Fandom: Kingdom Hearts II & Final Fantasy VIII
Primary Pairing: SeiferHayner
Notes: Story 3 of 3. Sequel to "For What It's Worth" (FFVIII)
Standard Disclaimers Apply.
In So Many Words
Chapter One: RSVP
Seifer twitched, crumpled up the newspaper clipping he'd been dissecting with his eyes moments before, chucked it at the trashcan, missed, and apparently enraged by his bad aim, kicked a dent into the can sending paper and candy wrappers flying halfway across his apartment. His arms flailed in irritation as he saw all the trash he now had to pick up, as if some other Seifer had just made the mess and left him to deal with the damages. He cursed, raked his fingers through his hair, and pulled his black beanie back down over his head before flopping into the folding chair before his desk and dropping his head in his hands with a groan that told in no uncertain terms just how much he hated his life.
He only wasted a moment like this before getting up, scrounging the newspaper clipping out of his available refuse, and using his thigh to try to de-wrinkle it and flatten it out again. He was in the middle of this process—squatting in a pile of crumpled papers, when the door creaked open. He glowered up accusatorily, looking every part the madman that he just might be turning into.
Hayner blinked down at the drunken lunatic currently inhabiting Seifer Almasy's body. He couldn't imagine what else could possibly be wrong to make Seifer scrounge through the trash on his floor in a black beanie, chocobo boxers, and oversized jeans that said boxers peeked well out of past a thick, unfastened, black leather belt. Lacking a better response to the sight on such short notice, the teenager blinked and stuck his arm out robotically and said "…you've got mail."
This seemed to bring Seifer a bit back to reality and he grunted and nodded toward the cluttered desk, sticking a thumb out. "Just put it over there," he all but grunted, stuffing the clipping into his pocket and standing up to fasten his belt.
Hayner forced himself not to stare. To accompany the scar crossing the bridge of his nose, Seifer's back was dappled with smaller scars. His hands, lately, had started to grow rough and calloused—his knuckles were cut open and there were tiny scrapes dappling his forearms. Hayner wanted to feel like this was a sign he was at least putting up a decent fight in their increasingly regular scuffles, but he knew that he hadn't caused half of them, which made him wonder what in Hades Seifer had been up to lately. He turned his attention to the desk that Seifer had directed him to as the older male dug through his dresser for a pair of socks—apparently a hell of a chore if the time it was taking was any indication.
The desk was littered with knick-knacks and newspaper clippings. Hayner's eyes trailed over the surface. 'Silver-haired Swordsman Kills Three' and 'Heartless Claim Trabia, will Balamb Stand?' and 'Valentine Murder a Hoax?' If he'd read them the thing that might stand out was that all three articles made mention of a silver-haired man with an excessively large sword. It may not be much of a lead, but it was all Seifer had to go on and he clung to every thread he could find. Hayner's eyes widened slightly at the more recent newspaper on the corner of the desk. It was open to the classifieds and there was a circle and some math scribbled in the margin next to an advertisement for 'Gummi Ship for Sale. Slightly used but in good repair. 25k. Contact Reno: 365-222-1836.' Some small, furry animal seemed to lodge itself in Hayner's throat. Was Seifer leaving Twilight Town? Hayner knew that unlike Sora, Seifer wouldn't come back to visit. He chose not to think about just why that thought bothered him and put the sealed letter on top of the pile, staring down about what a sharp contrast the gold scrollwork of the envelope was to rumpled newspaper clippings and faded photographs half hidden between the folds.
"Take a picture. It'll last longer."
Hayner jumped to find Seifer just past his right shoulder. He flinched a little guiltily, but Seifer, despite his surroundings, managed to return to his usual aggravating calm. He reached past Hayner's midsection to claim the envelope, paying no heed to Hayner's current need for personal space as he frowned at the envelope, getting a sinking suspicion as to what it was.
Against his better judgment Hayner asked, "are you going to open it or just stare at it?"
Seifer whacked him on instinct which left Hayner trying desperately not to grab at his sore shoulder and cry out in pain. "None of your business," Seifer snipped before thinking of a better insult and asking, "why, do you want to be my date?" with a wry little smirk.
"You wish," Hayner retorted, rubbing at his shoulder and mouthing an 'ow!' when he thought Seifer wasn't looking.
"Oh yes. That's me alright," Seifer retorted in a dry monotone, finally starting to tear the envelope open. "Little pre-pubescent boys are such a turn on." He rolled his eyes. "Get real, short stuff. You've got nothing I want."
He looked down at the letter. More elegant gold scrollwork cordially inviting him to the 'union' of Squall Leonheart and Cloud Strife and that he should RSVP by May 15th. "Besides," he said, tossing the envelope not in his battered trash can, but right out the window. "I'm not going."
Hayner's mouth opened, closed, and then he blinked stupidly at the older man. "I thought it was from your friends."
