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gah, i'm so sorry you guys but I'm going to have to deactivate :c

I kept putting this off in hopes that I'd get more freetime and a revived muse but I can't seem to juggle hobbies, responsibilities, and my time well OTL

Church retreats, college obligations, family events and commissions are getting in the way of my time online  

maybe i'll be able to come back some time but for now I'm going to have to take my leave and stop hogging Aerith ಥ_ಥ

thank you guys so much for the great time 

you guys are the nicest people

you can always follow my personal: faitalities if you still want to keep in touch :3 

My best Regards, 

Faith (aka Aerithmun)

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Her brows raised in slight surprise. Perhaps it was a little narrow-minded, but she didn't expect an intimidating figure like Basch to be uneasy around the large birds. It brought an endeared smile across her face.

"Let's go."

Aerith nodded in agreement, and as she allowed the other to help her mount her chocobo, the medic couldn't help but noticing Basch's slightly beset expression. "Right. You look like you could use a good run tonight." She smiled and nudged her chocobo into a comfortable trot. "Something troubling you tonight, Basch?"

Moonlit Confession | Aerith & Basch

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“That’s a good boy…” Aerith cooed quietly as she hand-fed the chocobo that gingerly ate the greens from one hand as she stroked his beak with the other. A small pang of nostalgia and pain leaked into her heard at the thought of  Faremis, her own chocobo she had to release once joining the army. The small knock and inquiry from a familiar voice brought her out of the thought.

“Evening, Hachi.” She turned her head to look over her shoulder and offer the man a warm smile.

“Glad you came out here tonight,” She confessed sincerely, Aerith wasn’t sure if the soldier would have wanted to spend a night riding birds with her. “Promise I’ll get you back home before cerfew.” She said jokingly with a wink.  

Moonlit Confession | Aerith & Basch

Basch walked through the village slowly, lost in his own thoughts. This festival… I’ve never heard of something like it. The tournament should be good, but the ball? I don’t think I’ll be going to that. He was headed to the chocobo stables, but was taking his time, he didn’t know how to tell Aerith what he wanted to. Taking out a cigarette, and looking around and made sure no one was around and would be bothered by it, he lit the tip with a match, took a drag and continued walking.

With a sigh, he reached the stables and put out his cigarette, putting the remainder in a small metal tin he carries with him. Walking in, he knocked on the wooden wall by the door to let her know he was there, but nevertheless felt compelled to ask “Aerith… you here?”

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Aerith did what she could to irritate the behemoth, turning its attention on her. The rider’s experience on chocoboback were employed well as she narrowly dodges swipes and lunges from the beast. Her objective was to have it use as much of its energy as possible before she headed off to get help. The crack in the skies and roar of the behemoth told her Hope was casting thunder. Good. That should disorient it for awhile. She thought as the behemoth roared and didn’t know where to bring its attention to. Aerith did her best to irritate the behemoth away from Hope, she didn’t have much time left here---or more aptly, Hope didn’t have much time.

The medic took her chance as the beast lost its footing and fell to the earth momentarily to take her leave, as hard as it was for her to keep an ailing Hope here. “Just hang on for me…” she whispered, not daring to look back in fears that she’ll lose her resolve as she kicked her chocobo into full velocity towards headquarters. 

Taejin Mission 010: Floral Escort | Hope and Aerith

It took Hope a second to take in Aerith’s words.

Be a good boy!

And then Hope watched in horror as she sprinted toward the behemoth. “Wait, what are you doing!” he cried at her. She said something getting help, hadn’t she? Something about long range spells? But he couldn’t aim properly with her charging like that, she’d get hit…

“Thunder spells,” he told himself aloud. He began to cast them, one after another. As they came from the sky, Aerith could not be hit, and Hope’s location would not be immediately revealed—

—except upon the crash of each lightning bolt, a bit of the sky was illuminated…

What sort of behemoth was this? Hope couldn’t see from the slight gloom in the area, could not see from this distance. What spells would work? Did he even stand a chance?—it was more intimidating than the wyvern, and this said a lot!

