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setoangel01-fanfiction · 8 days

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Through the Jungle

The Prodigal Son - Chapter 2 (Previous Chapters)

Fandom: FFVII

Pairings: Zack Fair x Aerith Gainsborough (Zerith) and minor Cloud Strife x Tifa Lockhart (Cloti)

Rated: T

Story Summary: Zack Lives AU. Leaving the Golden Saucer behind, the group heads to Zack's hometown of Gongaga, where after nearly a decade apart, Zack finally reunites with his parents.

Chapter Summary: Arriving on the shores of Gongaga, the group make their ways through the perilous jungle awaiting them.

................

"Damn…" Cloud muttered softly from the driver's seat when the buggy came to a full stop. The tires jostling slightly atop the sandy beaches near the entrance to what could only be gateway to the dense Jungles of Gongaga.

Zack allowed a smirk to cross his lips hearing Cloud's awed tone as well as the similar reactions crossing the expressions of all the other passengers that were all unabashedly staring at the absolutely impressive jungle awaiting them. Widened eyes and gaping mouths of his companions had him feeling relieved to see the sheer majesty of his home hadn't changed much since he left it behind a decade ago.

For a few blissful seconds, Zack took it in himself as the group exited the buggy to get a closer look.

Feet firm on the sandy beach, a dainty hand suddenly grasped at his arm. He looked down to see his girlfriend's awestruck expression, marvelous emerald eyes wider than he could recall them being, peering eagerly at their surroundings.

"Wow! Oh Gaia, everything is so…green!" Aerith chirped happily with an adorable little bounce in her step. Her exhilaration was palpable and Zack couldn't be happier about seeing the wondrous expression gracing her beautiful face.

A low whistle sounded beside them, "Gotta agree with ya' there, girlie. Fuckin' hell, I don't think I've ever seen so many damn trees in my entire life," Barrett muttered, reaching out to touch a nearby frond as if in a hypnotic daze.

"DON'T TOUCH THAT!" Zack suddenly yelped, grasping Barret's outstretched arm before he could make a terrible mistake.

"Da fuck!?" Barrett yelled, pulling his arm back from the plant as if he had been burned.

Zack chuckled nervously, "Sorry but you'd thank me if you'd seen what even touching that shit does to your skin!" Zack shuttered in remembrance when he learned that lesson the hard way as a boy, "It'll give you the itchiest most annoying rash you'll ever get in your life! Believe me! You gotta avoid the plants with the thorns and red tipped leaves, but those bluish ones beside it are alright, though." As if to showcase his truthfulness, Zack brushed his glove-less hand against said greenery with a fond smile on his lips.

Yuffie guffawed at the horrified look that still hadn't left Barrett's face. The man in question swatting at her before the self-appointed 'most beautiful and greatest ninja of all time' promptly bent over with her nauseous stomach roiling unhappily at the sudden movement.

"Serves ya right, ya brat!" Barrett shook his fist at Yuffie, who while acting like she's only seconds from certain death, still somehow found the energy to stick her tongue out and flip him off.

Aerith giggled into Zack's bicep as Tifa rubbed the loudly whining Yuffie's back.

"So…anything else we need to watch out for here, Zack?" Nanaki's soft drawl asked from near his left hip as the feline sniffed cautiously at a patch of bright purple flowers.

Zack hummed, putting his hand up to his chin and peered around. "Well…Yeah. There's some more plants I'd steer clear from but it's mostly the fiends you gotta watch out for. The Kimera bugs are bloodthirsty bastards, there's also these giant flying jellyfish that love to paralyze you with cheap-shot lightning attacks…Oh! And whatever you do, stay the hell away from the Touch Me Frogs! We don't have any Maiden's Kiss on us and if we were all attacked together by a nest of 'em, that would be really, really bad news..."

"...Maiden's Kiss?" Aerith asked with a curious tilt to her head.

"Yeah! It turns you back to normal when you get 'Frogged'!"

Cloud stared at him strangely for a moment before he felt compelled to ask, "…'Frogged'?"

