Yet the mercenary gratefully accepted the meal, mumbling a polite ‘thank you’ before he picked up his utensils, seeming to hesitate in your presence. You smiled warmly.

“Dig in.”

That’s all it took. The switch was immediate, from polite and poised to absolutely famished. It was funny. Endearing, even. Every time the blonde had come into your café, he ate like it was his first meal in days.

“More, please.” 

And with his manners? Almost boyish, the way he’d stare at you expectantly with his hand outstretched as he gave his emptied plate back for another serving.

“I got you covered.” 

Back into the kitchen you went, and back you came with another healthy heapful of spaghetti for the man. Cloud never had much to say, so you usually did most of the talking when he’d drop by. He didn’t seem to mind it. Never really gave any elaborate answers to your small talk, but you didn’t mind it either. Sometimes people just need a break and some good food.

“When’s the last time you ate?” You asked by the time Cloud was on his third plate, and finally starting to slow down a bit. It was almost fascinating, to watch him wolf it all down like it was nothing. And deep down, you didn’t really judge. He didn’t seem the type to have a loving family and warm food to come home to.

The man paused. “This morning,” he answered after a moment, before going back to eating. You raised both brows at that, a hint of amusement gracing your smile.

“And you’re this hungry?” 

Strife shrugged. “It’s part of the job.”

“Is it a SOLDIER thing?”

Cloud stopped eating then, and you found yourself regretting those words. Had they been a bit too bold? Of course most knew about the merc’s former association to Shinra. Whether the rumours were founded in truth or not didn’t matter when the glowing eyes gave it away. You had been about to apologize and to excuse yourself when the man turned his gaze to you, freezing you in place. Those mako eyes… Not annoyed. Calm. Thoughtful. They swept over your surroundings then, the dirt and grime of the Midgar slums.

“Your café hasn’t always been like this, has it?” The man spoke out of the blue, taking you by surprise. He seemed to take your stunned silence as an invitation to continue. “You’re a lot better at this than the other locals. You worked someplace big?”

You could only stare at the sudden bombardment of… Compliments? Were these compliments, coming from a man who fought monsters straight from your nightmares for a living? Finding him staring back expectantly… You could only assume he was being genuine about this. Or perhaps he simply wasn’t realizing the nature of what he had just said.

You nodded then, finally getting your voice back. “Yeah. I used to own a café in Sector 1 before the Mako Reactor blew. My home was destroyed, so I had to move.”

It was Cloud’s turn to be silent, blinking a bit as he processed the information. His emptied plate seemed to have long been forgotten now, the fork sitting idly next to it.

“Sorry about your home,” he spoke after a moment, turning his gaze back to the plate in front of him. You simply showed a smile, genuine and grateful.

“That means a lot.” A pause. “So… Are you still hungry?”

“What’s that damn merc up to anyway?! We told him the meeting was at 3 tops!”

Seventh Heaven was in chaos as always, with the members of AVALANCHE running around in disarray as Marlene chased after them, giggling excitedly. Tifa? Unfazed through it all, showing her impatient friend a smile from behind her counter as she prepared him a drink to calm his nerves. But… Barret was right. Where was Cloud?

“If he’s not here now, I don’t think he’s coming.” Tifa hesitated to speak the words, out of fear that Barret would just explode. Truth be told, though, they needed not be spoken at all. It was a blatant fact. Cloud… was a difficult guy to grasp. And he didn’t seem to care too much about this AVALANCHE stuff.

“Damn spikyheaded ass! I’ll show him!!” Barret’s outburst was almost comedic as he stomped around on his seat, waving his hands around. But even he seemed to come to terms with the situation as he calmed down, heaving a heavy sigh as he crossed his arms and slumped onto his seat. No point in getting so worked up over it. “Y’don’t suppose he’s at that café again?”

“Thanks for the meal.” Cloud always left so soon. He never really stayed for the small talk like most of your regulars had before the bombing of Mako Reactor 1. You never asked him to stay, though, simply showing him a smile as you got his cheque ready for him. But today… You did want to ask him one thing, before he left.

“Cloud.” He hummed, head snapping up at attention to meet your gaze as you spoke his name. “Why… do you come here? Why come here when there’s all those other big, nice cafés in the sector?”

The man furrowed his brows then, his gaze falling to the side as he shrugged. “I like your food.”

You frowned a bit then, watching him attentively. That couldn’t be all of it. You… felt it. There was something more. Was he hiding something?

“I’ve heard rumours…” You felt your heart race in your chest as you gathered the courage to address the question that had been burning in your mind since the first time he had returned for ‘today’s special’. “That… You don’t come here just for the food.”

“Why would he go there when he can have free food here?! It’s part of his damn pay! That guy don’t know how to show some damn gratitude!”

Tifa couldn’t hold back a chuckle as she watched Barret get riled up all over again, swinging his arms around. Even though Barret had a point, and it stung her heart that her childhood friend avoided spending any more time than necessary with AVALANCHE… Tifa was starting to think she may understand Cloud’s motives a bit better.

“I think… It just helps him to have someone who doesn’t expect anything from him.”

No favours, no battles. Just a warm meal and a ‘thanks’.

“...Maybe I don’t.”

Cloud’s answer came in the end. He stood then, your shocked eyes burning into his face as he slung his sword over his back and dropped a generous portion of Gil onto the table.

“Keep the change. I’ll see you next week?”

You found yourself unable to answer, cheeks burning in the slightest as you watched him stalk off back the way he came in that calm, unfazed way of his.

But when he had gotten up to leave…