Kingdom Hearts ~ Hearts and Happenstance - Heart-to-Heart
Title: Heart-to-Heart
Prompt: #17 - kHz (kilohertz) (for 30_kisses )
Fandom: Kingdom Hearts II
Characters/Pairings: Luxord/Tifa; Leon
Rating: G
Word Count: 1,673
Disclaimer: I don’t own Kingdom Hearts or any of the characters therein. They belong to Square and Disney, to whom I am eternally grateful for letting me play in their sandbox.
Summary: Despite her caution, Tifa’s recent behavior has not gone unnoticed by some of the members of the Restoration Committee.
Notes: Some of this will make more sense if you've watched Disney's The Sword in the Stone.
Tifa isn’t entirely surprised that Luxord hasn’t been foremost in her thoughts lately.
It seems as though every day brings new problems to deal with-- a sudden influx of Heartless here, a computer crash there; there was once a time when Cid had collaborated with Merlin in creating a device that would somehow repel Heartless from the town (it somehow involved sound frequencies, and anyway it hadn’t worked-- the device had malfunctioned and left everyone partially deaf for days).
In all the excitement and turmoil of protecting Hollow Bastion from more Heartless invasions, Tifa hardly has time to think about Luxord. Every so often, though, she finds herself missing his laugh, the occasional flash of mischief in his eyes; how generous he was with his kisses as if he were keeping score on how many he could steal.
But those are thoughts for another time. Tifa brushes Luxord from her mind as she pushes open the door to the Committee’s headquarters.
The house is deserted. Tifa hears the familiar hums and beeps of the computer at the corner of the room, but there’s no accompanying clacking of fingers on keys, and the lack of that distinctive sound is jarring. Even Merlin is nowhere to be seen. Leon is the only one still remaining, sitting at the table across from her.
Tifa closes the door cautiously. “Yuffie said you wanted to see me. Where is everyone?”
“I’ve already given everyone else their orders for the day,” Leon replies. “We’re having some problems with the Claymores again-- Cid’s in Ansem’s lab trying to figure it out. The others are trying to keep the Heartless population down until he can get the security system working properly again.”
“Ah.” Tifa shifts in place. “Do you have orders for me, then?”
Leon nods. “We’ll regroup with the others later. I figured we could have a little talk first.”
That phrase never boded well in any circumstance, and Tifa feels the beginnings of dread stir her stomach. “Okay,” she says slowly. “What, uh... what do you want to talk about?”
“Go ahead and sit down,” he replies. “Merlin made some tea-- would you like some?”
Tifa nods, and Leon pulls a rather large teapot from its place on one side of the table. Tifa sits across from him and watches as he pours a cup for her and then another one for himself.
“You still take milk and sugar, right?” Before Tifa can answer, Leon taps the side of his cup. Immediately the sugarbowl sitting at the far edge of the table springs to attention, grasping a spoon in one of its handles and hopping over to them. It pauses for a moment, turning this way and that, as if trying to figure out who to serve first.
The ghost of a smile is on Leon’s lips as he instructs the sugarbowl, “Ladies first.” The sugarbowl dutifully hops to Tifa and uses its other handle to lift its lid, proceeding to spoon enthusiastic helpings of sugar into Tifa’s cup.
“Say ‘when’,” Leon reminds her, his voice amused.
Tifa waits until Sugarboy has poured four spoonfuls before saying “when”, after which it makes its way over to Leon. Six spoonfuls and Sugarboy is dismissed, settling back in its usual spot amongst the rest of the teaset. They sit in silence for a while, sipping their tea.
“It’s good, right?” Leon asks. “Not too hot?”
Tifa shakes her head. “No, it’s just fine.”
He smiles. “That’s good.”
Tifa can sense that he’s agitated by something-- he won’t look at her; absently fiddles with the tablecloth. It’s making her nervous.
Leon suddenly sets his cup down with a sigh. “I guess we should just cut to the chase,” he declares. “I know what’s been going on with you these past few months.”
She feels her heart do something-- flutter. “What are you talking about?” she asks, careful to keep her voice free of any emotion. “There’s nothing going--”
Leon silences her with a firm shake of his head. “No, Tifa. That won’t work anymore. You’ve hidden it well enough from me before-- I didn’t even realize it until Aerith brought it to my attention.” He leans forward in his chair, his eyes serious. “Honestly, how long did you think you could keep it a secret? All the silence; the sneaking around-- you had to have known one of us’d figure it out sooner or later.”
