Arcane Crisis

Chapter 3



Disgusted with himself, Seifer headed for the previously discarded bottle of rum. What the fuck? He had just jerked off to a masturbating Squall, and had come hard. This was not on his list of proud moments. Even worse was the urge he'd had to kiss the brunet. Gulping down the sweet alcohol the blond tried to rationalize the events.

It had been a while since he'd had sex. Been a while since he'd had any kind of physical contact. Clenching his jaw he cursed his hormones. Now was not the time for them to play him.

On the couch Squall sat in a daze not quite sure what the hell had just happened. On auto pilot he cleaned his face, whilst trying his best not to think about what it was he was removing. The situation had turned far too absurd for him to keep up with. It didn't help that his mind was still too debilitated from alcohol to properly analyze the events that had occurred. All he knew was that when he'd locked eyes with the blond after coming, the intense look in the ex-knight's eyes had set him on edge.

"Shit," Seifer cursed close by and Squall turned involuntarily to place the man. Standing next to the fireplace, Seifer was deep in thought, not noticing the brunet's attention. "Fuck."

Raking fingers through his hair, Seifer felt indecision tear at him. He knew what he wanted but at the same time the thought disgusted him. Forcing himself to come to a decision quickly, Seifer spun around on his feet and saw the brunet quickly turn away his head.

"Upstairs," the blond spoke, letting his eyes travel the length of the naked brunet. Seifer was going to have Squall. Briefly considering whether he wanted the brunet to suck him dry or to fuck Squall senseless, Seifer quickly came to the conclusion that breaking in the ice prince would be oh so much more satisfying. Of course both scenarios were possible, but having already come twice that evening, Seifer didn't want to push his luck. Getting hard once more could prove enough of a challenge and he definitely didn't want to be the one losing face.

Completely baffled by the change that had happened and how his body seemingly burned to bury itself inside the pale fighter, Seifer felt torn. Two entirely different directions of thought fought for dominance but Seifer knew he had to start sticking to the decision he'd already made. Pushing aside his mortification at wanting his rival so badly, the blond grinned lecherously. Impatient, he stalked after the brunet who had already made it upstairs.

"Get your scrawny ass onto the bed," Seifer ordered, fingers now twitching to play with the brunet. Eyeing up the younger man, the pale body that had before seemed interesting yet unattractive now made Seifer feel hot all over.

Stumbling slightly as he tried to focus on both the order and his actions, Squall flopped onto the bed. The cool comforter beneath him felt soft as he moved to sit up straight. When he'd almost found a comfortable position a strong hand pushed against his chest, forcing him down onto the bed.

Straddling Squall, the blond was annoyed with the oppressive clothing he was still wearing. He wanted to feel skin against skin, let rough abrasive movements convey his lust. Grabbing one of the belts that had been discarded earlier, Seifer seized Squall's arms and bound the brunet's wrists tightly together above Squall's head before getting up to remove his restrictive clothing.

Testing his new confines, Squall felt leather dig into his skin, limiting his movements. He resented the bondage, the lack of control over his own body infuriating him. If not for the blond's earlier order, Squall would have been glaring icily at the other man. Buckling to show his contempt, Squall felt his anger rise even further when the blond merely chuckled in response.

"Stay still," the harsh voice of the blond ordered, gripping the brunet's thighs roughly. "Wouldn't want to disrespect our deal now, would you?"

In reply the brunet gritted his teeth, his whole body going rigid.

"Spread your legs," the blond demanded, pushing the brunet's legs apart.

Letting his knees fall against the soft cover of the bed, Squall felt a cool breeze against his groin. Never had he been this exposed. The thought of Seifer studying him, invading his most intimate spaces made Squall shudder. When rough hands ran against the inside of his thighs, the brunet's breath hitched and gray-blue eyes shut closed. The fingers became more daring, hot digits starting slow, teasing paths along the pale skin at the junction between the brunet's thighs and pelvis. Squall couldn't help but shiver, his skin already overly sensitized. A single finger trailed to stroke between his cheeks, sending pleasurable tingles along Squall's spine. It felt too fucking good. Whatever it was the blond was doing, he was doing it skillfully, teasing Squall's body like he'd been doing it for years.

