Chapter 4: Snow

One day we'll grow up and be kids

Back then I'd live forever and grow old

I'd keep my friends warm when times got cold

The Cab: We'll Grow Up And Be Kids

Aerith could recall very few times that it snowed in Midgar; perhaps it was because of their location geographically. In any case, the last snow she could remember was before Zack had moved to the city, and as such, he'd never experienced snow. So when it snowed on her twelfth birthday, he dragged her above the plate for a snow day.

"Can you believe they canceled school because of the snow?" Zack asked, grinning eagerly. "And on your birthday, too! It's like a birthday gift from the gods!"

He jumped with excitement while she tugged on her boots. He kept peering out the window of her house, like he was worried it might stop snowing. Not that any snow reached the slums. It was all above the plates.

"C'mon Aerith, what if it stops snowing?"

"It won't all disappear if it does," Aerith laughed, looking up at him.

He smiled sheepishly, scratching at the back of his neck. "I know, but I just wanna be up there when it's snowing. My first snow, Aerith!"

She smiled as he readjusted his hat and clapped his gloved hands together. He looked down at her impatiently.

"Keep your pants on, Fair," she said with mock sternness.

"Then hurry up, Gainsborough! You know, your last name doesn't quite have the same ring to it as Fair."

"Are you saying I should be Aerith Fair?" she shot back, then blushed at the implication.

He laughed, completely unfazed. "Can you imagine? Or me, Zack Gainsborough." He made a face and shook his head. "Man, that sounds weird." Aerith could imagine, but she'd never admit it to Zack.

"Let's go," she changed the subject, grabbing his hand. "The snow's calling us."

Filled with the excitement of seeing snow for the first time, Zack practically dragged Aerith through all of the slums, and she did her best to keep up, laughing and out of breath.

The biggest difference between the slums and above the plates was the temperature. The slums were kind of muggy and warm, making their run through them a bit stifling in their winter clothes. Stepping above the plate was like getting shocked with frigid air, though. That, and everything was bright white. Well, mostly white, Aerith amended to herself. The streets were filled with a lot of gray snow, all slushy and gross.

"Come on, come on!" Zack cheered, hand grasping hers firmly. She couldn't help smiling at his exuberance. Her smile faltered when he started taking her toward the gate – the one leading out of the city.

"W-wait, Zack! What are you doing?"

"The best snow is outside the city!" he called back breathlessly. "Pure, untouched snow!"

Aerith pulled away from him, coming to a stop. Zack hesitated, frowning.

"There are...monsters," Aerith mumbled, uncertainty rooting her to the spot.

"They're probably all sleeping it's so cold," Zack said. "Please Aerith? We won't go too far...I promise." And he made his begging face, the one Aerith could never say no to.

She relented. "Fine," she sighed, and he beamed at her. She followed him with some reluctance as he ran out the gate, whooping with joy. He threw himself into a pile of snow, waving his arms around. It was still flurrying lightly, the snow drifting down from above. Aerith froze, staring up at the sky. She'd seen the sky before, of course, but always within the city, where tall buildings reached up to try and touch it. Outside of Midgar, there was nothing but emptiness and the sky...and she felt like it was going to swallow her whole. Aerith swayed slightly, her stomach churning. She backed up until she was pressed tightly against the cold metal gate of Midgar, wanting to melt into it.

Zack was cheering and rolling around in the snow until he noticed that Aerith wasn't joining him. He sat up, snow covering his hat in clumps.

"Aerith? What's wrong? There aren't any monsters around."

"Um...I..." Aerith breathed unsteadily, unable to tear her eyes away from the gray sky. Her mouth had gone dry. It was ridiculous, being scared of the sky, but she couldn't speak, couldn't think, the feeling of fear was so strong in her gut.

And then Zack's face filled her vision, his blue eyes squinting at her in worry. "Aerith?"

The sky blocked from her view, she began to breathe easier again. She closed her eyes, breathing out slowly through her nose. "Sorry...just...the sky," she said hoarsely.

"Uh..." Zack sounded confused, and she opened her eyes slowly, peering around him uncertainly. It was still there, so big and...empty. It reminded her of how she felt before Zack moved to Midgar. Alone.

"I feel like I'm going to fall up into it, but I'll just keep going forever and ever," she admitted, knowing Zack wouldn't laugh.

"Huh," he said slowly, his face tilted up to look at the sky. "I never thought of it that way. It looks more like...freedom. Are you really scared?" he turned back to face her, brows furrowed.

