Categories > Games > Final Fantasy 7 > One Foot in the Grave
One Foot in the Grave
1 ReviewsSeph has some unpleasant business to take care of and his family won't let him get away from it.
Disclaimer: FFVII is the property of Square-Enix. No profit is sought from this work. Original content and characters are my own.
Notes: Setting is either AU or far, far future, depending on how you want to look at it. I have explanations for bringing this kind of scenario about, but they don't fit in this tiny thing. The boys were itching to play, so I just had to let them out for a bit.
One Foot in The Grave
In the fields outside Junon, there was a little house, pretty and neat. Though it was the picture of calm contentment, it held terrible, powerful secrets. Perhaps there was none greater than what caused a fearsome, bloodcurdling scream to rent the air on this warm night.
"Sounds like Dad had that male pattern baldness nightmare again." Ari glanced up at the ceiling. He rolled over on the couch and turned up the volume on the TV.
"What the heck?" Rei jerked awake at the table some distance away. He rubbed his cheek where his textbook had left a sharp line. "Dammit, Ari, you weren't supposed to let me fall asleep!"
Ari waved him off and turned the volume up higher. Rei considered throwing a book at his reclining twin but opted to get a glass of water instead. He stopped on his way to the kitchen to stare at the pale zombie that was slowly thumping its way down the stairs. The wild-haired monster spotted him and groaned.
"Hey, Dad," Rei said.
"Mmmmm," the zombie groaned in response.
"Want a glass of water?"
"MMMMMM!" The zombie groaned again. Rei took it for a yes and snagged two glasses from the cupboard.
The zombie stumbled into the kitchen after the boy, slumped down at the counter and began to study its reflection in the toaster. Glowing green eyes, check. Masculine good looks, a little wrinkly near the eyes maybe, but holding up well, all things considered. Long silver hair...long silver hair...
Rei shook his head at his father. "Your hair is not falling out, Dad, but it might if you keep worrying about it like that." He set a full glass of water down on the counter.
"Mmm-mmm," the zombie said, but Rei knew he meant "Thank you."
"Yo, Pops," Ari called out as he wandered in. "Mom throw you out for shrieking again?"
The zombie took a sip of water and swallowed thoughtfully. He cleared his throat and sighed. "She said if I keep having that dream she's going to drag me into therapy. Again."
Ari laughed. "That'll be one for the records. After all the anger management and abandonment issues, you go in for hair loss fears. What's next? Reading glasses trauma?"
Sephiroth groaned again. "Wait till you're my age, smart ass. You won't be laughing when all your best assets are sagging." He took a big gulp of water and sat staring at the bottom of the glass.
Rei scowled at his brother and took the glass from Sephiroth's unresisting grasp. "Get some sleep, Dad. Big day tomorrow." Sephiroth groaned yet again.
"Don't remind me." He drew himself up and began the hike up the stairs. "You two don't stay up too late." His teenaged sons watched him go till they were sure he was out of earshot.
Rei finished his water and put the glass carefully in the sink. "Why'd you keep needling him like that? You know you're only sending his blood pressure up."
Ari leaned back at the counter and grinned. "Give it up, Rei. You know it's way past time to start looking for a home for the old guy."
----------------------------
Aeris followed the scent of scrambled eggs and hot coffee into the kitchen. Her husband stood stirring a pan in the bright light. "Sephy! You're not supposed to eat anything yet! You're having bloodwork done!"
Sephiroth turned from the stove with the spatula in his hand and smiled. "It's not for me, love. Just because I can't eat doesn't mean I'll let my sweetheart starve."
"Aww, that's so sweet of you."
Sephiroth grinned harder. "I know. Just let me know when she comes in, okay?"
"Seph," Aeris admonished.
"What?"
"Don't play dumb."
Sephiroth's eyes widened in mock surprise. "Aeris? Is that you?" The woman rolled her eyes at him.
"You know it is, Seph."
Sephiroth squinted at her and pretended to consider it. "I'm not too sure. I left my glasses upstairs."
Aeris huffed. "You're not that blind, Seph."
"Well in any case, you're not getting breakfast till I know who you are for sure. You'll have to step a bit closer."
Aeris sighed but went along with the game, taking one big step forward. "Better?"
Sephiroth squinted again. "A little closer." Aeris stepped forward again. "Closer, closer."
Aeris took one more step. "Close enough?"
"Not quite," Sephiroth said, grinning. He grabbed her round the waist and pulled her against him.
"Oh," Aeris said, smiling knowingly "Well this must be close enough now."
"Not quite," Sephiroth bucked his hips slightly against her. "But it'll do." He kissed her forehead.
"Silly Sephy," Aeris gave him a light swat on the behind and hugged him. Sephiroth growled and dropped the spatula so he could set both hands roaming. Aeris giggled as he tugged playfully at her robe.
"EWWW! Get a room, freaky old people!" Ari walked in, shielding his eyes with his hands. Sephiroth looked up with a frown.
