Yo yo yo yo yo! I had fun writing this chapter. Sorry it's kinda short and it took long, but here it is! Ta da!
Enjoy. And thanks for the reviews, you guys are awesome.
CHAPTER 9 - Thriving for a Brick House
I spent most of the next hour sitting on my couch and staring at the mundane white ceiling. I felt odd, sort of empty, and exceptionally lonely... Fuck, I was getting soft. I should be used to being lonely, I've been living alone for years, my friends have all moved away, and my only social life comes from work and the few coworkers I get along with.
It was Seifer's fault. First off, he tormented me for most of my life, from the moment our feeble childhood friendship came to an end to this unstable and confusing present. Then, two years ago, he began to worm into my heart, ripping open my chest and tearing out my entrails so he could squeeze into my artery and take it up, both filling and emptying all the nooks and crannies that my friendship with Roxas, Pence and Olette couldn't fill. The ones that even my deceased father and mother had never touched. It was such a soothing and relieving feeling, and yet it tore me to pieces. I was on morphine while axes dismembered my body.
Seifer was my heroin. His very existence made me feel whole, yet in reality he was very lethal to my mental health. He was throwing off my groove and disrupting the hard shell I had created for myself in my miserable and lonely life.
I tried to convince myself more than once that I could've been fine if my apartment allowed me to keep a pet... If Sapphire were with me, I wouldn't be feeling so lonely. But I begrudgingly accepted that no pet, no matter how cute and lovable, could fill the gaping void in my chest.
Let me explain it as a metaphor. A pet provides a love equivalent to that of the straw house in the story of the Three Little Pigs. It provided shelter, but was weak and feeble and was likely to break in time. Friendship was a stick house. I was provided with better shelter, I lived in comfort, and I was allowed a peace of mind... Yet if someone came and gave this house a shove, it would collapse. Good thing is that this house, being made of sticks, was easily rebuilt.
What I wanted... No, what I needed was a brick house. It was what I thrived for. A house to go to that provides the ultimate care and doesn't collapse easily. The ghosts of my past and the loneliness that always threatened to overcome me would be blowing at the brick walls of my house, yet it would not fall. I am pretty sure this brick house is the equivalent to love, and I was also pretty sure I wasn't going to get it. I'd have to stick with a stick house.
Crazy metaphors and loneliness aside, I was bored. Thankfully, my cold symptoms were almost completely gone. I only had a slightly runny nose that I hardly noticed, and my throat was a tiny bit sore. I pursed my lips and flopped onto my back, swiping the remote off the coffee table and flicking on the tube. I half wanted to play video games, but went with the more lazy option of channel surfing.
As I cruised through the few channels Twilight Town offered, I thought back to when I last saw Seifer. He had his usual black beanie on, pulled low over his forehead, and was wearing a black corduroy jacket. The dark contrast of his clothing made his eyes stand out, effectively dazzling me.
"Are you feeling better, chicken-wuss?" he had asked, seemingly not noticing the fact that I was staring.
I blinked, snapping out of it, and nodded with a gulp. "Yeah, I don't feel sick at all." I shuffled my feet and glanced to the side, really not wanting to go home. "Thanks again, Seifer... I'd probably be a lot worse if you hadn't have found me that morning." It was getting less awkward to thank him, I noticed idly.
He waved a hand and looked away, his other stuffing into a pocket. "Don't mention it. If I catch you sleeping half-naked on the general store's step again, so help me God, I will kick some IQ into your skull via my foot and the curb." He gave me a serious look and pointed at me. "Stop being a dipshit. Bring your key outside with you."
"There was a kitten that was going to drown at any second!" I defended myself, puffing up indignantly. "I didn't have time to think!" I deflated, a pout working its way to my face. "I really wish I could bring Sapphire home with me..."
"Believe me, so do I..." The object of my infatuation adjusted his beanie and tilted his chin, his infuriatingly sexy smile tugging at one side of his lips. "I gotta jet. Don't forget about your cat... If it does anything anywhere that isn't a litter box, it's your head. And if its stench gets out of the closet, I'm dumping the stupid litter in your pillowcase."
I rolled my eyes and shoved my hands into my pocket, the after-storm weather slightly chilly. I could even see my breath. "Sure, sure," I said, smirking back at him. "I clean the litter box, I know. When is a good time for me to stop by to do it?"
Seifer thought for a moment, then reached into his pocket and grabbed his keys. I stared as he fumbled with them for a moment, taking one of two silver keys off of one loop. He handed it to me and said, "Here, take it. Come in any time to do it. I'm not always home, so use this to get in... I'll make sure you know when to come clean it." He gave me a suspicious smirk and quirk of his brow, then turned to walk away, waving over his shoulder. "Later, wimp."
"See you, jack ass," I replied easily, walking into my apartment and greeting the lady at the desk, asking sheepishly for an extra key to get into my apartment.
