Disclaimer: Disclaimers: I do not own Final Fantasy, the game and it's characters belong to their respective creators and companies. I'm just borrowing them to play with.

Warnings/spoilers/author's note: Sad and lonely, Squall ventures outside Garden to find some companionship. Pre-game; night before the duel and the SeeD exam...

A Brief Respite

By CmdrLeonhart

The night was warm and full of promise. The lone figure paused in the doorway was already turning heads and he hadn't even stepped inside yet. Illuminated by the flashing lights of the club Shadows, his dark hair sparkled with a generous amount of auburn highlights. The dark leather pants he wore hid nothing, from the strong powerful shape of his thighs to the firm round mounds of his ass so made for grabbing. Clinging to his lean, muscular torso was a formfitting light blue shirt, splashed through with a shimmery silver that set off his eyes. Grey and reminiscent of a storm tossed sea, those eyes radiated a deep loneliness that made many a man in the club want to take him in their arms and kiss away all his sadness.

Blinking to adjust his eyes to the near darkness of the club, Squall Leonhart descended the steps and swept his eyes over the crowd that flowed around him as he moved further inside, taking everything, and everyone, in. Moving to a seat at the bar, Squall ordered a drink and leaned back against the counter to once more wonder what he was doing there. This wasn't his thing. He was prone to avoiding large amounts of people, they made him nervous and uncomfortable.

:You're here because you need someone, if only for a night,: a voice inside his head reminded him. :And because *HE* made damn sure that no one in Garden who was interested in you would dare approach you.:

Squall countered the voice by saying that he shouldn't even be there in the first place, he was underage. However, a quick flash of his Garden ID had gained him entrance without a second glance. The voice laughed at him and gently reminded him that he was there because he was lonely.

Squall sighed deeply and picked up his drink. As he sipped at it, his heart nearly stopped beating as he spotted a tall blond figure making their way through the crowd in his general direction. He stood up straight, prepared to flee at a moments notice when it sank it that the blond was not *HIM*, not Seifer Almasy, the vengeful bastard who bullied him on a daily basis. This man had clear, crystal blue eyes, not the emerald green of his most feared rival. And his hair was longer, the blond locks resting against his shoulders in luscious curls. Squall didn't know whether to be relieved or disappointed. Guess it was a little of both. Disappointed because he wanted Seifer to *want* him, to kiss him, to touch him everywhere, and relieved because the older boy obviously hated him and enjoyed taking every opportunity to pound on him with fists or verbal assaults. No chance of him waking in the infirmary, bruised and bloody, this night.

Swallowing his drink down in three easy gulps, Squall set the empty glass down on the bar, quickly ordering another. Just one more and then he would leave. It had been a stupid idea to come here anyway.

"Would you like to dance?"

"What?" Squall said in surprise, turning around quickly, nearly spilling his drink all over the blond's tight brown leathers. Without realizing what he was doing, Squall looked him over from head to toe, taking in the well toned, sexy body of the man standing before him.

"Well?"

Squall's eyes snapped back up to the man's face, a warm blush creeping over his cheeks. "I....uhm...." he stammered, feeling way out of his depth. He had absolutely no idea how to dance so he searched for a quick retreat, but the blond fully blocked any path he could take.

Deciding that that hadn't been a 'no', the blond took Squall's drink out of his hand, set it on the counter, then took the slightly smaller boy's hand in his own. "Name's Bastian," he said, introducing himself with a smile as he pulled a dazed Squall out into the middle of the crowded dance floor. "And I think you're divine," he whispered in Squall's ear, pulling him close for a slow number.

Squall tensed immediately, mind telling him to flee as Bastian wrapped his arms around his waist. He leaned in close and whispered something encouraging in Squall's ear and the SeeD candidate relaxed marginally, allowing the other boy to take the lead. Squall had to admit to himself that it actually felt nice, being held by someone like they'd known him forever. Bastian was warm and solid and real, not just another dream conjured up to bring himself pleasure. Closing his eyes, Squall rested his cheek against the inviting shoulder and brought his arms up to encircle Bastian's neck with his hands. Finally he just let his apprehension go, relaxing fully, letting the music wash over him, drowning out any and all thoughts as he molded his body against Bastian's.

Pleased with the brunette's acceptance, Bastian placed the fingers of one hand under the boy's chin, tilting Squall's head up until he was presented with those oh so kissable, pouty lips. Bending his head down, watching for any sign of rejection or fear, Bastian lightly pressed his mouth against Squall's. The touch was hesitant, a fleeting contact of flesh against flesh and, and exploratory gesture. Much to Bastian's delight, Squall did not pull away. Squall had made his decision the moment he accepted Bastian's arms around him. The silent boy would take what the other had to offer to ease the ache deep inside, if only for a little while, and make the most of it.

