bakerstreet | Secret dating et al

Secret dating et al

SECRET dating;

The fact that you're in a relationship with this person isn't public knowledge. Actually, no one knows about it except for the people involved. Maybe you guys are just private like that; on the other hand, it may be a necessity to keep things a secret from others. Maybe you're both team mates, and others on the team would give you grief, or you're not suppose to be dating, or you're not the type to usually date and you're only testing the waters. Perhaps it's the combination of you two, possibly an odd couple, that would bring some controversy or some teasing. Or, you know, you could not want to deal with friends and relatives being busybodies. Your reasons are your own.

Are you content with stealing moments to be together as a couple? Do you want to make your relationship known and the fact that you can't drives you batty? Remember, there are lots of benefits to dating in secret. You can be yourselves completely, away from prying eyes, and get to know each other better as potential longterm romantic partners. In a way, it's ideal.

...still, do you ever wish you could scream from the rooftops how much you care for your significant other?

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Play out stolen moments (◡‿◡✿), secret dates (◕‿◕✿), secret handholding (⊙‿⊙✿), and secret kissing ( /)w(\✿)!

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In return to Zell's honest feelings Squall just let out a small laugh and shook his head.

"It's fine this way. I prefer it."

The last thing he needed was everyone pestering him about his relationship with Zell. Because that's exactly what would happen. Selphie and Irvine would make a huge deal over it, Quistis would comment about responsibilities and he could even picture Seifer laughing from wherever he was. They had such an emotional group of friends.

He wasn't ashamed either. Just private. He was glad Zell was on the same page.

He relaxed again, leaning back into the seat when Squall understood him. He would have told everyone as soon as they got back if Squall wanted him to, but he never thought Squall would ask something like that. It was probably one of the reasons they were soulmates. But... "I wanna tell my ma some time. Not yet! But she's the first I want to tell. I know she'll keep quiet about it for us..." The most she would do was hint that Zell had found his soulmate, but was unusually quiet about it otherwise.

But first he wanted to know what Squall thought of it. This was their relationship, not just his.

He was silent for a moment as he thought it over. Telling Zell's family. What did he think of that? Squall had no real family of his own aside from Ellone ~~and Laguna~~ and their rag tag team of friends that made up some sort of strange make-shift family. Zell was the only one with real family that he saw and cared for on a regular basis. So he honestly wasn't sure how he felt.

He shifted awkwardly and looked away. "If that's what you want."

That's all he really was going to say about it. He didn't really have an opinion, but if that's what Zell wanted he'd do it.

Squall seemed a little unsure about it, so Zell spoke again, trying to reassure him. "It ain't just about what I want, I won't tell her 'til we're both ready! It's still too soon... I just wanted to let you know." And there'd be plenty of time for him to see if Squall could get a little more used to the idea. A completely sure answer wasn't needed yet, so Zell changed the subject.

"Anyway, I brought some snacks, since we won't really have time to eat a meal for a while. Lemme know if you get hungry!"

Squall watched the scenery go by. By now he noticed the route they were taking. Deling City, huh Zell? What was he planning.

"It's not that I'm not ready. It's just... I've never had to deal with something like that before. Telling parents these sorts of things."

But Zell changed his subject and he's a little grateful.

"You're going all out on this date thing, aren't you." He teased, looking somewhat amused. "Sure, I'll take a snack."

That's why he was giving Squall time to get used to it... and for his own paranoia about his ma figuring out what they did to go down. Besides, the relationship was still new and even if they were both ready, he'd still want to wait a little bit longer to give it time to set in.

"It's our first one..." he answered and quickly stood to take all the snacks out from the large pocket, trying to hide the slight embarrassment he felt from Squall's teasing statement. It was actually the first time he put this much time and thought into a date. Squall was... very special to him. And he really wanted Squall to enjoy himself and not have to worry about anything. Give him an actual break from all his commander duties.

