A/N: TBIWM has reached over 7,100 views. I am in awe. Hello readers! I hope you're enjoying the story. Again, thank you all for the reviews, I really do appreciate them! =)

xoxoxox


Rinoa arched a brow as Selphie wobbled over to her. "Are you ok?" she laughed, reaching for her.

Selphie nodded and offered a beaming grin. "Yes! Zell says it's time for shots!"

"Shots!" came a roar, and soon Zell was leaping over to the two girls with a bottle of Jameson in his arms. "Come on, drinking buddy," he said to Rinoa, nudging her with an elbow. "You said you'd take shots, don't back out now. Squall, bring me those shooters."

"Never did I say I was backing out!" Rinoa argued, taking the shot glass Squall was handing her. "Now shut up and start pouring."

"Yes Ma'am!" Zell said, saluting her with two fingers. "Irvine, get your bitch ass over here. Where's my girl?" He lifted his head and searched for the tall, leggy blonde. "Quistis!" he shouted. "Woman, get over and get drunk with me."

Quistis practically danced her way over. "Oh, shit, don't need to tell me twice!" She bounded over and gratefully accepted the shot glass from Squall. "You gonna pour that or what?" she quipped.

Zell exhaled an exasperated breath and clicked his teeth at her. "Just for that, I'm pouring yours last."

"Don't do that," Irvine grinned. "It's bad manners. The host always fills his cup last."

"But she's being mean!"

Rinoa quietly giggled and shook her head at the barking that ensued between the two men.

"Fuckin' shit, gimmie that." Squall snatched the bottle from Zell's grasp and quickly broke off the cap. "See what I have to deal with?" he muttered to Rinoa. "Nearly every night." He poured her shot first before attending to the rest of the crew and then filling his glass last.

"You love it, don't lie," she murmured to him, smiling fully when he responded with a heart melting grin.

Zell raised his shot glass in the air with a howl. "Here's to an amazing night spent with friends. To you, Rinoa, because of your taking over our webpage we are getting more hits than ever!"

Rinoa gushed and pressed her fingers to her cheek. "Oh…stop."

"No, seriously, Cid and Edea have been tracking the hits our webpage has been getting. It's still skyrocketing!" Quistis said. "You are just what we needed!"

"Well, here's to you guys for being my favorite subjects to shoot. I honestly have not had this much fun on a project before and I am so glad to have been accepted into your little band family!" She let out an excited scream as Zell wrapped an arm around her shoulders and brought her in for a strong side hug.

"Welcome to the family!" Irvine shouted.

"And here's to Quistis for releasing the singing siren that she has been been hiding all this time!" Selphie cried, causing the blonde to blush.

"To Squall, for writing Stars," Irvine said, sending a charming smirk. "Stars has been shooting its way up the list on Mecia's show. It released two nights ago and she texted me saying it's already in the top three!"

Rinoa stole a glance at Squall and bit down into her lower lip when she witnessed that a slight flush was creeping onto the apples of his cheeks. When she saw that his eyes were starting to move towards her, she flinched and aimed her attention back to her drink. "Yay!" she hollered, raising the shot glass to her lips.

"Oh shit—guess it's time to shoot!" Zell followed Rinoa's lead and they all threw back their heads to swallow the shots. He noisily smacked his tongue against the roof of his mouth. "Another!"


The party continued on, everyone was just still so pumped from the show that hardly anyone noticed that it was nearing two in the morning. Rinoa and Selphie were dancing in the middle of the room, laughing and giggling as if it were only them in the suite. Selphie twirled Rinoa in her arms and squealed with delight. "I'm so glad you were able to come to the party this time!" she said.

"Me too! This is so much fun!"

The party was not entirely what Rinoa had expected. Most of the time, when one would think about an after party consisting of rock stars, one would usually imagine booze, drugs, and partially naked women. Instead—even though booze was most definitely involved, heavily—most of the band members and even the tour staff were lounging around in front of the large television set playing Mario Kart.

"Fuck you and fuck your blue shell!" Fujin shrieked at Royce.

