Double Take
Chapter 12
Disclaimer: All places, characters are not mine, nothing here is mine, everything belongs to Squaresoft.
Notes: If you get confused with all the Squall, just remember our Squall is the non-smiling one.
Double Take
Chapter 12
Squall smiled as he stood with his friends at the front gate, Laguna had come to visit them along with his two friends Kiros and Ward.
Quistis stepped up to shake his hand. “Hello Mr president.”
The older man cringed. “It’s Laguna!” He hugged Squall and looked among the friends. “Where’s Squall?”
Quistis and the others looked at the floor and fell silent.
“You did tell him I was coming, right?”
“Yeah, but you know Squall.”
Laguna nodded sadly. “Maybe I should stay in the hotel in Balamb, it’ll be better that way.”
“No, don’t leave because of him.” Squall protested.
“It’s his garden, if he doesn’t want me here then-” He trailed off, looked up over the heads of the seeds at his son, who leaned on the main directory.
“What’s he doing here?” Their commander asked coldly.
Laguna tried his best to look invisible, the other Squall felt sorry for him. He glared up at his double.
“Selphie told you he was coming.”
“She asked and I said no.”
“But-” Squall started but Laguna cut him off. “It’s alright, we can stay in the hotel, we can still hang out in Balamb, right?”
Quistis, Selphie and Irvine agreed, following the three older men out of the front gate. Seifer took Squall’s hand but the brunette stepped back. “You go, I’ll catch up.” He walked backwards towards the lift seeing Seifer nod before he hurried to catch the lift.
The original Squall frowned as his double walked in and stood beside him. “Why do you do that?”
“Do what?”
“You know what I mean, you push everyone away. Don’t you love your father? I wish mine was still alive.”
Squall snorted. “Well you can have him but don’t come crying to me when he abandons you too.”
The other Squall sighed. “You live in the past, he deserved better than that, can’t you at least be civil with him?”
Silence.
“Wouldn’t you be sad if he died knowing you hated him?”
“.......”
“Then go do something about it?”
The commander gave the other brunette a shocked look, wondering how he knew what he’d said.
“I’m you, remember?”
The lift dinged and Squall stepped out, wanting to hide in his office, but the other man grabbed his arm. “Hey! I’m not done with you yet!”
“Why don’t you go away and play with your friends?”
“They’re your friends too. Why don’t you come with me?”
“And do what?”
“Hang out, you are still a teenage you know?”
Squall managed to get shake off the other man’s grip and get the door open. The other brunette saw Zell sitting on the couch. “Hey Zell, you agree with me don’t you?”
“About what?” The blonde came to the door, resting a hand on his lover’s shoulder.
“That Squall should come into town with us to have fun.”
The blonde grinned. “Yeah. I’ve been trying to convince he to hang out with us for ages.” He turned to his lover. “Come on, baby you might like it.”
The other Squall smiled and grabbed one of Squall’s arms while Zell got the other one. The commander walked stiffly to Balamb, not entirely willingly but he had his lover hanging on to one arm and his double hanging onto the other arm so he couldn’t turn back.
The seeds were waiting outside the hotel. Selphie was trying to talk everyone into going down to the beach to finish what they started before. Quistis argued that they didn’t have their customs and Irvine suggested skinny dipping.
“So? What are we doing?”
All four seeds looked up in shock, hearing their commander’s voice. Both Squalls stood in front of them with Zell.
“What’s he doing here?”
“I invited him.” Squall said.
“And he came willingly.”
Zell looked sheepish. “Well not entirely willingly but now that we’re here what are we doing?”
“Beach!”
“But Selphie-”
“Please! We can just walk along it and paddle and stuff, it’ll be fun.”
Everyone sighed, knowing Selphie always got her own way.
“YAY! Thanks guys!” She looked around. “Now where did Sir Laguna go?”
Squall stood and at back with Zell as everyone marched towards the docks in search of Laguna.
“What have I let myself in for?”
Zell chuckled. “See? New Squall’s not so bad, at least he’ll get everyone off your case for a while. Do you think he could stay?”
“........Yeah he can stay, he can act as me when I don’t want to go to boring old meetings.”
His lover laughed. “Come on lets follow the others before we lose them.”