"Take your pick!" There were a number of nuts and seeds, and some dried fruit, all of which were in little bags. Nothing that could go bad from sitting out for a while or being stuffed in a pocket. Zell would offer an actual dinner after the concert.

Squall picked the dried fruit because he tended to lean towards sweeter things rather than salty. (Give Squall a choice and he'd always go for sweet foods...) He started to munch, enjoying the treat.

"I'm glad you seem excited. Even if you won't tell me anything about what we're doing."

He gestured to the window. "Deling City, right?"

They'd traveled around so much by train in the past that he knew almost all the routes.

Zell liked fruit too, but he was perfectly fine eating some of the nuts to hold him over and keep the other dried fruit for Squall if he wanted a snack later on. They wouldn't be able to eat an actual meal for a few hours still.

Count on Squall to know where they were going based on scenery that had little change from other places. "Yeah, that's right. Don't worry, you'll like it too!" He smiled at Squall, though still gave no hint about what was going on. He wanted to see Squall's expression when he realized on his own what it was. Even if that meant having to wait until the curtain opened. He really hoped Squall did like it, and that it would make up for not telling him about it.

The train came to a clattering halt as it docked in the station. Squall could already hear people mulling about getting their things together as they exited the train. Squall pulled his hat down low and felt a little bit of anxiety roll through him as the thought of trying to dodge all these people.

He knew this was really important to Zell and he would probably end up enjoying himself in the end but he was definitely going to suggest a stay-at-home date next.

He gave Zell a look to lead, since Zell was the one who knew where they were going and not him.

As the train stopped at their destination, Zell stuffed the rest of the snacks into his pocket again, and threw on the light winter jacket. They weren't too far north, so the chill wasn't that bad, but Zell liked warmer weather. It wouldn't matter once they got in doors.

Leaving the train was fine, but once they got out of the station, there seemed to be an even bigger crowd. And they were all heading towards the same destination they needed to get to. Zell trusted their disguises, especially in such a crowd, but he didn't want to get separated from Squall. Without thinking about anything else, Zell grabbed Squall's hand to lead him towards the same direction the crowd was going. "It ain't too far and we can get out of the crowd when we get there."

Once he realized he was casually holding Squall's hand in public, a small smile came over his expression. He glanced at Squall to see how he was doing.

When Zell's hand slipped into his Squall didn't really know how to react. It seemed so natural for Zell but Squall just felt a light blush come over his face. How...embarrassing.

And as much as he sort of wanted to brush away the touch and he also sort of wanted to squeeze back. Damn this soulmate thing was really ruining him.

And then Zell looks at him and he just feels the heat of his blush reach his ears and he pulls his hat down as far as he can manage.

They better get there soon...

Zell smile only brightened when he saw Squall's blush and embarrassed motion which hid more of his face. It wasn't in jest, Squall's reaction was just kind of cute and he was happy that it seemed to distract him from the crowd around them. His fingers curled more firmly against Squall's hand and he continued to navigate them through the crowd.

Zell was becoming even more excited the closer they got and eventually they reached the outside of the concert hall. Rather than stand in the back of the line, Zell left the crowd and took them to the side where three men stood. Two of them were by a side door and had quite a few muscles showing in creases along their tight undershirts. They were clearly there to scare off or physically remove anyone trying to get in the door. The third man was a scrawny, older gentleman with a small box in his hand.

Zell smiled at the older man and fished out the two tickets that would give them entry to the stairs that led to the private balconies. Overall the setup was pretty nice. It definitely paid not having to stand in that long line!

Squall was careful to avoid people while following along with Zell. When they reached the concert hall he glanced up and was taken aback once again. The concert hall? Is that what they're doing?

When they reached the line Squall was about to protest but Zell takes them elsewhere. Maybe he was more organized about this than he thought. This was actually quite thoughtful.

But he's grateful to be away from the crowds and the first thing he'll do when they reach the private room is let out a sigh of relief.

Even though they had left the crowd, Zell hadn't let go of Squall's hand until they reached the stairs. It was nice being able to hold his hand like that and still keep their real identities and actual relationship secret.

