Three day weekends are nice. I've been able to finish one chapter of Twilight Gaze, so I thought, since I'm amazingly bored, I'll just keep writing. For once, however, I would like to dedicate a chapter to someone.

To Brandon, who is an awesome guy and someone I would love to spend more time with. There's always tomorrow.

Anyway, this chapter will seriously move things along, so be prepared for anything.

Enjoy.

Twilight Gaze

Chapter 4: Accident

Wakka had gone to the Dinchts' house to explain how Zell had acted after the spar on the island that evening. Ma Dincht was both shocked and unsurprised.

"He always has been a tad bit arrogant when he bests someone," Ma Dincht said sadly. "Would you like to stay for dinner? I hate cooking for two."

"Two?" Wakka asked blankly. "Where's Gerald?"

"He has gone out with Tidus' father Jecht to be shown around the island. Those two really hit it off," she added with a smile.

Wakka smiled, but it was a hollow smile that Ma Dincht read straight through, but she didn't question. There would be more time to ask about Jecht. "Dinner?" she asked again.

Wakka's smile became genuine and the redhead nodded. "I'd love to," he replied through his smile. Perhaps this would give him a chance to talk to Zell in a situation where he won't be tempted to best anyone at anything, impress anyone, et cetera. Maybe.

It was half an hour before Zell came trudging in through the front door. He was soaking wet and looked like a drowned rat. His hair had fallen about his face from the gel being washed out. Wakka, sitting at the kitchen table, saw him as he entered the house, had to stifle a laugh.

"What happened, dear?" Ma Dincht asked her son from the stove. Zell could smell asparagus being cooked, as well as chicken in the oven and possibly chocolate chip cookies as well.

"I kind of got left behind," Zell explained, heading for the bathroom. "I'll be right back." His voice seemed very depressed. Wakka figured that he knew why.

After a few minutes, Zell reappeared from the bathroom in nothing but a towel, his hair respiked in front. He looked over at his mother at the stove and began explaining his side of things. Somehow, he didn't notice Wakka sitting at the table.

"I was accidentally left behind by the others, and I had to row back, but a gust of wind threw the boat over and I had to swim back to the docks," Zell explained. He sighed heavily and Wakka had to stop a gasp. Zell's defined, muscular chest rose and fell with the sight. Wakka's gaze went to the martial artist's arms, holding up his towel. Wakka was impressed; he was almost as muscular as Wakka himself. He had quite the tight little body. Wakka's line of vision fell to the towel, and Zell's narrow hips. There was something…odd about Zell's towel. Wakka couldn't place it.

"I'm going to go put some clothes on now," Zell said drearily, turning away from the two of them to head back down the hallway. Wakka watched as the towel moved and he couldn't stop the gasp this time. The towel was swinging a bit low. Zell was packing, and Wakka knew it. Wakka watched, almost hypnotized, as Zell's cute bubble ass slid underneath the towel as he walked away. Wakka smacked himself upside the head and let his eyes refocus on the kitchen table's tablecloth. He shouldn't be noticing Zell like that, he's Tidus'!

Five minutes later, Zell reappeared in a baggy pair of sweats and a tank top. The tank top accented his muscled chest nicely, and Wakka had to resist the urge to smack himself again.

Finally, Zell's eyes found Wakka sitting at the table.

"Woah!" the blonde cried. "How long have you been there?"

"Long enough to know what you look like in just a towel," Wakka replied with a smirk, fighting back a massive blush.

Zell's face decided to steal the blush, and he turned bright red. It only faded a little and his voice cracked slightly when he asked his mother, "Asparagus and chicken?"

Ma Dincht nodded. "You always could distinguish asparagus from other veggies. I can't do it, myself."

Zell sat at the table across from Wakka, but didn't let Wakka see his face straight-on. His eyes were firmly fixed on his mother, laboring away at the table.

"Where's Dad?" he asked her.

"Out with Jecht," Ma Dincht replied, still not looking at her son when she spoke.

Zell muttered something under his breath that Wakka couldn't catch, but he let his voice rise to audibility. "I don't like him a whole lot, you know."

"That doesn't matter," Ma Dincht replied sternly. "Your father has taken a liking to him, and you know how rarely that happens when we move to a new place."

Zell nodded, beaten. He turned his gaze down to the table, lowering his line of vision below Wakka's eyes. Wakka raised an eyebrow and slightly shook his head. "Zell, you can look at me, ya know."

