A/N: Chapter three and they're still long chapters. I'm proud of myself. Lol. Anyway, stay tuned for more, cuz a lot is going to start happening. Enjoy, and as always, comments are appreciated.

Disclaimer: Don't own FFVIII or any of the characters except Chesna, who is not a FFVIII character, but mine.

Warnings: Yaoi, language, and all the standard warnings apply. If it ain't on your ticket, get off the train.

---

"Seifer, I want to talk to you. Got a minute?" Squall poked his head into the empty classroom that Seifer called his own. The tall blond man reclined in his chair, boots up on the desk in front of him. He glanced in the direction of the door and grunted his acknowledgment of Squall, who took it as a sign to come in.

"Last class is over, got plenty of time, I guess," Seifer said, closing his eyes again, adjusting his hands behind his head. He heard rather than saw Squall move around the front of his desk and stand here. "You can sit, if you want."

"I don't plan on taking too much of your time, I have… other things to do." He was going to say better, but that would have led to an argument and that's not what he was trying to accomplish at the moment.

"So talk," Seifer said, either not caring about the slight pause or not hearing it.

"Zell told us about the situation with Chesna. I'd ask how you were doing, but I can see how you've taken to the change."

Seifer's eyes popped open. "Change? You make it seem like I changed my wardrobe. It's not that easy, Squally-boy. It's an entire change in lifestyle. You didn't have a toddler dropped at your door, did you?"

The brunette leaned forward, placing his hands on the desk in front of him. "No, but I run this school. I'm in charge of all these students."

"That was your choice. This wasn't mine."

"No, but you slept with her mother. That was your choice. You have to take responsibility for your actions."

"Hyne, when am I going to stop hearing those fucking words?"

"Until you actually do it. What happened to the Seifer I gave a second chance to?" Squall lowered his voice as if others were listening in on them. "You told me you'd changed, that you were going to pay for all your mistakes."

The blonde finally pulled his boots off the desk and sat forwards, palms lying flat on the desk, inches from Squall's. "You don't get it, Squall, and you can't, because this isn't something that's happened to you. I love Zell. We're happy together. Just the two of us. Alone. And now there's this… this kid that we have to take care of. I can't have him just to myself. He's paid more attention to her in-"

"Wait a minute. Are you kidding me? Seifer, she's been in your home for all of what, a day? And you say he's already paying more attention to her? He has to Seifer. She's in a new town and knows no one. Her mother died just a few weeks ago, and I'm sure that memory is fresh in her mind. And here she suddenly is with a father that doesn't even want her. He has to, because you won't." He paused to let his friend soak in his words.

Seifer stared down at the desk. Had he really been that foolish? Maybe he had acted poorly, but still…

"I know this is new, and it's going to take awhile to adjust to this, but go talk to Zell. Don't just ignore him and Chesna because you're confused. That's not fair to them." Squall watched as Seifer hung his head. He didn't say anything as he left, the door sliding shut behind him.

That wasn't like him, Squall thought as he walked down the hall, heading towards his office. He stopped to scold a student who was running in the hall before he continued. Only one other time in all the years he'd known Seifer, had he looked so tired and confused. That last time had been after the Sorceress War, when he'd come back to Balamb looking for a place of refuge. He'd found that in Zell, who in turn helped bring him back to the Garden.

He remembered that first day well. Zell had cancelled his first class of the day, and Squall was angry when he found out. He agreed to meet him outside though, hoping there was a good explanation for his behavior…

"This better be good, Zell. You know I don't approve of canceling classes unless there is a mission or some other absolute need. You're being awfully secretive about this," Squall had scolded, his usual silence replaced with sternness.

"I promise, Squall. Just come with me." Zell replied, hurrying towards the gates. He'd rushed forward, excitement clear in the way he moved. When he realized Squall was farther behind, he turn and run back to him, before sprinting forward again, only to get frustrated. "For Hyne's sake, Squall! Hurry up!"

