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[cross_swords]

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[vacantexpression]

[ The heat results in a gentle rush of steam beneath Seifer's palm and the effects of the Cure help to unwind the tension Squall's been carrying since arriving at the site. After pushing himself, he'll need either a long soak beneath the shower's spray or to work his fingers through the aches of newly healed skin and that thought makes the hover of Seifer's hand tempting.

He doesn't often get to feel the gentler effects of Seifer's magic (or the gentler effects of Seifer's anything) so Squall takes a moment to absorb and breathe through it before scoffing at the implication that anyone lesser could have gotten under his skin let alone his guard. ]

I'll restock.

[ There's no point arguing. Instead he slides his hand beneath the space where Seifer's is hovering so he can feel out the new tissue, fingers slipping through the torn fabric. ]

Fire Cavern? [ His brow arches, inquiring about the source of the heat from the Cure and its potential draw site, all while being hyper conscious of the minimal space between them that's common in their post-battle assessment of each other. ]

[cross_swords]

[Sure he will. Seifer doubts it. With a sigh he presses his gloved hand right against Squall's. The contact is all he needs to transfer a stack of ten cure spells across without consent. Then and only then does he pull away. Someone's got to make sure the only person fun to fight here actually stays on his feet.]

What about it? You done your test there yet?

[vacantexpression]

[ Being suffused with Seifer's magic has him briefly stiffening, brows knit as he stares at him until the Cures have been added to his stores. Does Seifer think he's incapable of drawing his own? Squall's mind turns itself over trying to make sense of it before he straightens and shakes his head. ]

I was asking for their source. [ He rolls his newly healed shoulder, still speaking of the Cures. Squall doesn't want to think about the fact that he still hasn't been to the Fire Cavern yet. Less because he doesn't think himself capable and more because he finds the thought of being alone with Quistis unbearable. ] The Fire Cavern is inevitable. Instructor Trepe is...relentless. I'll do it before the exam.

[ Now that he's healed, Squall turns away from the small space they were occupying to reclaim his gunblade. Once in hand, he presses his hand to Seifer's shoulder while passing him, pressing an Esuna into him. ] I found the draw point while you were away this summer.

[cross_swords]

[It isn't that Squall isn't capable. But Seifer takes care of his own. And whether Squall has ever realized it or not, there are only three people that are constants Seifer actually cares about in his life. Sure he needles Quistis and has for years, and yes he annoys SeeD Xu quite a bit. And irritating Dincht is fun. But only the posse and Squall have ever figured high on Seifer's list of concerns.]

Hardly. Not prone to trying to talk my way past the faculty to get back in there. Been doing some Glacial Eye culling in the plains in preparation for the exam.

[Because yes, he does want enough cure spells to keep his squad from dying on him. It would definitely hurt his marks if they passed out.]

Quistis often has been. Comes from being a know-it-all like she is. But you should get the exam done sooner rather than later. Ifrit's useful for junctions. You should take time to build him up.

[Though he is shocked as he goes to get his weapon again to find Squall stopping him just long enough to pass along the spell.]

Well that's a beauty for my next bar crawl. Where'd you find it?

[vacantexpression]

[ Seifer's inner circle is one Squall has always felt just outside of, through no fault of Seifer's own as much as Squall's inability to see himself beyond his use as a rival meant to keep them both in peak performance. It means that the kindness, the care, is lost on him and he'll chew on the possible meaning behind the stock for longer than necessary. Just like the thought of Seifer out on the town, relishing the night life. ]

Followed the train tracks to where the tunnel meets the sea.

[ Summers always left Squall with plenty of time for exploring. Unlike his peers, he rarely got off the island unless coerced by a rare issue of Weapons Monthly. He refrains from giving Seifer's shoulder a squeeze, that's too familiar, but his fingers twitch with the urge. All the sentiment of the other day, the normalcy of it until their blowup, it lingers in the same way he does for a moment before he continues on his way. ]

Ifrit is...tricky. I prefer to have Shiva junctioned.

