Disclaimer: The only thing I own is my obsession for Final Fantasy VIII
Summary: Squall and Rinoa, both at the age of 17, decide to get really drunk one night at a friends Christmas party and end up having an 'oops'. How will this glorious accident change their lives?
(A/N: Yep, I know it's totally OOC, but hey, it's how I wanted it. And I knew that Squall was an orphan. He used to live with foster parents before moving into the apartment with Rinoa. And uhh. Selphie108, please don't get mad at me for what you're about to read. ;)
My Girl
"What are you thinking about, darling?"
Heh, She wanted to know what I was thinking. Like I would actually tell her, before I would ask her. I had almost saved up enough money for the ring, and right when I got enough for it, I would head straight to the store and buy it. So hopefully, she'll be able to know what I'm thinking soon enough...
Chapter 3 : Dogs
The day was long and tiring, and as if it wasn't hot enough, Squall Leonhart stood over one of the largest of dogs he'd ever seen, panting and sweating. Having to chase several stray dogs on the street was difficult, but it had it's advantages, like good pay. The great dane stared at him with it's wild eyes, showing him who was the superior being of the both of them. Squall took in one more breath of fresh air and stared at the dane directly in the eyes.
"Alright, this is just between you... and me..." He stared the dog down, awaiting for his next action. The dog only seemed to smirk at him, which made Squall slightly upset. "...Now, we can either do this the easy way... or the hard way, whichever you prefer."
"Come on, Squall! This is no time to be chatting with the mutts! It's not like he can understand you!" Shouted his partner, Bernie, who sat along with his other partner, George, enjoying the few beers they had left in the back of the truck. They sat in the back of the van, chuckling amongst themselves, always getting a rise out of Squall's motives. He was pretty good with animals, but they had to admit, he had a strange way of working with them.
Squall slowly started to inch towards the large black dog, slowly offering a friendly hand towards it. The dog only snarled and backed up. "Come on, boy, I'm not gonna hurt you." He stepped another inch closer, and the dog took another step back. "Don't make me play rough." He warned the beast as he slowly got ready to pounce. Just as he was ready to perform his action, the dog took off to the other direction. "Dammit!" He hissed just as he started chasing the animal.
He could hear the cackles from the other men, obviously enjoying the entertainment Squall was providing them. Squall would take a dive into the mud, and the great dane would dodge him every time.
"Go get 'em, Squally boy!" George shouted amusingly. Squall would only ignore their stupid remarks and continue chasing the hound, remembering the fat pay check he would be given after this catch.
"Bernie! Throw me a fricken bone, here!" Squall shouted before he dove for the dog one more time, missing completely and landing in a giant pile of-
"SHIT!" The guys practically fell out of the back of the truck and laughed their asses off. Squall groaned as he got up and looked at the amount of dung he had on his uniform. Bernie had to wipe his eyes in order to see clearly before he climbed into the back of the van to get a doggie bone for Squall. Once the bone was acquired, he threw it to the younger man.
Squall then looked over to the dog and whistled, getting his attention. "Come on, pretty boy. I've got something tasty for you." Squall cooed to the dog.
The great dane immediately took interest in this new object this human held in his hands. He slowly inched towards the brunette, sniffing the scent the soft breeze carried to him from the treat. The dog warmed up to the scent, and he hadn't had any food recently, so he quickly dashed towards Squall, who was only about 50 feet away. But just about when he got it, Squall held it high in the air.
"Nuh uh! Not yet." Squall reached his hand out and pet the dog on the head, taming it easily. "Good boy..." He pulled the bone out of his pocket and held it out in his open hand. The beasts' tail wagged happily as he snatched it from his hands and began eating it. "I've got more where those came from." Squall said happily as he patted the side of the mammal.
Bernie and George shook their heads simultaneously. "I just don't get it, Bernie. Why doesn't he just use the pole with the loop on the end like the rest of us?"
"Because," Squall began, standing in front of them, with his happy companion next to him. "I wouldn't want to hurt the poor little guy."
Bernie chuckled. "Little? He's practically a horse!"
"Yeah, a horse of a dog who will rip your scrotum sack off if I order him to." Squall climbed into the back and fed the dog another bone.
