Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Lightning. ❯ Chapter, The Fifty-Second: In Which There is Much Discussion. ( Chapter 52 )

Kitty: Ooo, discussion... You mean there's no sex? -tears-

Eoko: This is a romance fic, Kitty! Smut isn't over 20 chapters let alone 50...

Kitty: Oh well. I'm sure there will be more sex. Anyway! Go and read, 'cause I don't have time to blather on this week. Ehehe, although, sorry for forgetting last week's chap.

Eoko: And so, you get another!

Chapter, The Fifty-Second: In Which There is Much Discussion.

--“It couldn’t. Nothing could make me not want you, Irvine…”

Irvine glanced away, fingers tightening in the material, and he swallowed, then said softly; “I slept with Squall…”--

Zell drew a deep breath, moving a hand to turn Irvine’s face back toward him and tilting up his head to look deep into the cowboy’s eyes. It wasn’t a lie, Zell could see that. He let the breath out slowly then drew Irvine tight to his body, holding him close.

“I love you,” he said firmly. “I love you, Irvine, and I won’t ever let you go again.”

However, as soon as that was said he did literally let his arms drop from around the auburn-haired man as he made a move to leave the room.

“Zell- Zell, where are you…?” Irvine pleaded, curling his hands around the fighter’s wrist and following him those two steps before he stopped.

The blond spun around, lifted the hand off his wrist and pulled it up to his mouth, pressing a soft kiss into the palm. “I love you, so much, Irvine. But I need to go commit murder right now.”

Irvine’s eyes went wide as saucers at the sheer will and seriousness behind Zell’s words. He threw himself forward and again into arms ready to catch him. “Zell! Zell, you can’t! Firstly, I do not want you taken away to prison! And secondly, it was… consensual…”

Again the fighter pulled him close and ran his fingers through his hair. “I know. I know it was. I think he’s capable of it, but knows I would not even consider hesitating if he did rape you. However,” he said, and Irvine knew it was serious because of the word choice. “He did damn fucking well take advantage of you!”

The cowboy reached his hands out for Zell, taking hold on either side of his face and kissing him passionately. “And he made me see, Zell,” he said softly. “He made me see that I needed you, that I couldn’t live without you, that no matter who I, like, slept with to forget, I couldn’t and I never would be able to!”

Zell’s eye shook slightly, a clear mix of desire for the man before him and an unnerving need to run out and break the commander’s neck with a single, bare hand. It wasn’t long before one won out over the other and it wasn’t hard to guess which one it was that gained his full attention. His cowboy, his Irvine, was back in his arms. He wouldn’t let anything pull them apart again.

“Seifer…” he said slowly, softly, looking back over his shoulder. “Where?”

“Your room,” Irvine said just as softly, stroking a hand down Zell’s tattooed cheek. “He said he’d share… Said he didn’t want to, hell, neither of us want to, but we both want to be happy, and have you be happy, and to do that, we, like, both need you… and you need both of us.”

“Yes,” Zell admitted, pressing close to his lover and resting his forehead against the sharpshooter’s shoulder. “Yes, I need you. Both. So much.”

“I know, Zell, I know. I need you. And if you feel the same way about Seifer as I do about you, I can’t ever ask you to stop that sort of feelin’. It just ain’t, like, possible, and I shouldn’t ask you to give up that feelin’ anyway.”

Zell kissed the cowboy’s shoulder, then along the curve leading up his neck, tears prickling at his eyes. “I could never ask for someone as compassionate and considerate as you, Irvine. Never.”

Irvine stroked Zell’s back, and smiled a little to himself. “You always so well-spoken when you’re distraught?” At the smile against his skin, and the light nudge of a fist against his back, he had the very strange and new feeling of being that support Zell had mentioned so early on. It felt nice, but not as nice as it did to feel the strong, confident arms of his lover embracing him.

“Come on,” Zell said, smiling as he pulled away and led Irvine over to the couch.

The cowboy stopped a moment and glanced between the sofa and his wonderful, blond love. “Zell, I… Seifer… and this is his room and… he didn’t really want us to…”

“Baby,” Zell drew out his name, long, pleading and humouring at the same time. “I’m not gonna fuck you on his couch. I just want to hold you. Hyne, I need to hold you so bad.”

