It's ok to be us ch2
Money
It had been four weeks since Squall had first had the sensation for waking up next to someone. Although he wouldn't admit it to anyone but her, he rather enjoyed the feeling. It must be calming on some subconscious level, because he certainly couldn't rationalize why he felt that way. Regardless, Rinoa had spent the night several times since, and the conversation about moving in together had begun. Sure, they had only been officially dating for a few weeks, but after all they had been through together, it wasn't as farfetched as it sounded. Was he ready to live with her? No. But he was ready to talk about it and plan.
It was because of that thought, that he decided to let her into his life, little by little, just to see how things went. He had taught her to fly the Ragnarok and given her unlimited access to it, as long as she told him when she needed it.
"At least she's a better pilot than Selphie" Squall chuckled, voicing this last thought aloud.
The sound of his own voice breaking the silence snapped him out of his thoughts. Damn it. He was supposed to be working. He checked the time, one o'clock, and then instantly checked the security monitor. Sure enough, she was heading for the elevator to come meet him for lunch, as had become their daily ritual. But today was different. He had things to discuss with her. He entered the elevator and headed for the first floor.
She jumped back, startled to find him on the elevator, but stepped forward to give him a hug.
"Hey there handsome." she whispered in his ear, and stepped back. She must have known it still made him feel weird to show affection in public.
"I thought we might take the Ragnarok into Esthar for lunch today. "
"Wow, sure. That sounds great. What's the occasion?" she asked, perplexed.
"Just wanted to talk, figured a change of scenery would be good."
Squall saw that Rinoa had a slightly worried expression.
"No, nothing like that. It's a good thing. I promise."
And with that, they made their way towards the ship.
When they arrived, they headed straight for the cockpit. Rinoa was about to head for her usual seat in the copilot's chair, but Squall indicated that she should be the one to fly. She smiled at him, and sat down.
"Systems check:" Rinoa said, following the protocol Squall had taught her. Squall knew this ship was fine, he checked it himself every day. But he insisted she go through preflight checks every time. He smiled to see her doing so.
"Ignition off, master power on." Rinoa said flipping a switch on front of her. The cockpit lit up around her, and their touch screen displays were now active.
"Fuel?" she asked him.
"Eighty five percent" he replied. He smiled, remembering how she used to fumble over the next section.
"Navigation online, autopilot engaged, radar online, satellite uplink complete, communications up and running, main engines, thrusters, and stabilizers ready, disengaging landing gear, setting coordinates, can I assume you have done a visual inspection of the exterior in the last twelve hours?"
Squall laughed. "Yes you may. I think we're ready to go, Captain Heartilly."
She looked at him smiling. He could tell she had been practicing. He was proud of her. She was showing him exactly what he needed to see. That she could be counted on, depended on. That she was responsible.
"Captain Heartilly? I kinda like that! Buckle your seatbelt Commander. We have ignition" she flipped a switch, "and liftoff!"
The Ragnarok lifted off the landing pad gently, and then lurched forward into the sky.
Inside, Squall undid his seatbelt and walked up behind Rinoa. She spun around in her seat to face him.
"You know, I'd get yelled at for doing that." she said playfully.
"Good thing that it's me this time, I guess."
Rinoa pulled his collar until he bowed his head close enough for a kiss. She pulled away, eyes closed, still smiling, and then spun around to face the control panel once more.
"Rin, I, uh, just wanted to say that I'm proud of you. Esthar gave this ship to me after we returned from time compression, but really, we found it together, it belongs to both of us. It's special to both of us, and I'm... thrilled to see the work you put into knowing how to operate and maintain it correctly. I, um, whatever. That's all."
"No it isn't. What else did you want to say?"
"I trust you with this ship. And if I can do that, then I can trust you with anything else in my life. Like, what's mine... is yours."
He fumbled over the words, but Squall saw Rinoa smile with tears shining in her chocolate brown eyes.
"That means a lot to me Squall. Thank you-"
Before Rinoa could say anything else, the autopilot informed them that they'd be landing shortly in Esthar. Squall took his seat, and prepared for the landing procedures.
They landed the ship, boarded a hover lift, and got a table in Squalls favorite restaurant. It was a quiet little place, tucked away in the business district. Most people would walk right by it, and that was why Squall liked it.
They ordered lunch, and their Waiter brought it to them in what seemed like no time at all.
"So, you said you wanted to talk to me about something?" Rinoa asked him, as they began their lunch.
Squall hesitated. He wasn't quite sure how to begin this conversation. So he started with a simple question that he already knew the answer to.
"What do you think about living at Garden? Do you like it?"
"Oh, yes I do, very much. I love being with all my friends, especially getting to see you every day, but-"
"But what?" Squall asked her, pretty sure he knew the answer to this question too.
"Honestly, it's been a little, well, I don't know,"
"Boring?"
"I wasn't going to put it quite like that." she said. "But yes. I feel like I don't really have a purpose around here. I hate to feel like a nuisance to anyone. And I keep thinking about Timber. And how maybe I could do more good there. I am also running out of money, so unless I go back to my father to ask for some, I don't know how much longer I'd be able to stay at Garden from a practical standpoint. That doesn't mean I want anything to change between us, but I'm in a difficult position you know?"
