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FFX/X-2: Revolt
Fandom: Final Fantasy X/X-2
Pairing: Wakka/Rikku
Warnings: Alternate Universe, angst
Rating: PG
Summary: Rikku is a slave, Mika is her master, and Wakka is a Yevon knight who falls in love with her. Written for the bad fic summary challenge.
"Stupid old man!"
"Is that any way to speak of Maester Mika?"
Rikku looked right up into the frowning face of the Yevon Knight and cringed. Visibly. She grabbed her bucket and mop and stood up, throwing her blond hair out of her face and giving him a defiant look. "Maybe if he wasn't such a meanie it'd be wrong!"
Wakka crossed his arms in front of him, frowning even more. "You're Al Bhed, you were born to be less than those who follow Yevon."
She stiffened for a moment, then gave him a heated look, turning her back to him and marching off with her mop in hand, narrowly missing hitting him in the chest with it. "I'm so glad to hear you think so."
Wakka sighed and rubbed the back of his head a bit. In all honesty, he'd meant to be a bit, well, nicer about it. He'd seen Rikku around, doing all kinds of jobs down on her knees that didn't look comfortable. He didn't feel right about the whole slavery thing to start with, and his opinion on Al Bhed was that they were just fine -- when they stayed out of his way.
"Don't go pitying her, Wakka," he told himself. "She's Al Bhed. Trouble, ya?"
----
"Stupid Mika. Stupid Yevon Knight. Stupid mop. Stupid Rikku! Drec ec lusbmada yht iddan cred!"
Rikku sat back on her heels, sighing softly. Shouting at the stain on the floor wasn't helping at all, and it didn't help that she kept thinking of Wakka. How his frown had been almost cute and the way for one startled instant, he'd looked at her with more interest than annoyance.
That was rare. She was always an annoyance, always underfoot, always doing the wrong thing at the wrong time -- or so everyone else seemed to think.
"Cred," she said, tiredly, and though she used her own language as a little bit of defiance, she just sounded worn out and worn down. She pushed her hair out of her face and attacked the stain again, scrubbing fiercely.
"Maybe you should use this."
She yelped, fell back on her ass, than sprang up with an angry look directed at the Knight. "Cdibet eteud ruf tyna oui chayg ib uh sa mega dryd!?"
"I'm sorry," he said, looking a little taken aback, and then he handed her the soap. "I found this for you. I know you're not supposed to use any but, ah, Mika doesn't have to know, ya?"
She looked up at him, startled, confused, and he pushed the soap into her hand when she didn't seem inclined to take it from him. When she didn't stop staring at him he started to blush, scratching the back of his head bashfully.
"Look, I'm just trying to help."
She blinked and smiled, nodding, "Thank you! I mean, thank you very much, this'll mean I might actually get my chores done on time, and... thanks!"
He looked at her, feeling a little twist in his stomach at her smile, and then turned away quickly, still embarrassed. "Glad to help."
He hurried away, though.
-----
Since then he'd made Rikku's life more bearable in hundreds of little ways, to the point where passing him would make her smile and feel warm fuzzies for the rest of the day, even if he never even looked at her. He didn't always smile back, but he was always there.
"You need to go out to the desert," she heard Mika tell him and she barely noticed herself dropping the tray of very fragile and expensive plates and cups and bowls. She'd be whipped for it later, but for now Mika only glared at her with his watery old man eyes and that didn't do anything to her. She knelt down, cutting her knees on the broken bits of plate, and barely even noticing. She put the pieces back on the tray, quietly, listening to Wakka and Mika's conversation.
"Why?"
"There's been an uprising of the Al Bhed," Mika explained, and he coughed his old man cough and Rikku couldn't ever have despised him more, even when she was on her knees scrubbing without soap. "I need you to go out there and subdue them."
Wakka frowned. "Is it really necessary? It can hardly be a big uprising..."
"It's led by a man called Gippal. He appears," cough, cough, cough, and Rikku wanted to strangle the old man because what was Gippal up to?, "appears to be very influential among the Al Bhed. He's created a faction that even some Yevonites have joined. It all centres around machina -- fighting machina."
The Yevon Knight looked troubled. He looked down at his hands. "I see. When should I go?"
"As soon as you're ready."
