[closed]

[looselips]

Characters: Shinji Matou and AU2!Sephiroth
Setting: Library; maybe backdated a day
Format: Action
Summary: Shinji finds a tape player and Sephiroth saves him from monsters. Pigtail-pulling commences.
Warning: Shinji being more obnoxious than normal, monster death?


[Shinji is, while not necessarily stupid, stubborn enough that anyone would be forgiven for thinking so. Even now, he still wiggles away from whatever supervision he might have at any given time, though for the most part he limits his solitary wandering to a few specific floors. The library is one of those.]

[Though the terminals have been stubbornly refusing to work, he still checks them from time to time—like now. The result is the same as it has been, and he huffs childishly in frustration. And... That might have been the end of it, had he noted noticed the (positively antique, from his perspective) tape player that had been left beside that same terminal.]

[It looks innocent enough, and of course Shinji is as curious as any nosy child would be. So, he turns it on. He scowls at it when it doesn't make any intelligible noise, and he has time to very briefly consider finding something to take it apart with before he hears something else.]

[Shrieking and diving underneath the terminal is probably not the best defense to be had against a pack of strangely deformed satyr creatures, but it's the only one Shinji can manage.]

Comments

[pinnaculum]

[Sephiroth, too, is interested in the terminals. Not solely because he's waiting them to start working again (although he is curious about their inactivity), but also because: monsters. He's noticed that they're drawn to the computers. Sephiroth enjoys killing them. Books and monsters: the library currently has just about everything, as far as he's concerned. What more could he ask for?

He doesn't stop to think that he might be lonely, keeping to himself as he does.

When Shinji cries out, Sephiroth hears the shriek from a few shelves away, having wandered into the chemistry section. He's at the terminal in seconds. The miniblin aren't unfamiliar to him. He's killed some of them before. His sword comes out, and he makes short work of them with clean cuts, keeping the mess to a minimum, though a few blood drops do splatter here and there, not to mention the blood pooling once the creatures fall to the floor, fatally wounded. Sephiroth knows the Tower staff will clean up the corpses, so he's not concerned about them.

He leans down to look under the terminal, recognizing Shinji immediately. He doesn't give what could be called a comforting look, but he acknowledges him with a nod.]

It is safe.

[looselips]

[Nothing about this situation is comforting. The monsters Shinji is used do nothing more gruesome than fizzle out of existence when killed, dispersing in a cloud of so much data. The sight of actual blood and corpses makes him a little queasy, even as the more logical part of his mind reminds him that it's better them than him.]

[Still, his hiding place leaves his vision somewhat restricted, so when it's Sephiroth that peeks under the terminal, Shinji is at least momentarily distracted by his surprise. He hadn't expected the sight of another child, even if this one is a weird not-robot raised in a lab somewhere. Abruptly flushing, he scrambles out from underneath the terminal.]

[He scarcely realizes he's still clutching the tape player, but it's probably not surprising that he is. It was the closest thing he had to a shield or weapon, after all.]

Y— Yeah, I...noticed.

[He should probably say thanks, but he's feeling tongue-tied now.]

[pinnaculum]

[Having been conditioned to have no emotional response to gore or death, Sephiroth only nods as Shinji emerges from his not-that-safe hiding place, his expression calm. He is pleased, however, to have been able to protect someone, as that's why he's been patrolling the floors of the Tower, like Diarmuid. Granted, he had been more involved in reading than patrolling when the danger had arisen, but he had been there to help, like a SOLDIER.

Sephiroth cleans the blood from his sword with a cloth, seeing to his weapon's care before anything else, then sheathing it.]

The monsters are attracted to the terminals. I don't know why. It would be better to avoid them.

[If you can't handle monsters, that is, which Sephiroth can.]

[looselips]

[He continues to stare as Sephiroth wipes his sword clean. If the situation were reversed, he'd probably call the person making his expression a "slack-jawed moron." It's only when Sephiroth speaks again that his thoughts are jolted back into motion, and his face heats up further, Shinji blushing from the back of his neck up to his ears.]

That's— [His tone is pointed, though still flustered.] I'm not an idiot, so I don't need you to tell me that.

[Never mind that, as stubborn as he is, he probably does. Getting caught in a situation like this once is embarrassing enough, after all, so he doesn't want to repeat it. The thought of this kid seeing him in this position bothers him more than it probably should, and he moves to step farther away from the terminal, unthinkingly reaching to grab Sephiroth's hand as he moves to pass by.]

If it's so dangerous here, we should go somewhere else. Isn't that right, smart guy?

[pinnaculum]

That is good. [He'd rather not have to tell people things for their own good. It does bring up the question of why Shiji was at the terminal, however.] They are not operative now, so there is no reason to approach them.

[He nods, and though he isn't expecting to have his hand taken, he doesn't pull away, categorizing this as probably being normal peer interaction.]

We should go somewhere else.

[Sephiroth agrees easily, though it's for Shinji's sake that he thinks they should move. He isn't afraid of monsters, especially not the ones that have been appearing here. He likes fighting them.] You will be safer in the cafeteria or on the dormitory floors. [Since the floors with network terminals, though usually safe, are going to have monsters.]

[looselips]

I was just— I was just checking to see if they had started working again!

