#and Cloud’s mind is half with Zack and half his own | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

humanitys-strongest-bamf · 9 months

Text

"get me a damned matcha" | Chapter 16: September II

{{ Chapter 15: August II | Chapter 17: October II }} Chapter Directory

this is honestly my fave chapter tbh, i've had it written since may

if you wanna get tagged for updates, fill out this form here!

✧ pairing ➼ levi ackerman x fem!reader, college x coffee shop x roommates!au ✧ summary ➼ After you find yourself plagued with misfortune due to struggles in your personal and family life, you find yourself needing to move last minute. As a junior in undergrad with little money and little social support, you considered yourself lucky when you found a sublease that was close to campus and was relatively cheap. Unfortunately, it seemed that your roommate did not seem to be so excited regarding your presence. ✧ content/warnings ➼ fluff, slowburn, mutual pining, idiots in love, car accident, explicit descriptions of injury, blood, explicit descriptions of panic, explicit descriptions of being overstimulated (in a bad way) ✧ word count ➼ ~6.3k

The events of the past month went unaddressed. Although part of it was due to the two of you avoiding each other, the biggest reason was simply because you were out of town. Paradis University had enrolled in an annual conference for aspiring authors to attend in their junior or senior year. You didn't make it in last year because of the chaos surrounding Zack and moving, so you dropped everything to make sure you were able to go this year to get some networking under your belt.

This resulted in Levi coming home to an empty apartment for the past week. Once again, he found himself feeling defeated whenever he went home and was reminded that you weren't going to be there for the night. He remembered that when you first moved in, he couldn't wait to get rid of you. Now, not having you around felt wrong, as if he was missing a constant in his life.

Being left to his own thoughts whenever he was at home forced him to try to process what had happened two weeks ago. He remembered being in shambles after half of his work that was saved remotely on his computer in lab went down in flames, which would push him back at least another year in terms of graduating. He remembered coming home to see that you had been sitting at the dining table all day, waiting for him. He remembered you hugging him—which was more than enough to throw him into a state of shock (the last time you had hugged him was when you were horrifically drunk)—before kissing him.

He had kissed you back.

He knew that. What he didn't know was what this meant. Was it just emotions running high? The whole incident seemed so blurred to him and you just never addressed it afterwards. Not having you around to talk about it was even worse, although he wasn't even sure if he wanted to bring it up. It could've just been a mistake that you two could forget ever happened.

Levi sighed to himself, scowling at the freshly brewed batch of tea that he had restocked to prepare for the evening rush of customers. The sun had just gone down and ominous clouds were beginning to cover the sky. That translated to more people taking shelter in the café, which meant more work for him.

Good, it'd at least take his mind off of you, although his eyebrows furrowed as he wondered when you'll arrive home, given the incoming storm. He knew it didn't matter in the end. He'd be up regardless. The real question was if that shared kiss was worth bringing up.

As he pondered over if he wanted to subject himself to that conversation, he was distracted by the buzzing of his phone in his pocket. He pulled out his phone and saw that it was Marlo calling.

What the hell does that kid want?

He pressed the answer button and brought his phone up to his ear.

"What?" Levi asked in an irritated fashion. "I thought you didn't get back until tomorrow."

Levi's facial expression quickly transitioned from an irate one to a horrified one as Marlo quickly spoke to him over the phone. The young man was talking so fast that it was nearly incomprehensible, with clear panic present in his voice, which was further muffled by the sound of the wind coming through the phone, which indicated that he was outside.

As soon as Marlo said the words "car accident", Levi's eyes widened and his face drained of color.

You and Marlo were carpooling to and from the conference together.

"I know you're roommates and I didn't know who else to call," Marlo continued to speak as Levi remained silent. "_____'s unconscious and I can't get her to wake up and I don't even know if she's breathing and-"

"What the fuck are you calling me for?" Levi said in a monotonous tone. "Call the ambulance already, you idiot."

Levi began to walk towards the staff locker room, untying his apron as he continued to speak into the phone.

"I'll be there in ten."

He hung up the phone and momentarily looked at the call log that popped up, with his eyes out of focus, indicating that he wasn't actually processing what it was that was on the screen. Levi stood still in front of his locker for a while, unable to put his phone down or put his apron away, being completely paralyzed at the situation that had just been dropped onto him.

"Shit," he muttered to himself, pulling himself out of his stupor.

Suddenly feeling an incredible sense of urgency, Levi threw his apron into his locker, grabbed his wallet and car keys and rushed out of the café towards his own car.

~~~~~

Focusing on the road felt impossible. The storm had come down in full force, limiting the visibility of the road, and Levi couldn't get his own heart rate to calm down. He had told Marlo that he'd get there in ten minutes, but it became closer to twenty due to the storm. If Marlo was telling the truth in that he didn't know if you were breathing, Levi could be much too late by the time he arrived.

He continued to curse at himself as more and more time passed. He had foolishly been wondering if he wanted to bring up something as innocent as a kiss once you got home when you had actually been in a car crash that could possibly take your life. It felt trivial to be stressed over something as small as a kiss. He gripped at the steering wheel upon realizing that, depending on your state once he found you, addressing whatever was going on between the two of you might not be a reality. He could be too late.

He wouldn't have the chance to explore that with you, instead only being left with a sense of regret for not bringing it up sooner.

His eyes that were fixated on the road darted around his field of vision, keeping an eye out for the red and blue flashing lights that indicated the presence of an ambulance. He felt his breathing begin to destabilize the longer he drove without the siren of an ambulance in the distance.

Maybe they had already gotten to you and were on their way with you to the hospital. That would be the best case scenario.

His heart dropped once he arrived at the location that Marlo had sent him. No ambulance had arrived. Marlo's totaled car had its emergency blinkers on and Levi could see that there were parts from the front bumper strewn about the ground. The main frame of the car was completely bent in and the passenger side of the car was caved in.

Levi immediately turned on his own blinkers and got out of the car, holding his hand over his head in an attempt to at least keep the rainwater out of his eyes as he sprinted over to Marlo.

Marlo himself seemed fine, save for a few scratches, but he definitely looked panicked.

Levi felt his panic and anxiety only continue to increase as his eyes searched for where you were, his eyes immediately snapping to the passenger's seat once Marlo pointed out where you were.

Marlo was saying something, but none of it was processed by Levi as he stumbled through the wreckage to get to where you were. Once he finally reached the door, he tugged on it to pry it open after it had gotten stuck due to the main frame of the car caving in.

He let out a sharp exhale once he saw you.

Your side of the car had gotten directly hit and your airbag had failed to pop out. You were leaning forward with your head against the dash, your arm was bent at an odd angle, and blood was gushing out of your nose and down your face from a wound that Levi couldn't begin to attempt to identify.

He could tell that you weren't hurt anywhere else. None of your chest and abdominal regions seemed to have been punctured and weren't bleeding, but he had no idea how bad your head injury was. He could understand why Marlo had panicked.

Shit.

He wasn't processing anything around him. He didn't feel the rain falling on him, hear the thunder crashing above him, or even see anything that wasn't the sight of you leaning forward in that car after having smashed your head against the dashboard. Panic only continued to build in his gut and it took everything in him to pull himself back into reality.

"Shit," he said out loud as he pulled out his phone, shakily dialing for the ambulance again.

After placing his phone back into his pocket, he leaned forward and stepped over some of the debris and placed one hand on the nape of your neck and used the other to gently push you away from the dash, his breath getting caught in his throat once he saw your head bob to the side. He got a closer look at your arm and was able to deduce that your arm was certainly broken, but he still had no idea how bad your head injury actually was. There was certainly more blood dripping down your face than he had initially expected.

"_____?" he called for you, raising his voice so that you would be able to hear him over the pouring rain.

You didn't stir, but he was now close enough that he could see your chest rise and fall. You were still breathing. That at least meant you were still alive.

He felt himself exhale in relief at that one positive fact amongst the ocean of negatives around him.

Levi gently shook at your shoulder in a vain attempt to wake you.

Open your eyes. Come on, _____, open your fucking eyes.

You weren't waking.

"_____!" he called out again, feeling his breath hitch as he saw the extent that you were continuing to bleed from your head wound.

Knowing that you weren't going to wake, he looped one arm under your legs and the other around your shoulders, propping your head up against his chest as he lifted you out of the car. He glanced down at the blood on your face that was mixing in with the rain water and he felt his own heart rate only continue to rise. His shirt was soaked in the mixture that was your blood and the rain water falling down on him. Your hair was matted and stuck to your head from the bleeding.

The worst part was that there was still no sign of an approaching ambulance.

"Fuck!" he yelled out.

He immediately turned around and began carrying you back to his car.

"Stay here so you can report what happened when the police decide to actually get their asses here," he spoke to Marlo as he walked past him. "Keep me updated."

Levi slowly lowered your legs down to free his hand to open up the passenger side door for you, taking care to not put too much pressure on your broken arm. He reclined the seat all the way back and then lifted you into the seat, immediately rushing to the driver's side once you were secure.

He immediately turned on the engine and drove off as soon as he shut the driver's door, desperately trying to deduce the fastest route to the hospital. The last time he drove around in this state was when he had gone looking for you during the New Year's Eve party. The exact scenario that was happening in front of him—finding you injured, in trouble, or hurt—kept playing through his head during that night. Relief fell upon him when that reality didn't come to fruition.

That sense of relief felt stupid now.

"You better stay with me, you goddamned brat," he mumbled as he glanced over at you, his grip on the steering wheel tightening as he pressed down on the gas pedal to speed his way over to the hospital as quickly as he could.

~~~~~

He couldn't tell if the wetness was from the blood or rainwater. He had taken off his jacket that was drenched in rainwater (or blood, he couldn't tell).

Levi currently stared at himself in the mirror of one of the private bathrooms in the hospital. He didn't want to wander into a public one in the state that he was in.

He was absolutely filthy. His hands, arms, and shirt were covered in blood. He had spent the past five minutes desperately trying to wash away the blood on his hands and arms, but he couldn't get all of it off. Even if he could, it would do little to ease his distress. He had continued to scrub harder and harder in a vain attempt to not only wash off the blood, but also the stupidly uncomfortable feeling that was building in his chest and throat upon seeing your blood that had dried onto him.

He had scrubbed until his arms were raw, yet the blood stains were still there and his distress had not shown any signs of dissipating.

Fuck!

He gripped at the sink and tightly shut his eyes. Everything was setting his senses on overdrive. His eyes hurt from the bright hospital lights, his skin hurt from the scrubbing and the feeling of his wet clothes clinging onto him, his head hurt from hearing the whirring of the ventilation above him and from the smell of hospital cleaners permeating his nose. He felt nauseated and wanted to throw up. He couldn't stop his shaking. Every breath he took felt like he was inhaling fire. Even the loose strands of hair that rested upon his forehead felt like they were stabbing into him.

He had rushed you into the emergency room as soon as he had arrived and felt both a sense of relief and dread once they took you away. He was relieved that you were finally getting help, but also hated not being by your side. He had no idea if you were going to be okay. You were breathing and alive, sure, but he had no idea if you would wake and what state you would be in when you woke.

He felt so stupid for holding back on discussing any of the intimate emotions that arose when he was around you, and even moreso when he recalled the fact that he had tried to push you away. He still didn't know what it was, but he knew it was something—and now he might never get the chance to figure out what that something was.

Levi slowly opened his eyes again and looked at his reflection. He really was a mess. He took a shaky inhale in an attempt to calm himself down. He couldn't last the night in this state and he needed to be by you when you woke up—if you woke up.

He felt his breathing destabilize again upon having that thought.

Shit, get yourself together.

He tried again to take a breath in.

Breath in for four.

Hold for four.

Out for four.

Hold for four.

After a few more rounds of box-breathing, Levi was finally able to loosen his grip on the sink. He felt weak and his lips looked pale. He hadn't eaten anything since the afternoon before he left for his shift and it was now approaching 10pm, but he knew that he wouldn't be able to keep anything down until he knew if you were okay.

He slowly walked out of the bathroom, silently thanking the heavens that the waiting room was mostly empty. He didn't know how well he'd be able to cope with people walking around and talking next to him. Every additional sound was only contributing to his headache.

