The Cave of Wonders

Parents. No matter who you are, no matter what you've been through, you still desire them. It doesn't seem to matter how old you are... you still want that comfort. Me? I never had them. Well, once I did, but I don't remember them. All I know are the faces in the orphanage, and the faces of those in the Garden I was raised in. But even without a father I was still searching, still reaching for a goal. I wanted to impress him, make him proud of me. Whoever "he" was. But I failed.

I was misled, my desires twisted and handed back to me, and I was too stupid to see it for what it was. Folly. The woman, the sorceress, she saw a broken boy and reached out to him in his humiliation and insecurity. She promised to make him a man of worthy note, promised to fulfill his deepest desires. Instead she tore me apart, made me into something I never wanted to be. She made me understand myself and just how fractured I really am.

I had no father, and so I fought to prove myself better, to convince myself that when I was abandoned, it was out of jealousy. That I was too great for he who left me.. but deep down I knew it wasn't true.

Things have calmed down now. The Garden is back in place, Leonhart is the headmaster, and somehow saw me fit to carry the title of SEED. I don't think I'm worth it, honestly, not after everything I did.

And then there's him. Not Leonhart exactly, but his father. Laguna. He fits in with the rest of us like he belongs there, and no one argues. He's the kind of man who could make friends with the most lonely, grumpy people. And... that's what happened with me. Maybe I should be awkward to think of what kind of relationship we have, he and I. He's the father of my supposed arch rival, a man twice my age who acts 3/4 of his. And he.... he's been there when no one else was.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~

The classroom was drafty, especially without the bustle of bodies shifting through it. It was the weekend, most of the students were out in the nearby city spending their precious hours with friends and significant others. But him? Not at all. Instead he retreated to the room where all the problems started and leaned against the window to stare outside at the grounds below. Seifer Almasy was not the same after the events dealing with the sorceresses. Whereas he once was outgoing and brutish, the tall blonde was withdrawn and quiet, antisocial even around those he considered "friends". Most people left him alone.

But there was one man that couldn't ignore a downtrodden person in need, and that man was Laguna Loire. He'd never been able to resist helping someone. The man was outright accepted to be Squall's father, and he tried his best to be that... to everyone. All the children there were at the mercy of his cheerful kindness.

Seifer was no exception. The boy was difficult to approach because of his brash personality, but Laguna was as stubborn as his son in some matters. And this was one of them. So when Laguna, visiting the Garden and its inhabitants for winter break, had taken to wandering the grounds while Squall was taking care of one bit of business or another, trying to avoid the energetic older man he passed one of the classrooms and was surprised when the supposedly locked door slid open with a mechanical hiss. He jumped, turning to look into the room and paused at the sight of the distracted blonde. Laguna hesitated only a moment before he stepped into the room and cheerfully interrupted Seifer's mulling with a bright "I never pictured you as the studious type, Seifer!"

The blonde started slightly, pushing himself away from the sill to look across the spread of desks to see the most insufferably cheerful man he'd ever met. "...Leonhart avoiding you again?" he countered, straightening and ticking a brow.

Laguna didn't reply with the same snip that other people usually did. Instead he grinned in that sheepish manner of his and rubbed the back of his neck. "Ah, probably. But he's very busy, you know, I don't blame him for not having time."

Seifer wouldn't admit it to anyone, but he did like Laguna. The man was cheerful to a fault, but he had a sharpness about him underneath all the stupidity that put an edge on him. He hadn't been able to watch his children grow up, but he was trying to make up for it. Watching Squall shun his father--a man that was trying to make up for lost time--just pissed Seifer off. That kid had something that most everyone in their little clique desired: a family. "Why the hell do you put up with that crap from him, Laguna?" he blurted out, frowning at the brunette.

Like any other time he was confronted with frustration like this, Laguna just smiled that wise little smile of his. "Because maybe someday I'll get through to him. I made him suffer all those years because I didn't have the mind about me to think about what I had left behind. Call it punishment, if you will."

"He's just an arrogant little bastard, and you let him continue to be that way by taking this from him! You're his father, you need to act like it!"

