Summary: Companion piece to MysticSpiritus' "Sephiroth's Honor" and "Honorable Mentions." He's got the ring and he knows she wouldn't turn him down. She even knows he has the ring! Now how the hell is Zack going to ASK her to marry him….?
Disclaimer: The only things I own in this fic are Akalara, Bellisimo, the Morality Brigade, and the little dress. The rest is either Square Enix's, or Mystic's. Except the song. Donna Lewis owns that one.
Queen's Quornor: I've been bugging Mystic to write Zack's proposal down for about a month now, and she sorta complied in the "Sold!" chapter of "Honorable Mentions." That wasn't quite enough for me, however; I mean, it's not exactly memorable or romantic to give a girl an engagement ring in the middle of an audience during an auction while she's suffering from morning sickness. I figured Zack would keep Akalara hanging for a few days, at least, while he comes up with a good way to give her the damn thing. Plus, who's to say that he wouldn't have a few pre-commitment jitters? Zack's a great guy, but he seems to suffer from a trace amount of ADD or ADHD (probably why I like the guy so much and find him so easy to write; I've got the former condition too!); he might have just gotten caught up in something else and completely forgot about the ring for a while. Last night (this morning? Whatever) I came up with a better idea for Mystic to write for me, and asked if I could do this myself. She kindly gave me permission, and thus the little threesome trio she and I and AmazonTurk have going has come full circle; we all now write in each other's storylines and AUs as much as in our own!
The Old Ball and Chain
There was something nice to be said about having one's own room at the Shrine. People didn't interrupt you at all hours of the day with issues concerning squad of cadets currently under your command, high-ranking officers didn't use their cards to gain access to your apartment whenever they pleased, you didn't have to check your bedroom for hidden cameras before you brought your latest conquest in to see your bed…
It was a welcome reprieve. Especially since Zack suspected that at least half of the spy cameras he had destroyed over the years had been planted by Shinra's unofficial Morality Brigade, a group of extreme Catholic and Orthodox fundamentalists who rooted out and punished people for things such as sexual promiscuity and fornication. He'd managed to escape their notice for years (or rather, they hadn't been able to gain any concrete evidence of him yet), but the woman beside him had not.
Zack traced a gentle finger over her sleeping profile, happy that she could find some peace here at the Shrine. It seemed that somebody in the labs had ratted out Akalara's impending motherhood to the Morality Brigade; he had come back from a three-day mission outside Rocket Town only to find his lover crying in her room because the 'upright citizens' had labeled her a slut and thrown red paint on her to signal her 'shame'.
Her pregnancy was already hell. She didn't need those assholes making her feel even worse than the baby was.
Especially since, as Father Vapone would put it, he was consistently failing to make an honest woman out of her.
It wasn't that Zack wasn't willing to marry her. Hell no! He didn't have a problem with going through the whole wedding thing with her. He had even bought the engagement ring while all of Shinra, and Akalara, watched at the yearly auction.
He didn't really know himself why he hadn't given her the damn ring yet.
It was a sign of Akalara's trust in him that she hadn't demanded he give it to her. She had surprised him by being so patient; most women he knew would have forced him to fork it over days ago. But then again, since when had Akalara been 'normal' since he had known her? That's part of the reason he had fallen in love with her.
She was different from all the others. And not just in physical appearance.
Zack traced his hand down her body until he reached her stomach, just under her belly button. Laying his hand atop her womb, he imagined that he could almost feel tiny kicks from beneath the firm, taut skin. That was impossible, of course. She had only been with child for about two months. Way too early for him to feel kicks yet.
He wanted to do right by them, his lover and his child. Since he had fucked her while she was wearing the nun's habit, he had found himself falling hard for the green-haired Turk, and started a more conventional relationship with her, one that consisted more of going out somewhere instead of just finding places to fuck.