Levi collapsed into one of the chairs that was close to the operating room so he could be prepared when someone came out to inform him of your condition. One hand was rapidly tapping on the armrest of the chair and he found himself biting at his nails on the other—something he's never found himself to do. He only recalled resorting to it in an attempt to calm his anxiety down once—when he was waiting to hear back about his mother before she passed.

He remembered calling the ambulance when his mother had fainted after weeks of being sick and weak, kneeling next to her as the ambulance took much too long to arrive at his home. He remembered sitting in the waiting room of the hospital, regularly going up to the front desk asking if she was going to be okay. She wasn't.

He was only eight at the time—and here he was, nearly 15 years later, feeling like he had regressed back into the body of that small child that kept on begging to himself that his mother had survived and being devastated when she didn't. He didn't know if he could go through that again.

Every second that passed was agonizing. He needed to know. He wouldn't be able to rest until he knew. Part of him wanted to just assume that you were dead so that he wouldn't be as devastated when they delivered bad news, but that itself was already too painful for him to bear.

After what felt like an eternity, he finally heard footsteps approaching from the operating room.

"Mr...Ackerman, was it?" someone spoke as they flipped through some papers on a clipboard.

Levi's eyes shot up at the doctor that had approached him.

"Y-Y..." Levi began speaking and found that his words weren't coming out properly, immediately clearing his throat to gather himself. "Yes."

The doctor looked at him and then back to the forms that had your information listed on it.

"Are you her boyfriend, I assume? She had you listed as her emergency contact."

"What?" Levi asked, his eyes widening at both the fact that you had listed him as your emergency contact and at the doctor's somewhat absurd question. "No, I'm her roommate."

The doctor noticed his reaction.

"My mistake," they said, lowering the clipboard. "She just didn't have anyone else listed, so I assumed. That's my bad."

Levi had known about what happened with your parents and your turbulent relationship with your aunt, so he wasn't too surprised at the fact that you had listed him as your emergency contact. However, he would have assumed that you would have put Petra or Oluo instead of him. If he wasn't so freaked out about this entire situation, he might have even felt flattered.

Levi listened closely as the doctor discussed your injuries with him. He was correct in that you had a broken arm, the doctor had mentioned that it had been fractured in the accident, but should heal in a month as long as you didn't injure it again. You had a sprained ankle that should heal within a week. The most concerning injury was your head injury. The doctor mentioned that they did a CT scan and said that you had a "mild traumatic brain injury", which immediately caused Levi to tense up.

"Fortunately, it was mild enough that she should have a speedy recovery and doesn't need to be held here for prolonged observation, but I would suggest the two of you be on the lookout for any developments."

Levi nodded as the doctor spoke, feeling himself able to gradually calm down after the doctor only listed non-fatal injuries. You were going to be okay.

"We'll probably keep her until the morning when she wakes so we can do a mental status exam, but she should be good to go home afterwards."

Levi sat back down in the chair again once the doctor walked off, holding his head in his hand. The sudden wave of relief that overtook him was almost as bad as the distress that he had been feeling for the past few hours.

Thank fuck you're okay, you annoying ass brat.

~~~~~

The last thing you remembered was the blaring horn of a pickup truck that had slammed into your side of the car. There was nothing after that.

Your head felt like it was trying to explode from the inside out. It made it so that you felt nauseated and even attempting to open your eyes seemed to prolong the pain. There was an annoyingly persistent beeping sound next to you that made it feel like there was a hammer pounding at your head every time you heard it.

Your arm felt even worse. You felt like you had gotten punched in the shoulder, except the pain radiated throughout your entire arm. You tried to lift it to maybe stretch it out to normalize the pain, but even your slight movement made a surge of pain shoot through you in such an intense wave that you wanted to cry.

You finally peeled your eyes open and found yourself staring at the ceiling of an unfamiliar room. You weren't in your room. You weren't in your living room. You had no idea where you were. You looked down and saw a pulse oximeter attached to your left index finger and that your right arm was tightly held in a cast.

Your eyes widened and you looked over to the side at a sight that was definitely unfamiliar to you.

You saw Levi sitting at the side of your bed, looking down at the ground with a grim expression. You looked towards your night stand and saw three empty coffee cups, indicating that he had literally stayed up all night watching over you.

He suddenly raised his head as he heard you shuffling around, taking a deep breath once he saw your eyes looking back at him.

He scoffed as he shook his head at you.

"About fucking time," he said in an annoyed tone.

You couldn't see it, but his nails had been digging into his hands for the majority of the night, and it wasn't until now that he had been able to release his clenched fists. The events of the past 12 hours had put him in a state that he hasn't experienced since childhood.

He saw you try to push yourself up and he immediately stood up, placing his hand on your back to help push you up so that you were sitting.

Your cheeks flushed up as soon as he came over to you and even more so when he placed his hand on your back. He was being oddly caring and it made you suspicious.

"Lev', where are we? What happened?"

Levi sat back down once you were up and stable.

"You were in a car accident, _____."

Your eyes went in and out of focus as you listened to Levi explain everything that had happened the previous night. He spoke about how he found you unconscious in the middle of the storm and had to drive you to the hospital himself. When you looked at him again, you saw that his shirt and pants were stained in red, which you deduced to be your own blood.

He had been here literally all night.

"And that's why I had to spend all night dragging your ass to the hospital," he finally ended and you grimaced at the irritation that you could hear in his voice. He was mad. You could tell that he was mad.

"...I'm sorry," you said, which earned you a bewildered look from Levi.

What the hell are you apologizing for? he thought.

"I'm sorry you had to go out of your way for that."

Levi scoffed and shook his head.

"You're such a dumbass."

"What?" you asked, unsure what he was referring to.

"Nothing," he said as he stood up. "I'm going to grab the doctor since you finally decided to wake up. Don't move."

"Not like I can move anyway."

Levi grunted as he turned away and walked out the door, the corner of his mouth twitching up slightly into a small smirk. The presence of your normally irritating sass indicated that you were okay and for the most part functional, which was all that mattered to him in this moment.

~~~~~

After being observed for 24 hours at the hospital, you were finally discharged and able to go home. The biggest concern was your head injury, so once it became clear that you didn't have a concussion, the doctor said that you were good to go, but to also keep an eye out for any signs that might reappear once you get home and to come back if they do.

Levi walked closely behind you as you navigated your way down the hall towards the door to your apartment on crutches. You were technically able to walk, but were told not to until your ankle healed.

He stepped forward to unlock and open the door for you and you immediately went for the kitchen table, collapsing down into one of the chairs, letting out an exasperated sigh. Everything was shit right now. You had a sprained ankle and a broken arm, and this was the first time you had been home in a week.

You weren't sure when, but your life living in this small apartment with Levi had quickly become somewhere you considered to be home.

"You'll let me know if you start feeling dizzy or any of that, yeah?" Levi asked, taking a seat next to you.

Although you were here in front of him now, he felt like his body still hadn't fully processed what had happened. He remembered just how panicked he was when he was waiting at the hospital and he still felt like there was another shoe that was going to be dropped. Something was going to happen where you fell and hurt yourself again or a symptom indicating a concussion would appear when he wasn't around to help you. He couldn't help but feel that he was still holding his breath for whatever follow-up disaster was going to occur.

You nodded, shutting one eye in pain as you tried to adjust yourself in the chair. Your entire body still ached and you knew you needed to move or at least do something to distract yourself from it.

"Where's my laptop?" you asked, opening your eye again.

Levi raised an eyebrow at you.

"Are you seriously thinking of doing work the day you get out of the hospital?"

"Where is my laptop?" you repeated, not being in the mood to suffer through Levi's attitude.

Levi sighed and leaned back in the chair.

"Marlo is coming to drop it off along with the rest of your things later tonight."

He frowned as he saw you tense up at his comment.

"How the hell am I supposed to catch up on my work-"

"Are you serious?" Levi snapped, cutting you off. "You're so stupid."

Your tenacity and stubbornness never failed to impress him. You literally had a life-or-death scenario and you were sitting in your kitchen worrying about missed schoolwork.

His eyes darted over to you as he saw an offended look appear on your face. He immediately looked away, an uncomfortable feeling growing in his chest at the thought of hurting you.

Since when did he start caring so damn much about that?

