I don't own the characters, only the 'verse, second verse, same as the first.
As usual, I'm mainly writing this to play with my muses, but if anyone is reading, thank you for stopping by! I hope you don't mind a very un-canon Cloud.
A VERY CHOIR REMAKE
Chapter 6
"This is not heroic. Not at all. Not remotely." Zack regarded the nearest living creature to him with a resigned sigh. "But this is life. Take it from me, dude, life does NOT turn out how you expect it to. I left my little backwater village to be a hero, ended up falling in love with a guy who can't seem to decide if I'm his kid or his fiancé, and his best friend has to be yelled at every day not to grope me. I just wanted to be a hero, you know?"
The small dog beside him on the grass wagged its tail rapidly and let out a seemingly cheerful 'ruff,' as if it wanted to know more. Zack, who loved animals as much as the rest of his adoptive family did, wanted very much to pet the sweet little creature, but that would be playing right into their hands.
"Um, Fair?" The unwelcome sight of Edwards from the public relations department stepped from behind the set-up photographer, looking timid but also somewhat resolute. "Perhaps you could, you know, play with it?"
"What the hell breed is this dog anyway?" Zack asked, dodging the request. "I can't tell if it's a terrier or a beagle. I think it keeps changing."
"We've decided on the terrier, so we'll stop switching them out."
Well, that's something, I guess. Zack held back a pout as he looked over to his far left. There was the welcome presence of Angeal, who he loved more than anything, and without thinking he smiled beautifully, prompting a look of adoration from his mentor/lover.
"Yes, keep smiling!" the photographer called, starting to take snapshots. "Try to get the puppy in frame with you."
Angeal sent the man a withering look that silenced him, but gave Zack a shrug that the boy easily read. Won't hurt to give this a try, Puppy.
Always conscious of wanting to reflect well on Angeal, Zack, who was good-natured in general, nodded, telling himself it was no big deal. His picture was already in Midgar papers and magazines all the time, would it really be so bad to help out a softer-side-of-ShinRa media campaign? I guess not.
Zack lifted the puppy (his collar said Stamp) up and rubbed their noses together, and the furry creature happily licked him, which made the boy laugh. He could almost pretend he was just playing with a friend's pet, or one of the strays he and Aerith kept fed in Sector 5. Almost…if not for the clicking of the camera and the unhelpful paroxysms from Edwards.
"Yes! Exactly!"
Zack glanced at the pleased man in his expensive suit, and frowned. Edwards noticed the boy tensing up.
"Commander Hewley? Perhaps you could relax him?"
Angeal's eyes narrowed, and Zack could almost swear they were doing that spiral-thing he must have learned from Sephiroth. The boy was always slightly surprised to remember how scary Angeal could be.
"I meant cheer up!" Edwards almost wailed, quickly putting the oblivious photographer in between he and the angry 1st.
Angeal seemed mollified by this, enough to give a "Hmph" and walk over to his young fiancé, purposely blocking Edwards' and the cameraman's views. Zack carefully set the still-happy dog down, where it ran around Angeal's feet as he pulled Zack in for a hug.
"You okay, Puppy? Want to leave?"
"I'm okay. I can do it, it's just weird when people other than you take pictures."
"Understandable." Angeal's hand was doing one of its favorite activities, running through Zack's spiky hair. "You know your fan club thinks you use gel, that your hair doesn't just grow this way? I bet they'd be surprised if they could feel how soft it is."
"Won't get a chance while you're around, right?" Zack chuckled quietly.
"Nope. My puppy, not theirs. Although at times like this, you're almost more of a cat."
True, Angeal's caressing hands were like magic to Zack, able to banish, at least temporarily, anything that was bothering him. Tension seemed to seep out of him like heat over just a couple of minutes.
"So, what, you're saying you like to pet me?" Zack teased.
"I think of almost nothing but petting you."
