Summary: Giftfic for MysticSpiritus, one of two. It's Turk Spawn Movie Night at Akalara's apartment! What, oh, what could possibly go wrong with seven kids when there are two adult Turks watching them? What indeed...
Disclaimer: Akalara and Azrael are mine, Revan is Kingmunkey's, Axys and Andria are dual-owned by myself and AmazonTurk, Kaya and Bryce and Damien are Mystic's... Aw hell; suffice it to say most of these OCs aren't mine.
Queen's Quornor: Since my good friend Mystic sent in the 1000th review for "Evidence of Sephiroth's Humanity", she is the proud recipient of TWO oneshots. This is the first one, for which she asked what might happen if Akalara and Revan were to host the TSMN at her apartment. Since she's the one who started the tradition of the Spawn watching scary movies when the greater majority of their parents aren't around, I decided to go one step further... Especially since this is the type of movie I watched when I was their age and my parents weren't around. And on a side note, I am not the proud owner of a copy of Crisis Core at long last! But not a PSP, dammit. Oh well; I have a friend who is kind enough to lend me hers! I shall play as soon as I am finished here! Sorry, Mystic... You're going to have to wait a bit until the next oneshot.
Movie Night
"So what kind of movie should I show them?" Akalara asked, sifting through her extensive DVD collection.
"Absolutely nothing with sex, first of all." Tifa's chuckle came easily through the phone, making the older woman grin sheepishly. "You know, it's a little sad that you're asking me what kind of movies are appropriate for your own son and his friends. You're five years older then I am!"
"Actually, six years now. My birthday was back in February, remember?" The green-haired woman switched the phone to her opposite shoulder and returned to rooting through her movies. "And I really don't have many other options. I mean, apart from Nilto you're the only friend I have with real experience as a mother. And she's out with Randak tonight, so I can't call her. You have no idea how bitchy she gets when Sexy Time is interrupted."
"I can hazard a guess," Tifa laughed. "I know how mad I am when somebody interrupts me and Cloud."
"But from what I understand, there are no whips and chains or sacrificial lambs involved when you two get down and dirty."
"We'll discuss that later, over coffee. But right now, back to movies. No sex scenes. They may be Turk Spawn, but they're still too young to watch that yet. What have you got left now?"
Akalara shoved half of her collection aside. "Horror flicks, gore-fests, one film-noir, and a couple of comedies. Plus some Wutaian imports." She picked one movie up between two fingers and flicked it into the back of the cabinet with a disgusted look. "And one chick-flick that will be offered to Nilto at the soonest opportunity. I don't even know why I have that."
"I'd recommend the comedies or the gory films. The horror movies might be a bit much for them, and I don't know if all of them would enjoy reading subtitles."
"Scary movies are too much, but copious bloodshed is something they can handle?" Akalara asked incredulously.
"For most kids, no. But these are Turk Spawn we're talking about, here. Unless I'm dead wrong, they're more than used to that sort of thing simply because of their parents' jobs."
"You've got a point," the green-haired woman admitted. Azrael was always begging for details about her latest assassinations, as explicit as possible. And she knew for a fact that he shared those stories with his friends when their parents weren't around.
"Hey, I'm not judging you or your coworkers, Akalara."
"I know you're not. It's just that I've heard the argument about them being predisposed to violence because their parents are professional assassins more times than I can shake a stick at." Akalara pulled out a selection of films. "You can't blame me for being defensive, Tifa."
"I've gotten the same thing about Marlene and Denzel."
"Really?" She couldn't keep the surprise out of her voice. "But you and Cloud are big heroes! Barret, too!"
"Yeah, but we still used to kill for a living, even if it was for a good cause. It doesn't help that I'm also the bouncer for my own bar, and Cloud gets sidetracked by monsters so often when he's out on deliveries." Akalara heard the clinking of glasses in the background, and running water. "Well, I have to get back to serving drinks, now."
"Thanks for your help, Tifa."
"No problem. Bye, Akalara."
"Bye." She hung up the phone and picked up the selected movies, carrying them into the living room with a confidence she didn't feel. She was still new to the majority of the facets of being a mother, but even she knew that it was better not to let them know she was nervous. Turk Spawn could smell fear.
