Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy VIII universe or any of the characters, I make no profit from this its simply for fan enjoyment- haduuuu.
Warnings: Maybe sex (not sure yet), some language, and blood. That's all.
A.N: I'm putting this in here for a friend that got kicked out of this site I liked this and he said whatever when I asked so I thought I'd share it with all of you; he's just playing with the idea so I don't know when an update will come, I hope no one minds, in the meantime thank you for reading this and leaving me a review it means tons to me and if you have any questions I will answer them.
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Vaulny Canyon. 11:20 a.m.
Squall and Irvine have been hiding out in a bush on top of a hill surrounded by trees in the forest outside of Timber. The two have been asked to scout for a new type of monster that's been reeking havoc in that area, its their job to kill the beast and any others that may be around like it; since its a new breed who could say if it were a single or a female with a family. The two have been out there since 8 o'clock that morning and so far have heard nothing. It was better to get the drop on things when they don't expect it; Squall said, than to go looking for it so its riled up. Irvine disagreed and has been bored since. Infact, he'd been brought along a handgun with intentions of shooting some rounds off just to beat boredom, but it isn't loaded.
Glancing to his side, he grabs four bullets from Squall.
"Hey." He warns when feeling the cowboy's hand at his butt. "Do you mind, we're on a mission."
Holding his hands up defensively he says. "Just borrowin' some arsenal, I didn't bring any for this gun- what kind are these, anyway?"
"Whatever my gun takes." Explains the commander glancing down at his artillery belts that cross over his hips. "And there were plenty by my hip."
"Yeah, but your butt is much better to look at." He winks at his lover. "..-sides if you don't like it, don't wear it around your hips, put it over your chest, then maybe everyone will stop mistaking 'em for belts o' 'king of chastity'." He teased.
"Yeah, but then everyone would mistake them for suspenders."
Irvine chuckled about that. "I guess that's true." He loads the tiny bullets into his gun.
Watching him, Squall says absently, though, very seriously. "I hope you don't plan on wasting those."
"Why? You need 'em?" He mocked as he aimed the small gun at something making phony bang sounds. Changing subjects he says. "Gotta wonder why we were picked for this boring work." Aiming at a tree, he squints out a target far off.
"Because you're better with distant combat and I'm alright with both close range and far."
Irvine scoffed.
"What's that for?"
"I have never once, in my many years of knowing your military life, seen you use the gun on that blade of yours- Seifer either for that matter, but then again, I've never really been on a mission where that pyro hasn't burned the place up and down before even one swing."
"I use it."
"Use it now then," He nods. "that beast is over there."
Turning in his crouch, Squall spots the beast in the distance; it appeared to be sharpening its long shining black horns against a boulder. Its bigger than either of them had guessed.
Removing his hat, Irvine then reaches into his pocket removing his Creds card. "Tell you what, I'll give you three hundred Gil if you use your gun."
"Deal."
Watching his lover stand up, Irvine shifts in protest. "Hold on, where's your card?"
"Didn't bring it; Garden paid for us to get out here, remember."
"Well what if I wanted to have lunch after a job well done?"
"I'm your boyfriend, right? Show me some of that southern hospitality everyone is always going on about." Leaning down he steals a quick kiss from, pouted in a huff, tightened lips before starting away for their target. "Turn on your communicator."
"Alright." Twisting the knob to the radio attached to the choker which holds a wire going around his neck and sticking out of the earpiece in his ear he tests it with a few words. "I'll be listening for gun fire. Don't let me down."
"Shut up, Kinneas, you'll hear it and I won't miss. You might not have been needed after all."
Laughing, Irvine says. "We'll see."
................
As Squall ducked his head from a low branch, he wonders how he'd managed to let Irvine talk him into being the decoy while he lines up the shot which will take down the monster. The lion of Balamb can hear the monster gaining on him; its large black horns knocking down branch after branch with a simple shake of its head- better the branch than the tree he figures, dashing behind the safety of a large tree. He can't believe his shot missed- well it hit the monster but the damn thing had on a barrier and the shot only alerted the beast that he was there and so the chase began. Unsnapping his double-edged sword from its holster he swears to Hyne that a certain cowboy is gonna freeze his nuts off for slacking off when he should have shot the thing by now. He must have been running for ten minutes!
