Life in the Big City

Chapter One

By J. Marie and adaptions of Dark Angel Genesis' concepts

Warning!!! This is a lemon yaoi fanfiction starring Seifer Almasy and Squall Leonhart from Final Fantasy VIII. It is rated NC-17. Gay male homosexual acts in explicit detail requiring you to be over 18 are featured here. Yadda yadda. Anyways, this story is set in an alternate universe. I do not change the characters, but their surroundings, and modify their backgrounds as necessary. This is story is kind of a what if kinda deal. What if Seifer and Squall lived in the real world? This answers that question. In this story, Seifer and Squall try to make a living in New York City. Now, this story is loosely based off a roleplaying session I once had with Dark Angel Genesis, years ago. The part of Seifer was played by me, and the part of Squall was played by her. This story is NOT an rp log, as we did this over a year ago. I added in some of my own scenes and touches, but I would still like to give credit where it's due. Dark Angel Genesis DID roleplay Squall and the majority of her take on Squall is adapted into this story. I, J. Marie, however, am the one who has written the story, I originally set up the setting in the rp session, and added in extra scenes and taken GREAT liberties with many scenes. The idea of Squall's little, um, *fetish* was hers, though not roleplayed in this particular story. She gave me permission to write this last year, but I never got around to it. I hope the permission still stands. ^_^

Squall Leonhart wandered the streets of New York City, with his old World War II bomber jacket zipped up. It was a cold, dreary day. A black knit cap covered his head and he was wearing a ratty old pair of jeans. Despite the leather gloves, his hands were still cold and he slipped them in his jacket pockets. The icy air hit his face, leaving his cheeks reddened from the exposure.

He wandered past a small Italian restaurant, and his moonstone colored gray eyes caught on the big sign in the window.

Help Wanted.

Squall headed in the restaurant, relieved at the warmth inside. He desperately needed a job, but knew that with his almost non-existent work experience and education that he could look forward to an enterprising career in the fast food industry. Maybe he'd strike gold here.

It was a pretty little restaurant, rather colloquial. Red and white checkered tablecloths and wine jugs with candles lit in them graced each table. Several patrons were quietly eating and the place was surprisingly busy. This area was near a huge office building, and seemed to be the lunch spot for the entire tower. A jovial looking woman of obvious Italian descent was joking with the some of the customers but turned her attention to Squall, flashing him a wide smile.

"Hello, there! Welcome to Bertelli's! I'm Angelina, how can I help you?" the plump woman asked, bustling over to him.

Squall gave her a tight smile, having always found the act of smiling foreign, but he was trying to get a job. "I, uh, saw your sign... And I was wondering if I could, um, apply........." he said, feeling uncomfortable.

"Excellent! Giuseppe quit yesterday because he had to stay home to take care of his babino.... And I already have a prospect.. Come to the back with me, young man... What is your name?" the middle-aged woman asked, motioning him to follow her to the back.

"Squall. Squall Leonhart, ma'am...." Squall said as he followed.

"Well, I'm Angelina Bertelli, and I own this place. Are you looking for a part-time job, for after school?" she asked politely when they reached the back, motioning Squall to her office and seating him in a rickety wooden chair.

"Um, no, ma'am. I don't go to school. I can't afford to. I'm looking for something full-time," Squall sighed. He was fresh out of high school, and everyone knew it.

"Couldn't you get a scholarship?" Angelina asked with surprise, sitting down behind her old oak desk.

"I graduated. That alone was something my teachers didn't expect. No scholarships for the likes of me," Squall sighed. He hated how everyone expected him to be in school.

"That's an interesting scar... Where did you get it?" Angelina asked.

Squall was downright annoyed. The woman was nosy. "I got into a fight in high school with another kid. We were both in the Fencing Club..." Squall sighed.

"Sorry. It just looks familiar is all," Angelina smiled, sensing Squall's annoyance. "So do you have any restaurant experience?"

Squall winced. He hated these questions. "No."

"Where was the last place you've worked?"

"I haven't yet."

Angelina blinked. "Do you have any skills?"

"I can read and write. I can even add and subtract. Look, I know I'm loser, but I learn fast, and can do anything you ask if I'm taught. I flat broke. I don't have any place to stay and the state has kicked me out of the orphanage because I'm eighteen and out of school." He hated sounding so damn pathetic.

Angelina nodded. "Alright. You got the job."

Squall blinked, and managed a sort of small half-smile, his equivalent of a grin. "Really? Why?" he asked, suspicious.

The woman shook her head sadly. "Why not? Don't look a gift horse in the mouth..." she chuckled.

"Oh. Um, thanks and all....." Squall said.

"Your welcome. Now I don't really have any set certain job for you. You'll probably be doing a lot of loading and unloading from the truck when we get deliveries, and I might have you drive around and pick stuff up when I need it, or go to the bank when necessary."

"I don't have a car."

"That's alright. When you're running errands for me, you can use mine. I might have you wait on tables, or bus them, depending on staffing. I might even have you help out the cooks. Sound alright?" she asked.

"Sure, sure. Great," Squall said.

"I'll pay you nine dollars an hour. I'd pay you more, but I can't afford it," Angelina said.

Squall's eyes nearly bugged out. That was a lot for a kid fresh out high school with no experience and no education. "Wow... Thanks," he said.

