Disclaimer: I have no ownership of Final Fantasy XII merchandise or what-have-you save for my own mass-produced copy of the game and the plot that unravels before you now.

Title: Yggdrasil

Author: Yukari Youkai

Rating: T… for TEEN!

Pairing: Bathier/Vaan

Summary: In exchange for a Galbana Lily, Vaan is given the key to change the universe. [AU

Chapter: 6/? Who's your attractive paternal figure?

Notes: Today's showing will be starring: DrunkOffHisAss!Balthier.

And what an adventure it was! Vaan and his newfound companion burst into the forest, armed with their wits, their pants, and of course, conventional weaponry. They didn't make it very far.

Actually, they only just made it out of the swamp. At the first sight of trees, Vaan shouted "Land Whore!" and glomped the first one he could reach. Balthier followed at a more sedate pace (read: drunken stumbling), collapsing at the tree's roots.

"Balthier," Vaan whined, "you can't go to sleep now!"

"Mm… sosh off."

"Balthier."

The Overseer reached up, grabbed Vaan's wrist (after a few missed swings), and pulled the boy down. Understandably, he overbalanced and toppled into Balthier's lap. "Sleep," he ordered, petting Vaan's hair in what he deemed was a relaxing manner. Surprisingly, the little vagabond listened, and they both slept off their drunkness against the trunk of a tree.

---

"Honestly," Vaan laughed nervously. "I have no idea how we got like… that."

"Of course not," Balthier agreed facetiously while he searched his pockets for any remaining gil.

"Really, Balthier," Vaan continued. "I think it was all your fault."

"Of course it--- excuse me? No, nevermind. Thanks to my folly, I have the most amazing ache of the head."

"We were both so drunk…" Vaan mused.

"Don't change the subject, please," Balthier snapped.

"You just said to forget it."

"Well, unforget it. Why doesn't your head hurt?"

Vaan snorted, and winced. Who knew snorting made hangovers worse? "It does. But it would hurt anyway with all your whining."

"…"

"Oh, come on. I'm hangover and achy all over. I'm sorry, OK? I didn't mean it."

Balthier sniffed. "You seem to have come under the impression I was offended."

"What else was I supposed to think, Mr. Silent Treatment?"

"Every other word out of your mouth annoys me."

Vaan scoffed. "Whatever."

"Are you even old enough to drink?"

"What do you think?" Balthier's intuition decided then to quietly tell him it was going to be a very long trip. Like he didn't know.

---

Thorne slept fitfully. Moogles had numbers and stamina in excess, but two-and-a-half days of running in circles screaming was enough to knock out the whole lot of them. He worried about Vaan even in his involuntary dreams. He reached out with his tiny moogle hands for the lost blonde boy. "Vaan," he cried. "Vaan!"

"Thorne, Thorne, wake up!" Someone called to him in a familiar voice, while shaking him gently.

"Va-! Vaan," he squeaked. The other moogles curled around him in various states of exhaustion began to stir. "Vaan is here! Kupoo!" A victorious cry rose from all the able moogles, whose blood sugar had not completely depleted.

"Kupo!" they shouted.

Balthier stood back. He watched with cultured disinterest as Vaan was collectively jumped on and nagged at. Somehow, they had made it just before evening. If he hadn't been so irresponsible, he could have walked back, dark or no. Of course, seeing as this was what he wanted to do, his head decided to remind him, with a vicious throb of pain, just who was in charge here, puny hume. Balthier thought, rather morbidly, that he should start wanting to live life to the fullest, just to see what the odds were of getting run over by a merchant caravan.

Two hangover idiots was safer than just one. "Dammit," he swore under his breath. And, of course, Vaan turned around to face him just then.

"Say something, Balthier?"

'Why can't anything go my way?!' "No, nothing," he replied, trying to keep his expression pleasant.

"Oh, hey, guys. I want you to meet Balthier. He saved me …twice," holding up two fingers for emphasis. True to form, his audience's eyes widened.

"T-twice, kupo?"

"Yep," Vaan said, putting his fists on his hips and smiling widely. Balthier couldn't help but be drawn to the fine curve they made. For purely aesthetic reasons, you understand.

Said pervert was soon awash in a moogle high tide. A crash of sound reached him all at once, the off beat tune of several moogles speaking at once.

Eventually, when the effects of whatever desert flowerthese poor beings were smoking wore off, Balthier was put up with Vaan for the night. Lucky him.

---

"Well," Vaan laughed nervously, as he led Balthier into the small bungalow. "This is it."

"Of course it is," Balthier said, gingerly sitting on what he now recognized as a "ham-mock." How… simple. Balthier let his hand sit on the rough fabric and tried not to show too much distaste. It was, apparently, just enough. He looked up at Vaan to find the boy staring at him. When he quirked an eyebrow, Vaan scowled.

