Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction / Other Fan Fiction ❯ Strings Attached ❯ A Set Course ( Chapter 32 )

Chapter Thirty-Two

A Set Course

 

Given Selphie's attitude when she'd rushed out of the conference room the previous day, Squall was mildly surprised to find her skipping into the dining hall as if nothing had happened. While it was far too early in the morning to deal with such energy from anyone, Squall gently tugged on Seifer's shirtsleeve when the blond seemed inclined to complain about it.

 

“No one should be that happy unless they're waking up with the hottest piece of ass next to them,” Seifer grumbled as he rubbed his temple. He was indirectly expressing his annoyance over waking up alone that morning. Taking a relishing swig of his orange juice, he set the glass down with a thud, as if to state that he was carrying on without acknowledging his partner.

 

“This is better,” Squall commented quietly, watching from across the cafeteria as Selphie twirled about and spoke with the young cadet behind the food counter. If forced to choose between the two extremes of happy and sad, he'd take a happy Selphie without question.

 

Brow quirked at the easy manner Squall brushed his sulking mood aside, he sighed and decided to be a bit more direct with the source of his qualm that morning. “It'll be better when you stop acting like this place is going to fall apart without you,” the ex-knight chastised with an affectionate tousle to silky brown hair.

 

Sending the blond a warning glare, Squall expressed his refusal to defend his actions from earlier that morning beyond having already stated where he'd been. Helping Xu become situated was a necessary task. He couldn't be spurned every time he didn't remain in bed until Seifer decided to wake up.

 

“You're impossible,” Seifer said with an exaggerated sigh.

 

“I might say the same,” Squall muttered as an incorrigible hand groped his inner thigh. Apparently the sulking anger didn't mean fondling was forfeit. Still, he tried to ignore it, directing his focus on the hot cup of chocolate liquid set before him. Oddly, the drink had grown on him, though he wouldn't have minded a nice cup of coffee.

 

Leaning over, Seifer brushed his lips across the brunet's ear. “I like the way you feel,” he whispered softly. His hand gave a firm squeeze precariously near the younger man's groin. As a small shiver ran through Squall's body, he grinned widely. He loved eliciting reactions from his kitten.

 

Squall wasn't certain how concerned he should be that he hadn't knocked Seifer's hand away already. The ex-knight was definitely a bad influence, but he couldn't deny how it made him feel. It wasn't something he could simply ignore any longer. He shivered in anticipation of a more gratifying touch, hoping Seifer wouldn't actually give him too much stimulation while wishing for nothing more than just that.

 

“Morning!” Selphie cheered as she sat down, taking a seat adjacent to Squall and across from Seifer.

 

Squall almost jumped, silently berating his own foolishness. Having shut his eyes, he'd been completely unaware of the copper-haired woman's approach.

 

“You seem particularly peppy this morning Tilmitt,” Seifer commented. His grin widened as he brashly ran his fingers over the crotch of Squall's denim pants. And just like that the flames were doused as an angry kitten painfully twisted the skin on the back of his hand, but not before giving off a surprised jolt at his actions.

 

With a small grunt, Seifer covered his pained expression by coughing. Straightening in his seat, he folded his hands on the tabletop in a promising gesture to not misbehave further.

 

“You two alright?” Selphie intoned curiously before fitting an entire apple slice into her mouth and chewing.

 

“Fine,” Squall bit out as he crossed his arms and none too discreetly turned his focus away from Seifer.

 

“So,” Seifer began with an air of omniscience, “I take it you finally got some from the pining cowboy.”

 

Nearly spraying her two companions with apple bits, Selphie managed to swallow with the aid of a hand clamped over her mouth. After a sheepish moment where her bright green eyes darted from her former Commander who seemed in a bad mood to the blunt ex-knight who simply smirked, she finally gave in. Laughing victoriously, she smiled brightly. “It was super great!” she announced.

 

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Squall prayed to Hyne that he wasn't about to hear details.

 

“Yeah, yeah,” Seifer interrupted, uninterested now that the energetic girl was obviously not reluctant about the subject. “It was all magical and romantic,” he said with a thick note of sarcasm.

 

“Not at all,” Selphie said as she leaned in close. “Irvy calls me his little masochist now.”

 

“Hyne,” Squall groaned in a vocal attempt to dissuade further explanation.

 

Quirking a brow, Seifer asked the all-important question, “So is Kinneas still drooling after my catch or have you finally hooked him?”

 

“Hook, line, and sinker my big blond buddy. After last night I don't think he'll be thinking about anyone but me for a long time. Besides, he stopped having dreams about Squall a little while ago anyway.”

 

Jade green eyes narrowed at the proclamation, finding cause for concern instead of relief. “Doesn't matter, cause I'm taking him away.”

 

Mildly irritated at the ex-knight's twisted phrasing, Squall chose not to comment on it.

