Chapter Thirty - Navigating Expectations
[The Presidential Palace, Sphinxara District, Monday, 27th of October, 7:07 am]
A thin sliver of sunshine fell from between the curtains, straight onto Squall's face. Blinking at the offending light, he tried to turn his back to it, but his backside throbbed a warning as he attempted the move. An arm thrown around his waist further curbed his freedom of movement. Behind him Seifer lay curled close, the man's deep and even breaths tickling the back of his neck.
He glanced at his phone, the thing just out of reach on the far end of the bedside table. In a rare occurrence he'd completely forgotten to set his alarm clock, but going by the angle of the sunlight it wasn't all that late just yet. More than enough time to linger a bit longer.
With Seifer still lost to sleep, he settled back against the man's chest. The arm tightened around him reflexively, his hair nuzzled by the oblivious blond. When they'd first started to share a bed, he'd tried to wriggle away from these instances of accidental proximity as stealthily as possible. Now he didn't mind at all. At least as long as Seifer wasn't awake to catch on to his weakness for moments like this.
He wished he could doze and fall back to sleep, but he was already wide awake. He looked about the overly lavish room and let out a soft sigh. Only Seifer could turn dinner with Loire into this. Unfortunate as their location was, he couldn't bring himself to regret the night that had resulted from visiting the palace; the single most debauched night of his life, and that was their night on Avalanche included. He would've lost count of the times he'd climaxed if every moment of pleasure hadn't been etched into his memory forever. Seifer had fucked him both roughly and gently, handling his body expertly.
He bore the marks of such heavy use. His skin was sensitive wherever Seifer had latched on to suck and kiss and nibble, but most painful were his ass and lower back. Unsurprising considering what they'd done. To his relief Seifer hadn't attempted to heal him. Less agreeable was the discomfort of dried crustiness between his legs and on the sheets beneath them. They hadn't even bothered to clean up. By the end of it, neither of them had had the energy to do more than fall unconscious.
The evidence was damning. One guest room with thoroughly dirtied bed linen, the other room left untouched and pristine. Just as with the ballroom, his lust had overwritten all rational thought. They had taken no precautions. He let out a small groan and prayed that the cleaning staff was discreet above all else. He wasn't ready for Loire to find out about this.
Loire. The man was no doubt waiting hopefully for them to come to the east wing and join him for breakfast. He wanted to bail on breakfast badly, but it would be in poor taste to only take Loire up on his hospitality when it suited his libido.
Remembering all the other things they still needed to do that day, he couldn't hold on to the sleepy comfort he'd felt just moments earlier. He managed to move out from underneath Seifer's arm with some difficulty, the blond unwilling to relinquish his new personal bolster.
"Where're you going?"
Ignoring the mumbled complaint, Squall got out of bed with a measure of grace despite the aches that assaulted him all at once.
"Bathroom."
Growling out his displeasure, Seifer kneaded his brow. He already missed the warmth that had been pressed up against him. Turning to lie on his back, he looked over at the closed bathroom door. A grin spread on his face. He wasn't much of a morning person, but waking up next to Squall in a palace after a sex fest; now that was a morning worth repeating.
Tossing the duvet aside, he strode over to the bathroom. Squall was already in the shower, lathering himself up. With a wide smirk, he hurried through taking a leak and brushing his teeth, before entering the large shower area.
"Need a hand?" he asked as he eyed up the man's backside.
Unable to quell his anticipation, Squall turned around to look at the shamelessly naked blond. He handed over the soap he'd been using, not shying away from the lewd gaze that raked his body.
Squeezing out a dollop from the expensive bottle, Seifer leaned in for a deep kiss and slid his hands over firm muscles, from Squall's abdomen up to firm pecs. "Morning, Sexy," he mumbled into their kiss as he ran his hands up and down the man's back.
Squall raised an eyebrow at the new nickname, but was distracted when Seifer's hands started to travel lower. Whatever aches the warm water had smoothed away were faintly rekindled as Seifer groped his buttocks and gently pulled them apart to trail careful fingers along his crack and anus. He pressed a harder kiss onto Seifer's lips and let his arms be guided around Seifer's neck. Strong hands hooked under his thighs and lifted him off the ground. They were both hard and ready.
Wrapping his legs around Seifer, Squall felt his impatience grow when Seifer took a few steps to push him up against the shower wall and maneuver him into position. He could feel the tip of Seifer's erection brushing against his entrance, poised just right. The man's grip tightened on his hips, lowering him. The penetration hurt a fair bit, his ass sore after the night they'd had. Persevering, he arched his hips to take in more, sheathing Seifer's cock to the hilt.
The moment Seifer started to thrust up into him, he forgot about the discomfort and met every move with a roll of his own hips. The spray of warm water slicked their coupling, easing the man's frantic pace. Seifer smothered most of his moans and exclamations with deep kisses, but the wet sound of their flesh slapping together rang out loudly in the bathroom.
When his climax started to roll through him, he broke free from Seifer's mouth. He needed to breathe. He moaned and held on tight when Seifer responded with a furious series of thrusts, telling him the man was close as well. A few more hard plunges and he was coming. Forgetting their position, he slackened as the last of his release was spent. His back slipped against the wet wall, but Seifer's hold on him was unyielding as the man came deep inside him with a loud groan.
