A/N: Yay! It's chapter 4 I hope you've all been enjoying the story
so far, I've been having fun writing it. But I know this note isn't what
you're here to read so I'll just get on with the story now....
Chapter 4- Spending the Night
As the elevator reached the bottom with an echoing thud, the metal doors slid open to reveal Cloud's underground hideout.
"Please don't be afraid, it's kind of messy..." Cloud trailed off as he waited for Raven to step into the main room. As she did so, she took in the new surroundings, hoping to see more of what Cloud was like. An array of training equipment, much like you would see in a gym, aligned the right hand wall. Along the left there was an assortment of computer devices and other machines that she didn't recognize or know the use of. The walls themselves were hard gray steel, giving the room a cold, lonely look to it.
"Are you hungry?" Cloud asked as he followed her, picking up pictures and stuffing them into the drawers of an old desk that was holding one of the computers. He motioned to an open door in the back of the room that Raven assumed was the kitchen.
"I'm not starving," Raven replied shortly, looking at him with curiosity as he completed his task of hiding the photographs.
"Well, if you want anything, feel free to get it out of the fridge, although there's not much in there," Cloud said, brushing some papers off of the only chair in the semi-cluttered room. Raven continued to watch him and then decided to sit in the office chair, her legs were beginning to ache from the strain of dragging him earlier.
"I don't think I'll eat anything at the moment," she politely rejected his offer of food. Cloud just shrugged and continued tidying up a few things. It didn't look as though he had many visitors. As she watched him, she noticed his face begin to turn red under her gaze. He quickly finished what he was doing and came to sit on the concrete floor next to the chair.
"Why are you watching me?" he asked, curiosity and embarrassment evident in his voice.
/Again he seems so uncomfortable. I really don't understand him at all! He used to seem like he didn't feel anything at all and now he's totally different, showing embarrassment and concern and all./
Raven smiled at his show of emotion and replied, "I don't know...because you're interesting to watch I guess." After stating this, she moved out of the chair and sat on the floor next to Cloud.
"Although I'm you're 'guest' here, I don't like special treatment so I'm not going to sit in the chair while you have to be on the floor," Raven said, explaining her actions before he had time to open his mouth about it.
"You really shouldn't worry about it, I haven't used that chair in about three months..." Cloud said as he noticed a forgotten picture of a woman with long, chocolate-brown hair and quickly stuffed it into another desk drawer. "So what do you want to do?"
Raven quirked an eyebrow at the hiding of the picture, but decided it would be best to let it go for now. "Uh...it doesn't really matter to me..."
She noticed a slight look of relief on his face after hearing that she didn't mention the picture, although she was dying to know who the woman was.
"You want to watch some TV?" he asked, seeming as though he wanted to make sure she wasn't bored.
"Sure," Raven replied, smiling a fraction. Cloud turned to the wall opposite of the elevator and hit a few buttons concealed behind a metal plate near the kitchen door. A giant TV replaced the once bare wall, and Cloud grabbed the remote that rested next to it, hitting the "on" button. The black screen flickered to a fuzzy gray as he flipped through the channels, the screen remaining static the whole time.
"Damn, the storm must have knocked out my satellite," he said in response to the buzzing screen. Flipping the television off, Cloud returned to his spot on the floor next to Raven. They sat for a few moments in silence, neither moving nor knowing what to say.
The moments starched on, and Raven began to get cold, still being soaked through from the rain.
/Oh no, I can't start shivering. He's going to think I'm weak. Argh, I have to find some way to hide it.../
As she began to shiver, Raven stood up, acting as though she was going to look around a bit.
"Are you cold?" Cloud asked, fully aware of what she was doing. She blushed a little and gave up, sitting back on the floor beside him.
"Yeah, somewhat," Raven replied, wrapping her arms around herself as she tried to stop shaking. Cloud glanced over at her and moved so he was right next to her, putting his arm around her shoulders.
