Humanity (Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core, Zack)

[SexualOddity]

I haven’t posted a fic here in a very long time, but Crisis Core was one of my Great Loves, and the buzz around the remaster and remake twist made this thing wriggle into my head and demand to be written.  I haven’t seen much FFVII stuff on here, but in case I have a kindred spirit out there somewhere… here is part one:

 

—

 

Zack cupped his hands on the back of his neck and stretched his elbows out behind him.  It was his third time reading through his assignment brief, trying to make the information stick.

 

Above the wall of detail, and highlighted in bold, was the personnel request:

 

Mission ID 6212023

Destination: Wutai South Base. Departure: Midgar, 23:00. 

Sephiroth - SOLDIER First Class

Zack Fair - SOLDIER First Class

Avery Whidward - Pilot

 

It wasn’t the job he’d been expecting.  Sephiroth had been tracking Lazard, and looking into reports that Genesis may still be alive.  Zack had thought that the next time they’d work together it would be because Sephiroth had a new lead.  And Zack was still impatient for that call, hoping that it might lead to a few answers.

 

This looked unrelated.

 

But maybe that was okay.

 

He’d heard of the unit that they were being sent to take on.  Wutai resistance hold outs and some sort of splinter from the Crescent Unit.  If they had a name, ShinRa didn’t know it, and in the absence of anything better to call them, they’d become known within the ShinRa forces as ‘Scythes’.  Essentially, they were assassins, but they weren’t above using all manner of dirty tactics, and not just against ShinRa staff: against their partners, their children, anyone they could levy for a political advantage.

 

These were opponents that were legitimately deadly.  And not in a blunt-force-trauma way that the army could have handled.    This was every inch a top level SOLDIER mission.  Even better, the Scythes seemed like bone fide, unambiguous criminals.  And that might be exactly what Zack needed.  Sephiroth too, probably.   A return to a time when everything was clean, and easy.  Heroes were heroes; villains were villains; following orders was the right thing to do; and friends always fought on the same side. Maybe for once they’d actually feel like they were doing some good.

 

They did all their strategising on the journey, with the understanding that the approach to the base would require utter silence.  It was standard anti-guerilla prep.  Expect to be disoriented, poisoned, attacked from behind.  They loaded their belts and pockets with a handful of extra remedies, ropes and grapples, even a couple of daggers in case they needed to dual wield - neither loved that idea, but it was okay for a surprise attach in a pinch.

 

The base itself was actually quite impressive.  Zack thought there’d been some kind of mistake until Sephiroth peeled back a layer of grass to reveal a trap door.  How the Turks had managed to find this place was well and truly beyond Zack.  Probably something to do with that inflated paypacket that Tseng was so proud of…

 

There’d be time to wonder about that later though, Sephiroth was already lowering himself silently through the entrance.  Trying to tap into what would have to be a pretty well-buried talent for stealth, Zack swung his legs through the opening, and followed Sephiroth into the darkness.

 

It was quiet.  That was the first sign that something was wrong. If there was anyone around, there were none of the telltale lights or sounds.  Which left two possibilities.  Either they were out already, probably torturing the family of some unsuspecting ShinRa leader, or… They were here.  And they knew that their base had been infiltrated.

 

Still, it didn’t really change anything.  If the Scythes knew they’d been found, the base would be packed up and moved before Zack and Sephiroth had even made it back to Midgar.  Even if the Turks could trace them again, they could do a whole lot of damage in the meantime.   Apparently on the same page, Sephiroth waved Zack on.

 

Scythes were considered masters of subterfuge, and for good reason.  Zack heard the hiss of the grenade long before he sensed anyone else in the room.  Smoke billowed around them.

 

“Antidote!” Barked Sephiroth, as Zack’s hands were already closing around the plastic vial.  Sure enough, as the clouds seeped upwards, stinging tears prickled behind his eyes, and a burning itch roared up his throat even as he tried to choke down the remedy.

 

“HhuhUHHSSHhuh!”

 

Okay that was weird.

 

“Zack!” Sephiroth hissed, “Get down!”

 

Zack gasped, his lungs filling.  “HNNkkGHHSHHhh! HuhhUSHHhhUhh!” He slammed a supporting hand against his thigh as he sneezed, and managed to bend his knees into a crouch, his breaths coming harsh and fast.  Half a vial of remedy still sat in the bottle.  He breathed deep and sealed his throat, determined to get the rest down, but his lungs shook and shuddered and gasped, determined to resume his rapid breaths.  He dissolved into a spluttering cough, followed by a round of furious sneezing.

 

That was when the arrows fell.

 

“Roll for cover!” came the next order.

 

There was a playbook for low-visibility combat, and Zack should probably have been communicating back, but in that moment it was all he could do to breathe.  That remedy had gone down - mostly - but if it was gonna do anything about the frantic sneezing it hadn’t happened yet.

 

The first arrow bounced off his shoulder plate.  Zack grunted as the metal caved, crushing into his shoulder, but the arrow clattered to the floor.  He did roll then, as a whole storm of arrows began to fall around them.

 

If there was cover in the little room, he couldn’t see it.  The smoke was thinner near the ground, but itchy tears filled his eyes faster than he could brush them away.  He settled for rolling to the wall.

Back covered.  Sword ready.  Stay in a crouch.

 

“HerrRrrrrUSHHHHhhUhh!”

 

Yeah, it would be easier to think if that would quit already.

 

At least there was one thing that’s could be said for the smoke: it obscured the archers’ view as much as it did Sephiroth and Zack’s.

 

“AhhhAHHSHHhHEW! HahhHASHHhhEW!”

 

Of course they weren’t having to entirely rely on visuals.  Still sneezing, he swung his sword in a wild arc, knocking out another round of arrows by luck more than skill.

 

Zack blinked into the smoke, tears pouring down his face now.  Somewhere in the fog he could hear Sephiroth cutting through the onslaught before another surge of itching took his breath away.

 

“HhhhZzzzSCHHHSCHhhew! HkkkkKSHHHHhhAHhhh!”

 

He stumbled from the force of the sneezing.  “HAHhh’ISHHHHUH!” This would be a really good time to get a hold of himself. If he could just be still, listen for the release of the bows...  He clamped his mouth shut, catching a rebellious breath.  The burning behind his face raged at being denied, but Zack bit down hard on his lip, his nose twitching irresistibly.

 

Just.  One.  More.  Minute.

 

And there it was.  Quiet, but he’d heard them.  A successive whisper of thwacks and ffffttt!s as the next round was loosed and cut through the air.  In a second, he’d heaved his sword over his head.  Tightening his back-handed grip, he lunged, bringing it swooping down in a thunderous slice.  This time the swing was purposeful, and two arrows snapped on impact, with a handful more hammering off the weapon as it plunged.

 

He landed the movement, absorbing the impact with a bend of his knee, and finally, mercifully, feeling safe enough to give a tiny bit of ground to the stinging itch that was fighting to claw it’s way out of his sinuses.

 

But only one, okay…

 

For a split second, he closed his eyes, trying to will on the sensations he’d been biting back.

 

“H-hhhuh…. HUH!  HhhhH’UH’HT’TSSCHHHhUHhh!”

 

But then there was another arrow.

 

It had gone through him before he’d even realised it was coming.  His yelp came out hoarse and strangled, and he hit the floor with a sickening whack as a second arrow drove into his thigh.

 

And relentlessly, impossibly, he kept on sneezing.

 

“Huh’ISHHHUH! HuhhISHHH’UH! Huhhh…”

 

Somebody landed on him.  He felt their weight before he saw them coming, forcing the air from his lungs and pinning him tight against the ground. They were high on his chest, around his ribcage, but still the pressure in his abdomen sent a jolt of pain through his hip that made his eyes roll back.

 

His head swam in a whirl of smoke, and pain, and that stupid itch that really ought to get in line.  But words from the assignment brief cut clear through all the mess.

 

They will strike to kill, and do so very effectively if given the chance.

 

He breathed, straining against the pressure of the assassins legs, and drew up his sword with a shaky hand.

 

Then his opponent, already rearing over Zack with a brandished dagger, was torn from Zack’s chest and flung with some force against the opposite wall.  Just as quickly, a fist around the fabric of Zack’s uniform was heaving him up off from the floor.

 

“S-Sephiroth…Heyyy’YISHHHew!”

 

Zack found himself found himself hoisted up to Sephiroth’s eye level, his feel scrambling for the ground.  Sephiroth’s expression did not brook any argument.

 

“Get out of here.”

 

“But…”

 

Sephiroth grunted as he swung his sword with his free hand, knocking a new round of arrows out of the air.  Zack could only hang from his grip and helplessly sneeze.

 

“That was not a request.”

 

Sure enough, they were powering in the direction of the entrance, Zack all but dragged along by Sephiroth’s pull.  Sephiroth thrust the pair of them behind a door, a shower of arrows clattering into the wood as he shut it behind them.

 

“But you…”

 

“I will cover your exit.  You take cover and you phone for recovery to the base.  Do you understand?”

 

“Hhhhh… HhhHHHhSHhhEW!”

 

“DO YOU UNDERSTAND?”

 

“Mmhm,” Zack managed, and Sephiroth heaved him in the direction of the entrance as though he were a rag doll.

 

 

 

Edited April 15, 2023 by SexualOddity

[starpollen]

Love this ❤️ 

[SexualOddity]

Zack’s upper body was still mostly intact, but he couldn’t drag himself out of the trap door without bashing the arrows that were skewering his leg.

 

“Sephiroth!” Zack yelped, hoping he hadn’t disappeared back into the fray.

 

He felt Sephiroth’s hand under his right boot and he pushed, thrusting himself up over the edge of the trap door.  He forced a knee out onto the ground above but even that jarred the end of the arrow in his thigh.  He bit back a cry and slammed his palms into the dirt.  Bent over on the grass, he panted.  And then sneezed.  Sneezed like he never had in his life.  Over and over until he thought it was never going to stop.

 

What in the hell was going on?

 

He tried to breathe.  Whatever else happened he couldn’t stay here.  The Scythes wouldn’t pick a battle in the open by choice, but that didn’t mean they wouldn’t risk exposure to finish off someone vulnerable.  Especially if they considered that person tactically significant to ShinRa.  Like a First Class SOLDIER.  For example.

 

All of that meant that Zack needed cover, and he needed it as quickly as his messed up leg would allow.  Thankfully, Wutai wasn’t typically short of forestland, and a dense patch of trees ahead looked like his most likely option.

 

He struggled in an attempt to stand, but his left leg utterly buckled and he crashed back into the dirt.  He sneezed, bitterly.  Apparently that was something his body had no problem doing.

 

He settled for a humiliating half-crawl, half-lurch down the hillside.  His leg was reluctant to bend, wouldn’t carry any weight, he couldn’t drag it over the ground for fear of ripping out the still-embedded arrows...  It was like being saddled with hefting this useless, great block of wood, except that every bump and bash sent jagged pain up his thigh.  And still, for the life of him, he could not stop sneezing. And violently.  Every one of them wrenched out from deep in his chest, upsetting his precarious, hard-won balance, and risking sending him tumbling down the hill and onto the shafts that stuck dangerously out of his leg.

 

As far as stealthy retreats went, it rated about a dead zero.

 

It wasn’t far.  That was about all that could be said for it, but it was something, because even the short distance had left him sweating and shaking and clinging to the branch of a tree to stay upright.

 

Realistically, just being among trees wouldn’t cut it.  And if anyone did follow him down here, he had a feeling he would put up a pretty pathetic fight.

 

He hurt, bad enough that it took some effort to force his thoughts through the clouds of pain.  But maybe just as distracting was the frenzied itchiness, swelling over and over to the point where he couldn’t think, couldn’t move, couldn’t do much of anything until he’d let another slew of sneezes tear out of him.

 

He clamped a fist over his nose, squeezing hard, begging whatever nightmare had caused this for one more minute.  Just a little longer, to try to think himself out of it.  His breaths shook and juddered in his chest.

 

In ordinary times he’d probably climb a tree.  That thought was frankly hilarious right now.

 

There was a bush? But the arrows would drag against the rough branches.  He could do something about the shafts, but that’d be costly both in terms of both time and stamina.  It’d have to wait until after the call to base.  If someone found him before that, well… he had his sword and three good limbs.  He’d have to hope that that was enough.

 

That prickling fire licked at his sinuses, wanting more.  More sneezing, more gasping, more debilitating need.  Zack scowled.  I hadn’t finished with the last bunch yet. Regardless, the fit ramped up with a new ferocity.

 

“HhhHH’AKKkTCHhhYEW! AkkkKK’TCHHhhYEW! HuHTCHhhTCHYEW!  UHTttCHUSHHhhAHhh!”

 

He lost count.  Six… seven… eight?  Before he reached a point where he could piece his thoughts together once more.

 

Prioritise.  He heard the word in Angeal’s voice, springing right out of his memory like some distant training exercise.

 

Survive. That was the next instruction.  He winced and pushed the fingers of his free hand into his hair.  Great work, Zack.  Step one, and he didn’t even know if he had it covered.

 

The briefing information had mentioned about a million times that these guys were gonna use poison.  Poison gas, poison darts, poison blades…  Poison arrows too, most likely.

 

But he’d had a remedy.  That should take care of it.

 

Except… except that his head was swimming and his gut was churning, and his shirt was drenched in sweat.

 

“HhhhHISHH’SHYEW! Huhhh’HISHHhhEW!”

 

And there was that too.  The sneezing had never stopped, even after the remedy.

 

Although, come to think of it, there had been three of them in the thick of that smoke and he’d been the only one sneezing.

 

“Hhhh…HuHhhUSHHHuh!  HuHhhhUSHHHuHhh! Huh’SHHH’UHH!”

 

And who ever heard of a sneezing poison in the first place?

 

He decided to take an antidote for good measure and have done with it.  Ramming the heel of hand against his nose he managed to gulp it down between sneezes.  He was getting good at that.  Too much practice.

 

C’mon Zack just focus.  Survive… survive…

 

He ran a tentative hand down his side.  His uniform was wet right across his hip and his hand came away red.  Definitely something to mark under Not Ideal, but it seemed like it had been a slow soak, nothing was pumping or gushing.  Most likely, he’d have to do something about it, but it could wait for now.   

 

Okay, so step two, right Angeal?  Time to call for help.

 

He took out his phone with a shaky hand and searched for a number. His breath was already catching as the ringer sounded at the other end.

 

“This is SOLDIER, Wutai South,” came the answer at last.

 

“HuuuhhhhHASHhHYEW!”

 

Oh damnit.

 

“Oh!” Answered a surprised voice at the end of the line. “Er… bless you!”

