Vaan spent five minutes trying to think out a smart and rational plan for how to use the information Fran had given him to win Balthier back.

Then he threw all that out the window and stormed straight to Balthier's room.

"Vaan?" Balthier said, starting to push himself up when his door flew open. Before he could say anything more or get himself into more than a half-sitting position Vaan tackled him back onto the bed, straddling his waist.

"Do you have any idea how nuts I've been going trying to figure out what the hell I did wrong to make you ignore me?" he asked, his head hanging low over Balthier's. "And then I talk to Fran and find out that every time I've called you stupid since I got here I was hitting the nail on the head!"

"Fran said that?" Balthier asked, raising an eyebrow and sounding surprisingly cool for someone in his position.

"She might as well have! She agreed with it anyway. And she basically let me know that she thinks I should be doing this."

He quickly closed the gap between their mouths before Balthier had time to react, but once there he didn't let himself fall into their old pattern of harshness for the sake of denial. He tried to keep his mouth soft, tried to make it the sort of affectionate kiss he'd read about in Penelo's soppy romance novels on the rare times when he'd had absolutely nothing to do with his time but either pick one up or die of boredom. He didn't really have any idea what he was doing--not only had he never really kissed that way before, but Balthier had always been the one who'd guided their kisses in the past--but he figured he couldn't be doing too badly, because after a long, frightening moment Balthier began to respond.

And that was his cue to pull away again, just far enough to give himself enough space to talk. "Okay, listen, here's the plan. You are going to stop being a jerk. And then we're going to start making up for the year we've missed out on, because, in case you haven't noticed, we have plenty of time now for you to get whatever you want from me. After that, I'm going to go grab my stuff and move it in here, and any time either of us hears some stupid rumor about the other we'll know that it's a load of bull because we can't be warming somebody else's bed when we're both in this one. And if you still want more proof that I'm really honestly committed to this, when I drag you to Ashe's coronation in a couple of weeks I'll have them announce me as your date, and for the rest of forever everybody'll know us as those perverted bent pirates the Queen of Dalmasca is friends with. I'll be totally fine with that, even though Ashe would probably kill us for tarnishing her reputation on her big night."

He brought one hand up to Balthier's face, gently tracing the lines of his scars with his fingertips and openly staring at him. Balthier was still so handsome, scar or no scars. Vaan still wanted him so much, enough that it made him want to find a way to horde him like gold. "I can't believe you thought a bum leg and a few scars would be enough to turn me away from you. I know I never said it, but the way I act should make it totally obvious that I love you, you stupid jackass. You don't spend a year pining--yeah, I can admit it! Pining.--over somebody you don't love! And unless you keep trying to screw it up like you have for the past couple of weeks, you're still gonna be stuck with me when you're old and grey and trying to pretend that you don't need glasses because you're afraid they make you look like your dad!"

Balthier was giving him a distant look again, but it wasn't like the ones Vaan had been getting from him ever since the day they're met up with each other again. It was one he recognized from much longer ago, one that seemed to see straight through him and see the honest truth of his intentions.

And, to complete the mirror of that long ago day, Balthier finally said, "Very well then. If you're certain," and pulled him into another kiss. The repetition was only broken when he murmured against Vaan's mouth, "And I am never going to need glasses. Don't even suggest such a thing again."

Vaan snickered, even as he began to sneak a hand under the bottom of Balthier's shirt. "See? The denial's starting already."

o 0 O 0 o

It was much much later. The room was entirely dark, the ship silent, and sleep was only evading Vaan because Balthier kept stroking a hand down his bare spine, petting him like he was a giant cat. "Vaan?"

"Mmph?"

"I hope that you're aware that your feelings are returned."

Vaan snorted and rolled more onto his side, flopping one arm across Balthier's stomach. "I figured that out as soon as I was sure you hadn't just lost interest in me. Plus, Fran pretty much said so."

"She did, did she?"

"Uh-huh."

"Would this be during the same conversation where she told you I was stupid, and advised you to kiss me?"

"That's right."

"Vaan, are you entirely certain that you were speaking to Fran and not some figment of your imagination?"

Vaan snuggled down closer to him and closed his eyes, reaching for sleep. "Balthier," he said with a yawn, "you really need to learn how to read between the lines."