Squall smiled. For once he had read her perfectly.
"I know what you mean, and may have a solution. You say you think about Timber a lot. Well Esthar has contacted me about your contract with us, and has agreed to fund the mission. Laguna can't be seen by the world to show any direct aggression against Galbadia, but it's politically advantageous to Esthar for Timber to be free of Galbadian rule. Everyone knows about our actions in Timber, and that Balamb has taken a contract with the Forest Owls, and the Timber resistance in general. Laguna proposed that we carry out our mission with his support and funding, but without revealing his identity."
"What? That's wonderful! Squall do you know what this means? Timber will finally have the chance to live under their government, elect their own leaders, and take a seat on the world council. We have to go talk to your father! This is such good news! So we get ready for battle and go for it right?" Rinoa said excitedly.
"Almost. SeeD are the best trained soldiers in the world-" Squall couldn't hide the pride in his voice at that statement, "-but we are still months away from that. There is a lot of planning that needs to be done first, and as our primary client, you will have a large part in that. But mainly, we simply don't have the manpower. As of today, we only have ninety four SeeDs ready for active duty. We need to get that number up at least five fold, preferably tenfold, before we are ready. Watts and Zone have been contacted, and they can gather in the neighborhood of three hundred resistance members. Plus once we win the battle, and drive Galbadia out of Timber territory, we still need to maintain a presence there while we help with training a military and establishing a temporary government." Squall said, nibbling on a French fry.
"Sorry, I know it's a lot of work, I didn't mean to sound so anxious. War is dangerous, and I would hate for anyone to die just because we weren't prepared." Rinoa said, deflating slightly.
"Correct again. The burden of preparation falls on all of us. I have made all the others instructors, and we have increased enrollment significantly. Garden is being renovated to accommodate the increase of population, and everyone needs to play a part, you and I included. I will attempt to teach classes, and I would like you to do so as well. Magic based classes, to be specific, since you never need a draw point. If you agree, this semester I have you teaching combat magic, beginner through advanced, support magic, and status magic classes."
"Me? A teacher? I don't know if I could do that. I'm not even a SeeD." Rinoa said as she finished her sandwich.
"Ah, well there's that too. While it is true that a non-SeeD can't be an instructor, I have talked to Cid about this and discovered a loophole. It seems we can bring you on as a non-paid 'guest instructor' for as long as we like. No guest instructor has ever taught for more than one or two lessons, but I would like for you to teach for the immediate long term, at least until the mission in Timber is complete." Squall said to her.
"Anything I can do to help," Rinoa said apprehensively. Squall answered her concern before she could voice it.
"Don't worry. Just because Garden can't legally pay you doesn't mean you won't be compensated for your work. Although all of us have taken pay cuts to compensate for Garden's increased expenses, I am still the highest paid member of the SeeD staff. And like I said on the Ragnarok, what's mine, is yours."
Squall took an envelope out of his jacket and slid it toward her. He watched as Rinoa opened it and stared, shocked, at its contents. She pulled out the bank statement and credit card, and saw her name was on it.
"Squall, is this what I think it is?"
"Yes, I had my account switched to a joint account. This gives you full access to my savings, as well as each paycheck, as it comes in. While we can't really afford to be lavish, we are certainly well enough off to get anything you need, or want. Within reason of course."
"Squall, I can't just take your money-"
He cut her off again.
"You can and you will, I need your help. I can't do this without you." Squall said, meaning so much more with his words than what was on the surface. "So go ahead and pay for lunch." he said with a smirk as the waiter brought their check.
Rinoa laughed and handed over her new card. When she had signed the receipt, they left and boarded the lift back to the Ragnarok.
When they boarded the airship, Squall sat at the controls, and began preparations for takeoff. As the ship rose into the air, Rinoa caught his eye.
"I have the best boyfriend any girl could ever ask for." she said. "In one fell swoop, you have given me financial security, trust, purpose, and the ability to fulfill a goal I've been working toward for years. I know I'm not supposed to be saying this a lot, but I love you Squall. I truly, passionately love you with everything I am or ever will be. And I know how much you love me, I've seen the evidence with my own eyes, heard it with my own ears. You never have to tell me you love me Squall, because I already know."
Rinoa began to cry, and looked lovingly at him.
"You once told me it was okay to be us. Even though that means we're not like anyone else."
"It's more than ok to be us Squall; I wouldn't have it any other way." Rinoa replied.
"Good. Then I'm just gonna be myself, even though you're here."
Rinoa watched as he switched of the autopilot and took the controls into his hands.
"Sometimes, when I'm alone," he began, "I like to do this."
Rinoa screamed in delight as they shot straight up towards the sky, did a barrel roll, and plummeted straight back to the ground at amazing speed. At the last second Squall pulled out of the dive, and landed comfortably next to Balamb Garden.
They walked in together but eventually had to go their separate ways. She took his hand for just a moment and squeezed it in hers, then said goodbye. He turned to walk toward the elevator.
"Be at my place tonight at nine o'clock sharp so we can go over the syllabus. Classes start in a week." he called over his shoulder.
"What is the magic word?" Rinoa called after him.
"Please be there. You're kinda screwed if you don't." he said as the elevator doors closed, blocking her from his view.