Blond Silence 5/?

Disclaimers: Still not mine. Alas

Warnings: Het kisses, plottings to seduce Squall, piercings, snow

Five

Seifer sat nervously. He'd picked the ring, titanium with an emerald bead. He hadn't admitted to the rest of them that he really didn't understand how to count money. There hadn't been a lot of use for it in Garden and well, he seemed to have enough of it.

"Close your eyes," the piercer said as she pulled on her gloves. "It's not going to hurt a bit."

"Screaming's just like laughing, Seif my man," Zell teased. "You can do it if you want."

One green eye opened and glared. Rinoa elbowed Zell, who smiled at her, completely clumsy and with all the style of a sugar sprinkled cream puff. She rolled her eyes, then set her hand on the counter, suspiciously close to the tongue ring he was looking at was. Selphie was trying on a hat, a pink cowboy hat, and they all missed the quick punch of Seifer's eyebrow ring.

"Wow, not a sound. That's really impressive," the piercer said, setting her clamp back down on the metal tray. "It's just going to bleed a little, okay? Now that didn't hurt at all did it."

Seifer hadn't opened his eyes yet, but what he signed made Zell nearly choke. "He says," Zell started only to have Selphie punch him in the small of the back lightly.

Hat pulled over her eyes like she was a little Irvine, she said sweetly, "He says you did such a lovely job that he didn't feel a thing."

Seifer signed, "Liar."

"Great! Can you tell him I said he did a wonderful job?"

"He's not deaf," Zell said.

"It's a war injury," Rinoa said.

Seifer slipped out of the chair, eyes on the floor.

"Dark time," the woman said, "Still! Ten percent discount for bravery! What else are you all looking for today?"

"I want this hat," Selphie said, bouncing. "And how much for a heart with the name Irvine in it?"

"I don't do people's names. How about just a heart?"

"What if it was somewhere that no one would ever see it?"

Seifer let his eyes wander up and down Selphie, over the very short skirt, no sleeves, no back to her top, knee high boots. "I hear it's painful on your ankle," he signed, smirking.

"He says it's painful on one's ankle," Rinoa interpreted and Selphie pulled the hat down over her eyes.

"I'll pay now, thank you," Selphie said, holding out her card.

The woman snorted and rang her up.

The door bell ran as Irvine walked in, brushing snow from his shoulders. "Hey beautiful!"

Selphie ran to him, jumped and he caught her, spinning around, taking his own hat off with one hand so he could kiss her. She snuggled close, but they got interrupted as Seifer touched Irvine's shoulder.

"Gods! Seifer! What are you doing?" Selphie squeaked, letting Irvine hold her close, even as she tried to lick her lips innocent from the kiss.

Seifer ran his fingers through the snow again, not noticing that Rinoa was paying his bill. White, fluffy, cold, Seifer gathered it up in his hand, and then caught hold of Irvine's hat, gathering up some more. "It's snow. Frozen rain."

"Okay! Snow out of my shop, go on!"

Seifer gave the hat back and wandered towards the store, remembered his bill and turned back, only to have Rinoa shove the receipt into his hand. "Come on, Seifer! It's a holiday gift."

And out into the snow they ran. The white flakes fluttered down brushing against his skin and he shifted out of his coat, letting the new black wool hang from the sidewalk railing. He wore a black shirt, long sleeves, jeans, black boots and the white clung to him like tiny melting stars. Arms out he spun in the snow, catching it in his outstretched hands, letting it melt over his face. Selphie ran past him, wearing Irvine's coat and her new pink hat. Irvine ran right after wearing a smile. Zell and Rinoa stood at the side, standing closer and closer, without really noticing that they were.

"Seifer! Open your mouth, catch them on your tongue!" Zell called, and then Rinoa ran out into the snow too, bent on doing just that. Somehow she'd gotten into Zell's coat as well and the white sparkled in her dark hair as she stuck her tongue out chasing snowflakes.

Snowflakes taste like water. Chasing snowflakes with friends though made them taste better. As the snow came down thicker, Zell caught a small clump, and held it out on his tongue. Rinoa jumped on him, covered his tongue with her mouth and sucked. His eyes went wide. Seifer burst out laughing and Zell retaliated with a kiss. Arms around Rinoa, he pulled her close and they shared the snowflake.

Smiling, Seifer turned away, and his mind wandered to what kisses might taste like, what it would be like to have Squall so close. Squall's lips would be warm, Seifer decided, soft, and if he could slip his tongue into Squall's mouth.. and that wasn't right, just wasn't right to think of doing things like that to a man who hated him.

Rinoa was suddenly there, an arm slipping around his, her face nearly glowing. "Squall does not hate you. I promise Seifer. I promise he doesn't hate you."

Kind of turning so no one except Rinoa could see, Seifer signed, "You kiss Zell. Irvine kisses Rinoa. If I were a girl, maybe Squall would kiss me?"

She shook her head. "It only snows when it's cold and kisses only happen when they're ready. If you want to kiss Squall, we'll just have to get you a nice tux and see if we can make the time be ready."

That didn't make a whole lot of complete sense to Seifer, but if he needed a tux. He needed a tux.

And he got one, black with satin lapels and black boots, a dark green cummerbund and diamond cufflinks. He also bought a spicy cologne and he didn't think any of this was going to work, going to get him a kiss, but he hadn't thought the snow was going to work for Zell either.