Emerald Tears 2/?
By Nix Winter
Disclaimer: I don't own ff8, Seifer or Squall, not even Rinoa. But I did buy the little plastic figures...
Warnings: Very hurt Seifer, protective and attached Squall
Emerald Tears
Squall raked russet hair back from his face, took a slow breath. Rinoa was in full blown blond mode, reminded him of how Seifer could do that, just switch on a mask when he needed one. Rinoa twirled the desk pen around by the chain and smiled at the male desk clerk, who very obviously liked women just fine, especially girls with pretty eyes and long dark hair who could pull off looking like they had angel wings somewhere on their body. "But it's really important," she said, licking her lower lip, then holding it between her teeth. "I really just need to know. He was a friend of mine."
"Important to you, or your boyfriend there," the boy asked. He probably wasn't old enough to divide his age by ten evenly, but neither was Squall.
"Oh he's not important," Rinoa cooed. "He's just with me to keep me safe. I'm safe with you, aren't I?"
"Oh yes," he said, puffing up like an inflatable SeeD. "I'll keep you safe."
Squall got the hint and let himself back out the front door. If there was information to be had out of that boy, Rinoa would get it, one way or another. Squall had other ways to get information. Once outside, he headed down the ally. It was an old building, maybe fifteen stories high, with just enough old decoration on it, a gargoyle hanging from one corner, to suggest that it had been a real nice place. That was probably before Rinoa's father was even born. The fire escape as ancient, rusty, and it creaked like he was ripping it apart when he caught the lowest rung and started pulling himself up. Buildings had their secrets too, and sometimes those were easier to get than secrets from some hormone tortured desk jockey.
It was hard to imagine Seifer in a place like this. Squall tried real hard as he let himself into a second floor window. Sometimes luck is just walking right with you. Seifer had been in the room and he'd left his imprint all over the walls. The entire room was one giant mural. Beautiful images, clouds and blue sky, laughing Selphie, Squall holding that chocobo. It had been a duck in the last drawing, but seeing in the mural it was a chocobo and Squall remembered it. There was one bright yellow hand print on the wall and Squall rolled across the unmade and probably condemned bed to press his hand up against the one on the wall. Seifer. This room just screamed that he was alive.
It had been too hot to wear his jacket, and now, something was wet against his back. He reached behind himself and moaned in disgust. Dark red on his fingers, so dark it took him a moment to realize it was blood. He looked to the bed. It was blood that had soaked into the hotel mattress and then been soaked with some kind of cleaning solvent. Squall walked back to the bed, trailed his fingers over it, trying on the odd chance to pick up a blond hair or two. There was an awful lot of blood, but no hairs.
"Alright! I'm showing you his room! It's a fucking lot of mess! Do you know how long it's going to take me to paint over this?" The boy whined, obviously cured of his infatuation.
"Just show me," Rinoa snapped. Squall felt down right proud of her.
The boy opened the door and Squall smiled. "Beat'cha," he said with half a smile to Rinoa.
"Yes," she said, giving the boy a slight shove as she followed him in and shut the door. "Did you know Seifer could paint?"
"No."
"So that's what his name was! I hope you have some money to cover the damages! His rent was two weeks over due and when we broke in, he wouldn't even talk to us! We had to pay the emergency service charge."
Squall struck. The boy went against the wall, Squall's hands around his neck. "What happened to him?"
"Emerald? He was just fucking loopy, always picking at the back of his head. He wouldn't hardly talk even before he holed up in his room. Let me go!"
"Where is he now?"
The boy wasn't all that bright. "The city morgue for all I care!"
Squall's eyes narrowed. White drew a line around his lips. "If he's dead, and it's from something you could have prevented, I might kill you. Do you understand that? Does it matter to you now? Where is Seifer?"
"They took him to White Chapel."
"Oh," Rinoa said, but it sounded more like ewww. "Let's go."
"Don't paint this room. I'll be back." Squall let him go and the boy coughed holding his throat.
"You're a fucking loon too!"
"Here," Rinoa gave him her name and her phone number. "Call that number, give my name. They will pay Seifer's charges and rent on this room for another month. Do not paint it over."
"You're too pretty to be a nut," the boy said, shoving her number his pocket.
The only thing that kept Squall's fist from impacting the boy's face was Rinoa's arm catching him. "Come on. We need to get to Seifer."
Squall looked at the guy as if he would have to come up in value to be dog poop on a shoe. "Whatever."
That whatever carried Squall in a nice numb all the way to White Chapel which qualified for the label hospital only because no one cared to really disagree. It had been a church at one time, but now looked more like a refugee camp, the kind that kept them in. There were fences around the thing, with the barbs pointing inwards. Squall made a promise, if Seifer were dead, he and Bahamut were going to level it. If Seifer were alive and suffering, the same might be true, or maybe he'd just commit to helping. It was a bargaining session that went on as a nurse lead them through corridors that made Squall think castle, dungeon. If he could get Seifer out of here, he'd raise funds and build this thing with proper funding. He'd move the world around if he could find Seifer.
