Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Red. Silence before it was followed by a thump. A body slumps down onto the floor and all of a sudden his vision blurs from what he can only guess are tears. He feels his mouth open to yell out the name of the person but nothing comes out. Who is this person and why does he care so much about their death? Why is his heart aching and who is the person who took her life?

“..oud..!”

He winces, his head beginning to thump as he tries to figure out what the hell is happening. As he tries to figure things out he sees a pink ribbon fluttering down in front of him. This piece of fabric seems so familiar and he feels like it has a deep meaning behind it but he is not sure what it could possibly be. ‘What is happening, why am I seeing this?’ Is all he can think as he slowly reaches for the pink fabric before he notices that his hand- no, his whole body shaking.

“Cl…d!”

‘Go away!’ His inner voice yells as he tries to calm himself so he can grab and inspect the ribbon. Just as his body is beginning to still he hears the shuffling of fabric which causes him to pause his movements to look up and sees the body of the woman move and turn to face him. As the woman sits up there is blood flowing down her pink dress, an open wound on her chest. Cloud could not believe that she was alive, his body starting to shake yet again when lifeless green eyes stared at him as the woman opened her mouth, seeming to get ready to speak.

“Why did you let me die, Cloud? Weren’t you supposed to be my bodyguard and protect me?”
“Aerith, this was never meant to happen, I promise you!”

“Cloud!”

His body jolted awake which ended with his knee hitting the bottom of the table. A low groan of pain escaped from him as his hand snaked down to his knee to try and soothe the pain with gentle rubs but that only seemed to make it worse so he pulled his hand away and instead decided to glare at the one who woke him up.

“Tifa, what makes you think it's okay to scream in someone’s ear like that?”

He grumbled, trying to rub away the sleepiness from his eyes before he noticed that they seemed to be wet. Why would they be wet? Was he..

“You were crying and shaking a bit. You were having that dream again and I was getting worried! It looked worse than the other times so I had to wake you up. What happened this time? You know you can talk to me.”

The raven haired woman looked at him with worry in her eyes, fearing that if things keep on like this soon he will not be able to get a proper night's sleep. She already knew Cloud had a horrible sleep schedule but when he started getting these dreams about 2 years ago he slowly started staying up more to avoid having to sleep. She cared deeply for the man, having been best friends with him ever since she moved next door to him when they were in middle school. Sure he was weird but she knew that unlike a lot of other people he wouldn’t try to use her for their own benefit.

“She.. she was killed. This is the first time I have had this kind of dream, the others were with my look alike spending time with her so why did she die this time..? Tifa, I don’t know what this means or why this is happening but it has to mean something right? A premonition of some kind?”

Tifa wasn’t used to him talking this much so she was taken aback a little but she knew that he was like this because he really was freaked out about what he saw. The only deaths they have seen are from bad horror movies they have seen during their movie nights so she can’t imagine how he must have felt when he saw this girl he has been dreaming about for 2 years die in front of him like that. She reached for his hand and gently squeezed it as if to say that she is here and that he can relax.

“How about we take some deep breaths first? You still seem to be shaken up. You know the drill Goldilocks, breathe in..”

Cloud wanted to frown at the dreaded nickname he had been given since childhood but right now some gentle teasing is what he needed. Doing as she said he took a deep breath in, his shoulders rising as he did so. Once Tifa saw that he took a deep breath in she smiled, slowly letting go of his hand.

“Aaaand, exhale. Let it all out.”

“Haaaa…”

He had to do it a few more times to really relax and start to calm down but once he started to feel like himself he looked at Tifa with a grateful smile. They stayed there for a moment, looking at one another before Cloud broke his gaze away from hers to look down at the table where his long forgotten homework was now sitting, still blank. ‘Ah, shit. I didn’t even get to start my homework before having to go to work. " His phone started to vibrate, alerting Cloud that he had to go to work in an hour. Luckily his workplace was near him and Tifa’s house so he didn’t need to rush back to his house and change any time soon. Cloud’s marks were not incredible but they were enough to not make his mother worry about him so he was content.

“I’m sorry I freaked out like that Teef but I’m okay now so I gotta go.”

Simply shoving his belongings into his backpack, not caring about how messy it is since future Cloud will be the one who will have to organize the mess. They were seated on the Lockhart’s family dining room table, a stack of textbooks in front of them, though they were all Tifa’s since Cloud had forgotten his at his house and didn’t see the need to bring his own since they share almost all the same classes. Just as he was about to sling his backpack over his shoulder to head out a flash of the girl with a pink ribbon smiling at him appeared in his mind. Sucking in a breath, he dropped the bag and set a hand on the dining table to stabilize himself as he tried to push away the picture of the girl before he realized something.

“Cloud!”

Tifa immediately stood up to help him sit back down. She noticed how he scrunched his face and immediately knew that this was his concentrating face. ‘He has this exact face when he’s trying to solve a difficult problem in his homework’. She didn’t know what else she could do but wait for him to snap out of his deep state of concentration.

Luckily she did not need to wait long though. A sharp gasp came from Cloud as he looked around the room, as if he was looking for someone.

“Aerith!”
“Who?

Tifa saw the blonde quickly pull out a piece of paper and quickly scribble down a name she had never seen before yet still looked so familiar. After the name was written down he handed the slip of paper to Tifa so she could look at it too and after connecting the dots her eyes widened.

“Wait, is this her name?”

He simply nodded, a large smile appearing on his face which made Tifa’s face flush a little. She had not seen a smile that big since she told him that she would not be moving anymore since her father found a better position right in their hometown. Shaking her head to try and calm herself down, she looked back at the slip of paper and handed it back to him, trying to think of what their next plan of action should be.

“Not to be a downer Cloud but just because she is a girl that appeared in your dreams doesn’t mean that she is real and actually someone who lives in the real world here with us. What if she is just a girl from your fantasies? I mean, you yourself said you have never seen this girl in person before, she just appeared one night in your dreams! So.. so don’t try to go look for her! She may not even exist and you’ll just get hurt.”

Cloud knew that Tifa was making a good point, this girl with the usually lively green eyes may not even exist and he was crazy to think that he could go out looking for her. The name he scribbled down may not even be a real name. Who names their child Aerith Gainsborough anyways? Yeah, this name must be just something his mind made up after having those dreams for years. Admitting defeat, he let out a tired sigh and nodded, crumpling up the paper and shoving it in his back pocket before hearing his phone vibrate again. It was almost time for work and he was still at Tifa’s , still not changed into his work uniform.

“You’re right. Let’s just put this whole thing behind us and move ahead. I gotta go change and head to work, I’ll meet you at the end of the block after I finish changing into my uniform..”

“Right..”

And with that Cloud retrieved his belongings and head out the door, leaving Tifa alone in her dining room, staring at the door that he walked out of before she let out an annoyed groan, ruffling her hair in frustration after she realized how she let her emotions control her when confronting Cloud about the girl.

‘Why did I have to say all of that? Now he seems more upset than usual. Ugh, Tifa! Why did you let your jealousy run amok! So what if he tried to look for this imaginary girl? He would have found out she isn’t real on his own sooner or later but now he won’t even try and will constantly think about her which will only lead to even more sleepless nights!’

“This was the right decision for Cloud. He knows this too, which is why he didn’t argue.”

She tried to assure herself that this was the best thing for Cloud. It was the most logical answer after all. Deciding to also put this behind her she turned away from the door to head upstairs to her room and change into something a little warmer since it was beginning to get chilly out. After changing into some jeans and a simple long sleeved shirt, she slipped on some worn out boots she’s had for a while before heading out to meet Cloud at their meeting spot.

Even though all she had to do was change out of her clothes into something warmer she still somehow got there later than Cloud. Usually she was the one who got there first and Cloud showed how surprised he was to see her arrive last by raising his eyebrows in surprise.

“About time you got here. I was about to leave you.”

Obviously he would never do that but he couldn’t help but mess with the girl. He wasn’t as clueless as people made him out to be, he knew that Tifa felt bad about what she said before and he wanted her to know that she had nothing to feel bad about since she was right. There was no point in chasing a dream no matter how much he wanted to.

“You would never do that to your best friend Cloud. If you did, I’d leave you and you’d have no friends left.”

She teased back which made him let out a low chuckle before he turned to begin walking to his job with Tifa at his side. As the two made their way to his workplace he recalled something his boss had told him the day before that he forgot to tell Tifa. A new worker would be coming in today and apparently she was new to the area so he asked the crew to be welcoming and all go out to have a drink after work if they were able to. Just when he was about to turn to Tifa and invite her he heard something that caused his body to freeze.

“Aerith, you sure you don’t need me to walk you home afterwards? This area can be dangerous at night.”

A giggle that made his body shiver from how familiar yet new it was escaped from the mouth of a girl who had her brown hair cascading down her back. Cloud could only look at her with what he could only think was a dumbfounded look as her back was facing him, instead her attention focused on the man in front of her. He was a head taller than Cloud, hair black and spiked crazily as it ran down his neck before it was covered by a scarf that seemed to be crocheted by hand.

“You worry too much Zack! Ever since I’ve come here you’ve been by my side constantly and even though I do care for you a girl needs to breathe a bit! I’ll be fine and if it really is that dangerous I’ll ask a coworker to walk me home. I’m not a little girl.”

Even though he didn’t know the girl he knew that she said this with a playful tone, not meaning anything bad when she pushed him away and gently slapped his cheek. He couldn’t take it anymore, he had to see her face. What he did next is something that he would never do. There were times where Cloud was spontaneous and because he was like that he had Tifa. She would calm him down and logically explain to him why what he would be doing was dumb but he didn’t want to be stopped, he had to see her face.

He grabbed the girls’ wrist and gently pulled her his way. The girl was obviously surprised since she turned to face him with her eyes going wide in surprise. The green looked so familiar. Unlike the ones he dreamt of today, these looked so full of life and mischief. He’d seen these eyes many times before and he had so much he wanted to ask her but he didn’t. Why? Well, he was caught off-guard by the look of sadness that flashed in her eyes before he was pushed away from her by the guy she called Zack.

“Aerith, this is exactly why I walk you everywhere! Guys will literally grab you out of nowhere, it’s dangerous!”

“Zack! It's okay, I’m alright! Clo- I mean, he doesn’t look like he could hurt a fly. Lets.. let's just go inside so I can get my uniform.”

She gave Cloud and Tifa an awkward smile as she walked past them and inside the store with Zack in tow, shooting a glare at Cloud as he closed the door behind them. The two were silent for different reasons. Tifa because she couldn’t believe what just happened and how this must be affecting Cloud. Cloud because he was trying to figure out why she looked at him with such a sad look. And why did it seem like she recognized him?

Chapter Text

So broken yet so strong. Hopeful for the future. That’s what she saw when she looked into his eyes and she couldn’t help but admire the way his eyes shone with such brilliance as he would talk to her over the makeshift fire. Aerith didn’t know where they were going but for some reason she thinks anywhere is okay as long as she is with this young man. Cloud. She learned his name early on and ever since then she would constantly find herself dreaming of him and a group she can’t seem to remember when she wakes up. For the past 2 years she has gotten recurring dreams about Cloud and the group. She knows she is their friend but for some reason all she can remember is Cloud when she wakes up. She always thought that these dreams were just that; dreams, so she never tried to search for a Cloud Strife in fear of having these blissful dreams come to an end.

“Hey, Aerith, how many more boxes do you have down there? There is no way one woman needs this many boxes full of face cream.”

Zack gently set down a box of what he assumes to be face cream before he stood up straight, setting his hands on his lower back and then proceeding to lean back to try and stretch out his back. He had been helping her for the past 2 hours and even though he has been doing most of the hard work the smaller woman still had the audacity to boss him around. This was always their dynamic though so he didn’t mind much.

“Of course they’re not all face creams! Geez Zack, you would think after us knowing each other for so long you would bother to learn my skincare routine. Cleansing, exfoliation, cleanse again, lotion, let it set. And then, if I need it, I add some oil. Speaking of skin care, I may need to set you up for a spa day with me because your face could use a little work.”

She teased as she gently pulled on his cheek which made him groan in slight annoyance, pulling himself away from her grubby little hands. Massaging the sore cheek he began to look around the room that was beginning to fill up with some boxes. Just yesterday this apartment was empty and full of dust since it had not been in use for a good few years but he knew that soon it will be alive with greenery all thanks to Aerith and her green thumb. Zack looked at the brunette and couldn’t help but let out a huge grin, excited for all the plans they would make. Though they only met in passing when Aerith’s family passed by Gongaga all those years ago, they immediately clicked and for a short while they even dated but decided that long distance wasn’t suited for them so they decided to simply stick to being good friends. When given the chance to leave Gongaga, Zack’s family immediately took it and had been at Midgar ever since, though Zack almost immediately moved out of the house when he was 18 since he wanted to live his life freely and also be able to let his parents relax without having him in the house. It was the same for Aerith but it took her a bit longer since she wanted to finish her college education back in her hometown before moving to the big city. She was currently in the process of working some part time jobs to save up money to open up her own flower shop and she was really close to her goal which motivated her to only work harder.

“Zack, if you keep grinning at me like that I’m going to assume you’re having weird fantasies.”

“Oh, you flatter yourself” Zack teased, getting back at her by pinching her cheek gently which made her pout and turn away, returning to taking things out of their box.

