Final Fantasy VII (Aeris/Zack/Cloud/Seph)
Cloud frowned as he entered the not-so-abandoned manor, the door sliding easily open on well-oiled hinges. He wasn’t sure why anyone would build a house out here - Ramuh, he wasn’t even sure how someone could build out here when it had taken him a gold chocobo and nearly an hour of traipsing over decidedly unpleasant terrain to reach it, but it looked like Cid had been right when he said he’d seen signs of life the last time he’d flown over. Cloud had explored enough houses and abandoned labs to know that doors didn’t open that easily without someone taking care of them.
The interior of the house was strange, with thick, soft carpets and walls draped with multi-coloured silks between tall marble pillars. The lights were on, squat, frosted lamps that spread a warm glow and a cozy sort of welcome all around. Fighting down the random urge to take off his dirt-spattered boots in the vestibule, Cloud stepped warily inside, one hand on the hilt of his sword as he walked.
There was an archway at the other end of the atrium, open but hazy with more hanging fabric. Cloud could see a jumble of cushions strewn across the floor beyond it, an indistinct swath of colour through the gauzy damask. Something shifted among the pillows and Cloud tensed, pausing with the fabric partially lifted in one gloved hand.
“Hello?” he called cautiously, steeling himself for an attack.
The figure jerked straight upright instead, an unexpected flash of black hair and an almost scandalous amount of tanned skin suddenly visible among the scattered pillows.
“Cloud!” the man exclaimed delightedly, bounding to his feet with the enthusiasm of a puppy. “It’s been ages! You look great!” A sly wink of mako-bright eyes. “And I like the leather - it’s very sexy.”
Cloud boggled, hand falling harmlessly away from his sword. “Zack?!” he demanded incredulously, wondering if he’d finally gone over the deep end. “Is that…how… but you…”
Zack grinned, carelessly charming as ever. “Yes, it’s me, it’s a long story, and no, I’m not dead anymore.”
“And you didn’t tell me?” Cloud demanded without thinking, aggrieved. Then he paused, rewinding what Zack had just said. “Wait. You’re not dead anymore?”
Bare muscles rippled as Zack shrugged and Cloud wondered absently just when the loincloth had come back in style. It had been a good move on someone’s part, that was for certain.
“Nope. The Planet decided to give me another chance at being alive.” Zack hooked his hands behind his head casually. “And I would’ve told you but it’s not exactly a quick commute to Midgar from here. And the postal service round here is lousy.”
“Oh,” Cloud answered brilliantly. “Does this happen often?”
“Wee-ll, it was kind of a special situation,” Zack told him. He grinned cheekily. “The Planet found a better use for me than being a dead guy so I got an upgrade.”
It really wasn’t fair, Cloud thought. He’d spent so long not remembering Zack, living in his own messed up version of Zack’s life, yet all it took was five minutes in Zack’s presence and he was a 16 year old trooper again, about to ask a question that he knew instinctively was going to be terribly embarrassing and no doubt amuse Zack to no end.
And he was going to ask it anyway. Zack had that kind of effect on people.
Cloud sighed. “What kind of better use?” he demanded, trying for detached and failing spectacularly.
It was really amazing how much mischief Zack could pack into a single expression. “A prize stud.”
Cloud was torn somewhere between blushing like a schoolgirl and smacking Zack upside the head and demanding a proper explanation. Before he could decide which way to jump, however, the chime of silver heralded the arrival of another of the house’s occupants.
“Zack?” a light, pretty voice asked, followed into the room by a slim, pretty young lady wearing not much more than Zack. “Who are you-…Cloud!” Cloud found himself abruptly wrapped in an effusion of pink silks, breathing in the scent of flowers as Aeris tucked her head under his chin and hugged him within an inch of his life. “I knew you’d find us eventually! What took you so long?” She pulled back to fix him with a look that was part worry, part exasperation and all gentle love. “You look tired. Have you been sleeping right?”
“Aeris?!” he blurted, stunned, looking from her to Zack’s smugly knowing grin and back again. “Why are you… I mean what, how…?”
“Zack didn’t explain?” Aeris rolled her eyes ruefully. She tilted her head to fix Zack with a disapproving look. “Sometimes I wonder what I keep you around for, Fair,” she told him, not nearly stern enough to be convincing.
“Me?” Zack’s expression was perfectly innocent and entirely unconvincing. “Whatever do you mean?”
