Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII.
Slight AU warning.
Don't forget to review when you are finished reading!

XXX

Flowers Growing In My Mind

The Author Speaks: I forgot to mention that Winter's Giving Day is a combonation of Christmas/New Year's. It takes place on New Year's Eve and involved Christmas traditions.

Chapter X – Marry Me, Dammit!

Zack banged his wine glass on the table, laughing loudly. He wasn't drunk; he could hold his liquor well. It was a great evening. His and Tifa's shared home was warm with a crackling fireplace and filled with him, his love, and his two best friends. Cloud looked great in a blue suit and Aeris was lovely as always in a mint-green dress. Tifa stole the spotlight, however, in a black strapless dress that frilled out at the bottom. Not to mention it was quite short.

"The holiday is tomorrow, and presents shall be given out accordingly underneath the Giving Tree. I say we salute my dear friends Cloud Erwin Strife and Aeris Ifalna Gainsborough for coming to my delightful abode," he spoke, using a fork as a microphone.

Cloud narrowed his eyes. "I don't have a middle name."

"Erwin suits you!" Zack exclaimed.

"Speaking of Ifalna, how's your mother?" Tifa asked Aeris, who had just swallowed some of the bar owner's legendary chicken.

"She's fine. Father and she are at Cosmo Canyon. No matter what time of year it is, Father loves studying the Planet," Aeris replied.

"Gast is such a freak. I heard he's romantic though, and quite a smooth-talker. I should take some lessons from him," Zack joked, ducking as Tifa threw a spoon at him.

Cloud rolled his eyes and focused on his dinner. "Mom's probably lonely," he said, feeling guilty.

"If she wanted to spend time with you, she'd call. Don't feel bad. You're an adult, you got your own life," Zack said. It was harsh, but true.

XxXxXx

Aeris sat outside on the balcony of Zack and Tifa's home, staring up at the moon. It cast an ethereal glow upon the earth. She sipped her wine and felt someone embrace her from behind. She smiled.

"You doing okay?" Cloud asked her. He felt romantic.

"Yes, I'm fine. I was just watching the sky," she replied, putting down her wine glass and holding his arms. "They paint a picture, the stars. You can see almost anything in them. Faces, objects, animals...it's like a subjective painting."

Cloud gazed at the dark blue skies and at the white-silver stars decorating it. She was right. He pointed out a car, a cat, and the spelling of blue. Aeris giggled and said she found a flower, a lawnmower, and a ribbon.

"Yeah...it is subjective..." Cloud felt stupid again. He wasn't into big words.

"But that's the best thing. No one says anything bad about the stars. No one says that one's going to crash into us someday and kill everyone. They just...paint." Aeris turned around in Cloud's arms. "No one can say anything bad about you."

Cloud looked down at her and smiled. "Neither you."

They kissed underneath the watch of the moon until Zack yelled at them to come inside.

When they did, Zack and Tifa were plopped on the couch watching the Winter Giving ceremony which was taking place at Cosmo Canyon this year. "The Princess of Wutai, Yuffie Kisaragi, has come with her father, Godo Kisaragi, to see this delightful Midgarian event," the TV announcer droned.

"I think I saw Gast making out with Ifalna," Zack said seriously.

Aeris threw a pillow at him. "Just ew."

"How many minutes until the fireworks go off?" Cloud asked. That signaled the New Year, the end of the Eve, and the start of Day.

"Two minutes," Tifa said, eating a chip.

"Two minutes! Crap, now I gotta make this quick," Zack said. He pulled Tifa up off the couch and set her in front of the television.

"What are you doing?" Tifa asked.

"Shut up a minute! Let me think!" Zack snapped. "Oh right, I got it."

Cloud raised an eyebrow. Got what?

Zack cleared his throat. "You're an amazing woman. Funny, smart, and strong. Stereotypical though, you aren't. You've got this sort of weakness and need to be rescued. Which I love. And that's something I can give you. You love me, I love you, and it's been long enough."

"One minute until Giving Day!" the TV announcer exclaimed.

Zack glared at the TV. "I got to make this quick. Damn you!" he pulled out a small velvet box and got down on one knee.

Tifa's eyes widened. "Ah...Zack?"

He opened it to show a beautiful diamond ring, two emerald stones sandwiching the diamond on a ring of light gold. Tifa blushed madly.

"Tifa Lockhart, will you marry me?" he asked.

Aeris gasped and Cloud blinked. Should I really be watching this? he thought.

"Thirty seconds to go!" the TV shouted.

"I...well...I don't know what to say...I mean...so sudden..." Tifa could barely form a sentence.

"Just say yes or no, or even an 'I'll think about it'. I just love you that much," Zack said.

Aeris smiled and took Cloud's hand in her own. "Just like your proposal," she said to her husband, smiling.

"Yeah..." Cloud said. That was the best day of my life. I remember, we...

You can't remember, can't you?

"10 seconds!" the TV shouted.

Cloud tried to bring back the memory of that day. The problem was, everything was a big blank.

No...I can't.

You should consider the thought that it never happened.

"9"

Of course it did. Leave me alone.

Zack smiled feebly up at Tifa, who bit her lip. "Ah...Zack, I..."

"8!"

"Here comes rejection," he said quietly.

"Zack, I love you too, very much," Tifa began.

"7!"

"And to have this happen to me, so suddenly..."

"6!"

"I've never been faced with the decision before, obviously."

"5!"

Zack could barely contain himself.

"4!"

"Please Tifa...give me something..."

"3!"

"I will Zack, I will."

"2!"

"In fact..." Tifa started again

"1!"

"Yes."

XxXxXx

Zack's face lit up as she took the ring and placed it on her finger. He stood up and Tifa threw herself into him, hugging him and kissing him as the fireworks on the TV began to set off.

"HAPPY GIVING DAY!" the crowd screamed.

Cloud smiled. Happy day, indeed.

XxXxXx

A short, slightly filler chapter.I had to write a Zack/Tifa though, they're just too cute. It kinda sucked though I think. Anyway, yay Tifa and Zack are getting married! Oh, the whole fireworks thing was a bit of an allusion to the date scene in the game, when they had fireworks at the end and the music theme was Interrupted By Fireworks.

Next chapter – Zack and Cloud go on their fishing trip, and Cloud wants to catch a lot of fish for Aeris. Does he have skills?