Final Fantasy VIII 1. Beta

A/N

50 scenes in honor of a pairing that doesn't get enough love. When not specified, assume 'he' is Squall and 'she' is Quistis. I hope you enjoy, and know that I treasure every review (Be sure to let me know which line you like [or dislike] most!) Prompts are taken from the beta set on the 1sentence LJ group. -JP

Walking –

As he approached, Quistis, who was clearly still irritated, pulled Selphie down into his usual seat beside her, so he and an equally perturbed Irvine kept on walking, down to the end of the table, where Seifer was patting the empty seats beside him with a snicker.

Waltz –

As she watched them dance from across the room, she was disquieted by the thought that this was the start of something.

Wishes –

Dodging past another set of gnashing teeth, he reflected that he'd never missed the crack of her whip in the air quite as keenly as he did now.

Wonder –

For a moment, he was stunned, staring down at the Squall card she'd just played to win the game, and wondering how long ago she'd absconded with it.

Worry –

Rinoa was surprised to hear him voluntarily regaling the group given his aversion to the spotlight, but here he was, telling how Quistis had saved him on that beach in Dollet, the slight crook of a smile in his normally even lips, his eyes soft with admiration, and she followed his gaze across to Quistis, who was doubly flushed with embarrassment and pride, and unforeseen, a tendril of worry curled in her chest.

Whimsy –

He fantasized that one day he'd call the lot of those damn Trepies into his office and find out just exactly what their intentions were.

Waste/Wasteland –

The terrain became an endless canyon of snowy white salt interspersed with bleached bone, and still Quistis pushed on even though her throat was dry and her legs were burning and her heart was heavy, because she'd be damned if she'd let him vanish into the mineral landscape alone.

Whiskey and rum –

He'd only been really, nastily drunk once, and when he came to she was leaning over him, incanting a curing spell, and chiding him all the while that he really shouldn't have challenged Zell to a hot dog eating contest and a fistfight in the same night.

War –

"Don't move," he whispered, leaning over her, ablaze with healing magic, adding "you need to try to get your heart rate down," not that there was much chance of that given the way his hand was absently resting on her hip.

Weddings –

As their various friends paired up and got hitched, their contest of wills dragged on, neither willing to propose and therefore volunteer for the extra mountain of Garden personnel paperwork it would entail.

Birthday –

She'd wished him happy birthday every year for as far back as he could remember, and the more the orphanage years came back to him, the more assured he became that it really was so.

Blessing –

While most wives were engaging in teary goodbyes and solemn vows, she sent him away with an exacting look, a squeeze of his forearm, and a 'mighty guard', which suited him just fine.

Bias –

He examined the roster before him, five candidates for two empty spots in his party, but his elaborate show of deliberation belied that fact that he already knew who he had to choose; if he didn't bring Rinoa she'd kill him— if he didn't bring Quistis something else would.

Burning –

She couldn't decide what was more endearing- the fact that he was trying to roast a blue dragon so she wouldn't have to eat rations on her birthday or the almost contrite look Ifrit adopted when he singed it.

Breathing –

His astonishment when she slapped him was nothing compared to his shock a moment later when she seized him in a possessive kiss, and would be still more incomparable in another moment when she cast bad breath on him.

Breaking –

He struggled to his feet, shining with a blue aura she'd never seen before, and though she was able to evade his vicious upward slash, it took her a moment to regain her composure enough to congratulate him and look to the rest of the class expectantly.

Belief –

They couldn't believe how many of the creatures from their old storybooks were living, breathing, and hellbent on killing them.

Balloon –

He presented her with a dozen bright red balloons like the one he'd given her on their first 'date'- "These things seemed a lot more expensive when I was five," he said with a shrug, "happy anniversary."

Balcony –

As he turned away from her and walked back through the training center, he was disquieted by the thought that this was the end of something.

Bane –

Sometimes when she was really irritated with him, she would invite his father for a visit.

Quiet –

Matron carried him inside and held him until his tears subsided, but in the days that followed Quistis found herself almost missing them - he was silent for a long time after that.

Quirks –

He always insisted on both of them removing their gloves first thing- as far as he was concerned there was nothing nearly so intimate about the feel of leather as the feel of her.

