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My Mother, Thats Who I mean	By : Resting-Madness Category: Final Fantasy VIII > Yaoi - Male/Male > Irvine/Squall Views: 786 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I don't own anything in the Final Fantasy VIII universe not characters or places, nor the fandom itself. or the Espers mentioned from Final Fantasy VI and I make no profit from this story.

Chapter List
- 9
- 10
- 11
Kait looked at his parents, then at the camera in his dad's hand, and everything fell apart from there. The pummeling of questions came at him so quickly: Who is she? How long has she been around? When was she talking to you? When did she start contacting you? And why? Why didn't you say anything? All he could think to do was flee.
He was fortunate enough to be given enough leeway to swaddle himself up in his blanket. He nabbed it from the bed and fled to a corner of his bedroom. Once it was securely around him and over his head, he allowed his tears to spill out.
"Come on," Squall says. He starts for Kait's bedroom, but Irvine stops him. "What?"
"Hold off for a minute. Let him catch his bearings, then we'll talk to him." Irvine released Squall's arm. "I'm gonna go talk to someone who might have the answers in the first place."
"Who?" Squall didn't know whether or not to be angry or confused. This was the first he's come into this knowledge of secret women following their son.
"I could be wrong," he shrugged out his hand. "Wanna come with me?"
"No. I'll stay here." Seeing the raise of Irvine's eyebrow, he held up a hand. "I won't bother Kait. I'll… clean or something."
"Alright. I'll be back." He exited the home.
Squall, though he did look into his son's bedroom through the open door, he continued into the bathroom.
Irvine walked with a strong stride down the streets of Balamb town. It was making sense, or at least the pieces revealed themselves. The secret conversation between his son and Seifer that evening during dinner, the sketchy behavior Kait had whenever he was outside. Damn it, the woman was at the school! Kait couldn't say anything then because he was afraid of her? Worried because of her? He's not sure which. But, hopefully, Seifer can shed some light on it. Then he can know how to approach Kait without tucking him further into himself.
He banged on the door then waited. He's not sure if the ex-knight is even at home right now or not. When no response came quickly, he banged again. Just to be sure.
"Hold your piss, I'm coming." Seifer's voice came from behind the obstruction. He yanked the door open; his annoyed expression shifted to one of confusion mixed with ease, then it became guarded as the unasked "What do you want" was answered by the pissed expression on his friend's face.
"It was Mara, wasn't it?" Irvine asked, the second the front door to Seifer's apartment opened.
"What was?" Seifer's tone screamed of an oncoming eye roll.
"The thing that Kait wanted to talk to you about, that night I had asked Laguna to come with me to get" He makes air-quotes just now. "A video, that's what." Hands on hips, and tone serious, Irvine asks. "How fuckin' long have you known that that woman was in town?"
Though his gaze is hard, Seifer had no snide remark or crack in his tone when he answered. He actually seemed regretful of what he'd done. Almost. "I've known since we'd gotten back from our missions."
Processing those words, Irvine gaped in disgust. "That was even before we'd gone to Centra. Seifer what the hell?"
Feeling the sting of upsetting the one person who he doesn't feel the need to treat like shit, due to Irvine never having treated him like shit; Seifer says honestly. "Look, I'm sorry, really." He shrugged a hand then as if to say that's as much as you'll get from him. Take it or leave it. "I thought it'd be funny," He explained. "but later realized that she was serious, and the squirt might really be her kid."
Fist balled in anger; Irvine, rather than striking Seifer with it, stamped his foot instead. "Fuck!" He shouted to the ceiling. "Seifer, if you'd have said something - period - then we would have addressed this sooner."
Tired of being yelled at, Seifer groaned. "I've already come to that conclusion earlier. But listen," Steering Irvine inside, he gripped the ticked-off sniper by the shoulders. "I told her that she doesn't have a prayer; and that giving up on Kait would be the best bet, because he doesn't know her. And no matter what she says or does, Kait isn't gonna choose her over you and Leonhart."
That struck Irvine by surprise. Seifer rarely does anything nice for anyone, especially when Squall's involved. "Well, thank you pardner," He returned to his polite mannerisms. "But she's come all this way, so I doubt simple reasoning is gonna back her off if she thinks that Kait is her kid."
