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Chapter 5.

IIiiII

Irvine watched Zell flop down next to him on the sofa.

"What's up with you?"

He shook his head, mumbling his reply.

"Where'd Seifer go?"

"He didn't feel well." Selphie said as she came into the room. "I hope its nothing he ate... I ate what he ate."

Zell shifted uncomfortably, not even noticing what the movie was until it had been on for half an hour. He felt kind of guilty, which was weird. Why should he feel guilty? He hadn't done anything wrong, in fact he was the victim here. He hadn't asked Seifer to kiss him and he didn't ask the other man to have feelings for him. He knew that this was all Seifer fault and yet.... He felt sorry for Seifer.

"Hey wait!" He pointed at the screen. "Are we watching sliding doors again?!"

Everyone blinked at him. "Zell, it's been on for ages and you've just noticed?"

He reddened and slumped in the seat. "I didn't vote for that."

"No you weren't here for the vote and even if you were you would have been outnumbered." Selphie said.

He slumped further in his seat to sulk. He suddenly wished raging Marlboros would appear in this movie to eat the characters.

After the movie the gang sleepily wandered back to their room. Selphie, who had gone in first came back out and pointed at the guys.

"Shush!" She hissed. "Quiet!"

Irvine frowned.

"Why?"

"He's asleep." She hurried back into the room.

The guys followed her inside.

Irvine smirked. "Aww doesn't he look cute?" He cooed over Seifer.

The tall blonde had fallen asleep on top of the covers on his bunk fully dressed apart from the lack of trench coat and boots.

The cowboy waved a hand in front of Seifer's closed eyes.

Zell frowned and slapped the arm away. "Stop that! Leave him alone!"

The cowboy pouted. "But I was just playing." He smiled. "You think he's cute don't you Zell?"

"Shut up Irvine." The little blonde was about to climb up to his bunk when Seifer stirred in his sleep causing both of them to freeze, Zell to held his breath and gripped Irvine's arm.

Seifer sighed in sleep, rolling over to face away from the noisy pair and went back to sleep.

Zell breathed out in relief, his grip slackening on his friend's arm.

"What the hell's up with you?" Irvine whispered to the jumpy blonde.

"Nothing." He hissed, climbing up to the bunk.

Irvine climbed up to his bed too and looked at Zell across the gap. "Nothing?"

"Yeah I- I'll tell you tomorrow." He said. "Go to asleep."

IIiiII

Irvine stared at Zell in shock and then glanced at Raijin to see his reaction. The dark man was equally stunned.

"He- He kissed you? Really? Seriously?"

Zell nodded nervously.

Irvine sat down on his heels in shock. "Well fuck me." He whispered.

"Well-" Selphie grinned. "That's great!"

The three of them turned and gaped at her.

"It's.... not great?" She asked, her grin dropping slightly.

Ignoring her, Raijin asked. "So what now, you know?"

"Well I'm over here." Zell said, looking over to the over said of the yard where the others were with Seifer. "And he's.... over there."

No doubt a similar conversation was going on with Seifer and the others.

He looked over every couple of minutes and catch one of the others looking in their direction.

"And?" Selphie prompted.

"And what?" Zell asked.

"What are you going to do about?"

He shrugged. "I don't know, nothing I guess."

She sighed.

"Look all I have to do is keep my distance and let him- err- get over it." He looked at his shoes.

Raijin also kept glancing over to the other group. "Oh god, you know, I shouldn't be over here. Fujin's going to kill me, you know."

Irvine rolled his eyes. "Go over there then."

"I can't now! I'm already the traitor. I've switched sides, I'm disloyal, not worthy." He glanced over there again with a worried expression.

The cowboy shook his head.

Selphie sighed. "I can't believe you're not going to do anything! Seifer's okay, we know him and he's a friend can't you just agreed to be friends again?"

Zell shifted. "But that means I have to talk to him and I'm not good with the talking."

"Zell you talk loads, it's Squall who never talks!" Irvine said.

"Yeah but that's general mindless talking, this would be feelings and-" He grimaced. "I'm not good at that stuff, why'd you think I'm still single?"

Selphie sighed. "When did this happen anyway?"

"Yesterday before the movie, you interrupted us Sef."

"I did?" She clapped both hands over her mouth. "Oops!"

"No, no that's got to have been a good thing, you know." Raijin said. "For you I mean!" He added. "I bet you were relieved."

Zell shifted, looking at the floor. "I don't know."

They gaped at him. "What do you mean, you don't know? A second ago you were all keen to forget it ever happened and now you don't know if you liked kissing him or not!" Selphie said.

Zell put his hands over his ears. "It's just easier to forget about it, thinking is too difficult."

Irvine rolled his eyes. "You're hopeless."

"Well you better get sure you know, I think you should tell Seifer one way or the other, you know."

Zell glanced over at the other group at the same time as Seifer looked up at him and their eyes met. The younger man bit his lip nervously but it was Seifer who looked away first when Fujin tugged on his arm to get his attention.

