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“Cloud! Look! I found another one!”
Aerith's excited voice washes over him like a small tidal wave and Cloud doesn't know if he should sigh or smile about her eagerness as he watches her from where he stands in the distance. He's close enough to jump into action in case any danger appears, but far enough that Aerith can't easily drag him into her current activities. He knows she would do that if given the chance. The Chocobo lent to them will have to do because someone has to be on guard, no matter how peaceful the surroundings may seem.
“Kweh! Kweh!” Judging from its excited voice, the large bird is more than eager to assist Aerith though, so there's no problem with that. The Chocobo even gets a pat on the head for a job well done as it locates a new shell. At the sight, Cloud feels how the side of his face twitches. Maybe he should join after all.
Cloud sighs again and closes a bit of the distance separating him from the flower girl. It doesn't matter if it's a human or animal, Aerith always manages to charm the lifeforms around her without fail. The former SOLDIER is no exception to that. He wonders if this is about her being the last Cetra or if it's just her natural charm working its magic. Maybe it's a mixture of both because Aerith sees the world in a way only she can and it's drawing lifeforms in like moths to a flame.
Whatever it is in the end, he's swept away by the motion anyway, the force of the wave overwhelming him easily. The result isn't much of a surprise to him anymore. It has been in the past when they were still in Midgar, but Aerith has long wormed her way into his heart and he has long given up to try and resist her charm. Instead, he allows himself to be swept away by it.
Cloud can't say what it is about Aerith, but she always manages to coax him out of his comfort zone, making him lower his defences to the point he feels bare in front of her from time to time. It's just inside his head, of course, and even if that is not the case, Aerith would never do anything that makes him feel uncomfortable. She's not like that. She's kind and considerate despite the heavy burden weighing down on her, always trying to be mindful and help her friends and random people whenever she can. In short, she's too good of a soul, too precious for this world where at every corner lurks something dark and yet Aerith always sees the good, no matter what.
Sometimes though, when she thinks nobody notices, her mask falters and she shows the insecurity curling inside her. Cloud, however, notices every time because the smile she normally carries doesn't quite reach her eyes any longer if her darker emotions break free. In these moments, it's barely a shadow of itself and it makes him feel helpless because he has no clue what to do to cheer her up. It always makes him wish he could do more than stand by her side and hope his presence will levitate at least some of the burdens weighing down on her shoulders.
That's one of the reasons why he agreed to take on the current job without putting up much of a fight. It's not because he generally accepts every job he's offered but solely for Aerith's sake this time around. That he gets to spend some time with her on top of that is just a big plus, but that's something nobody needs to know about.
She was so excited about the specifics, going around Costa del Sol and trying out different activities under the prospect of a date while their clients observed from the sidelines to come up with new fashion designs, Cloud didn't hesitate to agree to the job, even forgoing the usual bargaining about the payment. He didn't even mind that their clients would be constantly around. Aerith's presence was more than enough to distract him.
The latest addition to their group, Yuffie, ushered the rest of their friends away the moment the word “date” was brought up by the client, so Cloud didn't have to worry about that either. He was not sure what to think about the ninja girl yet but looks like she was not going to cause as much trouble as he had initially thought. He was slightly worried that the ninja might have misunderstood something though, but that was a problem to solve for another day.
Once their friends had dispersed it was only her and him and Aerith eagerly led the way to the first game she wanted to try out. She all but dragged him with her, her summer dress fluttering in the soft sea breeze. Captivated by the sight, Cloud didn't put up any resistance and allowed himself to be dragged along, secretly enjoying the feeling of her hand on his skin.
Their first stop was “Run Wild” and why Aerith chose that game of all places was beyond Cloud. After all, it was a game for pets to participate in, so Cloud and Aerith couldn't enter. Luckily, Red XIII was close by and seemed interested enough to participate on their behalf (he only agreed after Aerith smiled at him with brimming excitement), so Aerith and he moved to the visitor seats to cheer him on.
It came as no surprise to Cloud that Red XIII easily dominated the game, kicking the balls into the goals of the other teams while defending his own goal at the same time. That's why Cloud didn't pay much attention to the game itself and focused on his date partner instead.
