Politics

by scribblemoose

Irvine watched Squall fondly from beneath his hat. Fondly and safely, he hoped. Because there was a smile on Irvine's face, and he wasn't sure Squall would approve. Squall himself was not smiling. At all. He was most definitely glaring.

Laguna, to his credit, wasn't flinching from the onslaught of Squall's gaze. He seemed to be having trouble with one leg, but otherwise he was coping remarkably well.

"You want me to do what?" said Squall, dangerously.

"A speech. At the reception," said Laguna, leaning forwards to massage his calf. "About regrowth and renewal and how marvellous everything is."

"But it isn't marvellous," said Squall. "It's fucking awful. You told me so yourself last night. You said it was a matter of days before Esthar insisted the barrier went back up."

"Well, yes, but... Did they ever give you any training in politics, Squall?"

Irvine winced. Poor Laguna. He really should take Squall-lessons from somewhere.

"Of course I did. What difference does that make?"

"I think what Laguna's trying to-" Irvine tried, but it was too last. Squall silenced him with a glare.

Now, it wasn't that Irvine didn't know how to get that glare off Squall's face and replace it with an altogether more genial expression. He most definitely did.

But not in public.

"Just saying," he tailed off into a mutter and cocked his hat a little further over his eyes. Laguna was on his own.

"Politics is another word for lies," Squall said. "I won't lie to people. Not unless absolutely necessary."

Laguna laughed nervously. But Squall wasn't joking.

"It's more that..." Laguna started. His eyes met Squall's for a moment, shockingly serious all of a sudden. "It's about making people feel safe."

"They're not safe. Nobody's safe."

"But they need to feel it. If people are threatened they'll lash out, be dangerous. If we can convince them that everything's alright, that there's no point to any uprising they might-"

"Sure," said Squall. "And what about when they see through the lie? When they see they can't even trust you? What happens then?"

"I..." Laguna stared at his son, and for a fleeting instant Irvine could see a startling resemblence between the two of them. A shadow of Squall's icy glare, for sure, but chilling all the same. "It's not like that."

"I think it is," said Squall. More than matching the glare.

Irvine was contemplating how to break the two of them apart without any loss of limb when the door swooshed open and Quistis sailed in. Ignoring the soup-thick atmosphere and crossing the space between father and son with a click of her heels on the wood-tiled floor she stood with hands on her hips, looking over the little round glasses perched on her nose, and waited expectantly.

Three pairs of eyes drifted helplessly towards her.

"It won't do," said Quistis. "It just won't do."

There was a pause, while everyone wondered fearfully what she was talking about.

"Trabia is six months behind schedule. The archaeologists tell me it'll be another two months before they finish their work. I want to build the new Garden here. If we don't it'll end up costing three times as much and I don't think anyone has that amount of money, do you?"

"Perhaps we could re-jig the timescale," said Laguna hopefully. "There's no rush, is there?"

Tension crackled in the room.

"Of course there's a rush," said Squall in a low voice. "You're telling me in one breath that there's a civil emergency about to happen and in the next that there's no need to increase our security capacity. That's bollocks."

"If you'd make a public appearance and rally people together, there wouldn't be any need for the security," said Laguna.

Squall rose to his feet. "You're the president. Isn't that your job?"

Laguna stood too, wincing as he put his weight on his cramping leg. "My job's complicated," he said. "I can't do it alone."

Irvine exchanged an alarmed glance with Quistis. She nodded. Irvine took a deep breath and grabbed Squall's hand.

"Can I talk to you for a moment, Babe?" He gave Squall his best, most innocent smile.

"Of course not." Squall tried to wrench his hand away, but Irvine hung on as if his life depended on it. "I'm trying to have a meeting," he hissed.

"I need to see you outside," Irvine insisted. "Now."

"I could do with a quiet word with Laguna," said Quistis.

Squall let out an exasperated sigh and spared Laguna a parting glare, but he allowed himself to be led from the room.

Irvine tugged him into the corridor outside, checked both ways. They were alone.

