Work Text:
Paine isn’t sure what she expected out of adulthood. She can picture all the things that other people her age do and she isn’t a fan of the options. Get married and start a family, end up hating your spouse and losing your sense of self to their selfish whims. No thanks. Working their way into a job that doesn’t make them miserable and being exploited by sociopaths the whole way ‘up’ only to get laid off for nothing. Not interested. Partying and ignoring the ever present terror of a lifetime bearing upon you? She never really got the memo.
At twenty-five she is equally as listless as when she was eighteen. There’s nothing much that interests her, and she’s got a mediocre job that affords her a very mediocre lifestyle. There’s no chance for rising the ranks, there’s no lasting connections formed with coworkers, there’s nothing in particular worth changing her schedule for. Every day is exactly the same.
There’s a hollow in her chest as she walks down the street, running a hand through her hair to tousle it into a less work-approved look. She unbuttons her tight shirt down a few buttons and sighs out loud, exhaustion taking hold.
She’s not ready to go home yet. Maybe not ever. That place is filled with a crushing sense of emptiness and she could do without that for a few more hours. The sun hangs in the sky, but the clouds shine a bright orange in the beginnings of a sunset.
Where could she go? It isn’t as if the city center is much help. It’s filled with nightclubs and bars, neither of which she’s particularly keen on. They’re always packed, always filled with drunk men and women with no boundaries and no qualms with touching strangers. Paine often finds herself ‘accidentally’ overreacting and hitting the offenders in the face, so it’s easy to picture why she’s avoided the places up to now. The last time a man touched Paine was also the last time that man would have a straight nose and, coincidentally, the last time Paine would set foot in a dance club for years.
But time flows in ways she never expects and her phone rings out, breaking the moment of contemplation. She checks the screen and grimaces, seeing the pixelated face of her least favorite coworker. She’d left maybe 5 minutes ago, and as far as she knew he was still in the office building.
“Hey, Paine, are you home?” A tinny voice squeaks out from her phone, a functional but ugly brick of a flip phone she chose out of apathy. The way it fits against her head is uncomfortable, but she didn’t particularly care when she picked it out. Now, as she struggles to keep it in the crook of her shoulder, she wishes she’d thought it over more. “It’s Gippal.”
“I have caller ID, Gippal.” She replies cooly. Gippal laughs a little too loudly into the speaker and Paine grimaces at the fried sounds. Looking up at the office she can see his spiky head through the window on the fifth floor. What an eyesore that guy is. “Of course I’m not home. What do you want?”
“Well I really need a favor.” He says, and she can just picture the face the man is making, staring daggers at the back of his tiny head. “Will you hear me out, please?”
“Oh good, another favor. Remember last week when I finished all your stupid projects and then you took the credit?” She remarks, narrowing her eyes. “Your favors are never worth it.”
“It’s different this time, I swear! I just need a friend!” She laughed out loud.
“Oh come on... Get to your point!” She snaps, pinching the bridge of her nose.
“I just met this girl. She works in the same building as us and she’s way too cute to not get to know.” His voice sounds much more sheepish after being chastised. “There’s a mixer at this club she goes to in a couple hours, and she said I should come and bring a friend.”
“And you… consider me a friend.”
“W-Well, yeah…” And there he is, the world’s saddest man. Paine sighs out and closes her eyes, trying to make an assessment.
“And what do I get out of this?” She says, after giving him a good few seconds of silence to make it truly clear how little interest in this she has. “On what planet did I seem like I would enjoy being in a club?”
“I…” He sighs. “I mean I’ll buy you drinks and stuff… And there’s going to be guys there…”
“That’s really what you think will draw me in?” She laughs.
“Okay, okay. I get it.” He says, audibly sulking. “Baralai and Nooj both rejected me and I didn’t know who else to ask!! Paine, she could be the one!”
“And that girl last week?” She hears a choke and a cough on the other end. “Didn’t you call her ‘the one’ too?”
“Sh-She moved.” He stammers. “So I have to move on, right? C’mon, please? I’ll owe you lunch for a week!”
“Two weeks.” She checks her nails idly.
“Damnit. Fine.” Woe be to his poor wallet. But Paine is no cheap date. She supposes this is a good enough excuse to not go home, and all on an idiot’s dime.
“I’m still outside so just come down when you’re through with whatever is it you even do here.”
