Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Living with Heart ❯ Living with Heart ( Chapter 15 )

Living with Heart

Act XIV

In a frenzied exchange, Laguna stole what brief moments he could as he ravished the brunet. Precariously hidden by the shadows, he pinned Squall to the wall with his body and roved the boy's mouth as deeply as his tongue would reach.

They were parting ways, their guards just around the corner, and he could hardly contain himself. Encouraging hands grasped loosed strands of his hair, demanding that he not pull away and continue to carry out every sinful desire that popped into his head.

Laguna was beginning to learn how to read Squall, how to understand his lover's wants and needs. It had never been something he placed much stock in, always assuming that such a claim to read the very subtle signal was just experience and familiarity.

Yet as those arms wrapped around his neck, he felt quite certain the brunet had some want for a strong handed lead. Perhaps it had been the rather obvious hint when he'd pushed the boy against the wall and an unwarranted gasping moan sounded.

Reaching behind, he roughly gripped slim wrists and forced Squall arms high above both their heads, now pinning the boy entirely. He wasn't a very dominant person, but for Squall he'd dominate for all his worth.

Giving off a dangerously loud moan, Squall tested his restraints and gave a gentle tug against the older man's hand. There was something beyond arousing at submitting completely and still feeling safe. It was a feeling he'd never experienced before, to know Laguna wouldn't hurt him. It was simply safe, which was an odd emotion to tangle with passion and lust.

Each second that passed was more dangerous. Thomas and James could round the corner any second, regardless of the President's request for a few moments alone before Squall went to bed.

A kiss was certainly too much, but Laguna simply couldn't help himself. He felt hypocritical after his previous assertion that they absolutely couldn't share more than a short hug or clap on the back.

“Hyne I want you,” Laguna hissed as he broke away before their panting and soft moans became loud enough to echo through the hall.

Licking his reddened lips, Squall arched against the older man. Given their conduct between them over the past couple weeks, it was probably no secret from their bodyguards just what they were up to when they constantly disappeared into quarters that only had one bed.

As much as the brunet preferred discretion and absolute secrecy about all his servicing duties, he wasn't very keen on keeping his relationship with Laguna under wraps. He understood the need to not let anyone know, but a small part of him felt as though he now had a lover he could be proud of, despite the shameful fact that it was his own father.

“The feeling is mutual,” Squall whispered. He wouldn't push the man into anything, so he remained in place and waited for a reaction.

Squall almost laughed at the way big hazel green eyes gazed at him imploringly. It was puppy dog look not even Selphie could top. Understanding that in such an instance, Laguna was not strong enough to refuse him, he gave a shallow kiss goodnight to the man's lips. “Goodnight then,” he murmured before pulling away. Just as he'd assumed, Laguna let him go upon the firmer insistence of release. It was an affirmation of just how accurate he was in his trusting beliefs.

“I love you,” the President said quickly, as if desperate to say it before they went separate ways.

A small smile tugged Squall's lips upward. “I know,” he assured. Turning back, he placed a hand at the man's hip and drew in close. “I love you too.”

With another quick kiss, followed by another and yet another, the pair nearly wound up against the wall once more. However, the resounding click of heels stalking down the corridor reached their ears and caused them to jump apart.

Laguna quickly began running fingers through his disheveled hair. Glancing at Squall, he gave a firm stare before reaching out and attempting to tame mussed tresses of chestnut locks. The boy seemed to ooze sex at the moment, obviously have just partaken in a rather heated goodnight kiss.

“It's fine,” Squall dismissed, batting the President's hands away.

As the footsteps stopped, and Quistis began to speak with James, Squall realized that neither guard would let her pass.

Quickly walking around the corner, Squall came into view of the two men who stood tall and made a casual barrier as they stood side by side.

“It's okay, let her through,” Laguna called as he trailed right behind Squall.

“Squall,” Quistis spoke with an edge of nervousness. Her eyes roved each face present, unwilling to speak her business to anyone but her former student.

Perceptively reading the blonde woman's expression, the brunet gestured for her to follow. “We can talk in my rooms.”

“I see,” Squall said at length, eyes trained on the rug under his feet.

“I need to leave, Selphie's on her way,” Quistis announced hesitantly. She'd already spent more time explaining her conversation with Cid than she should have.

“Of course,” the brunet commented as he raised his head and looked into his former instructor's eyes. She had orders to follow and had gone out of her way to warn him. “Thank you Quistis.”

