Archive of Our Own ^beta

They were not going to win. That much was clear. They had come all this way to face Sephiroth in the crater, and the general was handing them their asses on a platter. Cid lay on his back behind a boulder, panting, trying to catch his breath before diving back into the fray once more. Beside him was Barret, reloading his gun arm. Strange worms and insects were crawling out of the blackened earth beneath then, many clearly armed with jaws and claws meant for rending flesh, and the earth itself was greasy and dead. The stone walls of the crater were void of plant life, and the area stank of mako turned foul.

“I knew this fight wouldn’t be a trip in the daisies,” said Barret, quickly flicking away a few of the bugs, “But damn…”

“We have to keep going,” said Cid, peering over the rock at Sephiroth as the former hero flung Cloud aside like old firewood. “We might win. If not, we’re sure as hell not going down without a fight.”

A black and red form flitted over the boulder, landing in a crouch position to reload Cerberus. Cid turned his attention to Vincent, taking in the slender frame, the long black hair, the delicate lines of his face.

“I love you,” Cid suddenly said to him.

A faint and very rare smile crossed Vincent’s pretty face, and he looked up at Cid as he finished loading the gun, snapping it closed and spinning the huge barrel.

“I know.”

Then he was gone, over the boulder once more and back into the fight. Cid turned his head to look at Barret.

“How long do you figure Valentine has been sitting on that joke?” asked Cid.

“Almost as long as we’ve been sittin’ on our asses,” said Barret. “And you couldn’t have told him you loved him before we ended up here getting our asses kicked?”

“I thought there would be time later. Now I’m not so sure.” Cid dragged himself to his feet, sweeping away the dirt and insects on his clothes. “Come on, Barret, let’s give it one last try.”

“We’re not gonna win, are we?” asked Barret quietly.

Cid shrugged, then shook his head. He didn’t want to say no, but he felt it in his bones. No. They were not gonna win this one. All they could hope for was a tie.

Cid leapt over the boulder and ran at the great surreal monster that was Sephiroth; some sort of strange angel with numerous wings, looking almost holy as he threw them about like so many children. No, they were not gonna win this one. Even Cloud was beginning to flag with the strain, blood running down his face and shoulders. They were done.

Then something tore into the fray; something tall, black and white, and moving fast. The winged Sephiroth creature screamed, and suddenly Cloud and the newcomer were mincing the thing, tearing it to bloody feathered chunks. They almost looked as if they had done this before. Cid and Barret watched in utter confusion, which abruptly turned to jaw-dropping astonishment as they noticed the iconic katana and long white hair. Cid felt his glaive slip from his hand as his jaw dropped, watching as Sephiroth and Cloud wove their lethal dance, each familiar with the other’s moves as they wolf-packed the creature, destroying it. They were nearly done when Sephiroth collapsed, clearly too drained to finish the job, but that hardly mattered; he had weakened the monster enough that the others could finish it. Cid and Barret went to him, dragging him out of the way of the fight, leaving him on the ground before turning to the battle.

It still was not an easy victory, but in the end, the deed was done. The creature was defeated, though they still did not know if Meteor would strike. There was no time for questions; Cid called down the Highwind, and they loaded up as fast as they could before the crater began collapsing around them. Sephiroth managed to get himself on the ship, but Cid had to help him inside. As he put an arm around the man to guide him, he realized the Great Sephiroth was little more than bones. There was a story here, and likely not a happy one.

He damn near dropped Sephiroth when he saw Aeris in the cabin. She waved.

“Hi Cid!”

“Please kill me,” said Sephiroth, his head hanging, hair falling lank to the ground. “She never shuts up.”

“Why should you be so lucky?” asked Cid, carefully easing him down to the floor. He did not think the man had the strength to sit in a chair.

“Hey! That’s rude!”

Cid pointed at her with his glaive. “Don’t ‘hey that’s rude’ me, sister! Where the fuck have you been? We cried over you and everything!”

“Yeah before you threw me in the pond!” said Aeris, indignant.

“We thought you were dead!”

“I was! Sort of.”

“Yeah well if you’re gonna be cute and keep secrets then you can’t bitch at us when we bury you.”

Cid sat down on the floor and pushed Sephiroth’s hair out of his face, aware that other members of the party were coming to his side. The great general had looked better. He was bones and fever and little else, but he clearly recognized Cloud with a certain amount of emotion, though Cid was uncertain as to what that may be. Cloud knelt beside the man, gently pushing aside the long white hair.

“Where is he?” Sephiroth asked quietly. “Where’s my puppy?”

Cloud just shook his head. Sephiroth became increasingly upset.

“Is he all right?”

“No,” said Cloud softly. “I’m sorry. He’s…he’s on the cliffs outside of Midgar.”

Sephiroth’s voice took on a note of hysteria. “Was it my fault?”

“No,” said Cloud, gently, firmly. “No it was not. Sephiroth… what happened? Who have we been chasing?”

“A Jenova clone. Once they achieved their goal of driving me mad, I became too hard to handle. They lost control. They had to bring in something that would cause the level of destruction they required that was easier to manage. They left me in the pool of mako beneath the reactor where you threw me to die. I didn’t die. I remained there in a sort of dream-state for years, slowly becoming more and more ill, the wounds on my body absorbing mako and causing me to sicken. Then Princess Dingbat found me and has been making my life hell ever since.”

“Hasn’t the man been through enough?” asked Cid, as Tifa knelt before Sephiroth with a warm cloth, carefully wiping the blood and dirt from his face.

“All I did was haul him out of the mako, warm him up, and feed him soup,” said Aeris.

“Vegan soup,” said Sephiroth.

“You MONSTER!” said Yuffie.

Aeris growled, then knelt beside Tifa. “I didn’t hear you complaining at the time. You know somebody could show a little gratitude to me for going to get help.”

“Yeah we would but we’re still stuck on the whole “faking your own death” thing,” said Cid.

“I had to get into the lifestream,” said Aeris. “I had to guide the path of the white materia and I had to find Mr. Sephiroth, because I knew we couldn’t win without him. I wasn’t counting on you guys trying to drown me!”

“You were dead!” said Cid. “You can’t drown a dead person!”

“Well it doesn’t matter now,” said Aeris. “I’m back, everything is fine, and Cloud and I can get married, like Cait Sith predicted.”

“Yeah, about that…” said Cait, as a form tore into the room. He was tall and leggy with long red hair, and he slammed into Cloud, throwing his arms around him and kissing him hard. Cloud laughed and returned the kiss as the pair fell onto the floor.

“Baby I was so worried…” said Reno.

Cid and Barret watched this with matching expressions.

“Get the popcorn,” said Cid. “I love a good plot twist.”

“Cloud how COULD you!” demanded Aeris.

“You were DEAD!” the group shouted in unison.

“I said I’d be back!”

Cloud was lying on his back on the floor, holding Reno close. “Aeris at absolutely no point did you ask me who or what I wanted. You barged into my life and started rearranging it before you even knew my last name. You shoved yourself dead between me and one of my best friends, meaning Tifa, and began planning our life together. Then you died.”

“I told you! I had to…”

“And I get that,” said Cloud. “But maybe you should have let us in on it. However as things stand now… well I have a Turk. Turk, these are my friends. Friends, this is my Turk. You’re all invited to the wedding.”

“Oh goody,” said Cid. “I always wanted to be a bridesmaid at a gay wedding.”

“Guys…” said Tifa softly, stroking Sephiroth’s lank hair, interrupting the banter. “He’s really sick, we have to help him.”

Cloud kissed Reno, then gently pushed him off as he got to his feet. Along with Cid and Barret, they managed to get Sephiroth up and walked him to a cabin to get him cleaned up and his old, festering injuries seen to. Then they left him to rest, stepping into the hall and closing the door.

“What’s this about a puppy?” asked Barret.

“That’s what the First Classes called Zack,” said Cloud. “He was just… all high energy and busy and erratic and occasionally inappropriate, like a puppy, so..”

“So they called him Puppy,” said Cid. “Was there anything between Zack and Seph?”

“Unrequited,” said Cloud. “Zack loved Aeris, and Seph loved Zack. But I think it was changing. I think Zack was taking a hard look at his options and thinking he preferred the war hero that adored him over the flaky flower girl who made passes at everything in camp. It’s all a moot point now, but what has not changed is Sephiroth was in love with Zack, and with Zack gone…”

“Tell me you don’t think he’ll go crazy and start wrecking the place,” said Cid.

“No,” said Cloud. “No to be honest I don’t think Sephiroth will pull through. I think he’ll give up. He has nothing left. Angeal and Genesis are dead, Zack’s dead, the closest he has to a friend is me and I was pretty much just an orderly. We knew the same people, and that’s it. He’s crawled back from the brink of death to redeem himself, but… well he’s done that now and his reward is a lot of dead friends and no home.”

“Lucrecia is still alive,” said Barret. “Isn’t she his real mother?”

“I don’t think that’s such a good idea,” said Cloud. “Maybe later, if he pulls through, but right now I don’t think he needs to hear about how hard this has all been for her. Not when she helped breed him as a science project.”

“That’s too bad,” said Cid. “Kinda unfair, too.”

“Nothing we can do about it,” said Cloud. “The best we can do is give him a safe and comfortable place to rest. He’s done. He’s got nothing left, no home, no friends, no family… he’s sick and sad and alone. Everybody knows the Great Sephiroth, the Hero. But I saw Zack’s Sephiroth, and that was a man who loved his friends desperately and needed them with all his heart. My guess is he’ll follow them into the lifestream pretty soon.”

Cloud walked away, meeting up with Reno at the end of the hall and walking off to his room to get clean. Barret too departed, and Cid walked to his own cabin. He stepped into the dimly-lit interior, and immediately became aware of a strange fragrance, like fresh turned earth in a cemetery. Cid smiled as he saw the luminous red eyes gazing at him from across the room.

“Y’know, a lesser man might be scared.”

Vincent walked over to him, slipping his arms around Cid’s neck. “And you are by no means a lesser man.”

Cid gently held him, looking into the red eyes. “I meant it when I said it,” he said. “That I love you.”

“I know. I feel the same way. Which is surprising, considering I was sure I didn’t have a heart to give you.”

“But you found it,” said Cid.

“It was in a jar on Hojo’s desk.”

Cid groaned and rolled his eyes. “Dark, Valentine, very dark. But… I love you. And this is my first same-sex romance so please try to avoid pointing out how bad I am in bed.”

“I would never do that to you, Cid. But… let’s take it slow, okay? I want this to work, and to last.”

“Anything you say, beautiful.” Cid kissed him gently, holding him close. He could have just stood like that forever, holding Vincent against his chest, eyes closed, just relishing the feel of him. Then Vincent spoke.

“How is Sephiroth?”

