westerncontinent | Starfighter AU

Starfighter AU

[Space. A frontier of infinite possibility and resources, desired by Gaia's governments and businesses both. Shinra especially, lodged deep within several countries' energy and military production, was gung-ho about the possibilities of mining in space from the start, and with their money and sometimes expertise, the people of Gaia reached their moon, and beyond.

Space isn't just full of opportunities, however, as they soon found out. No one had actually thought aliens existed, but they did.

Attempts at communication didn't work, and initially, fighting seemed impossible too, the aliens capable of shape shifting and wreaking havoc on the human side. It was, however, slowly dealt with. Methods to find the aliens were found, so infiltration attempts could no longer be easily and even less successfully enacted.

It was then a matter of making sure their planet was safe, and create a buffer zone.

(You want to do what? This is---

It'll go in our ships you buffoon, not the soldiers, though that would undoubtedly be far more successful. Well?

... All right.)

Shinra's technology proved to be the most effective, and they were not sharing their secrets, assuring them great income from various governments and other businesses wanting to protect their assets (and the planet). Few noticed there might be something odd - it was only practical the ships had two crew, one pilot/navigator and one gunner. It was only great luck that sometimes, a pair here and there seemed capable of much greater destruction than those two-man fighters ought to be capable of.

It worked, what did anything else matter?

Cloud Strife has attempted to join West Continent Allied Defense as a gunner for years, ever since he was first allowed to enter the preparatory academy at fifteen (they did not allow you into ships until seventeen at the earliest). He knows he can do it, that he would be good at it.

It seems no one else agrees, because he's consistently put as a navigator in all assessments.

Cloud Strife is deeply, burningly frustrated over this, but he does have a plan. It hasn't gone very well so far - he's has two gunners in four months - but he just needs to prove he can be even better as a gunner than a navigator. He knows he can.]

Navigator Strife, meet your new gunner, Zack Fair. Gunner Fair, this is Cloud Strife. [Commander Lazard stares at them over his raised screen, and Cloud does not glare sullenly at him, just stares with detached annoyance at the wall behind and to the side of Lazard's head. He can feel the disapproving look.] I'm sure you'll get along. Assigned quarters are F376, Deck C. Dismissed.

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You so sure about that? You sure you haven't scarfed since?

[ There's a certain tinge of an almost whine to Zack's voice in that moment, there and gone. But either way, it's driving Aerith into hysterics and now Kunsel's swatting Zack lightly with an: ] Okay, okay, man. We get it. You're gonna end up killing Aerith here.

Not like you do!

[Cloud rolls his eyes and finally allows his smile to widen into a smug smirk. Whether he has or not he can't actually really say, but he's pretty sure not and as such he'll feel no shame defending that stance.]

Just eat, Zack.

[He really doesn't mind sharing this. Talking of this dumb appetizer though... Cloud sighs and breaks off another piece.]

It's not, a bad choice.

[It is tasty, even if Aerith chose it just because it was made to look like a chocobo.]

Of course, it's not. This is the best place around!

[ He says it reflexively, sure and stubborn and..... feeling like he was just caught with his hand in the cookie jar at the same time. So much for playing it cool, Fair. It's enough for him to start looking off to the side again before Kunsel's gently punching his shoulder with a: ] Quit that, man.

Quit what?

[Cloud just stares at Zack, a little confused and uncertain by the vehemence. he had just meant Aerith's choice of the appetizer she'd forced on him, but the place in general seems pretty nice, too.

Gaze flicking between Zack and Kunsel, he'd like to know 'quit what?', too, honestly. But, shifting in his seat and figuring out whether to speak up or not, Cloud ends up shoving a whole piece of thing he's broken off into his mouth and chewing. Not quite scarfing, but certainly less polite than he's been so far.]

[ Despite Kunsel's earlier call out, it's easy enough for the other three to settle into routine it seems. Their actual orders don't take much more than a quick sweep around the table and the server seems more than ready to jot them down before they even say anything.

It's not until Aerith's about halfway through her food, tapping her feet to the music. Listening and humming along with it until the song changes. Then, she finally stands up starkly, hands on her hips and stretching as the other two watch, one of them muttering a: ] Here we go.

Hope you're ready, Cloud, 'cause I sure am! [ She's already trying to catch him by the arm. ]

[Cloud, entirely unsuspecting and, maybe, even assuming Aerith has forgotten her earlier comment, does not suspect anything. He might even have thought of it was a throwaway tease, not something Aerith intended to go through with. Surely there's other people she'd actually want to dance with rather than him, right?

