Light Without Shadows- Arrangements

Nov 06, 2006 06:11

Title: Arrangements
Arc: Light Without Shadows
Fandom: FF7
Warning: AUness!
Note: If you read the first part, you know the theme here is twins...



Hojo had been unnaturally silent after he had called for him. That alone let Vincent know that there was some kind of catch involved with the summons. There always was when things were so sedate between them.

He hadn't really been expecting the other man to be cradling the small infant in his arm when he arrived. It was far too soon for Lucretia to have had the baby, and yet he knew no other reason why he would have been called in to see one. There was the child, and he knew it had to be Lucretia's child.

Hojo was using his other hand to sign something off that was lying on his desk.

While the man took care of the paperwork, birth papers perhaps, Vincent let his mind drift a little in a small swell of happiness. He had not failed her. He had not failed the child. That Hojo was even giving him this chance meant that the man had at least considered what he'd been told, and decided to carry through on his promise. He had not really expected him to because he didn't trust Hojo. Still, Lucretia must have understood, and her support might have swayed the balance.

Things were going to be fine. This was a happy occasion. The baby was safe. He'd made a difference for his love.

Of course, then Hojo opened his mouth and the entire moment turned painful.

"Lucretia is dead."

"What?"

"Dead. She died before the child was born and I had to do an emergency cesarean to keep from losing them both." He moved closer, showing the young child, still wrinkly from being inside its mother, to his horrified and wonder-stricken eyes. "I can't keep this child myself if I'm going to continue my work. I am not that generous Valentine. Either the child will be part of my work or I will have him elsewhere."

Stunned by the words, his eyes went slightly wide in shock as he took the bundle that was practically shoved into his arms, his aching heart sinking into his stomach. "What are you saying?" He couldn't mean to put the boy up for adoption after all this, could he?

"I'm giving you a chance to take him off my hands Valentine. Take the offer or leave it, I'm sure I could find someone else. Of course, there's always the option where I could simply pretend our agreement never happened in the first place."

They were cold words, the kind that riled his instincts and spurred him to hold the child close protectively. He hadn't triumphed as he believed, but this small bit of Lucretia he could still protect. "No. No, I'll take him. I can take him. Did you give him a name?"

"No." Hojo shook his head and showed the partially blank birth certificate, his other hand indicating the custodial papers. These two sets of pressed paper quickly got his attention, and he realized they must have been what he'd been filling out as he entered the room. "Do you have a name you want to give him? I'm sure I could come up with something appropriate if you don't."

"I… Yes. My father's name was Grimiore. Grimiore Valentine."

"The man Lucretia was formerly assistant to?" The just slightly too thin hand paused, and Hojo gave him a yet deeper appraising look before he leaned to fill in the gaps that had been left for the child's name. "Grimiore Valentine it is."

He hadn't believed the man would give the entire name… but he wasn't about to spit on the kindness. "Where do I need to sign?"

"You don't get full rights to him."

He paused halfway to reaching for the pen and met the man's black eyes, realizing he'd really expected no less. There was something he wasn't being told, but it was unfortunately not his place to be aware of whatever it happened to be. "I know."

"Good." The man started to point out the various pages, barely giving him time to sign, let alone read. He'd find out what he had just signed up for later, just so long as he was really getting a chance to give Lucretia's son a real home.

He was so focused on not failing to mark a line that he entirely missed Hojo's pleased smile.

-o-o-o-

He finally made his way back to the smaller of the two infants once as all the paperwork was done, Valentine being far too anxious over the sudden addition to his household to question beyond the fact that it existed. That meant that this one was all his to deal with, and no meddling fool was gong to some try to take him away.

Smoothing downy hair away from the child's face, he ignored the barely audible whimpers, instead focusing on collecting some carefully modified formula to feed the boy with.

"Hush Sephiroth, you need to get used to being separated now, because you aren't going to see the control again for a very long time."

There was a soft sound, clearly unhappy, but he stopped fussing enough to accept the bottle, proving he was not entirely without comprehension even at so young an age. He didn't try to hide his face either, teary newborn blue staring up towards his face instead of staying closed as was more typical of a child less than a day old.

He was going to make such a fine project once he finally understood what was going on around him.

But… that was all in good time.

grimiore, vincent, hojo, light without shadows, ffvii, sephiroth

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