Zell woke up. He moaned in pain, feeling a... hangover? eat at his forehead. His strange dream was quickly forgotten as his suroundings sunk in. He was not in his room. The pair of hungry hands that caressed his strong abs and lower were not his own hands.
Zell was lying nude in a set of warm, bare arms that were having their gentle way with him, and a warm mouth was devouring the back of his neck. That particular sensation ceased to exsist.
"You're up." The voice sounded seductivley quiet, as well as fiercly proud, even victorious.
Shocked, Zell realized he knew this voice. It was Squall's voice.
Panicked, Zell broke free of Squall's arms and managed to get off of the bed, suprising him enough so that Zell could bolt out of the dorm suite and run down the hall. It was too early for students to be in the hallways, so there weren't any. He sprinted until he reached his own dorm suite, keyd in the code, dashed inside, and bolted to the highest security level. Zell drunk an Estuna, ridding himself of the hangover, so he could think clearly about what had actually happened, and how he had gotten into Squall's bed. Zell felt betrayed.
(Flashback)
"Hey Zell..."
"Hey Squall!" Zell was exiting the training center, and Squall had been waiting for him.
"I was going to go down to the pub this evening. Want to come?"
"Aint got nothing else to do. Sure." And soon enough Zell met Squall by the front gate. Zell noticed how good his commander looked, how prepared. He had thought little or nothing of it. Squall lead the way down to the bar, a respectable-looking establishment. He ordered a beer, and ordered Zell a Galbaldian Fire Whiskey.
"Go on Zell, drink it. It's really good stuff." Zell shrugged and complied. It was good, he guessed, if you liked that kind of stuff. Squall continued to feed Zell liquor. His memory began to get less and less clear, but he knew most of what had happened. He could guess. And the weird thing was, Zell had thought that he liked Squall. He had admired him for his honor... but now... Zell couldn't respect the honor of someone who would get his best friend drunk off his ass and then fuck him.
The sheer betrayal broke something deep within Zell. It was like when some enemy, he couldn't remember what, had cast dispel on him, removing all of the protective spells that had been built up.
Zell Dincht did something that he hadn't done in a long time. He started crying. Silently, hot tears burned their way down his black spidery tattoo that ran down the defined cheekbone. The delicacy of the crying soon degenerated into sobbing as Zell sat on his bed and shook with the tears.
"why?" he murmered aloud. "why why why..."
But he knew the answer. He just didn't want to face it. Squall had obviously not wanted a relationship with him. He hadn't considered Zell's feelings. He just wanted a night of pleasure. Maybe he was hoping that Zell wouldn't say anything to Rinoa. Maybe he was hoping that he could give Zell the excuse that he had been drunk too. Zell knew, somehere inside himself, that Squall would probably expect for a similar thing to keep happening. The commander gets his publicity girlfriend and his secret fuck. Zell didn't leave his room all day.
His phone rang. He didn't answer. It was probably Squall. It rang until the answering machine got it.
"Hey! Um, this is Zell's room... If you're calling for Zell, then you have the right number... BEEP! No, just kidding." -BEEP-
"Zell. It's... It's Seifer. I'm kinda worried. I mean, you haven't skipped lunch in five years. Or any other meal for that matter. So what's the matter now? I mean, I've thought a lot about suicide since... well, you know, the whole thing, and I knew that I wouldn't be discovered in my room dead if i did cs for a few days. So... if you're okay, call me back. Tomorrow I'm breaking in if I haven't heard from you. Bet they'll blame me then, but then this message will still be on this answering machine. So... I hope you're okay." -CLICK-
Zell was slightly shocked out of his depression. Seifer cared? Seifer never cared. Why would Seifer care? The knowledge that SOMEONE cared gave him the incentive to get out of bed, take a shower, and get dressed. He felt better. Squall was a loser but SOMEONE cared about him. He flipped through the Garden Phone Directory and found Seifer's number. He picked up the phone. He felt nervous, somehow, like he wouldn't be sure what to say to Seifer. He strenghtened his resolve and dialed the number.
