Keeping me hanging on so contagiously... [Closed]

[thishealingwind]

Characters: Aerith Gainsborough (thishealingwind) and Zack Fair (1st_class_honor)
Location: Death Robbins
Rating: PG?
Time: Early Afternoon - Oct 5th, 2009 (backdated)
Description: Ice Cream Date! (lol will update if needed)

Comments

[thishealingwind]

As she waited for him to arrive, Aerith took a moment to look up at the sky. This whole moment felt incredibly surreal, like something out of a strange dream. The idea that they were both here, with breath in their lungs and beating hearts, was so extraordinary to her that she still had trouble believing it. There was a sense of something close to fear settling inside her, and it reminded her of when she used to be afraid of that open sky, as if she would fall up into it and not be able to reach the ground again. It seemed silly now, having traveled as much as she had during her life, just as it was silly to be afraid now.

And then she heard his voice, and she turned to look towards the sound, her bright green eyes falling upon his approaching form. As she saw that smile on his face, any remaining nervousness melted away, and her features brightened into simple joy. Aerith wanted to run over, throw her arms around him and let him spin her around, but there would be time for that later.

For now, she settled for a friendly wave and a bit of happy laughter at his joke. "Flowers and sweet things were always the two easiest ways into a girl's heart," she replied, taking a few steps toward him. She felt so light that she nearly skipped. "Though, you don't need to lure the girls out of hiding. I'm sure they come to see you quite willingly."

Aerith shook her head, still grinning. "Not at all. I just got here a moment ago." Or at least, she thought so. She'd been lost in thought, so it was hard to tell. "How are you, Zack?"

[1st_class_honor]

Surreal was right. This was the happy ending at any movie where two people had fought against impossible odds to be together again, even if in reality, their mutual residency was left up to chance rather than anything they intended. Still, it was warm and encompassing, this feeling that began in his chest and spidered outward; to him, the status of their relationship didn’t matter, it was just about the chance, the opportunity to see her once again.

“You haven’t heard my new pickup lines lately, have you? They seem to be running away rather than running at me.” He grinned, his hand reaching up and tucking some of her hair behind her ear. Yep, that pink ribbon was still in place, all right. If he had known it’d hold up this long, he would’ve paid the guy double the gil. “I don’t even know if they have flowers here; might be worse than Midgar. But hey, at least I’ve always got sweets up my sleeves.”

And there were a lot of things Midgar had that this place didn’t: Shinra and an army out for their deaths and/or capture. It was nice, a little relaxing, though he was fairly certain other folks didn’t understand how exactly he could feel that way when there was a war going on. Sometimes even he didn’t, but when one looked into the face of death, perspectives changed.

“Good! I think I’ve kept you waiting long enough.” His hands went into his pockets, lest he hug her. And if he did that, he might not let her go. “Good! You know, still getting the hang of this place, but it’s not so bad. What ‘bout you? Settling in okay? Where are you staying?”

[thishealingwind]

Aerith clasped her hands behind her to keep her fingers busy in an attempt to keep them to herself for now. She grinned as his fingers brushed against her cheek to tuck a curled strand of her hair behind her ear, and it took an enormous amount of self control not to reach up to hold his hand there.

"I haven't! Have you been practicing~?" She giggled, looking up at him through long eyelashes. "And it wouldn't be home without flowers, but I've got those covered. There's a garden already in full bloom behind my apartment building. I was busy when I was here last."

Aerith gave him a playful wink. "Oh, just for handful of years," she teased, leaning forward towards him a bit. "Though I'm glad you didn't make me wait those few extra minutes. Those would have been unbearable."

Zack had been here a bit longer, but it seemed as if he'd adjusted fine. No doubt, given at least a couple more days, she would get the hang of it all. "I'm a little wary of this whole 'transforming into a weapon' thing, but I suppose there's no rush there." Aerith nodded then. "Yes, Shibusen has been very accommodating. I have an apartment on the second floor of the Casualty Communal."

