Sephiroth has traveled between dimensions to find you, as you are destined to marry him according to his mother. Though frightened at first, you decide not to object and slowly begin to bond with him.
He stares at you, his typically thin-slitted pupils having grown wider. The look in his eyes reminds you of the scene where he finds Jenova at the Nibelheim reactor. Lovesickness.
You can’t move. You’re petrified in place, unable to even blink as you stare back at Sephiroth. You feel shivers down your whole body, heart pounding as you can’t wrap your mind around the situation. How can he be here? A rational person would explain it away as a stalker who’s doing a really good cosplay to impress you in some sick way, but no, you know for certain that this is the real Sephiroth, who shouldn’t be real.
Sephiroth’s perfectly sculpted lips curl into a smile, but his gaze holds no ill intent. He’s happy. What for, you do not know.
“Finally I’ve found you, my love,” he says, taking a step further into your apartment.
When you hear his voice, it’s like the final nail in the coffin. It’s a perfect match, and there’s no way this is a random person who looks exactly like him and sounds exactly like him too. The odds of that are impossible.
You still can’t find the will to speak, staring at him in a mixture of shock and fear. Your body screams at you to run, yet you can’t so much as lift a finger.
Wait- did he just call me his love?
“It was near impossible for me to reach you,” he added, getting closer, slowly. “But mother helped me. She guided me to you, and now here I am.”
“You- you can’t be real,” you suddenly gasp, pressing your back into the counter. You’re unable to get any further away. You’re trapped.
“I know it’s shocking,” Sephiroth’s voice is smoother and oddly comforting as he draws nearer, reaching a hand out to you. “But this is what mother wants for you. For us. She told me you were destined to be my wife, the perfect candidate. For no one is as dedicated to me as you are.”
Right. Your decades-long obsession with him. That must be what he’s referring to.
He’s so close he could touch you now, and just as he reaches for your face, you wince.
He pauses, sharp breaths leaving his rosy lips. “You repulse me- or… is it fear?”
“No, I- I don’t know,” you whimper, the emotions of your situation beginning to get the better of you as your eyes sting. Don’t you dare cry.
“Perhaps you’re just in shock, my love,” he says, lowering his hand. “You should go sit down.”
You only nod, obeying him despite how terrified you are. Not of him, but the idea of him existing in the same room as you. Sephiroth moves back, giving you space to walk over to your couch.
He follows you over, but doesn’t sit with you. Instead, he stands in front of your crappy little television, looking at you with an expression you can’t quite read. Still that lovesick look, but… he seems concerned?
“You… you are really Sephiroth, and not a stalker or something?” You ask, unsure of what to do.
“Yes,” he confirms. “Is there some way I can prove it to you?”
You could ask him to summon Masamune, but would having a nine-foot long weapon in your tiny apartment be a good idea? Likely not, you decide.
“Cast cure on me,” you say, figuring that couldn’t possibly harm you.
And Sephiroth does exactly that. The same sound from the games echoes around you, green swirls appearing from thin air. You even feel a little more energized. Now you believe him, one-hundred percent.
“…how did you get here?”
“Dimension travel, with the help of my mother,” he explains. “She intends to have me bring you back to Gaia, where we will be married.”
“Married…?” You echo, unsure if you really want to marry him so suddenly. You’d always fantasized about it, but not in this context. “Would you at least allow me to get to know you first?” You ask.
“But you do know me,” he tilts his head in that teasing way he always does. “I’ve observed you,” he says, followed by your name. You can’t help but to shiver as you hear it fall from his lips. It’s enchanting, almost.
“Yeah, but… like, I prefer to get to know the real you. And I’ve… never had anyone interested in marrying me before, so… I think I’d need to date you, first.”
You cannot believe the words that are coming from your mouth right now. You’re rejecting a marriage proposal from him, yet asking Sephiroth to date you in the same breath. What has your life come to?
“Nobody else has been interested?” He echoes, getting a little closer. “How could that be? You’re so… ethereal. Perfect, just as mother promised.”
You find yourself blushing at the comment. You were so used to men in the real world saying that you were ‘too weird’ or ‘too into video games’ for them. And now here you are, being told by your favorite fictional character that you are perfection.
“Real men… suck,” you say with a shrug.