Squall let his head fall back against the cool wall behind him, his breathing labored. He relished the twitches of Seifer's length, the last few rutting movements inside him. Trusting Seifer to carry his weight a moment longer, he loosened his grip on Seifer's back and trailed a hand up to card through wet, blond strands of hair.
Letting out a contented hum at the touch, Seifer leaned in for another kiss and enjoyed the feel of slick lips against his own, all pliant and languid. Squall's legs were still wrapped around him, but his own cock was slowly growing soft inside the man. He pulled out and set the man down, his eyes feasting on the well-fucked brunet before him.
"Who knew you were such a sex kitten?" he asked with a teasing smirk.
Squall's brow wrinkled. "Kitten?" he repeated drolly, not hiding his distaste for the overly cute pet name. Somehow it seemed even more diminutive than Princess. Maybe Seifer had merely numbed him to the latter already.
"Lion?" Seifer asked, grinning widely.
Watching as Squall rolled his eyes and began to wash, Seifer fought the urge to junction when he spotted the man's stiff movement. "Cure?"
Squall frowned and considered his options. He could handle the pain and derived a certain pleasure from it, but he didn't want this new aspect of his life to impede any future training or sparring sessions. He'd have to set firm boundaries.
"Yes," he admitted reluctantly.
Before he could junction himself, Seifer leaned in to kiss him, the man's eyes alight with an amber glow. The move caught him off guard, the tingle of healing magic fusing with the rush brought on by their lips slowly meshing together. It was a strange feeling to have all residual sensations of sex melt away while Seifer kept his body suspended in a gentler pleasure.
When the bright embers of magic faded, he looked up into the man's usual green eyes. Only Seifer would think of something like this. He only hoped that next time he needed to cast a Cure out in the field, he wouldn't be distracted by the memory of Seifer's lips.
Seifer pulled back from their kiss without breaking their gaze. He stroked his thumb against the man's jaw and traced the outline of smooth lips. Squall was fucking breathtaking. Placing one last soft kiss against the man's lips, he moved to grab the shampoo and made quick work of the rest of his shower. When he was all done, he placed a firm smack against a wet buttock on his way out, earning himself a deadly glare. He'd definitely be paying for that later.
Grabbing a huge bath towel, he swung it over his shoulder and headed straight for the bedroom. He hummed to himself as he patted himself dry before retrieving the suit he'd thrown over a plush armchair. Just as he finished putting on his dark slacks and dress shirt, he heard the muted sound of bare feet joining him in the bedroom.
"We'll have to do this again soon," he said, sending the brunet a playful smile.
Squall huffed and cast a pointed glance at the mess they'd made of the room. "If we're allowed back," he said dryly, walking to his duffel for a fresh set of clothes.
A low chuckle left Seifer as he looked over to where a towel hung low against the brunet's hips, not leaving much to the imagination. "I'm sure I'll be able to persuade your dad."
Squall rolled his eyes before putting on a white shirt. Aware of Seifer's lascivious gaze, he dropped his towel without flinching and pulled on a pair of boxer briefs. "We trashed the ballroom," he reminded. "I doubt he'll want to host a rematch."
"Did you actually see his expression though? He fucking loved it."
Squall raised an eyebrow. Too engrossed in their spar, he hadn't bothered catching a glimpse of Loire's reactions. He didn't really care what his father thought, one way or the other. Buttoning up his pants, he turned to regard Seifer. "This was a one-off. I'm not spending the night here again."
"Not even for another sex marathon?"
Lifting his two bags onto his shoulder, Squall glanced at the lecherous blond with a small tug to his lips. "We can have those anywhere."
Seifer wolf-whistled as Squall fetched Lion Heart's case and walked to the door. He fucking loved how Squall could deliver a line like that in that no-nonsense tone of his. "I'll definitely be holding you to that," he said as he grabbed his own stuff and joined the man.
"Any chance we're sticking around for a presidential breakfast?" he chanced, testing his lucky streak.
"That's where we're heading."
Seifer smirked when Squall couldn't quite sell the annoyance in his tone. It seemed like an all-nighter was just the thing to mellow out the stern commander. "Lead the way," he said eagerly, more than happy to wring every last bit of luxury out of their stay before he'd have to leave Squall behind for a work-filled day.
Yup, he'd definitely be back here again.
~ o ~
[The Presidential Palace, Sphinxara District, Monday, 27th of October, 8:02 am]
Tapping a finger against the table, Laguna skimmed over the daily news and reports that had been handed to him first thing in the morning, but he failed to muster his usual focus. He missed Kiros's astute observations for one, his old friend just as much a trusted advisor as he was the head of the palace guard. He could've used the man's advice on how to deal with his son as well, or Ward's calming and reliable presence. Not for the first time he lamented their simultaneous absence.
It was hard to rein in his excitement ever since housekeeping had let him know his two guests were still at the palace. He tried not to get his hopes up. He told himself it was more likely they'd prefer sleeping in over joining him for breakfast, and Squall had no doubt already exceeded his tolerance for his father the night before. Still he found himself glancing at the doorway for the umpteenth time, before he checked the decadent Estharian breakfast that had been set out on his order. Maybe he should've gone Galbadian after all—
When he heard two sets of footsteps approaching, accompanied by a deep voice he recognized as Seifer's, he quickly set aside the reports and tried to tone down his giddy expression. He couldn't quite believe his luck. The moment the sliding doors opened, he pushed up from his chair and ushered his two guests inside.
