Disclaimer: I do not own Squall, Seifer, or the rest of the characters mentioned in this fic.
Warnings: Shonen Ai and a bit of swearing.
Chapter 9Squall smiled at the sight of Seifer curled up on the floor beside the couch.
'It seems that its going to take him sometime before he loses some of the habits he picked up as a cat. Oh well, as long as he doesn't keep scratching up the couch it shouldn't be too bad…'
Squall walked over to the sleeping blonde, pausing to gaze at the young man.
'He hasn't changed much. His hair's longer and his eyes sadder, but he's still the same Seifer that I knew. I'm glad he hasn't changed.'
Squall gently nudged him with his foot.
"Hey Seifer, time to get up. The meeting starts in 1 hour. Move it if you want to shower and have breakfast."
Squall smirked as Seifer sleepily battered Squall's foot.
"Leave me 'lone…"
Squall smiled down at the blonde.
"Would you move faster if I banged the cat bowl a bit?"
Seifer opened one eye and glared at the laughing brunette.
"Very funny Squall. I'm up. What's there to eat?" Seifer said, uncurling and stretching languidly, causing Squall to cover a rising laugh with his hand.
"Had a good sleep?"
Seifer smiled sheepishly.
"Your couch is too small for me to curl up on so I um, moved."
Squall just shook his head.
"It's to be expected. Do you want to shower first?"
"Yep," Seifer jumped up from his position on the ground, happy at the thought of finally being able to clean himself using something else other than his tongue. Squall pointed towards the cupboard next to the bathroom door.
"Towels are in there. There's a spare toothbrush under the sink. Don't be too long."
Seifer nodded mutely as he grabbed a dark blue towel from the cupboard and entered the bathroom, locking the door behind him.
'Finally, a way to clean myself without getting fur balls.'
Stripping off his ragged clothes and tossing them into the laundry hamper, Seifer reached in and turned the shower on, jumping back as the water suddenly sprayed out. Seifer stared in horror at the gushing water, the fine hairs on the back of his rising in alarm.
'It's ok, its only water. Its not like it's going to hurt me or anything. Just a nice shower…' Seifer edged slowly towards the shower, closing his eyes tight as he shoved his arm into the spray, resisting the urge to run away as fast as he could.
'Ah come on. Its just water. What would Squall think if he saw the might Seifer Almasy quivering at the sight of water? I'll never live it down.' Deciding then and there that Squall would never hear a word about this new phobia, Seifer jumped in under the shower and quickly washed himself, turning the water off before the last soapsud could travel down his leg.
Stepping out of the shower, Seifer shook himself, grabbing the towel and wrapping it around his waist.
'See, that wasn't so bad.'
Seifer glanced towards the shower.
'Well, I'm done...'
Seifer raced over to the door, flinging it open and crashing into an unsuspecting Squall, sending them flying to the floor. Squall blushed in embarrassment as he realised that he was pinned down by a very naked Seifer, with only a towel covering him.
"Um, ah… Seifer…"
Squall squirmed as he tried unsuccessfully to remove Seifer from on top of him. Seifer looked down and smirked slightly at the sight of a flustered Squall trapped beneath him.
"Ah, um, Seifer. Do you think that you could like Get Off Me?"
Seifer smiled as he folded his arms across Squalls chest and rested his chin on his hands.
"It will cost you."
Squall's eyes widened slightly as a pink tinge crept across his cheeks, highlighting his bluish grey eyes.
"W…what do you mean by that?"
Seifer shifted up slightly until he was nose to nose with Squall, blonde hair glinting gold in the sunlight that peeked through the curtains.
"A kiss. A real kiss this time."
"What? But we're guys…"
Seifer flicked his tongue out quickly over Squall's lips, causing the blushing brunette to stop mid sentence.
"Just a kiss."
Squall closed his eyes and nodded his head slightly, eyes flicking open as Seifer gently placed his lips upon Squalls, massaging them gently with his. Squall's eyes fluttered shut again as he shyly responded to Seifer's administrations, moaning softly as he trailed a hand down Seifer's back. Feeling Squall's resistance melting away, Seifer flicked his tongue across Squall's lips, earning another soft moan from Squall as he parted his lips. Slipping his tongue in, Seifer gently coaxed Squall into a slow dance as they took in the tastes of the other, hands sliding along bodies as they lost themselves in the kiss. After what seemed to be an eternity, Seifer reluctantly pulled back, gazing at the blushing man beneath him, full lips swollen from the kiss they had shared.
Squall stared up at the blonde man above him, taking in the glazed green eyes, his swollen lips and the way the sunlight lit his blonde hair, trying to capture the image that was Seifer. The two stared at the other, both unwilling to ruin the moment, but knowing that they will have to. Finally Seifer shifted and the reality of what had just happened crashed down on Squall as he felt the hardness pressed against his thigh and his own reaction. Squall bolted up, knocking Seifer to the floor.
"Ah, um… Ihavetogetreadyforthemeeting," Squall muttered as he rushed into his bedroom, slamming the door behind him in panic. Seifer sighed as he ran a hand through his hair, picking himself up off the floor where he had been unceremoniously dumped.
'Well, that could have gone better,' Seifer smiled as he reached down and picked up the clean clothes that Squall was bringing him. 'But who would of picked Squall to be a moaner?' Seifer smirked.
"Right. Lets get started."
Squall turned to face the occupants of the office, cold mask firmly set in place as his eyes skimmed across the group gathered before him. On the black couch sat Selphie, Irvine and Zell, laughing as Zell tried to bet Irvine in a thumb fight, failing each round. On his left, Quistis sat primly on the matching armchair, while Edea relaxed back calming in the second arm chair an the other side couch, smiling at the antics of the trio on the couch. Seifer stood apart from the rest of the group, looking to Squall as though he was ready to bolt through the door next to him, though the others would just see a very bored Seifer. Squall's eyes unconsciously roamed across Seifer's form, reverting his gaze as Seifer glanced his way, smirking slightly. Squall blushed slightly, turning to the others as he tried to restore order to the meeting.
