A Very Choir Remake

by Amarissia

The world of Amarissia's Choir of muses is disturbed by a strange, yet familiar game. Who is behind it, and what does it all mean? Rated M because, well, it's me. Chapter 6 now up!

1. Chapter 1

Another story set in the universe of Amarissia's Choir of muses. Not finished the writing of this, so not sure how long it will be, but at least 2 chapters.

Rated M, because…because.

A VERY CHOIR REMAKE
Chapter 1

Genesis often joked that when the five of them walked down one of ShinRa's wide corridors together, they should be doing it in slow motion, as though to a soundtrack, like a scene from one of the teen comedies he liked to see, and that Angeal usually refused to attend with him, which usually prompted a hmph-ing reminder that he was "perfectly willing to see those slasher movies Puppy likes, and you'd like my movies too if you just gave them a try." Anyway, much like in those movies, to Genesis's satisfaction, ShinRa employees in their way always stepped to the sides to let them pass, and those that were not Turks usually saluted the two 1st Class commanders, the general, and the two teenagers most or all SOLDIERs thought of as honorary little brothers.

Genesis always insisted on walking in the middle, moving in his usual slinking way, a fashionable sight resplendent in scarlet and black, auburn hair tousled just so. To his left was the most visually striking of the group (much to Genesis's eternal annoyance, also adoration), Sephiroth, ShinRa's famous and inhumanly beautiful poster boy, instantly recognizable by his long cascade of silver hair, eyes of the same color, and garments of black leather.

Close to his side walked the youngest of the odd family, 16-year-old Cloud Strife, Sephiroth's personal assistant/soul mate, a heart-meltingly adorable boy with sky-blue eyes, a head of spiky blond hair, and rosy cheeks surrounding an ever-present and innocent smile. Like the others, he wore a sword sheathed against his back, but you'd never know it by looking at him that Cloud was the only person who could match Sephiroth in battle, and had to whenever Jenova briefly overpowered the general's mind. Even when not fighting, Cloud was happily at his lover's side at all times, possessing an uncanny memory for the general's schedule and responsibilities, though what ShinRa and SOLDIER valued him most for was how happy and easier to work with his presence made Sephiroth. As they walked, the boy held a phone in his left hand and was typing a confirmation of a later meeting, while his right hand was clasped with Sephiroth's.

To Genesis's right strode his closest friend since infancy, the broad and handsome Angeal Hewley and the only one of the Trinity who actually wore a 1st Class uniform, rather plain black attire decorated only by an ornate silver S crossed by one vertical bar below the left shoulder. (2nd Classes had the same with two bars, and so on with the 3rds. Cloud wore a similar outfit, but his badge read HS, which officially stood for Honorary SOLDIER, but it was a common joke that it actually stood for He's Sephiroth's.) If not instantly knowable for his famous face and height, Angeal was easily identified by the enormous sword he wore at all times.

His right arm was slung, casually but no less possessively, around the final member of the quintet, a beautiful 17-year-old about a head shorter, with a mass of black spikes and eyes colored like the palest tropical water, wearing a blue 2nd Class uniform and moving with a slight bounce in each step. It wasn't unusual for Angeal to make it visible that Zack Fair was his with physical gestures, but this time he might've also been guiding his fiancé out of safety concerns, because the boy's eyes were glued to the GamePro HandHeld he was currently playing.

"You know, Puppy," Angeal said lowly but with a hint of teasing, "I'm technically supposed to confiscate that thing. The cartridge if not the system."

"Aw, c'mon," Zack said without concern. "Look around you. Unless ShinRa wants to reassign the army to be full-time killjoys, pretty sure the job's too big even for 1sts."

Indeed, as they walked through the main ShinRa building, at least half of everyone they passed was doing the exact same thing as Zack. If asked, they could claim to be playing a game other than the one ShinRa had recently and hurriedly banned, but more than that, 1st Classes were allowed a fair amount of leniency concerning what tasks they had to accept. There was no way Angeal was going to deprive his Puppy of something the boy enjoyed, and therefore it didn't seem fair for him to try to take anyone else's contraband.

Zack continued, "Even Seph's not doing anything, see?"

"I believe the president has given up on trying to restrict possession of the game," the general said evenly. "He and the board believe ShinRa's own will simply take its place."

