A/N : Inspiration is like a woman. It eludes you for ages then decides it's going to co-operate after you've already changed your mind. I may have to strangle something. Where's my little sister….oh, and about the comment in the previous chapter, I have an action figure of Balthier and he DOES have a woman's figure! The hips are HUGE!

Chapter Four

A Tender Moment

Despite the un-wanted contact and embarrassing situation Vaan and Balthier had found themselves in, Vaan still found Balthier in his bed. He was already asleep and Vaan was grateful. It would have been far too embarrassing to have to ask him to leave. And explain why.

He climbed quietly into his bed and settled down onto "his side". It was already pre-heated and he had just began to relax when he shot out of the bed with a scream.

"AAAAAAAAAARRRRRRGHHH!!"

Balthier opened his eyes and tried to give his best attempt at a quizzical look given the situation.

"Your feet are cold…" Vaan mumbled climbing back in. Balthier turned around.

Linelinelinelinelinelinelinelinelinelinelinelineline

Vaan had a problem. He needed to go to the bathroom. Technically, there were two problems with that.

First of all, the door was locked. Secondly, he was on the wrong side of it. This led to one big problem. Desperation.

He thought about asking Balthier if he had a key but didn't want to be punished with cold feet on his back when he returned. So, he quietly as possible scrambled out of bed and raked through Balthier's clothes looking for pockets and a solution to opening the door.

Clink. A pair of keys fell onto the carpet. He picked them up. Balthier hadn't stirred, success. He looked in Balthier's direction to see the fruits of his success. A pair of unexpected eyes stared coolly back.

Vaan nearly screamed but held his breath until his fright had passed. Luckily, he still needed the toilet.

"Vaan…."

"Uh…SLEEPWALKING! I'm sleepwalking!" he announced quickly and closed his eyes. He half ran towards the door and crashed into it. Okay, so it was closer than he thought.

"Ow….."

"Vaan…what are you doing?" Balthier sat up. He didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He settled on squinting.

"I NEEED TO GO TO THE TOILEEEETTTTT!!" he exclaimed unlocking the door and running out into the hallway. Balthier shook his head and made himself comfortable again trying not to laugh because Vaan had forgotten about the en-suite bathroom. He heard the flush and the sound of water running and the menace returned. Vaan was disorientated from the light and tripped over Balthier's trousers hitting his head off the wall with a loud crack.

"OWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!" he squealed. Balthier's eyes popped open.

"Vaan…" he growled in warning.

"I hit my head again…" he explained massaging his forehead.

"As if it wasn't obvious…" Balthier groaned massaging his own brow. He too had a sore head.

Vaan crawled in again.

"NYAAAA!""What now?"

"Your feet are still cold." Vaan whined. His eyes had began to water from the fight between his head and the wall. He whimpered yet again. "It's gonna bruise!!"

"Vaan…you WILL bruise if you don't go to sleep NOW, I'm warning you!"

Vaan snarled in irritation, annoyed from the pain in his brain.

"Well if you have a problem then go find Fran!"

"No," Balthier said simply. "Because then I will bruise, and I'd rather not do that."

Linelinelinelinelinelinelinelinelinelinelinelinelineline

The next day, Vaan and Balthier were not happy. Vaan had a bruise on his forehead and it wasn't because he'd head butted the wall and Balthier's once handsome face had been desecrated by eye bags.

"One would think, you did not sleep well." Fran said as they entered the room. Balthier glared at her. She flinched, not expecting such a reaction, even from him.

"Balthier?"

"Sorry Fran, the little brat kept me up all night…"

Fran raised an eyebrow and tried very hard not to smile.

"FRAN! PLEASE!" Balthier looked horrified.

"Fran smiled.

"Of course…"

Penelo yawned as she walked into the room.

"What I miss?"

Balthier shot Fran a "don't you dare" look. She chortled. Her laugh had a pleasant ring.

"I was telling Fran I think we should double Vaan's groundation."

Fran's eyebrow levitated once again.

"That's not-"

"Yes it is."

"I can assure you, it's -"

"Is too. Come on Vaan, glossair engines."

Vaan grinned hopefully and followed him while Penelo and Fran both placed a hand one their hips and shook their heads.

"I know not which pirate is the negative influence on who…"

"Neither of them know what they're talking about"

Linelinelinelinelinelinelinelinelinelinelinelinelinelinelinelinelineline

"Hey…I think I got it!" Vaan exclaimed pushing the connections into the bottom of the Strahl.

