Irvine was walking down the hallway, hand in hand with Rebecca, whom he had met just a few hours ago at the all-SeeD meeting. They'd been out in the quad, and he'd offered to walk her home. They'd just arrived outside her door.
"I had a lovely time tonight," the young woman said. Irvine smiled, coolly. Here we go, he thought to himself.
"Me too," he said, stroking her cheek with his palm. "Maybe we could hook up again and have some other lovely times together?" He asked. How can she refuse me? He thought. She smiled, and asked-
"Don't you have a mission, tomorrow morning?" Now's the time, Irvine, the sniper thought. Hit her with the charm.
"Hey, baby," he said, as coolly as he possibly could, "Don't you know the hero always comes back alive?" He leaned in to kiss her, but she backed off.
"Goodnight, Irvine," she said, still smiling, entering her quarters and shutting the door in Irvine's face. Irvine simply chuckled to himself.
"She can't resist me for long," he reassured himself, before walking down the hall towards his quarters. Along the way, however, he encountered Squall, still slumped on the floor outside his quarters.
"Squall?" Irvine asked. "What happened? D'you lock yourself out or something?"
Squall opened his eyes, and cast an uncaring glance at Irvine.
"Go away," he said, "I'm not in the mood." Irvine took a step back- he wasn't exactly the most perceptive of people, but he could tell that something was SERIOUSLY wrong here.
"C'mon, Squall," he said, in a friendly voice, "I thought we were friends."
"What part of go away don't you understand, Irvine?" Squall asked, hoping that Irvine would take the hint. His hopes were soon to be dashed, however.
"So you're planning," Irvine began, "to sit out here all night, sleep in your doorway and be rough as hell the morning before our big battle?"
Squall looked down- Irvine had a point. However, he didn't want him and his incessant cheeriness plaguing him all night- in the worst-case scenario, he might start telling Squall about his date.
"I-I'll grab a couple of hours in the Ragnarok on the way over to FH," Squall said, not entirely confidently. Unfortunately, Irvine was buying none of it.
"If you ain't gonna move," Irvine said, firmly, "then I'm just gonna drag you along by your ankles." It wasn't exactly how Irvine had planned to spend the evening, but Squall was a friend, albeit a male one, and it was his duty to help him out however he possibly could.
"You wouldn't dare," Squall said, challenging Irvine's ankle-dragging threat.
"Try me," Irvine said. Reluctantly, Squall got up, grabbed his cases and followed Irvine to his quarters.
"Ya know," Irvine started, "if you just locked yourself out I know a few ways to break in."
"It's a little more complicated than that," Squall replied. They arrived at Irvine's quarters, a simple single room most SeeDs had, five minutes later. Immediately as he entered, Irvine removed his trench coat and boots, and, putting them away neatly, sprung backwards and landed on his bed, instantly assuming a lying position, his hands behind his head. Squall wondered to himself how many times he'd had to practice that before he'd mastered keeping his hat on. Dumping his cases after his brief thoughtful interlude, Squall sat on Irvine's battered old sofa. I can't imagine he makes out with many girls on this thing, Squall thought to himself. Before he could muster up and more thoughts, however, Irvine interrupted him.
"So," he began, leaning his head to look at Squall, "what happened, like?"
Squall hung his head. He'd have to tell him sooner or later, so Squall decided it might as well be sooner.
"Me and Rinoa," he began, "We had a bit of a bust-up. A major bust-up, if you must know."
"Ouch," Irvine grimaced. He'd been there before- countless times, in fact. "What was it about?" Squall hung his head again- he'd never been big on eye contact.
"She's mad I won't let her come on the mission," Squall replied. "You know how stubborn she can be." Irvine nodded- he hadn't forgotten her, well, persuasive methods to get him to return to the desert prison after Squall and co. had been captured following the abortive attempt on sorceress Edea's life. In fact, he probably still had a few bruises from where she kept kicking him…
"She'll calm down," Irvine confidently predicted, "She loves you, man." Squall nodded. But when? He thought. I go away for god knows how long tomorrow, it's possible I may not return alive. Oh god, Rinoa…
Almost reading his mind, Irvine chimed in again.
"If you're worried about leaving her after you've had a bust-up," he advised, "then simply go down there before we leave tomorrow morning. She'll hear you out. I'm sure of it." For once, Squall deigned to look up, and, seeing the grin on Irvine's face, nodded.
"Alrighty then!" Irvine shouted. He took off his hat, throwing it at his hat-stand (and missing by several feet), and climbing under his covers. "You should get some sleep, man," he continued, "we got a big day ahead of us tomorrow!" Squall nodded, as he took off his boots and jacket and dumped them on the floor.
"There are some sheets in the cupboard," Irvine said, "but for god's sake, Squall, be careful with the couch. You have no idea how many good nights I've had on it. And I want to have plenty more, if you get what I mean!"
Fetching the sheets and a pillow from Irvine's cupboard (and wondering why anyone would ever need as many guns as Irvine had), Squall laid down on the sofa and uttered one, simple sentiment-
"Get it repaired, then." Looking at the couch, Irvine realised that Squall had a point- it was a bit tatty.
"Yeah," he started, "maybe you're right. It is a bit worn. Anyway, 'night Squall." He turned out the light.
"Goodnight, Irvine," Squall responded. As he drifted off to sleep, Squall's thoughts were elsewhere- with a certain raven-haired young woman, lying in his bed in his quarters just down the corridor, but currently out of reach. However, strangely, his last thought before he drifted off to sleep was not of Rinoa, but of his father, Laguna.
