More Than Words

Rinoa Heartilly combed out her coal-black hair before the lighted mirror, smiling at the reflection of her fiancé behind her, sprawled out on the bed, his jacket and shirt hanging loosely on a nearby chair. One boot lay crumpled on the floor, the other nowhere in sight.

Squall?"

The only answer she got was a groan as his dark head burrowed deeper under the covers. Rinoa could only shake her head indulgently. Some people wondered aloud to her why she had chosen such a cold, silent person to be her life partner.

"I mean, sure, he's handsome and all, but can you really imagine spending the rest of your life with him, Rinoa?"

Yes, she could. And very gladly too.

Leaning over, she poked Squall, enjoying the muffled protest as he curled up into a tight protective ball. Reaching through the kinks in his 'armor', she continued prodding him until he rolled over to face her, his blue eyes piercing through hers, annoyed.

"Rinoa..."

Rinoa had come to accept that her boyfriend was a man of few words. Any other person would have lectured her, or protest loudly, or complain about how she was keeping him up.

Well, she supposed that irritated glare was doing all the talking for him.

But tonight that steely look wasn't quite as intense as it could be. After a whole day practicing with Lionheart, she guessed she couldn't fault him for being tired.

Still, it would be a waste not to tug on his strings once in a while.

She resumed brushing her hair. "You know that the SeeD costume ball is coming, don't you?"

A barely audible grunt reached her ears. She smiled a secret smile to herself then ploughed on.

"I was thinking," very innocently, "that we could go as bunnies."

"...what?"

Rinoa turned to see Squall clambering to sit up to stare at her, obviously disturbed. For a while she looked at his silhouette, profiled sharply against the dim light on the mantelpiece. Not for the first time, she admired the litheness of his body, the strong build of his muscles, the stubborn set of his jaw.

"Oh wait, would you prefer to be the carrot?"

"...Just let me sleep."

"A nice, big, orange carrot." But it was too late; Squall had returned to his former position the instant he ascertained that his fiancée was merely pulling his leg. The picture of Squall in a bunny costume was too much for Rinoa though; she began to giggle helplessly.

Under the blankets, a grudging tug pulled at Squall's upper lip as his ears filtered that light, tinkling sound. The laughter faded and grew softer as Rinoa sat, absorbed in her thoughts, her hairbrush forgotten in her lap.

Squall. What a character.

Despite all the assumptions others made about him, no one truly knew him like she did. At least, that was what she liked to think.

Other boys may make long, flowery proclamations to her 'beauty and grace', but only Squall had helped her search for Angelo when he went missing only a week ago and had offered a shoulder when her worries had gotten the better of her. Zell told her that 'that insane idiot' had spent three sleepless nights hunting for her beloved dog.

They found him eventually, holed up next to a lovely female canine, both very contently snuggling with each other. Rinoa was expecting puppies any day soon.

Then there was that whole 'incident' with Edea. Rinoa still shuddered when she recalled that long, trying time that seemed to last forever. Squall had been her pillar of strength, extending untold comfort in his long understanding silences. She had drawn her resolve from these quiet moments which no amount of words, however eloquent could offer.

Without realizing it, she had moved from the dressing table to come to sit on the edge of the bed, counting absently the slow, steady breaths just barely heard.

It didn't take her the prompting of Quistis, the remarks of Irvine or even the outright truth from Zell (when he wasn't stuffing his face) to make her realize that she was in love with Squall Leonheart. In fact, she probably admitted it before anyone of them ever found out. It didn't surprise her either. For what Squall lacked in vocal communication, he more than made up for with his actions that were worth more than a million sentences strung together. What he did was more than words could describe, born of all the emotions this tall, intimidating man found difficult in expressing outwardly.

Of course, he didn't look half so intimidating now, what with his hair so messy and standing on one end and those intense eyes closed for the night. Of course, the absence of the customary Lionheart from his side also helped; his torso was completely bare save for the pendant he always wore.

Or perhaps it was the quiet, peaceful expression on his face, the creases on his forehead lulled away with beguiling dreams, one finely-veined hand supporting his head on the pillow. Out of impulse, Rinoa bent over and dropped the barest of butterfly kisses on his chiseled cheek.

"Can you imagine spending the rest of your life with him, Rinoa?"

She murmured the echoes of others even as she brushed the throes of them away, laughing softly at the ridiculous question. Well, she pondered to herself, they couldn't be completely blamed. After all, they were not fortunate to be privileged enough to discover the other glittering facets of her stoic fiancé, which made him the loving, tender man he was underneath it all.

The steady breathing had stopped, leaving a tangible stillness in the air. A muscular hand snaked slowly across Rinoa's slender frame even as she thought all this and pulled her close to a warm, gently solid body. Caught off guard, she looked over her shoulder to meet twin cerulean eyes boring into her own, not in the least bit sleepy looking.

Three heartbeats rose and fell as they sat locked in that position, rushing through space and time together in that brief moment, exploring the indefinable fathoms of their shared tryst.

"I thought you were sleeping."

Squall didn't answer; merely buried his head in the crook of her neck. Rinoa rested backwards in his strong embrace, color beginning to tinge her cheeks a light pink as she thought of the last thing she would give thought to tonight.

There was a little something those ignorant people didn't know about Squall. When he chances to say something,

"I love you." In the faintest of whispers as his warm breath caressed her neck.

...he usually meant it.

But that wasn't the best part of him. No indeed. For, as Rinoa liked to think, Squall always said it best...

And his mouth captured hers, driving everything away from her mind but the last few words of her unfinished thought,

...when he said nothing at all.