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“Whoa, is that Cloud and Aerith I spy?!”
The two named people turned to look over their shoulders and were greeted by none other than Zack Fair, waving excitedly at the two of them as he quickly crossed the span of the coffee shop to get into line behind them. He held his hand out to Cloud and the two clasped their hands together like it was second nature, a mock-handshake they adopted over the course of their long friendship.
Zack then patted Aerith on the shoulder and she smiled at him in greeting. Cloud tried not to stare at Zack’s lingering hand. “What are the two of you doing here?” Zack asked, looking between them. He could look like such an excited puppy sometimes.
“Just on a coffee date,” Aerith told him innocently. Cloud averted his eyes awkwardly.
“Aha, I see, I see!” Zack said with a laugh, seemingly completely unaffected by the knowledge that he interrupted their date. Cloud frowned.
“Why don’t you join us?” Aerith asked him. “It’s been forever since we’ve all gotten a chance to hang out!”
Zack agreed with a grin and a light tone, but Cloud squirmed at Aerith’s side. Zack was his friend—his best friend of many years, and it wasn’t that Cloud didn’t want to spend time with him. It was the opposite actually, Cloud loved hanging out with Zack. Just… Not while with Aerith.
“Cloud?”
Cloud blinked and looked at Aerith, who was looking up at him expectedly. He looked from her to Zack, who was still wearing that charming grin of his, and then nodded. “Yeah. Sure.” It wasn’t like he could say no, anyway. It’d just make him look like an asshole after Aerith offered.
“Great!” Zack gave them both a thumbs up. “Hey, why don’t you guys grab a table and I’ll get the drinks?”
“Sure!” Aerith said, and Cloud began digging in his pockets for his wallet to give Zack cash, but Zack held his hand out to stop him.
“Nope, today’s on me,” Zack said with a wink. “Iced americano, right Cloud? And Aerith, hazelnut latte?”
Aerith opened her mouth to speak. “With—”
“Soy milk, I know, I know,” Zack said with a nod and a wave of his hand.
Aerith grinned at him, then took Cloud by the wrist to drag him to a table in the corner of the cafe. The two of them sat on one side of the table, leaving the other open for Zack. Aerith leaned a bit into Cloud’s side. “This is nice, right?” She asked, her tone happy. “I was just thinking about him!”
“Mm-hmm,” Cloud hummed through a clenched jaw. He looked over at Zack to watch him order their drinks from the barista, who was covering her smiling mouth with her hand. Zack must have said something flirty, as was his usual style.
Cloud chewed his bottom lip, thoroughly annoyed and uncomfortable. He had been friends with Zack since high school, and from the last year and into college, Zack had been in a relationship with a girl from another school. He was absolutely smitten by her, but the timing never quite lined up for Cloud to meet her, so for years he had to settle for Zack’s lovesick stories instead.
Then, by sheer coincidence, Cloud met Aerith. And Cloud had never believed in love at first sight, not really, but that day he became convinced it was real. She was beautiful and kind and had the most addictive laugh and smile and when her eyes fell on Cloud, he felt certain that he had just met an angel. But, not wanting to be one of those awful men that asked for the number of a girl he just bumped into, Cloud unwillingly parted ways with her without even learning her name, hoping beyond hope that fate would bring them together once again.
And then, a week later, Zack had finally managed to find a time to introduce Cloud to his girl, and Cloud got his chance to meet Aerith again. Only problem was that this time, she was by Zack’s side and her hand was held in his.
Cloud had never felt heartbreak before—he hadn’t been in many relationships, much less fallen in love—but he was sure that in that moment, his heart split in two. He tried to get over it, to tell himself he didn’t even know Aerith, so how could he be so depressed over not having her? But as time went on and the three of them got closer and closer to graduating, he found himself spending more and more time with her as she often joined their study sessions or Saturday night hangouts after she got off work.
Cloud got to know her, became good friends with her, and his heart split from two to four, and four to eight, going and going until he was sure it had been ground to dust. She was perfect, amazing, the only thing he could think about, and she was his best friend’s girlfriend.
