A/N: This is something my friends and I used to sit a chat about. It's a crossover between Kingdom Hearts & Final Fantasy. It also involves our OC's which is a little risky at times, but we really have a good time talking about this and I have a lot in mind for continuing this story if it's liked. Enjoy
Chapter 1: An Exciting Beginning
It was pretty quiet for a Friday night as Willow sat in her apartment. Her roommate, Zack had been out all week on a mission. She had her laptop placed on her folded knees and was typing away at her thesis of Organic Plant Potions and sighing while doing so. It was true, she enjoyed her chemistry class, as well as the fun she and her friends had caused quite often, but writing a very long essay on the proper ways to mix them in exact amounts of beakers and solutions to create healing remedies was not a joyful event.
She chewed her bottom lip as she read over her work and reached for another strawberry out of the bowl she had placed on her glass coffee table in front of her. "I should write about the time Brae blew up half the class in anger" she grinned as she dipped the strawberry into the cream cheese fruit mixture next to the bowl. "That would be more interesting" She bit into the strawberry and reached her other hand for her chamomile tea that was cooling. It was most likely going to be a long, quiet night.
After finishing the strawberry, she picked up her glass mug and raised it to her nose to inhale the sweet smells of honey, milk and tea. "Mmmm…" She smiled as she took a small sip. She glanced around at the candles that she had lit to relax her mind and a swirl of peach, cinnamon and lilac filled her senses as she let her head rest on the back of her soft brown loveseat. She sipped some more of her tea.
"I really wish I could just take a nap and wake up with this damn thing already written. 3 hours of writing the proper mixes of juniper, sage and soda bicarbonates are a complete bore right now and my brain is turning to mush." She sat forward and placed her now nearly empty mug back on the table. "Maybe I need a break" She said as she reached for another strawberry. "And perhaps a glass of wine." Grinning, she saved her work and closed the laptop. She placed it on the small side table, popped the strawberry in her mouth and stretched her legs out. She continued to stretch her arms up as she stood from the couch to walk towards her dining room pantry.
Willow had already grabbed a bottle of moscato and an ice bucket to chill the wine in, when the sound of her phone made her gasp and jump slightly.
"Who the heck is calling me at…" She glanced at the clock on her stove "2:30 in the morning?"
She put the ice bucket and bottle of wine on the table and ran towards her phone. She recognized the sound as her text tone. "Maybe its Em and she's having a boring night as well." She picked up her phone and headed back towards the kitchen. Sliding her finger across the lock and expecting to see "The Bestie" in the ID. She was shocked to see the name that appeared instead. Cloud Strife.
She furrowed her eyebrows together as she stared at the name and began to type in her password. "Why is Cloud texting me this early in the morning?" She had already reentered her kitchen and saw it was photo message. "This could take a bit" She said and put her phone on the table.
While the message loaded, she grabbed the ice bucket. Walking to the freezer, she opened it and put a few handfuls of ice into the bucket. She closed the freezer and bent to open the refrigerator. She reached for a bowl of mixed grapes and pulled that out as well. When she turned back to her table, she shut the fridge door with her hip and walked forwards. Placing the bucket of ice on the table along with the bowl of grapes, she picked up her now fully visible message on her cell phone and put the bottle of moscato in the ice with the other hand. She pulled out a chair to sit down at the table and go through the few pictures that were now uploaded on her phone. It was Cloud, Reno and a few other guys she had seen around the campus. From the looks in the background they were at some kind of night club, probably a local area, since Friday was a party night off of campus.
"Looks like fun." Willow smiled at her phone as she scrolled. "But I have a stupid report due in less than a week." She sighed and started to stand to go back to the living room. But first she walked to the cupboard and pulled out a crystal wine glass with a pentacle etched on it, a gift from the girls of her coven, she turned on her toes and picked up the bucket after placing the grape bowl inside. She had the glass between her fingers and placed the bucket between her elbow and hip. She started to laugh scrolling through the pictures of the guys making faces at the shots lined on the table. Some where of dancing and a lot of laughing. She had already set the bucket on the coffee table and pulled the grapes to the side of her bowl of strawberries and was sitting down when her phone began to ring again. She sat down and crossed her legs as she scanned to read the message. Another from Cloud.
'Hey. Sorry it's so late. Are you awake?' She smiled at her phone as she responded
'Sure am. Writing a boring paper for chem. class. Looks like you're having fun though. What's up?' She hit send and leaned forward to grab a grape when her phone had already received Clouds response.
'Having a rough night, need a friend to talk to. Is it okay if I come over?' Willow dropped the grape and looked at her phone with a concerned look. Sure didn't look like he was having a rough night in those pictures. Maybe too much tequila? But what if he's drunk? How would he be getting here?
