Salvaging and Angel

By Shade

A/N: Yep, I'm picking this fic back up as well. I lost a great deal of reviewers in my absence but I still need to work on this so…here I am…If you're one of those readers who, er, just reads then please at least seriously consider pressing that 'submit a review' button. It doesn't have to be anything constructive, though I do love long and detailed reviews. Just telling me that you enjoyed the fic helps more than you could imagine. So please, please, please take that extra thirty seconds to comment on what you have just read. Any writer can tell you any and every review helps morale immensely…unless you're only flaming …then kindly keep that to yourself. Despite what you may think there is a big difference between flaming and constructive criticism.

"Right here," Squall had given Seifer directions to his house immediately after getting into the car. The entire ride had been an uneasy one. While Seifer's car was quite nice it was indeed the same one he had been taken to the hospital in. A glance to the back seat showed him that a white blanket had been thrown over the seats to match the apulstry. Squall could only imagine the bloodstains that had set in beneath it. When Seifer drove past the road to his subdivision Squall became even more nervous "I said to turn there."

"You told me where it was," Seifer grumbled, turning onto a side road "I know where your house is."

Squall moved further up against the door, putting as much space between he and Seifer as possible. The road they were on now was abandoned. Worry and paranoia were working around in Squall's mind. Good things never happened when he was alone with Seifer or his friends. Here they would be completely alone "Seifer go back!"

Seifer noted the desperation in Squall's voice and groaned "Shut up will you?" He glanced to Squall then back to the road. They had just pulled out behind the subdivision and even Squall was forced to concede to himself that this had indeed been a raster route "See, we're here." He pulled around a side road to the front of the house and onto a driveway.

The house was nothing fantastic. If anything it was very small and something of an eyesore in Seifer's opinion "Nice place," He said sarcastically, shifting the car into park.

"We rent," Squall muttered, still looking out the window on the passenger side. He refused to allow his eyes to stray to Seifer "It's big enough for just my dad and I. I'm sorry it doesn't meet your standards."

Seifer got out of the car wordlessly, getting the wheelchair from the back and folding it out on the ground. He glanced to the few steps to the house and frowned, opening the passenger side door "I can't pick you and that wheelchair up right now. I'll have to carry you in then come back for the chair."

Squall didn't see any other option. Of course this didn't mean he had to comply willingly. He made a point to roll his eyes as Seifer leaned down to pick him up. "What did you do to your arm anyway?" He asked, maneuvering so that he could hold himself up. As his own arm went around Seifer's neck he felt the other tense. "Did it happen…before you took me to the hospital…?" He queried when no immediate answer was given.

"No," Seifer assured quickly, climbing the three steps to the door "Do you have the key or not?"

"Ah," Squall leaned further against Seifer so that he could remove one arm from his neck just long enough to fish around in his pocket. He realized that the jock had moved his injured arm to support Squall, assuring he wouldn't fall. By the way he felt the other's shoulder's tense once more he knew the action was causing him pain. Squall wrapped his arm back around Seifer's neck quickly "Here," Just as hastily he dropped the key into his hand.

"It was during an after school practice. I was tackled, fell on my arm wrong." He unlocked the door and pushed it open. The interior of the house was actually quite cozy "Where's the bathroom?"

"Down that hallway, second room on the your right," Squall muttered absently "I thought they taught you how to take falls. For one of the team's 'star players' to make a mistake like that is really…actually it's just plain careless…"

"It happens," Seifer sounded as if he was loosing patience. Squall was surprised he hadn't hit a nerve already. Part of him had been trying for just that. Instead Squall now found himself in the bathroom. Seifer sat him down on the toilet lid as he quickly set about to rummaging through the medicine cabinet. "Don't you have a first aide kit or anything?"

"Under the sink, why?" Squall had hoped Seifer would just leave once he had taken him inside. What business did he have sticking around uninvited like this?

"You skinned your chin, remember?" Seifer pulled something that resembled a toolbox from the open cabinets below.

"And I have the inability to take care of that myself?" Squall rolled his eyes again, leaning back.

