Wish you weren't here.

Part 1.

-

"How about coming down to eat lunch with us today?" Irvine asked.

Squall briefly looked up through the bangs that fell in his eyes, his pen in his hand was still poised over his work as if he had paused just for Irvine to say his piece and would be working again as soon as the cowboy was done.

"I'm busy."

The cowboy shifted. "That's what you said yesterday." He reminded the brunette.

Squall had been holed up in his office since he was given the job from Cid. The headmaster had gone back the orphanage to be with his wife. Rinoa was on holiday with her father, trying to fix their relationship. The gang had promised to look after Squall while she was gone…. So far they weren't doing so good. The young sorceress had seemed a good match for the brunette at first but now whenever they asked Squall he always said she wasn't his girlfriend. Everyone had taken it in turns to try and tempt him out of his office and down for lunch or for a drink or a chat or for Selphie's music festival. Every attempt was turned down. Quistis tried to steal some of his workload, offering to help out but he said he didn't want any help. Selphie had arrived at his office all cheerful, bouncing and chatting away that Squall's didn't even open the door to her. On the one day that Squall remembered to go to bed instead of falling asleep at his desk Zell ran after him in the corridor to ask if he wanted to have breakfast with them. For some reason no matter how fast he ran and called out Squall only seemed to move faster and he got into the lift before Zell caught him.

And now it was Irvine's turn.

"Look Squall man, everyone's worried about you if you come down this once you won't bother you again."

Squall glanced up at him. "Yes you will."

"Well not for…. At least a week." Irvine promised.

"I'm busy."

The cowboy sighed. "Well do you want me to bring you anything?"

"No thanks." He went back to work.

"Sure?"

Again those stormy eyes looked up at him. "I'm sure."

Irvine shrugged. He said he would try and he had so they couldn't blame him for that.

He left Squall's office and stopped outside looking ahead, surprised to see that the lift was still up there and the doors were open. As he nearer he saw who was standing inside. He stood in the doorway and raised an a eyebrow.

"I didn't realize you cared for Squall?"

The tall blonde who stood to one side of the lift grimaced. "For Squall? I don't care for him."

Irvine's lips curled up slightly. "That's what I thought." He slowly stepped forward to enter the lift. "But then what other reason would you have to come up to this floor?"

Seifer also smiled ever so slightly. "I wasn't meaning to." He lied. "I was heading for the dorms when the lift came up here instead." He explained.

The cowboy nodded slowly though he knew the blonde was talking crap. Someone must have told him that he was up there talking to Squall.

For a while now the cowboy had been going through a dry spell, sex-wise, he had been complaining to whoever was listening in the cafeteria one day. Most people had told him to shut up or else they moved away so that they couldn't hear him but then Seifer joined in. The blonde wasn't exactly popular these days in fact the only person he had seen the blonde with regularly with Fujin. Raijin wasn't there anymore, not at garden anyway he works in Balamb and his friends go into town to see him when they can. So there they were sulking and grumbling about the lack of girlfriends/boyfriends they had had lately or just sex in Irvine's case. When one of them, and they couldn't remember who it was came up with the idea to break their dry spells…. With each other.

They had left the cafeteria separately and had later meet up in Irvine's dorm. Seifer was gone when he had woken up the next morning as he expected, usually he was the one doing the leaving.

He smiled to himself as thought at least now Seifer wasn't likely to get his friends to stalk him and glare at him in corridors, which had happened before with this insane girl. Instead…. Seifer wanted him and he wasn't exactly hiding it either and maybe he wasn't the only one. Maybe he had thought about a repeat performance too.

The lift dinged as it stopped in the dorms and the doors opened. Seifer stepped forward to step off, Irvine was standing so that the blonde had too brush past him to leave. Neither of them minded but both internally blaming the other for the gesture.

The doors shut again with both men on either side smirking slightly.

III

Selphie looked around to see if anymore could hear her before she leant in close to whisper to Quistis.

"Okay it's all set up. I booked him into a hotel in Winhill for a whole month." She almost squealed the end of that sentence.

The blonde smiled. "This is just what Squall needs a little peace and quiet to forget about garden for a month."

"We can get the guys to help us pack Squall's things onto the Rag then all we have to do is ell him and see him off."

Quistis frowned. "But I know Squall he'll fly around for an hour and then come back again."

Selphie grinned. "All taken care of! Zell can fly the Rag, he hadn't any missions coming up and he could use the time off he is the only one of us excluding Squall who hasn't taken his holiday time yet."

Quistis winced. "But Zell isn't exactly Squall's best friend and I'm not sure he knows what peace and quiet means."

Selphie shrugged. "I'm sure once they're there everything will be fine." She grinned.

"You wouldn't be trying to play matchmaker again would you?" Quistis asked suspiciously.

"Me?" She smiled innocently. "Of course not." She waved a hand. "And anyway it's all sorted out now. Squall can check in this evening."

"We'd better go pack then."

They grinned and leave their cafeteria chairs to go to Squall's dorm.

