Knowing You
Chapter 9
The alarm screamed at the sleeping brunette who grimaced, reaching out an arm to slam down the snooze button.
At garden he was up before the alarm and had done his training, had a shower, got dressed all before seven thirty but here there was no where to really train and maybe it was the change in air but Esthar made him sleepy.
The bare arm quickly scurried back under the covers afraid of the cool morning air, Esthar was colder too it was neighbours with Trabia after all.
Even so today it was harder to get up maybe even rivalling the morning after the party when he woke up with the mother of all hangovers.
His eyes felt heavy, his limbs protested against moving and his head felt all fuzzy. Squall opened his eyes to see the time displayed in red on the digital alarm clock. It read 7:30.
He had set it later here in Esthar as there wasn't as much rush to get to work Laguna wouldn't mind and he didn't have to worry about things falling apart with him. At garden he would never have a lie in on the off chance that something terrible might happen while he was sleeping.
Stormy eyes closed again an arm flung over his eyes dozing lightly until the alarm went off again. This time teeth clenched, the arm swung and there was a crashing sound as the clock made heavy contact with the floor. Squall winced and lifted his head, regretting the action has his head spun like he was drunk except he knew he wasn't.
The brunette lifted himself up to lean up on one elbow pressing his free hand to his forehead.
Oh no he couldn't be sick he couldn't afford to get sick although at least it happened while he was on his holiday time.
The brunette swung his legs over the side of the bed and bent down to pick up the clock, frowning when it came up in pieces. Three- no four pieces of clock.
Stupid piece of crap couldn't survive one little fall to the floor.
Squall groaned as he rose to his feet feeling all fuzzy he dragged his feet as he walked into the kitchen wearing only a pair of boxers he couldn't be bothered with clothes yet. He headed for the medicine cupboard, which was now freshly stocked up after last time. He picked up a bottle of liquid painkiller and took a swig from the bottle. He grimaced at the foul taste but still took another swig of medicine not bothering to measure out the doses.
He groaned again, hoping for a little head cold and nothing serious, hopefully the Estharians hadn't given him some sort of local disease.
He disappeared back into the bedroom, hearing that the alarm had gone off again. He frowned at the pieces and pressed all the buttons to try and stop the noise. No affect.
An evil sort of look passed over Squall's features as he picked up his boot and went to work at stopping the noise.
One of the double doors of Kiros' office opened and Squall slung in looking- Terrible.
His face was more pale than usual, hair was limp and lifeless looking, eyes slightly glassy and he looked- sad maybe.
"I need a new alarm clock."
"Oh? I thought your room had an-"
"It had an accident." He placed a white carrier bag on Kiros' desk.
The dark man put down his pen and opened the bag, his eyebrows shot up in amusement and surprise. Hundreds of pieces of wire, plastic, metal lay inside the bag of what used to be an alarm clock. Smashed to bits would be putting it lightly.
Kiros started to chuckle.
"It's not funny." Squall dropped into his chair at his desk suddenly feeling even more drained then before. He let his head drop to the desk nestling on the papers that he should be working on.
"Are you okay?"
Squall opened his eyes to look at Kiros. "Feel sort of tired, drained."
"Thought you looked terrible."
"Thanks, such a flatterer aren't you?"
The older man chuckled, getting up and coming round to Squall's side. "Sit up." He helped the brunette into a sitting position and pressed a hand to his forehead.
He frowned. "You're warm."
"You're not." Squall grabbed the retreating hand and pressed it back into his cheek, he closed his eyes at the feel of cool hands on his flushed skin.
"You have nice cool hands."
The dark man swallowed hard, watching as his other hand was grabbed and pressed to a hot neck and throat. He could feel Squall smooth skin; he flexed his fingers over the brunette Adam's apple slightly pulling to get away from the grip on his wrists. He watched the brunette who was nicely flushed with fever, eyes closed, lips slightly parted... It was all he could do not to take control of the situation and move his hands to more- interesting places over the younger man's flushed skin.
"M-Maybe you should go back to bed." And I'll come with you. He added silently in his head.
Squall blinked out of the trance he had been in and dropped Kiros' hands when he realized what he was doing and saw the shocked and slightly terrified look on the older man's face.
"Sorry." He whispered.
Kiros sighed and placed a gentle friendly hand on his shoulder. "S'okay."
A door opened and Laguna looked in, Kiros pulled away from Squall as if he'd been touching hot coal, hitting his hand on the wall in the process.
Laguna gave him a funny look before handed him a few pieces of paperwork.
Squall frowned. "Don't you do any work? You always seem to give it away to everyone."
"Well Olivia and I are going out tonight it's her birthday."
"Oh." Squall said. "I'll let you off then."
"Are you okay?" Laguna felt Squall's forehead as well causing the brunette to lock eyes with Kiros remembering what happened between them.
