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This is my Final Fantasy 8 fanfic.

I don't own any of these characters, so stop sending your ninjas Squarenix!

Squall held Rinoa tighter as they kissed. She seductively licked his lips and nuzzled closer to her boyfriend, looking into the sapphires in his eyes. Squall took in her beauty, the silky black hair, bottomless wells of emotion in her eyes, her light breath upon which rode the sweet scent of… pedigree chow?
Squall opened his eyes and was greeted by another lick from Angelo.

“Off” he grunted as he shifted suddenly and fell awkwardly off the bed. Angelo easily landed on her paws and trotted over to the brunette standing in the doorway. Rinoa rewarded Angelo with a scratch behind her ears and looked up at Squall with fake tears.

“Oh Squall, I’m shocked. What are you doing with this other woman in your bed…? I thought we had something… special…” Rinoa teased.

“Whatever.” Squall mumbled as he shuffled past her into the bathroom.

“Hey, we are all meeting up at the café in half an hour for breakfast” Rinoa sang through the bathroom door. “The others sent me up here to give you that message, and… and to do awfully lewd things to you!”

She was answered with the sound of the toilet flushing.

“Hello? Is this thing on?” Rinoa asked her imaginary microphone.

Twenty minutes later Squall arrived at the café. It was not yet too busy and he saw only two groups. One was calmly drinking tea and enjoying pleasant conversation; the other was a mess of flying cake and flipped tables. He sighed and walked towards his unruly friends.

The first one he saw was Irvine laying semi-conscious on the ground a few feet from the others, Selphie was hopping around singing a special “Selphie” song about coffee cakes, Quistis stood fist extended, a vein bulging in her forehead, and Rinoa sat calmly among the chaos, casually blotting a large wet spot on her blouse.

“Hi hi!” greeted Selphie “Hi Squall! You’re here!” “Oh wow, you absolutely definitely must tryTHEnewESPRESSOblend!” Squall could swear she started to vibrate. Rinoa noticed the bewildered Squall, gave him a chagrined look and a shrug.

“Honestly, the nerve of that cretin!” Quistis uttered and sat down. Irvine was usually the focus of Quistis’ anger and was usually on the ground or strung by her whip.

“Hey Squall, I mean… Commander Leonheart SIR!” Irvine approached with a mock salute.

“Shut up dumb a**” Squall growled it was too early for idiots and he didn’t have to maintain his image anymore “I told you… don’t call me Commander, that’s in the past”.

“Squall, I’m getting some more drinks. Want me to get you something?” Rinoa smiled.

“Please madam, it would be my pleasure to assist you” Irvine got to his feet.

Quistis growled “You should… seeing you spilled most of Rin’s water on her”.

“An accident I assure you. So my lady, shall we?”

“Black with…” Squall started to say.

“Three sugars.” Rinoa finished for him. Squall nodded and gave her a small smile. As he watched the two leave for the coffee stand, he saw Rinoa put her arm around Irvine’s.

“Whatever” he mumbled.

-

“You want me to what?” Rinoa whispered incredulously as they started walking away from the table.

“Put your arm in mine, it’ll drive him crazy” Irvine winked.

Rinoa giggled “OK”. She did so and looked back but Squall wasn’t watching anymore. Suddenly Rinoa was being pulled very forcefully.

“Irvine!” Rinoa wondered what her friend was doing when she saw that Irvine’s other arm was in the clamp known as “Selphie’s kung fu grip“.

“WHEEEE! Coffee and bear claws!”

“Selphie, stop! Heel! Da me! Cease fire!” Irvine yelled as they narrowly missed an elderly couple. Selphie soared over a table, Irvine hit it face first and Rinoa was smart enough to let go some time ago.

“Selphie, what are you doing?” Rinoa asked breathless.

Selphie hopped back and landed squarely on Irvine’s chest, “Quistis said I should keep an eye on this pervert!”

-

“How are you doing?” Quistis asked.

“I’m good.”

“Well, Rinoa seems happier. Must be because she gets to see your “cheery” face every day.”

“…”

Quistis laughed, no matter how much Squall’s personality had improved, he always became silent when his relationship with Rinoa came up.

“Quistis, do you think Rinoa... I mean… is Rinoa… really happy with someone like me?”

“Sure Squall, she loves you. You know that right?”

“Yeah…” Squall stuffed a mini muffin in his mouth.

“Squall, what’s going on? I get it, you’re going to propose!” Quistis joked.

A frantic minute later, Quistis had accomplished, via Heimlich Maneuver, to clear Squall’s airway.

-

Selphie returned with Rinoa. Irvine dragged behind, weighed down by coffee and cake.

“…walk slower.” Irvine unskillfully dropped the huge pile onto the table and bent over to catch his breath.

“You guys… are so mean to me… especially you Selph…?” Irvine pointed without looking up. Suddenly his ‘fight or flight’ instinct kicked in and he realized his finger was probing Quistis’ right breast: poke, poke, POKE!

