Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Lightning. ❯ Chapter, The Fifteenth: In Which Zell is Smart! ( Chapter 15 )

Kitty: Wow! Zell is smart in this chapter! ...Makes up for his Rubedo idiocy... maybe. Silly Zell.

Eoko: You just said he was smart, and then silly in one line. And Rubedo isn't dumb, he's falling (falling) falling for Irvine.

Kitty: ...That was lame, Eoko... And I didn't say Rubedo was dumb, I said Zell was dumb for pretending to be him! XD

Eoko: Actually you said "his Rubedo idiocy" which could mean either or, or more.

Kitty: >_< Leave me alone. My brain is fried after last week. I need a holiday... Even though I've only been at Uni about three weeks...

Eoko: Well, you relax while I research 10 acedemic sources, write a 7-9 page literature review, write a 30+ question questionaire, do the reasoning and purpose of that questionaire, write another Police Use of Force Report and seven 250-700 word mini essays for next week. O.O Also why this chapter is being updated a day late.

Kitty: I can't relax I have an essay due next Friday too!

Eoko: Everything I said before the word 'seven' is due on Tuesday. That's in four days, Kitty, and I work part time. I win.

Kitty: I didn't know it was a competition... Talk to me in a month's time! That's when my work piles up. Stupid units of work... Eoko... we talk too much. Let's just shut up, okay, and let the people read the chapter. ^_^''

Eoko: You're right, we do talk to much, but I have a feeling it amuses our regulars. >..> You all know who you are.

Chapter, The Fifteenth: In Which Zell is Smart!

Irvine seriously considered remaining in the classroom while the rest walked out, but unfortunately, Zell stood at the door and watched everyone troupe out, then waved at Irvine when he realised the sharpshooter was still cowering - yes, cowering, Zell realised with a bite of guilt - in a corner.

"C'mon, Princess," he said and Irvine looked up, confusion evident on his face.

The taunt wasn't cruel, it wasn't vindictive, it wasn't nasty. Instead, it seemed kind of... affectionate? Irvine blinked and shook his head a little, then headed past Zell with his eyes down-cast.

Zell wanted to touch him, brush his hair back from his face and tell him it was going to be alright, he wasn't going to hurt him, or make a fool of him. But he couldn't. He was supposed to be easing up, not just turning totally opposite in his behaviour towards the sharpshooter.

He followed his class out of the room and locked it behind him. As he watched them, he realised he was shorter than all of them except the little girl who had dobbed Irvine in and her partner.

Damn. How embarrasing. Not that he wasn't used to being shorter than most people, but he was supposed to be the authority over these students.

They entered TRA and lapsed to excited conversation, gathering in a bunch in the middle on the soft, spongey mats specifically for this purpose. Irvine tried to hide in the middle of The Cadets, but he was a head taller than all of them, except Rikan, whom he was still a little taller than. Said red-headed Cadet put himself between Zell and Irvine and Zell gave a mental roll of his eyes as he strode around the outside of the group to the front of the room.

"Irvine," he said easily. "Come here. Everyone else, you can take a seat."

Irvine came to Zell with great trepidation while the rest of the class settled on the floor, chattering excitedly.

"Okay, okay. Calm down, don't get overexcited or anything. We probably won't be here for the full time today, and we can't really practice anything, what with skirts like that," Zell pointed to a girl with blue highlights in her waist-length hair, whose skirt was short enough to be classified no more than a "wide belt" in the fighter's mind. "And pants like that." He pointed to what Irvine would refer to as one of those "sterotypical frill-wearing fags", though he wasn't wearing frills, just a pair of pants so tight they were little more than a second skin, and so low-riding it should be illegal, plus a skimpy little shirt that left a lot of stomach showing. He even giggled when Zell pointed out his pants.

"He only owns pants like that," a girl piped up and most of the class laughed as he blushed faintly.

"Then he'll have to either buy some new ones or borrow someone else's," Zell said. "Okay. Let's take a look at Irvine here."

Irvine's heart skipped a beat and his hands fisted.

"As I said, his hair is fine like this, but the hat has to go." Zell took it off and put it aside. "Also, his jacket." Zell indicated the length of tan reaching Irvine's knees. "Restricts his movements and also makes it harder for me to see how he's doing." Irvine obediently shrugged out of the jacket and tossed it aside.

Hyne, that vest's gay... Zell thought. Doesn't he even realise?

"Sir..." one of the students ventured, a hand in the air.

"Go ahead," Zell said.

