#ffviii x reader

[kyasarinkishinuma]

FF8 boys: Laying your head on their lap

Squall Leonhart

Absolutely not.

No no no.

This man cannot people even if he tries. He's a lot more empathic and thoughtful than he may seem at first glance, but that does not by any means translate into his interactions with others. Honestly if he considers you a friend that's already a miracle in and of itself.

So laying your head on his lap? That's pushing it. He'll just ignore you and push you away if you try to get anywhere near him.

Unless he has a soft spot for you

In which case if you insist, he might eventually agree, albeit hesitantly.

He is awkward and stiff. Honestly not the best cushion. But he's entertaining your request so that has to mean something, right?

He won't ever let you do this in front of the others though. Only when it's the two of you someplace private. But of course the others always find you two somehow. Zell never shuts up about it. Squall hates it.

He'll just sit there and cross his arms while he waits. "Are you done yet?" He may seem disgruntled but he never forces you to get up sooner than you have to.

A solid 7/10. Good support. Not very receptive to whatever your issue is, but his presence makes you feel safe.

Zell Dincht

It's definitely a lot easier to get this guy to agree. Even if he'll find it a bit weird, he'll do it since you're a friend.

Not the best cushion because he keeps fidgeting around. He's just not the kind of guy to sit still, but he'll try his best to do so until you feel better. He'll also just ramble on and on and easily entertain a conversation with you.

The other students will definitely tease him about it but he'll shrug it off, saying he's just helping out a friend. That's what a good friend does!

But if he has a crush on you... Hoo boy

When he crushes, he crushes hard

He's not exactly discreet about his excitement to have his crush's head on his lap. A very "WHOA! REALLY??" kind of reaction.

He fidgets even more if that's even possible. Can't sit still, won't sit still. And he just won't shut up. And he'll also tell everyone.

So that's either really annoying or really endearing. Up to you.

Doesn't really matter when or where it is, he'll let you do it if you ask him, especially if you look tired or upset.

6/10. Amazing emotional support, but he really needs to learn to sit down.

Irvine Kinneas

Your go-to man.

Out of the group he's probably the most empathic about your situation. He's a self-proclaimed loner so he has lots of time to mull over his emotions and understands the stress you're going to.

He'll agree without a moment's hesitation. Anywhere, anytime. If Squall or anybody else scolds you for slacking off he'll shoo them and sit there until you feel better.

He's the kind of guy who'll speak to you in a low, calm voice or not speak at all, if that's what you prefer. If you're okay with it he'll play with his hair a bit to soothe you.

But of course, this is Irvine so he'll definitely throw in some flirty remarks and try to fluster you. The kind of silly things that'll make you giggle, so whether you return his affections or not he doesn't mind. He's just happy you're cheering up a bit.

Honestly if you're comfortable with it he'll probably ask for you to return the favour every now and again, when he needs it.

If he has a crush on you the hints of care in the way he holds you and shushes to you will be so obvious.

He'll probably brag about it to your friends and just isn't shy to admit it.

Solid 10/10. Very comfy and good emotional support.

Laguna Loire

You could be a complete stranger and he wouldn't turn you down.

This guy just has such a heart of gold. Anyway he can help others, he will. Even more so if it's someone he holds dear.

The request will probably stump him for a moment, he'll have a sort of 'uh, ok' kind of reaction, but afterwards you're good to go. It's not that he finds your request odd, it's just that he'd never think someone would go to him for that kind of thing.

He's also really good at hugs btw

He manages to sit still but can't keep his mouth short. He'll just ramble on and on and on, and he'll get embarrassed if you ask him to be quiet for a minute because he'll feel like he's talking too much.

But his stories are welcomed, if anything. They're silly and fun and keep your mind off whatever's bothering you.

If he has a crush on you, he'll ramble even more and his leg cramps will definitely act up. Poor guy.

He'll probably ask you if you want to go grab a snack or go outside a bit after a couple minutes. While he isn't as hyperactive as Zell, you can't expect the guy to sit there for half an hour either.

Solid 8/10. Very comfy and fun.

