Cherished

prompt : snow
Vaan & Penelo

Disclaimer: I do not own FF12, its characters, settings, etc. These words, however, are mine.

Penelo, tired and feeling rather ghost-like, visibly brightened when she pulled back the curtains and gazed out the window. "Vaan, look!" She squealed excitedly, looking over her shoulder and motioning for him move and stand beside her. He rolled his eyes, but acquiesced.

She wrapped her arm around his and leaned against him contentedly as a light burst of fluffy white snow fell from the heavens.

"It's just snow." Vaan said with a sigh, but knew that that little fact didn't really matter or faze her. Not to his surprise, she frowned at his dismissive remark. Snow was an extreme rarity in Rabanastre. It had snowed maybe only two or three times since they'd been born -- at least, that's what the two could dig up from their memories.

A thrill, a rush, ran through Penelo and Vaan grimaced when he saw it in her eyes, sparkling as they were. "Penelo, don't--"

Snow was beautiful, Penelo thought, tuning his voice out for just a moment.

Just like rain.

"I want to dance in the snow." She stated and looked up at Vaan, smiling a cute smile and snuggling up to him in a way she figured he wouldn't be able to resist.

And she was right.

He groaned and pulled away from her, walking across the room and trying to busy himself with something. "Penelo..."

"Come on, Vaan. You'll like it. I'll like it."

He faltered a bit at, 'I'll like it'. "You remember what it was like last time you tried to get me to dance."

"Yes." She nodded. "I do. It was perfect!" He opened his mouth to retort and swung his arms up into the air in an 'are you kidding me?' kind of way, so she quickly added, "I loved it. Me. It was perfect for me then, okay? We don't do that much with each other anymore, we're so busy."

He sighed.

She celebrated silently at the victory she knew she'd just earned.

She ran, speedy like lightning and grabbed his hand. The snow could stop anytime, after all. She rushed to the door and swung it open, Vaan stumbling behind her reluctantly.

She had only to walk just outside the door before she sighed and let her shoulders drop when that fear quickly became a reality. She let her eyes roam up and over sky, as if asking, begging for it to continue, but she knew it was useless. It didn't snow in Rabanastre often and when it did, it was usually about this quick of a fall. She turned around in defeat, ready to walk back inside since he would no longer have a reason to dance with her and since she really didn't want to force him, but he pushed her forward lightly.

And suddenly they were dancing -- Vaan's kind of dancing of course, but it mattered little to her.

Penelo looked up at him, smiling tearfully. "Vaan," she laughed. "It's not snowing anymore!"

He smiled back at her and winked.

"I don't really need a reason to dance with you."