Knowing You
Chapter 10
"Sure it'll work at all now?" Kiros asked eyeing the pile of wires and parts that Squall had just removed from the ship's engine.
"I don't think they belong in there anyway I think someone's been using the engine as a sort of storage unit or something." He pulled a long red wire out of the of engine space. "Or at least I don't where they would fit in." He looked at Kiros. "Did you want something or did you just come here to watch me dismantle my ship?"
Kiros smiled. "It's about tonight."
"Not cancelling on me are you?"
They had made plans to go out, to go see a movie and grab a bite to eat. Kiros had said it had been a while since he last saw a movie that wasn't on a DVD so Squall thought it would be a change.
Kiros sighed. "I have an early start tomorrow and-"
"You are cancelling on me."
"No I just thought maybe I could make dinner and we could watch a DVD to save the going out part."
Squall shot him a suspicious look. "You chickened out didn't you?"
Kiros smiled before trying to look offended. "I do not chicken out of anything."
"Oh really?"
"It's a compromise."
"Hmm."
"But if you don't want my dinner then we can cancel like you-"
"No, no, no, no dinner's fine."
Kiros smirked. "Well good. Is 6:00 okay?"
"Fine, should I bring anything?"
"Normally I'd say a bottle of wine but I've seen you drunk." He chuckled
Squall frowned. "One bottle of wine between us is not going to get me drunk."
Kiros shrugged. "Well bring one then if you think you can handle it." He teased.
"Squall!"
The brunette turned to see Laguna running to catch up with him. "Are you doing anything tonight?"
"Actually yes."
"Cause I was thinking-" He paused as what Squall was saying sunk in. "What? Really? That's great!"
"I have a dinner date-"
"Date?"
Squall almost laughed at the silly expression in Laguna's face at the word 'date'.
"With Kiros." He added with smirk.
"Oh, OH!" He grinned, feeling silly now. "I was thinking-"
"I know what you were thinking."
"Not that that would have a bad thing either."
"Don't start that again."
"What?"
"All that stuff about me going on dates and meeting people."
"I'm supposed to nag I'm a parent I read it in my 'Quick easy steps to be a parent' handbook."
"Oh." Squall frowned. "Do you really have that book?"
Laguna shook his head.
"Oh shame, maybe you should write one when you're pretending to do work in your office."
Laguna pouted. "I do not pretend to do work! I do lots of- of- important-umm-" Paused to search of a word. "Decision making." He came up with, he grinned in triumph.
Squall nodded looking amused. "Right well you should get back to that then, don't want to leave the guards to make their own decisions they might start doing things that right way and that would do for the image of Esthar." He teased.
Laguna frowned. "Oh.... Go away."
"Going."
The brunette was dressed in a black tank top and black jeans; he decided to forego the leather as even though it was only September the people of Esthar obviously liked to have the palace at constant oven temperature. He studied the label on the side of the bottle of white wine that he held, made in Trabia with some unpronounceable name. He didn't think anyone spoke Trabian anymore.
Squall knocked and jumped when the door opened almost instantly under his hand.
"Hi." He managed after a few moments of surprise. His eyes started to take in the other man's appearance the tight pants that clung to his legs nicely and a loose deep dark red dress shirt that had the first three buttons undone revealing Kiros smooth throat and a portion of muscular chest that Squall was now staring at.
"Hey you came." Kiros said, feeling silly now for pacing around when Squall didn't show up dead on time. He looked good, shame about the lack of leather Squall always looked very good in those tight thigh hugging leather pants of his. He gave himself a mental slap, he shouldn't be thinking things like that maybe it was better this way and Squall would be less distracting, less tempting.
Kiros moved back to let Squall inside. "Come in."
The brunette handed him the bottle.
"Thanks." He raised an eyebrow. "Laguna help you with this?"
"Um- yeah why?"
"This is his favourite or at least casual favourite."
"Casual?"
"Cheap." He chuckled. "But good."
Squall followed him into the kitchen. "You- look good." The brunette said hesitantly as if he wasn't sure if he was supposed to say it or not.
Kiros smiled. "So do you." Not that he could imagine Squall looking bad.
"Can I help you?"
"Yeah sure." He pushed some vegetables across the counter, carrots, broccoli and potatoes. "You can chop those."
"Ah good chopping I'm good at that."
"All that practice you've have with that gunblade of yours."
"Probably." He started to hack up the broccoli with the knife he was given, chopping the small pieces into even smaller pieces until he realized he was being watched.
"What?"
"I said chop the vegetables not hack them to pieces." He chuckled.
Squall looked down at the mutilated broccoli, tiny pieces all over the place. "Oh." He looked up a little sheepishly. "Sorry."
"S'okay I like shredded vegetables."
Squall started to chop the carrots with more care and when he was done he hopped up onto the counter with a stolen carrot to nibble on. "So what are we eating?"
"Chicken eventually." He looked up at Squall. "I was thinking maybe we could have dinner last, you know watch the DVD first and finish with dinner."
Squall shrugged. "Sounds good." He raised an eyebrow. "Any reason?"