"You're up early. Pour the juice"
Aeris sighed into her husband's chest before pulling away. "I might be back a bit late today. One of my projects needs intense monitoring."
"Okay," Sephiroth picked up the spatula and gave the eggs one more turn. He brought the pan over to the table and began serving out portions. "Get the juice, Ari."
"I'm getting, I'm getting." Ari rose sluggishly from his seat. "Didn't you fry any bacon?"
Sephiroth shook his head. "I'm not going to fry any if I can't eat it." If there was one thing that made his morning (other than a quickie with Aeris), it was bacon. Too bad he was stuck with an empty stomach for a couple hours more.
"You both eat too much bacon," Aeris warned, not for the first time.
"G' Morning!" Rei bounced in still braiding his hair. He tied the end of the long rope off and went hunting for cereal.
"I made oatmeal for you, Rei. It's on the stove." Sephiroth sat down beside Aeris with a glass of water. That was all he could have till his blood was drawn.
"Thanks, Dad." Rei hopped over to the stove, more pleased with the prospect of thick grey breakfast sludge than any sane person had a right to be.
Ari set the orange juice down on the table and pouted. "How come you never make breakfast just for me?"
"You eat anything." Sephiroth took a sip of his water and busied himself making eyes at Aeris. She gave him a naughty look in return. Ari almost buried his face in his eggs.
"I'll eat anything 'cept when you two make me lose my appetite."
Rei plopped down at the table with his bowl of oatmeal and a bottle of honey to sweeten it. Ari stabbed his fork into a chunk of egg and waved it in his brother's face.
"Look, Veggie-boy, it's unborn chicken!"
Rei's smile evaporated and he shot his brother a withering look. "Commercial eggs are unfertilized, fool."
Sephiroth stepped in before things could go further. "Ari, stop harassing your brother. Rei, you have my permission to put that fork somewhere very uncomfortable if he keeps it up."
Rei smirked. Ari frowned. Aeris shook her head. "You two hurry up and eat. I didn't give you those notes to get out of school today for nothing."
"Yep," Ari leaned back. "Nothing like escorting the old man to his yearly torture session."
Sephiroth sighed. "And I was just starting to feel better about today too." Aeris brushed his bare arm as she rose to put her plate in the sink.
"It'll be fine, dear, no worse than usual." She kissed his cheek before stepping away. She had her own work to attend to. Sephiroth rose from the table as soon as Aeris did. He followed her out the door like a puppy and nipped at her neck before she could reach the stairs. "Honey," Aeris giggled. "No time." Sephiroth whimpered playfully. Aeris turned around gave him a quick kiss. "You are still going to your appointment." Sephiroth groaned.
Aeris got out of the house before the twins were ready. Sephiroth watched her go longingly. He preferred to have her by his side this day, but there was no helping it. At least with the boys, there would be somebody close by.
He had spent ten nervous minute pacing in front of the stairs, fully dressed and waiting, before he realized that the boys were taking far too long. "Rei! What's taking so long?"
"Ari's hogging the bathroom!"
Sephiroth shook his head, took a few calming breaths and went outside to wait in the car. This day was never easy and having to wait was not helping matters. Ten more minutes passed before he resorted to honking the horn. Rei tumbled out of the house first and Ari ambled along a few minutes later.
"Can I drive?" Ari held his hand out for the keys. Sephiroth glared at him.
"Not after what you did to the car last time."
Ari headed for the backseat. "Okay, just asking." They pulled out of the gravel driveway and began the long ride into Junon. "Alright! Yearly Military physical exam, here we come!"
Sephiroth groaned.
They pulled into Sephiroth's reserved parking space at Junon Military Base just ten minutes before the appointment. Three silver-haired men spilled out of the car and began the quick march through the labyrinth to Sephiroth's own personal hell. Cadets and officers alike saluted their Commander and exchanged greetings with his sons.
"See you boys here in September!" Someone called out. The twins grinned, though Rei looked a bit nervous.
Sephiroth found the Doctor's office on automatic pilot. He had been there often enough before. He took a deep breath before the door.
"It's okay, Dad," Rei said. Sephiroth nodded, pushed the door open and marched inside. The young nurse inside looked up as the group entered.
"The Doctor's ready for you, Commander." She tilted her head to one side to smile at the pair of young men behind him. "And you two must be the Commander's boys!"
"No," Ari said dryly. "We're clones." Rei smacked his brother upside the head. Sephiroth held his head with one hand.
"I really wish he wouldn't say that."
The nurse smiled nervously and ushered them into the office proper. Sephiroth walked in with the aura of a condemned man. Ari patted his father on the shoulder. "Get over it, Pops."
"Sephiroth, you're here!" A voice emerged from behind curtain. "Have a seat. I'll be with you in a moment." Dr. Delano stepped out without his white coat. He knew from long experience that the thing made the Commander extremely nervous and a nervous Sephiroth, whether or not the man would acknowledge it, was never a good thing.
