Disclaimer: (See Part 1.)
A/N: Chayn is a character that I made up; I own nothing else but the plot of this story.
-
The alarm next to the bed went off. Zell pounded it until it stopped beeping and groaned. Was it only Tuesday? The week wasn't even half over yet and he already wanted it to end more than ever.
Zell dragged himself out of bed and stalked over to his dresser in his boxers. They had hot dogs on them. He pulled open a drawer, only to find it empty. That was when he realized that all of his clothes clean or not, had been strewn around the room. Why was that anyway? He couldn't remember.
He began to search through the piles of stuff for something at least semi-clean to wear. 'This room is as messed up as my life,' Zell thought ironically.
He grabbed some shorts and a shirt up off the ground and went to the bathroom for his morning shower before classes started, but then there was a knock on the door.
He wondered momentarily who it was but then his brain told him it was Irvine. Of course it was. Irvine was the only visitor that he had had in weeks. Zell snorted. Some social life he had. His only visitor was a tearful playboy.
Irvine probably wanted to talk to him about the previous day when Zell had spontaneously snapped at him and then run off, but to Zell, there was nothing to talk about. Nothing he wanted to talk about anyway.
Irvine knocked at his dorm door again.
Zell closed the door to the bathroom, ignoring his friend at the door, and placed his chosen clothes on the closed toilet lid. He stripped down to nothing and stepped into the shower. He turned the tap and water came out the spout. It was cold, but Zell didn't bother to adjust it.
Once he was finished in the bathroom, Zell searched the floor of the main room again. If he was lucky he might find something, anything, for breakfast. No luck. It looked like Zell would have to go to his first class hungry.
He checked to make sure that he had all of his books this time before swinging his backpack over one shoulder and heading out the door.
Zell made sure that his dorm was locked behind him and then he was off to class - almost. Not far from his room was Rinoa. He noticed her immediately in the hall and quickly dodged to the side in hopes that she wouldn't see him if he crawled past her quickly enough, but that didn't happen. It was like she had some kind of sixth sense that told her the location of anyone at any moment in time.
"There you are Zell! I knew you were still in there! It's just not like you to go to class early," said Rinoa. "Why didn't you answer the door?"
"I didn't hear you," Zell lied.
"I don't know why not, I knocked real loudly," Rinoa said in a loud voice to illustrate her point. "Your next-door neighbour even heard me. He told me to knock it off, and that's when I realized that I was going to have to wait for you to come out."
"Uh huh," said Zell with boredom, wishing that Rinoa would just get to point.
"Yep!" Rinoa confirmed.
Zell stood in front of Rinoa for a moment, but when she didn't go on to say anything he began to walk away.
"Oh, wait! I didn't tell you why I'm here!" Rinoa called after him, running a little to catch up to Zell who hadn't stopped to listen to what she had to say. "I came to see you because Irvine asked me to see how you were doing."
"I'm fine," Zell said in monotone.
"Are ya sure?" Rinoa prodded, probably hoping to dig up some juicy hidden emotions of his that she could gossip about with the other SeeDs. " 'Cause Irvine sounded really worried about you.
"Well I don't know why," said Zell, hoping that that would stop the conversation from going any further.
"I do," said Rinoa as a matter of fact.
Zell rolled his eyes. "Oh really?" he said sarcastically.
"Really."
"All right then, why is Irvine so worried about me?" asked Zell, not really caring about what her stupid theory would be. He hoped that she would just tell him and leave.
Rinoa hesitated before saying, "I'm not telling."
"What?" asked Zell. After Rinoa had made such a fuss about knowing why Irvine was worried, now she wasn't even going to tell him? "Why not?" Now Zell was curious as to what Rinoa knew that he didn't.
"You'll just get all moody if I tell you so I'd better not," said Rinoa.
Zell gave the girl puppy-dog eyes. "Please? Please tell me." He pouted.
Rinoa looked into the pathetic looking face of Zell. How could she resist such a face? "Naw... I don't think I should."
"Common," Zell urged.
"Well, he might get mad at me..."
