Disclaimer: The characters of FF VII are property of Square Enix.
A/N: This is the hard labors of my labor day. This and some of the following chapters will no doubt be some of the fluffiest things I have ever written. It will be glorious. Please feel free to review. I enjoy hearing other people's opinions. It's no fun otherwise. Enjoy.
Today was the day. Sephiroth would be leaving with Cass as soon as Hojo finished this last examination. Sephiroth fought to keep from squirming as Hojo dragged on the examination for as long as possible. Even Cass had come down to see what the hold up was.
She was leaving the labs now, but would still be working in the same building. Sephiroth had been saddened by that notion, until Cass explained that it wouldn't really matter.
"We'll be in the same building. I can still visit you if I want to. Besides, we'll be living together. You'll come with me every night and we'll only be separated during the day." It didn't sound so bad when she put it that way. It also helped that she explained why she wanted to leave the labs. She didn't want to be near Hojo anymore. Sephiroth didn't blame her.
"I really can't stand him," she said, "I want to bash his head in every time I see him and I can't work like that. Before it was always worth it when you came, but now nothing helps. We just have to be apart."
None of that mattered now. Sephiroth would be leaving. If Hojo ever finished.
"You aren't throwing another tantrum are you?" Cass asked.
"No," Hojo snapped, "I want a complete work-up for when he returns tomorrow."
"Monday," Cass corrected. Hojo whipped around.
"What?" He demanded.
"I bring him back on Monday," Cass said, "Today is Friday. He stays with me on weekends. He comes back on Monday. It's on that contract we had to sign." Hojo looked ready to argue, but then stopped.
"Fine," he grumbled, "when he returns on Monday." Sephiroth was dumbstruck. He got to leave tonight, tomorrow, and the day after? How had Cass made Hojo agree with that?
"It's your own fault," Cass said, "You held this off for an entire week. Had you not stalled, I would have taken him last Monday." Hojo ignored her.
"You can get up now Sephiroth," Hojo said. Sephiroth did so a little more enthusiastically than usual. Cass grinned at him.
"He had better be in the same condition when he returns," Hojo warned.
"Yeah, yeah," Cass said, "No staying up all night, no junk food, no playing with matches. Can we go now?" Hojo glared at her for a long time before dismissing them with a wave. Sephiroth couldn't get out of there fast enough. The excitement was making him energetic. He and Cass were moving at a much faster pace than usual.
"I finished moving all of my things over to the new office," Cass told him, more as a distraction than anything, "I don't really start until Monday, so we can leave once you're ready." Sephiroth nodded, not really hearing what was being said. Cass stopped at the restrooms. She handed him a bag.
"I know you're used to wearing that," she said, "but you really need actual clothes now. I won't have you running around in what Hojo gives you to wear. This is all I have for now. We can go get more tomorrow. There's pants and a shirt." Sephiroth took the sack and went inside. They were more constricting than what he usually wore, but not uncomfortable. The pants were black and the shirt was white. He fiddled with the collar before deciding it was a lost cause. He came out. Cass was leaning on the wall waiting for him. She appraised him.
"They're a little small," she said, "but they'll have to do. You feel okay?" Sephiroth nodded. Cass led him to the elevator. He'd been on it before, but not very often. Cass let him push the buttons. He fidgeted a little during the ride up. Cass just smiled at him.
The doors opened to a different hallway. Sephiroth hadn't been here before. He slowed a little to look around. Cass let him.
"I come in this way," she said, "It's the back entrance. I use it because there is a bike rack." Sephiroth was confused at that. She opened a door and let him through first.
They were outside. Sephiroth stopped for a moment as did every time he went outside. It always amazed him how big outside was when compared to the labs. He looked straight up at the sky which didn't seem ever to end. It was a very clear evening. Then he saw the sunset stretching past the horizon. He'd seen some before when Gast had been able to sneak him out, but this was one more spectacular for some reason. The sky was red, pink, purple, even some shades he didn't have names for. He could see small bright spots appearing which he knew were called stars. He'd heard that they covered the sky at night along with the moon, which was also present if faint. He wondered if Cass would let him see them.
"Coming Sephiroth?" Cass asked. He tore his eyes away. Cass had pulled a strange object from a stand. It had two wheels.
