Disclaimer: Characters and setting belong to Square-Enix while opening lyrical snippets belong to the respective artists/producers/whatever of chapter title songs. I promise that suing me would be a waste of time and money.
Author's Note (revised 4/8/07): Firstly, characterization might be totally off-mark and I accept full responsibility (though this wouldn't be fanfiction if that weren't in some way true). Secondly, this would take place after the 'perfect' ending; the Gullwings have technically disbanded and everybody's been chilling for a year. Thirdly, I've taken creative license with Paine's image—hey, they did it with Yuna, so I can do it with Paine. Fourthly, there's occasionally more than chaste pecking and hand holding, as well as a few curse words. Fifth-and-lastly, this started out for me but now it's for all of us. Hope you dig it.
Chapter summary: In a string of day outs, one proves that it might be more trouble than its worth.
color my hair, do what i dare
uhoh-oh-oh, i wanna be free—yeah, to feel the way i feel
man!
i feel like a woman
Warm. Comfortable.
Earthquake.
What?
Sound; a voice. Chipper. Ugh.
"Hey, Paine, get up!"
Shaken.
"Paine, c'mon, get up."
Shaken again—harder this time.
"G'way."
"Ahh, it's awake! C'mon, sleepyhead, before everything's gone!"
A fuzzy image. Blink. Blink again. Clearer; green eyes and blonde hair. Rikku.
Paine growled and rolled over onto her other side. "Go away," she repeated, this time more coherently.
Rikku heaved a dramatic sigh and shook Paine's shoulder even harder. "Come on, Paine! Yuna wants to come with us."
She received no reply as Paine attempted to drift back into sleep.
"Pleaaaase?" Rikku pleaded, sitting down on the edge of the bed. "We still have some more shops to hit before they leave."
Heaving a sigh of her own, Paine rolled over onto her back to glare at her. "You're not going to let me go back to sleep, are you?" she asked, voice sleep-rough.
"Nope!" Rikku confirmed, all too cheerfully.
She thought it over. "Tidus coming?"
Rikku bit her lower lip and slightly winced.
"No," she said, beginning to roll back over. "Absolutely not."
Rikku pouted and went to shake Paine again when an idea struck her. She grinned and leaped up to grab Paine's sheets, making sure she was braced for impact before she yanked.
Paine twisted and fell off the bed into a heap at Rikku's feet with a rather undignified yelp.
"Now you have to go," Rikku said. She grinned again and held the sheets up over her head like a trophy. "I've got your covers!"
Paine stood and glared down at her and Rikku promptly stuck out her tongue. Paine sighed again and shook her head. "Fine."
"Yay!" Rikku threw the covers back onto Paine's bed and got behind her, pushing her in the direction of the bathroom. "Go in there and get ready. Almost time to leave!" She bounced out of the room.
Staring at the inside of the bathroom, Paine ran a hand through her hair and muttered, "Bossy, isn't she?"
She locked the door just in case.
Fifteen minutes later, she exited the inn and narrowed her eyes against the bright, early morning sun.
"There she is!" she heard Tidus exclaim.
Turning, she spotted her friends and walked over, sparing a glance in Rikku's direction.
Tidus grinned and clapped her on the shoulder, a show of boyish friendliness that always got on her nerves. Touching her a lot was a no-no he always seemed to forget.
"We were just about to come looking for you," he said.
Paine shrugged. "I didn't think I took that long." Not compared to some people.
"You didn't," Yuna piped up, her gaze settling on her boyfriend. "He's just—"
"—eager to see this place again!" Tidus finished, smiling at Yuna.
Paine didn't say anything, instead trying to ignore the lovey-dovey grins the two were exchanging. She noticed Rikku giving her the once over and she turned to face her, lifting an eyebrow. "What?"
Rikku walked around her in slow circles and hummed.
She scowled. "What? Do I have toilet paper stuck to the bottom of my boot or something?"
"No." Rikku finally stopped in front of her, smiling brightly. "You just need a new outfit!"
You've got to be kidding me. "Are you serious?"
"That's a great idea, Rikku," Yuna agreed.
Paine looked at herself, brow furrowing. "What's wrong with the clothes I have now?"
Tidus coughed. "It's a little…"
"Dark," Yuna supplied.
"I was going to say butch," Tidus said with a grin. "But dark, too."
"Maybe something in green?" Rikku suggested.
Yuna shook her head, smiling and leaning against Tidus. "How about something in blue?"
"Oh, brother," Paine muttered and rolled her eyes. Raising her voice to be heard, she said, "I don't need new clothes," and crossed her arms over her chest. "These are fine."
