Homecoming - Chapter 2
Cleanse
Rated: T
Chapter Summary: Still running on adrenaline and the newness of Zack returning, Aerith may need to relearn how to knock before entering.
I LIVE!
So sorry for essentially abandoning this story but with the announcement of Crisis Core Reunion and FF7 Rebirth, I had to jump back in. This chapter has been going through a bit, I actually have the next 4 chapters after this completed, I simply could not get this one to come together but I think I finally got it to work even if the end is a bit sillier than I intended. Thanks for all your continued patience! 3
But OMG, I'm nervous as all hell over just how much more grief Square Enix can cause us.
I already know they're keeping the original ending for Crisis Core in the remaster which is gonna KILL ME. But maybe they'll put an alternate cutscene after the credits? Especially after they said it tied to FF7Remake which Zack lived through? Maybe? PLEASE? We can hope. XD Who knows what'll happen but I'm hoping for the best even I shouldn't, given Square Enix's track record. If Zack and Aerith both end up dead by the end of the remake, I will be okay with that as long as there is a reunion scene beforehand. As long as they get to see each other again that isn't in the damn lifestream, I will be overjoyed and never ask for anything else. T_T They deserve at least a single moment of happiness together before it's ripped away again.
Rant over, let's get on to the second chapter.
Wow…it felt so good to be fucking clean!
Zack couldn't bite back the immediate audible moan that released between slightly parted lips at just how absolutely incredible the hot water felt running over his aching body. The dirt baths, damp towels and rags, random bucket washings and freezing cold river baths while trying to keep Cloud's head above water were hopefully long behind him.
Never would he take running hot water and soap for granted ever again.
Zack let out a deep sigh as he moved the bar of soap over his body, letting it lather up before he proceeded to thoroughly wash his face, neck, bruised chest, stomach, scraped arms, underarms, back, groin, legs and finally the soles of his aching feet. Going back over his body again and again until the soap was nearly gone and he was cleaner than he had been in literal years. The water filled with blood, monster guts, dirt and who knows what else swirling in a circle before disappearing down the drain. Once it ran clear, Zack placed the diminished bar back on the ledge; he was now ready to tackle the worst part. Squirting some shampoo into his palm, he began to brush sudsy fingers though his filthy matted hair.
Zack's face crinkled and he cringed a bit at the memory of how Aerith had ran her fingers through it earlier in the church. The beautiful flower girl not even caring about the dirt, grime and oil embedded in the raven strands as she combed through it with her delicate fingers. Refusing to allow that to happen the next time she decided to finger-comb him, he rinsed away the suds and grabbed the shampoo again. Three washings and a conditioning later, his scalp and hair felt relatively normal; languidly, he brushed his fingers through the raven locks, reveling at how easy his fingers slipped through the wet strands.
After he was fully clean and rinsed, Zack rested under the spray of warm water, letting the water stream hit his face like a hot, heavy rain. The nostalgic feeling of warm rains in Gongaga hit him hard in that moment.
None of this felt real yet.
The SOLDIER couldn't help but press his short nails into his arm until the pinch of pain and crescent shaped lines of blood formed under his fingers. His bright blue eyes stared as the crimson blood mixed with the water and slid down the drain as his skin rapidly stitched itself together with a slight mako glow before fading back into his tanned skin. The wounds he sustained in the battle against the Shinra army almost disappeared, only a few stray bullet wounds left reddened marks and divots on his chest but those too would be gone eventually even if the horrid memory would always remain.
The pain not in his arm but the ache in his heart told him this was indeed real.
Try as he might to push away the images of all those he killed, they were flashing in his head. There was a horrific burning starting in the back of his eyes as he hung his head; letting the water run down his back as he pressed shaking palms against the white tiles to keep from collapsing. Shoulders trembling, he recalled it all. Sephiroth's madness and betrayal, the years of excruciating torture him and Cloud endured at the hands of a madman, escape, running halfway across the damn planet and not knowing if his comatose friend would ever awaken, the terror and adrenaline of the fight he should have lost, and topped off with the absolute joy at returning to Midgar alive and into Aerith's welcoming arms. Everything hit him at once as tears filled his eyes and threatened to fall…
Yet like a switch, Zack immediately shook himself from his stupor and stood up straight.
Now was not the time to let down his guard and fall apart…perhaps not ever.
Zack shook his head until the burning in his eyes ceased, running his hand down his face before shutting off the shower. It was only now he realized the heavy sensation of steam filling the bathroom in a thick mist and he cursed under his breath upon acknowledging that Cloud still needed to be bathed. And as much as he'd love to stay and relish in the hot water longer, he already felt terrible for putting himself and Cloud in Aerith and her mother's care. Wasting hot water was not helping the situation, so once the water was fully drained and tub clean, he pulled back the curtain and stepped onto the pile of dirty clothes he left near the tub so he wouldn't saturate their rugs.