The company's long-time greatest foe, the small nation of Wutai, had recently tried an unexpected tactic in their war with ShinRa, namely releasing a video game in which ShinRa was cast as a malevolent, greedy, Gaia-destroying empire ("Really creative," Zack had snickered) opposing a small group of heroes on a quest to save the planet. For some reason (Sephiroth suspected an attempt to undermine the company's trust in him), Cloud had been chosen to be the protagonist, albeit a grumpy, mercenary version of the teenager everyone at ShinRa loved.

The oddness of it all didn't end there. The back story of the game seemed to suggest that Zack had in some way given his life to save Cloud, which the elder boy would readily do in real life, but as always, the mere suggestion of him being hurt or doing the D-word led to Angeal refusing to let go of him for days on end, and Zack got grumpy whenever he had to thus attend Angeal's meetings, where the executives present would either stare at his anatomy or pat him on the head, and sometimes both.

Really, most of the Choir were displeased. Genesis, through his usual snooping, found out he was not in the game at all, to his sputtering dismay, and Sephiroth's mood had taken a hit when he discovered that he was the game's antagonist, prone to showing up at random times and being unpleasant to Cloud. (Subsequently, the general's secretary Levine had taken to slipping antidepressants to him, Sephiroth only found out about this through routine bloodwork, and had had to hear one of Hojo's lectures about needing "to be aware of everything you ingest, for science!") Also, Sephiroth had since learning about his origins been trying to avoid thinking about Jenova, the alien whose cells and memetic legacy…

"What the hell does memetic mean, anyway?" Genesis said to no one.

…sometimes caused him to become possessed by her, and only Cloud was able to fight him into unconsciousness and prevent the deaths of everyone nearby. So, of course, Jenova had to also be present in the game, which had an accompanying – quite impressive – soundtrack. Hojo had also been periodically leaving "One-Winged Angel" blasting on the general's voicemail to try to trigger possessed states. "For science," of course.

Sephiroth really wanted to find all discs on the continent containing this unnamed game and set them on fire, but the 1sts who were further along in playing for some reason had been teasing him that he shouldn't be allowed to carry Fire materia anymore, and anyway, Zack liked the game…and so did Cloud. The youngest of the Choir had been taking turns with Zack on the GamePro HH, and was so instinctively good at it that he had become something of a guru to everyone else who was playing, often being asked about locations of secret items, advice on mini-games, what combinations of nuts and birds were needed to breed what kind of chocobo. The last at least made some sense, considering that Cloud was a close friend of Phi, who was head of the ShinRa chocobo stables.

Finding that they could not stop the spread of the game with confiscation and threats, ShinRa's board had voted to make their own, figuring that one casting themselves as benevolent leaders would surely be more popular, and in fact a useful propaganda tool. Edwards from the public relations department had taken to excitedly proclaiming during meetings that ShinRa's stock with the masses would surely soar, and insisted that the company's techs would come up with something that would "put those awkward polygons to shame." Until then, however…

"'Gealy, you really aren't bothered that you weren't included? I mean, the beastly thing acts like you and I don't even exist. It's rude."

Angeal answered with the usual patience he showed to his best friend. "Not at all. It's better than them making us villains, isn't it?"

Sephiroth mumbled something in Old Wutainese that was probably best left untranslated.

"Whatever ShinRa comes up with as competition, I'd better be in it, and it better be HD and focus on my good side, and not present me as a one-dimensional antagonist who does nothing but quote Loveless – "

"I thought you said you wanted it to be realistic," Zack scoffed.

Genesis tapped his phone a few times, and The Price of Freedom started blaring from its tiny speaker.

"Oh, you mother-" Zack's expletive faded into an oof sound as Angeal's arm quickly and tightly secured itself around his middle, holding him tightly to the broad man's side. "You dick, he was finally starting to let go!"

"If you can't speak nicely to grown-ups, Puppy, then you need consequences," Genesis said sweetly. "Be grateful you aren't being paper-trained in this particular universe."

"Leave Zack and the Fourth Wall alone, please, Gen," Angeal said wearily, rubbing his chin against Zack's hair. "It's already problematic enough that games from Amarissia's world are showing up in ours."

Zack stopped squirming like a wet cat. "You think that's what happened? You think it's the same game?"

"I know you never paid attention when she played, but I did. And I bet Cloud did, that's why he knows all the secrets."

