-1 Hayner sighed as his English teacher called on him when no one else bothered to answer the question she'd asked.
"An unreliable narrator means we can't necessarily trust what the book tells us, certain facts could be arranged or twisted to suit the narrator's purpose in telling the story. It involves a lot more inference and skepticism when reading to determine what is the reality of the situation, and what are biased and possibly untrue opinions. Two examples are Nick Carraway in The Great Gatsby and Dom Casmurro from the book of the same name."
It was the sixth question about literary terms she'd asked him just today, and a few of the other students were beginning to give him dirty looks. He looked out the window again, he really didn't like most of the people in this class. He only took it because he and Roxas wanted all their Senior classes together, it was the classic lazy senior English. Write about one essay per marking period, which were generally less than 4 pages, and read a book or two. It was a far cry from the class he'd taken last year, he'd had to write at least two 6-page minimum essays per marking period and write up daily journals on the nightly assigned reading.
"Don't let them get to you Hayner, you know they're just jealous, you have the best grade in this class."
Brown eyes drifted back over to his best friend, who sat right next to him. Roxas was currently giving the rest of the class death glares, particularly the four boys who sat in the back corner, who had made a rather nasty offhanded comment about the slighter skater's parentage.
"Very good Hayner, now class, you're going to pick one of these literary devices and one of the three books we've read so far these past two marking periods and write an 800-1200 word essay on how the book has an example of your chosen literary device, with multiple textual references. This essay will be worth half your marking period grade, so don't try to blow it off."
The class collectively groaned as she began passing out the rubric, the only ones unbothered by the assignment were the two blonde skaters, Hayner because he could write the paper in an hour, Roxas because he knew Hayner would help him write his. That was the only reason the blue-eyed senior had the third-best grade in the class, his friend practically wrote his essays for him. In return, he helped the math-illiterate teen in their trigonometry and physics classes. His tutoring was the only reason the sandy-haired senior was passing both classes with constant Cs.
"Wanna come over to my place so we can work our papers?"
Roxas had to suppress a laugh, "You mean I watch you do your paper, half of mine, then you sit there giving me help when I fail miserably at writing the rest of mine?"
The brown-eyed boy smirked, it was a running joke between them that the only reason they had respectable grades in all of their classes was because they basically cheated. It was senior year and they'd already been accepted into the local college, it wasn't as if it was a big deal, they just had to pass.
"Yeah, that."
"Sorry man, gotta work after school today, for five hours. Axel'll kick my ass if I don't show up."
Axel was his coworker at the pizza place, after constant hint-dropping and what some would call stalkerish attention, Roxas finally stopped avoiding his advances. They'd been going out for about half a year and it seemed to be working well for them.
"I doubt he'd kick it very hard, he is going to want it later."
Hayner laughed when his friend kicked him in the calf, hard enough that it would leave a bruise. He never missed a chance to make fun of Roxas's relationship, even though he'd been the one to tell the antisocial blond to let it happen. They'd admitted to each other that they swung the other way near the beginning of junior year, about when Pence and Olette started going out. Roxas had been dating Namine for three months over the summer before she finally broke up with him, saying he wasn't paying enough attention to her. It was true, he'd only kissed her twice over the time they'd been together, and rarely took her out, preferring the company of his friends.
He'd come over to Hayner's to spend the weekend a confused wreck. After explaining his feelings, how he'd begun to find men more attractive than women, and hadn't been as interested in sexual relations with Namine as she had been, Hayner had suggested that maybe he was gay. This hadn't sat well with the spiky-haired boy, who wasn't raised to think it was okay like the same sex, but after some explaining by his best friend that it was natural he decided to think about it. To help Roxas accept the idea of liking the same gender as something not to be afraid of, Hayner admitted he had a crush on the school bully, Seifer.
After a month of soul-searching, the reserved skater realized that he probably was indeed batting for the other team, by the time he started his job and met the slightly insane redhead, he was pretty sure of it. The two friends been even closer since then, some people joked that they were incapable of being 15 feet from one another for longer than five minutes, others alluded that they were together, both of which were far off the mark. They weren't each other's type at all, and they lived on other sides of town from one another, even if they spent half their time at Hayner's house, either studying or just hanging out. Roxas's parents still hated that he was gay, so he stayed with the other teen every chance he got. When he worked after school, he generally stayed with Axel, who was living in an apartment with another guy named Demyx. Hayner's mother was a psychologist who understood her son's orientation wasn't exactly his choice and was nothing if not understanding and supportive of both of them. His father ceased to be a part of his life when he was seven, so he neither knew nor mattered.