During the entire exchange, the Cetra has been studying Zack's face. She hasn't stood face to face with him in awhile, and she can tell by the subtle angles of his face that he's older than when they last met. She remembers him mentioning all the letters she wrote him, so that gives her a bit of an indication as to when he came from. "You...look a little older, Zack. You've gotten even more handsome, you know."

Payday is friday. Getting a new icons then.

[1st_class_honor]

What a pair they were, trying so hard not to let themselves get away with too much, too soon. And Zack, well, he wasn’t even aware of her own self-control; he was too busy trying to get his own in check. He might’ve been surprised to know she was doing the same.

“Well, of course! You know, I had to keep up on them to wow my favorite girl when I saw her again.” Not if, but when. He had never given up hope, never would. It wasn’t in his nature. “Soooo, need me to build you another cart? I’d give you lessons and show you how to yourself, but then you wouldn’t need me around anymore, right?” Two can do this playful wink thing.

…Well, at least, until she said that. One hand grabbed at his heart, clutching it in a melodramatic display of agony. “Ouuuch, Aerith! You’ve got claws!” He moved his hand from his chest to loop loosely around her shoulders, smooth and cautious, as if testing the waters all over again. Which, in truth, is exactly what he was doing.

Adaptable. It was Zack’s middle name. Well, any hero, really; after everything Cloud told him about what they had gone through, she must’ve gotten good at it, too, right? “Yeah, the weapon changing is a little scary at first. I didn’t wanna do it until I was around folks, just in case I got stuck. But hey, it’s not so bad, once you get used to the whole thing. We can work on it together, if you want.” And can you blame him for brightening at that location? No place like home. “Really? I’m there, too! Down in Unit P! How about you?”

Her astute watching of him made him flush a hair, and this time, he didn’t hesitate. Using the arm slung around her shoulders, he tugged her in for a hug, if she was willing. He wanted to bury his face in her hair, wanted to smell her, feel her, wanted to feel like he was home again. Real home, too, right where the heart is.

“And you’ve gotten prettier. I’ve really missed you, you know.”

Merry Christmas ;)

[thishealingwind]

"Your favorite girl?" she asked in a teasing voice. "I wonder who that could be. I hope she appreciates it, but you might want to practice them on me first."

Aerith's eyes lit up at the prospect of another cart. One of her best memories was the two of them making that together, and he'd done such a good job. "That sounds wonderful," she said, her eyes softening. "Though, I don't think a time will come where I don't need you around."

She laughed pretty hard at his melodramatic display, though it faded as his arm slipped around her shoulder. Aerith looked up at him, the tiniest bit surprised by the sudden display, before she relaxed into him, her head tilting slightly toward him.

"That would be really nice," she said, nodding. "I...wouldn't want to get stuck." What a scary idea that was! His apartment unit had her surprised, though. "Really? I'm in Unit O. That's..." she pauses for a moment before laughing. "...I'm right next door to you."

Her eyes widened a bit as she was suddenly being pulled into an embrace, but she didn't resist at all. Instead, her arms easily slipped around him, her cheeked pressed against the warm expanse of his chest. Aerith could her his heart beating steadily beneath the fabric of his sweater, and she felt her eyes begin to sting ever so slightly.

"I missed you, too, Zack. So much."

BB, You're amazing! thank you!

[1st_class_honor]

“Hmm,” he said, mulling it over with a seeming air of deep concentration. “I could try them on you, sure, but she might get jealous. You know, being as pretty as you are and all.”

Okay, so maybe Zack’s still got it. A little, anyway. Cheesy, sure, but sweet.

And Zack had to admit, even he had fun with the carts. Sure, the first couple weren’t that great (but damn, that metal one had looked cool!), but for that entire experience, it wasn’t the ending as much as the journey. He wondered if the last the he’d made stuck with her for awhile; he distinctly remembered reading an email from Kunsel about one of the wheels falling off. Had she ever gotten it fixed? “We’ll make one where the tires don’t drop off.” See? He did know some things, Miss Aerith, even if he wasn’t there to see it himself. “And I like the sound of that.”