Brows drawn together in inner debate, Quistis fought with her curiosity on the matter. The least she could do was question Squall, and if she received no answers she'd know it wasn't her business. “So you want Laguna to be your dad this badly?” It was odd given that it was just a small technicality. President Loire was already Squall's father.

“He's a good man,” Squall stated cryptically.

“If you don't mind my asking, why is Cid so worked up about this? I don't think I've ever seen him act like this before. It's disturbing, and I don't know why.”

“Everyone has secrets,” Squall assured. “You never see every side to someone until you've seen them through another's eyes,” he explained. “Cid is a very dedicated man, but his dedication is to Garden and Edea, nothing else.”

“Squall,” Quistis murmured as she stared intensely at the younger man.

Giving a wry smile, Squall tried to assure her that it was a simple fact of life and nothing to fret over. “Let's just say that my leaving is a hard blow to Garden. Cid will expend the equivalent of my worth to get me back, understand?” The truer depth of his worth was his knowledge, information that would cripple Cid and dozens of other leaders.

Quistis considered Squall's logic, finding that it was true but still shocking. “I suppose,” she said after a moment. It was obvious she wasn't going to get any details, though she felt better about the whole situation now. “As long as your okay. I have to follow orders, but if anything happens, you know I'm on your side.”

“It'll be fine,” Squall assured with a false smile. He was grateful that Quistis knew when to leave well enough alone, especially when matters wound up involving her.

“Selphie has probably arrived already, and cursing me for waking her up and then making her wait.”

“Would you like an escort?” Squall offered.

Not looking forward to finding a ride to the outskirts of the city, she accepted, “Please.”

Tossing around restlessly, Squall groaned aloud as his eyes glanced at the digital clock on the nightstand. The glowing green numbers informed him that he was well on his way to not receiving any sleep that night. It was almost three in the morning, and he refused to sleep past noon.

Casting aside the thick quilt, Squall sat up. With a dismayed sigh he swung his legs over the edge of the bed. Standing with a weary scratch to mussed hair, he strode out of the room.

Regardless of wearing nothing more than the baggy flannels Laguna liked and a black beater, he left his quarters. Steely blue eyes glanced around the darkened corridor, landing upon the familiar form of his guard.

“Do you ever sleep?” Squall inquired, slightly in awe of the man's ability to be awake for so long.

With a small smirk, James regarded the pajama-wearing brunet. “I might say the same,” he returned.

Making a non-committal sound, Squall made his way left, his destination being the President's rooms.

Silently, James followed, eventually walking abreast with the boy when his eyes trailed over swaying hips and shapely ass more than once. He didn't need any distractions, especially ones that made him want to bang his head against the wall for being so pathetic. But, there was some consolation in knowing that any attraction wasn't unwarranted, since the brunet was the President's lover and that must have meant the kid was something special.

“James,” Squall said after a few minutes of walking, knowing he was only halfway there in his slow pace. “I thought you should know that soldiers are going to be sent to take me back.”

Stopping, the blond guard reached out and grabbed a bare shoulder. “I'll need details on this,” he said as he reached for his phone.

“I don't have details,” Squall stated evenly. “But it should hardly matter.”

“All security threats to the President are considered serious. I don't care if these SeeD are just after you, if you're in the direct vicinity of President Loire, we have a serious problem.”

Squall scoffed. “I can guarantee anyone Cid had in store is hardly a match for Laguna, even if he's out of practice.”

“That is not for you to decide,” James said firmly, his dark eyes boring into the younger man's intently.

“I meant it as a precaution,” the brunet said. “On the off chance that there is a breach, I'm capable of handling it. However, unlike you, I don't run on two hours of sleep a day.”

“I'll be looking into the matter,” James assured, hardly confident in the boy's skill.

With a nod of understand, Squall agreed, “As expected.”

Once outside the President's rooms, Squall observed the subtle nod exchanged between Thomas and James. He'd be a fool to think that neither man knew what was going on between himself and Laguna. It was their job to watch their respective charge at all times, privacy of secured quarters omitted.

Before Squall entered, he paused for a thoughtful moment, debating whether or not Kiros would throw a fit. However, he considered his involvement in discreet relations to be suitable experience when making such decisions as who knew what.

“I'm sure I don't need to inform either of you what is between the President and myself,” he whispered just loud enough for each straight standing guard to hear on either side of the door. Not waiting for a reply he knew he wouldn't receive, he continued, “Where do your loyalties lie?”

“Is that an attempt at a joke?” James commented with little amusement.

“Hardly,” Squall returned, staring the broad formed man in the eyes. “It's imperative that I know you support the President no matter what.”

