Final Fantasy VII (Tifa/Aeris)
Title: In the Light of Your Smile
Author/Artist: queenoftheskies
Rating: G
Warnings: none
Word count: 692
Summary: Aeris and Tifa talk about what's to come.
Prompt: #19. Final Fantasy VII, Tifa/Aeris: Sunlight - "It's good to see you smile."
A/N: I'm very sorry I'm late posting this.
In the Light of Your Smile
Something was wrong. Tifa could tell that just from watching the way everyone snapped at each other. Everyone, except for Aeris, who, though her smiles remained kind, had begun to keep her distance from the others. Not that Tifa blamed her. It was hard to listen to the others bicker and even harder not to be drawn into one of the arguments herself. She didn’t blame them for being scared or on edge. She was, too, but taking it out on each other didn’t fix things. It only made them worse.
She ran into Aeris while she was trying to escape the latest disagreement, came upon her just outside of town. She sat perched on the edge of a flat rock, swinging her legs, her eyes drawn to the sun setting in the distance.
“You okay?” Tifa asked, fighting feelings of awkwardness. It wasn’t so much that Aeris made her uncomfortable as it was the fact that she didn’t like the amount of attention Cloud paid to her. She guessed it was a form of jealousy and she didn’t like it. Some days, she couldn’t help but wish the other woman would get tired of their journey and turn back.
Aeris nodded; her eyes never left the horizon.
“I’d better...” Tifa pointed back over her shoulder. “I guess I should be getting back to the others.” If the Ancient wasn’t going to talk to her, there was no point in hanging around.
“They’re driving you crazy, too?” This time, Aeris looked her way.
But, Tifa almost wished she hadn’t. The look in the Ancient’s eyes pretty much summed up the way she’d been feeling: desolate, like something bad was going to happen, something they didn’t know about, but was waiting to happen whether they were prepared or not. Only, Tifa had the uncomfortable feeling that maybe Aeris knew what it was and was just biding her time, unwilling to stop it from happening.
It was Tifa’s turn to nod. Instead of leaving, she stumbled closer to Aeris. “It’s like...something is going to happen and everybody knows it, but...”
“You’ll be there for him, won’t you?”
“What?” Tifa frowned. The other woman wasn’t making any sense. “Be there for...”
“Cloud.” Aeris gathered her hands into her lap. “He’s going to need you.”
Tifa dropped onto the edge of the rock beside her. “He doesn’t need anybody.” She shrugged. “At least, not me. He seems pretty comfortable with you, though.”
“I won’t always be here for him. But I know you...” Aeris’ eyes darted away again. “You’ve known him for a long time.”
“Not that it means anything to him.” Tifa dropped her gaze. “Not any more.”
The other woman reached for her hand, intertwined their fingers, and a thrill ran through Tifa’s body at her touch. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt so alive, suspected that Aeris might be channeling some sort of healing energy her way. She had felt an almost debilitating weariness since their last battle, but she hadn’t wanted to say anything because they’d been down to their last few potions. Now that they’d reached civilization--if you could call the backwater town they were staying in civilization--she’d figured there was time to relax until she felt better.
“I think you’re wrong.” Aeris looked her way again. “He’s lost, Tifa. Lost and alone, trying to find his way in the darkness Sephiroth caused. He has to find his way into the light alone, but it doesn’t hurt if he has friends near, waiting to help, waiting to pick him up when he falls.”
“Is something...” Fear gripped her. “Going to happen to Cloud?”
“Cloud’s going to be fine.”
The last glorious rays of sunlight burst through the trees, bathing their rock in warmth. Tifa turned her face into the light, feeling hope for the first time in days.
“Thank you,” she said, a smile tugging at her lips. “I’m glad...thank you...I’m glad we got this time to talk.”
“You’re welcome.” Aeris leaned over to kiss her on the cheek. “We should do it more often. It’s good to see you smile.”
Author/Artist: queenoftheskies
Rating: G
Warnings: none
Word count: 692
Summary: Aeris and Tifa talk about what's to come.
Prompt: #19. Final Fantasy VII, Tifa/Aeris: Sunlight - "It's good to see you smile."
A/N: I'm very sorry I'm late posting this.
In the Light of Your Smile
Something was wrong. Tifa could tell that just from watching the way everyone snapped at each other. Everyone, except for Aeris, who, though her smiles remained kind, had begun to keep her distance from the others. Not that Tifa blamed her. It was hard to listen to the others bicker and even harder not to be drawn into one of the arguments herself. She didn’t blame them for being scared or on edge. She was, too, but taking it out on each other didn’t fix things. It only made them worse.
She ran into Aeris while she was trying to escape the latest disagreement, came upon her just outside of town. She sat perched on the edge of a flat rock, swinging her legs, her eyes drawn to the sun setting in the distance.
“You okay?” Tifa asked, fighting feelings of awkwardness. It wasn’t so much that Aeris made her uncomfortable as it was the fact that she didn’t like the amount of attention Cloud paid to her. She guessed it was a form of jealousy and she didn’t like it. Some days, she couldn’t help but wish the other woman would get tired of their journey and turn back.
Aeris nodded; her eyes never left the horizon.
“I’d better...” Tifa pointed back over her shoulder. “I guess I should be getting back to the others.” If the Ancient wasn’t going to talk to her, there was no point in hanging around.
“They’re driving you crazy, too?” This time, Aeris looked her way.
But, Tifa almost wished she hadn’t. The look in the Ancient’s eyes pretty much summed up the way she’d been feeling: desolate, like something bad was going to happen, something they didn’t know about, but was waiting to happen whether they were prepared or not. Only, Tifa had the uncomfortable feeling that maybe Aeris knew what it was and was just biding her time, unwilling to stop it from happening.
It was Tifa’s turn to nod. Instead of leaving, she stumbled closer to Aeris. “It’s like...something is going to happen and everybody knows it, but...”
“You’ll be there for him, won’t you?”
“What?” Tifa frowned. The other woman wasn’t making any sense. “Be there for...”
“Cloud.” Aeris gathered her hands into her lap. “He’s going to need you.”
Tifa dropped onto the edge of the rock beside her. “He doesn’t need anybody.” She shrugged. “At least, not me. He seems pretty comfortable with you, though.”
“I won’t always be here for him. But I know you...” Aeris’ eyes darted away again. “You’ve known him for a long time.”
“Not that it means anything to him.” Tifa dropped her gaze. “Not any more.”
The other woman reached for her hand, intertwined their fingers, and a thrill ran through Tifa’s body at her touch. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt so alive, suspected that Aeris might be channeling some sort of healing energy her way. She had felt an almost debilitating weariness since their last battle, but she hadn’t wanted to say anything because they’d been down to their last few potions. Now that they’d reached civilization--if you could call the backwater town they were staying in civilization--she’d figured there was time to relax until she felt better.
“I think you’re wrong.” Aeris looked her way again. “He’s lost, Tifa. Lost and alone, trying to find his way in the darkness Sephiroth caused. He has to find his way into the light alone, but it doesn’t hurt if he has friends near, waiting to help, waiting to pick him up when he falls.”
“Is something...” Fear gripped her. “Going to happen to Cloud?”
“Cloud’s going to be fine.”
The last glorious rays of sunlight burst through the trees, bathing their rock in warmth. Tifa turned her face into the light, feeling hope for the first time in days.
“Thank you,” she said, a smile tugging at her lips. “I’m glad...thank you...I’m glad we got this time to talk.”
“You’re welcome.” Aeris leaned over to kiss her on the cheek. “We should do it more often. It’s good to see you smile.”