It dawned upon him just how difficult his proposition had been. But he needed to do this. He could not allow it to reach Oerba. 

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AWRIGHT. I'M HERE FORREAL

graduation, exams, and church activities are done this month. 

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As he pulled the medic into an embrace, Aerith thought she saw a glimpse of tears in his cerulean eyes that brought a pang into her heart. She stroked his hair and softly cooed, “You’ve got nothing to be sorry for…” Aerith found herself closing her eyes and appreciating the warmth of Basch’s strong arms around her comparatively frail frame for longer than she intended to.

“R-right. Well, it is late…” She cleared her throat nervously as she gently pulled away and guided him back to bed. “You’ll only have to deal with me for another handful of days until that wound heals up, promise it won’t be too bad.” Aerith offered him a warm smile. “If you need me, there’s the call bell, I’ll be in my office and filling out some paperwork.”

As Aerith turned to leave, she wondered how she would be able to manage the following week with the soldier and she sighed slightly in defeat. Day one already proved to be emotionally draining. But as she snuck a peek at Basch over her shoulder, she couldn’t help but smile at the fact that she would be able to spend time with this man.

An Impatient Patient | Aerith & Basch

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The menacing crunch of bark obeying to the weight of the behemoth continuously disrupted Aerith’s train of thought. She couldn’t focus. What was their best option? Their choices, whichever they decided to take, appeared grim even against Aerith’s optimism. They were in no position to engage in combat, nor were they in the position to run either. What do you do when fight or flight both become routes that you can’t afford to take?

“Aerith we need to fight it.”

 “You’re in no shape to take that thing on!” She whispered sharply. However, Aerith’s actions did not stay consistent with her words as she pulled out her staff to prepare casting protective spells. Internally, she knew Hope was right. Behemoths were infamous for their power and persistence; running from it would only result in wasted energy and raised risks. Even still, Aerith couldn’t bring herself to this truth.

She tried pulling together rational ideas together as she casted Barrier to the silver-haired boy. Maybe they needed to both fight and run. At least…

“Hope,” she furrowed her brows as the idea gradually formed, “Distance yourself from the behemoth. When it comes, I’ll distract it--- Don’t worry about me, I’m a good enough rider.” Aerith knew she couldn’t be of any assistance to Hope in damaging the behemoth, but she could at least help disorienting it. She turned to look at Hope intently, “ Just cast your long-range spells, give it a dent. And I’ll…I’ll go get help…” Guilt burdened her heart at the thought of nearly abandoning her ailed escort. “Avoid getting yourself close to it at all costs… If you come back to me in the infirmary with even so much as a scratch, I’ll make sure you get an earful.” A terse smile briefly appeared as she tried to humor themselves.

Her head whipped to the growl then roar of the beast when it emerged from the wood. Aerith rolled her reins tighter to her hands, she figured she’ll be doing a lot of sharp turning.

Just make it a little dizzy. Easy enough… She thought to bring a little confidence to her reckless idea. Aerith cooed to her chocobo that whined and dug at the earth in alarm, but nevertheless the military-trained bird stayed its ground---to Aerith’s relief.    

“Be a good boy!” Aerith called over to Hope before kicking her avian into a full sprint toward the behemoth.

Taejin Mission 010: Floral Escort | Hope and Aerith

Hope had heard the noises too. The footfalls were far too heavy to be that of Amam, and no Goblin could make those noises.

It was a behemoth, unmistakably, the ones they’d been warned out. Just their luck.

Hope’s chocobo stopped by Aerith’s. In a hushed whisper, he asked, “Should we try to outrun it?” But the moment the question left his mouth, he knew they couldn’t afford to try to outrun it. They risked the possibility of leading the behemoth to the city…

“Aerith, we need to fight it.” He wasn’t sure what the medic would think. She already disapproved of their leaving, and the physical strain in riding a chocobo paled in comparison to that of having to fight a mountain behemoth. 

