Chapter Text
The problem with roses, of course, are the unavoidable fact that they have thorns.
ShinRa paid no mind to the thorns named after a disaster, which was their first mistake.
ShinRa paid no mind to the thorn of an escaped Cetra, which was their second mistake.
ShinRa, for all of its faults, failed for a third time when they sent their strongest SOLDIER to war.
War wasn't meant for children; both Calamity and Chaos would be wrought upon them for it.
-Sephiroth's Birthday; September 16; 0700 hrs-
Sephiroth stretched luxuriously and then yelped as he rolled out of bed at the sight of the time.
"I'm late, I'm late, I'm late—" he muttered before Chichiue gently caught him by the shoulders and hugged him. "Good morning, Chichiue."
"Good morning, my son. You're not late because you applied to have your birthday off months in advance. Angeal and Genesis will be here during breakfast and we have an outside excursion planned with Captain Highwind's help later on." Chichiue reassured as Sephiroth melted into the warmth of his Chichiue's embrace. "There may or not be presents on the table already."
So much had changed and presents...
He hadn't understood last year when Mom and Chichiue had handed him boxes wrapped in shiny paper and bows. Sephiroth had seen other people recieve them but hadn't made the connection until he'd peeled off the paper carefully and saw the set of daggers he now wore everywhere.
"Thank you." He sleepily replied as he scrubbed at his left eye and then his right, pillowing his cheek briefly against his Chichiue's chest out of habit. "Mom at work?"
"She's in the kitchens but she's not supervising," Chichiue teased. "something about cake for a special someone."
Sephiroth leaned into the absentminded petting Chichiue was doing, the claws of the gauntlet a gentle scritch against his scalp. He didn't flinch at the sound of a camera snap because it came with the scent of snow-cinnamon-hearth.
"Morning, Mom." He shuffled in Chichiue's grip to see her but made no move to get free.
Cameras were another thing that had changed for him too. He'd hated them, once, because they meant Hojo was about to document an experiment that would hurt him. Now they were moments captured that he could relive with the photo, especially since his family was behind the camera instead.
Mom hugged him and Chichiue, pressing a kiss to his cheek. He'd grown again but only to the point where Mom had to reach up for kisses instead of down. "Good morning, honey."
That was how Cloud found them, Sephiroth practically purring from all of the affection he was enjoying. He felt arms wrap around his waist and smiled serenely.
"Morning Cloud."
«Morning, Seph!»
A knock had Sephiroth slipping from his parents' grip and going on tip-toes to peer out of the eye hole.
Captain Highwind was frowning at Squad Delta, his white pilot's scarf haphazardly thrown over his shoulder and his boots untied from the ShinRa security search. 'Geal was about to knock again when Sephiroth opened the door with an amused huff.
"Happy birthday Seph." Angeal wiggled a wrapped package in SOLDIER purple while Genesis revealed another in crimson.
"Happy Womb Emanicpation Day," Genesis followed as as they kicked off their boots at the door. Both gave him one-arm hugs before shuffling into the apartment. "Oh nice! Present pile already?"
General Urial handed over a black box and gave a very relaxed salute that Sephiroth returned. "I hope I haven't gotten the wrong thing."
"You haven't sir." Sephiroth reassured.
Lt. Colonel Cleary handed over a box in forest green and did the same salute, a half-smile on his lips as General Urial squeezed his hand in reassurance. "Ours is sort of joint, Strife-Valentine."
"Good to know, sir." He answered.
"I've got a lot because I mentioned I was seeing you the day of; delivery Lt. Colonel at your service." Tyris chuckled and didn't bother saluting. "Wolf and Henderson send their regards as they're out on mission together but they left their presents with me in case they weren't back in time. I've got one from Major Milo, one each from Troop Platoons 14, 23, 25 and one from a Sgt. Porteous. Lt.s Kunsel and Johnson joined forces for this one. Oh yeah, and mine. You sure are popular this year, Strife-Valentine."
"Thank you sir." He accepted the basketful of gifts and tucked the black and green boxes amongst the pile.
"Pvt. O'Conor sent you a box of Chocobo droppings, which is rude but-"
"My Mom has a friend who'd love them down in Sector Five, sir. I'll be sure to thank him for helping her with her flowers." Sephiroth chuckled in reply to the disgusted faces of his superiors. "He may hold a grudge but I don't; there isn't any need for one, sirs. He was justly punished for his past mistakes."
"You're a lot more forgiving than I would be at your age, Strife-Valentine."
"He's forgiven, sir, but I haven't forgotten."
Only part of the Valentine family motto was to atone and ask for forgiveness, after all.
The full motto was:
"All sins can be atoned for if you ask for forgiveness. You may ask for forgiveness, you may forgive one who has wronged you but do not forget their deeds. Forgetting means you have absolved them of your wrath."
The Strife motto was simple but equally as effective:
"Above all others, tell the truth to yourself most often. Respect those who have earned it. Have compassion for the weak, the infirm, the lonely; do not fear the strong, for it manifests in many ways in the truest of forms."
Squad Delta blinked at that and shrugged. "Fair enough."
After Squad Delta left, Captain Highwind kicked his boots off at the door and straightened his scarf before walking inside like he lived there. Sephiroth chuckled quietly, looking forward to watching his Chichiue dance around the blond, smitten pilot as they made Behemoth calf eyes when the other wasn't looking.