This was actually a two-fold event; the Spawn would be staying here all night, so their parents could have some fun. To that end, Akalara's coffee table and the two armchairs flanking the couch had been shoved off to the side to make room for Azrael's bedding and all of the spare blankets and linens in the apartment. This meant that the space in front of the big-screen HD tv was nothing but a sea of sheets and covers and the occasional pillow. And currently that sea was dented with the butts of seven chattering spawn, as well as one very patient purple/blue/silver canine.
Revan had left to pick up pizza and snacks shortly after Kandi and Rude dropped Andria off, leaving his green-haired girlfriend to look after the kids. Azrael and Andria had been joined by Bryce, Paulo, Axys, Kaya, and Damien in short order.
One Turk against seven Turk Spawn.
Odds, anyone?
"Okay, kids." Akalara spread the movies out on the coffee table where the young'uns could see them. "What do you want to watch?"
The Spawn surged forward immediately, eager hands snatching at the plastic cases to examine the possibilities presented. As expected, the comedies were totally ignored in favor of the slasher-flicks. Zexion took advantage of the preoccupation of the hands that were previously petting him to death and fled to his mistress' office.
"This one!" Axys held up Banora Chainsaw Massacre.
"How about this one?" Sinister Season was cradled against Kaya's chest. "Our mom's cousin showed it to us a few months ago."
Azrael and Bryce both reached for Child's Play. "This is a good one. Really cool!"
Poltergeist was the next to go. "This one is really scary. I loved it!" Andria declared with a canary-eating grin.
Paulo snatched up The Hills have Eyes. "I heard this one was cool. Dad wouldn't let me see it, so it must be good!"
Damien grabbed Friday the 13th. "This one! I wanna see this one!"
Seven kids, six different movies. Akalara sighed and looked at the kids. "Well, you're going to be here all night, so you can watch all six of them. Which one first?"
Six movies were shoved in her direction. The green-haired woman glanced at all of the pleading face, then plucked Sinister Season out of Kaya's hands. She had the best puppy eyes of them all. "You sure you want to watch this?"
"Yeah!" came a chorus of voices.
"All right. Az, you get to change the movies out when they're finished," she said, making her way over to the DVD player.
"Sure, Mom."
Akalara put in the disc and turned on the television just as the front door beeped and swung open, allowing Revan and a multitude of junk food to enter the apartment. Azrael ran over to help him get the tasty, unhealthy goods inside.
"What kind of chips did you get?" the silver-haired boy asked, reaching for the pizza boxes.
"The usual kinds." The blond man bent down so his lover's son could take the pizzas, then walked over to the coffee table and began setting down the plastic bags hanging off his arms.
"You didn't forget the ranch Sojitos, did you?"
"Nope. Never," Revan answered, ruffling the boy's silver mane fondly before going into the kitchen. Akalara joined him a moment later, greeting him with a quick, though decidedly heated, kiss.
"Get anything for us?" she asked, opening the refrigerator and removing pepperoni slices, ham cubes, olives, and sliced peppers.
"One pepperoni pizza with stuffed crust and extra cheese, one bag of cheese Sojitos, and one liter of Diet Kocke." Pearly-whites flashed. "Plus one bottle of Breshey's chocolate syrup and one can of Crazi Whip."
"Rev, not when the kids are here!" Akalara hissed.
"They won't stay up all night, Ak. Besides, I managed to convince Bossman to lend me a little something." The blond Turk held up a glowing orb of yellow materia.
"Is that what I think it is?"
"Barrier materia, mastered."
Dark green hair swished slowly, though whether it was in disbelief or amusement was up for debate. "And just what are we supposed to do if one of them walks in on us?"
"Azrael knows not to bother us when your door is shut. If they need something, they'll knock." Revan tore open a package of plastic plates. "Just because we're hosting the movie night doesn't mean we can't have a little fun, Ak."
"I'll have to check on them every now and then," she warned, pulling a can of bacon bits out of the cabinet.
"Good idea, baby. That'll give me a little time to recover," her lover teased.