Shiva, he had missed her laugh, the sound of it, the way it lit up her face, the color it brought to her cheeks. It was good, like the sun after a rainstorm, only a million times better, the sights and smells and newness. His fingers squeezed her shoulder, reassuring her and himself, wanting to make sure she was really here.

“I don’t even know if you can get stuck. I mean, I guess if you freaked out and lost concentration or something, but -“ Okay, don’t’ scare the poor girl out of it. “I’m sure it’s fiiiiine. I haven’t heard of anyone else having problems!” And he blinked. Blinked, then smiled. Hell, his place was a pit! He was going to have to go home and clean the heck out of it, and fast! “Does that mean I’m getting home-cooked meals some days?” Because otherwise, he’s eating out of soup cans.

For a second when she was in his arms, he forgot they were in an ice cream shop, forgot people could be watching them, forgot about the tables and chairs and everything else going on. He hadn’t worn his gloves today, and under his hand, he could feel the soft fall of her hair, the fabric of her clothing, and the muscles that honed from traveling across the world. She was different, too. Older, and the same. Ageless.

He squeezed her a little tighter.

“We’ll make up for lost time. All of us. It’ll be amazing.”

And slowly, he started to untangle himself from her, trying to make it all seem so nonchalant, even if it was anything but. “Do you know what kinda ice cream you want?”

Don't forget it comes with free tokens! /dances

[thishealingwind]

She giggles happily, before shaking her head. "Well, we certainly wouldn't want that, now would we?"

Aerith looked a little surprised at his comment about her cart, before her expression relaxed into a cheery smile. She had always wondered back then how often he'd thought about her. She'd always imagined him as quite the lady's man, with his flirtatious ways. It had always been a little hard to tell how much he'd liked her, since he was so happy and kind with everyone. But the fact that he'd paid attention, and still remembered the little details, it definitely meant something to her. "You have a good memory," she said simply, beaming at him. "We'll make one that will top even the old one, though it'll be hard work!"

The gentle squeeze on her shoulder was comforting, the pressure of his fingertips a gentle reassurance that this was real, and not just a figment of her wild imagination.

"I'm not too worried," she said, looking up at him. It was remarkable how bright and blue his eyes were, and she found herself staring for a moment. It had been awhile, but they were just as she remembered them. "Though it would be nice to have you there, just in case!"

Aerith chuckled at his reaction before she nodded. "Of course! I'll cook for you whenever you want. My garden was well taken care of, so I'll be able to make things fresh, too."

And to think that she had been worried. The details of their relationship didn't matter, so long as she had this. They could work on everything else slowly, or even not at all, so long as she could have these moments with him.

Aerith made a quiet noise of agreement, hiding her face in his chest for a moment as she squeezed back before she easily composed herself as they separated, despite her slow reluctance. "Nope!" she said, back to being perky. "Let's see what they have. I heard some of the flavors are kind of weird."

Too good to me, bb!!

[1st_class_honor]

Shiva, he had missed her laugh. One hand dipped up and behind his head, scratching it lazily, relaxed, calm. “Nah, we wouldn’t. She scary when she’s mad.” Follow that up with a wink, and Zack can’t help but chuckle.

Back home, the SOLDIER’s thoughts, when not swirling about the mission, usually swirled around Aerith. Sure, he flirted. Sure, he got into trouble with his friends. Sure, there were days when he woke up so hungover he couldn’t see straight. But in the end, it had always come back to her, being around her, being immersed in the peace she brought him. The only other people who had such a strong effect on him were Angeal and Cloud, people who calmed the proverbial waters just by being close. Wasn’t he fortunate, lucky, to be surrounded by so many amazing folks? “Kunsel emailed me and told me.” Then he blinked, and flushed. “Not that I was being a creep and sending people to spy on you or anything! I’m not like that!” Like a Turk. “And we will! We’ll make a big sign for the side, paint it up really nice, everything.”

