Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Stay With Me ❯ Stay With Me ( One-Shot )

Hokay!!! If you're reading this, it's probably because your curiosity got the best of you. Well, yay! I LOVE odd pairings! They're just so fun! And I thought this one up the other day and had to see what I could do with it. The result, "Stay With Me", a FFVIII yaoi one-shot that features Laguna and Seifer! (you think this is weird, I have a couple other interesting ideas too!) Anyway, since it's such a bizarre combo, and because I always like opinions, PLEASE R&R. Since I haven't written many ff8 fanfics, the chars may be a little ooc since I haven't mastered them yet, but I don't think I did too bad with them. Anyways, I DON'T OWN FFVIII OR ANY OF IT'S CHARACTERS, SO DON'T SUE ME. And on with the fic!

________

"Stay With Me"

By: Banshee Puppet

(an ffviii yaoi fanfic. Laguna x Seifer)

________

After two years, he had become a habit. Laguna took for granted the fact that the willful young blonde would always be around, working hard as always, but also, showing up at the worst possible times, when he was buried so deep in Estharian beauracracy that he thought he might never manage to get to the bottom of the mountain of paperwork he had to deal with.

But lately, he didn't know, something had changed. Seifer had been giving him the cold shoulder, and now, all of a sudden, out of nowhere, he was gone. Just gone. No goodbye, not even a note, and it hurt. It hurt that Seifer had left without saying goodbye, though he wasn't sure why it hurt, or what sort of hurt it was exactly.

Laguna got up from his desk, glaring at the evil red digits on his clock as they glared 3:27 am menacingly at him for a moment before moving to the window, crossing his arms over his chest and scowling at the nightlife outside his office window.

"Seifer. Where are you? I thought you could talk to me, isn't that what you said? But you just went away, you jerk. Is it something I did?" he wondered, pouting, but unable to think of anything he'd done that might make the young man just disappear like that. "You were such a pain in the rear, always dragging me out when I had the most work to do, but I miss having you around, I really do, you arrogant, stubborn, irreverent jackass."

With a disgruntled sigh, Laguna flopped back into his chair and glared at the evil paperwork on his desk. He had to have it all done by 8 this morning. Looked like it was going to be another all-nighter and no one but Saito to keep him company. Laguna looked down at the lump of gray fur then back out the window.

"Meow?"

He sighed.

"Where the hell are you when I need you, you damn punk? Huh?"

_________

Seifer flopped himself down in a barstool. He didn't know where the hell he was going and he knew it. He also knew that he really, REALLY needed a drink or ten right now.

After that mess with the Sorceress, he couldn't go back to Garden, and at that time, he'd thought it would be a good idea to go to Esthar and work for Laguna to make up for the err of his ways. It was the least he could do, really. Two years and a heck of a lot of alcohol later, he was fairly sure it was the worst idea he'd ever had.

See, the problem was, he liked Laguna. No, that's not it exactly. He liked Laguna A LOT. Actually, somewhere along the line, he'd fallen in love with the older man, and it took him until about two months ago to realize it.

So that led him to his current situation. To prevent the older man from catching on and being completely sickened by him, eventually telling him that he was a disgusting faggot and to get the fuck away from him and never come back, Seifer, for two months, had given Laguna the cold shoulder. Avioding him, ignoring him, being even more of a prick than he used to be to Squall and Zell, and anything else he could think of. He'd even purposely been neglecting his work in hopes of getting fired.

No such luck. President Laguna Loire was naïve to a fault, and also EXTREMELY stubborn when he wanted to be. None of this seemed to phase him much. Actually, since Seifer had been avoiding him, Laguna found excuses to go out of his way to see him, even inventing odd jobs that would require the blonde to be sitting across the desk from the president for three hours at a stretch. Very difficult for Seifer, what with Laguna's sighing and brow furrowing, and adorable pouting over his paperwork.

"You're quieter than usual." He had said it again last night. "Not trying to drag me off to one of those clubs you like so much tonight. Not that I could go, but it's a change," Laguna had told him. "Something bothering you Seifer?"