“You know very well what I mean,” Aeris answered tartly, a grin escaping at the corners of her mouth. She sighed diplomatically, letting her eyes wander appreciatively over Zack’s mostly unclad body. “Oh well. At least he’s nice to look at, right Cloud?”
Cloud gaped at her, wondering if he’d hit his head on something hard on the way here.
Aeris took one look at his pole-axed expression and steered him towards one of the cushions. “Sit,” she directed, sinking down gracefully beside him and linking their arms. Zack slumped down on his other side, his hand a warm, soothing pressure on Cloud’s thigh.
“Cloud,” Aeris said. “Did you know that I was the last Cetra?”
Cloud nodded. “I didn’t really understand what it meant then, but I know a bit more now.” He paused, confused. “But what do you mean ‘was’?” He eyed her worriedly, voice threatening to crack in a way it hadn’t done since he’d last worn a Private’s uniform. “How could I be talking to you if you were d-dead?”
“Well see, that’s the thing.” Aeris cocked her chin against one palm, green eyes soothing and honest as she looked at him. “I did die. There’s no escaping that. But the Planet wasn’t entirely pleased that its chosen race had officially become extinct. So, once all the trouble with Jenova was resolved, it decided to do something about it.”
A glimmer of understanding was beginning to make itself known in the back of Cloud’s head. “So it brought you back to life?” he asked slowly, feeling suddenly unaccountably warm when Aeris beamed at him.
“Exactly. We had a talk and the Planet decided to resurrect me so that I could prevent the Ancients from dying out.” Her cheeks dimpled as she smiled. “Although it’s a little hard for me to do that on my own, so I convinced it I needed some special people to help me out.”
“Not a bad deal really,” Zack added from Cloud’s other side, free hand coming up to stroke slowly down Aeris’ bare arm. “We’re all safe here for as long as we decide we want to stay, and the most pressing item on the agenda is copious amounts of hot sex.”
Aeris giggled. “So I hope you don’t have anything particularly pressing waiting for you in Midgar - I’d say you’re going to be pretty busy for the next little while.”
“What?” Cloud blinked back and forth between the pair of them, baffled. “You want me here too?”
“Hey,” Zack chided, looping his arm neatly around Cloud’s waist. “We’re a family Spike, and you’re a part of it. Eternal nookie and child rearing just wouldn’t be the same without you.”
“I would have had the Planet bring you here right away,” Aeris added, shifting so she was practically sitting in Cloud’s lap. “But we didn’t like the idea of having to kill you first, even if we were going to bring you right back again, so we had to wait for you to get here on your own.”
“Gods, I’ve missed you both so much,” Cloud managed, throat tight, reaching out blindly to hold onto them just as tightly. “Can I stay?”
Zack laughed. “Spike, you’re staying even if I have to tie you up and sit on you until you promise to behave.” Zack’s chin was on Cloud’s shoulder, seeming like it had no intention of moving any time soon and Cloud laughed with him, giddy and incredulous.
“I have no idea how I’m going to explain this to Tifa,” he admitted, sure that was probably supposed to bother him more than it did.
“If you intend to stay permanently, it might actually be a wise idea to fake your death,” a new voice, cultured and terribly beautiful, interjected, and Cloud gaped in vaguely panicked shock as Sephiroth strolled casually into the room, silver hair falling gracefully around his mostly naked body.
“Unless you’d rather travel back and forth every month or so to check in with your old comrades,” Sephiroth continued, completely calm as he eased into the cushions on Aeris’ other side and she leaned back against him. “In which case you’ll need to ensure they understand that you intend to spend the majority of your time here with us.”
Cloud’s head was spinning. He directed a narrow look at Aeris. “So how many people did you bring back from the dead, exactly?”
“Just the three of us,” she answered promptly, purring as Sephiroth’s strong hands massaged her shoulders. “And now that Jenova’s gone, the last of her influence has been removed from Seph.”
“So he’s good as new!” Zack declared with a laughing grin.
Sephiroth met the laughter with an eloquent eyebrow. “You speak as if I’m a repaired motorcycle.”
“Nah,” Zack dismissed carelessly. “You’re much sexier than a motorcycle.”
“I dunno,” Cloud heard himself join in. He glanced over at Sephiroth, vague hints of panic melting beneath the warm, mildly amused, sane regard he could see in green eyes. “My bike’s a pretty sweet piece of work.”
Sephiroth sniffed. “I would hardly think there’d be any comparison.”
“And if you’ve been having sex with your motorcycle,” Zack added, grinning. “I’m just sad that you didn’t bring us pictures.”