Although, they had certainly done that too. A smile crossed his handsome face as he remembered one such incident the day before he had been shipped out to Rocket Town. Akalara had convinced him to meet her in the executive board room, and they had screwed in the coat closet while the Shinra bigwigs had a meeting right outside it, trying desperately not to make any noise. They had succeeded, but Scarlet would never know exactly how her prize mink coat had gotten semen and girl-juices all over it.
They were deeply in love, and they had a child together. They were both financially secure, and nobody was opposed to Akalara becoming Mrs. Zackary Fair. What reason was there for him to put off formally asking her to marry him?
The black-haired military officer laid back down against the pillows, and pulled his sleeping lover back into his arms where she belonged with a deep sigh, kissing the top of her head before closing his eyes.
He had no fucking idea.
When Akalara awoke, Zack was already gone. She had known he would be; he had to get up at 4 every single morning so he could roll his cadets out of their bunks and start them on the day's maneuvers and drills, not to mention PT. Rare was the morning when she woke up still wrapped in his arms.
The green-haired woman stretched and snuggled back under the blankets, loathe to leave their warmth just yet. It was still early in the morning, and she didn't feel sick yet, thank God. The baby was obviously still asleep.
She already loved him or her, but her unborn child seemed to take great pleasure in making its mother miserable. It was only during the night or early morning that she didn't get sudden attacks of nausea; as a result, she had decided that those must be the hours when her baby was sleeping, or at least doing something other than waiting for an inopportune moment to make her sick.
Akalara fully expected to be kneeling over the toilet in about a half-hour or so, when the baby realized she was awake. It happened every morning.
As she lay in bed, her gaze crept up the wall to the ornate Irish cross hanging above Zack's dresser. Studying the symbol of her lover's faith, a sudden thought struck her.
Maybe that's why he hasn't asked me yet.
Zack had been raised in a parochial school, and remained Catholic to this day, even though he wasn't the most devout follower in the faith. Akalara, on the other hand, was simply Christian. She had been completely turned off Catholicism when she was little, due to her asshole of a father. Her dad, upon seeing his youngest child's exotic hair and eyes, had been convinced that she must be the spawn of a devil or something of that nature, since she didn't look like her two older siblings or him. Her mother's features were there, but no trace of her father was visible to the naked eye. So, fearing that she was the spawn of an incubus, he had decided to try and drive the 'devil' out of her. This was accomplished by repeated exorcisms performed by dubious or unwilling priests, repeated dunkings in holy water, and being chained up with silver bonds and crucifixes while he shouted Bible verses at her. Akalara's older brother had taken her with him when he had moved out, fearing that their father would eventually kill her with his zealous fanaticism.
Needless to say, Akalara was not overly fond of the Catholic faith, but she was also not enamored of the Orthodox teachings. Zack was the first man of either faith that she had ever dated rather than just slept with.
Maybe it was just hearsay, but she had always thought that Catholics could only marry Catholics. Sephiroth and Gwen were no help there; they were both Catholics themselves (well, Catholic and lapsed Catholic. The onna bugeisha had long since told her girl friends about her husband's religious past). Every single Catholic Akalara knew had married someone of the same, or at least similar, faith.
Had Zack not popped the question because she wasn't Catholic?
The green-haired woman bit her lip and stared at the cross, thinking. She truly loved Zack, and knew that he felt the same about her. They had a deep connection, and a relationship that was loving, mutually respectful, and passionate. They had been friends before lovers, and that was working out in their favor now, since they knew they could actually live with each other without resorting to bloodshed and petty disagreements.
But could she study his faith? Convert to it, even? After all the things her fundamentalist father had done to her in the name of his religion?
The Turk didn't want to. But if it meant she could have Zack…
The baby announced its return to the waking world, interrupting her gloomy musings. Akalara put her thoughts aside as she jumped out of bed and raced for the bathroom.
"You know, Zack, you could just give her the ring and ask her if she wants to marry you."
Zack jumped guiltily and snapped the black velvet box shut, shoving it back into his pocket before turning to see Sephiroth standing behind him, hands buried in the depths of his coat sleeves.
"Who said the ring's for her? I could have bought it for somebody else," he joked nervously.