"Come on in, sit down!" he said with a beaming smile. "You've made my day, joining an old man for breakfast." His mood improved exponentially when Squall nodded at him in greeting, for once not looking as if he wanted to bail right then and there.
"So, you two had a good night's rest after your spar? Dare I ask who came out as victor?"
Seifer chuckled and glanced at Squall as they sat down. "I had to let the Commander get the upper hand in the end just so we could go to bed," he said, his amusement growing at Squall's loud snort. "Don't even know what time we finally fell asleep." There was no way his smirk could get any wider. Grabbing a bread roll, he added, "How about you, old man? When did you head off anyway?"
"I retired around eleven thirty, I believe," Laguna said with an apologetic smile as he loaded up his own plate as well. "Don't get me wrong, I would've stuck around until the end if my schedule would permit me sleeping in, but sadly I've got a meeting in half an hour." He looked between them fondly. "I have to admit, I hadn't expected you two to go at it for quite that long. I've seen a few exciting spars in my army days, but nothing quite like that."
Seifer chuckled good-naturedly. "It's probably for the best you didn't stay around till the end. That's when we tend to get a bit sloppy. Might've proven a bit too exciting."
Laguna quirked an eyebrow. He'd already thought their fighting styles to be plenty exciting. "It's a miracle you kids survived into adulthood," he said with a shake of the head. The times he'd spotted one of their blades barely missing a vital body part, at speeds that told him they were simply trusting the other to dodge...
"Nothing miraculous about it. Just pure skill. I guess you got to see exactly why you pay Garden those over the top fees when you book the Commander."
"I was very impressed," Laguna confirmed. He looked at his son with pride. "Now I'm not sure what to imagine anymore for when he fights junctioned."
"The world's most unstoppable force," Seifer said. "After yours truly, of course."
Laguna smiled at so much youthful confidence. "What is it like? Can you feel your GFs right now?" he asked curiously. He knew how it all worked in a general sense, but he'd always been curious about how it felt to the person junctioning. "I was told by Odine that not one is the same. That they even have personalities and quirks."
"They do," Seifer said, pouring himself some coffee. "You know Shiva, right?" he asked, continuing when Laguna gave a nod. "When Rinoa and I found Squall last week, I had to draw her, and Hyne, whenever I was around him after that, she was pining away like crazy. Don't think she was too happy about her new home."
He leaned forward in his seat. "My GFs are very different from her. They're all beasts, not humanoid. I get impressions from them and sudden drives. Better instincts." He took a drink of his coffee, letting out a content hum at the high quality brew. "I know some GFs talk, but I've never kept any of those. Got enough mess in here without them," he said tapping the side of his head, before looking Squall's way. "How about yours? You got any that talk?"
Squall huffed as he thought about his most willful GF. "Diablos. And not just in my head either." More than once the irritated GF had hissed insults at his squad members in a language no one understood. Only he could somehow understand the words, their meaning fed straight into his brain through their link. "He's insolent, but he's the perfect scout. I used him a lot during the civil war."
"What is he like? Humanoid like Shiva?" Laguna asked.
"Humanoid the way he's built and moves, but he has wings. Looks like a demon."
"Ah," the president smiled, glad to have discovered another topic his son didn't mind talking about. "The clue is in the name then."
"What are your new ones like?" Seifer asked.
"You've seen Griever," Squall said after a moment of contemplation. "After Shiva, we're the most attuned. He's protective. Alpha. Took him months to accept me and only as an equal. He considers the people closest to me as members of our pride."
Laguna quirked an eyebrow at that. "As in a troupe of lions?"
Squall nodded. "Beastlike GFs think differently than humanoid ones."
"Probably not gonna like another dominant male in his pride," Seifer commented with a smirk, before biting into his buttery bread.
Squall quirked an eyebrow at the cocky assumption. "What makes you think he won't just consider you another charge to protect?"
"Because I'm all alpha, baby," Seifer said with a wink.
Rolling his eyes, Squall only just refrained from informing the man that Griever wasn't quite sure yet whether to see Seifer as a challenger to the pride or in the more subservient role of Squall's mate.
Laguna laughed heartily at the altercation. "Well, he sure wasn't so happy to see us at the lab. He seemed very protective of you indeed."
Squall frowned at the memory. "He was confused. He would never attack his own." Catching himself too late, he shut his mouth at the unintentional admission, but the harm was done.
Laguna tried to contain the broad smile threatening to break free. "Seifer and I are part of the pride already then?"
Squall tried to look unfazed. "By proximity. He knows you," he explained, needing to downplay.
"So what about the other ones?" Seifer asked, secretly just as pleased as Laguna. "It was quite a list you reeled off at Odine's."
"The ones I named are mine. Not Garden property. I defeated Fenrir and Atomos during missions. Both are beast types. Fenrir's a wolf. Atomos is... a deep sea creature," Squall decided, for lack of a better description for the unsightly GF. "A water elemental."
He paused then, wondering how to explain his two remaining GFs. "Eden and Anima are both female. Eden is abstract. She's very powerful, machine-like. She's the only GF I don't get any impressions from. I give her orders, she obeys." It always felt somewhat unsettling whenever he summoned her, as if he was wielding some terrible weapon rather than dealing with a sentient being. "Anima's different. She feels human in my mind, but she's unpredictable. Destructive. I only get her out when I don't need to distinguish between foes and friendlies."
"Can't wait to see them," Seifer said, intrigued. "We should get them out to play when we go hunting."
