So I started a new fic. Forgive me.
This one is coming in chapters, but it is one of the ones I play with iliyana. She plays Rinoa and Seifer in this, and I play Squall. Bits with neither of her characters in are written entirely by me. :)
And do forgive the title.
Note on the formatting: italics mean thoughts.
Squall POV
The work is mindless. Normally my brain shuts off from boredom, but this time, more than half my thoughts are on something else entirely. Thank whatever deity is out there, the god of paperwork, maybe, that this is nothing important that I should actually be concentrating on. It's just the routine kind of work that I can and probably frequently do work through in my sleep.
What I am concentrating on, though… There's a threat to my Garden. My Garden. I never wanted to be Commander, but I can't help but feel a duty to my SeeDs now. And this Garden is under threat and I can't find who is doing it. I don't even have the faintest lead or idea on how to catch them and I've been thinking it through since the tip off note yesterday. All I can do is increase security and hope they won't strike where we're not prepared…
A knock at the door disturbs both paperwork and thoughts, and I look up to see Rinoa poking her head in. "Hey, Squall, um… could I talk to you for a minute?"
"Sure, come in," I nod, gesturing at the chair in front of my desk and quickly finishing reading through the page I have in my hands, scribbling my increasingly untidy signature at the bottom and putting it aside.
"I guess I'll get straight to the point, you're probably busy…" she says, as she sits down, seeming a little nervous. What could she be nervous about? I'm not that scary… maybe a little bad tempered, but…
I shake my head slightly, waiting for her to say her piece. "Not too busy."
She puts her hands lightly on the edge of my desk, leaning forward slightly and looking up into my face, smiling slightly and speaking quite fast, "Quistis told me about the threats to Garden and how you have no idea who is and I've got a sort of idea."
I raise an eyebrow, my eyes narrowing slightly. Any kind of lead will be good, though I doubt that Rinoa knows anything much. But… every little helps, or so they say. "An idea of who it is or an idea on how to find them?"
"A way to find them, but you know how I am with planning things, so I'm not sure how much you'll like it." She fidgets a little, and then makes a visible effort to sit still. "Because, you know, it's not like whoever it is will just come out and admit it, so… what if you could read minds?"
I blink for a moment, surprised. Mind reading… it'd be a good way to find out who is doing this… find out anyone's intentions and thoughts about Garden, really. It could easily be misused, but I trust myself not to… I nod slightly. "It's not a bad plan, but how? Can you do that with your sorceress powers?"
She nods, seeming more sure of herself. "I can, I've tried it out on myself a few times already." She smiles a tiny, embarrassed smile at admitting that.
I raise an eyebrow slightly at her expression, wondering what she found out to embarrass her. But then, hearing someone else's thoughts… I guess it would be a little like eavesdropping. Spying. Not the kind of thing you like admitting to. "Then… it might be just what I need to do."
She seems to be getting gradually more excited, nodding, a smile on her face. "It's really easy, and, with a little practice, you can tune some things out if you're around a lot of people."
"It would make a lot of things easier in light of the recent threats… isn't it tiring for you to cast the spell or anything?"
She shakes her head. "I told you, I've practised it. Casting it is okay and it doesn't require me to keep it up or something, it simply lasts until I lift the spell again."
"Okay." I think it over for a moment more. It could be… hard to deal with, knowing everybody's thoughts, but if I kept to myself a lot – more than usual – and if, as she says, I can shut things out, then it would be a useful thing in the right circumstances. This is what I think I have to do. "Can you cast it immediately, then?"
She blinks, obviously a little surprised at the hasty decision, but nods. "Sure, just close your eyes and sit still." She comes round the desk, standing beside me and placing her hands lightly, after a moment's hesitation, on my shoulders. I do as she says, a little tense under her hands as she takes a deep breath and is obviously focusing on the spell she wants to cast.
There's a faint tingle of magic in the air and then, finally, after a long moment, she pulls away, biting her lip. "Okay." Please work, don't make me look stupid, please work.
It's a shock, hearing her thoughts, but I immediately recognise that that is what they are and nod, "It worked."
Yes! "Great. Well, I hope it'll help." She smiles as she pulls away, walking back around the desk.
"I think it will. Thank you."
"No problem, I'm glad to be able to help." She smiles sweetly, and I hear her add, Rather than being annoying and bothersome again. "I'll let you work then, or practice."
I turn back to my work, and then, as she's about to go, look up with a tiny smile. "You were never that annoying, just inexperienced and naïve."
She blushes faintly, with a brief thought that she has to be careful with her thoughts around me now, as she leaves the office, giving me a small wave and a quiet 'thank you'.