[ The contrasting elements aren't likely to play well together and GFs are a safer subject to broach than any of Seifer's wild nights out or the loneliness of summertime when the other's absence is always acutely felt. ]

[cross_swords]

What, thinking of running away, Leonhart?

[The joke, of course, was based on another movie Seifer had seen. Just some kid trying to see the world by boxcar jumping and getting rides places. Not that he thinks Squall would have the kind of drive to do that. Not in this day.]

I suppose it makes sense. She suits you. And she's also got the strength junction. And the elemental junctions. But after that, I'm wondering if you shouldn't be packing health junctions too. To keep you going after some attacks.

[vacantexpression]

[ The eye roll will only be visible if Seifer is keeping stride with him. Weighed down by Revolver that's not exactly a difficult feat, especially since he's carrying it one-handed while his other works at the lingering stiffness in his newly healed shoulder. Running away on some grand adventure feels more like Seifer's speed, but Squall knows better than to open his mouth about that. ] I'd never risk you raiding my room if I did.

[ From anyone else it might have sounded like a joke, but Squall doesn't find it terribly farfetched to think that if he disappeared, Seifer wouldn't scrounge around in his room. Or maybe that's just because it's something Squall would consider doing. Hints for why and where Seifer had gone...

He clears his head of the thought, focusing on the junctions that have thus far been a reflection of his battle style: favoring strength and vitality versus health or defense. Shiva has been perfect for those exact things. ] Looking for help culling Glacial Eyes?

[ It isn't tacit submission but Squall recognizes Seifer's point. Glacial Eyes are better dispatched with fire and even though he thinks he can feel Shiva bristle with the thought of entertaining Ifrit, a single-pronged approach is no way to become the strongest. ]

[cross_swords]

[Of course Seifer's keeping stride. It's easy for him. He does have longer legs after all. And he's less winded from the fight given he hadn't been injured. Not to mention Hyperion, designed as a one handed weapon, wasn't nearly so heavy as the Revolver.]

Pretty presumptive, that, thinking I could get into your room. Why, you have an easy door code? Is it your birthday? My birthday?

[As for Seifer, well, his style didn't give itself to defense, to the health boost was vital to him, and the strength mattered. And, unlike Squall, he didn't care much about bothering with magic defense. Not like he let monsters live long enough to be a problem, and most humans couldn't do paramagic. He felt safe.]

You think I need more than Hyperion for it? I'm more than capable enough to take on a pack of them alone. And magic isn't my style. But you... I could see you needing the help I suppose. What do I get out of it? Other than my sparring partner staying alive?

[vacantexpression]

[ Those extra inches between them have always been a point of contention for Squall. Probably because it gave Seifer entirely too much satisfaction to be the taller of them. As they walk, Squall tries not to slow or disrupt his stride when Seifer casually guesses his door code. ] That would be too easy.

[ And apparently it is, but it wasn't as if Squall had ever anticipated having this conversation with Seifer when he'd programmed it. Better to move the conversation along and this feels safer than any possible sentiment that could be derived from the numbers 1222 besides the ease in which they allowed him to access his room. ]

We don't use magic with each other. I didn't realize you weren't using it in the wild. [ There's a flicker of admiration in the words but he tries to keep his tone neutral. Squall has been experimenting with paramagic since first junctioning, practicing its various uses and all the different ways he can draw from the wild and his opponents. It's felt necessary so far but here Seifer was using only blade and bravery.

...And unchecked bravado. Squall rolls his eyes again. ]

Showing off isn't enough incentive?

[cross_swords]

[Well what can Seifer say? He's just blessed with height and strength and charm and good looks.

Too bad it didn't get him very far in life.]

And it's not like you don't choose easy things. [And of course the words come with some degree of sarcasm. Yeah, Seifer's pretty sure it's one of their birthday's now. He's going to have to do some testing. Maybe leave a pack of candy to taunt over it too. But mostly he's just smiling to himself.]

Better not to be too dependent on it, right? If I don't make Seed I'm going to have to make my way by Hyperion alone. That and the occasional spell rock. So it's better to just know what I can do.

