Beating Around the Bush
By RingPrincess
A/N: Rippal fluff, cause we need Rippal fluff. Dedicated to Mccpcorn for his word choice during a conversation of ours. oh yes and don't forget rippal shippers rippal(underscore)shippers(dot)livejournal(dot)com, long live Rikku and Gippal!
Rikku flung her body down on the couch in the cabin of the Celsius, arms crossed, lips puckered into a pout. "Damn it, why do you always have to be so right?"
Gippal reared back and Rikku knew she had just made a grave tactical error. His lips stretched into a smirk. "What did you just say, Cid's girl?"
"Nothing," she protested.
Gippal cocked his head and grinned broader. "That I'm always right?"
Rikku opened her mouth and then shut it.
He turned his head away and watched her out of the corner of his eye, hand to his chin. "If that's the case, then I remember saying something about the we made quite the couple some time ago and you denied it."
"You also said that I was always good for a laugh." Rikku retorted.
"You are always good for a laugh. That's a rare thing." Gippal shrugged.
"Yeah, but usually you're laughing at me!" Rikku glared at him, her voice hurt. "And I have a name!"
"But I'm always right!"
Rikku reached over for a pillow and flung it at him. "Don't use my words against me."
Gippal neatly fielded the pillow and took the two steps so he could hit her over the head with it. Her eyes widened and she grabbed another pillow bringing it up before he could hit her. She could only use the pillow as a shield however since he had the better standing position. She hooked her foot between his legs and pulled him down to the couch.
"Arrogant," she muttered as she hit him, "bastard, rotten shoopuf-"
Gippal retaliated with his own pillow as he landed next to her still laughing.
"Son of a Behemoth's mother, no good-"
Gippal snickered and managed to twist the pillow from her hands. He flung it out of her reach.
"-dirty jackass!" She finished right before he captured her lips. He dropped the pillow and grabbed her waist pulling her onto his lap. Rikku's eyes closed and her hands cupped his face. Her hands slid around to the back of his head and she pressed into him. The kiss continued for a few more minutes until Gippal backed it off. Rikku's eyes snapped open and she stared at him wide eyed. She licked her lips.
"I knew that we were a couple. You see I have distinct memories of being a couple, holding hands, insult contests, fighting, kissing." He stroked her back. "Back rubs," he sighed. "Those were the days."
"Your imaginative life is getting weirder by the minute. We were not a couple."
"Then exactly why are you still holding me?" He leaned forward and brushed her lips with his. She dug her fingers into his scalp, lips parting as he licked them and slid his tongue past them, delving into her mouth to taste her. He ran a finger down her spine and she arched into him, grinding her hips into his. "Tell me," he whispered against her lips and kissed to her ear, licking and blowing into it. "Tell me why."
"I dunno, hormones." She murmured, shivering as the small of her back tingled.
He rolled his eye and dumped her back first onto the couch. "Try again," he said, leaning over her.
"Whatever you want me to say. I'm not going to say it."
"Am I hearing words related to bush, beating, around?" He tugged a braid.
"No."
"Come on, you could of kicked me off before the first kiss." He tilted his head. She bit her lip flushing. "Maybe you just didn't want to."
She wiggled and he licked his lips.
"Maybe you really agree with me." He leaned down.
"We weren't a couple." She whispered, before he sucked her bottom lip into his mouth.
"But I'm always right and I say we were, thus we were." He licked her neck, down to her collarbone.
"That's circular reasoning." She gasped as he nibbled on her skin. "Gippal."
His head snapped up and he smirked. "Haven't heard that in a while."
"Never heard it all." She glared.
He sighed. "What is it with you and denial, Cid's girl?"
Her hands fell from his head. "I have a name."
"Until you're my girl again, you shall always and forever be Cid's girl." He grabbed her hand and kissed it.
"There is no again!" She glared. "I wasn't your girl, ever. Therefore there could never be an again, just a first."
"So, now I'm wrong. You're contradicting yourself now. If I'm always right, I'm always right. Can't be wrong some of the time and right the rest of the time."
She sighed gustily and stared at the ceiling. "Then I'm saying you're not always right."
"And I'm saying your contradicting yourself, which means your wrong and I'm still right. Yes?"
"No."
"Yes."
"No."
"Yes."
"No."
"Yes."
"Oh for fuck's sake, get on with it."
He burst out laughing. Her hand fell off the couch and fumbled for the pillow, fingers scrabbling around the edges until she managed to pick it up and she swung it around and hit him with it.
"Stop - laughing - at - me." She punctuated each word with a hit. Gippal grabbed the pillow, tugged it out of her hand and flung it over the railing. He pinned her flailing arm above her head and kissed her again. Her leg wrapped around his waist and she arched into him, her breasts brushing his chest.
"As you wish," he murmured breaking the kiss for one second, before plunging back in.
"All right," she panted, once the kiss was broken. "I'll be your girl again."
--
Below, Paine 's hand reached up over her head and clamped down as she felt something hit it. She lifted the pillow off her head by the fabric and stared at it. She frowned and looked upwards to the catwalk. Pinning the pillow under her arm, she started up the stairs. No one threw pillows at Paine and got away with it.