Final Fantasy VI does not belong to me, nor do any of its characters.
Unfortunately. Please don't sue; it would be pointless as all I have are
my stories, my video games, and my anime, and you'd get those only over my
dead body.
WARNING: For those of you that have problems with gay guys, DON'T READ THIS FIC. BishounenXBishounen pairings run rampant, and OOCness ensues. Forgive me if anyone is too unlike themselves; I'm open to suggestions on how to fix it. Feedback is better than chocolate, so PLEASE review this story… My email addresses are ShadowGal@AOL.com and HyruleGal@AOL.com Be warned, however, that I laugh at flames. Now, on with the story.
Oh, and this story is COMPLETELY separate from Jealousy, for those of you that have read it. They don't relate at all.
____________________________________________________________
"Celes. . ." Terra began softly, sounding a bit anxious.
"What is it, Terra?" the blonde asked.
"Well. . . I don't know, but. . . Aren't the guys acting a bit strangely?"
Celes turned her gaze to the four men sitting at the table across the room. Locke, Edgar, Sabin, and Setzer were happily drinking various alcoholic beverages, and all of them had grown rather loud and rowdy. A smile appeared on her face.
"That's just how they act when they're drunk. Or getting drunk." She explained to her friend. A puzzled frown appeared on Terra's face.
"Drunk?"
"It's what happens to you when you drink too much alcohol. It dulls the senses, clouds the mind, and leaves you feeling horrible the next morning, unless you're incredibly lucky. You've seen drunks at the taverns before, but most of them were passed out and snoring."
Terra looked even more confused after receiving that explanation. "But. . . Why would anyone want to do that to themselves?"
Celes took hold of her friend's shoulder and steered her out of the room. "It always seems like a good idea at the time. Believe me. Now come on, you don't want to be around much longer. They'll start singing sometime soon. . ."
"Is that bad? I've heard Locke sing before, and I thought that he was rather good."
Celes laughed loudly and closed the door behind them. "Oh, they're okay on their own, sober. But together, drunk? The twins drunk together are bad enough, but all four of those idiots at once? Trust me on this one, Terra. You don't want to be within hearing distance; they forget the meanings of 'on key' and 'appropriate'. Now come on, let's go shopping while there's still light enough to go somewhere."
~ ~ ~
An hour or so later found a noticeably different scene in the room. Sabin was sulking at another table by himself, his brows furrowed and his gaze fixed on the closed door. Every now and then he said something, but his words were so slurred that they was incomprehensible. Edgar had gone off to find Celes and see if he could talk her into 'going off to paradise' with him. Locke was dancing around the room with an invisible partner, and Setzer was finishing off a glass of brandy.
"I'm going to bed." Sabin announced suddenly, though it sounded more like "I'r guin ta beaid." He stood up swiftly, then fell back down with double the speed. The door opened but Sabin, who still hadn't looked away from it, was the only one to notice. In walked Shadow, decked out in his normal outfit, but sans Interceptor, which was unusual.
"Shadow!" the drunken prince exclaimed, his face brightening immediately. "It's about time you got here, man!" His words slurred into each other, but although most people would have been left completely baffled by them, Shadow understood the younger man's meaning perfectly.
"Sorry, I was off on a job." The black masked assassin said softly, walking into the room and hauling Sabin to his feet. "Come on, let's get you to a bed. I'm surprised you're still conscious; how much alcohol have you had?"
If either of the other two men in the room would have heard that, they would have been shocked. It wasn't often that Shadow said so much at one time.
"Ohh. . . A bed? Takin' advantage of a drunk prince, eh, Shad?" Sabin slurred. His cheeks flushed slightly redder than they already were, but his expression was hopeful.
Shadow just shook his head, but his voice sounded amused. "Sorry, Your Highness, but you're out of luck tonight. I just got back from a job, so I'm tired. You just got done depleting this airship of half its alcohol supply, so you're drunk. Between the two of us, I don't think anything could happen." He said as they left the room unnoticed. Sabin pouted cutely.
"Hey, we could always try. . ." he protested, glaring at the man supporting him as he walked down the hall towards his room.
"No." Shadow replied firmly, using one hand to pick the lock on Sabin's bedroom door and leading his companion into the room. "Besides. . . You'll already have a hangover in the morning; do you really want to be sick and sore when you wake up?"
