Chapter 4

The outer office was hushed; most everybody had left for the day, going back to their dorms, out to dinner, or to be with friends. The lights, for the most part, were out as well. A quick scan over the cubicles to the far side of the room showed that one room still had their lights on.

Squall walked across the dead room, stopping outside the office with blinds drawn, light seeping through in slants that fell across the floor. He tapped gently on the door.

The door was answered a few seconds later, opened only enough for Xu to be able to see who was outside. "Wait, don't slam the door on me...please," Squall said, a hint of desperation making its way into his otherwise cool voice. As much as Xu was pissed that he had kissed her, then ignored her, she couldn't shut him out, not when he was so obviously asking for help. She opened the door widely, letting Squall inside, shutting it as Squall sat in the chair in front of her desk, his face buried in his hands.

She had never seen him like this. Not in all the years she had known him, and not even when they had become closer as their work drew them together. She thought of Squall as a friend, and she thought that Squall felt the same way, even if they didn't share much with one another. As much as she had wanted to be a real friend for him, it had just never happened. That's why this sudden display shocked her. This, and the kiss they had shared earlier. She was absolutely confused.

She came as close as she dared, standing beside her desk, not wanting to seem too distant by standing behind it, or too close by kneeling at his side. Middle ground seemed like the most comfortable route to take. "Squall? What's wrong?" she asked, genuinely concerned.

He raised his head from hands, brushing small tears from the corners of his eyes, trying to compose himself, but doing a rather unconvincing job. "Xu, I know I haven't exactly been great to you...no, I've treated you like shit. More like a necessary evil than an enjoyable coworker." He stopped, trying his best at a compassionate smile. "I'm sorry, Xu."

She walked a little closer, still not within touching distance, but close enough to show she cared. "Squall, don't worry about it. I know this stuff is hard for you, and I know you well enough not to take most of the stuff you say too seriously."

"See, that's the thing," he said, slapping his thighs in frustration. "You, and everybody else has to tolerate my moods, my distance, my focus on the big picture, and not on the people that care about me most."

Xu didn't quite know what to say to that. It was true, every last bit of it. And she still couldn't quite believe that Squall was telling her this, out of everybody else that he had.

"Squall, it's ok, it really is. I mean, you have gotten a lot better, especially over the last few years, haven't you?" she offered. "It's just going to take a while to trust people again-"

"So you know?" he asked, eyes filled to the brim with unshed tears, threatening to spill over. How could she know about Irvine?

"Know about what?" Xu asked, genuinely confused. "I know that you had a hard time at the orphanage, especially after Ellone was taken," she said, using the information she had gained from talks with Selphie. "But people- we all love you Squall, we're all here for you, we know you care...that's all that matters, right?"

Squall was silent for a few seconds, and Xu didn't know if what she had said had gotten through to him, or if he had just shut down again. He had been acting like the old Squall for the last week, or so. But, then again, he was here, opening up to her...

"I'm sorry, Xu," he said softly, almost so quiet that Xu didn't hear it. She took a step closer, her legs almost touching his bent knees. "I...when I...that ki- I'm sorry that I kissed you. I didn't mean to. It just...happened. I hope you understand," he finished, trying not to hurt her feelings.

Xu smiled ironically. It had been too good to be true. But, she could respect that she didn't mean that to him. It was fine- at least he was talking to her like a friend, treating her with respect, instead of short sentences and orders. "I do, Squall. It's fine," she said, even trying to convince herself with the words.

He met her eyes." It is? Are you sure?" She nodded. "Oh Xu, thank Hyne, I didn't know if you would, well, you know," he said, waving his hand about, dismissing the thought. He stood, and unsure whether or not it would be appropriate to grab her hand, compromised by holding her arms gently in his closed hands. "Xu, thank you for being here for me today," he said slowly, a warm smile gracing his unsure face. "I needed it."

Xu suddenly realized what had happened: he and Irvine must have broken up. Oh Hyne! She felt horrible for him. Irvine was basically the only person he had trusted, the only one he had opened up to, and his only real friend. He talked to the rest of them, but it wasn't the same thing that he and Irvine had. It must have happened...and she was the next person he came to? She wasn't sure if she was up to the challenge of being Squall's close friend, but she sure as hell would try.

