Authors Note: Thanks a ton for all the Reviews! I am open to any constructive criticism. (Some I have already gotten. Thank you and I will try hard to meet expectations.)
The next day, Aeris paced the floor of her white and pink bedroom. Her mother, Elmyra, had forbidden her to talk to Cloud. But oh how she wanted to. She clenched the half-sheet of paper with his phone number. He was really cute. And she wanted to know about him. Why his eyes were the same as those boys who assaulted her. Why he intimidated them so easily. Why those eyes had pain behind them. She clutched her cell phone. She then decided to do something she had never done before. She decided to disobey her mother, Elmyra.
Aeris punched in the numbers with her thumb, then held the phone to her ear. The line rang once, then switched to voicemail. She frowned. "Hey everyone…It's Cloud. Leave a message. If I like you, then I'll respond. If I don't….then this is telling you something…….beep." She blushed at the floor. Hearing his voice made her stomach feel uncomfortable… but in a good way.
"Um…Hey Cloud. It's Aeris. I hope you like me enough to give me a ring back. Bye."
Aeris hung up the phone, and flopped on her bed. She shifted her arm above her head so she could see the screen. New Voicemail.
"New voicemail?! From who?" Aeris wondered aloud.
Aeris smiled, and held the phone to her ear so she could hear the message.
"Hey Aeris…It's Cloud. Um… just calling… wanted to see how you are…. Call me back…bye…" His voice stuttered over the phone.
Aeris laughed out loud. How cute! He was shy! Of course, she was the opposite of that. Aeris giggled again while re-dialing his number.
"Hello?" said the strong male voice on the other side of the phone.
"Cloud? It's Aeris." Aeris said, fighting the urge to laugh. She was just so happy about his message.
"Aeris! Hi." Cloud said quickly and obviously, almost like he was trying to let someone else know he was talking to her.
"Cloud… Is there someone in the room with you?"
Cloud gulped. She had hit him spot on. His best friend Tifa was over. Tifa giggled. Cloud had been going on about how pretty she was, this Aeris girl. Tifa hadn't had a crush on Cloud in years. It would've been weird. They were BEST FRIENDS.
"Yeah…just my best friend, Tifa." Cloud replied, putting emphasis on the words BEST FRIENDS.
Tifa laughed out loud, she hadn't seen Cloud in a sweat like that since that girl Miko Tamanaka on the playground in fifth grade. When Miko turned him down, Tifa promptly punched her in the face. And got detention. "Sigh…" The good old days. Cloud raised his left eyebrow at her, then had to ask Aeris what it was she had asked. Tifa laughed again. Cloud made a slicing moment in front of his neck, a pained look on his face. He was having a hard time paying attention. The fact that Cloud (and most guys in general) couldn't multitask was something Tifa loved to tease him with. She smoothed her long dark brown hair behind her ear, revealing four piercings in her right ear. (One cartilage, three lobes. To those who are curious.) Cloud paced the room, talking amiably, running his fingers through his hair, his blue-green eyes staring straight at the floor, so Tifa couldn't distract him. Tifa slouched on Cloud's blue couch, fake-pouting. Then Cloud swallowed, and said:
"My friend Tifa is having a movie night thing. And I was wondering if you wanted to go?" Cloud asked, staring determinedly at the wall.
"Sure!" Said Aeris. "Does this count as that date I owe you?"
"Um… How about this be a warm-up date?" Cloud asked, hopefully.
"Alright. So where do I meet you? You obviously can't pick me up… Mom would flip." Aeris frowned at her pillow. What was Mom's deal anyway?
"Uh… Meet me at my place. It's not a long walk from your place."
"So what time?"
"Time?" Cloud asked absentmindedly.
"You know…seven o'clock…eight o' clock…."
"I know what time is. I was just asking Tifa!" Cloud lied, through gritted teeth. He had had a mind blank, and forgotten momentarily what time was.
"Seven o' clock!" Tifa whispered, rolling her eyes. Whoever this girl was, she had him wrapped around her finger. Tifa wasn't all too sure what to think. That private girls' school had brought out many a snob she had punched for rudeness. She had a fiery temper. So what?
"Seven o'clock!" Said Cloud, in a very matter-of-fact way. He then turned to Tifa and mouthed 'Thank you!' with his hands folded and a grateful look in his deep blue-green eyes.
