http://leatheredlion.livejournal.com/ ([identity profile] leatheredlion.livejournal.com) wrote in [community profile] shiva_dancing_backup2009-04-25 01:29 am

(no subject)

Who: Fran, Balthier, Squall
When: Day
Where: Fisherman’s Horizon
What: Fighting the Heartless
Rating: PG-13



With his attention mainly on the SeeDs' well being, Balthier shot at the few Heartless in front of him. Fisherman's Horizon was far too close to Balamb Garden for it to be safe enough to be overrun with Heartless. The pirates and the SeeDs had departed for a fairly standard clean-up mission, under Squall's orders. Keeping an eye on the others around him, Balthier shot the Heartless closest, barely breaking a sweat.

Fran stood a short distance away from Balthier, striking down Heartless after Heartless down with her arrows, clawing those that came too close to her. So far is was a simple mission.

Balthier took a few steps back, glancing at Fran. "Status report, Fran." It simply meant he wanted to know how she was doing. The SeeDs, however, seemed to be struggling along.

Fran readied another arrow on the bowstring. "Status... good." She fired the arrow into one the black fiends. "And you?" She asked, not taking her eyes off the battle.

"Adequate." He answered, shooting off a few of the Heartless. As he did so, one of the SeeDs let out a blood-curdling scream. Balthier looked over, eyes widening at the sight of the man being ravaged by Heartless. The pirate ran over, using his gun and his hand to pull the Heartless from the man, battering their blackened brains in. His stomach lurched at the man's appearance. He was gutted; a gaping wound where his heart should be. Balthier growled, slamming his fist into the ground, unaware of the large group of Heartless closing in on him.

Fran spun on her heel at the sound of the scream, taking her eyes off her own battle. A Heartless swiped sharp claws across the back of her leg, causing her to hiss out in pain, she grabbed one of the arrows, driving it with her hand through the head of the beast. "Balthier! Be careful!!" She called out to him, firing more arrows at the Heartless closing in on her.

Her words weren't a quick enough warning for the pirate. He was instantly pinned to the ground with various little black creatures gnashing and clawing at him. Balthier fought off as many as possible, hissing as a series of scratches crossed his face and other claws began to tug at his armoured shirt.

"Balthier!!!" Fran cried out. She fired more arrows at the Heartless crowding her, before beginning to work her way through the black mass of fiends towards Balthier, kicking and clawing her way through.

With a grunt, he shoved off a larger Heartless, only to be taken back down by several smaller ones. His skin was stinging with cuts and bleeding profusely but he tried desperately to fight them back, only to be overcome by more and more each time.

Fran continued to claw her way through the Heartless, frantically trying to get to Balthier. She gave a growl of frustration, concentrating her magicks to cast a strong Holy spell over the blackness.

Balthier was fighting them off well, to begin with, until one of them sank their teeth into his throat. At that, his blood began to come out faster from his wounds and he passed out on the ground.

Fran cleared out the Heartless as best as she could, before dropping onto her knees beside Balthier. "Balthier! Don't you dare die on me! Not here, not now!!" She hissed, casting Cura over him.

His breathing was shallow and the Heartless had torn open his shirts, leaving claw marks all over his body and the beginning of a deep wound over his heart. At the Cura, his smaller scratches and cuts started healing but he didn't bat an eyelid.

Fran hissed more and grabbed Balthier, shaking him a little. "Goddamn it Balthier!! You open those eyes right now or Hyne help me I will... I'll... ..." She cast more curative magicks over him.

After a moment more, a gasp came from him and he blinked his eyes a few times, before beginning to cough, eyes watering at the pain. "Nghh..."

Fran brushed her thumb over Balthier's cheek, letting out a shaky sigh. "W-well... hello there..." She whispered, voice shaky, worried.

Shifting to sit up and falling dizzy, he groaned, grasping at the gaping wound on his chest that bled a lot still. "Hnn..." He wasn't really able to form words through his gasps, wheezes and coughs of pain but he gripped her wrist in reply.

Fran kept her eyes on him, casting more magicks over him. "We should get you out of here... I cannot tend to your injuries properly here..."

Balthier nodded slightly. "The... nnh... SeeDs...?" He was sure one was dead but they'd brought a group. He needed to be sure they weren't all gone.

