A Secret Santa giftfic for finnvapos over at tumblr for the khffxmas event.

The sweltering heat within the Figaro desert passed in waves, much like the ocean, but without the refreshing nourishment offered only by the water. High above, the sun floated in the sky, accompanied by a smattering of clouds and the occasional flock of birds. The one constant within the endless landscape was the heat.

Even with all of his visits - spontaneous and planned - Setzer had yet to grow used to the high temperatures. He was more accustomed to the biting cold from thousands of feet above ground level. Up there the relentless winds whipped over him, each gust a reminder of the chill forever living within the extreme altitude. It was why he kept a collection of thick coats and remembered to pull his long, unruly hair back into a ponytail, lest the wind claimed it as its own. None of that was necessary in the desert, but it was all worth it for the company of a dear friend.

Since the group parted ways at the end of their successful journey, Edgar offered an open invitation to Setzer; he was always welcomed back to the castle. Granted, everyone was given the same offer, though Edgar laced his with mentions of machinery and tinkering. Since they reunited, the two spent their nights aboard the Falcon discussing various projects and dreams intertwined within metal and gears. They fell asleep to nothing but ideas, fearing they would stay as just that - ideas.

But the world was saved and while there were lives and homes to be rebuilt, Edgar itched to fulfill the one passion they shared together.

Of course Setzer agreed. It was only a matter of finding the right time to bring their dreams to life.

Right then, however, Setzer wiped sweat from his brow and gazed up to the skies. His violet eyes squinted and a slight groan slipped past him. "You know," he spoke, "when you think about it, it's perhaps the dumbest idea ever."

"What? This?"

Peering over his shoulder, Setzer eyed the contraption they had been slaving over. The model was based on one of the many blueprints belonging to Darill which survived the Falcon's initial crash. Setzer made little sense of them, but when he showed a few to Edgar, their combined intellect was enough to formulate a clue in regards to Darill's initial objective. It was far smaller than anything she had created, closer to the size of a chocobo. It was to be ridden like one, too, and if every part was in its place, then it would soar along with the birds she once admired.

Edgar, like Setzer, donned attire of lesser value, knowing full well black grease combined with sweat would soak into the fabrics. A simple tunic, pants, boots, and gloves outfitted Edgar, along with his hair pulled into a tight bun. Setzer's garb was no different, save for his sleeves rolled up sans gloves for well over an hour. As for their invention, a handful of kinks needed to be smoothed out, but their progress revealed something in comparison to the pile of scraps they gathered months ago.

Setzer snorted. "No, not the machinery." He waved a hand, motioning to the entirety of the castle. They claimed one of the upper walkways outside as their workshop, giving them a stellar view of the structure and the desert. "I was thinking how ridiculous it must have been when the first people made their way through the desert and decided this was a superb spot to settle down and raise a castle."

As for Edgar, one of his eyes twitched. "Now now! Careful with that tongue of yours. Said people are my ancestors."

"Still idiots."

"This coming from the man who thought flying was safer?"

Setzer grinned. "Oh, don't fool me! You love the airships." When Edgar failed to devise a retort, Setzer laughed. "No worries. I can respect the notion you'd prefer to be land bound."

"Well, I do appreciate that." After a beat, Edgar continued. "Though I will admit - the engine on the Falcon is remarkable. Flies like a dream."

"Can't exactly take credit for that. Only restored it back to life." Pivoting on his heels, Setzer approached their vehicle. "Same goes to this."

"We did add some of our own touches to it."

Setzer hummed. As true as Edgar's words were, he had a feeling Darill was laughing somewhere over their pathetic attempt to mimic her work.

If only she was still alive. Darill and Edgar would have gotten along famously. That is, until Edgar tried to win her over with his self-proclaimed charm, to which she would have broken a rib over laughing. But she wasn't there. All Setzer had to go by were the memories they spent together along with her own legacy within her designs.

"What do you think we should do with it when we're finished?"

Setzer raised an eyebrow at Edgar. "Fly it? Start the next project?"

Even though Edgar contorted his face, he chuckled at his friend. "Have a sense of excitement! We should do more than loops around the castle."

