Just best friends
Chapter 9
Disclaimer: Squaresoft owns all the characters. I don’t own anything.
Just best friends
Chapter 9
Kurt groaned as the sun shone right in his eyes. He pulled the blanket up and over his head. His back ached, too, from lying on the sofa all night. He rubbed his stiff arms and nearly lay down again until he heard someone singing. He listened to the voice. The radio was playing and someone was singing along to it.
He smiled; since there was only one person who lived here, he knew it was Zell. He quietly got up from the couch and approached the kitchen; he peered about the door. Zell was making breakfast badly from the look of it; at least his singing was better than his cooking. The song on the radio was Westlife. Kurt winced, he could have picked a good song to sing to.
The little blonde was topless with only a pair of shorts on. Kurt now understood the phrase ‘ eye candy’ Zell may have been short but his torso was compact with tight muscles. Shame Zell wore a shirt at all. Then a sneaky thought hit him. What if he accidentally forgot to ask Squall for a dorm today? Then he’d have to stay here for longer.
When the song ended Kurt walked into the kitchen, clapping and cheering at the blonde. Zell spun round in horror.
The red head in front of him grinned which eased his embarrassment slightly.
“Want breakfast?” Zell asked changing the subject.
Kurt looked in the frying pan in disgust. There were three broken fried eggs and five burnet pieces of bacon.
“Is that what this is? I was going to ask, it looks like an experiment gone wrong.”
“That’s not funny.” The blonde replied in mock anger.
Zell turned off the stove and picked up a shirt from his room. Kurt almost frowned in disappointment when Zell put a shirt on.
“You want to get breakfast in the cafeteria instead?”
“Sure just let me get dressed.”
Seifer sat in the cafeteria. The whole garden knew about his relationship with Squall and most of them seemed happy for them. He had had a few threats from a group of girls who idolised Squall, but that was nothing to worry about. He’d come to the cafeteria alone this morning. Squall was still asleep when he had left. He figured he must have worn him out. He’d left a note beside the bed saying were he had gone.
Kurt hadn’t been seen since last night. Seifer wondered if he’d stayed with Zell as planned. They would make a nice couple. He had already matched one couple recently and he was thinking of making a career in match-making.
He considered himself a genius at spotting a potential couple and at realizing who had a crush on someone. The only person he didn’t notice that had a crush was Squall, but being on the receiving end is different and besides he wasn’t gay.
“That is so not true!”
Seifer looked up at Zell’s raised voice. He was shouting, but not in anger, more like a playful argument. Zell walked along with Kurt by his side, they were smiling and chatting happily. Seifer grinned. They seemed to be getting on well.
“Hey, guys.” He called as they passed him to get breakfast, probably hotdogs knowing them.
“Hi, Seifer.” They said in unison. Hyne they were so alike it was freaky.
He guessed Kurt had stayed with Zell, probably slept on the sofa. Hopefully he would be upgraded from the sofa soon.
Kurt arrived first and set his tray down on the table.
The blonde smiled. “You and Zell seem to get on okay.”
“Yeah, he’s a nice guy.”
“Hmm I’m sorry you didn’t get a dorm last night. Did you share with Zell?”
“Yeah.”
“On the sofa?” He asked with a smirk.
“Yeah. What kind of question is that? Are you implying something?”
“No, of course not. You don’t have to be so touchy.”
Kurt glared suspiciously at Seifer but then Zell pulled up a chair so he turned and smiled at the short, blonde.
“You got hot dogs for breakfast?”
“Yeah, I thought you loved them too.”
“I do, but not first thing in the morning.”
Zell pouted playfully. “Well then you’re not a true fan.”
Seifer looked on amused maybe this set up would be easier than he thought. They obviously feel something for each other already.
“Hey, guys.” Selphie skipped into the cafeteria.
“Hi, Selphie.”
“Oh, yeah, Selphie this is Kurt.” Zell introduced them.
The short girl smiled. “I’ve seen you already with the green hair. What happened to that by the way?”
“The green washed out.”
“If I were you, I’d never speak to anyone who dyed my hair green.”
The red head smiled. “He let me stay at his dorm last night so I forgave him.”
Selphie grinned. “Let you stay? That’s nice.” She winked at Seifer.
Kurt narrowed his eyes again. They were up to something. He wondered if Zell knew. The blonde didn’t look suspicious of them so maybe he was in on it.”
“What was that?”
“What was what?”
“That wink.”
“Just being friendly.”
Seifer looked up suddenly as if he sensed something. His eyes lit up and he smiled at the person in his line of vision.
