His Second Childhood By: Selim
Summary: When Squall returned from Time Compression, he wasn't himself anymore. Now he must grow up again, but would having his father in his life the second time make any difference? Squall doubts it, but time has never been on his side.
Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VIII. I am not making any profit off this piece of fiction.
Rating: T
Note: THIS IS UNBETA'D, this was posted because of such a long wait. Hopefully I'll get it beta'd eventually. Sorry about this.
It was just his luck for his day to start so poorly. An hour before Laguna was supposed to be at work, he'd discovered his son had yet to rise from his room. He'd tried to ignore it, continuing his search for a babysitter since Ward came down with the flu, but after another thirty minutes and still no sign of his usually-up-before-the-birds son, Laguna had made his way in Squall's room, phone still pressed to his ear as the childcare business went searching for a nanny that said boy hadn't scared away.
Only he discovered the same virus that took Ward down, had also claimed a second victim. When Edea Krammar had gone on about things to expect from a child Squall, she hadn't said anything about how needy a sick Squall was. In fact, he doubted anyone was fully aware how delusional the buddle of baby fat could be.
Using his right shoulder to keep the phone pressed to his ear, Laguna trudged around his living room with a heavy body in his arms, nestled deep into the crevice of his left shoulder. He had a meeting to get to in a half hour, still no babysitter, and no sign of Kiros. To think he'd actually been in a good mood when he'd originally rolled out of bed. Patting Squall's back, the man ignored the pathetic groans coming from his son as he maneuvered a cup of coffee under the boy. "Are you sure no one is available? Sick? Every last one of them?"
Glancing at his son, Laguna rolled his eyes. Even flashing his name hadn't been able to get him a babysitter. The women may have bowed to their handsome leader but they were intimidated by the barely coherent child current making gurgling noises against his ear.
Gurgling noises? Laguna barely made it to the sink with Squall when the boy spewed whatever he'd eaten the night before. Wiggling his nose, Laguna rubbed his son's back as the boy continued the heave. "This goes to show you," Laguna smirked, "that you'll be punished someway, somehow for your bad behavior."
"N'feel ga…" Squall reached back for Laguna. Propping the boy on the counters, Laguna worked at cleaning the boy's face before turning on a hot water faucet to clean his sink. With the kitchen looking somewhat presentable and a horrible stench coming from his shoulder (ah! The boy had got him too!), Laguna carried Squall to a couch in the reading room, tucking the boy under mounds of blankets. With one glance down at the boy, the president knew what he had to do.
Since being forced into office by the Estharian people, Laguna had never taken a personal day. He'd been lazy at work, but he'd never had to call in for anything. He always felt bad when he had to cancel out of meetings that people had waited months for. It looked like his weekends were going to be busy, fitting people back in. Maybe he'd get lucky on this one day off and would find a nanny for his little monster? Doubting it, Laguna dialed up his secretary anyway as he slumped against his wide recliner. He didn't have to turn to feel the wide icy blue eyes watching him from mounds of blankets.
"It's just me and you today, kid." Laguna dropped his head back. The eyes disappeared under the blankets. He saw the fabric curl around the small figure and knew Squall was trying to sleep again. "Thermometer…Thermometer…therm..." He ruffled around his drawers. He knew at one point he'd had one, but he doubted it was still lying around after all these years. The last person he'd used it on was Ward who, though rarely sick, was often hit the hardest. Between Kiros and himself, they were sick at least twice a year but were able to care for themselves during those times. "I should probably have one ordered or a doctor. Maybe this is time compression related and…" He reached for the phone, but saw Squall's hand move from the blanket's in a grabbing motion. "What's wrong?" The boy didn't respond, making raspy noises before bringing his head out from the blankets, emptying his stomach on the floor. "Right: and a maid."
With a sniffle, Squall snuggled himself in the blankets as Laguna went about making phone calls. He couldn't stop apologizing when the maids worked at cleaning the mess his son had made. He usually got Kiros to clean it up, unable to stomach the stench himself, but the man was busy babying Ward. The doctor, though reluctant to make a house call, had only agreed because the president had begged. It was either the guy or the creepy scientist Odine breathing down Squall's neck. He wasn't stupid, he knew the boy wasn't overly fond of the quirky doctor (few were) and the man would probably find some sorceress related problem that would require Squall to be incubated until further notice.
