Best of You

--

When Seifer's cell phone began to ring with Rai's unmistakable song, the blond shot out of bed. Disregarding the fact that it was nearly two in the morning, he snatched up the small device, flipping it open with a loud bark of, "Where is he?"

"I'm fine, Seifer." Hayner answered, startling the pale-haired teen. The skater's voice cracked near the end, a hoarse whisper that was barely audible over the hum of activity in the background. It was obvious that Hayner was on Rai's cell phone, but Seifer couldn't help the trickle of mortification he felt at voicing his feelings so loudly over the phone.

"I --”

"Seifer?" Hayner inquired softly, as if questioning whether or not it was okay to even speak. Seifer sat up in bed completely, pushing off the comforter and running his free hand through disheveled hair.

"Yeah?" It came out as more of a grunt than Seifer had intended, but he ignored it upon hearing Hayner's next question.

"Could you come to the hospital? Please?" Seifer's heart seemed to leap into his throat at the realization of what he'd just been asked, instantly moving to get dressed. He was well aware that it would be a good hour before the late train came back for another pick up, something he was grateful for just to know that they did late hour trips through the cities. "Yeah, which one?"

"It's the one by where you live; they didn't have room for gramma on the inland one." First disbelief and then relief became evident to Seifer as he pulled on a pair of slacks over his boxers. Ignoring the need for socks, he stuffed his feet into a pair of boots by the front door.

"Yeah, don't worry, I'll be there." Hayner thanked him quietly, the phone clicking off a second later. Seifer stuffed his cell into his pocket, grabbing up black leather jacket and pulling it on over his night shirt, zipping it up to help block out the inevitable morning cold that he'd be struck with upon leaving the building.

St. Edea's Hospital was nearly a mile down the street- a little less than a fifteen minute walk for Seifer. The entire way there, the only thoughts that seemed to want to run through the blond bully's head, were memories of Hayner's weak voice over the phone, as if he'd lost the energy to live, to even care anymore.

Upon arriving and making his way to the waiting room, Seifer instantly caught sight of Hayner, clad in jeans and an oversized sweater. He was sitting beside a dozing Rai with trembling hands fiddling with the dark-skinned boy's cell phone. Something struck a chord inside of the bully, realizing that his friend had cared enough to stay with Hayner throughout the entire ordeal, and he made a mental note to buy him something to show his gratitude later on.

When Hayner finally glanced up to see Seifer standing before him, he placed Rai's cell phone on the sleeping boy's lap and stood up, fiddling his hands together awkwardly before stepping forward and doing nothing more but to drop his head onto the taller boy's collarbone with a soft 'thud'.

"I know she's not gonna make it, Seifer. She's gone." He barely mustered the last statement before his voice cracked into an almost-whimper. Awkwardly, Seifer raised a hand to place it onto a thinly muscled shoulder, squeezing it to provide comfort for the boy. He wasn't sure how Hayner would react- given that the boy was prone to fits of irrationality - but he lifted his other arm, sliding them across a shaking back and tugging Hayner flush against his chest, making sure to take in calm and deep breaths in hopes of soothing the younger boy.

Hayner must have called Seifer of his own volition, given that Rai was still fast asleep and his cell phone had been in the skater's possession.

Sighing gently, Seifer used his hold on Hayner to turn the boy around and guide him back to his seat, choosing to occupy the place next to him that wasn't occupied by Rai.

"My parents kicked me out; my Gramma was the only one who'd take me in." Hayner uttered, putting his hands into his lap and fidgeting with them. Seifer's eyes followed the action, his curiosity piqued.

"I mean, I know that grandparents are supposed to be the old fashioned ones, but when I told my dad that... that I might not like girls that much... he went crazy. My gramma actually understood me, though." As Seifer listened, he slipped an arm across the boy's shoulders to rub circles along Hayner's bicep in a hopefully soothing manner. He wasn't sure how to act- repeating things he'd seen people do on television and in other situations of comfort; they maintained more physical contact and listened to the hurt person talk.

"You are the worst, though. You're a conceited asshole and you're just so mean that I can't understand why you'd give a shit about anyone else outside of your little clique." Seifer would have been impressed by Hayner's extensive burst of vocabulary, had he not been a bit put out by the painfully truthful statements that had escaped the disheartened blond.

