*disclaimer: Yeah. Ok. Right.

Author's Notes: For two nights I kept ungodly hours because this particularly pushy plotbunny won't let me sleep. And what was meant to be a PWP turned out to be an extended fluff with smut. :)

And glad to find out that I called their star signs right! Squall is such a Virgo, and Seifer is so Sagittarius. Admittedly they're both cusp babies, but eeehh, never mind. ^_^

And notes on the Japanese used:
Oishii: delicious
Himitsu: secret
Tadaima: a greeting by the person who came home, means 'I'm home'
Okaeri: a greeting by the person at home, means 'You're back'.

Dedicated to: Annie D. I hereby declare she is my muse for this fic.

Happy Birthday

By katryne

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The alarm rang shrilly in the still morning. A hand emerged from the covers, and blindly groping the bedside table, managed to knock it off to the floor. Where it lay dead.

The lump on the bed sighed at the restoration of peace. All was quiet once again.

And then the second alarm clock beeped to life.

The lump groaned incoherently.

"I'm up, I'm up," Squall grumbled, as he pushed back the covers, and rubbed sleep away from his eyes. He padded silently from the overlarge bed to the bathroom. Shivering at the splash of cold water, he looked critically at his reflection. Too bad no one's here to admire his nudity.

He sighed. Whatever. Brushing his teeth, he tried not to count how many days he's been sleeping alone.

Five days.

Gee, thanks.

Finally slipping into a dark green bathrobe (that isn't his), he walked to the kitchenette. Ah, the little perks that comes with the title of Commander. He looked critically at the selection. The last two slices of day-old bread, stale biscuits, tuna sandwiches that Selphie insisted on making yesterday, orange juice…

He made a face at that thought. Cafeteria's not bad, it's just not-

With the last of the orange juice in hand (still in its container; why waste a glass?), he checked the incoming messages.

Garden Committee: Latest Updates ……later.

Balamb Times: Request for an interview ……later

Quistis Trepe: This Quarter's Student Intake Report ……Not when I'm naked.

He scrolled down. And sighed again. Nothing interesting. Might as well take that shower-

Seifer-

…he wrote!

He quickly clicked on the message. His eyes roved hungrily over the text. As he neared the end of the too-brief message, his eyes were no longer so enthusiastic.

… I don't think I can make it in time…

Walking mechanically to the bed, Squall looked forlornly at the rumpled sheets. Gently, he set the juice container beside his feet, and crawled back under the covers.

But he couldn't stop the tears, or the unsteady sighs.

Seifer wasn't coming home in time.

At first glance, Squall Leonhart, SeeD Commander wasn't exactly the person you'd call The Most Romantic Person Ever (!).

But that's okay, because to Squall Leonhart, SeeD Commander, that title belongs to Seifer Almasy, Seed Rank 25.

But, if you asked Selphie Tilmitt, or Quistis Trepe (or even Rinoa Heartilly; though that would only happen under extreme duress), after they had done with all the giggling and twittering (not Rinoa though; the best you'd hope is clenched teeth masquerading as a grin), they would say it's a close call.

Even Fuujin - no last name given - agreed. Though she didn't giggle, or twitter, merely "CAN'T TELL!"

And based on the secret poll Selphie conducted, the female population of Balamb Garden couldn't decide either. Although they did award them The Most Romantic Couple on the Planet.

When it got out though, Squall Leonhart, SeeD Commander, was so embarrassed, he locked himself up for a week. Which left Seifer Almasy, SeeD rank 25, with no choice but to stay in there as well to coax him out.

Heh heh. 'Coax'.

Can you hear it? You just heard the flutter of feminine hearts in vicarious ecstasy.

Anyway, yes. Back to Squall Leonhart, SeeD Commander, supposedly The Most Romantic Person Ever(!)

Well, sorry to disappoint you. He might have found true love, but he was still the coldest iceberg this side of Balamb. Though he smiled a lot more often these days.

You couldn't tell though, that day, as he walked through the hallways. Radiated a cloud of misery potent enough to make anyone avoid him metres away.

Potent enough to literally freeze Zell in mid-air as he bounded forwards to greet his friend.