"I don't see what the rush is about," Squall muttered. The man at the gate looked up from his book and waved them through.

Zell stopped just before the main entrance, by a draw point and out of compulsion drew the magic stored inside. The headmaster shook his head, looking steadily more annoyed with his short friend. Turning his attention back to his friend, Zell stopped his rapid movements. "Just… hear me out, okay? Don't go rushing back inside, don't start yelling or anything like that. Just… listen to him."

"…When do I ever yell? And who am I listening to?" Much to his frustration, Zell ignored him and kept walking. When the road was in sight, Zell stopped and looked around, frowning and muttering to himself.

Squall was about to turn around and go back inside, despite Zell's threats when he saw the familiar, yet somehow different, man walking towards them from up the road. His pace was slow, laborious. As if he had weights on his ankles making his progress difficult.

"…" Squall stared as Seifer trudged up to them, his head down, hands in the pockets of his jacket. The white trench coat was absent today, due to Zell's insistence though this was unknown to Squall.

"He came back to town a few days ago. I'm surprised you haven't heard. He's… been staying with me." Zell offered, moving to stand beside Seifer. Squall looked between the two, Zell standing tall, proud, and Seifer withdrawn, shoulders and head lowered, beaten.

"…"

"Seifer," Zell started, nudging the man next to him. Seifer looked at him briefly, then straightened a bit.

"Squall… I…" He paused, taking a breath, and stood straighter. "I'm sorry."

It had taken a long time for Squall to accept the change, less time for some, more for others, but gradually they all came to accept that Seifer was a changed man, and that he and Zell cared deeply about each other.

---

Zell sat at his desk, looking down at the papers that were submitted to him through the computer system. He frowned, tapping his stylus to the screen, making changes to some of the papers and writing comments and a grade at the top. Sure he liked having fun, but he didn't like it when his students took him for a fool and handed in the crap some of the new cadets had. He was funny, but not an idiot.

A soft mechanical hum signaled a visitor as the door opened, but Zell didn't look up from his tablet. "Yes?" He murmured, sighing as he gave yet another low grade.

"Hi." Zell looked up and smiled, placing the stylus on the desk.

"Hi there." Seifer moved around the desk and sat on the front edge.

"Grading papers?" Zell snorted acknowledgement of it, waving a hand.

"If you can call this crap papers," he said, saving the data and powering the tablet off. "How were your classes?"

"Fine… I got a visit from Squall today." Zell looked up, only a hint of surprise on his face.

"Oh did you? What did he have to say? Students complain about you again?" Zell teased, resting a hand on top of Seifer's. The blond hesitated before turning his hand over and twining their fingers.

"I've been a bastard, haven't I?"

"Well, you're always a bastard but that's besides the point."

"Zell, I'm serious."

"Seif, it's only been a day. It's going to take some time, I realize that. And I should have realized how hard this was going to be on you. I wasn't thinking."

"No, you're right. I shouldn't run away from my problems. I've put this all on you, expecting you to do everything. You aren't even her father."

"That doesn't matter. I want to be there for you, like I have been since you've come home. And that means being there for Chesna now, too."

"Are you sure you want that? This is… it's not going to be easy."

"And living with you is?" Zell teased again. Seifer allowed a smirk to show. "Just don't ignore Chesna," he lowered his voice, pleading. "She needs you. She wants her Daddy." Seifer tried not to cringe, but couldn't help it.

"Daddy… Hyne that's going to take some getting used to."

"Yeah, well… sharing a house with a toddler is going to take some getting used to. And when she gets older, she's going to be a teenage girl…" Zell's eyes widened.

"Don't. Don't even think about it. Please."

"Hyne, what if she's like Selphie?"

"Don't!" Seifer warned again, face paling slightly.

"Worse yet, what if she's like you?" Zell felt the fingers tighten almost painfully around his and he laughed. "Okay, okay! I get it!" Seifer grinned and leaned across the desk, tugging Zell closer, and placed a warm kiss to his lips.