Seifer was already rock hard. It surprised him how quickly his cock had come back to life. To Seifer's satisfaction, Squall hadn't been able to hold back his responses to Seifer's ministrations very well, however hard the brunet tried. Every one of Squall's little movements of pleasure set the blond's body on fire, making him want to tease the younger man's body into further abandon. Licking his finger, the blond trailed the wet digit along Squall's ass. When the usually stoic fighter turned his head to the side in an effort to shut out the pleasure, Seifer smiled in amusement. Slowly pressing his finger inside, Seifer watched as Squall jerked back in reflex. Grabbing a bony hip firmly, Seifer forced the brunet back in place.

Unable to help himself, Squall opened his eyes in curiosity and took in the sight of Seifer's finger sliding inside him. Quickly, the brunet glanced at the blond to see green eyes trained on Squall's entrance, hunger and lust clear on the blond's features. At the raw emotion so vividly displayed on his rival's face, something twisted inside Squall. The blond was clearly enjoying himself. Confused, Squall laid his head back against the bed, shutting his eyes and holding his breath. It was all too much.

The blond didn't spot Squall's furtive glance, too absorbed in what he was doing. He did, however, spot Squall becoming hard. A smug grin made it's way onto the blond's face as he looked at the aroused brunet spread out before him. Fucking Hyne, he's hot like this.

Maybe it was because he had never imagined the brunet like this. Or maybe it was because the amount of emotion usually displayed by the brunet was typically limited to absolutely none or if one was lucky, maybe a bit of resentment or annoyance. Whatever the reason was, it was becoming addicting fast.

"Hyne, you're tight," Seifer mused as he felt hot pressure surrounding his finger.

Turning his head to the side, Squall kept quiet. Focusing too hard on the sensation of the finger pushing in and out of him was not an option, because whenever he did he would feel an aching need to push the finger in further; to feel more.

When the finger was removed, Squall relaxed his tense body for a moment and sunk into the warm bed. With closed eyes he followed the blond's movements through sound. Footsteps on the floor was replaced by a drawer being opened. The sound of a cap being unscrewed then reached the brunet's ears before finally, he felt the bed sag as the other man sat back down between his legs.

Something wet pressed against his opening, coating his entrance in a slick substance before entering him, stretching him. Fingers. Turned on by the mixed feeling of pain and pleasure, the brunet could no longer hold back his moans. When the blond pushed in even further, bright sparks lit up Squall's vision, an intense surge of pleasure shooting through him. What the ...? Eyes closed, he tried to push away the overpowering sensation, fighting his body's need to cause the same reaction once more.

Having witnessed the brunet's reaction, Seifer repeated the move, causing the brunet to jerk beneath him. This is too fucking good to be true.

Logical thought temporarily escaping the brunet, he no longer considered what was happening or why it was happening. He could only feel. Focusing on the intense stimulus of his pleasure starved body, he was getting more and more lost in his body's need. His hips started rocking against Seifer's fingers on their own volition, feeding on the pleasure the fingers were providing.

Immediately stilling at the sound of a deep rumbling laughter, Squall was torn away from his state of mindless pleasure. Mortified beyond belief at what he'd just been reduced to, he clenched his jaw. But when the fingers kept ramming against that forsaken spot, Squall's pleasure addled brain soon lost its resolve.

For a moment Seifer closed his eyes and focused all his thoughts on savoring everything he was experiencing; the incredible hotness of the brunet beneath him, the power of his own arousal and the lust that was inflaming his whole body. Pulling out his fingers from the brunet the blond opened his eyes and let them travel hungrily up the pale body. It was a breath taking sight. All lean muscles and sharp curves, yet slightly effeminate in its delicateness. Bending down the blond started a wet trail at a protruding hipbone and greedily licked his way upwards, savoring the sound of air being sucked in forcefully by the brunet. Stopping at a nipple, the blond bit down gently, eliciting a sharp moan, the usually stoic features of the brunet transformed into a frown of pleasure. Continuing his wet trail along the brunet's slender neck, Seifer ended his journey by nibbling on an earlobe.

"I'm going to fuck you so hard that you can't stand... that you can't walk," the blond whispered hotly into the brunet's ear. "And then I'm going to fuck you again."

