[fic] 30_nights: Dawn
Prompt: 7 - First sunlight after the darkness
Title: Dawn
Fandom: Final Fantasy VII
Pairing: Rufus Shinra + Tifa Lockhart
Rating: PG
Summary: Wherein daylight brought more than warmth and comfort.
Disclaimer: Final Fantasy and all of its characters belong to Square-Enix.
Notes: It's amazing that I'm still writing off this pairing. And succeeding. Sort-of. Well, my brain's not bleeding yet. Anyway, I've always pictured this scene with another pairing but I guess... it fit them anyway. Sorta. Kinda. I feel the lack of inspiration on this one so there.
Dawn
Rufus Shinra had always felt at ease in the presence of the color white. It calmed him down. It soothed his nerves. It cooled his temper. He could feel comfort just upon gazing at the pristine color which represented everything pure and clean for him. It represented perfection. It represented control and order. It represented him. It was dictated upon his life.
However, at that moment, the immaculate white walls of the hospital didn't provide any comfort whatsoever to him. It only made his nerves jittery and anxious.
"Rufus, you're as pale as your suit. You need to calm down."
The younger man shot Reeve Tuesti a deadly glare over his shoulder as the two strode purposefully through the metal doors of the elevator, closely followed by the Turk, Rude. It had been a quiet trip from his new office to the hospital and an even quieter trip down th disinfectant-scented hallways. As much as he wanted to start lashing out on the nearest person next to him, Rufus reminded himself to keep his emotions at bay. Which was getting more and more difficult with each passing second.
"I am calm, Reeve," he spoke through gritted teeth, his hands clenching and unclenching. "But you cannot blame me for wanting to worry."
"Tifa will be all right. She is a strong woman. So stop panicking and don't worry."
The man's smile was reassuring and kind but it would take more than that to ease his nerves. Rufus dragged out another sigh, closing his blue eyes.
"I am not panicking." His voice was carefully even. "I do not panic."
of course he did not panic. At least, not in the presence of other people. Losing composure was not his style. Blowing up was not one of his habits. He was, after all, the man who never bled nor cried. With the situation at hand, perhaps anyone would've lost it. But not him, never him.
The small crowd they had found in the waiting area was certainly... interesting, he noted dryly. It seemed like the Dream Team was there, from Valentine to Wallace to Highwind, anxiously waiting for news about their friend. His blue eyes swept over them once, landing a split second longer on their blond leader, before he turned to Tseng, nodding at him wordlessly. It was just what his frazzled nerves needed more.
Perhaps his face bore traces of his emotions or perhaps it simply showed how tired he was, an explanation as to why Tseng managed to give him a slight, almost invisible smile. It was similar to Reeve's except he felt more at ease. The older Turk had been both his best friend and brother, although he'd rather shoot himself in the head than admit that.
He glanced at his watch. It was past midnight. "How long now?" It took all of his energy not to let his voice crack.
"Three hours since," Tseng answered in the same calm voice. "Perhaps you should rest, Sir. It would not help Miss Lockhart if you would worry yourself sick."
Rufus pressed his lips together, resuming his cold expression, as he took a seat on the nearest armchair. Everyone was giving him the same advice. Everyone was telling him the same thing. And he felt frustrated by it. Although their words were supposed to bring relief, a wave of concern washed over him and he tried to keep his composure like he did when Elena phoned him. He had thought that finishing his work for that day would calm his nerve down, control his senses before he turned to the pressing matters of Tifa Lockhart.
Throughout his entire life, he had tried to suppress everything human about him: his emotions, his expressions, his actions. He had pushed everything and everyone away; attachment would only pull him down. And yet he wondered how one girl, one insignificant girl, had managed to tear off his defenses and throw him off by simply asking trivial questions.
How Tifa Lockhart had managed to do those things, he never found out. Perhaps it was because of her nature or perhaps because of the scars she bore in the past. He never knew.
He was not sure how long he had been sitting there or since when he had dozed off; he had been too exhausted from his work. All he could remember was Tseng shaking his shoulders, calling his name quietly.
"Sir, it's regarding Miss Lockhart."
At the name, Rufus was quicker than he had ever been, rising to his feet and looking alert. His eyes momentarily glanced at his watch and noted the time. A little bit over 5. He was led to another set of hallways by Tseng until they reached a door leading to a ward perhaps. A doctor stood outside, speaking to Cloud Strife. As he walked past them, with neither a word nor glance, a hand caught his arm and Rufus found himself glaring back at the blond, annoyed that he was stopped in his tracks.
