A/N: This was written completely off the top of my head, so I'm sorry if it sucks. Feedback makes my day, so please review if you have anything to say at all :)
LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT
From the day he first saw her, he knew that one day they would get married.
He loved the way she was so pale, despite the ever-burning Dalmascan sunshine. It was like looking at a porcelain doll. The plaits either side of her head were cute, and being just five years old, he longed to run up to her and pull them. He'd sometimes giggle just thinking about it. She was so pretty and small, and yet so clever. One day he watched her reading to her mother, and not once did she have to be corrected. Her voice flowed across the words smoothly and sweetly, never stumbling or faltering. He was fascinated by every aspect of her. Whenever he saw her he would stare at her, but never once did she look back.
"Why don't you just ask her if she wants to play with you?" His mother asked him one day. "She seems like a nice girl; I'm sure she'll say yes."
And so Vaan decided to do just that. Determinedly, he stamped his way over to the little blonde girl playing with the water in the fountain. In order to get her attention, he reached out and yanked one of her plaits.
"Oww!" She screamed, turning round to glare at him, "Why did you do that?"
Vaan giggled. The girl's round blue eyes began to fill with tears and Vaan stopped.
"Don't cry," he told her, "I wanna play with you."
She was pouting, the tears now falling down her face. The little boy wrapped his arms around her.
"I'm sorry I hurt you," he said, "You're really pretty. Will you play with me?"
She pushed him away. And then, laughing despite her tears, she cried, "You're it!" And ran off. Vaan laughed delightedly and gave chase.
About half an hour later, the two children, exhausted from running around the fountain, were sat with their mothers at the Sandsea, a glass of soda between them, taking it in turns to suck it up with a straw. They were mostly silent, occasionally kicking each other playfully under the table.
"My name's Penelo," the little blonde girl announced out of the blue. "What's your name?
"Vaan," he replied.
He kicked her under the table. She glared at him, but he just giggled.
"Are we friends?" He asked.
She nodded as she sucked at the straw. He tugged at her plait again.
"Oww! That hurts!" She whined.
"But I like your hair," Vaan told her, pouting.
She pushed him, attempting to knock him off his chair, but she wasn't strong enough. Her eyes began to fill with tears again.
"Don't cry, Pellelo," He said quickly, jumping up and hugging her. "We're friends now. I love you."
She smiled again, the tears gone from her eyes as quickly as they'd appeared. "I love you too," she stated simply.
"Will you marry me?" He asked.
Penelo nodded.
"Mommy!" Vaan shouted. "Me and Peleno are being married!"
And from that moment on, they were inseparable.
*
"Vaan, stop that," Penelo grumbled irritably as he tugged at her plaits.
"But Penelo…" He started.
"If you keep doing that, I'm going to get it all cut off so I look like you," She snapped.
"Stop trying to sound serious; I can tell you're not," He answered, grinning as he pulled her into a hug. "You're my girlfriend now, and you love me too much to do something like that to your hair."
"Oh do I really, Vaan?"
"Yeah," He replied simply, "Go on, Penelo, say it."
She rolled her eyes. "You are so not romantic."
"Have I ever been?"
She sighed and shook her head. "You say it first."
"Fine." He kissed her forehead. "I love you, Penelo."
"I love you too, Vaan."
The moonlight illuminated them like a spotlight as he tilted her chin upwards with his hand and met her lips with his. Just behind them, the outskirts of Balfonheim lay silent, as if the world had stopped to watch this moment.
"Penelo…"
She gazed at him questioningly as he stood, gripping her shoulders gently. He sighed.
"Well… I've never been good at speeches… so uh…"
She felt her mouth drop open as he clutched one of her hands in both of his and lowered himself onto one knee.
"Will you marry me?"
She could feel her eyes welling up with tears as she smiled. "Vaan… of course I will!"
He stood up again, grinning more broadly than she'd seen him do in all her years of knowing him, and wrapped his arms tightly around her, holding her to his chest. For a long time, they just treasured the moment of intimacy.
And then he yanked one of her plaits again. But she was so happy that she just laughed.