Squall frowned at the thought of unleashing some of his GFs in the dense Galbadian woods just for the sake of having some fun with them. Half of them would need a considerable clearing in the woods to be summoned, Fenrir and Griever weren't likely to welcome the company, and Anima was always a risk. To summon any of them to deal with minor monsters would be major overkill. "If they cooperate," he said dubiously, not sure his GFs would appreciate such carelessness.
"Afraid they'll want to switch hosts?" Seifer teased at Squall's unenthusiastic reply.
Squall rolled his eyes. "You're free to try," he shot back. "I meant that Shiva's the only one likely to play nice."
"Yeah. Been there, done that," Seifer said with a shake of his head, recalling how the ice goddess had already gotten on his nerves just a few days ago. The way she'd sauntered over to Squall and pressed her hand to the man's cheek had rubbed him entirely the wrong way. "No thanks," he added and then narrowed his eyes as he slowly realized he'd been played. "Fuck," he cursed under his breath. Burrowed in his brain, free to rummage around, Shiva had to have known how he felt about Squall. She'd pulled that playful flirt just to rile him up. "The cunning, little—"
Laguna's brow shot up at the unprovoked profanity. "Not fond of Shiva, are we?"
"I just realized she's had some fun at my expense. I bet she's even laughing it up in there right now."
Squall frowned, feeling Shiva stir in amusement the moment Seifer called her out on it. "You have her attention," he remarked dryly, not happy to be left out of the loop by his own GF.
"She likes to tease then?" Laguna guessed.
"Apparently so," Seifer said. "So yeah, you can keep her. Not interested."
At the snub Shiva let out a crystalline laugh, the GF curling up in Squall's mind with an ostentatious delight she wished the blond to see. I'm not summoning you here, he told her plainly.
"It's universal then," Laguna commented knowingly. "Teasing those you like."
Seifer quirked an eyebrow, wondering if Laguna had lost his mind. "I'm pretty sure that's not the case here. What do you say, Squall? You're the one with the inside information."
At the question, Squall shrugged. Shiva had always been fascinated with the blond ever since he'd gotten her. Probably because of his own connection with Seifer, but still... "She likes you," he said evenly, vindictively pleased at Shiva's little huff over his betrayal.
"No shit," Seifer said, a wide grin spreading on his lips. "Maybe she got smitten with the excellent wiring up here after all."
That made Squall snort. "The entertainment value, maybe."
Laguna's eyes shone with mischief. "Like I said. Universal."
"He's got you there," Seifer said, chuckling. "But don't worry, Princess. I like you too."
Laguna smiled at his son's halfhearted scowl in reply. "So, how about you tell me more about your GFs," he said, looking at Seifer.
"Like I said, they're all beasties," Seifer said, happy enough to elaborate. "Ifrit, Cerberus and Bahamut. Ifrit's fire-based. He was the first GF I ever got. Well, apart from Pandemonium but that GF was worthless. One junction was more than enough. I mean, if you're gonna have a GF, at least have one that actually looks intimidating. Pandemonium looked like—" he tried to think of a way to describe the GF, but fell short. "I don't even know what that weird ass thing looked like." He scratched at the back of his neck as he thought of his three trusted demons.
"Now Ifrit, he was a bit temperamental at first, but after I saved him from being a test-toy for all of Garden's newb cadets, he's mellowed out a bit. He even rustled up a couple of new kickass spells just for yours truly." He looked over at Squall. "I'll show you when we see Rai and Fu."
Squall nodded, interest piqued. He wasn't going to discuss the semantic difference between saving Ifrit and stealing the GF from Garden's directory when it all boiled down to the same thing. The GF had been pitiful in that cavern.
"Don't start any forest fires, now," Laguna ribbed good-naturedly, taking in the keen looks on the fighters' faces. "I happen to like the Galbadian woodlands."
"We'll try not to," Seifer replied jokingly. "No promises though." He finished off his second bread roll and helped himself to another one. "So yeah, that's Ifrit for you," he said, and continued when the president still looked interested. "Cerberus is just a big dog. As in very big. Makes for good transportation if you're out in the wild, just not if there's any chance of running into someone. He's not really your usual fauna after all. Has three heads and some very pointy fangs."
Squall raised an eyebrow. "You ride Cerberus," he repeated dryly, trying to conjure the visual. He'd seen and fought that GF, and it definitely hadn't seemed like the type of creature that would be amenable to being ridden. Apparently Seifer didn't believe in conventional transport methods.
"Just like Bahamut. I'll take you along for a ride in Galbadia if you want," Seifer offered easily. He looked over to Laguna to explain more about his favorite GF. "Bahamut has wings like Diablos. He's about the most amazing creature you'll ever see. If you're interested, I'll show him to you at some point. No one should be deprived of such a sight."
"I'd be happy to, but I think I'll skip on any rides." Laguna shook his head at the thought of flying atop a GF.
"Your loss."
"I'm sure, but I think you'll have more success limiting your efforts to my son. I don't do well with heights," Laguna admitted, scratching the back of his neck in embarrassment.
"I guess you wouldn't like my way of getting around Esthar then," Seifer said with a smirk, wondering if the president had any idea of how the city's cargo lifts could be utilized. "Whoever designed the goods lifts was a genius. Fast and easy. That and you get to see the most stunning views the city has to offer."
