Landing the Ragnarok was something Squall never wanted to do again. Despite explicit instructions from Ground Control and their remote access, it was still dreadful, and he missed the field by a good half a mile. But no harm no foul, right? Squall was fairly sure he never saw 'operate and fly a spaceship' as part of his SeeD requirement training. As it were, he still clipped a bit of the mountainside, resulting in a bit of damage to the Ragnarok… okay, it was a lot, a few fuel tanks got busted and the pair immediately had to disembark once the ship was landed and offline.
Estharians rushed to the site of the landing, several of them technicians for the spacecraft itself. Right before entering the Earth's atmosphere, Squall had been radioed (radio waves apparently were in existence again thanks to Adel falling out of the sky.) by the Airstation. He admitted to not being part of the original crew, told his story, who he and Zidane were, and who he was expecting to meet them on the ground.
None of their friends were there to greet them, although a large man (who was creepily familiar, although Squall couldn't quite put his finger on it) motioned for him and Zidane to get into the car to be taken back to the city.
A Presidential Aide (who was also familiar. Damn memory crap) was with the man, offering translations to the movements for their benefits. "Please come with us back to Esthar. We have your companions safe at the Palace, as well as much to discuss."
Zidane didn't like that 'much to discuss' part. He and Squall spent zero time actually discussing what was important between them, and now they had more to add to the pile? Maybe he should have just stayed asleep.
The car thing was cool, though. It was like a carriage, minus the chocobos, with all sorts of crazy gadgets like moving windows and something Squall called 'AC.' Zidane spent most of the car ride looking out the window at the scenery he missed while asleep, his hand tightly linked with Squall's, while the Aide and the bigger guy sat across from them. Other than a few questions of what happened on the Lunar Base, the ride was silent, and it felt like it was eating Zidane's mind.
When the city came into view, conversation took place when Zidane nearly jumped through the window in awe. Squall reached over him, putting the window down so Zidane could stick his head out and look at the approaching metropolis. Half of his body hung out of the car, and Squall had to continually bat Zidane's happily twitching tail from his face.
"I see he's the excitable type," the Aide said. Squall noticed this was definitely not the same judgmental asshole from before.
"You've no idea." Squall muttered, once more flicking Zidane's tail from under his nose before it made him sneeze.
"Actually," the Aide laughed—even the big man seemed to smile—"I'm fairly sure I have a good idea."
"What is all of this?" Zidane called as they got closer to the city. "It's like… like a crystal city!"
"Not quite. Get back in here." Squall grasped Zidane's hips and tried to pull him back into the car. "Zidane!"
"Hang on, I wanna see…!"
"You're gonna hurt yourself, now get back in here…!"
Squall gave a good tug, dislodging Zidane's hold on the window frame and jerking him back. The blond landed roughly in Squall's lap, body half-way curled into a ball on instinct. When he was sure he wasn't moving, Zidane opened his eyes and glared at Squall.
Squall reached over and closed the window. "You can sight-see once we get back to everyone."
The Aide was chuckling under his breath, and Zidane pouted. "Fine," the blond muttered. "You want me here so bad, then I'm staying!" declaration done, his tail wrapped firmly around Squall's bicep.
Squall glanced at the other men, who didn't seem the least bit perturb. He still wasn't the type for public affection however, so he shifted Zidane back onto the seat. The blond saw this coming, but the tail remained stubborn as he went back to the window, pressing his face against it to look. Squall was half dreading and half looking forward to his reaction once they entered the city proper.
About an hour later they entered Esthar, and Zidane was shocked speechless as he gazed out the window. The buildings towering over him were captivating, as were the nearly see-through streets that were both above and below him, going in all directions in such a dizzying matter he was sure he was going cross-eyed. People and other cars zoomed by at they hit a highway and sped up toward what Zidane assumed was the 'Presidential Palace'; it sure was big enough to be a palace! Nose to the window, as Squall did not want to open it and risk him getting hit by something, Zidane couldn't help but gape at his surroundings. It was completely surreal, a whole other level of mysticism to him.
They arrived at the Presidential Palace and, once the car was parked and they were out, Zidane finally let Squall go with his tail. Although the mercenary would no longer hold his hand, he did walk close to Zidane, placing his hand against the upper back of the thief when they walked up stairs and went through doors. It was strangely gentlemanly of him, and Zidane wasn't used to being treated with such. Even in the war-world, Squall was a rough sort of guy. But he supposed not exactly being in a divine conflict altered one's mannerisms a bit. Or maybe it was for show for these official looking people—either way, Zidane wouldn't deny enjoying it.
