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3. Zack: Boyfriend

Aerith was in her church. It was where she and Zack always met, a neutral ground since her mother had some grudge against Shinra and nearly had apoplexy after the first time she met him and saw his uniform.

He wore it because there were politics under the Plate the same as there were in any city. Though Shinra liked to ignore it, the slums were still a society and had evolved their own rituals and customs. If you didn't live there, you were an outsider; if you were an outsider you were fair game for anyone desperate or bitter enough to leave you dead and empty-pocketed in an alley. At least the SOLDIER uniform gave advanced warning not to try it. Zack figured it was as much for potential muggers' safety as his own.

Aerith didn't have such problems. True, life in the slums was still dangerous for her, but she'd grown up there. She knew her way around the unwritten rules and her new role as flower girl gave her a certain amount of additional protection. If an outsider threatened her then the loose community of Section Five would close around her, shielding their little flower girl and the light she brought into their lives. Midgar was harsh, but even those below the Plate appreciated flowers – especially if it meant the prospect of a good fight. It was one of the reasons Zack could be seen out with her without worrying too much about her being punished for associating with a 'Shinra pet'.

"Hey," he said, pushing open the heavy door. "Aerith?"

Her head popped up from behind a pew. Obviously she hadn't been able to resist tending her precious plants while she waited. "Zack!" She jumped to her feet and ran at him.

Laughing, he scooped her up and swung her tiny body around in a circle. She weighed practically nothing anyway, but his enhanced strength made her feel even more like a rag-doll in his arms. Her laughter mingled with his as she gripped tight and squealed for him to stop. After walking through the filthy streets, Aerith's smile was like sunshine cutting through smog – likewise her hug when he finally did set her down.

"What a welcome!"

"That's nothing," she beamed, standing on tiptoe to press her lips to his. It was a chaste kiss and short. She pulled back first, embarrassed, but Zack just grinned.

"Okay, I take it back. That's a proper welcome."

"Silly." She stepped away from him and went to collect her basket. "So are you ready to go?" Yet another way for him to be more accepted as her boyfriend – by making sure people associated his face with the joy and hope of her flowers, not the fear and revulsion usually connected to Shinra. That'd been Aerith's idea, and he was happy to go along with it.

"Sure." He offered her his arm, but she playfully smacked him away.

"I can walk by myself. C'mon, I thought we could start at the park today."

Not that the mishmash of pipes and concrete was anything like a park in the traditional sense, but the wide space was one of the only places kids could play and not worry about buildings collapsing on them. Maybe someday someone would erect real playthings there. Zack imagined pushing Aerith on a swing. The image wasn't unappealing.

"Sure, whatever."

They talked as they walked. Aerith was a good conversationalist, even if she sometimes leaned towards flights of fancy. Still, it was good to have dreams. Zack knew that better than most. She told him about what she'd been up to since he saw her last, apologising that her life must be so boring compared to his. Zack disagreed. Sometimes he longed for a life where 5 a.m. training regimes were somebody else's problem.

They kept talking when they reached the park, and as people came up and bought Aerith's flowers. She had some sort of yellow things today; Zack was awful at telling one plant from another. Aerith was dedicated to learning as much about each one as she could, but Zack had been to Wutai where things grew like they couldn't stop.

Maybe if things ever quietened down properly he'd take Aerith there, he reflected. He had leave, and money saved, and gods knew she deserved time away from the slums. She'd probably like the countryside, and it'd sure be a change from Midgar, where inside was a sunless dump and outside was a desert wasteland. Not exactly the best place to learn about plant-life, though Zack did try. He liked seeing the little smile Aerith got when he was Making an Effort, even if it was usually followed by Zack Messed Up Again. When he was dispatched on his last residential service he brought back an interesting vine, only for her to tell him it was Poison Ivy. The resilience he got from SOLDIER treatments prevented it from affecting him (in her words, he'd have to be dumped in a vat of the stuff to develop a single spot), but it gave her a rash that made her ban him from seeing her for a week, even though he said sorry.

"Are you going away again soon?" Aerith asked, as if reading his mind.

"About due to be dispatched somewhere," he admitted. "No clue where, though. Wutai's pretty quiet and the higher-ups are cagey about everywhere else." He probably shouldn't be talking to her about this stuff, but who was she going to spill it to?

Aerith paused. Zack took a few steps before stopping too.

"I worry about you when you go away," she said softly.

"Hey, no frowny face. There's no reason for frowny face." Zack linked his arms behind his head, self-conscious. "It's part of the job."

"I know that. But…" She raised her eyes to his. "You're not exactly the most careful person in the world. You take silly risks, so I worry."

"I'm not an idiot."

She raised an eyebrow, expression sliding from anxious to unconvinced.

"Hey! I'm not!"

"Maybe not," she conceded, "but sometimes you do seem to have the self-preservation instinct of a lemming."

Zack's mouth fell open. That was … pretty good, for Aerith. "You wound me."

Aerith giggled. Then her face became serious again. "Zack, promise me. Promise me you'll take care." The sudden earnestness in her voice put him on his guard.

"What brought this on?"

"Nothing."

"Don't lie. I've been away on missions before and you've never gone this grim – especially since I haven't even been given the order to move out yet. C'mon, what's up?"

She looked away. "It's stupid-"

"Try me."

"I had … a dream."

"A dream?"

"See, I told you it's stupid-"

"No, wait. Go on." Zack was interested despite himself.

Aerith fixed him with a reproachful look. "Just trust me, okay? I had a dream, it wasn't nice, and now I want you to promise me you won't do something really stupid that'll get you hurt – or worse."

Zack looked hurt. "I know I'm not perfect, but I'm not suicidal, either."

"You push yourself," Aerith said firmly, and with far more conviction than should've been possible, considering she'd never seen him in the field. "You're still trying to prove yourself to someone. You want to be a hero, but heroes get hurt, Zack. I don't want you to get hurt…"

Angeal's face briefly surfaced in Zack's mind, followed closely by Sephiroth. Okay, so maybe there was some credence to what she was saying, but still … he was a First Class SOLDIER. He could handle himself.

Evidently his face communicated this, because Aerith stepped towards him, laying a hand flat against his chest. Usually it was him initiating contact when they weren't being playful. Zack looked down at her hand and back at her face, noting the intense tilt of her eyebrows and the way her lips bunched a little in the middle as she willed him to say what she wanted.

He sighed. Damn him for not being able to resist her. "Okay, okay, I promise not to take unnecessary risks that'll get me maimed, mangled or killed."

Aerith pouted. "You don't sound very sincere."

"What do you want from me? It may all be moot anyhow. I may be relegated to Midgar for another six months training recruits, and you," he jabbed a finger that just brushed the tip of her nose, "may just be stuck with me."

She smirked. "Such a chore."

"You better believe it. I'm the kind of Shinra pet that needs constant attention. And lots of cuddles. Among other things." He leaned close but she pushed him away, conscious of where they were and the interested faces directed their way.

"Zack!" she hissed.

Zack sighed. He was allowed to sell her flowers and push her cart but not kiss her in public. How unfair was that? What was it that had made him fall for a girl with so many strings attached? He'd never have had this problem if he'd married a girl from Gongaga like everyone always assumed he would.

Yeah right. Gongaga girls could heft a baby under each arm and still chase you down the street to smack you upside the head.

"To be continued?"

Aerith jabbed her own finger against the tip of his nose. "Of course."