On That Day, 5 Years Ago, at the Mall
By: Chocowriter
(I do not own any of these characters or material. Please enjoy. Copyright Square-Enix)
Written at the request of Fanofeverything25
Cloud Strife despised shopping. She hated the juxtaposing smells of perfume, plastic, and cleaner present in most stores, sterile yet sickly sweet. She hated trying on itchy, over-feminine clothing devised by brainless fashion designers who decided it was an innovative idea to to repress women from basic necessities such as pockets in the pursuit of "fashion". The lines were always endless, no matter the store. She always felt like someone was staring at her, judging her. And worst of all, it was usually too noisy to read.
"Cloud, sweetie, can you try on these real quick? They're part of the back-to-school shopping sale!" Claudia, Cloud's mom, exclaimed. Cloud looked up from her seat hidden between two racks with a book in hand to a pile of floral fabric headed straight for her face.
Barely avoiding getting an eye poked out by a turquoise button, Cloud dropped the book and caught the cascade of femininity in her arms.
"Let's make a deal, mom." Cloud grumbled from behind the stack, assessing with distaste the enormity of the pile.
"What? Did you say something Cloud? I can't hear you from down there on the floor"
"I said let's make a deal!" Cloud awkwardly got up from between the two racks and faced her Mom.
"What is it, sweetie?" Claudia looked a tad apprehensive.
"First, don't call me sweetie in public. Second, I'll try everything on if you let me go to the bookstore for at least an hour."
Claudia pushed her daughter in the direction of the dressing rooms.
"Can't promise the first one. As for the second…I'll think about it. The sooner you try everything on, the sooner I'll come to a consensus."
Cloud shuffled begrudgingly into a stark white room, accompanied by a grimy mirror, and blinding fluorescent lighting. The door closed with a startling slam.
Cloud jumped, but relaxed as she heard her mother's voice after it. "Get to it!"
Great, as if the perfume and pink didn't give me enough of a headache. It's like a prison cell of my own personal hell—guard and everything. Cloud sighed aloud and started putting the pile of clothes on the rack.
"Ya good in there? Need some help or somethin'?" Another girl called from the stall next to his.
Cloud froze. Oops. Even worse, social contact.
"Erm, no. Sorry to alarm you. I'm just…not a big fan of shopping?"
"Oh my gods, finally, someone else like me." The girl let out a joyful laugh.
"Is your overly endearing mother making you a SOLDIER dress up doll?" Cloud glared at the large array of clothing she was given and sifted through the hangers.
"You know it. Because of all of those- "
"Back to school sales?" Cloud interrupted, nearing the end of the legging section of her stack.
"Exactly! I think I'm part sweater at this point. Clothes here wear down faster than chocobos. And the ride to Midgar…" The girl laughed.
"Insane, right?! We took an airship, which are extremely rare in our area. I think Midgar is itching for customers more than I'm itching from this faux cotton."
"Same here! Gongaga is pretty backwater as it gets. We got one store for everythin'."
"Exactly! I feel like I get SOLDIER training just by living in Niebelheim. We gotta walk a mile for anything." Cloud paused, absorbing what the girl had said. "Wait, Gongaga? What a janky name."
"Ditto Niebelheim"
They both laughed.
"Backwater towns. Gotta love 'em." Cloud chuckled. Cloud found herself with more eagerness to try on the clothes, if only to meet the stranger on the other side of the partition. After a while, she looked down and realized she had miraculously finished trying on the clothes, and even found a couple of items that fit.
She opened the fitting room door just as the girl did, their doors bumping together.
"Hey, uh, I never caught your name…" Cloud turned to face the girl as she closed her door.
She turned to him and smiled. Cloud gasped inaudibly. The girl was…breathtaking. She had similarly spiky hair, flowing down her back in dark waves, the ends tickling her mid-back. She wore a turtleneck tank top of black cotton. Her muscular arms effortlessly supported two stacks of assorted clothing. Fashionably baggy black sweatpants accented the top, with ankle-high combat boots that completed the look.
Her smile reached her sky-blue eyes as she said, "Zacae, but you can call me Zack." Somehow, she extended a hand through the pile of clothes. Cloud managed to shake it, narrowly avoiding the pile of her own clothes toppling to the ground.
"Cloud." She grinned shyly back, feeling her cheeks warm with the touch.
