“Are they always so terrible, your dreams?” Alina said, stroking back the tousled hair from Aleksander’s brow. In the glow from the fire, the silver at his temples was gold, the age that had come upon him after their binding sometimes gentle, sometimes harsh.
“This one, that I’d betrayed you, that we were the most bitter enemies, my death welcome at your hand, that’s the worst in a long time,” he said contemplatively, the choked tears he’d woken with the slight rasp in his tone.
“You aren’t a seer,” she said. “Dreaming such a thing won’t make it come true.”
HELLO 😚 I am 100% up for a writing exchange!! I love the backstory you've given babe, and I have a prompt for you, if you're interested? Asher/Babe, that first date after their meeting in the elevator? I can see that being a really sweet encounter, and I cannot wait to see your take on this :D (is asher late? does sweetheart slip this in on a work day?)
@ejunkiet gave me this lovely prompt and I've posted the story it inspired at A03. Thank you so much, my friend.
Title: Rare Steak and High Stakes
Rating: T, Word Count: ~3K, No Warnings Applicable, Characters: Asher/Babe
Summary: Three days after their elevator adventure, Asher and Babe meet for their first date. Things don’t go according to plan for either one of them. All the better for both.
Prompt: Aeris teaching Yuffie and Tifa to drive. Yuffie being more interested in fine tuning the radio than shifting gears smoothly; Aeris losing her ever loving shit with Yuffie not grasping financial consequences of frying the clutch. And because I am gay trash - token cliché moment where Tifa experiences complete loss of executive function when Aeris reaches under the hood/bonnet and begins replacing a radiator hose herself ~ EffortlesslyUncool
Close to an hour after Cloud, Barret and Nanaki vanished off on Bugenhagen’s mysterious mission, Cait Sith went silent and stopped responding to them. Technically there was a lot to do in the canyon; talk with the Elders, sample more cocktails in the bar. Perhaps simply enjoy a continued break on their journey. But Aeris was restless. “Now the buggy’s fixed, maybe it would be a good idea if more or us could take turns driving.”
Yuffie shot to her feet with an enthusiastic whoop. “Finally.”
Tifa was more subdued. “Not sure I’m up to it.” Inferring Aeris’s mad-cap pursuit of Cloud as they fled the Shinra building, Tifa clinging white-knuckled to the dashboard as motorcycle riding Shinra infantry harried them on all sides.
“I was thinking more moving forward and steering,” Aeris said. She grinned at Yuffie’s fallen expression. “Maybe the rest some other times. But just someone else so it’s not me and Cloud every time.”
“But-“ Tifa broke off when Aeris laid her hand on her shoulder.
“I’ll be right with you.” A glance to Yuffie. “And we are taking this slow.”
Another whine from her, but both trailed after her when she left the Cosmo Candle and down to the ravine below the settlement. The techs had fixed the various faults with the engine and assured them it would last until at least Nibleheim. A name best not uttered much of late; neither Cloud nor Tifa were looking forward to revisiting their hometown. If she was lucky, this would help distract them from the proximity.
The engine might be fixed, but the buggy’s interior still reeked; a testament to the crowded interior and desert crossing. No room, little ventilation, and if not faster than walking, not an experience any wanted a repeat of. Tifa wrinkled her nose immediately. “Forgot how bad it was.”
Aeris settled herself into the passenger seat. “It’s just the three of us this time; we’ll keep the windows down which should help.” Maybe a few of those scented things people dangled from the rear-view mirror. Or a truckload of flowers. Too bad they were back in Midgar. “Okay; who’s first.” Despite trying to catch Tifa’s gaze, Yuffie pushed past her and dropped into the driver’s seat. She wrenched the ignition, one hand fumbling for the built-in stereo, one foot stomping the accelerator to the floor. “Whoa, whoa, whoa!”
“What?” Yuffie wrenched the dial picking up little but the hiss of distant stars. “Stupid thing.”
“The canyon isn’t going to help reception,” Tifa said from one of the seats behind them. She was already strapped in place. A decidedly good idea; Aeris pulled her own seatbelt around her.
“In any case,” Aeris said with force. “Music is not the important part. You have to put the car in gear first.”
“Gear?” Yuffie looked at her in confusion. “Oh. Is that when it goes-“ She made a filmic approximation of the noise of an engine in a film when it upshifted. She lifted her eyebrows in question.