"…and then you'll get a golden chocobo for sure!" Cloud was excitedly saying to Lieutenant Morgan, bouncing excitedly as he did. "You were just using the wrong nuts."

"Thanks, Cloudy!" the 1st said, ruffling the boy's hair affectionately. "I was starting to think I'd never get Knights of the Round."

"Ugh, who would want them?" Zack said grumpily, still dangling from Angeal's hold, being carried like a rolled-up rug. "They take forever."

Morgan laughed, not unkindly. "I'm sure you're not saying that at all because you're not allowed to use them anymore, right, Puppy?"

"Hey, anyone would fall asleep when summoning them, even against a Marlboro."

Lieutenant Dunley, Morgan's best friend, shared a knowing smile with his comrade. "Angeal, is the Puppy still forbidden from fighting Marlboros?"

"Unless I'm with him, yes."

"I don't like any of you." Zack continued to squirm, prompting several "Aw"s, then went still and pouted. "Angeal, if the Crazy Lady really did leak her world's game into ours, what do we do about it? We can't really report her to the president. 'Cause if we could, I would've by now."

Speak of the head of an evil empire and he appears. Sephiroth, who noticed everything first, saluted, something he did for only one person, and even then rarely. The other SOLDIERs followed suit as a portly man in a rust-colored suit approached them, benevolently waving their gestures off.

"No need for that," President Shinra said amiably. "General, I might as well tell you in person – the board is having another emergency meeting tonight, 8 sharp."

"Yes, sir," Sephiroth acknowledged with a nod.

"Tseng tells me there may be a new lead as to the game's exact origin."

"I know who did it!" Zack blurted out, beginning to squirm again. "It was Amarissia, that Crazy Lady's finally – "

"Puppy," Angeal said softly but urgently.

"What's this, Angeal? Who?"

Genesis stepped forward with his most reassuring smile. "Oh, you know, sir, I think I've mentioned Amarissia, Zack's…well…let's say friend no one else can see."

"You – "

Angeal managed to cover Zack's mouth as the other commander continued, with a voice that would melt frozen butter. "You know how kids are, their imaginations run away with them sometimes."

President Shinra chuckled. "Oh, how true, Rufus used to insist that a zolom lived under his bed. Occasionally he still has nightmares about it, so much so that one of the Turks has to bunk in with him sometimes."

Genesis almost managed to stifle a giggle. "Reno, I'm guessing?"

"Indeed, how did you know?"

Tseng, who had gone unseen till now (something Turks were good at), hurriedly stepped up from behind his employer. "Mr. President, I'm afraid we must be getting along…"

"Of course, of course. Everyone carry on."

The portly man quickly patted the two teenagers' heads (Angeal's hand still covering Zack's pout and Cloud offering a grin that was fondly returned) and walked on, everyone he passed pausing to stiffly salute. Angeal gave Genesis a glare of warning before finally releasing Zack's mouth, though not the rest of him.

"You dick! You just told my freaking BOSS I have an imaginary friend!"

"Well, if we're Ammy-chan's imaginary friends, isn't it sort of reciprocal? What would we even call her as muses, anyway?" Genesis mused, striking a philosophical pose. "A musee, or something?"

"More like a life-ruiner, and don't change the subject, the president now thinks I'm insane!"

Angeal adjusted Zack to make sure the boy was comfortable in his encircling arm, and kissed the top of his head. "I don't think so, Pup. You heard what he said about Rufus. And Gen, we agreed not to expose Rufus and Reno until they're ready for the president to know. We honor our promises, even with Turks."

"But why?"

Angeal began one of his well-rehearsed speeches about honor, while Cloud stopped the group's walk again to greet a handsome, Wutaian-featured man wearing a 1st Class uniform. Lieutenant Akio hugged him while exclaiming, "Kuraudo-chan, hisashiburi! Genki da ka?"

"Genki!" the boy said with a merry bounce. "I didn't think you'd be back so soon!"

"Nor did I," Sephiroth said with a faint smile. "I assume Godo was no help."

Akio shrugged good-naturedly. "He insists that his daughter's presence in the game was as surprising to them as Cloud's was to ShinRa. He questioned Yuffie quite sharply, and they both swore on Da Chao they know nothing about it. The girl did catch a few of my 3rds with a net, but Godo promised she'd be grounded."