“Cloud doesn’t think he’ll make it,” said Cid. “He thinks Sephiroth had just enough heart left in him to come back and fix some of the wrong he helped cause and that’s it.”

“That’s sad,” said Vincent.

“Well he’s pretty much alone. All the people he loved are gone.”

Vincent was silent, as if considering this. “There’s no one left?”

“No,” said Cid. “No friends, no family, not even any reputation or career for that matter. He’s alone and hurt and… well what has he got to get up for? Even great heroes need a reason to fall out of bed in the morning.”

Vincent drew back slightly, eyes focused on nothing in particular, as if having a thought. Then he shook his head, and pressed close to Cid once more. Cid ran his hand over Vincent’s black hair.

“What? I know that look. That’s the patented Vincent Valentine ‘How bad can I screw something up this time?’ look. What are you angsting about this time?”

“Nothing. It’s not important.”

“Are you sure?”

Vincent kissed him. It was warm and wonderful and everything Cid had ever hoped for, but it didn’t quite chase away Cid’s concerns.

“You’re being evasive,” said Cid.

“Is it working?” Vincent kissed him once more.

“For the most part.”

Vincent slipped one hand down Cid’s strong body until he reached a steadily growing bulge in Cid’s pants and softly squeezed it. “How about now?”

“Yeah that did it.”

Sex was awkward and clumsy, but fun. They had no idea what they were doing, this being their first same sex relationship, but most of the fun was from trying to figure out what how to make it work. Cid couldn’t remember the last time he had actually laughed during sex, and in a way he kinda hoped they never got it right. By the time they were done, they were exhausted and sweaty and sticky, and Barret was pounding on the door.

“What the hell are you two numbskulls doing in there?”

Cid looked at Vincent, panting, a huge grin on his face. “Should I open the door and show him?”

Vincent, for the very first time since Cid had ever known him, was smiling as if he meant it, and he kissed Cid before taking a cigarette and lighting it, then, with a sheet around his waist, walked to the door and opened it as Cid laughed so hard virtually no noise was escaping.

Barret stared in utter horror at Vincent, naked save for a sheet wrapped low around his hips, cigarette in one hand, his gauntleted left hand resting on the door frame. He was panting slightly, gleaming with sweat, Cid’s semen in his hair. Vincent took a slow drag off the cigarette, and then softly exhaled.

“Have you figured it out yet, or would you like some flash cards?”

Barret stared, as if processing the situation and how best to respond. Several ideas seemed to go through his mind, and finally his Central Processing Unit decided to go with Out of Character and Completely Unexpected. He grabbed Vincent, bent him back and gave him the kiss of a lifetime. Cid watched in annoyance as Vincent decided to go with the flow, wrapped his arms around Barret’s neck, and enjoyed it. Cid picked up his cell phone and took a photo, because there was absolutely no way in Hell anyone was ever going to believe this happened. By the time Barret was done with Vincent, he looked like a boiled noodle.

“Here you go, White Boy,” said Barret. “I warmed him up for you.”

Barret departed. Vincent stared at the closed door as if he was having some very conflicted thoughts.

“Hey!” said Cid. “You better not be considering tossing me over when we’ve only been a couple for three hours!”

“Huh?”

Cid growled. Vincent turned away from the door and went over to Cid, snuggling close to him on the bed. Cid drew him possessively close.

“You’re my little gunslinger and nobody else’s.”

“I know. I was just busy realizing that I may be more bisexual than previously thought.”

Cid nuzzled him, kissing him. “Never do that again.”

Vincent smiled, an expression seen all too rarely. “I swear that I will never kiss anyone who is not you again. Or anything else with anyone who is not you again. Now… this time… instead of making a mess in my hair… maybe we can get it right?”

“Put that cigarette out and I’ll show you how fast I can learn,” said Cid.

***---***

Barret had been feeling pretty smug about the way he had melted Vincent into well-cooked pasta, until he figured out that odd metallic taste in Vincent’s mouth was Cid’s semen. Then he decided he needed to brush his teeth. And gargle with mouthwash. And then maybe have a belt of whiskey. After he was done, he made his way into the Highwind’s small galley, where he found Reno and Cait Sith each having a cup of coffee, Reno reading the paper. Barret gave the lanky redhead a sidelong glance, but with the battle over… well there was no reason for them to not be civil.

“So how long have you and Spikey been a couple?” asked Barret, as Cait Sith drank his coffee by dipping in a paw and then licking the liquid from it.

“Well he’s been in love with me since he was fourteen and a skinny little grunt,” said Reno, turning a page on the paper. “Since I am six years older than he, I suggested we wait. We officially hooked up not long after he and I ran into each other once more in the flower girl’s church, but kept it quiet for obvious reasons.”

“Does Shrinra know?”

“The company, or the man? What the company knows is up for speculation, but the man definitely knows. No Turk in is or her right mind lies to Rufus Shinra.”

Barret began making himself some coffee. A quick glance at the clock on the wall prompted him to start making dinner as well.

“I keep hearing about what a badass that kid is. Is Rufus really all that?”

Reno glanced at Barret. “The mere fact that you are asking me that tells me how little you know about the man.”

“What’s he think about you and Spikey?”

“He laughed until we considered calling a doctor, then told me if I did anything that would come back on him, he’d make me into a jacket.”

Barret chuckled. “Wonder if he could help ol’ Seph?”

“Not likely,” said Reno, as Cait Sith managed to get coffee up his nose. “I mean Rufus has his talents, but he’s no doctor.”

“No that ain’t what I meant,” said Barret, digging in the fridge and cupboard for ingredients for supper. “Cloud thinks Sephiroth won’t get better because he’s all alone now.”

“Yeah he’s not a man who likes to be alone, that’s for sure,” said Reno. “If we could raise Zack Fair from the dead, that would probably do it. He was crazy about Zack.”

“Any runners up in that category?” asked Barret.

“No,” said Reno. “As far as Sephiroth was concerned, there was only Zack.”

“What about Vincent?” asked Cait.

“That ain’t happening,” said Barret. “Highwind will kill Sephiroth with his bare hands if he tries to take Vincent.”

There was silence. Barret glanced over his shoulder to see Reno glaring at Cait, who was holding his coffee cup with trembling paws.

“Okay,” he said, “what do you two jackasses know that I don’t?”

“There’s no evidence,” Reno growled at Cait.

“Who does he look like?” the cat shot back.

“His mother,” snapped Reno. “He looks like Lucrecia.”

“And who else?”

Reno was silent. Barret looked from one to the other, then said “What are you two saying?”

Reno said nothing. Cait looked to Barret.

“Lucrecia was with a man before she married Hojo. She became pregnant very quickly after. There is some speculation that… this other man is Sephiroth’s father. Not Hojo.”

Barret let that sink in, sifting through what had been said. “Valentine,” he said softly. “You think Sephiroth’s father might be Valentine.”

“It’s not out of the realm of possibility,” said Reno. “But what could save one could destroy the other. Can you imagine what Vincent will do if he finds out Sephiroth is his, and he spent thirty years in a coffin instead of trying to help him?”

“But if he thought the kid was Hojo’s why would he?” asked Barret.

“It won’t matter,” said Reno. “Vincent is already torn up that Sephiroth was Lucrecia’s. If he finds out Sephiroth is his also…”

“There is nothing Vincent could have done!” said Cait. “It was years before Vincent had healed enough from what was done to him before he could have got out of that coffin!”

“LOGIC is not the issue!” snapped Reno. “EMOTION is the issue! We could hand Vincent Valentine every single logical reason for why this is not his fault, but that will do nothing to stop the emotions. He’d snap like a twig, then we have two lives destroyed!”

“We already have two lives destroyed,” said Cait. “Why can’t we see if we can repair them?”

“Oh I do so very much love a nice family dispute,” purred a voice. “It’s just like home.”

Barret’s jaw dropped as Rufus Shinra breezed into the galley, trailed by Rude and Elena. Following them was Reeve with a large, and rather old, folder full of paper.

“How did you get in here?” demanded Barret.

Rufus fluttered his lashes at Barret. “The Highwind is legally mine, oh large and grumpy one. And the pay cheque for the crew comes from me.”

“Does Cid know that?”

“Of course he knows that, he’s not an imbecile.”

“But…”

Barret abruptly found his mouth filled with what was possibly the most wonderful chocolate caramel candy in the known universe.

“Shut up,” purred Rufus. He then turned to Reeve, taking a second candy for himself. “Are those the files on our little vampire and his potential offspring?”

“Hojo, Sephiroth, Vincent, and Lucrecia,” said Reeve. “The DNA charts of all four. We’ll know in a few minutes who sired the Nightmare.”

“Hi everybody,” said a voice, and Tifa walked into the galley. She stopped as Reeve pounced on the folders, and everyone stared at her, trying their damnedest to look innocent. She raised an eyebrow. “Gee, nothing at all suspicious going on in here.”

Rufus moved closer, dipping his head to nearly, but not quite, kiss her shoulder. “You know I just hate seeing a beautiful woman eat rations, would you like to come have dinner with me?”

Tifa thought about that. “Let’s see, I could have wine and lobster with a handsome man who is pragmatic to the point of being bloodthirsty, or I could have a can of beans.” She set the can down. “Take me, I’m yours.”

Rufus offered her his arm, and the pair were gone. Barret looked confused.

“Wait, what the hell just happened?”

“Quite obvious,” said Reno, “Rufus just went on a dinner date with Tifa. Reeve what do the DNA tests say?”

Reeve was carefully poring over the thirty-year-old charts. Finally, he shook his head.

“I can’t tell. The technology was so primitive at the time, and these charts have faded with age. I don’t know.” He sighed and put the charts down. “I can’t tell. These charts will need some restoration, unless we can get DNA from Vincent and Sephiroth.”

“Shouldn’t be too hard to get some from Sephiroth,” said Barret. “He’s barely conscious.”

“I’ll do it,” said Reno. “He knows me. I can get close without making him suspicious.”

“What about Vincent?” asked Elena.

“Cid would be the best choice,” said Barret. “But he’s not going to go along with a deception.”

“And what’s the good of all this anyway?” said Elena.

“If Sephiroth has a father, he might decide to stay around,” said Reeve.

“Stay for what?” asked Rude. “What has he got left?”

“That’s what we’re trying to find out,” said Reeve.

***---***

Reno entered the small room quietly, creeping into the small chamber like a fretful nanny concerned for a child. He made his way to the bed and seated himself on the floor, raising a dry clean cloth to wipe Sephiroth’s face. There. DNA obtained. Reno smiled as one green eye opened.

“Remember me, yo?”

“I remember you were a rude little skinny jackal always prowling around where you could be the most irritating.”

“Awww, you do remember me!”

Sephiroth managed a brief smile. Reno dared to reach out and move aside some long tendrils of hair.

