a/n: fill for a tumblr prompt
Aerith is more interested in "dinner and a movie" when it's Cloud asking while trying not to be so shy about it. She's just fine with taking a long walk through the city or along the river, she even prefers it, but Cloud was so cute when he suggested this date that she was more than happy to go. She insisted that Cloud pick the movie and she pick the seats.
"Since we're getting dinner later, maybe we shouldn't get popcorn this time," Cloud muses. "Is that okay with you?"
Aerith nods. "Thank you for thinking of that," she chirps, "we can spend more time together if we eat long enough."
Cloud's smile is precious and Aerith could watch him smile for the length of at least ten movies. She wraps her arms around his and leans her head on his shoulder. "Love you," she coos.
She looks up at Cloud so she can watch him get all bashful but try to act like a cool guy about it. "Love you too," he mutters. Aerith giggles and kisses his cheek.
Once in the theater Aerith leads Cloud up to the back row at the very top. So far the theater is pretty empty and when they sit down in the middle she expresses this observation.
Cloud hums. "I guess this movie's been out long enough that everyone's seen it," he muses. "That's fine by me...I don't really like crowded places."
Aerith rests her head on his shoulder for a moment to comfort him. "Then this is perfect."
She can feel Cloud turning his head to look at her. "Yeah," he says warmly, "this is perfect."
He kisses her head as the lights dim. Aerith feels her heart fluttering. People act like Cloud doesn't care but they don't understand and it's not like he lets them see how gentle and loving he can be. It's frustrating when acquaintances react the way they do when they find out they're together.
Aerith sits up but leans over after almost every trailer to give Cloud her opinion and sometimes even a request that they go see the movie being advertised—maybe after it's been showing for a while, of course. His response is sometimes a nod or a shrug but is always silent; he's pretty keen on not talking during movies but never seems to mind Aerith's habit of reacting vocally.
Aerith's final remark before the movie officially starts is "—I'm just saying there have been a lot of un-cute animated movies lately." and it actually makes Cloud chuckle a little.
The movie itself is fairly interesting but Aerith is too engaged in looking at Cloud; she likes to see how he reacts when usually nobody would be witnessing it. Inevitably she's soon distracted by his lips, barely parted and, from her extensive experience, very kissable. It wouldn't be very hard...all she would need to do is lean over, smooch him real quick, and go back to pretending to be absorbed in the movie. After all, she's been spending more time watching Cloud and the little twitches of his mouth than she has been watching the big screen from their back row seats.
Cloud would probably just blush and maybe try to give her some kind of pouty, accusatory look but she'd sneakily be back to watching the movie as if nothing had happened. When she thinks of that part she can't help but feel more emboldened to give it a shot. She needs to have fun! It's not like there's a lot of people here anyway.
Aerith anchors herself on the armrest between them, reaches out to gently turn his head to face her and leans in to kiss him. She keeps her hand on his cheek, along his strong jaw she's kissed up and down before. Cloud makes a small surprised noise, obviously trying to keep his voice down. Aerith takes her time to slip off his lips—so much for quick and stealthy.
She smiles at him and winks, though she knows they're both not very visible in the dark theater watching a fairly dark-colored movie. She brushes her thumb over Cloud's cheek and starts to return to her seat until Cloud surprises her by tugging on her shoulder and kissing her again.
This time it's definitely not going to be quick in any sense. Cloud goes all in, releases her shoulder so he can slide his hand behind Aerith's neck as he continues to kiss her. Aerith is so down for this that she uses both hands to hold his face and teases him with little gasps. She didn't expect him to actually go for kissing like this in the back of a theater like a couple of teenagers but she's definitely not opposed.
Cloud further surprises her by slipping his tongue into her mouth before she can and it escalates the series of kisses into full making out. Aerith puts her hands firmly in Cloud's hair, tugging and stroking; she knows Cloud can't do the same since she would be a little upset if her very cute hairstyle was messed up. She appreciates his solution of shoving the armrest up so that he can put his hands on her waist and back.
When the credits start to roll and the lights brighten they come to a stopping point and are left flushed and needing to catch their breath.
Cloud clears his throat and sits back in his seat despite the fact that it's clearly time to leave. "Still on for dinner?" he asks, trying not to sound as flustered as he is. Aerith is incredibly charmed by how cool he's trying to act after all that.
She can't pass this up. "As long as we go back to my place for dessert," she flirts sweetly. "What do you say?"
Cloud's cheeks manage to become more red than before. He scratches the back of his head; the confidence-boosting deep breath he takes excites Aerith—she always feels good when Cloud is willing to say things aloud that aren't really common usage for him.
"In that case...let's just order delivery and go straight there," Cloud suggests and Aerith is delighted. "Or pick up some take-out on the way back."
Aerith giggles and kisses his warm cheek. "Would take-out still count as you being the cute delivery boy?"
Cloud stands up and Aerith follows suit. "If I have to knock on your door then yes."
"Don't give me any ideas, Mr. Strife," Aerith teases, "I might just accidentally let my door close behind me."
She loves that Cloud smiles at her notion; it means he's down for it but might also mean their dinner will get cold while their desserts get hot.