"I can't believe you kissed him." Fujin said. "After all the times I've said to forget about the stupid little chicken Wuss and then you go and do something like this." She folded her arms.

"I know, I know I screwed up okay?"

"And now everything's going to be all awkward and stuff." Rinoa pouted.

"You should talk to Zell." Quistis said.

"Oh, I'm so glad everyone has an opinion on this." Seifer said, then feeling eyes on him he turned and glared at Squall.

"What you looking at Leonhart you have a comment to make too?!"

The brunette frowned, he perched on the edge of an old storage container. "I don't see how you can 'accidentally' kiss anyone."

"That's because you've never kissed anyone!"

"He's kissed me." Rinoa said.

"Ah, scarred for life then." Seifer said.

She frowned and hit him in the arm. "Ow." He said, though it didn't really hurt.

"You should talk to him." Quistis repeated. "Now!"

"Now? But-" He glanced over. "He's all the way over there!"

A couple spots of water fell from the sky causing them all to look up, both groups shared a look just as the heavens opened and it started to rain hard.

"Work suspended!" Selphie announced, heading for the door with everyone else.

The petite brunette suddenly hurried to the forward whispering to the other girls who grabbed Irvine, Raijin and Squall tugging them in quickly.

The door was slammed shut in the faces of Seifer and Zell, leaving them out in the rain.

"Hey!" They both said at once.

"Work it out!" Selphie yelled

"But it's raining!"

"Talk quickly!" She hissed, holding the door almost shut and then she closed it and pulled the curtain across the door to block them out.

"Oh, come on!" Seifer yelled.

"Hey! Selphie!" Zell called.

Nothing happened.

They both sighed, looking at each other briefly then both walking off in different directions.

IIiiII

Selphie settled the curtain in place with a smile.

"You are co cruel." Quistis teased.

The gang sat around the dining table.

Matron had handed out towels and Irvine was rubbing his hair dry. "Keep some of those around, they're going to need them." Irvine chuckled.

Edea frowned. "Are you sure it's a good idea to lock them out there in this weather?"

"It'll be fine." Selphie said. "The rain will force them to talk, they're get over it and be friends again before you know it."

Raijin frowned. "I don't know, you know." He glanced over at Fujin, who was ignoring him for taking Zell's side over Seifer's earlier.

"After this I don't think either of them will talk to us again let alone each other." Irvine said.

"Because we care enough to do something about this?"

Quistis got up. "Right, that's long enough!" She announced.

"Ohh Quisty don't be such a spoilsport." Selphie whined.

"Couldn't I just check on them?"

"I don't see how locking them out in the rain is helpful." Squall said.

Selphie stuck her tongue out at him. "What do you know?"

"We should check on them." Edea agreed. "I don't like leaving them out there."

Selphie sighed. "Oh okay, just for a second."

She pulled the curtain back and peered around it. "There I checked and they're fi- err- Oh MY GOD!" She shrieked.

Quistis and Rinoa both ran to either side of Selphie to see. "What?"

"Have they killed each other?" Irvine said.

Rinoa started to laugh. "Well maybe they're trying to suffocate each other to death... with each other's tongue!" She giggled.

Irvine frowned and shared a look with Squall and Raijin. "What?!" He said and they all clambered to get around the door to look out. "Oh my god!"

Irvine laughed. "How the hell did that happen?"

"Maybe they have some magnetic pull towards each other's lips." Squall suggested.

Irvine laughed and then glanced at the brunette's serious expression, which only made him laugh harder.

Zell was on his tip toes to reach the taller blonde, his arms locked around Seifer's neck. The other man had an arm around Zell's waist over his wet t-shirt, which was sticking to his skin and his other hand cupped Zell's face.

The blondes broke apart slowly to the sound of cheering. Zell went bright red when he saw the audience but Seifer just grinned.

IIiiII

"Hey!" Zell protested as the doors were shut in their faces leaving him and Seifer out in the rain.

The rain was really starting to come down now. "Hey!" He hit the door. "Are you crazy?"

"Well it was Selphie's idea and we all know she's crazy." Seifer said.

The tall blonde had walked off towards the cliffs now and Zell was over by the door still staring at it and willing it to open somehow.

Zell sighed. "Okay that's get this over with so we can go and get dry, what do you have to say to me?"

Seifer frowned. "What should I say?"

"How about 'I'm sorry'"

The taller man scoffed. "For what?"

"For kissing me? For leaping on me like some horny puppy and traumatising me."

"Traumatising? How about you apologize for being a stupid cowardly chicken Wuss."

"Me? You're the cowardly one! Fujin said so!"

"What's Fujin got to do with this?!"

Zell folded his arms. "It's nothing."

"No come on you mentioned her last night too, what happened?"

"Well-" He looked at his shoes. "She said that you were a coward because you had all these feelings for me and you were too scared to bother to tell me."

Seifer frowned. "Did she?"

