FIC Arrangements Part 9
Jul. 25th, 2008 10:42 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jessara40k_ljTitle: Arrangements chapter 9
Series: Final Fantasy VII AU (Cetra Restoration AU, linked here)
Pairing: Brangwen/Cloud, Cloud/Sephiroth, Sephiroth/Tseng
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: If they were mine Aeris and Zack would still be alive, and not just running around in the Lifestream spying on Cloud. Since Aeris and Zack said goodbye to Cloud at the end of AC and disappeared into the Lifestream I guess they aren't mine.
Warnings: AU
This ended up a lot easier to write once I realised Cloud wasn't going to go to Brangwen without Sephiroth just about ordering him to.
“Cloud? Aren’t you going to Brangwen tonight?” Cloud really didn’t like the mixture of resignation and bitterness in Sephiroth’s voice. His consort had always seemed so comfortable with the knowledge that he needed a spouse, but now it looked as if he was hurting because only naturally conceived Cetra could evoke even a minor response from the Planet - and his heir had to have a major response.
“Not if you’d rather I didn’t.” Brangwen had told him that she was fertile today, according to Aeris, but Sephiroth mattered more to him.
“Cloud...you have to get Brangwen pregnant, as soon as possible, or people will wonder why not.” Sephiroth stood, and began pacing, keeping the bed between him and Cloud, even if he didn’t think his consort had planned that. “She’s fertile, and the two of you are interfertile, or you would have had to call off that espousal too, so the only reason she wouldn’t get pregnant is if you weren’t bedding her. She warned me that she expected you to go to her tonight, so I wouldn’t worry about why you came to our bed late tonight, or...if you chose to stay with her.”
That was enough. The way Sephiroth’s voice broke on that last sentence, the hints of pain and near betrayal in his words was too much for Cloud and he vaulted over the bed to pull his beloved into his arms.
“You never have to worry about that, about me choosing her over you. You are the most important person in my life and nothing is going to change that, not ever. I’m sorry if I ever gave you reason to think otherwise. I’m sorry to have hurt you, it’s something I never wanted to do.” He stroked Sephiroth’s back, trying to soothe away the almost convulsive shuddering that had started as soon as he took hold of him.
“I know, I know.” Sephiroth’s voice was choked with held back emotion. “I don’t think you get what hurts most though. I thought I’d accepted that you’d have to be with Brangwen when she’s fertile, but I shouldn’t have had to hear it from her. I like her, and it was kind of her to warn me that you’d have to be with her tonight, but she shouldn’t have needed to, you should have told me.” Sephiroth was right, he should have heard it from Cloud, but Cloud hadn’t wanted to think about what he’d have to do with Brangwen, because he couldn’t help seeing it as a betrayal of Sephiroth.
“You need children and I can’t give them to you. I understand that, Morgan made sure of that, he reminded me that you’d have to take a spouse for that purpose often enough that I thought I was prepared, especially since Brangwen’s always been good to me. If I could give you children I would, you know that?”
“Yes, yes I do.” He pressed his lips to Sephiroth’s temple and waited, letting him say whatever else he needed to say.
“If I could give you children I’d carry as many of them as it took, as many as you needed, and then maybe you wouldn’t need Brangwen, but I can’t, and you do need her. I wish I’d been born a woman, so I could do this for you, but I can’t.”
“Sephiroth, don’t wish that. If you were a woman we might not even have met, not with how weird humans can be about that sort of thing. Think about how much trouble Godo’s having over in Wutai with the noble clans about Yuffie.” She was qualified, competent and trained her entire life to take over the rule of Wutai once Godo died, but now there was pressure for him to declare her newborn brother his heir, and while she’d only had sisters all the humans had wanted her married off and breeding young so that her sons could inherit the rule of the country with her husband as their regent.
Sephiroth’s laughter was just a little bitter, and Cloud hoped with all his heart that that it wouldn’t turn to tears or hysteria; he really couldn’t handle that and Sephiroth had seemed on the verge of some sort of breakdown earlier. “You’d think they’d realise they were lucky to be allowed to retain their positions ruling Wutai, and accept that inheritance would have to follow Cetra law, not human, but they don’t. I think we’d have still met though, Hojo always intended me as a weapon, so I can’t imagine ShinRa not making use of me in Wutai.” If Sephiroth had been a woman, and as beautiful as he was now Cloud could all too easily imagine what other use ShinRa could have made of him from what he’d heard about the man, but if Sephiroth hadn’t thought of that he certainly wasn’t going to bring it up.