"No." He said too quickly then sighed. "Okay I forgot to turn the oven on."
Squall sniggered lightly.
"I was in hurry, I had a lot of work to do and-"
"Excuses, excuses." Squall hopped off the counter. "I wasn't that hungry anyway."
Kiros gave him a look. "Then why are you here? If not to eat?"
"I want to be here." He bite back a 'To be with you.' Not knowing how well that would go down.
The dark man chuckled as Squall flopped down over his sofa lying stretched out face down. He set the bottle and two glasses on the coffee table and slapped Squall's legs to get him to move them so he could sit down at the foot of the couch. "Hey, legs."
They retracted under Squall body so that he was sitting up. "Nice sofa."
"You have to lie all over it to figure that out?"
Squall nodded with serious expression on his face. "Yes." Not that he would in anyone else home except his own when he's all alone normally but he felt relaxed around Kiros so that he didn't have to hide as much as he normally would do.
Kiros picked up the bottle and tried to get the cork out of it, Squall picked up a glass watching Kiros struggle with the bottle.
"Problem?"
"It's just slippery."
"Yeah, yeah whatever."
The dark man raised an eyebrow and while he was looking at Squall the bottle opened, the bubbly liquid rushed to the surface and down the sides of the bottle.
"Shit!" Squall hissed as the cold liquid soaked through his shirt. "Aim for the glass!"
"I am, hold it still!"
"I am!"
They filled the glass and Kiros filled the other while Squall sat up and stared down at his wet shirt.
"Did I get any on you?"
"Any?" Squall pulled the front of his shirt out to show the soaked material.
Kiros sniggered then laughed at Squall's expression like he wasn't sure if he should be amused or irritated. Irritated looked like it was winning.
"Oh come on you have to see the funny side." Squall leaned over and poured a little onto Kiros' lap, watching the man leap up off the sofa.
"Now I do."
"That was immature." He splashed some wine from his glass at Squall's bare skin just above his belt.
"Hey! Thought I was supposed to be the immature one! I'm 17!"
"Thank you for reminding me that I'm old."
"Your only as old as you feel, do you feel old?"
Kiros shot him a sideways glance. "Not when I'm with you... and you're throwing wine at me."
Squall looked offended. "Excuse me I think you mean you throwing it at me."
"No I was right the first time."
Squall stood up and cringed.
"What?"
"It's just run down my leg and into my boot."
Kiros chuckled.
"Wine that someone threw on my stomach."
The dark man looked innocent. "Really? Who was that then?"
Squall pulled his shirt off over his head and sat back down to remove his shoes. Kiros eyes roamed over the slightly damp skin of his young friend, Squall was lean but lightly muscled, muscles that he used to lift that gunblade of him no doubt. He cocked his head as Squall leant over to remove his boots, for a young man the brunette had quite the collection of scars.
Kiros shuffled closer.
"Where'd you get that from?" He ran a finger down the longest scar that ran down Squall's back and across his side in a slightly jagged white line.
Squall froze, body going stiff when Kiros touched him, that scar ended along his waist just above his belt, he's always been a little sensitive there... especially when being touched but someone who had guest stared in his X-rated dreams.
"Err- I've had that one ages." He sighed at the feel of palms on his back.
"Yes I see you have quite the collection here but that one's the biggest."
"And my first."
Kiros looked quizzically at him. "Me and a group of other cadets decided we didn't need instructors to help us kill monsters and we out on our own, wandered off from our camp in Trabia and got a little out of our depth with those huge bear like things with large claws." He looked back at Kiros. "I went back after the sorceress for a little pay back."
Kiros chuckled.
"Kept the claws for a souvenir."
The dark man made a face.
"What, don't you get souvenirs?"
"Yeah but a keyring or something not really into bits of animal."
Squall leant back on the other man's shoulder before he had the chance to think about what or who he was leaning on.
Kiros blinked in shock, not really knowing what to do with his arms, he could put them round Squall but that seemed a bit familiar.
The brunette made the decision for him by turning around to face him. "We forgot to put the DVD on."
"Did you want to?"
Squall studied him. "No." He closed the gap between them ignoring the fact that Kiros' eyes widened in shock and what he guessed was horror.
Squall gently kissed him not unlike their first drunken kiss but this time he deepened it, pressing his lips more firmly to the other man's, hoping for a response.
Squall had gingerly kissed him, Kiros couldn't believe it. The brunette seemed shy, hesitant almost fragile like he'd break at the slightest touch.
The older man slowly raised a hand to the back of Squall's neck before he even touched him or had the chance to kiss him back an alarm sounded loud and constant.
Squall broke away from Kiros instantly like he'd been caught doing something he shouldn't.
"What's that?"
"Security alarm." Kiros pulled back from Squall. "Someone's breached the magic barriers. I-I have to go."
"Go?"
Kiros got up off and couch, looking back at Squall. "You can come too if you want, if probably nothing and then we can come back." He offered.
"Okay." Squall answered, a little more quiet and subdued than he had been all evening. The brunette grabbed his tee off the floor and followed out the door.
tbc