Lil bit of some sexin going on here. Sort of all over the place, but whatever at least I finished it quick. But seriously, if I ever use the word gentle, gently or any other variation of that word, please shoot me.

I'm a little bit offended that no one reviewed again last chapter . . . oh well I guess you guys have better things to do than review this piece of shit haha

It had been a half hour since she had come downstairs. She managed to occupy the time with watering the various plants around the room, flipping through random books – never really managing to read a full page - , and doing other random things. Finally, she sat still.

And wondered what Zack was expecting.

She had tried not to think about it, but Zack had been turned on the last time they saw each other, and she would be lying if she said she wasn't as well. She had felt something and it terrified her. She was fascinated, and yet scared to lose whatever innocence she had left.

Back when she was young and had friends, she remember one of them telling her what sex was. The girl a, pretty wutanese immigrant who had since run off with a wealthy man, had gone into her sisters room at night and found a middle aged man in her room, on top of her sister. She said that she watched as the man flopped around on top of her sister, all while her sister lay unmoving. She was too stunned to say anything, and just ended up running back to her room. In the morning she asked her sister what it was. Her sister explained nothing and simply said that she had to do it. The family needed money.

Aerith, being a child, had no clue what her friend meant by telling her that. As she got older though, she learned exactly what her friend had seen. Her friend's sister had sold her body, like so many other slum girls needed to do to survive. She heard so many stories, in passing, none of which seemed really appealing.

And then there were fairytales that told of princesses in far away towers, rescued by princes and they fall in love and get married and live happily ever after. There was never a word about sex for money or anything like that. Did sex and love really go together? They just seemed so very different to her.

Elmyra had been silent on the subject, but maybe if she had told Aerith about the love she had with her husband Aerith would have a different opinion.

It made Aerith wonder, was Zack expecting her to be like other girls? She just wanted to make Zack happy, but she didn't want to destroy who she was in the process. She wanted the fairytale with him, even if their bodies wanted more.

She sat in the dim light, mulling things over in her head so thoroughly that she didn't even hear the quiet knock on her door. Another knock, this time louder. Aerith turned quickly, her eyes falling on the door. Her heart flew out of her chest. She rushed to the door and wrenched it open, revealing Zack. Overcome with emotion, she fell into his arms.

He bent slightly, resting his head near her shoulder and gathering her into his chest, pressing her as close as he could. She wrapped her arms around his back, her arms reaching towards his shoulders. They stood there for an eternity.

Aerith could feel the dampness in his clothes, she could smell the wilderness on his skin. She held him tighter, her face pressed to his torso. But then he groaned, a slow, pained sound, with brought Aerith back down to earth.

She opened her eyes and could see the hardened blood that covered his body. Fresh blood ran from his temple and down his face. Various shallow scratches covered his long arms.

She retaliated, to Zack's surprise. He let go of her, his hands dropping to his sides.

Aerith opened her mouth, but could not seem to form words. She backed away in horror.

"W-what . . . what happened?"

"What, this?" Zack laughed, forcing him to press a hand to his bruised rib. He winced, but tried to smile through it. "This is nothing."

She brought a hand to her mouth as hot tears sprang into her eyes. It hurt her to seem him in such pain. He looked absolutely terrible, and she could only image what the rest of his body looked like.

His face softened as he reach his hand out towards her. He pulled himself close to her and wrapped his arms around her fragile frame, rocking gently, an involuntary reaction that happened when girls cried around him. "Shhhh, hey I'm okay, see? I'm fine, really. Just a few cuts and bruises. Nothing I can't fix with a few bandaids." This caused her to sob suddenly, as she realized these were just the kinds of the wounds that could not be fixed by a bandaid.

"I've already cast cure, so I'm in no danger. I just need a little disinfectant and I'll be fine." Zack continued quickly, kissing the top of her head.

Aerith pulled away, suddenly angry. "Why did ShinRa do this to you! They should have at least treated you! I mean, dropping you off with no medical attention? The nerve! I swear I -"

"Actually . . ." Zack mumbled, "They think I'm at the ShinRa facility hospital right now." He watched Aerith's reaction, continuing before she could say anything, "B-but I hate hospitals anyway and I really needed to see you! Just being around you I feel ten times better!"

"Zack . . ." Aerith said, touching his arm. She was going to reprimand him, but realized she had nothing to say. She was glad that he came, even if it did cost him his health. She kissed him, gently, tenderly, like only a girl could, before leading him upstairs to the bathroom.

Zack, even in the sorry state that he was, couldn't help but glance up her skirt as she ascended the steep staircase. White lace; how fitting, He thought, flicking his eyes towards her panties. His head bumped against the low ceiling with a thud, forcing him to get his head out of the gutter. Fuck, he cursed internally, Why is every home prejudice against tall people?

"Watch your head." Aerith said, hinting sarcasm.

"Oh thanks, I will." Zack replied, smirking.

At the top of the stairs Aerith made a left, past her bedroom door and into the bathroom.