"None of your business," Seifer bit out, wanting so badly to leap over the desk and embrace the older man tightly, never let go. Laguna didn't hold anything against him, nothing, even though he'd tried to kill the man's son on repeated occasions. Seifer was grateful for that. Maybe that's how it started, he wasn't really sure, to be quite honest.

Laguna just looked up at him, put down his pen and cocked his head to one side. "You used to be able to talk to me about things. Most of the times you would talk about weird stuff just to make me uncomfortable, but you would at least talk to me. I miss that. All you do these days is brush me off all the time and ignore me like I'm just some annoying old man. I thought we were friends, you know. Can't you at least tell me why you won't talk to me anymore? Did I do something bad? Hurt your feelings or. . ."

"No! I-it's not. . ." Seifer's voice cracked, embarrassing him to no end and he looked away from those concerned eyes. "Things have changed," he said finally, flatly. "I'm tired. Can I go now, Mr. President?"

Stab. He'd really hurt Laguna's feelings that time. "Sure," Laguna answered dejectedly.

That night. That was the night that Seifer decided to leave. Even if by some miracle, Laguna didn't think he was disgusting, he wouldn't risk the man's reputation. He was the president of Esthar for Hyne's sake. He'd picked the most impossible person in the world to fall in love with, but that didn't mean he was willing to ruin Laguna's life over it.

"You still here?" the bartender asked.

"Gimme another drink," Seifer bit out.

The bartender sighed. "Ah, I see. The words of a man in love."

________

"Things have changed," the words echoed through Laguna's mind.

"Gyah!" he grumbled, slamming a fist into his desk with annoyance. "But HOW have the changed? Seifer, what the hell did I do?" It was all he could think about really.

"Uncle Laguna?" Ellone asked. "Are you alright?"

"Uh, yeah. Elle, can you call Squall for me. I think I'd like to hire him to find a negligent employee. Tell him not to hurry, just. . . give me a call back when he gets a break today," he said as he got up from his desk and grabbed his jacket.

"Where are you going?" she asked.

"Uh. . . I'm going to. . .uh. . . find something to clean!" he grumbled this last part, but figured, cleaning his room would at least be a good way to work off some of this nervous energy he seemed to be suffering from.

_______

"Sis?"

"Hi Squall. Uncle Laguna asked me to give you a call, since you don't talk to him," Ellone scolded.

Squall sighed slightly. `Do we have to have this conversation NOW?' he wondered mentally. "What does he want?"

"He's missing one of his employees. I think he wants to hire SeeD to find him."

Squall blinked. "He wants to hire SeeD to find ONE missing employee."

"Weeelll. . . it's his best employee."

Squall sighed. His father could be so high maintenance. "Alright, who is this guy? I trust you have a picture?"

"I don't think you'll need one."

"Come again?"

"It's Seifer."

Squall blinked. And then, he blinked again.

`Seifer was working for Laguna? Since when? And he was his `best employee'? And now missing? What the hell?' "What the hell?" Squall asked. "You want me to go looking for Seifer. . . and NOT kill him?"

"Well, it doesn't have to be you. You can send someone who doesn't, you know, despise him."

Squall sighed. Going through his mind to try and think of someone who could tolerate Seifer, or at least keep him in check and not kill him. `This IS Seifer. I'd say Quistis, but she's busy with teaching. Selphie and Zell are out on principle. "Fine. I'll see if Irvine is busy, and I'll send you the contract by this evening."

"Thanks Squall. Uncle Laguna is really worried about him."

Squall's eyes flashed with some mixture of confusion, annoyance, and an impending stress headache before he said. "Whatever. I'm hanging up the phone now."

_______

Irvine choked on his hot dog. "You want me to what?" he asked, fairly certain he wasn't hearing his Commander correctly.

"Find Seifer. Start from Esthar and work your way from there," Squall answered flatly.

"Do I get extra bullet rations?" Irvine asked, and, earning a glare from Squall he added, "strictly for my own defense, of course. This IS Seifer Almsay we're talking about, after all."

". . ."

Irvine waited out the glaring silence, used to it by now.