Zell was also relieved to be away from the crowds. He hadn't been to this city much and sometimes huge crowds like that in this city reminded him of the war. Smaller crowds were fine, but that was a little too like the parade.

He pushed the thoughts away though, in favor of the upcoming concert and his first date with Squall and pictures of just how Squall could react when he finally knew what band would be playing. He walked down the hallway a bit before he saw the number on the door that was to be their private balcony. With a wide grin, he opened the door and allowed both of them to enter before closing it behind them.

The first thing he did was take off his jacket, then allowed the full amount of his excitement to show. "What do you think so far? Nice, huh?" The chairs were pretty deluxe, but he didn't know if he'd really use it. He was too excited. He went to the edge of the balcony and looked around. Yeah, perfect! They could see the stage just fine, but no one would really be able to see them. "You can probably take off your hat and jacket if ya want. I don't think they'll be able to see us!" Not that they would want to once the concert started.

While not as excitable as Zell, he was rather impressed as well. The private room was comfortable and had a great view of the stage. He took off his jacket and hat and ran a hand through his hair to loosen the strands free from hat hair.

He watched Zell bounce around with a small smile on his lips.

"This is nice Zell, you did a good job. I don't think I've been to one of these private rooms before."

Or any concerts, really. Aside from the one his friends put on that one time...

"Is this why you were asking me so many questions about music the other day?" He moved to the balcony as well, looking out.

Zell's smile brightened at Squall's compliment, happy that he approved. "That's 'cause they're brand new, baby!" His excited response was followed with raising a fist, as if to emphasize what was already quite clear.

He looked around the small room a bit more and took out the snacks again, setting them next to the chairs so he wouldn't sit on them or anything. Then he went back to the edge of the balcony to watch the space below them slowly fill up. As soon as it was, the concert wouldn't be much longer, but until then, Zell found it hard to stay still.

But when Squall figured out that this was why he was asking about music before, Zell turned to look at him again. It probably wouldn't take that much longer for him to guess what band it was and he really wanted to see the realization dawn on him. "Yeah. I mean, I heard about these rooms and I thought it would be perfect! I kinda wanted to take you out for a while now..."

Squall leaned his arms on the balcony railing and watched all the people start filing in. It was getting packed, a complete full house.

Zell continually surprised him, almost everyday, with the thoughtfulness that he had for everything that involved the two of them. Honestly sometimes Squall felt like Zell deserved someone better than him since he was terrible at these sorts of things. Did he deserve this little slice of happiness? But there was a little piece of his heart that was growing in pride at the thought that Zell was his.

"Then maybe we'll make a habit of this." He replied, genuinely happy.

The lights flickered low as the start of the concert began and instantly Squall recognized the beginning notes. His favorite. His eyes widened in surprise, because usually the tickets were incredibly hard to get.

It wasn't often that Squall Leonhart felt a giddy little thrill of excitement at something. But he sure was feeling it right now.

"Zell." He said, almost not believing it and needing confirmation.

Zell couldn't stop smiling from all of Squall's reactions. This was going great! He was happy Squall liked it and even wanted to do it more often! "Sure! We'll figure out more dates." He'd look around for even more private locations now that this one was going so well.

But while Zell liked the band too, he wasn't watching the stage. He kept his gaze on Squall to see what he thought about exactly which band was playing. So it wasn't just the beginning notes that let him know the concert started, it was also from the expression that came over Squall's face, looking surprised and maybe a little excited too? Zell's smile just widened when he heard his name for confirmation. "You said you liked them."

Edited 2016-08-01 23:09 (UTC)

Squall let the music wash over him for a few moments, even closing his eyes to listen. The beat felt good and being here without any prying eyes made it more enjoyable for him. No crowds, no background noise, just the music and the two of them.

After a moment he moved to Zell and pulled him into a hug, wrapping his arms around Zell's waist and leaning to press his forehead against Zell's. "Thank you." He murmured, though he wasn't sure if Zell would hear him over the music now.