"Earth to Hayner, class is nearly over," Roxas brought him out of his reminiscence by waving a hand in front of his face.
He blinked and looked at the clock, he'd been staring into space for nearly ten minutes and the bell would go off in about two, "Oh, right, thanks."
"You okay man? You've been really spaced out lately."
"Huh? Oh yeah, just getting bored with all this school shit, wish it would be over already, thank god there's only a month of school left, eh?"
It was a lie, and his friend knew it.
"Maybe he'll come to the struggle competition next week," Roxas answered as he squeezed his friend's shoulder.
The 'he' was referring to Seifer, who had graduated last year. With a part-time job and college, the blond object of Hayner's affections hadn't had time to pick on him much since the year started, other than in the struggle tournaments every two weeks and Seifer's occasional days off, when he could normally be found at the skate park taking all the new kids down a notch or two, or the Sandlot training with Rai and Fuu. It had dragged on this way for over seven months, and Hayner was getting to the point where he might just break down and cry over how utterly stupid life was lately. Whoever said "absence makes the heart grow fonder" was right, and Hayner wanted to punch them in the face for it. His crush on the leader of the Twilight Disciplinary Committee had grown into full-fledged unrequited love, and he was sorely missed.
The bell rang, marking the end of the day (except for the poor saps who had an extra hour) and they filtered out, the four boys that had insulted Hayner earlier uncharacteristically hauling ass ahead of all the rest. He didn't exactly think it was to get home quickly and start work on their paper. He brushed the thought aside as he followed his best friend to his locker, which they had shared ever since Hayner's was broken into, stolen from, and never fixed, getting their stuff and heading out the side entrance of the large school, towards the Sandlot, where they normally said goodbye and split ways if Roxas was going to his own house or work.
"Hey Hayner, what, teach didn't give you a blowjob after class for being such a star student?"
The dirty-blond now knew why the four left so quickly, they wanted to make it to the lot before he and Roxas did so they could jump them. Two were already behind them, coming out of hiding from behind the board that was used for posting struggle rules on weekends, and the other two were in front, barring any escape they might bother to mount.
"No, that's right, you don't like girls much do you? Too busy getting screwed by the antisocial prick over there, I'm guessing," the apparent leader, a taller boy with a crappy purple attempt at a punk hairstyle continued.
"Fuck off, we're just friends, loser," Hayner snapped, going from zero to pissed in about half a second.
"Right, that's what you make everyone believe anyways. I'm not surprised though, it's not like either of you could snag anyone else, especially since you lost that hot piece of ass to that chubby buddy of yours."
Roxas had to grab his friend's arm to keep him from exploding at the idiot, even though he was equally pissed at the jabs to them and their friends, especially the way he referred to Olette as if she was nothing more than a piece of meat. He knew they wouldn't win a fight against the four, not only were they outnumbered, but all of them looked strong.
"Calm down."
"What the fuck man, am I just supposed to let him say that shit?" Brown eyes that were dark with rage turned on him accusingly.
"You really think fighting would be a good idea?" Roxas yelled back.
One of the boys behind him laughed, "Like you two could even fight back, fuckin' pussies."
Roxas's attention was diverted long enough that his hold on his companion's tanned arm slackened, and Hayner flung his backpack aside as he broke away, launching himself at the guy with purple hair.
"Don't fucking talk about me or my friends like that, you jackass!"
He barely registered the voice as his own before his fist connected with the other boy's nose, the nasty crunch he heard immensely satisfying to his blood-lusting mind. He landed a kick to the bully's stomach before he was sent reeling from a punch to the jaw by the guy adjacent to them. He heard Roxas snarl as he was held back from helping his prone friend by the other two boys, figured he was on his own until Roxas could dispatch them. He rolled away from the purple-haired teen and stood back up, only now seeing the knife in the his antagonist's right hand. It wasn't very large, but the blade was sharp enough to do serious damage, and he backed away nervously.
There were few times in his life where Hayner was genuinely scared, but this was one of them.
"You're going to regret that."
He already did, actually. The taller boy advanced on him and he managed to avoid the first novice swipe of the glinting weapon, but not the second or third, which sliced open his cheek and his favorite black shirt and the flesh beneath respectively. Jumping back, he put a hand on his chest, though the cut wasn't as deep as the one on his cheek, it was too close a call for him. Glancing at Roxas, he saw his fellow struggling valiantly against his captors, unable to break through the wall they created between him and his friend despite fighting in a way that was downright feral, the way he fought when he was desperate, wild and vicious. His backpack lay discarded a few feet away.
