A/N: Heh heh. Enjoy!

8. Red Light Therapy

Without another word, Squall pulled her into the apartment, and closed the door behind her.

"What's going on?" he asked, moving to stand before her, clad in a snug white tee shirt and loose black pants. He didn't wait for an answer before gently pushing her over to the couch and sitting her down.

"I... I had a dr-..." Rinoa paused. Perhaps telling him of her daydream wouldn't be a good idea. "I had a fight with Jax."

Squall's brow furrowed and he headed into the kitchen, raising his voice so she could still hear him. "About what?"

Rinoa hesitated and took a few deep breaths, listening as she heard glasses tinkering around from inside the kitchen, then mumbled, "It was stupid."

Squall had to strain to hear the quiet reply, and he remained silent, filling two glasses with ice, a little club soda, and a lot of vodka, then returning to the living room. He sat on the couch beside her and handed her one of the glasses.

"Sure doesn't seem stupid, judging by your terrified appearance," he commented.

She took a large gulp from the glass, nearly choking on the unexpected volume of alcohol within.

"Christ, I thought this was water," she sputtered, examining the glass and then spotting the tiny bubbles.

Squall shrugged, swallowing down a fair portion of his drink. "I figured it would calm your nerves."

Rinoa gave the glass a thoughtful look. After the experience she just had, she knew drinking was likely a terrible idea. She was flustered, to say the least. Pissed off, sexually frustrated, and suffering an anxiety attack, to boot. The more she thought about it, though, the better the idea of drinking became. Giving a shrug of her own, she tipped back the glass and downed the remaining contents.

Squall gave a chuckle and glanced around for his cigarettes. He spotted them on the end table next to her, and realized that he'd have to reach over her to get them. Unless he asked her to hand them to him, of course. What fun would that be?

Before he could talk himself out of it, he leaned over her and grabbed the pack, his face close to hers, purposefully. Her eyelids fluttered and her face flushed, and Squall smiled apologetically as he slowly returned to his position.

Rinoa sucked in a shaky breath, then yanked the pack from his hands, and ripped out two cigarettes. She passed one to him, carelessly, and placed one to her lips. Realizing she had no lighter, she jerked around in search of one, before Squall pulled one from his pocket and ignited it inches from her face. She stilled and accepted the light, exhaling the first drag with obvious relief.

Squall watched as the stream of smoke wafted out from her parted lips, and a wave of heat washed through him, and he found himself fighting off arousal. Clearing his throat, he shifted on the couch, lit his own cigarette, and looked at his glass. "So... are you going to tell me what happened?"

"I think he's cheating on me," Rinoa blurted out. Oh, shit. Why did I say that?

"Really."

It wasn't a question. She could here the disdain in his tone clearly.

"I asked him about why he was spending so much time at work." Okay, so she shouted it. "He just got mad and... left. Back to the 'office', I suppose."

Squall's jaw twitched, and he realized he was grinding his teeth. "That fucker."

Rinoa's shoulders slumped. "Look, I'm sorry. The last thing I want to do is cause a rift in your friendship. It's not... it's not a big deal."

Squall was appalled. "If he's fuckin' around, Rinoa, it is a big deal. And, for the record, it's no shock, either."

Rinoa sighed and leaned back into the couch, swirling her glass of melting ice around in her lap, the smoldering cigarette between her fingers.

Squall couldn't help but let his eyes linger on her. Her hair was down, a few strands draping over her face. His gaze drifted down her slender neck, to her pale arms, to the glass that she held between her jean-clad legs...

Clearing his throat again, he grabbed her glass and stood, then hurried back to the kitchen.

Rinoa's eyes watched as he went, and when he disappeared behind the kitchen wall, she heard the unmistakable sound of liquid being poured. She stared at the wall opposite her. Why did I come here?

You know exactly why you came here, Rinoa. It was true. She was letting herself get past the point of caring for the consequences, and once that happened, there would be no one else to talk her out of it. She was the only thing stopping herself. She was in this, and she was getting damned tired of denying herself of what she wanted. Maybe she was just damned tired of thinking all the time.

She felt a weary smirk creep onto her face and she blinked a few times, realizing that she was staring at a stereo against the far wall. Tapping the excess ash of her half-burnt cigarette into the ashtray, she stood and sauntered over to the stereo that rested on the floor, and sat in front of it, immediately seizing the pile of CD cases that was beside it. She shoved the butt of the cigarette between her lips and began pawing through them, just as Squall was returning from the kitchen.