"Happy Birthday, kiddo," Highwind frowned and clucked his tongue. "Yer doin' it again, call me Cid."
"Sorry Cid." Chichiue and Sephiroth apologized in unison before they looked at one another and laughed.
Cid flushed pink and scrubbed at his nose, his teeth digging into the filter of the ever-present cigarette. Mom narrowed her eyes at the cigarette so Cid plucked it out of his mouth and tucked it away into the half-way crushed pack.
"Sorry, ma'am."
"Just don't smoke around my sons and we're good." Mom huffed. "Drop the ma'am, I'm not old enough for it. My name's Anika."
"Anika—Corel High, right?" Cid lit up and Chichiue choked on his morning tea.
Sephiroth giggled at his Chichiue's expression and pulled down the breakfast pan, the clank of it on the gas burners somehow summoning his little brother and his best friends.
"Cid?! I thought you did that-Oh." Mom's hands went up and she started gesturing the same as Cid.
"Yeah." Cid's tone could've dried out Gongaga. "They cancelled it right as Ah signed up. Something about th' engines an' the paneling and how expensive th' damn thing was so now Ah run a transport biz. Ain't so bad."
'Geal and Gen watched as Sephiroth pulled down flour, brown sugar and cold butter. He cut the butter into the flour, motioning where the other ingredients were as he continued to add what was handed to him.
By the time Mom and Cid looked up, Sephiroth was putting the first squares of travel bread into the oven and his helpers were lightly dusted with flour and sugar.
Chichiue was laying out the present pile so that Sephiroth wouldn't have to sort through it by scent but his amusement was clear as Mom shooed them out of the kitchen; a whirlwind of blue gingham fabric and blonde braid that had breakfast out in under thirty minutes.
"I'm sorry Seph." She took a wet papertowel and dabbed off the flour out of sheer habit.
"It's okay. Does that mean I can call him Uncle Cid now?" He teased as he tucked into his meal.
All three adults spluttered magnificently. Sephiroth took the opportunity to snap a picture with the camera before his eyes crinkled at the corners as he laughed so hard it hurt a little.
Cid recovered first as he pulled out Mom's chair and then Chichiue's. "Sure, kiddo," He winked as he straddled a chair backwards and dug into his own meal. "so long as Ah get t' call ya Seph."
"It's a deal." he agreed, still warm from all of the affection and the surprising amount of gifts from fellow SOLDIERS, the troops under his command and his family.
"You do have the day off, right?" Genesis asked after he swallowed his mouthful of food.
"I requested the day off months in advance. I thought I gave Heather on Floor 36 a heart attack when I requested leave papers. Inger in HR actually fainted... I had to catch her." Sephiroth confessed easily now that he was more awake.
"Ya don't normally-?" Cid asked before his expression soured briefly. "Right. You said you had t' catch her?"
"Mm-hmm. She apologized for fainting and then for making me hold her while she roused from the smelling salts," He murmured as he wrapped his hands around his mug of silver needle tea, Mom's other gift to him last year. "I hope I reassured her that the reaction was normal, given that it was my first time putting in proper leave."
All three of the adults in his life exchanged a look Sephiroth couldn't decipher. He finished his breakfast, about to go put his plate in the sink when Angeal gently pressed him back into his seat and took it for him. "'Geal?"
"Mideelian birthday tradition," Gen explained as he gathered up the rest of the dishes. "You're not supposed to do squat on your birthday other than open presents, have fun and enjoy your day."
The oven meeped and Sephiroth yelped. "My travel bread!"
With the saved travel bread cooling on racks, Sephiroth settled into his favorite spot in the living room. The reading nook was filled with soft things and it was where he retreated if his memories got to be a bit much.
Now, however, it was perfectly situated to take in what little sunlight Midgar allowed.
"You've got a lot of presents, honey. Do you want to open a few now?" Mom asked as she patted his knee on her way to the couch.
"Maybe some in the basket?" He allowed hesitantly, nervously twisting a cushion in his hands. Being the sole focus of attention still brought out a fight-or-fight response in him at times. Sephiroth inhaled slowly, each breath reminding him that it was just family and, if he wanted to, he could pull the curtains closed for some privacy.
"Here you go," Mom pressed a kiss to his cheek and sat next to him, her presence making him relax again.
"Urial and Cleary's, I think." He murmured as he peeled open Urial's first.
Official looking papers and a boxed Materia were behind a note from the General.
'I hope this isn't overstepping my bounds but I feel like he'd have a better time with you than being stuck at that farm. Just tap him with the Lure and you can call him whenever you have need of him.
-General Urial'
"Oh!" The papers were owner transfer from the farm to Sephiroth, naming the enormous black racing Chocobo Jax as his personal transport. "He got me a Chocobo."
"That's certainly an impressive gift." Mom offered as he tore into Cleary's joint gift.
The silver bridle was understated elegance and apparently had resizable reins for when Sephiroth hit his full growth spurt.
'Chocobo Bill agreed with us pretty quickly that Jax was your bird in all but name. A breeder stopped by right after we finished the paperwork and wanted to take Jax out for a ride. That warbird of yours sat like a rock for fifteen minutes before the breeder gave up. He'll still housed and under Bill's care for now.
I hope you enjoy your new bird, Strife-Valentine.
-Lt. Colonel Cleary'