“Tell me how bad,” Irvine said, lips curling into a smile as he started to follow Zell over to the sofa once more, watching as the blond lay down and chuckling when he was drawn over that strong, capable body.

“Mmm.” Lazy hands made their way up and down Irvine’s lean back, moving into his hair to undo the tie and then letting his fingers comb through the silken locks. “So bad my skin tingles just at the sight of you, so bad my mouth waters, so bad, Irvine… just so damn bad.”

Irvine made a little noise and buried his face against Zell’s neck, cheeks flushing a soft pink. “Oh Zell… I missed you so much.”

“I missed you too, Irvine.”

- - -

It almost made his skin itch to allow Irvine Kinneas into his room to be with his lover. But he supposed if they really were going to be “sharing” Zell that he sort of had to get over that kind of feeling. Oh, like fuck.

How was he suppose to just roll over and accept the fact that Irvine got him too? Alright, so Irvine had technically got Zell first, and Zell had technically cheated on Irvine by being with Seifer, but that didn’t mean anything… right? Okay, so that was more bullshit.

He caught himself from jumping when something darted in front of him and into his personal space. Brunette, yellow, slight scent of wild flowers- Selphie. “What do you want?” Seifer asked, continuing to stride down the hall.

“I saw Irvine go to your room. And now he’s in there, and you’re not, and I wanted to know if you’re okay?” she said, linking her arms around one of his and walking with him.

One blond brow arched at her, then he sighed and decided to tell her what was going on. “Irvine came back, like you saw. He stood up to me when I told him to fuck off. Am impressed but that is a secret you take to your grave. Asked if I’d be willing to share Zell- like what is he, a toy? ….” A really stupid grin spread across Seifer’s face before Selphie kicked his foot.

“Oh, right, anyway, that’s what it is basically. We’re sharing. We both get him. But there’s no real details. Just that. And now he’s in my room with Zell.”

Big green eyes blinked at him. “You let them use your room?”

Seifer cringed a moment at what the hyperactive brunette’s question implied. “Yes, because Irvine knows not to do… that in my fucking room. And Zell bloody well knows it too.”

“That’s still very big of you, Seifer.”

“Well, I’m a very big man.”

Selphie burst out in a fit of giggles at that. Seifer wanted to smack himself in the forehead, but the hand he would have used was currently being crushed to death as the little nymph continued her hysterical laughter.

“Seifer!” she gasped for air, holding onto him tightly. “That was amaaaazing!”

“You are too easily pleased.” He stared walking again, the short girl still clinging to him as she staggered along next to his long stride, a stride he was already shortening for her to keep up with.

“Are you really gonna share?” she asked, finally recovering enough to get a full sentence out. She looked up at him, trusting him not to walk her right into a potted plant.

Seifer’s eyes went far away for a moment, before adjusting. He shifted to the left so Selphie didn’t crash right into the plant. “Yea,” he said nodding. “I have to. I can’t stand him being so upset. He needs Irvine like I need him. How could I ever ask him to just give up on that?”

“Don’t you sound mature and understanding. Who are you and what did you do with the real Seifer Almasy??” she batted playfully at his arm, then unwound her own from his and bounding in front of him, turning to walk backwards and face him.

“I don’t know. But if you find the real Seifer Almasy, tell him to get his arse back to where it belongs. This whole, accepting, and being nice thing isn’t my style.”

“You’re pretty nice when you’re with Zell. I’ve see those butterfly kisses you put all over his neck.” She smirked and made a butterfly with her hands, flapping her fingers and giggling.

Seifer half-glared and swatted at the fake-insect. “Now that’s different! I love him. I definitely don’t love… Irvine.” He shook his head a little then nodded firmly.

“Oh, but he’s so very good looking,” Selphie protested, for what reason she did not know. Probably for the sake of protesting. Selphie wasn’t one to need more reason than the thing itself to carry her on.

“So is Squall, but I wouldn’t touch that whack job with a ten foot pole. Besides, I think he’s seriously going insane.” The gunbladist raised a finger to the side of his head and spun his finger around in the “crazy” signal. “Maybe he never was talking to himself when he was thinking. Maybe he was talking to a whoooole bunch of equally fucked up personalities.”