Sephiroth sat and forced himself not to fidget. The boys flanked him like a pair of matched bodyguards, but everyone in the room knew that they were there to keep their father from running. Sephiroth looked around the room a bit. The posters of the workings of various innards were still up, but Delano had hidden the plastic models of organs. The Commander was grateful for that, at least. The cross-sectioned testicles always gave him a turn.
"Okay, I'll keep it quick," Delano came over with his stethoscope. "Let's get the eye exam out of the way." The boys scooted aside while the doctor checked their father's pupils. Sephiroth gripped the edge of his seat tight the whole time. He knew that Delano meant no harm, far from it. The man had taken excellent care of him every time he needed it, after all.
"Twenty-something years and you're still tensing up at this, Sephiroth." Delano shook his head. "Eye chart now, you know the drill." Sephiroth stared at the chart and read all but the very last line with one eye covered. Delano scribbled on a clipboard. "Doesn't look like your prescription's changed. Where are your glasses anyway?"
Sephiroth patted himself down. "Guess I forgot them."
"I didn't." Rei reached into his pocket and pulled them out. Sephiroth took the things reluctantly. He hated them.
"Senility," Ari murmured. "It was bound to happen." Sephiroth glared at the boy but it was all water off a duck's back to Ari.
Delano grinned. "These things do run in the family. Just wait and see." He shared a smirk with the Commander as the boy spluttered. Sephiroth stayed quiet, though he supposed that if Delano had not been a doctor, he would have liked the man much more than he did. Aeris trusted the man in any case and that was good enough for Sephiroth.
Delano guided him through the basic procedure, reflex testing, breathe in, breathe out, walk in a straight line. Sephiroth observed the man the best he could as he followed the instructions. Adrean Delano was about his age, but for some reason, Sephiroth thought the man looked younger. That was so unfair. There was not a single grey hair on Delano's head. In fact, the man's head was almost too perfectly dark.
"Do you dye your hair?" Sephiroth blurted out before thinking. Delano laughed.
"You're not the first to ask that." The doctor brushed his hair back. "But no, this is all one hundred percent natural."
"Hm," Sephiroth grunted. "Lucky."
"Comes of not having ...obligations, you know," Delano explained with a sideways glance at the boys. Sephiroth grunted again.
"Too late for that now. They're already here."
"How much longer before you boys finish High School?" The doctor asked as he prepared to take the Commander's blood pressure.
"A few months," Rei answered politely, looking around the room.
"Good. What are your plans for afterwards?" Delano began to pump the gauge. Sephiroth winced under the pressure, even though it did not hurt.
"It's Junon Academy for both of them," he offered. "Rei's got a scholarship."
"That's great, Rei," Delano smiled at him. "What are you studying?"
"Natural sciences," Rei murmured. "Not sure exactly what I want to do with it yet though. I was thinking maybe I could go into Planetary Life Studies like Mom."
"You've got time to decide," the doctor continued making small talk. It took Sephiroth's mind off things. "What about you, Ari?"
"Dunno, really." Ari straightened up. "I'll see what interests me when I get here." Rei mumbled something that sounded a bit like 'slacker' and Delano noticed a rather high spike on the gauge.
"Okay," he said carefully. "Looking forward to it?"
"Sure!" Ari brightened. "After all this time, to finally get out of the crazy man's house and into Party City!" The gauge spiked again. Delano sighed. It seemed they had found a cause for one of the Commander's problems. He really did not want to increase the dosage on Sephiroth's medication anymore. He bent his head closer to the man
"Think you can hold out a few months more?" He whispered with a sidelong glance at Ari.
Sephiroth whispered back with a pained expression. "Do I have choice?"
Delano recorded the readings on his charts. "Well, Commander, aside from your standing blood pressure problem, you've got the body of a man half your age. Just one more thing left."
The tension in the room mounted. The boys stepped in closer, ready to grab the old man if he tried to bolt. Delano grabbed a pair of latex gloves and a sterile needle. He turned his back to hide what he was doing from Sephiroth since the mere sight of a syringe was enough to make the man raise an unholy racket. "I'll just be a second." He set the vial down beside Sephiroth.
"You're filling THAT?" Sephiroth leapt out of the seat. "No way. We're finished here, doctor."
The twins pounced. "You're not going anywhere, Dad." Rei shoved the man back into the seat. "This is for your own good."
"He's right, Pops. No running this time."
Delano nodded. "It's not that bad, Sephiroth, just one needle and one vial."
Sephiroth strained against the hands holding him down. He wanted Aeris. He needed her to hold his hand and tell him it would be alright. Why did she have to go to work today? It was not fair. After all he had been through he still had to take needles in the arm, True it was just once a year but still, enough was enough. He flung the boys off and rose from the chair.
Rei lunged forward and grabbed his father's leg. Ari pounced for the other one. Sephiroth roared and tried to kick them off but all he could do was drag himself forward one inch at a time. "Get off me, you punk brats! Let go!"
Ari gritted his teeth. "Not till you sit down and take your needle like a man!"
"Yeah, Dad," Rei gasped. "Come on, it's just a cholesterol test and you can't eat till it's done anyway." Sephiroth actually paused at that, but soon resumed the struggle to the door.