"Hey. (pause) Zell?"
"Yeah, how'd you know?" Zell knew his voice sounded thin and weak.
"Caller I-D. So, what's wrong?"
"I don't really want to talk about it."
"Come on. You'll never get over whatever it is if you don't talk about it."
"No, I really dont-"
"Great. I'll be right over." -CLICK- Zell wasn't sure if he'd heard what he thought he'd heard. After Seifer's last words, Zell thought that Seifer had whispered 'Zell' to himself, quietly, amazed. And Seifer hadn't called him ChickenWuss once. He'd used Zell's name twice, counting the phone message from earlier, and had called him Zell like the most normal of -KNOCK!- A muffled form of Seifer's voice spoke.
"Hey Zell..."
Zell shrugged mentally and undid the security he had placed on the door and opened it. Seifer stood there, looking much the same as always. (Not like Squall, who had to dress up) He smiled shyly, a completley out-of-charachter expression for Seifer.
"Hey, howya feeling?"
Zell looked down, his eyes going to the space of floor between his bare feet and Seifer's booted ones. Seifer gently stepped onto the carpet of Zell's room, closing the door behind him. He looked at Zell, sharing in his ailment whatever it was and then ran a hand through Zell's hair, still damp and unstyled from the shower. Zell knew that he wanted to tell Seifer. He wanted comfort. Seifer could provide that. He saw now.
"Well... better."
"Will you tell me what's wrong now?"
"Yeah, I guess so..." Zell explained what Squall had done. Seifer just stared at him. Slowly, he took Zell in his arms and held the smaller boy to his chest. His left hand found it's way to Zell's wet hair again and it fingered the damp strands. Zell held Seifer like a life raft, and he cried out the last of his pain. Once Zell's tears had slowed, and then stopped, Seifer gently wiped them off. It was all so perfect, Seifer cared so much. Very slowly, leaving plenty of warning, Seifer leaned in to touch his lips to Zell's. Zell didn't struggle. He didn't know why such a good thing came out of such a bad one, but he was glad that happened.
Zell was lying nude in a set of warm, bare arms that were having their gentle way with him, and a warm mouth was devouring the back of his neck. That particular sensation ceased to exsist.
"You're up." The voice sounded seductivley quiet, as well as fiercly proud, even victorious.
Shocked, Zell realized he knew this voice. It was Squall's voice.
Panicked, Zell broke free of Squall's arms and managed to get off of the bed, suprising him enough so that Zell could bolt out of the dorm suite and run down the hall. It was too early for students to be in the hallways, so there weren't any. He sprinted until he reached his own dorm suite, keyd in the code, dashed inside, and bolted to the highest security level. Zell drunk an Estuna, ridding himself of the hangover, so he could think clearly about what had actually happened, and how he had gotten into Squall's bed. Zell felt betrayed.
(Flashback)
"Hey Zell..."
"Hey Squall!" Zell was exiting the training center, and Squall had been waiting for him.
"I was going to go down to the pub this evening. Want to come?"
"Aint got nothing else to do. Sure." And soon enough Zell met Squall by the front gate. Zell noticed how good his commander looked, how prepared. He had thought little or nothing of it. Squall lead the way down to the bar, a respectable-looking establishment. He ordered a beer, and ordered Zell a Galbaldian Fire Whiskey.
"Go on Zell, drink it. It's really good stuff." Zell shrugged and complied. It was good, he guessed, if you liked that kind of stuff. Squall continued to feed Zell liquor. His memory began to get less and less clear, but he knew most of what had happened. He could guess. And the weird thing was, Zell had thought that he liked Squall. He had admired him for his honor... but now... Zell couldn't respect the honor of someone who would get his best friend drunk off his ass and then fuck him.
The sheer betrayal broke something deep within Zell. It was like when some enemy, he couldn't remember what, had cast dispel on him, removing all of the protective spells that had been built up.