Many words to explain Aerith's excitement and how invested she became in the game formed in Cloud's mind. The one he settled with in the end was cute. The way her green eyes widened whenever Red scored a goal before she called his name in pure excitement and happiness, the way her hand clenched around his arm when Red XIII narrowly defended his goal in time from an enemy strike, simply everything.
Once that thought rooted itself in his mind, he felt heat rush to his cheeks. He was glad Aerith paid so much attention to the game. Otherwise, he was sure she would have noticed his state. He excused himself for a moment, not only to give himself a short breather and calm down his raging emotions but also to get them some snacks. This was still a date after all. Cloud is by no means an expert when it comes to these things but even he knows getting food is one of the basics during a date.
He returned a few minutes later with ice cream, not his first choice but he figured it would have to work for the time being. Having a proper meal while watching a game seemed not appropriate to him. By Aerith's brightening eyes when she saw the sweet treat in his hands he concluded it was the right choice.
Handing Aerith her strawberry one, they ate the cold treat while watching the rest of the game in a comfortable silence, sometimes interrupted by Aerith's cheers but Cloud didn't mind.
As expected, Red won the game with an overwhelming victory, scoring each goal of the game while not allowing any of the balls to enter his assigned goal. Cloud felt mild pity for the other participants but his date partner's jubilant mood pushed these thoughts away immediately.
Their next target was the shooting game “Pirate's Rampage.” Cloud was already familiar with it from the prior day, so the new level they added posed no problem to him. At least it would have been if it was not for Aerith. He could have easily scored the high score, but as he saw how Aerith looked at him from the side, he decided to drag this out a little bit.
He purposely missed shots only to gauge Aerith's reactions. From the way she reacted, one would think it was her playing the game and not him. The word cute popped up in his mind again and from there he didn't miss shots on purpose anymore. Instead, he was missing them now because he was too distracted but he didn't mind. Sabotaging himself with thoughts about Aerith was a good thing in his humble opinion.
However, after the fourth time of missing the high score, Aerith stepped in front of him, one of her hands outstretched.
“Let me try! I will show you how it's done, Mr Bodyguard!” She exclaimed with confidence, her eyes twinkling from the sudden challenge. Cloud merely raised his eyebrow at Aerith's sudden declaration but handed her the gun a few moments later.
“Show me how it's done then,” he said while taking a step backwards, leaving the field to Aerith.
“Just you watch! I'm full of surprises!”
And watch he did, breathy sounds escaping his mouth and nose as he observed Aerith's attempts to hit the high score. Cloud was kind enough to not count her first attempt and the one after that, shoving down her failure to get used to the game. But the failures that followed after those two? Cloud settled on that maybe shooting games were simply not her strong suit.
The flower girl tried her best but the shots hit everything aside from the designed targets. Cloud was secretly grateful he was standing behind Aerith. Otherwise, he might have ended up in the crossfire like the poor shopkeeper did. He seemed to not mind getting hit here and there, probably used to this to some extent. Just to be on the safe side though Cloud took another step backwards for additional safety.
From there, he observed and could tell Aerith was getting frustrated with every additional miss. After failing once more, she seemingly had enough and turned around, looking with pleading eyes at him.
“Help?”
“Didn't you want to show me how it's done?”
“...this is more difficult than I thought,” she admitted after a brief moment of silence, pulling another amused sound from Cloud.
“Help? Please?” Aerith added, looking like a kicked puppy at the former SOLDIER.
“Fine,” came his reply. If she was looking at him like this, there was no way in hell he could turn her down. Cloud didn't even notice the small smile that had formed on his lips but Aerith did and it took her breath away.
Closing the distance between them, he came to a halt behind her and easily fell into a familiar military routine. He reached around her body, taking hold of her hands with his own as he began guiding her on how to adjust her posture.
“You gotta place your right hand like this on the handle and in this spot, you use your other hand like this.”
Applying soft pressure, he guided Aerith and corrected her stance, showing the flower girl what the proper posture for shooting with a gun should look like.
“Try to loosen up your shoulders too. It's better to relax. It will help with-” he continued, turning his head to her to see if she could follow his explanations but stopped when he came face to face with shining green eyes staring at him.