Zack blinked stupidly at him. "Yeah. The Touch Me's will actually turn you into a frog. Can't tell you how many times it's happened to me…" he admitted while scratching the back of his head in slight embarrassment.

Yuffie huffed out a laugh, "Now that, I believe," which Zack would have given her shit for (and an atomic noogie) if she didn't look so damn miserable with her greenish complexion and arms wrapped protectively across her stomach. "Urk…Nope. No more laughing…Bad idea."

Tifa peered in concern at the teen for a moment before she suggested, "Alright then. I say it's a good idea to stay clear away from weird plants and any monsters, especially those frogs, until we can stock up on that certain potion."

"Uggghhhh…" Yuffie moaned as she leaned her head miserably against Tifa's shoulder.

"...And maybe we could also stock up on some stomach medicine while we're there," Tifa continued, allowing the loudly grumbling Yuffie to lean her slight weight on her.

"Hell yes..." the Wutain groaned into Tifa's generous chest as the older woman comforted her with gently pats to her back.

"Oi! Dat's a fine idea dere, Lassie!" Cait Sith piped for the first time since they arrived, the quick-footed robotic feline suddenly launched upwards and made himself quite comfortable atop Barrett's shoulder, much to the latter's dismay.

"Hey! What the-!? Whataya!? Urg!" The dark skinned man cut himself off, glaring certain death at the robot. Yet Cait Sith remained unfazed, merely smiling in the face of his anger, Barrett muttered, "fuckin' cat…" under his breath rather than knock his furry ass to the ground.

Zack thought the scene was strangely sweet.

All the while, Cloud peered out at the group as if in deep thought before glancing back toward the jungle. The blonde looked way out of his depth and uncomfortable which was odd considering how quick he assumed the leader role under Zack's advisement. Yet now he seemed hesitant at the prospect of the looming vegetation when he turned to peer back at Zack.

"That's the plan then. Looks like you're in the lead, Jungle Boy." Cloud announced.

Zack laughed loudly at the sudden declaration, slapping Cloud hard on his un-armored shoulder before he eagerly took over the leader role of the group with Aerith always faithfully by his side. Her adorable giggles and bouncing steps right beside his own.

"Damn straight I am, you Mountain Hick!" Zack called out to the blonde over his shoulder.

"Hey!" Tifa's affronted voice called back.

"Not you, Teef! Now, come on, everyone! Let's mosey!" he stated happily to the rest of the party.

.....................

Cloud stood there for a moment, merely rubbing his sore shoulder, and while trying to hide it, he couldn't help but smile at Zack and Aerith's retreating backs before following them into the jungle.

"Oh my!" It was Tifa's voice that broke out when they first saw the field of bright pink mushrooms lining a mossy cliff-side. The excitement encapsulated her cherry-cola eyes and a huge smile gracing her lips as the group approached Gongoga's world famous import hidden deep inside the jungle."These are Gongaga mushrooms, right Zack?" she inquired, peering questioningly over her shoulder at him. The martial artist was already kneeling next to a large patch of the smaller mushrooms resting right underneath the shade of one a thousand times larger.

Zack knelt beside her and once he saw they were indeed the correct mushrooms and not some poisonous look-alike imposters, he happily replied, "Yep! These are Gaia's famous Gongaga Mushrooms! In fact, this is the only place on the planet they're grown."

"Really?" Cloud asked curiously as he squatted down near Tifa to get a closer look.

"Yeah. Something about the temperature and soil I think makes them only able to flourish here," Zack replied as Aerith plopped herself in the thick grassy patch beside him, green eyes wide as she brushed her hands over the bright pink fungi and marveled at the size of one of the nearby giants.

"They're such a pretty color too!" Aerith added while Nanaki walked over to sniff at them curiously; the feline 'hmmed' lowly in his throat as if pleasantly surprised at their rich meaty aroma they exuded.

"Wow." Tifa mused softly on the information, gentle smile never fading as she lightly ran her fingertip along the edges of a few. "I've always loved to cook with them! They add such amazing flavor to every dish, but in Midgar they're always so expensive the rare time I seen them come to the markets. I could only afford to use them in a few dishes on a couple special occasions."