Hope tried to think. Were they far enough from the nomadic village? How far were they from home? And why had this situation befallen unto them?

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Aerith sat silently and solemnly. She didn’t flush when he held her hand in his, nor when he kept her gaze with those piercing eyes.  She studied his face as she listened; the furrowing of his brows in gravity, the slight gritting of his teeth in painful memory, his heartbreaking frown in guilt. Aerith wanted to do something to make things okay, but all she could do was squeeze his hand as if that was some sort of assurance.

“When I say I don’t want you to get hurt, Aerith… I don’t want to lose you too.”

She looked down to her feet, suddenly aware of herself again as guilt overwhelmed her, feeling selfish. It was a stark contrast to the man she saw in battle, now venerable and emotionally exposed.  She was touched that Basch would let her into his private and undoubtedly painful past. It surprised her that she could even evoke such memories and emotions. Strangely, she felt responsible. She wanted to reassure Basch, care for him, protect him. Aerith knew she couldn’t offer much, and it hurt to witness him be this way without knowing what to do.

Aerith gingerly let go of his hand to stand before him. She cupped his face, forcing him and herself to keep eye contact.

“I’m not going anywhere. I won’t get hurt. And you’re not going to lose me, Basch…” She said gently with conviction in her voice. Aerith leaned to kiss his brow where his scar began, “I promise. Okay?” 

“I’m sorry I was insensitive. I’m sorry that I reminded you of your brother. Don’t hurt yourself like this anymore. Let me take care of you.” She whispered almost pleadingly. She wanted to take care of him, not just his physical wounds. She dropped her hands and stepped back, staring down at her feet once more. Aerith remembered his brother and Basch's connotation to her, so she closed her eyes when she asked: "If...you want me to, that is..." Because maybe it was just her very presence was just making things worse for him.

An Impatient Patient | Aerith & Basch

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Someone raised him well... 

Aerith mused to herself thoughtfully, smiling at Hope's respectful gestures as they parted. She herself gave the villagers a slight nod and a promise to return. Though she would have rather of met at different circumstances, Aerith was grateful to have met the people and their shaman. When time was not limited or obligated, Aerith would come back and learn from the people and their curious spiritual tenets.

As they made their way, Aerith could feel Hope's itching urge to move faster. Despite this, she kept silent and continued, Aerith feared Hope would fall over unconscious again. 

“Sun’s setting. Should we go faster? The less we have to travel by night, the better…”

It was hard to suppress the frown, but Aerith simply nodded and reluctantly brought their pace into an accelerated trot. As much as Aerith wanted to keep their hardly-moving-anywhere-tread, Hope was right. Riding along the mountains in the day was dangerous enough, the night would only bring in more trouble. 

"But we're already running like the wind." Aerith looked over to smile and joke halfheartedly. It was more to herself to reduce her anxiety as they increased their speed. 

Crunch.

The sound of snapping branches made Aerith halt her chocobo and her breathing. It was faint, but undeniable.  

"Did...you hear that?" She whispered, hoping it was only her own imagination. 

Snap.

The same sound again. Closer. Louder this time.

Minerva... Her emerald hues stared into the assumed sound source. She didn't voice her suspicions, Aerith was trying to deny them herself. Please... Not tonight...

Taejin Mission 010: Floral Escort | Hope and Aerith

Inside, Hope was conflicted at their pace, but he didn’t have the heart to complain, not in that moment. He had a feeling that, if he argued to go faster, Aerith would insist not leaving the village at all. Strangely enough, it reminded him of when he was a boy, when he would whine to his mother about getting his way, for the silliest of things…

As their birds trotted through the village to its perimeter, he bowed his head at each villager, thanking them for their hospitality. He hoped for the best for them; the citizens of Oerba were graced with the presence of an army, but the nomadic tribe had to fight for themselves, to constantly move to adapt to the environment around them. Having grown up in one village all his life, Hope could only sympathize.