Rinoa clamped a hand over her mouth to stifle her laughter. She looked over to see Ward and a few members of Doomtrain in a very intense card game. Quistis and Zell were dancing together, this time an elaborate ballroom waltz that would have been most impressive if Quistis wasn't stumbling because of her drunken state. But every time it looked like she was going to fall flat on her face or back, Zell easily looped an arm around her waist and kept her upright.

Squall and Irvine appeared to be in a deep conversation on the couch, but every so often one of them would glance their way. Selphie stepped away from Rinoa and clapped her hands. "Whoo!" she exclaimed. "I need some water." She turned away and walked into the kitchen area of the suite and filled an empty glass from the tap. "Man, what a night!" she gasped after chugging down the water.

"Yes," Rinoa panted.

Selphie turned and placed her empty glass into the sink. She gasped and a small clattering could be heard when she bent forward. "Oh shit," she said. "One of my earrings fell!" She leaned in closer and quickly slapped her fingers over the little gold hoop before it could fall down the drain. After successfully pulling the earring from the sink, she raised her head, smacking it right into the overhead cupboard.

Rinoa's eyes widened and she quickly grasped Selphie around the shoulders to keep the stumbling brunette from falling backwards. "Selphie! Are you ok?"

Selphie made a pained noise and her eyes squinted, her lips turning into a scowl as the pain shot from the top of her head down towards the rest of her body. "Ow…fuuuuuck." She missed a step and her feet slipped underneath her.

Rinoa let out a yelp and went down with her to the ground. She managed to land on her knees, which were on either side of Selphie's torso, and kept her hands around the back of Selphie's head to act as a cushion. "Irvine!" Rinoa shouted.

Suddenly, Irvine was there and scooping Selphie into his arms. "Babe? Babe, what happened? You ok?"

Squall helped Rinoa to her feet and they all rushed Selphie to sit upon the center island counter. "She dropped her earring into the sink and when she lifted away she hit her head on the cupboard," Rinoa explained.

Irvine caressed Selphie's cheek and told her to open her eyes. "I think you'll be ok," he whispered, checking her pupils to make sure she wouldn't have a concussion. "How many fingers am I holding?" he asked, holding up three fingers, then changing it to two, then to four.

Selphie scowled and held up her middle finger. "How many am I?"

Irvine chuckled and gave her a swift kiss. "I think you'll live. Rinoa, keep her upright, I'll get her an ice pack."

Rinoa placed herself between Selphie's legs and gently brushed away the brown strands of hair that had fallen in front of her watering eyes. "You alright?" she asked softly.

Selphie gave a tiny nod. "Yeah, I don't think I hit it that hard…but owie."

"Here," Irvine said, handing Rinoa a cold ice pack.

"Thanks." She held it atop Selphie's head and smiled at her. "Did you manage to save your earring?"

"Um…I think I dropped it to the floor…"

"It's here," Squall said, scooping it up from the tile. He leaned in and attached it back into her lobe.

Selphie groaned and looked over to Irvine, who was massaging her palm. "I think it's time to get going," she said. "You have aspirin in your room, right?"

"I do. But I think we should wait until all the alcohol is out of your body before you take any." He scooted Rinoa out of the way and helped Selphie off the counter. "There's a vending machine just around the corner from our room, we'll get you some bottles of water." He took the ice pack from Rinoa and looped a protective arm around Selphie's waist. "Thanks," he said to Rinoa. With his pace slow and cautious, he exited the suite with Selphie in tow.

"Selphie ok?" Fujin asked, popping in the kitchen to grab a soda from the fridge.

"Yeah, she just bumped her head so Irvine's taking her back to our room," Squall told her.

Fujin nodded and went back to the group still huddled in front of the television.

Squall watched her leave and his eyes glanced over to where Zell and Quistis were taking a quick break from dancing, which consisted of them trying to toss grapes into each others' mouths. With his fingers lightly brushing over the curve of Rinoa's waist, he leaned in towards her ear, his breath still fragrant with whiskey. "Did you want to stay or…?"