And then, the day after graduation, he and Zack were hanging out, enjoying their freedom before their new lives began, and Zack suddenly told Cloud that he and Aerith had broken up. Cloud felt guilty over the way his dusted heart lifted in excitement at the news and he tried his best to be a good friend that could comfort Zack, but despite having been together for five years, Zack didn’t seem that upset.
“Don’t get me wrong, it sucks,” Zack had told him that day. “But I think we just weren’t meant to be, even though I wish we were. I mean, she’s amazing. But… You already know that.”
The smile Zack had given him with those telling words had left Cloud confused for days, weeks even. On top of that, he found himself going through Aerith withdrawals; without Zack as the middleman between the two of them, there was no reason for them to spend time together, and Cloud couldn’t work up the courage to contact her on his own. Until one day when he ran into her outside of the flower shop she worked at right as her shift was ending, and she gave him that smile that seemed to piece his heart back together and heal his soul, and asked if he’d like to get dinner with her.
That was three years ago and they’d been dating ever since. Zack had insisted to Cloud that it was okay, that he and Aerith were still friends and he wanted the best for her, and he knew that Cloud was the person that would make her happy, but…
But it still made things very awkward. Even worse, it brought up all the worries Cloud tried to bury away that came with dating your best friend’s ex-girlfriend.
“Hello? Earth to Cloud?”
Cloud blinked and looked up to the glass of iced coffee being waved in front of his nose. He took it and glared at Zack. Zack laughed and sat down across from Aerith and Cloud. “So, what’s been up with you, Aerith?” Zack asked her. “It’s been a while since we’ve been able to catch up!”
“Well…” Aerith stirred her drink. “I’m getting ready to buy my own flower shop.”
“What?!” Zack gasped as he sat up straighter. “Aerith! That’s amazing, that’s your dream!!”
Aerith smiled bashfully and ducked her head. “It’s not that big of a deal… It’s just gonna be a tiny place…”
“Hey, hole-in-the-wall places are the best kind!” Zack told her. “Seriously Aerith, this is so awesome! We should all go out to celebrate when it opens! Get some champagne, hit the dance floor—what do you say?”
Aerith laughed and put her hand on Cloud’s arm. “Good luck trying to get Cloud to dance,” She said teasingly.
“I can dance,” Cloud said quickly, his eyes fixed pointedly on Zack.
Aerith looked at him, her brows furrowed and her eyes incredulous. “What?”
He looked at her. “I can dance,” He said again. He wasn’t going to seem like a bad boyfriend, not now, and declining opened up the possibility of Aerith dancing with Zack. If he had to dance, he’d dance. But only for Aerith. He shrugged and turned his attention back to Zack. “We’re celebrating, right?”
“Hell yeah, that’s something I’ll pay to see!” Zack whooped excitedly. “You have to call me as soon as it’s open, okay? Oh, what are you going to call the place?”
Aerith’s eyes lingered on Cloud for a moment, regarding him silently, and then she turned to look back at Zack. “I’m still figuring that out…” She told him with a sheepish smile. “But I’m surprised you didn’t know already. I thought Cloud would have told you.”
Cloud’s lips pressed into a tight line. “Mr. Talkative over here?” Zack asked with a hearty laugh. “Yeah, right!”
Cloud scowled and distracted himself by picking up his drink and gulping down half of it at once. Of course he wasn’t going to talk to Zack about Aerith, why would he?!
Aerith laughed along with Zack and Cloud slouched in his seat a fraction with his arms crossed over his chest. Zack and Aerith always had such a natural chemistry, even after their relationship had ended. There was something about the two of them, their exuberant personalities and teasing senses of humor, that seemed to fit together perfectly. Cloud tasted something sour and he was sure it wasn’t the coffee.
“What’s been up with you, Zack?” Aerith asked as she sipped on her drink.
“Oh you know, same old stuff,” He told her with a shrug. “Nothing life-changing to announce like you.”
“No new girl?” Aerith asked, leaning forward across the table to look at him closer. “Don’t lie.”
Zack shook his head and averted his eyes. “There… Might be,” He said. He waved a hand in front of him. “But it’s nothing yet. We’ve only gone out once, so nothing to report.”