He shoved Squall up against the wall and kissed him. Hard. Ignoring Squall's initial resistance, stroking Squall's lips with the tip of his tongue until he parted them and let Irvine in. A helpless moan, and Squall's arms were wrapped around Irvine's waist, his mouth hot and wet and tasting of peppermint and giving itself up wholeheartedly to Irvine's own.

Irvine smiled, taking the kiss to a few soft, lingering nibbles of Squall's tongue. "That's better."

"Irvine?" Squall's cheeks were slightly flushed, his eyes glazed.

"Yeah?" Irvine brushed a few stray strands of hair from Squall's nose, tucking them behind his ear.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?"

"Making you feel better."

"I was in an important meeting." Voice low and dangerous, and yet...

"More important than me?"

Squall glowered at him. Tightened his fists, pressing into the small of Irvine's back. "You sound like Rinoa used to."

"You think?" Irvine held Squall's gaze. Serious for a moment. Challenging.

Squall slumped a little. His head fell on Irvine's shoulder; he nuzzled hard into Irvine's neck. "You'll be the death of me," he murmured.

"No. I'm here to look after you."

"You can't-"

"I think you'll find I can."

"Alright. Later. I need to finish the meeting first. There's no way I can do that speech and Quistis won't-"

Irvine ground his hips into Squall's, denim squeaking on leather.

"Oh shit," Squall murmured.

"Forget about it." Irvine grazed his lips over Squall's neck. "Take a break."

"I can't, I... But... I... where?"

"Our room's only four floors and three corridors away."

"Too far, idiot," said Squall. "Stop that," he added, feebly.

Irvine smiled, his hand once again tracing the curve of Squall's ass. "Make me."

Squall groaned, eyes flickering shut, head rolling back to hit the wall behind him. "Elevator. Now."

"Okay. I can keep you warm for four floors and three corridors." Irvine grabbed Squall before he could change his mind, and shoved him across the corridor to the elevator.

Squall allowed himself to be pushed through the doors before he retalitated, throwing Irvine against the far wall of the elevator and rapidly pressing buttons. The elevator lurched into life and Squall literally threw himself at Irvine, winding his arms around Irvine's neck as he caught him, wrapping his legs around Irvine's waist. Astonished, Irvine could only hold him close and kiss him, long, hard, heart-thuddingly good, until they were forced to break apart to breathe.

Somewhere in the back of his mind Irvine realised the elevator had stopped.

"So fuck me," Squall said, the tiniest of smiles registering the surprise on Irvine's face. "I have a meeting to get back to."

Irvine grinned back, and started undoing buckles.

"On your hands and knees," he said, setting Squall back on his feet to better get at his belts. Turning him around to peel the leather off his ass, down his thighs. Getting stuck, because fuck, he always forgot that thigh strap...

"Lube?" Squall panted, glancing worriedly over his shoulder.

"No problem." Irvine pulled a bottle of elixir from his duster pocket with a triumphant flourish. Squall gave him a dutiful look of disapproval, but it didn't take away from the heat in his eyes. Irvine pulled the stopper with his teeth, yanking down the zip of his jeans at the same time. "Down."

Squall pulled off his t-shirt and dropped to the floor, planting himself firmly on hands and knees, spine gently curved, ass tipped up invitingly. Irvine groaned. Poured the elixir from a height to splash on Squall's buttocks and cascade between, dripping over his balls. Squall yelled out, head dropping down, shoulder blades like butterfly wings, smooth, pale skin and oh God, but Irvine wanted him.

He smoothed a handful of elixir over his own cock, hissing at the fizz.

"You ready, babe?"

Squall nodded, wiggled his knees a little further apart. "Now."

Irvine held his cock at the root and rubbed the tip gently over Squall's hole. Squall shuddered, rocking back towards him. Irvine pressed forwards a little, dribbling more elixir over them both as he went. Squall's thighs trembled; he pushed back again, forcing Irvine inside of him. Just the head at first, and then all at once, a swift, slick rush and he was buried in soft, melting heat.

"Oh Hyne. Squall... oh, Hyne."

"Mmmngh," Squall agreed.