"Alright. You're going to start today. Let me show you around," she said, getting up.

Squall followed the woman around as she showed him the restaurant and introduced him to a couple of the waiters. She stopped by the kitchen and Squall could hear loud arguing in a mixture of Italian and English.

"I tell you, my sauce is better than yours! You are a fool, Mario!

"And I tell you that my sauce is better than yours, Carmelo! If you had the sense of a blind rat, you could understand that!"

Squall blinked and Angelina looked almost apologetic as she led him in. "Mario, Carmelo! This is Squall, and he's going to be working here... Squall, these are my brothers and the chefs here," Angelina chuckled as Squall blinked rapidly at the sight of the identical twins. They were even wearing the same clothing.

"Um, hi," Squall said quietly as the two men blinked at him.

"Wonderful! Taste my sauce and tell this fool that it's better than his!" one of them said, holding out a spoon.

"No, taste mine and tell this idiot mine is better than his!" the other man shouted, holding out another spoon.

Squall looked at Angelina helplessly. She chuckled. "They'll never let you escape if you don't taste the sauce," she laughed.

Squall sighed and tasted each spoonful of sauce and stood up, not saying anything. He looked between the men.

"Well??" one of them asked impatiently.

"They both taste the same," he sighed as Angelina burst into laughter.

The brothers looked at each other and then Squall.

"What does he know?"

"Why'd we ask him anyways?"

Squall sighed as Angelina led him out. "I'm sorry, but they adore arguing. They started when they came into this world, and they'll continue until they leave it. I'm gonna take you to the loading area, and you can meet the other young man who works here. He has the same job description, and he'll show you around. If you need help, just ask him. Just help him unload and put everything up for now. Just follow him," Angelina chuckled, leading Squall past the loading area and outside, by a delivery truck.

A tall blonde was sorting through boxes, grumbling under his breath. "Seifer! You have a helper now!" the woman shouted.

Squall almost passed out when she called the name. And indeed Seifer Almasy turned around, his handsome face registering surprise. The two young men gaped at each other.

"Oh. My. God. I can't work here," Squall said after a few minutes.

"You must be joking, Angelina. What'd you hire this loser for?" Seifer asked as his scar crinkled up as he sneered at Squall.

"You two know each other? And I assume don't like each other?" Angelina said, looking between the men. You could cut the tension with a knife.

"He's the one who scarred my face. Him and his ego. He could never handle being second best," Squall spat, glaring at Seifer.

"Second best, my ass, Squall. It wasn't my fault you didn't see my blade coming at you. 'Sides, you got me back. Now we're a matched set....." Seifer sneered.

"I don't understand," Angelina said.

"We grew up together, in the same orphanage. We went to the same school and everything. We even joined the Fencing Club together. He started a fight with me when I started dating his ex-girlfriend, and presto, we both scar each other's face," Squall said quietly.

"I can't work with him, Angie. I can't even stand him," Seifer scowled.

"Alright. That's nice. Squall. You need a job, right?" she asked the scowling brunette.

"Yes," Squall sighed.

"Seifer. You need a job, right?" she asked the scowling blonde.

"Yes," Seifer said tersely.

"Then the two of you better learn to get along. Because you're both working for me. Understood?" Angelina said in a tone that left no room for argument.

"Yes, ma'am," they said in unison, and then glared at each other.

"Now, Seifer, practice your congeniality, and show Squall around. Save the fighting for when you're off the clock and property," Angelina said cheerfully, making an exit.

Seifer and Squall glared at each other for a few minutes, before Seifer smirked. "Nice to see you've hit an all-time low," he said.

"At least I have you to share my misery with," Squall said sourly.

"Where's Rinoa?" Seifer asked casually.

"At college."

"She dumped you?"

"Why would she want to stick around a guy with no future to speak of?"

"That sounds like Rinny. Once she sense you're going nowhere, she dumps you for the next cute guy with a bright future."

"We could exchange Rinoa horror stories all day and get fired, or start working, and keep our jobs," Squall said coldly, automatically clamming up at Seifer's attempt at conversation. Seifer never remained civil for long.

"Same old Squall. You got as much personality as a dead crab. And don't worry about Angelina. She loves me," Seifer said arrogantly.

"That's great, but I find moving boxes more stimulating than being your kick toy. So what am I doing?" Squall said shortly.

"You are going to help me load these boxes off. Keep them together, like I sorted them. It's simple enough for even a burn-out like you to understand."

Squall sighed and ignored Seifer's insult and began moving boxes, trying to let the manual labor take his mind off the fact that he was here, with Seifer. Seifer kept his remarks to himself as they unloaded the truck, for which Squall was grateful for. Seifer seemed a little more mature since he graduated high school a year ago. And Squall had changed more than Seifer knew. More than anyone knew.

He might not admit it to everyone else, but Squall was at least open with himself now.

Seifer grinned when they stopped unloading and surveyed their work. "Alright. That's enough for now. Time to go get lunch from Mario and Carmelo," he said, heading towards the kitchen, where the sounds of the brother's bickering carried.

Squall and Seifer entered the kitchen, skirting the heated argument between the twin chefs. A short, plump girl that looked to be about their age was sitting at a table, munching on some spaghetti.

"Hey, Jolie!! Whassup, girlfriend!" Seifer greeted, fixing himself a plate of spaghetti big enough for three and motioning for Squall to do the same.

