Title: Get Me ~ Squall
Fandom: Final Fantasy VIII
Author: Batsutousai
Rating: T
Summary: Squall may not want to junction Shiva, but that doesn't mean he doesn't need her.
Disclaim Her: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by Square Enix. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

A/N: From a list of prompts on tumblr as a response to a prompt given to me by twird96. The prompt was Squall "Get me"

You didn't specify a second character, and I didn't feel like making up a long plotline, so... ;P

Also, since people have complained about it before: I know Quetzalcoatl's name isn't spelled 'Quezacotl', but that's how it appears in the game due to character limits, and that's what I've always used as canon in my FFVIII fics. (So suck it. XP)

-0-

It was late, and Squall couldn't sleep. Too many cups of coffee before that morning's tests, too much adrenaline after Seifer's evening challenge.

Mind too busy with accepting the GF he'd been forced to junction.

Squall still wasn't sure why they were required to junction the creatures; he fought fine with just his gunblade, and having to take classes on using magic and GFs just took away from his training. He'd tried to argue the point – a number of them had, the original orphans – but Uncle Cid had insisted. Or, well, the staff had insisted, in that glowering-from-behind-their-hoods-and-speaking-in-a-deep-growly-voice way. (Squall and Seifer had a challenge to see which of them could 'convince' one of the staff to take their hoods off first; neither had managed more than a detention for trying.)

Anyway. GF.

They'd been given a choice between two, and Squall had hemmed and hawed until Seifer started teasing him about how he'd never be daring enough to pick Shiva, since she's so pretty, and everyone knew Baby Squally and his pretty face couldn't compete. (Or whatever crap Seifer had been mocking him with that time; Squall usually stopped paying full attention when the name-calling started.)

So Squall had picked the pretty ice-GF and junctioned her and stalked away to Seifer's mocking laughter. (As if Seifer hadn't been just as against the GFs. Ugh.)

But it was late, and Squall couldn't sleep. So he pulled out Revolver and snuck out to the Training Centre, dodging staff and resisting the urge to use his gunblade to knock one of their hoods back. (It wouldn't count if no one else saw it, and he'd get in way more trouble than bragging rights were worth, anyway.)

In the Training Centre, he took down a couple Grats with his usual ease and sighed, bored, as he kicked at their corpses to see if they'd dropped anything.

He was just leaning down to pick of a card that had fluttered to the ground when a roar came from behind him.

Directly behind him.

Heart in his throat, Squall slowly turned to face the looming T-Rexaur. He felt frozen in the gleam of its yellow eyes, unable to let out more than the faintest of whimpers as his gunblade dropped from numb fingers.

The T-Rexaur lunged, mouth wide, sharp teeth glistening with saliva.

And Squall realised, I'm going to die.

Out of nowhere, like a gift from the heavens, pale blue light surrounded Squall and the spot on his hand that he'd pressed Shiva's crystal into chilled and pulsed. He barely had time to wonder at what was going on before the Ice Queen formed in front of him, her blue and gold hair brushing against Squall's cheek.

Ice magic formed at Shiva's fingertips, and she aimed them at the T-Rexaur, which had faltered at her sudden appearance. Shards of ice flew from her fingers, stabbing through the T-Rexaur like it was made of little more than paper, and the monster wobbled in place for a moment before toppling awkwardly to one side.

Shiva turned, then, and her hands let off just the slightest chill as she touched them to Squall's cheeks. He looked up into worried blue eyes – glowing in a manner that was completely alien, yet almost calming – and managed to stutter out, "Thank you."

Shiva let out a quiet sigh and crouched down before Squall, putting them on a more equal level. She brushed a lock of his wild hair from his eyes, tucking it behind his ear. 'You must take more care, Squall.' Her voice chimed in his head. Or, well, he figured it was her voice. 'Once our merge is complete, I will no longer be able to come to your aid so strongly; it is only your continued refusal of me that has allowed me this chance.'

Squall swallowed. "But, if I continue refusing you, that means you can keep helping me, right?"

Shiva's lips turned up with a smile. 'Child, would you prefer my occasional, over-powered help, or to become so strong on your own that you no longer need my help?'

Squall frowned. "I don't need your help," he insisted.

Shiva continued smiling as she brushed her lips against his forehead. 'Tonight suggests otherwise,' she pointed out before her body broke apart into smaller and smaller ice crystals, until she was little more than dust.

Squall caught a handful of the dust and stared down at it for a moment, watching the way it melted slower the closer it was to where her crystal rested just under his skin. Then he tossed his handful away and picked up Revolver. He still didn't want her in his head, but he supposed he owed it to her to try letting her in. Maybe he'd trade her for Quezacotl later.

(He never did.)

..