And hey, at least she wasn’t pulling away. That was a good sign. He looked down into her eyes, lost his grasp of language for the moment, before going with the coveted smile. She had pretty eyes, prettier than his as far as he was concerned. “Yeah. Yeah! Of course! I won’t make you go through it alone. I did it for the first time at a Watch meeting, getting around and meeting folks. Worked on resonating. Might not be such a bad idea for you, either. Maybe we can even get you a Meister.”

Was-was she agreeing to cook for him? Did she understand the great task she was undertaking? Did she understand how much food he could really put away? Oh, Shiva, this was the greatest day ever. “Just let me do all the clean up, though, okay? Dishes and stuff. S’only fair, right?”

His hands rubbed slowly along the contours of her back, up and down as he squeezed a fraction tighter. Whether they were best friends or something more, it didn’t matter. Long as they were close. Long as they had a bond and they could see one another, Zack’d never complain. Not one bit. He took a half-second to bury his face in the crown of her hair, before pulling back and looking over at the tubs of ice cream. Morbid stuff. Scary stuff.

He glanced at her and smirked. “Soooo, I’ll let you pick what I eat. I leave the state of my stomach in your hands, ma’am. Do your worst!”

<333

[thishealingwind]

"I'm sure she's absolutely terrifying," she replied, winking right back at him.

There were so many things she wanted to tell him, and so many things she wanted him to explain. She knew bits and pieces of the time when he was missing, but it was all based on second-hand information. Aerith wanted to hear every detail of what she'd missed, no matter how difficult it might be for her to hear. Zack had been the most important person in her life, perhaps even still was if he allowed it, and to not have been there for his most difficult moments made her ache.

There would be time for all of that, though. Better to stay on happy topics for now.

"I remember Kunsel," she said, grinning. "He wanted to fix that wheel, but I wouldn't let him." Aerith shook her head slightly at the memory. She had selfishly wanted to wait for Zack to help her repair it. At least now they had the chance to do that all over again.

Aerith grinned back as he flashed her his winning smile, the one she would have given anything to see again. "Thanks, Zack. Maybe that would be a good idea. I wonder what kind of Meister would be good for me."

"Sounds perfect to me," she said, leaning against him happily. His hands running the length of her back were warm and comfortable, just like his presence. For a moment, it seemed like no time had passed at all, like they had always been like this, and then they were moving towards the selection of ice cream, laughing over the various flavors.

Aerith's expression was mischievous as she glanced over at him before continuing to browse the ice cream. "Is there such a thing as bad ice cream?" she joked, though some of these flavors were definitely odd. It was almost ironic for the two of them to be in the middle of a city so focused on death.

Mwwwwah!

[1st_class_honor]

“Yeah. She can melt me just with her stare, mmhm.” Of course, it wasn’t said as if it were a bad thing, which was probably because it wasn’t to him. She could melt him with her eyes, had from the moment he fell from the ceiling and landed painfully onto old wooden floors. He had picked out splinters for days, but the eyes had kept him pleasantly ignorant of the pain.

Happy topics were much preferred; the rest, the heavy weight of tragedies past, could come when things were comfortable, when they weren’t so new, when he didn’t feel like he was drowning in her smile. There was a lot to tell (the things with Sephiroth, the tubes with Hojo, the escape, the short-lived freedom), but she had her own tales. Sure, he had already heard it from Cloud, but she probably had things she wanted to add, things she wanted to get off her own chest, and he wanted to hear every syllable. He wanted to hear it all, straight from her lips.

“Kunsel is a good guy.” Is. Is, not was. He didn’t know what happened to him, but he was sure as hell still alive in Zack’s mind. “You should’ve let him. I mean, yeah, he wouldn’t have done as good of a job as I would’ve, but it could’ve helped. At least, a little.

“But he probably would’ve used duct tape or something.” So much for aesthetics.

Idly, Zack had to wonder if they were the most smiley people in all of Death City. It felt like it, and he liked it. “I dunno. Do you know what you turn into yet? That’ll probably determine it.”