"Not much, Seifer. Same old shit, brand new day. Who's your cute little chocolate-haired bitch?" the girl yawned, taking another bite of her meal and smirking at Squall who almost dropped his plate at her comment.

"Oh, him? That's Squall. He ain't my bitch. Don't stand too close to him, or you'll get frostbitten. We use to go to school together. That is, when he bothered to show up," Seifer grinned, as Squall pointedly sat in the seat farthest from Seifer's which placed him beside the plump brunette girl.

"Oh, but you never played hooky or anything, right? Nice to meet you, Squall. I'm Jolie," the girl introduced herself. She wasn't beautiful, but she still managed to be attractive, despite the fact that she could stand to lose a few pounds.

"Um, nice to meet you. What do you do here?" Squall asked, not because he cared, but to keep Seifer from making comments.

"Me? Besides babysitting Seifer and keeping him out of trouble, I wait on the tables. I may be Italian, and yes, I'm eating spaghetti, but I'd rather be eating Japanese any day," Jolie smirked. Squall noticed that her make-up stunk of alternative flavoring, and she had some Wiccan jewelry on. He was almost relieved to meet someone who wasn't prescribing to the Italian stereotype.

"Oh. Well, I don't know what I am..... Are you old enough to be serving tables?" Squall asked. She looked to be sixteen or seventeen.

Seifer began to laugh and the girl sighed and rolled her eyes. "I'm twenty-one. Yes, I'm old enough. And you look to have some mixture of French and Oriental," Jolie sighed.

"Oh, you look younger. Are you sure about that?" Squall said.

"As sure as I am about Seifer being Irish-German. And yes, I know that I look younger. You have no idea what a pain in the ass buying a carton of cigarettes is," Jolie grumped.

"Irish-German?" Seifer asked, raising a golden eyebrow.

"With maybe a little Scot. I'd even believe you have Norwegian in you. Squall looks a little Thai, but it's hard to say."

"Yeah, I could see him on that site you showed me with the Thai faggots,"' Seifer smirked.

"Yeah, but he's definitely got French in him somewhere. But that goes hand and hand with the faggot thing," the girl smirked.

"Not all French people are faggots," Squall said sourly.

"They are on the sites I go to," Jolie laughed and Seifer guffawed.

"Why do you go to gay sites?" Squall blinked, curling up a lip in question.

"Because gay men turn me on. Why else?" she asked nonchalantly.

Squall stared at her in disbelief as Seifer snickered.

"Don't look at me like that. Plenty of men think lesbians are hot. Why can't I like gay men?" Jolie challenged.

"It's just that most women don't seem to be into anal," Squall blinked.

"Oh, I don't personally want to have anal sex. But it's fine when the guy is fucking another guy," Jolie shrugged.

"You're weird," Squall sighed.

"Thanks. I try. I'm actually one of the biggest defenders of the gay community. One day I'll even stop calling gay men faggots. But for right now I mean it in a purely comical way," Jolie said with authority.

"I couldn't care less," Squall sighed, working on his plate of spaghetti.

"Didn't want to offend your minority grouping or anything," Jolie smirked as Seifer collapsed into a fit of laughter.

"I'm not gay," Squall said sourly.

"Alright. I'm not weird," Jolie said with a smile. Squall rolled his eyes. He hated it when people joked about him being gay.

"Whatever," Squall said coldly, finishing his plate quickly and standing up.

"Ouch. I'm sorry I'm not wearing a jacket. Jeez, you're no fun. I'm just kidding," Jolie blinked. Seifer just shook his head.

"Don't worry about it. He's not terribly sociable," Seifer shrugged.

Squall left the room, not wanting to be the center of attention anymore. Seifer came out shortly and they began to move the boxes to the storeroom, and Squall set about unpacking them. He kept silent, and Seifer didn't try to make conversation, much to his relief.

The day went by pretty quickly after that, and Angelina came back and told Squall that he could go ahead home. Seifer was helping Jolie serve the tables.

"Um, Angelina..... I was wondering if you knew somewhere I could stay. I don't have much money, and I was staying at the shelter down the street," Squall said, hanging his head.

"That's alright. Here, I'll give you an advance. Take Bus 58 down to Maple, and you'll see an apartment building called 'The Heights'. it's a little ghetto, but it's a place to stay. They'll take a small down payment and you'll be able to move in tonight. Sound okay?" Angelina asked.

"Yeah, thanks. Thanks a lot," Squall blinked, surprised as she handed him some cash.

"Alright. See you tomorrow at 6am," Angelina smiled and walked away.

Squall smiled at the woman's generosity and walked back to the shelter, picking up his duffel bag with his meager belongings and his pet cat, Griever. He fed Griever some of the meat he had sneaked out and headed down to the bus stop.

Seifer was perched on the bench, eating a chocolate candy bar. He glanced over at Squall, looking down at the pet carrier and the duffel bag. "Let me guess," he sighed. "Angelina sent you to The Heights, right?"

"Got it in one. I assume, knowing my luck, that you live there as well?" Squall sighed.

"Yep. Just keep your cat away from Fujin and Raijin, and they won't eat him," Seifer smirked.

"Just keep your dogs away from Griever and he won't eat them," Squall retorted. Griever was a big cat, and as nasty as a pit bull.

