Content Warning: Initially this section was entirely Aerith's backstory, but post 1st draft, this got shuffled a bit earlier and there's now a new scene leading up to her story. The warning is primarily for the third section here, but since the new initial scene refers to her past, the very beginning of this chapter has some uncomfortable moments.

I want to be very clear that there is absolutely no non-con in this story. However, Aerith's backstory in the third section does involve adult grooming. For any readers with triggers around content like that, *please* feel free to instead skip to the endnotes, where I've included a summary that will allow you to continue reading the story with all the information you need without having to read the details.

Aerith sighed happily as she finished the last touches of the final order for the day. Wiping the back of her hand against her forehead, she looked up at the crimson-orange sky. It was late, much later than she usually worked, but she'd been on a roll, and really wanted to get everything wrapped up. She'd worry about delivering the order tomorrow—it was far too late for that now—which unfortunately meant she'd have to bring it back home with her.

Part of her wished she had a more formalized store, so she'd be able to leave things behind without worrying about someone stealing them. She carefully placed the flower arrangements into a carrying box, and her personal belongings into a backpack. As she finished packing up and prepared to leave, she noticed in surprise that a group of three men was approaching her.

Strange for customers so late in the—

Aerith froze as they drew close enough for her to make out their faces.

"See! I told you it was her!" one of them called out, a look of excitement on his face.

The second man nodded. "Impossible to forget a face like that."

"Alright, alright, I admit I was wrong. Glad to be, though," the third said, laughing.

A chill ran down her spine. She didn't know how they'd found her, but she'd recognize their faces anywhere. Just like they knew her. They were his friends after all. Aerith heard the box she'd just picked up hit the ground. A part of her was concerned about the flowers inside, but the thought vanished as quickly as it had arrived.

"How's it going, Aerith?" the first one asked, the three of them stopping in the middle of the street.

Dozens of thoughts flew through her mind. Running, screaming for help, using her phone to call Tifa, but she was paralyzed with fear, unable to act on any of them. She just stood there, her mind spinning, but nothing clicking into place.

"Please just leave me alone," she whispered.

"Oh, don't be like that. We're only here for some fun."

"That's right, everyone knows how much fun you like to have."

"Yeah, just a quick little ride…"

Aerith was about to look up and scream at them to leave, when a loud, crashing noise suddenly rang out into the night air, causing her to flinch.

Cloud wasn't entirely sure what he was doing. He knew some of that was likely thanks to the two drinks, although he wasn't drunk by any means. Just nicely buzzed. He shook his head gently to clear it. Tifa knew how to make a damn good drink.

What he should have been doing was walking home. What he was actually doing was walking to Aerith's flower stand. He knew it was silly. It was far too late for her to still be there, but he justified it as only a minor detour on his way home—which was mostly true.

He hadn't wanted to bring Aerith up with Tifa, but he had a feeling she'd still caught on to what he was talking about. It probably wasn't too surprising in the end. Hopefully it hadn't ended up hurting Tifa even more, since that was the last thing he wanted. She'd become such a good friend to him since their breakup.

As Cloud rounded the corner, he was surprised to see that not only was Aerith still at her store, she was actually talking with a group of customers. Not wanting to disturb her, he moved to turn away but stopped in alarm when he saw her drop the box she'd been carrying.

Before he realized what he was doing, he found himself charging down the street. Despite his speed, his leather boots made almost no noise on the pavement of the street. As he drew closer, he heard one of the men say something about a quick ride. Not needing to hear anything else, his fist greeted the side of the man's head.

The impact was incredibly satisfying. One of his best punches ever, Cloud thought. The man went flying several feet, coming to an abrupt halt as his body slammed into a parked car and collapsed to the ground. He didn't think the man was dead, but he also didn't care if he was.

"What the fuck?" one of the other men screamed, turning towards Cloud.

The back of Cloud's other fist met the man's face, dropping him to the ground instantly, a fountain of blood gushing from his shattered nose. The third man fled, and Cloud let him go, turning his attention immediately to Aerith.