Leaning down on top of the brunet, Seifer let his body press heavily into the man beneath him and slid his hard cock against the soft skin of the younger man. Grinding his hips against the brunet, Seifer took extreme pleasure in the quivers that seemed to take over the smaller man.

Pushing himself up slightly to get a better look at the man beneath him, Seifer felt transfixed by the sight of pale lips moving to let out moans of pleasure. He needed to claim those lips, but he would not let himself kiss the brunet. Kissing went deeper than lust and this was a need Seifer was not ready to face. Figuring out a different way to sate his lust for those lush lips, he got up abruptly to stand next to the bed.

"Tilt your head to your left and keep your eyes closed," Seifer ordered, his voice coming from above. Obeying, Squall scrunched his eyes in surprise when something warm and smooth was placed against his lips and a strong smell he couldn't pinpoint hit him.

"Lick it."

Turning his body onto its side, Squall parted his lips and slid out his tongue to investigate the smooth surface. Quickly realizing what it was Seifer had asked him to do, Squall felt disgusted. Focusing on blanking out all sensory input, Squall made himself slide out his tongue to lap at the blond's cock.

Reduced to grunting at the wanton sight of the brunet's tongue playing with him, Seifer had to close his eyes. "Wrap your lips around it."

Once again submitting to the blond, Squall opened his mouth to wrap his lips around the engorged head and sealed them around the hot shaft. This was beyond humiliating.

Unable to help himself, Seifer pushed further into Squall's mouth, the brunet's features drawn tight in revulsion. Pushing in and out, lust made Seifer lose all rational thought, the sight of himself fucking Squall's mouth nearly ending it all right then and there.

Knowing he wouldn't last much longer, Seifer let himself slip out of the slick heat and ordered the brunet to move onto his front. When the brunet obeyed, Seifer grabbed the younger man's hips roughly and placed Squall ass right in front of his cock, ready for the taking. Watching the naked man in front of him, Seifer let his cock slide against Squall's crack, teasing him by letting his head push against the brunet's ass playfully.

"Any last words?" Seifer asked coarsely. Squall didn't reply, unable to form any coherent words. The pleasure he had felt earlier had been completely replaced by revulsion.

Chuckling, Seifer grabbed the brunet's ass checks and placed himself against the brunet's entrance, pushing harder than before, his head almost sliding inside. Wincing in pain at the incredible tightness of the man in front of him, Seifer leaned back on his heels before coating himself with the same slick substance he had used earlier.

Holding his breath as Seifer's head pressed inside him, Squall felt searing pain shoot up his spine from the intrusion and arched his head backwards. Sucking in stale air, he let pain and adrenaline flow through him, the mixture making him feel more alive than he had in a long time. When Seifer moved in further, Squall felt like he was being split apart. Biting his lip to keep from crying out at the overwhelming pain, the brunet instead focused on controlling the pain, twisting his perception to view the pain as nothing more that a scar earned in the heat of battle. A heady sensation took over the brunet as he managed to channel the pain expertly. There was no pain he couldn't handle; nothing was too much. Wanting to prove it, Squall thrust back against Seifer forcefully, impaling himself. Jaws locked and lips sealed tight, the brunet almost choked on the mind shattering pain, feeling impossibly high as his mind split into a million pieces.

Pushing himself forward again, the brunet paused for a fraction of a second before once again impaling himself on Seifer's rigid cock. This time he was unable to keep his mouth locked, a loud moan leaving him as unexpected ecstasy struck his core.

Surprised and shocked, Seifer remained still whilst Squall moved back and forth, the repeated action eliciting sharp moans from the brunet each time he impaled himself. When Seifer's cock was forced deep inside, Squall's face would contort into a mixture of surprise and pleasure before changing into a display of confusion. Such the cycle continued.

Groaning deeply at the impossibly tight heat surrounding him, Seifer shut his eyes to protect himself from sensory overload. It wouldn't do good to come too early. Determined to take back control, the blond roughly grabbed pale hips, forcing the younger man to stay still. The blond then started pounding mercilessly into the fighter in front of him, setting a fast pace. As Seifer repeatedly thrust into smaller man, uninhibited loud moans left the brunet, bearing witness to the mind numbing pleasure wracking Squall's body.