“Been a long time,” remarked Reno.

“Five years,” mused Sephiroth. “What was going on while I soaked in nightmare fluid?”

“Not much. An insane Jenova clone tried to destroy the world, President Shinra was murdered, Rufus is now in charge of the company, your Jenova clone killed Aeris but she came back and brought you, Cid finally got a rocket into space…”

“Who murdered Zack?”

“The old president. We tried to stop it, but…”

“So he really is dead.”

“Yeah,” said Reno softly, playing gently with the long white hair. “I’m so sorry.”

“So I really am alone…”

“No,” said Reno. “You have me, you have Cloud…”

“But I don’t have Zack. I loved him so much…”

“Don’t give up,” said Reno softly. “Please don’t give up yet. Give us some time.”

“I can give you all the time in the world but it won’t bring anyone back,” said Sephiroth. “Not Angeal, not Genesis…. And not my Zack.”

“Sephiroth…”

“Reno, I’m tired. I’m very, very tired. We can argue about it later.”

Reno nodded, and left the room, walking back to the galley to hand the cloth to Reeve before sitting down to cry.

“I’m so sick of this shit!” he sobbed. “It never fucking stops! We all worked so hard to stop it with a crazy man holding the strings on our lives and we tried and it’s just not fair!”

Barret pulled out his phone and called Cloud. “Your Turk is crying.”

Cloud was there in moments, soaking wet, wearing only a pair of jogging pants he had yanked on over the partly-rinsed soap. He was literally running with water as he gently led Reno back to their cabin, talking softly to him.

“I want a boyfriend like that,” said Elena.

“I think I do too,” said Reeve.

***---***

Sex with Cid was fun and dirty and everything Vincent could have wanted it to be, and when at last they were finished, they needed a bath. Fortunately Cid had a full bathroom, since he was the captain. There was soap, hot water and shampoo, and by the time they were done, they needed to start over again.

“We’ve got to stop this for a while,” said Cid, panting as Vincent used the hand-held shower wand to rinse themselves off. “Seriously, when is the last time you had this much really good sex?”

“Woodstock.”

Cid blinked, then slowly sat up, watching Vincent clean off the excess of soap and froth caused by their latest coupling. “Yer kidding.”

Vincent shook his head. “Three days of peace and love. I saved a poster.”

“That was 1969!”

“Yes I do seem to recall a fair amount of sixty-nine…”

“Huh?”

“Never mind.”

“But that was decades ago!”

Vincent looked at him with soft red eyes. “Cid I’m dead. Dead and put in storage for thirty years. That means the last time I was out and having crazy sex was the Summer of Love, at Woodstock, while Janis Joplin sang on stage. And I stood in the mud with half a million people in Max Yasgur’s field and chanted at the rain to make it stop.”

“Did it work?”

Vincent shrugged. “The rain stopped. I don’t know if it’s because we chanted or because that was all the clouds had to give, but yes, it stopped.” He sighed quietly. “Such an amazing time, as if everyone was looking up and seeing the sun for the first time. I came away thinking I could do or be anything, and that the power of love had finally overcome the love of power.” Vincent began rinsing the soap out of his hair. “What a fucking idiot I was.”

Cid took the wand and drew Vincent close, rinsing off the soap. “You’re not an idiot. I fully plan on marrying you and living my life with you, and as Shera can tell you, I don’t love idiots. I mean unless you are leaving me for Barret.”

A tiny smile briefly touched Vincent’s lips. “I like Barret. But… well I know you have the reputation for being volatile, but he really is. You rant a lot, but I was never afraid of you. Sometimes Barret makes me afraid.”

“Ah Barret wouldn’t hurt anyone who didn’t hurt him in the first place.”

“Is that what the workers in the mako reactors say? And the people living in the slum under it?”

“Yeah,” said Cid quietly. “That is a point. Look let’s just… leave all that aside. Will you marry me?”

“I think you should know I’m not a virgin.”

“I’m shocked and appalled. Marry me anyway.”

Vincent looked up at him. “Are you really asking?”

“Yes. I am. Marry me and live with me in my ratty little shack that smells of engine grease and looks like an episode of ‘Hoarders’, and we will be happy ever more.”

“Only if you give me permission to clean.”

“Only if you promise not to throw out anything on, under, beside or inside my roll top desk.”

“Agreed.”

Cid held him tightly and kissed him. “I am gonna make you the happiest little undead gunslinger on the planet.”

“That won’t be hard, I’m pretty sure I’m the only one.”

“Still gonna make an effort. How do you feel about kids?”

“Why?” asked Vincent. “Are you pregnant?”

“There’s a couple of kids in Rocket Town without parents,” said Cid. “I thought married with a couple of little girls I can turn into chain-smoking, foul-mouthed rocket scientists sounds like a good life goal.”

Vincent kissed Cid. “And what about when I just need to go hide for a while?”

“I’ll make you a place, okay?” Cid kissed him.

“Okay.”

They kissed and held each other, the water still running over their bodies as their hands began to stray…

The door to Cid’s room opened. “Cid?” It was Elena’s voice.

“I’m occupied!”

“Do you know where Vincent is?”

“He’s in here occupyin’ me.”

“Okay.”

The two listened as she scampered into the room, grabbed up a few things, then ran out of the room again. Cid managed to get the plug back into the tub as he and Vincent became more engaged and aroused. Cold porcelain was hardly suitable for lovemaking.

“Are all Turks strange?” asked Cid.

“The job requires a certain lack of comprehension of what’s deemed appropriate behaviour, yes,” said Vincent. “And after sex this time you have to promise me that we will make it to the galley, because I am starting to get pretty hungry.”

“Promise.”

They took their time; kissing, touching, caressing, enjoying the simple pleasure of being together and knowing this was the start of their life together, not the end. Vincent had been dreading the goodbyes at the end of the journey, and more than once he had crept off in silence to cry at the idea of never seeing his friends again. But there would be no goodbye. There would be him and Cid and their adopted daughters, and friends over to visit, and a quiet place to hide when the past threatened to crush him. He was safe now – safe and home and protected, with Cid to look after him. After sex, they settled together in the warm water, holding each other, kissing lazily.

“Do you think I’m gay?” asked Cid.

Vincent tried to hide a small giggle, and couldn’t, finally just burying his face against Cid’s shoulder. Cid grinned.

“Okay, yes, I know, that is a strange question for one man to ask another man after they had sex, but… well I never got as excited over a woman as I have you. Kinda makes me wonder.”

“Did you love any of them?” asked Vincent.

Cid pondered the question. “I’m not sure. Thought I did at the time, but maybe not. You think that’s what this is? Love?”

Vincent shrugged. “They say the best sex is always with the person you will spend the rest of your life with. Honestly Cid I think you’re straight and I’m somewhat bisexual. I don’t think what we have is about anatomy. I think what we have is about two people who found what they needed after a really long search.”

“I like that,” said Cid. “Because that’s what this feels like to me – like I’m finally home after being away too long. Everything is going to be okay from now on.”

And that was when Elena ran into the room, excitedly waving a piece of paper…

***---***

“He’s mine,” said Vincent softly, staring at the paper in disbelief as he and Cid sat in the small galley. “My own child. How did I not know?”

“There was really no way you could,” said Reeve. “Lucrecia went through a great deal of effort to make it look as if he was Hojo’s. Even went so far as to claim to have given birth to him early.”

“I thought she had,” said Vincent. “I found her the day she collapsed. She said… he was premature. Why would she tell me that?”

“You would have stopped the experiments,” said Reeve.

“I tried to anyway, that was why I got shot in the stomach,” said Vincent. “I just don’t understand…”

“Why were you even looking into this?” demanded Cid.

“Because Sephiroth is dying,” said Reeve. “Everything he held dear is gone. We were hoping… Well to be honest we were hoping he and Vincent would bond. Give him a reason to live.”

Vincent suddenly stood up, the paper slipping from his hand. His earlier joy seemed to have faded to grey ash, and Cid felt his heart break as he recognized the crushing depression Vincent fought so hard against.

“My own child. My own little boy. And I laid in that coffin and did nothing…”

“There was nothing you could do!” said Reeve. “Vincent, you were…”

“He needed me, and I did nothing. I… I need to think abut this. I need to be alone.”

“Vincent,” said Reeve softly. “Please, there was…”

Vincent was gone; a fast-moving flutter of black and red, vanishing into the depths of the ship. Reeve stepped forward, as if to see where Vincent had gone, and was suddenly slammed against the wall. He stared in overt fear as Cid Highwind’s face, contorted with rage, filled his vision.

“I just want you to know you made my official shit-list you weaseling little fuck-tard.”

“We were trying to help,” said Reeve. “They need each other.”

“All I know is Vincent was happy today for the first time since I had known him, and you just came dancing along and ripped a big fucking bandage off a very infected wound and hurt somebody I love more than anyone or anything on this planet. Now why don’t you get the fuck off my ship before I find a new place to store my glaive.”

Cid left, hurrying off in search of Vincent, while Reno and Cloud hid Reeve in their room until morning.

***---***

Cid slowly sat down on the edge of the bed, reaching out one hand to place it on Vincent’s shoulder, gently squeezing it. The room was dimly-lit and cool, and the only sound was the faint melody of ‘Planet Caravan’ being played on very low volume. Vincent was curled up on his side, hugging himself, his legs drawn up so he nearly formed a ball.

“I left him,” said Vincent.

“No,” said Cid gently. “No, Vincent, you didn’t. You had no idea he was yours, and you had a hole in your gut the would have easily held a softball. You were dead. After I finished screaming at Reeve, I went for a walk to calm down, then returned to the kitchen and looked at the documents he left behind. Do you know how long Hojo and Lucrecia worked on you? Thirteen months. Over a year. By then Sephiroth was already fully manipulated and all they had to do was continue the process. There was nothing you could do. You were dead for thirteen months and when you awoke you were too weak to do anything. You have to forgive yourself.”

“I should have done something.”

“You tried, remember?” said Cid. “That’s how you got shot. Vincent… I don’t know who taught you that everything is always your fault, but it has to stop.”

“Kinda came to the conclusion on my own,” said Vincent. “I always felt that if I was just a little smarter, or stronger, or more observant…”

“Vincent you are missing one crucial detail,” said Cid. “There is a very large thirty-year-old male in the next room who can grow wings on command and who has been seen ripping the heads off dragons who needs his daddy. That’s you. You can’t fix the past but you can help him now.”

“What if he hates me?”

“I’ll beat the shit out of him.”

Vincent rolled onto his back to look up at Cid. “How will that help?”

“It won’t,” said Cid. “It will just make me feel better.” He looked to the speakers in the room and scowled. “What the fuck are we listening to?”

“Planet Caravan, by Black Sabbath.”

“Sounds like hippies dying.”

