Think Magically
By Rachel
Valentine's day, it's a Hallmark holiday if I've ever seen one. Nobody knows the original reason it was celebrated, including me. And if someone does know then they must have even less than a life than I do. I know it has something to do with religion and some Saint with the last name Valentine. But somewhere along the way it got warped, twisted, eaten and then puked up again, and made into a National Holiday. It's about which guys balls shrivel the most as he tries to come up with the sappiest four line love poem to make his girlfriend happy in hopes that he might let laid later. And about which girl got the most roses, teddy bears, and/or balloons from her boyfriend and showing it all off. It's about chocolate, hearts, and sappiness.
And I hate it.
I've always hated Valentine's Day. Even back in the orphanage days, after Sis left. Quistis had Seifer, Selphie had Irvine and Zell, and I had no one. Although that's how I prefer it now. It's easier that way, nothing to worry about. I still hate this holiday though. I don't see the point in it. Maybe in my free time I should research the origin. Hyne knows I have that time. Commander's job has been slow recently.
That's what I can do today. Hide myself in my office with a warm cup of coffee and hope that everyone is busy giving and receiving fluffy goods down below and won't bother me. Hopefully Quistis will keep enough sense not to give me anything. Although she did every year up until she became an instructor. See as an Instructor if she were to give me Valentine's chocolate it would be considered a teacher/student relationship and not only would she lose her teaching license, but would be stripped of her SeeD rank. Hopefully since she's an Instructor again she'll keep in mind that inter-staff relationships are also against Garden Policy.
Zell and Irvine of course have big plans for their respective girlfriends. I had to listen to them see who was more romantic last night. Everything with them is a competition. It's Selphie's fault (she used to make them compete for her affection in the orphanage). Zell has his own girlfriend now though, that girl who works in the library. He's going to surprise her with a large bouquet of roses, one dozen, long-stemmed, crimson red. With it he was going to include some teddy bear that was taller than him. Irvine had pouted at this because he had gotten Selphie a small bear that she could fit in the palm of her hand. He had planned a surprise trip up to the newly restored Trabia though, which by the way could he and Selphie get some time of so they could go? I seriously considered telling him no. But as much as it is easier not caring about anyone, these guys are my friends and I want them to be happy. They don't need to wallow in my puddle of angst and pity for myself. At least I'm slightly comforted to know that wherever Seifer is, he must be having a miserable time too.
"Squall?"
I sat up so suddenly at the sound of her voice that I almost fell out of my chair. Rinoa was standing there with that smile of her. Hyne I loved that smile. I think I fell in love with that smile before I fell in love with her. It always seemed… to make my heart flutter, for lack of a better phrase. So maybe for once I did have someone; I still hate this holiday. And it didn't help that she was wearing a red sweatshirt with your classic two overlapping hearts with an arrow sticking them together on it, and a pair of red pants with a white Adidas stripe up the side. Then again Rin was definitely the type to love Valentine's Day.
I hope she doesn't expect anything from me. I think she knows me well enough to know that I probably wouldn't get he anything. What if she did though? Maybe I should have at least gotten her a card or a rose or maybe even have just written 'I love you' on a piece of paper and handed it to her. Or something. I hate this holiday. Now it was making me feel bad that I didn't buy into it.
"Hey Rin," I smiled softly at her. She's just about the only one who got one of my rare smiles. That's how Quistis would put it and it's true.
"Hey. Happy Valentine's Day." She came over and kissed me on the cheek. I'm still getting used to this affection-y stuff, but it's kind of nice.
"Hn. Valentine's Day. …… Without the happy."
She laughed, "I didn't think you were much of a V-day person. I did get you something though."
Guilt. See this is why I'm a recluse. That way when I don't do something for someone else I don't feel bad. Well it was Rinoa that pulled me out of all that. "You shouldn't have… I don't have anything for you." I shuddered inwardly. I hate sounding like a guy from a sappy romance movie. Once again though, with her it happens all the time. I think she finds it cute, by the way she smiles and tries to repress a giggle. I don't want to be cute. Nothing about Squall Leonhart should ever be cute.
"Don't worry. I didn't ask for anything. And it's a little weird, albeit amusing, to imagine you buying a Hallmark card and a dozen long-stemmed roses." She wrinkled her nose and sat in my lap. That was the one thing I was used to. She's been plopping herself in my lap since before we were really friends.
I snorted in response to her comment. How many guys had actually gone and done that? I bet more than half here at Garden had. I shook my head and gave her an amused smile trying my hand at humor, "Nah. It would be a half-slip of paper with 'Happy V-day, I love you' written on it, and would be stamped with the official Garden business seal before I could do anything with it. Then if you were lucky and I went by the Quad on my way up I might pick a couple of lame daises." She giggled.
