driftfleet | Kayanni System Mingle

[And because Cloud still has trouble grasping that he can be good at something he was once bad at, he's still kind of shocked when it bounces on the edge but still makes it through the net.] It went in! What!

Edited 2017-08-14 06:17 (UTC)

It's because you did it properly! [ And, hey, she leans in to give him a celebration hug. ] Well done, Cloud!

Oh...geez, c'mon. [Returns that hug but he's blushing practically all the way to his ears.] What am I, some little kid? Let's grab our tickets and get our prizes.

What, I'm not allowed to celebrate when you do well? [ :T! ] Stop being grumpy and smile!

You're gonna have to show me how to do that, too. [his ultra-smooth way of saying he wants to see her smile at him]

[ Without pause, Aerith just reaches up and pokes at the corner of his mouth until he's smiling. ]

Cheater. [But she still gets him to smile, though he does pretend to bite at her finger until she pulls away.]

[ And she makes a big show of gasping, holding her hands to her chest before she cracks up. ]

Come on, you. Let's go get your prize.

[so cute sO DANG CUTE

Because he really did spend all day on that snowboarding simulator, Cloud's got a big bundle of points he can spend at the prize counter. But when he glances over and sees a little kid (he thinks they're a kid, it's hard to tell with these other species) pining over some cube-shaped toy, he turns to Aerith and gives her a nudge, holding out his tickets. Go on, make some kid's day.]

[ But, oh... Aerith looks at the kid before she looks over at Cloud and then she's smiling, squeezing his hand before, hey, off she goes. She gets the silly little cube thing and she goes and takes it to the child, but she leans down to whisper into his ear and - the little kid stares at Cloud with big, wide eyes before waving and running off. ]

You're still a hero, hm?

[Gives the kid a tiny little wave as he runs off, embarrassed that Aerith outed him.] Not there yet. Working on it. [He's got a lot to atone for before he can even be considered in the running for a 'hero' title, honestly.]

[ And, gosh, all she can do is reach up to brush some hair out of his face, her fingers lingering on his cheekbones. ]

You're closer than you think you are.

[Can't help but stare down at Aerith, heart up in his throat before gently reaching up to take her hand in his and lower it.] ...maybe we should talk a little bit, now.

[ Somehow, she feels as though she's done something wrong, and quietly she nods, letting her hand fall away. ]

Should we go somewhere quieter?

[Seeing the hurt on her face is kind of brutal, but he wouldn't be doing either of them any favors by backing out. No matter how much he'd like to just ignore the glaringly obvious problem.

Instead he nods, letting her hand slip from his before going in search of somewhere secluded.

There isn't much in a big, populated city like this, but they manage to find a small cafe with a simulated outdoor seating area. Cloud gets them a couple drinks before they head out and take a table in the back corner, further away from the bustle inside the building.] Here. [Puts her drink down in front of her]

[ Aerith lets Cloud lead, lets him guide her forward as she follows quietly behind. She knows that what they need to talk about is important - it's vital for them to continue living together like this - but it doesn't make it any easier for her to handle.

Sitting in the corner, she feels very small, and very sad, but when Cloud comes back to her side she looks up and gives him a small, gentle smile. ]

Thank you.

[ But... Where do they begin? ]

[HELL IF HE KNOWS. He proposed this talking thing and now he has no idea how to conduct it. Cloud drags a hand through his hair as he sinks into the chair opposite, his own drink remaining untouched in front of him.

...well, the only thing he can do is speak from the heart, right?] Aerith, I- I really like you. I like you a lot more than I probably let on. I dunno if it was just me, but that night at the Gold Saucer, I thought...y'know. I thought maybe there was something there.

I like you, too, Cloud. [ Aerith's hands settle over her heart and she feels it, weighted and heavy in her chest. She doesn't know what to do, and for the first time in a long time she doesn't have the Planet to guide her. It's just herself and no one else.

I'm searching for you. ]

There was - there is. I felt the same way as you.

[God, wow. He's both so, so happy to hear that and more conflicted than ever. So, she really was...well in hindsight it was obvious, but at the same time she was always so friendly with everyone, he was never positive...]

Okay. [Just........wow. Okay.] And you- I mean, you knew more than anyone, probably, how...confused I was. [Still am, sometimes.]

I know. You forgot so much, and you had to learn it all again. I don't know what happened to you, Cloud, but I know it was hard.

[ Aerith bows her head, looking at her hands. ]

But I saw you. I saw your heart, and... I wanted to know the real you. That's what I was looking for, all that time.

[Cloud nods slowly, fingers curling and uncurling from a fist atop the table. She'd said as much a few times, even if Cloud had no idea what she'd meant at the time. Maybe if Zack hadn't died, maybe if they'd made it to Midgar together, she could have helped him.] Yeah. I'm good now- mostly, I'm good. I'm okay. But, I wanted to ask you what this means-

[He blows out a breath.] What Zack means...to you. With him here.

[ If she had survived... Perhaps things would be different. But she hadn't, and neither had Zack, and the weight on her chest feels like stone. She feels as though she is going to fall apart, and she closes her eyes as she tries to find her words. ]

I loved him. [ Turning her head up, she looks over. ] Zack was the first person that I ever loved, other than my mom, and it was different. I waited for years for him to come back to me, but he never did, and... [ She feels as though she might cry. ] I don't think I stopped waiting, until you fell through the roof of my church. I thought the Planet was giving me a second chance.

[And there Cloud was, strutting about in a manner, if not identical to Zack's, pretty damn similar. Cloud can't even blame her for being interested with circumstances like that.] Because I reminded you of him.

At first. [ Aerith smiles, shaking her head. ] It was like... A mirror. But I started to see you, Cloud, and I saw... You're not him, you never were, even when you thought you were. And that's the man that I... That I saw. That I wanted to stay with.

That's the man that let Sephiroth kill you, [Cloud says flatly, both fists resting on the table now.] The man who couldn't even protect you from himself. You deserve way better than that, Aerith. [Way better than him.] If this is your second chance, you can't just waste it on me.

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