Chapter 6: Women and Liquor
Disclaimer: FF8 characters are not mine. If you happen to dislike the idea of two men showing affection for each other please press the back button now. I'd really appreciate comments and reviews especially on my writing style. Thanks a bunch. Enjoy the fic:D
No matter how much you smile the sadness you keep inside manages to seep through the glint of an eye.
The two young fighters had finally arrived in the peaceful town called Fisherman's Horizon. The past two days of their journey had been dull and uneventful. The two men had little to say to each other on the way to their destination. Irvine had been unusually quiet during the trip but knowing the silent demeanor of the young Garden leader, this did not bother Squall at all.
The small town had been serene as always. Nothing much had changed since the last time the two men had been there. The people were still unenthusiastic of having outsiders stay there but they provided any service a traveler needed. Night had already fallen when two young men arrived at the only inn in FH. Like the other buildings in town, it was old and the walls were made up of old metal sheets. The inn was small and had only two floors. The innkeeper stayed behind a makeshift desk on the first floor. The reception area was not at all grand. Unlike the classy-looking couches provided for customers in the hotel in Deling City, the FH reception room was very unwelcoming. The innkeeper's desk was rundown and dirty due to the lack of upkeep. Dusty boxes occupied most of the space on the first floor and neither sofas nor chairs were made available for the customer's convenience. Across the inn's entrance beside the receptionist's desk, a dark narrow staircase lead to the second floor where the guest room was.
Squall was talking to the innkeeper when he noticed Irvine staring into space with the same blank expression he wore in the past couple of days. Kinneas has been like this ever since we left Esthar. It's none of my business but this just isn't like him. The cowboy had been leaning on the wall next to the inn's entrance. He had not said a word since they entered the establishment and this was odd since the innkeeper was a young woman. "We only have one room in this inn. But we do change the bedcovers once in a while." The innkeeper's voice interrupted the brunette's contemplations. Regaining his composure, the young leader managed to say "We'll take it." It's not like we have much of a choice anyway. Squall walked all the way to the foot of the stairs when he realized his companion did not move from where he stood beside the doorway. "Kinneas? Do you plan to stand there all day?" The sniper snapped out of his trance and without a word, followed the brunette to the second floor. What's going on inside your head Kinneas?
The room on the second floor was as small as the reception area on the first floor. It had one window that had a satisfactory view of the sea. The small cabinet that stood beneath the window looked dusty and unused. A door leading to a tiny bathroom stood beside the entrance of the room. There were three beds in the room, two of which were joined in a double-decker fashion. The double-decker stood beside the wall opposite the window while the single bed stood beside an adjacent wall right across the bathroom door. Both men were tired from their long trip so after the innkeeper left, they both decided to call it a night.. The brunette took the single bed and Irvine took the lower bunk of the other bed.
Only a few hours had passed when Squall suddenly bolted up from his bed. His body was shaking and he was bathed in sweat. The young man's nightmares had come to him again that night. He waited for his eyes to adjust to the darkness surrounding him. The dim moonlight that seeped through the room's only window provided enough light for the brunette to see his hand in front of him. This has to stop. The young gunblade master wiped the sweat off his forehead and looked around the room. He could see from where he sat that the lower bunk of the other bed was empty and the covers were still a mess. What are you up to Kinneas? Without a second thought, the young man got dressed and headed for the only place he thought the cowboy would be, the town's pub.
The pub was located on a makeshift pier right across the inn. Similar to the inn, it looked really old and ready to give way but just like the inn, it was still functional. When the young Garden leader went into the pub he immediately felt the unwelcoming stares from the men drinking there but Squall being Squall, he did not mind them. He never did care about what people thought about him. Sitting at the corner of the bar, a melancholic cowboy had been drinking alone. The brunette had a few of drinks by himself before he decided to sit beside the sniper. Irvine did not seem to notice company as he finished another glass of liquor. "What's up?" Squall asked. Coming back to reality, the sniper replied "Oh it's you, Squall. How long have you been sitting there?" Finishing a shot of liquor, the leader said "Long enough. What's wrong with you? You haven't been your annoying self recently." Feeling a bit tipsy, Irvine slapped his forehead as he retorted "Annoying? Ouch. That hurt." Then the sniper forced himself to let out a short laugh. "Does it have anything to do with your orders to head back to Galbadia?" Squall inquired. The taller man became silent for a moment and said "It's too noisy in here. Let's talk outside." Irvine stood up and motioned for Squall to follow. Both men left the pub a little drunk from the alcohol they consumed.
