Categories > Games > Final Fantasy 8 > Married Life
Memory/past
Squall awoke to an insistent yet hesitant light knocking on his door, and with a drowsy sense of hearing he heard a soft voice saying "Squall? Squall! Please, wake up. Please, please."
Rinoa, he thought groggily as he tiredly pushed aside the blanket that covered him, an action that seemed to require a lot of energy that he didn't have. He half walked, half stumbled to the door from his bed. His fingers fumbled on the latch he very rarely used and the door opened slowly inwards.
"Squall!" Rinoa exclaimed softly throwing her arms around him, he simply looked at her, only wrapping his arms around her when he realised that there was a steady stream of tears running down her cheeks and that she was unlikely to let go soon.
Eventually she stepped back shuffling her feet embarrassedly "I er-" Her eyes suddenly caught on his bare chest making her hesitate.
"Rinoa? What do you want? It's the middle of the night." Squall asked only slightly irritably, he didn't like being woken but he could tell she was upset about something.
"Well, I, er," She couldn't help but feel embarrassed and slightly stupid about the fear she had felt just moments before, she felt entirely safe now. "I, er, had a nightmare and well I ran straight here."
"Why?"
"Because you always make me feel safe."
"Squall?"
"...It's just a nightmare, Rinoa... Go back to sleep."
"I...I know it's stupid and it's just a nightmare, but I can't help it...I was so scared...I don't think I can go back... Can't I ...maybe ...stay here?" She asked, desperately trying to avoid his eyes.
"What?...?...why?" was as much as Squall could ask in his tired and slightly stunned state.
"Because you make me feel safe and I don't think I'll be able to sleep unless I feel safe. Squall, please?"
"..." Squall didn't answer immediately; he placed a hand on his forehead as he thought. He was silent for a long time allowing Rinoa the time to find her courage. She leant forward so that she could see his face. "...If I let you in will I be able to go back to sleep?"
"Of course!" She said jumping up and down, "I promise not to talk you to death."
Squall feeling slightly more awake answered, "...And you don't snore?"
"Squall!"
Squall turned his back on her walking back to his bed taking her indignation as a no, leaving the door standing open. She counted herself lucky that she didn't snore.
Squall had climbed back into bed and closed his eyes when he felt rather than heard Rinoa enter the room quietly shutting the door behind her and approaching the bed. She stood at the side for a minute or two, Squall made no sign that he noticed. But after the second minute he made an annoyed noise and gripped gently onto her hand pulling her towards him. She got the point and climbed into the bed, surprised that Squall of all people was sharing his bed with her very almost willingly.
"I'm not letting you sleep on the floor, and there is no way I am allowing you to wake me in the middle of the night then steal my bed, so go to sleep." Squall said.
Rinoa grinned she couldn't help it, she felt so happy. She shifted making herself comfortable; causing him to open his eyes and give her an annoyed glance. She stopped and murmured softly, "Goodnight, Squall." before falling fast asleep.
Squall blinked, shook his head and closed his eyes, but he was far from falling asleep. He shifted uncomfortably, causing Rinoa beside him to move in her sleep. He didn't like this, there was no way he could ever sleep like this, he found himself thoroughly aware of Rinoa beside him, his ears picking up her every breath.
She moved beside him and Squall froze as she leaned her head against his bare shoulder and wrapped a warm arm across his stomach. And somehow, he was never quite sure how, he managed to fall asleep...Somehow
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He awoke the next morning with sunlight streaming in through his window, landing on the pillow next to his head. He glanced around his room wondering why he was sleeping right up next to the wall. At least he attempted to but his eyes fell on Rinoa, the sunlight making her hair shine. When she saw he was awake she knelt down beside the bed. "Oh, I didn't mean to wake you! I... I... thank you, for last night Squall. It was the best night's sleep I've had in ages...since my mum died."
Squall who decided it was too early too speak, looked at her, his eyes catching on hers. She simply looked straight back into his clear blue eyes. But that's exactly what she noticed, his eyes were clear, for the first time she could see clearly into his soul, into him, the guard, it was missing. However before she could put words to what she saw or understand it, he blinked and looked away.
Rinoa felt herself release a breath that she hadn't realised she had been holding. "I'm going to go change, then I'll be back, I promise." Rinoa then, with a sudden courage, moved his hair out of his eyes and kissed his cheek before standing and exiting the room just short of a run.
Squall stared after her stunned, and then after a minute or two convinced himself he was dreaming. Reality would never put him into such an uncomfortable situation as last night and Rinoa looked far more uncomfortable than usual too.
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Rinoa broke into a run the second she left his room. She could never be sure of Squall's reaction when she did that sort of thing, the "girlfriend actions" if she put it in Irvine's language. It thoroughly depended on the events before. If the event before was a crying girlfriend terrified of nightmares she suspected he would be fine with it but if it was girlfriend very nearly seeing what he wasn't ready to tell she suspected he'd be far from fine.
Sighing she opened her door before slipping inside.
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The next three weeks were frequented with the same type of visits although by the end of the first week Squall had taken to wearing more clothes to bed each night and by half way through the second week Squall always left the door unlocked.
He would awake in the mornings to either find Rinoa sleeping next to him or at various stages of leaving the room.
By the end of the second week he no longer found it a surprise to wake up to her although that bothered him. She wouldn't be staying with him as soon as these nightmares stopped so he shouldn't get used to it.
By the third week he sometimes wasn't aware that Rinoa was there until waking up and seeing her in his room.