Guilt twists Tifa’s insides. She lowers her head. What exactly had she been thinking? She’d never considered what her relationship with Luxord would mean for the Restoration Committee. How on earth could she have been so thoughtless; so foolish?
“I’m sorry,” she whispers. It’s really all she can say. “I... I can’t make excuses. I mean, obviously everything Aerith said is the truth.” Her teeth worry at her lower lip. “I’m so selfish-- I should have thought about how this would affect the others.” She finds she can’t look at him; she’s never felt so ashamed in her life. “Do you... do you think I’m a traitor?”
Leon is in the middle of pouring another cup of tea, and the sudden look of confusion he gives in response leaves her completely nonplused. “A traitor? Why would I think that? I don’t think there’s a single person here who doesn’t empathize with you. You miss him, don’t you?”
“I...” This isn’t how Tifa had envisioned this sort of conversation. She had expected more shouts, more accusations; more looks of betrayal. “Yes,” she says, her voice guarded. “I guess I do.”
Leon sinks back in his chair, apparently satisfied. He again summons Sugarboy with tap of his spoon. “I can’t believe he’d just disappear like that,” he says, shaking his head in disgust. “I mean, doesn’t he realize that we’re all a team here?”
For a moment, Tifa can barely comprehend. What is he talking about? she wonders. A team... with Luxord? Realization sinks into her stomach like a heavy weight. Cloud. Leon hasn’t been talking about Luxord at all-- he hasn’t even suspected. That feeling of guilt rises in her again, but now for a different reason.
Leon seems to take the sudden tightening of her body as an effort to quell her emotions. He sighs again.
“I guess this is the part where I go off on a tangent and say ‘you should have told us about your situation; maybe we could have helped you if you’d just let us in’ or something contrived like that. But... to be honest, I feel... I feel like it’s my fault for not noticing earlier.”
He reaches over, placing his hand over hers. It’s an awkward gesture-- she can tell he’s not entirely used to offering comfort.
“I’m sorry, Tifa,” he tells her. “I honestly didn’t know what you were going through. I was so absorbed in the bigger picture-- protecting the town; destroying the Heartless-- that I didn’t see how much you were hurting. How could I not see it? Of all people, I should know what it feels like to--”
He breaks off, presses his lips tightly together. When he speaks again, his voice is quiet. “What kind of a leader am I, if I can’t see the same pain in my teammates?”
Leon in love; Leon in mourning. She hadn’t really given it much thought before-- Leon has always struck her as the type not to let anything put a chink in his armor, despite losing just as much as she has. Seeing him this way makes him seem more vulnerable, more human.
Tifa’s heart aches for him, and before she even has time to think, her other hand is on top of his. “I’m sorry too,” she says. “You were always so closed off... I guess I just wasn’t thinking about how this must be affecting you too.” She gives his hand a squeeze. “You shouldn’t be so hard on yourself. You are a good leader. I can tell by the way you protect all of us-- how you worry about Sora and the others. For what it’s worth, I don’t think we could ask for a better commander.”
Her voice drops to a whisper. “Squall.”
A quick smile at her use of the forbidden name. It’s tinged with disapproval, but it’s clear her words have offered some comfort, no matter how small.
“Thanks, Tifa. I appreciate that.” He draws his hands away from hers. “What say we make a promise to be more open with each other from now on?”
Tifa makes sure to make her smile as innocent as possible-- he has no idea what he’s asking, and she’s not about to tell him. “It’s a promise,” she replies. “And I promise to try not to let my feelings get in the way of my mission anymore.”
Leon shakes his head. “Don’t be silly,” he replies. “You don’t have to change on our account. It’s good that you have something you still care about.” His eyes hold that serious look again. “You should trust what your heart tells you, Tifa. It’s pretty much the only thing that separates us from the things we’re fighting.”
His words are wise, but Tifa is still unsure. After all, if he knew she was fraternizing with one of their enemies, would he have given her the same advice? There is a plethora of questions she wants to ask him; so many things she wants to tell him, but in the end she only nods. “Thanks,” she says. “I’ll try not to forget that.”
“Good.” He seems embarrassed by the candor of his words, for he clears his throat. Suddenly he’s Leon again, his expression sharp and decisive. He rises from his chair, all business again.
“Now that we’ve settled that, let’s head out and help the--” His eyes suddenly settle on his forgotten cup of tea, which is now covered by an ever-growing mountain of sugar. “Oh, for-- when, you stupid thing! WHEN!”
