Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Playing it by ear ❯ Part 1 ( Chapter 1 )

"Playing it by ear"

Part 1

Author's note: This story follows "The one I wanted", which you should probably read before reading this one.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters, and I don't make any money from this.

~********************~

Squall took the elevator to the third floor reluctantly. Headmaster Cid had called him to his office over the intercom, and all sorts of reasons were going through the young man's head. Only a few days had passed since he and Irvine admitted that there was something bigger than friendship between them, and Squall lived with the silent fear that someone in the Garden would guess what was happening between them and report them for it.

Not that they would get kicked out if Cid ever found out…he had combed through the rules and regulation books thoroughly before committing himself to this new relationship, and he had found nothing saying that homosexual relationships were forbidden for SeeD members. In fact, he found a line stating that discrimination against race, gender or orientation was prohibited and grounds for dismissal. Did that mean that someone could get discharged, if they found out that Squall was gay and chose to give him a hard time about it?

All these thoughts and more were going through Squall's head as he made his way to Cid's office. The Headmaster was sitting behind his desk in the newly remodeled office that had been built for him, just beneath the pilot area. "Ah, Squall…come in, come in!" Cid was beaming at him, and Squall relaxed.

Squall saluted his superior and stood at attention.

"At ease."

When Squall obeyed, Cid stood up and walked around in front of his desk, leaning against it easily. "You look much better, son. I've been keeping an eye on you, though I haven't been obvious about it. How do you feel about returning to active duty? I won't return your rank just yet, but you can go on assigned missions and leave the base when you feel like it…so long as you don't lapse back." He raised his eyebrows at the young man, giving Squall no doubt that he knew exactly what sort of bad habits he had started falling into.

Squall saluted him. "Thank you, sir. I'll do my best." He couldn't stop the flush of embarrassment that rose in his cheeks at the subtle reference to his drinking problem.

"Good, good. You've got some wonderful friends, Leonhart. You should be thankful they've been with you on this, all the way."

Squall nodded, and he almost smiled. "Yes sir. They are good friends."

~ Especially a certain sniper. ~

~********************~

"Come on…come on! I'm starving, here!" Zell was bobbing up and down impatiently as they waited in line.

"You look like you've gotta piss," Irvine whispered, "cut it out, before you embarrass yourself."

"You're the only one that's embarrassed, Kinneas," Zell snapped, "I'm just fucking hungry!"

Irvine shook his head and grinned over Zell's spiky, bleached hair, where Squall was sitting at the table he had gone to save for them. The brunette smiled softly back at him, unable to hear the conversation but able to guess at the content by Zell's body language. Some things never changed-especially hotdog addicted martial fighters. Irvine felt warmth flow through his body in response to the quiet, barely perceptible smile that Squall gave him.

"Yo, are you listening, Irvine?"

The sharpshooter tore his eyes off of Squall's. "Uh…what?"

"I said the line's moving, man! Go!" A loud rumble from the streetfighter's stomach punctuated his words.

Irvine obliged his hyper friend and cleared the slight space with one step of his long legs. "Where do you put all of it?" His violet eyes swept Zell's compact, energetic form in perplexity.

Zell shrugged, taking no offence at the question. "I burn up a lot of energy. I don't know how you stay in such good shape, lazing around like you do. You should get into some sports." The blond brightened, and a wicked gleam lit his blue eyes. "Say, you and Squall ought to go with me to the beach, later on. I could teach you both to surf. I'll bet you'd be good at it."

Irvine shot a look of horror at Squall, who lifted an eyebrow inquiringly. "Surfing?!" The sniper mouthed, pointing discretely at Zell. Squall shook his head and laughed silently, rolling his eyes.

"Uh, that's nice of you to offer, but it's really not my thing." Irvine tried to picture himself riding the waves on a board, but the only image that came to him was of him falling clumsily into the water.

"It's not that hard, man. I can start you out on a real easy board. Come on, all my buddies moved, and I've been surfing alone."

Irvine smirked. "If you can convince Squall, then I'm in."

Zell frowned. "Geez, all you had to do was say `no'. It'd be easier than trying to get Squall to come along."