"Wait if he's drunk he wouldn't be typing accurate sentences you idiot!" Willow said as she slapped herself in the forehead. Besides, it's Cloud. He's totally hot and wants to hang out with you. She looked over at her laptop, bit her lip and looked back at her phone. 'Just type YES you tard' Her inner voice was screaming at her and it took some control to type in her next message.
Willow held her phone firmly and typed "Is something wrong? I'm awake if you need to talk. You know you're always welcomed to the apartment to get away from the barracks."
She let a breath out as she hit send, and like an eager child on Christmas waited for her phone to ring again. When it did her fingers quickly slid to read the message. It was from Brae.
"Ahhh…" she let out a frustrated grunt as she read the short message. 'Annual picnic lunch at the quad tomorrow, you're in charge of dessert. Sorry so late, just remembered. Love Ya!' Willow slid to the keyboard and typed
'Not a problem, awake anyways. Chem. thesis sucks and I'll bring something with chocolate!' As she hit send, the phone vibrated and as she slid the button over she smiled widely as this time it was Cloud.
'Good to know. Thank You. I'll be there soon.'
Willow was setting her phone down on the table and sitting forward when she realized what was going on and the butterflies in her stomach started to flutter out of control.
"Oh. My. Goddess! Cloud is coming over to hang out! Why am I acting like a giddy little school girl?!" It's not like she hadn't hung out with Cloud before. They had been friends right from the start when they'd been partnered in sparing and he didn't judge her for being a girl like most of the other pricks in the class had. Sure she had kicked his butt and flipped him on the mat several times that afternoon, but he had laughed and said she was one of the best he had ever seen skilled with a staff no matter if she was a girl or not. The fact that they both excelled in their studies only made it that much easier to talk to him. But the truth was, they had never really 'hung out' off of campus, aside from the few times going to the club. They were always with friends though, and the fact that alcohol made it so much easier to flirt shamelessly with anyone, especially when they happen to be a super hot guy with a toned body wearing a nice fitting shirt to show off said muscles. Now Cloud was coming to her place. To hang out. Alone.
"Crap" Willow stood up and began to clean her few items left out around the living room. She grabbed the bowls of fruit and dip and put them in the fridge. She walked quickly back to the living room, picked up her tea mug and a jogged into the kitchen to put it in the sink, turned the dining room light off and grabbed her iPod from the counter.
"I'm gonna need some music so there isn't that awkward silence" She placed it on the music dock in the living room and set it to shuffle. She straightened her running shorts and adjusted her purple tank top before realizing "Great. I look like a scrub. That's what I get for wanting a comfy night!"
She ran quickly through the living room and dashed into her bedroom hitting the light switch on the way in. Slipping out of her shorts she reached for a pair of jeans with studs on the pockets and a black cover-up top that was slightly see through to throw over her shoulders. She pulled her brown hair from the messy ponytail and ran her fingers through it to get out the poof.
"Oh that's nice. Now I look like I have sex hair!" She grunted as she looked in the mirror and reached for a few bobby pins. She wrapped a bit of her hair to the side and pinned enough to keep it out of her face with just her bangs hanging over the corner of her left eye.
"Well…I guess that's better. Damn, I think I'm fussing too much over Cloud." She said looking in the mirror "Wait! I need eye liner!" She quickly reached for the pencil already on her desk and traced under her eyes to highlight the bright blues of her iris. She sighed as she stepped back to check out her look in the mirror.
"That's a little better. At least you don't look like a bum any more." Willow started to walk to her living room after switching the light off in her bedroom and shutting the door. She began to sing to the Adele song on her iPod and relax a little.
"Maybe I could get a glass of wine while I wait." She walked over and sat on the edge of her loveseat, reached for the moscato with one hand and pulled her glass closer with the other. As she opened to bottle the butterflies were starting to come back. "Don't make me drown you, you damn bugs!" She said as she poured the wine into the glass. She had put the bottle back on the table and was picking up her glass to take a sip when there was a knock on the door.
Willow turned her head and stared at the entrance to her apartment. She suddenly forgot how to breathe. Another knock came a little louder then the first.
'Answer the door stupid!' It took her inner voice for her to stand up and walk quickly to the door to unlock it. When she pulled it open Cloud was in the hallway looking down at the floor. He looked up to meet her eyes and a small smile broke across his face. Willow started to smile and realized she still had the wine glass in her left hand.
"Oh great. You come over to talk and I look like an alcoholic!" She said looking at the glass. This made Cloud laugh slightly and she could see the beautiful smile behind his smooth lips.
"Uh hi…come in." Willow said as she returned the smile and stepped aside.
"Thanks." Was the simple reply that came from Cloud as he stepped forward. "And you don't look like an alcoholic. Just someone relaxing at home on a Friday night."
Willow smiled as she closed the door. She watched Cloud remove his black leather jacket and drape it over his arm. "You want me to hang that up for you?" She said looking at the jacket.
