From Now On

Pairings: IrvinexSquall, LagunaxSquall, SeiferxZell
Warnings: Yaoi, Incest. AU.
A/N: It was somewhat a challenge I proposed to myself to write about this pairings. I have never worked before with LagunaxSquall and SeiferxZell, so I thought I should try this.
Beta: I posted a request for a Beta in the Forum section, so if you’re interested, take a look there.
Summary: The orphanage gang go to a trip to celebrate Squall’s birthday. Little did he know that it would lead to a change in his relationship with a recently discovered father and his childhood friend.

From Now On

Prologue

Squall tried to concentrate on his homework. He typed and typed on the keyboard until his sentences no longer made sense when he looked at the monitor screen. Ten minutes ago, when he was almost finishing his homework, a certain boy had entered the study room of the orphanage and sat on a couch nearby, yawning tiredly. Squall could smell the scent of soap and shampoo in the air, and without even looking, he could imagine the other boy's still wet hair hanging loosely over his T-shirt.

"Squall...."

Oh, that was dangerous. The brunette tried not to show his nervousness and turned around to look at Irvine. The boy had a book in his hands and had already left lots of paper sheets scattered over a desk in front of him.

"What?"

"Help me here." Irvine looked down at his book for an instant. "I don't know these things. Numbers are so confusing."

The brunette sighed, took a deep breath and walked towards the other boy. He sat at Irvine's side and examined the page he was looking at. "What don’t you understand?"

The long-haired boy threw the book away in his frustration. "Everything! I just... Can't figure out why do we have to learn maths."

"The fact is that we have to."

"Yeah, I know." Irvine looked around for a while before returning his gaze to Squall. "Can you do this for me? Please?"

"What do you want me to do...?" Squall wanted to punch himself.

Irvine quickly grabbed his book again and showed the page. "Just these exercises, look. You'll do these in no time." The boy got up and headed for the door. "Thanks, man! See you later!"

And then Irvine was gone.

Squall started to do the other boy's homework, all the while asking himself why he always ended up doing favors for Irvine. And what did he receive in return? Violet eyes looking at him in a thankful manner and a broad smile. It was ridiculous. It served for nothing. Really. And until the moment he finished the exercises, Squall tried to convince himself that he was very stupid and that he would refuse to help Irvine the next time.

After finishing both home works, Squall got out of the orphanage and met the streets of Balamb. He had just recently moved to the city, like the other kids that grew up with him. Irvine, Selphie, Quistis, Seifer and him had lived in the Centra continent far off to the South. Sadly, it had been destroyed in a furious tempest, but they were still lucky to survive, scaping before the real damage hit the house they'd spent all their childhood. Matrons' husband worked at a military unity in Balamb, so he arranged things for a new orphanage on that island in North.

Over the years, most of the children that lived in the original orphanage had been adopted. Only five ones remained. In order to provide a new home for the grown up kids, Cid and Edea bought a big house near Balamb's port.

Squall looked at the sea in that dying afternoon. The atmosphere was foggy and cold. The grey of the sky merging with the grey of the sea. And then it started to rain, slowly but surely. The brown-haired young man had run for cover and found protection near a café. He brushed some small raindrops that had fallen on his hair and put his arms around his body, to keep himself warm. He wanted to go back to the orphanage, back to his warm room, back to his comfy bed, watching silently as an auburn-haired boy slept contently on the other bed.

While trying to find a sign that it would be safe enough for him to go back home without getting totally wet, Squall spotted something strange. There was a man standing in the rain, staring at him intently. He was soaking wet, but didn't seem to be aware of that. Squall wanted to avert his gaze, but there was something in the way that long-haired man stared at him that kept his attention. It seemed like the blue-green eyes were shining so vividly that the lights danced upon his irises. He appeared to be nervous, trembling a little from the coldness the rain had brought.

"Why are you staring at me?" Squall tightened his arms around himself, disturbed by the stranger's gaze upon him.

"You..." The boy heard the man's voice as a whisper, slowly vanishing in the sound of the rain.

"What...?"

Slow footsteps made their way towards Squall, until the man was only inches apart from the boy. The man took a deep breath...

...And his leg cramped.

"Damn," the man cursed involuntary and blamed himself for speaking that out loud.

Squall watched as the man's expression twisted briefly in pain as he curved to hold his leg. The boy didn't know if he asked if he was alright or just left that strange guy.

"Wait." The man grabbed the teen's arm gently foreseeing his reaction.