Zack watched with barely concealed giddiness as Cloud peered at Tifa's contemplative expression, those light blue eyes of his doing nothing to hide his obvious adoration for the gorgeous brunette. The way Cloud and Tifa shyly danced around each other, yet were so damn in love that anyone with eyes could see it, was as cute as it was frustrating to witness.

Seemingly psyching himself up, the blonde ex-infantryman gently nudged at Tifa's shoulder with his own before offering, "Hey, uh, why don't we stock up on some of them here? I'm sure they're a lot cheaper since they're grown here."

"Hmm, you're right. Maybe they even have them dried to make them more portable," Tifa wondered with a dainty finger pressed to her chin.

"Yeah, and uh, I'm sure the dishes you make for us on the road would be even better," he quickly cleared his throat and looked away with cheeks that nearly matched Tifa's eyes, "You know, if that's even possible."

Tifa's eyes widened at the sudden compliment but a warm smile quickly overtook it instead, "Thanks, Cloud. I think I'd like that…" she shyly responded.

Zack and Aerith watched their interaction with bated breath, and once it was over, they shared a pleased look and quietly fist-bumped at the progression those two were making.

Of course the adorable moment didn't last long when Yuffie suddenly piped up, "I don't get it," she grumbled, bouncing a few (most likely stolen) materia on her knuckles as she waited for them all to get a move on, "What's so special about a bunch of pink mushrooms?"

Zack smirked at the ninja, "Just wait til you taste my mom's cooking and then you'll see."

Barrett chuckled, tapping Yuffie's shoulder that sent the thin teen nearly careening into a nearby tree, "Damn straight! There is truly nothing that tastes as good in the damn planet like home cookin'." The older man pursed his lips, "Hey, uh, SOLDIER boy, I shoulda brought this up earlier, but do ya think your folks would be alright with all of us bargin' in on them without any warning?"

Zack quickly stood to his feet and offered his hand to Aerith as he replied, "My mom always was looking for any excuse to cook so I'm sure they won't mind." His voice was steady even if Zack himself remained unsure of his parent's reaction to his sudden presence. Wanting to put his friends at ease and wipe the concerned look Aerith shot his way, he continued, "We didn't have the biggest house so we might have to eat outside or find other lodging to fit us all overnight, but hell, we're used to doing that already so it shouldn't be a big deal."

Barrett's brows pinches for a moment. "Hey, Zack, ya know we wouldn't wanna to intrude if ya want some time alone with yer folks either." Barrett said with a kind, fatherly expression Zack wasn't used to seeing aimed at him since Angeal died. The very same look his father bestowed upon him while resting a firm yet comforting hand on his shoulder after gifting him his first real sword on his 13th birthday.

Now Angeal was dead (by his hand no less) and he'd left his father a week after that night without a word. All of it given up more than 10 years ago for a dream that ended up in a hellish cacophony of greed, delusion, betrayal, and concluded in a town filled with fire and smoke.

A sharp wave of grief of the past 10 years hit him abruptly, yet before he could think of anything to reply to the kindness he didn't deserve held in Barrett's eyes, Yuffie interrupted.

For once, Zack was damn grateful for the distraction.

"Ughhh! Great! Than let's hurry the hell up and go already! Anything to stop staring at a bunch of dumb mushrooms, ya old fogies!" Yuffie piped up, her arms now full of the protesting Cait Sith who was the latest victim of her Materia "borrowing" scheme.

"Hmm. Yes. Let's continue. I'm rather intrigued. I'd love to see how they taste when cooked, especially if it's as good as Tifa states." Nanaki commented, licking the edge of his mouth where a pink speck of mushroom fell to the ground by his feet.

Zack looked down in bewilderment hoping eating them raw had no adverse effect on the large feline but decided not to say anything and to merely keep an eye on him.

Shaking off any lingering feelings of his past coming back to haunt him, Zack slipped back on his normal happy puppy mask and stated, "Alright, alright, hold onto your Chocobos, Yuff."

"Stop calling me that, ya jerk!" she grumbled but Zack continued unperturbed.

