A/N: Thank you everyone for all the new reviews and followers! Greatly appreciated, really! xoxoxoxox
Rinoa hopped off the center island and shimmied her panties back up the length of her legs until they were back into place. She caught Squall watching her and once she had herself adjusted she sent him a playful grin and flipped her hair over her shoulder. Her fingers ran over her throat and she paused at the feel of the raised flesh. She paused and let out a sigh, apparently Squall's stubble had irritated her skin.
"Everything ok?"
Rinoa nodded and headed towards the bathroom. "Your scruff," she called out. As she turned on the light she peered into the mirror. Her neck was red where his chin had rasped against her. And then, on her collarbone…
"A hickey!" she shrieked.
When Squall appeared in the doorway, his steely eyes glinting with pride-filled mischief, his mouth upturned into a smirk and he gazed at her reflection.
She glared at him in the mirror and curled her lips into a snarl. Her eyes narrowed and even though she produced a very stern face, she couldn't help but laugh on the inside. "You dick."
Squall then let out a quiet chuckle. "Once your skin calms down it will fade," he said, walking past her to turn on the shower. As the water sprayed from its nozzle, Squall glanced at Rinoa over his shoulder. "Were you going to join me?"
Rinoa responded by only sticking out her tongue. "Nah, I've already showered today. I'm gonna go clean up the kitchen." Before he could protest she swiftly exited, closing the bathroom door behind her.
As she placed all the soiled dishes in the sink and scooped all the remnants of trash into the garbage, Rinoa pulled her phone from her purse. She'd missed a text from Selphie.
S.T: Hey! So Absolute Lore goes on at 8:15ish…did you want to drive together?
R.H: I'll probably have to leave after their set =/ I've got a maternity shoot in the morning.
S.T: Bummer! Well I'll see you there! You're going to make it to their show tomorrow night in Winhill right?
R.H: Yes!
Rinoa tucked the phone away and lifted her head when she heard the door close. But…Squall was still in the shower…she could still hear the water running. A tiny breath escaped her when a face she didn't immediately recongnize came from around the corner.
The woman was tall, her brown hair tied back into a bun and her dark eyes bulged in surprise when they landed upon Rinoa. "Oh—! Holy shit…" The woman gasped and placed a hand upon her chest as she steadied her breathing. "Sorry, I didn't realize someone else was here." She tossed the few envelopes she'd had beneath her arm onto the kitchen counter.
It took Rinoa a moment, but suddenly she was filled with recognition. "Oh…you're—you're Squall's sister?"
The woman nodded, chuckling to herself as she set more items onto the counter. "That would be me! I'm Ellone."
"Rinoa. Um, he's in the shower…" Rinoa said lamely, her cheeks suddenly growing warm at the sudden awkward air that surrounded her. Was her skin still flushed with that just fucked glow? Was the air still thick with the scent of sex?
"Yes, I heard the water going as I came in." She looked directly at Rinoa and her mouth dropped open a little. "Oh! You…you were at the hospital!" She squeezed her eyes and tapped her fingernails along the counter as she thought. "Yes…you were seeing…your father!" She opened her eyes. "Is he alright?"
Rinoa smiled and nodded. "Yes, he's doing much better, thank you."
Squall came around the corner, his hair still dripping wet as he slicked it back. His eyes crossed over Rinoa for a moment before adjusting his shirt and slinging an arm around Ellone's shoulders. "Thought I heard voices," he said, giving a quick kiss to her forehead. "I see you've met Rinoa."
"We've met before," Ellone said, tilting her head to give his cheek a nudge.
"Oh yes," Squall murmured. "In the elevator, Rinoa told me." He moved away and poured another cup of coffee.
"Are you coming to Squall's show tonight?" Rinoa asked.
Ellone gave her a smile but shook his head. "Afraid not," she said. "I'm actually on my way into work right now."
"Another eighteen hour?"
She shrugged her shoulders and made a vague gesture with her hands. "Theoretically," she groaned.
"How's Kadowaki doing?" Squall poured creamer into the mug, stirred, and then placed it into Rinoa's hands. "Coffee?" he asked Ellone.