The two young men were silent until the bus came. They both boarded, sitting on opposite sides. Squall sat in the front, and Seifer in the back. Squall let Seifer ring for the bus stop, and stepped out in front of the sorriest apartment building he ever saw. Seifer walked past him and up the steps, assumingly to his own apartment. Squall sighed to himself and walked to the front desk, relieved to find that the place at least wasn't crawling with bugs.

A bored receptionist looked up at him and perked up, admiring his beauty. "Can I help you, sir?" she asked.

"Uh, yeah. I need an apartment. Tonight," he sighed.

The woman nodded and took out some paperwork. "Just sign here. It's a hundred dollars down and you'll get your rent bill at the end of the month. Studio, right?" she asked, judging by his appearance that he wasn't the richest man in the world.

"Yeah. With furnishings, if you got it."

"We do. It'll be three hundred a month. No utilities included," she said.

"Figured. That's fine," Squall said as he signed.

The girl handed him a key and directed him to the fifth floor, room 102. Squall headed up the stairs, not trusting the rickety elevator. He found his apartment, and winced out the sound of dogs barking next door. Griever hissed. A voice hollered at the dogs to shut up. A familiar voice.

As if his day hadn't been shitty enough, now he was Seifer's next door neighbor.

The next month went by relatively uneventfully. Seifer only tried to start a fight once, when Squall accidentally dropped a box on the tall blonde's foot. Squall had apologized and Seifer huffed away, realizing that getting into a fight at work was a bad idea. Despite the hard work he put in, Squall found himself beginning to like his job. Angelina was not only generous, but friendly. Jolie had a wicked sense of humor, but she made the day go by fast. Even Mario and Carmelo were nice, constantly feeding Squall. Despite his lack of money, he never went hungry thanks to those two.

Seifer seemed more civil than ever. He actually joked on occasion with Squall, and gave a polite nod to the brunette whenever he came to work. Squall found himself relaxing slightly in Seifer's presence. They even conversated once in a while. Jolie, despite her politically incorrect sense of humor, quickly became a good friend at work for Squall. They both had black humor, and bitched to each other about a job they were both perfectly comfortable with.

Squall overheard Jolie talking to Seifer about a club called "The Melting Pot". He had been wanting to go someplace for awhile now. From what she was saying about there being everything from lesbians to heteros to faggots, it sounded perfect.

So when he went home, he pulled out his secret stash of clothes, and got ready to go out.

The Melting Pot was indeed named well.

Squall admired everyone he saw. Almost every different fetish was brazenly flaunted. Bull dykes with their slinky little pets on chains, leather boys, lipstick lesbians, completely normal straight people, and swishy homosexual men crowded the place. Almost every grouping was present. Squall even spotted a gothic dressed Jolie at the bar, swigging down drinks like a man.

He was positive he wasn't the only cross-dresser there.

Squall almost went into the men's room, but caught himself and entered the ladies' room. He stepped in front of the mirror, ignoring a couple of lesbians eating each other out in one of the stalls. They bored him.

He stared at his reflection, checking his make-up. Some carefully applied concealer had covered his scar. He wore a dark brown lipstick and wine colored eyeshadow. Mascara had been applied to his his long lashes and Squall smiled at himself. He was repressed when he was dressed as a male, but when he dressed like a woman he felt free and relaxed.

He had on a long black wig, which hung down his back in seductive waves. He wore a simple black dress, tied with a black ribbon just beneath the mound of false breasts he wore. Squall had chosen a pair of black platform heels, which laced up his freshly shaven legs, smoothed with lotion. Squall was absolutely beautiful.

He retouched his scar with the concealer and walked out, back near the bar. His facial features were already effeminate, holding an almost ethereal, elfin beauty to them. Squall's muscles were slim, and easily disguised as that of a well-toned woman. He had always been a pretty boy, and now he was a beautiful woman.

He couldn't pinpoint exactly when he realized he liked to cross dress. As a boy he had always put on his Matron's clothing in the orphanage when he and his friends played dress-up. As a teenager, he dressed as every other "cool" boy would. And then he started dating Rinoa.

What he would never admit to Seifer was that the reason that Rinoa had dumped him was because she found Squall trying on her clothes. He couldn't help himself. Her white dress she wore to the prom looked great on him.

She had screamed, calling him unsavory names, and threatened to tell the whole school what he was doing. He had managed to calm her down, and she promised to keep his secret after he had quietly asked his friend Quistis Trepe to "convince" her to remain silent. Quistis was a teacher's aid, and virulently disliked the popular cheerleader Rinoa. She jumped at the chance to "convince" Rinoa of holding her tongue.

Squall smiled to himself when remembered Rinoa's black eye and baleful glare at him. Quistis had been insufferably smug after that.

The sultry brunette started at a touch on his shoulder and whirled around to see who had touched him.

Seifer grinned drunkenly at him, leaning into his space. "Hey, baby... What's a hot mama like you doing standing alone?" the blonde grinned.

Squall blinked, surprised to be hit on by Seifer of all people. He smiled slightly. The opportunity was too great to miss. A form of revenge on Seifer for all the bullying over the years he had suffered under his rival's hands.

"Just waiting for you to come by, what else?" Squall said, his voice a little higher-pitched than normal.