"Your fuck-buddy isn't going to help you right now," the knife-wielding boy said with a sneer made more sinister by the blood flowing down his face from his nose.
If Hayner hadn't been on the defensive, he would have given the man a swift kick to the balls for the insult. His back was now to the other side of the Sandlot, and he knew the other boys wouldn't be able to keep him from making a break for it. He entertained the thought of running for a second before he shoved it aside, thoroughly pissed at himself for even thinking of abandoning Roxas. He was so focused on the purple-haired boy and his knife he didn't even notice the other bully coming up on his side until his legs were kicked out from under him and he landed on his back in the dirt ungracefully. He really needed to pay more attention, he thought to himself as he tried to get up, only to be kicked in the chest. The air was forced from his lungs and he began to pray Roxas got to him before the knife dancing in the leader's hand found its way to something vital.
Seifer began to run to the Sandlot when he heard the sounds of people fighting, most noticeably the snarl he recognized as belonging to Roxas, having seen the spiky-haired teen fight for real once before, after someone beat up Pence. The blond man had been delivering a fairly small TV to a house nearby, whenever the electronics shop he worked for needed someone to deliver something, the job always fell to him since he was the only one strong enough to carry something remotely heavy long distances. There weren't any real roads in Twilight Town, only trams and He didn't mind, they basically were paying him to go for a nice walk while carrying a large box, it wasn't all that bad really. It was a Friday, so he worked from three to eight, other weekdays he worked from six to nine, and weekends he worked from ten in the morning to six.
He went from curious (he absolutely refused to admit that he was even marginally worried) to furious when he found a quartet of the typical dumbasses from his old school in the lot, one of whom was kicking a downed and bleeding Hayner in the side repeatedly while the other watched, knife in hand, and the other two were occupied with a raging ball of blond commonly referred to as Roxas. His legs carried him to the teen assaulting the fallen boy, tapping him on the shoulder, causing him to whirl to face Seifer and the guy with absurd-looking purple hair to stare at him.
"What the fuck do you-"
The rest of his sentence was most likely cut off by the gloved fist slamming into his teeth. He began to crumple, clutching his mouth in agony, when Seifer grabbed him by his shirt collar and flung him to the side. The older blond didn't want him falling on top of Hayner, who hadn't yet gotten up, just watching Seifer in stunned awe. The look made the stronger blond want to show off for reasons currently beyond his anger-charged mind's comprehension.
"Who the hell are you?" The boy with the knife asked incredulously, looking him up and down blatantly.
"What? You don't know me? Wow, must have some really good weed if you've managed to live in this town for more than a week and you haven't heard of me. The name's Seifer, head of the Twilight Disciplinary Committee," he introduced himself as he advanced on the guy, noticing the blood on the tip of his knife.
"This is MY turf," he added, punctuating it with a grab for the boy's right wrist, which he caught and snapped expertly.
The teen cried out as his wrist was broken, his weapon falling from nerveless fingers as he held the damaged joint with his left hand. The other two had stopped fighting Roxas, all eyes seemed to currently be on him, and he couldn't say he didn't like it that way.
"These are MY pipsqueaks you're fucking with," a kick to the balls that doubled the boy in front of him over, "and if you EVER touch them or any of their pathetic little pals again, your own mother won't be able to identify your body," he finished by kneeing the bully in the face forcefully enough to not only further break his nose, but knock him backwards onto his ass as well.
It wasn't that he really cared about them, it was more that they knew him personally and therefore fell under his protection, especially in his hangout. If word got around that acquaintances of the mighty Seifer got their asses handed to them on his turf, his reputation would suffer, that was the only reason. Both the purple-haired fucktard and the boy who Seifer had punched in the teeth scrambled to their feet, following after the two that had been fighting Roxas as they all ran away. He smirked at the way they turned tail and ran like little girls in his wake, but it fled almost as quickly as they had when Roxas bent down to help Hayner.
"Hey, you two okay?" He was all seriousness again and, he admitted to himself, worried at the way the smaller blond was still breathing irregularly.
His eyes fell on the tears in Roxas's clothes and the swelling that was already occuring on his jaw, then the cuts on Hayner's chest and cheek, as well as the way his face contorted in pain. He knelt next to the two boys, brows knit together as he began to wonder if one of them had kicked Hayner in the chest hard enough to break one of his ribs, which could have punctured his lung.