“From what I’ve observed, I have to agree,” Sephiroth lamented. “Just before I arrived here, I had to… deal with one. He was following you. I did not want any harm to come to my beloved, so I took care of it.”
“Wh-what?” Your blood ran cold at this information. You were being followed home? And… Sephiroth had killed them? “You… murdered someone?” You look up at him, fear returning to you in full force.
“You act so surprised, yet you know that isn’t unlike me,” he shakes his head.
“Sephiroth… we’ll be caught, and then-“
“Shh,” he crouched in front of you, bringing up a gloved hand to tuck a strand of hair behind your ear. “Nobody will know. His body was sent elsewhere. You and I are safe.”
Him being so close, and touching you had you freezing up again.
“Let’s make an agreement,” he began to propose. “We shall stay here a few more days so that you can come to terms with leaving this place behind, and get to know the ‘real me’ a bit more.”
“I have no problem with leaving this shitty place behind,” you’re quick to say, but then you register the ladder half of his words. “But I would like that… you can stay here, with me.”
He smiles, leaning his head forward like he’s going to kiss you. But he doesn’t- you’re not even sure he knows how to kiss you, considering he’s never had a canon love interest.
With his head so close, your eyes flick to his lips, taking notice of the freckle that sits just above the top corner of his lips. Yeah, it’s definitely him.
He licks his lips, face so close to you that you can feel his breath on your own lips. “Hmm. I’d share a kiss with you, but I wish to respect your boundaries,” he instead runs a thumb over your cheek, feeling your soft skin beneath his leather gloves. “In due time, though… you’ll be mine, entirely.”
You tremble under his touch, swooning at his words. You can feel the implications of what’s hidden in his tone, and you almost want to throw yourself at him here and now. But you refrain from doing such a thing, knowing you need to build more trust with him first. Normally, you wouldn’t be so willing to give yourself away to a man you’d technically just met, but this was different. It felt as though you’d known him for years, which, you supposed you did, you just weren’t meeting until now. You wonder how quickly you’ll fall, considering you already have a huge crush on him. Would a few days truly be enough time?
Sephiroth stands up, beginning to remove his armor. The silver pauldrons go first, and he sets them by one of the old side tables beside the couch. “I would assume you are not ready to share a bed just yet, so I will take the couch.”
You nod, getting up and going to pull some extra blankets and pillows out for him.
“I don’t really own any pajamas for um.. such large men,” you say, taking in his full height. “Sorry.”
“Do not apologize,” Sephiroth sits on the couch, now just wearing his pants and socks. You try incredibly hard to not stare at his exposed arms and abdomen. “I’ve slept in far worse conditions.”
Did he mean during his time in SOLDIER? You weren’t sure he could even remember those days, considering he’d discarded most of his memories, so maybe he meant the crystal in the Northern Crater? Which then made you wonder what exactly you’d be facing once he took you to Gaia. Was this some timeline where he won? You sighed, figuring you could find this information out tomorrow. You desperately needed to get your makeup off and shower, and finally truly sleep. That nap on the couch didn’t do you any favors.
“Well, um… goodnight, Sephiroth,” you say, going to your bedroom.
“Goodnight, my love.”
—
Streaks of morning sun peek through your curtains, casting small slivers of rays onto your face. You awaken, immediately squinting as the light blinds you.
You sit up in bed, yawning, stretching and thinking about what you should do today. You should probably take things slow after the amount of shopping you did after dining out last night. You didn’t need to hurt your wallet any further, that was for sure.
Slipping out from the covers, you go to leave your room, and that’s when you remember.
Sephiroth is on the other side of this door.
All the air is stolen from your lungs, a chill running down your spine as you recall the full events of the previous night. Him suddenly appearing, and how he’d treated you, touched you, wished to kiss you… and how he’d stolen someone’s life away in the name of protecting you. It felt so unreal, yet it was undoubtedly your reality.
The urge to make yourself look more presentable before leaving your room rises, so you go to brush your hair. But then midway through that you realize, if he wishes to marry you, would he not be seeing you like this, anyway? So you decide not to change and remain in your pajama pants and tank top. You leave the room, wondering what he’ll be doing when you finally see him again.
To your complete surprise, he’s still sitting on your couch, but the TV is on now. The local news plays, and you hold your breath as you listen, praying they don’t report anything about the man Sephiroth had killed.