[gardengalwrites]

20 Fic Questions

Thanks for tagging me, @angelosearch! This was a lot of fun and I tag everyone else who wants to play. :)

1. How many works do you have on AO3? 20.

2. What's your total AO3 word count? 230,251.

3. What fandoms do you write for? Just FFVIII.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

The Dinner.

Interzone.

Body Poetry.

Gorgeous Cohesion.

It's a tie between And Death Shall Be No More and Sunset Cadet (She's A Class Act).

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not? I always respond to comments, not only out of gratitude, but also because I love getting to engage with people in the fandom!

6. What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? I'm emotionally incapable of writing angsty endings, so I don't have any fics in this category. 🥰

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? ...All of them. 😂

8. Do you get hate on fics? Thankfully, no. I've met some truly amazing people through this community.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind? So far, I've written a three-part mini-series that contains smut. My primary tags for these ficlets are Forbidden Love and Mutual Pining. I would describe the style as emotional and poetic.

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written? I've never written a crossover. I'm not sure that I could, mainly because I don't feel that I know another universe (besides FFVIII) well enough to pull it off.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen? Not that I've discovered.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? No translations.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before? No, but I always thought that would be cool.

14. What's your all-time favourite ship? Since I was a little girl, Seifer x Quistis (Seiftis) has been my OTP!

15. What's a WIP you want to finish, but doubt you ever will? None, as I personally restrict the number of WIPs to prevent this exact scenario.

16. What are your writing strengths? Based on readers' feedback: excellent characterizations, imaginative storylines, and magical use of language.

17. What are your writing weaknesses? I always have this nagging thought that I need to write more, though I don't want to base "success" on a word count. However, it's true that I could fill my chapters with plenty more descriptions.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic? I encourage this when the context requires it! Just be sure to do your research properly. Until I was asked this question, I didn't realize that I do this all the time when I'm translating dialogue from Korean to English (as you may have noticed, I am inspired by many K-Dramas). 😉

19. First fandom you wrote for? FFVIII.

20. Favourite fic you've ever written? It is impossible to choose. They are all my favorite, each for a special reason. 🩷

[flowerwiththemachinegun]

**just me again because I just cannot shake these thoughts of Laguna, he also deserves SOMETHING. Could never find any other xReaders with Laguna so if anyone knows any...tell me please.**

NSFW HC's Laguna Loire

-One thing about Laguna is that he's VERY vocal. This man moans a lot, you almost couldn't believe he wasn't faking it. Loves saying your name over and over again.

-Can be fairly loud from time to time. Mostly when you've both been too busy and haven't had sex in a while, so while he's cuming in you he has no problem vocalizing his pleasure.

-He's a lover, likes to take his time with you. Loves the way you react to his gentle touches and his kisses that just trail everywhere. Sometimes gets lost kissing all over your body but the way you taste just drives him crazy.

-Laguna usually doesn't skip a chance to give you head, unless it's a quickie. Loves driving you crazy with his tongue. Make sure you run your hands through his hair and definitely don't forget to tug, that'll definitely encourage him to make you cum over and over again. Won't stop when you cum, WILL chase you off of the bed if you try to get away.

-Sure he's a love maker but there's a 50/50 chance you'll end up getting your brains fucked out. Will completely over stimulate you, he loves it when you go senseless and all you can do is cling to him.

-Grabs your face and demands you look him in the eyes while you cum. You better do it, cause he won't let you cum unless you listen.

-"Be good and obey, then I'll give you everything you want." Loves giving out commands, will definitely take complete control over you. Will edge you to the Island of Hell if you don't listen. Won't even give you his cum because "You don't deserve a reward."

-Please, deep throat this man's cock, he deserves it. He needs it. Will fuck your face if you let him, he loves the way you choke on his length. He especially loves to see the drool dripping down your chin. Your so beautiful like this to him.

-Always wants to cum in you, doesn't necessarily matter where to him. He just wants the pleasure of filling you up with everything he has to offer. When he comes on you his favorite place is your chest/stomach. Laguna just wants to make a trail down your body then examine his handy work.

-Big on aftercare, there's never a time that he doesn't make sure your taken care of after sex. Don't even think about rolling away from him, he's going to cuddle the fuck out of you the whole night. Might wake up for another round, who knew that man had this kind of stamina.

