Heyhey! This was going to be smut, but the boys decided not to co-operate. I've decided that any smut I write for this fic will not be an actual chapter, but a spin off sort of thing. I'll tell you if it ever gets done, it'll be on my public LJ, of course.

This chapter hasn't been read by my darling yet, but never fear, I'm sure she will read it. Soon.

Squall POV

"You wanted to kiss me?"

"Yeah." He nods slightly, his arms wrapping around me, pulling me closer to him while I try not to think beyond the moment. Damn it, shut up, Squall, this is what you want, quit over analysing it. "Yeah, I did." There's a touch of surprise in his voice that makes me wonder.

But I smile slightly anyway, quite happy with that answer. "Do it again?"

"With pleasure," he says softly, his eyes caressing my face for a moment before meeting mine and closing as he leans forward.

The kiss starts off gentle, like the first, until his tongue sneaks out, trailing along my lower lip. My mouth opens to him without me even thinking about it, and he groans softly, his arms tightening around me even more, crushing me to him. And I don't even mind, pressing closer, wanting more of his taste, his touch, his scent.

It feels like… since he's been back, he's got under my skin. No, that's wrong. He's always been under my skin, an itch I couldn't quite scratch… this is a better way to 'scratch' it than fighting, I think.

He pulls back a little, his green eyes for once not teasing, or cynical, or indifferent, or angry. Just… caring. Caring. For me. It's an emotion I've rarely seen on him, and never aimed at me before. "Are you okay?" he asks, smiling slightly and still looking at me, his gaze intense.

"Yeah, I'm… fine." The way he's looking at me is too distracting. I lean up a little to kiss him again, and his arms wrap tighter around my waist, holding me. It's funny, but it would feel wrong to be doing this if it was anyone else. I can't imagine with Rinoa, or Quistis, or…

He smirks slightly when I pull back, breaking the kiss. "I can take a hint. Don't want to talk about it right now?"

I shrug; because I don't know what I feel about all this, it's just… I want him and it feels good, right, nice. That's enough to know for now. Normally, I'd ask this to death, but right now, with him, I don't want to. I feel something for him, and he seems to feel something for me, so let it lie, for now.

We can talk later.

He strips off his gloves, his bare hand settling on my face, thumb stroking my cheekbone. His hands are softer than might be expected for a gunblade specialist, the lack of calluses a surprise, but it's more or less the same for my hands – the leather takes a lot of the strain from the skin. Without the gloves, unless your hands have toughened up a lot, handling a gunblade hurts. Especially when your hands dry up and flake and split in the freezing cold.

He looks about to say something, but then he just bends his head slightly, kissing me again. I've never hated the six inches or so of height between us so much as now, pushing up a little on the balls of my feet to kiss him more comfortably.

His hands slide round, holding onto my hips to steady me for a moment, his tongue in my mouth distracting me wonderfully from the vague ache my feet are noting. One hand shifts, creeping up my t-shirt, just resting against the warm skin of my stomach.

I clench my hands in the fabric of his shirt, dragging him hard against me. He smirks slightly as he breaks the kiss; the smirk twisting his mouth while his eyes remain soft.

"You're blushing," he says, laughter in his tone.

"Am not." That statement makes me feel sulky.

"Now you're being childish."

This time I wrap my arms around his neck, pulling him down to me.

I'm not even sure what I'm doing, everything just a warm pleasant haze, kissing, touching, tasting, until his hands are tugging at my shirt, bringing cool to my skin and to my heat hazed thinking, slicing through the fog with one unwelcome thought.

"Seifer. Stop."

"What?" He pulls back, tilting his head to the side, questioning. And slightly hurt, too.

"There's a class in here in… ten minutes." I calm my breathing as he utters a soft curse. But he won't let me go so soon. He drags me closer, holding me tight.

"So practical," he teases lightly, kissing my forehead. If I were anyone else, he'd probably say to hell with the class and do me right here. But I'm me, and he knows I'd kick up a fuss if he tried.

Suddenly, I'm afraid of that tenderness in his eyes, and how well he knows me. Afraid of the feeling it invokes in me in answer. I won't… push him away, but I want some time on my own to think things through. I hope he'll understand if I just tell him so. Bluntness and honesty can be a good thing in a… relationship. A relationship? Shit. I really do need to think this through.

Although some part of my brain seems to think that a relationship with my former rival who I nearly killed on various occasions and who nearly killed me several times is perfectly normal. A stark contrast to the objections it had against Rinoa.

"I want… some time on my own."

He nods after a moment, obviously understanding, but reluctant. "Going to dump me on Quistis, I guess?"

