Note: This is set in the same universe as Ordinary Heroes and Tell Me a Story. Timeline wise, it can fit almost anywhere.

X X X

One Chubby Chocobo…

Diana glared across the table at Averia. She loved her sister more than almost anyone in the whole world. Whenever she was lonely, or scared, or even just bored, Averia was there for her. But that didn't mean she liked everything about Averia. Averia was faster than her, stronger than her, and smarter than her too. Normally that didn't both her much – since having an awesome sister was really awesome – but lately, Averia had been winning all of their games. But this time… this time, Diana was sure she would win.

"Are you ready to lose?" Diana asked as she reached for the bowl in the middle of the table.

Averia lifted her chin. "I'm not going to lose." She smirked. "I got to sixteen. There's no way you'll beat that."

"I will too beat that." Diana scowled and waved one fist. "Just you watch."

Diana reached into the bowl for the first marshmallow. It was a nice, fluffy, pink one, the same colour as her mother's hair. Then, she all but shoved the marshmallow into her mouth, careful not to actually swallow it.

"One chubby chocobo," Diana growled. She reached for a second marshmallow and then a third, and put those into her mouth as well. "Two chubby chocobos. Three chubby chocobos."

Averia rolled her eyes. "You've still got a long way to go."

"I know that." Diana reached for more marshmallows. "But I'm just getting started."

And she was.

Fourteen marshmallows later, Diana looked more like a chipmunk than a little girl. Her cheeks had puffed out, and she was struggling just to keep her mouth closed.

"Seventeen…" She grimaced and fought to keep the marshmallows in her mouth. "Seventeen chubby chocobos!"

Averia stared. "No way." She shook her head slowly. "That's… that's impossible." Gingerly, she reached over to poke Diana in the cheek. "Are you sure you didn't swallow any?"

"I'm sure," Diana said, her words barely intelligible through all the marshmallows. "I won fair and square." She reached for one more marshmallow, just to rub it in. After a bit of fiddling, she finally managed to get it into her mouth. "See? Eighteen chubby chocobos."

Averia scowled and crossed her arms over her chest. "Fine, you win."

Diana grinned as best she could. "And?"

"And I'll let you sleep in my bed tonight and tomorrow." Averia looked away. "But only if you stop poking me in the eyes with your hair, and only if you don't steal all the blanket."

Diana punched the air in victory. It was the middle of winter and although a heater was nice, snuggling up to Averia was much better. "Cool."

Averia sighed and reached over to give Diana an awkward pat on the head. "Good work, I guess." She paused. "But now what you going to do? Are you going to try and swallow those? If you do, you'd better be careful, otherwise you'll choke and we'll be in lots of trouble."

Diana's eyes widened. She'd been so focused on winning – and breathing – that she hadn't even thought about that. It had taken Averia several tries to swallow her marshmallows, and Diana had even more to worry about. Steeling herself, she tried to swallow and then stopped. It was no good. She'd choke for sure. So, what to do? Ah ha! She grabbed an empty bowl and began spitting out the marshmallows.

Averia's nose wrinkled. "That's gross."

"What, do you want me to choke?" Diana spat out the last of the marshmallows.

"Of course I don't want you to choke." Averia eyed the bowl of rather dubious marshmallows, some of which looked quite… slimy. "Are you really just going to leave those there?"

"No." Diana grinned and cheerfully grabbed one of the marshmallows. "I don't like wasting candy."

Averia shuddered. "I can't believe you're actually going to eat those."

Diana shrugged. "Well, they were in my mouth, so it's okay." She offered Averia the bowl. "Why, do you want one?"

"NO!" Averia sighed. "Just… keep those to yourself."

Diana had just finished the last of her regurgitated marshmallows when Fang ambled into the dining room. She'd spent most of the afternoon outside helping Lightning clear snow off the roof, and now she'd be sent to grab the two of them some hot chocolate and marshmallows. However, rather than going straight to the kitchen to make the hot chocolate, she paused as she noticed her two daughters staring intently at one another over a large bowl of marshmallows.

"What are you two doing?" Fang asked.

Diana looked over and smiled. "We're playing, mommy. We came up with this really awesome game." Her smile widened. "Averia was winning before, but I tried really hard, and now I'm winning."