"I promise we'll leave real soon but we can't show up empty handed! C'mon, give me a hand with picking some of these!"

Cloud looked skeptical yet he followed his friend to the patch of mushrooms regardless, "Wouldn't your folks already have some?"

"Probably, but the ones that grow furthest from the village always tasted better in my opinion. Now come on, there's a special technique to picking them so they don't break!" Zack motioned for the others interested in learning to join him near a large cluster of the pink beauties situated in a little alcove a few yards away. The plump pink flesh perfectly ripe and the woodsy smell lingering near them was rich and aromatic.

Perfect for picking!

With that, Zack showed the group the specialized Gongaga technique for picking the mushrooms so the tops and stems were left attached and completely undamaged. Zack's smile grew as Aerith and Tifa both did it perfectly on their first try and gave each other a high five in celebration. Yet Cloud wasn't as lucky for he broke his first mushroom right in half while angrily swatting at the mocking Yuffie, who wasn't any better when her mushroom practically exploded into pink chunks of shrapnel. At least Nanaki was happy not to waste the rare fungi and ate the pieces.

Barrett and Cait Sith seemed merely happy watching it all unfold.

Zack leaned back on his heels as they continued their mission. A gentle smile curling his lips at getting to watch his girlfriend and friends as they (after another brief instruction) began gathering the mushrooms like seasoned pros. Yet his unperturbed mask he relied on far too much lately faltered slightly once he realized he was actually happy for any excuse to help delay the trip to his hometown just a little while longer…

..................

A plethora of Gongaga mushrooms safely stowed away in Barrett's knapsack, the group continued into the denser region while trying (and failing) to avoid the fiends along their way.

Clusters of large Kimera bugs were easily dispatched while they almost got overtaken by Grangalan, the annoying egg-like creatures that reproduced faster than Grassland rabbits. As they got deeper into the thick foliage, they ran into a few nesting Mastodons they fortunately slipped past without fighting. Unfortunately, in a case of bad luck named Yuffie Kisaragi, they landed in a field of poisonous plants called Frightflowers. The evil flora were a pain in the ass if they weren't killed immediately and if it wasn't for Aerith's masterful Ensuna casting, the fight could have been deadly with their poison effect alone.

When all was said and done, nearly all of them were nursing more than a few new scrapes and bruises they didn't bother wasting potions on, but thankfully, nothing worse than that. Zack was merely grateful that they hadn't run into any Touch Me Frogs, but in an effort to avoid their spawning areas, it still stalled their progress more than he'd like.

Zack had also forgotten how strenuous traversing this jungle could be. Hanging ropes and vines, rickety wooden ladders, tons of hiking mountains and crossing fast-moving rivers greeted them the further into the jungle they went. And while himself and most of the group could easily handle the extra physical strain, it was obvious his girlfriend was quickly falling behind.

Flushed cheeks, sweat heavily lined her brow and her wispy chestnut locks were flattening as the exertion plus the humidity in the air began to wilt down her energy to a mere whisper of what it was mere hours prior.

Zack tried his best to take plenty of rest stops so she could have a moment to catch her breath, but it was an uphill battle. They were also losing daylight and it was a special kind of hell to get trapped in the jungle after nightfall where you couldn't even see your own damn hand in front of your face. Not to mention, the hungry nocturnal fiends he'd rather not deal with in the inevitable low lighting.

"I'm so sorry, Zack." Aerith's voice tore him from his musings. The last Cetra breathing heavily as she plopped down on a downed tree log and looked so incredibly miserable that it hurt his heart. "I know I'm slowing everyone down, it's just… Ugh! I thought after a few weeks of non-stop traveling I wouldn't be huffing and puffing like this anymore. I feel so weak…" she grumbled angrily while wiping her perspiring forehead with the back of her trembling hand.

"What are you talking about!? You just saved our asses back there! Don't even think that you're weak because you're one of the strongest people I know!" Zack chided while sliding to sit next to her and wrapping a comforting arm around her shoulder.

Aerith smiled at the statement but he still saw the doubt in her eyes and it broke his damn heart.