~ I tried to say no, moron. ~

He didn't say anything out loud, though. He just chuckled.

~*****************~

"So Squall, I was just saying to Irvine that you two should come surfing with me, later on." Zell's words were muffled around a mouthful of hotdog.

Squall took the tray that Irvine handed him, and he gave the sharpshooter a wry look. "I don't think Irvine's into that sort of thing. Besides, it's getting cold now…or haven't you noticed?"

"The bodysuits will keep us warm enough, Squall. It's not too cold, yet! He just needs some encouragement! Come on, man…it's fun! I'm getting bored around here."

"Quit spitting your food all over the place," Squall said sharply, but he wasn't angry. "I've told you before, I don't like surfing or skating or any of that stuff. Neither does Irvine. Why don't you ask Nida and his gang to go with you? They're into that sort of thing."

"I planned to, but I haven't seen them around today."

"Oh, I forgot they're away on an assignment," Squall muttered, lifting the bun of his hamburger to squirt some ketchup underneath. He sighed and looked from his blond friend to Irvine.

"I've got an idea," Irvine said after he swallowed the food he was chewing on, "why don't we plan a beach party for the weekend? We can ask Rinoa to make the invitations and choose who we want to invite. That way, Zell can go surfing with people who actually like freezing their balls off, and we can sit on our asses and be lazy."

Squall choked on the soft drink he was sipping on and wiped his mouth hastily with a napkin. Irvine reached over and patted his back solicitously until he stopped coughing.

"Thanks…that's a good idea, Irvine."

Zell brightened and swallowed his food, and for once, he spoke without spitting crumbs all over his friends. "Hey, I like it! I can invite Xu, can't I?"

"XU?!" Squall and Irvine said at the same time.

Zell deflated and looked down. "Well, yeah. She's really cool. Kind of strict, but I like her."

Irvine laughed. "Well, okay. Since we're thinking along the lines of obscurity, why not invite Seifer, as well?"

Squall gaped at him. "Seifer? You're kidding."

Irvine shook his head. "Nope. Hey, you two buried the hatchet, right? This can be sort of a gesture, to show there aren't any hard feelings."

Squall considered this, noting the way Irvine looked at him with encouragement.

~ He knows I'm afraid Seifer and I will end up fighting. He's testing me, but why? ~

Squall vaguely recalled an observation that Irvine had made, nearly a year ago. "There's gotta be something there, for two people to clash that much. You sure it's anger, Squall?"

Before, it had made no sense to him, but now the question took on a whole new meaning as the handsome sniper gazed at him steadily. The most they had done together so far was kiss, yet he got the feeling that Irvine couldn't be more possessive if they had slept together.

~ Is he…jealous? No…that's impossible. Irvine's not the jealous type. What does he want from me? ~

"Well, Squall? What do you think about inviting that asshole? I'm against it, personally," Zell said harshly. He had never forgiven Seifer for all the mental and emotional torture he had endured at the blond gunblade specialist's hand.

Irvine was still looking at him, daring him with his eyes.

~ I think I get it. He wants to be sure he doesn't have any competition. How the hell does he think I feel? I've got to watch out for other guys AND girls where he's concerned…all he has to worry about is Seifer, and THAT'S so stupid it's almost funny. ~

However, a little thrill went through Squall at the thought of Irvine's jealousy. He wondered how far the sharpshooter could be pushed, and recklessly, he shrugged and said; "Fine. It's been a while…I'm curious to see how things are going with him anyway."

He almost smiled at the way Irvine's lavender eyes narrowed at that. Ignoring the curses coming from Zell, Squall took a bite out of his hamburger and kept his facial expressions bland.

~************************~

After lunch, the three parted ways and went about their business. Zell had a volleyball game to get to, and Irvine had promised Quistis that he would help with some Garden Festival stuff, since Selphie wasn't around to do it. Squall said he had some reading to catch up on, but he really didn't have anything planned.

He got halfway down the hall leading out of the cafeteria, when he sensed someone trying to sneak up behind him. "The boots give you away, Kinneas," He said with a smile, stopping without turning around.