"You want to borrow a shirt or something?" he asked, holding her against him to make her warmer. Raven blushed but was secretly enjoying herself very much.
"I'll be fine. Thank you though," she replied, not wanting to accept anything else because it would mean he would let go of her. Cloud half shrugged and leaned back against the desk behind them, gently pulling Raven with him.
"Are you really sure you don't want anything?," he asked again, looking at her. "I just don't want to getting sick."
"I'm sure," she replied with a nod. "Don't worry, I rarely get sick, thankfully. Thanks for caring though..." She trailed off, smiling at him.
"You're really sure? Because I don't want to lose another friend..." he cut off his sentence, looking at the ground dismally.
"Yes, I'm perfectly fine, you're not going to lose me," she replied. Raven studied his face, happy that he considered her a friend. Suddenly she realized how close they really were, and how handsome his angel-like features were. She began to blush, almost smiling as she looked down at her feet, trying to avoid his gaze.
"May I ask why you're blushing so much?" Cloud inquired softly but with curiosity. Raven's blush deepened and her smile grew, revealing her perfect, white teeth.
"Well...I seem to have just realized how good-looking you really are and...well...I guess...it's just because I'm...becoming attracted to you..." she stammered out, now thoroughly embarrassed with dark red cheeks.
/Why did you just say that to him?! He's not supposed to know that! You're not even supposed to feel that! What are you thinking?!/
Cloud blushed then, pulling his scarf up more over his face in an attempt to hide it as he mumbled, "I-I'm sorry." He looked down at the floor, avoiding eye contact just as she was doing. Raven blushed even more, if it was possible, and continued to stare at her feet.
"N-no, it's not your fault..." She sighed and silently wished she hadn't told him now; it made everything awkward, including the fast that his arm was still wrapped around her.
"How is it not my fault?" he asked softly, still looking at the floor. Raven glanced at him out of the corner of her eye.
"Because I'm supposed to be able to control myself...and you can't help the way you are. It's not like you made me attracted to you on purpose..." she trailed off, looking away again. Cloud continued to look at the floor, seeming to be thinking hard about something.
"Maybe I was trying to a little..." he said, looking embarrassed. Raven blushed again, looking and feeling pleased although trying her best not to. "R-really?" was all she could stammer out at his remark.
"Yes...I've been attracted to you for awhile now..." Cloud's voice died away, and he continued to avoid her eyes. Raven almost smiled at his evident discomfort and embarrassment at sharing this with her.
"Well...I must say...I'm not cold anymore..." she said, not knowing exactly what she meant besides that she wasn't cold, although she knew she was trying to tell him something else as well. After saying this, she looked up, straight at his beautiful face, wanting him to meet her eyes. Instead, he blushed and realized that his arm was still around her. He gently pulled it away, apologizing.
"Oh s-sorry," was all he stammered. At that moment, the elevator door opened and the woman with the chocolate-brown hair from the photograph walked into the room, holding a bag of groceries in her arms.
"Cloud I'm—"she stopped short when she noticed Raven sitting against Cloud on the floor. A dark look came over her pretty face as she took in the situation, becoming angry.
"I-I'm sorry, Tifa," Cloud stammered, not moving out of complete shock.
"Cloud, I can't trust you, can I?!" she practically screamed, dropping the bag on the ground and putting her hands accusingly on her hips.
"I'm sorry..." Cloud said again, looking at the ground dejectedly.
"I'm afraid it's mostly my fault..." Raven spoke up, not wanting cloud to take the blame for anything. Tifa's eyes narrowed at her, sending silent death threats.
"No, don't try to take the blame, it's completely my fault," Cloud refused to let Raven defend him.
"You know what? It doesn't really matter to me. This is over anyway, Cloud, you and me. I'm done!" she yelled, throwing a golden locket at his feet. "And you can have you're stupid locket back. 'I'll always love you,' that was a lie!"
With that, Tifa scooped up her bag of food and stormed into the elevator, slamming the door behind her. For many minutes the only sound was that of the lift ascending to the ground above and then there was silence.
