Crossovers, Trinity Blood/Final Fantasy Seven, Sephiroth/Abel, Redirect
With a soft sigh, Father Abel Nightroad sank into the hot pool and moaned softly as the mineral spring attacked his sore muscles. He had not realized how far it was from the docks of Nibelheim to the capital city of Midgar in the Northern Kingdom when he was walking, but since the Iron Maiden wasn’t allowed over the Northern Kingdom without starting a war, he had been forced to walk the entire distance. The good part about it was that it had given him a chance to see the kingdom and its people without anyone making sure people were on their best behavior, allowing him to form an honest opinion of the king that ruled here.
Of course, it also ensured that I was foot sore and weary when I arrived, he thought with a wry smile. The guard who had met him at the gate, a large man with a shaved head, has escorted Abel to his assigned rooms for the duration of his stay before offering the hot springs as a way to relax since Abel’s appointment with the king wasn’t until the following day. A suggestion he was more than willing to take.
Laughter and approaching footsteps pulled Abel out of the light doze he had fallen into, and he sat up as three men entered the small nook that hid his chosen pool from the rest of the hot springs. The first had spiky black hair that fell down his back and laughing violet eyes. He was dragging a younger man with glowing blue eyes and wildly spiking blond hair by the arm, and by the tolerant smile on his face, this wasn’t the first time his friend had dragged him around. Both wore towels around their waists and had another draped over their shoulders.
It was the third man that had Abel’s breath catching in his throat as he tried not to stare. Pale skin, long limbs nicely muscled and silver hair that fell to his knees, swaying as he glided across the stone floor. Lovely features in a sharp face with amused opaline eyes regarding him back, and Abel blushed as he realized that he was indeed staring.
“Hey,” greeted the brunet. “Mind if we join you?” His manner was as friendly as his smile, and Abel found himself shaking his head even as towels were removed before they slid into the hot pool. “Ah. This is the life. Especially after all that work today. Oh! I’m Zack, this is Cloud, and that’s Seth.” He gestured first to the blond who looked like he was seconds away from dunking the man and then at the silver haired man who still wore an amused smile.
“Father Abel Nightroad,” Abel replied, holding his hand out. Cloud smiled and shook his hand, before Seth wrapped his long fingers around Abel’s hand, sending a shiver up Abel’s spine at the contact.
“A pleasure,” Seth murmured in a deep voice.
Zack snapped his fingers and pointed at Abel. “You’re the emissary from the Vatican, aren’t you? So, what do you think of the place so far?”
That started the chatting and trading stories as they talked about where they had been and what they had seen, and Abel relaxed again in the water, getting to know the new people. Zack enjoyed teasing Cloud, getting blushes and yelps from the younger man while Seth seemed content to sit back and toss a friendly barb or two towards Zack. A servant had come and gone, leaving behind a tray of snacks and a couple bottles of wine, and Seth poured out two glasses of the rich red liquid before handing one glass to Abel.
“I shouldn’t,” Abel protested, holding a hand up only for Seth to wrap his fingers around the glass. “I don’t really have a head for alcohol.”
“I only ask that you share one glass with me,” Seth stated with a small smile. “I promise I won’t let you get drunk and embarrass yourself or the Vatican.”
Abel chuckled and sipped the wine, gasping at the strong flavor that exploded across his tongue. “I’ll hold you to that. I don’t wish to arrive at my meeting with the king hung over. That would make him believe that the Vatican was full of drunks.”