It was only when Cloud felt Aerith's breath dance across the sensitive skin of his face that he realized what he had done. Lost in the military routine as he was, Cloud didn't notice their proximity he initiated without thinking.
But with Aerith staring wide-eyed at him, he suddenly became very aware of it. He was standing so close to her that he felt the heat of her body through the layers of his clothes. Furthermore, he felt like the spots where their hands touched were on fire, burned by a sensation so strong it made his heart race. They were practically holding hands in a manner of speaking and Cloud had no idea how he should cope with the situation he brought upon himself.
It was too much but at the same time not enough for him. It was frightening in a sense but he wanted more than this. Even more so because up close like this, he could tell Aerith's eyes were not simply green. Her eyes held a vast variation of the colour and Cloud could get lost in this sight for the rest of his life. If he heard a chuckle from the shopkeeper or his client he ignored it.
“Help me with what?” Aerith asked curiously. Cloud blinked at the sudden question several times, trying to remember what it was he intended to say before he understood their current position.
“Uh... accuracy. Yeah, it will help with your accuracy,” he somehow managed to utter in a low voice without stuttering too much and making a fool of himself in the process.
“Understood!” She chirped, seemingly unaffected by their proximity. The merc didn't know what to think about that. He pushed the thought away though because now was hardly the time for it.
Taking her reply as his cue to let go, his hands left hers only to return immediately when he felt her stance break the moment he let go.
“Careful,” he breathed.
“This is really heavy to hold up like this,” she whispered with a strained voice. Cloud felt like the words were not meant for anyone in particular, only her thoughts voiced out loud. Suddenly she turned to him, catching him off-guard with the way she looked at him with sparkling eyes.
Oh no. He knew that look all too well. It was the one he could never say no to.
“More help, please?”
Her request came as no surprise because he expected something like that. Cloud can't say he has known Aerith for that long, but the short time he did know her was more than enough to get a good impression of her character. Even then, most of the time he was still caught off-guard by her actions but sometimes he was able to read her like an open book, rare as it was.
“I don't think we will get very far like this,” he sighed, his competitive side itching to win crying bitter tears but he supported her anyway. If she wanted his support, Cloud was more than willing to provide as much as he could. For her, he could swallow each loss no matter how hard of a blow it might be to his ego.
“You don't know until you try! Besides, there's nothing we can't do if we are together,” She said happily and with so much confidence, that it left Cloud speechless for a moment before he felt a small smile tug at the corner of his lips.
"Right."
Retaking the stance he had shown her with him supporting her from behind the new game began. Aerith took the shots while he held the rifle up and dealt with the recoil. The small plastic bullets flew through the air in a wild barrage and much to Cloud's surprise they managed somehow to hit the targets most of the time. It was far from perfect, more akin to Barret snapping and shooting at everything in his vision, but for their first try it was decent enough. Not to mention he could enjoy Aerith's presence from up close without looking weird.
They didn't score the high score but it was still enough for a consolation prize. Aerith seemed satisfied with that result and asked what they should take. Having no clue, he offered to carry around whatever she would choose. When she looked at him with teasing eyes he slightly regretted his offer.
“Everything, you say?” She asked, her eyebrows rising high and her green eyes shining with mischief. The merc concluded he might have said something he shouldn't have.
“...everything,” he responded through clenched teeth already regretting he proposed such an offer.
Aerith laughed at the sight before she turned around and skimmed through the shelves displaying the prices. Cloud, having closed his eyes, secretly prayed to the planet and prepared for the worst.
“I think... I'll take this one!” Announcing her choice, Aerith picked up the object of her desire and held it up high. “Look, Cloud! Don't you think he's so cute?”
Carefully opening one of his eyes, the merc squinted at whatever Aerith picked. He sighed in relief when it was just a plushy she got, a small yellow Chocobo that looked rather crooked. But maybe that's why Aerith thought it was cute.
“I think so?” He offered carefully in response. In his opinion, there was nothing special about the small plushy but he kept that to himself.
You're cuter than it anyway. There was of course that thought rushing through his brain as well, but it was all the more reason to not speak his mind unless he wanted to embarrass himself.