Finally, realizing he wasn't intimidating the reckless cowboy, Squall answered flatly, "No. Take the Ragnarok. You're leaving first thing in the morning."

Irvine nodded gravely. This was gonna be a long mission. "Am I getting paid extra for this?" he asked.

"No."

"So then, what's in it for me?"

Squall groaned mentally. Irvine could be so annoying. "If you pull it off without maiming or killing each other, I'll see that you get a week off."

Irvine tossed Squall a manic grin and held out his hand for a handshake. "Commander Leonheart, you've got yourself a deal!" he chirped.

Squall glared at the outstretched hand and walked away. "First thing in the morning," he bit out.

Irvine saluted cheerfully and when Squall had left, flopped himself back into his chair. "Maybe I should have asked for two weeks," he mused.

_______

Laguna sat down on the edge of his bed, Polaroid held between shaky fingers.

It was a candid shot of Seifer up on the roof smoking a cigarette.

"Why do I still have this?"

*** "Hey! What the hell! I was having a private moment just now, Laguna!" Seifer scowled accusingly at the older man.

"No fair! No private moments on my birthday! Check out my present. Isn't it cool?" Laguna beamed, holding an undeveloped snapshot in one hand and a camera in the other.

"Great. Now you can be even more annoying than usual," Seifer said, flinging his cigarette butt off the end of the building.

Laguna plopped down next to him, grinning impishly. "Camera's no good if you don't use it."

"Hn. So how old are you now, Mr. President?" Seifer smirked.

"Old," Laguna returned with a smile.

"You wouldn't know it from your maturity level," Seifer scolded.

"Touche."

A silence passed between them as Laguna watched the picture come into focus.

"You shouldn't smoke, you know," he said casually.

"Shouldn't. Do," Seifer returned. "Want one?"

"Thanks, but no."

Laguna looked up into sad blue eyes and smiled.

"What're you doing up here anyway? It took me forever to find you."

"Smoking. Watching the sunset. Thinking about. . ." Laguna's breath caught in his throat under Seifer's intense gaze. He'd never been looked at by anyone quite that way before, and for a moment, just a split second, he thought the blonde was going to say `you'. ". . . things," Seifer finished finally.

"Things," Laguna echoed.

"Yeah," Seifer returned sadly, never tearing his gaze away from the green eyes beside him. "things." His voice came out softer than he intended, almost a whisper, and as terrified as Laguna was just now, treading in some really unfamiliar territory, wondering what was going on in Seifer's head, behind those intense, yet very sad eyes, he couldn't pull his gaze away. He was just drowning in that moment and all thought flew right out of his head.

A moment of lucidity came to him as he noticed Seifer's gaze shift on his face, then back again. `What is he. . . ?' And then the young man leaned in and kissed him gently.***

Laguna shot up in bed, his eyes wide open. He must have drifted off without realizing it. "What the fuck was that?" he shivered. That hadn't been how it happened at all. The details were precise, from memory, until the very end.

In reality, after Seifer had said he was thinking about "things", they did stare at one another for a long moment, and Laguna DID feel his pulse racing and the muscles in his leg tightening slightly, having no idea what was about to happen, but then Seifer just turned back to the sunset, pulled out another cigarette, and said, "Well, since it's your birthday n'all, I guess I owe you a drink," leaving Laguna with a peculiar feeling invading his stomach and chest that was quite a bit akin to fear, though it wasn't the same thing, exactly. Aprehension, confusion, nervous energy. And they had gone to one of Seifer's usual clubs, had a few drinks, listened to music, danced with a few random women. Seifer saving Laguna from nearly drowning in rancid perfume more than once, and vice versa. But there was definitely no kissing involved. DEFINITELY NOT.

Laguna moved and stared out the window, not knowing what to make of his dream, and startled himself out of his ruminations when he realized his fingers were trailing over his lips and he was imagining what it would be like, to really kiss the blonde hurricane, and realizing that in his dream, in the split second it took before he awoke, he had liked it. Maybe even, wanted it, a little.