Walking through the hallway, all I can hear is the buzz of talk from people passing, and their thoughts, all jumbled together. So far I haven't heard anyone that might be a threat to Garden, but with so many people in Garden, even if I did it might be hard to tell who the thought originated with. It's frustrating, but I'm not going to give up. Not when this could really help, if only I knew how to listen to a billion different thoughts at once.
I pass Seifer in the hallway and his thoughts suddenly intrude on my brain as he smiles slightly to himself. Immediately I know that he is heading for the quad, and that he just wants to relax a little. Well, if it isn't the finest ass in all of Garden gracing little old me with his presence.
The thought is a shock, even though I should be getting used to this by now, especially the part about my ass. I blink, but continue on, knowing Seifer is no threat to Garden and doesn't want a fight right now.
He rolls his eyes, but doesn't say anything. Not aloud, anyway. In his own head, he talks to me without ever opening his mouth. Sure, ignore me, whatever, probably better off when I don't have a chance of letting it slip that yes, I would like to pound your ass into my bed.
I pause, even more surprised at that thought, heat rushing up into my cheeks to make me blush faintly, and he stops as well, giving me a curious look with his eyebrow raised. "Something wrong, Leonhart? You're not looking too hot." Or rather, you're damn hot, but you look like you're going to choke.
I work frantically to stop hearing his thoughts, not wanting to know anymore, saying, a little distractedly, "I'm fine."
He snorts softly. "Yeah, you sure look it. Maybe you should go outside for a change, rather than staying in that stuffy office all the time." Or you could come with me and I'll show you the time of your life while we find all the possible ways of replacing that stick up your ass with something else.
I blush bright red now, turning my head so he can't see my reaction to his thoughts as well. Fuck, if he knew I could hear what he's thinking, he'd be so pissed off. I know him, he'd hate that I pried into what he was thinking. "Whatever."
Wonder if he blushes that red during sex, too.
Damn. He noticed it anyway.
"Yeah, sure, whatever." He rolls his eyes at my typical behaviour.
I clench my teeth, trying to ignore his thoughts. "What do you want, Almasy?"
I immediately regret asking that.
Hmm, let me see… you, your ass, a kiss or two would be nice, you tied up to my bed, you naked, you naked and bent over your desk and blushing like that… All he says out loud, with a shrug and another roll of his eyes, is, "Nothing, ever so sorry for caring."
I snort at the idea of him caring. Lusting after me, maybe, but caring…? "Whatever."
He sighs softly. There we go again. "Of course, whatever. You know what. Fuck you too, drop dead for all I care." Except, you know, don't.
I can't help prodding at him, wanting to know more. I shouldn't, and it's wrong of me to just listen to his thoughts like this, but somehow I can't avoid doing it anyway. "Like you actually want me to."
"Maybe I do, maybe I don't." Maybe then I wouldn't be up all night jerking off to you, he thinks, frowning slightly. I get the impression that he was expecting me to just leave. I should just leave. I should leave and forget this and forget that he wants me so badly that he can't sleep. I should go to Rinoa and ask her to stop me hearing his thoughts, or lift the spell if that's not possible.
But I don't want to. And worse, I don't even know why I don't want to.
I snort softly, the blush now gone, now in control of myself, if not of this mind reading. I don't say anything more, waiting for him to say more or back off. I doubt he'll back off, but that would make it easier…
"What, no telling me you wish I'd drop dead? And here I thought you cared about me," he says with a dramatic sigh. Yeah, I wish.
"No, you didn't," I can't help saying. Damn it, what the fuck are you doing, Leonhart? If you're not careful, you're going to let it slip that you know what he's thinking. And that would be fucking stupid.
Thank god he can't hear my thoughts.
"Oh, but of course I did, I mean, the glares, the bitching at me, it just screams love." He smirks at me, a stray thought about how much he enjoys messing with me coming through to me.
"Whatever."
"I know, I know, caring is beneath you." Would it hurt to be fucking nice to me once in a while, though?
Nice? Since when has Seifer wanted me to be nice to him?
"Why should I care about you?" I roll my eyes.
"Because I'm so damned wonderful, of course." He smirks, playing his usual role, ever the confident asshole through and through, but his thoughts tell me differently. Or because I care about you and it wouldn't bug me as much if you felt the same?
"Whatever."
He cares about me. Seifer fucking Almasy cares about me.
This is getting way too weird. I think I'd better stay out of Seifer's way until I find some way to block him out or until Rinoa lifts the spell.
He snorts, muttering, "Must be damn easy to just say whatever and be done with things." Fucking asshole.
I can't help the sarcastic tone, the words just slipping out on their own as they always do around Seifer. Fuck, where the hell does my control go when I'm around him? "Much as I adore your company, I have work to do. That alright with you, Almasy?"
He glares at me. "Fuck off already, Leonhart, go play Garden's bitch."
I roll my eyes at him one last time and head off. Definitely weird. Definitely staying out of his way.