Daddy Dearest
Subject: Kingdom Hearts Series
Inspiration: Track 02, "Move" from the "Solanin Original Soundtrack feat. ent"
Originally Written: Monday, May 03, 2010 140AM
Huzzah! Still going! -dancey dance- Think this chapter's kinda short. Yay for one scene chapters!
"You want to go help your friends, then go help you friends already."
Tidus slowly made his way down the hall, stretching, holding in a yawn. There wasn't an extra bed in Wakka's house, so Wakka took the floor and let Tidus have his bed. He was awesome.
"Stop staring at me like that!" Wakka's house was one floor. For two siblings that was all that was needed. Tidus shuffled in his everyday outfit, save for his slippers from last night. He saw Wakka talking to another red-orange haired male sitting in a wheelchair.
"I know that Chappu."
Tidus stopped, not wanting to intrude. Chappu. Wakka's younger brother. It's been just them for as long as Tidus could remember. Their mother died during childbirth when Chappu was born. Chappu got sucker punched too, being a preemie. The end result was Chappu's weak immune system. Their father died of illness shortly after Chappu was born.
Chappu was a lover of surfing. He had bonded with the sea almost as soon as he discovered it. The sea had also paralyzed him from the waist down in a freak surfing accident. Still, occasionally you could find Chappu staring longingly at the sea on the beachside. Wakka wouldn't let him near it anymore.
"You sure don't act like it." Tidus watched Chappu fold his arms. Wakka sighed, staring down at him. "Stop it Wakka." Wakka continued on. Tidus nearly laughed. Chappu tapped a hand against his leg. "...I don't miss mom because I don't remember anything about her. I don't miss dad because I was too young to be affected by his death. And quite frankly I don't want either of them." Tidus leaned up against the wall, knowing exactly where this was going. This wasn't the first time Wakka and Chappu had a spat like this with each other. "Why do you have to smother me Wakka?"
Wakka sighed and shook his head.
"I'm a paraplegic, not an invalid Wakka. Kairi called yesterday. She convinced her father to let me stay over there while you guys were busy supporting each other." Tidus looked up at Wakka who was blinking confused. Chappu wheeled on by Tidus, nodding his head. "Good morning Tidus. Hope you got some sleep."
Tidus nodded in return, wishing he was able to. The only time he got sleep was when he was too tired to stay awake anymore. Which was just about every 24 hours or so. He certainly didn't have the stamina of the others. He figured the only person with less stamina than him, at the moment, was Selphie.
Tidus walked up to Wakka with a slight smile. The two of them high fived. Tidus grinned, "Chappu growing up some more?" Wakka just gave him a look.
"You didn't sleep a wink did ya?" Tidus shrugged, rubbing his eyes. "You can't keep going on like this, man."
"I'll be fine." Tidus looked up at Wakka smiling. Wakka shook his head, noting the bags under Tidus' eyes. He wondered if when Tidus went to sleep and dreamed, he was actually getting any rest. Tidus placed a hand on Wakka's shoulder. "You're gonna hit me for this, but..." Tidus took a breath, "He's not gonna die Wakka."
It was a second reflex, the way Wakka's fist shot out and hit Tidus' stomach. Tidus leaned up against the wall, gasping sharply and falling to his knees. Wakka just glared at him, his arm shaking. There was a common rule between Tidus and Wakka that only they knew. DO. NOT. Mention. Wakka's fear.
Wakka wasn't even sure why he had this fear. Where it came from. He had no other fear concerning death besides this one, not even including his own. He also had no fears of being left completely alone. And he revealed a while back that he wasn't even afraid of the ocean taking his brother as the reason why he didn't let Chappu by it. He just...didn't want Chappu to die. He was fine until someone, like say, Tidus, brought it up. Then he went absolutely nuts. So he kept this fear to himself and Tidus, when the boy bothered him about it.
Tidus just didn't understand. Wakka didn't expect him to either. Shuyin was too busy wooing and fucking Lenne to even care about Tidus and Tidus' dad might as well be an alcoholic or just short of invisible. If a teacher asked Tidus to write an essay on family, Tidus would probably wind up writing about his friends instead.
Tidus looked up at Wakka, "He isn't." Tidus coughed, holding his stomach. Wakka's fist clenched again.
"You don't know that."
"He'll be fine 'cause you don't let him live enough to even scrape a knee anymore Wakka."
Wakka hit Tidus again. This time Tidus fell to the floor, "Shut. Up." Wakka walked past Tidus a few steps before turning back and helping him up. "Sorry man." He mumbled.
"It's cool." Tidus just smiled at him. If they were going to help Sora with Jenova, they'd need this kind of strength. Wakka leaned Tidus up against the wall, before walking back to the kitchen. Tidus slid down the wall rubbing his stomach. He was still trying to regain lost air. Tidus just snickered when Wakka returned with an ice pack. He half wanted to tell Wakka, "Don't ever change."
Notes
-hopes I got at least either Wakka or Chappu in character there.- I never played FFX and never want to if the plot and gameplay monstrosity known as FFX-2 has anything to say about it, but when it comes to Chappu, the wiki says Wakka's a bit of a "mother hen on steroids" and Chappu just wants him to be his brother and cut the shit out.
I chose Chappu's condition because the guy's supposed to be dead. Like dead before FFX even started. Similar to how I'll only mention Shuyin and Lenne in this story. I made the sea injure him because if I remember what I read correctly, that's where his crushed (?) body was found. More like on the "beach/rocks" but still, close enough. Wakka's fear of Chappu dying also stems from this, but don't tell Wakka that. He probably wouldn't believe you anyway.