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Beginings
A Vincent and Seifer mini story, from the FM universe.
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Vincent had gotten the call, and he had rushed right over, hurrying into Destiny Island’s one and only clinic/hospital with a slightly hassled appearance, a side which was only visible when Seifer was involved in some sort of mess – he swore, that man would be the death of him one of these days. All the stupid things that Seifer did, all the times he got harmed even in such a simple thing like going to his stupid football practices... Shaking his head, his lips set in a straight line, he nodded in greeting to the nurse, who greeted him by name.
“I hear your friend has gotten hurt again, Vincent,” the woman smiled in a soft, motherly way as she passed him the sign out papers so that Vincent could take the man home. “That Seifer, he is sure accident prone, isn’t he?”
“That he is,” Vincent stated, signing the papers expertly, his signature perfect, as it always was. “A concussion?” Vincent inquired as he penned his name, causing the woman behind the desk to nod.
“It looked like. His coach brought him in – Mister Almasy was conscious, if a little confused about what was happening around him. I think he’ll be fine with some rest, though the doctor can tell you more.”
Vincent nodded, passing the papers back to her, and she put them away without glancing at them. She knew they would be in order – they always were. The receptionist told Vincent to take a seat as she rung one of the nurses, who came out and collected him a moment later, leading him back into one of the small rooms so the Doctor could speak with him before they released Seifer to Vincent’s care. The clinic was used to having the young Valentine come instead of any of the Seifer’s family – the brother was away on business a lot, and rest of the boy’s family lived out of country, so it fell on the boy’s friends to pick him up whenever he ended up at their fair clinic.
The Doctor greeted Vincent with a nod, telling him to have a seat. “Seifer came in with a concussion, as I told you on the phone – stage two, he was hit pretty roughly. It looks like he was in a fight of some sort,” to which Vincent sighed in annoyance – Seifer and his fighting... “He has a couple bruises, but nothing time won’t heal. It’s his head I’m a little concerned about.” And of course it was his head. That man and thinking that he had a skull made of diamond... Vincent might have to speak to him about his Olympian complex some time. “He was found unconscious... not a good sign, as I’m sure you’re quite aware.” Of course, Vincent was quite aware of this... and his brow crinkled slightly in concern. Was Seifer alright..? Had he been badly hurt? “Coach Luxord was able to wake him, but Seifer was slipping in and out of consciousness on the way here. He’s been conscious since he’s gotten here, which is a very good sign, and his pupils are reacting properly, so we don’t believe there’s any other damage, just the concussion. He’s lost the last couple hours though – he didn’t know how he arrived here and he doesn’t remember the fight. Those are hours that Seifer might not get back.” Vincent just nodded, the slight tug of the sides of his mouth to the floor the only indication that a frown was starting.
The man continued to describe exactly what Vincent could expect in the next couple days – Seifer would need to be monitored, and Vincent assured the man that either Vincent would be present at all times. It was normal for the man to feel confused, have difficulty focusing, headache, dizziness... the list went on, and even though Vincent knew most of the symptoms, he paid attention, and accepted the fact sheet that was passed to him, all the while just wishing that the man would just shut up and take him to his friend.
The time finally came when the doctor took Vincent to Seifer, and the dark haired man almost sighed in relief when he saw Seifer awake and speaking to a male nurse that had brought Seifer some water and a couple of pain pills for the splitting headache that the man had developed from the bump on his head. Seifer looked up towards the doorway as Vincent came to a stop, his eyes focusing on Vincent’s face a moment before recognition crossed his face and he quirked a quick, crooked smile towards the man. “Hey, Vin.”
“Hello yourself, Seifer,” Vincent stated with a slight cold edge, before his eyes moved towards the Doctor. “I may take him home?”
“I assume you have filled out the paperwork already, Mister Valentine?”
“Of course,” Vincent affirmed, his calculating red eyes not leaving Seifer’s form, who was looking at the pain medication like it was some sort of poison, the nurse trying his best to get the man to down them before he left. The man did not look too bad, even if he had a concussion. His skin was a little paler then it should be, he had a dark bruise covering the left side of his forehead that was swollen which was probably the injury that caused the concussion, and a few scrapes and other bruises here and there. There was a bit of splattering of blood on the man’s shirt, as well as the stain from some blood on his knuckles... all Vincent had to do was see who had unexplainable broken noses at school, and he would know who to keep an eye on.
