Voila! A product of my curiosity, I suppose, and my attempt at writing something that would require some sort of brain to complete. My other half wonders why I did a SeiFuu one before I did a Haynette. I shrugged. Maybe I'd been hanging out in Jiminy's Journal too long.
As proven beforehand, I do not own Kingdom Hearts. Note that this takes place a few years after Kingdom Hearts II.
She was used to distractions. After being around the guys so long, she had learned to live and even thrive with it. She always maintained the responsibility and she always got her work done. However, she began to wonder if she had been hanging around them too long. Pence was never a problem, but…
"Hey Olette!"
Said young woman turned to face her friend, smiling sweetly, "Hey Hayner, I can't really help you right now. I have to study for a big test next week."
The blonde's eyes narrowed and his shoulders slumped as he sulked away. That's the way it was the day before, and the day after that, as well. Sometimes, she felt bad for having to do that to him, but the more school she went through, the more she had to study. She could always tell just by his voice when he was about to ask for her help. To be honest, she never really thought that he was incapable of learning and studying and carrying out all his crazy plans by himself, he was just never able to focus on it, and it was definitely not something he enjoyed doing.
He would never ask for her help delivering mail, or pushing a cart up a hill, or even hanging posters. It had something to do with some sort of manly work and manly feelings of accomplishment or something like that. As far as academics, however, wherever Olette's papers were, Hayner's prying eyes were also. Usually Pence would join in too, though most of the time he already had his papers done.
By now, though, so close to the end of school and the pressure of finding jobs that paid more munny than just delivering mail or performing the Grandstander act, she had to make sure that she finished off the year well. She knew that Hayner would start having to take his own initiative, and she felt that she needed to start putting her foot down. All of them were older now, and they were old enough to be responsible for their own work.
She shifted a bit at her seat on the worn-out sofa and paused, acknowledging the shadow that obscured her view. The shadow responded, "Hey Olette…"
The brunette shook her head, refusing to look at his face. She knew that she was disappointing him, but she had to resist this time. She heard a sigh before the shadow disappeared and the owner of said shadow left the Usual Spot. She tried to focus on her studies, attempting to keep her mind from wandering elsewhere. Her brain acknowledged that Hayner was distracted from his schoolwork quite often. Thus the reason she felt that he needed to let him stand on his own two feet this time.
The silence in the Usual Spot was deafening. The train didn't even break the silence. The girl stroked her hand through her hair and twirled a lock around her fingers. Her eyes scanned over the papers she held in her hand, but none of the words seemed to make it through her skull. All she could remember seeing were blurs of black and white.
Her brain did acknowledge that Hayner was distracted from his schoolwork quite often, but she never knew that thinking about him could be this distracting. Gathering up her study materials, she rose from her spot on the couch and slipped her papers into a crevice next to the couch, where Hayner would be unlikely to find them.
Right now, she needed to get out and clear her mind for an hour or two. She exited the Usual Spot and began walking up to Station Hill. Maybe some ice cream or something would cool her off. The walking would at least take her mind off studying and the persistent blonde that plagued her mind too often. If she thought about it, she knew why she thought about him all the time. She tried to ignore it at times, but she knew that it was a bit too noticeable.
She had just started to walk down Station Hill to the shops when she heard the voice of irony calling out to her.
"Olette! I was wondering…"
As she looked at him, she realized that he had just been in the middle of performing the Grandstander act. He had let the ball drop as he rushed over to her, his Struggle bat still held in his hand. He was clearly out of breath and his forehead glistened with sweat. Olette forced a smile, "Sorry, Hayner, I think you're on your own this time."
With that, she brushed past him and hurried into the Tram Common. Truthfully, she wasn't entirely sure why she was so intent on avoiding him. She had to let him do this on his own. That's what it was.
She knew that he noticed the extra glances she gave him after she would pretend to look away; and he knew she took note of the way his eyes lingered on her. Refusing to help him still gave her a curdling feeling in her stomach. One of her biggest policies was helping her friends, and here she was brushing him off.