Aerith laughed. “Since when have you been shy?”
And then, like the world had shifted to slow-motion, Cloud watched as her hand reached out and settled itself over Zack’s wrist. She was saying something to Zack, but Cloud couldn’t even hear her—his attention was focused entirely on that point of contact. And then, Zack said something back and covered her hand with his and Cloud stood so quickly his chair almost toppled over behind him.
Zack and Aerith looked up at him in surprise. Cloud turned his eyes from the two of them, looking very much like they were the ones on a date and he was the awkward third wheel, just like the many times the three of them would spend time together when Zack and Aerith were still dating. “Bathroom,” He muttered as he walked away from the table.
Once hidden inside the bathroom, Cloud leaned back against the locked door and looked up at the ceiling with a heavy sigh. There was a logical part of his brain telling him that he was being an idiot. Zack and Aerith broke up a long time ago, Zack was his friend and supported Cloud and Aerith's relationship, Aerith loved Cloud, but…
But Cloud couldn’t help the illogical thoughts from spinning out of control. Zack and Aerith had been together for a long time, longer than Cloud and Aerith had. They got along so well, they always seemed so happy to be together. What if he didn’t make her feel as happy as Zack did? What if he didn’t make her laugh as much? Or smile as much?
And what if he didn’t… Satisfy her as much? Cloud didn’t want to think of it, but that one touch they shared brought back all of the insecurities he had managed to bury deep down in the last three years. Cloud had only been subjected to one conversation with Zack in which his friend went into great detail about the amazing sex he was having with this new girl of his. Cloud had disgustingly told his friend that he was not interested in hearing the vivid details and to keep it in his pants, but now…
Even if Zack hadn’t discussed it with Cloud that one time, Cloud was sure he’d feel the same insecurities. He supposed it was inevitable to wonder and worry when he knew Aerith’s ex-boyfriend so well. Was he as good as Zack? Could he live up to her needs?
A knock at the door shocked Cloud enough to make him jump and bump his head on the bag hook and he made a noise of pain. “You okay in there, man?” Zack’s voice asked.
“Uh, y-yeah, one sec,” Cloud stammered as he rubbed his head. He turned on the faucet to pretend to be washing his hands, made a big show of pulling paper towels out so Zack could hear it, and then with one last breath to resolve himself, opened the door.
The two stood there, just looking at each other awkwardly for a moment, and then Zack smiled sheepishly and scratched the back of his head. “Sorry but… I really need to pee,” He said.
“Oh, right,” Cloud nodded and the two stepped around each other. He heard the click of the bathroom door lock as he walked back to their table. Aerith was scrolling down her phone, twirling her half-empty drinking lazily in her other hand.
When Cloud returned to his seat next to her, she put her phone down and tilted her head in his direction. “You okay?”
Cloud nodded and took a sip of his drink. “Yep. Just had to use the bathroom.”
Aerith narrowed her eyes in suspicion. She brought her straw to her lips and took a sip, watching Cloud like she was trying to burn holes in his skull to see his thoughts. Cloud blinked and looked down when her hand found his under the table, then looked up to meet her eyes. She smiled at him like she was trying to reassure him of something, but before he could ask why she was looking at him like that, Zack returned.
He collapsed into his chair and picked up his drink to finish the last of it, then picked his phone up from the table and looked at something. “Oh, man,” He said with a frown. “Sorry guys, I have to cut our party short.”
“Oh, that’s too bad,” Aerith said, pouting.
“It’s okay, we’ll hang out soon!” Zack promised her with a smile. “For real, call me when your shop opens. I wanna be there for the ribbon cutting ceremony.”
“Oh, shut up,” Aerith said teasingly.
Zack laughed and stood to leave. “And don’t think I forgot your promise, Cloud. You’re gonna dance for us.”
Cloud waved his hand nonchalantly. “Yeah, yeah.”
“Bye, Zack,” Aerith said, smiling widely at him. “I’ll text you.”
Cloud’s hand squeezed tightly around hers involuntarily.
“Later!” Zack waved and, after returning his cup, left the cafe with a skip in his step.
