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Magic of Valentine	By : Zierra Category: Final Fantasy VIII > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 663 -:- 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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I'm updating all chapters in one go, because.... Well, because I want to. So here you are!

And I don't own Final Fantasy 8, or anything even remotely related to the franchise.

It had been a year since Selphie�s unforgettable Halloween party. Well, one year and two and a half months, but Squall still hadn�t gotten over every aspect of that fateful night. Although he was trying really hard not to think about it and daring anyone else to do it wither. He especially wanted everyone to forget the fact that they had known of his most intimate problem to date.

Damn Ellone and her worthless timing.

No one had been surprised when Squall had politely declined Selphie�s invitation to her Halloween-party last year. Or scratch that, they had been surprised that Squall had politely declined.

He sighed heavily where he sat by his desk, signed his (by now) disfigured signature on a piece of paper he had read three times and understood nothing about before moving on to the next waiting its turn.

This one had actually been insisting on his attention all day, ever since he�d seen the name at the bottom, but protocol (Hyne, how he hated protocol!) forced him to deal with reports in order of date. And this one was dated today, February 13th.

It was Zell�s third and last report from the mission he was currently on. He had been deployed two and a half months previous, on a mission that should have taken a minimum of three weeks, and by now pretty much everyone was worried about the blond fighter.

Selphie called it �friendship-nerves�, caused by Zell�s long absence and the fact that they hadn�t seen or - in some cases - talked to Zell in over two months. Squall had received a grand total of one phone call and although it had lasted no more than thirty seconds (or maybe because of that), Squall had slept a full two hours that following night.

The reports he sent were irregular and often inconsistent, and even though they hadn�t contained anything to worry about, Squall was still feeling his neck muscles tense up whenever he reached for that a4 sheet of off-white recyclable paper.

He skimmed Zell�s report quickly, some grammatical error making him feel slightly at ease. At least he was sure this was Zell.

He reached the end and frowned, glancing quickly at the clock. 3.15 PM. Zell would return to Garden on February 14th at approximately 10 AM. Tomorrow at 10 PM.

Valentine�s day.

He never celebrated Valentine�s Day. He really didn�t care or bothered with the fact that it was Valentine�s day, but apparently he was outnumbered by the students, the cadets, the SeeD�s, the instructors, the Faculty and oh, don�t forget; the Cafeteria ladies. He didn�t care for V-day and he didn�t care for heart shaped sprinkles in his morning coffee either.

But maybe things would be different this year. Maybe they had to be. Because this year he actually had someone he wanted to celebrate it with. The only problem was he had no idea how.

He thoughtfully tapped the phone, contemplating his options carefully before picking up the receiver and resolutely dialled a number.

�Sis� No, everything�s fine. Do you remember a year ago?� Halloween?� Right. You owe me one, as you may recall� Whatever, I need a favour.�

��

Zell bounced off the ferry and shouldered his backpack with grin.

Finally, he was home!

Drawing in a deep breath of the clear Balamb air, he headed towards his Ma�s house. It had been way longer than three months since he�s seen her last and it was Valentine�s Day after all. He fingered the small gift in his pocket that he�d bought her three years ago but always forgotten to give her. Somehow he had packed it together with some clean socks (that�s where he�d hidden it!) before he left for his mission and had decided it was finally time she got it. It may be a few years out of style though, but mothers rarely cared.

�Ma?� he called, kicking off his shoes and carelessly tossing his backpack in the hallway and proceeded into the house. Like always, it smelled of fresh baked bread and although it was only an hour after breakfast, Zell�s stomach growled appreciatively.

�Ma?�

She wasn�t in the kitchen - strangely - or in the living room, so ran up the stairs, checking the bathroom door on the way over to their bedrooms. They were next to each other, which had been a good thing when Zell moved in with his new parents and he woke up at night, scared of a thunderstorm or awoken by a nightmare. It was less convenient when he reached puberty and realized how boys� anatomies worked.

He noticed that his bedroom door was ajar, so he pushed it open, obviously surprising his mother who was sitting on his bed.

�Ma?�

She quickly wiped her eyes, grabbing a handful of sheets as she stood. Apparently she had been in there to do laundry. Not like he�d slept in those sheets since she last made his bed, though.

�Why didn�t you answer me?�

�I�m sorry, sweetheart�, she said with a faint smile. �I haven�t heard your voice for while, I thought I was imagining it. What are you doing here, honey? Is something wrong?�

Zell, who had always been a mama�s boy and took a certain amount of pride in that (he was the only one with a mother, after all), went of to her and pulled her into a hug.