'I may as well take care of this by myself.' He turns around from behind the tree, gunblade drawn, facing the red snarling beast head on. 'If I can get in under its chin I should be able to bring it down in one thrust.' He accessed the odds.
"Hit the dirt."
Irvine's voice comes mechanically through the earpiece Squall's wearing.
"I'm gonna kill you, Kinneas."
Laughing in his usual way, Irvine replies to the death threat with "I know, I know. But I found something interesting and it distracted me, but I'm here now so do as I say."
"Easier said than d- done."
Squall struggles to get his blade free from stuck between the monster's teeth as it had no patients to wait out a conversation between the two and tried to take a nice chunk out of the lion- it'd figured his entire torso and up would do nicely.
"Can you see me at all?" Asks Squall managing to break one of the beast's teeth while pulling his blade free.
"Yyyep, and you're luckin' cute as ever when you're pissed."
"Prick."
"Just leave the rest to me and high-tail it."
Stuffing the blade under the monsters chin when it reared back intent on trying to severe him again, Squall blinked his eye hard to avoid the small sputter of blood that came out in the stab; finger on now on the trigger he fires off four shots, thus giving Irvine what he wanted.
"AaRrrraaaaahhhhhhh!!!!" The monster howled in pain twisting itself free to shake the pain from its large head.
Turning Squall takes off at a run knowing that Irvine's Ulysses is loaded with pulse ammo which meant-...
The monster exploded as shockwaves pumped its body full of charged air, expanding it far greater than it should have been from the inside and when the pressure had nowhere to escape the mutated animal blew up, spewing chunks into the air which smacked into the tree, the ground enough to turn it red from the blood, and enough to thoroughly dampen clothing as it landed all over Squall. The blood was disgusting in and of itself but the fact that it was strangely cold only made it worse because it was like being hydroplaned with ice cold glue.
Irvine's laughter in his ear only added to the anger the SeeD commander is feeling right now and he turned a hot glare in the cowboy's direction.
"Aaaw, you don't scare me."
"Wait until I get over there." Squall tried to sound threatening but it was hard as he was busying himself with pulling coagulated blood from his hair and clothes flicking it from his fingers once it was removed.
"Hurry up, I wanna show you what I've found."
Squall could hardly wait; Irvine rarely found anything worth once a look over, but he sounded pretty persistent so he may as well look into it; but first, he wanted to collect on the choice steel of the monsters sharp horns; he planned to use one for himself and give the other to Seifer since the male's been talking about getting a new blade on Hyperion made up. Hauling them home is gonna be a bitch, though, and for getting him covered in goo Irvine had better help him without complaint. Grabbing the tip of the horn, one in each hand, he starts off to where Irvine is waiting.
................
"Just a little further now," Says the cowboy. "Why do you want this anyway?" He asks having had a horn shoved into his hands.
"Why else... now show me what's so great that you nearly left me to be monster food back there."
Giving a shrug, Irvine smiles. "You know I'd never let you end up as some monster's dinner." He grunts as his shoulder blades groan in annoyance of being placed in an angle less than comfortable due to his holding the horn in both hands while they're behind his back. "Its right here." He lowers the horn.
Looking around Squall shakes his head. "I don't see any-..."
A low sound hits his ears, kind of like a whimpering almost. A bird maybe, no... this is different, its more... human.
Kneeling down into a bush Irvine lifts out what appears to be... a baby. Its wrapped up in a green blanket with something brown around it, it looks like a leather carryall but there's a postal mark on it, which means its a mailbag.
"Wha-...?" He can't even get the rest out, too dumbstruck at what to say.
"My thoughts exactly; I was sorta- y'know, followin' a butterfly when I heard his crying. I look up and there in that tree" He nods. "is this little guy stuffed in a mailbag."
"Up a tree?" Looking around with his dual gaze for something he asks. "The mother?"
