Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ One in a Million ❯ At FH ( Chapter 7 )

Title: One in a Million

Author: I_nv_u50

Pairings: SquallxZell

Warnings: Slash alert! (cue flashing red lights and weird robots waving their arms) Slash alert!

Disclaimer: Well, they certainly aren't mine O.o;

Chapter Rating: PG13 :D

Author's Notes: Sorry for the long wait ^^;;; Yea… I kinda got caught up in my Harry Potter phase again ^^

Hopefully this time I can keep it regular. Hopefully. And if you're looking for my muses, they're out shagging in the back. I doubt you'd want to even go there…

Anyway, sorry for the delay, hope you enjoy this, and please review!! ^^

When Squall woke up, he was chronically depressed. He missed Zell so much that it was almost physically painful; his throat was parched and sore, his head throbbed painfully, and his chest refused to lighten up on him, getting tighter with each passing breath.

Unfortunately, there was no option of just stopping the constant rush of air.

When he, usually one of the earlier risers in the household, was still in his room at 11am, Laguna and Raine knocked politely on his door, averse to interrupting the boy inside.

Laguna was holding a breakfast tray for Squall, while Raine silently tidied up a bit and opened the curtains, purposely ignoring Squall's flinch at the bright light.

Squall resented the weather. How dare it be sunny when Zell was away from him and in hospital? The nerve-!

Both his parents sat on his bed then, and he was forced to eye them, with not just a little suspicion, leaving off his complaints at the weather for another time.

They looked at him, and he stared straight back, his face expressionless, even his eyes holding back, keeping his secrets from them.

"Squall, you must eat something."

Squall looked away stubbornly.

Laguna sighed and got up, resting a comforting hand on his son's shoulder for a split second before leaving the room with a glance at his wife.

"Kimba, you know that Zell's ok." Raine reminded him softly, using a pet name that only she, and sometimes Ellone were allowed to use.

Squall looked up at the news and the sound of the name. "I know… but it's my… it's my… fault…" The words were forced out hesitantly, and even as Raine asked, she knew that Squall wouldn't elaborate on it.

She sighed as well, but it was a more understanding and resigned sigh than usual. She knew Squall wouldn't change, she just wished she knew when Squall had transformed from that once happy young child into a virtually emotionally unable teenager.

"Try to eat something, all right Kimba? You'll get sick if you don't."

And so the day passed slowly, everyone in the palace anxiously awaiting two things: more news about Seifer and Zell, and Squall to come out of his room.

But as the day slowly progressed, it became clearer and clearer to everyone, including Squall, that Squall loved Zell more than anyone had thought. It also signified a greater dependence on the singer the Squall would have liked, and that fact both disturbed him, and made him happy, in a warped sort of way.

The fact that he liked it made him confused, which made him dislike it further. By the time Laguna and Raine decided to send him to FH, Squall was properly muddled, and was in a foul mood, although to look at him, you would only have seen a sulky, sullen, rebellious looking teen.

If anyone chose to point this out to him, with a little laugh and a bit of a tease; as a few certain someones did when he finally left his room, they had the dubious honour of seeing him recover his ice glare and direct it at them.

They left him alone after a while, good naturedly putting it down to worry and concern.

Upon being told that he was flying to FH as soon as the next plane left, he stood stock still for a few seconds and then walked, faster than usual, back to his room.

When Raine followed a few minutes later, she found Squall lying face down on his bed, wearing Zell's shirt, completely motionless.

Wisely choosing to ignore this, she started packing, and Squall got up a few minutes later to help her, and if his eyes were a little wetter than usual, she didn't comment.

Laguna, taking advantage of his status, procured two seats, one for his son, and the other for his non-verbal chauffeur to escort said son. The plane left at 11pm, and they all went to go see the stoic teenager off.

Selphie grinned at Irvine. "Do you think Zell knows?"

"No, he won't. And you aren't going to say anything to him." Irvine replied, and he pulled the car door shut behind them.

After a quick hour and a half flight, which lasted forever for the privately tormented boy, Squall landed in Fisherman's Horizon at 12:30 am, too late for visiting hours.

