Chapter 11.

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Squall had been horrified to see more people whom he thought to be looking after garden had appeared in Esthar. Rinoa had ran up and hugged him as they arrived back at the palace that evening. Selphie had then hugged him too and Irvine.

"What are you guys doing here?" He asked them.

"Isn't it obvious, we came to see you." Rinoa said. "We were worried."

"And why should you guys get all the fun while we're stuck at garden?" Zell's voice joined in.

The brunette looked around the girls to see Zell and Seifer standing there. "But- but who's looking after garden?"

"Xu and Nida."

"Nida?" He frowned. "The pilot?"

"Yes." Quistis frowned. "Nida and Xu are fully able to handle everything."

"We came to join the party." Zell said, bouncing lightly on the spot.

"There is no party now, not this time of night." Ellone said. "I'm going to bed, good night."

Zell deflated in disappointment. "Oh."

"Me too." Quistis walked with her causing everyone to turn and walk towards their rooms, Ellone walked with the group. Laguna had given them rooms all down the same corridor so they were all neighbours to each other.

"I can't believe they got to go to a fair and we were stuck doing work!" Zell complained.

"Zell, when do you ever do work, I hardly see you leave the cafeteria." Quistis said.

"I do!" He insisted. "I do work don't I Seifer?" He looked over his shoulder.

The blonde nodded when Zell was looking then started shaking his head as soon as the shorter man wasn't looking.

"I heard you two are living together now." Ellone said. "How's that going? I was expecting you to kill each other." She giggled.

"I thought so too!" Zell said. "But he's not as irritating when you get used to him."

"Hey!" Seifer protested. "Me irritating? You're the one who sheds your clothes everywhere when you come in!"

"Well you're the one you has to line up the utensils in the kitchen!"

"You didn't know the word utensils until I said it!"

They yelled at each other, getting in each other's faces.

"Well you don't even know the word- err- mofangle!"

"That isn't a word! You've just made that up!" Seifer argued.

Squall pressed his fingers into his forehead. "I'm getting a headache." He complained.

"Me too." Irvine said.

"Shut up!" He told the blondes. "You can argue in your room."

"Don't tell us where we can argue!" Seifer said.

They arrived at their room and the others opened the door and shoved both of them inside. They heard yelling for a second or two and then silence.

They others traded a look. "Did they kill each other?" Evan asked.

"I think they just made up." Quistis whispered.

Squall rolled his eyes. "Oh…. Our room is next door." He gave Irvine a look causing the cowboy to laugh.

"I always wondered if Zell was a screamer." He laughed.

The others shook their heads at him.

Squall waved to his friends as he opened the door to their room. "Night." Irvine said, following Squall. He shut the door and just stood there for a minute watching the brunette remove his shirt, shoes, socks and then disappearing into the bathroom. Irvine pushed off the door and took off his coat, hanging it up. He took off his clothes down to his boxers, folding everything. He got under the covers and made himself comfortable. Squall came out of the bathroom and frowned at him before he peeled back the blankets got into the bed.

Irvine was smirking at him when he looked over at him.

"You just stay on your side, over there." Squall said. "And I'll stay over here, okay?"

The cowboy shrugged casually. "If you like, though don't you think it'll be more fun if-"

"No." Squall cut him off.

Irvine laughed. "You don't know what I was going to say."

"I don't want to know, turn that light off." He said, shuffling down in the bed and turned to face away from the cowboy.

Irvine sighed and turned off the light.

"Thank you." Squall said. "Good night."

"Night Squall." Irvine said, but he was still sitting up looking at Squall and wondering how much he valued his life and was it worth it. Was Squall Leonhart worth it? Hell yes.

He shuffled forward in the dark, he wasn't sure if Squall's eyes were closed or not so he tried not to lean over him too much. As soon as he spooned the brunette, Squall's eyes shot open.

"Irvine?"

"Yeah?"

"What are you doing?"

"I'm going to sleep like you said." He chuckled.

Squall turned his head, Irvine's lips brushed his ear because they were so close. He gasped slightly. "Irvine you promised to stay over there."

"I didn't promise I said I'd try and I tried but you looked too tempting for me to stay away."

Squall gasped when fingers ran across his skin under the covers, up his stomach and across his chest. The cowboy chuckled into his ear again so Squall turned his head away and Irvine trailed his lips down the side of throat instead and along his jaw line.

The brunette shut his eyes and sighed just for a second, it felt good to be in Irvine's arm, better than it should do. Though he was sure the cowboy had had enough practice. So he let Irvine touch him until those lips worked their way up to his own lips. He opened his eyes, meeting the other man's. The cowboy paused watching him.

"Wait a minute." Squall said. "We shouldn't- I shouldn't- You shouldn't-"

Irvine kissed him, probably to shut him up or Squall thought so at least.

"You taste like toothpaste." Irvine said.

Squall frowned at him in the dark. "You don't, didn't you clean your teeth before bed?"

"I thought if I took too long, you'd be asleep."

Squall scoffed. "And you've have missed your chance to pounce on me?"

Irvine grinned. "Exactly!" He stretched, lying on top of Squall. "You know you want me, can't we stop playing hard to get, it's getting old."