Everything inside the palace was lush and rich, making Zidane's thief senses tingle and his eyes sparkle. When he was sure no one was watching, Zidane would slip a little bauble or three off a table or six into his many pockets. Old habits die hard, and since Zidane had no reservation to quit thieving, he saw no reason not to snatch a few things. Plus, these were just so cool.
He was careful not to grab too many things that jingled as they boarded and rode an elevator several stories up. Once the elevator stopped and the four walked out, they were immediately greeted by three pairs of familiar eyes.
"Zidane!" Selphie practically squealed, rushing over and dropping to her knees to properly hug him. "You're awake!"
"And alive," Irvine added, looking at Squall. "Heard you jumped into space! That's more than balls, man. I dunno what, but you got something."
"Stupidity?" Zell supplied with a half-glare. "And I thought us jumping into Lunatic Pandora was retarded—you go jumping into space!"
"It worked out," Squall shrugged. "And you jumped into Lunatic Pandora?"
"Right before the Cry hit, yeah." Zell walked over, tapping Selphie on the head. "Yo, Selphie, he's turning blue."
"Oh!" Selphie released Zidane, who coughed a bit but offered her a smile. "Sorry, I was just…"
"It's okay," Zidane rubbed his sides where the sharp corners of his pilfered items had dug into him due to her crushing embrace. "So where's the others?" He glanced around, and saw Squall also looked about the room, but there was no sign.
"That's what we're meant to discuss," The Aide said from behind Squall, making the mercenary turn. "The President is busy with caring for Ellone, so I ask we start without him."
"So Ellone and the others made it?" that was a relief to hear.
The Aide nodded, ushering everyone to the couches to sit. Once all were seated, the bigger man went into what seemed to be an office, leaving the Aide to explain.
"We gathered all of the escape pods from the Lunar Gate," the Aide said. "Ellone's was last. She and Piet were shaken up a bit, but otherwise they were fine. Piet is in the hospital, Ellone is with the President."
Squall frowned. "There should have been two others."
"So we were told, but the women reported were not present at the crash site." The Aide leaned forward and Squall could see under the hat a bit better. That deeply tanned skin was definitely familiar. "Squall, please tell us all that happened on the Lunar Gate."
Squall sighed a bit, but recounted the tale the best he could remember. They had arrived and set Zidane in the med lab, leaving Rinoa in a hallway to let her gaze at space. In the meantime, he and Quistis went with Piet, then saw Ellone—on the way back to the med lab with Ellone, something happened to Rinoa. When Zell inquired what, Squall explained it was Ultimecia.
"So she was hiding out in Rinoa this whole time?" Zell asked. "Hoping we'd get close to Sis?"
"Not exactly," Zidane cut in. All eyes turned to him and he looked away. "It's… hard to explain."
"I told them," Squall said, making Zidane look at him. "About… the war-world."
"War-world…" The Aide muttered. When Zidane looked at him, he said nothing more.
Assuming that was the signal to go on, Zidane crossed his arms and leaned back on the couch. "You probably won't understand it, but here's the gist of it: during the battle with Edea in that… other flying school thing, when you all were knocked out, I saw Ultimecia. She's a sorceress we fought in the war-world, and was meant to be Squall's obstacle. Anyway, she was trying to possess Rinoa for some nefarious plot or whatever and I tried to stop her, but it was only her soul; I couldn't hurt her without hurting Rinoa. Then my crystal," at this point, Zidane held his hand out and materialized the crystal, receiving various amazed sounds all around, "kinda reacted to my desperation to save her. It took Ultimecia's soul and mine into itself, and so long as it remained away from my body, my soul could pretty much fight Ultimecia's for eternity in the crystal."
"So," Irvine muttered, trying to process the information. "Since Rinoa got too close for too long, your soul went back to your body."
"Basically," Zidane nodded, dismissing the crystal manifestation. "Souls can't stick around long without bodies. I was banking on exhausting Ultimecia's, but I guess it didn't work out that way. Once my soul had a 'place to return to' it couldn't regenerate if I lost a match, so it went back to where it belonged. Since my soul was needed to keep the mini-crystal world intact, it fell apart, and Ultimecia escaped."
