Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Lightning. ❯ Chapter, The Eighteenth: In Which Zell is Called Out. ( Chapter 18 )

Eoko: Dear freaking Hyne you guys! I’m so sorry- again! If Kitty’s not around I tend to spend my time on FFXI and on my linkshell’s Vent server so I forget about the update! At least I only forget for about a day. But I’m still sorry. You’re just all lucky when I was talking to Khitsicker (heart heart) that I randomly checked my reviews and then realized the date and the lack of my updating skillz. -_- Sorry again, and here’s the next chapter.

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Chapter, The Eighteenth: In Which Zell is Called Out.

Zell drew the sheet a little further up his body, ducking his head to hide his face under it, still blushing brightly.

Seifer tore his eyes from the embarrassed blond, looking out of the window instead. He raised a hand to his mouth, clearing his throat. “I… uh, sorry, Zell. I didn’t mean to. I didn’t know you were… busy.”

Zell’s cheeks flared up again, mumbling into his sheets, “it’s alright, Seifer…”

“I think I should go…” Even before Zell could answer Seifer had turned and left, the door swishing shut behind him. Seifer grumbled, pulling his coat around him tight and mentally growling at naked-Rinoa-image which wasn’t staying as a naked-Rinoa-image.

Zell sighed, dropping the sheet to pool around his thighs. He lifted his hands to cradle this face gently. Well, that had certainly been a new and embarrassing experience. Not only that, but being caught in the middle of pleasuring yourself happened to be a negative stimulant… no kidding.

The little blond dragged himself off his bed and headed into the bathroom for a nice hot shower.

- - -

Seifer sat back on his bed. He’d quickly jumped into a cold shower, which proved about as helpful as the thoughts of a nude Rinoa, which you’d think would help. Well, maybe if she stopped changing into Zell Dincht touching himself it would have helped.

He looked up at his ceiling. Of course he knew Zell was good looking, very good looking in fact. But despite that, he hadn’t really thought about Zell in any way expect as a friend. He’d seen Zell looking at him sometimes when he dressed. He sneaked a few peeks at the little fighter too. It didn’t mean anything… did it?

All of a sudden he was starting to come up with a few theories about some of the fluttering and tight feelings that he got in his stomach when he was around Zell. Still, they seemed a bit far fetched to him. Him and Zell? That was an amusing thought.

- - -

Friday came quickly and Zell was once again looking over books and notes and practicing moves. Since they were going to move onto actual combat today he heading into the training room over an hour early to loosen up and work out the steps he’d be teaching his class.

He was in the middle of an intense twenty move sequence when the class started to come into the room, eyes widening and sitting on the ground to watch Zell until his battle-dance came to an end. As he finished applauds filled the room. The fighter blinked and looked at his students. Everyone, including Irvine was clapping for him.

Zell laughed lightly and rubbed the back of his neck, walking to the front of the room to get the role call and calling out the names. Everyone was there again. “So,” Zell began, “how is everyone feeling? Anyone still sore from Wednesday?”

A few people gave groans and nods, but the majority was either fine, or faking it. Didn’t matter though, because class was going to go on as scheduled. “I know some of you headed off to get a massage. I’m glad. You should be good and ready for today. Those that didn’t, eh, you’ll be fine once you start moving.”

Zell looked over the class one more time before starting to discuss the day’s lesson. “Today we are going to start with another technique that you will probably think is lame. But after that we’ll be moving onto some fighting, and combat strategies. The next two weeks will consist of these as well as visits to the training center. Can everyone please move into their pairs?”

Irvine came over to Zell a lot more willingly than he had before. Zell smiled and turned to address the class once more. “Today’s technique involves eye contact. I know you probably all think you use eye contact effectively, but this isn’t for carrying a conversation. This is for watching your opponent for their next move, and being able to counter it without taking your eyes off theirs. Please, kneel on the ground and face each other at as close a distance as you’re comfortable with.”

Zell knelt down and waited for the others to do the same. Irvine frowned slightly. He wasn’t very comfortable being too close to Zell, and it was going to be so obvious.

“Irvine,” Zell said quietly so the rest of the class would not over hear. “I’m sure you want to be a bit further than the others are. That’s alright. Just make sure you’re comfortable.”

Irvine looked down at the ground, shifting to a place he felt he was secure with. He looked back up at Zell who had turned his head to speak to the class again.

“I want you to look only into your partner’s left eye. Not both and not the rest of their face. Don’t look at the rest of their face, just focus on that one eye. And don’t be worried about anything being revealed. You’re not revealing anything to each other through this exercise. You are just looking, understanding. Let’s try.”