A sigh escaped Hayner and he leaned to the side to drop his head onto Seifer's shoulder. "I dunno, man. I can't even think right now." He groaned, cheek pressing heavily into the muscular appendage. Seifer grunted to acknowledge the boy's confession, embarrassed at his inability to properly help in any way other than the occasional touch of comfort.

Hayner's breathing soon evened out with the onset of sleep, his chestnut eyes disappearing under dark blond lashes, mouth pursed in a concerned pout before evening out into a semi-relaxed state of slumber.

Seifer allowed his head to lean to the side, resting on the top of Hayner's and taking note of the lack of hair-gel, his normally hard and spiked locks actually soft and almost-silken. He shut his eyes, sighing quietly.

"Hayner Rhodes?" Hayner jerked his head up, hissing when it connected sharply with Seifer's jaw, though he didn't apologize at the look of pain that flashed across the other boy's face. The nurse before them gave both teens and odd look, but didn't elaborate on it as the next words left her.

"I'm sorry; there was nothing we could do. We'll contact your parents to tell them the news." She murmured, fingers holding tightly to her clipboard as if it would shield her from any hysterics that might decide to leave the boy. Instead, Hayner groaned lowly and covered his face with both hands, sliding down into his chair with defeat.

"I knew it." He breathed.

The nurse ducked her head, apologizing once more and scurrying off, most likely to place the call to Hayner's mother and father. Seifer stood, reaching a hand out to help Hayner to his feet before leaning forward and giving Rai's knee a rough shake. "Hey Rai, you good to go home? You want me to call Fuu?" Grunting, the dark-skinned boy waved Seifer off and mumbled something about having it under control. Seifer nodded, his hand moving to clasp Rai's own and lift his friend out of his seat.

Clapping his hand against his companion's back in gratitude, Seifer bid Rai farewell, Hayner standing patiently behind him. As Rai flipped open his phone to call his girlfriend, Seifer turned to see Hayner waiting for him. Eyebrows furrowing in confusion, Seifer walked up beside the boy. "What's wrong?" He asked gruffly, lips pursed in worry.

Hayner wrung his hands together. "I -- " He cut himself off, contemplating his words. "Can I... stay with you... tonight?" Seifer nodded roughly, accepting the shorter boy's need for attention and not an empty house. He motioned for Hayner to follow him as they made their way out of the waiting room. From what he understood, Hayner's parents would be the ones in control of what was going on with the blond's grandmother and her death.

The walk to Seifer's condo was filled with silence. When Seifer attempted conversation, Hayner's responses were short and curt, leaving things to fall short of an actual discussion. By the time they reached Seifer's condo, it was nearing three in the morning, and Seifer's body was wracked with shivers of cold and fatigue.

Seifer shut the door soundly behind himself, barely getting the chance to turn around before Hayner had a hand gently pressed to his chest, the blond teen leaning onto the tips of his toes as his mouth touched Seifer's. They stayed like that for a scant few seconds until Hayner's lips parted fractionally and he pulled back to kiss Seifer again, this time a tad more forcefully.

In the few seconds that it took for Seifer to comprehend what was happening, Hayner had stepped away, lower lip tucked between his teeth and a look of regret shining in chestnut eyes. Decision made, Seifer stepped forward, dropped his keys, and pulled Hayner up against himself. He ducked his head down to eagerly push his lips against the shorter boy’s own. Hayner arched his head into Seifer's, their kisses becoming more frantic as they stumbled back against the wall, Hayner’s body crushed between Seifer’s and the hard surface behind him.

Things began to get more heated until a groan escaped Hayner, sending a tingling sensation over Seifer's lips and a relation that Hayner was still in distress about his grandmother. Reluctantly, Seifer withdrew his hands and stepped back from Hayner, arms extended out to stop any advance that the shorter teen might have planned on making.

"Wait- Hayner - you're not thinking straight right now."

"I don't think either of us is thinking very straight, Seifer." Hayner replied, his hand darting between Seifer's outstretched arms to grab onto the lapel of the taller boy's jacket to tug him forward.

