in which aerith is tired of zack's adorably insufferable shyness when it comes to actually making a move
—
august [ ν ] - εγλ 0001
They’re jumping into a fallen reinforced concrete pipe to shake him, like it’s a slide at the park—which, all discarded things considered, it is. Sector 5 is a playground of topside rubble and trash, repurposed debris, and Zack’s hand is in Aerith’s and she’s the line leader. Hide and seek with Tseng is nothing new, just that Tseng never knew the rules changed or that today Zack is playing, too. He swings Aerith half onto his lap so she won’t ruin her skirt, skids them to a stop with the heels of his SOLDIER boots just before the pipe ends and a bad fall would begin. She has her arms around his neck, clinging. He has his arms around her waist, clutching. Both are choking back sounds of thrill lest they give away their hiding spot. Silent whispering, instead. Mouthing: Close call! Nice save! Nose to nose, wide- and wild-eyed, flushed and flustered. Across the way, a potato sack snagged by twisted metal whips in the wind like a flag. Aerith can feel her heartbeat on her tongue. She grabs Zack’s face and he goes, “Huh?” and on his half-open mouth, she plants her own. Zack breathes in sharp through his nose. He smells like running in the sun and something else earthy-sweet, distinctly him. Aerith doesn’t see when he closes his eyes, too, but certainly it’s just before he’s kissing her back. The Cetra told an old, old story, that a soulmate was part of one’s life force that had been bottled and sent away, and all the time you spend alive, you’re just following its call home.
okay i was listening to amy whinehouse and this image came to mind because i’m a sucker for film noir and true crime and just idk and you dont have to read it just thought i’d share it
-------
The coffee machine gurgled as it heated up the water, the scent of roasted coffee beans filled the office the moment the water dripped into the waiting mug. Donna hummed softly to herself as she shuffled through the mail, her brow furrowing when she caught sight of the electric bill. She did not need to look at their books to know that it was going to be a tight month for them. The machine spluttered, coughing up the last drops of coffee before falling silent, letting the pit patter of the rain echo through the office.
It was not like they had a long line of clients, but the rain was a sign that no one would be showing up for their services. She leaned back on her chair and took a deep breath, preparing herself to look through their books and figure out how to move money around to afford to pay not only the electricity bill but their rent.
The door slammed open as the boss finally stumbled inside, shaking off all the rain onto their floors, leaving annoying puddles of water. “Seriously? Where is your umbrella?” Donna huffed, pushing herself away from her desk and getting to her feet. Her heels clicked on the wooden floor as she moved to the tiny storage closet to retrieve the mop.
“I forgot it here,” the man grunted as he removed his hat and dropped it upon the tiny table next to the door, just in time to catch the mop Donna threw his way. “Honestly Hal, you are going to catch pneumonia and we do not have money to pay the doctor,” she sat back down on her chair, glaring at him across her desk. Hal only grunted as he mopped up the water, terribly if anyone asked Donna, but she held her tongue. They had been at each other’s throats lately from the lack of clients and Hal hated to be reminded how little money they had.
“Coffee is ready,” she muttered, pointing to the freshly finished mug of coffee. Hal hummed in acknowledgement as he stuffed the mop back into their tiny storage space before moving to pick up the mug. The heat from the mug felt good, his hands were quickly beginning to warm up.
“Any calls? Meetings?” he asked, bitterness and sarcasm laced in his tone, which annoyed Donna to no end. Sure, she had her doubts and there were worries gnawing at her about the business, but she needed him to get his head in the game. “I will have you know that I placed some ads in the newspaper, no I do not want to hear it, it is my money, and I can do whatever I want with it,” she cut him off before he could gripe her for spending any money on anything business related. Why he still bothered, she had no idea. The man should know by now that she might be his assistant, but he had yet been able to get her to do anything.
“Now, get in there and pretend to be working for when we get the people, I am sure those ads will bring,” she pointed her pen at him threateningly. She saw the flash of amusement which was enough for Donna. They were childhood friends, practically siblings, it was why she did not hesitate to leave the precinct when he told her he was opening his own office. Detective Jordan. He was good at his job, all they needed was clients.
Donna was not sure how long it was but the familiar sound of clicking heels had her looking up from the ledger she was pouring over. A scent of…gardenias? Began to filter in under the doorway when a shadow fell upon their door, eclipsing Hal’s name on the office’s door. Slowly, so quietly that Donna almost thought she was hallucinating, the door opened.
