[189 - Poker Face] High Stakes

[obabscribbler.livejournal.com]

Challenge: [189 - Poker Face]
Title: High Stakes
Word Count: 596
Notes: These two live in my brain and play darts with my synapses and pieces of broken glass, I swear.

 

“It’s not as bad as it looks. Honest.” Yuffie refused to bite her lip. Since it looked like something from a nightmare, that still only brought it to ‘damn awful’. She breathed though her mouth because the smell of blood clogged her nostrils and made her gorge rise. You knew it was bad if even the ninja wanted to hurl.

 

Leon said nothing. His breathing was sharp and shallow, like each breath hurt but he was too stubborn to admit it. His eyes were closed, his face the grey of wet cardboard, and despite the cold he glistened with sweat. He might even have fainted, but she doubted it. He was too obstinate to fade out that easily.

 

Yuffie’s internal Worry-o-Meter usually didn’t stir until Things Black and Wriggly were actually up in her grill. Between them, she and Leon had already defeated the Heartless ambush, but it wasn’t until her post-battle victory boogie that the needle ratcheted into the red zone. The true extent of Leon’s injuries made it stay there.

 

“You look shit,” she said pleasantly. “Is that the fashion now?” She waited. “Squall?”

 

No answer.

 

His chest seemed horribly still.

 

Oh no.

 

Moving someone who’d nearly had their arm ripped off by falling boulders (and had shattered his femur and several ribs) was a bad idea. Yuffie knew that. She wasn’t, like, a total idiot. Flighty, sure. Capricious? Whatever. Yadda-yadda-yadda. But idiot? No way. You didn’t survive nine years fighting a war against the Black and Wrigglies if you were an idiot.

 

“Squall?”

 

A blue slit appeared. Just one eye, but it was enough. “S’Leon.”

 

Yuffie could’ve cheered – would’ve, too, if moving hadn’t meant a long drop with a short stop at the bottom of the cliff. Damn unlucky, being attacked so far away from Hollow Bastion. Worse luck that had made the ledge collapse beneath them like that. Karma was obviously having an off day – or else had stored up all those times Aerith’s baking ‘mysteriously’ went missing in Traverse Town, and was repaying Yuffie in one lump sum.

 

Yuffie had bound the tourniquet as best she knew how. Consequently, it looked like papier-mâché – if the liquid part of the mixture was red kool aid. She tried not to think about the bone fragments poking through the mess of fabric and mangled tissue. She tried even harder to forget the strips of torn flesh were Leon’s. Leon was Mr. Indestructible. Captain Crusader. The Don of Defenders. Guardian of Goodness. Champion of the Oppressed, Needy and Those Who Liked Wearing Leather Pants Even in Summer. Leon was too… Leon for even the Heartless to kill. Nine years and counting, baby! No way could a bunch of crummy rocks do what Ansem, Maleficent, Sephiroth and Organisation XIII could not.

 

Except time was running out, and no matter how stubborn, heroic, or just plain cool he was, Leon was still human. His human body could only take so much punishment. This had pushed it to its limits – possibly beyond.

 

Yuffie knew it. So not an idiot.

 

Aerith, where are you? Say you saw the flare. Find us soon. Please.

 

Leon had spent the last nine years perfecting a look so blank it made an empty sheet of paper look crowded. It’d become his default expression. His features slipped into it even though it was obviously a struggle just staying conscious.

 

Yuffie grinned back. His poker face was good, but hers was better. To look at her, you could almost believe everything really would be okay. “Wanna play I-Spy?”

 

His blink was slow. “Sumthin’ beginnin’ with… ‘R’.”

Comments

[greedchan.livejournal.com]

God, this was great. :3
Yuffie’s internal Worry-o-Meter usually didn’t stir until Things Black and Wriggly were actually up in her grill.
This made me giggle a little bit. xD
I also enjoyed the conclusion. It made me smile, despite his condition. <3 Good job~~

[obabscribbler.livejournal.com]

Yuffie always manages to sound devil-may-care even when things look darjest. I think that might be why I love he so much - I want some of her positivity.

Thank for your kind comment. I'm all squggly with happiness that the conclusion didn't sound too cliche.

[fated-bliss.livejournal.com]

Aha, I knew it! Leon can never be out of the equation when it comes to 'poker face' ;)

Did I ever mention how much I love the way you write and how well you portray the Hollow Bastion cast? This piece was excellent! <3

[obabscribbler.livejournal.com]

It's a term coined for his personal usage. ;)

*blinks* Wow, what a lovely comment. Thank you!

[breathless-dawn.livejournal.com]

Your Yuffie voice here was fantastic! I love this pairing, and you write them really well.

Great drabble, even though it had me worried sick about Leon the whole time ;) Adding to mems.

[obabscribbler.livejournal.com]

... Mems?

*squish* Thank you. I love them too, though they seem to be a Marmite pairing - you either love them or hate them.

[iki-teru.livejournal.com]

Hrhetcjf I beyond adore the way you write these two. And what a stunning take on the challenge!

[obabscribbler.livejournal.com]

Thank you. Actually, this didn't start out as a response to this challenge at all. It was meant to be your prize-drabble, but it metamorphosed.