Soul of a Sinner

Chapter 4 - It's a start

By Redrum

Ultimecia’s eyes narrowed as she watched the happy couple drift off to sleep. Well, maybe not a couple yet. *Yet* being the operative word in that sentence. Her blood red wings fluttered with a twisted joy. Her plan was working, and soon Squall would be where he belonged: in the depths of Hell.

“Rinoa,” she said, calling her loyal minion to her screening window. All it really was was a bit of magic, about the size of a window that allowed her to see her prey. “What do you think of that my dear?” She asked wickedly.

Rinoa walked over, standing beside her mistress. Looking down into the smooth as glass image, her light brown wings ruffled in disgust. Lying with a human... she didn't understand how Squall could ever sink that low. Feeling long, cold fingers on her shoulder, claw-like red nails extended until they sunk into her skin slightly. "It's disgusting mistress," she looked up at the tall angel by her side. "When will they finally be," she gagged out the word, "lovers?" The brunette looked down into the window.

They looked exactly like a Yin and Yang symbol. She curled her upper lip in disgust. She couldn't imagine what Squall saw in the human. He was loud and arrogant. Squall was too different to be with him. He should be with his own kind. Then again... it was due to her mistress that Squall was- she stopped her train of thought when the hand on her shoulder bit down into her flesh. It was only a wound that could heal in seconds, but it quickly reminded her that her mistress could indeed, read her mind. Rinoa wished she had that kind of power...

“Soon,” Ultimecia said quietly, but with a cutting edge to her voice the made it clear she was anything but kind. “I will not strike until this human has become everything to that abomination of a fallen angel,” she smiled wickedly, "the pain will be all the worse for him that way."

With a snap of her fingers, the screening window disappeared and Ultimecia turned her full attention to Rinoa. “Now Rinoa,” she began, “I know your powers are not nearly as vast as mine, but I want you to do anything in your power to help them along while I prepare what I’ll need to send Squall to Hell. Understood?”

"Understand." Rinoa replied, smiling brightly at her mistress. Ultimecia nodded and disappeared with a quiet 'poof'. Rinoa giggled and opened up her own screening window, this one a bit smaller and weaker then her mistress'.

She watched intently as their day progressed. Her feathers shivered in disgust when she kept seeing Squall look over at the human with a shy gleam in his eyes. The human was a bit more obvious about it. Disgusting.

She had to do *something*, or her mistress would be very angry at her. Rinoa shuddered at the thought of what had happened the last time she'd displeased her mistress.

Looking down into the mirror, she finally saw her opportunity.

Squall leaned down, picking Seifer's various items of the closet floor to put it *neatly* up on the shelf. Cid was coming around in about an hour to check the rooms to make sure none of the kids had wrecked the room in the past week. Which didn't make much sense in their case, since Seifer and he were only here for a few days. Oh well. It would probably take a bit longer then an hour to come to their door, since they were number 13, and there were at least a hundred rooms.

Squall frowned when he felt a large presence behind him. Still bending down, he looked back to see Seifer standing right behind him, smirking at him. Squall rolled his eyes and turned back to what he was doing. Suddenly, the tall man behind him collided into him, sending them both into the closet, Squall cried out when his head hit the closet wall hard.

The door slammed shut behind them; an odd clicking noise was heard. Shit... since when does the closet have a lock?

Seifer landed with a quiet, ‘oomph,’ on the closet floor with Squall sprawled underneath him. He blinked rapidly, in complete shock, until his vision focused on the small bit of light coming through the bottom and sides of the closet door. “Squall?” He asked quietly, “Are you okay? … And what the hell just happened?”

Squall sighed and tried to sit up, but Seifer was too damn heavy for him to move. "Would you move? This is kind of uncomfortable," he complained. He was basically on his knees, with his head on the floor, Seifer was draped over top of him, and was really quite heavy. The blonde moved to comply quickly, mumbling apologies. With the closet being so small, there was only enough room for them to sit side by side, and even then, they were scrunched together with their sides pressing into each other and their knees drawn up. Squall almost felt sorry for the blonde since he was so large. But then he remembered that it was the human that was taken up most of the room, so he settled on frowning.

Rubbing his head, he winced when his fingers grazed a small bump. He was already experiencing a headache. Ugh... Feeling (since he could barely see in this place) Seifer's hand on his knee, Squall shook his head, "I'm fine, just a small bump." 'Caused by you,' he added silently.

Seifer winced slightly with guilt since he had basically crushed Squall to the floor. “I’m sorry,” he said, brushing his fingers over Squall’s forehead. “I don’t know what happened. I must have tripped, but… I swear it felt like I was being pushed.” Seifer looked around their small confinement before catching Squall's eyes in the dim light. “We shouldn’t be trapped long; someone will find us,” he said. Squall made a small noise to signify agreement and they fell into silence again.

“At least the floor's just about clean.” Seifer noted, smirking over at Squall, “thanks to you of course."

"And no thanks to you of course," Squall snapped, though he was smiling slightly. The brunet sighed and leaned his head back against the wall. This was definitely going to be the longest, most boring hours of his life. At least he had Seifer here to share his boredom with. The thought made him smile. If he'd been with any other human, locked in a damn closet, he'd be scowling so much his head would hurt. At least with Seifer, he was more relaxed. And the closet smelled nice since the man's smell was filling the room. He wondered what was in that Irish soap... it smelled kind of... springy. Almost like earth kind of...

God... he must be bored to be thinking of what the other man smelled like. Squall rolled his eyes and closed them, preferring the darkness behind his lids then the one in the closet with the shafts of light peaking through the cracks in the door.

