Four ‹ Rocking the Boat ›

I yawned, again, and once more looked to Sally who still slept with her arms around me and her cheek against my chest. How she could stay like that through the entire night without so much as a single shuffle I had no idea. But there she was, breathing deeply and looking as sexy as anything I had ever seen in my life. Needless to say, I hadn't slept hardly at all. Not with her against me and the visions of pink satin panties with white bunnies clobbering my imagination like a Wendigo with a new steel pipe.

She'd looked like that the entire night, which had given me some issues - Duh! - but nothing I couldn't deal with. Well, I had dealt with them, yeah, but I knew night two wasn't going to be as easy as night one. I was feeling it, man… bad. I scrubbed a hand down my face. Duuuuuuude.… Yeah. I would probably have to take some naps and let her steer the ship. With her in a bikini? Uh… yeah.

Cold shower, Dincht. Before she wakes up. Being 'sensitive' was a shitload of work. Of course, I didn't mind too much. I mean, it made me feel worse than a jerk-off when I saw how being an ass made her expression get all… well, I don't know how to explain it. It just sucked! And it had been easy enough to figure out what 'to do' and what 'not to do'. She was good about telling me things. If I did it more than four times, at least. She'd let it slide before then.

I kissed her forehead and tried to scurry out from under the covers, grinning when she mumbled something that I coulda sworn sounded like "lova smotha honey." What it meant I had no idea, but it gave me the shivers, especially since she tightened her arms around me and wrinkled up her face in protest.

"I gotta take a shower, kitten," I told her, careful not to wake her, and placed another kiss on her forehead. "If you're still asleep, I'll 'lova smotha honey' you then. Okay?" Whatever it was sounded like fun!

She sounded a silly giggle, repeating "lova smotha honey" as she momentarily tightened her arms around me before turning to cuddle and kiss her pillow. I pulled the blankets up a little to hide her cute butt and the even better sight of pink panties with bunnies, swallowed hard, scrubbed my neck and my face, and then walked stiffly toward the bathroom. Duuuuude.… If I lasted through breakfast until lunch with Mom and Pop, I'd be home free.

"Maybe I could get her to let us spend the night in her old room?" Wouldn't the parentals, as Sally called them, kinda put the damper on being frisky? I remembered, again, the vision of Sally in a tank-tee and pink.… I cranked on the cold water as I shook my head to clear it, stepping under the cold spray and holding back the holler of "Brrr." Hey. I could always hope.

The shower helped get a couple things under control, but I knew it was only a matter of time before I was going to have to do something more… desperate to give Sally her week. The bikini was not going to help matters. Maybe you should talk her out of it? But I'd already tried it when she was going to buy the thing in the first place. Once Sally was set on something, she was set.

I let out a quick breath, turned off the shower, and then nearly fell out of the shower stall when I tripped on my pj bottoms just outside the entrance. "Dincht, geez. Try putting them on the counter."

Kicking them aside, I scrubbed myself dry and then absently dressed back into my pjs as I tried to figure out a way to persuade Sally to not wear her bikini. Well, without making her feel horrible, that is. I hated making Sally feel bad. It made me feel worse. So just hide the bag with the bikinis and don't tell her where it is when she asks. She won't mind them being lost. Unless she went to the store in Timber to buy another one.

"Aw geez." I just couldn't cut a break.

Sally was still asleep, cooing and giggling as she snuggled her pillow and said a few more phrases that had me nearly laughing aloud. How a girl could be so cute and hot while being timid at the same time I had no idea, but Sally did it every day. I scrubbed at my scalp as I passed by the foot of the bed and to the kitchenette across the hall. Yeah. Every day. These nine months had been some of the hardest in my life.

It wouldn'tve been so bad if I'd had a girlfriend before, someone not afraid to up and slap my face or whatever when I would push a button I didn't know was so fun to push. But I'd barely gone out at all. I'd been kinda busy with all my studies and stuff, the body was an extreme piece of equipment!, and then classes and things.

Selphie and I had even tried going out, just after the war with Ultimecia, but called it quits. We had both been just too busy to really do much more than hang over lunch or something. Well, we'd gone out to a movie once or twice, maybe kissed a couple times, but.… It wasn't that I didn't think Selphie was just as nice to look at as Sally, she was, it was just.… Dude, I don't know. I guess I was just too busy to think about it.

