Scribosaurus Recs! - Three interconnected FF7 fic (Zack/Angeal)
Experience, Debriefing and At the End of the Day by the_staci
Zack's naivety and optimism had always been one of his greatest strengths. It was an unfortunate fact of life that it would always be one of his greatest weaknesses as well.
(Zack/Angeal)
Rec!view: I’m not a big fan of Zack/Angeal. I got more of a mentor/pupil-verging-on-father/son vibe from them in Crisis Core, so the fact that this series of one-shots made it onto my rec list is testament to the skill of their author. I’m a sucker for the characters as individuals, and save for the very last bit of the very last scene (which isn’t quite magicalhealing!sex but is at least it’s second cousin from Amarillo) this trio of fics plays to that. In fact, it’s a crux, as Zack tries to cope by himself with what he’s seen and done while out in Wutai during the war, when only he came home from a mission, while Angeal feels isolated because he can understand this even though he doesn’t agree with it. Zack is still Zack, but a younger version of him who has all the signs of the man he’s going to grow into. This fic is one of those that could slip into canon as a ‘deleted scene’ because it fits with what we know of these characters (Genesis, CC!Sephiroth and, to a lesser extent, Lazard too) and the often brutal, callous and cruel world they inhabit.
Excerpt:
"Something went wrong on the mission," Genesis said delicately, and held up his hand to stop Angeal from replying before he could finish, "and before your heart fails you, Zack is fine." He tilted his head to the side, a frown tugging at the corners of his lips as he considered that, and then added, "Physically, at least."