Zell shook his head and looked over to the side. "Nah, that's okay," he replied quietly. "Not after how I've been treating you guys."

Wakka's eyelids drooped as he took that in. He looked almost disappointed. "C'mon, man, you just had a bad coupla days. Tidus will get over bein' beat. He always does."

Zell gave a small sigh and he finally turned his face back up to meet Wakka's eyes. Wakka was almost taken aback by how blue Zell's eyes were once again.

"Why don't you two go outside or something?" Ma Dincht asked, still choosing not to look at her son or his friend. "Dinner won't be ready for a while still."

"Alright," Zell said, getting up from the table. He headed out the door, Wakka following behind him closely.

The two of them turned at the sidewalk and headed down the road a ways, talking.

"So," Zell started, "do you think I can make it up to you guys for the way I've been treating you?"

"Sure," Wakka replied, not looking at Zell. "All it takes is a little patience and not acting like an asshole. Give them time and I'm sure everyone will forgive you on how you acted."

"Thanks," Zell said, his eyes low to the ground.

"No problem," Wakka said with a clap on Zell's shoulder. "That's what friends are for, ya? I forgive ya. I know how it is moving to a new place and being a sore winner."

Zell chuckled lightly and they noticed how late it was getting. They hadn't walked very far, but they figured that they needed to head back to the Dinchts' house before it got too dark.

Walking back into the house, Zell noticed that the asparagus was turned off and the chicken was on the stove, burnt to a crisp. Zell automatically began to worry – his mom never messed up dinner. Zell looked around and noticed a note on the refrigerator. Picking it up, Zell read it aloud so Wakka would know what was going on.

It read:

"Zell, there's been an accident. I want Wakka to take you to the D.I. Hospital immediately. And please, dear, hurry. Love, Ma."

"You heard her," Wakka said, turning towards the front door. "Let's head out."

-

With a quick run to Wakka's house, he and Zell were in Wakka's car quickly, and speeding off to the Destiny Island Hospital with Chappu in the back seat. Tidus had gone to Riku's for the night. The drive took ten minutes despite Wakka's speeding, and they reached the Hospital rather quickly. Parking as close to the building as they could, the three boys leapt from the car and headed inside. At the information desk, Wakka inquired the receptionist about any new admissions from accidents.

"Room 134, right down this hall," the woman said, pointing down a hall to her left, the boys' right. They thanked her and took off at a fast walk down the hall.

The three of them knew which room it was before they could see the number on the wall. Ma Dincht was talking to a doctor, her face red and tears falling down her face. She suddenly grabbed the doctor hard by the shoulders, and he pulled her in for a hug, which she collapsed into. Zell's eyes widened and he sprinted down the hall, closely followed by the two redheads.

Stopping at his mother, Zell's eyes were tearing up. "What is it, Ma?" he cried.

Ma Dincht took one look at Zell and burst into tears again.

"What happened?" Zell asked again, this time in a very small voice.

The doctor patted Ma Dincht on the back and released her to Wakka, who took her into an embrace. "I'm afraid that your father was involved in a car accident earlier this evening. The driver, Jecht, made it through with a mere broken leg, but your father Gerald wasn't so lucky. I'm sorry," he added, a bit anticlimactic.

"What?" Chappu gasped. Zell merely blinked.

"What do you mean?" the blonde asked in a cracked voice.

"I'm sorry, Zell," the doctor repeated, "but your father didn't survive the crash."

Zell just stared at the doctor for a moment. Then suddenly, "NO! It's not true!" Zell collapsed to the floor on his hands and knees. Tears found their way from his eyes to the tile floor.

Chappu backed up from the sobbing blonde, a little surprised. Ma Dincht looked down at her son and sobbed uncontrollably. Wakka was able to let her go.

Zell was up on his feet and running down the hallway. Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion. Each step he took felt like he was flying for a mile before it hit the ground. Tears flew out from his face, floating through the air for what seemed like forever before giving in to gravity and collapsing to the floor. Wakka, Ma Dincht, and Chappu just stood there, watching as the blonde chased a ghost down the hallway. He turned into a door and the doctor let out a gasp.

"That door only leads to an elevator that goes to the roof," the doctor said urgently. "In a state of mental distress such as his, Zell may do something drastic."

"Zell," Ma Dincht sobbed.