It was the drawings, perhaps, that made him realize they'd been best friends for longer than either of them had even known about sorceresses. It was Seifer that Squall had entrusted his soul too, when he'd first come into Garden as a scared boy, and it was Seifer that held his soul now.
So when the nurse moved and Squall was pointed towards a chair, it was his own soul that about withered up and died.
"What's wrong with him," Squall asked, hearing his own voice, but seeing the scene before him as if it were a vid show.
"We don't know. He has a foreign object imbedded in his cranium." She said calmly. "It seems to be preventing him from keeping food down."
"Oh Hyne," Rinoa said, her lip twitching. "Didn't you get a doctor?"
"We only have six hours a week of gratis services. He has an appointment week after next."
"You're joking," Squall said, gray eyes storming. "I'm taking him out of here."
"Where do we send the bill?" She asked.
Squall was already walking towards Seifer. Over his shoulder he snarled. "I will be back to settle accounts."
The nurse nodded. "Very well. I have other patients to attend to."
Rinoa thought she might have trouble keeping her breakfast down as she crossed the small courtyard to Seifer. Squall squatted next to him, fingers lightly touching his cheek.
"Seifer," he said softly, brushing matte away from those green eyes, hoping they would open. His former rival probably weighed less than a hundred pounds, cheeks sunk in, hair thin, and though it was clean, it was dull. From Seifer's eyes, he moved to the scar between his eyes, caressing it gently for the first time. "Seifer."
One breath deepened and dark gold eye lashes brushed against Squall's little finger. Such brilliant green eyes. Those were the same, the same fiery daring green eyes, though they filled with tears. Squall's own eyes were having trouble focusing because Seifer's tears looked emerald, emerald tears.
Seifer licked his lip, blinked slowly, and with unmitigated triumph purred, "I found you. I knew I would. I found you, Gray Eyes."
"I found you," Squall said, irritated that his rescue had turned tables on him. "Seifer. Oh Seifer."
There was a slight twitch to chapped dry lips, as if they wanted to smile but didn't quite remember how, as those green eyes closed. "Knew I'd find you."
Squall lifted him easily, hating the blue hospital pants and top that were too big and hung from the body in his arms. "Rinoa, make sure we have a ride. We have to get him back to Garden."
"Garden is already sending transport. Zell's coming. "
He didn't question her. She was a sorceress and he trusted her, or what use she put those talents to. As gently as he could, he carried Seifer out towards the only door through the fences, towards home.
By Nix Winter
Disclaimer: I don't own ff8, Seifer or Squall, not even Rinoa. But I did buy the little plastic figures...
Warnings: Very hurt Seifer, protective and attached Squall
Emerald Tears
Squall raked russet hair back from his face, took a slow breath. Rinoa was in full blown blond mode, reminded him of how Seifer could do that, just switch on a mask when he needed one. Rinoa twirled the desk pen around by the chain and smiled at the male desk clerk, who very obviously liked women just fine, especially girls with pretty eyes and long dark hair who could pull off looking like they had angel wings somewhere on their body. "But it's really important," she said, licking her lower lip, then holding it between her teeth. "I really just need to know. He was a friend of mine."
"Important to you, or your boyfriend there," the boy asked. He probably wasn't old enough to divide his age by ten evenly, but neither was Squall.
"Oh he's not important," Rinoa cooed. "He's just with me to keep me safe. I'm safe with you, aren't I?"
"Oh yes," he said, puffing up like an inflatable SeeD. "I'll keep you safe."
Squall got the hint and let himself back out the front door. If there was information to be had out of that boy, Rinoa would get it, one way or another. Squall had other ways to get information. Once outside, he headed down the ally. It was an old building, maybe fifteen stories high, with just enough old decoration on it, a gargoyle hanging from one corner, to suggest that it had been a real nice place. That was probably before Rinoa's father was even born. The fire escape as ancient, rusty, and it creaked like he was ripping it apart when he caught the lowest rung and started pulling himself up. Buildings had their secrets too, and sometimes those were easier to get than secrets from some hormone tortured desk jockey.
It was hard to imagine Seifer in a place like this. Squall tried real hard as he let himself into a second floor window. Sometimes luck is just walking right with you. Seifer had been in the room and he'd left his imprint all over the walls. The entire room was one giant mural. Beautiful images, clouds and blue sky, laughing Selphie, Squall holding that chocobo. It had been a duck in the last drawing, but seeing in the mural it was a chocobo and Squall remembered it. There was one bright yellow hand print on the wall and Squall rolled across the unmade and probably condemned bed to press his hand up against the one on the wall. Seifer. This room just screamed that he was alive.
It had been too hot to wear his jacket, and now, something was wet against his back. He reached behind himself and moaned in disgust. Dark red on his fingers, so dark it took him a moment to realize it was blood. He looked to the bed. It was blood that had soaked into the hotel mattress and then been soaked with some kind of cleaning solvent. Squall walked back to the bed, trailed his fingers over it, trying on the odd chance to pick up a blond hair or two. There was an awful lot of blood, but no hairs.
