[FFIX] Long Nights (Freya/Fratley, SFW)

[wallwalker]

Title: Long Nights
Fandom: FFIX
Characters: Freya/Fratley
Warnings: Endgame spoilers

Written for fic_promptly a while back, never archived. A bit melancholy.

Sir Fratley hardly ever seemed to sleep at night anymore. He was always standing at the window of their bedchamber, listening to the sound of the rain.

Freya was, quite frankly, at her wits' end about it. The effects of his sleeplessness were obvious to her, and probably to anyone else who had an eye to see it; he was still one of the best warriors in Burmecia, but his focus wandered in the middle of the day, and his stance was a shade too relaxed. She was afraid that it would be the death of him.

One night, when she woke from another strange and indistinct nightmare and realized that he was not there, she sat up with a sigh and got out of bed. He was where she had grown used to finding him, standing at the window and staring. It was impossible to read his expression.

"Sir Fratley," she said quietly. "What is wrong?"

"Hm?" He looked back at her. "Ah. I'm sorry, Milady. I did not mean to wake you."

"You did not." She could at least say that much truthfully. There were other reasons that she could not sleep at night, with what she had been through. "I was only worried for you when I awoke. Can you not sleep?"

He sighed briefly. "I suppose I should." But he made no move to come back to bed. "In a moment."

"Fratley, why does the window hold such sway over you?" she asked, trying to keep the exasperation out of her voice. "What are you looking for?"

He shook his head. "I know it's foolish," he said. "But when I listen to the rain at night... I feel like I could remember. As if it would all come back to me, if only I listened for long enough. I cannot resist the thought, and so... well. Here I am."

She closed her eyes. "I see," she said, remembering all of the times he'd scolded her for staying up too late, all of the memories that he could no longer take for granted. And for one long, melancholy moment, Freya found herself hating the rain.