Sweet Cowardice

Chapter 6

Written By: Fox

Notes: Reality checks + Rebellion + War = ANGST!

Also, the italics in this are memories of their sex. If it doesn’t have a ‘...’ around it that is.

~*~

Irvine stood behind Squall and watched as the long pale fingers danced across the keyboard on the main computer for the ship while typing in the flight commands quickly, their owner bent over the control panel in a tired effort to stay in control of himself. So far the only sounds that had been filling the large machine since both young men had entered were the squeak of the aging pilot’s chair and the angry tapping of the steel toes of Irvine’s favorite boots. This was all accompanied by the clicking noises of the keyboard as flashes of green letters and words appeared on the screen before the stoic commander and pilot of the aging mechanical beast Ragnarok.

As Irvine watched the tired effort he couldn’t help remembering.

Long pale digits prodding the most hidden soft spot on his body as he ran a slick finger deep into Irvine’s recesses, his motions soft but sure, forcing open the tight rings of muscle that were hidden in the most sacred spot on Irvine’s body.

Irvine had strategically placed himself behind the pilot chair and was standing there now, his boots tapping to an impatient rhythm that was blaring rudely in the long haired gunslinger’s brain. It was loud, it was incessant, and it was totally unnecessary even to him. Thus the reason he kept doing it. That and he was sure that if he didn’t Squall would have completely ignored him and gone straight to Esthar to draw up the papers for those ridiculous new rules without a glance back at the extra passenger waiting to be spoken to behind him.

Icy blue-gray eyes were watching as his clothes fell to the ground and continued to watch as he ran his hands over the soft skinned chest in front of him. They flickered with hidden emotion, and they blazed with need as he rubbed slightly against his hips with a wanton motion.

Squall sat back and closed his eyes as he finished putting in a command to have the Ragnarok fly to the Island Closest to Hell and circle the small island once before performing a sling shot maneuver around it and up toward Trabia. From there the Ragnarok would continue over and around the world until it made it back to Trabia, then it would shoot diagonally southwest until it had looped around enough to make it to Centra Ruins.

That should be enough time to talk some sense into the increasingly annoying red-head.

A shower of reddish hair fell from the shoulders of the man above him as he finished pulling out the simple tie. He blinked as a stray piece ran past his left eye, moving freely until it was a curtain around both of their heads, a palace of soft locks in which to hide their shame and desire from the world. He had reached up gently to stroke that hair before pulling the redhead’s cock up to his mouth.

Irvine huffed behind him and sidestepped to stand beside him, his hands on his hips and glaring dangerously at the daydreaming man seated before him. Squall merely looked up at him with all the strength of a man a hundred times his youthful age and closed his eyes with a quiet sigh. When he opened them again his eyes looked even older, and his body barely gave in to the need to shift.

Not wanting to be swayed into submission a second time by those beautiful pits of gray-blue he bit back the memory of wanting to kiss those eyes and merely looked back at him with a quiet lack of concern.

“So, are you going to explain yourself to me or am I going to have to kill you first?” It may have been only partially a joke, but the words held no humor in them as he moved to lean against the well wall of the piloting chamber.

“I... I have more than a confession to make Irvine...” Squall started slowly, his words barely leaving his mouth.

“I’m sure.” Irvine replied, his arms crossing in front of his chest defiantly.

Squall flinched at the angry tone he found in the other man’s voice. “I wasn’t worried about you finding the bottle. In fact that had been the last thing on my mind when you were in my office.”

“Oh really? Then why, pray tell, were you nearly running around in a panic all that day?” Irvine asked. His tone reflected his disbelief.

Squall immediately went on the defensive. “Look Irvine, either you cool it and let me explain things to you, or you’ll just have to rot wondering.” The threat was open and full of venom, and Irvine immediately calmed and waited.

Squall took a deep breath. “If you’re done being a sardonic bastard, I’ll continue explaining the reality you’re blind to.”

After confirming the nod that was given him, Squall looked out the window and watched the vast blue of the seas and oceans below them before continuing.

“It all started the day after you and the other four students were passed from junior to SeeD. I started getting requests to have SeeD come in to Esthar and intervene in the matter of the start of a sort of civil war between an oddly large number of rebel factions in Esthar. When I confronted Laguna about the number he merely smiled and agreed that it was true.

“From his reaction, I figured that he was either in one of the factions, or he was about to do something completely radical to stop the skirmishes.”

“So you’re saying that Laguna is actually going to do something completely stupid to stop them? Or do you really think that he’s gone and joined a rebel faction?” Irvine asked quietly. His voice was full of doubt and Squall found himself wanting to run that direction as well.

He quickly took a steadying breath and returned to reality.

“In my own opinion, I can’t see him not being in a faction. So I believe that honestly, he’s being manipulated by a faction due to membership. He’s too much of the type to join a rebellion than to stave one off.”

“... But Squall... He wouldn’t be that foolhardy, would he?”

Squall sighed. “I wish he wasn’t. But I have about 17 correspondence letters that were intercepted going from him to other people in a rebel squad called the ‘Bringers of Hope’ that suggest otherwise.”

Irvine slowly looked out the window and thought for a moment. If Squall was right and Laguna really was playing nice aboard Balamb in hopes of just the reason that Squall was creating for him, and if he gained control... That meant that all of the Garden systems would be forced into a war that no one needed to have happen.

This wasn’t going to be like the Sorceress Wars... This was going to be much bigger.

