Funny Face
Linkin Fantasy

Chapter three

The next day Seifer wakes up and goes into the bathroom to do his morning wash up. "Today is the day I become a new man, and be..." He still winced a second. "nice to Zell."

'I just hope Selphies plan works or I'm screwed.' He thought grabbing his tooth brush. 'I don't even know where to find the little chicken this early....I guess I'll wait him out on this one then.'

At least that's what he had planned on doing but when he was done with his face check he walked out into his room and through a glass panel he saw Zells streak of usual blues, reds, and blacks. "What's he doing?" He then saw a smaller figure following him and he knew he was running with Tyler- or R.B. as Squall and the others called him.

"Hmm, maybe I'll take a morning run myself." He said out loud and walked into his closet grabbing a sleeve less crew neck black shirt and a loose pair of pants then he ran a hand through his hair and walked out the door.

'Remember Seifer, be nice.' He coached himself as he caught up to them both easily.

"Feel the burn, baby. This is great R.B." Zell said and the little boy looked at his watch.

"We've got a few more laps around and then we can go in for a power breakfast- oh hey Seifer. SEIFER!" He nearly had a heart attack and Zell froze and whipped himself around to see all 6' 2" of him standing there waiting for little running boy to calm his nerves. "I'm sorry, I saw you guys taking a run and I thought I'd join you." He said casually, trying not to be obvious about it or suspicious. "Can't a guy join his friends?" The knight continued with question in his eyes towards them both.

"....W-Well, it's okay with me." The little boy said straightening up. "Wow. Running with Seifer Almasy. Wait til I tell the others."

"Well, I think I'll stop for breakfast now," the martial artist was saying. "three's a crowd."

"Zell?" Tyler called after him as he took off, but he wasn't about to stop. "I think he's still afraid of you." The boy said to Seifer who was staring in the direction Zell had just run off too. 'This is gonna be harder than I thought.'

"Ready for that run?" Tyler asked cutting through the knights thoughts and Seifer looked down at him with exasperation. "I think I changed my mind about that run. Bye kid."

He said taking off for the cafeteria. When he got inside Zell had just gotten his breakfast and Seifer walked up to the counter grabbing a chocolate milk. 'Now remember what Selphie said.' He thought calling up the conversation from the night before.

"Remember, no one likes a full class jerk, you gotta be smooth about it. Say nice things and give gifts the whole smear."

"Right." He said nodded. "And what am I supposed to do give this person an bunch of flowers and say I like you? No way."

But it was either now or never. "Be smooth, and say nice things." He chanted lowly to himself. "Nice things about what?" He heard Irvine’s voice in his ear like bad Christmas songs- it just hurt.

"Irvine. What are you doing up so early?" He asked him trying to play cool like he was going to order breakfast.

"I was gonna ask you the same thing. I alway get up early andI have a class pretty soon." He replied grabbing a tray and pushing past Seifer who was obviously done with his selections for the morning.

"Hey, looks like Zell finished his run early. He usually ain't in here until the others show up." He grabbed a carton of orange juice and motioned for Seifer to follow him with his head. 'This isn't how I planned it but it beats figuring out how to go over there without the mellow drama.'

"Hey Zell." The sharpshooter said sitting down. "S'up Irvine, where's Squall?"

"Doing his half hour morning thing." Zell nodded and then glanced up. "Oh hey Seif'." He said trying to sound half way descent. 'Hope?'Seifer thought briefly then shook it off.

"Good..." he swallowed hard, "morning, Zell."

That got a smile from him. 'Is Seifer actually gonna be nice to me today?' Zell wondered opening his orange juice. Irvine gave them a long stare then shook it off. "So like y'all won't believe the night I had."

"Irvine I'm eating, I don't wanna think about Squall doing- that." Zell commented andIrvine justlaughed to himself from thatstatement and shook his head waving a hand. "Noo, I mean in general. I fell right out of the bed getting lost when I opened my eyes."

They started laughing to themselves imagining what it must have looked like then Zell wiped his mouth on his arm and grabbed his tray. "I'll be right back."Zell said getting up for asecond not seeing Seifer's foot in front of him.

"I mean how can anyone- whoa!" The martial artist started saying but then fell fowards. The most of the Cadets in there that saw started laughing and others that knew Zell didn't even let a smile slip on their lips. "Ha ha. Watch that first step chicken." Seifer letslip out on accident. "Thanks a lot ass hole." Zellremarked.

"Excuse me?" Seifer asked.

"You think you could have one simple morning with someone and then they got back to their oold self again." He continued ignoring the knights wordscompletely while he brushed some mess from his shirt.

"Welll if you must know, you're the one who needs to watch where he's going! My foot was there since I sat down you should have seen, it so its not my problem!"

"I'll make it your problem." Zell said standing in his face and Seifer pushed his chair out standing causing Zell to look up at him. "What exactly do you plan on doing? Hm?" Seifer asked.

The martial artist didn't even break a sweat. "I'm not afraid of you."He said stamping his foot down.

"I'm not afraid of you." Seifer shot back.

"And I'm-...wait, I don't know." Irvine said laughing.

"Tch...you know what, I don't have time for this I'm going to Balamb. See ya Irvine." Zell saidpicking up his tray.

The cowboy waved as he watched him walk away and Seifer straightened himself up and sat back down.

"So what's up with you and Zell?" Irvine asked peeling his cinnamon roll into strips and eating them. "Nothing. It's nothing, because he's nothing." Seifer replied but lower then he intended to sound. "Youu got somethin' you wanna say hombre?" The cowboy asked and he snapped out of his own thoughts and shook his head.