Raven glanced at Cloud, wondering what to do now. Cloud had a hand over his face with is eyes closed, looking distraught.
"I...I'm sorry, I should go now..." Raven apologized, making to stand.
"No, don't go, please," Cloud stopped her, looking up at her and gently placing a hand on her arm. "I'm sorry that had to happen while you were here...things were over between her and I long ago, I just didn't have the heart to tell her so until now, although I didn't say much."
Raven looked back at him, gazing into the depths of his icy blue eyes that seemed to be so warm right now. They sat that way for a few moments, neither speaking until she became curious about something.
"Why were you sorry earlier, before Tifa came in?" she asked. Cloud blushed a little and looked down.
"Well, when you said you weren't cold anymore, I thought you meant you didn't want my arm around you anymore," he replied, sounding unsure of his decision.
"Oh...I'm sorry, I didn't mean that at all..." Raven trailed off, hoping she didn't sound too pathetic.
"Then what did you mean?" Cloud looked up at her, surprised.
"I...don't know really...I guess in some odd way, I was trying to say that I've been attracted to you for awhile too..." she let her voice die, blushing and waiting for his reaction.
"Why?" Cloud asked as he blushed, still looking at her questioningly.
"I don't know why..." She felt stupid, like she shouldn't have said anything in the first place. Cloud seemed to be very uncomfortable with the whole conversation.
/You just had to open your big mouth, didn't you? He'll probably make you leave soon now./
"Strange," he mumbled, wrapping his arm around her again. Raven' eyebrows shot up in surprise, but she was pleased.
Moving closer to him, she softly replied back, "Very strange..."
"I'm not one to complain," he added, smiling just the tiniest fraction. Raven blushed a little and smiled.
"Neither am I...I'll just have some explaining to do to some people..." she trailed off.
/Kyru.../
"To who?" Cloud inquired, seeming interested. Raven sighed, looking down.
"To Kyru..."
Cloud's face fell a little. "Oh yeah, you have a boyfriend..."
Raven nodded, although a bit reluctantly. "I do...but I don't know..." her voice faltered and she sighed, confused, putting her head in her hands.
"I-I'm sorry, I should leave you alone, I ruined your happy relationship," Cloud rushed out, looking extremely embarrassed and slightly unhappy at the same time.
Raven's head shot up as she looked at him. "No, don't say that. You didn't ruin anything."
"Ok..." was all he managed to say.
"Thank you..." Raven said, feeling relieved. She rested her head on his shoulder, unaware that she was doing it as she was in deep thought.
/But he DID ruin your relationship with Kyru./
/No he didn't, I did...and no one ever said it was over yet anyway.../
/You know that it's over, it doesn't need to be said. You never really loved him as much as you thought you did, Cloud just proves that./
"What are you thinking about?" Raven was snapped from her contemplations by Cloud's question.
"Hm, just you, Kyru, all that's happened tonight," she replied, realizing that her head was resting on his shoulder but remaining still.
Cloud sighed. "Yeah, so very much has happened."
"I know," Raven said, yawning as she did so. "I'm sorry, just getting a little tired."
She couldn't see outside, but she knew it was late. They had been together for at least four hours now, maybe more, and the party had been an evening one.
Cloud also yawned then. "So am I," he said, pulling her a bit closer and resting his head lightly on hers. Raven smiled and slowly let her soft gray eyes close.
Before drifting off to sleep, she lifted her head, causing him to lift his as well, and gently kissed his cheek.
"Good night," she whispered, "and thank you for everything."
He blushed and whispered back, "Sweet dreams..."
Raven laid her head back on his shoulder, his retaking it's place on hers, and they silently drifted off to sleep as the rain continued to fall above.