Question –

She was only following protocol when she asked her commanding officer for permission to marry, but he still shot her his trademark scowl before telling her for the second time, yes.

Quarrel –

She always let him stay on her couch when Rinoa kicked him out, though they both knew it probably only prolonged his banishment.

Quitting –

He tried to talk her out of it, saying Seifer wasn't good enough for her, and she bit her tongue to keep down the bitterness rising in her throat.

Jump –

It'd taken her months to convince him, but finally here they were, out on the balcony, clad only in their underwear, and soon leaping into the warm, salty waves as the moon and the sleeping garden looked on.

Jester –

"So…does this make Squall a Trepie?" mused Irvine, earning himself an icy glare, "no—the President of the Trepies," Zell rejoined; Quistis, for her part, took it in stride: "Squall is of course justified in giving you that look—the Trepies _are_ a constitutional monarchy, as everybody knows."

Jousting –

Sometimes if they kissed while they were still junctioned, he could hear Shiva begin to hum mischievously, which always elicited a snarl from Ifrit in her ear.

Jewel -

The man in the junk shop actually dared to look at him askance when he asked whether they might carry any jewelry or other nice accessories.

Just –

He sat in on her first class when her instructor's permit was reissued, and at one point a cadet dared to make a snide comment, but just as he rose to rebuke the boy, her voice cracked down, quick and sharp as her whip, and the commander retook his seat, looking down at his clipboard to disguise his amusement.

Smirk –

One of her proudest memories was of arming the gatling gun just in time to make mincemeat out of that infuriating monster pursuing him so relentlessly— now if only Rinoa was so easily dealt with…

Sorrow –

Edea held the crying woman in her arms, stroking the frazzled blonde hair soothingly, and vowed to have a talk with Squall; he was no longer a child, and this was hardly a game.

Stupidity –

When she raised the subject of children his answer was always the same- what if they turn out like Laguna?

Serenade –

He never sang anymore, but occasionally she would sing some song from their orphanage years and he might hum along if he was too distracted by something else to notice.

Sarcasm –

She would always roll her eyes in response to his lame answer, but he could tell this time she was more annoyed because she muttered something like "What if they turn out like you?"

Sordid –

She was like a daughter to him, so Cid felt justified in voicing his concerns- "Certainly he is a fantastic commander and an excellent fighter, but he's just so cold…and besides, he's always picking up those 'Girl Next Door' rags…"

Soliloquy –

She pondered to herself whether there was more lion in the ferocity of his attacks or the slight purring sound he made when he was completely content and completely sure they were alone.

Sojourn –

He began dubiously— "We could go on a picnic on our day off. There's a beautiful spot on Elkin Isle…" transitioned predictably— "…the dragons there have scales that are crucial for the new gunblade mod…" and finished intriguingly— "I made sandwiches."

Share –

She soon grew used to the loping gait of the chocobo, relaxing against his back, cheek resting on soft leather with fur tickling her nose, and tried to pretend Selphie wasn't pressed just as tightly behind her, whooping with excitement.

Solitary –

A great memorial was constructed in his honor, and the crowds that flocked to it to pay their respects left piles of flowers, cards, and other trinkets, such that hardly anyone noticed the lone red balloon that appeared at the base overnight once a year for several years thereafter.

Nowhere –

Having rolled up his pants and pitched his boots, he waded out, the cool Centra tide swirling around his calves– sisterly affection, she'd said, and he had to wonder, had he finally burned so many bridges with her that there was nowhere left for him to cross?

Neutral -

At the reunion, Seifer prodded him with a cane and he glared back through his bifocals and she found herself having to separate them as always, though it was admittedly easier now that they both had rheumatism.

Nuance –

He'd played the Squall card to flip the Quistis card, and with the Trepie distracted by defeat, his eyes had met hers and something instantaneous had flashed across them, which was either nothing or the only time he had ever hit on her.

Near –

Somehow he didn't hear her come in, but suddenly he felt arms encircle his waist and she pressed against him—he sighed, the brooding air about him dispersing like a fog, and though she teased him (" I was only three hours late…"), she understood, because she was an orphan and a soldier too, and a keen awareness of the temporality of things came with the territory.

Natural –

She led his hands and guided his hips, and gradually he worked out how to shift his weight and where to let his touch linger- indeed after all this time he could hardly believe how easily he fell back into the role of her pupil.