"Name's Seifer.... What's yours?" Seifer breathed, smiling lecherously as his eyes roved Squall's body.

"Sharon. Nice to meet you, handsome," Squall purred. He let his own eyes wander Seifer's form. The tall blonde was as handsome as ever, dressed in a silver shirt and black pants, and his golden hair had been slicked forward. Squall had to admit Seifer was sexy.

"Sharon, huh? Wanna dance?" Seifer asked.

"Sure, why not?" Squall shrugged, and allowed himself to be dragged onto the dance floor by Seifer. He had been careful to wear underwear that restrained his genitals, so just dancing with Seifer wouldn't give away his true gender. Seifer appeared drunk enough not to notice how much his dance partner looked like his childhood rival.

Squall never danced when he was dressed as man, the one time he tried, he almost killed Rinoa. But dressed as a woman, in Seifer's arms, he found a certain grace he lacked before. Seifer was a wonderful dancer and Squall felt himself soon lost in the gyrating techno music.

They danced for a long time before having a seat at one of the small black tables and Seifer ordered drinks for both of them. The staff of The Melting Pot didn't seem to care how old you were. Squall smiled coyly at Seifer. If circumstances had been different, Squall would have truly enjoyed Seifer's attentions. Seifer was a very attractive man.

Squall had always been attracted to the blonde, but had forsaken any hope of attracting Seifer back. Seifer was obviously straight, as he had been the most popular boy at school with all the girls. Besides, Seifer hated him, always picking fights with Squall, and generally being an asshole. But Seifer seemed to like Sharon.

"So, Sharon, you come here a lot?" Seifer asked.

"First time actually..... You?" Squall asked in his practiced falsetto. He had forced his voice to sound believably feminine.

"I'm a regular. I spend all my hard-earned money here...." Seifer grinned, leaning closer to Squall.

"Where do you work?" Squall asked idly. He found conversation so much easier as a woman.

"I work at a restaurant. Nothing special," Seifer shrugged.

"Really? I'm a cocktail waitress," Squall smiled, making things up as he went along.

"I'll bet you get a lot of good tips...." Seifer grinned wolfishly.

Squall giggled girlishly, and smiled softly at Seifer. "I try.... Girl's gotta make a living somehow," Squall said.

"She certainly does.." Seifer breathed and leaned in closer, his hand creeping onto Squall's thigh.

Squall allowed himself to blush. He pulled away a little. "Won't your girlfriend get upset if she finds you pawing me?" he asked.

"Don't have a girlfriend. I'm single... You?" Seifer asked seductively, nuzzling Squall's ear through.

"I'm single," Squall sighed, trying not to let himself grow aroused as Seifer massaged his thigh.

"So what's wrong with a couple of single people getting it on?" Seifer whispered into Squall's ear.

Squall sighed and detached himself. He needed to remain in control of the situation. "Not tonight, handsome. I'll see you some other time. I need to go cool off," Squall said, blowing Seifer a kiss and leaving the table.

Seifer seemed to pout as Squall left, watching the way that "Sharon" swayed "her" hips as "she" walked.

Squall hurried back to his apartment, praying Seifer wouldn't follow. He was in luck and made it back to The Heights without incident. He quickly stripped himself of all his clothing, and rubbed his sore feet. The high heels had been killing him.

Griever jumped on his lap, purring. Squall pet his cat for awhile and set down some more milk. He washed all his make-up off and lay down on his bed. Griever soon jumped up on him, purring away. Squall sighed, thinking of Seifer touching him and felt lonely. Now he was truly getting pathetic.

He wondered how long he was going to try and seduce Seifer as Sharon until Seifer found out and beat him senseless.

Squall ate his lunch quietly beside Jolie, who seemed to be recovering from a hangover.

"Come on, Jolie... I already bought the tickets. Just go with me, okay?" Seifer pleaded. Despite the amount of drinks he had imbibed the night before, he seemed to be in tip top shape.

"Seifer, why don't you take a date? I can't go tonight. Not only do I feel like shit, but I have to work on updating my site," Jolie sighed, rolling her eyes.

Seifer looked irritated. "So your faggot site is more important than me?" he asked in an angry tone.

"No, it's not, but it is more important than going to see a movie that I don't really want to go see. Ask someone else.... I'm going back to work," Jolie sighed and got up.

Seifer sighed and looked over at Squall, who had been doing his best to ignore the entire conversation. "So, Leonhart... Wanna go see Scary Movie?" Seifer grinned.

Squall blinked, almost dropping his forkful of spaghetti. "With you?" he asked incredulously.

"Well, being as how I got the tickets and all, yeah. I don't like going by myself, and neither of us has any friends left. The rest of the gang is in college, and Jolie's being a bitch. I promise not to beat you up," Seifer grinned.

"Just about a year ago, we hated each other so much, we scarred each other's faces. Now you're asking me out?" Squall raised a chocolate eyebrow.

"Whoa! Not on a date! As friends, buddies, two guys hanging out in a non-sexual manner....." Seifer said quickly, holding up his hands.

"Whatever. We're not friends," Squall said sourly.

"No, we're not. But we work together, we live next door to each other, and we've known each other our whole lives. Might as well become friends. Beating up on you is kinda boring now," Seifer smirked.

"Fine, I'll go. The moment you turn into an asshole, I leave," Squall said evenly.

