[August 10 out of 20] FFXII - That Itch
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sweetandshortTitle: That Itch
Fandom: Final Fantasy XII
Characters: Penelo & Vaan
Rating: G
Warning: None. Spoilers through the Dreadnought Leviathan.
Prompt: Responsibility
Word Count: 456
Summary: Penelo loves Vaan, truly; but sometimes she wishes he had a heavier head on his shoulders.
“I’m sorry, Penelo, I didn’t think—”
“I know! That’s just it, Vaan! You don’t think!” Penelo had not meant to sound so harsh with him—or maybe she did, and just did not like the sound of the edge in her own voice; she did not like how Vaan tested her—instance after instance—with his reckless abandon and lack of heed for consequence. He had gone and gotten into trouble after she specifically told him that she and the other children counted on him to be responsible. He had gone and gotten himself arrested with a pair of sky pirates, and then gotten her kidnapped by bangaas merely through a split second’s association. In fact, if it had not have been for that bangaa, Ba’Gamnan, getting bored with keeping her alive and anticipating his real prize in catching Balthier, Penelo was not sure she would not still be in their clutches, and with a few less fingers.
Furthermore, it was as if Vaan never considered her feelings about anything, especially stuff like this. Maybe she wanted to go out and have fun and get into a little trouble of her own without expecting the whole world to fall apart; but she knew that it would, because she could not trust Vaan with these things.
Not only was she disappointed, but she was frustrated, and quite frankly a little bit scared, because even though they were away from immediate danger, they were still stuck in Bhujerba, their dead princess was alive, and now Vaan was explaining to her that the Captain—Basch, he insisted on being called Basch—was innocent? And to be trusted? And Vaan was just…okay with this all of a sudden?
She had not been kidnapped that long.
“Are you ever going to grow up?” she asked him, exasperated, and she would have felt ashamed of the question if she had not seen that guilty look in his eyes dozens if not hundreds of times already.
Vaan sighed, in that conceding way he did when he was about to deliver another apology, and Penelo braced herself for it when he finally said, “I know. I…I don’t know what I would have done if I’d lost you.”
Penelo stared at him, her heart racing, but said nothing. It cannot be that easy. It never was.
“When we get home,” he continued, determination in his voice, “I’m going to do things differently. But…”
There it was. That what if. That stir-crazy twinkle in his eye.
And Penelo could not help but smile, softening her shoulders. “But you’re not ready to go home yet, are you?” she finished for him, resigned, and was not at all surprised when he flashed her a sheepish grin.
Fandom: Final Fantasy XII
Characters: Penelo & Vaan
Rating: G
Warning: None. Spoilers through the Dreadnought Leviathan.
Prompt: Responsibility
Word Count: 456
Summary: Penelo loves Vaan, truly; but sometimes she wishes he had a heavier head on his shoulders.
“I’m sorry, Penelo, I didn’t think—”
“I know! That’s just it, Vaan! You don’t think!” Penelo had not meant to sound so harsh with him—or maybe she did, and just did not like the sound of the edge in her own voice; she did not like how Vaan tested her—instance after instance—with his reckless abandon and lack of heed for consequence. He had gone and gotten into trouble after she specifically told him that she and the other children counted on him to be responsible. He had gone and gotten himself arrested with a pair of sky pirates, and then gotten her kidnapped by bangaas merely through a split second’s association. In fact, if it had not have been for that bangaa, Ba’Gamnan, getting bored with keeping her alive and anticipating his real prize in catching Balthier, Penelo was not sure she would not still be in their clutches, and with a few less fingers.
Furthermore, it was as if Vaan never considered her feelings about anything, especially stuff like this. Maybe she wanted to go out and have fun and get into a little trouble of her own without expecting the whole world to fall apart; but she knew that it would, because she could not trust Vaan with these things.
Not only was she disappointed, but she was frustrated, and quite frankly a little bit scared, because even though they were away from immediate danger, they were still stuck in Bhujerba, their dead princess was alive, and now Vaan was explaining to her that the Captain—Basch, he insisted on being called Basch—was innocent? And to be trusted? And Vaan was just…okay with this all of a sudden?
She had not been kidnapped that long.
“Are you ever going to grow up?” she asked him, exasperated, and she would have felt ashamed of the question if she had not seen that guilty look in his eyes dozens if not hundreds of times already.
Vaan sighed, in that conceding way he did when he was about to deliver another apology, and Penelo braced herself for it when he finally said, “I know. I…I don’t know what I would have done if I’d lost you.”
Penelo stared at him, her heart racing, but said nothing. It cannot be that easy. It never was.
“When we get home,” he continued, determination in his voice, “I’m going to do things differently. But…”
There it was. That what if. That stir-crazy twinkle in his eye.
And Penelo could not help but smile, softening her shoulders. “But you’re not ready to go home yet, are you?” she finished for him, resigned, and was not at all surprised when he flashed her a sheepish grin.