"Some eclectic taste you've got," she mumbled over the cigarette, gazing quizzically at some of the discs.

Squall said nothing and sat on the couch, placing her drink on the end table and sipping at his own. He took a hard drag from his cigarette, then smashed it out in the ashtray, turning to look at her. He watched as her facial expressions changed with every jewel case she passed through, from disinterest, to approval, and sometimes to sheer confusion. He found it entertaining, to say the least, as she critiqued his musical library, sitting with her legs stretched out, pile of CDs between them, in almost a child-like manner. Noticing that her cigarette was nothing more than ash at this point, he rose and brought the ashtray over to her.

"Thanks," she said, placing the remains of it into the black ceramic tray. Glancing between a few of the discs, she let out a sigh and opened one of them. She twisted around to turn on the stereo and placed the CD inside, roughly nudging the tray shut.

She turned back to her original position to find Squall now sitting on the floor before her, his steely gaze intent on her face. She offered a quirk of a smile and leaned back on her hands as Led Zeppelin began to waft through the air at a low volume.

She looked so seductive at that very moment to Squall. He was having a hard enough time maintaining composure, and the look she was giving him was just making it more difficult. He found himself starting to lean in, just a little closer, so slowly that she barely would notice.

She did notice though, and her lips parted, much the way they had when he'd nearly kissed her at the bar. A thoughtful look crossed her face, though, and she cleared her throat and stood, scurrying over to her neglected drink on the end table. Without a hesitation, she picked it up and threw the contents back, giving a shudder as she slammed the empty glass back onto the table.

There was a long pause and he thought he saw her body waver just a little.

"You okay?" he asked, rising to his feet in the event that he would need to catch her if she collapsed.

"Yeah..." she breathed. "I... I think I need to lie down."

She wavered again, and Squall scooped her up and carried her down the hall, heading straight for his bedroom. He gently placed her on the mattress in the dark room, then turned hit the switch on the wall. Red light filled the room from the ceiling, giving the place an eerie, but undeniably sensual glow.

Rinoa raised an eyebrow.

"I, uh... I don't care for very bright light," Squall explained. "Are you... are you okay?"

Rinoa didn't answer immediately. Instead, she stared up at the ceiling, letting the day's thoughts stream through her mind once more. She wasn't that drunk. Tipsy, yes, but she was fully aware of what being in his bedroom might lead to. Now she just had to decide if this was, in fact, where she wanted it to go.

The silence allowed for the soft music to seep its way into the room, and Squall sat gently on the edge of the bed, careful not to get too close, but finding it difficult as the bed was nothing more than a double. The side of her calf brushed against his lower back as his weight on the mattress shifted her.

Without much thought, Squall's hand reached back and gently swept his fingertips up and down her leg, his manner nothing more than affectionate.

He quickly realized what he was doing, but found, to no surprise, that he liked doing it, so he made no attempt to stop. "Rinoa?"

Her dark gaze drifted down to his, and she realized that he was still awaiting an answer.

"Yes," she whispered. She wasn't entirely sure that she was answering his concerned question, or if she was answering the question that had thickened the tension around them, but remained unspoken.

She swung her legs over the edge of the bed and sat up next to him, suddenly sorry for the loss of the sensation of his hand on her leg. His touch felt good, and damned if she didn't want more.

"I don't know what I want..." she mumbled aloud. "I can't get my thoughts together."

Squall stared at her downcast face for a long moment, then spoke in a hoarse voice. "I think... that we think too much. We really should stop that."

Rinoa looked up at him and flashed a brilliant smile. "You might be right."

She reached down, her eyes never leaving his, and grazed his hand with her own. Not in spite of Jax... but for me. For once.

Squall felt every last ounce of his will crumble at the touch her delicate fingers on his hand. He was in this... further than he'd let himself acknowledge before.

Before he really knew what was happening, his lips were on hers, rough and uncontrolled. He wasn't sure what he expected from her, probably to be pushed away or an unbridled return of passion, but neither came. He received hesitance, but only at first. Within seconds, she began to respond to him, deepening the kiss, a low moan escaping from her throat.

The sound found its way to his ears, only to push him further into madness. His hands crept up to her face, holding her there, relishing the feeling of her soft lips and her tongue as it boldly explored his mouth. He was sinking further into oblivious passion, and he found himself lowering her to the bed, never parting from her.

He might have claimed then that he didn't know what he was doing, that the alcohol was having an effect on him, but he knew it wasn't true. He knew what he was doing, knew it wasn't the wisest decision, but it was the decision he had made. It was going to happen, and he wasn't going to prevent it.

