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FFVII AU fic: Thank You, The Long Way
Title: Thank You, The Long Way.
Series: Marriageverse: FFVII OGC Diversion/AU
Characters: Sephiroth/Aeris, Cloud, Zack, Angeal, OCs (Seph's kids)
Word Count: 1857
Notes: Implied Seph/Cloud naughtiness
Rating: PG-13
Sephiroth hoisted his basket and walked out onto the bluff. He stared at the rusted marker in the distance and the view beyond it. It was a great place for an ending.
A car screeched to a halt behind him. Sephiroth didn't need to turn around to know how Cloud stumbled out. “What do you think you're doing, Sephiroth?”
Sephiroth scowled. “What does it look like, Cloud? I'm paying my respects.” Sephiroth adjusted his grip on the basket. “He was my friend too.”
“Oh.” Cloud stopped short. “So you're not about to embark on some murderous rampage then?”
“Why is that always your first guess?” Sephiroth huffed.
“It's just experience talking.”
“Hn.”
Cloud sheathed his sword and stepped closer. “So what's the deal? Aerith called Tifa and said you'd run out of the house.”
Sephiroth stared at the old Buster sword and sighed. It carried the memory of two friends for him. “It's just... the holiday, you know.” Sephiroth walked up to the sword and set the basket down in front of it. “He tried to get me to share in the festivities. I never really understood why at the time.” Angeal had tried too, but Sephiroth didn't mention that. “It's a day to be thankful, right? Well, I'm thankful for what he did. It gave me what I have now, if in a roundabout fashion.”
Cloud snorted. “Yeah, getting shot up so you can move in on his girl, now that's a pal.”
“I TOLD you-” Sephiroth shook his head and bit off the rest. It was an old saw between them. Cloud chuckled.
“So, should I just be leaving you to commune with the spirits now or something?”
Sephiroth shrugged. “You might as well stay. I packed a ham.”
Cloud blinked. “A ham?”
Sephiroth nodded. “Honey baked, spiral cut. Zack's favorite?”
“You packed a ham?”
“Your ears bothering you, Cloud? Yes, a ham. And fresh whole grain bread. I can't eat it all by myself.”
Cloud looked suspicious.“You can't?”
“Well, I shouldn't,” Sephiroth clarified.
Cloud thought it over. “You came all this way to eat ham?”
“Why not? Zack can't eat it himself so maybe we could do it for him.”
The man had a point, Cloud admitted, and under the cloth in that basket, the ham was smelling divine. Tifa had recruited all the kitchen help she needed. The boys knew their way around the inside of a turkey better than he ever would, so really, it was like he was doing them a favor, staying out of the kitchen until the bird was out of the oven. “Yeah, what the hell. Got a knife?”
-.-.-.-.-.-.-
“Mom? We found 'em.” Ari peered over the boulder for a second. “No, they're not breaking things. Actually, I'm not sure what they're doing.”
“They're eating ham,” Rei said. “Can you smell it?”
“Oh, Mom, Rei says they're eating ham.” Ari listened for a moment. “Dad did buy more than one ham, right? I'm sure we've got another one around.”
Rei sat beside him and sniffed the air delicately. “Honey baked,” he murmured.
“Uh, no, I don't know when you should take the turkey out.”
“Spiral cut,” Rei said, “fourteen pounds.”
Ari glanced askance at his brother. “You can smell all that?”
Rei blinked. “You can't?”
Ari sighed. “No, Mom, everything's okay. Rei's just being weird again.”
“Smell's making me hungry,” Rei said, dejected.
“But it's ham, veggie boy.” Ari frowned. “What the hell kind of herbivore are you? No, Mom, we're not fighting. Okay, okay, I'll give him the phone.” He held the cell out to his younger twin. “Here.”
“Hi, Mom,” Rei said. “No, we're not fighting. My tofurkey's ready, right? Good. Um, Dad? Uh, he's eating ham with Uncle Cloud just like Ari said.” Rei listened for a while. “Did you check the meat thermometer?”
Ari sighed. “We're having drive-through fried chicken again, aren't we?”
“Uh, Mom,” Rei said, peeking around the boulder again. He frowned. “Are you sure he didn't set a timer anywhere? No, leave the stuffing alone, you know how Ella's picky about that. Yeah... uh-huh... okay, I'm handing it over now.” He passed the phone back.
“Yo, woman, snap it up, you're burning my minutes,” Ari kvetched, shouldering a punch from Rei for talking to their mother like that. “Okay, okay, we'll keep an eye on them. Seriously, we can do this, Mom. Yeah, we won't let them hospitalize each other this time. Okay, love ya, bye!” He snapped the phone shut and sighed. “So, any signs of impending apocalypse yet?”