"They are fine." Fran lied. There had been more casualties, some fatal. The other SeeDs were tending to their fallen comrades.

Balthier wheezed in pain before just closing his eyes. "Nhh..." He was unable to really move himself after the horrifying ways the Heartless had tore into him.

Fran continued to cast her magicks over him, tracing her fingers over his chest. "Do not close your eyes..."

Balthier blinked a few times before just closing his eyes again. A couple of SeeDs came to Fran, crouching at Balthier's side. "We'll help you get him on your airship... we should return to Balamb Garden."

Fran gave a nod and pushed herself to her feet. "I thank you." She picked up Balthier's gun and torn armoured shirt. "What is the total death toll?"

The SeeDs lifted the unconscious pirate, carrying him carefully towards the Strahl. "Five. It's just under half of us... there's only seven of our squad left..."

Fran gave a soft sigh. "I am sorry. I cannot begin to imagine the loss you must be feeling." She murmured as she walked towards the Strahl.

"It hurts... we've all been together so long... but our twelve was once a thirty. The Heartless have taken us down to nothing... we'll avenge them by bringing down the Heartless." The two young fighters carried Balthier aboard the Strahl, setting him down on the bed.

"I am sorry." Fran repeated, ear twitching. "Squall must be very proud of you all. Of your dedication. We will win this war. Somehow we will win."

The SeeDs nodded once. "We will. For our fallen friends, for Commander Leonhart... for Gaia." At that, they left, leaving Fran to make her own time back to Balamb.

Fran settled Balthier as best as she could. She cast more magicks over him, spreading a potion over his chest. "Don't you dare die on me while I'm piloting the Strahl. Do you hear me?"

"Nnhh..." He grumbled a little, batting at her face unintentionally, shifting on the bed. It seemed he just wanted to sleep, not exactly die...

Fran leaned in to kiss his head, before moving to the cockpit, instantly moving tot he captain's seat, setting a course for Balamb Garden. Within seconds, she had the Strahl in the air and on the way home.

Through the ride back, the pirate's gradually got better, to the point of him being conscious but a little delirious. Blinking a few times, he rolled onto his side, facing the wall rather than the room, recalling his dream. Fran and Krja, mourning his death. It'd been dreadful and had brought up some horrible thoughts and ideas in him.

Fran landed the Strahl, switching the power to the engines off she stood and made her way back to the bedroom to check on Balthier.

The pirate stared at the inside of his eyelids, his bare back shown to his lover as his chest and face continued to lightly bleed, despite the magicks.

Fran knelt on the bed behind him, stroking his back lightly. "Balthier... we are back at Balamb Garden..." She frowned a little. "We have to get you to the infirmary."

Balthier nudged her hand away. "I am fine. Leave me to rest." His voice was quiet and quite pained as he spoke, his body tensing at her touch.

"You are not fine." Fran murmured. "You are still bleeding. You need medial treatment. The doctor here will be able to give you proper pain relief..."

"Let me rest." He repeated, wriggling to lay on his chest, ignoring the pain of it. His dependency on Fran... it needed to stop. She would be far too heartbroken if he died.

"Do not be stubborn..." Fran sighed, touching his shoulder. "Balthier... please... you need to be treated. Do not make me drag you."

"I am fine, Fran. Just go and inform Squall of the mission. I can take care of myself." His words were rather harsh and spoken coldly as he jerked away from her hand.

Fran swallowed hard, taken back by his actions. She shifted to move of the bed. "As you wish..." She replied, trying not to let her hurt show.

Balthier swallowed just as heavily, refusing to give in to his emotions and look back at her. He would wait until she left the room before he tended himself, even though he really wasn't in any condition to do so.

Fran curled her hands into fists, claws cutting into her palms slightly. "I shall report back later... captain." She murmured, voice oozing with distaste, as she exited the ship.

As soon as she left, he shifted to his knees, head clouded and woozy. He shakily cast another Cure over himself before shifting off the bed and moving unsteadily to the bathroom, cleaning his wounds and wrapping his chest with bandages. His face, however, remained an obvious sign of battle, with the gradually healing cuts and scratches.