Seifer was quickly as bored as Squall so, naturally, his gaze wandered over to his companion. He observed the pendant with a small smile. Squall had hardly taken it off since he got it and since he wasn't the type to hang onto things simply to please other people, Seifer knew he liked it. A flash of blue irises in the dark told him he’d been caught staring, but he just smiled. Knowing, rather than seeing it was returned. "How's your side?" Seifer asked quietly, brushing his fingertips over Squall's side.

Shit... he'd managed to keep it hidden so far, but he hadn't expected Seifer to ask about it so soon. At least he couldn't see it in the dark. "Fine," he replied, trying not to laugh when Seifer's fingers continued to brush lightly over his side. He assumed that spot was... what was the word? Tickish? No... Ticklish! That was the word.

A mischievous grin widened on Seifer's face as his fingers brushed over Squall's side. "Ticklish are we?" He asked. He only gave Squall enough time for his eyes to widen in realization of what was to come, before he attacked and held the brunet, laughing and writhing to escape, in his arms. Having caught Squall off guard, Seifer was able to keep his hold on him; laughing himself at a few desperate squeaks of laughter that came from his roommate.

Squall squeaked, panting hard from his desperate struggle to get away and from his laughing. "Stop! Seifer!" The blonde relented after making Squall squeal again in laughter. Holding the slim brunet in his arms, Squall pressed his face into the man's neck, trying to catch his breath. He was tempted to retaliate, but with his luck, he wouldn't be able to find the ticklish spots on the human.

Seifer chuckled softly as he held Squall, practically in his lap, and waited for his breathing to return to normal. Squall shifted to get more comfortable and smiled up at Seifer. Noticing that he as being watched, Seifer turned his head to meet Squall's gaze and smiled back. "Beautiful," he murmured softly, brushed some of Squall's hair back behind his ear. Then, almost without thinking, which was admittedly like him, Seifer lowered his head a small distance and closed his lips over Squall's in a tender kiss.

.... What was he supposed to do? He knew this was called 'kissing', he'd read about it in the book he'd borrowed from Seifer. Yet…why was Seifer kissing him?

Feeling a warm tongue glide across his bottom lip, brining him back to the present, Squall closed his eyes and leaned up. His nose bumped into Seifer's, but he didn't really know what to do with it... how did they make this sound so easy?

The blonde placed his hands on Squall's cheeks and tilted his head, somehow making it all the more comfortable. Squall blushed and let the seeking tongue into his mouth. It was wet and kind of sloppy, but it was warm and it didn't feel as disgusting as he thought it was going to be when he'd read about it.

Bringing his arms up to wrap around the taller man's neck, Squall chased after the retreating tongue and slid his own across the warm muscle.

"Seifer...” he moaned quietly when the blonde wrapped his lips around his tongue and sucked on it lightly.

Seifer smirked inwardly, as his mouth was otherwise occupied, and continued to kiss Squall, pulling back only enough to catch a breath here and there in between. At length, he pulled away to nibble and suck across Squall's jaw up to the skin beneath his ear; skin which, to Seifer's amusement, was sensitive enough to make Squall whimper softly. Smiling, Seifer pulled back and met Squall's gaze again. For once, opting not to speak, but simply to smile down at Squall.

Blushing, Squall ducked his head beneath Seifer's chin. Avoiding the other's gaze. He was probably going to laugh at how inexperienced he was and-

His train of thought ended when Seifer wrapped his hand in his long strands and tugged lightly, until Squall was looking up at him. He opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off by a blinding flash of light. They both cried out and shut their eyes.

"There you two are! We've been looking all over for you!" Cid's voice rang throughout the room, making them cringe. Blinking away the spots before their vision, they both got up and walked out of the closet. "How did you boys get in there?" Squall sighed and walked over to his bed, lying on his stomach with his face cushioned in his arms. Leaving Seifer to explain.

"I tripped and the closet locked behind us." Seifer explained bluntly. "Squall was already in there straightening up." Cid looked from Squall to Seifer and back again, before running his hand forcefully through his hair and muttering, "fine," before walking out; obviously not having the best day inspecting rooms.

Closing the door after Cid, Seifer walked over and knelt by Squall's bed, gently laying his hand on the small of his back. "Hey," he murmured softly coaxing Squall to look at him, "what'cha thinking about?"

Turning his head so his cheek was resting against his arms, Squall looked down at the blonde. Frowning slightly, he asked, "why did you do that?" Why had Seifer kissed him? Said he was beautiful... Even after everything Squall had said about not wanting to be in a relationship. He didn't *want* to break Seifer's heart. And he knew he would if they went into a relationship. Sooner then later, he would have to move away once Seifer started commenting on his lack of aging.

It would hurt the both of them more if Squall left when they were lovers. If they were just friends, it wouldn't be as bad... it would hurt, there was no doubt about that now that Squall had gotten used to the other's company. But it wouldn't hurt as much.

"Because," said Seifer quietly, grasping one of Squall's hands gently, "I like you Squall, as more than a friend." Seifer looked up and met Squall's gaze steadily. He didn't think this would be easy, hell; nothing with Squall was ever easy. But that's what made it all worth it; as annoying and illogical as it might seem. Either way, Squall wasn't getting out of this that easily. If he wanted to push Seifer away, he'd better have a damned logical reason for it.

Squall sighed and turned onto his side, facing the kneeling man. "You don't know me though," he finally said, trying to make Seifer have second thoughts about this. Hell, Squall didn't even really know much about relationships, why would Seifer want to be with someone as naive as him?

