Done as an entry to the CloudxAerith 100 Themes Challenge. This theme is moment.
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters or the game, only this story. OOC, I warn you!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Everyday, they all traveled as a group, there was no straying off, in case a monster attacked, they needed to be together to fight it off. But sometimes, this angered them, if they wanted a moment on their own. Sometimes, they needed a few minutes by themselves, just to think about things, and think about how the people back at home were getting on.
But getting time on their own was rare. They had to keep on moving, closer to the end of their adventure, and stayed in towns for a few nights, sometimes only enough for sleep. But when Avalanche reached Costa Del Sol, they finally had enough time to enjoy themselves, and had plenty of enough time for thinking.
Everyone was on the beach, laughing at Barrett being buried under the sand while he slept with their shorts and bikinis on them respectively . Cloud let out a slight chuckle, small enough that no one apart from Aeris, who was sitting beside him could hear. Her head snapped towards him, smiling wide, her eyes twinkling.
"Do my ears deceive me? Did I just hear Cloud Strife, the cold heartless SOLIDER laugh?" She tilted her head, and giggled when Cloud turned pink in the cheeks. He turned his head away from her, towards the sea, and let out a sigh. Aeris raised her eyebrows at him, and scooted a little closer to him, whispering in his ear.
Cloud seemed shocked when he heard the she had not swam before, but then remembered that she had never been outside of Midgar until the start of the adventure. He grinned, grabbing her hand, making them both run at the sea. Aeris let out a gasp as the cold waves went at her, then Cloud pulled her further out to sea, until the water was just above her waist. He grabbed her other hand, and turned her around, while she was looking at him, petrified on what on Gaia he was doing.
"Trust me, reach out your legs behind you, and kick." Aeris looked shocked, first reason was that Cloud, of all people. was giving her lessons in swimming, a two, Cloud was telling her to kick out, one her first try! But nevertheless, she kicked out towards him, holding on to his hands tight, and amazingly (to her anyway) she reached him, and managed not to sink and drown. She looked up into his mako blue eyes, her own emerald eyes glowing with pride.
He smiled back, and kept pushing her to keep kicking out towards him, and he promised her that by the time they left Costa Del Sol, she would be able to swim on her own, and Aeris, bolstered by this promise, tried as hard as she could, to try and make him happy with her.
They kept this up all day, and by the time night fell, they were both tired out, sitting on the beach, watching the reflection of the moon rippled by small waves. Aeris, to Cloud's surprise, linked arms with his, and smiled at him.
"You know, it's not very often we get time on our own, like once in a blue moon." She unlinked arms, and stood up, smiling down at him. "Thank you Cloud." She clasped her hands together and leaned forwards slightly, as if bowing. When Cloud nodded, a pink tinge in his cheeks, she giggled, and started walking towards the hotel, feeling Cloud's eyes on his back.
Cloud followed her with his eyes, then got up himself, walking up the stairs off the beach. When he reached the top stair, he turned around and looked at the moon, and his mouth fell open from shock. Due to the color of the sky, the moon actually looked blue. He grinned, and made his way back to hotel. Aeris had a point, moments on their own was once in a blue moon.