Suddenly, he felt something soft press against his cheek, making him gasp. Cloud blinked and noticed Aerith had closed the distance between them and was standing right in front of him.
“It's the same hairstyle...” she mumbled.
“Huh?”
His reply only caused her to giggle, a glint of amusement shining in her radiant green eyes. Looking to his side in confusion, the crooked Chocobo Aerith got as prize stared back at him. Up this close, their hairstyle did kinda look similar, but Cloud was not going to voice that thought out.
“You're basically twins!” Aerith squealed as she took a few steps backwards to have a better look, leaving it to him to hold the plushy up.
Looked like he didn't have to address his worries because Aerith covered this part for him. It reminded him of all the times the topic had been brought up by their friends already. It didn't help that the Chocobos were rather fond of him on top of that. It just further strengthened the general view that he was a long-lost kin of them or something like that.
Pulling the latest cotton addition to their group away from his face, he gave it the same crooked look he constantly received from it. The Chocobo was soft to the touch and it even had the same eye colour as he did. Cloud didn't want to admit it, but the longer he stared at the thing, the more he grew fond of it for some strange reason.
Must be the similarity, he muttered to himself, shaking his head at the silly thought. Knowing he was fighting a losing battle there, he hastily stuffed the plushy in one of his pockets to get it out of his sight. Time to change the topic.
“So, what's up next?”
If Aerith saw through his plan, she didn't mention it and played along instead. Clasping her hands behind her back, she walked up to him.
“Hm... how about-”
“-a romantic ride on a Chocobo to a secluded beach with just the two of you?”
Both, flower girl and merc perked up at the sudden voice offering the suggestion. Aerith and Cloud turned their head simultaneously in the direction and found one of their three clients smiling at them.
“What do you think? Sounds good?” The woman asked.
“Sounds perfect!” Aerith agreed eagerly. Turning to him she asked, “Don't you think so too?”
“I suppose...”
Cloud didn't expect this development. Sure, the job was labelled as a “date” since the beginning but it was still a job, no matter what. For instance, their clients were constantly around them to observe and come up with new fashion ideas from their observations. The only difference was that he could spend more time with Aerith. However. with this proposal from their client as it was just now it began to feel like a real “date.” He's not an expert in this kind of stuff but taking Aerith to a secluded beach... even he can tell that's something entirely else, something that screams romantic in every meaning of the word.
It will be only him and her and, well a Chocobo, but Cloud doubted the large bird would do much talking, so basically he and Aerith will be alone... alone on a beach. Oh god! The mere thought made him blush already.
Turning away, Cloud looks at everything but Aerith who tilts her head in confusion about his behaviour.
“Is everything okay? Do you maybe want to do something else instead?”
Cloud's eyes widen at that. Looked like his lack of a proper answer made Aerith feel insecure. He couldn't have that.
“I didn't say that!” Almost shouting his reply, he turned back to Aerith only to stumble over his words a moment later. “Uh, I mean, uh...”
“Cloud?”
It was one of these moments where Cloud wanted to cry and curse his inability to talk properly over his emotions. Seriously, he admired those people who could do that so easily. It was easier for him to face two Behemoths at the same time than to talk about what was going on inside his heart. But in a situation like this, he had no other choice.
Taking a calming breath, he scratched the back of his neck as he fumbled with his answer. “I mean, uh, I would like to go.”
“Really?” Aerith squinted her eyes as she asked, almost as if she was not believing him. Cloud stood firm though and nodded, confirming his answer to the flower girl.
“Yeah.”
“Perfect!” The client suddenly chimed in. “With that settled, I'll wait for you two lovebirds at the gates of the town. No need to hurry though! Your Chocobo is not going to run away.”
With that, the woman excused herself and left Aerith and Cloud. Neither of them said anything as they were surrounded by an awkward air, the word “lovebirds” hanging above their heads. The former SOLDIER was glad that he was not the only one affected by the words of their client. That was the only good thing about the current circumstances because they looked at everything but each other. Cloud coughed in his hand to break through the silence at some point because one of them had to make the first move.
“Wanna go?” He extended his hand and waited for Aerith's answer.