The room was ridiculously small, to Zack's dismay. He edged passed Aerith and sat on the edge of the antique, free standing tub, but his legs folded did not even give Aerith enough room to get by, so he slid back into the basin. He propped himself up as if he was taking a bath, but his legs were too long and extended past the edge of the tub on either side of the faucet.

"You look like your in a doll house." Aerith murmered, still solem, eyes on his folded form. She tried to ignore his battered appearance.

"Its not my fault your house was made for trolls." Zack retorted, thinking of the smallest mammal he could.

The edge of the tub touched the sink where Aerith stood. Her arms swayed by her side, almost touching his resting hand with every move. He couldn't help but close the gap and touch her smooth hand. His thumb ran along her palm.

"Ah, here it is." Aerith reached into the cabinet, pulling her hand away from his and getting out a bottle of disinfectant. She couldn't even bear to look at him. She grabbed a washcloth and a roll of gauze.

She watched as Zack easily slithered from the tub, a task that would have taken her fumbling self significantly longer. They left the small bathroom, and suddenly Zack found himself in the middle of Aerith's room again. It looked much different in the light, and he could finally see everything that was in there.

But there wasn't much to see anyway, save a small vanity and a bed. It was beyond plain. Zack smiled though, when he noticed a thick pink ribbon hanging off the side of her mirror.

Aerith motioned for him to sit on her bed. She unscrewed the bottle, and dumped some of the liquid onto the towel.

"This might sting." She warned him, touching a cool hand to his hot shoulder. She pressed the towel to one of the smaller wounds, and waited for his reaction. It didn't come. All she felt was his muscles slightly tense, but it was almost like he didn't notice the pain. She followed the blood to the edge of his shirt but stopped. The cuts on his shoulder all ran onto his chest, but she wouldn't dare ask him to take off his shirt.

He must have noticed her hesitation, because he unbuckled the large belt that rested on his belly, releasing the bottom of his shirt so her could pull it off. He winced as he reached his arms up.

Bruises of every color dotted his cut stomach. Gashes, deep and shallow ran like rivers across his torso. Aerith held her breath as she stared at him. Even marred with lacerations, his body was beautiful. He was lean, and long.

He leaned back on her bed, placing his head on her pillow. His hair fanned out around him. His gaze was soft, tired even. His eyes closed. He looked vulnerable.

Aerith continued to clean the cuts on his shoulder and arms, talking softly to Zack as she worked. He was exhausted, she could tell, but he kept himself awake as she tended to him. This was nothing like the meeting Aerith had expected. She had imagined kisses and lips and tongue and groans, although this was a sweet alternative. She enjoyed taking care of him. She felt so protected around him, it was about time he feel protected by her.

"So when do you think your next big mission will be?" Aerith asked quietly.

"mmm there's no way of knowing. Whenever they feel like it really." The arm that Aerith was not touching covered his eyes casually. "But the more the better. I want to make it to First Class before the end of summer."

She leaned over suddenly, pressing her lips to his. He arched into the kiss, moving his hand to the side of her neck and pulling her closer. It was fleeting, but full of emotion. Their lips parted and she went back to work.

"What was that for?" Zack asked, smiling crookedly and bringing his arm back to rest on his forehead.

She didn't answer, only smiled secretly to herself. She was proud of him for having big dreams. No one had aspirations in Midgar, including her. Dreams brought pain, not change. But Zack had a chance at happiness, she could just tell.

She moved onto his stomach, relishing the way his muscles flexed and relaxed under his taunt skin. She loved how it was her touch, and not the harsh alcohol in her other hand that caused his muscles to tighten. She cleaned each wound with care, bandaging every swollen cut with gauze and tape.

They continued to chat about different things. The conversation died off for a while though, as Aerith ran to get tweezers to extract a small piece of glass or metal from of a cut. It felt oddly normal just the two of them enjoying each others company, chatting about useless things. Aerith had so many questions to ask him about the world above and around the slums. He told her about the ocean and beach and promised to bring her one day when he wasn't working. This sprung forth a whole conversations worth of questions from Aerith, who had never even been outside of Midgar.

Zack liked talking to Aerith. He felt like she was genuinely interested in the things that he was telling her. She got excited at the things he said, and she asked a lot of questions, which he answered happily, albeit tiredly.

After pressing the last bandage to his stomach he rolled over, showing his back. It wasn't as bad as his stomach, but still took time to dress. Zack was lulling in and out of sleep as Aerith talked softly to him. He loved the sound of her gentle voice.

She was in the midst of explaining to Zack the different slum social classes when she realized that there were no more cuts to bandage. She had used more than enough gauze, and have even bandaged the small, minor cuts that she wouldn't have even covered if it were herself.

"And then there's my mother and I . . ." She was saying, but trailed off when she realized he wasn't listening anyway. She sat back for a moment, admiring her work, all the while trying not to laugh at how ridiculous he looked on her small bed. Ridiculous, but impossibly peaceful. His lips were barely touching and stray hairs fell across his serene face. His hand was resting limp by his face. She ran her palm along his temple, brushing his thick hair back.