“Then we have to stop them.” Irvine stated simply. Both watched as beneath them Centra melted away, followed by the endless seas that separated the continents

Squall smirked despite his fatigue. “Got any ideas cowboy? Because I honestly have none.”

Irvine looked at Squall slowly, then pushed off the wall and walked over to the pilot’s chair. Squall watched the cowboy sluggishly move into a standing position and walk as if he wasn’t sure what he was going to do. Squall slowly sat up and turned his body toward Irvine.

Irvine stopped in front of him, then swift as a rattlesnake strike, he reached out and grabbed Squall by the front of his shirt and dragged him up and onto his feet. He glared into Squall’s eyes and nearly hissed out his reply:

“If I didn’t know any better Squall, I’d say that you’re letting too many bullshit reasons that have to do with us get in the way of your judgement. I know you hate the fact that we fucked, but guess what? It was the deal and you know it. So fucking move on already!” he growled as pushed Squall back into the pilot’s seat with a rough shove.

Caught off guard at the call Squall tumbled unceremoniously into the pilot chair and gripped the arms of the chair to keep himself from completely falling out. He glared back up at Irvine defiantly, then launched himself at the other young man with all his strength.

Both men tumbled back and rolled, coming to a complete stop only when Irvine’s back struck against the hard edge of the pit. Squall drew himself up and held Irvine down with most of his body before throwing a hard right to Irvine’s jaw, making Irvine yelp as he in turn groped at Squall’s shirt, his own fist connecting with Squall’s shoulder and forcing him over and onto his back.

Irvine scrambled to take the dominant position, pinning Squall down by straddling his hips and holding his hands over his head. He brought his free hand back, the fist menacing as he leaned in to Squall’s face.

“What’s the matter Squally boy? The truth hurt that much?” He taunted, his body keeping Squall pinned.

Beneath Irvine Squall bucked and fought, his hips unintentionally rubbing against Irvine’s bottom. He growled in frustration and want before giving up, panting from the force of his struggling. Irvine slowly dropped his fist and let Squall’s hands go, but didn’t get up from his place on Squall’s lap.

“Look Squall, I know it’s bullshit, but it happened. If you want, we can act like it never did. But no matter what, you can’t just hand over Garden. Not if you really think that Laguna is the bad guy.”

Squall didn’t say anything, but he nodded as he calmed. He looked up at Irvine and swallowed hard. “I didn’t say I wanted to forget... that. I... I don’t know. I’m just tired of having to take everything and sort through it alone. You’re right. It is bullshit. The accusations, the proof... all of it.”

Irvine slowly got up and bent down, one hand outstretched. Squall looked it over, propping himself up on his elbows before taking the hand slowly.

“Now, let’s think of what to do. The Ragnarok can communicate with Balamb, right?” Irvine asked as he looked over the vast amount of controls.

Squall nodded. “I have a direct line to Nida and Xu for in case an emergency happens.”

It had been installed after the Sorceress War since Squall had been the type to just suddenly take off without telling anyone. Not to mention that three times the Ragnarok was stolen for joy rides.

“Well I call this an emergency.” Irvine said seriously. Squall nodded again and typed in the necessaries to connect the two crafts.

After two tries Squall was able to get a fuzzy reading off the computers and a small picture of Nida appeared on the screen. He smiled softly at the young woman.

“Nida... we have a situation.”

Immediately the woman on the other end sat up straighter in her chair and nodded. She held up one finger to indicate to Squall to wait a moment before continuing, her own fingers working quickly on the keyboard in front of herself. The two men watched her silently until she nodded and faced them again.

“Sorry Commander, I had to secure the lines.”

“It’s completely fine Nida. Thank you for your consideration.”

“Not at all Sir. Just following procedure.”

Squall nodded. “Nida, what’s the status of Garden as of this moment? Is Laguna doing anything that may be considered... suspicious?” Squall asked quietly.

“Suspicious Sir?” Nida looked slightly confused.

Irvine leaned down and waved at the screen. “Hey Nida. Yeah like, trying to get Garden to move? Possibly toward Esthar or somewhere near there?”

Nida grinned and waved back at the screen. “Hello Irvine. Good to see you and Squall are ok again. And how did you know about the plan for relocation?”

“Relocation?! Nida, give me the details.” Squall said quickly.

The woman nodded. “Supposedly once Squall hands over the refined paperwork to Laguna tomorrow morning about no longer being Commander, we’re supposed to start shipping toward Esthar and replant ourselves outside the city. He wants to integrate Balamb into Esthar and everything!”

Squall swore and took a breath. “Nida, I need you to do me a favor. As we speak Irvine and myself are on a endless flight route. We’ll be heading home as soon as we can to lead, but until then I need you and Xu to secretly filter the students and find out who will be with us and who will be with my father.”

“You mean like when Cid and the Garden Master had their war?” Nida asked quietly.

“Yes Nida. Like then. We need to gather as many students, SeeD and non SeeD, as we can.” Squall said softly.

“You’re talking an insurrection there Sir.” Nida replied nervously.

“I know. But would you rather I hand Garden over?”

“No Sir.”

“Then get to.” Squall ordered. Irvine blinked at the tone and smiled slightly.

Squall was back. And he was ready to play Commander again. Even though both knew they had a lot of sorting to do when it came to things pertaining to them and their involvement, he was willing to set it in the back of his head, at least, for now.

Nida blinked off and Irvine looked at him. “You ready for this Squall?”

“Yeah. I don’t have a choice now do I?”

“Nope.”

“Didn’t think so.”

~*~

To be continued.