A/N: This is just a little attempt to try and get over my writers block, it's been a while since I've written anything even half-decent, or rather had the time to try. I can only hope it's not too bad.

Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy X-2, it's storyline or any of it's characters

Warnings: Hints of GippalxBaralai, very, very mild shounen-ai, so if you don't agree with m/m pairings in any shape or form, then please don't read

Acceptance

The small campfire crackled gently against the heavy silence of the night and it's warming orangy glow flickered over the four squad members who surrounded it.

Gippal sat cross legged, feeling the retained warmth of the sand against his bare skin, despite the fact that the air about them was frigid. Even with the thick, coarse blanket wrapped around him, his flesh still tingled from the cold, especially so considering his clothing was breathable and made for the warmth the desert offered. The sun had long gone in, hours ago in fact, and the temperatures had dropped to a bitterly cold chill as the dead of night surrounded them. He rubbed wearily at his one exposed eye and shifted his position slightly to lean more comfortably upon the machina wreckage they had been lucky enough to stumble across that evening. They had been even more so lucky to find a large sheet of tarpaulin still stuffed in a small compartment within so they could then erect a make shift canopy for the night, protecting themselves from any strong winds that may kick up unwanted sand.

With a small sigh, the blond Al Bhed allowed his eye to drift over his team mates. Through the dark, he watched the light flicker sharply against the red leather adorning Nooj's broad back, but could not tell if the famous death-seeker had yet fallen asleep or if he was still wide awake and simply being his usual antisocial self. Gippal had tried whispering his name a couple of times, but had received absolutely nothing in response, except only witnessing the occasional twitch of a limb, or the sound of a small nasally sigh, which didn't really give much away at all. He only ever seemed to listen intently to when orders were given and often for the approach of larger fiends so he could fulfill his death wish. Occasionally he noticed Nooj's eyes would narrow suspiciously when a conversation struck up about him, which gave him away when he was pretending not to pay them any heed what so ever.

Paine on the other hand was fast asleep; partially curled up and facing towards the fire, she had used her traveling bag as a makeshift pillow and tucked her own blanket under her chin in an attempt to keep herself as warm as possible. It was odd sight for Gippal to see such a peaceful expression gracing her features, but nevertheless a wonderful one. As sad as it is to say, it was the worried frowns, the tears and the anxious glances from her that he had gotten used to over the past few weeks. She was growing angrier due to these operations, like they all seemed to be doing, but sometimes, she would slip into long and thoughtful silences, all the while keeping herself suitably distanced from them all. It had caused great concern amongst the group at first, but it hadn't taken long for it to be put down to the rough ordeal they were going through.

Baralai was lying neatly on his front, although he too had turned his face towards the warmth of the fire and was now sleeping as peacefully as one could through times like these. Gippal found this member the most curious and despite him belonging to Yevon, there was something oddly peaceful about him; he was different from all the other Yevonite's the young Al Bhed had been unfortunate enough to cross in his lifetime. At first, Gippal hadn't been sure how to approach the man, or whether or not to leave him well alone and simply grin and bear the fact that there was an Al-Bhed hater as his ally. However, much to his surprise, Baralai had been the very first member to openly give his name with Gippal present, he even made an effort to sit beside him, where they would share a placid conversation over something or another. Some of the things they talked about even revolved around their private lives.

To simply accept an Al Bhed's presence was frowned upon, but for one to be on friendly terms with a Yevonite was an absolute sin and often punishable. The thought had crossed Gippal's mind that he might be scheming something god awful behind his back, but it quickly diminished the moment Baralai began speaking of his own home, friends and family.

In fact, in the space of these couple of weeks, Gippal was fascinated by the young man and would openly admit that somewhere along the lines he had come to love the Yevonite's company and even considered him a true friend.

"You're staring."

Gippal instantly snapped out of his thoughts upon hearing that gentle, amused voice which was currently laced with sleep, and smiled sheepishly towards Baralai before turning his attention back to the fire. "Sorry, I was just thinking." He apologized with a slight chuckle and raising his gaze once more to watch the young man roll onto his side and prop himself up on one elbow. Baralai didn't sleep with his headband on, and his long silvery hair fell gently across his face, almost removing the dignified and prim appearance to replace it with one of a regular Spiran teenager. To what he should be.