"Get your ass on the couch and rest," he said, motioning over towards the living room before getting up. "I'll get you something to eat that's not the shitty hospital food."

~~~~~

The next 2-3 weeks primarily involved Levi helping you adjust to and heal from your injuries, which involved helping you in and out of bed, bringing you food, and generally helping you move around. He'd wake you up each morning with your coconut milk Matcha without fail, bringing a small smile to your face every time you took a sip.

After 3 weeks, you were able to take your arm out of the outer casing to move your shoulder around, but you still had to be careful to not move it too far or too quickly to avoid reinjuring it. Any symptoms of a possible concussion had long faded and moving your ankle became easier with each passing day.

If you had to choose, the most annoying part was your inability to write. You remembered a point roughly a week after you came home, in which you were sitting in the living room with your bad leg propped up and your laptop sitting in your lap. Levi had been consistently telling you to cut it out whenever you tried to push yourself regarding school, which was made even worse given the fact that you could only type with one hand, significantly slowing you down.

You couldn't afford to be out of commission for a whole month. You sat in front of your computer, desperate for words to come out, and frustrated beyond belief at how slow your typing became due to your right arm being dysfunctional. You quietly groaned as you rubbed your head in pain. You needed more caffeine, and you were already past your third cup of coffee for the day.

"_____," you heard Levi call out from the dining area.

You didn't acknowledge him, only continuing to stare at your laptop screen as you tried to type as quickly as you could with your left hand.

You heard him sigh as he walked over and took your laptop from you, setting it down on the coffee table.

"Cut it out," he said before you could protest, referring to you constantly pushing yourself past your limits when you were still trying to heal. "I'm sick of having to tell you this shit."

You knew that he was right. You couldn't realistically get any work done with the state that you were in, but you didn't want to just lay around either.

With the more days that passed, the more you became frustrated with your inability to take care of yourself that was compounded by Levi essentially hovering over you to make sure that you were okay. It was obnoxious and you relished any time you could actually have to yourself without your overbearing roommate watching your every move.

You currently found yourself laying in bed, glancing at the small ray of sunshine that peaked in through the curtains. You needed to get out of the house. You had been cooped in all week. While you were still supposed to be using your crutches, walking had gotten a bit less painful, which gave you hope that you could maybe go for a "walk" down the street.

You pushed yourself up off the bed, swinging your legs over the side, careful not to put too much pressure on your barely healed arm.

However, the unfortunate timing of when you pushed yourself up versus when you swung your legs over clashed with each other and you felt your bad ankle get caught in the blanket right as you moved. The sudden surge of pain briefly made you disoriented, which was more than enough to send you tumbling to the ground.

You whimpered in pain as you landed on your left shoulder (which was not the injured one, thankfully). Landing on your side also meant that you avoided hitting your head on anything. A dull ache radiated throughout your body as you rolled over onto your back. Every movement you made sent another wave of pain through you, which elicited more quiet groans of pain from you.

You tried to push yourself up, but you had nothing to grab onto and it hurt your arm too much to keep pushing yourself up. Your abs cried in pain whenever you tried to sit up on your own. You were stuck on the ground.

"Shit," you whispered to yourself.

You knew the best course of action was to call Levi for help, but you had been so annoyed with his presence recently, that you'd rather lay on the ground and wait for the pain to pass so you could get up yourself.

However, not much time passed before you heard rushed footsteps approaching your door, and a dejected sigh escaped your lips.

You looked over as the door swung open and you saw Levi standing in the doorway with a scowl on his face.

"Hi," you said with a deadpan expression.

"Why the hell didn't you call me?" he asked as he flipped on the light switch, sounding as annoyed as he looked. "How long have you been down there?"

"Not long. I'm fine, Levi."

"No you're not," he said dismissively as he walked to you and helped you get up off the ground.

"I'm not a child, Levi," you said as you sat back down on your bed, rubbing at your left shoulder in pain. "I didn't need your help."

He stared at you, not believing a single word you were saying.

"So you're telling me you were just hugging the ground for the hell of it?"

He waited for you to come up with a snarky response or excuse as to why you were on the ground after he had heard a thud come from your room that didn't involve you tumbling out of your bed involuntarily.

You didn't have one.

"Dumbass," he finally said. "Stay here."

You sat in your bed with an exasperated expression as you watched Levi walk out of your room after opening up the curtains so that you could get some sunlight. You heard him fumble around in the kitchen for a few minutes before he finally came back to your room with a cup of tea, setting it down on the nightstand next to you. His other hand held your computer, which you found oddly endearing for him to bring to you since he's been trying so hard to get you to not work on anything related to school.

"Could've gotten that myself," you grumbled.

"Could you have?"

You rolled your eyes. Your arm cast was off, so you were able to move your arm around, although it still wasn't completely healed. You waved your arm to show him that you were functional, but then winced as you moved your arm a bit too far back, which earned you another surge of pain running up your arm.

Levi stared at you with an unamused look as he watched you blatantly hurt yourself again.

"Quit looking at me like that," you said, frowning. "I can take care of myself. Arm's healed for the most part. I can walk without those stupid crutches now. I-"

"Can you just shut the fuck up so you can heal from this shit already?" Levi scolded, cutting you off, getting sick of your commentary.

"I don't need you hovering over me 24/7, Levi!"

"Tch. Tell me that when you go for a day without falling on your ass at some point."

He glanced at you again and saw that you were scowling at him.

"I can take care of myself," you said, clenching your fists in frustration, "so quit wasting your time feeling like you have to watch over me."

Levi remained quiet for a few seconds as he turned away, averting his gaze.

He spoke quietly.

"I just don't want to lose you again, you dumbass."

It had been a few weeks since the accident at this point, yet that feeling of waiting for the other shoe to drop never left. Levi still felt like any minute, something else would happen and you'd slip from his grasp. He couldn't get over the feeling of his heart absolutely sinking once he saw your condition in the wreckage or how he had relentlessly scrubbed and scrubbed and scrubbed until his arms were raw in that hospital bathroom in a desperate attempt to scrub away all of the chaos running through his mind as he waited for you in the operating room. He felt that if he had slipped up in any way, something would happen, and you would have to pay the price for it.

"Shit," he mumbled. "Why do you have to do this to me, _____?"

"Do what?"

He looked down at his hands, remembering the sight of them after he dropped you off at the hospital. The events of that stormy night kept running through his head, as if he was trapped in it.

Levi looked back up into your eyes. You were here in front of him, awake and breathing—the opposite of when he found you in that car, unconscious, bleeding, with unstable breathing patterns. You were here. You were okay. He had no reason to still feel as panicked as he was, yet he did.

Before you could open your mouth to speak, he reached out to you, closing the gap between you, and planting his lips onto yours. His hand rested at the side of your face as he held you.

You tensed at first at the sudden gesture, but quickly relaxed into it as you kissed him back, placing your hand on top of his.

He pulled back from you and avoided your gaze as he whispered:

"I can't lose you again."

You noticed him gripping at your bedsheets with his other hand and the pieces clicked together for you.

It wasn't that he thought you couldn't take care of yourself or that you were incompetent. He'd been so overbearing because he was afraid of losing you. You had guessed to an extent how rough that night must have been for him, but you had no idea about the magnitude of just how bad it was.

You felt your bed shift as he got up and your hands trailed off him as he pulled away.

"I'll be in the living room," he said quietly, still avoiding your gaze. "Call me if something happens again."

You reached out to him as he walked away.

"Levi, wait-!"

Your bedroom door was shut before you could finish your plea for him to come back, and you fell silent.

#: @levisbrat25 @gothgril69 @sckerman @berrijam @notgoodforlife @meowjaa @averysmolbear @roseofdarknessblog @bejewelledd @hhighkey @ayame236 @sad-darksoul @velouria17 @kamyru @l1zk4 @layenacreates @lamees004 @whoami-72 @highgoon69 @chaotic-on-main @levishotgf @nube55 @chosos-mascara @heichoucleanfreak @svftackerman @v4mp-wife @moonchild-angel @astri-ackerman @auriuswolve @noctemys

#tw: blood #tw: injury #tw: car accident #levi x reader #levi ackerman x reader #levi heichou x reader #captain levi x reader #levi #levi ackerman #levi heichou #captain levi #modern!au levi #coffeeshop!au levi #college!au levi #fics: matcha

74 notes · View notes

tiny-cloud-dragon · 5 months

Note

Does His Majesty snore? Are they super cute petite snores? Or scary dragon snores? Do the Guys (tm) snore? Who's the most obnoxious, and does it offend His Majesty or does he admire the ability to sound like a fierce dragon like himself?

❤️🍤🦐

His Majesty snores when very very tired, and sound like this

youtube

He thinks he sounds like a fierce dragon. Hia loyal subjects freeze and tremble at the sound, their eyes wide. They must surely be quaking with terror!

No one corrects him.

Angeal has an average manly snore, a rumbling like a sleeping bear. Even in his sleep, he warns you to mind your own business. Tiny Cloud dragon finds the sound soothing. It's like listening to distant thunder.

Zack has a soft, quiet snore. It's more like he's stuck at the cusp of a snore, but never quite gets one out. Tiny Cloud dragon likes the quiet sound. It's easy to fall asleep to.

Sephiroth doesn't snore. Tiny Cloud dragon questions if he even breathes. He finds it eerie and unnerving. Only dead humans are that quiet. But it's still better than Genesis' snoring.

Genesis: LOUD! Obnoxious! An auditory offense! Sounds like a donkey being sawn in half with a chainsaw. Tiny Cloud dragon would be impressed if it didn't do him a frighten every time he hears it.

#ff7 #ffvii #final fantasy vii #cloud strife #final fantasy 7 #tiny cloud dragon #tiny dragon cloud #angeal hewley #zack fair #genesis rhapsodos #sephiroth

32 notes · View notes

dutchdread · 3 months

Note

Since Rebirth really expanded on Cloud and Tifa’s relationship, how do you think the devs will expand on the Lifestream and Highwind scenes? Do you think they will expand on it in any other areas?

They already are, the scene with Tifa in Gongaga is already an expansion on the lifestream scene. It's interesting that the the second part of a trilogy of games only ended at the end of disc 1 out of three. While the OG is definitely front loaded in regards to content this still means that they left A LOT for the third game. I've been thinking about why this might be and how they might want to handle the structure for the third game. It seems likely, both in general and from looking at the first two games, that SE wants the games to all be able to stand on their own as separate games, while also being a part of a whole. The fact that we've had two insanely massive end fights where from a larger perspective that isn't really justified, really shows that by itself. Stories tend to fall into predictable patterns or story structures. The OG especially follows the classic "heroes Journey" structure popularized by Joseph Campbell.

Before the Hero is able to overcome the villain, aka the external threat, he must first overcome himself, aka, the internal threat. The first meeting with the Villain ends in failure, a story where everything just goes according to plan is generally not very satisfying. If we look at star wars this happens at the end of the empire strikes back. Luke goes off to face Darth vader before he's ready and as a result he loses his hand. Han is also trapped in carbonite and in generally we're in the lowest of lows. Same happens in Rebirth, from a larger narrative Aerith dying and Cloud losing his mind represents this low point. We're in the 'death and rebirth' section of the heroes journey. In the OG, and also in remake from the perspective of the larger narrative, this lowest of lows happens when Cloud hands the black materia to Sephiroth, falls into the lifestream, and meteor is summoned. The first encounter with the big bad fails because Cloud has not yet fulfilled his internal character arc. The lifestream sequence represents the "revelation", it's where Cloud faces his internal arc, which will then give him the information needed to confront Sephiroth successfully. My guess is that one of the reasons that the story is structured the way it is is to allow part three to once again stand alone in a three act structure, while also working as the final act when seen as a whole. Most likely part 3 will use Clouds delusions concerning Aeriths survival as well as the early cut-off point, to allow for enough material to work towards a new "death and rebirth" section when they finally reach north crater, which will then allow for the LS sequence to be relatively late in the third game as well as to serve as a "conclusion" of some sort. I've seen other people argue that it will be relatively early in part 3 but that would surprise me, I think half-way at the earliest. Post lifestream every character should have reached their "perfect self", they should all have confronted the things they needed to confront, bringing them to the place where all that is left is to resolve their final challenges. Going back to Midgar, confront Hojo, confront Zack and Aeriths Death, and as always, Cloud and Tifa confronting their feelings for each other on the eve of the final battle. Seeing as how important these events are for the story to function and be the best telling it could possibly be, I cannot imagine them not getting the care and detail that you'd expect from something so pivotal. Hope that answers your question.

