Chapter 5

Thanks to the artificial lighting under the plate, the church looked exactly the same at three in the morning as it did at three in the afternoon. Zack was a little sad; the church might be creepy in the dark, with its tumbling walls and half-smashed stained glass, but he thought the flowers would be beautifully ethereal in the moonlight.

The only real difference as he walked down the aisle was the fact that he was alone, and likely to stay that way. He'd had no opportunity to send a note to Aerith asking her to meet him, even assuming she could get away at this time of night. Or rather, it would have been simple enough to ask the same trooper he'd sent the last note with, but he hadn't been able to think of a way of doing it that wouldn't alert Shinra to the fact that he was planning to sneak off the base. They generally frowned on SOLDIERs going AWOL the night before they were being shipped back to Wutai.

Not that Zack was trying to run away from being sent back to the front lines. That was the farthest thing from his mind. No, he'd just wanted - needed - one last chance to feel the sense of peace this place radiated before he left.

A month of training had gotten him to the point that he was able to handle the changes in his body wrought by the 2nd Class enhancements, but he still wasn't used to the way that everything seemed sharper and clearer; colours were brighter, scents were stronger, sounds were louder, and he kept moving faster than he meant to. In this state, the garden was even more beautiful than he'd remembered it being, the flowers they'd planted now indistinguishable from the older blooms.

It had been long enough since his first infusions that he'd forgotten about the sense of restlessness that came with the mako injections, as if his body had too much energy and was trying to burn it off any way it could. That would fade with time, but for the moment he could hardly bear to stand still for more than a minute. He was hoping the garden would help bleed some of that energy off, as well as calming his nerves about going back to the front. Otherwise he was going to be so damn jittery he'd get himself killed on the first mission he got.

Briefly he tried settling in front of the flowers, but he lasted all of about thirty seconds before he was up and pacing again, his heavy booted footsteps echoing eerily off the walls. The flowers nodded gently in the wind of his passage, as if chiding him to sit and be patient. "Fat chance," he told them, shoving his hands in his pockets just for something to do with them.

He missed Aerith. It was stupid, really; they'd only had a few days together, there was no reason for him to miss her like this. He hoped she hadn't been too mad at him for standing her up. Her return message had been a verbal reassurance that she wasn't upset, but who really knew with girls? They could seem fine about something, and then six months down the road suddenly smack you with it.

The serenity of the garden was helping, a little. Zack took slow, measured breaths and tried to match his pacing to his heart, hoping to steady the somewhat erratic rhythm of it. He'd also forgotten how much he hated this part. He was naturally restless, but he didn't like having it forced on him like this. It was as if he was constantly on an adrenalin high, which stopped feeling thrilling and became irritating after the first five minutes or so.

After fifteen minutes of pacing like that, he managed to put himself into a bit of a trance-like state. The air was full of the smell of green and growing things, heavily perfumed with the scents of the flowers. The church was silent except for the noises he made and the faint rustling of the flowers; it was easy to imagine he was the only person alive in the world right now.

Despite the silence, he was absorbed enough in his own thoughts that he somehow missed hearing the door open and quiet footsteps come towards him. "Zack?" Aerith called from a few feet away.

Startled, Zack nearly jumped out of his skin. He whirled in a crouch, one hand hovering over the materia in his bracer, fighting his reflexes to keep from casting an offensive spell. "Aerith," he finally gasped, beating his instincts into submission. "Sweet Shiva, please don't sneak up on me like that!"

She looked like she'd dressed in a hurry; her dress was wrinkled as if it had been lying on the floor, and her hair was mussed and falling out of its braid. Her eyes were dark with concern as she took a step closer to him. "What's wrong? You're even more jumpy now than when I first met you."

"It's the mako," he explained, backing up a step to keep the same distance between them. It was all he could do not to crush her in his arms, he wanted to hold her so badly, but he remembered the way she'd flinched away from him that first day. As strong as the mako in his system was now, he might actually hurt her. "It makes you really wired for a while, until it works its way out of your system. That's why I came down, I was hoping the garden would help a little. What are you doing here at this time of night, anyway?"