"I'm okay, just," Hayner paused a second, "gimme a minute to catch my breath."
"I'm going to call an ambulance-"
Mussed sandy-blond hair waved as Hayner shook his head viciously, "Don't...I said I'm fine. Mom'll freak if I go to the hospital."
He seemed to be breathing better now, and both Seifer and Roxas seemed relieved, the latter more than the former, of course.
"And she's not going to freak out when you come home beaten and bloody?" Roxas snapped, "You need medical attention Hayner, and we need to call the cops, those assholes tried to kill you."
"Leave it Roxas, seriously. I don't feel like explaining to my mom why she has to leave work early and come to the hospital to see my sorry ass."
His friend pursed his lips but didn't press the issue, he knew Hayner had promised his mother he wouldn't get into any more fights. He would probably just lie and say he fell on something sharp in an alley. They both looked at Seifer when his cell rang, playing an annoying jingle that belonged on a commercial for children's toys. They both gave him measuring looks.
"My fucking coworkers messed with my phone, I haven't had time to fix it," he barked, a little angry that someone was calling him right now, then he flipped open the phone and said harshly, "What?"
He frowned when he heard the voice on the other end, and he could tell it was all they could do not to laugh when he rolled his eyes, mumbling, "Sorry boss, caught me at a really bad time."
"Did something happen with the delivery? I told you that you should have had someone help you."
"No, the delivery went fine, I ran into a fight in the lot on my way back though, two of my high school friends against four idiots, one of whom had a knife."
"What? Are they okay?"
Seifer smirked, of course the question wasn't "Are you okay?", even his boss knew how good of a fighter he was. And it only stroked his ego to know it.
"One of them needs help but stubbornly refuses to go to the hospital, mind if I take him to the shop and patch him up? I know we've got a first aid kit for emergencies lying around," he said the first sentence louder than necessary and looking pointedly at Hayner, who glared at him.
"Yeah, sure, as long as he's not seriously injured."
"No, just banged up a little. I'll be there in fifteen."
"Don't think you're getting out of work 'cause of this either."
"Damn, way to crush my dreams."
He hung up, wondering why they were giving him a strange look, then realized he'd referred to them as friends. Well if that wasn't awkward.
"Come on you two, we're heading to the shop to get you cleaned up, can't have you going home looking like that, your mothers will assume I did it and I don't feel like having the cops bust down my door tonight," he joked easily, helping the smaller of the two to his feet.
"Th-thanks Seifer," the brown-eyed boy stuttered, embarrassed that the other had had to step in and save their asses.
He smiled, just a little, at the way Hayner's tanned and bleeding face blushed cutely as he fumbled with the hem of his torn shirt. Resolving to think of some favor he could ask of the boy on the way there, he grabbed their bags and started walking towards his workplace, keeping an eye on the two high school students to make sure they kept up. He never did anything without later asking for something else in return, though it was generally minor. It wasn't his style to just run around helping people for no reason, he'd be a saint by now if he did that.
He slowed his pace when they fell behind, Roxas pulling his friend's arm over his shoulders to support the weaker boy. Seifer had to admire their closeness, it was similar to the bond he shared with Raijin and Fuujin, they'd do anything for each other. He shook his head over the thought, the two of them had started going out once they graduated. Seifer still couldn't quite believe it was working out for them. Also, it made him wonder if he'd ever find anyone.
"Hey pansies, get the lead out, I don't have all day."
Hayner promptly flipped him off and Roxas's lip pulled back in one of his signature snarls, but they did move slightly faster, the older blond noted to his satisfaction. Just before they entered the store he pulled off his beanie and ran a cursory hand through his flattened pale gold hair. He stripped off his gloves and tucked them and his hat into his left pocket.
As he strode in he was immediately stopped by his manager Mike and his coworker Zexion. Both wanted to see the injured boys to assess themselves if the pair needed professional attention or not. Satisfied that the two were only in need of some bandages and cold compresses, they shooed the trio into the employee bathroom with medical supplies. Roxas insisted despite Hayner's resistance that the slighter teen be treated first, since he'd been hurt the worst. The bully shrugged and lifted the chocolate-eyed boy off the ground effortlessly, setting him on the sink counter so he would have a better angle to work with and be closer to the water.
It was about when Seifer began carefully peeling off the bloodied shirt that Hayner became extremely self-conscious. He suddenly realized he was in a store bathroom, sitting on the counter half-naked and dizzy, in front of his long-time crush. Glancing at his best friend in a way he hoped conveyed the awkwardness that he was currently feeling, he tried to think of something other than how the chilly air was making his nipples hard. His eyes roamed down to the man who was currently positioned between his legs, cleaning his wound with water with intense concentration.