"Hah! Yeah right!"
The dogs' head snapped up and glared at Bernie right in the eyes and growled menacingly. His gaze began to drift down to his nether regions as he barred his teeth. Bernie gulped as he backed away, stumbling over his own feet. The dog then stopped growling as he started to eat another cookie bone from Squall's hand, while receiving a pat on the head for his good behavior. The dog's tail became vicious as he wagged it violently against Squall's foot. Squall's lips curved into a small genuine smile as Bernie and George got into the front of the van and started it up, heading back to the pound.
After their arrival, Squall took the hound out of the van and led him into the back of the building and put him inside one of the cages.
"I know it looks a bit lonely now, but soon your master will come looking for you and you'll be home in no time." Squall said to the dog, taking a quick gaze at the young collie in the next cage, wagging it's tail hopefully at him. Rinoa loved dogs, and he knew she would love this one. Seeing this dog gave him an idea that he would think about later.
The dane silently whimpered as the young brunette closed and locked the gate, walking away from the cage and walked through the door. He found his boss, sitting behind his small metal desk, fiddling around with one of the paper weights.
"Ahh, Squall! Back already?" He immediately stopped playing with the heavy objects and pushed up his glasses so he could focus on the young boy better. He was a short man, and a bit chubby too, but he was a pretty nice guy.
"Yep," He spoke as he took a seat on the opposite side of the desk. "So can I have my check now, Sam?"
Sam laughed, he admired Squall for his blunt statements. He was very fond of the boy. He could almost call him a son.
"As a matter of fact, you can." Sam smiled as he handed Squall an envelope containing the money that Squall needed for Rinoa's ring. "So are you going to propose tonight?"
"Hell yes!" Sam chuckled again at Squall's excitement. The younger man smiled as he thought about his beloved future fiancé. He could barely hold it all in. "I've got some extra money from this check, and I'm going to use it for a few extra surprises." Squalls mind tracked back tho the collie he saw just a few minutes ago.
"That sounds wonderful! Well, here's some more money, take this as a future wedding present." He smiled as he pulled out his wallet from his back pocket.
"Oh no, I couldn't accept your money, Sam! You've already given me extra cash in my checks! I already feel like I'm robbing you or something." Squall said nervously, rubbing the back of his neck from discomfort.
"Don't be silly! I only want the best for you and Rinoa!" Sam placed the gil on the table and Squall stared at it as if it was some sort of forbidden territory.
"I can't take it."
"Take the money, Squall." Sam spoke sternly.
"I don't want the money, Sam!" Squall said, standing up quickly.
"Take the money, or else I'll fire you."
"Ok." Squall said without hesitation and took the gil from Sam's desk. "Oh, umm... Sam? I was wondering if I could buy that collie out there. I think Rinoa would like it."
"Of course, my boy!"
Squall smiled as he placed the gil that Sam had given him on the table.
"In exchange for the dog."
Sam nodded in agreement before Squall headed out the door to retrieve the puppy.
Just as Squall had walked out of the office, he saw a little girl, around the age of ten, crying and holding onto an older woman's hand. He immediately recognized the woman as his Matron, Edea.
"Edea! What are you doing here?"
Edea looked over to the smiling brunette and returned the same pleasant gesture kindly.
"Little Selphie here has lost her best friend, Roscoe."
"Well, you've certainly come to the right place for lost dogs." He kneeled down to Selphie and smiled warmly at her. "So, Selphie, what does Roscoe look like?"
She sniffled before wiping her nose on the sleeve of her long t-shirt. "W-well... He's big and black. He's a great dane."
The brunette smiled as he stood up. "Well, miss, you're in luck because we picked up a large black great dane not too long ago." He enjoyed watching the little girl's eyes light up and sparkle. "Follow me." He motioned for Edea and Selphie to follow him into the back room where all of the dogs were held. Selphie immediately spotted her dog and ran up to him.
"Roscoe!" She jumped for joy as Squall started to unlock the cage. The canine trotted out to greet his master and licked her face gleefully.
"Thank you very much, Squall." Edea smiled softly and embraced him with a hug. "You really have changed."
