Chapter 5

Squall

He was sitting in the kitchen, hair pointing in every damned direction, waiting cranky for the coffee to get ready so he could actually turn on his brains too. He had over-slept this morning and was afraid either of the twins to appear before he could get out of the way. He was not a morning person, no way in hell. He liked to crawl under his blanket just enough long to almost be late, but never was. He just usually felt guilty if he even thought about sleeping long. Ok, so it wasn't even 10am yet, but it still bothered him that he had missed the sunrise.

The bed had been so very cozy as he woke up from his restless dreaming. When he had tried to fall asleep the covers were too hot, but when he kicked them off it was too cold. So he had tried just partially covering himself, but then his legs got cold and the pillow had been too flat too. Obviously he had growled at the items in bed, like they were purposely trying to make it impossible for him to sleep at all. At some point he had eventually managed to fall asleep. Maybe it had had something to do with the counting of pieces of blown up sheep. He so dearly hated those blasted sheep people told you to count.

He had not been able to sleep well. It had been mostly tossing and turning, not knowing how to tune his racing thoughts down. What he was thinking? Well.. Cloud. Obviously. Damn, he was so addicted it felt nauseating already. There really was nothing he could do about it. His head was up in the clouds all the time. Bitterly he snorted at the pun. Up in the clouds indeed. That sweet blush on those pale cheeks yesterday had been the most adorable thing to see. Squall's heart ached, his body tingled and his breath got caught in his throat. All this because Cloud was not here right beside him, waking up to a new and better world with shared happiness in it. All he had gotten out of the bliss yesterday was some bad sleep and a horribly painful morning erection. Small wonder why he was feeling like shit.

The smell of strong coffee filled the room as Squall stared the coffeemaker, trying to make it finish its task faster. Usually this staring contest, which he did lose, every morning, with the machine was plain blank staring, but this morning there was a that haunted soul-look in the stormy depths. Something about Cloud's demeanor alerted him; he just couldn't put his finger on what it was. Tired, Squall rubbed his eyes and got up to take his mug from the shelf. Almost ready... pleeease be faster.. just this once.. pretty please.. yes? No? Damn you coffeemaker!

After a long minute of intense staring he could no longer wait. Squall took the pot and poured some of the black liquid into his mug. He sat back down before the table, pulled the newspaper before him and sipping carefully the steaming coffee, he felt his brains slowly clearing, as if he would hear whirring and clinking sounds of little cogs inside his head starting to turn.

Suddenly he felt like he was being watched. He sighed and without lifting his eyes from the paper he knew it was Roxas. Sora had never been gracious enough to be quiet in the morning, or ever. Roxas stood at the door, watching him. Probably didn't want to approach before he was sure Squall had had enough coffee to not jump on the boy and strangle him.

"Morning Rox. How was he gig?" Squall muttered and heard Roxas let out a breath he had been holding in and moved towards the coffeemaker.

"Good, a lot of people." Squall heard how Roxas poured milk into his coffee. "But I'm sure the rest of the performances were not even close as interesting to see as you and your friend were." Roxas said this quite nonchalantly, like it was a matter they came up every morning. Obvious attempt at trying not to piss Squall off. He just shrugged, kept on reading the paper, drinking up.

"Heard anything worth repeating?" Squall asked finally, slightly curious.

"Not much. Girls were enjoying themselves since you and Cloud were rather hot to look at. Not to mention when you were... doing that thing together. The floor was practically flooding with drool." For this the Squall raised his eyes to Roxas sitting now across him at the table, jaw resting on his knees, legs pulled up against his chest. Roxas looked tired and Squall furrowed his brow.

"Did something happen? You look tired." But the boy just shook his spiky head, sighing and rubbing his eyes in manner that looked a perfect imitation of what Squall had done before.

"No, nothing like that. Sora just kept me awake because of the nightmares." Squall made a noise that was supposed to be sympathetic. "He doesn't say much what happens in the dreams, but he did say they are nearly all about our mother." Oh, right.. The twins didn't know their mother and had come to live with him by an accident. A good accident of course. Squall had come to care for the boys deeply and would have done anything to keep them away from any harm. But to nightmares, even he did not know the cure for.

