Yeah, six-word challenge... I so had dibs on this as soon as it posted. It was too tempting.
Disclaimer: I own nothing FFX or FFX-2 related except for the games. I am just a geek and a writer practicing.
Rikku hates purple. Huh. Go fig, Gippal thought to himself as he finished spying on the Gullwings via the commsphere network. Hitting the correct sequence of keys to shut off the device, he mulled over the thought as he went through the day's pile of paperwork. He remembered when he picked his signature color, it was from a gift she had given him as kids. Must have been a gag gift… he finally realized with a low chuckle. He had been chasing rabbits all this time…
*****
Rikku pouted as she followed her new co-worker, Leena, to the Machine Faction. They had been told Gippal had some sort of sphere, and Brother couldn't resist having them take a look at it. Of course, Leena wanting to catch an eyeful of Gippal didn't help.
Stupid blonde, she thought to herself, scowling and momentarily forgetting she was also blonde, attracted just because of the whole saved-the-world thing and purple is her favorite color. I should… All her threats to Gippal's clothing ended before she had time to really consider them. There, leaning against a machine as he signed paperwork for a worker, was Gippal. Or, at least she was pretty sure it was Gippal.
His lavender shirt had been replaced with a scarlet duplicate, the same story for his dark purple pants which were now burgundy. The magenta of his armor was even gone, replaced with yellow to match his suspenders which had at least stayed the same.
"What happened to you?" she blurted without thinking as she darted ahead of Leena, ignoring the looks she drew.
His one visible eyebrow quirked and he smirked before leaning forward, invade her personal space like always. "What's wrong? Miss the purple?" he teased.
"Ha, as if. You've been wearing that junk for ages, I'm glad you've finally gained a sense of fashion," she retorted, though inside she was jumping with glee. Leena's crush could possibly die because of this, thus Rikku would no longer have a rival for his attention.
Gippal smirked, glad he had finally stumbled upon the right path. One step forward… he thought, before subtly reaching over and wrapping his arm around her shoulders as he led her into the former temple. "So, what can I do for you, Cid's Girl?" he asked, sounding slightly smug.
Rikku's eyes narrowed. He sounded particularly full of himself today… Perhaps he needed a strong dose of manipulative flirtation. She kept her body relaxed letting him lead her into his office as she rambled about the sphere Brother had sent her for. However, when he took a seat in his big chair behind his messy desk, she ignored the fact she should have taken the other empty seat and instead made herself comfy in his lap.
His one good eye widened at the unexpected weight, and he gave her a slightly nervous look, "Cid's Girl…?" he half-asked, half-warned.
The petite girl had the gall to ignore him, instead curling up in his lap like a kitten. "What?" she asked innocently.
Gippal rolled his eye, but inwardly panicked. This was not part of his plan! Rikku was suppose to be shy and flustered, not innocent and cuddly and… he relaxed slightly as she reached her hand to stroke the back of his neck…and that felt really good…
"Gippal? Where's the sphere?" he heard her ask softly, shivering slightly from her warm breath on his ear.
"In the desk drawer…" he murmured back, hardly aware that he said anything at all. Her scent of citrus and sunshine had invaded his brain, making it impossible to think sensibly.
"Thanks!"
Her chipper answer and the sudden absence of her warmth snapped him out of it. He opened his eye (when did he close it?) and caught sight of the ends of her gaudy scarf as she fled his office. "Rikku!" he shouted after her, partially laughing but mostly growling in frustration.
One step forward, and two steps back… Typical Rikku.