Laguna blinked at the unsettling risks such a thing implied. "You don't mean to say—" He turned to look at Squall, his son's gaze ducking to his coffee mug. "You too?" He shook his head once more. "Hyne, how do you even manage to stay on top of those things and not fall off?"
"It's not that hard," Seifer said, finishing the rest of his coffee. "And believe me, it's worth it."
"Here I thought I was spontaneous, but you've got me outgunned, kid."
"Aren't presidents supposed to be the opposite of spontaneous?" Seifer asked with a raised eyebrow. "Then again, I can't say I ever imagined a president to be anything like you. And I mean that in the best possible way, old man. Add in the good food and extremely comfortable beds around here and I'm afraid I'm gonna have to come back again soon."
"You're welcome to, kid," Laguna said with a smile. "Maybe next time, when you take me up on that offer for drinks." He turned his gaze to his son. "You too, Squall. My door's always open." Feeling bold, he added, "That offer for a permanent room still stands." He sighed then, glancing at his watch. He'd never been so reluctant before to start a day's work. "I'm afraid I have to go now. Politics wait for no one," he said with an apologetic smile, getting up from his chair.
"Seifer," he said, extending his hand in parting and giving it a firm shake when Seifer grasped it. "In case we don't speak before your trip to Galbadia—Good hunting, and good luck with whatever it is you're looking to find."
"See you, old man."
Breaking the handshake, Laguna gave a fond slap to the blond's shoulder, before facing his son who had gotten up from his chair as well.
He rounded the table and placed both hands on the brunet's shoulders, for once ignoring the slight frown that emerged at the touch. "It was wonderful having you here. We should do it again," he said with warm eyes. "Say hello to Ellone and Raine from me." After a final squeeze, he lifted his hands from Squall's shoulders and turned to leave.
"You kids enjoy your breakfast." Giving a final nod to both young men, he was out the door.
Sitting down again, Seifer reached over to grab one of many pastries lined up. Taking a big bite, he smiled at the sweet taste, his lips only quirking further when Squall raised an eyebrow at his behavior.
"What can I say, I like it here," he said, managing only a modicum of dignity with his mouth still half-full of the sweet bread. He refilled his cup of coffee and brought it to his lips. "Maybe I'm heading down the wrong career path after all. Maybe President is the way to go."
Squall snorted lightly. "I wouldn't recommend it."
"No?" Seifer asked. "You gotta admit having your very own palace is kind of awesome. Beats a one-bedroom apartment any day."
"It's excessive," Squall commented evenly before downing the last of his coffee.
"Nothing wrong with excessive," Seifer said with a smile, realizing he had no idea what Squall's place looked like. He couldn't even imagine it, too used to the memory of Squall's old dorm. "Your dad mentioned a penthouse, right?"
"...Rinoa picked it. Never really was my place to begin with."
"What kind of place would you pick then?"
Squall furrowed his brow in thought. He'd never actually had to pick his own place before. He'd always just been put up somewhere, be it the orphanage, Garden or even the penthouse. He shrugged. "Anywhere I can sleep is fine."
"Of course," Seifer said, chuckling softly at Squall's pragmatism. "I agree for the most part. It's not like I'm going out of my way to save up for a better place. I'd rather spend it on stuff I want here and now. Live in the moment."
Since he hadn't detected any expenditure of that sort in Seifer's apartment, it didn't take Squall long to guess Seifer's meaning. He'd seen firsthand just how much one could spend on the Estharian nightlife from Rinoa's bank statements. And drugs probably weren't cheap.
"Seems like everybody thinks living means spending money."
"Well, I can tell you one thing, living without money sucks," Seifer said, remembering just how rough those first months in Esthar had been. "So I guess it does. And why not blow a little cash if it means you have more fun? What good is a number increasing in a bank account anyway?"
Squall considered Seifer's words, not sure he completely agreed. Rinoa had certainly seemed to come around from the idea. The perfect penthouse and an unlimited cash flow hadn't been able to make her happy. Then again he'd never had to live in poverty; no food to sustain him, no roof over his head. His outlook might be different then too.
"Money never improved my life," he stated simply.
Seifer nodded, finishing his pastry as he considered the fact. Squall had to be bringing in a lot of cash as the SeeD Commander, yet the man had been miserable the night they'd met at the club, and from the sound of it, for a good while before then too. And he knew Squall meant it when he said all he needed was a bed. There wasn't a single frivolous bone in Squall's body. It was one of the things he'd always admired about the man; his no-nonsense tenacity in all aspects of life. He looked over at the brunet. The man had finished his food a while ago, his plate empty. Seifer sighed. However much he'd like to protract their stay at the palace, he knew it was almost over.
"I guess we'd better get going if we want to get in some training before I have to start work," he said, remaining in his seat.
Squall nodded, suddenly feeling the lack of sleep keenly. He'd already assembled a mental list of all the things he still needed to get in order before tomorrow's meeting and none of those tasks required his full attention or acumen. He already knew he'd be bored to tears once they concluded their morning of magic training and he had to leave Seifer's side. At least he'd be safe from paperwork and politics the moment they set off for Galbadia.
He looked over at Seifer and got up when the man still didn't stir. "Let's move."
"Let's," Seifer agreed and pushed out of his seat.
~ o ~
[Dry cleaner, Chimera District, Monday, 27th of October, 12:36 pm]
Leaning against the wall opposite from the counter, Squall stared out the dry cleaner's window with crossed arms as he waited for his last errand of the day to be concluded. A brand new sleeping bag was already sitting in the trunk of his car, along with a sleeping pad, water canteen and other camping items he'd usually simply get from one of Garden's depots. There was definitely something to be said for Garden's facilities.
