Such Great Heights
Part Five: When We Kiss, They're Perfectly Aligned
There were few things that Squall could have told Selphie that would have made her happier than "Selphie, the fountain is here."
She jumped up off the bed she was half-napping on, instantly running out the door without even bothering to put her shoes on or to acknowledge Squall's presence with anything but a squeal. Her bare feet made slapping noises on the tiled floors as she ran down the dormitory hallway to the main hall, where everything had been complete except for the crucial glass fountain.
The walls were perfect in a pale shade of blue intermixed with veins of silver, the stars shone down through the new thick glass ceiling – not faceted this time, but clear so anyone could see the sky – and in the center of the hall with a walkway leading to it was a tall fountain sculpted from glass that looked like a gigantic glacier had frozen in time in the center of Trabia Garden.
Selphie could not have been more pleased. Though the fountain was all planes and angles, sharp points and jutting spikes, she thought it was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. It also meant something incredibly important.
Trabia Garden had been fully rebuilt.
A shiver ran up Selphie's spine as she stared up through the glass ceiling at the three brightest stars in the sky. The belt of the constellation of the Hunter consisted of the most striking points in the sky lined up in a perfectly straight line, and they were visible just above the topmost point of the fountain in the middle of the glass ceiling of the newly rebuilt Garden.
"You like it."
The simple observation could have only come from one person. "Squall," Selphie said, still unable to take her eyes off the fountain and the stars above it. "It's perfect."
She couldn't say anything else. It really was perfect, and everything she had dreamed of. Trabia Garden was back and better than ever, and this fountain was the last piece. It was symbolic of everything that the Garden had been through, and now it would only be a few days until everything was back to normal. Once again, she could return home, to Trabia, without having it be under threat of missiles or Gardens or Time Compression, and have it be wholly intact.
Selphie felt Squall's hand on hers. She could feel their knuckles brushing together.
Though she wasn't entirely certain whether it was by accident or on purpose, Selphie couldn't help but to grin to herself. Squall showing affection toward someone other than his gunblade was an incredible feat, and she felt immensely proud of herself. She pretended to look innocent as she slipped her tiny hand inside of his palm, threading her fingers through his… and waited until he noticed and flinched away.
But he didn't flinch. He didn't even pull away. Selphie immediately thought something was wrong, and turned to look to see who had been impersonating Squall so well.
When she turned, she found him looking at her.
It was most definitely Squall. And Selphie's heart had most definitely just leapt into her throat. She was struck by the fact that they were all alone at night, standing next to a beautiful glass fountain with the stars coming in through the new glass ceiling, in a place that they had practically built with their own hands.
She smiled, but didn't say anything. She didn't think she could even force the words out past her heart thudding in her esophagus.
At heart, Selphie had always been a romantic. That was why she had initially fallen for Irvine, though she quickly learned that he didn't really want anything but to chase her. That was his way, and though it was fun, the fun didn't last. From him, Selphie had learned never to waste a romantic moment.
Even this one, with Squall.
However, even when she leaned in close to him, their chests nearly touching, and stood on her toes, she still couldn't reach high enough to kiss him. She nearly sighed and turned away, especially when she saw the panicked look on his face, but then she received the shock of her life.
Squall leaned down and kissed her, covering the last of the distance between them.
As Selphie's eyes fluttered closed, her heart fluttered back to its proper place in her chest, and somehow everything felt more perfect than before.
They will see us waving from such great heights,
"Come down now," they'll say.
But everything looks perfect from far away,
"Come down now,"… but we'll stay.
The End