Smirking, Seifer says half-kidding. "Hn. We could always get rid of her; Selphie's been pretty fired up since she's heard about it."
Irvine sighed in dismay. "Selphie knows too? Why are we the last to know? Kait's our kid… Are we really so hard to talk to?"
"No." The ex-knight kept his disgruntled emotions down. "Look… I fucked up. I know that. I knew it even when I did it, but it's done, let's press on from there."
Irvine nodded.
"Selphie only recently found out." He cocked his head as if to indicate where the woman was located in town. "I still say we get rid of her."
"No, no. Forget it, we can't "get rid of her"." He added with a smirk. "As effective as that might be... No. We've gotta think of something that will stop her - not just back her off."
Seifer walked out of the kitchen into the living room to the front door; having heard the bell ring during their conversation, he was about to hurt the person who sounded as if they were now kicking the door.
"It's about damn time. I've been kicking the door for minutes," Zell griped as he breezed in. "What're you doing in here when I'm gone?" He spots Irvine standing in the living room, confusion brushing his features. "Hey, Irvine, what's up?" He readjusts his travel bag over his shoulder.
"You caught me." Seifer teased. He drapes an arm around Irvine's shoulders. "We've been fucking behind your back."
Face scrunched in distaste, Irvine dislodged his friend's arm, then he walked towards the front door. "Iron Giant-sized-trouble, is what's up." Patting Zell on the shoulder, he says before walking out. "I'll let your boyfriend fill you in. See ya later."
"Bye." Still confused, Zell looks at Seifer once the front door is closed. "Seriously?" He asked about the earlier joke.
"No. Don't be stupid, Dinky."
"So, what is it then?" He walks his bag over to the couch, dropping it down to the floor, before plopping down next to it to give his lover full attention.
Running his hand through his loosened blond spikes, Seifer expelled a hard breath before saying calmly. "Kait's mother has shown up. She wants him back."
...
"That's terrible." Quistis replied when hearing the current events from Selphie.
The younger girl had called her 10 minutes ago and had nothing good to say beyond the: "Hello".
"What are Squall and Irvine doing now? Do they know?"
"I think so, although, no one's jumped out and yelled 'boo' yet, so who really knows." Selphie grew quiet for a minute, and when she finally spoke her voice was very serious. So much older, almost like she was suddenly a different person over the phone. "Quistis... you're good with things like this; is there any way that Kait can stay with us?"
"I wish that I could say, yes, but honestly... I don't know." Her heart sank from Selphie's sad exhale. "If a DNA test shows that this woman is Kait's biological mother, no court will deny her the parental rights. Especially if the situation shows that giving up the child wasn't in her knowledge."
"What "given up"? Kait was found in a tree, for Hyne's sake. ...That's weird as is."
"Exactly. He could have been stolen from her, hidden away… And while she's been looking for him, Irvine and Squall have found him first."
Quiet, Selphie sighed. "I never thought about that. People kidnap people all the time. But still..."
The two let a silence settle between them.
Selphie wondered out loud to herself. "What I can't seem to figure out is where she's been for eight years."
In the Kinneas-Leonhart home.
By the time Irvine came home Squall had cleaned the bathroom, their bedroom, and put away the dishes in the dishwasher. He met Irvine's eye and followed him in to see their son, who had yet to leave his bedroom or move from the place in the corner where he cocooned himself within his blanket.
Irvine lowered his 6 foot frame to the floor, then tapped on the blanket. "Can I come in?" Going by the way the blanket is swaying, he could surmise Kait shook his head. "Why not?"
"You're mad at me," his voice is stuffy, though not just due to the cover of the blanket, but the tears he'd shed. "You're gonna yell at me some more."
"Kait, we weren't yelling at you…" He quieted as he thought. "We.. Adults sometimes get so worked up that we tend to use harder tones than we mean to. We're not mad, and we weren't yelling." He touched the top of his head. "I promise."
Removing his cover, he sighed. "Good. I don't want you guys to be mad at me." But he kept his eyes closed to avoid the looks on his father's faces.
"Will you answer our questions now?"
"You asked so many, I don't know them anymore."
"Well, start from the beginning. Tell us what's up?" Irvine asked.
Kait audibly sucked a breath in through his nostrils then let it out. "Well.. It kinda started with Seifer.."
'Again with Seifer,' thinks Squall. He's at the entrance of the bedroom, listening quietly.
