By Haruka

"You really want to start problems, don't you, Seifer?" Irvine grinned.
"Since you spoke up first, cowboy, you can answer first," Seifer replied. "Unless you're afraid."
"I'm not afraid of anything - well, nothing in this field, anyway." Irvine sat back and wrapped his arms around his knees. "All right, if I had to pick someone here to sleep with it would be ...," he looked at the green-eyed brunette, "Selphie."
Selphie turned pink while the others chorused, "Awwwww ...."
"That's no secret," Rinoa said. "You've had a crush on her for a long time."
"Well, now you know it's not a fleeting thing," Irvine said stubbornly. "Anyway, that's my answer."
"What about you, Selphie?" Seifer prompted.
"Irvine," she said promptly, then covered her face with her hands. "Don't ask for an explanation, okay?"
"None necessary," Seifer said and looked at the only instructor there. "What have you to say, Quistis?"
"You're an evil man for asking this at all, Seifer," she said.
"I know." He smiled. "Now do you dare answer?"
"I do," she said. "If we're talking strictly sex, I'll say Raijin." She smiled wickedly at Seifer. "He's more man than anyone else here."
"RAIJIN?" Fujin said with a smirk. "MAN?"
"Hey, I'm a man!" Raijin protested. "Instructor Trepe just said so, ya know?" He grinned over at Quistis. "Thanks!"
"Okay, Raijin, go for it," Seifer said. "Who would be your choice?"
"That's easy," he said. "Zell."
The tattooed boy choked on his hot dog. "Me?!" he finally managed to gasp out. "Why me?!"
Raijin shrugged. "You're the best fighter here, ya know? I respect physical fitness a lot, and you've got the best build next to me."
"And you want it 'next to you', all right," Rinoa said mischievously.
"Do you reciprocate, Chicken-Wuss?" Seifer asked Zell. "Or did you have someone else in mind?"
Zell shook his head vigorously. "Sorry, Raijin, but my choice would be Quistis." He glanced at her shyly and ran a hand through his hair. "I just think she's real sexy."
"Thank you, Zell, that's very sweet of you," Quistis told him.
"Okay, so half of my posse has answered." Seifer turned to the blonde girl beside him. "What about you, Fujin?" He smiled confidently. "Go ahead and tell them who in this room you'd rather sleep with than anyone else."
"RINOA," Fujin replied promptly.
Seifer's face went slack. "What?"
Irvine burst into gales of laughter. "Look at him! He was so sure she'd say his name!"
"Why shouldn't I have been sure?!" Seifer snapped. "Fujin would do anything for me! _Anything_! Isn't that right, Fujin?" He looked directly at her, his blue eyes demanding an answer.
"AFFIRMATIVE," she said. "ANYTHING." She glanced toward the dark-haired girl that was staring at her in disbelief. "CHOICE, RINOA."
"Let's move on," Seifer said, sounding more than a little miffed. "You might as well answer, Rinoa."
"Actually, I've always found Fujin attractive as well." Rinoa tossed her hair over her shoulder. "She's the strongest girl I know - stronger than a lot of the boys around here." She gave Squall a haughty look.
"It's been over for a long time, I said," Squall muttered.
"How about you, Squall?" Seifer said pleasantly. "Who's your preferred would-be bed partner?"
The other boy looked up to meet his eyes. "You know it's Rinoa."
Seifer shrugged. "If you say so." He smiled and winked. "As for me, giving an answer now would be redundant, as I've already made my desires quite clear."
Squall looked away. "This game is over."
"More than the game is over." Rinoa got to her feet and headed for the door. "Fujin," she called over her shoulder, "come with me - let's talk."
"'Talk', she says," Zell chuckled, watching the petite blonde follow Rinoa out of the secret area. "I wonder how much talking they'll be doing tonight?"
"Fujin should be careful - Rinoa's on the rebound," Selphie said.
"Fujin doesn't care, ya know," Raijin answered. "She knows that already. But she's human, and Rinoa's pretty, and if she's offerin' ...." He shrugged, leaving the room.
"Well, goodnight everyone," Zell waved. "Instructor Trepe, would you like an escort through the training area?"
"Sure, Zell, and then I've got to get back to those papers I left unchecked." She walked out with him.