Some minutes later Squall entered the Strahl, moving to stand against the doorframe of the bathroom. "You were supposed to come back uninjured. That was the promise." He murmured, watching Balthier for a moment.

Pointing at Squall to silence him, he almost glared at the teen. "Do not even start, Leonhart." He practically snapped, soon lowered that hand to work on his bandages a little more. They weren't nearly tight enough.

Unfazed by the glare, Squall crossed the bathroom, removing his gloves as he walked. He stopped beside Balthier, swatting his hands away. "Those bandages will be off before you even reach the bed." He unwrapped them all completely, before starting to dress the wounds from scratch. "We lost five." He spoke as he worked on the bandages.

"I expected as much. I know when Fran is lying." He held his hands on his head, allowing Squall to wrap the bandages tighter. He refused to say anything else, for fear of letting slip what was running through his mind.

"I am sure she thought you had enough to worry about with your own injuries." Squall commented, pulling the bandages tight and securing them.

"Nhh..." He winced at the pull to the bandages but soon just lowered his arms as soon as he was secured. The pirate half drank a potion before using the rest on his arms and face, focusing on the bite on his neck.

"Bed. Now. You need to rest. The best place for you would be the infirmary, but since Fran says you are too stubborn to go there, the bed will have to do."

"Go back to your desk and think on your own troubles, boy. I've no time for orders." He walked past Squall, moving to the wardrobe in aims of getting a shirt.

Squall grabbed Balthier's arm, pressing his fingers hard against a particularly bad scratch. "I said bed. Now."

Yanking his arm away, he gave Squall a look of warning. "Leave my ship if you wish to order someone around."

"I will let the attitude slide, considering the circumstances." Squall replied, folding his arms across his chest.

"How gallant of you." His sarcasm tasted bitter as he left the room, heading to the cockpit in order of just getting away from having to face things.

Squall growled slightly and followed. "Look, I know you're in pain and I know you came close to death, but damn it Balthier! That does not give you the right to treat people like crap!! Especially Fran!!"

"You have no idea what you speak on! Leave my ship. Now!!" He slammed his fist against the button to open the door, the steps dropping open. "You've no blood relation relying on you nor a lover whom you actually damn well care for! When you have to face your mortality with a child in your equation, speak to me then!!"

"I have no blood relation because the fucking Heartless destroyed him, or maybe you forgot that part!" Squall gritted his teeth. "If you care so damn much about Fran and Krja, then why the fuck is Fran sat in my office trying her hardest not to cry because you shut her out?!"

Balthier gritted his teeth, looking away from the teen. "You wouldn't understand." With those words said, he moved away, back to the bedroom. He was tired of talking. Tired of everything.

Squall once more followed, leanign his back against the doorframe. "Wouldn't understand what, Balthier? I'm not a clueless little kid. Talk to me."

The pirate lay back on his bed, folding his arms under his head and staring up at the skylight, watching the skies. "Fran will outlive me. This much we've come to accept... but with... nhh... forget it." He shook his head a little, letting his eyes close.

Squall let his head fall forward, hair falling into his eyes, hiding them from view. "You are worried about how Fran and Krja will cope when you die." He stated simply.

Balthier shifted to lay on his side, his back to Squall as he remained silent, pulling the blanket up over his head.

"It is a natural fear, considering the Veira lifespan is some three times that of our own." Squall spoke with a sense of maturity that he usually lacked in Balthier's presence. "But are your fears worth pushing them away? Because that is what you are doing."

"Go away!" He answered in a rather childish way; a way he usually suppressed with Squall in range. The pirate huffed and pulled the blanket tighter.

Squall moved over to the bed and sat on the edge. "You fear what may become of them after your demise. Do you fear Fran growing old alone or maybe you fear her finding new love?" He clicked his tongue against his teeth. "If you love her, then cherish the time you have together."

"You just never stop, do you?" He huffed again, pushing back on the bed to nudge Squall off, becoming rather childish now.

Squall landed on the floor in a heap, letting out a soft growl. "Do you really wish me to leave? To walk out and leave you to wallow in self pity? You're young, you have years of life left in you yet!"