"Well done Vaan, top notch"

Vaan grinned and Balthier patted him on the shoulder, proud of his teaching.

"Take a short break now, you can go and relax around the marketplace if you want, just stay away from the casinos and the burlesque houses."

"Burlesque houses?"

"Never mind."

Vaan looked confused but said nothing and walked off. Balthier had a grin plastered on his own face. My, he could be so crafty when he tried.

Linelinelinelinelinelinelinelinelinelinelinelinelinelinelinelinelineline

"Hey Vaan, where have you been?"

"Shut up."

Balthier sat proudly in his chair with a pleased look.

"Found anything interesting in your travels boy?"

Vaan stuck his tongue out.

"FRAN! Balthier's mocking me!"

"Good," Fran replied, not looking up from her activity.

"But he tricked me."

"Okay."

"I did not." Balthier interjected, "I merely suggested you avoided the place. You did so anywhere…I can't believe they let you in…"

Penelo looked up from her own task. Fran had been teaching her some magick and she had been trying to cast Raise on a spider at the table. Balthier pretended he had no clue.

"What could have been so scary about a beach?" she asked.

Vaan glared at Balthier's happy face.

"You're not funny and for that STAY OUT OF MY ROOM!" Vaan yelled and stormed off to it. Penelo tried not to laugh.

"Balthier? What did he mean stay out of his room? What have you done?" Balthier shook his head.

"He's a petulant child throwing a petty tantrum…little does he realise, should I wish it, he would have no room.

Penelo lifted herself from her seat and followed Vaan. He lay on his bed with his feet against the wall.

"Hey Vaan? You okay?"

"Leave me alone."

"You don't mean that."

Vaan sighed.

"No….not really." he mumbled, "I just wish he wasn't so damn…you know."

Penelo sat on the bed beside him. He bent his knees and took his feet from the wall.

"Balthier isn't that bad Vaan, he's time the time to teach you how to fulfil your dream and how to work an airship and Fran's teaching me how to help and we're guaranteed our meals here."

"Do you think they care about us?"

Penelo blinked.

"What?"

"They're always so distance, emotion wise…Fran doesn't say much and Balthier…I'm not even going to try and explain the way he is…it's like he doesn't really care…"

"Now Vaan, if you want respect, you're going to happen to earn it, and trust isn't bought easily you know." Balthier stood in the doorway leaning his shoulder and head against the frame. His earrings jingled merrily.

"How long have you been standing there?" Vaan snapped.

"Time long enough." came the reply. "Penelo, Fran would like to finish her lesson, hurry now, she has more time than you do." Penelo nodded and obediently and walked off.

"She has her trained like a chocobo…." Vaan said bitterly.

"Sometimes you have to conform Vaan…"

"Ha! That's rich coming from you.""Now Vanny-boy, I know it's fruitless but you can't be a rebel all the time, I know I wasn't always the elegant wonderful scoundrel I am today."

"Evidently."

"Indeed. And yet some of what I say must get through to you. After all…" he smirked, "where else would you learn these complicated words."

Vaan stuck his tongue out.

"Put your tongue where it belongs or I'll remove it, now is there anything you want to tell me?"

"Do you like us? Me and Penelo."

Balthier stretched his right arm.

"Of course I do Vaan, if I didn't I would have grabbed the dawn shard and pushed you into the wall instead of throwing you off the battlement."

Vaan shook his head,

"That's not what I meant, would you cry if we died?" Vaan hadn't a clue why he was asking this, but since Balthier wasn't the contemptuous type he decided to give it a shot.

"That's not a pleasant thought…though I would be rather distraught at not having someone deface my property I'm sure it would fade after a while, that not withstanding, I would not cry, I do have some self-respect and dignity, you know."

"Dignity has nothing to do with it," Fran said walking passed with a tray of Elixirs.

"Thank you Fran…no, I wouldn't cry-"

"But the leading man can cry!" Vaan interrupted, "and the girls love it."

Balthier narrowed his eyebrows.

"I won't cry Vaan, understand that." He stood and left the room. He changed his mind at the doorway and spun around.

"Incidentally, am I still banned?"

Vaan sighed and shook his head.

"Alright then, what do you say we drag Fran to the beach?"

"No." said Fran walking passed again, this time with a tray of pebbles.

A/N: Guess where they're going next chapter? laughs evilly And can't you just imagine Balthier saying Top Notch? XDDDDD