Rinoa lifted her chin and gave him a slow and easy smile. "Nah, wanna get out of here?"

"Yeah. I'm getting tired."

"Alright." Rinoa reached for her purse and together they left, unnoticed by the inhabitants of Djin Theory's suite.


They reached Rinoa's room, which was a few floors below Squall's, and she slid her key card so they could enter. She instantly winced when he flipped on the light, illuminating the room and the mess she and the girls had left. Strewn along the beds were several outfits that she and Selphie had tried on before settling on the dresses they wore. Rinoa's makeup bag was open, the contents spilled along the dark green comforter in addition to several pairs of panties and a bra or two.

Every time she had entered Squall's apartment, it was completely spotless and pristine. His bed was always made, the sheets always expertly tucked in. She herself could only admit to actually making her bed when she washed her sheets. As a child, she always kept her room clean because her father would insist, but after living on her own for almost seven years…she found that as long as nothing was growing on her items, it was perfectly ok for things to be tossed here and there. Though, she had to admit, she was getting much better at it when it came to her own apartment. When it came to hotel rooms…that was another story.

"Um, sorry about the mess," she muttered, her fingers shyly brushing over her bottom lip.

"Couldn't decide what to wear?" he asked.

She wasn't going to tell him she ransacked her closet to find an outfit he hadn't yet seen her wear, wasn't going to tell him that while he waited outside her room so she could pack that she rummaged through her panty drawer to find a pair she thought he would like. "Maybe," she finally said.

Squall grinned and helped her clear off the beds. "Well, I must say that I definitely like what you ended up picking."

Rinoa blushed and plopped the clothes onto the loveseat that rested in the corner. "Thank you," she said. She rubbed her hands together and glanced towards the bathroom door. "I'm gonna go wash my hands."

Squall came up behind her as she stood at the sink, his fingers gathering up her hair into a rope and twisting it over her front. Now that her neck was exposed, he leaned in, his lips softly grazing over the sensitive nape.

She felt her entire body tighten, a strangled groan escaped from her and she watched him in the mirror as he carefully pressed her forward, his hips lining up behind her.

"You look beautiful," he murmured across her skin. She couldn't answer, could only moan quietly when he nipped his teeth at her earlobe. "I've been wanting you all day."

Rinoa surprised herself when she all but moaned, "Then take me."

He lifted his eyes so they met hers in the mirror. "Right here?" he whispered.

She pressed her lips together, rolled them between her teeth and nodded. "Yes."

His hands gripped her wrists, keeping them firmly planted atop the counter as he ground his hips into her. The sound of her moans, the sight of her teeth biting down into her lower lip, the erratic rise and fall of her breasts, they all ignited the fire within him and he placed heated kisses along the slope of her neck.

He pulled back a hand and slowly lifted up the hem of her dress, leaving streaks of goosebumps along the side of her thigh. His fingers pressed into her skin, traced over the lace border of her panties before slipping beneath the thin fabric to caress her. He made a groan that rocked her to the core. "You are always so wet," he panted, kissing the curved line of her jaw.

"Uh huh," she moaned, rolling her hips against him and squirming with delight as his fingers worked her.

He removed his fingers from her for a moment, long enough to push down her panties so they slithered down around her ankles.

She couldn't see, for her body was blocking his movements in the mirror, but the sound of the zipper lowering and the telltale noise of fabric falling made her shiver with need. She watched him in the mirror, watched as his lips trailed over the curve of her shoulder. Behind her he moved, his hands working to fix the condom, but his lips and his tongue never strayed from her skin.

As he slammed into her she automatically surged forward over the counter, wincing from the sharp pain she received from the counter hitting her pelvic bones. His arm came over her front, pulling her back up so she stood flush against his chest. His thumb and forefinger cupped her jaw, forcing her to look into the mirror while his other hand disappeared beneath her dress again. She whimpered and shut her eyes, letting herself drown in the pleasure he was giving her with his pounding thrusts and skillful fingers.

"No," he growled. "Keep your eyes open."

