A/N: Woohoo! I'm here, I'm alive, and I'm relatively well! This after
months upon months of no update! I apologize sincerely to those who were
left hanging on this story. =( life got very hard for me. But I have here
the next chapter of this fun little story, and am more than happy to
update! *Updates * *Is Happy * See? I updated and I'm happy!
Now, on with the show:
Note: I don't own these characters. If I did, Rinoa would die a slow and
painful death. She still might. Bwaa ha ha ha ha. *cough * Anyway, I run
the risk of a little drama and angst in this chapter. I'll try to keep my
sense of humor, but I can't guarantee anything =P
*~*~*~*~* Seifer's POV *~*~*~*~*
Gone. Just like that, the man of my dreams walked out the door of the Balamb café because I apparently don't have a heart. Fuck.
"Well, darlin' . . . your friends left, so I guess that leaves you to pay for the bill."
I gave the waitress a look that should clearly express my lack of enthusiasm. She set the paper facedown on the table and walked off. I turned the paper over to see what I owed, and . . .
"What the HELL?" The bill (most of which was wracked up by Zell) read: "Total - 457 GP. Please pay at table. Thank you!"
Dammit.
*~*~*~*~* Zell, omniscient POV *~*~*~*~*
"Seifer . . ."
Zell stared out across the sea, not even realising he had said the boy's name. After Seifer's actions at the café, Zell felt confusion and pain. He felt betrayed all over again . . . as though he were back to the days when Seifer would have killed them all for the Sorceress's sake.
Zell had always been fond of the docks at Balamb. Now slightly more industrialized than in his childhood, the docks had lost some of their splendor. It seemed as though they, too, were betraying him.
Zell stood, taking one last glance at the empty horizon, and headed back into town.
"What should I do now?" He walked along the street, thinking aloud to himself until he passed the front door of the Balamb café. Zell scoffed lightly to himself, trying to cover the pain he felt deep within his heart. It wasn't working.
"Man . . . I need a hug."
Looking up, Zell was greeted with a familiar sight. "I'm . . . home. Ma . . . that's who I should talk to . . ."
Knocking at his own house for the first time in his life, Zell was greeted by his smiling mother. She laughed at him for knocking, telling him to come in and have supper. Little did she know what her son would tell her that night.
*~*~*~*~* Ma's POV *~*~*~*~*
A knock at my door isn't a rare thing. Many people in Balamb have known me since before Cid and Edea brought Zell to this humble house. Naturally, when I heard the sound, I expected one of the neighbor children to have been sent by their mother to fetch a cup of sugar . . . or to ask for a bit of candy for themselves. I had not expected to see my own son at the door.
A mother always knows when her son is feeling pain. Zell didn't need to tell me that he'd been hurt somehow. I saw it in his eyes. It was as though the light did not shine in them.
"Dear, you look pale . . . are you eating well enough at the Garden?" Of course he was. He didn't need to answer. My Zell would never let himself go without hotdogs for more than a day.
"Yes, Ma . . ." My boy was never so pensive. He must have something very big on his shoulders.
"That's good, dear. Are you still friends with all the other kids? Squall, Quistis, Selphie . . . Seifer?" When I mentioned that last name, he looked up at me. I saw it in his eyes. Something was wrong. "That Seifer . . . he always used to pick on you . . . but it seems like he'd changed after everything was said and done."
Zell stood up quickly, tears in his eyes. "No! He hasn't changed! He's still the same . . . heartless and uncaring!" It was the first time he'd ever shouted at me.
"Zell . . . everyone changes. Someone can change greatly without ever showing it outwardly."
He shook his head. "No. Not Seifer. He hasn't changed at all." Still said with a pain in his voice.
"Zell . . . what happened? What did Seifer do to you?" A mother's concern is hard to hide. At this point, it really didn't matter . . . my son needed to talk about this, and I would be here for him to talk to.
Tears welled in his eyes. A sincerity I'd never seen in my son arose as he prepared himself to speak. "Ma . . . what . . . what if I was gay?"
The question took me by surprise. "I don't understand, Zell . . . what do you mean, if you were gay?"
"Ma . . . what if I am gay?" He stared at me, awaiting an answer to a question that sent my world spinning.