"Seifer..." Laguna stepped forward, walking to the younger man's side, "I have never acted like a father to him before. Someday I'll get through to him. And who knows, maybe deep down I have made a difference to him. I got to see him in his glory... as a neglecting father, I can't ask for anything more at this point."

That day was a bad day for Seifer. he didn't remember his parents, but he remembered the day they turned their backs on him. Irrationally, Seifer lashed out at Laguna, frustrated by how foolish and meek the man was. He froze when his hand mat skin.

Laguna didn't miss a beat. His cheek stung smartly, but now wasn't the time to start yelling and he knew that. Instead the shorter, older man curled his arms around Seifer's and tugged the boy's head to his chest in a hug. "I know it's hard on you, Seifer... I know a lot's happened to you. But you have to stop blaming yourself about it all. You didn't know... she deluded you and made you promises that you wanted to hear. She manipulated you, but it's not your fault..."

Seifer tensed and froze when Laguna hugged him, when he didn't react violently towards the strike from the young blonde. He'd expected to get punched, even from Laguna, but none of that came. He frantically listened to Laguna's words, eyes closing tightly. "I followed her like a dog," he cut in sharply, "and--"

"--and she took advantage of a young man who didn't know what he wanted to do with his life. A young man that was confused and hurt and unsure, and she used him for her own gains with little concern. The fault is hers and not your own Seifer, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise." When Seifer tried to pull away, Laguna tightened his hold on the youth. "Let no one tell you otherwise, Seifer, ever. You're being given a chance to prove to the world that you're not like that, and you need to take advantage of that. You need to prove to them that you're not what they perceive you to be. If they didn't have faith in you, they would have put you on trial for what happened... but they didn't. They trust you."

Seifer grasped the back of Laguna's shirt with shaking hands. No one had spoken those words to him and much less with so much force. How could he? How could Laguna forgive him? "I tried to kill your son..."

"And you didn't succeed. And I have little doubt that when it came down to it that you wouldn't have done it had you the opportunity. You pretend to be so hard and tough, Seifer, but you're lonely, and that's okay."

That was when Seifer realized that he liked Laguna because the man was like a father. Even with what Seifer had done Laguna embraced him and comforted him. Like a real father should. The brunette didn't make show of the wetness in the blonde's eyes, just stroked his short hair comfortingly until the trembling had stopped. Seifer didn't pull away when the hold loosened enough for him to, just held onto Laguna, and the man didn't seem to mind at all.

"I don't remember my parents' faces... but... I remember the day they left me there," he said quietly, his voice strained.

Laguna's brow furrowed, closing his eyes as he continued to stroke the boy's hair. "Was it..."

"Today. And I just keep thinking about how he has what all of us want and he doesn't take it. You're there for him and you're trying to help him, but he's not taking it! He's denying everything that the rest of us want... it's not... it's not fair..."

"Have you ever been fishing?"

"...What?"

"Come on. You and I. I'll go into town, get some fishing equipment and we'll go to the lake."

"Wait, wait... what?"

"Go on, get ready, I'll meet you at the entrance." He grinned, ruffling Seifer's hair before he turned on his heel and padded out, ignoring the blonde's call after him.

"...What the hell...?"

~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~

"What the hell am I doing?" Seifer stood near the entrance to the Garden, shifting his weight awkwardly. He could just retreat to his room and blow the whole thing off. Why would he want to go fishing? Why should he go fishing with Laguna?

And yet there he was, waiting with his hands shoved into his coat pockets, glancing down the street for Laguna's car. When he did see if, Seifer appeared to have not been looking for it at all, and turned to look in the direction mildly. Laguna popped the passenger side door open and tossed the keys Seifer's way as he slid over to the other side of the car.

Seifer had planned on saying something less mushy and wussy than what he'd said earlier, but at the new development his only response was "huh?" as he caught the keys.

Laguna laughed, making a gesture. "Come on, you know this area a lot better than I do.

And thus Laguna experienced the terrifying, fast-paced driving on one Seifer Almasy. When they got to the lake, he was more than happy to be out of the car, though he did laugh about it with the blonde. "Even I don't drive like that, and Kiros would never let me drive," he said with a bright grin as he dug out the fishing gear he'd grabbed. It was a little chilly out, but it wasn't too bad and the pair of them wandered out to the dock and set up shop there.

