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FFVIII: Street Corner
Fandom: Final Fantasy VIII
Pairing: None
Warnings: None
Rating: PG
Summary: Seifer asked Squall to meet him, unarmed, just to talk. For![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
fic_on_demand.
Squall joined him so quietly that if Seifer hadn't been waiting expressly for him, he might not have noticed him, although the odds were against it. He had almost been a SeeD once, after all. He didn't even look up when Squall joined him, but he knew he was there, and knew he'd come unarmed, as he'd asked. He kept his hands busy lighting another cigarette, the third since he'd arrived at the street corner.
"What are you doing here?" Squall asked. Apparently, he'd got tired of waiting. "I thought you'd be running."
"I don't run," Seifer said, flatly. He drew out the box of cigarettes again and waved it at Squall. "Want one?"
"No," he said, his tone all ice. "When did you even start smoking? You know -- "
"What are you? My mother?"
There was silence again. Seifer finished smoking, threw down his cigarette and ground it up beneath his boot. He smirked a little when he looked at Squall, who was still stood there stiffly waiting to find out why he'd been called there.
"You really want to know why?"
"Why you're smoking?"
Seifer gave him a scathing look. "No, dumbass. Why I called you here, though I'll answer both questions if you like. Let's walk."
Squall shrugged, just a tiny movement of his shoulders, and fell into step beside Seifer. Even though they were both wearing heavy boots, even though the street was all hard paving, they made little sound. They passed the junk shop before Seifer spoke again, nodding towards it.
"Remember when we used to be able to spend hours in there, just messing around, modifying our weapons?"
"Yes."
"Kind of miss that," Seifer said, though there was no note of regret in his voice. They kept walking, down to the docks. "You know what happened to Rai and Fu?"
"They were granted protection in custody, in Esthar, after they covered your escape when the soldiers came. At least until your trial. After that, they might go free."
Seifer smirked. "I won't be going to the trial."
"I know." Squall looked out at the water as they came to a stop. Perhaps he was thinking about that mission. Not the tv station, but the very first. When he'd graduated, and Seifer hadn't. That had been the start of it all, if blame could be laid on any one event. Seifer was trying not to think of it.
"Smoking gives me something to do with my hands. And it's better to crave a bit of nicotine than sorceress power. Might be bad for my body, but it can't be even half as soul-destroying," he said, suddenly. For the first time, his voice carried a taint of emotion. "That bitch..."
"If you turn up to the trial, we might be able to help you. Clear your name."
"Fuck you," Seifer said, almost amiably. He pulled out another cigarette. "You know I don't deserve that."
"So why are you here?"
Seifer turned to him, eyes searching his face for a moment. Squall held still under Seifer's examination, his eyes shadowed and inscrutable behind the long strands of hair that fell across his face. "I just wanted to see if you'd come," Seifer said, at last. Squall almost smiled.
"Tomorrow, I have to go back to hunting you down."
"I know. It's the way things work."
There was another silence. Finally, Squall turned to go. There seemed nothing more to be said. As he left the dock area, though, he heard Seifer's steps behind him. He stopped, turning a little, waiting.
"You won't catch me," Seifer said, one corner of his mouth lifting into a smile.
"Good," Squall said, returning the smile. Seifer pushed past him and left, and Squall paused to let him go, watched him walk silently away past the silent buildings, like a ghost who'd never been there in the first place.
Pairing: None
Warnings: None
Rating: PG
Summary: Seifer asked Squall to meet him, unarmed, just to talk. For
fic_on_demand.Squall joined him so quietly that if Seifer hadn't been waiting expressly for him, he might not have noticed him, although the odds were against it. He had almost been a SeeD once, after all. He didn't even look up when Squall joined him, but he knew he was there, and knew he'd come unarmed, as he'd asked. He kept his hands busy lighting another cigarette, the third since he'd arrived at the street corner.
"What are you doing here?" Squall asked. Apparently, he'd got tired of waiting. "I thought you'd be running."
"I don't run," Seifer said, flatly. He drew out the box of cigarettes again and waved it at Squall. "Want one?"
"No," he said, his tone all ice. "When did you even start smoking? You know -- "
"What are you? My mother?"
There was silence again. Seifer finished smoking, threw down his cigarette and ground it up beneath his boot. He smirked a little when he looked at Squall, who was still stood there stiffly waiting to find out why he'd been called there.
"You really want to know why?"
"Why you're smoking?"
Seifer gave him a scathing look. "No, dumbass. Why I called you here, though I'll answer both questions if you like. Let's walk."
Squall shrugged, just a tiny movement of his shoulders, and fell into step beside Seifer. Even though they were both wearing heavy boots, even though the street was all hard paving, they made little sound. They passed the junk shop before Seifer spoke again, nodding towards it.
"Remember when we used to be able to spend hours in there, just messing around, modifying our weapons?"
"Yes."
"Kind of miss that," Seifer said, though there was no note of regret in his voice. They kept walking, down to the docks. "You know what happened to Rai and Fu?"
"They were granted protection in custody, in Esthar, after they covered your escape when the soldiers came. At least until your trial. After that, they might go free."
Seifer smirked. "I won't be going to the trial."
"I know." Squall looked out at the water as they came to a stop. Perhaps he was thinking about that mission. Not the tv station, but the very first. When he'd graduated, and Seifer hadn't. That had been the start of it all, if blame could be laid on any one event. Seifer was trying not to think of it.
"Smoking gives me something to do with my hands. And it's better to crave a bit of nicotine than sorceress power. Might be bad for my body, but it can't be even half as soul-destroying," he said, suddenly. For the first time, his voice carried a taint of emotion. "That bitch..."
"If you turn up to the trial, we might be able to help you. Clear your name."
"Fuck you," Seifer said, almost amiably. He pulled out another cigarette. "You know I don't deserve that."
"So why are you here?"
Seifer turned to him, eyes searching his face for a moment. Squall held still under Seifer's examination, his eyes shadowed and inscrutable behind the long strands of hair that fell across his face. "I just wanted to see if you'd come," Seifer said, at last. Squall almost smiled.
"Tomorrow, I have to go back to hunting you down."
"I know. It's the way things work."
There was another silence. Finally, Squall turned to go. There seemed nothing more to be said. As he left the dock area, though, he heard Seifer's steps behind him. He stopped, turning a little, waiting.
"You won't catch me," Seifer said, one corner of his mouth lifting into a smile.
"Good," Squall said, returning the smile. Seifer pushed past him and left, and Squall paused to let him go, watched him walk silently away past the silent buildings, like a ghost who'd never been there in the first place.