Summary: The quandry of a healthy male teenager. Azrael gets some fatherly advice about the females in his life.
Disclaimer: Azrael and Akalalara are mine, Andria and Axys are co-owned by me and AmazonTurk. Bryce and Kaya are Mystic's. Paulo is Amazon's. Revan belongs to kingmunkey. Vincent and Sephiroth are Square Enix's. The song is Nightwish's. There, ya happy?
Queen's Quornor: Since I owe Kuariryu a winning oneshot, I figured I'd go ahead and post it (Bjanik, I swear I'm working on yours, but the tiger is being difficult!). She asked for either a puppy escapade with the Organization 13 puppies, or some father/son time with Azrael and Sephiroth. I was originally going to post a little blip I wrote that had Azrael in his current age, which is eight years old (or nine), but then I recalled that my friend AmazonTurk has already written a giftfic with Axys at seventeen years old. So I figured, why not?
The Trying Nature of First Love
Azrael noodled with his guitar, trying to come up with another movement in the song he had written. The song was shaping up nicely, or had been, but now he had a problem with the final verse before the last chorus. It just didn't sound right if he kept the tempo and sound from the previous verse. And there was something funky going on with the lyrics themselves; they just...didn't work.
Frustrated, he finally set his guitar down and reached up to adjust his bandana. Taking a cue from Vincent, he had decided to wrap a relatively thin bandana underneath his silver hair, liking the way it made his bangs flare out yet still fall to veil his eyes. The bandana, along with his black vest, wrist cuffs, and leather pants, had become his outfit, the one people associated with him. Wearing it, he usually got more than a few worried and admiring looks from adults and classmates alike; the outfit heightened his resemblence to his father, but emphasized the differences as well. That worried his mother, and Azrael had repeatedly explained to her that he could take care of himself. He didn't need her protection anymore.
His mother had also expressed concern about his exposed chest, but Azrael had brushed her off. The high school faculty at the Shinra Educational Facility gave him a wide berth in such trivial matters because they were extremely wary of him. If a student could bench-press the equivalent weight of a large motorcycle, and he was only seventeen years old, wouldn't that make people nervous? The faculty didn't criticize his naked arms, partially-bared pecs, or tight pants because they feared him. Apart from his old elementary school, Principal Torvis, none of them knew for certain that he was Sephiroth's son. But because of the resemblence, especially with the black leather garb and long silver hair, they were afraid of what he might do if they angered him.
Azrael's gaze unconsciously went to the pictures on his desk, the captured faces of his friends. None of them feared him. They accepted him, and challenged him in ways other than physical strength, since everyone agreed that nobody stood a chance against him in that arena . Bryce challenged him mentally, pushed him into working harder for perfect grades instead of simply good ones. Paulo helped hone his sensitivity, his empathetic nature. Kaya challenged his peace-making skills, the ability to solve a disagreement in a non-violent fashion. That was especially important, since he could punch right through metal and stone without damage to himself; a teenage punk's jaw or stomach wouldn't stand a chance, and he definitely didn't want to accidentally kill a school-mate, even if he hated them. Axys...was just plain challenging.
Andria, however...
The silver-haired teen sighed, thinking about the violet-eyed female. She was challenging his patience versus his instincts, and had been since they were fourteen. He loved her, and he certainly wouldn't mind consumating their unofficial relationship, but Andria never even let him cop a feel. She would make out with him, tease him mercilessly, then slide away with a sexy smirk and knowing eyes, leaving him frustrated with an unsatisified boner. No matter how he wheedled and argued and begged, Andria refused to lose her virginity wth him. He was more than ready to lose his, but she claimed she was waiting for the right moment.
He wished he could talk to somebody about her. Paulo would simply tell him to be patient, and Kaya was far too innocent for such a conversation. Bryce was too touchy in the romantic department right now, since his long-time crush was constantly ignoring him in favor of Azrael, who just wasn't interested. Axys, the crush in question, would shamelessly press against him and say that she was available, and ready when he was. His mom, as much as he loved her, was out of the question. Revan was a good choice, being the man of the house and all, but...