#ffvii remake #ffvii #ffvii rebirth #cloti #cloud strife #tifa lockhart #ff7 #analysis

17 notes · View notes

silver-wield · 7 months

Note

I’m still pretty confused about the Zack scenes in Rebirth. He can’t be alive because he gave Cloud his Buster Sword as he died. And how else would Cloud have his false memories? But that girl, Kira I think (the one who’s the granddaughter of the Angel of the Slums), could see him. And also we saw in the trailer, the heroes bodies being recovered by Shinra troops even though they were clearly out of Midgar. This is very strange. And Sephiroth said something about worlds colliding. I’m really excited to see all of this.

What people forget is the mystical aspect of the story because of the lifestream and Cloud's delusional state of mind, so Zack can be dead and seen interacting with people because Cloud imagines things. He literally says in OG he was master of his own illusory world.

As for the Shinra news, again Cloud explained it. The news is just another Shinra mouthpiece. They also never show Cloud in their shots because he's wearing the Shinra uniform and that would go against their narrative and raise questions they don't want.

The worlds colliding isn't literal worlds. It's Cloud and Zack's life plans being shot to hell by Sephiroth's insanity. Cloud's world was his dream of impressing Tifa and getting her to notice and accept his feelings. Zack's was returning home to Midgar to find Aerith. That's why the other half of the key art is Tifa and Aerith standing where Cloud and Zack are. It's spelling out for people that what they care for is their girlfriends, and the events of Nibelheim, which make up the background, are what came between them with Sephiroth in the centre as the catalyst of their misfortune.

#final fantasy 7 remake #ff7r #ffviir #cloud strife #final fantasy 7r #final fantasy viir #cloti #tifa lockhart

18 notes · View notes

gingerel · 1 year

Text

three am | zakkura | ff7

[cross posted as Hush on AO3]

Beep. Beep. Beep.

“Shit,” Zack curses, yanking open the door to the microwave before it can sound again. He meant to catch it before the end, to stop that noise from splitting the fragile morning air and risk disturbing the man asleep two rooms over.

Neither of them are good cooks, but they try. Cloud has a little more patience, but Zack is more willing to try. Between them they don’t starve. It’s better when they cook together, but that hasn’t been an option for a while, and microwaved leftovers at world-weary o’clock in the morning are all that’s been sustaining Zack.

The leftovers were pretty good last Wednesday. So good, Zack can only assume Cloud ate with Tifa and she forced a container into his hands for Zack too; she’s good that way.

It’s been a hell of a week, or two — Zack isn’t sure at this point — opposite schedule from Cloud, work pulling them to different places. The few times they’ve slept in this apartment together the past weeks has seen one of them crawling into bed with as little jostling as possible and being abandoned come morning.

That’s unfair — Cloud hasn’t been abandoning him, but every morning Zack wakes without being able to rub his nose against the downy hair at the nape of his neck is a bad one.

Zack yawns, dragging his dish from the microwave and stirring it through, so a cloud of steam rises above it. Rice and something, Zack isn’t really fussy. It looks well-cooked though, the pasta Cloud had left for him three nights ago was soggy before a reheating, but he can’t criticise too hard, last time Zack took his turn the chicken was both raw and burnt somehow.

A large part of him knows that if Cloud didn’t want to make sure there was food for Zack whenever he gets off work, he probably wouldn’t bother eating at all when he’s by himself. Zack isn’t above using that to his advantage — if Cloud will only take care of himself by taking care of Zack? Well then, he’ll let Cloud take care of him.

He must be more tired than he realised because there’s no excuse for not hearing him coming. Really no excuse for the way he flinches when hands slide over his waist. Cloud’s sleepy too, thankfully, so he doesn’t pull back when Zack startles, essentially just slumps right into Zack’s back.

“Time is it?” Cloud whispers. He twines himself around Zack, arms and hands covered in soft cotton. The sweater he’s wearing so big it must be one of Zack’s, must only be wearing it because Zack isn’t there.

Cloud doesn’t really get cold, not like Zack does. It took a little adjustment on his part to get used to being so close, so cosy as often as Zack prefers it.

“After three,” Zack says. “I didn’t mean to wake you.” He covers Cloud’s hands with his own, smaller than his own, but still strong, still gripping tight even though he seems half asleep at Zack’s back. He’s so cute, with his sweater paws and the insistent nuzzle of his forehead between Zack’s shoulder blades.

Zack doesn’t dare voice this aloud. Cloud’s cute but deadly when he wants to be, will be, if Zack voices that opinion anywhere other than the safe cocoon of their bed.

He hasn’t even taken his boots off yet, so the disparity in their height seems almost doubled and Zack doesn’t even think about getting on with sorting his dinner out, not when it might dislodge Cloud.

“S’okay,” Cloud mumbles. “Wanted to see you anyway.”

It’s all so new. Not just living together. Not just being together — being alive and awake, aware of what they have and just how lucky they are to have it. But Cloud like this, tactile and affectionate, not just accepting what Zack offers but leaning into it, being the one to touch the back of Zack’s hand so they can interlock their fingers. The one to stick an arm out from the bed and beckon Zack to his side, slipping their bodies together with such ease there’s no doubt in Zack’s mind this is how they were always supposed to be.

Zack trails his fingers along Cloud’s forearm, feeling the shape of him beneath all the excess fabric.

“You have to be up in a few hours,” Zack says softly. A reminder, a warning.

Cloud hums, falls silent for so long Zack thinks he might actually have fallen asleep standing with just Zack to support him. They’ve slept in worse conditions.

“No,” Cloud suddenly says, a little more alert. “No work tomorrow. Barret wants two people on the job I had.”

Zack frowns, unable to imagine any job Barret might have that’s too much for Cloud to handle. Nothing is ever that bad anymore, the long drives often worse than whatever task they’re assigned.

“So, what —”

“And I won’t work with anyone but you,” Cloud announces.

Zack laughs, a loud shout of it as it’s surprised out of him. Cloud grumbles, gripping tight, gently digging his knee into the back of Zack’s thigh.

“Shh,” Cloud says. “Hurry up and eat your food, I want to sleep.”

“Go back to bed and I’ll be there in a minute,” Zack promises.

“No,” Cloud mutters, tightening his grip around Zack’s waist so much eating would probably be uncomfortable. He lets up though, when Zack doesn’t mention sending him away again and Zack resigns himself to eating right there at the counter, weary and dead on his feet but warm inside and out from Cloud’s presence at his back.

The food probably isn’t hot enough now and in the back of his mind Zack remembers being warned about the perils of poorly heated rice, but he just shoves his fork into the tub and shovels some into his mouth anyway. There’s no way something like this can really hurt him.

Cloud’s thumb rubs circles into his stomach, shifting at Zack’s back as he murmurs, “We should do something tomorrow.”

“Work?”

“No — something else,” Cloud says. And that’s another new thing, Cloud not just willing not to work but suggesting it himself.

“Whatever you want,” Zack promises.

Cloud shoves his forehead between Zack’s shoulder blades again and sighs.

“Good.”

#ffvii #ff7 #zakkura #clack #cloud strife #zack fair #cloud x zack #canon what canon #i actually have only played the remake and some of crisis core so i actually don't know the canon #three am #not making this a series #but maybe making this a series #my ships at three am #yes / no?#anyway i can't believe this is my first ff7 offering #fighting burn out like a skittish bugged poked with a stick

60 notes · View notes

rueitae · 1 year

Text

Season 2, Episode 5: the Boston Tea Party Caper for @csweekly

BACKSTORY DAY BACKSTORY DAY

And not just for Ivy and Zack! They literally meet Carmen on her first caper and Player is so YOUNG. They’re babies all of them and I love them. Honestly it makes it even more special they met each other on caper 1.

“Player can have his own room” I could literally cry at the sweet sentiment but also my conspiracy mind whirls because so many throwaway lines were foreshadowing WHAT IF THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN TOO

“I thought he lived in the cloud” LOL

Zack: maybe it’s a flying race car?

Let your dreams become reality next week, Zack.

LoL Shadowsan did not ask for a flashback but he’s literally getting one. That’s so funny.

These two episodes are so interesting. Zack, up until now, we have only known as a ray of sunshine, a golden retriever. But Trey is about the only person EVER to get under his skin. Even Dash Haber, who actively tried to do so, only succeeded in making him nervous or mildly annoyed and generally clueless in a stressful situation. But as far as I can see, Trey is not insulting Zack. He’s insulting the car, which Ivy built from scratch with her talent and skill. Zack doesn’t get mad over himself. He gets mad over people knocking his family. Only once they do that does Trey get Zack mad by insulting him personally.

Okay counting the cars, Zack comes in fifth, so they DO qualify. They just don’t have a car for the actual money races.

Shark Head Eddie is peak character design.

Urgh the sibling conversation in the car breaks my heart. They are such good kids. They don’t want to do this but they will psych themselves up to do what they have to. Contrast that to when they’re stealing to help Carmen. It’s a mission they can put their hearts into.

Okay this is the best way to tell the backstory. Shadowsan’s even half invested. And Carmens just. Nah I’m not letting you get off the hook for this one. You two started the story I’ll finish. And now we get Carmen’s side!

“A few months” my butt. More like a few months had to be closer to a year to 1. Grow in height 2. Grow the hair

And honestly changing the plan because Zack and Ivy are there and stressing Player out just becomes the norm. Also that’s great Ivy could sneak in specifically because Player cut the security cams. They’re unintentionally helping each other already.

Carmen not used to driving a vehicle. Boats in the middle of the ocean have no traffic.

I DONT EVEN HAVE MY LEARNERS PERMIT.

Please someone write the fic where Zack shows up in Canada to help Player pass his driving exam. PLEASE

I am endeared that Zack and Ivy give the first geography brief. Literally everything about them endeared them to Carmen.

Carmen Sandiego, kidnapped by two siblings from Boston for a history lesson. The comedy That her hat just lingers for a minute in the air.

Reminder for next fic to have Zack attempt to create a baseball rivalry with Player or Carmen over the BlueJays or Padres.

Player literally fact checking them from Canada lol he’s so chill they’re family already.

Also, Player has changed into his regular series outfit. No more white hat. He’s “red hat” with Carmen now. Let me talk about his layers of clothing color theory now, Even if it’s a fashion disaster it has meaning. Blue shorts are for his white hat days, as blue is ACME/the “good guys” so to speak. He wears a red T-shirt to show his loyalty to Carmen, but because he’s a secret he keeps it covered by the grey hoodie. Lastly, the yellow zipper on his hoodie matches the yellow zipper on Carmen’s stealth suit. Usually yellow is for team red Allies. Sonia, comes to mind later. Players outfit is literally inverse of Carmen’s. As she wears black underneath the red, and wears blue gloves.

You can literally see Carmen’s disappointment forming as the sibs start talking about the money.

I FORGOT it was Brunt who called it Beantown lol

I also forget how soft the classmates were on Black Sheep. Le Chevre wants her to get away. He knows how angry the Faculty are and what an egregious move she’s made by running away. He understands what that means. He still cares about her safety right now. It’s such a good scene. Because Carmen might have been fond of them, but she acknowledges they all joined VILE and knew what they were getting into. She’s not holding back and she’s not going to show much emotion over it. She knew this was going to happen one day.

If I had a nickel for every time Le Chevre and El Topo got pushed into the water I’d have like four nickels by now.

The WAY IVY RESPONDS to Carmen needing muscles I’m dying every time.

Ivy and Zack are so chaotic they’re helping Carmen without even realizing it yet. Just solidifies they’re made for each other. Also!!! I love how curious and inquisitive Ivy is!!! They haven’t even joined Carmen but she’s already thinking about making a grappling hook!!!! What a little scientist!! Bellum would love her.

Their team up fits so perfectly. Ivy and Zack need out of town, and Carmen has found out she very much needs some ground assistance. AND FRIENDS MORE FRIENDS. It’s just been her and Player it has to be lonely.

And to round it off, Shadowsan’s pov on the Faculty reaction. That’s so neat that because he’s there we get all of the pov. That was really cool because sometimes we’ll get that insight into the third party reaction for no reason in other shows, but here it’s because Shadowsan remembers and he’s there! So they all participate in reminiscing.

There! Series ending explained. Ivy and Zack love what they do. And they love Carmen. Despite their fear sometimes, they get a huge rise out of being able to thwart the bad guys. They love racing yes, but they still get to do so in a way now. They tried something different and they love it.

I knew this logically, but seeing all four of them get into the car has my mind racing with joy over the many trips to the airport and road trips the four of them have taken.

Also Player is so endeared to them too. He specifically uses the term flying car teasingly. I love. This family.

Next week time for Rue getting massive second hand embarrassment (but still a good episode! Effective!)

#carmen sandiego #carmen sandiego weekly #carmen sandiego 2019 #carmen sandiego netflix #csweekly #cs weekly #origin story for the fam #cs liveblog

24 notes · View notes

zimithrus1 · 2 years

Note

Au: Cloud has to take care and raise toddler remnants 😆

Send me an AU and I'll give you 5+ headcanons about it

1. Cloud was sure Aerith's healing rain was supposed to send them back to the Lifestream, to dissolve them and return their forms to the free-flowing strands they once originated from. But they did not. Instead they shrunk, and shrunk, and shrunk, until suddenly instead of whisking away green into the sky, a chubby-cheeked remnant toddler lays in his hands. And two more laid on the ground a few feet away from him. Unsure of what to do, for the time being, Cloud brought them back to Seventh Heaven.