Glancing past him at the little indoor meadow, she hesitated for a moment, then smiled at him. "The flowers told me you were here," she informed him, perfectly serious. "I thought something must be wrong."

"The flowers..." Wide-eyed, he trailed off and stared at her. There were times when he seriously wondered about her. Then again, how could she have known that he was here? Shaking his head, he decided to let it stand as something he just wasn't going to get. "I'm sorry you were dragged out of bed. I'm glad you're here, though. I really wanted to see you again before I left."

"I'm glad too," she said warmly. "When you sent the message that your leave had been cancelled, I was afraid I wouldn't get another chance to see you before you were sent away."

"I'm really sorry about that," he apologized, hanging his head. "I felt like a complete heel standing you up that way, but you just can't argue with orders."

"Hush," she ordered him. "I know that. You have nothing to apologize for, Zack! Even if you hadn't been able to get a message to me, I would have understood. You're a SOLDIER, your time belongs to Shinra."

Before he could back up again, she stepped forward and laid a hand on his arm. As he'd expected she flinched, but she didn't pull away. "Oh! Goodness, that's strong. Doesn't it bother you?"

"Yeah," Zack shrugged, cautiously covering her hand with his. That didn't seem to hurt her further, so he squeezed gently. Very gently - he had enough control over himself now that he was cleared to go back to the field, but he was still a lot stronger than he expected to be. "The worst of it fades, and you get used to the rest, but it takes a while. Did you get in a lot of trouble?"

"No, actually," Aerith said, looking vaguely guilty. "Mother assumed I'd left to get away from the Turks, so she didn't say anything. She was just happy that I was home safe and sound." Her expression turned wry, and she laughed. "Which means we could have come here and I still wouldn't have gotten in trouble."

"But she would have worried," Zack pointed out, catching her other hand as well and bringing them both up to hold them before his chest. He looked down into her beautiful eyes, and felt himself falling a little more. "And then you'd really have felt guilty, for messing around and making her more upset. You're a vixen, Aerith, but you're not the sort of hellion who would be able to brush off something like that and not feel bad about it."

"You're right," she agreed with a sigh. Then she pouted playfully, and twined her fingers with his. "But it might have been worth it! It's not any more fun for girls to be left hanging that way, you know. I hardly slept at all that night, and then when morning finally came you weren't here!"

Rubbing his thumbs over the soft skin on the backs of her hands, he smiled ruefully. "Trust me, I was at least as disappointed as you were. I'd much rather have been here with you, whether we did anything or not, than on a cold table in the Shinra labs." He made a face, and she laughed.

"Well, I suppose that was punishment enough for you, then," she declared, much to his relief. Then his breath caught in his throat as her smile turned coy. "But you're here now. And so am I." She took another step closer, bringing them face to face just inches apart, their joined hands trapped between their bodies.

"Yeah, we are," he agreed, his voice gone husky as his eyes turned dark with desire. He honestly hadn't expected this, had thought that he'd have to work his way back into her good graces first, assuming he got the chance at all. "But I don't want to hurt you. With the mako in my system this strong..."

"It doesn't hurt," she assured him. "It's just a bit shocking, especially the first touch. Like touching a live wire that doesn't have quite enough power to be damaging. Which may present some interesting possibilities, actually, if the effect is sustained." Her eyes gleamed, and he nearly choked.

"Minx!" he accused her, and she laughed. "Well, there's only one way to find out, I guess."

Tugging her closer, he leaned down and met her mouth with his, kissing her gently. She shivered at the first contact and he almost thought she was going to pull away, but then she pressed closer instead. Tugging her hands free, she wrapped her arms around his neck and rubbed against his chest.

The feel of her soft breasts pressing against him through her dress and his shirt was enough to make him gasp against her mouth, and this time she was the one who took advantage of the opening. She slipped her tongue into his mouth, tasting him, and he responded in kind. Today she tasted more like flowers and oranges, but still with that unnameable undertaste that he could only describe as 'life'.

"You are something else," he told her when they parted. He slipped his arms around her waist to keep her close, enjoying the way she felt, and she leaned happily into his body. "I haven't been able to stop thinking about you. Not just this," he rocked his hips into her slightly to show what he meant, and she made a soft sound that went straight to his groin. "All of you. Did you cast some kind of spell on me, like you do on your flowers, so that I turn towards you instead of the sun?"