Squall couldn't stop himself. For each of Seifer's thrusts he would mewl or moan. For once, he was thinking about right now, about this second, riding high on intuition, adrenaline and lust. Sex was nothing like he had expected. This resembled fighting; raw and unbridled emotion all he could feel. 

Enjoying the abandon he had caused in his rival, Seifer wanted to watch the other man come whilst fucking him. Stilling his movements, the blond leaned forward and undid the belt restricting the brunet's hands.

"Touch yourself," he ordered out of breath. "Make yourself come."

Leaning his torso against the bed to keep his balance, Squall brought his right hand to his erection. When Seifer pushed into him once again, the combined pleasure made Squall writhe, the pleasure too much. He could already feel sticky precome coating his fingers.

"Say my name," Seifer grunted out between hurried breaths, leaning forward to feel more of Squall against him whilst increasing the pace.

Squall moaned, pleasure and pain sending his brain into overdrive. Focusing all thought on the task that had been asked of him, the brunet managed to grunt out the other man's name, as the friction of his own pumping hand and Seifer's cock ramming into him became too much.

"Fuck," Seifer responded, clenching his teeth as he felt his impending climax grow nearer. Determined to make the brunet come first, he sped up his thrusts. His wish was granted as a long moan escaped pale lips, the brunet's entire body tensing up. The increased tightness around his own cock sent Seifer cursing as he emptied himself into the smaller man. Biting down on Squall's shoulder for relief, Seifer rode wave after wave of his climax, unable to think of anything but how fucking amazing it felt.

Spent, the blond collapsed on top of the brunet, breathing heavily. Though dazed and exhausted he managed to focus enough to whisper the words of one of his spells, sending the brunet off to sleep. Seifer had gotten what he wanted and had no inclination to deal with the aftermath. And he certainly didn't have the energy for more.

Sliding out of the tight heat, Seifer took in the sight of mixed semen and blood dripping out the brunet and couldn't stop the surge of desire coursing through him. This was not supposed to be happening. Stumbling away from the bed, Seifer headed downstairs, images of what had just taken place replaying in his mind.

Grabbing the almost empty bottle of rum he flopped onto the couch, finishing the remains. Covering himself with a soft blanket the blond let exhaustion take over and drifted into vivid dreams of pounding into a willing brunet.

---

Hazy gray-blue eyes opened slowly, confusion clear in their depths. Cold lingered against the naked man as he tried to remember where he was. Shivering, he tried to move but found his body stiff and sore, a sharp pain shooting up his spine. Moving his hand to locate the source of the pain, he felt dry crust against his fingers and all blood drained from his face as the previous night came back to him. Seifer. His throat felt like sandpaper, raw skin painful when he tried to swallow.

Getting to his feet, Squall stood completely still next to the rumpled bed. Bringing a hand to his throbbing head he tried to make the room stop spinning. Wild eyes darted around the room as his stomach lurched. Spotting a door at the far end of the room, the brunet staggered towards it, the sharp pain between his legs slowing him down.

Relived it was a bathroom, Squall dropped to his knees in front of the toilet and emptied his stomach. Done retching, he got up from the floor to stand on unsteady feet, leaning over the sink to rinse his mouth. Catching sight of himself in the mirror he stood as if transfixed. Facing himself after the humiliation he'd suffered the night before was hard. He would never have believed himself to be so subservient. Or that he would let someone do to him what Seifer had. He knew why he had done it though and there was no doubt in his mind that he'd make the same choice if he could go back and do it all over. It didn't really matter much. What was done was done. Now he'd get to reap the rewards. The only regret he had was the intensity of emotion he felt when he thought back to what had taken place.

In the mirror Squall watched pale lips moving, speaking the words of esuna and felt his head clear immediately. With it, he pushed the troubling thoughts away, promising himself he would not let them distract him. As he was about to turn away, eyes fell to the silver still marking him as Seifer's. Letting a finger slide against the cold material, he couldn't suppress the excitement that suddenly coursed through him. Cheeks heating as images from the previous night once more assaulted him, the brunet felt ashamed at his excitement. Turning on the shower, Squall let cool water soothe his damaged body and focused on once again emptying his mind.

