residentflorist

[it's all debatable...]

That sounds about right, I think. At least for a time before things were a little more complicated. [between everything happening, she means.] And then I took you home with me, and you tried sneaking out.

That's...

[ a little flustered but he is not about to out that elmyra basically told him to get the fuck away from her daughter asap. ]

Yeah, and you caught me. Does it matter?

[that's probably a good idea but also aerith likely would not be surprised. so she shrugs.]

Not really. Just as long as you don't think you'll ever get away from me that easily. [a light joke, and maybe, uh, a little morbid now considering they quite literally followed each other into death.]

I'm not trying to get away from you. [ honest when she's joking, but... he frowns a little. is this about her trying to find him again? ]

[hm. softly knocks her knee into his.]

I know you're not. [anymore. it is a little about that, but not the full picture.] Don't worry about that.

[ looking at her knee. hm. he thinks about bringing it up... but... ]

Think you're the one who's worried. [ it falls flat as a tease, and he grimaces a bit as he realizes it after it comes out ]

[she should not give him more to stress about. and yet...she is trying a new thing where she actually...talks about...stuff she wants. not just the silly superficial things, but the more serious ones with longevity she's not even sure she'll get. it's like 1/3 trying to be more selfish for herself, 1/3 aerith's actual personality and 1/3 alpha week that means saying the important things.]

...a little, yeah. I don't want to lose you while I have you.

You're not gonna lose me.

[ it's an easy thing to say. and he even sort of believes it, despite the fact that they both died, despite the fact that he's not completely sure when the degradation will take him-- he at least believes in it enough to say it with certainty when he's replying to aerith. ]

I almost just did. [she's mostly talking about if they hadn't both died this last weekend, they really would have been separated. but also even back home...outside of the temple, back when sephiroth appeared...he'd snapped out of it. but how long will that work?

even saturday when he saw her body on the tv screen she could tell something was affecting his brain. what might be the point of no return this time?]

[ he can't disagree with that. and it'd be easy to turn it back on her, for this weekend. back in the forgotten city. (it was not almost, oops.)

but. ]

...We're both here now, aren't we?

[ it's a little empty. he knows he isn't fine, and he knows she knows that too. but he doesn't have a solution for it. ]

Yeah. But this wasn't what I ever wanted for you. [because yeah, it's not great. he was already kind of struggling with...a lot of things, and now there is this.] Either way, I'd rather you be with me wherever we go right now.

[both to monitor his brain problems and because she wants to be close to him.]

I don't want this for you either. [ being here. she deserves better than dying! haha. anyway making myself sad aside; ] But it's like I said. I'm not going anywhere.

[...it is alpha week and despite everything she is, actually, still a sad girl so she's moving to scoot closer to rest her head against his shoulder. she would just climb on him but he would probably combust. also this is monday and she's busy dragging him for being a dumb virgin for the next two days.

so. comfort cuddles it is. and normally she'd probably say something else, but she's still, uh, kind of traumatized from the last few days (or weeks, really), so it's quiet for a long moment.]

...I want to stay with you. [which is maybe similar to what she'd just said about wanting him with her, but it's framed differently. this is an aerith who knows that when they figure things out, and if everyone does get to find a way home, she won't be with him the way she wants to be.]

[ comfort cuddles is fine, since alpha week means he incredibly has no issues wrapping an arm around her waist to hold her close when she scoots closer. wow. ]

...You can. [ there's a part of him that still feels that guilt, when he thinks of zack, but aerith doesn't want to be alone and he doesn't want to leave her alone either, so. even though he is unaware it is a lie: ] As long as you want.

[impressive, cloud. you ever think about the possibility they may still not kiss this week because everything happens a lot. it's fine. anyway she's happier like this, to say the least. she has no idea what he's thinking about (zero idea he's still thinking about zack, because to her, zack is her first love and always will be, but things are different for them.)]

And if I said it was for a long time...?

[ IF THEY DON'T KISS THIS WEEK I'M GOING TO KILL MYSELF

he is thinking about zack and about tifa because he is a little poly bitch. except not really right this second. because she says that and he just tilts his head to look at her ]

Wouldn't change my answer.

