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skerenTitle: Strings
Fandom: FF7
Characters: Sephiroth/Cloud, Aeris
Rating: R
Words: 686
Note: There is a death in here, so tread carefully.
Summary: If Sephiroth had tugged his puppet strings just a little differently...
Twisting his blade so that the flat of it was parallel to the ground, he let a slow smile slip over his face, his glowing bright blue eyes looking sideways and up to the figure at his side and just behind him where he'd been watching. He knew he'd done well this time. He could feel the perfect clarity of the concept reverberating to his core.
There was blood, of course, but there was always blood in these endeavors, the exertion enough to make his body tingle as the burn curled through every pore of his body. He'd listened, and he'd succeeded. The reflection of the deep satisfaction was visible in the eyes of his watcher, though that might have been because he hadn't failed…
It was so strange to not fail. To be no failure. Almost dizzying in fact.
He hadn't remembered being a failure for the longest time, of course, not until just a few moments before, with that snap in his reality… but that was of no relevance now. He would fail no more, and all he had to do was listen.
Twisting the huge blade in his hands and feeling positively giddy, he swept his gaze over to the other. The one watching. He registered the shock there, the tears on the woman's face. Aeris had her mouth covered with both hands, eyes wide, and he felt something ache in his chest for that.
She had to understand this was for his own betterment. She couldn't begrudge someone improving, becoming something better than they were. He understood now that nobody had the right to do that.
For her, he smiled, his own smile, small and edged in something he didn't even realize.
Swinging the blade around once to bring it behind him, he snapped it to match the magnet at his spine and started to walk backwards, away from the crumpled form at his feet.
"Don't worry Aeris." He shook his head, reaching out to his side, asking, and the one that only he'd known was there moved forward, took the hand as the other hand rested at his waist. He knew the feline gaze was only for him. At the moment at least. "She's in a better place."
If anything, Aeris looked more stunned. Had she really thought it was only the three of them here? When had they ever honestly been alone? The look only lasted a flicker of a second before her resolve seemed to firm up, steps quickly ringing her towards him, towards Tifa as she extended a hand to him, as though try to reel him in. Asking him to except the lifeline she was offering. "Cloud… Cloud, no."
"No? I… I'm sorry Aeris." He shook his head, pausing as he felt the hands on him tighten. There was no room to regret this, and she needed to understand. He knew they'd both cared about the other woman but there was nothing that could be done for her now. He couldn't let it phase him now, not when he was so close. "It doesn't work like that."
A whisper in his mind stopped him from continuing, from trying to explain how he needed this, needed to listen and learn what he really was. To finally find out how to really be happy instead of pretending. Move with me.
The words, such a lure and so very calming, reassured him that this was the right course of action. When the man pushed off, it was so simple to echo him, weightless. "Goodbye Aeris."
"Cloud!" She broke into a run, but she wasn't going to be able to catch them, and they could all see it.
"I'll miss you."
Her eyes were stricken, and he left her alone with their dead friend. The death wasn't important. It couldn't be important. Not in the face of having done something right and having made someone he'd admired so very long happy with him.
Remembering reasons why that was bad was pointless, so instead he closed his eyes, sinking into the warm satin of the other man's control. His will.
His future.
Fandom: FF7
Characters: Sephiroth/Cloud, Aeris
Rating: R
Words: 686
Note: There is a death in here, so tread carefully.
Summary: If Sephiroth had tugged his puppet strings just a little differently...
Twisting his blade so that the flat of it was parallel to the ground, he let a slow smile slip over his face, his glowing bright blue eyes looking sideways and up to the figure at his side and just behind him where he'd been watching. He knew he'd done well this time. He could feel the perfect clarity of the concept reverberating to his core.
There was blood, of course, but there was always blood in these endeavors, the exertion enough to make his body tingle as the burn curled through every pore of his body. He'd listened, and he'd succeeded. The reflection of the deep satisfaction was visible in the eyes of his watcher, though that might have been because he hadn't failed…
It was so strange to not fail. To be no failure. Almost dizzying in fact.
He hadn't remembered being a failure for the longest time, of course, not until just a few moments before, with that snap in his reality… but that was of no relevance now. He would fail no more, and all he had to do was listen.
Twisting the huge blade in his hands and feeling positively giddy, he swept his gaze over to the other. The one watching. He registered the shock there, the tears on the woman's face. Aeris had her mouth covered with both hands, eyes wide, and he felt something ache in his chest for that.
She had to understand this was for his own betterment. She couldn't begrudge someone improving, becoming something better than they were. He understood now that nobody had the right to do that.
For her, he smiled, his own smile, small and edged in something he didn't even realize.
Swinging the blade around once to bring it behind him, he snapped it to match the magnet at his spine and started to walk backwards, away from the crumpled form at his feet.
"Don't worry Aeris." He shook his head, reaching out to his side, asking, and the one that only he'd known was there moved forward, took the hand as the other hand rested at his waist. He knew the feline gaze was only for him. At the moment at least. "She's in a better place."
If anything, Aeris looked more stunned. Had she really thought it was only the three of them here? When had they ever honestly been alone? The look only lasted a flicker of a second before her resolve seemed to firm up, steps quickly ringing her towards him, towards Tifa as she extended a hand to him, as though try to reel him in. Asking him to except the lifeline she was offering. "Cloud… Cloud, no."
"No? I… I'm sorry Aeris." He shook his head, pausing as he felt the hands on him tighten. There was no room to regret this, and she needed to understand. He knew they'd both cared about the other woman but there was nothing that could be done for her now. He couldn't let it phase him now, not when he was so close. "It doesn't work like that."
A whisper in his mind stopped him from continuing, from trying to explain how he needed this, needed to listen and learn what he really was. To finally find out how to really be happy instead of pretending. Move with me.
The words, such a lure and so very calming, reassured him that this was the right course of action. When the man pushed off, it was so simple to echo him, weightless. "Goodbye Aeris."
"Cloud!" She broke into a run, but she wasn't going to be able to catch them, and they could all see it.
"I'll miss you."
Her eyes were stricken, and he left her alone with their dead friend. The death wasn't important. It couldn't be important. Not in the face of having done something right and having made someone he'd admired so very long happy with him.
Remembering reasons why that was bad was pointless, so instead he closed his eyes, sinking into the warm satin of the other man's control. His will.
His future.