Sephiroth turns to look at you, that handsome smile on his face again. You want to melt, having his gaze locked onto you, but you feel awkward, like you don’t know what to do.
“Good morning, my love,” he says, eyeing your clothing. “I’ve been using your television to find out more about this world. It… is far worse than Gaia, I’m afraid.”
“Oh, I know,” you roll your eyes, suddenly finding your voice. “The severity of what they’re doing to this planet is… awful. Just another reason on the list of why I hate living here.”
He hums. “It seems far beyond saving. But Gaia… you and I can save it, together. It shall be ours.”
You move around the couch, hesitantly sitting beside him. This is so weird… “but how will I survive the meteor you intend to summon…?” you pause, not wanting to sound as though you oppose his plans in fear he will retaliate. “-Since I’m not a god, like you are.”
“So you already know of my plans? You truly are dedicated to me… but don’t worry, my love. I’ll keep you safe in the crater. Meteor shall not reach you there. And once the planet has been restored, that is when we will emerge, together, ruling it just as mother prophesied.”
You nod, as if that makes any sort of sense. But it doesn’t. If the planet is wiped by meteor, everything will be destroyed. There won’t be anywhere for you to live. Your mind trails back to your fix-it fanfiction, and you begin to wonder… could you perhaps save him, along with the planet? You have more knowledge than any of the characters, so in theory, you should be able to find a solution that doesn’t end in the destruction of the planet, right?
“I think I want to go with you,” you then say. “I have no purpose in this world. But in yours, I’ll have you… to serve as your goddess.”
A larger smile quirks up on his lips. “My goddess? Yes… that sounds lovely,” he angles his upper body to face you, and you can tell he’s itching to touch you. “I’m so elated that mother brought us together… to think I finally have someone who is devoted to me, and will cherish my love.”
You find that your face is burning under that lovesick gaze of his again, and you flutter your eyelashes as you look down at the space between you and him. Your body yearns to give in, close the space between you and him and connect your lips- but you refrain from doing anything. It’s still too soon. Instead, you return his smile, and nod. “Yes… admittedly, I’ve never been in a successful relationship like this. So I’m really happy to have you now.”
He reaches a hand out again, placing it over your own and rubbing circles over your skin with his thumb. “Oh… how I wish to have you,” he mutters under his breath. “Perhaps I shall court you first, would you like that?”
“Mhm,” you nod again, stomach fluttering with a warmth blooming in your chest. “We could go on a date, before we leave?”
A satisfied smile grows on his lips. “That sounds excellent. How does this evening sound?”
“Sure,” you agree, but then look over his clothing. “But, um… we’ll have to get you something else to wear.”
“I suppose you’re correct.”
You pull away from him, standing up. “I probably have at least a tee-shirt or hoodie that you can wear. Your pants and boots shouldn’t stand out too much, anyway.”
And so you head into your bedroom’s closet, finding a black hoodie that seems large enough for him. You take it off the hanger and bring it back to him, holding it out.
“Hopefully this works…”
Without a word or any hesitation, Sephiroth removes his armor, coat and crossed suspenders, and yet again, you have to fight with yourself to not bask in the sight of his bare chest. He takes the hoodie from you and slides it on. A warm, content smile forms on his face.
“I like this… it’s soft, and smells of you,” he remarks. “I cannot recall the last time I wore something so nice.”
Your heart flutters. “Aw, I’m glad you like it… um… do you want anything for breakfast?”
Sephiroth pauses, and then sighs. “To tell you the truth, I haven’t eaten since Nibelheim, five years ago.”
“Really?” You quirk an eyebrow up, intrigued yet a little concerned. “How…?”
“My body was only just made complete again,” he clarifies, “and I came here to find you right away. Though I have not felt hunger yet.”
“Hmm. Do you wanna try to eat, then?”
“I suppose it wouldn’t hurt.”
You head over to the kitchen and begin with something simple yet sweet, pancakes. It doesn’t take too long to make the batter and cook them, and so just a short while later, you find yourself sitting at your small kitchen table, sharing a meal with Sephiroth.