Zell Dincht did something that he hadn't done in a long time. He started crying. Silently, hot tears burned their way down his black spidery tattoo that ran down the defined cheekbone. The delicacy of the crying soon degenerated into sobbing as Zell sat on his bed and shook with the tears.
"why?" he murmered aloud. "why why why..."
But he knew the answer. He just didn't want to face it. Squall had obviously not wanted a relationship with him. He hadn't considered Zell's feelings. He just wanted a night of pleasure. Maybe he was hoping that Zell wouldn't say anything to Rinoa. Maybe he was hoping that he could give Zell the excuse that he had been drunk too. Zell knew, somehere inside himself, that Squall would probably expect for a similar thing to keep happening. The commander gets his publicity girlfriend and his secret fuck. Zell didn't leave his room all day.
His phone rang. He didn't answer. It was probably Squall. It rang until the answering machine got it.
"Hey! Um, this is Zell's room... If you're calling for Zell, then you have the right number... BEEP! No, just kidding." -BEEP-
"Zell. It's... It's Seifer. I'm kinda worried. I mean, you haven't skipped lunch in five years. Or any other meal for that matter. So what's the matter now? I mean, I've thought a lot about suicide since... well, you know, the whole thing, and I knew that I wouldn't be discovered in my room dead if i did cs for a few days. So... if you're okay, call me back. Tomorrow I'm breaking in if I haven't heard from you. Bet they'll blame me then, but then this message will still be on this answering machine. So... I hope you're okay." -CLICK-
Zell was slightly shocked out of his depression. Seifer cared? Seifer never cared. Why would Seifer care? The knowledge that SOMEONE cared gave him the incentive to get out of bed, take a shower, and get dressed. He felt better. Squall was a loser but SOMEONE cared about him. He flipped through the Garden Phone Directory and found Seifer's number. He picked up the phone. He felt nervous, somehow, like he wouldn't be sure what to say to Seifer. He strenghtened his resolve and dialed the number.
"Hey. (pause) Zell?"
"Yeah, how'd you know?" Zell knew his voice sounded thin and weak.
"Caller I-D. So, what's wrong?"
"I don't really want to talk about it."
"Come on. You'll never get over whatever it is if you don't talk about it."
"No, I really dont-"
"Great. I'll be right over." -CLICK- Zell wasn't sure if he'd heard what he thought he'd heard. After Seifer's last words, Zell thought that Seifer had whispered 'Zell' to himself, quietly, amazed. And Seifer hadn't called him ChickenWuss once. He'd used Zell's name twice, counting the phone message from earlier, and had called him Zell like the most normal of -KNOCK!- A muffled form of Seifer's voice spoke.
"Hey Zell..."
Zell shrugged mentally and undid the security he had placed on the door and opened it. Seifer stood there, looking much the same as always. (Not like Squall, who had to dress up) He smiled shyly, a completley out-of-charachter expression for Seifer.
"Hey, howya feeling?"
Zell looked down, his eyes going to the space of floor between his bare feet and Seifer's booted ones. Seifer gently stepped onto the carpet of Zell's room, closing the door behind him. He looked at Zell, sharing in his ailment whatever it was and then ran a hand through Zell's hair, still damp and unstyled from the shower. Zell knew that he wanted to tell Seifer. He wanted comfort. Seifer could provide that. He saw now.
"Well... better."
"Will you tell me what's wrong now?"
"Yeah, I guess so..." Zell explained what Squall had done. Seifer just stared at him. Slowly, he took Zell in his arms and held the smaller boy to his chest. His left hand found it's way to Zell's wet hair again and it fingered the damp strands. Zell held Seifer like a life raft, and he cried out the last of his pain. Once Zell's tears had slowed, and then stopped, Seifer gently wiped them off. It was all so perfect, Seifer cared so much. Very slowly, leaving plenty of warning, Seifer leaned in to touch his lips to Zell's. Zell didn't struggle. He didn't know why such a good thing came out of such a bad one, but he was glad that happened.
