Return.

III

The hand on the side of his face was warm. He leaned forward in his leather chair, hearing it creek. Fingers brushed the line of his jaw, his chin.

Lips curved upwards into a small smile.

Squall tilted his head upward not being able to take his eyes off those lips and those shining green eyes. And then… then the other man suddenly leaned in closer, he took a step nearer, his foot touching Squall's. The brunette automatically shut his eyes and leaned forward and upwards, waiting for….

"Squall!"

The brunette shot upwards in his seat, his eyes flying open from where he had fallen asleep at his desk. Some paperwork sticking to his face. He jerked to his left in surprise and confusion. And he fell out of his chair and hit the floor, hard.

"Ohhh." He groaned, lying on the floor with one hand at his head.

Quistis looked around the desk with an amused look on her face. "That was graceful."

The brunette knelt up on the floor, his head appearing over the desk and he leant an arm on it.

He glared at her. "What?"

She smiled. "I thought you'd like to know that we have set up the basement level with a bed, shower and other basic things."

The brunette frowned in confusion, trying to remember if this was supposed to mean something to him or not. "Huh? What for?"

She sighed and gave him a look. "For Seifer, remember he asked to re-join yesterday?"

At Squall seemingly blank look she added. "You must remember he came up here to your office and you-"

"I remember!" He cut her off, getting to his feet and sitting back in his chair again. "Can't he just have his dorm room back?"

She raised an eyebrow. "I don't think that's such a good idea."

"No?"

"Well you may be okay with it and other people might not be."

When he glared at her she quickly added. "Not that I personally have anything against him." She sighed. "I just think it'll be better to… ease back into things."

"Hmm." He said.

"Did you sign his paperwork?" She asked.

"Um…" Squall searched the desk, finding that ironically the screwed up pages that he'd drooled on where the ones he was looking for.

The blonde looked amused again. "Maybe you'd better reprint those." She turned to leave but paused in the doorway.

"Are you sleeping okay?" She asked, looking worried.

"I'm fine."

She smirked suddenly. "Rinoa not keeping you up all night is she?"

Squall frowned at her. "No."

"Sure? Because it looked like you were having a nice dream when I walked in."

The brunette blushed, a deep red through the glare that he aimed at her.

Quistis laughed and let herself out of his office.

Squall sighed, rubbing at his eyes a little. He pushed the papers aside and shuffled the laptop back into place in the centre of his desk. He reprinted the forms him needed for Seifer to be reinstated into garden.

It had been one week today since the war ended and yesterday evening Seifer came back to garden asking to rejoin. He agreed to start at the bottom again as a cadet and work his way up to Seed. This would be his last year, he would be the oldest in all his classes by at least a year. From what Squall had seen so far and from reports from other people he thought he had changed. He wasn't the same person from before the war. For a start he was… quiet during the talk in Squall's office and he walked straight through from the entrance to Squall's office with his eyes facing front. The only people he looked in the eye were those who addressed him. Quistis and Squall. Apparently he was staying in Balamb for a moment but he said he hoped to stay in garden. Their talk in his office had been short and uneventful. The only time they touched was at the end when he leaned across his desk to shake the blonde's hand, he thought he noticed the other man linger but he probably imagined it. He had been imagining a lot lately, even before Seifer came back to garden. New recruits were joining and someone had to clear out Seifer's old dorm. Squall had volunteered.

He had a master key to every room so three days after the war ended he took some empty boxes along to Seifer's room and started to pack up his stuff. He put all his clothes in boxes first that was the easy bit. He paused over some personal effects, photos of Fujin and Raijin and some from Christmas parties, festivals and a couple of Squall in his Seed uniform at the ball, which he didn't even know existed. In both photos he looked bored and any of the party photos he was in he still looked bored.

He packed up Seifer's lamp and little things from the bedside tables. He smiled at the dirty magazine pile under the bed and lube and condom supply in the top drawer next to the bed. He flicked through the magazines noticing how some had women in and some men. The case for Hyperion now leant on the wall beside the case for Lionheart in Squall's bedroom.

Rinoa had not understood why he had wanted to keep it in his bedroom. The boxes of stuff he had marked in red pen. 'Seifer' and either put them on top of his cupboard or in the corners, anywhere they would fit.

