Disclaimer: I do not own FF8 or any of its characters or locations. They are all sole property of Square-Enix.
Rating: M for language, violence, and lemons.
Author's Note: Let me just say this, I am extremely thrilled with all of the reviews I receive from each and every one of you! It seriously helps to keep me motivated. I love to hear from familiar reviewers to the new faces as well, they are all appreciated and taken to heart as they should be. I hope I continue to appeal to your FF8 fan fic needs, as well as any other fan fictions in the future. Please continue to read, review, and of course please continue to enjoy! Thank you.
Three hours passed entirely too quickly in Squall's opinion. Luckily he had not had any visits from his comrades the entire time he had been packing or trying to sleep. He didn't want to have to explain why he was preparing his gunblade, or junctioning his GFs, or magic, or packing his inventory full of potions and repairing medicines, it would have just been too much to cover up. And Squall definitely wasn't the best at lying to them, not now, not after everything they had been through, and especially not to her.
He glanced about his dorm for a moment more before he decided that he was as prepared as he was ever going to get, and headed for the door, poking his head out to glance up and down the corridors. Hundreds of people were littering the hallways, none of which appeared to be the familiar faces of his friends. Relief flooded him as he left his room, the door automatically sliding shut behind him.
Squall made sure to hug the walls as he walked through the hallway, using the mass of people as his cover. Upon reaching the main walkways of the Garden, Squall quickened his pace, realizing that he was more exposed here than he had been in the hallway.
With the exit in sight, he broke into a straight run. It wasn't typical for Squall to be running like this, but with the always present pressure to avoid his friends, he felt compelled to do so, no matter how abnormal it may be.
'Almost…there…' Squall repeatedly thought to himself as he drew closer to the Garden's exit.
"What do you think Squall will think of this one?"
He came to a screeching halt behind yet another overly large fern. 'Convenient.' He thought, peering through the leaves to find Rinoa, Selphie, and Quistis walking out of the library.
"Well if the purple dress didn't work what makes you think that this red one will?" Quistis asked, adjusting the glasses on her nose, her tone rather snobbish.
He watched as Selphie and Rinoa cast each other knowing looks before continuing on in the conversation, "well maybe red will be more of a statement. With Squall you practically have to bash him over the head with something until he realizes what you're trying to do."
"It's true…I kept hinting around that I was thirsty and wanted a refill when Squall and I were eating lunch the other day, and he totally just kept talking about the agenda for the day until I lost my cool and threw my empty cup at him. The only bad part was that there was still a little bit of pop left inside of it and it completely stained his white wife beater," Selphie reminisced, her eyes speaking of her amused memories, "Needless to say he finally got up and got it but I had to physically make him realize that I wanted a refill, and I wanted it then dammit."
Quistis and Rinoa laughed. Squall frowned from behind the fern. 'I don't see why that's so funny.'
"Well that's what I mean, I want Squall to realize that I'm here for him…one hundred percent, in spirit, mind, and body. I want him to look at me and just know that I'm right for him. Is that wrong?" Rinoa whispered, playing at the back of her neck as she walked with her two friends straight past the fern, Squall walking around the other side of it to stay out of their realm of sight.
Quistis nearly shrieked, "You're trying to…Rinoa?!"
He watched as Rinoa's hand went to grasp Quistis' shoulder, "Quisty, I just…I want him to know that I'm here for him. Even after everything that's happened he still seems kind of reserved around me. I can't let him be like that, you're supposed to be yourself around the person you lo-"
Quistis tensed. Rinoa sighed, "You know what I mean don't you?"
Selphie giggled, "Rinoa is trying to seal the deal."
The former sorceress smacked Selphie as they turned to enter the Quad, "I didn't mean that, Selphie. You just take everything the wrong way."
