Author's Note: Next chapter. At this rate, I think this will be around six or seven chapters, although I still foresee some of them being shorter than this one.
I do not own Final Fantasy VIII or any of its characters.
Thank you to everyone who is reading/following/reviewing this. It is always appreciated.
Aerois: Thanks for the review and your kind words on all my stories. :) And yes, from the very first time I played this game, I fell in love with both Squall and Laguna, and often wished that Laguna had played an even larger role (or at the very least, had had more chances to interact with Squall), thus why I spend so much time with them in my fics. I am glad that you are enjoying my work so far, and you can count on seeing more of this kind of thing in the future. :)
Bebedora: Thank you, as always. :) As you know, I am also a sucker for these two as well, and I wanted to try my hand at something a little lighter. But don't be surprised if I throw a little drama in there at some point...Anyway, I hope you enjoy this and other upcoming updates as well.
Chapter Two
Squall blinked a couple more times, but each time he re-focused his eyes he was still faced with the image of Laguna Loire standing next to his bed, a duffel bag near his feet and a large paper shopping bag in his hands.
"Laguna," he said. "Why are you….?"
"Why am I here?" Laguna finished for him. "Isn't it obvious? The headmaster and his wife told me that you were sick and that you needed someone to keep an eye on you. So I decided to head on over here."
Squall groaned and closed his eyes again. They had both found out about their relationship as father and son almost two years ago and had managed to keep it a secret while they slowly worked on the tensions and issues that all those years of absence had created between them. Due to an increasing number of inauspicious and distasteful rumors that were spreading about the both of them, however, Laguna and Squall decided a couple months ago that it was time to reveal the truth to the world. There were a couple attempts to create a scandal by less reputable media sources, but a short, honest and straightforward press conference the two of them held in Esthar was enough to squash just about all of the ugly rumors and stories.
Naturally, Squall was aware that Cid and Edea also knew the truth now, but they had never made any direct reference to it or had taken any action to acknowledge it….until now, that is.
Squall reopened his eyes and saw that Laguna was crouching down on the floor and digging through his paper bag. Just then, something his father had said clicked in his brain.
"Just like that?" Squall said, raising an eyebrow.
"Huh?" Laguna replied, looking up. Squall shifted to sit up in his bed.
"The elite Esthar security forces let their president just stroll out of the palace and hop on a transport to Garden on a whim?" Squall added.
"Well ok, it wasn't quite as simple as all that," Laguna said. "But I have ways of sneaking out of the palace when I need some time to myself. And, there is this awesome new version of the Ragnarok that was built a few months ago. Granted, I can't fly the thing, but I found this great pilot who is very loyal and discreet and who…."
"Laguna, are you really trying to tell me that you snuck out of Esthar and flew all the way here just because Cid told you that I wasn't feeling well?" Squall asked. Laguna let out a short huff and stood up. He then moved to sit at the end of Squall's bed.
"Yeah, that was part of it," he said. "Cid acted like you really needed someone to look after you, and he mentioned that all your friends were off doing other things, and well, I guess I hated the idea of you being all alone while you're sick. I had Cerilian fever too when I was about your age, and believe me, it was awful. I'll never forget how grateful I was that my mom was there to take care of me, and I…I don't want you to go through this alone, ok?"
"And the other part?" Squall asked, curious.
"The other part…the other part is…Ok, I was desperate to find an excuse to get away from Esthar," Laguna said. "Every year, the council has a group of legal scholars go over all of the proposed law changes brought before us over the previous year. Kiros and Ward always insist that I go to these meetings because it's my 'official duty' to be there, and yet they always find some excuse to get out of it themselves. But the reality is, there is absolutely no reason for me to attend. I mean, nothing actually happens other than a bunch of guys reading aloud from these huge files of paper and discussing what they think should have been written instead. And it is easily the most boring thing in the entire world."
"And so this year, you decided to use my illness as your excuse to get out of it?" Squall said.
"To tell you the truth, I didn't even have to do that," Laguna said, scratching the back of his head. "After I greet these guys and the meetings get started, they don't even notice if I am there or not. Seriously, one time I actually left the room and went out for lunch, took a nap in my rooms and played video games for a couple hours. When I finally went back, I found out that they didn't even realize that I was gone. I'd bet anything that they won't figure out that I've left for at least three days."
