Multifandom oneshots

Why Me? - Zidagger

A/N: this is something I wrote a while ago and posted to both ffn and I think ao3 but brave of you to assume I remember. It's not too long but I'm still very much in love with it. Also, this does contain spoilers for final fantasy ix. Final Fantasy belongs to square enix

Zidane lay awake in bed, staring out the window. So much had happened in the last few years. Never did he think that a kidnapping would turn into a journey to stop his crazed sibling from destroying everything he held dear. Nor did he ever once consider the fact that the princess he was to kidnap would become his wife and he would be made a prince. That was the part in all this that really got to him, even after nearly ten years of such a life. He remembered the backlash Garnet had faced by admitting in front of her entire kingdom how she felt the day he returned, and how it didn't seem to affect her as much as it did him. Yes, he had the drive to make the nobles like him and approve so he could be with the woman he loved, but their words still hurt. He was perfectly aware he wasn't of noble blood, originally neither was his wife, but the kingdom was still unaware of her being adopted. One of the nobles had the audacity to call him scum during a meeting, which he was promptly put in his place by Garnet. He took a deep breath and sat up. He didn't know what he did to deserve a woman like her. She would always jump to defend him faster than he could defend himself against the harsh words of the nobles. He stood up and walked to the window, looking up at the two moons. It had taken nearly a year to win the nobles over enough for him to deem it safe enough to finally propose. Even now, all these years later he was anxious they'd retaliate. He was aware they'd always dislike him due to his upbringing. He guessed they gave up arguing since Garnet held absolute power over the kingdom. He was there to help when needed and to help bring up the next generation of royals.

He turned back to head back to bed, meeting his wife's gaze. He shook any negative thoughts from his head and smiled softly at her. "I didn't wake you did I?" she nodded "Yes, when you left the bed, but it's fine." He sat next to her and put his arms around her, pulling her close. "Are you alright?" He shrugged. "I'm fine, just thinkin'" She shifted in his arms so she could look him in the eyes once more. "About what?" He took a deep breath. "Just something I've been wondering for a while," She stared at him. "Out of everyone you could have chosen, why did you have to pick me?" She blinked, surely he'd know the answer to that after all this time. "Because I love you and I wanted to be with you." She brushed his hair from his face and placed a light kiss on his cheek. "And you're the most important person in my life" He smiled softly. "I'm so lucky to have you" He kissed her softly and held her a bit tighter. "They'll always hate me, you know" He felt her tense up. "So what if they do? I love you. The children love you. I don't see why you're suddenly so worried about what the public thinks of you. That's not the Zidane I know." He looked away from her. "The Zidane I know, the man I fell in love with, never was a people pleaser. He doesn't care what others think of him." He didn't look back at her. "But this is different..People not liking me now directly affects you and your reputation having married me.." Garnet put her hand on his cheek and turned his head to face her. "I don't care what they think of me either, as long as we're happy and the kingdom is running smoothly and our children are safe is all that matters to me." She kissed him softly. "Please don't let what people think of you pull you down. You are so much more than they think, I'm so proud of you. You work so hard and you make me so happy."

Tears threatened to fall from his eyes. He wasn't usually one to cry, but hearing her do her best to reassure him that he was worth it and that she was proud of him. He hugged her tightly, burying his face in her shoulder. "What did I do to deserve you?" she smiled, "You were you." He let the tears fall and smiled. "I love you so much." She held him tightly, "I love you too," They stayed like that for a good long while before pulling away just enough to share one last kiss. "You think you're ready to head back to bed now?" he nodded and shifted with her in his arms, pulling the blankets over them. "Good night, and thank you." He nuzzled her shoulder and closed his eyes. "You're welcome," she kissed his cheek and snuggled against him, sleep taking her almost immediately.