Cloud watched him go with a scowl. Aerith leaned in close to Cloud’s side. “Should we get out of here, too?” She asked.
Cloud nodded and quickly finished his drink. “Yeah, let’s go.” The longer he stayed, the more he thought of Aerith and Zack together. He never wanted to enter this shop again.
Aerith finished her drink as well and then the two of them were leaving. They spent the rest of the afternoon strolling around the town, stopping into different shops, grabbing some street food. Cloud tried to enjoy the time spent with Aerith, but even away from the cafe and away from Zack, his thoughts lingered on those moments, on those insecurities and his own inferiority. Zack had said Cloud would make Aerith happy, but what if he was wrong? His thoughts circled around that question and more as the afternoon went on.
As the sun began to set and the two of them walked along the small river that ran through the town, Aerith tugged Cloud’s hand to get his attention. “Cloud, are you sure you’re okay?”
“I’m fine,” He lied, and she frowned at him. He felt bad, lying about his feelings and upsetting her, but this was something he was too afraid to bring up. What if she confirmed his worst fears?
“Why don’t we go home?” She asked. “We can order some food and watch a movie?”
Cloud nodded in agreement and let her pull him along to their shared apartment. When they returned, they both took off their shoes by the door and Cloud tried to walk to the kitchen, but Aerith refused to let go of his hand. She pulled him to a stop, and Cloud looked back at her in curiosity.
“Actually, would you mind giving me a moment?” She asked.
“Um… Sure,” Cloud said with a nod.
She smiled at him and then tugged him to their bedroom. She shut the door behind them, and Cloud felt very much like she was trying to keep him from escaping. When she pushed him down to sit on the bed and stood over him with her arms crossed over her chest, his suspicions were confirmed.
“Tell me what’s wrong,” Aerith said with one raised brow. “You’re awful at lying, you know.”
“I’m not—” Cloud said, but Aerith pierced him with a look that shut him up quickly. He sighed and looked away. “I just… have a headache, okay?”
“No you don’t,” Aerith rebutted. “If you did, why wouldn’t you just tell me?”
“I didn’t want to ruin the day,” Cloud lied.
The two shared a moment of silence as Aerith looked at him, and then she sighed and stepped closer to him, settling herself between his knees and taking his face in her hands to angle his eyes up to her. “Cloud… Do you really think I can’t notice?” She asked him.
“...Don’t know what you’re talking about,” He mumbled.
Aerith shook her head and smiled, exasperated. “Cloud, I saw the way you were looking at Zack. You looked like you wanted to rip his head off.”
“I wasn’t—” Cloud began. Had he really been glaring that hard?
“And when I touched his wrist?” Aerith asked. “And you ran off to the bathroom?”
Cloud released a long breath through his nose. He was caught red-handed and he didn’t have much of an excuse. “I…” His voice died away. He didn’t want to admit these ugly emotions he was having. He didn’t want her to tell him his worries were correct.
“You weren’t jealous, were you?” She asked him, her expression teetering on amusement. “Of Zack? Come on, Cloud. Don’t be silly.”
Her hands moved to brush through his hair comfortingly. Cloud sighed and looked to the left. “I mean… A little, I guess,” He admitted. “Seems like you two just… get along really well.”
“Well, we’ve known each other a long time,” Aerith told him. “We’re friends, just like the two of you are.”
“Yeah, but it’s different, you two were—” Cloud cut himself off before he said something rash. He took a moment and thought carefully of what he wanted to say, then sighed. “I don’t know. You two still... seem like a good match.”
He didn’t mean for his tone to sound so bitter, but there it was. Aerith didn’t seem upset though, instead laughing and shaking her head. “Cloud, really?” She asked. “And what… You think you and I aren’t a good match? You and I get along much better, I think.”
Cloud looked at her, frowning. “It’s not that,” He said.
“Then, what is it?” She asked him quietly.
“You’re… You two were…” Cloud let out an agitated noise and looked down at the bed. He felt awkward and nervous and like if he shared what he was feeling she’d either laugh in his face or walk out on him, but he knew she wasn’t going to let him get away without telling her exactly what was weighing on him. “Some things were probably better with him, right?”