[consumedshadow-mysticmc]

Anyone else read, and fully just see the words as they are reading; but will remember it with images as if they were there/watched it take place?

Is there a term for that?

Because I can fully visual Zack, Sephiroth, and Cloud watching the fireflies

[lancermylove]

Chase (HC)

Fandom: FFVII

Pairing: Sephiroth x Cetra!Reader

Warning: None

Requested by: Anon

Prompt: Hc Sephiroth x centra reader? After left Shinra, he accidentally saw a girl who is on her way running from Shinra's pursuit. She's a proficient assassin and her skills made him impressed ^^

A/N: I hope you meant Cetra from FFVII and not Centra from FFVIII because I’m not too familiar with the centras from ffviii. ><

———————————————

Sephiroth didn't think his day could get any more entertaining, but right after he left Shinra, he heard the sound of rushed footsteps heading his way. It almost sounded like a pursuit. 

He stopped and waiting for the scene to play itself out. 

The one-winged angel caught a glimpse of you as you running out of the building, followed by a few men screaming stop. 

It didn't take Sephi long to figure out that you must be a cetra looking to escape Shinra. 

He could have easily stopped you, but he was interested to see how desperate you were to escape and what you were capable of doing. 

What he didn't expect was for you to take out throwing knives and kill Shinra's men in one hit. 

"Impressive." He mumbled under his breath, smirking. 

You managed to take down a few more of Shinra's men, but as more rushed out of the building, you made a run for it. 

As you ran closer to Sephiroth, your eyes temporarily locked with his. 

"Sir, please stop her." 

When you heard one of the men calling out to the silver-haired men, you expected him to attack you, but instead, you heard something unexpected. 

"Catching her is your job, not mine." 

Sephiroth could have stopped you, but your skills were enough to impress him - the greatest soldier to ever live. And, as a reward, he let you escape. 

———————————————

➣ FFVII Masterlist

[shiracaelum]

FINAL FANTASY Masterlist

first time doing a masterlist hopefully it works~

FFIV

none

FFV

Fluffy bartz headcanons

FFVI

none

FFVII

cloud with a jealous! s/o 

//NSFW// alphabet zack and cloud D,K,V

yuffie general headcanons

//NSFW// alphabet reno V,Z

3.5.7 reno

random reno headcanons

cloud dating zack’s little sister

dating cloud in general 

cloud with a shy! s/o

cloud with a sick s/o

1,14,23,25 zack

//NSFW// reno headcanons

what kind of student tifa would be

zack and cloud with a s/o //NSFW// headcanons

cloud with a s/o thats gets motion sickness 

5 zack

zack with a s/o who knows how to fight

zack dating headcanons

aerith fluff alphabet P,O,W

reno fluff alphabet D,E,I,K

dating aerith and tifa headcanons

cloud the panty sniffer//NSFW//

cloud with a tiny s/o with ADHD

cloud with a pregnant s/o

more zack dating headcanons

more zack and cloud //NSFW// headcanons

cloud with a badass s/o

zack with a plus size s/o

tifa SFW AND //NSFW//

random aerith headcanons

zack and cloud //NSFW// alphabet U,V,X,W

cloud and zack with a s/o who not afraid of creepy crawlies

cloud showing his affection his shy! s/o

Bottom! Cloud x reader NSFW

FFVIII

squall general relationship headcanons

14,22, squall

more squall relationship headcanons

seifer relationship headcanons

squall with a pregnant s/o

laguna dating headcanons

squall //NSFW// alphabet I,K,M,Y

FFIX

zidane with a shy!female s/o

FFX

tidus dating headcanons

FFXI

none

FFXIII

dating hope in general 

lightning relationship headcanons

what kind of student lightning would be

FFXIV

none

FFXV

noctis and prompto bath headcanons

noctis //NSFW// alphabet V,Z

prompto SFW/NSFW

random luna headcanons

prompto general and relationship headcanons

what kind of student luna would be

noctis and luna with a s/o //NSFW// headcanons

noctis and prompto s/o put them in a chastity belt//NSFW//

gladio dating headcanons

noctis and prompto with a s/o who is not afraid of creepy crawlies

FFCC

none

FF0

ace with a cold s/o

[makoheadrush]

1, 2, 3, 5

1: When did you start writing?