Sabin's shirt hit the floor in front of Shadow's feet, then the blonde martial artist collapsed onto his bed. "Good point. But you're at least going to stay with me tonight?"
"Why, so you'll have somebody to take care of you when you're tossing the contents of your stomach onto the floor come dawn?"
A grin appeared on Sabin's face. "You'd better believe it!"
Shadow pulled off his mask and smiled; Sabin almost melted just looking at him. "I guess I might as well. This won't be the only time you'll get like this, so I might as well practice taking care of you now." The assassin pulled off his own shirt, kicked off his shoes, then sat down on the bed. He removed Sabin's shoes from the prince's feet, placed them on the floor, then slid under the covers. "Just don't get too used to it, princeling."
Sabin made a face and joined his lover under the sheets. "Why not? You thinking of leaving me or something?"
Shadow put out the lantern by the bed before making his reply. "Definitely not. . . I just don't want to lead you on. I could go out any time and never return. It's not unusual for someone to hire an assassin to take out another assassin, just to make sure there's one less trained killer to go after his throat later on."
Sabin didn't say anything. He just moved closer to his bed partner and placed his head on Shadow's chest; Shadow pulled him closer and stroked his hair gently.
"Don't worry too much. . ." Shadow whispered once he thought the other man was asleep. "You'd be surprised exactly how hard I fight if I'm fighting for love. . . Just ask the man I killed today. He tried to stop me from coming back to you. . ."
The assassin sighed quietly, then winced at the pain that shot up his back as he did so. "Maybe I should have had a shot or two myself before I got Sabin out of there. . ." he thought to himself, then settled back and made himself comfortable. He wouldn't be going to embrace Morpheus anytime soon, not after three attacks on himself in one week. He wasn't going to risk his love's life just for some sleep.
~ ~ ~
"Hey… Where'd Sabin go?" Locke asked ten or so minutes after the prince had left. He tried to execute a particularly difficult dance step (turning in a complete circle), failed, and fell to the ground.
"I don't know." Setzer replied with a little shrug. "Hey. . . What're you doing on the floor like that?" he asked curiously.
Locke laughed. "My dancing partner got a little rough, and I guess I got thrown down here." he explained. "Wanna give me a hand up?"
Setzer frowned a little and looked at his friend skeptically. "What's in it for me?" he asked, raising one eyebrow.
"Uhh… I'll dance with you?" came the reply.
"I have no idea if that's a good or bad idea…" the silver haired gambler began, walking slowly over to the man on the floor. "But I'll help you up anyways." He offered one hand to Locke, who took it, then helped him stand back up.
"Good or bad? Well… That depends. You wanna dance?"
Setzer eyed the other man closely, looking him over from head to toe, then shrugged. "Why not? You're not my usual type, but then again, picking up drunks off the floor isn't my usual style, either, so I guess it's a match."
Locke grinned. "Well, lucky you; with the long hair, you almost look my type. Now… You wanna lead, or should I?"
"Go ahead and lead. You'll probably wind up stepping all over my feet one way or the other." Setzer replied with a smirk.
"Hey! I'm a good dancer!" Locke protested.
"Maybe when you're sober, but you're wasted right now."
"Oh yeah. . . I forgot about that…"
"Aren't we supposed to be dancing?"
"Yeah, I think so. . ." With that, Locke rested his hands on Setzer's hips, and Setzer placed his arms around Locke's neck. They began to move slowly to some unheard melody, somehow managing to stay as instep as possible for two drunk young men.
"You know," Setzer said after a few minutes, "I've never danced with a guy before. . . But I have to admit, this isn't half bad." Sometime during the brief time they had been dancing, his head had found its way down to Locke's shoulder, and he was leaning into the other man's arms.
"I've danced with a few guys over the years, but you're the best dancer outta any of 'em." Locke replied, catching Setzer as he stumbled a little and almost fell. "Hey, careful. Don't want you hurting yourself."
"Why not?"
"If you hurt yourself, who will I go drinking with? Edgar always ends up chasing girls after a few drinks, and Sabin gets moody and depressed when he's drunk."
They fell silent again as they continued to dance. Several minutes passed. Then it happened.
Looking back on it later on, neither of them was sure just how it happened, but somehow, their lips met. They kissed each other softly, their steps slowing till they were no longer moving. The kisses gradually went from soft and gentle to more forceful, almost hungry.