"Alright then, I'll see you at 6:45. Bye." Cloud said, hanging up. He then commenced in collapsing on the couch. Talking to Aeris was painful to his brain. He mentioned this fact to Tifa, who laughed.
"Not like you helped much." Cloud growled, frowning.
Tifa laughed. "Sure… Anyway, I have to go home and get ready for the 'party'. I'll see you at seven, Cloud." She said, walking out the door, down the steps, and around the corner, from Cloud's apartment to her house, which was the upstairs of the popular restraunt-bar, Seventh Heaven. Cloud watched her go. It was a tradition. When they were little, they made a promise that whenever Tifa needed Cloud, he'd come rescue her. And Cloud stuck to that promise like one thousand sticky notes. He knew Tifa could take care of her self, but… you know… just in case…
Aeris skipped down the stairs and straight to the laundry room, where her mom was folding clothes. Aeris swallowed then said:
"Hey Mom, one of the girls from school is having a movie night, and she was wondering if I could go. It's at seven. And don't worry I can walk there. It's in the apartment complex nearby." Aeris lied.
"That old run-down one?" Asked Elmyra, a shocked look on her face.
"No, the well-off one, across the street." Aeris lied again. There was one across the street, but Cloud didn't live there. Maybe Tifa did. She didn't know.
"Well, I guess it's alright…" Elmyra said turning to fold a button down shirt.
"Thanks Mom!" Aeris breathed, hugging her Mom tightly, then bounding back up stairs to change.
It was only a Movie Night. But what was one expected to wear? Aeris picked up her cell phone and called Cloud back.
"Hey Aeris." Cloud said on the other line. "What's up? Did your old lady say you couldn't go?"
"No, no, nothing like that. I was just wondering what's expected to be worn…." Aeris said meekly. "I just want to make a good impression on your friend Tifa… She's your best friend. And I don't fit in very quickly…" Aeris trailed off. Why was she pouring her heart out to him? He wouldn't care. Maybe he would. She didn't know. It's not like he was her boyfriend or anything.
Cloud laughed. "Oh, don't worry about that. Just be yourself. Don't try to fit in. We tend to like real people better than fake people. You don't have to get to dressy or anything. Just what you'd wear if you were out…" Cloud paused. What was it girls liked to do these days? Was Aeris like that? Shopping? That sounded good. "….shopping, I guess. Whatever it is you like to do under normal circumstances…."
"Okay. Thanks a ton. See you in…" Aeris looked at the clock. It read 6:18 p.m. "Twenty-five minutes or so. Alright?"
"Sure," Said Cloud "see you then."
Aeris hung up. She stared into her wardrobe. She didn't tend to wear anything stylish or classy. Her old boyfriend, Zach, hadn't really cared. But now Aeris was worried. What would she wear? She then pondered that phrase aloud, moving clothes down the rack. She decided on a pale blue capped sleeved T-shirt, with a knee-length jean skirt, with a dark gray sweat jacket, embellished with a lily on the back. She wore white ballet flats on her feet, and kept her long hair in a braid, as was her trademark.. She looked at herself in the mirror and decided she was ready. She yelled a quick 'Bye, Mom!' before heading out the door and walking the ten minute walk to Cloud's house. Being that the sun was setting, and twilight was falling, Aeris walked at a quick pace, making a mental note to herself to not try any unknown "shortcuts". She made it to the complex, then found that she couldn't remember where Cloud's apartment.
"Oh my gosh… this is so typical of me." Aeris growled.
Aeris looked around her, and noticed an office which she figured must have a directory. She walked inside, and noticed a short girl with short black hair, sitting behind the receptionist desk. The girl was chewing an off-white colored bubblegum, which led Aeris to assume the gum was sugar-free; you could just tell this girl was a health nut, or a sports nut. She was toned tan, with muscular arms and legs. Also an indication was the black sweatband around her head, and the white one around her wrist. She wore light blue volleyball shorts and a black tank top with a white flowered Hawaiian print. The biggest pointer was the fact that sitting in front of her was a Sports Illustrated magazine.
"I'm watching the place for a friend," the girl said, reading her thoughts pretty much exactly. She didn't even look up! She flipped another page boredly, and then looked up.