"Gah! What the heck is wrong with me? No wonder he ran off. I must have freaked him out that day." `That was around the time he started avoiding me, wasn't it? After that night.' "He must think that I. . ." Laguna wouldn't allow himself to finish that sentence. It was preposterous, nonsense. First of all, he was twice Seifer's age, old enough to be his father, heck Seifer was the same age as his son for crying out loud. And secondly, Laguna wasn't gay. `Waitaminute, weren't my priorities just a little backwards on that one?'

Laguna flopped back onto his bed and resolved not to think about it.

________

Having nowhere to go, Seifer walked. He walked off his drunken haze with no destination in mind as his duffel bag slammed rhythmically into his hip with each step. He knew, after a full night of drinking and no sleep in almost three days, he must look like hell. But he couldn't really sleep when all he could think about was Him. Green eyes always smiling, as if humored, in spite of everything, the way his lips peeled back into that jovial smirk when he was trying not to laugh, gorgeous long, dark hair, the muscles that still seemed to ripple under the thin cotton shirts he wore. Unlike most of the men his age, Laguna's body and build had not seemed to degenerate at all. But he knew that was at least partially because, even though there wasn't any need for it, Laguna still trained every day, with Kiros and Ward. Seifer was glad about that, but it almost made him sad, because that meant he couldn't see the object of his affections in action. And he had to admit, he was a BIT curious about what Kiros referred to as "the stupidest limit break of all time". He chuckled to himself at the memory of the day that he walked in on the two chatting animatedly with Ward in the corner, occasionally giving a small grunt of approval or distate.

***"Hey! I LIKE my limit break!" Laguna pouted up at Kiros, his attempt at a scowl, but with his laughing eyes it looked more like a pout.

Kiros, sitting on his desk had said, "you would."

"Hey!"

"Come on man, the Desperado, it's got to be the stupidest limit break of all time," Kiros scoffed.

"But it's so. . .so. . . FUN!" Laguna defended.

"What the heck DO you attatch that rope to, anyway? I can never figure it out."

"Well, uh, ah, I. . ." Laguna brought a hand to the back of his head in embarrassment. "That is, I don't really know." He looked up to meet blue eyes smirking at him from where Seifer stood, arms across chest, leaning in the doorway. "Ah! Seifer!" Laguna beamed. "Come in. Come in! How long've you been standing there?"

"Not long," he answered. "Long enough to get a little curious, not long enough to ask," he finished with a shrug.***

Yeah, he realized, he'd loved him then. He didn't know that's what it was yet, but it was there, that same warm, gentle feeling. Seifer flopped down on a bench with a thud and a sigh. "What the hell am I doing? Where am I gonna go?" he mumbled to himself, leaning his head back and staring up at a sky so blue it almost felt like it was mocking his sour mood. `If Fujin and Raijin weren't back at Garden, I'd go find `em, drag `em around aimlessly with me for a while, like old times, but I won't disrupt their lives like that. They're getting along just fine without me. They don't need me. Nobody needs me.'

Angry at himself for being so weak, Seifer let his eyes drift closed.

_______

*** "Well, when was the last time you saw him?" Irvine asked.

"The day before yesterday," Laguna said sheepishly, hands in pockets as he bit his lower lip in worry and pet Saito with one socked foot absently, without any of the giddiness he usually got when the cat decided to wrestle with aforementioned foot.

"He was missing for not even a full day when you called to have him found?" Irvine gaped, blinking. "You didn't think that maybe he took a day off, or. . ."

"It's not like him," Laguna replied weakly.

"Since when?"

Laguna locked eyes with the cowboy, his lips taking on a serious frown. "You don't know him."

Irvine sat back with a thud and a sigh. There was DEFINITELY something more going on here than he knew about. "You'd better tell me everything," he said.

Half an hour and a considerable amount of stuttering and fidgeting later, Laguna managed to relate Seifer's strange behavior and that he was missing and he took his things with him.

"So you're telling me then, that he's not missing, exactly, he just left," Irvine deadpanned.

"Uh. . .well. . . that is. . .yeah. But I NEED to talk to him Irvine!" he was about to beg when Irvine raised his hand slightly.