"Of course, Squall. That's what friends are for, right?"

He smiled at her, and then suddenly realized something. Of course, why hadn't he thought of it before? The could use a good brain on the mission...

"Say, Xu, didn't you say that Nida's been doing incredibly well, as Assistant Garden Director?" he asked suddenly.

"Oh, well, yes I suppose so. He's shocked me, that's for sure. If I didn't know any better, I would say he's next in line for my position, if it ever opens up."

"Well, then, he would probably be able to manage running things if you were gone for a few days, wouldn't he?"

"...Why would I be gone? Squall, are you shipping me off to another convention? You know, that's why I thought you hired Nida, to take care of all that trivial stuff. I really can't just get up and leave, and-"

"Xu, I'm asking if you'd like to join us on the Trabia liberation mission."

Her? On a mission? She hadn't gotten out of the Garden in...Well, Hyne knew it had been too long. And she supposed Nida could keep things under control.

"Are you sure? I mean, I haven't gone on a real mission in a long time, and my bo skills are rather, well, horrible...you'd probably be better off with somebody else," she said, dismissing the hope of excitement and danger.

"Don't give that, Xu. I'm well aware that you train every night in the Training Center. And we're going to need somebody really smart- you know, for code breaking, random Garden procedure knowledge...stuff like that. You're perfectly qualified; just the person we need to round out the bunch."

Did they need her, really? "Oh Hyne, Squall, of course I'll come! I'm not going to just let those Galbadian pricks take over everything that we've worked for!" She jumped into his arms in all the excitement, taking Squall by surprise. She leaped back just as suddenly. "When do we leave?"

Squall scratched the back of his head, a rather sheepish expression on his face. "Umm...at six?"

"Oh my, two hours! I've got to get things together! And I'll have to talk to Nida..." She grabbed some things from her desk, before darting out of the open door.

"Meet at the front of the Garden at six!" He yelled after her. For once, he felt like he was doing exactly the right thing.

Roane paced the room, practically counting the minutes, the seconds until they left, and he was able to take part in his first real mission in over a year. Squall hadn't completely incapacitated him in his detestation, only broken his spirit, sending him on errantry runs, miscellaneous tasks that normally would have been completed by cadets looking to earn a little extra pocket money. It had been embarrassing and degrading, which Roane knew was exactly what Squall had meant it for. He had seemed to loosen up a little over the past few months, and Roane had seen the beginnings of an understanding between the two, even possibly a resolution between Squall and Rinoa. But the Squall he had seen today was the very same Squall that he had met two years ago: bitter, cold, and angry at the world and everybody in it. He sighed, suddenly stopping mid-pace. He just couldn't understand that man.

"Tired of pacing a ditch through my room?" Rinoa teased, looking over the top of the book she was reading, laying back on her bed.

"Just thinking of your ex-boyfriend, and why he hates me so much," Roane replied smugly.

Rinoa set her book facedown on her chest. "Roane, I told you not to take it so personal. Squall...he's wired different than the rest of us. He's not one to forgive so lightly."

"I know, I know. I've heard all of this before, Rin. I just...can't stand someone loathing my existence, you know? I mean, he's never even tried to talk to me, he just dismisses me like some piece of crap on the side of the road."

"Well, you have two choices, babe: you're going to have to get used to it, or die miserable, because you're never going to know if Squall will 'forgive you' for my sins or not."

Dammit.

A sharp knocking, coming from the door, broke the silence that had built from Rinoa's last comment. "Got it," Roane said, stopping Rinoa before she got up to answer her own door.

He opened the door to reveal six feet of cowboy. "Hey Irvine," he said, letting Rinoa hear who was at the door before she wasted her time getting up from bed. As much as she liked to say that Squall and Irvine didn't give her the time of day, there was little-to-no effort made on her part either. Eh, what could you do.

"Hey Roane, I've been looking all over for you- ditched your old room for the more spacious quarters of a senior sorceress SeeD?"

"You know it," Roane said, slapping his friend on the shoulder. "Why live in modesty, when I can surround myself with luxury?"

"You cocky son-of-a-bitch, you sure are full of yourself," Irvine said jokingly. Roane replied with a shrug; it sure beat living in the smaller single room he had occupied before.

"Anyways, I just got back from lunch with Selph, and I figured what could be better than relaxing with my other best friend before we take off to save the world yet again?"

