Was walled by a huge spell of writer’s block Dhdhdhdh, but was just as determined to get at least one prompt done for the lovely @crylin’s SephZack event!! 😂💙💚 I’ma day late ahhhh, but better late than never!~
Day 1: Board Games/Video Games/Smiles & Laughter
~
“…Are you sure you wanna do this?”
Sephiroth hummed, a feathery sweep of silver against his rumbling throat. “Are you sure I shouldn’t be asking the same question of you?”
“It’s not too late to back out, pal.”
“My mind is set.”
“You don’t have to embarrass yourself.”
“Oh, there will be no embarrassment.”
“Yeah? I don’t think you know what you’re getting into then.”
“I’m well aware.”
“Are ya sure? ‘Cause these are my stomping grounds, bud.”
“Mnnhmm… is that so?”
“I don’t think you get it, bud.”
“Oh, I understand it quite well.”
“This is my Gongaga.”
“And?”
“And ain’t nothing beats me in Gongaga.”
“Mnnhmm, is that so? Because I recall something about—what was it?—you turning into an amphibian every time you wandered into the jungle?”
“Yeah, but I never got lost.”
“…Meaning?”
"Meaning there’s no way I’m losing here!”
Sephiroth’s smirk bloomed, the sheltered shape unfurling into an unmissable curve of the lips. “Hmph… Such confidence.” He folded his arms, head canting, honey-gold lamplight splashing against those fine rivers of mercury. “I wonder how long it’ll last.”
“Oh! Okay! Okay, okay, okay!” Zack broke into a swell of chuckles, young and spirited. “I see you, bud.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You’re smirking so clearly right now.”
“Mnnhmm. I’m as calm as an oyster.”
“That is not the expression, bud.”
“Whatever…” The rich ripples of laughter bobbing through his voice, Sephiroth shook his head, feline knives honing to competitive slits as they locked eyes once more. “Let us begin the massacre.”
“Where you die?”
“Heh… Come and try, Fair.”
“Alllright! You asked for it!” Zack’s eyes flared with challenge, bare hands plunging into the sea of board games on the coffee table as, drumming his fingers against the chosen box, he fished out their first course—a thin, white box constellated with multicolored circles, stamped with cartoons of hands and feet.
A silver brow arched.
“…’Twister’?” Sephiroth hummed, intrigued, squinting at the splintered red font on the packaging. “Mnnhmm… Peculiar choice.”
Zack smirked. “You ever hear of it?”
“Vaguely, yes. From the younger recruits.”
”Sweet,” Zack chirped. “Then ya know it’s nothing like chess.”
“Oh… I’m aware.”
Smiling at this, Zack bounced the box on his lap, a flash of milky teeth against the charged apparent air. “You ready for that game night massacre, then, bud?”
—into a pair of strong arms, the warm leather net catching Zack before he could make impact, before he could crumble from his spider-like pose and into the cold, unwelcoming plastic below.
He blinked against Sephiroth’s shoulder.
“…Oops.”
“Are you alright?” Sephiroth guided his friend back to a stand, the mat crinkling underfoot, sacrificing his own pretzel position as he scanned for any cuts or bruises or discomfort. “Did you pull something?”
Once purchased on the floorboards, Zack immediately went to the street, the knotted muscles popping like kernels behind his head. “…Don’t think so, nah.” He tossed his pal a grateful grin. “Thanks, though, bud. Good catch.”
Sephiroth nodded in acknowledgment. “Would you like to play again?”
Zack dropped his hands. “Naw, you totally crushed me. Twister round is yours.”
Convinced that his friend was alright, Sephiroth allowed himself a small bout of triumph. “Heh…” he grunted, proud. “I didn’t believe I would win there.”
“Yeah?” Zack reached for his toes, fingers waggling against mismatched socks. “That so?”
“Mmmhmn. A Touch-Me expert connoisseur who squats on the daily makes for quite the challenge.”
Zack couldn’t help but laugh, straightening again in a fluid jolt. “Dawww,” he beamed. “Glad I wasn’t a complete goof, nearly stumbling into the table and whatnot.” He nodded at said coffee table, acknowledging those bladed corners. “Prolllllyyy should have placed the mat further away, huh? That was an oops.”
Nodding in acknowledgment, Sephiroth followed Zack’s gaze to the coffee table, a swell of gratitude ballooning in his chest as he fully digested Zack’s safety.
“…Probably.”
Zack rubbed his neck, smiling sheepishly. “Bet you even could’ve gone even longer without me slipping up, too. Sorry ‘bout that…”
It wasn’t even a heartbeat later, however, that Sephiroth’s hand descended onto his shoulder, a firm and familiar weight.
There wasn’t an ember of competitiveness in his voice.
“…Come now. You know I would lose a million competitions if it meant ensuring your safety.” There was a flicker of shadow, a brief eclipse in his celestial eyes. “That was my biggest mistake, prioritizing a mere victory over… everything else. Everyone else. Over and over again.” He bit his lip, released it, and tightened his hold on Zack’s unscathed shoulder. “…And I will never let that mistake hurt you.”
Beneath his touch, Zack’s heart both swelled and shriveled, the unspoken threads effortlessly weaving together into a sharp, sticky web of understanding.
It was so easy to get tangled in it.
“…Hey.” With a quiet smile, Zack clasped his hand over his friend's, offering his own loving squeeze. “I know you won’t, bud. You’d never let it hurt anyone.”
And they stayed like that, side-by-side, time passing in nebulous swathes, a backdrop of rain pattering against the gentle silence.
It was broken only by a deep, cleansing sigh.
“…Thank you, Zack.”
His heart relaxing, Zack returned a warm and steady smile, the phantom threads fading into a soft, breathable calm between them.
“…I got you, bud,” he said, giving Sephiroth’s hand another good squeeze before, recentering their game night, he let go and asked: “You ready to move onto the next game?”
A new gust of warmth breathed into the air, Sephiroth’s smirk resurfaced. “Heh… and what would that be?”
“Trivviaaa!~”
That much rekindled the fire in Sephiroth’s eyes, regulating his hubris to a controlled and casual flame. “Mmhmm. And you think you’ll have better luck with that?”
Zack was already bounding back to the coffee table, scooping up a yellow box that rattled with plastic and cards. “Unless you know modern flicks and video games, I think this one is mine.”
Sephiroth huffed, gliding across the den to join his best friend. “You’d be surprised.”
“Yeah? You know about Poképals and stuff?”
“Mnnhmm. I know there are eighteen types and over one thousand creatures.”
Zack’s eyes widened, stars glimmering in the sapphire ponds. “Yeah? Where’d ya learn that?”
“You.”
Chuckling, Sephiroth eased himself back onto a chair, the sofa cushions quaking as Zack threw himself atop those slaty squares, his smile alight with the same tame blaze that burned on Sephiroth’s own.
“Alllright! Game night: round two—Seph, one; Zack, zero. Let’s do this…!”