Clean and dry, the brunet walked back into the bedroom, spotting his clothes on the floor. Deciding to go commando rather than head downstairs and face the blond naked, Squall dressed quickly. Remembering the choker still adorning his neck, the brunet removed the cold piece of jewelry and placed it on the gunblade case, his touch lingering.

Avoiding looking too closely at the scene of the crime, the brunet sighed and headed down the stairs. Spotting the blond on the couch, face slack and mouth open, obviously lost to the land of sleep, Squall felt strangely invigorated. It was time to claim what he'd come for. He'd finally get to fight his ex-rival. Grabbing Lion Heart where he'd left the blade the night previous, Squall walked over to the slumbering blond, tapping the blond's arm with the flat of his gunblade.

Green eyes blinking in confusing, a frown appeared as they managed to focus on the object of offense. Pulling the pillow from under his head, Seifer threw it at the annoying brunet.

"Fuck off," the blond mumbled, turning on the couch and drawing the blanket up to cover his head.

Sighing heavily, the brunet considered his options. Deciding to let the blond rest for now he headed for the kitchen. Helping himself to a glass of cold water the brunet leaned against the counter, lost in thought. Cursing at himself for wondering what Seifer thought of last night and why Seifer had done what he had, Squall became more and more agitated. Yelling at himself inwardly to shut up, he fought hard to regain his composure and block out the intruding thoughts. I don't care.

The brunet was drawn back into the present at the sound of groaning emanating from the couch. Walking back to inspect the odd happening, Squall hissed as painful throbs ran along his spine with every step he took, a painful reminder of the night previous. Reaching the couch Squall took in the sight of his ex-rival's head resting on the armrest, twisted in obvious pain, a hand grabbing at blond strands of hair.

Annoyed that the blond wasn't thinking straight enough to just remove his hangover, Squall rolled his eyes and crossed his arms.

"Fine," he said and began chanting esuna once more.

"Stop," Seifer interrupted, sitting up angrily before letting out another groan, obviously regretting the quick move.

Impatient and incensed the brunet sent a murderous glare at the man on the couch.

"You promised," the brunet said accusingly, resenting the whine that crept into his voice.

"Later," came the mumbled reply, before Seifer closed his eyes and brought his arm up to rest against his forehead, effectively shutting the brunet out.

Angered even further, the brunet resorted to the only thing that came to mind and grabbed at the blanket that was covering the infuriating ex-knight.

Green eyes shot open to face gray-blue ones, then narrowed in irritation at the younger man's audacity. Grabbing determinedly at the blanket, Seifer managed to keep the blanket in place.

"Don't you fucking dare," the blond snarled.

Quickly looking the brunet over, Seifer returned his eyes to stare straight into gray-blues. "My hangover is mine to deal with. Just like I don't give a fuck about that limp of yours." With that the blond made himself comfortable on the couch once more, ignoring the temporarily stunned brunet.

Trying to fall back asleep, the blond cursed the presence of the annoying brunet. It had been a while since he'd decided that whenever he'd succumb to a night of drinking he'd live through the following hangover. And Seifer was not a man to fall back on his word. It made him keep his nights of drinking to a minimum, something that would surely otherwise overtake him. He wasn't about to change his rules just because of an impatient Squall.

Sensing the restless brunet nearby, Seifer turned to look at him in exasperation, deciding gaining the brunet's consent would make his life easier.

"Tomorrow, okay," Seifer said, knowing he wouldn't be fit for a proper fight with the SeeD commander before some time of recuperation. "That way we both get what we want. You get a proper fight, and I get to be alone for a while."

Cold gray-blue eyes locked onto Seifer's, conveying the contempt Squall felt at the deal being altered.

"For Hyne's sake, just stop sulking already. You're worse than a PMSing Rinoa," the blond sighed in frustration. Deciding that getting away from the source of his bad mood was probably the best cause of action, Seifer stood from the couch temporarily forgetting his nudity. Catching the reflexive movement of gray-blue eyes to his cock, Seifer was surprised when the brunet looked away quickly, cheeks slightly flushed. Groaning inwardly as his own thoughts filled with images of the night previous, he fled the scene, heading for the bathroom.

