The Squall I Know
RayZor
Grrr... Stupid gummi ship. Stupid engine. Stupid old man! It's all because stupid Cid told me that we'd be fine! "Sure," he said, "The fucker'll last four or five more trips to the Coliseum."
... He lied...
So I'm stuck in a gummi ship with Squall "Dammit-I-Said-It's-Leon!" Leonhart. He's like friggin' hormonal thirteen-year-old girl on that time of month. Only... He's that way all friggin' month! Sure, you'd think an occasional "You okay, Yuffie?" or "Thanks for savin' my ass back there, Yuffie," might fall out of his mouth. Not! And especially after our conversation a while back, you'd think he'd treat me better!
Lucky for him, he's cute. Unlucky for him, I hate gummi ships! Gummi ships make me all blecky and queasy and - urk! Maybe I'll just curl up in the co-pilot seat and...
"Dammit, Yuffie!"
Sigh. Maybe not...
"Yes, Oh Demented One?"
He glares. "I thought you said this thing would get us there and back!" Yes, my friends, this is Mr. "Hormonal-Thirteen-Year-Old-Girl-On-The-Rag" himself. Always one to piss me off and jump down my throat like a damned... GRRR!
"The old man said it would!" I shoot back. "Not my fault, meanie!" It's the truth. Cid said it would be fine! Now we're-
"Fucking stranded," he grumbles, face in his hands. "With Yuffie of all people to be stranded in space with..."
HEY! I'm not that bad, am I? Gawd... I close my eyes. Kinda used to his insults, ya know? At least in front of Cid, Aerith, and Cloud. When it's just the two of us, he's usually nice. Especially after that conversation... Usually he apologizes for being a dick all the time... When no one's around, that is.
Wanna know what's really funny, though?
"Damn gummi won't even start," he grumbles.
Today is a special day...
"And Yuffie's completely silent."
Today is my eighteenth birthday...
He's quiet, finally tired of babbling and ranting to himself. He's sitting in the pilot's seat, face in his hands, looking like a hunchback. I giggle to myself. Now he's Mr. "Hunchback-Hormonal-Thirteen-Year-Old-On-The-Rag-With-A-Big-Arse-Sword." Hee hee hee! Oh, my life is so dull! I've been degraded so low as to making fun of my moody, but oh-so cute, fighting partner. I hate Cid...
"The silence is actually driving me insane," he says. I can see his breath and shiver involuntarily. Great, now I'm cold.
"Stupid gummi ship. Stupid Cid. Stupid birthday."
"What?"
Oh, shit! Did I say that out loud? I really need to learn how to think inside my head and not outside of it! Whoops! He was supposed to ignore me like always anyway! GAH! "N-nothing!"
He looks at me oddly, then something seems to whack him upside his head. "Today is the twentieth, right?" I nod. "Of November?" Once again, I nod. He stares at me with those awesomely gorgeous blue eyes. Yeah, he is a quick one, folks! Once again, he's lucky that he's cute.
"Yuffie?"
"Yes, Mr. Hormo-er, Squall?" Oops! That would have been disasterrific! Eh heh...
"Why didn't you say something eariler?"
HEY! He didn't correct me! Mental happy dance! Mental happy dance!
"It's Leon, by the way."
Damn. "'Bout what, m'lord?" I ask, leaning back, hands behind my head. Hey... This is kinda comfy... Except that it's so damn cold.
"Today is your birthday, isn't it?"
I shrug. "Yeah? So? Just another day, right?" I can feel his eyes on me, but I'm studiously ignoring him. La la la la la... Ninety-nine bottles of Coke on the wall, ninety-nine bottles of Coke.. .Take a swig, dance a jig, ninety-eight bottles of Coke on the wall... Okay, he's starting to weird me out. We've already gotten over the staring phase, right? I mean, we've already gotten it out in the open - betwixt ourselves - about our emotions. So... Why's he still starin' at me? Oh, you need clued in, doncha?
Ogie! Two months ago, I kinda, sorta, blurted out that I was wildly, madly, deeply in like with him. Then I ran to our room and hid for the rest of the day beneath the safety of a blue comforter. When he came back, he said that he liked me in the same way. We kinda left it at that... Me being a minor in Cid's care and all...
Uhm... Squall's really beginning to freak me out... Just a little, y'know? And it's cold... Scratch that. IT'S FRIGGIN' COLD!
"Here."
I look at Squall, who is giving me his jacket. Eep! R.F.A.! Red Face Alert, y'know. GAH! Wait a minute... He's still wearing his jacket...
"Happy eighteenth birthday," he says. I'm still not getting it... "I was going to give this to you when we got back, but I guess I lost track of the days. I had Aerith find out your size."
Blink...
Blink blinkity blink...
HE GOT ME A PRESENT!
Better yet...
HE GOT ME A JACKET LIKE HIS! YAY!
I take it from him slowly and put it on, revelling in its warmth. It's long-sleeved, but is positively wonderful. It even has the uber-cool white fur trim and everything!
"The back has a star," he says.
"Why a star?"
He looks at me sheepishly from under too-long russett bangs. "Because you were a shining star, Yuffie, guiding me through the darkness."
I smile, a blush creeping across my cheeks. "That was so sappy, Squallie!" Instead of correcting me, he smiles ever-so-slightly.
"Yeah. I guess so."
That was so out-of-character! What happened to his "It's Leon," or "Whatever," lines? Oh, no! Someone sappy has taken over Squallikins! He's gonna, like, start sounding like that wacko in Third District who likes reciting poetry to me! NO!
"Leon! That wasn't what you were s'posed to say!" He quirks an eyebrow. "Try again!"
"Yuffie."
I look at him innocently through my bangs. He's smiling. Why is he smiling? Leon never smiles! And Leon never laughs, even slightly. And Leon doesn't give birthday gifts. And Leon's always stoic or pissed. And suddenly it hits me. Leon isn't Leon anymore... He's Squall. The sheepish-ness, the small smile, the stupid look on his face right now, the jacket, the loving look in his eyes... Squall's back. Whoah... Wait a minute! Loving look?
I stare into his azure eyes. Sure enough, there's a tender-ness there. An enveloping warmth. A longing for something, for someone, for me...
I jump over and throw my arms around his neck, landing in his lap. He's startled, but I feel his arms wrap around me. Kinda like a dream, y'know? I mean, I've wanted to be in his arms since I was, like, fifteen. Now that I'm here, it feels surreal. I like the fact that I'm in his arms, but...
"Yuffie?"
I pull away and look at him. "Yeah, Squall?"
"You're eighteen today." I nod. "Which means that you're an adult."
I grin, knowing what he was getting to. "Hey, Squall?"
"It's Leon, and what?"
I push my lips to his and feel him return the kiss. It's soft and gentle... Just like the Squall that I know. The Squall that gave me a jacket like his, that smiles at me when no one is watching, that sings jazz tunes in the shower, that helps me in battle. This is the Squall that I know. And I love him.
.fin.