Still [Final Fantasy X-2, Paine/Baralai, PG-13]

[wherdragon.livejournal.com]

Title: Still
Author: wherdragon
Fandom: Final Fantasy X-2
Pairing: Paine/Baralai
Word Count: 493
Spoilers: Probably for the end of FFX-2
Warnings: a little language
Prompt: Nov20 - FFX-2 Baralai/Paine: adrenaline rush - watching her kill fiends is incredibly arousing for some reason
Disclaimer: SquareEnix owns them, not me.
A/N: Late, and I'm sorry. I wanted this to be better, and it doesn't quite do all the prompt, but I hope it works for the prompter! Also, I suspect that I suck at titles.



Nooj was sleeping aboard the Crimson Banner, and muffled curses with metallic bangs indicated where Gippal was. Paine was caring for their weapons, polishing, sharpening, and oiling the various guns, swords, daggers, blades, chains, and hooks. And Baralai was packing. It was a soothing thing for him; he didn't have to concern himself with getting the oil and grease of machina or weapons on his clothes, and he could excercise his passion for intricately braided knots. Besides, when he packed, everything fit in reasonable packages, whereas what Gippal had brought back from Djose Temple when they all boarded the ship still made Baralai wince with its clumsy bulk.

But today he was not soothed. Rather the opposite, he was hyper-aware of every scrape of the whetstone and every little creak of Paine's leather clothing. He had now rearranged the closet four or five times after putting together the supplies for each of them, and the smell of hot leather and oil still dominated his mind.

It had to just be memories, from their time fighting together in Bikanel, with the sand in your shorts and the glare in your eyes and a perfect drop of sweat down her temple as she alternately recorded them on the spherecorder and sparred with them. Or of the road to the Moonflow, Gippal chattering about the possibilites of machina for crossing the river, Nooj silently laughing at him, and the sharp curve of Paine's waist in the fading light. Maybe even of the Den, which he doesn't remember terribly well. Not that he wants to, but sometimes it comes up, the dark and the horror, Paine twisting in her sword's dance while still filming, and still asking him to make sense.

It can't be something just about Paine's beautiful swordwork, can it? After all, Gippal is as graceful and faster with his deadly daggers. Nooj doesn't dance with his body, stiff as it was even before the injury, but with his prescence. Fiends seemed to swirl around him as he calmly walked into their charges, firing with his high-caliber rifle. And Baralai fancied that he wasn't bad himself, teasing from the others about his 'oar' aside. But none of that facinated him quite like when Paine fought. None of the others made him embaressingly hard at the mere scent of oil and sharp steel...

He glanced at Paine and met her eyes. He looked away quickly, blushing and hoping she hadn't noticed anything. He had looked away and so didn't see an equal blush rising on her cheeks.

~ ~ ~

"They're at it again, Captain," Gippal whined. Nooj tried not to smirk.

"And?"

"Come on!" Nooj did smirk now, and Gippal grinned, too. "I wish they'd just get to the fucking part."

"Why?"

"Because then they would stop running around with prick and tits at full attention all the time!"

"I wouldn't be so sure." Gippal groaned and Nooj laughed outright. Neither Paine nor Baralai heard.

Comments

[lurk-stiltzkin.livejournal.com]

I love Baralai's point of view. It's weirdly arousing to watch and smell Paine at the same time, isn't it? XD The description was done nicely with leather and oil scent mixing up.

There's some typo misspelling here and there, but it didn't put off the story that much. ;)

[wherdragon.livejournal.com]

omg did I forget to proofread? *looks horribly embaressed*

Thank you! I'm glad it didn't detract too much!