“Oh, you know.” He laughs, and she cracks a faint smile. “Seeya soon.” The call ends and she snaps her phone shut, cramming it in the tiny pockets of her slacks.
Gippal is out of the building in about ten minutes, during which Paine paces back and forth impatiently. He really lives at his own pace, she thinks, regardless of how much it inconveniences other people.
“Paaaaine.” He waves, grinning wide at her. “You ready to go?” She snorts.
“No, let’s just hang out in the parking lot and huff paint.” With a click of his key fob Gippal unlocks his needlessly gaudy car, a cherry-red convertible he never shuts up about. Paine slides into the passenger seat and buckles herself in, unclipping her work ID and cramming it into her purse. “So where is this club anyhow?”
“It’s not far. Fabula Nova is it’s name, I’ve only been there like… four times.” She rolls her eyes and rolls the window down. Gippal flips a switch and the top peels back, his shit-eating grin only growing. “Sick car, right?”
“Gippal, this is not the first time you have driven me and I will not be impressed more than once by that schtick.” She says, avoiding eye contact and staring into the middle distance. “Can we just get on with this? I’m starving.”
----
They circle for far too long downtown in search of a suitable walking distance in their uncomfortable work shoes. Paine wasn’t about to break an ankle just for free drinks and lunch, after all. They play cat and mouse with a tiny car backing out and finally snatch a spot just down the street from the long pre-event line for the mixer. There’s a banner up, and it’s got their company logo on it so Paine assumes this must have been some work mixer in the first place. She’s avoided them for the whole two years she’s been in her position and for a moment, mourns having to break that streak.
“This had better not run all night.” She says, jabbing her finger in the man’s side, making him wince.
“I won’t stay forever, don’t worry. I’m your ride after all!” She severely doubts that. She keeps pace with his long stride regardless, hands in her pockets. They settle at the end of the line and she leans against the wall of a shop, eyeing the long line. She recognizes a couple faces, but only gave a nod in acknowledgement when they noticed indeed, that was Paine from Accounting. Monday was going to be fun.
“You could have told me this was a work mixer, you know.” She hisses, grabbing his tie and yanking him to eye level. “We look like a couple, you stupid rat.”
“We do not!” Paine gives the tie another tug and exhales, trying to center herself. “Okay maybe we do. But if anybody asks I’ll just say we aren’t!”
“Oh, yeah. That’ll help. The guy who dates a new girl literally every week.” The idea of being taken for dating him was absolutely abhorrent, let alone just being seen as dating a man in the first place. “Leaving the real work to me every time.” She shoves him aside and stares ahead at the people in the queue, idly hoping they have pretzels at this joint.
The wait isn’t very long, but hearing Gippal chatter away about the newest girl of his dreams extends Paine’s perception of time to a nauseating degree. On and on he goes, describing her in details that immediately slip Paine’s mind. Men truly have a different taste in women than lesbians, she thinks, perfectly happy to ignore every word out of his mouth. And at last, like manna from heaven, they are finally carded and allowed inside.
The club is enormous, she notes, a little shocked the company would rent out such a huge place just for a Friday night mixer. How had she not even heard of this? She supposed it was just the price she paid for not paying attention to her coworkers. That was a trade she didn’t much mind anyways.
The floor is packed with people dancing, so to shuffle through Paine nudges people out of the way. Gippal trails after her, head and shoulders above most of the crowd, blinking his eye in a desperate effort to adjust to the dark and neon lights of the interior.
“Is there anything I have to do, or can I just veg out here?” Paine asks as she takes a stool, watching the bartender serve the people around the bar. “Because I’m about to answer for you.”
“I think I see her. I’m gonna go work my magic,” Gippal says, clearly affected by the prospect of finding her. He hands off his card to Paine, who smiles like a cheshire cat when she snatches it. “Don’t go crazy!”
“No promises, blondie.” She snorts, which Gippal doesn’t hear over the pounding music as he shuffles through the crowd once more.
How many years has it been since Paine has been in a crowd of this caliber? She can’t seem to recall, the time between turning 21 and 25 having eroded away with daily menial work. She supposes it’s probably been a few years at the least, but ignores the thought and swivels in the seat, waiting silently for the bartender to catch her eyes.
“Can I get a bloody mary?” She asks in a shout over the crowd, handing the card off to the woman. “And open up a tab, if you don’t mind. Under ‘Paine.’”