"Ehh... yeah, well, you can thank my future fiancé for that." He grinned as the last few words came from his mouth.
Edea's eyes were widened with surprise. Squall used to be such a trouble maker, with his best friend, Seifer Almasy, when they were in the orphanage. But he's finally become a softie and was about to ask the woman of his dreams to be his lovely wife. Edea had always had a tender spot in her heart when it came to love. She was such a believer in it, because of all the love she felt for the children living in the orphanage.
"Edea, I'd be really honored if you would come to our wedding. You're like a mother to me."
"Squall, I would share just the same honor as you. You are one of my children, and I will always love you so very much. I wouldn't miss your wedding for the world." She hugged him once more and planted a soft kiss on his forehead.
"Ooh! I love weddings! Can I come?" Selphie asked with excitement.
Squall chuckled, "Of course." He turned his attention to Edea. "Hey, you should bring all of the children. I mean, they're kind of like my brothers and sisters. And well, I need to get used to kids. I'm also going to be a father."
Edea placed her hand over her heart. "Oh my!" She laughed lightly. "Squall... a father... how sweet." She tilted her head and smiled as she placed her hand on his cheek.
"What? You don't think I can do it?"
"You can handle animals, can't ya?" Selphie asked cheerfully, sticking her tongue out to the side of her mouth.
"Well, I suppose so." Squall spoke softly as his eyes grazed over to the clock hanging on the wall. "I guess we'd better get you your dog, Selphie. I'm getting Rinoa a dog and I've still got to get the ring." Edea nodded lightly while Selphie grinned from ear to ear. Squall chuckled as he led them to the door and took care of the whole dog situation. After they left with Roscoe, Squall grabbed the puppy and headed out to the car to get the next thing on his list.
1 hour later
Squall stepped into his apartment, the scent of vanilla lingering in the air. Squall smiled to himself, as he knew what Rinoa was doing. She had probably been soaking in the tub for about half an hour, with her favorite fragrance. Squall took the happy puppy into the bedroom and sat him on the bed. Squall had gotten a call from some random strangers a few days ago, reporting that their next door neighbor was abusing their dogs. Squall had been the hero that day, bringing the small pup back to the pound where he took care of it.
The young collie licked Squalls face, bringing him out of his own little world he was starting to get into again. He rubbed the dog behind his ears before he reached into his pocket and pulled out a red collar with a clip hanging from it. He then dug into his other pocket and pulled out a small purple velvet box that was a bit smaller than the palm of his hand. He opened it up and saw the beautiful promise ring that shined up at him. He smiled down at it, wondering just how exactly Rinoa would act after she saw the small puppy.
He decided he shouldn't be wearing his uniform for when he saw Rinoa, so he quickly took it off. He noted that he didn't like the clothes he was wearing, either. So he took those off. He chuckled to himself, thinking that maybe he should stay like this when he saw her. He shook his head and rolled his eyes, grabbing a fitting white t-shirt and a pair of loose blue jeans.
Rinoa stepped out of the bathroom with a robe around her body and a towel in her long hair. She sighed to herself as she walked into the living room and sat on the couch. Squall was late... He was never late. She grabbed the tiny ring that hung from the necklace that she wore.
'Please, Squall... be safe...'
Just then, Rinoa heard the bedroom door squeak open. She turned her head to see what had caused the door to open, and saw a tiny puppy galloping towards her. She had caught a glimpse of something shimmering from its collar as it reached her feet. She picked up the small puppy and looked at the object that hung around it's neck... and froze.Her heard had skipped a beat as a single tear rolled down her cheek. She then noticed the familiar musky scent lingering in the air. She felt a presence next to her as she turned her head slowly, gazing into the most beautiful of eyes. There was her knight, her lover, her... fiancé...
oOo Chapter 3 End oOo
(A/N:) Well, I'm truly sorry for not updating so fast as all of you had hoped, and I'm very excited to see that I haven't gotten any flames yet! I know this chapter was short, but it seemed like the perfect place to end it. But... I probably will be getting a flame for making Selphie 11 years old! Haha. Well, it is my story.