It was easier getting affectionate with Zell like this, especially when he didn't have to worry about people walking in on them or people noticing.

Zell spent another moment watching Squall enjoy himself before he turned back to the stage and enjoyed the music as well. His head bobbed lightly with the beat and his mind supplied the lyrics at the same time that the band sang them. He really didn't get out to many concerts, but liking the same band and being here with Squall, this had quickly turned out to be one of his favorite ones.

When he felt Squall touch him, he turned to look at him again, his smile softer now. He actually didn't hear the words with the concert in full swing now, but Squall's actions always spoke for him too. He loved it when Squall became affectionate and he couldn't help but respond in kind. A hand moved up to rest on Squall's shoulder while he tilted his head up to give him a languid kiss. "I'm glad you're enjoying yourself."

Squall smiled into the slow kiss, always enjoying it when Zell initiated. He felt that little flutter of love in his chest again and squeezed Zell closer.

Maybe someday he'd be able to say it. He hoped Zell somehow knew that he did? It was such a complicated thing to say...

But wrapped up in this little tiny paradise on this balcony. He didn't want to complicate things.

He decided to deepen the kiss as the song continued, feeling the beat thump in his chest.

Even now Zell couldn't get enough of being with Squall this way, he didn't think he ever would. When Squall decided to deepen the kiss, Zell's other arm moved to wrap around Squall and keep him close also. He kissed back, releasing his own feelings into the kiss. Since the first time Zell told Squall he loved him, he became more sure of the feeling and said it to him again a number of times, whenever he felt he couldn't contain the words. But the fact was, he wasn't sure how Squall felt about him. Yes, he knew Squall cared about him, quite a bit, that much was obvious even if it was never said quite that way. But did Squall love him back? He liked to think so... certain touches, certain looks... Zell liked to think of them as Squall saying 'I love you too'. Zell would never push it on him to say it though. He knew Squall had a different way of communicating than he did.

Though it would be exciting to hear, Zell didn't need the words. He would take moments like this over any awkwardness that Squall might feel wording his feelings.

The first song slowed and ended and the sound of cheers erupted into the air like thunder. Squall broke the kiss to watch the crowd cheer and clap and turned back to Zell to smile.

He knew deep down that eventually everything would come out. His feelings for Zell in words, telling everyone about what was going on, things like that. Because that was life. The future was always something Squall was worried about though. Peoples reactions and what they would think. He knew none of that probably didn't matter to Zell but he always had a habit of being over critical of things himself.

"I honestly don't know what I did to deserve all this. To deserve us." Squall said next, honestly and openly.

Once the kiss was over, Zell's smile was back. There probably would be a time when all that happened, but there was no reason to worry about it now. When it happened it would be because they were both absolutely ready for it.

He shook his head at Squall's words. "You shouldn't be so hard on yourself!" His expression took on a more serious look. "You're a great leader and you care about everyone under your command, even if it's just in your own way. You'd sacrifice yourself to save your friends... and life has been pretty crazy. You deserve to be happy!" He could go on. Does he need to go on? He looked up at Squall, his hold around him tightening a bit, one hand moving to brush against the clothing that covered where he knew the soulmate mark was, as if by habit now.

Edited 2016-08-03 07:15 (UTC)

Squall was silent as he listened to Zell speak. Sometimes he had second doubts if any of that was true. He liked to command these days and he did care but that was only after he was pressured to do it all and was now accustomed to it. He protected his friends and cared about them, but only because they had tolerated him long enough to become closer to him. It seemed like everything in his life was only because people seemed to gravitate towards him and expected those things from him. And stuck around long enough to allow Squall to adjust.

To just be handed this companionship with Zell. It just...

Instead of replying he just kissed Zell again, rougher this time, clutching him close. Almost desperately.

When it broke he looked down. "I'll try to believe that."

Edited 2016-08-03 21:57 (UTC)

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