“Sure thing.” It’s packed, so the woman takes a good while to get her drink together, but Paine uses that time to stare out into the sea of people. The familiar faces melt together under the floor lights, a jittering wave of bodies that washes Gippal’s spiky head out of sight. Good riddance, she thinks as she watches the bartender work. Her drink is dropped off after a short wait and she sips it, suitably pleased with the make.
The club is hot with the heat of dozens of people, the air thin and murky with sweat. Paine can feel the sweat drip down her back and shivers, peeling her blazer off at last after almost an hour, two drinks and a whole basket of pretzel bits. She nurses her third drink and stares out into the sea. It seems that quite a large portion of people have already shuffled out, and she hopes soon she’ll be joining them. Despite that hope she still can’t see Gippal in the crowd and that paints a frown onto her already flat expression.
Who she does spot, however, is twirling in the crowd. Bright blonde hair tied up in a loose ponytail, beads and braids trailing down her back, a short skirt emphasizing her hips as she dances like a madwoman. She bumps into everybody, sure, but the people around her seem to just laugh it all off, and dance back at her.
What a presence… Paine thinks, fingers gripping the tall glass as she watches on.
Paine is transfixed, eyes completely glued to the spectacle this girl makes. Maybe it’s the booze, but Paine feels something tugging on her heart at the sight of this girl. She bites her lip and sips the drink to distract herself, but it doesn’t help one bit. The girl dances for the whole song, energy never once dying down. She seems to be disappointed when the song changes to something a little less high energy and stomps her feet childishly, tossing her hands and pouting as she storms off towards the bar.
Towards the bar! Paine’s heart catches in her throat and she averts her eyes and swivels, desperately trying to pretend she wasn’t staring for the entire song. Unfortunately for Paine, the girl noticed that immediately and a grin popped onto her pink painted lips. She sneaks up and rests her soft, delicate hand on Paine’s shoulder silently, making Paine whip around and take a swing at her. The girl backs up impressively fast and laughs out loud, holding her hands up in mock surrender.
“Whoa there cowboy!” She laughs, hands on her hips. “I didn’t mean to scare you, really!” Paine’s face turns red with hot embarrassment and she turns it aside.
“It’s whatever. Don’t touch strangers.” She says, frown still on her lips. This girl was dangerously bold.
“Well maybe we don’t have to be strangers.” The blonde offered, a coy little smile on her face. “I’m Rikku. What’s your name?” Paine hesitates for a moment, still avoiding the bright face standing right in front of her.
“...It’s Paine.” Rikku takes that as a victory and plops herself in the stool newly emptied beside Paine. “Is there something you need?...” Rikku tilts her head innocently, delighted to see somebody so easily flustered float right on into her favorite club.
“Ooh, playing hard to get?” She asks, smiling knowingly at her. “I saw you watching me, silly. It’s not that hard to notice when you’re staring right at me.” Rikku’s eyes never left Paine’s face, all sparkling and green with vibrant life behind them.
“You’re a good dancer.” Paine concedes, swiveling to face the counter. “It’s only natural to look when you’re dressed up like that.”
“Dressed like WHAT, Miss Paine.” Rikku laughs.
“Like you want me to stare, Miss Rikku.” Paine leans on her hand, finally willing the courage to look at Rikku fully for the first time. Her spaghetti strap slips off her shoulder and Paine grips her glass tightly once more. “Do you even work at the company?”
“Um, do I look like I do?” Rikku snorts. “No. I’m here cause I like it here. And cause there are really cute girls who come here. And so what if I want people to stare? It let me meet you...” She says this last part quite breathily, tracing her fingers towards Paine.
“I’m nobody special.” Paine says dismissively, adjusting her hair out of nerves. “There’s plenty of other people in here, why don’t you go bother them?”
“Um, have you seen yourself?” Rikku snickers. “I’m good riiight here. So what brings you here? You one of those working stiffs? How come you’re still here? Do you have a date?”
“That’s a lot of questions.” Paine remarks.
“I’m a curious girl.”
“You’re telling me.”
“You can’t dodge that last one. Are you with anybody?” Rikku wags her finger.
“I came here with a spiky idiot of a coworker, but I don’t date men.” Paine takes a sip of her drink. “I’m single.”
“Do you wanna ditch him?” Rikku asks, expression totally innocent.
“He’s paying my tab.”
“Ooh! Can I get a drink too?!” She squeaks out, eyes wide. “Pleeeeease?”
