Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VIII and its characters solely belong to Square Enix.

Coordination

-o-

Despite being a martial arts expert, Zell doesn't have any proper balance.

He tangles up in the sheets of his bed and ends up falling over the side onto the messy floor, cursing his head off at seven in the morning. He trips over shoes, books, and anything and everything else found on the carpet as he rushes out the door, already late for class. He bangs into the glass wall of the elevator, much to the amusement of passing by students, drops his papers into the water and has to spend ten minutes wading through it to find his homework. He walks backwards while talking to someone and ends up stumbling into others, falls over his own two left feet and crashes into trees and railings on his T-Board.

He disrupts the cafeteria the first time he tries Garden's hotdogs, dozes off in class and crashes onto the floor, gets into too many fights to keep track off, and has no hold on his temper whatsoever. He comes storming into the library for the first time, muttering to himself and heading straight for the magazine section. He flips through the racks, oblivious to the irritated stares he's getting, until his hand lands on the combat section and he pauses, contemplating.

-o-

Zell is thirteen, clumsy, new and only learning how to fight. He oversleeps every day and gets kicked out of class, aces his history tests, and spends his spare time in the cafeteria, the gym and the library.

Zell is fifteen, getting into fist fights and capturing the attention of the Garden faculty. He visits his Ma in Balamb and fishes his days away on the dock, books scattered around him as he leans against his T-Board under the sun. He dreams of hotdogs, SeeD, and pony-tailed girls smiling at him through the book racks.

Zell is seventeen, a SeeD, saviour of the world, defeater of the Sorceress, hero, whatever other title they assign him. He sits in the library, hiding a hotdog under the table as he scans the room for a certain brown haired ponytail, fingers drumming nervously against the table surface.

"Relax," Irvine's voice floats over to him from behind a stack of books, and Zell can just hear the smirk in the sharpshooter's voice. "Girls don't like guys that have no confidence."

Zell's face twists into a nervous scowl and he takes another bite of the hotdog, his eyes still searching for Ponytail Girl. He spots her on the other side of the room, pushing a cart of returned books to the front counter, and his heart skips a beat.

"There she is, man," Irvine observes, his hat peeking out behind the shelf as he leans forward to take her in. "This is your chance."

Ponytail Girl is fast approaching and Zell's breathing increases – this is just like before he fights, sizing up his opponent, the rush of adrenaline running through his blood. She's almost beside him now, her eyes down as she flips through one of the books absentmindedly, and Zell's muscles tense as he prepares to stand up and propose the two of them going to lunch.

"Go!" Irvine whispers behind him, and just like that, Zell's nerves fail.

Zell's chair is pushed back with a loud bang as it hits the back of the bookshelves and Ponytail Girl's cart swerves to the side as she turns into the isle, head still down just as Zell rushes past.

Irvine just sighs, and pulls hit hat down lower to block the sight of Zell running out of the library.

"He saw a spider," he explains pleasantly to the startled girl with a smile as he brushes by her to go after his friend.

-o-

"You should get her a kitten," Selphie suggests, nibbling at the end of a popsicle. Zell stares at her face, and Irvine stares at her ice-cream.

"Animals are prohibited at Garden," Quistis reminds them in a bored voice as she flips through her magazine at the other end of the cafeteria table. Selphie pouts, Irvine squirms, and Zell hangs his shoulders.

"But Rinoa has Angelo!" The girl argues, waving her treat in the air in refusal; Quistis frowns at her over her glasses, one hand stilled on the pages.

"Rinoa is special," She replies, and that's the end of that conversation.

"I wish I was special," Zell mutters after a few minutes of silence, and Irvine whacks him across the head with his hat.

-o-

"No, Zell, you cannot bring a kitten into Garden."

"But Squaaaaall!"

"...No."

"What about Angelo!"

"..."

"Squall!"

"Get her... flowers."

"Huh?"

"Girls like flowers. Good-bye, Zell."

"Squa-"

Click.

"...Bastard."