2. The remnants would not vanish. They were stuck here with them now as toddlers. But at least they weren't hellbent on killing anything anymore. (Merely hellbent on turning Seventh Heaven upside-down and giving everyone inside headaches from their antics). Kadaj remained the leader of the others, standing tall and proud at 4 and a half (anything older or younger would get a very loud protest). He got into everything he could, ran with sharp objects, and threw the poutiest tantrums. Yazoo stood in the middle right at 4 and was the quietest out of the brood. He got involved in some high-strung incidents with his brothers, but was main the most level-headed. He was still prone to fits and pouts however. But Cloud was lucky a good book could calm him down. And Loz stood wobbly at 3, having the most energy and getting into the most trouble. Constantly running around, jumping off furniture, screaming and shouting, and throwing himself to the ground when things didn't go his way, crying the longest and loudest out of the three.

3. It was hard and awkward to get used to. After all the trouble they caused, half the time Cloud wanted to wad up a newspaper and smack their noses like dogs. Marlene and Denzel were a little wary at first but grew the fastest to accept them as part of their crazy family. They saved Cloud and Tifa from a lot of headaches and threats, they'll say that much. After a while, they ended up becoming part of the Strife's.

4. Aerith visited Cloud in his dreams one night and asked how he was handling the new additions. He asked her why they didn't rejoin the Lifestream, but she just smiled and shrugged, 'Guess they're still really attached to their big brother.' Zack was with her and smiled as well. 'You're just a really popular guy, Cloud. And don't worry, we'll save places for all of you eventually.' He rolled his eyes at both of them, but he couldn't stop himself from smiling.

5. Getting the party reintroduced to the remnants as toddlers and not as world-ending antagonists took some adjustment as well. But the ended up coming around with their own stipulations. Cid was 'don't let those brats touch anything in my ship and we're cool' Vincent didn't say much, but if he wanted space from them he'd give him his phone and let them play centipede on it. Yuffie said 'stay away from my materia, unless we're up to something together then they can use it, because it's more fun that way!' Red XIII did not enjoy becoming a furry taxi to the three toddlers, but he was okay with it as well as some good-natured pets every once in a while so long as they didn't call him a dog. Barret took the longest to adjust as they had put Marlene in danger before, but when figuring out they turned into regular, crazy toddlers, warmed up to them much easier. Cait sith preferred to keep his distance from them based off that one time when the kids fought over who could play with him and nearly ripped him into three uneven pieces. But he didn't mind them aside from that he supposed. (He much preferred Marlene's tea parties though.)

54 notes · View notes

zakkura · 2 years

Text

Zakkura Fic: Teaser

Please let me know if you would like me to continue this as I’m not sure if this is enjoyable haha Thank you for your time!

·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙　✩　*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ 　　.·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙　✩　*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ .

Zack enjoyed the winter and even though he may be shivering as he piles up boxes for Aerith.

He really loved the winter.

So many memories had been created in this particular season that he had never been able to put any other above it.

Winter hadn’t always been the season for him though.

A whole lot of heartbreak and confusion had led to him practically locking himself away for weeks on end at one point but Aerith had helped him get back, mentally, to himself.

She had been his rock for many years now, his best friend from the fairer sex

“How you doing back there?” came the voice of said woman, her head peeking out from her flower shop; pulling a funny face at Zack who just laughed closing the garage door.

“All finished!” he grinned before tilting his head to the side once Aerith started waving the phone at him, “for me?” he called and began jogging to her side once she had nodded in response.

“Y’ello?” he chuckled thinking it was his friend and mentor, Angeal.

“Mr Fair?”

“Uh...yeah?” he swallowed suddenly feeling a big dose of dread come over him and the puzzled look on Aerith’s face as she seemed to sense this, made him even more anxious.

“Mr Fair, we would like you to come down to the ShinRa Mental Health Facility,” the stict voice of the woman made him a little annoyed.

“What? Why?!” he ignored the instant panic that filled him, for a split moment thinking that Aerith had called them on his behalf.

“You were listed as one of our residents’ First Callers,” the voice replied, “and they have requested us to call you; they are hoping that you will visit,”

Aerith was now at his side as she’d watched Zack’s face pale quite considerably and she was ready to try and catch him as it looked as if the man was about to faint.

“Zack?” she whispered but she didn’t get a reply as he started stuttering down the phone.

“W-what do you mean?”

Aerith quickly placed her hands around his arm to comfort him.

“I-I haven’t seen him for years, what the hell are you talking about?!”

When Aerith felt her friend shake, she looked up with wide eyes as there was only one person who would ever get such a reaction out of him.

Once Zack finally whispered out a “I’ll go,” he slammed the phone down and threw himself into Aerith.

“What happened?” she asked still slightly startled by his actions but she stroked his back anyway.

“Cloud,” he choked out, “he’s in a mental health facility,”

Winter had become suddenly sour.

·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙　✩　*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ 　　.·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙　✩　*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ .

“You don’t have to come with me, Aerith, I’m fine,” Zack sighed feeling all kinds of drained and tired, “seriously,” he added quickly lifting his arm to block her way when she tried to follow him out fo the flower shop.

“But you’re upset and nervous,” she put her hands on her hips and Zack felt the need to tell her that no matter how mad she looked, she could never ever be intimidating to him.

“I’m okay,” he lightly laughed when she almost seemed to stamp her foot on the floor, “Aerith,” he smiled down at her and placed a kiss on her forehead, “thank you,” he then turned and walked towards his bike.

He was within half a mind to just walk to the facility as his hands were shaking with so many emotions.

Anger, sadness, confusion and anxiety.

He was still a bubbly and positive person, but he seemed to have calmed considerably as he’d gotten older and somewhat wiser.

Cloud had hurt him quite bad when he had just upped and left one day without even a note or a phone call to explain why.

Zack was now beginning to understand that maybe Cloud had gone so deep into his own mind that he had taken himself to this facility to get help and as he took in the scenery around him to try and calm down, he couldn’t help but feel just a little bit proud of his ex-boyfriend.

·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙　✩　*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ 　　.·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙　✩　*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ .

The smell of disinfectant was quite the assault on his nose when he finally made his way into the building after spending about an hour standing over his bike suddenly crippled with worry at the sheer gloominess of the building in front of him.

“Colours go a long way, y’know?” he rolled his eyes as the words left his lips causing the young receptionist to look up at him with an unimpressed expression on her face.

“So do clean clothes but I can see that both problems will have to wait for another day,” she remarked with as much dry wit as one would expect somebody who worked in a place like this to have.

“Right,” he rubbed the back of his head, “um, I got a call about Cloud Strife...” he saw her eyes widen at the name.

“He finally got the courage to ask for you?” she chuckled in a much warmer way, “you must be Zack Fair?”

“Yeah,”

The receptionist grinned and picked up her phone to contact one of the nurses, a new buzz about her behaviour.

#zakkura #zakkura writes: zack x cloud #cloud strife #zack fair #zack x cloud #cloud x zack #clack #ff fanfiction #final fantasy fanfiction #My writing

25 notes · View notes

setoangel01-fanfiction · 10 months

Text

When I First Saw You

Zerith Week 2023 - Day 1 - Love at First Sight

Fandom: FFVII FFVII: Crisis Core Final Fantasy VII / 7 Remake

Pairing: Zack Fair x Aerith Gainsborough (Zerith)

Rated: T

Story Summary: An AU in which Aerith meets Zack while selling flowers on Loveless Avenue. As terrified she is of the sky and this SOLDIER she knows she should steer clear of, it's all too easy to get lost in the stars glistening in his eyes.

>>>>><<<<<

Heart hammering against her sternum. Palms sweating and knuckles turning white as she held onto the brown whisker basket clutched in tight fists. Meadow green eyes darting to and fro amongst the crowd of people all acting like she wasn't even there.

It was the first time Aerith came topside and already she was regretting ever coming.

The words of her mother's disapproving voice and Aerith, being headstrong and now technically an adult at 18, refused to listen, but right now she desperately wishes she had.

Sector 5 was safe. Home. The people all there knew her and appreciated her. The kids at the Leaf House always clung to her skirts and looked at her like she was their big sister. The adults in the Sector always happy to have her help around their businesses or brightening up their lives with the flowers she'd been growing since she was a child and stumbled upon the fledgling garden in the church…

But not these Topside People.

Sector 8, The Loveless District was turning out to be absolutely terrifying. Yet it wasn't the fact that people didn't spare her or her flowers any attention or even look at her when she spoke. Even the rude man who bumped into her and made her drop her basket didn't even say sorry!

…Yet that wasn't what was bothering her…

It was the sky.

Even darkened by night and sprinkled with stars from the little she saw amidst the smog and clouds - she felt sick just by its sheer enormity…

Aerith's heart thumped painfully harder and she felt the beginnings of sweat lining her brow as she tried to keep her eyes away from it yet there was this pull, this tether that wouldn't let her be. Feet shifting, Aerith made sure the coast was clear before backing up closer to the building behind her. It didn't help like she hoped it would.

All the Flower Girl could do now was curse her own damned stubbornness.

Selling flowers to the much richer residents of Midgar to help her mother with bills now sounded like the dumbest idea on the Planet and yet if she left now, she'd just be proving her mother right… Maybe just a little longer. She'd sold a few flowers thus far and she told herself if she only made just a few more sales that would be enough to at least make the trip topside hopefully worth the effort.

It had to be.

That still didn't stop her hands from shaking…

"Woah! Are those flowers real?" a voice said from right beside her and Aerith had to clench every muscle to keep from screaming at the sudden interruption into her chaotic thoughts. She had half a mind to tell whoever it was off for scaring her yet when she turned to greet the owner of the voice, her tongue wouldn't move.

Peering at the man who interrupted her inner torment, the entire world froze around her.

Standing in front of her was a man a full head taller than her with broad shoulders, thick sinewy bare arms, sun-kissed skin and raven hair that looked a little ridiculous in the way it seemed to defy gravity with the black spikes falling down akin to quills.

Yet as nice as he already looked, it was his face that seized her heart like it was caught in a merciless vice grip.

Never in her life had she seen a more beautiful man. She never even thought she could call a man 'beautiful' until this moment - but he was. Strong cheekbones and a sharp chiseled jaw, he was clean shaven with thin well manicured brows and regal looking nose. All gorgeous features made more rugged and handsome when accompanied by the cross-shaped scar adorning his left cheek.

But nothing could compare to those eyes.

Dark blue suffused with an undertone of an array of violets even more vibrant than the flowers she grew in her garden, the beauty of a galaxy all encompassed by a ring of bright green. The glow from streetlights and the stars overhanging in the terrifying sky glittered in his iris.

Never had she seen more beautiful eyes…

Aerith heart galloped like a stampede of Chocobo in her chest.

Those fickle childhood dreams and admittedly sappy and quite ridiculous romance novels that spoke of this very feeling suffusing in her chest. The very idea of falling head over heels in love at first sight felt almost poignant as she found herself lost in his bewitching gaze. She'd never taken the idea of such a thing to heart especially when living in Midgar amidst the poverty and stricken populace suffering beneath the towering steel sky.

Yet as she fell into that cloudless blue skies of his eyes, she wondered if perhaps this was what it felt like…

But the lofty idea of love at first sight truly was only for fairy tales when she suddenly allowed herself to take in the harsh reality in front of her.

It was only now that her eyes left his own that she noticed the blatantly obvious SOLDIER garb. The very moment when Aerith plummeted down back into the Planet from her castle in the sky. For as devastatingly handsome as this man was, as breathtaking a sight as he was, it was all a cruel mirage. He was a SOLDIER, let alone one from First Class given the black turtleneck he wore, and any SOLDIER, no matter the rank, was a sign of nothing but trouble. Her entire life, she'd been warned relentlessly to stay away from anyone who worked for Shinra.

This man should be no different yet every single sense of wanting to run fled the second he smiled at her.

"...So… Are those real?" he asked again and Aerith's face burned like Ifrit's hellfire when she realized she'd never answered him and instead had been staring like an absolute idiot, basically ogling the man, for who knows how long.

Lowering her head and staring at the yellow and white lilies filling her basket in order to hide her reddened face she finally replied. "Yes! Yes… They're real." Not wanting to act like a petulant child in front of him and her own stubbornness, Aerith lifted her head (blushing cheeks be damned) and looked up at him. "I grow them myself actually." she stated proudly.