Quistis had suggested that they keep them in storage but Squall thought things might go missing from the boxes especially if people knew who they belonged to.

Squall stood from his desk. He could move the important boxes; like clothes, down to basement and he was sure that Seifer would like to have the case of Hyperion back. He didn't know if Seifer still had his gunblade or not, it would have been taken at the door of garden when he entered as he was not yet a Seed.

Squall carried two boxes towards the lift. He set them down to press the button for the basement level. The lift dinged when it arrived down in the basement announcing his presence. Two guards turned around when they saw him walk out his arms full off boxes.

"Commander!" They ran up and saluted him.

Squall set the boxes down and nodded at them. "Is everything okay down here?" He asked.

The man nearest nodded. "The prisoner is-"

"He's not a prisoner." Squall interrupted.

The man blinked. "Uh…. Okay." He said. "Anyway everything's under control sir." He saluted again.

"Then why are you still here?" Squall asked.

"Well…. Uh…" The man seemed confused by the question.

"You're dismissed." Squall said, picking up his boxes and walking past them.

"But Sir, Quistis said to stay here until told otherwise."

He shrugged. "And now you've been told otherwise." He said, not looking back to see if they left.

Squall rounded the corner to see that one single bed and one small cabinet sat there. A sectioned off area at the side probably housed the temporary bathroom. Beyond the bed in the dark corner of the room Seifer sat on some steps that now led to nowhere. The blonde hadn't noticed that someone was there.

Squall sat the boxes on the bed, moving them to sit side by side. Something in them rattled causing Seifer to look up sharply. The blonde's eyes shot up, putting his hands down so he could get up quickly if needed. He relaxed slightly upon seeing Squall standing there.

"I brought some of your things from your dorm." He stated.

Seifer raised an eyebrow. "My stuff's still there?"

Squall nodded. "This is just some of it, all I could carry. I have more boxes in my dorm."

"In your dorm?"

The brunette nodded. "And I have the case for Hyperion."

The blonde just stared at him

Squall blinked, breaking their eye contact to open the nearest box. "We had to clear out your dorm to make room for new recruits." He explained, not looking at the blonde this time. He opened both boxes and looked up to see if Seifer was going to come over or not.

The blonde rose from the steps and walked up to the opposite side of the bed. "Thanks." He said, he put his hands on the sides of one box, brushing the brunette's fingers in the process.

Squall blinked and quickly dropped his hands. "Well I'll… err…" He glanced up at the blonde's face again. "…Leave you to your unpacking." He took two steps away and then stopped. "Do you want me to bring down the rest of your things?"

"Please." He nodded.

Squall nodded back and left.

IIII

Back in his own dorm he pulled two boxes off the top of his cupboard and was about to pick them up when his door opened and Rinoa walked in.

She smiled. "Hi, I went up to your office to see you but-" She frowned. "What are you doing?"

"Taking these down to Seifer."

She frowned. "Can't someone else do that?"

"Probably but I want to." He looked up at her disapproving expression. "And I said I'd go back."

She looked worried. "Are you sure it's such a good idea?"

"What?"

"To get…. Friendly with Seifer?"

"Friendly?" He raised an eyebrow.

She smiled. "Okay wrong word, to be around him I mean."

"Why wouldn't it be?"

She didn't say anything else.

"You could come with me." He offered. "I can't carry all the things myself anyway."

She bit her lip.

"He's not going to bite."

She frowned at him. "You can't blame me for being worried, when a guy tries to kill me I think I have the right to be nervous."

He shrugged and picked up his boxes.

"Wait." She said.

He turned.

She sighed. "What do you want me to bring?"

He managed an almost smile and put down his boxes and get the last one down from the top of the cupboard.

She sighed again and took the box, following Squall out of his dorm and down to basement level.

Seifer had changed his clothes when Squall got back. He looked… warm. The blonde wore a pale blue turtleneck with a black jacket over the top that was zipped halfway up. The boxes sat on the floor at the end of his bed still full of clothes.

"You didn't unpack." Squall said.

Seifer sat on the edge of his bed. "I only have two drawers." He said, gesturing to the only bedside cabinet he had with two drawers in it.