The two returned to their respective duties, Zack bringing in the boxes and Aerith unpacking them, making sure that all her belongings are placed away nicely. They were working quite fast since Aerith’s first day at her new part time job was that same day and she needed to be there in a few hours.

“I really don’t know why you decided the day your belongings arrive at your new apartment is the same day you start at your new workplace. Why not at least wait until tomorrow to start?”

Zack worried that the woman would overwork herself since he knows from the constant letters they sent to each other for years that she tends to overwork herself quite a lot and because of that she often got sick. He knew her parents loved her and truly cared for her but because of their jobs they were not able to be home as much as any of them would like so when Aerith got sick she would often have to take care of herself which he knew Aerith hated since she always felt so alone when she did so. Now that they are in the same city though, hopefully she won’t feel like that anymore. His goal was for her to never feel alone again.

“You have a point Zack, but you have to think positively here! The sooner I start, the more money I will have to open up my flower shop and you know that’s been my dream for years now! It’s the whole reason I went to college and that was hell to finish.”

She shuddered at the mere memory of waking up early in the morning to go to classes and listen to lectures. Zack gave her a sympathetic look since he himself hasn’t experienced the ‘wonders’ of college, instead deciding to enlist in the military as soon as he could so he could get training out of the way. He was honorably discharged just this year but Aerith still doesn’t know what exactly happened since Zack has refused to talk to her about it which she understands but still wishes he would talk to her about it. She remembered the months when she wouldn’t receive letters in the mail after he told her that he was being sent out to the field. Each night she struggled to sleep, in fear that one day she might receive a letter saying that he has passed. Luckily one day, out of the blue, she received a letter from him saying that he had found a perfect apartment for her if she ever wanted to move into the city which led to where they are now.

“Well. It did sound hellish from the letters upon letters you sent complaining about it. All that hard work led to you getting here though, I’m proud of you Aerith, you’ve come so far. It seems like only yesterday I locked eyes with a scrawny looking brunette by pure chance in Gongaga.”

He loved Aerith, he truly did but he also loved to poke fun at her because she would always tease him right back.

“Oh yeah? I bet if I didn’t decide to be a florist I would be super buff and the military would be begging me to enlist so they can have these puppies on their side!”

He watched as she flexed her nonexistent biceps and pretended to smooch them before her persona cracked and she began to laugh at the stupidity of what she had just done. Zack couldn’t help but join in, laughing loudly as he clutched his stomach. They soon tired themselves from laughing too much and decided to take a break. Luckily the couch was one of the first things that Zack brought in so they sat down, leaning back against the couch cushions, letting out a loud sigh before they looked at the floor. The two were very close, having written letters to each other for years and even dated for a bit in the beginning of their friendship but that had only lasted a few months before Zack broke it off. Now though, they were living near one another, heck, they were almost neighbors and the two could not get any closer since they were each other’s best friend.

‘Maybe I should take the leap now.’ Zack snuck a glance at the woman beside him, seeing that she was also in deep thought.

Secretly, ever since he wrote that letter where he recommended this apartment for her to live in, he hoped that they could give them another chance. The reason he broke off the relationship in the first place was because for him, the distance was too much and it hurt him to be so far from her when he always wanted to be near her. He never stopped caring for her and he honestly thinks that he never will. He wanted to spill everything to her, tell her that he has never stopped loving her and that they should give it another try but her alarm signaling her to water her plants went off which snapped the two out of their daze.

“I’ll be back, I need to water my babies.” She playfully said, smiling at him before she ran off to the small kitchen to fill up her watering can.

The watering can was already full since she filled it up when Zack was bringing in the previous box but she needed just a bit more time to think. Her parents always told her that she was always capable of reading people better than others, maybe even capable of reading their minds a bit so she kind of had a gist of what Zack was thinking. She cared for Zack a lot, she always had. If he had told her that he wanted to get back together 3 years ago she would have happily agreed but she couldn’t anymore. Not now. She wouldn’t be able to completely devote herself to him anymore now that another man preoccupied her mind every night.

“Cloud..”

She wanted to kick herself for having a silly crush on a man that appears in her dreams. How could a grown woman crush on someone she has never met! But she has.. Not in real life though! He might as well be a figment of her imagination because she was so lonely.

‘Oh Gaia, not me having an imaginary friend at this old age..’

She shook her head to try and clear her head up a bit before having to go back and confront Zack. Rejecting him will be one of the hardest things she will ever have to do since she worries how he will be like afterward. Aerith remembered one time Zack tried to go out with someone else after her. The girl’s name was Cissnei and she seemed like such a kind girl but after trying to pursue her for a good few months she ended up rejecting him. The memory of the sullen written letters made her frown, making her not want to have to reject him even more. So what would she do instead of rejecting him? Avoid the problem at all costs! She pumped her fist to psych herself up before going to water her plants one by one, making sure to do so with a lot of care. As she watered each plant she would talk to them, telling them about her move, Zack, the new job, the same old same old.

When she got to the yellow lilies she paused for a moment to look behind her to make sure that Zack had not come to check up on her. Once the coast was clear she turned back around and began to slowly water the flower, gently stroking its petals with her thumb. These are the flowers she has deeply cherished ever since she first started to get those dreams.

“You signify reunion, huh? You already led me to this reunion with Zack and in my dreams you led me to that unforgettable reunion with Cloud. If only you could do that again in real life..”

After she finished watering the flower she set down the watering can on the counter, not moving from her spot in front of the potted plant before she gathered the courage to talk about her most recent dream that has her worried.

“Last time we talked was before the move and in that dream nothing new happened. I was just traveling with the group and we were all chasing this big bad guy who was trying to rule the world since he believed that he was the superior being therefore deserved to be almighty God of the planet or something. Big ego alert, am I right? He really needs a therapist... Anyway, in this dream I didn’t really see much but what I did see truly broke my heart. Cloud was crying and seemingly yelling at someone. I couldn’t hear much but I knew that he was really upset. He isn’t one to express himself like that so seeing this act like that really has me worried. Did.. did something happen to me?”

She pursed her lips, deep in thought as she tried to figure out what could have gotten him so upset before hearing a knock behind her. Letting out a soft gasp she turned to see Zack peeking into the kitchen.

“Hey, didn’t mean to bother you but I was thinking we could go out to eat and then walk over to your workplace so you could go to work all nice and full. I can help you unpack the rest of your stuff tomorrow so let’s just leave these boxes out, kay?”

The brunette would be lying if she said she wasn’t hungry. Putting everything away was much more tiring than she previously had anticipated so the promise of food was just too good to reject. Placing the potted plant she was talking to in a more appropriate area; she smiled as she looked at Zack with an excited glimmer in her eye before she nodded.

“Food sounds great right now. Seeing as I’m new to the city I leave it up to you to pick the place.”

Being given such a task was not particularly difficult for Zack. He liked to think that he knew Aerith the best and he has yet to be proven wrong. One may think that Aerith was a vegetarian seeing as she is a gardener but it is quite the opposite. She loves meat and knows that she will empty his wallet if given the chance to go to a place where you can grill your own meat so he knows to stay away from those kinds of places.

“How do you feel about going to a pizza place? Luckily there happens to be one by your workplace so it works out! It’s somewhere where we can just be casual, no stress.”

He could see that she liked the sound of that since she let out a soft hum and what seemed to be a nod of approval before walking over to him and patting him shoulder as if to say ’good job’ which made him let out a snicker.

“Think of me as your puppy or something?”

“Well, you were called Zack the Puppy in the military right?” Aerith joked but those words seem to have struck some kind of cord since he immediately got silent, looking away from her and instead focusing on one of her plants with a blank stare.

“Uh-huh. Um, I’ll go grab my coat, you should do the same.”

“Zack, wai-“

He left the room before she was given a chance to finish which frustrated her a little but she shook it off, thinking it may have to do with his discharge from the military. Angeal, Genesis.. Sephiroth. Those 3 names are what made his head ache as he walked over to where he threw his coat before he slipped it on. Zack did feel bad about keeping the truth from Aerith but he just couldn’t tell her, not yet. Sure, call him a coward but for him it was better to not tell her what he experienced while on the field on his last mission. Just thinking about it made him shiver, feeling his body get cold. After putting on his jacket he turned to see that Aerith was making her way over to where he was with a sad look on her face and the sight of that left an aching feeling on his heart. It wasn’t her fault, she never knew what he had experienced out in the field so how was she supposed to know that the words she spoke bring back such painful memories.

“Hey, Aerith.”

He caught her right before she grabbed her coat from the hook on the wall, placing his hand on her shoulder gently. The brunette immediately paused her movements to look up at him, her eyes looking a little anxious after what happened in the kitchen which only made his heart hurt even more. He never wanted to make her feel like this.

“Zack, you don’t have to explain why you acted the way you did back there.”

“I love how understanding you are but sometimes you are too kind for your own good you little plant nerd. I’m sorry about how I acted back there. I promise I’ll let you know everything in the future. Just..Just please give me time.”

“We have been long distance friends for years and the last time I saw you in person was when we were both teenagers, Zack. Personally, I like to think that I can be quite patient so don’t worry. I'll wait.”

A smile appears on both of their faces as they both begin to relax. Zack, being the gentleman he believes he thinks he is, grabs her coat from the hook and then proceeds to spread it out so she can easily put it on.

“M’lady, our pizza awaits us.”

He says in a posh voice, earning a giggle from the woman which makes the smile on his face get wider.

“Why yes, I do declare that I, the madam, am quite famished.”

She replied in a matching posh accent before putting on her coat with his help.

“Before we leave though, there is something that I have been meaning to give you since I arrived but haven’t gotten the chance to until now! Which is perfect since we are just about to head out. Wait here!”

She made a mad dash for her bedroom, leaving him at her front door. Zack couldn’t help but let out a chuckle as he heard her complain about how she had to organize all these boxes when she got back to the apartment. Not that much later she came back with a navy blue gift bag in hand, a shy smile on her face before lifting it up for him to take.

“Aerith, you shouldn’t have.. Now I feel like a dick for not getting you anything.”

“Language! And you hooked me up with this apartment, helped me rent the van to move my stuff, and helped me move my things in here Zack. I think you more than deserve this. Besides, it isn’t much.”

She pressed the bag against his chest, urging him to take it which he finally did. A soft ‘thank you’ escaped his lips before he opened the bag and let out a gasp, his eyes widening in surprise.

“Aerith Gainsborough, when the hell did you learn to crochet? And wow, it looks great!”

Setting the bag down, he took out the scarf and marveled at how soft it was and how well the color compliments him. “You must have paid a pretty penny for this material. It’s so soft, holy sh-” He stopped himself when seeing the girl give him a stern look. Though he was older he knew to watch himself around the woman, she has a hell of a kick which he has been a victim of back in the day.

“Holy moly is what I totally meant to say..” He nervously said before wrapping the scarf around his neck and letting out a hum of delight, enjoying the feel of the material on his neck that was a bit cold after having to come in and out of the apartment.

“There’s a note in the bag but I think we should get going now, it’s getting late and I am still starving” The brunette complained before fixing up his scarf a bit to make it look more presentable. When she decided it looked nice enough she smacked his chest and headed out the door.

They leave the apartment and make their way to the pizzeria while making small talk here and there before settling on a comfortable silence. Midgar is the city that never sleeps so of course the streets were bustling and it didn’t help his nerves that they were in the slums so to keep Aerith at a safe distance and to not lose her he held her hand, feeling his heart beat faster than usual when he felt her squeeze his hand as if to say she’s with him. When he looked back at her he saw that she was smiling, admiring her craftsmanship and how well it looked on him.

“If you keep looking at me like that I’m going to assume you’re having weird fantasies Aerith” he teased, getting back at her from earlier today. She simply rolled her eyes, the smile not leaving her face as she looked everywhere, amazed by all that was happening around her.

Stalls were everywhere selling multiple things, people giving shows with music, dances, magic shows, puppet shows. There was so much going on that Aerith almost felt like she was getting dizzy. To ground herself she looked back at Zack who had stopped walking and presented to her a door.

“Behold, Nonno’s! The best pizza for the best prices. Now come on, we gotta get some food in that stomach before your first day.”

The smell of freshly baked pizza coats the establishment which only makes their stomach growl with anticipation. Zack ordered themselves a pie before taking a seat in front of Aerith. She chose a seat by the window, most likely so she can watch people.

“She said it would take about 15-20 minutes. Good thing we’re nearby.” Turning to face him again she nodded and looked at the scarf again, a big grin on her face. “I still can’t get over how good it looks on you. Maybe I should give up gardening and pick up crocheting full time.”

“Why not do it as a side gig instead? A fun little hobby could earn you some cash to treat yourself. You’ll be needing money to buy that store you wanted. I know you have some money saved up but a little more money wouldn’t hurt.”

The advice made her let out a thoughtful hum, nodding as she took out her small notepad and began to write down what he said since she was honestly considering it now.

After talking for a good amount of time they called out Zack’s name to pick up the pizza and when he did so she went back to looking at the people out in the streets. ‘I wonder if in this big city I could find him..’ Snapping herself out of her thoughts she shook her head. ‘Be realistic here, there is no way he is real! Aerith, as much as it hurts you need to try and forget him.’ The smell of pizza brought her back to reality.

“You okay? You kinda seemed out of it.”

“Huh? Oh, yeah. Just wondering about what you were talking about, no worries!”