Uncertain of what to do with himself, Squall sat down in the armchair by the fireplace. He had seen Seifer naked many times, but after last night he suspected he'd never be able to look at the man in the same way ever again. His view of the naked blond would be forever tainted with the strange mixture of equal amounts of desire and disgust. Desire for the other man to dominate him and fuck him. Disgust for wanting such things and for willingly submitting to the blond's whims. The night had unexpectedly brought him just as much thrill, if not more than any fight he'd been in. Eyes landing on the discarded black cloth of his boxers he felt a slight twinge in his chest. This was where it had all started.

Getting up from the couch, Squall took a deep breath, deciding what he needed was distraction. Drumming his fingers on Lion Heart he was lost in thought, trying to figure out how to best occupy himself. Administering a much needed check up on Lion Heart won out and Squall walked to the little room he had first entered last night, assuming the blond kept his tools there. Quickly finding what he needed, the brunet returned to the living room and sat down at a big wooden table. Big windows as tall as the wall let in ample daylight for him to work in. As he started disassembling the blade calmness washed over him.

"I'm heading out," a deep male voice informed from behind him, causing Squall to look back over his shoulder. The blond was dressed in thick layers of brown and black clothes that would be able to keep the blond warm for long hours out in the wild. A long rifle was placed in the blond's right hand and Hyperion was sheathed in its holster on Seifer's back.

As the blond started to move, the brunet spoke up. "Wait," he called. "Do you have any gunblade polish?"

At first the other man just looked at him, then green eyes started shining in growing amusement.

"It's in the bedroom," Seifer said, a big smirk in place. "You'll recognize the scent."

When all blood drained from Squall's face, the blond couldn't hold back his amusement any longer and let out a rumbling laughter.

Turning around to avoid further embarrassment, Squall felt his body tense up as he strained his ears to listen out for any movement behind him. When the sound of heavy boots got weaker and weaker, the brunet let out a deep breath he hadn't even known he'd been holding.

---

Following the trail he'd found over an hour ago, Seifer hoped he'd gotten closer to the beast. The brisk wind and the thrill of the hunt had invigorated Seifer, making the hangover much more survivable. Besides, he was running out of meat. That and a certain brunet having taken up residency in his cabin had sent him out on the prowl. He felt somewhat bad about how he'd treated Squall the night before. Despite what his behavior had indicated, he had found himself at ease with how his life had turned out. Instead of focusing on the injustice of the past, he'd focused on his present. A present where he was free in his own way. He got to hunt and live as he pleased. The brunet had just hit a nerve. He hadn't been prepared for the repressed anger to resurface at the sight of his ex-rival. The lust for revenge had been strong, but his plan to humiliate Squall to a degree of breaking the younger man had been thwarted the moment Seifer had seen what a little bit of dominance could do to the brunet. The night hadn't turned bad by any stretch of the imagination. Just weird. And slightly freaky. It hadn't been his first time with a man. What had freaked him out was how strong his lust for the younger man had been when all he had ever felt towards the brunet previously had been indifference or annoyance.

Since last night his resentment towards Squall had completely dissipated. In some fucked up way the evening had acted as a catharsis, cleansing Seifer of all the pent up anger and bitterness he had kept hidden away for so long. Obviously the other man was no better off than himself, whoring out his pride for a spar. Seifer snorted. What a level to sink to. But thank Hyne. Best fuck ever. Smirking at the thought the blond picked up the scent of the beast he'd been tracking. Focusing his thoughts on the present, he crept closer still, aiming his rifle in the direction where he calculated the beast to be.

Two shots rang out and a dull thud sounded in the quiet of the forest. Walking over to the fallen animal, the blond checked for a pulse, wanting to be sure the creature wouldn't start buckling when he'd haul it from the ground. Reckoning he was about one and a half hours away from home, he sat down briefly to build up his strength.

Thinking about the coming fight against the SeeD Commander, Seifer hoped against hope that he'd come out victorious. The little prick needed to be put in place. Even though the brunet seemed scrawny, Seifer knew the lean muscles held extraordinary strength and fresh scars told him that the lion had been busy. Of course there were always ways of distracting the brunet, last night's discoveries providing more than enough information. A little bit of domination thrown in would probably rattle the brunet enough to let his guard down long enough for Seifer to get in some good strikes. Battling with himself over whether or not to fight dirty, the blond felt restless. He wanted to prove that he could take down the lion without any cheap tricks, but on the other hand he'd never refrained from using them before. Guess he'd have to just play it by ear.