Oh, Shiva, he was going to regret letting her pick this, wasn’t he? Still, he couldn’t flinch in the face of fear, not in front of her, and Kunsel had dared him to eat some really disgusting stuff back at the academy in the day. This had to be a piece of cake by default.

Still, with names like these…

His arm tightened around her side. “I didn’t think so until I saw some of these names. Ew.”

[thishealingwind]

And since this was Aerith, she immediately too his words the way they were intended, and wondered for a moment how true they were. It was a very cute thing for him to say, and so instead of replying, she placed a delicate hand on his shoulder, stood up on her tiptoes, and pressed her lips lightly against his cheek, along the curve of his jaw. "I'm sure you do the same right back, with those blue eyes of yours," she responded then, smiling fiercely.

The Cetra nodded in a agreement. "He is," she said. "I'm glad you had good friends back then." Aerith couldn't be there for him as much as she'd wanted to, having to rely of phone calls more than she would have liked. But having good people like Kunsel and Cloud made that burden easier. At the mention of duct tape, she shook her head quickly. "That's exactly why. Duct tape certainly isn't good enough for our wagon."

The brunette shook her head as she browsed the ice cream flavors, turning her head towards him before answering. "No, I don't. Yuffie is hoping I turn into materia," she said, her eyes glittering with amusement.

Some of these flavors sounded...really bad, she noted. She thought for a moment before she ordered two regular chocolate scoops (in cups, of course), and one small scoop of something called 'Death Ripple Swirl.' Some of the other flavors, like 'Corpse Berry' and 'Grave Dust Sherbet' were a little too...creepy for her, considering the circumstances. "There, now you have a backup if it's terrible." Which with a name like 'Death Ripple Swirl,' was highly possible, but everyone liked chocolate!

[1st_class_honor]

See? His lines had gotten better, at least around her. To everyone else, they were all still silly and too strong, but she always had that knack of bringing out the best in him. The skin her lips found warmed under their caress, threatened to redden, but he kept the blush down stubbornly. “Well, considering that these eyes are made only for you, I might be in real trouble.” Okay, so she still got some of the cheese. It was a nice balance.

His friends. The thought made his smile and his eyes nostalgic; Cloud and Yuffie being here was awesome, Aerith being here was amazing, but having Angeal, Cissnei, and Kunsel would’ve been a dream come true. “I’m really lucky to have so many good folks in my life, you know. There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t think about it.” And he meant it, no truer words having spilled from his lips. He was fortunate, he knew it, and he loved it. Quality over quantity, you see, both in the years of his life and the amount of his friends, and all of it was diamonds set in platinum, perfect and beautiful.

“But, I dunno, he could’ve point duct tape on either side to balance it. You could’ve said it was a racing stripe. I mean, that’d be cool, right?” He was kidding.

…wasn’t he?

Shiva, of course Yuffie would be hoping that. “If you do, I’ll never see you again. She’ll kidnap you and keep her evil lair--” see: apartment “-forever. I’ll be forced to come and rescue you.”

Okay, Death Ripple Swirl. He could handle that. Certainly not as bad as Corpse Berry. He wondered if they put Gummy Worms with their creepier ice cream flavors, something to work in the whole “we’re creepy morbid weirdies” theme. He hoped so; he had his first one upon coming here, and damn those things were good, chewy and sugary and sweet. Digging out his wallet, he paid for the treats and headed towards the table. “You’ve gotta have a bite of the creepy one, okay? Just one. For me.”

[thishealingwind]

It wasn't that his lines were particularly better, it was just that she enjoyed them a great deal. There was something cute and special about the way he flirted with her, and even if they were cheesy and silly, they made her feel like the only girl in the room, and that was more important than anything. "Now you're just being silly," she said, suddenly at a loss for words with that one. Aerith clearly enjoyed it, though, by the tiny pink blush that swept across her cheeks.

