Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Final Fantasy VIII, however I do intend on using them for my own selfish amusement!

Author’s Notes: Some people have said that they noticed a bit of OOCness in some of the characters… especially Squall… but I do have to point out that this IS an AU!!!

They walked from the school holding hands; each buried in silence and their thoughts. Raw emotions lay just beneath the surface of that silence, and the electricity generated was palpable in the air around them. Neither of them wished to break the magic of that moment. For once in both of their lives, there was someone who knew and understood them completely, and that was magical indeed.

As they approached Squall's front door, their hands broke contact, but not before each gave the other a reassuring squeeze.

They didn't encounter anyone on the way to Squall's room, and for both of them that was a relief, though for different reasons. Seifer didn't want to have to be polite and Squall didn't want to offer an explanation, so it worked out rather well. Once inside the protective walls of Squall's room and with the door securely locked, they breathed a collective sigh of relief.

Seifer knew that they needed to talk about things, but he was both unsure of how to break the silence and of what to say. So instead of trying to force conversation, he simply crawled onto the bed. Glancing at Squall's clock, he realized that this was the longest he'd ever been away from home and he couldn't help but wonder if they were worried about him. The thought caused a rueful smirk to come to his lips.

Squall had been watching Seifer out of the corner of his eye and when that bitter sneer crossed the other's lips, he raised an eyebrow in concern.

"You okay?"

Seifer glanced up at him and sighed.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I was just wondering if my parents were concerned in the slightest about me. Which, of course, is bullshit. They probably haven't even noticed that I'm not home yet."

"Oh.well, if it's any consolation I'm glad you're here, and not at home. I'd be worried sick about you if you weren't."

The smirk turned into a full smile at Squall's words.

"Oh really?"

"Yes really.now, don't move."

Seifer quirked an eyebrow, what in the world did he mean by that? He watched as Squall walked over the large cedar chest and pulled out a sketchbook. Closing the lid, he promptly sat on it, pulling his knees towards his chest. Bracing the sketchpad against his thighs, he began to draw. Every now and then, Seifer could see his eyes peek over the book to glance at him.

He loved Squall's eyes and how they seemed to reflect whatever emotion he was feeling. He'd heard somewhere that the eyes were windows to the soul and Seifer could see that it was true, especially with Squall.

The sketch had been started mainly out of something to do, but as Squall began the outline of Seifer's body, he realized that this was going to be more difficult than he had first thought. It wasn't the drawing that was difficult - it was the subject.

A flush stained his cheeks as he drew the first tentative strokes. There was something.intimate about this, and he almost stopped. But as his gaze darted over the sketchbook, he found Seifer's eyes watching him and it made him smile.

With the outline done, Squall began the process that would turn the ovals and circles into a real drawing. He started with the face and head, and as he moved down to the neck and chest, he realized that he didn't want clothes in the way. He wanted this drawing to mirror the reality of what Seifer was.

Wordlessly, Squall sat the sketchbook down and moved over to Seifer, pulling him into a sitting position. He looked braver than he felt but, when Seifer didn't protest upon removal of his shirt, a feeling of peace quelled the butterflies in Squall's stomach. Seifer wouldn't hurt him, he wasn't Shane, and for once he was in control of the situation and not just being forced to react. He couldn't bring himself to look into Seifer's eyes, but he did softly trace a faded scar that lay almost hidden within the fine golden hairs dusted below his navel. Seifer shuddered almost imperceptibly under his fingers, and that brought a rush of heat directly to Squall's groin.

Gently he unsnapped Seifer's jeans and slowly slid down the zipper. He could feel the heat of the blush on his cheeks and his hands shook slightly, but he managed to get the fabric to lay like he wanted it to, parted in sort of a "V" shape that exposed more of Seifer's skin, and just the barest hint of pubic hair. The fact that Seifer wasn't wearing underwear brought a small smile to his lips. Gently, Squall eased Seifer slowly back down to the bed, repositioning him, so that he lay on his side with his head resting on his arm, and then moved rather quickly back to his seat on the cedar chest.

Seifer struggled for his breath. When Squall removed his shirt, his palms had begun to sweat, and the soft touch just below his navel had almost brought a moan of pleasure to his lips. He shuddered involuntarily, trying to keep his reaction to Squall's touch at a bare minimum, but when Squall unbuttoned his jeans, he couldn't help but draw a shaky breath and hold it. He could see the flush on Squall's cheeks, and he wondered briefly if his cheeks would flush a deeper shade of crimson with passion.

