#sephrioth

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An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

Chapter 2: Nature

A vampire and a ghost get into a brawl over a creepy house

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An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Characters: Sephiroth, Cloud Strife, Claudia Strife, Tifa Lockhart Additional Tags: Mother-Son Relationship, Found Family, Cooking Summary:

Sephiroth finds himself abandoned in a small town after doing a good deed. Lucky for him, there's at least one person who couldn't stand to see him alone at Solstice.

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31 and Sephikura for your ask! 😁

send me a pairing and one of these and i’ll write a mini fic

31. Things you said right before goodbye

Now that everything was calmed down, Cloud finally found time to panic.

The whole world froze when the Rocket Town hospital called him. He remembered every moment since then in almost vivid detail. He remembered how the frantic packing had felt so slow. He remembered how his CO first scoffed, then quickly approved his leave after the doctor's message came through.

He remembered every word of his phone call to Sephiroth.

"I-I have to go," Cloud said, "She needs me and I just have to go. I'm sorry. I wanted to be here when you got back. I...I really needed you, but I have to go now."

Sephiroth had been quiet.

"I'll see you soon, Cloud," was all he said.

And Cloud said goodbye.

But now he was in Rocket Town. His mom's appendix had been removed successfully with little incident. Her care team said she did great and should recover well. Just a day for observation in case of infection and Cloud could take her home.

And now he panicked about what Sephiroth meant. Was he trying to tell Cloud to wait? Was he planning something else? Cloud couldn't figure it out.

"Mr. Strife?" one of the nurses had popped her head in, "there's a gentleman downstairs who says he'd like to visit." Cloud shook his head. It must be Mr. Lockhart. Mr. Lockhart had gotten her to Rocket Town in the first place. He looked at Mom, still sleeping. It couldn't hurt.

"Yes," Cloud said, "I'll see him." He stepped outside.

He felt his blood drain when Sephiroth stepped into the hall.

"Seph..." Cloud trailed off, "What...What're you doing here?"

"I said I'd see you soon," Sephiroth said, "Is your mother okay?"

"She's fine. She's good," Cloud babbled, "surgery went well. But...why did you come here?"

"You said you needed me," Sephiroth said.

"I...I did," Cloud admitted. He realized Sephiroth had a small bouquet of Sunflowers, his Mom's favorites.

"You...you really just came here because I said that," Cloud said.

"Of course," Sephiroth said, "Was that wrong?"

"No," Cloud said, "I just...didn't think there was someone who would do that for me before." A new panic dropped in.

Ma knew about Sephrioth. That they were dating in a way. She hadn't met him though.

Oh gods.

But Sephiroth just reached down and took his hand. He didn't let go through Mom waking up, and the awkward small talk and then Mom declaring she did approve of Sephiroth since he did get her flowers, and her favorites no less.

It meant everything that he was there.

[coeurlwhisker]

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14 Zack x Sephiroth if that's alright with you

Send me a NUMBER & PAIRING and I’ll write a little something.

14. A Sad Kiss

He didn't know what to do.

This wasn't something he could best in battle, or strategize to get around. This was just raw human emotion...something he'd never be good at.

Zack buried his face in his hands. His shoulders jumped with his helpless sobs.

And Sephiroth didn't know what to do. He just knew his heart ached more with every soft, painful noise Zack made.

Zack was always the bold one, always held himself high and confident. He was always so good at hiding pain behind a smile. How could he fix that smile when it was so broken.

How could he fix it when half the time he felt so unsure without seeing that smile.

Zack's breath shuddered harder and some sort of instinct took over. Sephiroth pulled Zack's hands from his face. He held those hands between his own. He didn't try to hush Zack, didn't say a word, just held his hands and stood close.

Zack leaned into him, now sobbing into the crook of his neck. His sobs were nearing to cries. Sephiroth wondered briefly...was this the sound a heart made when it broke?

A new instinct: Sephiroth let go of Zack's hands. One of his hands ran through Zack's hair. The other went around his back. He quietly kissed Zack on his forehead. Zack didn't pull away. He leaned more on Sephiroth, his hands now clutching the back of Sephiroth's coat. Sephiroth kissed him more, hoping that they conveyed the same sadness...but also love.

Sephiroth guided them down to sit. Zack didn't let go and let Sephiroth cushion his fall. Sephiroth said not a word until Zack's crying subsided into gasping breaths. He didn't saw anything until Zack spoke hours later.

But he didn't let go of Zack. He couldn't imagine leaving unless Zack told him outright he wanted to be alone. He would stay even if he didn't know what to do.

He loved Zack too much to do otherwise.

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are you still doing AU prompts asks(?)

if it is still open, could you do mermaid cloud HCs?

1. Merpeople were mostly legends. You could catch a flash of them here and there. The real ones were pretty bloodthirsty. Carnivorous sort of creatures that ate when they could, kind of like sharks. The ShinRa labs had one once and she ate everything they put in with her. She talked some about the other creatures of the sea, it's fellow merpeople. They cared little for what the land creatures did. Mako was hard to harvest from the deep and it dissipated pretty quickly from where it bubbled up from. It was useless to them, as were the land people. Stringy and hard to digest. The mermaid was mostly annoyed to be here.

But she did speak fearfully of one merperson. It lived in a cave. It had some sort of magic. It could grant wishes, whatever you wanted...but it's price was heavy. Heavier than you wanted to pay. If you asked for riches you would lose all you cared for and be left with your money. If you asked for endless mako it would pour from your own body first. If you wished for beauty you would cause wars. Stuff like that. It was best to stay clear.

"Cloud isn't like the rest of us," she said, "Cloud knows too much."

