Hope it’s been an amazing day!
So! We were having this little chat on discord the other day: basically someone dropped a page of writing prompts for us to pluck inspiration from, and these prompts were very much geared towards Slash writing. Me being me I started joking that they were too ship-shaped (hehe) for me to tackle… That WAS until a buddy pointed out that there can be a platonic spin on them if I was to mock the romance side of things. And beep boop that’s exactly what I did! x,D Really wanted some kind of exercise so I popped open a pot to see what I could cook—and this little nugget came out of the deep fryer! Since this is my writing blog I thought it was worth sharing lmao.
Unwritten Context! ~ Seph caught sight of a love letter Zack wrote for Aerith, but being the lovable idiot that he is, misinterprets it as being directed towards him. Now he’s gotta tell Zack that he doesn’t exactly feel the same way back. Wooo!
~
"What's up, bud?" Zack closed the door to the office behind him, blue eyes blinking curiously his way. A smile was dancing on his lips—of course it was; it was almost impossible to pry Zack’s smile off.
Oh Gaia... this was going to be hard.
There was still that ember of hesitance in his chest, that tether keeping his tongue bound in place. What if his mind was right... what if admitting to Zack the truth unwound something in their friendship? What if it made things too thick afterwards?
What if Zack... didn't want to see him anymore?
Sephiroth stopped himself there, inwardly shaking his head. No. That would never happen. Zack had said a million times that he would always be his friend—no matter what tried to splinter their bond. Platonic or not. Mutuality or not. He had to have faith that Zack truly meant it.
“So!" Zack started, already plopped in a chair by now. "What'd you wanna talk about?"
Sephiroth shook his head, for real this time, glossing over his visage as he returned the boy's gaze. And It was hard to, actually... hard to not recoil, hard to stare into those glistening Mako pools knowing the emotion rippling inside them. How Zack was viewing him through his lenses.
Alright... alright. Rip off the bandaid. Easy. Quick. That was what Zack would say.
A deep, anxious breath, and Sephiroth willed the words out.
"Zack... you are my friend."
Gaia. That was not what he wanted to say.
A beat passed, an awkward one at that, before Zack's face split with a beam. "You too, pal," he chirped, although the confusion wasn't masked in his voice. He canted his head, touched but curious, his grin becoming a little wobbly. "That’s it? Just wanted to make my day by telling me that?”
Thunder clapped in Sephiroth's chest. He almost wanted to retreat, just call off the mission and send Zack on his way. But, no... he couldn't do that. It would just inevitably surface another time. And besides... how was he supposed to coexist with Zack when he'd be acting like this?
"Seph?" Zack's tone had sobered, leather squeaking as he leaned forward in the chair. “What's wrong? You're scaring me a little.”
Sephiroth wrung his hands together, the storm ceasing to quell in his heart. If anything it had grown louder—full, monstrous roars hammering inside him. He averted this gaze this time, away from those brilliant blue eyes, and finally, biting his tongue, tried again.
"I... I don't reciprocate your feelings, Zack."
Oh Gaia... oh Gaia what was he doing? It felt like he had pried a dagger out and with it splattered blood about the room. He was making a mess, wasn't he? He turned back to Zack, whose mouth was on verge of becoming agape; he hurried on before the other could speak.
"But please understand it's nothing about you, as a person. I don't believe I feel those feelings towards anyone--I never have, not in my lifetime--and if I did, it most likely would be towards you... but it's just not." The green eyes were bleeding with plea, Sephiroth laying a hand on the boy's shoulder. "I love you as a person. You... have always been so kind to me. Every day. What I said before was still true--you are my friend, Zack. You are... my best friend. And I..." Words were beginning to coil around his throat, constricting it. Asphyxiating. "And I hope it can remain that way, despite this. I don't know what I'd do if it couldn't. But I.." Sephiroth closed his eyes, inhaling. "I understand if it's tainted. And I am... so sorry I am the cause."
Under his touch, being clenched like a vice, Zack was completely silent. His mouth was fully open now, cavernous, his eyes wide and detached from the room. Sephiroth could hardly stand looking at it. The look crawled into his insides, began eating them away. Tearing them apart. And the realization of it all set them on fire.
Oh Gaia... oh Gaia what had he done? He had shattered him, hadn't he... left him unable to process his feelings. Left him splintered, left him… wounded.
He had hurt Zack. He had done the one thing he promised he would never do. He shouldn't have said anything; what was wrong with him...?
And by the gods, Zack was still not saying anything. He remained there, in his seat, gaping at him with such unbridled shock... Sephiroth wanted him to say something—anything. Anything but this silence. Anything but this heavy swathe of—
Finally, though, Zack willed his own words out. They were curt and sharp and to the point.
"Seph... what on GAIA did you eat today?"
31 notes
·
View notes