-

Zell sat with his knees drawn up to his chest, sitting on a small cement block on the roof of the hospital. The helipad was a mere fifty feet away, and it had no helicopter parked on it. Zell was staring up at the sky, watching the glittering objects known widely as stars. A tear fell down the blonde's face as he sat there, staring at nothing. The normally skittish fistfighter didn't even flinch as a large hand found his shoulder.

"Go away," Zell said, not looking at Wakka.

Wakka didn't chuckle, didn't move. "No way, brudda, you need someone to be with you, and don't gimme that 'I want to be alone' crap, got it?"

Zell continued to look away from the redhead. He didn't say anything at first. Then, "What the hell do you know?"

"I know what it's like to lose someone dear to me," Wakka replied, removing his hand from Zell's shoulder. He sat down on the block next to Zell. "I don't know exactly how you feel, but I have a good guess."

"Your dad is still alive, dipshit," Zell shot back, his words taking on a nasty tone.

"My grandparents aren't," Wakka replied softly. "Chappu and I used to live with them, not our actual parents. They were both pretty old, and we had to take care of them almost as much as they did us. Eventually my grandpa got sick and he was only bedridden for two weeks before he passed away. Grandma kind of lost her spark and died two months later from malnutrition. Chappu and me moved to our parents' house after that."

Zell still didn't look over at his attempted comforter. "It's not the same," he whispered, his head falling to between his knees.

"I didn't say it was," Wakka said quietly. "I'm just letting you know that I'm here for ya, okay? You're too emotional to handle this alone."

"Wakka, be quiet," Zell said, not bringing his head up.

"Okay, okay," Wakka said, lapsing into silence. He had one leg up on the block, his right arm draped over it, his other leg outstretched on the roof. He looked up into the night sky. Even in the middle of the city, the stars were prevalent. They twinkled luxuriously and almost seemed to dance around in that big void.

The two boys sat in silence for a few minutes, then Wakka noticed a noise. Soft sobs were coming from Zell, and his shoulders were slightly shaking.

"Hey, c'mon," Wakka said, turning his body. He placed his hands on Zell's quivering shoulders. "Let's go. You should rest some."

Zell didn't move, but he brought his head up out of his knees. Tears had already placed their mark on the young blonde's face. He finally looked over at Wakka, his eyes wide and sad.

Zell let his legs fall and he turned his torso towards Wakka. Wakka brought the younger boy in for a hug, where Zell closed his eyes and sniffled. They held that position for quite a while, until Zell finally broke it and settled back on the concrete block, gazing up at the stars.

"The nights are so beautiful here," Zell whispered.

Wakka nodded agreement, similarly staring up into the sky.

"What do you think those are?" Zell asked.

"What, the stars?" Wakka replied, not looking at his blonde friend.

"I don't think they're stars," Zell quipped. "I think that they're those who have left us, watching over us from Heaven."

Wakka didn't say anything; he didn't laugh. The two lapsed into silence again, staring up at the stars.

After another few moments, Zell said, "The sky is beautiful, the ocean is beautiful," he sighed. "Everything on this island is beautiful."

Wakka stifled a chuckle. Zell was getting sappy in his disturbed mindframe.

Zell poked Wakka in the shoulder, drawing the redhead's attention, and leaned in close. "Everything on this island is beautiful."

Wakka found himself swimming in Zell's oceanic blue eyes. Words left him as Zell leaned in. Wakka found that he couldn't fight it – this had never happened to him before. Zell's eyes had taken control of the blitzball player's soul, jerked it around, and held onto it tightly. Wakka was frozen in place as Zell's lips touched his own. Despite his fleeting thoughts of Tidus, Wakka's eyes slowly closed as he let Zell kiss him. He forgot about the pang in his chest that he realized he had been feeling, and began to kiss Zell back. Lips opened and their tongues began to play. Wakka felt…well, he couldn't tell how he felt. He was confused, aroused, beaten, and accepting. One thing was sure: Zell was a damn good kisser. Almost as good as that other guy. What was his name? Oh. Right. Tidus. Yeah, Zell was as good a kisser as Tidus. Wakka's heart skipped a beat as they continued wrestling inside each other's mouth. Very nice. Wakka was enjoying being kissed by someone who was a better kisser than Tidus…

And the plot thickens! DUN DUN DUUUNNNNNNN!

Again, sorry for the late update. School sucks, you know. The fact that my roommate is straight and I'm not makes it difficult to work on something like this often, too. I can't promise anything, but I can try to have the next chapter up soon enough. Thanks for sticking with me on this, everyone:'D RnR!