by NightsDawne
[Well, if Irvine and Quistis are getting their own songfic, I Don't Wanna Miss A Thing, it figures that Seifer and Selphie should as well. Okay, yes, I changed the eye color. The characters are Squaresoft's, the song (of course) is Aerosmith's, the fic is a follow-up to Cowboy.]
Ah, I love to look into your big green eyes
They talk to me and seem to hypnotize
They say the things nobody dares to say
And I'm not about to let you fly away
My lover with no jet lag
We're staying up all night in my sleeping bag
You got a heart beat from the subterranean
I really love you little girl
I don't need to explain
I love you 'cause your Deuces Are Wild, girl
Like a double shot of love is so fine
I been lovin' you since you was a child, girl
'Cause you and me is two of a kind
Ah, like deja vĂș I feel like I've been here
Or somewhere else but you've been always near
It's you that's in my dreams I'm begging for
But I woke up when someone slammed the door
So hard I fell outta bed
Screamin' mama's little baby loves shortnin' bread
And the moral of the story I can testify
I get stoned on you, girl
That's the best reason why
I love you 'cause your Deuces Are Wild, girl
Like a double shot of love is so fine
I been lovin' you since you was a child, girl
'Cause you and me is two of a kind
--Deuces Are Wild, Aerosmith
Chapter 1: Since You Was A Child
"What do you remember about being kids?"
The question caught Seifer off guard and his basketball shot went completely over the backboard. The ball bounced with a hollow slap and dropped neatly through the open window of the cafeteria. A few shouts of complaint filtered out to the basketball court. He looked over his shoulder at Selphie's big green eyes filled with mirth as she slapped a hand to her mouth. It did nothing to hide her laughter. He faked a frown. "You made me miss."
"Well you're still better at it than Irvine is." Selphie dropped onto her back on the low wall that ran around the court, kicking one slender leg up, her short yellow skirt sliding up to a frustratingly enticing point on her hip before she swung her boot down to let it bounce against the wall.
"That's not hard to do. He can hit any target except a basketball hoop." Seifer wandered over, reaching down to run his fingers through her soft brown hair, straight except for the little flip at the ends that so matched her personality, perky and fun. She would be a perfect cheerleader if Balamb Garden had competition teams, but he was content to have her as his personal pom-pom girl.
"Well?" Selphie poked his belly button.
"Well what?" He furrowed his brow. Selphie sometimes skipped whole parts of conversations, so it wasn't the first time he'd felt himself a little behind. He grabbed his shirt to pull it on and protect himself from further gougings. "Trim your fingernails if you're gonna do that."
Selphie sat up, knocking the toes of her hiking boots together. "Well, what do you remember about being kids?"
"Oh, that." He sat down on the wall next to her and draped his arm over her tiny shoulders. "I dunno, bits and pieces. Mostly playing with you and Quisty and Irvine. Setting fire to the porch. Knocking Zell's front teeth out. Firecrackers."
Selphie broke into giggles. "That's right, you and firecrackers. You were like an addict, used to buy them every time you got money and steal them if you didn't have any."
Seifer grinned. "Would've gotten away with it more often, too, if it hadn't been for the chickenwuss and his big mouth."
Selphie elbowed him. "No wonder you hate Zell. I think I remember you spending half your childhood sitting in a corner because of him."
"I don't hate him. Well, yeah, I do. He's a jackass."
"Do you remember our first kiss?"
Seifer ran his hand through his hair. "Right before the White SeeD ship mission. You kissed me for luck. Worked, too."
"No, silly. Our first kiss."
Seifer looked at her, brow furrowed. "When?"
Selphie reached up and traced the scar that ran across the bridge of his nose with her fingertip. "You've forgotten. I should hate you for that."
"Forgotten what? I'm not counting kisses that weren't on the lips."
"Figures you'd remember your firecrackers and not our first kiss." Selphie pouted.
"Girls, I swear, you're all fucking nuts. What are you talking about?"
Selphie crossed her arms. "If I meant so little to you I'm not going to tell you."
Seifer took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Selphie..."
Selphie scrunched up her nose, hopping down off the wall and striding away. "Nope, forget it, I'm mad now."
"Selphie! Come back here!"
"Go ask Irvine!" she called over her shoulder, then skipped down the stairs, vanishing from sight.
Seifer frowned, picking up his coat off the wall as he stood. "Females. Estrogen destroys braincells or something. Go ask Irvine what?"
He found his friend in the library, leaning back in a chair that was precariously balanced on two legs, stetson pulled over his brow and a Weapons Monthly splayed out on his lap. Seifer strode over and looked down at him. "Irvine." There was no reply. Seifer waved his hand in front of the hat. Irvine didn't budge. Seifer raised a brow and gave the chair a nudge. Chair and cowboy went sprawling, the latter giving a yell of surprise. "Wake up."
"I'm awake, I'm awake!" Irvine picked himself up, straightening his hat, then rubbed his hip. "Whatcha want, Seif?"
"Selphie said to ask you about our first kiss."
Irvine frowned, backing away from Seifer. "Hold up now, Seifer, I ain't never kissed ya and I ain't got no plans on it. You got Sefie and I got Quisty and let's leave it that way."
Seifer crossed his arms. "Don't be a moron. I meant Selphie and me."
"Oh, that. Don't scare me like that, bro." Irvine picked his chair up and straddled it backwards, leaning his elbows over the back. "Take it ya don't mean the one before the field exam."