 

Zack grimaced and held the phone away, “HuhhhHUSHHH’AH! HhhhHSHHH’AHHh! HuhhhHSHHH’HAH!”  Seizing a breath, he brought the it back to his ear to make a second attempt, but as soon as he opened his mouth to speak, his lungs were drawing in a gasp. “HhhhrRrrRUSHHHhhEW! Hh’ASHHhEW. HhhhhASHHhh!”

 

Grunting in frustration, he hung up the call, pummelled at his nose with his knuckles and tried for a second option.

 

Field request URGENT: Mission ID: 6212023.

Back up 2nd Class x 2: 40^o24’12.2”N 2^o10’26.5”E.  Concealed base, entrance by trapdoor under grass on hillside;

First aid and recovery to base: 40^o24’19.8”N 2^o10’32.1”E.

 

Well, that was that.  Better just hope they check their messages.

 

He slumped over the branch, trying to get a better look at his leg.  His uniform was had begun to sag where the arrows had hit.  The bloody patch near his knee and the one at his hip were closer now, threatening to join in one long sticky mess.

 

Bandages were looking like a good idea.

 

The problem was that the only things he had that were vaguely medical were field potions and materia.  That was pretty standard.  Med supplies for a SOLDIER were all about combat.  They were for putting the wind back in you if you missed your footing, smoothing over pulled muscles, maybe shaking off the odd little knock. SOLDIERS were mako-enhanced.  They were agile.  For the most part, they didn’t get hit.

 

He could just go get into some better cover.  Figure out the bleeding later.  At least there was no short supply of bushes.  But it did mean trying to do something about those arrow shafts.

 

He rested his forehead against the bark of the branch, finding it harder than he expected to conjure up some movement.

 

He waggled his head, trying to shake off the lethargy.  What was wrong with him? Was he SOLDIER, or wasn’t he?  He could deal with a couple of arrows.

 

“Heyy’YyASHHhhAHhh! HuhhhASHHhhAH!  HUH’ASHHuhhh!”

 

Ugh.  And a million sneezes

 

Gritting his teeth, he trusted his weight against his branch, inching closer to the tree.  At the trunk he slid his hands as low as he could and bent his good leg.  Pain and nausea hit him in a rush as he folded his body, and he had to grip tighter to the rough bark to avoid toppling back entirely.  He made it, though. He hit the ground with an agonising and inelegant thump, followed by a burst of sneezing, but he still made it.

 

With a confidence he didn’t entirely feel, he closed his fist around an arrow at its entry point above his knee.  He’d done first aid drills in basic training, and more still with Angeal.  More than he thought were strictly necessary, to be honest.  And this process had made sense in theory.  He hadn’t given quite so much thought about what he would do when the arrow had another end that was sharp and moveable and inside him.

 

He was actually kind of grateful for the delay when he wrenched into the crook of his arm with another dozen sneezes.  But at last it began to settle.  And like everything else, this was gonna have to be to done quick, before the sneezing took over again.

 

Before he could second guess himself, he brought a second hand above his fist to squeeze the wood back against itself.  Zack’s eyes crossed and the ground lurched with a rocket of pain, but he felt the snap he was looking for.  He paused for a ferocious round of sneezing, then twisted the wood.  Finally, the last stubborn connections gave way and he could throw the bulk of the shaft aside.

 

Then he gathered himself, and remembered that there was a whole other arrow still to do.

 

He wrapped a hand around the one in his hip, remembered the pain from the first time around and just sagged back against the forest floor instead.  It would feel real good just to crash out, let the pain and the weakness and the constant itching melt into sleep.  The others could find him. Or not.

 

But soon as the thought occurred to him, he knew it was bad news.

 

That was the first time he wondered if maybe he wasn’t feeling so great.  In a way that he couldn’t enitrely wave away as an effect of the pain or the constant sneezing.  The pressure in his forehead and cheeks had spread and swollen into an all-consuming throb, nausea was now a permanent knot in his gut, and every limb felt resistant and slow, even his heart hammered in his chest.  He blinked.  Something wasn’t right.

 

You need to fix this, Zack.  Quickly.

 

There was Angeal again, knocking at his memories.

 

Vaguely aware of something damp, he dredged up the energy to raise his arm.  Blood dripped from his glove where he’d held the base of the arrow shaft.

 

He took a breath and held it, before squeezing his eyes shut and wrenching himself from the ground.  His uniform was sodden. By the tree, and beneath where he’d leant on the branch, the leaves and dirt were red-tinged.

 

Angeal was right. But it would have been great if his wisdom had come with a few situation-specific instructions.  He was a mile and a half from the nearest base with one usable leg, and no supplies.

 

Regardless, he was gonna have to think of something.

 

He pulled a potion from his belt and thumbed at the latch.  It wasn’t gonna close up his wounds, but it should buy him some time before he crashed out.  He was really tearing through consumables.

 

The sneezing was starting to intensify again. He forced his eyes open for a sweep of his surroundings before he lost control entirely.

 

“Hhhh’HSHHH’UHh!  HUSHHHUHhH! Hu’HUSHHhUHHhh! HSHHH’SHUH!”

 

Some of the plants had pretty big leaves.  That was about all Zack could come up with.  But he didn’t think he could wrap those tight enough to create any reasonable pressure, particularly with an arrow shaft to work around.

 

He could go try to find something in the forest, but it’d been hard enough to drag his leg around the first time.  At this point, he wasn’t sure he could even get to his feet.

 

That’s when he remembered the little back-up dagger. Yes.  That was workable.  He could cut up his uniform.  Of course, he’d have to get out of it first, and that meant getting it around the shafts of the arrows.  His shirt would probably be the easiest, but it wouldn’t give him a whole lot of fabric.

 

He was just contemplating how he was gonna take off his trousers when he recognised the sound of boots drumming in the distance.  His fingers stretched for his sword and he turned so fast that pain ripped the air from his lungs.  But it was worth it.  Those were ShinRa uniforms.  The adrenaline that had powered him evaporated instantly. Exhausted, grateful, he crumpled back against the blood and soil.

 

[SexualOddity]

Everything that followed was a haze of pain and movement, and sneezing (of course).  He’d stuttered out a question about back-up for Sephiroth and had been reassured that two Second-Classes had left for the underground base.  After that he was happy just to leave it all in someone else’s hands.

 

The bandaging was agony.  It turned out “applying pressure” was another first aid trick that sounded way better in theory.  After that, the walk to the van was a struggle for everyone.  But when they pulled up at the base, someone went in for a stretcher, and within five minutes, Zack was in the infirmary blinking up at a familiar face.  He was about equal parts horrified and relieved.

 

“Zack? What the hell have you gotten into?”

 

He pressed his arm against his nose.  “Hehhh’EHHh!  HAHh’EHHH!  W-hhh-Why’d it hh’have to be y’huhhh-you… Hhhh’HASHHhhAHh!”

 

“Oh, we are way past pride now, buddy.”  She turned to Zack’s first aider and the driver.  “Can we get him on a bed?  On his right side.”

 

The room shifted as the stretcher was pushed the short distance to the bed, and Zack heard Mikaela’s voice once again.

 

“Tell me about blood volume at the scene.”

 

Once he had been shuffled onto the bed, she put a cuff on his arm and a clip on his finger while someone else tipped his bed so that his feet were above him.  Then Mikaela grabbed what Zack assumed was some kind of scanning device and ran it over his hip, around what was now just the stump of the arrow.

 

She let out a breath.  “Oh holy hell Zack.  You’ve been very lucky.”

 

She ran the device over his thigh next and then his shoulder.  Zack crossed his arm back over his face, still sneezing helplessly.

 

“HhhhHASHhhAh!  HuSHHhhUHh!  HSHHhhAHh!”

 

Each sneeze shook Zack’s skull with a jolt of pain, and he couldn’t follow the clipped conversation in the room.  He palmed at his forehead with his free hand and wrenched in on himself, sneezing again.

 

He felt a hand on his upper arm.

 

“Zack, you hearing me?”

 

He nodded.

 

“I know this isn’t easy, but you’re gonna wanna try to hold still.  Arrowheads are sharp and they can keep doing damage once they’re inside you.  The less you move, the less opportunity they have to cut you up.”

 

Zack managed a stuffy hum of agreement.  He moved his hand to hold his other arm tight against his face, bracing himself this time as he succumbed to a whole new round of sneezing.

 

While Zack tried to catch a breath, Mikaela set a box of tissues on the bed with jarring nonchalance.  Zack grasped at it between sneezes and clutched it to his chest.

 

“You’re just gonna need some help to get back up and running, okay?  We’ll get you fluids, and they should make you feel a whole lot better.  We’ll do some tests, and I’m gonna give you something to help your blood to clot.”

 

“HhhhhNGgHhhhUhhh!”

 

“And I guess you’ll want some antihistamines too, huh?”

 

—

 

Zack craned his neck to watch the digital clock tick upwards.  Various monitors and devices beeped and hummed.  His head was clearing.  The teeth-grinding throb had settled into a stuffy ache across his forehead and down the sides of his nose, and the words and numbers had turned sharp and distinct on the computer screen.

 

He’d counted about twenty minutes when Mikaela stuck her head around the door.

 

“No sneezing.” But she raised an eyebrow, revising her assessment, as Zack’s eyes narrowed into an irritated squint, “…Less sneezing?”

 

“Hhhh…hhHH’NHGHTttChyew! Ugh.  Yeah.  Less.”  He winced at the rasp in his voice and tried to clear his throat.

 

“Nice work keeping still though.  That was pretty impressive.”

 

“Yeah, well, I had plenty of chances to practice.

 

Mikaela gave him a sympathetic grimace.  “Sounded that way.  I’m amazed you’re still at it, actually.”

 

“Yeah me too,” but he gave her a tired grin, eyes twinkling with mischief.  “I think your meds might suck.”

 

“Ha.  I’d say all of those sentences you’re stringing together suggest otherwise.  Apparently your allergies are just something else.”  She leant back against the counter top and studied him.  “The allergies were news to me, by the way… This happened before?”

 

“No.”  Zack said, with feeling.  He moved to sit up, but then remembered himself.  “Not once.  I think I’ve sneezed more times this morning than the rest of my life put together.”

 

“Based on how you came in, I could believe that.”

 

He filled her in on the attack, and she ran through a bucketload of medical information.  There had always been an element of medical responsibility that came along with being a SOLDIER: the first aid stuff; the Mako treatment - obviously; a bunch of check ups and vaccinations.  Zack had always found it mind-shatteringly boring.  He was mildly interested to learn that it didn’t get more exciting when it related to bits of sharp metal with the (granted, increasingly remote) potential to kill him.

 

There were some memorable highlights.

 

Someone came in with some lab results, and after that they let Zack sit back up.  That was actually pretty great after laying with his head angled toward the floor.  He didn’t get dizzy as they lifted the bed either, which everyone seemed pretty happy about.

 

And then the other thing - apparently it was safer to push the arrows through than it would have been to pull them out.  The upshot of that was that the one at his hip was coming out of his ass cheek.  Zack just crumpled with laughter.  Of course.  If he was gonna have a day of humiliation, why not plumb the absolute depths.

 

“Alright, settle down… we’re being still remember?  If you nick a major blood vessel, I’m tipping your bed back down.”

 

Zack wiped tears from his eyes.  “Okay, okay, I’m done laughing.

 

“Don’t get me wrong, it’s not that it isn’t great to see.  Those fluids seem to be doing their job.  Your colour’s coming back as well.”

 

“Yeah, I’m alright.  Way better than before, anyway.”

 

“I just wish that you’d stop sneezing.”

 

Zack gave a snort of agreement, “Well that makes two of us.”

 

Mikaela shook her head.  “It’s not just that - although, I mean, it does sound miserable.  But it could give us a problem in terms of taking out the arrows.”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“Well, it’s been forty minutes.  I think those antihistamines have probably worked as much as they’re gonna.  But we can’t do the surgery with you like this.  Even after a spinal, it’s gonna jostle you around.”

 

“So what do we do?”

 

“I think we’ll have to sedate you.”

 

“Wait, no…”. Zack had had sedation before, for the mako treatment at his initial recruitment.  “So I gotta be here for twenty-four hours?”

 

“Unless you have someone who can keep an eye on you?”

 

Zack rolled his eyes.  “Miks, this isn’t even my base.  Besides, everyone I know is always on call for assignments.”

 

“Well, I’m working nights, but if you wanna share my messed up sleep schedule, you’re welcome to come back with me.  I start at eight again tonight though, so I’d have to bring you back down here.”

 

“Or you could just not sedate me.”

 

“This may surprise you, but there are some ethical principles involved in cutting people open. Getting a sharp object out of someone is not easy, and it’s definitely not risk-free.  We can’t do it when you’re sneezing.  That’s not really up for debate”

 

He spread his hands, innocently.  “I’m not sneezing, who’s sneezing?”

 

“Nice try.”

 

“I’m serious!  Have I sneezed in the last five minutes?”

 

“Yes!”

 

Zack faltered, “Well, have I sneezed in the last… minute and a half?”

 

“That’s not as impressive as you think it is.”

 

Zack set his jaw.  “I’m not gonna sneeze again.”

 

“You will, though.”

 

“I won’t.”

 

“I give it two minutes.”  And she leant against a cabinet, waiting.

 

He met her eye, but honestly he was already feeling it, that infuriating tingle spreading roots into his sinuses.  Worse, the attention from Mikaela was making it difficult to ignore.

 

He scrunched his nose in spite of himself, and drove a knuckle against its side.  “Don’t you have other patients?”

 

“Nope.”  She smiled.  “This place has been dead since the end of the war.  Honestly, it’s my most boring rotation.  I should probably thank you for livening things up.”

 

He grimaced then, and resorted to pinching his nose.  “I aim to please.”

 

A bleeping started in Mikaela’s pocket.  She glanced down at what looked like some sort of pager.  “Ugh fine.  Turns out I do have other patients.”  She pointed an authoritative finger in Zack’s direction.  “This doesn’t mean you skip the sedation.  Our stupid argument does not trump medical ethics.”

 

She turned to leave, but stepped backwards with a start. Sephiroth was in the doorway being his imposing self.

 

“Sephiroth!” Zack exclaimed.  “You’re okay!”

 

“…yes.” Sephiroth answered, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

 

Mikaela let Sephiroth enter, and left, only to immediately duck low around the doorway where Zack could see her from the bed.  ‘Sephiroth!’ She mouthed, wide-eyed, pointing at his back.

 

Zack snorted with laughter, and instantly forgot he was trying not to sneeze.  “H’UHTChUH!”  It had burst out of him before he’d even felt it coming. “HUhTChISHhUw!”

 

Entirely predictably, Mikaela’s voice rang down the corridor.  “I heard that.”