Akalara playfully smacked him on the bicep as she passed, carrying the toppings out to the Spawn, who were already tearing into the chips and cookies. "Plates, guys! I don't think it would be very comfortable, sleeping on crumbs. Axys, don't drink from the bottle! Get a cup! Do you think the others want your germs?"
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Revan cursed softly as Akalara pushed him off of her and sat up, grabbing for her robe. "Yes?" she called, yanking the covers up over her lover.
"Mom? Bryce's sick," came Azrael's muffled voice. "He threw up all over the blanket."
Glances were exchanged, and Revan snatched up his pants. "One minute. We'll be right out," he called. Akalara finished tying her robe and waited for him to finish dressing before opening the door. Azrael led them into the living room, where the remaining spawn were gathered. The five healthy ones huddled on the couch, leaving Bryce sitting miserably in his filthy sleeping space.
"Oh, Bryce..." Akalara helped the sick boy up and pressed one hand to his brow. "Rev, can you take care of that blanket, please? He's burning up."
"Sure, Ak." Revan held his breath and began rolling up the puke-covered comforter. "Where's your laundry gil?"
"By the hamper in my room. Grab the laundry basket while you're at it, okay? And you might as well take the blankets beside that one, just in case. You'll have to grab his clothes, too." To Bryce she said "C'mon. Let's get you cleaned up."
"Is he going to be okay?" Axys asked worriedly.
"He will be," the green-haired woman replied, offering the kids a comforting smile. "Go back to the movie, okay?"
"Okay." Andria picked up the remote and hit Play, biting her lip. Akalara couldn't help smiling when she noticed her son putting his arm around the purple-eyed girl's shoulders in a sort of hug.
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Once Bryce was in the shower and the soiled blankets and garments were in the washer, the two adults met outside the apartment for a quick conversation.
"Do we call his parents?" Revan asked, keeping his voice down. Not that he really needed to; it was unlikely the Spawn could hear anything over the roaring buzz of the chainsaw on the television screen.
"I don't know if we can." Akalara hugged herself, looking at the ground. "Lily's out with Joel, and I know Rufus is busy with Magni. If Bryce wants to go home, we'll try Lily first. But..."
"What do we do with him if we can't call them?" The blond rubbed a hand over his face quickly. "We can't leave him with the rest of the kids. They could get sick, too!"
"They might, anyway. If this is a virus, they've all been exposed to it already." Akalara sighed and scratched at her left arm through the sleeve. "We might be able to put him in Az's room, but only if Az agrees to it."
"Stop that." Revan grabbed the scratching hand and gripped it tightly between his palms. "I'll ask him if Bryce can sleep in his room, okay? You go ask Bryce if he wants to go home. If he does, you make the call, and I'll make him a bed somewhere. Right now, he'll need sleep more than anything else. And a bucket, of course."
"Okay. We'll have to keep an eye on the rest of the Spawn, too," Akalara pointed out, pushing open the door the rest of the way and going back inside. She went down the hall to the bathroom while Revan approached the rest of the kids, who were still sitting on the couch rather than the blankets. "Az? Can I talk to you for a second?"
The silver-haired boy nodded and disentangled himself from Andria. "Yes, Rev?" he asked, coming over to him.
The blond took a deep breath and squatted down to the nine year-old's eye level. "Az, would you be okay with Bryce sleeping in your room tonight? Until his mom picks him up, I mean."
Azrael shrugged. "I don't care."
"You mean you're all right with this?"
"Remember who my father is? He didn't get sick, and I don't either," the silver-haired boy pointed out. "But I'd appreciate it if my sheets and pillow got cleaned tommorow, anyway."
Revan let out a quick chuckle, then stood back up. "Sure thing, big guy."
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"Bryce?" Akalara tapped on the bathroom door with one hand on the knob. "Can I come in?"
The blond boy's reply was the sound of retching, and water splashing. Needing no further invitation, the Turk woman opened the door and went inside. Her boss's boss's son was kneeling over the toilet, one arm laying across the seat to support his forehead, still naked and wet from the shower running behind him. Shaking her head, Akalara reached in and turned off the water, then grabbed a towel off the rack and laid it across Bryce's shoulders, tucking it around him gently. She knelt down and rubbed his back until the retching tapered off into dry heaves, then finally died away altogether.