Squall was sure it was a lot more complex than that; it certainly looked like it was when Ellone showed him. But laymen's terms would have to be the best for explanation—Zell looked like he was having a headache, Selphie had that spaced out look and Irvine's face was pinched in severe concentration. The only one who seemed to have a grasp of the idea was the Aide.
"And so, under this Ultimecia's grasp, Rinoa released the seals on Adel's tomb." The Aide stated. Squall nodded, and the man leaned back a bit. "Adel's tomb was swallowed by the Lunar Cry. It would not be too far-fetched to believe the monsters ripped it apart on its descent into the Lunatic Pandora; none of the sensors picked it up before Pandora vanished."
"Vanished?" Squall frowned. Things vanishing were never good.
"Into thin air, man," Zell said. "All of us, plus Matron, we got aboard it when it came over the city. But we ran into some machine thing and it kicked us out, got to Tear's Point, then the Cry happened… and then poof."
"Think Ultimecia is to blame?" Selphie asked, now back to paying attention.
"Pretty crafty sorceress," Irvine absent-mindedly noted.
"Are you aware," the Aide spoke slowly, grabbing all of their attention once more, "that although the Sorceress Power can be passed to any woman worthy of it, a sorceress whom is able can only possess another sorceress?"
"No…" Squall's frown turned into a shocked look and he sat up a lot straighter. "Rinoa is a sorceress? Since when?"
"Zat iz simple to answer!"
Squall felt the headache as soon as Odine walked into the room from a side office, followed by the judgmental prick. The doctor walked to the group in that usual hobble of his, and when he spied Zidane, he cackled.
"So ze non-human iz awake, iz he?" Odine looked Zidane over, making the blond's skin crawl and tail fur bristle. "I still have yet to find a species for you!"
Squall didn't have the time nor stomach to listen to Odine go on about his Zidane like that. "What about Rinoa?"
"Oh, you mean Sorceress Rinoa?" Odine laughed. "Quite a find, quite a find! Odine vill be more famous once he figures out ze mystery!"
"What mystery?" Zell demanded. "C'mon old man!"
"So you vill listen to Odine talk? Good, good!" Odine began to pace, unable to keep his excitement down. "As you know, a sorceress cannot die with ze Sorceress Power! She must pass ze power on to a successor, whether ze successor iz willing or not. Now, from vat I've been told, you defeated Edea while she was possessed by Ultimecia, yes?"
The SeeD and Zidane nodded, and the doctor went on, "In truth, if she vere not possessed, you vould have slain Edea then and there. Because of the threat to her life, ze Sorceress Power vas forcibly passed on. Out of ze three women available, it seems zat Rinoa was ze most eligible candidate, so ze Sorceress Power vas passed. However!" Odine whirled around gleefully, as if adding dramatics to his speech; Zidane was less than impressed by his performance. And accent.
"Edea vas possessed, and once ze spirit possessing her vas forced out, she vas healed and survived ze battle. No sorceress in history has passed on her Power and lived afterwards, so zis iz very, very new! As you see, since Rinoa became a sorceress, Ultimecia vas able to possess her. Vell, she vould have if this boy's mysterious power didn't stop her til ze Lunar Gate incident."
"But Edea was still a sorceress," Squall protested. "Other than Alexander, of which she returned before we got started, she had no junctions during the journey here. A non-sorceress can't use natural magic, and she still had access to her Ice Strike Sorcery."
"Zat iz vat makes zis so amazing!" Odine replied. "If you know, Edea had ze power of two sorceresses—one she said she gained when she vas five, ze other when much older. A sorceress can inherit as many Sorceress Powers as she vants or can handle, and if she so chooses, she can split zose combined powers into smaller ones if she has the life energy to do it. Edea passed all of her Power to Rinoa, except she still iz able to use natural magic. How? Odine may have ze answer!"
They waited as he paused for drama's sake, and before Zell could burst out, Odine went on, "Sorceresses are not meant to pass on ze Power and live, so we have zought. But Edea has done it. Tell me, did Edea cast any natural spells outside of her ice spells?"
Selphie looked thoughtful, as she was the only one in the current group who fought with Edea during the time. "Actually, no. She saw ice was useful and kept using it."