"That's great." Fang chuckled softly. The girls loved challenging each other, and so long as they kept it friendly, she had no problems with it. "So, what is this game of yours?"

Averia picked up a marshmallow. "It's like this." She put the marshmallow into her mouth. "You put marshmallows in your mouth and then you count. I've got one in my mouth now, so I have to say 'one chubby chocobo'." She put a second marshmallow into her mouth. "Now it's 'two chubby chocobos', and whoever can fit the most into their mouth wins."

Fang stared. "That's…" Stupid beyond measure? Insanely idiotic? Absolutely, typically crazy? "One of the coolest things I've ever seen." She sat down beside Diana. "Here, let me try." She reached for a marshmallow. "What was the record?"

"Eighteen," Diana chirped. "That's how many I got."

"Eighteen, huh?" Fang grinned. "That sounds pretty good. But don't get too confident, kiddo. You might have beaten your sister, but I'm your mommy. I'll be a lot tougher to beat." She put the marshmallow into her mouth. "One chubby chocobo!"

X X X

Lightning somersaulted off the roof almost lazily and then made her way into the house. She'd sent Fang to get some hot chocolate and marshmallows more than ten minutes ago, but the other woman had yet to return. Grumbling quietly to herself, she headed for the dining room only to pause as she heard the excited voices of her children and Fang.

"Eighteen chubby chocobos!" Diana shouted. "Wow, that's as good as I did!"

There was a long paused and then a collective gasp of awe.

"Nine… nineteen chubby chocobos!" Fang growled. "Take that!"

Chubby chocobos? Lightning tilted her head to one side. She had heard some strange things in her life, especially since the kids had been born, but this was something new. Fully prepared – or so she thought – she stepped into the dining room to see what new scheme her beloved children had dragged her beloved wife into.

She was not prepared for what she saw.

Fang's cheeks were bulging out and she seemed to be having difficulty breathing as she shoved another marshmallow into a mouth already stuffed with the sugary treats.

"Twenty chubby chocobos," Fang crowed.

Across the table, Averia's eyes were wide with disbelief. "This cannot be real."

Lightning sat down. "What are doing?" She twitched as Fang reached for another marshmallow. Maker, Fang's cheeks looked like they were going to explode. "And why do you have all those marshmallows in your mouth?"

Fang grinned, or at least, tried to. It was hard to tell. "We're playing a game, and right now I'm winning. Averia, why don't you explain the rules to your mom."

Lightning listened with growing disbelief as Averia laid out the rules for a game that seemed equal parts demented and suicidal. Frankly, Lightning thought that it was a miracle that none of them had choked yet. Imagine that, the great Oerba Yun Fang done in by marshmallows.

"And you all find this fun?" Lightning asked slowly.

Averia and Diana both nodded as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Fang smirked and managed to speak around the marshmallows in her mouth. "Don't worry about your about your mom, kids. She knows how fun it is. She's just grumpy because she knows she can't win."

Lightning's eyes narrowed. She knew that she was being baited, but that smug tone of Fang's was just more than she could stand. "Is that so?" She reached determinedly for a marshmallow and popped it into her mouth, careful to hold Fang's gaze the entire time. "One chubby chocobo."

X X X

Author's Notes

As always, I neither own Final Fantasy, nor am I making any money off of this.

This chapter is based on a rather idiotic game that once took place during one of my school camps. The aim of the game was very simple: stuff as many marshmallows into your mouth as possible while saying "chubby bunnies". Simple? Yes. Idiotic? You bet. I thought about maybe making it into a chapter for Ordinary Heroes, but as you can see, it really isn't long enough for that. Besides, it's more of an omake. In my head, I can kind of imagine it coming after Chapter 6 of Ordinary Heroes, the chapter where Diana educates Claire and Averia on the finer points of Arctic warfare.

Finally, please, do not try this at home. The game does present a serious choking hazard, and I am not responsible for anyone who finds themselves in trouble, even after reading this warning. Yes, I know this sounds crazy, but I know someone who almost choked while eating a spoonful of Milo (as in the powder).

As always, I appreciate feedback. Reviews and comments are welcome.