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Magic of Valentine	By : Zierra Category: Final Fantasy VIII > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 664 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VIII, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
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�Seifer?�

The tall blond slowly turned to look at them with eyes unfocused and glazed. There was something childishly adorable about his mimicry that Zell couldn�t help but smile at.

�Oh.� Seifer�s voice had gone from deep and seductive to high-pitched and squeaky and he seemed to realize it himself but unable to do anything about it, because he continued equally off-key. �It�s you!�

�Depends on who you think I am, doesn�t it?�

Seifer squinted at Zell, peering hard. �You�re Chickie�, he said resolutely. �And that�s�, he pointed at Squall and frowned. �I seemed to have misplaced your name.�

�Fuck off, Seifer.�

�Right, Squall.� Seifer seemed pleased with himself, looking at them both with a stupid grin on his face. And then it slowly faded. �Wait a minute�, he slurred.

�You�ve got some explaining to do, Almasy.�

�Wait, that�s Squall?�

Zell sighed patiently and nodded. � Yes, you said so yourself.�

The bewildered look spread like a wildfire all over his face, expression changing between a deep frown and raised eyebrows.

And then he smiled.

�Ah, I get it now. Nice show you pulled off back at the office. I knew things went too smoothly. So you guys are a thing now?�

Zell blushed despite of himself. He hadn�t really expected to be able to keep their re-defined relationship a secret from his friends, but without proper preparation and rehearsing, he felt very uncomfortable talking about it.

�None of your business, Seifer�, Squall interjected, glaring menacingly at the other gunblader. �That�s why we�re in this mess, isn�t it?�

Apparently there was a flaw in the brunettes threatening appearance, because instead of �honourably declining a fight�, as he so eloquently put it, Seifer�s smirk turned lewd. �Whatta ya know�, he retorted, his voice back to the pleasant baritone although it was contaminated with an annoying taunting undertone. �Kitten�s got claws.�

Squall seemed as surprised by the comment as Zell was. How was Squall�s response any different from last week? Or last year for that matter?

Seifer laughed heartily. �Oh please!�, he exclaimed, just a decibel too high. �I know you guys better than you�d approve of. The way the two of you interact, is like�. Something obvious.� Seifer had never been good with similes. �But you�ve always acted so professionally around me coz you know I can tell if there�s more.�

�Is that why you agreed to help Selphie?�

�And if it was my idea?�

Even with all that had happened, not just today, but years ago in the past and all that had happened since, Zell couldn�t believe that Seifer would cover for someone else. He had always been the kind to look after his own interests first, consequences on others be damned. Apparently, people did change.

�Because home-wrecking is more of your style, not matchmaking. Besides, we heard you.�

�Heard me?� Seifer looked as dumbfounded as he sounded, but as usual, he recovered from it quickly. �Nice to know that you listen when I talk.�

Squall snorted, annoyed, behind Zell but kept quiet. It seemed like he didn�t want to add fuel to Seifer�s already flaming knowledge of their relationship.

�No, we heard you talking outside my room.�

The shocked look the tall blonde sported had Squall audibly choke back a laugh.

�You were in there?� Seifer demanded incredulously.

�No�, Zell assured him, smiling. �You were right about that.�

�I know I wasn�t that loud and unless you were following me�.� He didn�t continue, but his voice left no doubt that he would not take such violations against his privacy lightly.

�I didn�t follow you!� Zell protested loudly, but the party kept on interrupted. Zell wasn�t the type to practise modesty when it came to public attention. �I�m not a little kid anymore.�

�So you got puberty boy to do it?�

�Seifer.� Squall used that tone that tolerated no bullshit, and this time it efficiently got Seifer to listen. �There�s a small gadget called a security camera that�s installed in almost every room and hallway throughout Garden. After that incident with the Haste-spell that misfired, we added audio surveillance. We were, quite rightfully, curious as of why you were occupying the floor space outside Zell�s room and we decided to - if you insist - eavesdrop a little bit. I must say that we were rather surprised by your heartfelt confession.�

Silence.

�Huh? I�m sorry, can you repeat that part after my name?� He turned to Zell while eyeing Squall cautiously. �Is he on drugs? I�m not so sure it�s safe to let him out among people. What if he starts a conversation with someone?�

Zell was unable to retain his mirth, partially because Squall wore a sullen pout and partially due to Seifer being completely serious.