"Well then why is the physical aspect of being able to comfort Squall so important? Just admit it, you want a piece. I don't blame you, he's a little hunk. If I weren't into Irvine and you two weren't together I could see me trying to-"
Quistis and Rinoa had stopped to stare at Selphie. The brunette's face turned red as she turned back the direction that Squall lurked behind his new found favorite plant. She was beginning to sweat, her lip trembling, "Er well I mean…Quistis knows what I mean. She told me long before you came around how it was for her."
"SELPHIE THAT WAS PRIVATE!" Quistis howled, her hands balling into fists.
Selphie turned back around, "What, I never said anything about it, all I said was that you could relate."
Rinoa shifted a little uneasily. Perhaps the competition was starting to sink in, "You know that's all I ever hear girls snicker about. They don't think I'm listening but I always hear it. 'Squall's such a sexpot.' 'Squall needs to lose that witch so I can have a go at him.' 'You really think he's into that sort of girl?' 'Do you think he ever gets tired of hearing her talk?' 'You think she pleases him…because if she doesn't I could totally rock his sexy lone-wolf ass.' I'm sick of it! That's all I ever hear, can't I just have one day when every girl in the world isn't trying to get a piece of Squall. God I never knew he was so popular."
Selphie and Quistis huddled next to each other, their fingers fiddling into their clothes for a source of support, "Er, well, Rin, it's not like he's not a good looking guy. I'm sure Squall has to deal with it about you too. All I ever hear is how guys wanna do…'things' to you. It's not an all of a sudden thing that Squall looks like he does. He was always considered a hottie, it's just no one really ever tried to say anything because he always kept to himself but ever since you came around girls think they may have a fighting chance yet."
"So you want Squall?" Rinoa asked the two of them, crossing her arms.
Quistis turned red, Squall was quite sure anyways, her ears had turned red. Perhaps it was best that he couldn't see her face. Selphie simply laughed, "Well what I said was that if Irvine and I weren't an item, and if you and Squall weren't an item, I would have definitely tried. But that doesn't matter because I have Irvine and you have Squall and that will never change."
"And what about you, Quistis?" Rinoa asked, turning to former instructor Trepe.
"Er well…Squall knew of my feelings. He never confirmed or denied my need to be closer to him, so I just assumed that he wasn't interested. Don't worry Rinoa; I would never try to molest your boyfriend."
Rinoa stared at both of them before she laughed uneasily, "I'm so sorry you two, I got all wrapped up in the jealousy of girls wanting Squall that I completely put you two on the spot. I'm sorry, it won't happen again."
Rinoa, Quistis, and Selphie all laughed for a moment before they continued on their walk to the Quad, the conversation quickly changing from Squall to their defense class.
The SeeD leader stood behind the fern, completely bewildered, his face had broken out into a cold sweat as he had listened to them. They had been fighting over him like he was some sort of rare object. 'I better hurry; I can't take much more of this.'
He whipped around on his heels and hurried to the exit, not even sparring to walk through the gate; he simply hopped over it and continued his mad dash away from the Garden.
************
Centra Region was dry and dusty as usual, the landscape never ceased to remain a desolate wasteland.
"Leonhart to bridge, I have entered Centra Region. Please take the Garden just off the shore of Centra Region. I do not need spares making their way into the midst of my investigation. Do not return until I radio my orders."
There was a crackling through his com-device before Xu retorted her comprehension, the Garden spinning and roaring as it floated away to dock at the edge of the land.
Squall nodded in approval as he began to trudge through the dirt and dead plants, heading towards the whereabouts of the original coordinates that had been given to him via Esthar officials.
It seemed quiet enough, the usual fiends running about as usual. With every battle, Squall defeated them easily, stopping to pick a valuable item on occasion. As he continued his investigation, he couldn't help but think back on what he had overheard the girls griping about. The mere idea of every girl wanting to have a go at him made him uncomfortable. 'I wish there was something out here that could kill me,' he thought to himself, his face red with embarrassment. Since when had he become the desire of everyone's affection? Last time he had checked, he had treated everyone so coldly that there was no way anyone could get a rise out of his behavior…unless they liked it like that.