-o-

Zell sidles up to the blonde one day as the last of her students filter out of the class. She doesn't raise her eyes from her computer as he shifts uncomfortably, twitching from one foot from the other when she doesn't say anything.

"If this is about your little crush," Quistis finally responds, ignoring his half-hearted squawk of protest, "Then I have no suggestions for you."

"But Quistis!" Zell whines, beginning to pace the area before her desk. She watches him in irritation, fingers tapping an annoyed melody against the table top. "You have to have some sort of advice! I mean, I went to Irvine, to Selphie, Squall, even!"

She raises one perfect eyebrow at him, and Zell wishes he was that kind of perfect guy too. "And what did they say?"

Zell frowns, leaning against the desk; Quistis sends him a glare and moves several stacks of papers out of the way. "Irvine said to just ask her, Selphie said to get her a kitten – damned rules – and Squall suggested getting her flowers." He thumps a fist against the table in despair, and Quistis' coffee mug wobbles dangerously. Its owner's eye twitches.

"Get her flowers, Zell." She says, and grinds her teeth when he whirls and hits her poor desk with both fists now, making everything there jump – it goes unnoticed by the desperate martial artist as he stares into her eyes.

"But I don't know what kind of flowers she likes, Quisty!" He whispers loudly, and she sighs, itching to go get a good cup of coffee. "What if she's allergic to flowers!?"

An Advil, too.

"Get her a book, then, if she's allergic to them." She can already feel the headache starting.

"But, Quistis!"

"A book, Zell."

He gets the hint when her eyes start flashing with Laser Beam's tint, and high tails it out of the classroom. Quistis leans back in her chair with a groan and wonders if Fujin still does those wonderful massage sessions in Balamb.

-o-

"Rinoa, I'm begging you – I have no one else to go to."

The brunette pats her friend's shoulder in comfort as she sets a paper boat afloat in one of Garden's fountains with the other. The both of them watch the piece of hastily constructed paper wobble a few times on the surface before floating; Rinoa reaches over and pokes it to set its course.

"Send her a letter," she exclaims after a few seconds of thinking, turning to her companion with shining eyes; Zell blinks in confusion.

"Huh?"

Rinoa rolls her eyes. "A secret admirer letter, silly. Girls love receiving those things. Something about the mystery of it all, the romantic intentions, knowing that someone out there cares for you..." She sighs, eyes beginning to glaze over, and Zell begins to recognize the typical signs of a Romantic Daydream. God knows he's had to see those enough from Selphie ever since they were joined by Irvine.

"But I want her to know who I am!" He protests, effectively snapping the infatuated young woman he no doubts is currently fantasizing about her boyfriend out of her imagination. She frowns and turns back to her boat, pouting as she notices that it's beginning to sink.

"Then sign your name at the end of it," she says in a blunt voice, reaching forward to grab the soggy boat out of the water. It hangs between her fingertips and she crushes it in her fist before throwing it into the garbage can nearby.

"But isn't it supposed to be a secret admirer letter?" Zell asks, confused, and Rinoa exhales. Loudly.

"Zell, just write her a stupid letter. Stop beating around the bush, and just ask her out already."

"Is that how Squall did it?"

The Sorceress sends him an odd look. "It was different between Squall and I. It just... happened."

Zell begins to chew on his bottom lip in worry. "So why can't it just "happen" between her and I?" Rinoa stares at him, before standing up and brushing away imaginary dust off her clothes. Zell springs up beside her, eyes begging.

"Zell," she says, putting her hands on his shoulders and giving him a good shake. "Just go with what your heart is telling you. If it was meant to be, it'll work out just fine."

The blonde lets out an undignified wail.

-o-

Two days later, an out of place basket sits not-so-innocently on the countertop of the library desk. A bouquet of roses rests inside of it, wrapped in shining see-through plastic foil; a book lies beside it, a large cat licking its paw featured on the cover, and an envelope on top of it all – To The Girl With The Ponytail, it reads in messy penmanship. Behind the bookshelves, Zell sneezes, and wonders if he got the wrong shift.

--o--

A/N: Zell is so cute. XD