A/N: Happy Valentine's Day! I want to thank each and every one of you for your author/story alerts, favourites and all those wonderful reviews and messages. You guys are the best, so this little Valentine's gift is for you :) Thanks for sticking by me! Please enjoy! :Meresta
Summary: Balthier doesn't get Valentine's Day. That, or he's the only one who does.
Rating: PG-13+
Warnings: A malexmale pairing, fluff, suggesting suggestive themes ;)
Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy XII or Final Fantasy XII; Revenant Wings
Valentine's Day
It was a bad day for pirating. The clouds were thick, blocking every bit of blue sky from sight. Snow had been falling continuously for the past two days, and everyone knows snow is a lot harder to fly through than rain. Most engines didn't take well to the cold, either.
The Strahl wasn't known to have problems like that. Probably because Balthier refused to fly with weather conditions that might cause problems; not if he could avoid it. He had settled for staying on the ground, at a safe hiding place near the Phon Coast, until the skies cleared up.
All in all, Vaan was pretty bored. He sat in the living quarters of the Strahl, staring at the snowflakes as they floated down. Some hit the window and melted instantly, becoming small streams of water running down the glass.
He tried suggesting a raid, but even something as innocent as a monster hunt couldn't make Balthier budge from his chair, where he sat comfortable with a book and an now empty glass of wine. Vaan sighed deeply as he glanced at his more-than-a-partner, but went by unnoticed.
So he sighed again.
Balthier turned a page.
"I doubt sighing will do anything to fix our current situation, Vaan." He didn't look up from his book.
"I'm bored."
"Really? Wouldn't have guessed."
Vaan pouted.
"Stop pouting." Balthier said, still not looking up.
Vaan blinked, his expression fading back to neutral, realizing that Balthier was not willing to do anything about his boredom. He turned back to the window and stared at the white sky, allowing his mind to wander for a while.
He wondered what Penelo was doing. She had moved to Lemurés a few months after their departure, fallen in love with the endless summer of the Skysea, and the ways of the ones who live there. Every now and then Vaan received a letter from her delivered by Filo and Kytes, newest pirate pair of the skies.
In her last letter, she had told him about an ancient tradition the Aegyl had, reserving one day in the year to dedicate to love. On that day, you are given the chance to convey your love for another anonymously, through gifts of flowers, heart-shaped chocolate or other romantic things. She had plans concerning a certain redhead, and Vaan could see from her handwriting that she was very excited about it. According to her letter, that special day would be today.
Vaan looked back at Balthier, and tilted his head to the side.
"Say, Balthier."
"Hmm?"
"Have you ever heard of 'Valentine's Day'?"
Balthier paused his reading and blinked.
"Is that when everyone sets their unwanted possessions on fire?"
"..No." Vaan looked taken aback. Was there even a day like that?
"Oh. If that's the case then, no, I have not heard of it."
"Penelo wrote about it in her last letter. It's a day where you show someone that you love them."
This, caught Balthier's interest, and after carefully marking the page, he set his book aside.
"And how, pray tell, is one expected to go about doing that?"
Vaan suddenly felt embarrassed, and looked slightly down as his cheeks flushed.
"Uhm.. you give them gifts.. flowers or chocolate or something.."
"Ah.." Balthier sat back in his chair and went to pick up his book again. "Sounds pretty meaningless if you ask me."
"What do you mean?" Vaan replied, feeling attacked.
"Well," He put his book aside again. "you'll end up spending tons of Gil on gifts and whatnot, to aid you in saying something that can't be said with any kind of material. A bit of a waste, not?"
Vaan pressed on.
"It's the thought that counts. You're letting the other person know that you care about them."
"By showering them with all sorts of presents one time a year? We have Christmas to fit that purpose, don't we?"
"You don't get it." Vaan replied.
"That, or I'm the only one who does."
With that, their discussion ended, and Balthier continued his reading. Vaan let out a defeated sigh and let his head rest on his hand. Balthier really didn't get it. What was wrong with showing a little appreciation? It's always the Gil that counts.
Out of protest, Vaan didn't say a word during dinner.
When he went to bed that night, Balthier wasn't in their room yet. He normally got into bed after Vaan did, because he had to make his rounds through the Strahl before being able to sleep. The younger pirate felt drained by doing nothing, and plopped down on the bed without changing his clothes. That's when he felt something sharp poke into his back.
He frowned, raised himself from the bed and searched with his hand for what he had felt. He found a small piece of paper, written on in what was obviously Balthier's barely readable handwriting. He narrowed his eyes and read what it said.
'I care about you.'
-Balthier
Vaan reread it once, as if he couldn't believe it. Balthier has seriously written him a note? How was that supposed to show anything? I mean, he appreciated the gesture, but it felt like some sort of cheap consolation prize. He tossed it aside, but then he noticed something was written on the back as well.
'Come to the control room.'
Vaan felt his heartbeat speed up in anticipation, and looked around him as if he were being watched. He tucked the note in his pocket and went up to the control room, where Balthier was leaning against the control board, a gentle smile on his face.
The older pirate walked up to Vaan, who remained silent because he knew he would stutter if he tried to speak, and placed his hands on his shoulders. He guided him towards the main window and stood behind him, his hands dropping down to hold Vaan's waist.
Vaan felt butterflies.
"You see all that, Vaan?"
Outside, snow was still falling and quite honestly, there was not much to see.
"..snow?" He tried.
"Almost." Balthier placed a kiss on his shoulder. "It's the world."
Vaan kept his mouth shut, and Balthier chuckled.
"It's a world you made a significantly better place to live in."
The younger pirate felt those butterflies go faster and faster, and he had to repress the urge of showing a very wide smile.
"I believe I am pretty accurate in predicting that no kind of flower, or chocolate for that matter, would be able to show you. You see, it's the fact that we are not bound to traditions, customs and things. We find our happiness and proof of love in the other, do we not?"
Vaan closed his eyes, and didn't bother to hide his smile anymore. His muscles relaxed, and he turned around in Balthier's embrace.
"Nice save."
Balthier grinned, and leaned in for a kiss.
"I do what I can."
The pirates kissed again, a bit more daring this time, hands running across skin and moving the tiniest bit underneath clothes. Balthier pulled Vaan flush against his body, and scratched the skin of his back.
The butterflies caught fire.
They stumbled and fought their way back to the bedroom, and as Vaan fumbled with Balthier's vest and Balthier tried closing the door, the older pirate felt like he hadn't said enough.
"I do love you, you know that, right?"
"Yes, I know. I love you too."
"..so where's my gift?"
"We're getting there."
A few hours later, Balthier tried to propose a motion to celebrate this 'Valentine's Day' at least once a week, but was denied with a pillow accurately thrown in his direction.
Fin.
Thank you for reading, reviews are much appreciated!