Ordinary Day

I wrote this in one day, without a beta to proof it, and just posted it. So I'm very sorry if there are any errors. It's based loosely on Vanessa Carlton's song, Ordinary Day. Obviously, the title of this fic comes from there. Hope everyone enjoys!

Summary: One ordinary day, Serah looks for something to do and finds something she'll never forget. The story of how she met Snow for the first time. Snow/Serah.

Final Fantasy XIII (c) Square Enix
Ordinary Day (c) Vanessa Carlton and respective record labels

Serah walked along the coast of the Bodhum shore, glancing up at the afternoon sun and wondering what she should do today. It was another quiet day after school and her sister wouldn't be home for another couple hours. Some of the girls at school had mentioned a bar around this place. She wouldn't be eighteen for a couple weeks, but it was supposed to have the most delicious fruit smoothies.

With a small nod, she decided she'd check it out. She'd earned enough gil to do her own shopping at her weekend job with Mr. Huarke, sorting out all of his files he used for teaching college classes. All she did was put together binders for him and design pamphlets, but he paid her minimum wage for it, plus he offered her a job reference and a recommendation to Eden U in the fall. Though he taught in Bodhum, he still had contacts that he said 'would eat up an intelligent girl like her.'

She slipped her hand into her shoulder bag and pulled out her wallet, double checking to make sure she had enough gil with her. Finding a one-thousand note, she smiled and walked over, looking for the place her classmates had mentioned. They said it was called… Lebreau's Lounge, she thought. There! That looked promising.

A red-colored building with wide-open double doors stood nestled between two other buildings. It was brightly lit with neon lights and tacky, beach-themed furnishings, but it looked to be pretty popular. A lot of people were coming and going, mostly younger people, maybe twenties. But she saw a couple of her classmates in there, too, so it wasn't exclusively for liquor.

She nodded and walked over, nudging her way inside and up to the bar to place her order. It looked like one girl was running the place, but then the counter lifted and a man with blue hair stepped behind the counter, flashing a warm smile and a nod in her direction, calling out, "What can I get you?"

She slipped between the tables to get to the counter and replied with a smile, "I've heard rumors of your to-die-for fruit smoothies. Any chance you could make a strawberry for me?"

He smiled again and reached under the counter, flipping a shaker in his hand before winking. "Sure thing!"

She waited at the counter, supposing she paid after he made the drink. She glanced around to get a better look at the interior and decided she liked it in here. It was cozy, but still fun and upbeat. Now, the only thing left to determine if she came back or not was the price and taste of this smoothie.

The man—probably about her age—held up the blender glass in one hand and a glass and paper cup in the other, questioning, "For here or to go?"

She paused. It was awfully busy in here, and the weather was beautiful. "To go, please!"

He nodded and slipped the glass back to the shelf, expertly pouring the red drink into the disposable paper cup before topping it off with a lid and a straw. "Here you are, Miss. One strawberry smoothie! That'll be three-seventy, please."

A little on the expensive side, but acceptable for a specialty place like this. She pulled out her wallet again and handed him her one-thousand note, waiting as he want down the bar to get her change. He came back and offered the gil, saying, "Six-thirty's your change. Enjoy the smoothie!"

She smiled as she replaced the notes into her wallet and called, "I will! Thank you!"

The man smiled and moved off to help another guest, so she picked up her drink and turned for the door. Cautiously slipping the straw between her lips, she took a small, experimental sip and grinned. The rumors were beyond true. This was the best smoothie she'd ever tasted. Well worth the three-seventy, but only as an occasional treat. She couldn't afford something like that every day.

She smiled bright as she skipped down the steps to the bar, walking out towards the bridge crossing to the south side of Bodhum. It was her favorite place to sit and think, or even do homework when it wasn't too hot. There were a few benches on the bridge that she could spread her notes out on and the quiet was peaceful enough to sit for hours and study.

As she topped the stairs, she cocked her head at the sight of a guy at her usual bench, not sitting on it, but standing next to it and staring up at the sky. He had shaggy blond hair and a blue short-sleeve shirt, black leather gloves, and black pants. As she came closer, she realized he was also very tall. "Um, excuse me?"

He turned with a grin, showing off his white teeth and incomplete beard of stubble. He glanced around for a moment, as if looking to make sure she was talking to him. When he realized she was looking right at him, he asked, "Yeah?"

She suddenly felt awkward under his friendly gaze, a slight blush burning at her cheeks when she realized his shirt was only buttoned halfway. "Um, you're in my spot."

He glanced down at his feet, then at the bench with a giant grey coat draped over it and scratched the back of his head. "Sorry. I didn't see a name on it."

She couldn't help but laugh, smiling as she walked closer. "This is my usual homework spot. But don't worry. I can use a different bench."

Without waiting for a reply, she turned and wandered over to the bench across the bridge. Setting her drink down on the seat next to her, she dug in her bag for her math homework and looked up as a shadow came over her. She looked up to find that same guy standing there, now holding his coat over his shoulder and holding his other hand out to her. "Sorry about that. You can have your seat."

She looked back and forth between his hand and his face, wondering for a moment if he was flirting with her. When she didn't say anything, he said, "Or, if you don't have anything due, maybe we could go for a walk?"

