Like Siblings

Penelo looked questioningly at him. "Well aren't you?"

"Th…the…..this?" Vaan choked, pointed toward the small bedside lamp.

She nodded.

"Then again," Penelo sighed. "I might as well show you now…"

Her hands reached to the top of the towel that was wrapped around her chest, uncurling the knot in the middle that held the whole drape in place.

"You shouldn't! I mean it's not exactly summer yet and it's kinda chilly and you might catch a cold and that's bad..."

The towel slipped off.

"Oh!" Vaan stammered, but a second later, "……..what?"

The all too familiar white tank top and night shorts covered what was so dearly anticipated.

After a few moments of straining, Penelo burst out laughing.

"AHAHAHAHA I can't believe you fell for that!! You were SOO cute back there!!"

"You tricked me…..YOU TRICKED ME!! AWWW DAMMIT!!" Vaan yelled, jumping on to of the bed and pointing at the hysterical Penelo.

"Ohhh this hurts hahaha!!" She cried, holding her sides.

"You WILL be hurting as soon as I get my hands on…GRRR!!"

The sky pirate snatched a pillow from the bed and took a wild swing at Penelo. She swiftly dodged backward, and before Vaan could wind up for another strike, he was blown back by an oversized chocobo cushion to the face.

"Mmmfff!! What the heck? I don't remember buying this!!" Vaan shoved it aside. "Stop wasting our money on useless things!!"

He threw his pillow at Penelo, who blocked the shot with a chair.

"But I like chocobos!!" She laughed.

"And that damn underwear of yours!"

"But I like huskies!!"

"ARGH!"

Vaan, after emptying the entire closet of pillows in an unsuccessful attempt to knock Penelo off the bed, eventually threw himself in her direction.

"Waah!" Penelo yelped, cart wheeling over the fuming teenager. He went skidding into off the end of the bed and into the wall shortly after.

"Ugh! Damn you!"

Vaan tried a few more diving tackles, only to find that Penelo's unpredictable movements just threw him off and into another wall. Sweating, he got back up for another try. This time, instead of jumping at her, he dove down over the sheets, pulling them with him as he did. Penelo squealed as her feet were swept back and she landed in a heap on the bare mattress.

"Aha!!"

He threw the sheets over the dazed Penelo and leapt on top.

"HEY!! Watch where you put those hands!!" She yelled from underneath.

"Oh jeez! I'm sorry!!" Vaan quickly let go.

"Psyche!" Penelo chirped as she rolled out from the side of the cot.

"That's twice now!! You are SO dead!"

"I don't think soooo!" She laughed, and took off into another room

For the next 10 minutes, the two chased each other around the flat, flailing pillows, knocking over chairs, and slamming doors. Neither of them noticed however, that their general horseplay had much different connotations to the people who could hear them from up to a block away.

There was a knock on the door.

"Hello??" The two sky pirates simultaneously burst the door open, sweating from all over.

All tall, menacing Viera man stood at the doorstep; a pair of bright blue eyes under a low eyebrow ridge stared down at them. However, the intimidating glare immediately changed to a very surprised expression when he noticed their heavy breathing and rather wet appearance.

"I hope," he started. "I did not intrude on anything too…specific, should I say."

"Oh no no, but umm…what brings you here?" Penelo asked politely.

"I speak on behalf of the people living in this building as I am as much as their neighbor as I am to you. Your…activities, whatever they may be," he coughed. "Is causing quite a racket in a way that is not…the most comforting for the folks here. I do not care as to what you do here, believe me, but the general consensus seems to be…" He brought his finger close to his lips. "Shhhh."

"I am very sorry about this, we'll be quiet," said Vaan.

"Good. I will go and…assure the neighbors."

"Umm pardon me?" Penelo asked gingerly as the Viera turned to leave.

"……yes?"

"What is your name? I don't think I've seen you on this flat before…"

"Duon, at your service," he bowed slightly. "I am in room 246. Feel free to contact me if anything goes…unexpectedly. Good night."

"Good night…" The pirates both said.

The Viera bowed again before he silently walked up the grated stairs, and out of sight.

"Wow," Vaan chuckled. "That was weird."

"Yeah, no kidding. And his eyes were really creepy, not to mention…like, Vaan, have you ever seen a male Viera before?"

Vaan thought for a bit.

"Nope."

"Whatever. Let's go back in, it's getting cold."

The two sky pirates, after wiping the sweat from their faces, lumbered back to the cot, tired and drowsy. Vaan sat down next to an already snoozing Penelo as reached out to turn off the light. He paused.

"Am I not going to turn off the light?" he wondered.

He looked back at Penelo, remembering the deluge of intense feeling he had just a while ago, and for some reason, it all seemed to disappear in an instant; the moment the pillow fight started that was.

"Maybe I'm better off just being your brother…" Vaan whispered as he turned off the light.

He sunk into his sheets, pulling them close.

"Maybe…I was imagining it all…" the teenager reflected. "When I think of her as a friend, as sister…nothing happens. And nothing will happen. I guess that has more meanings than one." He looked over to Penelo. "Am I happier like this? I don't know…"

Vaan was deep in his thoughts when Penelo shifted slightly.

"About what I did back there," she whispered, still facing away. "You looked really sad for the whole evening so I thought that I could lighten up the mood a bit but…yeah. I didn't mean to tease you like that…" She turned around. "That was really childish of me. I'm sorry."

Vaan was taken aback by Penelo's sudden tenderness.

"Uhh, it's ok," he mumbled, looking away from Penelo's eyes. "Don't worry about it."

Penelo nodded slightly. "You mind if I…come closer? It's really chilly tonight."

"Yeah, sure."

She nudged forward until her head was right at Vaan's chest; her warm breath tingling the surface of his skin. He looked down at her golden hair. Strangely enough, the feeling of lust wasn't as close to as strong as it was before, but Vaan felt absolutely compelled to put his arm around her.

His mind completely blank, Vaan slowly passed his right arm over Penelo's shoulder. Penelo giggled a little as the cuddled in his warmth.

"Is…there something wrong?"

"No…but," she chucked. "I guess Ktjn was right."

"What?"

"Oh, nothing."

The two sky pirates slowly drifted off to sleep together, and for the first time, they felt a kind of warmth that no bed or cover could offer.