a/n: I had a lot of fun writing this, it's always a delight to write Aerti 3

Hope you enjoy this fill, Up_sideand_down on AO3! Your prompts were all inspiring, but I super had to go with a meet cute for the girls.

Part of the FF7 Fanworks Exchange '23.

Aerith's daily walks are often uneventful. She has a few routes she takes depending on the weather or how far she's willing to go and for the most part nothing especially notable happens on any of them. She passes the same people, the same houses, the same parks. This doesn't bother Aerith, but it means the newcomer to the neighborhood makes a larger impact on her.

Today at the basketball court along her route, she catches sight of a dark-haired woman playing by herself. Aerith slows down as she passes to observe her; the woman is very focused, skillful with the ball, and absolutely gorgeous. After nearly slowing to a stop, Aerith picks her pace back up since, after all, it would be rude and strange to stand still and watch someone she doesn't know.

On her way back home along the same sidewalk, Aerith is eager to take another peek at the court. It's been a while, the woman may not be there anymore. However, as she turns the corner and the sight of the court comes into view, she can see that not only is the woman still there but she's also playing with the kids who are the ones usually occupying the court when Aerith passes by.

This time, Aerith stops completely and watches how the woman shows a little girl how to shoot the ball towards the basket. Aerith can't hear them clearly from this distance, but she can see them both smiling.

Entirely charmed, Aerith makes the decision to get closer. She approaches the chain link fence and the reactions from the children are instant.

"Aerith!"

"Miss Aerith!"

"Flower lady!"

Aerith giggles as the kids swarm the fence across from her. "Hello all of you! Are you having fun?"

One boy nods excitedly and points towards the mystery woman who seems to be unsure of what to do now. "She can shoot three-pointers like it's nothing!"

The girl who was previously with the woman holds the basketball over her head. "She's teaching me how to shoot!"

Aerith smiles at all of them as they talk over each other about the new basketball lady. She looks up at the woman, smiles at her, then gestures to the gate door.

"May I?" she asks.

The woman nods. Aerith unlatches the gate and after receiving a few hugs from the gathering of children she's known for years, she approaches her.

"Thank you for playing with them," Aerith says, "they have so much energy, don't they?"

A gentle laughter comes from the woman and Aerith wants to hear it over and over again. "They do, it's refreshing," she says. She tucks some hair loose from her ponytail behind her ear and smiles at Aerith. "I'm Tifa."

"Aerith. It's nice to meet you, Tifa," Aerith says, laying on the sweetness in her voice. "Are you new around here?"

Tifa nods. She motions for Aerith to follow her to the edge of the court so the kids can play. "Yes, I just moved to Midgar. It seems like you're well known around here."

Aerith chuckles. "I like to be involved in the community, but I've never been able to do much in the way of playing sports with the kids." She hums in thought. "Would you like a tour of the area? I can take you around sometime."

She flutters her lashes a little and leans her body to dip into Tifa's personal space. Aerith expects to either get a responsive reaction out of Tifa or get an indication that she's straight; she receives neither.

Tifa smiles, apparently oblivious, and nods. "I would like that very much!"

Aerith holds back a sigh. Well, there was no guarantee she'd get a date immediately, not everyone is like her.

"Here, I'll go get my phone and we can swap numbers," Tifa says, "that way we can stay in contact."

Well. Aerith is getting Tifa's number, so not all hope is lost.

When Aerith's phone goes off a couple of days later, she's elated to see a text message from Tifa asking if she's free to give her a walking tour today. Aerith quickly replies with a simple "Yep!".

Great! I'll let you know when I'm done with practice.

Aerith considers dropping the thread, but as she's on a walk already, she decides to message back.

Are you using the court?

Tifa's response comes quickly.

Yes, I am.

Aerith smiles to herself and makes a turn that will lead her straight on a detour to the basketball court.

See you in a few!

She pockets her phone and it's not too long of a trek to get to the court from where she is.

