Canned Peaches Canned Peaches

Storyline – It's not my fault! It's your child who likes them; I can't stand the bloody things!

AN: For him…

Disclaimer – I do not own Final Fantasy VIII or any rights attached to it, I also on a level do not own the rights to the storyline :)

('Thoughts')

("Speech")

.x.x.x.x.x.

"How's Rinny then?" Zell asked the dark haired man sitting next to him as he took another swig from his beer.

"She seems good"

"And the baby?"

"Lump seems okay too." He said smiling at the thought of talking about his child with his best friend. Zell took another sip from his beer and then looked over at the drink Squall had next to him.

"Um don't you usually have something a little more… well something that contains even the tiniest trace of alcohol?"

"Rinoa doesn't like me coming home smelling of alcohol, makes her feel sick. Last time I can home she…"

"Man I get it, don't go into details. I am fully aware of what happens when pregnant women feel sick." Squall smiled and finished his little can of Lucozade. "I should be going, it's late. See you tomorrow at work"

.x.x.x.x.x.x.

She walked around the apartment in her sweat pants and rugby t-shirt. It was gone midnight and Squall was still out with Zell. She just hoped he didn't come back smelling of Guinness again. It'd her never bothered before Lump came along but it was one of the things that helped them realise that she was pregnant.

She couldn't sleep without him next to her, it was just a fact. She knew he'd be back soon but she couldn't stand lying in bed doing nothing waiting to hear his keys jingling in the lock. So there she was now almost as if instinct she found herself walking through the living room and into the kitchen and over to the fridge.

She opened the fridge to be greeted with the scents of some of the most horrible things she'd ever smelt in her life. All things she hated but Squall seemed to love, she always knew he was strange. The one scent would usually make her want to hurl even more than Guinness though she strangely had felt drawn to for the past couple of weeks.

.x.x.x.x.x.

He got into the elevator leading up towards the staff apartments in Garden. Himself and Rinoa had been given a nice 2 bed roomed apartment with pretty spacious rooms too. He was the commander of Garden after all. Cid now living back with Matron at the orphanage, taking in a new load of little hell raisers meant that Squall had become the highest member of staff. Of course the fact that Rinoa had fallen pregnant with 'Lump' helped pave the way to a nice two-bedded apartment also.

He jingled his keys out of his pocket and into the lock. He opened the door into the hallway, taking to see what the time actually was. The clock read 12:30pm. "Yikes" he said as he realised how long he'd been out. He knew Rinoa would still be awake and in his eyes that wasn't a good thing. Sure he wouldn't mind seeing her, he would have loved to have seen her but she was pregnant and staying up late to wait till he came home is not something Lump would approve of.

He poked his head around the door of the bedroom to find the bed empty but the covers still all over the place, a typical Rinoa thing to do. He smiled and laughed inwardly before heading for her next favourite place. Could be found by walking through the living room and into the kitchen. The fridge of course.

He walked in the kitchen to see Rinoa pulling a fork out the cutlery draw. As she turned her face dropped and so did the fork. Squall's eyes drifted down to the opened can in her hands.

'Gotchya'

.x.x.x.x.x.x.

One Week Earlier

"Rinoa baby, have you been eating my cans of peaches?" Squall asked as he walked into the living room where Rinoa was laying on her beanbag. He had an empty can of what used to be his canned peaches. Her cheeks flushed a little as she noticed the empty can.

"Why would I eat them? I hate the things, they're revolting." She said as she shiftily turned her head back to the news as if she was actually interested. Of course the news was her most hated programme in the world but just for that one minute talking about Squall's disappearing canned peaches it was the most interesting thing she'd ever seen. "I'm sure you probably ate them and just don't remember baby"

He nodded suspiciously at her; he knew he didn't touch the bloody things, he was saving them for a night when he could just rest back on the sofa and watch a film and scoff on them while doing so. Talk about multitasking for a guy. He may have been a guy and true guys forgot some of the most obvious things at times but he would have definantly remembered eating them.

.x.x.x.x.x.x.

He looked at the tin of canned peaches in her hands, HIS canned peaches.

"It's not my fault! It's your child who likes them; I hate the bloody things!" She said in a hurt kind of voice. She walked past him, shoving the can into his hands as she went. He heard the bedroom door slam and flinched at the sound.

"Oh Christ…" he said as he placed the can on the kitchen counter. He switched off all the lights and started to head towards the bedroom.

He opened the door slowly and poked his head around the door to see Rinoa curled up in all the bed covers as usual facing away from him. He crept over silently and slid into bed next to her.

"Baby…" he said softly as he curled his arm around her blown out stomach, "Its ok, I don't mind you eating them if you like them…"

"WHO SAID I LIKED THEM?" She yelled as she sat up sharply to shoot a death glare at him 'I swear that's my thing…?' he thought silently in fear as he stared up at his pregnant girlfriend. "IT'S THE LUMP WHO LIKES THEM! I HATE THEM!" she yelled again, this time with more hurt than anger. Squall found it amazing how pregnant women could get so worked up over something that didn't matter. As if by magic, the tears began.

"Oh Rin please don't do the crying thing…"

"You've been out at work all day, didn't get home till gone midnight and then walk in on me eating some canned bloody peaches…I think I'm entitled to do the crying thing!"

"But baby, I don't care about a can of peaches, I can always buy more. If that's what lump wants then that's what lump can have. I don't mind sharing a can of peaches with our child."

"…You don't?" she sobbed quietly. He sat up and pulled her into his arms softly.

"Of course I don't! I love you and I love this baby" he said placing his hand lightly on her stomach "I'd walk 100 miles to get you a can of peaches if you wanted them"

"You mean that?"

"Of course I do!"

She moved closer to him and curled up softly in his arms. She felt so stupid now, reacting like that over a can of peaches. The truth was, she felt so bad about lying to him before when he asked that's why she'd been trying to hide it and after 3 years of totally protesting against them she started to eat them. She didn't want to make him angry or make him feel like he'd been taken for an idiot…but of course she was too stubborn to admit that and just blamed it down to her hormones.

"So are you ok now?" he asked softly but he received no answer. He looked down at her to find she was sound asleep. She had been so tired after waiting for him to get home all night that she'd just fallen straight off as soon he had held her. He smiled and softly placed her head back down onto her pillow.

After sorting the bed covers out so he had at least some cover for the night he put his hand back on to her belly. He loved her so much; he'd never loved someone like this before. The thought that they'd made it so far after everything made him so happy and now they were starting their own family together, it was the stuff dreams were made out of in his eyes.

He moved his hand away quickly from her stomach…he felt something move…it was the baby! Lump had finally kicked! He rested his hand back down nervously and felt another series of soft little kicks from her stomach. He was so happy. He never thought he'd feel it, he was at work all day and a lot of the night. This was his child…Squall and Rinoa's. He smiled at her sleeping face, it was so angelic. He moved closer to her before resting his head on the pillow. Falling to sleep thinking of the future, his and Rinoa's future and their family to come.

Okay so originally this wasn't going to be released as it was written for my last boyfriend, Wayne (you may know him on fanfiction as Lilnaych) but I found it last night and I don't see any reason why I shouldn't post it. Hopefully you're reading this Wayne and if you are you HAVE GOT to get in contact with me!

Thanks you all for reading, please leave reviews.

Lisa

x