Fandom: Final Fantasy VI
Characters: Edgar, Sabin, Gau
Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VI and all its characters are property of Square Enix Co., Ltd. No copyright infringement is intended.
Written For: FF_Santa (LJ Comm). My recipient was Wounded Melody. We matched on Final Fantasy VI, where she requested Edgar, Sabin, Celes, Locke, Edgar/Sabin, or Celes/Locke in any genre. It worked out to Edgar and Sabin in a fluffy vignette. I am sorry I wasn't able to fit more in.
Notes: Thanks to the wise Rynne for the beta! Edgar and Sabin's brotherly affection may be interpreted as either platonic or not.
******
The moment Sabin and Gau sat down for the holiday feast, Edgar felt as if he had somehow been transported back to his adventuring days, when he lived in tents and ate whatever he managed to hunt, surrounded by wild beasts and poorly groomed men on all sides. Sabin and Gau tore into the food on their plates as if someone had cast Berserk on them. Apparently, Sabin had forgotten all of the manners their father had tried to teach him. Food dribbled onto the white linen tablecloth, and the servants frowned and clucked their tongues. Never had the Figaro Castle dining hall seemed quite so uncivilized.
"I see your ascetic training has failed you," Edgar remarked as he delicately set a slice of roast ciripus upon his plate.
Sabin paused with more roast ciripus halfway in his mouth. "Whuh dah oo mee?"
"Uwao?" Gau asked, scraping mashed tubers from his plate with his fingers. Edgar had seen Sabin teach him how to use a fork and knife, but it seemed that Gau had as little use for these lessons as Sabin did royal manners.
"I mean that you two eat like wild tyrannosaurs."
Sabin laughed, spraying small bits of ciripus on the table. "I'm just hungry! Monster slaying requires a lot of work, doesn't it, Gau?"
"Uwao!" Gau pulled up his sleeve to reveal a bulging, if small, bicep. "Gau much stronger now!"
"Have some cruller casserole, Gau," Sabin said, scooping some onto Gau's plate. "It's good for you. It'll put hair on your chest."
Edgar laughed at Gau's alarmed expression when he scooped the casserole into his mouth. Cruller casserole was a Figaro delicacy, but it was definitely an acquired taste. The slimy, rubbery texture of cruller threw off many people. But Sabin was a true son of Figaro. He piled his plate high and ate well. He dripped some on his chin, but ignored it during his feeding frenzy.
"Gluttony is a sin, Sabin."
Sabin grinned through a mouthful of food. "So's lust, brother. We all have our vices, I suppose."
"I don't know what you're talking about. I'm just polite to the ladies."
"I certainly hope so. So, how many illegitimate nieces and nephews do I have by now?"
"Ha ha. None. I'm very careful."
Sabin laughed. "You just need a queen. So I can have my nieces and nephews. And Figaro can have its heirs."
"Well, one keeps turning me down for orphans. The second would probably lead to a certain treasure hunter robbing the country blind in revenge. The last is only twelve. I should wait at least a few more years for her. Otherwise her grandfather might set that devil dog she inherited from Shadow on me."
Gau blinked and shoved the cruller casserole away from him, as if worried the cruller might come back to life and try to eat him. "What a queen for?"
"Princes and princesses. And to keep my brother's vice under control," Sabin explained in a patient tone.
"Oh, a mate. Gau know about mating!" Gau demonstrated a typical monster mating with his fork and knife, complete with frighteningly accurate sound effects. He found a use for his cutlery, after all.
Edgar laughed. "It's good to know you've had The Talk with him already. And I'll keep my vice under control if you control yours, brother. Wipe your mouth with a napkin once in a while."
"When I'm done," Sabin promised, and sliced off another hunk of roast ciripus. "Now, where's the cocoaberry cream pie?"
******
Edgar headed into his brother's room past midnight and crawled into bed beside his brother. Sabin woke at the movement and took Edgar's hands in his. Their father had once barked at them to separate as children, and since then, they realized no one would understand their connection and ceased holding hands in public. Once they had been one person, but were now split into two men, on two different paths. Sometimes, they needed to be reminded of their origin, of the one being they began existence as.
"I've missed you," Edgar whispered. "You should visit more."
Even in the dim light, Edgar knew his twin's face enough to tell that Sabin smiled. "I'll try, but it's not easy. I wind up so far away sometimes, and there's always someone new to save from the monsters still roaming around. But you know I'd never miss the holidays."
"I know. You wouldn't miss the chance to stuff your face." Edgar squeezed his hand. "Do you really think I should find a queen?"
"Well, you aren't getting any younger, brother." Sabin laughed. "Celes is taken, and Relm's too young. The only woman left worthy of you is Terra."
"But she has her orphans. She's made that clear."
"So adopt them."
"All of them?"
"Why not? It's not like you can't afford them. I think they would happily accept, as Mobliz is still half in ruins. And Terra won't find a better man anywhere in the world."
Edgar pressed his forehead to his twin. "Not unless she chose you."
"My ascetic training forbids me such vices."
"Yet allows you all the cocoaberry cream pie you can stuff in your face in one sitting."
Sabin laughed and pulled his brother into a bear-like hug. Edgar squirmed and gasped for breath. His little brother was as Terra once described him--a true bear of a man. Sabin released him. "I've missed you, too, brother."
Edgar smiled and settled back amongst the pillows. "We have to go honor our ancestors early in the morning. Don't forget."
"I won't. Especially because there will be more holiday food after the ritual."
"You're such a hoover."
"At least I wasn't the one who seduced information on Gestahl's plot out of his mistress. 'The lady who brought us tea?' Do you think anyone really bought that?"
"Hey, it saved us, didn't it?"
Sabin smiled. "It did. You always come through, Edgar."
"So do you." Edgar tapped one of Sabin's bulging biceps. "Your strength helped us defeat Kefka."
"Between your brains and my brawn, Figaro is a true unstoppable force!"
"Of course!"
They laughed again, and both Edgar and Sabin soon quieted, their hands still entwined. Edgar studied his twin's face in the moonlight. As children, few could tell Edgar and Sabin apart, but a childhood disease had left Sabin small and sickly. Though training under Duncan had restored Sabin's health and increased his size, Edgar could not help but worry about his younger brother. Sabin only had Gau for company as he traveled the world, cleansing it of monsters. Sabin needed more; he needed his twin. But Edgar had his duties as King of Figaro, and he could no more join Sabin than Sabin could remain with him.
Sabin squeezed Edgar's hands as he closed his eyes, and Edgar smiled. Most men were born alone, but Edgar and Sabin had been born together, one right after the other. They could walk separate paths, but those paths would always lay side-by-side. Comforted by this thought, Edgar closed his own eyes and drifted off to sleep. He dreamt of a two-faced coin spinning in the air, flashing one side, then the next.
No matter which side landed face up, he could not lose.
End.