"Christ Squall you're burning up!" He took his hand away. "Why aren't you in bed?"
"Work to do remember?"
"I can manage." Kiros said. "You go."
"No I'm okay, I want to help."
"You are not okay!"
"Look at garden I never have a day off even when I had the flu I still went to work!"
Laguna frowned at him. "I thought you were supposed to be looked after at that garden of yours."
"We are and I can look after myself."
"Well I think you should go to bed and rest."
"I don't!"
Laguna shot Kiros a 'help me' look.
The dark man got out of his chair and came round to stand beside Squall. "Humour us." He helped the younger man out of his chair and towards the door.
Squall sighed. "Fine, if it'll stop you fussing over me." He moved quickly down the corridor towards his room to lose Laguna. He opened his door and looked round at the empty corridor. Thank god, the older more annoying man had given up.
The brunette flopped down width ways across his bed; he groaned and shut his eyes.
They soon shot open again when he heard the front door open; Laguna came in setting something on the bedside table.
"What's that?"
"Soup I'd thought you'd want some."
"Well I don't."
"You're sick you have to have soup its tradition." He frowned at his fully dressed son who was sprawled width ways across the bed.
"You can't sleep like that."
"How do you know?"
"Come on, get under the covers and lose the leathers those don't look too comfy."
Squall groaned watching Laguna fold down the covers. "Come on."
Squall started to strip to his boxers and white tee with a sigh. "I'm not a little kid; you don't have to baby me."
"Well I wasn't around to baby you before."
"So now you're making up for lost time?" Squall asked, getting under the covers.
"Umm- Yeah."
"Oh good yay me."
"You going to be okay on your own when I leave?"
Squall scoffed. "More than okay, it's not like I'm dying."
Laguna picked up the tray and set it over Squall's lap. "Here try and eat some." He stood straight and nodded.
Squall watched. "Okay you can go now."
The other man nodded but didn't move.
"Go on off you go, try and do some work for a chance." He teased.
"I can stay if you want."
"No! Go!"
Laguna edged towards the door. "I can check back before I go out tonight if you want?"
"No it's okay."
"Right I'll see you tomorrow then... if I don't see you later that is." He inched back towards the bed and slowly nervous dropped a kiss to Squall's hair.
The brunette flinched a little but said nothing as Laguna headed for the door again and this time made it out of it.
Squall sighed and set the tray back on the bedside table. He really wasn't hungry instead he settled down on the mattress and pulled up the blankets, a nap sounded good.
Laguna had been gone from the palace for an hour when Kiros snuck into Squall's room. He remembered his friend's frantic pleas for him to check on Squall. He probably would have done it anyway even if Laguna hadn't asked him to. He considered Squall a friend, a young friend who he found attractive and sexy, a friend who could reduce him to a puddle of mush on the floor with one of them rare smiles that were becoming less rare with the more time he spent in Esthar. He lusted after Squall as well as cared for him, he wondered what Squall would say if he knew.
He dropped into the chair beside the bed and watched the brunette sleep his cheeks were pink from fever. Kiros rose and lay a hand on Squall's forehead, the brunette stirred sighing and opened his eyes.
He blinked in confusion for a second then tried a tiny smile. "Hi."
"Hi sorry I woke you, expected you to sleep heavier than that."
"All the military training, if you're a heavy sleeper someone can sneak up and kill you."
"Right yes of course I didn't think-"
"S'okay I like your company."
Kiros smiled. "Well that's good." He moved the back of his hand over Squall's cheek. "You're burning up, you feel hot?"
Squall nodded.
"I'll cool you down hang on." He walked off into the bathroom.
Squall lifted his head to try and see where he had gone but within a minute Kiros was back with a wet cloth. Squall jumped a bit at the sudden coldness against his skin when it touched his cheek.
Kiros picked up Squall's hand and put it over the cloth, not wanting a repeat of what happened earlier in his office.
Squall watched Kiros perched on the edge of the bed as he moved the cloth over his heated skin on his face and neck.
"Laguna gone?"
"Yeah he left about an hour ago, do you want me to leave?"
"No stay... please."
"If you're sure?"
Squall nodded. "When do you get to go out then?"
"I don't."
Squall frowned.
"But then I didn't think you were actually a social butterfly either."
That got a small smile out of Squall. "Well why don't we go out together then?"
"Huh?"
"You can do all the talking that I suck at and you don't have to go out alone." Squall reasoned.
"Maybe we will... when you're better."
"Mmm." Squall set the cloth beside the bed.
"You going to sleep?"
"No, had too much sleep, talk to me?"
"About what?"
"Anything, plan what we'll do when you come out with me."
The dark man chuckled. "Okay." He climbed over Squall to lie beside him on the double bed. "You start then?"
tbc