 

Sticking her tongue out, Selphie expressed her view on the matter. However, her bright smile a moment later was enough to let both boys know that she was still as elated as ever. The usually cheerful pilot was beyond happy that day, and unless another missile assault was launched at the newly reconstructed Trabia, there was little anyone could say or do that could even tear her thoughts away from Irvine.

 

Seifer knew the feeling well enough. Before he'd even slept with Squall, he couldn't think of anything else. If another person had been his charge, they'd likely be dead, since his eyes only followed one person for the past couple months.

 

“Squall,” Selphie managed to say with her mouth full of more fruit. “I wanted to thank you again. I'm not ungrateful or anything, it's just super depressing to think you won't be our Commander anymore.”

 

Squall gave a curt nod signifying his understanding on the matter. With a small sip of his cooling drink, he considered the matter closed.

 

Fork raised with piece of speared pineapple, Selphie waved the eating utensil about as she spoke, “It's silly, but I kind of thought we'd always be together. When Seifer came back, I thought, `Finally, we're together again.'” Roughly chomping down on the bite of defenseless fruit, she stabbed another piece from her plate.

 

Grey-blue eyes watched the procession of rough ingestion, questioning whether she was just enthusiastic about her food or belying a still present distraught over his resignation. He really hadn't become any better at reading emotions properly. He thought she was over it, judging from her energetic procession only a few minutes ago.

 

“It's silly, I know,” the copper-hair girl reiterated. “We couldn't possibly all stay together like this. I knew Trabia would be rebuilt one day, but I guess I didn't wanna consider what would happen when that day arrived.”

 

Lips pressed together, Squall refrained from speaking up. He wasn't much for consoling people, his words general doing more harm than good. He felt Seifer's hand return to his leg, as if tapping him to take action. Still, he doubted his ability to say anything worthwhile in such a situation. He didn't deal well with tears or any other form of emotional distress.

 

Unaware of the panicked uncertainty in grey-blue eyes, Selphie continued to explain her stance on everything. “I think Irvy knew what was coming. He's good at that sort of thing. He sees things the rest of us don't.” She gave a humorless laugh as her hand settled on the tabletop, food forgotten. “I guess that's why he's a sharpshooter.”

 

“This isn't the end,” Squall finally said, his words earning a squeeze from the hand at his knee. Glancing at the blond knight, he almost questioned the action, but then realized Seifer was encouraging him further He was suddenly reminded of the time Quistis had practically shoved the intercom down his throat to make him speak to the students, preaching something about how regardless of his ability to give a decent speech it was who he was that made the difference. “Balamb Garden is not the orphanage,” he said flatly.

 

Seifer felt the urge to pat the brunet's head for a worthy attempt, even if it came out a bit harsh.

 

“I know,” the young woman said after some hesitation.

 

“I'm not sure you do,” Squall followed up succinctly. If anything, he figured consoling was like giving advice and the only advice he had was the truth. The trouble was trying to word it properly and not sound so cold.

 

Wide eyed, Selphie leveled her former Commander with a surprised gaze of slight hurt.

 

“Kitten, a little more nicely might be nice,” Seifer commented quietly, his hand leaving its perch.

 

Brows furrowed, Squall glanced at the ex-knight in confusion. “It's true,” he stated in defense. “We were together at the orphanage, but just because we reunited doesn't mean we need to spend the rest of our lives together over some coincidence.”

 

Leaning forward, Selphie asserted, “It wasn't coincidence, it was fate. We totally forgot about each other and fate drew us together again.”

 

Shaking his head, Squall disagreed. He felt a certain obligation to back up his views once they were put out there. “From the orphanage many kids are sent off to Gardens. Even those with families choose to join up because some of their closest friends are there. All the Gardens are connected. A war happened, so we met again. It isn't fate, it was a highly probable coincidence.”

 

“So you don't think we belong together?” the pilot accused with teary eyes that meant the pale bladist had said something truly horrible.

 

“Not really,” Squall said with slight indecision. A bit too late, he realized he had done more damage than repair.

 

Seifer cleared his throat in an attempt to dissuade the oblivious young man from bludgeoning the chipper woman with more honesty.

 

“What's `not really' mean?” Selphie questioned, practically leaning all the way over to bring herself closer to Squall.

 

Lips tightly sealed, Squall cast a quick glance to Seifer. The blond gave a nearly imperceptible shake of his head. Having his suspicion of doing more harm confirmed, he figured it was probably best to keep his silence.

 

“Seifer, stay out of this,” Selphie ordered without even seeing the exchange.

 

Frowning, Squall stared sternly at the woman before him. Finding that his choices consisted of dashing from the table or elaborating his meaning, he chose words instead of cowardly action. Sometimes Selphie could be intimidating, but at the moment it was mainly the awkward situation for him that threw him off center.