Zell turned to face Irvine, smiling gently and focusing his gaze on the left sky blue eye. Irvine seemed nervous, and Zell didn’t blame him. After months of torment and trouble from Seifer and himself, he could understand why the sharpshooter had problems focusing so intently on him.

Still looking at Irvine, Zell spoke to the class again. “Now, at random I want you to make movements with your hands toward your partner. Neither of you are to take yours eyes off their current location- and nobody should have stopped to look at me.”

Many that had quickly looked back to their partners and found that they were either doing the same or sniggering at them.

“When one of you goes to make a move, I want the other to block it. Remember, eyes on each other at all times. Begin.”

Zell smiled slightly and through his peripheral vision caught Irvine’s lips twitching a little. This always was a fairly tricky exercise to take seriously, especially at first. He was surprised when Irvine’s hand made the first move towards him. However, he easily deflected it, smiling wider.

After several batting of hands left and right by the group Zell got to his feet and called for a short break to shake of the effects of looking at only one thing for so long. Hazy edges to your gaze and watery eyes were not so good when fighting.

After the break Zell started working the pairs on using the skills they had learned over the past two classes to retrieve lost weapons quickly and a few basic defensive and offensive moves to use against their attackers. Although some students did use the roll dodge, no one was anywhere near as sore at the end as they had been just two days ago.

Overall, Zell was starting to feel comfortable teaching a class in this kind of a setting, one in which he knew his surrounds, his material and his ability to teach others the skills they needed.

- - -

Illo and Harada were chatting alongside Irvine as the three headed back to the dorms, dropping Irvine off at his before moving off towards their own.

Irvine went over to his desk, sitting in the chair to take off his boots. The note Rubedo had left sat on the desk next to the phone, catching Irvine’s glance every few minutes when he was home, if you could call his dorm his home.

He set the boots aside and picked up the note, reading over it again. It wasn’t a Garden designated phone line, which meant it was either a home number, or one for a cell phone. Irvine set the note back down and decided to slip into the shower to wash off after his long class.

After his shower Irvine towel dried his hair, brushed it, and braided it to keep it back from his eyes. He slipped into a comfortable pair of older jeans that still clung to his sexy little arse and a top his friends called a ‘tank top’ but he continually corrected them, saying it was a wifebeater.

He dropped gracefully onto his bed and picked up on of his text books, flipping to the current chapter they were studying and starting to read. The fact that the subject was boring and repetitive didn’t help his focus. His eyes would keep glancing over to the little note on his desk before snapping back to the book and re-reading the last sentence.

After about five pages of glancing to the side Irvine closed the book, looking over at the note before picking it up and looking at it again. He eyes moved back and forth between the number and his phone.

No, I shouldn’t.

Sssure, you ssshould.

Ssshut up. Irvine mocked.

He set it back down and picked up his book again, hoping to be able to read without interruption now that he had made the decision not to call. Unfortunately this was not the case. His mind was racing with so many things that had nothing to do with the text. Did he want to see Rubedo? Especially after the last encounter with him. How good it felt… What if Rubedo answered? Would he able to hear the biker’s speaking voice? It was almost worth calling just for that… but… should he?

The sharpshooter nibbled nervously on his lower lip, looking at the phone again… then he just lunged for it and the note, lifting the receiver to his ear and dialing the number quickly.

- - -

Zell was spending a quiet evening, avoiding Seifer, in his room. He lounged on the couch in front of the television when his cell began ringing. He reached over to the side table and picked it up, flipping it open to check the screen for the caller.

He smirked to himself and pressed the little green phone symbol button to answer it.

Irvine let out a breath he didn’t realize he had been holding when the ringing stopped. He was a little disappointed that there was no ‘Hello, Rubedo speaking’ or a simple ‘hi’. “Um, Rubedo? Uh, it’s Irvine. I was wonderin’ if you… maybe, if you weren’t busy that is… I mean.” He sighed frustratedly. “I got your note… well, obviously, or I wouldn’t have this number. Want to hang out? Maybe in, like, fifteen minutes in front of Garden?”

Zell pressed a button on the cell phone.

It didn’t take too long for Irvine to understand the ‘one for yes, two for no’ system that he was using. “Okay, I’ll see you then. Bye, Rubedo.”

Irvine hung up first, then Zell, flipping his phone closed. The little blond smiled brightly. This was as close as could be considered as their first official date. So Irvine didn’t know who he really was. A lot of relationships are like that, aren’t they? Heh.