Tifa ducks her head to hide her smile and hastily darts out the door.
Prompt: #17 - kHz (kilohertz) (for 30_kisses )
Fandom: Kingdom Hearts II
Characters/Pairings: Luxord/Tifa; Leon
Rating: G
Word Count: 1,673
Disclaimer: I don’t own Kingdom Hearts or any of the characters therein. They belong to Square and Disney, to whom I am eternally grateful for letting me play in their sandbox.
Summary: Despite her caution, Tifa’s recent behavior has not gone unnoticed by some of the members of the Restoration Committee.
Notes: Some of this will make more sense if you've watched Disney's The Sword in the Stone.
Tifa isn’t entirely surprised that Luxord hasn’t been foremost in her thoughts lately.
It seems as though every day brings new problems to deal with-- a sudden influx of Heartless here, a computer crash there; there was once a time when Cid had collaborated with Merlin in creating a device that would somehow repel Heartless from the town (it somehow involved sound frequencies, and anyway it hadn’t worked-- the device had malfunctioned and left everyone partially deaf for days).
In all the excitement and turmoil of protecting Hollow Bastion from more Heartless invasions, Tifa hardly has time to think about Luxord. Every so often, though, she finds herself missing his laugh, the occasional flash of mischief in his eyes; how generous he was with his kisses as if he were keeping score on how many he could steal.
But those are thoughts for another time. Tifa brushes Luxord from her mind as she pushes open the door to the Committee’s headquarters.
The house is deserted. Tifa hears the familiar hums and beeps of the computer at the corner of the room, but there’s no accompanying clacking of fingers on keys, and the lack of that distinctive sound is jarring. Even Merlin is nowhere to be seen. Leon is the only one still remaining, sitting at the table across from her.
Tifa closes the door cautiously. “Yuffie said you wanted to see me. Where is everyone?”
“I’ve already given everyone else their orders for the day,” Leon replies. “We’re having some problems with the Claymores again-- Cid’s in Ansem’s lab trying to figure it out. The others are trying to keep the Heartless population down until he can get the security system working properly again.”
“Ah.” Tifa shifts in place. “Do you have orders for me, then?”
Leon nods. “We’ll regroup with the others later. I figured we could have a little talk first.”
That phrase never boded well in any circumstance, and Tifa feels the beginnings of dread stir her stomach. “Okay,” she says slowly. “What, uh... what do you want to talk about?”
“Go ahead and sit down,” he replies. “Merlin made some tea-- would you like some?”
Tifa nods, and Leon pulls a rather large teapot from its place on one side of the table. Tifa sits across from him and watches as he pours a cup for her and then another one for himself.
“You still take milk and sugar, right?” Before Tifa can answer, Leon taps the side of his cup. Immediately the sugarbowl sitting at the far edge of the table springs to attention, grasping a spoon in one of its handles and hopping over to them. It pauses for a moment, turning this way and that, as if trying to figure out who to serve first.
The ghost of a smile is on Leon’s lips as he instructs the sugarbowl, “Ladies first.” The sugarbowl dutifully hops to Tifa and uses its other handle to lift its lid, proceeding to spoon enthusiastic helpings of sugar into Tifa’s cup.
“Say ‘when’,” Leon reminds her, his voice amused.
Tifa waits until Sugarboy has poured four spoonfuls before saying “when”, after which it makes its way over to Leon. Six spoonfuls and Sugarboy is dismissed, settling back in its usual spot amongst the rest of the teaset. They sit in silence for a while, sipping their tea.
“It’s good, right?” Leon asks. “Not too hot?”
Tifa shakes her head. “No, it’s just fine.”
He smiles. “That’s good.”
Tifa can sense that he’s agitated by something-- he won’t look at her; absently fiddles with the tablecloth. It’s making her nervous.
Leon suddenly sets his cup down with a sigh. “I guess we should just cut to the chase,” he declares. “I know what’s been going on with you these past few months.”
She feels her heart do something-- flutter. “What are you talking about?” she asks, careful to keep her voice free of any emotion. “There’s nothing going--”
Leon silences her with a firm shake of his head. “No, Tifa. That won’t work anymore. You’ve hidden it well enough from me before-- I didn’t even realize it until Aerith brought it to my attention.” He leans forward in his chair, his eyes serious. “Honestly, how long did you think you could keep it a secret? All the silence; the sneaking around-- you had to have known one of us’d figure it out sooner or later.”