The silver-haired man flashed him a Look as he sat down on the park bench beside him. "You know as well as I do that you bought that ring for Akalara. Why haven't you asked her yet? You know she wouldn't say no."
Zack sighed and folded his gloved hands, resting his chin atop them moodily. "I wish I knew, man. I wish I knew."
Sephiroth merely watched the younger man, silently asking him to continue.
"I love her. You know I do. And I know she loves me, even though she cusses me out a lot for getting her pregnant in the first place. She just….makes me feel complete, I guess."
"You guess?"
"All right, she does." Zack pulled the ring box back out, opening it so the diamond caught the light and threw dazzling rainbows across the front of his coat. "I bought this thing with every intention of giving it to her the next time I took her out to dinner. She knows about it, and she's been so damn patient, but…"
"You're afraid of commitment."
"What?"
Sephiroth took the ring and examined it, rolling it between his fingers while he spoke. "Before you knocked Akalara up, you were one of the biggest players in the Shinra Company. Not just SOLDIER, but the entire company. You had a different woman on your arm every time I saw you off-duty, and they never lasted beyond a week at the most. I'm sure you had girlfriends before, but you always went for no-strings-attached fun rather than relationships.
"Now you've got this beautiful woman carrying your child. She got that way when you had sex with her, when both of you were pursuing the same type of no-strings fun. Contrary to what the Morality Brigade would say, Akalara was not a slut; she just loved men as much as you loved women. You love each other, but you've also got all these people who are basically demanding that you marry her, do right by her, whatever. The Morality Brigade is harassing her, Father Vapone hasn't left you alone ever since he found out that she's pregnant, and I know some of our friends have been making comments as to when the wedding will be. Even Lady Rhianna had a talk with you when Akalara told her about her condition. Something about 'being so irresponsible as to impregnate one of her most promising Guardians', I believe it was?" At Zack's nod, the silver-haired man continued. "You want to marry her, but you're being pressured by all sides to do so. Plus, if you marry Akalara, she's the only woman you can freely sleep with for the rest of your life, unless she agrees to bringing another woman into the bed."
Sephiroth brandished the ring at his friend. "You fear this. This tiny piece of jewelry. You fear what it means. Because the instant you give this ring to her, your free lifestyle is gone. Dead and buried. She'll be the only woman in your bed, as you will be the only man in hers. You'll be committed to her and the baby, with no way out unless you both decide you hate each other. You'll have to change your entire lifestyle to accommodate them, your wife and your baby, and you'll have to compromise with them if you want something rather than just go out and do it or get it.
"You're afraid of commitment because you see it as a prison sentence. This ring might as well be a ball and chain, for what it represents to you."
"You know, amazingly, this is not making me feel any better, Sephiroth," Zack muttered, sarcasm dripping from every syllable.
Sephiroth laughed. "Marriage and commitment are not easy, Zack. I can tell you that right now. You'll get on each other's nerves every day, and sooner or later you will fight. But marriage has its good points too, and they far outweigh the bad."
Zack looked at him. "And they are…?"
The silver-haired man chuckled. "You'll have to find out for yourself, my friend. But you'll know them when you experience them. I can tell you that much." He stood up and gave the ring back to its rightful owner. "Speaking of which, I have a wife to get back to. See you later."
The younger man looked down at the ring, then got to his feet. "Any idea how I should give this to her without looking like an idiot?"
Sephiroth did not even turn around. "That is something you'll just have to figure out for yourself."
Zack shoved his hands, and the ring box, back in his pockets, frowning. "Thanks a lot, man. You've been a real big help."
As his superior walked away, the black-haired man went towards the nearest Stargils, suddenly thirsty for the strongest black coffee he could get.
He had plans to make.
When Akalara returned from Division Seven the next day, she immediately headed for the shower in her room. The morality bastards had ambushed her again today, while she was looking over some papers for Tseng. The usual lectures on chastity and decency and Bible recitations had followed while she was physically restrained by several of the stronger members, and concluded with the trademark red paint being sprayed and splashed over her arms, legs, and torso. Her uniform was ruined, and she had had to go the entire day looking like that. She hadn't left her office until it was time to go home, and everybody was out of the building.
