Maybe...one at a time. [Taps a couple fingers on the table, chewing on his lip in consideration.] She was so nervous when it was just me talking to her...I don't want her to feel overwhelmed or like she has to reassure us both.
[It's very weird. He's been trying to think about it, test how he feels about Aerith being with someone else instead of him, but it just...doesn't show up in his head. Even if he can see it in his mind's eye, Zack helping Aerith in her garden, them standing with their heads together in the kitchen as they make dinner, them gently combing through the feathers on their new Legend wings, he doesn't feel it.
Replaced.
He just feels...home.] Yeah. One-on-one, I think. No pressure that way.
[Zack exhales a breath, feeling weirdly lighthearted, a stark contrast to the heavy conversation they just had. He reaches out to snag the bottle one more time, capping it rather than pouring another shot. All that worrying, and they sorted it out like goddamn adults. Points to them.]
Tell her to give me a ping if she wants to see me after. We should probably have a talk, too. [Probably. Well, at the very least he'll want to check in. But they can have all the time they need until then, it's not like there's a time crunch.] ...Hey, Cloud? I'm glad you brought this up. I think it'll be okay, but... whatever happens, I've got your back, promise.
[Not so sure about that; why would Zack ever have Cloud's back before Aerith's? But he doesn't want it to turn into a situation where Zack would need to pick between them anyway.
-loyalty wise. Obviously not romantically, it's not like he and Zack are dating each other too.]
Why don't you talk to Aerith first and then send her my way? Since she and I already talked about it and I told her it would be okay. She might be more worried about what you think, she already knows what I think.
You don't think it'd be a little out there for me to go to her first and be like, "Cloud and I talked and he's gonna date you if you wanna"? I really think she should hear it from you, man.
[He's not sure what else she'd need from him. He can call her up and give her his blessing to do whatever she wants, but he assumes she'd trust Cloud if he told her Zack was cool with it. And it's not like she needs his permission, she just needs to know he won't consider it cheating or whatever.]
No, I mean- so you can tell her you're cool with it. [She needs to hear from Zack that he's okay with it first!! What's she gonna do, just take Cloud's word????]
[GODS! Okay then, do that! Cloud gestures like, go ahead before burying his head in his hands, trying to sort out why he feels almost as nervous as Zack just texting Aerith that he's totally down with sharing while Cloud's sitting right there. Then again, he still doesn't understand why someone would want to date him when they already have Zackary Fair, but if he got hung up on every single thing he didn't understand he'd be in fucking outer space.]
[brb texting Aerith. He's vague in part for Cloud's sake, to let him give her the good news (it's something she wants, something she deserves, and texting it outright is just tacky when Cloud could have the chance to see her face light up in person, it's so cute) and in part because it's bound to be more fun this way. Let her be pleasantly surprised. He just tells her that Cloud's going to visit her soon, and that he's cool with everything, so she doesn't have to worry about him. And no, he will not answer questions!
..And then maybe he texts her a little longer than necessary doing the written equivalent of "no you hang up" until he finally flips his comm shut and sits up in his chair, stretching a leg out to bump his foot against Cloud's knee, pushing his chair away from the table a bit.]
[Cloud takes a few extra seconds to allow himself to be a coward, to let himself spiral just a bit (what if she hates this, what if he hates this, what if I hate this, what if we all start to hate each other) before steeling himself. Nothing to be scared about; Aerith suggested they try this out, kind of. And Zack is cool to try, and (bewilderingly) is determined not to resent the guy who stole his history and half his personality to boot. The sheer amount of baseless trust at work here is dizzying.
Then he slaps his hands (carefully) atop the table and shoves himself to his feet. He says,] M'kay, [turns and heads out the door. He'll just go right next door and go talk to her right now! And then maybe Zack will come by a bit later and they can just...be in each other's presence while they get used to- this. Whatever 'this' ends up being.]
[ Aerith can admit to being a little bit of a wreck from the whole situation.
Her first instinct, every time, is to protect Zack and Cloud; to take care of them, to make sure they're never upset, or hurt, or angry. She's rational enough to realise that it isn't something she can really do, that she doesn't have the power to protect them from the world, but... She wishes she did. She especially wishes that it wasn't something she had admitted that was causing such problems now.