Getting a good grip on brown fur, Seifer hoisted the fallen forest torama onto his shoulders and started his long trek back.

---

Sitting on a rock by the side of the lake, Squall distractedly threw one pebble after another at the calm surface. Staring at the ripples that emerged from each throw, the brunet enjoyed the quiet of nature. The lake wasn't far from Seifer's cabin and judging by the nets already set up the blond probably used it as a source of food. After he'd finished his work on Lion Heart, Squall had spent a couple of hours scouting the nearby area, looking out for any good spots for sparing. Coming to the conclusion that the immediate area was too dense with trees he'd gone further still and discovered the lake. The trees had cleared a bit before the lake, providing enough space for a spar. With that in mind Squall had practiced his footing on the pebbled lakeside and was just now coming back down from the exercise high.

Always on the alert, strained ears caught the sound of snapping branches in the distance. Curious, Squall got to his feet and followed the sound. Getting closer he saw Seifer walking through the forest, a huge beast resting on his shoulders. Keeping his distance, Squall followed the blond back to the cabin and watched as the blond put the creature on the ground. As Seifer left to go inside, Squall walked over and eyed the fallen torama. Two shots were visible, one behind the shoulder, cutting straight through to the heart, the other at the joint between the neck and skull. Impressed by the incredible precision of the shots, Squall knelt down to touch the brown fur. Hearing footsteps approaching, Squall looked up just in time to spot a dagger being thrown at him, and caught it gracefully. Watching as Seifer went to work, the brunet's regard of the blond rose. Squall had never butchered game, and was strangely fascinated by the dexterous way in which the blond started cutting up the slain animal. Following Seifer's lead, the brunet quickly started putting the dagger to use, the two fighters working together in silence.

 

---

Standing by the counter, watching Seifer store away the meat, Squall felt oddly satisfied. Neither man had said anything after Seifer had returned with the slain beast, just worked flawlessly together on the gritty task of prying meat from bone.

Placing a bag of potatoes in front of the idle brunet wordlessly, Seifer conveyed his message clearly. Getting out a frying pan to prepare the meat, Seifer set to work himself. Cooking the food in silence, both of them forgot any ill feelings between them. Working together was second nature to them, no words needed for them to work effectively.

When two plates of food had been prepared, the men sat down to eat at the long wooden table. Halfway through his steak, Squall was interrupted by the insistent buzzing against his thigh. Grabbing his mobile, Squall spotted the questioning look on the blond's face before he moved his head to look at the mobile in his hand. Quistis. Frowning slightly the brunet brought the phone to his ear.

"Yes?," he questioned.

"Where are you?" Quistis asked quickly. "Are you alright?"

Locking eyes with Seifer again, Squall contemplated his answer.

"In Trabia," he answered, turning his head for a bit of privacy.

"Are you okay?" Quistis repeated, anxious.

"I'm fine," came the curt reply.

A brief pause fell between them.

"I'm sorry Squall. No coordinates have been uploaded for a while and I just assumed..." she trailed off.

"I took a couple of days off," he explained.

"Okay...," came the skeptic reply. They both knew he'd been gone for four months now and hadn't had a single day off in that time. He never took time off.

"How is everyone?" he asked, feigning politeness, trying to distract her.

"Fine, fine. Same as always. They're all hoping for a visit. Rinoa still hasn't forgiven you for not dropping by," she admonished.

"Tell her I'm sorry," Squall said, eyes falling to the floor, the apology coming surprisingly easy to him. "I just don't want to be stuck anywhere at the moment."

Making a sound of understanding Quistis continued. "When are you going to drop by B-Garden again?"

"For now I'm working in Trabia. After that probably I'll probably do Esthar and then Centra."

"You're not coming back before you're done?" Quistis asked with a heavy heart.

"No," Squall answered not knowing what else to say.

"Can I at least tell Selphie and Irvine that you'll be dropping by?"

"I'm already behind schedule. I can't make any promises," Squall said, not wanting to commit to anything. The prospect of socializing didn't rate highly in his mind.