There was that bitter edge to his voice again. He couldn’t help it. After all, Zack was tall and handsome, he had girls fighting over him and his charms. It seemed like he was better than Cloud at everything, and it only deepened Cloud's own self-doubt. After all, with everything Zack did so well, it would be no surprise he was better in bed, too.
“Like… What?” Aerith asked, confused.
“Like…” Cloud’s hands curled into fists over the bed covers. He was not going to tell Aerith that Zack had once divulged their intimate secrets to him—he’d probably take that information to his grave.
Without making him elaborate, Aerith seemed to catch onto his meaning. “Cloud… You don’t really think…” She said slowly. He refused to look up at her, his face burning red hot, but her fingers touched under his chin and tilted his head up. “Cloud, everything is better with you. And those things you’re worried about? It’s not even comparable. You’re… indescribable.”
Cloud frowned, not believing her words. She smiled and kissed his downturned lips and, despite his sour mood, Cloud kissed her back. He was only human, after all, and he had his own weaknesses, most of which revolved around Aerith. She pulled back from him, stayed just close enough that their lips just barely whispered against each other, her breath warm against him.
“Like… Your lips,” She said softly, and Cloud's lips parted against hers. “They’re softer, and much better at kissing me.”
For emphasis, she kissed him again. She opened her lips against his, moaned into his mouth when their tongues met. His arms snaked around her waist, his head tilted back to meet her, her hair tickling his cheeks. She leaned her head differently, kissed him even deeper and climbed onto the bed, her knees on either side of his thighs to straddle him and their bodies pressed together.
They pulled apart with a delicious smack of their lips and a shuddering, contented sigh from Cloud. She slid her hands down his shoulders, over his arms. “And your muscles,” She continued as she squeezed his biceps. “They’re firmer.”
Cloud fixed her with a deadpan look. “Come on.”
Aerith laughed and continued on, her fingers dancing along his skin, down to his wrists. “Your skin is smoother. It feels good against mine,” She told him. She took his hands in hers. “And your hands… They’re stronger. And they know just how to hold me. How to touch me.”
She guided his hands under her dress and up her thighs. She let go of his hands to let him touch her how he pleased and he squeezed her soft skin. She smiled in approval and lifted herself a bit onto her knees, giving a bit of space between them.
“I love it when you grab me like that,” She said in a voice just above a whisper as her hands trailed down the front of his t-shirt. “You know how to do it just right.”
Gaining some more confidence, Cloud slipped his hands higher, until they were squeezing the swell of her hips. Her hands slid down until they were at the waist of his pants, teasing there until she quickly flicked open the button. “Aerith,” He groaned.
“And here, of course,” Aerith purred. She slowly unzipped his pants and freed his cock from his underwear, stroked him with her soft hand until he was hard and his hands were shaking where they touched her. He tightened his hold on her, moved his hands back to squeeze her ass, and she hummed in positive response.
When she didn’t say anything, Cloud lifted his eyes to look up at her. “...What about it?” He asked breathlessly.
The corner of her lips lifted in a smirk and she twisted her hand over the head of his cock just the way he liked, making him groan lowly. “It’s perfect,” She said. She slowly dragged her hand down the length of him and then back up again. “It’s just a bit… longer. And thicker. But not too much. It's just right for me. It’s like you were made for me.”
Cloud shuddered against her, his eyes shut as he relished in her words and her touch. He felt her weight shift and her hand leave him, and he opened his eyes to watch as she slid off of him and knelt between his legs. “Aerith…” He murmured weakly as she took him in her hand again.
Aerith leaned in closer, her breath ghosting over him. “I don’t think I could ever be with anyone else, even if I wanted to. Which…” She kissed the side of his shaft and he groaned. “I don’t.”
“Fuck…” Cloud breathed as she kissed up and down his dick, just enough to light every nerve in his body in a torturously slow way.
“And…” She said before finally she licked him from base to tip and Cloud had to grab the blanket to keep from pulling her hair. She smiled up at him. “You taste much better.”