"Yeah and- err- Rinoa said stuff too."

"Fine then I'm sorry that I hurt your little Chickie feelings and that you're not grown up enough to handle adult situations."

Zell glared. "Hey! I can handle it! I can handle it fine. I just-err- wasn't prepared that's all."

"Prepared?"

"Yeah you didn't warn me first."

Seifer scoffed. "And did that stupid library Chick warn you first?"

Zell's mouth opened and then shut again looking embarrassed. "We didn't- err- I mean how do you know that I kissed her?"

"Well Irvine said stuff so I assumed."

"Well we didn't okay?" He looked at the floor now all embarrassed.

Seifer started to grin. "Don't tell me!" He laughed.

"Hey! Shut up!"

"That was your first kiss?!"

"Well -err- o-okay so what if it was?"

Seifer continued to chuckle to himself.

"Hey! This is all your fault for ruining everything!"

"Ruining? So you had someone else in mind for the task did you?" Seifer asked.

"Well- No but anyone besides you would have been good!"

Seifer grinned and started towards him.

Zell's eyes widened and he backed up quickly stumbling over his own feet. "W-What are you doing?"

The grinning blonde reached out and grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him completely ignoring the protests to lock lips with the slightly struggling younger man.

Zell put his arms up to push him away but he didn't he just kept his arms up to push if he wanted to.

Seifer broke the kiss to grin at Zell. "Now I'm your second kiss too."

Zell frowned, taking a second to get his brain back in gear. "You-You bastard." He hissed. "Now I have to deal with you telling me I'm a bad kisser for the rest of my life!"

"I didn't say I thought you were a bad kisser."

"I'm not?" He asked innocently.

The older man chuckled, one arm wrapped around Zell's waist and one hand on his cheeks. Fingers absently traced the tattoo. "No." He leant in so that their lips brushed when they spoke. "I think you taste sweet Chickie." He chuckled feeling Zell's cheeks blush over his hand.

Zell opened his mouth to say something but instead Seifer kissed him again, his hand that was on the small of the other man's back pushed him up urging him onto his tip toes.

Zell started slowly kissing him back, his wound around Seifer's neck with a hand in his hair.

The sound of cheering made Zell look up and he blushed in horror at the sight of the whole gang watching them through the glass door.

Seifer chuckled in his ear. "I think we can go inside now." He whispered and turn to go in tugging Zell along by the hand.

When they got to the doorway Zell quickly pulled his hand back.

They were jumped on by Selphie when they walked in. "See, see I told you my plan would work!"

Everyone spoke at once with the- "Oh, we're so happy for you." and- "You make such a nice couple."

Zell was getting redder by the second and even Seifer looked a bit uncomfortable at all the attention.

Edea stepped in and saved them. "Girls, girls there's plenty of time for that later and I think these guys need to go and get dried off." She threw and towel at each of them.

"Thanks Matron." They both said.

"Go and get out of these wet things." She said, watching them leave the room.

Irvine laughed. "Oh yeah you two can go get undressed together."

"Shut up Irvine!" Zell about he rounded the corner and ducked in the bathroom.

Seifer went into the bedroom and stripped off his clothes that were sticking to his wet skin. He put on some dry pants and was sitting on the bed holding a T-shirt when Zell peered round the corner. He held his wet clothes and was clad in just a dry pair of boxers that he had left in the bathroom before. He threw his wet clothes into the corner and hovered in the doorway looking at Seifer.

"Hey." The taller man said, watching the nervous blonde in the doorway. "Aren't you coming in?"

Slowly Zell moved from the doorway going around Seifer bed, giving him a wide berth to get to the other side of the bunk. Seifer rolled over and lay on his bed, an arm under his head and the other reached out and tugged at the hem on Zell's shorts.

"Stop it." Zell hit the hands tugging at him.

"Come here." The taller man patted the empty space next to him.

Zell looked unsure. "I don't know."

"Why? You think you're going to catch something? Like my gayness?" He huffed. "Get your ass over here Chickie."

Zell sat down on the bed beside Seifer. "I never said that! Don't be such a prick." He hit him in the chest but Seifer grabbed the hand and used it to pull Zell towards him.

"What are you doing?"

"Come here." Seifer patted the space right next to him.

Zell shuffled over a bit to lie on his side propped up beside Seifer who was on his back and with one last tug from Seifer the little blonde moved to cuddle with him. His head on Seifer's chest and the older man's arm enclosed around him.

"I don't think we should- look- you know- in front of the others, I'll never hear the end of it from them." Zell said.

"Look like what?"

"Like.... Couple-ish." He blushed.

He felt Seifer chuckle. "Is that what we are then? A couple?"

Zell looked up at him and frowned. "I don't know! I've just been doing what you told me to do!"

Seifer laughed. "You're such a little Chicken Wuss."

"Asshole." He muttered into Seifer's chest.

The older man's hand came up and ruffled through Zell's hair. "Yeah, yeah."

IIiiII

TBC