It surprised him very little that Seifer was even more breathtaking when he was focused on something, his golden brows furrowed to the point the ragged scar that ran from above his left brow to end just below his right eye crinkled. The blond bully's eyes were impassable shards of ice that shifted as they pinpointed dried blood that needed to be removed before he could get on with the operation. He wasn't wearing his normal coat and midriff combo, instead he was dressed simply in a dark grey t-shirt with the emblem of Twilight Community College and loose black sweatpants, though his overly menacing combat boots were still a staple of his wardrobe, apparently.
"I know I'm sexy, but could you lift your chin for a minute so I can get a better look at your cut?"
And now the senior officially wanted to crawl in a hole and die. He was mortified that Seifer had noticed him staring, but tried to ignore it and lifted his head to look forward, catching Roxas's sympathetic look out of the corner of his eye. He hissed to avoid crying out as a cloth soaked in hydrogen peroxide made contact with his chest. As the blazing hot pain ebbed, the tall blond in front of him soaked another cloth, this one was dabbed on his sliced cheek. He screwed his eyes shut against his screaming nerves, resisting the irrational urge to deck the leader of the Disciplinary Committee in his smirking face.
He breathed a sigh when the offending material was removed, which melded seamlessly into a gasp as Seifer's bare fingers met his over-sensitized flesh, testing the wound one last time before he bandaged it. The contrast between the rough texture of the older blond's fingers and the gentleness of their touch was electrifying. He wanted to kick Seifer for doing this to him, however unintentionally, and kick himself for letting the fighter affect him this way. He tried to think of the most unattractive things he could to avoid getting noticeably aroused.
He began with the experience of going shopping with Pence and Olette, which was at best marginally sickening, then one of Axel's acquaintances, Larxene, in a bikini, finally settling on the school's secretary, Scarlet, who wore the most revealing and lewd clothing he'd ever seen in a public school as well as having a terrifying cackle, making out with him. He shivered in a way that had nothing to do with the cold and any sexual urges Seifer had inspired earlier were effectively quelled.
His attention was drawn back to the real world, where a gauze was being placed on his chest and in the process of being taped down. Once that was done, the scarred man looked up slightly to meet Hayner's eyes.
"I assume you'd rather have me just slap a band-aid over that cut on your face rather than deal with it properly so it doesn't appear as bad to your mother, right?"
"Yeah, I would," the sandy-blond answered, his voice a little rough.
"It's going to hurt like hell when you take it off mind you."
"What do you take me for, a pussy? I'm not gonna start bawling because I have to rip a band-aid off a cut a couple of times."
The retort caused the college student to shake his head, whether in exasperation or amusement Hayner couldn't tell. He backed away from the sink so Hayner could get down. He was just putting his torn and bloodied shirt back on when Axel burst into the room, tackling Roxas and sweeping the smaller boy into his arms in the same motion. As he began spouting worried nonsense, which Roxas somehow managed to understand, Zexion walked in.
"Sorry, I called him at home, thought he'd like to know what happened before he learned about it from Roxas at work," the slate-haired man answered their unspoken question.
"Wait, you know Axel?" Hayner asked, head tilting in confusion.
"Of course. He, Demyx, Marluxia and I are childhood friends. We met at a party once, but you were kind of...wasted at the time. I think Axel slipped vodka into your drinks."
Four sets of eyes zeroed in on the redhead, who looked rather abashed at having been found out. Hayner looked back at Zexion and he suddenly remembered one of the highlights of the party, it was probably later, after some of the alcohol had worn off.
"Oh my god, you're the guy who made out with Demyx for five minutes straight!"
Zexion shielded his eyes with his hand, lowering his head to hide the rampant blush spreading across it, and both Axel and Seifer roared with laughter. The blond because he'd just gotten new blackmail on a fellow employee, and Axel because he remembered the event.
"Axel, what else happened at the party that we don't remember?" Roxas said in a warning tone. Generally it meant that the tall pyromaniac needed to answer truthfully and in the next ten seconds if he wanted to get any for the next week.
"Uh," he laughed nervously, carefully setting Roxas back down, "Well, you know what can happen when you play truth or dare, Roxie."
He was trying to win favor with the volatile skater by using the pet name, and from the murderous look on the senior's face it wasn't working.
"Axel..."