“Gladly.” Accepting his hand it was Cloud who pulled her along this time. He kept his hand around hers for a moment longer just to enjoy the prickling feeling the contact caused on his skin before he let go eventually, leading her through the streets.
That's how he found himself in his current situation, watching over Aerith and the Chocobo digging for shells at the shore of the secluded beach. Their client stayed true to her words because it was only Aerith and him plus the large bird. It was honestly surprising because the city was not that far away and the road itself was not swarmed by monsters as he expected.
Cloud had even deemed it safe enough and slowed down the Chocobo to a slow trotting on their way here, giving Aerith the chance to look at the tropic fauna and point out everything that caught her interest which was honestly a lot.
The merc couldn't blame her for her excitement because he felt the same. Midgar was a steel colossus devoid of life and everything she had ever known. In comparison, travelling the scenery of Costa del Sol made it seem like they had travelled to another world altogether.
Tropic birds clad in feather dresses of emerald and ruby nested in the palms as they chirped their songs while the sapphire-like water gently brushed against the shores. If it wasn't for his military drill Cloud would have been completely enthralled and at ease, going so far as to call the atmosphere peaceful.
Still, he could say without remorse it was beautiful but nothing beat the radiant smile Aerith blessed him with when she and the Chocobo found another shell for their rapidly growing collection.
“Cloud, stop worrying and join us! You're missing out on all the fun.” She calls from her spot near the shore and Cloud sighs in amusement. Easily read once more. Giving his surroundings a final look around, his shoulders lose their tension, the final strings of his caution snapping at last. They have been here for quite a while already and nothing has happened, so it should be fine to indulge Aerith even if only for a little bit.
“Alright, alright. It's your win. I'm coming.”
Aerith's smile becomes even larger at that, waving him over to where she is kneeling in the sand as the Chocobo sniffs across the ground for the next shell to add.
It doesn't take him long before he arrives. Without another word, he kneels in the sand too and helps Aerith to dig in the sand whenever their feathery companion points out a spot. Between the flower girl's bubbling giggles and the Chocobo's excited ”Kwehs!” Cloud catches himself smiling the whole time.
If anyone had told him he would one day spend his afternoon digging through the sand searching for shells, he would have looked in utter disbelief at said person, probably recommending them to get help or something. But now here he is, doing exactly that and enjoying it with every fibre of his being.
It's relaxing and such a stark contrast from chasing Sephiroth and killing monsters all day, a nice change of pace he could get used to if he's honest. Maybe, once all of this is over, he will take Aerith here again. Yeah, that sounds like a nice plan.
“What are you thinking about, Cloud? You look so happy over there. Enjoying yourself?”
Cloud hums, the noise soft and so different from his usual grunts he likes to give as short replies.
“Stuff and sure do. This is... more fun than I thought it would be.”
“See?!” Aerith gives him the 'I told you so,” look and it makes Cloud smile again.
“I do. Maybe I should listen more often to you then?”
Aerith positively beams at him after that. “You totally should! You can't be the gruff and grumpy SOLDIER all the time. You're more than that.”
A breathy sound escapes through his nose. “Maybe I like to be a gruff and grumpy SOLDIER all day though? Maybe that's just my thing?”
Aerith smirks at him. “Suuuuure,” she coos “If that was true, I doubt you would have performed so well on the stage in the Honey Bee Inn.”
Cloud instantly blushes at the mention of that particular performance. To this day, he has no idea what drove him on that day. “Please don't remind me of that,” he meekly protests, the muscles in his body slightly twitching as if they were going through the motions all over again.
Aerith laughs at that. “But you did so well. I could see in Andrea's eyes how impressed he was with you. I'm sure if he had the chance he would offer you a permanent job.”
“Everything but that!”
More bubbling laughter from Aerith greets Cloud and he scowls at her for bringing this topic up. He will probably never ever forget about that night, so he's doing his best to push it into the darkest corner of his mind at least but leave it to the mischievous flower girl to drag it back into the daylight.
“Now don't be like that. There's no need to be embarrassed. I know for a fact that you enjoyed it, so don't try to convince me otherwise.”
“And why do you think I enjoyed it?” Aerith seems adamant about her opinion and Cloud would be lying if he said he doesn't want to know where this is coming from.