"What is that?" he asked.
"It's a bicycle," she said, "or a bike. I ride it home and back. We'll have to walk though." He walked up closer.
"How does it work?" he asked.
"You push the pedals around and that makes the wheels turn," she said, "Maybe I'll teach you this weekend." He watched it as they walked. It looked interesting enough. It made a clicking noise as the wheels turned. Cass noticed of course.
"Would you like to sit on it?" she asked, "I'll push you." He looked at it warily. "It's not comfortable, but it might be fun." He nodded. He wasn't exactly certain how to climb onto it.
"There isn't a neat way," she said. Then she lifted up and placed him on the seat. He balanced precariously on it for a moment and nearly fell. Then Cass's arm was supporting his back and her hands were holding onto the handles.
"You ready?" her voice said in his ear. He turned around to face her. He nodded. She started pushing him along. He started a little and lost his balance, but Cass's arms kept him upright. After a block or so, he started to get the hang of it. He felt that laughing thing starting again. He held it back, but Cass saw his smile.
"Having fun?" she asked.
"I think so," Sephiroth said. She laughed behind him and kept pushing.
"Can I go faster?" he asked. Cass laughed louder and picked up the pace. When she started running, Sephiroth couldn't hold it in anymore. He laughed. He never imagined doing anything like this in his life. It was like flying. The air breezing past his face smelled so much different out here than in the labs. He liked it. He was disappointed when she started to slow down. She was chuckling breathlessly as she approached a building.
"Here we are," she said. He looked up at it. "We live on the top floor," she said. He dismounted much more neatly than he thought he could. Cass picked up the bike and carried it up the steps. She had a key to the front door. She put it in and turned it. The door didn't open. Cass sighed.
"This happens all the time," she assured Sephiroth, "I might need your help." She tried shoving it, banging on the upper right-hand corner and, when that failed, she kicked the bottom. No luck. She sighed again.
"Okay," she said, "Sephiroth, you keep turning the doorknob." She moved aside and Sephiroth took her place. She backed up and slammed against the door. It finally gave.
"There we go," she said, "After you." She took up the bike again. Sephiroth stepped in cautiously. She shut the door rather deftly with her foot.
"Up the steps," she directed. He obeyed, glancing back every now and then. She kept carrying the bike. It didn't seem to hinder her much. He reached the top.
"Here," she said handing him her set of keys, "We're the door on the left." He moved ahead to the door she indicated. He opened it and peered in. She was behind him.
"Go on in," she said. He stepped inside, Cass right behind him. She set the bike in the corner and flicked a switch. Light filled the hallway. He looked around, then back up at Cass.
"Well...," she said, "welcome home." Sephiroth ran the phrase through his head a couple of times. His lips started to curl.
"Home..." he repeated smiling broadly. Cass smiled back at him. She shook herself out of her self made trance.
"Well, shall I give you the grand tour?" she asked, "It's not much, I have to admit." Sephiroth nodded shyly. He reached for her hand and she accepted it. She led him down the short hall to a main area.
"Most people call this a living room," she said, "It's where I keep the couch and such. Where I allow company to sit, when I have company."
"You have more books," Sephiroth said.
"Mmm-hmm," Cass said, "You can read those too. You can do whatever you like."
"It looks nice," Sephiroth said and he meant it. She laughed at him again.
"Shall we keep going?" she asked. They moved along. The next room was bigger, but had a lot more things in it. "This is the kitchen and dining room. It's where I keep food and where we will eat it most nights, unless we want to eat elsewhere." She continued to show him where she kept things like silverware, cups, plates, pots, pans, and the like.
"Are you hungry?" she asked.
"No," Sephiroth said. He was too excited to eat right now.
"Okay then, to the bathroom," she said. She led him to a room with a toilet and bathtub. "We'll have to share this. You have your own set of towels, toothbrush and hairbrush." He saw them laid out neatly on the sink and nodded. They exited.
"I'm sorry that your room isn't as well prepared," she said, "I didn't know what you wanted. We can go get more decorations and new sheets tomorrow when we get you new clothes." She opened the door. Sephiroth walked in. It was bigger than what Hojo had ever given him.