�Nah, he�ll be ok. But it�s not about him this time. For once, it�s actually about you. Well, you and Selphie and Quistis and whatever poor souls you managed to persuade. How the hell did you guys come up with a plan like that?�

Seifer seemed to have sobered up considerably since they started their discussion and with the way he crossed his arms in front of his chest and tilted his head, Zell could�ve been fooled into thinking he hadn�t been drinking anything stronger than water.

�Well, if you heard me, you know my opinion of the whole matter. And that was probably as honest as I�m gonna get about it.�

He was honest about that too, Zell realized. He sighed and opened his mouth to say something, only to change his mind and address his boyfriend instead. �Squall, why don�t you go get us some punch.�

Squall�s childish moping hadn�t diminished at all. �Seifer�s had enough, I�m not bringing him shit.� But right now wasn�t the time to bring up duties and personal growth.

�Then get one for me. And you�, he added quickly.

�Just don�t get used to have me to waiter on you like this. I�m only doing it because I kinda owe you one.�

The Commander disappeared into the crowd and Seifer smirked.

�Got him wrapped nice and tight around your little finger now, don�t you?�

Zell�s mouth unwillingly curved into a smile. �For tonight I do. Listen, Seifer. I can�t really be mad at you, any of you. I mean, happenstance, chance and good plain luck had everything play out nicely. But I need your word that this won�t ever happen again. Never.�

Seifer nodded, suddenly looking very tired.

�Yeah, you got it. My word I mean. I just thought, you know� I mean, you guys�. Ah, fuck, I don�t know what I�m trying to say. All I know is that next time Selphie or Quistis come to me with one of their �brilliant� ideas, I�ll think long and hard about it. Maybe I�ll just say no on principle.�

�Good. That�s probably all I can ask of you.�

�But don�t expect me to turn it down if it�s clearly beneficial to me, in debt to you.�

�Didn�t cross my mind.�

Squall returned, carrying two cups and a terse look. He handed Zell one of the former, glared at Seifer for good measure than downed his entire cup in one go.

Seifer blinked. �That�s my cue for leaving. Play nice, boys.� He stumbled off across the dance floor, crowd moving away to create a path for him.

��

�Is something wrong?� Zell stood as close to Squall as he dared in a public place, one hand fisted to keep it from reaching out. Squall shook his head and realized that he had to keep his own hands firmly in place as well.

�No, just�. Nothing.�

Zell eyed the clock nervously and Squall had a pretty good idea of what the blond was thinking. He smiled faintly, allowing himself a quick caress of their hands.

�Really, I�m fine. Tired, you know. It�s been a long day.�

�I know. I just got a little worried there for a moment. I don�t want you shutting down on me already.�

Squall�s smile melted away, apparently unnoticed to his friend -- lover -- boyfriend --- whatever. Zell�s attention was wandering around the Quad and Squall was uncertain how the get his attention when he wasn�t one hundred percent sure he wanted it.

�Zell�, he began and marvelled at how soft his voice became. Had it always done that when he was talking to the blond?

�Yeah, baby?�

�There�s something I want to talk to you about.�

It wasn�t a conversation he was going to enjoy and despite of himself, he thought he was certain of the disastrous outcome of it and just thinking about it turned his stomach sour.

�What ab-� Oh! There�s Selphie! I gotta talk to her, be right back!�

He was off before Squall could open his mouth and the gunblader sighed. He had almost conjured enough balls to bring up the topic but it seemed that fate didn�t want him talking to Zell about it. Maybe he should that that as a strong suggestion to shut up and leave the matter alone.

��

Selphie was high strung the entire time, even when Irvine tried to tell her about his encounter with Squall and Zell. She cringed whenever she heard the Commanders name and he soon took pity on her and began a different approach. She seemed to appreciate his silent comfort more than his attempts to talk her out of her funk anyway.

�You did a great job, sweetie�, he whispered as he hugged her close. He felt her smile against his chest and Irvine gave himself a pat on the back. He definitely had this boyfriend thing down.

�Thanks�, she murmured. �I put a lot o love into it, you know.�

He smiled at her, twirling her hair around his finger.

�Happy V-day, beautiful.�

�You too, Irvy. I love you.�

Wow! Stop, rewind and press play.

What the hell?

She seemed to notice his surprise and gave him a tight squeeze before she pulled away. �It�s ok�, she said, smile sweet and forgiving. Irvine wanted to kick himself.

�I just wanted to tell you that. You don�t have to worry about it being a regular thing. I only wanted you to know how I feel.�

Even though he had her reassurance that she didn�t expect any similar declarations of love, he still felt obliged to say something.

