Terminal Recovery
Chapter Six - Persuasion
By Tori Singer
Notes: Hey! Thanks everyone for all the reviews! They make me so happy! Oh and DSC, thanks for not being mad and stuff. I've always been biased towards Squall anyway, I need to stop it, I know. Anyway, I'm not gonna RUSH the relationship, y'know, like some people just have them magically want eachother and have them hop in bed. You'll see what I mean in this chapter. Heh heh.
PS: I wrote part of this in the hospital today. I'm down with bronchitis and I have an enflamed disk in my back. Not cool. Love takes time, you have to get over your insecurities before hopping in bed anyway.
Terminal Recovery
Chapter Six - Persuasion
By Tori Singer
These last few days have been rather smooth if I do say so myself. At least, nothing's happened that made me look like a moron in front of Squall. The occasional floating object is all. I'm getting kind of used to it so I'm not so freaked out anymore. But, I'm still on guard.
I yawn and stretch my legs before burrowing back down into my sheets. The morning seemed to have come too soon. The light was streaming right into my eyes.
"Grrgh." I roll over, hiding from the day. I knew I had to clean today. I had dishes to do, dusting, laundry, god I'm just gonna sleep the day away. I use what little willpower I had to roll myself out of bed. I wore nothing but my underwear to bed last night. It's called laziness so bite me.
I walk over to my dresser, looking at myself in the big mirror over it. You could tell this was a woman's room. I scowl, thinking of the nice 'guy' room that Squall has. Ass. I quickly drop my underwear, throwing it toward the pile of clothes in the corner. I yawn again and scratch my head. I make a sort of hiccup sound as I look in the mirror.
My eyes meet those of Squall's in the mirror. He was standing in my doorway with a guilty look on his face. I whirl around, trying not to look embarrassed.
"Uh, yeah?" I say rather intelligently. I see him pucker his lips slightly in embarrassment.
"I just...wanted to see if you wanted breakfast." He replied, looking away from me. I grabbed a pair of shorts from my dresser and pull them on quickly. I walk over to my friend and I grin.
"Sure, be right down." I tell him, trying NOT to look at his obvious arousal. I highfive myself mentally. Squall mumbles something else before leaving pretty fast. I stifle a laugh and I feel rather giddy inside. Does this mean that he's attracted to me? I think about it for a while, sitting on the edge of my bed.
Ok, we kissed that one day, in the mud. He let me share his bed, something that I'm sure Squall wouldn't do normally. Maybe....maybe I'm getting my hopes too high. Maybe he just had morning wood. Speaking of which.... Oh man no wonder Squall looked like a deer in headlights! I groan and run my hands over my face.
After a while I get up, pulling a white t-shirt on. I wanted to be comfortable if I was to clean today, not that I wanted to, but it had to be done. I didn't want Squall to have to do it all. He wasn't even supposed to be cooking, but he always gets up earlier than me. Damn him.
I make my way to the kitchen, eyes peeled for anything unusual. I really hate this house, I can't wait to end this vacation thing. Well, that's not entirely true. I'm really really grateful to have Squall all to myself. There, he's constantly bombarded with people, causing him to clam up a lot and seem rather cold.
"Hey." I say, coming into the room. Squall leans against the counter and crosses his arms. He looks me straight in the eye and blurts.
"I made eggs." He told me. I stood there for a minute, my fuzzy mind kinking out the sleep. I run his sentence over and over in my head.
"OH! You made eggs!" I finally state and sit down. I always knew how to start the morning with a blonde moment. Squall frowns before glaring at me, trying to keep a straight face.
"Zell Dincht, what did you THINK I meant?" He asks, walking around behind me. I just stutter a bit and then yelp when he grabs my shoulders. He KNOWS I'm rather very ticklish there.
"Wahh! Squall stop!" I beg, scrunching my shoulders, trying to escape the punishing fingers. He works them into my neck, wiggling and pushing furiously. I'm having a hard time breathing from laughing so hard.
"Please?!" I plead, trying to elbow him without leaving my neck open to more assaults. He speeds up his hands.
"Submit to me!" He threatens. I laugh some more, he was NOT gonna win!
"Never!" I tell him playfully, feeling hot from laughing. He doesn't lay off.
"You will, eventually." He says calmly, letting me go. I gasp at the sudden loss and I turn to look at him. He had already walked over to his seat, grabbing his eggs. I don't say anything as I pick up my fork. I wonder what he meant. We didn't talk throughout the meal. I felt a little akward...