"Sure, just let me go tell Rinoa what's up. I'll be right back," he said, leaving Irvine standing in the hall.

"What'd that prick want?" Rinoa asked as he walked into her room, acid lacing her usually sweet voice.

"That 'prick' and I are going to get in some quality guy-time before we head out on our big mission. I'll be back before we leave," Roane told her.

"Whatever," Rinoa said, not looking up from her book. Roane knew the book wasn't so spellbinding that she couldn't even break eye contact from it to look at him. She was pissed.

He crossed to room to sit beside her on the bed, her eyes still glued to the 'engrossing' novel. "Rinoa, I'm not ditching you for Irvine- he's my friend. Friends spend time together. It's what they do. I haven't really hung out with him since...well, since he and Squall officially got together. We're due for some time to catch up." He placed his hand over Rinoa's, which was clasped to the book rather tightly.

She finally took her eyes from the page, almost painfully. "I'm sorry, Roane, I just don't associate with people that ignore me for two years, just because I dumped their friend."

Roane frowned. "At least you could be a little supportive."

"All right," she said with a sigh. "Have fun- does that work?"

Roane laughed. "Well, now I know why you never got into acting," he quipped.

Rinoa squinted her eyes at him, suppressing the desire to slap him on the arm. "Get out of here," she said, waving her hand toward the door. "Go have some 'guy-time.'"

He kissed her chastely on the lips, and she resumed reading while Roane went to go see the man who had hurt her probably more than Squall had over the past two years.

"Make yourself at home," Irvine said, indicating that Roane sit on the small couch that was pretty much the only seating area in the suite. He made his way to the kitchen. "Do you want a beer?" he asked over his shoulder.

"Sure," Roane replied, standing in front of the love seat. "Hey Irvine?" he called. "Is that blood on your couch?"

Irvine returned from the kitchen, beers in hand, looking a little uncomfortable. "Umm, yeah," he said, handing a beer to Roane. "That would be from me cutting my face open on a broken vodka bottle."

Ah. "Rough night, then?" he asked, plopping himself onto the unstained side of the white couch.

"You could say that," Irvine said, falling back into the empty seat, taking a swig from his bottle. "I went to Squall's last night to get my stuff."

"...And the blood fits into this, how?" Roane asked.

Right. "Well, I wanted to boost my confidence before going over, so I, well-" Irvine adjusted his cowboy hat, a nervous habit, "-I drank a bottle of vodka. And then I got pissed, and smashed it onto that table," he said, indicating the short mahogany coffee table before them, "and some glass flew back and slashed me up. Nothing major, really," Irvine ended.

"Sounds pretty major to me, Irvine. You should have told me you were having a hard time. You know I'm always here for you."

Irvine nodded. "I know, I just didn't want to get you wrapped up in any of this..."

"I'll always be wrapped up in whatever's happening in your life, Irvine," Roane said, scooting a little closer to comfort his friend. "You know I care about you, so whatever hurts you, hurts me too."

Irvine looked up, tipping his hat back from his face, and patting his friend's hand, which rested on the back of the couch. "Thanks, Roane. You always were a fucking awesome friend- until you left me in Galbadia to go to Balamb-fucking-Garden. I forgot to thank you for that one, prick," Irvine said, prodding a sore spot in an attempt at a joking manner. The feelings still ran rather deep, though.

"I know Irv, it was an asshole move on my part," Roane admitted, staring down at his beer bottle, and taking a deep drink.

"So," Irvine prodded, "why'd you leave me? Just when things were getting so good?"

It was Roane's turn to look uncomfortable. When they had been reunited, after Irvine had joined up with Squall and the others, it had just been good to see an old friend, and neither had broached the subject of "the betrayal." They had both acted as if it had never happened, as if it were all forgiven and forgotten. And now he brought it up, out of the blue...

"Do you want the honest answer, Irvine? The honest-to-Hyne truth?" Roane asked, not wanting to hurt his oldest friend.

Did he? Did he really want to know, or would knowing risk changing the friendship they had already managed to repair? "I do," Irvine said with conviction, nodding his head.

