(Untitled)
Characters: Zack Fair (1st_class_honor), Aerith Gainsborough (thishealingwind), Roy Mustang (thewarisover)
Location: HQ
Rating: PG
Time: Nov. 23rd, around lunchtime
Description: Zack’s back, looking for his lady friend and a job. What a coincidence that both are in the same building!
( Lovers, keep on the road you're on; runners until the race is run. Soldiers, you've got to soldier on. )
Location: HQ
Rating: PG
Time: Nov. 23rd, around lunchtime
Description: Zack’s back, looking for his lady friend and a job. What a coincidence that both are in the same building!
( Lovers, keep on the road you're on; runners until the race is run. Soldiers, you've got to soldier on. )
She wanted to laugh and cry all at the same time. Instead, she settled on a soft snicker.
"Didn't have time to find a shirt, hm?" Perhaps it was a testament to how quickly he'd wanted to see her, and if that was the case, then her heart swelled. She'd missed him, too.
She pushed back her chair, stepped to her feet, and walked around the desk toward him, leaning against it as her eyes just...took him in for a moment.
Unlike the last time they were reunited, she couldn't hold back. She crossed the distance, slipping her arms around his neck in a smooth and easy movement, her eyes tipping to hide in and just below the curve between his neck and shoulder.
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“Well, I figured we could go shopping together again, since it went so well last time.”
Okay, so that was a joke, but it was still one of his favorite memories: him, Cloud, and her, looking for dress clothes. It was fond, it was theirs, and no one could take it away. But now was the chance to make more memories, many more, dozens, hundreds, all of them, all of his friends and him.
He stood there for a moment, watching her stand, and when she started to come to him, he met her half-way. Arms wrapped around her, tugging her in close, refusing to let go, squeezing. She smelled of flowers; her hair tickled his nose. He thought he might sneeze, but he closed his eyes instead, swallowing it back. His gloved fingers (and he realized too late how stupid it must look with gloves on but no shirt) clutched at her back, holding, memorizing the shape of her body against his.
Yeah, he missed this place.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered against her temple. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to do it again.” Go away. Go away and not come back.
"I just hope it wasn't long enough to write eighty-nine letters, this time." And he was trying to make a joke, but...he was pretty sure it failed.
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As he pulled her close, his skin against portions of hers, she breathed him in as well. He smelled the way she remembered, from a long time ago, though she noticee other things that don't belong, even with his tattered shirt missing. Gunpowder and blood, along with singed fabric.
She knew, of course. It was the same as before, but it still shuddered through her in a painful way, and her face remained hidden as her fingers sought to keep him there. She didn't want him to ever go back, not to that moment, when she couldn't do anything for him.
"I know," she whispered, afraid that her voice might break if she spoke any louder. Her eyes stung and she could feel that her cheeks were damp. "I know." His joke caused her to laugh under her breath. "No, not even close. Just a couple, this time."
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But after apologies. After many, many apologies.
He had a feeling she could smell him, smell what he left behind; it was in his shirt, and that scent still clung to him even with the piece of evidence hidden. He should’ve hit a scent shop, some perfume thing, or rolled around in flowers. Something. Anything. He had to have known he was going to hug her, after all.
Something wet was on his neck. The last time, it was rain, like the world was crying, and this time wasn’t much different. He was just content that in this scenario, it was in long-overdue happiness. His eyes tightened shut, a little smile at his lips, and one hand found the back of her head, threading in the hair there. Yep, never letting all this go again.
“Going to give those to me yourself this time? Promise to read them. Shiva, I’ll write you back, if you want. But, uh, you probably know my handwriting is kinda unreadable.”
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She felt bad, knowing that he could feel her tears against his skin. Aerith didn't want him to feel bad, and they were more out of happiness than anything else. One hand lifted from around his neck to wipe at her eyes, another laugh escaping her throat at her own overemotional state. Silly~
"You can read them if you want, or I could just tell you everything that's happened," she said, somewhat alluding to their previous time here, and how they hadn't talked enough. She wouldn't allow for that, not anymore. Not when neither of them truly knew how much time they had left. "When we have more time, of course."
Because standing here in the lobby of headquarters wasn't the place for that kind of discussion and, if she were being honest, she wasn't ready. Aerith was still trying to process it all, come to acceptance. "I'd rather hear your voice, anyway."
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No words first, just Roy chuckling, knocking on the doorframe to catch their attention. He leaned in with a crooked smile.
"I sure hope I'm not interrupting anything, but... you are having an interesting reunion in the lobby of my office."
Well, they looked happy to see each other, at least.
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Yeah, all that stuff he had said to Reno about her just being a friend? He knew, then and now, that it wasn’t true. He didn’t greet all his friends like this, with an embrace, with a little kiss to the crown of her head, with an excitable hesitation. She was special, and Reno had seen right through everything Zack tried to say like he was wet paper. Man, he wondered if he was always this obvious.