Dr. Delano was blocking the way. It was not as if he actually had any hope of stopping the Commander with his lank frame, but there was no way he was letting his patient go. "Sephiroth, be reasonable. We do this every year. It won't be any different this time."
"Aeris isn't here. That's different enough for me." Sephiroth ploughed forward, dragging his sons along with him.
Delano stood his ground. "Just what am I supposed to tell her when she calls to ask how it went?" Sephiroth narrowed his eyes at the doctor. There was a turning inward, the lighting of a small flame of rage that signaled an impending bolt from above. Nothing was going to stand between the Commander and his freedom, not even his dearly beloved. Delano caught the look immediately.
"Look, how about we make a deal?"
"You have nothing to offer me," Sephiroth snarled.
"Oh yeah?" The doctor reached into his pocket and drew out a lollipop. "How about this?" Sephiroth froze.
"Is that cherry?"
Delano nodded. "Sure is and it's yours AFTER we finish." Sephiroth stopped and debated for a second.
"Okay," he ceded. "But just this once."
"Whatever you say, Commander." Delano prepped the needle as Sephiroth took a seat. "You can scream all you want, but don't move that arm."
Sephiroth gritted his teeth and turned his head away. Rei leaned against his father's side and patted the man's head. "It's okay, Dad. We're here." Sephiroth whimpered a bit.
Ari turned away. "I can't watch this stuff. Gives me the creeps."
Delano swabbed the proffered arm with alcohol and checked the vein. "Make a fist for a moment." Sephiroth did but pulled away slightly. Rei kept patting him on the head.
"Don't worry, Dad. I'm watching him. He won't try anything funny." No matter how many years went by, Sephiroth never could trust doctors. Delano sighed and looked at the way the man was leaning into Rei. That gave him an idea.
"Rei, why don't you do it?"
"What?" Rei was startled.
"Just this once. There's nothing to it. I'll tell you what to do." The doctor held out a box of latex gloves.
"Uh... Okay," Rei reached into the box. "Isn't this illegal or something?"
"Yeah, but it doesn't have to leave the office."
Sephiroth opened his eyes and stared as his son got a quick lecture about how to draw blood. Was Rei really going to do this? Well, it was better than the scary doctor man.
Rei removed the needle from its sterile case and approached. "Dad, hold still please. Scream all you want, but don't move that arm." He swallowed. The needle touched Sephiroth's skin and made a depression. The Commander turned away, breathing hard. He could feel every millimeter of the thing as it went in.
Ari stooped into a ball on the floor. "Are you actually doing it?"
"Yeah," Rei sounded amazed. "Just a little more." Sephiroth cried out a bit as the needle was removed.
Delano swooped in with a cotton ball to press over the puncture wound, though it was mostly a formality. "Good job, Rei," he said. Rei flushed, though he had the silliest grin on his face.
"It's done?" Ari asked from the floor. "Can I come up now?"
"It's done." Rei was breathless. "It was amazing."
Delano breathed a sigh of relief for another year's checkup completed without major incident. Being the Commander's physician paid well, but he was getting too old for the job. He picked up a tin and waved it before Sephiroth. "And you, Sir, do you want the robot bandaids or the ducks?" He rattled the tin.
Sephiroth turned, looking a bit pale. He stared at the tin for a while. "I'll take the ducks and gimme my lollipop."
-----------------------
Half an hour later, Sephiroth was sitting happily on a bench on a hill just outside the base. He was still chewing the stick from his lollipop. The boys were taking a walking tour through the place that would be their home come September and Sephiroth was at the longest possible point in time away from his next medical checkup. Life was pretty good.
The hill afforded him a great view of the Academy courtyard. The young cadets were milling around. The strict academics were leafing through their books around the fountain. Here and there, a young couple joked and smiled. At the foot of the hill was a man with ash blond spikes, laboriously making his way up to Sephiroth's bench.
Strife had taken a fall off a chocobo a few days ago. His leg was more or less okay, but he still needed a cane for the time being. He huffed and puffed and finally made it up to the bench. He and Sephiroth nodded a brief acknowledgement to each other before the once-blond man began the slow process of lowering himself down to the seat. It was not easy with a bum leg.
"How's the leg, Strife?"
"What?" Cloud asked a bit too loudly.
"I said HOW'S THE LEG?"
Cloud brightened visibly. "It's fine! A few more days!" Sephiroth just nodded, not wanting to waste more breath getting through to Strife. The man's hearing was not what it used to be. Neither was his healing, if a simple broken leg could incapacitate him for days at a time.
Sephiroth sighed. It was not as if he had escaped the inevitable crawl towards the grave. He was sure his reflexes were not quite as sharp as they had once been. He could not run as far or as fast as he once had. Hell, he wore reading glasses!
The two men stared at the young people down the hill. Rei and Ari had emerged from the main building and were conducting some sort of wrestling match around the fountain. Ari lunged forward with the speed and grace of a jungle cat and flipped his brother into the water. Sephiroth sighed and Cloud sighed along with him.
