For a single moment Hayner was glad he hadn't asked for a drink or something to eat from Seifer. What with Seifer's last comment, Hayner figured he would have spat it all over the table. He was currently giving Seifer a look that was filled with shock and disbelief. Hayner gave a little cough before he found his voice.

"Excuse me, I think I've finally started hallucinating," he said with a sarcastic edge. "It sounded like you said I should sleep here tonight."

"I did say that." Seifer folded his arms across his chest.

Hayner looked away from the other male. Nothing was making sense anymore, even the things that should have been set in stone. It was as if something had plucked him from his own world and thrown him into one where everything looked the same, but nothing was the same.

"Why would me spending the night here help?" Something inside of Hayner, the part that had felt hope when his dreams receded, asked in a small voice: Why would it hurt? It urged him to try whatever he could.

"You didn't have nightmares when you slept in the nurse's office. Maybe they're tied to where you sleep." Seifer shrugged one shoulder. "I don't see anyone else making offers like this. What've you got to lose?"

"How about my dignity?"

"You lost that one a long time ago." Seifer's lips twitched upwards in a smirk.

Now that was more familiar. Though, Seifer had a point: what did Hayner have to lose by taking him up on his offer? He wouldn't be able to try out that theory until the weekend at the earliest, seeing as nobody really held sleepovers during the school week. And Hayner really, really wanted to sleep easily at night.

"Answer me one question before I decide: why do you want to help me? It's so...uncharacteristic."

"You know I'm the head of the Twilight Disciplinary Committee, right?" It was, of course, a rhetorical question. Seifer made his position clear to everyone. "I know you were always too busy making trouble, but that relates to the protection of this town and its inhabitants. That means I protect you, too. Even from things in your mind." Seifer's gaze met Hayner's for a moment and the skater was slightly surprised to see warmth in Seifer's eyes.

But as quickly as it had appeared, it was gone along with Hayner's will to argue.

"Guess it couldn't hurt," he mumbled. And then in a louder voice, he said, "But it's Tuesday. My dad won't let me stay anywhere overnight unless it's the weekend."

"Call your folks and tell 'em you went home with one of your little friends and you're staying late to study. Tomorrow, tell them you fell asleep or something."

t wasn't that bad an idea, Hayner had to admit. But he was still averse to spending the night in Seifer's home – Seifer had always been something of an ass, though he seemed to be trying to redeem this fact.

"...get me your phone then," Hayner grumbled, pushing out his lower lip in annoyance.

A satisfied expression crossed Seifer's features and he gestured to his left – where the counter was. Hayner's gaze followed it and he spotted a phone mounted on the wall. What piqued Hayner's interest was that it looked like a model that was much older than what he was familiar with: instead of a cordless phone that was pretty much self-contained with buttons and everything on the phone itself (buttons, screen, antenna), this phone had a cord, a hook and little buttons on the base.

Hayner made his way over to the counter and picked up the electronic device. "Dude, your phone is ancient," was his comment as he dialed in his home number. The phone rang once, twice, three times, and then a few more before Hayner was forwarded to the answering machine. The message he left was short and to the point – although not exactly truthful. He had stated himself to be at Roxas's house and staying late to study, so they shouldn't expect him to be in for dinner.

He set the phone back on the hook and glanced back towards Seifer, who was still situated at the table. "It's done. Now what?"

"Now," Seifer said as he stood and took a step closer to Hayner, "you go take a nap. Or get something to eat, or watch television or something. I've got homework, though, so don't bug me." Hayner watched as Seifer backtracked through the apartment and retrieved his schoolbag from where it sat by the front door. He gave Hayner one last glance before heading off to, presumably, his bedroom.

Hayner stood in the kitchen for a few more moments, considering what to do next. He hadn't had lunch, he remembered as he scratched gently at his stomach, so raiding Seifer's refrigerator seemed in order. Hayner swung his head in the direction of it. It was a smaller thing, not one of those full-size gigantic fridges one would normally see at the furniture stores these days.

When Hayner opened it, it was stocked with plenty of food. Random things, deli meats and cheeses and...Well, stuff. Hayner was surprised to see very little junk food-type items, though. I guess Seifer likes to eat healthy, he mused as he put together a sandwich, not bothering with a plate.

He made quick work of the sandwich before looking into the living room. There was a small television and a couple of chairs that looked pretty comfy, but not good for sleeping in. Hayner suddenly wondered where he would be bedding down that night. This apartment seemed much too small for a guest bedroom. Seifer probably has a sleeping bag or something I can use.

And on that note of Seifer, Hayner quietly walked through the apartment, looking for the door that lead into Seifer's bedroom. It wasn't hard; this was a very basic apartment with one bathroom, one bedroom, one kitchen and one living room. Every room had limited decoration, though the rooms themselves were nice enough.

But when Hayner came across Seifer's room, he recalled the older blond's warning not to bother him. Hayner grinned, unable to contain his curiosity. The door was open just a crack – enough for Hayner to gently push it open noiselessly and sneak inside. This room, unlike the others, was cluttered with things – clothes littered around, but mostly centered around a pile in one of the corners, and small trinkets on various shelves.

