Final Fantasy VII

Sky Blue Eyes

By LuckyLadybug

Notes: The characters are not mine and this ficlit of cuteness is! It was directly inspired by the 31 Days prompt "... and a sky so blue that it'll eat you alive!"

Zack yawned, stretching his arms to the sky. As his back cracked and popped, he laid backwards against Aerith's lap.

"Well," he grinned, "what do you think of the world topside?"

He had decided that the perfect date would be to escort Aerith to where the sky could be seen. But instead of telling her, he had said only to pack a picnic and that they were going on a top secret mission. She had placed her hands to her hips and had given him an amused look.

"A top secret mission? Well, we certainly will need food for that!"

He had nodded eagerly. "It'll be a big daytrip!"

It had taken them some time to arrive. He had driven the Jeep out of Midgar and through the wilderness until they had approached Kalm. Several days before, while visiting young Maryn, he had discovered a field of wildflowers that he had known Aerith would love. And her expression of amazement and awe as he had parked in front of them then was well worth it all.

"This is it?!" she had exclaimed, standing up in the Jeep. "Oh, Zack, it's beautiful!"

He had grinned. "All for you," he had chirped, leaping out. She had grabbed the picnic basket and followed.

It had been a wonderful day. They had chased each other through the meadow until they were exhausted. Then they had collapsed, laughing, into the grass, rolling down a small hill to land with Aerith on top of Zack. And for a moment, they had sobered as they had gazed into each other's eyes--Aerith's a bright green, Zack's lavender infused with the turquoise mako.

The food had been delicious. Aerith had spread the blanket and they had shared the lunch, with Zack complimenting every item and Aerith scolding him to slow down his ravenous chomping before he choked. Now, as the sky began to fill with the colors of sunset and twilight, they were relaxing, basking in the moment.

Aerith smiled softly, gazing down at Zack before looking up at the ever-changing hues painted across the sky. "It's so beautiful," she said, her voice hushed in her reverence for the scene. "It's been so long since I've seen the sky like this. In some ways, it feels like it hasn't changed at all. And yet . . . it's always different every time you look at it--all the colors, the clouds. . . . It's a picture that's moving and changing every moment."

"It was so blue earlier, it was like it'd eat you up," Zack grinned, clasping his hands on his chest.

Aerith pretended to think. "Hmm. No," she mused, "that's your eyes."

"Really?" Zack blinked. "Hey, is that a good thing or a bad thing?"

Aerith's look turned playful. "You tell me," she said. "You're the one who made it up."

Zack looked helpless. "I was just being random," he protested, spreading his hands. "I don't know what it means!"

Aerith smiled, mischievous. "Well," she said, "I've made up my own interpretation." She leaned down, kissing him on the lips.

Zack grinned as she pulled back a moment later. "Oh yeah?" he chirped. "You're a pretty good philosopher. I like that interpretation!"

Aerith blinked in innocence. "You do?"

Zack nodded. "Yeah!"

"How much?"

Zack raised up, taking Aerith into his arms as he knelt on the picnic blanket. The kiss he returned was sweet and full.

"That much!" he said as he pulled back just enough to look into her eyes.

She smiled, brushing the bangs out of his own eyes. "You learn fast," she said.

"That's how come I'm a SOLDIER!" he said.

She snuggled closer to him, laying her head on his shoulder. ". . . I never thought I'd be sharing a picnic and watching the sky with a SOLDIER," she remarked.

Zack looked down at her. "Do you wish you were with someone else?" he asked.

She shook her head. "This has been the happiest day I've had in a long time," she replied, her voice quiet.

Zack gave a soft smile. He had never imagined that he would be taking part in such a scene, either. Nor had he thought he would love a girl as much as he did Aerith. With her it was not simple, unfounded flirting. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with her.

"There'll be a whole lot more to come!" he said now, hoping that even a small part of his feelings would come through in his words.

She hugged him closer, looking up again at the shifting oranges, pinks, and lavenders. Now they were giving way to the deep sapphire and purple of the oncoming night. One by one, the stars were beginning to appear, little diamonds among the velvet. It was magic.

"I'm looking forward to them," she said at last, running a hand through Zack's wild spikes.

But for now, this day was all they needed.