Squall rubbed the bridge of his nose. While he did agree that it sounded like a pointless bit of bureaucracy, he did start to wonder just how often Laguna "disappeared" from official government meetings.
"Anyway, that's not important," Laguna said, getting up from the bed. "What's important is that I'm here to take care of you until you get better."
"Laguna, I…I appreciate the gesture. I do," Squall said. "But I don't have any place for you to sleep and…."
"Ah, don't worry about that," Laguna said with a grin and a wave of his hand. "I'll just sleep on the couch you've got in the other room. It looks comfortable enough. Trust me, I've slept in far less hospitable conditions than this back when I was still a soldier and when I was traveling. You just relax and let me handle things."
Squall let out another sigh. He was certain by this point that there was no way to talk his father out of staying with him and besides that; he was marginally grateful that Cid had chosen someone he could at least tolerate to check on him.
Deep down, however, Squall knew that the main reason he stopped arguing with him was because he was secretly glad that he wouldn't be alone during this and because he had actually been touched by his father's concern for him. Not that he would ever say any of this out loud….
"Hey let me know if you get hungry," Laguna said. "I've got all the ingredients here for my world-famous Galbadian Noodle Soup. It's the perfect thing to eat when you're not feeling well."
"World-famous?" Squall smirked at him. "Are you sure you don't mean infamous?"
"Ha ha, you know, Kiros made that same exact joke," Laguna said. "That is, until he actually tried it. It's like they always say: he who laughs first won't be laughing last. Oh but, um, I didn't see a kitchen anywhere around here."
"You'll have to go to the cafeteria," Squall replied. "None of the dorm rooms have one."
"Cafeteria, huh," Laguna said, placing a hand on his chin. "Ok, no problem. I can just whip up something there and bring it back here. And hey, if there's anything I forgot to bring, I can just get it from the people working there, right? Sounds good to me."
"Whatever," Squall said, shrugging his shoulders. He was about to say more, but was cut off when he felt something catch in his throat. He tried to clear it, but soon found it increasingly hard to breathe and a violent coughing fit started instead.
Seconds after it started, Laguna rushed over to the bed and helped him lean forward as Squall tried to force out the congestion that had been slowly filling his lungs. Laguna went back over to the bag and pulled out a box of tissues which he sat next to the bed. He then pulled a couple out and handed them to his son. Squall took them and eventually he was able to cough up some phlegm into them and take some deep breaths. Laguna shook his head and patted Squall's shoulder.
"Yeah, I remember this part," Laguna said as he grabbed the tissues and threw them into a nearby trashcan. "And unfortunately, you'll be doing a lot more of that before this is over. You should try to get some rest now while you can. I'll go ahead and make the soup so you'll have something to eat when you wake up."
"Thank you," Squall rasped as he laid down. Laguna smiled and helped him with the blankets.
"You're welcome," he said. "I mean, that's what I'm here for, right? Oh and I have something else for you."
Laguna walked over and pushed stuff around in his bag for a moment before finding what he was looking for. He held it out to Squall, and Squall's eyes widened slightly in disbelief.
"A stuffed chicobo?" Squall said. "Really?"
"Sure, why not?" Laguna said, his smile growing. "One of the things I remember the most about when I had Cerilian fever was how depressing it was: being too hot or too cold all the time, all the coughing, being too weak and tired all the time to do anything. It's really miserable. But my mom made sure to keep my spirits up any way she could and it really helped me get through it."
Laguna placed the doll on the stand beside the bed and made sure to position it so that it was facing Squall.
"I picked this up while I was shopping for supplies," he said. "I figure that it's impossible to stay depressed when you've got this cute little guy smiling at you all the time, right? So you just get some sleep, and Boko here will keep you company while I'm gone."
"Boko?" Squall said. "You actually named it?"
"Of course," Laguna said with a laugh. "You can't give someone a chicobo and not have a name for him. And besides, he looks like a Boko, don't you think? Anyway, I'm going to go make that soup now. You try and get some sleep, and I'll be back in a bit."
Laguna picked up the bag and walked out of the room. Squall coughed a couple more times before rolling onto his side and staring at the doll's black button eyes and the wide-open smile sewn into its face.
'What is he thinking, buying me stuff like this?' Squall wondered, a frown appearing on his lips.