"Come on." She stood up and tugged on my hands, urging me to let her lead me somewhere.
"Where are we going?"
"Just follow me. You'll see."
I sighed, but followed her. Still leading me by the hands and walking backwards for the most part she took me downstairs. As soon as we entered the first floor I wanted to run back up to my office and hide under my desk and never come out again. The decorations were bad enough. I'd had a couple days to get used to those though. Selphie and the Garden Festival Committee(which she finally established officially.) decorated he hallway in pink and red construction paper hearts, red streamers, and shimmer-y cut out red and white cupids. Nobody in Garden could mistake what holiday it was. But that didn't make me want to run screaming(Although it came pretty close).
It was all the happy, lovey-dovey, oh-so-sickeningly-cute couples. I could count at least three duos making out amidst a bundle of flowers or seven red heart-shaped balloons. One could almost mistake the hallway to be a sea of roses with patches of a different flower here and there and spokes of balloons sticking out the top. I wanted to run.
Rin led me through the horrifying gaggle of couples. Isn't that what the Quad was for? Or the Cafeteria? I'll have to make an announcement about crowding the halls, or Public Displays of Affection or something. I took a deep breath and… breathed fresh air? I opened my eyes(because I had closed them at some point back in that hallway of cute-ness) and noticed that we were standing outside. It was cold and Grey, and that is really the only way to describe it. Who in Hyne's name would make the most romantic holiday in the dead of winter?
"What are we doing out here?" I was cold. My jacket was still up in the office. At least she was wearing a sweatshirt.
"I'm giving you my present." She grinned. I think she enjoyed the fact that I had no clue what was going on. And that I was freezing my ass off.
"Out here?" I raised an eyebrow. I was definitely curious now. She didn't have anything on her. What would make her drag me out into the frosty morning air?
"Yes. Now look up."
"Look up?"
She stomped her foot and put her hands on her hips, "Just do it. You're going to ruin it if you wait much longer."
I was about to ask her what she meant but decided against it. She wouldn't tell me anyway, she was stubborn like that. Often it frustrated me. And this was a minor thing and I didn't feel like arguing with her about it. Although she's cute when she's pissed.
So I stared at the cloudy colorless sky. It looked like it was about to pour down rain. I hoped whatever it was happened quickly. I did not want to be caught in a downpour in this whether. Not that I wasn't grateful, but I didn't want to cat Pneumonia.
"I am going to give you snow!"
"Snow? Rin… it… it doesn't' snow often in Balamb. The climate's too warm."
"Shhh. Don't think logically, think magically. It will snow because that is my gift to you."
Hyne I loved her. Only she could come up with something like this. I hope she wouldn't be too disappointed if nothing happened. Last I checked it was thirty-seven degrees Fahrenheit outside. It would need to drop quite a bit before it could snow. I loved the thought though, and that's all that counts right? There I go with those movie moments again.
We waited for five minutes before the cold became too much for me. I was shivering and pretty sure my breath was coating the island in a light fog. It helped a little that she was right next to me, but it was still freezing, "Rin, it's not going to snow. Let's go back inside." I went to put my arm around her and lead her away when she shoved my hand aside.
"Look!" she pointed upward.
I rolled my eyes to look at the clouds again just a little annoyed. If I caught my death out here I was going to blame her, and come back and haunt her. A snowflake landed on my nose. … … It was snowing! And it started to come down pretty heavily. I blinked. It was oddly pretty. I've never been the biggest fan of snow, but this was nice. Soft white flakes drifted from the Grey clouds making the dreary feeling disappear. I looked down at Rinoa. She was gorgeous. Little flecks of white contrasted her dark hair and matched her porcelain skin. I felt my stomach drop and my heartbeat quicken. I reached out and slowly brushed some of the snow out of her hair. Then I leaned down and kissed her. It was all I wanted t do right then. She pulled away after a moment and smiled, that beautiful, winning smile.
"I love you." I told her. Somehow I don't think I say that enough. Her smile grew. I just had one question. One little thing that bothered me, "But… How did you know about…this?" I waved my hand to indicate the snow.
She giggled. "That Mr.Leonhart is a secret."
Damn.
The End.
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Author's Notes: Whee. Okay. I wanted to write a V-day fic and this is what came out after like an hour of staring at blank paper. I was inspired because we often don't get snow past January here and it started snowing on my way to the bus-stop this morning, and then all through first period so I had to write this. A lot of Squall's thoughts in this are based off my own
Happy Valentine's day 2005!