Third grade was when I really started getting into writing - so I was eight then.  One of the best teachers I ever had was my third grade teacher; she encouraged creative writing and would give us prompts.  Other than breaks now and then when writer’s block hits, I don’t think I’ve ever really stopped writing for terribly wrong.  I can’t not write, it’s like I need this in order to live.

2: How many different fandoms have you written for?

The bulk of what I’ve written is for FFVII; but I’ve written in tons more.  X-Files, Xena, Hercules, Doctor Who, Primeval, Avengers, FFVIII, FFX, Lost Boys, Twilight (*CRINGE* I’m so ashamed).

3: If applicable, do you think your writing has improved a lot or a little since you first started writing?

I think (hope?) it’s improved a lot in the past few years.  When I first started writing stuff, I think maybe I tried too hard?  Or wrote stuff catering to what readers wanted, instead of what I wanted to do.  I changed my tune a few years ago, and I’m at my happiest when I’m writing for me.  I always appreciate input and concrit, but at the end of the day, I’m writing for me, just to stay sane, just to get the words out.

5: What is your favorite fic you have written?

I have a few faves; ironically they’re the ones that have received the least amount of kudos/comments, but I like them anyway.

The Day the World Went Away

One Red Shoe

Hollow

There are some others that I’m kind of sentimental over - multi chapter fics, one of which took three years to write - but I’m kind of embarrassed to mention them, really.  They’re probably not awful per se, but when I read them now, I feel like my writing style has changed so drastically, that I would probably write them much differently if I’d written them today.

[diamondarmored-blog1]

Just some stuff from yesterday’s post nothin’ special particularly--

@corditeheart  Idek, it's so small that people think one comment speaks for the entire fandom

INCOHERENT HOWLING NOISES. I can’t even comprehend this mindset. Clearly I am still a summer child who knows not the struggle of fandom veterans. I was relatively late to the party and it’s still my firm opinion that people can do what they want as long as it’s not in an attempt to overwrite someone else. I sort of assume everyone else feels like that as well, so it’s never occurred to me to take one comment as law.

@ahmyhotdog I can only speak from where I've been. Most people in this fandom are nice. This is true. I've met way more nicer people than not nice. But I think part of the issue is if you don't want to people with certain people for whatever reason then a lot of others just don't seem to play with you as well? Or it could just simply be once you find people you enjoy playing with you just end up not looking for new muns to play with.

That’s true, actually! So it could be partly down to misreading peoples’ motivations for doing that? I would usually assume it’s because our headcanons don’t mesh, though I will say that’s happened to me elsewhere. I don’t think it’s the fault of the collective though, I think there are just arseholes wherever you go. Idk, I hear “x is a bad fandom” and I think of Bloodborne (INB4 SOMEONE IS A BLOODBORNE PART TIMER AND TAKES OFFENCE... @ them, come on, man, you know exactly what I mean here. BB is a mushroom cloud on the horizon for everyone else). 

@eruditorem I’ve heard things but honestly ive never seen anything and everyone has been so welcoming??? so idk either. also i dont pick my nose, i pick my butt. i  mean... wait-- dont reply to that

Mostly adding this so everyone knows Bri picks her butt

@legendaryturk Hmm.  Well I'm kind of newish to the fandom at least for RP, and I think...things just go in cycles?  I've seen ups and downs in various fandoms - not just 8, but also ffvii, doctor who, mgs, and tons of other fandoms I've RPed in.  overall I'd say ff8 has been mostly welcoming to me? it's small, and tumblr being the animal it is, people may just flock toward others who share similar writing styles or fanon. Idk, if I find I have something in common with another mun, be it writing style or fanon ideas, I'll kind of squee with them over it, but I *never* do so with the intent of excluding others, kwim? that said, there are times where I feel like muns talk around me and there's a joke I'm not in on, but, I think that's just the beast that is tumblr, and not fandom related tbh.

