Summary: Without a father for 17 years, Squall didn't think he needed one anymore. Can a man as embarrassing to him as Laguna find a place in his heart?
Disclaimer: I do not own FF, Square Enix does.
Notes: Hi guys thanks for stopping by! I'd really appreciate it if you left a review for me to let know how you feel about the story so far and such! I'm sorry if the writing sucks, I'm so sleep deprived these days (I blame exams). Anyway, let me know what you think and check out my other stories if you like FF or Kingdom hearts. Bye!
Chapter 1: RealiSationPresident Laguna Loire. Once soldier, once journalist, still president and always awesome. Or at least that's what he had always thought when not weeping into his room temperature glass of melancholic Moomba mimette, drinking away the solitude into the lonesome witching hour of his favourite Estharian bar, the drunken Cactuar. The usual clientele were the quiet, unassuming types, often depressed businessmen who were so focused on being depressed they never heard nor cared for the wailings of the unhappy president from the upper level of the VIP room.
"I…I…want another!"
"I….think you've had enough president sir."
"I…..think you shhhould just get me another one." Laguna, head laying on the smooth marble counter, one hand grasping his once cold now lukewarm drink, the other lay limp swaying slightly. The man was so inebriated he could barely lift his head.
The bartender sighed and pulled up a stool from the opposite facing side of the bar counter, this was the third time this week the president had graced the establishment with his presence. Each time he entered he was jovial and radiated pure positivity, upon leaving each time he was a sobbing wreck, mumbling the same words time and time again "my son hates me".
"Sir…If I may suggest something…" the bartender said, gradually pulling away the small shot glass from the president's lax fingers. "Why don't you just talk to your son, I'm sure the two of you could-"
"-noooooo no no….y-you don't understand." With his black tresses stuck to his pink tear stained face, the president propped his head off the counter to reply matter-of-a-factly. "My son he…he doesn't even know that I'm his father..."
The bartender now raised an eyebrow, genuinely perplexed. "Well, why haven't you told him…?" he queried, now quite confused regarding the matter at hand.
"WELL that's because…um.." Now sitting as upright as the intoxicated president could allow himself, he pondered in his drunken stupor. Had he even told his son? He thought back to the few occasions where he had the chance to engage in banter with the stoic young man that he had come to love as a father would. Other than yelling "WHOOOES YOUR DADDY?" every time the young man entered his office or only making the word 'father' when playing scrabble with him, Laguna really could not recollect ever actually telling him that he, president Laguna Loire of Esthar was indeed his father.
Springing up from his seat in such vigour he almost toppled the table behind him, Laguna now knew what he had to do. With clarity of his new objective fresh in mind, his drunkenness began to dissipate as his soberness arose and consumed, he slung a crisp 1000 gil note from his inner pocket onto the counter and grabbed his coat off the mahogany hanger and headed towards the door.
"Thank you my good man!" it was as if the man had forgotten every sorrow that once plagued him. "I will tell him….tomorrow!" And with that, before the bartender could speak, Laguna was already on his way home to his humble palace only a few hundred meters away from the bar.
[Balamb Garden, 0548 hours]
Pipipipi
Pipipipi
Pipip-
"…Who-"
"Heeeeya Squall! Mornin' kiddo! How're ya?"
Although unbeknownst to him, the president's son groggily wakes to the sound of his phone ringing. The young man wasn't the type to use or answer his phone on the basis of any sort of leisure. The fact that he had been purged from his slumber over something that didn't sound at all remotely like an emergency was enough to exasperate him. "President Laguna…do you know what time it is!?" he replied through clenched teeth.
"I think it's time for the two of us catch-up!" As chipper as ever, the president either knew and ignored the obvious annoyance in his sons lethargic voice or he was oblivious to it altogether. "There is something really important we gotta discuss!"
Hoisting himself up from the warm blankets of his soft bed, the tired male fought back the urge to yawn. "You can discuss whatever it is over the phone…it's a secure and untraceable line" he replied blandly. As he ran a hand through his light chestnut locks, he wondered if he'd have as much energy as the Estharian president did when he reached his 40's...knowing the company he kept, he doubted it.
"Er-no it has to be said in person, soooo you should swing by my place today! Oh! Bring your cute girlfriend and Ellone too! I miss them." The president made it seem like flying halfway across the world to have a chat was an easy arrangement to make. Squall opened his mouth to reply with a definitive hell no, but was cut off before he had a chance to.
"Please Squall, this really is of the utmost importance. This isn't something I should say casually over the phone and even if I did…you'd most certainly hate me for it." The president's tone immediately became serious, even Squall began to feel slight pangs of trepidation upon hearing the sudden change in tone. "Okay….fine." he conceded, sighing. This better be important.
"Cool! Okay see you, Ellone and Rinoa tomorrow-oops I mean today heheh!"
*click*
"…"
Turning the phone off so that there would be no further distractions, Squall slid back down under the soft blankets of his warm inviting bed. He closed his eyes and tried to salvage the few hours of sleep he had remaining before his free spirited partner would obligatorily barge into his room and forcibly remove him from bed. The weariness remained but the sleep would not come. He wondered what Laguna wanted to talk to him about, could it really be so important he'd have to leave his duties as commander for the rest of the day to see him? Not wanting to think about it anymore he pulled the bed covers over his head, curling into the foetal position that was most comfortable for him.
This had better be important.