Zack bit his lip, yet before he said anything further, he lifted his blue eyes to the figures of the rest of the group standing at a nearby creek filling their canteens with fresh water. Seeing they weren't in hearing range, he continued, "I'm serious when I say you're actually doing great, sweetie. Traversing these jungles isn't easy whatsoever and the heat and humidity only makes it that much worse, especially if you're not used to it."

"I still feel bad… It's like everyone is always catering to me because I can't keep up," Aerith muttered lowly, playing with the ends of her frayed braid in an effort to keep her eyes away from Zack's concerned expression.

Zack pursed his lips, hating to see the self-deprecating look on her face and wanted nothing more than to reassure his angel, "That's not true! We've stopped plenty of times for the others. There's Barrett for instance in the Shinra tower with the giant ass flight of stairs and Yuffie whenever she needs to hurl every damn time she steps into a moving vehicle."

"Yeah, but that's not the same," Aerith pouted.

Zack bit his lip for a moment before he asked with a soft smile, "Hey, did I ever tell you about my friend Satatoro?"

Aerith's eyes perked up at the sudden new information he was sharing and he cheered inside at the interest in her pretty green eyes. "No, you didn't."

"Well, we both were born here and were friends since before we could walk. We were both so determined to join ShinRa to become First Class SOLDIERS yet he'd always be focused so much on strength and trying to pack on muscle that he never even bothered to do cardio to build up his stamina. The dude would nearly pass out when going for a light jog to my secret workout spot!"

"...So, you're saying I need to work on my stamina, hmm?" she teased lowly while brushing her hand on his thigh, loving to watch the adorable shade of coral red fill the apples of his cheeks.

Zack chuckled, "Babe, all I'm saying is that he lived here his whole life and he would have given up on this trek hours ago and yet here you are still pushing through!" he grasped at her wandering hand and held it against his chest, smiling so tenderly it made her heart throb against her sternum. "You're doing wonderful, Aeri. Don't you ever think otherwise. …Promise me?"

Aerith pursed her lips indecisively yet Zack didn't give, his big pout and patented puppy dog eyes she could never refuse had her throwing in the proverbial towel. Zack could be the most stubborn man on the planet when he set his mind to it. The Last Cetra finally relented with a sigh. "Fine. I won't say that anymore, okay?"

"Great!"

The Flower Girl huffed out a laugh before smiling at her wonderful and encouraging boyfriend. She quickly leaned up to place a quick kiss on the edge of his smiling mouth before resting her slight weight against his unmovable muscular frame. Bonelessly, she leaned against him, not even bothering to hide how absolutely exhausted she was anymore. "While I know I'm doing okay for making it this far, I still feel like shit for slowing us down… and now I can't feel my feet anymore."

Zack peered at her in concern before a brilliant idea popped into his head that had him smiling.

"...What?" Aerith asked when noticing him staring at her with barely restrained glee.

"I think I can help with that!"

.................

"...Are you sure this is okay?" Aerith asked, her thin frame cradled tenderly in Zack's arms in a bridle carry, the Buster Sword strapped to his back didn't allow for piggy back rides after all.

"Any excuse I can carry you is valid to me, babe," Zack sent her a bright smile down at her. "Besides, once we get some Chocobos, it'll be a helluva lot easier to traverse this terrain. Believe it or not, but they can even jump on the giant mushrooms to get to the tops of some of these cliffs! I think you'll love the color of their feathers too. They're a green super similar to your eyes, but of course, your eyes are much prettier," he winked at her.

Cheeks warming at his flirty words, Aerith smiled. "Wow, really?" she asked, glancing at the giant mushrooms and all the unexplored areas they could reach using those.

"Yeah… I wonder if my Chocobo is still around…"

"You had a Chocobo growing up? You never told me that!" she slapped his chest lightly and sent him a pout.

"Sorry!" Zack chuckled when she tried to pinch him. "I thought I did but must have forgot to mention it, but yeah, I did! Raised him since he was a chick. I named him Mochi after my favorite treat my late grandma used to make me all the time as a kid."

"Oh my! How cute!" Aerith's beamed, instantly picturing a tiny Zack running around with an adorable green Chocobo Chick following faithfully behind him. She hoped his parents had pictures she could see of that!

