© Lexiter Jackson 2003
The Miracle
I've never seen you looking so lovely As you did tonight
I've never seen you shine so bright
~ Chris de Burgh – Lady In Red
A world of un-world, destroying what I touch, a mix of grey, and no feeling. I dunno if this is hell, pergatory or heaven, but it's fucking boring. Nobody to talk to but myself gets pretty lame, y'know? Take it from me, I am pretty annoying. I should know, I've been trapped here for...a day? Week? Year? I don't know, there is no time here. Just...me. Get me out. Please?
Auron stiffened, his eye flashing around the camp, looking for the source of his alarm. A scream. Who? Him, of course. He sat up, the light blanket slipping off his bare torso. The fire had burnt down to its last embers, but Auron didn't pay that any attention, because He was in trouble. Thrown into some nightmare's grip, thrashing about as if he'd been Beserked. Auron glanced to his left and saw that the other hadn't woken. Clambering out of the blanket, Auron crept to His side.
He had a bare chest, as always, but his dark, easy-going face was screwed up in a rictus of despair. Auron was about to place a hand on the other's shoulder to wake him when he said something.
'Auron...make it stop...'
The words were spoken with such pain that Auron stopped in surprise, then gripped his shoulder.
'Huh?' The man shot up, startled out of the dream, his hand searching for the hilt of his sword, only to find Auron squatting by the fire, stoking it up again.
'Auron?' The man blinked the last of sleep from his eyes and ran a large hand through his thick black hair. 'What happened?'
Auron appeared to pay him no attention, his face a passive, unreadable mask. 'You...were having a bad dream, Jecht. I woke you.'
Jecht blinked, then nodded, coming out of the blankets and stretching. 'Thanks.' He came and sat next to Auron, far enough away so as not to intrude on his personal space. Silence reigned between the two, as Auron completed his task and sat down. Both stared into the fire; Auron lost in his own world and Jecht lost in his.
'What...what was it about?'
Jecht was startled out of his reverie by the words from the usually silent guardian. 'Huh?'
'The nightmare. What was it about?'
Jecht returned to staring at the fire. He didn't want to think about it. 'What, you worried 'bout me now, Auron?'
Auron sighed inwardly. 'Yes, if you want the truth.'
Jecht grinned slightly. 'Wow, you my friend now?' He glanced over at the other. Nope, couldn't resist the tease. His grin grew slightly. 'Or more?'
Auron blinked, but that was the only reaction Jecht got. Or, rather, all that Auron let him see. 'No, but if this is going to affect how you act...'
'Then you wanna know now instead of in the middle of somethin' importent, right?' Jecht snorted. 'Loosen up, Auron! One little teensy nightmare ain't gonna do nothin' to my judgement! If they did then I'd have lost all my blitzball games!'
Auron grunted, obviously not satisfied, but knowing that he wasn't – shouldn't have expected to, really – going to get any more then that out of Jecht. 'So, what was it about?'
Jecht sighed. 'Ya don't give up, do ya?' A slight shake of the head and a wry smile was all he got. Jecht sighed again, and ran a hand through his hair again, trying to buy time while staring at Auron. He noticed that the other guardian was – for once, did the guy sleep in that armor? – minus the chest plate he always wore. He was only in his black trousers, and his hair had the 'I've just got out of bed and I'm not happy about it' look, half of it trailing out of the ponytail. Jecht was mesmerised by the way he blinked, staring into the white core of the fire, waiting for his reply. The way that the fire played with his face, seeming to bring out the heat that Jecht knew lay just beneath the surface.
Wow, he cocked his head slightly, Didn't know he was that well muscled. And the hair makes him look...cute? Naw. Hey, this is not the time to be thinking this! Get yer eyes back in and stop drooling, Jecht!