Cid felt the tip of a bronze claw go up his nose. “Dis not the Oz-Man, nor the Geezer, lest ye die.”

“Geezer? Fuckin’ sounds like geezers singing.”

Vincent sat up, looking to Cid. “Guess who’s not having sex tonight?”

“Aw come on…”

“I’m sorry, I can’t share my body with a man who mocks my taste in music.”

“What if I said I was sorry?”

Vincent gazed at Cid. “Are you actually sorry?”

“Fuck no.”

“Then ‘fuck no’ is what you’re getting in bed tonight.”

“Aw Vinny, baby…”

“I want you to sit here and think about your behaviour.”

Cid took his cigarettes out of his goggle band. “Well that’s gonna take a few months. Where are you going?”

Vincent sighed quietly. “To talk to Sephiroth. Maybe I can prevent something for once.”

***---***

Vincent walked into the room where Sephiroth was staying, closing the door and quietly walking over to the bed. He seated himself on the edge of it, looking down at the tall man under the covers, who was staring back.

“And just who might you be?” asked Sephiroth.

“Well,” said Vincent softly, “apparently I am your father.”

Sephiroth was not amused. “Don’t play games with me, I don’t like them.”

“I don’t either. I’m not playing games. Reeve managed to get our DNA and analyze it. I’m your father.”

“And why exactly does Reeve Tuesti care about my family lineage?”

“People are worried you’re dying.”

Sephiroth pulled the sheet over his face. “I’m already dead.”

All right, there may be a faint family resemblance…

The sheet came down, and Sephiroth gave Vincent a puzzled look. “Wait, what does my DNA and who I am related to have to do with me dying?”

“People are worried that if you don’t have anyone in your life, you won’t survive.”

“So I have parents now. I have you, and a rotting corpse.”

“Jenova is not your mother,” said Vincent firmly.

Sephiroth looked to him, confusion in the green eyes. “Not…?”

“Your mother was a beautiful lady, named Lucrecia…”

***---***

In the galley, Cid and Barret were eating a late supper, while Aeris sulked.

“I can’t believe Cloud left me for Reno. I mean look at him! He’s skinny, he’s got tattoos on his face for crying out loud, I mean where’s the appeal?”

“Well Spiky likes him,” said Barret. “That’s all we need to know.”

“Likes him a lot,” said Yuffie as she walked into the room. “Reno’s wearing a ring he didn’t have on earlier, and it’s a big one.”

“Oh yeah?” asked Barret. “How big?”

“Two carats. And it’s RED. Cloud got Reno a RED diamond! Where do you even find a red diamond?!”

“The Mythril Mine,” said Barret. “They occasionally find really rare gemstones there.”

Aeris had a fit “The Mythril Mine?! He’s been carrying that stone all this time when he was supposed to be with me?!” She gasped. “HE GAVE MY RED DIAMOND TO RENO?!”

“I don’t think ol’ Spiky was ever actually with you,” said Cid. “Sounds like he was with Reno.”

“He hid it pretty well,” said Barret.

“Yeah well he was hanging out with the higher classes in SOLDIER,” said Cid. “So he’d know how to hide something he would not think we’d like.”

“HE GAVE MY RED DIAMOND TO RENO!”

“He gave the two small black diamonds he found to Reno too,” said Yuffie.

“I’LL STRANGLE HIM!”

“Strangle who?” asked Cloud as he walked into the galley.

“You!” said Aeris. “Where do you get off giving my red and black diamonds to Reno?”

“I didn’t give red and black diamonds to Reno,” said Cloud, pouring himself some coffee.

Aeris’ demeanor softened. “You didn’t?”

Cloud filled his cup, then hunted through the small fridge for some milk. “No those are not diamonds; they’re scales from a crystal lava drake.”

Cloud abruptly had the attention of everyone in the room.

“A crystal lava drake?!” exclaimed Barret. “Where did you find a crystal lava drake?”

“It was in the City of the Ancients,” said Cloud, finding the milk and putting some in his coffee. “I was feeding it bits of jerky and it gave me some scales.”

“Do you have any idea what those scales are worth?” asked Cid, awe in his voice.

Cloud hunted for something to eat in the cupboards. “According to Rufus, Reno’s ring should be worth around six point seven million gil.”

“And you turned it all into one ring?!” exclaimed Barret. “You couldn’t do something else, like say, build a house?!”

“Well it gave me a gold scale too,” said Cloud. “I sold it to Rufus for seven million gil.”

“And you are naturally going to use that to help your less fortunate friends,” said Barret.

Cloud shrugged. “Yeah I suppose I could,” he said, and grinned.

“What’s Shinra gonna do with a gold scale?” asked Yuffie.

Cloud shrugged again.

“And when were you planning on telling me I’d been dumped?” asked Aeris.

“Never,” said Cloud. “Because we were never together. I love Reno, and you’re delusional.”

“I don’t get it!” said Yuffie. “What makes the scales so valuable?”

“The black and the red combined work the same as a Ribbon,” said Cloud. “Creatures like Malboro that can poison, confuse and turn you into a frog can’t affect you. The gold scale not only prevents those kinds of attacks, it protects against physical attacks too.”

Aeris stamped her foot. “You were going to marry me! Cait Sith said so!”

“Cait Sith says a lot of shit,” said Cid.

Those gathered in the kitchen froze as suddenly the entire ship shuddered.

“What was that?” asked Barret. “Earthquake?”

“It can’t be an earthquake, we’re hovering,” said Cid.

The ship shuddered again, then there came the agonized scream of metal ripping, followed by a noise like a freight train coming fast.

“Oh this is not good…” said Cid.

The ship jolted violently, throwing passengers to the floor. Cid managed to get to his feet, and ran out of the galley, looking for the cause of the commotion. He found it soon enough; Vincent was desperately trying to contain Sephiroth, who was so furious that his eyes were blazing like green hell-fire and his wings were out. The only reason he had not managed to rip the ship in half was because of injury and illness. But he was certainly doing damage, regardless.

Cid and Barret pounced on Sephiroth, trying to pin him down. One gigantic wing flung Cid like a ball of paper, and the second battered Barret, who had Sephiroth around the neck and was hanging on for dear life.

“What set him off?” demanded Barret, as Vincent hung on to the arm that was waving the masamune.

“THE BITCH BRED ME FOR A SCIENCE EXPERIMENT AND LEFT ME! ABANDONED ME! MANIPULATED ME LIKE A WORM IN A PETRIE DISH AND WALKED AWAY!”

“He’s having mommy issues,” said Vincent.

“Again?”

Sephiroth screamed like an eagle, trying to beat his wings, repeatedly clobbering Barret. “I’LL TAN HER FLESH FOR A CHOCOBO HARNESS!”

Cloud appeared then, managing to get Sephiroth off his feet and down on the floor. Enraged, the great war hero turned his head to bite anything within reach of his teeth. In this case, Barret’s cheek. The gigantic wings beat, briefly lifting the heap of humanity. Then Sephiroth apparently remembered that he could shape-shift, because the next thing any of them knew, they were hanging onto a dragon. Then Reno appeared with a ball of materia and invoked it. For a second there was perfect silence and stillness. They began to dare to hope that the materia had worked. The dragon stared at Reno, then the eyes narrowed.

“DID YOU JUST TRY TO TURN ME INTO A FUCKING FROG?!”

A second pair of wings appeared, because apparently one set did not sufficiently convey his anger, and the dragon spewed fire. Reno fled for shelter from the flames, just as Rufus and Tifa were returning from their evening out.

“Cid did you know there was a dragon on your ship?” asked Rufus, as Tifa joined in the fray.

“I always pack a spare,” said Cid, picking himself off the floor to rejoin the fight. “Y’just never know when you might need one. Are you gonna help, or are you gonna stand there like a fucking lump?”

“I never stand like a lump, Mr. Highwind, I’m far too pretty. But in this case I can’t say I think a shotgun round to the head is a good idea.”

“Well think of something!” shouted Barret.

“Oh all right if you insist.” Rufus marched up to the dragon as it struggled, leaned forward, and screamed into its face; “GIVE IT A FUCKING REST YOU TANTRUMING LITTLE BITCH! DO YOU THINK YOU ARE THE ONLY ABUSED CHILD ON THE PLANET? DO YOU THINK YOU ARE THE ONLY ONE WHO FOUND OUT LIFE ISN’T FAIR? DO YOU THINK YOU ARE THE ONLY ONE WHO LEARNED TO FEAR THE DARK BECAUSE THE MONSTERS UNDER YOUR BED WERE REAL?”

Everything in the hallway became dead still. No one moved, and all eyes were fixed on the tall man with the impressive mane of red-gold hair. When Rufus spoke again, his voice was very soft.

“Do you honestly believe you are the only victim here?”

Then he turned and quietly walked away, the skirts of his white duster swaying gently. Since the dragon was no longer struggling, Barret released it and sat up.

“What was that somebody once said about tales within tales?”

“Maybe I should go after him,” said Tifa.

“I wouldn’t,” said Cloud. “From what Reno says, he and Reeve have started spending time together. Reeve might want to be the one to help him feel better.”

“Then why did he ask me out?” Tifa asked.

“To distract you from what they were doing, probably,” said Barret.

The dragon slowly changed back into Sephiroth, who was clearly weakened by his outburst. Together, Vincent and Cid helped him up and led him gently back to his room, leaving Barret, Tifa, Yuffie and Cloud in the hall.

“I’m really confused right now,” said Tifa, as Cloud went off in search of Reno.

“Only one cure for confusion,” said Yuffie. “Ice cream.”

“Sounds good to me,” said Barret.

***---***

Cid had decided to rent a slightly larger house, at least until he could get his own house suitable for habitation and Sephiroth. The great hero was not healing well, or quickly, and frankly Cid had his doubts that Sephiroth would heal at all. But maybe it was better to die warm and safe than cold and alone.

They managed to get Sephiroth into his bedroom; one on the ground floor, because there was no way he and Vincent would be able to carry him upstairs. They managed to get him into the room and onto the bed.

“There we go,” said Cid, helping Sephiroth get settled as Vincent flitted off to close the front door. “We’re all in our nice clean jammies, in our nice clean bed…”

“You’re not my real mother.”

“Humour,” said Cid. “That’s a good vital sign. Are you hungry?”

“All I want is salmon sashimi from the Turtle’s Paradise in Wutai.”

“That’s… oddly specific,” said Cid.

“I know,” said Sephiroth, his eyes blinking sleepily. “But it’s all I want.”

“Okay,” said Cid, “well if that’s what you need, then… that’s what you need. I’ll be right back.”

Cid left the room, walking past Vincent, who was lurking nervously in the hall.

“How is he?” Vincent asked.

Cid paused in the hall, drawing a set of keys he didn’t need out of his pocket to look down at them. “He wants sashimi. So I am going to get him sashimi.”

