Who: Rinoa and Squall What: Cuddling times Where: Their cabin on the ship When: Backdated to not long after the pirate attack Rating: Mediumish given there is some talk of death but mostly C for cute
The cruise had been a mixture of emotions for Rinoa. So much had happened over the last few months that sometimes it was difficult to keep up with it all. The first fight had resulted in Squall being seriously injured, Rinoa terrified to touch him out of fear of making it worse. She had gotten over that thanks to Squall’s help. The fight that had taken place between the ships occupants and the pirates had had a better outcome for both of them. Rinoa had come out of it with minor scratches and some bruising that was already fading and healing. She was even more happy that Squall hadn’t been injured at all. She wasn’t sure what she would have done if he’d been badly injured again. Probably never let him leave their cabin ever again, or attempt to.
Although Rinoa hadn’t been personally affected by the fight, she felt badly for those who had been. It was in her nature to feel sympathy for others, to try and listen and let people pour their hearts out to her, or to a least be a shoulder if they just wanted to sit in silence. While others rested after the fight or needed time to grieve or fuss over their injured friends, Rinoa had insisted on helping with the clean up. It was the least they could do to help after that unexpected battle. At least now the ship was up and running and there was running water again. Some of the amenities were still unavailable since some of the robots were still offline. It didn’t seem to bother Rinoa. She just wanted to help out and this was her way of doing just that.
After a few hours of helping clean up they had returned to their cabin. Rinoa pushed open the door, kicking off her shoes before sitting down on the couch. She stretched and looked over to Squall. “You gonna come sit with me?” she asked with a smile. Right now she just wanted some alone time to relax.
The fight with the pirates had been something Squall was more familiar with. Not to say the first fight hadn’t been familiar but between the ship having its own defenses Squall wasn’t use to, it had been a far more difficult fight than he wanted. But with the ship’s defenses out of commission, it was a fight Squall was far more familiar with. Which of course resulted in his not getting injured.
He was more irked that Rinoa had been hurt but at least it had only been minor cuts and bruises. He did feel bad that people had lost others but that was the way of things. People died and left. It was a sad fact but a fact nonetheless. Not that he was trying to be insensitive about things (Rinoa was the more sensitive and understanding one). So he did help to clean up what he could. Following Rinoa back to the cabin, he shrugged out of his jacket and tossed it to the side before walking over and plopping down next to Rinoa.
“Need you even ask?” he shot back with a grin. He wrapped an arm around her and drew her close. “So...clean up’s going well.”
Fighting was something they were both so used to. Fighting to save lives, to save each other. It was a way of life for them. Sure, Rinoa enjoyed the quiet time they received between battles, but the was something about being able to defend herself and other that was much more fulfilling than sitting around. Ever since she was a little girl she enjoyed the thrill of adventure, even if her father had made sure to keep her safe. The free spirited girl couldn’t be caged, not by anyone. Least of all by her General father. Rinoa would always be a fighter. That’s what it meant to be the child of a soldier.
Rinoa smiled in return and sat closer to him, lacing her fingers with his as she rested her head on his shoulder. “Yeah. We’ve come a long way. Kinda reminds me of home,” she spoke in a low, but still conversational voice. She missed their friends, but having Squall and Laguna there made it easier being away.
Squall nodded some, giving her hand a squeeze. They had to do a lot of clean up back home after the fight with Ultimecia. It was a necessity of fighting after all. It would be a dick move to just fight and then not clean up. “It is a little like home but I miss being on land. Riding the trains.” He smiled some. “I still remember that first mission you gave me, Zell, and Selphie.” He enjoyed that mission. It was exciting even if Rinoa’s group hadn’t been the best organized. Still, it had been enjoyable. Sneaking along the trains, connecting and disconnecting the cars.
“I hope this cruise ends soon. Not that parts of it weren’t fun or enjoyable but…” He shrugged. “I’d like to go back home or to Tumbleweed. I think everyone’s had their fill of this cruise.”
Rinoa closed her eyes as she listened to him speak, breathing slowly in and out as she felt the low vibration of his voice. It was a comfort whenever they had gone through something strenuous. Simply being there with him, sitting alone with their own thoughts, was one of those things she had strived for. The freedom to simply be free. “The trains were fun.” She grinned, “Yeah? That mission went so smoothly, don’t you think?” she chuckled.
