![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Title: Price of Power
Author/Artist: GW Katrina aka![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
icedark_elf
Fandom: Final Fantasy VII:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
mercverse
Pairing/Character: Zack
Theme: 13-Fresh Oil for![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-syndicated.gif)
25_streetsigns
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: FFVII is not mine, though the concept formercverse is.
Wordcount: 507
Warnings: None
Price of Power
Zack was tired and very, very ready to strip out of the outfit Cloud had forced him into. But he didn’t want to leave. This was so cool.
When he had first met Cloud, Zack never expected to be in the place he was now, and he could understand why people wanted to be here.
The Court, stuffed with the richest of the rich and full of more luxury that most families ever saw in their lives, glittered before him. And Zack had an intense fascination with things that glittered. He couldn’t help it. Cloud said there must be magpie or something of the nature in his background.
“Look beneath the shiny,” Cloud said suddenly, voice soft in Zack’s ear. “I know how you are with people. Look at them when they aren’t being all bright and glittery at each other.”
Cloud’s hand on his shoulder, Zack did just that. And he blinked to see the spite, the dislike and, most of all, the -fear- people had when they weren’t being directly interacted with. Especially fear directed at the Shinras, and…..
Zack had never had people look at him with fear before.
“Cloud, why?” A small, almost startled voice. “Why are they looking at me like that?”
The hand tightened just a bit in comfort. “Because you are more powerful than them. You are considered mine now, and I have more power than any of them can ever dream of. Therefore you have more power than any of them can ever dream of. That makes you dangerous.”
Violet eyes looked at Cloud, full of confusion. “But…. Why me? I don’t even know them.”
A moment of pause, then Cloud sighed. “You remember how those kids slicked down that rail with the oil so they could slide down it faster?”
Zack nodded, not understanding where Cloud was going with this.
“Having power is kind of like that. It’s nice to have, but it makes it extremely easy to slide downhill if you aren’t careful. Once you start using it, you have to be really careful about how you do use it. Or you’ll find yourself using it for all the wrong reasons. And that is what they are afraid of.”
That…made no sense to Zack.
“This is one of those things that I’ll understand when I’m older, isn’t it,” he asked rather suspiciously. Cloud’s grin and nod didn’t help. “That sucks.”
“That’s life, kiddo.”
Zack scowled. “That’s not my name. My name,” a small grin, “is Zachary Strife. Did you have to make them put down Zachary?”
“Yeah, cause it irritates you. Accept it and move on. Plus I need a full name to yell at you when I get pissed at you for something.”
“Bastard. Isn’t this what you were just talking about, using your powers for evil?”
“Yeah, yeah. It’s a do as I say and not as I do thing.”
Zack decided he wasn’t going to forget the conversation, and to make sure he did understand when he got older. Cause Cloud wanted him to.
crossposted toicedark_elf, 25_streetsigns, acfiction, and mercverse
Author/Artist: GW Katrina aka
icedark_elfFandom: Final Fantasy VII:
mercversePairing/Character: Zack
Theme: 13-Fresh Oil for
25_streetsignsRating: PG
Disclaimer: FFVII is not mine, though the concept for
mercverse is.Wordcount: 507
Warnings: None
Price of Power
Zack was tired and very, very ready to strip out of the outfit Cloud had forced him into. But he didn’t want to leave. This was so cool.
When he had first met Cloud, Zack never expected to be in the place he was now, and he could understand why people wanted to be here.
The Court, stuffed with the richest of the rich and full of more luxury that most families ever saw in their lives, glittered before him. And Zack had an intense fascination with things that glittered. He couldn’t help it. Cloud said there must be magpie or something of the nature in his background.
“Look beneath the shiny,” Cloud said suddenly, voice soft in Zack’s ear. “I know how you are with people. Look at them when they aren’t being all bright and glittery at each other.”
Cloud’s hand on his shoulder, Zack did just that. And he blinked to see the spite, the dislike and, most of all, the -fear- people had when they weren’t being directly interacted with. Especially fear directed at the Shinras, and…..