"He certainly was. We were both always getting into trouble but it was fun. I hope he's still around. He was kind of a wild bird so he might have taken off when I left, but if he's still around, you can ride him around. It would make the trip a lot easier and I'm certain he'd fall in love with you just as quickly as I did." he said with a tender smile.

Aerith eagerly returned it, her heart thumping at just how happy Zack made her without even trying.

The love and adoration he showcased with every little act of kindness and encouragement he bestowed upon her without asking for anything in return. He truly was the sweetest, gentlest, most wonderful man on Gaia filled with a heart of pure gold. She truly felt like the luckiest woman on the planet to have a love like hers, one that fought fate to make it back to her... And now she was on a journey with him and all her new friends and heading towards the place Zack grew up! Somewhere he always talked about and now she really was here with him at her side…

It was as if all her tiny wishes had come true.

Overcome with the sudden rush of emotion, she burrowed further into his embrace.

The close contact and warmth of his body filling her lungs like a haze, she couldn't help but reply, "I dunno, Zack," The Flower Girl whispered lowly while leaning her head into the comfortable crook where his neck met his shoulder. Resting her flushed cheek on the thick woven black turtle neck until her nose brushed across the skin of his jaw. Aerith bit her bottom lip when she felt Zack noticeably shiver at the unexpected intimate contact. She leaned closer until her mouth brushed against his ear. "I think I prefer you carrying me better."

Zack swallowed thickly, his flushed cheeks and darkening blue eyes peering down at her; the expression on his face filled with so much love and admiration it made her head spin. "Yeah?" he asked, glancing down at her lips and holding her just a little tighter against his chest.

"Yeah…"she whispered, leaning closer to him.

Yet before their lips could meet, Yuffie ruined it with a groan.

"Alright! Alright, lovebirds! We get it! You're in love and don't get enough 'alone time'," Yuffie announced crankily from right behind them, angrily stating some words with finger quotes, "But please, for the love of Leviathan, just stop it! I'm nauseous enough already without you guys always finding every damn excuse to suck face."

"Excuse me?" Aerith reprimanded with a rare glare.

"Yuffie! Leave them alone! They're cute!" Tifa chided, lightly smacking the teen on the shoulder.

"Heh. Yeah, yeah, Boobies, I bet pretty soon you and the Chocobo over there are probably gonna be following SOLDIER and Pinky soon enough and then I'll forcefully be subjected to more PDA no one asked to see!"

Tifa's face turned an alarming shade of red and Cloud actually stumbled over a blade of grass.

"Fuckin' hell, girlie! That's enough out of you! If you're mouth is working that good, you're not walking fast enough!" Barrett pushed the teen forward while rolling his eyes at her non-stop antics that were getting rather exhausting, "The faster we move our asses, the faster we'll be there! Now, hurry up!"

"Dat's right, lassie! According to my calculations, we should be arriving fairly soon!" Cait Sith piped up from his perch on Nanaki's back, the cat doing his best to stay away from Yuffie's grasp and from losing anymore Materia to the sticky-fingered teen.

Zack bit his lip to stop from grinning like a madman at how, when things quieted down again, Cloud and Tifa glanced at one another before looking away with their lips curved in shy smiles. Nanaki brushed by his leg and flashed him a conspiratory grin. Zack peered back at Aerith to apologize for their ruined moment and hoping to get it back, yet all of a sudden, he froze when Cait Sith's words finally settled low in his gut.

The damn robot cat was right.

The widening of the brush and a more well-worn walking paths were becoming clearer the further they continued. More and more of the areas they passed and the sight of them mixed with all the years he spent growing up, the same locations and sites were ones he saw frequently. The cliff-side his dad would take him on short camping trips over the weekend. The creek him and his childhood friends would go and catch fish during the long summer. The fields his mom would take him to pick mushrooms and other vegetables for dinner. That familiar patch of giant mushrooms him and Mochi would jump off of to go explore the topside mountains.

…Fuck.

They were getting close.