"Are you alright?" he asked, dropping to a knee in front of her. He reached out to place a hand on her shoulder, but let it fall before actually touching her.

Aerith didn't say anything. She only shook her head quickly back and forth, and Cloud felt a lance of pain shoot through his chest at the sight. Not knowing what else to do, he crouched there, the two parts of himself waging an internal battle on if he should wrap his arms around her or not. Eventually, Aerith got to her feet, staggering just before she was fully upright. He thrust out his arm, and she caught it with one hand, steadying herself.

"Thanks, Cloud," she whispered, the sound of raw despair in her voice only further wrenching the twisting hurt inside him.

"Did they do anything before I got here?" he asked, trying not to be demanding, but struggling to control his rage. Her tear-streaked face made him want to turn and pummel her assaulters even harder, but both of the men were still unconscious.

"No," Aerith replied, rubbing the tears from her eyes. "No, they probably wouldn't have anyways, but thank you for stopping them."

He looked at her in confusion. "Wait, you know them?"

"It's a long story. I don't want to talk about it here. I just want to go home."

"Do… you want any help?"

Aerith laughed softly. "I can walk fine, but… if you could carry the flowers that would help. Just, be careful with them, please."

Cloud nodded and gently lifted the box she indicated. He was surprised to find it as heavy as it was. On second thought, he realized it made sense, given each arrangement had its own vase. Peeking through the slits of the container, he was relieved to see none of them seemed to have broken when they'd hit the ground.

Together they set out, Cloud following slightly behind her and to the side since he had no idea where she lived. They walked several blocks in silence, before arriving at a surprisingly nice apartment building, closer to the center of the city than where she worked. He assumed the majority of her income went into affording this, and said a silent thank you to her nameless friend whom he assumed had pushed her to live somewhere safer than she worked.

"Well, I'll leave—"

"I'd really like to not be alone right now," Aerith said, interrupting him as she opened the door. She paused, looking back at him.

Cloud stopped in surprise at the sorrow in her voice, his hand still on the box he'd lowered to the ground. "Oh, of course."

Aerith's stomach decided it didn't want to be left out of the conversation as it let out a loud rumble, causing her to flush and Cloud to chuckle.

"How about I grab us some food quickly?" he suggested. "I haven't had dinner yet either."

"Thanks, I don't feel like making anything, so that would be really helpful," she replied, the soft smile on her face relieving some of Cloud's tension.

She picked up the box and carried it inside, Cloud waiting for the door to close before he rushed off to find something for them to eat.

Aerith was still shaken from the encounter a few hours ago. She'd never expected to run into anyone from college again, especially not people who'd been so directly involved in what had happened. She was angry with herself for how she'd fallen apart, but also extremely thankful Cloud had arrived when he did. As she'd told him, she didn't think they would have actually done anything, but eight years had passed since then, and she was glad they hadn't had a chance to prove her wrong.

Cloud had returned with pizza. Not normally something she'd eat for dinner, but it was fast and easy, and she was forced to admit after three pieces it had been really good. They'd finished eating, mostly in silence, before she'd told him she wanted to explain what had happened. How she'd known those men. It hadn't been an easy decision to make, but after what he'd done to help her, she felt like he deserved to know. Hopefully, by sharing it, it might help dull her pain.

They'd moved to her living room, and were now seated on either side of her sofa—Aerith with one leg tucked under her and slightly angled away from Cloud. She knew this was going to be hard and emotional, and she didn't want him to easily be able to see her face. Despite her hesitation to tell him about this—she'd only ever told Tifa before—she pushed on.

"This is… not a happy story," she began, taking a deep breath to prepare herself after they'd sat in silence for a few minutes. "I'm not sure how much you overheard before you arrived, but those three were closely involved with what happened to me back in college."

Aerith paused to gather herself before continuing. "I'm getting a bit ahead of myself, though. Before we jump into that, you'll need a bit of backstory first.