"Oh, damn it…"
Angeal picked up the problem at once, being so enhanced that he could smell it, and it was hard to resist, but instead he pulled a small green bottle from a pocket and handed it to Zack. The 2nd gulped the Remedy quickly, and the, erm, excitement Angeal was blocking from everyone's view went down.
"Thank you," Zack said as they stepped apart, meaning for more than just the erection-killer.
"Let me try this…"
Angeal unceremoniously, but without any shred of violence, waved aside the intimidated photographer and took his place behind the tripod. Ah, familiarity, Angeal taking pictures as he did all the time. No pressure, no discomfort. Now Zack nearly glowed with contentment as he smiled, played with the puppy, even posed it so their grinning faces were side by side. It wasn't even too hard to ignore Edwards off to the side looking so annoyingly pleased.
After several minutes of continuous shooting, the PR executive somehow found the confidence to approach Angeal with an unintentional babble of thanks, praise, and joy that they've certainly got the shots they needed. Angeal fixed him, and the meekly trailing photographer, in a serious glare, picking up the camera before either could get to it.
"Not so fast. I will develop these photos, Zack will decide which he is comfortable sharing, and those will be delivered to you, both in hard copy and digital. That is the only deal on the table. Understood?"
The photographer immediately nodded at the SOLDIER who could probably kill him with one pinky finger. Edwards flushed a bit, began to stammer a complaint, but the serious gaze became withering, and he visibly deflated.
"Yes, sir, Commander, thank you. Photographer, if you would get the back-up camera, we can get the solo shots of Stamp now…"
Edwards's voice trailed off into nothingness. He continued to speak, but as was often the case, Angeal and Zack only had eyes and ears for each other. The younger pressed his face into Angeal's sweater and breathed in the familiar, intoxicating smell. Zack was told all the time (to his annoyance) that he smelled good, but the boy, when he thought of good scents, thought first of Angeal. It was hard to describe, other than to say maybe "earthy" or "manly," but whatever it was, it was comforting now, and always.
Angeal's arms immediately went around him, and in this safe, protective cocoon, all the remaining stress drained out of Zack. The 1st sensed this, and when Zack detached a bit to lean back he asked, "Better now?"
"You're the cure for everything, as always. Ugh. I knew that nickname would end up giving me problems," Zack teased. "Now instead of being seen as the badass warrior I am, all of Midgar is gonna be like, oh, Zack, right, he's the one who plays with little animals. While when Sephiroth is photographed, there's, like, fire in the background."
Angeal chuckled, running fingers through Zack's hair to return the spikes to their usual chaotic order. "Well, Seph does tend to lose control of that in stressful situations, like being photographed. Going through what you just did, you probably understand Seph a little better now. That's something, right?"
Zack laughed. "That would certainly make me unique. I don't think anyone, like, gets Seph. We love him, but that's not the same thing. I don't think even Cloud gets him."
"Good thing that doesn't seem to bother him," Angeal chuckled. "Especially since Seph tends to panic a bit when Cloud seems unhappy."
scscscsc
The first thing Sephiroth noticed upon entering his bedroom was that Cloud, seated on the bed, was not smiling. In the millisecond before the general inquired, many scenarios flashed through his brain, including elaborate methods of killing anyone who might have caused Cloud's mood. Most or everyone at ShinRa either loved Cloud for himself or were at least careful with him out of fear, but Sephiroth was protective, some would say to an insane degree.
"Cloudy? Are you unwell?"
Cloud looked up at him and beamed with his usual good cheer. Sephiroth didn't actually "sigh with relief," but thought he nonetheless now understood the expression.
"Hi, Seph!"
Sephiroth smiled back, and was now calm enough to notice that Cloud was cradling something in his arms, that he had been looking down at. The very briefest glance determined it was not a plushy, of which Cloud had a vast collection and liked to sometimes hold. He saw at once what it was, but asked anyway, hoping for more information about it.
"What have you got there?"
"A bird!"
Thank Gaia he hasn't picked up Amarissia's habit of saying "birb."
"Ah. A pigeon, I see."