"You can't expect me to give away all of my secrets," she chided him, eyes sparkling with mischief as much as heat. "And what sort of flattery is that, anyway? You're supposed to tell me I'm just that beautiful and captivating, not accuse me of needing to cast a spell on you to hold your attention!"

"Now you're just fishing for compliments," Zack told her, grinning. "You are that beautiful." He kissed her, slowly and thoroughly, until they were both gasping into each other's mouths. "And extremely captivating," he added, fairly purring against her lips.

"Flatterer," Aerith accused him, laughing breathlessly.

"I just can't win with you, can I?" Zack shook his head in mock-disappointment. "Throw me a clue here?"

"You could always just have your wicked way with me, and ravish me senseless," Aerith pointed out, and Zack sucked in a sharp breath.

"Yeah, I could do that," he agreed, rocking into her again and making her gasp. The restlessness was overcoming him again, but instead of pulling away to pace more, he started running his hands slowly up and down her spine. He memorized every inch of her back beneath her dress, and wondered what it would feel like when they were skin to skin. "That sounds like a pretty good idea, actually."

She arched into his touch, and he was reminded of the way she'd pressed herself against his hands when they were watching the stars. "I want to touch you," he murmured into her skin, trailing his mouth over the column of her neck. "Let me see you."

Since she seemed to be having trouble forming coherent words while he was distracting her by mouthing at her neck like that, he took her lack of protest as assent and moved one hand from her back to her front. Gently he ran it up her torso, passing briefly over her breasts and making her shudder, but not lingering. She made a questioning noise, and he smiled into her skin.

His fingers wrapped around the first button on her dress, at the scooped-neck collar. They were tiny buttons, at least thirty of them all down the front of the dress. He had a feeling the garment was probably meant to be just pulled on over the head, not actually buttoned and unbuttoned, but it was much more fun this way.

Deftly he flicked the button free of its confining cloth, savouring the glassy texture of it and the rough contrast of the wool under his fingertips. He was going to have to be careful to watch his strength, but it was occurring to him that his heightened sensitivity to everything was going to make this a very interesting experience. He trailed the pads of his fingers over the inch of newly revealed skin, lifting his mouth away from her neck so he could watch the way a rosy flush slowly suffused her body where he touched it.

Restraining his impatience, Zack moved down to the next button and flicked it open as well. Now he had two whole inches of bared flesh to explore, and he rubbed his finger across it to test the texture of it against the callous on his hands.

By the time he had the dress open to the top of her bra she was shivering in his arms and clutching at his shoulders for support. "Zack," she said, his name half a plea. "I appreciate you going slow for me, but you don't have to be this slow."

"I'm not doing it for you," he told her unabashedly. "I want to remember this, all of it. The memory is going to have to hold me for a long time; months, maybe even another year. Besides," he added with wonder in his voice, "you don't understand how the mako changes you. This is all new to me now, like I've never felt anyone under my hands before. But if you want me to hurry...?"

He raised an eyebrow at her, and she swallowed a moan. "Don't rush on my account," she assured him hastily. Lifting one hand to cup his cheek, she smiled at him. "If you're enjoying yourself, then by all means, continue."

Smiling, he returned to his slow exploration. To his delight the clasp of her bra was at the front and he was able to undo the catch at the same time as he freed the next button, leaving her skin bare there as well. Her breathing sped a bit, in anticipation he supposed, and the flush had reached down this far. Perhaps contrary to her expectations, he simply let the fabric hang over the sweet curve of her breasts and continued his progress on the buttons.

Her muffled noise of disappointment made his smile turn into a grin, and he brushed the backs of his fingers against the underside of one breast just to tease her. He'd be back to enjoy the feel of her, but all in good time.

By the time he reached the buttons at the level of her hips, he couldn't see what he was doing anymore because she was pressed against him and clinging to his neck to keep herself on her feet. He tightened the arm around her waist to help her stay up, supporting her weight without effort. It did give him the opportunity to return his mouth to her neck, licking and sucking at the soft skin there. He was careful not to leave a mark in a visible place, not wanting to get her in trouble with her mother, but he had plans for other places on her body.

