FFVIII: Fugitive (6)
Fandom: Final Fantasy VIII
Pairing: Seifer/Squall
Warnings: Squall POV, angst
Chapter: Six
Rating: PG
Summary: Seifer is on the run, and meets his lover only once every few months. For multi-chapter fics, warnings and pairings are chapter specific.
“Quistis?” Selphie looked shocked and I swung to face the owner of the voice as well. She was pale and trembling and behind her loomed another figure.
“Squall,” she said, softly, meeting my eyes and then hanging her head slightly. “I got captured. I...”
I could tell. I almost got pissed off with her, but I knew we all made mistakes. Like me. Forgetting about walkie talkies was just one of the stupid things I'd done. I just waited calmly as the person behind her pushed her forward, his big hands on her shoulders. There was no one I knew as tall as him.
“Ward,” I said softly.
He nodded slightly. He put something into Quistis' hands and pushed her towards us. She stumbled a little after his strong push and carried the rolled up bit of paper to me, passing it to me and straightening up, trying to appear strong. “Read it,” she said, softly.
I unrolled it, glancing over the typed out lines. It was obvious that this had been planned. I looked up quickly, thinking about the implications of that. “Ward, did my father or - ”
He shook his head.
I turned back to the piece of paper.
I'm sorry about this, but I can't allow you to free Seifer Almasy. He is the Knight of a Sorceress, and even if that Sorceress is dead, he is still dangerous. Particularly because his Sorceress is actually not born yet.
For the sake of Esthar, even if Laguna feels he has to indulge you, I have to do this. I know Laguna won't.
Quistis touched my shoulder lightly. “What's going on?”
“I fucked up. I should never have trusted anyone to help me,” I said, my eyes on Ward. He looked apologetic. But he didn't look as if he regretted his decision a bit.
Selphie bounced a little, her nunchaku in her hands, swinging a little with her movement. “Squall, explain everything!”
I looked at Ward. Would he let me? He nodded slightly. I looked at Seifer and found him staring at me, not making any attempt to move, just staring at me as if he trusted me to do this. He nodded slightly as well, smiling a little. “Tell them, Squall. We can't get in any more shit than we already are.”
I nodded back and turned back to look at Quistis. Irvine and Zell were quiet, watching me carefully. Everyone's eyes were on me and I hated it, but I had to tell the truth.
“Seifer was controlled by Ultimecia. I know none of you believe that... but it's true. I knew it all along. We were lovers before the war and we kept on meeting after it, secretly.”
“I knew about that,” Quistis said, softly. “I had you monitored.”
“Guess even your carefulness wasn't careful enough, Squally-boy,” Seifer said, sounding amused and I turned and glared at him.
“Seifer disappeared. I left Garden to try and find him. I went to Esthar for help - Kiros and Laguna helped me track him down. I assume that it wasn't you who captured Seifer, Ward?”
He shook his head.
“You're just trying to take advantage of the opportunity to capture him,” I said, quietly, and I couldn't help but feel disappointed, right to the core. I had opened up, trusted people, trusted everyone in Esthar, and one person had made that all meaningless. “You worked alongside Kiros... you could get hold of all the information.”
He nodded slightly and Irvine frowned.
“Who did capture Seifer?”
“A group of opportunists out to sell him to the highest bidder,” Zell said, and he sounded even a little indignant. “Right, Squall?”
I nodded. “Ward won't let me save Seifer because he believes Seifer is still a threat, or rather, will be again.”
“I'll never serve that bitch again,” Seifer almost snarls, softly, but enough to make Selphie flinch. Ward narrowed his eyes slightly, and I knew that he would never believe that. Or, well, Laguna might be able to convince him, but no other force on the planet would.
I lowered my voice. “Quistis, Irvine, Zell, Selphie... are you with me?”
I was disinclined to trust anyone else, but not to trust those four would be like shooting myself in the foot. Pointless, stupid, and clumsy.
There was a pause. And then all of them nodded. Ward raised an eyebrow but we all reacted instantaneously, immediately, as if we had rehearsed this a thousand times. Zell lunged for Ward, the only one with a hope of taking him down, and Irvine loaded Exeter, pointing it at Ward as Zell got him down on the floor. I was with Seifer immediately, working on getting his legs free. Selphie moved after Zell, swinging her nunchaku down in an attempt to stun Ward while Zell pinned him. And Quistis worked on freeing Seifer.
I'd just freed Seifer and I was just standing, moving towards him as he reached to take me into his arms, when everything stopped. I heard Irvine groan and I turned in Seifer's arms, enough to see Ward holding Exeter, pointed at my back.
“It's not nice to hit girls!” Selphie glared at him, rubbing her head and crawling over to Zell. Her nunchaku were on the other side of the room. Zell was unconscious.
“She's right. It's not,” another voice said, calm and smooth and controlled, a voice I knew, and I relaxed into Seifer's arms, feeling them tighten, burying my face in his shoulder and taking a deep breath. I smelled smoke on Seifer's clothes and for once I didn't care. I had missed him, and now I had him, and things would come out okay.
“Ward... what are you doing?”
It was Laguna and Kiros and a whole squad of soldiers.
“We followed you. You... betrayed us,” Kiros said, softly, and I heard the same disillusionment in his voice that I'd felt.
“My son loves Seifer,” Laguna said, quietly. “I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. I trust in Squall's judgement.”
Ward stared at Laguna, and then at Kiros, and then at me and Seifer, and Seifer held me close and tight, the embrace I'd been wanting for months. I was almost holding my breath.