“They're making more sandwiches,” Rei said helpfully.
“Great.” Ari's voice was dripping sarcasm. Then he brightened. “Fourteen pound ham, two ex-SOLDIERs. Hey, brainiac, how long do you figure it'll take them to finish?” Rei ignored him.
-.-.-.-.-.-
Sephiroth and Cloud stretched themselves out full length on the escarpment, staring up at the great blue sky.
“I'm thirsty,” Cloud said.
“Ham'll do that,” Sephiroth said, half an inch away from sleep. They'd finished most of the ham together, running out of bread halfway and just cutting strips from the bone near the end. They made sure to leave a goodly portion for Zack's sake. To honor his spirit, they said, or because they just couldn't eat anymore.
“Didja pack anything to drink?” Cloud asked.
“No.”
Cloud sighed. “Good cook, lousy host.”
“Great cook,” Sephiroth corrected, kicking Cloud in the ankle. “Lousy host. Don't you keep a cooler in your trunk?”
“Eh,” Cloud scowled. “Cid got to it last week. There's nothing in there but some really old whiskey Reeve gave me.”
Sephiroth sat up. “Well, why not go get it?”
“Oh, hell, no!” Cloud shot up. “When you get drunk you start hitting on me!”
Sephiroth thought it over. “When you get drunk you don't mind.”
There was silence as they both thought of the things they had agreed to never speak of again. “Ah, why not?” Cloud conceded. “For Zack.”
Sephiroth nodded. “For Zack.”
-.-.-.-.-.-.-
Once, on a test flight, Ari had flown his craft through a flock of migrating swallows. Bloody stupid accident, really, no one's fault. He'd wobbled the light craft safely by all but one of them. The poor brown thing had met Ari's eyes with a look of innocent bewilderment in the split second before it collided with the windshield. It was a look Ari would never forget. It was the look Rei wore now.
“Rei?” Ari asked carefully, bracing for the bomb.
Rei turned to him, white as a sheet. “They brought booze.”
“Aw, shit.” Ari drew his guns.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-
“Hey, Seph?” Cloud's words were slow but very carefully enunciated. Sephiroth slurred when drugged, not drunk, so damned if Cloud showed up any worse. “You're bisexual, right?”
“Pfft,” Sephiroth scoffed. “What gave you that idea, blondie?”
“Well, you know,” Cloud said, “You're kinda bruising my buns at the moment.”
“Oh.” Sephiroth carefully removed his hand. “That was an accident.”
“Uh huh, sure.”
“It was!”
“Oh, I believe you.”
“... You're a pervert, Cloud.”
Cloud hauled himself upright. “Me? You're the one feeling me up.”
“That was an accident. You're dirty for thinking... what you're thinking... here on a
good man's grave.”
“s'not a grave,” Cloud insisted. “Nobody's buried here.”
“Why not?”
Cloud slapped the ground. “Cuz it's frickin' rock. Can't dig this.”
“Oh.” Sephiroth frowned. “Where'd he go then?”
“Dunno,” Cloud said. “I came back looking soon as I remembered. Didn't find even a tooth.”
Sephiroth rubbed his nose against his sleeve. “I miss him,” he blurted out.
“Me too.” Cloud slumped. Both men sighed. Cloud looked over. “Want a hug?”
Sephiroth blinked slowly. “Yeah.”
-.-.-.-.-.-.-
“Oh man.” Ari sank back to the hiding spot behind the boulder. “Rei, scan for papparazzi.”
“All clear,” Rei said. “They're not doing that thing with the pole again, are they?”
“No, no audience this time.”
“Okay.” Rei whipped out his phone. “Think Mom'll want pictures?”
-.-.-.-.-.-.-
Ella set the roasting pan down gently on the heat-resistant countertop just as Aerith wandered back into the kitchen for another round of fretting. “Ella, what are you doing?”
“Turkey's done.”
“How do you know?”
“Dad told me when to check it before he left.” Ella set a heat shield over the bird and watched Ocean stirring the yams. She'd already made the dressing for the salad, the rolls were in their basket and there was butter melting into the mashed potatoes. Minor touches all, but for the bird.
“Did he tell you what time he was coming back?”
Ocean turned from the pot. “You know him. He'll be back when he's back.”
“Now what kind of answer is that?”
Ella turned. “Relax. We told Rei and Ari to drag him home by five if he's being difficult.”
“Dinner'll be cold.”
Ella shrugged. “Heating things up is never a problem in this house, is it?” Ocean snickered.