A/N: Ok, ok, I know this turned out to be a Mary Sue, didn't mean for it to be like that in the beginning. If you have any suggestions as to what I can do to fix it, please review and let me know! I really appreciate the reviews that I've gotten so far, they've been helpful. Hopefully I'll get some good advice so I can do a little editing and make the story better for all of you to read
Chapter 4- Spending the Night
As the elevator reached the bottom with an echoing thud, the metal doors slid open to reveal Cloud's underground hideout.
"Please don't be afraid, it's kind of messy..." Cloud trailed off as he waited for Raven to step into the main room. As she did so, she took in the new surroundings, hoping to see more of what Cloud was like. An array of training equipment, much like you would see in a gym, aligned the right hand wall. Along the left there was an assortment of computer devices and other machines that she didn't recognize or know the use of. The walls themselves were hard gray steel, giving the room a cold, lonely look to it.
"Are you hungry?" Cloud asked as he followed her, picking up pictures and stuffing them into the drawers of an old desk that was holding one of the computers. He motioned to an open door in the back of the room that Raven assumed was the kitchen.
"I'm not starving," Raven replied shortly, looking at him with curiosity as he completed his task of hiding the photographs.
"Well, if you want anything, feel free to get it out of the fridge, although there's not much in there," Cloud said, brushing some papers off of the only chair in the semi-cluttered room. Raven continued to watch him and then decided to sit in the office chair, her legs were beginning to ache from the strain of dragging him earlier.
"I don't think I'll eat anything at the moment," she politely rejected his offer of food. Cloud just shrugged and continued tidying up a few things. It didn't look as though he had many visitors. As she watched him, she noticed his face begin to turn red under her gaze. He quickly finished what he was doing and came to sit on the concrete floor next to the chair.
"Why are you watching me?" he asked, curiosity and embarrassment evident in his voice.
/Again he seems so uncomfortable. I really don't understand him at all! He used to seem like he didn't feel anything at all and now he's totally different, showing embarrassment and concern and all./
Raven smiled at his show of emotion and replied, "I don't know...because you're interesting to watch I guess." After stating this, she moved out of the chair and sat on the floor next to Cloud.
"Although I'm you're 'guest' here, I don't like special treatment so I'm not going to sit in the chair while you have to be on the floor," Raven said, explaining her actions before he had time to open his mouth about it.
"You really shouldn't worry about it, I haven't used that chair in about three months..." Cloud said as he noticed a forgotten picture of a woman with long, chocolate-brown hair and quickly stuffed it into another desk drawer. "So what do you want to do?"
Raven quirked an eyebrow at the hiding of the picture, but decided it would be best to let it go for now. "Uh...it doesn't really matter to me..."
She noticed a slight look of relief on his face after hearing that she didn't mention the picture, although she was dying to know who the woman was.
"You want to watch some TV?" he asked, seeming as though he wanted to make sure she wasn't bored.
"Sure," Raven replied, smiling a fraction. Cloud turned to the wall opposite of the elevator and hit a few buttons concealed behind a metal plate near the kitchen door. A giant TV replaced the once bare wall, and Cloud grabbed the remote that rested next to it, hitting the "on" button. The black screen flickered to a fuzzy gray as he flipped through the channels, the screen remaining static the whole time.
"Damn, the storm must have knocked out my satellite," he said in response to the buzzing screen. Flipping the television off, Cloud returned to his spot on the floor next to Raven. They sat for a few moments in silence, neither moving nor knowing what to say.
The moments starched on, and Raven began to get cold, still being soaked through from the rain.
/Oh no, I can't start shivering. He's going to think I'm weak. Argh, I have to find some way to hide it.../
As she began to shiver, Raven stood up, acting as though she was going to look around a bit.
"Are you cold?" Cloud asked, fully aware of what she was doing. She blushed a little and gave up, sitting back on the floor beside him.
"Yeah, somewhat," Raven replied, wrapping her arms around herself as she tried to stop shaking. Cloud glanced over at her and moved so he was right next to her, putting his arm around her shoulders.
"You want to borrow a shirt or something?" he asked, holding her against him to make her warmer. Raven blushed but was secretly enjoying herself very much.