"Growing old's a bitch!"
"It sure is!"
Notes: Setting is either AU or far, far future, depending on how you want to look at it. I have explanations for bringing this kind of scenario about, but they don't fit in this tiny thing. The boys were itching to play, so I just had to let them out for a bit.
One Foot in The Grave
In the fields outside Junon, there was a little house, pretty and neat. Though it was the picture of calm contentment, it held terrible, powerful secrets. Perhaps there was none greater than what caused a fearsome, bloodcurdling scream to rent the air on this warm night.
"Sounds like Dad had that male pattern baldness nightmare again." Ari glanced up at the ceiling. He rolled over on the couch and turned up the volume on the TV.
"What the heck?" Rei jerked awake at the table some distance away. He rubbed his cheek where his textbook had left a sharp line. "Dammit, Ari, you weren't supposed to let me fall asleep!"
Ari waved him off and turned the volume up higher. Rei considered throwing a book at his reclining twin but opted to get a glass of water instead. He stopped on his way to the kitchen to stare at the pale zombie that was slowly thumping its way down the stairs. The wild-haired monster spotted him and groaned.
"Hey, Dad," Rei said.
"Mmmmm," the zombie groaned in response.
"Want a glass of water?"
"MMMMMM!" The zombie groaned again. Rei took it for a yes and snagged two glasses from the cupboard.
The zombie stumbled into the kitchen after the boy, slumped down at the counter and began to study its reflection in the toaster. Glowing green eyes, check. Masculine good looks, a little wrinkly near the eyes maybe, but holding up well, all things considered. Long silver hair...long silver hair...
Rei shook his head at his father. "Your hair is not falling out, Dad, but it might if you keep worrying about it like that." He set a full glass of water down on the counter.
"Mmm-mmm," the zombie said, but Rei knew he meant "Thank you."
"Yo, Pops," Ari called out as he wandered in. "Mom throw you out for shrieking again?"
The zombie took a sip of water and swallowed thoughtfully. He cleared his throat and sighed. "She said if I keep having that dream she's going to drag me into therapy. Again."
Ari laughed. "That'll be one for the records. After all the anger management and abandonment issues, you go in for hair loss fears. What's next? Reading glasses trauma?"
Sephiroth groaned again. "Wait till you're my age, smart ass. You won't be laughing when all your best assets are sagging." He took a big gulp of water and sat staring at the bottom of the glass.
Rei scowled at his brother and took the glass from Sephiroth's unresisting grasp. "Get some sleep, Dad. Big day tomorrow." Sephiroth groaned yet again.
"Don't remind me." He drew himself up and began the hike up the stairs. "You two don't stay up too late." His teenaged sons watched him go till they were sure he was out of earshot.
Rei finished his water and put the glass carefully in the sink. "Why'd you keep needling him like that? You know you're only sending his blood pressure up."
Ari leaned back at the counter and grinned. "Give it up, Rei. You know it's way past time to start looking for a home for the old guy."
----------------------------
Aeris followed the scent of scrambled eggs and hot coffee into the kitchen. Her husband stood stirring a pan in the bright light. "Sephy! You're not supposed to eat anything yet! You're having bloodwork done!"
Sephiroth turned from the stove with the spatula in his hand and smiled. "It's not for me, love. Just because I can't eat doesn't mean I'll let my sweetheart starve."
"Aww, that's so sweet of you."
Sephiroth grinned harder. "I know. Just let me know when she comes in, okay?"
"Seph," Aeris admonished.
"What?"
"Don't play dumb."
Sephiroth's eyes widened in mock surprise. "Aeris? Is that you?" The woman rolled her eyes at him.
"You know it is, Seph."
Sephiroth squinted at her and pretended to consider it. "I'm not too sure. I left my glasses upstairs."
Aeris huffed. "You're not that blind, Seph."
"Well in any case, you're not getting breakfast till I know who you are for sure. You'll have to step a bit closer."
Aeris sighed but went along with the game, taking one big step forward. "Better?"
Sephiroth squinted again. "A little closer." Aeris stepped forward again. "Closer, closer."
Aeris took one more step. "Close enough?"
"Not quite," Sephiroth said, grinning. He grabbed her round the waist and pulled her against him.
"Oh," Aeris said, smiling knowingly "Well this must be close enough now."
"Not quite," Sephiroth bucked his hips slightly against her. "But it'll do." He kissed her forehead.
"Silly Sephy," Aeris gave him a light swat on the behind and hugged him. Sephiroth growled and dropped the spatula so he could set both hands roaming. Aeris giggled as he tugged playfully at her robe.
"EWWW! Get a room, freaky old people!" Ari walked in, shielding his eyes with his hands. Sephiroth looked up with a frown.
"You're up early. Pour the juice"
Aeris sighed into her husband's chest before pulling away. "I might be back a bit late today. One of my projects needs intense monitoring."