"They'll stop eventually, I'm sure." Squall offered the only comfort he could muster. He had bad dreams sometimes too, but Sora was plain scary when he was in the midst of a nightmare. The first time had been back when the boys were only 12 years old and the mere memory still made him shiver and feel very sorry for the younger twin.

There was a noise at the door again and both looked up as Sora walked in, with a sleepy smile on his face and hair possibly even more spikier than usually, wearing his old bathing robe and bunny slippers, generally looking rather adorable. He slumped next to his twin, leaned closer to nuzzle his face to his brothers' shoulder for a moment.

"I'm fine. Not when I have you two beside me. It's just my head, messing with me. Stupid trauma from being abandoned as a child. But I am sorry to keep you Rox awake." He yawned and stretched his arm up in the air, then scratching his head and looking at Roxas with eyes still drowsy. "Coffee, please?"

Roxas simply complied, rising to do what was asked and Squall still not believing Sora to be able to be so damn cheery, even after a night of horrors.

"Good morning to you too, Mr. I-won't-go-to-therapy."

"Fuck you, Squall." Sora grinned and took the steaming mug Roxas handed to him. "But seriously, it's nothing. I get over it, like I always do." Squall cocked one eyebrow and glanced at the more silent and definitely more tired looking twin. Yeah.. most likely Sora was right, but what about Roxas? Squall was sure that the younger twin was slowly reaching his limits to handle his brothers' nightly madness. His eyes followed Sora's free hand that reached over the small gap between the twins and found its way to Roxas' hand, entwining their fingers into a loose grip. But like always, Sora most likely knew the limits of his brother as well as Squall could see.

For a moment there was comforting silence, each of them having their thoughts turned towards their coffees, letting the morning sun lighten the small kitchen, resting over their tousled hair and soothing weariness away with gentle caress of the golden rays.

"Soooo... I take it you didn't get any last night since you are able to sit there so comfortably?" Sora suddenly chimed, breaking the peace and quiet.

"SORA!" Roxas yanked his hand free and slapped his brothers' head, Squall letting out a groan of frustration and wanting to hit his head to the table. No manners, seriously! So he wasn't the best father figure out there but he had tried to hammer some manners into the twins over the years. He took a deep breath and looked at the annoyingly smiling boy, who obviously was not giving a shit about being too straightforward and obnoxious for his own good.

"What? It's a simple question! No need to get angry at me. I can see perfectly well, you know, and my eyes did tell me, and my brother who's into domestic violence so much, that you, my dear friend from the angsty realm, are so badly into this new friend of yours. Very pretty one too, I might add." A moment of silence and then the boy flashed a manic grin. "I'd fuck him, so why didn't you? Or why didn't he fuck you, since it was clear as this morning is that he wanted you as much?" Roxas was groaning next to Sora, trying to figure should he flee now or stay to watch Squall to beat the crap out of the smaller brunet.

"One word more and I'll ground you for the rest of the year." Squall tried to sound menacing.

"Oh.. really? But I'm not underaged anymore, so I guess that makes your threat rather empty."

"... just shut up. Roxas, tell your brother to grow up, please."

"Sora, stop being so rude. But Squall, he is right. Why are you alone here and not in bed with Cloud?" Now the twins were both staring at Squall who slowly was gathering dark red on his face, a mix of deep embarrassment and rage.

"Fine!" He gave up and threw his hands in the air. "I don't know why he is not here or me there. There was something between us but Cloud never expressed his possible interest in me that much." Though the kiss had been eager. And Cloud had been blushing quite a lot every time Squall had complimented the man about something. But still the blond had been restrained, leaving him believing that Cloud was just following Squall's actions but not having any real feelings involved.

"Oh believe me he wants you. I can't believe you refuse to see that! The man is obviously falling for you, no matter that you two only met like a week ago." Sora crossed his arms before him and smiled knowingly, Roxas nodding in agreement. Squall wrinkled his nose and snorted in disbelief.

"Sure, whatever. But you weren't there to see how he acted aft... um, I mean. Nothing." He slapped himself mentally for letting that last part to slip from his mouth. Damn, now there would be even more embarrassing questions! He really didn't want to discuss about his romantic life, or the lack of it, with these two. But they insisted on poking their noses into everything and Squall could never prevent that from happening. He loved them to bits, but sometimes he wished they'd just drop it.