“He’s all yours, then. If you have any questions, just give the number on the sheet a call.” The Doctor turned a smile on Seifer, motioning towards Vincent. “On your way, Mister Almasy, and do try to stay out of trouble until your symptoms fade, hm?”
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Vincent had driven the man home in the vehicle his father had given him for his last birthday when he qualified for a full drivers licence, the two rather quiet. They had reached Seifer’s house with a grand total of five words spoken between the two of them, but now that Vincent had Seifer in his house, seated a couch in the living room – one that Seifer had barely gotten to on his own due to a dizzy spell that would have floor him if Vincent hadn’t steadied the man. Vincent carried a glass of water to the blond, passing him two pain killers to help with the headache that was throbbing in the man’s head. He settled himself before asking, “Do you remember why you were fighting, Seifer?”
“No,” was the immediate reply as Seifer took a sip of the water, depositing the pills on the table next to him.
Vincent tilted his head to the side, knowing the answer before he asked it, though still wanting to hear it in Seifer’s own words. “And nothing until you reached the hospital?”
“Sounds ‘bout right,” Seifer stated shortly, not elaborating in the slightest, as Vincent wanted him to. Giving that up, Vincent turned to a different matter...
“Take your pills.” The pain medication had been left beside Seifer, untouched even though he was drinking the water.
Seifer waved his hand in a slight dismissing manner. “Nah, I think I’m good.”
“The pills will help with the headache,” Vincent insisted, his voice sounding a little annoyed.
“It’s alright, it’s not that bad,” Seifer proceeded to assure Vincent, his shoulders shrugging. Why was Vincent so set on making him take the pills? It wasn’t as if he was going to die if he didn’t take them...
“Seifer... this irrational fear of medication is ridiculous, and it only harms you. Take your pills.”
“Don’t want to.” Seifer muttered rather indignantly, leaning back on the couch as he placed the glass beside him, one of his hands pinching at the bridge of his nose, obviously in a fair amount of pain from the hit on the head. This man was too stubborn for his own good, and it was times like these that solidified that fact in Vincent’s mind.
“Almasy...” Vincent growled, rising to his feet to stand in front of Seifer, who merely rolled his eyes and refused to look at Vincent. Seifer knew that the tone of voice being used on him was most likely going to end up with the two of them having a fight, but he couldn’t seem to care about that, or anything else right about then. Probably the concussion, because he didn’t feel any of the emotions that usually associated with that tone Vincent was using. Anger and annoyance, perhaps guilt were all usually associated with that tone... but arousal? Yeah, that hadn’t happened before... and that was freaking weird. It was probably due to the concussion, but still... the way his name had been growled, coming from Vincent’s lips... It was hot. And he wanted to hear more of that, which was definitely not his rational mind thinking.
“Yes, Valentine?” he asked, his gaze rising to meet Vincent’s, not being able to turn his cool blue one away now that it had been caught by Vincent’s heated red. He felt the bottom of his stomach almost fall away as Vincent stood there, breathing evenly, probably telling himself that this was all because of Seifer’s concussion, but still getting rather pissed that he wasn’t listening to him... and it was adorable. Seifer had always thought that Vincent was kind of cute in the way he acted, beautiful in some respects, but not like he’d tell it to the man’s face. Seifer had mostly accepted that he wasn’t interested in the slightest about girls – they were much too weak and fragile for his tastes... but he had this thing for his best friend. Had it for... well, for a while. He had only labelled it a crush this past year...
“Are you listening to me, Almasy?” that deliriously animalistic growl asked, and Seifer realized he had been just staring at a certain dark haired beauty, not taking in what the man was saying at all. Huh. It was like he couldn’t focus on one thing for too long – oh right, concussion.
Deciding that honesty should probably be the best choice to that question, since Vincent did always tell Seifer to tell him the truth, that’s what he answered. “Honestly? No, not really.”
That just made Vincent bristle, which forced a smile on Seifer’s face, and in response Vincent’s left eye twitched. Oh, this was going to be good. Or bad – whichever way you looked at it. Seifer was feeling rather optimistic at the moment, so one might understand his eagerness to continue the conversation.
