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batsutousaiTitle: Sins of Our Young
Fandom: Final Fantasy VIII
Author: Batsutousai/![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
batsutousai
Betas: Shara Lunison/tsuki_no_suzu & Shivani/grazhir
Chapters: 9 of 10
Rating: T
Pairings: Seifer/Squall, Irvine/Selphie, hints of Quistis/Rinoa
Warnings: AU, minor canon-fuckery, Rinoa bashing, minor Quisty bashing
Summary: How the game could have gone if the writers weren't on crack and so set on everyone being straight.
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Gather Your Strength
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Squall was glad for his week spent sleeping by Seifer's bed in the infirmary, because if he hadn't already been used to the larger man's scent, he probably would have stabbed him upon waking crushed in the muscled arms. As it was, he just huffed a bit in irritation and set about looking for a way to get free. 'It would figure the idiot would like to cuddle. He probably strangled all his bears when we were kids...' Squall paused, recalling a particularly vivid memory of Zell throwing a tantrum because Seifer had stolen his stuffed dog and its head had half come off in the night.
"Stop wriggling," Seifer muttered sleepily.
Squall scowled. "Then let me breathe, you brute."
"You're warm..."
"I have a knife."
Seifer's arms loosened.
Squall nodded and rested his head back against Seifer's chest, content to remain where he was now that he wasn't being crushed.
Seifer let out a pleased murmur and fell back into a light doze.
They remained like that for about another hour before a knock came at Squall's door, waking them both properly. "Squall?" Doctor Kadowaki called.
"Mom's checking up on you," Seifer muttered.
Squall shoved at the bigger gunblader, then pulled himself out of bed and over to the door. He opened it and shot the doctor an irritated look. "Is someone dead or dying?" he asked evenly.
Kadowaki snorted. "Not so far."
"Did Rinoa escape her cell?"
"Oh, fuck no," Seifer moaned, rolling out of the bed. "It's too early to be that depressing, Squally."
Kadowaki peered around the irritated Commander and raised an eyebrow at the half-dressed blond. "I suppose that answers why you haven't been dragged to breakfast yet," she offered, amusement colouring her voice.
Squall palmed the door control as a response and the door slid shut between them. Then he dropped his head against the closed door. When Seifer stepped up behind him and wrapped his arms around him, the brunet muttered, "You're cold."
"Good morning, Squall," Seifer breathed in his ear, smirking at the shiver that ran down the Commander's spine. He stepped back and turned to find his vest. When he found it, hidden under Squall's shirt from the night before, he offered, "I'm going to my room for a shower and a quick change. Can I trust you to not run off while I'm gone?"
"Where would I go?" Squall muttered.
"Your office, and you're not going there until I've seen you fed." Seifer tossed a look over his shoulder.
Squall waved him on. "I'll be here," he promised, setting about finding his own clothing for the day. "Do I need to tell you my door code so you can get back in?"
"Only if you've changed it sometime in the past seven years."
Squall shook his head, remembering very vaguely the times Seifer had taken him back to his dorm instead of the infirmary after a spar, before they realised how furious Kadowaki would get when they tried taking care of their injuries on their own. Honestly, he probably still knew Seifer's room code from times when he'd been the one helping him back, but since he had the override codes, it was hardly an issue.
Once the door to his room had closed, Squall made his way into the bathroom and took a quick shower of his own before dressing. Once back out in the main room, he stared at Revolver, debating whether or not he should take his trusty weapon with him. Knowing Seifer, he'd be goaded into a spar at one point or another, and he did miss the gunblade's presence at his hips. But he needed to go into FH – twice, thanks to Seifer – and he couldn't wear his gunblade while seated at his desk.
'Maybe I should look into getting a chair that actually accommodates my gunblade. Seifer made a good point about it being kind of pathetic for people to be shocked by me carrying a weapon, and it's a bad idea to go around with only knives, just in case something happens.' He pulled out Revolver and sat in his desk chair to take care of his weapon and wait for Seifer.
The door slid open after another seven minutes or so and Seifer asked, "When did you want to leave tomorrow?"
"Early," Squall decided, putting his supplies away and standing to hook Revolver to his belts. "I'd like as much time on the road as possible before we have to sleep, especially since we'll have to carry Rinoa."
Seifer nodded and stepped back to let Squall past before falling into step with him towards the main hub. "I hate to say this, but you and I should probably avoid carrying her."
Squall glanced at the blond. "You're assuming she'll try something on one of us?"
"She would probably go after any of us, but she seems to be focussed on winning you for some reason, and we all know how much she wants me dead; better to put some distance between us and her."
"Agreed."
Seifer frowned faintly as they started past the cafeteria. "Squall..."
"Since I have to go into FH anyway, we can eat there," Squall said, shooting the taller man a look that threatened bodily harm if there was any debate about that.
Seifer rolled his eyes. "You intend to stop by the inn on our way in, eat breakfast, then stop by again on our way back to Garden," he realised.
Squall shrugged and pointed at a clock as they passed it. "I've usually been in my office for almost two hours by now."
Seifer sighed. "Oh, fine."
They were both quiet on the ride to the second floor and checking their weapons. They were halfway across the crane before Squall asked, "Do you still want to be a SeeD?"
Seifer glanced over at the slighter man with a touch of surprise. "I don't know if there's a place for a SeeD who won't listen to orders." He flashed Squall a smirk. "And who refuses to go on missions without his Commander; you're not getting rid of me, remember."
Squall snorted. "If you're not a SeeD by twenty, we're required to kick you out of Garden," he pointed out.
"Mm... I know." Seifer shoved his hands in his coat pockets and considered that. "Making SeeD has always been something I strove for, but you know me and authority; we just don't get on."
Squall nodded, silently admitting to that.
"If you can find a place for a degenerate, sure. Otherwise, I'll just take over your room and refuse to leave." He flashed Squall another smile.
'Maybe I should rethink that larger room Cid keeps trying to make me accept,' Squall thought, pushing open the door to the inn. The Headmaster seemed to be of the opinion that members of staff shouldn't be living with the rank and file, especially members as important to the smooth running of Garden as the Commander was. Something about being more easily accessible in an emergency, which made some sense, but not so much that he thought it required a larger room, especially when everyone already knew where his room was.
"Hey there, Commander!" the innkeeper called cheerfully from behind his desk. Squall spared a brief wave before he reached the messaging terminal and logged in.
Seifer leaned against the edge of the terminal while Squall checked through his messages and started one to Angelica. "Hey, where are Fuu and Rai, anyway? I would've thought they'd have been the ones sitting by my bedside."
"They opted to stay in Balamb Town, in hopes that you would return there."
"No one told them about my working for the Sorceress?"
Squall shrugged. "Zell did, but they seemed to think that was all the more reason to remain in town and wait for you. We knew Galbadia Garden was headed that way, after all."