A part of her wondered if it was a bit of irritation. It wasn't like he said her name like that unless he wanted something, namely to copy her homework. Unless he learned to do this type of work on his own, he wouldn't be able to get a good job after school was over. She sighed and walked home, resolving to study more in the morning.
---
It had been two days, and she had tried to study as much as she could without having to confront her blond friend. It wasn't that she didn't want to help him, but this test was detrimental, and she had to pass it without any distractions. Tough luck.
Once again, she found herself meandering down to the Usual Spot, only this time, her feet led her to the Sandlot. She stood on the outskirts, watching Hayner and Seifer whacking each other with recognizable blue bats, no doubt practicing for the Struggle competition, which was still a good ways away. Both were heaving, trying to bite back their tired breaths. Hayner always tried with all he had.
Olette shook her thoughts away, her mind returning to her looming test. With that, she spun on her feet to leave the Sandlot, resolving to go back to the Usual Spot.
"Olette!"
Too late. She still couldn't put her finger on the reason why she ran. Once again, she heard his obnoxious running footsteps behind her.
"Olette, will you…"
She turned around and gave him a warm smile, "Sorry, Hayner."
He was stubborn, and persistent. The look in his eyes was enough to make blood freeze. It didn't seem like he was going to back down this time. It was almost as if he wanted more than just to copy her homework, but that was highly unlikely. The only times Hayner ever asked for favors were in academic situations. The boy licked his lips and sighed once more, starting over, "Please, would you consider…"
Her hands curled into fists, her mouth tightened into a straight line. She had to remain strong. Her exam grade and her future depended on it. The brunette swallowed and spoke emotionlessly, "I know you need help studying, Hayner, but we're practically adults now. If you really want to succeed, then maybe you should start doing your homework. Without me."
The young man's face morphed into a grimacing frown. He exhaled, shaking his head before he let out a mild laugh. He bent his neck down and smoothed his hand through his hair, ruffling the ends of his blond strands, "Olette…It's not about…"
Instead of waiting to hear him out, she whipped around to walk back to the Usual Spot only to have her arm caught by an all-too-familiar hand, rough and calloused from labor and Struggle practice. She couldn't help him. Simple as that. She had to keep herself from helping him study. It's what she felt she had to do, but it still hurt. She didn't turn to face him, "It's almost the end of school, Hayner. I have to let you go. I have to let you succeed or fail on your own."
Suddenly, it hit her. She understood. She was afraid. She was afraid of losing him. His hand loosened on her arm but did not fall, "Please…"
She bit her lip, an anxious pain settling into her throat. Out of everything he's ever said, one of the words she had almost never heard him say was 'please', and now he had said it twice within the coarse of two minutes! Her voice was low and strained, barely audible, "Leave whatever you need in the Usual Spot tomorrow morning and I'll check it after school."
Hayner's hand slipped away from her, and she could hear his gradual footsteps dissipating in the direction of the Sandlot. She heard the footsteps stop for a moment, hesitating, before continuing into the distance.
---
Olette groaned, her brain bogged with awful visions of what might happen with her studies. She didn't know whether to be tired or relieved. While it wasn't doing anything on her stress level, it did get her mind off of a certain someone, of whose schoolwork she would inevitably be doing for him.
As she entered the Usual Spot, she expected to find a large pile of papers or hastily scribbled notes. However, what she found was something she didn't expect. She found a single small envelope.
Her eyebrows furrowed as she hurried over to the object sitting on the old yellowing sofa. She picked it up quickly, her delicate fingers feeling the rough texture of the envelope. Olette flipped it over and over in her hands, wondering at the strange shape of the small article in her hands.
Her fingers worked the envelope open almost at the pace of a snail's clock. What exactly did Hayner need?
As if by cue, a small trinket fell out of the envelope. She cupped her hand just in time to catch it, though her breath hitched in her throat. Shakily, she pulled the small piece of paper from the envelope and unfolded it. On it was written in notorious scratchy handwriting:
You.
Her fingers curled around in such a way that the gem in the golden-banded ring in her palm glowed with an orange hue, to match the sky shining in from above.
One of these days I'm probably going to get cut and find out that my blood is now completely made of cheese. Give me a word, if you'd like. The button's right below.