"Do you know what's the worst of all?" Seifer murmured, his lips just barely brushing against Zell's.

"Hmm, what's that?"

"Our sex life going to change. What with the possible interruptions, and your… vocal tendencies…" Zell felt the heat creep into his face.

---

The group met in the cafeteria for dinner, Zell begging Seifer to let them stay. The day had been long and physically as well as mentally exhausting, and he just didn't feel like cooking when he got home. They entered the cafeteria and grabbed their food, moving to the back corner where the others had congregated, all focus on Chesna.

"Daddy! Zell!" She cried when she saw the two of them. Zell grinned, and bent to give her a kiss on the top of her head.

Irvine got out of his chair next to Chesna and pulled up another chair, offering his old one to Seifer, who sat. Zell waved Rinoa off as she tried to give him her chair, instead picking Chesna up off hers and sitting. She giggled as Zell sat her on one leg, eating his hot dog triumphantly.

"Didn't you have those at lunch?" Seifer asked, disgusted.

"Yeah, so? You won't let me make them at home," Zell pointed out through a mouthful. "So I have to have my fill here."

"So that's why you wanted to eat here rather than cook at home…"

"Guilty as charged." Everyone at the table laughed, including Chesna though she didn't know why she was laughing. "How was Chesna?" He asked Rinoa after he swallowed his food.

"She was fine. We had fun wandering around the Garden, right?" Chesna nodded, smiling. "Zell, if you can't get her in daycare in Balamb for awhile, it's alright. We discussed it and we all have overlapping free time, so we can each take turns looking after her for awhile."

"We?"

"Me, Quistis and Selphie."

"Yeah, we each want to have fun with her! It's not often we get such a cute little kid to play with."

"I don't think I trust you with my any little kid, let alone my daughter," Seifer said, eyes narrowed.

"Hey! What's wrong with me!" Selphie shrieked, standing. Irvine put a hand on her arm to calm her and she sat.

"That's a really generous offer," Zell said, shooting Seifer a look, "but we don't want to bother."

"Oh, it's no bother really," Quistis said. "I can get my notes prepared at night, so I won't have to worry about it in my free time. Besides, you'll both be here if anything happens. And it's just for a few days until you can talk to the people in town."

Zell frowned as he took a bite of his last hot dog, thinking. "Well, my mother could always watch her for a few days…"

"You don't want to start taking advantage of Ma Dincht, do you?" Irvine asked.

"Hey, it's not like she's getting grandkids any other way. She loves it. She had a blast with Chesna the other day."

"But didn't you say she went to visit a sick friend? She might not be back for a few days, or she might have to go back soon. She can't take Chesna with her."

"We appreciate your offer, but-"

"Okay." Seifer glared at Zell. "What? We need help until we get this situation settled," he pointed out. The scarred blond turned his attention back to his food, not answering. What the hell was his problem now? "Or… we could talk about this on the way home?"

The group tried to ignore the quick change in mood and finished their meals. It was getting late and they didn't want the two new parents walking home in the dark with the toddler. Monsters rarely strayed onto the path, but there was always that chance that they would get the nerve to move out of the wild.

After saying goodbye, the three of them headed back to Balamb, the sun low, but still in the sky. Chesna walked between the two holding onto their hands, her bear tucked safely into her backpack with his head poking out.

"Seifer, I didn't mean to undermine you," Zell said. Seifer looked at him. "I know that's what it was, wasn't it? It's just… we really do need help. It seems okay now… but… I don't know, maybe it seems too easy. She's a good kid and all…"

"I was just surprised. Chicken-wuss was actually taking charge." Zell's face flushed in annoyance at the teasing remark. "I kind of liked it." The tinge turned redder as it shifted to embarrassment and anticipation.

The walk home was relatively peaceful. Off in the distance there were some grats lingering, but they didn't come close enough to the road to cause a threat. On a normal night the two would have rushed off to go get some light training, but they couldn't risk Chesna's safety. And they'd both be damned if they let the other go without being able to join.

