Final Fantasy VII: Aeris/Tifa
Title: Sunlit Memory
Author: forgottenlover
Rating: G
Warnings: None really. Talking?
Word count: 731
Summary: Aeris was thinking of the past.
Note: This came out far far more fluffy-sad and less sexy than I intended, but I hope you like it anyway!
Sometimes, it really hurt to look at Aeris.
Never when the woman knew she was looking, of course. In fact, if she knew anyone was looking, she would do her very best to be lighthearted for them, happy, chipper even. Those times, of course, the look of her wasn't the kind that tended to inspire heartache.
But… not when she thought she was alone. Like now.
Aeris, beautiful woman that she was, had her face turned up towards the sun, eyes closed, and she looked unbearably sad. And that… well, the look didn't suit Aeris at all. Still, even though the look of her was disheartening, she didn't want to change it. Not right now. She didn't want to be able to see the falsity behind a smile if the woman were to be disturbed before she was ready.
So she watched, waited, and knew the exact moment that Aeris chose to admit that she'd noticed her. Her shoulders eased back her posture relaxed, and she turned her head as she opened her eyes to look at her. "You don't have to hide all the way over there you know."
"I know. Aeris…" She paused, having, until the last few days, thought Aeris immune to the perpetual melancholy that permeated so many in the group. Steps light and careful, she moved to the other woman's side. "What could make you look so sad on a day like today?"
When she looked to her again, she had a quietly thoughtful look on her face. "I was just remembering someone. He was my boyfriend a few years ago… but I haven't seen him in a very long time. Sometimes, bright days like this make me think of him because he really was a very happy person. A very, very happy person."
The emphasis placed on the third very was only highlighted by the wry smile that lit on the other woman's lips, and she couldn't help but giving a small smile back to her. "I don't know, happy people don't tend to want the people they left behind to be constantly sad about them. Not that you are, but I've caught you at this more than once you know."
Her words managed to get a small, soft laugh, and that was enough to ease a tight clench that had built in her chest of late. "No wonder you've been so worried about me. Yes, I've seen that too Tifa. You've seen me, I've seen you, so I think we can stop going around in circles chasing each other's tails that way."
"That way?" She felt herself raising her eyebrows, able to think of very few other ways that could be interpreted and uncertain if it was the right course at all to take to try to lighten the mood.
"Yes, that way. You do have a very nice tail you know. As long as I'm not chasing it for the wrong thing, I think I'd have a ball doing it." While the earlier sadness wasn't quite gone, it was certainly washed mostly away. It was good to see Aeris' smile when so genuine.
"I suppose I'd be willing to try that. But do you mean the tail that I'm thinking you're meaning now?"
The response was a slight waggle of eyebrows, the last of the sadness flickering away as the smaller woman shifted over, resting a delicate hand firmly and without even a single qualm on the other woman's backside. "Oh, I don't know, which tail did you think I was thinking of?"
Yes, that was certainly straightforward. Which was good, because she had enough people out to confuse her already, and she didn't need more than one. Besides, Aeris' hand felt rather nice right there. "I'm not too terribly sure. Do you suppose we could think of a few other ways to check?"
Hesitating only a moment, she mirrored the gesture on her, a bit more cautious than her green-eyed companion about it, but just as straightforward. "Oh I don't know, I think we have it nicely figured out, don't you?"
And with that, she knew that the sadness had passed. Which just meant that Aeris was in the here and now so she better pay better attention. "Yes, yes I do."
Because if she didn't pay attention, she might miss an important chance… and she really didn't want to do that.
Author: forgottenlover
Rating: G
Warnings: None really. Talking?
Word count: 731
Summary: Aeris was thinking of the past.
Note: This came out far far more fluffy-sad and less sexy than I intended, but I hope you like it anyway!
Sometimes, it really hurt to look at Aeris.
Never when the woman knew she was looking, of course. In fact, if she knew anyone was looking, she would do her very best to be lighthearted for them, happy, chipper even. Those times, of course, the look of her wasn't the kind that tended to inspire heartache.
But… not when she thought she was alone. Like now.
Aeris, beautiful woman that she was, had her face turned up towards the sun, eyes closed, and she looked unbearably sad. And that… well, the look didn't suit Aeris at all. Still, even though the look of her was disheartening, she didn't want to change it. Not right now. She didn't want to be able to see the falsity behind a smile if the woman were to be disturbed before she was ready.
So she watched, waited, and knew the exact moment that Aeris chose to admit that she'd noticed her. Her shoulders eased back her posture relaxed, and she turned her head as she opened her eyes to look at her. "You don't have to hide all the way over there you know."
"I know. Aeris…" She paused, having, until the last few days, thought Aeris immune to the perpetual melancholy that permeated so many in the group. Steps light and careful, she moved to the other woman's side. "What could make you look so sad on a day like today?"
When she looked to her again, she had a quietly thoughtful look on her face. "I was just remembering someone. He was my boyfriend a few years ago… but I haven't seen him in a very long time. Sometimes, bright days like this make me think of him because he really was a very happy person. A very, very happy person."
The emphasis placed on the third very was only highlighted by the wry smile that lit on the other woman's lips, and she couldn't help but giving a small smile back to her. "I don't know, happy people don't tend to want the people they left behind to be constantly sad about them. Not that you are, but I've caught you at this more than once you know."
Her words managed to get a small, soft laugh, and that was enough to ease a tight clench that had built in her chest of late. "No wonder you've been so worried about me. Yes, I've seen that too Tifa. You've seen me, I've seen you, so I think we can stop going around in circles chasing each other's tails that way."
"That way?" She felt herself raising her eyebrows, able to think of very few other ways that could be interpreted and uncertain if it was the right course at all to take to try to lighten the mood.
"Yes, that way. You do have a very nice tail you know. As long as I'm not chasing it for the wrong thing, I think I'd have a ball doing it." While the earlier sadness wasn't quite gone, it was certainly washed mostly away. It was good to see Aeris' smile when so genuine.
"I suppose I'd be willing to try that. But do you mean the tail that I'm thinking you're meaning now?"
The response was a slight waggle of eyebrows, the last of the sadness flickering away as the smaller woman shifted over, resting a delicate hand firmly and without even a single qualm on the other woman's backside. "Oh, I don't know, which tail did you think I was thinking of?"
Yes, that was certainly straightforward. Which was good, because she had enough people out to confuse her already, and she didn't need more than one. Besides, Aeris' hand felt rather nice right there. "I'm not too terribly sure. Do you suppose we could think of a few other ways to check?"
Hesitating only a moment, she mirrored the gesture on her, a bit more cautious than her green-eyed companion about it, but just as straightforward. "Oh I don't know, I think we have it nicely figured out, don't you?"
And with that, she knew that the sadness had passed. Which just meant that Aeris was in the here and now so she better pay better attention. "Yes, yes I do."
Because if she didn't pay attention, she might miss an important chance… and she really didn't want to do that.