He smiled into her pillow, stirring slightly. He groaned - the sleepy, sighing type that everyone does upon awakening – and yawned. He stretched as minimally as he could, turning onto his side to face her. His back pressed into the wall. Looking at his eyes, they were half-lidded and sleepy. He looked like a child just waking from a nap as he lazily rubbed his eyes.

"Come here." He said, a sleepy grin on his lips. He extended a hand, and after she grasped his fingers, pulled her onto the bed. Zack wrapped his arms around her, pressing his forehead to hers.

"Thank you for all you've done."

"It's nothing" She whispered.

He kissed her cheek tenderly.

His lips, warm and inviting, drew her in. She hesitated, relishing the moment that she was in. This was real. Zack was real. She met her lips to his and gave herself to him. He was painfully gentle with his lips on hers, even more so than their first kiss. She melted into him, meeting every sleepy embrace with a small kiss of her own. He draped and arm over her bent thigh, his fingers claiming the smooth skin.

His tongue ran along the inside of her mouth. She sucked gently, and tentatively began using her own tongue to run against his. She arched into him, her hands finding there way to his jaw. He had pushed her dress up far enough for him to graze his fingertips across her ass. He could feel her inhale sharply as his rough hands wandered across the back of her underwear. He pulled his hands away.

"No . . . don't stop." She murmured into his cheek. Edging even closer to his chest, she bent and kissed his collarbone, letting her tongue drag along the freckled skin. The night was silent and dark, the only light coming from a bright street lamp outside her room. It emitted a greenish-blue, unnatural light, making the two seem otherworldly. Aerith traced the blue light on Zack's shoulders and shivered as his hand trailed up her spine.

"This is so weird." Aerith whispered absently. "We barely know each other, and yet I feel as though when you leave tonight my world may fall apart."

"Then I'll never leave." He said simply, taking her mouth in his. His fingers edged under the waistband of her panties, and he felt her bare ass on his palm. She was amazing, without even trying. Her skin was smooth and tight and wonderful.

She moaned softly as he brought a hand to her clothed breast. She wasn't wearing a bra, he could tell by the way it moved in his hand. He felt her small nipple with his thumb, and she hid her face in his shoulder, unable to stifle her mewling. Wanting to hear more of her sounds, he dipped his other hand lower in her underwear and felt her wet sex. She moaned and rocked into his finger, wanting more than anything to feel him inside her.

Zack eased his finger into her, arching the tip as he withdrew, slowly, painstakingly. She had brought her face up to meet his. Her brows were furrowed, eyes closed, her lips parting in the most seductive of ways; the portrait of pleasure. Her moans were soft, barely audible other than the last chord. His eyes studied her face as her built up a rhythm with his finger. She whimpered into his cheek when his thumb ran against her clit.

His long finger slid in and out of her, slick with her wetness. She lifted her leg, unable to control herself, so that her knee rested on his hip, and rocked into him.

The sounds that were coming from Aerith's mouth were sending Zack into a haze. The type of woman Zack had always been attracted to were older, with massive breasts and wanton screams. They writhed below him, groaning loudly and gyrating their hips. But the girl in front of him, Aerith, she was so vastly different. She was quiet, her moans more of an heavy breath than anything else, taking her time as she rolled her hips into him. She wasn't trying to impress him with her actions, she just let her body naturally react, and that turned him on so fucking much.

The humid summer air fell on them like a wool blanket. Aerith had been right, the situation did seem surreal. He was in the slums, fingering a virgin he had met less than a week before. But he felt consumed by this near stranger. The feeling that she gave him was indescribable; touching her was like touching a lightning storm. It felt dangerous and exciting, like some force of nature ready to destroy him, but also somehow soft, and gentle. She made Zack feel like a living person and not the monster that people claimed he was.

Her hand clung to his arm. She could feel the rigid muscles in his upper arm clench and retract every time he moved inside of her.

"Ah! Zack!" She whispered frantically, her eyes squeezing shut.

He never imagined that he could feel so good by making someone else feel good. Sex was all about how you felt, and not at all what the other person was feeling. You did what you could to get the most out of the act. That is, unless you were getting paid. Then you did everything for money and it was no longer about how you feel. Actually, to Zack at least, most of his 'working days' he felt nothing really at all. He was a machine going through mundane tasks. He didn't even have to try.

But he wanted her too feel good. More than anything in the world he wanted her to feel good.

She was clinging onto him, pushing herself into his arms.

But did he deserve someone like her?

Aerith's head was swimming. Her body was moving on its own. She bit her lip.

Would he just be bad for her?

He could feel her climax, shivers rocking through her as she uttered one last, desperate sigh, and fell into him. Zack remained silent as Aerith reached her solitary ecstasy, watching her, intently, as if waiting for her to speak. Her breathing was labored as she came back down to earth.

Reality became a factor again as she tried to wrap her mind around what she had just done.