"Okay," Sephiroth picked up the spatula and gave the eggs one more turn. He brought the pan over to the table and began serving out portions. "Get the juice, Ari."
"I'm getting, I'm getting." Ari rose sluggishly from his seat. "Didn't you fry any bacon?"
Sephiroth shook his head. "I'm not going to fry any if I can't eat it." If there was one thing that made his morning (other than a quickie with Aeris), it was bacon. Too bad he was stuck with an empty stomach for a couple hours more.
"You both eat too much bacon," Aeris warned, not for the first time.
"G' Morning!" Rei bounced in still braiding his hair. He tied the end of the long rope off and went hunting for cereal.
"I made oatmeal for you, Rei. It's on the stove." Sephiroth sat down beside Aeris with a glass of water. That was all he could have till his blood was drawn.
"Thanks, Dad." Rei hopped over to the stove, more pleased with the prospect of thick grey breakfast sludge than any sane person had a right to be.
Ari set the orange juice down on the table and pouted. "How come you never make breakfast just for me?"
"You eat anything." Sephiroth took a sip of his water and busied himself making eyes at Aeris. She gave him a naughty look in return. Ari almost buried his face in his eggs.
"I'll eat anything 'cept when you two make me lose my appetite."
Rei plopped down at the table with his bowl of oatmeal and a bottle of honey to sweeten it. Ari stabbed his fork into a chunk of egg and waved it in his brother's face.
"Look, Veggie-boy, it's unborn chicken!"
Rei's smile evaporated and he shot his brother a withering look. "Commercial eggs are unfertilized, fool."
Sephiroth stepped in before things could go further. "Ari, stop harassing your brother. Rei, you have my permission to put that fork somewhere very uncomfortable if he keeps it up."
Rei smirked. Ari frowned. Aeris shook her head. "You two hurry up and eat. I didn't give you those notes to get out of school today for nothing."
"Yep," Ari leaned back. "Nothing like escorting the old man to his yearly torture session."
Sephiroth sighed. "And I was just starting to feel better about today too." Aeris brushed his bare arm as she rose to put her plate in the sink.
"It'll be fine, dear, no worse than usual." She kissed his cheek before stepping away. She had her own work to attend to. Sephiroth rose from the table as soon as Aeris did. He followed her out the door like a puppy and nipped at her neck before she could reach the stairs. "Honey," Aeris giggled. "No time." Sephiroth whimpered playfully. Aeris turned around gave him a quick kiss. "You are still going to your appointment." Sephiroth groaned.
Aeris got out of the house before the twins were ready. Sephiroth watched her go longingly. He preferred to have her by his side this day, but there was no helping it. At least with the boys, there would be somebody close by.
He had spent ten nervous minute pacing in front of the stairs, fully dressed and waiting, before he realized that the boys were taking far too long. "Rei! What's taking so long?"
"Ari's hogging the bathroom!"
Sephiroth shook his head, took a few calming breaths and went outside to wait in the car. This day was never easy and having to wait was not helping matters. Ten more minutes passed before he resorted to honking the horn. Rei tumbled out of the house first and Ari ambled along a few minutes later.
"Can I drive?" Ari held his hand out for the keys. Sephiroth glared at him.
"Not after what you did to the car last time."
Ari headed for the backseat. "Okay, just asking." They pulled out of the gravel driveway and began the long ride into Junon. "Alright! Yearly Military physical exam, here we come!"
Sephiroth groaned.
They pulled into Sephiroth's reserved parking space at Junon Military Base just ten minutes before the appointment. Three silver-haired men spilled out of the car and began the quick march through the labyrinth to Sephiroth's own personal hell. Cadets and officers alike saluted their Commander and exchanged greetings with his sons.
"See you boys here in September!" Someone called out. The twins grinned, though Rei looked a bit nervous.
Sephiroth found the Doctor's office on automatic pilot. He had been there often enough before. He took a deep breath before the door.
"It's okay, Dad," Rei said. Sephiroth nodded, pushed the door open and marched inside. The young nurse inside looked up as the group entered.
"The Doctor's ready for you, Commander." She tilted her head to one side to smile at the pair of young men behind him. "And you two must be the Commander's boys!"
"No," Ari said dryly. "We're clones." Rei smacked his brother upside the head. Sephiroth held his head with one hand.
"I really wish he wouldn't say that."
The nurse smiled nervously and ushered them into the office proper. Sephiroth walked in with the aura of a condemned man. Ari patted his father on the shoulder. "Get over it, Pops."
"Sephiroth, you're here!" A voice emerged from behind curtain. "Have a seat. I'll be with you in a moment." Dr. Delano stepped out without his white coat. He knew from long experience that the thing made the Commander extremely nervous and a nervous Sephiroth, whether or not the man would acknowledge it, was never a good thing.
Sephiroth sat and forced himself not to fidget. The boys flanked him like a pair of matched bodyguards, but everyone in the room knew that they were there to keep their father from running. Sephiroth looked around the room a bit. The posters of the workings of various innards were still up, but Delano had hidden the plastic models of organs. The Commander was grateful for that, at least. The cross-sectioned testicles always gave him a turn.