Not knowing why he felt suddenly paralyzed, Squall stood still, glaring upwards at the man's face.

This is no good.

"Won't you come with me inside? I mean..." The man looked at the café's door in front of them. "It's cold and..."

Why should I follow a wet stranger?

"Please, I... have something to tell you."

xxx

It was warm inside. The colors changed by the bad weather outside made the place look like a painting. Pastel and creamy, comfy and dreamy like. People drank their coffees and teas with lazy expressions on their faces. The pair made their way to the back of the establishment and sat at a table in a dark corner.

"Ask whatever you want."

Squall glanced at the menu on the table, but his fingers had no courage to touch it. "You order."

The man's expression brightened and he motioned for the waitress to come closer. "We want chocolate mugs and..." he pointed at the direction of a vanilla pie. "Some pieces of that."

The woman eyed suspiciously the man in wet clothes, but felt more at easy when a bright smile appeared on the his face. Oh, that smile could melt any uncertainty left in a person's heart.

"Why?" Squall asked.

Silence was the only answer the boy got. He saw the smile on the other's face being replaced by a contemplative expression. The man wasn't looking at him at the moment, so Squall felt the courage to study the man's profile. He was slender and a little taller. Some locks of his black hair were falling over one side of his face, the color contrasting with the pale skin. He wore light clothes for such a cold weather, only a button-up shirt made of a thin fabric and some casual pants. Squall guessed he was somewhere around thirty, because some very small signs of age betrayed what could be otherwise flawless features.

"Do you study?" the man asked, as if he had snapped out of his reverie. "What do you do? What do you like?"

Too many questions.

"I'm sorry! Did I scare you?" The man put his hand over the teenager's hand. "It's just... I'm so excited to be here, with you, and...."

And their order was brought.

The man took his hand away from the boy's one and stared blankly at the food.

They sat in silence once again.

Just staring at nothing.

That was awkward.

Then Squall grabbed the fork and tried the pie. "It..." He swallowed. "It's not bad."

"Really?" The man stared at reassuring blue eyes before tasting it. "Oh, yes! It's very good!" And then he ate the rest of his pie contently.

"I'm in highschool."

The man stopped the movement of his fork and stared adoringly at Squall. "Oh, that's great!"

"Well, it's not that great." The boy was starting to feel more at easy. "I just want to get rid of it already."

"You do well in your studies?"

"Yeah, I guess so."

"What do you want to do when you finish school?"

"I don't know...."

"You know, when I was your age, I wanted to be a journalist. I wanted to travel the world, know a lot of places and then write about them. But... It's all past."

"What did you do then?"

"I married..." The blue-green eyes were clouded by a deep sadness.

"Are you...?"

"Not anymore...."

Squall stared intently at the man in front of him, struck by the sorrow that danced in the atmosphere. Suddenly it seemed like the place that had been so cozy was suffocating him. The boy got up and walked out of the place.

When he got outside he felt the cold night air hit his skin. Soon his steps reached the deserted streets and he was walking rapidly towards... he didn't know where.

"Squall!"

The boy turned around. The man was running after him.

"How do you know my name?"

"What happened to you? Why did you walked away like that?"

"I..." Squall turned and kept walking. "I don't know, I don't wanna listen to the sad story of your life... I don't even know why I bothered to talk to you in the first place... I"

Suddenly Squall felt something wet and warm around him. He was held captive in a tight embrace and he couldn't scape it, he didn't want to.

"You are..." The man closed his eyes as he pressed his face to the soft brown hair. "You are such a perfect boy. I..." And he couldn't say the words.

Squall felt the embrace lose its force and turned around to face his emotive stranger. He felt a hand over his face and a kiss on his cheek. Speechless he felt warm under the cool touch.
"God... You are... beautiful," the man said, surprised with himself for saying those words.

"I... I gotta go..." Squall was confused.

"..."

Somehow, the man felt like he couldn't say what he should say, what he had planned to say when he got in that plane, what he decided to say when he saw the boy walking out of the orphanage, the words that repeated over and over in his brain while he followed the teenager over the streets.

"My name is Laguna. Please, meet me again."

"Why?" Squall started to walk then stopped. "Where?"

"Here."

The boy glanced one last time at the man. "Here then."

xxx

"Squall?" Irvine stared surprised at the boy who entered the room they shared. "Where have you been, man, you're all wet."

"I just... was somewhere and it started raining."