"Ain't see her- no father neither. Kid was just left here." Seeing that Squall was saying nothing, he went on to ask. "The parents might have been eaten or dashed off to Timber after hiding him in the woods... So like, what do we do with him?"
Squall opened his mouth with a suggestion but then said what came as top priority. "Change him."
"Look at the little baby person!!" Selphie shouts louder than needed while jumping up and down, clapping her hands together before she waves one of those hands in the air to somehow hurry the pace of her blond, male, friends she spots at the other end of the hall. "Speed it up, come look!"
The girl had been waiting outside when she'd seen the Ragnarok from the open air hallway on her way from the library where she was doing a little studying. Selphie Tilmitt can study too. But when her two, soon to be crushed in a hug, friends exit the monster of a ship holding what appeared to be a baby the shriek was heard round the Garden and a small crowd gathered behind the two that seemed to be making their ways to the headmistresses office; chattering cadets wondering with each other who the baby was, and where he came from, what the two of them would be doing with it- especially Squall, though, he's made changes in his personality over the years he still has a few quirks to work out every now and then.
"Alright people, let's not get stupid, its just a-... a baby?" Xu says looking at the bundle held in Irvine's arms. "What is that doing here? There is no place for a baby in a military school."
"Calm down, Xu, we found him in a tree- can you believe it? We had to bring him here," Irvine looks down at the child that began to make little sneezing sounds. "What could we do; we searched Timber for hours and ain't nobody ever seen the kid before so we don't know where he's from and we couldn't just leave him up in that tree with all the monsters roamin' around." Adjusting the child in his grip so that he's facing the woman. "Come on Xu," He says in a childish voice. "have a heaaaart and let me liiiiive here for a while."
Not impressed or moved by the adorable child she clucks her tongue to the back of her teeth. "We'll see what Headmistress Edea has to say."
"I think his odds are good considering she used to care for war orphans." Says Squall heading up the stairs with Irvine in tow.
Blushing from the hidden insult, Xu says. "I liked you better when you kept your opinions to yourself." Walking up the stairs after them she gets onto the elevator so she can hear the plans for herself. Wouldn't want anyone sneaking around the Garden with a baby after they've been told not to. "And where is your shirt?" She asks Irvine when noticing the man has his duster buttoned.
"He's wearin' it." Irvine explains.
Twisting back and forth with glee while waiting on Seifer and Zell, Selphie begins chattering to them as they approach. "Squall and Irvine have a baby!"
Eyes wide, Zell shrieks as well. "A baby! ...Wow, they didn't even show." He says to himself while scratching the back of his head.
Groaning Seifer just about leaves a hand print on his face from slapping his hand to it so hard. "She means they have one with them, go back to Sex Ed. Dinky."
"Ha ha, I knew that. I was just messing around." Looking to Selphie he asks. "Did they say where it came from? Or whose it is?"
Nodding, she replies while walking down the hall to nowhere. "Irvine said they found the kid abdandoned in the woods, but no sign on the parents in the forest or even in the station. They're either dead or they ditched him- which means, we have a baby!!"
"We don't have anything; let the kid be their problem." Retorts Seifer.
"But isn't it exciting, and I snuck a glance at him, the kid is cute."
"Tch. Girls think that everything is cuuute, that's what's wrong with the world now. Everyone is making love and not war."
"You don't mean that," Selphie rolls her eyes. "I'm gonna tell Quistis and Rin-... oh wait, she's in class. Okay, well then Quistis. Come on, Zell."
Taking the offered hand the martial artist lets himself be stolen away with the happy brunette.
Scoffing, Seifer crosses his arms then shouts after him. "Enjoy the giggle fest, Zell. I'll be in our room throwing darts at your stuff for ditching me."
Zell looked over his shoulder, shrugging a hand as if to say what could he do when the jaws of life have gripped him.
In the office of the Headmistress, the woman can't believe what she's heard. Who in the world would abdandon a baby in the forest- that forest in particular when its been all over the news that people should be extremely cautious when there. Were they trying to sacrifice the baby? Was it stolen from the parents and dumped off their as a punishment to them? So many questions and no one to answer them. What can she do.
