Married life was bliss for about the first month; they spent most of their time together, ate at the same time, cuddled up on the couch and jumped into bed at a moment's notice. The second month was when the spark dwindled a small amount. The sheer magnetism between them faded and their need to spend every waking hour together diminished. Aeris increasingly found herself caught up in something on the TV, or finishing a chapter in her book, or fiddling with her phone. They still did so much together, but relaxing did not mean always lying against Cloud, and she would often retreat to her end of the sofa and he to his.
Still nice to know he was there, that if she awoke in the night, he was right beside her, warm and comforting. They still held hands when they went out together, and any kiss was usually in danger of getting a little out of control. Going to bed lost some of its connotations; often the bed was merely there for them to sleep in. Work intruded and they spent longer away from each other as the month wore on. It seemed to help in some ways; a touch here, a kiss there; almost anything was enough to make them be all over each other again.
The third month was when the cracks started to show. They had an agreed time to meet after work at the house – and Aeris would ensure she was there ready and waiting every-day, the flower shop closed, all her orders completed. She slipped once or twice, a rush meaning all the paperwork was not completed on time, so she carried that home and Cloud found her working on it when he came through the door. She put it aside without protest, but had to draw away in the end to complete it before the next day. Cloud would tease her a little, tempt her to leave it all for morning, but she resisted his offer of a cuddle and perhaps something more.
But Cloud's job was nowhere close to regular; his delivery routes varied massively. Some days he was home long before her; others hours later. At first she waited by the window on the edge of her seat, waiting to run to him the second she saw him. All too soon a book or a game would distract her, only realising Cloud was back when she heard the key in the door. Just another part of her life, just another aspect. A good aspect, but he was a factor alongside all manner of others. A string of later nights and no calls – phone reception was awful in some regions – and sitting in, even waiting in the house was not enough.
Aeris started taking short walks in the later afternoon. Through the little cluster of houses in Kalm, stopping to say hi to Tifa and Yuffie as she passed. A few times they invited her in for tea and she lost track of time, rushing home only to find Cloud still absent. Other times she left the town and wandered the grasslands, seeking out flowers and investigating the terrain. A few times the Planet called her, sending her venturing far from home and for reasons she could never quite figure out. She was always back before Cloud, no matter how long she stayed out. Until the times when found Cloud pacing at home, concerned and panicked; her phone lying on the sofa with a litany of missed calls from him on the screen.
She apologised, promised to keep her phone with her, hugged him and the pair made dinner together.
The fourth month got rougher. Sometimes Aeris would let empty packaging and discarded wrappers slide to the floor while nestled on the sofa; usually she would remember to take them to the bin when she next got up, but not always. Most of the time Cloud would sweep them up as he headed to the kitchen for a drink and that would be that. Until the next time he came home while she was still out; her litter remained on the floor and he reminded her with a tight, irritated voice that she needed to clear it away. His tone conflicted with the headache buzzing in her head and she snapped at him. Such a little thing, but somehow it got to her. And the next time he mentioned it- Harsh words, a fight over nothing. They made up quickly, but the bliss at the start of their married life was long-gone now.
Aeris lay awake some nights after, Cloud sleeping soundly beside her. The little arguments, nuisance moments, the times Cloud tried to seduce her and she wasn't feeling it; they added up. Had they got married too fast? It had seemed like they knew everything they needed to when they both said I do. But did they? The expectation was that living together would be quite different to dating someone. They both let their cleaning regimens slide, nails were longer before cutting, meals less fancy and some evenings it was hard to keep her eyes open. Bed normally did mean sleep; weekend mornings were the best time for anything more. They were fine. Right?
The low point was a bad day at work, a long, arduous argument with a customer who insisted despite all evidence to the contrary that Aeris had messed her order up. All Aeris could do was keep referring back to the same invoice, the customer's signature on the bottom to indicate yes she wanted those flowers in that formation. Not good enough. Her head was pounding as she shut the shop, and she needed air, needed a distraction. She wandered with no destination for a long while before heading back. Cloud was already at home, asked how her day was and she answered. He listened for a few moments and tried to change the subject. She talked over him, trying to get across the fussy obstinacy of the customer and her insistence Aeris was lying; Cloud seemed more interesting in the TV. He asked her if she could have made a mistake. The evening degenerated after that. Not long before bed, Aeris asked him to undo a knot. The friendship bracelet was a piece of black wool Tifa had knotted around itself and eventually tied to her wrist a few years back. Aeris had carefully kept it on ever since as it became water-logged, dried out, the thread slowly fraying.
Cloud prodded the knot with a needle and got it to the point Aeris could slip it over her hand. He kept on going, even after Aeris offered to take the bracelet back. Cloud was getting annoyed and tugging at the knot. She left him to it. Some time later he appeared, the thread broken and insisted he could fix it. A few vain attempts to attach it and Aeris was in tears. Cloud seemed confused by her distress; it seemed to baffle him she could be so upset over it - even when she explained it was special. Tifa had made it for her. How could he not understand what it meant? She went to bed in a furious mood leaving him alone downstairs.
Sleep evaded her; Aeris tossed and turned unable to drift off. Still annoyed she wandered back downstairs for water. Cloud waylaid her on the way with a new bracelet; just like the one he broke. She stared at it for a moment, extending her arm to let him tie it around her wrist. Not the same one Tifa made for her, but one specially made by Cloud. He had spent who knew how long figuring out how to remake what he broke with the only wool they had to hand. Her anger faded and she asked Cloud to join her in bed; she slipped off to sleep in minutes grateful to have him beside her. They survived the incident, but things were still different. Cloud still pointedly watched as she discarded detritus to the floor, tried to distract her from her work, and he in turn amongst other things insisted on leaving clothes strewn about the house.
A quiet day in the shop allowed Aeris to focus her thoughts. Did she still love Cloud? Of course she did. Didn't she? That original spark seemed to have gone, but she wanted to be with him all the same. She did not want to split up. Did he have personal habits that were annoying? Yes; he clipped his toenails in the living room, never put clothes away, let mugs pile up wherever he sat, hardly ever cooked- But she was not perfect either. How many of her little actions did she unknowingly do every-day forcing him to bite his tongue? Difficult to say.
She put it to him that evening that they needed to change things. One night a week – date night – to spend in each other's company like they used to. Both helping to clean rooms and rubbish away. Sharing the washing up and folding laundry. They both had interests outside the other; they could indulge them, but not forget about why they were together in the first place.
Difficult to start. Remembering to sweep up whenever she left the sofa. Carrying piles of clothes upstairs with Cloud. Consistent bed-times. Her headaches lessened, and slowly there was a renewed pleasure to being together, in doing things together. Date night helped; it helped a lot. Now they cuddled at the same end of the sofa until a movie was over and made out as the credits rolled. Long, passionate make-out sessions that sometimes saw them shift to the bedroom, but more often than not had them undressing right there. A few times the film bored or distracted them sufficiently they left it playing to itself as they embraced. More talking, guiding, more openness. More love. They might have rushed into this relationship without a second thought, might have not known each other as well as they expected, but that did not mean they could not be together, should not be together.
Slowly, but surely they forged a new spark; not as passionate or intense, no rushing to the bedroom as before. But it was between the two of them and getting stronger with each passing day. Aeris would not trade it for the world.