Disclaimer: I don't own the characters or places in this one-shot.
She all but squealed as she stared out of the window at the falling flakes, clasping her hands together in glee. She loved winter for two things: Christmas and snow. Since Christmas was still a couple of weeks away, she was happy with just the snow for now. She hurriedly changed into he usual pink button dress and boots. She whipped on her red jacket, throwing on a matching scarf and gloves before she raced out of her door, intent on spending some time in the snow before they left.
She was in such a hurry that she almost knocked Cloud over when she came flying out of her door, causing him to grab her waist to stop them both tumbling down the stairs. The flower girl blushed as she stared down at where he was holding her before she glanced up in his eyes, throwing a confident smile.
"Where are you going?" he asked after a moment of taking in her appearance.
"I want to go out in the snow," she replied, gently pushing his hands away and walking down the stairs towards the hotel door.
She suddenly halted, her hand hovering above the handle as a thought struck her. With a smirk, she turned her head to meet Cloud's eyes knowing he was still at the top of the stairs. Catching the way she was looking at him, the blonde frowned, unconsciously taking a step back.
"Do you want to join me?" she asked.
"What?" he blinked.
"Yeah, come on! We can go ice-skating!" she squealed but Cloud just wrinkled his nose.
"I…I can't skate," he said sheepishly, looking down at his feet.
It had been said in a low tone but Aeris heard and clicked her tongue before hurrying up the stairs and grabbing his hand. She was not going to let him get away with an excuse like that! She would drag him into the snow even if she had to use sleep on him…but she hoped she would not have to since that wouldn't be as much fun.
"Well, that's something we'll have to teach you then," she smiled, watching as Cloud's cheeks turned a little pink.
She turned him around, leading him to his room and ordering him to get some warm clothes on while she waited outside, no matter how fun it would be to spy on him. She giggled at that thought, imagining how embarrassed the poor blonde would be if she took that action.
The door clicked open and she moved away from the wall, smiling as he stepped out in a large, black coat and matching gloves. She took his hand again, all but racing down the stairs to the door and throwing it open, giving a delighted scream as the cool wind blew snow right into them. She tugged his hand harder, dragging him out into the deep white blanket before she looked around, scanning the place for somewhere to buy skates.
"Aha!" she cried as her orbs fell on a pair of simple ice-skates in a window of a shop. They would do since she did not need anything fancy.
Cloud made no objections as she purchased them. It was her own money not from the funds for the group so she could do what she wanted with it. However, he did give a stunned blink as she threw a pair into his chest, giving him but a second to catch them before they hit the ground. She giggled at the action, shaking her head and moving forward towards the frozen lake where a few people could already be seen skating.
When they reached the edge of the frozen water, the flower girl sat down and pulled on her skates, doing the laces securely before she struggled to her feet, glancing at Cloud, who was standing silently beside her, skates still in hand. She huffed and put her hands on her hips as she narrowed her eyes in mock anger.
"Come on Soldier. Get your skates on!" she demanded before she broke into a fit of giggles and added. "Literally,"
Cloud rolled his eyes at her additional comment but decided to go by her rules and slowly sat down to put on his skates, Aeris hovering over him as she waited for him to finish tying the laces. She clapped her hands together when he stood on his feet and wasted no time in stepping onto the frozen waters, twirling around a couple of times before facing Cloud who had made no move towards the lake yet. Sensing he wasn't about to do it himself she walked forward and took his hand, guiding him onto the lake and resisting the urge to laugh as he glanced nervously around him, taking note of everyone else around them.
"Okay, keep your skates straight Cloud," she whispered gently, keeping her voice low to assure him that nobody could tell she was teaching him to skate.
She let go and moved backwards before she stopped and turned gracefully, her eyes telling him to move towards her. And she waited patiently as he began making his way towards her with jerky movements and she had to tell herself not to smirk. It seemed that Cloud could do almost anything except ice-skate.
He finally reached her, extending his hands towards her and she gently entwined their fingers before she walked backwards, dragging him across the ice with the same confident smile on her face.
"See? It's easy," she said, her smile growing at the look of concentration on the blonde's face.
She was so caught up in watching him she didn't realise that the edge of the lake was behind her and Cloud was so busy looking down, he didn't notice anything either. The result was that Aeris tripped, letting out a surprised gasp before Cloud went flying on top of her, causing her to giggle uncontrollably even as both their cheeks became flushed at the position they had landed in.
Cloud mumbled an apology and rolled off her, flopping down beside her in silence. Aeris turned her head to him, her giggles still coming occasionally before she extended an arm and took his hand gently and turning onto her side. The action caused him to look at her again, her eyes becoming locked with his.
"I'm not sorry," she whispered, causing his eyes to widen as he caught the meaning of her words.
Before he could do or say anything, she leaned over, cupping his cheeks gently and placing a soft kiss against his lips. Cloud's face flushed and his eyes went unimaginably wide. After a second, Aeris ran her tongue gently across his bottom lip, causing them to part and his eyes fluttered closed, while his brain processed the fact that he had just lost his first kiss. Just as he was about to act, she pulled away with a smile, her eyes sparkling mischievously.
"I do believe you're blushing," she teased softly.
Cloud scowled slightly before he smirked, causing Aeris to raise an eyebrow. She let out a squeak as the man suddenly rolled over, pinning her to the ground and she growled softly as she felt her cheeks burn again.
"Now who's blushing?" he asked before he leaned down and kissed her again.
It was obvious to Aeris that Cloud had not had any previous experience of kissing because his moves were timid and unsure. But to her, it couldn't have been better. The imperfection of it all made it perfect because it reflected the real Cloud, the one who she was willing to give her whole being to.
They stayed out in the snow until Nanaki came to find them, telling them they should get moving. They obliged, although a little grudgingly and walked after him. Their hands entwined every step of the way.