Idly, he wished he had something to dry her eyes with; his bare chest wasn’t going to cut it this round. At least his shirt had a turtleneck before; that would’ve been helpful. Shiva, what was he thinking coming here like this?!
“I like that plan,” he said. “Maybe dinn--”
But the offer for a date was cut short when he heard the chuckling and knocking. Slipping away from her (she was working, dammit; he kinda was impeding on her ability to do her job) just enough to turn, his eyes found Roy. Shiva, was this guy a sight for sore eyes! A grin was on his face before he could stop it, even if he knew he should be heckling, but Zack was an open book.
“It’s not as if you’re ever doing any work around here, so what’s the problem?” Snickering, he walked over, sticking out his hand in an offer of a shake. “Been awhile, man.”
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A moment later, Roy's voice broke her out of her jumbled and emotional thoughts, bringing her back to the present.
And for probably the first time since she'd met Roy, Aerith turned a lovely shade of pink, nearly the same color as the ribbon tied in her hair. Zack slipped out of her arms, and she released him in the same moment, thumbs rubbing beneath her eyes as she wiped away the last traces that she'd been crying at all.
Even the infamous flower girl could get embarrassed sometimes. Oops~
"Sorry, Roy," she said, chuckling as she clasped her hands behind her back and put on her best innocent face.
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And it wasn't like they could really explain. BREW, and all. Anyway. Aerith looked kind of cute, blushing like that. Roy only beamed in response to her apology; no words were necessary.
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“Nope, not really important at all.” Or, rather, not something to talk about when everyone was supposed to be happy; talking about death tended to be a mood killer in mixed company, he found. “What is important though is how much of a raise you’re going to give me to take my old job back.”
Nothing like being cocky, right? His arms crossed over his chest, and his chin tilted up a bit. “Or, you could just give me a lunch date with your secretary and we could call it even.” And he offered Aerith a wink, hoping he wasn’t embarrassing her too much, not in front of her boss. (But embarrassing her a little was okay; it was cute when she blushed.)
“Does the old Zone Leader still have a vacancy?” Genesis. But he didn’t say that. Just let it hang there.
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Aerith leaned against the corner of her desk, watching the two men as they greeted one another before proceeding into playful banter. She grinned as she looked between the two of them, amused at how they easily fell back in to acting like old friends.
She winked back at Zack, though inwardly she was reeling a little bit. It was a lot to take in all at once, not that she would ever think of saying no. At least she wasn't too awfully embarrassed; Roy wasn't just her boss, but her friend, too, and he'd experienced first hand her reaction when Zack had left the first time.
If anyone was allowed to witness and then tease her about this, it was him. She did it enough in return.
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Zack's attitude was refreshing, to say the least. Roy had always counted the man as one of his friends - losing him had been difficult on all fronts. Death City needed its fighters, it needed fighters who cared.
"Beyond that... I think that it's Aerith's decision at the end of the day, mm? For that lunch, I mean."
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His hand found his hair and scratched the back of his head, spikes bouncing. Nothing was ever easy, was it? Or, at least, nothing simple was. But that was okay; if it was worth having, it was worth working for.
“Guess I’d better get cracking on finding someone then, huh?” He smiled, dropped his arm, and started running through people in his head. Hmm. Who was here? Who was new? Who was old? “In the meantime, is my old spot available? Under Genesis?”
Something must really be different; Zack used his proper name.
Turning a little on his heel, he faced Aerith, smile encompassing him like an aura. “So, lady, what do you say? Lunch? It’s got to be one of those places that don’t have a ‘No Shirt, No Shoes, No Service’ sign, though. Any recommendations?”
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Aerith knew that Genesis was still here, but it was up to Roy where he put Zack on the schedule, so she kept quiet while they went over business for a moment.
Though, she looked surprised when Roy referred to her. She glanced over at him, regarding his expression. "Are you sure? You don't mind?" She didn't want to abandon her post, since responsibility was important and all. It was why she'd asked him to come see her here, after all.
Still, the grin on Roy's face said it all.
"How could I say no when my boss is being sweet enough to let me," she said, turning back to look at the SOLDIER. Her face is all smiles, and she was beaming endlessly. "I'm sure we can find something. Maybe even a shirt on the way."
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"It's still open, but I might just place you on another shift, under somebody else. We've got more ground to cover in Death City now. As it is," he went on to say as he folded his arms across his chest, "we can negotiate."
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"Hope it's soon, I'm ready to get back, better than before."
Then Roy had his undivided attention, just like that. Place him under someone else? There was a little blink, a little flicker of surprise, and he...wasn't sure how he felt about that. Part excitement over not having to work under him, and part -- dare he say it -- disappointment. Huh. That last part was unexpected.
"Got somewhere in mind? I know you've gotta put me where I'm needed most. Can't squander great resources like these, right? People would complain."
Smiling back at Aerith, he held a hand out to her as if he were asking a dance. "Just make sure it's not a button-up one. I hate those things. They itch and they're always too tight in the chest."
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