Squall doesn't trust himself not to fly-off the handle if he hears the wrong thing. And he doesn't know what to say or ask beyond what was already rejected by Kait in the first place. It's times like these when he truly is appreciative of the sniper's finesse.
"When we were on vacation, he came into the bathroom with me to brush his teeth. He said "Miles" for some reason." He blinked his eyes open and looked at Irvine with an expression that read, he really didn't know why. "I thought he was muttering to himself, then we played Bloody Mary and that was the end of it."
Irvine nodded to show he's following along. It coincided with what Seifer had told him.
"When we got home we saw the lady at the park. She bought us ice cream, me and the other kids." He explained. "Now and then she would be around calling out "Miles! Miles" like that.. I didn't think anything of it. I thought she lost her son."
Squall balled his hands up then released the fist. Sneaky. Cruel and sneaky. That woman is lucky she hasn't come across him. He'd have her arrested for creeping about like an abductor. What did he know about her real intentions? He's just a concerned parent. Getting arrested would pretty much throw anything she says out the window as credible and she'd be sent packing.
"Eventually she asked the other kids about her son, they all told me about it." He looked over his shoulder when hearing movement.
Kait almost retreated to his makeshift shell, but he continued speaking. He's never wanted to hold anything back from his fathers before, he shouldn't start now. He's not afraid of them. He just wants to not upset them.
"Each time she talked to them, they said my name. But when she said her son was named Miles, they said they didn't know him. But, she was always around." He points out the window. "Just then, the person I went to meet wasn't a kid from school, it was really her.. She wanted to tell me about herself and her husband, Martin." He looked at Squall knowing he would know the name best. "I told her to leave me alone, then I left."
Irvine blew out a breath. "That's a lot to handle on your own, Little Bird. You really should have told us right away,"
"I know. I'm sorry."
"Don't be sorry." Squall finally spoke. "It's not your fault." He walked farther into the bedroom, stopping when his knees met the bed. "If anything, it's on us."
"Why?"
"Because we taught you how to handle yourself. You felt no need to tell us, if the matter was taken care of."
"But it's not."
"No. It's not.. Not even close.. But.." He shook his head. "Now we're together in this, and together we'll figure out what to do." From the heart, he adds. "You're never alone, Kait. Never."
Smiling, he says. "Thanks, dads." He leaned over resting his head on Irvine's shoulder, when he rubbed his back. "But, what are we gonna do if she's right… The odds of her being wrong are really small."
"True. But, we do have chips in our pile." Irvine assured.
"Like what?"
Squall chimed in. "We have the fact that we've raised you all this time. The fact that Seifer and I had looked for any living relative of yours for six months. She was nowhere to be found. This woman should have said or done something. Someone who knows her should have said or done something if she was unable at the time."
He hated that that was the case too. They had found bloody clothes. They found a dead Martin Redwing. He and Seifer assumed the rest, and because of that stopped searching. But the ads were never taken down. Not until Kait turned three. It seemed like a lost cause. Not to mention a few people who were not his parent had shown up in an attempt to claim ownership of the unidentified infant. Good thing the world has evolved with DNA tests and such. There are more sick individuals out there than one would think.
"Kait, we'll do everything we can to keep you here with us, where you belong." Squall opened his arms when his son left his cover to rush over to him for a hug.
"But.. she really could be.. Her." He felt his tears coming on again.
"Even if she is.. She'll have a fight on her hands."
Irvine nodded to agree. "Say, Kai.. You want the TV in here?" It would be a nice distraction.
"Can I really?" He asked with a perked up mood.
"Sure." Irvine smiled when receiving a sniffle and nod. "Alright, I'll bring it in."
"I'll start dinner." He asked. "What do you want?"
"Actually, I'm kinda not hungry from saying all this stuff." He climbed into his bed. "Can I skip it tonight?"
"Ok." Squall tousled Kait's hair then walked out of the bedroom after Irvine.
...
The meal wasn't exactly pleasent or relaxing by any means. Both men were silent and thoughtful, until Irvine cleared his throat to speak.
"So like, what are we gonna do when that woman comes callin' - and you know that she will. Do we really have a better chance at keeping Kait than she does at taking him?"
"I'm positive." Squall answered quickly. "But I'm not in the mood for talking right now."