Zell went to get changed, into another combination of things he rarely wore around Garden. He checked himself over in the mirror before checking the bedside clock. Just over five minutes until meeting time. He opened his door and looked both ways down the hall. No sign of Irvine. Good. He probably left to go to the meeting point right after he called.

Zell put the helmet on and headed quickly to the car park, jumping onto his bike and starting it. He drove out and sped around to the front where Irvine was waiting, sitting on the concrete flower box outside the Garden gates.

The cowboy got to his feet as the single light from the motorcycle came closer and closer to where he waited. He smiled, wrapping his duster around himself.

The biker pulled to the side of the street and popped the back of the seat, pulling out the extra helmet Irvine was getting rather use to wearing. Irvine came over, taking off his hat and putting it away before taking the helmet and putting it on.

The seat came back down and Irvine straddled the bike, sliding up against Zell’s back and wrapping his arms around his waist. “Let’s go somewhere calm and relaxin’,” Irvine suggested, and then they were off.

They zipped down the road for a little ways, then Zell turned the bike off the path and they went flying over the plains until they came to a stop at a grassy hill overlooking the ocean, the beach a little to the left.

Zell kicked the stand into place, turned the bike off, then back on just to the point that allowed him to keep the headlight on.

Irvine got up first, followed by Zell. Irvine took off his helmet and set it on the bike and took a sharp breath when a hand curled around one of his own, leading him over to the hillside.

The two sat down and Zell pulled out his trusty notebook and pen. /I’m glad you called./ he wrote, and shifted the book so the light of the motorcycle hit it.

Irvine blushed faintly but smiled. “I didn’t know if I should.” He stayed quiet for a little longer, looking like he wanted to say something else, but also too scared or nervous to. “Was it really you? The other day, I mean, at the massage place?”

Zell smiled behind the visor, nodding and lifting a hand to squeeze Irvine’s shoulder, rubbing gently.

Despite the deepening blush, Irvine leaned closer. “It was really good. I can’t remember the last time I felt that relaxed and good.”

/My pleasure,/ he wrote with his free hand. /You made pretty sounds when I massaged you./

Irvine cheeks flared up and he ducked his head, looking away.

Zell smiled wider, placing the notebook in Irvine’s lap and winding his arms around the cowboy’s waist. He could hear Irvine’s breath picking up slightly, could almost feel the embarrassed heat coming from the man in his arms. He did nothing more, allowing Irvine to calm down a bit and get comfortable.

“You’re so mysterious,” Irvine whispered, finding courage enough to lean back into the strong embrace. “Why won’t you talk to me?”

/Don’t actions speak louder than words?/

“Pretty, but actions can’t speak. They can only, like, demonstrate. I wish you’d talk to me. I wish you’d show me your face.” Irvine’s hand trailed down to rest over one of Zell’s.

/I… I will. I will eventually. When the time is right, I’ll show you who I am./

“I don’t want to wait though. Not knowing makes it seem even longer than it really is.”

/I want to show you who I am, but I can’t. Not yet. But soon, I can promise I will soon./

Irvine fingers tightened around Zell’s arm. Why couldn’t he? Why? “Why?” he whispered.

/Why can’t I show you?/ A nod. /You’ll understand when the time comes./

He was frustrated. Rikan was scaring him away from these new things he was feeling. It was becoming harder to deny, considering his constant reactions to that book Rikan gave him. But on the other hand, Rubedo was making things so good that he almost felt like giving in to all these new feelings right there and then.

Zell put the pen down, moving an arm from around Irvine and lifting his hand to push up his visor a little, to the same point it had been when he sang. When Irvine turned slightly to question the removal of the warm arm around him Zell’s lips came down on his.

Irvine’s eyes widened considerably, but quickly slipped shut. How long had he wondered about a kiss from this man? How long had he compared ideas with the unwelcome advances of one Rikan Fawns?

Rubedo was so gentle, so sweet and caring. Of course Irvine remembered telling him about his torment from Zell and Seifer, and about Rikan hounding him, and even about not being gay. But unlike Rikan, working to only please himself and get want he wanted, Rubedo was patient and slow, letting Irvine contribute to the kiss, to share it.

A small shiver ran up both their spines and Zell pressed his lips a little firmer to the sharpshooter’s while still being a gentleman and keeping his tongue to himself, despite his growing desire to just claim the delectable treat he was currently attached to.

Eventually the gentle kiss came to an end, both pulling a little ways from each other. Irvine’s eyes slowly opening to that wide, innocent look that just stole Zell’s heart. He lifted a hand to stroke the gunman’s cheek, lips curling into an adoring smile. And Irvine’s cheeks began to glow brightly again.