When she arrives, she's surprised to see that Tifa isn't alone today, nor is she surrounded by a group of children, who are all in school right now anyway. She's with a man with blonde hair and it appears that they're playing a one-on-one game. Aerith quietly approaches the fence, entranced by how agile and fluid the two are for a game she doesn't consider particularly graceful. Tifa dunks the ball into one of the hoops and Aerith can't help herself from clapping.

The pair look over at her and Tifa smiles. "You really meant only a few," she comments and trots over to the fence where Aerith is.

Aerith giggles. "I keep my promises," she says. "Having fun?"

Tifa nods and shifts her weight to one foot and puts her hand on her hip. "A lot, yes, it's nice to have such a large outdoor court like this one."

Aerith is about to ask a follow-up question about what she means when the blonde man comes up to them. He halts somewhat beside Tifa, keeping his distance from Aerith.

"Tifa," he says, but that's all he says. Aerith has the feeling he's not a talkative kind of guy. Tifa seems to understand everything he didn't say, and nods at him.

"I know, we still have a while," she says and turns back to Aerith. "If you want to go home, I can meet you somewhere."

Aerith smiles. "Or can I stay to watch? I don't get to see people play one-on-one that much, and I'm starting to like watching you play."

The blonde, out of Tifa's range of sight, rolls his eyes.

"Here, let me get the gate," Tifa says, "you can sit on the benches over there."

Tifa opens the gate for her and Aerith lingers a little close to her as she steps in. "So," she says in a not-so-hushed voice, "who's your date?"

Aerith adores the way Tifa's cheeks glow a little pink at the question. "Oh, no, Cloud is just my roommate. We've been friends since we were kids, he moved in with me from our hometown."

Bingo.

"Is that so?" Aerith comments and makes eye contact with Cloud behind Tifa. "It's nice to meet you, Cloud!"

Cloud shrugs and when Aerith winks at him she receives another eye roll. He seems to be a neutral party in Aerith's attempts to flirt with Tifa, which is better than any attempts at sabotage. She isn't going to count on him being an ally, so she'll happily accept a disgruntled-but-neutral best friend.

Tifa looks over her shoulder toward Cloud. "Cloud, this is Aerith. I told you about her."

Aerith is taken aback. Tifa talked about her? After their brief meeting the other day? She wasn't feeling down or anything, but now Aerith's spirits are soaring. She wiggles her body side-to-side, wisping her dress around in her wake as she swings her arms in shallow arcs.

Cloud spins the basketball in his hands. "Got it. Let's get back to it."

Tifa chuckles. She looks back at Aerith. "We won't be too long, it's supposed to be a short day anyway."

"I don't mind waiting. The town isn't going anywhere," Aerith replies. "I'll be cheering you on!"

She smiles at Tifa, sends a pointedly suggestive glance at Cloud, and makes her way to the bench on the other side of the court.

"So why didn't Cloud come along?" Aerith asks, twisting her spoon into her ice-cream.

Tifa sighs a little. "He said was too tired, but I know he has better stamina than that," she says, sounding worried.

Aerith has a feeling Cloud is giving her a chance and isn't being as neutral as she thought. "Maybe it's just an off day for him."

"Must be...I should check on him when I get home."

Aerith smiles and points her spoon in Tifa's direction. "You're a kind person, Tifa."

Tifa's bashful expression and eating more of her ice-cream as a diversion is completely adorable to Aerith.

"So, do you play on a team or is this just for fun?"

Tifa hums around her spoon for a moment. "I play on a women's team. They're based here in Midgar, so that's why I moved. Cloud plays as a hobby, he's not much of a team player."

Aerith could have guessed as much. She nods and folds her hands under her chin, leaning forward somewhat for her next question. "Where did you two move from?"

"Nibelheim. It's pretty far away and very small."

"Oh!" Aerith exclaims, sitting back up straight. "My ex-boyfriend is from Gongaga! Have you heard of there?"