Horizon –

Laguna clapped him on the shoulder, saying "Son, if there's one thing I can promise you it's that there's life after a Heartilly," and Squall was glad he'd listened rather than decking the man like he'd wanted to, because it was the best advice he ever received.

Valiant –

A sudden, vicious tug at end of her whip sent it flying from her hand, but just as the dragon made to escape with her beloved weapon wrapped around its horn, he leapt on the handle, holding on though he was yanked through the air with each failed takeoff of the now-terrified wyrm.

Virtuous –

Invine drummed the pencil on the blank sheet, a warning that even his ample good will had a limit, and tried one more time: "Do you want your woman back or don't ya? Now what do you love about her BESIDES her impressive stats and tactically invaluable limit break?"

Victory –

When she could no longer ignore the spreading light, she made to rise, but he caught her and pulled her back down, settling back on top of her and resuming his slumber in flagrant disregard of the meeting they were both expected at that morning— it was only then, as she lay there running her fingers through the mop of chestnut hair at her clavicle, that she allowed the insidious little cracks of elation to spread.

Defeat –

"Selphie, no!" he shouted, sprinting after her as she ran squealing down the hall in search of the nearest thing with ears, leaving Quistis feeling flushed and a bit bereft.


	2. Gamma

You know the drill from Ch. 1— When not specified, 'he' is Squall and 'she' is Quistis. I do not own the world or characters of FFVIII. Just borrowing them for a bit.

#01 – Ring -

She took the champagne, mentally adding the tiny clink of the unfamiliar ring against the glass to her list of new and wonderful things in the world.

#02 – Hero -

Lifting the boy into his arms, he held his son like his own father never had, and it occurred to her that the world loved him for all the wrong reasons.

#03 – Memory -

"You can't blame all your problems on us," Shiva pouted, "After all, she uses guardians as well, and you don't see her racing out to buy you an anniversary gift at the last minute!"

#04 – Box –

"Quistis should be fine since Save the Queen is concealable, but we needed to figure out a way to get Lionheart in there—fortunately there's a live orchestra," Nida indicated a stack of large cases to his left, "so what'll it be Commander, cello or bassoon?"

#05 – Run –

Selphie blinked incredulously, "Am I seriously the only girl here who hasn't kissed Squall?" "Aw, come on, Sis and Matron hardly count!" Irvine protested, and just then, as if on cue, Squall appeared, a tray in his hands, and sat down—"Why are you looking at me like that?" he asked, eying Selphie warily.

#06 – Hurricane –

"Squall's family has a tradition of being named after storms, right? So how about something cool, like 'hurricane'?" Zell suggested; Irvine clapped him on the shoulder, "'Her'icane is all well and good if it's a girl, but if it's a boy something like 'male'strom" might be better," he replied, laughing uproariously in the face of Squall's glower.

#07 – Wings -

She gave his wrist one last squeeze, as if searching for a sign of life, but he was like stone and at last she turned away, fading into the crowd, leaving him with a copy of his ring firmly grasped in his hand and one final glimpse of white wings.

#08 – Cold –

He didn't know exactly how it had happened—one minute he had been draping a blanket over her shivering form, daring to leave a shy kiss on her lips, and the next her palms were gently cupping his face, tugging him down beside her, and she was anything but cold.

#09 – Red –

He began to scrawl a crimson message in the margin of the essay: _Your instructor might as well be talking to a wall i_— the pen was seized from his grasp before he could finish—"This is why I don't let you help me grade," she muttered with an exasperated sigh.

#10 – Drink -

"…so instead o' losin' cards, ya gotta take off a piece o' clothin'—that's why it's called 'Strip'le Triad," Irvine informed them gaily; Squall glanced across the table and saw the corner of her mouth twitch**—** he didn't like his chances.

#11 – Midnight -

They sat by the campfire, the firelight camouflaging the red in their cheeks and the talking distracting them such that they could almost pretend what was obviously happening in Selphie and Irvine's tent wasn't.

#12 – Temptation –

He had a terrible urge to brush the blond hair back behind her ear, and he reminded himself that this was his partner (and not in that way, either).