The Al Bhed tilted his head marginally to one side, once more his gaze lingering fondly and not ashamed to show it. "You know, you should leave your hair down." He admitted after some thought. "It makes you look more approachable."

At this, Baralai's eyebrows rose significantly. "And I'm not approachable usually?" He sat up slowly, gathering the sheet about his legs which he folded beneath himself before eying the blond questioningly, although a small smile was evident.

"Not to an Al Bhed, you're not." Gippal admitted with a shake of his head. "As you have it now, it suits."

For a moment Baralai looked genuinely taken back, but the expression faded as quickly as it had appeared, to instantly be replaced with a broad grin and he chuckled. "But it's been slept on." He gently tugged at the uneven ends hanging a little below his chin as if to emphasise that fact, only to receive a small noise of bewilderment from across their little campsite.

"Yea, sure. B, you hardly move in your sleep. It doesn't even get chance to mess it's self up." Gippal stated as a-matter-of-factly, jabbing one forefinger playfully in his direction and his eye widened, although making sure to keep his voice down to avoid waking Paine, or Nooj if he was actually sleep. "Mine on the other hand, I wake up and one side is all flat and fuzzy. That's slept on, and I know you've seen it."

At the vision, Baralai chuckled and nodded his head in agreement. It was a frequent occurrence to find Gippal cursing away in the mornings, a comb being drawn through his hair and the other hand attempting to tease out the painful knots before he could even consider trying to re-style it. On a couple of occasions, Baralai had even had to come to his rescue, with an irate Nooj on their backs, demanding that they get a move on so the group could continue their journey west.

"Okay, that's true." The young Yevonite muttered eventually, albeit amusedly. A thought struck him and he chewed curiously on his bottom lip, all the while never taking his eyes from the Al Bhed. "I've never actually seen you with your hair down, now I come to think of it." He smiled cheerfully, wondering if he would ever get the chance to.

Gippal smirked and shook his head, allowing a moments silence to pass. "Nah, it doesn't look as good as yours down, trust me. I'm not as handsome."

'Handsome!' This time, Baralai found himself more than stunned. He'd never actually been complimented by Gippal before, and to hear words such as these uttered about him had sent his stomach to do a quick somersault and his cheeks burned from embarrassment far more than the fire had managed to warm them. In fact, that little comment had left him utterly speechless and it most certainly hadn't gone unnoticed.

Gippal watched, noting the way the silver-haired teen dipped his head marginally to hide the blush and how he'd clasped his hands together, so tightly in his lap that his knuckles had whitened. He was surprised at that reaction, thinking it would have simply been brushed off with an odd look or a laugh and it had also made him feel a little helpless as to what to say.

However, after what seemed to be a few awkward minutes of passing silence, Baralai had managed to lift his head a little and rose to his feet, all the while with averted and nervous eyes, he made his way quietly towards the blond before settling down in the cooling sand. "Sorry." He muttered, occupying himself with replacing and smoothing the blanket over his knees before glancing up to his friend beside him.

"What for?" Gippal asked softly, rubbing a hand over his itching neck to where the rough material from the blanket had began to rub. Usually in these kind of situations, for other people, he would whip up a quick and smart remark that would shatter such awkwardness, but for some reason he couldn't this time, which was very unlike him. His mind remained totally systolic and eventually he gave up trying to think, and took to simply focusing upon Baralai, just waiting to see what happened next.

"I'm not used to that." He admitted finally, a gentle chuckle slipping past his lips. His eyes lingered upon Gippal's face and the inquisitive expression which was etched clearly into his features, encouraging an explanation as to what he'd just said. "Being a person of the Temple, I don't receive personal compliments." He continued with a dismissive shrug.

A look of distaste flickered briefly across the Al Bhed's face at the mention of the Temple, hardly understanding their codes and conducts of which Baralai had kindly taken the time to explain to him last week, in order to try and help an outsider understand the reasons for Yevonite behavior; what had been drummed into their heads since birth. Gippal still didn't get it, seeing odd and questionable area's of their Yevon faith, but had decided not to agitate Baralai by questioning every aspect that he could. In fact, if anything, Yevonites seemed even more ridiculous than he'd first imagined after hearing the whys and wherefores.

