009. cherish

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Squall couldn't take his eyes off of her.

Every time the wind blew, he would shamelessly shoot his eyes towards Rinoa just in time to see her raven hair dancing along the gust. It became a habit, a subconscious habit. The first few times, he would try his hardest just to merely peek at her just so his friends wouldn't catch on. He was so stupidly naive because they caught on immediately whenever he and Rinoa would talk to one another or just even simply stand next to each other. It was obvious everyone was trying to set them up.

Squall would say nothing at their smirks and the sound of Selphie and Zell's sniggering. Rinoa stayed... Or pretended to stay oblivious the entire time up until he rescued her in space.

When he saved her from the sorceress memorial, things changed. As much as he didn't want to admit it, things changed drastically for his heart.

And suddenly, he couldn't bear the thought of losing Rinoa ever again.

He had fallen for her and made a silent vow to become her Knight, the time compression wasn't going to stop it.

This devotion he had for her... He couldn't never explain it. She changed him in a way no one else could. She opened him up so easily, ushering and pestering him to get out of his comfort zone. She knew whenever he wanted to be alone, giving him a silent but contagious smile before gently squeezing his hand and then granting the privacy he needed for himself.

Squall was definitely the lucky one. He was a socially awkward mess compared to Rinoa's outgoing nature. He couldn't understand how she was putting up with his schedule, his moods and most importantly, him in general. He never had time to learn about being an idealistic boyfriend and he completely ignored Irvine's advice because... Hell no.

Rinoa would see him trying too hard, because he was that noticeable, and then laugh, reassuring him that all she would want was for him to be himself.

Squall would relax then as she'd give him a sweet peck on the lips. He was still surprised how easily she could calm him, and how easily flustered he would get whenever she initiated close contact first.

It was only a year after Ultimecia's defeat and Squall could never fully shake off his insecurities. Though with Rinoa around now, he was almost getting there... Almost.

Right now he hung back as he watched Rinoa talk with Doctor Kadowaki outside the entrance of Garden, her back facing him. The wind started again and he smiled when Rinoa's hair blew along with it. There was never a time where he'd get tired of seeing such a sight. He loved everything about her but her hair was always something he found himself getting lost in. It felt like he was in the Raganarok again when it took its first flight. The memory of Rinoa tilting her head back smiling at him was engraved in his head, and he'd be damned if he ever forgot about it.

"Hellooooo, earth to Squaaaall~!"

Squall jolted out of his daze as he saw Rinoa's hand waving in front of his face. "Oh..." He trailed off before focusing his eyes down at her, "Sorry."

"Aw, I wish I took a picture of your face just now!" Rinoa laughed and poked at his lips, "I'd cherish it and leave a kiss on it every time you're away on a mission. At least it'll remind me that you're not Mr. Grumpy Pants all the time, huh?"

He gently waved her hand off his face, intertwining it with his own. "That would be creepy, actually."

She stuck her tongue out at him. "To you!"

The Commander smiled, parts of his teeth showing this time as he caressed her hair. "But since it's you, I don't mind."

"Of course you shouldn't mind, Squall!" Rinoa lightly smacked his shoulder, "I'm your girlfriend and looots of relationships do even weirder things than that!"

"Like Irvine and Selphie?"

Rinoa crunched up her nose and quickly shook her head. "I don't even want to know, especially with Irvine!" She squeezed their hands together and went on her toes to leave a kiss on his lips, "But I wouldn't be surprised if you had thoughts like that too, Squall. Hmmm?"

He knew she was joking, though... "I'm a man, I have urges too."

The young sorceress pulled back, eyes widening.

Before she could say anything, Squall hurriedly intervened. "Not now, Rinoa! That's only when you're-" He stopped abruptly, his face reddening into many layers because he had no idea where he was going with this, "Forget it, I'm not gonna entertain you with this."

Rinoa burst out laughing but her fluster showcased on her face as well, almost matching his. "Only when I'm ready?" she finished off for him and poked his forehead, "You meanie! I was waiting for you to be ready!"

"..."

"SeeDs at least go through one or two classes of sex education, right?" Rinoa placed her hands on her hips, "For some reason I thought you were the type to skip them."

Squall frowned at her before rolling his eyes. "Of course I didn't. Learning about that stuff is impor- Rinoa," he sighed, his blush still barricading his cheeks, "Can we talk about this later?" They were supposed to get the car ready for their trip to Esther. He was just admiring how beautiful she looked today. How did this suddenly turn into a conversation about-

"Later when we're in our hotel? Where there's only one bed?" Rinoa teased and leaned up against his face.

The last thing he wanted was anyone eavesdropping on them. "Okay, we're going," Squall grabbed her hand and pulled her along towards his car, ignoring her constant teasing and whiny apologies.

The wind picked up once more and he glanced back at her. Even though she was talking distractedly, even mimicking his voice in some sentences with her hair sticking to her face, Squall found himself loving all of it.

Because he wouldn't change her for the world.