There was a chuckle, very close to his ear, and Irvine's voice was a silken caress. "You got me. I just had to find out if you really don't mind inviting Seifer. I know I was pushing it, back there."

~ Humph…a game, eh? Keep pretending you don't know what you were doing, Irvine. ~

Squall shrugged. "Don't worry about it. We kids are just going to have to learn to get alone some day, right?" Irvine had grabbed his arm and was slowly pulling him into the shadows of the fire escape stairwell. Squall looked up at him and resisted. "What are you doing?"

"I'm grabbing some nookie before I go to be tortured. Give a dying man his last request, Squall."

Squall laughed, but he was also alarmed. "Irvine, someone could see us…are you nuts?"

"Yeah, nuts about you. Come on." He dragged the mildly protesting brunette towards the door, coaxing him inside.

"Anyone could come along," Squall gasped as he was pushed against the wall.

Irvine shut the door, took off his hat and dropped it carelessly. "No, they won't. Unless some jackass pulls the fire alarm or jams the elevator." Then his mouth descended to Squall's, and no more protests were forthcoming.

Squall closed his eyes and relaxed, falling into Irvine's seductive, gentle kiss. He allowed the taller boy's tongue to push into his mouth, and he put his hands on Irvine's hips and responded. His legs felt like they were melting beneath him, and he again had to marvel at how something as mundane as a kiss could make him feel so weak. He protested as Irvine's mouth left his, but his protest became a gasp when the sniper's lips migrated to his throat and nuzzled it.

Irvine murmured softly to the lithe young man trapped between his body and the wall, and he bent his legs slightly and pushed his hips forward, letting his hardening bulge press against Squall's. The sound that the brunette made was caught between a murmur and a sigh, and it encouraged Irvine. He grabbed a handful of Squall's t-shirt and pulled it out of his jeans, and he slid his hand underneath and began to explore the other boy's chest.

Squall's head fell back and his lips parted, and before he knew it, he was moaning softly. This was further than they had ever gone, and he almost whimpered with surprise when Irvine's fingers found one of his nipples and pinched it gently. He unconsciously began to rotate his hips against the sniper's, causing friction between them. Irvine groaned against his neck and did the same, and Squall felt himself growing damp inside of his jeans.

"God, I want you," Irvine gasped, pulling back enough to look Squall in the eye. His hand slid down the brunette's body, stroking his tense stomach, and then it cupped the stiff bulge between his legs.

"Irvine," Squall said breathlessly, afraid of letting this get out of hand. The fire escape was no place for this kind of activity. He kept telling himself that, but Irvine didn't relent, and the sniper continued to rub and squeeze his hard-on through the jeans.

"Shhh," Irvine replied softly, pressing a silken kiss on Squall's gasping, parted lips.

"I…I'm not kidding, Irvine," Squall moaned, but he was thrusting into the massaging hand, and he heard the sharpshooter's throaty, delighted chuckle.

~ I'm gonna cum…oh, shit, he's not gonna stop and I'm gonna… ~

Squall clenched his teeth and buried his face against the sniper's chest as it happened. His body tensed all over, he bucked his hips hard and pushed his pulsing genitals further into Irvine's squeezing hand, and he made a complete mess in his jeans. "Oh, shit…oh, god," he panted, tasting the leather of Irvine's jacket on his lips.

Irvine nuzzled Squall's hair and kept rubbing the bulge until the orgasm finished. Squall was shaking like a newborn, and the sharpshooter supported him as his legs threatened to give out. "That's what I was after," Irvine whispered, releasing Squall's groin so that he could cup his chin and tilt his face up for another kiss.

"How…going to clean…this mess," Squall gasped incoherently.

Irvine looked down at the damp spot on Squall's crotch and grinned. "You can zip up your jacket before you go back to your dorm. It'll cover your hips and hide it." He kissed Squall again and released him to pick up his discarded hat. Jamming it on his head, he tipped it at him with a smile. "Just you remember that, when you see Seifer again."

Squall couldn't think of a thing to say as Irvine strolled out of the fire escape and began to whistle a tune. The sharpshooter definitely knew what he was doing. That was about as close as he could get to branding Squall without actually using a hot iron.

~*********************~

-To be continued