“Okay, but if something is wrong you know you can talk to me about it, right?

As she was taking a pie she nodded and took a generous bite, not wanting to continue this conversation anymore. Zack could see this and simply let out a sigh as he did the same. He looked out of the window and saw that the sun was starting to set which made him start to worry. The days were getting shorter since it was almost the end of fall.

“I’ll pick you up after your shift ends, okay? It can be dangerous when it’s dark.”

Aerith looked up at him just as she finished her slice and was about to take a sip from her drink, giving him a confused look. “Why would you need to walk me back? Think this gal can’t look after herself” To try and prove her point she sat up, puffing out her chest to try and be intimidating but was only met with a laugh. She stuck her tongue out at him in reply before finishing up her drink and wiping any grease from her hand and mouth with a napkin.

“Maybe in your fantasies Aerith but this isn’t that, you need someone to walk you home.” They both cleaned up their tables, not wanting to leave a mess before leaving. The street somehow got livelier which made Aerith stick a little closer to Zack in fear of getting lost but she of course didn’t want to admit that out loud.

"I get your point Zack but I can look after myself. I need to start now or I’ll get used to you babying me and that simply cannot happen.”

Zack frowned but didn’t want to challenge her right now, wanting the food to settle first before continuing this conversation so he hummed in response, handing her his hand to take which she accepted before he made his way through the people of the street. After walking for about 5 more minutes the crowd was starting to die down since they were entering a street that didn’t have as many shops so Aerith took this chance to let go of his hand much to his dismay. When they finally arrived at their destination he decided to give it another shot before he had to part ways with her.

“Aerith, you sure you don’t need me to walk you home afterwards? This area can be dangerous at night.”

She giggled as she walked in front of him, her hands settling on her hips before she looked at him with a confident look.

“You worry too much Zack! Ever since I’ve come here you’ve been by my side constantly and even though I do care for you a girl needs to breathe a bit! I’ll be fine and if it really is that dangerous I’ll ask a coworker to walk me home. I’m not a little girl.”

Time seemed to slow down for Aerith as her wrist was grabbed and turned to face eyes that she had only dreamed of before. Her eyes widened in surprise, all those dreams she had were rushing back to her as she stared at his eyes. The electrifying blues that stole her heart, the reason that she wasn't able to be with Zack since she has dreamed of this man for the past 2 years. In front of her stood her bodyguard, Cloud Strife. Why? He wasn’t supposed to exist, he was just supposed to be some guy she dreamt up..right?

‘Wait, who’s that?’

She gazed behind him to see a woman with dark hair and beautiful ruby eyes looking at them with concern. That woman looked so familiar but she couldn’t get why but she seemed close to Cloud. Does this Cloud have a lover? Does he have someone already? She must have been too late since she never took the proactive chance to look for him. There were so many things rushing through her mind that she didn’t notice Zack walking up and push the blonde away from her which made him let her go.

“Aerith, this is exactly why I walk you everywhere! Guys will literally grab you out of nowhere, it’s dangerous!”

Snapping out of her trance she looked at him with a nervous smile and shook her head, not wanting anything to happen, especially outside of her workplace.

“Zack! It's okay, I’m alright! Clo- I mean, he doesn’t look like he could hurt a fly. Lets.. let's just go inside so I can get my uniform.”

Once entering the building the two stayed quiet for a minute before Aerith led Zack away from the door and to a corner to talk things out. She didn’t want to leave things awkward before he left so to try and calm his nerves down she held his hand as she looked at him with a small smile.

“Zack, maybe you were right. Meet me here after I get out at 7, okay? I’ll be waiting inside of the building so just shoot me a text when you get here and we can walk back to my apartment later.”

He simply kept quiet, only responding with a slow nod as he gently squeezed her hand which made her smile. She was going to let go so she could go clock in but was held back, making her look up at him with a confused look before she was gently pulled in for a hug. Stunned, she ended up keeping her arms hovering around him for a second before reciprocating, wrapping her arms around him and giving him a gentle squeeze before patting his back.

“I was worried something could’ve happened..” He muttered against her hair, seemingly not ready to let go just yet.

“But nothing did since you were right there so it’s okay, I’m here. “

That seemed to satisfy him so he pulled away and smiled, letting his hands fall down beside him before he ruffled her hair affectionately which earned him a playful pout. Now in a better mood, they parted ways with a wave before she went to the front desk to introduce herself to the clerk.

“Hi, my name is Aerith Gainsborough and I’m here for my first day as a mail processing clerk.”

Chapter Text

Tifa must have been imagining it, right? There was no way that the woman that appeared in front of them was the exact same Aerith that Cloud has been dreaming of for the past 2 years but that thought was immediately thrown out the window when she realized just how still Cloud was after that whole altercation with the raven haired male who was with the woman named Aerith which started to make her worry. She knew that Cloud was usually a quiet guy but even now he seemed far too quiet for her liking so she walked up to him, grabbed his wrist and made him turn around to face her.

“Cloud, snap out of it.”

She said in a gentle voice, not wanting to frighten him. His eyes locked with hers which made her feel a squeeze around her heart, not used to making such direct eye contact even after knowing him for so long. She forgets just how beautiful his eyes were so she just stood there for a while just looking at them before she remembered that she was supposed to be helping calm down but just as she was about to ask what that whole interaction was about he beat her to the punch.

“That was her Tifa, that was Aerith. She’s the one I see in my dreams and.. and I think she also knows me. It looked as if she recognized me.”

If she didn’t know the man she would have thought this guy was delusional but luckily (or unluckily) she has known him for a long time and knows about the dreams he has been having. Even so, she didn’t believe that this girl was the one that Cloud had dreamed of and not wanting Cloud to be hurt any more she grabbed both of his hands and gently squeezed them so he would turn his focus on her.

“Cloud, let’s be rational here. This girl who appeared in your dreams for 2 years appears in front of your very eyes. Why would she appear now after all that time? I mean, maybe she isn’t even that girl from your dreams! She could just be someone who looks like her.”

Cloud bit his lower lip, a nervous habit he had as he squeezed her hand back as he calmly listened to her, knowing that in the back of his head that she was right but his heart said otherwise. He felt that he has known her for a lifetime with all the dreams he’s had but it could just be because he has had those dreams for so long that some of his dreams were starting to feel like memories.
I know how you get Cloud, you’re going to obsess over this so I want to put a stop to this before it goes too far. You.. you know I care for you.” More than he would ever know. “So I don’t want you to get hurt.”

Those words meant a lot to him, knowing that Tifa said this with a lot of love. He knew he was lucky to have a friend like her. After her little speech Cloud began to start thinking rationally, thinking that Tifa did indeed have a point and that this could all just be a really weird coincidence. Maybe he saw this girl in passing 2 years ago and just started dreaming about her. He did read somewhere that the people one sees in their dreams are someone they must have seen somewhere because the human brain, as amazing as it is, is incapable of dreaming up a new face.

“Thanks Tifa, you really are the logical side of my brain, huh?” He tried to joke to brighten the mood a bit.

It seemed to have worked because she began to shake, trying to hold in her laughter as she let go of his hands, moving them up to her mouth to try and muffle her laughter.

“Cloud, I was trying to..” She paused, a stifled giggle coming out. Have a serious moment with you!”

Giving up, she let her hands fall down to the side and began to laugh softly, appreciating his attempt to get rid of the serious mood from before. After calming herself down Tifa took out her Nokia to check the time and sucked in a breath when she saw how late Cloud was going to be if he didn’t leave now. Seeing her reaction to the time he already guessed it was time for him to go so he simply nodded a farewell to her before making his way to the entrance of the building but right before he entered he turned to look at her once more and gave her a sincere look.

“I don’t think I tell you this enough but thanks Tifa. For everything, I really am lucky to have you as a friend.”

And with that he left. Tifa was awestruck, her face burning red as a giddy smile was plastered on her face. Cloud wasn’t the type to openly express words like that often so in the rare chance that he did it was like she was on cloud 9. He said he’s lucky to have her! Tifa couldn’t be any happier as she covered her cheeks to try and calm down the red that was evidently present. The door to the postal office opened suddenly which started the woman. Thinking it was Cloud she quickly turned around, calling his name in a flustered tone.

“So that’s his name, huh?”

Instead of a spiky haired blonde coming out of the building there was a raven haired man, the one from before looking at her with a watchful gaze, his arms crossed against his chest. Tifa studied the man and he seemed like he had calmed down quite a bit when compared to how he was mere minutes ago. Still, one should still be careful, especially when someone is pretty mad at your best friend for pulling on his girlfriend like that. Is she his girlfriend? She hoped that girl was his girlfriend; it would make things a lot easier for Cloud… and her.

“Look, I’m sorry about what he did, he has been having some rough nights these past few days. He was going to apologize before you guys went inside, I swear.”

“I’m not the one who should be apologized to and you’re not the one who should be giving the apology miss..?”

“Lockhart. Tifa Lockhart and you’re right. I’m sorry.”

“Geez lady, stop apologizing. You’re making me feel bad here since you’ve done nothing wrong. ”

Zack shifted around a bit, letting his arms fall down from their crossed position to extend one of his hands out towards her. He knew that she was no harm and seemed like quite a nice woman if she apologized in her friends’ stead. This Cloud guy sure is lucky. Not as lucky as him though, he didn’t get a hand crocheted scarf by the one and only Aerith Gainsborough after all. If it wasn’t obvious, Zack was still riding from his high of getting the scarf from Aerith as well as having that small intimate moment with her inside the postal office.

“Zack Fair’s the name and it’s a pleasure to meet you Tifa Lockhart. Even in these circumstances.”

Ruby eyes looked at the hand for a few seconds before finally making up her mind and taking his hand in hers. As they shook their hands they noticed that the other had the hands of a fighter. Tifa felt calluses on his hands which led her to think that he may have served in the military. There was a certain roughness that one would only gain if they were in the front lines. As she looked up at him she finally saw his face and noticed a scar on the side of his face. ‘He seems to have gone through a lot.’ With having such rough hands and a scarred face one might think this guy is stern and cold but when she looked into his eyes he seemed like the opposite; lively and bright. She couldn’t help but smile back at him when he showed her a toothy smile. Who wouldn’t smile back at such a goofy smile?

On Zack’s side he felt how rough her hands were but not as rough as his. If his guess was right she must do some kind of martial arts. Aside from her hands he scanned her body and noticed that she looked quite fit. Even with her jeans he could see how toned her legs were. ‘I should ask for her routine. I’m guessing she knows self-defense, something I should teach Aerith soon now that she’s here.’ He moved his eyes from her legs to her hands, and then finally to her face. Her eyes were a unique color, he almost let out a gasp when seeing the color. Deep ruby eyes were not what he was expecting, he almost felt entranced when she looked at him. Zack was not sure why but he felt heat begin to rise up his body. Was he getting nervous? Why would he be getting nervous? As they were looking at each other he couldn’t help but smile goofily at her.

Both realized that they were holding hands longer than what is normally acceptable so they quickly drew their hands back, a little flustered that they were holding hands for so long. Zack was the first one to snap out of it as he cleared his throat a little loudly to try and clear the tension that was in the air.

“So..”

They surprised one another by speaking at the same time, eliciting a small laugh from Tifa and a soft smile from Zack. Being the gentleman Zack believes himself to be, he offered to take Tifa out for some coffee which Tifa surprisingly didn’t reject. Usually when offered out somewhere she would make some sort of excuse to not go but Zack seemed like a nice guy and she was enjoying his company more than she thought she would.

“Lead the way.”

Once inside the building Cloud made his way to his locker in the employee break room to hang up his jacket. As he was making his way there he managed to come across the man who was with Aerith outside. Zack, if memory serves right and it usually did. When they got close to each other it looked as if Zack was winding up to say something but decided against it so all he did was shake his head and walk past him. Cloud wanted to turn around and start something up but he knew that he really didn’t have the right so he left it at that, walking into the break room to hang up his jacket instead.

“Cloud, was it?”

He felt his heart shake when he closed his locker and turned to face the brunette who was now changed into the work uniform for the postal office. She was the new worker? What are the chances of this kind of thing happening? One in a million? No, maybe one in 10 million? No, there are basically no chances of this kind of thing happening so what was going on with his luck. Was he going to die?

“Or am I wrong?”

Cloud had been quiet for too long which he saw made Aerith nervous since she was shifting around, playing with her bangles which he was surprised the boss allowed her to wear. Feeling bad for making her uncomfortable he shook his head, walking up to her as he shoved his hands into pockets.

“You weren’t. Name’s Cloud Strife.”

“A pleasure, I’m Aerith Gainsborough and if you haven’t noticed today is my first day here. I’m the new mail processing clerk!”

The girl chippered up quite quickly which amused him, a subtle smile appearing on his lips as she extended a hand out to him. Her hand looked rough, not as soft as one would expect a girl like her to have which only made him even more curious about this Aerith. Green eyes looked at him expectantly but with patience, not looking like they wanted to rush him which made him feel relaxed since not many people were patient with him. Deciding that he made her wait long enough he took her hand and gave her a firm but gentle shake before letting go, stuffing his hand back into his pocket.

“I’m a mail sorter so I mostly work in the back.”

“Pity, does that mean I won’t be able to see more of you?”

“Huh?” If he was flustered he didn’t let it show, only pausing for a moment to look at her before answering. “No, we still work together so we’ll see each other.”