She did as he commanded, flushing when she saw that he was staring at her reflection. His eyes flared, the steely blue nearly overwhelmed with desire. Her mouth dropped open in a fractured moan, her body tingling as waves of heat rippled over her with each of his movements.

"See what I see," he whispered, his teeth nipping at her earlobe, tongue darting out to lick the shell.

"Ohmygod," she gasped. She watched herself come, watched her jaw drop open in a silent scream, watched her cheeks turn red as her heart raced. Then she saw him watching her and she nearly lost her footing.

After driving her to her peak, his hand left her and clutched into her ribs to keep her steady. He felt himself reaching his end, and he turned her jaw in his grasp so his lips could claim hers. He groaned into her mouth as he came, the fingers of his right hand digging into the crocheted material of her dress. "Fuck," he murmured, his heart thundering against the inked wings upon her back. Slowly he traced her mouth with the tip of his tongue, thrusting one last time and earning a sharp squeal from her.

Together they stood against the bathroom counter, tangled in each others' arms and panting as their bodies slowly calmed down. When Rinoa opened her eyes she found that Squall was gazing down at her, his fingers gently caressing her jaw.

"Oh god…" she whispered.

He responded with a half smile and gave her a quick peck to the forehead before pulling his length from her to dispose of the condom.

Rinoa turned around and leaned back against the counter, her palms gripping the edge as she watched him pull his boxers and pants back up into place. "Are…are you going to stay here tonight?" she softly asked. "I mean, since Selphie's in your room."

Squall shrugged. "I've already seen her in her panties, I've no intention of seeing her in anything less so…yeah, I could." When he glanced up to see Rinoa arching a questioning brow, he chuckled. "Oh, you haven't heard the interview we had with Mecia yet, have you?"

"No?"

Squall ran his fingers through his hair and crouched down to unlace his boots. "Basically I picked up Irvine's phone one night and she had just sent him a picture."

Rinoa laughed and could only imagine the face he had made when he saw what kind of picture Selphie had sent. "Ah…got it." She tilted her head and smiled when Squall then started to help her remove her shoes. Her body tingled and she bit her lower lip when he began to drag her panties back up the length of her legs. "I'm gonna change into my pajamas."

He nodded and tucked a strand of black hair behind her ear. "Ok." He leaned in and kissed her softly before making his way for the bed.


In bed, Squall lay on his back while Rinoa was half laying across his chest, her fingers softly grazing over the metal hoop that peeked through the black cotton tee. "You looked so bored when Djin Theory was playing," she said.

Squall shrugged, his fingers slowly coiling into Rinoa's hair. "We've played with them before, their set line up hasn't changed much. It's all background noise to me now."

Rinoa made a quick, amused noise in the throat and she raised her head to look at him fully. "Really? So, you don't even notice what they're saying or doing on stage?"

"No, I tend to zone out. Like I said, we've known them for years and they haven't really done anything new and exciting on stage—at least in my opinion anyway. I'm sure a lot of bands feel the same way about the bands they tour with."

"So…you didn't even notice that Fujin was pointing right at you and licking her lips and doing that 'come hither' finger curl?"

Squall's brows frowned and Rinoa could see the wheels turn in that head of his. "Uh…what?"

Rinoa smothered a laugh. Was he truly that oblivious? "Really? You didn't see?" When he shook his head at her, she poked him in the chest. "No wonder girls must have thought you were an asshole in highschool!"

"What?"

"They were probably throwing themselves at you and you didn't even notice! You were probably like, 'eh, whatever.'" Rinoa rolled her eyes and laughed to herself, she could only imagine all the baby hearts he had broken simply because he was too oblivious to notice what was going on in front of him.

Squall made a face that looked as if he were about to protest, but then his eyes shifted to the side as he thought. His mouth closed and he gave a slight tilt of his head and a shrug of his shoulders. "You're probably right."

Rinoa chuckled. "Yeah, no, Fujin was like practically eye-fucking you from the stage. You really didn't notice? She was looking right at you."

Squall only shrugged his shoulders. "Never noticed."

"So, does she hit on you a lot and you just don't notice?"

