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Yeah, well here we go. Bad Ideas Aren't Always So, Zell/Quistis, G. The prompt was: fancy dress-up date: A is B's date for a very formal occasion, possibly when they are not already a couple.
Horrible, terribly rushed, but I like it. :D
Despite the fact that noontime at the Garden was usually a swirl of rushing bodies and excited shouts, Zell and Selphie were relatively quiet and calm as they slowly made their way to Squall’s office. So slowly, in fact, that they weren’t moving at all; they’d instead decided to stop and sit at one of the many benches that littered the wide, curving hallway of the first floor.
Zell yawned widely, arms stretched up high before flopping down, settling into a boneless sprawl that took up more than his fair share of the bench. Selphie giggled and pushed against him.
“Zell!” she said, not moving him an inch. :What time did you go to bed last night?”
Shrugging, Zell rested his head on the back of the bench, eyes closed against the light. “I dunno, man. Around 4 or so?” It had seemed liked a good idea to stay up late, anyway.
“This morning?!” she asked, eyes wide. “But you had to be up by at least 7 or so…”
“Don’t remind me!” he said, casting a pathetic glare in her direction. “You’re just reminding me of how damn shitty I feel this morning.”
“It’s your own fault.” The two of them looked up at Quistis, who was standing before them with arched brows, holding a rather thick folder to her chest. “You knew you had to get up this morning, same as every other morning.”
“I know,” Zell said, wincing at her sharp tone. “C’mon, can you at least try to sympathize?” Do you have to be so harsh?
Quistis sighed and shook her head, though a small smile graced her lips. “Not at all. Now aren’t you two suppose to be going up to Squall’s office? I believe he wants to talk to you about the upcoming ball.”
“What?!” Zell sat up and stared at her, blue wide. “What?! We’re having another ball?!”
“Squall told us about it,” Selphie said, prodding Zell’s shoulder. “He already mentioned it to us before, remember?”
Zell thought for a moment before shaking his head. “No…are you just making that up?! I think I would have remembered that!” I would definitely remember Squall mentioning a dance, he thought.
“I thought you enjoyed this kind of thing?” Quistis said. “You enjoy socializing, don’t you?”
Selphie giggled. “He likes it, he’s just not very good at it,” she said, grinning at Zell’s frown. “He tries to be all knowing and suave, but he’s pretty much a dweeb.”
“Hey!” Zell jumped up, glaring at them. “I’m standing right here, you know! The least you could do is wait until I’m gone before you start badmouthing me!”
Selphie rolled her eyes but Quistis smiled, patting him on the shoulder awkwardly. “Don’t worry, Zell. I’m not very good with these things, myself.”
“What? You got to be bullshitting…uh,” he corrected himself at her glare, “you got to be kidding me! You’re all calm and composed and shit.” And smart and fucking gorgeous.
Quistis raised her eyebrows. “It may seem that way, but inside I’m a nervous wreck,” she confessed with a self-deprecating smile and tiny shrug.
“Damn.” Zell stared at her for a moment. “Yeah, well-”
“Heeeey!” Selphie jumped to her feet and bouncing on them. “You guys, since you both say you’re so bad at dealing with people and socializing and stuff, you should go with each other!”
Wait, what, what did Selphie just say?! Ignoring the sudden weight on his chest and the blush that he just knew was staining his cheeks, Zell said, “What?!”
“It’s a good plan!” Selphie said, ignoring Zell and focusing on Quistis, who looked vaguely gobsmacked. “I mean, it’s not like either of you have dates and you’re already friends, so there would be no awkwardness between the two of you!”
“I…suppose?” Quistis looked at Zell, who shrugged awkwardly.
“Uh, okay?” he said, gesturing helplessly.
“Yay!” Selphie said, throwing her hands in the air with gusto. “Hey, hey, I’m going with Irvine; we can double-date!”
Quistis pushed her glasses up higher. “Fine,” she said. “But I really have to be going now.”
“Yeah, we’ve got to get going too,” Selphie said, tugging on Zell’s arm. “Squall’s still waiting for us.”