“Promise?’ She put on a little show, winking at him as she clasped her hands behind her back and leaning forward a bit.

This seems to get a reaction out of him, his eyes widening a little and he tears his eyes away from her, seeming to find the post office propaganda on the wall far more interesting. Was this what people called flirting? Cloud’s mind was radio silent, not sure exactly how to respond and Aerith noticed this so she took a step back and waved off the question. She already messed with the young man enough. For today at least.

“I only came here to let you know that you shouldn’t worry about earlier. Seems like you confused me for someone else.”

That seemed to snap him back into reality. Cloud straightened himself up and took a quick moment to examine the girl. Unlike in his dreams her hair was pulled up in a ponytail with her hair running down her back, the ends curled ever so slightly. Other than that everything about her looked the same. Her bangles, her eyes, her lips, and the unique way her bangs shape her face. Wait, why was he looking at her lips? He must really be going crazy, he wasn’t the type of guy to notice things like this so why was she messing him up like this. Glancing at what held up her ponytail he felt his body stiffen when he noticed the ribbon. Sure it wasn’t the same color, it instead complimented the color of the uniform, but it still shook him up a bit that she wore a ribbon too for some reason.

“I should still apologize. Sorry.”

The simple apology seemed to please her a lot more than he expected, her smile seeming so bright which made him wonder how such a simple thing could make her so happy. The brunette nodded and decided to make her leave, saying a quiet ‘see you later’ before leaving the locker room. Cloud turned back to his now shut locker and smacked his forehead against the metal which made a loud smacking noise.

“Why does this woman make me feel like this? Is it because she looks like her? But there’s no way they’re the same.”

Cloud took a moment to calm himself down, taking a minute to look back at their very awkward first interaction.

“Wait, how did she know my name before I introduced myself?”

She messed up. Gaia, she was lucky that he didn’t catch on that she knew his name already. Aerith jumped when she heard a loud smack coming from the locker room. Feeling it was best to leave him be, she made her way to the front desk. Though many, many things were on her mind right now she still had to focus on work. ‘The flower shop is riding on the money I’ll get from this job.’ She encouraged herself, pumping her fists up in the air slightly to psych herself up.

“BOO!”

“AH!”

She yelled as she jumped away from the source of the noise, one hand clasped around the other and held close to her chest. A few moments of silence followed this before she heard a loud laugh come from her. Realizing that she was safe, she let her guard down and peeked behind her to see a young girl with short jet black hair clutching her stomach as her body shook from her laughter. This was Yuffie Kisaragi, the one who she introduced herself to in the front counter and gave her the work uniform just moments ago. From the short conversation they had, Aerith learned a lot about the girl. She was 18, went to college, was a part-timer like her, used to have a crush on Cloud before he opened his mouth, and in her own words ‘the best mail courier to ever exist!’

“Yuffie!” Aerith whined, crossing her arms against her chest.

“Aw man Aerith, I knew the moment I saw you that you were going to be so much fun to work with, phew!”

The older woman sighed and set her hands on her hips, giving the girl a stern look, one a parent would give their child before they were given a scolding.

“Yuffie Kisaragi, you know better than to scare me like that! What if I fell back, huh? What then?”

“Well you didn’t fall so really there isn’t any issue here is there..” She mumbled, thinking that Aerith wouldn’t be able to hear her.

“Oh really?”

The younger girl immediately straightened up, feeling a shiver go up her spine as she saw the usually gentle eyes glare at her. Feeling like she may have gone a bit too far, she decided to fall back to plan B, making her feel bad. This plan wasn’t normally used since most people already knew how she was but since Aerith was new this should work.

“You gotta see it from my point of view here! I have only been surrounded by men for so long in this workplace that I am in utter agony! Knowing that I have such a friendly coworker like you is going to make the work environment so much more fun now, way better than dealing with a pair of boring blondes who never react in a fun way. Bleh!”

Aerith couldn’t help but break character and chuckle. Her eyes softened as she looked at the raven haired girl, beginning to think of her as a younger sibling. She had been an only child and though she knew her parents wanted to spend all day with her they were unable to, which left Aerith alone most of the time. When she was younger she would constantly badger her parents for a younger sibling but was never given that wish so when Yuffie was acting like a child and teasing her she enjoyed it a little bit. Something like this is what siblings would normally do.

“Good to know I’m good teasing material for you, Yuffie.”

“Aw man, don’t say it like that! You’re making it seem like I only use you for giggles. I also use you for gossip. Now that I have you here Ms. Gainsborough, may I ask what your relationship with our dearly beloved Cloud is? Are you the long lost love who has come to fight for his love against Tifa? Or maybe it was love at first sight? I saw how he grabbed you so it can’t just be nothing so don’t you dare say that!”

“It really is though, he just- wait. I didn’t see you out there when that whole commotion happened... Yuffie, were you eavesdropping?”

“Huh? Me? Eavesdrop? Never! I just happened to pass by the scene while I was finishing up my rounds. Yup, totally just happened to come across you guys..”

As sly as she tried to be, Aerith could see the beads of sweat starting to form on her face and how she was biting the bottom of her lips, most likely to stop herself from saying anything else. The brunette let out a low hum, her eyes scanning her once more before she decided to shrug it off.

“I see, since you are saying so then it must be true.”

“But I really gotta know, I saw Cloud walk into the break room a little while ago and you just walked out. You were in here for quite a while so I can only assume you two were- Goddamnit Kisaragi! Get yer ass in here!” A loud yell coming from the back room made the teenage girl jump.

“And that’s my cue to leave. Would love to chat but my shift just happened to end and I don’t want my ass to be grass, I’ll see you at the drinking party later Aerith!”

“Language!”

Yuffie was talking so fast that Aerith almost didn’t catch what she said before rushing out of the lobby doors just as an older man rushed into the lobby. She let out a gasp when she saw that his hand was covered in what seemed to be blue ink. It took all her willpower to not laugh, biting her lip and looking away as the man stood near her, muttering a million curses as he tried to wipe off the ink with a rag he had hung over his shoulder.

“Damn kid is lucky her father is such an important person or else she would’ve been fired a long ass time ago.”

No matter how much he tried to wipe off the ink it didn’t look like it was going to come off completely any time soon. Deciding to give up he folded the dirty rag before tossing it on the front counter desk and finally noticed Aerith standing there, looking at him.

“The hell are you looking at?” Aerith wasn’t sure how she should respond so she simply kept quiet, looking at him with an awkward smile, not used to this kind of personality but for some reason she felt like he was kinder than what his exterior showed. It took him a second but he finally noticed that she was wearing the uniform.

“You’re the new clerk with the hella complicated last name, right? The fuck were yer parents thinking when picking that last name?”

This comment made Aerith laugh, her shoulders shaking a bit. This was not the first time she has gotten comments like this about her last name.

“I would also like to know but yeah, that’s me! I’m Aerith, and you are?”

“Cid Highwind. I’m the boss ‘round here but my wife Shera also runs some things. She’s not here today but she will be joining us for the drinking party later. She let everyone know that we’re going to be holding a drinking party to welcome you to the crew after work.”

She didn’t have any time to process what Yuffie had said earlier because of all that was happening in the span of a few seconds but now she recalled that she also mentioned a drinking party. A drinking party where all her coworkers would get together. All her coworkers. Cloud would be there. She began to get giddy, looking forward to the get together where she would be able to interact with Cloud more but then she remembered that Zack would come to pick her up when her shift was over. Zack didn’t have the best first impression of Cloud so he might be hesitant to letting her go to the party by herself and would want to come along.

“Hey Cid, would I be able to bring a friend?”

“If Cloud can bring his chick you can bring yours, not my problem. You guys are going to be payin’ anyway.” He shrugged before focusing on his hands, trying to pick at some of the ink that had begun to dry under his nails.

“Cloud has a chick?”

“Oh, you must’ve seen ‘er when you came. Tifa’s the one that walks Chocobo Head to work and usually picks him up too. Joined at the hip those two. Surprised they haven’t gotten together yet with the way she looks at his dumb face. Kid’s dense as a rock when it comes to noticing her feelings, almost makes me feel bad for her.” He let out a long and low sigh, massaging his temples after thinking about their dynamic before cursing, remembering that there was still some wet ink on his hand that was now on his face.

‘Tifa...’ Rather than feeling jealous she was curious about the girl. When seeing the woman with Cloud she felt like she had known her but that wasn’t possible. Aerith would have totally remembered seeing a woman like her before so why did she feel like she was an old friend? Thinking a lot made her have a bit of a headache so she decided to let it go and instead focus on Cid again.

“Yuffie explained most of what I had to do already so I was wondering if there is anything else I need to know?

“I’ll walk you through what you need to do for the first few days before leaving you by yourself. You seem smart enough and the job is not that difficult, you’ll catch on.”

For the next 2 hours Cid walked her through what she needed to know in full detail, making sure that Aerith did it the exact same way he did as well as making sure that she knew what she was doing. When it was finally time for her break she was so mentally exhausted, having to take in so much information really did a number on the person. Cid would constantly emphasize how important her job was as the mail processor which was starting to overwhelm her a little but she took in a few deep breaths, calming herself down before she went to the break room.

“Oh!”

Blue eyes met hers as he paused mid bite, his mouth staying open for a few more seconds before snapping his mouth shut and setting his sandwich down. Aerith had not expected to see him so soon but she couldn’t say she wasn’t pleased with this. They stayed quiet for a moment, both looking at one another before the woman decided to make the first move, heading over to him. With every step she felt her heart beat faster and faster. She still couldn’t believe that he was real and right in front of her.

“On your break too?”

His voice was a little different than in her dreams. It would be warm and gentle as he talked to her about his past adventures or talking to her about their journey. Now, it seemed a little distant but that was to be expected since this was only their third meeting. Outside of her dreams that is.

“Why yes, I am finally free from the iron grips of Cid Highwind.”

Just hearing his name made a shiver run down the two coworkers backs, fearing the wrath of their boss. Since she ate before coming to work she was not hungry and decided to use this free time to get to know the blonde again. Noticing that he was on his last bite of the sandwich she decided that it was prime time to strike up a conversation so she sat down across from him.

“You’re attending the drinking party, right Cloud?” She asked, her elbows on the table with her fingers intertwined as her chin rested on top of them. Curious greens made the blonde still for a moment as if he was entranced by the way she looked at him before dumbly nodding. He wasn’t even sure if he wanted to go before but now he had to go. How would he break the news to Tifa that they are going to a drinking party with the girl that he has been seeing in his dreams? She would most likely punch the living daylights out of him to rack some sense into him which he seems to lose whenever he is in this girl's presence.

‘I’m royally fucked.’

Chapter Text

The clink of the ceramic cups, the soft mutters of people chatting, the calm music playing on the speakers and just the general ambiance of the coffee shop relaxed the ex-military man, a heavy sigh escaping his lips as he relaxed against the chair. He shut his eyes for a moment, enjoying the peacefulness of the shop before hearing a soft clatter in front of him. Peeking with one eye he sees a latte beside a strawberry cake with strawberry buttercream frosting.

“Didn’t take you for a sweets kind of guy.”

“Hey, sweets are great and very manly!”

Tifa set down her own cup of coffee alongside her coffee cake with dark chocolate flakes sprinkled on top before taking her seat in front of him, a cheeky smile on her face as she looked at him. Zack huffed and sat up straight, grabbing his fork and stabbing the cake, taking a big chunk of it and eating it right up. That was a mistake because he was choking and immediately went for his latte, taking a big gulp which helped dislodge the cake from his throat. For a moment he felt like his life flashed before his eyes, panting a little, his eyes wide before looking up at Tifa who matched his expression. Both kept quiet for a moment before they both began to laugh, finding the expression that the other made absolutely hilarious. Both calmed down after a few moments, taking a few sips from their drinks.

“So, Tifa, I saw that the workers seem close to you, are you a regular here?”

“Oh, not at all. I only come here once in a while. They said they remember me because of my eyes and hair.”

“Hmm, well it is hard to forget someone like you.”

Tifa was left speechless, her mouth slightly agape as she looked at Zack very carefully and slowly eat his cake. Now, a comment like this would usually irritate her since one would usually say it with malice or with a certain message laced into the words but when Zack said it his voice was soft and genuine. Trying to cover up her smile, she picked up her drink and took a long sip, her eyes never leaving Zack. Too focused on his cake, the man didn’t notice that she was looking at him until he finished. They locked eyes for a few seconds before he spoke up.

“What’s up? Do I eat messily? Aerith says that I do but I don’t believe her.” He huffed, setting his fork down on his empty plate as he wiped his mouth with a napkin in a fancy kind of way just to prove his point.

“..Aerith? Is that really her name?”

“Yeah, she’s the one who your little lover boy pulled over. By the way, what was up with that?”

It seems like Zack put her in a tough spot because he saw Tifa was biting her lower lip, glancing down at her cup. She was fidgeting with the cup handle for a bit before finally looking up at him, seeming like she doesn’t want to answer that question so he decided to drop it. For now. He needed answers but she shouldn’t be the one to give him that, it should be him.

“Sorry, forget I asked. It’s just... Aerith is my closest friend and she just moved here so I guess I’m a little overprotective of her right now. You’ve seen her, she’s small and stupidly kind so she always gives people the benefit of the doubt and people can abuse that here so I’m just looking out for her.”