#13 – View -

"Do you think he's gay?" Xu whispered, watching the leather, fur, and belt clad cadet disappear down the hall, and Quistis bit her lip to keep herself from responding _Hyne, I hope not_ aloud.

#14 – Music –

They dragged him out to the city ("You can't just mope forever!") never imagining thatsong—_their _song— would come on; he was halfway to Obel Lake before he heard familiar footfalls from behind, and presently Quistis fell into step beside him, saying "We don't have to talk, but I'm coming with you," and true to her word, they passed through the night together in silence.

#15 – Silk –

She picked up the pair of silk Garden boxers he had left, and after a moment's hesitation tossed them in with the rest of her delicates—this was definitely going to take some getting used to.

#16 – Cover –

"It's not me," Squall insisted, but the others gathered around, studying the tabloid with the words 'SeeD Commander Goes Commando!' and one blurry image splashed across the cover; "He's right," Quistis said, "he doesn't have a tattoo like this," "And the scars on his shoulder blade are missing," Rinoa added, and Edea nodded, "The birthmark on his right hip is al—" "Don't tell me everyone else has seen him naked too?" Selphie interrupted, slamming her fists on the table.

#17 – Promise -

His conception of love was built on promises, which is why he looked at her like she was positively insane the next morning when she said she understood it was only a one-time thing.

#18 – Dream -

They were five-year-olds, racing home along the beach through the rain, and he wasn't sure if it was a dream or a memory or some of both, and he wasn't sure it mattered either.

#19 – Candle -

They walked along the trail of candles standing in the sand, and there by the abandoned lighthouse he whispered to her and to the ocean and to the darkness that he loved her, and when she was silent he waited, patience being among the more important things he was determined to learn from her.

#20 – Talent -

There was an art to getting a SeeD uniform off another person without once removing one's lips from theirs (both have to be standing, as they would later learn) but for the time being, fumbling and soft kisses interspersed with soft curses would have to do.

#21 – Silence -

"Okay, just one question…is that body wash she uses orange or clementine?"—Saying nothing, Squall got up and walked away, leaving the Trepie alone in his office, her pen poised on a blank notepad.

#22 – Journey –

A pair of familiar leather boots stepped into view, but she didn't look up, as if it might somehow hide her tearstained face; she felt him take a seat beside her; "We don't need to talk," he said quietly as the train sounded in the distance, "but I'm coming with you."

#23 – Fire -

The fire was everywhere—running down her spine, across her fingertips, in her eyes—and how appropriate that she had Ifrit junctioned because he was pretty sure he was going to hell for this.

#24 – Strength -

She watched her student's impassive face, watched it weather pain and joy and terror unflinchingly, and though he had much to learn before he could match her in her own kind of strength, she felt quite sure she would never rival him in that enviable, pitiable strength of his.

#25 – Mask -

A choice between a scowl and a smirk was hardly a choice—she sometimes wondered how two men stubborn enough to master the impossible gunblade could be unable to master more than one facial expression.

#26 – Ice –

Subtlety turned out to be more difficult than expected: she was on fire and he was all cool slickness—their skin literally hissed at every point of contact and in the morning his torso was speckled with the wanderings of her searing lips.

#27 – Fall –

A crisp leaf fell onto one of the cards and he scowled, tossing it away; no harm in letting her win this round— it was her birthday after all.

#28 – Forgotten -

Being asked who he was by someone who used to know him better than he knew himself was unsettling.

#29 – Dance -

The way she twirled the whip, maintaining that deadly momentum without goring herself, made him quite sure she must be better at dancing than she claimed—she just needed the proper motivation.

#30 – Body –

He wasn't used to a woman with as many scars as he had, and it somehow made him less self-conscious when all of them were bared.

#31 – Sacred –

'Til death do us part'—the most sacred vow, yet for them, the simplest of all, the mere verbal manifestation of the mantra they'd been humming since the start of their journey together.

#32 – Farewells -

She was gone, so he headed back to the space under the bed where he'd hidden after Sis left, knowing this time no familiar presence would crawl in beside him, and there, stuck to the underside of the mattress was a scrap of paper that read _Don't Be Sad_—"Bossy Quisty…" he muttered, slipping it into his pocket.