I shrugged and then began searching the cabinets for the box of toaster pastries I'd brought. "It doesn't matter much now anyway, Dincht. Geez," I mumbled.

I heard a scuffle and a mumbled, "Morning," just before Sally wrapped her arms around me and gave me a tight hug.

I tensed, swallowed hard, and then very slowly closed the cupboard as my hand collapsed the box of pastries. Oops. I set them down on the counter and patted one of Sally's hands. "Hey, sleepy bunny. What're you doing up? Go back to bed."

"Only if you come, too," she sleepily mumbled, tightening her arms around me. "You're warm."

…aw geez… I cleared my throat. "Okay, but the doc's coming, remember?"

"Awwww." She kissed my back and then released a deep breath. "I forgot."

That made me smirk. "Why don't you go take a shower and I'll throw something together for breakfast?" She probably wouldn't want toaster pastries.

"Okay." She snuggled again, gave my back another kiss, and then turned and scuffled back to the room.

I released a quick breath, scrubbing at my neck until it stung. Duuuuude.… Yeah. Pretty much. When I heard the spray of the shower water and the click of the bathroom door, I remembered the bag of bikinis with a "Damn!" and turned to hurry back into the master suite. I opened the closet door– whew. They were right there. I double checked to make sure both were there, cursed my decision to not be a sex-hungry guy, and took the bag on deck to stow it with the diving gear.

"It just won't be this week," I promised.

I had eggs and toast ready for her when she came shuffling back into the kitchen wrapped up in a plush, pink terry robe with – you guessed it – bunnies on it. Her hair was wrapped up in a towel, too, making me just stop and stare at her as she made her way forward with a blush on her cheeks and a small smile on her lips.

How could a girl look so sexy just out of the shower? Duuuuude– Dincht! Geez!!

I grinned and offered her the plate.

Giggling, she blushed darker and took the plate, informing me, "I'm only wearing my robe because I've got my swimsuit on under it and can't get myself to wear only it just yet."

"Oh that's okay," I quickly said, loving the sight of pink and bunnies and wrapped towels with stray hair poking out of it. "You look sexier than Janine." Damn straight!

She giggled again, standing on tiptoes to kiss me on the cheek.

What could I do? I pulled her close, of course making sure she didn't spatter me with eggs, and wiggled my eyebrows at her before giving her one of my favorite kinds of kisses. Those slow ones that wreck havoc inside and out, frying my brain and a bunch of other things. They were the best!

I heard the splut of her plastic plate full of breakfast hitting the floor – barely heard it, anyway – seconds before she wrapped her arms around my neck. Booya! But Zellander – the little prick – kicked me in the head and made me back off to smile down at her as she just stood there with parted lips and still-closed eyes looking better than ever.

Who needed breakfast, anyway?

Sally finally opened her eyes, very slowly, and the chocolate brown of those orbs gave me the chills. The good chills. "Hi."

Her lips tilted upward and she said, "Hi," as her eyes started to twinkle. Then she giggled, shielding her mouth as her eyes crinkled at the corners.

That wrecked me, bad.

"I dropped my breakfast."

I laughed and gave her a tight squeeze before letting her go and turning to clean up the mess. "That's okay. My bad. I just couldn't take it no more."

She brought some paper towels and knelt to help me. "I didn't mind," she admitted, sending a quick sidelong glance.

Dincht… no… Aw man. I chucked her under the chin and then took the dirty paper towels from her. "Come on, Meg. Let's go swimming. I think I heard dolphins last night and I wanna see." Yeah. I wanna see you in your suit. Who cared if it was still the one-piece?

She eagerly nodded and then followed me on deck. I sent a glance to the gear box, my smile twitching upward. Next week. Heheheheheh.

***

The doc didn't come.

He called though, saying he had another couple meetings with the guys at the Foundation. We told him we were off to Timber, and so he said he would do his best to meet us there later. Sally didn't mention the 'lost' bikinis, thank Hyne. She never once brought them up. I figured it was either 'out of sight out of mind' like me, or she didn't really want to go through with her plan. Hey. As long as it made my life a little easier, I was fine with it.