Seifer smiled wryly. "Ever loyal, my posse. I suppose I should message them and let them know I'm alive."
Squall finished his message and sent it, then logged out. "It's all yours."
Seifer nodded his thanks and took over the terminal while Squall walked over to the inn's owner and looked through the items he had for sale. There had been a few worried messages from Raijin, as well as two short messages from Fujin – she wrote messages like she spoke, one word at a time. He typed up an abridged list of events that basically amounted to, 'I'm fine and I'll see you when Garden gets back home in a week or two.' With any luck, they would take the message as enough assurance that he didn't need them rushing to his side right that minute. He loved his posse and all, but if he was going to be in Esthar, there was no reason for them to be running to FH.
"Come on, Princess," he called as he logged out. "Breakfast."
Squall sighed and followed Seifer back outside, ignoring the guffaws of the innkeeper at his expense. "Can we please drop that name?" he wondered.
"But it never gets old!"
'Mental note, enlist Zell's assistance in coming up with insulting names for Seifer.'
Breakfast went as smoothly as could be expected, with only the occasional insult and a minor scuffle over the salt. Xu had messaged back by the time they returned to the inn, and she saw nothing wrong with Irvine becoming SeeD – Squall honestly hadn't thought she would, but he saw no reason to leave her out of the loop – so Squall added drawing up the official paperwork to hire Irvine to his mental list of things to do that morning.
"That gunblade class meets at thirteen hundred," Seifer commented neutrally as they jumped from the crane to the deck.
Squall considered that as they stepped inside and he pulled out their gunblades. 'That would give me three and a half hours to get some paperwork done. Two hours with the class, three to four more hours before Seifer drags me to dinner...'
"I'll let you get an extra hour of work in after dinner," Seifer offered, guessing at the path of Squall's thoughts.
"...Whatever."
Seifer flashed him a grin. "Excellent. Do I need to come drag you down to the Training Centre, or can you manage on your own?"
Squall shot him a glare before turning and stalking towards the lift.
Seifer let out a loud laugh behind him before taking the stairs down to help Selphie with her Festival.
Squall stopped by the meeting room on his way to his office and poked his head in. "Cid?"
The Headmaster glanced up from some paperwork and offered the Commander a smile. "Come in, come in!" he called, waving the young man in. As soon as Squall had settled uncomfortably into a chair across from the Headmaster, Cid asked, "What can I do for you?"
Squall shifted his gunblade behind him so the hilt wasn't jabbing his side. "Two things," he replied quietly, "I'll take that room you've been harping me about–"
"Finally."
"–and I need some advice about what to do with Seifer," Squall continued, ignoring Cid's exclamation of glee.
Cid pulled over a paper that was already mostly filled out and slid it across the table with a pen. "The official paperwork for you to switch rooms," he explained to Squall's faint frown. "You can move in when you get back from Esthar. Now, what sort of help do you need with Seifer? I think he's proven himself enough to be made SeeD, if that's what you want."
Squall shrugged and did a quick read-through of the paperwork before signing off on it. "His time under Ultimecia's thumb hasn't made him any more willing to listen to authority," he said quietly, sliding the paper and pen back across the table, "less so, really. We can't have a SeeD that can't be trusted to follow orders, but he wants to stay in Garden."
Cid nodded. "You want him to remain, too," he pointed out.
Squall shrugged again. "Maybe."
Cid smiled knowingly. "I've heard you and Seifer helped the gunblade class yesterday."
Squall nodded.
"And that you're willing to assist further after you've returned."
"I am. Seifer's talked me into assisting today, as well."
The Headmaster looked pleased by that. "How is he? With the kids?"
Squall frowned slightly. "Fine. They didn't seem to know how to act around him, at first, but they seemed to like him fine after they got used to him." Understanding flashed in blue-grey eyes. "You want to make him an instructor?"
Cid's smile gentled. "He doesn't do well listening to authority, but he cares well for those he has authority over. After I let him form the Disciplinary Committee, other than the occasional harassment complaint from cadets your age or older, everything I ever heard about Seifer has been good. Bullying of junior classmen almost completely vanished, and the few times it occurred, the bully ended up in the infirmary. He's rude and uncouth, and his methods leave something to be desired at times, but I think he would make a good instructor."
Squall considered that for a moment, then nodded. "I'll fill out the paperwork to hire him as a SeeD," he decided as he stood.
"Excellent. Do you want to tell him, or should I?" Cid asked as he pulled out a form to certify Seifer as an instructor as well as a new room change form.
"I can tell him," Squall said, giving the room change form an uncertain look. "Cid... don't fill that one out."
Cid glanced up at the young Commander. "He can't stay in a cadet double."
Squall shrugged. "He won't."
"Then I have to fill this out."
Squall rubbed at his scar for a moment before leaning across the table and picking up the room change form he'd just signed and that Cid had set to one side to be filed later. Stealing a pen, he added Seifer's name to the form, then set it in front of Cid and hurried from the room.
Cid laughed and shook his head as he slid the blank room change form back into its pile. Only Squall would choose that method to announce that he and Seifer were dating. "Life should get rather interesting around here," he murmured as he noted a line for Seifer's signature and set it to one side for the ex-Knight to sign with the instructor paperwork.
-0-
"Knock, knock," Seifer said as he pushed the door to Squall's office open. Irvine stood behind him, looking curious. "Some little brat told us we needed to come to your office, pronto."
Squall waved them in and finished signing off on a SeeD report from one of the teams that had returned from Trabia that morning. Once the two men had taken seats across from him, he held out a form to each of them. "Read those over and sign," he ordered before pulling out another report to read over.
"Squall, this is the SeeD contract," Seifer commented carefully.
"Mmhm."
"Just read it and sign it, Seifer," Irvine muttered from behind his own paperwork.
Seifer frowned faintly but settled in to read the contract over. When Squall hadn't said anything further about him making SeeD, Seifer had thought that was the end of it. But here he was, reading over the contract to join the mercenary force, and he wasn't sure how he felt about that; as much as he wanted to be a SeeD, he knew himself well enough to admit that he wasn't really SeeD material.
Once the contracts were signed, Squall nodded to himself and set those papers aside to file later. "Irvine, I'm starting you out at rank eight. I'll probably raise it when we get back from Esthar, but that's a fair starting point." Irvine nodded. "Seifer, you're going straight to instructor." That gave him an automatic SeeD rank of fifteen.
Seifer blinked a few times in disbelief, unable to articulate his surprise, so Irvine was the one who sputtered, "In-instructor?!"
Squall shrugged. "Cid seems to think you'll do a good job there." He hunted down the instructor paperwork Cid had sent him, as well as the room change forms for both new SeeDs – Irvine was technically staying in guest accommodations right now, so he too needed a new room – then handed them over, saying, "Seifer's instructor contract and both of your room change forms. Irvine, you'll be moving into the room I've got right now, so you'll have to wait until after we've returned from Esthar to move."