Squall lifted a brow as he watched Rinoa avert her gaze. "What, are you jealous?"

Rinoa ground her teeth. "You know…that's a really ugly word," she muttered, curling her lips into snarl as if she smelled something foul. She looked up at him and narrowed her eyes when she noticed his eyes were sparking tauntingly. "Are you…laughing at me?"

The spark disappeared and Squall's face was suddenly devoid of any emotion as he shook his head. "No, no never," he said. Then, slowly his lips curved into a full grin. "I just think it's cute."

"Cute?" Rinoa scoffed and rolled her eyes. "I am not trying to be cute. I'm just…greedy when it comes to guys I like." After the words tumbled out her eyes widened and she clamped her lips together. "I mean…shit."

It was then that Squall laughed—not at her, of course. He reached for her hands and softly ran his thumb over the quick little pulse in her wrist. "You may not be trying to be cute," he murmured, pulling her face closer to his. "But, dammit woman you sure are." He wrapped his hand around the back of her neck and leaned in.

Rinoa closed her eyes, breathing deep as she felt Squall's lips brush over her forehead. "I won't lie," she murmured. "I'm more so jealous that she'll get to spend nearly every day with you."

Squall sighed, his lips curving into a grin and he massaged his fingers into the back of her neck. "Yeah…I like spending most of my days with you."

Rinoa moved so her head lay across his chest, his slow and steady heartbeat drumming against her temple. "I miss hanging out with all of you guys…you, mostly," she added quietly.

"Me too." His arms came around her shoulders, one hand resting along the curve of her lower back. "I know it's not much, but I'll be with you the entire time before we leave tomorrow night."

"What time are you leaving?" she asked through a tiny yawn.

"Seven." He held her close, listened to her steady breathing and felt her heart softly beat against his. He thought to what Rinoa had asked, if Fujin had been hitting on him and he hadn't even noticed. Had she? He tried to think back to their instances together on tour and tried to see if there was anything over flirtatious. After a few minutes of silence he couldn't think of any. Even when they had their little 'fling,' the moment itself happened randomly.

It was after a gig they had played together over the holidays. Absolute Lore and Djin Theory were all at Zell's house, celebrating a successful show, and then some of the members loudly vocalized that they wanted milkshakes and fries but most were too drunk to drive. Since Squall and Fujin were the sober ones at the time, the duty of going on a food run fell upon their shoulders.

As Squall drove he and Fujin started talking about random shit, one of the topics included her reasoning behind her eyepatch. She confided in him that she started wearing it when she was in high school because she was beaten by one of her mom's boyfriends and it resulted in her losing her vision in her left eye. Since Squall had grown up in an abusive household before Ellone rescued him, he and Fujin had a moment. And while the paper bags they had picked up from the 24 hour drive-thru sat in the back of his Jeep, Squall pulled behind a home improvement store and Fujin was suddenly leaning over the center console with Squall's tongue in her mouth and her hands inside his pants.

Afterwards they laughed about it and they never spoke about it again. A few times she would send him a wink but it never went further than that. It was a one time thing and the topic of it never came up. Even being on tour together she never said or did anything that he found out of the ordinary, so when Rinoa mentioned Fujin's little flirty message he honestly found himself surprised.

Maybe I should pay more attention, he thought. He was able to concentrate and notice the littlest details while on the battlefield and from a quick, two minute session with a client he was able to deduce where the client's weakness was and where he or she needed to improve and was able to construct a detailed therapy plan, but when it came to women… Fuck, I'm just a dumbass.

"I see only you," he whispered to Rinoa. When she didn't respond he tilted his head to look down at her. She was already asleep.


Squall awoke to a bright light flashing across his eyelids. He frowned, opening his eyes slowly. He couldn't make out much since the room was still dark, but he saw a figure moving around the room using the light of a cell phone screen to guide her way. After a quick second he deduced that it was Quistis, aiming her phone towards the ground so she could see where she was going.

"What time is it?" he asked quietly so he wouldn't wake Rinoa. He had moved her so she was on her side, cradled close into his chest.