"Fair enough. The moment you start talking to yourself in your head, I turn into an asshole," Seifer grinned.

Squall rolled his eyes. "Whatever," he said drolly.

"We'll have enough time to go home, get dressed, and then walk to the theater. Movie starts at nine," Seifer grinned and got up, heading back to work.

Squall finished his lunch, wondering why Seifer was being so nice all of a sudden.

Squall emerged from his apartment, looking over at Seifer's door. Seifer still wasn't out, so Squall knocked politely on Seifer's door.

"Come in!"

Squall headed inside and was greeted by Fujin's growling. She was a mean old dog with one eye and a temper to match Griever's. Seifer's other dog, a huge mutt named Raijin, opened his eyes briefly before falling back asleep. Seifer stepped out of his bathroom, bare-chested. Squall tried not to stare, even though he desperately wanted to study Seifer's perfectly muscled body.

"Sorry I took so long. Had to walk the dogs," Seifer said as he put on a red shirt over his jeans. Squall had worn a blue shirt and a pair of khakis.

"Fine. Let's go and get this over with," Squall said impatiently.

"Jeez, you make it sound like I'm taking you to the dentist. Don't be so negative. We might actually have fun. Provided you lighten up," Seifer grinned and ushered Squall out, locking the door behind him.

They were silent on the walk down to the movie theater, walking side by side. Squall thought it was better than exchanging scars though. When they arrived at the theater, Seifer handed in the tickets and the ticket taker motioned for them head over to one of the theaters. His voice was so bored and nasal neither man caught what he said and instead followed the signs.

It was starting to get crowded, but Seifer's muscle managed to get both himself and Squall good seats while Squall bought the popcorn and soda. Squall returned to find Seifer looking smug with his legs draped over Squall's seat.

"Just don't tell me how you got the seats," Squall sighed.

"Alright. Extra butter and salt right?" Seifer asked as Squall sat down beside him.

"I can tolerate extra butter, but you'll have to live without the salt," Squall shrugged, placing the bag between them and handing Seifer his Coke.

"Fussy little Squall.... Still demand your peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to not have any crusts?" Seifer grinned.

Squall sipped at his Diet Coke. "Of course. And I assume you still never eat your vegetables?" he asked idly.

"I'll eat vegetables now, but you still won't see me eating peas. But they're still fun to throw at people," Seifer chuckled.

Squall allowed the ghost of a smile to play on his lips. "Just don't throw any more at me," he sighed.

"Nah. It was more fun to throw them at the chicken wuss anyways. He screamed louder than the girls did...." Seifer chuckled.

The movie started and Seifer and Squall fell silent. Scary Movie was funnier than Squall thought it was going to be and both he and Seifer found themselves almost crying in laughter. There were enough gay jokes in it to even make Squall hysterical.

Seifer and Squall waited until the crowd dispersed to leave. Just to be ornery, Seifer left his trash purposefully on his seat, ignoring the Please Dispose of Trash in the Proper Receptacles signs posted every five feet. Squall threw his trash away.

They walked side by side back home, silent again.

"Funny movie, eh?" Seifer said after awhile.

"Yeah," Squall said in his usual short tone.

"Never seen you laugh like that before. Didn't know you could. It was almost frightening," Seifer grinned.

"When something's funny, I laugh," Squall said matter-of-factly.

"So was hanging with me so bad?"

"No, it wasn't."

Squall looked over at Seifer, catching the blonde's gaze. Intense green eyes gazed into moody gray eyes. Something seemed to pass between them, but Seifer turned his face. Squall realized he was holding his breath and exhaled slowly, cursing his gender. If he had been born a woman, Seifer wouldn't turn away. Their relationship would be so much different.

"Um, we should do this again some time. You're a little dry, but not so bad to hang with when I'm feeling mellow," Seifer shrugged when they reached the hallway where their apartments were.

"Coming from you, I'm honored," Squall said drolly.

Seifer snickered. "See, that's what I like about you. You got wit. Wit is good... Later, Squall," Seifer said as he withdrew into his apartment. Squall sighed and headed into his own, greeted by a purring Griever.

Squall picked up his cat, feeling desperately lonely now that Seifer was no longer present. He never realized how much he was getting to like Seifer's company until now. His thoughts turned to Sharon and he smiled.

He was going back to the Melting Pot tomorrow night. Or rather "she" was.

"Hey, baby! Nice to see you again...." Seifer grinned.

Squall batted his eyelashes at Seifer, favoring the tall blonde with a coy smile. "Same here, handsome. Glad to see you're not sore about the other night," he said, using his practiced falsetto.

"It's alright. I was drunk and horny. I don't blame you for running off. By the way, I love the way that dress looks on you," Seifer purred, admiring Squall's form. Squall was wearing a red dress with a slit up the thigh, that hugged his slim and feminine form. Squall's legs were truly beautiful, and he was showing them off with style.

"Hmmm. Not quite an apology, but it'll do. Flattery will get you everywhere," Squall smiled.

"Like to have a drink?" Seifer asked, waving his hand at an empty table.

"Alright," Squall said, swaying his hips as he walked towards the table, giving Seifer a fine view of the perfect swell of his ass.

Seifer was grinning when he slid in next to "Sharon". "How can a woman be so damn sultry and not be on magazine covers?" he asked.