“Hi, Squall,” Zell said without looking up. Only Squall could get that kind of reaction out of Seifer, which was kind of sweet.
The blonde got up to greet his lover. Squall smiled and rested his head in Seifer’s chest. They stood in the middle of the cafeteria and no one seemed to mind their public display of affection.
“Did you get the message I left you?”
“Yep.”
Seifer ran his fingers through his lover’s hair. “Hey, look who came in here this morning looking pretty friendly.” He moved slightly so that Squall could see the table were he’d been sitting. The brunette raised his eyebrows at the sight of Zell and Kurt sitting together happily chatting away.
“Zell stayed with Kurt as planned?”
“Yep, Part A of the plan was a success. Time now for part B.”
“Oh no Seifer hadn’t you better let them work it out between them.”
Seifer snorted. “If we left anything to Zell they’d never get anywhere.”
“What’s part B then?”
“I’ll tell you later. Breakfast comes first.”
“Hi, Squall.” The red head greeted.
Squall nodded in reply.
“I’ll definitely need a dorm today.”
“Stayed with Zell did you?”
“Yeah, but I can’t be a burden forever.”
The short, blonde who sat beside him frowned at his comment. “You’re not a burden. I enjoy your company.”
Kurt grinned.
Seifer nudged squall and Selphie giggled. Those two would make such a cute couple.
Kurt looked up again to notice everyone giving him and Zell strange looks.
“What?”
Zell also looked puzzled. “Am I missing something here? You lot have been acting crazy all morning.”
“Nothing.”
“Whatever.”
“Oh no, not that catch phrase again. I thought we’d heard the last of that, Squall.”
Seifer smiled at Selphie for changing the subject.
“I’ve gotta go. I have to train.” Zell stood up from the table. He turned to Kurt. “Umm, I’ll see you later okay?”
“Yeah, sure.” The red head watched until Zell was out of sight.
Selphie stood, too. “I’ll catch you guys later.” She leaned close to Seifer. “Keep me posted,” she whispered.
“So.. What am I supposed to do all day? I don’t have a dorm or have any friends.”
“Oh, we don’t count do we?”
“I meant non instructor or commander friends.”
“You could sit in on a class if you wanted.”
“I don’t think the instructor would be too pleased about that.”
“You know Zell’s an instructor and he has classes today. I bet he wouldn’t mind if you sat in on a class.”
“Really?”
Both gunbladers noticed how Kurt perked up at the mention of Zell’s name.
“Sure, go ask him.”
“But he’s in the training centre.”
“So?”
Kurt fidgeted. He didn’t want to admit he was afraid to go in there alone, he thought Seifer might tease him about it, telling Zell had been bad enough.
“Okay.” He got up and left.
Squall gave Seifer a suspicious glance. “Was that part B?”
“Yeah. Get them to spend the whole day together.” He grinned and took a sip of his coffee.
Kurt felt like he was going towards instant death. Although if he walked into one of those dinosaur things he probably wouldn’t last long.
As he approached the heavy metal doors he swallowed hard and with some difficulty he pushed them open and slipped inside.
The giant jungle was hot, moist and filled with sounds from various monsters.
Kurt stared wide eyed at everything. He walked further into the jungle quietly so nothing would hear him. This ridiculous, how was he supposed to find one little human being in all of this.
He continued until he felt something digging him in the back. He froze. Slowly he turned, ready to run if it was something dangerous.
He came face to face with a terrifying killer tree branch.
He sighed in relief, realizing how stupid he was being.
His walk turned in to a sprint, the quicker he found Zell the quicker he could get out of here. Plus he knew Zell was a good fighter so he’d feel safe with the blonde around.
He came to a large bush that spread out across his path, as he moved out to go around it a grat jumped out at him. It watched its tentacles menacingly at him.
Kurt backed up sharply.
It’s just a grat, it’s just a grat. He kept repeating to himself but it didn’t help much.
He turned and prepared to run but he suddenly felt very sleepy, he couldn’t remain standing anymore. He fell to his knees and dozed.
The grat shuffled up to him, aiming a tentacle at his head. The tentacle hit him waking him instantly. He fell back, blood trickling down his forehead where he was hit. The grat hovered over him ready to strike when it froze suddenly as if it heard something. It backed off slowly listening to its surroundings, it turned tail and fled.
Kurt sat up slowly. What made the grat run away? Of course he was glad but if I monster is afraid of something then shouldn’t he be afraid too.
He couldn’t hear anything. Maybe the grat was just as jumpy as he was but then the ground shook ominously. The red head swallowed hard and backed up more.