A faint smile lit up the spiky-haired swordsman. "Congratulations."
Perhaps it was out of defeat or simply out of civility. Rufus didn't bother to ask or say anything. He merely nodded slightly, his throat dry and constricted, and stepped inside the ward, dimly-lit, in his opinion, by the single flourescent lamp with the drapes pulled together. However, he could clearly see the group of people surrounding one bed, most of them looking quite excited that they didn't even notice him.
"Rufus? Where have you been? We've been waiting for you." It was a voice he hadn't heard for a while, a voice which brought relief and comfort to him for the first time that evening.
"I..."
"Come here and have a look at him."
Tifa, seated on the bed with a warm but tired smile on her lovely face, beckoned him, a bundle of white sheets in her arms. He wanted to ask if she was all right, if she was tired, if she should rest first but his curiosity managed to quell all those, forcing his legs to start moving on their own accord.
"Here." Without another word, Tifa carefully passed the white bundle in his arms, which he awkwardly took, laughing softly at his startled reaction. "Isn't he just the cutest thing?"
The 'thing' was asleep, a peaceful expression on his tiny face. There was a small tuff of pale hair on his forehead and he fought the urge to let out a laugh. Then again, never had he felt such an overwhelming mixture of emotions, one that could brought him to his knees. He wasn't sure how to call it but people, normal ones, called it happiness.
"Tifa..." he started, his throat finally letting him speak. "Have you decided on a name?"
The young woman nodded smilingly. "I was thinking of naming him after his father but is it okay, having another Rufus Shinra in the house?"
"I bet it'll just be trouble!" That dark-haired ninja from Wutai piped cheerily, bouncing right up to him to cuddle the baby. "Besides, he's far cuter than his dad!"
"Yuffie, your opinions as to whether who is cute or not is irrelevant."
"Eh?! Of course it is!"
Rufus drowned out the noise around him, his gaze trained on the baby in his arms. His baby. His son. He took a deep breath, the corner of his lips barely rising to a smile, as he reached out and touched Tifa's face. Perhaps now, he could finally relax and release himself for the sake of the future.
"Hey guys!" Reno had barged in, loudly as usual, followed by an exasperated Tseng, a meek Elena and an expressionless Rude. He suddenly stopped in his tracks and in mid-sentence, his eyes trained on their superior, his face a mixture of disbelief and amusement.
"The President's smiling!"
Title: Dawn
Fandom: Final Fantasy VII
Pairing: Rufus Shinra + Tifa Lockhart
Rating: PG
Summary: Wherein daylight brought more than warmth and comfort.
Disclaimer: Final Fantasy and all of its characters belong to Square-Enix.
Notes: It's amazing that I'm still writing off this pairing. And succeeding. Sort-of. Well, my brain's not bleeding yet. Anyway, I've always pictured this scene with another pairing but I guess... it fit them anyway. Sorta. Kinda. I feel the lack of inspiration on this one so there.
Dawn
Rufus Shinra had always felt at ease in the presence of the color white. It calmed him down. It soothed his nerves. It cooled his temper. He could feel comfort just upon gazing at the pristine color which represented everything pure and clean for him. It represented perfection. It represented control and order. It represented him. It was dictated upon his life.
However, at that moment, the immaculate white walls of the hospital didn't provide any comfort whatsoever to him. It only made his nerves jittery and anxious.
"Rufus, you're as pale as your suit. You need to calm down."
The younger man shot Reeve Tuesti a deadly glare over his shoulder as the two strode purposefully through the metal doors of the elevator, closely followed by the Turk, Rude. It had been a quiet trip from his new office to the hospital and an even quieter trip down th disinfectant-scented hallways. As much as he wanted to start lashing out on the nearest person next to him, Rufus reminded himself to keep his emotions at bay. Which was getting more and more difficult with each passing second.
"I am calm, Reeve," he spoke through gritted teeth, his hands clenching and unclenching. "But you cannot blame me for wanting to worry."
"Tifa will be all right. She is a strong woman. So stop panicking and don't worry."
The man's smile was reassuring and kind but it would take more than that to ease his nerves. Rufus dragged out another sigh, closing his blue eyes.
"I am not panicking." His voice was carefully even. "I do not panic."
of course he did not panic. At least, not in the presence of other people. Losing composure was not his style. Blowing up was not one of his habits. He was, after all, the man who never bled nor cried. With the situation at hand, perhaps anyone would've lost it. But not him, never him.