The sun was slowly setting, as Aerith had said, but Hope estimated there would still be half an hour’s worth of sunlight before them—not enough to make the journey. From his previous journey with Alyssa, Hope knew Goblins would likely show up during the night—or even worse, the Mountain Behemoth.

Hope turned to Aerith. He didn’t know, not then, just how much physical exertion would take a toll on his condition, especially since sufficient time had not yet passed for the antidote to work properly. Still, he dared to ask, “Sun’s setting. Should we go faster? The less we have to travel by night, the better…”

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Aerith smiled at Tifa’s endearing gesture and gingerly reached to take the other woman’s hand in hers and shook it gently, ignoring any dirt or blood that may have still been there. “It’s a pleasure meeting you, Miss Lockhart.”

She tilted her head slightly as she listened to the other’s concern. Her eyes followed to Tifa’s motioning.

“Well, Miss Tifa----“ she smiled as she bent down to tenderly palpate around the wound, “I’m glad you’re not like the rest of your stubborn comrades. They usually don’t come to me until they’re near close to dying.”

She turned to pull on a pair of gloves and grabbed an antiseptic and a stack of cotton balls and superficial gauze.

“It looks like there no signs of infection, but let me know immediately if there’s any redness or swelling. I’m just going to clean up the rest of your cuts and that gash of yours before we try stitching it up, okay?” Aerith offered a smile as she reached over to clean a cut on her cheek. “Here, just a little sting---“

She proceeded in cleaning and wiping away the nicks and dirt on Tifa with the alcohol and gauze. The brunette found herself making an impressive pile of dirtied gauzes and cotton balls beside her as she progressed.   

“So what’s a pretty thing like you doing here?” Aerith asked lightheartedly but curiously as she grabbed another clean cotton ball to wipe another scratch. Even with the cuts and bruises, the medic wouldn’t have ever guessed the other woman to be a fighter; her face was gentle and kind, graced with enviable beauty. She couldn’t help but to admire her, a little in awe of her even. 

Happens All The Time | Tifa and Aerith

Visibly relaxing at the sight of the woman who answered the door, Tifa smiled in return. She laughed at the girl’s joke before entering. She was glad that the medic currently seemed so nice. She was also very beautiful and had a calming air about her. Which was a relief because the moment Tifa saw the bed, she stiffened slightly before awkwardly climbing onto it. 

“Lockhart. I’m Tifa Lockhart, it’s nice to meet you!” she extended her hand to the girl before quickly taking it back as she noticed the dirt and dried blood from her opponent on it. She didn’t think it would be appropriate to dirty the medic’s hands. Sheepishly, Tifa smiled up at the woman, self-consciously rubbing her hand on her skirt.

“Well, I just returned from a mission and for the most part, I’m fine. Just your typical cuts and bruises, but there’s one particular cut that’s got me a bit worried. Thought it’d be smart to let you have a look at it.” She motioned to her right leg, turning it slightly so that the full gash could be seen. She’d been bitten by a Borgbear there and the stubborn thing wouldn’t let her go. It had clamped down hard enough to break skin and ‘cause quite a bit of bleeding. Thankfully, her body was pretty good about healing itself. Had it been a small shallow cut it would’ve stopped bleeding not five minutes later but it was deep-set causing Tifa to wince slightly as she turned her leg. Now that she was sitting her exhaustion was setting in and all her aches were being intensified.

“Whadda you think?”

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“A sandwich? That’s all?” She asked curiously as she smiled at his simplicity. Aerith was mildly surprised at how courteous the other man was. It was refreshing to say the least. She opened her mouth to argue his insistence before closing it again in thought to his question.

How will you spread your garden?