A T-Rexaur roar pierced the air. He froze. The roar echoed around so he had no idea where it was coming from.
He backed up against a bush when a T-Rexaur head peeped through the bush right beside his head.
He screamed and run to find somewhere to hide. He knew he could never out run a T-Rexaur so all he could do was pray for a miracle. He stood behind a tall tree, his eyes tightly closed.
The T-Rexaur charged the tree that Kurt hid behind. The structure shook and the red head screamed and moved into a crouch. The monster charged again and the tree fell barely missing Kurt’s torso but it didn’t miss his legs.
He lay pinned to the ground by the tree, staring up at the T-Rexaur in terror with tears streaming down his face.
A sudden burst of something very cold startled him and he shut his eyes. He opened them again when he heard the monster cry out in pain. He looked up just in time to see a beautiful girl of ice smile at him before she disappeared again.
The T-Rexaur broke out of its prison of ice and roared. It was pissed now but it wasn’t facing Kurt anymore its gaze was fixed on something else. Something that moved very fast and glowed orange.
The orange blur went into limit break mode using Dual and My Final Heaven.
The T-Rexaur screamed and fell dead. The blur vanished and his saviour ran towards him.
“Z-Zell?”
Kurt felt a tingling sensation when a green light surrounded him. The pain in his head vanished but his legs still throbbed from under the tree.
The little blonde wrapped his arms around the tree and lifted it upwards so Kurt could move out of the way.
Kurt found himself crying again but from relief this time. Zell kneel beside him, putting a hand under his head tenderly.
“Are you okay?”
Kurt threw himself at his rescuer holding on to him.
“Thank you, thank you, thank you.” He repeated.
The blonde was startled, but he put his arms around the red-head, holding him. Zell used another curaga on Kurt’s legs but he still couldn’t walk.
“What are you doing here?”
“Seifer said I should-”
“Seifer sent you here? Alone?!”
“He said I should look for you.”
The blonde suddenly looked guilty. “You’re here because of me? I’m sorry.”
“It’s not your fault. You saved my life.”
“Come on lets get you to the infirmary.” Zell lifted Kurt effortlessly into his arms.
As the doctor was seeing to Kurt, Zell sat in her office seething. He kept repeating. ‘When I see Seifer, he’s a dead man.’ How could he let Kurt go into the training centre alone? He knew Kurt was from F.H where they had no fighting.
He heard the infirmary door open and Squall’s voice. He got up to see if Seifer was there with him.
“Zell? What happened to Kurt?” Seifer asked.
“THIS is YOUR fault!! You’re the one who sent him alone to the training centre aren’t you?!”
The tall, blonde held up hid hands in a sign of peace when he saw the homicidal look in Zell’s eyes.
“Look, he didn’t seem to mind going so I figured he could handle himself.”
“You knew he was from F.H!”
Squall held up his hands and spoke up. “We were worried about him. We were in the training centre looking for him!”
Zell looked back at Seifer. “I know you were trying to set us up. I’m not stupid but I didn’t think you’d stoop this low!” The blonde began to pace back and forth. “What did you think? I would save his life and he’d fall into my arms?!”
“Zell, I wouldn’t do that!”
“He could have been killed!!”
The came out with her hands on her hips. “Zell! This is the infirmary I do NOT want any fighting in here. Squall, Seifer you’d better leave. Zell, Kurt wants to see you.”
The blonde’s clenched fists and teeth disappeared as soon as he walked up to Kurt’s bed. His eyes lit up and he smiled. The red head smiled back.
Zell sat beside the bed. While he looked at all the injuries Kurt had he felt his anger seep back into him. He clenched his fists and stared at his lap.
“What’s the matter?”
Zell didn’t look up. “Nothing.”
Kurt hesitated before he put a hand over one of Zell’s fists. The blonde looked up startled. He moved his hand so he could grasp the red hand’s hand.
“It’s Seifer’s fault that you nearly got killed. I don’t know if I can forgive him for that.”
Kurt smiled. “It’s no one’s fault but my own. I was the one who was too afraid to tell anyone that I couldn’t fight.”
“Why?”
“You’re all so strong and brave... I thought you might laugh at me.”
Zell squeezed Kurt’s hand gently then drew it up to his lips. He placed a kiss on each of Kurt’s knuckles then nuzzled his cheek into the hand.
“Zell”
Both guys looked up at the doctor entered. “I think the patient needs some rest.”
The blonde nodded. He placed a kiss on the red head’s forehead then he left.
tbc.