“Imbecile!” With a flash of red aura, Quistis punched Irvine up into the air, juggled him with her whip and punted him away.

Rinoa noticed that Squall was getting ready to leave. “Headed back so soon? Come on, sit down… let’s talk.”

“Talk?” Squall was getting very nervous.

“Uh, yeah… how are you doing?” mental slap

“I mean, nice weather huh?” double mental slap

“Here’s your coffee.” Rinoa shoved the cup towards Squall.

“Thank you.”

Rinoa and Squall noticed that the others were watching them.

“I guess maybe we should go” Rinoa blushed and nodded slightly to the others.

-

The walk back was as expected, Selphie sang a song about the colors of the vehicles that passed by and most of the way, Quistis dragged Irvine by her whip tied to his ankles. Rinoa walked next to Squall and tried putting her arm around his, but he accidentally elbowed her in the breast in surprise. They both walked together red faced.
They all stopped in front of Squall’s house

“Hey, what are we doing here?” Squall asked the group

“Well, this is your house. You live here.” Irvine stated.

“I KNOW THAT!”

“Come on” Rinoa dragged Squall to the front door. It was unlocked and slightly ajar. Squall immediately pulled Rinoa back out of the doorway.

“Why the heck?” Rinoa had landed on the rest of group and they all got up with much groaning and slapping of Irvine.

“I know that door was locked, let me handle this” Squall picked up a vase full of flowers that Rinoa had bought from a little flower girl in Midgar.

“Squall, put the vase down… and relax” Rinoa said slowly

“Yea, we’re all friends in there…” Selphie was silenced by Quistis

For the second time, Rinoa pulled Squall to the door and opened it.

“Surprise!” Everyone inside yelled.

Squall wasn’t really, Selphie had already told him about the party a week ago, but he acted it. “Wow”, he said.

Ellone ran up and grabbed her brother. “Hi, been a while. Happy Birthday!”

Squall shook hands with Cid, who, now that both were retired commanders, he liked a lot more.
Zell offered Squall a plate of hot dog appetizers.
Edea handed him a cup of punch, and immediately took it back after she found out that Seifer had spiked it.
Rinoa fed Angelo a few hot dog treats; Selphie, Quistis, Zell and most of the rest of the people also fed Angelo a few hot dog treats.

Zell gave Squall another belt to add to the multitude he already wore.
Quistis’ present was a whip (although most people thought that she bought the whip for herself, Irvine thought she bought the whip FOR herself, but he kept his mouth closed).
Ellone gave Squall a sisterly hug.
Irvine gave Squall a personalized autograph.
No one knew what Selphie’s gift was because every time she brought it out, the wrapping gave people epilepsy.
Laguna, his father, presented Squall with a framed newspaper of the day he was born, and then five more with different days and years because he wasn’t completely sure of Squall’s birthday…
Seifer gave Squall a small pink dress, laughed out loud and walked off with a few of the other people’s gifts.
Cid and Edea bought a beautiful leather sheath and display holder for Squall’s Gunblade.
Ellone gave Squall her real gift, keys to a new motorcycle (everyone was certain she was using her powers to predict chocobo races and stocks).

After the party was over, the group said their goodnights. Irvine shook hands with Squall, slid over to kiss Rinoa and got launched out of the house by a Quistis-Squall double uppercut. Selphie gave Squall a hug, curtsied and elegantly walked off, her sugar high had disappeared. Qustis also hugged Squall and whispered something in his ear, he rolled his eyes, nodded and Quistis skipped off with a new whip. Zell gave Squall a birthday punch on the shoulder, Squall gave Zell a birthday threatening with his gunblade.

“Well, see you tomorrow” Rinoa was the last to leave.

“Yeah, goodnight.”

Rinoa leaned in and was surprised when Squall pulled her in close. “Thank you Rinoa. For everything”

Rinoa could feel the rings each kept on chains around their necks press against each other. The ring he gave her that day...

“Rinoa?”

"Yes, Squall?"

“Rinoa, I wanted to tell you. I’m glad that…” Squall paused.

Rinoa felt the pressure in the air, she knew that Squall needed his time to say the words she hoped for.

“I’m glad that… I mean to say, I lo… I… I’ll see you tomorrow.”

"I'll see you tomorrow? Well, it's as good as it get's for now." Rinoa thought.

“Happy birthday Squall. I’ll see you… tommorrow” Rinoa's lips lightly brushed his and she left, leaving her knight sullen and mentally kicking himself.

Title: Hints
Author: me
Summary: Ambrose tries to hint to Cain that he's interested.
Rating: PG-13 for now, but it will get higher.
Word count: 1181
Notes: mostly unbeta'd



Ambrose paced his lab, grinding his teeth in frustration as he wore a trench in the floor. Hint number 127 had again gone unnoticed, passing over its intended target like air and leaving the target unaware and Ambrose close to sobbing. Six months ago he had gotten his brain back, about an annual ago they had defeated the evil witch and saved the OZ, and for those last six month Ambrose and Glitch had worked to sort out their issues. Combination therapy had worked, between counseling and sessions with a viewer there was finally only one personality left. No longer was there two people living in one body, fighting for the smallest things in fear of fading away, there was only Ambrose now, who while smarter still glitched on occasional and said and did silly things.