Not even Laguna's presidential status wouldn't make the hospital extend their hours, but it did enable Squall to have the Presidential Suite at Fisherman's Horizon Hotel.

While not the ultimate tourist trap like Balamb, FH did have a very efficient and comfortable hotel, and Squall fell asleep shortly after Fuujin had booked them in.

The next morning, room service knocked on the door, only to receive no answer.

Squall had gotten up early, unable to sleep any longer. He wanted to Zell, he needed to see that Zell was all right, and until he knew for certain, Squall doubted he'd be able to sleep or eat. So he went to go sit on the balcony, forgetting to wrap up into something warm. He watched the ocean flow in and then out of the harbour, in small, peaceful waves and ripples. It was soothing. Squall wondered if he would be allowed to swim after he found out if Zell really was all right. He liked water.

When the room service knocked again, it startled Squall enough to send the bellboy roughly away.

Squall was in no mood to eat, but the bellboy went to Fuujin for help, and she went up to Squall's room and ordered him to.

As he sullenly ate, glaring at her every opportunity he got, she just glared straight back and told him, in no uncertain terms, that she had been told to make sure he ate by Laguna.

Squall's glare softened a little after that, becoming the blank look of faint disapproval that he usually wore, and he carried on eating in a silence that was slightly more respectful than mutinous. He didn't really mind Fuujin, she might have seemed a bit hard, but she was ok. She didn't open up easily. Just like him. Maybe they had more in common than he thought.

When Squall finally finished shoveling food down his throat, Fuu went off to wait while he got changed and ready so they could go to the hospital. She phone ahead to let the hospital know they were coming while Squall was getting ready, and was told to come around the back way, because the front entrance was too full of fans.

Squall wore his own silk shirt, reluctantly wishing that he were able to wear Zell's shirt again, but accepting the fact that he couldn't, and he was downstairs and into the limo before much time had passed.

Squall, although he wasn't given to fidgeting a lot, couldn't stay still for most of the car ride, but he stared in jealous awe at all the people they drove past who were waiting by the front entrance.

Fuujin phoned the receptionist to tell them they had arrived, during which Squall fidgeted more, and looked around in distinct discomfort until a nurse came.

Fuujin had made sure that Zell's rooms were open exclusively to Squall, and she briefly told him she'd wait in the cafeteria for him until he finished.

Fuu walked with him and the nurse until the nurse pointed out the cafeteria, and Fuu took her leave, leaving Squall to follow with growing anticipation on the nurse's heels.

The nurse indicated at the door, and then carried on down the pale green corridor hurriedly.

Once inside, Squall approached the bed tentatively, unsure now that the moment was here of what he really wanted to do.

Zell was breathing lightly, and without any obvious difficulty, the blankets moving with his body as his chest rose and fell.

Squall took a seat on an uncomfortable hospital chair by the bedside and just sat watching Zell.

Zell was all right. He was fine, he looked awful, with bandages and bruises, but he was in one piece, and that meant Squall could relax, because, after all, Zell was just fine.

The paramedics who had found Zell and Seifer had used as much curaga as they had had with them, the nurse had explained, and they were both doing well, but it would be better for Zell to stay one or two more days, just in case.

Lost in his own thoughts, staring blankly at Zell, Squall didn't realize Zell was staring back until Zell spoke quietly, the voice rough from disuse, and pained sleepiness.

"Hey kid..."

"I'm not a kid…" Squall muttered automatically, before giving into impulse like he had only done once before.

"I know, I know, but you're-" Zell got cut off, eyes widening in surprise as Squall tumbled off the chair and into bed with him, hugging him tightly, mindless of the bandages and bruises.

"Um… Squall?"

"Don't…" Squall mumbled, the rest of his sentence muffled as he buried his face in the curve of Zell's neck. Zell's hands came up automatically, unsure whether to hold Squall or pull him away.

"Squall? You ok baby?"

Squall just breathed in deep, relishing the scent of Zell that filtered through all the hospital smells. He didn't answer.