You were in MGS tho//// / ?!?!?/q/1/

That part about not doing it with the intent to exclude is so important tbh. So far, I’m getting the impression that most of it is misunderstanding. I can’t imagine anyone I’ve come across so far being deliberately dickish in that way. Eg, there’s one person I can think of who doesn’t really want to acknowledge me, but that’s okay, cos I know they’re a heavy Seiferx[redacted] shipper and I’ve already said I’m not, so I’d not be much use to them. We still follow each other, though, and I can’t think that they’d be all like YOU CAN’T SIT WITH ME if I spoke to them.

@diosleighrp  There's douchenozzles in every fandom who try to dictate what other fans can and can't do. It's quite unfortunate, but there are just entitled brats everywhere.

I can’t say much about this, I haven’t had it! Idk why. Maybe I’m too babbymode for the haters to have found. I have had it elsewhere though so I know what you mean and you’re right, they are definitely lurking somewhere. They’re lurking everywhere. 

@lionseed Just like American politics, it's the small angry voices that get the most attention for some reason. Sometimes there's a bad experience, and people take that as proof the fandom is shit.

MMMM and there’s always people with a bad experience to talk about because nowhere’s perfect, so I guess it’s partly on the reader to be on it enough to realise that. I would like if people within the fandom wouldn’t say that about all currently participating members though :( Obviously people can talk about their experience, good or bad, but their experience is with a person, not all of us. 

@underplater Okay, so. I will say that what I've personally experienced with the ff8 fandom is a lot of, "oh wow, I really like your blog and your take on the character you're doing. That's wonderful!" "Oh awesome, do you maybe want to do something with her/him/me?" "Uh... Maybe." Which... Means no. And then people are always all, "You just keep doing you, dear, it's wonderful," but no one sends in memes or replies to stuff? And it just.. I always feel like I'm pressed up against the glass, looking in.So I'd say my experience with the ff8 comm has definitely been that it's very insular and hard to for me, personally speaking, to break in on. ... Sorry, I'm fairly sure this was about my comment earlier? I think I was the one who used insular.... Unless, of course, I guess the problem could be me? But if it is, I wish someone would tell me so that I could drop the muses and just stop cluttering up people's dashes.

JJKASHDJASHFGGHFJDSJJHH this hurt me to read and is the main reason I’ve made time to do this reply post rn. I couldn’t remember who said what, to be honest with you and it surprises me that it was you, purely because you’re always one of the first people to come to mind when I think of “the FFVIII community”, you seem like a valued part of it to me, even if you’re not one of the most active. YOU ARE DEFINITELY NOT THE PROBLEM. I can’t really say with 100% certainty what *is*. With the meme thing, I think it depends what it is. If someone reblogs one of those “send me x and I’ll tell you about y”, I try to send it, but if it’s a starter or something that feels thready, I won’t unless I have an idea to back it with, cos it doesn’t feel any different to writing an actual starter for me. I’d rather do that, but I won’t do it uninvited/randomly because that’s putting pressure on someone who didn’t ask for it. If a lot of people do the same as me and don’t mention it, then that could be a big factor because people can well end up waiting for each other to approach without realising it. It might also be something to do with you having multiple blogs (particularly Reno) and that altering your perception. The reason I say that is because I had the exact same thing myself, I had a male muse in a fandom and everyone loved him - mostly everyone wanted to lowkey do him tbh - and I had a female one who got comparatively zero attention because she wasn’t as accessible to such a wide audience. Ellone in particular is a complex character and it’s a sad fact that people tumblr-wide aren’t always into the idea of paying attention to something before they interact with it. Reno is much more easy to interact with in a casual way, since he’s had more exposure in source material and is widely regarded as being a fun, not-serious character (though I acknowledge he very likely IS, and I know from experience that you will have put a lot of thought into him - I love Reno and anything that gives him some substance). He attracts people from further afield, people who might have only seen Advent Children or only know him through fan works. Ellone doesn’t have a movie or much fanfic, and she’s not really subject of the most popular speculation (lbr - by that I mean “who she’s sleeping with”), so she doesn’t have that far a reach. Your Ellone is so valuable to the whole community, you have a hell of a lot to share in your headcanons and your ideas. I haven’t seen you use Julia too much yet, but I’m sure she’ll be that way too. I think you should pick one of those ideas, pick someone who seems like they could pull it off and tell them about it, because I’m so sure 90% if not 100% of us would thread them with you. That’s all I do tbh!! I’m always prepared for someone to say no, but mostly they’re happy to have been approached with an idea to use as a starting point. PLEASE DON’T DROP THEM. You’re not cluttering up anything. I’m sure I’m not the only one who’s sad to see you inactive on her whenever you are, tbh. I don’t think you realise how essential she is. I know it’s a small, slow fandom, but anything you post raises the overall standard for the sheer fact you did it, and it had your characteristic level of consideration put in. Course, I’m probably biased, cos I think I can tell when people work more behind the scenes than out front on their muse and the related background and I appreciate that, always have.