 

Zack slumped, defeated.

 

“You’re still sneezing.”  Sephiroth observed.

 

Zack pulled out some more tissues to wipe his face.  “Yep.”  He sulked.  “Apparently, I can’t stop.”

 

“And you still have arrows in you.”

 

Zack glanced down at his leg.  “Oh.  Yeah.  Not for long.  I gotta have those fluids before they whip ‘em out.”  He tilted his head to indicate the almost empty bag hanging from his drip stand.

 

Sephiroth just stood looking over him, his brows knit in an expression that was characteristically unreadable.

 

“Ah, don’t worry.”  Zack said.  “Apparently there’s a whole bunch of stuff they didn’t hit.   Safe to say it looks worse than it is.”  He began to stretch himself out on the bed, when a thought occurred to him.  He stiffened. “The patients that just arrived… it’s not the Seconds I sent in for back up?”

 

“The ones I didn’t ask for.  Yes.”

 

Zack sunk his head in his hands with a groan.  “I’m so sorry.  I just… I didn’t want to leave you alone with those guys.”

 

“The Seconds are okay.”  Sephiroth said, after a pause.  “Minor injuries only.  Actually, they acquitted themselves quite well.”

 

That should have been good news, but it made something feel sharp and tight in Zack’s chest.  It wasn’t a feeling that he felt particularly like interrogating.

 

“I’ve been asked to return to Midgar.” Sephiroth continued.  “ShinRa will send a separate transport for you once you’re discharged.  Will you call me on your return if you need anything?”

 

Zack rubbed a hand against the back of his head.  “I will.  But I gotta be honest, you’re not the easiest guy to get a hold of.”

 

“Hmm,” Sephiroth studied the ground before meeting Zack’s eye. “Try anyway.  I would like to see that you’re recovering.”

 

Zack nodded, slowly.   “I will.  Thank you.”

 

“Mmhm.  We’ll speak soon.”

[SexualOddity]

It turned out that having arrows removed was actually a lot like having mako treatment.  One moment you’re lying in a bed with a tube in your arm, the next, you’re waking up confused in a different room, with heavy limbs and a foggy head.

 

At least this time it was familiar.  His Mako infusion had happened about a week after he stepped off a boat, when everything was new and he still felt kind of anchorless in a sea of lights and metal.  It had also been his first trip to the Science department.  That had been an experience in itself.  He’d never been so completely surrounded by monitors and dials and electronic bleeps.  Back then, it made him feel a little short of air.  When they closed in on him with their needles and their blood pressure cuffs, it was only remembering the stories of SOLDIER heroes that had kept him lying on the bed.

 

He shifted as a familiar tickling pushed its way through the mist.

 

“Hhhh… HHuhhhHuhh….”

 

“Ah.  He wakes.”

 

“Huhhhh’IHSHHHUHHhh!”

 

“That still not quitting, huh?”

 

Zack blinked, recognising Mikaela sat at the computer by his bed

 

She got up to retrieve the box of tissues from the window ledge.  “How you feeling?”

 

“Uh - little out of it.”  The words felt too big in his mouth.  They crashed into one another and bumped against his tongue.

 

Mikaela seemed to understand him, regardless.

 

“That’s about what I’d expect,” she nodded.  “But you’re arrow free.  Congratulations.”  She set the tissues next to him on the bed.

 

Zack sniffed, not quite finding the energy to lift an arm.

 

He just stared out into the room for a little bit, watching, as if through glass, while Mikaela moved about.  He heard her pager bleeping through the fog, gave a vague nod as she told him to ring the buzzer if he needed anything.

 

Most of his head felt airy and voluminous, like the packing moulds they used to transport materia, but behind his nose and in his eyeballs it was peppered through with needle-point prickles.  They hadn’t lost their sharp edge with the sedation, somehow managing to scratch past the stuffing.   

 

He did take a tissue this time, as the pinpricks at his nose gathered in a thistley itch.

 

Usually his sneezing was harsh and pretty immediate, but after the drugs it seemed to have to work a little harder to force its way to the surface.  He crinkled his nose and tipped his head up, hands hovering uselessly in front of his chest as he waited.

 

“Huhhh… Ahh… Huh-ahh-HAH… HhhRSHHHhUww!”

 

He folded in on himself, glad not to have to worry about jostling the arrow heads.  The prickling stilled, and then surged. “HAaaahh-Ahh… HAH… HAHHhhSHhhUhh! HIHSHhSHEW!”

 

Feeling like the movement had shaken off a little of the stupor, he fiddled with the blankets, looking around the room for something to occupy his attention.

 

His eye settled on the computer screen and his staff record on the monitor.  The picture was from right after his promotion, his first day in his new uniform.  There was also a text box open on the screen, cursor flashing.  Zack rubbed at his eyes and blinked, fighting the sedative to fix his concentration on the words.

 

Allergy: respiratory, combat relevant.  Symptoms minor but high intensity, affecting combat performance.  First incidence following exposure to smoke grenade.  Specific allergenic compound not determined.

 

He read it three times.

 

After that, Mikaela kept asking how he was.

 

On one of her visits, she turned from the computer trolley where she’d been scrolling through Zack’s readings.

 

“Okay, I’m struggling with this.  Everything here looks great.” She glanced at the computer before looking back at Zack.  “But you don’t.  Is it the pain?  Is it worse than you’re saying?”

 

He lifted a shoulder in a half-hearted shrug.  “Not much pain yet.  Leg just tingles.”

 

Irritated to feel a latent sneeze rising beyond a simmer, he scrunched his nose and jammed his wrist against his face.

 

“You feel sick?”

 

“No.”

 

That stupid itch was gaining on him.  He snatched his nose in his fist and squeezed his eyes shut.

 

“Are you just really tired of being allergic? ”

 

“No.”  His voice shook even on the single syllable.  He growled in frustration and blinked up at the headboard.  His chest trembled with a string of involuntary breaths.  “Huh-hh-hh-huh-huh-huhhh’HhHhhRISHHEW!  HhhRhhISHHEW!  HuhHHtSHYEW!”

 

He shoved his hair out of his face and scrubbed tears from his eyes.  When he looked up, Mikaela had an eyebrow cocked.  “No?”

 

It took him a minute to remember what he’d said.

 

“Fine, yeah, it’s annoying.  But I can cope.  It was a lot worse before.”

 

“But you’re feeling it now?  Now that we’ve dealt with all the big stuff?”

 

He shrugged.  “It’s not that bad.”

 

“Zack…”

 

He grimaced and pressed the heel of his hand against his temple.

 

There was a squeak of wheels against the vinyl floor as Mikaela rolled out a stool to sit by his bed.  “Look I’ll back off if I can, but if we’ve missed something and we discharge you too early, you could just wind up back here.”

 

“There isn’t anything.”  He met her eye.  “Honestly.”

 

She held his gaze for a long moment, but then she nodded.  “Okay.  You might need some more pain relief as the sensation returns.  Call me, alright?  Use the buzzer.”

 

The pain did come back, along with some extra bonus pain from the surgery.  Zack didn’t call though.  He was sick of hospitals and medicines and monitoring.  What he really needed, he decided, was to shower all the smoky crap out of his hair, get some food, maybe take a nap.

 

Somehow, Mikaela knew about the pain regardless.

 

“One of your wounds is on your hip,” She reminded him, popping meds out of a packet.  “Even if you take care of yourself, it’s gonna give you some trouble getting up and down.  You have to keep the pain in check if you wanna be able to get up from this bed.  It’s not a great place to take an arrow, honestly.”

 

“I’ll send the archers a body map next time,” Zack grumbled.  But he took the meds.

 

Not too long after that, they started a bunch of weird tests: reflexes and poking and wriggling his toes.  After they were done though, Mikaela disappeared off to grab something because Zack had been classified Safe to Get Up.

 

Great.

 

Finally.

 

But then she swept back through the door with a pair of crutches in hand.

 

Zack’s felt like his stomach hit the floor.

 

“Please tell me those aren’t for me?”

 

She lifted them up for an inspection.  “Well, they’re great, but I don’t think I’m gonna get much use out of ‘em.”  She looked him over on the bed.  “They’ll need adjusting.  I don’t know when you got so tall.”

 

“I can’t use them.”  His voice came out uncharacteristically small.

 

“Sure you can.  What you can’t do right now, is walk without ‘em.”

 

“Miks, I’m supposed to be a SOLDIER.”  He was louder this time.  Combative.

 

“Yeah, and?”

 

“And I don’t wanna be this weak!”

 

He flipped onto his back and immediately regretted it.  His stitches were sore against the bed.  Worse, somehow the movement set off eye-watering tingles that made his breath catch and his nose twitch immediately.  Hating his body, he pressed his upper arm against his nose and rolled over again, away from Mikaela.

 

“Heh’CHH! HEH’CHHh! EhCHHhh! CHHhh! CHuHhh! HEH’TCHUHhh!”

 

“Bless you.”  Mikaela offered from behind him.

 

Zack gave a long groan and buried his head further into his arm.

 

“You know, just because you’re a SOLDIER doesn’t mean you have to be superhuman.”

 

Zack gave a mirthless laugh. “I think that is literally in the job description.”

 

“Yeah well, whoever wrote that thing needs reminding that Mako doesn’t make people invincible.”  The wheels squeaked again as she sat back on the stool.  “Whoever designed your armour needs reminding of that too, but that’s a fight I’m having with another guy on another day.”

 

There was a pause, and then Zack turned back over, forehead creased into a frown.  “You’re actually always looking out for us, huh?”

 

“I try,” she scoffed.  “You guys love to make it difficult.”

 

He pinched his nose and grimaced.    Turning over had set of a new set of tickles, but he’d be damned if he was giving in to a second round.  Luckily a couple of seconds of holding his breath seemed enough to make them settle.

 

“”You doin’ okay there buddy?”  Mikaela asked, watching him.

 

“Yeah?”  Zack thought about it.  “No?  I dunno.  I hate this.”  He twisted the bedsheet between his thumb and finger.  “Feelin’ like my standard tactics of ‘press on and hope no one notices’ might not work out this time.”

 

“Didn’t those tactics get you a burst appendix a few years back?”

 

Zack rubbed at the back of his head, sheepish.

 

“I think you need new tactics.  I’d like to humbly suggest: Stand down and listen to your damn Doctor.  Drop the pathological need to be a tough guy.”  Her tone was authoritative, but she smiled.  “You’ll be back to dodging bullets, and all that other SOLDIER crap in a few weeks.”

 

“Until someone pulls a smoke grenade.”

 

Mikaela opened her mouth to reply, but Zack pressed on.

 

“I’ve been trying to think of SOLDIERs I know who have allergies.  Can’t think of any.”

 

Mikaela frowned and looked past him into the room, as if she were also trying.  Eventually she shook her head.  “They do have us ask about ‘em at pre-meds.  It’s possible that they’re screened out, but we’re not a party to that decision.”

 

Zack just grunted.  It was the answer he’d been expecting.

 

“But there’s a huge difference between you and a perspective recruit,” she continued.  “You’re not seriously worried they’d kick you out over this?”

 

“I don’t I know.”  Zack shrugged.  “It’s ‘combat-relevant’.”

 

Mikaela cocked her head at him.  Then she glanced at the computer in the corner.

 

“Yeah, I read it.  Guess I wasn’t supposed to.”

 

“I mean, it’s not a secret.  You lived it, for one thing.”  She winced, though, in spite of her words.  “You know I have to make those reports right?”

 

“I know.” He stared down at the blanket.

 

“Also if ShinRa know about, they can do something about it. I sent off a sample of your clothes to the lab at Midgar.  They’ll probably try to isolate whatever you’re allergic to, and come up with some meds.”

 

“You gave me meds, and I’m still sneezing three hours later,” Zack muttered.

 

“Not as much as you were.  But I’m talking about something for combat.  Like those other concoctions they give you guys.”  She rested her hand on the edge of his bed, ducking her head a little to meet his eye.  “There are some brilliant minds in the Science team.  I’m pretty sure ShinRa would rather invest a little of their time than lose a SOLDIER at their highest rank.”

 

Zack sighed.  “I hope you’re right.”

Edited April 30, 2023 by SexualOddity

[funbusej]

Ooooh, I am loving this!!  

[SexualOddity]

A.N. - Just wanted to add a quick note to share my huge thanks for Starpollen and funbusej for commenting.  Been feeling a bit like I’m shouting into the void with this one - which is fine, not everything is gonna have an audience, but it does mean that it makes a massive difference to know that there are a few people reading.

 

—

Mikaela suggested that they should set the crutches aside - concentrate on getting him up and figure out the rest from there.  That, at least, was something Zack could get onboard with.  Laying in the bed was getting to him, he decided, bringing him down.

 

Mikaela hit a button on the computer console.  “I’m gonna get my boss in here.  We probably won’t need him, but it’s safer to have two of us until we’re sure that your legs have fully woken up.  Can you sit?”

 

Zack swung his legs off the bed, set a hand on the mattress, and braced himself as he pushed.

 

“Oh… uh… whoa.”

 

This time he felt the congestion shift in his head.  Aggressive tingles scrambled in his face.  He gripped the bed frame tighter, pressed his other hand between his eyebrows.

 

“Are you okay?”

 

“HhhHNGgTCHew! HnKK’TCHhYew! HahhhAHHttCHhEw! H’AHhhTCHhEW!”

 

He pawed at the bed in the direction of the box of tissues, blinking compulsively at the ceiling.  Mikaela nudged the box closer.

 

Thhuh… Thannnn… HAH-EH…HUH’ISHHUH! H’UH’ISHHUH!  HAHhASHHAHh!”

 

The way his chest heaved was unreal.  He could have been fighting through an onslaught.  His ribs pushed outwards with enormous breaths, only for his lungs to hoist the air up from under him in sneeze after vicious sneeze.

 

“Huh’USHHh! HUSHHH’AH!  HuhhUSHUHuh! HEHT’SHUH!”

 

“Bless you SOLDIER.”

 

Zack hazily recognised this as a different voice.  He held himself stiff and clung tighter to the bed frame.

 

“You’re light-headed.” It was the same voice again.

 

“Uh yeah,” he croaked, thinking it seemed a reasonable reaction to ambush by a million sneezes.  He pulled out a bundle of tissues from the box and cupped them to his face with both hands.  “HhhKHHhew!  HUHTtChISHhhew!”

 

Zack blinked up through watering eyes and another doctor came into focus.  He was older than Mikaela, sandy-haired and thin.  Probably a similar height to Zack, but his bearing made him look taller.  He fired off a round of questions at Mikaela without shifting his eyes from Zack.  To Mikaela’s credit, she didn’t flinch.

