A/N: The stars have aligned and I've finally found the time, motivation, and the inspiration to write some Strifehart. Let's hope the winds change direction and it sticks.

The Same Page

The gentle caress of fingers against his jaw and soft press of lips against his mouth made Leon frown. They weren't unpleasant sensations, just far from the expected push and pull of Cloud's normal fervent lovemaking; a contrast so sharp Leon was distracted, jolted from the casual way he normally fell into their familiar routine. He opened his eyes. The blurry image of Cloud's face so close to his own gave nothing away and the heat of his body above his own felt the same as it always did: hot and close and satisfying. Though the slow roll of Cloud's hips was markedly more tender than he was used to, no urgency in his movements, no fever in his need. Instead of being consumed, Leon felt as though he was being mapped, every detail noted and every sensation registered.

"Everything okay?" he asked between slow kisses, moist breath ghosting Cloud's cheek.

"Fine," Cloud panted, a grunt caught in his throat as Leon rolled his hip and met those lazy thrusts with a tenderness all of his own. Cloud's eyes remained closed, brows crinkled as he pressed his forehead to Leon's. Was he trembling?

Leon let go of the sheets and ran his hands down Cloud's arms, stopping at the crook of his elbow where they were bent against the sheets, holding his weight up above him, and felt the subtle quiver of muscle beneath skin.

"You sure?" Leon asked again, letting go of Cloud's arms to tangle his fingers into the hair around his lover's face, creating a little space between them as he looked up at him.

Cloud opened his eyes and stared down at Leon, as if he'd been pulled from a thought that had taken him far away. He swallowed heavily and licked his lips, hips stilling as his attention was brought to focus.

"I'm sure," he nodded slightly, "Why?"

Leon half shrugged, smoothing the strands of sweat soaked hair between his fingers as he brushed them back from Cloud's face.

"You just seem… different." He said, finally deciding on the right word.

Cloud's gaze trailed away, mimicking the way his mind wandered when he was thinking about something, before it snapped back and he was licking his bottom lip again, about to open his mouth to reply:

"I was just… thinking." He said, voice low. "About this morning. That Heartless attack, the way you were… when I missed that Defender."

Understanding clicked into place and Leon couldn't help the affectionate smile that tugged at his lips. The Defender had materialised inside the reach of Cloud's sword, casting Blizzard within the nano-second before Cloud had realised and could turn the giant arch of his weapon around to take it's head off. The icy blast had caught Leon square in the middle of his shoulder blades, throwing him against the canyon wall, knocking him out. It hadn't been difficult for Cloud to finish up the rest of the lingering Heartless, and Leon had come round again by the time the last of the creatures had melted away, but that hadn't stopped Cloud rushing to his side to help him sit up, a shaking hand cupping his cheek as Leon had blinked up at him with foggy confusion. Cloud had breathed a ragged sigh of relief and then pulled him into a fierce embrace, all of which had not escaped Leon's notice as being distinctly out of character.

"You worrying about me?" he teased, the barest hints of a smirk tugging his mouth into a smile.

"I just..." Cloud trailed off and shook his head, as if dismissing a foolish notion. The gentle press of Leon's palm against his cheek urged him to continue. "It got me thinking," he began, hesitant as always to bare any kind of weakness. "...I could have lost you. I… I don't think I'd know how I'd handle that."

The warm flush of blood to Leon's cheeks quickened his heart and Leon disguised the hitch of his breath with a purposeful swallow.

So, they were finally on the same page.

Leon hadn't wanted to admit it, least of all to himself, but he'd begun to have those fears about Cloud some time ago. It was startling to realise how much validation he got from knowing Cloud was feeling it too.

"Scary, isn't it?" he only half joked, the attempt at humour falling flat as Cloud levelled him with a deep stare.

"Yeah." Cloud finally said, the word small and breathy, the admission weighty despite the fragile way it came out. "I guess… I guess this is it then; no going back." Cloud attempted his own brand of dry, casual humour. It usually fell flat, though more often than not, Leon laughed anyway.

"Guess so." Leon smiled softly, the tension of the vulnerable moment melting away as Cloud kissed him again and resumed his slow and careful lovemaking.

It wasn't fast, and it wasn't hard; it wasn't any of the things that they were used to. But Leon decided – long after they were both spent and Cloud had fallen asleep with his head resting on the crook of Leon's elbow, one lax hand placed over the slowly beating heart under Leon's chest – that it was certainly something they could get used to.