"Where are you moving to?" Irvine wondered as he signed off.
"Staff wing," Squall replied shortly, watching with some uncertainty as Seifer signed the instructor contract and flipped to the room change form.
Seifer paused when he realised that both his and Squall's names were on the form for the new room. He blinked at it a few times, then glanced up at the faintly nervous Commander. "Really?" he asked.
Squall shrugged and nodded. "Unless you–"
"Of course I'll move in with you," Seifer cut him off with a laugh. 'Only you, Squally...'
"Whoa, wait. You two..." Irvine looked between the two gunbladers with a faintly disbelieving look.
Seifer grinned. "We're dating," he affirmed, liking the way that sounded.
"Huh." Irvine shook his head. "Suddenly, you sleeping at his bedside makes a lot more sense," he said to Squall.
Squall scowled at the cowboy. "Take those forms to Cid for him to file," he ordered before turning away to file the SeeD contracts.
The chairs creaked as both men stood to leave. "Two hours," Seifer called.
"I'm capable of reading a clock," Squall shot back.
Seifer grinned and followed Irvine out the door. "You have a lunch date?" Irvine asked, waggling his eyebrows.
Seifer snorted. "We're helping the gunblade class." He pushed open the door to the meeting room and waved the papers in his hands at Cid when the old man looked up. "Returning these."
Cid smiled and half stood to accept the papers when the two teens brought them over to him. "Thank you, boys. Do you know what time you'll be leaving tomorrow? I keep forgetting to ask Squall..."
"Squall said early, so probably at sunrise," Seifer offered with a shrug.
Cid nodded. "Good. Edea and I will probably see you off, then."
"That's really not necessary, sir," Irvine said.
Cid smiled at them and waved them off, returning to his work.
The two left the meeting room and started for the lift. "So," Irvine started, "Instructor Almasy."
"Shut it, Kinneas."
Irvine chuckled. "I can't wait to see Selphie's reaction to hearing about you and Squall."
Seifer groaned. "That little shit. He left me to Selphie on my own on purpose!"
Irvine laughed loudly and shot the new instructor an amused look. "You probably deserved it."
Seifer sighed because, yeah, he probably did. But still. There was payback, and there was payback.
"Come on. This is one show I won't miss."
-0-
Squall rubbed tiredly at his eyes and looked over his desk at the dozing Seifer. As promised, the ex-Knight had let him return to his office for another hour of work after dinner and insisted he would be able to amuse himself for an hour. Seifer had ended up falling asleep somewhere around the forty minute mark and Squall hadn't bothered waking him, deciding to just keep working for a while longer. Now it was almost midnight and they were supposed to be on the road at six. Seifer was going to kill him.
Sighing and resigned to his fate, Squall pushed himself out of his chair and grabbed Revolver on the way around his desk. "Seifer," he called, stopping next to the chair the other man was sleeping in.
Seifer let out a murmur and blinked up at the Commander through sleep-blurred eyes. "Squally? It's been an hour?"
Squall fought the urge to react to that. "Come on. The chair can't be comfortable."
Seifer grunted and stood, stretching with a wince. "Feels like I've been sitting there for long...er..." He blinked in disbelief at his watch for a moment, then turned angry green eyes on the shorter teen. "Squall!"
Squall stared back at him, lips pressed into a thin line. "Let's go to–"
"No, you are not doing this to me!" Seifer grabbed Squall's arm before he could reach for the door. "It's been three hours, Squall! We have a mission tomorrow, and that means a full night's sleep! Not that you should work until you can't keep your eyes open any longer! Damnit!"
"Six hours is sufficient sleep–" Squall started stiffly.
"Yeah, sure, if we weren't planning to spend all day on the road, watching over a woman who wants you under her control and me dead," Seifer snapped before sighing and leaning forward, resting their foreheads together. "It's too late to argue about it," he decided quietly. "What's done is done, but if you start stumbling from exhaustion part way through the day, I reserve the right to say 'I told you so' and carry you the rest of the way like the stupid princess you are."
Squall scowled and pulled away. "You're not carrying me anywhere," he hissed.
"Then you'd better hope you don't start tripping over your own feet on the road," Seifer returned, stepping past the Commander and pulling the door open. "Come on."
Squall followed after the taller gunblader, feeling rather like he had as a small child when Matron caught him and Seifer running on the rocks over-looking the beach. They'd known it was dangerous, but Seifer had challenged him and Squall hadn't been about to turn a challenge down... Matron had been so upset and disappointed in them and Squall had sworn he would never disappoint her again, and he hadn't. He'd turned down any further challenges, more intent on staying in Matron's good graces than proving he was just as good as Seifer.
Here he was, almost thirteen years later, wondering what he could do to make Seifer not disappointed in him. 'I'm seventeen years old and the Commander of SeeD. Why should I care what anyone thinks of me? Let alone an instructor?' He sighed silently, recalling a conversation he'd once overheard between a couple of upper classmen who'd been bemoaning their girlfriend problems, complaining about how hard it was to keep them happy and how every little thing seemed to set them off. Squall had thought them all so pathetic at the time, but he thought he might understand what they'd been going through. 'Damnit. Relationships are too much work. This is why I didn't want to get close to anyone.'
Seifer punched in the code for Squall's door and waited until they were both inside and the door was closed before he turned and pulled Squall into a bruising kiss. Once the Commander was properly dazed, he pulled back and started stripping to his trousers to sleep.
Squall shook his head and grabbed Seifer's arm before the taller man could get into the bed. "I'm..." He swallowed and looked down, tracing the bottom edge of the cold, pale skin his thumb had landed on. "I'm sorry," he whispered.
Seifer reached up with his left hand and drew Squall's chin up so he could meet the tired eyes, so much more blue than grey for once. "Next time," he murmured, "when I say one hour, listen to me."
"I will," Squall promised.
Seifer sighed and gently pressed his lips against Squall's. "Let's get some sleep, silly Princess."
The grey of Squall's eyes faded back in and he scowled. "Stop calling me that."
Seifer snorted. "No." Then he was climbing into the bed, leaving Squall glaring after him for a long moment before he huffed and got ready for bed. When the slighter teen climbed into bed, Seifer drew him against him, only for Squall to shove at his chest a few times until he deemed himself to be an acceptable distance away and settling down. Seifer let out a quiet chuckle and let the grumpy brunet have his way; once Squall was asleep, Seifer could pull him as close as he wanted.
-0-
Odine had thoughtfully provided the SeeDs with a couple magic-sealing bracelets for when they would be bringing the Sorceress to Esthar, and they'd snapped them onto Rinoa before they brought her out of the solitary cell. They'd also hit her with another Sleep spell, just to be safe.
