Author: Lipstickcat
E-mail: [email protected]
Pairing: Irvine/Zell, Nida/Squall
Rating: G
Disclaimer: Not mine at all
***
Irvine stifled a yawn. He looked Squall in the eye as the Garden leader talked, but he had completely tuned his voice out. It was 8:30am on a Saturday morning. A Saturday morning for Hyne�s sake! There were no pressing matters, no emergencies, he should be in bed. Instead, he had been up since 7am, doing some kind of tour of the Garden with Squall and Selphie. Everything was fine and normal. Everyone was still in bed, lucky them.
Well, maybe not everyone. He glanced past Squall�s shoulder to the figure bouncing at the edge of his vision. It was Zell. It came as no surprise that the hyperactive blond was already up. Irvine watched appreciatively as the martial artist punched the air and ducked an imaginary attacker. He was forever training. Irvine pushed the rim of his cowboy hat up with his index finger and glanced back at Squall. He was still �debriefing�. This had to a record for the longest that he had ever heard Squall talk.
Irvine mused for a second. He bet that he could name another blond who was probably already up and training. Quistis. She was probably in the training center getting a few battles in before breakfast. Why couldn�t Squall have picked on them to join him on his spot check? Probably a twisted sense of humor. Get the ones who would normally sleep all day on their all too rare day off, and make them get up at a ridiculous hour in the morning.
�...make the most of the rest of the day and enjoy your recreational time...�
Irvine looked up as Squall walked away from him, towards the still hopping Zell. What had he said? Was that it? Irvine decided that it wouldn�t hurt to follow him.
�So, what are you going to do now, then?�
�Huh?� Irvine managed to ask eloquently as he spun around and stared down at Selphie. His sight was still slightly blurry, but she seemed wide-awake, staring up at him with huge sparkly eyes. It was far too early in the morning for that dress, it made him feel woozy.
�What are you planning to do with your weekend? I�m going to climb back into bed and stay there all day. Wanna join me?� she winked at him and then ran off before he could reply.
Irvine shook himself. She was definitely up for it. He liked them petite and lively, but he had his eyes on another small, energetic body at the moment. With a sly smile on his lips, he made his way over to where Squall was talking to Zell.
�...in a few days. You�ll look after the Moomba until then?� Squall�s voice came into earshot.
Zell nodded and continued to weave against an imaginary foe. Squall nodded back and began to walk off. He passed Irvine as he made his way towards the entrance. He needed something to stimulate his brain, and he�d heard about a group on the Garden called the CC Group. If he could find them, he�d challenge them to a game.
Irvine stood in front of Zell. He watched in silence for a minute. Zell wasn�t wearing his jacket and his blue top was cut so that it barely had sleeves. The muscles in his strong arms flexed and curved as he moved, fluctuating between solid meat and tender flesh. The T-shirt was taut against his broad chest and the gentle ripples of his stomach showed through the fabric. Irvine�s gaze continued down to the angular chunks of muscle in the smaller man�s calves. He smiled wistfully to himself, thinking how much of a shame it was that Zell was wearing those baggy shorts. He could bet that Zell�s ass was fine.
�You should wear your uniform more often.�
Zell stopped bouncing and blinked at Irvine.
�You�re lucky, I don�t have one,� Irvine shrugged. �It flatters your figure.�
�...Thanks.�
Zell returned to his previous stance and looked like he was going to continue with his training. Irvine frowned to himself, remembering pretty much the only thing that he had actually heard Squall say all morning.
�Why did Squall ask you to look after a Moomba? Do you have one?�
A small wave of excitement hit him at the thought that Zell might have one of those fantastic animals hidden somewhere. He�d so far missed every chance to see one up close. He wondered what it would be like to pet one.
�Not quite,� Zell paused, he looked irritated about being interrupted, but it passed and he smiled, �its kinda hard to explain. C�mon, I�ll show you.�
Zell began to stride away, his steps echoing his previous bounce. Irvine followed, feeling nowhere near as energetic, but he was beginning to wake up. He was an animal person, at one with nature. He was looking forward to meeting a Moomba at close quarters. He imagined the fur to be cat like, soft and silky.
�Where are we going?� he asked as he fell into step beside Zell.
�My room.�
Irvine smiled to himself as he pulled the rim of his hat back over his eyes. Maybe the morning wouldn�t turn out to be so bad after all.