“It goes without saying,” Thomas stated firmly, sternly staring at the former Commander with mixed feelings.

“That it does,” James bit out a little defensively.

With a solemn nod, Squall accepted their answers and defensive anger. He never tried to make people happy when he wasn't being ordered to, or at least guilt tripped into it. “There is a custody battle that will no doubt be made public quite soon. The President will win, because he is my actual father. Given what you two have all but seen happen between Laguna and I, I need to know that it won't become a problem.”

Squall stepped back to stare at both men at once. James seemed to process his meaning and grasp the exact circumstance first, closely followed by a wide-eyed Thomas. Crossing his arms, Squall questioned once more, “Where do your loyalties lie?”

With dawning understanding beyond the shocking and sickening news, James felt any anger dissipate in light of the obvious necessity for being questioned on his loyalty. “To a great leader and man who has created a better way of life for us all, I am at his service.”

Squall's gaze flickered towards the slightly more aged guard with jet-black hair.

“Are you really his son?” Thomas asked with a sneering cringe.

“Flesh and blood,” Squall stated. He wasn't about to defend his relationship with Laguna, not willing to point out that they hadn't ever been like a father and son to each other. If it took coercing to affirm the man's loyalty, then there was doubt. Any doubt could not be tolerated.

“While I could have done without ever knowing about this, it doesn't change anything except for the nightmares I'll be having.”

“Since I don't have to remind you that Laguna's involvement with me is top secret, I won't make that redundant point,” Squall said before silently opening the door and walking in without further glance at either guard.

As far as he knew, there were only three people who knew about their relationship, excluding himself and Laguna. Given that the main focus of the custody battle was the DNA proof that Laguna was his real father, the guards were bound to catch wind. They would begin to doubt the conclusions that being the President's son was just an excuse to have him at the estate, and once again doubt was not tolerable.

Squall was far from doing this for Laguna's protection. If there was someone as close as James or Thomas against him, then the possibility of SeeD getting past security went up exponentially. While he felt certain Cid would never do anything to Laguna, he refused to go back and would take any precautions necessary. He could take on the whole of Garden individually, but if Cid sent ten or more soldiers at once, he'd have a tough time.

With soft steps, Squall crossed the dark room, navigating it from memory with the hopes that Laguna hadn't moved anything. Reaching the bedroom door, he quietly entered without knocking.

It was equally dark. The heavy drapes drawn shut with no perceptible source of light. Careful not to collide with the President's sleeping form, Squall crawled beneath the blankets and into bed with the older man.

Drawn to the warmth, his body feeling chilled after walking the corridors with practically nothing on, Squall furled close to the sleeping man. With Quistis gone, he was willing to risk another night with Laguna.

As a strong arm suddenly wrapped around him and drew him flush against the man's warm chest, Squall felt the on set of sleep finally come.

“What took you so long?” Laguna murmured, still half asleep.

Sighing contently, Squall buried his face in the crook of Laguna's neck, warmth spreading through him. “It's hard to admit being so pathetic,” Squall answered quietly, his voice was no louder than a soft whisper.

There was a delay before Laguna processed the boy's meaning. “Needing someone during your most vulnerable time is not pathetic,” he chastised through his sluggish haze of still being half asleep. “Besides, it makes me feel special.”

Not responding, Laguna gave a goofy grin upon registering that Squall was already asleep. Having been only minutes from giving up and going to Squall's room, he'd been elated at the feel of the mattress shifting and the lithe body that sidled up to him.

Squall was dangerously addictive. If he couldn't go a single night without that beautiful body in his arms, then he feared he had serious problems ahead of him. He wondered how far he'd be driven in his need as time progressed. Would he constantly need Squall at his side, within arms reach?

Convinced that he had some semblance of control and strong will, Laguna assured himself that one more night together was hardly being addicted or overly needy. Tomorrow night he'd sleep alone, and he'd be just fine.

Hyne it felt good to hold Squall close, to press himself firmly against the boy's body and feel the warmth. Soft breath ghosted his neck, sending shivers of pleasure through him. He'd never be able to let go again, never live his life as he had before he'd known Squall's touch.

The only way Laguna was able to fall asleep himself was with the change of heart about the next night. He found his mind wouldn't settle down unless he assured that this wasn't their last night until August twenty-second.

As the ramp slowly closed with a hissing whir of hydraulics, Quistis quickly made her way to the cockpit. During her ride over she'd concluded that she was in need of a consult. Her admittance of slight disobedience would remain secret, but she wanted to discuss Cid's behavior with someone other than Squall.