Laguna was known amongst his small circle of friends as being undeniably ADD. It didn't take long for fishing to grow thin on him, but he wasn't there exclusively for the fishing. In fact, he was there to give Seifer some of the quality time he needed with a father figure. Their chatter was idle as they waited for a nibble or two, so caught up in a debate that they didn't notice the storm rolling in until they felt the first splatters of drizzle. Laguna promptly shooed Seifer into the car first before grabbing the supplies and shoving them into the car and hopping inside. By that time his clothes were soaked, but he flashed another little grin. "Fun while it lasted. Let's head back," he said, taking the keys when Seifer handed them off and started to drive back. It was a good few hours back to the Garden.

What neither male expected was for the weather to get as bad as did. It was only about twenty minutes before the rain was crashing down on the car quite roughly. And that was when they found the car stuck in the mud. It was thick, and no amount of pushing and working at it would get the car out of the mud and back onto road. It had been too thick of rain to see, and the roads they were on weren't compact as they imagined. The pair of them, soaking wet from trying to push the car out of the sinkhole, ducked into a cave Seifer remembered and then settled down to wait out the storm. The reception on their phones was bad, so they'd have to wait.

"Well... I'm sorry it turned out like this, Seifer," Laguna spoke up, glancing up at the blonde. Long dark locks clung to his neck and shoulders, the button down he wore clung to his lean frame, wetness on the pale cloth giving peeks to the slim body beneath. The older man sighed, pushing his hair out of his face and attempted not to look like a drowned puppy. He'd had good intentions, but then it turned out like this.

"Hey, at least you have that habit of napping in your car, right?" Seifer held up the blanket Laguna had handed off to him.

"That's true..." The man rubbed the back of his neck lightly, when tucked himself against the wall and tried not to shiver.

"Come here... we're both damn cold," murmured Seifer softly. He'd removed the coat and vest he wore, and was in the process of removing his pants as well to let them dry by the small, crackling makeshift campfire they had going.

Laguna ducked his head a little, sighing. "It's alright, you make sure to keep warm. You should probably rest... it's getting late after all. We might just want to wait until tomorrow morning to get going."

"Well, you don't need to sit there in wet clothes shivering all night any more than I do. Need to take care of you old people," Seifer teased, standing and dropping his clothes close to the fire before draping the blanket over his shoulders and walking over to Laguna's side. The older man pouted at the comment, glancing up at Seifer. The young man was quite dashing, really... he was surprised he didn't have girls all over him. He had the looks for it.

Laguna flushed a little, ducking his head again. "Ah..."

"Not gonna take no for an answer," Seifer cut in with a smirk, standing beside Laguna. "You don't need to get sick any more than I do. Come on, be logical. I know that's hard for you," he teased again, lightly nudging Laguna's thigh with his foot.

With a soft sigh the older man relented and unbuttoned his shirt and khakis, setting them aside before Seifer sat down next to him and curled the blanket around them both. The younger male heard the president's sigh of relief when the warmth encased them and he smiled to himself. "Just think of it as camping, hey? So... what... do you do when you go camping for fun?"

Laguna tipped his head back to look up at the blonde next to him, smiling. "Well, we don't have anything for s'mores... but ghost stories are one thing."

"Ghost stories, huh? Excellent," responded Seifer quickly with a grin.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~

Laguna wouldn't admit it to anyone, but he was a chicken. The story Seifer told had him awkward and uneasy, and he blamed the trembling in his frame on the shivers that had stopped awhile ago.

Seifer felt bad, really. He'd figured that Laguna would be into it, and he'd pulled out the creepiest ghost story he knew and threw it out on the floor. Little did he know that the older man would be terrified. Well... not really terrified, but certainly frightened. Seifer had laughed about it for a little until he realized that Laguna really was creeped out, and he shifted behind the older man and curled his arms around him. Serifer rested his chin on the president's shoulder, smirking. "You shouldn't have agreed if you were going to get so scared..."

"Because that's something we're all so willing to admit when we're fifty," grumbled Laguna, sighing and rested his chin on drawn up knees. "I'm an adult, I shouldn't be afraid of ghost stories." He rubbed the bridge of his nose in exasperation. The embarrassment was overwhelming. He hated it.