@misplacedxheroics .... I'm hoping this is permitted that I comment, as it was my blog where you read this post. I'm only addressing what I've experienced in the community, not trying to speak for everyone here. In my personal experience with VIII, more often than not, I see a lot of the insular behavior mentioned. Several blogs that start up are made to feel so unwelcomed that they leave or close up shop. Then there are the pass/agg anons, the ones who attack strong female characters (OC or otherwise) and 'correct' headcanons for canon characters. Whoever the person is, I have to believe it's just one single person. But anons have begun to reach out and outright tell people who they can or can't write with, which is baffling. And lastly, I'm guilty of this, and I'll own it -- We also become so comfortable and so familiar with who we write with we don't try out other players. There's also the overlap of muns playing with 'private' blogs. To me, the word 'private' tells me I don't have access to them. So what's the bother in following or engaging if everyone who writes muses that are in the fandom closed off to the rest of us? I can't say how the fandom should be run, I know I'm the least liked person in this fandom but this is my experience. A very polarizing, cold and unwelcoming experience.  We need to communicate more among one another, set clear boundaries and maintain community and unity, imo.

I think private is just a word people slap on a blog to make it look legit these days, or as a get-out clause if they find themselves followed by some kind of My Immortal Eldritch horror. Least, that’s what I’ve seen in my travels. Private blogs seem to favour their existing friends, but be open to others who will bring them ideas. I had one blog I called private and that’s because I kept getting people saying “wanna rp?” and I’d be like “yeah okay” and they’d literally say “alright you come up with an idea then”. ? / / //???? Also... I’m trying to word this in the least mean-sounding way possible because I’m not one to shit on anyone’s parade, but if I’m really honest with you, I had to unfollow you on an older blog because you were posting vagues about people so often. I don’t mind when people vent, but it got to the point where it was almost every day someone was on blast and I felt like I’d walked in on a family argument. You can do what you want with your blog, it’s on me to unfollow if I don’t like it, so I did. But. Any oversensitive person seeing it probably assumed you meant them and that might have something to do with you finding it difficult to connect with people. You follow that up by slating the entire fandom when it’s not exactly a fandom problem, which makes people less likely to approach you as you’ve already indirectly blasted them. I’ve had people tell me more than once that you’ve posted something about me without naming me; notably when you made a point of reblogging that one anti-Xu post from an inactive account after saying you hate people who disagree with you “on purpose”. I had just posted a silly Xu support one liner that got a few reblogs. I don’t really have a fig to give whether it was about me or not, but it’s a good example of how a vaguepost causes negative ripples. If one person assumed that was about me, another ten probably guessed it was someone else. I was welcomed to the fandom with a couple of how-do-you-dos and an anon telling me to stay away from you or you’d bully me into deleting. That was the first of several. Then you got that anon telling you to stop sending me hate when you hadn’t (what basis did that have?), and one of your friends for some reason assumed I was the one who had sent it and demanded that “anon” show IP proof, which gives the impression that they’d been led to believe it was me for some reason. I know you said you didn’t understand the logic behind me saying that, but we’re both running Statcounter, you know as well as I do how it works and what the implications are of saying that. It’s also how I know the anons I’ve had that I’ve mentioned are not all one person. Maybe it really was a totally out-of-nowhere thing that person said, but when you combine it with the vagues and the assertions that there’s a split in the fandom that no one else (so far) has detected, it causes bigger problems than it would on its own. I’m not trying to put you on blast, this ain’t a callout post and I haven’t taken any of it to heart - it’s no big deal to me - I’m just trying to offer an outsiders’ perspective because I read this as you being honestly oblivious to it, and if I didn’t I’d either have to ignore your comment or lie to you, neither of which I think you’d appreciate - and I assume since you made the effort to drop in despite not following me that you would want a response.

