By PrettyGothGirl
All Disclaimers Apply
Summary: Rikku and Gippal start their investigation and end up in a dark cramped space.
Author's Note: I really feel like this could have been written better... but I'm not sure how. sigh Hugs to all readers! Quite the Couple is hosting the Best of Rikku/Gippal Awards. All are welcome to join. Please, go, look, nominate! Thank you! Link is at my Profile
Without any information to go on, they were back to where they had been last time; trolling bars for tidbits of tidbits of clues. It was going to be tedious work.
Rikku snuck a glance at Gippal. He caught her at it and smirked squeezing her hip. His other hand rested near his gun. It was a quick look before he returned to watching the streets, eye not pausing for more than a moment, alert, predatory. She rubbed her hand along the base of his spine and followed his example. This section of town had sprung up within the last few years and in comparison with the rest of Luca it was a slum. The narrow streets were loosely fitted slates, the buildings piled on top of each other. Alleys were wide enough for a single person to walk through. Rikku shivered and moved closer to Gippal. Their legs rubbed together as they walked and it pressed the knife on the inside of her boot into her thigh. She felt a little safer.
"Cold, doll?"
Doll? She gave him a hard look. "A little, honey bun."
He didn't wince, though his lips twitched. "I'd call you killer woman but that sort ruins the whole point of the undercover thing of a ma jig whatever." He changed course and maneuvered them towards an open door with the sound of many voices coming out of it.
"Undercover thing of a ma jig whatever?" She blinked.
"Yeah, that. I told you to bring a coat." He said as they reached the hearing of those closest to the door.
"I forgot." She pretended to pout. "You're supposed to keep me warm."
"I do my best." He leered.
Rikku flushed and hid her face in his arm. "You were the one who wanted to go out."
"Only to hear you stop whining about it. We're out and you're still whining."
She reared back and tossed her hair. "I am not." She stomped her foot.
There was an empty stool next to the blitz game. He helped her onto one and ordered from the bar for both of them. The bartended filled their order without giving them a second glance. Gippal turned and pushed a lock of Rikku's hair behind her ear. She smiled at him and then spun around finding all the exits and the few windows.
"The ladies room is that way." Gippal murmured and slid his arm around her waist, one hand under the straps of cloth that didn't quite dignify the word top in his opinion.
"I don't have to go." She leaned back against them.
Gippal started to talk hovers. A topic that would bore most women, unless they were Al Bhed. He talked about what he would do with a better one, the merits of different builders, how he wanted to improve the one he had and how they were so expensive. She offered her own suggestions, desires and improvements and told him quite bluntly that he could afford a more expensive hover if he worked harder.
"I do work hard, babe." He nibbled the side of her neck. "Very hard."
She sighed. It was supposed to be a 'tired, I've heard this before' sigh, but it felt more like an 'oh, that feels good' sigh. Her eyes almost closed. "I know."
"Your father really pushes me."
"You aren't the only one he pushes."
Gippal ordered more drinks and they improvised a conversation on their supposed jobs, something grounded in reality, mechanics and excavating. There were a lot of little couple of families Al Bhed businesses so they could be talking about any one of them. He told her stories based off his workers and she told him stories based off working with Anikki and Dachi and working on her old excavation ship. It was the type of talking they used to do back when Home stood and they hadn't traveled the world.
"You need to get into port more."
"I try." She frowned. "I don't think father completely approves of you." She twisted to look up at him. "He likes you, but I-" She pouted. "I don't think he wants us to be together."
She could feel him trembling. He was trying his best not to laugh. She swallowed her own grin. Yeah, okay, so that was the most blatant lie they'd said this evening since Cid was pushing them together as much as possible. She kissed the underside of his chin avoiding his lips. They would be here all night if she kissed his lips and she slipped from the stool and headed towards the restrooms and then walked right past them. Even if she had to go, she wasn't going to go here. She had standards.
She walked the length of the hall, past the other restroom and the employee's only door. She checked the handle of the last door. It jiggled. She glanced down the hall. It was clear. She pulled her picks out of her hair and picked the lock. She opened the door and sighed. It was just a supply closet. She shut it gently and wandered back to the employee's door and tried to listen.
There was a conversation or a game or something going on and she couldn't hear very well. She strained to hear a coherent word. Nothing but murmurs, there had to be more than one thing going on in there then.
Gippal rounded the corner and she put her finger to her lips. He paused. Still nothing. She walked over to him and leaned against him.
"Lost?" He murmured.
"There's something going on the other side of that door and I can't hear." She grimaced.
"The walls are thin."
"It's too noisy." She shook her head.
He looked over at the last door. "And that?"
"Just a supply closet."
He nodded. "I have an idea." He grabbed her hand, led her into the closet and shut the door.
She blinked as he put an arm around her waist and tugged her against his chest. The closet was so small there wasn't any other way to stand. She licked her lips. Earlier when he'd been behind her and talking into her ear it was just his voice. She could handle his voice. Her back had been pressed to his chest and it had been easy to ignore. All the other scents in the bar had drowned out his it had teased the edge of her awareness. Now, her nose was buried in his scent and his chest was right in the range for touching.
She tried to take a step back, stumbled and grabbed his shoulders. His arm tightened around her. Sweat built under her palms and her heart pounded. She leaned her head forward and it rested against his neck. She closed her eyes. It didn't matter if they were open or not. It only made things slightly darker. She tried to focus on the talking in the next room, which was slightly clearer. Yet, she could hear Gippal's breathing. She tried to hold still, but it made things worse. She was intimately aware of how close they were, the slightest brush the hair on his arms brushing hers. Her stomach tightened. She shouldn't. It-It- oh to hell with it. They were in a dark closet and there were plenty of things she could do to him in a dark closet. He never seemed to have problems kissing or touching her.
She tilted her head brushing her lips across his neck. Electricity jumped between them and made her tingle down to her toes. She smiled and kissed his neck right over his jumping pulse.
"Rikku." He murmured.
"Mmmm." She parted her lips and tasted him, salt and skin. She trailed her fingers down and under the vest and stroked his skin, smooth, warm with the hard muscles underneath.
"What are you doing?"
"Not shirking." She ran a thumb across his nipple.
He hissed. "I'm trying to listen."
"I'll be quiet." She said, lips moving against his skin.
"You're distracting me." His voice protested but his head tilted back and his hand rubbed along her spine.
"Subterfuge." She said before nibbling into his neck.
He didn't respond in any recognizable words. She dragged the tips of her fingers on the edge of his chest and heard his breathing hitch. Pressed up against him, she could feel his reaction to her, hard against her belly. Those pants really were tight. She rubbed against him and her imagination filled in what he looked like naked. It made her mouth water. His fingers dug into her back.
She pressed open mouth kisses up his neck, letting her hands wander down. They skirted his belly button and she ran them under the waistband of his pants. His muscles clenched and he jerked his head over, smashing his lips to hers. His tongue delved into her mouth licking her up. She grabbed the edges of his vest and clung as she tangled her tongue with his tasting the alcohol and underneath it him.
He tore his mouth away, biting her bottom lip. "You really know how to kill a man."
"I thought you were listening."
"I've heard enough. Let's go."
"Just, you know, let me check outside the door first."
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