Quistis turned slightly but kept the screen aimed at the ground. "Almost five," she whispered. "Rinoa out?"

"Yeah."

"Selphie in your room?"

"She hit her head in the kitchen so Irvine took her to bed."

Quistis nodded and rummaged through her duffle bag. "I passed out on the floor and woke up about ten minutes ago. Zell's still there, probably drooling on the carpet. Sorry to wake you, go back to sleep." She found her pajamas and disappeared into the bathroom to change.


It was just after nine when Squall felt Rinoa stir. He lazily groaned and pulled her in tighter. She responded by curling her fingers into his shirt. Squall opened his eyes and the first thing he saw was Quistis in the other bed, her back turned towards them and one arm dangling over the edge of the mattress. Against his chest he felt Rinoa fidget and he pulled away so she had room to move.

"Morning," he said.

Rinoa slowly raised herself to her elbows and rubbed her eyes with the heel of her palm. When her eyes started to focus she gave him a slow and easy smile. "Morning." She groaned softly and sat up fully, stretching her neck side to side before turning and seeing Quistis in the bed. "When did she get in?"

Squall leaned over to the nightstand and picked up his phone. "Few hours ago." He sat up as well and rubbed the back of his neck. He grinned as he watched her stretch and run her hands over her hair, which was now a mass of tangles one received from sleeping. "Coffee?" he asked her.

"Mmm…yes please," she moaned, her voice still thick and rumbling from sleep.

Quistis groaned and slowly pushed herself up onto her elbows. "Someone say coffee?"

Squall nodded and slipped out of the covers. "Yes, I'll grab you some."

"Cool." Quistis yawned and daintily patted her mouth. "Meet us outside?" she requested quietly. "I want a cigarette."


Squall found them sitting on an iron bench just outside of the hotel. He handed Quistis her coffee and sat down to Rinoa's left before handing her her own cardboard cup. "Lighter," he said, holding his hand out.

Quistis reached over Rinoa and slapped it into his palm before greedily chugging at her cup. "Oh lordy…that's good. Thanks."

"Anytime." He lit his own cigarette and leaned back against the bench.

The three of them were quiet for a while, relaxing in the warm June sun that blazed overhead. Rinoa sat between them and basked in the soothing silence, her fingertips lightly drumming along the smooth surface of the paper coffee cup Squall had handed her. A moment ago her mind was racing with so many thoughts, so many questions she had for Squall that were left unanswered…but now her mind was blank, almost at ease. Even though she still wondered about the women that had been in his life, she couldn't help but feel comfortable exactly where she was. Their…relationship was still so new, still unsure, and still on uncharted territory due to his tour schedule.

Slowly she wet her lips with the tip of her tongue before bringing her coffee cup upwards. After last night's show he came to her. After the show in Deling he came to her. And after the tour was over he said he would come to her. He may not be hers in the 'official' sense, but in her mind he was making a quiet and unspoken statement that he desired to be. For the time being, that was enough.

Inwardly she smiled to herself. Even if it was not said verbally, the pull between them was vividly felt on both parties.

Rinoa turned to Quistis. "What do you have planned for the rest of the day?"

Quistis darted a glance to Squall before bringing her cigarette to her lips. "Probably laze around or go shopping with Zell. Squall, you should go see your mom."

He turned his head towards her, his eyes void of any response.

"You haven't been back in Winhill in at least two years, go say hi and bring her flowers." Quistis stubbed out her cigarette and stood to her feet, stretching her arms so high overhead that her shirt lifted and exposed the milky flesh of her stomach. "Rinoa, go with him." She trained her eyes back to Squall and gave a wicked smirk. "The last time I told him to bring a lady flowers he blatantly ignored me. So, I leave it up to you to make sure he actually does as he's told." She tossed away her empty cup. "I'm gonna shower, change, and get all my things into the van. I'll text Selphie to do the same since checkout is at twelve. See you guys in a bit!"

Rinoa circled her head back to Squall after Quistis disappeared. "You were supposed to bring flowers to someone?" she laughed.