As if knowing it was being discussed, the creature flapped its wings slightly and emitted an almost grunt-like sound.
"It's okay. Sephiroth is super-nice," Cloud said, gently stroking the gray bird, and in answer it made a pleasant cooing sound.
"It is a very nice bird, but why are you holding it?" As much as Cloud loved animals, he had never brought a pigeon indoors before, though he was known to feed the many birds that lived in and around the ShinRa Compound. "Was it wounded?"
"No, but it's unsatisfied."
"Unsatisfied with what?"
"With life," Cloud said, a bit dejectedly.
"With its life as a pigeon?"
The boy nodded. Not liking Cloud's sad tone of voice, Sephiroth, mindful of the animal, slowly and carefully took a seat next to the boy, and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. Cloud picked up the general's other hand, brought it to the pigeon, and made his fingers gently stroke the soft, gray, feathered back. Apparently approving of Sephiroth, who often frightened animals until Cloud reassured them, the pigeon cooed again.
"Can we do something to help, do you think?"
Cloud's nose scrunched, an adorable indicator of deep thought. "I want to, but I can't think of anything. I offered to keep him as a pet, but he said he doesn't want to live indoors like here."
Sephiroth thought too for a few moments. "Perhaps the creature – "
"Pertl. His name is Pertl."
"Ah. Did you give him that name?"
"Nope."
Sephiroth, used to Cloud's seeming ability to understand animals, accepted this and moved on. "Perhaps Pertl would like the chocobo stables. There would be plenty of food sources nearby, he would be among other birds, and I am sure there are plenty of places good for a nest there."
Cloud's face lit up, and with it Sephiroth's heart. He never felt better about himself than he did when he made his lover happy.
"That's perfect!" Pertl cooed, and Cloud looked down again. "He says he's open to seeing it!"
"I have some time now. Why don't we take him? We'll need to ask Phi for permission, anyway, though I have no doubt she'll give it."
"Yay!" Cloud, responsible even when excited, stood up carefully so as to move Pertl as little as possible. "Let's go!"
Sephiroth, who usually found social interaction difficult and awkward, always found that his walks and talks with Cloud did the opposite, filled him with strength and relaxed him more than a month in Costa del Sol could. Cloud's cheerful chatter paused each time they were greeted, which was often, with Sephiroth waving away moves to salute and Cloud answering questions about his new animal friend. But before long, they found themselves crossing the long field that led to the stables, and a good friend greeting them at the side door.
"Hey, Gorgeous." Phi cheerfully ignored Sephiroth's attempt at his usual protest to turn to the shorter of the two. "Hiya, Cloudy! Who's your new friend?"
"Hi, Phi! This is Pertl. He is unsatisfied with his life."
Phi, who had started to pet the bird, looked a bit startled at that, but smiled again. "Oh? Can I help in any way?"
Sephiroth stepped in here. "We thought that, with your permission, of course, Pertl might like living in the stables."
"Good idea, this would be a great place for him," Phi agreed, pleasing both men. "Chocobos get along very well with other birds, and there's plenty of places in the rafters excellent for a nest. Come on in, let's see how he likes it."
Cloud tried not to bounce too much with excitement as they headed inside, but that didn't matter for long, as they had hardly been in more than a few seconds when Pertl cooed, perhaps in excitement himself, and flapped, and took off toward the aforementioned rafters. As the humans observed, the bird hopped around a bit, poked its little head into a few out-of-sight, probably-dark places, then bounded back into sight and cooed. This time, even Sephiroth could sense that it was saying thank-you.
"You're welcome, Pertl," Cloud called back, now bouncing a little, since it was safe to. Then, directed to Phi, "He'll be all right here, right?"
"Oh, yeah," she said sincerely. "Plenty of hay, string, and other stuff to make a nice nest, lots of dirt outside to hunt for worms, and a new friend who will watch over him for you."
