A/N : A Demyx x Aerith as requested by Crimson Kaoru and Princess of the Knight. To be honest I wasn't really excited about writing the couple at first, but once I got the inspiration for it and decided to go with the flow LE GASP! I actually fell in love with the idea of Demith/Daerith(?)! O.o
I'm also semi-happy happy with the way this turned out. & that's saying a lot since I usually am (almost) never happy with the way my fics turn out.
Well, except for the ending. –shudders-
I was totally listening to "My Name is Love" by Amy Diamond while writing this, which is the cutest song EVER. I highly recommend it.
Disclaimer: -sighs- That would be wishful thinking on my part.
Heartprism
» (Coreopsis : Always cheerful)
"Do you like me?" The words had left him unintentionally, his shoulders tensing up a second later. He froze up, solid, angular, and unmoving, as though he was carving himself from wood or stone. A statue of a teenaged boy with a shock of blonde hair styled in a mullet and bright aqua depths that could not be held responsible for his (its) actions. He sat perfectly still for a moment, watching her, every detail vivid: she was on her knees, her long brown braid swinging as she leaned in to plant bulbs and annuals in the flower beds she made, and he was immediately struck by the way the light traveled across her skin, her hair, as she moved in and out of shadow, by the refined nature of everything she did.
To put it simply, he was completely enamored by her.
"I'm sorry?" Her lips were like two quivering blushing petals, and when she spoke her voice was like tinkling silver bells and hot chocolate. It broke him out of his trance instantaneously as he straightened once again and fidgeted ungainly on the spot. Lush caramel lashes fluttered dexterously against rosy-hued cheeks as she lifted her head and met his eyes in a collision course of emeralds and sapphires head-on; the young woman looked clearly taken aback. Her china-doll face echoed his blatant confusion as she tilted her head to one side in that trade mark way of hers, and he gulped quite visibly.
"Do you like me?" he repeated softly. "I mean, really. Do you like me, or do you let me spend time with you and tolerate my company because you have to?" Demyx grinned albeit a bit half-heartedly as some shimmer of light flickered across those unique oceanic spheres of his as if reminiscing over yesterdays that had become mere faded photographs suspended in time. A bad memory, perhaps. She noticed the falter in his voice, the way he licked his lips uncertainly, and the glimmer of sadness just beyond the surface of his seemingly permanently etched cheerful façade, but gave no indication of it.
She simply smiled up at him; it was a radiant smile. "I like you," Aerith said, honestly.
Demyx hesitated for a moment, then forced himself to say it. "Would you miss me?"
She tucked a wayward lock of chestnut hair behind the flush of a delicately sculpted ear as she gave him a bemused look. "Am I missing something here? I mean, what is all this abo--" Demyx pressed a finger against her lips to stop the words, shushing her. The blonde shook his head vigorously before fixing her with a puppy-dog pout.
"You can't answer a question with another question!" Demyx wagged a finger at her disapprovingly, the playful humor reflecting in his eyes and causing the brunette to let out a light-hearted giggle in response. "I mean, would you miss me if I went away?"
"Of course I would," she said patiently.
Demyx ducked his head in order to avoid her eyes. "I'll miss you too," he murmured quietly.
She blinked in a rather dazed fashion, genuinely confused. "What?"
He exhaled faintly, aqua-blue irises flickering off to the side and focusing on something invisible that she could not see. "I'm going somewhere, far, far away," he sounded guilty, "I'm sorry."
"Oh," she said simply. Aerith fingered the silken petals of a blossom, handling the flower with utmost care as it was held delicately by the stem with the drooping leaf and coiled bud that would one day unfurl and bloom beautifully for all to see in falling beams of sunlight. It was a pale lavender in color, and she inhaled the floral scent gingerly, concluding that it smelled lovely. Her head was down, eyes thoughtful, the hollows of her pretty face left in shadow; her wispy bangs flounced in her face like a brown halo as she shook her head, troubled, and Demyx resisted the urge to reach over and brush it away.
She smiled a small, sad smile. "I'm sorry too. It seems like everyone's leaving."
For a moment, neither of them said anything.
"Hey, cheer up. Please don't be sad. After all we still have today, right? Let's make the best of it," he said cheerfully, but when her gaze glimmered up to meet his in a brief connection he trailed off into a dumb stupor, not knowing what else to say.
What could he do to make today a day she would never forget?
Better yet, what could he possibly do to leave such an amazing impression on a somebody with a heart as beautiful as hers, and at the same time, assure himself that he'd never ever be forgotten?
His face lifted slightly to peek at her through the feathery strands of blonde hair that had swept across his eyes. A sharp twinge of pain smarted like a sting deep in his chest in the empty cavity where his heart should be as he unhappily noted the drop of melancholy gleaming in her brilliant forest green irises. For a moment, he seemed to have joined her in her sadness, his expression clouding up and then, an instant later, clearing.