"I'm sorry..." he whispered, his voice quavering.
"It's not your fault, Bryce. You can't help getting sick," Akalara soothed. When he raised his head to look at her, she ripped off some toilet paper and gently wiped away the tears and thick streams of bile. "Do you want me to call your mom?" she asked, smoothing his waterlogged hair back from his face.
He nodded miserably, hunching forward as his stomach muscles cramped brutally.
"Okay. I'll call her. You stay here, all right?" She got up and nearly ran into Revan in the hallway. "Well?"
"Az said it was okay. Is he all right?" the blond man asked, nodding towards Bryce.
"He wants to go home. You get him in Az's bed, and I'll call Lily." Akalara grabbed her lover's hand and squeezed it quickly before going into her office and opening the top drawer of the desk. Pulling out her address book, the green-haired woman flipped through it until she found Lily's number. After getting nothing but the answering machine on her friend's home phone, she checked the book once more. Punching in the cell phone number, she nervously tapped her nails on the wood as it rang.
In the middle of the third ring, Lily picked up. "Hello?" She sounded more than a little annoyed.
"Lily, it's Ak."
"What's wrong?" Annoyance was shed in favor of concern. "Is it Bryce?"
"He's sick," the Turk explained. "He wants to go home. And he needs a change of clothes."
"I'll be there in a few minutes." Akalara heard Joel asking what was wrong in the background, and Lily explaining the situation before the phone was hung up.
Following suit, the green-haired woman went out into the hall. Revan was just shutting the door to Azrael's bedroom, and when he saw his lover he immediately took her into his arms.
"It's all right, Ak," he soothed, stroking her hair. "It's all right."
"I'm scared," she confessed, burying her face against his chest. "This is the first time any of the Spawn have gotten sick at a sleepover or Movie Night. What's everybody else going to think?"
"These things happen, baby. It won't make the others think your apartment is some kind of diseased dump or something. It just means Bryce caught a bug somewhere, that's all. Nothing more."
"I've never had to deal with a sick kid before," Akalara mumbled. "Azrael doesn't get sick, just like Seph didn't."
Revan's hand stilled on her hair for an instant, then resumed its steady smoothing. "Look on the bright side, Ak. At least it wasn't Az."
He held her a minute longer, then gently pushed her back to look at her. "You okay now?"
Akalara sighed, then nodded slowly. "Thanks, Rev. I...needed that."
His smile held none of the mockery she might have expected from anybody else, only quiet understanding and support. "You're welcome, baby."
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Lily and Joel picked Bryce up about twenty minutes after the phone call, the dancer fussing over her son all the way out the door and holding the bucket for him. The remaining spawn resumed their positions on the floor only after the blankets were sprayed with sanitizer and Fibrieze. At Azrael's insistence, his mother pulled the sheets off his bed and carried them down to the laundry room for later cleansing. As of one in the morning, the Spawn were engrossed in Friday the 13th, which left their chaperones with some time to themselves.
Which was taken advantage of in a fashion that made them both extremely grateful for the borrowed Barrier materia.
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At four in the morning, Akalara was roused by the persistent rapping of knuckles against wood. "Yes?" she called tiredly, already reaching for her robe once more.
The door creaked open, and Axys' pale little face poked into the room. "Is it okay if I sleep in here tonight?" she asked in a tiny voice.
"Why?" the Turk returned, dragging the covers higher up Revan's body. Axys may be Reno's daughter, but she didn't need to see the rather vivid results of her lover's enounter with The Hook.
The redheaded girl bit her lip, looking ashamed. "I had a bad dream," she whispered.
Akalara's heart melted at that. "All right, Ax. You can sleep in here."
With a grateful smile, Axys dragged her blanket and pillow into the room and shut the door behind her, then spread them out next to Akalara's side of the bed. As she laid down, the Turk reached down and ran her fingers through the girl's ruby tresses soothingly. She used to do this to Azrael when he was little and had a nightmare when he was with her. It always helped him get back to sleep.
It seemed to work for Axys, as well. After a few minutes of this wordless comfort, she was safe in Dreamland. Akalara rolled over and snuggled next to her sleeping lover, ready to join them both in repose.