"… Squall?"

Aww. It was rather cute, all that. To quote one unnamed girl cadet: "He's missing him…! Sigh…"

Though Janver Lean -- Garden student and potential SeeD -- whose one mistake was being oblivious to Potent Cloud of Misery ™ and who now found himself at the Training Centre with one Irate SeeD Commander (trademark pending), might not agree. It's hard to think 'cute' with mud on your boots and the remains of a Grat trailing down your pants.

"Hey, the seat taken?"

He merely grunted in the negative, and paid no attention to his suddenly crowded table. He kept on eating mechanically even as Selphie and Zell noisily fussed with their lunch. The rest of the cafeteria had given the table a wide berth, and the conversational buzz had taken on an anticipatory edge as they witnessed two people apparently unafraid of death.

It wasn't that Squall had meant to put the rest of the Garden on red alert over his moods. He was being distractedly miserable, not exactly in the sort of condition to notice anything else, except of course, being miserable.

He kept silent as his friends chattered on. He had nothing to add. And he half-suspected anything he'd say would sound annoyingly… whiny. He hated feeling so miserable. He hated feeling hated that he was so miserable. He hated feeling, period.

Everything was fine, post-Ultimecia. Status quo restored, crazy bitch with an even crazier dress sense defeated, he found his dad, Seifer returned and he discovered true love.

Except that the last two, to his dismay, wasn't exclusive of each other, quite the opposite in fact.

He thought he had something with Rinoa. And Rinoa was sure as hell convinced that they were destined to be together. He himself wasn't quite sure, how much of it was battle stress, or wishful thinking or simple outright denial. He was content to let her lead the way. He couldn't really care less, either way.

He got on very well with his life, by not caring. Sure, he felt concern for his comrades-in-arms, but in all matters emotional, he had always been coolly detached from the messier aspects of humanity.

And then, Seifer returned. Larger than life, and as vibrant as anything.

It was rough going the first few months. Seifer was truly contrite, and as he worked to mend the bridges between all of them, Squall found that one thing's never changed.

Seifer made him feel.

And secure in the love of his recovered acquaintances, Seifer grew confident again. And Squall got to know Seifer again. They had struck an uneasy truce, a new friendship unmarred by pettiness or misplaced jealousy. And something else entirely. That hidden element in their relationship, never given voice, never allowed freedom. The force of his personality felt overwhelming to the suddenly uncertain Commander. And the changes in Seifer: the cloud of guilt and sadness that will always temper his spirit, the new understanding of the world, the times when his eyes suddenly turned so old and weary; all that proved a combination that was too much for Squall to resist.

Rinoa knew. She didn't like it, but she knew. She knew she would never be the one to explore his depths, could never even try, though not for lack of trying. She might be a Sorceress, but not even magic can't divine the heart's mysteries.

So she left. It was callous-- so sudden, and almost unexpected -- but necessary. But still Squall was left bewildered. And he was lost.

Seifer was the one who anchored him.

Squall was nothing but grateful for that, and this new relationship was still too wondrous to lose its lustre with him, but sometimes he resented it. He couldn't help it. He resented all these unwanted emotions. They were beautiful, and they were dangerous. He gets frightened sometimes of their intensity. A human couldn't possibly cope with their magnitude.

So yeah, you could say that he had issues.

If Seifer was around, he would joke him out of his misery. But Seifer wasn't here, the one person who he never needed excuses for. The one person who knew him better than himself.

And he won't be back in time.

He stood up. "I- I'm full", he said lamely to the pair of surprised faces looking up to him. A wan smile was the only acknowledgement of their attempt to cheer him up.

He left, without taking the tray to the disposal unit, like he should. He needed to get out, somewhere. Just a little excursion to Balamb. The sea air might do him some good.

It was no use fighting himself. Seifer was away. He was lonely.

I miss him.

There's mud, and there's mud, Seifer mused to himself, as he tried vainly to clean himself of the sticky, smelly, insect-infested goop before he entered his room. Well, technically a room. Probably a barrack, officially his quarters, more accurately a moderately sized rectangle with pre-fabricated cement board and zinc roof.