"I don't know, sounds to me like you do." Irvine raised an eye brow to him.

"Oh go be nosey someplace else- Irvine! I've got no time for this."Seifer snapped as he got upgetting ready to leave. "That's fine with me, but if you plan on gettin' Zell-.."

"What?!" Seifer said turning around quickly not believing he actually heard that come from Irvine’s mouth.

"Well it makes sense right, I mean you are gay aren't you?" He asked sensible enough. "I never seen you with any girls before. Hell I've never seen you with anyone before."

"My personal life is none of your business." The knight replied backing away from the table. "All that shit you're trying to lay on me about the chicken, dream on." He turned around and banged into a table but straightened himself and continued out.

"Hey Seifer, did you see that special someone? How did it go?" Selphie said when she saw him walking from the cafeteria. "Outta my way." He said giving her a shove to one side. "Hey!?" She called out and stopped herself from hitting the railing.

"Seifer?!" Quistis shouted at him but he flipped her off. "Why that worthless-..." she started to say but Squall put an arm in front of her.

"Quistis leave him. You're not gonna help the problem by making it worse." Squall said walking into the cafeteria.

"Hey y'all." Irvine called leaving from the tray return walking over to them giving Squall a kiss.

"What was that all about? You running your mouth again?" The commander asked referring to Seifers actions. "Nah, he's just mad about something. As usual he had another scrape with Zell."

"Again. Boy you'd swear they liked doing that to each other." Selphie said grabbing a tray.

"Tell me about it. well I'll see you guys after class." The cowboy said turning to leave and they said good bye to him on his way out.

"Seriously though, what are we going to do about them?" Quistis asked waiting for Selphie to get her breakfast.

"Nothing. It's none of our business." Squall said reaching over Selphies shoulder for his own breakfast.

"But it should be," She said defending herself. "I mean they're our friends and who knows this fighting thing may be what gets them kicked out of Garden."

They went over to their usual table and sat down. "Seifer's trying ya know. He evenasked me to help him be nice, cause I don't think he wants to get in trouble anymore." Selphie said pouring milk into her apple cinnamon cheerios.

"Is that what he told you?" Quistis asked gazing at Selphie from behind her glasses- she must be substituting for someone today. "Not in so many words but he said something like that." She looked upwards thinking a second then shrugged.

'Hmm?' Squall thought to himself.

In the halls later that afternoon. Seifer is walking up the halls towards the parking lot when he sees Irvine in the distance. 'Oh shit.' He thought turning as quickly as he could.

"Hey Seif'!" He heard him call. 'Too late, rrr.' "Oh," he said as the cowboy caught up to him. "what is it?"

"Just wanted to know if you've fixed that little problem you were havin' earlier?" He asked and Seifer just looked at him as though he hadn't the slightest idea what he was talking about.

"Well let me tell ya, if you wanna impress the boy give him the dashing, debonair, cowboy approach."

"What?" The knight couldn’t believe he was still on that and he stopped in his tracks to look him in the eyes. "Listen, I don't like Zell he's a little chicken wuss who can't stand me just as much as I can't stand him and if I ne-..."

He stopped talking seeing Zell walk down the hall, with his hands behind his head whistling, "Part of me." by Linkin Park.

Without warning Seifers face lit up to a smile as he watched him approach them. He pictured Zell dropping his arms and smiling at him as well then waving before he came over to them; he then pushed Irvine out of the way and planted the deepest kiss on his lips he'd never had. When he suddenly started laughing Irvine took his gaze from Zell and landed it on Seifer. 'I knew it!' He thought. 'This guys hot for Zell, oh this is too damn good.' He started smiling to himself.

"Gee, you guys look cozy. You gonna kiss next?" Zell said as he walked by in the same fashion as he started in and walked away. "Bye Zell..." Seifer said lowly in a dream then shook it off realizing it had come out.

"Mind tellin' me what that was all about?" The cowboy asked gesturing his head towards the air space where Zell had just been.

"It's nothi-, oh fuck it! But of all people to find out why you? I mean this is worst than seeing Leonhart in the shower."

"What?! When did this happen?" He demanded to know. "I was using a metaphor!" He suddenly grabbed Irvine’s vest and slammed him against the wall. "You tell anyone- Squall Selphie- especially Selphie- I'll hit you so hard it won't even be funny!"

And with that Irvine broke into a huge grin and started laughing. "Damn, I mean you'd swear you loved him too."

Seifer's shoulders slouched as he let him go. "Shit, you love him too." He asked already knowing the answer and he did his famous laugh to the idea.

"I meant what I said, Irvine. You tell anyone and I'll hurt you." Seifer said with just enough threat as two girls passed by.

"Alright alright, no need to get snippy I ain't gonna tell anyone anything- I will though advise you take my advice. Impress him that gets 'em every time."

He didn't wanna listen, he knew it was wrong but he caved in, he was desperate. He let out a low sigh. "Do you really think that'll work?"

"Fuck yeah, and on guys like Zell you gotta be really suave, sweep him off his feet." He was going to continue, but Seifer clasped his hand over his mouth and thought for second. "It's dumb enough to work, and simple enough to do. We've got a free day tomorrow...." He felt Irvine's mouth moving against his hand and looked at him moving it away.

"Something on your mind?" The knight asked.

"Yeah if you're done with me let me go I don't wanna have any horrible mental pictures of you and Zell- waaay to scary for my taste."

"....Whatever." He said backing away from him and Irvine tipped his hat to him and walked away. 'This had better work my patients in trying at all are wearing thin.' He thought going back towards the parking lot but then making a change of plans he went into his own room and locked the door behind him.