Not to mention all the damn secrets... he understood now that people had their secrets, but the ones that affect the people they're with or have a very big impact on their lives should be told. And Squall couldn't.

"But I want to," Seifer said, caressing the side of Squall's face. "I'm not asking you to tell me everything, hell that'd probably take a lifetime. I'm just saying that what you do want to tell me... I'll listen." And as horrible curious as he was about Squall, Seifer meant every word. He could be patient, for once in his life.

Sighing, the brunet leaned into the large hand, his lips just grazing the man's calloused thumb. He knew it was hopeless. Seifer wouldn't give up. He knew enough about him to know that the blonde was definitely one to never give up if he wanted something. And Squall actually admired that.

Sighing again, he shifted and pressed his forehead to Seifer's. Looking into the jade green eyes, Squall smiled. "Why do you have to be so damn annoying and persistent?" He asked. Not waiting for an answer, he leaned down further and caught Seifer's bottom lip in his mouth, nibbling lightly on it, as he'd read about in the book. Ever since reading it, he'd always wanted to try it. It was supposed to be very pleasurable. And it certainly was, if the moans coming from Seifer were any indication.

At length, Seifer pulled away just enough so that his lips ghosted over Squall’s and murmured with a smirk, “because you’re worth it,” before pressing his lips softly to Squall's again, threading his fingers through his hair and delving deeper into his mouth.

Starting to get a kink in his neck from leaning down so much, Squall quickly slid off the bed and right into Seifer's lap, producing quite a loud moan. Wrapping his arms around the man's neck, he ran his fingers through the baby soft hair at his nape, scraping his nails gently along the sensitive skin; he made the man moan even louder. He quickly ran out of breath and broke the kiss off with a gasp, turning his head to the side. Seifer quickly took the opportunity to suck on his offered neck, creating a red mark that stood out sharply against the pale background.

The door suddenly opened. Squall's eyes widened as he saw Edea walk in. He pushed Seifer away, blushing slightly when the man disconnected from his neck with a slurping sound.

"Ma'am?" He asked politely, though he didn't think it was very respectful to be talking to the woman when he was sitting in the lap of another man.

"Squall?" The brunet frowned at the confused look on her face. Her brown eyes looked lost. What was wrong? Squall stood up and crossed the room to stand before her.

"Is something wrong?" She shook her head, as though just breaking out of a daze.

"Oh, no. I... I don't know why I'm here." The frown marring her beautiful complexion disappeared when she looked at the two men. "I'm glad you're together now. Just keep in mind there are no overly strong PDAs in this building."

"Yes ma'am." Squall answered, slightly confused himself. Edea nodded and left. Frowning, Squall crossed his arms over his chest, looking down at the ground. What the hell just happened?

"God, it's about time. I couldn't stand to see it go on. Stupid humans. At least Edea was close enough that I didn't have to use a lot of energy to make her break the two 'lovebirds' up." Rinoa shivered in disgust, her light brown feathers ruffled as she flapped them uneasily. "Well, at least I got them together now. I know mistress will be proud of me," she smiled and shut down the weakening screening window. Taking off with a strong flap of her wings, she went off in search for her mistress to tell her that her orders had been carried out quite smoothly.

“Strange,” Seifer murmured, looking at the door after Edea left. “That’s the second time that's happened to us in less then an hour.” His gaze began to dart suspiciously, though jokingly around the room. “Are there hidden cameras or something I don’t know about in here?”

A snort of laughter brought his attention back to Squall who was wearing an amused smirk very similar to Seifer’s. Raising a curious eyebrow Seifer observed, “oh, I amuse you do I?”

“Excellent,” Ultimecia hissed after Rinoa gave her report. “Just a little bit longer. Squall is such a weakling and starved for affection. He’ll become attached to Seifer quickly.” Staring the lesser angel before her straight in the eye, she delivered fresh orders. “Keep me informed of their progress. Do nothing to hinder it. Anything you think might encourage it is approved. Let me know the instant Squall professes to love this human. That will make my revenge it’s sweetest!”

Too long. Too long she had scraped and served and bowed and followed her Father loyally only to have her chances at power taken away from her by that misbegotten waste of creation her Father had dared to call an angel. …But with him out of the way now, and her almost too good service, things were looking up. Soon she would have the full powers Squall once possessed and whatever powers he could fight her with on earth would be useless. She would send him to Hell once and for all and take her place as the high angel at last. She would lead her people to victory where Lucifer had failed and provide for her naturally superior race. She grinned wickedly as the bloodlust in her quickened and her powers hummed for battle. Soon, very soon.

Turning around to face the blonde, Squall's smirk grew. "Of course, that's what you're here for; my entertainment." He let out an un-manly squeal when muscular arms wrapped around his waist and pulled him up from the ground. Seifer swung him around before tossing him onto his bed.

Hair sprayed out across Seifer's fluffy pillow, the bottom of his shirt had rode up to mid chest and with his eyes a dark, smoldering blue, Squall had no idea how sexy Seifer was finding him now. Although the jade green eyes did hold a hint of lust in them.

One hand curled beside his cheek, and the other up over his head, Squall smiled softly, "trying to show your dominance now, are we?" Squall rubbed his back against the bed, trying to relieve the itch in his shoulder blades, though to Seifer, it looked entirely more seductive than just an innocent back scratch.

Seifer made a small noise akin to a purr, before claiming Squall's lips again with fervor, one hand threading through Squall's hair and the other trailing over his chest to come to rest on his hip. At length, Seifer pulled away slightly and trailed his lips up over Squall's neck to his ear; provoking more whimpering sounds from the brunet beneath him. Seifer just chuckled lightly, his breath running over Squall's skin, and continued his attack mercilessly.

