FFVIII: Click

[edenbound]

Fandom: Final Fantasy VIII
Pairing: background Squall/Rinoa
Warnings: None
Rating: G
Summary: Rinoa meets Seifer for the first time after the war. For first_seventhe.


"Squall would kill me if he knew you were meeting me like this."

Rinoa smiled, tiredly. "No, he wouldn't, Seifer. He knows I like you and that I always did, and that I don't believe all of that was your fault."

There was an awkward silence. Seifer stirred uncomfortably. "You've grown up."

"Fighting does that to people," she said, wryly. "And -- worrying. And missing people. I kept thinking you'd gone and died, every time we didn't come up against you for a while. But fighting you was bad, too. And everybody saw it so much more simply than me... you were the enemy, and that was that."

"They were right to. It's what we were taught to do."

"That doesn't make it right," Rinoa said, with some vehemence. She gave Seifer a look which reminded him exactly why he'd given her the nickname Princess, once upon a time. She seemed half about to fly into a temper, but then she just subsided, smiling in that same tired way again. "Sorry. Me and Squall... Garden isn't an easy environment for me."

Another uncomfortable silence. "Leonhart treating you well?"

"Yes," Rinoa said. She smiled again, softer now, and he could actually believe for the first time that she was happy with the way her life had gone. "We're happy."

"Both of you are? Hah. Never thought I'd hear anyone call him happy."

"Well, he is. I think. Whenever I think I know what he's thinking."

"You probably don't," Seifer said, and found himself smiling, wryly, at the memory of how he'd thought he knew Squall well. "He thinks in such convoluted ways."

"I think it's contagious," she said, with another smile. "Look -- I can't stay long, but... don't be a stranger, okay?"

"Okay," he said, and it was surprisingly easy to say it, like something clicking into place. "And, Rin? I'll kick his ass if he ever hurts you, you know."

Her touch was feather-light on his arm, and her lips barely brushed his cheek, but she was smiling as she pulled back. "I'll hold you to that."

Comments

[first-seventhe.livejournal.com]

Aw. I like that Seifer and Rinoa are so... well, happy, although not completely. But they're at peace with each other. I like that. :P

[edenbound.livejournal.com]

That's how I like 'em. You almost, however, got guilty!Seifer/Rinoa smut. >>;

[first-seventhe.livejournal.com]

I'm half afraid that's what I'd write if I ever gave it a try. >.>

[edenbound.livejournal.com]

Why be afraid? >> Guilty!smut can be delicious.

[first-seventhe.livejournal.com]

You temptress. ;)

[edenbound.livejournal.com]

If you haven't noticed my three "literary kinks"*, you're behind the times.

*Blindness, extreme loyalty, and partner betrayal. I DON'T KNOW WHY. Particularly as the latter two would appear to conflict!

[first-seventhe.livejournal.com]

Yeah, and then you totally bunnied me into this:

"Rin," Seifer said, his voice still even as if he were asking her the time. "A kiss, for old time's sake?"

Rinoa blinked. No, she shouldn't; Squall, she thought, Squall was still in the forefront of her mind, and in fact in the back of her mind too, tugging nebulously on that bond they didn't know how to use - but part of her was so desperate to have something of her own that wasn't Sorceress, to prove to people that she was more than Squall's -

...I can already tell this is going to turn into something long.

[edenbound.livejournal.com]

Oooooh.

>>

*encourages*

[calliopepurple.livejournal.com]

I don't know how you can write short fics so well, but I'm envious of your skills. This was just sweet enough without being weird for them. Not enough people write Rinoa and it's a shame.

[edenbound.livejournal.com]

I'm glad you think it works, particularly as I occasionally come under fire for not writing longer fic. :p

I keep meaning to write more about Rinoa, because I like her a lot more than most people in the fandom, but somehow there's never the right opening for it. I've got two longer fics in planning that involve her -- one about her backstory with Seifer, and how they met, and the other that's probably going to be somewhat more about Squall, but will feature her as a matter of course because it's about him having to maintain a relationship with her for professional reasons, because as a SeeD he's told to keep an eye on the sorceress. It's going to be fun. :D

[calliopepurple.livejournal.com]

I promised someone in fandomsecrets I'd write more about Squall and Rinoa, but lately I've been too damn sick to write anything. But the bunnies are there, at least.

[edenbound.livejournal.com]

Bunnies are always a good start. xD