When his fingertips discovered thick, neatly trimmed curls rather than soft skin beneath the button he'd just released, he groaned into her neck. He'd expected to encounter fabric first, and it caught him by surprise. "You really are a minx, aren't you?" he murmured, savouring the texture of her hair as he ran his fingertips through the narrow exposed strip again and again.

"I was in a hurry," she reminded him, her voice shaking. "I just threw on the first thing that came to hand, I wasn't worried about the niceties."

"Hey, I'm not complaining!" he assured her, laughing softly as he undid the next button and she moaned. One more button after that and the curls he encountered were slick with moisture, making him catch his breath as the musky scent of her reached him as well. "Mmm, you smell so good."

"You can smell me?" she asked, sounding embarrassed.

"Heightened senses, remember?" he reminded her, sliding his fingers gently through the moisture. He wasn't quite far enough down to be able to touch her clit, which made him feel a little smug that she was already this wet. "You want it bad, don't you?"

Thumping him on the shoulder with one small fist, Aerith moaned. "You've been teasing me for at least twenty minutes, Zack! If you were trying to drive me crazy, you're succeeding admir.... ah!" Her voice broke on a cry as he undid the next button and was finally able to slip his fingers into the folds of flesh, rubbing the tip of his index finger over the slick nub of her clit. She was already swollen, and exquisitely sensitive to his touch. He had to take her weight completely as her knees gave out, and she rocked her hips up into his hand helplessly, moaning all the while.

"Look at me," he demanded, lifting his head and staring down at her as she stirred and tried to open her eyes. When she finally managed it, the beautiful blue-green of her irises had been almost completely eclipsed by the black of her pupils, leaving a rim of bright aqua that made the black seem fathomless by comparison.

She shuddered as he pressed more firmly against her clit, whimpering and clenching her hands tightly into his shirt. "Zack!" she gasped, fighting to keep her eyes on his as he'd asked. Her face was flushed and she was panting for air; in short, she was just about the most erotic thing he'd ever seen in his life.

Making a decision, he smiled down at her and pushed his fingers a little farther in, until he could slide the whole length of his index finger over her clit rather than just the tip. At the point where she was pressed against the pad of his palm, he could just brush the tips of his first and second fingers against her opening. She was hot enough that he could feel his own internal temperature rising in response, and so wet he thought he could drown in it. He was hard enough for it to be painful, but he ignored it in favour of immersing herself in her feel and scent.

Every time he touched her there she cried out and pressed herself into his hand, trying to get more. He chuckled and refused to give in, concentrating on her clit instead.

It wasn't long before her movements became jerky and her moans ragged, and finally her whole body shuddered against his as she reached the peak. He stilled his hand and just cupped her gently, waiting for the aftershocks to pass so she could breathe again. Somehow she'd managed to keep her eyes half-way open, and the look of satiated pleasure in them made his own body leap in response.

Then, just as she was starting to recover her equilibrium, he took his hand away and lifted it to his mouth, licking at the moisture left on his fingers as she watched. Her eyes widened and she moaned again, watching him suck at his fingers with every evidence of pleasure. Aerith tasted wonderful, like a concentrated version of the unidentifiable quality in her kiss, and unlike some girls he'd been with it really was a pleasure to do this.

At last he removed his now-clean fingers, and she seemed to find her voice again. "What about you?" she asked, trailing one of her hands down over his chest slowly. "Are we going to do this standing up?"

Looking around, he grimaced. "I'm not sure we've got a lot of other options," he admitted ruefully. Every visible surface except the garden was old and splintered wood, and he wasn't sure he could manage all out sex without any kind of support at all. "Not unless one of us doesn't mind being made into a sliver pincushion."

Giggling softly, she followed his look around the room and obviously came to the same conclusion he had. "Take me to the garden, then," she invited.

"What?" he blinked at her, surprised and dismayed. "But we'll crush the flowers!"