Quickly, Seifer tried to temper the rush of blood to his groin that his thoughts had brought, but it was a useless gesture. He was rock hard and couldn't help it one bit. Apparently Squall hadn't noticed though, and that was a good thing. As Squall positioned him where he wanted him, Seifer breathed in his scent and felt his arousal twitch with desire. He wanted to reach out and just brush the hair out of Squall's eyes, but he was too afraid of breaking the moment to try it. When Squall moved away from him, he almost whimpered, the cool rush of air hardening his nipples and making gooseflesh stand out on his arms. He immediately missed the heat that Squall's body had produced, but stayed just as he'd positioned him. If this was what Squall wanted, then that was what he would give him.

Time stood still as Squall worked, his hand crafted each line and curve lovingly and when it came time to fill in the face, his eyes searched out and found Seifer's. Had someone been watching, they would have noticed that Squall's eyes never left Seifer's as he drew his face. His hand moved as if of it's own accord, reproducing exactly what his eyes perceived.

Seifer's breathing slowed to a crawl and he felt as if he were floating away. Squall's eyes were like blue liquid fire that he could feel burning into him. This was an experience unlike any he'd ever had before, and he only wanted to go on feeling it forever. The outside world didn't matter. No crazy, drunken father could ever touch him here, and that sense of security made everything he had gone through up to this point almost worthwhile.

Squall set aside the sketchbook, and without breaking eye contact with Seifer, he got up and moved slowly over to where the other lay. He kneeled near him and both hands reached out for his face and pulled him close, brushing his lips against Seifer's in a slow and unhurried kiss that spoke of barely contained passion.

Thinking he would go mad if he didn't do something, Seifer reached up with his free hand to caress the back of Squall's hand as it cupped his face. When Squall didn't flinch or pull away, he allowed his hand to trail further up his arm until it had reached his shoulder. Squeezing it gently, he urged the slender body down to lie next to his.

Squall's hands moved away from Seifer's face and wandered softly down his neck and trailed down his chest, causing Seifer to shudder pleasurably, moaning softly into the kiss. Leisurely Squall's hand traveled down to gently caress the skin his open jeans exposed.

Seifer gasped and his hands flexed along Squall's back. When his fingers deftly brushed along the length of his arousal, Seifer thought he would explode.

A loud and rushed knock at Squall's bedroom door shattered the moment, making both boys groan. Squall leaned his forehead against Seifer's and let out an exasperated sigh.

"Whoever it is, I'm going to kill them!"

Seifer chuckled deep in his chest and gently squeezed Squall's shoulder.

"Don't worry about it. We have all night," he whispered.

Squall looked up quickly into Seifer's eyes. It was no longer a question of if it would happen, it had moved to a question of when. Part of Squall wanted to fight against it, to say no, that it would never occur, yet the rest of him longed for the healing that would come by moving on. By finding someone who wouldn't hurt him, and Seifer was that person.

Taking a deep breath he got up and went to answer the door.

(End Chapter Eleven)

A/N: Okay, here is what my returning muses have produced! I hope it satisfies everyone's desire to read this story. To be honest, I am finding that this one seems to get more attention than Redemption and that is really strange seeing as how this is an AU and not set in the actual game setting like Redemption is. Maybe it is because it deals with a lot of real life issues I don't really know. If any of you feel the desire to do so, please try and put into words why it is that you like this fic.. I don't care how long they are, in fact I love long reviews.. that is how I found my Beta Avatar Infidel who incidentally deserves much praise for her work here. Thanks sweetie, you truly made this Chapter all that it could be without detracting one bit from what I wanted to say!

Okay now to answer a few of my reviews..

Fade to Black: I will be more than willing to tell you all about why I disappeared for a while, feel free to e-mail me and I will rant for hours about it! But only for you! I am really glad that you didn't give up on me and that you returned with your Yaoi begging mat. I look forward to hearing from you! SO GET TO E-MAILING BOY... Here is your update and no you aren't crazy, you did read Chapter 10 before, but I did some revamping on it before reposting it!

To everyone else: Thanks for leaving me so many wonderful reviews! I look forward to many many more in the near future! JA NE!

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