"You look lost." The girl commented, not being one for stating the obvious.
(Author's Note: SARCASM.)
"The directory and map is over there." The girl said pointing at two framed sheets of paper on the eastern wall, before returning to her magazine.
"Um… Thanks." Said Aeris, heading over to the wall, to look at the pieces of paper. After memorizing where she was and where she needed to go, she said another thanks and then walked off, but not before seeing that it was 6:48 PM. Aeris hated being tardy, so she sprinted (Well, as fast as you can sprint in a knee length jean skirt and ballet flats) the rest of the way to Cloud's house.
She knocked twice on the door, and straightened herself, so he wouldn't know she had ran. Aeris knew playing hard-to-get was a big no-no in the world of dating, but she didn't want him to think she was desperate. She straightened her jacket, adjusted her cell phone charm (A Lily), and smoothed her glorious hair, before he opened the door. When Cloud opened the door, he looked sincerely happy to see her.
"C'mon in. Let me get a few things, and we'll go." Cloud said eagerly.
"Sorry I'm late." Aeris said, sighing apologetically. "I got lost… So I spent some time in the office building figuring out where I was."
Cloud laughed "We'll have to put a tracker on you to make sure that you don't get off to far." Cloud said, faking a threat.
Now it was Aeris' turn to laugh. "That's a good idea. I wouldn't be half surprised if someone did that." She said with a fake sigh.
Cloud turned to his couch, where he grabbed the leather jacket. Pulling it on, he beckoned Aeris to follow him. She did so willingly. She followed him down the stairs to the parking lot where his motercycle was parked. It was around then that she remembered her leg.
"Hey Cloud, what was that stuff you put on my leg yesterday? Because it's alot better now." Aeris asked.
"Well, let's just say it isn't your ordinary antiseptic cream. We here in Midgar call it a potion. They're lifesavers for those of us who get into fights often." Cloud said nonchalantly, gesturing at himself.
"Oh." Aeris said, frowning. She knew that in Midgar, pretty much anything was possible. Was even "magical" potions a possibility?
Aeris was disrupted by her thoughts when Cloud's strong hands lifted her lightly off her feet and onto the motercycle, in a fashion that seated her side-saddle. Aeris squeaked a little bit with shock.
"What was that?" asked Cloud, lifting an eyebrow. He was finding it easier and easier to talk to Aeris. Maybe it was because she was so outgoing. He didn't know.
"Just a bit… surprised." Aeris finished lamely.
Cloud laughed and proceeded to mount the motercycle. Aeris grabbed his waist and braced herself. She still wasn't so sure how she felt about motercycles. Cloud revved the engine once, and then they sped off around the corner and out of the complex. So Aeris' conscience lifted slightly. It wasn't in either of the aforementioned complexes either, so it only a half-lie. If there is such thing as a half-lie. Cloud pulled up to the restraunt, 7th Heaven. Aeris looked up at the wooden restraunt.
"This is where Tifa lives?" Aeris asked. It looked kinda big.
"Yup. She and her adopted father and sister, Barret and Marlene, run the restraunt, and upstairs is home." Cloud replied, looking at Aeris over his shoulder. Cloud took in what he saw in Aeris' face. And he saw a fleeting look of fluster.
"Don't worry, Aeris. The gang will love you." Cloud said consolingly.
"I just don't want to make a bad first impression." Aeris said weakly. Cloud was surprised. He had no idea that Aeris had such a shy side. It was as if the outgoing girl sort of disappeared. Cloud didn't understand it. She had had no trouble hitting it off with him. Maybe meeting new people under normal circumstances was Aeris' weakness. Cloud smiled to himself at that thought.
Aeris dismounted the bike before Cloud, and glared determindely at the building.
"I. will. Be. Ok." Aeris said to no one in particular.
Cloud dismounted and led her into the restraunt.
Aeris looked around inside. The walls were paneled wood, and covered in posters and glowing lights with different logos and such on them. Aeris saw a little girl run up to Cloud. The girl was maybe 3'11" with dark brown hair that hung behind her in a ponytail. She was wearing an off-white sleeveless turtleneck and a pair of gray sweatpants.
"Cloud!" she said warmly, jumping up and hugging him.