Seifer had explained his thoughts about himself and Squall not carrying Rinoa to the other three while they'd been working on things for the Garden Festival, and they'd agreed that it was a reasonable precaution, so Zell and Irvine would be taking turns carrying the Sorceress and Selphie would have the job of watching her during any breaks on the road. Overnight, it would be up to whoever had watch to keep an eye on her, Seifer and Squall included, but there wasn't much they could do about that.
Edea and Cid were waiting on the second floor deck when the five SeeDs arrived, Zell carrying Rinoa. There was an uncomfortable moment where no one seemed to know exactly what to say – what sort of goodbye this was or even if it was deserving of anything more than a brief wave.
And then, Squall stepped forward and took Edea's hands in his and said, "We won't let you down. No matter when or where we end up."
Edea smiled and leaned up to leave a kiss on his cheek. "I know you won't. You haven't yet."
Squall squeezed her hands and nodded once before stepping back and offering a salute to Cid. "Headmaster Kramer."
Cid smiled and returned the salute. "Bring them back safely, Commander Leonhart."
"Leave me somewhere to return to with them and I'll do what I can," Squall replied, voice a little sharp.
Cid laughed. "I'll do what I can."
"Be safe, my children," Edea murmured, moving among them to hug each of them and drop a kiss on their cheek, both Irvine and Seifer having to lean down for her. "I'm proud of all of you," she added, stepping back to let them pass.
Squall took the lead up the crane and down into the city. He fell back to walk with the others as they passed through to the far side, nothing but track, the ocean, and the sky ahead of them.
"That was even more cryptic than usual," Seifer commented once Squall was walking with them.
"Matron and I enjoy speaking in code just to rile you," Squall replied, deadpan.
"Matron wouldn't do something like that," Selphie complained.
"Whatever."
Irvine chuckled. "Squall's never gonna tell us anything. Might as well just wait 'til we return and ask Matron."
Selphie's expression fell for a moment, then her eyes lit and she grabbed onto Squall's arm. "So, you and Seify, huh?"
"Can we not talk about that?" Zell asked.
"Problem, Chicken-wuss?" Seifer wondered, an unholy gleam in his eyes.
"Don't taunt Zell while he's carrying Rinoa," Squall ordered.
Zell shot Seifer a smug look and hoisted Rinoa higher on his back. Seifer wisely backed off, choosing to walk on the other side of the group from the shorter blond.
"Squally," Selphie demanded, tugging on Squall's arm.
Squall sighed. "Yes, Seifer and me."
Selphie's face lit up. "Since when? How'd it happen? Have you had sex yet?"
Zell and Seifer let out identical chokes. Irvine burst out laughing.
Squall rubbed at his scar. "Two days. I told him he was worth saving and he kissed me. No."
"I think I need to scrub my brain," Zell complained.
"That's so romantic!" Selphie squealed, as if Zell hadn't spoken. She turned to Seifer, who was determinately looking away from the rest of them, and declared, "You are worth saving, Seify!"
"...Can we talk about something else now?" Seifer wondered.
Selphie grinned and leaned a bit more on Squall's arm, making walking awkward. "I think Seify's embarrassed," she said in a stage whisper.
"What about you and Kinneas?" Seifer asked a bit loudly, looking pointedly at the small woman hanging off Squall's arm.
"Huh? Irvy and me?" Selphie glanced at the cowboy, who shot her a fond smile, then back at Seifer. "We're best friends!"
Seifer nodded. "Of course you are."
Selphie tugged on Squall's arm. "Why is he looking at me like he doesn't believe me?"
"When we were four, you talked Irvine into practicing kissing with you," Squall explained evenly. "You liked it so much, you declared that you were going to marry him and talked us into holding a wedding. Your favourite doll presided."
Selphie flushed a bright red. "I did not!"
"Oh, yes you did," Seifer replied, eyes lighting with the chance to tease the young woman. "Trepe and Sis were your flower girls, I gave you away, Squall was the ring-bearer and Chicken-wuss was the best man. You dragged out all our toys to be the audience and Matron took photos."
"Wait, I remember that!" Zell exclaimed. "You pushed me and I landed on my favourite lorry." He shot Seifer a heated glare. "That really hurt."
Seifer smiled smugly.
Selphie looked at Irvine with wide eyes. "I married you?" she asked.
Irvine shrugged. "I don't remember it, but it doesn't sound like they're making it up."
"I can repeat your vows for you, if you want," Seifer offered.
"Please don't," Zell complained. "I had to stand there and listen to Irvine repeat his over and over and over again until he had it memorised."
"I did?" Irvine wondered, brow furrowed in thought.
"You weren't an unwilling participant," Squall offered drily.
"Of course not. Who could deny Selphie?"
"Seifer," Zell said without missing a beat.
"Sorry, Chicken-wuss, but even I am slave to the charms of the lovely Mrs Kinneas," Seifer replied while Irvine and Selphie laughed.
"Squally!" Selphie cried, tugging on Squall's arm again. "Make him stop teasing me!"
"I can't make Seifer do things he doesn't want to do," Squall informed her with a touch of irony. "Trust me, I've tried."
"Dock his pay!" Zell called.
"I'm an instructor, Dincht," Seifer said, amused. "That means Cid controls my pay, not the Princess."
Selphie pouted a bit, then exclaimed, "I know! You can tell us about what Seify said that had you telling him he was worth being saved!"
Seifer choked and looked helplessly at Squall. Because, yeah, he'd behave to keep that between them.
Squall glanced at him, eyes dark with understanding. "No," he told Selphie in a coldly serious voice, "that's between Seifer and myself."
Selphie deflated a bit and dropped her head to rest against Squall's shoulder, hating the darkness in both his and Seifer's eyes. 'I wish I could take all the pain you both lived through and make it go away. I wish you'd smile sometimes, Squall. I wish no one had to tell Seifer he's worth saving. I wish we could go back in time and just be kids again, playing war and having weddings. I wish life didn't hurt so much...'
Squall's free hand came around to rest lightly on top of Selphie's head and she smiled at that. 'Maybe life isn't easy, but at least we're together to face it.' She squeezed Squall's arm once in thanks, then let go to walk on her own. 'We five can do anything together.'
-0-0-0-
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A/N: I know, technically, it doesn't seem that you need to be a SeeD to be an instructor – sensible, since the place has only been around for twelve years, give or take – but I did it anyway. So, XP
~Bats ^.^x
Chapters:
1 - Hiding Betrayal ||| 2 - Trying to Please Them All
3 - Every Little Earthquake ||| 4 - Faraway Reflections
5 - Guilty By Association ||| 6 - Clouds Are the Future
7 - Sins of Our Tongue ||| 8 - Every Hero Has a Path, Every Sinner a Future
9 - Gather Your Strength ||| 10 - Forever's Never Too Long
..