Guilt twists Tifa’s insides. She lowers her head. What exactly had she been thinking? She’d never considered what her relationship with Luxord would mean for the Restoration Committee. How on earth could she have been so thoughtless; so foolish?
“I’m sorry,” she whispers. It’s really all she can say. “I... I can’t make excuses. I mean, obviously everything Aerith said is the truth.” Her teeth worry at her lower lip. “I’m so selfish-- I should have thought about how this would affect the others.” She finds she can’t look at him; she’s never felt so ashamed in her life. “Do you... do you think I’m a traitor?”
Leon is in the middle of pouring another cup of tea, and the sudden look of confusion he gives in response leaves her completely nonplused. “A traitor? Why would I think that? I don’t think there’s a single person here who doesn’t empathize with you. You miss him, don’t you?”
“I...” This isn’t how Tifa had envisioned this sort of conversation. She had expected more shouts, more accusations; more looks of betrayal. “Yes,” she says, her voice guarded. “I guess I do.”
Leon sinks back in his chair, apparently satisfied. He again summons Sugarboy with tap of his spoon. “I can’t believe he’d just disappear like that,” he says, shaking his head in disgust. “I mean, doesn’t he realize that we’re all a team here?”
For a moment, Tifa can barely comprehend. What is he talking about? she wonders. A team... with Luxord? Realization sinks into her stomach like a heavy weight. Cloud. Leon hasn’t been talking about Luxord at all-- he hasn’t even suspected. That feeling of guilt rises in her again, but now for a different reason.
Leon seems to take the sudden tightening of her body as an effort to quell her emotions. He sighs again.
“I guess this is the part where I go off on a tangent and say ‘you should have told us about your situation; maybe we could have helped you if you’d just let us in’ or something contrived like that. But... to be honest, I feel... I feel like it’s my fault for not noticing earlier.”
He reaches over, placing his hand over hers. It’s an awkward gesture-- she can tell he’s not entirely used to offering comfort.
“I’m sorry, Tifa,” he tells her. “I honestly didn’t know what you were going through. I was so absorbed in the bigger picture-- protecting the town; destroying the Heartless-- that I didn’t see how much you were hurting. How could I not see it? Of all people, I should know what it feels like to--”
He breaks off, presses his lips tightly together. When he speaks again, his voice is quiet. “What kind of a leader am I, if I can’t see the same pain in my teammates?”
Leon in love; Leon in mourning. She hadn’t really given it much thought before-- Leon has always struck her as the type not to let anything put a chink in his armor, despite losing just as much as she has. Seeing him this way makes him seem more vulnerable, more human.
Tifa’s heart aches for him, and before she even has time to think, her other hand is on top of his. “I’m sorry too,” she says. “You were always so closed off... I guess I just wasn’t thinking about how this must be affecting you too.” She gives his hand a squeeze. “You shouldn’t be so hard on yourself. You are a good leader. I can tell by the way you protect all of us-- how you worry about Sora and the others. For what it’s worth, I don’t think we could ask for a better commander.”
Her voice drops to a whisper. “Squall.”
A quick smile at her use of the forbidden name. It’s tinged with disapproval, but it’s clear her words have offered some comfort, no matter how small.
“Thanks, Tifa. I appreciate that.” He draws his hands away from hers. “What say we make a promise to be more open with each other from now on?”
Tifa makes sure to make her smile as innocent as possible-- he has no idea what he’s asking, and she’s not about to tell him. “It’s a promise,” she replies. “And I promise to try not to let my feelings get in the way of my mission anymore.”
Leon shakes his head. “Don’t be silly,” he replies. “You don’t have to change on our account. It’s good that you have something you still care about.” His eyes hold that serious look again. “You should trust what your heart tells you, Tifa. It’s pretty much the only thing that separates us from the things we’re fighting.”
His words are wise, but Tifa is still unsure. After all, if he knew she was fraternizing with one of their enemies, would he have given her the same advice? There is a plethora of questions she wants to ask him; so many things she wants to tell him, but in the end she only nods. “Thanks,” she says. “I’ll try not to forget that.”
“Good.” He seems embarrassed by the candor of his words, for he clears his throat. Suddenly he’s Leon again, his expression sharp and decisive. He rises from his chair, all business again.
“Now that we’ve settled that, let’s head out and help the--” His eyes suddenly settle on his forgotten cup of tea, which is now covered by an ever-growing mountain of sugar. “Oh, for-- when, you stupid thing! WHEN!”
Tifa ducks her head to hide her smile and hastily darts out the door.