It was moment such as these when Azrael wished his father was alive. Sephiroth would at least make him feel better, given that he had far more experience with women than his son did. How many women had his father lain with before even meeting his mother?
I never kept an accurate count. But there were a great many, if memory serves.
Azrael felt the silken voice steal into his mind, sensed a warm, solid presence against his back. The bed depressed behind him, as if somebody had sat down with their back against his. But when he looked, there was nobody there.
"Well, if I have my way, Andi's the only girl I'll ever be with," he stated, crossing his legs and leaning back against the phantom solidity. His mother had told him that Sephiroth sometimes appeared to her visually, but he'd never actually seen him. Felt and sensed him, like now, but never laid eyes upon his father. "I really, really like her, and I want my first time to be with her."
And she refuses to follow through, after getting you all worked up. A deep chuckle teased the teen's mind. Frustrating, isn't it?
"You have no idea," Azrael sighed, rolling his cranberry eyes. "I always end up jacking off in the bathroom or my room or the backseat when the date or study period is over. I would never had accused Andi of being a cock-tease, but she's been one for the past three years!"
It sounds like she wants the first time to be special, Azrael.
"I know she does, but I'm not sure how to make it special!"
Sephiroth laughed again, the vibrations tickling Azrael's back. You should talk to Revan about that. He always manages to make his and Akalara's anniversary special.
Azrael cast a glance over his shoulder, despite knowing that he wouldn't see anything. "Sounds like you're not upset that Mom and Rev are married."
A sigh, then All I want is for her to be happy. Revan makes her happy. How can I deny her that, when she's so afraid of being alone?
"You know she'd rather be with you, right?"
I do. And I'm going to spend an eternity making up for leaving her, once she joins the Lifestream and returns to me. But in life, all I can do is wish her happiness with him, no matter how much it hurts me to watch them together. Something brushed against Azrael's hair, suggesting that his father had just shaken his head. But anyway, back to you. Andria just doesn't want to lose her virginity needlessly. She needs assurance that you love her.
"And me telling her again and again isn't enough?" Azrael asked sarcastically.
The words mean nothing if your actions say otherwise.
"Father, I've never treated her badly!"
No, but you've also never made a move to make your relationship official. Because of that, she isn't willing to give it all to you. I suspect she's afraid that once the deed is done, you'll simply abandon her. Sephiroth sighed again. Don't make the same mistake I did, Azrael. I was afraid of somehow losing your mother if I told her how I felt, and ultimately, because I never told her, I ended up with exactly that. You don't want the same to happen with Andria. I know you aren't the only boy interested in her.
Azrael scowled, the image of Ethan Nadair coming to mind. The sandy-haired boy had always been the bane of his existence, and for the past few years he had been trying to steal Andria from him. The red-streaked girl, of course, wasn't taking the bait. But that didn't stop Ethan from trying.
Prom's coming up soon, isn't it? Sephiroth suddenly asked.
"In a couple months," the silver-haired teen confirmed. The school had opted to go with a DJ instead of a live band, something they had approached his band, Darkwings, about. He, Axys, and Denzel were still miffed about that. The other three bandmates, Andria among them, didn't seem to mind all that much.
Why don't you make it official by asking Andria to be your date for prom?
Azrael shrugged. He'd thought about that already, and still wasn't sure about it. "I'll think about it."
Don't lose her, Azrael. You don't want your mother's life, or mine. You deserve what we were denied. The depression shifted, then disappeared from the bed. By the way, change the lyrics slightly in the last chorus. It's better that way.
"Thanks, Father." Azrael picked up his guitar again. "Shall I tell Mom you said 'hi'?"
No answer, but he knew in his heart that Sephiroth wished it so. Cranberry eyes flicked over to the notepad on the nightstand, and their owner picked up a pen to fix the final verses and repetition of chorus:
Relive the old sin of Adam and Eve,
Of you and me.
Forgive the adoring beast.
Redeem me into childhood,
Show me myself without the shell.
Like the advent of May,
I'll be there when you say
Time to never hold our love.
My fall will be for you.
My love will be in you.
You were the one to cut me,
So I will bleed forever...