"No, I insist!" Rikku grabbed her arm and tugged. She wasn't at all surprised to find Paine didn't budge an inch. "Come on, it'll be fun."
Paine frowned and caught Tidus sending her sympathetic looks out of the corner of her eye. Yesterday he had been the one under Rikku's fashion scrutiny. Paine had found that extremely amusing; she also found that she—sometimes—vaguely liked the upbeat Blitzball player. Despite the fact he was almost as chatty, touchy-feely and occasionally whiny as Rikku. One would think that meant she got along similarly, but Paine realized there was a method to Rikku's madness.
Usually. She currently questioned that as she looked at the other girls, watching them chat and giggle over prospective clothing ideas. It was hard not to notice that Yuna was enjoying herself, and even though that had been the case for a whole year… Heaven knows it's good for her. But does it have to be at my expense? …Looks like it. All right, fine. "Okay," she said, interrupting them. "Let's just get this over with."
Yuna smiled widely at her and Rikku cheered before again trying to tug Paine into following her.
Tidus let them walk ahead of him for a while so he could watch them. Only when Yuna turned and tilted her head at him in silent questioning did he follow, smiling to himself.
"Wow," Tidus said and whistled. "You look different. Still butch, but it's great!"
Paine folded her arms and frowned. "Whatever." Butch? What's that supposed to mean, anyway? She glared at him until he blushed and looked away.
Yuna leaned towards him and stage-whispered, "She's just grumpy because Rikku cut her hair."
He grinned.
Paine did indeed look different, though not enough to be unrecognizable. She had managed to get Rikku to go for clothing in black and nothing too revealing, but she still felt awkward in her new clothes.
Though she had opted for full leather pants, Paine had bartered with Rikku to keep her main belts. The shawl, suspenders and belts above her hips had all been replaced by a black with red trim tank top. A new pair of heavy gloves reached just above her wrists. Even her hair had been tampered with; it was now mostly flat on the top and the back. She'd argued with Rikku, the self-proclaimed hairstylist, to keep her long, raised bangs. The one thing she'd been happy to get rid of were her boots, replaced by a similar pair with flat heels. Since she'd grown to almost reach eye-level with Tidus and Gippal without them, the extra height had become annoying.
Rikku poked her head around Paine's shoulder and grinned. "She looks good, huh?"
"Definitely," Tidus agreed, nodding. "You two did a good job."
"You make it sound like you saved me from a horrible fashion disaster," Paine drawled.
"Well, didn't we?" Rikku questioned innocently. She laughed and quickly dodged the cuff Paine aimed at her head. "Kidding, kidding!" She got out of Paine's reach. "What say we go and hit the other shops?"
"You bet!" Yuna giggled and the two lead the way out.
"Oh, brother," Paine muttered for the second time in as many hours.
Tidus clapped her on the shoulder, ignoring the flinch and glare it garnered. "Let's go, buddy, or we'll lose them in the crowd."
'Buddy'? Paine wondered as she followed him.
"All right!" Tidus proclaimed, resettling the shopping bags in his arms. "I think that's it. How about you guys?"
Yuna nodded and smiled. "Yep, I'm done."
Paine merely inclined her head; she was looking forward to a nice, cool drink at the café they were eyeing. Unfortunately, something else caught Rikku's attention. Between two buildings was a small shop—a very small, expensive shop. At least quality took over quantity from what she could see.
"Oooh!" Rikku cooed, bouncing and clapping her hands together. "Let's go check it out, Yunie!" She immediately grabbed Yuna's hand and yanked her toward the store before Yuna could protest.
Paine's shoulders dropped a little and she rolled her eyes heavenward as Tidus gave her a silly grin.
"Girls," he said, almost apologetically. He then tramped dutifully after them.
Unwilling to be left alone in one of Luca's extremely crowded squares, Paine also followed, mentally grumbling to herself. Here she was, shopping an hour after sunrise… Luca was nearly packed from street to street. Not only did it not pay to get out of bed some days, today it proved to take money from her.
Once she entered the shop, she saw Tidus setting down their bags—which were mostly Yuna and Rikku's. Not far away from the entrance was Rikku, moving through the display racks and stands, pulling her poor cousin along for the ride.
Better her than me, Paine thought as she walked over to Tidus.
"How long do you think we have?" he asked, straightening up and looking at her.
"An hour," she answered. "But with these prices, maybe half that."
"Great." He laughed a little. "I guess it's a good thing I'm not too hungry right now."