"Look, whatever. I know it's not blood wool, or whatever, but it's what we've got. Deal with it, you prissy snob."

Balthier had the absolute gall to look smug. "Aren't you a little too old for temper tantrums?" Vaan considered, instantaneously, frying the arse with good Thundara. Then his anger cooled and he considered sulking outside with all the grace seventeen-year-olds are wont to have. He settled on viciously swinging into his hammock (with an ease that came only after months of pratfalls), kicking his boots off in Balthier's general direction --- in hopes of one settling on his big, stupid head --- and closing his eyes, letting the rocking of the disturbed hammock lure him into sleep.

Balthier, for his part, sighed. He didn't particulary like arguing with Vaan, because, unlike arguing with someone his age, Vaan viewed logic as a suggestion more than a necessity. Although having the temper the size of a Viera-owned bazaar was amusing to watch. But it was not-so-amusing to be subject to. Which begged the question: Did Balthier like Vaan? Really?

Sure, Vaan had… muscles and pretty hair. That was nice. Actually, it was really nice. Great to look at when Balthier didn't feel like listening to his voice. His voice, which hadn't yet been broken by maturity. Balthier smacked himself in the forehead. Just what in the name of Belias was he thinking? It wasn't like he was going to jump the boy. Because he was just that… a boy.

That settled it. He would no longer tangle himself up in some preteen dream. He was leaving in the morning, finishing the damned project on Nabudis, and going home, where there were no tempting, muscled children to tempt bother him. Dammit.

He gingerly laid himself in the hammock, crossed his arms over his chest, and went to sleep with a frown on his face.

---------

…know what you want…

…have what you want…

…pretty hume, we call…

…holder of the seed, we call…

Vaan opened his eyes. The night was pitch and the stars were few. Had he dreamed?

…know what you want…

…have what you want…

He glanced over to where Balthier slept. Except he wasn't in his hammock. No matter. He had to see if what he dreamt was real.

…underneath a starless sky…when the moon is newborn…

It was the new moon tonight, wasn't it? Vaan let his hand tangle in his hair, briefly weighing his life over his seed. They were pretty much equal to him. "I need it," he whispered in the dark.

Balthier choose that time to walk back into the bungalow. He quirked an eyebrow at Vaan's position. "Can't sleep?"

"No, I…" Vaan dropped his hand and rose. "I had a dream. Where were you?"

"Just outside," Balthier answered, not taking offense. "The moon isn't out tonight. The night is quite enchanting."

"Ah." Vaan grabbed his vest and began to walk away, out of the bungalow.

"Where are you going?"

Vaan paused and turned from where he stood in the doorway. "Come with me."

--------

…have it…

…want it…

…know where to go…

Vaan grimaced and raised a hand to tug at his hair. Maybe that would help with the impending headache. "Something wrong," Balthier inquired, even though he wasn't looking at Vaan at all.

…pretty hume, we call…

"No. Nothing," he grit out. The goddamn voices in his head wouldn't shut the FUCK up! Like hell he would tell Balthier something like that. He was far past the point where sleepiness affected his decision making. No way he was telling Balthier anything to encourage the man to leave him. Vaan had no problem wandering about the bungalows, but they had been walking for about a half-hour. They were nowhere near the stupid moogles.

No way would he go it alone.

Even if Balthier was being surprisingly cooperative… or understanding… and just walking with him without asking questions. And even he had to admit Balthier's presence was calming. Soothing. Not bad. Okay, he was stopping that chocobo-speeding trail of thought right there.

He peeked over at Balthier, only to find the man outright staring at him. Vaan jerked back. "What," he muttered, stomping ahead.

"Just wondering what would make a young boy like you want to walk around in the dark. What kind of secrets are you hiding, Vaan?"

Dammit. Vaan knew the cactuar-brained fool was teasing, but he couldn't help his flinch. He decided to come clean. "I had a dream, okay?"

"What was it about?"

Stupid, Stupid, STUPID Balthier, Vaan thought viciously. "I… look, it should be right here." In the clearing where Vaan pointed were five Mandragoras of various coloring. At Vaan's voice, they turned as one. "Shit." Balthier reached for his battle axe, and realized ---at a rather inconvenient time--- that he had left his axe back at the bungalow. Well… that was nice. "Maybe they're friendly?" Vaan asked in a voice that was an octave too high.

"JEKLFA!"cried one, and set about trying to launch a Firaga at Vaan's head.

The blonde ducked and rolled, landing on top of one of the munchkins. Balthier summoned a Blizzaga to knock the belligerent Mandragora to the ground because they were both getting out of here alive, singed or not.

CHAPTER SIX END.

Reckless and Impulsive an AkuRoku.That fic just bought you this chapter. Appreciate and Give Thanks.