"Go on an excursion, then?" To that, Edgar nodded. "Won't the people worry about their king taking joy rides away from the castle?"

"Of all the things to worry about, I doubt that's one of them."

With a slight smirk, Setzer bent at his hip and eyed Edgar. "Not if you're bringing a handful of ladies with you to watch the sunset from above."

Edgar blinked, parted his lips, raised a finger, and then paused. Setzer did his best to stifle his amusement.

"Quiet, you."

"I don't hear you saying it's a bad idea."

"Shush!"

"Admit it." Setzer winked. "You can finally ask Terra if she'd-"

To that, Edgar grabbed a spare bolt and chucked it in Setzer's direction. The aim wasn't perfect, but Setzer still reeled back and roared with laughter. Any extra activity, even from the hilarity of it all, only made the heat worse, but this? This was worth it in Setzer's mind.

"I swear," Edgar spoke while brandishing a wrench at Setzer, "the next invention of mine is going to be a device which deprives you of your voice!"

"You'd be quite bored if you didn't have me around to entertain you." With a snicker, he swiped the wrench away from Edgar. "And no throwing the vital tools. I don't want to trek back to the Falcon to fetch a spare wrench."

"Oh, as if I don't possess any."

Setzer chuckled. "True." Tossing the wrench to the ground, he made his way over to the edge of the walkway to perch upon the parapet. "But this adventure you supposedly seek... what is it, exactly, hmm?"

Before long, Edgar rose to his feet, brushed off his clothing as best as possible, and joined Setzer. His forearms folded over one another and braced along the parapet. Both of them looked out to the horizon, staring at nothing but sand and blue skies.

"Not sure," Edgar replied. "I certainly can't stay cooped up here forever." He tilted his head back to eye Setzer. "I almost missed it when we were all on the Falcon, soaring about with no exact destination in mind. Just let the wind carry us out."

"Mmm, it's an exhilarating sensation."

"I envy you, in a sense."

Setzer brought his attention to Edgar. "How so? Because I have no obligations binding me to one place?" Edgar nodded. "May I remind you, my friend, that my life isn't nearly as stable as yours. One moment, I may be flourishing. The next, I can't keep my head above the water. Comes with the territory of being a gambler, after all. I wouldn't have it any other way. Brings both excitement and danger. Not exactly fit for a king, might I add, though if you ever grow that bored, I can see to it to save you from your duties, even if for a night."

A slight smirk tugged at Edgar's features. "Still thinking of adding another casino?"

"In the Falcon?" He paused. "Not sure. Even if I don't, I know plenty of places that can scratch that itch. Hell, if a simple game is all you want, I have my cards and knives. You know that. Bring them right here."

"Ah, but that's no fun!" Edgar perched his chin on top of his forearms. "I want to go some place different."

"We've been to quite a handful of locations."

"But there must be more since the world shifted in the wake of destruction."

Setzer blinked. "Now you're starting to sound like the thief."

"Oh, gods, don't let him hear you say that." Once they both chuckled over the moment, Edgar continued. "But the truth is I envy all of you who have that freedom. I know it's not perfect, but it looks nice on paper." He smiled. "Would be refreshing to have it for a moment. Just spread your wings and fly away."

The smile widened on Setzer's lips as he cast his eyes out to the sparse clouds floating away. "I know that sentiment all too well."

They stayed along the parapet with their eyes cast ahead. The sun might have beat down upon them, but the break in their efforts was long overdue. Setzer continued to be at a loss when it came to why anyone found the arid climate appealing, but it was within the desert that he formed a tight bond with a former companion.

A yell in the distance carried both their names. Edgar perked up first, then Setzer. Both of them exchanged glances before shuffling to the opposite side of the walkway. On a lower level within the center of the castle were a handful of recognizable faces. Setzer smiled while Sabin waved at them. The features on his face weren't visible, but Setzer pictured the twin grinning. A few attendants lingered behind him, though the figure dressed in gold and white stuck out to Setzer. A soft smile marked his own lips as he drew in the sight of the familiar woman from afar.

"Still slaving away at that thing?" Sabin called out.

