SUSPENDED.

An awkward silence filled the air as Cid Kramer leaned back into his chair. His eyes momentarily glanced outside his office window before focusing on the young man sitting across the table. He studied the boy for a moment, noticing how he shyly bit his lip – not a very common gesture for this particular lad. The boy was looking down into his lap, his long coffee-brown hair falling into his blushing face. Both men were considerably uncomfortable.

"Squall," Cid began, leaning forward and resting his elbows on the desk, "I really wish I knew what to say to you right now… I mean I don't know whether to be upset with you, or to laugh out loud at this whole situation." The middle-aged man paused for a moment. "I was never really good with this kind of thing. Normally I'd have one of the new faculty members deal with a situation like this, but due to the seriousness of the matter, I'm the one supposed to handle it."

Squall remained silent. He bit back an embarrassed smile, which was forcing itself onto his pale lips.

The headmaster noticed this and ordered him to knock it off. "As tempting as it is Squall, humoring this situation is really not going to help." The smile from Squall's lips immediately vanished. "I'm sorry Sir," he uttered.

"I'm very sure that you are. So am I, actually."

Squall looked up and furrowed his brow.

"What you did has really put a black mark on the Garden's image. You're the SeeD Commander Squall. Getting arrested like that has got to be one of the most irresponsible things you've ever done! Do you realize that?"

Squall just nodded his head in response.

"I mean, sure you've been arrested before," the headmaster continued, "after all, you were in the Galbadian D-District Prison with your companions. But that was different. It was during war! But this… what the hell were you thinking Squall!?!"

The young brunette opened his mouth to respond, but was immediately hushed by the older man. "Actually," Cid stated, gesturing with his hand for Squall to not speak, "I don't WANT to know what you were thinking."

The blush on Squall's face got even deeper.

"Now Squall, you do know that you're going to be punished, right? That's why you're here right now."

Squall made brief eye contact with the headmaster and nodded again.

"Good. As of today Squall, you are to be suspended for 3 weeks. During this time you will be relieved of all your duties and privileges as a SeeD, and you will NOT be allowed within the premises of Balamb Garden. During your absence, Vice Commander Xu shall take over your duties. You are expected to vacate the premises by 2pm today, which should give you about 3 hours to pack up. Are you clear on everything?"

"Yes Sir."

"Very well, now please hand over all your SeeD identification, and remove all junctions. You may keep your weapon for self defense."

Squall silently did as he was told. Cid noticed the blush on the boy's face slowly disappearing, and being replaced by a more sullen expression.

"I really hate doing this to you Squall," Cid said in a more sympathetic tone. He knew just how much Squall liked being a SeeD, and he really did hate taking that away from him, even if it was for a short while. "You can have all this back at the end of your suspension. I'll hold on to it for safe keeping."

"Thanks."

Just as Squall was walking out of the headmaster's office, he stopped for a moment. "What about Seifer?"

Cid gave a half smile. "I'll deal with him too, don't you worry about that."

Squall smiled back and nodded his head in agreement.

"And Squall," Cid called out, "stay out of trouble."

It was almost 01.30pm when Squall was done packing. He wondered if Seifer was going to be suspended as well.

About 6 months after the Sorceress war, Seifer had returned to the Garden. It wasn't easy, but he'd made a public apology, convincing everyone that he himself didn't have much control over his actions while being a knight. He was eventually forgiven. After all, if people could forgive Edea Kramer, they could forgive Seifer Almasy too.

During the next few months, Seifer worked extra hard on his studies and training. It was exactly a week before his 19th birthday when he'd finally become a SeeD.

Squall double-checked to see if he'd left anything behind. He still had half an hour before being officially kicked out. He couldn't help but think of the night the whole controversy started…

It was cold. Very cold. The streets of Deling City were deserted. Well, at least these ones were. Squall glanced down at his watch – 03.04am. "Are you sure you know where we're going?" he asked the tall man walking straight ahead of him.

The man turned his head a little, a slightly irritated look on his face. "That's the 20th time you've asked me that! What is your problem?"

"My problem, Seifer, is that I'm freezing my ass off!" Squall replied, tightly wrapping his charcoal gray coat around his lithe body. The thick wool of the garment wasn't keeping the cold out very effectively. Or maybe it was just the fact that he'd been out in sub-zero temperatures for over an hour.