His eyes widened as he took a drink of his canteen, his face growing redder by each passing second. He had never perceived himself to be a…how did Selphie put it…a 'sexpot'? He was just Squall, typical, overly dark, anti-social, combat ready, tactical planning Squall. Since when was that such a turn on…well he wasn't like that around Rinoa but apparently he wasn't exactly the friendliest around her now that he had heard her spill her secrets with her friends.
Squall snorted, shaking his head. 'Keep a clear head; you never know when you'll have to engage in battle. Think about this once you return to Garden, for now, keep your mind on the task at hand.' He warned himself, his eyes pricking over his surroundings again for good measure before he began his assignment yet again.
************
Irvine stared at Zell from over his book, "I have a question."
"What?" Zell asked as he pummeled a speed bag, jumping around as if his feet were on fire.
"Well…it's kind of a 'for instance' question."
"What the hell Irvine, just fuckin' ask me, shit," Zell grumbled, his eyes still focused on his foe: the speed bag that remained impervious to his attacks.
"Well let's just say you have a friend and you try to ask him about his sex life and then he punches you in the face…what should you do to try and make amends?"
Zell blinked, lowering his hands and turned to look at Irvine. The sniper shifted uneasily under Zell's confused gaze, "What?"
"Why the hell did you ask Squall about his sex life?"
"What? Since when are you smart enough to break the code of a 'for instance' question?"
"Since you're the only one with a shiner on their face!"
Irvine rolled his eyes, "Never mind, if you're just going to make fun of my black eye then I'll ask someone else."
"Seriously Irvine, why did you ask about his sex life? Were you bein' your usual pervy self?"
The long haired man cleared his throat, "Well men are supposed to brag about sex to each other."
"No they're not."
"It's in the handbook."
"THERE'S NOT A FUCKIN HANDBOOK YOU DUMBASS!"
Irvine slammed his book shut, getting to his feet, "Like you have any room to call me a dumbass. Are you going to help me or not?"
"Well how the heck should I know what you should do to make it up to Squall, I've never asked him about his recent lays."
"You mean plural…he's been with more than one girl?"
Zell's eyes rounded in surprise. "See! You're obsessed with sex!"
"I'm not obsessed with sex it's just that…well er…I've never…actually…I mean I've had chances but I never had the nerve to…well Selphie and I haven't gotten to that point yet and I…I want advice….never mind, you don't understand. Single people never understand the sorrows of being in a relationship."
Zell snorted, "What you think I haven't had a girl before?"
"Well looking at you…apparently not."
"Well then you would be wrong."
Irvine's face dropped, his face seeming to whiten, "You've had sex....with a woman right?"
The kick-boxing extraordinaire punched Irvine in his arm, "Of course a woman. God."
"And it wasn't like a blow up doll, right?"
"It was a living, breathing woman. And she liked it too, so there!"
"Who?"
"I'm not gonna tell you that, that's private, PERV-ine."
Irvine glowered at Zell, "Don't call me that. Listen; seriously, could you give me some pointers?"
"What happened to Mr. Ladies Man?"
"Well…he's a lot of talk. I mean I've dated and snogged a lot of girls…and I've even gotten to fool around slightly but as far as the actual deed…I've never. I'm always afraid that I won't do it right, and with Selphie I want to do everything perfectly."
"Why don't you just initiate things, I'm sure Selphie will be able to show you the rest of the way. Just play along."
Irvine nodded as Zell wiped his face with a towel and exited the gym. Suddenly a thought dawned on him, "HEY, HOW DO YOU KNOW SHE'LL BE ABLE TO SHOW ME THE REST OF THE WAY?"
Alright, so there was chapter 4. I loved it, lots of uncomfortable situations and playful banter, and poor Squall, all alone to ponder the hormones of women. That's enough to drive any man insane. Lol. Hope you all liked it, review and lemme know. Chapter 5 up soon!
Much love,
~Nikki~