Quistis nodded and turned sharply, heading in the opposite direction. When she was out of sight, Zell turned on Selphie, resisting the urge to take hold of her shoulders and shake her like a rag doll.
“What were you thinking?!” he said, voice embarrassingly high-pitched. Clearing his throat, Zell tried again. “What were you thinking?!” he said. “Why did you set us up?!”
Selphie blinked up at him before grinning. “Because!” she said. “Because I know about a crush that someone has on someone else and I’m planning on helping the first someone out.”
“Ugh!” Zell shook his head. “No, not another setup! Remember last time!” He certainly did, despite the many times he’d asked Quezacotl that, if it had to take a memory, please take that one.
Selphie looped her arm in his. “It’s not going to be like that,” she protested. “Trust me. Now, let’s get going. Squall’s grumpy enough without making him wait for us.”
***
“I can’t believe I let Selphie talk me in to this shit,” Zell grumbled as he fidgeted with his dress clothes. “I don’t like these things, I’m too fucking awkward, and all the ladies like Squall.” He glared at himself in the mirror. “And Quistis is way to classy to go out with a guy like me.” Though I look pretty damn awesome.
His dorm room opened unexpectedly and Selphie waltzed in, in her own dress uniform. “Looking good!” she said, wolf whistling.
“Yeah,” he said despite himself. “I guess I do look okay, huh?”
Selphie stepped beside him, their eyes meeting in the mirror. “Quistis won’t know what hit her,” she said, winking outlandishly at him. “Now c’mon! They’re waiting for us!”
They made their way to the ballroom, where a large crowd of people had already gathered. The music was playing and several couples were already dancing, the pairs laughing and talking.
Someone grabbed hold of Selphie from behind and she squealed, reaching back and slamming her fist into the others’ abdomen. She turned and saw Irvine, rubbing his stomach and grinning at her.
“Sorry!” she said, a blush on her cheeks, though she was grinning. “I didn’t know…” He waved her apology off, standing up straight and tugging her closer, looping one long arm over her shoulders.
“Hey Zell,” he said, tilting his head to one side, a smirk on his full lips. “Quistis is waiting for you over there.” He gestured to the left.
Heart suddenly hammering, Zell nodded. “Thanks man,” he said. Ignoring Selphie’s ‘good luck!’ Zell made his way over to where Irvine had pointed, suddenly plagued with doubts. This was a hell of a stupid idea! I’m going to make a fucking idiot of myself. Shit!
A small tap on his shoulder distracted Zell from his less than pleasant thoughts and he looked over. And promptly forgot what he was going to say. Quistis stood in front of him, a small smile on her face. While she wore the customary SeeD dress uniform, her hair was down and she’d done something with her make up that made her eyes seem larger, bluer than usual.
“H-Hey,” Zell said.
“Hello,” Quistis said. They stood there for a moment, awkward and unsure. “You look very nice,” she said finally, and Zell started, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.
“You look great too!” he said. You look great? Lame.
Quistis looked down for a moment before looking back up, eyebrow raised. “Selphie told me that you liked me,” she said bluntly and Zell stopped, staring at her as if he didn’t understand what she’d said.
“…what?” he said finally, feeling the blood rush to his cheeks. “S-She said…what?!” I’m going to kill her. I’m going to kill her and then cut her up into little, tiny pieces and then--
“I’m not angry,” Quistis said, before looking away, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. “I’m…I’m not angry at all.”
I’m going to throw her to the fish and…what? “You’re not?” he said, blinking at her. Quistis looked at him again, a small smile on her lips.
“No. Of course not,” she said, before looking out into the crowd. “Why would I be?”
Zell gazed at her profile, taking in the smile, the flushed cheeks…Huh. “Well…good,” he said and winced. “I-I mean, I’m glad you’re not mad at me.” Great. That wasn’t much better, Dincht!
Quistis glanced at him, the small smile slipping into a smirk. “I thought you might be,” she gently teased and Zell’s flush came back, full force. “Now, are you going to ask me to dance, or am I going to have to ask you?”
Zell blinked, before grinning. Maybe this won’t be so bad after all… “You, uh…want to dance?”