Irvine rolled his eyes. "That's fine, but I'll tell you this," He says in a serious tone because, once again, Squall is trying to take on the world alone. As if he's the only one who can. He's not some nitwit, nor is he a let-down, or unreliable in a serious situation. With the business in Deling at the clock tower, it was personal. He knew things that the others didn't, and frankly, he liked to think that he'd made the right choice in his hesitation. It pained him greatly to lie back then about himself; to be seen as an unreliable coward. And he hated that Squall got hurt during that battle against Matron. He could have died. Permanently. But everything worked out alright in the end.
"Darlin' before you get too far in the red-zone, know this... I'm Kait's father too. And every one of us loves him, and intends to keep him safe. You can't take this fight on alone, it's not some damned monster that needs slaying, or a major bodyguard job...it's our job. Parent-mode. We're in this together."
Squall blinked in thought of what he'd just heard. Does he really come off that way? Does he need a stern talk-down? Irvine is right, though. But dammit, if this doesn't turn out right... He can't manage to allow negative thoughts to cloud his mind that it will turn out any way but OK.
"Squall?"
His dual-eyes focus on his boyfriend. "I know."
"Good. Make sure that you continue knowing." He offered the brooding lion a small smile to assure him that, regardless of his tone, he isn't mad at him. Standing, he took the plates from the table and brought them over to the sink for a wash.
Squall left his seat, and grabbed some Tupperware from the upper cabinet to put the food away.. The newly acquired silence in the home came back into play to such an extreme it was a wonder it didn't blanket out the noise of running water, clanking pots and pans, and plates. Once the dishes were put away, the couple went their separate ways; Irvine went out for a walk with the Esper bird. Squall went into Kait's bedroom with a bowl of Cocoa Puffs.
"What are we watching?" He asked. He hands the bowl off, before climbing into the bed with his son.
"Flapjack." As the name has been shortened from The Misadventures of Flapjack. 'Him and K'nuckles have stolen the mermaid's heart, and are making wishes with the candy inside of it."
Cocking a brow, Squall doesn't have to ask if the boy is kidding or not. He's been on the viewing side of this show numerous times, and it gets more bizarre by the episode. Cartoons are completely ridiculous. He'd gone in to discuss the matter of Mara a bit more, but decided it was enough for one night. Besides, there isn't too much else to talk about. Kait knows he's loved, he knows that he and Irvine will do anything for him; it's not even an issue really. It'll go as expected.
Nerves calmed, Squall found himself laughing at the antics of the two main characters and their idiotic wishes and, despite himself, he's enjoying the show. He and Kait doubled-over with laughter at this fat blue man wishing to breathe maple syrup after wishing for his mouth to overflow with it. After his cereal was finished, and the bowl was placed on top of the dresser, they watched two more cartoons that came on after 'Flapjack', before Kait passed out cold asleep beside him.
"Goodnight, Kait." Brushing the boy's hair from over his ear; he tucked the rumpled blanket about his son's body after he got out of bed.
As an afterthought, he removed Samba from his son's shirt, placing it under one of his skinny little arms. He picked up the bowl from the dresser then walked over to the television turning it off. He looked at Kait for just a moment more, before leaving the bedroom.
8 years ago...
The Redwings packed up their camping equipment and got a few last minute treats from the vending machine in the apartment lobby: A pack of peanuts, some bottles of water, and a candy bar made of oats and honey. They are on their way into Timber forest. It was a gorgeous day. The sun in the sky shone brightly, and there was not a cloud in sight.
July, truly, is Mara's favorite month. But there's something magical about a warm January day, that just makes you want to tilt your head back and shout to the world: I'm here! And I love you! It was at that time her husband Martin chose to say.
"I'm dying for an apple." He's putting up the tent when declaring this. "Did you pack any in the lunch boxes?"
"I did. I chopped them up so they would be easier to tote."
Walking across the still crumpled tent, he digs through the duffle bag. The bags are so cute. They're shaped like mailbags, the kind the trains use. Miles sneezed hard enough to make his whole body shake. As if the sneeze was some other wordly signal of his, he began to cry. Martin ate a few chunks of apple, a wary look on his face as he looked from the baby to his wife, who is sitting on a log staring up at the sunny sky as if she is the only person in the world. He tried clearing his throat to get her attention, but that only caused her to nibble on her thumbnail.