She paused before answering and looked down in slight embarrassment, “I haven’t really figured out all the details yet, but I want to go to neighboring villages with a wagon or something and deliver these flowers. I thought I’d pot them with the good soil that exists here.”  

Aerith blinked in curiosity to see Cloud raise himself to a stand, back towards her and the flowers.

What’s he doing?

Her emerald hues watched curiously. She looked up to where Cloud had aimed his conjuration. Her face was sprinkled with the light makeshift rain, as did the flowerbed. It later ceased down to a mist, and Aerith didn’t bother to wipe away the refreshing water from her dampened  face.

Her eyes squinted with her broad smile. She went over to Cloud to give him a grateful hug in a silent ‘Thank You.’

She let go and motioned him to follow with her hand as she turned to pick up her basket of their collected flowers, “Come on, I bet you’re hungry.” 

Taejin Full of Flowers | Cloud and Aerith

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“Get hurt from what?” Aerith asked curtly, straining to keep an even tone as she kneeled down to help Basch up on his own knees. She didn’t bother getting them both standing. Aerith wanted to meet him at eye-level, as much as this made her uncomfortable.

“You’re not making any sense, Basch…” She sighed quietly, almost pityingly to both herself and Basch as she brushed the soldier’s hair away from his forehead.  

“Hurt from what? I knew what I signed myself up for in joining your ranks. Don’t you worry about me, Basch. Will you give me a break and just let me take care of you? 36 years old maybe, but you’re acting like a baby colic.” Her brows furrowed in concern and frustration, but with patience. Seeing his pained expression brought a pang to her heart. Aerith wanted to hug him again in hopes to make things better, but her previous attempt seemed to make the soldier all the more agitated. She hesitated before cupping his face with an apologetic smile.

“Enough of me getting hurt. What’s hurting you Basch? Do you want me to go? I’m sorry if I did something wrong… I’ll get another medic in tomorrow morning, okay?” 

An Impatient Patient | Aerith & Basch

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As Aerith fetched their chocobos, constant doubt hammered her. Maybe if she kept insisting, Hope would give in and agree to rest the necessary time needed to heal. But Aerith knew she’d feel just as guilty about having them stay just as much as she did letting them leave. Her forehead creased with lines of concern and qualms before they smoothed out again as she looked back up.   

The sight of the silver tufted boy poking his head out the door brought a small smile across her lips. His innocent and curious face peeking almost credulously from the doorframe brought an unexpected wave of nostalgia to Aerith. His demeanor reminded the medic a lot of the children from the orphanage she left in Midgar and their ingenuously sweet natures. Aerith suddenly just wanted to coddle Hope. She embarrassed her own self at this thought. Hope wasn’t a child after all; he was a man of the army. Still…his sheepish countenance as their eyes met admittedly endeared Aerith and kindled her maternal instincts.

“Hey! Didn’t I tell you not to move around if you don’t have to?” She scolded him half-seriously as she brought the chocobos.  Aerith helped as much as she could to assist Hope mount his bird without him having to strain.

“We’re going to leave at a nice slow pace, okay? Her emerald hues narrowed in a serious stare, patting his hand as if it would make him promise her this. With that she got on her own bird and gingerly nudged it to move forward. 

Taejin Mission 010: Floral Escort | Hope and Aerith

Hope nodded, staring after the medic as she left. A whimper had escaped his lip, surprising even him. A warm feeling had come over him as the woman had run her fingers through his hair, a familiar feeling he had not felt for quite some time.

He wanted to blame the antidote, he wanted to pass it off as an aftereffect of the antidote, maybe even the poison. But he understood, silently, how the woman’s innocent action in passing had impacted him.

A sinking feeling fell over him. He’d had the nightmare only that previous night. It’d been too long since he’d felt the endearing touches of his mother. 