Within a few minutes, they'd turned another corner past two tall grassy cliffs and a beautiful clear waterfall pouring loudly into a shallow river when Zack's heart nearly trembled at seeing the green tops of trees give way in the distance to painfully familiar domed roofs…

Gongaga was right there.

The anxiety he'd held down for nearly the whole journey was now boiling like Ifrit's fire deep in his stomach, twisting his gut uncomfortably as the wooden gates of Gongaga slowly came into view in the distance.

Yet before he could commiserate on this any further, Zack's SOLDIER senses rushed into high gear.

With one swift move, he'd gently placed the confused Aerith back on the ground and silently maneuvering her to stay behind him. With a flex of his bicep, the Buster Sword was off his back with a satisfying shing sound and he'd instantly taken a protective stance in front of the most important person in his entire life. The others nearby noticed his alarm and immediately jumped into action.

Within seconds, the entire group was aiming their various weapons at the figures that suddenly appeared out of the thick brush that surrounded them.

Zack cursed himself for not noticing them sooner but regardless, he was ready for anything they could throw at him.

Yet any fight or flight response honed from years of being in SOLDIER and that hellish year on the run fighting for his and Cloud's survival faded completely away when he saw the familiar face of the leader, someone he never thought he would again in this lifetime.

"...Cissnei?"

#zerith #zerith fanfiction #ff7 remake fanfiction #ff7 rebirth fanfiction #gongaga #zack lives au #aerith lives au #zack lives fanfiction #aerith lives fanfiction #love #romance #meeting the parents #zack has a chocobo named mochi and no one can tell me otherwise

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prismaticpichu · 1 year

Note

Zack takes Seph to his home at Gongaga. Fair family and Seph yay ! \(^0^)/

AHHH yessss! The family!!! <3 <3 I love this idea SO much!!! (Beware of the extensive length this was stretched to due to a serious lack of self-control and just about every concerning trait in the alphabet)

It’s a lonnngg weekend, maybe some kind of holiday break (look these guys are nuts and tyrannical but they still like holidays), and Zack is ready to blow the roof off the place. Can we get another Kool-aid man OH YEAH??!! He hasn’t had a vacay break in so long, and now that the tumult of the Genesis war has finally quelled a little, it was time to kick back and relax. (NOT like that Costa del sol trip. No way Jose.) He loves dolphins and all, and he even loves Midgar, but he was thinking something personal. Something away from all the smoke and road rage.

Bingo! He’s gonna visit home. Ohhh he missed his family so much!!

But wait-

Zack glances over, and there’s Seph sitting at his desk, buried in Mount Everest. He couldn’t just leave Seph behind… not when he would be stuck doing all the paperwork himself. Not when he would be doing paperwork. And, most of all, 14 days away??? That is WAY too long without his best buddy. It wouldn’t feel like a vacation if all he wanted to do was come home.

Time to add oneeee more thing to the packing list.

Sephiroth is trepidatious, as anyone who likes staying in their comfort zone at home (coughs) would be. Take that and a few qualms about him not fitting in, and we get a very nervous embodiment of perfection—he would hide under the table if he could fit. He… he can’t go. People were terrified of him. He would soil the mood, blight it, especially when Zack was reuniting with his parents for the first time in years.

But Zack is there to assure him otherwise. He wants him there—dragging him out of the office is just a bonus. Ma and Pa would love Seph. It’s only science! He loves Seph, so his folks will too. He promises him that he won’t leave his side, not for one second. Then it’s time for the pupper eyes.

….Alright. Fine. He’s in. *cue Krakatoa erupting into a mushroom cloud with spiky hair*

Upon arriving, Sephiroth‘s first thought is just how clean everything is. No smog. No Mako. There is an old reactor, but Zack assures him it’s dormant and shut down bc “folks around here were afraid of it exploding”. Very smart on their part, very stupid on ShinRa’s. But Zack drags him away from that train of thought with a lasso. NO WORK, Seph! Nothing remotely related to ShinRa!!