The Cetra slipped her arms around his, her fingers entwining with his own for a moment before she gave his hand a gentle squeeze. "We're both very lucky," she said. "They've thought about you a lot, too. Though, I'm sure you know that."

Aerith tapped a finger against her jaw as if were thinking deeply. "Well, I certainly wouldn't mind being rescued by my knight in shining armor, so maybe I'll have to take her up on that offer."

She waited for him to pay before they headed over to the table, and she peered curiously around him at the strange flavor. "Okay, but if it's bad, I'm stopping at just one," she said as she sat delicately into her chair.

[1st_class_honor]

“Well, silly’s in, I hear. All the rage.” Silly. Zack could handle silly if it let her smile like that, blush like that. Hell, he’d wear cheese on his head and call himself Chocobo Dinner if it got her attention in such positive, warming light. There was no limit to which he would go, not for a reward like that, and he made no effort to hide it.

Her hand was warm, and he could picture it in the soil, pushing and pulling, tending and caring. He wondered if she had good gardening gloves yet, and if not, he vowed to get her some. Though, he wasn’t sure if she’d like to be separated from the earth on that level. Some people actually liked having the dirt under their nails and leaves in their palms.

“Yeah, I know.” But part of him wished they hadn’t. Thinking meant worrying, meant the inevitable pain and mourning with what was to come. Still, there was something comforting to know that he touched the lives of so many, and he wondered if she felt the same way. He opened his mouth to ask, then closed it slowly; that was not a topic for today. Maybe not ever.

“Guess that makes you my damsel in distress, huh?” He laughed, wondering if he really could put Yuffie up to it. “This means you’ve gotta stand by the window and wave at me all forlorn-like, you know. With a handkerchief.”

At the table, he pulled out her chair (country boys were raised with country boy manners), before collapsing into the one across from her. A little light sparked up in his eyes as he smiled. “Do you want me to go first?”

[thishealingwind]

Aerith's smile faded a fraction as he opened his mouth to say something, then apparently decided against it. She was used to him just saying whatever was one his mind, and so her innate curiosity was instantly piqued. "What is it, Zack?"

The Cetra chuckled at the image he called up in her mind. "I suppose I can do that, if it'll help set the mood for your grand entrance," she said. "Just make sure you don't wear one of those helmets. It'll ruin your hair."

Aerith settled gratefully into the chair he pulled out for her (such a gentleman), and she leaned forward against the table to peer at the strange ice cream. At his words, her eyes lifted to his, and she shook her head a bit. "Nope! We have to try it at the same time!"

The flowergirl took up her spoon, scooping up a bit of the dangerous flavor before waiting for him to do the same. "On the count of 3, okay? 1....2....3!"

[1st_class_honor]

He almost said It’s not Date Talk, but that wasn’t exactly true; it’d have to be Date Talk at some point, wouldn’t it? They’d have to discuss the big, pink, tap dancing elephant in the room eventually, so perhaps it was more apt to say that it wasn’t FIRST Date Talk. He shook his head, before looking up at the ceiling. “If I went telling you all the stuff in my head, we’d have nothing to talk about on our second date, right? Plus, this gives you a reason to go out with me again, right? Otherwise the suspense will eat you alive?” Yes, Zack could make a joke out of anything and everything. Don’t doubt him for a second. “We’ll get to it sometime. Promise.”

Okay, okay, Zack couldn’t help but laugh. “Now you know why I didn’t wear one in SOLDIER. Probably would’ve hurt less when I landed in your church if I had!” Leaning back, he ran his hand through his hair (sacred hair). “I don’t have a chocobo to ride in on, so what’ll be my steed?”

Same time. Damn. Still, he couldn’t be outdone by her; what kind of gentleman would that make him, huh? Taking a spoonful of the flavor (twice the size of hers; it was a pride thing), he nodded solemnly and held her gaze. “1…2….3!” And in it went.

He made a face, not necessarily bad, but more curious. “Hmmm. Reminds me of Mystery Day at the SOLDIER cafeteria. Not bad.” Which really meant, not deadly.