[Closed]

[livemydream]

Who: Zack Fair, Aerith Gainsborough and Cloud Strife
What: Three friends meet up again.
When: Some time after Aerith and Zack's posts on the FF.
Where: Third floor of the Residential Areas.
Warnings: None expected. Excessive fluff?

Comments

[handmedownhero]

Cloud still felt like he was in a dream. It had been surreal to find himself alive (and alone) on the ship after the Planet had been destroyed; now barely two weeks later and here he was, heading on to meet both Zack and Aerith. He'd heard people could come back from the dead, but somehow he hadn't really believed it could happen. It was... weird. A good weird.

He felt guilty at being so happy-- the Planet was destroyed, and he still didn't know what had happened to the others, but... But he couldn't help it. For Cloud, those two, more than anyone else, deserved that second chance to live. And they were here, with him. It was probably more than he deserved, too. Not that they'd ever let him think like that.

Maybe he could show Zack Fenrir. He'd like that, wouldn't he? And there was that flower garden he could show Aerith...

Cloud (finally) got to their supposed "meeting place", and wasn't surprised to see Zack already here. He'd always been eager. Cloud smiled softly as he approached his friend.

"Hey. Guess we're early."

[gospelofgreen]

So Aerith was a little late; she might have stopped to look at one too many of the cute creatures inhabiting the ship, and maybe she'd gotten lost while doing so and maybe, just possibly, she'd stopped to tell a door off after it said a few nasty things it could do with her kidneys.

She really was trying to get there quickly, though--she'd just seen Cloud but that hadn't been long enough, not considering how long they'd been separated, and she was 99.9% sure that if she and Cloud were fine, Zack must be perfectly okay too, but she wouldn't be satisfied until she saw for herself. When she spotted them in the hallway, she called out a hello, her walk picking up into a jog. The hallway looked a little empty with just them, but three was much better than one.

[livemydream]

Zack had just been about to reply to Cloud when he had heard Aerith calling out to them. "Looks like we didn't have long to wait." He said to Cloud with a smile, while placing a hand on Cloud's shoulder.

"Hey Aerith!" He called out, very obviously happy to see her alive and in one piece. Despite their conversations in the Lifestream, he had to admit it was much better to see her among the living. No one would be mistaking her for their mother anymore. That was for sure.

So maybe it was a blessing that the planet ejected everyone. Zack couldn't really complain about it, when he was getting to see both Cloud and Aerith.

[handmedownhero]

Cloud turned around when he heard Aerith's call. He halfway wondered how it'd be like, spending time with Aerith and Zack at the same time, but dismissed the thought. He doubted either of them would let him feel like a third wheel-- that just went against the way they were.

Still, having both of them standing here with him... He needed to get a grip. It wasn't a dream. He could think about everything later. (And that was nice, knowing there would be a later; that tomorrow they would be there, and the day after, and the day after...)

Cloud ducked his head sheepishly. He really should concentrate on the present.

"... You're both here," Cloud blurted out before he could stop himself. "This is real."

[gospelofgreen]

She stopped just a few feet away from them. Zack got a once-over to satisfy that .1% of doubt left in her--he was all right, too--and then she looked over at Cloud. "I could pinch you if you still need proof," she offered cheerfully.

Her eyes strayed to Zack's hand on Cloud's shoulder. It was a completely natural-looking gesture, but one she'd never seen before. She'd known of their friendship since reuniting with Zack in the Lifestream but never seen them side-by-side until now. She couldn't feel good about what had happened with the Planet, but this she was happy to see.

[livemydream]

Zack couldn't help but laugh lightheartedly at Cloud's words, while lightly giving his friend's shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "It doesn't get any realer than this." He said quite chipper, instinctively he held his other hand out toward Aerith.

Nothing could be more natural to him then being able to spend time with two of the most precious people in his life. He never would have thought it possible, let alone dared to hope that they could be reunited like this.

SO LATE s-sorry

[handmedownhero]

"Pinch me?" Cloud repeated before shaking his head. "--No thanks."

He looked at Zack and Aerith once more. Zack was right; it didn't get any realer than this. Still, he couldn't help but stare at them both. If this went on, he'd be spending all night just standing there.

"What now?" Cloud settled on asking. If he could shake off his reverie, it'd help. A lot.

[gospelofgreen]

Aerith made a very brief show of thinking before she caught the silent invitation of Zack's hand, slipping hers into his grasp with a smile. "Right now we do something fun, I think," she answered. They could talk about more important things afterward, but it was their first time being all together. Like her first visit to Gold Saucer, it was too nice to ruin by weighing themselves down with serious thoughts.

[livemydream]

"I couldn't agree with you more, Aerith." Zack replied, giving her hand a gentle squeeze. After all that time in the Lifestream they were alive again. Really alive. This certainly called for a celebration of some sort.

"Since you've been here the longest, Cloud. What's fun to do on this ship?" Zack asked, cheerfully. As long as they weren't standing in line or filling out any more forms, he was cool with doing anything they wanted to do.