Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Final Fantasy 8 characters.
Chapter 3: Changes
"…Seifer?"
There's a glint of amusement in the man's green eyes as he looks at the Headmaster before turning his head to get a better look at the lobby. Squall takes a step out of the elevator and the door closes behind him. "Glad to know this place looks as stuck-up as ever," he comments as he runs his hand through his hair. From the side, a passing student gapes at the two until Seifer notices and smiles, as if he was eyeing a kill. The student makes a sound before cowering away slowly. "Well, except for these pipsqueaks. I guess that chicken wuss is rubbing off them, don't you think?" he continues on almost playfully to look at Squall who glares at him, his eyes turning into a darker shade of blue. "Don't get your feathers all ruffled, I'm not gonna hurt anybody," he chuckles, eyes closed as he raises up his hands.
After years of not seeing each other, the blonde still knows how to push the right buttons to get a reaction of the so-called ice prince, or princess as he used to tease him. Even at that moment as Seifer opens his eyes slowly and lowers his hands to put them into his pockets, he could tell that Squall has his lips in a line while he tries to keep his cool. He looks at his former rival, and a small chuckle accompanies his smirk as he turns his eyes away to something else other than the man in front of him.
It seemed so natural for the two men to fall into their old routine of one provoking while the other silently seething, but at that moment Squall notices the way Seifer lowers his gaze at the floor as well as the lack of defiance when their eyes meet. In fact, the older man doesn't hold eye contact. The brunette opens his mouth and closes it again.
The voices of several instructors – including Irvine, Zell, and Selphie – could be heard echoing around the lobby as they try to calm the cadets down. "Are we just gonna stand here or what? 'Cuz I don't think these kids like seeing one of their nightmares marching right up at one of the safest places in the world," Seifer says in a sarcastic, lazy tone that almost convinces the younger man to disregard his prior observations. The blonde passes by Squall to press the elevator button going up. Squall turns around as the elevator dings only to find that Seifer has lowered his head in the intention to whisper in Squall's ear, their faces inches away. "Not that I think that you don't do that on a regular basis," Seifer manages to say, unfazed by the close proximity. Meanwhile, Squall is taken aback, pushing Seifer on the shoulder enough to gain back his personal space and wearing a scowl on his face. "I bet you scare the shit out of them with that face of yours," Seifer laughs out as he walks in the elevator. Squall doesn't reply to his comment and gets on the elevator.
Students watch as the elevator rises up, taking the two men to the Headmaster's office. Meanwhile, the two men are silent, one of them looking back at the students while the other waiting for the doors to open. Squall glances sideways to observe the older man before looking ahead once more. He is still the same; same clothes, same physique. Seifer's hair length can't compare to Squall's but it has grown considerably over the years, making it slightly unkempt. He used to have it slicked back with the exception of a few hair strands, but as of the moment his hair could cover most of the scar Squall had given the older man years ago. So much has changed since then. The young Headmaster closes his eyes, listening to the hum of the elevator's ascent, breathes in and opens his eyes again.
"Where's Hyperion?"
Seifer looks at the brunette, quirking up an eyebrow. His usual arrogance almost seems to fade away as he opens his mouth but before he could even make a sound, the doors of the elevator open with a ding to reveal Quistis. Seifer closes his mouth and smirks. "Ah, well isn't it the instructor? Or secretary now is it?" Quistis ignores his comment but acknowledges his presence with a look before she turns to Squall. "I see you've picked him up already. I'm on my way down to do some crowd control." The men step out of the elevator while Quistis gets in.
"Quis – "
"I'll be back in a while. If there's anything you need, give me a call," she cuts Squall off before the elevator doors close again. "Well, lead the way Headmaster," Seifer says from behind him, again in his playful, mocking tone. Years ago, Squall would have turned his heel to face Seifer and give him one of his famous death glares but instead he leads Seifer into his office.
"And here I was readying myself for a blinding. Glad they changed the windows," Seifer comments As Squall goes straight at his desk, Seifer stands at the middle of the room, looking at the rest of the room. "Sit," he says as he does so himself. "Always had a way words," Seifer retorts before he spots a modern black couch at the side of the office accented with dark blue pillows and a small coffee table siting on top of a silver blue rug. "But I never knew you as the type to decorate 'cuz I don't remember this being here," he says and walks over to it, settling himself there by putting his feet up. "Gotta hand it to you, Leonhart. Never knew you had a sense of taste," he says, putting his hands at the back of his head. "Oh wait, let me guess: it must be Ri –"
"You don't know me," Squall manages to cut Seifer off as he looks at him from his desk, his eyes turning into a darker shade before taking a deep breath. "Why are you here?"
A/N: To say that this is a total overhaul of how this previously looked like may be an understatement. There's going to be a lot of changes to this story from here on out, and I'm hoping it would turn out better than I first imagined it to be. Also, I've purposefully left some things hanging in the air in this chapter in hopes to answer them later at what I think would be the appropriate time. In any case, constructive criticism/comments are always appreciated so feel free to drop one.