"No thanks, it's my turn to pick up the staff coffee. Kadowaki's good, she managed to hire on a new physical therapist in your place…this guy's only part time though." Ellone fussed with her hair and cleared her throat. "Lee…hasn't been in."
Squall only took a breath as he listened. "Is that right?"
"Well…he's still seeing his therapist, but…he says that he will only work with you and that I should let him know when you're back at the hospital."
"I see. I'll have to give him a call, see if he wants to come to the show."
Ellone nodded, her eyes crinkling as she grinned at her brother. She opened her mouth as if to say something else, but paused when her eyes crossed over Rinoa again. Instead she smiled again, subdued, almost as if she was trying to hold in a laugh. "Well, I should get going. I hope you have a great show! Give me a call before you leave again." She leaned in and gave him a quick smooch to the cheek. "It was lovely to meet you, Rinoa, I hope to see you again soon!" Ellone called, giving her a wave before turning down the hallway. "Squall, walk me out."
"It was nice to meet you too," Rinoa said brightly.
As Squall opened the door for her, Ellone gave him a teasing pinch to his shoulder. "I knew it was a woman," she said softly. "I knew it."
He didn't say anything, only ushered her out the door and followed behind. "Whatever."
Ellone bit back a squeal and poked him in the ribs. "Your ears are red! That's your tell," she whispered excitedly. "You like this girl…don't you? Don't you!" When he didn't answer and only gave her a gentle shove, she danced a few steps. "Don't fuck this one up."
"What the—fuck this one up?"
"Baby brother," she cooed. "I know you have issues with commitment." She sighed and her face suddenly became crestfallen. "You've always hated the sense of 'belonging' to someone…"
Squall waved her words away. "I don't need a psychoanalysis right now."
Ellone ran her fingers over a wet strand of brown that hung over his eyes. "I know," she whispered. "I know. But…I saw the way you looked at her, saw the smile that lit you up from the inside."
"You saw our interaction for less than five minutes."
"Sometimes that's all it takes! Pardon moi for wanting my baby brother to be happy with someone. I thought perhaps that that person could be Kendra, once upon a time, but…clearly that was not meant to be."
Kendra…hell, he'd almost forgotten about her. He softly chuckled and tapped Ellone on the shoulder.
"When do I get to be an auntie?"
Squall's jaw nearly dropped to the floor.
"I'm kidding!"
Rinoa was responding to a text from her maternity shoot model when Squall came back in. She lifted up her gaze and sent him a grin when he rounded the corner.
"Who's that?" he asked. "Selphie?"
"No, it's Janine, my model tomorrow." Rinoa set the phone down. "We're going for a rock-a-billy theme. She's all tatted up, has sleeves with the most vibrant colors and she was asking about what kind of clothes she should wear that won't clash." Rinoa chuckled. "She told me about this black and white polka dot swimsuit she found in her mother's closet so I told her to see if it fits her and we'll do a little rock-a-billy at the beach."
Squall came around the center island and hopped up onto the couter, extending his legs so they wrapped around her and brought her in closer. "You like doing maternity shoots, don't you?" he asked, thinking back to the photograph she had shot of a woman wading in the ocean—one of the first images he had seen of hers.
"I do," she murmured, stepping in closer so that her arms slid around his neck. "Pregnant women are so beautiful, they are carrying this life inside them…they just glow with love." Rinoa stood on tiptoe and gently kissed his chin. "Your sister seems nice."
"She is. Can be a brat though."
Rinoa laughed. "I've always wondered what it would have been like to grow up with siblings."
"It's an experience." Squall sighed and leaned back so his palms lay flat atop the counter. "So, I take it you're driving separately since you have to work in the morning?"
"Yeah, I'm probably going to have to call it an early night and leave after your set is done."
"You going straight home?"
Rinoa shrugged. "Probably. I mean, I'll see the whole set tomorrow in Winhill…but I'm meeting Janine at the Balamb Pier over by 3rd Street. It's her favorite place, it's where her husband proposed to her and where she had her bridal shower."
"Hm." Squall released her from his legs and slid off the counter.
Rinoa glanced around while Squall shuffled through the drawers beside his bed. At the metallic jingling of keys she looked in his direction and saw him fussing with a keychain.
"Hang onto this for me," he said, placing his keys into her palm. "How about…after you leave the show you stay the night here? It's close to the freeway and then that way you won't have to get up as early since your apartment is a good twenty minutes at least from the closest onramp."