There on the entry way stood a woman, in one hand she held an umbrella and in the other, a newspaper. She walked into the room and the scent of gardenias only intensified. Donna could make wisps of auburn hair spilling out from the elegant headpiece that held the woman’s bun together. As the woman walked closer to Donna’s desk, she could tell that the woman was tall, taller than Donna who happened to be quite tall.
“Welcome to Detective Jordan’s office,” she spoke up, meeting the woman’s intense gaze with a professional smile. There was an intensity coming from the woman, there were no warning bells coming off from her, but it was close. However, the woman looked like she could pay which they needed. Now she just had to make sure that Hal did not run her off.
“Hmm, is the Detective in?” the words were laced with a French accent, her gaze moving towards the door behind Donna’s desk. “Yes, I will let him know that Mrs….?” Donna looked at the woman expectantly, but the woman only pursed her lips, clearly unwilling to tell. After a long pause the woman finally offered, “Ms. Saito.”
Donna continued to smile, unwilling to let the surprise show on her face. She knew that name. In one smooth motion she stood up and knocked on the door to Hal’s office twice, the sign that she was bringing a client in. It was the only time Donna ever knocked.
“Detective Jordan, we have a Ms. Saito here,” she called out as she opened the door and let the woman in. Everything that Donna had ever experienced in her life was worth the moment that Hal caught sight of Ms. Saito. She would have laughed but she reminded herself to remain professional, instead she busied herself in grabbing her pen and notepad and closing the door behind them. Donna took a seat in the far corner, ready to take notes. “Why doesn’t Ms. Saito sit down,” she coughed, hoping to break Hal from his stupor. If Ms. Saito noticed Hal’s lack of acknowledgement she did not show it on her face.
“Please sit Ms. Saito,” Hal started, glancing at Donna with barely concealed annoyance, “what can I do to help?”
“It is my sister, she has gone missing. According to the ad in the newspaper, you know how to be discreet,” there was worry in her tone but she was the perfect picture of poise. Still, Donna could see the pinch in her brows, the tight grip she had on the newspaper. Donna glanced at Hal and she could see him straighten up. She needed them to be discreet? That worried Donna too. Not to mention, Donna knew the name Ms. Saito, but she had never heard her having a sister? The great fashion designer had a brother, but no sister.
“How long has she been missing?”
“I have not heard from her for three days. We were suppose to have lunch but she never showed and when I tried calling, she did not pick up. I tried going to her apartment, but no one answered. This is not like her.” There was a firmness, no a stubbornness to her tone, almost as if she had had to make others believe that. Donna could not help but wonder if the woman had gone to the police but they had turned her away.
“I’m sorry Ms. Saito, but what is the name of your sister?”
“Daenerys Targaryen.”
Oh. This was why she needed someone discreet. No one messed with the Three Headed Dragon gang.
It happens like this—love, that is: a crash, then sunshine. Angeal, the war is over.
A church, a girl.
It isn’t a playground rhyme, but it sure is like one. Hands clapping, laughter scintillating. Jump-rope games in Gongaga sun. Little girl, little girl, go upstairs; little girl, little girl, say your prayers . Little boy, little boy, get your Shinra employee number; little boy, little boy, now you’re a man (a monster). Boys become men and some men get woven with mako, and these mako men survive crash landings into flower beds from heights higher than there’s any business surviving. It had to have been the flowers.
Feathers.
“Hello?”
Maybe, Zack will end up wondering one day, she wasn’t ever afraid of him at all, then afraid of exactly that.
What do angels dream of?
When she turns, hands behind her back, her hair whips russet brown and shot through with gold in the sun, as it pours in through the jagged teeth of the place he’s just fallen from. “Aerith,” she says. It’s her name. Is he OK?
He’s Zack. He’s OK. (And he is, actually, in the moment; he’ll feel it later, and it’ll be gone in the morning.)
He says something stupid, of course, because it’s his specialty. Girls from Corel, they get along so well, boys from Junon, they always do things wrong . She tells him it’s stupid, and her laughter scintillates. Girls from Midgar, they never see the stars, boys from Gongaga, they — Clap clap clap, jump. A date…?
“Don’t step on the flowers!”
Zack never wonders why it seemed so easy, so possible—to just reach out and tuck loose hair behind her ear. There’s not much to wonder about. A crash. Sunshine.