She took in a deep breath and let it out, “Me too. I’m tired of being away. I want to settle back into the house and hang out at Raine’s bar again. I miss it.” She nodded slowly, “It’s been fun, but… I think a lot of people are really sad right now. It’s obvious it’s too much for some of them.”
He smiled some at her chuckle. “Well you did pay for SeeD operatives. We always ensure missions go smoothly.” The fight with the fake president had been exhilarating too. He squeezed her hand before he shifted so he could stroke her hair.
“I think we’re all tired of being away. Both from home and from Tumbleweed.” It was odd but Tumbleweed was like a second home almost. Or at least becoming a second home. Though for Squall wherever Rinoa was would always be home to him. “They are sad,” he agreed. “But everyone handles loss differently. And not everyone accepts it so easily or readily.”
Rinoa couldn’t help laughing at that. “True. Only the best, top quality work from you guys.” For the most part that’s exactly what she got, but she couldn’t help thinking of all the silly mishaps along the way. Some of them they could have done without, but Rinoa wouldn’t have changed the outcome. “I also might not have met you if I hadn’t,” she said quietly. She couldn’t imagine her life without him. He made her feel complete.
“Yeah, I think you’re right. It’s becoming a home away from home. And at least for us we have a couple of familiar places to get back to.” She smiled gently at his feel of his fingers running through her hair. “Yeah,” she said more quietly. “I don’t ever want to be desensitized to it. From what I’ve seen, there are some people who are so used to death in their world that it doesn’t bother them.” It left a bad taste in her mouth because even if death was a normal occurrence for some people, she didn’t think it was healthy not to care when it happened. She didn’t mind people discussing death, but it did bother her when people seemed to not care at all.
Squall’s favorite thing was hearing Rinoa laugh. They had done their best to fulfill the contract Rinoa had asked for. Not that the Garden Masters had wanted to take it but Cid had prevailed. And while Squall hadn’t been initially happy about it at first, he was now glad more than ever that Cid had accepted it. “We might not have,” he agreed quietly.
He nodded in agreement about her statement. Her family’s home was there. Hearing her words about being desensitized to death, he glanced down. Was he desensitized to it? “Maybe some of them are just so use to it they know how to compartmentalize it...like me…”
Rinoa didn’t like thinking of a world in which she didn’t know Squall. In which they didn’t love each other. It was one of the worst feelings in the world not being with him. She had gone through that before and didn’t had any intentions of going through that again. She had hated being in Tumbleweed without him. It was like living without a vital resource. She looked up and kissed his cheek, “I’m glad we did.”
She searched his face, “Maybe. But you’re not desensitized to it. I know because I’ve seen how you react to people being hurt.” She had seen how upset he was whenever she was hurt. She nuzzled her face against his neck. “Maybe you’re quiet with everyone else, but with me you open up.”
He glanced down when she mentioned how he reacted when people he cared about were being hurt. Her nuzzling of his neck brought him from his thoughts and he glanced at her. Her words brought a smile to his face and he stroked her hair again. “Because you refuse to let me keep things bottled up,” he pointed out. “You would just poke and poke and poke until I say something other than whatever.”
His voice was fond as he spoke. And it was true. Rinoa didn’t back down when it came to Squall. They had a habit of saving each other. It was a habit he hoped they would never break.
Rinoa smirked, her eyes narrowed as he spoke. When she spoke again there wasn't a hint of annoyance in her voice but rather playfulness. “Someone's got to do the dirty work.” She sat up and smiled happily at him. “I like being that person.” There were times he annoyed her but that was life. She liked being the one who got him to open up, because she liked the man she had found underneath that quiet exterior. She leaned in and kissed him, resting a hand on his check. “And I love the man I found.”
Squall returned the kiss, his arms snaking around her to keep her close. He pulled back after a moment and stared at her, his dark eyes soft. “You make me want to be that man,” he returned honestly. And it was true. He wanted to be the man Rinoa deserved. That she knew he could be. He shifted so his scarred forehead could nuzzle her head.
“I love you too by the way.”
“You already are,” she insisted. He had been that man much longer than he realized. He was one of the best out there and she counted herself one of the luckiest girls in the world. Maybe she had regretted some of her life’s decisions, but Squall was most certainly not one of them. She felt it was important to remind those she loved of their worth, to show them how important they were not only to her but to others around them.
That put a smile on her face. Even though he had no problem showing her, she still enjoyed hearing the words. She kissed him again before resting her forehead against his. Maybe this cruise had taken a turn for the worst, but him being there with her made her optimistic.