"I..." she swallowed. Yes, she was scared, but it wasn't so bad with Zack next to her, reminding her that she wasn't alone. He wouldn't let her fall up into the sky. He kept her grounded. "I'm okay. Just...don't go too far."

"Alright," he chuckled. "But I'm pretty sure gravity works the same whether I'm around or not," he teased her gently. She wasn't going to tell him that she wasn't quite sure that was true. By all rights, gravity should have been the same no matter what, but it didn't explain why her heart always seemed to jump into her throat when he was near.

"You've got snow all over you," she said instead, brushing it off his coat.

"Yeah, you've got snowflakes in your hair," he laughed.

"But I don't look like I'm turning into a snowman," she retorted. He was caked in snow, from head to toe. "You are unbelievable."

"That's why you love me," he grinned, and Aerith fought down a blush. Instead, she shoved him into the snow and hoped he thought her cheeks were just flushed from the cold. He came up with a mouthful of snow.

"That was uncalled for!" And then he balled up a handful of snow and threw it at her. She stared at him in shock.

"Snowball fight!" he crowed and then he tossed another handful of snow her way.

"Oh...I'm going to get you, Zack!" she yelled and she dove after him, scooping up snow as she chased him, missing him with pitiful throws. He managed to hit her over his shoulder, without looking. She gasped as the snow slapped into her neck, sliding down her back. It was cold! She put on a burst of speed as she chased him. Zack wasn't used to running in the snow, and it made him a little clumsy, which was the only reason she was able to finally catch up, barreling into him and sending them both tumbling to the soft ground. Zack shook with wheezing laughter as he lay in the snow, his hat coming off.

She stuffed a mess of snow down his coat and he squirmed and yelled at the shock. "Aaggh, Aerith!"

"You got it down my coat, this is only fair!" she shouted over him. He pulled off his gloves, then put his cold fingers on her neck. She scrunched up, trying to escape the icy cold assault, laughing and pleading with him.

"I'm sorry!" she squealed. "Stop, stop, haha, oh my gosh, stop, Zack!"

"My hands are cold, Aerith!"

"Put your gloves back on you dork!" She finally succeeded in pushing his hands away, and he laughed triumphantly, then pulled his gloves back on. She smiled at him. He looked adorably disheveled as he shoved his hat back onto his head.

"Your hat is crooked," she said, reaching over and adjusting it so it was straight again. His hair was getting longer, she noted, and messier than ever. He sniffed and rubbed his nose, still grinning crookedly.

"This wasn't so bad, see? No monsters, no falling into the sky. Cold, though."

"Duh, snow's cold. Otherwise it'd just be water."

"Oh shush, smarty pants," he said, sticking his tongue out at her. Then he stood up, shaking the extra snow off him, and he reached down and pulled her up. "C'mon birthday girl, let's go back to my house. My mom will make us some hot chocolate if you ask."

"Why do I have to ask?" she laughed in exasperation.

"Because my mom loves you. Sometimes I think she likes you better than me."

"Don't be ridiculous, you're her son. She loves you no matter what."

"I know, I know," he said, waving his hand. "But I don't always get whatever I want. All you have to do is say, 'Mrs. Fair, would you be so kind as to make some hot chocolate for us, please? I'd really appreciate it,'" he mimicked her voice in a breathy way, and she rolled her eyes. "And then she'll be like, 'Oh of course, Aerith! You're so polite! I love you more than my son!'" He made his mother's voice even more high pitched, and Aerith laughed again at his ridiculousness.

"You're crazy." He shrugged, scratching his head through his hat, then he slung his arm around her shoulders. She smiled to herself and snuggled closer, enjoying the warmth and closeness.

"Besides, I still have to give you your present," he said. "Except it's kind of hard to compete with a snow day."

"What is it?" she asked excitedly. He tapped the side of his nose and shook his head.

"Can't tell you. You'll just have to wait and see!"

That didn't keep Aerith from guessing the whole way home, just to see if she could figure it out. Zack was a terrible liar, and she knew if she guessed right, he wouldn't be able to keep it from her. But the whole time, even though he looked amused, he never got that funny cross-eyed look he adopted when he was trying to keep a secret from her.

"You didn't get me socks, did you?" she asked warily. A belly laugh exploded from him and he shook his head.

"No, much better than socks," he promised as he opened his front door. "MOM! We're back!"