Rinoa felt her insides warm at the invitation. Her heart skipped a beat faster and she couldn't help but release a girlish giggle. "You want me to stay the night?"
"That I do."
"Then I will."
Squall looked at her with a glint in his eye that hinted at mischief. "Are you going to wear a skirt?"
Later that night
"Quistis!"
The blonde turned, her aquamarine eyes widening and her blood-red lips opening up into an ecstatic howl. "Rinoa! Ahhh!" She broke away from the small group she was conversing with and ran—impressively fast considering she was wearing tall heels—to the smaller girl and lifted her into the air. "I missed you!" she cried, giving her a firm squeeze.
"And I missed you!" Rinoa chuckled and ran her fingers over the blonde's hair. "Look at you! Look at this outfit!" She stepped back and waved her fingers in front of Quistis. She wore a white, lacey corset tunic that stopped just at her hips and the black capris clung to her like a second skin. "I love it! You look like a goddess straight out of a fairy tale."
Quistis spun around and flipped her long blonde hair over her shoulder. "Oh, why thank you! Zell actually picked out the blouse for me when we were in Trabia and went on a shopping spree."
"I know what looks good on a beautiful lady!" said Zell, wrapping his arm around Rinoa's shoulder. "Shame I can't figure out what looks good on me."
Selphie giggled and approached them, her arms possessively around Irvine's waist. "You win some, you lose some! Can't be perfect all the time, Zell." She beamed and scrunched her nose at Irvine when he nuzzled her hair.
"There's going to be an after party at the Deling Hotel where Djin Theory is staying at," Irvine said. "You're coming, right Rinoa?"
"Can't, got work early tomorrow. But if there's one after tomorrow's show then count me in!"
Zell howled and gave a few jabs into the air. "Fuck yeah! Drinking buddy?"
"You know it!" Rinoa raised her arms and shook her hips.
"Careful, don't shake those hips too much," Quistis warned. "Seifer might catch you on camera again." She sent a teasing wink and laughed at the blush that reached Rinoa's cheeks.
"Is he here?"
"Nah, last I heard he was in Fisherman's Horizon for a job," said Zell. "Your swaying hips are safe from peering eyes."
Irvine gave Rinoa a little nudge. "Well…safe from Seifer's peering eyes, anyway. Can't say much for Leonhart's…"
Squall came around Irvine's left and swiftly pinned the cowboy's arm behind his back. "What about Leonhart?" he asked. His eyes narrowed when Irvine only responded with a stammer. "That's what I thought."
"Thank you, thank you," Irvine said, taking a deep breath and then grinning widely with humble pride. "You guys…you are amazing. Thank you, thank you, you beautiful creatures." He held up a hand and waved it back towards the rest of the band. "Again, we are Absolute Lore and it has been an honor playing for you tonight. Here is our last song…"
The crowd exploded with vocal displeasure and Irvine couldn't stop smiling. He looked over to Quistis and Zell, who were both completely beaming. Quistis placed her fingers over her lips and blew the crowd kisses. Even Squall, his face mostly hidden behind the cymbals, was grinning wider than usual. Even though Rinoa was not "scheduled" to be their photographer for the night, she aimed her camera right at him and then back at the crowd who loudly articulated their love for the band.
"Now, now," Irvine said, holding up his hands to quiet the crowd. "One last song and then you get to hear an amazing band that we have had the pleasure of touring with. Djin Theory has been our friends for quite some time, and we are so glad to have reconnected with them and be on this tour with them especially since it brought us back to our wonderful hometown of Deling!"
Roars and applause ensued. Rinoa raised her arms and screamed enthusiastically.
Irvine nodded and continued. "Our next song is actually a brand new one. No one has heard it yet…" He glanced backwards. "So I hope we don't fuck it up! Lyrics are by our very own eloquent drummer, Squall Leonhart." When the crowd cheered Irvine clapped his hands. "Thank you, this is…Stars."
Rinoa tilted her head as the song started up. Irvine backed away from the mic for a bit while Zell strummed over the chords. A new song? Squall had made no mention about a new song to her, but then again they weren't really talking much about the band and were instead catching each other up about what had gone on in the last seven weeks.