He frowned for only a moment more, however, before letting out a sigh and settling into his pillow. It was childish and silly, and yet, Squall also found it oddly endearing that Laguna tried to cheer him up this way. He thought back to when he was a child and how being sick meant lonely hours in the infirmary. There were no visitors, no gifts, no small gestures of comfort. There was only what was necessary to tend to his physical needs while he fought to get better. Over the years, he had tried to convince himself that none of those other things mattered, and eventually, he almost believed it.
But the longer he stared at the doll sitting on his nightstand, the more Squall started to realize that a part of him had always longed for tokens of affection like this and that the actual gift meant far less to him than the meaning behind it.
'Boko,' he said to himself with a chuckle. 'It seems like Laguna has had more than a little experience naming stuffed animals. I bet that he was a lot older than he'd be willing to admit when he finally gave them up…that is, if he ever did at all….Maybe I should ask Kiros and Ward about it some time.'
Squall laughed again before closing his eyes and falling into a restless sleep.
A few hours later, Squall woke up and slowly opened his eyes to scan his surroundings. Boko was still smiling at him from his nightstand, but he also noticed that the sun was not as bright as it was when he fell asleep, and he wondered how much time had passed. It was then that he also noticed that his father was nowhere to be found.
"Laguna?" he mumbled as he tried to sit up. "Laguna, are you here?" There was no reply, and Squall crossed his arms over his chest.
'I don't know how long it's been, but it doesn't take that long to make soup,' he told himself. 'He probably got bored sitting around here and went to find something to do.'
Squall frowned. He wasn't sure which irritated him more: the fact that Laguna wasn't there or the fact that he felt so disappointed. He quickly pushed those thoughts aside, however, when he realized that a trip to the bathroom was urgently needed. Squall flung his blankets aside and swung his legs over the side of the bed. He carefully stood up and was dismayed when he started to feel dizzy. He held his head and staggered toward the doorway.
Once he was there, he greeted by the sight of Laguna hunched over the desk that was at the side of the front room area, an electronic pen Squall had given him for Father's Day in his hand. His expression was thoughtful as he dragged the tip along the desk's surface, leaving faint traces of light as he wrote which faded away seconds later. Squall watched him silently for a few moments before he started to cough again, which caused Laguna to look up.
"Oh hey, you're awake," he said as he sat the pen down and stood up. "But you shouldn't be out of bed."
"I needed to," Squall said between coughs, gesturing toward the bathroom. Laguna glanced in the direction Squall had indicated and nodded.
"Oh, I get it," he said. "Here, let me help you."
"I don't need any help," Squall insisted. "I can take care of…."
Squall was cut off by another coughing fit and his disorientation suddenly became much worse. His legs wobbled and he felt himself starting to fall to the floor. But before he could hit the ground, Laguna had dashed over and caught him.
"I know," Laguna said and he helped him back up. "Normally, you can take care of yourself just fine, but that's not the case right now, ok? You're going to need some help, so stop being so stubborn and let me help you."
Squall held onto Laguna for a moment until he was able to stop hacking and then reluctantly nodded his head. Laguna then draped one of Squall's arms over his shoulders and guided him to the bathroom.
"You got it from here?" Laguna asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Squall said, shutting the door behind him. A couple minutes later, he was finished, and Squall opened the door to see Laguna waiting to help him back to bed. Once he was there, Squall leaned back against the wall while Laguna fluffed his pillows.
"Better?" Laguna asked as he put the pillows back on his bed.
"A little," Squall mumbled. "Kind of hungry though."
"Well I've got just the thing for that," Laguna said. He exited the room for a moment and then returned with a tray that held a large bowl of soup and a spoon.
"Here you go," Laguna said as he sat it onto Squall's lap. "Some Galbadian Noodle soup, just like I promised." Squall sat up and reached for the spoon. He stirred it around in the bowl a couple times while watching wisps of steam float upward.
"How long ago did you make this?" Squall asked. "It still looks pretty warm."
"Oh a while ago," Laguna answered as he sat down on the bed. "I would have brought some back here even sooner than I did, but after a couple of the cafeteria ladies tried the first batch I made, they asked me to show them how to make it. I ended up making a ton of it with them to serve as part of the dinner meal. I guess it was a huge hit. Anyway, I put some of it aside for you, and they gave me this container to keep it in. They said that it would keep it fresh, and you know they were totally right about that. I've been back here for hours now, waiting for you to wake up and it's still as hot as when I put it in here. Technology can be really cool sometimes."