He takes small, careful bites as you two eat. He’d commented that they tasted lovely, but he still seemed hesitant to eat more than half of one. You don’t blame him, though. However; you can see a softness slip into his gaze. Like he’s shocked yet appreciative to have someone cook a meal for him. You wonder, if regardless of his memories being gone, he still has the urge to feel the love of someone taking care of him. It wouldn’t surprise you if he did still crave such a thing.
You finish the meal in silence, with Sephiroth merely watching you, observing everything you did as you ate; the way you’d cut apart the pancakes, how much butter or syrup you liked, down to the way you chewed. It’s like he wanted to know every habit and mannerism of yours, no matter how minuscule it may be. Perhaps his idea of being a good husband included memorizing every tiny bit about you.
You certainly didn’t mind.
—
Over the last few hours, you had spent time preparing Sephiroth to actually go out into your world, explaining things to him that he wouldn’t be familiar with. Thankfully, most things from the real world and Gaia aren’t too vastly different, and there’s a lot of overlapping similarities. Although you do put quite a bit of emphasis on the fact that he is to not summon masamune or use magic while you and him are out on your date.
Now, you both walk over to a park, a lunch bag with takeout in it.
Sephiroth is intrigued by the cars that pass by the two of you as you continue along the sidewalk. Almost every personal vehicle from his world are visually older in model, you recall. It must be odd to see such modern, almost futuristic cars by Gaia’s standards. Although, considering he’s seen plenty of Shinra technology in his life, Sephiroth doesn’t question it very much. Instead, he comments on how ‘strange’ they look, and is only confused by the giant tablets on the dashboards. You laugh, but realize he’s entirely right. It is a bit strange.
The sun is already beginning to set, as the winter months approach. Currently, it isn’t too cold out just yet, and so it’s the perfect weather for a fall picnic. Especially with the leaves changing in color. Sephiroth seems very fond of the amount of nature, even within the city you reside in. It’s a shame that integrating plant life into Midgar was never considered.
You approach the park’s entrance, and glance over at him to see how he reacts to it. Despite his human memories being gone, you can see it on his face; how mesmerized and glad he is by the idea of being able to simply walk into nature from a city. You wonder how he would’ve reacted if he’d seen such a thing before the Nibelheim incident.
“Fascinating… how the people of your world decided to leave designated areas for nature within cities,” he comments, taking in his new surroundings.
You shrug, “that’s just normal here, I guess. But don’t get too excited, there’s still plenty of pollution and deforestation happening,” you then lament.
“Right. I suppose it affects your world differently, considering how much more of a population there is.”
You nod. “Yeah. Not to mention how hopeless it is here… there’s no stopping multiple governments, all much bigger of an enemy than Shinra is.”
Sephiroth vaguely shakes his head, silver hair swaying behind him. “Truly a shame. But luckily for you, my love, we’ll be leaving it all behind soon enough.”
“Mhm. Um… should we go find a spot to eat?”
“Yes. You lead the way.”
He follows you closely as you walk, and within a few short minutes, you find a table in a deserted section of the park. Nobody should come around, anyway. Not during a weekday, when the sun is already setting. And so you find no issue in allowing Sephiroth to speak about Gaia and his plans. Then again… anyone who overheard your conversation would likely have no idea what to think of it.
“So… where will I live once we go to Gaia?” You ask, sipping from the drink you’d brought along.
“Wherever you’d like, so long as it isn’t Midgar. There’s far too big of a risk to have you there.”
You nod in agreement. “Somewhere rural, maybe?” You then remember your plan. Do you dare suggest Nibelheim? It’s certainly close enough you should be able to find Lucrecia’s cave, but you’re not sure of how he’ll react to hearing about that town again.
“Yes, that should work… Do you have any objections to the Nibel region?”
Well, never mind then. “Nope, sounds good to me.”
“Good. It’s close enough to the crater in case I need to bring you there early, but seems to be similar in climate to this city.”
“I see,” you say, wondering how this will all work out. You likely can’t live within the town, considering Shinra runs it, but a cottage or something similar nearby should do… “But how do you intend on getting a home for me? I certainly wouldn’t like living in the wilderness…”
“Do not worry,” he smoothly replies, “don’t forget I can take on the form of others, now… I’ll have it all ready before you arrive.”
Ah, right. The shapeshifting. Something he can do due to Jenova.
“And… what about money?”