"Zat iz because ice vas her original inherited power!" Odine cackled. "I call this, 'Remnant Power.' Because she possessed ze natural magic of ice for nearly all her life, it iz as natural to her as breathing. Meaning, Edea iz no longer a sorceress, no, but ze element of ice iz still a part of her. You could say, Edea is part sorceress. Outside of ice, she vill have to use junctions, unlike other sorceresses who can use any element without junctions."
"So Edea still has a remnant of power," Irvine summarized, "just not enough to be a sorceress."
"In a sense," Odine conceded. "But Sorceress Rinoa! You see, ven a new sorceress is made, she can use ze specialties of the sorceress who gave her ze Power. So Rinoa, like Edea, specializes in ice and vatever else Edea possessed. But each sorceress, once born, also gains her own unique specialty. From ze footage we gathered from Lunar Base, Rinoa has an affinity for all magic types. A very rare sorceress, immensely powerful like Adel. But unlike Adel, whose specialty iz energy, Rinoa iz raw primal magic. Imagine, once she iz older and ze natural magic becomes a bigger part of her… vell, we hope Rinoa never goes evil, eh?" he laughed.
"Fine, so we get how Matron can cast natural magic and how Rinoa is a sorceress," Squall stood, towering over Odine. "But where is she, and Quistis, now?"
"Zat is vat ve vanted to ask you," Odine replied. "Esthar has been in uproar over a new sorceress since Adel's disappearance from space. Given vat she did, ze people want her to take Adel's place, entombed forever above earth."
Squall's eyes narrowed. "I hope you're aware I won't let you do that."
"Vat iz one boy to the Estharians?" Odine laughed. "Personally, Odine would like to have Sorceress Rinoa stay, have many questions and experiments for her! But no, neither can happen, because she's vanished." He snapped his fingers before wiggling them in the air.
Before Squall could further threaten, Zidane cut into the conversation. "So I take it Edea isn't evil anymore," the others nodded, and he rubbed the back of his head. He had a lot to catch up on. "So where is she now?"
The Aide answered this, "The White SeeD ship approached our docks. Since she was no longer a sorceress and thus, had no reason to stay, she left with them to return to her home."
Zell crossed arms and legs. "We've heard Quistis and Rinoa went missing, and Matron wanted to stay, but we sent her home. Now we're trying to find the girls before Estharian riots do."
"We hoped you may have an idea of where they would go," the Aide said. At Squall's look, he held up his hands in peace. "I assure you, we have no intention of entombing Rinoa. Ellone has made explicit commands to safeguard her from the angry people, and the President can't deny her."
"Okay, I'm dying to know," Zidane said. "Obviously I still need to be told what's with this Ellone girl, but why is she able to order your leader around?"
"That is an answer I think needs to be held until this predicament with Rinoa is resolved," the Aide answered. "But they have known each other for a long time now. Not like that, I assure you."
Squall crossed his arms, turning his head to look to the side. Garden would be a logical place for them to go, but risky. At the same time, there's really nowhere else to go. If these people knew us at all, they'd know that. He looked to the Aide, dropping his arms. "Can you get us to FH quickly?"
"We can arrange a car and lift," The Aide replied. "We'd offer you the Ragnarok—you recovered it, it's practically yours—but we'll have to repair it first."
"Fair enough."
"Would the women have gone to FH?" the Aide inquired, giving Squall a look.
He didn't trust him and Squall gave a careless shrug to express it. When it was plain he would get no other information, the Aide merely nodded in a sagely way that told Zidane he knew more of what was going on than he seemed.
Zidane hated those types of people, to be honest.
Esthar's lift system was more expansive than Squall originally thought. Immediately they set out for FH (although Squall had to explicitly promise Zidane they would return to the city to explore), the lift they rode on into the city actually took them to the edge of the Great Salt Lake. From there they travelled by car to the railroad, where it seemed the men of FH had reclaimed their train. Figuring a little fresh air won't kill them, Squall used the car to travel along the railroad instead of leaving it for the Estharians to get later.
Thanks to the car, getting back to Garden was quick. It was all a blur to Zidane, with him constantly being stopped by students expressing their happiness to seeing him awake, that he wasn't sure when exactly Squall went about informing the Garden of their new mission and plan of action. All he knew was by the time he actually had a moment to think, he found himself in the cafeteria scarfing down whatever Selphie put in front of him waiting for Squall to come down from the bridge. Funny enough the food was bought using the Gil he gained from selling the stolen items from Esthar, but no one had to know that. Thief secrets and all that.