III

"Oooh kinky." Zell held up a pair of tight black leather pants with the splits all the way down the legs with straps, zips and buckles all over.

"I doubt Squall will need those." Quistis said.

"Oh but-" Zell looked disappointed.

"No!"

He sighed and put them back in the cupboard.

Selphie packed shirts while Irvine went through the underwear drawer.

"You want to go out tonight after we see off Squall and Zell?" Selphie asked the cowboy.

Irvine shook his head. "I can't, I have plans."

Her eyes lit up. "Really? With a girl?"

"Erm… Well… not a girl but-"

She rolled her eyes. "Seifer." She said. "I thought that was supposed to be a one time thing."

"Well now it's two time thing." He grinned. "I just thought it was a waste for two gorgeous sex gods-"

Zell scoffed from across the room.

"-Like us to be single and not getting any. It's not like we're getting married or anything, we're both lonely and horny so it makes sense." He explained.

"As long as you know what you're doing."

"I do." He said. "At least this way neither of us can get pregnant." He grinned and she rolled her eyes.

"Perfect solution then." She said, humouring him.

He nodded in agreement as he counted out Squall's boxers. "What, no condoms, no lube doesn't this guy ever get laid?"

"It's Squall." Selphie reminded him.

"Ah, probably not then." Irvine said.

"Hey!" Zell protested.

"Sorry did I insult your idol?" Irvine smirked.

"Shut up cowboy!"

Irvine put the clothes he had in the case, they had mostly finished now. Quistis had been through the bathroom, adding toothbrushes, shower gel, towels and things. Irvine eyed the boxes under the bed, which no one had looked through. "I wonder if there's any porn in there?"

Zell stood behind the cowboy as he reached under for the boxes. "I don't think you should be doing that."

Irvine smirked. "You're just as curious as me, admit it."

Zell shifted a bit. "Well maybe just a little."

The cowboy chuckled. "Let's have a look then."

A sound came from the front door causing them all to jump and guiltily glance at each other. Squall appeared in the bedroom doorway stopping dead in his tracks when he saw them all in his bedroom.

"What the hell are you guys doing in here?" His eyes landed on the now closed and full suitcase. "What's going on?"

Quistis walked over and stood in front of him smiling. "Good news!"

He folded his arms as if preparing himself for this news that he expected to be bad.

"You're going on vacation."

"I am?"

"Yes to Winhill, it's all sorted out. You have a month of holiday time so we made the arrangements."

He just stared at her, his eyes running around the room to his other friends, all of them seemed happy about this. "But I don't have time to-"

"Xu and I can handle things here, you need a break, everyone thinks so."

"Yeah man it'll be good for you." Irvine added.

"Don't want-"

"Nonsense." Selphie interrupted. "You can check in tonight, you'll all packed and we filled the Ragnorok with everything you will need."

They started to marched him out of the room. The guys had suitcases and bags with them and the girls kept talking, not giving the Squall the chance to protest. They walked all the way to the ship, with as Squall their victim.

The brunette stared up at the ship in confusion as if unsure how he got to be standing beside it. They started to move up the ramp when Squall stopped dead.

"Wait!"

They all stopped and looked up at him.

"I'm not going anywhere. I don't have the time to leave garden and I don't want to go to Winhill and- and-" He looked up at the ship. "I'm flying there myself?" He asked, probably already thinking about agreeing to go and then coming back again a day later.

Selphie shook her head. "We know you, you'll come back too soon."

"Oh." Squall frowned.

"So Zell's going with you."

The brunette's eyes widened. "WHAT?!" He watched Irvine and Zell walk up the ramp, carrying his luggage on board, both of them looked amused.

"Now what a minute!" He called after them.

"Let's go." Quistis and Selphie walked onto the ship with Squall between him, being bullied on board.

They went up to the bridge where Zell sat in the pilot seat.

"Wait, I don't need a babysitter! I know how to pilot the ship myself!"

Zell glared over his shoulder. "I could do with the time off anyway."

"Go somewhere else then." Squall glared at him.

The blonde's grin faltered and he turned back to start the ship.

The girls gave Squall a disapproving look for being mean to Zell.

Squall just rolled his eyes.

"Well have a good time." Selphie cheered as she and Quistis backed away.

"What, wait! We're still deciding!"

"Nope! All decided." Quistis hugged Squall, who froze up as usual.

"Come back here." Squall felt the ship start up and was torn between running over to Zell to stop him taking off and getting the girls back to argue with.

The door closed and Squall walked over and slumped into the chair next to Zell's.

"You realize this is kidnapping right?"

The blonde chuckled. "No, it'll be fun. Cheer up."

Squall sat and glared out of the window watching the landscape whiz past.

III

"He'll be fine." Selphie said with a nod as she walked with Irvine and Quistis. "When he gets used to it."

"You hope." Irvine smirked.

"And if not we'd better leave the country before he gets back," Quistis said, trading a worried look with Selphie.

Irvine just laughed.

II

TBC