With s sigh in his voice, Martin rolled his eyes. "Will you, please, pick up our son and calm him down?" He finally snapped at her.
Mara was frozen, as if the sound of crying combined with the statement were of sub-zero temperature. She blinked. Her gaze settled over to where Miles lay bundled in the second duffle; her face read pure offense of the child. As if he was an odd, awkward monster trying to call her 'Mom'. Now nibbling on her bottom lip, she wondered just how long the child would keep that up before he realized that he was going to get nothing out of it. Not from her.
But, ugh! It was drilling at her nerves! Into her brain, long after the baby had stopped crying, due to her husband stopping him. If Miles would stop crying out; FAILURE! FAILURE! like that, maybe the end result would be different.
"Tah," scoffed her husband, who had abandoned the bag of apples for the infant. "Really Mara? I'm tired of feeling like I'm a single parent here. Eventually, you're gonna have to take responsibility. Collette can only do so much as a babysitter. What if I'm at work some day, and the baby needs to go to the hospital? They'll need important information that she just will not have. Now, please, for me ...Snap out of it."
Glaring, his wife grabbed the bag of apples from the ground before the ants decided it was up for grabs. "She's a nanny, not a sitter. Sitters go home after a while."
"As if that's the point of the conversation that matters." He rolled his eyes. "And do you think Collette doesn't miss her family?" Martin smiled at the boy, who began to laugh at something he's looking at. Keeping his voice light, he continued chewing out his wife. "I can't believe I let you talk me into this. The sun may be out, but it's freezing. Miles is too young to be out here just yet."
"He's fine." She chided. "And its pretty warm to me."
"That's because you're having a hot flash." Commented the man losing his patience with his wife.
"He'll be fine. Maybe he likes the outdoors. Maybe he likes the cool air." Mara throws it out there to try to win at least one argument. "For Hyne's sake, Martin, Miles is obsessed with the sky. ...Maybe he wants the freedom, as well."
Frowning, Martin placed the wiggling child into the duffle, grabbing a few extra blankets to bundle around him so that he resembles a little meatloaf swaddled in foil. "Mara, you're getting that look again, you need to calm down. You really need to." Forcing a smile, he walked over to her spreading his arms, wrapping her up into a hold. "Mmm, relax.. okay? Relax." Kissing her warmly on the cheek, he rubs her shoulders as he speaks. "We're on holiday. We're having a good time. ...Maybe we can even play some music, and dance under the stars - like when we were teenagers."
Smiling, she kissed him on the lips, then nodded. "You always know how to make me feel better."
Mara felt her breath come in as a sharp gasp before she'd even realized that she woke up.
Her pulse is racing and she can feel an intense real fear gripping her nervous system. She's scared, almost like her dream is a living breathing thing that's watching her - judging her - but why? So she had a sour mood that day. Is that so bad? And this wasn't the first time she's dreamt of that Hyne-forsaken camping trip. It was the reason she lost her way for so long, that day when she'd lost them both. But every time she'd have the dream the dialog would change, or an action.
But two things always remained the same and it's that 1. She never touches her son in the dream. And 2. She always wakes up at the same place within the dream. It's dark out and she's chopping vegetables for dinner. What happened after she stood up and heard a branch snap? What caught her attention about it? When you're in the woods surrounded by nature, branches are bound to snap underfoot of some animal or creature out there - she'd been hearing it all night. So why had that one caught her attention? The news always speaks of monster attacks out in the woods. The creature would lose control and rampage.. Kill. but she got away and most importantly, so had Miles.
'Those bastards,' She feels her anger bubbling. 'They'll pay for keeping a mother from her child.'
But after the self heard declaration she shivered. At least she's tough in her mind, right? But honestly she doesn't know what to do. That annoying man-child, at least in her eyes he is! Seifer Almasy said some pretty hurtful things; Miles wasn't any kinder with his crass words either. But he's confused, and the reason for that is exactly as they'd said: he doesn't know her. But he can get to know her. She only needs to lay low for a while, and find a better method to come at him. They'll talk and he'll bid those men goodbye, and go to Rhodonite with her.
Popping her fist into her palm, fire in her eyes, she leapt out of bed to get dressed, hoping that somewhere a store was open.
...