And then they were all laughing, hands and mouths starting to wander, and Cloud couldn’t remember the last time he’d been so unreservedly happy.
Now I’m glad I spent so much time breeding chocobos he had the presence of mind to think before he stopped thinking entirely. They’d all waited long enough for this.
~owari
The interior of the house was strange, with thick, soft carpets and walls draped with multi-coloured silks between tall marble pillars. The lights were on, squat, frosted lamps that spread a warm glow and a cozy sort of welcome all around. Fighting down the random urge to take off his dirt-spattered boots in the vestibule, Cloud stepped warily inside, one hand on the hilt of his sword as he walked.
There was an archway at the other end of the atrium, open but hazy with more hanging fabric. Cloud could see a jumble of cushions strewn across the floor beyond it, an indistinct swath of colour through the gauzy damask. Something shifted among the pillows and Cloud tensed, pausing with the fabric partially lifted in one gloved hand.
“Hello?” he called cautiously, steeling himself for an attack.
The figure jerked straight upright instead, an unexpected flash of black hair and an almost scandalous amount of tanned skin suddenly visible among the scattered pillows.
“Cloud!” the man exclaimed delightedly, bounding to his feet with the enthusiasm of a puppy. “It’s been ages! You look great!” A sly wink of mako-bright eyes. “And I like the leather - it’s very sexy.”
Cloud boggled, hand falling harmlessly away from his sword. “Zack?!” he demanded incredulously, wondering if he’d finally gone over the deep end. “Is that…how… but you…”
Zack grinned, carelessly charming as ever. “Yes, it’s me, it’s a long story, and no, I’m not dead anymore.”
“And you didn’t tell me?” Cloud demanded without thinking, aggrieved. Then he paused, rewinding what Zack had just said. “Wait. You’re not dead anymore?”
Bare muscles rippled as Zack shrugged and Cloud wondered absently just when the loincloth had come back in style. It had been a good move on someone’s part, that was for certain.
“Nope. The Planet decided to give me another chance at being alive.” Zack hooked his hands behind his head casually. “And I would’ve told you but it’s not exactly a quick commute to Midgar from here. And the postal service round here is lousy.”
“Oh,” Cloud answered brilliantly. “Does this happen often?”
“Wee-ll, it was kind of a special situation,” Zack told him. He grinned cheekily. “The Planet found a better use for me than being a dead guy so I got an upgrade.”
It really wasn’t fair, Cloud thought. He’d spent so long not remembering Zack, living in his own messed up version of Zack’s life, yet all it took was five minutes in Zack’s presence and he was a 16 year old trooper again, about to ask a question that he knew instinctively was going to be terribly embarrassing and no doubt amuse Zack to no end.
And he was going to ask it anyway. Zack had that kind of effect on people.
Cloud sighed. “What kind of better use?” he demanded, trying for detached and failing spectacularly.
It was really amazing how much mischief Zack could pack into a single expression. “A prize stud.”
Cloud was torn somewhere between blushing like a schoolgirl and smacking Zack upside the head and demanding a proper explanation. Before he could decide which way to jump, however, the chime of silver heralded the arrival of another of the house’s occupants.
“Zack?” a light, pretty voice asked, followed into the room by a slim, pretty young lady wearing not much more than Zack. “Who are you-…Cloud!” Cloud found himself abruptly wrapped in an effusion of pink silks, breathing in the scent of flowers as Aeris tucked her head under his chin and hugged him within an inch of his life. “I knew you’d find us eventually! What took you so long?” She pulled back to fix him with a look that was part worry, part exasperation and all gentle love. “You look tired. Have you been sleeping right?”
“Aeris?!” he blurted, stunned, looking from her to Zack’s smugly knowing grin and back again. “Why are you… I mean what, how…?”
“Zack didn’t explain?” Aeris rolled her eyes ruefully. She tilted her head to fix Zack with a disapproving look. “Sometimes I wonder what I keep you around for, Fair,” she told him, not nearly stern enough to be convincing.
“Me?” Zack’s expression was perfectly innocent and entirely unconvincing. “Whatever do you mean?”
“You know very well what I mean,” Aeris answered tartly, a grin escaping at the corners of her mouth. She sighed diplomatically, letting her eyes wander appreciatively over Zack’s mostly unclad body. “Oh well. At least he’s nice to look at, right Cloud?”
Cloud gaped at her, wondering if he’d hit his head on something hard on the way here.