"Oh, but it happened hours ago." Irvine eyed his friend suspiciously and walked towards him. "Are you okay?" he asked concerned.

Squall tried to avoid looking at the other boy and stared at the floor. "Yeah...."

"Are you sure?" Irvine made his way towards his bed and laid there, staring at the ceiling. "Y'know, you don't need to keep all things to yourself. You can trust me. Really." Then he looked at Squall again. "Don't you trust me?"

"I didn't say that. It's just... well... I don't know if there's something to tell."

"Oh, but I can tell something happened. I have a great ability to read what's inside people's mind, it's in the way they move, the way they talk. And... I know you."

"Really?" Squall whispered silently, so the other teen couldn't hear his words.

Then what's in my mind right now when you're sprawled shirtless on this bed. You have no idea.

"Of course I know what you need!"

Squall almost jumped in surprise and stared shocked at Irvine, who got up, walked some steps and then stopped in the middle of the room.

"I think we should take a trip somewhere. We should go camping or I don't know...."

And for a moment I thought...

"You just want to get rid of the school for a few days, Irvine."

"Man, I want to get rid of it not for just a few days... But yeah, I can't lie to you. I don't like school."

What a big surprise...

"It would be so much fun, hanging out in the woods, swimming and singing."

Singing...?

"One day I'm gonna be a singer. Esthar, Galbadia, everywhere they will know my face. Or then, I'm gonna be a sniper, like in the movies. I didn't made up my mind yet." Irvine smiled. "What do you think?"

I like when you smile.

"I thought you wanted to be a cowboy."

"Oh yeah! That too!"

Then the door suddenly opened.

"Matron told you to get your asses out of this damn room and shove some food into your mouths."

Irvine smirked at the tall blond. "And here I thought she didn't want us to talk like that."

"Oh, Kinneas, you can't, only Matron can."

"Yeah... right." Irvine walked past Seifer and went to the dinner room.

"You're so fucking wet, Leonhart. Didn't you learn that you have to bathe without your clothes on?"

"...Whatever." Squall tried to ignore Seifer's comment and walked towards the bathroom for a shower.

The blond watched the boy walk away and rolled his eyes.

xxx

"Won't Cid come for dinner?" Quistis asked concerned.

"No, dear, he has work to do at the Garden."

"Whe's Suuu Kall?" Selphie asked with her mouth full of smashed potatoes.

"He's in the shower, darling," Irvine answered.

"Foo so lon'?"

"Puberty boy," Seifer muttered.

"..."

Squall entered the room and took his seat at the table.

"Oh, dear, I think your food's already cold, do you want me to--"

"Thanks, Matron, it's fine." The boy started to eat silently.

"I was worried about you."

"?" Squall stared at Edea's concerned face.

"Irvine told me you were acting a bit strange."

"Leonhart always acts strange, Matron, he is strange."

"..." The boy returned to look at his plate, but not before glancing quickly at Seifer.

"Squall, I want to talk to you after dinner."

"Puberty boy's grounded... Told you not to play to much in the shower."

"Seifer..." Edea glared at him warningly.

"I'll wash my plate, Matron." The blond boy got up and kissed the woman's forehead before going to the kitchen.

"I finished! I finished! Dessert time!"

"Honey, I love your enthusiasm." Irvine smiled flirtatiously at the petite girl.

"I know you do!" Selphie winked at the boy. "But this one here is not for you."

"Oh... don't do this to me. You're gonna break my heart...."

"I'm a very cruel girl."

"Yes, you are. How can I live when the one I love always rejects me...."

"Which one?" Quistis asked. "There are lots of ones you love."

"Oh, Quisty, don't be jealous. There's enough love in my heart for you too."

"And in his pants too." Seifer got back at the table with a plate with a piece of vanilla cake.

"I thought you were gonna wash the dishes, Mr Almasy, or did I hear wrong? Oh, wait, do you want some love too?"

"I said I'd wash my plate. You wash yours."

Squall got up from the table.

"I guess Leonhart volunteered."

"My turn was yesterday." The boy walked to his room, trying to avoid the talk Matron wanted to have with him.

"Oh, you're not scaping from me."

Shit.

"Meet me at the office. And, no, young man, you have no excuses."

Squall sighed and did as he was told, he went into the office, closed the door behind him and sat on a couch. He wondered what was all that about. No idea came to his mind when he tried to guess. He had done nothing wrong from what he could remember. So he started to think about other things, about the unusual thing that happened that day, the man in the rain. Why he couldn't refuse the stranger’s proposal. Would he really meet him again?