No lights were on in Zell's childhood home as they passed by. His mother was probably still in visiting her friend. He hoped it wasn't anything serious, and that she would come home soon, safely. Once inside their own home, Chesna ran for the stairs and crawled up them, much to Seifer and Zell's dismay, and dashed for her room.

"We're going to have to do something about those stairs." Zell said.

"Gate? Don't they have those like… dog gates or something? Maybe it'll work if we put one on the stairs." Seifer suggested, going to the kitchen to get something to drink while Zell went to make sure she didn't get hurt.

"But where? Top or bottom?"

"Top, so she doesn't fall down."

"And how are we going to get through?"

"I don't know. Move it? You'll think of something, chicky."

Rolling his eyes, Zell trailed Chesna up the stairs to her room. She was ripping her toys out of the closet, searching. "Whoa, whoa there! It's bath time now, not play time."

"Want Angel," She said, undeterred. She cried and kicked when Zell picked her up. "Angel!" She shrieked.

"Angelo's with Rinoa at the Garden, you can see him tomorrow," Zell soothed. She kept screaming, getting louder and louder.

"Everything all right?" Seifer stood in the doorway, a small grin on his face.

"Angel!" Chesna screamed again.

"She wants Angelo."

"Does she have a stuffed dog?"

"Well, yeah, but…"

"So give it to her. She probably renamed it." Zell put her down and she ran to the closet, ripping through it again. She emerged, successfully, clutching a brown dog toy to her chest. She pet its head and barked like a dog. Both laughed.

"You pick up her mess, I'm going to give her a bath," the shorter blond said, picking her up.

"Me?"

"Yes you." Without another word he left the room, grinning as Seifer stared at the ground.

"Hyne, Zell, why the hell did you buy her so many damn toys?"

"Cuz she's a little kid," came the muffled answer as the water started to fill the tub across the hall. He poked his head out. "Ma bought her some too, so it's not all my fault."

The door shut and the water stopped running. Seifer listened as his lover tried to get Chesna into the bath.

"Come on, Chesna, you took such a nice bath yesterday."

"No." She argued.

"No, don't put Angelo in the water!"

"Angel dirty!" She insisted.

"No, he'll get ruined. He can sit and watch." There was some movement in the bathroom, and another shriek. "Chesna, it's fine! Just a quick bath and you'll be all clean for tomorrow."

"NO!" Seifer finished putting the toys away and sat on her bed, grinning broadly as more struggling noises came from their direction.

After a minute, the door opened and Zell poked his head out. "A little help here, Seif- AH! CHESNA GET BACK HERE!" A little blonde blur came streaking out of the bathroom, naked, and giggling. Seifer burst out laughing as Zell tried in vain to grab her. She finally stopped, jumping onto her bed and hiding behind Seifer.

"Shh." She said, putting a finger to her lips.

"Chesna, get in the tub," Zell said, frustration seeping from his pores.

"Chicky having a hard time?"

"Chicky?" The little voice popped up.

"Oh no! Seifer, don't you dare go putting those words in her head!" She stood and pointed at Zell, looking at her father questioningly.

"Chicky?"

"Yes, that's right. But you call him Zell. Only Daddy gets to call him that," Seifer said, a brief moment of tenderness slipping through. He picked his daughter up and handed her off to Zell. "Go take a bath, Chesna. Listen to what Zell says." She nodded, pouting, and the two went off to the bathroom again.

This time there were no troubles. The bath went quickly and then Chesna was put down to bed, snuggled in with Bear and Angelo.

More exhausted than yesterday, Zell made his way to their bedroom, finding Seifer already passed out on the bed. He got himself ready for bed, and crawled in between the sheets. Seifer rolled over, wrapping an arm around him kissing the back of his head, as they pressed close.

"This is hard…" Seifer murmured. Zell nodded, almost imperceptibly.

"Never said it was going to be easy."