"Zell . . . I don't know. I've never dealt with that."
"Dealt with it? DEALT with it? What, is it your problem, Ma?" He was obviously hurting. Obviously scared.
I was scared too. "No, Zell . . . I don't mean that. I'm just . . . a little confused by where you're going with this. Are you gay?"
It was too much. The tears rolled down his cheek. My son's composure was broken, and he was left with naked emotion now. "Yes, Ma. Yes, I am. And I'm in love . . . or I thought I was. But he hasn't changed, Ma, he hasn't!"
The room was spinning, and I couldn't seem to get a clear thought in my head. "Wait a moment Zell, one thing at a time. You're gay. I can accept that. You're my son . . ."
The tears rolled freely as my son and I shared a tight embrace. I hadn't lied. Zell would forever be my son. Gay and straight were only labels to me . . . they didn't change the person Zell truly was. And he truly was my son, the child I had raised.
"Now . . . about Seifer. You love him?"
He hesitated for a moment. "I don't know, Ma. I . . . he did something really wrong today. He nearly made someone commit suicide."
"Well . . . what happened? What exactly happened?"
He hesitated again. "I . . . I'm not sure, Ma. All I know is that Seifer started laughing at something, and Nida almost threw himself off the top of the Balamb Hotel. Selphie managed to stop him, but if she hadn't been there . . ."
"Zell . . . answer me something truthfully. I want a yes or no answer. Do you love Seifer?"
For the third time, he hesitated. Almost in a whisper, he said "Yes. Yes, I do . . ."
"Then you need to find out what happened. Exactly. Talk to Nida, talk to Selphie, and most importantly . . . talk to Seifer. Find out if he's as horrible as you think he is."
Zell embraced me once more, tears staining his cheeks, and now mine too. This moment, though admittedly difficult, has strengthened the love I feel from my son. It feels good that he could trust me with this side of himself. And though it was hard for him, too . . . I'm glad to know that he was strong enough.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ End Chapter ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A/N: Whew! That chapter was hard to write. Very hard. But I felt that the story needed a serious moment. So, Zell's out of the closet! I'd love some feedback on the whole coming out scenario. My coming out was a tad bit different. *Ahem * Anyway, I'll try to return some humor to the story in the next chapter. After all, Zell still gets to tell his friends *evil grin * and just imagine what fun that can be! =)
----- Moroboshi
*~*~*~*~* Seifer's POV *~*~*~*~*
Gone. Just like that, the man of my dreams walked out the door of the Balamb café because I apparently don't have a heart. Fuck.
"Well, darlin' . . . your friends left, so I guess that leaves you to pay for the bill."
I gave the waitress a look that should clearly express my lack of enthusiasm. She set the paper facedown on the table and walked off. I turned the paper over to see what I owed, and . . .
"What the HELL?" The bill (most of which was wracked up by Zell) read: "Total - 457 GP. Please pay at table. Thank you!"
Dammit.
*~*~*~*~* Zell, omniscient POV *~*~*~*~*
"Seifer . . ."
Zell stared out across the sea, not even realising he had said the boy's name. After Seifer's actions at the café, Zell felt confusion and pain. He felt betrayed all over again . . . as though he were back to the days when Seifer would have killed them all for the Sorceress's sake.
Zell had always been fond of the docks at Balamb. Now slightly more industrialized than in his childhood, the docks had lost some of their splendor. It seemed as though they, too, were betraying him.
Zell stood, taking one last glance at the empty horizon, and headed back into town.
"What should I do now?" He walked along the street, thinking aloud to himself until he passed the front door of the Balamb café. Zell scoffed lightly to himself, trying to cover the pain he felt deep within his heart. It wasn't working.
"Man . . . I need a hug."
Looking up, Zell was greeted with a familiar sight. "I'm . . . home. Ma . . . that's who I should talk to . . ."
Knocking at his own house for the first time in his life, Zell was greeted by his smiling mother. She laughed at him for knocking, telling him to come in and have supper. Little did she know what her son would tell her that night.