“I’m really grateful to you for doing this,” said Vincent.

Cid shook his head. “Vincent there’s no need to be grateful. I love you. It’s important to you to develop a relationship with him. I want to help. I want you to be happy.”

Cid kissed him, then left the house. Vincent lingered in the hall for a while, then walked slowly into the bedroom, uncertain if he would be welcome. His last conversation with Sephiroth had resulted in Cid’s ship nearly being destroyed.

Vincent crept to the bed, approaching quietly, and froze as he saw the green eyes open. Vincent seemed to shrink as he faced his child, feeling nervous and unwanted.

“I didn’t think you were speaking to me,” said Sephiroth.

“I thought the same thing about you,” said Vincent. “I’m sorry. I just didn’t want you to go through life thinking that dead thing was your mother.”

“Then what was she?” asked Sephiroth.

“Nothing,” said Vincent. “The source of a few rancid cells injected into your little body when you were barely a speck. Your mother was Lucrecia.”

“And you did not know you were my father?”

Vincent shook his head. “No. If I had…”

“What could you have done?” asked Sephiroth.

“I could have come looking for you once I was more aware.”

Sephiroth closed his eyes and shook his head. “There is no point in worrying about the past anymore. I would just rather forget it all. Except for Zack.”

“Did he know how you felt for him?” asked Vincent.

“I don’t know. I’m sure he suspected something, but I never said anything for fear of losing his friendship. It would have been improper anyway – he was an underling. I would have lost my station, and Zack would likely have been removed from my unit. And I have no idea if he would have returned my feelings.” Sephiroth sighed heavily. “But I wish now I had taken a chance.”

The two paused in their conversation as they heard the unmistakable thrumming sound of an airship starting up. They gazed at each other in puzzlement, then Vincent took out his phone and called a number.

“Cid?”

“Hi beautiful, what do you want?”

“I thought you were going for sashimi..?”

“Yeah well the only way to get to Wutai is to fly. Did you want anything?”

“Wor Wonton soup.”

“You got it. Be back soon.”

Vincent ended the call, then looked to Sephiroth. “He’s flying to Wutai to get your sashimi.”

Sephiroth raised an eyebrow. “He certainly loves you.”

Vincent looked puzzled. “Loves me? What makes you say that?”

“A man does not fly to Wutai to get sashimi for the child. He does it to impress the parent.”

Vincent showed a faint smile. “I suppose that is true. I don’t understand Cid sometimes. He’s so gentle, and so wise. And he covers it all with cigarette smoke, foul language and engine grease.”

“Another tale within a tale, no doubt,” said Sephiroth. “There are so many of them within our little world. What will you do with me if I do not get better?”

“Keep you.”

“Are you sure about that? Illnesses can be expensive…”

“I have made enough mistakes in my life. I am not throwing you away. You deserve better, and I could not stand the guilt.”

There was a tap at the front door, then a voice.

“Welcome wagon!”

Sephiroth pulled the covers over his face. “Tell them I’m dead.”

Vincent walked into the hall to see Tifa, Yuffie and Aeris, all holding casseroles. He simply stepped aside, giving them access to the hall.

“Aren’t you going to ask us in?” said Tifa.

“Would it do any good if I didn’t?”

“Not a bit!” said Aeris, who entered the house, Yuffie trailing after her. “How’s Sephiroth?”

“He says he’s dead.”

Aeris rolled her eyes and sighed heavily.

“He can’t be dead if he’s telling people he’s dead,” said Yuffie.

Vincent shrugged, and followed them to the kitchen, where they began laying out their gifts; Yuffie made some sort of cake that looked like a casserole, Aeris had made a gluten free vegan naturally sourced something or other that would likely go into the compost the moment Cid saw it, and Tifa made beef simmered in beer with lasagna noodles, five kinds of cheese and not a vegetable in sight. She dished some up and gave it to Vincent.

“Eat, you’re too skinny.”

He picked carefully through his food, eating slowly. It was hot and delicious, but it was hard for him to eat anything since he’d been shot. Slow and careful was the only way to get anything down and make sure it stayed.

“Aeris…” he said quietly, nibbling his meal. “When you were in the lifestream, did you happen to see Zack?”

“No,” she said. “But I wasn’t really looking for Zack, either. I was looking for Sephiroth.”

“Isn’t that rather odd? Should he have known you were there?”

“I don’t know,” she said. “I’ve never been in the lifestream before, I have no idea who should have known what. Why do you ask?”

“No… reason…” said Vincent, his voice cracking slightly, red eyes enormous. Tifa, Aeris and Yuffie gave him their full attention.

“Wow,” said Yuffie. “Vincent I am really impressed, that was the worst attempt at lying I ever heard.”

Aeris slowly crossed her arms and fixed him with a stare. “Why do you want to know if I saw Zack?”

Vincent stared at her, blinking, saying nothing.

“Does this have anything to do with that ‘puppy’ remark Sephiroth made?”

Silence. Aeris became furious.

“IS YOUR SON TRYING TO TRACK DOWN MY FIRST BOYFRIEND?!”

Vincent set down his plate, and collapsed into mist, slithering out of the situation as quickly as he could.

“You scared him!” said Yuffie.

“I’ll do more than scare the little bugger, I assure you!” said Aeris heatedly. “Is every man in my life gay?!”

“They could be,” said Yuffie. “Or at least they are after meeting you.”

Tifa suddenly remembered she hadn’t taken any food to Sephiroth, and did so now, quickly escaping the coming riot in the kitchen. She darted into the room, closed the door, and walked over to the bed.

“I brought you food,” she said.

“Did you really bring me food?” asked Sephiroth. “Or did you pretend to bring me food in order to escape Aeris?”

“Both,” said Tifa. “She’s a little tense these days from finding out Cloud likes Reno better than her.”

Sephiroth made a quiet snort of derision. “The whole camp knew Cloud liked Reno.”

Tifa gave him a surprised look. “You knew Cloud when he was in SOLDIER?”

Sephiroth nodded once, eyes closed, looking weary. “He was my orderly at times.”

Tifa smiled. “He was so cute when he was younger.”

“He was. We all thought he was adorable. The only thing that kept Genesis at bay was Cloud’s age, otherwise the little runt would have been sharing a First Class’ bed.”

“Genesis was gay?” inquired Tifa.

Sephiroth opened one eye and stared at her. “Tifa all anyone has to do is look at a photo of myself, Genesis and Angeal to figure out who was gay in that group. And I can’t swear Angeal was straight. But yes, if Cloud had been a little older, he would have managed to get himself a very high-maintenance red-head.”

Tifa smiled. “Seems we all had a crush on him. I did too when I was younger. Still do, I think. I know Aeris certainly did; she moved in on him like a shark smelling blood.”

“Funny how she seems to have forgotten all about doing the same to me,” said Sephiroth.

Tifa’s jaw dropped. “You’re kidding me. Oooh she never mentioned that! Now you have to tell me the whole story!”

Slowly, carefully, Sephiroth pushed himself into a seated position. With shaking hands, he accepted the food Tifa offered him, and began slowly eating.

“Well,” he began, “I was outside on the training field…”

***---***

As Cid was heading to Wutai to get sashimi, Vincent Valentine, in his Chaos form, was just landing at a lonely grave outside Midgar. The once-glorious buster sword that now served as a headstone was tilted and rusting, and a handful of flowering weeds were slowly dying from lack of water surrounded it. Vincent found some water for the weeds, straightened the sword, then knelt beside the grave.

“Forgive me, Zack,” said Vincent. “But I have to know.”

As the sun slowly sank, and the light dimmed, Vincent pawed away the layers of dust, digging down further and further until he found…

Bones.

Vincent dug more carefully now, gently moving aside the dust, finding what he feared he would; bones, scraps of a uniform, boots, gloves, and a bit of Fire Materia, as well as too many bullets to count. All that was left of Zack Fair.

Vincent slowly filled in the hole, respectfully smoothing down the dusty earth, then returning repeatedly to the tiny spring nearby to fetch water. He soaked the grave down so that the earth would settle, blocking the smell of the body from animals and giving the small weeds a chance to grow and further secure the grave. Zack Fair was dead. Time to leave him in peace.

“I see you and I had the same idea,” said a voice.

Vincent glanced up to see Cloud standing beside him. “I meant no disrespect. I just… wanted to know.”

“I know,” said Cloud. “I was hoping he wasn’t there. I was hoping somehow the Jenova cells in his body would have healed him.”

Vincent poured the last bit of water over the grave and rose to his feet, dusty and tired.

“I’m sorry for both you and Sephiroth,” said Vincent.

“How is Sephiroth?” asked Cloud.

Vincent shook his head. “I don’t know. And I don’t know which outcome to hope for. I just want him to be happy.”

The sky slowly turned a deep purple, as a soft wind gently blew. Vincent sighed and spread his wings, allowing the wind to pick him up and carry him toward Rocket Town. Below him, on the ground, Cloud sat down on the wet earth surrounding Zack’s grave and began planting some wildflowers.

***---***

Vincent returned home, landing on the doorstep of the little yellow house, and dusting himself off. He went inside, and found the house quiet. In the small livingroom, Cid was passed out asleep in a chair, newspaper across his lap. In the kitchen, Tifa was drinking tea and reading a book. She glanced up as she became aware of a silent presence in the room. She fought back a giggle at the sight of Vincent.

“Mr. Valentine, you are filthy.”

“I know,” he said. “I was looking for Zack. Unfortunately, I found him right where I thought I would.”

“I’m sorry, Vincent,” said Tifa.

“How is Sephiroth?”

“Oh he’s fine,” said Tifa. “He and I had some of my casserole, then he ate the sashimi Cid brought, and then the three of us spent an hour horrifying Aeris with tales of her past adventures.”

Well that certainly stopped him in his tracks. Vincent cocked his head. “Really?”

Tifa nodded. “Yeah he seemed to really enjoy the company. I think he was glad to have a chance to talk to someone about the friends he loved. He definitely enjoyed teasing Aeris about all the guys she chased on the base where he was stationed.”

Praise be to all the gods of Gaia, had the solution to the problem been so easy all along?

Still dirty, Vincent crept to the bedroom and peered inside. Green eyes burned like phosphorous in the darkness, gazing back at him. Sephiroth was sitting up, a bedside lamp glowing, reading a book.

“Hi,” said Vincent. “How are you feeling?”

“Not well,” said Sephiroth. “I must admit I do not feel terribly strong. You look… rather dirty.”

“I went looking for answers. I did not find the ones I wanted.”

“You were looking for Zack,” said Sephiroth quietly.

Vincent felt himself deflate, lowering his head as he nodded. “I want you to be happy. I know you loved him…”

“I do love him,” said Sephiroth. “I will never stop. Just as I will never stop berating myself for all the damage I did at Nibelheim, and all the people I hurt.”

