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They were running late. Squall faced the car window and crossed his arms in silence, bobbing his knee to distract himself.
Quistis sped down the dirt road, “Yes, yes, we’re gonna make it!” She glanced at her student, visually upset with her, and consoled herself more so than him, “Ahem, we’re almost there, don’t worry.”
(“Keep it to yourself…”) Squall rolled his eyes. He was mad enough at his selflessness for helping a random transfer student tour the Garden out of pity. And then he finds his instructor late to their appointed meeting, waiting at the front gate for far too long instead of relieving himself before the very important challenge ahead.
There was no time for pit stops. He needed to get this over with as soon as possible, for the sake of his SeeD exam... and other things. He sunk further in his seat as his bladder twinged.
The landscape departed from green fields to rocky terrain as the entrance to the Fire Cavern reared over the horizon. Quistis skidded into park, nearly toppling over in a hurry as she exited the car. Squall followed his instructor down the crunchy gravel trail.
Out of breath, she greeted the two Faculty members guarding the cavern and presented themselves for the test, “We’re here! Leonhart with instructor fourteen, Trepe!”
The Faculty’s judgmental glare offset her enthusiasm, “…Very well.” They started their timer and allowed them to pass.
He couldn’t hold it much longer.
“Wait,” Squall spoke up and pointed elsewhere, “Before we start, I need to—”
“Squall…” Quistis grabbed his wrist with a nervous grimace, “You told me you were ready.”
(“I never said that…”)
“They already started the countdown, let’s not dawdle in front of staff. We need to go.” She pulled him into the dark entrance.
- - -
A wall of hot air hit them at the end of the tunnel. The lava-filled cavern bubbled and gurgled, hazardous creatures flew overhead.
Quistis unhooked her whip, “Remember, I’m here to support you,” she reassured, only to be caught off guard by Squall’s speed. She gawked; he was halfway through the first area, unfazed by the fire. Catching up to him, she continued to fish for conversation, “Y’know, the boys tend to choke on this test when I’m here. Guess my charm makes them… nervous…”
Squall swatted bats while keeping his momentum. His eyes darted side to side. Lava, and dirt, and more lava. The trail was too narrow, no accessible structures to hide behind, no privacy. He was not going to do it in clear view, and in front of his young instructor of all people. He started to sweat, the roiling heat seeping into him, reality hitting him like a kick to the stomach.
She mulled as they ran in silence the flaws of her approach. “Hey, I’m sorry,” Quistis managed through heavy breaths, “I’m not usually this tardy. I… you’re one of my best students, and… I wanted to…”
“Focus, Trepe,” Squall retorted, more so a message to himself.
Quistis sighed, “You’re more than making up for time at this rate, anyway.”
They continued their steady jog, slaying monsters when necessary down the treacherous rocky path. Having stocked up beforehand, Squall’s clothes were developing a layer of ice from casting so many blizzard spells. Quistis was thoroughly impressed with his timing and skill, until he slipped on a patch of ice and fell on his back, his gunblade skid across the slick puddles. Stopped in her tracks, she held in her laughter as best she could, “A-Are you okay? We can afford to slow down a little.”
Squall was livid. He groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose to ease his head from spinning, his knees locked together. He carefully sat up, (“Don’t panic… it was just a little bit…”) and shuddered as some ice trickled from his neck down his chest, a stark contrast to the warmth spreading on his front.
“You’re usually so predictable,” Quistis chuckled as she bent over and handed him his weapon.
He stood up quickly, “Glad someone’s having fun.”
- - -
They approached an ominous clearing, surely big enough for a boss fight. Squall exhaled with relief, eager to finish.
“Okay, this is it. Ready?” Quistis looked to her student who stepped up to the crater, “You seem confident enough.”
“Let’s pick up the pace,” Squall drew his gunblade and focused on his breathing, thighs tight in his fighting stance, suppressing the painful pressure in his bladder.
Quistis nodded and cracked her whip. An eerie glow emanated from the ground. Fiery rocks tumbled away and Ifrit leapt into the air, launching himself ablaze at the party. Squall was knocked back, stunned from the sudden ferocity, a great squirt escaping as he landed on his ass. He groaned, picking himself up to brace another hit. Hot piss dripped down his thigh.
The beast attacked over and over, Squall ran him in circles; a lackluster plan that had Quistis second-guessing her student. He had to win this fight quickly… for the test, for his pride, for his raging bladder. But his aim was off and his mind failing, the floodgates were crumbling, the stream impending. Engaging the guardian of fire made Squall appreciate the benevolence of Quetzalcoatl and Shiva. Right... Shiva, of course. He bit his lip in frustration at his delayed revelation. “Keep him off me!” he called out.
“Right,” Quistis leapt to him and expelled dazzling blue magic.
Squall grit his teeth as he concentrated, his thighs trembling. He extended his arm, unsure of what to expect from this new guardian he had only acquired that morning. He hoped for the best.
A pillar of ice burst forth from the dirt and shattered, the resulting flurry freezing everything around the icy nymph with wild abandon. Squall, having stood way too close to Shiva’s flashy entrance, shielded his face against the windy onslaught. He shivered as the cold seeped effortlessly through his clothes.
Quistis barely got out of harm’s way in time as the summon blasted a wave of solid ice over Ifrit. Branching shards twisted and curled in the current, decorating the arena in crystalline patterns. Squall couldn’t stop shaking, he lost control of his body. His arms fell stiff at his sides, fists clenched. He curled inward against the wind in one last attempt to hold it all back, to no avail. His knees buckled as the inevitable hot stream flooded down his leg, his loud gasps muffled by the freezing torrent. A strange sensation in his pants; a bitter cold, spiked, digging like claws into his skin, and soothing heat, the temperature of his insides. He paid mind to lower his voice as the air soon calmed and settled, panting great puff clouds.
The guardian of ice towered over her opposition with a foreboding grin before fading away. Ifrit huffed, “For me to lose to a human… Very well, I will join you.” His body dispersed from the ice into a magic flame that collected in Squall’s chest.
Drifting snow tickled Quistis’s nose. She sighed and wiped her face. The air was cool and crisp, a sorely welcomed respite. The crater would be frozen solid a good while after Shiva’s attack, keeping the heat of the cavern at a comfortable level.
“Well done, Mister Leonhart!” She straightened up and turned to congratulate her student when she noticed he wasn’t moving. She rushed over to him, “Squall?”
He scraped icy drool off his mouth. One of his legs was encased from his front to his foot, the frozen piss stream amassing on the floor. He stood awkwardly, slowing his heavy breathing after enduring the flood of adrenaline and, more importantly, his much-needed release. (“Never again…”) he scolded himself. The pleasure subsided and he snapped back to reality.
“Squall! Are you okay?” Quistis checked him over.
He scowled and looked down, cowering his flushed face. Ignoring her, he tried hitting the ice around his foot with his gunblade in a futile attempt to free himself.
She crossed her arms and sneered, “And this is an excellent case for building an affinity with your GFs.”
“That’s not—” Squall stopped himself. He grunted and patted at his front, breaking some ice shards off his pants. The chill wasn’t only freezing his clothes. (“It’s starting to hurt pretty bad…”)
A whistle shrilled behind them. The two Faculty members appeared through the rising steam of the arena to report Leonhart’s time. “Very good. Come with us.”
Quistis followed, then stopped when she saw Squall had still not moved, “Hey… Are you actually frozen in place?”
Squall shivered, “Y-Yeah.”