[So, there, Sephiroth gets an explanation, albeit one delivered in a flustered and exceedingly blustery way. For some reason, even though Shinji realizes there's no way he would be able to drag Sephiroth anywhere he didn't want to go, he doesn't let go of his hand. The tape player remains clutched in his other one, the object half-cradled against his chest.]

That's what I just said, genius. [Harrumph.] Yeah, okay, so walk me there.

[pinnaculum]

They have not. [Obviously.] I can check for you, in the future.

[The perfect solution! Then Shinji doesn't have to get attacked by monsters, and Sephiroth can have a mission.

He doesn't object to being called a genius, since he is one, technically.]

I will escort you.

[That's right, he's a proper military escort. Even though holding hands isn't usually part of a proper military escort. He's noticed the tape player already, but he asks about it now.]

What is that you have?

[looselips]

...Yeah, okay. [He says it slowly, as though mulling something over as he speaks.] You do that and report to me every day until they start working again, got it?

[Not that he wants to see Sephiroth or anything! He just likes the idea of being able to boss him around, as minor as this order is.]

Oh, this? [This is probably a good topic. It's relatively neutral ground, after all.] It's some antique I found lying around. No clue where it came from, but it didn't play anything like it's supposed to, so I guess it's broken.

[He rolls his eyes. Gosh, if you're going to leave mysterious objects sitting around, they should at least do something.]

I was going to see if I could take it apart and check what's wrong with it. Maybe try to fix it, even.

[See? He's smart! He knows about machines! Sephiroth should definitely be impressed with him.]

[pinnaculum]

Yes, I will. [He nods, willing to take this order. Reporting back: that sounds like fun. His mission will be a success. He's already sure of it. He'll be the first one to discover the network is working again, definitely.]

An antique? Oh, it's a recording device. [Sometimes they'd used recording devices in the lab to document his responses.

Sephiroth is indeed very interested in this project of fixing something. Not quite as good as a mission, but still interesting.]

There is a workshop floor. Diarmuid told me about it. Maybe you could fix it there. We could go to the workshop and I could protect you from monsters.

[Sephiroth has no reason to doubt Shinji's claim that he can fix machines. He takes his words at face value.]

[looselips]

Yeah, it's obviously for recording, but the thing is practically a fossil.

[Relative to where he comes from, at least. Still, he doesn't have any doubt that he would be able to figure some things out, if he pried it open. He pauses to consider Sephiroth's suggestion.]

Workshop? ...Oh, right, some blowhard gave me a list that had all the floors labeled. [He never got his name, in retrospect.] I could probably improvise something to pry it open with, but sure, we can go there.

[And, like it was his idea, he tugs at Sephiroth's hand as they walk along together.]

[pinnaculum]

Yes, it looks old. I've never seen one like it. [It's relatively old compared to his 1990s sci fi technology levels, too.]

That is a useful list. Someone should put it on the network. [Because that is what the network should be for: useful things!]

The workshop will be more helpful. Diarmuid is making a sword there. I would like to make weaponry.

[Sephiroth's still not sure what to make of this hand-holding. Maybe it's normal where Shinji is from? He's never had his hand held before, but he goes along with it for now.]

Do you often fix machines? [Sephiroth is interested. It's not something he has a lot of experience with.]

[looselips]

Of course you would. [He rolls his eyes.] You need a hobby.

[Because swords don't count when you're already a super soldier, obviously.]

...Well, admittedly, not usually ones like this. But I've fixed up my fair share of computers in my time.

[Shinji you're eight, stop.]

[pinnaculum]

Would making weapons not be a hobby?

[And killing monsters, isn't that a hobby?]

I like to study science. [Surely that's a hobby, at least.]

There were computers in the lab. I was not usually allowed to use them, but I did anyway.

[Though the most interesting things were always encrypted and password protected, sadly. He hadn't figured out a way to get around that.]

[looselips]

It doesn't count if you were made to use them. I guess studying science is a decent hobby, though.

[Never mind that Shinji thinks science is pretty dang neat himself. His logic is totally consistent and not remotely hypocritical for the sake of being disparaging.]

Watch out, rebel, that's dangerous. [Not hypocritical at all.] They must not have kept a very good eye on you.

[pinnaculum]

But I was not made to make them. [That's different, isn't it?] There are many interesting books in the libraries here. I was never allowed to read all the books in a library. I had to choose from a list.

[As for the computers, Sephiroth seems unworried by having been rebellious.]

I wanted to learn more about the project.

They were vigilant, but I am trained in stealth. I could not leave the lab, but I could move within it.

[Basically, they had made him too powerful to fully control.]

[looselips]

Yeah, but you were made to be some kind of soldier, right? It doesn't count if the hobby has something to do with your job.

[But playing around with computers still counts, even though Shinji has been paid to hack into things before. Once again, 100% consistent logic at play here.]

"The project"?

[Also way to sound kind of unsettling there, Sephiroth.]

[pinnaculum]

I was made to be a soldier, but I am not a soldier. I am in the care of Mr. Valentine and not permitted to take part in warfare. [Well, at home, anyway. He does what he wants, here.] Soldiers do not usually make their own weapons.

[It counts as a hobby in Sephiroth's mind, regardless of what Shinji says.] Diarmuid and I are going to make swords. [Yeah, they're cool like that.]

Project S. The project I am the result of.

[Surely that explanation makes it sound less unsettling!]