Zack had never had people look at him with fear before.
“Cloud, why?” A small, almost startled voice. “Why are they looking at me like that?”
The hand tightened just a bit in comfort. “Because you are more powerful than them. You are considered mine now, and I have more power than any of them can ever dream of. Therefore you have more power than any of them can ever dream of. That makes you dangerous.”
Violet eyes looked at Cloud, full of confusion. “But…. Why me? I don’t even know them.”
A moment of pause, then Cloud sighed. “You remember how those kids slicked down that rail with the oil so they could slide down it faster?”
Zack nodded, not understanding where Cloud was going with this.
“Having power is kind of like that. It’s nice to have, but it makes it extremely easy to slide downhill if you aren’t careful. Once you start using it, you have to be really careful about how you do use it. Or you’ll find yourself using it for all the wrong reasons. And that is what they are afraid of.”
That…made no sense to Zack.
“This is one of those things that I’ll understand when I’m older, isn’t it,” he asked rather suspiciously. Cloud’s grin and nod didn’t help. “That sucks.”
“That’s life, kiddo.”
Zack scowled. “That’s not my name. My name,” a small grin, “is Zachary Strife. Did you have to make them put down Zachary?”
“Yeah, cause it irritates you. Accept it and move on. Plus I need a full name to yell at you when I get pissed at you for something.”
“Bastard. Isn’t this what you were just talking about, using your powers for evil?”
“Yeah, yeah. It’s a do as I say and not as I do thing.”
Zack decided he wasn’t going to forget the conversation, and to make sure he did understand when he got older. Cause Cloud wanted him to.
crossposted to
icedark_elf, 25_streetsigns, acfiction, and mercverse
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"This is Cloud -- I picked him up when I was six. He was clean and he has a nice apartment, so I decided to keep him."
Cloud looks amused and sips his tea.
Zack moves on. "This is Sephiroth. He's the mage; he likes fire spells. But that's not why I keep him. I keep him because his hair is shiny! See, grab a few strands" -- he pulls a wisp of hair from Sephiroth's bangs before the mage can dodge -- "and hold it up to the light. It sparkles!"
Aeris makes admiring noises. Sephiroth opens a newspaper and proceeds to ignore Zack.
Zack leads Aeris over to the twins, who are sitting at the kitchen table and shooting him vaguely betrayed looks.
"Don't even start," Chaos growls. "I don't want to know her."
"Yes you do; you'll love her," Zack says blithely. "Now, Aeris, these are Vincent -- he's the one with short hair -- and Chaos -- obviously the long-haired one. They're my elements, ice and fire. Everyone needs some elemental symbolism in their collection."
"Fuck you," Chaos says.
Zack grins. "Maybe later."
"Oooh! Can I watch?" Aeris asks, clapping her hands and sparkling at the twins. Chaos recoils, appalled. Vincent looks intrigued.
Just then Aeris's PHS rings, and she answers. "Hi, Tifa! Oh, Zack's just showing me his collection-- yes, Cloud and the rest of his coworkers-- oh, really? Yes, I will. See you tonight!"
She hangs up and smiles at Zack. "So, if you keep Cloud for the apartment, Sephiroth for his hair, and the twins for sex -- and Tifa says she has a place because you like her eyes -- what makes me special?"
"I keep you because you're brilliant and evil and you ran away with my heart," Zack says, picking her up and spinning around in the middle of the kitchen. "And I needed someone else with a sense of humor around here!"
"I don't count?" Cloud asks, having sneaked over to stand in the doorway.
Zack sets Aeris down and grins at Cloud. "I can't very well ask you to help me play tricks on yourself, can I? Besides, I already told you I keep you for the digs."
"He's incorrigible," Cloud says to Aeris. "Are you sure you want to keep him?"
Aeris wraps her arm around Zack's waist and says, "Yes, I think I do. After all, everybody needs something incredibly silly in their collection."
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Um. That seems to have turned into a ficlet without my permission. Ah well.
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Go Zack. And, yes, Zack adds that touch of incredibly silly to every collection.
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