Quistis smiled and took his hand. “I’d love to.”
Horrible, terribly rushed, but I like it. :D
Despite the fact that noontime at the Garden was usually a swirl of rushing bodies and excited shouts, Zell and Selphie were relatively quiet and calm as they slowly made their way to Squall’s office. So slowly, in fact, that they weren’t moving at all; they’d instead decided to stop and sit at one of the many benches that littered the wide, curving hallway of the first floor.
Zell yawned widely, arms stretched up high before flopping down, settling into a boneless sprawl that took up more than his fair share of the bench. Selphie giggled and pushed against him.
“Zell!” she said, not moving him an inch. :What time did you go to bed last night?”
Shrugging, Zell rested his head on the back of the bench, eyes closed against the light. “I dunno, man. Around 4 or so?” It had seemed liked a good idea to stay up late, anyway.
“This morning?!” she asked, eyes wide. “But you had to be up by at least 7 or so…”
“Don’t remind me!” he said, casting a pathetic glare in her direction. “You’re just reminding me of how damn shitty I feel this morning.”
“It’s your own fault.” The two of them looked up at Quistis, who was standing before them with arched brows, holding a rather thick folder to her chest. “You knew you had to get up this morning, same as every other morning.”
“I know,” Zell said, wincing at her sharp tone. “C’mon, can you at least try to sympathize?” Do you have to be so harsh?
Quistis sighed and shook her head, though a small smile graced her lips. “Not at all. Now aren’t you two suppose to be going up to Squall’s office? I believe he wants to talk to you about the upcoming ball.”
“What?!” Zell sat up and stared at her, blue wide. “What?! We’re having another ball?!”
“Squall told us about it,” Selphie said, prodding Zell’s shoulder. “He already mentioned it to us before, remember?”
Zell thought for a moment before shaking his head. “No…are you just making that up?! I think I would have remembered that!” I would definitely remember Squall mentioning a dance, he thought.
“I thought you enjoyed this kind of thing?” Quistis said. “You enjoy socializing, don’t you?”
Selphie giggled. “He likes it, he’s just not very good at it,” she said, grinning at Zell’s frown. “He tries to be all knowing and suave, but he’s pretty much a dweeb.”
“Hey!” Zell jumped up, glaring at them. “I’m standing right here, you know! The least you could do is wait until I’m gone before you start badmouthing me!”
Selphie rolled her eyes but Quistis smiled, patting him on the shoulder awkwardly. “Don’t worry, Zell. I’m not very good with these things, myself.”
“What? You got to be bullshitting…uh,” he corrected himself at her glare, “you got to be kidding me! You’re all calm and composed and shit.” And smart and fucking gorgeous.
Quistis raised her eyebrows. “It may seem that way, but inside I’m a nervous wreck,” she confessed with a self-deprecating smile and tiny shrug.
“Damn.” Zell stared at her for a moment. “Yeah, well-”
“Heeeey!” Selphie jumped to her feet and bouncing on them. “You guys, since you both say you’re so bad at dealing with people and socializing and stuff, you should go with each other!”
Wait, what, what did Selphie just say?! Ignoring the sudden weight on his chest and the blush that he just knew was staining his cheeks, Zell said, “What?!”
“It’s a good plan!” Selphie said, ignoring Zell and focusing on Quistis, who looked vaguely gobsmacked. “I mean, it’s not like either of you have dates and you’re already friends, so there would be no awkwardness between the two of you!”
“I…suppose?” Quistis looked at Zell, who shrugged awkwardly.
“Uh, okay?” he said, gesturing helplessly.
“Yay!” Selphie said, throwing her hands in the air with gusto. “Hey, hey, I’m going with Irvine; we can double-date!”
Quistis pushed her glasses up higher. “Fine,” she said. “But I really have to be going now.”
“Yeah, we’ve got to get going too,” Selphie said, tugging on Zell’s arm. “Squall’s still waiting for us.”
Quistis nodded and turned sharply, heading in the opposite direction. When she was out of sight, Zell turned on Selphie, resisting the urge to take hold of her shoulders and shake her like a rag doll.
