[FIC] FFX - ONLY A DREAM - FOR DARTH NEKO
Title: Only A Dream
For: darthneko
Medium: Fic
Request(s): FFX (No X-2), Auron and Tidus, sometime before game, bonus points for bebe!Tidus
Fandom(s): FFX
Characters/Pairings: Auron, Tidus, mentions of Jecht
Rating/Warnings: PG-13
Feedback: Any and all!
Spoilers: Mild
Word Count: 1185
Summary: Auron looks after Tidus.
Notes: I hope you like it, giftee! :D
"You could at least tell me what you're doing here." Tidus made a face, balling his stupidly small hands into fists. "Or y'know, why I'm always a kid in my dreams. Why I never grew up?"
Of course he knew. He had too. Weird Kid first showed up in Tidus's dreams when he was seven years old. Right around the time his old man disappeared. Weird Kid showed up with his scowl and his weird clothes. He looked to be around the same age as Tidus -- seven year old dreaming Tidus, not seventeen year old waking life Tidus -- and just like Tidus, he never seemed to grow up. Now that Tidus thinks on it, Weird Kid never really changed at all. They'd spent dream years together, dream fishing (turns out dream giant squids totally go for dream raspberry bon-bons) and tossing the dream blitzball around (Weird Kid absolutely dream sucked). It was like having a dream friend. An annoying dream friend who never really talked much and was usually grumpy. And was always, always there.
And tonight, Tidus decided he's had enough. He could think of a dozen, hundred, thousand other things he'd rather be dreaming about.
Like cute girls -- especially Josie, that bouncy redhead with the seriously tight sweaters and the Lower Level Ambassador's Box season pass. Or the latest line of Mach-10 Z12000 Speedrail Bikes. Maybe Josie on the back of a Gunsteel Silver Mach 10, tight sweater totally optional.
Even one of those dreams where he shows up to the playoffs in his underwear would be cool by him.
But no, every night was Weird Kid with his stupid scowly, smug face. What Tidus could see of his face, anyway. There was always some odd kind of dream fuzz floating around Weird Kid's eyes, like Tidus could only see them out his peripheral vision. He had this nagging feeling that if only he could get a good, solid look at Weird Kid, he might recognize him from somewhere. There was something creepily familiar about Weird Kid, but he just couldn't place it.
"You do know something about this, don't you?" Tidus demanded.
Weird Kid just shrugged, the long show-off sword he always carried on his shoulder shifting with the movement.
"Are you somebody I knew when I was a kid?
"You know me now."
"Yeah, well. I don't really know any little kids." Tidus slumped. Everything about Weird Kid made him want to bash his own head against a wall. Or, even better, bash Weird Kid's head against a wall. Or even better than that, maybe he could catch him doing something weird and embarrassing, like singing along to Lenne songs in the shower, or playing imaginary knight with that stupid sword he always had. Tidus would be ready for it, recorder in hand. He'd send it to all his friends, his teammates and probably even that Josie chick. He'd slap it on the JumboTron at the next match (he was buddies with the stadium's AV tech), just enough to hose down that high and mighty attitude of his for a little while.
"Fine. How old are you?"
"Seventeen," Tidus answered immediately. "But in my dreams I'm always seven, and I got this funny feeling you probably know why."
Tidus hated being seven the first time around, and he was not cool with constant reruns. At seven, he had been a pitiful little shrimp that sucked at pretty much everything. Worse yet, he looked like a pathetic version of his old man, with mousy brown hair and an over-sized Zanarkand Abes Jecht jersey his mom forced him to wear. At least the first time around, he didn't quite know how stupid he looked. But now? Being seventeen in a seven year old's body was seriously ugly.
"Hmm. Maybe."
"Maybe? Look, you showed up out of nowhere, I'd never seen you before. I don't know where you're from. I don't even know your name! But then, maybe you don't even have a name or a place you're from. I mean, you're a dream." Tidus spat out dream like it was a cuss word.
Weird Kid stared up, like he could see something beyond that weird foggy dream ceiling.
And then he said, "No. I'm just dead. You're the dream."
"Whoa. You've only been showing up in every one of my dreams since my old man vanished and you're calling me the dream? Look, I've got a life outside of -- this. And you're telling me you're a ghost?"
"Something like that."
"You hang around in my dreams for years, you don't even tell me your name. What is your deal? I don't even --"
"Protecting you." He furrowed his brow, still staring up into the dream static above their heads.
