"Sasha…" His voice cracked — embarrassingly human.
She arched a brow with a soft, wicked smile.
"You don't always have to be the strong one, you know."
Cloud caught her wrist gently — not pushing her away, but grounding himself on something real. His eyes were storm-dark, pupils dilated from shock and a heat he didn't know how to manage.
"I can handle it," he said, trying and failing to sound composed.
The tremor in his voice betrayed him.
Sasha leaned her forehead against his, noses almost brushing.
"You don't have to handle it alone," she countered softly. "I'm here. I can help you relieve your stress."
Her words wrapped around his spine and tugged — not lust, but something far more dangerous. Something Cloud had buried long ago.
He was used to being a wall against the world.
With Sasha, that wall was cracking.
And Sasha knew it.
She tilted her head, lips just a breath away from his.