Slowly, a sound of a door being opened was heard in the small but comfortable room.

"Sorry to keep you waiting... The kids... they will never grow up. So...."

"What?"

"In all those years that you've lived with us, I know that you must have wondered lots of times some things. Where was your family...."

"You said that my mother died when I was born, then my father died in the war afterwards."

Edea took a deep breath. "And if I said that part of it is not true?"

"Then I don't wanna hear."

"Wait." Edea held the boy's arm before he could leave the room. "Squall, I know that it's difficult to talk about it and... I'm... I'm sorry for lying to you... but I had no intention of--"

Squall squeezed Edea's hand. "I know that you did it to protect me."

"You need to know the truth."

The boy stared directly at the golden orbs misted by tears that had not fallen. "I know the truth."

"No, you don't."

"I... tried to forget. And it worked for a long time... but... Now I remember, when I was younger, you told me once that my dad was very busy with something important, but he was going to meet me again... And one day... you told me he had died."

"But..."

"He did. He did die. In the moment you told me that lie, for me he was dead. I knew he didn't want me. And I wished he was really dead... and... after a while, I started to believe it. So... he is dead for me now, no matter what."

"Please, Squall, listen to me! He called me yesterday and...."

Squall moved away from Edea and stormed out of the office. He tried not to hear her screaming, her pleading as anger filled his chest. He wasn't angry with her, he knew that all that she ever wanted was to protect him. Always. He just couldn't let that conversation go on any further. He had made his decision a long time ago.

The boy entered his room and slammed shut the door behind him.

"What happened?" asked the startled roommate.

The brunette took a deep breath. "Nothing."

"Tell me...."

Squall's anger started to wither when he heard Irvine's tone. It was so uncharacteristical of the boy to talk like that. Grey blue eyes met violet blue when Squall spoke almost inaudibly. "I have a father."

"Oh, really?" Irvine asked excited.

"In fact, I had one."

"What are you trying to say?" Irvine got close to the other boy. "You're confusing me."

"I don't wanna meet him. All I want is to forget that he ever existed." Squall stared up at Irvine's face. He was so close.

The long haired boy smoothed the brown locks of his friends and then kissed his scared forehead. "Glad you left a scar on that bastard's face too," he tried to change the subject. "Seifer's an asshole."

"Yeah, he deserved it." Squall buried his face on his friend's shoulder and put his arms around his back, as the other boy was doing to him. He always liked when Irvine held him like that.

Maybe it was one of the reasons why I feel this way about him...

x
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x

Squall opened his eyes and was greeted by a sunny morning. After yawning a few times he got out of the bed, only then realizing that he hadn't slept in his bed. Startled, he tried to remember what happened last night, and he was a little disappointed to find out that he had talked some sitting beside Irvine, in the other boy's bed, and then he had fallen asleep. Squall looked at his own bed and saw the sheets all tangled, proof that his friend had slept in the other bed...

He left the room and headed to the kitchen, where he could hear too excited voices for a school's morning. The boy saw Irvine and Selphie smiling and talking to each other. They were too close, but he tried to brush the thought out of his head. Then a loud voice came from the corridor.

"Of course, princess, I'll get you in your house. See you." Seifer ended the call.

"Woah, who's that?" Irvine asked. "Sounds like a date."

"Not quite that... yet." Seifer sat at the kitchen's table. "New girl in town, doesn't know school, I'm gonna show her around and all... Yeah, she kinda like me."

"Lucky guy," Irvine sighed. "Lady luck is not on my side. I'm such a lonely man. You know, there's that little girl I like, and she is always refusing my love..." He looked at Selphie.

"I wonder who the poor girl is..." Selphie said before a mouthful of colorful cereal.

"Not me, thank God!" Quistis put her pile of books on the table and took a sit.

"Puberty boy is all silent. I guess he doesn't understand the topic just yet."

Grow up, Seifer.

Squall didn't like to talk much about girls...

xxx

The place was crowded. How he hated it. Squall made his way silently to a small table at the corner of the cafeteria and sat. He wanted to avert his gaze, but he couldn't help but look at a cowboy hat at a distance, a boy stalking a girl in yellow skirt. Irvine was only his friend. Why he still had hope? It was always like that, he thought for a moment that Irvine might feel the same way, but the closer he tried to get, the more distant the other boy seemed to be. He was always there somehow, but... never really was there... not the way he needed.