"College for me was largely an extension of high school, and by that I mean I focused almost entirely on my studies over my social life. Sometimes, it felt like my roommates were more interested in trying to find their soulmate than studying, but I didn't date anyone during my first three years. I told myself it never really bothered me, that I never felt excluded or left out. In reality, sometimes when I was alone in my dorm room, I'd feel a little lonely and wonder what I was missing out on. Everything changed midway through my last year. It was a few weeks after we'd returned from the winter holidays when I first met Kadaj."

She had to pause here for a moment—just saying his name enough to cause her to slightly lose her already weak composure. She quickly sniffed her nose and rapidly blinked her eyes to clear them, before going on.

"He was another Biology major, so I'd seen him in a lot of my classes, but we'd never had any prior interaction. One day, he decided to sit next to me in class, something that only stood out since he usually sat in the back. Once class was over, he told me he was really struggling with schoolwork. Apparently, he'd barely managed to pass organic chemistry last semester. He said everyone in our class knew I was the top student, and asked if I'd be willing to help him study.

"I was a little embarrassed to hear this, but at the same time, it was really nice to receive that acknowledgment of all my hard work. I told him I'd be willing to help, but made sure to be very clear I was only interested in studying. He pouted jokingly, reassuring me his only goal was to improve his grades."

Aerith took a moment to gather herself once more. Even though it had been eight years ago, talking about this was causing the unhealed wounds to reopen. She risked a quick glance over at Cloud from the corner of her eye, but the only thing she could see on his face was concern and curiosity. Her eyes returned to her hands in her lap, nervously rubbing them together before continuing.

"We met up in the library for the next few nights. From the first few sessions, it was immediately clear he really needed all the help he could get. After that, though, he caught up incredibly quickly, saying it was all thanks to me. I didn't pay much attention to it at the time, but that should have been the first sign something was wrong.

"By the end of the week, we'd started sitting much closer together than before, and on the last day, before we went our separate ways, he hugged me farewell. Even though the original goal had been to just study, I wasn't upset with the growing change since he was always extremely careful to make sure I wasn't uncomfortable.

"The library closed early on the weekends, which meant we couldn't continue studying there. He said we'd never be able to focus with the amount of noise his roommates made, so that was also off the table. Ultimately, I ended up offering my dorm, since I knew my roommate would be there with us, and she'd also be studying. The first day was mostly the same as when we were in the library, but the second day ended very differently. Instead of just hugging, we kissed each other goodbye."

She took a deep breath and wiped a stray tear from her cheek before pushing onward.

"By the middle of the next week, things had reached the point where we were doing very little actual studying. I knew it was exactly the opposite of what I'd agreed to, but it felt so nice to have contact. To have someone interested in me. Then, everything escalated even further the first night that weekend."

Aerith had to stop once again, bracing herself for the worst part. She used her anger at what Kadaj had done to help fight against the crushing sorrow.

"It turned out my roommate was spending the weekend with her own boyfriend, so the two of us were alone in my dorm. We'd started studying as normal, but it was quickly forgotten as our hands began to wander. Eventually, we were both down to only our underwear. Shortly after that, he told me he wanted me.

"I was surprised. It felt like this had happened so quickly, but I knew I didn't have any experience with these things. He'd come to mean so much to me over the short time we'd spent together. The stories I'd heard from my friends and roommates over the years seemed to indicate this wasn't all that uncommon. Despite my initial hesitation, I said yes.

"I remember how excited he looked—like he'd won the lottery—and how happy it made me, realizing I could make someone feel like that. I told him I didn't have any condoms, but he reassured me he always kept one in his wallet. He rolled on top of me and… flopped around, like a dying fish. I didn't really feel much of anything, but I could tell when he reached his peak. It was over quickly.

"He rolled off and promptly fell asleep next to me. My initial reaction was confusion. That was it? That was what people got all excited about? I fell asleep next to him, wondering if I'd done something wrong. If it was my fault I hadn't enjoyed it. I didn't want to wake him to ask, so I decided to wait until the morning, figuring we could maybe try again so it was better for me.