[kyasarinkishinuma]

Brisk Mornings

Summary: After a mission outside Balamb Garden (Y/N) is bedridden, and Squall's the only one who's available to look after her.

Pairing: Squall Leonhart x Reader (he deserves more love!)

Themes: Sick (Y/N), fluff

AO3 link

Ugh. Why had Dr. Kadowaki left him with her? Caretaking was barely his strong suit, hell, neither was caring about anything at all. Or at least that's what he told himself.

Her face was a familiar one. A SeeD who had also been trained at Balamb Garden. She had graduated from the program a few months before him and already gone on a handful of missions. Even if they hadn't been part of the same class, he knew her. In a place as small as the Garden, everybody knew everyone. Even a guy who kept to himself.

Well, those people who seemed to insist on sticking around him, Zell, Selphie, Quistis, they were definitely to blame as well, at least partly. They kept pushing him into interacting with others more. Especially Irvine and Rinoa. So he had greeted her a couple times in the Garden hallways, albeit hesitantly. She had always responded with a kind smile.

So why weren't they taking care of her? Clearly they knew more about that kind of stuff than he did. He wasn't a nurse. He was a mercenary. Trained to fight. Not trained to do... Well, this.

He had to admit though, the silence was nice. It was always quiet here in the infirmary, away from the bustling hallways and energetic students. She was asleep so watching over her wasn't that bad. It's not like he had to force himself to find something to say.

From what he had heard, she had been sick ever since she came back from her mission. It had been outside Balamb, so it wouldn't surprise him if it had been a virus that was foreign to her body. SeeDs were trained to withstand the worst of conditions, so something as mere as what seemed to be a cold shouldn't knock them down so easily. But alas, here she was. Here they were.

Watching her peaceful face, he did feel a twinge of protectiveness in his chest.

"Mm..."

He had been so caught up in his trainwreck of thoughts that he hadn't even noticed her shifting around on the infirmary bed. Blue eyes darted back to her as she struggled to sit up, holding a hand to her head. The headache and stuffiness in her nose was just unbearable, making it difficult to focus on anything else. She hadn't been aware that she wasn't alone in the room, not until she opened her eyes and noticed a gentle but disgruntled presence at her side.

"Don't push it."

"Squall?"

He was standing by her bed, his gaze as fierce as it always was, almost reprimanding. It's the kind of thing that scared others off the first time they met Squall, but in time it became clear that it was simply part of his demeanor. He was always so tense, attentive, weary, as any well-trained mercenary would be.

She tried to show him a smile but the wave of feverish heat that went through her was unbearable, making her double up with a groan as she grasped her head tightly. Shivering, she could feel a pair of gloved hands gently but awkwardly guide her back down on the mattress.

"I'm here."

A belated answer to her question from earlier. Eyes screwed shut, she pulled the thin sheet over her body as it was wracked by trembles. Truly, she was embarrassed to be in such a state from a mere cold. When she opened her eyes and saw Squall standing next to her bed it was like she was seeing him through a blurry veil, a feverish haze covering her senses. It was difficult to acknowledge any of what was going on around her and all she could really focus on was his presence. It was stiff, but calm.

"I'm sorry..."

She managed to whimper out with a cough, hiding beneath the blankets slightly. He only seemed more disgruntled then, shaking his head as he crossed his arms.

"Don't apologize. Just focus on getting better."

Right. She nodded weakly, shivering as she curled up, facing away from him. Even as she closed her eyes she could still feel his presence there, silent, watchful. In a way it almost felt like he was guarding her.

"Thanks for watching over me, Squall."

Without needing to see him she could practically feel him look off to the side, tightening his stance.

"Whatever."

His response did make her smile, cold and indifferent as it may have seemed. It didn't take her long to fall back into an empty sleep, her body seized by fever. And so silence fell back over the room as Squall stood there, making sure nothing happened to her. It was calm, peaceful, a bit chilly.

A brisk morning, like the kind he liked.