"Hey Marlene." Cloud replied. He patted her head in a brotherly manner. "Where's Tifa?" he asked.
"Upstairs." Marlene replied. Marlene glanced around Cloud at Aeris.
"Who's that?" Marlene asked.
"This is Aeris." Said Cloud. "Aeris, this is Marlene. She's Tifa's little sister."
"Nice to meet you." Aeris said, shaking the small, outstretched hand.
"Same." Replied Marlene, before taking off behind the counter to make change
for a customer.
Cloud led Aeris up a flight of stairs to a big game room. Four rooms broke off in a row off the edge of the room. One door was plain. One door was littered with drawings that were all signed 'Marlene' in a childish scrawl. The other door was neatly done up with a single black Magna Doodle that read 'Tifa's Room'. Scrawled in the corner was 'Marlene was here'. (Author's Note: Who remembers Magna Doodles?? I LOVED those.) The fourth door was open, revealing a bathroom. Aeris then looked toward the center of the room where two girls and a guy were sitting on a dark green couch which was placed in front of a wooden entertainment center. The floor in front of the entertainment center was littered with open cases and closed cases and DVD's. A couple of board games were stacked awkwardly in a corner. A table sat behind the couch, with four bowls filled with several types of chips. The girl seated in the middle of the guy and girl stood up.
"Cloud!" she called, holding up a hand in greeting.
"Hey Tifa." Cloud grinned.
So this was Tifa. Tifa had long dark brown hair which was kept straight behind her back. She was wearing a black-and-white striped dress that reached her mid-thigh and sleeves that reached her elbows. Under it she was wearing a pair of black leggings that reached her mid calf. She was barefoot, and Aeris could see a silver toe ring engraved with a fox.
Tifa smiled and turned to Aeris.
"You must be Aeris. Hi. I'm Tifa." She said holding out her hand to shake.
Aeris shook it and smiled.
"Hi."
Tifa looked her up and down. She was very conservative. Kindof a shocker Cloud liked her. He tended to like the girls who wore skirts as short as was possible and who showed as much cleavage as one could. She checked the outfit. Sweater? Cute. Shirt? Pale blue was a bit iffy, but it passed. Skirt? Eeeeeew. No. Flats? Good. Definite good. But she could do with some heels because the comparison between her 5'3" form and Cloud's 6' was shocking. No, no. Tifa wasn't judging her by appearance, only checking out what she was wearing. Tifa liked looking over outfits, a hobby, you could call it. But Cloud was right. She was very pretty. If only the girl would wear more green and pink! That would bring out those lovely emerald eyes. Tifa was snapped out of her thinking when the boy and girl on the couch stood up.
"Oh. Aeris. This is Yuffie and Cid."
Aeris looked up. It was the girl from the office building in Cloud's complex! The boy was tall, maybe 5'8" with short spiked hair, and he sported a pair of goggles on his forehead. He wore a faded blue shirt and army green cargo pants. He wore a dogtag around his neck that bore the same fox emblem as Tifa's toe ring and- now that she noticed it- Cloud's patch on his jacket. Behind him, lying on the couch, was a black leather jacket that was tinted navy blue.
"YOU." The girl named Yuffie said loudly, followed by a point. "I KNOW you from somewhere. I just don't know where…"
"You were behind the Information desk at the apartment complex. You were a big help." Aeris replied, smiling warmly. She was beginning to like this group more and more.
"Yuffs? A HELP?" said the guy named Cid, an eyebrow raised. He laughed heartily.
Yuffie frowned, than slugged Cid in the stomach. Hard.
"WHAT WAS THAT FOR?" Roared Cid. Apparently he couldn't take what was sure to come to him after making a comment like that.
Tifa gasped, covered her mouth with her hand, and started jumping around, tapping Cloud on the shoulder and squealing.
"Let me guess-" Cloud said, rolling his eyes. "You have-"
"SOMETHINGTHATWILLLOOKSOGREATONYOUAERIS." Tifa squealed one last time, grabbed Aeris by the hand, and dragged her to Tifa's bedroom. The door shut behind them.
Yuffie shrugged at Cid and Cloud. "I'll go try and stop Aeris from becoming Tifa's Barbie doll." And she stalked off to join the girls.
Inside her room, Tifa was digging around through her closet, talking to Aeris.