We swam a bit before and after the doc called, saw some dolphins – even a whale! – and then munched down a couple boxes of cereal bars while playing Triple Triad – and footsies! – after calling her folks and letting them know the yacht was finally trudging toward Timber. I was going to need to have a word with Pop about the whole 'gotta wait to have sex until she's ready' thing, again, because every minute I was with her I kept forgetting why I was letting her lead me.

If she didn't want to, Winhill wouldn't have happened.

But I didn't know what she was afraid of that kept her back, and I didn't want to be an ass-wipe the first week of our honeymoon. Sure I thought about just kissing her again like I did in the kitchen and letting it go from there (that's pretty much what had happened in Winhill), but… I don't know. Right after thinking that, I'd get a twitch. No, having sex with Sally for the first time ever wouldn't be bad – hell no! – but I kinda wanted to give her the space she wanted. I mean, she gave me mine, so why not? If I didn't, it might make her hate me in the process.

That was not an option.

I released a quick breath, noticed Sally's concerned glance, and told myself to 'shut up'. You should be thinking about getting your hands on all of that magi… magiz… I looked up, catching Sally's gaze. "What were those crystals again? Magizite?"

She smiled. "Magicite. Uh-huh. Why?"

"Oh nothing." I placed a card and turned two of hers. Oops. Dincht, she's supposed to win this one! Geez! Pull your head out! "Just thinking."

"I know. You've been rubbing at your tattoo." She leaned her arms and elbows on the table. "Zell, please don't worry. Dr. Tahlson says they don't get magic immediately, the people who have the crystals. I'm sure we'll find them in time."

"Yeah, I guess. It's just…" I slammed my cards down a little harder than I intended. "It's just we don't even know if the program thing he made will find them all. Or any. I can't report that crap to Squall. It would look like I didn't do my job."

"But you are." Sally reached over and covered my hand with hers, stroking the skin with her thumb in that way she did that sent me through the roof. I lowered my gaze to the action. "You are doing your job. You're doing more than your job. That's more than anyone else would have done on their honeymoon. Except for maybe Cmdr. Squall or Seifer. Oh, and Marshal." She gave my hand a squeeze when I didn't look up.

To be honest, I was afraid to. The table was just the right size… ahem.

"Zell, sweetie…"

Man I love it when she calls me that. "I know, kitten, it's just…" It was just I wanted to protect her and all my friends and I didn't know how to do that here.

"Awww." She stood and came around behind me to wrap me in a hug and kiss my neck. "Everything will turn out okay, Zell. It almost always does when you're involved."

Seifer woulda laughed his ass off at that.

I smirked and drew her around to sit on my lap, pulling her close. Booya!! "Thanks, Sally. It's nice to hear that every once in awhile." Who knew? "Sometimes I forget I'm not the Garden screw-up anymore."

She released a deep sigh that gave me the shivers. "You've never been the 'screw-up'," she whispered. "That's why I know it'll be okay."

I held her closer, not really ready for what those words did to me on the inside. They actually choked me up. At least a little. I mean… Man. I just didn't get how to take someone like Sally. I mean, she couldn't be real.

Could she?

Sally snuggled against me and said, "I like it like this. Let's just stay like this for a bit."

Stroking her hair, I closed my eyes and admitted to myself that staying 'just like this' was pretty damn great. "Okay."

Nothing else? No expectations? Just like before? Yeah. It was definitely awesome. Especially for a hyper-active spazoid like me who wasn't happy unless he was busy all the time. But spending more and more time with Sally these last few months had made me start to… stop and just listen, I guess. Chill. Take it easy. Relax. Something like that. Sure I'd been laid back before, but this was a different kind. One I don't think I could really explain right. At least, not and make sense to anyone but me.

I guess the best way to explain it would be: No pressure.

Sally was my 'safe zone'.

I know I'd said it before, but holy Hyne, it rocked on so many different levels.

Sally and I musta been in that chair at the table for at least an hour. My butt had fallen asleep 20 minutes before, but I didn't care. I had my wife in my lap. I had a wife in my lap. There was no way I was going to make her stand up so that I could get feeling in my butt. My butt could fall off for all I cared!