�You know I care a lot about you, baby, and you are the single most important person in my life.� It didn�t really mean much, he didn�t have any family or any significant friendship that he would defy gravity for, but he hoped she realized that he spoke from the heart. �Never doubt that.�

He almost panicked when he saw her eyes tear up, but when he noticed that tiny pull at the corner of her mouth, he knew they were happy tears.

But in the midst of their �special moment�, those baby blue eyes widened and Selphie looked downright terrified.

�Oh my gods, Irvine.�

�What is it?�

Her gaze was fixed on something right behind him, and he knew even before he turned who it was. �Zell.�

He came face to face with the shorter blond, a primal instinct to protect his mate kicked in and he pulled up to his full height to gain some kind of advantage. Selphie cowered against his back and even though Zell didn�t look more of a threat than usual, he remained as a shield between them.

�I need to talk to Selphie.� Zell�s voice was void of all cheeriness and Irvine frowned. No way he was leaving Selphie to be eaten alive.

�Then talk.� He tried to look as intimidating he could, feeling naked without his weapon. He didn�t honestly think he would ever use it on his friend, but it was a safety net, a security.

Zell�s response to his challenge was a raised eyebrow, the impassiveness in his stance unnerving the sharpshooter more than the constant and unpredictable bounce.

�Alone, if you don�t mind.�

Irvine snorted. �Hell yeah, I mind. Whatever you wanna say, you can say with me here.�

There was a frosty glare in those sapphire eyes, but Irvine chose to ignore it. He and Zell might not be the best of buddies, but they were friends and above all that, they were colleagues and had something called professional courtesy.

�Fine�, Zell said, voice still stern, but the eyes were softer now when the obligatory power struggle between the alpha males were over and directed at Selphie. �You hurt my feelings today, Selphie.�

A pathetic whimper was the only answer to his statement, but that didn�t put Zell off.

�I never thought you capable of such betrayal, not to me. Why did you do it, Selph?�

Selphie�s hand was tightly fisted in the back of Irvine�s shirt, and he could feel her tears wetting the fabric.

�Hey man�, he warned, reaching out to hold Zell back, even though the fighter hadn�t made any attempt to come forward. As if Irvine would have been able to stop him with raw strength if he had tried.

�I was taking to Selphie.�

�More like harassing her. Chill, man.�

Selphie tugged him back and moved to stand beside him. �Zell�s right to be mad at me�, she said, still holding onto her boyfriend for dear life, but obviously finding enough courage to face the man she had called her bestest friend a few hours ago.

�Zell, please�, she began, lost her voice and started again. �I�m so sorry for what we did. All we wanted was for you to be happy. I mean, I must admit that I wouldn�t have done much if Quistis hadn�t pointed it out to me, thought it�s not her fault. Not hers alone. We thought it was time that you and Squall got off your asses and did something about it. Sounds so stupid now and it�s like you said, Irvine, we had no proof. But the more we thought about the two of you having�.romantic feelings towards each other, the more plausible it seemed. I mean, he�s so different with you and everything.�

She drew a deep breath and prepared to go another round when Zell interrupted her. �You gonna let me get a word in edgeways?�

She nodded eagerly, so willing to please and Irvine wondered how much ice Zell had eaten for breakfast to be so unaffected.

�I�ve already heard all that from Seifer, well, minus the tears and the puppy dog-thing. I just want to know one thing, Selphie.� She gulped audibly.

�Do I mean that little to you that you�d ditch me and my dinner party? You always make me come to yours.�

It was said with such icy undertones that both Irvine and Selphie needed a moment to actually hear the words. When Selphie sniffed, confused, Zell smiled sweetly at her, baring his teeth.

At one point, Irvine had been envious of the blonds pearly white grin, until the martial artist had confided that most of them were fake. It seemed that the two things magic couldn�t cure were severed limbs and knocked out teeth.

Selphie didn�t seem to understand that Zell wasn�t really angry with her and it wasn�t until he held out his arms for her that she squealed and threw herself into his embrace.

�Don�t ever do something like that again. You promise. Not in any smell, shape or color, understood?�

�Yes, Sir, I understand and I promise. Promise to Hyne! I love you too much to ever do that again�. Swear!�

Zell laughed and lifted her a bit off the ground.

�I love you too, silly.�

Despite himself, Irvine felt his stomach knot itself up. Selphie thrived off affection, it was made very clear today and love was the greatest affection of them all. If he was incapable of giving her that, would she turn to someone else? Someone like Zell?

Not Zell, obviously, but someone who offered his heart on his sleeve and showered everyone he loved with the knowledge that he did?