Squall exhaled the tiniest chuckle and took a long drag from his cigarette. "She told me to bring you flowers when you were visiting your dad in the hospital."

Her mouth dropped open in a mock gasp as if she were offended. "And you didn't? Meanie."

"The flowers at LAMH are pitiful. You deserve better."

Rinoa blushed at his words. "Smooth," she said. "Real smooth." Her phone suddenly chirped for her attention and she slid her finger across the screen to read the text from Selphie.

S.T: Hey! Head's feeling much better. I just left our room with my bags and I'm gonna shower in Irvine's room. He said Zell is still passed out in Djin Theory's suite and that Squall is MIA but I have this little itch in the back of my skull that's telling me he is with you ;)

R.H: We're outside. I'm gonna head to the room and probably shower/change in a bit.

Squall stood to his feet and raked his fingers through his hair. "I'm gonna shower and pack my bags real quick. I'll meet you back at your room in like an hour?"

Rinoa nodded and stood up as well. "Yeah," she agreed. "Sounds good. See you in a bit."


When Squall came to her room Quistis had already vacated, but not before giving Rinoa a quick once over. "He's smitten," she had said, her tone overflowing with assurance. "Completely smitten."

Rinoa rolled her eyes but could not wipe away the giddy smile that was plastered on her lips. "Sure…sure," she had said back.

Quistis gripped Rinoa's biceps and gave her slight shake. "Girl." She gave Rinoa a look and stared deeply into her brown eyes. "Let me just say this…he likes to write—because, as I'm sure you've already noticed, he's not all that affluent in the vocal art—so even though it may not be him saying it…listen."

Rinoa opened the door and welcomed Squall in. "Almost done packing my bag and then we can move all my shit into my car. Then we can go do whatever you want."

"Well, here's one more item to pack," said Squall, handing her a small red gift bag.

"Hm?" She took the bag into her hands and stared at it. He bought her a gift? She felt her heart skip a beat as realization struck her. Squall bought her a gift. Squall. Gift. For her. "Um…?" she managed to utter out.

"You're supposed to open it," he said, his face completely still.

Rinoa nervously laughed and waved her hand at him. "Oh! I know that…I was just taken aback." She opened up the bag and fished through the white tissue paper before pulling out a ceramic mug. She blinked. The mug's handle was an intricately carved mermaid tail, looped around to make space for fingers. On the surface was a Sailor Jerry-like pinup mermaid with fiery red hair and a compass in her hands. "Oh…wow. It's so pretty!"

"You told me that you collect books and coffee mugs," he told her, his eyes traveling over her fingers as she cradled the mug. "I saw that at an amusement park back in Dollet and thought she looked like you."

Rinoa looked at the mermaid and frowned. "I don't have red hair."

With a quiet sigh, Squall took the mug and flipped it around in her hands. On the other side was another mermaid, this one with black hair that flared out behind her and a hand on her hip. Her brown eyes stared straight out towards the viewer and her lips were pursed in a smug grin. "Her," he said.

Rinoa chuckled and rose onto her toes to wrap her arms around Squall's neck. "Thank you," she said. "I love it."

"Good."

Rinoa moved to pull away but Squall slid his fingers into her hair, grasping the roots at the nape of her neck. Keeping her in place, his lips descended upon hers. The tiny moan that escaped her brought a smile to his lips and he took the opportunity to prod her mouth gently with his tongue. So she would not drop her new mug, Squall detached her arms from around his neck and carefully set the mug back into its gift bag. His arms came around her again, his fingers caressing the curve of her cheek as he pulled her in closer.

Before she could stop herself, Rinoa's eyes darted to the alarm clock nestled on the dresser's counter. It was barely ten-thirty…checkout was at twelve, the girls had already turned in their room keys… She moved her gaze back to Squall and produced a grin heated enough to darken the steely blue eyes that looked back at her.

