Writings of an Owlmoose

Summary: In which Penelo gets a letter and much is revealed.

Notes: My official submission for the 2009 round of Final Fantasy Exchange. Prompt: “Penelo is tired of Vaan being Denser Than a Lead Brick and decides to make the first move in the transition from best friends to a relationship herself.” My first attempt at this pairing.

Metadata: Penelo/Vaan. Minor spoilers. Rated PG, 1908 words. First published in August 2009.

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Lines of Communication

It was a fine summer day in Rabanastre, and Penelo was minding Migelo’s shop, as she did most mornings. The war had ended about six weeks ago; for the first week or so afterwards, the bustle and uncertainty caused by the withdrawal of the Imperial troops had keep most of the natives in their homes and out of the way, but things had soon returned to normal, and business had been brisk ever since. A traveler had asked for Penelo’s advice regarding healing items for a trip to Nalbina, and she was explaining the difference between different types of potions when Kytes barged through the door, brushing the customer aside as he rushed through the shop. “Hey Penelo!” He brandished a letter in the air. “Look!”

Penelo took a quick breath and bit back an annoyed retort. Instead, she settled for shooting him a glare out of the corner of her eye, and he took a few steps away from the counter, ducking his head in apology. Satisfied, she returned her attention and pleasant smile to the customer. “Sorry about that, ma’am. So as I was saying, if you’re not leaving the Estersand, these basic items should be more than enough.”

“Oh, thank you,” the woman said as she handed Penelo a few coins. “I appreciate the advice.”

“You’re welcome,” Penelo chirped, handing out the half-full bag. “Thanks for shopping at Migelo’s, and have a safe journey.”

The woman took her purchases with a small bow and walked away, leaving Penelo free to turn to back to Kytes with a scowl that was only half teasing. “Didn’t I tell you not to bother me when I’m with a customer?”

“Sorry, sorry. It’s just exciting, is all. I was hanging out at Westgate when an Imperial Courier came out of the Aerodrome and gave me this! It’s all the way from Archades.” Slapping his prize on the counter, he grinned up at her, and she picked it up, a smile spreading over her face as she recognized Larsa’s personal sigil pressed into the blue wax seal.

“Intact, I assume?” She tapped the hardened wax with a closely-cropped fingernail.

Kytes cocked his head to the side. “Like I would want to read your mail? Even if it is from the emperor.”

“He’s not the emperor,” she said absently, already lost in wondering what the letter might hold. An update on Basch, of course, and the truth about the political situation in Archades, but she also hoped that Larsa might have heard something about Fran or Balthier, good news that she could share with Vaan. The thought urging her on, Penelo slid her finger beneath the seal, cracking it open. The cream-colored parchment was heavy as she unfolded it; two sheets folded into thirds and covered with Larsa’s formal, flowing script.

“Not yet, anyway.” Vaan’s voice came from behind her, and she turned around to see him emerging from the back of the store, brushing dust off his hands.

“Vaan! There you are. Where’ve you been all day?” Still smiling, she held the letter out to him. “Look what just came!”

Vaan crossed his arms. The effect wasn’t lost on her. “That from Larsa?”

Penelo nodded. “I wrote him a couple of weeks ago; I’ve been hoping to hear back. Here, come read it with me.” She spread the first page on the counter, standing aside so Vaan could see over her shoulder, and started reading.

But before she’d gotten beyond the date — three days past — and Larsa’s greeting, she heard Vaan’s footsteps shuffling past, and she looked up to see him shrug, his back already to her. “Catch me up later, okay? I’ve got things to do.” He pushed his way through the crowded shop to the door; Penelo refolded the letter and watched him go, not even bothering to conceal her frown. Three days in a row, now, he had abruptly walked out on a conversation with her, and he’d been distant and uncommunicative for even longer. It might have left her hurt, once, but she knew Vaan better now. What was going on?

The door half-slammed in the distance. Kytes, who was still hanging on the counter, looked at Penelo, eyebrows raised, and echoed her last thought: “What was that all about?”

“I don’t know,” Penelo replied, tucking Larsa’s letter into her rucksack, “but I’m going to find out. Watch the shop for me for awhile?” She didn’t wait for an answer as she vaulted over the counter and rushed into the street. Vaan’s blond head was visible in the distance — he’d gotten taller since they’d been gone, which made him easier to pick out in a crowd — and she caught him just outside the Aerodrome.

“Hey, hey!” She snatched at the hem of his vest, and he stopped. “What is wrong with you?”

He looked over her shoulder, resisting her efforts to catch his eye, and shook himself free of her grip. “Nothing. I need to take care some stuff for the Strahl, that’s all. Haven’t been there yet today.”

Penelo rolled her eyes a little. What a stupid excuse. “Okay, so I’ll come with you.”

Vaan looked away. “If you want.”