"No Squall." I tell him for the hundredth time, pushing him onto the couch. He scowls at me as I shove a book in his hand. I watch his hair shift slightly in the fan's breeze.
"But-" He tries again, but I thrust my hands on my hips and I glare.
"I can handle it, fearless leader! Just read your book and relax!" I match his glare with my own. Why is he so intent on helping me with the damn housework! I mean, I'd find ANY reason to get out of it! He glares a bit more before angrily opening his book and reading. He jerks his feet onto the table in front of him and keeps a mad look on his face. I add a point to my mental scoreboard. Ha ha. Squall's not so 'good' as he thought was he.
Satisfied that he wouldn't try anything else, I pick up my broom and go back to the kitchen. The sun shined through the window, causing it to feel hotter than it really did. I started in the the corner, dragging the broom across the floor. I hate this, I hate this so much. Cleaning just isn't one of my favorite past times. But, we couldn't live in a cluttered house, could we? A cluttered, haunted house mind you. Brr.
It didn't take too long to get the kitchen floor swept but it felt like hours. Goes to show my reluctance to the situation. I prop the broom in the corner and I walk to the sink. There was a nice pile of dishes stacked up. I groan softly before turning on the water. I add soap and wait. The suds bubbled up almost immediantly.
I sigh and turn off the water when it was full enough. I turn away and glance at Squall, who was reading his book, that scowl STILL on his face. I have to grin at him, even though he's not looking. A chill shoots up my spine when I feel something against my leg. I spin around and I bring a hand to my mouth.
The entire sink and counter was covered with soap suds. They just kept growing bigger and bigger. Suds were on the floor, brushing my legs. I take a step back, bumping into the table.
"Squall?" I whisper, unable to find my voice. I turn toward him.
"Squall!" I call, watching him look up. He stares at me for a moment.
"What?" He asks, looking rather nonchalant. I gape at him. Can't he see...? I turn around and find a completely clean countertop. No soap, no suds, just an innocent sinkful of dirty dishes with the right amount of water and soap.
"N-nothing..." I mumble, grabbing a dish rag.
"Have another 'spook moment'?" I hear Squall tease me. He calls them 'spook moments', I call them 'shit my pants moments'. I scowl at the sink as I wash the dishes. This so totally sucks. Why does this happen? I can't answer that and I feel silly as I realized I was waiting for the house to answer me...
Nothing else happened to me as I finished the dishes and started on the laundry. I first went to my room, knowing that I was messy when it came to my clothes. I gathered them all and dropped them in the shoot. I listened as they fell into the basement, below the kitchen. I hated the basement, it was cold and dark. But, that's where the washing machine was so...
I left the room, heading down the stairs. I pass Squall, who's cleaning a window. I take a few more steps before I halt.
"Squall!" I complain, facing him. He drops the bottle and looks at me with a guilty face. He obediantly walks into the kitchen and pours himself a glass of water.
"I was only cleaning a damn window, what's the problem?" He asks, not facing me. I shrug, not knowing how to answer.
"I'm not a freaking invalid." He glares at me. I sigh in defeat.
"Only the window, ok?" I point a finger at him. He mumbles something and looks away. I grouch to myself as I open the basement door. A set of concrete stairs awaited me. It was very dark down there... I steel myself as I start down. After just two steps, I feel someone's hands on my back. The air from my lungs flies away as I am pushed down the stairs. I holler as my shoulder smacks into the concrete stairs all the way down.
I lay at the bottom, unable to move for a moment. I hear footsteps, and then Squall is leaning over me.
"Zell! You ok?" He asks. I'm suddenly angry as I glare at him.
"I don't know! You pushed me!" I accuse him, surprising myself. He looks hurt and offended.
"No I didn't!" He insisted. I roll my eyes and stand up. How could Squall do that?! I just said to not clean too much.
"Whatever man." I let it lie, turning away from him. He grabs my shoulder and spins me around.
"I did not push you! I watched you fall!" I glares at me. I bite my lip and stare at him. Could he be lying? But why would he push me? Was it...?
"Ok, I felt something push me. If it wasn't you, then who?" I challenge him, placing a hand on my hip. His glare intensifies. Good.
"Zell..." He starts, warningly. I ignore him, the pain in my shoulder still throbbing, reminding me of my fall.
"Tell me!" I wave my hands in the air. He turns away.
"Believe it or not, I did not push you down the stairs, Zell. I have no reason to." He starts up the stairs. I suddenly feel a little ashamed. But, I don't say anything as he leaves. Could the ghost have pushed me? I didn't know, and I was confused. Was it Squall? Or was something really trying to kill me....