To be cared for…

Hope shook off these thoughts. When Aerith had not come back Hope climbed out of bed slowly, forgetting the medic’s last words. He wasn’t going to go far; he slowly made his way to the door, poking his head out the frame to learn more on Aerith’s whereabouts. 

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oh wow i'm sorry it's been forever gais ; A ;

school swamping me OTL

time to get srs and get to those long overdue replies 8| 

/cracks knuckles

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May Leviathan empower them. Cosmos protect them. Lifestream sustain them…

She breathed the tepid, still air of the desert as she prayed by the open window. Aerith didn’t have the chance to have to follow her routine of having a morning prayer before coming in today, an emergency situation requiring her immediate attention being brought up from her comm device. She took the opportunity of the now empty clinic to return to her spiritual homeostasis. As she finished her prayers for the combatants on mission today, her mind started to involuntarily wander to the particular soldier with a scar gracing his brow…

A timid rapping against the door brought the medic back to reality. She flattened the creases on her dress as she went over to open the door.  

“Oh, afternoon---!” Aerith was slightly caught off-guard, not expecting the other girl’s disheveled appearance. She smiled warmly at the other, admiring her soft features and friendly face that were charmingly and curiously accentuated by her cuts and sprinkles of earth. “Came by for a band-aid, right?” She laughed airily and moved to the side to invite the girl in, motioning her to sit on an elevated patient bed. 

“What can I do for you Miss---?” Aerith asked cheerily more for her name than for the obvious reason of the raven-haired woman’s visit.  

Happens All The Time | Tifa and Aerith

((ooc: Takes place after Taejin Mission 012: Borgbears’ Revenge but before A Chance Encounter))

Sore, bloody and feeling utterly terrible, Tifa made her way to the infirmary. She wasn’t anticipating that many Borgbears all at once, and boy did they understand that she and Squall were out numbered. Her left knuckles were a bit swollen due to one punch in particular. Thank goodness her gloves were made for this kind of stuff, but it still hurt. At first she wasn’t all that worried about needing to get some medical attention, she’d manage on her own but the gash on her leg was still bleeding. It must’ve been deeper than she thought.

She had a cut across her cheek that was still an angry red, but it irritated her skin more than anything. Her bloody lip on the other hand was throbbing with pain. The martial artist sighed as she stopped at a window. Her hair was a mess! She wasn’t a vain person by any chance, but she rather liked her hair! It was with a heavy heart that she cut an entire eleven inches off of it when she decided to join the army. She’d thought that having her hair end at her hips was much more practical than letting it stay down to her knees.

Walking away from her image, Tifa pulled on some of the dried dirt that found its way into her hair. A nice long shower would help. She looked down at her arms and noticed that some of the sore areas were starting to discolor into bruises. Great. Her legs were littered with small cuts and bruises as well. Frowning, Tifa knew she’d have to train really hard to make sure this sort of thing didn’t happen again. Or at least minimize the amount of damage she ended up with. At least she didn’t have any broken bones!

She was certainly glad Squall wasn’t nearly as bad off as she was, but she still hoped he would be careful. He’d been hit a few times too. Rubbing her cheek, Tifa found herself wondering if perhaps she should start using some kind of long-ranged weapon as well. While her fighting style was her strength, it was also a bit of a weakness. Needing to stay so close to your enemy wasn’t ideal when dealing with many of them. Reaching the room, Tifa knocked, a bit nervous about having to deal with her injuries. Since her accident, she’s been wary of medical places.

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The medic opened her mouth to protest, only to be silenced by Hope’s urgent plea. Aerith was surprised he had so much energy; both the antidote, poison, and fatigue should have otherwise made him groggy if not passed him out.

It must be that important to him…

Her forehead creased in thought as she debated between her obligations and Hope’s .

“I don’t see him too much….”

Momentarily she wondered what it was like to have a father. She could only empathize and speculate. Aerith certainly would have sacrificed a lot to see her foster mother again. Who was she to deny a father from seeing his son and vice versa?