[He's not going to try and solo a Trexsaur without magic of course. But lower level things? It's not as much of a concern for him. And to him they are lower level. He beat the Fire Cavern two years ago after all. Everything since then has been the required courses, electives to fill his time, and training to push beyond what he could get as merely a cadet. Of course, it meant he was far less quick to throw it into an active battle than Squall and his summons came slower too. Seifer just wasn't going to be the same pinnacle of paramagic as Trepe, so he left it to the uses he felt were more important. Which in his case was junctioning.]

Oh, you think I want to peacock for you, Leonhart?

[vacantexpression]

[ All of Seifer's blessings have, of course, been noticed and have, of course, never been commented upon. Squall doesn't need to inflate Seifer's ego. That's what his posse is for.

Pointedly not continuing their conversation about his door code, Squall is instead content to ruminate on the juxtaposition of their styles. It seems strange now to see the cracks in Seifer's arrogance, how some of it is worn like a poorly fitted mask. To not use magic to its full potential because of the possibility that he might not have access to it in the future tells Squall a lot. It speaks to the same surety Seifer had yesterday about not passing the SeeD exam. About what it means to fail again.

Squall won't let him.

And he hasn't been lying: Garden would be fools to pass up the chance to have such raw talent within their ranks. Sure, maybe Seifer wasn't the most disciplined but surely that could be worked on. ]

And? What can you do?

[ There is an open curiosity in the way Squall cocks his brow, inviting Seifer to tell him just how strong he's gotten and what he's capable of alone. He wants to see it. He doesn't want to beg for it, but he does want to see Seifer in his prime taking on the elements with only his blade. ]

Maybe, maybe not, but it'll be good to see what I need to catch up to.

[ They've been rivals for years. If he didn't know how to play some of Seifer's strings by now, he wouldn't be worthy of the title. ]

[cross_swords]

[As if it would be Seifer's ego that would really need to be worried about if Squall ever had the courage to comment on Seifer's ample assets. And it wasn't like the posse bothered to say it either. Should it be any surprise that he went elsewhere for praise?

Stand as the top combat student at Balamb Garden, for one thing. Though I've had compliments in a wide variety of other areas.

[His smile there is a mischievous one, and accents it with a wink. Today he's not playing that game, Squall. He knows the other youth too well as well.]

Want to explain why you were so distracted today?

[vacantexpression]

[ Emotional maturity isn't something Squall's ever claimed. Avoidance and denial are far more predictable of him, but every now and then they find common ground upon which to stand. It doesn't always tip Squall's hand but sometimes there's just enough in his words to signify praise. ]

Such as?

[ Inviting Seifer to talk about himself instead of blushing has kept their playing field even all these long years however when Seifer flips the script and comments on his performance, Squall can feel the heat in his cheeks.

For a few long strides, he's silent. Then, after a long moment of trying to find the right words, he tentatively confesses. ] I was thinking about the exam and how I need to be better. Stronger. To keep up with you. To show them what we're capable of.

[cross_swords]

[Emotional maturity, a level of development they are in some ways on par in. Except instead of avoidance and denial like Squall has, Seifer was more masking and denial.

Still, when he catches sight of the red in Squall's cheeks, he smiles to himself. Now this was interesting to see. He wondered just how he could push that. What buttons were here that he hadn't known about before?]

You already keep up with me, Leonhart. Surely you know that, right?

[vacantexpression]

[ Neither of them are exactly the pinnacle of mental health but being orphans thrust into combat training to prove their worth probably did more of a number on them than Garden wants to take credit for.

It is exactly that self-worth that Squall scoffs at when Seifer tries to reassure him. Hyne, what is this feeling? The warmness in his cheeks, the flutter that comes from Seifer's praise... Squall scowls. ] I don't need the platitudes, Seifer.

You were right...about what you said yesterday. You're not like me. You might buck up against orders, but you know how to give them. And you have the strength to see them through.