"What's up, man?" A boy sat at his side.

"..."

"You know, I know how you're feeling, I hate those hamburgers too, they will never taste as good as the hot-dogs they make here. If only I was here one minute earlier... maybe I should get them, but that--"

"Hello, Chicken."A smirk appeared in the tall blond's face.

Sky blue eyes stared adoringly at the food in the other boy's hand. "They made more hot-dogs?"

"Oh, no, this is the last one." One big bite. "But, you know, it doesn't taste that good."

I'm not gonna plead. Not gonna...

"I guess no one will want this shit."

"..."

The last bite.

"Why are you so quiet, Dincht?"

"Bastard." Zell crossed his arms over his chest and sulked.

"Aw... You hurt my feelings, Chicken."

"Why do you always... Nevermind."

Seifer sat beside the other boy. "Don't you miss me? All alone in that big house of yours?"

"No way!"

"C'mon, you always liked to play with me when we were kids."

"Yeah... I just loved how you locked me in the closed and tied me to a chair."

"Don't forget the good times when I buried you in the sand."

"..."

Oh hell, why these two don't go away...

Squall felt so miserable... Why a teenager's life had to be so difficult?

xxx

The door's bell rang hysterically.

I'm not listening.

Squall tried to concentrate on his book.

And the noise kept reverberating through the house.

No one's here, go away.

Squall flipped the page angrily. Matron had gone shopping for groceries. Quistis had stayed in the school's library with her fanclub. Selphie had gone out with some friends. Irvine had gone flirting with some musical instruments in a music store. And Seifer... Where the hell was he?

With a great sigh of frustration, the boy got up from the couch and decided to answer the door.

"Oh, hi."

Oh fuck, there's a girl smiling here... at me?

"I'm Rinoa, Seifer's friend."

Masochist.

"Well... He's not here."

"Oh..." The girl seemed to be disappointed.

"Look, maybe he'll come back later."

"Really?"

"Yeah... Maybe something is keeping him at his work."

"Yeah, you're right."

Then the girl's smile returned to her face.

This is no good.

"Can I wait for him here?"

At the doorstep? Sure.

"Well... Won't you let me in?"

"Yeah, come in," Squall sighed as he closed the door behind them. "You can sit there." He pointed at a couch and headed to his room.

"Wait!" Rinoa grabbed his wrist gently. "Won't you keep me company?"

Why would you think so?

"You know, you're the cutest boy here. I'd like you to be here with me." The girl smiled flirtatiously.

I'm the only guy here... And no, I don't wanna be with you.

"Do I have to convince you to like me? Oh, please, please, talk to me." Rinoa giggled.
Squall wanted to slap himself. "Okay." He sat on the couch and soon the girl sat beside him.

"Sooo what's your name?"

And the door opened suddenly. "Squall! You have to see the baby I saw at the shop. Real gorgeous guit..." And Irvine smirked when he realized the scene before him. "Am I interrupting something?"

"Oh, no." Rinoa smiled and looked at the boy beside her. "Squall then... Squall and I were just talking, as friends...."

"Oh, girl, you're amazing, did he really talk to you?"

I was forced to!

"Damn, cowboy, what are doing yelling at the doorstep, I'd like to enter my own house..." And Seifer eyes widened when he looked at the couch's direction. "Hi, Rinoa... What are you doing here? I was going to get you at your house, remember?”

"I couldn't wait, so I remembered that you said that you lived here and I decided to come over! I hope you're not mad at me!"

"Oh... of course not..."

"I was here talking to your brother, and he was all nice and sweet to me."

"Leonhart?"

"Man, you've just lost the girl," Irvine whispered at the blond's ear.

Suddenly, Squall stood up and walked to his room. "Seifer's here, so I'm leaving."

Rinoa looked confused at the boy.

"Yeah, do it, Puberty Boy."

Squall walked angrily through the corridors, until he reached his room.

"Man, why did you talk like that to the pretty lady?"

"..." The brunette took off his clothes.

Irvine stared. "What are you doing...?"

"Getting changed." He opened his wardrobe.

"Are you going out?"

"Yes."

"Where?"

"Somewhere."

He put his leather pants on and a white T-shirt.

"Somewhere, where?"

"Just shut up, Irvine!"

"..."

And Irvine kept quiet.

Squall looked at the teen's face and felt a little guilt when he saw the hurt look.

"I didn't mean...."

"It's okay." Irvine laid on his bed.

"..."

"You go on your date, you don't need to tell me anything."