In line with the more peaceful times, the Garden had slowly readjusted its mission objective to move away from its mercenary beginnings. That meant more missions such as these. Not that Seifer minded all the talking; he'd seen enough killings to last him this lifetime and the one after. What he minded was the incessant rain, the endless mud and the vomit-coloured walls of his 'quarters'.

But even the complicated politics of this mission was currently eluding him, as he trudged through more mud (big surprise there) to get to his room. Butt-ugly as it was, at least it had all the basic amenities. I'll never take climate control for granted again, he vowed.

The faint beeping of the communications console was music to his ears. As he read the message eagerly, he couldn't help feeling a sudden urge to just thwack his lover at the back of his head for a bit. And then wrap him up in a big suffocating hug. He massaged the back of his neck while re-reading it again, still amused and touched. Yep, he loved the insecure bastard.

To say that Squall has trouble opening up would be beyond an understatement. Despite everything, that stubborn, beautiful boy was still somewhat naïve. Mainly because he had kept his emotions closeted all the while, only letting the barest hint pass through. He grew up and he developed a quick and agile mind, but at times, it felt as if his emotional age had not progressed beyond the hurt of Ellone's departure.

Seifer didn't always know this. But on some instinctive level, he knew it was unhealthy. Hence the jibes, the taunts, the fights. He was young himself, you couldn't really expect a more subtle adult approach. He did the best he could with what he had. It wasn't much, but more than anyone ever achieved.

And then Ultimecia happened.

Everyone had to grow up so quickly. Seifer suspected that terrified Squall the most, probably one of the reasons why he so readily believed in what Rinoa had to say. He was so out of his depth, he assumed everyone was more experienced that he was. Though now he was learning that everyone was learning. Seifer smirked to himself. Very Zen.

He had taken off his soggy clothes and lay on the bed, clad in his underwear. He barely noticed it before, but the rain pounding on the roof had taken an almost unbearable volume. If the rain doesn't stop… he'd lose his mind for sure.

Jerking upwards, he scooted over to the comm console, and clicked on 'Reply', all the while remembering the shy smile that was always meant for him.

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Selphie Tilmitt never really set out to give the impression to the world that she was jovial to the point of being oblivious. What was innate cheerfulness had slowly developed into her own personal coping mechanism. They all had their ways. Zell had his extreme physicality and loud-mouthedness, Irvine had his incorrigible flirting and Quistis had nurtured a quasi-maternal persona to all of them.

So she might be annoyingly cheery, but that didn't mean that she was blind. It had been two weeks since Seifer left for that mission with the Xians, and Squall was putting everyone in nervous anxiety. He was snappish, and moody, and disconcertingly observant. Normally Squall would not have really cared about the socio-politics of the Garden, unless it concerned him officially. Which would have suited Selphie just fine, as a surprise party is best planned when the intended recipient was suitably clueless.

As it was however, Squall was being unnecessarily churlish. He kept looking for things to find fault with. As the person most closely involved with him at work, Quistis was slowly being driven up the wall. Trying to juggle a waspish Commander and the surprise party for the aforesaid Commander at the same time couldn't be good for anyone's blood pressure. Selphie sympathised, she really did. But she sure was glad she wasn't the one dealing with Squall day after day for the past two weeks.

Anyway, Quistis finally snapped, and told Squall she's giving him an indefinite leave, until his mood lightens up or Seifer returns, whichever comes first. He only grunted in reply, and he had spent the first day of his leave sequestered in the Training Centre. Oh, those poor beasties.

It's not like she didn't understand the reason for his behaviour. And from a certain point of view, it was rather amusing. But she wasn't the only one sighing in relief when Quistis finally gave that order.

And besides, finally, she could go on planning that party in peace!

It was the third day of Squall's 'leave'. He could swear the monsters have learnt to hide from him every time he stepped foot into the Training Centre. He needed to pick up a new hobby.

He hadn't been doing particularly stressful these past three days, but he was inexplicably weary as he stepped into their room. The blinking of the comm console lifted his spirits. If it weren't for those messages, he was pretty sure he'll go insane.

Ah hell, he thought, as he pinched the bridge of his nose, maybe I'll go to the Library tomorrow.