His bed was tucked neatly in the corner with a blue bedspread and what looked like matching sheets. He had a desk and a chair as well, not that he knew what he'd use them for. There was a depression that Cass told him would be for a closet, but was empty for now. It was rather sparse besides that, but Sephiroth was happy just to walk around in it. He didn't know what else to do with that much space.
"Is this really where I will stay?" he asked, "in this room?" He looked up at Cass, who was leaning against the doorframe, watching him explore his room.
"Yes, of course," she said, "Is it not to your liking? Do you want something different?"
"No," Sephiroth said, "It's...the biggest room I've ever had." Cass's face became very sad for a moment, but then it went away. He wondered why.
"Oh..." she said, "but...you like it?"
"Yes," he said, "very much." She smiled again. He smiled back.
"Where's your room?" he asked.
"Next door," she replied.
"...Can I see it?" he asked.
"Sure," she said. They made their way over. Cass opened the door. She let Sephiroth explore her room like he had with his own. Hers had more decoration. It felt like Cass's room Sephiroth decided. It was slightly bigger than his, but she had a bigger bed, so it made sense.
She had a couple of photographs. He recognized Cass in them, though in one she was much younger. There was an older woman in it too.
"Is that Aurore?" he asked. Cass came up behind him.
"Yes," she said. Sephiroth looked at her for awhile. She and Cass looked nothing alike, but they looked happy in the picture. He moved on to the next. He saw Cass with Professor Gast. It caught his interest. Cass noticed.
"I met Professor Gast a few years ago," Cass said, "I was still in school then. He helped me try to get a doctorate and we became friends. I didn't get the doctorate, but Gast was still my friend. I think you know the rest."
"Are you still friends?" Sephiroth asked. He really wanted to see Professor Gast again.
"I don't know," Cass said, "I haven't talked to him since he left, but I want to. I don't want to forget him. That's why I have the picture." Sephiroth didn't recognize anyone else in the rest of the photographs besides Cass and moved on. Cass's closet space was full. Her desk was full of papers. The whole space felt warm and lived-in.
"I like your room too," Sephiroth said. Cass smiled.
"That's all there really is to see here," Cass said, "It's a bit small, but it's home."
"It's perfect," Sephiroth said. He was honest. He couldn't and wouldn't want to live anywhere else. It was the opposite of the clean and sterile laboratory. It was messy and crooked and broken. It was wonderful. He couldn't believe that all of this was real, that this was really happening. Cass glanced at a clock on the wall.
"Hungry yet?" she asked.
"No," Sephiroth said.
"You will be once you smell what's for dinner," Cass said, "Shall we?"
"What is for dinner?" Sephiroth asked. He had regular meals in the lab and was familiar with the term. He'd just never had it with Cass before.
"Potato soup," Cass said.
"What's potato soup?" Sephiroth asked.
"The yellowish creamy stuff that you liked," Cass said, "the one with the lumps in it."
"Oh," Sephiroth said. He remembered it. Cass had shared it with him once when she brought it for her own lunch. He did like it. "Okay." He followed behind Cass and sat down at the small table. Cass turned on a stove and heated up a pot with the familiar substance. Like she predicted his appetite came around when the scent appeared. He asked about her appliances and she answered his inquiries. Some of them sounded familiar, but he'd simply never seen them before. Cass knew her away around them, so he supposed he would figure them out eventually.
"Do you live by yourself?" Sephiroth asked as Cass set out a bowl with the soup in front of him.
"Not anymore," Cass said. Sephiroth couldn't help but feel something pleasantly strange with that phrase. "The neighbors were always nice, though."
"Neighbors?" Sephiroth asked.
"The people who live around us," Cass explained, "We share the building with some other people. They're all fairly decent." Sephiroth listened raptly at Cass's description of the other occupants. The lady below them, Wilcox, who like to talk about other people behind their backs. The young woman on the bottom floor, Lanie, who had different colored hair every day. The man across the hall, whose name Cass couldn't remember, who never could get the door open by himself.
"They all mostly keep to themselves," Cass said, "but we'll pass in the hall or on the stairs. Sometimes we'll get stuck outside and help each other."
"Do they know about...me?" Sephiroth asked.