Auron, feeling eyes watching him, glanced up at the other and frowned slightly when he saw that Jecht had his head cocked slightly and was...scrutinising him, his dark brown, almost black eyes calmly taking him in. As usual, Jecht was half naked, although he had removed the arm and leg armor for the night. His chest and back both bore more scars since he'd come to Spira, but Auron could tell that the brash blitzballer had...changed. Not by any massive degree, of course, but enough. Jecht was deeper, more open then before, and although it appeared that he didn't at times, Jecht now thought of the consequences before he did anything. The shoopuf had taught him that.
Despite himself, Auron chuckled slightly at the memory.
Jecht smiled slightly as well. 'Whatcher laughin' 'bout?'
Auron shook his head. 'The shoopuf.'
Jecht grimaced. 'Oh yeah. I hope it's okay.'
Auron nodded. 'Probably is.'
Jecht sighed. 'Auron?'
'Yes?'
Jecht took a breath. 'Can you answer me somethin'?'
Auron shrugged. 'Depends what that something is. Anything to do with my sake jug and the answer's no.'
Jecht drew a leg up to his chest and grinned. 'Naw, nothin' to do with that. I said I ain't gonna touch the stuff again, and I ain't gonna. No, I meant somethin' else, if it ain't too private.'
Auron sighed. One of those questions. How the hell did this loudmouth asshole of a blitz player get him to talk? 'If it isn't private, then go on.'
Jecht smiled slightly. 'Right. How come you don't talk to me much?'
Uh-oh. 'I don't to anyone much.'
Jecht shook his head. 'That ain't what I meant. Oh, how the hell do I put this?' Jecht ran a hand through his hair, and a black lock fell onto his forehead. Auron found himself fixated with it as Jecht frowned into the fire. 'You used to talk to me loads, even if it was to call me a drunken bastard. Now, it's more like...well, like you talk at me, not to me.'
Auron mentally winced, not daring to bring his eyes to meet those of the other's. He could feel that Jecht had been thinking of this for a while. Auron looked into the fire.
'Is it cause I upset ya or somethin'? Cause if I did, well, I'm sorry.'
Auron stared into the flames, to Braska, still fast asleep, to the stars above, anything to try and put the answer off.
'Hey, Auron, you even listening to me? Auron!'
I don't know, Jecht. I don't honestly know. That's what Auron wanted to tell Jecht. All I know is that when you're around, I feel like everything is alright with the world, that Braska won't die, that Sin doesn't exist, and every time you're hurt I feel like my life has just been torn away. And I don't understand it.
Auron was snapped out of his musings by a rough hand on his shoulder, shaking him.
'Auron!'
Auron looked round to find that Jecht was squatting down beside him, a worried expression carved onto his rugged features. The worry dissolved into a worried frown.
'Auron, why're you cryin'?'
Auron raised a shaky hand, touching his face. Yes, there was wetness on his cheeks. He looked up at Jecht, and Jecht had never seen such a lost expression on his face.
'I-I'm sorry.' The words were barely whispered and Auron got to his feet and ran into the darkness.
Jecht stared after him. Auron had looked lost and confused as he'd stared into the fire, but the thing that had made Jecht worry had been when he'd seen tears track their way down Auron's normally passive face.
Jecht glanced at Braska, and saw that he was still asleep...with Auron's huge blade lying beside him.
'Shit!' Jecht shot up, grabbing the sword that Auron had given him. He ran in the direction that Auron had gone in, peering through the darkness. Jecht knew how good Auron was at swordsmanship – hell, he had been watching him with his tongue hanging out for long enough – but Jecht didn't think he'd do too well without it.
'Auron!' His voice echoed through the trees of crystal, the sound refracted and reflected back to him. Stopping for a second, Jecht cocked his head on the side, desperatly listening for any sound other then the singing of the crystals and the sound of an odd fiend wondering about.
There! The sound of someone stumbling, not too far from him. And...a cry of pain, accompanied by the roar of a fiend.