Squall moaned, arching into Seifer's heavy body over top of him. What the hell was that? Why did it feel good for his skin around his ear to be licked and nibbled? Hmm... Maybe the others had given him a book about this kind of thing.

"Seifer!" He yelped, when the blonde bit too hard on the sensitive skin. The tall man moved back slightly, hovering over him with a smirk plastered across his face. Squall frowned and brought a hand to the mark. He could feel the other's saliva and... blood? Bringing the hand to his view, his frown deepened. Why had Seifer made him bleed? Now he was going to find it weird when it didn't scab and instead his normal pale skin just kind of... appeared over it over a short period of time.

Grabbing the man's shoulders, the blood on his fingers smearing into the fabric, Squall quickly flipped them so Seifer was underneath him, staring up at him with wide eyes. The brunet smirked and bent down, copying Seifer's movements on his neck. Paying attention to the way Seifer moaned at certain movements, Squall quickly found out that that the spot underneath his chin, just where it meets the neck, was highly sensitive. And Squall used that to his advantage.

Seifer clawed lightly at Squall's back as the brunet attacked his neck. Squall's lithe form was very deceiving, as Seifer all ready knew. If Squall truly wanted to keep him down, Seifer would have to put up a real fight to escape the brunet. But as things were, he was perfectly content to let the brunet hold him down.

At length, he felt a tight scrape of teeth and clawed a little harder on Squall's back, emitting a low hiss. Squall pulled back slightly, smirking, and there was a slight trace of blood on his lip. Trailing his hand up Squall's back to entangle his fingers in Squall's hair, Seifer pulled him down for a breathless kiss. When he'd pull away slightly he murmured jokingly, "my little Demon..." against Squall's lips.

Squall jerked back, frowning at Seifer's smiling face. Demon... Squall backed up completely, getting off the bed and turning away, wrapping his arms around his chest, the brunet looked down at the ground. He'd never been called a Demon before... and it had to be the greatest insult to people like him. To be like those vile, disgusting, blood thirsty and manipulative bastards... it was truly the lowest you could go.

Squall sighed and looked straight ahead, not really seeing the wall, but remembering his nightmares, showing him what it would be like to live amongst the Demons. The brunet shuddered, wrapping his arms around himself tighter.

Seifer watched with immense concern and confusion as Squall backed away and drew in on himself. Slowly, as if afraid to scare him off, Seifer approached him and stood in front of him. It scared him just a little the way Squall seemed to look right through him; like he couldn’t even see him. “Squall,” he almost whispered, putting his hand on the brunet’s shoulder, “what’s wrong? What did I say?”

A large hand on his shoulder shook him out of his stupor. Blinking and ignoring the slight watery vision from reliving those damn dreams, Squall looked into Seifer's concerned gaze. Shaking his head, the brunet answered, "it's nothing... just a flashback is all." Omitting most of the truth, Squall sighed and looked down at the ground. How would Seifer ever understand the insult it was to be called a Demon? Even in a joking fashion. Squall felt his shoulders sag. Just another reminder of the secrets kept from the other man... reasons why they couldn't, or shouldn't, be together.

Seifer didn't press Squall on this issue; already feeling horribly guilty for doing something that obviously brought back a very unpleasant memory for him. Stepping forward, he wrapped his arms around Squall, lose enough so that he could pull back if he wanted, but tight enough to be reassuring, and murmured, "I'm sorry."

Squall sighed, all tension leaving his body as he uncrossed his arms and wrapped them around Seifer, hugging him tighter. "Don't apologize for something you had nothing to do with," he mumbled into the blonde’s shirt. He felt protected, warm and safe in the other's arms. Even though he knew that he was a bit stronger then the other, it still made him feel safe to have Seifer almost wrapped around him, covering him and shielding him from the rest of the world.

Seifer sighed as he held Squall, worried over what could be bothering him so much. But he had promised not to pry too much and he would stick to that promise. At length, he pulled back enough to meet Squall's gaze, caressing the side of his face. "Hey," he said softly, "Edea and Cid will be busy all day with checking rooms. Want to go for a quick walk on the beach?"

Squall frowned, thinking about his punishment. Looking up at the blonde, at the large puppy dog eyes that only brown eyed people should be able to do, Squall finally sighed and nodded his consent. Seifer let out a 'whoop' and dragged him out of the dorms, looking around the corners comically, before running down the hall silently and finally they were out the door.

Seifer wrapped an arm around his waist as they walked down to the beach, not to far from the orphanage, but enough that the people inside couldn't really see any distinct shapes.

They walked along the beach a little ways, basically hidden by distance and also the gardens at the back of the orphanage. "Your name fits you, you know," Seifer murmured as they walked. "Way back in that thunderstorm when I brought you onto the roof with me; you looked so at home in it. Like you were born for it." Seifer glanced over at Squall, "not to mention your eyes kind of resemble storm clouds."

Squall ducked his head, blushing slightly. He'd never had anyone tell him that... even in his old body, his eyes had been the exact same colour. "I guess you could say... I was born under a thunder cloud," he gave a small smile at the blonde’s confused expression.

Technically, he hadn't really been 'born', in the sense of the word. But he knew he had come from some kind of storm. Every angel originated from some specific time period, or event. Squall happened to originate during one of the largest thunder storms during the history of Earth. Seifer of course, would never know that. But Squall's mysterious comment would give him some... what was the human expression? Ah, 'food for thought.'

Shaking his head, Seifer chuckled softly. "That does seem to fit," he murmured, running his fingers across Squall's hair briefly just to see him pout in mild annoyance, before returning his arm to his waist.