"They don't mind," she assured him with a secretive smile. "And they'll grow back." She pushed at his shoulders and he loosened his grip enough for her to take a step back. Shrugging, she let the dress slip off her shoulders, the bra going with it. The fabric caught on his arm, and when he let her go completely it slid the rest of the way down to puddle on the floor. She was left dressed only in a pair of soft leather boots, and he caught his breath at how beautiful she was.

The harsh light coming in through the windows seemed somehow softened as it reflected off her skin, her long hair coming loose from the messy braid to fall across her body in strands that invited him to tangle his hands it in. Her eyes were full of warmth, a gentle heat that nevertheless burned him up from the inside out. He could still smell her intoxicating scent, and the wetness darkening parts of the curls between her thighs all but drove him crazy.

"Flowers it is, then," he said, his voice husky. Scooping her up in his arms, he carried her to the edge of the garden and laid her down in the middle of the area they'd planted together. Immediately the scent of crushed flowers rose around her, mixing with her own in a way that made him feel dizzy with lust and need.

"You're overdressed," she told him, her hands working under his shirt to find the tight muscles of his abdomen and exploring there. He swallowed, finding that his enhanced senses affected the feel of her hands on him as much as his hands on her.

"That's easily fixed," he said, sitting back on his heels out of her reach and grabbing the neck of his shirt behind his head. One quick yank pulled the sweater over his head, leaving him bare from the waist up.

She gasped softly and pushed herself up to a half-sitting position, leaning back on one hand as the other traced the network of scars across his chest. He grimaced; he'd forgotten about them, to be honest, they were so much a part of him now. She didn't seem horrified or disgusted, though, just surprised and a little sad as she touched them one by one.

"They weren't so bad," he assured her, and he was telling the truth. The scars were from the wounds that he hadn't bothered to use potions or a Cure spell on, the ones he'd allowed to heal naturally because they weren't debilitating and he needed to save his resources for the bigger injuries. "I'm one of the lucky ones. I'm still in one piece."

"And you'd better stay that way," she told him, poking him in the chest. "Where am I supposed to get my manual labour if you go and get badly injured, after all? I'll be saving it up for you, don't forget."

"I remember," Zack agreed, his hands dropping to his belt as she continued to explore his chest. "If I'm going to keep getting rewards like this, I'll definitely have to make sure to keep myself in good enough shape to do the work."

"Careful," she warned him teasingly, smiling. "If you keep coming back for more, I might have to start referring to you as my boyfriend. And then I am going to have to introduce you to my mother."

He paused, looking at her uncertainly. They'd hinted around the subject before, but this was the first time she'd come right out and said something that indicated she wanted any kind of real commitment from him. "Aerith, I can't make promises," he started, and she leaned up further to hush him with a kiss.

"No promises," she told him against his mouth. "No responsibilities, no restrictions. I just want you to know you've got someone to come home to, if you still want me then."

How many guys in the entire army were lucky enough to find a girl like this? Zack wondered, dazed. Somehow, he believed she really meant it when she promised no restrictions on him. "Babe, if the day ever comes when I don't want you, it will be because I'm on my deathbed," he told her, rubbing his thumb over her cheek. "And how can I do anything but come back in one piece, when my girl is waiting for me?"

He kissed her again, passionately, then nudged her back down so he could stand and strip out of his pants and boots. Lying back among the flowers, she looked up at him appreciatively in a way that made him flush with pleasure. She'd toed her own boots off at some point, leaving her clad in nothing but the flowers that nodded and swayed around the edges of her body. They both should have been freezing, but all Zack could feel was the heat that crackled between them.

Fishing automatically in his pocket before dropping his pants, Zack paused as he realized he'd overlooked one very important point. "Damn it," he muttered, tossing the pants aside and moving to kneel over her. He was scowling, and she lifted one hand to trace the line between his brows.

"Something wrong?" she asked, concerned. He sighed.

"I just realized that I don't have any protection," he murmured, kissing the line of her collarbone between words. "I wasn't expecting to see you tonight, since I need to be back on base long before reveille. I know I'm clean, Shinra's medical exams are pretty damn thorough, but..." He growled and shook his head.