#33 – World –

"So she's mad at you for chasing another woman all around the world. Did you explain to her that it was just the card queen?" Quistis asked, to which he scowled, crossing his arms indignantly, and replied, "She's seen her. That should be explanation enough," and Quistis chuckled, shaking her head, "You make it too hard on yourself, Leonhart…"

#34 – Formal –

"How have you gotten this far without learning to tie one of these?" she asked, and when he raised an eyebrow at her polished technique, she slid the knot snugly up against his collar, adding, "Don't give me that look. Female SeeD's don't have the luxury of never learning to tie a tie."

#35 – Fever –

"Thank you," she whispered hoarsely, hoping the fever would hide the flush rising in her cheeks; he pulled over a chair and sat, never removing his cool hand from her burning forehead, replying, "Don't thank me, thank Shiva,"—and fervently, she did.

#36 – Laugh -

He turned to her with an exasperated expression, saying, "Is this some kind of a game where every time you catch me scowling you kiss me?" and she chuckled softly, and gave him a kiss.

#37 – Lies -

"So that sisterly affection thing _was _a lie," he said breathlessly, and the combination of annoyance and relief in his voice was as delicious as his lips.

#38 – Forever -

He'd stopped believing in forever, but she made an effort to remind him each and every day, and damn, but that was close.

#39 – Overwhelmed -

"Squall! Squall! Talk to me!" Zell leaned over his fallen friend, knowing that if Squall was down he had to take out Quistis _and_ Xu himself or they'd lose the spar, and he was already confused—"Save the queen," Squall muttered, trying to raise an arm— "What the heck are you talking about, man? Who's the queen?" Zell shouted, trying to wrap his reeling mind around whatever it was his friend was talking about—and then it hit him.

#40 – Whisper -

Sitting in the Shumi Hospital waiting area, head buried in her hands, she felt something rough and wet graze her arm and glanced down into the golden eyes of a Moomba, who savored the sanguine flavor on his tongue before venturing a soft "Laguna?"

#41 – Wait -

_Wait_—the command, the entreaty, the prayer—it somehow died in her throat and she didn't have to turn to know he was already gone.

#42 – Talk -

Seifer scoffed, "So he went ahead and referred you to a wall, eh? Hate to say it, but I'm not surprised—there's a reason I call him puberty boy and it's got nothin' to do with his balls."

#43 – Search -

"Are you the Card King?" the boy asked, running up beside them, and Squall looked down at his hand, then across the board at her face, before finally replying "For the moment, yes…"

#44 – Hope -

"Don't worry, Quistis, I take it in stride," Laguna said, giving her a smile completely incongruous to the situation, "He just takes after his mother—she didn't like me at first either."

#45 – Eclipse -

She frowned in annoyance as a shadow fell over her, blocking her sunshine and her reading light, but when she looked up it was him, and he was home (alive), and leaping up to embrace him she felt the sun shining all the brighter.

#46 – Gravity -

Leaning over his slumbering form, she felt a sudden and inexorable force pulling her towards him, closer and closer until, inches from his lips, she caught herself and jerked back, scolding Diablos sharply.

#47 – Highway -

Esthar stretched out before them like a giant circuit board, and the wind scattered her bangs as she flew through the twilit city with him on a levitating saucer.

#48 – Unknown –

He poked his head into the shower, lifting the festive, orange bottle from its place on the rack and examining the label—"Tangerine…" he muttered to himself absently.

#49 – Lock -

The sheen of sweat was everywhere, and the technicians were still working on the air conditioning, but the proposal was due tomorrow, so they locked the door to her office, stripped down to their underwear, and got to work.

#50 – Breathe -

"It looks like it's going to have to be a C-section…" Kadowaki muttered, and seeing the way his breath hitched added, "It's better this way. I have a lot more experience cutting people open and sewing them back up than I do delivering babies."

A/N:

Oh dear…this set turned out a bit…saucier than the last one. I blame Selphie and Irvine. Giving Squall and Quistis ideas…seriously, just what were they up to in that tent?

**Thank you** for all the reviews of part one. Please consider leaving one here. I would appreciate it immensely. Let me know which you liked, or which you didn't.

And a special thanks to Danton and Tsukikotenshi, whose recent reviews warmed my heart and made me decide to go through this madness all over again.

-JP


End file.

Final Fantasy VIII, Romance