"Sir..." he said again. "Not being... um... rude or anything, but didn't you say we were supposed to pick partners the same height and weight as us? Or... as close as we could get?"

"Yeah, I did say that."

"So... how can you work with Irv? He's... at least a foot taller than you..."

"Actually, he's not a foot taller than me, thank you. He's half a foot taller than me."

The class laughed at the faked insult on Zell's face.

"Seven inches, actually," Irvine qualified with a slight smirk.

Zell looked at him, and the class laughed harder.

"Well, okay... seven inches. But anyway, you're also... um... way more muscled and stronger than he is... and... stuff... So you're not the same height and not the same build. You're breaking your own rule."

"Excellent point. Your name?"

"Um... Sheylan... Shey, usually."

"Okay, Sheylan, Shey usually, you're a step closer to passing my class." He looked to the rest of the class. "I don't care if you question me - in fact, I'd like you to - it shows you're paying attention and know what I'm trying to teach you. If the question's valid, ask it. Shey's quite right. I did say that. But no one else here is Irvine's height and build. You two are as tall as him, but you're much bigger and stronger. You, you're his build, but you only reach his chin. I know enough to match my strength to his and have enough skill to overcome the fact that he's taller than me. Believe it or not, I'm pretty used to fighting people taller than me."

They laughed again and Zell smiled.

"Okay, getting back to it. Can anyone else tell me what Irvine needs to lose?"

"His vest!" Apocalypse Girl's partner called, giggling, and Irvine smirked at her.

"No, not his vest," Zell said, chuckling. Although, sexual harassment suits aside, I'd love to see that... "Anyone else?"

"His boots?" Sheylan hazarded.

"No, his boots aren't too bad. They're soft, and worn-in. They don't restrict his movement and they're not heavy. He managed to fight a sorceress in them, so I think he'll do fine."

Irvine actually smiled a little at that, and the class murmured agreement.

"Good guess, though. Normally, boots would be a bad choice. One more guess, then I'll get bored and tell you the answer."

"My chaps," Irvine said softly, and Zell smiled.

"Right. Too much movement and they'll dig in at the top of your thighs, making it painful, and the same thing behind your knees. It's a matter of the repetitive movements we'll be doing in this class. They aren't actually going to get in the way, but they'll irritate your skin and muscles with pinching and biting. Well done, Irvine. So, off with them."

Irvine didn't protest. He could see the wisdom in Zell's decision. He unzipped his chaps, bending gracefully to do so, then kicked them off, leaving him in his black jeans, a hand planted on one hip. Zell grabbed his wrist and lifted his hand.

"These are the best gloves. If you want to look cool, this is how to do it, and be functional too. Irvine wears these 'cause they protect his hands from his gun, but also give enough freedom to feel the trigger of said gun. They work the same way for hand-to-hand. They give you support, but also allow you to have full use of your fingers."

The tight-pants gay man's female friend murmured something under her breath to him and he giggled, flapping a hand at her. Zell was fairly certain what she'd said.

"Okay, I'm gonna give you some exercises that I expect you to do every morning, and on the nights we don't have class. Don't think you can skip it, because believe me, I'll know if you have. And anything Irvine can do, any of you can do. He's tall, that makes it harder, and slender, that makes it even harder, and not used to using his body, which makes it about as hard as possible."

Having said that, Zell ran Irvine through several stretches and exercises designed to help all their flexibility and reflexes. He handed out a sheet listing all the exercises and smiled at his class.

"Okay, guys, that's enough for today. Aki'll kill me if he finds out I let you out forty-five minutes early on your first class, but you aren't dressed right. I expect you all to be next time. Any girl who turns up in a short skirt won't be getting out of participating, which means we'll all get to see your underwear, so don't do it. Any guy in a baggy shirt will have to tie one of those girly knots in the front. Got it? Round of applause for Irvine, please."

They were very enthusiastic, and Irvine tipped his retrieved hat with a slight grin. He was surprised and proud of himself that he'd done every single thing Zell had asked of him. Once or twice, the fighter had touched him to help him move into the right position, but he was professional about it, and Irvine was feeling more relaxed about the class now.

Although, they hadn't started actual fighting yet...

He grabbed his jacket and chaps as the rest of the class filed out, chatting about the class and reading over the notes Zell had handed out. Rikan watched him, and Zell watched Rikan, then smirked viciously when the cadet put a hand to his throat, shivered, and followed the rest of the class. He'd taken that warning seriously, then. Good.

"Irvine," he called, and he saw the sharpshooter flinch again.