They walked on, meandering around the beach without any real destination. Just being together and talking occasionally. After one of their pauses, Seifer paused in walking and lifted his right knee to his hand, rubbing the muscle there for a moment. "Were going to get another thunderstorm soon," he observed softly, "maybe not tomorrow, but soon."

Squall frowned, supporting Seifer's weight easily as he balanced on one foot. "What happened to your knee?" He asked quietly, not really expecting an answer. It was probably a sensitive subject, and he'd probably get the brush off for asking it.

Seeing Seifer hesitate, Squall grabbed his hand and led him towards a dry spot of beach, overlooking the large expanse of ocean. Sitting the tall blonde down, Squall bent down and began massaging the obviously sore spot. Smiling softly at the other's soft groan.

Smiling down at the brunet, Seifer relaxed under his touch. "I broke it a few years ago," he said quietly after a minute or two. "It hurts now before it rains or snows," he explained. When Squall looked up at him questioningly, Seifer couldn't help but add, "I, uh, fell off the roof of the last orphanage I was at." He blushed slightly with embarrassment and looked down sheepishly.

Squall smiled and resisted the urge to laugh. He continued to run his fingers soothingly over the phantom pain that had plagued the blonde. "You're lucky that the roof here is flat," he said, smiling at Seifer's mock-hurt expression. "Stop with the puppy dog eyes," he grinned, reaching up to stroke a finger along the man's smooth cheek. A passing thought made him look into the other man's eyes. "Are those your real eye colour? I didn't know hu-they could be that bright.”

Seifer smiled warmly at Squall's question, leaning into his touch slightly. “Yes they are. I got them from my father, or so my mother told me.” Meeting Squall’s gaze, Seifer also raised his hand to the brunet’s cheek. “I could say similar things about your eyes. Not that they’re bright, but that they’re so bold, dark almost and they shift from gray to blue. That’s rare too.” Squall chuckled softly, “if you think about it, they’re like your own personal mood rings.”

The brunet shifted, pushing lightly on Seifer's chest to make him lie down. When the blonde was comfortable, Squall crawled over top of him and settled himself comfortably along the wonderfully masculine body. Feeling the hardness of muscle underneath him, and the soft breathing that made him move slightly up and down, like a gentle wave.

Crossing his arms over the man's chest, Squall laid his chin down on the bare flesh, looking into the bright green eyes, as the blonde had one hand underneath his head to hold himself up to see Squall, and the other was wrapped around the smaller man's waist.

Eyes curious, Squall asked, "what is a 'mood ring'?" He pouted unconsciously when the younger man started laughing, jarring the brunet that was sprawled over top of him. He didn't understand why Seifer kept laughing at the things he said. If Squall was anyone else (preferably a real human), he'd probably be offended.

"Sorry," Seifer chuckled at Squall's half hearted glare. "A mood ring is a ring with a rock or something in it that changes colour to indicate the person’s mood." Smiling up at Squall's thoughtful gaze he continued, "I think I've got your colour changes almost figured out. They're more gray when you’re angry, a watered down blue when you're sad, and a very deep blue when you’re happy." Seifer gave a contented sigh before adding, "almost as deep a blue as the walls of our room."

Squall looked up at the blonde, eyebrow raised. He hadn't known Seifer had been watching him that much too actually notice all that. He smirked at the last comment. "So, every time you see my eyes you'll be reminded of the beautiful paint colour. How nice," he said, giving a small smile when Seifer snorted in amusement.

"Think we should head back yet?" Seifer said after a few moments of simply laying with Squall. "I mean, I don't want to get you in trouble." Seifer actually didn't want to leave at all, but he knew if he got too comfortable, he'd end up falling asleep and then there would be a chance that Squall would too and he might get in trouble.

Squall smiled softly at the concern. Feeling bold, he wiggled further up the man's chest and swiped his tongue across the sensitive spot underneath Seifer's jaw, tilting his head slightly to nibble the soft flesh. Smirking at the man's moan, Squall took one last swipe and stood up. Offering a hand to assist the blonde in getting up, he watched, amusement in his eyes as Seifer adjusted himself un-self-consciously.

Grinning, Seifer slipped an arm around Squall’s waist and after a few, admittedly over dramatized darts around corners and suspicious glances for security cameras, they slipped back inside their room. Walking hand-in-hand with Squall to his bed, Seifer noticed a tension in Squall’s upper back. As they sat down, Seifer’s arm snaked its way around Squall’s shoulders; gently kneading the muscles there. Leaning forward so that his breath would wash over Squall’s ear, Seifer asked, “would you like a back rub?”

Squall sighed, leaning into the kneading hand. He shivered when the man's breath tickled his ear. A back rub? He assumed that was some sort of slang for a massage, which he had given to Seifer's knee. But... what about his scars? Would Seifer start asking questions? Maybe... maybe he could trust the blonde to leave well enough alone, if Squall didn't answer his questions.

He nodded his consent. Seifer, a large grin on his face (making Squall roll his eyes), tugged the brunet's t-shirt off, tossing it carelessly to the floor. He gently maneuvered Squall until he was lying face down on the bed, cheek cushioned against the comfortable pillow. The man behind him straddled his thighs, obviously to get into a more comfortable position. Squall tensed when Seifer gasped, obviously just noticing the two scars running in between his shoulder blades. Squall had easily changed in front of the other, not embarrassed about his nudity. But the lights had always been off enough that Seifer had never noticed the scars. The scars that frequently itched, burning, like they were trying to persuade Squall into letting his wings free.