"Selphie!" Irvine said brightly, slipping an arm around her shoulders. "How about we go do some 'talking' ourselves?"
Selphie grinned and pushed his arm off her. "The question was who here would we sleep with if we _had_ to, Irvine. I don't have to." She bounced away, giggling.
Irvine smiled blissfully. "I'm winning her over, I think." He hurried after her.
Squall got to his feet slowly. He turned and headed for the exit.
"Wait a minute," Seifer said. "Please?"
He paused. Seifer had never said 'please' to anyone in his life. He put one hand on his hip and gave a bored sigh, not turning around. "What do you want, Seifer? Wasn't ruining my relationship with Rinoa enough for one night?"
"No," Seifer said frankly. Squall felt the other boy move up behind him and then there were strong hands on his shoulders. "I'm sorry if I hurt you. I'm not just talking about tonight, either. I mean all of it, ever since that day."
"Okay, you're sorry. I've got to go find Rinoa now." Squall started to step away from him, but the hands spun him around so that he faced Seifer squarely. There was a desperate, pleading look in the blonde's eyes that was alien to him.
"Listen to me, damn it!" Seifer told him. "I don't just lust after you, Squall, I still love you. I always have and God help me always will! What's more I think you still love me. That's why you and Rinoa never slept together and why it's so easy for her to walk away from you now - and you would have done anything to stop her if you really cared!"
"The way you did 'anything' to keep from losing me, like nearly killing me several times over?" Squall snapped.
Seifer grinned. "We're two of a kind, Squall. Neither one of us is very demonstrative, but we're both passionate people in our own way. We belong together." He took Squall's chin in his hand and tilted his face up. "I felt you respond when I kissed you earlier. Can you deny it?"
Squall's lips parted as if to reply, but the words wouldn't come. Seifer lowered his head and hungrily kissed him again. After a moment's hesitation, he felt Squall lean into the kiss, and Seifer immediately slid his arms around the shorter boy. Squall pulled back a bit and looked at him in confusion.
"What the hell am I doing?" he murmured.
"Being honest with yourself for once," Seifer answered. "I knew you never would as long as you thought of you and Rinoa as a couple. Why else do you think I arranged this stupid game?"
Squall's blue eyes widened. "You - ?! But I thought Irvine came up with it!"
Seifer chuckled. "That was the idea. Everyone would know something was up if _I_ suggested it. So I paid him off to make the suggestion and to act like I had nothing to do with it. I didn't tell Raijin or Fujin about it, either." He shook his head. "I still can't believe that dipstick used his rifle to shoot the eyepatch off her. THAT wasn't in the plan. I figured we'd stroll by here in a few minutes and catch you all, but he didn't give us the chance."
"Let me get this straight," Squall said. "You set this all up just to break up myself and Rinoa?"
"No," Seifer replied seriously. "I set this all up to remind you of what we had, and to let you know what we could _still_ have."
Squall shook his head, the hint of a smile pulling at his lips. "You're crazy, Seifer."
"Maybe, but I made my points, didn't I?" He met Squall's eyes. "The question is, what are you going to do about it?"
Squall raised an eyebrow. "I don't have to answer that question if I take the dare, do I?"
Seifer grinned. "True enough." He touched Squall's cheek softly. "The dare is to kiss me one more time and tell me there's no hope for us."
Squall slid his hand up behind Seifer's head and pulled him down for a long kiss. When it was over, he lay his forehead against the taller boy's shoulder. "Damn you," he whispered.
Seifer embraced him, smiling over his head. "I win," he said softly.

End of Truth or Dare

Story contents (c) 2000 Tenou Haruka

No characters here are mine.

Comments are welcome at: [email protected] or in the Fanfics forum of my messageboard: http://pub33.ezboard.com/bharukasmobilehomemb

This fanfic is for your private reading enjoyment only. Do not repost it on the internet in any form or otherwise distribute it.