*~*~*~*~* Ma's POV *~*~*~*~*
A knock at my door isn't a rare thing. Many people in Balamb have known me since before Cid and Edea brought Zell to this humble house. Naturally, when I heard the sound, I expected one of the neighbor children to have been sent by their mother to fetch a cup of sugar . . . or to ask for a bit of candy for themselves. I had not expected to see my own son at the door.
A mother always knows when her son is feeling pain. Zell didn't need to tell me that he'd been hurt somehow. I saw it in his eyes. It was as though the light did not shine in them.
"Dear, you look pale . . . are you eating well enough at the Garden?" Of course he was. He didn't need to answer. My Zell would never let himself go without hotdogs for more than a day.
"Yes, Ma . . ." My boy was never so pensive. He must have something very big on his shoulders.
"That's good, dear. Are you still friends with all the other kids? Squall, Quistis, Selphie . . . Seifer?" When I mentioned that last name, he looked up at me. I saw it in his eyes. Something was wrong. "That Seifer . . . he always used to pick on you . . . but it seems like he'd changed after everything was said and done."
Zell stood up quickly, tears in his eyes. "No! He hasn't changed! He's still the same . . . heartless and uncaring!" It was the first time he'd ever shouted at me.
"Zell . . . everyone changes. Someone can change greatly without ever showing it outwardly."
He shook his head. "No. Not Seifer. He hasn't changed at all." Still said with a pain in his voice.
"Zell . . . what happened? What did Seifer do to you?" A mother's concern is hard to hide. At this point, it really didn't matter . . . my son needed to talk about this, and I would be here for him to talk to.
Tears welled in his eyes. A sincerity I'd never seen in my son arose as he prepared himself to speak. "Ma . . . what . . . what if I was gay?"
The question took me by surprise. "I don't understand, Zell . . . what do you mean, if you were gay?"
"Ma . . . what if I am gay?" He stared at me, awaiting an answer to a question that sent my world spinning.
"Zell . . . I don't know. I've never dealt with that."
"Dealt with it? DEALT with it? What, is it your problem, Ma?" He was obviously hurting. Obviously scared.
I was scared too. "No, Zell . . . I don't mean that. I'm just . . . a little confused by where you're going with this. Are you gay?"
It was too much. The tears rolled down his cheek. My son's composure was broken, and he was left with naked emotion now. "Yes, Ma. Yes, I am. And I'm in love . . . or I thought I was. But he hasn't changed, Ma, he hasn't!"
The room was spinning, and I couldn't seem to get a clear thought in my head. "Wait a moment Zell, one thing at a time. You're gay. I can accept that. You're my son . . ."
The tears rolled freely as my son and I shared a tight embrace. I hadn't lied. Zell would forever be my son. Gay and straight were only labels to me . . . they didn't change the person Zell truly was. And he truly was my son, the child I had raised.
"Now . . . about Seifer. You love him?"
He hesitated for a moment. "I don't know, Ma. I . . . he did something really wrong today. He nearly made someone commit suicide."
"Well . . . what happened? What exactly happened?"
He hesitated again. "I . . . I'm not sure, Ma. All I know is that Seifer started laughing at something, and Nida almost threw himself off the top of the Balamb Hotel. Selphie managed to stop him, but if she hadn't been there . . ."
"Zell . . . answer me something truthfully. I want a yes or no answer. Do you love Seifer?"
For the third time, he hesitated. Almost in a whisper, he said "Yes. Yes, I do . . ."
"Then you need to find out what happened. Exactly. Talk to Nida, talk to Selphie, and most importantly . . . talk to Seifer. Find out if he's as horrible as you think he is."
Zell embraced me once more, tears staining his cheeks, and now mine too. This moment, though admittedly difficult, has strengthened the love I feel from my son. It feels good that he could trust me with this side of himself. And though it was hard for him, too . . . I'm glad to know that he was strong enough.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ End Chapter ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A/N: Whew! That chapter was hard to write. Very hard. But I felt that the story needed a serious moment. So, Zell's out of the closet! I'd love some feedback on the whole coming out scenario. My coming out was a tad bit different. *Ahem * Anyway, I'll try to return some humor to the story in the next chapter. After all, Zell still gets to tell his friends *evil grin * and just imagine what fun that can be! =)
----- Moroboshi