Fandom: Final Fantasy VIII
Author: Batsutousai/
batsutousaiBetas: Shara Lunison/
tsuki_no_suzu & Shivani/grazhirChapters: 9 of 10
Rating: T
Pairings: Seifer/Squall, Irvine/Selphie, hints of Quistis/Rinoa
Warnings: AU, minor canon-fuckery, Rinoa bashing, minor Quisty bashing
Summary: How the game could have gone if the writers weren't on crack and so set on everyone being straight.
Gather Your Strength
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Squall was glad for his week spent sleeping by Seifer's bed in the infirmary, because if he hadn't already been used to the larger man's scent, he probably would have stabbed him upon waking crushed in the muscled arms. As it was, he just huffed a bit in irritation and set about looking for a way to get free. 'It would figure the idiot would like to cuddle. He probably strangled all his bears when we were kids...' Squall paused, recalling a particularly vivid memory of Zell throwing a tantrum because Seifer had stolen his stuffed dog and its head had half come off in the night.
"Stop wriggling," Seifer muttered sleepily.
Squall scowled. "Then let me breathe, you brute."
"You're warm..."
"I have a knife."
Seifer's arms loosened.
Squall nodded and rested his head back against Seifer's chest, content to remain where he was now that he wasn't being crushed.
Seifer let out a pleased murmur and fell back into a light doze.
They remained like that for about another hour before a knock came at Squall's door, waking them both properly. "Squall?" Doctor Kadowaki called.
"Mom's checking up on you," Seifer muttered.
Squall shoved at the bigger gunblader, then pulled himself out of bed and over to the door. He opened it and shot the doctor an irritated look. "Is someone dead or dying?" he asked evenly.
Kadowaki snorted. "Not so far."
"Did Rinoa escape her cell?"
"Oh, fuck no," Seifer moaned, rolling out of the bed. "It's too early to be that depressing, Squally."
Kadowaki peered around the irritated Commander and raised an eyebrow at the half-dressed blond. "I suppose that answers why you haven't been dragged to breakfast yet," she offered, amusement colouring her voice.
Squall palmed the door control as a response and the door slid shut between them. Then he dropped his head against the closed door. When Seifer stepped up behind him and wrapped his arms around him, the brunet muttered, "You're cold."
"Good morning, Squall," Seifer breathed in his ear, smirking at the shiver that ran down the Commander's spine. He stepped back and turned to find his vest. When he found it, hidden under Squall's shirt from the night before, he offered, "I'm going to my room for a shower and a quick change. Can I trust you to not run off while I'm gone?"
"Where would I go?" Squall muttered.
"Your office, and you're not going there until I've seen you fed." Seifer tossed a look over his shoulder.
Squall waved him on. "I'll be here," he promised, setting about finding his own clothing for the day. "Do I need to tell you my door code so you can get back in?"
"Only if you've changed it sometime in the past seven years."
Squall shook his head, remembering very vaguely the times Seifer had taken him back to his dorm instead of the infirmary after a spar, before they realised how furious Kadowaki would get when they tried taking care of their injuries on their own. Honestly, he probably still knew Seifer's room code from times when he'd been the one helping him back, but since he had the override codes, it was hardly an issue.
Once the door to his room had closed, Squall made his way into the bathroom and took a quick shower of his own before dressing. Once back out in the main room, he stared at Revolver, debating whether or not he should take his trusty weapon with him. Knowing Seifer, he'd be goaded into a spar at one point or another, and he did miss the gunblade's presence at his hips. But he needed to go into FH – twice, thanks to Seifer – and he couldn't wear his gunblade while seated at his desk.
'Maybe I should look into getting a chair that actually accommodates my gunblade. Seifer made a good point about it being kind of pathetic for people to be shocked by me carrying a weapon, and it's a bad idea to go around with only knives, just in case something happens.' He pulled out Revolver and sat in his desk chair to take care of his weapon and wait for Seifer.
The door slid open after another seven minutes or so and Seifer asked, "When did you want to leave tomorrow?"
"Early," Squall decided, putting his supplies away and standing to hook Revolver to his belts. "I'd like as much time on the road as possible before we have to sleep, especially since we'll have to carry Rinoa."
Seifer nodded and stepped back to let Squall past before falling into step with him towards the main hub. "I hate to say this, but you and I should probably avoid carrying her."
Squall glanced at the blond. "You're assuming she'll try something on one of us?"
"She would probably go after any of us, but she seems to be focussed on winning you for some reason, and we all know how much she wants me dead; better to put some distance between us and her."
"Agreed."
Seifer frowned faintly as they started past the cafeteria. "Squall..."
"Since I have to go into FH anyway, we can eat there," Squall said, shooting the taller man a look that threatened bodily harm if there was any debate about that.
Seifer rolled his eyes. "You intend to stop by the inn on our way in, eat breakfast, then stop by again on our way back to Garden," he realised.
Squall shrugged and pointed at a clock as they passed it. "I've usually been in my office for almost two hours by now."
Seifer sighed. "Oh, fine."
They were both quiet on the ride to the second floor and checking their weapons. They were halfway across the crane before Squall asked, "Do you still want to be a SeeD?"
Seifer glanced over at the slighter man with a touch of surprise. "I don't know if there's a place for a SeeD who won't listen to orders." He flashed Squall a smirk. "And who refuses to go on missions without his Commander; you're not getting rid of me, remember."
Squall snorted. "If you're not a SeeD by twenty, we're required to kick you out of Garden," he pointed out.
"Mm... I know." Seifer shoved his hands in his coat pockets and considered that. "Making SeeD has always been something I strove for, but you know me and authority; we just don't get on."
Squall nodded, silently admitting to that.
"If you can find a place for a degenerate, sure. Otherwise, I'll just take over your room and refuse to leave." He flashed Squall another smile.
'Maybe I should rethink that larger room Cid keeps trying to make me accept,' Squall thought, pushing open the door to the inn. The Headmaster seemed to be of the opinion that members of staff shouldn't be living with the rank and file, especially members as important to the smooth running of Garden as the Commander was. Something about being more easily accessible in an emergency, which made some sense, but not so much that he thought it required a larger room, especially when everyone already knew where his room was.
"Hey there, Commander!" the innkeeper called cheerfully from behind his desk. Squall spared a brief wave before he reached the messaging terminal and logged in.
Seifer leaned against the edge of the terminal while Squall checked through his messages and started one to Angelica. "Hey, where are Fuu and Rai, anyway? I would've thought they'd have been the ones sitting by my bedside."
"They opted to stay in Balamb Town, in hopes that you would return there."
"No one told them about my working for the Sorceress?"