Someone, that without reservations and hesitations, would tell her that he loved her?

��

Quistis would never, under any circumstances admit that she had cried that day. But if anyone had seen her just as she had emerged from her hideout on her couch, covered with an army of blankets, there would have been no doubts that she had.

But she had come to terms with her situation and made some plans to remedy the whole thing. It required a little more thinking and a lot more planning before she would dare to execute them, though.

She sighed and sat down in front of her laptop, still wrapped like a cocoon with blankets, despite it being Valentine�s Day and way past office hours. She had work to do. Come morning, there would be no reason for her to spend more hours in her office than she absolutely had to. Maybe she should finally have time to do that inventory she�d put off for months�?

But at the moment, it was more therapeutic work. Her job, no matter how tedious the stamping, all the signing and the writing was, it was an amazing cure for a troubled mind. The accuracy it required and the familiarity of it, took away the edge of her despair.

But when the program was started and the document opened, she sat staring at the screen, unable to make her fingers move or jump-start the business part of her brain.

�What are you doing?�

She almost fell out of her seat at the unexpected voice, for a moment wondering where the sound came from until she spotted Seifer, staring at him like he was an alien.

�How?� The door��

�Was locked, yes. But I had this nagging suspicion that you wouldn�t open if I knocked, so I let myself in.�

�I have to get the code changed.�

He smiled disarmingly, and sat down on the edge of her desk. �Feeling better?�

�Not really.�

His hand was warm where he placed it on her shoulder and gave it a comforting squeeze.

�You can relax and stop being upset now. Turns out Chickie and Commander Leatherpants gave us quite the performance before. We�re all ok again. Last I saw, the two sugar-addicts where back on hugging and kissing terms. It�s hard to tell with Squall, though. Despite him being strangely odd at the moment, I doubt he can stay mad at us. We did give him Zell delivered on a silver platter.�

Quistis managed a smile as some of her anxiety relented.

�I�m not sure it�s gonna be enough. It�s different with all of you. Maybe Zell can forgive me, he�s not much to hold a grudge, obviously�, she gestured at Seifer and he nodded. �But my relationship with Squall is very fragile, at best. I had just about gotten him to trust me and then I go pull as stupid stunt like this.�

�Quistis.� Seifer�s tone had taken on a hard edge and he pulled away from her, taut arms crossed. �I hate to rain on your pity parade, but you have to stop this martyr shit, it�s not effective anymore. Frankly, I think you should get off your high horse and stop treating us like ignorant kids.�

She looked long and hard at him, trying to see if he was yanking her chain, but there was only seriousness in his eyes.

�What?�

He sighed, and began to walk back and forth behind her. �Every time something goes wrong, you place the burden on yourself, to prove how mature and responsible you are and then you expect everyone to feel sorry for you. It worked for a while, until I realized that you enjoy the attention.�

�Seifer.� She added a little heat to her voice, but it didn�t work. Seifer had no compassion for her.

He was right of course. It wasn�t a conscious decision she made, but she did take on a lot, more than she could handle sometimes and she found a sweet satisfaction when others would give her sympathy and concern. She hadn�t expected to be called on it, though.

�I�ve been meaning to tell you that for a while, before you work yourself into an early grave. And I�m drunk now, so it makes it a little easier. Technically, your plan worked. Squall is not too happy to be set up and yes, he�ll probably be pissy for a while. But you won�t take the brunt of it, or me. Not even Selphie, although I can tell she�s a little too much for him. He�ll take it out on Zell, because he knows the situation and Squall trusts him. It�s gonna spoil the �love is in the air� mood we�ve all been feeling lately.�

�You�re awfully talk active.�

�No different from usual. Only this time you�re not rushing off claiming work-responsibilities so I can take my time.�

Quistis sat pondering for a moment, thinking through every thing that had happened that day and what Seifer had just informed her of.

�I do make myself unapproachable, don�t I?�

�Yup, I�d even venture so far as to call you a bitch.�

She gawked for a moment, but now she saw that playful gleam in his eyes. That not saying that he didn�t mean it.

�Now you�re pushing it.�

He smirked and winked and before he left, he leaned in close to whisper in her ear; �When I see you tomorrow, the weight of the world will not be on your shoulders and you�ll come to work with a smile on your face. That�ll throw Squall off.�

He sauntered over to the door, only one small misstep showing that he was indeed inebriated. He lingered for a moment after he�d opened the door.

�You�ll wanna talk to Zell tonight, though. It will make you sleep a little easier.�

TBC
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Magic of Valentine