Seifer did little to stop the sudden burst of strength from Hayner, their lips smashing together again, teeth clicking painfully as Hayner seemed to put all he had into the kiss, tongue flickering out to run along the roof of Seifer's mouth. Heart stopping in his chest, Seifer had to ignore the way his body seemed to heat up, things in him stirring and awakening a fire of sudden passion. Their lips smacked loudly when Seifer pushed Hayner away.

"Stop it." He barked, regretting it the instant he saw a flash of hurt flickering in chestnut eyes. He continued, regardless. "I'm not taking advantage of some crybaby because his grandmother died. I don't need your pity. If you're going to kiss me, do it when you mean it."

Hayner's mouth opened, as if he was prepared to protest, but instead he shut it with a loud click of his teeth, the muscles in his jaw flexing angrily. Seifer pushed the shorter boy back, forcing him towards his room.

"It's late, are-tard." He barked, shoving Hayner onto his previously made bed and going to fetch the same slacks that the blond skater had worn the previous time he'd spent the night. Hayner moved to stand up again, probably to protest Seifer's sudden bout of hospitality, but dropped back onto the bed when he was hit in the face with a pair of familiar pants.

"We're sharing the bed; I don't trust you alone tonight." Seifer's statement was in a cold voice- one that made it obvious he wouldn't accept any form of a protest.

Hayner dropped his head to look at the pants as Seifer left the room to allow Hayner some brief privacy in order to change.

Standing, Hayner did so quickly, tying off the drawstring just as Seifer gave a sharp rap on the door and opened it. He was sans boots and jacket by now, eyes warily following Hayner as the boy slipped into his bed, making sure to stay on the very edge, comforter pulled up to his shoulder.

Seifer's bare feet padded across the room, the bed dipping as he slipped in on the other side.

"Sleep." Seifer said, his body exhaling heavily as he pressed his face against the pillow, lying with his back to the shorter boy's. Hayner murmured a gentle and barely audible 'night.' before allowing the room to fall into a bout of silence.

Moments ticked by, Seifer's breathing evening out until it was obvious that he was in the realms of slumber. Hayner shifted uncomfortably, turning around until he was facing the larger teen's back. Hesitating, Hayner scooted forward so that his forehead rested against the contours of muscles that lined Seifer's shoulders. Eyes falling shut; Hayner breathed out a half-yawn and succumbed to his fatigue.

The entire room was filled with a silence so stifling that most of the lawyers surrounding Hayner were adjusting their ties uncomfortably every now and then. Hayner himself was seated to the right of his chosen witnesses -- Roxas and his parents -- Setzer on his left and his own mother and father across from them. At the end of the table, the Mayor of their small town cleared his throat, adjusting and smoothing out the paper that was clasped in his hands before speaking.

"Now that the will of Iris Harriman has been read to the following witness, custody of Hayner Rhodes will be given back to his pa-"

"He will not." Hayner's father interrupted, his voice cutting through the room icily, a hand wrapped around his wife's shoulders and his gaze concentrated on the Mayor's startled face. Hayner jerked his head up to stare at his father with a look of despair and hurt, though he said nothing.

The Mayor adjusted his glasses, paper crinkling in his hands. "Excuse me?" He asked gently. Hayner's father continued to look anywhere but at his own son. Hayner felt Roxas slip a hand over, placing it onto his knee in a comforting move.

“We told that disgrace that he was never allowed to set foot in our home again, and we stand by that.” Something shot through Hayner like ice, coiling in his gut and heating his insides just as rapidly as they'd been frozen a mere half-second earlier.

He couldn't stop the croak in his voice as he meekly called out to his father."But Dad--" Anything else he planned on saying was shot down by the dark green eyes that stared at him with hatred.

"I am not your father." His father barked, ignoring how his wife seemed to be bordering on tears, a hand covering her mouth and her head turned into his husband's chest. "My son is dead.” Having heard that, Hayner's chin began to wobble dangerously, his eyes and nose burning with a pre-tears sensation. He bit down strongly on his lower lip as Roxas slid a comforting arm around his shoulders.

"You're terrible parents!" The blond boy exclaimed, using his other hand to pull Hayner's face into his shoulder and hide the boy from the unwelcome stares of the entire room. His statement was met with a loud sob from Hayner's mother, which grew into a series of body-wracking cries from the woman. Hayner's father held tightly to his wife, while Roxas' parents tried to silence their son.