"I've been shot, stabbed, bitten, clawed, I've crashed, I've been in fires, I've been hung... Squall, it is only a matter of time before one of these acts catches me." He sighed heavily, wriggling to lay on his chest, wincing.

"So what now then? You give up piracy? You give up everything you've known to llive in a protective box? Sure... you might be alive for longer, but is it really living?"

Balthier just sighed softly now, rubbing at his eye as he felt a few tears then. He knew his fears were irrational... it didn't get rid of the pain at the very idea of leaving Fran and Krja alone in the world.

Squall frowned and moved around to Balthier's side of the bed, pulling him into a hug. "Talk to her. Tell her how you feel. Otherwise this misunderstanding will blow up into something big and you'll lose her."

Balthier buried his face in Squall's shoulder, sniffling slightly and sighing very shakily, trying hard not to let out his emotions by crying.

Squall threaded his fingers through Balthier's hair, brushing bare fingertips against his scalp. "It is okay to cry, you know?"

"Tell yourself that first." He mumbled, just as a teenager having a tantrum would do so. He huffed a little, curling his arms around Squall.

Squall continued to pet Balthier's hair. "I've lost some of my best men, you think I haven't mourned them, you think I haven't cried?"

"On your own, mayhaps. Not with someone else." He gritted his teeth, sniffing a bit more to hold back.

"Then pretend I'm not here." Squall murmured.

"I can't." He squeezed the teen a little, his eyes freeing a few tears against him before he pulled back, swiping them from his skin.

Squall frowned and reached out to touch Balthier's face. Gun calloused hands cupped the pirate's cheeks, soft fingertips brushing against him.

A shaky breath escaped as he closed his eyes for a moment, a few tears running free as he opened them again, looking at Squall's face.

"It's okay to cry." Squall repeated, stroking Balthier's cheeks tenderly.

His brow furrowed and he shifted to bury his cut and scratched face in the pillow, letting the tears out silently for the moment, almost holding his breath.

Squall sighed and petted Balthier's head gently, stroking the back of his neck, before letting a fingertip ghost over the bite mark, whispering a cure spell over it.

At the feel of those fingers touching his neck, he let out a slight sob before burying his face in Squall, letting himself cry. In honesty, they were tears that hadn't been cried in a very long time.

Squall pulled Balthier into a proper hug, rocking him slightly. "Shh, everything will be okay. You, Fran, Krja, you have years ahead of you yet."

The pirate made very few sounds as he cried; mostly, his breathing came out in short gasps, jerking his body a little each time. His stomach ached as he cried and he gripped Squall tightly.

Squall continued to rock Balthier, cooing softly, trying to comfort him, but at the same time allowing him the freedom to cry.

As soon as he felt he'd done enough, he forced himself to calm down, nudging Squall away to rub his eyes. He refused to look at the younger man, keeping his gaze on that white t-shirt he wore.

Squall brushed his thumb over Balthier's cheek, brushing away some stray tears. "You should rest now."

Balthier pulled Squall against him again, burying his face in him. "Do not leave yet..." His voice was quiet and hoarse as he gripped the teen.

"I'll stay as long as you need me to." Squall replied, gently easing Balthier back against the bed. "As long as you rest."

He gave a slight nod, settling down but slipping his hand to grasp Squall's refusing to let him just leave now.

Squall shifted to lay down. "Need anything? Potion? Drink? Magicks?"

Balthier shook his head, pulling Squall close. His eyes were reddened and it was obvious he'd cried but he simply buried his face in Squall again.

Squall simply held Balthier silently, petting him soothingly.

"I apologise, Squall. It is... unfair for you to have to deal with this... with me." He shook his head slightly.

"It's what friends are for. You've picked me up enough times."

Balthier huffed slightly. "Exactly. I pick you up, not the other way around." He pouted childishly.

Squall gave a soft chuckle. "You don't have to be strong all the time, you know?"

"That is who I am, Squall. Legendary Sky Pirate, captain of the Strahl... the Gods damned Leading Man." He sighed heavily, covering his eyes with a hand.

"Father, lover and friend. Do not forget those roles too. Krja will not want a father made of ice. Show emotions. She'll love you all the more for it."

"Or think me weak." He sighed and shifted onto his side, curling into Squall. Frowning, he closed his eyes, hugging the teen.