 

“BP?”

 

“Normal”

 

“Pulse rate?”

 

“Normal”

 

“Capillary refill?”

 

“Normal.”

 

“Haemoglobin?”

 

“Borderline and stable.”

 

Zack glanced down at his feet, scraping a toe against the floor.  His face was growing hot.  “I uh, I think I just sneezed too much.  Gave myself a head rush.”

 

One side of the doctor’s lips quirked into a smile.  “I’m inclined to agree.  But I trust you’ll understand the need to rule out alternatives.  My name is Doctor Hale..”

 

“Uh - hi.”  He gave an awkward half-wave, “Zack.”

 

“Indeed.”  The Doctor turned to Mikaela.  “I think we can go ahead if you’re ready Doctor Barlow?”

 

Mikaela smiled, “Let’s do it.”

 

The two of them stood next to him, feet planted at either side of Zack’s.  Each took a hold of his elbow and upper arm.  It took two people to help him get up now.  Ridiculous.

 

“Okay, SOLDIER,” Doctor Hale ordered.  “I’d like you to stand very slowly.  If you feel dizzy, or if you think you’re going to fall, you tell us and we’ll get you back down on the bed.”

 

“Okay.”

 

Zack tried to straighten as slowly as he could manage, letting his right leg take his weight.  As he reached a stand, he felt another change in pressure and another sneezing fit immediately threatened.  He tensed. Sneezing right now was a bad idea.  A gust of wind could have sent him sprawling onto his face.

 

His nose twitched.  His breath caught.  He wasn’t gonna get much choice in the matter.

 

“Miks!” he gasped.  Grabbing his nose tight, he clamped his lips shut.  His breath still shook in his chest.

 

Mikaela thrust the crutches in his direction.  Zack took them, slamming the bases against the ground as he lost his mastery over his breathing.

 

“HnnKHHH! HhMPtCHEW! Huhhh… HMM’PSHHhhUHh! HHHuH’SHHhEW!  HuhhhSHUH!”

 

He sneezed openly, only just figuring out how to crease against his right arm as the fit came to an end.  Holding his balance took more concentration than Zack would have liked to admit.

 

“Doctor Barlow, have you given Mr. Fair an antihistamine?”

 

“About four hours ago.”

 

Doctor Hale gave a little grunt of surprise, but he shrugged.  He offered to take over from Mikaela and Zack found himself a little relieved when she declined.  Her shift had finished, but since they were going back together, she said she might as well handle his discharge.

 

“Your boss is kinda scary,” he told her, when Hale had disappeared down the corridor.

 

“Zack, your boss is Sephiroth.”

 

He relaxed a little then, turning to Mikaela with a grin.  “I mean, technically we’re the same rank.”

 

Mikaela rolled her eyes.  “Alright hot shot.  Are you gonna give me a circuit on those crutches, or what?”

 

Zack groaned and lifted the left crutch to inspect it.  “I think you tricked me into taking these.”

 

“Oh, you would have rather fallen on your ass?”  She asked him with exaggerated innocence.  “You gonna sneeze any time soon?  ‘Cause I still gotta adjust them.”

 

He thought about it, trying to tune in to his messed-up sinuses.  Nothing immediate, but there was something, an exasperating little flutter.

 

He grunted, annoyed.  “Just let me hold on to something.”

 

He loped across to the computer trolley and took a hold of the bar before passing the crutches over.  She measured them against each of his arms and set them into position.

 

“Okay, off you go.”  She handed them back to him.  “Just so I can satisfy myself that your leg’s gonna hold.”

 

Zack sighed, but he set off on his irritating hobble.  Once he’d got going, he could do it fairly smoothly.  It was probably easier than it would have been to limp.  Zack hated it anyway.

 

“So if I can get round the room, w-huhh… we can go?” He raised his eyebrows, hopefully, until that once-distant tingle became too demanding of his attention.

 

“Don’t fall…” Mikaela warned, apparently noticing his distraction.

 

Zack tipped his head back, breathing heavily as itches spread insistently under his skin.  He waved away her concern as best he could, lifting his fingers as he held the crutch. “I got… it… Hhh’NHNGgH’TCHUH!” He drove his face against the skin of his upper arm.  “HAHhhAHTCHhAH!”

 

“Bless you.  You’re getting good at that.”

 

Zack gave a bitter snort.  “Nice to know I c-hh-an still… do… s-something-HhhhHRrrISHH’AHhh!”

 

“Zack...”

 

“HEhhTCHhSHhEW! Ugh.  What?”

 

“The attitude.  It’s not like you.”

 

He sniffed, and shrugged, “I feel like none of this is really like me.”

 

—

 

Getting discharged was about as mind-meltingly slow as everything else in the hospital. Someone managed to grab his duffle bag from the chopper, which meant that he had a spare pair of uniform trousers and shirt.  It was nice to get rid of the hospital gown, even if it did mean discovering all the exciting fun of getting dressed with one working leg.

 

He pulled the belt and gloves from what was left of his original uniform, but they were covered in blood.  Wrinkling his nose in disgust, he tossed them into his bag.  He’d deal with them later.  It wasn’t like he’d have passed a uniform inspection anyway - he was still down that shoulder plate.  He hoped the pants would stay up without his belt.  That might just be one too many humiliations for one morning.

 

After that, they had to wait for meds and paperwork, and Mikaela gave him about ten million new instructions to follow.  He fleetingly wondered whether some of the tedium was a scheme on her part.  Maybe she wanted to make sure he left determined never to wind up back in an infirmary bed.  He had to hand it to her: if that was her ploy, then it was working.

 

“Two of these three times a day.  Don’t skip any, and don’t stop until they’re all gone.” she handed him the box.  “In fact, take your phone out now and set an alarm.”

 

Zack shifted on the bed, trying to move the bulk of his weight off the arrow’s exit wound.  “What, you don’t trust me?”

 

“I’ve met you.”

 

That was probably reasonable, but Zack pouted anyway, in his own defence.

 

“Okay good.  Any hint of a fever: we wanna know. You’ll be off active duty for ten days minimum, and I don’t even want you in a training room for the first four.  I can limit access on you keycard.  Do I have to?”

 

Zack sighed and ran a hand through his hair.  “No…” he sulked.

 

“Pretty guaranteed that your gonna get antsy.”  She leant forward and met his eye, unflinching.  “That is not an excuse for squats, or for running around.  Find something else to do.  You might be able to get away with using free weights for some upper body work, but it aggravates your hip, you gotta stop.”

 

“Fine.”  Zack said, turning away as fresh irritation thrummed through his sinuses. “HEHh-HEHhKkTCHhAH!”  He dragged another tissue from the box and held around his face in a cupped hand. “UhhHRSHHHhUhhh!” He sighed, blew his nose, and looked blearily up at her, his a head a constant soup of congestion and exhaustion and itch.

 

“Can we go?”

 

Maybe he looked just pathetic enough at this point, because she relented.

 

“Fine, we’ll get you out of here.  I’d normally get you to eat and drink something but it’s not like I can’t bring you back down if you have an issue.”

 

Zack reached for the crutches, “I mean, food and drink sounds good…”

 

“Eh, don’t get too excited.  The canteen hasn’t improved.”

 

 

Edited May 13, 2023 by SexualOddity
Fixed inconsistent sizing (I hope)

[Serendipity]

Ooh, love this!

[solitaire-au]

I've been lurking for a looonnng time, years too long. But your story prompted me to finally try to sign up again, and this time I succeeded. I just HAD to leave you some feedback to let you know how wonderful this story is.

I'm not personally familiar with Final Fantasy, but lately I've been really into Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars: The Bad Batch, both which have heaps of incredibly lovely soldier characters, and I've been hoping against hope someone would do a clone trooper sneezefic. 🙏

Your story is the next best thing, and even though I know next to nothing about FF, I love it and can't wait to find out what happens next to Zack! 🥰

A million thanks, and please continue! 💗

[SexualOddity]

Just wanted to say a massive thanks to Serendipity and solitaire-au.  Again, it means the world.  I’d had moments where I should stop posting - I would have written it for myself, but I didn’t want to bump other stories down the list necessarily if people weren’t reading this one.  I consider myself well and truly encouraged now thank you.

 

I just wanted to make a particular note to solitaire-au.  It was so very kind of you to sign up so that you could leave a comment - especially for a fic in a fandom you don’t know.  I don’t know if I’m qualified to welcome you to official forum status (I’m just back after a long absence and I’ve only been on this thread) but welcome anyway!  I’m sorry, I don’t know Star Wars very well otherwise I’d see if I could try to fulfil your fic hopes.  (But hey, you have an account now - you could write it yourself!  I’d read  )

 

I’ll try to be more mindful of giving a bit more explanation of things that wouldn’t make sense if you haven’t played the game.  There is one thing about Sephiroth that I don’t think I can explain in text though, because he’s not realistically going to talk about it and the narrative perspective won’t let me into his head.  Basically two of the other First Classes recently discovered that they were created through some genetic experimentation and they’re not entirely human.  At this point Sephiroth is doing a lot of digging into his own origins and questioning his humanity.

 

Sorry, I’ll get on with it now!

 

— 

 

 

Zack couldn’t decide if he was more eager for food or to wash the smoke out of his hair, so they settled on a stop at the vending machine on the way to the showers.

 

Zack avoided people’s eyes in the corridor, not wanting to see their reactions to a sniffling, hobbling SOLDIER, probably one with angry red skin around his nose and eyes too, if his last look in a mirror was anything to go by.

 

“It’s not as big of a deal as you think it is.” Mikaela spoke in a sing-song voice, looking up innocently at the ceiling.

 

Zack shot her a look.  “How do you do that?”

 

“Doctor’s privilege? Known you too long?  I dunno.”

 

“Don’t see many injured SOLDIERs.”

 

Mikaela laughed.  “Zack, I work in a ShinRa medical facility… as a Doctor for SOLDIERs.”

 

“Well, I don’t see ‘em.”

 

“No, because they’re all as weird as you are about people seeing ‘em hurt.”  Her expression hardened.  “I wish I knew what ShinRa say to get into all of your heads.”

 

Zack didn’t know the answer to that, or if there even was an answer, so he just carried on swinging himself down the corridor.  If he could forget what they looked like, functionally the crutches weren’t awful.  On the long, straight, stretch he could pick up a decent rhythm.

 

What was annoying was having to stop every time he needed to sneeze.

 

He grunted in frustration when it happened for the third time.  “I’m so sorry,” he told Mikaela, wriggling his nose.

 

She shrugged.  “Not like I’m in a huge rush to loiter outside while you shower.”

 

Itches buzzed around Zack’s face, growing more slowly than anticipated.  Remembering something, he angled his face to catch the sun as it streamed though a narrow window, high above the corridor.  The tickle danced in response, but nothing much else happened.

 

He sniffed.  “Um… false alarm maybe?”

 

They made it about two steps farther down the corridor before the impulse hit like the Midgar Express, mid-swing of his legs.  He scrambled to plant his good foot, but the feeling was immediate.  “HhhKHSHHuHH!”  It came out hard, and fast, and he stumbled, bumping the left crutch against the ground ahead to hold his weight. “HehHhUHTtCHew!  HUHtTISHhUH!”

 

“Bless you.”

 

Zack shuffled to secure his balance, ears burning hot.  “Thanks,” he muttered. “Sometime I’ll figure out how to do that while I’m moving.”

 

“Let’s just get you in a shower.  Then you can quit sneezing altogether.”

 

Zack stared determinedly at the ground after that, trying to scrape together what remaining dignity he can muster.  He only looked up as another set of boots passed them into the corridor.  Zack made that the third group of infantry they’d seen since leaving the infirmary.

 

“It’s busier than I expected.”

 

Mikaela kept her voice low.  “I’ve been wanting to tell you, actually.  You missed a bit of drama when you were out.”

 

Zack stopped, sensing something serious.

 

“Someone called in a bomb threat.”

 

“What?”  His jaw dropped open, adrenaline sharpening his focus.  His grip tightened against the crutches as he rocked up onto the toes of his good foot.  “I should do something.”

 

Mikaela gave a fond little smile that made Zack frown.

 

“Listen, I mean this in the kindest possible way, but you were unconscious under sedation three hours ago.  You can’t put weight on your leg, and you’re still having what must be coming up on a six-hour-long allergy attack.  What exactly do you expect to do?”

 

“I-” Zack began, but he couldn’t conjure up a suggestion that she was likely to accept.

 

“You can stand down.  It’s okay.  They scanned the base and they didn’t find anything.  And Sephiroth was still here - he’s gone off after the group that made the call.  They brought in extra security, but honestly everyone already feels pretty safe with Sephiroth handling things.”

 

Zack’s heart stopped racing.  His fists unclenched.  “Oh,” he muttered.  “Well, yeah, of course they do.”

 

—

 

Mikaela had to sleep before she was back on shift, so Zack was confined to her room under strict instructions to wake her before he tried “anything dumb”.   

 

Thanks to the drastic reduction of ShinRa military in Wutai, there was a spare bed in Mikaela’s quarters.  In the absence of anything better to do, Zack ended up laying on it, trying to find a comfortable spot for his stitches as Mikaela settled down to sleep.

 

Mikaela had offered him a bunch of stuff - book, deck of cards for solitaire, some kind of handheld game.  None of it had sounded particularly interesting.  Nothing like mobility-limiting injuries to make you realise that everything you enjoy involves some sort of physical activity.

 

“It’s probably a little redundant at this point,” Mikaela said from her bed,  “but I do owe you some belated congratulations.  Uniform looks real good on you.”

 

Zack sat up immediately, even though it made his lips curl inward with the pain.  “I haven’t come to see you since my promotion?”

 

His eyes widened when she shook her head.

 

“I am a bad friend.”

 

“You’re a lousy patient as well.  You’re about six months overdue a med check.”

 

He winced.  Normally he wouldn’t lose sleep over missing check-ups, but he did care about the trouble it could cause Mikaela.  “I’m sorry.  Not that it’s an excuse, but it’s been a crazy year.”

 

“Yeah, I heard some stuff.”  She rolled onto her side to face him, meeting his eye.  “I’m sorry about Angeal.”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“Looks like your career is really going places though,” she continued with what sounded like deliberate cheerfulness.  “First Class, working with Sephiroth….”

 

“I guess so.”  He brushed the back of his hand back and forth against the military wallpaper, wondering whether any of that would have changed by the time he got back to Midgar.

 

“I have so many questions by the way,” she grinned.  “I hope you know it’s been tough to be this restrained.”

 

Zack gave a long whine and dropped back onto the bed.  “About Sephiroth?”  He asked, plaintive.

 

It wasn’t the first time he’d had this particular interrogation.  In fact, it wasn’t the fiftieth.