"Shh," she said, kissing his temple since that was all she could reach. Her hands ran gently over his ribs, her fingers soft against his skin. "Trust me, okay? I have ways to make sure nothing happens. I promise, no consequences." She smiled. "I might have tried to talk you out of using it even if you'd brought anything. I want to feel you inside me, all of you."

Shuddering, he moaned into her neck. He was crazy for even contemplating it, he knew; the last thing he wanted was to leave her pregnant, and as amazing as she was he couldn't imagine how she would be able to guarantee that it wouldn't happen. Still, he wanted it as bad as she did, and somehow he knew she would never lie about this.

"You're a bad influence on me," he murmured, but gave in to what they both needed. Trailing his mouth down over her, he finally gave the attention to her breasts that he'd avoided earlier.

Gasping, she arched against him, her nipples taut hard peaks against his questing tongue. The earlier orgasm seemed to have worn off, or maybe it had just left her primed for more, because she shuddered against him and mewled in the back of her throat like she was still as turned on now as she had been before he'd gotten her off. He wondered if she could still feel the shock of the mako in his system, and if it affected her pleasure in any way.

It certainly wasn't any kind of negative effect, if it was. She was unbelievably responsive, writhing beneath him and running her hands over him in retaliation. As hard as he'd been focusing on her body, he'd been ignoring his own needs to the point where he thought he might not last long if she started stroking him. Whether she sensed that or was just shy, she never quite ventured far enough to touch his cock, and he was a little grateful.

Still, he definitely wasn't going to last as long as he might like to, so he wanted to make sure she was more than ready for him. It didn't look like it was going to take much effort, the way she was rocking her hips up against him. He slipped one thigh between hers, giving her something to grind against, and groaned at the slick heat of her against his skin.

"Zack," she gasped, begging. "Oh, please... so good, I've never felt anything like this, oh!" She shuddered as he bit at one nipple, careful not to pinch too hard, her chest rising and falling rapidly as she panted helplessly for air.

"I want you," he growled against her, his voice low and almost dangerous. He knew his eyes were probably glowing brightly with lust enhancing the mako shine; he'd had more than one girl grow frightened at this point, but there wasn't a trace of fear in her eyes as she looked back at him.

Emboldened by her lack of fear, he moved to lick and bite at the other nipple, covering the abandoned one with his hand as he pressed his thigh tightly against her. "I want to fuck you," he repeated hoarsely. "I want to be inside you, want to feel you around me, want to make you come so hard you'll still be feeling aftershocks tomorrow. Aerith..."

"Oh!" She trembled at his words, her hips jerking in little spasms to press herself against him. "Oh, Zack, yes. I want... I want..."

He bit a little harder, and to his astonishment she cried out and threw her head back, her whole body shuddering once again in ecstasy. He hadn't thought she was that close again, but apparently he'd underestimated her sensitivity. Damn it, now he was going to have to wait for her to come down a bit, and then start working her up all over again. He wasn't sure he could bear to wait that long.

Aerith seemed to have different ideas, however. She tugged urgently at his shoulders, pleading brokenly with him. "Now, Zack, please, now, I can't wait, I need you, please!"

Unthinking, he obeyed her, surging up to cover her pleas with a heated kiss as he shifted until he was cradled between her thighs. She was so slick and hot that it didn't take any effort at all to slip inside her, but she was tight despite that. It took his breath away when he realized she was still in the middle of orgasm, her body clenching and releasing convulsively against his cock. He'd meant to go slow at first, to give her time to adjust, but that squeezing drove his good intentions right out of him.

Thrusting hard into her, he revelled in the ragged cry she gave as she clutched at him desperately. That cry had been about as far from a protest as he could imagine getting, so he did it again, shaking with the need to restrain himself so he wouldn't misjudge his strength and hurt her. She rocked up to meet each thrust eagerly, rubbing her body against his everywhere she could reach.

The aftershocks of her orgasm faded quickly, and he was briefly afraid she might grow sore or too sensitive, but she showed no signs of wanting to stop or rest. She wrapped her legs around his hips and urged him on with her body, rocking into his thrusts and crying out breathlessly. Closing his eyes in an attempt to help keep hold of his self-control, Zack slowed the pace a bit and tried to draw it out. He wanted her to come again as or just after he did, so he wouldn't leave her hanging halfway to a third orgasm, but he wasn't sure he could hold out that long.