"Look kid, I'm kind of over the boogey monster. What else is there? Bed bugs?"
Weird Kid scoffed, the grip on his show-off sword tightening. "And that is why you need a guardian."
Tidus opened his mouth to reply, but then something happened with the sky. Like some freakstorm of sand and lightning. It pulled the air from his lungs and his words from the air, whipping against their clothes and burning their faces. Weird Kid lowered his sword from his shoulder. Shielding his eyes with a hand, Tidus watched the crazy unfold. The dream sky had turned red, like somebody spilled a pitcher of yarberry juice. Something black and huge was rapidly filling the sky -- coming towards them.
"Duuuuude."
"Out, now. Wake up." Weird Kid ordered over the roaring din.
"No way!" Tidus raised his fists and assumed the the only stance he could remember from the Lil' Punch boxing lessons he took when he was five years old. "We are gonna fight some monsters!"
The ground beneath them lurched suddenly, in some wicked quake. Suddenly flat on his back, Weird Kid towered above Tidus, his dark hair cracking like scary whips in the windy, red sky. Even scarier was the show-off sword (with a way too real, way too pointy tip) suddenly pressed against his throat. With the giant black shape coming closer, Weird Kid pushed the blade into the skin over Tidus's windpipe. "Dreams can kill you, Tidus." His face was serious, almost crazy. "Does this hurt?"
Tidus bared his teeth. Don't cry, don't cry, don't cry. "No." The blade dug deeper. He felt a creepy warm trickle sliding down his throat. In spite of himself, the tears welled over the corners of his eyelids. "Y-yes."
"You see?" Dream Kid withdrew his way-too-sharp-for-showing-off sword and turned his attention back to the darkening sky. "Now go. I believe you're playing a tournament tomorrow? The Jecht Memorial Cup?"
Tidus slapped his hand to his throat and decided he wasn't bleeding to death. "How did you know--"
And with that, the red black sky spit open into the striped white light of morning spilling through the shades into his quiet room. The heaving dreamquake lulled to a gentle rocking of his docked houseboat. He was safe, rested and awake.
And from the other room, the gruff voice of Auron -- who always seemed to wake earlier, and go to sleep later than Tidus ever did. Who always seemed to know the moment Tidus woke up, even before he rolled out of bed.
"Morning."
For: darthneko
Medium: Fic
Request(s): FFX (No X-2), Auron and Tidus, sometime before game, bonus points for bebe!Tidus
Fandom(s): FFX
Characters/Pairings: Auron, Tidus, mentions of Jecht
Rating/Warnings: PG-13
Feedback: Any and all!
Spoilers: Mild
Word Count: 1185
Summary: Auron looks after Tidus.
Notes: I hope you like it, giftee! :D
"You could at least tell me what you're doing here." Tidus made a face, balling his stupidly small hands into fists. "Or y'know, why I'm always a kid in my dreams. Why I never grew up?"
Of course he knew. He had too. Weird Kid first showed up in Tidus's dreams when he was seven years old. Right around the time his old man disappeared. Weird Kid showed up with his scowl and his weird clothes. He looked to be around the same age as Tidus -- seven year old dreaming Tidus, not seventeen year old waking life Tidus -- and just like Tidus, he never seemed to grow up. Now that Tidus thinks on it, Weird Kid never really changed at all. They'd spent dream years together, dream fishing (turns out dream giant squids totally go for dream raspberry bon-bons) and tossing the dream blitzball around (Weird Kid absolutely dream sucked). It was like having a dream friend. An annoying dream friend who never really talked much and was usually grumpy. And was always, always there.
And tonight, Tidus decided he's had enough. He could think of a dozen, hundred, thousand other things he'd rather be dreaming about.
Like cute girls -- especially Josie, that bouncy redhead with the seriously tight sweaters and the Lower Level Ambassador's Box season pass. Or the latest line of Mach-10 Z12000 Speedrail Bikes. Maybe Josie on the back of a Gunsteel Silver Mach 10, tight sweater totally optional.
Even one of those dreams where he shows up to the playoffs in his underwear would be cool by him.
But no, every night was Weird Kid with his stupid scowly, smug face. What Tidus could see of his face, anyway. There was always some odd kind of dream fuzz floating around Weird Kid's eyes, like Tidus could only see them out his peripheral vision. He had this nagging feeling that if only he could get a good, solid look at Weird Kid, he might recognize him from somewhere. There was something creepily familiar about Weird Kid, but he just couldn't place it.