"Yeah...?" he said warily, turning and hugging his clothing to himself.

Zell sighed.

"I'm not going to bite, Irvine. I'm not gonna call you names or anything either. We're still in class, remember?" He jerked a thumb at the clock. "I call you names, I'm in deep shit. I just wanted to say thanks for helping me. You think I did okay?"

Irvine could only stare. Zell was being nice to him? Zell had never been nice to him! Well... not since Seifer turned up anyway... He supposed Zell was nice to him during the Neo-Sorceress War... Or... maybe they hadn't spent much time together? But that was besides the point. Zell hadn't been nice to him for ages.

"Er... I... yeah, I guess... I weren't bored, anyway..." He offered a hesitant smile.

"You get bored a lot in class?"

Irvine shrugged.

"I guess... I know most of the stuff they teach..."

"Then why aren't you a SeeD yet?"

Irvine looked away, flushing.

Because I can't concentrate, because you and Seifer make it impossible to think about anythin' else. It's because of you.

"I don't know. Anyway... can I go? I'm supposed to be having dinner with Anasha and Harada."

That was actually a lie, but Irvine wanted to get out before he ended up screaming at Zell. The fighter nodded slightly and Irvine started off.

"That red-haired kid..." Zell said suddenly and Irvine stilled.

"Rikan? What about him...?"

"I saw the way that other kid dragged him away from you."

"Yeah..."

"There something going on?"

"Nothin' I can't handle," Irvine said fiercely, back going rigid.

"You sure? If he's bothering you, you've got a right to go to Ak-"

"And what about you?" Irvine hissed.

"What about me?"

The sharpshooter rounded on him, eyes dark and haunted.

"Do I have a right to go to him about you? About Seifer?!" he cried. "About all the shit you keep puttin' me through? About the names? About the gunblade at my stomach?! Don't tell me what I'm allowed to tell Aki, because I know! I know what I'm allowed to tell him, but bein' allowed and bein' able are two different things! I ain't a coward! I ain't goin' to go runnin' to him about Rikan when I've survived with you for months and months!" Irvine turned away, stalking to the door, then he hissed out with so much animosity Zell thought he could feel the words like punches to the gut. "Believe me, after you, Rikan's a walk in the Quad." And he left.

Zell swallowed, watching the door hiss shut, and dropped his gaze. He deserved that. He really deserved that, and he felt horrible for what he'd done to Irvine, what they'd both done. He only hoped that the sharpshooter would come to trust him as much as he seemed to trust Rubedo...

- - -

Irvine lay on his stomach on his bed, eating an absolutely to-die-for meat and potato pie he'd brought with him from the caf and reading over Zell's notes again. He felt really good. The exercises had made him feel energetic and yelling at Zell had been a release he didn't realise he'd needed. He kicked his bare feet back and forth a little, putting aside the notes in favour of a book in which he was soon absorbed.

It was something Rikan had given him, and he'd been wary at first, but it was really good. Like a romance novel, only with men, and the plot was more than boy-meets-girl, boy-is-forced-to-not-be-with-girl, boy-and-girl-come-back-together, happily-ever-after. There was more meat to the plot, and Irvine was really enjoying it.

He should be studying for his GF test, it was in a couple of weeks, but he was pretty sure he knew about everything there was to know about GF, and Leviathan would supply anything he didn't know.

No, I will not! That'sss cheating.

"Sure, you will. You don't want me to fail your subject, do you? Imagine what Bahamut and Ifrit and the others would say."

...Low, Massster. Very low.

Irvine grinned, and licked his fingers clean of the last of his pie, getting steadily redder the further he read in his current chapter, but unable to tear his eyes away.

~Benjamin closed his eyes, swallowing as Phillip touched his hair, reassuring him. The younger man smiled tremulously up at the older and nodded, lifting his hips slightly.

He was afraid, but Phillip had never done anything to harm or hurt him, and he loved this man with a love so powerful, it transcended all fear and doubt. If Phillip had asked it of him, he would have run away, but thus far, he had not asked.

Benjamin cried out as Phillip carefully entered him. He saw stars, flashing lights and colliding planets, all due only to this man, this perfect, beautiful man. This man he loved. Oh, it was Heaven, and more.~

Irvine finally tore his eyes away from the pages, blushing furiously and... in trouble in other areas. He closed the book with a sharp slap, and the cover taunted him. When He Came Out.

The sharpshooter groaned and hit himself in the forehead with the book. I. Am. Not. Gay!