“What were you thinking?!” he said, voice embarrassingly high-pitched. Clearing his throat, Zell tried again. “What were you thinking?!” he said. “Why did you set us up?!”
Selphie blinked up at him before grinning. “Because!” she said. “Because I know about a crush that someone has on someone else and I’m planning on helping the first someone out.”
“Ugh!” Zell shook his head. “No, not another setup! Remember last time!” He certainly did, despite the many times he’d asked Quezacotl that, if it had to take a memory, please take that one.
Selphie looped her arm in his. “It’s not going to be like that,” she protested. “Trust me. Now, let’s get going. Squall’s grumpy enough without making him wait for us.”
***
“I can’t believe I let Selphie talk me in to this shit,” Zell grumbled as he fidgeted with his dress clothes. “I don’t like these things, I’m too fucking awkward, and all the ladies like Squall.” He glared at himself in the mirror. “And Quistis is way to classy to go out with a guy like me.” Though I look pretty damn awesome.
His dorm room opened unexpectedly and Selphie waltzed in, in her own dress uniform. “Looking good!” she said, wolf whistling.
“Yeah,” he said despite himself. “I guess I do look okay, huh?”
Selphie stepped beside him, their eyes meeting in the mirror. “Quistis won’t know what hit her,” she said, winking outlandishly at him. “Now c’mon! They’re waiting for us!”
They made their way to the ballroom, where a large crowd of people had already gathered. The music was playing and several couples were already dancing, the pairs laughing and talking.
Someone grabbed hold of Selphie from behind and she squealed, reaching back and slamming her fist into the others’ abdomen. She turned and saw Irvine, rubbing his stomach and grinning at her.
“Sorry!” she said, a blush on her cheeks, though she was grinning. “I didn’t know…” He waved her apology off, standing up straight and tugging her closer, looping one long arm over her shoulders.
“Hey Zell,” he said, tilting his head to one side, a smirk on his full lips. “Quistis is waiting for you over there.” He gestured to the left.
Heart suddenly hammering, Zell nodded. “Thanks man,” he said. Ignoring Selphie’s ‘good luck!’ Zell made his way over to where Irvine had pointed, suddenly plagued with doubts. This was a hell of a stupid idea! I’m going to make a fucking idiot of myself. Shit!
A small tap on his shoulder distracted Zell from his less than pleasant thoughts and he looked over. And promptly forgot what he was going to say. Quistis stood in front of him, a small smile on her face. While she wore the customary SeeD dress uniform, her hair was down and she’d done something with her make up that made her eyes seem larger, bluer than usual.
“H-Hey,” Zell said.
“Hello,” Quistis said. They stood there for a moment, awkward and unsure. “You look very nice,” she said finally, and Zell started, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.
“You look great too!” he said. You look great? Lame.
Quistis looked down for a moment before looking back up, eyebrow raised. “Selphie told me that you liked me,” she said bluntly and Zell stopped, staring at her as if he didn’t understand what she’d said.
“…what?” he said finally, feeling the blood rush to his cheeks. “S-She said…what?!” I’m going to kill her. I’m going to kill her and then cut her up into little, tiny pieces and then--
“I’m not angry,” Quistis said, before looking away, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. “I’m…I’m not angry at all.”
I’m going to throw her to the fish and…what? “You’re not?” he said, blinking at her. Quistis looked at him again, a small smile on her lips.
“No. Of course not,” she said, before looking out into the crowd. “Why would I be?”
Zell gazed at her profile, taking in the smile, the flushed cheeks…Huh. “Well…good,” he said and winced. “I-I mean, I’m glad you’re not mad at me.” Great. That wasn’t much better, Dincht!
Quistis glanced at him, the small smile slipping into a smirk. “I thought you might be,” she gently teased and Zell’s flush came back, full force. “Now, are you going to ask me to dance, or am I going to have to ask you?”
Zell blinked, before grinning. Maybe this won’t be so bad after all… “You, uh…want to dance?”
Quistis smiled and took his hand. “I’d love to.”