There was no way she was going to let a stupidly handsome SOLDIER make her cower.

Yet the man merely smiled wider showing off ridiculously white teeth that was only more evident against his tanned skin. "Really?" he asked excitedly. "That's amazing! I had no idea you could even grow flowers in Midgar. Or grow anything really given all the veg and stuff has to be imported." The man's head lifted up and against her will, her heart skipped a beat when he suddenly winked at her. "You must have quite the green thumb."

With little else to say without giving out the real reason for the plants growth, Aerith replied, "Yeah. I've been gardening since I was a kid." And instantly cursed herself for even saying that! He didn't need to know anything personal about her so Aerith bit her tongue.

"Well, it shows." the SOLDIER said with a nod before he reached into his pocket and Aerith instinctively wanted to immediately take a step back but forcefully kept her feet planted regardless of how much every instinct told her to run.

Shinra meant nothing but trouble.

Shinra meant nothing good.

And that included everyone who worked there… Yet she refused to be afraid. The mastered ice materia lingering in her pocket made her feel secure knowing whatever this guy was planning could be deterred at least long enough to give her time to escape regardless.

Aerith may be a bit naive but she was far from stupid or ill-prepared.

Yet nothing happened other than the man taking pulling out his wallet. Aerith bit back a smile knowing if the man was in Sector 5, leaving a wallet in his pocket was just asking to be stolen from by the many pick-pocketing kids in the sector.

"How much for a dozen?" he asked with genuine interest.

A dozen flowers and any ill-intentions she believed this SOLDIER had dissipated. The man probably just got off work and just wanted to buy flowers for a wife or girlfriend and now she just felt shitty for even thinking he'd kidnap some flower seller (because that's all she was, dammit, regardless of what the Turks believed) in the midst of the crowd going about their business around them.

It still didn't stop her from feeling a bit bitter that she found an obviously-taken man so attractive in the first place, Aerith stated "Fifty Gil," more than the typically 3 gil per flower she had been charging the rich residents who lived here.

The man flashed her a strange look, but before Aerith could lower the price in fear he'd think she was swindling him, he spoke up, "Wait. That's it? You need to be charging more than that. Before she could say anything, he'd placed 100 gil bill in her hand like you'd toss a crumbled piece of paper in the trash bin. "Here. Keep the change." he stated and Aerith didn't even have the heart to tell him she didn't even have enough money to make change for that amount.

Aerith stared down at the paper gil in her hand like she'd never saw such a thing. So many emotions bombarded her at once but it all faded when he merely continued smiling with his head tilted a bit to the side. Almost like a puppy.

The sight made Aerith smile beside her better judgement, a bit of a hysterical laugh at her lips as she carefully folded and hid the largest monetary bill she'd ever held safely in her small coin purse. Money safely sequestered away, Aerith than began gathering a dozen of the most fresh beautiful lilies, six of white and six of yellow with long stems and bright green leaves with no wilted petals.

"So…" Aerith said conversationally as she arranged them, "You and your wife have an anniversary or some other occasion to celebrate or something?"

The look on his face was comical. His cheeks flushed scarlet and his eyes grew huge. "No!" he stated quickly. "I'm single! I - I mean, I'm not married so no wife, or girlfriend currently. Actually. I. …Heh." he lifted his hand to rub at the back of his head in an adorably bashful motion.

"Oh. Then who are these for?" Aerith couldn't help the teasing lit to her voice and the smile pulling at her lips.

"The flowers are actually for my ma." he said with a smile that warmed her right down to her toes, "She's here visiting from Gongaga. Being in SOLDIER, we really don't get much time off so I didn't have time to go visit so her and my dad decided to stop by instead. So, when I saw those flowers, I knew I had to get her some. Me and her actually used to grow some that looked a lot like that when I was a kid but they didn't handle the jungle weather too well so they always died off." he finished with a shrug and all the trepidation at this man and his intentions, regardless of his profession and employer, faded away instantly.

"That's really very sweet," Aerith said genuinely, "I bet she'll love them."

The SOLDIER smiled bashfully at her compliment and let out a nervous chuckle as he rubbed the back of his head again. Damn, he was just too cute. Incredibly handsome and cute as hell - a deadly combination. And just like that, he'd became almost distracting as she forcefully pulled her eyes away from him.

Aerith gathered the prettiest flowers together, arranging them in a bunch before she finished by tying the beautiful bouquet together with a pink ribbon she cut from the spool located at the bottom of the basket.

"All finished! Here you go," Aerith presented the bouquet to him with a flourish.

The man smiled as he reached for the flowers and a tingle went from the top of her head to the bottom of her heels when the leather of his glove brushed her hand. To have such a visceral reaction without even skin to skin contact was nearly electrifying - who was this man and why was he making her feel this way? It was as if she was basking in a fire yet plunged into an icy bath at the same time. Such a dichotomy of emotions she could hardly articulate yet the feeling was already addicting.

"Thanks so much! I really appreciate it." he said with a beaming smile that put the sun to shame with its illumination and sheer warmth. "Hope you have a good night and maybe I'll see you around." With a lazy salute and other arm cradling the precious bouquet to his broad chest, the man turned around and began walking away with a confident stride.

The clamoring voices, sounds of cars and the life around her she hadn't even heard suddenly blared in her ears. How lost she had been in that man's orbit…and she never even got to know his name…

A sudden fear overtook her and it wasn't one of the sky threatening to swallow her whole. Like the Planet was screaming and pulling her tightly to this tether that he rested at the other end.

A deep rooted fear that if she let him leave, she may never see him again.

She couldn't let that happen…

Feeling brave and finally obeying the pull of her heart as it reached for him, she called out, "Wait!"

The man immediately halted in his tracks as Aerith stepped forward to close the distance between them. Heart pounding and palms sweating yet she refused to show anything but a smile and cool confidence even if all the things she'd been taught about Shinra and all who worked for it were ignored in that beautiful face and bright blue eyes looking at her with genuine intrigue.

"You forgot this. Here." Aerith's hands were trembling as she reached out and slipped a single yellow lily into the strap of his SOLDIER armor. The golden flower against the slate black of his First Class Turtleneck made a beautiful contrast much like his black hair and intense blue eyes. "On the house."

Aerith's heart pounded, her palms sweating yet she dared not look away from his eyes.

The varying emotions as he looked at the flower than back to her face filled her chest with a strange form of trepidation and excitement. The world grew quiet again - like they were the only two people on the Planet. The very Planet and its voice a gentle, satisfied hum echoing in her heart as she watched the SOLDIER's enchanting blue eyes light up and he flashed her a crooked smile. He didn't even appeared bothered or ashamed of the gentle hint of coral blush staining his cheeks knowing the apples of her own were probably painted cherry red.

"Thanks," his voice was like a melody she never wanted to hear the end of.

"You're welcome. It suits you," Aerith smiled softly, her heart leaping as she watched him suddenly reach out a hand to her.

The man smiled. "I'm Zack," he introduced himself and the name struck something in her. Like she'd heard it for the first time out of a million more. Like she'd already known it and it echoed on the cusp of her tongue.

"Hi, Zack. I'm Aerith," she replied, gently grasping at his warm hand. The world continued around them and yet it felt as if nothing yet everything had changed as he gently gripped her hand and shook it.

Zack smiled, his eyes sparkling as he looked at her as if seeing her for the first time yet there was a familiarity in that gaze he didn't bother hiding, "It's nice to meet you…" he said before chuckling when he realized he hadn't stopped shaking her hand. He gently let it go and Aerith reluctantly let him and grasped the handle of her flower basket instead of latching on to his hand never to let go.

What was happening to her?

"Hey, uh. I was wondering. I-If you're not busy some time next week - would you let me buy you a coffee?" he asked.

Aerith let a teasing smile lift the corners of her mouth, "No."

Shock filled Zack's face, his expression looked like a kicked puppy for only a second before Aerith chimed in again with a sunny smile.

"I actually don't drink coffee, but you could buy me a cup of hot cocoa or tea."

Zack's face lit up again like it was Yule morning. White teeth greeting her between tempting lips as he replied, "Really? Awesome! S-Sure. I could even get you both!" he said excitedly and Aerith didn't bother holding back a giggle at his eagerness. He was so damn adorable.

Aerith flashed him a coy smile. "I guess it's a date.

"I can't wait," Zack replied with a wink before pulling out his PHS and handing it to her. Aerith's palms tingled as he placed the phone in her hand so she could type in her number and leaving her name with a flower emoji after it.

"So you won't forget who I am," she said while handing it back.

Zack looked down at what she'd typed and flashed her a heart-stopping grin, "You don't ever have to worry about that."

"Oh stop it, you!" Aerith giggled, face flaming as she pushed at his shoulder and although it was akin to moving a house, he allowed her anyway. His laughter as beautiful as church bells ringing on a bright Sunday morning. Everything about him nearly took her breath straight out of her lungs in the best way possible.

Zack chuckled but his eyes caught the time on his PHS and his eyes grew wide, "Dammit, I gotta go! My parents are waiting at the restaurant. But um, I'll call you so we can plan out when to meet next week, 'kay?" Zack said.

"I can't wait," she rehashed his previous words back to him. Zack smiled, turning around and giving her a lazy salute, he took off faster than she'd expected, even from a SOLDIER. He soon disappeared into the bustling crowd and left her standing in the street feeling as if the world came back into focus.

It felt as if nothing yet everything changed with that single interaction. There was still a crowd of people milling about, the too loud conversations, the music blaring from nearby restaurants and shops, people still bumped into her occasionally yet it didn't bother her… not even the sky above did.

Looking up, Aerith glanced into the dark night now free of clouds and all she saw was the dark blue and violet of his eyes, the flecks of mako from the reactors leaving streaks of green like the ring around his iris.

No, that wasn't so scary anymore…

Aerith's PHS suddenly buzzed in her pocket with an unknown number on the screen. A smile overtaking her face as she read the message inside.

"Hey its Zack! Thanks again for the flowers! my ma did love them btw. Ill text you my schedule when I get it 2maro so we can set a date. Have a goodnight. ;-) " it read and Aerith couldn't help but smile.

It was strange. She'd just met him yet she felt as if she'd known him her whole life already or even every lifetime. A feeling of rightness settling deep in her chest as she put her flower basket on her arm before writing him back, "I knew she would! Moms always love flowers. They're a perfect gift! Have a nice time with your parents. Yes, please let me know when you're free. I'm looking forward to it, Zack. You have a good night too." before she could second guess herself, she pressed send.

Placing the PHS back in her pocket, Aerith glanced back up at the sky and instead of fear, she smiled instead.

There was a warmth in her chest. A warm fuzzy flickering fire resting comfortably underneath her sternum as she took in the sky that reminded her of his eyes.

It was way too soon to tell, and Aerith had never known what it was like to be in love, but she imagined it felt a lot like this…

#zack fair #aerith gainsbrough #zack x aerith #zerith #zerith week #zerith week 2023 #love at first sight #fanfiction #zerith fanfiction

3 notes · View notes

youmourn-a · 1 year

Text

this is a drabble of zacks experience in the basement of shinra manor im going to give a big fat trigger warning about eye gore!! if that isnt your thing then please dont read this!! other warnings include experimentation (obviously), basically akin to sleep paralysis, slight gore, needles and the like.

read this under your own discretion thank u

you don't know how or when you got here. mind is fuzzy and you feel so warm, so heavy. except, it's so hard to breathe and there's a voice... a recognizable one. ... cloud? cloud! your lips part and you call out his name. well, you think you do anyways. you can't move a single muscle in your body and it's silent but when a face comes into view, you're helpless. then you realize, you're strapped to a chair sitting upright and unable to move.

it's hojo and he's not alone.

he's talking to you but you can't comprehend what he's saying. it's blurry. you're awake but you're not. you're numb and sedated.

you aren't quite aware of how much time passes, how long you've been like this, waiting for something to happen. unfortunately, some things catch your eye. a scalpel and scissors... though they look a little worn but sharp enough to get it done. even needles and knives of a smaller scale. he doesn't know what it does, what those do.

it seems you're conscious. excellent. the brain functions differently when you're aware and what happens when you're asleep. i have a feeling these cells will stick to you quite well, soldier 1st class.

no name to even care about you as a person.

jenova cell infusion, sample j-703 under the jenova project.

the first thing is the scalpel you've briefly seen, reaching towards your chest and... wait, where are your clothes?

the pain is blinding and it burns but you don't screen, the only acknowledgement your body gives is a slight jerk of the eyes but otherwise, you're still. you swear blood forms at the back of your mouth, tasting iron; nothing but a pool of saliva to coat your teeth. the blade penetrates the flesh where your heart should be.