"That's okay. I'll just put it on the back of a chair if you don't mind." Cloud started to walk towards the kitchen.
"Okey Doke." Willow said and made a face behind Clouds back as she once again slapped her forehead 'Okey Doke? What are we 10?' Her inner voice was really starting to piss her off and she took a large gulp off her glass in her hand.
Cloud was walking back to the living room and stopped in front of Willow in the darkness of the living room as she took another sip from the glass in her hand. "Um…how've you been Cloud?" She said looking at the floor. 'That was stupid, stupid!' Holy Crap her inner voice was gonna give her a major headache it if didn't shut up. She finished the wine in the glass with a final tip up and walked to place it on the table.
It was only after she had set the glass down and was standing back up again when she realized that Cloud too had moved as his boots were in front of her eyes. She stood slowly taking in the sight of the man in her living room. He was wearing a pair of slightly warn blue jeans that flared at the bottoms and the light blue shirt that fell slightly over the hem of his pants had a pattern of white that was almost cosmic on it. There was a white shirt tucked into his pants and a simple black belt with a star stud was wrapped around his very toned waist. It was only as she lifted her head higher to meet his eyes that she noticed the few streaks running down his cheeks and she stood quicker.
"Cloud! What's wrong?" There was concern in her voice now and the only thought in her mind was why is Cloud, this super sexy man standing in my living room crying? There was a small sob that escaped his lips and without another thought she reached forward to wrap her arms around his waist. Willow was almost surprised when she heard a sigh and felt the tension leave Cloud as he put his arms around her shoulders and pulled her closer to him. She thought she could feel him tremble slightly as another sob escaped his lips and he bent forward to bury his face into her neck. She began to make shushing sounds and felt the hot tears start run down her neck as she held him in her arms and let him just cry.
She reached one of her hands up to rub Clouds back in comforting circles and the other wrapped around the back of his neck and ran into his hairline. She could feel the heat coming from his neck and knew he must be pretty upset if his body was overheating. She ran her fingers from the top of his blonde head to the base of his neck again and tried to comfort her friend. At least get him to calm down enough to tell her what was going on. She really wanted to kiss the base of his neck to calm him, as she felt the heat resonate around her face, but instead her lips stopped at the edge of his right ear and she began to whisper comforting words as she continued to rub his back with her hand and the other rested on his neck. She heard a sniffle and felt Cloud move slightly to pull away. She hesitated but allowed him to lift his head and once again met those mako blue eyes that now were lined with red. He had lifted his head but his hands had moved down to her sides as if he were afraid she would move away from him. Willow reached up with her hand and slowly wiped away a trail of the tears as Cloud closed his eyes at the soft, comforting touch.
"What's wrong Cloud?" Willow whispered and continued to stroke his cheek.
Clouds voice was barely a whisper and a little choked as he said "A lot of things. It's all too much" and opened his eyes to stare into hers again. Willow moved her hand to the other side of Clouds face to remove those tears and again he closed his eyes. Cloud felt the gentleness of her thumbs slide down his cheeks and was a little disappointed when she had pulled away.
Cloud let go of Willow's waist and felt the slight tug as she pulled him to the loveseat. He opened his eyes and let his feet carry him forward. Once in front of the sofa he sat down and was a little surprised to see Willow still standing in front of him. "Be right back." She said in a soft voice as she released his hand.
A quick nod was all he could manage, but she smiled at him as she walked away. Cloud leaned back into the very comfortable sofa and closed his eyes. He could hear movement in the kitchen and heard the sound of running water then the ting of glass. He bent forward to rub his eyes and he heard soft footsteps coming towards him but didn't look up from rubbing his eyes that were slightly sore from crying. He felt like and idiot for crying in front of Willow, but all the emotions from recent events just poured out suddenly. He needed to talk to her, but this was not the way he wanted to start things.
Cloud sighed as he felt the warmth of a wet washcloth placed over the back of his neck. There was a calming smell about it. He couldn't place the smell to the cloth or if it was Willow. Perhaps it was a combination of both, but he breathed in the strong smell of lavender, mint and eucalyptus and his eyes were instantly relieved.
"Better?" Willow said gently as she sat next to Cloud on the loveseat.
"Much. Thank you." Cloud said as he raised his head up to see her leaning forward and pouring wine into the two glasses in front of her.
"A little trick I learned from Emily. She's big into holistic healing and herbal medicine." She smiled and handed Cloud one of the glasses. "This is something I learned from all my friends. Nothing calms nerves like a nice glass of wine."
She had that soft smile across her lips again and Cloud reached for the glass. "Alright" He said simply and tipped the glass slightly to taste the pink liquid within. Cloud was never really drank wine, too girly of a drink in his opinion, but this stuff was actually pretty good. Slightly sweet but a little bitter at the same time.
"You're not much of a wine drinker, are you?" His thoughts were interrupted by the smile on Willow's face as she spoke.