Squall shrugged. "Zell did, but they seemed to think that was all the more reason to remain in town and wait for you. We knew Galbadia Garden was headed that way, after all."
Seifer smiled wryly. "Ever loyal, my posse. I suppose I should message them and let them know I'm alive."
Squall finished his message and sent it, then logged out. "It's all yours."
Seifer nodded his thanks and took over the terminal while Squall walked over to the inn's owner and looked through the items he had for sale. There had been a few worried messages from Raijin, as well as two short messages from Fujin – she wrote messages like she spoke, one word at a time. He typed up an abridged list of events that basically amounted to, 'I'm fine and I'll see you when Garden gets back home in a week or two.' With any luck, they would take the message as enough assurance that he didn't need them rushing to his side right that minute. He loved his posse and all, but if he was going to be in Esthar, there was no reason for them to be running to FH.
"Come on, Princess," he called as he logged out. "Breakfast."
Squall sighed and followed Seifer back outside, ignoring the guffaws of the innkeeper at his expense. "Can we please drop that name?" he wondered.
"But it never gets old!"
'Mental note, enlist Zell's assistance in coming up with insulting names for Seifer.'
Breakfast went as smoothly as could be expected, with only the occasional insult and a minor scuffle over the salt. Xu had messaged back by the time they returned to the inn, and she saw nothing wrong with Irvine becoming SeeD – Squall honestly hadn't thought she would, but he saw no reason to leave her out of the loop – so Squall added drawing up the official paperwork to hire Irvine to his mental list of things to do that morning.
"That gunblade class meets at thirteen hundred," Seifer commented neutrally as they jumped from the crane to the deck.
Squall considered that as they stepped inside and he pulled out their gunblades. 'That would give me three and a half hours to get some paperwork done. Two hours with the class, three to four more hours before Seifer drags me to dinner...'
"I'll let you get an extra hour of work in after dinner," Seifer offered, guessing at the path of Squall's thoughts.
"...Whatever."
Seifer flashed him a grin. "Excellent. Do I need to come drag you down to the Training Centre, or can you manage on your own?"
Squall shot him a glare before turning and stalking towards the lift.
Seifer let out a loud laugh behind him before taking the stairs down to help Selphie with her Festival.
Squall stopped by the meeting room on his way to his office and poked his head in. "Cid?"
The Headmaster glanced up from some paperwork and offered the Commander a smile. "Come in, come in!" he called, waving the young man in. As soon as Squall had settled uncomfortably into a chair across from the Headmaster, Cid asked, "What can I do for you?"
Squall shifted his gunblade behind him so the hilt wasn't jabbing his side. "Two things," he replied quietly, "I'll take that room you've been harping me about–"
"Finally."
"–and I need some advice about what to do with Seifer," Squall continued, ignoring Cid's exclamation of glee.
Cid pulled over a paper that was already mostly filled out and slid it across the table with a pen. "The official paperwork for you to switch rooms," he explained to Squall's faint frown. "You can move in when you get back from Esthar. Now, what sort of help do you need with Seifer? I think he's proven himself enough to be made SeeD, if that's what you want."
Squall shrugged and did a quick read-through of the paperwork before signing off on it. "His time under Ultimecia's thumb hasn't made him any more willing to listen to authority," he said quietly, sliding the paper and pen back across the table, "less so, really. We can't have a SeeD that can't be trusted to follow orders, but he wants to stay in Garden."
Cid nodded. "You want him to remain, too," he pointed out.
Squall shrugged again. "Maybe."
Cid smiled knowingly. "I've heard you and Seifer helped the gunblade class yesterday."
Squall nodded.
"And that you're willing to assist further after you've returned."
"I am. Seifer's talked me into assisting today, as well."
The Headmaster looked pleased by that. "How is he? With the kids?"
Squall frowned slightly. "Fine. They didn't seem to know how to act around him, at first, but they seemed to like him fine after they got used to him." Understanding flashed in blue-grey eyes. "You want to make him an instructor?"
Cid's smile gentled. "He doesn't do well listening to authority, but he cares well for those he has authority over. After I let him form the Disciplinary Committee, other than the occasional harassment complaint from cadets your age or older, everything I ever heard about Seifer has been good. Bullying of junior classmen almost completely vanished, and the few times it occurred, the bully ended up in the infirmary. He's rude and uncouth, and his methods leave something to be desired at times, but I think he would make a good instructor."
Squall considered that for a moment, then nodded. "I'll fill out the paperwork to hire him as a SeeD," he decided as he stood.
"Excellent. Do you want to tell him, or should I?" Cid asked as he pulled out a form to certify Seifer as an instructor as well as a new room change form.
"I can tell him," Squall said, giving the room change form an uncertain look. "Cid... don't fill that one out."
Cid glanced up at the young Commander. "He can't stay in a cadet double."
Squall shrugged. "He won't."
"Then I have to fill this out."
Squall rubbed at his scar for a moment before leaning across the table and picking up the room change form he'd just signed and that Cid had set to one side to be filed later. Stealing a pen, he added Seifer's name to the form, then set it in front of Cid and hurried from the room.
Cid laughed and shook his head as he slid the blank room change form back into its pile. Only Squall would choose that method to announce that he and Seifer were dating. "Life should get rather interesting around here," he murmured as he noted a line for Seifer's signature and set it to one side for the ex-Knight to sign with the instructor paperwork.
"Knock, knock," Seifer said as he pushed the door to Squall's office open. Irvine stood behind him, looking curious. "Some little brat told us we needed to come to your office, pronto."
Squall waved them in and finished signing off on a SeeD report from one of the teams that had returned from Trabia that morning. Once the two men had taken seats across from him, he held out a form to each of them. "Read those over and sign," he ordered before pulling out another report to read over.
"Squall, this is the SeeD contract," Seifer commented carefully.
"Mmhm."
"Just read it and sign it, Seifer," Irvine muttered from behind his own paperwork.
Seifer frowned faintly but settled in to read the contract over. When Squall hadn't said anything further about him making SeeD, Seifer had thought that was the end of it. But here he was, reading over the contract to join the mercenary force, and he wasn't sure how he felt about that; as much as he wanted to be a SeeD, he knew himself well enough to admit that he wasn't really SeeD material.
Once the contracts were signed, Squall nodded to himself and set those papers aside to file later. "Irvine, I'm starting you out at rank eight. I'll probably raise it when we get back from Esthar, but that's a fair starting point." Irvine nodded. "Seifer, you're going straight to instructor." That gave him an automatic SeeD rank of fifteen.
Seifer blinked a few times in disbelief, unable to articulate his surprise, so Irvine was the one who sputtered, "In-instructor?!"