"Wh. . . What are we doing?" Setzer managed to gasp out after a few seconds.
"Heck if I know. . . But I don't want to stop." Locke replied, recapturing the other man's mouth with his own. Setzer didn't protest in the slightest.
"Mmm. . ." Setzer panted, his hands beginning to roam over his companion's body.
"Bedroom." Locke suggested shakily.
"Yeah. . ."
The two young men somehow managed to stumble out of the room and down the hall to Locke's room. No sooner were they in the bedroom than their clothes went flying and their bodies hit the soft bed.
Soft, albeit slightly slurred, words were whispered. Slow caresses and gentle kisses were shared, vows of love exchanged. They expended the last of their energy on exploring their newly confessed feelings, then lay there, panting for breath.
"What're we gonna do in the morning?" Locke asked finally, staring at the ceiling.
"I don't know. . . Probably throw up. I don't know about you, but I'll have a horrible hangover when I wake up."
"You're probably right. I know I'll have a hangover."
"Besides, it doesn't really matter what we do in the morning. I'm happy right now, and that's enough for me. It's more than I expected, at least."
"Hey Setzer?"
"Yeah Locke?"
The treasure hunter paused before continuing to speak. "I. . . I've wanted this to happen for a long time, but I didn't want to risk everything by making a move, and. . . I wanted to say thank you. I didn't expect this to happen; I thought you'd hate me."
"Did it feel like I hated you five minutes ago?" Setzer asked with a grin.
"Definitely not… But will you hate me tomorrow?"
"I really don't think so."
"That's good. Thank you. I really do love you, Setzer. I wasn't just saying that."
Setzer's grin softened into a smile as he snuggled up closer to Locke. "Thank you so much, Locke. . . Nobody's said that to me in a long time. And none of them have been since Daryl." Locke didn't know what to say to that, so he just kissed Setzer's forehead softly.
Two pairs of already heavy eyelids fell slowly closed, and the two men drifted quickly off to sleep. The morning would hold its aftereffects, and more than just hangovers, but they would deal with the consequences of the night's actions later. Right now, they just wanted sleep. They had each other now, even if they hadn't planned on any of this happening, and that's all that really mattered to them for the moment. Everything else would just have to wait for morning to arrive.
WARNING: For those of you that have problems with gay guys, DON'T READ THIS FIC. BishounenXBishounen pairings run rampant, and OOCness ensues. Forgive me if anyone is too unlike themselves; I'm open to suggestions on how to fix it. Feedback is better than chocolate, so PLEASE review this story… My email addresses are ShadowGal@AOL.com and HyruleGal@AOL.com Be warned, however, that I laugh at flames. Now, on with the story.
Oh, and this story is COMPLETELY separate from Jealousy, for those of you that have read it. They don't relate at all.
____________________________________________________________
"Celes. . ." Terra began softly, sounding a bit anxious.
"What is it, Terra?" the blonde asked.
"Well. . . I don't know, but. . . Aren't the guys acting a bit strangely?"
Celes turned her gaze to the four men sitting at the table across the room. Locke, Edgar, Sabin, and Setzer were happily drinking various alcoholic beverages, and all of them had grown rather loud and rowdy. A smile appeared on her face.
"That's just how they act when they're drunk. Or getting drunk." She explained to her friend. A puzzled frown appeared on Terra's face.
"Drunk?"
"It's what happens to you when you drink too much alcohol. It dulls the senses, clouds the mind, and leaves you feeling horrible the next morning, unless you're incredibly lucky. You've seen drunks at the taverns before, but most of them were passed out and snoring."
Terra looked even more confused after receiving that explanation. "But. . . Why would anyone want to do that to themselves?"
Celes took hold of her friend's shoulder and steered her out of the room. "It always seems like a good idea at the time. Believe me. Now come on, you don't want to be around much longer. They'll start singing sometime soon. . ."
"Is that bad? I've heard Locke sing before, and I thought that he was rather good."
Celes laughed loudly and closed the door behind them. "Oh, they're okay on their own, sober. But together, drunk? The twins drunk together are bad enough, but all four of those idiots at once? Trust me on this one, Terra. You don't want to be within hearing distance; they forget the meanings of 'on key' and 'appropriate'. Now come on, let's go shopping while there's still light enough to go somewhere."