The small crowd they had found in the waiting area was certainly... interesting, he noted dryly. It seemed like the Dream Team was there, from Valentine to Wallace to Highwind, anxiously waiting for news about their friend. His blue eyes swept over them once, landing a split second longer on their blond leader, before he turned to Tseng, nodding at him wordlessly. It was just what his frazzled nerves needed more.
Perhaps his face bore traces of his emotions or perhaps it simply showed how tired he was, an explanation as to why Tseng managed to give him a slight, almost invisible smile. It was similar to Reeve's except he felt more at ease. The older Turk had been both his best friend and brother, although he'd rather shoot himself in the head than admit that.
He glanced at his watch. It was past midnight. "How long now?" It took all of his energy not to let his voice crack.
"Three hours since," Tseng answered in the same calm voice. "Perhaps you should rest, Sir. It would not help Miss Lockhart if you would worry yourself sick."
Rufus pressed his lips together, resuming his cold expression, as he took a seat on the nearest armchair. Everyone was giving him the same advice. Everyone was telling him the same thing. And he felt frustrated by it. Although their words were supposed to bring relief, a wave of concern washed over him and he tried to keep his composure like he did when Elena phoned him. He had thought that finishing his work for that day would calm his nerve down, control his senses before he turned to the pressing matters of Tifa Lockhart.
Throughout his entire life, he had tried to suppress everything human about him: his emotions, his expressions, his actions. He had pushed everything and everyone away; attachment would only pull him down. And yet he wondered how one girl, one insignificant girl, had managed to tear off his defenses and throw him off by simply asking trivial questions.
How Tifa Lockhart had managed to do those things, he never found out. Perhaps it was because of her nature or perhaps because of the scars she bore in the past. He never knew.
He was not sure how long he had been sitting there or since when he had dozed off; he had been too exhausted from his work. All he could remember was Tseng shaking his shoulders, calling his name quietly.
"Sir, it's regarding Miss Lockhart."
At the name, Rufus was quicker than he had ever been, rising to his feet and looking alert. His eyes momentarily glanced at his watch and noted the time. A little bit over 5. He was led to another set of hallways by Tseng until they reached a door leading to a ward perhaps. A doctor stood outside, speaking to Cloud Strife. As he walked past them, with neither a word nor glance, a hand caught his arm and Rufus found himself glaring back at the blond, annoyed that he was stopped in his tracks.
A faint smile lit up the spiky-haired swordsman. "Congratulations."
Perhaps it was out of defeat or simply out of civility. Rufus didn't bother to ask or say anything. He merely nodded slightly, his throat dry and constricted, and stepped inside the ward, dimly-lit, in his opinion, by the single flourescent lamp with the drapes pulled together. However, he could clearly see the group of people surrounding one bed, most of them looking quite excited that they didn't even notice him.
"Rufus? Where have you been? We've been waiting for you." It was a voice he hadn't heard for a while, a voice which brought relief and comfort to him for the first time that evening.
"I..."
"Come here and have a look at him."
Tifa, seated on the bed with a warm but tired smile on her lovely face, beckoned him, a bundle of white sheets in her arms. He wanted to ask if she was all right, if she was tired, if she should rest first but his curiosity managed to quell all those, forcing his legs to start moving on their own accord.
"Here." Without another word, Tifa carefully passed the white bundle in his arms, which he awkwardly took, laughing softly at his startled reaction. "Isn't he just the cutest thing?"
The 'thing' was asleep, a peaceful expression on his tiny face. There was a small tuff of pale hair on his forehead and he fought the urge to let out a laugh. Then again, never had he felt such an overwhelming mixture of emotions, one that could brought him to his knees. He wasn't sure how to call it but people, normal ones, called it happiness.
"Tifa..." he started, his throat finally letting him speak. "Have you decided on a name?"
The young woman nodded smilingly. "I was thinking of naming him after his father but is it okay, having another Rufus Shinra in the house?"
"I bet it'll just be trouble!" That dark-haired ninja from Wutai piped cheerily, bouncing right up to him to cuddle the baby. "Besides, he's far cuter than his dad!"
"Yuffie, your opinions as to whether who is cute or not is irrelevant."
"Eh?! Of course it is!"
Rufus drowned out the noise around him, his gaze trained on the baby in his arms. His baby. His son. He took a deep breath, the corner of his lips barely rising to a smile, as he reached out and touched Tifa's face. Perhaps now, he could finally relax and release himself for the sake of the future.
"Hey guys!" Reno had barged in, loudly as usual, followed by an exasperated Tseng, a meek Elena and an expressionless Rude. He suddenly stopped in his tracks and in mid-sentence, his eyes trained on their superior, his face a mixture of disbelief and amusement.
"The President's smiling!"