"I won't tell anyone you told me."
"Promise?" asked Rinoa, looking deep into Zell's eyes.
"Promise!" he repeated.
"Okay, Irvine said that you have been helping him through certain..." Rinoa coughed, "situations... and now he says that he is worried about you because you are bummed, and that he just wants to help you out, like you helped him." Rinoa shrugged. "But you don't seem that bummed to me."
Zell didn't say anything for a moment. Irvine wanted to help him? Help him with what, raising his class mark? There wasn't really any point in that; it was probably already too late to raise it. Zell looked at Rinoa with a confused expression that could have been mistaken for blank. "What does Irvine want to help me with?"
Rinoa shrugged again. "I dunno. Probably whatever it is that you are upset about."
Zell didn't think that Irvine could possibly know what Zell had been lamenting over. If Rinoa, the reader of expressions, didn't know what was on his mind, then surely no one did... Unless Selphie had talked to Rinoa about that time that they had ate together in the cafeteria.
"Oh look! There's Squall," Rinoa waved to the young man in front of them, who waved back less enthusiastically.
Zell looked down to the ground to avoid having to take part in anymore conversations.
Rinoa placed a hand one Zell's arm. "Hey, cheer up okay! Don't go making Irvine worry about you more than he already is. Ya know, I think Irvine has a thing for you."
Zell blinked. "Say what?"
She leaned over to whisper into Zell's ear. "Don't go taking Selphie's place too quickly though, or she might come after the both of you."
Rinoa smiled sweetly and winked at Zell before skipping ahead to take Squall by the arm and lead him away.
Zell felt a tinge of jealously as he watched Squall with Rinoa. He wished that he had someone to latch onto his arm, or in his case, someone's arm to latch on to. But wait. What had Rinoa said about Irvine having a thing for him?
'Yeah right,' thought Zell. 'What has she been smoking?' Zell dismissed that thought at once, and slouched at the remembrance that he was on his way to his first class.
-
Zell's first class was pretty good; he had only been yelled at once and that was for making a smart-ass comment.
He swiftly made his way to his second class, hoping that it would go just as well, but then he saw who was walking a few yards ahead of him.
It was Irvine. His long suede jacket was flowing behind him as he walked, and he was carrying his books under one arm.
Zell suddenly remembered what Rinoa had said to him earlier. What should he do? Should he skip class to avoid the man? No, he couldn't; he was almost failing as it was. Zell could feel his heart beating faster in his chest.
'Calm down,' he thought to himself. Rinoa couldn't be right. Irvine wasn't coming on to him or anything. He was just a friend in need of comforting.
'Oh no!' Zell's mind screamed upon the sudden realization that if Irvine had a thing for him, Zell himself may have caused the man to have these feelings for him by giving him that hug and rubbing his back and-
Zell stopped himself before he got lost in all of the ways that Irvine may have gotten the wrong message about their friendship. He would just have to go into class and brave the situation. Besides, he wasn't even sure if what Rinoa had said to him was true.
Zell walked into the classroom coolly and sat down in his seat next to Irvine, though not as close as usual.
Irvine already had his textbook open to the page that was indicated on the board. He looked over to watch his friend take out his textbook and turn its pages quickly, not looking up.
Irvine assumed that Zell was still mad at him for teasing him the previous day. He really hadn't meant to offend the boy, but still, he kind of regretted ever having said anything.
"Hey," Irvine said quietly to Zell in greeting.
"Hi," Zell responded quickly, still not looking up.
Irvine was relieved that Zell had acknowledged his greeting. Perhaps he wasn't mad at him after all, but he better apologize just in case. "I'm sorry about yesterday, man. I didn't know that you would get so upset by what I had said."
"No prob," said Zell absentmindedly. Then he thought a moment. Maybe he should pretend to be mad at Irvine; that would keep him a safe distance away. Or maybe he should just tell him that he wasn't into guys. No, that would be too straightforward. He didn't want to offend his friend either.
"Ya know," Irvine began uncomfortably, fearing that his and Zell's relationship had changed since yesterday, "I was thinking about how you're doing in this class, and um... I could tutor you if you like. I think I could really help you pull up your mark."
