The battle was over. Their enemy was defeated. The last thing to do was to shrink the Temple and secure the Black Materia one and for all. Although it was hard for Cloud to trust the spy with such an important task, what choice did they have? It was either let Cait Sith do this or it would be one of them instead…
Aerith's gaze was filled with sadness at the friend they were about to lose. She had asked Cloud to say any words of encouragement to him, but truth be told, he was shit at this sort of thing. Luckily for the mercenary, Aerith sensed his discomfort and spoke for the both of them. Light-hearted and playful, the Cetra asked Cait Sith to read their fortunes one last time. Cloud's mind and body were still coming down from the adrenaline of the fight they had just won, and so he didn't think much of the conversation going on between her and the stuffed toy. That changed as he felt her familiar hands roam up his arm, her slender fingers like petals against his battle hardened skin.
The surprise touch won his attention and he turned to look at her. She was holding on to his arm, flirtatiously claiming him as her own. A smile fought to form on his face but lasted only a moment. What was she doing, he panicked. His sweet flower girl was going to blow their cover for sure if she continued behaving like this. He tried his best to keep himself composed, but the next words that left her took him by such surprise, he was sure he must have been redder than her jacket by now.
"Let's see how compatible Cloud and I are!" the auburn haired woman had proclaimed boldly. It was clear to the bodyguard that she had no reservations about whether or not their relationship remained a secret anymore.
His mind ran crazy trying to figure out the proper response. Cloud opened his mouth to speak, but the words stuck in his throat. His heart was racing, and his face was getting hot… He was definitely red now.
Cloud glanced down at the Cetra, catching sight of the gentle smile he loved so dearly. Just looking at her smiling so sweetly made it hard to believe how dire of a situation that they had all found themselves in. Sephiroth was here, looking desperately for a way to get a hold of the Black Materia, and yet… She was serene, lively, and happy just as she always was. So in control no matter how bad it got. This time, Cloud didn't resist letting his lips tug into a smile as he watched her. Was it wrong for him to enjoy the brief moment of peace? If it was, he sure as hell didn't feel guilty.
As soon as Aerith made her request, Cloud's mind started coming up with so many ideas of what his future would hold with the flower girl. Cloud felt a little childish in the way his mind got the best of him. He knew very well how corny it was for him to be getting swept up in it, but he couldn't help it. A cold mercenary, battle-hardened and aloof, a non-believer in fortune telling... And yet he was hoping, wishing… praying that their fortune would bring only good news.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the robotic mog-toy do his signature dance, then...
"This isn't good… I can't—I can't say it." Cloud whipped his head to look at Cait Sith upon hearing those dreadful words. Don't say it, Cloud thought over and over; fearful that Cait Sith was going to pop this beautiful dream he had in his mind; a dream of him and her together forever.
Cait Sith spun around and bowed his head, and mumbled under his breath words neither he nor Aerith could hear. Aerith dropped Cloud's arm and moved towards Cait Sith, cupping the sides of the cat's face in her hands as she peered into his green eyes.
She gently pet his furry cheeks as she spoke, "Cait Sith, please… It's important to me." and Cloud lingered on her wistful words. Before he could analyze her any more, Cait Sith spoke again.
"Is that so? Okay, I'll tell you."
The large mog clapped his mits together and lept into the air. The moment of doom, Cloud thought. Almost as soon as his mind started to panic about their fortune being bad, Cloud began his defense. Fortune telling isn't real, he told himself. You're a grown man, there's no such thing as fortune tellers. This whole thing is stupid and fake and—
"It's a match made in heaven!"
Cloud released the breath he hadn't realized he was holding as Cait Sith interrupted his thoughts. It felt like a train had been lifted off of his shoulders. He almost wanted to laugh from the amount of relief he was feeling. Aerith's demeanor changed entirely; the mysterious tone in her voice had vanished and her eyes lit up with joy.
Cait Sith jumped again into the air, then pushed Aerith towards Cloud, she stumbled to keep up with Cait Sith's pace until finally, she was by Cloud's side, their hands barely touching.
"It's written in the stars! You and Cloud are perfect for each other!"
Blue and green gazes locked as blush decorated both of their faces. Their hands were now entwined. Neither of them spoke a word, their eyes did that for them. Hers so tender and happy, but again, there was a perplexing look on her face that Cloud couldn't quite figure out. She was happy, that much he was sure of, but her smile looked—
"Cloud…." The blonde turned his head to look at Cait Sith. "I'll be your best man, matchmaker… whatever you want me to do, just call me when the time comes."
Subtly, Cloud nodded towards the spy as if to say thank you. The mog-toy turned for the door.
"You can do it, Cait Sith!" Aerith cheered as the mog faded into the darkness of the corridor. When he was finally out of sight, Cloud wasted no time and turned to Aerith.
"Let's get outta here."
The end.
A/N/ I had a bad weekend after something crappy happened in the Game of Thrones fandom (S8E3... bleh), so I was really outta it. But I do have fics for every day planned... just taking me a bit longer to finish them. I fear this is probably really shitty, and laced with mistakes, but I really wanted to get my entries out. I suspect I'll reread this tomorrow and probably end up adding 1000 more words in the coming days. Anyway, sorry for the shit quality but I hope you like it in some way.