[WE ARE ALREADY DEAD.

to be fair she's thinking more about tifa than she would be about zack because up until about a week or so ago she really did think zack was gone and she herself would soon be gone, too. cloud needed tifa. and tifa needed cloud. that was always the plan, in a way, back when she sort of knew what she was doing.

granted she'd been...kinda too stupid to think about her own feelings and now is in the middle of "oh. well. this happened." and finds herself thinking that while cloud and tifa should in fact still be together...she's not going to deny it? obviously she cares about him and wants him for herself. so...even with that in mind, she is pushing the other two hands of the poly aside for a moment.]

Then that's my answer.

Then like I said. As long as you want.

[ even if it is a really long time. even with everything he's never entirely sure how she feels, because what feels like a million years ago she told him not to fall in love with her, and that if he had it wouldn't be real. and then, in that dream...

liking and "liking", right?

so he doesn't know even with everything else they've done. he wants to be there for her, though. be there with her. that part's real. maybe that's what matters. ]

[yeah, that's aerith's own behavior (and her dream self's behavior???) biting her in the ass a little. you can't always control how you feel, despite the warnings and doing your best to try and help someone avoid a heartache.

boothill had asked her what they were to each other, and when she'd said they were just friends she'd thought that maybe that wasn't quite right anymore. they're not dating either, that's not right either. it's some weird in-between she hasn't quite figured out just yet, nor has she figured out how to broach the topic. instead, she keeps herself planted firmly in his side and she ponders quietly, thinking of which of the many thousands of topics bouncing around in her head she wants to try to address.]

Thank you, Cloud. [she starts with that, because sometimes she's still not entirely sure he knows how much he's done for her and what he means in general.] ...hey. Do you think...I mean, we have to find a way back. We can't leave Yuffie alone, and we need to get home. We need to get everyone out of here and come back. But...do you think it's wrong to sometimes...not focus on only that?

[ it's fine, they can both not know how to address anything. including what they may or may not be to each other. he mulls over her question for a bit. ]

Well... [ he doesn't actually think the answer is that hard. it's just that it feels messed up to admit. ] No. It's not. It's like... taking a break at Costa del Sol or the Gold Saucer, right? We had a goal, but you guys still wanted to take that time. [ he wasn't against it, necessarily, but it wasn't his scene at all, either time. so he let red vote against barret instead. ] It's not wrong to... take a break now and then. Probably.

[ he says probably because--well. it does make him feel guilty. and he's always got that itch, that drive to go back, to seek--it's easier to ignore here, but it's there. ]

[those are the exact same examples she thought of when she was talking to famine about this, and it sort of makes her smile a little that cloud's on the same wavelength.]

You guys enjoyed it too after a while. [he's not saying they didn't, but she's commenting on it anyway.] But I guess I've been thinking about that. We know what our goal is, but...maybe that's another thing I want with you, too. Breaks. Things we can do to spend some time together while we're here.

[something less miserable. something to let her connect with him more while she can.]

[ he's not against that. really. he's not against that at all, just like he doesn't deny he kind of enjoyed the breaks they took. he just shrugs. ]

Mmm. Well... Can't say firefighting together is cutting it on that front. We might have to figure something better. [ it's a vague attempt to lighten the mood a little while agreeing he'd also like that. but. a little more honest; ] We looked around, but I wasn't really thinking about stuff like that.

[ breaks and doing things on said breaks. so he is useless on that front right now, which is, as we all know, Unsurprising ]

Nope. Not exactly my idea of a fun date either. [she'll take the chance to make things a little lighter.] We were a little more focused on seeing what was around, right? But maybe...I don't know. We have the beach now permanently. And there're some shops here that we didn't have on that side. It doesn't have to be anything fancy. Maybe even just a picnic at the lake?

[simple. just being together.]

... I don't think I've ever had a picnic. [ it's pensive. it's not like he's never eaten outdoors (Far From It, obviously), but a picnic feels different anyway. not in a bad way. ] So... looking through the shops and having a picnic by the lake after. Is that something?

[ by god is he trying on this alpha week ]

[it's very domestic, and she seems to realize that because she pauses to think about it for a moment. but cloud's not saying no.]

I think it's something. Don't you? It's just for the two of us. [cloud is. trying. will she make this easier? no. but they're getting there.]

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