Edgar scoffed and leaned over the parapet to scold his brother. "Excuse you! It's not a thing!"

"Then what is it?"

"More of a... work in progress, really."

The snort on Sabin's behalf was heard throughout all of Figaro Castle. "I'd call it a heap of junk!"

"What did I just tell you?!"

Sabin roared with laughter. Several attendants joined in with giggles. Edgar grumbled over the revelation.

"Oh, of course they pick his side," he mumbled before raising his voice again. "We shouldn't be working that much longer. Trying to squeeze in some finishing touches."

"Good," Sabin yelled back. "Lunch is about to be served. Guess I won't touch your plate."

"Like that's going to stop you!" That time, Setzer snorted and Edgar glared. "You're not helping!"

"Let him eat whatever he desires," Setzer replied, still chuckling. "We should try our best to finish up what we can with this project."

Edgar hesitated, then shot Setzer a playful look. "What, you don't want to join her for lunch?"

"Excuse me?"

"Please, the day you don't ogle her, I'll consider you a dead man."

Turned out there were some things even Setzer Gabbiani couldn't keep a poker face about. "She's not here for me," he ended up saying. "Last I heard, she was visiting to talk relations with you." Setzer waved a hand. "Political matters I don't care for."

"Uh-huh."

"It's true."

"Sure. Like that's ever stopped you."

"Are you two working?" Sabin butted into the conversation. "Definitely doesn't look like it."

"Quiet, you!" Edgar called down. "We are deliberating!"

Setzer raised an eyebrow. "We are?"

"Over what?" Sabin didn't ask this time; the jaded, yet strong tone belonged to the blonde woman next to him.

When Setzer lost the words in his throat, Edgar bent at the hip and answered Celes. "Whether or not this thing of ours is suitable for flying yet!"

She turned her head to eye both Edgar and Setzer, then finally Sabin. The two exchanged words, which left Sabin cracking up and Edgar smacking his face.

"Leave it to him to make a joke out of everything," Edgar spoke while returning to their contraption. "Might as well make the best of what time we have left before sundown."

Setzer looked back at the group below them, taking in Celes one last time before joining Edgar. "Did you mean that?"

Edgar mounted the end of the vehicle, his back to Setzer as he grabbed his tools. "What, the fact that you can't stop eyeing-"

"Not that." After smacking his face and sighing, Setzer peered at his friend through the cracks of his fingers. "I meant trying to make this thing fly."

"Well... not sure." Edgar tilted his head back for a moment. "We can try, no? At the very least, it sounded serious enough to let them know we'll be a while."

"Quite serious," Setzer responded, drier than the desert around them, "which is exactly why Sabin was laughing with Celes."

"And the way I see it, either you can keep it up with the one liners, Mr. Gambler, or you can help me out with this."

After chuckling to himself, Setzer wiped the sweat forming along his forehead from merely existing in the desert and offered a helping hand in their project. Both of them mounted the long seat, built for two passengers, perhaps three if they wanted to get extra cozy. They kept their backs to one another and focused on different aspects: Edgar tinkered at the exhaust while Setzer perfected the console.

Setzer lost track of the time spent on the contraption, per usual. In the silence, they basked in the art of creation. Screwing bolts was a dance for the two engineers, both of their hands gliding over various parts and handling them with utmost ease. Setzer might have preferred a different location than beneath the mercy of the sun, but anywhere else also meant not sharing the experience with a fellow inventor.

At one point, he shared the passion with Darill. Now he was able to do so with Edgar.

"I think I might be onto something," Edgar said at one point.

Setzer smirked. "Famous last words."

A wrench whacked his arm and Setzer couldn't help but laugh.

"I mean it!" Edgar continued. "Just... give me a minute... and this might work."

Setzer paused and peeked over his shoulder to investigate the matter. Edgar screwed in the last of his metal pieces and fiddled with a few switches in the back.

"Try hitting the ignition," he told Setzer.

Heeding his friend's words, Setzer's eyes widened when the engine roared to life. The vibrations thrummed through his legs and jolted through the rest of his body - different, yet similar to flying an airship. As for Edgar, he cackled over the success.