“Not my money, but sure.” Paine smirks and flags the bartender over.
“Mm, a mai tai pleeeease!” Rikku tosses a hand up in excitement. Paine can feel her heart pounding much harder than she could have imagined before this. Maybe this was a good idea after all.
“Might as well make the best of it.” Paine mutters under her breath, eying Rikku over.
“So, do you dance very much?” Rikku asks, tracing her finger on the rim of the glass. “You don’t really seem the type to bother with stuff like this.”
“And what type am I?” Paine asks, narrowing her eyes.
“The type to stay home and do nothing, or worse, work. Or clean. Blech.” Rikku sticks her tongue out, showing off a little metal piercing on her tongue. That tracks, thinks Paine. “But you should try dancing. It’s super fun!”
“I’d rather not get touched that much, thanks.”
“You just have to find the right spot.” Rikku insists. “We should go on the floor and dance! This is a great opportunity!”
“I’m not gonna do that, thanks.” Paine sips her drink nonchalantly.
“Hmm. Maybe next time. But you’re not getting out of it then!”
It’s a while of chatting and Rikku not-so-subtly flirting when Paine finally notices the bobbing spiky blonde hair of Gippal’s head, winding through the sea of people. He emerges and waves at Paine.
“Hey, so I’m gonna go home with that girl.” Paine raises an eyebrow, completely unsurprised at Gippal’s flakiness. Dropping the ball as usual.
“You’re supposed to be driving me home.” She says flatly. “And I have your card on the tab.”
“You didn’t even want to come at first! And now I see you over here, getting chummy with Cid’s brat, huh?” Rikku immediately swivels to stare at the offending man and gasps out loud.
“You!” She hisses, hopping up and getting between them. “I knew you’d be the spiky idiot she was talking about!”
“Sup, Rikku. How’s your pops?”
“Who cares how he is?” Rikku seethes, tossing her head defiantly. “How do you know him?” She looks to Paine expectantly.
“We’re coworkers.” She says all too quickly and flatly. “Somehow.”
“Hey, I do great at work. But how do you know Cid’s girl?” Rikku grimaces at that nickname and shoves him aside.
“I just met her.” Paine keeps her sentences curt. “Do you want your card now or what?”
“Yeah, whatever, just close the tab.” He waves his hand and crosses his arms. “You better not have bought her a drink on my tab…”
“As if you’d miss the money.” Paine laughs humorlessly and flags the bartender down.
“I guess I can drop you off if you’re ready to go.” Gippal says, shoving his card into his wallet and eying Paine.
“And be the third wheel with you and this week’s girl? Not interested.” Paine sips her bloody mary and doesn’t look his way. “I’ll figure it out.”
“Ooh, don’t worry spikey, I’ll get her home niiiice and safe.” Rikku says, narrowing her eyes at the man. “Pinky promise.”
Gippal scoffed and turned away, waving his hand to be rid of the situation.
“Thank god he’s gone.” Paine sighs out, rubbing her temples. “He’s the only person who talks to me at that godforsaken place and I hate every second of it.”
“That’s so sad.” Rikku says with a clear sense of victory in her voice. She finishes her own drink and turns to Paine with a grin. “Do you wanna come to my house and talk about it~?” Paine’s throat tightens and she looks aside.
“Sure. Anything to get out of here.”
As it turned out, Rikku’s ‘house’ was just a walk away, in a huge complex of apartments that made Paine’s wallet hurt to even look at. The insides were equally huge, though Rikku’s own apartment was covered in a layer of discarded clothes to a degree Paine had never seen.
“...You live like this?” Paine snorts, dropping her purse on the kitchen counter, which to her surprise was clean. “Did you ask me over to help clean?”
“Um, just ignore that.” Rikku says, kicking off her tall stilettos and losing a good four inches off her height.
“I’m not crossing the Red Sea of miniskirts, Rikku. The couch is covered.”
“The bed isn’t.” Rikku winks.
“Okay, let’s get this over with.” Paine decides for her, rolling up her sleeves and stomping toward the blast zone. She searches the room for the hint of a laundry basket, and gets to work.
Rikku isn’t much help, but she does direct Paine around the room, sitting upside down on the newly cleared out couch and messing around on her enormous smartphone.
“Why are you doing this anyways?” She asks, flipping herself back around to watch Paine. “I thought we were gonna do something more fun.” She checks her nails idly.