Morning showed itself, as it always guarantees, and the Leonhart-Kinneas home was working on silent autopilot. No one knew what to say. Squall had slept in Kait's room with him last night, and Irvine couldn't sleep at all. The couple eventually wound up in their own bedroom when Kait got up to use the bathroom, rousing his father who told him he'd go. Thankfully, moving into their bedroom hadn't kept them awake and they collapsed onto the bed in a heap of worn limbs and frame, blanketed by worried weight rather than rest.
"How 'bout we go to the mall today? We can take a trip into Deling," Looking at the child seated next to him, Irvine gave him a nudge with his elbow. "We can get your ears pierced like you'd wanted."
"Can we really?" The question went to Squall since his papa had basically made up his mind that it was an idea.
The question had so much enthusiasm behind it, Squall couldn't dare to say no - not that he would have. "Sure."
"Oh boy!" Breakfast now ignored, Kait got up from the table and grabbed his phone. "Wait til I tell the guys - no wait - I should show them instead, really shock 'em. Yeah, that'd be the best way to go."
Glad that children bounce back quickly from devastation; Squall gets up from the table as well to answer the door that opened before he could even reach the knob. Zell stepped into the home as he had many years ago when the couple had the little infant and were living in the barracks with him. Freshly baked muffins in a basket in hand, and a 'cheer up' smile on his face. But Zell was in for a surprise; he'd been expecting a grim scene, filled with verbal silence, and slamming things. Not the couple snickering while Kait bounced over to him, cheering about something that sounded like Deling and mall. But that couldn't be right.
Looking through the living room at the pair in the kitchen, Zell greeted them with a mood just as cheerful as he's been given. "Hey, you guys! What's going on?" He looked down when Kait grabbed his hand as if to ask specifically for his attention. But he instead handed the basket over to Squall, who'd reached for it - he can never pass up a good muffin - then asked Kait. "What are you so excited about?"
Seifer told him about what's been going on around them and frankly, the family's behavior right now is bizarre. Maybe they're hysterical. That happens sometimes, and is exemplified in many ways. When his Pa went out to sea, it was reported that a boat capsized... He'd jogged up and down the stairs of his home claiming that he'd been overdue for the workout. It was a different ship, though, and his father called saying that all was well. Phew.
"I" Kait beamed as he boasted. "get to get my ears pierced today, in Deling City." He all but proclaimed the place as the end-all, be-all of cities.
"Earrings? Alright!" He returned the boy's hype. "That's very cool."
"Isn't it!" He sped off to his bedroom to get dressed.
Smiling at the exiting child, Zell then turned his attention to the couple. Walking over, his smile fades to a serious expression. "Hey," He even lowered his voice. "I thought you guys would be on the brink of misery. What happened? Did that woman call it quits?"
"Hn." Scoffed the sniper. "No such luck."
"We're doing like my dad always told us during the war," Squall chimed in. "Thinking positively."
"Oh," He let out his worried breath. "That's good." A grin spread across his face.
The couple cocked a brow at the expression; wondering, probably, if maybe the blond might have a few screws loose.
"He said positively, not maniacally." Irvine commented over a bite of buttered muffin.
With a shrug, Zell ran a hand through the hair along the side of his spiked-poof on top. "This is some really messed up stuff, though." He sighed heavily. "Where the hell has this woman been for eight years that she's suddenly decided to pop up and take claim to her son?"
"We don't know," Replied Squall. "It would be nice to get a DNA test done."
"But what if it proves that she is telling the truth?" Zell asked, but quickly clammed-up when hearing the padding of foot steps behind him come to an abrupt stop.
"It still won't make a difference, if her reason for being absent for eight years." Squall furrows his brows at Zell's wild gesturing, but continues speaking. "Nothing short of amnesia or maybe a coma will be credible."
Kait looked at Squall then at Irvine. If what Squall said is true, Mara's amnesia plea won't hold up worth shit in his dad's eyes. At least, that's what he'd overheard listening to the wall last night. But Irvine, having been there with amnesia, might be more sympathetic. He'll prevent those feelings from coming out - if they do. Kait doesn't want to risk any situation getting out of hand to lean it to Mara's favor in taking him away.
"Hopefully her story isn't anything like that, and she won't at the last minute think to use it." Squall ended.
