by PrettyGothGirl
All Disclaimers Apply
Summary: Cid contrives to have Rikku and Gippal spend some quality time
together. Part Five: Rikku's upset and Gippal isn't noticing, which
just upsets her more.
A/N: I know I said I wasn't going to continue this until Peeking was finished. Well, I finished writing
Peeking and I managed to write this and I had so much fun... I have to
post. All right, premise recap... love scenes from action series,
1000-2000 words. Next two weeks entries are Lost In Space... yeah I
know that 1997 version with Matt Leblanc in leather pants. Mmm. It
saved the movie I swear. Leather pants.
The balmy night air ruffled Rikku's hair. She leaned against the rail of a 'patio' area off the second story in one of Luca's better clubs. Water beaded on the side of her glass and she sloshed the ice cubes around in her mostly empty glass and waited for Gippal to come back with a new drink for both of them.
Rikku had concluded that Gippal had no idea how mad she was at him. Well, perhaps, she wouldn't call herself mad. She was infuriated in an icy cold rage. And somehow, Gippal hadn't a clue. It was odd. Usually, he was much better at gauging her moods.
She wouldn't be mad at him if hadn't tugged on her braids and pretty much almost tsked her under her chin. She wouldn't be as mad at him if he'd done this when they were in front of say, Anikki. No. Gippal had told her to 'run along and play soldier' in front of Yuna andPaine. She did not play soldier. To make matters worse, Yuna had naively accepted it and Paine had looked amused.
She wouldn't be angry if he hadn't just a few nights before hadn't been shoving her against a door and engaging her in a very passionate lip lock. Or the same day of said lip lock, he hadn't acted like he cared about her well being and didn't want to see her hurt. She wouldn't be angry if he wasn't a damn fine kisser.
Thus, Rikku was mad with her criminal hunter partner. Mad was quicker and easier to say, but didn't quite encompass her rage and humiliation. She was not six years old. She was not some ornament he could put on his arm when he felt she was useful.
She glared at the ice. How was she supposed to be his partner if Gippal wouldn't treat her with some level of consistency? Or at the very least, how was she to remain civil to him if he didn't treat her consistently. She wasn't sure how much humiliation of being treated like a kid she could swallow before she burst into tears and/or threw him off a bridge. Bursting into tears would be cathartic, however throwing him off the bridge would make her feel that much better in that oh so mean and petty way.
She sighed. All right, it was wrong of her to get her hopes up after one night of companionable albeit passionate undercover work. It would be nice of him to act like the time had actually existed. Of course, if she thought about this way. She'd have to be reasonable. She didn't want to be reasonable. She wanted to be angry. He hadn't noticed that she was angry and that just irritated her more. If Gippal was going to make her pissed he should by all that was holy realize that she was pissed. If he didn't notice than that just made him an insensitive git. And if he was an insensitive git then she had all the more reason to be angry at him. He wasn't supposed to be an insensitive git. Therefore, if he was, she could be angry. It made justifiable sense.
She sloshed the ice some more and turned around. She stared off over the ocean. Tears stung her eyes. Couldn't he just once treat her like a female worthy of his attentions where it mattered? She tilted her head back and the tears pooled in her eyes instead of down her face. Couldn't he see that his treating her like a child effected how everyone else treated her?
"You know, if you stare at them long enough they make shapes." Gippal set a full glass next to arm on the rail. "Your water."
"They're called constellations." She bit off the 'dolt' she wanted to add.
"I meant shapes other than the constellations."
She inhaled and tilted her head back down. "Is that what you do in your spare time? Create new shapes and names for the stars." She turned her head to look at him.
He shrugged. "Well, it's something to do. Most of the current ones are rather dull."
She pressed her lips together and looked back up. She liked the stars and shapes as they were. They were comforting and there were romantic stories behind them. "I don't see how."
"They just are."
She shook her head. This didn't have anything to do with what they were supposed to be doing. "They guide our way and have stories attached to them."
"I think it would be neat to have my own constellation."
"You would." She grimaced. They were supposed to be looking for the hangouts of their criminal friend. Scouring the clubs had been her idea. It didn't look like this club was one of his 'spots.' They should leave, but Gippal had gone to get drinks before she could say so. Now, he was talking about the stars. She just wanted to look around more and get away from him, go back to the Celsius and sleep. And maybe, just maybe, she wouldn't be so angry in the morning.
He shifted a little to face her. "Well, you should have one. Don't you think?"
"Yuna could. Or Tidus, since he refused to give up or Auron for being supremely stubbornly undead for ten years. Or Yu Yevon could have a constellation. It wouldn't be hard since he looked like a big bug. I don't need or want my own constellation." She dumped the ice from her empty glass into the new one and stacked them together.
"The stars would be a good place for Yevon. Get his legacy off of Spira." Gippal grinned.
She found herself grinning back. Why did he have to be… so… Gippal?
He licked his lips and leaned a little closer. "You know. We're out here all alone, stars, ocean…" He trailed off. Her gut rolled. He, he… he, she couldn't come up with something suitable to finish the sentence. "Pretty romantic."
Heat flashed through her. Where was this romantic Gippal a few days ago? He leaned down closer. He couldn't seriously think that she was going to kiss him after... Her back stiffened and lips parted in shock. He took that as an invitation and smirked, lips millimeters from hers. He was going to kiss her. Shock gave way to action. She smiled and wrapped a hand around his neck, under his shirt.
She snatched up the water, extra ice and all and dumped it over his head and down his back. Satisfaction bubbled up in her as Gippal's eye widened in shock and he stood up straight. With water that cold, you had to stand up straight. She took a step backwards. Ice dripped off his bangs and onto face. The ice had to be freezing the skin of his back or maybe it'd fallen into his pants. He just stared at her, speechless. Rikku's lips twitched. She set the cup down on the rail with a deliberate thunk. "Good. Night." She tossed her hair and stalked out the door.
Served him right, inconsiderate insensitive ass. Let him figure out what went wrong. She wasn't going to enlighten him. If he cared enough, he would. If he was smart enough. Supposedly, he was smart. She sidled through the gyrating bodies in the club and pushed out the door to the street.
Besides, seeing Gippal wet and shocked, had been very worth it, almost as satisfying as throwing him off a bridge. Rikku giggled all the way home.
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