Paine made a noncommittal sound, wondering if she should keep the conversation going. She didn't really want to keep it going. Sure, it'd been about a year since he'd returned and now she knew him well enough, but that didn't mean she had to speak to him every single minute.
Even if my social skills have improved and my tolerance level heightened, she mused with an inward smirk. She folded her arms over her chest and turned her attention to the other girls. Yuna, too, I think. She's nowhere near Rikku's activity status, but she's more confident and happy. She glanced sideways at Tidus. Embarrassingly enough, he was gazing at Yuna with such an open expression of affection and love that it threatened Paine's gag reflex. I suppose most of it is because of him. Since they got back together, there's hardly a time where Yuna's anything but happy.
Ever since Yuna had been reunited with Tidus, it seemed as if they were joined at the hip. Paine considered it stifling and she wasn't even in the relationship. But the two lovebirds were content with it and she guessed that was all that mattered.
She snorted. It does get annoying sometimes, but since I don't know what it's like, I guess I have no room to talk.
Halting that train of thought, she dropped her arms to her sides and moved forward, meeting a disappointed Rikku and a comforting Yuna on their way back. She peered down at them, not even waiting for an explanation.
"Can we go now?" she asked, resting a hand on her hip. "I think Tidus is about to pass out from lack of sustenance." She gestured back with her head to where the man in question stood, trying to look like his stomach wasn't cramping.
"It seems like he's always hungry," Yuna remarked fondly, looking at him before meeting Paine's gaze. She opened her mouth to say something else but Rikku cut her off.
"I can't believe that dress is eight thousand gil!" she wailed, looking up from the floor and swaying from side to side a little. "You know? I mean, you'd think it was a status ailment blocking accessory or something. I don't have that kinda money to blow!"
"Will you…?" Yuna whispered to Paine. "I'm gonna…"
Before Paine could say anything, Yuna left Rikku's emotional state in her friend's hands while she went to comfort her boyfriend instead.
"Hmph," Paine grunted, torn between amusement and irritation. She returned her attention to Rikku.
An idea occurred to Rikku. "Hey, Paine…"
"No." She grasped Rikku's upper arm and started to drag her out of the store. "I don't have that much on me."
"That's okay!" Rikku said, even as she was being lead away.
Yuna and Tidus saw them heading towards the exit, so they gathered the bags and went outside.
"I've got half of it," Rikku explained, looking up at Paine imploringly. "That means I only need four thousand."
"No!" Paine repeated. The short reply was harsh, but she was a little stung by the 'that means I only need four thousand' comment. What am I, mathematically challenged?
"Aw, c'mon," Rikku wheedled, nimbly slipping out of Paine's loose grip to dance in front of her. Pawing at the air, she asked, "Pleaaaase? I'll pay you back when we get to the Celsius. I didn't know this shop was here. It's new!"
"Obviously," Paine grumbled, trying to grab Rikku's arm again.
Rikku bounced out of her lengthy reach. "Just four thousand. You have that much, don't you?"
Paine scowled. "If I do," she slowly began, "why should I pitch in? You've got plenty of dresses already."
"But none like that," Rikku protested. It was Paine that was grabbed this time and Rikku yanked her along to show her the dress.
"Rikku," Paine rumbled warningly as they stopped.
"Look at that," Rikku said, pointing at the dress on display. "Tell me that isn't worth forking over four thousand gil."
The first thing Paine noticed was that it looked very similar to Rikku's outfit that she wore when using the Lady Luck dressphere. The gloves were flat as well as elbow-length and the arm bands were absent, as was the circular metal necklace. Its color was also different; the soft and flimsy material a pastel blue, the boots a shade darker and the stockings a shade lighter. There were numerous other small differences, but all in all…
"Well? What do you think?"
What did she think? From a woman's point of view, it was the perfect mix of femininity and sensuality. From a bystander's point of view, it was aesthetically pleasing. But what did she think as Paine? The mental image of the dress hugging Rikku's body tightly sent a lightning-like spark of awareness down her spine—one that immediately made Paine tense.
"Paine?" Rikku leaned forward and tilted her head up at her friend.
"What?" she snapped as she quickly returned to reality. Her following thought was that the image she'd had was extremely pleasing. The one after it was that she was going crazy and should leave to get something to drink because she was a little hot. Maybe she was becoming feverish?
Oh, don't be an idiot, Paine chided herself as she reached into one of her pockets. She yanked out four thousand gil. You know exactly what's going on. That's why it's time to leave.
"Here," she said, grabbing Rikku's hand and shoving the money into it. "I'm going to get something to drink." She spun on her heel and marched purposely out of the store, leaving a pleasantly surprised but extremely confused Rikku behind.