In a sudden burst of clarity, he snapped his fingers and let out an overly exuberant, "Aha!"
The flower girl looked up at him uncertainly.
Demyx's sitar appeared in a sudden vortex of darkness. His lips quirked into the beginnings of a prideful grin as he took in the amazed expression on her face. All the while keeping an eye on her, the musician wasted no time in beginning to play.
The song was a joyful one with the slightest tinge of sadness underlacing the beautiful melody. It soothed him, the music, in a way that nothing else did. The notes were right there, and then the next and the next. The harmonious stream of sounds drifted on the wind working like a modern-day lullaby as he concentrated solely on the composition, pouring everything he had into it. Suddenly he was caught up in a daze, lost in time, space, and sound; he was only focused on the music he was bringing to life with the fluid movements of his hands on the chords. He entered another plane where his hands seemed to move automatically, liquid notes suddenly forming and dancing in mid-air all around them.
It began to rain.
The once pure azure sky began to darken. Translucent raindrops began to fall fast, racing for gold and acting as prisms on the wind reflecting reverse silhouette and the clouds broke apart to show off the bright jewel-toned streaks that sprayed across the sky: red, dark blue, gold. Golden-hued eyelashes closed gently as electric blue eyes closed briefly. Seemingly ordinary sunlight in a myriad of pink and orange swirls warmed his face in a wash of ruby-red, and when he opened his eyes again all the world was alit with this glorious rainbow-bright glow. The rain continued to fall, reflecting brilliant afternoon light and color that began to shift, alive, on every surface.
"It's like being in the middle of a disco," she said in awe, half matter-of-fact, half enchanted, long shafts of the rainbow-spectrum moving on his arms, her own smooth porcelain skin. Her dark amber tresses tinted with sherry, tied back in a long braid, brushed low against her back. And suddenly she had discarded her thick brown gloves and tools and risen to her feet, and then she was moving with fluid steps that marked the earth as she executed a perfect pirouette on nimble feet. Her shoulders were lean and delicate, and as she began to gain more confidence in her own skin, and she moved faster, dancing with a careful grace, like cherry blossoms in the midst of their descent and bubbling down to decorate the budding green grasses below.
Demyx grinned happily, sapphire irises dancing with a mischievous inner light as he watched her. "It gets better," he promised.
The sky became a blur, everything meshing together as if nothing mattered, nothing at all except the way they laughed, the way they she twirled round and round like a dancer and he watched her unwind like a cherry ribbon against the wind as he continued to strum the strings on his sitar with ebony-gloved fingertips effortlessly like he was merely breathing. When he reached the end and stopped, his blue eyes fluttered closed again, letting the notes gradually fade away into the air.
Everything slowed, until the whole world was caught in this single hovering moment. He stood very still, waiting to see what would happen next.
For a few seconds, nothing at all.
Then she turned, slowly, and smoothed down her blush-pink dress.
A simple gesture, yet it set the world back in motion.
Demyx looked at her then, her flushed skin, the happiness she could no longer contain shining through her smile. "So . . ." he started anxiously, "What did ya think?"
Her wide green orbs stared up at him, sparkling with moisture. "Oh Demyx," she murmured softly, "The song, the rain, everything . . . it was absolutely beautiful."
His face brightened considerably. "I'm glad. That really means a lot, especially coming from you."
Before he knew it, she was standing on tip-toe, pressing her petal-pink lips against his. It was innocent, genuine and sweet, and over far too quickly. When she pulled away, smiling sweetly all the while, he was speechless.
Aerith took his hand in hers then, pressing a delicate yellow bloom into it much to his surprise. His round blue eyes examined the slightly curved petals and its warm brown center incredulously, mindful enough to handle to delicate plant with care; as the long green stem was caressed by long, slender fingers, he twirled it about idly, meeting her sparkling peridot gaze curiously.
"It's a Coreopsis," she told him. "To remember me by."
Demyx found himself smiling in pure glee, both charmed and flattered at the exact same time. "O-oh uh, wow. Thanks." He scratched the back of his head, trying to fight back the awkward blush that threatened to turn his entire face a dark shade of crimson.
Her happy expression fell slightly. "You don't like it?"
"No! It's not that at all I mean it's pretty and I really, really like it." Reaching out and brushing his fingers against her wrist lightly, he caught both of her dainty hands with his. It was electric, just like the dim crackle of anticipation you could feel in the currents of the air, and her pale apple cheeks stained a pretty shade of pink as he leaned down, their faces close. He said, seriously, "The thing is I don't really need it."
"Why is that?" she inquired softly, moving her head close so their foreheads touched.
He leaned down and kissed her then, gently on the lips. She let him, encouraged it even, with a tiny giggle in the back of her throat.
Demyx's grin didn't fade as he pulled back. If anything, it grew wider. "Because I could never forget you."
From that day on, Aerith Gainsborough had more than one reason to love the rain.