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[ Aerith gives him a quick look, unsure for a moment, before she shakes her head and leans up to kiss Zack's cheek, her fingers lifting to brush at his hair gently. ]

Stop being grumpy.

Yeah Zack, lighten up. [cloud u little........

He is actually going to leave though, because this is just a little too much right now and he has work to get to anyway, but he stops and glances at Zack before coming back to Aerith. He cups a hand at the back of her head, leaning over to kiss her softly on the forehead before pulling away, slowly, fingers lingering over a lock of her hair. It's still kind of surreal that they're both here, and now this... Honestly if this is some kind of mako-induced fever dream, he hopes he never wakes up.] Thanks. [He shoots Zack a grateful look.] ...both of you. Just...bear with me, alright?

[y'all are teasing him... so cruel.

but he's also getting kisses, so he can't complain, either. This really did turn out amazingly. A cynic might be waiting for the other shoe to drop (is that why Cloud is leaving?) but he's all smiles.]

Take your time, man. We're not going anywhere.

[ It's hard not to laugh, but with Cloud on his way to leaving Aerith has to focus, and she nods her head, leaning up into the kisses he offers and the touches he gives her. She's still leaning against Zack, and she lifts her hand to wave to the other man without moving.

Maybe she'll have to go soon too, to bask in it, but she's sure she needs to tell Zack off before she does. ]

Bye, Cloud.

[Zack watches him go, waving idly, though once he's left alone with Aerith, he glances nervously at her.]

Um... so, Aerith...

[ And she turns on him, giving him the dirtiest look she can possibly muster. Very scary. ]

You better not do that ever again, Zack Fair!

[SO scary.]

I'm sorry! But I had to do it, you were being so stubborn!

That's no excuse! You don't get to carry me around unless I say that you can!

[ Hmph. She turns away from him, crossing her arms. ]

It was so embarrassing.

...wh... is that what you're mad about?

[babe he just netted you double boyfriends can you give him a lil bit of leeway]

[ NO!!!!

yes. ]

It was like... Like what I was saying didn't matter at all.

[Oof. Okay, now we're getting to the heart of it.

With a long sigh, Zack flops down on one of the crates in the bay, hands clasped together on his knees.]

Aerith... believe me, if I thought for even a second that you wanted to do what you were doin', I would've let you. But you made it obvious that you didn't, so... I didn't let you. I'm sorry for the manhandling, but I'm not gonna apologize for the rest.

[ She's quiet for a long, long moment, before she breathes out a soft noise. It's not like she's really mad at him, not really, she's just frustrated with how the matter was handled and embarrassed at being thrown around, at being ignored.

Slowly, she walks over, lifting her hand to sink her fingers into Zack's hair before she leans down to leave a kiss in its place. ]

I know. [ Eyes closed she smiles. ] You just wanted to help. That's Zack.

...Mm.

[He's not gonna deny that; guilty as charged. And it's not something he can change, either. Quietly he rests his head against her, winding an arm around her waist to tug her closer.]

I'll try not to do it again, though... if you can promise to talk to us honestly before you make any crazy decisions.

I really thought it was the best choice.

[ Aerith steps into the embrace, her fingers brushing over his hair, hoping to be soothing, quite happy to stay wrapped up in his arms. ]

I couldn't bear to see you sad because of me.

Yeah, well... did you stop and think that maybe we'd have been more sad to see you sad? Because we were gonna notice sooner or later.

No. [ Because making sacrifices is what she does, despite how headstrong and forward she was. She had died to help save the world, after all, hadn't she? ] I'm sorry.

...Dummy.

[He doesn't sound mad, though, and he tilts his head to kiss her forehead, resting his against it after.]

It's okay. Guess we were both in a hurry.

We waited long enough, didn't we? It's been a long time.

[ She closes her eyes, sinking closer. ]

I didn't forget you. Not for a second, not once.

[He bites his lip, falling silent for a long moment, not entirely sure how to respond to that. He'd never wanted to be forgotten, but... he also didn't want to be some kind of noose hanging around her neck, holding her back. It's why he's kind of glad that there was something between she and Cloud, requited or not.