“We did our best to raise a good, strong son!" Hayner's father defended himself strongly, his lips pulled back into a snarl as they continued to speak. "Not this -- abomination!" Though Hayner knew very well why he'd been thrown out of the house in the first place, it burned every nerve in his body for the man to speak the same hateful words he had in the previous years to a room full of strangers and friends alike. An odd and inhuman keen tore from the back of Hayner's throat, and he picked his head up from Roxas' shoulder to look at his mother, whose hands were covering her face.

"M-mom?" She turned her sobbing form away from her son, burying it into her husband's chest. He knew she'd never stand up to his father, but it hurt to know that she'd give up her only child because of the views of her spouse. Something broke inside of Hayner, and he clutched to Roxas' hands that held his own.

A few seconds ticked by until the mayor cleared his throat again, this time to gather the attention of the room from the previous drama.

“Is there anyone in this room who is willing to take temporary custody of Hayner until his sixteenth birthday?” Roxas made a noise, as if he was going to speak up and offer Hayner a home, but he was interrupted by his own mother.

“Roxas, you know we can barely afford things as they are!” She hissed into her son's ear. Roxas, face contorted into one of desperation, protested. "But mom- "

Setzer leaned forward in his chair, the creaking of old springs interrupting Roxas' train of thought.

“I believe that I can take care of the boy for a few months.” Horror became evident in Hayner's face, turning to look at Roxas with an expression that clearly begged for some form of assistance from his companion. Roxas mirrored the look to his own parents, but they did little to help.

"Well, Hayner?" He looked up to the Mayor, who seemed impressed by Setzer's generous offer. "Which would you prefer?" Confusion struck the boy for the two seconds in which the mayor paused before explaining. "Stay at Setzer's, or be sent to a temporary foster home?" The only sound that seemed to escape the blond boy's mouth was a series of confused squeaks, to which Roxas wriggled a hand out of his tight grasp to rub at the boy's back in a reassuring manner.

The mayor seemed to take in the boy's indecision, placing the paper down and sighing loudly. "How about we meet again in a week? In the meantime, we can assign a social worker to watch over you." Though the mayor made things sound simple, he knew that the majority of his decision time was just an excuse for Hayner to be able to pack up his grandmother's house without interference. Roxas' hand continued to run up and down his back, the blond leaning forward and muttering, "It'll be okay, Hayner." into his friend's ear.

The next few days were filled with a series of events that Hayner hadn't expected to foresee. Avoiding two boys he'd never met before that continually made allusions to Seifer (as they struck the windows of his grandmother's home with a baseball bat) was already beginning to wear on him. Hayner had called the police twice already, but nothing had been done to stop the two teenagers. They stalked him on the streets, throwing rocks at the back of his head and even going so far as to almost break his leg after hitting the back of his knee with the same baseball bat that had probably been used to destroy his windows.

Setzer had come to his house every night to talk Hayner into agreeing to his offer, bribing Hayner with sanctuary and financial security that he'd never really had with his grandmother. Each time, Setzer's words started to sound more and more appealing to the blond skater.

On the last day before his decision was to be made, Hayner found himself sitting on one of the many benches that lined the outskirts of the Sandlot, his struggle bat at his feet and head turned skywards, watching the clouds with a melancholy expression. He was bundled up in a loose camouflage jacket with a matching set of pants, normally gelled hair falling down the sides of his head in soft tufts.

That was how Seifer and his group of friends found him a half hour later, expression conveying one of surprise at the sight of the blond boy who'd so suddenly become reclusive.

Wary, Seifer walked past the shorter boy and over to the score board, shrugging off the Struggle gear that he'd been carrying in a net bag. Rai squatted down next to the bag as ViVi ran up to them, his small arms clutching to three struggle bats, a grocery bag hanging from the crook of his arm- most likely filled with the group's lunches. Fuu took the bats from the child, placing them next to the bag of gear. Hayner stood, grabbing his struggle bat and walking over to the group until he stopped next to Seifer, bat drawn.