"Okay okay, I give! Well, uh, you and Hayner were dared to make out, and you did, and Larxene kissed Hayner. That's it though, I swear!"
Hayner had to cover his mouth against the lunch that threatened to come up at the idea of the blond woman kissing him, whether he remembered it or not. Not only was the thought of kissing a girl unsettling to him, but having that girl (and he used the term loosely) be Larxene was downright disgusting. The blue-eyed senior gave him an equally sickened look, with an extra dash of horror that he'd made out with his best friend.
"Dude, I feel so sorry for you. I saw that chick once when she came into the store, she radiates bitch," Seifer commented, making a face.
"I think I'm gonna be sick. Roxas, if you don't kick your boyfriend's ass for drugging us, and then taking advantage of our drunkenness, I will."
The spiky-haired blond nodded, violently blue eyes glaring the shit out of the skinny man he worked with.
"Axel, we're going to have a nice long talk when we get home," he snarled, and everyone in the bathroom highly doubted there would be much talking going on other than the tattooed man's begging for mercy. Roxas's rage was legendary, and not even his boyfriend was spared it. Axel's shoulders sagged dramatically, it was painfully evident how completely whipped he was.
"Hayner, you okay to get home by yourself or do you want us to come with you?"
If it was anyone else but his best friend, he would have punched them for insinuating that he was weak, but he knew Roxas only meant well. Brown eyes rolled regardless, and he shook his head.
"I'll be fine on my own, you'd be going way out of your way."
"Besides, I want him to help me with a delivery, since you guys owe me a favor after I had to save your asses. Some retard put his street name on an order for a couple laptops but forgot his address and I don't go that way very often, so I have no clue where he lives. Dusk court, his name is Ludwig Beetles, which is rather tragic I might add."
"I live on that street, he lives three houses down from mine," the teen answered helpfully.
Seifer smirked, "I've finally found some use for you, chicken-wuss. Who'd have thunk it?"
Hayner scowled at him, part of him wondering if Seifer actually meant half the shit that came out of that attractive mouth, or if the bully was just using the degrading nicknames and jabs as a front. He, in his eternal optimism, liked to believe it was the latter of the two. That maybe Seifer always picked on Hayner more than anyone else because the older blond actually had feelings for him. Resigning himself to get a reality check later on, he sighed and walked past them, some people in the store regarding him oddly. He supposed it was understandable due to how he guessed he must have looked. Too bad he didn't think to at least look in the mirror to assess the damages or fix his hair, but no one could fault him for not thinking ahead when his crush was pressed close to him in a bathroom.
Hearing what sounded like Roxas's voice, he turned back to the lavatory, only to see the spiky-haired duo of him and Axel walk out. His questioning look went unanswered, the other blond just smiled wearily and they walked past him. Seeing his friend without other distractions made him remember that Roxas had sustained injuries as well.
"Hey Roxas, don't you want to get your scratches cleaned up?" He called as the couple neared the door, Axel bending down to grab one of the ditched backpacks.
"Axel absolutely refuses to let anyone else do it but him, so we're headed to his place before work. Don't worry, I won't let him off easy for the party, see you tomorrow around two so we can work on that stupid essay?"
"Yeah, sounds good."
Now the few people within the store were really staring at him and the other two as they left, but Hayner really couldn't be bothered to care what they thought. A strong hand landed on his shoulder and he squeaked in surprise, turning his head to look behind him so fast it made things spin. Seifer laughed genuinely at the involuntary sound he'd made and removed the offending appendage.
"Didn't think you were that much of a wimp that you'd jump like that," was all Hayner received by way of apology as the Committee leader walked behind the main counter, through a door that said in bold, adamant letters, "Employees Only". Zexion came into view on Hayner's left just as the other blond disappeared. He turned just in time to have a phone thrust into his hand, with a start he realized it was his own.
"In light of what happened, I programmed Seifer's number into your phone, number eight. If you get into any kind of situation, just call him and shout street names, landmarks, anything, he'll come running, no matter what time. He always leaves it on in case Rai or Fuu need him, but I have a feeling that extends to you too. He cares about you, you know."
The senior stared at him, trying to process this information, before narrowing his eyes suspiciously.
"What makes you think he gives a damn about me?"
The other ran a hand through his hair, the eye normally hidden under his bangs becoming visible for a second before disappearing again.
"I'm not surprised you didn't notice, but Seifer's knuckles were bleeding, just a little. He hit whoever did this to you hard enough to split his own skin, he's never that careless. He was either very worried, very pissed, or both. And he also took you here and fixed you up himself, do you honestly think he'd bother if he didn't care?"
