Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ In Time With You ❯ Two guys and a deck of cards ( Chapter 2 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Irvine spent the early evening cleaning the dorm room. He wouldn't call it Galbadia inspection level spic-n-span, but it was nice and tidy. Wouldn't wanna look like a slob. It could stir nasty, unwanted rumors - especially when most of the mess was created by his absent roommate, Jones. Two chairs. Desk space for the Triad board and their decks, a space for their fizz, and despite Squall's rule, the sniper set out a plain bowl of popcorn. No greasy butter fingers, no salt, just popped kernels. That shouldn't be a problem.

 

"Shoot. Shoulda asked what flavor he likes." He looked around going over the checks. 'Wonder if he'd mind some bgm?' He removed his phone from his pocket to check his Playlist. 'What does Squall listen to?' Irvine couldn't recall seeing Leonhart listening to music, at least he's not yet seen him with earbuds in.

 

He sat at the desk. He opened the memo pad on his phone and started to type up a list of activities they could do for a week. It wasn't his goal to hangout with Squall every second of the day, but once at some point in the day they will be together. Then he and Squall can reconnect their friendship, and Zell and Selphie can relax and know that their friend is not secretly moping.

 

T-Board is something he wanted to try since migrating to Balamb Garden. It's not something done in Galbadia. A movie night, whether in the dorm on a device or at the theater. They could have a meal out. Just nice little things they could do. Target practice! Now there's something Squall would like, the guy loves practice; this he surmised because he's sometimes in the training center just battling away some issue or - who knows, maybe celebrating something. Squall is truly the definition of Rubix Cube. You can't solve him in one sitting if you're an average person.

 

'Let's see... one, two, three, four, today..' He scratched the back of his head. 'That takes care of four days, but what about the other three?'

 

He glanced at the clock. 4:49 p.m.

 

The sniper exited the dorm; he waved to a cadet who waved to him when spotting him in the corridor. He has one last class for the day. He's been here for seven months, and he's still amazed at how laid back Balamb is. The cadets loiter. In Galbadia, it's bell tolls. Move to class. If you straggle, hall monitors make you do a cardio elevating activity then you're sent to class. It's exhausting getting caught without a pass or good enough reason.

 

He once had to do push-ups, sit-ups, then close with three minutes of standing on his hands. It wasn't his fault he was in the hall after the toll, he needed the bathroom and the hall with his class didn't have a bathroom.

 

Irvine took his seat in class. Since he's a bit early, he checked the message board.

 

Zell: I don't get how some people can abuse the privilege of hot dogs. But, I can't complain because she gave it to me.

 

Selphie: Who?

 

Zell: Vanessa, I think is her name? You know, that girl that works at the library. She had two, but gave them to me because the cafeteria was out of ketchup. She only likes them with ketchup. Isn't that weird?

 

Quistis: Oh, Zell...

 

Selphie: Right?

 

Zell: What?

 

Selphie: Sir Laguna put out another article for Timber Maniacs.

 

Irvine typed a message asking to see it when she's done reading it.

 

Selphie: Hey, Irvy!

 

Irvine: Hi. I'm going to the library after class. Anyone got any recommended reading I should check out?

 

Selphie: Ahahaha

 

Quistis: A Cruel Land is really good. A soldier has to survive with an injury after he's left for dead on a battlefield.

 

Irvine thought that was an odd read for Quistis.

 

Quistis: He falls in love with a shy woman that helps him. She was out gathering wood when she spotted him.

 

Now it made sense to him. It's a romance novel.

 

Zell: Domino Dax is a good series, action, adventure, and it's got a section of pictures in the middle to give you a look at some of the scenes.

 

Squall: I liked A Certain Murderer.

 

Zell: Hey bud', glad you're in the chat. What are you doing? Besides sitting in class?

 

Squall: I'm going over notes, we have a test.

 

Zell: Heh heh, I'm cooking. Who wants portobello pasta for the trade of their hot dogs if they get to dinner first?

 

Selphie: I do! If I miss out on dogs I'm not in the mood for pizza.

 

Irvine clicked on the chat bubble that popped up for him.

 

Squall: Do you still wanna hangout tonight?

 

Irvine: Yeah. Oh, while I've got you, what flavor fizz do you like?

 

Squall: Nothing fruity.

 

Irvine: Good. Mr. Bartley came in. See ya later.

 

Class was easy enough. He even answered some of the questions voluntarily. And after entertaining a couple female cadets with his best pick-up lines - despite there being no takers - he headed back to his dorm for his appointed game of cards with a happy heart. It didn't matter. It was nice to make others feel good. It's not always about gaining anything.

 

"I was just coming to see you." Squall said when he was beside him.

 

"To cancel?"

 

"No. I'm free. I figured if you were, why draw it out?"

 

'No. My feelings aren't hurt when you put it that way.' Thought Irvine as he led the way to his room.

 

…

 

"I'm surprised you aren't just picking Caterchipillars for me or Bite Bugs." Squall confessed.

 

"And have that knowledge embarrass my victory? Surely you jest." He chuckled.

 

Squall ate a pinch of popcorn; he was glad for the sodas because dry popcorn was a bore and a hazard to the throat. He supposed it's his own fault for declaring that he doesn't eat when playing cards due to the mess getting onto the cards.

 

They're been playing for longer than a half hour. When one won, the other wanted a rematch to retrieve a valued card in vice versa. It was fun. It's been a while for both of them to play with insincere conviction like this. Most guys win and wanna keep what they've won, no takebacks.