“Well, I don’t know about that,” Selphie said, turning on a heel to face forward again, and dropping back to match stride with the blond. “But he is being very un-Squall-like. He’s the reason this whole last fiasco happened. I wouldn’t be surprised if most of the fiascos sat predominantly on his shoulders.”

“I thought he had something to do with Irvine finding out. You have proof? You know it was him?” Seifer asked, quirking a brow, very interested in just how low his former rival would sink.

“Yeah,” she said, the word almost completely encompassed in a deep sigh. “For one, you can’t keep anything secret in this kinda place. Someone’s going to see something, hear something, and the only reason things do stay secret is because people believe in consideration, respect and confidentiality.” She paused for a moment to collect her thoughts before continuing.

“For another thing, I can find out anything from anyone, cause I have this magical ability to get people to tell me anything I want to know no matter how much of a secrety secret it is.”

Seifer looked at her questionably. He hoped very much that she didn’t think she was really magic, and only called her gift of manipulation/whining magic because she really was very good. “So… about Squall?”

“Oh yea, right. Well, I got a friend up in video surveillance. One of the laxer of the rule followers. That team is pretty strict about keeping what they see between themselves unless it’s a case of serious security or risk. But this girl is a fangirl, like me, and if she catches an eyeful of boy/boy acty-shawn, she’s gonna make a copy, and she’s going to show her friends.”

Seifer stared at her for a long while before clearing his throat and shrugging it off. If the only people that saw that kinda stuff where a bunch of gay loving freaks that got off on two guys getting off, what was he going to do about it? Nothing. He knew he couldn’t do anything. He knew if they didn’t rule and control the world in the present, it was just a matter of time.

“Anyway, she happened to be the one that was asked to make a copy for Squall. And she made one too, and she knew right off that Squall was going to do one of three things, blackmail, break up or jack off.”

Seifer coughed at the bluntness of the innocent looking girl, then made a face at the idea of Squall getting all… and… while watching him and Zell… he shuddered visibly and had to shake out his head again.

Selphie just chuckled and went on. “When the whole Garden heard about what happened between Irvine and Zell, it took her no time to realise it had been the break up option all along. She told me right away. We’re pretty sure Squall gave Irvine that tape and he ended up watching it all by himself.” She bit her lip and looked down at the floor.

“I dunno what it feels like. I’ve had a nightmare a few times with me walking in on Anasha and Harada. But that’s just a stupid dream brought on by slight lapses in confidence. Not that I knew I even had slight lapses in confidence when it came to her!”

Seifer reached out a hand to cup Selphie’s small shoulder and rubbed his thumb against her arm while he gave a comforting little squeeze. “We all get those kind of dreams, Selph. And I don’t think even I can understand what Irvine went through. Sure, when I realised how I felt about Zell, and when he was with Irvine I felt robbed… but I was angry, out for blood and revenge. I never felt… as much despair as the two of them have been feeling this last- what, a week?”

“Yep, well, it’s been a week and one day exactly, since Irvine found out. It was the twenty-third that they had that big fight and Irvine kicked Zell out.”

“You realise we “missed” Christmas, right?”

“Oh yea, I realised that a while ago.”

“And… you’re not torn, freaked out, or depressed about that?” Seifer asked, seriously wondering when Selphie had stopped using her crack. Maybe she ran out.

“I freaked out for a little on Christmas Eve, yea, but then I thought to myself, I can’t enjoy a holiday with two of my best friends as depressed as rocks and another one holding out as support, and a bunch more uneasy and angry. Besides, we had that Halloween party not too long ago, so I think we need a bit of a break before we jump into a second. I was thinking something in January. Tie in Christmas with winter and the new year.”

“You just can’t not plan these things, can you?” Seifer asked, smiling at the little brunette. “Thanks, Selphie.”

“For what?” she asked, returning the smile habitually.

“For keeping me company. I don’t know what I’d have ended up doing. Probably lying on Zell’s bed and giving myself time to think. Hyne, now if that isn’t a dangerous past-time!”

The two of them laughed and continued around the rest of the Garden before heading back into the dorms and to Zell’s. Seifer invited the master of the sticks-on-a-chain into the room and the two pasted a good hour or two with several heated games made up by Selphie Tilmitt about a minute before they began.