“That's my personal secret, Mr. Bodyguard,” she answers in return, winking at him on top of that.
“Hey, that's unfair. I want to know.”
Aerith hums and places a finger under her chin. “If you really want to know so badly, I'll tell you.”
Cloud narrows his eyes because he has a fleeting feeling there's a catch to it. “Why do I think you're not completely honest with me right now?”
She chuckles in return. “Always so suspicious, but well, you're not completely wrong. There's a condition I have.”
Cloud raises one of his eyebrows. “And that would be?”
Aerith stands up and winks at him again. “Easy, I'll tell you if you can catch me.”
Before Cloud understands what's happening, Aerith's nimble fingers wander to the loops holding together her summer dress flowing in the gentle breeze. With practised movements, the knots come undone one after another until the fabric loses its hold entirely and falls.
Faster than Ramuh's lightning, Cloud turns around to save Aerith's dignity after his brain has caught up with what is happening in front of him. His face feels hot, his cheeks and the tips of his ears burning from the view of Aerith undressing right in front of his eyes.
“Wh... what... what are...you doing?” He stammers, stumbling over his own words but can anyone blame him for this reaction? No matter how much time he spends with Aerith, she always manages to catch him off-guard time after time again. This has been her boldest move up to now though and it makes Cloud worry what other stunts the flower girl can pull. She seems so innocent at first glance, but judging from her actions just now, Cloud really needs to prepare himself for everything.
Behind him, Aerith giggles at his reaction. “Gotcha,” she teases him. Carefully, Cloud turns his head around again and pries an eye open, ready to close it at a second's notice. Aerith's dress is gone now and it reveals that she has been wearing a bikini underneath. Looks like she has been planning for this the whole time.
Cloud wants to scowl at her, but he's too distracted because there's too much skin for his eyes to take in. He's probably staring already, but the only thing he can think about is how soft and smooth Aerith's skin looks. A tiny voice from the back of his mind asks him how it would feel to run his fingers across said skin, but he makes the voice shut up immediately.
“You're killing me here,” he says after he has regained a tiny fraction of his sanity which earns him another volley of laughter from the flower girl.
“Moving on. What was this about having to catch you?”
“Isn't that obvious? I'll run away and you'll have to catch me. It's like tag and right now, you're it, Cloud.”
Without saying anything else, Aerith dashes away, taking a beeline to the shallow waters. Despite himself, the merc can't suppress the smile that's tugging at his lips. First, it was digging for shells and now it's tag. Seriously, just what is this woman doing to him? Deep down he already knows, but he's not quite ready to accept the truth although it's seething like a volcano ready to erupt at any moment inside his heart.
Looking at her fleeing form, Cloud ponders what he should do. The former SOLDIER can make this a short game because Aerith seriously underestimates the capabilities of his Mako-enhanced body. The distance she has put between them is like nothing to him. If he wants to, he can cross is with a single dash and cage her with his arms. However, he decides to be an ass instead and doesn't play along just yet. He will have Aerith dangling on the hook for a few minutes before he caves in. It's his revenge for the stunt she pulled earlier.
When Aerith turns around to see how close he is, she pouts immediately when she sees him still standing on the shore, unmoving and unyielding. Instead, he pats the head of the Chocobo and smirks at her reaction.
“Not fair,” she calls from where's she standing in the water reaching her upper thighs. “It's no fun if you don't play along.”
“What do you mean? I'm playing along here,” he calls back. “The condition is to catch you, right? You never said when though, so all I have to do is wait here. You gotta come back at some point, so I'll just wait here until that happens.”
To emphasise his intention, he sits down in the sand, crosses his hands behind his head and leans back against the Chocobo that has sat down as well, tired from sniffing out all the shells. He can see how the wheels inside Aerith's mind turn and twist, concluding that he's absolutely right with everything he mentioned a moment ago. He smirks when he observes how realisation settles on her face. She hasn't thought this through. Cloud enjoys the view probably a little too much, but what is an act of revenge that doesn't make you feel good?
“Cloud Strife!” Aerith whines.
“Listening.”
“If you... if you don't take this seriously, I swear I will swim back to Midgar!”
