Banana Pancakes
By: Apolena Soleil
Disclaimer: As you might have noticed, Final Fantasy VIII and anything affiliated is in no way my property. Neither is Jack Johnson's "Banana Pancakes," but I must say that it's a very pretty, wonderful song. J
A/N: So this is intended to be a one-shot. However, I might want to do some sort of series involving songs and base random fluff and what have you off of a song that's stuck in my head or something. I'm not sure. I'm going back to school next week and I might not have time. Darn college. (: Regardless, this little bit o' story is based very loosely off of Jack Johnson's "Banana Pancakes," which is just an all-around cute song. Enjoy and don't forget to review!
The rain gently tapped on the window of the quiet hotel room as the sun tried to peek through the gray clouds. Despite its best efforts, all it could manage was a single ray or two - not enough to stop the tiny droplets dancing down from the heavens. They were almost rhythmic, never missing a single beat and never ceasing. That fresh, distinctive scent of morning rain seeped through, blending with the salty sea air, and found its way to the bed where two bodies were curled up in a cavern of blankets.
He was the first to stir. With blond hair in his groggy eyes, he rubbed his forehead with his fingertips and checked the clock; the time was only 9:48 AM. His ears immediately caught the sound of the quietly rapping rain and he groaned. He had planned this getaway around the assumption that the weather was going to be flawless for the entire week. Unfortunately, it seemed that it wasn't in his best interest to trust the meteorologists on the television anymore.
Maybe an hour or more of sleep and this'll all go away…
Well, that wasn't necessarily a bad deal. The blond man looked down at his companion, whose chest was rising and falling with each silent, peaceful breath. Her body against his was sheer bliss, and he was convinced that there could be no better sensation in the world. Chestnut-colored hair hung in her face; what was once a perky hairdo had become a mop of disheveled strands overnight. In her slumber she had thrown an arm haphazardly over him and had buried her face in his chest. He grinned to himself, as his own arm was cradling her as if she were a beautiful, porcelain doll. Perfect.
Before he knew it the alarm on the clock began to ring. Not wanting to disturb his partner, the man tried in vain to hit the snooze button. However, reaching the extra several inches for the button would surely have meant waking up the woman next to him.
"Damn it all…!"
"And a good morning to you too, Zell Dincht!"
In his attempts to end the incessant ringing of the clock, Zell didn't realize that the woman he was trying desperately not to wake had opened her pretty emerald eyes. She sat up, leaned over him, and pressed the button herself.
"Aww, I was trying not to wake you!" He said, encircling her in his arms and bringing her down atop him. "It's raining outside."
"Sooo?" She grinned, kissing the tip of his nose. "Silly, didn't you promise Squall and the others that we'd be back before noon?"
"Yeah, but…" Zell shrugged. "Can't we just stay a little while longer, Selph? I don't wanna get wet."
Selphie raised a playful eyebrow. "What? Worried it's gonna ruin your hairdo?" She rolled off of him and swung her legs over the side of the bed before standing and stretching her arms above her head. "I don't want to break any promises, y'know."
He breathed softly for a moment, taking every inch of Selphie Tilmitt in with his eyes. Without question a gorgeous young woman was hidden beneath her bubbly, childlike exterior. She wore a simple yellow nightshirt that stopped several inches above the knee, showcasing her incredible figure. It was moments like this that Zell had to stop and wonder how he had gotten so lucky.
"What?" She turned to look at him over her shoulder and began to giggle. "You're such a weirdo! Staring at me like that."
"Well…you're just so pretty." Zell blushed a deep crimson at her observation. "I can't help it."
10:08 AM. Selphie glanced at the clock and moved over to the chair that she had left a pair of shorts on. She grinned to herself at Zell's last comment as she slipped them on, nearly falling over as she lifted one leg to slide the garment on. Meanwhile, Zell threw the blankets over his head and tried to find a comfortable position. Alas, no position was as comfortable as the one that involved the bouncy brunette.
"Zell!" She threw a shirt at him, playfully chastising him. "Wake up!"
He rolled his eyes, taking the shirt and throwing it back at her. "We don't have any missions today! And it only takes about fifteen minutes to get back to Garden from Balamb. You're always so…so…on time. Tch."
"You've gotta be on time even when there's no missions, Zelly. We're SeeDs!" She exclaimed, striking a lighthearted pose. Zell, however, didn't stir. Selphie put her hands on her hips and stared at him. "Are you going to come out of that bed , Mr. Dincht?"
"Nope."
The brunette smiled and took a deep breath. "If that's how it's gonna be, then I'll just have to get you out myself!" With a cheesy battle cry, Selphie broke into a run towards the bed and dove in, landing right on top of Zell. He made a muffled 'oof!' sound as she poked and prodded through the blankets, trying to get a rise of her companion. "C'mon now!"
"Selphieee!" He choked for air but all the while grinning. Despite the fact that Zell hated being tickled, the fact that Selphie was sitting on top of him wasn't necessarily a bad thing. "Stop it, Selph! That's not fair!"
Suddenly, a cellular telephone that was sitting on the desk near the window began to go off. The young woman immediately stood on the bed and gingerly walked to the edge, jumped off and headed over to the desk. Zell flipped the covers off and was on her heels. As she picked the phone up, the blond grabbed her from behind and spun her around to face him. He took the phone and tossed it to the bed as it still rung.
"Zell, that could be an important call!" She poked his cheeks with her index fingers, waiting for a cheeky response with a wide grin on her face. However, she felt his wonderful azure eyes penetrating her own and his strong arms wrapped around her back and the world suddenly didn't seem so big.
"Everything we need's right here." He whispered, nuzzling her forehead with his nose. "You can call them back later, right?"
The phone stopped ringing and registered a missed call. Selphie glanced at it, but then looked up at Zell. "Yeahhh, I guess so." She placed one hand on his shoulder and traced a pattern on his chest with her other set of fingertips. "Zell…"
"Don't worry, Selph!" He said to her, running his hands up and down her back. "You need a break. One day, right? It can't hurt. The Garden is gonna go on without us, believe me."
She broke from his embrace and walked away, drawing circles on the floor with her toes with her hands behind her back. Zell turned to watch, her green eyes fixated on the carpet. Did he say something wrong? He scratched the back of his head, confused. The last thing he wanted to do was upset the lovely girl.
To his surprise, however, Selphie made her way over to the curtains. She fumbled for the string to pull them closed and then did so, casting a bit of darkness into the hotel room. Zell laughed as the brunette faced him and cleverly did the one-finger salute that their friend Rinoa had perfected.
"I guess you're right!" She giggled and Zell made his way to her, scooping her tiny body up and bringing her to the bed. They snuggled back into their positions and the blond made sure that they were both settled underneath the sea of blankets that practically covered their heads.
It's so nice when everything you need fits right here in your arms… Zell felt Selphie relax against him, her legs entangled with his and an arm across his bare chest. He made sure she was resting in the embrace of one of his arms and took her hand in his. It was about 10:25 at this point, but it didn't matter. Balamb Garden could wait for the rain to end.