"I wasn't playing at anything." He said. "I want lots of things that are bad for me."

Irvine laughed. "But I think we'll be reeeeaaally good together and so does everyone else." While he had been talking his hands had moved but Squall hadn't noticed until-

He jumped and Irvine grinned wickedly at him.

"Irvine." He warned. "Don't-"

A hand rested on the waistband of Squall's boxers and was gently peeling them off, the had stopped removing his underwear and instead reached inside. Fingers curled around his erection.

"See? Knew you wanted me."

"That means nothing! You're sitting on top of me, all warm and-" He stopped realizing he wasn't helping his case. "A-And I haven't had sex in a while!"

Irvine squeezed gently causing the brunette to groan. Then the hand was gone and Irvine was tugging his boxers off. Squall lifted his hips to help.

The cowboy pushed them off the edge of the bed and disappeared under the covers. Irvine put a hand around Squall causing the brunette to draw in shuddering breath and he breathed on the head of his erection.

Squall suddenly sat up.

"What? You're not having a change of heart again are you?"

"If we're going to this, we're going to do it right." He reached for Irvine's ponytail and undid the elastic band.

The cowboy chuckled, shaking his head to mess his hair up. He watched Squall spread it out and run it over his skin.

"Got a hair fetish?"

"Only for your hair." He answered.

The cowboy smiled and dipped his head again. He traced an invisible path up the underside of Squall's cock with his tongue, he traced a vein and wrapped a hand around the base, exploring him with his fingers just in case this was the one and only time Squall let him touch him like this. He wanted to remember everything. When the cowboy finally, it felt like a year to Squall, took him into his mouth the brunette wound his hands in Irvine's long hair trying not to pull as the cowboy sucked him off. Running his hot mouth up and down his erection, moving his hand in time with his mouth, tongue tracing lines on his skin. One violet eye glanced up at him through the curtain of hair, stroking him faster as he listening to Squall's pants and whimpers. One of his hands gripped the sheets instead of Irvine's hair afraid of hurting him. The brunette arched his back and grunted when he came between Irvine's lips. The cowboy licked him clean and swallowed everything. He flicked his head to get his hair to go back and then slithered up Squall's body and smirked at him.

"You don't have to look quite so pleased with yourself." Squall said as he panted to get his breath back.

Irvine kissed him slowly, deeply smiling around Squall's lips. "Sorry I can't help it, sweetheart."

Squall frowned. "No pet names, I am not a girl."

"I've called you darlin' before."

"But you call everyone that, it's different."

Irvine shrugged and collapsed onto the other man.

Squall stiffened suddenly.

"What?" Irvine asked.

"You're still hard." Squall pointed out.

"Oh yeah." He chuckled.

The brunette turned worried stormy eyes on him. "You don't want me to return the favour do you?"

"Nah." He said.

"Really?"

"Well…." He sniggered. "Not saying I'd mind too much but…" He took Squall's hand in his own and guided them towards his erection. "This will do for now, eh?"

III

Quistis woke up to the sound of screaming. She shot straight up and listened. Frightened screaming, followed by laughing screaming by a male by the sound of it. She climbed out of bed and went to the door. She opened it. Selphie, Squall and Irvine were also looking out of their rooms.

"What is all that noise?" Squall said loudly to be heard over the screaming.

Evan opened his door and looked out at them, leaving one door closed.

The last door opened and a half naked and very wet Zell ran screaming down the corridor. They all watched him go with confused expressions.

Someone laughed behind them, they turned to see Seifer standing in the doorway of their room laughing his head off.

"What was that about?" Quistis asked. "You woke everyone up."

"Sorry." He said, though he didn't look very sorry. "We had a shower." He said.

"That's it?"

"Zell was being a little Chicken Wuss and wouldn't let me wash him." He explained.

"And?"

"And err…." He laughed. "I pinned him to the wall…. And then the floor and hosed him off with the shower spray while he was still dressed…. Half dressed."

The others all traded amused looks.

"He'll be back in a minute." Seifer added.

They all turned and went back into their rooms.

Half an hour later when Quistis looked out again, Seifer was in the corridor again. "He still hasn't come back?" She asked, amused.

"No." He frowned.

She chuckled. "Maybe he's left you for good this time." She joked.

Just then she saw a figure appeared at the top of the corridor behind Seifer. The figure got nearer and held a finger to his lips in a 'shush' gesture. She bit her lip not telling Seifer anything. The figure started to ran at full speed. Quistis backed off as the little blonde jumped and tackled his lover from behind.

"AHHH!" Seifer yelled, falling to the floor with Zell on top of him. "What the hell-!"

The tall blonde rolled over and they started wrestling on the floor.

Everyone popped out of their rooms again, hearing the commotion.

Squall rolled his eyes. "Oh god, not again."

They watched the fighting couple for a minute. Zell got away and ran into their room with Seifer running after him grabbing a hold on him. The door swung shut but they could still hear them.

"Ahh! Put me down!"

"Watch it! Don't kick me in the face!"

"Put me down then! Seifer don't-"

Silence

They made up again.

Everyone went back into their rooms.

III

TBC