His gaze wandered to Rinoa who was half standing behind Squall. The brunette walked over and sat his two boxes next to Seifer and then looked over his shoulder at Rinoa.

"Seifer." She said.

"Rinoa."

Squall went back and took the last box from her and set it on top of one of the clothes boxes. "Did you want to unpack some of this stuff?"

Seifer shrugged. "I guess."

Squall opened one of the boxes.

"Do you want us to help?" Squall frowned and looked back at Rinoa in surprise, not expecting her to ask.

Seifer half smiled. "Thanks but you don't have to."

She shrugged, still not looking completely relaxed around the blonde. "Nothing better to do."

She started to open the box on the floor but Squall snatched it away from her. "Seifer better open that one." He said, handed her another. "This one's safe."

The blonde opened the box himself and paled slightly at the sight of his dirty magazine collection, half shutting it again and glancing back at Squall who looked amused. "You didn't have to keep these." He muttered.

The one on the top was a gay one too, Seifer noticed cringing.

Rinoa glanced between them. "What's in the box? Porn or something?"

When she got surprised looks she laughed. "I'm not stupid, I know what you guys think about, naked girls right?"

Seifer smiled slightly and exchanged a secretive look with Squall. From the look on the brunette's face he knew he'd looked through those magazines enough to know that most of them didn't have any women in them.

"I'll set this here." Rinoa placed a lamp on the bedside cabinet.

"Okay but there aren't any plug sockets so…."

Rinoa turned and bumped into the blonde's side as she walked away causing him to wince and put his hand to his side.

She frowned. "I barely touched you."

He waved a hand. "I've got some bruises."

She gave him a worried look. "Bruises? Can I see?"

"It's nothing really."

She put her hands on her hips. "You should do what I say, I'm a sorceress now you know."

"Yeah she'll turn you into a frog if you upset her." Squall said, looking completely serious.

Seifer smiled.

Rinoa stuck her tongue out at him before glaring at Seifer.

The blonde sighed and un tucked his t shirt to show off some nasty looking bruises.

"Oh my god!" She said. "It's not nothing! What the hell happened?"

He gave her a look. "Would you believe I fell down the stairs?"

She rolled her eyes. "No."

"I got into a fight or two that's all."

"That's all?" She sighed. "I'll go and get you a potion."

"What? No, that's fine. I'm fine don't worry about it."

She frowned at him. "Hey, I'm training to be a field medic and if I say you need a potion you need one got it?"

"Yes ma'am." He said.

She nodded. "I'll be right back. Sit down." She looked over at Squall. "Squall, make sure he stays there."

The brunette saluted her.

She ignored him and hurried off into the lift.

Seifer sat on the edge of the bed.

Squall turned back to Seifer, standing in front of him.

"I don't know how you put up with her."

"You get used to it." He smiled.

"You do that more often now." Seifer said.

"What?"

"Smile."

"Oh." He looked down at the floor.

"It suits you."

Squall continued to look at the floor.

"Your girlfriend must be good for you."

Squall looked up and meet Seifer's eyes. "You mean Rinoa? She's not my girlfriend."

"No?" He shifted on the edge of the bed, sitting straighter and moving his legs back to let the brunette step closer if he wanted to.

"No." Squall moved closer.

Seifer raised one hand and with one finger stroked down the scar between Squall's eyes. As soon as Seifer touched him Squall closed his eyes. When he opened them he hoped he wouldn't find that he had fallen asleep at his desk again. Seifer's amused eyes meet his own and he smiled.

The lift dinged announcing its presence causing Squall to jump slightly and quickly step off to the side.

Rinoa ran back as if it was medical emergency. She waved the potion at him. "Drink this."

"Yes nurse Heartly." He said, downing the potion in one go.

"Feel better?" She asked.

He nodded. "Thanks."

She grinned. "Well we'll go and let you get settled in." She turned to leave. "Come on Squall." He called the brunette who was staring into space. "Squall!"

He blinked suddenly and followed her, glancing back at Seifer once more before they left.

III

Notes: Probably has mistakes in it as it's midnight now, only read it through once and I'm going to bed now. Not sure if it's finished or not. If I remember to write more then it isn't but if I don't then it is.