"I knew it! It can start up!" Though he continued to inspect his work. "Now, just need to tune up a few things back here..."

Edgar continued to speak, but Setzer paid close to no attention. His hands moved over the buttons and switches on the console. Dials and meters flicked to life, indicating all was well. No different from the lift off process on board the Falcon. The only part they were missing was flight itself.

And that idea didn't slip away from Setzer's churning mind.

A smirk branded his lips while he nestled his feet into the foot rests. He tested a few more switches and gripped the acceleration handle bar. The engine growled with ferocity and nothing more.

"Well then," Edgar said, "that sounds rather lively."

"It's about to get even livelier," Setzer purred back.

"...wait, what-"

"Hang onto something."

"What do you-"

Flicking off the brakes, Setzer repeated the motions once more. When the engine roared, the contraption no longer remained stationary. In one sudden jolt, it burst forward and down the walkway. Setzer ignored the terrified screams erupting from Edgar along with the frightened arms clinging at his waist from behind; his only focus was getting the damn thing to take flight.

By the end of the walkway, it lifted off and bolted into the open skies.

No different from riding a chocobo, Setzer kept to himself with a grin. He maintained the riding posture, wind whipping across his face and through his hair. It was exhilarating to be able to fly something far more compact and not be at the mercy of the bulkiness within an airship. To Setzer, it was one step away from strapping a pair of wings to his own back. He relished every second of it.

Edgar, however, was a different story. Granted, Setzer gave him zero warning, but where would have been the fun in that? Their invention was by no means perfect and needed tweaks - mostly to make the ride smoother, for every jerk in the engine brought another shriek out of Edgar - but it could fly. All of it was a step in the right direction in Setzer's eyes. He could deal with wonky controls and delayed actions so long as the wind passed over him and the ground below shrank away from sight.

"Doing alright back there?" Setzer asked at one point while circling around the castle.

"Not too high! Not too high! Not too-"

"Really, Edgar? We've been up much higher before!"

"On a bloody airship and not a work in progress!"

Setzer snorted. "Where is this sense of adventure you told me about a moment ago? Don't tell me you're having second thoughts on-"

"Setzer Gabbiani, what in the name of the gods did I just tell you about going higher?!"

"Oh this? This is nothing. What if-"

"Nope!"

"-we tried out-"

"Not interested!"

"-this?"

Putting all of his weight into the right, the vehicle barrel rolled through the air. The two riders remained intact, albeit with one shrieking and begging to get off the damn thing. Sadly for Edgar, Setzer was having beyond a blast with their invention. It was working, after all. What wasn't there to be delighted about?

But then there was a buckle in the machine and Setzer's excitement vanished.

"Oh good!" Edgar breathed out, thoroughly exasperated. "We're going down."

"I think we're crashing."

"What?!"

"I'm trying to level off!"

"Try harder!"

"If you'd stop squirming-"

Except nothing in Setzer's power could salvage the moment. Instead, he desperately ignored Edgar deafening him with endless shrills and braced himself for impact.

On the bright side, their altitude wasn't anywhere as close to what the Blackjack was at when the airship met its untimely demise. However, crashing into a sandbank meant a vast headache when fishing out fallen parts, let alone cleaning everything. Setzer held onto the handles and closed his eyes while the machine took a nose dive into the desert.

Upon impact, Setzer was flung off of the vehicle and rolled down a hill of sand. He winced at the fresh bruises he acquired. Upon sitting up, only his pride was broken. Once the world ceased spinning, he eyed the hill and spotted the machine partially buried and sputtering before it died out.

Scrambling to his feet, Setzer called out to Edgar. The lack of a response had Setzer's heart jump into his throat. Once he reached the crash site, he scouted the area for Edgar and discovered a single boot off in the distance. By the time he reached it, a head popped out of the sand a few feet away, gasping desperately for air.

Edgar spat out sand as he dug himself out. "Oh gods! We're not dead! This is such a relief! I have sand everywhere, but we're not dead!"

Sadly, Setzer couldn't help but snicker.

To that, Edgar glared at him. "This is all your fault!"

