Disclaimer: …do I really need to do this again?
Seifer couldn't sleep. He could hear Zell, softly snoring, across the room. Deciding again that it was too cold, Seifer got up for the fourth time, and adjusted the temperature. He could have sworn it kept getting colder.
A half hour later, he knew it had gotten colder in the room. And Zell still slumbered on, oblivious to the temperature change. Instead of changing the temperature again, Seifer dug through the room until he procured a handful of thick blankets, and piled them on his bed before slipping under them. He managed to slip off into sleep after a short time.
Seifer awoke rather violently. Literally. Opening his eyes, Seifer found himself looking down at a statue of ice, holding him high against the wall by the throat. He struggled, but quickly gave up after he found how little effect it was having. After glaring at him for a long while, the female ice statue withdrew her hand, letting him fall to the floor roughly, where he held his throat as the numbing faded.
After he regained use of his vocal cord, Seifer managed to croak out "What?" At which point, the figure glared at him.
"What are your intentions toward my Zell?" She demanded
"Your…?" Understanding came after the word, realizing just who, and what, the figure before him was. "…Shiva?"
She merely stared at him, her glistening blue eyes probing his mind, his soul, and judging what she found. Seifer found himself feeling violated, and broke the stare he had with the judging guardian force, and managed another word; "Why?"
"Why? You ask me why, mortal? Because you threaten my Zell. That is why. I will know what you intend to do with him, and if you do not answer satisfactorily, all they will find in the morning is an open window and an empty bed. Understand?" Shiva's eyes narrowed and she looked at Seifer darkly. "I can feel your minor fire spirit working in your mind, to bring up magics to attack me. It will not work and will end in pain. Yours." Shiva nodded slightly as she felt Seifer's GF release the magic it was gathering for him.
"How are you…"
"We may give up our corporeal forms to meld with you mortals, but some of us can reclaim our physical form, when the need comes. Now, stop avoiding the question and answer. What. Are your. Intentions. TO. MY. ZELL." She was fairly shouting with the final set of words, and Seifer didn't know how Zell was still asleep, his glance at the slumbering form not going unnoticed.
"He won't be awaking until dawn. Do not push me little mortal."
"What are my intentions?" Seifer felt he was validated to rage against the goddess. "He had pursued me."
"And he is innocent. You cannot claim such."
"Perhaps I am not. But, maybe that doesn't matter. Just maybe, the fact that I think I love him, I want to love him, is enough!" Seifer raised his voice, trusting that if Shiva said Zell wouldn't wake, he wouldn't.
Shiva remained silent; her judging eyes staying on him.
"And where do you get off, playing interrogator of Zell's b-…friends." For some reason, his mouth stumbled over the first part of the last word, and he wondered, albeit briefly, if he could even reasonably claim boyfriend status. If Zell hadn't meant it to be serious, he wouldn't have manipulated him the other night…would he? Seifer didn't realize how long he was spending on his introspection until he realized Shiva was still staring quietly.
"I am Zell's soul mate. The one who knows him best, and shares his experiences. We are a single being. That is where I 'get off, playing interrogator'. I will not let you hurt him. He is innocent, his heart still pure. Can you say, in honesty, that it would remain that way, if he pursued this course with you? Or would it end up as stained and ragged as yours?"
Shiva's words were damning, and true, Seifer realized, but did not relent. "Isn't that his decision, his path to take? If all you do it protect him from the slightest scratch, how will he grow up?"
Shiva merely glared at first. "Very well. But, be aware…the moment you hurt him, I will be waiting. Never forget that; I will be waiting for you."
Shiva turned, and as she did, her icy form melted and evaporated in one motion, dispersing her 'body' in moments, and Seifer was alone with Zell again. He had known GF's had a physical body at one point…after all, part of the SeeD training required getting one to give up their mortal form to join them, but he hadn't heard of one remaking such a form. Was Shiva's bond with Zell so strong it let her be independent?
Looking back at his bed, Seifer made a decision and crossed the room, pulled up the covers, and slid into Zell's bed, sliding one arm below Zell's neck, the other on top of Zell's flat stomach, and rested his head on Zell's softly rising and falling chest, and fell asleep. He had decided that Zell would be better off not knowing about his protecting, frosty, guardian angel.
Seifer awoke a minute or two before Zell, and just lay there, content, until Zell woke up. He could feel by the stretching of the lithe body below him when Zell had woken, and could even feel when Zell grinned, realizing that Zell used his whole body language to express the smile, and couldn't help a similar look crossing his own face. After enjoying the moment, Seifer opened his eyes and rolled back in the bed so he could look right at Zell and meet his eyes as he spoke the next question.
"So, which one of us is going to tell the others about this?"
AN: Sorry for the long time without an update folks. Barely could get 1000 words out of this.