Roane took a deep breath. "I left because..." he paused, taking another swig of the cold bitter liquid from the bottle. "Because I was scared that somebody could love me so much. I was afraid that I couldn't love you enough in return; that I would eventually end up hurting you so much that we could never be friends again. So, I left," Roane concluded, hoping his answer was satisfactory.

Irvine had his head cocked slightly to the side. "You left to avoid hurting me? Didn't you realize that leaving then was probably one of the most hurtful things you could have done?" Irvine asked, emotion straining his voice. He was reduced to a whisper. "I had just gotten everything I had ever wanted: I was training to be a SeeD, shooting guns and killing monsters, and I had a boyfriend."

Roane shifted even closer to Irvine, turning sideways on the couch to face him fully, his crossed legs pressed against Irvine's thigh. "Irv, I did care about you. I had wanted you for...forever. That's why when we finally bridged that gap from being friends to being lovers, it had been so sweet, so completely worth the wait. But you...I can still picture your face," Roane said, his voice cracking slightly. He cleared his throat, which didn't help, so he continued on the best he could. "Your face back then was like a portal to your soul, and what I saw scared me. It held a love, devotion, trust that ran so deep, I didn't think that I could reciprocate." Roane laughed a small laugh. "I guess you could say I was just being a pussy."

Irvine had tipped his hat down to cover his face, not wanting to cry in front of Roane, not wanting to show just how much he had hurt him. That's why he had left? He was scared that Irvine loved him too much? Was there such a thing as too much?

He remembered that after Roane had left, that's when things had changed drastically in his life. He had started to sleep around, trying to fill the gaping hole that Roane had unknowingly left behind. He hadn't found anything close to the way that Roane had completed him, but for a night at a time, Irvine managed to feel whole, or the closest to whole he could manage...and then he had found Squall, and things had changed again. But that was over now.

Irvine looked up from his lap to meet Roane's comforting amber eyes, shimmering with unshed tears of their own. He had to know. "Did you miss me, Roane?" he asked in a hushed echo of his usually confident voice. "Was leaving it all behind worth it?"

Roane shook his head, his throat clenching tight, tears welling dangerously close to overflowing. "No," he answered. He closed his eyes, tears dripping like glittering jewels from thick, dark lashes. "No," he repeated, "it wasn't worth it. It was probably the biggest mistake I ever made." He opened his eyes, blinking far more often than was normal, trying to blink back the tears. "I missed you...so damn much, Irvine. And when you came here, things were ok, but they were so, so different than they had been before..."

"And then I met Rinoa, and she reminded me a lot of you. I'm sorry that I played a part in breaking her and Squall up, Irv, and Rinoa is too. I still don't know why you hate her, and not me."

Irvine shifted uncomfortably on the couch. Why had he been so pissed at Rinoa? It had been so long ago...he really had forgotten why they had ever stopped talking in the first place. He had just stayed angry because of her comments and behavior.

"As ridiculous as this may sound, I, well, I forgot why I was mad at her."

Roane stared blankly at him. "You mean you did too?"

It took a second for Irvine to understand what he was implying. "You mean Rinoa forgot too?" he asked, the alarming idea bringing him to his feet. "We've stayed angry at each other for two years over something that neither of us can remember?"

Roane remained seated, answering Irvine's rhetorical question. "Yeah, pretty much."

Irvine fell back into the comfort of the couch. "Wow," he whispered, "how ridiculous."

"Yeah, pretty much," Roane said with a laugh.

Irvine managed to glare at him before smiling. "Hey, don't make fun of my misfortune! As I recall, somebody was feeling guilty about 'the biggest mistake they ever made?'"

"About that..." Roane breathed. "So yeah, I basically started up with Rinoa as a way to preoccupy myself from you, because after being apart, you went from being my boyfriend to being unattainable. Me and Rinoa ended up being pretty close...and then you and Squall got together, and I knew that you were finally happy too."

"And then Squall and I broke up, and I brought up our past...and now, here we are," Irvine finished.

"Yeah," Roane confirmed, sinking back into the cushions.

Irvine fell silent, deep in thought. He knew that he was in love with Squall- he thought he was in love with Squall? He didn't know. The only thing he had to compare the feeling to was his feelings for Roane, and the love he felt for both of them was too close to being the same thing to determine a difference. That meant one thing: if he was 'in love' with Squall, then he still must be 'in love' with Roane.