"Okay, I'll keep it quick," Delano came over with his stethoscope. "Let's get the eye exam out of the way." The boys scooted aside while the doctor checked their father's pupils. Sephiroth gripped the edge of his seat tight the whole time. He knew that Delano meant no harm, far from it. The man had taken excellent care of him every time he needed it, after all.
"Twenty-something years and you're still tensing up at this, Sephiroth." Delano shook his head. "Eye chart now, you know the drill." Sephiroth stared at the chart and read all but the very last line with one eye covered. Delano scribbled on a clipboard. "Doesn't look like your prescription's changed. Where are your glasses anyway?"
Sephiroth patted himself down. "Guess I forgot them."
"I didn't." Rei reached into his pocket and pulled them out. Sephiroth took the things reluctantly. He hated them.
"Senility," Ari murmured. "It was bound to happen." Sephiroth glared at the boy but it was all water off a duck's back to Ari.
Delano grinned. "These things do run in the family. Just wait and see." He shared a smirk with the Commander as the boy spluttered. Sephiroth stayed quiet, though he supposed that if Delano had not been a doctor, he would have liked the man much more than he did. Aeris trusted the man in any case and that was good enough for Sephiroth.
Delano guided him through the basic procedure, reflex testing, breathe in, breathe out, walk in a straight line. Sephiroth observed the man the best he could as he followed the instructions. Adrean Delano was about his age, but for some reason, Sephiroth thought the man looked younger. That was so unfair. There was not a single grey hair on Delano's head. In fact, the man's head was almost too perfectly dark.
"Do you dye your hair?" Sephiroth blurted out before thinking. Delano laughed.
"You're not the first to ask that." The doctor brushed his hair back. "But no, this is all one hundred percent natural."
"Hm," Sephiroth grunted. "Lucky."
"Comes of not having ...obligations, you know," Delano explained with a sideways glance at the boys. Sephiroth grunted again.
"Too late for that now. They're already here."
"How much longer before you boys finish High School?" The doctor asked as he prepared to take the Commander's blood pressure.
"A few months," Rei answered politely, looking around the room.
"Good. What are your plans for afterwards?" Delano began to pump the gauge. Sephiroth winced under the pressure, even though it did not hurt.
"It's Junon Academy for both of them," he offered. "Rei's got a scholarship."
"That's great, Rei," Delano smiled at him. "What are you studying?"
"Natural sciences," Rei murmured. "Not sure exactly what I want to do with it yet though. I was thinking maybe I could go into Planetary Life Studies like Mom."
"You've got time to decide," the doctor continued making small talk. It took Sephiroth's mind off things. "What about you, Ari?"
"Dunno, really." Ari straightened up. "I'll see what interests me when I get here." Rei mumbled something that sounded a bit like 'slacker' and Delano noticed a rather high spike on the gauge.
"Okay," he said carefully. "Looking forward to it?"
"Sure!" Ari brightened. "After all this time, to finally get out of the crazy man's house and into Party City!" The gauge spiked again. Delano sighed. It seemed they had found a cause for one of the Commander's problems. He really did not want to increase the dosage on Sephiroth's medication anymore. He bent his head closer to the man
"Think you can hold out a few months more?" He whispered with a sidelong glance at Ari.
Sephiroth whispered back with a pained expression. "Do I have choice?"
Delano recorded the readings on his charts. "Well, Commander, aside from your standing blood pressure problem, you've got the body of a man half your age. Just one more thing left."
The tension in the room mounted. The boys stepped in closer, ready to grab the old man if he tried to bolt. Delano grabbed a pair of latex gloves and a sterile needle. He turned his back to hide what he was doing from Sephiroth since the mere sight of a syringe was enough to make the man raise an unholy racket. "I'll just be a second." He set the vial down beside Sephiroth.
"You're filling THAT?" Sephiroth leapt out of the seat. "No way. We're finished here, doctor."
The twins pounced. "You're not going anywhere, Dad." Rei shoved the man back into the seat. "This is for your own good."
"He's right, Pops. No running this time."
Delano nodded. "It's not that bad, Sephiroth, just one needle and one vial."
Sephiroth strained against the hands holding him down. He wanted Aeris. He needed her to hold his hand and tell him it would be alright. Why did she have to go to work today? It was not fair. After all he had been through he still had to take needles in the arm, True it was just once a year but still, enough was enough. He flung the boys off and rose from the chair.
Rei lunged forward and grabbed his father's leg. Ari pounced for the other one. Sephiroth roared and tried to kick them off but all he could do was drag himself forward one inch at a time. "Get off me, you punk brats! Let go!"
Ari gritted his teeth. "Not till you sit down and take your needle like a man!"
"Yeah, Dad," Rei gasped. "Come on, it's just a cholesterol test and you can't eat till it's done anyway." Sephiroth actually paused at that, but soon resumed the struggle to the door.