"My stomach hurts…" Squall whispered. Grabbing the boy, Laguna brought him into the bathroom, ignoring the wide eyed women afraid of having to clean another mess. Letting Squall slump against the toilet, Laguna rubbed the boy's back. Several empty dry heaves later, Squall rubbed his runny nose into his arm.
"How did that poor Garden handle flu season with the likes of you?"
"N'ver was sick like this," Squall looked up, his eyes glazed over. "One time Seifer helped me. He was sick too and we sat around watching movies and hogging the blankets. He sat with me like this and held my hair and…" The boy rambled as his body turned to snuggle into Laguna's shoulder. Instinct that he didn't know he possessed made him wrap his arms around Squall while pushing himself off the floor. Aging knees creaked but Laguna didn't stop as he made his way into the kitchen, grabbing a deep bowl in one of the cabinets. The maids, he noted, had already excused themselves. "…And he helped me empty the fish tank. Made lots of trips that day…" Squall's fingers raveled into Laguna's hair. "…And then he had to go and be an idiot."
"What the hell are you going on about?" Laguna placed Squall in the boy's bed, but the hands tangled in his hair didn't relent its hold. Forced back down to his knees, Laguna worked Squall's hands away before brushing back sweat soaked bangs. "We're looking for him."
"P'ease don't let them kill 'im." The buried himself under his blankets.
"I'll do what I can, just sleep." Laguna tucked the bedding in, awkwardly reaching for a chocobo plush toy Squall had taken a liking to over the week. "Just go to sleep so you can go back to terrorizing my staff tomorrow." The boy gave him a weak smile before falling asleep.
Rolling his shoulder, Laguna escaped the stuffy room while unbuttoning his soiled tunic. Watching those maids clean made him realize he was missing another person helping him with what he couldn't handle, namely his son. He had a dream the night before, of a happy little family consisting a mother, father, a Squall. They had said to give the boy the whole "family experience", something he hadn't really had in his youth a long time ago. His own mother had divorced his father, remarrying and starting a new family that didn't involve him. His father had hit the bottle hard after that, but still took the time to teach his son the way of life through his fist. With a back glance at his son, Laguna went to change his shirt.
He wasn't in any hurry to share his second chance with an unrelated woman.
Hours later, after excusing the doctor who still felt that, in the end, it had been a waste of his time to come and sooth a doting father, Laguna found himself again being held by his sick son who wanted to be cuddled and waited on hand and foot. It was still a weird feeling to have such a small body pressed so close to his own, especially since even Kiros and Ward knew not to get in his personal space until given permission, but Laguna couldn't find the heart to force Squall away as they watched cartoons.
Well he watched cartoons. Squall was staring blankly at the screen while rambling on about giant fish and gunblades in his own fever-based delirium. He'd almost missed it when Squall changed the subject with lose connection. "I wanna see my mother."
"Excuse me?" Laguna glanced down, raising a brow. Certainly he hadn't heard what he thought he had? He wasn't ready to see Raine's grave. He still felt like it had been his fault for her untimely death.
"My mother. You know, the woman that several odd years ago you got lucky – with possibly the aid of a lot of alcohol on her part – to have thus making an honest woman of yourself."
"Both of us were sober that night, very much in love—"
"And very unprotected – ew, scratch that, now I'm imagining your ass getting it on." Squall groaned, clenching his eyes shut with a hoarse cough. "I want to say my goodbyes," he continued on when his fit subsided. "When we were traveling, we came across Winhill but never her grave."
"They wouldn't tell outsider's where it is. To be honest, I have a small idea of what they'd put it. There was a field of her favorite flowers not too far down the main path. From the hills, it'd probably be hard to see the grave mark if the flowers are in full bloom."
Squall pealed open his annoyed blue eyes. "You mean they wouldn't even tell you, her husband?"
