Title: Sacrifices
By: Wai
Fandom: Final Fantasy X-2
Pairing: GippalxBaralai

It's awfully hard to concentrate on paperwork when one's lover is playing around with his eye patch.

Baralai supposed that it came with the entire packet that was Gippal. That and the loud snoring, sudden disappearances and the less-than-desired timing of certain make out sessions. Not that Baralai was complaining about the sessions themselves, but Gippal really shouldn't tackle him in the corridors where the other monks could easily spot them.

The snoring he didn't mind much, it happened rarely. Only on the rare occurrence that Gippal was utterly exhausted and that was usually at the end of the month when all the inventories had to be checked, double-checked and triple-checked. Gippal had zero organizational skills and the fact that he would abandon his post at the drop of a hat didn't help.

While his co-workers took care of the machinas, the only person who had the right to handle inventory work and wages and such was the man-in-charge, Gippal. It was probably a good thing that math was a strong point of his or else it would take him weeks to finish all the work. Gippal, professional procrastinator, needed only one day to finish everything. By the time everything is finished he would trudge towards the room he shared with Baralai and collapse in utter exhaustion, snoring away into Baralai's ears.

The one that probably bothered Baralai the most was the sudden disappearances. It was exasperating sometimes. He wouldn't know where Gippal had gone off to most of the times. But then his lover would reappear days later with a grin and no explanation. If Baralai didn't know any better, he would have kicked Gippal out a long time ago. Of course, he DID know Gippal and he knew him well. Whenever Gippal latched onto something, there was no way that he was going to let go. Besides, infidelity was never Gippal's style.

Despite his obvious talents when it comes to flirting, he wouldn't actually cheat on Baralai. That was one line that Gippal would never cross. Besides, Gippal knew that if he so much as thought of two-timing Baralai, he would be lunch for the wild Malboros in the Calm Lands.

Still, he didn't like coming home to a darkly lit room with no one to welcome him home. He had been used to that, long ago, but by this time he had gotten used to having Gippal there with a bright grin on his face, welcoming him home. It just wasn't the same.

"Oi." SMACK. "You're going to burn a hole into that piece of paper you know." Pull. "You've been staring at it for the last five minutes or so." SMACK.

Baralai set his pen gently down and regarded his lover with a cool stare and a forced smile.

"I can hardly concentrate with you sitting there, doing absolutely nothing."

Gippal took one good look at him and grinned. Fortunately, it stopped him from pulling at his eye patch and letting it go, an action he kept repeating for the last hour or so.

"Oh, so you've finally snapped huh?" The blond looked very much amused. "Come on, let's go home. It's late already."

"I still have all this work to finish."

Gippal rolled his eye, getting up from the couch he had been occupying ever since he came back from work.

"I'm sure Bevelle can go without," He paused, holding up a paper to read, "ten thousand toilet paper rolls?" He paused, wrinkling his nose. "Alright, maybe not THAT. But I'm sure it can go without all of the other stuff."

"And if it can't?" Baralai asked, raising an eyebrow, though he couldn't quite make his lips to stop twitching.

"Then…whatever." He walked over to Baralai's desk, setting his hands down on it and leaning forward. "Bevelle will not crumble just because you didn't sign a few papers, Baralai."

"And how would you know that?"

"It obviously didn't crumble at the very beginning of the Eternal Calm and everything is still standing now." Gippal said dryly. "Go home. Bed. You are exhausted and you've been spelling your name wrong."

"What?" Baralai glanced down on his papers and sure enough, he had been spelling his name as "Barali". The Praetor groaned, collapsing back into his chair. Gippal chuckled and extended his hand.

"Come on, I'll even let you wake me up extra early tomorrow morning."

"Hmm? Really?"

Gippal paused for a moment, hesitating. "Well, you can try, at least." Baralai laughed and he felt his exhaustion ebb away slowly.

"Alright then." He said, grabbing a hold of Gippal's hand. "But you're going to baby-sit for Nooj next week."

Gippal let out a sound that was a cross between a choke and a chortle.

"Tch. The sacrifices I have to make for you." He muttered dramatically. Baralai smiled calmly, keeping what he had wanted to say to himself. After all, he had to sacrifice a couple of things for Gippal's sake, it was only fair that Gippal do the same.

End

Note: Thank you to everyone who reviewed the previous drabble. Oh andthank you very much toGysecune for pointing out the mistake in that drabble. It happens all the time when I write, I'm afraid. (sigh)