I try to focus my thoughts on something else as I load the washing machine. I throw all my clothes in and shut the lid. I lean against the machine, thinking of the events of the day. I should apologize to Squall, I was so upset. I knew that he wouldn't have pushed me, why would he? He's my friend, but this house has me unnerved, I guess.
"Dammit." I run a hand through my hair, not knowing what else to do. I start toward the stairs when a sound stops me. I turn and gasp as clothes start spewing out of the shoot. It was Squall's clothes, I could make that much out. It stopped, and the clothes were in the basket neatly. I narrow my eyes. I thought I told him NOT to do anything but the windows? I stomp up the stairs and into the kitchen.
I stop when I see Squall on the couch, looking upset.
"Squall?" I inquire, walking closer. He didn't say anything, just ignored me. Well, he's probably still upset from earlier. I mean, I just accused him of trying to commit murder... I gulped, feeling stupid.
"Um, was you just upstairs?" I got to the point. Finally, he shoots a glare in my direction.
"No. And what else are you accusing me of?" He turns away from me and sticks his nose in his book. I shudder at the hatred coming from him. I sigh softly and lean against the doorway. Ok, so the ghost likes to help with the laundry. He also likes to start shit. Grr. I suddenly thought about the kiss we shared.
I wondered if it meant anything to him anymore. I didn't know if I wanted to find out. I swallowed thickly and sauntered over to my friend. I slowly edge my way onto the couch. He ignores me, and I hope that's a good thing. Well, not really a 'good' thing...
"Squall?" I call out quietly, not knowing how to approach the situation without making it worse. He doesn't look at me. I try again. I touch his shoulder lightly.
"Squall, I'm sorry." I say, but still, nothing. I get desperate. I jump on him, causing him to gasp. I sit on top of him, inabling him to move.
"I'm sorry!" I yell in his face, clutching his shirt tightly. He stares up at me and sighs.
"I-I know." He tells me. I flinch backwards, taking in what he said.
"What do you mean by that?!" I narrow my eyes at him. He puts his hands behind his head and actually smiles.
"I just wanted you to sweat it out for a while..." I gasp like a moron at his statement.
"What?!" I shriek, pounding on his shoulder. He laughs a bit at me. I stop and sigh, leaning back. I'm still sitting on his stomach.
"I really am sorry, though. This house just has me so...ugh!" I stare off at nothing in particular. I feel Squall touch my back. I look down at him. He just had a blank stare. He rubs my back a bit. I hope I'm forgiven. Well, out of the freezer and into the frying pan as they say. I will what courage I have and I lean down.
He doesn't stop me as I kiss him. I just savor the feel of his lips against mine. I move them a bit, experimenting. I've only kissed people a couple of times. Squall and Shirley, that was it. And when I kissed her, her retainer came out in my mouth. Don't say a word.
"Mmmm." I hear his breath leave in a rush against my lips. His arms wrap around me, pulling me closer. I bring my hand to his cheek, running it against the semi soft skin. My other hand is tangled in his shirt, security reasons. I feel his hands run down my back and grab my ass. I shudder at the touch, leaning forward a bit more, closer to him.
I jump as a knock sounds at the front door. I pull back, sitting up, flattening Squall's hands between his crotch and my ass.
"Sorry..." I murmur as I hop off the couch. I hear Squall sigh loudly behind me. My legs feel a little shaky as I reach the door. I stopped to catch my breath. I wanted to kiss him again, I just had to! Stupid door!
I yank open the door and to my surprise there was two guys standing there. One had very long black hair, coming down mid-thigh. The other had short blond hair. I just stood there staring. They looked to be about twenty or so.
"C-can I help you?" I stammer, taking in the handsome strangers. The one with the long hair and purple eyes jumps up and down.
"I told you! I told you!" He faces the other guy. The blond had light brown eyes, telling me that his hair was probably not natural. The blond sighs.
"Ok, you win, David." He looks at me, smiling. He sticks his hand out.
"My name is Matt." He says to me. I stare at his hand before wiping my own on my pant leg. I shake his hand.
"Zell." I say. I don't feel like my normal talkative self. I hear Squall come up behind me. David goes nuts.
"I told you there was two of them!" He exclaims, a big smile on his face. Squall arches an eyebrow and looks at me in confusion. I shrug. Matt just sighs and looks away from his chattering companion.
"I saw the two of you in town a few days ago! We just wanted to stop by and hang out with our new neighbors!" David spouts all at once. Matt once again sticks out his hand, toward Squall.