Thankfully none of them inquired what happened in space, and Zidane did not want to even try to explain. As it was, he missed out so much due to his coma that he was pretty sure the next few days nothing was going to make sense. He did ask about Ellone and what happened when he went into the coma—of course, after the initial and professional explanation, Selphie couldn't resist gushing about how Squall worried over him and the like to the point Zidane was blushing and couldn't looked at any of them. And when she talked about how he tried to get Zidane to Esthar on his own, by foot, Zidane felt ready to curl up into a puddle on the floor.
Squall came to his rescue in the middle of Selphie's speech, formally abducting Zidane after grabbing a breadstick off his tray. Zidane was more than happy to leave the others to go with Squall, although Selphie's wolf whistles made Irvine and Zell groan and Zidane terribly embarrassed. Squall was Squall though, ignoring it while munching on the breadstick on their way out.
As they walked, Zidane noticed how much… lighter Squall seemed. Although they walked in silence, it was comfortable, and Squall seemed much less burdened than before. Either he was finally used to the leader role, or their reunion was the cause, either way Zidane was happy to see him less conflicted.
"So," Zidane started as they walked down the hall leading to the dorm. He wanted to deny the flutter in his heart at finally spending real alone time with Squall. "What's the word?"
"It's pretty obvious Rinoa and Quistis are on the White SeeD ship," Squall tossed the napkin the breadstick came with in a trash bin they passed by. "But I'm also sure Esthar is watching us."
"And not Edea?"
"Probably her too, but us moreso. We're the closer link to Quistis and Rinoa. We're going to give the White SeeD time to get to orphanage. In the meantime, the Garden will sail to Balamb at normal speed, giving the White SeeD two days' head start." Squall swiped his cardkey to get into the SeeD dorm.
Zidane frowned a bit. "Why Balamb?"
"Thirteen students died during the Garden clash. We're returning their bodies to their families."
"Oh."
What a depressing way to start their alone time. Squall swiped the card at his door, letting Zidane in first before following. Inside he went to the little kitchenette area, grabbing a bottle of mineral water from the fridge and heading for the bedroom area. The door opened and he paused, turning to see Zidane standing awkwardly in the middle of the living room.
"Well?" Squall called, and Zidane looked at him with a startled expression. "I'm in need of a shower, and quite frankly, so are you."
Zidane bristled at that. "Now that's rude."
Squall gave him a look before going into the bedroom, the thief eventually following. Much like the rest of his space, the bedroom did not have much adorning it. All Zidane saw was a bed, a small desk with a stool, a tiny bookshelf and a massive case leaning against the wall at the foot of the bed. The familiar face of Griever, plated in silver, was embossed on the black case. Judging by the size, Zidane figured it was the case for Squall's gunblade, which he was leaning against case as he took a swing of water.
"You got two choices," Squall said as he set the bottle on the desk, going to his closet. "You can wait til I'm done," Zidane's face immediately flushed even before the second choice was revealed, "or you can take one with me."
"You're forward," Zidane muttered. It was a rather odd switch, as it was usually the blond instigating these possibly scandalous actions, not Squall.
Squall pulled out a plain t-shirt and slacks, as well as a large brown bag. Out of the bag he pulled out a tank top and pair of jeans, as well as some boxers all in Zidane's size. Apparently during his coma, that seamstress delivered his clothes.
"I'm not implying something will happen," but why were Squall's eyes seeming to twinkle mischievously is that were the case? "I'm just saying the choice is there."
"You just want me to wash your back for you." Zidane playfully accused.
"Well, yes. Why else would I offer?"
Zidane rolled his eyes, but they both knew the answer anyway. He accepted the clothing offered to him, following Squall to a relatively small bathroom. He had taken showers before (never Squall's bathroom though, he ended up using the infirmary's) so the bathroom wasn't that unusual to him. What Zidane wasn't used to was the fact Squall had a separate tub from the shower. That was pretty nice.
"Can we take a bath instead?" the blond found himself asking. It would be a tight fit, but not like the shower was going to allow much room for them both anyway.