Phi here gestured to herself, and laughed warmly when Cloud hugged her. Over his shoulder, she looked at Sephiroth, who nodded respectfully to her and offered a faint smile – the Sephiroth equivalent to a bear hug.
scscscsc
ASluttyInScarlet: …and that's the story of how I got banned from the fusion lab.
Bud: LOL, awesome story as usual, Slutty.
SephirothSlut: Oh, come on, this I-am-Genesis bit is wearing thin. Don't you think everyone would've heard about it by now if the REAL Genesis had tried to fuse a Fire materia with caramel and an apple?
Bud: I dunno, I'd find it believable to hear about anything Genesis does with an apple. Is it true you always carry one, Slutty?
ASluttyInScarlet: Nope to that rumor. I mean, where would I fit it? I don't have pockets that big. I suspect 'Gealy started that rumor because he nags me about too much of my diet being apples.
SephirothsGrrl: He seems pretty convincing to me, SS. On the chance that it is you, Genesis, I love you and think you're awesome!
ASluttyInScarlet: Aw, thank you, my dear. If you didn't have the wrong parts, I'd gladly marry you.
SephirothsGrrl: ::heart eyes:: See, that's exactly the sort of thing Genesis would say!
SephirothsSlut: What, about being gay? EVERYONE knows Genesis is gay. Like, all of SOLDIER is gay.
ASluttyInScarlet: Not all of us. Not for lack of me trying, LOL.
SephirothsGrrl: See! That too!
IWantSephirothsCock: I'm starting to believe him, too.
SephirothsSlut: You guys are waaaaay too gullible. Maybe he's a professional impersonator or something, and he's practiced talking like Genesis.
Bud: Slutty, can I talk to you privately?
ASluttyInScarlet: Sure, dear.
IWantSephiroth: You two are always going off alone!
Bud: We'll be right back.
You have now entered a private chat with: Bud.
ASluttyInScarlet: What's up?
Bud: I think it's time for us to meet.
ASluttyInScarlet: Really?
Bud: You'd rather not?
ASluttyInScarlet: No, I would. You just never seemed to want to before.
Bud: Well, I still think you'll find me disappointing, LOL. But I feel like we should meet face to face at least once. It might change things…but I still feel we should.
ASluttyInScarlet: I'm all for it. When and where?
Bud: There's this old church in the Sector 5 slums I've often passed by. It seems nice and private.
ASluttyInScarlet: I know the place.
Bud: Wednesday, 5 p.m. okay?
ASluttyInScarlet: I'll be there, dressed to impress. You never know, you might be my type after all!
Bud: LOL
sectionbreaksectionbreak
The woman stirred, blinked with such alertness and surprise that she might've not existed until that very moment, at least in the universe she found herself presently in. A flood of information filled her brain all at once, causing a slight pain that she winced with, though barely visibly so. It was as if everything she needed to know had just been rapidly downloaded, as if in preparation for…what, exactly?
The information was incomplete. The woman knew her name, but those of her family and even her friends escaped her, save for a very few. She knew what the planet she lived on was called, the names of many of the plants and wildlife she saw as she walked…but why was she walking? Where, even? The latter filled itself in as promptly as a search on the Shinternet, with the familiar name of a city. The former…that was more vague.
Something was telling her (she knew not what) that a crisis required her help. Further enquiring of her troubled mind offered a visual, an image of a very plain room filled with doors. No, her mind corrected, not just doors, but portals, portals to many different worlds and places. Watching with a warrior's patience, she saw two of these doors swing open, casually, maybe by a wind she couldn't feel, and suddenly, what would appear to be a solid stream of blackness to a normal human ripped out of one door and zoomed into the other.
This was not a normal human. She saw what the darkness was, and whatever was giving her information confirmed and elaborated. The woman knew now what she must do, and that she must quicken her pace to get to the city of mako in time to prevent a true crisis.
She hurried, at a pace that would tire a normal person but not her, confidence boosted to look ahead and see that her goal was within sight. The desert, where in alternate universes heroes fought and died, would be behind her soon.
To be continued.