Part Two

"What the hell are you doing here Chickenwuss?" Seifer asked, still breathing on Zell's neck. He eased up on his grip a little, but not much.

"Squall was getting reports of people being attacked out here. I guess I don't have to ask if it's you who's the cause of these attacks," Zell said wryly, trying to gauge Seifer's reactions in the dark and failing. "Are you going to let me go now?" Zell asked flatly. "You're practically strangling me here."

"Now I can't go ruining my reputation, can I? The same stakes hold for you as for everyone else. Now what have you got to offer me Zell?" Seifer asked.

"All I have is my gloves," Zell said, grabbing his wrist and starting to take them off. Seifer took a hand off of his neck and stopped him. "Not good enough," he shook his head. "I've got Hyperion. Try again." "I've got this cross my Mom gave me," Zell said, pulling it out from beneath his shirt to show to Seifer.

"Even I'm not that heartless, Chickenwuss. What else have you got?" "God, could you at least stop with the name calling if you're going to kill me because all I've got is the clothes on my back, my gear and my shoes and I just know you won't want them."

"Right again," Seifer smirked, just standing there leaning against the wall with a hand on either side of Zell's body.

"All that's left then is me," Zell said, gazing defiantly into Seifer's eyes. They both knew that this was partially some kind of game since Seifer had not drawn Hyperion and Zell was just standing here. Neither of them could be quite sure why they were playing or what kind of game it was, however.

"You?" Seifer said, letting his hands fall to his sides.

"Yeah, me. It's my last offer, because, frankly, I don't have anything here that I value more than my own two hands."

"Fine. I accept." Zell's mouth dropped open at Seifer's words. Seifer grabbed his arm and pulled him through the front door. "Come on in and close your mouth before I find a use for it, since it's mine now." Zell just blinked at Seifer and rolled his eyes. "I see you've been fixing this place up Seifer," he said. "What are you doing out here anyway, man?"

"I bought the orphanage from Edea," Seifer said casually, removing his belt and gunblade and propping them up in the corner of the one room that had been completely repaired. It had been the kitchen of the orphanage and was large enough that there was room in it for the bed that was in one corner and the two chairs of different sizes. Clearly, Seifer was living in here until he could make the rest of
the place liveable. "There didn't seem to be much else I could do. To get a real job you have to tell people who you are, and although they may not know me to see me, most people know who Seifer Almasy is. So I kill monsters during the day for the bounty in the little quaint town that's been built near here," he indicated his weapon where it now lay against the wall. "And at night I sometimes steal things from fat, rich guys. Now you," Seifer pointed a finger at Zell suddenly so
that his light blue eyes crossed as Seifer almost touched his nose, "were a surprise. Not fat." Seifer pinched Zell's stomach.

"Ow! You stupid . . ." Zell started to say, but he was interrupted by Seifer's hand coming down over his mouth. "And decidedly not rich" Seifer added grinning. Zell licked the hand over his mouth in an effort to get Seifer to remove it. Seifer's grin faded and he quickly moved his hand away, giving Zell a strange look.

"Now that you know what I've been up to, why don't you tell me how you've been whiling away your time? I hope it's been more pleasant." Seifer added as he got some food from the fridge and set it up on a cutting board.

Zell watched as Seifer turned on the gas stove on the floor and started cutting vegetables. "Its been dull," Zell said flatly. "You must have noticed that the monsters are all but gone, and there hasn't been much going on so SeeD has started changing gears. They're becoming more academic. I left when that started. I've been teaching defence classes in Balamb and doing odd jobs for people."

"It does sound dull, and you don't seem happy," Seifer observed, putting a pot of water on to boil.

"Neither do you." Zell offered.

"I don't deserve to be happy," Seifer said darkly. "Look at me. I'm still a bastard. Still breaking the rules, although you should see the looks on some of those idiot's faces when they hand over theirstupid trinkets."

"What do you do with it anyway?" Zell asked curiously.

"Sell it and use the proceeds to fix this place up. My only good memories are here anyway."

"Seifer, no one believes for a minute that any of that shit you did for Ultimecia was your fault. It's obvious she controlled your mind." "Is it obvious?" Seifer asked, hands so tightly clenched that his knuckles were white. " I know that you believe that, Zell, otherwise you wouldn't continue being so civil to me. The thing is, I'm not sure I believe it. I remember everything I did and I remember my mind making justifications for it as I went. Just like I've been justifying taking stuff from these rich dick-heads. I was going to pay them back, after. I just have to get this place fixed up before winter . . ." Seifer trailed off staring off into space.