Irvine looked to his oldest friend, his best friend, his ex-boyfriend, and noticed that he was as deep in thought as Irvine was. He was probably contemplating the same thing: how Irvine was suddenly single, and they had finally cleared the air between them, letting each other know exactly how they had felt, and probably still felt. Was this a chance he was willing to take? Was he willing to put it all on the line for Irvine, his first real love, a love he had squashed years ago?

Irvine didn't know what to think anymore. So, instinctually, he stopped thinking, and acted on the impulse his body was screaming at him: he leaned across to the other side of the couch, pressing his hot lips to Roane's.

Roane squirmed underneath Irvine's gentle lips. He wasn't sure about his feelings for Irvine. He wasn't sure whether or not he was just a rebound from Squall; he didn't know if Irvine would just dump him to get back together with Squall, dump him like Roane had dumped Irvine all those years ago. He didn't know if this kiss would bring them together. He didn't know if he was willing to risk losing Rinoa to be with Irvine. Suddenly, Irvine's tongue flicked gently across Roane's bottom lip, tickling him, begging to gain entrance to his mouth, and Roane forgot everything that he was thinking, and gave in to that plea, opening his mouth to Irvine's.

Irvine didn't kiss the same way that he had five years ago; he kissed better. His tongue began to probe his mouth, first gently, then almost in a sort of attack; caressing, tickling, teasing his mouth, every motion making Roane want him even more. He just laid back, and let Irvine take control.

And take control he did. He had found his way on top of Roane, pressing their bodies together, and Irvine could tell that Roane liked what he was doing. Roane confirmed this, grabbing Irvine's ass with strong hands, and pushing their bodies together using even stronger, muscled arms.

The move brought a gasp from deep in Irvine's throat, and his hands went from propping his body up to exploring Roane's heavily muscled and incredible body. As he teased Roane's mouth, pulling back his tongue and biting Roane's full, pink bottom lip, he teased Roane's small, perky nipple, biting and pinching in unison. Roane grunted, his back arcing, his body treading the thin line between pain and pleasure, and his hips thrust upward, grinding himself against Irvine.

Irvine's body jerked slightly in response, and Roane laughed, lifting the man easily off of his body, bringing them both standing beside the couch. They were pretty much the same height, Irvine was just a little taller, but Roane attributed that to the boots he always wore. Where Irvine's thin frame was covered in lean, tight muscle, Roane's was practically built from the hard, bulging muscle that covered his stockier frame. Their bodies, as much as they were different, were still in perfect harmony with one another, almost as if each recognized the other, like they held a memory of their pasts.

"The bedroom?" Irvine panted as Roane rubbed his hand along the front of his tight pants. Roane nodded, a small, seductive motion that drove Irvine wild. He grabbed Roane's hand, and led his muscled body to the bedroom, which, while small, was decorated perfectly.

The room was painted a rich, light blue, like an autumn sky, and the dresser and tables were painted a deep shining black. The bed, also black with black bedding, was king sized, leaving plenty of room to...maneuver.

"Nice room," Roane commented between sloppy kisses.

"Thanks," Irvine said, as he reached for Roane's belt.

Before they knew it, the two former lovers were naked with each other again, and Irvine took in his body with a newfound wonder. "Wow...just, wow," he said, eyes drifting slowly from his broad shoulders, to round, bulging pecs, down to the abs that protruding from the flat plains of his stomach, curving down in a V that ended at his dick. And..."Wow," Irvine gasped again.

Roane laughed, knowing exactly what Irvine was "wowing" about. He took pride in his body. As Irvine had taken to sleeping around, he had taken to perfecting every line, muscle, inch of his body. And he was proud of it.

Roane's dick stood erect, standing straight out from his body, from short dark curls, curving slightly upward. The length wasn't as impressive as the thickness: Irvine knew that it would be a trial, getting his mouth to open that wide. Roane had obviously filled out in more than one way while they had been apart.

Irvine's lean body was coated in taught muscle, the curves of his chest, the long line of stomach, the defined thighs- there wasn't so much as an inch of fat on his body. His arms were the most defined part of him, his biceps bulging impressively from continued shotgun recoil.