It had hurt, to get her last letter- to know it had been four years and that she would no longer wait. But that wasn't her fault.]

I wouldn't have blamed you if you did. I did leave you hanging for a long time.

I didn't blame you. It wasn't your fault.

[ She had realised, after a while, that Zack wasn't going to come back, but she kept sending letters. She sent them time and time and time again and every day, when she woke up, she would pray it was the day she would finally get a response. Her mom almost lost her mind with how much paper she used, how much time she spent, but she understood.

She did the same thing, didn't she?

It's hard not to be sad about it - about all the time they lost, all the things that went wrong, and she can feel herself shiver a little as she fights back her tears. She is happy, right now, with Cloud and Zack and everything they've decided, but it doesn't make all the bad things go away. There's still so much pain. ]

I... I knew, the day you weren't coming back. I was looking after the flowers and I felt... Something. That's when I knew I shouldn't wait anymore. I didn't know what happened, I just knew that something had changed.

[He remembers; she'd mentioned that, the first day, but things had been so joyous he hadn't wanted to go into detail about it. Hadn't wanted to relive the moments he'd only just escaped- the cliff, the rain, all the blood and life draining out of him. Cloud's face, blurry as his vision slowly faded.

Aerith's voice, calling out to him, the last thing he'd heard as they shot the fight right out of him.

He trembles briefly and tries to bury it, fingers clutching tightly to her dress. Easy, easy. Don't go freaking her out.]

Oh hell. We were... we were so close, Aerith. We were right on the edge. I saw the city... if I'd been stronger, I could've...

It's not your fault.

[ And she believes that, fiercely, with all the strength and passion she has in her heart. She would've known if Zack had given up, and he hadn't, not for a second. It wasn't who he was, it never had been, and she knew the only way this could have happened is if the odds were against him, if someone or something had ripped the fighting spirit away from him and left him.

Aerith's fingers stroke through his hair over and over, trying to soothe and comfort him - because he's hers, isn't he? And she's his, and she waited, she waited for such a long time for him to come back to her and now he was. Now he was here and she didn't have to let him go ever again. Her fingers never had to stray far from his. ]

Things didn't work the way we wanted to. I didn't want to die either. I didn't want to be the last Ancient in the entire world, but I was. But... [ Closing her eyes, she draws him closer, desperate to be wrapped up in his arms, to comfort him as he comforts her. ] But I got back to you.

[He knows he's not responsible, but it's still difficult to feel entirely blameless. There's plenty he could have done differently in retrospect. Hell, even if he'd done something as simple as called her back before things got really bad. Maybe if he'd kept a closer eye on Sephiroth, if he'd sparred more and known his techniques a little better, if he'd been tough enough to support Cloud instead of just passing out... even the smallest change could have affected everything.

The reminder that she, too, is dead is enough of a mental kick -- because he hadn't forgotten, not really, you don't forget that sort of thing, but - that he's quiet for a moment, torn between asking or waiting. He'd refrained from asking before, but... now...]

Aerith... how did it...?

Hm?

[ The question makes her stop and pause. There's not a huge amount that she knows when it comes to Zack's life as a part of SOLDIER, but she's sure that he must have known Sephiroth. When they had been trying to figure out Cloud's memories and they had talked about it all... If Cloud had known him then, surely... The very idea of actually admitting it aloud makes her feel uncomfortable, and she hesitates for a moment, her fingers dragging through Zack's hair over and over, as if to soothe herself more than to offer him any kind of comfort. ]

I was praying for Holy, to protect the Planet. He came down from the sky and cut me, right here.

[ Her hand presses against her stomach gently. ]

Right the way through, because... Because he wanted the Planet to end. He... Thought he was the last one.

[ The last Cetra, the last Ancient, but he wasn't, he never had been, and he was wrong the whole time. ]

[That's awfully vague. He's sure that she's doing it on purpose, but he finds it difficult to not ask, so after a moment's hesitation, he tries again.]

Who was it? Someone you knew?

[Someone with a blade, who believed that, who wanted to destroy everything... he has a sick, sinking feeling in his stomach, because that sounds eerily familiar. But it can't. It can't be.

He's dead. We- Cloud- killed him.]

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