Squall gave him a rather amused look, but consented, setting the plug in and turning on the hot water. As the tub filled, Zidane piled his clothes on the vanity next to where Squall placed his.
"For all the fuss about her," Zidane randomly mused, "the Estharians didn't seem upset about Adel."
"Frankly, I don't care. Rinoa and Quistis come before Adel," Squall paused for a moment, giving Zidane a look over before casually adding, "And you before them."
As sweet as that was, Zidane shook his head. "But I'm right here and they're out somewhere."
"I know they're safe, we just have to reach them, which I'm certain we will." Squall checked the water temperature, and then turned on the cold water for a moment. "Right now, Zidane, I'm tired of working. My mind is on the verge of breaking and all I want is to relax for just a minute."
And that made Zidane instantly feel terrible. Of course Squall would be, in the coldest of terms, disinterested in the happenings of things right now. After enduring a grueling battle against his beloved Matron, then Zidane's coma and struggling with foreign memories, then the whole space thing… hell, Zidane slept through most of it, and he felt ready to pass out. It was amazing Squall lasted this long. Battle-hardened soldier or not, Squall was human, and a teenager at that. He needed a bit of time to unwind.
Squall stopped the water, and all thoughts of anything else flew Zidane's mind anyway when the brunette began to strip. Apparently, the memories of the war-world also erased the modesty Squall typically came with, because he had no problems tossing his dirty clothes aside and stand in front of Zidane in all of his glory. And that glory was deserving of a few seconds of appreciative staring, Zidane was fairly sure.
The staring was interrupted when Squall tapped Zidane on the nose, and the blond scurried to rid himself of his own clothing. As he did, Squall climbed into the bath, closing his eyes with a sigh as the hot water soothed his aching body. He rarely used the tub—most of the time he made it an improvised washing unit for his clothes—and as strange as it was to use it properly, he still felt some relaxation already. His eyes opened part way as Zidane stepped in between Squall's legs, settling down with his back to Squall. His tail flopped into the water, laying on top of Squall's leg as the brunette pulled out the hair tie confining Zidane's golden locks. Flicking it aside, Squall pulled him back so Zidane rested against his chest and closed his eyes again.
Zidane made a sort of purring sound as he lay against Squall, the hot water seeming to melt all the hardships away for a moment. Although a part of him felt terrible for indulging himself in this, as Rinoa and Quistis could be facing peril right now or Adel was wreaking havoc, Zidane wouldn't deny how great it felt. Being close to Squall again… it was more than he could hope for.
But you're not going to be together forever.
Zidane turned himself a bit in Squall's arms, causing the brunette to open his eyes and look down at him. The thought whispered again, and looking into those gray-blue eyes, knowing he'll never see them again once his mission was completed, filled Zidane with remorse. He was going to hurt at the end, but so was Squall, now that he remembered…
Recognizing the look on Zidane's face, Squall gently grasped his chin with thumb and forefinger. "What's that look for?" he muttered, gently running his thumb along Zidane's lower lip.
It was slightly trembling. "Just… I don't know if this is a punishment or reward," Zidane whispered. "Don't get me wrong, I love being like this with you. But…"
"You know," Squall cut him off. "I very faintly remember someone giving me the stupidest little speech, but now that I think of it, the words mean a lot… and I think I'll take them to heart."
"What speech? By who?"
"I forgot who, but it was basically I can't go through life only making friends or lovers out of people who won't ever leave me. Because sometimes, life will just happen and take them from me…" at that, Squall's eyes were overtaken by a soft expression. "…but that's no excuse to avoid people. I need to enjoy the now. And you, Zidane, need to as well."
Enjoy the now. Zidane was enjoying the now… or, was he? A part of him was always going to worry about the future, but… would being depressed about it right now stall it? No, not in the least. Whoever said those words to Squall had the right idea.
Zidane didn't say anything in response, merely closing his eyes and tilting his head up slightly. Realizing what he wanted, Squall smiled before leaning in and kissing those expecting lips softly. Water sloshed as Squall began to lean forward, making Zidane lean and scoot backwards. A bit of splashing and the kiss breaking soon found Zidane at the foot of the tub, more or less pinned to it, with Squall kneeling between his legs and their hips perilously close.
It was certainly not the heat of the water that made Zidane flushed, and when Squall enfolded him in his arms again, instigating another but deeper kiss, Zidane's body slid a bit forward. His bottom rode up Squall's thighs just a bit, and Zidane gasped out of the kiss, hanging on by his hold around Squall's neck.