Rikku took a deep breath. Stood up carefully, and only once she was sure she wasn't visibly trembling, made her way to Mika. She went down on her knees again next to him, partly because she wasn't sure her legs would support her, partly because she really needed Mika to think she was, well, tamed.
"Maybe," she said, and cursed the tremble and waver of her voice, "it would be helpful if I went with him, sir, Maester, because, you know, I'm Al Bhed and... I could be a bargaining chip or a source of information or..."
She forced herself to shut up, lowering her eyes, waiting.
"She would be a big help," Wakka said, into the silence, and she could've hugged him but she didn't because, well, yeah, Mika.
------
"You can go now, ya?"
She looked up at him, clutching her little bundle of possessions close. "Maybe I should stay. You might get into trouble with the Maester if you lost me. And I don't want that. I mean, I don't want you in trouble, y'know?"
He frowned his adorable frown. "I thought that you getting away was what this was all about?"
No, it wasn't, and she's only just realised it, but she fidgets and doesn't tell him that this was all about going with him and maybe only a little to do with finding out what the heck Gippal was up to. She looks up at him, twisting her fingers around each other and biting her lip.
"You really want to let me go?"
It's not what she meant to say, not at all, but he smiles as if it's perfect and nods. "Yeah."
Now she does do what she means to, dropping her bundle (oh, it's not important anyway) and flinging herself on him, wrapping her arms around his neck and standing up on her tippy-toes to kiss him. It's a revolt from all the rules and accusations and tensions of the past few years and it's a taste of freedom. He's stiff and surprised for a moment, and then he gives in just a little before pushing her away.
His voice is gruff. "Keep the Al Bhed fighting and I guess I'll see you again soon."
It's almost an offer and she laughs, lightly, like she hasn't since she was sold to the Yevonites because the alternative was death for her family. "Yeah. I'll see you."
He's turned away and started to walk when she calls him back, looking up at him one last time to memorise his face so she won't ever forget.
"I love you," she says, in a tiny voice that cracks. She doesn't wait to see if he says it back, because he's a Yevonite and who knows if they even know how to love. She just gathers up her bundle and turns on her heel, running, and she's not crying, or if she is only a little, and Gippal and her family are so glad to see her.
Pairing: Wakka/Rikku
Warnings: Alternate Universe, angst
Rating: PG
Summary: Rikku is a slave, Mika is her master, and Wakka is a Yevon knight who falls in love with her. Written for the bad fic summary challenge.
"Stupid old man!"
"Is that any way to speak of Maester Mika?"
Rikku looked right up into the frowning face of the Yevon Knight and cringed. Visibly. She grabbed her bucket and mop and stood up, throwing her blond hair out of her face and giving him a defiant look. "Maybe if he wasn't such a meanie it'd be wrong!"
Wakka crossed his arms in front of him, frowning even more. "You're Al Bhed, you were born to be less than those who follow Yevon."
She stiffened for a moment, then gave him a heated look, turning her back to him and marching off with her mop in hand, narrowly missing hitting him in the chest with it. "I'm so glad to hear you think so."
Wakka sighed and rubbed the back of his head a bit. In all honesty, he'd meant to be a bit, well, nicer about it. He'd seen Rikku around, doing all kinds of jobs down on her knees that didn't look comfortable. He didn't feel right about the whole slavery thing to start with, and his opinion on Al Bhed was that they were just fine -- when they stayed out of his way.
"Don't go pitying her, Wakka," he told himself. "She's Al Bhed. Trouble, ya?"
"Stupid Mika. Stupid Yevon Knight. Stupid mop. Stupid Rikku! Drec ec lusbmada yht iddan cred!"
Rikku sat back on her heels, sighing softly. Shouting at the stain on the floor wasn't helping at all, and it didn't help that she kept thinking of Wakka. How his frown had been almost cute and the way for one startled instant, he'd looked at her with more interest than annoyance.
That was rare. She was always an annoyance, always underfoot, always doing the wrong thing at the wrong time -- or so everyone else seemed to think.
"Cred," she said, tiredly, and though she used her own language as a little bit of defiance, she just sounded worn out and worn down. She pushed her hair out of her face and attacked the stain again, scrubbing fiercely.
"Maybe you should use this."