Seifer took a seat. "I remember that one. She says there was one before that."
Irvine nodded. "Yup, happened right before the first and only time I decked ya."
Seifer raised his brows. "You.. decked me?"
Irvine tilted his hat back. "Well, I caught ya with your guard down and I was pretty pissed, but yeah. Don't worry 'bout it, ya got up and beat the shit outa me right after."
"Let's get on with the story, Irvine. I'm already confused enough with Selphie."
Irvine grinned. "Well, okay. It happened like this..."
"I don't play with dolls!" Seifer kicked the dollhouse over, glowering with all the fury a five-year-old could muster. Quistis and Selphie looked up at him, frowning.
"We can't play war inside and it's raining outside, Seifer. So we're going to play dolls." Quistis pulled the dollhouse upright again, her tone regal and icy, brooking no defiance. "Irvy's playing dolls. Aren't you, Irvy?"
Irvine looked at Quistis, then at Seifer, then at the doll in his hand. He'd been picked to play the role of the baby, but if there was something wrong about it he wasn't quite so sure. He looked up at Seifer again, seeing in his scowl no chance to remain friends if he joined the wrong side of this argument. "I don' wanna pway dows eithew, Quisty."
"See? Boys don't play dolls!"
"Fine." Quistis took the baby doll away from Irvine and threw it into the house and got to her feet. "Then we'll play house!"
Seifer furrowed his brow. "... It's better than dolls."
"Good. Irvy, you get to be my husband." Quistis took Irvine's hand firmly.
"WHAT?!" Seifer stomped his foot. "THAT'S MY JOB!"
Quistis lifted her chin. "We're divorced now. I don't wanna be married to you!"
"Well I don't wanna be married to you, either!" Seifer turned his back on her, furious. Irvine blinked, unsure of what to do. He and Selphie were always the children.
Selphie bounced up, poking Seifer in the ribs. "Don't be a grouch, Seifer. It's fun being one of the kids. We don't hafta go to work."
"I'M NOT GOING TO BE ONE OF THE KIDS!" Seifer spun, grabbing her hand. "If Quisty and me are divorced, I'm gonna marry Selphie!" He dragged her with him to the door. "We're moving out!"
"Fine!" yelled Quistis.
"Fine!" yelled Seifer, slamming the door behind him.
Edea, the orphanage matron, walked into the girls' room. "What on earth is going on in here?"
"Seifer's being a big ugly jerk!" Quistis pushed Irvine into a chair, grabbing her teddy bear and shoving it into his arms. "You take care of the baby, Irvy." Irvine blinked again, hugging the teddy bear in silence.
"No name calling, Quisty." Edea crouched down, smoothing Quistis's hair. "What happened to your dollhouse?"
"Seifer kicked it!"
Edea set to straightening the furniture of the dollhouse. "It sounds like you four had a pretty bad fight."
"No we didn't!" insisted Quistis, setting up an imaginary dinner on the bed. "Just Seifer!"
"Do you want me to have a talk with him?" Edea looked to Quistis, who scowled.
"No. Irvy will talk to him! Irvy is going to tell him he's a big fat boogerhead!"
"Irvine is not going to call anyone a big fat boogerhead, Quisty." Edea glanced at Irvine, who was sliding out of his chair to head for the door. "Irvine?" Irvine looked back at her with a trembling lower lip. "You're not going to go call Seifer anything, are you?" Irvine shook his head. "Do you want to go talk to him and tell him I'd like to speak to him and Quisty?" Irvine nodded. "Okay, sweetheart." She gave the quiet little boy a smile as he slipped out.
Irvine took a deep breath. Great, Seifer was in trouble again, and this time Zell hadn't even tattled on them. He crossed the hall to his and Seifer's room, opening the door.
"So now we're married." Selphie grinned, standing next to Seifer, hand in hand and facing Seifer's toy robot, one of Irvine's t-shirts pulled over her hair for a bridal veil.
"Not yet. We gotta kiss first, then we're married." Seifer leaned in, pursing his lips and closing his eyes. Selphie shrugged and leaned in as well, her lips meeting Seifer's. Irvine stared. Selphie was his friend. It was him she always smiled at, always held hands with. Anger churned inside him and he marched over, hand clenching into a small fist and flying at Seifer's cheek. Seifer stumbled back, never having seen the punch coming. Selphie let out a little scream.
"Don' kiss my giw!" Irvine was simply outraged, blinded by jealousy. Being married was one thing, but that never meant that Seifer had a right to actually touch Selphie.
Seifer pushed himself away from the dresser, turning red in the face, then threw himself at the smaller boy, the two of them rolling across the floor as Seifer punched and kicked.
"MATRON! MATRON!" Selphie ran from the room, screaming and sobbing.
Edea rushed in and pulled the boys apart, hugging Irvine and looking at Seifer in shock. "Seifer Almasy, what has gotten into you today?!"
Seifer chuckled, rubbing his chin. "I remember that now. I sat in the corner for two days for that."
Irvine nodded. "Yup. So that was your first kiss. Not exactly a pinnacle of romancin', but you get scored easy for bein' under four feet tall."
"Guess I should be glad you're not jealous now. Not that I wouldn't just kick your ass again."
Irvine laughed. "Now you think I'd need a second lesson? Never go after a married woman."