"But you can take time off... to do what exactly?" she asked accusingly.

"... ..."

Sighing heavily, Quistis knew she wouldn't get any more information out of the stoic man, so moved on to a different topic. "Did you follow up on the rumor about Seifer?"

Knowing Quistis' voice could be heard by the other man, Squall studied the blond's expression. A shade of annoyance mixed with worry lined the man features.

"That's all it was. A rumor. Another dead end," Squall said, noting the other man relaxing at the answer.

"I still don't get the obsession. Obviously Seifer doesn't want to be found."

"I just want to fight someone who knows the right end of a blade," Squall said and rolled his eyes when Seifer smirked at him knowingly.

"Heh. That reminds me. Zell has just become Garden's martial arts instructor. Hard to believe, right?"

Smiling slightly at the thought of Zell teaching, Squall felt his stomach constrict when he spotted green eyes studying him intently. Turning away from Seifer once more, Squall frowned.

"Can I come visit you?" Quistis asked. "There's not a lot of missions. I could help out."

"I work better alone," Squall answered before realizing he was being too blunt. A habit he found hard to break. "There's not enough work for two," he added, trying to cover up his blunder. Hearing noise coming from Seifer's direction, the brunet turned around and was rewarded with Seifer mouthing the word 'smooth'.

"Listen, I gotta go," Squall said, wondering how long it'd be before the blond would somehow mess up and ruin their ruse.

"Okay, Squall. Take care, all right?" the woman on the other end of the line said, sounding sad.

"You too Quistis."

"And don't forget your promise, okay?" she said, unable to let go of her constant worry for the younger man.

"I won't," he assured and hung up.

Having listened in on the conversation, Seifer's interest was piqued. "What promise?"

"To not fight unjunctioned," Squall stated simply, cutting off another bite of steak.

"Is that why you're covered in unhealed scars?" the blond asked, his tone somewhat accusing.

About to place the tender bit of meat on his tongue, Squall stopped mid movement.

"Not that's it's any of your business, but no, that's not why," Squall said resuming eating.

"Then why?"

"I like the thrill," Squall said, shrugging.

"You really are one weird fuck, Leonhart," Seifer commented, more to himself than the brunet.

Annoyed at being judged, Squall couldn't help but mutter what had been on his mind for so many months. "At least I didn't run."

Hearing every word in perfect clarity, Seifer's face hardened into an expression of animosity. Mouth twisted in a bitter snarl, the blond went mad, his chair sliding back as he stood, facing the brunet. If it hadn't been for the table separating them, Squall would be hanging limply in a choke hold. Staring daggers at each other, the two men kept each other's gaze, both unrelenting. How dare Squall insinuate that he was a coward.

Gaining a cold edge to his eyes the blond couldn't help but let out the stinging words. "I'm not the one whoring myself out for a spar."

Infuriated, gray-blue eyes narrowed in venom. "You made me."

"And when the fuck have you ever done anything but what you wanted?" Seifer asked in indignation.

"The spar. I wanted the spar," Squall said, voice hard.

"So badly you'd let someone fuck you? What the fuck is wrong with you Squall?" the blond hollered.

"Whatever," Squall huffed, dismissing Seifer's presence by turning his head and getting up from the table.

Annoyed by the brunet's dismissal, Seifer needed to let his anger out in some way or another.

"Clean the fuck up after yourself," the blond spat, walking away from the table, past the seemingly indifferent brunet. "Stay at my house, follow my rules."

Unable to help himself, the brunet mocked the blond. "Does that include having to suck your dick?"

Seeing red, the blond charged at the brunet and threw him to the floor. Landing a clenched fist against the younger man's lower jaw, Seifer felt deep-rooted satisfaction. Spitting out blood, the brunet eyed the larger man in malice.

Holding Squall by the neck of his shirt, Seifer looked into gray-blue eyes, daring the younger man to speak again. Glaring back in defiance the brunet kept his ground but didn't move to further irk the blond.

"I didn't hear you complaining much," Seifer hissed. Getting up, he left the brunet lying sprawled on the floor.

"You can sleep on the couch tonight. I'll be ready at dawn," Seifer said walking away. "As soon as the spar is over I want you gone."

With that the blond went upstairs, leaving the bleeding brunet to himself.