"No. Not really." Cloud said and was glad that he was actually able to smile back.
"I might have some schnapps or a beer if you'd like that instead." Willow said and started to stand. Cloud reached up to grab her wrist and pull her back down to the loveseat.
"This is actually really good, I don't mind it at all" He said with a smile still on his face and was glad to see her relax and sit back down next to him.
As they sat side-by-side and sipped their wine in silence listening to the softness of the music, Willow had in the back of her mind to know what had made such a tough guy like Cloud Strife break down and cry, but she was enjoying his less emotional company at the moment. Cloud had laid his head back and his eyes were closed. Willow wanted so desperately to reach up and stroke down those soft cheeks and make him open his gorgeous blue eyes to look into hers again. It made her heart beat like a hummingbird and she loved the feeling of warmth that filled her body.
She wondered if Cloud felt the same way about her and was thinking of how to ask him something on that topic, when the iPod in the corner of the candlelit room began to play 'Just s Kiss' by Lady Antebellum and she looked wide eyed to the spot in her living room.
"Oh Jeez!" Her hand flew to her cheek. "Candles, wine, a dark room and slow music! This is an awkward song right now" She placed her glass on the table and was about to stand when she felt Clouds hand on her wrist again and heard the slight chuckle leave his lips.
His eyes were now open and staring at her. All the redness was gone and just the blue shown brightly by the light of the many candles. She lowered slowly back onto the loveseat as Cloud leaned forward to place his glass next to hers on the table. He removed the cloth from his neck and let it fall to the floor. His now glassless hand moved to caress the side of her face and as their eyes met he said in a very low, and sexy voice "I think it's the perfect song to be playing right now."
The butterflies were exploding in Willow's stomach as she realized what was about to happen. She felt the backside of his fingers move down her cheek and her breath quickened as he leaned closer to her on the loveseat.
It seemed like it all happened in slow motion. His hand slid to her chin to lift her head slightly and their eyes locked as his head began to move towards hers. She could feel the warmth of his breath and smell the sweetness of the wine. She closed her eyes and titled her head to the side to welcome his swollen lips with her own when suddenly….her phone began to ring.
She snapped her head back opening her eyes. "Damn it! Who the hell?" Willow was pulled from her bliss and to the reality that was ringing and bouncing on her coffee table. Cloud sat back and looked at the phone like he was going to rip it apart. Willow almost wished she had let him after looking at the caller ID. It was Reno.
"Why the Hell is that menace calling me this late?" She said annoyed and looked at the phone.
"Are you gonna answer it though?" Cloud looked at Willow to see what her reaction was.
"I guess." she huffed grabbing the phone. Willow slid her finger angrily across the lock and held the phone to her ear. " Reno, you better have one hell of a good excuse for calling me at this time of night!"
"Oh my goodness Willow. I didn't think you would be so upset." It wasn't Reno on the other line, it was Brae. "Did I wake you up? I know you said you'd up late."
Willow sighed and rubbed her forehead as she stood, walked around the coffee table and into to the kitchen. "No. I'm awake. Why are you calling me from Reno's phone?"
She could hear him talking in the background. "Just a minute." Brae responded into the earpiece. "I left my phone in Reno's car. Did you get your text for tomorrow?"
Willow walked to the sink and reached for a glass. "Yeah. I got it. I'm guessing you didn't get my response if you don't have your phone." She turned on the tap to let the water run for a few moments before placing her glass under the faucet.
"No. I think read it. Did it say chocolate something?" Brae said and Willow could hear her moving around.
"Yes. I will make something with chocolate for the lunch tomorrow. Is there anything else you need tonight Brae?"
Willow heard a giggle come from the phone followed by a "Stop it! I'm on the phone" before she let out a sigh and pulled her cup out from under the faucet. "Are you annoyed about something Willow?"
She heard the concern in her friends voice and couldn't be mad at her. She walked over to the fridge, grabbed a strawberry and took a few bites from it. "Well….I kind of have someone over right now, if you know what I mean. Besides, it sounds like your already a little busy." Willow made air quotes to herself around the last word.
"Who's over there? Is he hot?" Brae gasped into the phone.
"Goodnight Brae" Willow chuckled throwing the top of the strawberry away and picking up her glass of water.
"I want a full report tomorrow!" Brae shouted as Willow pulled the phone from her ear.
"I'm sure you do, but I don't." She was muttering to herself as she turned around and turned her phone to OFF. She had hit the light switch and was walking back to the living room when she looked up and saw Cloud standing in the middle of her dining room…shirtless.
A/N: Me~So what do we think?
Brae~I like it!
Me~Well yeah, you're in it! *laughs at DUH! look on her face*
Brae~Write More!
Me~Next Chapter. So let me know what you guys think so far. fair warning, the next chapter is very steamy!