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rose_in_winterCharacters: Yuna, Rikku, Paine
Rating: G
Contains: Endgame spoilers
Wordcount: 1019
Notes: Assumes Good Ending, not Perfect. Written for 2017 Prompt Extravaganza with Sev.
Betas: None
Summary: Rikku demands a pajama party. Yuna and Paine oblige.
"What part of no boys allowed don't you understand?" Rikku slammed the door in Brother's face, much to Yuna's astonishment.
Paine dropped her bag on the floor and leaned against the wall, crossing her arms. "That was emphatic," she remarked.
"Well, he'd be creepy." Rikku shoved her braids back over her shoulder.
"Still," Yuna started to say.
"Nope!" Rikku wagged her finger firmly. "This is our time."
"Well, I guess," Yuna said. She spread her arms and smiled. "Welcome."
"Nice place," Paine said. Yuna had taken an apartment in Luca after Vegnagun, reasoning that it was not anyone's stronghold and therefore she wasn't taking any sides. The main room was big and airy, with a wall of windows that overlooked the sea as the sun sank behind it in a burst of color. It probably cost the earth, unless Yuna had gotten a break for being the High Summoner, but sphere hunting paid.
"Let's get changed!" Rikku said, standing on tiptoe and stretching her arms above her head.
"I'm not sure why you care so much about our nightclothes," Paine said, even as she picked up her bag. There was really no stopping Rikku when she got an idea in her head.
"Because it's a pajama party!" Rikku pointed at the bathroom. "Change," she ordered.
Paine thought about refusing, just for fun, but Yuna wouldn't like it, so she shrugged and grumbled on her way, for form's sake. It was kind of a cute idea, anyway.
They all got changed and Yuna made tea, and they settled on the cushions scattered around the floor to talk. At first it was simple things—what they'd been doing since Vegnagun, where they might go looking for spheres next, almost like any other time they'd talked on the airship after a break. When they had exhausted those topics, a quiet, companionable silence fell, broken only by the occasional clink of their cups on the table.
"What do we do now?" Yuna asked when the silence had stretched out too long.
Rikku's jaw dropped. "You don't know?"
"I grew up in the temple," Yuna reminded her.
Rikku made a noise like a balloon deflating, and Paine quickly lifted her teacup to hide her smile. Yuna wouldn't appreciate it.
"I can't believe you've never—well, that's not the point." Rikku smiled. "We talk."
"About what?" Yuna asked.
"Boys," Rikku said. "Things we want to do. Secrets. Whatever!" She waved one hand expressively.
"Boys, huh?" Yuna's lips curved. "So, you want to talk about Gippal, then?"
Paine hadn't expected Yuna to go straight to the point like that, and she grinned. Rikku actually blushed. Yuna's eyes widened.
"What about Gippal?" Rikku asked, obviously trying too hard to pretend disinterest. She folded and unfolded the edge of her pale yellow pajama shirt.
"Well, obviously there's something," Paine said. She leaned on one elbow, sprawled on her side on the floor.
Rikku turned redder. "Maybe," she said. "So Yuna, how's Baralai?"
Paine raised an eyebrow. Yuna just watched Rikku curiously, like a cat with a perplexing mouse. "I asked first," she pointed out, very reasonably, though her face also took on a distinctly pinker shade than usual.
"Uh," Rikku said. "I was helping him repair one of the machina in the desert and he kissed me and it kind of went from there." She became utterly fascinated by the bead on the end of her braid.
"Went from there?" Yuna repeated. Her voice was just deadpan enough that Paine wasn't quite sure if she was deliberately teasing Rikku or if she really wasn't sure.
Rikku cleared her throat. "Don't tell him I said it but he's actually pretty good when you get to know him," she said, so fast that it took Paine a long moment to sort out the individual words in that big rush.
When no more followed that burst, Yuna frowned, just a little. "And?" The prompting was gentle, but Yuna clearly had no intention of giving up. Paine was no longer bothering to hide her grin. Rikku seemed to have forgotten that once you set Yuna toward a goal, she wasn't backing down, no matter what.
"Well, I don't know. He's a jerk sometimes." Rikku fiddled with her braids. "But….I guess we'll see. After our next sphere run I'm going to help him design a new machina. But what about you and Baralai?"
Rikku, too, could be insistent when she found something she wanted to pursue.
"There's nothing to say." Yuna folded her hands and rested them on her knees, prim and proper. "We're friends. For now." She brushed an invisible speck of lint from her pink and blue nightgown.
"Do you want to be more than friends?" Rikku asked.
Yuna shrugged. "I don't know. I know…he's not coming back, but I still haven't seen all of Spira. I'm not ready to just…" She waved a hand. "Stop."
"Good decision," Paine said.
"Thank you," Yuna said, and sipped her tea. "I spent my whole life in the temple," she continued, more quietly, "or being a summoner. And this—sphere hunting—it's important to me. Because it's for me."
"That's what it should be," Paine said. "Find what makes you happy and hold on to it. You're not hurting anyone."
"But what about you?" Rikku asked, pointing an accusing finger at Paine. "You must have something to say about him."
Paine raised an eyebrow. "What, me and Nooj?" When Rikku nodded, she shrugged. "It's complicated," she said. "I'm not diving into anything."
Rikku made a noise of purest disbelief. Paine glared at her until she closed her mouth. "As I said, we aren't diving into anything." She paused, then relented. "But we are going to dinner tomorrow night."
Rikku squealed with delight, and Yuna smiled brilliantly—not her High Summoner smile, but the one she reserved for friends. "I'm so glad," she said warmly, and reached out to rest her hand on Paine's arm.
Paine smiled back, and thought how lucky she was, to have found not one, but two chances at this kind of friendship.