"I'll be fine. Thank you though," she replied, not wanting to accept anything else because it would mean he would let go of her. Cloud half shrugged and leaned back against the desk behind them, gently pulling Raven with him.
"Are you really sure you don't want anything?," he asked again, looking at her. "I just don't want to getting sick."
"I'm sure," she replied with a nod. "Don't worry, I rarely get sick, thankfully. Thanks for caring though..." She trailed off, smiling at him.
"You're really sure? Because I don't want to lose another friend..." he cut off his sentence, looking at the ground dismally.
"Yes, I'm perfectly fine, you're not going to lose me," she replied. Raven studied his face, happy that he considered her a friend. Suddenly she realized how close they really were, and how handsome his angel-like features were. She began to blush, almost smiling as she looked down at her feet, trying to avoid his gaze.
"May I ask why you're blushing so much?" Cloud inquired softly but with curiosity. Raven's blush deepened and her smile grew, revealing her perfect, white teeth.
"Well...I seem to have just realized how good-looking you really are and...well...I guess...it's just because I'm...becoming attracted to you..." she stammered out, now thoroughly embarrassed with dark red cheeks.
/Why did you just say that to him?! He's not supposed to know that! You're not even supposed to feel that! What are you thinking?!/
Cloud blushed then, pulling his scarf up more over his face in an attempt to hide it as he mumbled, "I-I'm sorry." He looked down at the floor, avoiding eye contact just as she was doing. Raven blushed even more, if it was possible, and continued to stare at her feet.
"N-no, it's not your fault..." She sighed and silently wished she hadn't told him now; it made everything awkward, including the fast that his arm was still wrapped around her.
"How is it not my fault?" he asked softly, still looking at the floor. Raven glanced at him out of the corner of her eye.
"Because I'm supposed to be able to control myself...and you can't help the way you are. It's not like you made me attracted to you on purpose..." she trailed off, looking away again. Cloud continued to look at the floor, seeming to be thinking hard about something.
"Maybe I was trying to a little..." he said, looking embarrassed. Raven blushed again, looking and feeling pleased although trying her best not to. "R-really?" was all she could stammer out at his remark.
"Yes...I've been attracted to you for awhile now..." Cloud's voice died away, and he continued to avoid her eyes. Raven almost smiled at his evident discomfort and embarrassment at sharing this with her.
"Well...I must say...I'm not cold anymore..." she said, not knowing exactly what she meant besides that she wasn't cold, although she knew she was trying to tell him something else as well. After saying this, she looked up, straight at his beautiful face, wanting him to meet her eyes. Instead, he blushed and realized that his arm was still around her. He gently pulled it away, apologizing.
"Oh s-sorry," was all he stammered. At that moment, the elevator door opened and the woman with the chocolate-brown hair from the photograph walked into the room, holding a bag of groceries in her arms.
"Cloud I'm—"she stopped short when she noticed Raven sitting against Cloud on the floor. A dark look came over her pretty face as she took in the situation, becoming angry.
"I-I'm sorry, Tifa," Cloud stammered, not moving out of complete shock.
"Cloud, I can't trust you, can I?!" she practically screamed, dropping the bag on the ground and putting her hands accusingly on her hips.
"I'm sorry..." Cloud said again, looking at the ground dejectedly.
"I'm afraid it's mostly my fault..." Raven spoke up, not wanting cloud to take the blame for anything. Tifa's eyes narrowed at her, sending silent death threats.
"No, don't try to take the blame, it's completely my fault," Cloud refused to let Raven defend him.
"You know what? It doesn't really matter to me. This is over anyway, Cloud, you and me. I'm done!" she yelled, throwing a golden locket at his feet. "And you can have you're stupid locket back. 'I'll always love you,' that was a lie!"
With that, Tifa scooped up her bag of food and stormed into the elevator, slamming the door behind her. For many minutes the only sound was that of the lift ascending to the ground above and then there was silence.
