gift for: ff_santa
Recipient: ff_santa (i.e. this means the person they wrote for pulled out)
Writer: xxbanelo
Title: Let Your Hair Down.
Series/Characters: FFVIII; Laguna/Selphie
Rating: G
Laguna stared at the work that laid out before him, hoping and wishing that it would magically do itself. He was too distracted at the moment to actually do it any of it himself. It was pouring outside, and the risk of a flood was very, very high. The sound of the heavy raindrops clashing against the window annoyed him to a great extent. (How could water be so loud?!) He hadn’t had time to eat lunch yet. His stomach growled angrily at him. On top of all of that, he had stayed up late last night working on work as well. And, more and more, his desk looked like the best place to sleep - ever.
Tapping his pen on the table, Laguna yawned and closed his eyes. A one-minute break to rest wasn’t going to hurt anyone. Plus, it would be completely beneficial to him. Only good things could come out it, even if it was the lazy thing to do.
So, Laguna decided to start taking his one-minute break then and there.
Leaning forward on his desk, Laguna propped his elbow on the desk and rested his head in his hand. His mind began to wander to thoughts of his bed that waited for him at home. With it’s nice, warm covers he could crawl under… no, he really couldn’t wait to be released from the confines of his work and back to his one true love that waited for him in his bedroom. Maybe even, he could sleep in tomorrow, because he couldn’t remember the last time that had happened.
About fifteen seconds later, Laguna was suddenly snapped out of his daydream because someone had burst in through his office door.
“I wasn’t daydreaming!” He proclaimed.
Now very alert, it took a second for Laguna to realize who the source of the disturbance was. Before him stood a small girl with short brown hair and a yellow dress. She looked soaked to the bone.
“Sir Laguna!” The girl exclaimed a little too loudly. “I’m so glad that you’re still here.”
“Selphie?”
“Yeah!” Selphie said, nodding furiously as she pumped her left fist into the air. “The one and only!”
“You looked soaked.”
Selphie shrugged. “My fault that I forgot an umbrella. I actually have something very important to discuss with you.”
“Is something wrong at the Garden?” His eyebrows furrowed, concerned. Officials from the Garden, such as Selphie, didn’t just waltz into his office everyday. In fact, he hadn’t even realized that anyone from the Garden was currently in the city at all.
“Nope,” Selphie said, shaking her head. She was standing at his desk now, her hands firmly placed on the edge of it. “Actually, it’s about your hair.”
“My… my hair?”
“Yes, your hair. Please, let it down.”
Laguna closed his eyes and shook his head, laughing to himself. Surely, a girl he only had a passing familiarity with, who was wearing a wet dress (of all things!) hadn’t just burst into his office, asking him to let his hair down. No. That entire scenario couldn’t have just happened. It was too surreal to be true.
But, upon opening his eyes again, Selphie was still there on the other side of his desk. Her hands hadn’t moved. She looked completely serious.
Laguna chuckled, leaning back in his chair. “I only let my hair down for special occasions,” he explained, waving his hands around for emphasis. “It’s just my thing.”
A great slam echoed throughout the room as Selphie hit his desk with great force. Laguna looked at her in shock. She didn’t seem the type to exhibit this type of behavior.
She immediately began to blush. “Oh gosh,” she said, “I have no idea where that came from, actually. Sorry, Sir Laguna.”
“Do you mind me asking,” he said slowly, leaning on his desk, coming closer to her, “why, exactly, you want me to let my hair down?”
Selphie’s face began to blush even more red as she laughed nervously. He waited patiently for her to contain herself enough to answer his question. “Ahaha… yeah, well…”
“Well?” He cocked his head to once side, now very curious for an explanation.
Sliding her hands off his desk, she brought them close to her chest, folding them together. “See, Sir Laguna, Rinoa and I have this… bet going.”
“A bet?”
She nodded. “That’s right, a bet.”
“And what would this bet be?”
“I bet that your hair was longer than Irvine’s, but Rinoa doesn’t believe me. So, I’d like you to let your hair down so I can measure it.”
Laguna was dumbfounded. “You want… to measure my hair?”
“Yup. That… that was my plan.”
Having been a president for so many years, Laguna had gotten many requests from people, but Selphie’s would probably win at this point for being the most original (and perhaps the most strange) request ever.