His eyes were drawn to the trail of chestnut hair that led from his belly button, down to darker curls, and the prize. Irvine's cock was hard as a rock, reaching up toward his belly, straining to be touched. It was longer than Roane's; thinner, but still decent-sized, and arching a little to the right. Roane wanted nothing more that to relieve it of the torture it was enduring...but he always had been a bit sadistic. He was going to make Irvine wait for this.

Roane ran his hand up Irvine's thigh, steering clear of his throbbing muscle, tickling up his side, and his other hand echoed the motion of the first, mirroring it exactly, but a second later. His first hand reached Irvine's hard rosy nipple, and gave it a little pinch, the other nipple being pinched just after. Finally, he gave up, and brought his mouth to Irvine's chest, drawing the reddened flesh into his mouth, soothing the wounds with his tender tongue. "Oh fuck, Roane, yes..." Irvine breathed, head thrown back from the things his body was feeling.

Roane stood up on knees, the same position Irvine was in, and "walked" over until they were almost touching. Irvine's eyes were still closed. Roane grinned wickedly, and brushed his cock against Irvine's, caressing Irvine the way he would have if he had been using a finger.

Irvine hummed in pleasure, until he opened his eyes and saw what Roane was using to caress his dick. Then, his body spasmed with pleasure and the realization that Roane's dick was pressed hard against his own.

"Do you like that, Irv?" Roane asked innocently. Irvine nodded, unable to speak. Roane laughed, a slightly cocky, arrogant laugh, but Irvine didn't care- Roane had every right to be cocky, as far as he was concerned.

Irvine opened his eyes, which we swirling in lust. He reached down, and grabbed Roane's incredibly thick rod in his hand. "Oh Hyne!" Roane exclaimed, as Irvine immediately began stroking him, squeezing hard and pumping fast.

"Do you like that?" Irvine asked sarcastically.

"Fuck yes, Irv, don't stop, please don't stop," Roane begged from his suddenly prone position, laying with his back on the bed, his hips thrusting forward with Irvine's hand in time to his pumping.

Irvine didn't know if it was physically possible, but he had to try anyway. He stopped pumping Roane's leaking dick, and positioned his body between his open legs. "Why'd you stop?" Roane asked lazily, raising his body up on elbows.

"So that I could do this," Irvine said, winking. He brought his mouth to the tip of Roane's imposing thickness, licking the pre-come from the slit before sliding him inside of his mouth, slowly. It wasn't as hard to fit in as Irvine had thought: who knew that having a big mouth was a good thing? Although it was possible for his mouth to open wide enough, it did hurt his jaws a little. He supposed it was something he would have to get used to. Used to? Was he already pondering the idea of this becoming more than a fuck?

He dismissed the thought, bringing his attention again to Roane, pulling back a little, just to take the slightly-smaller head into his mouth, sucking hard while using one hand to pump his length, and the other to tickle his entrance.

"Oh shit, oh fuck..." Roane gasped, his eyes rolling back in his head. "Oh Hyne, Irvine!"

Irvine dropped the pulsing cock from his mouth suddenly and without warning, leaving Roane thrusting the air, desperately wanting to end the need, the want, the desire, but holding back for what was to come.

"Are you done thrashing around, Roane?" Irvine teased.

Roane flipped him the bird, and then sat up. "Hyne Irvine, how did you get so good at giving head?"

Irvine smirked. "Well, as they say, 'practice makes perfect.'"

"I'd say," Roane replied with a laugh, his eyes dark with lust. "Irv? Where do you keep the lube?" he asked innocently.

Irvine nodded to the side table, and Roane crawled across the bed to retrieve the lubrication. As he was on all fours digging in the drawer, Irvine couldn't resist. He stood on his knees, positioned himself directly behind Roane, and teased his dry, unready entrance with his eager dick.

"Holy shit!" Roane cried out, grabbing the lube, and dropping to the bed, rolling to his back. "What the hell, Irvine?" Irvine only laughed. "Geez, you're just full of surprises."

Irvine stopped laughing, eyes suddenly serious. "I'm not quite full yet," Irvine said suggestively. "I could think of one thing that might fill me up, though..." he trailed off.

"So can I," Roane said, not missing a beat.

Irvine lay on his back, feet propped on Roane's wide, hard shoulders. So, broad shoulders held a practical purpose after all. "This might hurt a little," Roane warned, as he applied the heavy fluid to first his cock, and then to Irvine's entrance.