"Matt, and this is...David.." We watch as said person trips mid hop and falls to the side, into the bushes. I laugh at his antics. I hear Squall softly chuckle.
"Uh, come in." I say, gesturing to the door. Matt grins and walks inside, while David picks up a radio and follows. I flinch at the sight of a damn radio but I bite my tongue. Matt sheds his coat once he was inside. I take it from him and I hang it on the coat rack. David steps up next to me and hangs his jacket as well. He grins at me letcherously. I gulp and scoot over next to Squall, who was talking to Matt.
"I see, so you two live on the far side of town..." He crosses his arms over his chest. I briefly wonder if Squall's upset that we were interrupted. I don't get a chance to ask, though, as David bounces over to us. I'm really reminded of Selphie... I feel a sadness. I miss my friends, and the garden.
We all talk for a while, getting to know oneanother better. I learned that Matt and David lived all the way down on the south side of town, next to the hotel. They were lovers and had lived there for three or four years. They were pretty nice people. It was nice to talk to some other people besides Squall, not that I'm complaining...
"Hey! Wanna listen to the radio?" David suggested, getting up from his spot on the couch. Matt grumbled next to him.
"But, you dance all the time, David..." He complained. David winked at him as he set the radio on the kitchen table.
"Never heard you boo me yet..." He said suggestivly. I coughed and turned away, getting unwanted images. I was sitting on the coffee table in front of the couch and Squall was standing next to the TV, looking bored. David flipped the radio on, much to my annoyance; I haven't thought about stereos the same since that first incident.
A pretty upbeat melody started playing. I listened to the words. They were pretty cool. Pretty soon, David was swaying and moving to the music, his hands running up and down his body. I averted my gaze, getting a little excited, despite my eyes for Squall. He was a pretty sexy dancer, in his leather pants and diamond cut shirt. I saw Matt roll his eyes, even though he had an obvious erection.
I looked at Squall, who was surprisingly watching the dark haired man. I felt a flair of jealously at the look on Squall's face. He was obviously pleased with the show, if his tight bluejeans had anything to say. I caught David's eye and he winked, wiggling his finger at me. My eyes widened.
"What?" I asked, feigning ignorance. He shook his finger at me.
"C'mere." He said seductively. I heard Matt laugh. I wrapped my arms around myself, NOT wanting to dance in front of Squall.
"Come on David, leave him alone, he's too scared to dance." Matt scolded his partner, who was currently using the table as part of his show. I flinched, I had to eat on that thing, y'know... Then I thought about what Matt said. I turned to him.
"Hey! I'm not scared!" Squall joined in on Matt's laughter.
"Gee, you're a quick one today..." He mocked me, causing Squall to laugh harder. I fumed, I couldn't bring myself to retort, but I didn't want to dance either. Soon the song ended, and David panted on the table.
"That was fun...but rather lonely." He pouted at me. I looked at Matt.
"Why don't you ask him to dance with you?" I asked, closing my eyes in frustration. I heard David crack up.
"Yeah right! He couldn't dance if his life depended on it!" He dodged the small pillow that came flying from the couch.
"No need to get defensive." David said, smirking at his lover. Matt just growled. I laughed, glad that the situation was over. Another song came on, I recognized it. It was a slow song by Madonna. It was a pretty old song, being wrote in the 80's or so. It was...."Playground" I think. Yeah, it was.
'This used to be my playground.
This used to be my, childhood dream.
This used to be the place, I ran to.
Whenever I was, in need, of...a friend.'
I listened a bit more, singing the words in my head. I looked up, watching David sway slowly to the beat. It was pretty sexy, his moves accented the song very well. I watched a bit more before looking at Squall. Once again, he was engrossed. I frowned and swallowed hard. Would it hurt to dance a little? I haven't done it in so long....
Before I could chicken out and prove Seifer's nickname right, I slowly walked over to David. The long haired man suddenly reached out and grabbed my hand. I yelped softly as he thrust himself against me, pulling me into his grinding dance. I tried to calm down as I felt his erection poking my hip. I grabbed his shoulders and swung my hips against his, looking up into his face.
I didn't like being so short compared to him. He had to be three or four inches taller. About Squall's height, if not a little taller. I close my eyes at Matt's catcalls. I don't hear Squall say anything. I throw my head back, losing myself in the song and David's sensuous leading. I feel him groping my back, making his way down to my ass. I hiss as he lifts me off the ground, my legs wrapping around his waist.