A few minutes later, another knock forced her to lift her head once more. "Come in."
Azrael cautiously stepped into the room, followed by Andria. Behind them, the green-haired woman could just make out the silhouettes of Paulo, Kaya, and Damien. She sat up, unconsciously pulling her robe more securely around her upper body. "Bad dream?"
Five heads nodded silently. Andria and Azrael's eyes glowed slightly in the dark, providing the slightest illumination for her to read the fear written on their faces.
"Make yourselves at home, kids."
Blankets and pillows were spread out on the floor by everyone except Azrael. He carefully stepped over Axys and climbed into bed beside his mother. Akalara lay still while he crawled between her and Revan, then put one arm around him and pulled her pillow over until they both had room to lay their heads on it. She continued to hold him after he slid under the covers, feeling the fine tremble vibrating along his whole body. Unable to stroke his hair, she began to hum the familiar old lullaby, low so as not to disturb the sleepers.
One by one, they all relaxed into dreamless sleep.
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When Nilto scanned her hand and walked into Akalara's apartment, this was not exactly what she was expecting to see. The empty pizza boxes and scattered plates? Yes. Empty cups, some with the dried remnants of pop speckling the interior? Yes. The opened bags of potato chips and half-empty boxes of store-bought cookies? Yes. The blankets kicked all over the floor? Yes.
The absence of Turk Spawn? No.
The sultry exorcist picked her way over to the television and turned it on, hearing the low, steady buzzing of an active DVD. As the screen brightened, her unique eyes narrowed in understanding.
The main menu of Poltergeist played on the screen.
Lips tightly pursed, the exorcist took in the array of DVDs spread across the glass coffee table and the floor behind it. The comedies, she would bet, had never even been touched. If she knew her kids, to say nothing of the rest of the Turk Spawn, the only movies watched last night had been the slasher-flicks.
Nilto stalked up the hallway towards Akalara's bedroom, intending to have serious words with her friend and coworker. If Revan was there, even better; she could lecture him, too.
To her surprise, she found she could only open the door a little bit; something was blocking it. Slipping her head inside, the exorcist took in the bedroom with some astonishment. Revan and Akalara were there, as expected, with Azrael sleeping peacefully between them. On the floor around the bed, in individual nests of blankets and sheets, were five of the remaining Turk Spawn. Paulo was the one blocking the door, with Kaya sandwiched between him and the foot of the bed. Of Bryce, there was no sign.
It was so cute; Nilto couldn't retain her righteous indignation in the face of this cozy situation. But she still wanted an explanation. So, she called on her Ice materia and cast a quick Ice1 in a tightly-concentrated area.
Specifically, Akalara's face.
The spell had the same effect as a glass of cold water; the green-haired woman woke up with a shocked gasp, and immediately spotted the mystical Turk peering into her bedroom. Careful not to disturb her son and her lover, she sat up and began twisting her fingers to form a message in Turk Sign.
What big idea?
Here for son and daughter. Explain, Nilto flashed back.
Explain what?
Bad movies? Sleep in here? Where President's son?
Akalara shrugged. Kids choice watch movies. Bad sleep. Move in here. Safe. Good sleep. President's son sick. Secure location.
Secure location? Oh, she meant 'home'. Bryce had gone home because he got sick. Nilto frowned; Turk Sign really didn't have enough vocabulary sometimes. Retrieve kids. Talk later.
Quiet! Sleep, Akalara admonished, her sweeping arm indicating the entirety of the room. Explain later.
Nilto waved a hand in acknowledgement and reached her foot out to nudge her daughter. As Kaya stirred, and woke her brother up in turn, the mystical Turk noticed her green-haired friend watching them. Making sure they didn't wake the others up while they got to their feet and made their way out of through the crack in the door.
After her children had gone out into the living room, Nilto poked her head back in and sent her friend one more quick message. Good mother. Mother lion. Bad movies, still.
Kids sleep! Turk sleep! Me sleep!
You sleep. Nilto snickered silently. Cover boob. Man sleep. Flash kids bad.
Akalara's reply was a single eloquent finger, offered as she turned back onto her side and pulled the covers up over her shoulder. Nilto grinned and gently closed the door.
She could lecture them later.