[ What that means for Squall is left unsaid. He might be able to climb SeeD as a mercenary but he'll never elevate to any kind of position of authority. He doesn't have it in him. He doesn't want that for himself either. But he wants it for Seifer. ]

[cross_swords]

When have I ever given you platitudes, Squall?

[But no, that's not the point he's going to dig as deeply into right now. Instead he reaches out, grabbing Squall by the wrist. His intention is clearly to pull the younger gunblader to a stop. To force Squall to look at him.]

Is that really what you took away from what I said? Hyne, if I knew it would get that stuck in your head... No, I'm not like you. That doesn't make the way you approach life wrong, does it? What you do is right for you. Hell, most people at Garden don't get it. Haven't been there nearly as long as we have. But that doesn't mean our ways of reacting are the only ways to do it. Just that Garden wants one thing and they don't like that I'm not that.

[One day Squall will think back on this, on that belief that Seifer should have authority and that Squall couldn't have it, and he'd regret it. They don't know it, but they'll see. The way that Squall's reluctance makes him better to lead than Seifer's desire for it. They were born to be leaders in different ways, and followers in different ways. Squall could walk the line between the two. Seifer... he could only follow in the same way a wild chocobo stallion could: by breaking his spirit.]

[vacantexpression]

[ It takes a moment for Squall to lift his gaze. Talking with Seifer at his back is always easier than when they're face to face. His breath comes in sharp, bracing for whatever it is Seifer might say as he lets himself be pulled to a halt. ]

Garden is full of idiots.

[ He says it flatly, but he's bitten off the obscenity that might have snuck itself between the words if he wasn't already warring with himself for speaking at all. Even in this, these assurances, Seifer has a way about him that Squall would devote himself to. The idea of moving forward...of passing the SeeD exam without Seifer when he has been his constant all these years...

Squall twists his wrist but it's not to get out of the clasp. Instead, he returns it. Likely pressing bloody fingerprints into Seifer's skin from the gloves that are saturated in it. Apparently blood is good for pacts. In the not so distant future, when they bear mirror marks across their faces, he'll wonder if that was just another way to bind themselves to each other. ]

I need you...to keep setting the bar. I don't want to go into this exam without something to strive for.

[cross_swords]

Like we both don't know you'll always be chasing after me.

[The way Seifer says it, so calm and self assured, might make someone else call him cocky. But the way he smiles at Squall... It's not the normal arrogant smirk. It's not cocky. It's not the same mask he put on for the theater staff the day before. It's something different. Something unique. A touch more genuine. But perhaps Squall would never know that. His social skills were lacking. And even if he did, he would never know the bigger truth that went with that smile.

Seifer never offered that smile to anyone else. It was a rare thing. A pleased sort of thing. Satisfied and almost happy. A smile that sometimes lingered like a ghost about his lips when Squall managed a new maneuver they were both trying to master or that Seifer was teaching him. A smile reserved for the rare moments of a skillful blow. A smile held for the briefest second when they had first come back from Balamb together with their first non-practice gunblades together.]

I'll always set the bar. It's up to you to figure out what you're going to do with that. But we're going in together. And I'm going to kick ass.

[vacantexpression]

[ Maybe Squall doesn't realize its rarity beyond the way they train, but that smile undoes him all the same because of what it means between the two of them. It's a flash pan of genuine approval. A moment where they are unequivocally aligned and in sync. When, for a moment, the scales are perfectly balanced.

He's not the type to smile but he does squeeze Seifer's wrist as his eyes narrow with pleasure. Like a cat lying in a sun patch, perfectly content to stay where it is forever. It is terrifying to recognize but...He wants to stay like this forever.

It's something he thought briefly the day before and it's what lives under the frustration that Garden might not pass Seifer. If he doesn't pass the exam, there's a very real possibility...

No. Squall forces his mind to stop. To focus on the way Seifer beams in front of him. It's a moment that will get rewritten one day, carved out of him and fed to the ravages of time compression. He doesn't know it's temporary. Maybe that's what makes it so bittersweet to look upon. ]

I'll believe it when I see it.