"Chill out Laguna. I'm here to find him, whatever the reasons for his disappearance. That's what it says in the contract. Though I can't say I'm happy about it. You know I've got no love loss for the guy, what with him trying to kill me n'my friends n'all. But they were different times and I won't hold it against him. . .much. Well, guess I'd better get to work! I'm off!" Irvine said, flinging himself out of his chair.***

Irvine groaned at his rotten luck. Crappy mission, half a world away from his Selphie, and Laguna'd given him about as much to go on as a grain of sand on the beach. It was a little funny though, to see the way Laguna was fretting, `like his girlfriend walked out on him,' Irvine chuckled to himself and then his eyes widened at his own line of thought. `No. No way.'

"Ya haven't seen this guy around lately, have ya mister?" Irvine asked, flipping the photo out of his pocket and showing it to the third bartender in an hour.

The bartender inspected the photo and said, "ah! The man in love," he chuckled. "He done something?"

Irvine blinked at the choice of phrasing. "Nah. A friend's just a little worried about him `s all."

"Yeah," the bartender answered, handing the photo back. "He was here last night drinkin' himself under the table like a heartbroken fool. I cut him off only about two hours ago and then he left."

"Thanks. Don't happen to know which way he went?"

"Didn't say. As far away from wherever he came from as he could get, I'd wager."

Irvine nodded, tipped his hat at the man and departed.

_________

***Strong lips. They disrupted Laguna's thoughts enough to make very little else matter. How he got here, who was laying him down against something that felt really soft and cushy, a bed, he presumed. His fingers were tangled into folds of fabric, someone's shirt. And then the kiss stopped and he could feel hands roaming over his body. Large, warm hands. He whimpered at the touch, it was so. . .arousing. And he knew what was going to happen as he heard the voice whispering, "I love you, Laguna," hot breath brushing across his ear before a pair of lips suckled the lobe and hands opened the buttons of his shirt, leaving a cool breeze to play against his chest. "Open your eyes, Laguna," the voice said, a voice he knew, someone very familiar to him, someone he didn't want to imagine a life without, and knowing that terrified him.

Calloused fingertips ran over exposed flesh, sending electric shivers down his spine. `So good. So warm. I want. I need.'

"Laguna, open your eyes, look at me."

Slowly Laguna opened his eyes, meeting sad blue smirking down at him. "Seifer."

The younger man leaned down and kissed him again, tongue invading his mouth as a hand slipped into his pants, teasing, but also giving. `So good. Seifer. Mmm.'

"I love you, Laguna," he whispered.

"Seifer, I. . ."

"Laguna."

"Hm?"

"Laguna."

"What is. . ."

"LAGU***

NA!"

"Huh? Wah?!" Laugna jumped slightly, blinking at his surroundings. His office. His desk. `I fell asleep doing paperwork again,' he realized. `That was all, a dream? Shit Kiros why'd you have to wake me up.' That last thought startled him. He hadn't wanted to wake up from that dream. He knew he should be more disturbed by that fact, but right now, he had Kiros to deal with.

"What?" he asked, realizing his friend had been talking.

"You're really worried about him, aren't you?" Seeing the blank, still half-asleep expression on Laguna's face, he added. "Seifer."

"Uh. . ." Laguna blushed slightly.

"You were saying his name in your sleep. I thought you were having a nighmare," Kiros said flatly. `Laguna, you moron.'

"Uh. Thanks. I'm a little worried, ya know, that's all. Anyway, I have a lot of work to do, so. . ."

"Yeah, alright, there's more where that came from when you're ready for it."

Laguna nodded and Kiros closed the door behind him.

Taking a few deep breaths once he was alone, Laguna shoved his chair back and noticed, now that he was waking up, a very particular sensation in his abdomen. He glared down at his groin accusingly. "Great," he grumbled. "Fucking wonderful."

He grabbed his phone. "Miss Simon."

"Yes President Loire."

"I'm buried in paperwork. Hold all my calls unless they're from Seifer, Irvine, or anyone in SeeD. Just take messages and tell them I'll call them back please."

