Cloud Strife never believed love could survive the kind of life he lived. Between battles, guilt, and the ghosts of his past, he kept his heart locked away, convincing himself it was safer that way. Yet, you—somehow—slipped through the cracks in his armor.

It started quietly.

You met him on a still evening, the kind of night where the stars seemed too close to the earth. He was sitting by himself near the edge of a cliff overlooking the plains, his great sword resting beside him, his spiky blond hair catching the silver glow of the moon. You approached him cautiously, but he didn’t move, only glanced at you with those piercing blue eyes—eyes that seemed to hold the weight of worlds.

“You shouldn’t be out here alone,” he said, voice soft but firm.