 

He could indulge it though, since it was Mikaela.  He’d even try to give her something beyond the media crap he usually pedalled - not that Sephiroth was a particularly easy guy to define.

 

“Okay,” he said, with a sigh.  “Hit me.”

 

“Tomorrow.  If you get me too worked up, I’m never gonna sleep.”

 

Zack groaned again and covered his eyes.

 

She sat up properly then.  “I’m serious about you, though.  That day I helped with your pre-meds, if someone had told me that one of your group was destined to make it big, I would not have picked the thirteen-year-old yokel who’d never seen an elevator before.”

 

“Hey!” Zack said, but he laughed even through his objections.  “Mean.  You ever wanna try Gongagan frittata, don’t knock on my door with your city-kid tears.”

 

“I don’t believe you’ve cooked that in your life.”

 

Zack gave her a guilty shrug.  “I’ve eaten it a lot, if that helps.”

 

“Yeah, that I believe.”

 

Zack eased himself onto his side to face her.  “This goes both ways you know, ‘cause I remember that day too.  You were a skinny apprentice in a lab coat three sizes too big.  I think you’ve come pretty far yourself, Doctor.”

 

“Here’s to ShinRa prodigies, huh?”  She stuck out a fist across the narrow room.

 

Zack glanced down at himself.  The left leg of his uniform was bulky from the bandages, the pockets still stuffed full with tissues.  He heaved himself up to touch his own fist against Mikaela’s.  But when he slumped back against the bed, it was with a heavy sigh.

 

As he listened to Mikaela’s breathing becoming deep and steady, he realised that he could probably doze for a while.  Last night’s rest had consisted of the few hours he could grab on the chopper to Wutai.  Besides that, he was heavy from the sedative, and, given that a lot of it had been spent in a hospital bed, his morning so far had been unreasonably exhausting.

 

He listened to the whir of the ceiling fan for a while and ran through a mental checklist of possible suspects for a bomb scare, but before he knew it his awareness of the room was slipping into unconsciousness.

 

It was hours later by the time the messages started.

 

The first electronic bleep roused him from sleep, and he shuffled to liberate his phone from his pocket.  Rubbing a weary hand against his eye, he flipped open the case and read the message that had appeared.

 

He frowned at the sight of his own staff picture on the screen, smiling out again in his First Class uniform.  He looked underneath for the military typeface.

 

Personnel instruction concerning:

ShinRa Security

Zack Fair - First Class.

First class operative Zack Fair is not permitted to leave ShinRa facilities without prior security clearance, effective immediately and until further notice.

 

Well, that meant nothing good.

 

Sucking air through his teeth, he hauled himself up from the bed.  His first instinct was still to send a message to Lazard to ask for more information, but that hadn’t been an option for more than a month.  Come to think of it, he hadn’t even stopped to wonder who was sending the continuous stream of assignment briefs and personnel requests.  Sephiroth might know what was going on, but Zack got the impression he had his hands full already.

 

Taking in the room for the first time, he realised that the other bed was empty and he could hear voices outside.  He shuffled to the edge of the bed and pressed a hand to his hip so he could bend to scoop up his bag with his gloves and belt.  He should probably clean them up before he headed out.  As he peered into the bag, a distant itch quivered in his sinuses. Zack narrowed his eyes.

 

I thought I’d seen the back of you…   He rubbed the heel of his hand against his nose in circles and slung the bag onto his back.

 

“Absolutely no physical activity.  That’s not negotiable.”  Outside the room, Mikaela was leaning over a storage cupboard talking into her phone.  “As long as he’s off active duty, I have authority on this.  You make sure Hojo knows.  Also we sedated him at 05:30, so if you’re starting before 08:30 tomorrow your time, it’s on you to make sure he isn’t left alone.”

 

Resting against the edge of the doorway, Zack squeezed his eyes shut, scrunching his nose.  The corners of his eyebrows knit together.  He rubbed hard at his nose with his wrist, but the itching wasn’t letting up.  He gave as much of a sigh as he could manage without losing control of his breathing.  He was so ready to be done with this.

 

Out of options, he pulled his crutches out in front of him before tipping his chin back, his chest rising.

 

“Hhhh… hhhuhh-HHhhuhh…”

 

“Seriously..?”

 

“HUHK’KHtCHhYew!”

 

Zack looked up to find Mikaela staring at him, phone still in hand.

 

“Still?”

 

He gave a sheepish smile.  “I think I’m allergic to my kit.”

 

Mikaela shook her head, eyes wide.  She shut the phone.

 

“Sounded like an interesting call.”

 

“Yeah it was.”  She stood with a sigh.  “Can you grab your meds and come with me to the canteen?  I need to fill you in on some stuff.”

Edited May 13, 2023 by SexualOddity
Formatting

[solitaire-au]

Thanks so much for your response.

It’s been a very long time since I wrote any sneezefic. I think there’s a bit of it still floating around that was archived in the early noughties from the precursor to this forum. I guess I should just bite the bullet and pick it up again!

Anyway, I love the interaction between Zack and Mikaela, and the hints of the mystery unfolding. I’m looking forward to the next instalment!

Thanks so much!

[SexualOddity]

The canteen in Wutai South was pretty big.  The base had been built part way through the War when ShinRa had finally established a hold in this part of the Country.  A couple of years ago, it had been home to a constant stream of both SOLDIER and Infantrymen.  The infantry had been the consistent presence.  Zack, like most SOLDIERs, had been in and out, staying here short-term when he was needed for assignments before heading back to HQ in Midgar.

 

These days it was mostly dead space.  Mikaela had told Zack that they’d looked at repurposing a large part to be a new research facility for Hollander, but obviously those plans departed along with the man himself, and so it remained largely empty.  Even with extra security, the dining area was about a quarter full, mostly with blue-shirted infantry, but there was one table with three men and a woman in civvies.  Most likely off-duty medical staff, Zack decided.

 

Mikaela leaned around the back of the queue to get a look at the serving dishes.  “Indistinguishable stew,” she grinned.  “Classic night shift breakfast.  You having some?”

 

She ushered him to grab a table while she joined the short queue, so he lumbered across and leaned the crutches against the table’s edge.  With one hand planted on the table top and the other on the back of his chair, Zack managed to lower himself to sit.  He squeezed his eyes shut as the pain subsided.

 

It was always his hip.  He was beginning to feel quite fondly about the wound on his thigh.

 

Taking a furtive look across the room, Zack grabbed the crutches and bent to lower them to the floor.

 

Approaching the table with a tray of food and water bottles, Mikaela raised an eyebrow.

 

“What?” He answered through gritted teeth, one hand curled around his bandages.  “I’m using ‘em.  I don’t have to advertise it.”

 

Mikaela rolled her eyes.  “And how are you finding that unnecessary struggle?” She asked as he heaved himself back up to sit.  “Did you at least bring pain meds as well as antibiotics?”

 

Zack held up two boxes and reached for a bottle of water from her tray.

 

That was when the second message came through.

 

Zack had just finished pressing pills out of blister packs.  He tossed the little collection into his mouth and tucked the bottle under his arm so he could open it one-handed while he reached for his phone.

 

Mandatory Training.  All SOLDIER operatives must sign up for refresher training on low-visibility combat within 48 hours of next return to HQ.  Session availability begins today at 18:00.

 

Zack’s brow furrowed.  “Low visibility combat…” he read out loud around a mouthful of tablets.

 

Mikaela put down her fork and plucked the phone from Zack’s grip.

 

“Hey, some of the stuff they send me is classified, you know…”

 

But Mikaela was already reading the training request through narrowed eyes.  She held out the phone and looked at Zack.  “Yeah, you shouldn’t sign up to this.”

 

Zack nodded as he accepted the phone.  He’d had similar suspicions, honestly.

 

“You’re off training for now anyway, and I’ll look into it.  If it’s nothing to do with the grenades, I’ll let you know.  Otherwise, tell ‘em you’re on Doctor’s orders.”  She turned back to her plate of food, lancing an unidentified chunk of meat.  “If they’re so concerned, they can print you off a handout or something.”

 

Zack had never been in a training session that came with handouts, but Mikaela was in Doctor-mode and he knew better than to argue.  Besides, he was distracted.  Since coming into the canteen, the itching in his face had ramped just beyond the level at which he could ignore it.  He buried his nose against his fists and rubbed.

 

At his touch, the hum of irritation burst with immediacy.  Zack reeled back, his breath catching.  Realising what had happened, he peeled off both gloves and slapped them down onto the table.

 

“HHhhNKkkK’TiSHHhEw! TISHH’EW! Ti’ISShhEw! HUhP’TSCHhEW!”

 

“Wow.  Your gloves?”

 

Zack gave a miserable nod, eyes shut as he pinched at the bridge of his nose “HhhhHH’HUSHHhUhhh!”  He groaned and slumped over the table, propping himself up with his elbows as he pressed the heels of his hands to his eyes.

 

“You are so sensitive to this stuff.”

 

“I know.” He sniffed, not looking up.  “Maybe the meds wore off?”

 

“I mean, they will have done, but still…”

 

Zack gave another useless sniff.  Apparently the congestion was back, too.  Fantastic.

 

“I might have a theory if you wanna hear it?”

 

Zack gave a shrug and and a nod, still bent over the table.

 

“I’m just wondering if this has to do with mako,” she said, “and the way it works on your immune system.”

 

Zack made a vague noise of confusion and shifted to dig a knuckle into his eye.

 

“Mako treatment has more side effects than intended effects, honestly.  The thing is, they can’t just improve combat performance, they have to amp up everything you do.”  There was a crack from the plastic seal as Mikaela twisted the cap off her bottle  “Your boosted immunity is accidental, but it’s generally a good thing.  Except that allergy symptoms are a product of your immune system….”

 

Zack dropped his hands, slowly, looking at her.  “Okay…”

 

“Totally plausible that they’d be intensified by mako.”

 

Zack gave a slow blink.  “I…”. He shook his head, trying again.  “It sounds like you’re suggesting mako-enhanced super allergies.”

 

Mikaela narrowed her eyes.  “I think I am.”

 

“That’s a thing?”

 

Mikaela shrugged, “I don’t know.  I don’t know any other SOLDIERS with allergies, remember.  But these must be tiny concentrations you’re reacting to.  I’m not convinced it’s a normal response.”

 

Zack gave an unhappy huff of laughter, remembering.  “Earlier this year, this cold went round the barracks.  Everyone got sick.  When I got it I think I sneezed, like, thirty times in one day?  I thought that was crazy.”  He winced, “Must have done that in five minutes after they let off that smoke grenade.”

 

“Yes,” Mikaela said, with feeling, “and honestly, you weren’t much better when you got to the infirmary.  That was, what?  Nearly an hour later?”

 

“Yeah.”  Zack rested his head on his hand, rubbing along his eyebrow with the tip of his thumb.  “Do you think they know?  Maybe it’s why they screen allergies out.”

 

“Yeah maybe.  The Science department sure had a lot of questions about the intensity of your symptoms.  That’s actually what got me thinking about mako.”

 

“Oh yeah.” Zack sat up, remembering.  He scrubbed the back of his hand against fresh pricking in his nose.  “That was your call earlier?”

 

“That was part of it, yeah.”

 

“And you mentioned Hhhh-Hojo?  On the phone?-HAHT’ISCHh!”  Zack twisted over his side, grabbing his hip when the movement tugged at his wound.

 

“He’s taking the lead on finding you a drug.  Are you okay?”

 

“Hojo?”  Zack repeated.  “Head of the Science Department, Hojo?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“I figured he’d have better things to do.”

 

Mikaela gave him a long look.  She set down her fork with a sigh.  “This is the stuff I’m supposed to be telling you about.”  She pushed her hair out of her face.  “Just.. promise not to freak out okay?”

 

Zack sat up straighter.  “Mika…” There was a note of warning in his tone.

 

“Through the day today there were a bunch of attacks.”

 

Zack’s muscles bounced with energy.  Instinct nagged at him to stand, but getting up was no longer a simple process and, besides, he didn’t have any where to go.

 

Mikaela lifted her hands.  “Just… hold on, okay?  There’s nothing you can do.  There’s nothing you need to do.  People are handling it.  But what’s significant is that every one of them used smoke grenades.”

 

Zack stared at her as he listened, some kind of nebulous nausea settling in his stomach.

 

“Most of the attacks were here, but what’s really getting under ShinRa’s skin is that just over an hour ago, there was one at HQ - everyone’s fine, it’s alright,” she added before Zack could interject. “But ShinRa suspect Avalanche, and it’s got them real worried about how information is being spread.”

 

“They liked the effect the grenade had on me…” Zack replied, speaking slowly as realisation dawned.

 

“And they want to see if they can replicate it.  ShinRa think so, yeah.”

 

“But, Sephiroth finished up at the Scythe base,” Zack frowned.  “No way he let anyone walk away.  How could they pass on…” he trailed off, then his eyes widened. He curled his hand into a fist and pressed it against his head, squeezing his eyes shut.

 

“What is it?”

 

“Sephiroth left the room where we were fighting so he could get me out.  If the base had another exit, some of them could have escaped while he was dealing with me.”  He ran a hand through his hair.  “And then they told every other resistance group…”

 

He threw his head back with a cry of frustration, two fists pressed against his forehead.  “How have I screwed this up so badly?”

 

“Hey.” She shuffled onto the empty chair between them and laid a hand on his back.  “Hey.  None of this is your fault.  You were doing your job.  You couldn’t have known you were gonna have this reaction.  Besides, ShinRa has people on the case.  They’ll get it in hand.”

 

He sank forward, hands clasped around the back of his head.  “I used to be the person who got things in hand.”

 

“Oh come on, you still are.  You’re just taking a a break is all.”  She patted his shoulder where his pauldron was still missing.  “Anyway, the resistance just gave you a huge leg up on getting back out there.  In the last few hours your allergy issues have become pretty high priority.”

 

“Hence Hojo.” Zack murmured in the direction of the table.

 

“Hence Hojo.  And they wanna get going as soon as possible.  Sephiroth’s still here - mopping up from one of the attacks - but he’s expected back within the hour.  Once he arrives, they’ll put the pair of you on a chopper.”

 

Zack nodded, staring vaguely over Mikaela’s shoulder.

 

“So eat,” she prompted.

 

“Oh,” Zack said, remembering where he was.  “Oh yeah.”  He blinked down at his food and picked up a fork.

Edited May 20, 2023 by SexualOddity

[solitaire-au]

Thank you for the update! 🥰I love where this is going!

And poor Zack, seriously injured and yet feeling like he should be jumping into action, not to mention blaming himself for his allergy.