Vincent walked to the bed, seating himself on the edge as he gazed at Sephiroth.

“We both have many regrets in this life. I am sorry I was not there for you when you needed me most.”

“That would have been nice,” said Sephiroth. “That is why it is so hard to be without Genesis and Angeal. They were the closest thing to family I had. That’s why I was so angry when I found out about Lucrecia. I needed someone. And all I had was monsters and machines.”

“What do you want me to do?” asked Vincent.

“I don’t know,” said Sephiroth. “What do you want me to do?”

“Not die. To stay. To let me learn who you are and to build a relationship with you. Even if only for a little while.”

“I think the bit about ‘not dying’ will be up to medical science,” said Sephiroth. “Is Cloud worried I’ll drop dead?”

“Frankly we all are. But he seemed to think the loss of your three closest friends would be enough to kill you.”

“It can happen,” said Sephiroth. “One of Hojo’s little jokes. I’m not sure why he did it, but apparently it is very important to the First Classes to have a sort of pair bond with another being, be it emotional or sexual. We don’t function well alone. Some sort of failsafe, perhaps, though to me it seems more like pointless cruelty.”

“Can you bond to another person?” asked Vincent. “Someone not a First Class?”

“I have no idea,” said Sephiroth. “But I have no plans on dying if I can avoid it. You and I have a great deal to catch up on.”

“We do,” said Vincent softly.

He sat with Sephiroth until his son fell asleep, then silently left the house once more. Outside he changed to his Chaos form, then shot into the sky, flying fast and furious toward the home of the only remaining genetically engineered warrior he knew to still be living.

***---***

“So,” said Cloud. “This is my life now.”

Tifa tried not to giggle. She really did. But the sight of Cloud on Sephiroth’s bed, being clamped to the great warrior’s chest like a favourite doll was nearly too much for her to handle.

“Oh sure, you can laugh,” he complained.

“Can’t you slip away?” asked Tifa.

“No, he’s got a grip like iron, and every time I move, he just squeezes tighter.”

“Well how did you get there?” she asked.

“Valentine, believe it or not!” said Cloud. “He came and begged me to spend time with Sephiroth, except by the time I arrived, all the great hero wants to do is sleep. I’m been nudged into a lot of dumb stuff, but this is hands down the… oh you better not be doing what I think you’re doing!”

Tifa took the photo, then fled the room, giggling. She ran past Cid, who adamantly remained behind his newspaper and refused to get involved in whatever the kids were up to. His newly-adopted daughters sat at his feet, watching as Tifa ran by, then one tugged Cid’s pantleg.

“Auntie Tifa’s being bad again,” Chloe, the eldest said.

“Auntie Tifa is a bad influence,” said Cid. “You watch out for her.”

“Bad infwu-unce!” agreed Sunny, the youngest.

Tifa meanwhile was busy uploading the latest Sephiroth photo. She had been astounded to find out that there really was virtually no record of anything he had done – not his meltdown in Nibelheim, not his rampage across the country, nothing. Oh people had heard about Meteor falling all right, but they’d had no idea what caused it. And the Shinra cover-up of Nibelheim had been flawless. As far as most of the planet knew, Sephiroth was a great hero still, and the tiny percentage of people who did know what he had done were treated as crackpots. Had Tifa not known the Sephiroth they chased had been a Jenova clone, she suspected she would have been in a fury over the photos herself. But Sephiroth had hurt no one. Like most of those involved with Shinra, he had simply caught the spray.

She uploaded the photo to a page she had made to show his recovery, touched to find there were others out there who recalled the Hero, and were too happy to have a place to tell their stories of the great man. The photo of Cloud being crushed like a teddy bear was greeted with hilarity by most, and of course a few trolls let their opinions be known with some choice words, but she just blocked them. Then a comment came up that caught her eye.

Long Walk Home: He looks a lot better there than the last time I saw him. Cloud looks good too.

Tifa hadn’t posted Cloud’s name. She’d simply posted the comment “Sephiroth and friend” to go with the photo. Curious, she typed a response.

T.Lockheart: You know them?

The response came slowly.

Long Walk Home: Oh once upon a time.

T.Lockheart: You should come say hi! I bet they’d love to see you!

She waited for a response, but none came. Then Cid called to her for help with the kids, and Tifa went into the kitchen to find Sunny was sitting on the counter, throwing handfuls of flour all over. By the time they had managed to clean up the mess, Cloud had emerged from the bedroom.

“Your husband is a menace,” said Cloud, as he began to make coffee.

“He’s just a little nervous,” said Cid.

“He kidnapped me out of my bed at night and carried me here and dumped me in bed with his offspring like an eagle dumps a dead rabbit into a nest.”

“So what are you bitching about? Nobody ate you.”

“Cid,” said Cloud. “Either you give Valentine a valium, or I will, and after last night I won’t be picky about what orifice I stick it in.”

“You just stay away from all of his orifices. I’ll talk to him, but come on, he’s trying to keep his son alive and make up for a lot of past crap.”

“So why drag me into it?” asked Cloud.

“It’s hard to explain,” said Cid. “Basically Seph needs another genetically engineered warrior to be buddies with or he could die.”

“Has no one stopped for a moment to think about how the buddy may feel about this?” asked Cloud.

The trio froze as they heard a roar from the next room that shook dust from the ceiling, and there was a tremendous pounding on one wall that most certainly would have broken plaster if not wood as well. Two little girls scooted out of the room, through the kitchen and into the yard.

“HEY!” Cid shouted after them. “What were you munchkins doing?!”

“Not jumping on the bed!” said Chloe.

“Not jumping!” agreed Sunny.

Cid slapped his hand over his face, envisioning one tiny sock-covered foot landing right in Sephiroth’s still-oozing and painful injury. Fire shot out the window, followed by the sort of language Sephiroth could have only learned after a lifetime of hanging around Turks and soldiers.

“We’re gonna have to have a discussion in this house about tantrums,” said Cid.

The wall shuddered, and Cid marched out of the kitchen and down the hall. Cloud and Tifa heard him open the bedroom door.

“HEY! WHO WANTS A FUCKING TIME OUT?!”

Tifa and Cloud had no idea what Sephiroth did, but it felt as if the entire house jumped three feet to the left. Cid shut the door and returned to the kitchen.

“He’s fine,” he said, picking up the broom once more.

***---***

It was nearing supper time when Vincent came home. Cid had no idea where he had been all day, but the look of exhaustion told him that Vincent had likely been trying to dig up news of any of Sephiroth’s old companions, and had found nothing.

“Vincent,” said Cid quietly to the ragged figure in the hall. “We have to talk.”

“First I have to…”

“Now,” said Cid sharply, and Vincent looked startled, possibly even frightened. Cid had never raised his voice to him before. Even Chloe and Sunny were quiet as they ate. Cid took Vincent’s hand and let him into the small room that served as Cid’s office. Once there he closed the door, and turned to face his wraith-like lover. Vincent looked like he had some idea what was coming, cringing slightly and giving Cid furtive little side-long glances. Cid reached out to take Vincent into his arms, looking up into the red eyes.

“Vincent, I love you. And I need you here. Not gone looking for people who are dead and buried for years. Sephiroth needs you here. We have barely spent five minutes together since he came here. Hell we haven’t even slept in the same bed. Being gone for days at a time is helping nothing. In fact it’s destroying what we have now. I don’t want to break up before we’ve even had a chance to be together.”

“Have things become that bad?” Vincent asked, eyes wide and afraid.

“The fact that you have to ask me that should be your answer,” said Cid.

Vincent began to tremble, and made a small, pained whine. Cid slowly drew him close and held him tightly.

“Vincent I love you. But we need you here. Angeal and Genesis are dead. So is Zack. There are no more First Classes left, and Cloud wants to be home with his own husband. You can’t fix this mess by denying Sephiroth the one human being on this planet he can actually bond with.”

Vincent was trembling so hard Cid could feel it, and when he spoke, there was hysteria in his voice.

“I… just… want…”

“You want him to be okay. You want him to be okay so badly that you’re going through your own relationships like a wrecking ball. You need to calm down, okay? This isn’t helping. You can’t claw open every casket on Gaia in hopes the right ones won’t be occupied.”

“I’m sorry…”

“It’s okay. But you’re staying home from now on. All right?”

Vincent nodded, holding Cid close, breaking down and crying. “I’m sorry Cid. I try so hard…”

“It’s okay baby,” Cid said to him quietly. Inwardly he was developing a little sympathy for Lucrecia. He could not imagine being the direct focus of Vincent’s desperate need to make things right. The urge to belt him with a newspaper must have been overwhelming. “It’s okay. I love you. Things will be okay if you just stay home and let him get to know you.”

“You’re not leaving?”

“I’m not if you’re not.”

Vincent shook his head adamantly. “I’m not. I promise. Don’t leave me, I don’t think I could stand it…”

“I’m not leaving.” Cid kissed him, hating the way he had to get on his toes to do it. Then for some reason he pictured Cloud trying to kiss Vincent, and was unable to hold back a snort of laughter.

“What?” asked Vincent.

“I was just thinking… you’re so damned tall… it’s a good thing you didn’t hook up with Cloud.”

“He did try to kiss me once,” said Vincent.

Cid suddenly went from amused to livid. “He what?”

“The time we were at the Gold Saucer, before we set out for the City of the Ancients. He tried to kiss me just outside the gondola ride.”

“Does Reno know?”

“I have no idea, but considering how drunk Cloud was, he may even have thought that I was Reno.”

“And what did you say?” asked Cloud.

Vincent shrugged. “I told him he had to be five feet or taller to get on.”

Cid felt the better portion of his blood supply flow into his pants. “My god I love you. Let’s do dirty things in the wardrobe.”

“Papa Cid!” called Chloe. “Can Sunny and I have a can of frosting for dessert an’ watch ‘Paranormal Activity’?”

“Go ahead sweetie!” Cid answered.

“Yay!”

“You realize we are going to be up all night now,” said Vincent, as Cid nibbled his neck.

“That’s the plan.”

Cid was very glad he and Vincent were finished before Chloe and Sunny began screaming their heads off.

***---***

Tifa was currently home in her apartment above her bar, sipping a beer and gazing at her computer screen, waiting for someone to appear.

It was crazy, and she knew it. But this person, be they female or male, clearly knew Cloud and Sephiroth, and she was dying to find out how. The only time this person appeared was when she posted a new photo, and so she uploaded her latest, and best; Sephiroth, looking thin and frail and ragged, yet still incredibly lovely, sitting up in bed with the window open, enjoying the sun. Now, if only….

There was a soft ping as a message appeared.

Long Walk Home: Poor guy is still so thin.

Tifa waited a few moments, so as to not appear that she was waiting for this person to show.