Well, except for this man beside him of course.

Gippal smiled, thankful that Baralai had moved closer and had said something to break the silence. "You know, I'm shocked." He spoke quieter, leaning forwards slightly to try and get a better look at his face. "Truth is, I think you should be complimented every day and I'm surprised you aren't." This time, Gippal welcomed the slight of the blush as it tinged Baralai's cheeks and the way he turned his face to the ground in order to hide it. It wasn't to embarrass him in a nasty way, but for some reason, he liked to see it.

Instead of allowing the silence to overwhelm them, the Al Bhed touched his bare fingers to his friends chin and gently lifted his head until their eyes met, offering him a warm, yet brief smile.

Baralai swallowed thickly, feeling his heart thud a little harder against his ribs and allowed his anxious gaze to flicker across the blond's face, absorbing Gippal's handsome features; the way his thin lips curved ever so gently, his flawless skin and perfect nose. But most of all, he was drawn to the one exposed eye. He'd never gotten the chance to look up close at an Al Bhed before and was mesmerised by the thin ebony pupil, which spiraled out to the very rim of the beautiful emerald iris and making him think of a bright new leaf of spring.

With a small, yet shuddering breath at their closeness, Baralai eventually found his voice. "Why do you say that?" He spoke softly and his voice was low; eyes now fixated upon Gippal's own which shimmered with a touch of orange in the firelight.

Gippal remained constantly aware of the fascinated expression and found himself automatically brushing the long thin strands of Baralai's hair from his own dark eyes, relishing the feel and surprised that it was even softer than it looked. He resisted the urge to tenderly run a hand through it. "Because you aren't like all the other Yevonite cred." He replied instead, a small and gentle smirk touching his lips.

Baralai was unsure as to what cred actually meant, but took it as something rather negative considering the way Gippal scrunched up his nose in disgust when he had said it. Besides he was far more nervous and curious as to what was to be said next than to start questioning it.

"You gave a moment to look at me and to tell me your name within the first twenty-four hours of meeting you, even though you knew I was Al Bhed." Gippal smiled appreciatively at the memory, one of his most treasured memories in fact, despite it being one of the most dangerous day's he'd ever experienced. "You seem to try and get along with everybody, regardless of their differences, you know." He added softly, removing his fingers from Baralai's chin to run his thumb instead across his smooth, pink cheek before lowering his hand to rest upon his knee, still leaning forwards to maintain their close proximity. "In fact, you're a heck of a lot nicer than most Al Bhed." He whispered with an awfully sincere look reflected in his stare.

Baralai's eyes appeared close to dropping out of their sockets after that last comment and his mouth hung open slightly. He could hardly believe his ears. Did an Al Bhed really just compliment a Yevonite above his own race? His face now was flushed entirely and his rubbed his cold, trembling fingers across his cheeks in an attempt to cool them and perhaps will away some of the embarrassment. However, it all seemed slightly futile as the heat only returned to the chilled skin within seconds and instead placed his hands back into his lap to bow his head. "Thank you." A tiny smile flitted across his face and he looked up almost shyly before hesitantly leaning forwards.

Gippal returned the smile, although his hands twitched with an urge to touch once more and his stomach offered an unusual twist as Baralai drew closer. Before his mind could even register what was happening, the Al Bhed found himself within his friends arms and his own hands were pressing gently against the Yevonite's back. His eyes were wide with disbelief at this simple action, finding himself taking note of everything about Baralai and relished every moment of it. His pale skin was soft and warm and he smelt incredible, like sweet lavender, despite the fact that they'd been stuck in the desert for over a week now. Gippal could even feel the heavy rhythmic pounding of Baralai's heart, even through the thick robes and couldn't help but wonder if his own was beating just as hard, because it most certainly felt like it was about to leap from his chest.

Slowly, Baralai released him and sat back, looking even more so embarrassed than a moment ago, while the Al Bhed tried to piece together what just happened in his mind, suddenly now feeling the cold night air against his skin, without the body pressed against his own.

"What was that for?" Gippal chuckled, tugging the blanket tighter around him, although his gaze remained fixated upon the silver-haired man beside him.

Baralai managed to lift his head marginally and offer a small, yet bright smile. "Just part of the thank you." Was the simple, yet quiet reply.