"…Ah." Laguna rubbed his jaw. "The judge had to sign the license. The people didn't have to accept the marriage. We were only a week in when Ellone ah…" He was almost sure that his sudden disappearance hadn't helped his position with the people. They'd lead him off another cliff before they'd tell him where her grave was. And Squall, as small and cute as he was, wouldn't be so lucky if he just went around asking random strangers where his mother's grave was. Besides, the baby given up for orphanage would have been almost twenty now, not two. They wouldn't bother with taking the time to understand what had happened they'd simply see Laguna, with another kid, and probably accuse him of wrong doings as if from the very start they'd accepted him with the local girl. "I'll see if Ellone can find out. She went back there to open up an orphanage, ease the town into accepting outsiders. Can't turn away a child who lost a parent in the recent war, now can they?"
Squall scowled. "What if Seifer was turned into a kid too?"
"We can't shake every blonde child we see to find him either." Laguna rolled his eyes. "Seriously: what's with you and finding that guy? I mean, I don't hold him at fault for the whole Adel thing – we all make stupid mistakes – but really? Him? From what I understood from your friends, neither of you were flowers and rainbows to begin with."
"Facade." Squall waved his hand absently, lodging himself closer into Laguna's side as his eyes closed. "We didn't hate each other that much – wouldn't have talked to him if I really hated him. We fought, we made up. Rinse and repeat every week. He helped me dispose of my pet before the Garden Sanctum found it." Laguna rolled his eyes as Squall started to ramble aimlessly again about his goldfish.
"You know, you're really annoying when you're sick"
"And you're really an idiot." Squall retaliated before starting up about rabid squirrels or something along those lines.
"I feel for Raine now. She said I acted like you are now when I was sick. Idiocy must run in the family."
Squall fell silent. Laguna smiled.
"…If Sis finds the gravesite can we go see her?"
"Huh?"
"Mother."
"…" Laguna brushed his bangs back. "Now why is it you'll refer to her as a mother, but not me?"
"She has an excuse for not being there. Now about the gravesite."
"I'm here now!" Bit back Laguna, his fingers tightening around his roots. "Damn it, Squall! If I had known I would have been there faster than lightning but things aren't that easy! They never are we they should have been. Kiros, shit! He should have told me, but he did the right thing leaving you there. Squall you turned out into a nice man, a little anti-social than I would have wanted, but your priorities were straight. You saved the world, and the future may never have to worry about rogue sorceresses or stupid wars and knights and pointless dreams! Time can't be changed, we saw that, but it can be fixed. I'm here now, all you have to just live with it!"
"Father is too foreign." Squall dropped his arm over his eyes, wincing. "I have a headache, just shut up." A winded cough followed. "…I know we can't shake every blonde kid down for information, but can't we just look at orphanages in this area that may have received a blonde haired child? I mean, I haven't seen that many blonde's in the area he can't be that hard to find."
"…I'll have Kiros look into it, now go to sleep." Laguna ran his hand through sweat soaked dark hair. He didn't have to wait long before the boy was asleep, grasping the blankets and his plush toy. Frowning, Laguna reached for the remote, flipping on the large screen imbedded in the wall. He'd never really gotten into all the Estharian technology, usually opting to walk to locations than use the transporting unit, but he found love to the digital televisions. The resolution quality beat anything he'd seen before, but he'd rarely found time to watch it.
When he did watch, he was forced to watch something news related to keep up with current events but sometimes he liked to surf through the thousands of channels to find something with the most flashing lights that could keep his attention. He was halfway through his arsenal of news programs when he saw a flash of blond in the crowds of a group of rioters demanding a real explanation for the Pandora Incident. Flipping back to the station, Laguna scanned over the crowds again until he saw the yellow that had got him again.
And Ward said his eyes were getting bad.
There, hidden under a fisherman's hat, was Seifer Almasy. The man was trying to look inconspicuous behind a mother and her son, taking the part of a family man to anyone who didn't know what to look for.
The man almost looked the part of an Estharian man, possibly in attempt to hide from the cameras and the world. Esthar was the safest hideout for a year or two. It was only a matter of time before the council forced him to shut down the outside transits. Currently SeeDs were helping with monster extermination so it was only fair that Seifer would lie low since within the Gardens his face and name was known. Judging by the screen shot of him in the crowds, the man was putting on a beard and going for a more aged and like Squall had mentioned, it was Esthar, a person with blonde hair was noticeable.
