Title: Twilight Rituals
Rating: G/K
Pairing: SeiferxSquall
Summary: They've been doing this for as long as either of them can remember.
Notes: This was previously posted as a separate fic, but because it fits under the drabble limit (one thousand words, in my world), I'm taking it down and moving it here.


They had been doing this for as long as he could remember.

Now that Seifer thought about it, it had to have started when they were still in the orphanage; when they had picked up this ritual of sitting, back to back, their hands resting oh so gently on each other's – in just a friendly companionship, of course – and their faces turned up toward the dark twilight of the fading day and the coming of night, captivated with each other and with their surroundings.

It was his favorite time to just sit and watch. The crimson tinted horizon, fading away over the sea that surrounded Balamb and the land that he could faintly see stretching far into the distance, sent a glittering rain of dim light over them both that lit his face and hair in a gentle rosy hue (and it gave a certain fire behind Squall's eyes that he loved to sit and watch for hours, although he'd never say that out loud). A gentle sigh worked from his lips as he tossed his head back, his hair falling in gentle, golden fringe around his face, brushing just barely over the scar cut down the center of his face.

Under their recent circumstances, he normally wasn't able to enjoy this luxury; he was either too busy, or too stubborn, or the time just wasn't right like it was now. There was a specific sensation that needed to heavy in the air and around them – a feeling that he couldn't quite name but he could recognize as right just by walking outside and catching a brief glimpse of the sun reflecting in pale ice.

Or Squall wouldn't have been able to be there (Commanders rarely ever get to leave their position, after all). And it wasn't right to sit there alone without that companionship at his back and the gentle touch of calloused and familiar flesh against his.

So he was savoring every moment of this rare occasion by leaning heavily against Squall's warm back and resting his hand lightly against the slender, pale fingers spreading out over the grass beneath them and tangling into the emerald strands with a detached sense of enthrallment. It was good to be back out here, and he let a lazy smile cross his lips as he sighed deeply, breathing in the fresh twilight air with a huff of breath and letting the stress of daylight and life wash out of him.

Maybe that's why he liked this time of day; because everything was fresh and new, and he could just forget about the day and forget about ever having fought in the war and let himself rest in peace for a little, fleeting while.

It was their ritual together – this cleansing of themselves and their daily lives that they shared, where they would sit and let everything get forced away from their thoughts for the moment. Time had passed, and war had torn them apart to drop them on separate sides, and this ritual had been shoved, forgotten, to the backs of their minds.

But it had come back as Seifer had come back, faithful as always, as if it – and he – had never really left in the first place.

And he was thankful for that subtle similarity to their past lives and the things that they had once known.

He moved his head back just a little bit more, brushing the base of his head against soft chestnut, and letting his eyes lock onto the sky. Happy you could find the time to come. There was a silence that followed – a companionable, relaxed moment where Squall leaned just a little bit more against his spine and his fingers curled just a hint more into the grass and against Seifer's rough hand.

Squall gave a swift nod, their heads brushing together delicately. I wanted to.

They remained in silence until the sun completely vanished, soaking in each other's presence and the emotion, forgiveness, and feeling that their actions – the gentle flicker of movement of Seifer's fingers or the faint tilt of Squall's head to one side – could convey so much better than words.

Squall was the first to break that silence.

"It's… nice." He hesitated, digging for what to say after so long of keeping it locked away in ice, as if he was unfamiliar with the idea of using spoken words instead of just actions to get his point through. "After so long. I've… missed it."

I've missed us.

"Yeah…" It was his turn to pause, "been a long time since we were last here, huh?" He turned just a little bit to the side, giving himself enough room to pull that lithe hand into his and to lace their fingers together in a tight bind.

A bind between them that was better unspoken and better off felt rather than openly announce.

Just us.

Yeah.

And there are no more uncertainties, and no more fighting, and all there's just this and us, sittin' here like we used to, and we don't have anything to worry about anymore. And there's –

And there's a kiss to seal it all away and make it final