"I'm not going on...."

"Yeah... You look real nice when you dress like that, you know it."

"Irvine..." Squall neared his roommate's bed.

"Go get your girl!" Irvine shoved the brunette's touch away. "I know you deserve a nice one...."

"What?"

"I know that she must be really pretty and all."

"..."

"Just go." Irvine buried his face in his pillow.

"Okay...."

"You know...."

"?"

"Nevermind. I just..." Irvine sat up. "Well... thinking about it, you and that girl, Rinoda or something, make a cute couple. You're so pretty together."

What the fuck...?

"I'm leaving." Squall made his way towards the streets. Damn, Irvine was so confusing. For a moment he almost thought the other boy was jealous...

After a few moments, Squall found himself at Balamb's port. The sun was bright in the clear blue sky and the waves bathed gently the shore nearby.

What the hell am I doing here?

Running away from girls?

"Hi there!" Waved a smiling man, getting close... until he stopped when his leg cramped.

Meeting guys with constant cramps?

"Are you okay?"

"Oh, it's nothing! I just... it just happens sometimes when I'm nervous or... You look good!"

Squall blushed. "...Thanks."

Laguna's heart melted.

Oh... this is not good, man... He's your s...

"Where are we going?" Squall asked.

"I don't know... I thought we could walk on the beach and talk...."

I think we really need to talk...

"Hm... Sure."

While they walked on the sand, Squall realized that Laguna's outfit was far more suited to the place they where in. He was wearing flip-flops and a shirt that was opened at the upper part of his chest. Squall really liked to look at him.

"So, how was school today?" Laguna felt the sea breeze caress his skin.

"Boring."

"Yeah, I thought that too when I was younger..." Then Laguna stopped.

"What happened?"

"Do you want ice-cream?" the man asked nervously.

"...Well... yeah... Why not?"

Squall felt a little awkward sitting on the wooden stairs beside a grow up man, with ice-cream in hand. It made him feel like a stupid kid. But Laguna looked like he was really happy. Squall could feel the man's warm body so close to him. He wished he could warp his arms around him once more. So he did so.

"What..." Laguna was surprised when he felt a body press against his. And then a breath in his neck. The man took a deep breath. What could he do? He thought about shoving the boy away... but he couldn't, so he warped his arms around him and squeezed tightly. However, deep inside he knew that there was something terribly wrong in the way he felt in that embrace. "Squall...."

Again, why did he know his name?

And the teenager also knew that there was something wrong. "Please... don't say anything."

"But I need to...."

"Are you going to leave me...?" Squall didn't know where those words had come from.

"No... of course not..." Laguna stared into the blue eyes. "I'm not going to leave you ever again."

Squall abrutly disentangled himself from the embrace. "What...?"

"I was going to meet you sooner but... I couldn't... Please, don't hate me. Let me explain...."

The boy stood up.

Who are you?

But he couldn't voice what he wanted to ask. So he walked away.

"Wait!" Laguna ran after him.

And Squall pretended he hadn't heard the words that followed next.

xxx

Squall had stormed out into the house. Matron had asked many questions that he ignored. He shut himself in his room for hours, until he was sitting in the dark on the cold floor.

"Please, let me in."

"Go away..." Squall whispered.

"This is my room too."

"..."

"I... I have to grab some things...."

"..."

Squall weakly opened the door and then returned to his previous position sitting on the floor with his back pressed against the wall.

Irvine turned on the lights and walked in slowly. "Are you crying?" He sat at his friends side.

"Of course not," came the cold reply.

"I get sad when you do." Irvine leaned his head on Squall's shoulder.

A tear rolled down the dark-haired boy's cheek.

"Why do you care...?"

Why do I care...?

x
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To be continued...
A/N: I thought this chapter was a little too sad for my taste. Although the next chapters won’t be always happy, the moods will get better... And even though it’ll take some time, all the pairings will have their lemons. I try to balance the amount of time with each pairing, but as the story is more focused on Squall...
As I said before, I don’t have a Beta for this English version, and, I bet you’ve noticed I still have some problems with this language. It irritates me sometimes. Well, if someone read this, I ask you to be patient with me.
I think I’ll post more chapters as a test to see how people react to this story. I don’t know if someone out there will want me to keep posting my stories. I think I can never stop writing, but maybe I’ll only keep it to myself and show to the few ones that are interested. I’ll see it later. Oh... I’m getting depressed now, so I’ll stop here and see you at the next chapter!