I could absolutely see how horrified he would be that the enemy would try to replicate his allergic reaction en masse to try and turn the tide and win the war. As a man of who is used to being at the forefront of the action, he can’t help but chafe at having to stand down and recover. He feels responsible, even for something out of his control, because he feels like he’s the weakest link in the armoured defence. Poor Zack! 🥺

[solitaire-au]

Also, the scenario of an entire barracks full of soldiers with colds sneezing sounds like my idea of  🥰😍and is one I’ve thought about writing myself, but will have to work up to since I’m so out of practice.

No pressure, but if you wanted to write about that, I would be totally up for that, too! 💗

Thank you! Every instalment of this fic is a precious gift I keep rereading! ❤️

[SexualOddity]

Thank you so much for your comments Saltaire!  I always want to reply right away but I don’t wanna disappoint people by posting in here when I don’t have an update. 🙈

 

It’s funny you should mention the line about the cold, that was originally in an earlier chapter and I cut it so the idea has been rattling around in my head for a while.  I have another doc with one shots for this character that I’ve been writing on the side, and I thought about adding one about that scenario.  I’d originally thought that maybe it could be a series of phone calls to his girlfriend - I have a thing for people sounding ill/allergic on the phone - but I could base it more in the barracks.  I think I have an idea of an angle that might work, but drop me a line if there’s anything you’d particularly wanna see included and I’ll try to work it in.

 

Okay - updating now.  Just give me a sec to fix the formatting.

[SexualOddity]

Hey there anyone who is reading, just a couple of little notes for you:

1. For anyone who hasn’t played, marlboros are a monster in the game that have an attack called bad breath.  It’s not just that Zack is really anti-smoking (though I guess the game developers might be!)

2. I normally try to have an update ready by Saturday, but it’ll probably be a few days later next week - sorry!

 

—

 

The next two messages, Zack was expecting.

 

 

Transport call:

Destination: Midgar.  Departure: Wutai South, 18:30.

Sephiroth - SOLDIER, First Class

Zack Fair - SOLDIER, First Class

Arjun Rathwa - Pilot

 

CC: Wutai South Security Team - Please note that this request will serve as Security Clearance for First Class Operative Zack Fair for the sole purposes of fulfilling the requirements of this transport.

 

 

Mandatory Personnel Request:

Zack Fair - SOLDIER, First Class

Report to Science department, Floor 67, Midgar HQ - 08.30, Friday 24 July 0002.

 

 

One of the security guards still stopped him on the way out.  It took some active effort for Zack to remember that the guy was just following orders, and to hold out his phone with his usual easy grin.

 

The lockdown did make sense, he’d decided, begrudgingly, after talking it over with Mikaela.  Anti-ShinRa groups were apparently happy to toss grenades like seeds in Autumn in the vague hopes of hitting someone else with pumped-up allergies.  Zack, if they saw him, would be a sure thing, and consequently a pretty certain target.  Not that he liked his de facto house-arrest, but there it was.  Hopefully Hojo would work quickly.

 

Mikaela waited while Zack rearranged his crutches to return his phone to his pocket, and they made their way to the helipad where the chopper was waiting.

 

“Listen,” Mikaela said as she walked, her expression serious enough that Zack felt a prick of concern.  He slowed his pace.  “I’m not sure how this testing with Hojo is gonna go.  Do you know him?”

 

“Uh… a little?  He has me fight his simulations on VR.”  He had a few other thoughts about the guy, but none of them were suitable for saying out loud.

 

“Well, he’s not known for his bedside manner.”  She bit her lip with a grimace.  “Be prepared to have to look out for yourself.  If you feel bad after, get meds, if you can.  Otherwise, shower and change, get a cold compress and lay it over your-”

 

A face appeared from the door of the chopper.

 

“Doctor.”

 

“Sephiroth!”

 

Zack couldn’t suppress a smile at the squeak in Mikaela’s voice.  She pushed herself onto her tiptoes in an effort to stand to attention.  This might be among Sephiroth’s great achievements.  In Zack’s experience, there wasn’t much that could shake Mikaela’s composure.

 

“I’ve been asked to accompany Zack until we reach the infirmary in Midgar.  I understand that this is a precaution following surgery?”

 

Mikaela’s eyebrows lifted, and she gave an appreciative grunt.  “Whoever gives out your orders actually reads the med requests.  That’s good to know.”

 

“Any specific problems I should be on guard for?”

 

“Not really,” Mikaela answered, any hint of intimidation evaporating as she swung comfortably into her area of expertise. “It’s more about the increased risk in general.”

 

Zack smiled.  Mikaela said he didn’t listen when she talked about medicine, but she was wrong.  He loved listening to her talk about medicine, it was just the actual words that he let wash over his head.

 

“Judgement and reflexes can be pretty shaky after sedation,” she was saying, with her confident authority, “but I’m not sure how much trouble he can get into on a chopper.”

 

Sephiroth’s lips tightened.  “Zack has a tendency to surpass my expectations.”

 

Zack rolled his eyes.  On reflection, maybe the medical-talk was less endearing than he remembered.

 

“To be honest, most red flags to do with his injuries will get picked up by the infirmary in Midgar, but if he’s on his leg too much it will mess with his recovery.  So if you can find a way to keep him still…”

 

Sephiroth snorted, and Mikaela howled with laughter.

 

“I’m so glad you two are bonding over this,” Zack said with a show of - mostly- feigned annoyance, “but maybe you forgot that I’m stood right here.”

 

“Okay… okay… fine.” Mikaela said, still laughing.  “He’ll be alright,” she told Sephiroth, recovering herself.  “I’m not expecting any drastic problems.” She turned to Zack.  “You take it easy, though.  Please.  Give yourself some time.”

 

Zack nodded.

 

“I’m back in Midgar next week.  Come see me this time,” she insisted.  “Don’t wait to be carted in with penetrating leg wounds.”

 

Zack grinned.  “I promise.”

 

“And you owe me a med check,” she shouted over her shoulder as she disappeared back into the base.

 

Zack’s laugh was genuine, but it faded on his lips when he turned back to the chopper.  He’d never properly looked at those doorways before. Had the ramps always been so damn steep?  There seemed almost no point in having a ramp at all.

 

He tensed, vaguely aware of Sephiroth’s eyes on him.  There was a handrail, but it was on the inside of the door and only on the left.  He glanced down at his crutches and back at the helicopter.  Surely this wasn’t the only time someone injured had tried to ride in one of these things?

 

Sephiroth jumped from the doorway with infuriating ease and wrapped his hands around Zack’s waist.

 

Zack immediately jerked backwards.  A smoky musk clung thick and stale to Sephiroth’s coat and hair.  Zack wriggled in the older man’s grasp as his lungs shuddered and filled.  Ticklish demands flooded his nose and throat.  His curled his fingernails against the handles of his crutches.

 

“HEHhrRISSsHHhhEW!” He sneezed, as he was hoisted from behind into the chopper.  Sephiroth had to shift his stance to keep the pair of them from toppling over.

 

“Bless you.”

 

“HehhHISHHHhhEW!”  Zack slammed the feet of the crutches against the base of the chopper, determined to recover his own balance.

 

“Bless you.”

 

“AhhhISHHHhhew!”

 

“Ble-”

 

“Sephiroth!”  Zack gasped.  “I think you’re… Ehhhh… HEH’KESHHhhhEw! I think you’re m-hhh- making me HuHK’ESHHEW!” He scowled. “sneeze.”

 

“Oh.”  Sephiroth stiffened before releasing his grip and stepping back.  He gave a guilty glance over his jacket.  “I didn’t get the opportunity to change.”

 

Zack let his head fall back, fist clenched against his creased up nose.  “I figured.”

 

“I’ll see if I can sit with the Pilot.”

 

Zack shook his head.  “No.  It’s…uhhh… it’s okay. AhhhHISHHHhhUh! HuHT’CHUH! Ughhh… But maybe I’ll sit over there.”  He gave a long sniff, and shambled in the direction of a seat in the far corner.

 

Oh fucking hellfire.

 

Zack bumped his crutches against the floor with more force than was strictly necessary, and a frustrated grunt escaped him.  There was a bar along the back wall, running above all of the seats, but nothing at the sides or in front that could hold his weight.

 

He shut his eyes, drawing on some well of resolve to recover an exterior calm.  Inside, frustration roiled. Twenty-four hours ago he’d been a top-ranked SOLDIER, one of the first guys they called on when the worst crap went down.  Now, he needed Sephiroth to lift him into the helicopter and he couldn’t even take a damn seat.

 

Sephiroth plucked the crutches from his hands and stowed them in the overhead cargo. “Let me help.”

 

“No.” Zack insisted.  “I can…” but his protest evaporated.  He didn’t have the first idea how he was going to sit down.

 

“You can stop complaining, and keep off your leg like you’ve been told.”  To Sephiroth’s credit, he could probably have hauled Zack off the ground and deposited him in the chair, but instead he held Zack’s forearms and waited for him to lower himself.

 

Zack turned his head as itchy tickles rose quick and insistent in his nose.

 

Well there went that struggle for independence.  The crutches were in the hold.  He could either accept the help, right now, and get down, or in about two seconds he was gonna sneeze and probably end up on his ass.

 

He bent his leg, eyes narrowing as much from the gathering itch as from the pain in his hip.  Sephiroth held his weight until he found the seat beneath him.  The moment Sephiroth let go, Zack was twisting away, squirming back as far as the seat and his stitches would allow.

 

He held up a hand, and cupped the other around his mouth and nose.

 

“Sephiroth,” he breathed, urgently.  “I gotta-”

 

To Zack’s relief, Sephiroth stepped back an instant before Zack’s head slammed down into his hand.  “HuHhUHSHhhUH!  HuhhUHSHUH! HahhHH’ISHHHhhEW!”  He pressed the heels of his hands into his agitated sinuses and groaned.

 

“I’m sorry,” Sephiroth said, when Zack finally looked up.

 

Zack waved away his words.  “It’s not just you.  This stuff hangs around like muhhh- Marlboro breath HahhHISHHUH!” He sniffed.  “I should have asked for meds before I left.”  He dug some tissue out of his pocket and blew his nose.  “Plus… uh… there’s a chance that mako might juice up allergies.”

 

Sephiroth sat back a little, with a thoughtful grunt.  “Well that would seem… consistent with your symptoms.”

 

That sounded like a smart way of saying Zack was a wreck.  Since he couldn’t really argue that point, he didn’t respond.

 

“How are you doing anyway?” He asked instead, clearing his throat.  “Sounds like they’ve been running you pretty ragged.”

 

“It’s been an… interesting day.”  Sephiroth gave just a hint of a wry smile before taking a seat at at the other side of the chopper.  “I suppose I bring it upon myself.  If I’d done a better job of clearing out the Scythes…”

 

Zack snorted.  “Well, that’s hardly your fault.  I hear some idiot pulled you out of the battle.”

 

Sephiroth pressed his lips together and tilted his head, regarding Zack.  The chopper shook as the propellers started to whir.

 

“So, they’re all just trying their luck with the smoke grenades?”  Zack asked, when silence stretched between them.

 

“It would appear so, yes.”  Sephiroth rubbed his forehead and leaned back in his seat as they left the ground with a lurch.  “If nothing else, it is an interesting insight into the way they share information”

 

“Has - uh - has anyone else… had a reaction?”

 

“Not to my knowledge.”

 

Zack sighed.  “Just me, then.”

 

[solitaire-au]

Thanks so much for the update!

Poor Zack having to accept help to get into the chopper and sit down, and then having yet another allergic reaction because of the smoke clinging to Sephiroth. The poor guy can’t catch a break!

Plus I imagine he feels conflicted: he’d be glad that no one else has reacted to the smoke grenade attacks, but bad because he’s alone in having to deal with the allergy (and being out of the action from his injury.)

I imagine that Mikaela is probably concerned that Hojo going to be relentless in running Zack through testing, which probably means repeated allergic reactions for him with little relief until they find something that works. And because so many grenade attacks have been forthcoming, they’re not going to give him much of a break between tests because it’s too urgent. And being scientists rather than doctors, their focus is research and discovery, not patient care. I guess that was why she was urging Zack to do as much as he could to care for himself.

Btw, I don’t think I can use messaging to drop you a line until my profile gets verified or something because I’m still new.

[SexualOddity]

Hey everyone/anyone.   I hope you are well.  I just wanted to make a quick note about Hojo’s testing (mostly because Solitaire’s prediction about it in their comment was so hot and I didn’t want to disappoint anyone 🙈).  This will almost definitely be the penultimate update for this fic, and originally the whole finding a drug with Hojo thing was something that I was only gonna mention briefly because it fell outside of the timeline for this story… but lately I’ve been thinking there could be scope for a sequel to this (assuming people would wanna read it and if I can pull it together).  So I’ve tried to lay some groundwork for stuff that I want to do in the sequel (like the scenes with Hojo) but those scenes won’t actually appear in this story.  If I can’t make the sequel happen I’ll try to make it into a one shot, so it almost definitely is coming, but not immediately (sorry!).

 

Thank you @solitaire-au, you’ve been keeping me going with this!  And sometimes your predictions/suggestions are so 🔥 that I go back and re-work my drafts to try to live up to your expectations 😅

 

—

 

The journey was pretty damn disastrous.  Wutai to Midgar was a familiar trip, but it was a long one.  Even with stitches in his ass and the back of his leg, Zack had gotten pretty good at finding a position that didn’t hurt too much, but he couldn’t sit in it for seven hours.   Worse, in the absence of Mikaela constantly handing him tissues, he’d completely forgotten to replenish his supply.  He used up what was left in his pocket in about zero seconds flat and spent the rest of the journey a dripping mess, his arm permanently pressed against the underside of his nose.

 

Sephiroth tried to sleep.  Zack tried alternately to stop sneezing and to learn to sneeze more quietly.  Everyone failed on all counts.  By the time they landed at HQ, Sephiroth’s eyes were drooped and reddened at the corners.  Zack was newly aware of what felt like about a hundred tubes on the inside of his face, every one of them raw and sensitive and tingling.

 

When the door to the chopper opened, Zack shut his eyes against the pre-dawn air.  He tilted his head back, letting the ends of his hair brush against his shoulders. The breeze was delicious, cool against the stinging tears that had spilled all over his face.

 

“Are you ready?”

 

Zack smiled.  “Yeah, sorry.”  He cleared his throat, trying to revive his failing voice.  “Just enjoying the Eastern Climate.  Don’t tell my grams though, she might curse my tongue as a traitor.”

 

It was a little easier to step down from the entrance than to get up, but Sephiroth offered a steadying hand from arms length, probably trying not to get too close.  Zack still sneezed anyway.