"But I never even got that chance," Aerith whispered softly, fighting with all her might to hold back the tears that threatened to overwhelm her. Despite her best efforts, her voice still cracked as she continued. "When I woke up the next morning, he was gone. He'd left a note on my desk: Thanks for a great time, you weren't half bad."

She took a deep breath, wiping her eyes with her handkerchief before using it to blow her nose. She was proud of herself for not having completely broken down by this point—like she had when she'd told all of this to Tifa. Feeling the tears straining to break free, she struggled on with all of her might, denying them their release.

The worst part was passed, but she knew there was still more to tell—for Cloud to understand about the three from earlier. She didn't dare look over at him yet. Not until it was over and done with. She hoped his silence only indicated he knew there was more to come, and not something else.

"Afterwards, I discovered what had happened from overhearing gossip. That he'd bragged to his group of friends he could get any girl to sleep with him in two weeks. That they'd placed a bet with him to prove it, and I'd been specifically picked since they knew I'd never dated anyone. I don't know if that was supposed to make it easier or more difficult.

"Of course, it didn't end there. The gossip spread through our class like wildfire, shifting the farther it got from the source until it warped into horrible rumors. That I was a whore. A slut who would spread her legs for anyone."

Aerith could feel the tears running down her cheeks now. As strong as she wanted to be, she wasn't able to hold them back any longer. She ignored them, and continued, knowing if she stopped now she'd never be able to finish.

"From that point on, men would either stay well away, wanting nothing to do with me, or else aggressively come on to me, saying they'd be more than happy to give me what I wanted. Ultimately, it got to the point where if I wasn't in class, or getting food at the cafeteria, I locked myself away in my room to hide from it all.

"When my roommate found out what had happened, she said I should tell our professors that he'd raped me. As much as I wanted to strike back at him, I couldn't do that. If I'd known what his plan was, I never would have said yes. But I hadn't. I'd trusted him and wanted to be together with him. And he shattered that trust.

"So yeah, that's my story. Pretty pathetic, huh?" Aerith finished, letting out a short, sad laugh, full of self-loathing.

When Cloud didn't respond after a few seconds she felt her heart sink, instantly wondering if this had been a mistake. Her tears continued to flow freely as she glanced over, bracing herself for the expression of disgust she feared to find.

It wasn't that at all.

Cloud's face was a mask of rage, so full of raw hatred she felt herself flinch back, her tears forgotten in an instant. She could tell his anger wasn't directed at her—he was staring off unseeingly into the distance—but she jumped as she noticed his right hand. It was clenched shut, the tendons on his wrist taut and bulging from the strength he was using. The part that had caught her attention, however, was the slow drip of blood from his hand onto the sofa.

She leapt to her feet, rushing to her bathroom to grab her first aid kit. Cloud was still sitting there, unmoved as she returned to the living room. Dropping to her knees in front of him, she set the first aid kit on the sofa next to him and quickly preparing everything she needed to treat his wound. But when she went to try and unwrap his hand to get access to the injury, his grip didn't relax.

"Cloud, please, you're bleeding, let me help you," she begged, horrified by what he was doing to himself.

He was completely unresponsive to her plea, seeming unable to even hear what she'd said. So she did the only thing she could think of to get him to snap out of it, she kissed him quickly on the cheek. She understood it was wrong—knowing how he felt about physical intimacy—but she had to get him to stop. It was more of a peck than anything, but Cloud's eyes shot wide open as he was yanked back into reality. To her immense relief, his hand finally loosened from its death grip. She quickly grabbed a cloth from the first aid kit and began to clean up the blood.

Aerith winced as she gradually revealed the damage. His nails had shredded his palm. There were multiple cuts, presumably from each time his grip had increased. She was a little surprised he didn't even flinch as she applied an antiseptic to the wounds, and wondered if that was because of his SOLDIER training. Finishing her treatment by gently wrapping a bandage around his hand several times, Aerith was thankful to see that the bleeding had dramatically slowed by this point.