T.Lockheart: Bit sad and lonely too.

She waited so long for a response that she feared the person had left once more. Finally there came a response.

Long Walk Home: Are none of his friends alive?

T.Lockheart: No. None. Not Angeal, Genesis, or Zack. They’re all gone. That’s why I was thinking it might be nice if you came to say hello.

Again, the wait for a response was long, but finally it came.

Long Walk Home: He wouldn’t remember me.

T.Lockheart: How do you know?

There was no response. Tifa waited, but none came. Finally she turned off the computer, then paused as she heard something scratching at her back door. Rolling her eyes, she walked downstairs to see three faces pressed against the door like kitties wanting in. She crossed her arms and gazed back at the Turks. Apparently being nice to their boss gave her shared parenting responsibilities. She opened the door.

“Not that I mind the extra after-hours business…”

She suddenly had gifts thrust at her; flowers stolen from the local cemetery, and chocolates stolen from Rufus Shinra’s desk.

“Does he not notice his candy always going missing?” asked Tifa.

“He buys extra,” said Reno, as Elena chewed.

Tifa sighed. “Come on in.”

The Turks scampered in, and proceeded to raid her whiskey supply. Why they shopped from her, and after-hours, was a mystery. But it didn’t hurt her business any that they chose to get their booze this way. She noticed Elena and Reno pause before one bottle in particular; a type of whiskey distilled in the Icicle Inn region from a type of rare wild wheat that refused to do well when cultivated. It could only be harvested wild, and as such, the drink made from it was hard to obtain and extremely costly. Elena and Reno gazed at the bottle, then moved on, going for spirits more in their price range. A thought occurred to Tifa, and she took the bottle off the shelf.

“How would you guys like to do a trade? A few hours of Turk-work in exchange for the whiskey?”

She had their full and complete attention. “What sort of Turk-work?” asked Reno.

“I need you to find someone,” she said. “He knows Sephiroth. I think they were friends. I don’t want him beat up or anything, just found.”

She sent them out the door in search of Long Walk Home, then went to bed. It was a full five days later that she saw them again, and they looked positively chagrinned.

“How can there be no trace of this person?!” Tifa demanded. “It makes no sense!”

“We’re sorry,” said Elena. “We did our best but there was simply no trace. He seems to be wandering from one internet café to the next, and not in any discernable pattern. We couldn’t even get a description because we have no idea what he looks like. Or even if it is a ‘he’!” She looked mournful. “I don’t think we earned our whiskey.”

Tifa gave them the whiskey anyway, and went to bed, but found no sleep, tossing and turning in frustration over not being able to find this person. Why was she or he being so damned evasive? Had they done something to lose Sephiroth’s friendship? Or did this person not actually know Sephiroth at all, and was just trying to seem important? But no, they did know Cloud…

She flung the covers back and got up, leaving her small bed to cross the floor to her computer. She went immediately to the page she had made for Sephiroth and, for once, allowing her anger to flow instead of holding it in to be “nice’, she wrote to Long Walk Home;

T.Lockheart: He’s dying you know, because that’s how they made the First Classes. They don’t survive alone. His friends are all dead and his father is losing his mind with grief and you’re so busy playing Enigmatic Little Princess that you won’t help.

It was forty minutes before she got a reply.

Long Walk Home: Well thanks for the guilt trip about matters you know NOTHING about. You have no fucking idea what I went through and what it got me, and a few photos don’t make you something special and keeper of Sephiroth’s secrets. BTW – Did you really think a bunch of Turks were going to find me?

I’m out of here.

T.Lockheart: Wait! He needs you, why are you doing this?!

No response. She sighed, running both of her hands through her long hair in agitation.

“Great, Tifa, that’s just great,” she said quietly. “He’s never coming back now. Dammit! Why was I so stupid?”

Eventually she returned to bed and managed to get some sleep, but when she awoke in the morning and went to check the page, she found no response. What she did find was that Long Walk Home had deleted his account.

“Terrific,” she said quietly. “He’s gone for good, all because I had to play Miss Holier-Than-Thou. So he spotted the Turks because of the uniform, and then I had to go shout at him. Well he’s gone now, thanks to me. Ugh. I feel so stupid!”

She turned off the computer, then got to her feet and began preparing for the day, showering, dressing, then heading to the storage area to take inventory. Once that was done and new inventory ordered, she did some basic cleaning of the equipment in the bar, then checked out a demo tape of a band that wanted to play in her main room. Oooh bleh yech, seriously, emo metal? Just… no.

She tossed the tape into the trash, then began getting ready to open. Lights went on, shades went up, and the door was unlocked, just in time for the lunch crowd to roll in. Tifa sold food as well as alcohol, and much of her money was made feeding workers their lunch.

She saw the man come in, but was so busy she didn’t really notice him. She brought him a menu, and breathed a sigh of relief when her two waitresses arrived and got to work. Time to threaten them with the “Late one more time” speech. For crying out loud they lived across the street, it wasn’t as if they had to deal with traffic and a long commute. She went to the bar to pour some coffee and a few beers just as Waitress One walked over.

“Tifa I’m really sorry, it won’t...”

“Lynnie this is the third time this week and the eighth time this month. Once more and you’re gone, and that goes for Andrea too. You’re across the street, you have no excuses. If you want this job, then get here on time, if you don’t then I can replace you in fifteen minutes.”

Lynnie closed her mouth and nodded her head, going about her duties. Tifa walked over to the man to pour him some water, and ask if he had a chance to look at the menu. He was scruffy, bearded, and disheveled, and his clothes were worn. He was clean however, and the laptop he had opened before him was not new, but was a quality model. A traveller, she decided, someone who was homeless by choice, not circumstances.

“Do you serve beer this early in the day?” he asked.

“Sure!” she said, and began rattling off the list of beer she carried, everything from common commercial brews to specialty beer. When she was done he seemed moderately horrified.

“Chocolate beer?” he asked warily.

She shrugged. “A lot of my customers really like it.”

“I’ll just… go with the wheat beer and some lemon. And the calamari entrée.”

Tifa smiled and went off to start his order. She looked up as she heard the bell over the door jingle, and grinned as she saw Cloud and Cid wander in.

“What a dump!” declared Cid.

Tifa went over to hug him. “Mister Highwind you are rude.”

“Aw thank you. Me and Spikey were in town to pick up some parts and thought we’d pop in and see what kind of poison you’re serving people.”

“I’ll have you know I only serve the finest poison. Grab a seat, I’ll bring you some menus.”

Tifa went to get their menus, then looked to the shaggy bearded man with the laptop.

He was gone.

She hurried over to his table, looking around, asking herself if he had moved tables. She then caught a glimpse of him across the street, laptop under his arm, head down, turning around the corner of a building to vanish. She gasped and ran over to where Cid and Cloud were seated.

“That was him!” she said. “Long Walk Home, that was him, I’m sure of it!”

Cid stayed at the table. He wasn’t really built for speed. Cloud shot out after him, moving fast, tearing around the corner after the stranger. By the time he came back, Cid was finishing dessert.

“Did you catch him?” asked Cid.

Cloud shook his head. “Never got near him. He was moving so fast. Like… like First Class fast. He left me in the dust.”

“Did you recognize him?” asked Cid.

“Not with all the long shaggy hair and the beard,” said Cloud. “But since Zack, Angeal and Genesis are all dead he must have reached First Class after Sephiroth went mad.”

“Any idea who he may have been?”

Cloud shook his head. “None. Absolutely none.”

“Didn’t you hang out with those guys?” asked Cid.

Cloud shook his head again. “I was an MP at that time. Zack and I became friends because we were both from really small towns, and I got to know Sephiroth and Angeal because Zack knew them. I really wasn’t part of their crowd. People thought I was because Sephiroth liked to nudge me around because I was half his height. We were friendly. We were not friends.”

“Hard to picture Sephiroth as being playful.”

Cloud shrugged. “He was not a bad guy. He was… slightly crazy because of how he had been raised, and Zack was not the best influence, but he could have his moments of playful.” He sighed heavily. “But back to the topic at hand; I don’t know who that man was. Any way we can reach out to him on the page you made for Sephiroth?”

Tifa blushed red. “No. I got angry at him last night and he left the page.”

Cid raised an eyebrow. “You? Little Miss Politeness? What did you say?”

“I kinda said Sephiroth was dying and it was his fault because he wanted to play the Enigmatic Princess.”

“Wow,” said Cloud. “That’s… harsh.”

“Also not true,” said Cid. “We don’t even know if this guy was a friend of his. He might just be someone who sorta knew him. We could have maybe over time talked him in but… That’s really unfair.”

Tifa gathered up Cid’s dishes. “I was just angry. I’m tired of watching Vincent fall to pieces.”

“Yeah we all are but getting angry at the one guy who may be able to help isn’t going to accomplish anything,” said Cid. He looked at Cloud. “You want me to wait with you while you eat?”

Cloud shook his head. “Let’s just go, Reno wants me home for dinner. Is Vincent gonna kidnap me again?”

“Nah, not tonight. I bought a new bed, we’re gonna test drive it.”

Tifa rolled her eyes. “Classy.”

“I know I am, I can’t help it,” said Cid. “Later Tifa.”

They left. Tifa cleaned the table to make it ready for the next customers, and went about her day. When the day was done and her bar was closed, she retreated to the rooms over the business to check her Sephiroth blog and read her email. No sign at all of Long Walk Home. She’d well and truly scared him off. Great. Just great.

She signed and posted the latest photo – one she hoped would spark interest or at least empathy from anyone who actually did know Sephiroth. He was lying in bed, covers flung low, green eyes staring to nowhere. He looked dead. At the very least he looked as sick as he actually was, and the bandages on his injury were clearly visible.

“Not doing as well as hoped,” she wrote under the photo. “He doesn’t want to be stuck in a hospital but it may come to that. Keeping fingers crossed.”

Photo posted, Tifa left the computer and went to have a shower, washing away the smell of beer and sweat. Se was looking forward to not having to open tomorrow; it being the one day of the week she closed in order to have time to manage the cleaning and stock-taking to run her business. That meant sleeping in and watching TV in bed until she felt like getting around to it.

She turned off the lights, turned off the computer, and went to bed.

***---***

Despite having napped away thirty years of his life, Vincent Valentine was actually something of a light sleeper. At the very least, his enhanced senses allowed him to pick up on things he might otherwise miss. It was late, and dark, and all the house was asleep. Vincent was tuned into all the sounds around him; Sunny and Chloe sleeping in their bed, Sephiroth’s fevered dreaming, and Cid, breathing deeply and evenly as Vincent lay pressed close to him, one hand on Cid’s flat stomach. He should have been asleep himself, but he kept sensing things around him, feeling the presence of something lurking close at hand. Not evil, but… uninvited.