“You ungrateful walking wall of brainless matter,” Vincent spat, which only made Seifer smile – there was the animalistic Vincent he wanted to hear more of. “I am only here to help you. I do not have to be here, Seifer, and the only reason that I actually came was because I was-“
“Called by the clinic?” Seifer interrupted as he stood, glass in hand – he was finished his water, and kind of wanted some more, so he was heading in the direction of the kitchen. He knew how he was making Vincent mad, but he couldn’t bring himself to, what was the word, care? Nah, he cared plenty. It was just that he couldn’t feel concerned about anything right now, his focus was on something else. So weird.
“Don’t interrupt me,” Vincent hissed as Seifer walked past, stepping forward to grab the blonde’s arm, which turned out to be a mistake on Vincent’s end. Seifer was feeling rather liberated, due to his rather unconcerned manner, so he was acting on first instinct... The blond simply let the glass in his hand drop, and before either of them knew it, Seifer had thrown Vincent’s form up against the nearest wall and, grasping the mans face, the blond had captured Vincent’s lips with his own. Vincent was limp with shock, his form being held up with the grip on his face and how Seifer’s body pressed him rather securely and completely to the wall. Vincent had half a mind to shove his friend away, and why he hadn’t already done so was something that he didn’t want to dwell on too much right then and there. Thankfully Seifer made the decision to pull back so Vincent didn’t have to act, just staying firmly on his feet and stare up at the blond with eyes filled with conflicting emotions. The blond looked confused and blinked a few times before his hands left Vincent’s face and he pulled back from the dark haired man, turning towards the kitchen and walking off.
Seifer’s cheeks were pink, Vincent noted vaguely as he collected himself, before he pushed himself away from the wall and followed Seifer’s escaping form, the fallen glass of water forgotten for the moment. “Seifer,” Vincent called out as he saw the man start up the stairs that led to the upper level, and he followed quickly behind. “Seifer, wait!” The blond didn’t seem to want to do such a thing, and it took Vincent’s grasp on the back of the man’s shirt to stop him from escaping into his room.
The blond didn’t turn around and he didn’t say a thing, just standing with his shoulders sort of slumped and looking towards his feet. Vincent did not relinquish his grip on the shirt, afraid the man might dash, and asked the man, “Why did you kiss me?” Seifer didn’t answer, just kicking at a paperclip that was on the floor with his socked foot – how had that gotten there? “Seifer...” Vincent’s tone held something of a warning, and the large man scratched at the back of his head as he thought of what to say.
Honesty was something that Vincent usually demanded out of him, so he guessed he might as well just tell him. What was the harm? Well, he could never want to be his friend again. Or it could be the opposite... but that was too much to hope for. “I wanted to,” Seifer said simply, turning halfway to look at Vincent, a slight anxious look on his face. “I’ve wanted to for a while, actually. Just never had the balls to. Figured it might end with you hating me or, but since I don’t really care about anything right now, it just kind of... happened.” Seifer was caught up by that gaze again, and he couldn’t turn away from it. Those eyes were so captivating...
Vincent watched Seifer’s face after listening to his explanation, looking for anything to say that he was kidding, or that he was lying in any sort of way... but he found none. Either Seifer’s concussion was making him a first-kiss-stealing maniac, since that had been Vincent’s first kiss which was apparently rather significant in the whole relationship aspect – or he was just telling the truth. He sighed slightly, pulling his gaze away from those piercing blues, wondering just what he could say. It would be proper to dissuade anything like that from going any further, but Vincent just could not bring himself to say the words. He definitely did not want to admit to Seifer, let alone himself, that he hadn’t disliked the feeling of lips pressed onto his own, a body pressed up against himself...
Frowning, Seifer was finally able to look away from the man’s gaze as he moved it away, and Seifer’s face fell. ********, this was what he had been worried about... Vincent hated him now, and he was going to never speak to him again, and stay away from him forever, and Seifer would be alone and—Vincent was talking. “Sorry, what?” Seifer asked, asking the man to repeat what he had just said.
“I said,” Vincent said with a roll of his eyes, “That I... need time to think. So no more of that until you are finished being concussed, and until that time comes, keep your body parts to yourself, please.” Seifer let a small smile onto his face at Vincent’s wording – it wasn’t a no, just a ‘back off you big ape’. Seifer could deal with that. “Slip into some sleep wear, then come downstairs. I will make something for dinner.”