Sephiroth nodded with a very short chuckle. "Thank you, Toshi."

"I'll keep in touch with my contacts in Tambalin. Maybe something new will turn up."

Akio saluted, then headed off with a wave. The group walked on, and the next people they came to had Cloud even more excited than usual. Commander Heinz, a well-liked and trusted 1st, had just come from the med lab, presumably, because ShinRa offered its employees excellent health insurance for their families, and Heinz had his with him, a pretty, petite brunette woman and the blond two-year-old girl she was holding. As soon as the child saw Cloud (he was easy to spot with his spikes of the same color), she started to wiggle and babble in his direction.

The woman agreeably passed her daughter to the Honorary SOLDIER with a laugh. "Yes, baby, you can see Cloud."

"Hi, Mahree!" the boy cooed happily, and the child hugged him with a beaming smile. "Hi, Laura, hi, Commander!"

"Hi, kiddo," Heinz said, ruffling Cloud's hair.

"How have you been, darling?"

"Awesome! Ooh, I think she got taller."

"When they're this young, they're always growing," Laura agreed. She nodded to the others a bit uncertainly as her husband saluted; like many women, when she encountered the highest-ranking SOLDIERs, especially Sephiroth, she had to fight the urge to curtsey or do something like that. "General, Commanders, Lieutenant…"

Genesis put on his usual flirtatious smile that he used even on women. "My dear, it's Sephiroth, Genesis, Angeal, and Jailbait, I mean, Zack."

Zack had renewed his struggles, which he now briefly paused to glare. "Angeeeeeal, lemme down, I wanna hold the baby…"

"You can after I do, Pup."

"No no, she clearly wants her Auntie Gen-Gen…"

With all the straightforward stubbornness of a child, Mahree looked over the disagreeing group, locked her eyes on her desired target, and began flailing toward…Sephiroth. The general's eyes widened, and Heinz cracked up.

"I promise, Sephiroth, she doesn't bite. Rarely, anyway."

Cloud, who had perhaps more faith in his Sephiroth than anyone else, unceremoniously but carefully plopped Mahree onto the nervous general, who automatically adjusted his arms to support her, and blinked curiously as the little girl peered at him. Seeming to make up her mind, she smiled, and Sephiroth found himself returning the expression.

"She is very beautiful," he said softly, and as though she understood, Mahree grabbed for his face, saying "Pretty, pretty."

"I like your taste, little one," Genesis snickered.

"Pretty, pretty."

Mahree shifted targets and grabbed a handful of Sephiroth's hair, bringing it close to her eyes to look at with fascination. The general didn't seem fazed – people and especially children were always interested in the silver color and the fact that it never tangled – and watched the child with curiosity. He was hoping she wouldn't try to put his hair in her mouth as she had on previous occasions, but Sephiroth needn't have worried, because Genesis scooped her up before she had a chance.

"Come see Auntie Gen-Gen! Aren't you just the cuuuutest widdle thing…no, dear, you can't see Rapier, it's very sharp-sharp. I'll teach you about weapons in a few years when you're older, maybe a shuriken or something…"

"Hey," Heinz laughed, "no daughter of mine will wield anything less than a broadsword."

"I'll teach her!" Cloud volunteered happily.

"Thanks, kid, I'd appreciate that."

Laura, knowing they were at least half-joking, laughed. "Please, not until she's at least in school."

To Genesis's disappointment, Mahree had tired of him quickly and was now grabbing at Angeal, now and then looking with interest over at Zack, perhaps wondering why such a bigger kid was being held. To the boy's relief, he was finally set down so Angeal could take the toddler, who quickly became fascinated with the 1st's stubble and kept running her fingers over it as he laughed. The sight was quite adorable; even Zack had to smile, and usually Zack was very wary of Angeal being around kids, because the 1st would then make his usual half-jokes about wishing their Musee (?) was a bit more into mpreg.

"Angee, Angee," Mahree was saying, occasionally grabbing at her holder's nose.

"That's right," Angeal said warmly. "You're such a smart girl."

Genesis stopped pouting at the lack of attention and looked mischievously at Zack. "He's sure enjoying this, isn't he?"

Zack gave him a look of warning. Angeal seemed about to say something, but as soon as he opened his mouth to intervene, Mahree popped her entire right hand into it.