Rinoa's fingers wound through his silky hair, the taste of liquor and cigarettes on his lips intoxicating her, and she loved it. His lips finally broke from hers and began a trail down her neck of kisses, licks, and soft bites, and she realized that she was once again lying on his bed. She looked up at the ceiling, woozy from the red light and feeling of his mouth on her neck and collarbone.

"Oh, God..." she breathed absently.

Squall smiled at the soft words, his mouth moving back up her neck to her mouth, once again seizing it, his hands drifting down to the hem of her top, slowly lifting the fabric.

Without hesitation, Rinoa raised her upper body from the bed, allowing him to pull her shirt off, then settled back into the mattress as he kissed her again, her hands immediately going for the hem of his own shirt. Her hands skimmed up his back, bringing the shirt up, and pulled it over his head as they momentarily broke the kiss, only to resume the action.

He propped himself above her with an elbow as he continued kissing her, his other hand snaking around to her back and swiftly unhooking the clasp of her bra. Slowly, he peeled it off of her and broke away from her lips for a moment to look at her.

"God, you're beautiful," he breathed as he kissed her again.

She smirked against his lips, her hands searching for his belt buckle. She fumbled with it for a moment then defeated it and pulled it off, her hands returning to unbutton his pants. Before she could complete the task, however, Squall once again broke away, grasped her hands in his, pinning her to the bed, and began another heated trail down her neck, this time venturing lower.

She gasped as his mouth explored her bare chest, kissing and gently gnawing at her supple breasts. He released her hands and found his way to the button and zipper of her jeans, pulling the tab down and sliding the dense fabric down her legs. She moaned in delirious pleasure and anticipation, her hands caressing the muscles of his back and arms, through the silky tufts of his hair as he removed every last stitch of clothing from her body.

His mouth returned to hers, one arm supporting his weight as the other explored her body from her bent knees that were now on either side of him and up to her shoulders, taking his time along the way.

She once again tackled the button of his pants, and at some point succeeded in undressing him, though she wasn't sure how long it had taken, her mind occupied with other things, with taking in the feeling of his body against hers, his tongue in her mouth, and the anticipation of what was about to happen.

Normally, she would have insisted on extended foreplay, but in this case knew she didn't need it, or even really want it. She was ready, and her body ached for him.

Squall broke the kiss again and looked at her once more.

Then it happened. The chance to rethink all of it was gone in a swift motion. He was deep inside her, his eyes fixed on hers, drinking in the pleasure that was all over her face, and the sounds that came from her as a result.

The moment overtook them both and they moved together with mutual urgency, unaware and unconcerned of the loud grunts and groans they both made as they sank further and further into oblivion.

Within minutes, their movements became quick, almost brutal, as they got closer and closer to the edge.

"Oh, God..." Rinoa gasped, her orgasm rushing through her whole body, causing her to shudder beneath him.

Squall buried his face in her neck, breathing in the scent of her hair, and felt her pulsating around him, pushing him over the edge moments after, a groan tearing from deep within his chest.

They slowed to a stop, just breathing, their bodies rising and falling against each other with every breath. After several moments, Squall finally mustered the energy to roll off of her and lie next to her, taking her in his arms.

That was unusual.

Squall nearly laughed aloud at the thought, realizing that he hadn't been referring to what it initially sounded like. He hadn't meant the sex, though it had happened in a different way than he was used to, but he had meant the act of wrapping his arms around her afterwards. He had a tendency to withdraw, which he knew wasn't a good thing, but it was a fact either way, he would usually just roll away and fall asleep in an unaffectionate and sometimes cold manner.

But not this time. This time... it just seemed appropriate.

A/N: SMUT! Hahahahaha! Holy CRAP, I was nervous about posting this. But... you guys can handle it, yes? Anyway, this is not the end of the story (duh), but... I do hope this appeases all of you out there who were begging for some smut and/or some Squinoa-ness.

Thank you so much for all of the reviews! I'm so sorry it's taken me so damn long to get this up. As I've mentioned a million times, this is... a very personal story for me, so I really have to be in the right frame of mind to write it and do it justice. I fear I may have jumped into the smut a little prematurely, but... what can I say? I'd written the lemon here months ago, and it was just eating me up that I didn't have a place to post it yet.

Wow... did anyone else notice that this whole author's note is full of terrible puns? Hehe. Love you guys! Keep reading!