But, of course, when I knew Sally had fallen asleep – she mumbled that 'lova smotha honey' thing again! – that was when the security phone rang. I swore, did my best to grab up the phone from the table without jostling Sally awake, and then hissed "Yeah?"

It was the doc.

"Hey, doc," I whispered. Sally snuggled and mumbled before giving a happy coo and then going back to wherever she was. I smirked, kissed her forehead, and then focused back on the conversation. "This isn't the best time. Sally's asleep."

"Ah. Well, I won't take up much of your time, then. The purpose of my call was to let you know I've postponed those few meetings with the Foundation until later tomorrow. I don't believe it would be wise to put off installing the tracking system for much longer. Not considering the possible dangers."

I looked to Sally as she slept, her peaceful expression being both good and bad. You've got to protect her, Dincht. Damn straight. "Okay, doc. Sure. I'll anchor it here and let her folks know that we'll be in tomorrow instead." There was no way I was going to let some terrorist radicals or Purist jerk-offs make her life miserable. "How soon can you get here?"

"No more than 15 minutes. Is that too soon?"

"Nah. Don't sweat it. Come ahead. We'll be ready for ya."

"Very good. We'll see you then."

I clicked off the phone and set it aside, carefully standing with Sally still in my arms and cuddled against my chest. She murmured "smotha lova," giggled, and then adjusted herself against me while nuzzling her nose against my neck. Between sparks, withheld laughter, and suddenly not being able to see where I was going, I somehow got down to the master cabin without killing us both.

Once I'd gotten her onto the bed without waking her, she sighed "Zelly bunny," and then tightly hugged her pillow as she giggled. I shook my head before kissing her hair, she always smelled like vanilla now, and then closed the door behind me. "Dincht… the hell?" I had no idea, but then again, this was the first time I'd been with her this long at a stretch. How was I to know she talked in her sleep? It's kinda hot. Especially since she was talking about me. I chuckled, once more shaking my head as I made my way on deck.

The doc showed up a few minutes later with his usual geekdom treasures (his computer and stuff). This time he looked less like a geek than before, wearing denim shorts and a t-shirt. He actually looked normal. Not that it mattered. It was just I knew Seifer woulda had a field day was all, when we finally reported all this crap, and the guy was a kick. He didn't need Seifer on him like a bad rash.

"Hey, doc. How's it goin?"

"Very well, thank you."

I accepted his computer bag, the big one, as he climbed aboard. Then I gestured to the main helm. "We can set it up in there, I guess." I pointed to the cockpit above. "Unless that's okay? Sally would get a kick of that."

"We can install the main system in the weatherproof cabin and then run an alternate screen to the satellite tracking unit already install–"

"You just have to say yes, doc," I told him, laughing.

He slightly smiled. "So sorry. Yes."

I cuffed him on the arm. "S'okay, doc. S'okay."

Doc motioned to me. "Will Sally not be joining us?"

"She's sleeping." And boy did I wish I were there, but her protection came first. "So let's get cracking. I wanna have this done before she wakes up."

"Certainly." He motioned ahead. "This is what we need to do…"

***

Zell and Dr. Tahlson working on the Esper magicite tracking system woke me eventually. Unfortunately, I couldn't make myself go on deck to help. Why? I was busy staring at a small lingerie box I had pulled from a hidden place in my dresser. My cheeks flushed crimson, fingers shaking so bad I could barely nibble my fingernail without risking biting my finger off. Then I cleared my throat, twitched when I heard Zell laugh above, and hesitantly opened the box. A pale-pink, one-piece satin teddy that Ahndra had given at my bachelorette party.

Don't even ask what Janine had bought me.

You can do this, Sally. There's nothing to it. Just don't think. That's all. Shut your brain off. You can do that now. Worrying my lower lip, I glanced to the closet where Zell had stuffed the bag of bikinis. If I was going to wear those, this was the next step. They covered more. But… But they're for… well… you know what they're for, Sally! I gave my braid a tug and then a second one.

I knew exactly what they were for.