Aerith shrugged and took a seat near the cheese plate so she could pick at the brie. “I guess not. Oh, message!” She flipped her phone open. It was a picture this time.
Ella and Ocean slid around to look over her shoulder. “They're not doing that thing with the pole, are they?”
“Doesn't look so.” Aerith tilted the phone for a better view since the pair were poorly framed. “They're not fighting. Hm, look at that. Got to keep this one on file.”
“Definitely!” Ocean grinned.
Ella took one look and turned away. “Gaia, woman. Nobody needs to see softcore with their father in it.”
Aerith smirked and went back to staring at her new phone wallpaper. There was plenty to be thankful for today.
-.-.-.-.-.-
“Alright, old man, wrap it up and get back in the car. Dinner's waiting.” Ari stepped out from behind the rock.
Sephiroth looked up hazily. “What're you doing here?”
“The usual,” Ari said, “making sure you don't break anything. Now come on, we need you to carve the turkey and NOT with the masamune.”
“Aww,” Sephiroth whined, still hazy and lazy.
“You too, Uncle Cloud,” Rei said. “Where are your keys? I'll take you to the base. Zack said he'd pick you up there.”
Cloud gave them a confused stare. “How can Zack pick me up? He's in the Lifestream.”
Sephiroth snorted. “Not that Zack, Cloud, the other one, your kid?”
“Oh, yeah.” Cloud scratched his head. “Forgot about the one named Zack for a second.”
Sephiroth grinned. “What's new, Cloud?”
“You two coming?” Ari tapped his foot. “No disrespect to fallen comrades of yesteryear, and we're grateful he kept you from rolling down the hill and all, but the living have to eat and dinner's getting cold.”
“Okay, okay, I'm coming.” Sephiroth hauled himself up and dusted himself down. Cloud did the same beside him. They turned for one last look at the reason they were here. “Happy Holidays, Zack,” Sephiroth said quietly.
“Yeah.” Cloud echoed. “And thanks.”
They let themselves be escorted away and left the ham bone behind them.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-
“Thanks, you guys!” Zack waved even though he knew they couldn't see him.
“Puppy, is that ham you're eating?”
“Yep. Spirit offering. Want some?”
“Sure. Thanks.”
“No biggie. Half of it's yours anyway.”
“... I see. Thanks for sharing, pup.”
“No problem, Angeal.”
Series: Marriageverse: FFVII OGC Diversion/AU
Characters: Sephiroth/Aeris, Cloud, Zack, Angeal, OCs (Seph's kids)
Word Count: 1857
Notes: Implied Seph/Cloud naughtiness
Rating: PG-13
Sephiroth hoisted his basket and walked out onto the bluff. He stared at the rusted marker in the distance and the view beyond it. It was a great place for an ending.
A car screeched to a halt behind him. Sephiroth didn't need to turn around to know how Cloud stumbled out. “What do you think you're doing, Sephiroth?”
Sephiroth scowled. “What does it look like, Cloud? I'm paying my respects.” Sephiroth adjusted his grip on the basket. “He was my friend too.”
“Oh.” Cloud stopped short. “So you're not about to embark on some murderous rampage then?”
“Why is that always your first guess?” Sephiroth huffed.
“It's just experience talking.”
“Hn.”
Cloud sheathed his sword and stepped closer. “So what's the deal? Aerith called Tifa and said you'd run out of the house.”
Sephiroth stared at the old Buster sword and sighed. It carried the memory of two friends for him. “It's just... the holiday, you know.” Sephiroth walked up to the sword and set the basket down in front of it. “He tried to get me to share in the festivities. I never really understood why at the time.” Angeal had tried too, but Sephiroth didn't mention that. “It's a day to be thankful, right? Well, I'm thankful for what he did. It gave me what I have now, if in a roundabout fashion.”
Cloud snorted. “Yeah, getting shot up so you can move in on his girl, now that's a pal.”
“I TOLD you-” Sephiroth shook his head and bit off the rest. It was an old saw between them. Cloud chuckled.
“So, should I just be leaving you to commune with the spirits now or something?”
Sephiroth shrugged. “You might as well stay. I packed a ham.”
Cloud blinked. “A ham?”
Sephiroth nodded. “Honey baked, spiral cut. Zack's favorite?”
“You packed a ham?”
“Your ears bothering you, Cloud? Yes, a ham. And fresh whole grain bread. I can't eat it all by myself.”
Cloud looked suspicious.“You can't?”
“Well, I shouldn't,” Sephiroth clarified.
Cloud thought it over. “You came all this way to eat ham?”