Seifer actually let out a bitter laugh at that. "Squall Leonheart and I are a lot of things, pipsqueak, but friends has never been one of them. I don't like weddings. Only times in a man's life he's got to put on a suit and tie are when someone's getting married and when someone dies—I figure there's got to be a connection."
Hayner rolled his eyes. "You're so full of it," he said, giving up on the entire situation and heading towards the door. His eyes widened in surprise when Seifer stopped him.
"Sit down and take off your shirt."
Hayner's eyes widened and his face flushed. "I-I thought you didn't like 15 year olds!" he sputtered awkwardly.
Seifer sighed. "Your shoulder, you little moron—it hurts, doesn't it? Let me see it."
Feeling even stupider for his earlier comment now Hayner's cheeks flared a little more but he did as he was told. The quicker he did so the less painful it was likely to be, right? Right. Emotionally painful anyway. Even so, topless and sitting on a folding chair in Seifer's dank apartment he sure felt kind of vulnerable. Behind him, Seifer rifled through one of the desk drawers, so when his calloused fingertips suddenly came in contact with the sensitive skin of Hayner's shoulder blade a shiver rippled up the teenager's spine. His lips opened in surprise when a cool mist felt like it was surging through him where Seifer's fingers touched. It was something familiar, and yet foreign enough that he couldn't place it.
"What…?"
"It's just potion, relax," Seifer rolled his eyes. Hayner really could be an idiot. It reminded him of someone he wished he could get off of his mind, and from the back like this he could almost mistake one for the other. Hayner was a good deal thinner, his shoulders far more narrow, but the way he moved sometimes, and the way he dressed—how easy it was to get him all riled up…there was something very Zell-like about him that Seifer hated admitting to noticing.
"But why…" Hayner started to ask. Why was he doing it like this, smoothing it over his bare skin and sending ripples of sensation up and down his spine, down his arm and towards his fingertips instead of…ah damn it…it felt nice.
Seifer sighed at having to say even this much. "Where I come from, we used potions a lot," he answered. "And there wasn't always a lot of money. We learned how to make things last. Guess I still haven't kicked the habit." Even now he could remember clearly what it had been like to do this for Zell. They had a little bungalow by the shore just barely big enough for two. Zell would come home some nights achy and sore and he would slowly, bit by bit, use a potion to massage the soreness away. Afterwards, they always ended up making love. For a moment, Seifer's large hands paused flat against Hayner's back to either side of his spine as he found himself once again feeling depressed that he would never again be able to share moments like that with the man he loved.
Hayner forgot how to breathe. Seifer's hands were warm on his skin and a sharp contrast to the cooling effect of the potion on his bare skin and the ache was quickly leaving his shoulder. He could feel Seifer's breath ruffling his hair and repressed a shudder. But Seifer abruptly rose and stalked toward the door to his bedroom. "Shut the door when you go," he said.
Hayner found himself torn and confused. What was that just now, and did he really want to know? He threw his shirt back on and stumbled out of the apartment as if he just had to get out of there right this instant. He needed to get outside, get some air, and most of all he needed to get away from Seifer Almasy before he went crazy with…with…something.
He leaned against the side of the building and let out a yell of frustration, grasping his hair as if he would pull it out and then just letting his hands drop at his sides in defeat. Just as he was about to give up entirely and head back to the usual spot, a wind picked up and a piece of paper nailed him right in the face. He cursed, flailed, peeled it away…and found it was Seifer's invitation. He stared at it a long moment, a curious thought racing through his mind and on impulse scribbled 'be there with bells on' on the return mail and stuck it in the nearest mailbox on his way, shoving the pen back into his pocket. If Seifer ever found out…he was dead, but there was a good chance nothing would ever come of it. Maybe. He didn't even know why he did it. It was like his hand had moved on its own. He frowned at the appendage for the trouble it had undoubtedly just gotten him into, but decided he wouldn't bring it up.
Something was changing. He couldn't shake the feeling of Seifer's hands or the way he said 'Get real, short stuff. You've got nothing I want.' He couldn't shake the fear that Seifer was planning to leave before he got strong enough to beat him, before he even stood a chance. That, he decided, was unforgivable.
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To Reviewers:
AlescA: I'm figuring on a good 8 years at least. It's been a good long while. If you figure in FFVIII Squall was 17and by KH2 he's, I believe, 26, that's a 9 year difference. If he was almost 18 at the end of FF8, and just turned 26 by KH, it might be 8 years, but I would say we're definitely at least 8 years later. Seifer, being a year older than Squall, would be 27 in this story and with Hayner at…what…15 or 16ish (?) it's kind of a big gap, but I'm going to run with it anyway.
Remember boys and girls, in the real world this would make Seifer a pedophile. And that's the Michael Jackson kind of wrong. But Kingdom Hearts is not the real world, so we're going to run with it because we feel really bad for Seifer after what I did to him in the last story. :p