"HA! I knew something happened! Tell us everything!" Two pairs of blue eyes glued their intense glare at him and Squall sighed, defeated once more. So he told them about the kiss and how Cloud had reacted the way it made him think the other had just went with him and had no feelings. The twins wrinkled their noses, tapping their lips with one finger, mimicking each other's moves.

"I think he's confused. Maybe he doesn't know what to do?" Next to Roxas, Sora was nodding.

"Since we can swear on our lives the man is interested in you. Honestly, Squall.." Sora's face looked serious for once. "Maybe he has some trust issues? Do you know anyone who knows him?" Squall had his face buried by now to his hands, a small part of him falling into despair. Soras' last question making him peer thru his fingers.

"Someone who.. Hmm…I do! Reno knows him." A smile spread over the twins' faces for this. "I'll call Reno today, but I first have to go over to Cid's."

An hour later

"Hey, Cid! Are you in here?" Squall knocked on the door of the garage he knew the blond man nearly lived in. He heard a loud crash and even louder cursing, heading towards the noise. No one else could mutilate words like Cid could.

"The FUCK is wrong with'em bastards who obviously know absolutely a shit 'bout piling them crappy pipes like this!" Squall found the source of the cursing kicking a pile of gray metallic pipes. "Oh, hiya kid. This'll take sum time. Make yerself at home."

"Need help?"He found the situation incredibly amusing, it never was boring to come and see Cid at his garage where he was building all those parts for his aircraft and other gadgets he had laying around the place.

"Nah, ye just wait. How're ye doin' kiddo? Still havin' them problems?" Cid started to gather the laying objects into one bigger and more stable stack. He glanced behind him at Squall who was leaning against one of Cid's cars that was being ripped into parts. "Com'on, ye can tell me."

"Mm.." Squall mused for a moment, wondering if it would be wrong to rant about this matter again. He decided it wasn't. "Well, there is someone I'm interested in, but I'm uncertain of him. You know.. he's kind of shy, brooding and a loner… Don't look at me like that, I know it sounds like me! And he makes me incredibly happy and nervous when he's around and now that he's not, I have trouble concentrating on anything but thinking of him." Cid had halted his work and was looking at the younger man with a serious face.

"Sounds like ye got yerself in a mess. Who's the lucky lad?" The man went back to his task again, lifting easily two heavy pipes at the same time.

"This one amazing blond guy, whom I met thru Reno. Likes to fight too. And I think he lives with this one girl, Tifa. Don't really know much more.." There was two clanks' as the pipes Cid had been holding, fell onto the floor and the man himself turning fast to look at Squall with a stunned look on his face.

" CLOUD?! Ye gotta be kiddin' me kid! Ye tellin' me that ye have fixed yer eye on him!" He shook his head and scratched his chin. "Ye two are similar, I hafta admit that. Good luck tho'. Ye gonna need it. Cloud ain't the easiest to get thru to." It was Squall's turn to stare at his friend, his mouth open and eyes wide.

"You... know him?" He couldn't believe his ears, not for a moment. Maybe he didn't have to call Reno after all.

"Sure as hell I do. Was traveling around with him and sum others few years ago." Cid pointed at the top of his head. "Cloud might be a pretty one, but a bloody great with his sword! Deadly too. If I was ye, I'd challenge him." Cid let out a loud laughter. "But ye gotta remember to tell me if ye do. I wanna see ye getting yer bony arse whacked!"

Squall snorted loudly and crossed his arms to his chest, thinking. He did remember Cid telling him about his past and being a part of a group of some kind of bounty hunters, but he had never guessed that Cloud could be a fearsome opponent. The idea for the sparring was starting to tempt him even more. Squall reached for his phone to write a message, letting Cid finish his cleaning in the meantime.

"Cid, do you know if... If Cloud has had ever been with a guy before?" He asked after a moment of silence. Cid raised his eyebrow and looked up to ceiling for a while.

"Well.. I can't be sure. Cloud won't really talk about that shit to anyone." Cid shrugged. "But I think the kid is just lonely." The man glanced at Squall with a grin placed over his lips. "I might bet me coins for ye though, if ye get thru that boy!" He grinned widely and wiped his hands to his pants. "Now 'tis done! Let's get the hell outta here before I go and kill my friggin' assistants!"