It was obvious that Squall showed more breadth of knowledge of Cid's character than any of them, which was suspicious but she deemed not her business. However, this was the first assignment she was ever pulled off and for a rather incensing reason. She prided herself on her professional indifference and couldn't help but harbor ill will at Cid's accusations.

Then again, she'd pledged her loyalty to Squall should the unlikely event of taking sides occur. Perhaps she had been far too personal and the Headmaster had seen that.

The Head Instructor was mildly surprised to find the chipper pilot locking lips with Balamb's trademark cowboy.

“Irvine?” Quistis questioned as she walked to the closest seat near the pair, just behind the pilot's seat.

With a small giggle, Selphie slid from Irvine's lap and mumbled a quick apology. “You took a while, and I got bored,” the flippy haired woman explained with a sheepish grin.

“Ouch darlin',” Irvine drawled with a greeting wink to the blonde instructor. “You wouldn't happen to be saying that my services are for fleeting entertainment only, would you?”

“Pretty much,” Selphie mumbled absently as she revved her beauty of a ship to life.

With a weeping look of sorrow, Irvine gestured to the laptop in the seat beside him. “Cid asked me to hack the satellite,” he stated with a stifled yawn.

Eyes brows shooting up in question, Quistis asked, “What for?”

With a lazy shrug, the gunman scoured the premise for his fallen hat before ducking to retrieve it. Carefully placing it atop his head, he snatched the computer and opened it up. “The first try was a failure, but seeing as how I'd narrowed it down to two codes, this next shot should do the trick.”

Cracking his fingers, Irvine gave a quick playboy smile to Quistis. “I've got the fastest hands in the world,” he stated confidently.

“That's not the only part of you that's fast,” Selphie chimed in, making to strap in to the seat and flipping on the seatbelt light simply for the sake of feeling special.

With a dejected sigh, Irvine leaned across the aisle to whisper, “She thinks I was flirting with Xu, which means I don't get further than first base for another week.”

Rolling her eyes, Quistis questioned, “Did you flirt with Xu?”

“I wasn't serious,” the gunman defended before turning his attention back to the now powered on laptop.

“Selphie,” Quistis began with a tone that implied she needed to get something off her chest.

“Yeah?” the head-bobbing woman asked, apparently listening to music inside her own head.

“Has Cid been acting strange lately?”

“You mean aside from asking me to break into Esthar's orbiting trinket without any just cause?” Irvine asked with avid interest.

“Well, he's also acting very strange about Squall,” Quistis added, stating the specific issue she referred to.

“How is Squall?” Selphie asked. Setting the liftoff on standby, she unstrapped herself and turned to regard the blonde woman sitting directly behind her.

“He's leaving Garden,” the blonde stated solemnly. “He actually wants to stay with Laguna, says that the President is a good man.”

Mouth agape and eyes wide with incredulity, Selphie took a moment to simply stare at the older girl. “When he said that, was he gritting his teeth like he was fighting mind control?”

“No, he was being entirely serious. When I arrived, they were both gone for several hours. Apparently they spend all their time together.”

“That's insane darlin',” Irvine commented. “Our little ice prince doesn't spend time with anyone.”

“That's why I'm confused, but Cid pulled me off the case before I could look any further into it.”

“Cid pulled you off?” Selphie intoned with even greater disbelief. “I'm sorry Quisty.”

“I'll live,” the instructor assured. “But, it was very weird how Cid reacted when first receiving the custody suit and then when he sent me to bring Squall back.” She wanted to mention what Squall had told her, but she couldn't do that without also mentioning that she'd spoken to Squall about Cid's odd behavior. “Cid's going to send a force to bring Squall back?”

“A force?” Irvine questioned.

“He said reinforcements, so I don't know if he's thinking of declaring war or sending in Seifer.” Heaving a sigh, Quistis tried to piece everything together. Finding all her thoughts lead to an impasse, she focused on something else. “What are you supposed to be checking out from the satellite?”

“Video feed,” Irvine declared. “But, I can't do it until we lift off, we're too far away.”

Frowning, Quistis sat back and absently strapped into her seat. “A video feed of what?” she questioned to herself.

With a frown of his own, the gunman expressed his own discomfort. “I don't have a clue, I'm not allowed to check the files out, just download them and bring it back.”

Hardly believing what she was about to suggest, Quistis glanced at each face with slight anguish. She was torn between her duty and her gut instinct. “Guys, I think we need to figure out what's going on.”

“Well, I was going to sneak a peek at the video anyway, so you're welcome to check it out also,” Irvine stated, his accent fading without the conscious effort to keep it up.

TBC…