"Do you wanna go to heaven tonight?/Leave the evidence far behind/Say alright, alright/Do you wanna be my lover tonight?/We can leave everybody else behind/Say alright, alright."
Rinoa watched as Irvine crooned into the mic, held the mic so tenderly close to his lips as he belted out the beautiful words…words that Squall wrote. Rinoa didn't know that he wrote lyrics as well.
"Do you wanna see heaven tonight?/Underneath those lights you will look so beautiful/Do you wanna see the stars before they fall/See the stars before they fall?"
Rinoa lowered the camera and found herself immediately searching for Squall's face. She didn't want to be presumptuous, but she couldn't help but be brought back to the night before he left to go on tour. Her teeth caught her bottom lip as she remembered looking up at the stars while lying next to him in the car. Her cheeks warmed at the memory of when they both watched a falling star blaze across the sky…while he was still inside her.
"Do you wanna be my love tonight?/And for all my life it could be so wonderful/Do you wanna see the stars before they fall/See the stars before they fall?"
Zell strummed his guitar, arched his back and let the music consume him. Quistis stood before him, leaning towards him and licking her lips as each pluck vibrated against her pelvis.
"Maybe we should just run away/Never look back 'cause the world decay/Say alright, alright." Irvine madly shook his long hair and crouched down to point at the faceless crowd. "Nothing matters ever since the day you put a pin in my heart like a hand grenade/Say alright, alright." He shot up to his feet and raised a fist into the air. "Do you wanna see heaven tonight?/Underneath those lights you will look so beautiful/Do you wanna see the stars before they fall?/See the stars before they fall?"
Squall's beats violently filled the room, shook everyone to bear witness to the point where they could feel it within their bones.
"Do you wanna be my love tonight?/And for all my life it could be so wonderful/Do you wanna see the stars before they fall? See the stars before they fall…" Irvine, with his eyes closed, shouted the words at the top of his lungs, let the tunes carry out and snake their way through the crowd. "Fall out of the atmosphere/Let's run…Run until we disappear/And never let them come and catch us/Never let them take away our stars!"
Zell whipped forward to the head of the stage while Irvine fluidly fell back and bang his head to the beat in front of Squall's kit. Zell's fingers easily danced over his strings for his solo, the beautiful twangs meticulously vibrating from each chord. He bared his teeth and bobbed his head, screaming to himself as he felt the music pour from him and he thrust his hips forward toward the crowd, earning sharp squeals from those in the front row.
As he flung through the last strum, he sent the crowd a heated wink and stepped aside for Irvine. "Do you wanna see heaven tonight?/Underneath those lights you will look so beautiful/Do you want to see the stars before they fall?/See the stars before they fall?/Do you wanna be my love tonight?/And for all my life it could be so wonderful/Do you wanna see the stars before they fall?/See the stars before they fall?"
As Irvine repeated the last lines, Quistis leaned close to his mic and vocalized with him, her voice so much softer and honey-like in comparison to his gritty snarls.
The set ended with a quick chord manipulation from Zell and a final crash from Squall and Rinoa clapped her hands so hard and fast that her palms stung. Her blood was singing and she could feel her heart thunder and swell beneath her chest. Was the song about her? Should she ask him? No…she'll wait until he says something first. If anything, she decided that she should tell him it was a great song and that he should write more. As she turned away from the stage she found a familiar face.
"Hey!"
The brunette turned away from the younger girl beside her and her blue eyes widened in recognition and that beautiful smile spread across her face. "Hey! Rinoa, right?"
"Yeah! How are you?"
Kendra shrugged and put her arm around the young girl, probably no older than thirteen, and giggled. "My baby sister asked me to take her to see her favorite band so how could I possibly tell her no?"
The young girl was almost a perfect replica of Kendra. She had the same bright and sparkling blue eyes, the same sharp chin, and a perfectly shaped mouth that would most likely have the same form of the megawatt smile (instead her smile was subdued and shy). The main difference besides age and height was that the young girl's hair was cut short and cropped close in a very adorable and stylish faux-hawk.
"Big fan huh?" Rinoa asked.
"I love them," said the young girl, bashfully lifting up her shoulders as she tried to step behind Kendra.