It had been almost a week since the riot the news was still going on about. Two days ago Laguna had done a press conference about Pandora and the state of Adel. He swore to the people that Adel was truly gone. He didn't mention the new sorceress, letting the people believe that Rinoa died when Pandora fell. It calmed the people's hearts, especially since Laguna had built an honest name for himself as a republic defender.
Taking in the screen, Laguna analyzed the riots background. He could have thought that the riots had taken place two blocks from the presidential palace, but it looked like the one being filmed was downtown. Seifer had also worn a workman's overalls with a less known pubs logo on it. Laguna smirked. He'd bet Squall's beloved stuffed chocobo doll that the missing man was working at the pub.
Beside him Squall moaned weakly, his stuff toy dropping innocently on the floor. Its button eyes stared at the paused screen, taking in the sights. Swallowing hard, Laguna raised the remote, hitting the next channel button. Replacing Seifer's nervous face was himself at the last public conference.
Squall wouldn't have to know. It was in everyone's best interests to just leave the ex-sorceress knight alone. With one last glance at the chocobo on the ground, Laguna toed it aside before leaving for his private office to catch up on his work.
The news program into the corner was a horrible reminder that he should have stayed home. Dabbing a washrag in a wide rim glass, Seifer returned his attention to his work. He was lucky to get this job shortly after the time rip occurred. He could still remember Ultimecia's break over his mind break, leaving him a crying mess in the ruins of Pandora as it fell back into the sea.
That night he'd crawled back to land with a new resolve, to better his self image and make an honest man of himself. He'd lived his dream, discovering it wasn't as romantic as the old movies and books had made it out to be. If he ever found that crummy 'knight' in that old film, he'd beat the shit out of the old fart. "Hey, slave driver, let a man go on his break!"
Haines, his boss, was anything but. The man had given him the job without questioning his past, he'd also went as far as giving the boy a place to stay until he "got his life back together". This wasn't to say it made the poor man's life to happy, however. She accused Seifer of wrong doing the moment he stumbled in the bar begging for table scraps. From pedophilia to stealing crumbs, she accused him of whatever floated her boat and yet still would leave him an extra helping late in the night.
The old man put out his cigarette, still focused on the news feeds. "In ten, Seifer." The news changed back to topic on the president, or rather the life style of their president. "After Pandora you'd think they'd have more to talk about than the president adopting a kid."
"Maybe they need something light to ease the tension?" Seifer put the cups away. "Where I come from, after all the hurricanes, they always talk about the kittens that miraculously survived the storms."
"Ah. Cute kid though, Seraph thinks it looks just like the president. I don't know, maybe it's technically his grandson but no one wants to admit how old he's getting?"
"I highly doubt that," a costumer in the corner put down his bourbon, "For twenty years that man's been working like a maniac to better Esthar. We'd of heard if he'd fathered any children who could father children again." His two cents fell on deaf ears however as Haines changed newsfeeds to something with more action. "'Ey, old man, wasn't your wife working for the president?"
"She quit the other day. She loves children but couldn't stand the president's son. She says that he has something wrong in the head, probably from the orphanage or somethin'."
"Going on my break, boss." Seifer stepped out from behind the counter. From his pocket he pulled out a pack of cigarettes, a habit he'd picked up since working the bar. The smell alone calmed him, knowing that no one would come find him on this side of town, working in a bar. Once outside, he lit a stick enjoying the feeling of his nerves relaxing. He didn't move from the alley, taking in the sounds of the busy city.
He wasn't stupid; he'd seen pictures of Laguna's son. He remembered the little boy in his memories that spent many long nights crying for his sister to come back. He knew that the boy was Squall, just a much younger version. He'd found himself several times blocks from the palace, just wanting to turn himself in so he could apologize to his oldest friend. He never could make it inside, however. Something always stopped him, either himself or the guards; he never made it past the front gates.
Dropping the cigarette butt on the ground, Seifer crushed it under his shoe. Thinking on it now, he didn't see what seeing Squall was going to do for him. He doubted the boy would accept any apology from the man who committed treason. Besides, if that child really was the Squall, he doubted he wanted to interfere in the once chance the orphan had at having a real childhood.
Lighting up another smoke, Seifer dropped his head back. Some guys had all the luck.