"So. You like Cloud?" She asked, shoving a box of nail polish aside.
"Yes… I think I do." Aeris said, finally admitting it to herself.
"That's good. I think that you may change him. And, to be quite frank Aeris, I think that you'll be a good friend to have around. I think we'll be good friends." Tifa said over her shoulder, kicking a tall pair of boots to an unknown corner of the room.
"Thankyou…" Aeris said. She had never had someone be so nice yet frank with her at the same time. Right as Aeris was about to say something more, Yuffie walked into the room.
"So." She started, crashing onto Tifa's bed, "You got it in for the Cloudy man, huh?"
"Pretty much." Aeris said, shrugging.
"ZOHMYGODHEREITIS!!" Tifa squealed again, holding up a skirt. Aeris couldn't quite see what it looked like, but she knew it was short. Tifa turned around and hid the skirt behind her back.
"This is perfect! It'll look great on you. I know it." Tifa grinned, and presented the skirt. Aeris' eyes widened.
She had been right about one thing, it was short. But it was classy and pretty all the same. It was black taffeta and satin with a pink ribbon lining the bottom. Embroidered on the right side was a tall lily. It was beautiful.
"And," Tifa continued "Matched with this shirt, you've got quite the outfit." Tifa then held up a forest green cammy top. She threw the clothes at Aeris.
"Well go put them on." Yuffie urged, pinting to a red a white striped circular curtain in one corner, obviously meant for changing.
Aeris slowly put the clothes on, she wasn't sure how she felt about this. It was a bit much as far as skin revealing goes. Well, maybe that was just because she was so conservative. She was only showing her shoulders, a little neck, and about four inches more leg than normal. She stepped out of the curtain.
"Oooh. Aeris is a babe!" Tifa said jokingly.
"Am I aloud to wear my jacket?" asked Aeris, standing with her hands behind her back awkwardly.
"Of course!" Tifa said, shocked. "The whole point of the skirt and shirt was that jacket. You can wear them for the movie night. Oooooooh." Tifa paused. "Hey do you two want to have a sleepover after this?"
"Sure." Yuffie said, shrugging.
"Um… I'll call my mom." Said Aeris.
"Hey Mom? The girl who's holding the movie night wants me to sleep over. Is that okay? Thanks. And I'll walk home, okay? Thanks again. Bye."
Aeris looked up. "It's a deal."
"Awright!" said Yuffie.
Aeris smiled. She was glad she finally had some friends in this town.
The three then walked out into the game room, where a third person had joined the couch. Yuffie's face lit up like a red Christmas light. Aeris guessed this was her crush. Tifa smirked.
"Aeris, this is Mister Vincent Valentine. Vincent, this is Aeris." Vincent was about 6', with straight, long black hair that went past his shoulders. He wore slim jeans in a light wash, a black T-shirt, and over it a black, high collared leather jacket. Around the chest area of the jacket there were three slanted red stripes, with a zipper going through each side. And to top all that black and red off, he wore a red headband across his forehead. Aeris could definitely see where Yuffie was coming from.
Vincent raised a hand in acknowledgement of her presence. Aeris nodded her head in response.
"So now that everyone's here, what movie are we gonna watch?" asked Aeris.
"Cloud didn't tell you? We don't watch movies." Cid said with a suggestive tone and a wink at Tifa. He elbowed her in the ribs lightly, grinning.
"As if." Tifa said slugging him so hard he fell over the couch backwards.
"We mostly just talk." Said Yuffie, shrugging.
"Oh. Okay." Aeris said slowly.
"Conveniently, Tifa almost always has movie nights on the days when Marlene goes to a friend's and Barret runs an all-night solitaire tournament downstairs." Cloud said, grinning.
"I just don't want the pair of them bothering us." Tifa said in defense.
"Tif-Tif can we all play dolls?" said Tifa in a mock-imitate of Marlene.
"Tifa, I expect everyone to be out of here by 9:00 p.m." said Cid in a stunningly accurate imitation of Barret.
Yuffie and Aeris giggled and Tifa said with dry humor in her voice, "You've got it, all right."
"So what are we gonna do?" asked Yuffie, sitting cross-legged on the ground.
"Spin-the-bottle?" suggested Cid.