Regardless, Laguna stood up at his desk and smiled. “Well, do you have a ruler or something to measure it with?”
Selphie’s face lit up. “Yeah! I do!” She pulled out a small, yellow tape measure from her pocket. She ran over to Laguna’s side of the desk as he pulled the ponytail holder out of his hair.
“So,” he said casually as she began to measure, “Irvine’s the guy with the cowboy hat, right? How long is his hair?”
“Freakishly long,” Selphie commented. Laguna flinched a little as she had pulled his hair a little too hard. He didn’t really blame her though, because measuring hair wasn’t an easy thing to do.
She then sighed heavily.
“What’s wrong?” Laguna asked.
“Your hair isn’t even close to his length,” she said sadly, shaking her head. She looked down at the floor sadly.
Laguna shrugged. “You could always lie to Rinoa. How much is going on this bet, anyways?”
“5,000 gil and a weeks worth of dessert.”
“Wow,” Laguna said, truly amazed. “All of that?”
“Yeah. I mean, it’s not that much, I guess, but, really -”
Laguna placed a firm hand on Selphie shoulder. “I understand completely. It’s all about the principal of the thing, right?”
“Yeah, I guess,” Selphie said, looking up at him.
“So, you should take my earlier suggestion and most definitely lie.”
Selphie tilted her head, confused. “But, weren’t you just saying that it was the principal of the thing?”
“Exactly,” he said. “It is that exactly. You can lie to Rinoa - she and Irvine aren’t here to confirm it, and it’s not like they asked for a picture, right? And plus, you get free dessert for a week. I would think that that would be incentive enough.”
“Sir Laguna,” Selphie said, smiling, “you’re probably the smartest guy I’ve ever met.”
Laguna shrugged, but smiled at her. “Yeah, I know. I am a President, after all.”
The two smiled at each other before Selphie finally turned away, heading toward the door.
“I think,” she said as she walked, “that I will take your advice and lie to Rinoa.”
“A fine idea!”
“But,” she said, suddenly stopping at the door, her hand on the doorknob. She turned just enough to see his face. “Really, Sir Laguna? There was actually no bet at all. I just wanted to feel your hair.”
She was out the door before Laguna could respond.
Writer: xxbanelo
Title: Let Your Hair Down.
Series/Characters: FFVIII; Laguna/Selphie
Rating: G
Laguna stared at the work that laid out before him, hoping and wishing that it would magically do itself. He was too distracted at the moment to actually do it any of it himself. It was pouring outside, and the risk of a flood was very, very high. The sound of the heavy raindrops clashing against the window annoyed him to a great extent. (How could water be so loud?!) He hadn’t had time to eat lunch yet. His stomach growled angrily at him. On top of all of that, he had stayed up late last night working on work as well. And, more and more, his desk looked like the best place to sleep - ever.
Tapping his pen on the table, Laguna yawned and closed his eyes. A one-minute break to rest wasn’t going to hurt anyone. Plus, it would be completely beneficial to him. Only good things could come out it, even if it was the lazy thing to do.
So, Laguna decided to start taking his one-minute break then and there.
Leaning forward on his desk, Laguna propped his elbow on the desk and rested his head in his hand. His mind began to wander to thoughts of his bed that waited for him at home. With it’s nice, warm covers he could crawl under… no, he really couldn’t wait to be released from the confines of his work and back to his one true love that waited for him in his bedroom. Maybe even, he could sleep in tomorrow, because he couldn’t remember the last time that had happened.
About fifteen seconds later, Laguna was suddenly snapped out of his daydream because someone had burst in through his office door.
“I wasn’t daydreaming!” He proclaimed.
Now very alert, it took a second for Laguna to realize who the source of the disturbance was. Before him stood a small girl with short brown hair and a yellow dress. She looked soaked to the bone.
“Sir Laguna!” The girl exclaimed a little too loudly. “I’m so glad that you’re still here.”
“Selphie?”
“Yeah!” Selphie said, nodding furiously as she pumped her left fist into the air. “The one and only!”
“You looked soaked.”
Selphie shrugged. “My fault that I forgot an umbrella. I actually have something very important to discuss with you.”
“Is something wrong at the Garden?” His eyebrows furrowed, concerned. Officials from the Garden, such as Selphie, didn’t just waltz into his office everyday. In fact, he hadn’t even realized that anyone from the Garden was currently in the city at all.