A smile tugged at my lips and my eyes shifted to the silver key on my coffee table, and I felt a warm bubble reside in my chest. I wondered idly if me and Seifer had taken the great leap from 'acquaintances' to 'friends' yet, and thought that it was obvious. What sort of acquaintance gives you a key to their house? Definitely not Seifer, who had trust issues to begin with. What thrilled me to no end was that I finally realized that we were no longer rivals. Sure, we still fought and didn't get along all too well, but we could now stand to be in the same room as one another, and I think we have come to enjoy one another's company.
It wasn't the sort of thing I was thriving for, but it was something that I could definitely live with. If I couldn't have Seifer the way I wanted, I could very well do fine with being his friend.
What if... What if I got as close to Seifer as Fuu and Rai are? He could smile at me with no sense of mockery or sarcasm, and we could joke easily and just hang out. I stared at the key on the table and sighed. In due time. I closed my eyes and before I knew it, I was fast asleep.
x.o.x
My alarm clock said it was four in the morning when my phone went off. I was tucked in my bed after a mostly uneventful day and was very groggy and didn't realize my phone was ringing until the fourth high pitch shrill pierced my ears. I grabbed at it with a groan and flipped it open, staring at it for a moment before placing it against my ear.
I was silent for a moment, then let out a gravelly, "Mmm... hullo."
"Chicken wuss."
I propped myself up on an elbow, squinting again at the clock. "Wha– Seifer? What the fuck, it's four in the morning."
"The... the cat litter stinks," was his reply, and I couldn't miss the slur in his voice.
"The cat litter— Wait," I fully sat up, now half awake. "Seifer, are you drunk?"
"Uhm... No." He let out a breathy crackled laugh that would have been really hot if I still wasn't sure if I were dreaming or not.
"Shit, you are!" I exclaimed, my eyes widening.
"No! No." He took a moment to calm his chortles, then said with a serious tone, "No, I'm not. Th-the cat's shit box stinks, and I can't sleep with it... stinking so bad."
"Who the fuck gets drunk at four in the morning?!" I asked, now very angry that he had woken me up at such a god awful hour in the morning for such an idiotic reason. And by a drunk.
"Hey... Hey, I'm not." I could hear some racket on the other line, and Seifer added again, "I'm not drunk, Hayner. Come clean this shit up, now."
"We have WORK tomorrow, you dumbass!" I said shrilly, swinging my legs out of bed. "Why the hell are you drinking? And when you said clean up the cat box anytime, I didn't think 4 in the fucking morning!"
"You get your ass over here, or... or I'm gonna throw this cat out. That was the deal."
"Shit," I seethed, running my fingers through my hair. "I'm bringing my work shit over there and just sleeping there, then, you fucking dillhole."
"Just hurry the fuck up, this shit smells." Click.
"Fuck." I slapped my cell phone shut and dropped my face into my hands, my fingers rubbing roughly at my eyes. I let out a long sigh and pushed myself to my feet, grumbling as I moved blindly to my closet to grab my backpack and feeling for my work vest and a change of clothes. I pulled a hoodie over my bare chest and yawned hugely, contemplating for a moment whether I should put jeans on... Deciding to just go in my pyjama pants, I tossed my cell phone and wallet into my bag and slipped it on my back, moving into the kitchen.
I made sure I grabbed my key chain and that Seifer's key was on it before slipping on my shoes and leaving the comfort of my apartment, wondering why the fuck I was actually going through with this... Mostly because I knew Seifer was serious when he said he'd throw the cat out. Cold hearted bastard.
I was almost fully awake by the time I skate boarded two blocks and hung my head back as I coasted down a hill, sure that I wouldn't hit anybody considering the fact that the streets were understandably empty. If this shit was going to become something regular, so help me God, I'm going to shove an iron up Seifer's—
I jerked out of my stupor as my skateboard hit the curb and nearly biffed it, my feet flying forward and righting my balance. I let out a quivering breath and got back on the board, shaking my head. "Shit..." No more spacing out if I didn't want to get myself killed...
It took all my concentration to make sure I didn't get lost as I skated along the dawn bathed Twilight Town, and I was thankful for the navigating skills I had gained from the delivery service and the fact that I had mapped out the route coming back from Seifer's the day before. Yet everything always looked different at night...
I was both grateful and disgruntled when I finally came to Seifer's complex and kicked up my board, tucking it under my arm and moving to number 23, banging my fist against the door and making sure a deep scowl was on my face for when Seifer came to open the door. I was angry, and I was going to give him a piece of my mind...
I waited for thirty seconds and shook my head, muttering a curse word under my breath and trying the door, finding it unlocked.
"Seifer?" I called as I walked in and locked the door behind me. I trudged through the familiar kitchen and dropped my keys on the counter, wrinkling my nose at the mess of beer bottles and cans spread across the counter top. Holy shit, is this what it took to get Seifer drunk? What a tank.
"Seifer!" I shouted again, dropping my backpack on a chair in the dining room. My already short impatience was coming to the end of its rope. "What the hell! It doesn't even stink in here!" I bent down to pick up Sapphire as she came careening into my shin and propped her on my shoulder and walked into the living room, now exceptionally annoyed.