Why did you have to leave me? Thought Squall, as he eventually nodded off.
"I had a lovely time tonight," the young woman said. Irvine smiled, coolly. Here we go, he thought to himself.
"Me too," he said, stroking her cheek with his palm. "Maybe we could hook up again and have some other lovely times together?" He asked. How can she refuse me? He thought. She smiled, and asked-
"Don't you have a mission, tomorrow morning?" Now's the time, Irvine, the sniper thought. Hit her with the charm.
"Hey, baby," he said, as coolly as he possibly could, "Don't you know the hero always comes back alive?" He leaned in to kiss her, but she backed off.
"Goodnight, Irvine," she said, still smiling, entering her quarters and shutting the door in Irvine's face. Irvine simply chuckled to himself.
"She can't resist me for long," he reassured himself, before walking down the hall towards his quarters. Along the way, however, he encountered Squall, still slumped on the floor outside his quarters.
"Squall?" Irvine asked. "What happened? D'you lock yourself out or something?"
Squall opened his eyes, and cast an uncaring glance at Irvine.
"Go away," he said, "I'm not in the mood." Irvine took a step back- he wasn't exactly the most perceptive of people, but he could tell that something was SERIOUSLY wrong here.
"C'mon, Squall," he said, in a friendly voice, "I thought we were friends."
"What part of go away don't you understand, Irvine?" Squall asked, hoping that Irvine would take the hint. His hopes were soon to be dashed, however.
"So you're planning," Irvine began, "to sit out here all night, sleep in your doorway and be rough as hell the morning before our big battle?"
Squall looked down- Irvine had a point. However, he didn't want him and his incessant cheeriness plaguing him all night- in the worst-case scenario, he might start telling Squall about his date.
"I-I'll grab a couple of hours in the Ragnarok on the way over to FH," Squall said, not entirely confidently. Unfortunately, Irvine was buying none of it.
"If you ain't gonna move," Irvine said, firmly, "then I'm just gonna drag you along by your ankles." It wasn't exactly how Irvine had planned to spend the evening, but Squall was a friend, albeit a male one, and it was his duty to help him out however he possibly could.
"You wouldn't dare," Squall said, challenging Irvine's ankle-dragging threat.
"Try me," Irvine said. Reluctantly, Squall got up, grabbed his cases and followed Irvine to his quarters.
"Ya know," Irvine started, "if you just locked yourself out I know a few ways to break in."
"It's a little more complicated than that," Squall replied. They arrived at Irvine's quarters, a simple single room most SeeDs had, five minutes later. Immediately as he entered, Irvine removed his trench coat and boots, and, putting them away neatly, sprung backwards and landed on his bed, instantly assuming a lying position, his hands behind his head. Squall wondered to himself how many times he'd had to practice that before he'd mastered keeping his hat on. Dumping his cases after his brief thoughtful interlude, Squall sat on Irvine's battered old sofa. I can't imagine he makes out with many girls on this thing, Squall thought to himself. Before he could muster up and more thoughts, however, Irvine interrupted him.
"So," he began, leaning his head to look at Squall, "what happened, like?"
Squall hung his head. He'd have to tell him sooner or later, so Squall decided it might as well be sooner.
"Me and Rinoa," he began, "We had a bit of a bust-up. A major bust-up, if you must know."
"Ouch," Irvine grimaced. He'd been there before- countless times, in fact. "What was it about?" Squall hung his head again- he'd never been big on eye contact.
"She's mad I won't let her come on the mission," Squall replied. "You know how stubborn she can be." Irvine nodded- he hadn't forgotten her, well, persuasive methods to get him to return to the desert prison after Squall and co. had been captured following the abortive attempt on sorceress Edea's life. In fact, he probably still had a few bruises from where she kept kicking him…
"She'll calm down," Irvine confidently predicted, "She loves you, man." Squall nodded. But when? He thought. I go away for god knows how long tomorrow, it's possible I may not return alive. Oh god, Rinoa…
Almost reading his mind, Irvine chimed in again.
"If you're worried about leaving her after you've had a bust-up," he advised, "then simply go down there before we leave tomorrow morning. She'll hear you out. I'm sure of it." For once, Squall deigned to look up, and, seeing the grin on Irvine's face, nodded.
"Alrighty then!" Irvine shouted. He took off his hat, throwing it at his hat-stand (and missing by several feet), and climbing under his covers. "You should get some sleep, man," he continued, "we got a big day ahead of us tomorrow!" Squall nodded, as he took off his boots and jacket and dumped them on the floor.
"There are some sheets in the cupboard," Irvine said, "but for god's sake, Squall, be careful with the couch. You have no idea how many good nights I've had on it. And I want to have plenty more, if you get what I mean!"
Fetching the sheets and a pillow from Irvine's cupboard (and wondering why anyone would ever need as many guns as Irvine had), Squall laid down on the sofa and uttered one, simple sentiment-
"Get it repaired, then." Looking at the couch, Irvine realised that Squall had a point- it was a bit tatty.
"Yeah," he started, "maybe you're right. It is a bit worn. Anyway, 'night Squall." He turned out the light.
"Goodnight, Irvine," Squall responded. As he drifted off to sleep, Squall's thoughts were elsewhere- with a certain raven-haired young woman, lying in his bed in his quarters just down the corridor, but currently out of reach. However, strangely, his last thought before he drifted off to sleep was not of Rinoa, but of his father, Laguna.
Why did you have to leave me? Thought Squall, as he eventually nodded off.