“You don’t need to worry about these things,” he shakes his head, saying your name. “I’ll have everything taken care of. That’s the life my goddess deserves to live, no?”
You can’t disagree. Never having to do things like pay bills or work until you’re nearly dead to afford food for the week? It sounds heavenly. But… you can’t help but wonder, what are you meant to do for the rest of time? You suppose you’ll be pretty busy trying to come up with a plan to save everyone, but at the same time, you can’t bear to simply sit around at home all day. You need something, a hobby.
“Though of course, if mother wishes for us to produce an heir, we’ll be quite busy with that, don’t you think?” He asks, almost as though he can read your mind.
You shiver at the idea of Jenova demanding for you and Sephiroth to have a child. And then you remember the nightmare you had, suddenly deciding you’d rather not have children with him. At the very least, not until you can find a way to resolve things. Because the last thing you want is Jenova’s predatory, malicious will overpowering your own. And something tells you having Sephiroth’s cells within you may lead to exactly that.
“I guess,” you reply, “but I don’t know if I’m ready to have kids,” you then meekly confess.
“You will be in due time,” he replies. “Don’t fear it… my love.”
The desire to shift the conversation away from this arises, quickly like rushing waves in a riptide. You need to get that nightmare off of your mind. “Um… anyway, how about we focus on getting more comfortable with each other for now?”
“Yes. Though I’ve been observing you for weeks now, I still do not know much of your life. So tell me about yourself.”
—
The sun has long set by the time you and Sephiroth wrap up your ever spiraling conversation. As you’d been explaining your life to him, you seemed to catch glimpses of the humanity surely still buried within him; a longing glance when you’d mentioned friends you hadn’t seen in years, a sorrowful look when you had spoken of being free to travel to the most beautiful places on earth before you’d had a falling out with your parents. It was almost like the feelings were still there, but he had no recollection of the actual memories. Maybe there really was a chance to save him and restore his sanity after all. You thought about Tifa helping Cloud regain his memories in the original game, and you wondered… if you could find a way into the lifestream without dying, could you do the same?
The moon hung directly above you and him now, illuminating that pale milky skin of his wonderfully. You basked in the sight of him, looking like an angel beneath the moonlight. Although he sort of was an angel, in a sense.
You could not help but to stare at him, feeling a yearning so strong you were beginning to be unable to resist. You noticed it from Sephiroth’s end too- he watched you with heavy eyes, drunken with love as he clearly wished to be much closer than you were now. From across the table, you blushed under his gaze. You wanted to be closer, too. Perhaps if you could hold his hand as you walked back to your apartment, then you could steal a small kiss-?
“It’s getting really late,” you say, sliding out from the bench and gathering your things. “Let’s head back, alright?”
“As you wish.” Sephiroth takes the bag from you, and you begin to walk back home, side-by-side.
“It’s quite peaceful here,” he comments looking around the empty streets. “Nothing like Midgar.”
“Yeah, definitely not. People barely go out at night here. Aside from that guy that, um, you know…”
“The one I took care of for you?”
“…mhm.”
“Don’t fret about that, my love. It had to happen- otherwise he would’ve harmed you.” He cooes, trying to comfort you. But you struggle to feel soothed, his tone not entirely sweet and with knowing what happened.
Silence falls between the two of you, but you don’t mind. It gives you time to ease your mind from what he’d done the previous night, and you think about that kiss again. Without another thought, you slip your hand into his, intertwining your fingers.
Sephiroth hums, very clearly pleased with how close you’re wishing to be with him. You can barely make it out through his bangs, but his lips are curled into a satisfied grin.
And another moment later, you decide you can’t take it any longer. Your heart pounds, so loud you wonder if he can hear it, and you abruptly stop walking, moving quickly as you stand on your tip-toes and press your lips against his cheek, albeit through some of his hair.
“Thank you for protecting me,” you quietly say, sweetly and directly into his ear.
You can sense he’s melting, but also resisting those animalistic urges to lovingly pounce on you and claim you as his own right then and there. The way his ears turn red makes you certain he’s thinking about pinning you against a nearby tree, desperate to kiss you fully.
But nothing more happens. You instead continue to walk home hand-in-hand, a far less awkward, yet somehow more tense silence filling the air between you.