"Alright! I'm showing you his room! It's a fucking lot of mess! Do you know how long it's going to take me to paint over this?" The boy whined, obviously cured of his infatuation.
"Just show me," Rinoa snapped. Squall felt down right proud of her.
The boy opened the door and Squall smiled. "Beat'cha," he said with half a smile to Rinoa.
"Yes," she said, giving the boy a slight shove as she followed him in and shut the door. "Did you know Seifer could paint?"
"No."
"So that's what his name was! I hope you have some money to cover the damages! His rent was two weeks over due and when we broke in, he wouldn't even talk to us! We had to pay the emergency service charge."
Squall struck. The boy went against the wall, Squall's hands around his neck. "What happened to him?"
"Emerald? He was just fucking loopy, always picking at the back of his head. He wouldn't hardly talk even before he holed up in his room. Let me go!"
"Where is he now?"
The boy wasn't all that bright. "The city morgue for all I care!"
Squall's eyes narrowed. White drew a line around his lips. "If he's dead, and it's from something you could have prevented, I might kill you. Do you understand that? Does it matter to you now? Where is Seifer?"
"They took him to White Chapel."
"Oh," Rinoa said, but it sounded more like ewww. "Let's go."
"Don't paint this room. I'll be back." Squall let him go and the boy coughed holding his throat.
"You're a fucking loon too!"
"Here," Rinoa gave him her name and her phone number. "Call that number, give my name. They will pay Seifer's charges and rent on this room for another month. Do not paint it over."
"You're too pretty to be a nut," the boy said, shoving her number his pocket.
The only thing that kept Squall's fist from impacting the boy's face was Rinoa's arm catching him. "Come on. We need to get to Seifer."
Squall looked at the guy as if he would have to come up in value to be dog poop on a shoe. "Whatever."
That whatever carried Squall in a nice numb all the way to White Chapel which qualified for the label hospital only because no one cared to really disagree. It had been a church at one time, but now looked more like a refugee camp, the kind that kept them in. There were fences around the thing, with the barbs pointing inwards. Squall made a promise, if Seifer were dead, he and Bahamut were going to level it. If Seifer were alive and suffering, the same might be true, or maybe he'd just commit to helping. It was a bargaining session that went on as a nurse lead them through corridors that made Squall think castle, dungeon. If he could get Seifer out of here, he'd raise funds and build this thing with proper funding. He'd move the world around if he could find Seifer.
It was the drawings, perhaps, that made him realize they'd been best friends for longer than either of them had even known about sorceresses. It was Seifer that Squall had entrusted his soul too, when he'd first come into Garden as a scared boy, and it was Seifer that held his soul now.
So when the nurse moved and Squall was pointed towards a chair, it was his own soul that about withered up and died.
"What's wrong with him," Squall asked, hearing his own voice, but seeing the scene before him as if it were a vid show.
"We don't know. He has a foreign object imbedded in his cranium." She said calmly. "It seems to be preventing him from keeping food down."
"Oh Hyne," Rinoa said, her lip twitching. "Didn't you get a doctor?"
"We only have six hours a week of gratis services. He has an appointment week after next."
"You're joking," Squall said, gray eyes storming. "I'm taking him out of here."
"Where do we send the bill?" She asked.
Squall was already walking towards Seifer. Over his shoulder he snarled. "I will be back to settle accounts."
The nurse nodded. "Very well. I have other patients to attend to."
Rinoa thought she might have trouble keeping her breakfast down as she crossed the small courtyard to Seifer. Squall squatted next to him, fingers lightly touching his cheek.
"Seifer," he said softly, brushing matte away from those green eyes, hoping they would open. His former rival probably weighed less than a hundred pounds, cheeks sunk in, hair thin, and though it was clean, it was dull. From Seifer's eyes, he moved to the scar between his eyes, caressing it gently for the first time. "Seifer."
One breath deepened and dark gold eye lashes brushed against Squall's little finger. Such brilliant green eyes. Those were the same, the same fiery daring green eyes, though they filled with tears. Squall's own eyes were having trouble focusing because Seifer's tears looked emerald, emerald tears.
Seifer licked his lip, blinked slowly, and with unmitigated triumph purred, "I found you. I knew I would. I found you, Gray Eyes."
"I found you," Squall said, irritated that his rescue had turned tables on him. "Seifer. Oh Seifer."
There was a slight twitch to chapped dry lips, as if they wanted to smile but didn't quite remember how, as those green eyes closed. "Knew I'd find you."
Squall lifted him easily, hating the blue hospital pants and top that were too big and hung from the body in his arms. "Rinoa, make sure we have a ride. We have to get him back to Garden."
"Garden is already sending transport. Zell's coming. "
He didn't question her. She was a sorceress and he trusted her, or what use she put those talents to. As gently as he could, he carried Seifer out towards the only door through the fences, towards home.