A/N: A post FF VIII one-shot, with more romance than humor, actually. Hope you like! :)
A special thanks to M. L. Ayala, who betaed this piece. :)
~ Heat rose to his cheeks, a feeling of pure panic overcoming him now that he was busted. The famous commander Squall Leonhart, caught red-handed by his girlfriend. ~
The first thing that Squall noticed when he woke up from his sleep, was the silence that greeted him. The brunet male brushed his chocolate brown hair out of his face and blinked against the sharp light in the white bedroom, before his steel blue eyes automatically travelled to the black and white clock on the adjacent wall. It was eight o'clock, sharp. That was when he finally became aware of his arm... that was draped over someone else who had snuggled up against him, warm, safe and secure. Startled, the young man turned his head and was greeted by Rinoa's sleeping form.
His sleeping angel.
Almost at once, his eyes softened. No wonder that he'd had been able to get such a blissful sleep. He hadn't slept this good for quite a while now. He would lie if he said that being a commander wasn't a tough and tiresome job. Sometimes, it meant that he had to pull an all-nighter... unfortunately. And the day always started early for him, without exceptions. He was used to it and didn't know any different. Still, it was pleasant to wake up like this.
Squall wondered idly how Rinoa had ended up sleeping in his bed. This was the first time it had happened, so it was a shock to him. Had he been so tired that he didn't even realize it last night? Or was it because he simply couldn't remember? He let out a light sigh of relief at the realization that at least their clothes were still on. So nothing that he should know about had happened... right?
Ever so slowly, as not to wake her, the brunet teen turned his head back to look more closely at the girl that he loved more than anyone. She was immobile, save for the slow and steady rise and fall of her chest. Her thick, coal-dark lashes were long enough to touch the skin under her eyes and this made him even more clueless as to why she insisted on using make-up every day. As far as he knew, she never left the house without it. Sure, she said that it drew more attention to her eyes, making them appear bigger, or something, but she honestly didn't need it if it was up to him. But he would probably never understand that part of girls. Who was he to say that they made sense all the time? Because Rinoa certainly didn't. Then again, that was probably what had attracted him to her.
Her silky smooth, midnight-colored hair covered a part of her face, a stark contrast of black and creamy-white. Without thinking, Squall carefully brushed it away with his hand. The tips of his finger brushed against her long, delicate neck in that process and he marveled at how soft (and warm) her skin felt. He didn't allow himself more time to be amazed at that fact, though. Now that Squall could see more of her angelic face, he became aware of how pleased Rinoa seemed to be. She was truly beautiful. And was that the beginning of a smile?
Before his brains could register what he was doing, his face came closer and closer to Rinoa's rosy, slightly parted lips. When he was barely an inch away from her, the raven-haired young woman stirred slightly. Soon enough, her eyes opened and locked with his. This made him tense up completely, like a deer caught in the headlights.
A quiet beat passed between them, as a rather confused expression appeared on her flawless face and he still couldn't move. Then, she asked softly, "Squall, what are you doing?"
Heat rose to his cheeks, a feeling of pure panic overcoming him now that he was busted. The famous commander Squall Leonhart, caught red-handed by his girlfriend. He swiftly averted his gaze and let himself abruptly fall back on the bed without saying anything, but feeling more embarrassed than ever. Honestly, this would probably be a good moment for the ground to break open and swallow him. Of all the moments that she could choose to wake up... It was as though Rinoa could feel when he was going to make a complete fool out of himself, because she always made sure to show up at that very moment.
"Were you trying to kiss me?" she then guessed, her voice practically laced with amusement.
This made him blush even more and he started to turn away from her, before she could see that. Needless to say, she moved with him and grasped his chin gently between her thumb and index finger.
"Aww. You were, weren't you?" she cooed affectionately, before giving him a soft and lingering kiss on the lips. "How sweet!"
Squall finally dared to look at her again and was surprised to see her smiling. It made his stomach do a back flip and his heart started to tap-dance wildly. He breathed in slowly, his eyes never leaving her. He returned her a faint upturn of the lips, making her giggle and kiss the tip of his nose.
Suddenly, she lay down next to him again, putting her arms around his form. She pressed her face lightly against his chest and murmured, "Five more minutes."
The brunet let out the breath he was unconsciously holding and wrapped his arms around her. It was funny how they seemed to fit just perfectly against each other, almost as though they were made for each other. This thought left him deliriously happy. He pulled her even closer to him, basking in the warmth that she offered him. If it made her happy, then he wouldn't mind those five minutes. Five minutes wasn't that long, anyway.