"He can stay here." Says Edea.
"Alright!" Cheers Irvine.
Squall looks as though he's going to die from a heart attack. Xu wouldn't be far behind.
"But," The woman interrupts. "you have to be the one to watch him, are you ready for that responsibility, Irvine?"
"Uhh, aheh heh, sure thing."
"And in the mean time, we'll get his picture out to every town and city. I'll assign some cadets to be incharge of the search for the boy's parents."
"Yes ma'am." Irvine says saluting.
"Wait! Headmistress," Xu says walking over to the woman when she was once hanging out in the background. "this is no place to keep a baby, what if something happens? This is a military facility after all, lest you forget the bomb threat from 2 years ago and the rift that happened just last year between us and some war stragglers. This is no place for a baby."
"Dammit, Xu, Matron just said he could stay- and he'll have me and Squall to watch him."
"How did I get mixed up in this?" Asks the lion still wondering too many things about the new situation and wanting to file his report as an after thought.
"Ain't it obvious?" Irvine states.
"He can't stay here!" Xu insists.
"Listen," Edea silences them without so much as raising her tone. "Xu is right, he can't stay here. Its too dangerous, even in times of peace you never know about uprises."
"But you just said we could keep him?" Irvine questions.
"And you may, but... you can't stay here. I'll put you up in a home in the barracks. You'll be staying there with the child until we can locate the parents. Does that sound like a better option then sleeping with both eyes open."
Irvine thought it over. Commuting will be annoying but... he has no choice, right? "Alright. How soon should we move in?"
"We?" Squall inquiried.
"As soon as after dinner." Replies their former caretaker.
"Got'cha. Come on little guy, let's get packed up to move into your new home." He starts away.
Still stunned, Squall shakes his head to the woman that he often calls Matron. "Edea are you sure about this? I have missions to go on, so does Irvine- coming up soon infact, wouldn't it be better to leave him with Dr. Kadowaki or someone better suited from the medical team?"
"Irvine wants to do it, the child seems comfortable with him." Smiling she says calmly. "Don't be nervous Squall, children are easy to care for, more than you think. And you will have lots of help."
"You're missing the point."
The woman only looked at him with question in her eyes and a bit of faith knowing that he can and probably will end up doing it.
Sighing with great dispair Squall tries to salvage his nerves. "Can I at least file a report?"
"Later. You should pack."
"Then can I assist the search party for the kid's parents?"
"Whenever you can."
He seemed satisfied with at least that. Saluting he leaves the room. How do things like this always happen to him?
"He sure is adorable." Says Lexi from the medical team. The girl wags a finger over the baby's nose not earning so much as a glance from the child but didn't care in the least too smitten with the child. "Well, we brought some diapers from the store, bottles and formula, baby soap and a small tub for him." Saluting she says brightly. "If you need anything else, we're a call away; this stuff is to just get you started.... do you need lessons on changing a diaper?"
"Okay."
Looking at Squall she asks him. "Commander Leonhart?"
Squall, who is sitting on the small couch with his face in his hands still getting over the fact that he's packed up to move into the barracks with his boyfriend and a strange baby, shakes his head with no other response to the question.
"I'll fill him in."
Nodding the girl takes walks into the soon-to-be empty bedroom with Irvine close behind with the baby in his arms. Squall looks over his shoulder into the room; Irvine seemed really into it.
'I don't believe this; its good that we rescued the baby but I'd rather we hadn't. I wanted to complete the mission and come home, that's it; not spend hours in Timber questioning families about the baby and searching the forest for missing parents that may or may not be dead. I can't be responsible for a baby, adults and people my age fine, at some point or another when you leave them alone you know they're going to be okay, but not with him... not with a baby. That's constant care and attention that I just don't think I can give to a kid- I'm a terrible son, how the Hells can I be a father?' After a thought he corrects himself and thinks. 'Well, a guardian.' He hears Irvine speaking with Lexi; sighing quietly he rubs his hands together in nervous thought. 'I'm sorry, Irvine, but the kid has to be put in an adoption home. We can keep him for tonight, but no longer.'