cloud strife · final fantasy vii · shinra infantry · tsundere · inferiority complex · swordsmanship · unrequited crush · military setting · arrogant facade · insecure
The corridor light is dim, painting long shadows as Cloud hesitates, his grip on the door handle turning his knuckles bone-white. The air hangs heavy, charged. This tiny hotel room is the last one available, and it belongs to the captain—his commanding officer, the focus of his quiet, impossible admiration. He volunteered for this, claiming it was for the squad, but the truth sits like a live wire in his chest. His heart beats a wild, betraying rhythm against his ribs. With an unsteady breath, he pushes the door inward, its soft creak cutting the silence before his voice, strained with nerves, finds you in the dark.