"Seifer," Zell placed a hand on the blonde-haired man's shoulder.

"You just have to keep living right? We're survivors, that's why we're here. Now, I'm your slave for the two weeks I told everyone I was going to spend here and we'll get this place fixed up for you and then we'll see about self-recrimination and all that shit, okay?" Seifer smiled and stirred the stew he was making. "It'll be a while before this is done," he said and then turned around, "Oh and Zell,
who said anything about only two weeks?" Zell winced at the feral light in those shining green eyes and began to look around for escape routes.

When dinner was done, Seifer set down a plate in front of Zell, he'd also procured some bread from somewhere. All in all it was an odd meal, sitting with Seifer and eating with their plates in their laps. Seifer kept looking at him strangely too. It was unnerving, but in a pleasant sort of way. Seifer picked up their dishes and put them in the sink. "I'll get those in the morning" he said "right now, I dunno
'bout you, but I'm tired. I'm going to bed." Zell watched, fascinated as Seifer began taking off his shirt and pants, revealing his sleekly muscled body inch by inch.

"Ahhh where can I sleep?" Zell asked as he shook himself out of his reverie, realizing that he was drooling over his very male, very insulting friend. Seifer shrugged, an amused smile on his face. "With me," he said as he climbed into bed. "Hurry up," he added as his hand hovered by the lamp and his green eyes focussed intently on Zell's body, which remained immobile with shock. At Seifer's admonishment, Zell quickly began to strip out of his clothing, ending up in only his blue boxers. He was very aware the whole time that Seifer was watching him intently, probably only waiting for me to be finished so he can turn off the light Zell thought. Little did he know that had Seifer had to restrain himself from licking his lips at the sight of the nearly naked fighter. Zell got into bed beside
Seifer and he turned out the light.

"Ahh good night Seifer," Zell said quietly to Seifer's back.

"'Night Zell," Seifer replied softly. Zell shivered quietly at the sound of his name from Seifer's sleep husky voice and closed his eyes.

Zell woke up feeling very good. He was enveloped in warmth and his eyes just didn't want to open. Zell moved a bit and realized that he could feel breath on his cheek. He squinted an eye open and remembered where he was when eyes the colour of glass washed up on the beach looked back at him. Seifer's arms were around him and he
was pressed up against Seifer's chest.

"You cuddle in your sleep," Seifer said, smiling and yawning and closing his eyes again. Zell started at the realization of his current circumstances and attempted to untangle himself from Seifer, but he was prevented when Seifer tightened his embrace.

"Where're you going?" Seifer asked sleepily, getting that hungry look Zell had seen last night in his eyes again. "I'm comfortable. Stay here."

"But I . . ." Zell began.

"No talking, Chickenwuss," Seifer said, laying a hand over Zell's mouth again. "You're mine remember and I want to sleep now, and I say you do too. So sleep," he finished and closed his eyes once more. Seifer loosened his grip on Zell to a less constraining degree, and sliding one arm down, settled Zell closer to his warm, smooth, scantily clad body. Zell squeezed his eyes shut tightly and tried not to think about those things. Unfortunately, he was enjoying their closeness and Seifer's recent adjustment of their position had brought their hips into contact. Position, there were those words again. Zell's mind began to conjure up more naughty images and gasping and struggling he said "Seifer, I'm sorry man, but I . .  I have to use the bathroom, uh now!" Seifer groaned and let go of him,
if reluctantly. Zell quickly made his escape into the bathroom grabbing his clothes on the way. Seifer's groan only fuelled his desires as he extrapolated from it the sounds Seifer would make as Zell licked his way down his lean, strong body and teased him before finally sucking on him good and hard. By now Zell was quite hard himself and had to use the bathroom for real, if only for the privacy it afforded. As he cleaned up after having desperately jerked off thinking of Seifer's long, flushed, naked body, Zell reflected that he had better finish helping Seifer to fix the orphanage up soon, or he'd be cleaning his own remains up off of the floor after he tried to molest the golden-haired sex god.

When Zell walked through back into the main room, Seifer was making coffee. He turned around at the sound of Zell's entrance and said "you know how cook to eggs without fucking them up?"

"Yeah, what kind of idiot do you think I am?"