Unconsciously he pressed a hand to his injured chest, feeling the vaguest stirrings of excitement take hold of it as he tested the idea of the icy man actually liking him back, even slightly. Allowing himself to cling to this little scrap of hope, he kept his face carefully neutral and nodded. He went to pick up his abandoned book bag and swung it onto his back just as the other blond emerged, carrying a black messenger bag designed specifically for laptops slung across his shoulder. The first thing to happen upon their exit of the store was the elder pulling out his trademark beanie and pulling it resolutely over his messy golden locks.
Armed with Zexion's information, Hayner looked at his right hand as he did this, finding that the purplish-blue haired man hadn't been lying, his knuckles were indeed cut, smears of dried blood marring the tanned skin. Against his better judgment, his own hand snaked out to grasp the other's as it fell to his pocket to retrieve his gloves.
"Your hand-"
"Is fine, let go."
His scrutinizing eyes raised to look into Seifer's, the man's eyes hard and angry, though whether at Hayner or something else he couldn't tell. He obeyed, releasing the taller blond's hand and letting his arm rest at his side again as they started off towards their destination. The bully's black gloves went on over the neglected cuts and nothing more was said for the next five blocks, when the blue-eyed blond asked out of nowhere, "So, Hayner, got a boyfriend yet?"
Stunned didn't even begin to describe it. The senior's pace came to an abrupt halt and his mouth hung open, his chestnut gaze filled to the brim with shock and confusion. Noticing the lack of footsteps behind him, the other turned to look at him, the corners mouth twitching into what might have been a smile.
"What? Did you think I was stupid or something, that I wouldn't be able to tell?"
"B-B-But I've only told my friends that I liked guys! Who the hell told you?" He stumbled, face turning a bright red.
Shrugging, he replied, "I told you, I came to the conclusion myself. You've never been with a girl, even though Olette hit on you constantly before she started dating Pence, you don't even bat an eye at Axel and Roxas, and just today we learned that you made out with a guy, even if you were drunk. Anyone who really pays attention to your actions would be able to figure it out. Back to my question, have you finally found someone or what?"
"What's with the sudden interest in my love life?" Hayner spat back, walking past the other quickly to hide his continuing blush.
"Curiosity. Also, another great reason to make fun of you if not."
"Go fuck yourself."
"So you haven't then," Seifer jogged for a second or two to catch up, walking beside the younger boy again, his voice grew serious, "I imagine it kind of sucks, what with all your friends being in relationships."
"Oh, and I bet you know about that, I hear Fuu and Rai are quite the item lately. What's wrong Seifer, suddenly feeling lonely?"
The sandy haired boy knew he'd gone way over the line when what he thought to be a look of sadness passed over Seifer's face, before giving way to annoyed anger. He'd struck the heart of the matter, and it sickened him that he actually felt a jolt of hope upon hearing that his crush was lonely. It was official, he was a terrible, selfish, heartless person.
"Sorry, I shouldn't have said that."
"No, you shouldn't have," Seifer deadpanned, not even looking at the other as they kept walking. The younger frowned, inwardly kicking himself for making the bully retreat back into his shell. Searching frantically for a solution, something to get the other blond to start talking again, he settled on a peace offering at expense of his pride.
"And yeah, it does suck seeing all my friends so happy, it sucks a lot. Especially...Since there's this guy I've liked for a really long time, but I don't think that he likes guys, and even if he did he doesn't even notice me. It's pathetic, but I can't get over him, he's the only person I've ever had feelings for, and nothing's ever going to happen. Life sucks then you die, right?" He ended lamely, his voice growing tighter as he related the depressing hopelessness of his near obsession with the person walking next to him.
"You're not going to tell me who it is, are you?"
"No, the only ones who really know are Roxas, Pence, and Olette, and they've sworn on their lives they won't tell anyone else they know I wouldn't want to know. Which is pretty much everyone."
"Well, while we're putting our bleeding hearts on the table, I suppose I can admit that yes, being around Fuu and Rai when they're in couple-mode does make me feel lonely. If you tell anyone that, I swear to god I will pummel you into oblivion."
"I wouldn't tell anyone, you can trust me a bit more than that. If you want to...you know, talk or something, I can give you my number. I sort of, already have yours, so it's only fair."
