Title: A Helping Tail
Characters/Pairings: Zidane, Freya
Genre: Humor
Rating: PG
Words: 690
Summary: When chivalry isn't dead, but should be...
Notes: In-game. Prompt: #32 Help, #52 Noon
"Why don't I-"
"No."
"Let me just-"
"No."
Zidane was feeling frustrated. He held his hands out helplessly in front of him, shadowing Freya as she limped heavily on her lance. Every stumble she made had him jumping like a startled cactuar, every deep gasp had him curling his tail in knots. His skin itched irritably. If only she wasn't so...if only she'd stop being...
"Freya..." he cajoled, whined even.
"No!" Freya paused to wipe the sweat from her brow. The dry grasslands of the forgotten continent stretched far, sloping up and down until they hit the sea. The sun beat the earth. Every step brought a new patch of blood on Freya's tunic, which made her swear viciously. Her temper was tapering to a thin line, barely a thread of self control. She did not need Zidane's fucking chivalry.
"I don't know Freya, I think you're tiring yourself out wastefully," Zidane said, switching tactics and trying to appeal to her sense of duty. "You're no good dead on your feet. If you'd just let me–"
"No! I said fucking no!" Freya burst out. She swung at him with her spear, though her attempt was a poor one; the weapon wobbled in its slow arc, easily missing Zidane by feet. She cursed as suddenly her balance was affected, and she stumbled on her feet, trying to drag the heavy lance up.
A cool hand wrapped around hers for a moment and then suddenly the lance was righted. Before she could bite his hand–and from the look on her face, Freya looked angry enough to try anything–Zidane withdrew and watched her with silent concentration.
Leaning heavily on her make shift crutch, Freya closed her eyes and concentrated on taking a couple of breaths. In and out. In and out. Silence filled her head with peaceful bliss, allowing her to gather her thoughts slowly and carefully.
After a long moment, Zidane spoke up.
"Maybe we shouldn't have gone out to train."
Like that, Freya snapped. With a cry, she barreled towards him, knocking him down more with the force of her weight than her strength. They tumbled to the ground with a thud and the world burst into colors behind Freya's eye lids.
When next she roused, Freya found herself being carried awkwardly on Zidane's back, her spear tucked beneath his arm. He was whistling cheerful, his tail entwined around her ankle.
Freya briefly considered struggling with him, than decided against it. She was much too tired, too weak. However, that didn't mean she had to be cordial.
"You bastard," Freya hissed, though it came out more as a croak.
"A helpful one, maybe," Zidane retorted instantly. She could hear the smile in his voice. "How come you wouldn't let me carry you before?"
Freya mumbled something in his tunic.
"...what?" Zidane's pace slowed.
Freya hissed again, then said "...just because I haven't been with you lately on your romps through Gaia doesn't mean I need coddling. I've fought in worse conditions then this. I don't need your help."
They walked in silence for awhile as Zidane contemplated this. The rhythmic footfalls and the soft shush of Zidane's breathing nearly lulled Freya to sleep before he spoke up again.
"You probably don't."
Freya lifted her head from his shoulder. She hadn't even realized she had put it there. "...what?" she said groggily.
"You probably don't need my help," Zidane said, and there was a quietness to his voice that had some part of Freya's brain pay close attention. "That doesn't mean you don't deserve it."
Freya said nothing.
The walked in silence for a long time until the pointed tips of their group's tents peaked over the crest of the hill. Freya shook herself awake from a dose to find her tail wrapped around Zidane's bicep. She unwound it carefully.
Suddenly Zidane chuckled.
"What?" Freya muttered.
"Amarant is never going to let this go."
The only warning Zidane had was a sudden stiffening in Freya's body before he found himself once again pressed intimately into the ground.
Zidane only wished his love life was this interesting.
