On Board the Ragnarok, Floating in Space (NFB - Establishy)

[angelo_wings]

Squall	Squall sat in the pilot's seat of the spaceship Ragnarok and stared at the control panel. He would have been staring at the floor instead, but the chair didn't swivel. A voice had come over this ship's radio and explained how to engage the atmospheric reentry program, and there were several minutes before he had to do anything more to the controls. (What do I do now? What comes next?) He'd been on autopilot for way too long, now, just like the ship was now. When Rinoa had fallen into a coma, he carried her halfway around the world in order to find someone who could wake her up. When it turned out that that person was up in space, he went up into space, too. When Rinoa ended up floating out into space with her air running out, he jumped out after her. It was entirely pure dumb luck that he managed to find this abandoned spaceship just before he lost consciousness. (That was a pretty stupid move. I don't know why I did it.) ... ... (I'd still do it again.) The problem was, Rinoa was awake now, and back to her old self again, and that sort of terrified him. They hadn't had much time to talk while they were clearing the ship of monsters, but now there was nothing to do but sit here until they landed. And Rinoa would want to have a conversation, and it would be awkward, and... (And after that, we should probably go back to saving the world.)
Rinoa	Home free. The radio had said they were home free. Once they really were home ... She could worry about that once they were. She had stayed in the doorway, silent, for all of the broadcast. Now, Squall gestured meaningfully to the empty seat. Safer for her to sit down and buckle herself in. Except for the part where someone had turned off the gravity. "Hey?!" Rinoa floated, amused, around the ceiling of the cockpit. She even tried a small somersault.
Squall	(Now isn't the time for having fun.) Squall got up out of his seat and leapt for her, scooping her into his arms and bringing her forward. Why did she have to be difficult? "Go sit over there," he told her, after he'd returned to his seat. "Put your seatbelt on." He put his on as he was talking -- they were going to be entering the atmosphere soon, and floating around the cabin then would be a BAD idea.
Rinoa	Squall had caught her, in midair, pulled her back to safety. He was her anchor. He was real: the rest of this might not be. She'd been asleep for so long; then she'd watched, helpless, as her body did things she couldn't control. She had only been herself again once she was drifting out into space, alone and low on air. She didn't want to sit in her own chair. She climbed over the seat-back and pulled herself onto his lap, instead. Much better. "We'll be home soon?" she asked, slipping her arms around his neck.
Squall	Well, that was... unexpected. And... nice. Squall realized he was getting a little too caught up in the way she smelled, and hated himself for it. He kept his arms at his sides, though -- he wasn't about to HOLD her or anything. (Sitting like this isn't safe.) "Hopefully. Now go sit down," he told her.
Rinoa	"Just a little longer," she insisted, wriggling in closer and shutting her eyes.
Squall	She was being difficult. "Why are you holding onto me like this?" he asked, putting a hand on hers. It just made him uncomfortable, and there didn't seem to be a point.
Rinoa	Her face fell. "You don't like it?"
Squall	He dropped his hand and gave half a shrug. "Just not used to it." Touching was something that... other people did.
Rinoa	She had known he was bad at the romantic stuff, but she hadn't climbed onto his lap to flirt. This was unfamiliar, too? Poor Squall. He'd been a mercenary too long. "How about when you were little?" she asked, straightening up to see his face. "Didn't you feel safe and secure, being held by your parents?"
Squall	Parents. Right. He couldn't remember anything before the orphanage, and most of that was hazy. What bits the Guardian Forces hadn't stolen from him, he suppressed on his own, because it all sucked. "I can't remember anything about my parents..." he told her. He couldn't remember ever being held as a child, but... "But... Ellone was there for me. Ellone was there to hold my hand." The only person he'd ever loved. His Sis.
Rinoa	He must have been young when he went to the orphanage; sad that he didn't have any memories of his parents left. At least he'd had Ellone. (Ellone? The girl on the space station? Someone had been looking for her.) "She made you feel safe and secure?"
Squall	"Sure," Squall told her. She had. His Sis. "But she left. Just disappeared." And then he was all alone... But he could make it on his own. (Why am I telling her all of this? Why does she care?) He stared at... well, he meant to be staring at the floor sullenly, but he found himself looking right at Rinoa's lap instead. She was getting in the way of a proper sulk. "I'm afraid..." he admitted quietly. "Afraid of having that feeling of comfort taken away."
Rinoa	Rinoa was very still for a moment. How heartbreaking. And suddenly, all of Squall's oddities, his quirks, his failures in dealing with people ... all of it made so much more sense. "You were afraid of losing us?" she asked softly. The backs of her fingers brushed gently over his cheek. "Is that why you kept your distance?"
Squall	Kept his distance? Did that mean she thought he had STOPPED keeping his distance? Because he wasn't about to. "I was always alone..." he admitted. And he did just FINE all alone.
Rinoa	"Oh, Squall ..." Her arms wrapped around him again, this time pulling him close, his head coming to rest on her shoulder and her face pressed against the side of his neck. "You missed out on so much," she murmured. "All the good things in life."