“Nope,” Selphie said, shaking her head. She was standing at his desk now, her hands firmly placed on the edge of it. “Actually, it’s about your hair.”
“My… my hair?”
“Yes, your hair. Please, let it down.”
Laguna closed his eyes and shook his head, laughing to himself. Surely, a girl he only had a passing familiarity with, who was wearing a wet dress (of all things!) hadn’t just burst into his office, asking him to let his hair down. No. That entire scenario couldn’t have just happened. It was too surreal to be true.
But, upon opening his eyes again, Selphie was still there on the other side of his desk. Her hands hadn’t moved. She looked completely serious.
Laguna chuckled, leaning back in his chair. “I only let my hair down for special occasions,” he explained, waving his hands around for emphasis. “It’s just my thing.”
A great slam echoed throughout the room as Selphie hit his desk with great force. Laguna looked at her in shock. She didn’t seem the type to exhibit this type of behavior.
She immediately began to blush. “Oh gosh,” she said, “I have no idea where that came from, actually. Sorry, Sir Laguna.”
“Do you mind me asking,” he said slowly, leaning on his desk, coming closer to her, “why, exactly, you want me to let my hair down?”
Selphie’s face began to blush even more red as she laughed nervously. He waited patiently for her to contain herself enough to answer his question. “Ahaha… yeah, well…”
“Well?” He cocked his head to once side, now very curious for an explanation.
Sliding her hands off his desk, she brought them close to her chest, folding them together. “See, Sir Laguna, Rinoa and I have this… bet going.”
“A bet?”
She nodded. “That’s right, a bet.”
“And what would this bet be?”
“I bet that your hair was longer than Irvine’s, but Rinoa doesn’t believe me. So, I’d like you to let your hair down so I can measure it.”
Laguna was dumbfounded. “You want… to measure my hair?”
“Yup. That… that was my plan.”
Having been a president for so many years, Laguna had gotten many requests from people, but Selphie’s would probably win at this point for being the most original (and perhaps the most strange) request ever.
Regardless, Laguna stood up at his desk and smiled. “Well, do you have a ruler or something to measure it with?”
Selphie’s face lit up. “Yeah! I do!” She pulled out a small, yellow tape measure from her pocket. She ran over to Laguna’s side of the desk as he pulled the ponytail holder out of his hair.
“So,” he said casually as she began to measure, “Irvine’s the guy with the cowboy hat, right? How long is his hair?”
“Freakishly long,” Selphie commented. Laguna flinched a little as she had pulled his hair a little too hard. He didn’t really blame her though, because measuring hair wasn’t an easy thing to do.
She then sighed heavily.
“What’s wrong?” Laguna asked.
“Your hair isn’t even close to his length,” she said sadly, shaking her head. She looked down at the floor sadly.
Laguna shrugged. “You could always lie to Rinoa. How much is going on this bet, anyways?”
“5,000 gil and a weeks worth of dessert.”
“Wow,” Laguna said, truly amazed. “All of that?”
“Yeah. I mean, it’s not that much, I guess, but, really -”
Laguna placed a firm hand on Selphie shoulder. “I understand completely. It’s all about the principal of the thing, right?”
“Yeah, I guess,” Selphie said, looking up at him.
“So, you should take my earlier suggestion and most definitely lie.”
Selphie tilted her head, confused. “But, weren’t you just saying that it was the principal of the thing?”
“Exactly,” he said. “It is that exactly. You can lie to Rinoa - she and Irvine aren’t here to confirm it, and it’s not like they asked for a picture, right? And plus, you get free dessert for a week. I would think that that would be incentive enough.”
“Sir Laguna,” Selphie said, smiling, “you’re probably the smartest guy I’ve ever met.”
Laguna shrugged, but smiled at her. “Yeah, I know. I am a President, after all.”
The two smiled at each other before Selphie finally turned away, heading toward the door.
“I think,” she said as she walked, “that I will take your advice and lie to Rinoa.”
“A fine idea!”
“But,” she said, suddenly stopping at the door, her hand on the doorknob. She turned just enough to see his face. “Really, Sir Laguna? There was actually no bet at all. I just wanted to feel your hair.”
She was out the door before Laguna could respond.