But as those three weeks went past, Squall couldn't help but suspect that on a least two of the occasions that she had come to his room she hadn't had nightmares. Her knock at his door was neither hesitant nor insistent. And as for the times he was asleep when she came
Squall awoke to an insistent yet hesitant light knocking on his door, and with a drowsy sense of hearing he heard a soft voice saying "Squall? Squall! Please, wake up. Please, please."
Rinoa, he thought groggily as he tiredly pushed aside the blanket that covered him, an action that seemed to require a lot of energy that he didn't have. He half walked, half stumbled to the door from his bed. His fingers fumbled on the latch he very rarely used and the door opened slowly inwards.
"Squall!" Rinoa exclaimed softly throwing her arms around him, he simply looked at her, only wrapping his arms around her when he realised that there was a steady stream of tears running down her cheeks and that she was unlikely to let go soon.
Eventually she stepped back shuffling her feet embarrassedly "I er-" Her eyes suddenly caught on his bare chest making her hesitate.
"Rinoa? What do you want? It's the middle of the night." Squall asked only slightly irritably, he didn't like being woken but he could tell she was upset about something.
"Well, I, er," She couldn't help but feel embarrassed and slightly stupid about the fear she had felt just moments before, she felt entirely safe now. "I, er, had a nightmare and well I ran straight here."
"Why?"
"Because you always make me feel safe."
"Squall?"
"...It's just a nightmare, Rinoa... Go back to sleep."
"I...I know it's stupid and it's just a nightmare, but I can't help it...I was so scared...I don't think I can go back... Can't I ...maybe ...stay here?" She asked, desperately trying to avoid his eyes.
"What?...?...why?" was as much as Squall could ask in his tired and slightly stunned state.
"Because you make me feel safe and I don't think I'll be able to sleep unless I feel safe. Squall, please?"
"..." Squall didn't answer immediately; he placed a hand on his forehead as he thought. He was silent for a long time allowing Rinoa the time to find her courage. She leant forward so that she could see his face. "...If I let you in will I be able to go back to sleep?"
"Of course!" She said jumping up and down, "I promise not to talk you to death."
Squall feeling slightly more awake answered, "...And you don't snore?"
"Squall!"
Squall turned his back on her walking back to his bed taking her indignation as a no, leaving the door standing open. She counted herself lucky that she didn't snore.
Squall had climbed back into bed and closed his eyes when he felt rather than heard Rinoa enter the room quietly shutting the door behind her and approaching the bed. She stood at the side for a minute or two, Squall made no sign that he noticed. But after the second minute he made an annoyed noise and gripped gently onto her hand pulling her towards him. She got the point and climbed into the bed, surprised that Squall of all people was sharing his bed with her very almost willingly.
"I'm not letting you sleep on the floor, and there is no way I am allowing you to wake me in the middle of the night then steal my bed, so go to sleep." Squall said.
Rinoa grinned she couldn't help it, she felt so happy. She shifted making herself comfortable; causing him to open his eyes and give her an annoyed glance. She stopped and murmured softly, "Goodnight, Squall." before falling fast asleep.
Squall blinked, shook his head and closed his eyes, but he was far from falling asleep. He shifted uncomfortably, causing Rinoa beside him to move in her sleep. He didn't like this, there was no way he could ever sleep like this, he found himself thoroughly aware of Rinoa beside him, his ears picking up her every breath.
She moved beside him and Squall froze as she leaned her head against his bare shoulder and wrapped a warm arm across his stomach. And somehow, he was never quite sure how, he managed to fall asleep...Somehow
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He awoke the next morning with sunlight streaming in through his window, landing on the pillow next to his head. He glanced around his room wondering why he was sleeping right up next to the wall. At least he attempted to but his eyes fell on Rinoa, the sunlight making her hair shine. When she saw he was awake she knelt down beside the bed. "Oh, I didn't mean to wake you! I... I... thank you, for last night Squall. It was the best night's sleep I've had in ages...since my mum died."
Squall who decided it was too early too speak, looked at her, his eyes catching on hers. She simply looked straight back into his clear blue eyes. But that's exactly what she noticed, his eyes were clear, for the first time she could see clearly into his soul, into him, the guard, it was missing. However before she could put words to what she saw or understand it, he blinked and looked away.
Rinoa felt herself release a breath that she hadn't realised she had been holding. "I'm going to go change, then I'll be back, I promise." Rinoa then, with a sudden courage, moved his hair out of his eyes and kissed his cheek before standing and exiting the room just short of a run.
Squall stared after her stunned, and then after a minute or two convinced himself he was dreaming. Reality would never put him into such an uncomfortable situation as last night and Rinoa looked far more uncomfortable than usual too.
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Rinoa broke into a run the second she left his room. She could never be sure of Squall's reaction when she did that sort of thing, the "girlfriend actions" if she put it in Irvine's language. It thoroughly depended on the events before. If the event before was a crying girlfriend terrified of nightmares she suspected he would be fine with it but if it was girlfriend very nearly seeing what he wasn't ready to tell she suspected he'd be far from fine.
Sighing she opened her door before slipping inside.
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The next three weeks were frequented with the same type of visits although by the end of the first week Squall had taken to wearing more clothes to bed each night and by half way through the second week Squall always left the door unlocked.
He would awake in the mornings to either find Rinoa sleeping next to him or at various stages of leaving the room.
By the end of the second week he no longer found it a surprise to wake up to her although that bothered him. She wouldn't be staying with him as soon as these nightmares stopped so he shouldn't get used to it.
By the third week he sometimes wasn't aware that Rinoa was there until waking up and seeing her in his room.
But as those three weeks went past, Squall couldn't help but suspect that on a least two of the occasions that she had come to his room she hadn't had nightmares. Her knock at his door was neither hesitant nor insistent. And as for the times he was asleep when she came
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