Tifa chuckles and nods. "I've heard of it. Isn't it smaller than Nibelheim?"

Aerith shrugs. "I wouldn't know, I've lived in Midgar my whole life. Have you met anyone from there?"

"I don't think so, there aren't many visitors to Nibelheim."

"The guy I dated was nice, but the whole "guy" part became a problem, you know? We broke up before he could take me to meet his parents in Gongaga, so I've really never been out of the city."

Tifa pauses, staring at Aerith for a moment before taking another bite of her melting ice-cream. Aerith is used to dropping the gay fact on people without a problem, but maybe small towns were different. She shrinks back a little; Tifa may not have picked up on her little flirts on the court, but there's the chance she's putting the pieces together now and it's making her uncomfortable and—

"I've been there," Tifa says, a hint of solemnness to her tone, "the whole...dating a guy and realizing that wasn't what I wanted...thing."

"Oh," Aerith says, and though she's excited to hear that they're compatible, she senses something a little gloomy in how Tifa sounds. "It's tough, huh?"

Tifa nods. "I still feel guilty about it. I don't...think he's over me, still, even after a while," she says and rubs her fingers over her spoon, "maybe that's why I was so eager to move, you can't really avoid people in a place like Nibelheim."

Aerith shakes her head. "I know I can't change your mind, but it's not your fault, you know."

Tifa sighs but smiles at Aerith. "You're right...thank you."

Aerith returns the smile and she places her hand on the table, wanting to reach out for Tifa's hand but knowing she's not emotionally close enough to do so. "If you want to talk about it sometime, I'm all ears."

"I'll keep that in mind."

Aerith nods, then she and Tifa lock eyes. They watch each other in silence; Tifa's eyes are red like glittering rubies, her skin looks soft to the touch, her hair is shiny and dark, and the way her expression softens after a moment seizes Aerith's heart. Aerith hopes Tifa is looking at her the way she's looking at Tifa, because what else could be on her mind in this moment.

Whatever it was, Tifa breaks eye contact first, cheeks flushed, and she goes back to her ice-cream immediately. Maybe this isn't the way Aerith wanted to bond with Tifa, over a strained history of compulsory heterosexuality, but she's happy to have anything and to be of help to someone who understands her in a way most people don't.

She's also confident that they had "a moment" just now and she'll ride that high for the rest of the week.

In her few years of being "the flower lady", Aerith has found that all sorts of people are interested in her flower cart whenever she brings it out around the neighborhood. Both adults and kids will wander over to her when she's on her walks with it full of flowers fresh from her garden. She doesn't charge for them, much to the dismay of her ex, so everyone is free to pick one they like if they ask politely.

As she passes by the basketball court today, she peers over to see if Tifa is out playing and sure enough she spots her as she's making a shot. She's alone this time; no kids, no Cloud. Aerith takes this opportunity to get her attention.

"Tifa! Hellooo!" she calls out, waving.

Tifa looks over and Aerith can see her cute smile made just for her.

"Aerith! You have a cart out, today," Tifa responds, balancing the basketball on her hip as she gets closer to the fence's gate.

Aerith smiles. "Why don't you come take a look?"

Tifa chuckles, places the ball on the ground, and exits the gate to trot towards Aerith. Once there, she looks into the cart and gasps. "Flowers! They're beautiful...did you grow these?"

Aerith nods. "I did! I have a whole garden of flowers and vegetables. I like to go around with the flowers from time to time."

"That's incredible...I didn't know you gardened."

Aerith puts her hand to her mouth as she giggles. "That's not something I hear very often, I think it's what people know most about me around here."

"Then maybe I need to get to know you better," Tifa suggests, tilting her head and smiling at Aerith. Aerith hopes Tifa's being an ounce as flirtatious as she hopes.

Aerith looks around the flowers left in her cart and spots a reddish one in the middle. She plucks it out and reaches over to Tifa to tuck it behind her ear. Tifa's expression turns gently surprised and Aerith grins.