“It might have taken longer though, so you might not have been there when we were trying to awaken the others.” And they might not have succeeded without his help and protection, even if the warrior caste council hadn’t really wanted to admit that. Cloud shook his head, dismissing his line of thought before it turned morbid. “It doesn’t matter, I love you, as you are. I wouldn’t ever want you to be different.” Except for wishing the Cetra who’d put those restrictions in his mind had been less vindictive, had left him at least the ability to defend himself.
“Thank you.” Sephiroth’s laughter had ended now, and his voice was calm, almost empty, so Cloud let him go when Sephiroth pushed at his chest, giving him a soft, sad smile. “You still need to go to Brangwen tonight, and it would be cruel of you to make her wait too long.”
“Yeah, I guess so.” He didn’t like leaving Sephiroth when he wasn’t happy, but he didn’t think he could do anything to change that right now. “Are you sure you’ll be okay?”
“Yes, I’ll get Tseng after you’ve gone, for comfort.” That made sense, except that Sephiroth didn’t need to go looking for Tseng himself.
“Don’t bother, I’ll tell him that you want him on my way to Brangwen’s rooms.” He’d made Sephiroth angry now, he could tell from the fire in his eyes, but at least that was better than him being sad.
“You will not go to her through the harem. People need to see that you’re going to see her, and you can’t treat her like a dirty secret.” That didn’t make sense - he’d married Brangwen in front of a live audience numbering in the thousands, and there’d been millions watching through the broadcasts. But if it made Sephiroth happy he’d go to her through the corridors, even though the primary entrance to her quarters wasn’t even on the same corridor as the primary entrance to his.
“Can I come back through the harem at least then?” He was teasing, but Sephiroth went pale and bowed his head, the anger in his eyes fading away.
“I didn’t mean that as an order, I just don’t want you to shame her. She is my friend after all.”
Cloud lifted Sephiroth’s chin with the back of his fingers, and kissed his lips without demanding entrance. “I didn’t take it as an order, I took it as much needed advice, and I was asking for further advice. Would it shame Brangwen if I came back through the harem?”
“No, it wouldn’t. That way no one would know how long you spent with her, they might even assume you stayed with her through the night.”
“Thank you. I’ll try not to wake you if you’re sleeping when I return.” He didn’t stay to hear what Sephiroth replied to that, or even if he replied to it; it was hard enough to leave him as it was.
Series: Final Fantasy VII AU (Cetra Restoration AU, linked here)
Pairing: Brangwen/Cloud, Cloud/Sephiroth, Sephiroth/Tseng
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: If they were mine Aeris and Zack would still be alive, and not just running around in the Lifestream spying on Cloud. Since Aeris and Zack said goodbye to Cloud at the end of AC and disappeared into the Lifestream I guess they aren't mine.
Warnings: AU
This ended up a lot easier to write once I realised Cloud wasn't going to go to Brangwen without Sephiroth just about ordering him to.
“Cloud? Aren’t you going to Brangwen tonight?” Cloud really didn’t like the mixture of resignation and bitterness in Sephiroth’s voice. His consort had always seemed so comfortable with the knowledge that he needed a spouse, but now it looked as if he was hurting because only naturally conceived Cetra could evoke even a minor response from the Planet - and his heir had to have a major response.
“Not if you’d rather I didn’t.” Brangwen had told him that she was fertile today, according to Aeris, but Sephiroth mattered more to him.
“Cloud...you have to get Brangwen pregnant, as soon as possible, or people will wonder why not.” Sephiroth stood, and began pacing, keeping the bed between him and Cloud, even if he didn’t think his consort had planned that. “She’s fertile, and the two of you are interfertile, or you would have had to call off that espousal too, so the only reason she wouldn’t get pregnant is if you weren’t bedding her. She warned me that she expected you to go to her tonight, so I wouldn’t worry about why you came to our bed late tonight, or...if you chose to stay with her.”
That was enough. The way Sephiroth’s voice broke on that last sentence, the hints of pain and near betrayal in his words was too much for Cloud and he vaulted over the bed to pull his beloved into his arms.
“You never have to worry about that, about me choosing her over you. You are the most important person in my life and nothing is going to change that, not ever. I’m sorry if I ever gave you reason to think otherwise. I’m sorry to have hurt you, it’s something I never wanted to do.” He stroked Sephiroth’s back, trying to soothe away the almost convulsive shuddering that had started as soon as he took hold of him.