"They know I wanted to adopt someone," Cass said, "They don't know who you are though. They haven't met you yet." Sephiroth finished his soup and waited patiently for Cass to follow suit. He watched her pick up the bowls, wash them in the sink, and put them away. He slid off his chair, uncertain of what was going to happen next.
"Well..." Cass said wiping off her hands, "What would you like to do now?"
"I don't know," Sephiroth said.
"What do you usually do?" Cass asked.
"Wait for someone to tell me to go to bed," Sephiroth replied.
"That's boring," Cass said, "Let's find something else to do." He followed her out to the living room. He was drawn to her bookcase again. It was much more diverse than the one she had in her office. He didn't particularly feel like reading, but he liked the idea of having them available all the time. He read over their titles, but when nothing really stuck out for him he looked around for something else.
There was a desk-like object against the wall that he hadn't noticed before. Except it wasn't really a desk.
"What is that?" he asked Cass. She walked over to it.
"It's a piano," she said, "It's a type of instrument. You make music with it."
"Like what you listen to sometimes?" Sephiroth asked.
"Mmm-hmm," she said.
"How?" he asked. She pulled out the bench tucked underneath and sat down on it. It creaked with her weight in a rather cheerful way. She opened it. Little wooden pieces smiled out.
"You press the right key, you get the right note," she said, tapping one at random. A note sang out. Sephiroth stepped closer.
"It was here when I moved in," she said, "I never got rid of it. I really should get it tuned if I want to keep it." She played a short series of notes. Sephiroth couldn't look away from her hands. How did they know where to move? Cass made room for him on the bench and he climbed on with more creaks, but the bench held.
"Would you like me to play you something?" she asked. Sephiroth didn't know any songs, but he nodded anyway. Cass started playing. Her fingers found the keys to make a very sweet melody. It was slow and reminded him of how Cass described a butterfly's flight. He wondered if he'd get to see one soon. Then it moved on to a part that reminded him of rain, but not the hard rain, the soft rain when it started or ended, when the puddles started draining to small streams down the rooftop. Sephiroth watched her hands as the song died out peacefully.
"Play the march!" a voice called from the hallway. Cass rolled her eyes.
"Sometimes I get requests," she said, and started playing a faster, more energetic piece. Sephiroth liked the first one better for some reason, but Cass's hands were more fun to watch with this one. She finished with a dramatic flourish.
"Thank you!" the voice yelled again. Cass laughed silently and Sephiroth joined her. This laughing thing was sort of fun and the mysterious voice in the hall was ridiculous.
"What was the first song called?" Sephiroth asked.
"I forget," Cass said, "something about moonlight."
"I liked that one better," Sephiroth said.
"I do too," Cass said, "not many people agree with me though." She closed the piano and put away the bench. She moved over to the bookcase now. Sephiroth joined her.
"Have you read all of these?" he asked.
"Most of them," she said. She pulled one out. "I liked this one when I was your age. Made the hours pass by faster." He looked at the cover. He didn't see a title on it, but it looked well worn.
"What is it?" he asked. Cass didn't reply, lost in thought again.
"Would you like me to read it to you?" she asked suddenly. Sephiroth had never heard of such a thing before, but felt himself nodding anyway.
Later he would not recall most of what happened that evening. The tour, the bike, the piano, would all start to blur together. But Cass and the book remained sharp for some odd reason.
He remembered being nestled comfortably on Cass's lap. He was warm and a smell that he would never identify as anything other than Cass filled his nose in a wonderful way. Cass's hands held the book before him so he could follow along if he so wished and her arms were around him in some semblance of an embrace. Her voice talked in a smooth and delicate rhythm that lulled him into relaxing against Cass. He was only half-listening to the story. He got lost in that rhythm.
When Cass closed the book, he did not protest and followed her to his new room. The sheets were deliciously cool on his skin as Cass helped him slide inside. One arm was around her neck and gave it a tired squeeze. He felt a light pressure on his forehead in return, but was too tired to realize what it was right away.
It was his first kiss.
"Good night, Sephiroth," Cass said quietly.
"Good night, Cass," Sephiroth said. He heard the door shut and rolled over. In his head, he heard the rhythm of Cass's voice still speaking to him. He kept hearing it long after he fell asleep.