"My fault?! You're the one stating how much you wanted to be able to fly away for once. Something about seeking a bit of adventure in your boring, royal life."

"I did not say that!"

"Maybe not word for word. I'm only making it sound more interesting."

"We are never doing this again!"

Setzer grinned and knelt down before the half-buried Edgar. "What, can't handle a little fun?"

Edgar narrowed his eyes onto Setzer. "You taking off without letting me know is not my idea of fun!"

"I told you to hang on."

Edgar tossed a handful of sand at Setzer, who in turn cracked up.

The two continued to bicker, unaware of the chocobos heading in their direction. Guards from Figaro Castle arrived to assist along with Sabin and Celes. By the time they reached the crash site, Setzer finally helped Edgar out from the sand. He kept snickering over the sight Edgar was in, more so when Edgar chucked a sand-filled boot in his direction.

"Oh good," Sabin called out, "neither of you died!"

"That's what I said!" Edgar replied.

"You two make it sound like everything I do is a death trap," Setzer said while shaking his head.

"Might as well call it that," Edgar added on.

"What? The invention?"

"Well, what's left of it." He sighed and watched his guards try to haul it out from the sand. "Could call that one a lost cause."

"Nonsense!" Setzer inched over to Edgar, who crossed his arms and looked in the opposite direction. "I'm here to liven up your boring day from being a king and all. Hardly a lost cause. More like a worthy one to me!"

"Doing barrel rolls and all?"

"Damn straight."

"Oh man!" Sabin piped up. "I saw that! It was awesome!"

Edgar looked over his shoulder, unable to hide the incredulous look on his face. "You saw that?"

"Of course! And heard it, too! Gods, the attendants were cracking up over the sounds you were making, Edgar."

Setzer swore he never saw Edgar blush before, but there was a first time for everything.

"That wasn't me," Edgar enunciated every word.

"Sure as hell wasn't Setzer." Sabin motioned to the other man. "I've heard you scream and I know-"

"Alright!" Edgar threw his hands up. "I get it! Enough! Weren't you concerned about missing lunch or something?!"

While the twins continued to bicker, Setzer brought his sights upon Celes, who remained perched upon her chocobo. She might have said nothing, but the look in her blue eyes conveyed her amusement over the turn of events.

"I didn't worry you, did I?" Setzer asked with a smirk.

She raised an eyebrow. "Barely."

He feigned pain quite well and she was already rolling her eyes. "Not even a little bit?"

"You're always looking for a risk. Nothing out of the ordinary. You are a gambler."

Setzer nodded. "Always was, always will be."

"Though I must say..." Celes looked over to Sabin and Edgar, who were now heading back to the castle. "This might be my favorite visit yet. Wasn't expect you two to put on a show."

"I aim to please."

Celes scoffed, yet smiled. "Glad to see you didn't break too much of your pride in the crash."

"Nothing that won't heal."

They both bowed their heads to one another. Celes turned her chocobo back to the castle while Setzer dashed past her to catch up with Edgar.

"So what do you say?" Setzer said, wrapping a loose arm around Edgar's shoulders. "Have some lunch and go for round two?"

Edgar blinked. "What?!"

"To repair the damn thing."

"So you can fly it again?!"

"Well... that is the end goal, isn't it?" He patted Edgar's shoulder. "Or we can work on making you some safety equipment to feel a touch safer, hmm? A helmet, maybe? Some padding around your squishy body?"

"What?"

"Oh! Oh!" Sabin beamed over a sudden idea. "We can make you one of those cloth thingies the drone fliers in the Empire used to use?"

Setzer snapped his fingers on his free hand and wiggled one at Sabin. "A parachute! Perfect!"

"Why do I have the feeling," Edgar groaned out, "that this is going to be a bad idea?"

"At least you won't die. And I'll make sure it's stylish on you. Don't want the ladies mourning your loss."

"Actually," Sabin butted in, "they were all laughing."

To that, Setzer couldn't hold back his amusement even if he tried. As for his friend, even he cracked a smile and chuckled over the situation. Besides, trial and error came with any invention. One could only laugh along the way to make it more interesting. Setzer, without a doubt, didn't want it any other way.