He raised his head, listening to the sound of someone in their yard, doing… something. Puzzled, Vincent slipped out of bed and crept to the window, peering carefully out from between the curtains to see a man setting up some sort of small camp. He had a plastic sheet and a bedroll, as well as a lantern. The night was clear and dry, but it was cold this time of the year. He had some sort of materia-powered little stove, and he was heating water for what appeared to be a cup of tea. Vincent sighed, and left the room to silently creep out of the house to meet this person.

The man looked up as Vincent appeared. He seemed startled and a little chagrinned, but not hostile. He got to his feet, twiddling his thumbs and looking nervous.

“I thought it a little late to knock,” said the man.

“Do you camp in back yards often?” asked Vincent.

“I try to avoid it, actually. But… I think you have a friend of mine here, and… I’d really like to see him.”

Vincent nodded. “Do you want to come inside and wait for morning?”

The man looked tempted, but shook his head. “I wanted to get cleaned up before I saw him. I don’t want to keep people up by wandering around…”

Getting cleaned up might be a wise move; the man was shaggy and bearded and scruffy, and while he didn’t have a bad smell, he did have something of a funk about him. Vincent indicated the garage. Previous owners had apparently tried to convert it into a guest house and failed, but it still had a functional bathroom and a rudimentary kitchen, as well as a bed. It was, at the very least, warmer and safer than sleeping in the yard, and certainly a better idea than letting a stranger sleep in his house. The man accepted gratefully, and Vincent returned to bed, slipping under the covers beside Cid. He smiled as he felt a hand move over his side to draw him closer.

“I thought you were asleep,” said Vincent.

“I am,” Cid whispered sleepily, holding Vincent against his chest. Within moments his breathing was deep and even once more, and Vincent allowed himself to drift into sleep.

When Vincent next opened his eyes, it was to the smell of very good tea and waffles with whipped cream and berries. Since Vincent had been staying home more and fretting less, Cid had been showing his appreciation by spoiling him endlessly.

“Should have married a man years ago,” said Vincent as he sat up in bed. On cue, Cid entered the room with breakfast.

“Here you go, beautiful. Just the way you like it.”

“You spoil me, Cid.”

Cid gave Vincent the tray, then seated himself on the bed. “You deserve spoiling. And I’m sorry I was so hard on you about… well… Sephiroth.”

Vincent shook his head. “No, you were right. I was so worried about fixing him I was losing sight of everything else, and everyone. I love you, Cid. I want to be with you forever.”

Cid kissed him. “Good. Because I feel the same. Now… about your brief trip into the yard last night…”

“Yes?”

“Does it have anything to do with the really hairy guy sleeping in the garage?”

“Friend of Sephiroth’s,” said Vincent. “He came by to see how he is, but it was so late I told him he could sleep in the garage and clean up.”

“So not some crazy homeless guy we have to worry about.”

“Well he may be homeless but he didn’t seem crazy.”

Cid nodded. “Okay, I’ll just leave him be, then. It will probably do Seph some good to see an old friend.”

Vincent ate his breakfast and drank his tea, then went to the bathroom to shower. Once he was clean, dried and dressed, Vincent went to Sephiroth’s room to sit beside him on the bed. He reached out to touch the long white hair, feeling how dry and brittle it had become. Carefully he examined the injury, wincing as he smelled the distinct odor of infection.

“We’re going to have to take you to the hospital,” said Vincent quietly.

“I don’t want to go. I’m home. I’m finally home after a lifetime of nothingness. I want to be here. Even if I die, I want to die here with you. I’m owed at least that after everything I’ve been through.”

“Yes,” said Vincent, and a slight smile crept over his face as he realized that, at the very least, he had managed to bring some comfort to his child. “What if I called a doctor?”

“I don’t want a doctor.”

“Then how about a waffle?”

“I fail to see the connection.”

“Would you like something to eat?”

“I don’t know. I’m not sure how I feel.”

There was a polite knock at the front door. Vincent left to see who it was, and found himself gazing at the stranger who had slept in the garage. He was bathed now, shaved, dressed in clean clothes, and had even brushed his teeth. Clearly somebody wanted to make a good impression.

“Is he awake?” the man asked hopefully. Good grief, this guy was adorable. He reminded Vincent of somebody. Or something….

“He is,” said Vincent. “Come in. I was just going to get his breakfast.”

“Oh can I help?”

The man was all bright eyes and energy, and somehow constantly in the way. He wanted to help with everything and somehow ended up making the simplest tasks near impossible. He was like Yuffie, only more endearing than annoying, but Vincent did find himself tempted to put the man in a corner and tell him to sit. Like any ill-behaved puppy….

They entered the room, Vincent going ahead with the tray, and seating himself on the bed once more.

“You have a visitor,” said Vincent.

“It better not be Aeris and some more of that vegan compost, because that really will kill my will to live.”

Sephiroth slowly sat up, looking ragged and drained, and looked at the person standing behind Vincent. He froze, and his green eyes became enormous as he began to visibly tremble. When he spoke, his voice was hitching.

“Puppy?”

The man smiled awkwardly. “I didn’t know if you would remember me…”

Sephiroth began trying to get up. Vincent moved aside as the man went to him, sitting down on the bed and taking Sephiroth into his arms. They held each other tightly, both desperately glad to see the other.

“Did you miss me?” asked Zack, his voice quavering.

Sephiroth kissed him – hard, and likely with tongue. Zack looked confused, but didn’t resist, and laughed when the kiss was over.

“Well… uh… okay, that was not quite the greeting I expected. So when Angeal said you had a thing for me… he wasn’t making things up.”

“I’ve been in love with you since I met you.”

Zack just grinned. “Awk-waaarrrd…”

“Marry me. You don’t even have to have sex with me. Just marry me.”

“We’ll discuss it when you’re better. Which will give me time to wrap my brain around the fact that my idol is in love with me.”

“You’re not going anywhere?”

“No,” said Zack, gently, firmly. “No I am going nowhere. It’s been such a very long walk… finding me, finding you, finding a place to call home… I’ll get a house nearby, I can help look after you, and when you’re better we’ll discuss the whole… you being in love with me thing. Why would you be in love with me? I’m an idiot.”

Sephiroth’s eyes glowed phosphorous green. “You’re my idiot.”

“Awkward yet terrifying,” said Zack.

“Where were you?” asked Sephiroth. “We looked everywhere, even in your grave!”

“I was hiding,” said Zack. “It’s true the bullets tore me to shreds. It took a long time to recover to the point where I could move. Fortunately Cloud didn’t bury me too deeply, so I was able to climb out of my grave, and once out I merely dropped one of the dead soldiers into it and buried him with my belongings in case anyone came looking. Then I noticed Cloud had used Angeal’s family sword for my headstone, which was really sweet, but… uh… Sephiroth am I having my first gay relationship? Because I’ve never had one and you’re sitting awfully…”

Zack stopped talking as he was kissed softly, still looking confused but not resisting. He gave Vincent a sidelong glance, and Vincent just smiled.

“I think you’re home now, Zack.”

***---***

Aeris was furious. “You’re NOT gay, you’re NOT bisexual, but you’re Sephiroth’s boyfriend. Explain to me how THAT works!”

Zack smiled at her as he chopped greens for the evening meal. “You weren’t serious but you liked me for a while? I believe that is what you told Cloud…”

She flushed bright red. “Well you were dead and I didn’t want him to get the wrong idea about me.”

“I was not dead. I was stuck in a grave, but I was not dead.”

“No dead!” Sunny declared emphatically.

“Darn rights no dead,” said Zack.

“Why is every man in my life dumping me for another man?” demanded Aeris.

“Because after we date you, there can never be another like you,” said Zack.

Aeris fumed, trying to make up her mind if she had been insulted or not. Cid bent down to pick up Sunny.

“C’mon, short pants, time to get cleaned up for supper.”

“I just get messy again,” Sunny pointed out.

“Then you can go into the bath after.”

Aeris watched as Sephiroth shuffled into the room, moving slowly and carefully, leaning on a cane. He still looked as sick as he was, but something about having Zack in his life had put the fire back in his will to survive. He managed to make his way over to Zack, standing behind him, looking over Zack’s shoulder.

“So what’s for dinner?” asked Sephiroth.

“Oh we have tomatoes, sugar peas, cucumber, bell pepper, and chick peas all tossed together with a bit of balsamic vinegar…”

“Sounds good,” said Aeris.

“…and a large helping of dead pig ground up and stuffed into a casing of its own entrails.”

“BLEH!”

“Of this, I approve,” said Sephiroth. He dipped his head to nuzzle lightly at Zack’s hair. “How about later I let you chase me around the table?”

“I wouldn’t have the first idea what to do with you when I catch you,” said Zack, grinning. “And you are in no condition to teach me.”

“Maybe when I’m a little stronger…?”

Zack turned to face him, looking up at him as he placed his hands gently on Sephiroth’s waist. “We will discuss this. It’s all really new to me, I’d like to go slow.”

Aeris rolled her eyes, walking away from the pair to find Cid and Vincent cuddling in the hallway.

“Why is every man in my life either gay or open to the concept?” asked Aeris.

“Because no woman could ever come after you?” suggested Cid.

She picked up her jacket. “I have to be leaving now. I’ll come back in the morning to help with anything that needs doing.”

“Okay but I don’t think Seph will need any help doing Zack,” said Cid.

Aeris gave him a sour look, then departed.

“Cid you really are a cretin,” said Vincent.

“And yet you love me.”

“Says who?”

Cid grinned, holding him close. “Me. Because I love you. And it’s good to see you looking a little less as if you are carrying the weight of the world.”

“It’s good to feel like some of that weight is gone,” said Vincent. He looked into the kitchen, where Zack was finishing up dinner, Sephiroth doing his best to wheedle a kiss out of him. “But what do we do if Zack decides Sephiroth is just a friend after all?”

“Break his legs.”

“Cid…”

“Vincent, one catastrophe at a time, okay?” Cid kissed him. “Hey, how about if after dinner you and I walk down to the local tavern? Seph and Zack can talk, and my friends can meet you.”

“Okay. But do you think they’ll like me?”

“They better, most of them work for me.”

“Well that’s reassuring. What if they think that I’m a hideous freak?”

Cid was just gazing at him, smiling, and Vincent felt himself growing shy at the intensity of his expression. Then Cid sang to him just small piece of an old Gordon Lightfoot song.

“At times I just don't know
How you could be anything but beautiful.
I think that I was made for you,
And you were made for me.

And I know that I won't ever change.
We've been friends through rain or shine
For such a long, long time…”

Cid gently kissed his brow, and Vincent felt himself blush from roughly shoulder level up.

“Cid?”

“Hmm?”

“We’re not actually going to make it to the tavern, are we?”

“Nope.”

“…kay…”