“Yes,” Aeris replied weakly. “But it’s not solely about going faster. You have to start off on the lowest gear and go up to the highest.”
“I get it.” Yuffie strained for a picosecond against the shifter and then strained her body against it, her foot again stomping the accelerator to the floor. “C’mon.”
“Stop!” Aeris yelled. Yuffie glared at her. “You are going to wreck the clutch like that. Please, just let me talk you through it.” Yuffie huffed, folded her arms and stared out the windshield. Tifa gave Aeris an encouraging smile; she started again from first principles and introduced Yuffie to the clutch pedal. And the brake and indicators for good measure.
Yuffie was no longer staring ahead and now hung on Aeris’s every word. Good. She started the buggy up smoothly when Aeris talked her through the steps, put the vehicle in gear, checked the various mirrors and set the vehicle moving forward at a snail’s pace. Behind her the squeak of a leather seat probably indicated Tifa getting tenser. She told Yuffie off when she clicked the radio back on; still nothing but white noise from the speakers. Yuffie clutched at the wheel, shifting the gears up to go a little faster. The canyon was wide and vegetation sparse; nothing to be worried about. As long as she did not go over a cliff or hit the canyon wall-
A burst of something that sounded like music erupted from the speakers. Yuffie’s focus went straight to that, her foot pressing down on the accelerator again, the keening of the engine building. “Yuffie,” Aeris said in exasperation to no response. The keening grew louder, the burst of music coming in pulses as Yuffie tried to pin down the right frequency. “Right.” She snapped the radio off and aimed her foot squarely at the brake. Yuffie looked appalled. “You are going to wreak the engine doing that. You’ve got the basics now; Tifa’s turn.”
And hopefully she was not going to be more curious about the radio. Yuffie muttered to herself and vacated the seat. A nervous Tifa settled into the vacated seat and asked Aeris to talk her through the whole process. Tifa was a far more diligent student than the ninja and listened to every word. Aeris stopped her turning the key.
“Before we get you driving, maybe we should check the engine. It’s hot out there and we don’t want to break down a few miles hence.” Too many dodgy mechanics back in Midgar. Cosmo Canyon should be trustworthy, but was the risk worth it?
The sun was low in the sky but the air was still sweltering. At least they had not travelled that far from the ladder up to the plateau. They would be fine getting back. Aeris popped the bonnet of the buggy, a wave of hear sweeping across her, sweat beading on her brow. “Phew!” She tugged at her neckline and leant over into the inferno. Quick check of the various engine components. “I don’t like the look of that radiator hose.” She pointed down to the relevant part of the engine. “Easy fix though.”
There were spare components at the back of the buggy, and a new hose ready. “This one’s easy.” She leant over the buggy engine, hiking one leg up on the buggy’s body to get close enough. “The radiator hose has come loose.” Aeris grabbed the lose hose and plugged it back into place. “Easy. I’ll have to go over some other easy fixes later.” Aeris straightened up and trailed off.
Tifa was flushed red and Yuffie was doubled over laughing. “I-“ Tifa stuttered and clamped her mouth closed.
“Are you okay?” Aeris fanned her face and hurried forward. Tifa shot a look at Yuffie and darted past Aeris. She took a quick, far too quick, glance at the engine and rushed back to the buggy.
“Thanks for showing-“ Tifa cut herself off as Yuffie laughed harder. “Can we leave her?”
Aeris pursed her lips. “Tempting. Okay. She darted into the buggy, Yuffie reacting faster than expected to scramble in on her heels. Tifa gripped the steering wheel tight. “Ready to try again?” Tifa nodded and ran through the relevant steps. Aeris pulled down the visor on her side of the buggy. No oil splatter on her face. Her hair looked damp from the sweat. There was a sheen on her skin, but she had mercifully avoided brushing against the engine and picking up any oil. What had fazed Tifa so? She shook her head and offered gentle advice and guidance to her student.
“That’s not really how one night stands work,” Aubrey says with a teasing lilt to her tone, but when Stacie glances at her through the mirror, she sees Aubrey pocket the slip of paper she’d left on the small table.
“You’re great in bed and there’s a shortage of gay girls in this town, so if you're ever feeling needy...”