Irvine tipped the last of the elixir into his palm and wrapped it around Squall's cock. Squall's whole body clenched in response; he shook his head like a wet dog and wriggled himself on Irvine's cock.

Sometimes Irvine couldn't believe his luck.

"Sexiest damn thing I ever saw," he muttered, holding Squall's hips still long enough to pull out half way. Squall moaned. He pushed back in again. Squall all but purred.

It was tempting to tease him some more, but Irvine wasn't sure how much he could take himself. Not with Squall acting the slut like this, squirming and wriggling on his cock, thrusting into his hand, making soft growling noises and fuck, but it felt good. Hot. Tight. Bliss.

"I can't..." Squall murmured, "I... oh... fuck..."

"Oh yeah."

"I... I'm going to..."

Irvine leaned over to breathe in Squall's ear, arm wrapped around his belly, cock deep in his ass, hand-fucking Squall's dick fast. "Come."

Squall's whole body convulsed; he dropped from hands to elbows; come squirted in Irvine's hand. Irvine rode it out with him, biting his lower lip hard to keep from fucking, closing his eyes to stop himself from coming as Squall's ass clenched hard around his dick. Finally, when Squall had sobbed out the last spasm, the last spurt, Irvine thrust once, twice before he came himself. Deep, deep inside. Jerking, flooding, filling him.

Eventually his eyes blinked open, the vicious pink of the elevator suddenly all too vivid and real. Squall was still panting, a flush gracing his normally pale skin. Irvine disengaged as carefully as he could manage to flop down at Squall's side.

He half expected Squall to be all about getting dressed and back to his meeting straight away, but to his surprise he wasn't. He nestled into Irvine's side and threw an arm over his chest. Sifted auburn strands through long fingers and dropped a kiss on Irvine's shoulder.

Irvine tugged him close and kissed the top of his head.

"Better?"

Squall nodded.

"Good way to blow off some steam."

"If Laguna wasn't such a jackass I wouldn't have to blow off steam."

"That would be a pity."

Squall gave a short bark of laughter. "Idiot."

"Just looking after my own interests."

"That's what he's doing. Fucking moron."

"There's nothing to be scared of, you know."

There was a pause. Squall tensed in Irvine's arms. "I'm not scared."

"Really? Oh. Well, that's good."

"What d'you mean?" Squall scowled up at him.

"My mistake. I just thought..."

"Well, don't. I'm not scared of... anything. I can talk in public. It's just..."

Irvine remained silent, stroking Squall's hair, waiting for his brain to tick over.

"I have to do it, don't I?" he said, miserably.

"I don't know about politics," said Irvine. "But I know you. You trust Laguna over this whole public relations thing, don't you? If he thinks it would help..."

"Shit."

"I'll be there," Irvine said softly. "It's not like you have to do it alone. Quisty can write you some real pretty words, and you can practice on Selphie. Get it right for those two and it'll be a breeze. And I'll be right by your side. All the way."

Squall buried his face in Irvine's neck for a moment. Kissed the sensitive place behind his ear. "You fucking planned this, didn't you?"

"Planned is putting it a bit strongly. Quisty and I had a kind of... strategy."

"I should be fucking angry with you for that." But he couldn't manage so much as a glare. The look Squall gave Irvine as he rolled on top of him was pure heat. Amusement, even.

"But you're not," said Irvine, smugly. "You love me."

Then Squall kissed him, hard, fingers rough in his hair, tongue lingering in his mouth.

And then he was gone. Already fixing belts and buckles while Irvine lay stranded on the floor unable to think straight.

"Get up," Squall said, stepping over Irvine's prone form to reach the elevator controls. "I've got a meeting to get back to."

Irvine scrambled reluctantly to his feet as the elevator lurched into life, and zipped up his pants. He tugged Squall back into his arms, and by the time the lift stopped and the doors opened they were kissing, lost, not caring about the goggle-eyed Presidential Aide who stood there. On the thirty-fifth morning after Irvine first woke up with Squall in his bed they kissed wantonly in public.

For once Squall seemed to be in no rush to let him go.

~owari~