“She’s just a friend? It seemed like you guys were a little closer.”

“Oh, what’s this? Is little miss Lockheart jealous?”

“What? Of course not!”

She could feel her face getting warm so she quickly covered up her cheeks with her hands and tried to cover up how flustered she was by setting her elbows on the table so it looked like she was just resting her face on her hands. Even though she tried to be sneaky in hiding her cheeks Zack could still see the red that went down her neck, anyone could easily tell that she was flustered but the way she was avidly trying to hide it which made him smile.

‘Cute.’

Wait, why was he thinking that? He’s supposed to like Aerith! It’s possible to like more than one person though.Feeling frustrated he shook his head before finishing up his latte. They had finished their drinks and slices of cake but neither one of them wanted to leave yet, not making any moves to leave. Zack found that he enjoyed her company a lot and wanted to learn more about her.

“I have this itching feeling that we are going to see each other more often since both of our best friends work together so let’s get to know each other a little more. I’ll go first since I suggested it.”

“Oh you don’t have to, I can go first.”

“Nah, it’s okay. I’ll go. Let’s start with that question you asked before! It’s true. Aerith and I are just friends, we’ve actually been pen pals for a few years, ever since I was back in Gongaga. Oh, by the way I used to live in Gongaga before coming to Midgar and then I moved out at 18. I’m about to start working as a personal trainer tomorrow at the gym. “

“Oh, really? The one in the Sector 7 slums?” She said, trying not to show her excitement.

“Yeah, it’s about a 20 minute walk from the post office. By the way, where do you work?”

“No way, you work in the same gym I do! I guess we’ll be working together too.” Tifa cheered, clapping her hands together softly, not wanting to be too loud.

Zack was ecstatic to hear that, evident by the huge grin on his face, glad that he already had a new friend at his new workplace. In the past he could have easily made 5 friends in a few minutes but ever since that day it had been difficult for him. Civilians were too delicate, too pure for someone like him especially after all the lives he took. For the first time in a while he felt comfortable enough to feel like he could talk about his military time and surprisingly it wasn’t Aerith who made him feel that way, it was Tifa.

“I’m ex-military..” He started slowly, not looking at her since he felt that the happiness that shined so brightly in her eyes would dull out after what he said.

“I joined and was immediately placed in the 2nd class since they said I was fit and stealthy which would be suitable for recon missions. At the time I was 18 so hearing this boosted my ego and I was immediately sent out after my training was over. Along the way I made many friends who I came to lose which put a mental strain on me, more than any 18 year old should have. Losing my friends made me want to get stronger so I could be able to protect those fighting alongside me and those who are waiting for me back home so I made sure to train hard. That’s how I met them.”

Zack had to take a pause, recalling the events had made his head hurt a little, grimacing as he massaged his temple with one hand, the other hand tightly clenched into a fist, his nails digging into his palm to try and send the pain away from his head. He let out a soft gasp when he felt a hand trying to soothe his clenched one. Finally looking up he saw that Tifa’s hand was trying to get him to unclench his fist, her eyes never leaving his hand as her brows were knit together with worry.

“Zack, you are so strong for telling me this but you don’t have to, really. Obviously telling me this is hurting you so you can stop if you’d like. I don’t want to see you hurting like this but know that if you do decide to continue, I will not judge you or be afraid of you. I can already see that you are a broken but kind soul.”

Hearing her kind words made him smile but it didn’t immediately calm him, it was the gentle way her fingers were working their way into his clenched fist to try and get him to relax. When his hand finally lay flat on the table she held it with both her hands as if to say that she is here with him which was enough for him to be able to continue with his story.

The military has an elite team called SOLDIER but even that is split into 3 different classes, 1st being the best the military has to offer. The top 3 at the time were Angeal, Genesis, and Sephiroth. I befriended Angeal by pure chance and we clicked, he was like an older brother I never had. I used to follow him around like a little puppy and ended up getting the nickname Zack the Puppy, very endearing I know. After getting close to him I met his 2 best friends Genesis and Sephiroth. I wasn’t as close with them but we were still on very good terms and they would all help me with my training. Everything was great, I was happy to have friends like them but everything started going downhill when Genesis disappeared.”

He took another pause but this time all he did was hold onto Tifa’s hand a little tighter before he began to pull back in fear of hurting her. Tifa kept him in place, reassuring that he wasn’t hurting her by squeezing his hand which relieved him.

“After he disappeared Angeal was in charge of looking for him but soon he also disappeared so it was left to Sephiroth. Around this time is when I was promoted to 1st class with the recommendation of Angeal before he left. Even after 2 of my closest friends disappeared I still had it in me to be excited about the promotion. What an asshole,right? That was before I got the news that it’ll now be mine and Sephiroth’s job to find the 2 deserters. That was the first time I heard of the word and even then I knew that it wasn’t a good thing. For the following months I did everything I could to look for them while also making sure I could aid in the front lines during the war. I thought I was doing the right thing but I really wasn’t.. Midgar is a big city with hundreds of thousands of military men and those innocent people were just trying to protect their homes, I’m a monster. Maybe that’s why those 2 left, they couldn’t take it anymore.”

What ended up happening to Genesis and Angeal?” Her voice was quiet, hands still tight around him much to his surprise. After telling her all of this he expected her to let him go or at least loosen the grip.

“We eventually found them. I called the higher-ups with the good news but then someone else picked up the phone. It was this man named Hojo, the head scientist for Shinra and a very important figure in the company that funded the military. I’ve only heard rumors of him before about being a mad man but they were wrong, that man is cynical and from hell. I put him on speaker so Sephiroth could hear too and all of a sudden his relieved demeanor changed into a serious one in a single second. That.. that asshole told us they had to be rid of, that there was no use for people who would run away when things get tough. I tried to explain that they just need some help and they’ll be fine but before I knew it I heard 2 shots behind me. Sephiroth, their closest friend, had killed them. And..”

“Zack, it's okay.”

Only after hearing her speak up did he notice how hunched over he was, as if his body was trying to protect itself. He sat up and looked at Tifa, her eyes seeming worried for him before she reached over to his face and wiped a tear that formed on the corner of his eye. Silently thanking her, he let go of her hand and began to wipe away any more traces of him showing any weakness. A deep breath in and a long breath out was enough to calm him down before he looked down at his empty plate.

“I can’t believe I told you this, I haven’t even told Aerith. Tifa, thanks a lot for hearing me out, I haven’t told this to anyone before so this helped me get a lot off my chest. I’m really sorry you had to hear all of that, is there any way I can repay you for your time?”

“It’s really no problem at all, I’m glad I was able to help you… But since you insisted so much, let’s get drinks together soon, my treat this time. You paid for the coffee and cakes.” Free drinks was something no sane man would ever reject so he nodded his head before recalling that it was now Tifa’s turn to go.

“I know it seems awkward to follow after me but you should tell me a little about yourself to Tifa, what’s your secret backstory?”

"There isn't much to tell really.." Zack didn’t believe her since her body language said otherwise. With the way she had her hands balled into fists and shaking it looked like there was a lot she had to say just like he did. Now it was his turn to put her at ease so he leaned forward, slipping his hands under hers before caressing them with his thumbs with the hopes of calming her down a little.

“Sometimes it’s easier to take things off your chest with someone you don’t know that well. Maybe that’s why I was able to tell all this stuff to you and not Aerith. For me, this was something I needed to get off my chest so it felt liberating but if you don’t want to you don’t have to.”

A barely audible gasp escaped from her lips when feeling his calloused thumb try to soothe her. Tifa noticed that Zack was the type to comfort others with physical touch which she wasn’t used to. Being friends with Cloud for so many years you’re bound to get used to getting no physical touch unless you initiate it, which she was often too scared to do. Zack’s warmth was new, something she feels like she has been wanting for a long time. It was comforting.

“I didn’t always live in Midgar, I used to live in a village called Nibelheim. It was small, the usual country village. I loved Nibelheim, at night you could look up and see all the stars shining so brightly, the air was clean since we lived away from the bigger cities, and there wouldn’t be much foot traffic since we were a small mountain village. I looked forward to my future there, maybe I’d visit the bigger cities before deciding to settle down at Nibelheim. That dream went down the drain when a sudden fire broke out, leading to the burning of the whole village. People lost their lives that day, I remember the shouts, the scream and cries of people losing their homes before it turned eerily quiet. After the fire died down we looked for survivors but there were none, we were the only locals left. My family left with whatever we could carry and the clothes on our back.”

She managed to tough it out till the end but couldn’t keep her mask on anymore as she began to let the tears fall from her face, remembering the day she lost everything. The hands that were on top of Zack’s held onto his hands now, squeezing it as she tried to stifle her sobs, not wanting to make a scene in the shop. Blue eyes only looked at her with a sort of understanding, knowing what it was like to lose everything. They stayed like that for a few moments, one silently consoling the other. Letting out a shaky breath, Tifa relaxed her hold and began to wipe the tears that hadn’t dropped.

“After that we arrived here. The news of Nibelheim wasn’t talked about here at all but I’m guessing that has to do with it being a mountain village. We wound up in the Sector 7 slums and managed to get a decent place. We had a neighbor who welcomed us when we first arrived but I was so broken that I didn’t pay any attention. I didn’t speak for a good few months before my parents stepped in and recommended I talk to the neighbor’s kid who I didn’t know even existed. My parents were so understanding of my situation, letting me do as I pleased for those months so I decided to throw them a bone and talk to the kid. He ended up being Cloud and ever since then we have been stuck together. He was my rock during that time.”

The mood from dark and serious started to shift to one of bright and nostalgic as Tifa recalled all the times Cloud would comfort her whenever they had a sleepover and she had night terrors. How he would share stories his mom used to tell him when he was younger, the way he would awkwardly stumble over his words when he forgot what the next part of the story was. The nights where he would sleep outside of her door, telling her that he would be there for her “from right over here,” he would say since he didn’t like the thought of sleeping in the same room as her with her parents sleeping right next door. All the memories began to resurface which made her start to laugh, her body feeling light and loose when comparing it to how it was when she talked about Nibelheim.

“He’s done so much for me and it feels like I haven’t done enough for him when I see how sleepless he is these days,” Tifa sighed and shook her head in exasperation as Zack followed suit, feeling the same way about his best friend. Now that the mood became more lax, they finally looked at one another. When seeing the person across the table they realized just how strong this person was, going through so much but still being able to smile and face tomorrow with a strong heart. They smiled at each other, finding that they shared a lot more in common than they initially thought. Tifa looked away first to see the time and gasped in horror, quickly grabbing her phone to see if she had been mistaken only to find that she was right.

“We’ve been here for 3 hours, I need to go home and change!”

“3 hours? No way its been that long.”

He too was proven wrong when he took out his phone and flipped it open, his jaw dropping slightly in shock. He cursed under his breath, shoving his phone into his back pocket after getting up, Tifa following immediately after. The two cleaned up any mess they made, left a decent tip for the staff, and left the shop together before jogging to the station to get back to the slums. They conversed about other things while on the train, the letters Zack would write to Aerith, how Cloud hasn’t really changed since they were younger, the way Aerith was skilled with greenery and how Cloud was basically Tifa’s personal electrician. The train stopped, announcing they had arrived at their destination much to their surprise, not realizing how fast time passed.

Stepping out of the train, they walked away from the station and were now standing at a crossroad.

“I have to go that way, gotta change,” Tifa pointed at the direction her home was.

“Same here, just the opposite direction. Shame we couldn’t walk back together, I wanted to learn more about the Goldilocks incident.” The two chuckled at this before Zack took his phone out, flipping it open and handing it over to Tifa. Already knowing what to do she took his phone and punched in her number and email before handing it back and handing him her blocky phone. He punched in his number as well, handing it back to her before he began to walk backwards.

“I’ll hopefully see you tomorrow Tifa. Maybe your pretty face will greet me when I walk into the gym,” was the last thing he said before giving her a wink and then turning around so his back would face her as he walked away. Tifa was left dumbfounded, trying to keep her mouth from dropping as she began to make her way back to her home.

‘Was he flirting?’ For some reason that didn’t bother her as much as she thought it would, instead a smile appeared on her face, her heart feeling full. While making her way home there was a little pep to her step, her joy unable to be contained.

The slam of the locker being shut echoed in the room which made Cloud wince slightly, hating the sound but knowing that his beat up locker wouldn’t shut properly otherwise. Today had been more of a hectic day than he would have liked for it to be. He was used to his simple routine of school, work, home, and then staying up late to avoid having the dreams. Now that Aerith appeared in his life he couldn’t begin to imagine how his schedule would be affected. Cloud groaned, setting his forehead against the cold metal of the locker, letting it cool him down since he was still feeling a bit warm after having to carry and organize all the mail in the back. As he closed his eyes a blissful hum came from him, appreciating how cooling the locker was for him.

His mind was empty now, the only thing he was capable of feeling was the ache in his body. If his body is feeling like this even though he had been working here for a good amount of time he can’t begin to imagine how Aerith must be feeling. Then again she works at the front desk, not the back so she should be okay right? Knowing her she would hold it in since she wouldn’t want to be a bother. ’She’s always been stubborn like that,’ he thought before snapping his eyes open, pushing himself from the surface that was beginning to lose its chill. His eyebrows were scrunched, the warmth that he felt before now gone and instead being replaced by a chill running down his back. Why would he think that? That Aerith isn’t this Aerith, he shouldn’t go around mixing them up like that.

