Fandom: Final Fantasy VII
Rating: G
Word count: 517
Pairing: Cloud/Aerith
Summary: In which Aerith comes to terms with everything she'll never give up for him.
She wasn't going to fall for him. She wasn't.
Not another SOLDIER-boy with shiny eyes to charm her, no. That she knew she couldn't handle—if she fell for him, he'd only turn his back on her, just like the others. He'd be there one moment and gone the next, blue eyes and blond hair lost in the wind.
She wasn't going to fall in love with him. She wasn't.
Still, there was something about him; something that made her smile gently at his rough words and awkward glances. Something that told her she should hold his hand as they walked through the morning-dew of the dimly lit fields, sharing the unusual tranquility of a war stricken world.
And when he put his fingers around her jaw and pulled her face up so their eyes met, she almost forgot her promises to herself. She was a Cetra, the last of her kind, and he was only a human, pure blooded and oh-so different; she wouldn't throw her life away from him. She wouldn't kneel at his alter and become a sacrifice. Not for him.
His fingers were warm through the bitter weather, and worn from years of battles and struggles, and the only thing he seemed to know was that his name was Cloud; Cloud Strife with the shiny mako-eyes which confused her. She thought back to the years of sterile-white experiments and a lonely, lost childhood, and for the first time, she didn't feel so painfully alone.
He didn't seem to know much of himself, and was full of odd habits; the way he walked looked unnatural, almost as if someone else was pulling the strings, and sometimes his forced words burnt his own throat. And she, well she didn't have much herself, either; she had a name like the earth, wild-flowers in her hair, and sad voices in her head.
They didn't have homes; they didn't know themselves; and yet somehow, through all the happy silences, they seemed to know each other.
“Aerith?” he called, and it seemed to come from the sky, bringing her to life. “You'd better come back; you'll catch a cold out here.”
She felt a hand rest protectively on her shoulder and eyes avoid hers. With a deep, sad sigh, she walked back to the inn by his side, pulling her jacket around her tightly, with an arm placed loosely around her shoulders to shelter her from the April Showers. Glancing up, she saw his lips twitch ever-so slightly and felt his finger tips dig into her arm that little bit more.
She wanted to tell him to not to worry. She wanted to tell him that no matter what, she was going to fall in love with him, and when the time came she would give up everything for him; and she would have, if she only realised it herself.
In the end, she only smiled, hoping to let him down gently.
Title: Silent Rapture
Fandom: Final Fantasy VII
Rating: PG
Theme: o6 Distance;
ff_threesomesWord count: 322
Pairing: Aerith/Cloud/Zack
Summary: “Looks like there's no place for you here.”
Zack wasn't sure if it was possible to feel physical pain in the Lifestream. It was so different being dead, when even your emotions were left hanging somewhere in the distance and felt altogether empty—they were more of vague,misplaced memories then anything else.
But as he watched Aerith's spirit linger over Cloud's, even though his heart had been torn apart by bullets years ago, Zack swore he felt it skip a beat before hammering against his chest.
He wasn't breathing, it was true; but he wasn't dead (yet) either. Aerith seemed to have a remarkable ability to save the boy over and over, and Zack watched her work with half-hearted interest, his spirit feeling particularly dull today.
Just let him die, he thought bitterly. Zack was surprised at himself—firstly for forgetting that everyone could feel your thoughts ripple through them in the Lifestream, but mostly, it had just been so long since he felt such a wave of selfishness flood through him.
Cloud's spirit was strong—even clearer than Aerith's, in fact—and all he needed was a little gentle binding to get it back to his body in one piece.
“Sorry friend,” he muttered almost coldly, knowing Cloud couldn't hear him anyway. “Looks like there's no place for you here.”
And it was a lie, of course. Looking over to Aerith, he saw her gently fade a little as Cloud was swept away once more; and as he moved over, wrapping ghostly arms around her, he felt her thoughts pour out into the Lifestream.
“We both wanted him dead, didn't we?” she murmured—and had she been alive, Zack knew she would have been crying over a heart-wrenching feeling of guilt she couldn't quite feel anymore.
He wanted to reply, to say something to comfort her, but even his thoughts were blank—Cloud was already a million miles away, leaving them to drown in the Styx.