"David..." I whisper, feeling uncomfortable. He says nothing as he rocks against me, turning us around and about. I run my hands through his hair, wiggling my hips against his to the beat. I couldn't bring myself to look at Squall. I just couldn't. Finally, the music stops, and David puts me down. He rushes to Matt, who's whistling and whatnot. David jumps on the man's lap, attacking his lips with his own.
I feel akward as I walk into the room, sitting on the chair I dragged from the kitchen. I noticed Squall still leaning against the TV. He wasn't looking at us. His face was red and he looked irritated. I bit my lip, I hope it wasn't because of me... Which of course, meant that it probably was.
"Sorry, I was just so turned on dancing with Zell that I HAD to pounce ya!" He winked at me as he explained to Matt. I coughed and looked away. Another song came on. It was so slow and sweet...."Unchained Melody" I think the Righteous Brothers sang that song...
I watch David lead Matt over into the kitchen, trying to get him to slow dance with him. It was a little clumbsy at first, but Matt caught on pretty quick. And soon, they were engrossed with eachother as they swayed back and forth. I was caught in the romantic moment, sighing in utter despair. Where was Squall when I needed-
I didn't get to finish that thought as I feel a hand on my shoulder. I looked up backwards at Squall, who looked a little embarrased. I stood and faced him. He bit his lip before grabbing my hand. He pulled me against him; I gasped softly at the contact. He placed his hand at the small of my back. I gripped his shoulders, my face leaning against his arm.
My heart was thumping in my chest by the time I registered that we were moving slowly together. We were dancing, Squall and me were dancing! I inhaled the smell of Squall's shirt, it smelled like his cologne and something else I couldn't identify. I felt his other arm ease around me, unsure. His hand rested on my buttock at last. I sighed loudly and grinded against him a bit.
He squeezed the flesh and dipped his hips a little. I followed suit, leaning back to look into his eyes. He looked slightly flushed and embarrassed. I offered him a smile. The corners of his mouth tilted up a little bit. I grinned at that, rubbing my hands across his chest suggestivly. His lips parted and I heard him gasp.
It took a minute to register that the music had stopped. I craned my neck and looked over my shoulder. David was sitting on the table, chin in his hand, looking at us with googly eyes. I bite my lip and pull away from Squall. I feel his hand run along my arm as I plop on the couch, avoiding his gaze.
"Ohh! Don't stop that was sooooo romantic!" David exclaimed, placing his hands to his chest and sighing. This guy was starting to make me think that he was related to Selphie somehow. I heard Matt laugh a little.
"Didn't mean to interupt ya!" He rubbed his neck. He poked David on the shoulder when the long haired man didn't stop talking. David finally looked at him in annoyance.
"What?!" He asked, placing his hands on his hips. Matt rolled his eyes.
"We've gotta get goin'!" He told him, dragging him off the table. I stood and walked them to the door. I told them goodnight and they walked off in the dark, arguing about silly things the whole way. I smile at them before closing the door. They were a pretty cool couple, I guess. I turn to tell Squall what I thought but didn't see him on the couch.
"Squall?" I call, darting my eyes around. He wasn't in the kitchen either. I hear a door slam upstairs and I cringe. I hope he wasn't mad at me. I just got a little flustered, is all... I sigh and I turn off the lights downstairs. I walk up the stairs with a heavy heart. I stop in front of Squall's room, listening. I hear nothing, he couldn't be asleep already...
"Goodnight Squall." I say after awhile, feeling silly when nobody responded. I guess he WAS asleep... I sigh and go to my room. I close the door behind me before leaning against it. The night was going so well....and then I have to go and act like a scared school girl. He must think I'm a moron....
"Oh well...." I mutter to myself, stripping off my clothes. I throw them into the now empty corner in the room. Heh, the cycle never ends....
I yawn, not feeling like putting on pajamas. My groin was throbbing pretty badly. I guess I got a little more worked up than I thought. I quickly threw out the idea of taking care of it. I didn't want to risk Squall hearing. I lay down on the bed, feeling the soft sheets against my bare skin.
I laid there for the longest time, thinking about the events of the night. I couldn't help but let a small tear drip from my eye and trail down my cheek and toward my ear. I quickly wiped it away. I didn't need to be crying, that wouldn't do at all. I rolled over, facing the wall, sighing in content. I just started drifting off to sleep when the hair on the back of my neck stood up.
My eyes popped open when I heard the squeak of my bedroom door opening.
End of chapter 6.
Notes: Please review! I wanna know if I'm doing a satisfactory job on this story. I hope you liked this chapter. I really love the songs I mentioned in this chapter. I believe Unchained Melody to be my favorite love song. See you later!
-Tori