Work Text:
He will not acknowledge it. The knot tightening in the pit of his stomach. The sweat coursing through the lines of his palms, clutched by the restless tremors of his fists. The frantic pounding of his heart, shaking him from within—beating to the rhythm of his anxiety, a racing countdown to insanity. You’ll be all right, he tries to scream over the blaring signs of his body. You’ll be all right! But his mind’s screams stutter to panicked silence. You may die… He chokes in a gasp, hoping the signs to keep to themselves. Inside. Silent. Never show fear!
The warmth of her fingers knotting into his own snatches him out of the realm of fear. Kefka gazes down, and the little girl smiles at him, her hand squeezing tight.
"You’ll be all right," Terra says; the sound of her voice, bound in reality, prevailing on the imaginary warnings. He nods. If she says so, he’ll believe it.
When the nurse peers out of the door to call him to the professor’s office, they both stand up together, their hands still entwined.
"They chose you because you’re strong," Terra reminds him. "You said so."
"I am." He lets go.