She followed him through the Aerodrome into the Strahl’s berth, then shrugged off her bag before perching on her usual crate in the corner. The Strahl was looking better every day, she decided — the Moogles were doing great work with the hull, at least; all the dents and carbon scoring were gone, and the metal had been polished until it gleamed. Meanwhile, Vaan had beckoned the head Moogle over to him. She half-listened to their about parts and repairs for several minutes before the Moogle disappeared back into the ship’s exposed engines.

“How long before she’s ready to fly again?” she asked.

“A few months,” Vaan said. “They’re waiting on some materials from Bhujerba, and then they’ll have to machine the parts. But things are looking pretty good.”

Penelo jumped down from her crate. “With the ship, anyway.” Vaan looked away, but she planted herself directly in front of him. “Don’t you dare deny it. You’ve been acting funny ever since we got back — ignoring me, breaking off conversations, leaving the room or getting all quiet when I come in. And it’s getting worse. Even Kytes noticed the way you took off today. C’mon, spill it. Why are you avoiding me?”

Vann scuffed the floor with his foot, his eyes intent on the dust he was kicking up. “Maybe I don’t know if I can talk to you any more. Or maybe it feels like you don’t want to talk to me.”

“That’s ridiculous.” Penelo put her hands on her hips. “Who else am I going to talk to? Ashe is too busy being queen, and no one else I know was even there, so they’d never understand… What?” Mid-sentence, she had noticed Vaan’s gaze shift and fall on her discarded bag — or more specifically, on the corner of the letter that peeked out of the top. She let her hands fall and felt her jaw drop as an idea so crazy that it had to be the truth formed in her mind.

“Oh, no. No way,” she breathed. “Are… are you jealous?”

Vaan shrugged. “It’s true, isn’t it?” He looked her in the eye for just a second before his chin dropped again. “Larsa was there, or close enough. And he’s a prince, and it’s obvious that he’s totally into you. So I thought…”

Penelo bit her cheek to suppress a groan. Or maybe a giggle; she wasn’t really certain. “You didn’t think, you dope, you assumed. Yes, I care about Larsa. He was a friend when I needed one, and now he needs someone to be a friend in return. So of course I’m his friend. But that’s all I am. Don’t be silly, Vaan. You really don’t know anything about women, do you?”

She saw his shoulders rising as he drew back his head in indignation. “Hey–”

“Hey yourself,” she retorted. Daring, she took a step closer to him, craning her head forward and forcing him to meet her eyes. “Vaan. How long have we known each other?”

He quirked an eyebrow, shrugged again. “All our lives, I suppose.”

Penelo took a deep breath and steadied herself even as her heartbeat kicked up a notch. So many different ways she’d imagined this moment, planning out every detail in her head, and the reality didn’t remotely resemble any of them. But she’d put it off too long, and so it was time; no backing out now. “And for how much of that time do you think I’ve been in love with you?”

Vaan started, his head bobbing forward, his eyes widening as his brow furrowed. “You… What?”

She stretched out her hand and let her fingers slide through his, feeling every ridge and callous from months of sword and knife fighting. Then, standing on tiptoe, she kissed him, a chaste touch against his lips before she backed away.

She opened her eyes to see him looking at her, his eyes still round, but with amazement rather than shock. “Penelo,” he said, husky and soft; the sound of her name from his voice, said like that, sent a thrill up her spine. His grip on her hand tightened, and then his other arm came around her waist and they were kissing for real, his mouth moving on hers, his hand stroking her back. He was as warm and solid as she’d always imagined, and she leaned into him with a sigh of contentment.

He hugged her close, and she buried her face against his shoulder while he stroked her hair. Her heart was still pounding, but all the fear was gone now. “All this time, and I had no idea,” he murmured.

“That’s why I called you a dope.” She smiled into his neck as he laughed. For several minutes they just stood there, holding each other. Penelo luxuriated in the feeling of his arms around her, a feeling she’d dreamed of for years, ever since the day they had been playing in the street and he had caught her in a hug from behind, and she had suddenly noticed how different it felt from being hugged by Reks, or any of her other friends. Then she stepped back, sliding her hands down his arms and catching his fingers in her own. “I should get back — I’m supposed to be in charge at the store, and I told Kytes I wouldn’t be long. You coming with?”

“In a little while.” Vaan indicated the Strahl with his chin. “I really do need to work on some things here.” He looked down at her, his eyes still filled with softness and wonder. “So, um. You… uh, you know, right? That I… that, um…”

She laughed, and raised a hand to his warm cheek. “Now I do.”

He covered her hand with his, then leaned in to touch their foreheads together. “Good. It’s all okay, then.” He kissed her one more time. “See you tonight.”

Somehow, she managed to pull away and leave him, casting one last glance over her shoulder long enough to watch him pick up a toolkit and head for the Strahl, whistling. The bounce she loved was back in his step, and she knew that life was not only back to normal, but better.