Squall shrugged. "Cid seems to think you'll do a good job there." He hunted down the instructor paperwork Cid had sent him, as well as the room change forms for both new SeeDs – Irvine was technically staying in guest accommodations right now, so he too needed a new room – then handed them over, saying, "Seifer's instructor contract and both of your room change forms. Irvine, you'll be moving into the room I've got right now, so you'll have to wait until after we've returned from Esthar to move."
"Where are you moving to?" Irvine wondered as he signed off.
"Staff wing," Squall replied shortly, watching with some uncertainty as Seifer signed the instructor contract and flipped to the room change form.
Seifer paused when he realised that both his and Squall's names were on the form for the new room. He blinked at it a few times, then glanced up at the faintly nervous Commander. "Really?" he asked.
Squall shrugged and nodded. "Unless you–"
"Of course I'll move in with you," Seifer cut him off with a laugh. 'Only you, Squally...'
"Whoa, wait. You two..." Irvine looked between the two gunbladers with a faintly disbelieving look.
Seifer grinned. "We're dating," he affirmed, liking the way that sounded.
"Huh." Irvine shook his head. "Suddenly, you sleeping at his bedside makes a lot more sense," he said to Squall.
Squall scowled at the cowboy. "Take those forms to Cid for him to file," he ordered before turning away to file the SeeD contracts.
The chairs creaked as both men stood to leave. "Two hours," Seifer called.
"I'm capable of reading a clock," Squall shot back.
Seifer grinned and followed Irvine out the door. "You have a lunch date?" Irvine asked, waggling his eyebrows.
Seifer snorted. "We're helping the gunblade class." He pushed open the door to the meeting room and waved the papers in his hands at Cid when the old man looked up. "Returning these."
Cid smiled and half stood to accept the papers when the two teens brought them over to him. "Thank you, boys. Do you know what time you'll be leaving tomorrow? I keep forgetting to ask Squall..."
"Squall said early, so probably at sunrise," Seifer offered with a shrug.
Cid nodded. "Good. Edea and I will probably see you off, then."
"That's really not necessary, sir," Irvine said.
Cid smiled at them and waved them off, returning to his work.
The two left the meeting room and started for the lift. "So," Irvine started, "Instructor Almasy."
"Shut it, Kinneas."
Irvine chuckled. "I can't wait to see Selphie's reaction to hearing about you and Squall."
Seifer groaned. "That little shit. He left me to Selphie on my own on purpose!"
Irvine laughed loudly and shot the new instructor an amused look. "You probably deserved it."
Seifer sighed because, yeah, he probably did. But still. There was payback, and there was payback.
"Come on. This is one show I won't miss."
Squall rubbed tiredly at his eyes and looked over his desk at the dozing Seifer. As promised, the ex-Knight had let him return to his office for another hour of work after dinner and insisted he would be able to amuse himself for an hour. Seifer had ended up falling asleep somewhere around the forty minute mark and Squall hadn't bothered waking him, deciding to just keep working for a while longer. Now it was almost midnight and they were supposed to be on the road at six. Seifer was going to kill him.
Sighing and resigned to his fate, Squall pushed himself out of his chair and grabbed Revolver on the way around his desk. "Seifer," he called, stopping next to the chair the other man was sleeping in.
Seifer let out a murmur and blinked up at the Commander through sleep-blurred eyes. "Squally? It's been an hour?"
Squall fought the urge to react to that. "Come on. The chair can't be comfortable."
Seifer grunted and stood, stretching with a wince. "Feels like I've been sitting there for long...er..." He blinked in disbelief at his watch for a moment, then turned angry green eyes on the shorter teen. "Squall!"
Squall stared back at him, lips pressed into a thin line. "Let's go to–"
"No, you are not doing this to me!" Seifer grabbed Squall's arm before he could reach for the door. "It's been three hours, Squall! We have a mission tomorrow, and that means a full night's sleep! Not that you should work until you can't keep your eyes open any longer! Damnit!"
"Six hours is sufficient sleep–" Squall started stiffly.
"Yeah, sure, if we weren't planning to spend all day on the road, watching over a woman who wants you under her control and me dead," Seifer snapped before sighing and leaning forward, resting their foreheads together. "It's too late to argue about it," he decided quietly. "What's done is done, but if you start stumbling from exhaustion part way through the day, I reserve the right to say 'I told you so' and carry you the rest of the way like the stupid princess you are."
Squall scowled and pulled away. "You're not carrying me anywhere," he hissed.
"Then you'd better hope you don't start tripping over your own feet on the road," Seifer returned, stepping past the Commander and pulling the door open. "Come on."
Squall followed after the taller gunblader, feeling rather like he had as a small child when Matron caught him and Seifer running on the rocks over-looking the beach. They'd known it was dangerous, but Seifer had challenged him and Squall hadn't been about to turn a challenge down... Matron had been so upset and disappointed in them and Squall had sworn he would never disappoint her again, and he hadn't. He'd turned down any further challenges, more intent on staying in Matron's good graces than proving he was just as good as Seifer.
Here he was, almost thirteen years later, wondering what he could do to make Seifer not disappointed in him. 'I'm seventeen years old and the Commander of SeeD. Why should I care what anyone thinks of me? Let alone an instructor?' He sighed silently, recalling a conversation he'd once overheard between a couple of upper classmen who'd been bemoaning their girlfriend problems, complaining about how hard it was to keep them happy and how every little thing seemed to set them off. Squall had thought them all so pathetic at the time, but he thought he might understand what they'd been going through. 'Damnit. Relationships are too much work. This is why I didn't want to get close to anyone.'
Seifer punched in the code for Squall's door and waited until they were both inside and the door was closed before he turned and pulled Squall into a bruising kiss. Once the Commander was properly dazed, he pulled back and started stripping to his trousers to sleep.
Squall shook his head and grabbed Seifer's arm before the taller man could get into the bed. "I'm..." He swallowed and looked down, tracing the bottom edge of the cold, pale skin his thumb had landed on. "I'm sorry," he whispered.
Seifer reached up with his left hand and drew Squall's chin up so he could meet the tired eyes, so much more blue than grey for once. "Next time," he murmured, "when I say one hour, listen to me."
"I will," Squall promised.
Seifer sighed and gently pressed his lips against Squall's. "Let's get some sleep, silly Princess."
The grey of Squall's eyes faded back in and he scowled. "Stop calling me that."
Seifer snorted. "No." Then he was climbing into the bed, leaving Squall glaring after him for a long moment before he huffed and got ready for bed. When the slighter teen climbed into bed, Seifer drew him against him, only for Squall to shove at his chest a few times until he deemed himself to be an acceptable distance away and settling down. Seifer let out a quiet chuckle and let the grumpy brunet have his way; once Squall was asleep, Seifer could pull him as close as he wanted.
Odine had thoughtfully provided the SeeDs with a couple magic-sealing bracelets for when they would be bringing the Sorceress to Esthar, and they'd snapped them onto Rinoa before they brought her out of the solitary cell. They'd also hit her with another Sleep spell, just to be safe.