"No. We keep getting members of the same gender and not doing it." Said Tifa.
"I got no problem with you girls doing that." Cid said nonchalantly.
Yuffie racked him.
Cid cursed with such passion Aeris had never seen.
"Seven Minutes in Heaven?" suggested Yuffie, glancing over at Vincent.
Tifa smirked. "Perfect."
The six of them broke off into pairs: Yuffie and Vincent, Tifa and Cid [friends with benefits, anyone?, and Cloud and Aeris. The pairs wrote their couple names onto pieces of paper and put them in a bowl. Vincent, who was considered the most trustworthy, was chosen to pick the paper. He stared up at the ceiling and hummed a little, while groping around for the paper. Humming was kind of strange for Vincent. At last, he had found a paper that was random enough for him. He pulled it out and read, "Tifa and Cid." They both giggled and walked into the closet.
Throughout all of this, Aeris had still been a little bit cloudy as to what goes on in the game.
"I don't get it. What's going on in there?" she asked, in all of her adorable naivety.
"Well basically, they have to stay in there for seven minutes and make out." Said Cloud.
"And that's not going to ruin them as friends?" Aeris inquired, a bit shocked.
"It's ok for them. They both like eachother, but are too prideful to let the other know, so they just go the 'friends with benefits' route. And when we try to convince them to get together, they just ignore it." Sighed Yuffie.
"Ah." Said the now-enlightened Aeris.
Seven minutes later, Tifa and Cid exited the closet, looking slightly ruffled. Cid's hair was messy and Tifa tugged at her dress.
Cid grabbed a piece of paper from the bowl and read aloud "Cloud and Aeris."
Cloud shrugged and Aeris flushed. It most certainly wouldn't be the first time she'd made out with a boy, but she was now very self-aware. Did her hair look okay? Was her breath bad? Was she a bad kisser? Zach had never made a comment about her kissing. OH NO!!
But by that time, they were in the closet. And the door was shut. Cloud looked down at Aeris.
"We don't have to do this." He told her. Against his own wishes. He was a boy, for the love of God. That means that he wanted to make out with her. But didn't want to ruin his next-date chances. Because in his (and the whole male population, for that matter) it was all about chances.
"I don't know. I barely know you. I want to know you. I just don't want to mess this up." Aeris said, staring firmly at her shoes.
"Well then how about taking this time to play 20 questions?" Cloud suggested, wondering if this was the best idea in the world…
"Game inside a game?" Aeris giggled. "I'm game. No pun intended." She said, smirking.
"Suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuurrreee." Cloud smiled down at her.
"I go first." Aeris demanded.
"Where were you born?"
After some thought, Cloud replied "I don't know. I think it was here in Midgar."
"Who were your parents?"
"I don't know that either. I lived with my Uncle. He didn't like talking about them. Said it was bad omen to speak about the dead. So I don't know." Cloud shrugged.
"Does that bother you?"
"Not really. My Uncle was the best I had."
"Had? Where is he now?" Aeris asked, concern etched on her face.
"Dead. A gang killed him." Cloud said, and a blank expression came apon his face, he didn't seem like he wanted to talk about it. But Aeris needed to know more.
"Which gang?" she asked, although she already had a feeling she knew.
"S.H.M. Silver Haired Men." Cloud replied, glaring at the thought.
Aeris gasped. That was the same group that had attacked her!
"But why-?" Aeris was interupted by Cloud's finger.
"That's for another time. Besides our seven minutes are over. That's five questions cleared. We can continue some other time." Cloud smiled, knowing that her curiosity about his life would ensure more dates. He really liked her.
Aeris began to protest but gave up, because she knew Cloud was stubborn. So the pair exited the closet to face the burning light of day. Or the game room of Tifa's house. Whichever.
:3
Author's Note-
Well you guys. I finally finished the second chapter. This has been taking me awhile, because I'm lazy and working on other stuff. Although, I have promised that I will work on one story at a time. Meaning I need to finish another chapter in, 'They'd do Anything' before I am to allow myself to work on the next chapter of this. But I do need your help. I am going to make the gang play Dare next, and I need Dare ideas. Nothing completely retarded like, "ZOMGHAVESEX!!!one". You know. And thanks ahead of time. I will give credit where it is due. 'Til next Chapter! Byeeee