On the same stretch of upper dock where drill weekends are called, uniformed boys and men graduating from boot camp stand in formation listening to SOLDIER’s recruitment program introduction. The speech is led by Angeal, First Class. One of the Big Three. Or—the Big Two, now. Cloud was all nerves and fast heart but Sephiroth does not make an appearance. Angeal’s voice booms. Each new infantry member will engage in a baseline screening, with the sort of advanced biotechnology Shinra’s Science Department pioneers. Eligible candidates will be notified, invited to apply for the program. No Genesis, not for a while now, apparently. No Sephiroth, just Angeal walking and rewalking the same line before them, arms crossed, in the dull green overcast so close to the central reactor. Behind him—Zack Fair, Second Class. Mentee of the second most elite of the elite. Standing there all messy dark hair and hip cocked, manning the digital tablet from which presentation slides are cast to the projector which casts them huge and holographic against a backdrop of sleek topside buildings, Midgar expressway arching its back across a dark sky. Scary good, Cloud has overheard, more often than bitter infantry saying Puppy or Angeal’s Bitch. Zack Fair, scary good, on his way to First Class already, and unaware as is most everyone else how soon he will be filling the space Genesis left. This could be any one of them, Angeal says. This could be any one of you.
There is a Shinra training facility in the armpit of Junon’s cannon dock, where they gather up roaming monsters and pen them in for shooting drills. MOA check. Alternate position. Second alternate. Supplementary. FFP—go. Infantry practice their marksmanship from the rusty rig of a wing that circles the perimeter, high up over the monster pit. Zack lays on his stomach across the width of the walkway, chin on folded arms and feet wagging where he’s so tall they stick out between the rear rails.
“You turkey necking?” He’s teasing. From the far side of the monster pit, prone in scuffed pauldrons and tactical helmet, Cloud calls back that no, he is not turkey necking. The huff and pout that precedes it is audible. “Fix your follow-through, then, Strife—”
Bang.
Since Modeoheim, their names have fused like broken bone. SOLDIER Operative: Fair, Zack; First Class. Support: Strife, Cloud; Private, First Rank (Candidacy Status: 3rd Class Preliminaries).
Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang.
Every time Cloud moves position—runs, kneels, pivots on heel to launch up from a squat and run again—the weathered grated steel of the suspended walkway rumbles like it wants to fall. Four monsters left. Three. Cloud shortstop slides down close enough to Zack he could reach out and shake him by the scruff if he wanted to, except Cloud’s in position and tracking, elbows to the insides of his knees, forehand hold and breathing loud but controlled through his nose. Two monsters left. Bang. One. Bang. Zero. Solid target priority this round, he tells Cloud. Solid work.
Cloud’s thank you is muffled and flat. He yanks off his helmet as if coming up for air, wipes his brow into his shoulder. When he looks over, it is all bright blue eyes and sweat-sweet blond hair, soft tongue between the teeth smile that curls like paper burning. Proud. Like they’ve done something together, him and Zack.
Something, tightening in Zack’s chest, curling as it begins to burn.
nzivvo timeline theories / part 1 & part 2
sleepezi comprehensive compilation deep dive
hello i am a slut for chronology projects and timelines, this is nothing compared to the comprehensive greek myth family tree project i’ve been neglecting building
timeline key / HUGE shoutout to the editors of the ff7 fandom wiki and their timeline(s), massively helpful -- backbone of this chronology version is a cross-reference between dated events in before crisis and crisis core: reunion
dates / ff7 compilation records 12-month calendar years in the format [era] - εγλ [year number] with calendar time measured in two-millennia eras; the years of which count upwards and end at 2000, at which point the following year begins the next era at 0001 -- for example, Zack is born [ μ ] - εγλ 1984, and Angeal dies [ ν ] - εγλ 0001
eras [ μ ] and [ ν ] = loosely, [ μ ] is the 2,000-year era preceding the Wutai War -- Jenova crash lands on Gaia at the start of this era and Zack, Aerith, and Cloud are all born at the end of this era; [ ν ] is the era in which most of playable ff7 compilation takes place, beginning shortly after the Wutai War
εγλ = for whatever reason part of the dating system, preceding the era year when writing the date; some fan theories interpret it as an abbreviation meaning “that which tells of this era of Gaia,” similar to the Christian “in the year of our Lord,” by analyzing the Greek letters that are used and suggesting that: ε could stand for εποχή (epoch, age, era), γ for Γαῖα (Gaia), λ for λέγω (verb, to tell a story)
FF7 TIMELINE / ongoing; as organized for fic (a)chronology of now
(going to eventually link little headcanon vignettes to various events along the timeline!)