Deciding that now was the best time to change subjects, Kait walked over to Irvine slinging an arm around him since his papa is still seated and he's a good enough height with him now. "I'm dressed. Can we go now?" Noticing Zell now, he cocks his head at the unusual way his friend is trying to act casual for some reason. "Are you coming with us? You can get pierced, too."
A nervous laugh shot out of the male and he scratched the back of his head, he can still feel the knots in his stomach over nearly getting caught talking about adult things in front of the boy. But if Kait is going to ignore it, then so can he. "I'd love to go, but earrings - on me? Not a chance. Besides, they're not really my thing. And Ma had a fit when I'd sprung my tattoo on her, imagine showing up with inappropriate holes in my head."
Walking up and looking at the left side of Zell's face, Kait nodded. "Yeah, it must have been hard to hide that." He popped his friend on the bicep with his fist.
"We'll go once Irvine and I have showered and dressed." Squall mentioned.
"Well hurry up!" Insisted the child. "Shower together to save time." Flopping down on the couch, he taps his finger to his wrist to tell them that time was being wasted. The glance his parents exchanged with each other doesn't go missed, and when the pair hurry into the hall, he calls after them. "I said save time, not waste it."
"Yes, Dad." Replied Irvine.
Smiling at the thought of being older and responsible, Kait watched Zell take a seat beside him on the couch. "Zell?"
"Yeah."
"You don't have to tip-toe around me. My dads said that they weren't gonna leave me out of the loop. Okay?"
"Oh. Aha ha, that's very mature of you." He nodded his approval.
It's silent for a moment. Kait soon begins to fidget in his place, before finally saying what's on his mind. "Zell, you have a mom... What's she like?"
"You know my mom." The martial artist replied hastily.
"Yeah, but ...how is she with you - as her son?"
"Hmmm. ...She loves me very much, although she does tend to tug my ear when I do something foolish."
"And she doesn't follow you around? Or, over worry?"
"Of course she worries! That's what mothers do best." Zell snickers. "But she doesn't smother me - as much as she'd like to."
As if cutting clippings from a paper, his words being the scissors, he says. "Not all mothers are alike."
Slowly, he realized what it was that the boy had really been getting at, and his cheerful expression faded to somber. "No, I suppose not."
Silence fell between them until, again, Kait breaks it. "Does a DNA test hurt?"
"Not at all." He leans forward resting his elbows to his knees and his hands overlap to hold up his chin. "You can offer a strand of hair from your hairbrush, or get a cotton swab of your spit taken from your cheek. It's simple. Then they see if it matches the other person's by using computers and machines."
"That's good."
The bathroom door opened and the two inhabitants walked out and through the hall to their bedroom. Kait and Zell glance at the clock, noting that only ten minutes have passed.
"What made you want earrings?" Zell wondered out loud.
"I saw Irvine's and they looked cool dangling there. I don't know if I can wear a dangle though. What kind do they have?"
"Lots, I guess, I don't know." He shrugged. "You know that Selphie and Rinoa are getting an apartment to share in Timber?"
"No. When are you leaving?"
"I'm not sure when they'll move in, but Quistis has a place in Dollet. She's there now."
"Her too? Geez... What's wrong with Balamb?"
Zell shakes his head. "Women."
"Yeah."
After a minute they check the clock again.
"Boy, you tell me to get dressed and I'm back in 4 minutes. What are they doing in there?"
"Uuum," Zell suddenly laughed.
"You'll tell me," Kait said with a lot of assurance in his voice.
"Uuh, what now?"
Unsure of why that topic always promotes such discomfort in people other than kids when it's spoken about, Kait stands up to mimic the older males' movements of a burst of shadow boxing. Six minutes later the two stragglers emerged from the bedroom. They didn't wanna know what caused Kait and Zell to workout, but they stopped the activity by appearing at the entryway.
"Let's get going." Squall removed the house keys from the hook by the door. "We've wasted enough time." This made him shoot a look at Irvine.
Grinning sheepishly, Irvine brushed it off. "It ain't my fault; washing and drying long hair takes a while."
"That's why mine is short." Kait says casually, following them out. Secretly though, he had planned on growing his hair out, but maybe when he's older and has a choice of getting a trim or not.
Door closed, house locked, the trio were off to Deling city.
- 9
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- 11
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My Mother, Thats Who I mean