~ ~ ~
An hour or so later found a noticeably different scene in the room. Sabin was sulking at another table by himself, his brows furrowed and his gaze fixed on the closed door. Every now and then he said something, but his words were so slurred that they was incomprehensible. Edgar had gone off to find Celes and see if he could talk her into 'going off to paradise' with him. Locke was dancing around the room with an invisible partner, and Setzer was finishing off a glass of brandy.
"I'm going to bed." Sabin announced suddenly, though it sounded more like "I'r guin ta beaid." He stood up swiftly, then fell back down with double the speed. The door opened but Sabin, who still hadn't looked away from it, was the only one to notice. In walked Shadow, decked out in his normal outfit, but sans Interceptor, which was unusual.
"Shadow!" the drunken prince exclaimed, his face brightening immediately. "It's about time you got here, man!" His words slurred into each other, but although most people would have been left completely baffled by them, Shadow understood the younger man's meaning perfectly.
"Sorry, I was off on a job." The black masked assassin said softly, walking into the room and hauling Sabin to his feet. "Come on, let's get you to a bed. I'm surprised you're still conscious; how much alcohol have you had?"
If either of the other two men in the room would have heard that, they would have been shocked. It wasn't often that Shadow said so much at one time.
"Ohh. . . A bed? Takin' advantage of a drunk prince, eh, Shad?" Sabin slurred. His cheeks flushed slightly redder than they already were, but his expression was hopeful.
Shadow just shook his head, but his voice sounded amused. "Sorry, Your Highness, but you're out of luck tonight. I just got back from a job, so I'm tired. You just got done depleting this airship of half its alcohol supply, so you're drunk. Between the two of us, I don't think anything could happen." He said as they left the room unnoticed. Sabin pouted cutely.
"Hey, we could always try. . ." he protested, glaring at the man supporting him as he walked down the hall towards his room.
"No." Shadow replied firmly, using one hand to pick the lock on Sabin's bedroom door and leading his companion into the room. "Besides. . . You'll already have a hangover in the morning; do you really want to be sick and sore when you wake up?"
Sabin's shirt hit the floor in front of Shadow's feet, then the blonde martial artist collapsed onto his bed. "Good point. But you're at least going to stay with me tonight?"
"Why, so you'll have somebody to take care of you when you're tossing the contents of your stomach onto the floor come dawn?"
A grin appeared on Sabin's face. "You'd better believe it!"
Shadow pulled off his mask and smiled; Sabin almost melted just looking at him. "I guess I might as well. This won't be the only time you'll get like this, so I might as well practice taking care of you now." The assassin pulled off his own shirt, kicked off his shoes, then sat down on the bed. He removed Sabin's shoes from the prince's feet, placed them on the floor, then slid under the covers. "Just don't get too used to it, princeling."
Sabin made a face and joined his lover under the sheets. "Why not? You thinking of leaving me or something?"
Shadow put out the lantern by the bed before making his reply. "Definitely not. . . I just don't want to lead you on. I could go out any time and never return. It's not unusual for someone to hire an assassin to take out another assassin, just to make sure there's one less trained killer to go after his throat later on."
Sabin didn't say anything. He just moved closer to his bed partner and placed his head on Shadow's chest; Shadow pulled him closer and stroked his hair gently.
"Don't worry too much. . ." Shadow whispered once he thought the other man was asleep. "You'd be surprised exactly how hard I fight if I'm fighting for love. . . Just ask the man I killed today. He tried to stop me from coming back to you. . ."
The assassin sighed quietly, then winced at the pain that shot up his back as he did so. "Maybe I should have had a shot or two myself before I got Sabin out of there. . ." he thought to himself, then settled back and made himself comfortable. He wouldn't be going to embrace Morpheus anytime soon, not after three attacks on himself in one week. He wasn't going to risk his love's life just for some sleep.
~ ~ ~
"Hey… Where'd Sabin go?" Locke asked ten or so minutes after the prince had left. He tried to execute a particularly difficult dance step (turning in a complete circle), failed, and fell to the ground.
"I don't know." Setzer replied with a little shrug. "Hey. . . What're you doing on the floor like that?" he asked curiously.
Locke laughed. "My dancing partner got a little rough, and I guess I got thrown down here." he explained. "Wanna give me a hand up?"
