Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts, its characters or storyline. These ditties are mine, as are Duke and McCallister. Andrea is mine too. Enjoy!
..:-X-:..
082 – Panic Attack
One second Tifa was fine, but the next, all the color had fled from her face and her eyes were impossibly wide. Leon did a little double-take at the transformation and gripped her shoulder.
"Tifa?" He asked, startled at the unexpected panic in her eyes.
"Dizzy." She choked out, doubling over.
"Whoa, hey, easy." He kept his hold on her arm, letting her lean forward to grip her knees.
"What's—" She gasped, hyperventilating.
It looked like a random panic attack had gripped her. Leon couldn't figure out what had triggered it, but she looked on the verge of throwing up.
"I need—down—" She managed.
"Okay." He helped her ease onto the couch, where she leaned forward, elbows on her knees.
He awkwardly sat beside her. Anxious perspiration had broken across her forehead and he grunted, picking up the bottle of water and unscrewing it.
"Sorry." Tifa babbled, trembling as she tried to stop overbreathing.
"You're all right." Leon offered, turning the bottle of water over a nearby hand towel and holding the towel against the back of her neck. "Relax and try to breathe through it."
"Never—had a—panic attack—before." She stammered.
"It'll pass." He studied her face for a moment. "In and out. In and out."
She reached up and took the towel from her neck and held it to her face. He gave her knee a light squeeze, keeping contact to anchor her to reality.
"In." He offered, and she inhaled with him. "Out."
She exhaled in a rush and coughed lightly. "Sorry." She apologized again.
"It's okay." He shook his head. "Just in and out."
He repeated the litany and just sat with her until her breathing came back under control.
..:-X-:..
083 – I Scream, You Scream
Rain was lashing against the windows. Thunder was rumbling through the walls. The power had been out in the apartment for two hours. All they had for light was a few candles. And Duke would not stop howling.
"Duke, shut up!" Leon grumbled for the umpteenth time.
"She's scared. Dogs typically don't like storms." Tifa said, trying to eat all the ice cream from the fridge before it all melted.
"It's just thunder." Leon kept talking to the dog. "It's not going to hurt you."
Duke just howled louder.
"And she doesn't understand your fancy human talk." Tifa talked around a mouthful of rocky road.
Leon glared from across the candlelit coffee table at her and lifted up the carton of ice cream she'd roped him into helping her eat before it melted. "What could one woman possibly need three gallons of ice cream for?"
Tifa turned her chin up at him. "Emergencies."
He rolled his eyes and dropped the carton to the coffee table, mumbling something about not even liking ice cream as he got up and walked over to Duke, who was barking madly at the window.
"C'mere." He hooked his fingers under her collar, tugging her toward the couch. "If you hate the storm so much, why are you staring out the window at it?"
"Because she is a dog and therefore does not know any better." Tifa said, pointing with her spoon. "Now finish up that vanilla ice cream before it melts."
Leon gave her a lax expression and promptly set the carton in front of Duke, who sniffed at it and was interrupted from her howling as she started licking at the ice cream. He dropped back into the recliner and gave Tifa a smug look.
Tifa stuffed her spoon in the rocky road and shoved it at him. "Fine, then you can finish THIS one while I get started on the strawberry ice cream."
He groaned but took it, glaring daggers at her as she fetched the strawberry and started in on it.
It wouldn't be until a thousand calories and a belly ache later that Tifa would get the gumption to tease him about their 'dinner by candlelight', regardless of how unconventional it was.
..:-X-:..
084 - Wedding Part Two
"There she is." Tifa fidgeted as the bridal party arrived to the reception hall.
"Duh, she's the bride." Leon said sarcastically.
"Watch the attitude." She quipped, tapping on the table where they were sitting.
"Hey, YOU dragged ME here, which means I get to be as surly as I want." He grumbled.
"Fine, fine, surly away." She said, watching Andrea but not moving.
Leon looked from Tifa, to the bride, and back to Tifa. "So…are you apologizing via telepathy?"
"Shut up." She said, voice tight. "I hate apologizing. Especially when it wasn't my fault." She sounded like she was steeling herself for this reunion.
Leon sighed and sat back, glancing toward this Andrea person. "What did you two have this big fight about?"
"I don't want to talk about it." She said tersely.
"Oh, well, then good luck smoothing things over by beating around the bush." He rolled his eyes.
"Tifa Lockhart, is that you?"
"Oh crap…" Tifa muttered as she stood. "Andrea, hi!"
"My gosh, it's so good to see you!" Andrea squealed, pulling Tifa into a hug.
"Nice to see you too." Tifa awkwardly hugged her back. "Congratulations!"
"Thank you so much! Richard is my knight in shining armor!" Andrea flitted a hand to her heart in a way that made Leon absolutely nauseas.
"That's wonderful." Tifa sounded equally disturbed.
"How have you been? Found anyone…new?" There was a bizarre pause at the end of that.
"Er—" Tifa stammered.
"Oh, well, you're focusing on your career." Geez, this woman was a piranha.
"Actually, I'd like you to meet Leon." Tifa gestured, conveniently leaving out the 'just a friend' bit.
Andrea looked shocked. "Really? Oh…Nice to meet you." She smiled…the perfect fake.
Leon offered a corner-of-the-mouth smirk. "Same here."
Why Tifa felt the urge to reconcile with this woman, he would never know.
Leon watched her as she and newly named Mrs. Lookit-My-Expensive-Dress started that awkward make-up conversation. As the two women took a few steps away from the main party to have their moment, he sighed and glanced around the crowd.
"I'll just…wait here then." He muttered to no one in particular.
This was NOT worth the Traverse Town favor he owed her.
(…to be continued…)
..:-X-:..
A/N 084: Inspired by life. I went to several weddings this past year, and oh my applesauce, if I am asked one more time if I have a boyfriend, I will squirt lemon juice in someone's eye.