“She died so they can’t be the same,” Cloud whispered to himself, his eyes glued to his hand when he remembered the dream he had today. When he recalled how he failed her, how slow he was to get to her, he couldn’t help but feel anger building up inside of him. As he was about to throw a punch against the locker out of frustration he heard the door to the break room open. Pausing his fist mid-punch he glared over at who came in, about to tell them to fuck off. His face relaxed when he saw the worried look of the brunette that was beginning to take up his every thought by simply existing.

They stood there looking at one another, Cloud trying to make sense of what exactly she was making him feel while Aerith was trying to figure out why he seemed so upset. Her long ponytail flowed behind her, confident and strong strides quickly making their way towards him which caught him off guard, making him take a few steps back. Halting right in front of him she leaned forward as she looked up at him, looking at him as if she was trying to find something. He was never one for direct eye contact, finding the action too intimate so he tried to look anywhere else but to his dismay she moved wherever his eyes went. If someone walked in they would think they were playing some kind of game, Cloud running away from Aerith, looking at different places in the break room as she followed him, jumping, crouching, or leaning over to wherever he would focus his eyes on. Eventually Cloud tired himself out, his body having already been spent from the long day he just had. As he was trying to catch his breath he thought about the silly faces Aerith would have when he accidentally caught glimpses of her face before looking for the next place to look. He let out a huff before it was followed by a small tug of the corner of his lip.

“Finally feeling a bit better?” Aerith asked as she panted.

He looked at her, seeing that she was also trying to catch her breath. Her face red from all that physical activity, her hair tousled from all the jumping, and her face gleaming with light traces of sweat. A thick gulp went down his throat as he looked at her, his face beginning to get warm. ‘Must be because of all that running,’ he thought to himself, tugging on the collar of his shirt to try and cool himself down faster.

“I was feeling fine,” he lied, looking away from her messy look. For some reason Cloud felt like he shouldn’t be looking at her when she was like this but he wasn’t sure why it was wrong. A long hum came from the woman so he looked at her and saw that she was standing with her hands settled on her waist, a look of challenge on her face.

“Sure, and the sky isn’t mostly covered by a steel plate,” she shot back, a small smirk on her face. He wasn’t used to seeing a smirk on her face, it was new but he found that he didn’t mind it. Feeling like he rested up enough, he stood up a bit straighter, zipping up his jacket as he thought about what to respond with. Usually this was as long as a conversation with Cloud Strife went but he was beginning to realize that he wanted to keep this conversation going, not minding her company. With his jacket zipped up, he settled his hands into his pockets.

“Keep being a tease and I won’t go to the drinking party,” he challenged back, a cocky smirk appearing on his face when he saw how Aerith’s nose crinkled before she looked away, crossing her arms. She kept quiet and he could hear the bell ringing in his head, signaling that he had won this duel. Cloud let out a snicker which caught Aerith’s attention and made her look back at him just in time to see a smile showing up on his face that Aerith thought was one of the most beautiful smiles she has seen. The way the small wrinkles on the corner of his eyes would appear when he closed them as his surprisingly bright smile was defined by his smile lines made her heart beat faster than it had ever beat before. In her dreams Cloud never let himself smile like this, the weight of the world always on his shoulders and making it hard for him to simply live. When she saw how much shined when he smiled she couldn’t help but smile as well, vowing to make him smile like this as often as she could.

Knowing that he would get all flustered if she looked at him any longer she tore her eyes away from his face, instead focusing on buttoning up her coat and adjusting her ribbon. It was almost time to go and Zack would be here any moment now so it was high time she headed over to the lobby. Cloud looked up at her fixing herself up and noticed that she couldn’t see just how messed up her hair was so he walked closer to her, absentmindedly petting down the flyaways that had come up from all of her running. He didn’t realize that Aerith froze in place as he continued to pet away at her hair, solely focused on making her look more presentable. When he was satisfied he pulled away and saw that she was frozen. He didn’t get why until he realized what he had just done.

“Shit, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have done that!” He quickly exclaimed, quickly shoving his hands back into his pockets before beginning to gnaw at his lower lip as he began to step back, thinking about how she would probably tell him off for touching her like that but was met with a giggle instead. Leaving his lip alone he looked at her and saw that she was messing with her bangles, a small smile on her face before she slowly shook her head,

“Cloud, it’s alright. I should be thanking you, if you didn’t tame my unruly hair I would be out there looking like a mess! So, thank you.” Every action she made surprised him. She was an enigma that he felt that he could never truly understand but he didn’t mind having someone like her around since he found her to be interesting and a breath of fresh air. Just as the brunette was about to take a step towards him a knock was heard on the door, making them both jump a bit.

“Come in Shera,” Cloud called out before clearing his throat and making his way over to the door. In came Shera, her comically large glasses about to fall from the bridge of her nose right before she pushed them up. That didn’t deter her from flashing a motherly smile at the two as she walked into the room. Aerith noticed that the energy she gave off was one she felt drawn to.

“Oh my, how did you know it was me?”

“No one else in this damn place knocks,” he rolled his eyes as he settled his eyes on Shera, a brow raising in question. Shera knew that he was basically asking why she was here since she didn’t usually come to the post office, preferring to work in the background and out of the way.

“I am just here to see if you two will be joining Cid, Yuffie, and I for the little get together later. I think this could be a way for us all to bond! Cloud, you could bring Tifa and Aerith, you can bring that friend Cid told me about. About the payment..I would like to pay but Cid told me I have to stop spending so much on others and, I quote, “focus more on yourself goddamn it, yer as broke as my damn back!” which I find kind of amusing.” Even Aerith could see how deeply those two cared for the other as she saw how Shera smiled happily, pushing up her glasses yet again before it immediately slipped down again.

“Well no need to worry about us! Mr. Strife here just told me how excited he was about tonight and was talking my ear off about how much he is going to love seeing Cid later,” hearing this immediately caught Cloud’s attention, turning to face the woman but was surprised to see that she was already next to him, her around wrapped around his as she smiled at him cheekily. Cloud could feel his right eye twitch, not used to being touched like this and tried to pull himself away but found that Aerith was way stronger than he had thought, keeping him right where she wanted him.

“That’s news to me..” Cloud grumbled close to Aerith’s ear, making a shiver run down her body.

“I didn’t know you and Cid were so close, Cloud. Is it because you’re both blondes?” Hearing this made Aerith chortle, having to look away from them as her body shook a little from laughing.

“What? No! Why woud- look, everyone is going and we know where to meet up so you can go ahead and go to Cid. I know you’re dying to see that old bat, not sure why.” That was all Shera needed to hear before she quickly bid them a farewell and left the room, definitely going off to see Cid. The room was mostly silent aside from the buzzing coming from the overhead lights. With Shera gone, Aerith let go of him, not seeing the need to tease him any further.

“I gotta head over to the lobby, my friend is picking me up and he’s quite the worrywart.”

“Mine too, let’s just go there together,” Cloud surprised himself when he heard what he had suggested.

“Lets mosey then!” Not given a chance to change his mind, his hand was grabbed before he felt himself being tugged out of the break room and making their way to the lobby. When arriving at the lobby they noticed that no one was there yet.

“Shame, he’s not here yet. This just means we can talk for a bit longer! Let's play a small game until he gets here, how does that sound Cloud?” In all honesty he just wanted to go home and was about to tell her just that but when he saw how she looked at him with those lively green eyes, using her short but thick eyelashes to flutter them in a way to tempt him as well as showing him a smile that could stop him in his tracks he couldn’t find it in himself to deny her. With a frustrated sigh he nodded his head in response which earned his hand a squeeze from hers.

“20 questions! A quick and fun way to learn about the other person, right? I’ll go first, I’ve always been curious. Does your hair naturally look like that? You really never use any gel?” Her hand was on his hair before he could even answer, playing with his thicker locs of hair as she seemingly waited for his response. Cloud flinched a little, not used to someone so casually touching him but he let her. He actually liked the way her finger would gently detangle any of the small knots his hair would have.

“It does, my mom says I got it from my father but I wouldn’t know,” Cloud never knew his dad, he was gone even before he was born so he loathed the man. Not wanting to delve into it any longer, Cloud looked at her, quirking an eyebrow before asking his own question.

“How did you get Cid to let you wear the bangles? He’s not fond of jewelry in the workplace,” at hearing this Aerith grinned and began to swing their joined hands as she pulled her other hand away from his hair, outstretching her arm so she could dangle her bangles a bit.

“Pure luck. Shera actually came in for a bit today and mentioned that she liked them when she noticed them. I guess Cid heard that so he didn’t mention anything about them. My guess is that he’s going to ask me where I got these so he could buy something similar for her. He really does care in his own way, doesn’t he?”

“He hates to show it around others but he cares a lot about her. A few years ago a disease spread throughout the slums and Shera caught it. For a while she was bed bound and looked like things were going to turn for the worst but obviously she managed to get better. I guess that fear of being able to lose someone you love scared Cid so he appreciates each day he gets with her. It’s cringy to look at,” recalling how he felt when he lost Aerith in his dreams and how Cid was when he was possibly going to lose Shera. The similarities in the way both men acted frightened Cloud a bit, thinking that it was scary how eerily similar they were. There was only one time he saw Cid cry and that was by accident when he ended up staying late at work. Cid was in his office with the door open so when Cloud was about to tell him that he was going home he stopped himself upon hearing his low cries, Sheras’ name being blubbered every so often.

“He was really broken,” he subconsciously gripped her hand a little tighter, his body making sure that she was still here, safe and sound with him. It was only after he squeezed her hand that her eyes wandered down to see their hands. Her face began to get warm, not believing that they had been holding hands since they left the break room. As she looked at their joined hands she couldn’t help but let a goofy smile show. Compared to how his hands were in her dreams, these were a little softer, ‘must be because he doesn’t have to carry around that huge sword’ she thought to herself, beginning to run her thumb gently against his hand.

“It’s a good thing Shera got better then, I can’t imagine Cid without her even though I haven’t known them that long.”

Cloud glanced over at her and noticed that she was looking down. Following her gaze he saw their hands and immediately pulled his hand away, his face burning red with embarrassment when he realized that he had been holding her hand all this time. What also bothered him was that he didn’t mind it one bit, finding her touch comforting to the point that he didn’t even notice that their hands had been linked all that time.

Aerith brought her hands close to her chest, beginning to play around with her bangles as she pursed her lips, wondering what Cloud would say. He will either completely ignore what just happened or profusely apologize for not noticing before. What ended up happening was something she didn’t expect at all.

“Why do you do this to me? You make me feel-,”he was cut off by the sound of the lobby door opening. They both turned to see who came in and to Cloud’s frustration it was Zack. They had a bad first introduction, (mostly Cloud’s fault but he didn’t want to admit it) so when they noticed the other they simply glared at each other before looking in separate directions.

“Zack! I said 7 not 7:15, geez! If it were not for Cloud I may have just gone and walked back home by myself,” she teased to try and lighten up the mood. Zack smiled at her as he made his way over to her, ruffling her hair which made Cloud’s eye twitch a little. Only because he messed up his hard work, not because of any other reason. He could only look at them from where he stood, not thinking it was right to stand near them as they playfully bickered and threw playful punches at each other. Zack must have said something funny because Aerith threw her head back, letting out a laugh that was like some kind of beautifully cursed melody since the laugh was directed towards someone else. He could feel something in his chest clench as he balled his hands into tight first before shoving them into his pockets, looking away from the pair, deciding to go and get a drink from the vending machine as he waited for Tifa.

“Oh yeah, they’re holding a drinking party for me tonight and I really want to go, how do you feel about joining us?” Evergreen eyes looked up at the raven haired man, pleading that he say yes and go with them since she so badly needed a drink after such an eventful day. Having Cloud there was also a major plus but she wouldn’t let anyone know that. Zack tried to look away so he could find it in himself to decline her offer but he was unable to. With an exasperated sigh he nodded, already knowing where they would go since there was only one bar that they could possibly go to. Cloud came back just as Aerith and Zack were about to leave so he gave the woman a weak wave and was given an energetic one in return which made him huff out a little laugh.

A few moments after they left Tifa arrived and gave Cloud a smile as she walked over to him, beginning to ask about his day. They talked about their day, about the drinking party, and the homework that they would need to finish by tonight. As they reached their homes they agreed that they would meet back up in an hour after Tifa worked on some homework while Cloud changed and got himself ready to go out.

Finally he was in his house, the problems of the outside world being left outside as he walked into the small kitchen area. No one was home, not surprising him since his mom usually works the night shift. Making his way to his room he began to take out clothes to change into later before taking a quick shower, needing to cool down after all that running he did earlier. The funny faces she made popped up in his mind which made him laugh, shaking his head in disbelief as he remembered how silly she looked jumping as crazily as she did.

“She’s a firecracker,” he says with fondness, knowing that she did all that because she caught him in a bad mood. Speaking of bad moods, why did Zack have to touch her like that? He just had to ruin his hard work. Just thinking about that little scene from the lobby made him roll his eyes, letting out a grumble as he quickly finished up his shower. Once out he went to change into his casual wear, black joggers, a gray t-shirt under his black jacket, and his black combat boots. For the first time in a while he stood in front of his mirror, fixing his hair so it still looked the way it normally did but just a tad bit neater, barely noticeable. For a few moments he debated on whether or not to wear the cologne his mom bought him for special occasions.