"I'm just saying, Puppy, you might want to watch for signs of morning sickness and cravings for pickles, that sort of thing."

The boy glared. "I am not gonna hit you in front of a baby, but later – "

Angeal managed to free his mouth from the chubby little fist trying to stay inside it. "Gen, please leave Zack alone. Pup, remember, best thing to do is ignore it when he baits you."

"My turn." Zack carefully lifted Mahree out of his boyfriend's hold, and laughed as the child happily hugged him. "Hi, kiddo."

"That's Puppy," Heinz laughed, "stealing hearts wherever he goes."

Mahree sat up straight, looking at Zack curiously. "Doggy?" she asked.

The boy laughed and gently bounced her. "Sorry, kiddo, your daddy was referring to me. No real doggies here right now."

Laura smiled at the sweet sight of Zack gently rocking her daughter; most of the SOLDIERs were honorary uncles to Mahree, though she guessed Zack and Cloud were more like siblings.

"We've told her maybe next year she can have a pet of her own," the woman said.

"She can play with Patrick and Silverstream any time!" Cloud offered cheerfully.

"Thank you, dear. I'm very fond of cats especially, so that would be a good choice."

"Shouldn't kids start out with something smaller, like a gerbil?" Zack asked, while making the toddler laugh by making weird faces. "Hey Angeal, didn't you have one when you were a kid?"

The 1st smiled at the memory. "Yes, his name was Peanut."

"I had a lot of fun with that little guy."

Mistaking Genesis's tone, Zack looked at him with horror.

"Not like that! Great Gaia, Puppy, is that how little you think of me, that I would shove any of the Goddess's creatures up my – "

"Well, we've got to be getting back," Heinz said hurriedly, scooping Mahree up. "She's due for a nap, and she gets very cranky."

Genesis patted Zack's head for the two milliseconds he had before he was batted away. "Oh, we understand, we've got kids too."

"I am not a – "

"Bye-bye," the little girl said cutely, and Zack forgot his annoyance to give her one of his patented heartthrob smiles. Mahree tried to get back to him, and was with some effort held back by her chuckling father.

"Don't go flirting with my girl, Fair."

"No worries," Zack laughed. "You know I'm spoken for."

"Yeah, sweetie, we don't want to cross Angee, do we? See you all later."

Zack continued to smile fondly until his little friend was out of sight, then fixed a familiar scowl on Genesis. "Don't touch my hair. Or anything else on me."

"I didn't hear anything about inside."

Angeal sighed as he held Zack back. Hearing this, Zack took a deep breath, centered himself, and stopped scrambling toward his enemy, instead curling his arm around Angeal's waist. The 1st, relieved, did the same to him. Angeal hated that he couldn't get Zack and Genesis to get along. The worst of it was that Zack tried to ignore Genesis's baiting for Angeal's sake, and Genesis, when not tormenting his favorite prey, would - and had in the past - snap the neck of anyone who posed a threat to his best friend's fiancé.

Amarissia, the unseen-but-always-present Musee/choir director, had almost certainly caused the antagonistic relationship, with her tendency to make Genesis a villain and Zack his victim, and after that, even when they weren't written as enemies, Zack resented being paired with Genesis, and Genesis both delighted in it and seemed to forever want to be reminding Zack of these stories. Genesis would innocently insist that he was just trying to do his duty as the one truly cooperative muse, but Angeal suspected his old friend was being at least somewhat honest when he protested that it was just too fun to tease Zack.

Admittedly, Zack was somehow even more adorable when his proverbial feathers were ruffled. To Angeal, the boy was all love and sweetness and playful teasing, at least when not fighting or training, and it was interesting to see him behaving combatively outside of dangerous situations. When upset, too, his eyes lit up even more than usual, their startlingly-pale blue –

"Oh my Gaia, woman, do you never tire of talking about my freaking eyes?" Zack groaned.

Sorry, didn't realize he was reading my narration. That particular ability, I'm pretty sure, was not noted in the strategy guide.

"Yeah, about that," Zack spoke again, drawing some odd looks as he seemed to be speaking to someone no one else could see, and at the same time to…who? Everyone present? "This lady is so crazy, she owns the freaking strategy guide, and she's never played the game. Let that sink in. She has it displayed on an ALTAR. I'm pretty sure that's, like, blasphemy or something."

