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“Quit your stalling and come out already!” Aerith demanded from outside the bedroom door.
Cloud groaned, looked at himself in the mirror, and groaned again.
“Cloooooood! You can’t shut yourself in there all night!”
He very much wanted to, but that would mean disappointing Aerith. And even though she was responsible for the dilemma he currently found himself in, ruining her night wasn’t an option he could ever seriously consider.
Taking a deep breath, Cloud twisted the door handle and stepped outside to allow his girlfriend to behold her handiwork.
Aerith squealed. “It’s perfect on you!”
“I look like,” Cloud said, “a fucking elf.”
“Wrong. You look like the boy who wouldn’t grow up.”
“That we can agree on,” Cloud grumbled. He’d been well-aware that Peter Pan was one of Aerith’s favorite movies but when he’d lost against her at Queen's Blood a few weeks ago, and therefore their affixed deal that the winner would pick out their costumes for Halloween this year, he had never expected her to hand him a pair of horrifically green leggings, a matching tunic, and a hat that had a damn feather. He looked like a kid who’d tumbled through a traveling theater troupe’s costume collection.
Completely in contrast to Aerith, who genuinely might’ve been born to be dolled up as Wendy Darling. The pale blue silk of her gown made her skin appear even creamier than usual, and she’d tied the matching ribbon just so to allow her curls to pour freely down her back.
Anyone would want to whisk her away to a fantasyland.
That said, Cloud wouldn’t have minded if she’d opted for a Tinkerbell costume with that little green dress instead. It would’ve brought out her eyes. Among other things.
“Don’t be a sourpuss,” Aerith admonished. “It’s Halloween! Everyone’s playing dress-up tonight, you’re supposed to feel like a kid. It’s all about cherishing your inner child.”
“I prefer when my inner child stays on the inside.” He also couldn’t recall any moment of his childhood when he’d felt the urge to put on three different shades of green.
“You say that,” Aerith replied, “but you were gonna have us dress as Batman and Poison Ivy if you won.”
“Batman is cool!” His ears were probably as red as the feather in his cap. “At any age!”
“So is Peter Pan!” Aerith insisted. “It’s a carefully crafted story about the fears and necessity of growing up!”
“The live-action one is.”
“Would you prefer to wear the leaves then?”
Cloud grimaced. He most certainly did not.
Aerith laughed, playfully rolling her eyes at him. She stepped closer, her arms encircling his neck. Up close, Cloud could spot the slightest shimmer of powder on her eyelids, like some leftover stardust after a night spent soaring through the skies. “Would it make you feel cooler if I told you that I had the biggest crush on Peter Pan? This Peter Pan.”
“Yeah, right,” Cloud grumbled. No way Aerith had spent her days daydreaming about some carrot top in tights.
Aerith stepped back, fixing him with an expression of absolute incredulity. “Are you seriously doubting me? If you knew anything about straight women, you’d be well aware that we were all head over heels for Peter Pan. Both Peter Pans.” Aerith giggled, almost to herself. “And a little later… one of the Captain Hooks.”
Cloud wrinkled his nose at her, although if he was going to have a crush on any guy from the movies, it would have to be the live-action Captain Hook. That guy was cool. At least when he wasn’t being eaten by a crocodile as a bunch of kids mocked the shit outta him.
“Don’t you dare judge me, it was a whole plot point,” Aerith chided. “But just like Wendy, it was Peter Pan who truly had my heart.”
“Lucky Peter,” Cloud rolled his eyes but his tone was the lightest it’d been since he stepped out in his verdant garb.
“Lucky you,” Aerith replied, “Since tonight, you get to be him.”
Admittedly, Cloud was starting to warm up to the costume. Looking like a pseudo-elf wasn’t ideal, but dressing up as Aerith’s childhood crush wasn’t so disagreeable. Still, Cloud wasn’t ready to concede just yet. “Maybe you’re the lucky one. Since I’m being so accommodating.”
“Hmm, I guess I could give you a little reward,” Aerith said. “Even if you are making a fuss, you did put on the costume.” She leaned in closer, so the tips of their noses brushed against each other. “Peter and Wendy are supposed to exchange kisses. It’s a very important plot point.”
Not in the animated movie, but Cloud didn’t care to contradict her this time.
He simply closed his eyes and waited for Wendy to give Peter her kiss. And when she did, he really, truly did feel like he was flying.