“I know, I know.” Sephiroth’s voice was choked with held back emotion. “I don’t think you get what hurts most though. I thought I’d accepted that you’d have to be with Brangwen when she’s fertile, but I shouldn’t have had to hear it from her. I like her, and it was kind of her to warn me that you’d have to be with her tonight, but she shouldn’t have needed to, you should have told me.” Sephiroth was right, he should have heard it from Cloud, but Cloud hadn’t wanted to think about what he’d have to do with Brangwen, because he couldn’t help seeing it as a betrayal of Sephiroth.
“You need children and I can’t give them to you. I understand that, Morgan made sure of that, he reminded me that you’d have to take a spouse for that purpose often enough that I thought I was prepared, especially since Brangwen’s always been good to me. If I could give you children I would, you know that?”
“Yes, yes I do.” He pressed his lips to Sephiroth’s temple and waited, letting him say whatever else he needed to say.
“If I could give you children I’d carry as many of them as it took, as many as you needed, and then maybe you wouldn’t need Brangwen, but I can’t, and you do need her. I wish I’d been born a woman, so I could do this for you, but I can’t.”
“Sephiroth, don’t wish that. If you were a woman we might not even have met, not with how weird humans can be about that sort of thing. Think about how much trouble Godo’s having over in Wutai with the noble clans about Yuffie.” She was qualified, competent and trained her entire life to take over the rule of Wutai once Godo died, but now there was pressure for him to declare her newborn brother his heir, and while she’d only had sisters all the humans had wanted her married off and breeding young so that her sons could inherit the rule of the country with her husband as their regent.
Sephiroth’s laughter was just a little bitter, and Cloud hoped with all his heart that that it wouldn’t turn to tears or hysteria; he really couldn’t handle that and Sephiroth had seemed on the verge of some sort of breakdown earlier. “You’d think they’d realise they were lucky to be allowed to retain their positions ruling Wutai, and accept that inheritance would have to follow Cetra law, not human, but they don’t. I think we’d have still met though, Hojo always intended me as a weapon, so I can’t imagine ShinRa not making use of me in Wutai.” If Sephiroth had been a woman, and as beautiful as he was now Cloud could all too easily imagine what other use ShinRa could have made of him from what he’d heard about the man, but if Sephiroth hadn’t thought of that he certainly wasn’t going to bring it up.
“It might have taken longer though, so you might not have been there when we were trying to awaken the others.” And they might not have succeeded without his help and protection, even if the warrior caste council hadn’t really wanted to admit that. Cloud shook his head, dismissing his line of thought before it turned morbid. “It doesn’t matter, I love you, as you are. I wouldn’t ever want you to be different.” Except for wishing the Cetra who’d put those restrictions in his mind had been less vindictive, had left him at least the ability to defend himself.
“Thank you.” Sephiroth’s laughter had ended now, and his voice was calm, almost empty, so Cloud let him go when Sephiroth pushed at his chest, giving him a soft, sad smile. “You still need to go to Brangwen tonight, and it would be cruel of you to make her wait too long.”
“Yeah, I guess so.” He didn’t like leaving Sephiroth when he wasn’t happy, but he didn’t think he could do anything to change that right now. “Are you sure you’ll be okay?”
“Yes, I’ll get Tseng after you’ve gone, for comfort.” That made sense, except that Sephiroth didn’t need to go looking for Tseng himself.
“Don’t bother, I’ll tell him that you want him on my way to Brangwen’s rooms.” He’d made Sephiroth angry now, he could tell from the fire in his eyes, but at least that was better than him being sad.
“You will not go to her through the harem. People need to see that you’re going to see her, and you can’t treat her like a dirty secret.” That didn’t make sense - he’d married Brangwen in front of a live audience numbering in the thousands, and there’d been millions watching through the broadcasts. But if it made Sephiroth happy he’d go to her through the corridors, even though the primary entrance to her quarters wasn’t even on the same corridor as the primary entrance to his.
“Can I come back through the harem at least then?” He was teasing, but Sephiroth went pale and bowed his head, the anger in his eyes fading away.
“I didn’t mean that as an order, I just don’t want you to shame her. She is my friend after all.”
Cloud lifted Sephiroth’s chin with the back of his fingers, and kissed his lips without demanding entrance. “I didn’t take it as an order, I took it as much needed advice, and I was asking for further advice. Would it shame Brangwen if I came back through the harem?”
“No, it wouldn’t. That way no one would know how long you spent with her, they might even assume you stayed with her through the night.”
“Thank you. I’ll try not to wake you if you’re sleeping when I return.” He didn’t stay to hear what Sephiroth replied to that, or even if he replied to it; it was hard enough to leave him as it was.