Oh, Zack, don't be like that. It's all in good fun. Why so serious?

"Fun? You showed your mom a picture of me and said I died for your fandom sins!"

"Hmm, so, what are we, then, 'Gealy?" Genesis said airily. "The father-figure, the pervert, and the Holy Pedo-Bait?"

Angeal had no time even to glare sternly or facepalm. With a highly uncharacteristic growl, Zack launched himself at Genesis, prompting the startled onlookers to hurry out of the way. Cloud, looking concerned, was gently moved behind Sephiroth, who was used to scuffles of this sort and didn't feel it was his place to intervene. To Genesis's credit, no matter how much he tormented Zack verbally, physically he never did more than defend, not difficult for a 1st Class against an enemy that was not skillfully attacking so much as he was flailing wildly.

"Angeal, dear, you might want to rein it in before it – "

"Use pronouns, Gen," Angeal sighed as he held Zack back.

Hearing the faint weariness in his lover's voice, Zack stopped attacking, closed his eyes, and took a few deep breaths. Grateful, Angeal hugged him from behind, knowing physical contact from him was soothing for the boy.

Cloud, let out from behind Sephiroth, ran over and grabbed Zack into a hug, which the older boy returned with a laugh. "Are you okay now, Zack?"

"Yeah, Spiky, I'm fine."

"Maybe we should go see Aerith. Her Healing Wind is super-calming, right?"

Genesis had a way of drawing everyone's wary attention just by blinking. "What? Aerith exists in this universe?"

"Oops?" Cloud asked rather than said. Zack reassuringly pet his head.

"'Geal! Did you know about this?"

"Of course I know Zack's friends. She's a lovely girl."

"You let them hang out? Are you insane?! What if Amarissia hits her head and starts liking het? Their voices are married, Angeal!" Genesis grabbed his best friend by the collar and shook him. "Married!"

"Gen, regardless – "

"You! Puppy!" Genesis released Angeal and straightened his clothes imperiously. "You'd better not ever cheat on Angeal."

"What? I would never do that!"

"Then why have you been sneaking off to some church to see a girl?"

"Because we're friends, you egotistical muppet! Unlike you, I'm not petrified of girls, because I'm not jealous of them!"

"How dare – "

This time Genesis did the flailing, and Lieutenants Morgan and Dunley helpfully held him back, while saying, "Please excuse us, Commander, but we think you may need to calm down." Angeal, meanwhile, had protectively tucked Zack behind him, and at last held up a hand to prompt Genesis's silence.

"Gen, Zack is allowed to have female friends. I trust him completely. And now that you know of Aerith's existence, I would like your promise that you will not go find and bother the young lady."

Once released by the 1sts who saluted, then scampered away, Genesis smoothed his hair back with a "Hmph, nice to know how little you think of me, 'Geal."

"I just know you, that's all."

"And Aerith isn't your size," Zack said with an eye-roll, "so don't bother using the excuse of wanting to borrow clothes. She's not your style either."

"Well, then, perhaps a makeover – "

"No, Gen."

A normal ringtone chimed, and Sephiroth answered his phone. Before he could say anything, the triumphant first chords of One-Winged Angel streamed loudly from the small device. Instead of hanging up on Hojo as he would usually do, Sephiroth dropped the phone, seemed to grow menacingly taller, and his silver eyes suddenly glowed green.

"Traitors. All traitors to Mother…"

"Oh, hellfire," Angeal muttered. "Cloud, Code J!"

Everyone present knew what was going on. SOLDIERs, Turks, and executives scrambled past and over each other to clear the wide corridor and all the adjacent rooms. Cloud, abruptly looking more like an unbeatable warrior and less like an innocent child, drew Ultima Weapon. Luckily, as usual, his Limit gauge was at full, where Sephiroth told him to keep it for just this occurrence.

Angeal pushed Genesis and Zack behind him into a far corner (where they promptly started shoving each other like siblings stuck in the back seat of a car by a frustrated mother). Sephiroth, however, didn't seem to notice them, just stared at Cloud with an expression that kept going back and forth between concerned and simply evil.

Green eyes. "The planet is Mother's." Silver eyes. "Cloud, be careful." Green eyes. "Fools and traitors, all of you." Silver eyes. "Cloud, hurry." Green eyes. "You are nothing more than a puppet."