"I think you 'have the inability' to stand tall enough to look into a mirror and clean it, yeah," Seifer countered, opening the box and checking the contents before wetting a rag in the sink. "I also don't think you can make it around the house on your own. Where're your parents?" Seifer kneeled in front of Squall. He brought the rag up to the other's chin. Squall leaned forward slightly to make things easier. He hoped to get this over with as quickly as possible. To his surprise Seifer was a lot gentler than he would have thought.

"He's at work," Squall answered shortly.

"What does he do?" Seifer pressed conversationally, obviously feeling awkward himself.

The dull tone to Seifer's voice told Squall that he wasn't interested in the least in what Laguna did for a living but there was no harm in encouraging distracting conversation such as this "He works for a special effects company. The animatronics branch anyway."

For once Seifer seemed marginally impressed "That's pretty unusual. You think he'd make more money."

Squall could see Seifer wince a bit at his own words. It had been a slip but one he had no intention of correcting. Squall decided to let it slide but only after giving the other quite the nasty look. It was true though. Laguna didn't make a lot of money but enough that they lived comfortably. After all the hospital bills though…Squall wasn't sure how they were going to make it…There was no way he could take a second job. No one had wanted to hire him when all he lacked was dependable transportation. Now that he couldn't even stand on his own there was no one who was going to even give an application he handed in a second glance.

"What does your mother do?" Seifer asked putting some sort of ointment over the scrape with his fingertips.

It was Squall who tensed this time "She's dead."

Seifer paused for a moment. He looked up to Squall for a moment, making sure he was all right. "I'm sorry," Seifer said genuinely, surprising Squall "How did it happen?"

Now that had struck a nerve "What sort of sadistic question is that? You don't just ask someone how their mother died but people usually don't gang up on someone they barely know either. I should expect that sort of thing from you…I was in elementary school She got sick…Happy?"

Seifer seemed to be fighting back a cruel retort of his own. Instead he calmly shook his head and placed a bandage over the worst of the scrape. "I was just wondering, thought we might have at least one thing in common."

"What are you talking about?" Squall was still annoyed, angry that Seifer had the nerve to still act as if he had every right to ask such a personal question.

"My mother killed herself."

Squall wasn't quite sure how to respond to that. Of all the things Seifer could have said he would have never predicted that "I-"

To his surprise Seifer laughed though the effort seemed mirthless. "Don't worry. I'm not playing the 'who deserves more sympathy game.' I'll go get your wheel chair."

Squall watched him go wordlessly. Had he been serious? Surely it wasn't something anyone would lie about. He had never seen or heard anything about Seifer's parents. It had never really been one of his concerns. Now though…now he was beginning to wonder…Seifer hadn't been born into unfortunate circumstances. He seemed to have more than enough money for nice clothes and a nice car. He'd had more girlfriends than Squall cared to count. He had apparently had enough for the appropriate boyfriend doting minimum. Squall had never had a girlfriend of course but he supposed there was some sort of unwritten code when it came to gifts and the occasional lavish date.

Squall shook his head with a groan. What did he care? That didn't change anything and it was too late to do a damn thing about it now. If it was true it was a shame but no excuse for Seifer to be such a bastard. By the time Seifer was back inside with the wheelchair Squall had managed to reclaim his earlier bitterness. "How long are you going to loiter around here?"

Seifer stopped with the wheel chair, standing at the end of the hallway "Until you tell me to leave."

"I'm telling you now," Squall said firmly yet without raising his voice "Get out."

There was a silence between the two of them then that seemed to go on for ages rather than only a matter of seconds. "Fine.You can get to your own damn chair." Squall heard a loud thud that could only be his wheel chair hitting the floor. Footsteps and the slam of a door told him that Seifer had truly left.

Squall hadn't counted on this either. He couldn't get to the chair and set it up on his own and his father usually wasn't home until late night or early morning. He would probably need to get used to this. What if he was never able to walk again? The thought made Squall feel uneasy. A lot had been said about rehabilitation. A lot had been said about a great deal of rehabilitation, more than he imagined his insurance would cover. Squall felt nauseous now. Of course Laguna hadn't said anything. He would never mention something like that, at least not with Squall just being released from the hospital. They didn't have enough for all the hospital bills as it was. Squall couldn't conceive of any possible way they would be able to afford rehabilitation as well. Now Squall just felt sick.