"A little pain only makes things better," Irvine assured him. He gained the taste for pain in his experiences over the years. The right amounts at the right times made the sex phenomenal.

Roane smiled a lopsided, dorky smile, hoping that Irvine knew what he was talking about. He slipped a finger inside of him, and when Irvine could accommodate easily, two. Irvine squirmed under his touch, as he caressed and explored him with his able fingers. He found a spot that seemed to drive him wild: it was just behind his dick, and as Roane pushed on the spot, he felt Irvine's cock react, twitching in pleasure. As Irvine relaxed, Roane inserted another finger, gently, and Irvine's body easily accommodated for it.

This was the hard part. "Are you ready for number four?" Roane asked him.

Irvine nodded. "Fist away," he replied.

"Smart ass, I'm not going to fist you, just getting you ready. The more prep, the easier this will be."

"Whatever," Irvine shrugged, "I just want to feel you inside me already...hurry it up."

Roane swallowed heavily: he wanted to be inside him too, but he didn't want to hurt him. He eased the fourth digit inside of him, causing Irvine's body to stretch and strain a little, but after a few minutes, Irvine was comfortable and ready. He nodded to Roane, assuring him that it would be all right, and Roane slipped his fingers out, positioning his throbbing, purple dick just before Irvine's hole.

Irvine took a deep breath, and Roane pushed inside of him, and Irvine noticed that it wasn't as much to take in as four fingers had been, so this was all the more comfortable. So that's why Roane had taken so much time prepping him.

"Oh yes, Ro, that's perfect, just right."

Roane started a rhythm, slow at first, and progressively faster. Irvine stroked himself in time to Roane entering and almost leaving his body, speeding up as he did.

Shit, shit, shit. "Oh fuck, Roane, Roane, oh Hyne, yes!" Irvine shrieked, as Roane pounded inside of him, faster than ever, his balls slapping softly against Irvine's ass. Irvine came in an explosion that hit him in the face with the first burst, coating his chest and stomach as the pulsing slowed and stopped. His ass clenched tightly around Roane, who was already pretty much filling him to the tippy-top, and the tightness was more that Roane could bear. He pushed inside of Irvine at a pace that was almost too much, but bearable, until his cock exploded, shooting stream after stream into Irvine's body. He had to hold back, for fear of hurting Irvine, but it was incredible all the same.

Roane pulled himself from Irvine's body, panting, and his body melted like butter into the soft blankets and pillows of Irvine's bed. Irvine curled himself against Roane's side, his leg entwined between Roane's, and his arm thrown across his broad chest.

"Fuck Roane, that was...wow. Just-" Irvine sighed, "-just what I needed."

"What's this?" Roane asked, seeing Irvine's face. He slid a finger across his cheek, and showed the substance to Irvine, who chuckled. Roane licked the cream from his finger, and licked the rest from Irvine's laughing face.

"See how good you are?" Irvine said between laughs. "I have never shot that far before...Hyne, I made a mess."

"Yes you did," Roane mumbled as he lapped the rest of the tasty liquid from Irvine's chest and stomach.

The two settled into an embrace, and Roane glanced at the clock on the wall: it was five. They would be leaving in just an hour. Suddenly, reality sank in. He had fucked Irvine. What did that mean for he and Rinoa? He wasn't sure what his feelings for her meant anymore, especially now that he was together again with Irvine.

Irvine...if they started seeing each other, behind Rinoa's back, would she find out? Would Squall forgive Irv, and leave him out in the cold? Roane shook his head. He didn't care, but he knew that he couldn't have just one or the other, he had to have them both: small, feisty, curvy Rinoa; and tall, compassionate, muscled Irvine. Now that he had them both, he knew that to lose one would probably be the demise of the other as well. If he lost what he hoped he now had, then he wouldn't want anything at all.

The thought...frightened him, to say the least. But what frightened him more was that he was going to have to cope with this situation entirely too soon: he would be on a jet with the two people he cared about, and the person that threatened to take it all away from him: Squall.

You know, when I came up with Roane, I never intended for he and Irvine to get together...but it just seemed too good to waste ;D I hope you like Roane as much as I do

Also, please disregard any grammatical errors…I was in a hurry to get this published, so it might not have gotten all the editing it deserved…