"Meanie!" Cloud yelled, still looking serious but in his usual sweet voice. "You leave MY SEPH ALONE NOW!"

Cloud attacked, somehow managing to performing Omnislash without taking out any walls (ShinRa would be pleased at the lack of damage this time), and when the smoke cleared, Cloud was placidly sitting on the partially-ripped-up tile floor with an unconscious Sephiroth draped across his lap. Cloud was smiling again, happily cuddling Sephiroth's head as he always did after having to defeat Jenova.

Zack bounced out of Angeal's grip to tousle Cloud's hair. "You okay, Spiky?"

"I'm super! But poor Seph, Jenova makes him sad."

"That's okay, Cloudy. You make him happy."

The blond boy beamed. "I do, don't I?"

"Of course, doll," Genesis said sauntering over. "You make all of us happy."

Cloud grinned joyfully and nuzzled the silky, silver waterfall of his unconscious lover's hair.

"Doll, would you like me to carry Seph?"

"Seph says you're not allowed," Cloud said cheerfully, "'cause you try to get in his pants. But I don't get it. You have your own pants."

Zack stifled a giggle with one of his hands. Genesis hmphed, but stepped gallantly aside for the boy who slung Sephiroth over his shoulder as though his weight were nothing, and waved to his friends as he headed for their apartment.

"Seph needs lots of snuggling now. See you guys later!"

Zack waved back. "Make sure you get your Limit gauge back up ASAP, okay, Spiky?"

"I will!"

Once he was gone, unexpectedly, rather than being haughtily offended, Genesis laughed, a melodic sound like his speaking and singing voice. "I swear, the doll is endlessly entertaining. I suppose if I can't have Seph…"

choirchoirchoir

When the quiet of night lay like a blanket over the ShinRa Compound, while Angeal and Zack lay cuddled together on their bed, catching their breath from a long session of sex, Angeal wondered in his post-climax contentment what Zack was thinking. The teenager had been uncharacteristically quiet much of the day, since Cloud and Sephiroth's fight against Jenova, and had even endured a meeting with executives with hardly more than a quiet pout when he was spoken to like a child by them.

The commander wasn't sure if he should let Zack keep thinking before questioning him, or cut right to the chase. He didn't want to take the chance that Zack was sad about something, but when he tilted up the boy's head to kiss him, it seemed that the pale-cerulean eyes –

"Seriously," Zack groaned into Angeal's bare chest, "if she doesn't stop going on and on about my stupid eyes…"

"Maybe don't read her narration, Puppy," Angeal said, his voice betraying amusement. "And I don't blame her. They are rare and beautiful. Like you."

"Sap." But Zack gave him a long, sweet kiss. "She said you're wondering what I'm thinking."

"I am. Feel like sharing?"

"You know Kunsel is from Mideel, right?"

Angeal nodded, wondering where this was going.

"He told me once a proverb that they have there…what was it…something like, a child denied love will burn down his village just to feel warmth."

"Sad," Angeal remarked. "Why is it making you sad, though?"

"It made me think of Seph. Well, not our Seph, the one in that game, who burns down Nibelheim. Like, for one thing, I'm not happy with whoever wrote that, it might be making Spiky sad, but…"

"But?"

"…I wonder how much that Seph and ours have in common. I know Cloud makes him happy, but not much else does." Zack shifted so he was resting against his lover's shoulder. "And I don't think the antidepressants Levine is slipping him are gonna do any good. I mean, they didn't when Sai tried, I don't think. I miss her. She was badass."

"I like her, too. Perhaps she'll make her way back to the fandom." Angeal rubbed his nose against Zack's sweet-smelling hair. "It's hard to know what Seph is feeling, even for Gen and I. You're right, though, Cloud makes him happy. The years in which Seph didn't have him are behind us now. There's really not anything we can do about them."

"I'm worried about Seph finding out about the stuff game-him does. He can be kind of sensitive about that sort of thing. Weird, when you wouldn't guess he cares much about his image."

Angeal nodded. "But he cares deeply about anything that involves Cloud. So, he's likely to find out about Nibelheim, and Aerith, and Meteor…"

"Huh? What about Aerith? And what's Meteor?"

Angeal switched on a bedside lamp, figuring they would be up for a while longer.

To be continued.