“Why not? Zack can't eat it himself so maybe we could do it for him.”
The man had a point, Cloud admitted, and under the cloth in that basket, the ham was smelling divine. Tifa had recruited all the kitchen help she needed. The boys knew their way around the inside of a turkey better than he ever would, so really, it was like he was doing them a favor, staying out of the kitchen until the bird was out of the oven. “Yeah, what the hell. Got a knife?”
-.-.-.-.-.-.-
“Mom? We found 'em.” Ari peered over the boulder for a second. “No, they're not breaking things. Actually, I'm not sure what they're doing.”
“They're eating ham,” Rei said. “Can you smell it?”
“Oh, Mom, Rei says they're eating ham.” Ari listened for a moment. “Dad did buy more than one ham, right? I'm sure we've got another one around.”
Rei sat beside him and sniffed the air delicately. “Honey baked,” he murmured.
“Uh, no, I don't know when you should take the turkey out.”
“Spiral cut,” Rei said, “fourteen pounds.”
Ari glanced askance at his brother. “You can smell all that?”
Rei blinked. “You can't?”
Ari sighed. “No, Mom, everything's okay. Rei's just being weird again.”
“Smell's making me hungry,” Rei said, dejected.
“But it's ham, veggie boy.” Ari frowned. “What the hell kind of herbivore are you? No, Mom, we're not fighting. Okay, okay, I'll give him the phone.” He held the cell out to his younger twin. “Here.”
“Hi, Mom,” Rei said. “No, we're not fighting. My tofurkey's ready, right? Good. Um, Dad? Uh, he's eating ham with Uncle Cloud just like Ari said.” Rei listened for a while. “Did you check the meat thermometer?”
Ari sighed. “We're having drive-through fried chicken again, aren't we?”
“Uh, Mom,” Rei said, peeking around the boulder again. He frowned. “Are you sure he didn't set a timer anywhere? No, leave the stuffing alone, you know how Ella's picky about that. Yeah... uh-huh... okay, I'm handing it over now.” He passed the phone back.
“Yo, woman, snap it up, you're burning my minutes,” Ari kvetched, shouldering a punch from Rei for talking to their mother like that. “Okay, okay, we'll keep an eye on them. Seriously, we can do this, Mom. Yeah, we won't let them hospitalize each other this time. Okay, love ya, bye!” He snapped the phone shut and sighed. “So, any signs of impending apocalypse yet?”
“They're making more sandwiches,” Rei said helpfully.
“Great.” Ari's voice was dripping sarcasm. Then he brightened. “Fourteen pound ham, two ex-SOLDIERs. Hey, brainiac, how long do you figure it'll take them to finish?” Rei ignored him.
-.-.-.-.-.-
Sephiroth and Cloud stretched themselves out full length on the escarpment, staring up at the great blue sky.
“I'm thirsty,” Cloud said.
“Ham'll do that,” Sephiroth said, half an inch away from sleep. They'd finished most of the ham together, running out of bread halfway and just cutting strips from the bone near the end. They made sure to leave a goodly portion for Zack's sake. To honor his spirit, they said, or because they just couldn't eat anymore.
“Didja pack anything to drink?” Cloud asked.
“No.”
Cloud sighed. “Good cook, lousy host.”
“Great cook,” Sephiroth corrected, kicking Cloud in the ankle. “Lousy host. Don't you keep a cooler in your trunk?”
“Eh,” Cloud scowled. “Cid got to it last week. There's nothing in there but some really old whiskey Reeve gave me.”
Sephiroth sat up. “Well, why not go get it?”
“Oh, hell, no!” Cloud shot up. “When you get drunk you start hitting on me!”
Sephiroth thought it over. “When you get drunk you don't mind.”
There was silence as they both thought of the things they had agreed to never speak of again. “Ah, why not?” Cloud conceded. “For Zack.”
Sephiroth nodded. “For Zack.”
-.-.-.-.-.-.-
Once, on a test flight, Ari had flown his craft through a flock of migrating swallows. Bloody stupid accident, really, no one's fault. He'd wobbled the light craft safely by all but one of them. The poor brown thing had met Ari's eyes with a look of innocent bewilderment in the split second before it collided with the windshield. It was a look Ari would never forget. It was the look Rei wore now.
“Rei?” Ari asked carefully, bracing for the bomb.
Rei turned to him, white as a sheet. “They brought booze.”
“Aw, shit.” Ari drew his guns.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-
“Hey, Seph?” Cloud's words were slow but very carefully enunciated. Sephiroth slurred when drugged, not drunk, so damned if Cloud showed up any worse. “You're bisexual, right?”
