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kinkfestTitle: Bury Your Nightmare
Author: eerian_sadow
Rating: PG
Warnings: worksafe; brief mentions of assault and possession
Prompt: Feb 14 Final Fantasy X-2, Nooj/Paine: memories - shadows of the past
Word Count: 419
Summary: they met for drinks and left with something more
A/N: I had no idea how this would turn out until about 2200 local time. In fact, I hadn’t even started it until then. If I had plans for it when I picked up the prompt, they were long gone by the time I managed to start on the fic. Then things just fell together in my head and I had the finished product in about half an hour. I’m pleased with the overall result.
They were sitting over drinks at a bar they knew in a town no one else did. They had mugs of beer set out in front of them; the beer was more appropriate to who they were than Baralai’s sake would ever be. They had been at their table at their table for two hours—and three rounds—but he still wouldn’t look her in the eyes.
“Nooj,” she finally said. “Something’s bothering you.”
He shook his head, still not meeting her gaze. “There’s nothing bothering me.”
“Yes. There is.” She laid a black-gloved hand over his flesh one. “I know you too well for you to be able to hide the signs from me.”
He sighed, a sound of weariness and giving in. “Every time I look at you, I see you lying on the road, covered in blood. I see all three of you like that.”
“Don’t let it bother you.” Her tone sounded cavalier and uncaring even to her own ears. “I mean, if I’ve learned one thing after all this mess, its that dwelling on the past will make you crazy.”
“See, that’s what I mean, Paine.” He finally met her eyes, and she flinches at the naked hurt she saw there. “I think it already has.”
She wrapped her hand around his in support, something she never would have been able to do after his betrayal/possession, but before Yuna and Rikku. “If you’re crazy, so am I.”
“I’m serious!” He pulled his hand out of her grasp and stood up, obviously meaning to leave the table.
“So am I,” she told him calmly. “If dwelling in the past for the last several years has made you crazy, it has me too. For a long time, I couldn’t sleep at night without seeing you coming at me with that gun in your hands. Its hard not to see it right now.”
Her gaze was steady as she looked at him. “But I can’t keep running from the shadows in our past. Its over, and we know the truth now.”
“And the truth will set us free?” He couldn’t disguise the bitterness in his voice.
“Free? No. But it will help us move on. Maybe even heal.”
“Heal? I don’t think people like me are allowed to heal.”
She rose from her own seat, and moved over to him. Carefully, she wrapped him in a hug. “If you won’t let your wound heal, then at least let me forgive you.”
Tentatively, he returned her embrace. “I’ll…try.”
Author: eerian_sadow
Rating: PG
Warnings: worksafe; brief mentions of assault and possession
Prompt: Feb 14 Final Fantasy X-2, Nooj/Paine: memories - shadows of the past
Word Count: 419
Summary: they met for drinks and left with something more
A/N: I had no idea how this would turn out until about 2200 local time. In fact, I hadn’t even started it until then. If I had plans for it when I picked up the prompt, they were long gone by the time I managed to start on the fic. Then things just fell together in my head and I had the finished product in about half an hour. I’m pleased with the overall result.
They were sitting over drinks at a bar they knew in a town no one else did. They had mugs of beer set out in front of them; the beer was more appropriate to who they were than Baralai’s sake would ever be. They had been at their table at their table for two hours—and three rounds—but he still wouldn’t look her in the eyes.
“Nooj,” she finally said. “Something’s bothering you.”
He shook his head, still not meeting her gaze. “There’s nothing bothering me.”
“Yes. There is.” She laid a black-gloved hand over his flesh one. “I know you too well for you to be able to hide the signs from me.”
He sighed, a sound of weariness and giving in. “Every time I look at you, I see you lying on the road, covered in blood. I see all three of you like that.”
“Don’t let it bother you.” Her tone sounded cavalier and uncaring even to her own ears. “I mean, if I’ve learned one thing after all this mess, its that dwelling on the past will make you crazy.”
“See, that’s what I mean, Paine.” He finally met her eyes, and she flinches at the naked hurt she saw there. “I think it already has.”
She wrapped her hand around his in support, something she never would have been able to do after his betrayal/possession, but before Yuna and Rikku. “If you’re crazy, so am I.”
“I’m serious!” He pulled his hand out of her grasp and stood up, obviously meaning to leave the table.
“So am I,” she told him calmly. “If dwelling in the past for the last several years has made you crazy, it has me too. For a long time, I couldn’t sleep at night without seeing you coming at me with that gun in your hands. Its hard not to see it right now.”
Her gaze was steady as she looked at him. “But I can’t keep running from the shadows in our past. Its over, and we know the truth now.”
“And the truth will set us free?” He couldn’t disguise the bitterness in his voice.
“Free? No. But it will help us move on. Maybe even heal.”
“Heal? I don’t think people like me are allowed to heal.”
She rose from her own seat, and moved over to him. Carefully, she wrapped him in a hug. “If you won’t let your wound heal, then at least let me forgive you.”
Tentatively, he returned her embrace. “I’ll…try.”
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no subject
Date: 2008-02-15 04:57 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-02-15 05:23 am (UTC)YAY~!!!
Date: 2008-04-30 05:56 pm (UTC)I LOVED this!!
Nooj/Paine is one of my FAVORITES!!!
*is joining this community* ^___^
Re: YAY~!!!
Date: 2008-05-01 04:53 am (UTC)nooj/paine is one of my favorite pairings too, so i jumped at the opportunity to write this prompt.
i'm glad that i've inspired you to come play with us.