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[colorofthesky]

Who: Zack Fair and YOU!
Where: Several different places.
When: May 25th, all day.
Rating: Er...PG? (Maybe PG-13.)
Summary: A Day in the Life with Zack Fair. Squats, lying around, and exploring -- nothing too unusual!
The Story: In comments below --

Comments

[cetra]

[ The tears build in her own eyes, her breath catching in her throat when he presses his lips against her palm.

In its own way, Wonderland can be a place for second chances. For them, at least. She leans forward, pressing her forehead into his shoulder and takes a deep breath. His warmth eases the knot in her stomach - because she's nervous, just the tiniest bit, and really she feels silly about it. Of all people, Zack has always made her feel at ease but the years between them have made her feel more than unsure.

She closes her eyes, wishing that, for just a moment, time would stop and they would stay like this forever. ]

Right. And now I'm here to remind you, so I'm not worried that you'll forget. [ Oh, he's stuck with her now. As long as they're here, anyway. The future may not be the most reliable for them, but that's fine. They can take on anything together, she's sure of it. ] Now we can make up for lost time. [ She'll lift her head to look up at him again, her expression slightly mischievous. ] And I have a lot of stories to tell you.

[ Some of them involve a cross dressing Cloud even. ]

[colorofthesky]

[ This...really isn't the conversation he was expecting to have today.

He looks at her, eyes moist, and despite the sudden breeze, the warmth between them goes uninterrupted. He almost forgot what this felt like -- to be so close to someone else, to feel their heart beating in times with yours, and know that they'll be there for you no matter what.

He smiles again, this one a bit stronger than the last. ]

I'll bet.

[ Before he can persuade himself otherwise, Zack leans over and kisses her softly, too-blue eyes locked on hers. ]

I love you.

[ Though it's little more than a whisper, the strength behind those words could move the tallest mountain. She's the dearest thing in the world to him, and he doesn't mind letting her know it. ]

[cetra]

[ The kiss is unexpected, but welcome. Her eyes flutter half closed, her breath catching as their lips touch. Letting someone in, whole and complete, has always been difficult for Aerith, but Zack has been the exception. His brightness draws her in, like a flower starved for sunlight, and in some ways he saved her when they met. She'd felt like she was withering away in the darkness of the slums, the horrors of the world weighing down on her as she left her home each day.

Now, though, she's grown, and she's changed. One thing that will never change are her feelings for him, no matter how long it's been or how much distance is between them. His words wash over her, and she smiles. It's hard to decide what she's feeling, it's so much at once and while it should be overwhelming, it just makes her happy, almost content. A feeling she hasn't had in a very long time. ]

I love you, too. [ Words that are hard for her to say, because the people she loves are always taken from her one way or anything. Loving anyone seems to just doom them, whether it's an early death or a sudden loss of a husband and adopted father Aerith never got to meet. She's tired of being careful, protecting herself, because then she misses out on so much, and she's tired of it. Wonderland may pull one or both of them out the very next day, and that's okay. It will hurt, but at least she'll always have this. Even when her memories are taken from her when she returns, even if she never sees Zack again, the fact that she can see him, hear him, one last time...it's enough. ]