"She won't be happy about it, but Selphie will be busy… unless you want to spend some quality time with Zell?" I raise my eyebrow, finding it all too easy to be comfortable with Seifer. To talk to him as if this… whatever it is, between us, is something normal…

Not that it isn't 'normal', just not… Ah, I wish I could find words easier. But I've never been good at that.

"With chicky? Fuck no. I'll put up with Quistis for a while." He shrugs, then gestures to the door, "After you."

I roll my eyes and head for the door, and he follows right behind me. Before I open it, he puts his arms around me, holding me still. His breath hits the back of my neck, warm and ticklish. "Hey, Squall… don't think too much, okay?"

I nod again, but he doesn't yet release me.

"Don't dismiss this too lightly, either," he says, very quiet now. "I don't know why it happened, but it's not nothing to me. I want to see where it's going."

"I won't. I don't do anything meaningless," I tell him quietly, because this seems to matter to him. Confused as I am, I don't want him hurting.

And then he releases me, the bite of sarcasm returning to his voice. "Lead on, oh great Commander."

Seifer POV

Damn… I… Fuck, I really hate this. Squall Leonhart has me tangled up in feelings like a fucking girl. He needs to think, I need to think, but all that crosses my mind is that I really, really hope that he's thinking what I'm thinking.

That we'd make a good couple.

Seriously, I'm acting like a fucking girl.

Time to distract myself. Lucky I have the resident whip wielding blonde around to take my mind off things… If she's being better company than she was before, anyway. "Hey, Quisty."

"What?" She looks up, her voice sharp. Whoa, slow down there, girly. I'm not all bad, I promise.

"What happened to Squall and Rinoa in the end? I thought they were into the whole Sorceress and Knight fairy tale crap?" I lean back in my chair, throwing my booted feet up on to rest on her desk.

"You haven't heard?" She raises an eyebrow.

"I wouldn't ask if I knew, Blondie."

She shrugs. "There's not really much to tell. Squall thinks too much, Rinoa got tired of waiting, she left him."

"Tell me something I don't know, about the thinking too much, I mean." I can't help muttering. Yes, I'm sulking. So?

Quistis shrugs again. I'm getting tired of seeing her being so indifferent. The Quistis who was my instructor would certainly have noticed and probably commented on my sulks. "What's up with you, Quisty?"

"Nothing's wrong," she says, a little too sharply. I cross my arms in front of my chest, raise an eyebrow, and wait. After a moment, a sigh escapes. "I'm not sure I'm doing this job as well as I should be. Squall puts a lot of trust in me and…" She remembers who she's talking to, and just trails off.

"Trust me, Quisty, even if I did work for the rebellion, they don't want to know about your angst." I wave a hand, getting sick of her paranoia. "And as for doubting yourself, Squall knows what you're capable of. He'd never overwork anyone except himself, and you know it."

She just heaves a sigh of pure frustration, pushing the work away. After a moment, she looks up at me. "You know, when Rinoa left, I guess I thought me and Squall could… be something. But he was never interested in me at all, was he?"

Oh. That's what this is about. And I can't reassure her because, well, I was just in that classroom kissing the Ice Prince himself. He might not be mine, but I'm damn sure he's not interested in Quistis one bit. I won't go giving her false hope.

"I don't think he's interested in anyone. You know him… reigning princess of emotional detachment."

That brings a faint smile to her face, and she nods, pulling her work back to her. "Still, would it hurt to try?"

I wish I could tell her it would. But she looks so hopeful… I just shrug.

Damn, when did I start giving a shit about this lot, anyway? Probably about the same time those stupid creeping feelings for Squall got in. Going soft in my old age, I guess.

She pauses again, then, giving me a careful look, she speaks softly. "Do you think Squall is gay?"

If I hadn't been kissing him earlier, I'm sure I would have spluttered, choked and gasped out a 'no' through laughter. Or maybe not, but I'd certainly be more shocked than now.

Quistis is, apparently, still the observant Instructor I knew. I had thought she'd dimmed a little, not noticing Squall's inclinations, but no. She's still all there, just deluding herself.

I guess I'm not one to talk. I managed to delude myself that a fairytale could come true. But life doesn't work that way.

But, truthfully, I answer her with a shrug and a soft 'don't know'. He could be bisexual, or just playing with my head, or… secretly a woman… hell, I don't know.

"You're gay though, aren't you?" she asks, tilting her head a little. I could swear that is a smug, teasing smile on her face. Better than depression anyway.

But this time, I do splutter a little. "How the hell do you know? No, wait, I don't want to know. It's probably one of those woman things."

"Not that you know anything about women." Oh yes, that is definitely a smug smile.