Seifer traced his fingers down the scars lightly, watching Squall shift as he did so, but he did not look like he was in pain. Starting at the top of his back, Seifer began massaging Squall's shoulders until he heard a relived sigh escape his lips. He was tempted then, to ask about the scars, if they pained him and how he got them, but because Squall had tensed so readily at Seifer's gasp, he decided to let the matter drop. If Squall was comfortable with telling him, he would. Still, out of fear that the scars hurt him, Seifer did say quietly, "tell me if I hurt you, okay?"

Squall relaxed completely, relieved that Seifer hadn't asked any questions. Head turned to the side, facing the other bed, his eyes rested on the blonde behind him from underneath his lashes. He figured he could answer truthfully to that question. "They itch and burn sometimes, but you won't hurt them just by touching them." He said, smiling softly at Seifer's relived sigh.

Several, comfortably silent, minutes passed, Seifer gently, but firmly, working on the taut muscles, that were quickly becoming like jell-o (he knew the dessert to be particularly delicious after having it for one of their meals) under his hands. "Thank you," Squall whispered, so quiet, he'd have been surprised if Seifer had even heard him. But the slight pause in the massage told him he had.

Seifer worked all the way down the small of Squall's back before he stopped. Squall was breathing deeply with a half lidded gaze by that time; probably half asleep. Seifer smiled affectionately down at him and oddly enough, felt like joining him in a nap. Him, the insomniac, of all people. But Seifer was not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, so after a bit of shifting, which ended with him lying on his back and having Squall sprawled comfortably over his chest much like before, Seifer did just that.

They slept for several hours, until Squall woke up first. Glancing at the clock, he noticed it was 8:00. They should be getting down to the dining hall.

He turned around in the embrace, smiling softly when Seifer tightened his grip around the brunet. They'd obviously moved around sometime in their nap and had ended up spooning. A position Squall particularly enjoyed since he got to feel all of Seifer's warmth surrounding him.

Squall watched the closed lids flutter for several minutes, just enjoying the sight of the blonde resting peacefully; especially since he knew the man didn't often get to sleep peacefully. The brunet finally shifted slightly, and tilted his head. Capturing the other's bottom lip in his mouth, sucking on it gently until Seifer slowly came to.

Seifer came to with a soft moan as he pressed his lips against Squall's again. It was a brief, but tender kiss and when they pulled back, Seifer opened his eyes fully and smiled lazily down at Squall. "Hey," he murmured with a yawn, brushing a few strands of hair out of Squall's eyes as he did so, "what time is it?"

Glancing back at the clock over his shoulder, Squall returned his gaze to the sleepy eyes blonde. "8:05. Time for dinner." Seifer nodded, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. Still smiling softly, just a small curve at the corners, Squall ran a hand through the thick blonde strands, arranging it so it was some what presentable. Rolling over, he got out of the bed and stretched. Ignoring Seifer's lingering gaze on his back, probably still wondering about the mysterious scar, Squall went to the closet and grabbed a light blue shirt at random.

Frowning at the bright colour, he mentally shrugged, and slipped it on. Turning around, he crossed his arms over his chest in semi-impatience. "Unless you want to go hungry, you better hurry up. We're supposed to be having tuna sandwich, though I don't understand why someone would want to put a tuna in between pieces of bread," he mumbled the last part, brows furrowing in confusion at the idiotic antics of humans.

Seifer chuckled quietly as he pushed himself off the bed and walked over to kiss Squall once more before dinner. Parting from his lips, Seifer replied, "You can say that after you taste them. They're not the best food in the world, but they're certainly not a strange as you make them out to be."

Linking his hand with Squall's, intertwining their fingers; Seifer led them out of their room towards the dining room. Once they had their drinks and sandwiches they sat down at their usual table, Seifer with a sleepy grin on his face while he ate. "I haven't slept that well in a while," he remarked casually, digging into his sandwich.

Squall lifted the bread, expecting to see an actual fish he frowned. Seifer looked over at him in question and he explained, "I was expecting a real fish," he said honestly. The blonde just shook his head, chuckling quietly and returned to his meal.

Finishing his sandwich, which was surprisingly good, Squall folded his hands, waiting for Seifer. This time not uncomfortable with actually waiting as he had been in the past. He thought about what Seifer had said, and whispered quietly, yet sincere, "I'm glad I can help you sleep easier."

Seifer, finished with his own sandwich and in the process of tossing out his plate, smiled over at Squall. Linking there hands together as they walked out, Seifer allowed himself some uncharacteristic sappiness. "I'm just glad I met you." As they walked out of the dining room, past people too afraid of them to stare, Squall looked over at Seifer in something akin to amusement and disbelief. "What?" Seifer asked smirking over at the brunet. "I can be romantic if I want to."

Squall just shook his head, mumbled about idiotic fools, and rested his head on Seifer's shoulder. After years (and years...) of never being touched (and pretending not to need it when he was in his other body), Squall was definitely making up for lost time. And he always felt warm and protected around Seifer.

They walked back to their dorm, Squall went to sit on his bed, but the tall blonde didn't let go of his hand until he was near the window. Squall sighed and waited for him to open it and climb out. Following silently, closing the window slightly behind him, Squall accepted the hand that assisted him in getting up near the top. Seifer sat down in his, obviously usual, spot and beckoned Squall to join him. Settling himself in the curve of the blonde’s side, Squall sighed and looked out into the beautiful ocean. "I don't think I'll ever get tired of seeing this," he whispered.

Seifer smiled happily at Squall as he gazed out at the ocean. Turning his gaze to take in the large expanse of blue and gray and said, "neither will I," it would always remind him of Squall.