The waiter came and they ordered their drinks, and Squall took great relish in ordering an "Orgasm", just to see the reaction on Seifer's face. Seifer slid in closer to Squall, their thighs lightly touching.

"How can a man be so sexy and not be on soap operas?" Squall asked, tracing a red lacquered fingernail along the buttons of Seifer's black shirt.

"Guess we both missed our true calling, huh?" Seifer purred as drinks were set by them by an amused waiter. Both Seifer and Squall ignored him.

"Guess so..." Squall purred back. Just pure physical attraction. Lust. All Seifer wanted from Sharon was a roll in the hay. But that suited Squall just fine. It was more than he would ever get from Seifer as a man.

"Can I at least get a kiss? You just left me last night....." Seifer grinned, leaning into Squall.

"I suppose I owe you at least a kiss," Squall whispered, dropping his eyes to look at Seifer's inviting mouth. When he was a man, it took him months to get the courage to even kiss Rinoa. As a woman, he was playing the part of a sultry sex kitten.

Seifer leaned in, and drew his lips around Squall's, sucking gently on the brunette's generous lips before drawing them in. Squall felt breathless as he kissed Seifer. He'd always wanted to be kissed and touched by a man, but had been so repressed before, he never let it happen. The feel of Seifer's mouth made him feel on fire. His stomach began to knot. Seifer's tongue darted inside his mouth, sliding against Squall's tongue. Squall felt incredibly hot.

Seifer's arms encircled Squall's waist, pulling the disguised man against him. Squall wrapped his arms around Seifer, feeling the taut muscles of the blonde's back. He kissed back with more passion than he ever had. He never thought anything could feel so wonderful and it was just a simple kiss.

Seifer pulled back slightly, panting heavily. "I want to touch you," he whispered.

Squall felt his body temperature rise at the simple statement, but pulled back. "I like to play games..... You're not going to touch me, but I'm going to touch you. Wherever I like, however I like. It's a control thing. I want to be in control....." he whispered back, not wanting to risk discovery.

"I can live with that," Seifer said, surprisingly acquiescent.

Squall kissed Seifer again, shorter, but no less passionate. "Glad to hear it," he smiled coyly and began sipping his drink. Seifer began to gulp down his Midori Sour, eyeing Squall hungrily. Squall found being eyed like that by Seifer to be incredibly arousing.

Squall found Seifer's arms around his waist again, and was pulled onto Seifer's lap. He could feel the hot presence of Seifer's erection pressed against his backside, even through both their clothing. "You have got the greatest ass I've ever seen...... It's perfect," Seifer whispered huskily.

Squall smiled, wriggling over Seifer's erection, causing the blonde to gasp. "You're an ass man, eh?" he giggled.

"Definitely......" Seifer groaned. Squall was riding his crotch slowly. Seifer's pants were painfully tight and he was poking into Squall's red dress.

"Mmmmmm..." Squall moaned, closing his eyes and luxuriating in the feel of Seifer's hard cock against his ass. If things were different, there would be no clothing between Seifer's erection and his ass, but Squall couldn't risk being discovered. Not only would it spoil his fun, but Seifer would kill him.

Seifer's hands gripped Squall's thighs as the sultry brunette gave him a lap dance, and thrust his hips a little, the friction of Squall's ass against his crotch driving him wild. His hands began to drift up Squall's smooth thighs as the curve of Squall's ass rubbed furiously against his clothed erection. Squall grabbed Seifer's hands before they traveled between his legs.

"Remember what I said, handsome...." Squall whispered huskily, trying not be aroused by riding Seifer's crotch, but unable to prevent it. He was grateful to be wearing tight panties, and shifted his dress so it would cover the revealing bulge.

Seifer moaned. "Christ, you're going to make me cum myself," he muttered, his eyes fluttering in ecstasy.

Squall stopped abruptly and stood up. "Better take care of that, handsome... I'll let the staff know to hose the ceiling of the men's room when I leave. Try not to take anyone's eye out," Squall smirked.

Seifer's eyes snapped open. He was almost frantic in desperation, obviously blue-balling. "You're not going to just leave me, are you...?" he mewled, sounding pathetic.

"I'll see you next time, handsome. It was fun," Squall purred and leaned down to kiss Seifer sensuously again and then swished away, leaving Seifer to run to the men's room for release.

Not only was Squall a sultry sex kitten as Sharon, but he was turning into a regular tease.

Seifer seemed a little surly when Squall got to work. Squall thought it best to ignore Seifer until the temperamental blonde was in a better mood. After the fifth time that Seifer growled at him, Squall decided to press the issue.

"What's your problem?" Squall asked, putting his hands on his hips and doing his best to look impatient, even though he already knew the answer.

Seifer sighed and his mood seemed to dissipate when Squall finally paid him attention. "A girl I've been flirting with at this club I go to made me blue-ball. She gives me this incredible lap dance and then saunters off...." Seifer growled.

"Sounds like a tease," Squall shrugged, trying to look nonchalant.

"Yeah, you could say that. But she's really hot. I can't resist her," Seifer said with a sheepish grin.

"She's probably just toying with you. Just play her game, and you'll probably wind up with more than you bargained for," Squall said, choosing his words carefully.

"Yeah. You're probably right. But it's still irritating," Seifer sighed.