Squall soon had her on her back, his lips on hers and her face tenderly held between his palms as he slid inside her. Rinoa couldn't hold back the sharp gasp. There was hardly anything like the first thrust, no matter how many times she had experienced it already with Squall. It sent a vibration across her body that rocked her all the way to her skull before rippling back downwards to her toes. His teeth caught her bottom lip as she panted. His hands trailed over her forearms until his fingers laced with hers, pinning them above her head.

Rinoa locked her ankles around his hips, her heels pressing into the flesh of his ass with each rhythmic plunge. She writhed against him, her nails digging into her palm as she made a fist. "Oh god," she moaned, feeling her body hum with that tingling sensation she had been aching for. The way he molded against her, the way he fit inside her, the way his movements were the skilled combination of raw animalistic desire and gentle passion…it made her mind numb.

Even when he had her bent over the bathroom counter or pinned against the door in someone's garage, it didn't feel like 'just fucking' with him. With him it felt…different. It was the way he held her, how his fingers softly brushed over each curve of her body even though his thrusts were so rough and lust-filled.

As if he knew she was already reaching her peak, he kissed her and rotated his hips to the point that she wriggled her hands from his grasp and clawed at his back while she screamed. Her body milked him, dragged him along with her into the hazy and addicting blanket of euphoria.

Squall traced his fingers over the soft lines of her mouth, his stormy eyes locking into her gaze. Nothing was said between them as they stared at each other, their hearts beating against their ribcages as he still lay atop of her, still inside her.

Though no words were spoken and the only sounds that could be heard were their quiet breaths, the silence between them was comfortable. His gaze said so much to her yet nothing at all, she found she could stare into them all day if given the chance.

When he finally did pull his length from her, slowly, he smirked when she bit back a moan and instinctively raised her hips. He stood to his feet and pulled Rinoa to sit up. "Just five more weeks," she said as she shakily tried to stand.

"Hm?"

"Until you come back home," she said. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pushed her breasts against his inked chest. "Are you trying to overdose me with orgasms to keep me sated until then?"

Squall chuckled and splayed his fingers over her ass, his fingertips pressing into the flesh and pulling her tight against him. "What's wrong, angel? Finding yourself addicted?" He cocked his head, his lips in that smug grin she had only had the pleasure of glimpsing a few times, the tip of his tongue running between his teeth as his eyes dropped down to her mouth.

To you? Possibly. She didn't say anything back, only gave his non-pierced nipple a quick twist before worming out of his grasp. Possibly. "Possibly?" Girl. Don't fucking lie to yourself. She ignored her inner arguments and pulled back on the clothes that Squall had previously stripped from her. When she was hooking on her bra she took another look at him.

He had his back towards her, and now she could see the ink that decorated his skin…along with the red welts from her scratching nails. Along his left shoulder blade was a woman crouched against a lion, her eyes closed and peaceful while her hands were gently cupping the lion's strong jaw. Behind her were small ghostly wings that looks to be wisps of inky gauze. Above her head her halo was twisted into the infinity symbol.

Rinoa outstretched her hand and caressed her fingers over the tattoo. "This is beautiful," she murmured. Beneath the woman and the lion was a small collection of dots and lines that she couldn't quite make out. "What is this?" she asked. "Beneath the woman and the lion?"

"Stars," he said, tugging his shirt over his head, the ink suddenly concealed by black cotton. He turned around and caught her in his arms again. "So many questions from you lately," he said.

Rinoa narrowed her eyes. "I want to know about you," she told him. "Is that wrong?"

"Not at all."

"Do your tattoos have stories behind them or do they exist on your body simply because you wanted them to?" When he arched a brow at her, she shrugged. "That's why I have my wings. I don't have a cool back story behind them. I've always loved angels and wings are beautiful. I told Raymond I wanted wings and he mapped this out for me. That's basically it. Your tattoos look like they actually have a story."

Squall smiled softly. "Some do, not all," he admitted. "Let's get you checked out of your hotel first before we go into it."

Rinoa yanked on her tank top and scooped the strap of her bag over her shoulder. "Are they actually cool stories or are they kinda lame like your nipple piercing story?"

Squall only gave her a heated glare and gave her ass a hearty slap before ushering her out of the door.