"We all have our flaws, Laguna," he said with a chuckle, looking at the older man.

He said he was fifty, but you couldn't tell it by looking at him. Age had been kind to the older man. There were little crinkles at the edges of his eyes... laugh lines, but regardless he still had that brilliant youthful energy. His eyes even now glittered with emerald intensity reflected by the fire, the brush of his hair against Seifer's cheek silky smooth. He was handsome, to say the least... beautiful was more like it. Seifer felt a tenseness in the pit of his stomach, and he sighed softly. Youthful energy indeed.

"Laguna, you said out there... that I shouldn't deny myself when I wanted something," he said quietly, breath puffing against Laguna's ear. The older man shuddered slightly and nodded. "But... what I want is wrong."

"What could be wrong about it, Seifer?" he asked quietly, turning his head to look at the blonde. "You've denied yourself so much already, after all."

The blonde hesitated a moment before he pulled Laguna back tighter against him so the older man could feel the hardness straining against the front of his pants as he pushed it up against the brunette's backside. He watched as those emerald eyes widened in surprise, as a flush dashed across his marble cheeks. "It's so wrong," he said quietly, "but I keep telling myself that it's what I want..."

Laguna could fee the tenseness start to build in his leg, but Seifer grasped his shoulders and turned him before he could pull away. The boy was new to kissing... it was awkward and rough, but a flicker of life ticked in the back of Laguna's mind. It wasn't uncomfortable. This wasn't his son. Raine had released him long ago. He was free. But...

The Estharian president didn't deny it. He'd been thinking of Seifer when he saw him strip down. The boy was attractive and lonely, and Laguna had said he'd be there for him when he needed him. That apparently was now. "Have you... have you ever...?"

"Yeah," replied Seifer in a quiet voice. "A few times." Seifer scooted back a little and Laguna lay back nervously. He winced a little at the cramp in his leg, reaching down to awkwardly rub at it. Seifer batted his hands aside however and started to smoothly massage the man's calf himself. "You... okay?"

"I just... I haven't..."

"Ever?"

"In awhile..."

Seifer smirked, looking down at Laguna where he lay, dark hair splayed out beautifully like a halo of black silk against the baby blue of the blanket. "Kiros, huh?" The older man's dark blush was answer enough, and it grew darker when Seifer cupped a rough-skinned hand between his legs. "It'll be different, probably. I haven't done this as much as he probably has..."

Laguna pressed his hands to his face to hide the blush, calming his racing heart. Seifer took that chance to lift up the smaller man's hips and smoothly slide the boxers off to toss them aside near the fire to dry. The blonde's heartbeat quickened at the sight of the beautiful, naked man before him. Age had been very kind to him. Seifer smirked while Laguna hid his face and leaned down to puff a breath against the brunett'e slowly hardening erection. Laguna yelped quietly, clapping a hand over his mouth and looking down at Seifer with wide eyes. He really was going to go through with this. "Don't know why no one's snagged you by now," the blonde said, taking the length into one hand and giving a few short strokes. "You're great to be around... you're beautiful, Laguna. Not that... I ain't getting mushy on you or anything. Just... saying things how I see 'em." He didn't expect a response. Laguna was moaning quietly already, and Seifer just grinned to himself. He liked it when they were vocal.

He leaned down to dart his tongue out along the underside of Laguna's cock, eyes half-closed and resting a hand on the man's hip to keep him from squirming. The salty taste made his breath skip, and he redoubled his efforts, taking the tip between his lips and giving a soft suck. Laguna made noises behind his hand, eyes closed. Responsive, no matter how long it had been since he'd done something like this.

By the time Seifer was bobbing his head on the length, Laguna was squirming and mewling in pleasure, pretty face drawn into a vision of ecstasy. The blonde couldn't take it anymore. He drew back, his arousal throbbing inside his own undergarments, and he took a quick moment to shed them before digging through his coat to find his trusty gun oil. It wasn't the most practical source of lubrication, but Laguna would be taking a shower anyway. "Don't have any condoms," he murmured as he popped open the cap and dribbled some onto his fingers. Laguna made an embarrassed squeak and Seifer parted the man's legs again to slide slicked fingers down between his thighs.