"Don't growl at me. I'm not the one who did it," Squall said, repressing the urge to grin.

Seifer gave him and odd look and then shrugged. "Right... So, what are you doing tonight?" the blonde asked.

"Dressing up like a woman and flirting with unsuspecting heterosexual men," Squall said drolly, just to see Seifer's reaction.

Seifer grinned wide. "There's something I would like to see. After that, what are you doing?" he asked, apparently taking it as a joke.

"I don't know," Squall shrugged. "Why? You wanna go do something?"

"Sure. You like martial arts? I got tickets to the tournament tonight....." Seifer grinned.

"Alright. Why not? Same rules as before," Squall shrugged, immensely pleased beneath his veneer of nonchalance.

"Agreed. Be ready by seven. We'll have to go by subway," Seifer said as he headed off back work.

Squall followed, but could think of nothing but Seifer the whole day.

They talked the whole way to the tournament.

Squall had never been so loquacious in his whole life. He and Seifer reminisced of their childhood, laughed over stupid things they had done to each other while they had still been rivals, and exchanged Rinoa stories.

Seifer was temperamental, outspoken, and opinionated, but Squall found him fascinating. Squall was no less opinionated, but cool and calculating. Both the young men's black sense of humor seemed to coincide well and they both were very cynical on a life that had not been easy for either. They were opposites, like fire and ice, but they seemed to mesh well.

The martial arts tournament was astounding and Seifer was cheering loudly for the guys he had betted on. Squall remained quiet, but was avidly enraptured by the display of battle prowess. When it was over and they were walking home from the subway, Seifer was still buzzing from his vicarious adrenaline rush.

"Man, that was great! I would love to be able to do stuff like that!" Seifer said excitedly, pantomiming some of the moves they had witnessed.

"Now you look like Zell. Knock it off, or I'm gonna buy you a bottle of hair gel for your birthday," Squall said, rolling his eyes.

Seifer grinned wickedly and licked his hand and then run it backward through his short golden hair, spiking it up. He then began to punch the air, bouncing on his heels. Squall took one look at Seifer and burst into laughter. Seifer grinned in satisfaction as he smoothed his hair back down.

"Damn, I gotta I call Ripley," he grinned.

Squall blinked, recovering from his laughter. "Ripley? Who's that?" he asked.

"The guy who writes Ripley's Believe It or Not. I gotta tell him that I made you laugh. He might not even believe it," Seifer grinned.

Squall rolled his eyes but he was still smiling. "Don't forget to tell him that you've actually took me out on two dates and not once tried to start a fight. He might die of shock," Squall teased.

"Dates??? You jerk!" Seifer laughed, grabbing Squall's head and giving him a noogie.

Squall squirmed and yelled in surprise. "Hey! Leggo!" he hollered through fits of laughter.

Seifer let him go, a shit-eating grin plastered across his face. "Man, Squall. I'm still not used to this laughing thing with you. We use to call you 'Robotron' back in school because you were like a robot. You never even cracked a smile. It's nice to see you happy, though. What changed?" he asked, suddenly serious.

Squall looked down at his feet as he walked. "Well, you were a grade ahead of me, and when you graduated I was finally given breathing space. And when you date Rinoa, you have to have a sense of humor, or you'll turn into a sociopath. And I discovered some things about myself. Things I was ashamed about, that made me so rigid. But when I finally accepted them, I felt better.... Weird, huh?" he said quietly, his laughter faded.

"Not really. It makes sense. I think it was the same for me, only instead of loosening up, I just cooled off," Seifer nodded.

"I was wondering why you were so easy-going now..... Comparatively and all," Squall said.

"Ha! So what was your big discovery anyways?" Seifer asked in a curious tone.

"You'll find out some day. And yours?" Squall said with a sly smile.

"When you show me yours, I'll show you mine," Seifer grinned, enjoying the sexual undertones.

Squall grinned at the jest, thinking how true it actually was. Seifer would eventually find out that Squall was Sharon, and when it happened, Squall would lose Seifer as a friend, and probably be beat to death. But he no longer cared. He wanted to have fun while he could.

And then he realized that he thought of Seifer as a friend now. That thought startled him.

"Hey! You're talking to yourself! You're with humans now, Squall. We like to be paid attention to!" Seifer said, waving a hand in front of Squall's face.

Squall blinked and then gave Seifer a sheepish grin. "Sorry. Are you going to turn into an asshole now, per our agreement?" he sighed.

"Nah, since we're buddies and all now, I'll cut you some slack. Just don't do it again," Seifer grinned.

Squall warmed to the thought that Seifer thought of him as friend. And then just as suddenly as he didn't care if Seifer beat his face in for seducing him as a woman, he suddenly cared. When Squall pretended to be Sharon, he wasn't interested in feelings or emotions. It was pure lust and physical attraction that drove him to play games with Seifer. The ability to have sexual contact to someone he would normally be forbidden from. But now that Seifer was his friend, would he actually hurt Seifer's feelings now?

Would Squall hurt his own feelings?

If he continued to seduce Seifer as Sharon, he was going to damage a burgeoning friendship with the one man he found he wanted more than any one else. And had wanted his whole life, whether he chose to admit it or not. Squall found himself lost in a conundrum.

Was his desire for Seifer worth the cost of a tentative friendship?

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