Dr. Delano was blocking the way. It was not as if he actually had any hope of stopping the Commander with his lank frame, but there was no way he was letting his patient go. "Sephiroth, be reasonable. We do this every year. It won't be any different this time."
"Aeris isn't here. That's different enough for me." Sephiroth ploughed forward, dragging his sons along with him.
Delano stood his ground. "Just what am I supposed to tell her when she calls to ask how it went?" Sephiroth narrowed his eyes at the doctor. There was a turning inward, the lighting of a small flame of rage that signaled an impending bolt from above. Nothing was going to stand between the Commander and his freedom, not even his dearly beloved. Delano caught the look immediately.
"Look, how about we make a deal?"
"You have nothing to offer me," Sephiroth snarled.
"Oh yeah?" The doctor reached into his pocket and drew out a lollipop. "How about this?" Sephiroth froze.
"Is that cherry?"
Delano nodded. "Sure is and it's yours AFTER we finish." Sephiroth stopped and debated for a second.
"Okay," he ceded. "But just this once."
"Whatever you say, Commander." Delano prepped the needle as Sephiroth took a seat. "You can scream all you want, but don't move that arm."
Sephiroth gritted his teeth and turned his head away. Rei leaned against his father's side and patted the man's head. "It's okay, Dad. We're here." Sephiroth whimpered a bit.
Ari turned away. "I can't watch this stuff. Gives me the creeps."
Delano swabbed the proffered arm with alcohol and checked the vein. "Make a fist for a moment." Sephiroth did but pulled away slightly. Rei kept patting him on the head.
"Don't worry, Dad. I'm watching him. He won't try anything funny." No matter how many years went by, Sephiroth never could trust doctors. Delano sighed and looked at the way the man was leaning into Rei. That gave him an idea.
"Rei, why don't you do it?"
"What?" Rei was startled.
"Just this once. There's nothing to it. I'll tell you what to do." The doctor held out a box of latex gloves.
"Uh... Okay," Rei reached into the box. "Isn't this illegal or something?"
"Yeah, but it doesn't have to leave the office."
Sephiroth opened his eyes and stared as his son got a quick lecture about how to draw blood. Was Rei really going to do this? Well, it was better than the scary doctor man.
Rei removed the needle from its sterile case and approached. "Dad, hold still please. Scream all you want, but don't move that arm." He swallowed. The needle touched Sephiroth's skin and made a depression. The Commander turned away, breathing hard. He could feel every millimeter of the thing as it went in.
Ari stooped into a ball on the floor. "Are you actually doing it?"
"Yeah," Rei sounded amazed. "Just a little more." Sephiroth cried out a bit as the needle was removed.
Delano swooped in with a cotton ball to press over the puncture wound, though it was mostly a formality. "Good job, Rei," he said. Rei flushed, though he had the silliest grin on his face.
"It's done?" Ari asked from the floor. "Can I come up now?"
"It's done." Rei was breathless. "It was amazing."
Delano breathed a sigh of relief for another year's checkup completed without major incident. Being the Commander's physician paid well, but he was getting too old for the job. He picked up a tin and waved it before Sephiroth. "And you, Sir, do you want the robot bandaids or the ducks?" He rattled the tin.
Sephiroth turned, looking a bit pale. He stared at the tin for a while. "I'll take the ducks and gimme my lollipop."
-----------------------
Half an hour later, Sephiroth was sitting happily on a bench on a hill just outside the base. He was still chewing the stick from his lollipop. The boys were taking a walking tour through the place that would be their home come September and Sephiroth was at the longest possible point in time away from his next medical checkup. Life was pretty good.
The hill afforded him a great view of the Academy courtyard. The young cadets were milling around. The strict academics were leafing through their books around the fountain. Here and there, a young couple joked and smiled. At the foot of the hill was a man with ash blond spikes, laboriously making his way up to Sephiroth's bench.
Strife had taken a fall off a chocobo a few days ago. His leg was more or less okay, but he still needed a cane for the time being. He huffed and puffed and finally made it up to the bench. He and Sephiroth nodded a brief acknowledgement to each other before the once-blond man began the slow process of lowering himself down to the seat. It was not easy with a bum leg.
"How's the leg, Strife?"
"What?" Cloud asked a bit too loudly.
"I said HOW'S THE LEG?"
Cloud brightened visibly. "It's fine! A few more days!" Sephiroth just nodded, not wanting to waste more breath getting through to Strife. The man's hearing was not what it used to be. Neither was his healing, if a simple broken leg could incapacitate him for days at a time.
Sephiroth sighed. It was not as if he had escaped the inevitable crawl towards the grave. He was sure his reflexes were not quite as sharp as they had once been. He could not run as far or as fast as he once had. Hell, he wore reading glasses!
The two men stared at the young people down the hill. Rei and Ari had emerged from the main building and were conducting some sort of wrestling match around the fountain. Ari lunged forward with the speed and grace of a jungle cat and flipped his brother into the water. Sephiroth sighed and Cloud sighed along with him.
"Growing old's a bitch!"
"It sure is!"
Log in to rate and review this story