"Come on, Squall. It's not like we're bein' recorded."

Squall sat on his bed in his dorm room with Zell standing in front of him. He wished his friend would sit back down because he was making him anxious. Then again, he did often feel anxious when he was around Zell.

"Zell, I am not letting you carry me on your back. We both know you can do it anyway."

"But it's fun, Squall!" Zell crossed his arms and rolled his eyes skyward. "You know, fun? Things that normal people do?"

"things we do to ensure our comrades, you know, don't DIE, we shouldn't be doing for fun." Though Squall was almost beginning to wonder why exactly he was making such a big deal out of something people did for fun. Something he did with Rinoa, even. Although that circumstance wasn't so much fun as it was necessary.

Zell sighed. "Squall, you're makin' a big deal outta nothing. I promise I'm not gonna Meteor Strike you."

Squall could feel himself growing more uneasy with each passing second. "Do you really need to do this? It's getting weird. It's not like we're in the training center, or anything." He felt like he was on the verge of saying something that would hurt Zell's feelings. He didn't understand why his friend was so adamant about having him submit to this degradation.

Zell, ever the stubborn friend that he was, refused to back down. "It's only weird if you make it weird, weirdo. Now come on." He turned around and bent over slightly, beckoning Squall to hop on his back. "It'll be fun, I promise."

"Zell…"

His voice didn't come out as threatening as he would have liked. And Zell didn't respond for once in his life. Just...waited.

A ripple of fear passed through Squall. It was alarming how quickly the walls were closing in on him.

Squall looked up at the ceiling as though to beg Hyne himself to save him from this ludicrous situation. But he knew, to his dismay, no one would come to his rescue. It seemed like he had no choice but to do it anyway, considering Zell was already in position and waiting for him like a faithful steed.

Muttering curses, he resignedly inched forward, allowing himself to lean forward and rest against Zell's back. He awkwardly wrapped his arms around his neck.

Zell straightened, carrying Squall as though he were as light as a feather. He even jogged in place, bouncing Squall up and down. "Wow, Squall. You're actually kinda light! Geez, I bet Rinoa could carry you, too."

"Zell, calm down." A part of him was panicking that Zell might get so excited he'd bolt out of his dorm room, the two of them in plain view of other students nearby.

"I am calm," Zell said as he began walking around the dormitory, clearly wanting to make the most of the opportunity. Squall couldn't help but feel like his legs were a little too long for this. And, to his chagrin, Zell even joked at one point about no longer needing to bulk up at the gym. Squall could only curse inwardly at himself for submitting to Zell's request without a fight till the death. He wondered if saving the world had made him soft...

But once he felt like it was drawing on a little too long, Squall decided it was time to put an end to it.

"Okay, you've had your fun at my expense. Now put me down." His tone was sharper than he would have liked, but embarrassment was creeping its way in.

Zell did as he said, and Squall stepped away from him to readjust his clothes.

"You sure you don't wanna try to pick me up, too? You could call it 'training'." Zell paused, then chuckled.

Squall sat on his bed and sighed. "Zell, can we just do something else, please? I didn't think we'd be riding each other when you asked to come over."

There was an awkward moment as Squall's words hung in the air.

Zell snickered behind his hand, making Squall realize what he'd said. He scowled as the thought of the two of them doing something markedly non-platonic together flashed across his mind. It was enough to make him grab a pillow and chuck it at Zell, who caught it with ease.

"I'm this close to kicking you out of my room."