Sephiroth watches from afar as Zack rushes towards his house and reunites with his family. His parents are overcome, hugging and teary and more hugs (it’s very easy to see where Zack got his knack from). It’s very heartwarming, but still… a little hollow all the same. It is hard to keep his mind from drifting towards the thought of a loving mother embracing her son.

And THEN—

Ohhhh boy… Zack makes his presence known. Why would he do that? He was perfectly fine standing behind the fence. Goddess his parents are looking at him… his father looks scrutinizing, maybe, it only made sense. And his mother… she is walking towards—

She hugs him. Very tight.

“Thank you for taking care of my son…” she whispers.

Sephiroth is very uncomfortable—like a lot. Zack was the only one he ever let hug him, but he supposed this was a kindred spirit… and… he needed to correct her. Very gently. He urges himself to relax, sighing deeply.

“Your son took care of me.”

Zack’s father obviously shares similar feelings. He pats him on the shoulder and praises him for all he’s done. Him, the slayer. This was uncalled for. And ZACK—he is just standing there letting him endure all of this. Why won’t he save him…?!

He feels better again once Zack is sitting beside him at the kitchen table, gently squeezing his hand under it whenever he tenses up. There’s a lot of questions and stories to go around; Zack monopolizes the conversation, talking about his Chocobo friend and the one who sometimes sleeps in his helmet. Carl and Susan (sure let’s go with that) inventively ask about how they met, and boy Zack is ready to jump in and tell a (hyperbolic) version of how he was nearly burnt to a crisp and Seph saved him (that’s another smile from his parents to him goddamn it Zack). He goes on to tell him about Genesis, and how clones do exist, and how flowers can bloom with enough love… Then his parents ask about his scar. Sephiroth takes it from here, recounting the story without using names, and now it’s him who’s squeezing Zack’s hand tight <3

Zack is ecstatic to show Sephiroth his room! Firstly, Sephiroth is in awe at how many toys can fit on a single dresser. He finds it all very fitting—and then Zack goes on to recount every stuffed animal’s name on the bed. It’s a very long attendance list… but Sephiroth is very amused. Things get a little interesting when Zack pulls out a crumpled old newspaper and hands it to Seph—a paper with him on it, just a teen in the war, extremely glorified in the photo but a snapshot in time he remembered nonetheless. Zack says finding that newspaper, despite everything, was one of the best things to ever happen to him. Sephiroth is just as grateful for the photographer.

Dinner time! Seph never had a home-cooked meal before… and Zack was right. It tastes so much better than anything he had ever eaten. He tries his best to be polite, trying to eat only a moderate amount, but Mrs. Fair keeps coaxing him with MORE food and what is he supposed to do? Say no? That’s equally as rude. Sephiroth helps with the dishes afterwards and insists Zack does too <3

Following dinner, Zack leads Sephiroth outside and down by a lake. The stars are so bright and beautiful, completely unshielded by smog, their reflections rippling in untainted water. Zack commences to tell all these stories about trying to dump fish food in so they wouldn’t be hungry. Classic Zack. Sephiroth offers one of his Sephiroth-famous head pats, and Zack nearly falls asleep.

Zack insists Sephiroth takes his bed. Insists! It would’ve worked out too if Sephiroth didn’t nearly break it just by climbing in. Silly big boy. He ends up unfurling an old sleeping bag instead and huddles in right next to Zack’s bed—with only three to six stuffed animals dumping on him bc Zack is a bigger pupper now. Zack’s parents try to persuade him to sleep on the couch (better back support and all), but Seph politely yet vehemently insists otherwise.

Gongaga is home to a lot of rain too. A lot of it. Zack was never the biggest fan of thunder—but just bc it was loud, okay? He was NOT scared. Nope. Sephiroth wakes up in the middle of the night with Zack tucked into the sleeping bag beside him, curling up next to his shirt and hogging most of the pillow. Sephiroth doesn’t mind though; it wasn’t the first time, not even close, and Zack is a toasty warmth against him. Sephiroth just sighs and shakes his head, wrapping his arms around his friend as another clap of thunder roars outside. At least Zack would like all the puddles.

#crisis core #sephiroth #zack fair #ffvii #fangirl #asks #beans #gongaga #weenie hut jrs

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