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At least Zell could sing. Thank Hyne for small favours. It was barely 10 o'clock at night and already he had a pounding headache. He had slipped away from the party earlier, ironically feeling like the stranger at his own fucking surprise birthday party (which he looked appropriately surprised for). For a moment, he felt a jab of vicious pleasure that everyone at the Garden would have a hell of a hangover tomorrow. For once, the rest of the Garden could join him in feeling miserable.

He hadn't bothered to reply to Seifer's last message. What's the point? It's not like he'd be able to read it now. He sighed. Being a lovesick fool could be such a bother.

Half-aware of his surroundings, he tiredly keyed in the access code and stepped inside. Even before the lights were turned on, he felt the heavy touch of someone on his waist. A moment later, the intruder was on the floor, face down, with Squall on top of him, pulling the intruders legs tight against him.

Muffled, against the carpet, "Ow."

"Seifer?!"

Squall leapt up, the lights were turned on. Seifer was bemusedly massaging the small of his back. "Note to self," he muttered wryly, "never sneak up on the SeeD Commander."

"I thought you won't be coming back for at least a week or something!"

"Hello to you too."

Squall walked over and fussed with his lover's appearance. "It's just- you wrote- I thought you're not coming back yet!" He emphasised his confusion/anger with a firm poke to Seifer's chest.

Seifer caught hold of the offending hand. "It turned out, they can and do listen to reason. It finished much earlier than I thought. And I figured," he finished with a twinkle in his eye, "I give better surprises than Selphie."

Squall smirked in agreement. Once the initial surprise was over, he was inexplicably, high-up-in-the-heavens happy. And he supposed his expression sparked something within Seifer, because the next thing he knew, he was being held firmly at the waist and brought to his tiptoes, and Seifer kissed him as if he hadn't kissed him in a long time. Which, as he thought dazedly before that thought too escaped under Seifer's onslaught, was true.

His arms were snaked behind Seifer's neck when they finally parted. Their foreheads touching, Seifer said softly, "Tadaima."

His voice a mere whisper, "Okaeri."

After that, there were nothing more to be said. Their lips met again, their hands clumsy in their urgency, touching skin and removing clothes. Someone sighed. Another moaned. Both weren't quite sure who. Squall tumbled backwards onto the bed, and he couldn't quite stop the groan from being squashed by Seifer's weight.

"Sorry."

"S'okay."

Seifer helped Squall wiggle out of his pants. They laughed a little when Seifer struggled with Squall's multiple belts. But they were both anxious for full skin-to-skin contact. "Missed you so much," Seifer said roughly when Squall was finally laid bare before him. He lowered himself, and rubbed himself against his straining lover. He missed this so much. He missed him so much. Gods, he thought, as he looked at Squall's pale body through half-closed eyes, I love him so much.

Squall whimpered and tried to lean closer to that questing mouth that was suckling at that spot behind his ear. His hands were gripping the short strands of Seifer's golden blond hair, and he was breathing shallowly, trying to find calm with his lover's hands roving all over him. He couldn't. It had been three long weeks of being separated and alone. Now that they're reunited, he couldn't stand the thought of them being apart again.

Seifer's home. The thought burned through his mind, even as Seifer's lips burned a trail all over his body. He growled, deep in his throat and turned them over. He was hovering over Seifer, chest heaving, gasping for air, who simply allowed him to drink in his fill hungrily. He narrowed his eyes at the pants Seifer was still wearing. That won't do. Not at all.

He kissed his blond lover's trembling stomach, as his fingers quickly unbuttoned the fly. As he impatiently shrugged the pants off, he noticed the grey figure on Seifer's skin. It was a tattoo of a highly stylised, flowing lion's head on his hip. It was Griever, with 'Leonhart' etched at the bottom. The skin surrounding it was still mildly flushed. Squall couldn't quite believe what he was seeing, even as he traced it reverently.

Seifer's hushed voice broke his reverie. "I noticed there was this shop near where I was staying. The guy had quite a reputation. And a tattoo isn't exactly usual birthday gifts, but I thought you might like it. But if you don't-"

Squall kissed him gently. "I love it." There was awe in his voice as he looked at Seifer, both of them completely vulnerable at the moment. "You didn't have to."