So, he's entirely unprepared when she grabs his arm.]

Wait--- what? [He's up on his feet before he can think of anything else, and while he might otherwise have said not interested, it's hard to do so in the face of the determination on Aerith's face.

Cloud has no idea why he glances over his shoulder to Zack before Aerith drags him away, up onto the dance floor.]

[ He sees that look at least. Of course, does he do anything about it?

Not in the least. Just shrugs and grins a little. Then gets back to completely devouring what's left on his plate. He almost looks like he'll eat the plate, too, for that matter.

Meanwhile, Aerith's already leading him, guiding one hand to her hip while taking his other hand in hers and yanking them around unceremoniously. ] Sooo... I see you two are getting along better.

[Of course Zack doesn't. Cloud really should pull himself free and go back to the table, but instead he's yanked around in a twirl. The nearly ballroom dance pose they have now seems... odd, for a place like this, but what does he know?]

Um--- [Oh no. No.] Beginning to?

[He shrugs, awkwardly. Trying to pay attention to where he needs to put his feet as much as to Aerith's words, but this was a trap in more than one way and he's not sure this is a conversation he wants to have at all!]

Beginning to, huh? For a little there, I thought he was going to clam up for the rest of his life.

[ She says that evenly, even while she twirls him around again. It's way more fun for her to lead apparently and she already has plans as she dips him, leaning in. ] But he laughed today. I haven't heard him laugh in a month.

[ Possibly even longer than that. It feels that way anyway. ]

Ack---

[He will not admit to clutching onto Aerith when she dips him, but he totally does. And... he has no idea what to do with this insight into Zack, though Cloud glances over to the table where Zack and Kunsel are before they move away.]

A whole month, huh...

[He doesn't know Zack well enough to get much out of that, except that, for the way Aerith says it, it's clearly significant.]

Mmhm. And that's not even getting into his tall, dark, and moody swing he's been in.

[ Even as she's telling Cloud that though, she's pulling him back up. Swinging him out but not letting go as she pulls them apart again. Does a quick almost jig to return closer to him and then starts prancing them around from there. ]

Think he's taking a liking to you?

[He should not snort at that description, he knows why Zack's like that and it's a valid reason. He snorts anyway as it's a brief distraction from trying to keep up with Aerith's dancing and the conversation. Of course she just has to continue, though.]

Um--- I don't, we've barely started talking normally?

[He grimaces, looks away. Feels awkward about it, for many reasons, most of them he doesn't even know what they are. Has Zack started to take a liking to him? How can he know, when he doesn't really know what Zack is like normally, completely aside from the awkward way they got off first.]

But you have started to, right?

[ Aerith leans close to him suddenly again, even as she equally makes it a point right then to wrap an arm deeper around his waist and almost slow dance them by contrast. ]

Did you know this is the first time he's even gone out? He wouldn't even leave his room before outside of training. Not even Kunsel could get him out.

[Trapped, all Cloud can do is shift backwards while Aerith leans in. His first response would've been a rather dismissive agreement - they have started, he's pretty sure. Or at least, have started interacting normally. Some talking included in that, certainly.]

Um--- [He closes his mouth though, looking away with a shrug.] I only got him out first, 'cause I pissed him off.

[Zack's back in his and Cloud's shared room now instead of, presumably, taking up space in Aerith and Kunsel's. He can hear what Aerith isn't directly saying, though; Zack does usually go out. He doesn't just hole up in his room. Zack is probably quite a bit different from Cloud...]

We're, um... working, on it.

[And they are, now. Hopefully they can make it work, for both of their sakes.]

Sometimes you need to get under some skin to get them to move somewhere at least.

[ She says it maybe a little too certainly as she goes to twirl him again. But it seems from there, at least unless Cloud has more to say or ask on things, she'll leave it at that. Sure doesn't stop him from taking the rest of that number. Hey, she did say she would get a dance in with him.

In the meantime, Zack finally slides his plate over to the center of the table, watching the two on the dance floor while Kunsel gets up as someone else catches his hand to drag him in, too. ]

Uh--- I guess..?

[Maybe Aerith is right. Cloud just doesn't have much of any experience of pissing people off leading to anything but worse outcomes. As she falls quiet, though, Cloud half expects her to let go, if not stop dancing entirely, clearly having used the dancing as a way to talk to him despite that there surely were other ways to do so.

