Late late late! Writer's block and illness made this tricksy...
Disclaimer: I don't own, so shoo!
Gippal barely resisted the urge to throttle her as she sighed.
Again.
For the fortieth time.
"Would you knock it off?" he couldn't resist snapping, "I know, they're late."
Rikku sniffed, obviously miffed at his tone. "You know, I could be back at the Celsius right now, relaxing, but noooo, I agreed to help you drive away Psychotic Twit Number Nine… What is it with you and dating these loonies anyway?"
"It isn't like I do it on purpose!" he defended himself weakly. He didn't dare look at her as he said it.
So what if Psychotic Twit Numbers One through Nine was completely made up? If Rikku would just come to Djose a little more often on her own, he wouldn't need to keep bribing his female workers to act a part in front of her before they happily transferred to work under Nhadala. It was very difficult to seduce/charm your best friend since you were eight when they wouldn't be within a hundred miles of you, and were too smart for their own good. It forced a man to be clever, which Gippal's pride would never let him deny being anything to the contrary.
Thus, his current scheme; unfortunately, this particular worker was over an hour late for a picnic being held at the Moonflow, with fireworks later in the evening.
Rikku pouted and leaned back on the blanket she and Gippal were currently sprawled on. Honestly, she didn't mind that his current disaster was missing in action. It gave her plenty of time to luxuriate in his presence. She snorted at that high-nosed thought. In reality, it gave her plenty of ammunition for her fantasies later. If he wasn't such a nitwit, she would already be dating him, but sadly the one-eyed Al Bhed was not the brightest bulb in the bunch.
Eyeing him out of the corner of her eye, she reminded herself that it wouldn't do to jump him in public. Aeons know she gives Yunie enough fits about her reputation as it was. When she caught the tell-a-tale movement of his neck, she quickly averted her gaze to the Moonflow before he caught her staring. She couldn't help it, she sighed again in pure boredom. Eye candy aside, this was not the way she wanted to spend her afternoon.
That's it.
He'd had it!
Before she even had time to draw her next breath, Gippal pounced. His mouth was over hers, hard and unrelenting. Heat swamped both of them, and Rikku's hand fisted in the fabric of his shirt, obviously not sure whether to push him away or pull him closer. She gasped when he moved his mouth to the skin of her neck, nipping and sucking teasingly as she tried to catch her breath. "Gippal, what—?" she started to ask, only to find herself cut off by him kissing her again. Throwing all caution to the wind this time, she wound her fingers tightly in his hair, eagerly returning his attentions.
It was the strange, fizzling sound of a fuse that finally made Gippal pull back, if only to peck her lightly a few times before finally searching for the source of the noise. A kid was standing nearby with one of those stupid little wands that spat out a bunch of sparks and hissed, watching them with his fingers in his mouth. He took them out to ask, "Mister, why are you eating that lady's face?"
Burying his face in Rikku's neck, Gippal's entire body shook with laughter. She whapped his arms, for what good it did her. She soon joined him in his revelry. It would be later she would chase him with daggers drawn when he finally admitted the set up. As he kissed her again, the fireworks went off over the Moonflow.
"Takes a whole new meaning to seeing fireworks…" Gizelle murmured to herself from where she watched the couple. So she had taken matters into her own hands… Her boss didn't need to know she had taken her own steps to insure this wouldn't be necessary again. Warm arms wrapped around her waist, and she smiled. Besides, she had someone else to keep happy. "Hello, mujan," she greeted, turning to give him a kiss. Her own boyfriend eagerly returned her greeting.
Fireworks… Who knew they were so lucky for romance?