Squall grunted and looked down into the bowl in front of him. It looked harmless enough and certainly smelled appetizing, but he still was hesitant to try it, especially when he thought about how there was a reason why the cupboards in his father's kitchen were usually empty.
"Go on," Laguna insisted. "It's full of good stuff you'll need to fight this illness. You'll like it, I promise."
Squall swirled his spoon around a couple more times before scooping some of it up and shoving it into his mouth. He did this three more times before finally looking back up at Laguna.
"Well?"
"All right, I'll admit it," Squall sighed. "It is good. Really good."
"See I told you," Laguna replied, triumphant. "Why is it that so many people have so little faith in my culinary prowess?"
'Maybe because they still remember the time you decided to try to grill some Balamb fish,' Squall thought. 'I know Zell and Irvine won't forget all those hours spent in the bathroom after they were foolish enough to risk eating any of it.'
Squall smirked for a moment before quickly devouring every last bit of soup in the bowl. Laguna offered him another serving, but Squall shook his head.
"I'm tired again," he mumbled. "I hate this. I just got done sleeping for hours. I shouldn't be this tired."
"Yeah, but I'm sure your body didn't get much rest, even though you were completely zonked out," Laguna said. "You're just going to have to get used to this until this fever runs its course."
"Doesn't mean I have to like it," Squall grumbled as he laid back down. Laguna moved the tray out of the way and covered Squall with the blankets. He was about to return to the front room when another round of coughing from the bed stopped him.
"Squall? Are you all right, son?" Laguna asked. Squall shook his head, gasping and choking as he struggled to take a breath. Laguna sat down on the bed beside him and patted his back again as the coughing grew even more vigorous, but Squall's breathing continued to become increasingly labored.
"Squall, hold on," Laguna said, placing his hand onto his son's shoulder. "I'm going to go get the doctor, ok?" He started to stand up, but Squall grabbed his wrist before he could get away.
"No," Squall gasped out. "Don't go. Just…just give me a minute."
Laguna nodded his head and gave him some more tissues which Squall clamped over his mouth. After finally managing to clear his lungs of some more mucus, he bunched up the tissues in his hand and collapsed against the mattress. Laguna threw the tissues away and leaned close to him.
"Squall…."
"I'm ok," Squall panted. "But I…my chest hurts."
"Not surprising, after what you've been through today," Laguna said, sympathetically. Squall squeezed his eyes shut and ground his jaw.
"I'm so tired," he said. "But I…I can't sleep…not like this…."
"Listen, I know it's tough, but you need to relax," Laguna said. "Hey, I've got an idea."
Laguna got up and went to the front room while Squall turned onto his side to face the doorway. He was about to ask his father what he had in mind when Laguna walked back into the room with a chair in one hand and a large, leather-bound book in the other.
"What are you doing, Laguna?" Squall asked, suspicious. Laguna grinned, placed the chair beside the bed, and sat down.
"What does it look like?" he said. "I'm going to read to you until you fall asleep."
"Read to me?" Squall said, incredulous. "Just how old do you think I am?"
"I know how old you are," Laguna said. "But you're never too old to enjoy a great story. For example, whenever I need to relax, I pull out this awesome collection of classic fantasy yarns and in no time at all, my mind is completely at peace. Yep, reading is one of the best cures out there when you're stressed."
"I guess," Squall shrugged while tugging at his blankets.
"No guessing about it," Laguna said. "Trust me, it works. Thing is though, you need to be resting, not trying to read a book. So let me handle the reading and you just close your eyes and listen."
Squall rolled his eyes and let out a sigh. He no longer had the energy to try to reason with Laguna, so he remained quiet. His father flipped through the pages for almost a minute before finally stopping and clearing his throat.
"The world is veiled in darkness," Laguna read. "The wind stops, the sea is wild, and the earth begins to rot. The people wait, their only hope, a prophecy…When the world is in darkness, four warriors will come. After a long journey, four young warriors arrive, each holding an orb…."
'Whatever,' Squall thought to himself as his eyelids slid shut.