She yelped, fell back on her ass, than sprang up with an angry look directed at the Knight. "Cdibet eteud ruf tyna oui chayg ib uh sa mega dryd!?"
"I'm sorry," he said, looking a little taken aback, and then he handed her the soap. "I found this for you. I know you're not supposed to use any but, ah, Mika doesn't have to know, ya?"
She looked up at him, startled, confused, and he pushed the soap into her hand when she didn't seem inclined to take it from him. When she didn't stop staring at him he started to blush, scratching the back of his head bashfully.
"Look, I'm just trying to help."
She blinked and smiled, nodding, "Thank you! I mean, thank you very much, this'll mean I might actually get my chores done on time, and... thanks!"
He looked at her, feeling a little twist in his stomach at her smile, and then turned away quickly, still embarrassed. "Glad to help."
He hurried away, though.
Since then he'd made Rikku's life more bearable in hundreds of little ways, to the point where passing him would make her smile and feel warm fuzzies for the rest of the day, even if he never even looked at her. He didn't always smile back, but he was always there.
"You need to go out to the desert," she heard Mika tell him and she barely noticed herself dropping the tray of very fragile and expensive plates and cups and bowls. She'd be whipped for it later, but for now Mika only glared at her with his watery old man eyes and that didn't do anything to her. She knelt down, cutting her knees on the broken bits of plate, and barely even noticing. She put the pieces back on the tray, quietly, listening to Wakka and Mika's conversation.
"Why?"
"There's been an uprising of the Al Bhed," Mika explained, and he coughed his old man cough and Rikku couldn't ever have despised him more, even when she was on her knees scrubbing without soap. "I need you to go out there and subdue them."
Wakka frowned. "Is it really necessary? It can hardly be a big uprising..."
"It's led by a man called Gippal. He appears," cough, cough, cough, and Rikku wanted to strangle the old man because what was Gippal up to?, "appears to be very influential among the Al Bhed. He's created a faction that even some Yevonites have joined. It all centres around machina -- fighting machina."
The Yevon Knight looked troubled. He looked down at his hands. "I see. When should I go?"
"As soon as you're ready."
Rikku took a deep breath. Stood up carefully, and only once she was sure she wasn't visibly trembling, made her way to Mika. She went down on her knees again next to him, partly because she wasn't sure her legs would support her, partly because she really needed Mika to think she was, well, tamed.
"Maybe," she said, and cursed the tremble and waver of her voice, "it would be helpful if I went with him, sir, Maester, because, you know, I'm Al Bhed and... I could be a bargaining chip or a source of information or..."
She forced herself to shut up, lowering her eyes, waiting.
"She would be a big help," Wakka said, into the silence, and she could've hugged him but she didn't because, well, yeah, Mika.
"You can go now, ya?"
She looked up at him, clutching her little bundle of possessions close. "Maybe I should stay. You might get into trouble with the Maester if you lost me. And I don't want that. I mean, I don't want you in trouble, y'know?"
He frowned his adorable frown. "I thought that you getting away was what this was all about?"
No, it wasn't, and she's only just realised it, but she fidgets and doesn't tell him that this was all about going with him and maybe only a little to do with finding out what the heck Gippal was up to. She looks up at him, twisting her fingers around each other and biting her lip.
"You really want to let me go?"
It's not what she meant to say, not at all, but he smiles as if it's perfect and nods. "Yeah."
Now she does do what she means to, dropping her bundle (oh, it's not important anyway) and flinging herself on him, wrapping her arms around his neck and standing up on her tippy-toes to kiss him. It's a revolt from all the rules and accusations and tensions of the past few years and it's a taste of freedom. He's stiff and surprised for a moment, and then he gives in just a little before pushing her away.
His voice is gruff. "Keep the Al Bhed fighting and I guess I'll see you again soon."
It's almost an offer and she laughs, lightly, like she hasn't since she was sold to the Yevonites because the alternative was death for her family. "Yeah. I'll see you."
He's turned away and started to walk when she calls him back, looking up at him one last time to memorise his face so she won't ever forget.
"I love you," she says, in a tiny voice that cracks. She doesn't wait to see if he says it back, because he's a Yevonite and who knows if they even know how to love. She just gathers up her bundle and turns on her heel, running, and she's not crying, or if she is only a little, and Gippal and her family are so glad to see her.
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