But no, she doesn't. Grimacing, Cloud... still doesn't pull away. He doesn't feel comfortable with this, but if he's supposed to get along with Zack, he does... need to try with his friends too, doesn't he? And, it's not like he would necessarily be against having other friends, too.

It's just... he feels ridiculous, and he's sure he's not any good at this.]

[ Where Cloud feels ridiculous, Aerith seems more than a little pleased with herself. Maybe a bit too pleased. And maybe that's why on the next twirl, Zack's just suddenly there. Just catching both of their hands gently in his large one, hand on her back as he nods to Cloud. ] Mind if I cut in?

[ Of course... What he doesn't account for is Aerith's chipper: ] Don't mind if you do!

[ -followed by her more or less scampering off on them. It seems way too easy for her to peel away and out of that hand hold... and even more so slipping off to go collect a different person to dance with.

And now Zack's left awkwardly holding onto just Cloud's wrist now.

Very awkwardly. ]

[Aerith is there, and then gone, so quickly it seems very deliberate. And then there's he and Zack standing there in the middle of the dance floor, staring at each other. And with one of Zack's hands around his wrists.]

Um... [He flexes his hand, doesn't pull it out of the lax wrist. He could. Maybe he should. Cloud doesn't know why he doesn't.] We could, go back to the table, if you want.

[That'd be the easiest way to get out of this awkward staring and taking up space among all these dancing people.]

...Yeah. Yeah, let's do that. [ He says that although he doesn't quite move yet. At least for a moment more as he watches the other people dancing around them. Watches Aerith and Kunsel and a few others. Then, he jolts suddenly. Lets go of Cloud's wrist and clears his throat. Spinning around to face in the table's direction again, he starts off with a: ] Right, let's go.

[It's impossible to miss how Zack hesitates. How he looks around before he seems to startle to life. Cloud is under no obligation to do anything, here. If Zack wants to dance he can do so by himself, or go over to Kunsel and Aerith. But...]

Hey, Zack..?

[Cloud snatches his wrist quickly, before he gets the chance to stride back towards the table and out of reach.]

I didn't get to, um, thank you. For rescuing me. [His little grin is quick, dry, and lopsided.] And y'know. If you wanna dance, we can, well, we can do that too.

[ Zack almost flinches at the way his wrist's grabbed. Looks back quickly and sees it's Cloud. Cloud... offering that to him? Zack blinks and cocks his head to the side. ]

You.. I mean you don't owe anything to me, you know. Not like that was much of a rescue.

[ But that's not a no. And he's.... not sure if he exactly wants to say it either. But he finds for once himself a little tongue tied as he stares at Cloud. Is he serious? ]

She's hard to say no to, so I think it is. [Cloud pulls a grimace that's only partially serious. Aerith is... determined, definitely.] But the thanks got nothing to do with the dancing, Zack.

[Because the longer Zack stands there and simply doesn't just walk off, it's pretty clear he does want to dance, isn't it? Cloud... assumes so, anyway. It's his best guess at the moment. If Zack really didn't want to, he'd have rebuffed him, and what he's said instead is you don't owe me.

Unless he's really reading what Zack's saying and implying entirely wrong, that's not a no.]

So, if you wanna...

[He shrugs. Definitely not nonchalantly, even if that'd be easiest, for it's really rather awkward.]

Not that I'm, um, very good at it, but...

[ So, if he wants to, he says...

Even if he's not very good at it, he says. Zack almost opens his trap. Thinks better of it in the last moment- for once. Instead, he opens his hand in invitation. ]

You... want me to lead then? Since you said you aren't that great. I've been told I'm pretty good at it. Might even be able to give you some pointers.

[ ...Because, yes. He saw how awkward he was with Aerith. ]

You mind yours and I'll mind mine.

[Blushing, Cloud grumbles even as he takes the offered hand, clearly not about to back down on his offer even if he's not too charmed about being given pointers.]

But, yeah. Sure. You lead.

[He doesn't care. Aerith had been leading too, and that had probably been for the best. Sure, maybe it's not as cool to follow, but for once Cloud doesn't care about that.]

[ He hears that salt. But whether he minds it or not in turn remains to be seen as he takes Cloud's hand more fully. His other hand goes for Cloud's other hand as opposed to his waist like Aerith while he gets them slowly starting to swing to the rhythm of things. Slowly catches them up to the right tempo and he apparently has some rhythm at least.

Nothing fancy, definitely nothing to write home to. But he's winging it as he throws Cloud for his first twirl as he encourages: ] Think you can do the same thing to me?

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