Now she realized he was indeed flirting, but she found she didn't mind that much. His smile was casual and crooked, showing off a goofy expression. She gave a short laugh, looking up to meet his eyes. As soon as she did, she felt her breath freeze in her chest and her heart suddenly started to pound in her ears. There was something in his eyes that spoke volumes to her, and, for a reason she couldn't explain, she knew she couldn't let him walk away without at least knowing his name and where she could find him again.

So she nodded, unable to form words for a moment as her brain short-circuited. Her hands moved on their own, replacing her homework back into her bag and she stood, lifting her drink and absently slipping the straw between her lips for another drink.

The man grinned again and said, "So, where to? Maybe a movie? Or is it time for dinner yet?"

She finally managed to find her voice and shook her head. "I can't do dinner. I have to cook for my sister when she gets home from work around seven, but maybe a quick bite?"

He nodded, that smile never leaving his face as he said, "Okay. A quick bite… Lessee… Well, you just came from Lebreau's, otherwise I'd say we could go there."

She blinked, confused, and he nodded towards her drink in her hand with the logo for the bar on it and she giggled. "Oh, yeah. This is delicious, though. I wouldn't mind going back."

"Nah," he said, shaking his head. "Those guys are jerks."

She paused. "Really? They seemed pretty nice to me."

"Oh…" He scratched the back of his head. "I grew up with Lebreau and Gadot, so if I walk in with a girl, we'll never hear the end of it."

"Is Gadot the guy with the blue hair?"

"Nope. He cooks in the back. That's Yuj with the blue hair. I dunno if you saw him, but the blond kid is Maqui. We all help out, but Lebreau's the owner, so she's there all the time."

Funny how fate works that way, she thought. The first day she went to that place and she met a guy who knew the owner personally, just minutes after leaving. He nodded his head down the path, saying, "Come on. There's another little place out on the beach that's got some great snack food."

She smiled, feeling at ease with him. He was a giant compared to her and as she walked next to him, she realized her feet were less than three-quarters the length of his. But she was never one to judge one on looks. He turned to her, holding his hand out for her, and said, "Come on. Take my hand. Live while you can!"

Her smile widened and she couldn't explain it, but she felt safe with him. She felt she wanted to get to know him better. He had to be older than her, but not by too much. Slowly, she reached out and slipped her small hand in his giant one, smiling even wider as his fingers closed around hers.

Suddenly, he stopped in his tracks and slapped his forehead with his free hand, shouting a short, "Stupid!"

She looked at him, wondering what caused his sudden outburst and asked, "What?"

"Uh, sorry." He turned to her, touching his hand to his heart and saying, "I just realized I haven't told you my name yet. I'm Snow. Snow Villiers."

She laughed, realizing he was right. It hadn't even crossed her mind. She had felt comfortable and connected to him and didn't even realize she hadn't introduced herself, either. "I'm Serah Farron."

"Serah…" he mused, rolling her name off his tongue. "I like it."

She giggled again, feeling her face heat up slightly. She chalked it up to the bright sun overhead and took a sip of her drink, enjoying Snow's company. He grinned and took off at a slow run, making it easy for her to keep up. He ran down to the shore and into the shallow water, turning to her with a grin as he shifted his feet in the sand. "Hey, Serah, I-" he cut off, turning to his dig his hand in his pants pocket when a communicator buzz sounded out. "Can you give me a sec?"

She nodded and waited in the sand as he walked away few paces to answer his call. She looked up to the sky, finding herself curious of what he'd been staring at when she first saw him. It was a clear blue sky. Just an ordinary day and an ordinary boy. But something had held her interest about him and she wanted to know more about him. She wanted to know him beyond friends, she realized.

A heavy hand set on her shoulder and she turned to see him standing there with a smile. "Hey, Serah…"

"Yeah?" she asked.

"I, ah, I have to go, but… maybe a rain check on hanging out?"

She smiled, glad that he wanted to see her again, too. "Sure!"

He grinned wider and started patting his pockets, finally saying, "Do you have a piece of paper? I want to give you my number."

She reached inside her bag and pulled out her math notebook, flipped to the last page, and jotted her communicator number at the top before tearing it out and handing it to him. "Here. This is my number, so give me a call when you can, okay?"

He nodded and slipped the notebook out of her hand, turning away to write on the same back page. He flipped the book closed and shot her a wink before starting off with a wave. She watched him go and waved back when he looked over his shoulder.

Once he disappeared into the crowds, she opened the book to see he'd written his number in neat penmanship with his name in large letters. In the corner, he'd drawn a quick little cheesy picture of him and her, a speech bubble coming from him, saying, 'I'll call you, okay?'

She couldn't help but laugh and hugged the book to her chest, smiling in spite of herself. She wasn't sure how long she'd stood there on the shore, but as the sun started to set, she snapped to attention and stuffed her book back in her bag before picking up her drink and dashing off towards home. Lightning would be mad if she wasn't there to make dinner.

All in all, her boring day had taken a turn to become a very good day. She couldn't wait until he called.

Thanks so much for reading! Please review and let me know what you think!

-Valk