Squall walked behind Irvine along the dark and empty streets of FH. The brunette was not sure if the cowboy was in his right mind at that point so he suggested "We should head back to the inn. It's late." The cowboy simply looked at Squall and flashed his trademark charming smile. They eventually came to the place where Selphie's concert was held. Both men agreed that seemed like a lifetime ago. Irvine sat at the spot where the stage had been and gazed at the stars above him. The brunette stood a few feet from the other man and kept his eyes on the sniper's troubled eyes. "You might not give a damn about anything I have to say but please hear me out just this once." Squall remained silent as he took a few steps closer to the other man and continued looking into the cowboy's eyes. "Squall, I don't know what I'm gonna do from now on. If I don't go back to Galbadia, they'll probably strip me off my sniper certification. It's pretty hard to admit but that's the only thing I have going for me now. Without that I don't know what I'm gonna do but the thing is I don't want to…never mind. Forget I said anything." Irvine did not notice that Squall had moved closer towards him until the brunette stood before the sniper. "You don't have to do anything you don't want to. With or without any certification, you're still the best gunman." The young leader said this as he knelt down in front of the man clad in khaki. Irvine argued "But I won't be able to help SeeD with…" The brunette had wrapped the auburn-haired man in a warm embrace as he caressed the other man's lips with his. The taller man was quite surprised at Squall's initiative but he passionately returned the kiss without delay. If only I could tell you the truth Squall.
For the first time in months the brunette did not wake up to the terrors of his recurring nightmares. Squall felt an unsure yet gentle hand caress his face. The unsure hand then stroked his dark brown hair. The sun shun brightly in the room telling the sleepy man that it was already midday. The young leader felt the warm and smooth alabaster skin beneath him. What the? The auburn-haired man chuckled when he saw the shock in Squall's face. "I guess we had a little too much to drink last night." Irvine mused as he planted a kiss on the other man's forehead. The gunblade master immediately got up only to see his and the cowboy's clothes on the floor. Squall tried to recall what had happened the night before. The liquor, the conversation beneath the stars, the unexpected kiss, the noisy and clumsy way they returned into their room as the passion took hold of them, the discarded clothes and the wonderful sex. The sniper also sat up to pat the brunette's bare back. "Don't worry about it Squall. As you've said before, we're just satisfying some physical need. No feelings attached." Irvine smiled as he spoke but the sadness behind his words was obvious even to the other man. The sniper continued by saying in a cheerful manner "What you did for me last night really helped get me back on my feet. Thanks a lot Squall." The brunette reached for the taller man's long wavy locks that rested delicately on his pale shoulders. "Let's just hope you stay on your feet from now on. Drinking definitely doesn't suit you." Squall said. The cowboy could not tell if the other man was being serious or was just teasing him so he replied "Drinking and women are part of my charm." Without warning, the gunblade master hit the bragging sniper hard with a pillow and stood up to get changed. "Did I say something wrong?" the confused cowboy cried.
After getting dressed and eating a quick brunch, the two men went to the seaport to ask if there was a ship bound for Balamb town that day. "We don't have any ships heading for Balamb 'til next week but we do have one bound for Dollet this afternoon." the old fisherman said. "We're kind of in a hurry so what time does this boat leave exactly?" Squall inquired. "It's gona sail in 15 minutes but I don't think you kids should be going to Dollet now. I heard strange men in black suits are all over the place. Rumors say they're looking for something, asking the townspeople weird questions and the like." The two young men looked at each other and nodded simultaneously. Those men might be working for the guy who ordered for President Laguna's assassination. We need to investigate this matter.
Dollet eh? It has been a while since I last visited that place. Locke I… "Kinneas! Hurry up. The boat is gonna leave without us." Squall exclaimed as he ran towards the ship. The men managed to catch the ship heading for Dollet. The cowboy did not want the brunette to see his anxiety so he tried to act as normal as he possibly could. What awaits the young sniper in Dollet and who is this Locke? The two men are in the middle of something that might just initiate a war. Who is the guy responsible for all these events? Squall had his share of recurring nightmares. Do his dreams have anything to do with him regressing to his old loner and mistrusting self? As long as they move forward they will discover all the answers.
Author's Notes: gasp That's what you get when your writing style runs on pure enthusiasm. wink wink I apologize for the very discrete love scene coughs I'm an avid reader of shounen-ai/yaoi too but though I may read these things I definitely won't write it :P The length of the fic has gone longer than expected. This was supposed to be one of those short one-shot fics but I guess there's no turning back now. Thanks for reading this. Comments and Reviews are much appreciated. 'til next time:D