�Everything�s fine, Ma, I just got back from Timber, thought I�d stop by to see you. Happy Valentine�s day�, he said, handing over the no-longer-neatly wrapped gift. �Or whatever they say.�

�Oh, darling!�

Ma Dincht wasn�t a tall woman, but to Zell she had always seemed at least 10 feet. Right now, sobbing into Zell�s shoulder, she seemed no bigger than ten inches.

And she looked so fragile.

It scared him each time he saw her after an extended period of time apart, how old she looked. Her wrinkles seemed to deepen and her hair greyed a shade for each visit, while her eyes dulled and smile faded.

His Ma was getting old and they both knew it.

�Ma?� He couldn�t help but sounded alarmed. Having your mother crying like a baby in your arms would throw any child for a loop. �Is something wrong?�

�It�s nothing, dear. I was just reminiscing about the past and got a little caught up in emotions. But I�m fine now�, she sniffed and straightened with determination. �Happy Valentine�s Day to you too, precious. Are you hungry?�

�Always. Open you gift, Ma!�

She smiled affectingly at him, ruffling his hair.

�You grow every time I see you�, her voice was still strained and sounded slightly hoarse. �I keep forgetting your not that little boy we brought home from the orphanage that couldn�t get enough of my cinnamon buns.�

Zell snickered. �I still can�t.�

�Do you remember how long ago that was?� Her hand lingered on his shoulder, thin and spidery, knuckles beginning to show underneath greying skin.

�Fifteen years.�

�Today. Fifteen years ago, on February 14th, your father and I became proud parents of a blue-eyed little angel with the name Zell. You cannot understand until you have children of your own, how happy we were that day.�

Ma�s eyes watered up again and Zell - to his uttermost embarrassment - began feeling mellow too.

�I love you, my prince, and you will always be my sweet little baby boy, no matter how old you get or how far away you move, ok?�

�Ok, Ma.�

Zell choked and pulled his mother in for a bone-crushing hug. He heard her wheeze from the force of it so he quickly released her and bounded down the stairs before she saw him cry.

�You promised me food, Ma!�

��

11.15 AM

A soft knock on the door brought Squall out of his reverie. He kept re-reading the same paragraph over and over and the sun kept distracting him by making interesting shapes on the opposite wall.

He frowned and checked the time.

Damn, was it that late already? He hadn�t meant to drown himself in work like this, but he supposed that it kept his mind off of other things. And shit, he was hungry too. Well, no real surprise there, since he�d missed breakfast.

Right, the door.

�Enter!�

The door swished open faster than usual, or maybe Squall�s brain was just too slow to keep up and revealed a depressed looking Zell on the other side.

Squall immediate stood, stray papers falling to floor.

Yeah right, Zell was coming home today.

�(You look like shit) What�s wrong?�

Zell entered and the door closed behind him, the fake smile plastered all over his face made Squall sneer.

�Nothing�s wrong, I just�� He trailed off as he met Squall�s eyes.

Biting back a scream (Fucking liar!), Squall stared deeper and sneered harder.

Zell sighed.

�Ma was telling stories and showing me baby-pictures, is all. She seemed so sad that she doesn�t see me as much anymore. I guess she rubbed off on me.�

Squall sat down again, reorganizing his papers.

�You want some time off?�

He didn�t really want to grant it though, Zell had been away long enough as it was. He was already behind with other duties, he was losing contact with his students and he kept missing a lot of new developments and regulations� and maybe Squall was just shitting himself, unwilling to admit that he had missed Zell just as much as the others.

�Nah�, Zell shrugged. �I�ve been away too long and I suppose my students are slacking with the sub.�

Right, exactly.

�Besides�, he added with a grin. �I guess I kinda missed you guys, you know? This is my home too.�

Oh�

�Well, ok.�

An uncomfortable silence settled between them. This was the first time in a very long time that they had been completely alone, and even though Zell seemed reasonably at ease with Squall�s rather public display a year ago, he�d never brought up the topic. And Hell would freeze over is Squall ever took the first step.

But something had come out of the brunette�s tail-swag. A deeper understanding for one another, a kind of friendship that went a little deeper than just knowing favourite color and �I know what you did last summer�.

�Hey�, Zell said suddenly, Squall involuntarily flinching. He really needed to do something about his lapses of concentration. �I was thinking about having a Valentine�s dinner tonight, you wanna come?�

Squall leant back in his seat. Tonight? Zell couldn�t possibly have been away long enough to forget that Selphie always had a party on major holidays (and some not so major and some not even holidays). And this year she seemed to have a handwritten consent form for having a party on a weekday and somehow it had his signature on it.