“Fight me.” He said softly, though it was barely audible over Vivi and Rai's loud and happy chatter. Seifer, with a bat in hand and chest plate in the other, gave the boy an incredulous and confused look. When Hayner didn't get an abrupt answer, he lunged forward, swinging the padded weapon in an arc and almost bringing it down on the boy's neck, had Seifer not dropped the gear he'd been holding to block the attack with his own bat. A worried scowl was evident on the young bully's face, and judging from the way that each block he made seemed to be only that -- no force behind them, he didn't intend to fight back.

Hayner's voice was a deep snarl as he swung his bat up in a violent arc, wincing at the shocks of pain that ricocheted through his injured arm when Seifer blocked it with two hands holding to his bat. "Stop it!" He snapped furiously, startling Seifer into taking a hit to the cheek with the tip of Hayner's weapon. "Fight me for real!" Seifer ducked another swing to the head, batting away the attempted hit with the hilt of his padded sword.

Vivi watched from the sidelines with wide, childish eyes as his idol did nothing more than be batted around by the very kid he'd been told was a wuss and a weakling. Noticing this, Rai pushed the child back a step and moved to stop Hayner, dismayed when Fuu grabbed the back of his shirt, head shaking and her hair flopping around from the movement. Rai scowled, listening to the sounds of Seifer and Hayner fighting in front of them, gaze concentrated on his girlfriend.

"But Fuu-"

"Leave them." Fuu barked, pulling Rai back next to herself before grabbing Vivi's hand and leading the boy away from the battle, intending to give the two teens a chance to work out their frustrations that had been rising for the past month.

Seifer's gut burned with frustration as Hayner lunged with another attack. He wasn't going to be used as some outlet for whatever anger and hurt that Hayner was feeling. It made him feel used -- something he hadn't experienced in a long amount of time. "Fucking wuss!" Seifer barked, bat whipping out and cracking so heavily against Hayner's own that it went clattering off to the side, leaving Hayner defenseless. Realizing this, Hayner clenched and unclenched his newly bare hands before a shout of rage escaped him and he leapt at Seifer.

Instead of allowing Hayner to tackle him to the ground, Seifer stretched his arms out and caught the boy, pulling him into a fierce hug that restricted the blond's movements. Hayner breathed in heavily, arms winding around Seifer and a keen escaping them, fingers clawing at the white trench coat as his knees buckled. Lowering the both of them to the ground, Seifer's left hand held steadfast to Hayner's back, the other one rubbing up and down in soothing circles.

The scraping of a skateboard's wheels came from the other end of the sandlot, but Seifer paid no mind to it, listening to Hayner squeak out half-sobs and try to muffle them into the blond bully's shoulder.

"Hey, jerk! Let him go!" Roxas' voice broke out over their quiet moment. Hayner stiffened in Seifer's arms, one hand pulling away from where it grasped to Seifer in order to wipe the back of arm under his nose and then onto the leg of his pants. Roxas stomped up to them, skateboard under his arm as his red-haired companion started to jog over. "Don't touch him!"

Seifer sneered. "Shut it, Blondie. Learn to mind your own business." Hayner's hand slammed against Seifer's chest, shoving him back to reveal puffy eyes and a red nose. With a quivering lower lip, he turned to look at Roxas and then back to Seifer.

"Both of you shut up!" He snapped, shakily pushing himself to his feet. The fatigue in his eyes was evident, even as he spoke. "I'm so tired of this crap!" With that, he whirled around and stomped off. Seifer moved to stand up, pausing half way as Hayner jerked his head back. "Don't follow me- or- or I'll hate you forever!"

"You!" The roar from Roxas was barely registered by Seifer when he turned to be met by the short boy's fist smashing into his nose. Pain shot through his entire face, and he was mildly worried that the appendage was broken when Roxas punched him in the cheek before he could even raise a hand to cover his nose.

Disoriented, Seifer swung at Roxas, barely missing when the skater ducked under the attack, diving headfirst into Seifer's stomach and tackling him to the ground. Seifer took the advantage, flipping them over and pulling his fist back to sock Roxas in the nose- the same effect happening as blood gushed heavily from the boy's nose and a scream of pain ripped from his mouth.

Satisfaction came instantly, until Roxas' fist hit his groin and white flashed before Seifer's vision, body falling to the side and his hands going to cup the very objects that had been so brutally assaulted. Roxas kicked at his stomach and Seifer grabbed the offending foot.