For the first time in his life, he'd actually needed to hunt down a place to get his uniform pressed instead of just leaving it up to Garden's laundry service or Rinoa. The hated garment hadn't come out looking very good after he'd unceremoniously dumped it in his duffel bags when moving out of the penthouse, and he doubted Quistis would appreciate him showing up looking anything less than immaculate.
In the end he'd driven around Seifer's neighborhood for nearly half an hour before finally finding a dry cleaner that would take the job on the spot, and that was only after a royal tip had convinced them to bump him to the front of their workload. He frowned at his own ineptitude. Until now he'd been blissfully unaware of the shortcomings he'd developed when it came to household chores. And Seifer's hilarity would only increase once they actually found themselves in the Galbadian woodlands, peering into a pot containing his cooking.
Squall huffed at himself. He didn't like the thought that all these years he'd actually been coddled by Garden. Fighting was the only thing he'd ever been taught, while Seifer had managed to grow past his childhood lessons and had become a functioning member of society. He would just have to do his best to learn, the trip to Galbadia his first opportunity.
Thinking ahead, he skipped over Winhill and allowed himself to look forward to the hunting part at least. Seifer's enthusiasm was proving very infectious and the idea of spending a week in the woods with him was becoming increasingly appealing. No diplomats, no Garden, no operatives to command. No social responsibilities to friends or self-proclaimed father figures.
He let out a sigh as he recalled how his very promising morning had derailed into having breakfast with Loire. In hindsight, he wondered whether it wouldn't have been wiser to ignore the man's invitation for breakfast in favor of sneaking out of the palace. Loire had seemed insufferably pleased with himself when they'd said goodbye, and had even mentioned the possibility of a next time.
It was problematic to say the least. It somehow felt as if Loire had firmly wedged his foot in the small opening he'd allowed the man, and he knew the president would only expect more from here on out. One moment of lenience was all it had taken.
Fujin and Raijin should be manageable in comparison. Or so he hoped. Maybe the DC leader was overestimating what his posse would put up with on his order. He'd just cross that bridge when he got to it. For now he was looking at a week away from civilization, no mission objective to go with it. He couldn't quite imagine such indulgence.
He tried to suppress his anticipation when his mind started to provide their trip with images of spars and more. Considering the presidential palace hadn't deterred either of their libidos in the slightest, he felt confident there would be plenty of opportunities while they were off in Galbadia. The tent posed a problem. No doubt it would provide little privacy and it definitely wouldn't be soundproof. Their stint in the ballroom had made it embarrassingly clear just how addled his mind could get around Seifer, and exposing himself like that wasn't something he wanted to turn into a habit.
Catching himself as he pictured the two of them stretched out in a tussle on forest soil or pressed up intimately against a tree, Squall straightened in awareness of his surroundings and scowled at himself. He was fantasizing about Seifer at a dry cleaner. His mind was going strange, as if all the sex they were having was overwriting his ability to focus on anything else. Even a long night of vigorous sex at the palace hadn't managed to burn out their lust for each other.
And there were Seifer's admissions to Loire that he had to take into consideration. He couldn't quite believe it, but for now it seemed that Seifer wanted him. Maybe even as badly as he wanted Seifer.
Shaking his head as he kept returning to the same issue, poking at it from every possible angle, he pushed away from the wall. Idling around like this was giving him too much time to think. "How much longer?" he demanded, startling the shop owner from his bookkeeping.
"…Another fifteen minutes, I'd say," the man said, growing jumpy under his gaze.
"You said the same thing ten minutes ago," Squall grumbled.
"Ah—I'll go see what's taking them so long," the shop keep offered with a thin smile, quickly disappearing into the back with his books.
Scowling, Squall resumed his position against the wall. He knew he should make use of the time to call Quistis, the one thing on his to-do list he had kept postponing. He took out his cell phone and stared at it with indecision. He'd dug himself a hole there was no climbing out of. Sooner or later, Quistis was going to find out. It would be better for all parties involved if he was the one she heard it from. With some luck she wouldn't freak out.
Not very convinced of his chances of success, Squall walked out into the street for some privacy and dialed Quistis's personal number. At least Seifer wasn't around to overhear his fall from grace as he tried to justify his latest decisions.
"Squall?" came the almost instant reply, the ringtone only sounding twice before she picked up.
"Quistis," he said in greeting.
"You caught me just in time. I was about to head into a meeting with Xu." He could hear her set down something; a stack of files or clipboards no doubt. He felt a pang of guilt for letting her deal with his absence.
"So, what's the problem?" she asked, a touch of concern to her voice. They both knew he wasn't one to call her up for an idle chat, definitely not with a standing lunch date the next day. "Something missing from the files I sent you?"
"No. I read them. I'm up to speed." He paused then, frowning. "Never thought I'd read the Estharian constitution," he added sourly.
"We all had to, Squall," came the chastising reply. "The opposition will try and condemn an Estharian based Garden as unconstitutional. If we're going to have to compromise, we better know what laws we're binding ourselves to."
"We won't," he said simply. He'd read some of the counter plans and offers for compromise. It all boiled down to them losing the autonomy they needed and gaining a whole lot of authorities they'd need to justify their every move to. "I'm not placing any Garden under governmental control."