She closed her lips around him and Cloud’s head fell back. “Fuc—hah…” Cloud moaned when Aerith swallowed him down, taking him deep before lifting her head and doing it again. “Shit… Aerith…”
Aerith hummed almost happily as Cloud finally allowed himself to touch her. He pushed her hair out of her face and held it back so he could watch as she bobbed her head and sucked him off. Cloud grit his teeth to keep from being too loud, though he couldn’t stop the small, tight noises that bubbled up in his throat. His stomach sucked in and his entire body trembled with need and pleasure. She lifted big green eyes to look up at him, and Cloud couldn’t stop himself anymore.
Using the hand holding her hair, he gently pulled until she released him, and then pulled her up by the arms like she weighed barely anything and pushed her back onto the bed. He quickly removed his shirt and pants and then climbed over her, pinning her beneath his weight. He kissed her deep, licked his own taste from her mouth while he worked on removing her dress. He lifted himself from her just enough that he could pull the dress over her head and throw it to the side, then unclasped her bra and threw that away too.
He kissed down her body, squeezed her breasts and teased her nipples. Aerith moaned as Cloud touched her, and one hand slipped down the length of her body and into her panties. “Ah, yes, like that,” Aerith said breathily. “You know exactly when to be gentle, and when to be rough. It’s like you can read my body like a book—oh!”
He slipped a finger inside of her, pulled it back out and then added a second just to watch the way her head tipped back against the pillows. “You’re so wet,” He murmured as he slowly fingered her, taking his time to feel her and the tight heat that clamped around his fingers.
Aerith nodded. “Just… ‘cause of you,” She said in a trembling voice. “Only you make me—ah...!”
Cloud pressed more of his weight over her with a surge of confidence from her praises. He reached down with his other hand to slip her panties off but, getting a bit too excited, ended up ripping them off instead. She whined his name, but she interrupted herself with a needy moan when he added a third finger, the ruined underwear quickly forgotten.
He curled his fingers the way he knew she liked after so long together, pressed his hand close so the flat of his palm covered her clit. She covered her mouth with her hand and tried to stifle her moans and whines, but it didn’t help much, especially not when Cloud pressed his fingers deeper into her.
“She’s pretty quiet,” Cloud remembered Zack saying as her mouth opened on a loud moan of Cloud’s name. He smiled to himself and kissed at her neck, sucking a red mark against her skin.
He slipped his fingers out of her once she was squirming and twisting under him. He grabbed a condom from their bedside table, tore into the wrapping and quickly slipped it over his cock. Aerith watched him hungrily, splayed out under him and waiting readily in anticipation. Drawn to her like a magnet, Cloud leaned over her to kiss her once again. She sank her hand into his hair and arched against him, kissing him back with as much fervor.
“Hurry,” She whispered against his lips. “I don’t wanna wait.”
Cloud smiled and nodded. He lined himself up and without any further preamble, pressed into her.
A groan was punched out of him as soon as he slipped into her, a feeling he had come to be addicted to. Her eyes fell shut with a sigh, her brows pinched together. He pushed in deeper slowly, watching the way her chest rose and fell with quiet, moaning breaths, until he bottomed out. He looked down at where they were pressed together and pulled out a bit, making her whimper, just for a chance to watch his cock sink back inside of her.
And then he waited, pressed in as deep as he could, and sat like that a bit longer. He groaned, feeling Aerith contract around him, and Aerith’s breath trembled. “Cloud…” She said in a begging voice.
But Cloud didn’t move like she desperately wanted, not yet. He thought of her words before—just a bit longer, a bit thicker, perfect for her. He savored the feeling of her, of knowing that she was right. It was like their bodies were made for each other and fit together perfectly. She whimpered his name again and squirmed, contracted around him more involuntarily just from the stretch of him filling her.
“Feels good?” Cloud asked lowly, leaning over her, and Aerith nodded quickly. “Better than anything else?”
At that, Aerith blinked her brilliant green eyes open and looked up at Cloud. She raised a brow and smiled, her cheeks flushed and her pupils blown wide. “You want me to stroke your ego again?” She asked, her voice shaky yet still teasing.
“Yeah,” Cloud said with a tiny roll of his hips that had Aerith shuddering. “I do.”