The thing that caught Hayner's eyes, though, was the Struggle Champion trophy. It had nearly been Hayner's, but Seifer was just too good at the sport. He practiced most of the year, it seemed, unless it was far too cold to go outside, and though Hayner tried desperately he couldn't compete.

His gaze was now drawn to the figure of Seifer – without his hat and coat, oddly enough – leaning back in a chair and tapping his pencil against a desk that was pressed against the outer wall. Hayner walked up and looked right over Seifer's shoulder at the homework Seifer was working on, and immediately got an elbow in the face. The slight blond was sent tumbling backwards, clutching his nose and muttering curses.

"Fuck! Hayner? What the hell are you doing in here?" Hayner opened his watery eyes and saw Seifer, who had turned in his chair to see who had surprised him like that, looking an odd mix of irritated and concerned.

"I was exploring, thanks." Hayner took his hands away from his face and glared at Seifer.

"I told you not to bother me! Oh goddammit, you're bleeding..."

Hayner sat up, still on the floor, then brushed a finger against his nose and pulled it away to see a small trickle of blood. He wasn't surprised – because damn, Seifer hit hard – but he seriously wasn't happy. He looked up from his finger to see that Seifer had stood and was now offering Hayner a hand so that he could do the same. Hayner took it and immediately turned to head to the bathroom when he felt Seifer's hand grasp his shoulder. He glanced back towards Seifer, confused.

"My bed. Now."

Hayner's face immediately became shaded red in a blush. What was Seifer implying?! Hayner opened his mouth to try to talk, but no sound came out. Seifer just bit back a grin, forcing a half-smile instead, and removed his hand from Hayner's shoulder and touched it to his forehead.

"No, Chickie, it's not what your dirty little mind thinks. Just sit the hell down." Seifer pushed Hayner towards the bed and, not looking to see whether his guest had landed safely (which he had) he began to rummage through the random stuff on his desk. He quickly located a box of tissues and took a seat next to Hayner on the bed.

Hayner, at this point, was completely confused. He was perfectly capable of cleaning his own face up, so why did Seifer feel the need to do it? Seifer grasped Hayner's chin in his hand and tilted the younger blond's head downwards, gently wiping away the blood on Hayner's upper lip.

Hayner grabbed Seifer's wrist and pulled the hand that was wiping at Hayner's face away. "I can take care of myself, y'know. What are you doing this for?"

"I just elbowed you in the face after you've been missing sleep for a week. Even I've got a conscience." Seifer freed his hand from Hayner's grasp and made a moment of eye contact before deeming his face to be sufficiently clean and tossed the crumpled tissues into a trash bin that sat by the desk. "Also, I don't want you bleeding on my pillow."

Hayner tilted his head to the side just slightly, indicating to Seifer that he didn't understand.

"This," Seifer said, patting the bed, "is where you're sleeping."

"W-What? I can't!" This is Seifer's bed! I can't sleep here! "Where will you–"

"Shut up. I've already decided." Seifer stood up and moved over to the desk where he'd previously been sitting. "Now get some sleep," he ordered, and sat down at the desk to work on his homework He seemed to be ignoring Hayner, who was left with nothing better to do then glance at the pillow, then back at Seifer, and kick his shoes off before crawling slightly uneasily under the covers. He desperately hoped that if the nightmares chose to strike that night, it wouldn't be the one where he woke up with tears in his chocolate-brown eyes.

Nearly two minutes after his head hit the pillow, Hayner drifted off to a dreamless sleep.

--

Hayner opened his eyes to see that the light was still on, and he had a very dry throat. He flopped sleepily into a sitting position, taking a few moments to remember where he was. His head swung towards the door and Hayner sleepily made his way out of the bedroom and into the kitchen. Most lights were off, which meant Seifer had probably gone to bed too...but where, exactly?

Hayner's sleep-addled brain didn't give it much thought until he returned to the bedroom with a quenched thirst. He spotted Seifer asleep at the desk, his arms folded across the surface and his head rested on them. His scarred face held the most peaceful expression Hayner had seen on Seifer in a very long time.

The slighter blond smiled softly and pulled a blanket off of Seifer's bed and draped it over the older teen. As he did so, a piece of paper fluttered off of the desk and Hayner plucked it up off of the floor, turning it over to read whatever was on it.

'Seifer,
I hope you're well, honey. I've tried talking to your father about things, but he's so stubborn. I want the best for you and I think it would be best to continue living away from home for a while longer. The check is for the bills and rent and food so don't go spending it on random trinkets. I love you.
Mom.'

What did all of that mean? It did explain why Seifer's apartment was meant for one person – because only one person was living there. But, what was this business with his father? Obviously something happened, and now Hayner felt a severe need to find out.

But not right now, he decided, setting the paper down and switching off the light. He found his way back into the bed and under the now-lighter covers and resolved to speak about the letter in the morning.

Or maybe, depending on Seifer's reaction, never.

A/N: And so, the plot thickens. :3