canon = plain
headcanon = italics
[ μ ] - εγλ 2000 (Wutai War ongoing)
january
Zack promoted to Second Class
february
Aerith turns 15
late spring
Cloud leaves Nibelheim for Shinra recruitment in Midgar, fails basic screening for early SOLDIER program enrollment and is instead enlisted into the infantry (Public Security Division)
note / it’s a real struggle to pin down exactly what time of year Cloud leaves Nibelheim for Midgar, so after cross referencing a bunch of material, entries, timelines, canon events, etc. i’ve made the tweak here to shift it back a year from canon, ex. i find it hard to believe Cloud is assigned guard duty for a scientist carrying massive classified SOLDIER intel (before crisis: June [ ν ] - γ 0001) potentially only weeks after joining Shinra
august
Cloud turns 14
september
Zack turns 16
note / idk, this astrology feels good in the fan theories re: his birthday in September or October
Angeal, assisted by Zack, delivers a presentation on the SOLDIER program for new infantry upon completion of boot camp
fic vignette / Cloud is in awe of Zack Fair at the SOLDIER recruitment presentation
october
Rumors spinning about First Class SOLDIER Genesis deserting in Wutai, along with large numbers of Second and Third Class SOLDIERs
Hollander absconds with classified Science Division information
november
Zack dispatched to Wutai / Fort Tamblin with Angeal, stepping up to fill Genesis’ absence, where Angeal abandons Zack and Shinra to join Genesis
december
Zack accompanies Tseng to Banora Village to investigate Genesis’ disappearance, where they encounter both Angeal and Genesis
Banora Village is destroyed in an aerial raid by Shinra, wiping out and covering up Genesis’ base and operations
Rufus Shinra becomes Vice President, then goes on long-term business trip
[ ν ] - γ 0001
february
Wutai War ends, and Avalanche forms in Cosmo Canyon
Aerith turns 16
Mako production does not return to prewar levels, instead intensifying in some ways
Avalanche attempts to detonate Reactor 8 and assassinate President Shinra, but they are stopped by Sephiroth and the Turks
march
Public-facing information released saying First Class SOLDIERs Angeal and Genesis were killed in action
april
Zack promoted to First Class; Zack and Sephiroth defend Midgar from Genesis and his army, then head to find Angeal (and Hollander) at Mako Reactor 5
Zack and Aerith meet when Zack falls through the Sector 5 church roof, having been knocked down by Angeal from Mako Reactor 5; their meeting is interrupted when Zack is called back to the Shinra Building, where Genesis Copies are after Hojo
may
Shinra is getting a bit desperate with building SOLDIER ranks, and begin kidnapping to recruit
june
fic vignette / the first time Zack calls Aerith “Sunshine”
Cloud is assigned to a squad escorting Professor Rayleigh, a scientist transporting classified data on the SOLDIER program, as are the Turks; they’re jumped by Fuhito’s Avalanche, and the data is inevitably stolen
note / because of Cloud’s involvement with this event, as well as his surprising performance therein, and Shinra’s anxieties over building SOLDIER ranks, his SOLDIER application is pulled from the pool / bumped to the top for review
july
fic vignette / Zack and Aerith at Evergreen Park
Cloud is notified his eligibility for SOLDIER has been reconsidered and 6-month preliminary evaluations will commence immediately
notes / imagined SOLDIER program: details here
august
fic vignette / Zack and Aerith’s first kiss
Cloud turns 15
beginning / september
Zack and Cloud meet on the Modeoheim mission, overseen by Tseng; they discover Genesis Copies, Genesis, and Hollander; Angeal arrives on scene, intervening; Genesis falls into the Lifestream and Zack kills Angeal, inheriting the Buster Sword; Hollander is detained and taken to Junon
fic vignette / Zack asks Cloud if he wants to be friends
Zack gives himself a mourning scar
Tseng tasks himself with ensuring Zack and Cloud work together as much as possible
mid / september
Cloud and Aerith meet when Zack sends him to deliver some things to her
Zack turns 17
november
Zack mentoring Cloud during his SOLDIER preliminary evaluations
fic vignette / Zack and Cloud and marksman practice
[ ν ] - γ 0002
january
Shinra State of the Company event
fic vignette / the trio hooks up for the first time, part two
mid / january