ShinRa brushed off "Cloud" as some sort of legend...but one Soldier heard of Cloud...and couldn't stop thinking.

2. Genesis Rhapsodos was interested in legends. But Cloud, his wishes, the fact he could grant anything at all...it was irresistible. He searched and followed, trying to ask any other merpeople if they knew of "Cloud". Most fled at the sound of his name, but one mermaiden did listen.

"If the thought of Cloud is too far in your mind, then who am I to stop you," she said. She told him where his cave was. That she once sought him out, but he discouraged her and had her go. It was hard to get into at any tide. Rip currents were common and the waves easy to get rough. But it wasn't impossible. Genesis found the cave and managed to slip in.

He wasn't ready for what he saw.

3. Cloud was very handsome...the human half at least. He looked to be a human male. Strong, but wiry if a little short. Then he realized...Cloud was massive. His tail wrapped all around the cave, in and out of the water. Cloud's eyes looked bright and wise beyond any reckoning.

"What is it you want, walker?" Cloud said, "no one comes here on accident."

"I-I wanted a wish," Genesis said.

"You still certain about that?" Cloud asked. Genesis could only nod as Cloud's tail slithered around him, tightening like a noose.

"Are you prepared to pay?" Cloud hissed. Genesis nodded again.

"Then name yours and I'll name mine," Cloud said.

"I want everyone I love to be happy," Genesis said. Cloud blinked at that. Genesis thought of it constantly. Sephiroth wanting to know who he was, who he could be. Angeal wanting to prove he was a good man. Zack wanting to be a hero. They all deserved to know. Cloud slithered down into his pool. It seemed bottomless.

When he returned, he laid a ring in Genesis's hand.

"Wear this and it will come true," Cloud said, "but...betray my price and it will all be undone."

"What's the price?" Genesis asked.

"You said nothing of your own happiness," Cloud said, "so when your friends are satisfied you have to spend the rest of your life here. With me."

4. The magic worked. Almost immediately it worked.

Sephiroth found Vincent Valentine, an ex-Turk in a secret lab...and Vincent told Sephiroth all he needed to know about himself. Sephiroth left ShinRa then and there...and truly smiled for the first time when Genesis saw him next.

Angeal protected Sephiroth. ShinRa tried to have Sephiroth killed off, but Angeal protected him, nearly losing his life in the process. But he did it selflessly, unafraid, almost sacrificing himself.

Zack proved himself a hero. He jumped in to save both Sephiroth and Angeal. The whole thing ended as a spectacle of heroism that ShinRa really couldn't overpower. ShinRa let them go rather than admit defeat. Genesis smiled at his friends embracing each other. He didn't imagine they'd miss him too much.

Cloud was waiting for him. It was exactly 1 month after his wish.

"Satisfied?" Cloud asked. Genesis just nodded.

"Just thought I'd uphold my wedding vows," Genesis said holding up his ring.

5. Cloud's home was dreary and dark. It stayed mostly dry at high tide, though the floor did get soaked. A lot of rubbish washed it, but so did a lot of treasure. Genesis found he did enjoy sorting through it. Even getting a decent wardrobe from a sealed crate once. Cloud was never vicious towards him, he ate from something down in his hole...but he was a carnivore if his teeth said anything.

But Cloud himself wasn't cruel. He was very smart, and admitted he was very old. He was trapped here though. He could not swim back out, he was trapped in this hole. He didn't even remember how he got trapped in it. He could recite poetry from the greats, even Loveless and had a biting humor that Genesis was growing to like. But Genesis did miss the world.

He missed his friends.

"Why was this my price," Genesis asked one day.

"You were the first wish I had that wasn't for yourself," Cloud said, "I thought you would do it." That was fair enough. Cloud admitted he missed things too. He missed the sun, the moon, the reefs, the open sea stretching forever. They were just vague memories now. Just a dream.

Then one day there was a visitor to the cave. Three to be more precise. Angeal, Sephiroth, and Zack appeared in the cave. They did miss him, they had tracked him for months now. There was sadness in their eyes. They asked him to come with them.

Genesis looked back at Cloud now, Cloud with just his eyes peering out of his hole.

"Do you want to see the sun?" Genesis asked.

6. All 4 had to carry him. He was a massive weight, but Cloud could be carried. Genesis took the lead holding Cloud's torso in his arms.

"Does this technically hold the bargain?" he asked.

"Yes," Cloud said, "though...I didn't imagine this happening.

"Your tail is beautiful!" Zack exclaimed, as the other three slipped and slid trying to hold it, "It's got so many colors." Cloud never knew. He hadn't seen it all laid out in so long.

It was the hardest challenge of their lives, but they all did it. Sephiroth, Angeal, and Zack out of a debt of gratitude to Cloud and love for their friend. Genesis out of a love for Cloud.

It was worth it when Cloud gasped at the mouth of his cave. He wasn't looking out at the sea though, he was looking at Genesis.

"You're beautiful," Cloud said, touching him gently as if Cloud could really see him for the first time.

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An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

Sephiroth Week Day 7: Redemption

Summary: In the "Holding Tight" Universe, Tifa learns to trust Sephiroth

Holding Tight

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Upside’s Sefikura Week 2021

I had a great time this week and thanks to everyone who read along with me. If you’re looking for a compilation of all my fic’s this week, you found the right post

Day 1: Meeting in Another World -- Reap and Sow

Day 2: New Beginnings -- Chickbos and Pepper Poppers

Day 3: Puppet -- And then there was (were) one (two) (tw: violence)

Day 4: Free Day -- Fun and Games (YAWYE Ch 5)

Day 5: Gloves -- Change the Stars

Day 6: Hanahaki -- Roses and Violets (tw: blood)

Day 7: Cloud’s Cluttered Castle