Categories > Games > Final Fantasy 7 > Origins
It wasn't often that the President of ShinRa felt absolutely powerless. It wasn't even very often that he felt anything resembling fear/. Certainly children had never inspired either of those feelings in him. No, he mused quietly as he sat in the hospital waiting room, he was not used to feeling helpless. He did not /like feeling helpless.
"Stop pacing," he ordered Tseng, somewhat uselessly, as they had given up on the subordinate-superior relationship several years ago. Tseng merely shot him a look and continued memorizing how many steps it was between the vending machine and the picture of a sad clown.
"It is taking quite some time," Tseng murmured, not looking at him but sliding coins into the machine, selecting a bag of salted nuts. The bag shunked down and Tseng bent to retrieve it, ripping it open with elegant fingers, nails worn away from being bitten these last five days. Rufus felt irritable, watching those fingernails, chewed off from Tseng's nerves. That was another thing, he was not sure he liked seeing Tseng powerless as well. There was something... decidedly unnerving about the man who had protected you for years showing signs of unease.
"These are the best doctors Gaia has to offer," Rufus snapped, fingers tapping distractedly on the cover of a magazine, tapping out how he felt, how he worried, and how he hated worrying. Tseng sat down and offered him the bag and Rufus glared at it and then at Tseng. Tseng rolled his eyes and yanked his hand and poured some into Rufus's open palm. Rufus ate one. "Thank you," he muttered, slightly rebellious.
"You're welcome," Tseng said, voice wavering slightly and he looked up at the clock. "They said four hours," his tone was terse and he bit rather viciously into a salted almond. Rufus continued chewing on his handful despite the fact they all tasted something like old cardboard.
"Mr. ShinRa, Mr. Matono? She is ready to see you now?" A nurse stood in the doorway, clean green uniform neatly pressed and Rufus nearly jumped to his feet, Tseng mere seconds after him. The nurse smiled at their eagerness and beckoned for them to follow her. "She was quite brave, I think you would both be very proud of her."
They trailed after her like kites after children and Rufus was slightly surprised to feel Tseng's salt-gritty hand grab his, fingers twining together. Rufus squeezed gently, irritation forgotten. The nurse opened the door to the ward and Rufus stepped in, breath catching in his throat for one long moment.
A tangle of black-brown hair spread over the pillows, snaking their way across the white cotton, surrounding the little girl who rested after the surgery that had been performed to fix the hole in her heart. She looked up, eight-year-old fingers wrapped around the pages of a book and a slight smile spread across her face.
"Papa-" the words were breathy and soft, barely out of her mouth as Tseng pushed past Rufus, kneeling down by the edge of her bed and taking her hand in his, kissing the smooth, pink palm. Rufus swallowed lightly, ignoring the nurse as she pulled the door shut behind them as Genesis told Tseng all about how the needles had barely hurt at all, and how she'd been alright, really, she'd been /fine, Papa, just fine/. She looked up, brilliant blue eyes catching Rufus's and she waved slightly, shyer with him than she was with Tseng, but perhaps... that was simply her picking up on how everyong deferred to him, Rufus, as President of ShinRa and one of the most powerful men to ever walk on Gaia.
Regardless of how sometimes she watched him oddly with her old-young eyes he came and stood next to Tseng, taking her other hand and kissing the tiny fingers. She smiled at them both, and Tseng wrapped an arm around his waist.
"I was good for you," she said to Rufus, "just like I promised."
She'd been good for him. He smiled back at her, feeling Tseng squeeze him slightly. She'd been good for /him/. No, perhaps she did not weaken him, for he believed in that instant he had never felt more powerful, ever. He leaned down and brushed a kiss across her forehead.
"There's my good girl," he whispered and she smiled again, eyes fluttering closed, book falling from nerveless fingers as Tseng caught it in his hands. Yes, he determined as he watched her sleep, Tseng having passed out in the chair next to her bed, his head pillowed next to hers. Yes, he thought, nothing made him feel quite so powerful as this.
"Stop pacing," he ordered Tseng, somewhat uselessly, as they had given up on the subordinate-superior relationship several years ago. Tseng merely shot him a look and continued memorizing how many steps it was between the vending machine and the picture of a sad clown.
"It is taking quite some time," Tseng murmured, not looking at him but sliding coins into the machine, selecting a bag of salted nuts. The bag shunked down and Tseng bent to retrieve it, ripping it open with elegant fingers, nails worn away from being bitten these last five days. Rufus felt irritable, watching those fingernails, chewed off from Tseng's nerves. That was another thing, he was not sure he liked seeing Tseng powerless as well. There was something... decidedly unnerving about the man who had protected you for years showing signs of unease.
"These are the best doctors Gaia has to offer," Rufus snapped, fingers tapping distractedly on the cover of a magazine, tapping out how he felt, how he worried, and how he hated worrying. Tseng sat down and offered him the bag and Rufus glared at it and then at Tseng. Tseng rolled his eyes and yanked his hand and poured some into Rufus's open palm. Rufus ate one. "Thank you," he muttered, slightly rebellious.
"You're welcome," Tseng said, voice wavering slightly and he looked up at the clock. "They said four hours," his tone was terse and he bit rather viciously into a salted almond. Rufus continued chewing on his handful despite the fact they all tasted something like old cardboard.
"Mr. ShinRa, Mr. Matono? She is ready to see you now?" A nurse stood in the doorway, clean green uniform neatly pressed and Rufus nearly jumped to his feet, Tseng mere seconds after him. The nurse smiled at their eagerness and beckoned for them to follow her. "She was quite brave, I think you would both be very proud of her."
They trailed after her like kites after children and Rufus was slightly surprised to feel Tseng's salt-gritty hand grab his, fingers twining together. Rufus squeezed gently, irritation forgotten. The nurse opened the door to the ward and Rufus stepped in, breath catching in his throat for one long moment.
A tangle of black-brown hair spread over the pillows, snaking their way across the white cotton, surrounding the little girl who rested after the surgery that had been performed to fix the hole in her heart. She looked up, eight-year-old fingers wrapped around the pages of a book and a slight smile spread across her face.
"Papa-" the words were breathy and soft, barely out of her mouth as Tseng pushed past Rufus, kneeling down by the edge of her bed and taking her hand in his, kissing the smooth, pink palm. Rufus swallowed lightly, ignoring the nurse as she pulled the door shut behind them as Genesis told Tseng all about how the needles had barely hurt at all, and how she'd been alright, really, she'd been /fine, Papa, just fine/. She looked up, brilliant blue eyes catching Rufus's and she waved slightly, shyer with him than she was with Tseng, but perhaps... that was simply her picking up on how everyong deferred to him, Rufus, as President of ShinRa and one of the most powerful men to ever walk on Gaia.
Regardless of how sometimes she watched him oddly with her old-young eyes he came and stood next to Tseng, taking her other hand and kissing the tiny fingers. She smiled at them both, and Tseng wrapped an arm around his waist.
"I was good for you," she said to Rufus, "just like I promised."
She'd been good for him. He smiled back at her, feeling Tseng squeeze him slightly. She'd been good for /him/. No, perhaps she did not weaken him, for he believed in that instant he had never felt more powerful, ever. He leaned down and brushed a kiss across her forehead.
"There's my good girl," he whispered and she smiled again, eyes fluttering closed, book falling from nerveless fingers as Tseng caught it in his hands. Yes, he determined as he watched her sleep, Tseng having passed out in the chair next to her bed, his head pillowed next to hers. Yes, he thought, nothing made him feel quite so powerful as this.
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