 

With a hardening gaze, Squall spoke again, “If you're under the impression that we should stay in one place because fate put us here, then I disagree. It's not a matter of belonging together. It's a matter of wanting to be together. If you want to see Quistis or Zell, then make the trip, but don't spend your life here simply because you feel obligated.” Having used all his words up for the day, Squall continued to stare with steely cool eyes and his lips forming a thin line.

 

One tear slipped down a soft cheek. Selphie was frozen in place, held by the unwavering gaze of her former Commander. “I'm going to miss you guys so much,” she said with a heavy sigh. “Especially you,” she added. Breaking the stare down, she shuffled from her seat to wrap her arms around the pale brunet. “Just don't become some mute hermit on us when you're gone.”

 

Postured with pride, Seifer gave a sly smirk over Squall's ability to actually say something both truthful and consoling. “Squally-boy won't be mute when I'm making him scream my name every night,” he assured the messenger girl.

 

Releasing the tense brunet from her hold, Selphie stood straight and walked around to the broad formed knight. Hugging the man from behind, resting much of her hunched weight on him, she said, “I'm even going to miss you and all your over compensating arrogance.”

 

“Over compensating?” Seifer remarked with incredulity. “I have no short comings. Squall, tell her how well I bang your ass.”

 

Blushing slightly, Squall glared at his hot chocolate. At length he sought revenge with a dismissive shrug that left the matter open to interpretation.

 

Selphie just laughed. It wasn't very often any of them managed to sink their teeth into Seifer. The childhood bully always seemed to speak a good quip before anyone else could even comprehend the situation. “It's too bad I took Irvy, Squall. He might have showed you how it's really done.”

 

Finding the joking was like a double-edged sword, Squall blushed more deeply and chose not to encourage the pilot's behavior lest it push Seifer to standing up and declaring something private to the whole of the cafeteria. At the heated gaze of jade green eyes, he could tell the blond had become a bit serious and now demanded his support. Wanting to groan in complaint, he simply held his ground and remained silent.

 

Huffing indignantly, Seifer shirked the lingering hold of Tilmitt off before muttering, “I'm the better lover, and it might be nice to hear it from you every once in a while.”

 

“I have a million things to prepare,” Selphie announced on a different note, her words directed at Squall. “Don't you dare skip out on my going away party tonight, Squall Leonhart. It's starts at five. I'm bringing every one of my cameras, so practice smiling in the mirror.” Wagging her finger at the frowning brunet, she added, “At least practice not frowning. And I'm not letting you leave without at least one good picture of you two kissing.”

 

Hands on her hips, she surveyed the pair. “I'm taking the transfer, so that means four of us are leaving, which means we all need to get drunk and do all the stupid stuff we never could during the war.”

 

Cringing, Squall imagined being surrounded by a room of drunken friends. While he would refuse all alcohol, he didn't know how practiced everyone else's livers were.

 

Taking her plate of uneaten fruit salad, she walked away with a level of bounce that placed her somewhere between normal and depressed. It was obvious she was still saddened by the drastic and sudden changes about to occur, but a strong affection for the sharp shooting cowboy was definitely lifting her spirits.

 

Once the mood fluctuating pilot was out of sight, Squall focused his attention on a surprisingly insecure ex-knight. Sighing resignedly, he reached over and grasped the man's hand. Brashly directing it to rest at his groin, he watched the change that came over jade colored eyes.

 

An almost shy grin overcame handsome features, as if Seifer were demurely surprised at the feel of the half hardened length that he had caused. “I am the better lover,” he whispered as his grin widened, his words containing the confidence that had somehow slipped away at the stinging remembrance of the gunman's crush.

 

“For someone with too much confidence, I'll never understand why you need assurances,” Squall mumbled as he released the knight's hand.

 

Raking his fingers through soft brown hair, Seifer openly touched the younger man, daring to lean over and press his lips to Squall's temple. The seeming indifference altered to a tense reluctance, the former Commander still entirely uncomfortable with public displays. “You're my greatest weakness princess. You can make me the happiest man in the world just as easily as you can break me. My confidence means nothing when it comes to you.”

 

Face flushed, Squall knocked the blond's hand away. “Don't say stuff like that,” he murmured with embarrassment. It

 

**

 

“Would you quit that?” Seifer called from the bed. Hands pillowing his head, he lay sprawled on Squall's bed and watched the brunet's hunched back from across the room. “This might be our last night in a nice comfortable bed.”

 

“Have you given this any consideration?” Squall mumbled. Stifling a yawn, he straightened his posture and turned to regard the lounging ex-knight.

 

With a grin, Seifer answered, “There are rumors floating around in every town. Those are our leads, and we go from there.”

 

Shaking his head, Squall explained, “It's not that easy.”