Zack deployed with Tseng to a protest at ammunition factory not far from Rocket Town, Cloud and Dockitt accompany
Tseng returns to Midgar for emergency meeting; Turks send an operative to Icicle Lodge to support Second Class SOLDIERs Essai and Sebastian, finding Fuhito’s Avalanche base
Zack and Cloud are sent straight from outpost to Icicle Lodge, to help locate the missing SOLDIERs; Zack and Turk discover Fuhito’s experiments, including Essai and Sebastian, who are beyond saving and die in Zack’s arms; before the base detonates, Zack fights and kills Kyneugh, one of Fuhito’s Ravens
end / january
Cloud starts SOLDIER preconditioning phase I (weekly mako test injections)
february
Veld (Director of the Turks) is fired and replaced by Heidegger (Director of Public Safety), who sends the military instead of Turks when Avalanche attacks Junon
Aerith turns 17
Shinra holds a philanthropic gala to save face / rally support following the Avalanche attack on Junon
march
Cloud starts SOLDIER preconditioning phase II early (biweekly mako infusion) due to Shinra’s anxieties over SOLDIER ranks
april
Cloud discharged from SOLDIER program after second infusion causes reactive toxicity; behind the scenes, Tseng ensures he is not cast off to the streets or Science Department
june
Lazard deserts Shinra, expecting a whistleblower on his embezzling support for Hollander’s essentially anti-Shinra research
Zack sent on mandatory vacation, which is interrupted by Genesis copies; Zack sent to Junon from Costa del Sol, Cloud sent to Junon from Midgar, as Junon is under attack by Genesis copies helping Hollander escape; Sephiroth dismisses Zack from the fray, sends him home to protect Aerith from mounting monster attacks in Midgar
july
Lazard and Hollander are reported as killed in action
Genesis’ army begins to attack mako reactors around the world
note / this means more frequent and/or more intensive assignments for Zack and Cloud, but not always together; meanwhile, Fuhito and Elfe’s Avalanche is getting more and more pushy in their strategies
august
Fuhito and Elfe’s Avalanche try to kidnap Aerith before Shinra can get ahold of her again; a passing Turk protects her
Cloud turns 16
early / september
Zack and Aerith build a flower cart
mid / september
Zack turns 18
Sharp spike in monster sightings / attacks in Nibelheim area
end / september
Cloud accompanies Sephiroth and Zack to investigate the Nibel Reactor, during which Sephiroth discovers the makonoids, Jenova, etc.
october
Nibelheim incident: Sephiroth razes Nibelheim to the ground, Tifa is mortally wounded, Zack incapacitated, Sephiroth stabs Cloud and Cloud throws him into the open Lifestream reactor channels
Hojo takes custody of Zack and Cloud, Zangan saves Tifa
this timeline / chronology is ongoing and will be updated occasionally.
in which zack thinks about aerith alone in his room
—
june [ ν ] εγλ 0001
He thinks of all the ways she says his name and all the ways she could.
Zack.
High in pitch, even in tone, placing it between them like a flower.
Za~ack!
Lilted by laughter. Gilded with giggles.
—Zack!
Surprised. He’s given her a play-scare. He’s tripped in public. His name in her mouth pivots up halfway through, punctuated by a pout.
Zack.
Slanted down firm. Under her breath. He’s done something dumb, said something dumber. Sometimes one of the somethings is at least cute and she’s trying not to smile. Sometimes she’s the cute one and she’s flustered, she’s giving him a light shove and he’s laughing.
Za~ck!
They’re in the market. She’s calling a puppy back to her side. Her hand is on the back of his arm or her finger hooked in the loop of his SOLDIER belt.
Zack .
They’re leaning nose to nose in a contest of flirting stubbornness, daring the other to give in first.
Za—!
Half his name. They’re half-wrestling. She’s winning. Her hair is messy and her triumphant grin is the sun.
Zack.
When Tseng has just left. When Tseng is just arriving. When she knows more than he does.
Zack—!
He’s heaved open the church doors, she’s turning with a whip of the braid and eyes green as a wildflower ready to bloom.
…Zack.
Quiet, gentle upturn of a question with no answer yet. Face open like a cupped palm, her smile faint but as present as the heart line curling through the middle.
Zack?
Short, sweet, beckoning his attention.
Zack…
Breathy. Soft. Warm. The tension of a gasp in reverse.
Alone in his First Class dorm, he touches himself.