Squall and Seifer had come to Galbadia on a mission. They, along with 2 instructors and 12 junior classmen were to eliminate at least 25% of the monsters inhabiting the Tomb of the Unknown King.

They were to spend 4 days there. When it was time to return, the trains to Balamb were unusually full, leaving a vacancy for only 14 of the away party. So it was decided that the juniors and their instructors would go first, leaving the 2 SeeDs to catch the next train, 3 days later.

It was a day after the others had left that Squall and Seifer decided to go to a club. Their formerly heated rivalry had now dwindled as the two had grown close – VERY close. Often preferring to accompany each other on missions, coming out of training a lot less bloody, requesting for their dorm rooms to be right next each other's… Apart from their close friends, no one else knew what exactly was going on with the two.

And now they were lost. It was all thanks to Seifer's brilliant idea to walk back to the hotel. "It's only a 20 minute walk," he'd said, "besides, I know a shortcut." And it was this shortcut that had led the pair to a totally unknown part of the city.

As they continued to walk, Seifer pulled the shivering Squall close to him, drawing his own black coat over the smaller man. "Better?"

"No!" Squall replied sourly. "I'm…" he was cut off by a sudden blast of warmth on the left side of his face. Seifer was gently trailing his lips and nose over it, effectively warming up the cold flesh. Squall involuntarily closed his eyes and let out a barely audible whimper as the unexpected warmth made him shiver. He immediately regained himself and stopped in his tracks, determined to not give Seifer any sort satisfaction.

"What?" Seifer asked, smirking impishly. He knew exactly what kind of reaction Squall's body had to something like that.

"I'm really, really pissed with you for getting us lost!"

"Awww…" Seifer encircled Squall's slender waist with his arms, pulling him in for a kiss. He could taste the fruity sweetness that Squall's mouth always tasted of – the strawberry lip balm which the brunette always wore.

Squall immediately pulled away. "Don't think you can seduce your way out of this, Almasy!" He was determined to stand his grounds.

"I'm not trying to seduce my way out of anything." Seifer's aquamarine eyes glinted with mischievousness. "You know what weather like this can do to me..." He pulled Squall close to him once again, and again devoured the younger man's sweet tasting mouth with his own.

Seifer could feel his crotch starting to tingle, the beginnings of an erection. There was something about the bitter cold that turned the blonde on immensely. And there was something about a horny Seifer, which turned Squall on immensely.

After a few more futile attempts of resistance, Squall gave in to his lover. He wrapped his arms around the larger man's firm body and thrust his tongue into his willing mouth.

The pair held each other tighter as their kiss got deeper. Then Seifer moved his mouth to kiss the rest of Squall's face, trailing onto his ear, and then his neck. Squall breathed in sharply and grabbed a handful of Seifer's now chin-length hair. He let out a whimper as he felt the blood from all over his body traveling into his lower regions.

Unconsciously the pair backed into a wall, with Squall's smaller frame pressed against the cold concrete. Seifer continued to kiss his way up and down his lover's face and neck while his hands roamed the younger man's body. He fluidly slid off Squall's coat and slipped his hands under the brunette's blue shirt.

Squall felt the sudden cold biting his upper half as the protective woolen garment was removed, but soon felt warm again as Seifer's hands gently grazed over the smooth skin of his torso. He let his own hands roam Seifer's fully clothed, body and slowly started to peel off his lover's attire. Soon the pair was completely naked, their rapidly regenerating body heat protecting them from the icy weather.

They were on the ground now, lying over the 2 discarded coats which were the only barrier between their bodies and the freezing concrete of the sidewalk. Seifer began to lubricate Squall's orifice with the strawberry lip balm he'd found in Squall's pant pocket, causing the brunette's erection to grow from the stimulating massage.

Before long, the two young lovers were completely oblivious to their surroundings as the heat created from their lovemaking caused a thin sheen of sweat to form on their both their bodies. Squall inhaled sharply as he felt his muscles constrict, his body readying itself for an orgasm. He tightened his legs around Seifer's waist and moaned loudly during his intense climax. Within the next 5 seconds, Seifer too climaxed, filling the younger man with his warm seed.

The couple would always cuddle and kiss after sex, however, those affectionate gestures were not to be exhibited this time. As soon as their final orgasmic spasms ended, the two were in for a rude awakening.

"Freeze! Deling City Police Department!"

