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

[residentflorist]

[she just...gazes at him...]

Jessie.

[residentmerc]

Biggs and Wedge made it pretty clear she was just... like that.

[ a ho. a big ho. ]

[residentflorist]

But she still hit on you and you probably didn't even think much of it, huh?

[residentmerc]

...What's that have to do with anything?

[ he wasn't oblivious he wasn't interested. so different ]

[residentflorist]

[she tilts her head.]

You really weren't interested in a girl like her?

[residentmerc]

[ like her? ]

She was a friend, it wasn't like that.

[ he also knew her for like. two days. but ]

[residentflorist]

[bitch you only knew aerith for a few hours, what's your excuse for that?]

If you're sure. [so her impression is that jessie is pretty, talented, strong and forward.] I guess there wasn't really time for you to even consider it back then anyway with the work Avalanche was doing.

[residentmerc]

[ it was at least ONE DAY and the difference is aerith did not immediately invite him to fuck ]

This isn't something I think about that much in the first place.

[ like yeah he liked tifa for forever and that is maybe probably still a thing but he doesn't think about romance that much he has 999 more problems ]

[residentflorist]

[okay fair enough.]

Kinda loops right back around to the original point about time. [but not in a negative way. just in a "i'm happy you're willing to think a little more about it and give me your time" sort of way.]

[residentmerc]

I guess.

[ his turn to kiss her because he can, but. also: ]

Are you... jealous?

[ is that why she kept asking about jessie. is that it. ]

[residentflorist]

[she takes her kiss tax but her thoughts are just a jumble of scribbles. so yeah! perhaps so...]

Not really. [shut the fuck up aerith.]

[residentmerc]

[ looking... at the scribbles...

a little ??? over it ngl. not just because jessie is super dead but. why. ]

... But you are a little.

[ that's what not really means!!! ]

[residentflorist]

[:T mostly she's embarrassed about being jealous of a dead girl, but she's also a dead girl? so maybe those two things cancel out. whatever.]

It doesn't matter really since you're mine right now.

[residentmerc]

[ it is a blunt way to say it that kind of embarrasses him i hope she enjoys pink on him but after a second he nods because ... i mean, yeah? yeah. ]

... Yeah.

[residentflorist]

Theeeen let's not worry about it. [there's a stray thought of "pretty" through her head that he isn't privy to, but she kisses the tip of his nose.] ...a little word of advice, Cloud. Every girl likes to hear she's important sometimes.

[she says this more as a note to why she even brought it up and not to scold him for anything in particular.]

[residentmerc]

[ he goes a little cross eyed when she kisses his nose but it's mostly in surprise, blinking at her. ]

... I've said it. [ haven't I? help he does think it's a scolding though, holding her closer. ] You are important. I wouldn't...

[ he's flustered trying to come up with words now yay ]

[residentflorist]

Cloud. [now she just sounds like she's teasing him.] I know, that wasn't a critique. It was just...a thought? Something like that.

[to try and help him in the future because she knows she can be confusing and not say exactly what she means sometimes.]

You've said it a lot of ways without needing to use words. I know that. [you came to save me...how could i not know?]

[residentmerc]

Of course I did. [ thought week is destroying them with these because he ignores the teasing to be very upfront there. also dont FUCKING advent children me. ] I would. Every time.

[ like he knows he didnt when she DIED HERE but he was busy dying elsewhere he is giving his angst about it a pass so she doesnt hear him mope mentally ]

[residentflorist]

[:)

anyway it's just...tiny hearts in her eyes, and a faint glow around her. something soft and happy and grateful.]

I never expected you to. [a quiet admission. because they barely knew each other the first time, and she had willingly traded her freedom for marlene's safety. she knew what that meant. and yet cloud still came for her.] But I'll never forget how happy I was that you did.

[residentmerc]

[ the heart eyes are wild, and he stares back at her intensely, because for him it was a little... infuriating, the first time. of course they would. why wouldn't they? it was their fault. even though elmyra tried to convince him otherwise, he would've gone even if barret and tifa weren't coming along. ]

... You went through all that trouble for me first.

[residentflorist]

I told you. I wanted to help you however I could. You, and everyone, and the rest of the planet. But you've always been...

[special? her thoughts seem to trail off.]

You would have come for me no matter what I said or did. [she seems a little more sure of this now.] And that's... [well. she does not get to say what it is, because cloud is shown something convenient, up until he hears himself calling aerith's name.]

[residentmerc]

[ he doesn't know what to do with special, so it's a good thing the memshare distracts him. he remembers this, though he hadn't know what aerith was going through on her side, just that he and tifa ran to find her.

he holds her a little closer. ]

... It's not just me. [ he's not trying to dismiss her feeling or their connection, he would never, but he thinks maybe this is important: ] Tifa and the others too. We'd all come for you, no matter what.

[residentflorist]

[she's kind of tucked up against his chest, arms around his neck and cheek against his shoulder. she remembers this, and even seeing it now she feels the weird sort of tightness in her chest, the anxious feeling of being left behind.

"we found you", tifa had said, and it had meant a lot to her back then, too. "you" is interchangeable sometimes. sometimes she means "you our group of friends", and sometimes she means "you cloud strife." this is a little of both.

she knows they all came to the altar, too, after she left to walk through the forest. just another little drop of guilt, but still something to consider.]

I know. [now.] Sometimes it's just a little hard to shake those things off. But all of you mean so much to me that it gets easier when I think about it.

[residentmerc]

[ ... he strokes her back lightly as he holds her. ]

You're important to us. [ he pauses, and a little shyly despite kissing her and saying as much earlier: ] To me. Not just for the planet. But... because it's you.

[ do you know that? ]

[residentflorist]

[given the way she doesn't reply immediately it is questionable if she knew that, actually. her arms tighten around him a little with the words and she settles there with her eyes closed.]

...I meant what I said back in Cosmo Canyon, you know. About how everything up until now has been worth it because of all of you. [for...loving me as myself. that's what this is, isn't it?]