Aeris took one look at his pole-axed expression and steered him towards one of the cushions. “Sit,” she directed, sinking down gracefully beside him and linking their arms. Zack slumped down on his other side, his hand a warm, soothing pressure on Cloud’s thigh.
“Cloud,” Aeris said. “Did you know that I was the last Cetra?”
Cloud nodded. “I didn’t really understand what it meant then, but I know a bit more now.” He paused, confused. “But what do you mean ‘was’?” He eyed her worriedly, voice threatening to crack in a way it hadn’t done since he’d last worn a Private’s uniform. “How could I be talking to you if you were d-dead?”
“Well see, that’s the thing.” Aeris cocked her chin against one palm, green eyes soothing and honest as she looked at him. “I did die. There’s no escaping that. But the Planet wasn’t entirely pleased that its chosen race had officially become extinct. So, once all the trouble with Jenova was resolved, it decided to do something about it.”
A glimmer of understanding was beginning to make itself known in the back of Cloud’s head. “So it brought you back to life?” he asked slowly, feeling suddenly unaccountably warm when Aeris beamed at him.
“Exactly. We had a talk and the Planet decided to resurrect me so that I could prevent the Ancients from dying out.” Her cheeks dimpled as she smiled. “Although it’s a little hard for me to do that on my own, so I convinced it I needed some special people to help me out.”
“Not a bad deal really,” Zack added from Cloud’s other side, free hand coming up to stroke slowly down Aeris’ bare arm. “We’re all safe here for as long as we decide we want to stay, and the most pressing item on the agenda is copious amounts of hot sex.”
Aeris giggled. “So I hope you don’t have anything particularly pressing waiting for you in Midgar - I’d say you’re going to be pretty busy for the next little while.”
“What?” Cloud blinked back and forth between the pair of them, baffled. “You want me here too?”
“Hey,” Zack chided, looping his arm neatly around Cloud’s waist. “We’re a family Spike, and you’re a part of it. Eternal nookie and child rearing just wouldn’t be the same without you.”
“I would have had the Planet bring you here right away,” Aeris added, shifting so she was practically sitting in Cloud’s lap. “But we didn’t like the idea of having to kill you first, even if we were going to bring you right back again, so we had to wait for you to get here on your own.”
“Gods, I’ve missed you both so much,” Cloud managed, throat tight, reaching out blindly to hold onto them just as tightly. “Can I stay?”
Zack laughed. “Spike, you’re staying even if I have to tie you up and sit on you until you promise to behave.” Zack’s chin was on Cloud’s shoulder, seeming like it had no intention of moving any time soon and Cloud laughed with him, giddy and incredulous.
“I have no idea how I’m going to explain this to Tifa,” he admitted, sure that was probably supposed to bother him more than it did.
“If you intend to stay permanently, it might actually be a wise idea to fake your death,” a new voice, cultured and terribly beautiful, interjected, and Cloud gaped in vaguely panicked shock as Sephiroth strolled casually into the room, silver hair falling gracefully around his mostly naked body.
“Unless you’d rather travel back and forth every month or so to check in with your old comrades,” Sephiroth continued, completely calm as he eased into the cushions on Aeris’ other side and she leaned back against him. “In which case you’ll need to ensure they understand that you intend to spend the majority of your time here with us.”
Cloud’s head was spinning. He directed a narrow look at Aeris. “So how many people did you bring back from the dead, exactly?”
“Just the three of us,” she answered promptly, purring as Sephiroth’s strong hands massaged her shoulders. “And now that Jenova’s gone, the last of her influence has been removed from Seph.”
“So he’s good as new!” Zack declared with a laughing grin.
Sephiroth met the laughter with an eloquent eyebrow. “You speak as if I’m a repaired motorcycle.”
“Nah,” Zack dismissed carelessly. “You’re much sexier than a motorcycle.”
“I dunno,” Cloud heard himself join in. He glanced over at Sephiroth, vague hints of panic melting beneath the warm, mildly amused, sane regard he could see in green eyes. “My bike’s a pretty sweet piece of work.”
Sephiroth sniffed. “I would hardly think there’d be any comparison.”
“And if you’ve been having sex with your motorcycle,” Zack added, grinning. “I’m just sad that you didn’t bring us pictures.”
And then they were all laughing, hands and mouths starting to wander, and Cloud couldn’t remember the last time he’d been so unreservedly happy.
Now I’m glad I spent so much time breeding chocobos he had the presence of mind to think before he stopped thinking entirely. They’d all waited long enough for this.
~owari