Needless to say, this had not been one of her better days. Especially since she had now lost any and all desire to study Catholicism thanks to those assholes.
She quickly put that thought out of her head and reached for the washcloth.
It took almost an hour, but at last she got most of the paint off. The spray paint would have to be hidden by slacks until it sloughed off on its own, but other than that all evidence of the assault was gone. Feeling better now that she didn't have red paint all over her body, the green-haired Turk went out into her bedroom to get dressed.
It was then that she noticed the package lying on the bed, with a note folded on top. Curious, she went to the bed and picked up the note.
Meet me at Bellisimo at 9:00. Be sure to wear the stuff I bought for you.
-Zack
Akalara arched one brow and put the note down, tearing at the package. She grinned when she realized what was inside it. Glancing at the clock, she realized she only had an hour before she was supposed to be at the restaurant.
Stupid Morality Brigade, she thought as she laid out the contents of the package and dropped her towel.
Zack took another drink of water and picked at the sleeve of his dress shirt, purple eyes intent on the door to the restaurant. Akalara was supposed to have been here ten minutes ago, but she was nowhere to be seen.
Did I wait too long? the military officer worried. Maybe she decided not to come. Maybe she got tied up at Shinra. Maybe she's too sick to come.
Maybe she's with another man.
Zack smacked his head, angry with his subconscious for even suggesting such a thing. Akalara was faithful; she would never fool around with another guy behind his back, never!
So where is she, smart guy?
The black-haired man was about to growl out something unrepeatable to himself when the maitre d' suddenly flashed by, drawing Zack's attention to the archway that connected the entrance to the dining room. There, standing at the podium while the coat-boy took her coat, was Akalara.
She was wearing the outfit Zack had picked out for her, a knee-length, form-fitting dress of shimmery green fabric shot through with black threads. The skirt was layered and ragged, and there were no sleeves. The low cut of the dress showed off her breasts perfectly, just as Zack had known it would. Her dark green hair was in an attractively messy French twist, which left the black chandelier earrings and matching necklace displayed for all to see. The strappy black sandels, something he wasn't entirely sure she would wear due to the chill outside, lifted her heels to the elevation that showed off her legs the best.
To her smitten lover, she looked like a goddess, beautiful beyond all compare.
The maitre d' seemed to agree. He all but fell over himself greeting her, and nearly tripped while he guided her to Zack's table. The black-haired man almost laughed when he noted the jealous looks half of the male patrons in the dining area were shooting him as Akalara seated herself across from him.
"I take it you approve of my attire?" she purred with a smile, looking at him from beneath lowered lashes.
"Words can't describe it." Zack reached for her hand, his large palm firmly enveloping her slim digits. "But you do look stunning."
"You're the one who picked it out." Akalara squeezed his fingers warmly. "You have good taste in women's clothing."
"The moment I saw that dress, I knew it was for you." With a minor amount of difficulty, Zack managed to get his menu open without letting go of her hand. "Order whatever you want. I'm breaking the piggy bank tonight."
"Special occasion?"
"No reason. Just felt like taking you out someplace nice for once. Midgar Bread Factory is a good place, but it just doesn't convey the atmosphere I was looking for."
"And what atmosphere was that?" Akalara asked, opening her own menu.
Zack merely rubbed his fingers across her knuckles and continued reading the entrees.
After dinner, the couple decided to go on a walk through the park. Zack expressed concern over Akalara's naked feet and legs, but she reassured him that cold temperatures never bothered her. After some discussion over the matter, he finally just wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close to him while they walked.
Hardly anybody was in the park. Normally this would be cause for concern, but muggers and thieves tended to have a sixth sense about who not to attack; Zack's muscles would put most of them off, and if he didn't, the twin .44s strapped to Akalara's thighs under her dress would.
The Turk never went anywhere naked, even when she was naked.