"Yes sir."

"Thanks."

He hung up the phone and leaned back again. On second thought, he hit the button that would lock his door. The last thing he needed was for someone to walk in on him right now. Then he'd have to explain why he had a raging hard-on, which was definitely NOT on his list of things to do today.

Taking a deep breath to give himself strength, he leaned over his paperwork again. `Maybe if I ignore it it'll go away,' he prayed half-heartedly, refusing to take care of it by other means. `I'm getting to old for this sort of thing,' his mind grumbled at him. All the same, he couldn't really deny now that he was attracted to the younger man. Damned if he'd do anything about it, but there was no use denying it now.

_____

"Somehow, I thought you'd be harder to find," Irvine commented as he looked down at Seifer, who was still in the same position on the bench. "You look like hell, Almsay. Practicing becoming a bum?"

Seifer's eyes shot up at the tall cowboy and he sneered. "What business is it of yours, cowboy?"

"Your boss hired me to find you, so I s'pose it's a heck of a lotta my business."

"Laguna did what?" Seifer actually looked shocked, then the moment passed and he said. "Yeah, I guess he would. Well, you found me. Now leave me alone."

"No can do. Retrieval mission," Irvine shrugged. "You know I couldn't really care less what happens to you, Seifer," Irvine said casually as he sat down beside the blonde on the bench. "You've tried to kill me and mine too many times for us to ever really be friends. Fact is, I can't say I really like you very much. But I know that the circumstances were pretty sticky at that time, so I don't really hold it against you. Well, a little, but I'm not out for blood, if y'understand. Whatever the case, Laguna IS a friend, and he's worried about you. So just swallow your damn pride and go home, would you?"

"I. . .can't," Seifer bit out. He had to respect Irvine at least for his honesty, and he was too tired, and had too much of a hangover to be as much of a prick as was his habit.

"Ya know. Today I spoke to this bartender who seems to be under the impression that you're in love. And I thought, this guy is delusional, Seifer Almsay's never loved anybody in his life. I don't even think he's capable of it. But I figure it doesn't matter," Irvine said, turning to stare seriously into the other's sky-colored eyes. "Because if you make that man cry, orders or otherwise, I WILL shoot you. Now, go home."

`Irvine,' Seifer stared blankly, a little stunned for a few moments. He didn't know what to do, but, Laguna WAS worried about him, and he didn't want to see him cry either so. . . `I really don't have much choice. I'll just suck it up and try to pretend nothing's changed. Try to go back to the way things were.'

"Fine."

Irvine blinked. `That was easier than I thought it would be. I guess Seifer IS in love with Laguna. Wait `till I tell Selphie! She'll get a kick out of it!' Irvine smirked to himself.

"What?" Seifer near-snarled.

"Oh, nothin'. I was just thinkin' that since I managed to get this mission over with and we didn't kill each other, I've got a week's vacation to look forward to." Not actually what he was thinking, but true, nonetheless, and Seifer never had to know.

_____

Laguna jumped up from his desk when Irvine and Seifer walked in. `Seifer!'

"Seifer! You're back!" he beamed, blushing slightly at his remembered dream. He shoved his hands in his pockets and looked at the ground chewing his lip for a moment before saying, "You shoulda told me you were goin' somewhere. I was worried, you know. It's not like you to just up and disappear."

`Laguna.' Seifer found that for a long few moments, he couldn't speak. He just stared at the black haired man who seemed rather content with staring at his feet as a slight rosy hue colored his cheeks. `He must be embarrassed about going overboard like this.' "Yes mom," he poked fun at Laguna's worrying and got Laguna to scowl up at him.

"Well, my work here is done. Gonna head back, if it's all the same to you Laguna," Irvine interrupted.

"Uh, sure Irvine. Thanks," Laguna said with a smile and a wave. "Say hi to everyone for me."

"Will do." And the door shut behind him.

"So," Laguna said.

"So. . ." Seifer returned.

"Where'd you go?" he asked, looking up at Seifer and finding himself locked by those eyes again.