‘Would this be considered a special occasion? It’s just a drinking party.’

Staring at the square bottle he decided just a spritz wouldn’t do any harm so he did just that before he took out his phone, checking the time and seeing that his hour was almost up. He quickly washed his face and brushed his teeth as he did some last minute touch ups. Finally done, he headed out of the house and was met with Tifa’s back. At the sound of the door she turned around and looked at him with a confused look but didn’t ask any questions.

“Won’t you be cold wearing that?” Tifa was wearing a black cropped top partnered with light brown combat trousers, the bottoms being shoved into her boots. She shrugged at his comment, showing that she carried her jacket just in case she got too chilly. Cloud had already told Tifa about the drinking party but he had yet to tell her about who was going to be there. ‘Now is as good a time as any.’

“Aerith is going to be there and she’s bringing that guy with her, Zack,” he said, bracing himself for a punch for a few seconds but wasn't met with any impact. Glancing over at the woman he saw that she seemed a little.. excited?

As they made their way to the bar they were quiet, both too busy with their own thoughts. After walking for a while they arrived at the bar and saw that Yuffie was just about to walk in before she saw them making their way over.

“Woah, you guys are way too dressed up for a simple gathering. Trying to impress a special someone tonight?” The young girl teased, a smirk on her lips as she wiggled her eyebrows which made the blonde roll his eyes and the ruby eyes girl blush, embarrassed that she had been caught.

“You’re imagining things, go inside already,” Cloud said as he walked past the girl as she snickered, turning around to follow suit, Tifa following not far behind. Upon entering the bar was quite lively, patrons mingling about or having a small darts competition. The post office crew were on a table, getting rowdy as Cid and Aerith were in the middle of a competition of their own, trying to see who could drink the most before feeling sick.

“Come on Aerith, keep at it, you’re ahead by 2!” Zack cheered on, whooping as he clapped his hands.

“Cid, you shouldn’t drink so much, you always wake up with a horrible hangover!” Shere warned but didn’t try to stop him, liking this competitive spirit of his.

“Woah, who knew the language police could drink! Hey, I bet Aerith is going to win, what’s the pool right now guys?” Yuffie exclaimed excitedly, rushing over to their table as she dug into her pockets for some money to bet as the two childhood friends looked at the brunette with astonishment. Cloud looked at the brunette longer than he probably should have but it was hard for him to tear his eyes away from her with the way the lights shone on her, illuminating all her features in a way that would make anyone awestruck. He was snapped out of his daze when his view was blocked by two dark red eyes.

“Try not to make it too obvious. Please.” He must've misheard but when Tifa said the last bit he thought her voice cracked but that had to be a mistake because why would she sound so upset? Cloud looked at her, a confused look on his face as he saw Tifa turn away from him and make her way to the table to greet everyone. Everyone greeted Tifa warmly, used to her coming whenever there was a gathering except for Aerith and Zack since they had to exchange greetings first.

“Tifa, right? I’ve heard so much about you, a pleasure to meet you! I’m Aerith,” she said right after slamming her empty glass down, a look of victory on her face since Cid finally decided to withdraw, his stomach starting to kill him. Tifa looked at her, a small awkward smile on her face as she nodded, her energy reminded her of Zack’s which explains why the two are such good friends. Thin arms wrapped around her in a brief hug before pulling away, a smile was spread across her face as lively greens looked at her.

“You’re super pretty, what hair products do you use?” That was the end of the awkward air around them, the two sitting down next to one another talking about their different routines, explaining their process, and Tifa sharing some good shops she thinks Aerith would like. Before they knew it the two women were exchanging contact information, enjoying the other’s company. Yuffie huffed, beginning to get jealous of how quickly they bonded and decided to take out her frustrations on Cid, beginning to think about what prank she should pull on him.

The only two people left without having someone to talk to were Zack and Cloud. Cloud mentally cursed, wanting to go home but knew that if he did Aerith would question him about it tomorrow and that was energy he couldn’t spare so he made his way over to the table, sitting beside Zack but making sure there was a good amount of space between them.

“I don’t bite, you don’t have to sit that far… Goldilocks,” Zack whispered the last part, a grin present on his face as Cloud froze, his eyes widening as he turned to look over at Zack. No one but Tifa and his mom should know about that nickname, the only possible person who could have possibly told Zack was Tifa but since when were those two so close? A chuckle came out from the man as Cloud swears every time this man is near his eye twitches.

“I’m guessing Tifa told you, since when were you two so close?” He knew his childhood friend, she wasn’t one to get chummy with random guys but this one must have left an impression on her if they already talked about his dreaded nickname. Might have been because of what happened in front of the post office. Just thinking about that whole interaction made him groan in embarrassment, setting his face down on the table to hide his face as Zack looked over, examining him.

From what Tifa has told him this guy is one to usually keep to himself so when he grabbed Aerith it was very out of character which only makes him even more confused, why would he do that? ‘I need to loosen him up a bit,’ Zack thought as he grabbed 2 bottles of beer, handing one over to Cloud before opening his with ease. When hearing the bottle being set beside him Cloud looked over to look at it.

“Drink, it’ll relax you a little,” raising his bottle, he brought it over to the blonde, waiting for him to clink his own bottle against his. Opening his bottle, he met Zack’s bottle with his before trying to down the bottle in one chug but failed, only able to do a few gulps. Almost immediately Cloud felt his body loosen, his mind becoming clear as his face was beginning to warm up. A confused look was on Zack’s face when he saw just how quickly this man changed. No way someone can get drunk that easily, right?

“Hey Zack, sorry I left you like that, I was totally immersed in this conversation with Tifa, she’s so fun to t- is Cloud already drunk?” The table stopped talking to turn their attention towards the younger blonde. Shera got up and took the bottle away from Cloud, chuckling as he blubbered nonsense under his breath. “We should have warned you beforehand but Cloud is a lightweight. He refuses to acknowledge this thought so Tifa usually sits beside him so he doesn’t try to drink.” Zack winced, feeling bad about offering the drink now and was about to get up to take Cloud outside for some cold air but Aerith stopped him, setting her hand down on his arm.

“I’ll take him, I need some air too after all that drinking,” she said as she fanned her face to prove her point. Draping Cloud’s arm over her shoulder she held him close, making him lean against her so he wouldn’t fall over. Before she left she turned over to look at Zack, pointing over at the restroom. “Tifa’s in there so would you mind telling her Cloud and I stepped for some air?” He was hesitant in letting them go by themselves, it was dark outside so he was about to take Cloud away from Aerith but she managed to sneak out of the bar before he was given the chance to. ‘Sneaky woman,’ Zack sighed and sat back down on the table, conversing with the other 3 until Tifa came out.

“Hey, hot stuff, you should drink some more! The night has just begun!” Yuffie whooped, trying to reach for a bottle for herself too but was quickly blocked by Shera, a stern look on her face which made the girl shrink back. Zack chuckled at the nickname and agreed, downing his first bottle before opening another one.

“All right, let’s get this party started then!”

Chapter Text

Walking back into the lively atmosphere Tifa quickly noticed the lack of blonde spikes in the room which confused her. Once back at the table along with the others she also noticed that her new friend was nowhere to be seen either. Seeing her confusion Zack leaned over to her slightly, whispering that they stepped put for a bit to get some air.

“Did Cloud end up drinking?” Her voice was laced with worry, knowing how he can get with just a tiny sip of alcohol. Just remembering the last time he got drunk made her get a headache, making her massage her temple to lessen the pain. 

“Yeah.. it may have been my fault. I didn’t know and offered him a drink.” Zack truly felt bad, never meaning for him to get wasted so quickly. 

“It’s okay, Cloud is old enough to know his limits but still stubbornly refuses to admit that he is a lightweight." They share a laugh before Zack offered her a bottle which Tifa happily accepted, giving him a small thanks before she clinks their bottles against one another. After taking a few gulps she set the bottle down and turned her attention over to the show of Yuffie telling Shera the prank she managed to pull off on Cid which made the wife of said man laugh, tears welling up in the corner of her eyes. The two young adults watched on as Cid ran a hand down his face to cover up any trace of embarrassment while also trying to calm himself and not go on a tangent on the younger girl.

“Is this normal or am I just receiving an amazing show tonight?” Zack asked before taking another swig of the beer, letting out an exhale.

“This is pretty much the norm. Though Cloud doesn’t usually drink since I distract him from the drinks so that’s something that hasn’t happened in a while. Speaking of Cloud, maybe I should check up on him.” Zack places a hand on her shoulder, making her unable to get up. Anyone could see that the woman had a crush on the blonde but from what he has seen it doesn’t look reciprocated and instead Cloud seemed more interested in his longtime crush much to his dismay. If she walked out and saw those two together she would be saddened by how close those two have gotten in such a short amount of time. 

“Like you said, Cloud is old enough to take care of himself so don’t worry. Try to unwind a bit with me- I mean us.” Both heard his slip up but decided not to point it out, instead taking a sip of their drink before joining in on the banter with Yuffie; unaware of the red flushing on their cheeks that didn’t have anything to do with the alcohol.

The cool air hit their face the moment they stepped outside. It was quite refreshing for the two since the alcohol was heightening their body temperature. Aerith leaned Cloud against a wall that was away from the still bustling street. She knew that the city was always lively but she never expected something like this.

“Cloud, how are you feeling?” The back of her hand was pressed against his forehead, making Cloud let out a groan since her hand was warm. Noticing his discomfort she pulled her hand back and opted to fanning his face instead. Who knew this ‘1st Class Soldier’ would be a lightweight. She couldn’t hide the smile on her face as she lovingly looked at his features. His comically long but soft blonde spikes, the striking blues in his eyes, the faint freckles scattered across his face, his long eyelashes, and how rosy his cheeks got when he got drunk.  Cloud didn’t notice how she looked at him, all he could focus on was how close the two were and all the thoughts that were running around in his head but there was one thing that he had been curious about ever since he saw her again.

“..questions…” 

“Hm?” Aerith lifted her brow in question as she pulled herself away from him, only now noticing how close she was.

“20 questions, you wanted to play that right?” He mumbled softly under his breath, though he was not in the right state of mind he was still able to feel embarrassment. “You.. you remembered.” Much to her delight. She suspected that the game may have been over the moment Zack arrived but was overjoyed that he wanted to continue playing. All she got in response was a low hum from him which she was satisfied with. Thinking back she recalled that she was technically the last to ask a question and get it answered so it was Cloud’s turn.

“Alright mister, ask away! I’m an open book y’know.” She leaned against the wall beside him, patiently waiting for him to ask his question as she looked at the people passing by them in the streets, still marveling at how lively the streets were. She was a bit of a country bumpkin so seeing this much traffic this late at night was something new to her.

She didn’t catch the way Cloud looked at her, in slight awe of how beautifully the lights bounced off of her. Even if she was wearing a very simple outfit the way the lights made her shine made his heart thump just as loud as it did when he first saw her walking towards him on the bridge in that red dress. Cloud opened his mouth to say all of this before he was caught off-guard by the brunette suddenly turning to face him, brows furrowed in confusion as she looked at him.

“You okay? I know you’re usually silent but you’re quieter than usual. What’s on your mind?” She said, a small smile appearing on her face when she noticed that he was beginning to relax around her.

He hadn’t noticed he had been looking at her for so long, curse time for moving so quickly. Clearing his throat, he looked away from her as he shoved his hands into his pockets. “Sorry, I was thinking about..a past memory?” He dumbly admitted, trying to hide the red that was slowly showing up on his face. Cloud doesn’t know if it was the beer talking or maybe it was what he really wanted to know deep down but the question he asked is not what he would in a million years think he would ask someone he basically just met.

“What’s your relationship with Zack?” He ended up blurting out.

This obviously caught them both off-guard, widened eyes meeting the other. Cloud noticed the slight drop of her jaw, clearly she was expecting something simple but of course in his totally not drunken state he went and asked something grand. When the silence between them started stretching out longer than a minute he was about to take back his question but she beat him to the punch.

“We dated.” 

The blonde never thought words could hurt as much as they did just then, feeling like his stomach dropped from the steel plate down to the slums. He knew the way they acted was very affectionate and now he knows it’s because they were once in a relationship where that was the norm. All those touches he saw Zack give her was because he was used to that sort of thing. He knows it shouldn’t affect him but knowing that they were once together seemed to have a sour effect on him, feeling something squeeze his heart. But why? 

“But then we broke up due to the distance. And now I’m here since he helped me find a place here. We’re really close friends.” She finished up, beginning to play with her bangles which Cloud was beginning to notice was a habit of hers. He wanted to let out a loud sigh of relief but felt that it would only make him look weird so he simply hummed in response, nodding as he looked up at the steel sky. Close friends. That’s all she said they were but even he can see the way Zack looked at her and it seemed he wanted to go back to what they once were.

“It’s my turn now right? So...what about you and Tifa?” 

“Me and Tifa? Not much to say really. She’s also my close friend. She’s always been there for me and honestly, if it weren’t for her then I most likely wouldn’t be standing here.” He said humorously, earning him a sprinkle of colorful giggles from her which in turn made him smile. They stayed like that for a while in a comfortable silence, Cloud, finally beginning to sober up from all the chatter and the cool breeze felt that maybe they should head back inside so he pushed himself off the wall and began to make his way back into the bar.