"Settle down. Quiet everyone. QUIET!"
Everyone froze at Squall's out burst as he calmly picked up the files sitting on his desk and handed them around the group.
"These contain all the information we have gathered so far on the incidents concerning Ultimecia. Read through them carefully and add anything that was forgotten or maybe of help." Squall's breath hitched slightly as his hand brushed against Seifer's as he handed him a folder. Turning quickly, Squall returned to his desk and allowed the others the time to go through the material. Squall glanced slightly in Seifer's direction, noting how the older man chewed gently on his bottom lip as he read through the material. Shaking his head mentally, Squall gazed down at his bare hands, gloves forgotten in his rush to get out of the small dorm and Seifer's presence.
'Fool! Pull yourself together. It was just a kiss. Seifer was just revving you up, like how he use to back before. It meant nothing to him and it means nothing to me.'
"There's not much information to go on here Squall."
Squall was pulled out of his thoughts abruptly as Edea finally broke the silence. Leaning back in his chair, Squall dropped the unopened file in front of him onto his desk.
"I know. This is where you come in. If you're able to help us locate her it would be greatly appreciated."
"I don't think she'll be too far from here," Seifer's voice cut across the room, the first words he had spoken since leaving the dorm.
"And how would you know this?" Zell asked, glaring at the blonde until Selphie nudged him sharply.
"Because her target is Leonhart and yourselves. She'll want to be able to observe you before mounting her next attack. She underestimated you last time, don't think that she'll make the same mistake again."
Edea nodded in agreement.
"Judging by the sound of it, she'll want to gather herself some more power – the energy gathered from Zell would of aided her escape, but she will need more power if she wants to launch another attack."
"Where would she get this power from?" Quistis asked.
"If she could take control of a more powerful sorceress and drain their power, that would be her best option. Otherwise she'll need to drain the energy of a large group of people, much in the same way that she did with Zell."
"Balamb maybe?"
"She'll need more than that."
Squall frowned.
"This is getting us nowhere. She could be anywhere."
Everyone sat in silence.
"What about Rinoa!" Selphie squealed, jumping up from her seat. "After all, she is a sorceress, and a powerful one at that. And I don't think she liked it when Rinoa took her powers either."
"That would make her a target wouldn't it? Lots of power and unsuspecting," Irvine added.
Squall sighed. "It's the only led we have. Where is she residing?"
"Balamb Hotel."
"Right, have her escorted back to Balamb Garden immediately. We can not let Ultimecia have her."
"I volunteer to lead the team," Zell said, bounding out of his seat and raising his fist in excitement.
"Might as well gift wrap her, ribbon and all."
Zell turned angrily towards the blonde.
"Just like what happened to you? Oh I forgot, you gift wrapped your own self, complete with a doggie collar lapdog, or should I say, lapcat."
Seifer stepped forward.
"You better watch what you say chicken wuss."
"Make me traitor. You're nothing but a worthless throwback that knows nothing of the word 'loyalty'. You think that you're so fucken good, strutting around like you own the place, but in the end you couldn't even save your own arse. You're lower than dirt, a mongrel that should have been put out of its misery the day that you were born. Why would anyone need a failure like you?"
A small gasp sounded from Edea.
"You make me laugh lapdog."
Seifer bared his teeth as he closed in on Zell.
"Why you little fucken…"
"Hey, calm down Seifer," Irvine reached out and grabbed Seifer's arm.
"HISSS"
Irvine jumped back in alarm as Seifer stepped back, a slight blush creeping across his face. The room went silent except for Zell's cold laugh.
"Hah! Get yourself a ball of twine and keep your business out of human affairs kitty cat. We don't need a nobody like you who has to lick himself to keep clean."
"THAT IS ENOUGH!"
Squall's cold voice echoed through the room as he stood up quickly, causing his chair to slam into the bookcase behind him.
"This meeting is over! Zell, you are confined to your room until I see fit to speak to you. Irvine will see to the retrieval of Rinoa. Selphie will organise her rooms. Seifer, return to my rooms immediately," Squall hissed through clenched teeth. "You are dismissed."
Everyone filed out silently until the only people left was Squall, Seifer and Edea. Squall closed his eyes and took a calming breath.
"I'm sorry you had to witness that Matron."
"It's ok Squall. Do you mind if I accompany Seifer back to your rooms?"
Squall glanced across to Seifer, who was leaning against the wall, eyes wide and unseeing and all colour drained from his face.
"That would be wise."
Edea nodded and walked across to Seifer, gently placing her hand onto his shoulder. Seifer flinched from the contact as he was ripped from his thoughts, but allowed Edea to lead him away. Squall sat back down in his chair, sighing as he rested his head in his hands.
'Fuck, what the hell is this place? A mercenary school or a bloody kindy garden? Damn Zell. Damn Seifer. Damn the whole lot of them.'
Squall stood up and cracked his fingers, hoisting his gunblade over his shoulder before heading out to the training centre for some well needed stress relief.
'Fucken Children, the whole lot of them.'
Another update! And within a week of the last one! I feel so proud of myself :p
I'm not too sure if I like the way that the fight between Zell and Seifer went. I had it planned perfectly in my head, but when I finally found a pen and paper to write it down, I forgot.
I was trying to avoid using swear words, but some still slipped in, so sorry to those who are offended by that type of language. Remember to read and Review, helpful criticism always welcomed.