 

But their matches are so casual they actually had do-over moments when a face-down card game had a weak card drawn.

 

It was really nice being with Squall at this age. Irvine hoped, despite not being remembered, that Squall feels the same way.

 

"There's something I've been meaning to ask you," he started.

 

Squall has visible unease, then with a sigh, he said tightly. "The war was hectic, emotions were all over the place."

 

Irvine's brows furrowed, but before he could say anything, Squall cut him off.

 

"I thought we lost Seifer to execution, then to find out he's alive and out of his mind to the degree of kidnapping… Then Esthar took Rinoa… How could I not flip out?" He tapped the card in his card onto the desk. "After things calmed down, I told her. We were never going out or anything, anyway. She took it well."

 

"I was actually just wondering where you've been going now and then," he shrugged out his hand. "I was wondering if you heard anything from Seifer?"

 

Squall looked confused as if the words had to be translated from Galbadian when Irvine had spoken English. "Yeah. I've heard from him. I've been going to see him." He met Irvine's eye as if challenging him to say something about it.

 

His confession was met with a smile. "I'm glad to hear that."

 

"You are?"

 

"Of course. I like Seifer." Irvine shuffled his deck after clearing the board from his win. "Like you said, emotions were high during all that. I like Seifer, nothing's gonna change that so easily."

 

"You'd be the first. Everyone else seems pissed at him, or wishes that he had been executed. I mean, don't they realize that's a permanent thing?"

 

"Mm. People do tend to forget their humanity when they're upset."

 

"I know a lot of them have a right to be, but he wasn't the one making the plans. He was just a puppet… We were all puppets, some were just used worse."

 

"Hey, you don't gotta tell me."

 

"That's why I've been seeing him. I wanna ask him to come back to Garden."

 

"Do you think he would?" He blindly chose 5 of his then handed them to Squall, who gave him 5 in return. "Wall?"

 

"Yeah." He shrugged his shoulder. "I'm not sure. He's living in an apartment in town. I asked him once, he laughed and slammed the door."

 

"But?"

 

"But, he had a look in his eyes that kinda said he wanted to." He looked over his hand. "We see each other once in a while."

 

"I'm sure if you keep chipping at him, he'll come around." He smiled. "I didn't know you two were so close?"

 

"He's not as bad as people make him out to be. Plus, he's a good fighter. I need him,"

 

"I like that. You need him."

 

'He sounds jealous.'

 

"Can't blame me for being a little jealous. You remember everyone but me."

 

"Even though I do remember them, the feeling isn't there. You're making too much of it."

 

"You completely erased me, Squall. It stings."

 

'Sorry.'

 

"I don't wanna keep going on about the past, though. We're here now. We're able to be friends now. Let's do that. Right?" He held out a hand.

 

Squall looked at it then took it, giving it a shake. "Ok."

 

"Alright."

 

They played another round. Irvine came out as victor.

 

"Why are there cards with our faces on them?"

 

"Limited edition - even Seifer has one. Didn't you get a pack?" He took the card with Squall on it, turning it about in his grasp. "Timber created these to honor the war heroes."

 

"Shouldn't we have to sign-off on something like that?" He scowled at the Triad card with his face on it. "I didn't open mine. I just tossed it. I thought they were mocking me. Just because I'm a teenager doesn't mean I want stuff like this as a thank you."

 

"Would you have wanted money?"

 

"I don't want anything but that time back." He looked at a Selphie card on the board. "We should sue."

 

Irvine shook his head. "It was insane. But, I don't mind. It brought us all back together. If only for that reason, I don't want a reset."

 

Squall cocked a brow. "I must have been amazing, if you're still hung-up on me."

 

Irvine laughed. "Hardly! You were fun only sometimes."

 

Squall scoffed. That's not the way Irvine acts.

 

"We used to play Tic-Tac-Toe in the dirt, because you refused to move until Sis' came back. Sometimes word games." He reshuffled. "You came in to use the bathroom and eat, but after she was gone, you were gone. We could only get you back now-and-then in small instances."

 

"Wasn't I ever happy?" He remembered the visions, the flashes, and having to be there during time compression. He was a pitiful sight.

 

"You were a lot of fun before Sis' was gone. You stunk at hide-n-seek, though. I caught you trying to go up a boulder."

 

Squall flipped a card by using a Hexadragon. "There weren't that many places to hide."

 

"Must not have been, because you were even caught on the beach trying to bury yourself. You were goofy, and sweet. Always standing up to Seifer while on his side teasing Zell because he was kinda big on complaining and crying."

 

"What about you? Were you that before I changed?"

 

Irvine thought about it. "I don't think so. I hung out with the girls a lot more, if we weren't all hanging out together. But we did have times when it was just the two of us." He stood from his seat. "Shoot. I forgot about dinner. Wanna go?"

 

"Yeah." Grabbing his cards from the board, he set them back into his deck then stored them all in a rectangular box. He chose simple. Other players bought elaborate decorative boxes. The Card Queen herself has one. He has to admit it that it's nice to look at, but simple was best.

 

"This was nice. Wanna see each other tomorrow?" Irvine asked. "Not for cards, but like.. y'know, anything?"

 

"Ok."

 

They walked to the door and out. It was nice. Squall had to admit it. He may not remember the sniper. But, he doesn't dislike him. Maybe this could be the start of a real friendship.