“You obviously won’t do it yourself, and I can’t stare at this mess and not want it gone.” With the last article tossed into the hamper, Paine heaves a long sigh and parks herself on the couch. She kicks off her uncomfortable work shoes and groans in relief. The weight of how much vodka she’s had finally hits her in the head and she groans out, feeling the exhaustion wash over her. “How did it get like that?”
“I dunno. I mostly just change here and… do other, not-cleaning-things.” She wears a much more sheepish grin. “I don’t think any other girl ever cleaned for me.” Rikku giggles and leans closer to Paine.
“Well, you know.” Paine can feel her heart in her throat and she turns her cheek to hide how red her face is. Rikku traces her finger over Paine’s thigh in response.
“Kinda refreshing to see the floor again.” She says, half-heartedly. “You wanna watch something?” Rikku’s hand doesn’t move one inch.
“Uh, sure.” The tingling feeling of the drinks running up her body makes it impossible for her to reject that touch, much to her relief. Rikku’s hand is warm. She doesn’t look up at what Rikku puts on, simply stares at her own feet with no expression. The chatter of the television is immediately silenced when Rikku reaches out to Paine’s face, tilting her head up by the chin to meet her eyes at last.
“You have such pretty eyes.” Rikku whispers, sliding her fingers along Paine’s jaw. “So deep they almost look red. I’ve never seen anything like that. I want to look at them all day.” She shifts a little closer.
“Usually people are… put-off by them.” Paine mutters, averting her eyes sheepishly.
“Seems to me you’re a pretty special lady, Paine.” Rikku says, sliding herself into Paine’s lap. Paine tries to play it cool, but as usual fumbles the ball and exhales a nervous laugh. “I wonder why nobody’s snatched you up yet.”
“How would you know that?” Paine snorts, frowning momentarily at the imagined slight.
“Um… you’re a total virgin.” Rikku giggles. “You cleaned the house of a lady who took you home at 1 in the morning.”
“Wh-” Paine can’t help but flush red at that, covering her mouth in shock. I can’t really argue with that…
“Hahaha! Oh my gosh, you are such a little prince!” Rikku squeals, cupping Paine’s face with both hands. “Have you even kissed anybody~?”
Paine, kept in place, swallowed down a lump in her throat again and smirked.
“Who wants to know?”
“Um, only the girl who’s going to change alllll that.” Rikku purrs, tucking a loose strand of her braids back. She closes the gap and brings their lips together with a smooth motion. Paine felt her stomach flip. Rikku’s lips were ridiculously soft and despite having kissed a few times before, Paine knew this kiss was a whole different beast. Rikku kept saying Paine was special, but the only thought Paine could muster was how incredible Rikku herself is. Rikku presses Paine up against the couch, settled comfortably in her lap. She pulls away from the kiss with a sneaky little smile on her lips.
“I’ve wanted to do that all night.” Rikku admits, a single finger on her lips. “You’re so cute.” Paine is still frozen, mouth vaguely agape.
“I seriously don’t know what makes me cute to you, but if it works, I guess it works.” Paine says, moving her own hand to rest at Rikku’s hip, much to the other woman’s delight.
“Ooh, you bet it works!” Rikku laughs, and kisses her again with aplomb. “I can’t believe I’m the first to get to you.”
“Well, believe it or not, you are.” Paine mutters, pulling lightly at the band of Rikku’s skirt to give her hands a task. Her thumb traces over the soft skin underneath, electricity of the intimate moment pulsing right to her heart. “I don’t settle on just anybody.”
“Oh, but the girl you just met at a club isn’t settling?” Rikku laughs out loud.
“Have you looked at yourself?” Paine snorts, her fingers sliding up Rikku’s hip more pointedly stroking her skin. “You’re something… special.”
“I didn’t take you for a flatterer, but you did spend a whole night staring at me…” Rikku looks up in thought, then drapes herself over Paine, resting her lips against her neck. “So maybe you’re just a Prince Charming wannabe~”
“And what is that supposed to mean?”
“I’m just gonna warn you, I’m no princess.” Rikku pushes Paine down onto her back, running a hand down her chest to rest at her sternum. Her eyes are half-lidded and she looks down at Paine with sheer lust. “I’ll eat your heart.” Her hands cup Paine’s breasts through the stiff cotton of her work shirt, squeezing gently.