"It matches your eyes," Aerith says.

Tifa's blushing a little, now. "O-oh...do I owe you anything?"

Aerith's typical response would be to tell her no, it's on the house, or explain that she doesn't charge for her flowers at all. However, she sees an opportunity and she would be a fool to not take it. She holds up one finger and winks at Tifa.

"One date."

Tifa stares at her. "One...date?"

"That's right! Take me out on a date and we'll be even."

Tifa's bashfulness is cute but the pause in a reply is worrying Aerith. Sure, the "one date" tactic worked on Aerith, but maybe it's too forward for Tifa. She'll have to file a complaint with Zack the ex about this.

Or, maybe not. Tifa's lips turn up into a soft smile and she gently touches the flower in her hair. "Okay. Can I call you after practice?"

"Of course!" Aerith chirps. "I'll be waiting."

Though Tifa was supposed to take the lead on her date with Aerith, Aerith is the one who comes up with a place to go and a time for Tifa to pick her up. They go to a local pizza place Aerith swears is the best pizza in all of Midgar, and on their walk there Tifa reveals she's never had fresh pizza before, only from frozen. Aerith gasps.

"You'll love this place, then! It's really good, I promise," she says as they near the restaurant, "I can't believe I get to be here for your first one!"

Tifa chuckles, appearing embarrassed. "I trust your judgment, Aerith."

Once inside and seated, Aerith and Tifa agree to share a whole pizza instead of getting two separate ones. They chat idly until Tifa drops which team she plays for.

"You're on Midgar's women's team? Like the one that's part of the national league?" Aerith asks to make sure she heard correctly.

Tifa nods. "That's right. I was drafted recently and, as you know, had to move closer."

"Why didn't you tell me before? That's very impressive!"

Tifa sighs. "I don't know, I think I'm still getting used to the change myself. Playing for a big city like Midgar is intimidating."

Aerith grins and puts her chin in her hands. "You seem like you can handle it."

"Thank you."

The pizza arrives and Tifa's eyes widen.

"It smells amazing!" she says, watching Aerith as she carefully puts a slice onto her plate.

Aerith nods enthusiastically. "Doesn't it? I love this place, it tastes even better than it smells."

Tifa copies Aerith's actions and Aerith finds it adorable how excited Tifa looks.

"Tell me how your first bite is," Aerith says, "you'll never do frozen again, unless you want to. But you won't."

Tifa agrees and after blowing on her slice, she takes a bite and shuts her eyes as she chews. Once she swallows she lets out a delighted sigh.

"This is amazing...you were right, Aerith."

"I'm glad you liked it!" Aerith takes her own bite and has a similarly blissful experience.

It's fairly silent while they eat, save for the snippets of conversation they manage to have between mouthfuls. Aerith takes it as a sign of good, enjoyable food, and doesn't think too much about the lack of talking. They have all the time in the world to talk when they aren't chowing down.

At some point, though, Tifa stops eating and shoots Aerith a particularly serious expression. Aerith also stops.

"Is something wrong, Tifa?"

"Aerith...I'm sorry to ask, but is this just a one-time thing for you? For the flower?" Tifa asks. She looks a little distressed, her brow furrowed and eyes pleading.

Aerith puts down her slice and tilts her head. "Well, I was hoping you would want to go on more dates with me than this one," she says, "but it's okay if you don't."

Tifa shakes her head. "No, it's not that. I wanted to make sure we're on the same page."

"So...do you want to date me?"

"I...yes. I do."

Aerith beams at Tifa and claps her hands together. "Then we can be girlfriends!"

Tifa's blush comes full force now in tandem with a shy little smile. "We can!"

Aerith giggles while she swings her legs under the table. "So, now that that's all figured out, do you want to go get ice-cream when we're done with pizza?"

Tifa smiles. "I'd love to."