"Hi honey. It's good to see you, Aerith," his mom called down, poking her head out of the kitchen. "I baked some cookies for you both. And how's your birthday today?" Mrs. Fair asked Aerith, smiling fondly at her.

"It's good so far," Aerith said, shrugging off her winter coat. Zack had already dropped his onto the floor and was tugging off his boots.

"Zack, pick up your stuff, you slob," she teased, knowing his mother would tell him to pick it up if she didn't.

"Okay, Mom," he groaned, picking up his wet things. His mom laughed, holding her hands out to take their things.

"I'll set them by the heater to dry out," she said. Zack started to nudge Aerith now, and she sighed, shaking her head at him. He gave her a wide-eyed look and nodded stiffly. Rolling her eyes again, she sighed and relented again.

"Um, Mrs. Fair – could we have some hot chocolate?" she asked, and Zack grinned.

"Yeah Mom, you should make some," he encouraged. "It's Aerith's birthday after all."
"He put you up to it again, didn't he?" Mrs. Fair asked Aerith with a raised eyebrow and a dry laugh. She shook her head out of loyalty, but his mom seemed to know anyway.

"Alright you two, take some cookies and I'll make you some hot chocolate. Marshmallows?"

"Yeah, I think I'll take mine half marshmallow, half hot chocolate," Zack said importantly.

"How about just enough to cover the top?" his mom negotiated, and after some serious thought, Zack agreed, then stuffed a cookie in his mouth. He snagged Aerith's hand as well as another cookie and dragged her out of the kitched, pulling her to the garage.

"Your present's in here," he said through a mouthful of crumbs.

"Don't you think I'm a little young to drive?" she smirked.

"Huh? Oh, ha ha. You're hilarious, you know. I didn't get you a car, silly. Come on!" And then he covered her eyes with his hands.

"If this is my present, I think I would have preferred socks," she joked.

"Hush," he scolded her, then led her further into the garage, walking slowly so she wouldn't fall. "Kay, now you can look." He pulled his hands away, and Aerith's eyes popped open. Lying on the garage floor was a pile of wood, what looked like wheels, and some paint.

"...I'm not sure what I'm looking at," she admitted.

"It's your gift. Well, kind of," he amended. "It's going to be a wagon for those flowers you like to grow in that church. I have to build it still, though...except Mom doesn't want me using a saw for some reason," he chortled.

She blinked at him, then at the pile on the ground, then back at him. His grin faded, and he started to look nervous.

"I uh, I wasn't really sure what to get you that you wanted or needed...so I just thought...if you don't like it I can try and get something else-oof!"

Aerith threw her arms around him in a lung-crushing hug.

"Thank you!" she gasped, then pulled away, beaming at him. "Really. It's the most...it's just...really, it's the best gift ever!"

Zack look surprised, then it slid away into a pleased smile. "Oh. Cool. That's what I was going for," he said, his former confidence returning. "So I thought we could work on it together, like a project or whatever. And then we can paint it when it's done. I wasn't sure what you'd want on it...personally, I think some flames would be pretty awesome. But you probably don't want racing flames on your flower wagon."

She laughed, shaking her head. He was such a silly boy sometimes! She glanced down at the parts again, excitement blooming up inside her. It really was a thoughtful present.

"You thought this up all by yourself, huh?" she asked, squinting at him.

"Of course!" he said, feigning hurt. "Only the best for my best friend," he assured her.

"Thanks," she said again, and then, feeling brave, she leaned over and planted a kiss on his cheek. Her face burned as she pulled away, and Zack looked confused, and maybe (hopefully) a little bit happy. He opened his mouth to say something, but then his mom came in, holding two cups of gently steaming hot chocolate.

"Alright!" Zack cheered and cupped the mug in his hand, drinking eagerly and burning his mouth. "Ahh, hot!"

"It is called hot chocolate, Zack," Aerith laughed, taking her mug with a thanks and blew on the hot liquid before taking a sip.

He frowned and poked the tip of his burnt tongue, then pretend glared at her. "Smarty pants."

She grinned cheekily at him then darted inside his house, giggling.

All in all, her best birthday to date.

A/N: I meant to update yesterday, but I hung out with my friend most of the day. Sorry! Hope the cuteness of this makes up for it. :D OH ZACK Y U NO SEE AERITH LUV YOU. Of course, he's 12. xD And as a boy, completely oblivious. Leave a review, yeah?