Sally, it was hard enough for Zell last night, remember? How can you do this to him? But how could I get used to the idea of being intimate with my husband if I didn't face the possibility. I didn't want to be scared of it anymore.

I bit my lip once more before stripping out of my swimsuit and changing into the teddy. Then I stood in the bathroom, red all over, and just stared at myself in the mirror. I'd never seen myself with eyes as big, or cheeks as red as they were now. I gave my braid another tug, with both hands clasping the end, before forcing myself to exit the bathroom and then climb up onto the bed. I heard Zell and the doctor talking, Zell getting last minute directions on how it all worked, and then Zell was saying "See ya later, doc. We'll call ya if anything funky starts up."

My heart was pounding so hard and so fast as I positioned myself between the pillows that I thought I was going to pass out. My ears and face burned so hot that I thought I would melt, and my breathing sounded so loud I was certain I'd wake the dead. You can do this, Sally. You can. I nodded, gripping the pillow cases on each side of me as my wide eyes focused on the door of the cabin when I heard Zell's footsteps loping down the stairs as he whistled some tune I'd heard him whistle before.

It was a jazzy version of 'Eyes on Me.'

Zell quietly opened the door, peeking his head around the door– and then giving a blink of surprise when his blue eyes focused on me. He suddenly straightened, shocked, before he grinned and exulted "Pink teddy!" Then he rushed forward, scrambling up onto the bed with such a silly expression that I couldn't help but giggle. Especially when his foot caught in the covers and caused a 'trip' of sorts that sent him sprawling into my arms and sent me back deeper into the pillows.

I squealed and laughed "Zell, be careful!"

Zell chuckled, the sound reverberating through me as he struggled to disentangle limbs from covers and sheets. Finally, he pushed himself up and moved back, sitting cross-legged as he drew me up to sit the same across from him. He continued to hold my hands. "Hi, beach bunny."

"Hi."

"You're in my favorite color," he observed, still grinning.

I softly giggled. "I know." My cheeks burned his favorite color, too.

His adorable grin softened to a boyish smile. "What do you wanna do?"

Shaking my head with ears burning, heart pounding, and smile permanently tilting my lips upward, I softly confessed, "I don't know."

"Wanna make out?"

I softly giggled and wrinkled my nose at him.

Zell wiggled his eyebrows at me, saying "Let's wrestle," in a dangerously boyish tone just before he dove forward, arms extended.

I squealed and gave him a push, rolling and trying to scramble away. He caught my ankle, eliciting another squeal and a giggle, and pulled me toward him. "Gotcha!"

"Nuh-uh!" and I sat upward as fast as I could, using the inertia and my body weight to make him lose his balance and topple backward… There I sat, on his stomach, grinning down at him as he grinned at me with my hands on his chest and his on my waist. "I won." Finally.

He wiggled his eyebrows at me and prompted "Who says?" just before he flipped me onto my back, my feet going into the air as I squealed and laughed.

But we were both too good at using our body and inertia and things like that to have it be a simple game, and that was the best part. Rolling around on the bed, tussling and laughing and wrestling… The touch was an intimacy of a different kind, and so much deeper in meaning than our shared workout sessions because of where our relationship was.

We were married.

Sheets and bedclothes, pillows and comforters littered the floor of the master cabin around the bed by the time we'd worn ourselves out to just lay sprawled at a somewhat odd diagonal, Zell on his back and me lying on top of him where I'd collapsed with a giggle and a deep sigh. We were sweaty and sticky and completely exhausted, our muscles burning and our heart-rate beating in-time as we laid there together, my arms around him and his around me. Simply enjoying each other.

It was awesome.

Zell kissed my hair as his hand continued to softly stroke the small of my back and the upper part of my backside with a soothing that worked its way down past the shyness and the fear to the wife and lover I so wanted to be. I'm trying, Zell. I really am. He was being more than patient.

"You smell nice," he said quietly, breath tickling my ear.

I pressed my lips against a sweaty shoulder. "So do you." I heard him yawn and snuggled as his action drew a yawn from me. "I'm sleepy."

"Me, too," he said through another yawn. "I'm gonna take a nap. You stay there."

"Okay…" I sighed, smiling as sleep beckoned me to share pleasant dreams and futures.