Cloud chuckles at her desperate attempt. He begins to understand why Aerith likes to tease him the whole time. It's really fun if you're not on the receiving end. Maybe he should do this more often.
Crossing his legs and sinking deeper into the feathers of the Chocobo he answers “I'm taking this very seriously here.”
His reply causes Aerith's pout to grow and she goes into deeper waters, apparently serious about swimming back to her home.
“Really? Do you know how far away Midgar is? It took us several days by ship to cross the ocean. How long do you think it will take you to cross it by swimming?”
“...”
A moment of silence passes with only the rustle of waves in the background. Aerith looks like she's ready to give up, but a sudden ounce of motivation washes over her. She's not giving up that easily. Cloud sees it too and sighs in amusement. Once that woman has settled on something, she's going to push it no matter what even if it's something beyond crazy. That's something he lov- likes about Aerith.
Deciding to throw her a bone and stop her from doing anything rush, he stands up, brushes off the sand from his clothes and kicks off the black shoes he got in one of the shops in the town. “Alright, alright. Aerith. I give. Don't do something this crazy. Elmyra will have my head if she hears about this.”
His words reach her when Aerith has already lost her footing and is floating in the endless ocean. Turning around she smiles at her narrow victory. Secretly, she releases the breath she has been holding because she wouldn't have been able to press her matter that much further. It has been a first that Cloud is so resistant to her advances and she would be lying if she said she doesn't find this side of him appealing.
She has the feeling the more they travel, the more Cloud comes out of his shell, slowly but steadily. Aerith has already made it her personal mission to absorb and remember every tiny bit the blond merc is willing to share with her. Furthermore, the more she sees the personality hiding beneath his gruff and aloof demeanour, the harder it becomes to ignore her growing feelings for him. No matter what happens in the future, she will treasure all of these moments with all her heart.
The sand tickles between his now bare toes, the uneven ground scorching hot from lying under the sun the whole day. It makes him fasten his steps towards the shallow waters. Once he enters, he hears Aerith say, “It's good you finally see my view of things,” and he stops at that, throwing her a teasing glance.
Stopping his advance he crosses his arms and smirks when he sees how Aerith's face morphs into yet another pout. Yeah, he should definitely tease the flower girl more often.
“Cloud!”
“What? Isn't that good enough? I'm in the water, right?”
“Since when have you been like this?”
"What do you mean?"
She points at him. "Exactly that!"
Cloud ponders for a moment before he answers the question. “Maybe I have just a good teacher?”
He looks deeply into Aerith's eyes as he says that. She gets the idea of what he wants to transmit causing the flower girl to burst out laughing. He has learned from the best indeed.
“You still have a long way to go, Mr Bodyguard,” she croaks out between her laughter. Cloud opens his mouth to offer his retort, wishing to keep the constant back and forth between them going. However, no words come out as his eyes furrow before they shoot wide open.
His body kicks into motion before his brain has processed everything. He pulls off his blue shirt and the black one underneath in one go and throws them to the shore. While he does that, he's already running towards Aerith, the water splashing everywhere from his rough movements.
Aerith, who observes that, forgets how to speak for a moment because she didn't expect such a rapid change. Cloud has done the same as she did earlier, but unlike him, she didn't turn around. Heat rises to her cheeks when she's blessed with the view of a shirtless Cloud running towards her. She has to shake her head to get a clear mind again, also remembering her earlier taunt. She should start swimming away, but something about the prospect of getting caught by Cloud locks her in place.
“What's suddenly got-” Before Aerith has the chance to finish her sentence, she's swallowed whole by a huge wave from behind. It's the reason why Cloud suddenly jumped into action because unlike her he saw it and knew what was about to happen.
Diving after her, he darts through the water like a bullet and wraps Aerith in a protective hug before he pulls her upwards towards the surface. They break through the surface and Aerith coughs out the water that has entered her system due to the suddenness.
Cloud sighs in relief that it's only that and nothing worse happened. “Never a dull moment with you,” he breathes, not letting go of Aerith. Instead, he wraps his arms tighter around her to keep her safe.
My hero.