“Pfft,” Sephiroth scoffed. “What gave you that idea, blondie?”
“Well, you know,” Cloud said, “You're kinda bruising my buns at the moment.”
“Oh.” Sephiroth carefully removed his hand. “That was an accident.”
“Uh huh, sure.”
“It was!”
“Oh, I believe you.”
“... You're a pervert, Cloud.”
Cloud hauled himself upright. “Me? You're the one feeling me up.”
“That was an accident. You're dirty for thinking... what you're thinking... here on a
good man's grave.”
“s'not a grave,” Cloud insisted. “Nobody's buried here.”
“Why not?”
Cloud slapped the ground. “Cuz it's frickin' rock. Can't dig this.”
“Oh.” Sephiroth frowned. “Where'd he go then?”
“Dunno,” Cloud said. “I came back looking soon as I remembered. Didn't find even a tooth.”
Sephiroth rubbed his nose against his sleeve. “I miss him,” he blurted out.
“Me too.” Cloud slumped. Both men sighed. Cloud looked over. “Want a hug?”
Sephiroth blinked slowly. “Yeah.”
-.-.-.-.-.-.-
“Oh man.” Ari sank back to the hiding spot behind the boulder. “Rei, scan for papparazzi.”
“All clear,” Rei said. “They're not doing that thing with the pole again, are they?”
“No, no audience this time.”
“Okay.” Rei whipped out his phone. “Think Mom'll want pictures?”
-.-.-.-.-.-.-
Ella set the roasting pan down gently on the heat-resistant countertop just as Aerith wandered back into the kitchen for another round of fretting. “Ella, what are you doing?”
“Turkey's done.”
“How do you know?”
“Dad told me when to check it before he left.” Ella set a heat shield over the bird and watched Ocean stirring the yams. She'd already made the dressing for the salad, the rolls were in their basket and there was butter melting into the mashed potatoes. Minor touches all, but for the bird.
“Did he tell you what time he was coming back?”
Ocean turned from the pot. “You know him. He'll be back when he's back.”
“Now what kind of answer is that?”
Ella turned. “Relax. We told Rei and Ari to drag him home by five if he's being difficult.”
“Dinner'll be cold.”
Ella shrugged. “Heating things up is never a problem in this house, is it?” Ocean snickered.
Aerith shrugged and took a seat near the cheese plate so she could pick at the brie. “I guess not. Oh, message!” She flipped her phone open. It was a picture this time.
Ella and Ocean slid around to look over her shoulder. “They're not doing that thing with the pole, are they?”
“Doesn't look so.” Aerith tilted the phone for a better view since the pair were poorly framed. “They're not fighting. Hm, look at that. Got to keep this one on file.”
“Definitely!” Ocean grinned.
Ella took one look and turned away. “Gaia, woman. Nobody needs to see softcore with their father in it.”
Aerith smirked and went back to staring at her new phone wallpaper. There was plenty to be thankful for today.
-.-.-.-.-.-
“Alright, old man, wrap it up and get back in the car. Dinner's waiting.” Ari stepped out from behind the rock.
Sephiroth looked up hazily. “What're you doing here?”
“The usual,” Ari said, “making sure you don't break anything. Now come on, we need you to carve the turkey and NOT with the masamune.”
“Aww,” Sephiroth whined, still hazy and lazy.
“You too, Uncle Cloud,” Rei said. “Where are your keys? I'll take you to the base. Zack said he'd pick you up there.”
Cloud gave them a confused stare. “How can Zack pick me up? He's in the Lifestream.”
Sephiroth snorted. “Not that Zack, Cloud, the other one, your kid?”
“Oh, yeah.” Cloud scratched his head. “Forgot about the one named Zack for a second.”
Sephiroth grinned. “What's new, Cloud?”
“You two coming?” Ari tapped his foot. “No disrespect to fallen comrades of yesteryear, and we're grateful he kept you from rolling down the hill and all, but the living have to eat and dinner's getting cold.”
“Okay, okay, I'm coming.” Sephiroth hauled himself up and dusted himself down. Cloud did the same beside him. They turned for one last look at the reason they were here. “Happy Holidays, Zack,” Sephiroth said quietly.
“Yeah.” Cloud echoed. “And thanks.”
They let themselves be escorted away and left the ham bone behind them.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-
“Thanks, you guys!” Zack waved even though he knew they couldn't see him.
“Puppy, is that ham you're eating?”
“Yep. Spirit offering. Want some?”
“Sure. Thanks.”
“No biggie. Half of it's yours anyway.”
“... I see. Thanks for sharing, pup.”
“No problem, Angeal.”