Jecht threw himself through the distance, skidding into the small clearing to find a fiend advancing towards Auron – his Auron – with obvious intent to make him the next meal. Auron was pushing himself away from the fiend, his face contorted with pain and fear.
'AURON!' Jecht roared, throwing himself at the fiend. The first blow glanced off it, but it certainly felt the second. It screamed, turning to face this new assailent.
'Come an' get me, bastard!' Jecht snarled, swiping his sword down and bringing the other hand up in the 'Bring it' sign. The fiend roared, charging towards Jecht. Jecht threw himself out of the way, rolled and stood up again in one smooth movement. 'That th' best ya can do?' He charged the fiend, bringing the sword up through the fiend's underbelly then slamming it back down. The fiend shrieked, collapsing into a flurry of pyreflies.
Jecht wasn't interested in the show, however, as his eyes focused elsewhere.
He strode over to Auron, dropping his sword and rooting around for a potion.
'Drink.' He ordered, giving it to Auron. Auron didn't say anything, refusing to look at Jecht as he took the potion and drank it. Jecht watched him as various unnamed emotions warred across his face, a strange sight as Jecht had started to think that Auron had no emotions.
'Right.' Jecht started as soon as Auron had pulled the bottle away from his lips. 'Yer're in no condition to run, so you are gonna sit there and tell me why the hell you decided to run off in the middle of the night with nothin' but a pair of slacks fer protection.'
Auron took a deep breath, but before he could speak Jecht held up a finger. 'An' I want no excuse like "None of your concern" or none of that shit. You ain't been talking to me, an' I wanna know why. An' you,' he poked Auron in the chest 'ain't goin' anywhere before you tell me.' With that, Jecht crossed his arms and glared at Auron.
Auron sighed. Well, he was in pretty much a very tight corner. 'I don't know.'
Jecht was about to start another tirade but Auron's simple answer stopped him.
'Waddaya mean ya don't know?' Jecht was starting to get suspicious now. Not talking to him, refusing to make much if any eye contact, refusing even to sit near him...
'Exactly that. I don't know. I was...scared.'
Scared? Auron? Now Jecht really was confused. 'Scared of what?' He almost whispered it, but Auron heard.
'I...don't...know.'
Jecht's eyes widened as it suddenly clicked. 'You're...in love...with me?'
Auron was looking at the ground. 'Now you put it that way, yes.'
Jecht suddenly smiled, not his self-assured, lady-killer smile, but a genuinly happy one. Leaning over, he placed a finger under Auron's chin, pulling it up and towards him. 'Oh, Auron.' Auron met his gaze. 'And here I thought you were straight and I ain't got a chance.' With that, Jecht placed a chaste kiss on Auron's lips. At least, it would have been chaste if Auron hadn't placed his hands on Jecht's shoulders and pushed his tongue into Jecht's mouth, making the blitzer smile as he pushed Auron onto the ground.
Finally breaking for air, Auron looked up at Jecht. 'Thank you.'
Jecht frowned slightly. 'For what?'
'For this.'
Auron pulled Jecht down for another one of those kisses that he was really starting to like.
I...did it. You're free. So am I, now. I fulfilled my promise, so I'm going home now. You should have been there. Your son is quite remarkable, just like you.
I'll be joining you soon. It's...nice, knowing I won't be alone throughout eternity.
You'd damn well better be waiting for me, blitz-boy. And you, Braska.
~ Owari ~
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Wow, dunno where all that came from. Please bear in mind I'm in a fluff mood (yes, Lj gets fluffy too) it's about three in the morning, I've just spent a day in the sun and had a *does speechmarks thing with fingers* "few" pints too. Ah well, that's me for ya!
Jus' so you ain't confused, this all takes place in Macalania Woods.
Disclaimer: Auron, Jecht (the fittist guys in FFX including Tidus) and Braska is NOT MINE *cries* so ner. Neither are the lyrics featured in the beginning. They belong to Chris de Burgh. Ner!!!!!
~Lj~