He made sure to coat the entrance with the oil, circling the ring of muscle with a gentle motion before it relaxed enough so he could slide one finger inside. Laguna groaned, his hips jerking a little as Seifer continued to prepare him. A second finger was added well coated, then a third and fourth before Seifer could feel him squirming in need beneath his hand. He couldn't hold out much longer himself. Laguna's body was so tight around his fingers, so tight and hot that he couldn't hold on.

"Ready?" he asked, waiting for an embarrassed nod before he lifted Laguna's legs onto his shoulders and slicked his own erection before nudging the entrance with his tip. "I'm... kinda big," he warned quietly, "so relax..."

From the position he was in, Laguna knew it would be more difficult for him to relax, and a quick glance down confirmed that Seifer's girth was a bit wider than what he was used to. "H-hold on," he murmured in a quivering tone, sliding back enough to change position. He flipped over, pushing himself up on all fours and glanced over his shoulder at the blonde and gave a nod.

To see the red-faced, flighty older man on his knees in front of him, Seifer just about let go then. It was unbelievably hot, and he gave a small swat to the man's offered backside. It rewarded him a yelp and a little glare which he chuckled at before once more settling himself at the entrance. One hand held himself at the base, the other parting the man's cheeks gently. "Alright, Laguna... get ready..."

The initial feeling was amazing. He could feel that Seifer was bigger than his past lover, and his body trembled at the youth slowly pushed inside without hesitation until he was pressing hip to hip. He could hear Seifer panting behind him, the groans floating from both their lips. "Shit... you're not kidding," Seifer grunted, giving another swat. He groaned when muscles tightened around him momentarily. "I can't wait, 'Una," he murmured before grabbing the man's hips and pulling out before shoving himself back in. He quickly started a rhythm, shoving into the lean body beneath him, driven on by the loud moans and mewling sounds from his lover. Laguna's body collapsed, his frame supported by his knees, chest pressed against the blanket as Seifer drove home time and time again, slamming against the bundle of nerves that lit his nerves on fire.

"I can't... you're so tight..."

"A-almost," panted Laguna, grinding his hips back, fingers curled into a fist in the blanket, the other stroking himself roughly in time.

When Seifer once more slammed against his prostate, that was it. Laguna felt his balls draw up, his muscles clenching and his body shuddered. He cried out loudly as he came all over his hand and the blanket, his eyes blinded by a white hot flash as his orgasm washed over him. He could hear the groans behind him, and the way Seifer's fingers gripped tightly to his hips was sign enough that the blonde was spilling himself inside Laguna's frame.

Both men collapsed onto the ground, Seifer managing not to completely squish Laguna beneath his weight. They were both panting, and the blonde draped an arm over Laguna's shaking frame. He was still shaking when their breath had calmed, and Seifer felt alarm swell. What had he done?

He sat up, rolling Laguna over onto his side, and he was shocked to see the tears in the older man's eyes. He'd always been so strong, so comforting. He'd offered everything, and Seifer had broken it. Hadn't he? What he didn't expect was Laguna to hug him around the neck and hold his head to his chest like he had done in the classroom. "I never... I... I wanted to help... I can't ever do... anything right... I wanted to make up for my mistake, I wanted to help someone..."

"What? L-laguna... you... you were the first one to try that hard..."

"I'm sorry... I s-shouldn't be c-crying... I just... I can't help Squall... I thought I could help you, help someone..."

"You helped me so much, Laguna," whispered Seifer, shifting the position to lie back and cradle Laguna to his chest. "You gave me something I've never had... you... you gave me someone to look up to. You believed in me when no one, not even myself, did."

Laguna stayed that way with Seifer for awhile, hugging him and letting the tears die down. Just like Seifer, Laguna was unsure and broken, confused about what he was supposed to do now that the truth was out. He was trying, and that was what mattered. He was trying.

When the storm died down and they contacted others at the Garden, both males were dressed and cleaned from the lake. They didn't speak of what had happened the night before, but everyone could tell something happened. Both of them were more confident, but the mystery stayed a secret between the two of them.

That was, until Laguna confronted Kiros in Esthar.