Disclaimer: I do not own FFVII characters or any of the affiliated games. Square Enix owns them, I'm merely borrowing them for my own Otaku pleasure. X3
This chapter respectfully dedicated to all parents and especially single parents.
A Father Should Be.
Chapter 1: Rough Beginning
Vincent slowly stirred from his sleep on an uncomfortable bed, eyes popping open as he heard the snuffling from the crib just a few feet away from his bed, then allowed his tired head to gracelessly land back down on the pillow which stank of all things like feet.
Right on schedule. Ah, and there was the fussing he found just... darling. In the week since he and Sephiroth fled under cover of night, uprooting himself to become... Gaia... a father, Vincent had become convinced that being a single parent was grounds for immediate acceptance of an individual into the Turks. Because he'd discovered being a single parent meant 1) superior endurance to torture 2) you were used to cleaning up disgusting messes and getting spit up on, and 3) You didn't need Mako for enhanced senses if you had to listen/watch/smell/feel someone who couldn't talk to make them stop screaming.
Succumbing to the inevitable, babies needed food and there was no other adult to do it but him, Vincent slowly kicked aside the yellow comforter and got up. Begrudgingly giving the belly a rub to signal they were both up now, and headed towards the kitchen of the seedy pre-furnished apartment in North Corel he'd chosen, simply because it was cheap and seedy... the last place any of his compatriots would think to look for him while he though ahead.
The man tried his best to ignore the cries when they started as he puttered around the grimy kitchen with it's faded and peeling orange and white wallpaper, cracked counter and piles of dishes (no time or energy for that kind of stuff with Sephiroth demanding all his time and attention) for a clean pan which was promptly filled it with water. Sephiroth would have his bottle as soon as the milk was warm, until then he'd have to wait.
Vincent turned on the burner under the pan, grateful at least this one worked, then collapsed, down into the lumpy green easy chair in the living room, and closed his eyes... and still the crying continued on.
When it reached a shriek that went straight to his brain, Vincent pressed his forehead into a palm, his thin shoulders almost shaking, for the first time in years fighting the urge to cry like, well, the baby in his care. Why, why in all Gaia and Lifestream had he taken this upon himself? He wasn't a parent, he had no skills, no coping mechanism to deal with this! What was he meant to do when he was going on three days with two hours of sleep, no help, no money, no energy for basic hygiene, much less the mindless, bookkeeping job he'd taken that just barely helped them get by because to add insult to injury, babies were expensive things coupled by the need for beyond a low profile. That lifestyle entailed either illegal, pretty much a none-option due to the chance of getting nabbed by Police of worse Turks, or rather low paying jobs.
Gaia didn't those little lungs EVER run out of air? He'd been at this for a full five minutes without stopping! Finally, it was just too much, and Vincent found his infinite patience... no so infinite. He rose from his chair, stormed back into the bedroom. The little brat had the audacity appear to actually glare at him as if to say, "Took you long enough!"
"Enough!" Vincent snarled at the scrunched up face that was starting to redden, "Let me have two seconds of peace Sephiroth, then you'll have your bottle and attention!" There was a moment of silence, as the two stood facing each other. Then Sephiroth made his declaration by opening his mouth and screaming.
Vincent had hauled the baby up and out without conscious thought, shocking said baby into temporary silence. Jade eyes stared into ruby, and GAIA how much was a human being meant to take?!
As if to answer Vincent, and with the shock worn off, Sephiroth let out yet more wails.
Down the baby went into the crib, amid cries of it's just not worth it! IT'S NOT WORTH IT!! from Vincent's poor brain, out of that room, past kitchen, through the living room with it's lumpy and tattered furniture, and was this really his life?! Unlocking the fifteen separate locks on the door because the neighborhood was nice and dangerous, then out the door with it's fading stain and half of the number 18 that should be there with a slam!
The ex-Turk slid down the wall, panting and legs suddenly like the rubber bands the newest recruit before he left, Tseng, liked to shoot at his fellow recruits until he made the cataclysmic faux pas of accidentally, or so he gibbered later when Vincent had hauled him out into his office, hitting Vincent on the nose.
In... out... in... out. And he could still hear the cries of the hungry and now no doubt frightened Sephiroth straight through the cheap door. Someone would find the baby, his desperate mind murmured... someone more suited to this. He could walk away… Sephiroth would be fine.
A twist came in the area of his heart. His father's gentle smiles, proud posturing as he informed anyone who's listen, My son you know... a Turk! As hard as getting into SOLDIER! They know that a Valentine will never give up or shirk their duty! Lucrecia's face as she told him about the accident and his father's death. Lucrecia, bloody in his arms... and Hojo's smug expression as he told Vincent, strapped to a lab table as a participant in another project so that he could stay close, what the president had said about the baby.
Vincent rubbed his temples, before sighing. Slowly he rose back up, reminding himself he'd made his choice the minute he'd entered that room and taken Sephiroth. That he had never failed a mission, or shrank back because it was a challenge. He would NOT start now, for Lucrecia he'd endure. And... he really was Sephiroth's only protector, best chance.
One more moment to collect himself and then Vincent went back inside. The water was steaming now, and he carefully placed a bottle of formula in the water to warm before heading towards the bedroom, where the crying had gone down to mere snuffling. Slightly pink eyes gazed balefully at him, almost accusing...
Vincent slowly picked the baby up again, gentler though, and laid him against his shoulder, minding the soft skull and patting the small back.
"You'd better save the entire planet, not just our race, but the whole planet itself, for all this trouble Sephiroth."
"Muuuurfuuu!" Was the response, spittle ending up on Vincent's already filthy shirt.
".... that's hardly encouraging." Vincent mumbled, taking Sephiroth to his food.
A/N: AND I'M BACK!!! This was so much fun to write, sorry it took me FOREVER! Many thanks to Vega Sailor for her encouragement and review of this chapter! For SephxZack fans, checkout her story Stop-loss!