 

“How is your leg?”  Sephiroth asked, as they made their way into HQ.

 

“Eh, it’ll heal up quick,” Zack said with a shrug.  “Gotta love mako enhancement.”

 

“Hmm,” was Sephiroth’s only response.

 

—

 

They stopped by the SOLDIER floor on the way to the infirmary.   They both had kit to return and Zack decided it was probably better to restock his items now than risk the pretty reasonable likelihood that he’d forget to do it later.

 

When the elevator door opened, Zack was ready with his crutches to swing himself out onto the floor.  He slowed though, mid-movement.  The smell was impossible to ignore, thick and heavy.  It left an ashy tang on Zack’s tongue.  Zack thought that the air even looked kind of hazy as he shambled into the corridor.  What was most obvious of all though, was the reaction of his body.

 

“Whhhh… Whhh-hhhy’s it like thhhh-this?” Zack asked, fighting for control over his breath with scant success.  He stopped, leaning heavily over his crutches.  The insides of his face and throat were alive with tingling.

 

Sephiroth’s slowed to a stop at Zack’s side, gradually at first, but then his muscles seized tight.  “Low-level visibility training…” He span immediately, but the doors had closed.  Zack dragged himself round to find his companion glaring at the elevator controls.

 

“Who is using this thing at four in the morning?” Sephiroth growled.

 

“HuhhhhCHHHhhEWw!” Unable to resist any longer, Zack sneezed explosively, stumbling in the direction of the elevator.  “HahhrrRRUHHTCHhhEW!”  He blinked at the digital display as it counted down through floors, dropping away from Zack and Sephiroth through the levels of the immense building.

 

40… 39… 38… 37…

 

Zack reared back, tears spilling over his face as he gulped down air.  “HAHH’RuUSHHHUHh!  HAHR’ISHHHUH!”

 

“We should use another elevator,” Sephiroth said at his side, but Zack shook his head.  Now that it had started, the sneezing wasn’t going to stop.  Just holding himself upright was proving a test of his upper body strength and grip.  Lumbering around Level 49 sneezing would be a recipe for kissing the metal floor.

 

39…40…41…

 

Oh thank Odin, it was coming back up.

 

The display settled on 41 and didn’t move for an unreasonably long time.  Sephiroth hammered the call button.

 

“‘I’ll be fine,” Zack panted, “It’s Hah!  It’s okay… HAHT’ISHHHh!”

 

42… 43… 44…

 

When the bell finally sounded and the doors opened, Sephiroth almost yanked Zack off his feet trying to pull him into the elevator.  Zack collapsed against the wall, shaking his right hand free of its crutch.  It clattered to the floor.

 

He tipped his head back against the metal, cupping his hand over his face.  “HuhhhHRrISHHHEW!  HhhhUhhHISHhhEWw! HAH’ISHHHEW!  HAH’ISHHhh!”

 

“Are you okay?”

 

Zack nodded, but then he re-considered.  The itching in his eyes and nose felt insatiable, and that wasn’t even all of it.  Something was twisting in his gut.  He scrubbed desperately at his face.  It didn’t help.  He gasped.  “HaahhhSHUW! HahhhSHEW! AhhISHHEW! ISHhhEW!”  He panted, struggling to steady his breath.  “Hahhh’ASHHhhew!  HARrrASHHhhew!  Heht-CHEW! HEHT’TSHhSHuH!”

 

He slumped forward over his remaining crutch and tried his best to wipe his face.  His insides felt like they were wound tight.

 

“AhhhHASHshEW!”  He gave a thick sniff and what felt like an endless groan.  “I’m always - hah!- gonna be like this aren’t I?  Hh’huh! As long as they keep up with the… grenade… attacks… HAHhhTISHHh!”

 

Sephiroth frowned.  “Hojo will be working on medication for you…”

 

“For combat.  Right?”  Zack tried to clear his throat, wiping his face against his arm.  “Like a potion?  W-huh- what about after?”  He sniffed again.  What about walking around the halls?  Suhh- sleeping in the barracks?”

 

“This is uncomfortable for you.”

 

“It’s not just that.  It’s…” Tickles sizzled under the bridge of Zack nose. He pushed the heel of his hand against them and held his breath.  For the moment, they withdrew. He let his head drop back, feeling it bump against the elevator wall. “I’m not supposed to be the guy who hobbles about and sneezes everywhere.”

 

Sephiroth hit a button to shut the elevator doors as they tried to open once again.

 

“Who says what you’re ‘supposed to be’?

 

“Me?  ShinRa?  Hehh… HEHhhh…”  He snatched furiously at his nose, squeezing until his knuckles showed white through his skin.  “Whoever it is, I’m pretty sure this isn’t what they had in muhh-mind…”

 

He tipped his head back, hand falling in a fist to his side.  He gulped compulsively at the air, determined to win the battle this time, as if it actually meant something.  The edges of his eyebrows quirked together as itching surged up through his face.  In spite of himself he took a breath…

 

“HhUhKSHHhUH! HEHKHSHHH’UH!  HehhHHhHATCHhhEW!”

 

He slumped for a quarter of a second, before rage stormed in him and he thumped a fist hard against the elevator wall.  The metal buckled, but it was thick.  He immediately felt like an idiot.  His hand hurt.  His nose hurt.  And he still needed to sneeze.  He sniffed pathetically.

 

Not taking his eyes from Zack, Sephiroth reached again for the controls to shut the opening door.  Zack wondered whether he was going to report him for damaging Company property.

 

“Why is this bothering you so much?”  Sephiroth said at last.

 

Zack rubbed his eyes between thumb and forefinger.  He sighed.  “I don’t even think I can explain it without sounding like a jerk.”

 

Sephiroth head gave a slight tilt.  “I make my own judgements about what people sound like.”

 

Zack shook his head.  “It’s just…”. He rubbed at his nose with the back of his hand.  “Ugh I dunno.  I enlisted young, you know?  And it went… kinda well?  People have always…sorta… talked about me. Told me what kind of career I could have if I could just…”

 

“Concentrate?  Calm down?”

 

Zack rolled his eyes.  “I see you’ve heard of me.”

 

Sephiroth shook his head.  “I just spent too much time with Angeal.”

 

“Well, Angeal was another thing.  Working with a First?  I feel like I got all this extra training, all this help because everyone thought if they could get me to use my head, I’d become this amazing SOLDIER.”  He wriggled his nose.  “And, look, obviously I’m not perfect, but I got the uniform, the big assignments, you know…”

 

If Sephiroth did know, he didn’t comment.  Zack rubbed the back of his head and tried to continue.

 

“And now that I’m finally here, I’m just…”. He waved a vaguely in his own direction, cringing at the  crutch in his hand, the constant leaking from his face. He buried his nose against his arm, scrubbing hard.  “It-” He broke off with an angry huff, curling away from Sephiroth as he brought his wrist back to his nose “hhhNGg’HSHHuh!  hhh’USHHhhUHh!  Hhhn’GHSHh!”

 

He slumped and sniffed, then took a breath, tried to clear his throat.

 

“So many people put in all of this time, they had all of these expectations.  And now I feel like…” he sighed, “like I can’t actually be the guy they were all hoping for.”

 

When Zack looked up, he found Sephiroth’s eyes on him, watching.

 

Sephiroth’s eyebrows pulled ever so slightly together.  His lips tightened.  “Maybe I can relate to that.”

 

After a moment, he turned to the elevator controls, pressing in a request for Floor 51.  “I’d like you to come with me.”

 

[solitaire-au]

I read this a few hours after you posted, but I’ve only just had time to write a reply.

I’m so glad my suggestions were helpful, but don’t feel like you have to follow them. I’m just happy to keep reading and rereading!

Don’t mind me while I melt into a puddle of warm goo from your stories!🥰 🥰 🥰

Poor Zack! 😭 Each time he thinks it’s over for now, he keeps suffering more. (But devilishly good for us!) And there’s nothing worse than sneezing over and over again and not having anything to sneeze into! Especially when you have your boss there, in a long helicopter ride, no less!

It hadn’t even occurred to me that Shinra would focus on finding a remedy for combat use, not daily life, so I can see how he’d feel so hopeless at the idea of having to struggle with constant allergy symptoms with no end in sight.

It’s lovely to see that Sephiroth feels friendship and compassion for Zack, rather than just a purely professional  relationship. I think after Zack’s confession he feels empathy over Zack feeling so weak and helpless and also their shared experience of not being able to live up to other people’s expectations.

I’m intrigued as to what Sephiroth’s background is and what he has in mind. And who Angeal was.

On a different note, I was reading the thread in the general forum about “who you would like to see sneeze but feel shy about and someone mentioned Zack and some other FF characters!

It was several years ago, but presuming they’re still interested, I’m going to try and tag them.

I hope I’m doing this right? @PuddinPop

 

Spoiler

[SexualOddity]

On 6/7/2023 at 5:21 PM, solitaire-au said:

I’m intrigued as to what Sephiroth’s background is and what he has in mind. And who Angeal was.

This is such a big question and I don’t know how much of an answer you want.  Sephiroth’s background especially is a major plot point not just in this game (which is the prequel) but in the main game as well.  Hopefully you caught my note above about some of the suspicions that Sephiroth has about his origins, and there’s a bit in this last chapter about who Angeal was to Zack.  Beyond that, I’m gonna touch on some of this stuff in the sequel. My premise for that is that maybe Zack would have asked more questions sooner if he was forced to be out of action (as he will be after this story).  I’ll try to make sure there’s always enough information to follow what’s going on but it’s hard to do a full rundown of canon stuff within the story because I don’t want to labour plot points that some people will already know.

 

So… the full scoop on this is below, but I’ll put in in a spoiler box in case you don’t want it (Either way is cool. I’ll keep trying to give you enough info to keep up either in the story or within notes if you’d prefer to read that way)

Spoiler

Stuff Sephiroth and Zack know:

ShinRa excavated a creature (which they called ‘Jenova).

They believed to be part of an ancient race with special powers (which they unimaginatively named ‘the Ancients’).

 

One of their scientists (Hollander) was given a project to use cells from Jenova to create a new Ancient.  He used different methods to introduce cells from Jenova into foetuses and this resulted in the birth of Angeal and Genesis, who were unnaturally strong, but were not Ancients.  They went on to become First Class SOLDIERS (and they were Sephiroth’s closest friends, probably the only friends he ever had).  About 2 years before the point where this story is set they start having alarming physical changes, they find out about the circumstances of their birth, desert, and Genesis in particular goes a bit crazy and starts turning people into clones of himself and attacking ShinRa.

 

Stuff Sephiroth knows:

He was brought up in a lab, given very little detail about his past, subjected to tests and inducted into SOLDIER at a very young age.  At this point he’s obsessively researching the Science department, but he hasn’t put all the pieces together.

 

Stuff they don’t know (yet):

The excavated life form was not an Ancient as ShinRa had assumed but was the alien that infected the Ancients with a virus that turned them into monsters and practically wiped them all out (so that’s not great…).

 

There was a competing Science project led by Hojo with the same aims that led to the birth of Sephiroth.

 

All SOLDIERs get given cells from Jenova when they enlist.  ShinRa don’t tell them this, they just think that their powers come from mako infusion.  Mako could have it’s own spoiler box honestly, but the relevant bit for this is just that it’s a resource that ShinRa mines and everyone believes it’s the source of SOLDIERs enhanced abilities (and it probably is part of it, but it’s not the whole story).

Thank you as always Solitaire.  You are so very encouraging.  I hope you enjoy this last part.

 

Update incoming now.  I just need to sort out the formatting.

 

Edited June 10, 2023 by SexualOddity

[SexualOddity]

So… this is the final instalment.  It feels like I’ve been writing this for a really long time, and I hope people have liked reading it.  As I’ve mentioned previously, I would like to do a sequel.  I just need to figure out if I can make it all hang together.  I also have a bunch of one shots drafted, so my plan is to edit and post those first to buy myself some time to see if I can whip the sequel into shape.

 

But in the meantime, here is the last part  

 

—

 

Floor 51 was home to Lazard’s old office and a library.  Technically Zack had had clearance since his promotion, but since Lazard’s departure he’d not had much occasion to visit.  Sephiroth led him into the library and removed some papers from one of the tables.  Zack didn’t get a good look, but at first glance he thought they might be some sort of lab reports.

 

“Sit,” Sephiroth said, and then, as an afterthought, “Do you need help?”

 

“No.”  Zack tried his best not to be annoyed by the question, and didn’t entirely succeed.

 

It was slow - everything was slow - but Zack propped his crutches by the wall and lowered himself into a chair.  He scrubbed at his nose with the back of his hand and just hoped he could make it through the conversation without another sneezing fit.

 

Once Zack was sat, Sephiroth joined him at the other side of the table.  For a long moment, he regarded Zack.  Zack wriggled in his seat and dropped his head to try to surreptitiously wipe his nose against the back of his wrist.

 

“Angeal noticed you,” Sephiroth said, at last.  “I don’t know about anyone else.” He waved a dismissive hand.  “I don’t pay a great deal of attention.  But Angeal talked about you, even before he approached Lazard about being your mentor.”

 

Zack smiled, sitting up.  “He took our unit on assignment.  Not long after I signed up.  Said he wanted to meet the new guys, show us the ropes.  None of us could believe we were headed out with a First.”

 

“Do you know what he said about you?”

 

Zack winced.  “I mean, I think I’ve heard a lot of it.”

 

Sephiroth shook his head.  “Not that.  People tell stories about how he found you exasperating, because it amuses us.  There were not a great many people who could ruffle him.” His lips gave the tiniest quirk.  “But for all his complaining, he never stopped working with you.  You may have noticed that no one could make Angeal do anything he didn’t really want to do.”

 

“I can see that.”  Zack said, with a laugh.  He swallowed as he rode out the hollow in his chest that accompanied thoughts of Angeal these days.

 

“What he said about you, was that you had instincts, and drive, and courage.  And none of that has changed.  Physical capability too - but that will return in time.  In full, I hope?”

 

“Odds are good, apparently.”

 

Sephiroth acknowledged that with a nod and continued.  “If ShinRa had wanted something that would function to plan a hundred percent of the time, they could have built another mech.”

 

“I don’t think those things function to plan a hun-”

 

“I’m making a point.”

 

Zack raised his hands in apology.

 

“My point is: You are not a weapon.  You are a human being, with intuition and curiosity, and all manner of human flaws.” Sephiroth gave a deep sigh. “Believe me when I tell you those are good things.”

 

Sephiroth looked into Zack’s eyes with an intensity that made Zack shuffle back in his seat.

 

“You don’t have to appear a certain way in order to qualify to be SOLDIER.  You are already SOLDIER.  You do not owe ShinRa your health.”  Sephiroth glanced down at the table.  “More importantly, you don’t owe them your humanity.”