Now he almost wished he hadn't gotten his brain back because the lack of progress in his plan made him want to forget the whole things and with all his faculties restored that wasn't going to happen. It kept him up at night, running different scenarios and coming up with new plans. Yet nothing was getting through.

It had started small, so small Ambrose had been unaware that he was even doing it, the wistful glances, the hitch in his breath once he'd come to terms with all of himself he was able to see how he was acting for what it truly was, he was in love. And it was just his luck to be pining after the most stubborn, hard headed, tightest pants wearing, most by the book Tin Man ever. Wyatt Cain.

Being the smart man that he was Ambrose devised a plan, hints. He'd leave the Tin Man clues and see if he felt the small, after all calling another man 'sweat heart' had to be an indication of something. Yet that seemed not to be the case, after a successful surgery, Cain no longer hung around like he'd once done which made Ambrose's plan harder since his target was not easily presenting itself. Then again Ambrose wasn't the type to let that bother him, so he started same.

Every day he awoke early and made sure the maid took a small assortment of flowers that he'd handed picked to Cain room when she cleaned. He'd been quiet proud of this plan till he realized that Cain might think the maids put fresh flowers in every room when they tidied up. Ambrose had cursed himself for a few days for over looking such an obvious flaw in his plan.

Since the Tin Man no longer sought him out, Ambrose had to come up with excuses to be near him, at dinner he got Cain's seat moved so they were next to each other. The casual touch of his leg against Cain, reaching for the same plate of food let him cast his eyes down and mutter incoherent apologies. Touch was a good start after a week of this Cain no longer flinched when their hands brushed each other, or moved his leg away as quickly. However he wasn't leaning into the contact either and starting it of his own volition either. Still it was progress even if it was small and left Ambrose aching for more.

Next step was more blatant, besides dinner Ambrose still wanted to spend more time with Cain. After wracking his brain it was decided that having a similar interest might get them closer together. So Ambrose asked Cain to teach him how to shoot a gun. This earned him a very odd look, somewhere near disbelief, curiosity and amusement. Questions had followed; Cain was wanted to know why he needed to know how to shot when he could easily take out a small army with his hand to hand skills. Seeing an opportunity and a possibly a challenge in Cain's words Ambrose upped the ante and offered to trade: hand to hand sparring for the Tin Man's teaching him around a pistol.

So for the next few months Ambrose spent his mornings doing his research and experiments, the afternoon was dedicated to the shooting range and nights, as it was cooler, in one of the open chambers sparring with Cain. Now that he had a reason for the rest of the day Ambrose's productivity doubled and he blew less things up, it seemed in keeping busy and having a full schedule helped his now whole brain function smoothly and he glitched less often.

The afternoon, after lunch, had him eagerly jogging down to the field that Cain had step up as a shooting range. The Tin Man proved to be a relentless teacher, making him learn all the parts and pieces, having him build and rebuild the revolver so much he could now do it in his sleep. Protests went unheard when Ambrose tried to explain he'd built a better and newer model and this was outdated technology, Cain insisted that if Ambrose wanted to learn then he'd learn how he was teaching, new technology be damned.

It did get better after that Ambrose used every excuse he could think to have Cain behind him, helping him line up a shot or repositioning him to a proper stance. With Cain behind him Ambrose could blush and grin at the feel of the other man pressed against his back, his mouth breathing warm air in his ear. He even managed to slip and make Cain scramble to catch the both of them before they tumbled to the ground.

After a light dinner, where Ambrose was still taking the opportunity to touch Cain as often as he could, the two men headed down to one of the unused open chambers. Ambrose had the servants line the floor with straw and fill a circle with hard packed dirt for their sparing ring. Ambrose couldn't have asked for a better set up, both he and Cain stripped down to their pants, no shirts, no shoes, the advisor was hard pressed to remember he was not suppose to be staring and ogling the blonde man.

They'd started off with Cain attacking and Ambrose blocking, explaining the holes in Cain attack and suggesting better moves. Once they both had that down they really had at it, grabbing and tossing each other down, limbs tangling as each fought for dominance. Ambrose was in heaven, he got to see the muscles beneath Cain skin ripple as he moved, smell the scent of him and without feeling too guilty, grab and touch. Yet it was still all superficial, it was all surface and no depth.

Tossing himself in to bed at night Ambrose knew he'd wake up sore, unsated, frustrated, and yet happy for what he was able to get. With so many hints dropped to the Tin Man, Ambrose was close to crying, yet there was no reaction, no flicker of interest or disinterest. Was Cain simply uninterested in him now that he could take care of himself? Sighing Ambrose willed himself to sleep tomorrow was another full day and more hints to drop.
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yea my second attempt at fan fic!