aterat | [Closed] An Overdue Realization

Who; Zack Fair, Cloud Strife, Aerith Gainsborough
What; Friend Hangout Day
Where; Zack's Apartment
When; Early June
Warnings; None

It starts with a message sent to two people.

Group hangout this weekend? It feels like we don't do this enough. I want to spend a day with my two favorite people.

It takes a bit from there to negotiate when and even where, but finally it all smooths out and the day arrives. Which Zack has actually bothered to put some attention into preparing for. There's food that he ordered from that Hunters Lodge area in the kitchen waiting either to reheat or to get hauled out of the fridge for snacks. There's drinks of all sorts including this really cool tea that was made from a flower that blooms in the clear glass pot. He's even got pie. Okay, he got three pies because he's still him and he needs to eat plenty to keep his enhancements from leaving him too hungry.

But he's ready, he's excited, he even got his friends little gifts for when they arrive. A nice potted flower for Aerith, and a really great whetstone for Cloud. That's what you do for friends coming to your place, right? You buy them presents and spoil them with really good food. Right? Totally right.

Now he's just got to deal with the hardest part of all of this: waiting.

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"Totally a party," he agrees with a smile, finally letting go and moving to the door. "Come on in. There's gifts. And food."

And comfortable places for them to hang out. Though he's grinning.

"I could learn to dance for you, Aerith."

"You think I look like a flower?" There was a part of him sure that would be something akin to a compliment coming from Aerith, but then again, with her, it was almost impossible to know.

He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "Do we have to dance?" The last time she saw him dance, well...that was a special situation, and Zack didn't see it, and he's not sure he wants him to, either.

Aerith walked in, although maybe it could be more accurate to say she bounced in. The pep in her step probably said quite a lot about just how excited she was about spending time with them both. "Of course. Spitting image of it. And Zack, you're a..." she put her finger to her chin thoughtfully as she found a seat inside his place to plop down. "A black columbine flower!" Not only did they sort of look like they had overlapping spiky black petals but they also were sometimes used as a symbol of fortitude and passion!

She gave a firm nod. "I'd like that I think. You know..." She tilted her head and grinned. "I bet you and Cloud would have been amazing as a duet act at the Honeybee Inn...."

"The second prettiest flower in the room, Spike," Zack laughs. Aerith is clearly the prettiest. But he's also grinning because she's complimented him too.

"Wait, I've got music," he says with joy and bounces over to find his supplies for that. Only to pause. Wait. What?

"Aerith, why do you know what happens at the Honeybee?"

Maybe he hadn't been fully briefed.

Cloud's groan was audible as he followed the two of them inside only to hear the Honeybee brought up. He wasn't ashamed of his time with Andrea. On the contrary, he felt he'd learned a lot from the man that he never would have elsewhere, but it was...difficult to explain in a way that wasn't embarrassing in front of a guy he used to, and still did, idolize.

"Nothing important. Just a way to help a friend." He hoped that worked.

"Aww," she grinned and that grin did not stop at all even after he asked about the Honeybee. She just looked from Cloud then back to Zack with what could only be described as a look of pure mischief. Joyous mischief.

"I went in! Cloud's friend Tifa was taken by Don Corneo. So, we had to rescue her, right?" They couldn't just leave Tifa like that, not with Corneo of all people. "But the only way to get in to see him was to go to one of his auditions." She stuck her tongue out at the word, the very idea of the thing still managed to gross her out. Almost as much as actually being near the man himself had. "Cloud here insisted on going too. Which meant..."

She looked to Cloud, smile somehow grinning even more, then back to Zack. "He had to get ready for the audition too. Andrea, the owner, offered to help Cloud. All he had to do was dance with him. It was the performance of a lifetime!"

Helping a friend sounds about right. And Zack had heard a bit about the dress thing, but the dancing? Listen, he is left staring for a moment because, wow, uh, what? His brain is just caught up in that.

"Cloud danced?" Zack says, his voice just a little... breathy? No. Surely not. IGnore that. Especially since Zack hasn't really talked to them about it all yet. Okay. It's fine. He's fine.

"You'd probably, uh, be good at that, Spike. Because you're really, uh, lithe?"

He looks to Aerith, as if to say 'help me out here' because he didn't know what else to say. How to be less awkward. Help.

"Yeah, I was awesome, totally nailed it. Can we move on?" To anything, was all he could think. Zack had mentioned music, but that was the last thing Cloud wanted to remind them of right now. He'd probably want to turn it on and "see those moves", and Aerith would encourage it.

Yeah, no music was much safer.

"Wasn't there food?"

[Closed] An Overdue Realization

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