It didn't help that everything felt so exquisitely intense, sharpened by the enhancement to his senses. He'd never felt anything half this good in his entire life, and he wondered if it would be this way with everyone now, or if it was something unique to her and she was spoiling him for other girls. Even if she was, he didn't think he really cared. Not if he could feel like this.

Shifting so his weight was supported on one arm, he worked his other hand between them and searched for that sensitive bit of flesh that would drive her crazy. He found it easily enough; her clit was swollen and hard, and he could feel her throbbing around his cock as he played with it.

"Oh," she moaned, writhing beneath him. "Zack, oh, oh gods. Yes, please, more, I need... oh, Zack! Yes..." Even mostly incoherent, her words drove heat through his body and made his cock twitch inside her. Fairly growling with need, Zack somehow forced himself to keep to his slow, steady pace, continuing to rub his fingers over and around her clit as he worked them both to fever pitch.

Her hands were clenched so tightly on him that her nails might have been drawing blood, but he didn't even notice it except as an extra bit of stimulation. She was keening high in her throat now, a desperate sound that said more than words ever could about how far he'd pushed her. His pace sped no matter how hard he tried to hold back, rhythm turning uneven as his body tightened and he felt the end coming fast.

Gasping for air, he struggled with himself. Ducking his head, he latched his mouth onto her shoulder and sucked hard enough to bring blood to the surface, leaving a mark and trying to concentrate on that instead of how unbelievably good she felt against him.

The only warning he got was when her body started to clench around his cock again, her hips straining upwards as if she was reaching for something. Then she screamed, throwing her head back so hard he was grateful it was soft earth beneath them and not hard wooden floor. Aerith shuddered around him, squeezing so hard it drove the air right out of him. Otherwise he thought he might have shouted too, his vision actually going grey at the edges as he let go of the harsh control he'd been keeping on himself.

He'd heard it described as an 'explosion' often enough, but this was the first time it had really felt like that, like he was flying apart into little pieces and pouring the essence of what was left into her body. She was still clenching around him as he collapsed, panting, and she lifted one trembling hand to stroke through his sweat-soaked hair.

They lay like that for long minutes, slowly coming back to themselves and just enjoying the feel of each other. Zack still had his face hidden against her shoulder, and he was almost afraid to look at her for fear it would be too intense for him to stand.

"It's okay," she murmured softly, still running her hand through his hair. She lay cradling him with her body, soothing him as the aftershocks went through their systems. He felt wrung out, completely emptied, as if he really had given her the most important part of himself and now he was left an empty shell. The hollow feeling slowly filled as she continued to touch and hold him, until he could breathe easily again and didn't feel quite so much like he might shatter at any moment.

Lifting his head, he gazed down into her eyes, captured once again by the sweet aqua colour and the warmth of her smile. "Feel better?" she asked gently, pushing away a strand of hair that had fallen into his eyes.

He started to ask what she meant, but it hit him all at once; the mako-induced restlessness, the feeling that he couldn't quite contain himself within his own skin, had vanished as if it had never been. He felt content and peaceful, almost serene. "How...?" he asked, shocked. He'd been hoping the garden would help to ease some of the tension, but this was far beyond anything he'd ever expected. Last time, it had taken weeks for the last of the feeling of having too much energy to fade.

Leaning up, she kissed him, as gently as she'd asked the question. "I'm glad," she said when their lips parted again. "You know you're always welcome here."

There was no doubt in his mind that she wasn't just talking about being 'here' in the garden. Sighing, knowing he probably wouldn't get a straight answer from her and not really caring, Zack relaxed into her embrace. Whatever the cause of it, he felt better than he had any right to, and he just wanted to enjoy it for the time he had left before he had to leave.

"You're amazing," he said, repeating his earlier words and knowing he would probably say them many more times in the future. And he would mean it every time, too. Aerith laughed softly and held him close, and he let himself slide away into the amazing sense of peace she brought to him.

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