As the water dripped down his body in thick rivulets, blue eyes slid around the bathroom and he felt his lips tilt up upon seeing fluffy pink towels hanging on a rack nearby.
Taking a few deeps calming breaths from the sudden spike of emotion and anguish she showed her mother, Aerith ascended the stairs. Mind rushing at showing that vulnerability she had vehemently hid away behind fake smiles and forced cheeriness for so long. Five whole years... It all just released at once when she found herself crying into her mother's shoulder. Like an overworked valve finally shattering, to be able to finally showcase how Zack's disappearance had hurt her was not what she expected to happen but it felt cleansing in a way she was still trying to fully comprehend.
Footsteps slowing as she got lost in her thoughts, Aerith nervously folded and refolded the clothes for Zack as her feet continued up the circular staircase until she closed the distance between herself and the bathroom.
Steeling herself, the flower girl stopped in front of the closed door.
Aerith's heart jumped when she didn't hear the shower on. How long had it been? It couldn't have been that long for her to collect clean clothes, did it?
Unless…
A sudden spike of needless anxiety overtook her. She knew it was irrational but her mind was in utter panic. Was this all a dream? Did he even show up in her church at all or was this all just another illusion of his return that she deluded into thinking was reality? Maybe the handsome SOLDIER was merely a figment of her tumultuous grief.
...Wait, no. Her mom saw him so it couldn't be...
Then maybe Zack was already finished showering! But what if he put on his old clothes since she took too long to get him clean ones? Maybe him saying he would shower was a distraction! Perhaps he merely threw on his old clothes and left her with Cloud so he could face Shinra alone! He might already be gone! He could have slipped out and she'd never see him again!
Heart hammering with anxiety, Aerith burst through the bathroom door without even bothering to knock.
The vision that greeted her caused her mouth to instantly dry up and green eyes to comically widen.
Instead of an empty bathroom like she feared, standing there in their tiny, yet cozy, bathroom surrounded by clouds of floral scented steam was Zack…in nothing but a towel. The normally oversized pink towels she'd bought a few years back suddenly looked a lot smaller while wrapped loosely around Zack's hips and one on his head where the raven strands actually rested flat for once.
Other than his widened eyes and coral flush gathering along his cheekbones, Zack actually remained fairly calm; admittedly easier when he noticed Aerith's eyes were not exactly focusing solely on his face.
Aerith's brain short circuited at the sight before it hit her just what happened.
"SORRY!" she screeched much louder than intended. "Here's some clothes!" she said, face burning scarlet in mortification at her impulsive actions as she all but threw the bundle of carefully folded clean clothes at Zack's face. In his rush to catch them before they landed on the soppy dirty clothes underneath his feet, he dropped the towel around his waist where it fell and pooled around his ankles with a heavy 'thwump'.
Zack flinched at the sudden burst of cold air in his nether regions. SOLDIER reflexes quickly realizing his sudden lack of coverage, Zack pressed the bundle of fresh clothes against his bare crotch, his face red as a tomato when he flashed the unmoving Aerith a crooked grin.
A grin that only grew as the flower girl stared at his now covered private area before letting out a loud "Eep!", rushing out of the bathroom and slamming the door behind her.
Once the door was closed, Zack couldn't help the bark of embarrassed laughter that left his mouth. Blush filling his face to the point where even his ears burned.
Yep, this was not exactly the reunion he pictured…
Aerith's back pressed against the door, heart hammering against her ribcage, threatening to break through her chest and face hot enough to boil water, she let out an almost hysterical giggle. But that instantly sobered when out of the corner of her eye, she saw her adopted mother staring at her only feet away at the top of the stairs. The older woman looking less than pleased and all too aware of what just happened, which going by the warmth of her face and probably a glassiness to her eyes, was quite obvious.
"Aerith!" Elmyra hissed quietly, all too aware of SOLDIER's advanced hearing. "Why didn't you knock first?"
Unwilling to describe her baseless anxiety as reasoning, Aerith blurted out, "What!? It's nothing I haven't seen before!"
Elmyra's eyes widened at the blatant statement, her lightly wrinkled mouth opening as if she wanted to say something to admonish her daughter. But in the end, she merely shook her head, pressed clean clothes intended for Cloud into Aerith's trembling hands and walked back down the stairs to make dinner.
Once her mother was gone and the words she'd just spoken finally registered in her mind, Aerith cursed under her breath. "...Shit!"