Squall couldn't help but smile as he remembered that night. The way he and Seifer were told to 'make themselves decent', the way they were hauled into the cop car and driven to the police department, the look on the officers' faces when they realized that the 2 offenders were indeed Balamb Garden's SeeD Commander and the former sorceress's knight. There was definitely a major element of humor in the entire situation.

"Yo! Squall! What's so funny man?"

Squall was immediately snapped back to the present at the sound of that always energized voice. He turned to face its owner and raised an eyebrow. "You really want me to answer that Zell?"

Zell's curious expression immediately vanished and was replaced by a frown. "Actually, no."

Squall let out a small chuckle. "I thought so."

The two 19-year-olds remained silent for the next few moments as Zell drove them towards the Balamb Hotel. Squall had decided to stay there during his time away from the Garden.

"Sure you don't want to stay at my place?" Zell held out the spare key to his apartment, which he'd purchased soon after his 18th birthday. Squall just shook his head in response, preferring to not occupy someone else's residence, even if it was Zell.

The two friends bid each other a quick farewell before Squall checked into his room. Just as he'd finished unpacking, there was a knock at the door. Hoping that it wasn't Selphie trying to 'cheer him up', he reluctantly answered.

"Hey you," greeted the tall blonde visitor, his aquamarine eyes subtly twinkling.

Squall raised an eyebrow, the slightest hint of a smile creeping onto his lips. "Hey you too," he replied, surprised yet happy to see Seifer there.

"Chicken–wuss told me you'd be here… Let me guess; 3 weeks suspension, not allowed to enter the Garden, and not allowed to be a SeeD, right?"

"Right…" Squall replied, "You get the same too?"

Seifer nodded. He'd considered spending his suspension time in FH, but decided to stay in Balamb once he found out that was where Squall was staying. He was carrying his suitcase, which mean that he hadn't gotten a room of his own yet. And knowing Seifer, Squall knew that he wasn't planning on getting one either – not that he minded.

"Planning to crash here then, are we?" Squall asked in an almost lightheartedly sarcastic tone as Seifer dragged his suitcase into the room without being invited in.

"Yep," replied Seifer with his trademark smirk plastered onto his face, "and I'm gonna make you my little bitch all over again."

"Fuck you Almasy!" protested the younger man. "You can't do shit to me and you know that!" In spite the fact that they were now lovers, they still argued a great deal, even if it was playful.

"That's what you think, Leonhart." And with that, Seifer wrapped his arms around Squall's slender body and captured his baby pink lips with his own. Any protests that Squall may have had quickly disappeared as Seifer's soft, warm tongue massaged it's way into the brunette's slightly open mouth. Squall let out a small whimper before embracing Seifer's body and returning the kiss.

Squall watched Seifer's sleeping form and thought about the time he realized his true feelings for the blonde. It had been during his first visit to Galbadia Garden, when Seifer had disappeared and was rumored to be dead. The thought of loosing him felt like someone had ripped out Squall's internal organs, literally making him feel empty and disoriented. And then the feeling of elation that washed over him when he discovered that Seifer wasn't dead after all. For the few months that followed, Squall had secretly hoped and prayed that Seifer would rejoin them. Not because it would weaken the enemy, but because he simply missed the blonde bully more than he had ever missed anyone in his entire life. Even though he was superficially falling for Rinoa at the time, it was then that Squall Leonhart admitted to himself that he was in love with Seifer Almasy.

Seifer on the other hand knew that he loved Squall ever since he was 16 years old. He was 13 when he had his first wet dream, and to his shock and horror, it was about Squall! At first the blonde boy was too embarrassed to admit anything, even to himself. But as he got older, he was able to come to terms with his bisexuality, and the fact that he had lusty feelings towards his rival. As the months passed, Seifer started to feel that he wanted more than just sex from Squall, and it took him another year to realize that it was love.

"Insomnia?" asked a groggy voice. Squall looked down onto the pillow, gently caressing the blonde head that was on it. "Nah, just thinking," he replied.

"Well, knock it off and go to sleep!" Even in his sleepy state Seifer sounded bossy, which made Squall chuckle. He gently kissed Seifer on the forehead and wrapped his lithe arms around him, his head resting upon the larger man's chest. He could feel Seifer's breath gently ruffling through his hair and smiled.

"You know something, Seifer?"

"What?"

"We should get suspended more often."

--The End

// I've had this fanfic idea for about 6 months now and I FINALLY managed to get it down into words. Hope y'all like it. Any feedback would be much appreciated J//