Aerith wrapped her arms around his neck and looked up at him with love in her lusty eyes. “It feels so good. It’s amazing, perfect,” She told him. She rolled her hips against him and Cloud bit hard into his bottom lip. She shut her eyes, doing it again and again until her mouth fell open. “Oh, yes, so good! Cloud!” She moaned as she fucked herself on him, the ego boost over as she lost herself in it.
Cloud gripped her hips to stop her and finally gave what they both craved as he began slowly thrusting into her. His lips parted on a long groan as he moved, slow and steady. Aerith’s hands stroked up and down Cloud’s back, sank into his hair and pulled on the strands gently before scratching down his spine in a way that made him shiver against her.
“You know what else?” Aerith asked quietly. Cloud grunted in response and continued fucking her as she spoke. “You’re so calm. Your stamina—ahh—you last so much longer.”
Cloud’s hips snapped forward harder without his meaning to and Aerith cried out. The bed creaked under them as he fucked into her quicker, harder, one hand on her hip and the other braced against the mattress. With the hand holding onto her, he lifted her hips a bit to thrust into her even deeper, causing her to arch against him with a long moan of his name. Her nails bit into his skin and her legs wrapped tightly around him, like she was trying to pull him in even more.
Aerith’s moans turned into a litany of praises and pleas between Cloud’s name, which she treated like a mantra. “Aerith, I’m—ah,” Cloud moaned breathily. He tried to slow down, not wanting to finish before her, but she tightened her legs around him and shook her head.
“Keep going,” She demanded in a breathy voice. “Don’t stop.”
Unable to resist her, Cloud nodded and continued chasing the wave of pleasure he felt rising inside of him. He let go of her hip, afraid of bruising her if he held on too tight, and grabbed the sheets on either side of her head as his thrusts got shallow and quick. His head hung and his mouth fell open on a sharp groan as the wave reached its crest and he buried himself deep inside of her. His hips rolled a few times as he came, chasing the high, his voice trailing off into a shaking, broken moan.
There was a moment of nothing when his hips finally stilled, the room now silent except for his trembling, gasping breaths. He blinked his eyes open when he felt her hands brush through her hair and looked down at her. Her face and chest were flushed pink, her eyes heavy and her swollen lips turned up in a smile.
“Feel better now?” She asked him.
Instead of answering, Cloud leaned down and kissed her. He didn’t know what he did to deserve her, he didn’t know how she could be so patient and loving with him even when he was acting like an idiot. He pulled back and shook his head. “Not yet,” He said.
Aerith frowned at him and opened her mouth to question him, but before she could, he slipped out of her and slid down the length of her body to settle between her legs. With his hands on the inside of her pale thighs, he parted her legs more, lifted one of her knees over his shoulder and took a moment to simply look at her. “Cloud…” She whimpered as she looked down at him. Without making her wait a moment longer, Cloud licked up the length of her cunt, and her head fell back with a cry.
“Ah, yes,” She keened as he did it again and dipped his tongue inside of her. “This too, you’re so much better—!”
Her words were promptly cut off with a sharp gasp when Cloud sank three fingers inside of her and closed his lips around her clit. Her hands sank into his hair and held on as his tongue flicked over her clit while his fingers pressed deep inside of her. He added a fourth finger, enjoyed the desperate noise she made and groaned against her in a way that made her breath hitch when her other leg hooked over his shoulder.
He fingered her, rubbed at her G-spot and fucked her deep, sucked and licked at her clit relentlessly and reveled in the taste of her. She was squirming on the bed and rolling her hips against him, crying his name like she was begging. It only spurred Cloud on, encouraged him to give her as much as she could take and more. And then, with only a crying moan as warning, her body went taut and her back arched off of the mattress as she came around his fingers. Her hands pulled at his hair so hard it hurt and his head was trapped between her quivering thighs, and Cloud felt like there was no other place he’d rather be as he worked her through her orgasm then suffocated between her legs.
He continued licking at her until she whimpered and her legs fell weakly off of his shoulders. “Ah, C-Cloud,” She said breathily, her hand pulling softly now on Cloud’s hair to lift him off of her.