 

Zack rammed a knuckle against his nose.  The simmering itch that had been lapping at his sinuses was swelling in spite of every effort to contain it.  His breath snagged in his lungs.  Sensing that this was not the moment to dissolve into sneezing, he closed his fist around his nose.  Tickles buzzed between his fingers and thumb.  He shut his eyes, squeezing tighter.  His breath shuddered, itching spreading right across his face, reaching his ears.

 

“I’m s-uh-hh-sorry.”

 

“If you’ve been listening at all, then you know it’s not a problem.”

 

So Zack let go of his nose and turned away.  He angled his chin toward the ceiling and just let the feeling take hold of him.  This was how he sneezed ordinarily, he realised, before the smoke grenades.  Not fighting it, not churning with anger or frustration at himself, not even thinking about it too much.  Just letting his body do it’s completely normal thing, and moving on.

 

Spider-like itches turned to needles at the back of his nose.  Zack gasped.

 

“HahhHRrUSHHuhh!”

 

Of course, ordinarily, when he sneezed, there usually weren’t half a dozen more sneezes clamouring in place for the same attention.

 

“HuhHh’HISHHEW!”

 

But maybe he could get used to that bit.

 

“AH’ISHHhEW!  HAHh’ISHHhEw! HAH’HISHHhh!”

 

Wiping his nose against his palm, he sat back up.

 

“Bless you,” said Sephiroth.

 

“Thanks.”  Zack narrowed his eyes though, as the feeling sprang anew in the depths of his sinuses.  He pressed the heel of his hand between his nose and his cheek, but it only grew, quickly turning insistent.  “Oh man, I think I gotta sneeze again.”

 

“Take your time.”

 

Zack nodded his thanks - breath already a little short for speech - and turned away, an arm across his face.  Fiery need grew quickly, building, and for the briefest of moments it was unbearable.  He blinked repeatedly, his hands in tight fists, but then air filled his lungs and the whole thing broke like a wave.

 

“HhhRHhhSHhEW!  Hhh’HSHHhEW!  AhhISHHHew!  HAH’ISHHHH!”  They came hard and fast at first, so Zack couldn’t get a breath except as the onset to another sneeze.  “AhhSHH! HAShhUH! HAH’SHUW!”  Then they slowed, itchy pauses hanging between each one.  Zack cupped his hands over his face, not trusting himself to sit back up.  “Ahhh….ISHHhEW!… Hahhh-IhhSHEW!…ISHHEW!… Huh… HUHT’TCHEW!”

 

Eventually, he dragged himself up.  His throat felt scraped and raw, and his the inside of his nose and cheeks were a mass of needle-tip scratches.  He held one hand under his nose, and did his best to wipe away tears with the other.

 

“This is insane.”

 

It was only then that Zack realised that he was alone at the table.  He was just wondering whether he should try to look for Sephiroth when he heard footsteps behind him.  He turned to see the man himself emerge from Lazard’s office, box of tissues in hand.

 

Zack sprang to his feet, forgetting about his injuries in his eagerness.  He yelped and grabbed at the table to steady himself, squeezing his eyes and lips shut with a groan.

 

“Settle down,” Sephiroth growled.  “If you’re just going to hurt yourself, you can manage without next time.”  He threw the box onto the table, and Zack grabbed it blindly even creased over in pain.  As soon as he could, he eased himself to sit so he could set about tearing into the packaging.

 

It took about eight wipes, and about five good blows of his nose until Zack felt stuffy, but otherwise vaguely presentable.  Sephiroth, gotta love him, just sat back down at the table and waited patiently until he was done.

 

“Do you really think I can be a First like this?”  Zack asked as he gave his face a final wipe.  “Not just a huge mess.”

 

“Oh, you are a huge mess…”

 

Zack’s eyes shot up to meet Sephiroth’s, but Sephiroth’s lips quirked.

 

“But maybe you fit in better for it.”

 

Zack let his hand fall back to his lap as he contemplated this.  He remembered Genesis’ degradation, Angeal’s  insistence that he was a monster.

 

“We all have challenges,” Sephiroth told him, with a thoughtful smile.

 

Zack met his eye for a minute.  “Thank you.  I think this helped.”

 

“You needed to hear it.”  Sephiroth’s gaze took on a defensive edge as he sat back in his chair.  “You’re not expecting us to hug now are you?”

 

Zack laughed.  “Ah, you’re okay.  It’d only make me sneeze anyway.”

 

“Well, that would be entirely unprecedented at this point.”

 

Zack tossed his head back, laughing.  “Sephiroth,”  he said, leaning over the table, incredulous. “Are you messing with me?”

 

“It has been known to happen.”  He stood.  “Let’s get you to the infirmary.  I need sleep before they find somewhere else to send me.  And you need to stop sharing a room with someone who has been fighting through smoke grenades all day.”

 

He wasn’t wrong.  Sephiroth looked like he could flake out where he sat and Zack’s nose was already tingling again.  If he didn’t quit sneezing soon his voice was gonna give way entirely.  He grabbed as many tissues as he could cram into his pockets and leaned over to take his crutches.

 

“Don’t disappear on me again, okay?”  Zack said, hurrying after Sephiroth.  “All the stuff with Lazard and Genesis: you don’t have to do it all on your own.  I might not be great at info tracking, but I can do something.  Download mission reports for you, I dunno.  I wanna… huh… I wanna help-HhhKSHHew!”

 

“I’ll try.  After you’ve recovered.”

 

—

 

Much like the infirmary in Wutai, the infirmary in Midgar was dull.

 

They’d moved him into a room on his own because a bunch of people on the main wards had been injured in the smoke grenade attack on HQ.  The change of location had been a relief at the time, but after twenty minutes of sitting here alone he almost missed the sneezing fit.  At least it gave him something to do.

 

As if in response, a lingering tickle fluttered ominously under the bridge of his nose.

 

“I said almost…”  He said out loud, scowling as he rubbed his nose with the side of his hand.  Switching to the heel of his hand, he managed to knock the itch into submission.  He sighed - back to the empty room then, and back to wondering whether those people on the other ward would be here if it wasn’t for him.  He tipped his head back against the head rest, running a hand through his hair.

 

He glanced up at a clock above the door.  It was still too early to call Aerith.  Not that he was particularly excited at having to tell her that he was locked down in the base… or the allergy thing… or that he couldn’t walk.

 

There was another message that he probably should send, though.

 

Do you get breaks over there?  Will you call me?

 

His phone rang immediately and he heard Mikaela’s voice down the line.

 

“Did something happen?”

 

“Why’s everyone always assume I’ve done something stupid?”

 

“Bitter experience?  You sound terrible, by the way.  You need to take that equipment and put it in a cupboard somewhere.”

 

Zack rubbed at his nose in circles with the palm of his hand.  “It’s not that anymore.  Or not just that.  It’s a long story.”  He pinched his nose, and rubbed the outside of his nostrils between his thumb and finger.   “You didn’t have to call right away.  I figured you’d still be w’uhh- working.  HAh’YASHhhhEw!  Ugh sorry.”

 

“We’ve been through this.  Nothing happens here.”  Down the line Zack heard footsteps, and the swish of an electronic doorway.  “So did you?  Do something stupid?”

 

“No I didn’t.”  Zack’s said.  His voice came out breathy, which was annoying.  It messed up his imitation of deep offence.  “Actually, I juhh-just… ugh hold on….”  He held the phone away and pressed his face against his arm. “HahhASHHuhh!  ASHhhUhh!  HuhhASHHhhUh!  HAhASHHh!”  He gave a tight-lipped groan as he brought the phone back to his ear.  “I swear I wasn’t like this two minutes ago.  Think I set myself off again by talking.”

 

“What is going on over there?”

 

“Victims from the grenade attack on HQ in the infirmary… SOLDIER corridors after low-visibility training… seven hours in a chopper with Suhh- Sephiroth and his smoky huh-hair… HAHt’ISHHhUh!”

 

Down the phone line, Zack heard Mikaela’s frustrated grunt.   

 

“I should probably have predicted some of that.”

 

“It’s alright,” he sniffed and then scrunched his nose tight to scratch at the remaining itch.  “Infirmary won’t give me meds though.  Apparently it’ll mess with Hojo’s tests.”

 

“Yeah, I got the same instructions this morning.  Rough on you.”

 

“I’m dealing.  But… uh… I didn’t wanna talk about allergies.”  Absently, he ran his fingers back and forth under the collar of his uniform.  “I think I was kind of a brat today.”

 

Mikaela laughed.  “You were fine.  It wasn’t exactly your easiest day…”

 

“You saved my life and I didn’t even say thank you.”

 

“Nah, not really,” Mikaela answered.  “That was Eve and Derrin when they found you in the woods.  I will take some credit for patching you up though.”

 

“Well, I’m glad you were there.”

 

“It’s my job Zack,” There was a silence.  “But I’m glad I was there too.  And hey, I’ll pass on your thanks to Eve and Derrin as well, alright?”

 

“I’d like that, yeah.  Thank you.”  He grimaced as he stretched out his legs on the infirmary bed.  “And you were right, you know.”

 

“About what?”

 

“About everything.”  He squeezed his nose, stamping out another tickle.  “I was trying to look like someone who can handle himself.  But if I let my leg heal, and Science can hook me up with something so I can fight, then I can handle myself, right?  Doesn’t really matter what I look like.”

 

“Wow.”

 

“What?” 

 

“Nothing, I just… I wasn’t sure you were gonna get there.  I get the impression ShinRa make this lesson difficult for you guys to learn.”

 

Zack’s lips twitched into a smile, even as he wrinkled his nose.  “Lucky I have you then, huh?”  He gave a shallow breath through his mouth, looking out into the room as if he were frowning at something just ahead of him.  “Think I’m gonna sneeze again, I’m sorry.”  He didn’t wait for a response before lowering the phone, bringing up his other arm in preparation.

 

“HhAH’ISHHhEw!”  There was a pause.  Zack shut his eyes, gripped temporarily by an all-encompassing itch.   “HEHT’SCHUW!”  He sniffed and shook his hair back from his face.

 

“Bless you,” Mikaela said, as Zack raised the phone back to his ear.  “Hey, does this mean you’re gonna quit hiding the crutches under the table?”

 

Zack laughed.  “Oh yeah.  You know, I’m getting pretty… pretty… quick-on-them-AhhSHUH!”  He pulled another tissue from his pocket and blew his nose.  “I’ve been timing myself up and down the back staircase at HQ. Getting tired - almost missed my footing a few times, but I got a new personal best!”

 

“Zack!”

 

He roared with laughter.  “Really? I can’t believe you’re that easy.  I’m in the infirmary counting the minutes till I don’t need a babysitter.  A hundred and seventy two, if you’re interested.”

 

“You’re an asshole.”

 

Zack grinned.  “I know.  And, apparently your expectations of me are really, really low.”  He chuckled, but petered out, turning thoughtful.  “I guess I never gave you much reason to think otherwise.”

 

“Well,” she began.  “You’re not my easiest patient.  But if you’re serious about accepting that you need to rest up…”

 

“I am,” Zack said, immediately.

 

“Then all that’s left is to put the work in.  And there’s no one gonna tell you you can’t do that when you set your mind on something.  When you decided you wanted to be in SOLDIER, you crossed continents without a gil to your name, just for a shot at it.”

 

“I did do that.”

 

“So… couple of weeks of being serious about your recovery.  Piece of cake, right?”

 

“Right.”  It didn’t sound as confident as he’d hoped.  “Yeah, I mean, it’s gonna happen…” That was better.  He was confident, after all.  It wasn’t like he had to be happy about it.

 

“I’m looking forward to getting back over there.  By next week I bet you’re walking better and flashing your shiny new meds.”

 

“Count on it.”

 

His smile faltered though, when he looked up at the clock.  Getting to Midgar to apply for SOLDIER had definitely been easier than this.  Still, he’d made his decision.

 

Only a hundred and sixty eight more minutes to go…

[solitaire-au]

I just realised I didn’t give any feedback on this.

This was a wonderful way to end the story! Sephiroth is a great mentor and Zack eventually realised it’s not his fault, he doesn’t have to be perfect and he’ll get through it. His call to Mikaela thanking her and admitting she was right was a nice touch.

And Zack even learned to go back to sneezing naturally instead of trying so hard to fight it and then beat himself up over something he couldn’t control!

Thank you so much for this story. I love it to pieces!

❤️ ❤️ ❤️ 

[SexualOddity]

20 minutes ago, solitaire-au said:

I just realised I didn’t give any feedback on this.

This was a wonderful way to end the story! Sephiroth is a great mentor and Zack eventually realised it’s not his fault, he doesn’t have to be perfect and he’ll get through it. His call to Mikaela thanking her and admitting she was right was a nice touch.

And Zack even learned to go back to sneezing naturally instead of trying so hard to fight it and then beat himself up over something he couldn’t control!

Thank you so much for this story. I love it to pieces!

❤️ ❤️ ❤️ 

Oh man Solitaire, at the risk of sounding kind of pathetic, you have no idea how much this comment means to me.  I knew that people had been reading this story (or at least clicking on it) and then when I didn’t hear anything at all at the end I thought maybe I had disappointed people with how I finished it.  Then I ended up feeling kinda down about this story.  Thank you - knowing you liked it has made me feel so much more positive about the whole thing.  I can’t tell you how much I appreciate you coming back to tell me.

[funbusej]

This story is very well written, and while I am not super familiar with the characters (I know Sephiroth, and Zack, that's about it), I don't think that is necessary to connect with them, especially with how you have written them.  There was the perfect amount of plot to accompany the allergies, in this story, and I found it all to be very, very compelling.  I would be super interested in a sequel, or whatever else you wanted to write Zack and/or Sephiroth!

[SexualOddity]

Oh thank you so much! I'm so glad you liked it and I'm so grateful to you for taking the time to time to say so. 🥰

 

Zack and Sephiroth are really the only Canon characters in this so you haven't missed too much. Mikaela is an OC. I find myself having to lean on OCs in this fandom more than I normally would. I don't love that, but the Canon characters seem reluctant to be where I want them at the time I want them to be there 😅

 

I'm definitely still ploughing away trying to make a sequel work. It'll probably have a bit of Sephiroth, but not much (it's tricky cos he's kinda withdrawing at this point of the game) but they'll be Zack (also Hojo and Kunsel and a tiny bit of Cloud, if you know them at all).

 

I have four more Zack-related one shots in draft form on my tablet so my plan is to edit and post one a week and hopefully by the end of that I'll have figured out enough of a plan for the sequel to be confident to start posting instalments. I'll put a link here once it's up.