no signs of mako degradation yet. the sample is still young. this is a good sign.

it feels like molten lava and you swear your heart stops beating, stop breathing. except you're still here... awake as you can be, as you are.

it's those thoughts of death: i would rather die, please kill me, it hurts. what did i do wrong? mom... dad... aerith.

with a couple more probs and pokes with needles into your wrist, neck, and stomach. your body gives the occasional jerk, responding to the cells. whether it's good or bad, you don't know. if you see hojo's face, it's one of concern but pushes through. seems like he doesn't have the results he has yet but he's not exactly done. it doesn't take long before the skin around your no longer exposed heart is sewn back up, messily, and no care or concern if it heals well or not. mako is a funny thing, isn't it? it'll spruce you up right back to normal much faster than it ever would on someone who doesn't have the eyes to show.

eyes...

your mako - infused ones who were half - lidded is now forced open, a light shining directly into the pupil. you can't see anything but the light and a vague view of hojo's masked face coming into view. the next thing you see is another needle, this time just a tad bit thicker than the rest. when it presses into your pupil, this time your body gives a response: a twitch of your finger tips. you think they might as well dig their fingers into your eye socket to pull out your eye ball and snap the optic nerve; it would feel the exact same.

good thing, you suppose, is that the needle disappears out of view and it happens once again in your other one. after that, all you see is black and a wetness down your face. whether it's tears or blood, you have no idea.

signs are immediate. enlarged pupils and the fade of blue from the samples natural eye color has turned green. the sclera has turned into a red hue, almost grey.

time becomes non - existent, ever fed the drugs to keep you still and unresponsive but awake and aware. whether it's been one hour or three months, you have no idea. when you think body welcomes much needed sleep, you're forced to be conscious with the same rinse and repeat processes. at some point, you hear your pupil was close to rupturing in your left eye, unable to take anymore jenova cells injections. you assume this aggravates hojo, tossing down tools in frustration and the snapping of gloves is something your ears pick up. you don't care. this is torture. no matter how quick the mako in your body patches you up; it starts all over again.

you think you feel the flesh melting off your bones. you think your eye fell free from its socket several times. you think, you think, you think. but you don't know. the thoughts are no longer yours, your body, your spirit is hojo's and nearly broken. nearly. you are too strong to give up so easily. you resist with everything you have so you can live.

after all the incisions, injections, "electrical therapy", forced loss of identity, you become a failure and it's immediate relief.

except the muscles that are forced to relax, tighten up when you can barely catch the words: sample j-703 has been deemed a failure of the jenova project. we believe the cause of already injected cells from first being accepted into soldier at the age of 15.

next is cloud strife, a shinra infantryman with no inclusion of mako cells. sample j-854 will take place of sample j-703. results are to be determined.

however, you swear see at the corner of your eye, a wind of silver hair...

#eye gore tw #gore tw #needles tw #lmk if i forget another tw tags but o(-<#i want there to be more involved with this but u know

5 notes · View notes

augment-techs · 1 year

Note

Coinless BillySkull + this:

Soulmates are supposed to live and die together. That means as soon as soulmates lay eyes on each other, their souls get entwined, so that if one dies the other does too. It has become quite common to hire people that specialize in finding and killing soulmates, so that they never randomly meet them and risk dying through them.

Here's the thing about Soulmates and death that most people have forgotten about between time immemorial and Drakkon making it his mission to wipe out the Coinless and anyone deemed an enemy through their Other:

There is a way to render the Bond inert. The Twining is still there, the acknowledgement is still there, it is simply a matter of performing the rites to disavow the Claim.

Skull would know. The day after Drakkon got his hands on both Kimberly and Billy as his puppets and his hunting dogs to do his bidding, the punk performed the rites on himself in front of Bulk, Zack, and Trini to prove it could in fact be done. He even offered to do it for anyone else that wanted it to spare their Soulmate the agony of a conjoined death--like Trini's parents, like Billy's parents; like Drakkon's brother and Skull's sibling.

A circle inside a triangle, flat to the earth, painted in one's own blood, the spell caster made to sit inside the circle, carve a line across the heart to draw blood, saw the Right Words, and then swallow some of the blood. A bite to the tongue, spat into the right palm of the hand, then set down on the high point of the triangle.

Trini had to walk away when black clouds settled over Skull, seemed to shoot him through with lightning without burning or the smell of ozone; she could see the Color of the Bond inside Skull turn from a lovely blue into something hollowed out. Like a cord made of ice that burnt to the touch.

Zack had to wonder if it was wise to tell the others in the Coinless about the spell and the choice. It seemed too simple, but he had no books and Skull refused to say where he knew the spell from--only left him with the instructions because Zack thought Skull would be too busy with his other duties and didn't want to force him into an awkward situation.

Bulk helped Skull out of the Circle and Triangle, the other doing his best to seem undisturbed; but Bulk knew him and could see all the things everyone else was too disturbed to notice.

Skull looked grayed out, eyes almost like wet glass, didn't seem to hold much feeling inside of him even when he tried to smile and reassure and make it clear that the spell was fine, he was FINE.

He disappeared into the castle and the ranks after that day. Those in the know were grateful for the help when he gave it, grateful for the dangers he was facing and the lives he was saving when he performed the spells on other sentries whose soulmates were in the Coinless or simple civilians just trying to survive.

But they remained cautious and curious about when the other shoe dropped.

It took about five years, but everyone could hear it across Angel Grove when it happened.

The Grid, they came to realize, brought those back that passed a test while stood outside death's door; not knocking, not kicking, not ringing the bell, but their bodies on the ground and their soul on the edge between worlds.

Billy, Drakkon's Huntsman and chief of staff when the madman was away, had received a shot to the heart by one of the Coinless allies from the Mystic Realm who were unaware of mind-breaks, brainwashing, or puppeteering. An arrow had been launched that was usually for hunting, that did not stop until it struck a beating heart.

Leanbow of the Mystics had been angered by Drakkon steeling his wife away, his niece missing, his sister-in-law dead, and wanted to cripple the madman; take away one of his greater trophies and chess pieces.

The Huntsman felt the arrow slip in between his shoulder blades, felt himself crash to the ground, his own blood creating a puddle like a shadow around him; and then darkness.

He would wake up half an hour later, Finster-5 insanely interested about the Grid and the Test and Billy's surviving; but more interested in telling him about Billy's Soulmate with the slipped Bond's response--all the way across the city, training new cadets in the fields--to blond being held between worlds.

Skull had crashed to his knees against a slope of wildflowers, a few sentries of the lower orders running up to see what the matter was. There was a brief moment of silence, and then there was the SCREAMING. Unbent and unseeing and horrifying to those that surrounded him, Skull had screamed with the bellows of those that had fought at Troy, or in massacres across Asia, or when Alexander tried his best to conquer the whole damn world.

One of the Black Sentries, Adam Park, had stayed close by, and reported seeing something like a bundled cord light up at the heart of Skull's being; a bright Blue flickering across winding, tearing, tightening Orange.

Skull had only ceased screaming when Billy had woken back up, and had finally, blessedly, passed out and was taken to the medical bay by Park when he confirmed the man was still breathing, but would not wake up.

The Huntsman visited, once. When he was not performing his other duties and Drakkon and the Ranger Slayer had not returned.

Conflicting wants and necessities fought the closer Billy got to the bed. The spell on him prevented his throwing himself over the shadowed, too thin, too gray body that he'd known forever, but it could not stop him from crying without sound as he simply...looked at him. The best Billy could do was lift his hand onto the bed and allow the tip of his fingers to feel Eugene's pulse and be glad for the rise and fall of his chest. All too slow, all terrifying to look at, but grateful he was still able to do these things. (Skull wouldn't wake up for over a week, wouldn't understand where the spell went wrong. But when he was made to guard the city, march the halls, follow orders again, he would pass by the Huntsman, creeping around in the shadows of the daylight hours and feel...something. Not better, not stronger, no less sad, but...something like a stitch being wound up in a hole that needed mending.)

#world of the coinless #Billy Cranston x Eugene Skull Skullovitch #Huntsman Billy #Red Sentry Skull #Soulmate AU #boom! comics power rangers #mmpr #ggpr #ask fill #prompt fill

2 notes · View notes

annjiru · 2 years

Note

We've seen how good Angeal has been with Zack, do you think, if things had gone differently in his life, he would've been good with other, actual children? A good father figure, or older brother figure? On that same note, do you think he'd have been proud of Zack overall and how he changed and grew?

depends. with circumstances being as they were, he's hardly had the time and at times even the forethought to really consider parenting. he doesn't mind children (caring for them comes naturally to the chevalier), but the prospect of raising one of his own would be a little hard for him to fathom. sure, he's had the occasional daydream of settling down someday and starting a family especially if he's particularly enamoured. you'd be hard pressed to find anything beyond that, though. his self-esteem is such that he can't grapple with the possibility that someone would want to raise a family together with him, or even fancy him as a life-partner. mind you, the guy has struggled a lot with his codependent tendencies and is only gradually becoming self-aware about his personal shortcomings and the baggage he'd bring to a relationship. unless and until he's able to overcome these issues, it's really unlikely that he'd make a good father-figure for anyone – biological or otherwise.

it's easier for him to envision himself taking on an older brother role, or even that of a watchful uncle or godfather. his skills as a mentor would likely come in handy here, and he'd feel a lot more comfortable because he'd still be able to build a relationship with the child without the weighty responsibilities that come with being a full-fledged parent. with the right person, though, the possibilities are endless.

as for the second half of your question, Angeal is unequivocally proud of Zack. He was forced to change and grow up quite rapidly, but he never lost sight of himself or his desire to protect his honor. I also think it's interesting to compare Angeal and Zack's relationship with that of Zack and Cloud. Zack isn't Cloud's mentor per se, but he still cares for him deeply and tries to instill his sense of duty and honor in him how he can. He never abandoned his friend and overcame great odds to get him to safety. As he watches over the pair in the Lifestream, Angeal can't help but swell with pride over how far Zack has come and how well he carries himself in spite of all the trials and hardships he's faced. This sentiment comes up in my ressurection verse, which I'm exploring now with @hisalis. In many ways, Angeal's legacy lives on in Zack and, eventually, through Cloud.

#text #headcanon;#✧.*┊answered.┊

2 notes · View notes

kellbellsparkles · 2 years

Text

A continuation/set in the same setting as Breathe (.https://www.tumblr.com/blog/view/kellbellsparkles/689897379494789120?source=share) I call this one Burdened. Zack suffers from excessive hunger and is willing to do anything to get it under control, but it causes a rift between him and Cloud, so when Cloud falls ill from pneumonia and can't be seen by anyone, Zack sets out to prove he can take care of himself.

This is embarrassing to admit: I'm not allowed to be left alone anywhere anymore.

One morning, I got a call from Tifa that Cloud collapsed while out on a delivery five towns over. He had caught a bad bout of pneumonia that was going around and even taking lives. What was worse is that it was too contagious for the doctors to allow visitors. Not knowing whether he'd live or die... I thought we were past all that.

"Are you sure you don't want to come, Zack?" Tifa asked me. She made plans to book a hotel with Denzel so they could be there for his recovery.

"I think I'm better off holding down the fort," I said. "Working on self-care and all..."

"If you change your mind... If you're feeling off in any way, call us."

"Will do."

I put on a happy face and waved them good-bye. Best case scenario, standard pneumonia recovery takes a week. I could handle one week on my own no problem, I thought. I sat at the table, grabbed a pen and paper and went to town with what I could do and what needed to be done.

Meal prep.

A load of Cloud's laundry.

Plant decorating since I've heard they can be therapeutic.

Meal prep.

I wrote that twice, dammit. My stomach had taken over my writing for me. Fucking insatiable hunger. It's felt like I've been eating for two or three ever since I first woke up and saw Cloud again; a side effect from being subject to mako and Jenova cells again according to Tseng.

GRRRRURRRLLRR

"Okay, okay!" I shouted.

I stood up, clasping my hand over my monster of a black hole. It practically feels like an earthquake with each rumble. I rummaged through the fridge for my protein shake stash. Three of them do the trick for a solid hour and a half. Five for an extra thirty minutes. However, groceries weren't getting any cheaper. I try to stick with three and direct my attention elsewhere to distract my stomach until when people normally eat, but God damn, if I wait too long, my body will get tremors and scare Cloud.