While the first touch of their lips had been hesitant, the second was insistent, almost desperate. Bastian flicked his tongue over Squall's lower lip, seeking and gaining permission to enter when Squall parted his lips, drawing the other's tongue into his mouth. Squall returned each caress with abandon now, causing Bastian to shiver, his own body echoing the gesture with a shudder. Every point where they physically connected generated heat, enfusing their bodies with desire, groins burning with a slow building need.

A soft moan of protest escaped Squall as those sweet tasting lips left him to trail hot, wet kisses over his ear, along a defined cheekbone, down his neck to the surprisingly sensitive hollow at the base of his throat. Squall's head fell back, fingers tangling in soft, silky strands of hair as he purred, losing himself in the ecstasy of the moment. Then the lips withdrew once more and he whimpered at the loss, blindly seeking to pull Bastian's head back down. The older boy just smiled at him, gently extricating Squall's hands from his hair, kissing one palm lightly before firmly entwine their fingers together. "Need to get comfortable," was all the blond said as he lead Squall off the dance floor into a smaller, more intimate room at the back of the club.

Guiding Squall to an unoccupied couch, Bastian pushed him down onto it, kneeling on the floor between the brunette's spread legs. "This is for you Beautiful," he whispered, hands trailing down the soft material of Squall's shirt, ghosting over the hard muscles of his belly. Undoing the button of Squall's leathers, Bastian's eyes never left the younger man's flushed face. Then the zipper was pulled down slowly to reveal gorgeous, pale skin, dark curls of hair peeking out when the dark material got pushed aside to form a V. Jackpot. Gripping the waistband, Bastian gave a good tug and suddenly Squall was completely exposed, shivering as cool air touched overly warm skin. A low groan escaped parted lips as hand ran up bared thighs, up to the hem of Squall's tight shirt where they pushed the offending material out of the way.

Bending forward, his blond hair tickling Squall where it fell, Bastian placed butterfly kisses over exposed skin, enjoying the play of Squall's muscles as jumped in response to his touch. Lower and lower he went, Squall's moans increasing in volume the closer he got to his goal. When Bastian pressed his lips against the head of Squall's erection, the brunette jerked, hands fisting into the cushions with a white-knuckled grip. Encouraged, Bastian sucked his full length into his mouth like a piece of candy. Squall arched up off the couch, a small wail torn from his throat, driving himself deep into Bastian's mouth. Undaunted, Bastian got straight to work, building a steady rhythm as he sucked and licked and gently raked his teeth along the velvety skin of Squall's erection. The silent boy writhed in pleasure, every throaty whimper or groan he made fueling Bastian's desire, the blond's arousal hard and throbbing between his legs.

Somehow Bastian managed to undo his own pants, his hand stealing down inside the confines of tight leather to wrap around his erection, stroking himself in time to the ministrations he bestowed upon Squall. With a wicked gleam in his eye, Bastian began to hum. He felt Squall tense, then shudder, crying out as he came hard, releasing himself in a flood of hot liquid that Bastian swallowed greedily. One last hard stroke of his hand and Bastian reached his own completion, coating the bottom of the couch with a thick stream of sticky fluids.

Releasing Squall's now softened cock, Bastian briefly nuzzled his face against Squall's pelvis before lifting his head to look up at him. The boy redefined beautiful with his flushed cheeks and parted lips as he panted for air, still shuddering with little aftershocks. Redoing his pants, Bastian moved next to Squall on the couch and kissed him deeply, letting him partake of his own taste himself on the blond's lips. Squall sighed, eyes fluttering as he pulled away and smiled shyly, suddenly feeling awkward, not knowing what to do next. Bastian winked knowingly and placed two fingers over his lips, stilling anything he might have said.

"It was my pleasure, Beautiful," Bastian said, leaning over to help Squall redo his pants. He ran slightly trembling fingers through Squall's unruly hair one last time. "I hope I helped... At least for a little while." Then he was gone, not waiting for Squall to reply, disappearing into the crowd of club patrons in the other room. That's when Squall realized he'd never even told him his name.

Hot tears brimmed in Squall's eyes as he lay there, recovering from the euphoria of his climax. It had helped. While he had been lost in the sensations of another man touching him, kissing him, bringing him to release, Squall had been able to forget. To forget about loving a man he knew would never love him in return, would never look at him with anything more than contempt or disgust in his beautiful green eyes. But now, now he was alone again and felt even more empty than before. Wiping the tears away with the back of his hand, Squall pulled himself up off the couch and wearily made his way outside to the car he had borrowed and returned to Garden.

Little did he know that come morning his whole world would be shattered completely, his face scarred in an unwanted duel. For Seifer had been there, had watched from the shadows as another man brought Squall the brief respite *he* so desperately wanted to give but couldn't. All because of his fucked up pride. And if he couldn't have Leonhart, Seifer would make damn sure no one else ever did.

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