“Peanut butter and raisin sandwiches?” Seifer asked hopefully as he turned towards his room to do what Vincent asked – his shirt had a few splatters of blood on it, he had realized on the ride home, and it wasn’t his own. He had only gotten bruises, which he found rather interesting. Whatever had happened, he had kicked a** before the whole getting knocked out thing.
Vincent scoffed at Seifers suggestion. “That is disgusting...” he spat as he turned sharply on his heels and walked towards the stairs, stopping before he descended to look back towards Seifer’s open door, to the blond that was just pulling the shirt from his upper body. Vincent allowed himself a soft blush as he turned away from the sight before Seifer showed more skin then Vincent was ready to deal with right about then, walking down the stairs at a sedate pace. His fingers brushed over his lips when he got to the bottom of the stairs, his other arm creeping around his middle, half hugging himself. Seifer liked him, and Vincent was rather fond of his friend... perhaps...
And then off Vincent went to try and cook a decent meal. It was safe to say they ate sandwiches of the peanut butter and raisin variety that night, after many pleas from a certain blonde’s mouth... an odd combination, but one that Vincent found he became rather attached to, despite his dislike for nuts.
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It was the next day that brought on more answers for both Vincent and Seifer about what had happened during the blonde’s forgotten fight the day before. Two classmates that Vincent knew of, and Seifer knew a little bit better, stopped by Seifer’s house the next day, to see how he was doing. The man’s situation was explained to the two by Vincent, with little quirks from Seifer cutting the man off here and there to add in his own tidbits.
“I’m real lucky you walked in when you did, Seif – I don’t think I could’ve held up against ‘em any longer, y’know?” Raijin was explaining as the female, Fujin, stood by silently, her gaze locked on Seifer. To clarify, after Seifer sent the tanned man a confused look, he continued, “See, these three guys from the upper year were giving me hell ‘cause I tried out for his spot on the team, since tryouts were last week. I guess I beat ‘im out to the spot, and I guess the whole thing got outta hand, and if good ol’ Seif here hadn’t jumped in and helped me out, I’d have more than a bloody nose and lots of bruises, might’ve ended up in the hospital myself, yeah?” Raijin smiled brightly at Seifer, who just stared at the man, trying to keep his focus on the tanned guy to process the information as best he could – he might have to ask Vincent for a repeat later... “The guys just booked it after the taller guy slammed Seif’s head into a locker a couple times and Seifer just dropped. I went and got Coach then, since Seif wouldn’t wake up and.. we’re here today.”
Vincent’s gaze swam towards Seifer – always fighting fights for those weaker or against rather bad odds... “A knight if ever I saw one, I suppose,” Vincent drawled, before his eyes slid back to look at the two before him. “Thank you for dropping by and letting us know what happened. Seifer is a little.. fuzzy around the hours before and after the fight.”
“I can speak for myself, Vin,” Seifer rolled his eyes, getting up from the table, not able to concentrate on the people that had dropped by anymore, so he figured he’d go upstairs and stare at a wall or have a shower, or something.
He heard Raijin call after him, “So thanks, Seifer! If yah ever need me or Fujin to ever do anything, just should out! We’re your people, y’know?” Seifer waved over his shoulder, a slight smile on his face, before he made his way upstairs.
Vincent let the two out of the house shortly after that, thanking them both for stopping by once more, accepting a piece of paper with Raijin’s phone number on it for Seifer – and Vincent too, the man had assured, just in case either of them needed anything. Just as Fujin was about to leave the door after Raijin, she paused and looked back at Vincent, her gaze shifting towards the retreating form of Raijin and then towards the stairs. “Gratitude,” she said, her face softening slightly, before she followed the dark skinned man down the lane.
Closing the door with a slight smile on his face, he leaned against the door and looked at the paper that was gripped in his fingers. He wondered if this was the beginning of a few good friendships for Seifer. He stayed where he was until he heard Seifer call down the stairs, asking Vincent if he knew what Seifer had gone upstairs to do – concussions were funny that way, not allowing you focus on one thing for too long, and messing with how your mind remembered things on the short term.
“Maybe you were going to have a shower,” the man called up the stairs, an eyebrow raised. “You are starting to smell like something crawled into a car engine and died.”
“Bite me. I’m going to go stare at a wall and pretend you like my manly musk,” was the retort.
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WOOHOOO. *u*
HAPPY HOLIDAYS.