He felt every bit the part of awkward high school student, but if Seifer noticed, and he must have, he didn't say anything about it. He just pulled his cell out of his pocket and handed it to the shorter boy so he could program his number into it. When the younger skater was done he handed the phone back, looking around him to see that to his dismay they had at least another twenty blocks to traverse before they even got to the street he lived on. His poorly stifled sigh attracted the Committee leader's attention, a miniscule hint of concern in those pretty eyes.
"Getting tired? We did have to go in the opposite direction of your house from the Sandlot to get to the shop, especially in your condition, it wouldn't be surprising if you're worn out. We can take a break or something, I get paid by the hour and there's no set time I have to deliver this thing by."
"No, I'm fine. I'm not a baby, geez."
The elder shrugged and they kept walking, though a mere five blocks later the brown-eyed boy was lagging behind no matter how hard he tried to keep pace. His breath was coming in ragged gasps and he felt like if he continued he'd either pass out or throw up by the next corner. He stopped walking entirely and closed his eyes to try and hold the dizziness at bay. He distantly heard heavy footsteps on concrete and felt strong hands squeeze his shoulders.
"Hayner? Hey, say something, chicken-wuss."
Managing to pry his unwilling eyelids open, he mumbled some form of insult in response, leaning his head on Seifer's muscled chest. His neck suddenly refused to hold up his head's weight, and his legs were threatening to do the same. From this position, he could see that his hands were shaking slightly, apparently he'd pushed himself a bit too far for his stressed and injured body's liking. He both heard and felt the bully swear violently, hands leaving his shoulders to pull off his book bag before slipping under his knees and behind his back. Seifer swept him off his feet as if he were a children's doll, rough and gentle at the same time. He was guided down to sit propped against the larger blond's right arm, the feeling of dizziness gradually ebbing and leaving him feeling extremely exhausted and still slightly sick.
"Why didn't you just tell me you weren't feeling well? If you keep this stupid tough-guy act up, you're going to kill yourself. And you're a moron if you try to deny that you knew you couldn't handle the rest of the walk there but didn't want to appear weak in front of someone. Stop trying to prove yourself, or I'm going to fucking leave you here. If you're really that dumb that you think people won't like you just because you're not a hardass all the time, you're not even worth my time. Now, tell me truthfully, do you think you can walk?"
The senior shook his head, grateful that the other cared enough to even ask.
"I knew I shouldn't have let you keep going like that, damn it all Hayner, you better be honest with me from now on, I'm not going to deal with your bullshit any longer."
"Sorry."
"Shut up, you look like you're going to hurl any moment, talking will just make it worse."
He did as he was told and Seifer slung the backpack over the shoulder opposite the bag he was already carrying before lifting him up and carrying him bridal-style. Although he felt as though he was being treated like a child, he admitted there were many worse places to be than curled up in the blond's powerful arms. He'd managed to stop shaking after about three blocks, but when he casually mentioned that he might be able to walk again, he was shot down in a stern voice.
Twenty minutes later they'd arrived at Hayner;s street, Seifer shaking him out of his sleepy state to get him to point the way to both his own house and the one belonging to Ludwig. The elder set him down with none of his earlier gentleness, a few steps shy of just dumping him on the ground, dropping his backpack next to him, but he lingered long enough to see that the injured boy made it into his house without incident. The slight blond watched him through the curtained window by the door as he adjusted the strap of the messenger bag and, with an unreadable glance back towards the house, turned his back and headed to his destination.
Utterly fed up with thoughts and feelings, the brown-eyed teen whirled on the spot and dragged himself up the stairs towards his room. He changed into his pajamas, tucking his torn clothes between his mattresses so his mom wouldn't find them, lamenting the loss of his favorite shirt. He resolved to find time to himself to mend it, maybe when he finally got out of school. Finally he turned on his console and flopped on the bed, ready to just kill things for a couple hours, whether they appeared harmful or not. When his mother finally came home and called him down for dinner, she was understandably startled by his bedraggled appearance. Using his previously thought of excuse of tripping over some of the sharp trash that littered one of the alleys he normally took home he got out of having to explain why he had gotten himself into yet another fight, though by her skeptical expression she didn't quite believe him.
When he finally gave up on playing and crawled under the covers at quarter past eleven, the senior had to wonder if Seifer might take him up on his offer to talk. The leader of the Twilight Disciplinary Committee was far from the type to sit down and tell someone else about his problems, but if he knew the other was having the same issues, he might be more willing. Crazier things had happened. Hayner was in the midst of mulling over what Seifer had told him that day and what it could mean when the pressing need for rest claimed his consciousness from the realm of thought.