"Squ…" Zidane's blush deepened. "I…"
"What?"
How could he be so nonchalant? Zidane scanned Squall's face, looking for that hint of desire; he found it, but it was smothered by something else, something less bodily and more on the emotional level. He didn't know what to make of it, although he was fairly certainly he didn't want to stop. But this was definitely not appropriate…
Enjoy the now.
Zidane took a quick breath, but before he could start another kiss or even lift his hips up a little higher, Squall pulled back a bit and sat them both up properly in the bath. Confused, the thief only watched as Squall casually picked up a wash cloth, lathered it when a bar of soap, and began to wash himself.
At Zidane's look, Squall crinkled his nose slightly. "Sorry," he muttered as he washed his chest, then his arms. "Bothering me too much."
And the thief started to laugh. It was probably among the most ridiculous things he'd ever seen, and although Squall was giving him a hefty glare, Zidane couldn't help chuckling. He snagged another wash cloth and the bar of soap, following suit. When he was washing off the soap, Squall picked up the shampoo and, holding it above Zidane's head, squirted a decent amount. Zidane tensed, not used to this sort of thing, and Squall began to scrub his head.
"Not that I'm complaining, but this hair has to be an annoyance to keep up," Squall muttered, making sure he rubbed the shampoo into the longer locks.
Zidane had to close his eyes when the soap started to run down his forehead. "I think you'd look good with longer hair."
"As if," the mercenary scooped up a double handful of water and dumped it on Zidane's head, repeating the action until all of the shampoo was gone.
The bath progressed as normally as it could with two people in it, although once the actual washing was done and before they exited, Zidane couldn't resist starting a splashing war. The soapy water, when it got into their eyes, did sting a bit but even Squall was smirking by the end of it. The tub was nearly halfway empty, the entire bathroom floor slick and wet. Squall had to grab the towels hanging near the shower and put them on the floor to help prevent sliding; as he towel-dried himself and put on his boxers and slacks, Zidane snatched his t-shirt and threw it on.
Squall often heard from various other guys, when passing by of course, how they always thought it was 'hot' their girlfriends wore their shirts after doing the deed. He never put much thought into it until he saw Zidane standing in front of him, that over-sized shirt practically a dress, and despite how modest it really was he found it incredibly attractive. Somehow. Squall was still unsure of what the hell was happening to him, but he nonetheless scooped the laughing Zidane up and left the bathroom.
He dumped the blond onto the bed, Zidane careful to keep himself covered with the shirt, although his tail kept lifting the back of it. Standing over him, Squall casually looked him over, that appreciative smirk on his face.
"Relax?" Zidane asked, trying to keep the air of indifference.
"A bit," Squall stretched his arms above his head, and Zidane heard his back pop in several places. "Once we get to Balamb, I'll have to say goodbye to relaxation."
Squall certainly didn't miss the look in Zidane's eyes as the blond muttered, "Isn't that why I'm here?"
"I thought you were here to fix something."
Zidane grinned. "Maybe I was sent here to fix you."
The mercenary rolled his eyes before climbing into the bed next to Zidane. The blond moved over so he had space, and Squall entrapped him in his arms. Zidane immediately, almost on instinct, snuggled as close as possible, pressing his cheek against Squall's bare chest. The smell of the soap lingered, but under it was the familiar smell that was Squall; Zidane felt comfort in that scent, closing his eyes and inhaling deeply.
"Who said you could nap?" Squall muttered. "You've been sleeping for days already."
Zidane opened one eye and peered up at him. "Well, what else am I going to do? Watch you sleep?"
"Yes. I watched you sleep." Squall pressed a kiss to his forehead.
Zidane wasn't used to this overly affectionate Squall, but he was fairly sure it was simply due to all that's happened. Once he settled, the blond was sure he'd go back to the usual stoic, just-begging-to-be-messed-with Squall. But Zidane couldn't complain, he quite liked the freely given attention. He tilted his head up, kissing the corner of Squall's mouth.
"Do you really trust me to be awake while you sleep?" Zidane whispered, his voice taking on that sultry tone.