"Sure," said Zell, but he couldn't help thinking that Irvine was just trying to get closer to him by pretending to be tutoring him.
"Cool. We can start tonight if you like."
"Sure," Zell repeated less enthusiastically. That was all he needed was more teasing of the other SeeDs because he was being tutored.
"Okay, meet me in the library at 5:00pm." Irvine took out a piece of paper and began to write out the time and place that they would meet so that Zell wouldn't forget. "We'll work for an hour and then we can grab a bite to eat afterward. I've got some money and I believe I owe you a meal."
He knew it! Irvine was coming on to him. He couldn't be tutored; not by Irvine. But free food? How could he turn it down?
"Okay," Zell agreed, taking the piece of paper that Irvine had written on.
-
Second class ended exceptionally well for Zell.
Irvine closed his books quickly and stood up. "Don't forget, 5pm."
Zell nodded his head.
"Okay, see ya later then." Irvine exited the classroom.
Zell sighed. He shouldn't have said that he would meet Irvine in the library. Now he was obligated to go. He put his books into his bag, put the bag over his shoulder, and picked up the paper that Irvine had left for him. He stared at it as if waiting for it to decide whether he should meet with Irvine, or just not show up at all.
Zell slipped out of the classroom without the instructor noticing. He looked down at the paper in his hand again, and making a quick decision, crumpled it up and pitched it into the nearest garbage bin.
-
Irvine looked to the clock on the wall in the library. It read 5:28pm. Irvine stood up and walked over to the library girl. "Excuse me, is that the right time over there?" He indicated the clock.
The girl looked down at her wristwatch. "Yep."
"Thanks," said Irvine unhappily. He left the library. He couldn't believe that Zell hadn't shown. He was sacrificing his free time to help the boy out, and even offered to buy him supper, and Zell wasn't even polite enough to let him know that he wasn't going to come.
Irvine tossed his blond hair to the side with his hand that wasn't carrying his books. He walked purposefully to Zell's dorm room and knocked loudly on his door, but no one answered.
Zell must have known that Irvine would come looking for him because he had gone to the Training Center.
He defeated another Grat with his fists of flames and added it to his count so far. Twenty-six. Then he stopped to take a breather. He leaned on a fallen tree and wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his gloved hand.
While he sat, his mind wandered to the topic of Irvine. Zell wondered what the taller boy was doing at that moment in time. He must have realized by now that Zell wasn't going to show up, Zell just hoped that he wouldn't come to the Training Center looking for him.
Irvine would never forgive him for not showing, and Zell wondered if the whole situation was really worth losing Irvine's friendship over. After all, Zell thought rationally, Rinoa did say that Irvine had actually told him that Irvine had the hots for him. Irvine still hadn't fully recovered from the loss of Selphie, and Zell doubted that the man would move on so quickly.
Zell suddenly realized how childish he was behaving. He stood up. He had to tell Irvine what was bothering him. At least then Irvine would know that it wasn't his own fault that Zell hadn't shown up for their study session, blame himself, and jump off of the Garden.
Zell made his way back to the entrance of the Training Center to find that a Grat was in his way of leaving. "You're going to be sorry if you don't move," he warned the Grat.
The creature didn't move.
"All right," said Zell. "Bring it."
-
Irvine was on his way back to his dorm room when Dr. Kadowaki and a group of people in long white coats raced toward him.
Irvine quickly stepped out of their way before they ran him over. What was their hurry? He continued walking down the hallway until he was stopped by an out of breath Chayn.
Chayn stopped in front of Irvine, his chest was rising up and down. "Zell Dincht," he breathed. "He is your friend, is that correct sir?"
Irvine looked confused. "Yeah, why?"
"Dr. Kadowaki asked me to find you and inform you that you have permission to visit him in the Infirmary."
"The Infirmary?" Irvine repeated. "Why is he there?"
Chayn looked unhappy to be the one to have to tell Irvine the news. "There's been an accident."
-
End of Part V.