Retaliating quickly, Roxas leaned forward and grabbed Seifer's hair- the blond hadn't worn his beanie since he'd left it at Hayner's - and cracked his head into the pavement. It was at that time that Roxas' red-haired friend decided to stop them both by taking Roxas by the stomach and lifting him to prevent any type of escape.

"Sorry about Roxie, pal. He doesn't always think things through." The man apologized, carrying his companion back and leaving Seifer to lie with his face in a growing puddle of blood that came from his nose and forehead.

“Axel! He’s the one who’s hurting Hayner, I know it!” Roxas roared, kicking and struggling to get back to pummeling Seifer to a pulp. Grimacing and blinking blood out of his eyes, Seifer sat up, his voice stopping the redhead's departure with Roxas.

“If you stopped shoving your tongue down Red’s throat for five minutes, maybe you’d see that if anyone is hurting the chickenwuss, it’s you.” Having said that, Seifer used the back of his arm to wipe off some of the blood that was getting into his mouth, pushing himself into a stand. Roxas snarled, making clawing motions over Axel's shoulder, letting Seifer know that he'd strangle the bully the second he had the chance.

Seifer scoffed, spitting out a mouthful of blood and turning to head off towards Hayner's house- regardless of what the blond had previously threatened.

Walking to Hayner's home was one of the most suffocating and anticipation-filled tasks that Seifer had ever succeeded in accomplishing. Each step he took seemed laced with hesitation and a desire to turn around and return to the sandlot to play a practice match with Rai. By the time he reached the old red door with a plethora of potted ferns surrounding the entry, his hands were shaking with anxiety to ring the doorbell.

His stomach plummeted when the door opened to reveal a scarred face, violet eyes and long, pale hair. Setzer quirked a brow, peering at the blond bully and taking in the sight of him with disdain. "Can I help you?" He questioned smoothly, hand holding to the knob and the other one resting on the frame of the door, effectively blocking Seifer's entry.

"Where's Hayner?" A demand more than an inquiry, Seifer stepped up closer to Setzer, showing that he wasn't going to back down from the older man. Setzer, whose face bore a sudden look of amusement, stepped aside slowly. Seifer didn't hesitate to shove past him, stomping his way up the stairs and to Hayner's room.

His fingers grabbed at the handle, cursing softly when it didn't budge but a fraction -- locked. Other hand curling into a fist, Seifer jiggled the doorknob while knocking loudly on the door. "Open the door, Hayner!" He barked, believing that if Hayner knew who was on the other side, he'd eagerly allow Seifer in the room. His wishes were to no avail, because Hayner didn't even release a single sound in reply to the struggle fighter's demand. Seifer repeated his knocking, knuckles rapping loudly on the old wood, muscles tense with worry.

A hand clasped onto his shoulder, fingers digging into the fabric of his white trench coat. Pausing in his knocking, Seifer turned to see Setzer watching him with a deep scowl set on his faintly marred face.

"I think you should go." He spoke quietly, authority in his voice. Seifer's lips pursed, turning to the door.

"So that's how it is? You'd rather be with him, huh? Well fuck you too." Barking out the harsh accusation, Seifer whirled around, using one arm to shove Setzer back violently and make his way down the stairs, boots stomping all the way down before he opened the front door and slammed it shut. Upon hearing the front door bang closed, Setzer no longer held back the tiniest smirk on his face, head shaking in exasperation before he withdrew a small key from his coat. Without hesitation, Setzer unlocked the door to Hayner's bedroom, revealing the blond curled up in his bed, body shaking wildly with tremors. Sitting down on the edge of the bed and ignoring how the dip of the mattress jarred Hayner's body, Setzer reached out the back of his hand to stroke it along Hayner's cheek.

Flinching, Hayner turned his head from Setzer. "You're not going to get away with this." He murmured, blanket clutched in shaking fingers. Setzer cooed, pale hair falling over his shoulder as he leaned forward to place a kiss onto Hayner's temple.

"Go to sleep, Maria."

He left, and Hayner came to the horrifying realization that there was a crevice beneath rock bottom that he'd become stuck in with only a pair of sneakers and a roll of twine.

--x--

this chapter sucks hardcore.
feedback plz to be.
I need love.
seifhayner fics and art plz plz?
they can be graduation presents?