Squall's eyes were dark in their smoldering gaze. "I never did say I was going to take a nap…"
Zidane was going to have some snarky, scandalous reply to that to further rile him, but Squall ceased the chatter with a deep kiss. Zidane wrapped his legs around Squall's waist, tail around his thigh, inhaling sharply through his nose when he felt one of Squall's hands slid up the shirt.
The kiss broke when Zidane tilted his head back with a deep moan, and Squall's lips found a new home along his throat, teasing sensitive skin there. They rolled so Squall was on top, the mercenary reclaiming Zidane's lips in a searing kiss. Zidane framed his face with his small hands, closing his eyes in bliss.
He hadn't realized just how much he missed Squall until now, and he hoped he never stopped.
"That was embarrassing." Squall muttered, jerking a shirt on with obvious displeasure.
Zidane remained lying on the bed, only a sheet covering up to where his tail sprouted above his bottom. Said tail was lazily waving in the air, disproving the amusement on the thief's face. "Well, we worked it out," he grinned.
Squall rolled his eyes before sitting heavily on the edge of the bed. They worked something out, but not exactly what he wanted. Then again, could he be blamed for not being prepared? It wasn't like he was going to randomly keep 'supplies' needed for such an act in the off-chance a foreign man from another world was going to fall into his lap.
The brunette rubbed his forehead and Zidane snickered, sitting up and wrapping his arms around Squall's neck, chest to his back. "I guess I know where you're going later," Zidane laughed as he dodged a swat, but still managed to hang on to Squall.
"You keep that up and you'll be lucky I even look at you." Squall huffed.
Zidane chuckled before jerking back, forcing Squall to lie back against him. It was a little uncomfortable for Zidane, but he cradled Squall's head to his chest, pressing his cheek to the crown of rich brunette hair and smiling.
"Take a rest," Zidane said, lightly petting Squall's hair. "You deserve it."
"Damn right I do," Squall muttered, embarrassment dissipating. He shifted so they laid properly in bed, once more pulling Zidane into his hold.
Zidane kissed his chin, still smiling. "After you wake up and go to the shops, maybe we can try again, hm?"
Squall snorted, but said nothing more, closing his eyes and tucking Zidane's head under his chin. Soon he was asleep, breathing deeply and peacefully. Zidane pressed his ear to Squall's chest, listening to his steady heartbeat with a happy smile. Their attempt at intimacy might have failed in a sense, but just being with Squall like this again was, truly, enough.
The blond also drifted to sleep, hands holding tightly to Squall's shirt as if afraid he'd leave.
Author's Note: Some main plot, then some 8x9 bit before shit hits the fan again. =) To be honest I was tempted to write out the entire 'failed' intimacy scene but… *shifty eyes* Maybe not-so appropriate just yet? Kekeke. Or I'll make it an extra. *cackles* This chapter was a little hard to write because I am now really deviating from FF8's storyline, so I'm trying to make sure all my bases and such are covered. Plus classes officially started, so please bear with me if updates dramatically slow. ; ;
Reiken – Great minds think alike, ne? XD Yeah, as neat as it would have been for Zidane to have gotten the Sorceress Power, it'd take quite a stretch to really explain (other than 'the crystal did it!') and I need Rinoa to be a sorceress for later. But of course he'd fight for the ladies! In love with a guy or not, Zidane's a gentleman, he'll take care of his ladies XD
Wingsong5555 – I hope this chapter made you happier for them XD
Kuroneko03 – I hope this chapter helped you understand what happened with Ultimecia, Rinoa, and Zidane. =) And I am glad you liked the space scene, it really was kinda hard to write XD;
Kupo Lady – Well, we haven't seen Rinoa and the others' reaction just yet, Squall's not quite going to flaunt it lol But everything will be coming out in the next few chapters, it'll be a great ride! XD
As for the extras/bonus scenes for Magnet, I'm not ashamed to say I've gotten started on them, kekeke. When I get a fair decent few done I'll post them as a separate fic called Magnetized, so keep watch for it! Some of the scenes planned so far are meant to be 'officially' part of Magnet (such as, as you said Kupo Lady, the expedition with Irvine) while a few others are set in the universe of it, but probably won't logically be able to happen. But we'll see how it all goes! If nothing else, Magnetized will give me an excuse to have all sorts of 8x9ness in Squall's world for no reason so I don't try and squeeze in unneeded scenes into Magnet, hurr hurr XD *helpless fangirl*