"Well, stop jabbering then, and make some." Seifer indicated the skillet he'd set out on the counter. Zell frowned, his blue eyes, clouding over, as if to warn of a coming storm. He couldn't figure out quite what Seifer was playing at and he wasn't sure he liked it.

"You're really taking this ownership shit seriously, aren't you?" Zell asked.

"Listen," Seifer sighed. "I'm not going to make you do anything I wouldn't do okay, but yeah, you made a deal with me, and I'm still enough of a bastard to make you follow through, so get to it!" he said and squeezed Zell's shoulder, forcing him over towards the stove. "All right, all right, sadist," Zell muttered as he turned on the stove and cracked some eggs into the skillet.

"I heard that," Seifer breathed in his ear, so close Zell could feel the heat of his body suddenly, "be careful or you might end up finding out it's true." He laughed a ringing laugh when Zell jumped, nearly burning his hand on the stove. Seifer poured some coffee and handed Zell a cup. He'd also set plates on the counter nearby and made some toast to go on them. Zell had to admit that it was really quite a fair arrangement all in all. It was just kind of strange being told to do things by Seifer.

After they'd eaten breakfast Seifer had Zell wash the dishes while he went outside to set up their repair operation for the day. When Zell finished up and walked outside into the sunny heat of the day he realized that they'd be fixing the roof first. Seifer had a ladder up against the building and was standing up on the roof, with his shirt already off.

"Hey, c'mon up," he called out. The two set to work on the hot roof, setting down tar and shingles over the areas where the roof had been caved in before Seifer had repaired it. He had obviously done a lot of work already and Zell was quietly impressed by the way he was sticking to this project. Seifer moved past Zell carefully and climbed down the ladder. "I'll be right back," he said, disappearing
below the edge of the roof. Zell continued working for a few minutes until he heard Seifer shout for him to come down.

He climbed carefully down the ladder and joined Seifer where he sat on the ground with a pitcher of water and two glasses. "Don't want you to die from heat exhaustion, before I'm done with you," he explained handing Zell a cold glass of water, beaded with condensation. Zell took several long gulps of water, while Seifer watched, then Seifer re-filled his glass.

"Thanks," Zell gasped. Then he put the glass to his forehead and trailed the cold, wet glass down his neck. "God that feels good," he said, not even noticing Seifer's intent green-eyed gaze that carefully followed the trail of the glass. Seifer could imagine his tongue following that same meandering path down Zell's body. Zell drew the glass across his chest, making his nipples stand up in reaction to the cold. That's when Seifer snapped a little, reaching over, he grabbed Zell's hand and tipped the water over his surprised head, causing his ever-spiky hair to stream down into his eyes. Zell gasped, his blue eyes opened wide with surprise. Seifer laughed heartily at the sight. "You look like a dying fish, Chickenwuss," he
managed to gasp out between peals of laughter. Zell calmly got to his feet, an unholy light in his eyes and the half full glass pitcher in his hands.

"Crap!" Seifer shouted and started running across the sun-warmed grass. "You wouldn't Chicken, would you?" he said pausing enough for Zell to gain on him, even overburdened as he was with the heavy container. Zell kept advancing on him grimly. "Zell? I own your ass, remember? Zell? Zell!" Seifer had started to run again, but tripped over a rock and fallen on the ground and now Zell stood overshadowing him like a forbidding stone gargoyle. Zell's grin widened as Seifer was drenched in water. He carefully spilled it in a quick head to toe motion so that every inch of Seifer was running with at least a little water. A leg came up and hooked Zell behind the knee and he came crashing down on top of his fallen foe, getting rather wet himself in the process.

"Oof! You're not as light as you look, Chicken," Seifer said, wincing.

"Well no one asked you to pull me down on top of you," Zell said, lifting himself on arms and knees and trying to get up. Seifer squinted up at Zell, as the sun illumined his dripping blonde hair.

"No, you're right" he said, grabbing Zell's shoulders and flipping him over. "I would never ask you to be on top," he leered down at the wet, bare-chested Zell.

"Seifer?" Zell asked, blinking. "You're joking, right? All of this owning me business, and the other stuff," he continued quickly. "It's just a joke, right?" Zell sounded rather desperate by now, and Seifer misconstrued it and got off, grabbing his hand and helping him up.

"Yeah, a joke," he said, rubbing his forehead, "If you're still going to help then let's get back to it."

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