Cloud lifted his head and looked up at her. “Now I feel better,” He said, licking his lips.
Aerith smiled lazily around her panting breath and shook her head. “You brat,” She teased.
She sighed as he slipped his fingers out of her and moved to lie on the bed next to her. They needed to clean up desperately, but it could wait until after a few moments of resting. Aerith thought so too, since she immediately rolled onto her side to rest her head on his chest and wrapped her arm around his middle.
“So, you won’t doubt me anymore, right?” Aerith asked him.
Cloud looked up at the ceiling and pressed his lips together. “...Sorry,” He murmured after a moment.
Her face appeared in his field of vision and he blinked, focusing on her as she leaned over him. “Cloud... Do you know the one thing that makes you better than anyone else?” She asked him.
He looked up at her and shrugged one shoulder, shaking his head.
“You’re you,” Aerith told him with a soft smile. “I love you, Cloud. Everything about you. To me, that makes you better than everyone. No question about it.”
Cloud’s lips parted as he looked at her, overwhelmed with undeniable love for the girl looking down at him with adoration and maybe a bit of amusement. He shut his eyes with a small smile and shook his head. “You’re…”
She cut him off with a quick kiss, which he happily accepted. She propped herself up on one elbow beside him and rested her chin in her palm, drawing across Cloud’s chest with her other hand. “Although… You getting jealous was kind of sexy,” She told him.
Cloud raised a brow. “Yeah?”
Aerith nodded. “Just… Don’t get jealous of Zack anymore,” She said with a laugh.
Cloud snorted and nodded in agreement. “Fine. I promise.”
“Good,” Aerith said. “Or else I’d have to teach you this lesson all over again.”
“Oh… In that case,” Cloud said slowly. “I’m still jealous. Like… Really jealous.”
“Oh, shut up you,” Aerith smacked his chest and laughed. “Didn’t I tell you you’re bad at lying?”
Cloud shut his eyes and laughed quietly along with her. He lifted his arm around her to lightly scratch the blunt of his nails along her back. “But… still. Sorry. I... should have known better,” He told her. “I guess sometimes it still just feels kind of…”
“Yeah,” Aerith said with a nod. “I understand. But if you ever feel that way again, just remember everything I told you, okay? And let me know if you need a reminder. I don’t mind stroking your ego every now and then.”
Cloud snorted with another laugh and nodded. “Yes, ma’am.”
Aerith leaned over and kissed him one more time. “Let’s take a bath,” She offered. “You wash my hair the best, too. Even better than I do.”
“Just ‘cause you keep it so damn long,” Cloud told her, pulling on her messy, twisted ponytail for emphasis.
“Hmm? You want me to cut it then?” Aerith asked with a tilt of her head.
Cloud blinked at her. “...Didn’t say that.”
Aerith laughed and pushed herself up to get off the bed. “Okay then, let’s go mister!”
Cloud smiled and took the hand she offered him to follow after her. “Hey,” He said as they stepped into the bathroom. Aerith stopped and turned to look at him, and he swept her up in a kiss. “I love you,” He murmured against her lips.
She smiled up at him and nodded. “I love you, too,” She replied, touching her finger to the tip of his nose. “Even when you’re acting like a silly goose.”
“That’s good,” He said as he let her go so she could draw the bath. “Since I seem to act like that a lot.”
“No,” Aerith said with a laugh as she leaned over the tub and turned on the water. “Just enough. It’d be boring if you didn’t.”
Cloud stepped up beside her to grab the bottle of body wash, uncapping it and tipping it over so a good amount fell into the tub as it filled with water. Bubbles immediately foamed up and Aerith laughed next to him and teased him for acting like such a kid. Cloud looked at her, at her bright eyes and gorgeous smile, and felt the last remnants of the day’s worries melt away. He might not always be able to control his self-doubt and sometimes he’d act stupid, but seeing her happy and laughing with him made him feel more confident in their love than anything else, and he’d do everything he could to ensure that smile stayed the same for the rest of their lives.
“Um, Cloud… I think you made way too many bubbles.”
“Oh… Well… Whoops.”