My annoyance flared even greater as I tripped over something as I moved through the living room to go down the hall and caught myself on my hands, the kitten's claws sinking deeply into my shoulder with an indignant mewl. "Fucking-- Clean up your fucking messes!" I looked back at the source of the tripping and squawked, finding it to be Seifer's leg.
I crawled over to the blonde lying face down on the floor, any anger effectively wiped away and replaced with worry and panic. "Seifer?" I squeaked, my hands hovering over him. What if it was alcohol poisoning?! I shook his shoulder, then stared at his back, relieved to see it rise and fall with deep breaths. Well, he wasn't dead...
As Seifer's eyebrows scrunched in his forehead and he frowned, it became apparent that he had merely passed out, and my impatience once again flared up and I aimed a smack at the back of his head, earning a growl. The drunkard's eye blinked open and aimed a glare at me, and I merely shook my head while staring dangerously back at him.
"What the fuck is your problem?" I asked in a deadpan voice, suddenly extremely tired.
"Shit," came the older man's reply, his hand lifting to cup his head as he pushed himself to his knees.
"Who drinks five cases of beer by themselves and gets themselves hammered? At four in the morning."
"Shut up. Jesus," Seifer slurred, shooting another bloodshot glare in my direction. "You... Did... Ugh. Clean the fucking cat box."
"It doesn't even stink, you jackass!" I exclaimed, throwing my hands in the air. "You're a dumbass! I'm going to fucking bed, as it's now four forty-five, and I have to get up for work in an hour and a half." I pushed myself to my feet and resisted the urge to boot him in the head. "And you, my friend, have to start work in an hour and a half. Paper route, remember?"
The supervisor shook his head for a moment, his mind trying to piece together a reply, and finally said, "No... Not tomorrow. Red's covering for me."
"Still. We start work in little over two hours." I set Sapphire on the ground and moved to the end of the hallway, shoving open the door that bounced back and squeezed into Seifer's room, finding the two mattresses still taking up most of the room. Not that it would've mattered, anyway, because I would've taken the bed either way.
I peeled the hoodie off in one violent movement and tossed it on the floor then flopped onto the mattress I had slept on the night before, pulling the blanket up to my stomach and folding my arms under my head to glare at the ceiling. What was Seifer's deal? Getting smashed, waking me up, forcing me to come over for no reason...
I didn't look over at the man currently storming around in my angry thoughts as he entered the room, but my subconscious couldn't help but flit my eyes over to his frame as he pulled off his shirt clumsily, revealing the muscled torso I always find myself staring at even while he was clothed. I swallowed thickly and looked away as he glanced down at me and blinked as I found myself immersed in darkness as he flicked off the light and flopped heavily onto the mattress beside me.
Ten minutes later I was finally drifting into a light doze, my mind half full of thoughts and half full of dreams, my eyes opening occasionally to stare dully at the mundane ceiling. I didn't understand Seifer. What made him tick? What went through his head? What did he think of me? I was about to give up on the questions swirling in my head and made to turn onto my side, but didn't quite get that far.
You could guess that I was understandably baffled when Seifer rolled into me, his forehead colliding softly against my temple, his arm draping over my bare chest precariously. My eyes widened and my face heated up, and sleep was shoved far off of my list as I stared at the ceiling in shock. What do I do? What do I do? What do I do? A strangled sort of noise left my throat as the sleeping drunk's arm snaked around my ribs and tugged me closer, so my side was flush against his chest and stomach. I could feel his abs against my elbow, and his breathing was going right into my ear... I could also smell the alcohol on his breath.
I stayed completely still and only allowed myself to relax when I was sure he was asleep. Even then, I was positive I was not going to be able to sleep, what with the man I loved tucked against my side so snugly, breathing raggedly into my ear. Even if he was drunk. Even if he was asleep. Even if he probably thought I was somebody else.
Sleep became even more impossible as the older blonde began to dream, with his breath becoming quicker and his forehead scrunching against my temple, his arm curving tighter around my torso. At first, I was afraid he'd wake up, but then as he calmed back into a deeper sleep, I found myself wishing he had... I would never be able to sleep at this rate. Especially not when he went into these stupid little dreaming fits every five minutes. I even tried to prod him awake, once, but he hadn't even twitched as my finger poked at his forehead. I debated plugging his nose, but decided against it, instead pursing my lips at the ceiling and lifting one arm to tuck under my head. I might as well get comfortable, as I was stuck there until Seifer decided to move again... Which could be until his alarm clock went off.
I shook my head and let out a careful sigh, looking down at the strong arm over my stomach and allowing myself a tiny smirk. If being drunk proved to be an excuse for this, I was going to get smashed at tomorrow's staff party.
EDITED: Oct 21, 08.
A/N: Okay, so I actually don't drink at all, so writing next chapter is going to prove to be interesting... XD I dunno, mixed feelings about this chapter, although I guess I like it in the long run. Now I gotta get my ass to bed, because I work in six hours... Fable 2 release! I can't wait to get my copy.