A suffering sigh sounded at his comment. "I know. I don't like it either, but we need this base of operations."
"For money," Squall replied dryly.
"Yes. For money, Squall," Quistis said calmly. "For money, influence and new troops. We're not the only military force out there. Weapon development has never evolved so fast since Esthar decided to join the rest of the world. Galbadia is finally rearming and Esthar thinks it can manage without us. We can't afford to rest easy. ….But you know all that," she added after his unconvinced huff. "Why are you calling?"
He hesitated, looking for the right words. He'd never been able to deal well with Quistis's ability to see through most of his bullshit. He almost missed the days when she was more easily flustered when talking to him.
"Out with it, Squall. Or do I start guessing?"
Deciding to go for broke, he kept his voice even. "I'm not staying with Loire."
A moment of silence was followed by a deceivingly calm voice. "Of course you're not. I stopped thinking that was the case after my second phone call with Laguna." Quistis's tone took on a more foreboding edge when she continued. "The man's a better liar than you, I'll grant him that."
"He was trying to help," Squall spoke in defense of the president. He wasn't looking to place the blame with anyone other than himself.
"Trying to get into your good books, you mean," she retorted sharply. "That man would do anything to make you see him as a father."
"It wasn't up to him to tell you anything," Squall said, barely reining in his voice at the low blow. "It wasn't up to me either."
Quistis didn't immediately respond as she mulled over his evasive words. "So whose choice was it to lie to me, then?"
"It's not that simple."
A huff sounded in reply. "I'm not stupid, Squall. If it was just a case of you wanting to hide somewhere by yourself, I don't think you'd bother covering it up like this." Gaining steam, Quistis continued to lay out her suspicions. "At first I thought all of this was about Rinoa somehow; that she was making you hide something from us. But after I called her, I knew. She's the one covering for you." Her next words were delivered with a hint of pique. "So, am I finally going to hear about this mystery friend of yours?"
Unnerved by how much Quistis had managed to piece together already, Squall realized he'd been right in his decision to come clean now rather than later. "Hear me out."
His prompt was followed by a long pause, before the woman finally replied. "Alright."
"It's Seifer."
A unamused snort sounded, but when he didn't add anything the other side of the line fell conspicuously silent. Just when he started to think Quistis had hung up, she spoke again.
"You're going to have to explain this to me. Very. Clearly."
Inwardly wincing at the cool tone to her voice, Squall quickly offered the short and edited version of the past few days. "We ran into each other two weeks ago. We talked. After the bond was broken, he helped Rinoa find me. I've stayed with him since."
Another long pause stretched out uncomfortably. "Let me get this straight... You talked things through. With Almasy."
Aware that Quistis's tone didn't bode well, Squall resigned himself to answering her questions as best as he could. "Yes."
"More than two years of avoiding even his name and now you tell me you've just... made up?"
Squall grit his teeth. "We've all had to grow up."
"I didn't think the man was capable of it."
"Quistis," he said warningly.
"I can't believe this. You're serious. You're defending him."
"If you knew what I know, you would too."
"I'll decide on that. You were always weak to his arguments. The rest of us aren't quite that biased in his favor."
Annoyance lapsing into anger at her words, Squall narrowed his eyes. "Either you listen or this conversation ends."
"I'll listen. After you answer this question," Quistis replied coolly. "Is he responsible for you and Rinoa breaking the bond?"
Squall frowned, his voice stark when he replied. "No."
"It's not that strange a question, Squall. You say you ran into him two weeks ago. Don't tell me the timing's a coincidence."
"He's not responsible," he said tersely. "Rinoa and I split up months ago. The bond was a matter of time."
"So this isn't him trying to drive a wedge between his ex-girlfriend and former rival."
"It isn't." Almost nearing his boiling point, Squall tried his best to keep composed. He needed Quistis to understand, for Seifer's sake.
"Even if it isn't, why are you staying with him? Since when does one good talk make up for an entire war?"
"The war wasn't his fault either," he snapped, agitated at her continued disbelief.
Stunned into silence by his outburst, Quistis didn't say anything for a few seconds.
"Is that what he told you?"
"There are more ways to manipulation than pure mind possession," Squall said, his words heated. "He was used and we did nothing to help him."
"You better be one hundred percent sure about that theory, Squall. It would be a dangerous mistake to think he's harmless."
Squall huffed at that. "I know he's not. But he is innocent."
"This is Seifer we're talking about. Are you sure this isn't just... wishful thinking?"
"Are you sure you're not avoiding the possibility you failed him?"
"...Squall."
"He's been helping me," Squall continued. "We're training together. His magic was affected just like mine."
"I'm assuming Laguna and Rinoa know about all this then?"
"Rinoa's the one who suggested me staying with Seifer. And we just came back from visiting Loire."
"You took him to see Laguna?" she asked, possibly sounding even more incredulous than before.
"...Not by choice," he said, remembering Seifer's ploy with a slight frown.
"But they know about each other."
"Yes."
"Wait a minute... How long has Seifer been in Esthar?"
He should've known she would put things together more quickly than he had. "Since a few months after the war."
"Oh, I'm going to enjoy killing Laguna slowly."
"He didn't know who Seifer is to us. He thought he was protecting an Estharian citizen."
"We're bound by contract not to start independent investigations in Esthar. In return we expect the man to let us know about these kind of things." At the ramble of clipped words, Squall knew Quistis was looking to vent her frustration. "For Hyne's sake, how are we supposed to negotiate when there's this little trust."