Squall	Squall shrugged. "Maybe." He didn't know. It didn't matter, though -- he was fine the way he was.
Rinoa	"Definitely," she nodded, firmly. She released him so she could sit up again. "I like this," she said. "I liked having my mom hold me. My dad, too, back when we got along." It had been a long time since her mother had held her; Rinoa had only been five when her mother died. And she couldn't remember when she'd last gotten along with her father.
Squall	How was that relevant? If she liked being held by her mother, and she liked being held by him, was she saying that he... looked like her mother? Because he didn't. "I'm not your mom," he pointed out.
Rinoa	Leave it to Squall to interrupt a heart-to-heart with something like that. Rinoa needed a moment to giggle before she could answer that. "Of course not," she said, rolling her eyes with no small amount of amusement. "But now, you're the one who brings me the most comfort. Comfort, and happiness ..." She reached up to flick a lock of his hair. "... and annoyance and disappointment, too!"
Squall	Squall blinked at her. And shrugged. He didn't have a response for that. "Whatever." ...And she said it at the same time he did, and started chuckling, just like Quistis liked to. Was he really so predictable? Whatever. This was uncomfortable, and besides, they'd be entering the atmosphere soon. He gestured toward her seat with his head. "You should go sit down now." (You'll be safer in your seat.)
Rinoa	There was a knot in her stomach. They had to be close, now. Any minute and they'd land, and this little safe haven would be gone forever. "Just a little longer," she pleaded, curling up against him. She couldn't face what was coming. Not just yet. "When we get back ... we won't be able to stay together, will we?"
Squall	Why wouldn't they be able to? On the other hand, who knew? "...Maybe," he answered. It would be stupid to lie and say they would definitely stay together, since nothing was ever certain. "No one can predict the future. There are no guarantees. Those were your words, Rinoa, and you were right."
Rinoa	Rinoa dropped her hands into her lap. "I didn't mean it like that." It was only going to get harder the longer she stalled. Without waiting for his reply, she drew her knees up to her chest and pushed off, floating easily to the co-pilot's chair. She braced her hands on her knees, ignoring her seat belt and staring straight ahead.
Squall	This is Airstation. Ragnarok, please respond. Squall leaned over and tapped the control panel. "This is the Ragnarok." We have a good idea of what happened, but we still have some questions for you. How many of you are onboard? Squall looked over at Rinoa, who was facing away from him, staring determinedly out the window. "Just two." ...Your names? "Squall. I'm a SeeD from Balamb Garden. And the other is Rinoa." Rinoa? The Sorceress?!?! She's on the ship?!? Squall looked at Rinoa again. He'd suspected, but... (So... It's true? Rinoa is a Sorceress?) Meaning she'd inherited unimaginable power, and could potentially turn evil some day. Or be possessed by the evil Sorceress in the future again and be made to do things, like Edea was.
Rinoa	"I can't stay with you any more, Squall." Ragnarok? She turned back, meeting his eyes at least for this. And her resolve wavered. "I don't want the future," she said. "I want the present to stay still. I just want to stay here, with you." If they never got off the ship -- it'd be a lovely ship. Just the two of them, floating in space. Respond, Ragnarok! "Nobody will want to be around me any more." Not with her as a threat, the way Edea had been. She had already been possessed once, to say nothing of the dangers she posed should she lose herself to her powers. The sorceress will be seized upon arrival. "I'm ... scared," she said softly, one hand reaching instinctively to the rings on her necklace. Her mother's, and his. Comfort, love, and security. All things that would be taken from her, once the ship landed. Squall, do you copy? ... Is the sorceress listening, too?! She pulled her knees in against her chest and started shaking. "I'm s-so scared."
Squall	Squall turned the radio off. They were right, of course they were right -- Rinoa was a danger to them all. But he couldn't listen to them talk anymore. He didn't want to hear it. Whatever they had planned for her... Rinoa was shaking. She was shaking and sobbing. And... He wanted to stop it somehow, to make her feel better, even if it was a lie, because it hurt him too much to see her like that. And he didn't KNOW how to stop it, and he felt helpless, and... (No, I do know how to help. Rinoa just explained it to me.) He got up out of his chair, and knelt beside her, and put his arms around her. He was probably doing it all wrong, but... well, she seemed to be feeling a little better, maybe?
Rinoa	He was -- reaching for her? She was stunned, for a moment, before simple relief crowded out any other emotion. Maybe she could cling to him and never let go. "I don't want to go back," she said, her voice barely audible even in the stillness of the cabin.
Squall	He wished he could tell her that it was all going to be okay, but... that would have been a lie. A stupid, pointless lie that wouldn't make either of them feel any better. So he just said nothing at all, and clung to her. (What the hell are we going to do now?) Strangely enough, holding her was bringing him comfort.

(ooc: preplayed with the incomparable whateverknight. This is part 1 of 3, because we just had to pull them from a particularly busy spot. Forgive the spam! NFB, NFI, but OOC is love.)

(Part 2 and Part 3)