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030. Mistletoe

Squall was not a fan of Christmas parties in Esthar Garden. For one, he had to wear his ceremonial uniform, which was obnoxiously decadent and extremely uncomfortable. Then, he had to make small talk with other 'important guests' he didn't know but always knew him. He was terrible at small talk, and no matter how many years he was in his current command, he was still the little boy from the orphanage at heart.

So he arrived a little late by accident, and then occupied himself with a glass of something alcoholic and tried his best to hide inconspicuously behind a pillar, out of the way.

It was infuriating, really. Christmas had lost meaning to him years ago, when he spent one in hiding in the Galbadian countryside, and the next in the strange world of Time Compression. So why should it matter that he celebrate it now? It was just one day in a year, after all.

He watched the wide hall before him, and the dance floor set a few steps into the floor before him. There were women dressed in fancy dresses who he either couldn't recognise dressed like that, or didn't know in the first place, and men on their arms, some of whom looked as uncomfortable as Squall in their fancy uniforms. Old people gathered around the tables, resting their aged bodies as they talked about something undoubtedly 'important'. There were Cid and Edea, over on the other side of the hall. His other friends were scattered here and there around the hall, but all knew better than to bother Squall Leonhart at a Christmas Party.

"Hello, Squall."

Well, all except Rinoa, that was.

"Rinoa."

"Jeez, someone's feeling cold today. You know you love me really."

She wasn't wrong. But he was in such a bad mood he didn't love anyone or anything right now.

He glanced over at her, intending to give her a withering look, but distracted by how admittedly beautiful she did look. Like an angel dressed in light blue.

"Yeah, I know. I look pretty great. I think it might even beat out that white dress I wore a few years back. What do ya think?"

Squall already knew. Rinoa in her white dress was one of the memories he cherished with an unparalleled clarity and intensity. To him, she was the most beautiful being to ever exist in that night.

"Are we going back to internal-monologue-only-Squall?" She sighed, immediately looking more like Rinoa as she slouched in her disappointment. "You know how much I hate that."

"... Sorry."

"Jeez. Okay, come on. We're going."

Squall's ears immediately pricked up. "Leaving?"

"Yup." She declared, dragging him off by the hand.

"I love you."

Rinoa only paused to turn back and give him a knowing grin. "Yup."

She didn't stop again until they were thankfully out of the hall, and skulking like a pair of teenagers under an arching doorway.

Good job all the students were confined to their quarters right now; or else they might see their Captain pinned to a door frame by a girl. And a girl who wasn't a SeeD and in a dress and very unsafe looking heels, to boot.

But then again, none of them knew Rinoa.

"Better?"

"Much."

"Then you shouldn't have abandoned me." She pouted.

"I thought it'd be better if you did the small talk and I just existed for the optics."

"Oh yeah, a grumpy looking Captain who leaves all the work to his fiancée is absolutely great optics. Well done, Squall, you're really getting great at presentation."

Squall rolled his eyes, but said nothing.

Rinoa looked up, and a smile grew over her face. A smile like that usually meant extremely good or very bad things, and Squall didn't know which outcome he feared the most.

"Oh look, mistletoe. How convenient."

Squall looked up and saw it, too: a tiny sprig of that weird-looking plant, hanging up above them.

"Well then, you know there's only one option here."

She stepped even closer to him, so their bodies were essentially pressed into each other.

"I suppose so."

"Merry Christmas."

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