Ward lowered the gun.
Pairing: Seifer/Squall
Warnings: Squall POV, angst
Chapter: Six
Rating: PG
Summary: Seifer is on the run, and meets his lover only once every few months. For multi-chapter fics, warnings and pairings are chapter specific.
“Quistis?” Selphie looked shocked and I swung to face the owner of the voice as well. She was pale and trembling and behind her loomed another figure.
“Squall,” she said, softly, meeting my eyes and then hanging her head slightly. “I got captured. I...”
I could tell. I almost got pissed off with her, but I knew we all made mistakes. Like me. Forgetting about walkie talkies was just one of the stupid things I'd done. I just waited calmly as the person behind her pushed her forward, his big hands on her shoulders. There was no one I knew as tall as him.
“Ward,” I said softly.
He nodded slightly. He put something into Quistis' hands and pushed her towards us. She stumbled a little after his strong push and carried the rolled up bit of paper to me, passing it to me and straightening up, trying to appear strong. “Read it,” she said, softly.
I unrolled it, glancing over the typed out lines. It was obvious that this had been planned. I looked up quickly, thinking about the implications of that. “Ward, did my father or - ”
He shook his head.
I turned back to the piece of paper.
I'm sorry about this, but I can't allow you to free Seifer Almasy. He is the Knight of a Sorceress, and even if that Sorceress is dead, he is still dangerous. Particularly because his Sorceress is actually not born yet.
For the sake of Esthar, even if Laguna feels he has to indulge you, I have to do this. I know Laguna won't.
Quistis touched my shoulder lightly. “What's going on?”
“I fucked up. I should never have trusted anyone to help me,” I said, my eyes on Ward. He looked apologetic. But he didn't look as if he regretted his decision a bit.
Selphie bounced a little, her nunchaku in her hands, swinging a little with her movement. “Squall, explain everything!”
I looked at Ward. Would he let me? He nodded slightly. I looked at Seifer and found him staring at me, not making any attempt to move, just staring at me as if he trusted me to do this. He nodded slightly as well, smiling a little. “Tell them, Squall. We can't get in any more shit than we already are.”
I nodded back and turned back to look at Quistis. Irvine and Zell were quiet, watching me carefully. Everyone's eyes were on me and I hated it, but I had to tell the truth.
“Seifer was controlled by Ultimecia. I know none of you believe that... but it's true. I knew it all along. We were lovers before the war and we kept on meeting after it, secretly.”
“I knew about that,” Quistis said, softly. “I had you monitored.”
“Guess even your carefulness wasn't careful enough, Squally-boy,” Seifer said, sounding amused and I turned and glared at him.
“Seifer disappeared. I left Garden to try and find him. I went to Esthar for help - Kiros and Laguna helped me track him down. I assume that it wasn't you who captured Seifer, Ward?”
He shook his head.
“You're just trying to take advantage of the opportunity to capture him,” I said, quietly, and I couldn't help but feel disappointed, right to the core. I had opened up, trusted people, trusted everyone in Esthar, and one person had made that all meaningless. “You worked alongside Kiros... you could get hold of all the information.”
He nodded slightly and Irvine frowned.
“Who did capture Seifer?”
“A group of opportunists out to sell him to the highest bidder,” Zell said, and he sounded even a little indignant. “Right, Squall?”
I nodded. “Ward won't let me save Seifer because he believes Seifer is still a threat, or rather, will be again.”
“I'll never serve that bitch again,” Seifer almost snarls, softly, but enough to make Selphie flinch. Ward narrowed his eyes slightly, and I knew that he would never believe that. Or, well, Laguna might be able to convince him, but no other force on the planet would.
I lowered my voice. “Quistis, Irvine, Zell, Selphie... are you with me?”
I was disinclined to trust anyone else, but not to trust those four would be like shooting myself in the foot. Pointless, stupid, and clumsy.
There was a pause. And then all of them nodded. Ward raised an eyebrow but we all reacted instantaneously, immediately, as if we had rehearsed this a thousand times. Zell lunged for Ward, the only one with a hope of taking him down, and Irvine loaded Exeter, pointing it at Ward as Zell got him down on the floor. I was with Seifer immediately, working on getting his legs free. Selphie moved after Zell, swinging her nunchaku down in an attempt to stun Ward while Zell pinned him. And Quistis worked on freeing Seifer.
I'd just freed Seifer and I was just standing, moving towards him as he reached to take me into his arms, when everything stopped. I heard Irvine groan and I turned in Seifer's arms, enough to see Ward holding Exeter, pointed at my back.
“It's not nice to hit girls!” Selphie glared at him, rubbing her head and crawling over to Zell. Her nunchaku were on the other side of the room. Zell was unconscious.
“She's right. It's not,” another voice said, calm and smooth and controlled, a voice I knew, and I relaxed into Seifer's arms, feeling them tighten, burying my face in his shoulder and taking a deep breath. I smelled smoke on Seifer's clothes and for once I didn't care. I had missed him, and now I had him, and things would come out okay.
“Ward... what are you doing?”
It was Laguna and Kiros and a whole squad of soldiers.
“We followed you. You... betrayed us,” Kiros said, softly, and I heard the same disillusionment in his voice that I'd felt.
“My son loves Seifer,” Laguna said, quietly. “I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. I trust in Squall's judgement.”
Ward stared at Laguna, and then at Kiros, and then at me and Seifer, and Seifer held me close and tight, the embrace I'd been wanting for months. I was almost holding my breath.
Ward lowered the gun.