“Are you sure that’s all?” That stopped him in his tracks, turning back to see her looking at him in a way that seemed scared of how he would respond. Why would she be scared? Was his response something that would frighten her in some kind of way? Even though all these questions were swirling around his head there was one thing he did know for a fact. He didn’t want her to feel this way so he hoped his answer was something that would take that look away from her face. 

“Yes.”

“So what you’re saying is that there is still dry ink in the crevices of your palm and under your nails that you still can’t get out?”

Try as he might, Zack was unable to push down the fit of laughter that was starting to come up. The alcohol was beginning to get to him and everything was just too funny for him. Tifa was on the same boat but managed to stifle down her laughter by eating some of the appetizers. Shera had long since calmed down and was now holding Cid’s hand, trying to clean up his hand as he grumbled profanities under his breath. 

“I wish I could have seen the outcome of my wonderful job. Sadly I had to run from the crime scene if I wanted to live.” Yuffie said, crossing her arms over her chest as she shook her head in disappointment.

“Are we talking about the ink prank Yuffie did on Cid?”

“Aerith, Chocobo Head, you’re finally back!” Yuffie excitedly exclaimed as she ran over to the brunette, wrapping her in a tight hug that was weakly returned since the smaller girl was squeezing her so tight. Cloud only looked at them with a confused look as he took his seat next to Tifa and after she was finally out of Yuffie’s grasp Aerith sat down beside Zack who immediately caught her up on everything that has happened since she left.

“Now that everyone is finally together and has had at least a little to drink it’s time we play a game! And have I got the game for us tonight. Drumroll please!” 

Zack started drumming his fingers against the table much to Yuffie’s delight as she rummaged through her bag to find something. Finally finding it she pulled out what looked to be 7 sticks. She then proceeded to shuffle them around in her hands for a bit before presenting them to everyone on the table, a huge grin plastered across her face.

“I present to you all, King’s Game!” She hollered, receiving cheers from everyone but Cloud, Aerith, and Zack. The last two simply had a look of confusion on their faces, not seeming to be familiar with the game. Yuffie noticed this and cleared her throat, letting the ones who knew the rules grab a stick as she sat down, her hand still out so Zack and Aerith can take a stick of their own.

“Most of us may be familiar with the famous game but to those who aren’t, I’ll give a quick rundown. There are 7 of us so there are seven sticks. Sticks are numbered 1 to 6 and the 7th stick is the ‘king’. The one who gets the king has absolute rule of the others and can give others decrees that the ones who are called upon MUST obey! But..” She lets Zack and Aerith take a stick before getting a bowl and dumping all kinds of alcohol, mixing it all together with a devilish grin before setting it on the middle of the table, a look of disgust on everyone’s face. 

“Whoever feels that they cannot and will not obey the king has to take a big ol’ sip of this drink here.”

“Wait, you’re underage so how is this fair for us?!” Tifa asked, Yuffie clicked her tongue, not thinking that she would be caught so soon. “Any suggestions for me to do then?” At this Tifa smirked, grabbing a small platter of appetizers and sprinkling chili peppers and hot sauce all over them before pushing it over to Yuffie who was mortified at the sight of the food. Sure she could handle a bit of spice but the amount the woman put was overkill. “You have to eat one of the wings. The whole thing if you decide not to do an order from the king. Deal?”

 Yuffie reluctantly agreed and with that the game began. 

Shera stands up, showing everyone the crudely drawn on crown that signalizes she is the king for this round. Everyone took a sigh of relief, knowing that Shera would go easy on them. Scanning the group, she hummed as she tried to figure out what her decree was.

“Oh! 2 and 4 should complement one another. We should deepen our bonds since we’re out here anyway.” Shera cheerily says, excited to see the two she picked. Yuffie and Tifa reluctantly stand up and look at each other. These two don’t hate each other, they just were never that close since they only knew each other as Cloud’s best friend or Cloud’s coworker. Tifa decided to go first, clearing her throat to get their attention.

“You are a very charismatic person. People are drawn to you because you’re so bubbly!” Yuffie coos, playfully hiding her slightly reddened cheeks as she sways a bit. 

“Oh Tifa, that’s so sweet! I know I’m amazing but thank you for telling me all those nice things. Uuh, you have a nice rack! Anyone would kill for those!” She stated as she stared at her chest, nodding in appreciation which made a shocked Tifa’s face burn red before she quickly leaned over and grabbed an appetizer, shoving it down the girl’s mouth

“Eat it!” Yuffie’s screams were muffled as she was forced to eat the spicy food. Everyone else simply looked on as Yuffie ordered milk for herself, hanging her tongue out to try and cool it down by also fanning it.

Taking her seat, Tifa simply took the sticks back and shuffled them a bit before presenting it to everyone again for them to take. The next king was Cid who looked around the bar to see if there was anything embarrassing for him to order 2 people to do. At the sight of two people finishing up a duet at the bar he grinned and threw his stick down on the table.

“1 and 5 sing a duet. And it has to be a song of my choice. And I’m thinking of choosing a romantic duet…” 

“Bingo!” Zack cheered, showing his stick down on the table to show that it was one of the numbers called. “Which one of you lucky people gets to sing a duet with me?” He teases, scanning the group only to be met with multiple shaking heads before he locks eyes with the younger blonde. Steely eyes looked at him as he showed Zack the number on his stick. 

As if telepathically communicating; both went for the bowl, deciding that was a better fate than having to sing a duet together in front of all of them. Zack took the first swing, downing a few gulps of the highly concentrated concoction before warily passing it to Cloud. After seeing the last time he drank he wasn’t sure if him drinking was the best choice which he saw Tifa agree with as she grabbed the bowl from Zack’s hand. 

“Cloud, maybe you’ve had enough for today. You know you have work in the morning.” She tried to push him to reason but it was all for naught. Cloud grabbed the bowl and looked at it for a moment before taking a swig. Yuffie along with Aerith hyped him up, cheering him on until he set the bowl down, his face already starting to redden a bit. “Are you feeling okay, Cloud?” Shera handed him a glass of water which he took, only nodding in response as he sat back down on his seat. 

“Let’s continue,” He grumbled, raking his fingers through his hair. Yuffie took back the sticks and shuffled them around again, hoping that she would be the king soon since she has all kinds of demands she wants to give out. Everyone now knew what to do as they excitedly took their stick, eagerly awaiting to see who would be the next to give out an ‘order’.

An excited chirp was let out by Aerith as she threw her hand up to reveal that she was the king for the round. “Bingo!” Yuffie let out a huff, crossing her arms while mumbling many things under her breath. “Well, I think we should spice it up, right Yuffie?” This perked up the young girl, a grin spreading across her face as she stood up and squeezed herself between Zack and Aerith, whispering something into her new friend’s ear. Zack looked over at the pair, raising a brow when he saw his best friend’s face transform from passive to mischievous. ‘Just what could Yuffie had said to get this quick of a reaction from her?’

“Sounds tame enough, especially coming from the likes of you” The brunette teased before she was met with a smack on the shoulder. Shaking her head as she let out a light laugh she looked at the group and cleared her throat, standing up to get their attention. “My decree is as follows, number 4 has to kiss the hand of number 2!” This sparked interest from the group, looking around to see who the two that were chosen were. A hand slowly rose up, showing one of the numbered sticks that were called while the other simply placed the stick down on the table.

“Oh, its Cloud and Tifa..!” Aerith gave her best smile as she saw Cloud grab Tifa’s hand and looked at her, making sure that it was okay with her too before he went in, pressing a brief kiss on her hand before letting go and drinking some water to try and clear his head a little. The two older adults jokingly cooed as Yuffie snickered, covering her mouth which made the raven haired beauty flustered, her ears starting to get a little red. Zack felt like he should join in on the teasing but found that he could not. Instead, what he felt was his eye twitch as he clenched his fist. “L-Let’s move on! We gotta keep this train rolling!” Aerith cheerily said as she took back all the sticks. After shuffling them around a bit she lets everyone choose one before finally looking over at Cloud only to see that he was also looking at her. 

Cloud’s eyes were slightly dazed, most likely from the alcohol but even then Aerith could see that he was intensely looking at her which only made her even more nervous. Why was she nervous in the first place? Was it because of what Cloud just did or just because they were in the same room? Many might think that Aerith was a confident and outgoing person who just does as she pleases but that really isn’t the whole picture. She, like everyone, gets self-conscious and worries about what people think about her, especially when it comes to the guy she has liked for 2 years. Under his gaze she feels small, like he is picking apart everything about her and worries that he might see things he doesn’t like. All the dark thoughts immediately dissipate when she sees the smile that’s meant for her . Her hand immediately heads over to her bangles, playing with them for a bit as she gives him a small smile in return, feeling her face start to warm up a little bit. The two were snapped out of their little world when Zack jumped up and threw the king stick down on the table.

“Oh yeah, king me!” He excitedly exclaimed as Yuffie yelled in anguish, clutching her own stick tightly as she slammed her face down on the table, letting out a whine. Shera comforted the girl by patting her back as she signaled Zack to continue. “Um, okay. Let’s see..” Zack had a harder time figuring out what to tell them to do since he didn’t know anyone here well enough other than Aerith or Tifa to know what would be appropriate for him to demand. “Well, why don’t 4 and 3 do a… love shot? With juice!” He held a breath, hoping the 2 he picked were appropriate to do said love shot and much to his relief they were.

“Oh, we haven’t done those in a while.” Shera commented as she got the two glasses ready for her and Cid. The older man smirked as he thought about the last time they did a love shot before shaking his head and grabbing his glass. Everyone counted down excitedly and once the two did their love shot cheers erupted for the two, making Shera visibly red, having to push up her glasses as she looked away from the group as Cid tried to shut the kids up, smacking them each to simmer them down. “Yer all just about to pierce my eardrums!” In response Yuffie rolled her eyes and stuck her tongue out at him, taking back the stick to shuffle them yet again as she got up and went back to her original seat beside Shera.

“It’s starting to get late so maybe this should be the last round. All of us have work tomorrow morning and I doubt anyone wants to wake up feeling like hell tomorrow.” Tifa, being the second mother of the group pointed this out earning many nods of agreement except from the spunky mail courier who wanted to play many more rounds but just as she was about to speak up Tifa locked eyes with her, squinting her eyes as if asking to be tested. Yuffie cleared her throat and stuck out her hand once more for everyone to pick their sticks. “Alright alright, last round.”

“Oh, I’m the king this round.” Tifa was surprised, not expecting to be the king. In the background she could hear Yuffie let out a loud groan of annoyance, most likely because everyone but her had been the king. Ignoring this, red eyes scanned the group, noticing that the liveliness of the group was dying and thought that they should finish the night off with a bang. “Alright, I got it. I just hope the two I pick are appropriate choices..” The woman mumbled as she grabbed some nacho chips and set it on the middle of the table, a smile on her face. “Number 3 has to feed number 5..” The group hummed, thinking that it was a nice and simple dare but Tifa wasn’t done. “…by mouth.” At this the group let out an ‘ooh’, excited to see who would have to do this. 

Two sticks were placed down on the table, the 3 belonging to Cloud and the 5 belonging to Aerith. All Aerith could hear was cheers as she saw Cloud stand up from where he sat, grabbing a chip from the tray that he passed before taking a seat beside her much to Zack's annoyance. Everyone just stared at the way the spiky haired blonde bit one end of the chip, letting out a hum to tell the brunette that he was going to feed her as he slowly leaned towards her, eyes half-lidded but very focused on her lips as to make sure he doesn’t miss. He was so focused that he didn’t see how flustered the woman was, her face becoming a light scarlet red as she tried to form some words that only ended up only being stammers.

“Shouldn’t we stop this?”

“Oh buzz off old man, this is the most exciting thing to happen in any get together we’ve had! Good on ya Tifa, didn’t know you had it in you.” The girl whispered over to her, her eyes focused on the scene. All Tifa could do was look on as Cloud ‘fed’ Aerith the chip. The brunette only ended up biting half of it because if she took any more of a bite their lips may have just touched and she doesn’t think she’s mentally ready for that just yet. As he pulled himself back his eyes were focused on Aerith, nothing else. It was as if he only saw her as she at the blues of his eyes. No greens like before..

“Cloud, are you okay?” She asked softly enough so that the others wouldn’t hear.

“Why did you leave me back then Aerith?” 

When those words escaped his lips there were so many things running through Aerith’s head. How did Tifa and Zack react? When was someone going to intervene? Wasn’t this the first time he called out her name? When did she ever leave Cloud?  Did he mean back in the post office? Just as she gained the ability to speak up she saw his eyes glimmer as if they were beginning to water which shook her up a bit.

“You left and then you were gone. Was it my fault for not noticing sooner? I’m sorry I failed you..”

“Cloud, what a-“ A gasp escaped from her mouth as she saw him leaning closer, his eyes slowly closing. Her eyes only widened when Cloud neared since she wasn’t exactly sure as to what she should do. She didn’t want to push him away but she also doesn’t think this was the most appropriate place for something like that. First they would need to talk things out and -BLEGH-

Most of the bar quieted down at the sound of someone throwing up. Looking over they saw a blonde man throwing up on the chest of a brunette before slumping over lazily on the table, clearly wasted. All eyes were on Aerith as she simply sat there, mouth agape, not sure whether she should scream or faint. 

So she ended up doing as her world turned dark.