�Eh�, Zell shifted restlessly before him. �I mean to invite everyone. Its just dinner, man, before Selphie�s party. You don�t wanna drink on an empty stomach.�

�Sure. I mean, I�ll come. (I�d love to.)�

�Great! I should go unpack, I�ve been living out of my pocket for the last month and I really need a shower.�

�Alright (It�s good to have you back, Zell).�

�See you tonight then, at five?�

�Yeah (Looking forward to it).�

Zell flashed Squall a pearly white grin before the door closed behind him and Squall sighed.

He really needed to work in his inner monologs.

��

12 AM

Seifer strolled casually into the cafeteria while he pointedly ignored the winking lunch lady and purposely made way towards his usual table. Fuujin and Raijin would be having lunch at the same time today; they�d bring him something.

On his way through the Caf he caught sight of a familiar mop of hair.

�Hey, Chickie!�

The cafeteria went unnervingly silent but he paid it no heed. Zell looked up, his mouth twisting in a half-smile, half-grimace as he flipped Seifer off. Normally, or at least normal a year before, Zell would have been on his feet, desperately trying (and failing) to get into Seifer�s face.

�You�re back.�

�How observant, genius.�

With a chuckle and a playful slap on the head, Seifer settled into the chair next to Zell, winked conspiratorially at Selphie and gave Quistis an overly sweet smile.

�What�s up?� Zell asked flippantly, and chose to disregard Seifer�s theft of food from his plate.

�Not much. How was Timber?�

�Dull, like you wouldn�t believe.�

On the other side of the table, Selphie and Quistis exchanged a curious glance. One that did not go unnoticed.

�What?� Seifer asked, now stealing food from Quistis.

�Nothing�, she said, smiling. � Just not used to the two of you exchanging pleasantries.�

Selphie willingly offered Seifer the last piece of her baguette and figured it was worth her two cents.

�You�re being nice. Well, nice-r.�

�You�ve got problem with me being nicer?�

�No! Not at all, just� wondering why.�

Zell snorted. �Don�t look a gifted horse in the mouth, Selph. So, you�re both coming tonight?�

Selphie broke out into a beaming smile.

�Of course! Who else are coming?�

Seifer tried to look disinterested as the conversation he had interrupted continued, but his natural curiosity wouldn�t allow his ears to stop listening.

�I haven�t asked everyone yet, so as of now, it�s you two, and Squall.�

�Squall?� Quistis asked, snooping radar alerting. �He�s coming?�

�Well, who are you gonna invite else?� Selphie seemed completely disinterested in the fact that Squall had accepted an invitation for the first time in a year. Seifer tilted his head so that the sound had a shorter way to travel before reaching his eardrum.

�Well, Irvine of course and Rinoa. Maybe Nida, but I don�t think he�d be too comfortable around you guys.�

�But it�s always nice to be asked.�

For some reason, Quistis threw Seifer a fast glance before turning back to Selphie.

Yeah, Seifer silently agreed, it�s sure nice to be asked.

�Irvy won�t say no, not when there�s free food involved.�

�Food?�

Seifer had reached the limit of how much he could stand being left in the dark. It didn�t help that the topic was one of his favourites as well: everyone else.

Selphie nodded vigorously while Quistis seemed to have indigestion problems.

�Yeah, Zelly�s having a V-day dinner party, or you know; A finally-back-home-after-a-long-ass-mission- and-he�s-missed-us-all (-but-mostly-Selphie)-soooo-much kinda thing.�

Seifer nodded, looking over his shoulder to the entrance. Weren�t Fuu and Raijin coming soon?

�Sounds nice, have fun.�

He made as if to stand but was restrained by a strong grip around his wrist.

�You wanna come?�

Seifer was floored.

He had expected nothing, and if anything maybe an apology, but never an invitation.

�Uh.�

�Is that a yes or a no?� Selphie chirped, batting her lashes at him.

�A yes, I guess. What time.�

�5 Pm, tonight. You don�t have to bring anything.�

�What!� Selphie sprang to her feet, leaning threateningly over the table at Zell. �Why doesn�t he have to bring anything? You asked me for a gazillion things!�

Zell rolled his eyes and sighed.

�Selph, I asked you for a CD that you borrowed from me �a gazillion� years ago and to bring that movie you�ve been bugging us about.�

�Yeah, but�� Selphie�s bottom lip got in the way of further speech and Seifer smirked, getting up. His posse just walked through the doors and he did have a reputation to uphold.

�See you later then.�

TBC
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Magic of Valentine