Secure in the knowledge that they would be left alone, Zack guided her to a fountain in the center of the park. It was turned off now, but the ornate metal fixture was still a good location for what he hand in mind. Especially since, for once, the weather was cooperating with the weathermen's predictions; the night was clear and the stars were out.
Exactly as he had planned.
Akalara walked silently with him, lost in her own thoughts. Zack was thankful for the silence, because it allowed him to go over his speech again. He had thought of dozens of ways to do this, everything from asking her while they were cuddling in post-coital afterglow to having his squad of cadets kneel and sing "I Love You Always Forever" and propose to her while he gave her the ring. Eventually, he had settled on the old cliché of proposing under the stars. One more day of wrestling with himself over whether he really wanted to do this, and he had gone out and made reservations at Bellisimo.
Pressure or not, fear of rings or not, he would still do this.
Because he loved her.
Not for the baby. For her.
The city still had to drain the fountain. It was switched off for the fall and winter seasons, but the basin was still full of water. Akalara stopped when they reached the fountain and merely stared down at the coins people had thrown in, snuggling against Zack and slipping her hand into his pocket on the opposite side of his body.
No dice, Ak. It's not in that pocket.
Now how was he going to do this?
"Ak…" He stopped and licked his lips. "You know that I love you, right?"
"Yeah." Her lips quirked. "I love you too, as you know."
Zack chewed the inside of his lip. When he had imagined this, she had never talked!
Suddenly his entire speech was lost as his mind went blank. "Um…"
Akalara smiled sweetly at him, then suddenly dropped to one knee in front of him. Zack could only stare while she took his hand in hers. "Zackary Fair, will you marry me?"
Whoa! This isn't how it's supposed to go!
"I…Uh…" He shook his head and grinned ruefully. "You know, this isn't how I had imagined things, babe."
The green-haired minx pulled him down opposite her. "You were taking too long, so I decided to take matters into my own hands," she replied matter-of-factly. "Now, what's your answer?"
"Shit, Ak. What made you think I'd say no?" Zack brought the ring box out of his inner coat pocket and opened it up, showing her the ring. "The question is, however, will you marry me?"
"I asked you first," she answered, smiling while she held out her hand. The black-haired man took the ring out of its box and slid it onto the appropriate finger. "I have a ring for you, too."
"Really? Where is it?"
Akalara flashed him the naughtiest grin he'd ever seen. "Well, it doesn't exactly go on your finger… And it's back at the Shrine in the top drawer of my nightstand."
Zack threw his head back in laughter. "You got me a cock-ring?"
"Vibrating," she affirmed. "What better way to say 'I love you'?"
Still laughing, the military officer wrapped the green-haired Turk in his arms and rested his head atop hers. "You're one in a million, Ak. Nobody else like you in the world."
"Oh, you've screwed that many women?" she quipped, her arms snaking around his waist.
"You're ruining the moment, babe." He ducked his head and gave her a gentle, loving kiss. "Love you, Green Bitch."
"Love you too, Blackspike." Akalara stood up, forcing him to get to his feet as well. "What say we go see how your new ring fits you?"
Zack smiled and wrapped his arm around her waist again as she once more buried her hand in his pocket, the other one entwining its fingers with the hand on her hip. "Only if you're feeling up to it."
"Oh, I feel fine." She looked down at her stomach as they walked back to the Shrine. "You know, I think the baby was as impatient for you to propose as I was. It hasn't made me sick at all today."
"Feel up for something a little naughtier than usual, then?" Zack inquired, his handsome face the picture of innocence.
"What do you mean by 'naughtier'?" Akalara questioned. They both knew she would say 'yes' to whatever he had in mind. She always did.
"What's say we break in my engagement ring in the confessional?"
The green-haired woman laughed outright. "Do you realize what Lady Rhianna would do to us if we get caught?"
Zack leaned over and kissed her temple. "That is exactly why we are not going to get caught."
"Certain, are you?"
"Oh, yes I am."
Akalara's grin mirrored that of her fiancé. "You're on."