It had to have been my fault his working so hard was catching up to him. Regular thyroid and insulin medication had no effect on me, so The Turks wanted to try a pill they just manufactured, but Cloud didn't like the idea of me undergoing any more experiments. We had a heated argument I prefer not to reflect on.

"We don't know what potential side effects there are. What if they make you worse?"

"Isn't it still my decision? If it saves our pantry, then it's worth it."

"No it's not!! Do you get a good look in the mirror?? The incisions and injection marks??"

"Thanks for the body-shaming. I really needed that..."

"Just listen and use your head for once! Don't go headlong on your own like this!"

"Great. Now I'm a freeloader AND an idiot."

"That's-- You're not-- I just can't. I just can't with you today."

He stormed off and went out about his delivery business; that was our last interaction. I chugged the protein shakes and made a b-line for the shower; I read that was another good way to calm down.

I ran the water and just stood under the nozzle, bowing my head to let the warmth trickle down my back. I couldn't stop thinking about him. What would I do with myself if he died and our last words to each other were filled with anger? Anger. I was just so angry. With myself. I should've been more aware and sensitive to Cloud's feelings. So stupid. Stupid body. What are you even doing? Stop being so selfish!

BAM

I had rammed my fist into my left eye without thinking about it. The knock back made the back of my head whack the wall pretty good. Then, gravity pulled me hard enough for my ass to sting upon impact. I just sat there; I couldn't believe I had done that. As the shower pierced my ear, I was taken back to when I was back flat on the ground just outside of Midgar. Cloud had woken up and made his way to me. Those sad, worried eyes... I needed to find a way to get my shit together and fast.

Since showering was a bust, I hobbled out of the tub. I could feel a head sized bump forming already, but nothing an ice pack couldn't fix. Yeowch, though, especially when getting into my clothes was a catalyst for my old wounds to show face.

My right knee in particular. While on the run with Cloud, a group of Tonberrys tried to rob us. One of them drove a knife deep clean into the kneecap, making it protrud to the other side. I probably didn't heal it right if it's still bothering me. I settled for sitting down to get dressed. Standing back up though, my knee felt ready to snap off, but hell, if I could survive Malboro breath, I could survive this. I opened that door and walked the mvp of the year walk.

Until my right foot touched the first stair.

It spun and flung me backward. All my weight went onto my right shoulder.

CRACK

I bit my tongue so hard to keep from crying out in pain, I drew blood. It sounded like a fracture for sure. As I sat up, my arm dangled in a way that it really looked like it shouldn't. Now what was I supposed to do for a whole week? Since getting up again would lead to more accident prone disaster, I figured the best thing to do was to nap on it.

So this is where things get confusing as hell: either my stomach turns into a pack of Hellhounds or it turns into battering rams ready to pound my meals out of me. My head ached and raced with the thoughts of the two possible realities: suffering here or suffering waiting in closer proximity to Cloud. I pressed my good hand against my mouth to keep the protein shakes down, but the taste of blood wasn't helping.

Water.

I SOLDIER crawled back to the kitchen. This was my last shot for today. All my training, all my fighting, all my devotion and survival into this one, final push. I let out a bellowing war cry, thrust my feet onto the floor, and rose triumphantly. Screw you, knee! But wow, was this what being high felt like? I felt great and all my pain disappeared at once. I opened my eyes and reached for the fridge handle.

"Huh?"

Something was DEFINITELY not right. Everything was in every possible shade of green. There were little light specks in the air, too. Suddenly, a little girl popped up next to me, putting dishes in the sink. She looked eerily similar to Marlene.

"Marlene? What are you doing here?"

She didn't answer me; she hummed and made her way to the dining room. I looked over and I saw the father and a mother with two other kids, one older and one just a baby.

"What...?"

They acted like I wasn't there at all, but that was the only thing unsettling. Their attire looked outdated by at least two hundred years.

"Wait..."

I ran to go outside. I opened the door and sure enough, not only was everything still green, but I had completely gone back in time: chocobos and chariots and colonial architecture.

"Where the heck am I?"

Any sensible person would stay put and wait to wake up from this pain and hunger induced dream, but I was not a sensible person. And besides, if the people were anything like the family inside the house, they wouldn't give a crap.

I walked around and realized that I had been to somewhere similar before: floating in and out of the lifestream with Aerith and Angeal as my guides. The lifestream: the planet's life force containing the memories of events and everyone who's ever lived. But why was I here again now? Was I dying again? How do I get back to the present?

"Hey Aerith?" I called out. "Angeal? I could really use your help again! What's going on?"

No answer.

"Yoohoooooo!"

I squatted to release my nervous energy; it's always done the trick before.

"If you can hear me, say Awooooooo!! Yeah! Like a puppy! Right, Angeal??"

Still nothing. I thought, maybe I'd have a better chance with a body of water. As though the planet answered my prayers, from the corner of my eye, there was an old well. My energy spurt compelled me to hop over.

"Hold on, Timmy. I'm comin' in to join ya."

I threw my legs over the hole and down I went in a streamline position.

SPLASH

I made it. I kept sinking and sinking. This well was more bottomless than my stomach, but my God, it was beautiful down there. The specks looked more like crystals and stars. Finally, I saw them. I swam as though the entire world depended on it.

"Aerith!! Angeal!! Hey!!"

They turned to greet me. I stopped and merrily waded in place; just to see and speak to them again would make this wild trip worth it.

However, their faces and bangs were the same as Jenova's. That red gleam in their eye. I suddenly felt cold, and my stomach clumped into knots that didn't even hurt. They were a weight that just sat there. I couldn't even move my limbs. Suddenly, something wetter than the water was touching me and spinning me around. It was the real Jenova, staring directly and even smiling at me. She or they... were never human. And Sephiroth called this thing his mother?

Clamp. Squish.

Something grabbed my feet and anchored them down. I looked down... Was that a heart? I looked back up and there were more Jenovas, enveloping the entire space in rows, all looking into my soul. There it all was: flashes of my mom feeding me sliced ham lathered in butter with fresh pomegranate juice, me riding on my dad's shoulders as we picked apples from the orchard, me promising to return home one day when I left to join SOLDIER...

"Ahh!!"

My arms tensed and moved behind my back on their own.

"What's--"

Jenova was smiling, her/their teeth were showing. My body became a freezer for my bones to turn into icicles. This was not normal; this was pure evil.

Crank

Above me. I looked up and saw a helmet descending towards me. I heard the same sound coming from below, too... A tube...Like an umbilical cord.

"No!! Get that thing away from me!!"

Click

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!"

Everything went black, then white, then black again, the type of thing that needs a strobe light seizure warning. I must've been blinded because I couldn't seen anything after that. In fact, I couldn't feel my limbs, my anything at all. Was I floating or on a flat surface? All that was left was dread and regret. I had failed. I couldn't do the one thing that every human being should be able to do. I should never have fought with Cloud, then this never would've happened.

Rain.

My sense of hearing came back. I opened my eyes and I was there again; I could feel where I was, too, the Buster Sword in my hand. Something always pulled me back here. Perhaps this was a bridge between the living and the lifestream, where I was stuck for a long time. I wanted to let go as I had accepted my fate because Cloud was safe and on his way. I wanted to stay with Aerith when it was her time, but remnants of Shinra had other plans and had me deadlocked in limbo. Because Aerith had more power in the lifestream, she could send me back when I saw how bad Cloud wanted me back when I was found. Was it really okay though? Am I okay? The way I am? The way I was made?

Speak of the devil. There he was, having woken up and made his way to me.

"Zack..."

His voice was soft; his eyes were especially pleading. I know, bud. I screwed up big time. I wish I could make it up to you. I always have.

"Zack, wake up..."

"Nnnnn...?"

It had stopped raining; the sky became a ceiling. Cloud was in his present attire, looking relieved and smiling warmly.

"It's me, Zack," he said. "I'm right here."

I felt his thumbs press against my cheeks, stroking beneath my eyes. I guess I had been crying?

"Huh?" I croaked. "Cloud...? But aren't you sick?"

"Was sick," he corrected.

"But you had us worried sick for two whole weeks."

Barret was there, too.

"I should've made you come along."

And Tifa.

"I'm so sorry," she said sorrowfully.

"Why?" I mumbled, still kind of coming to. "What happened?"

"You were found blabbering and fish flopping like an overdosed drug addict."

And Yuffie. Did the whole gang really come for me?

"And your eyes turned into rave night lights," she added. "Your good eye, anyway. Your black eye emitted more like a laser."

"Do you remember who did this to you?" Cloud asked gently. Ah, geez.

"About that," I said hesitantly. "Could I talk to you alone?"

"Sure."

At the time, I didn't know if there were more people. My vision was skill kind of blah. I did hear footsteps and a door close. Cloud took my hands into his, cupping them carefully.

"So..." My voice trailed off. I had so much I wanted to say, but how to go about it without mouthing off? "I was kind of fighting... myself... My body... I hate that it's making me leech off you... That's why you got pneumonia in the first place, isn't it? You could've died..."

"You could have, too..." He sighed. "I shouldn't have snapped at you before I left. None of this is your fault. It breaks my heart when you put yourself down." He held my hands a bit tighter.

"I've had visions of you struggling to feed yourself while I was out; of you fending off the enemy all by yourself... Did you even sleep?"

"Hell," I huffed. "I don't even remember. Sure, I was hungry, but the mako and added Jenova cells kept me on my feet. I was a real beast." I let out a cackle. "Maybe I still am. I could eat everything and everyone for all we know."

Cloud shook his head.

"You would have already if that were true."

"You don't think I'll turn into a monster? That monster?"

"Absolutely not."

"You say that with such confidence."

"Because I believe in you and want to take care of you."

Did either of the party accidentally turn the heat on when they left? My cheeks were burning hot iron.

"Huh??"

Cloud chuckled and patted my head.

"You deserve to be cared for," he said.

I writhed and shuffled in the bed sheets.

"N-now wait just a minute!" I protested. "Any kind of relationship is supposed to be a two-way street!"

"I know, you dork," Cloud said playfully. "The best thing you can do for me is be careful and let us help you. Tseng, myself, and the others decided that you need at least one person nearby at all times."

"... At all times?" I repeated back. Cloud nodded, confirming I heard right.

"But falling in the shower and down the stairs weren't on purpose!"

Cloud blinked and stared dumbfoundedly.

"Wait, so that's how you hit your head and broke your elbow?"

Shit. I hid myself under the covers.

"Well, yeah... I have this old knee injury that acted up, too... It happened during that time... I used healing materia on it, but it wasn't strong enough."

Cloud moved his hands to that spot.

"Right here?"

"Yeah. On both sides. Right through the bone and skin."

"Hmmmm."

His gaze was so focused and serious. He brought his hands back to mine.

"I'll let the doctors know and I'll help you work on it when we get home," he told me.

"You really don't mind...?"

"It won't be just me; you've got an entire team behind you. If it'll really help, we can give the pill a try."

"Sweet," I said, getting some of my pep back. It looked like things were back on the upswing.

Or so I thought. After I was discharged, I wound up having an allergic reaction that made me look like I had chicken pox all over again after the first dose.

"Aw, rats," I moaned as Cloud was giving me an oatmeal back. "Back to square one."

"Even if we stay there," he said as he scrubbed my arms. "We'll make it work. Cid is working with Red XIII to ship over shares of his game. Yuffie is taking up bounty hunting on the side and sells some materia to pay for shipping and handling of groceries. She's found a crew, so she'll be okay."

"That's good..."

"Whatever Barret and Marlene don't finish, they're donating to you, and Tifa is collecting coupons for your protein drinks. Denzel is even taking up growing fruits and vegetables. Oh yeah, and the Turks package is arriving tomorrow morning including three more fridges."

Grrrrrrrglegrrrrrrrr

My stomach, ladies and gentlemen, right on cue. Cloud came prepared, popping a protein shake with a straw in my mouth.

"Exciting, isn't it, Raven?" he teased.

He even named it after 'ravenous'. An internal organ, a third wheel. Who was I? Mother Mary?

"But you'll have to be patient a while longer, for Zack's sake. You make it hard for him to sleep at night. Whether you like it or not, you're stuck together, so you have to learn to live with one another so you both can be happy."

He washed Raven next and gave it a pat. Cloud was oddly fond of giving belly rubs. I could hear Angeal laughing and cooing at me, Zack the puppy.

I'm not allowed to be left alone anywhere anymore; Cloud and I even share a bed for my safety. Granted, I kept him close by at night during the dark ages, but I never had to worry about him kicking me or punching me in his sleep. He promised me that chamomile would calm my nerves and knock me right out. After finishing, we'd laid on our sides facing each other. He'd pet me and sing me a lullaby he remembered from his mom.

Little moogle, look yonder

In the midst of the misty woods.

There be a party of Nibelungs

Offering a trade.

For your tuff of cotton,

They would part with a map and key

To trot through their gates

And bring them business gleefully.

And that was it. Lights out. Works every time. There was more to the cute little folk song of the first settlers of Nibelheim, but it was never needed. He had a lovely, velvety tenor voice.

#ffvii #cloud strife #zack fair #zakkura #zack lives au

4 notes · View notes