On a whim, Seifer started, "you know, I want to get a house right on the beach some day. Just like this with a flat, reinforced roof so there's no chance of falling off it..." Seifer paused to run his hand over an ankle that, while it never pained him, had once been broken. "Or through them," he added almost as an after thought.

Squall chuckled, leaning into the blonde. But he quickly sobered at the thought of the future. A future he would be forced to spend away from Seifer. He knew it had been a stupid idea to get involved with the human, but he couldn't help it. Seifer could never know though... well, unless he somehow took a wild stab in the dark about Squall being an angel, and deciding that it was the truth. Squall wasn't allowed to actually tell him in anyway.

A light pressure on his chin made him look up. Meeting a concerned pair of jade green orbs, Squall smiled, though it was tinged with sadness. "It's nothing," he mumbled, forcing his head back down and resting his cheek against the blonde’s chest, enjoying the steady heart beat drumming against him.

Seifer looked with concern down at his boyfriend, but let the subject drop. As persistent as he had been before, he could be patient now. He knew that Squall trusted him and would tell him when he was ready. Keeping his arm firmly around Squall, he released a contented sigh. It was really nice...the way Squall just seemed to fit together with him. It was a match he never would've thought of. Someone quiet and stubborn with someone loud and stubborn, but things rarely turned out exactly the way you planned them.

Squall shifted around until he was in between the blonde’s long legs and his back molded against the chest behind him. He sighed and rested his head back, right underneath Seifer's chin. He smiled softly when the muscular arms wrapped around his waist.

Resting his arms over top of the other ones, he looked out into the ocean, still struck by the sear vastness of it. From above, it had never looked that large. But up close like this... it looked like it went on forever. He wondered what it would be like to swim in it. Would it be really cold, or warm?

Seifer sighed contently as Squall settled against him. Smiling as Squall looked raptly at the ocean, Seifer dipped his head and trailed light kisses across the brunet's neck; said hair tickling his cheek. "Would you like to go for a swim?" He asked quietly, resting his chin on Squall's shoulder so that he looked out at the ocean as well. "Water does seem to be your element."

"How the hell do you always do that?" He asked, looking over at Seifer from the corner of his eye. The blonde raised a brow in question. "You always seem to know what I'm thinking... it's weird, stop it." Seifer laughed and pulled him closer. Placing a few more wet kisses on his neck, he stood up and pulled Squall up by his armpits. Pouting at the quick motion, he followed Seifer down the drain pipe into their dorm.

"I don't have any swim wear." He tilted his head, thinking. "I don't even know how to swim come to think of it." He'd wanted to learn, but he knew it would be dangerous if he'd tried to teach himself. Then again, he could have done it, since he wouldn't have been able to die by drowning. Though he would pass out for a few hours. He wouldn't be telling Seifer that though.

"You don't need a bathing suit to swim," Seifer explained, pausing just long enough so that his boyfriend looked at him incredulously before adding, "a normal pair of shorts will be fine. And I can teach you how to swim." Squall looked hesitant for a moment before shrugging off his shirt and going for their closet; which Seifer took as his consent and made his way to his trunk.

Seifer was quickly changed and turned around to find Squall finishing up as well. After a few moments, Squall turned around and Seifer took a moment to admire his form. And what a nice form it was too. Returning his gaze to those stormy eyes, Seifer tipped his head to the side and asked, "ready?"

Squall nodded and followed Seifer out the window again. They slid down the drain pipe this time, and landed on the ground with a soft 'thud'. Adjusting his dark blue, mid-thigh sorts, which had ridden up from going down the pipe, he caught up to the tall blonde, who automatically grabbed his hand, making Squall smile slightly.

Bare footed, they walked leisurely down to the shore. Squall felt a twinge of guilt for going against Edea's orders, but the feeling of Seifer's warm skin underneath his hand erased the feeling. Though the muscular thighs on display also helped a great deal...

When the reached the shore, Seifer turned around and grabbed both of Squall's hands, gently walking him into the water. He smiled at the feeling of the wet sand underneath his toes and the warm water swishing around his calves.

Seifer led them out until they were chest deep in the water. "The first thing you should know is just how to float," Seifer explained as he gathered Squall in his arms as though he were about to carry him over the threshold. His boyfriend let out a squeak of surprise and glared at him half heartedly, but otherwise did not appear that he was going to protest anymore. Swooping in for a quick kiss, Seifer murmured, "just lie back and get a feel for the water. Don't worry about floating away, I've got you."

Nervous and slightly tense, Squall did as he was told. Wincing at the feeling of water in his ear, Squall spread his arms out as Seifer instructed him to. He frowned when the man slipped his arms away and instead held him up by one hand on the small of his back. He trusted the other man, but that still didn't decrease his nervousness about suddenly going under.

Seifer waited patiently, holding Squall as he lay on the water until he felt his muscles relax. They remained like that for a few minutes, Seifer allowing Squall to get used to the water, before he gently lifted him out again; bride style. “There now," said Seifer, setting Squall on his feet and pointedly ignoring the small pout present on his lips. “That wasn’t so hard was it?”

The brunet wrapped his arms around the man's neck loosely, enjoying the sensations of the water around them, making him feel lighter and like he was back in his old body. "Considering I didn't really do anything, no, it wasn't hard," he said, smiling slightly.

Thinking for a few moments, Squall looked up, meeting the other's gaze. "Do all hu-people know how to swim?" He asked, generally curious.