Setzer frowned a little and looked at his friend skeptically. "What's in it for me?" he asked, raising one eyebrow.
"Uhh… I'll dance with you?" came the reply.
"I have no idea if that's a good or bad idea…" the silver haired gambler began, walking slowly over to the man on the floor. "But I'll help you up anyways." He offered one hand to Locke, who took it, then helped him stand back up.
"Good or bad? Well… That depends. You wanna dance?"
Setzer eyed the other man closely, looking him over from head to toe, then shrugged. "Why not? You're not my usual type, but then again, picking up drunks off the floor isn't my usual style, either, so I guess it's a match."
Locke grinned. "Well, lucky you; with the long hair, you almost look my type. Now… You wanna lead, or should I?"
"Go ahead and lead. You'll probably wind up stepping all over my feet one way or the other." Setzer replied with a smirk.
"Hey! I'm a good dancer!" Locke protested.
"Maybe when you're sober, but you're wasted right now."
"Oh yeah. . . I forgot about that…"
"Aren't we supposed to be dancing?"
"Yeah, I think so. . ." With that, Locke rested his hands on Setzer's hips, and Setzer placed his arms around Locke's neck. They began to move slowly to some unheard melody, somehow managing to stay as instep as possible for two drunk young men.
"You know," Setzer said after a few minutes, "I've never danced with a guy before. . . But I have to admit, this isn't half bad." Sometime during the brief time they had been dancing, his head had found its way down to Locke's shoulder, and he was leaning into the other man's arms.
"I've danced with a few guys over the years, but you're the best dancer outta any of 'em." Locke replied, catching Setzer as he stumbled a little and almost fell. "Hey, careful. Don't want you hurting yourself."
"Why not?"
"If you hurt yourself, who will I go drinking with? Edgar always ends up chasing girls after a few drinks, and Sabin gets moody and depressed when he's drunk."
They fell silent again as they continued to dance. Several minutes passed. Then it happened.
Looking back on it later on, neither of them was sure just how it happened, but somehow, their lips met. They kissed each other softly, their steps slowing till they were no longer moving. The kisses gradually went from soft and gentle to more forceful, almost hungry.
"Wh. . . What are we doing?" Setzer managed to gasp out after a few seconds.
"Heck if I know. . . But I don't want to stop." Locke replied, recapturing the other man's mouth with his own. Setzer didn't protest in the slightest.
"Mmm. . ." Setzer panted, his hands beginning to roam over his companion's body.
"Bedroom." Locke suggested shakily.
"Yeah. . ."
The two young men somehow managed to stumble out of the room and down the hall to Locke's room. No sooner were they in the bedroom than their clothes went flying and their bodies hit the soft bed.
Soft, albeit slightly slurred, words were whispered. Slow caresses and gentle kisses were shared, vows of love exchanged. They expended the last of their energy on exploring their newly confessed feelings, then lay there, panting for breath.
"What're we gonna do in the morning?" Locke asked finally, staring at the ceiling.
"I don't know. . . Probably throw up. I don't know about you, but I'll have a horrible hangover when I wake up."
"You're probably right. I know I'll have a hangover."
"Besides, it doesn't really matter what we do in the morning. I'm happy right now, and that's enough for me. It's more than I expected, at least."
"Hey Setzer?"
"Yeah Locke?"
The treasure hunter paused before continuing to speak. "I. . . I've wanted this to happen for a long time, but I didn't want to risk everything by making a move, and. . . I wanted to say thank you. I didn't expect this to happen; I thought you'd hate me."
"Did it feel like I hated you five minutes ago?" Setzer asked with a grin.
"Definitely not… But will you hate me tomorrow?"
"I really don't think so."
"That's good. Thank you. I really do love you, Setzer. I wasn't just saying that."
Setzer's grin softened into a smile as he snuggled up closer to Locke. "Thank you so much, Locke. . . Nobody's said that to me in a long time. And none of them have been since Daryl." Locke didn't know what to say to that, so he just kissed Setzer's forehead softly.
Two pairs of already heavy eyelids fell slowly closed, and the two men drifted quickly off to sleep. The morning would hold its aftereffects, and more than just hangovers, but they would deal with the consequences of the night's actions later. Right now, they just wanted sleep. They had each other now, even if they hadn't planned on any of this happening, and that's all that really mattered to them for the moment. Everything else would just have to wait for morning to arrive.