Rating: G
Contains: Endgame spoilers
Wordcount: 1019
Notes: Assumes Good Ending, not Perfect. Written for 2017 Prompt Extravaganza with Sev.
Betas: None
Summary: Rikku demands a pajama party. Yuna and Paine oblige.
"What part of no boys allowed don't you understand?" Rikku slammed the door in Brother's face, much to Yuna's astonishment.
Paine dropped her bag on the floor and leaned against the wall, crossing her arms. "That was emphatic," she remarked.
"Well, he'd be creepy." Rikku shoved her braids back over her shoulder.
"Still," Yuna started to say.
"Nope!" Rikku wagged her finger firmly. "This is our time."
"Well, I guess," Yuna said. She spread her arms and smiled. "Welcome."
"Nice place," Paine said. Yuna had taken an apartment in Luca after Vegnagun, reasoning that it was not anyone's stronghold and therefore she wasn't taking any sides. The main room was big and airy, with a wall of windows that overlooked the sea as the sun sank behind it in a burst of color. It probably cost the earth, unless Yuna had gotten a break for being the High Summoner, but sphere hunting paid.
"Let's get changed!" Rikku said, standing on tiptoe and stretching her arms above her head.
"I'm not sure why you care so much about our nightclothes," Paine said, even as she picked up her bag. There was really no stopping Rikku when she got an idea in her head.
"Because it's a pajama party!" Rikku pointed at the bathroom. "Change," she ordered.
Paine thought about refusing, just for fun, but Yuna wouldn't like it, so she shrugged and grumbled on her way, for form's sake. It was kind of a cute idea, anyway.
They all got changed and Yuna made tea, and they settled on the cushions scattered around the floor to talk. At first it was simple things—what they'd been doing since Vegnagun, where they might go looking for spheres next, almost like any other time they'd talked on the airship after a break. When they had exhausted those topics, a quiet, companionable silence fell, broken only by the occasional clink of their cups on the table.
"What do we do now?" Yuna asked when the silence had stretched out too long.
Rikku's jaw dropped. "You don't know?"
"I grew up in the temple," Yuna reminded her.
Rikku made a noise like a balloon deflating, and Paine quickly lifted her teacup to hide her smile. Yuna wouldn't appreciate it.
"I can't believe you've never—well, that's not the point." Rikku smiled. "We talk."
"About what?" Yuna asked.
"Boys," Rikku said. "Things we want to do. Secrets. Whatever!" She waved one hand expressively.
"Boys, huh?" Yuna's lips curved. "So, you want to talk about Gippal, then?"
Paine hadn't expected Yuna to go straight to the point like that, and she grinned. Rikku actually blushed. Yuna's eyes widened.
"What about Gippal?" Rikku asked, obviously trying too hard to pretend disinterest. She folded and unfolded the edge of her pale yellow pajama shirt.
"Well, obviously there's something," Paine said. She leaned on one elbow, sprawled on her side on the floor.
Rikku turned redder. "Maybe," she said. "So Yuna, how's Baralai?"
Paine raised an eyebrow. Yuna just watched Rikku curiously, like a cat with a perplexing mouse. "I asked first," she pointed out, very reasonably, though her face also took on a distinctly pinker shade than usual.
"Uh," Rikku said. "I was helping him repair one of the machina in the desert and he kissed me and it kind of went from there." She became utterly fascinated by the bead on the end of her braid.
"Went from there?" Yuna repeated. Her voice was just deadpan enough that Paine wasn't quite sure if she was deliberately teasing Rikku or if she really wasn't sure.
Rikku cleared her throat. "Don't tell him I said it but he's actually pretty good when you get to know him," she said, so fast that it took Paine a long moment to sort out the individual words in that big rush.
When no more followed that burst, Yuna frowned, just a little. "And?" The prompting was gentle, but Yuna clearly had no intention of giving up. Paine was no longer bothering to hide her grin. Rikku seemed to have forgotten that once you set Yuna toward a goal, she wasn't backing down, no matter what.
"Well, I don't know. He's a jerk sometimes." Rikku fiddled with her braids. "But….I guess we'll see. After our next sphere run I'm going to help him design a new machina. But what about you and Baralai?"
Rikku, too, could be insistent when she found something she wanted to pursue.
"There's nothing to say." Yuna folded her hands and rested them on her knees, prim and proper. "We're friends. For now." She brushed an invisible speck of lint from her pink and blue nightgown.
"Do you want to be more than friends?" Rikku asked.
Yuna shrugged. "I don't know. I know…he's not coming back, but I still haven't seen all of Spira. I'm not ready to just…" She waved a hand. "Stop."
"Good decision," Paine said.
"Thank you," Yuna said, and sipped her tea. "I spent my whole life in the temple," she continued, more quietly, "or being a summoner. And this—sphere hunting—it's important to me. Because it's for me."
"That's what it should be," Paine said. "Find what makes you happy and hold on to it. You're not hurting anyone."
"But what about you?" Rikku asked, pointing an accusing finger at Paine. "You must have something to say about him."
Paine raised an eyebrow. "What, me and Nooj?" When Rikku nodded, she shrugged. "It's complicated," she said. "I'm not diving into anything."
Rikku made a noise of purest disbelief. Paine glared at her until she closed her mouth. "As I said, we aren't diving into anything." She paused, then relented. "But we are going to dinner tomorrow night."
Rikku squealed with delight, and Yuna smiled brilliantly—not her High Summoner smile, but the one she reserved for friends. "I'm so glad," she said warmly, and reached out to rest her hand on Paine's arm.
Paine smiled back, and thought how lucky she was, to have found not one, but two chances at this kind of friendship.