#fairfallcn

"Oh."

She hadn't expected him to flinch...or the subtle way Zack brushed off her quiet curiosity. The scars were newer than she'd realized, if his reaction was anything to go by, and it hadn't occurred to her that they might still be sensitive. Her hand retreats, fingers curling into her palm before settling in her lap.

"I didn't mean to make you jump." Honestly, she hadn't. Her hands tighten slightly at the loss of contact. It had been nice...reassuring—to know he was there beside her, real and warm. "You know....If it really wasn't that bad, you wouldn't be trying so hard to convince me." A gentle tease, trying to lighten the mood somehow. Her gaze drifts briefly to the scar before lifting to his face.

One day, she thinks, she hopes he'll tell her about all of them. Not because she needs to know every painful detail of his past, but because they're part of him. Part of the road that led him here, to this moment, sitting beside her. The thought is warm in her chest, before another one stumbles into her head and catches her off guard. What would it be like to kiss every one of them and erase all that pain he holds. The thought startles her, suddenly aware how intimate the thought is. Heat creeps into her cheeks, and instead Aerith turns her gaze forward to rush it away. It is not the time or place to wonder what that was like.

"You don't have to tell me what happened, Zack. I'm not prying..."

Aerith shifts closer, nudging her knee lightly against his. That felt normal, break the tension with a small tease. "But you can, you know. You won't scare me away" Unable to stop herself, she reaches for his hand again, resting hers gently atop it. It feels reassuring, or at least she hopes it is.

● — || ❝ I heard you missed me , @fairfallcn ? ❞

[💧] Aqua hadn’t seen Zack in so long, so the chance to be able to talk and reconnect after so long seemed like a great idea. Even if it did also seem like a date. After all, he had asked her so many years ago; and she hadn’t had an answer for him back then. Although she supposes she’d have to ask him on a proper one or vice versa if things went well. Her fingers lingered for a moment before she remembered herself, lightly smoothly down his shirt before lightly smoothing down the dress she was wearing. After all, she knew she couldn’t exactly wear her usual attire and her armor was… out of the question.

“Don’t worry, you weren’t keeping me waiting and don’t mention it.”

"zack! you're back!" small feet padding across the length of the floor at the sound of the door opening and a familiar figure walking in. the broad shoulders and dark spiky hair. one of the few relatively steady things in her ever changing life. him and elmyra now.

Gav crossed his arms and pursed his lips slightly, not quite satisfied with the answer he was given. Then again, Zack had always been a mystery from the moment he was found and brought into the Hideaway. He had been injured badly and was suffering from amnesia, or at least that was what Tarja had claimed. She also said that perhaps his memories would return in time, but so far both Cid and Gav have had no luck.

At least they had another pair of helping hands which was much needed. The mystery man seemed friendly enough, so Gav wasn't about to complain. In fact, they seemed to be getting along quite well. He wasn't quite done with the questions, but he figured that Zack would talk when he was ready.

losing both her hometown & family was bound to let anyone let their anger to release. though that was her curse. but did she ever healed from that ? she wanted to believe she did did. truly she hasn't , having cloud back in her life , it gave her a little hope . . just something felt wrong with him that made her fist clenched   since their last fight.

with mumbles   of little irritation   she had decided to push everything in instincts behind a wall. yet she was trying to speak to him , but her own voice was having trouble to pass her own pursed lips. so she was taking few breathes & exhaling from her lungs. “         zack , what i said last time . .       ” her voice she had finally manage to reveal it to the taller male figure , inches away from her. the brawler would only then shift her crimson hues for a second to him before she began to look downward at her feet. “         i'm sorry . will you forgive me ?       ”

There was something... inviting? Familiar? Something maybe he couldn't quite place about the man that drew him in. He didn't know why, or why it felt important to make contact; the number of people he actually wanted to talk to could easily be counted on one hand, so... why..?

Riku dropped his gaze to the ground, letting out a soft, dry chuckle. "Actually... now that I think about it, any question I'd want to ask really isn't any of my business to know in the first place." Personal questions, questions about the past, maybe about people. Maybe he didn't know that, either, which left him with more confusion about who this person was, why he was drawn to him to begin with.

"I just... got the feeling that maybe you'd know a little about trying to live with the things that didn't happen." And that didn't make any sense either, did it? He could have just laid a massive insult at a perfectly innocent man's feet... not that the possibility had bothered him much before.