Seifer smiled down at Squall. He looked very cute with his hair half plastered to his face and little droplets of salt water running over his chest. Looping his arms lightly around Squall's waist, Seifer replied, "well a lot do. Doggie paddle comes naturally to most people " admittedly the sight of his boyfriend half soaked was distracting, but Seifer decided to stay on task for the moment, "want to give that a try?"

Squall frowned, thinking about that term. "What exactly is a 'doggie paddle'?" He asked the other man. Pouting slightly when he chuckled. He still didn't understand why the human found almost everything he said to be funny when it wasn't intended to be. Maybe he just had a strange sense of humor. Then again, Seifer was strange, period. Squall grinned at the thought.

"Well," Seifer said as his chuckling ebbed, "it's basically swimming like a dog would." He paused for a moment before saying, "it's easier if I show you." Seifer kissed Squall briefly on the lips before pulling back and murmuring, "Just stay here and watch." At that he dove into the chest high water and did a few lopsided circles around his boyfriend before coming to a stop in front of him and standing once again. "Now you try."

Squall hesitated again before easing forwards into the water, kicking his feet behind him and pawing at the water to keep his head above it as Seifer had shown him. He padded along as Seifer had done, looking pleased with himself. Seifer smirked at him as he passed by. "Enjoying yourself?"

Squall grinned, somewhat proud of himself for accomplishing something that had looked impossible. Carefully righting himself, Squall turned to face Seifer. "It looks kind of silly though. I don't know what the point of a 'doggie paddle' is. It doesn't let you go anywhere fast," he said, thinking practically.

Seifer shrugged, "it's something easy to learn when you first start out. There are a lot of other ridiculous types of swimming, but I think freestyle is the only other type that would interest you." Smirking as Squall lifted an eyebrow in his direction, Seifer simply said, "watch," before diving into the water like he had before, except this time he lay completely flat with his face submerged. He kicked his feet and swung his arms in large circles to propel himself forward, turning his head to the side slightly for air when he needed it. He did a quick 100 meters out and then back to Squall, "your turn."

Squall hesitated before following Seifer's example. He caught on pretty quickly, but forgot to catch his breath during one of the strokes and ended up choking. The other man was quickly by his side, thumping him on the back until Squall coughed up the water and was able to breathe fresh air again. Grimacing, he mumbled, "who knew salt water could taste so disgusting," he smiled slightly when Seifer chuckled.

Looking up at the blonde, his smile brightened, showing a bit of teeth (which was rare unless he was laughing). "Thanks for teaching me all theses things. Kendo, swimming, why people come up with stupid names for things," he paused, waiting for Seifer to quiet down from his laughing, smiling all the while. "I really appreciate it." He frowned, thinking. "I wish I could repay you some how. But I don't know really know anything that you wouldn't know," 'not counting the whole time I wasn't on Earth...’ he added silently to himself.

Seifer hooked one arm around Squall's waist and used the other to lift his chin and gain eye contact. "Hey, don't even worry about it. Like I said before, I just like spending time with you." Seifer smiled and saw a small duplicate smile on Squall's face. Easily pulling his boyfriend closer through the water, Seifer kissed him briefly and then added, "as beautiful as you are in the ocean like this, would you mind if we went in now?" The last bit of his sentence was punctuated by a yawn.

Squall looked up at the sky, finally noticing that it was slowly getting darker. Leaning up to kiss Seifer on the lips after he finished his yawn, he pulled back and joined Seifer in swimming to the shore. When it was calf high, they started walking, keeping to the shadows incase Edea or someone else should spot Squall and get him in trouble.

They climbed the drain pipe easily and crawled into their window. They silently went about their night time routine, Squall changing into his drawstring pajamas, and Seifer into his dark green boxers. Watching the tall blonde sleepily climb into his bed, Squall stood uncertainly, before finally taking a deep breath and asking, "can I sleep with you tonight?"

Seifer looked up, both surprised and charmed by the shyness in Squall's voice. A warm smile spread itself over his lips and he gently pulled his sheets back to make room for his boyfriend before murmuring, "sure. I'd like that." A glowing smile crept onto Squall's features at Seifer’s answer and Seifer was helpless to it. It made him feel good to see Squall smile like that, probably because he was the only one who ever got to see it.

Without a moments hesitation, Squall walked over to Seifer and settled in his arms; spooning. Seifer smiled affectionately at his boyfriend, pressing a few soft kisses to the back of his neck before pulling him closer and settling in. "G'night Squall," he murmured softly, feeling more comfortable then he had at night for a very long time. Somehow, Squall made all the difference.

Safe, warm, protected, cherished... maybe even loved? But all this he felt when Seifer wrapped his arms around him, holding him close. The light snore coming from the blonde’s parted lips made him smile softly. He was glad the other man was sleeping so easily. He knew that Seifer had trouble sleeping. And if his words were anything to go by, then Squall was the one that helped him to sleep so peacefully.

The feelings he had for the other man... he didn't know how to explain it. Was it love? He'd never experienced it before. All these human emotions were so new to him... but Seifer had led him into them. Held his hand, and gently guided him through each emotion. Anger, sadness, grief, loneliness... well, the first one had been brought on by Seifer, but the others... Seifer had helped him to over come them. Even helped to sooth his nightmares, something he'd never thought possible.

Squall sighed and shifted to get more comfortable in Seifer's arms. Said arms tightened around him, holding him tighter against the man's strong frame. Squall smiled at the show of possessiveness. Once he would have thought it an insult for a human to posses him, or even be able to protect him and make him feel safe... but now...

Feeling a quiet mumble against his neck for him to go to sleep, Squall smiled softly and followed the sleepy order. "Good night Seifer."

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