"You do know something about this, don't you?" Tidus demanded.
Weird Kid just shrugged, the long show-off sword he always carried on his shoulder shifting with the movement.
"Are you somebody I knew when I was a kid?
"You know me now."
"Yeah, well. I don't really know any little kids." Tidus slumped. Everything about Weird Kid made him want to bash his own head against a wall. Or, even better, bash Weird Kid's head against a wall. Or even better than that, maybe he could catch him doing something weird and embarrassing, like singing along to Lenne songs in the shower, or playing imaginary knight with that stupid sword he always had. Tidus would be ready for it, recorder in hand. He'd send it to all his friends, his teammates and probably even that Josie chick. He'd slap it on the JumboTron at the next match (he was buddies with the stadium's AV tech), just enough to hose down that high and mighty attitude of his for a little while.
"Fine. How old are you?"
"Seventeen," Tidus answered immediately. "But in my dreams I'm always seven, and I got this funny feeling you probably know why."
Tidus hated being seven the first time around, and he was not cool with constant reruns. At seven, he had been a pitiful little shrimp that sucked at pretty much everything. Worse yet, he looked like a pathetic version of his old man, with mousy brown hair and an over-sized Zanarkand Abes Jecht jersey his mom forced him to wear. At least the first time around, he didn't quite know how stupid he looked. But now? Being seventeen in a seven year old's body was seriously ugly.
"Hmm. Maybe."
"Maybe? Look, you showed up out of nowhere, I'd never seen you before. I don't know where you're from. I don't even know your name! But then, maybe you don't even have a name or a place you're from. I mean, you're a dream." Tidus spat out dream like it was a cuss word.
Weird Kid stared up, like he could see something beyond that weird foggy dream ceiling.
And then he said, "No. I'm just dead. You're the dream."
"Whoa. You've only been showing up in every one of my dreams since my old man vanished and you're calling me the dream? Look, I've got a life outside of -- this. And you're telling me you're a ghost?"
"Something like that."
"You hang around in my dreams for years, you don't even tell me your name. What is your deal? I don't even --"
"Protecting you." He furrowed his brow, still staring up into the dream static above their heads.
"Look kid, I'm kind of over the boogey monster. What else is there? Bed bugs?"
Weird Kid scoffed, the grip on his show-off sword tightening. "And that is why you need a guardian."
Tidus opened his mouth to reply, but then something happened with the sky. Like some freakstorm of sand and lightning. It pulled the air from his lungs and his words from the air, whipping against their clothes and burning their faces. Weird Kid lowered his sword from his shoulder. Shielding his eyes with a hand, Tidus watched the crazy unfold. The dream sky had turned red, like somebody spilled a pitcher of yarberry juice. Something black and huge was rapidly filling the sky -- coming towards them.
"Duuuuude."
"Out, now. Wake up." Weird Kid ordered over the roaring din.
"No way!" Tidus raised his fists and assumed the the only stance he could remember from the Lil' Punch boxing lessons he took when he was five years old. "We are gonna fight some monsters!"
The ground beneath them lurched suddenly, in some wicked quake. Suddenly flat on his back, Weird Kid towered above Tidus, his dark hair cracking like scary whips in the windy, red sky. Even scarier was the show-off sword (with a way too real, way too pointy tip) suddenly pressed against his throat. With the giant black shape coming closer, Weird Kid pushed the blade into the skin over Tidus's windpipe. "Dreams can kill you, Tidus." His face was serious, almost crazy. "Does this hurt?"
Tidus bared his teeth. Don't cry, don't cry, don't cry. "No." The blade dug deeper. He felt a creepy warm trickle sliding down his throat. In spite of himself, the tears welled over the corners of his eyelids. "Y-yes."
"You see?" Dream Kid withdrew his way-too-sharp-for-showing-off sword and turned his attention back to the darkening sky. "Now go. I believe you're playing a tournament tomorrow? The Jecht Memorial Cup?"
Tidus slapped his hand to his throat and decided he wasn't bleeding to death. "How did you know--"
And with that, the red black sky spit open into the striped white light of morning spilling through the shades into his quiet room. The heaving dreamquake lulled to a gentle rocking of his docked houseboat. He was safe, rested and awake.
And from the other room, the gruff voice of Auron -- who always seemed to wake earlier, and go to sleep later than Tidus ever did. Who always seemed to know the moment Tidus woke up, even before he rolled out of bed.
"Morning."