"Rae, this is Rinoa, she is Absolute Lore's photographer. She took those amazing band photos you were looking at the other day."
Rae's eyes widened in adoration and her lips cut into a starry smile. "That was you? You are so talented! Those shots of Quistis—she's my hero! I asked our dad if I could get a bass for my birthday."
"I'm sure she'd love to hear that!" Rinoa squealed. "And thank you! I love taking pictures of them, they have so much chemistry with each other everything just flows so naturally between them."
"I had no idea they were touring already but Rae has been following their movements and saw that they were playing here tonight. Luckily it wasn't sold out yet when I bought the tickets the other night," Kendra grinned.
Squall had mentioned that the show was added in last minute—as in a few weeks ago, normally a venue and band would need much more notice. Rinoa smiled warmly to the younger girl. Then she noticed the shirt she was wearing. It was one of their older designs, Rinoa only knew that because Quistis had been wearing the same one when they had gone to the gym before she left.
"I like your shirt!" Rinoa raised up her camera and suddenly a thought struck her. "You know, I think Absolute Lore should have an album on their page filled with their loyal fans. May I?"
Rae's eyes sparkled and she turned to her sister who was scrunching up her nose in laughter. "Really?" Rae asked, her voice pitching higher with her evident excitement. "Oh, wow—ok!"
Rinoa gestured from Kendra to Rae. "Would you like to be in the shot?"
Kendra laughed but shook her head and stepped behind Rinoa. "Oh, no thank you," she said. "No, this is all about her!"
"Ok!" Rinoa turned the camera to Rae and giggled as the girl was clearly over the moon with exhilaration. When the younger girl asked what she should do, Rinoa just shrugged her shoulders. "Whatever you want!"
Rae put on a tough face and raised her hands in the shape of horns. After two shots the face broke out into laughter and Rinoa kept shooting. Rae threw her arms high over her head and jumped in the air.
After a few more shots, Rinoa lowered her camera. "Great! I'm sure they're going to love this," she said.
Rae clapped her hands, her face flushed and her breath heavy from her energetic movements. "Can I go to the merch booth?" she asked Kendra.
"Sure, just come right back here afterwards," Kendra responded and the younger girl practically skipped her way through the crowd. Kendra just shook her head and chuckled. "Sisters," she said. "Do you have any?"
"No, only child."
Kendra nodded. "I was for the longest time."
Rinoa glanced over to where the younger girl was standing in line for the merch booth. "I see that," she commented. "That's quite an age gap. Second marriage?"
"Oh, no, we have the same parents." Kendra smiled at the confusion set on Rinoa's face. "Our parents had me when they were really young. They split up when I was a baby and my dad actually moved to a completely different country for work so I didn't see him much. He would send letters and we would talk on the phone…but that was it for a while. Then when I was twelve my dad moved back here to Deling to be closer to family and he and my mom reconnected and then…" Kendra gestured towards Rae. "Bam. Love found a way."
Rinoa's heart swelled at the story. It was so sweet and it made her almost squeal out loud. "Wow," she gasped. "What a story!"
Kendra nodded. "I know right? To me that's my favorite love story…sometimes when people meet it isn't the right time and then when they meet up again later in life it is the right time and then the love story that they were supposed to have can now come true!"
Rinoa smiled as she thought about what Kendra had said. "True, but I think all love stories are my favorite, especially when the two people are happiest when with each other."
"Oh, so true," Kendra whispered. She glanced behind Rinoa and her eyes widened. "Uh oh, Rae's motioning for me to come over. I think she found something she wants and needs some help from my wallet." She turned back to Rinoa and gave her a quick hug. "It was good seeing you! Thanks again for taking those pictures of Rae, I'm sure you just made her night even more spectacular."
"Anytime!"
When Kendra pulled away, she moved her hair behind her back, exposing the ink that dotted across her collarbone.
Rinoa's eyes zeroed in on the shooting stars that blazed over Kendra's fair skin and for some reason she felt a slight pang in her gut. "I…I like your tattoo," she said almost shakily.
"Oh, thanks! I love shooting stars. I used to go out stargazing all the time…with um…someone." She waved to Rinoa one last time and hurried off towards her sister.
"Stars" music and lyrics by Sixx AM