Seifer had explained his thoughts about himself and Squall not carrying Rinoa to the other three while they'd been working on things for the Garden Festival, and they'd agreed that it was a reasonable precaution, so Zell and Irvine would be taking turns carrying the Sorceress and Selphie would have the job of watching her during any breaks on the road. Overnight, it would be up to whoever had watch to keep an eye on her, Seifer and Squall included, but there wasn't much they could do about that.
Edea and Cid were waiting on the second floor deck when the five SeeDs arrived, Zell carrying Rinoa. There was an uncomfortable moment where no one seemed to know exactly what to say – what sort of goodbye this was or even if it was deserving of anything more than a brief wave.
And then, Squall stepped forward and took Edea's hands in his and said, "We won't let you down. No matter when or where we end up."
Edea smiled and leaned up to leave a kiss on his cheek. "I know you won't. You haven't yet."
Squall squeezed her hands and nodded once before stepping back and offering a salute to Cid. "Headmaster Kramer."
Cid smiled and returned the salute. "Bring them back safely, Commander Leonhart."
"Leave me somewhere to return to with them and I'll do what I can," Squall replied, voice a little sharp.
Cid laughed. "I'll do what I can."
"Be safe, my children," Edea murmured, moving among them to hug each of them and drop a kiss on their cheek, both Irvine and Seifer having to lean down for her. "I'm proud of all of you," she added, stepping back to let them pass.
Squall took the lead up the crane and down into the city. He fell back to walk with the others as they passed through to the far side, nothing but track, the ocean, and the sky ahead of them.
"That was even more cryptic than usual," Seifer commented once Squall was walking with them.
"Matron and I enjoy speaking in code just to rile you," Squall replied, deadpan.
"Matron wouldn't do something like that," Selphie complained.
"Whatever."
Irvine chuckled. "Squall's never gonna tell us anything. Might as well just wait 'til we return and ask Matron."
Selphie's expression fell for a moment, then her eyes lit and she grabbed onto Squall's arm. "So, you and Seify, huh?"
"Can we not talk about that?" Zell asked.
"Problem, Chicken-wuss?" Seifer wondered, an unholy gleam in his eyes.
"Don't taunt Zell while he's carrying Rinoa," Squall ordered.
Zell shot Seifer a smug look and hoisted Rinoa higher on his back. Seifer wisely backed off, choosing to walk on the other side of the group from the shorter blond.
"Squally," Selphie demanded, tugging on Squall's arm.
Squall sighed. "Yes, Seifer and me."
Selphie's face lit up. "Since when? How'd it happen? Have you had sex yet?"
Zell and Seifer let out identical chokes. Irvine burst out laughing.
Squall rubbed at his scar. "Two days. I told him he was worth saving and he kissed me. No."
"I think I need to scrub my brain," Zell complained.
"That's so romantic!" Selphie squealed, as if Zell hadn't spoken. She turned to Seifer, who was determinately looking away from the rest of them, and declared, "You are worth saving, Seify!"
"...Can we talk about something else now?" Seifer wondered.
Selphie grinned and leaned a bit more on Squall's arm, making walking awkward. "I think Seify's embarrassed," she said in a stage whisper.
"What about you and Kinneas?" Seifer asked a bit loudly, looking pointedly at the small woman hanging off Squall's arm.
"Huh? Irvy and me?" Selphie glanced at the cowboy, who shot her a fond smile, then back at Seifer. "We're best friends!"
Seifer nodded. "Of course you are."
Selphie tugged on Squall's arm. "Why is he looking at me like he doesn't believe me?"
"When we were four, you talked Irvine into practicing kissing with you," Squall explained evenly. "You liked it so much, you declared that you were going to marry him and talked us into holding a wedding. Your favourite doll presided."
Selphie flushed a bright red. "I did not!"
"Oh, yes you did," Seifer replied, eyes lighting with the chance to tease the young woman. "Trepe and Sis were your flower girls, I gave you away, Squall was the ring-bearer and Chicken-wuss was the best man. You dragged out all our toys to be the audience and Matron took photos."
"Wait, I remember that!" Zell exclaimed. "You pushed me and I landed on my favourite lorry." He shot Seifer a heated glare. "That really hurt."
Seifer smiled smugly.
Selphie looked at Irvine with wide eyes. "I married you?" she asked.
Irvine shrugged. "I don't remember it, but it doesn't sound like they're making it up."
"I can repeat your vows for you, if you want," Seifer offered.
"Please don't," Zell complained. "I had to stand there and listen to Irvine repeat his over and over and over again until he had it memorised."
"I did?" Irvine wondered, brow furrowed in thought.
"You weren't an unwilling participant," Squall offered drily.
"Of course not. Who could deny Selphie?"
"Seifer," Zell said without missing a beat.
"Sorry, Chicken-wuss, but even I am slave to the charms of the lovely Mrs Kinneas," Seifer replied while Irvine and Selphie laughed.
"Squally!" Selphie cried, tugging on Squall's arm again. "Make him stop teasing me!"
"I can't make Seifer do things he doesn't want to do," Squall informed her with a touch of irony. "Trust me, I've tried."
"Dock his pay!" Zell called.
"I'm an instructor, Dincht," Seifer said, amused. "That means Cid controls my pay, not the Princess."
Selphie pouted a bit, then exclaimed, "I know! You can tell us about what Seify said that had you telling him he was worth being saved!"
Seifer choked and looked helplessly at Squall. Because, yeah, he'd behave to keep that between them.
Squall glanced at him, eyes dark with understanding. "No," he told Selphie in a coldly serious voice, "that's between Seifer and myself."
Selphie deflated a bit and dropped her head to rest against Squall's shoulder, hating the darkness in both his and Seifer's eyes. 'I wish I could take all the pain you both lived through and make it go away. I wish you'd smile sometimes, Squall. I wish no one had to tell Seifer he's worth saving. I wish we could go back in time and just be kids again, playing war and having weddings. I wish life didn't hurt so much...'
Squall's free hand came around to rest lightly on top of Selphie's head and she smiled at that. 'Maybe life isn't easy, but at least we're together to face it.' She squeezed Squall's arm once in thanks, then let go to walk on her own. 'We five can do anything together.'
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A/N: I know, technically, it doesn't seem that you need to be a SeeD to be an instructor – sensible, since the place has only been around for twelve years, give or take – but I did it anyway. So, XP
~Bats ^.^x
1 - Hiding Betrayal ||| 2 - Trying to Please Them All
3 - Every Little Earthquake ||| 4 - Faraway Reflections
5 - Guilty By Association ||| 6 - Clouds Are the Future
7 - Sins of Our Tongue ||| 8 - Every Hero Has a Path, Every Sinner a Future
..
