Summary: Through multiple events, Larsa finds himself entranced and in love with her. Larsa X Penelo
Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy XII. :(
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Larsa leans forward on his desk. There she sits, much more nervous then she should be, but seemingly distracted. Her eyes are studying the clouds, his eyes are studying her but she's too caught up to notice.
He breaks the silence with her name, her head turning to him, her eyes glistening from the sun, her body shifting positions to stare him straight on. Nerves take over his stature, short and lanky, nothing like the one of her friend Vaan, but he'll choke them down because she's not even a friend,and he was slowly and unsurely facing that.
As he rises to his feet he realizes how infatuated he is, and how much he wishes she wasn't so pretty. He desires to embrace her in a hug for her bravery and her courage, she was stronger then anybody, anywhere would credit her for, but he couldn't do that, it wasn't his place to do that.
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She reaches for his arm, her fingers brushing against the baggy fabric that covers it. She's worried, she's nervous to be alone and around him, walking so swiftly, so much anticipation in her system.
His arms tense, so he must be nervous too? She's pondering things that she shouldn't be, she's wondering if he's happy, happy about where things are leading them too.
"Penelo…" he turns and smiles, stopping her before they can inch into any area infested with people.
She nods her head, indicating that she is all ears to his comments, to his questions, his concerns but she's truly studying his exposed teeth from the wide smile on his face. With such an expression he appears his age, young, happy, instead of the age of his brother, even his father at times, broken down by stress and sorrow.
"I've enjoyed your company…" he simply states while he beats himself up in his mind for not sharing how wonderful of an individual she is and the other words he would have liked to have said.
Penelo smiles back at him although his grin has fallen back down into a flat, blank, pucker, "Yeah.. Well I've enjoyed yours too." She nudges him and hugs his tiny arm between her own slender ones.
Larsa slowly wraps his free arm around her neck, his body turning more towards her, their, embrace awkward but soothing. He tries to hold back a blush but it's near impossible as she pulls away, still smiling at him.
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Penelo covers her mouth and sprints for the boy on his knees, his hair falling in his eyes, weakness engulfing him. The others are running in a different area but in no way is she going to leave the one she's grown so close to.
"Larsa?" she asks, her hand resting on his shoulder as she squats down to brush straying bangs out of the line of his vision.
He has tears running down his face, coming from his bloodshot eyes, which he refuses to move from the ground. His body is shaking slightly, only enough to notice if you're touching him in some form. She kneels down next to him and squeezes his hand.
"What have I done?" He mutters, vigorously shaking his head back and forth, rage and grief swelling up inside of him.
"Larsa…" she says again, this time in a more motherly tone, her lips brushing a tear from his cheeks while she kisses the warm skin covering it.
He turns to her trying to hold it all in, he wants to be strong, strong for her, strong like any other man would do for her but inside he's so, so weak. His heart is in more then two, it is shattered by honesty, and he eventually falls into her arms. She holds him tighter, wanting to cry because of how much he is, but for now, she comforts him, her fingers tracing his back, and he cries into her shoulder, trying to apologize for his acts between breathes.
She looks around at the empty area, and tries to help him to his feet. Slowly he obeys, rocking back and forth as he steadies his quivering body. He grips onto her hand and massages it with gentle squeezes. He's trying to keep himself from losing control, and it pains her to watch him so fragile and weak, so torn apart. The squeezes become harder, he doesn't wish to hurt her and he needs to stop but he can't. She slowly slips her hand away at the call of a voice. With one more kiss to his tear stained cheek she retreats, to be with him.
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"We'll see each other again?" he questions almost harshly, ready and willing to be persistent over the current situation, the hurt of her leaving already eating away at him.
She nods and runs her fingers over his, "Well of course…" She would never wish to end her relationship with him, not so soon, there were so many more adventures the two could have together.
"Good…" he says turning his head away from her, then quickly turning it back and pulling his hand away from hers.
She almost jumps at the movement but can't make it too far in the air because gingerly his lips are brushing against hers. Stunned and shocked, she sits dumbfounded and entranced by the performance by the young lord. He pulls back, never letting it get to far or to long. He's embarrassed, and blushing, and panicking. To leave or not to leave, he's wondering but never would Penelo let him get away that easy. She sets her hand back on his and goes back to caressing his fingers, creating a peaceful silence between the two instead of an awkward one. Larsa's very grateful for the way she does that, even if he likes the way her voice sounds when she speaks, speaks to him.
He doesn't feel he deserves the attention she gives him. To Larsa, its truth that he does not deserve her any way, shape, of form, she's much to perfect to belong to him in any way, but somehow she's accepted his kiss, his hand, and generally speaking, being that Penelo was no one-time around type of girl, somehow she accepted the love he had gained for her and continues to gain.
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Larsa's back at his desk, flying through papers, and letters, and anything else that is thrown into the bunch. He's a busy man, almost legal age, and bored by the repetitive days he has had to go through. Slowly he pulls out the letter that had been hiding beneath the rest. It's from Penelo, addressed to him, he'd been waiting for sometime to hear a response to the last letter he had sent off, the one where he invited her to come visit him for the umpteenth time in the past five or so years.
He's soaring through it, his reading skills quick compared to what they used to be. Somewhere in there it says she had agreed to come, he's in complete awe, complete excitement. Jumping to his feet, he's itching to tell somebody about the great news, Basch of course, but instead in front of him is the girl he'd been longing to see. Her hair pulled out of braids, the first time he'd ever seen her like that, her body dressed in a casual gown, another first. She goes to bow but he stops her.
"Penelo…" he says, slowly examining her up and down, dropping the letter back onto the desk and embracing her into a hug, "How are you… How have you been?" He's wrapped his arm around her shoulders and is leading her into a different room, where they can drink and rest.
"Amazing, I see you received my letter…" She raises an eyebrow and for once, looks up, at his newly toned and tall stature, befuddled by the changes.
"It takes me awhile, I'm a busy man…." He smiles and puts a closed fist to his chest, proud to call himself that versus a boy, proud that all his letters have paid off in the end.
She just nods, too dazed to say much of anything, her fingers slowly trying to keep themselves from reaching out and touching every part of him.
"Are you tired, Penelo?" He questions, noticing that she is not talking and telling all of her latest adventures.
She shakes her head, "I'm just… impressed." She smirks and nudges him in the side, just like they were back to their younger years. Larsa's quite impressed himself, he's entranced, impressed, and in love with the beautiful girl in his arms, and someday, she's going to know.
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