She jumps when she hears her front door, sliding out of the kitchen to hover in the hallway, wiping her hands on the apron wrapped around her. She must look like a nervous wreck! ]
So, uh. He's cool with trying it out, and...I am too. [Different degrees of 'cool with it' maybe, but they're in agreement to give it a shot.] -if you still want to. ...be with...me. [what if instead he was just killed right here tho]
[ Aerith is nervous, a little shy, cheeks flushed and not really able to lift her head to look at him, but she reaches to squeeze his hands, familiar and comfortable a motion now. ]
Uh yeah, I'm pretty sure that's a boat we're all in. [When in his life has he even ever been with a girl like that? Or anyone, for that matter? Shit, he doesn't even remember if he'd ever kissed anyone. He definitely hadn't when he'd left Nibelheim, and those two years in Midgar are a blur still.] -wanna be my first kiss? Probably, I think.
["Come down here" like he's a foot taller than her, ok. Cloud ducks his head and drops a kiss onto her lips. Quick, closed-mouthed. ...kind of embarrassing, now that he's leaning back from it; like a little kid kissing their crush.
But...it's also kind of nice, like how two people kiss goodbye on their way to work in the morning. Comforting.]
Her arms wrap around him gently as she leans into the kiss, one hand on his shoulder, and - yes, she’s definitely blushing now, not embarrassed but warm and happy with it. ]
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[It's very weird. He's been trying to think about it, test how he feels about Aerith being with someone else instead of him, but it just...doesn't show up in his head. Even if he can see it in his mind's eye, Zack helping Aerith in her garden, them standing with their heads together in the kitchen as they make dinner, them gently combing through the feathers on their new Legend wings, he doesn't feel it.
Replaced.
He just feels...home.] Yeah. One-on-one, I think. No pressure that way.
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[Zack exhales a breath, feeling weirdly lighthearted, a stark contrast to the heavy conversation they just had. He reaches out to snag the bottle one more time, capping it rather than pouring another shot. All that worrying, and they sorted it out like goddamn adults. Points to them.]
Tell her to give me a ping if she wants to see me after. We should probably have a talk, too. [Probably. Well, at the very least he'll want to check in. But they can have all the time they need until then, it's not like there's a time crunch.] ...Hey, Cloud? I'm glad you brought this up. I think it'll be okay, but... whatever happens, I've got your back, promise.
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-loyalty wise. Obviously not romantically, it's not like he and Zack are dating each other too.]
Why don't you talk to Aerith first and then send her my way? Since she and I already talked about it and I told her it would be okay. She might be more worried about what you think, she already knows what I think.
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[He's not sure what else she'd need from him. He can call her up and give her his blessing to do whatever she wants, but he assumes she'd trust Cloud if he told her Zack was cool with it. And it's not like she needs his permission, she just needs to know he won't consider it cheating or whatever.]
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That's it? I can just text her, hang on.
[Pulling out his comm to do just that. This will definitely solve the problem.]
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..And then maybe he texts her a little longer than necessary doing the written equivalent of "no you hang up" until he finally flips his comm shut and sits up in his chair, stretching a leg out to bump his foot against Cloud's knee, pushing his chair away from the table a bit.]
Done! Now you can go tell her the good news.
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Then he slaps his hands (carefully) atop the table and shoves himself to his feet. He says,] M'kay, [turns and heads out the door. He'll just go right next door and go talk to her right now! And then maybe Zack will come by a bit later and they can just...be in each other's presence while they get used to- this. Whatever 'this' ends up being.]
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Her first instinct, every time, is to protect Zack and Cloud; to take care of them, to make sure they're never upset, or hurt, or angry. She's rational enough to realise that it isn't something she can really do, that she doesn't have the power to protect them from the world, but... She wishes she did. She especially wishes that it wasn't something she had admitted that was causing such problems now.
She jumps when she hears her front door, sliding out of the kitchen to hover in the hallway, wiping her hands on the apron wrapped around her. She must look like a nervous wreck! ]
... Cloud?
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[ we aren't smart in this rp -
She shifts a little awkwardly. ]
So...?
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So, uh. He's cool with trying it out, and...I am too. [Different degrees of 'cool with it' maybe, but they're in agreement to give it a shot.] -if you still want to. ...be with...me. [what if instead he was just killed right here tho]
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[ Aerith is nervous, a little shy, cheeks flushed and not really able to lift her head to look at him, but she reaches to squeeze his hands, familiar and comfortable a motion now. ]
I want you, Cloud.
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You’re going to have to come down here if you want to kiss me, Cloud.
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But...it's also kind of nice, like how two people kiss goodbye on their way to work in the morning. Comforting.]
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Compared to her at least.
Her arms wrap around him gently as she leans into the kiss, one hand on his shoulder, and - yes, she’s definitely blushing now, not embarrassed but warm and happy with it. ]
I want to do it again.
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However,] It'll cost you.
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Hm... Okay. Deal.
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