[ Which is just Squall's way of saying he wants to see it. The goad is gentle, suffused with another squeeze to make up for the lack of smirk that might have otherwise crossed a normal person's lips. And then Squall is unclasping his hand from around Seifer's wrist to free his own. ]

[cross_swords]

[Forever wasn't something for mortals to achieved. Hyne, it may even be the most terrifying word ever for them one day. But not today. Today Squall can think it even though Seifer knows this moment is fleeting.

The exam is in three days. He expects to be booted shortly after. It's what makes this moment so frustrating. Because for a second he thinks he sees something in Squall's eyes he hasn't seen there before. Something he wished he could reach for. Something he wished he'd known to look for.]

Chances are they won't put us on the same squad. Because they know you'd be too distracted by me to test properly.

[And the touch is gone so Seifer's hand drops to his side.]

[vacantexpression]

[ The promise of forever will one day erode itself into a threat. It will take on a new and more sinister meaning. But today, there is only the promise of it. A dangerous potential Squall naively hopes to cling to. They can do it. They can pass the exam together. With Seifer, he feels like he can do anything and if that proves true then he can show Garden how valuable they are. What it looks like to have two perfectly honed weapons working in tandem. ]

Show me what I'll be missing and I'll let you know whether it's as distracting as you think.

[ Squall knows it's too late in the morning now to push themselves further but there's still time in the day to tempt Seifer back into the Training Center or out into the fields. They can stock up on spells, go over junctions, and prepare as best they can to beat Garden's rigged game. ]

[cross_swords]

[What a change could be wrought on the future if only Seifer knew. If only he didn't fight his desire to reach out again. To touch. To feel the heat of Squall's skin and let himself be caught up in the wonder of the way Squall thinks he matters. Thinks he's worth something.]

There's plenty I can't show you in the time we have. But yeah. Come on. Glacial Eye hunting I suppose.

[vacantexpression]

[ Squall's most egregious mistake is that he thinks they have time. Seifer leading the Disciplinary Committee and being the Garden's most ferocious and accomplished combat student are red herrings for success. He can't see a world where they aren't SeeDs. Where his salutes aren't directed at Seifer as he commands missions with the same unerring efficiency in the way they train. He's stronger because of Seifer. And he'll tell him as much, in his own way, but it won't be enough. It won't be what could have made the difference if he'd been brave enough to be honest.

If he can't be honest with himself though, what would have made him think he could be honest with Seifer.

Nevertheless, he'll still look back with regret. ]

Good. Dorms first though.

[ The blood isn't the worst thing. In fact, it's probably perfect for drawing in monsters, but Squall has an indecent tear through his shirt that he'd prefer not to walk the plains with. ]

[cross_swords]

What? Is it nap time?

[He grins as he shoots a look at Squall.]

Maybe put on your leathers before we head out. To keep you warm against the ice spells. Unless you're really trying to live up to the Ice Prince reputation.

[Granted it was a reputation that Seifer had helped create, but it was there.]

Worried about being eyed on the way back in?

[vacantexpression]

[ A patented Leonhart eyeroll, then: ] You'd have to exhaust me first.

[ If it were coming from anyone else it could have been innuendo, but their sparring is enough to goad Seifer in other ways. The chill of the mountains will be enough to prompt him into changing, but the thought of being under anyone's stare is added incentive. Squall's face pinches with annoyance at the thought. ]

No, but I'd prefer everyone to mind their business.

[ A lie. Of course Squall's worried. He hates the whispers that follow them after they've had a particularly brutal training session. It aggravates him to no end that he's constantly perceived as the victim to Seifer's aggressions; as if he can't give as good as he gets. As if he isn't the one pushing for it once their blades are locked and he won't back down.

There aren't a lot of students milling around this early on a weekend but the few who are up cast suspicious glances their way. While Seifer might thrive in the spotlight, Squall coils like a serpent in defense at the slightest morsel of attention and remains every bit as icy as his reputation suggests until they reach the dormitory wing.

His door is before Seifer's but now that the code is under scrutiny, Squall crowds the pinpad as he enters it. ]