"He didn't trust us not to execute Seifer behind closed doors," Squall interrupted her coolly. "With the rest of the world in conflict, someone needs to ask questions first and shoot later. He made the right call."
"And now you're defending Laguna." She sighed deeply. "I don't know what to say, Squall. All I remember is an arrogant kid, an even more arrogant cadet, and the war."
"You never knew him the way I do."
"Oh, sure. I never had him egg me on into countless fights, never had him beat me into the infirmary. What do I know."
He could practically hear the exasperated eye roll in her statement, but he would not be dissuaded. "Tell me right now you don't care about him."
She didn't immediately reply. "I did... I was a fool to think I could make a difference. That bastard squandered his potential. He left us, Squall. He made his choices."
"He wasn't given a choice," Squall countered, his patience growing thin. "Ultimecia took him. You were there."
"And I saw him bail out on us. Smirk and everything."
Squall shook his head, determined to get the truth across. "She looked like Matron. She accepted him when he thought everybody else wanted him gone. He's not the first to fall for an offer that's too good to be true."
"So he did choose to be her knight."
"Until Deling City, maybe. By then he wanted out, but she didn't let him. I think she was influencing his thoughts from the start."
"Squall—"
Not letting her interrupt him, Squall continued. "I'm taking him to Ellone to prove it."
"Ellone? What does she have to do with anything?"
"I went to see her once. To know what happened to him."
"You traced his movements in the past?"
"That was the plan, but Ellone couldn't see into his memories as a knight. Seifer thinks that's the way it is for knights. I believe it's because of Ultimecia's mind control."
"And you're going to prove that how exactly?"
"Compare his time as a knight to mine."
"Oh no, you're not," Quistis immediately said. "You're not letting him into Ellone's home like that—into your own head! Have you learned nothing from the past?"
"Ellone already agreed. And he's letting me see his memories too." Squall was trying really hard not to snap again.
"Only you said there's nothing to see in his."
"I'm doing this."
"Not until I've talked to him in person. There's not a chance in hell I'm letting you stay around that man until I've seen for myself just how much he grew up."
"We're leaving right after the meeting tomorrow."
A dangerous silence fell. "Right after?" she asked thinly.
"I can't meet you for lunch."
"If you think you can try and avoid a confrontation that way, Squall, you're mistaken. Who do I have to thank for talking you into this courtesy phone call? Laguna? Ellone?"
Squall's mood darkened. "Seifer, actually. He didn't want this to come between us."
"I see." Squall didn't like the mock resignation in Quistis's voice. "Then I'm sure he'll be very understanding when I come to ask him some questions myself. What's his address?"
Hesitating, Squall didn't want to share such private information without consulting Seifer first.
"You know I'll get it," she said fiercely. "If not from you or Laguna, I can always put the hostage protocol into effect."
She had to be joking. "I'm not his hostage—"
"Oh, I know," she interrupted. "This one is all you. Still, it would be very effective. Wouldn't look good on his record either." When he failed to immediately give her what she wanted, she prodded him again. "So? Where does he live?"
Letting out a sigh, he replied with a deadpan tone. "Zayin House. Chimera District."
A pause fell, followed by the sound of a keyboard. "You left me no choice, Squall. I'm taking an earlier train. I'll arrive at Esthar Central Station at 9:52 pm. No need to pick me up. I'll find my own way."
Hyne, she was serious. "We can talk when we're back from Galbadia."
"You've had your chance. After all we've been through, you owe me better than this." Her voice grew resolute then. "I'm coming over, and so help me Hyne, if you give that man a head start to bail out, I will hunt down both your asses."
"Quistis—"
"Be there, Squall. Don't make me come looking for you." With those ominous words, she hung up.
Squall winced as he looked down at his phone. That did not go well. It had also gone exactly as expected. She was coming to confront them, and she wasn't going to hold back. He'd tried to warn Seifer, but he doubted the man had truly grasped what it would mean to suddenly register on Quistis's radar again after all this time. He had to let Seifer know, give the man a head's up.
Ringing the by now familiar number, Squall wished he could tell him in person, to gauge the man's reaction, but they wouldn't see each other again until that evening. He could only hope that Seifer hadn't been bluffing when discussing their former instructor.
"What's up?"
The jocular greeting was accompanied with a din of sounds in the background, sounds Squall now knew to connect with the hissing and clanging of an active forge. He wished he was there.
"It's Quistis. She's coming by tonight."
"...When?" Seifer's voice was already losing most of its levity.
"She'll be at your place around ten."
"What did she say?"
The brazenness Squall had hoped for remained absent, the blond merely sounding resigned at best. His answer would probably do little to improve that. "She's angry with me. Wants to talk to you in person."
A noncommittal huff sounded over the line, but no further comment ensued. "I can send her away," Squall offered belatedly. It would be the feat of the century, but it wasn't too late yet.
"No," came the curt reply. "...I'll hurry back from class."
Before Squall could say anything else, the connection was cut. Seifer had hung up. Frowning at the brusque goodbye, he dreaded the evening to come. Hopefully they'd all still be in one piece when everything was said and done.
Pocketing his phone, he entered the dry cleaner's shop again to find the shopkeeper shuffling in place, his carefully covered uniform draped over the man's arm. Taking the clothes by their hanger without comment, he strode out into the street, his mood infinitely soured.
~ o ~