"Bar."

"By yourself? That's new. I sort of expected you to drag me out somewhere last night, since I had so much work to do, but you just disappeared. Did I do something to piss you off? Was it that day. . . you know. . . uh. . ."

Seifer searched those green eyes for something. Something had changed between them, he could sense it, but he wasn't sure what it was exactly. `Laguna, what is it?' "That day?" he asked.

"You know. I was just remembering that day, my birthday, when I found you on the roof. Did I. . . freak you out?"

`He thinks. . .!' Seifer gulped. That day on the roof, that was they day he'd realized he was in love with Laguna. It took all his self-control not to kiss him.

"That day? What, with the camera? Why would that freak me out? You're such a dork, Laguna."

"No I mean, I was. . . staring. . . kinda like. . .uh. . ." Laguna flushed a little more and Seifer realized that they were staring at each other now just like they had been then.

"Kinda like now?" he offered, smirking.

Realizing that's exactly what he was doing, Laguna quickly turned his head down and to the side. "S-sorry."

"Forget about it. Let's just go back to the way things were," Seifer offered, feeling something like a stab in his chest. That isn't what he wanted but, it would be enough, to just be friends again. It had to be.

Suddenly Laguna's eyes shot up, a panicked look meeting Seifer's. It startled the younger man. "The way things were?" he asked. `I don't want that!' his mind screamed at him. `That's not what I want at all! I want. . .!' and his dream flooded his mind suddenly.

"Yeah."

Laguna turned away and walked over to the window, staring out for a long time, frowning.

Seifer walked up behind him and asked, "What?"

"I don't think we can go back to the way things were, Seifer," Laguna said softly. He was silent for a moment before admitting, "and I don't think I want to."

Seifer swallowed hard. What was he saying. Had he really upset him so much that he couldn't even be his friend anymore.

"I think, I have a confession to make," Laguna said finally, moving to sit at his desk, as the weight of the past day started to slam down onto him.

Seifer just stared, confusion and anguish in his eyes that he tried very hard to conceal.

"When I thought I wouldn't see you again, it really hurt," Laguna said, looking out the window again. Anywhere but at Seifer. Anywhere but there. "And I started thinking about that. Why did it hurt so much, thinking I wouldn't get to see you again. And I realized it's because, somewhere along the way, I fell in love with you." He looked up at Seifer and said, "it's pretty gross huh? I'm old enough to be your father. I promise I won't. . .try anything. But, you have a right to know."

"A right to know," Seifer whispered, a tear rolling down his cheek as he realeased a breath he wasn't aware that he'd been holding.

"Seifer?" Laguna asked in that concerned way he had, standing.

`Laguna loves me. He's in love with me,' Seifer's mind stuttered over the newly aquired information as his body grabbed the older man's wrist and pulled him up against him, one hand cupping a cheek, the other wrapping around the back as he pressed his lips tightly against Laguna's surprised by the way the other yielded so easily, melted into his touch as his kiss-crazed tongue begged for entrance into Laguna's mouth and his fingers tangled in black satin strands of hair.

Laguna was stunned and excited by the bizarre response from Seifer, moaning into the kiss as the blonde slipped his tongue between slightly parted lips, clutching tightly to the gray jacket the young man always wore as if the act could pull the other man closer against him.

Realizing what he was doing suddenly, Seifer pulled back, looking into dazed and giddy eyes. "I've. . .wanted to do that for a long time," he said breathlessly. "I just, thought you had a right to know."

Laguna half-purred and wrapped his arms around Seifer's waist, resting his head on one broad shoulder, not thinking, having totally given up on thinking. They could figure out what this all meant tomorrow, how to deal with the obvious complications a relationship would entail. For now, he just wanted to hold and be held like this.

Seifer's arms caressed Laguna's back and shoulders as he whispered, "I love you, Laguna."

Drowsy eyes looked up at him, and he couldn't help but smile as Laguna gave him a giddy smirk. "Never leave me again," Laguna whispered. "Stay with me."

_______

well, weird, huh? But I kinda like it. I dunno, it sorta works, right? R&R.