Undeserving (Sorta)
Title: Undeserving (Sorta)
Fandom: Post FFX-2
Characters: Paine x Nooj
Rating: PG
Format: One-shot
Status: Complete, polished, spellchecked.
Words: 648
Disclaimer: I don't claim ownership of characters or games, only themes within.
Author's Note: So! This is totally way totally a birthday gift for owlmoose, as I had an exam (which I passed by the grace of god, and only the J-man's grace) and work yesterday. I fail at making deadlines! I'm sure she'll forgive me.
Undeserving (Sorta)
“I hear I am undeserving of life.”
Paine did not twist to see the speaker, and her heart hiccuped uncomfortably in her chest. She could trace the outlines of his sharp face in her mind without looking, anyway. There was no need to distract herself from the torturous job of smoothing away the scratches in her sword.
“Mmm,” she said.
“Are you agreeing with Rikku then?” Nooj's hand, firm and cold, wrapped around her shoulder and pulled her away in a slow movement. Her buffing cloth slipped to the ground, sword weighing heavy in her lap.
“Sometimes she gets lucky,” Paine said, pulling her shoulder from his grip as she bent down to get the cloth. He did not try to hold her back, instead stepping around the end of her blade, cane grinding into the dirt.
“So I am undeserving of life, then.”
Something in his tone of voice made her smile on the inside.
“Perhaps some see it that way.” She dragged her fingernail down the length of her blade, seeing if it caught in any of the scratches she had been working to buff away. She frowned as it stuck, and bent to work on the deep metallic wound.
She had been staying with her fellow ex-Gullwing for two weeks since Nooj's volcanic eruption over her... decision, and her corresponding tsunami. Hiding, Rikku had accused her of, since the small blonde was equally fond of being blunt with the both of them. Paine believed there was no cowardice in retreating for awhile to think, and had told Rikku so. Prior to that conversation, Paine had been unaware that a pair of eyes could roll so high as to be nearly white.
“I take it you are one of those, then?” He was skirting around asking her if she was still angry at his adamant demand that she not return to New Yevon's new armed forces that Baralai was mustering.
“Since you are still standing here in front of me, I doubt very much it makes a difference if I wish you dead or not.”
“Ever practical,” came Nooj's reply, as the hydraulics in his leg hissed as he sat beside her. She shifted a little to make more room. His mouth opened, she could see it from the corner of her eye.
“You're not losing me to Baralai,” she cut him off before he could start. His mouth closed and he frowned, faint lines creasing around his eyes and mouth. She felt uncomfortable- had she misjudged his true intentions then? He sat ridged and as straight as the sword in her lap for a few moments before relaxing.
“There would be difficulties regarding your accommodations,” he said, but she could tell from the way he held himself this was a lost battle and he knew it. Not that he had ever had any say in the matter to begin with, and she gave him credit for giving in so quickly on something that would affect his life almost as much as hers.
“I would be on a two week rotation,” she said, smoothing out the last scratch as the metal began to shine mirror-bright back at her.
“That's not altogether unsatisfactory,” Nooj said. She inspected the blade one final time before sliding it back into its sheath. With a sigh she stood, but his hand wrapped around her wrist, and he caught her, pulling her back down to him. “I dislike not having choices,” he said, “but Rikku informed me that you probably feel exactly the same way.”
She felt her smile creep across her face before she quelled it and raised an eyebrow instead.
“That might be correct.”
“I thought you said she only occasionally was lucky.” Nooj's face was close to hers, his hand firm and cool on her shoulder blades.
“Well, we don't have to tell her, now do we?”
Fandom: Post FFX-2
Characters: Paine x Nooj
Rating: PG
Format: One-shot
Status: Complete, polished, spellchecked.
Words: 648
Disclaimer: I don't claim ownership of characters or games, only themes within.
Author's Note: So! This is totally way totally a birthday gift for owlmoose, as I had an exam (which I passed by the grace of god, and only the J-man's grace) and work yesterday. I fail at making deadlines! I'm sure she'll forgive me.
Undeserving (Sorta)
“I hear I am undeserving of life.”
Paine did not twist to see the speaker, and her heart hiccuped uncomfortably in her chest. She could trace the outlines of his sharp face in her mind without looking, anyway. There was no need to distract herself from the torturous job of smoothing away the scratches in her sword.
“Mmm,” she said.
“Are you agreeing with Rikku then?” Nooj's hand, firm and cold, wrapped around her shoulder and pulled her away in a slow movement. Her buffing cloth slipped to the ground, sword weighing heavy in her lap.
“Sometimes she gets lucky,” Paine said, pulling her shoulder from his grip as she bent down to get the cloth. He did not try to hold her back, instead stepping around the end of her blade, cane grinding into the dirt.
“So I am undeserving of life, then.”
Something in his tone of voice made her smile on the inside.
“Perhaps some see it that way.” She dragged her fingernail down the length of her blade, seeing if it caught in any of the scratches she had been working to buff away. She frowned as it stuck, and bent to work on the deep metallic wound.
She had been staying with her fellow ex-Gullwing for two weeks since Nooj's volcanic eruption over her... decision, and her corresponding tsunami. Hiding, Rikku had accused her of, since the small blonde was equally fond of being blunt with the both of them. Paine believed there was no cowardice in retreating for awhile to think, and had told Rikku so. Prior to that conversation, Paine had been unaware that a pair of eyes could roll so high as to be nearly white.
“I take it you are one of those, then?” He was skirting around asking her if she was still angry at his adamant demand that she not return to New Yevon's new armed forces that Baralai was mustering.
“Since you are still standing here in front of me, I doubt very much it makes a difference if I wish you dead or not.”
“Ever practical,” came Nooj's reply, as the hydraulics in his leg hissed as he sat beside her. She shifted a little to make more room. His mouth opened, she could see it from the corner of her eye.
“You're not losing me to Baralai,” she cut him off before he could start. His mouth closed and he frowned, faint lines creasing around his eyes and mouth. She felt uncomfortable- had she misjudged his true intentions then? He sat ridged and as straight as the sword in her lap for a few moments before relaxing.
“There would be difficulties regarding your accommodations,” he said, but she could tell from the way he held himself this was a lost battle and he knew it. Not that he had ever had any say in the matter to begin with, and she gave him credit for giving in so quickly on something that would affect his life almost as much as hers.
“I would be on a two week rotation,” she said, smoothing out the last scratch as the metal began to shine mirror-bright back at her.
“That's not altogether unsatisfactory,” Nooj said. She inspected the blade one final time before sliding it back into its sheath. With a sigh she stood, but his hand wrapped around her wrist, and he caught her, pulling her back down to him. “I dislike not having choices,” he said, “but Rikku informed me that you probably feel exactly the same way.”
She felt her smile creep across her face before she quelled it and raised an eyebrow instead.
“That might be correct.”
“I thought you said she only occasionally was lucky.” Nooj's face was close to hers, his hand firm and cool on her shoulder blades.
“Well, we don't have to tell her, now do we?”