So what now? He couldn't work. He wasn't sure he was going to pass his classes now, not with all the time he'd missed. Even if he did manage to pull up a passing grade before graduation he definitely wouldn't have the money for college. A burden. That's all he was now. Squall covered his face with his hands and felt the tears at his eyes. This was pathetic but what did it matter now? Squall allowed himself to cry freely. He sobbed aloud. He was shaking badly and painfully short of breath, close to choking and breaking into a coughing fit. He barely realized how loud his sobs were now. All he knew was that the sobs that wracked through his body were nearly unbearable and that he was alone. This was all the more reason for Squall to start when Seifer pulled him into a comforting embrace.

Squall didn't stop crying but he did look up. Seifer hadn't left after all? He felt relief at first, he wouldn't be stuck in here all night then came a mixture of anger and embarrassment. How dare he try to comfort him now? This was all his fault to begin with! "Fucking bastard!" Squall wasn't one for emotional outbursts but he had been quite about it for so long. He always took things quietly didn't he? Now everything was finally culminating. It was as if something had been eating away at him from the inside out. If it didn't surface it would crush him under its weight. Squall jerked Seifer's injured arm as he had upon leaving the school "This is all your fault!" He put more pressure on the other's arm, hearing him take in a sharp breath but meeting no resistance. "You and your fucking friends!" He hit Seifer once more. Only when he raised his other arm to strike the other did Seifer retaliate at all.

Squall struck the other with his free arm quite a few more times, until he had exhausted himself. Gasping slightly for his breath he realized that through all the fighting he hadn't exactly pushed Seifer away, nor had the larger youth pulled away of his own will. He was still holding Squall's left arm and with a twinge of phantom pain he realized it was his broken wrist Seifer was being careful of. Seifer didn't want to hurt him, at least not physically. Squall found himself feeling sure of that now. "You think just taking that will make everything better."

It took a moment for Seifer to bite back the pain of his arm to answer. He hadn't met Squall's gaze the entire time "…Not really…"

"You might regret what you did but it doesn't change that you did it. You're taking this because you don't want to feel guilty anymore." He waited for Seifer to respond. When he didn't Squall dropped forward, leaning against the other's shoulder and wrapping one arm around his neck "Just take me to my bedroom. It's across the hall." Seifer wordless complied. Squall could hear the other's heart pounding. He was working something over in his mind. Squall knew he had struck a nerve. He just wondered which one it was.

Squall's bedroom was small, with a twin sized bed under a window in the corner. There was a dresser against one wall and a set of shelves at the other loaded with a decent amount of books. There was little decoration at all save for one or two aged family pictures. Seifer went straight to the bed, sitting Squall down on the mattress. Squall pulled himself further up, moving his legs onto the mattress before lying down. "Is your arm all right?" Squall asked halfheartedly, eyes fixed upon the ceiling.

"It's fine," Seifer sighed "I'll bring your wheel chair in here and get going. Is there anything you need?"

There was no immediate answer. Seifer was about to take that silence as a no when Squall shifted his gaze to him "Why did you do it?"

Seifer began to look away again but stopped himself. After another long pause he only shrugged and shook his head "…I don't know…?"

Squall managed not to react badly this time "That's it? That's the best you can come up with?"

"I don't know, all right!" Seifer quickly lowered his voice but his tone was still annoyed "Honestly? If any other loser had been walking down the side of the road in the rain he'd probably be in the same situation you are now."

"What's that? Talking to a heartless prick like you?" Squall looked away, he'd heard enough.

"Yeah…" Squall felt a shift in the mattress as Seifer folded his good arm there and laid his head against it "We made a mistake Squall. We all did…Picking on you was one thing but I didn't mean to hurt you…"

Squall wasn't moved "Yes you did," He said coldly.

"Not like this!" Seifer took a deep breath "It went too far and now they're threatening you and…" Seifer groaned and looked up "This is ridiculous Squall. I'll go to the police myself…"

The young man on the bed looked up again. He studied Seifer's expression then gave what he hoped was an unimpressed snort "No you wouldn't," He shook his head before Seifer could say anything more "Either way it would only make things worse for me. A group of well loved jocks versus a rich brat and a fag. With all the court bills…no…it would be more trouble than its worth. If you don't have any better ideas Seifer, just leave." The next sound Squall heard was the slamming of the front door. Opening his eyes he found himself disappointed. Seifer really had left after all.