"I want to." He held Squall's face between his hands. "I'm yours, you know."

How do you respond to something as heartfelt as that? Squall felt truly humbled. In response, he moved down, and kissed the tattoo softly. "Does it still hurt?"

"A little," Seifer breathed.

Their lovemaking was different after that. Before, it was frantic and full of impatience. Now, as they moved languidly against each other, it was slow and tender. Squall's reaction towards his gift spurred something within Seifer, and he was determined to make Squall lose his mind from pleasure. Which he was doing more than successfully, if the little breathy voices Squall was making was any indication.

Squall couldn't take it anymore teasing. "Please," he begged, as his fingers curled tightly behind Seifer's back. He turned his eyes on the blond, his pupils dilated, the black chasing away all flecks of blue and gray. "I need- I need you. In me. Seifer-" he ended with a choked gasp as Seifer nipped his nipple.

Blindly groping the bedside table, he found the long-neglected lubricant in the drawer and pushed the tube into Seifer's hand. "Now."

Seifer couldn't help smiling at the command as he sat up and pushed Squall's knees against the brunet's chest. He frowned a little as he contemplated his next course of action. Knowing Squall, he wouldn't exactly pleasure himself while he was alone. At least, not to the point of penetration. He needed to take this carefully.

Squall stopped breathing at the feeling of Seifer's fingers pushing gently into him. There was a little pain, after all, it had been a while, but that was soon forgotten in the sensations that came after. Seifer added another finger, and his hips arched off the bed as they stroked that secret gland within.

"Seifer…"

"Shhh…"

Seifer tightly shut his eyes as he slowly entered the brunet. Squall was whimpering and moaning quietly by then, his fingers tightly clutching the bedsheets. As their bodies lay flush against each other, both lay still, savouring the intense pleasure of being joined.

And then Seifer moved.

Squall howled, as every thrust was sending shockwaves, spreading outwards, leaving his nerves on fire. He tried to return each movement, but Seifer stilled his hips, as he thrust in harder. He couldn't think anymore. All that existed at that moment were only sensations. Overwhelming, burning, consuming him, even as it loved him.

He pulled Seifer up and their lips met in a hungry kiss, unaware of anything except each other. He broke off the kiss, gasping, when Seifer's large hand closed around him. There was still love between the two, but it was rapidly submerged by the rising animal passion.

It was too much. He could feel the waves crashing over him. He could no longer hear his lover above the din of the blood screaming in his veins.

Higher. Higher he was carried along the unrelenting waves. And then there was nothing, but a simple white blinding his vision. His very cells were unleashing little sparks, pulling him in a crescendo of agonised pleasure.

He blinked against the fluorescent glare, aware but unannoyed by the heavy weight atop of him. Their sounds of breathing was the only thing he could hear.

"Wow." His voice rasped against his lover's blonde hair. He must have screamed really loudly.

Seifer nodded in agreement, too worn out for anything else as his head rested on the brunet's shoulder. Sleepily, he said, "maybe I should go away more often."

His answer was a pinch on the arm. "Ouch!"

"Don't joke."

They spent the next moments rejoicing quietly in each other. Squall was nearly asleep when Seifer suddenly got off the bed.

"Seifer?"

Seifer was fumbling with the pockets of his pants. A cry of "Eureka!" and he returned, his right hand closed against something. Settling himself against Squall, he said simply, "second part of the birthday gift."

"What's this?" Squall looked curiously at the jewellery within Seifer's palm. It was a pair of silver hoops, each studded with a ruby, too small for simple rings. Or earrings.

Seifer smiled, with a mischievous glint in his eyes. "The guy does piercings too."

Squall's expression changed, and he looked positively ravenous. Setting the hoops by the table, he began kissing and licking Seifer's shoulders.

"Squall, I just came from a four-hour train ride…"

Squall ignored him.

"Squ- oh…"

* * *

Author p/s: Yes, my first completed FF8 fiction! Waaaaaaah! I did it! Woo!

*reads it over* Oh my god. Did I just write that?! Gah!

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