That's the first thing that comes to the flower girl's mind, but her mouth is tightly locked. The wave caught her completely off-guard but she could have managed somehow. However, currently, her mind is in disarray because she feels how her back is pressed against something extremely solid which is soft, warm and gentle to the touch at the same time.
She doesn't need to look to know that Cloud is right behind her and that her bare back is pressing against his bare front. She feels how his breaths brush over her neck, how their legs tangle with each other as he keeps them floating in the water. Not to mention the muscular arms wrapped around her body. This is the closest they have ever been and it sparks the desire that has been growing for a long time in her heart.
“You okay?” Cloud whispers from behind, sending another tingling sensation through her whole body the moment his hot breath fans over her sensitive skin. She's pulled deeper into the embrace, her heart rate increasing with every passing moment. For the first time in her life, Aerith doesn't know what to do as she's completely overwhelmed.
That's probably why her body switches to autopilot and her brain is turned off. Turning around in the embrace she looks at Cloud, seeing her reflection in his beautiful blue and green eyes.
“Ae...rith?”
She puts a finger on his lips. “Shhh.”
As he's told, Cloud closes his mouth, Aerith's finger on his lips leaves a burning sensation that sets his whole body on fire. She's suspiciously silent and he can't remember seeing this side of Aerith in the past, but he can't say he cares much. For him, there's nothing better than discovering a new side of the flower girl. Even more so when Aerith is looking at him in the way she does, her mesmerizing green eyes sparkling with stars he has not seen before.
He doesn't know if it's him who leans in or if Aerith is the one closing the distance between them. Maybe even both of them began leaning in at the same time. In the end, it matters not. What matters is how they get closer and closer, how he can feel Aerith's breath mingling with his own as the distance melts between them.
The logical part of his brain screams at him to stop when Aerith's eyes flutter shut and her hands move from his chest to his neck. His heart, however, has long taken over the reins and shuts his brain up. There's no need for it right now. Only his beating heart and the overflowing emotions pouring from every fibre of his being matter as well as the moment he is about to share with the woman that has captivated him the moment he first met her in the streets of Midgar.
Cloud follows Aerith's lead and closes his eyes. What's going to happen will happen. He has no clue how he should handle the aftermath, but that's a problem to solve for future Cloud. He will figure out something but right now, he just wants to enjoy the moment that is about to happen.
However, the gods above must hate both of them because the sensation burning his lips has a strong salty taste. It forces its way into his mouth and nose alike and he chokes on the seawater suddenly entering his system. It's then when Cloud understands another wave has hit them and this time both of them were caught off-guard by it.
Both of them cough and choke as they try to recover from the sudden assault of nature after Cloud has brought them back to the surface. The previous mood is totally ruined and even though Aerith is still struggling to get her breathing back into proper order, a bubbling laughter comes from her mouth. It's contagious and Cloud finds himself tuning in with a chuckle of his own.
Maybe the time has not been right yet, but one day for sure I will end what we started here today.
The thought flashes only for a second in his mind before it vanishes into darkness again, but Cloud will make it a reality, no matter what. Just not today.
“Let's return to the shore before we get another unexpected shower.” Aerith's voice comes out as a giggle even though it's a bit rougher due to the seawater she must have swallowed. To Cloud's ears, it's still a wonderful sound he wants to hear every day.
“Agreed.” He takes it upon himself to bring them back to the sandy shore, paddling with his legs while keeping Aerith still tightly wrapped in his embrace. If she has any thoughts about it, she doesn't voice them out.
Later that day, the setting sun in the background announcing the incoming night as their Chocobo trots back to the city, Aerith still doesn't say anything when she finds herself in his embrace. On the contrary, she leans into his chest right where his heart is pounding like crazy.
“I had a lot of fun today. You too, Cloud?”
The question is simple, but Cloud can feel all the unasked questions that run through her mind. Neither of them has brought up the topic about their almost kiss and Cloud thinks she must feel insecure about it, at least to some extent.
That's why he doesn't bother to answer her verbally. Words can only express so much after all. Instead, he pulls her closer to him and rests his head on top of hers, inhaling her flowery scent mixed with the scent of the ocean. His left hand searches hers and when he finds it, he intertwines their fingers and presses gently.
He feels her smile against his chest. “Thank you, Cloud.”