Raven glanced at Cloud, wondering what to do now. Cloud had a hand over his face with is eyes closed, looking distraught.
"I...I'm sorry, I should go now..." Raven apologized, making to stand.
"No, don't go, please," Cloud stopped her, looking up at her and gently placing a hand on her arm. "I'm sorry that had to happen while you were here...things were over between her and I long ago, I just didn't have the heart to tell her so until now, although I didn't say much."
Raven looked back at him, gazing into the depths of his icy blue eyes that seemed to be so warm right now. They sat that way for a few moments, neither speaking until she became curious about something.
"Why were you sorry earlier, before Tifa came in?" she asked. Cloud blushed a little and looked down.
"Well, when you said you weren't cold anymore, I thought you meant you didn't want my arm around you anymore," he replied, sounding unsure of his decision.
"Oh...I'm sorry, I didn't mean that at all..." Raven trailed off, hoping she didn't sound too pathetic.
"Then what did you mean?" Cloud looked up at her, surprised.
"I...don't know really...I guess in some odd way, I was trying to say that I've been attracted to you for awhile too..." she let her voice die, blushing and waiting for his reaction.
"Why?" Cloud asked as he blushed, still looking at her questioningly.
"I don't know why..." She felt stupid, like she shouldn't have said anything in the first place. Cloud seemed to be very uncomfortable with the whole conversation.
/You just had to open your big mouth, didn't you? He'll probably make you leave soon now./
"Strange," he mumbled, wrapping his arm around her again. Raven' eyebrows shot up in surprise, but she was pleased.
Moving closer to him, she softly replied back, "Very strange..."
"I'm not one to complain," he added, smiling just the tiniest fraction. Raven blushed a little and smiled.
"Neither am I...I'll just have some explaining to do to some people..." she trailed off.
/Kyru.../
"To who?" Cloud inquired, seeming interested. Raven sighed, looking down.
"To Kyru..."
Cloud's face fell a little. "Oh yeah, you have a boyfriend..."
Raven nodded, although a bit reluctantly. "I do...but I don't know..." her voice faltered and she sighed, confused, putting her head in her hands.
"I-I'm sorry, I should leave you alone, I ruined your happy relationship," Cloud rushed out, looking extremely embarrassed and slightly unhappy at the same time.
Raven's head shot up as she looked at him. "No, don't say that. You didn't ruin anything."
"Ok..." was all he managed to say.
"Thank you..." Raven said, feeling relieved. She rested her head on his shoulder, unaware that she was doing it as she was in deep thought.
/But he DID ruin your relationship with Kyru./
/No he didn't, I did...and no one ever said it was over yet anyway.../
/You know that it's over, it doesn't need to be said. You never really loved him as much as you thought you did, Cloud just proves that./
"What are you thinking about?" Raven was snapped from her contemplations by Cloud's question.
"Hm, just you, Kyru, all that's happened tonight," she replied, realizing that her head was resting on his shoulder but remaining still.
Cloud sighed. "Yeah, so very much has happened."
"I know," Raven said, yawning as she did so. "I'm sorry, just getting a little tired."
She couldn't see outside, but she knew it was late. They had been together for at least four hours now, maybe more, and the party had been an evening one.
Cloud also yawned then. "So am I," he said, pulling her a bit closer and resting his head lightly on hers. Raven smiled and slowly let her soft gray eyes close.
Before drifting off to sleep, she lifted her head, causing him to lift his as well, and gently kissed his cheek.
"Good night," she whispered, "and thank you for everything."
He blushed and whispered back, "Sweet dreams..."
Raven laid her head back on his shoulder, his retaking it's place on hers, and they silently drifted off to sleep as the rain continued to fall above.
A/N: Ok, ok, I know this turned out to be a Mary Sue, didn't mean for it to be like that in the beginning. If you have any suggestions as to what I can do to fix it, please review and let me know! I really appreciate the reviews that I've gotten so far, they've been helpful. Hopefully I'll get some good advice so I can do a little editing and make the story better for all of you to read