HI Guys! I hope you enjoy this one shot. PLEASE TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK! I REALLY WANT TO KNOW, It would help me out.
Disclaimer: I DON'T OWN ANYTHING...well besides the story. The characters are Squares.
Hands
It was all his fault. He'd hurt her again and again, never once thinking that he could take it too far. It was what they always did. He'd pull at her pig tails and once he recovered, made fun of his eye patch. If it was anyone else, he would punch them in the face, but she was different. She was always there, and she knew how to make him feel better when he was so far down he felt like drowning himself in the darkness. She pulled him out with the simplest smile, a corny joke, or just, being there. And then he goes off and returns the favor how? By completely messing it up.
He rubbed the back of his neck when he found her. Kneeling in a corner, her back towards him and he could hear the quiet sobs. He knew that she was doing it so that he wouldn't find her. They were in Djose temple after all, not like her crying wasn't going to go unnoticed. Sighing he took a couple steps towards her, watching her tense, the only thing that stopped him from proceeding. "Go away," She sniffed in a small voice.
He could feel his heart break even more, no not break, it was already broken, it was being squeezed to the point where all the blood left it. He hesitated a moment before reaching out a hand and kneeling down behind her to touch her shoulder. "Ci-" No not today. She wasn't Cid's Girl, she was Rikku today. "Rikku, I-" He stopped and let out a sigh.
He was never good with apologies, but he never really apologized to Rikku, she always knew when he wanted to say sorry and stopped him. But today he knew the words would leave his lips, and it would change everything. They were still close, not as close as when they were little. They had gone their separate ways when they were younger, chasing after dreams and goals that were so minute compared to what they had achieved. Sitting down completely he didn't think anything else besides wanting to make her feel better. How could he do that? Certainly not here, the workers would be coming in soon, and it would create a huge mess. He watched her form for a moment more before standing and scooping her up. His room, it would be perfect.
She stayed quiet, obviously knowing that screaming wasn't going to help her situation, but she did struggle. He didn't mind, he deserved it, she was running away from him. He let her go as soon as they were in his room, and locked the doors behind him. His one good green eye watched her run to the bed and curl up on it, it made him smile, a sad guilty smile. Walking over he sat on the bed, noting that she moved away from him and had her forehead and knees pressed against the wall. He ran a hand through his hair and laid on the bed next to her. He stared at the ceiling. "It's strange. I've always thought that there wasn't a line, even though there was, it was one we never crossed, but we danced around it for a looooonnnnggg ass while," He began his right hand under his head and his left fiddling with his suspender. "Until today. Rikku. I- I don't think that your machina is useless, or outdated. I think that adding to it would help you,"
He heard the girl next to him move and was soon met with two spiral green eyes looking into his single one. They were red around the edges and slightly puffy. "Add? Why the heck would it need to have anything added to it! It's perfect," She said hitting him in the chest, hard.
He winced slightly. Yeah she was strong, but he didn't expect her to use THAT much force on him. "I know, I agree it's just-"
"Just what Gippal! Not everything has to have improvements if it works fine!"
He frowned at her and sat up, causing her to call into his lap. "Damn it Rikku let me finish!" He said, causing the girl to cower slightly. "I don't want you to get hurt, I want to make sure you've got the best protection with you all the time, Machina Maw is perfectly built, but it could use some more," He whispered looking away from her.
He hung his head and kept his eyes closed. Waiting to be slapped, but it never came. Instead he flinched as her soft hand caressed his cheek and made it's way around to the back of his head to undo the leather strap. "Rikku, don't," His eye met hers and she gave him a look, one that was full of sincerity. "I have to see it Gippal,"
He made no move as the eye patch fell away. He watched her face, no one had seen it since the accident. He could never blame her for what happened, he had to protect her and that's what he had done. Tears starting coming from her eyes again and she grabbed onto his shirt with her hands, sobbing into it. "It's all my fault. If I had been stronger, if I hadn't-hadn't been so-"
He pushed her up to look at him. "Don't say that! I HAD to protect you. If anything, if anything happened to you then," he turned away.
Was it time to confess everything? Was it time for them to stop dancing around the line they had avoided for so long? He stiffened as he felt her soft, delicate hands turn his head. "I know Gippal. It would tear you apart right?" she whispered her hands trailing down his arms and intertwining with his.
He nodded. Again back to her knowing exactly what he was going to say. She smiled at him and pulled him out of the bed, letting go of his hands to pick up the eye patch and put it back on for him. She returned her hands to his and pulled him out of the room, past all the workers and out towards the Highroad. "Gip's it's not like I'm a kid anymore, but if I ever need more protection I wouldn't settle for a machina to do it for me," she said kissing him on the cheek. "But if I ever need to upgrade you'll do it for me right?"
He grinned at her. Always the one to bring him out of the dark, with the slightest effort. "Abso-posi-you better believe it! If you go anywhere else I'd be worried,"
Rikku giggled, their hands still intertwined. "You always worry,"
"Only when it comes to you,"
He kissed her knuckles before releasing them and knew what was going to happen. "See you around then," He said rubbing the back of his neck.
He watched the petite girl roll her eyes at him and shake her head. Before he could register what had happened her soft lips were on his, and their hands once again together. Hers soft and small, his large, rough and most likely dirty from all the machina. But their lives were intertwined forever, just like their hands. "I'll visit you again. Promise. It won't be like last time,"
Love ya guys!
-Dissidia