 

“Sure it is,” came the firm reply from the relaxing man. “Stop worrying unnecessarily.”

 

Scoffing, Squall turned back to his laptop and continued reading the collected material on Guardian Forces and speculated locations. “One of us has to,” he muttered in reply.

 

“This is like time off, no matter what Yashime says. Get your tight ass over here now,” the blond grumbled out as he sat up and pat the bed insistently.

 

In a smooth, graceful motion, Squall stood from his seat. Without glancing Seifer's way, he walked from the room.

 

Flopping back down to the bed Seifer cursed aloud. He should have known ordering Squall would have an adverse effect. The sound of the bathroom door closing was his assurance that his kitten hadn't scampered off too far.

 

It was torture simply waiting for Squall to finish taking a shower. With firm resolve, Seifer managed to keep himself in place, though his lecherous thoughts sorely tested his control.

 

If he lay still enough and listened, he could hear the water. By the time he heard the taps turned off, he was beyond horny and needed Squall beside him. There were times when he cursed the former Commander's stubborn and willful nature, even if it was something he loved about the younger man.

 

Seconds turned into minutes as the blond waited for the door to open. It was troublesome that all SeeD could move around in near silence. Usually it didn't matter, since most people only ever measured their steps on missions. Squall had a certain grace about him and never seemed to stumble without doing it quietly.

 

The turning knob on the door was the only indication that his damp and clean minx had returned. Forcing himself to appear as calm and relaxed as ever, he grinned at the scowling expression on the pretty face that came into view.

 

Green eyes roved the near naked form with hunger. Such a perfect and lithe build, a body made for fucking and fighting. Gulping, he tried to uphold his casual demeanor, though a few more minutes of gazing at Squall would leave him with a raging hard on, which would ultimately betray him.

 

Expression softening, Squall felt his annoyance had abated with his shower. He was rather tired. It was as if his body protested all research and desk jockey work the moment he was free of his title as Commander. Now that he didn't have to do it, his body seemed unwilling.

 

Deciding that perhaps Seifer had a point about relishing their last night in Garden together, Squall finished tousling his hair with the towel and moved to his desk. One hand clasped the towel about his waist, feeling as if it had come a bit loose while he walked.

 

Powering his laptop down, he stared for several moments at the blank screen. “Between Winhill and the Island Closest to Heaven, it seems like both are likely hosting some strange manner of creature.”

 

“Is that so?” Seifer managed to question, his mind not quite keeping up. A wet Squall was always particularly sexy, and as several beads of water trailed down a pale back, he felt his resolve for indifference break.

 

Turning around, Squall eyed the blond keenly. Frowning at the odd mixture of emotions he saw, he questioned, “If you don't care where we go, that's fine. Just remember that you were the one acting so ecstatic about it all.”

 

“It's not that I don't care,” Seifer assured with a more serious tone. “I'm just horny as hell, and you're standing there like that when I need you here.” He sat up and motioned for Squall to come to him.

 

“Maybe we shouldn't leave tomorrow,” Squall suggested as he drop the towel from his shoulders. Complying with the ex-knight's wish, he casually undid the second towel at his waist and walked closer without care for being exposed.

 

“The island near heaven, is that the one by Esthar, or is that hell?”

 

“Heaven is near Esthar,” Squall answered as he knelt on the mattress and accepted the needy arms that wrap around him.

 

Pulling the lithe body close, Seifer quickly pinned the brunet beneath him. “Then we go there, then you can see Loire.”

 

Before he could agree, Squall found his words stopped by the rough press of Seifer's lips. Slowly, everything other than Seifer left his mind. As the exchange deepened, the knight delving into his mouth, his hands found strands of blond hair to gently grasp.

 

Seifer hummed into the kiss as bare legs parted to better accommodate him. He could kiss Squall like this forever, if only air weren't a necessity. Parting just for the moment, Seifer gazed into lustful blue-grey eyes.

 

He couldn't help but feel torn between wanting to capture each moment forever and never letting anyone but him see Squall like this. While he could easily set up a camera and not so easily persuade the brunet to allow it, the nature of intimacy captured on film would forever haunt him with the threat of someone else seeing Squall as only he was allowed to. Tilmitt hadn't even come close to capturing the passion between them with those few pictures from earlier.

 

Shaking off such thoughts, Seifer captured plush lips once more. From then on, Squall was his alone, no matter what. That was all he needed to know. Nothing else mattered.

 

 

TBC…

 

A/N <yawns> sorry to end it so abruptly like that, I know finishing the scene between them would have been nice, but I can't write a lemon into every chapter, even if I'd like to. Well, I went to Virginia for a couple days and couldn't really write with so much going on around me… and while I've been back for a day, I'm going camping tomorrow. So, no updates until Monday… but I can promise to write long hand and have something by then for certain. Until next time, please review and check out the meteor shower if you can, I know I am.