“F-fine. But we should take our time, we don’t want to aggravate anything…” Aerith relented but with little conviction, hoping that he might change his mind in her hesitation.  Doubting that he would, he handed him the glass of water and maternally pet his silver hair.

“Don’t move too much, I’ll go get the chocobos.” She gave him an uneasy smile before leaving the room to fetch their birds. 

Taejin Mission 010: Floral Escort | Hope and Aerith

Having just awoken, it took a little while for Hope to register the medic’s words. At first, he had only caught Go back to sleep and Stay the night and Antidote has fully gone through your system and, finally, Do you want a drink?

‘Stay the night’ should have been the trigger, but it didn’t yet click. After trying to process her words again, Hope was also left with We’ll leave in the morning, and it was only then that bells were ringing in his head.

“Aerith,” he began, urgency thick in his voice. “Is there light out, still? We need to get home, tonight. We’ve been gone for far too long, and if we don’t go they might worry and send more soldiers for us unnecessarily.” It had slipped Hope’s mind that they could use comm devices to report in, though this had in part been because Hope could not feel it on his person; either Aerith had taken it off him, or he had lost it when he fell off his Chocobo.

The Chocobos… he hoped they were alright. 

…and his dad! Suddenly remembering the promise he made to his father, Hope turned again to the medic. “…and because I promised my dad I’d visit him tonight. I don’t see him too much, so it’d be a shame if I couldn’t keep my promise…”

Hope knew Aerith was first and foremost a medic, and he had a gut feeling she would not agree to anything that would put her patients in danger. But now that he was reminded of the promise he’d given his father, he had to go home. Silently, Hope hoped Aerith would sympathize.

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Aerith didn’t have an answer for Basch. Frankly, she didn’t have an answer for herself either.  She cringed in regret as Basch pulled away and asked why she would do that. Aerith was then filled with confusion and surprise as he took her hand and did not reprimand her.  

Her breath was caught at his whisper, a blush creeping across her face, just barely making out what Basch was saying to her midst the blood pounding in her ears. What she did manage to register, however, didn’t make any sense to her, her brows furrowed in confusion as he started to leave. Her previous thought process of trying to sift through her emotions was soon eclipsed by a wave of frustration.

Get hurt? Aerith nearly threw her hands up in the air.

“Basch fon Rosenburg.” Aerith stood and called him back with a firm voice, “Don’t you dare walk out that door. You’re in no state to be walking about like that. What’s going on through your head, your guess is as good as mine, and I don’t care right now. You’re being childish. Don’t you dare tell me that you don’t want me to get hurt. I don’t want you dead because you decided to go run off and your on-duty medic was negligent in getting you back and giving you the proper care you need.” The obligation as a medic was there, but something was underlying in her convictions that just wanted him around her. She sighed in an emotional exhaustion, it seemed she wasn't having any sort of plateau of consistency tonight.

 “Don’t make my job any harder. Please.”

Aerith turned to face away from him, clearing out her thoughts as she gazed at nothing through the window. She’ll give him the option of leaving. Somewhere she thought that he probably would decide to just go. Who wanted to get stuck in a bed all day anyway? Aerith assumed that was why Basch got up so much already.  

As she calmed down Aerith’s mind slowly returned to her previous fluster of emotions. Inevitably, it was then she had come to the realization of the budding feelings she was having for the soldier. It was then she confronted her denial. Aerith would acknowledge it. As a caregiver, it was important to sort these things out before they got out of hand. Picking out the potential of affections wasn’t what was difficult; Aerith was rational when it came to her feelings and sorting out what was a professional relationships and what was not. What was difficult was trying to work out what it was about Basch that had her worry about that line being crossed if she didn't watch herself.  I can handle it. She reasoned with herself that it was just an ephemeral phase. Besides, not like he would care…  

An Impatient Patient | Aerith & Basch