Cloud

[residentflorist]

code

Lilium
Derived from Latin lilia, which may have come from a corrupted
pronunciation of a word from an extinct Eastern Mediterranean language
Humility, devotion, restored innocence after death

"Lovers used to give these when they were reunited."

Comments

[residentmerc]

[ the touch is--nice. he tilts his head into it, blinking slowly behind his sunglasses. ]

I guess. [ he's never craved being normal the way she has, so he's not sure what to say for a second. ] Feels more like a break. There's still bigger problems, but... they're taking longer to deal with.

[residentflorist]

[it's less now than it was when she was younger, but she never really quite shook off the want to be normal. it always sat in the back of her head as something she knew she could never have, but playing pretend is nice. kind of like cloud tilting into her hand is nice. good boy.]

We actually have time to process the problems instead of rushing forward before we lose sight. [...] As long as it also doesn't feel like we're losing time instead.

[residentmerc]

[ he doesn't know how much processing they have actually done, but he gets what she's saying. ]

It does sometimes. [ he decides to be honest about it, because he can't pretend he's not restless from weeks on end, but; ] This doesn't, though.

[ feel like a waste of time. ]

[residentflorist]

[well, the honesty doesn't surprise her. but she adjusts her angle to peck his lips again.]

Even if it means we'll spend a few hours just sitting in the grass and talking about non-mission stuff? [she knows the answer, judging by the way the tone's light, but worth the tease anyway.]

[residentmerc]

[ it's light and a tease and placated by a kiss, but it still makes him frown beneath his stupid glasses ]

... I'm not that bad.

[ he talks about other things!!! ]

[residentflorist]

[carefully slides the glasses back up into his hair to see his eyes.]

Sometimes you're almost as bad as Barret.

[okay no nobody is as bad as barret.]

[residentmerc]

[ his eyes are looking down at her unimpressed ]

No one's as bad as Barret.

[residentflorist]

[mirth lines appear overhead.]

I dunno. He might make a pretty good case about you.

[residentmerc]

He's too busy calling me a pain in the ass for that.

[residentflorist]

[


kisses him again to avoid calling him a pain in the ass and saying barret's right to say it.]

[residentmerc]

[ i never got this tag but 1) kisses her back

2) looks at her suspiciously after it ]

[residentflorist]

[she just smiles.]

...I am glad to know that though. [that this is worthwhile to him. it's not that aerith is insecure about this sort of thing, it's that she's working on respecting his time especially now that things have changed a little.]

[residentmerc]

... I haven't thought you were wasting my time in a while.

[ not since they first met, really, and even then he'd changed his tune... pretty quickly. ]

[residentflorist]

[she's letting her arms loop around his neck, leaning against him for a more comfortable position.]

I know. I mean...I know, but sometimes I think about it and...[no that sounds dumb, too.] I know. But the confirmation's still nice sometimes.

[residentmerc]

[ hmmm... brushes some hair out of her face with his free hand that has long abandoned his sandwich ]

What sounds dumb? [ he can be the judge of that. tell him your secrets ]

[residentflorist]

[leans into the touch even if she's pouting a little to think this through.]

...do you remember when you were stuck acting like me for a little while? I don't know if I ever realized how much it could be for some people.

[residentmerc]

[ ... he's trying not to find this funny... ]

Has it been bugging you since then? [ it's cute when you do it. ]

[residentflorist]

I wouldn't say it's been bugging me... [anime sweatdrop betrays the lies.] It was just a thought! It's not like I've ever encountered myself before.

[no but she met zack and it's sort of the same.


there are little flowers immediately sparkling overhead though when he says it's cute.]

[residentmerc]

You were weirded out because it's not me, and it's not actually you. Like a caricature. It's not the same thing if I'm the one acting like that.

[ the flowers make him realize thought week betrayed him and he blushes a little while averting his eyes ]

[residentflorist]

It didn't help that at the same time I was Lavi. And also convinced I was in love with Robin? [that whole day was a mess. but he blushes and it means she's still petting her thumbs over his cheekbones because it's adorable. baby. baby boy.]

[residentmerc]

[ that is kind of making him blush harder he's in agony ]

Yeah. And then you were hallucinating. [ it was. it was a Day. ]

[residentflorist]

[good, suffer.]

Yeah...that definitely wasn't fun either. [all of that was bad.] A lot happened after that, too, so I never thought about it too much.

[just enough to lowkey think about it in the background, like a lost internet browser tab you found that you opened on your phone three weeks ago.]

[residentmerc]

Just enough to still remember it now.

[ he'll point it out? aerith your insecurities!! ]

[residentflorist]

I did say it was sort of dumb. [or thought it. whatever. the point is it was out there.]

[residentmerc]

... I wasn't saying it's dumb, I...

[ well he was trying to reassure her but clearly failed so he shakes his head ]

Never mind. Point is, you're not... too much.