Holy Bucket's cow...it's been a while everyone! Sorry about all the delays – I've had a ton of things happen to me all at once and I didn't really have the time to sit down and draft a proper chapter! GOMEN! Anyways, thank you everyone so much for leaving comments and giving me encouragements! Here it is, the next chapter!
Losing Control / 21
Seifer had been spending the last few hours right next to Squall, forgetting to eat or sleep. He sat there like a statue, emotionless and unwavering. Quistis came by a few times trying to get Seifer to sleep, or eat, but he refused every time.
How long has it been? Seifer neither knew nor cared enough. The only thing he could focus on right now was the minute movements of Squall's fingers. Every time he detected a movement, Seife's heart skipped a beat, thinking that maybe finally Squall will open his eyes.
After the sixth movement, the blonde almost gave up hope. However, on the seventh twitch of the finger, the brunette's eyes fluttered ever so gently, revealing a pair of clouded orbs.
"Squall? SQUALL! Can you hear me? Squall?"
Seifer shouted eagerly, not caring if the entire hospital heard him or not. Squall squinted and frowned, the sudden loud noise ringing inside his head.
"Come on, say something!"
Squall continued to frown. He then groaned and shifted his head to the side slightly. Seifer debated whether he should be calling the doctor or not.
"...Seifer?"
"Hey, yeah, it's me, Seifer. Squall?"
There was a short pause as Squall blinked lazily a few times and Seifer held his breath.
"...Can you leave for a minute?"
The taller man scratched his head and nodded reluctantly, not sure if Squall was just plain pissed off or if he really needed some time to get back to the real world. Seifer dragged his tired body outside, hoping that the next time he went in, Squall would be smiling.
After a few hours of agonizing mental pain and worry, Seifer decided to march into Squall's room.
Squall was still, with his eyes staring at the white ceiling. Seifer watched the brunette silently, studying the younger man's dark hair sprawled across the pillow and his lips parted slightly. Pain was etched into his expression as he continued to stare unfocused.
"You still need more time?"
The patient turned his head slowly and looked directly at Seifer.
"Seifer...why did you do that?"
His voice came out as a coarse whisper.
"Why what?"
"What happened to us?" Squall continued to question, not really listening to Seifer's replies.
"I -" Seifer tried to answer without much success.
"I thought you were with Rinoa...and all this shit happens. I don't even know what to believe, who to believe...I almost hate you...I do..."
Squall was starting to sound and act like a marionette, his mouth moving mechanically, his voice monotone, and his eyes dead. Seifer bit his lips, ignoring the metallic taste of blood. He's been in many tough situations in life, but he wasn't sure how he was going to handle this one.
"Squall, we need to talk. And before you kick me out or something, hear me out," Seifer paused and inhaled deeply. "Look, I know we have a lot of...misunderstandings. There is nothing between Rinoa and me – I would like to beat her into a little pulp, but that's not important. So, as pathetic as it sounds, I've been drugged. You know those aphrodisiacs or whatever -"
"Seifer...who were those people?"
Seifer froze momentarily and stared at Squall, who was staring back at him intently.
"There are some things I haven't told you...and I should have, but I couldn't."
Seifer waited silently, watching Squall continue to stare blankly.
"I...I hope this doesn't change anything. I mean, that IS, if you're willing to give me another chance."
"..."
The blonde took the silence as a cue to continue.
"I...Well...I'm not exactly a teacher. Well, I AM, but not – UGH – OK, let me start over. So...right now, I would call myself a teacher, but before anything...I will have to follow my dad's footsteps and continue his company soon."
Squall looked slightly more interested, but nonetheless confused.
"My dad...owns a company. A big company at that too. It's true, I'm going to be a multi-billionaire soon...I just didn't want to bind myself to that until I absolutely have to. I'm sorry for not having told you all this. I just didn't...didn't want you to think any differently of me. And for those guys...they're my bodyguards."
Seifer scratched his neck as Squall continued to stare, his eyes a bit livelier than a few minutes ago.
"Is that all?"
The taller man looked up and blinked a few times before nodding uncertainly.
"...So Mr. Billionaire decided he wanted a toy to play with," Squall spat bitterly, his eyes narrowing dangerously.
"Did you NOT just hear what I said? It's not like that at all! I'm not into all this mushy lovey-dovey shit, but at least I don't fake love! What do I have to do to prove myself then? HUH?"
"You don't have to prove anything. Just leave."
Squall's last word was so filled with hatred and venom that Seifer literally took a step back and stared in shock.
"I'm NOT going to just LEAVE!I would never toy around with you! Stop being so stupid – just get it through your head that I-"
"Well, I'm sorry for being STUPID – just didn't think that I'd be fucked over by YOU, that's all"
The two men were getting louder and louder, each word carrying more force than its previous one.
"What the hell are you talking about! LOOK, I don't want -"
"SEIFER. STOP. What do you think you are doing with a patient!" A feminine voice stopped the blonde from continuing. Without even turning around, he knew that the voice belonged to Quistis. She was standing with her arms crossed and her expression of motherly concern and strictness. "Seifer. Out. Now"
"WHAT?"
"You heard me."
"Why the f-"
"Just get out of the room for a few minutes, OK?"
Seifer obeyed after muttering a few words under his breath. Quisitis made sure that he was trudging down the hallway before closing the door and walking up to the brunette.
"Nice to see you're awake, Mr. Leonhart. I believe we've met but never really talked. Name's Quistis Trepe, a friend of Seifer."
Squall acknowledged her presence with a slight nod, but other than that, he stared blankly at the wall before him.
"I didn't mean to, but I heard the argument you two were just having."
She paused briefly, but continued warmly.
"I've known him for a very long time. It seems that...he didn't tell you about his...true life, I guess. Ever since he was a teenager, he always had women around him who wanted his money."
At that, the brunette looked at Quistis.
"And well, surprisingly enough, he never even looked at them. He may seem like a total playboy, but the truth is, he's not like that at all. He has a lot of responsibilities..and I guess he wanted a chance to break free for a while and be a teacher. He also wanted to stay away from all those people who faked affection just to use him for money, power, job, and whatnot. And well, judging from what I hear, he really does like you, even more than just that. I've never seen him ever get emotional about anybody."
"...It doesn't matter anymore."
Quistis laid a gentle hand on Squall's shoulder and smiled sadly.
"I really hope that you'd give him another chance. He really doesn't have much in life – and I know you mean a lot to him."
"...I don't know what to think."
"At least talk to him. At least understand how much he cares about you. Actually, you should get some rest. I'll have Seifer get some sleep too. He's been here for a few days just waiting for you to wake up."
Squall looked down and stared as his fingers. His fingers seemed ghostly...so pale and thin.
"Nice talking to you, Mr. Leonhart. I'll see you soon, hopefully. I really hope you consider what I told you. Seifer will probably be here again tomorrow...and maybe..."
Quistis smiled instead of finishing her sentence and shook her head. "...See you later."
Squall nodded in compliance and watched her walk out the door. He kept seeing Seifer in his head; his smiles, his strong hands brushing against his cheeks, his jade orbs twinkling every time he laughed.
"...Seifer."
When Squall whispered it at that moment, it sounded so achingly right that he closed his eyes to stop the tears from flowing out.
"Seifer, Seifer, Seifer...what the hell am I supposed to do..."
With that, the brunette closed his eyes and let himself drift to sleep.
End chapter woohoo – hope y'all enjoyed it!
Someone come up with a good company name for Seifer! I can't think up of anything creative! HELP!
Oh, and feel free to talk to me on MSN – give me advice, ideas, etc etc
It's tearsofgriever at hotmail!