Zell was starting to get increasingly nervous with the unmoving teenager lying on top of him, and he was wondering if it would hurt Squall terribly if he just rolled Squall off. It was bloody uncomfortable, it reminded him all too much of that night where Squall had injured himself with the elnoyle, and it brought to mind all the half formed temptations that had come with the night.

And then he stiffened in surprise, because Squall's lips were ghosting over his neck and along his jaw before stopping when Squall's tired gaze caught Zell's wide blue eyes that held honest astonishment.

Squall blushed and scrambled away, backing into the chair again.

Zell blinked and sat up. "What, Squall?"

Squall lifted one shoulder and let it fall again in a half shrug, looking determinedly at the floor, still flushed.

Zell smiled slightly. "Come here, kid." He coaxed softly, and patted the bedside beside him.

"I'm not a kid…" Squall grumbled, but he went to sit next to Zell, careful to leave some distance between them, because he wasn't sure if he could resist it this time.

Zell leant forward, wincing a little, and he put a hand on Squall's chin, making Squall turn his head to face him.

Squall tensed up a little, ignoring the little voice in his head telling him to jump away now, before it was too late, and he reached up with a hand of his own to try and pull Zell's away. He had a really fine tuned survival instinct, and if it said beware, he had learnt to trust it.

Zell ignored the light pulls on his wrist and watched squall's eyes. They were more blue than gray now, and swirling hazily with warring emotions - something Zell was sure was reflected in his own eyes.

Damned if he knew what those emotions were, but they were pulling him in deeper than he knew how to handle, and Zell impulsively, irresistibly, leaned forward and kissed Squall.

The tugging on Zell's wrists stopped as Squall's hands went limp and dropped down onto the bed, fisting in the sheets. Squall's eyes fluttered closed, and he gave a small, whimpering gasp against Zell's mouth.

Zell took the opportunity to sweep his tongue into Squall's mouth, delighting in the tiny mewling sound the action produced from the bedazzled teenager.

Squall tasted exotic, like the hot chocolate he must have been drinking this morning, and when some distant thought in the back of Zell's mind reminded him that kissing a male teenager like this was highly inappropriate, it was stamped down with the gleeful thought 'I DON'T CARE!'

His hands moved up from Squall's face to tangle in his hair, and Zell angled Squall's head so he could reach more of Squall's mouth with his ruthless tongue, eliciting a low moan in Squall's throat as Squall simply melted against him, encouraging Zell to go further.

Squall was in heaven, if he cared to pull himself away from earth enough to look. His hands crept up Zell's chest to fist in the thin material there as Zell pulled away from his mouth. Squall heard a small whimpering sound, and only when Zell started kissing down his neck did he realize that it had come from him. It was a very undignified sound, but Squall didn't care at the moment, he couldn't care. All he could bring himself to do was tilt his head back to offer more to Zell.

Zell made an approving noise, and followed the throat up again so he could kiss the all too willing lips again.

When the nurse returned, she was literally shocked at the sight of her most famous patient making out with a helplessly willing boy.

So no one could blame her for rushing down to the cafeteria to get the chaperon for Squall, least of all Fuujin, who had been silently enjoying flipping through a car magazine.

All Fuujin did when she entered the room though, was give Squall a meaningful glance, and calmly walked away with the still confused nurse.

Zell was the first to speak. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that. I don't know what I was thinking."

Squall's eyes were covered as he replied, watching his feet and inwardly crying out to Zell to take that back. It was very depressing to have one of the most beautiful moments of your life considered a mistake by the one that shared it. But Zell didn't take it back, and Squall kept his voice even enough to be proud of. "I'm… It's ok."

Zell nodded awkwardly, wondering what Squall had been about to say. "So…"

"I… um… better get back… Fuujin…" Squall gave a desperate look to the door, and Zell, feeling really sorry now, just nodded, and then wondered why Squall's eyes were so sad when he left.

Outside, safely behind the shut door, Squall paused and raised shaking hands up to stare at with idle curiosity and wonder.

Then he sighed, and looked back at the door he had just come through.

"Zell… You blockhead."