"I'm sorry I ruined your sofa," he murmured, startling her.

"Don't be silly, it's just a sofa, I'm more worried about you. I… Are you okay?"

Cloud's head slowly shifted to look directly at her, the undiluted sorrow in his eyes causing her to immediately tear up again.

"You say you're the pathetic one, but here I am getting comforted when I should be the one comforting you. I… I can't even begin to imagine what it would be like to have someone you trusted so completely do that to you." His voice cracked as he continued. "What he did is so utterly vile it makes me physically ill. I am so, so, sorry you had to go through that nightmare."

Aerith was only able to quickly nod her head, her tears now flowing freely, sobbing as she finally released all the pent up emotion that had been building since her story had begun. She hated she'd thought—even if only for a moment—that Cloud would have judged her for what had happened. But none of that mattered anymore. He'd understood, and supported her. Her heart soared as his uninjured hand gently rested on top of her own.

Cloud was still furious, even though two days had passed since he'd learned about Aerith's past. He never imagined he could be so angry at someone he'd never even met. Now that he knew everything, all of her earlier actions made complete sense—especially why his second visit to her stand had alarmed her so much.

They'd sat together a while longer in silence that night, her sobs breaking his heart each time another one broke free. He'd wanted to hold her tightly. Tell her he'd never let anything like that happen to her again. But he'd been too afraid to actually do anything. All he could do was hold her hand tightly, and hope it was enough.

He hated that weakness in him, always lurking there under the surface. Cloud was amazed at how strong Aerith was. That she'd been able to tell him anything of what had happened to her. He knew he didn't have anywhere near that kind of strength.

Eventually, her tears had stopped and she'd thanked him again. He wasn't sure he deserved it, feeling like he hadn't really done anything. He'd said his goodbyes, reassuring her that of course, their date for the weekend was still on.

He already had several plans for that, thanks to a discovery he'd made earlier today, now that Cid had finished his work on Fenrir. He was determined to make it stand out—to show Aerith just how important she was—despite the fact a part of him was still terrified to let her get any closer.

Summary:

Three of Kadaj's friends accost Aerith at her flower stand. While their assault remains verbal, it still brings her past up and Aerith is consumed by despair. Cloud arrives on the scene after his drink with Tifa, and while he initially thinks the three are customers, he quickly realizes that isn't true. He charges into action, obliterating one of the men, and taking out another while the third flees. He tries to calm Aerith, but she's shaken, and he ends up walking her back to her apartment. She tells Cloud she doesn't want to be alone right now, and he offers to grab them some food. After they eat, she tells him what happened to her.

Aerith met Kadaj in her final year of college. They start dating after roughly a week and a half and end up sleeping together a few days later. However, while Kadaj enjoys the experience and falls asleep immediately after, Aerith doesn't end up feeling much of anything, mostly because it's over so quickly. She gives Kadaj the benefit of the doubt and falls asleep, thinking of trying again in the morning, only to find that he's gone when she wakes up. He leaves a particularly despicable note, and she later learns through gossip that he'd made a bet with his friends he could get her to sleep with him within two weeks. The gossip transforms into horrible rumors, and Aerith ends up sequestering herself for the remainder of her degree.

Cloud is enraged to hear what happened to her and ends up shredding the palm of his right hand since his fist is so tightly clenched. She rushes to grab a first aid kit to try and treat the wound, but Cloud is lost in his rage and doesn't respond to any of her attempts to get him to loosen his grip. Ultimately she ends up kissing his cheek, which is enough to shock him out of it and allows her to bandage his hand. Cloud expresses his disgust at what Kadaj did, and offers his condolences, placing his uninjured hand on hers.

A few days later, Cloud struggles with his own past, wishing he'd been better able to comfort her. He's also impressed with the strength Aerith showed by telling him about hers. He makes plans for an incredible date to show her just how important she is.