Whereever you are I hope you are safe and we can talk soon. I care about you Seifer. I want to remember our past together. I can't fill in the pieces without you.
You of all people don't get to get mad that somebody's giving you the silent treatment!
This is Seifer! He wouldn't get all quiet and broody unless it was something that was really eating him! And you both suck talking about that kinda stuff.
Cloud's out late tonight on a job, dropping off a delivery at the hub. His route home takes him past the training grounds, which is why Seifer will hear the growl of his motorcycle's engine at about the same time that Cloud hears the sounds coming from inside. It's a weird time for training, not that Cloud has any right to talk, considering half the time he can't sleep through the night and gets up to do things after midnight, too.
But it's hard to tell whether it really is training, or whether someone might be in trouble, and the possibility of the latter has Cloud pulling over before he even thinks about it. He dismounts directly into a dead run, Buster at his back, without bothering to turn off the ignition.
He skids to a halt, though, when he sees who it is.
Seifer doesn't look up, not right away. He's only wearing a pair of Squall's sweatpants and his boots, despite the chill of oncoming winter. His hands, at least, are wrapped in sport tape and he nails the punching bag a few more times. It's not his specialty but he's certainly pretty damn good at it. All SeeD cadets get some hand-to-hand combat training but two of Seifer's best friends are martial artists. He's had a hand in training them both and it shows. He's damp with sweat, clearly he's been at this for a good while and he's breathing hard through grit teeth when he does finally slam one more fierce blow into the bag.
He stops, stepping in to stop it from swinging too much, forehead pressed against the worn leather as he tries to steady his breathing and Cloud may well be able to see the slight tremor in his arms and shoulders. Muscles overworked after too long without proper conditioning and emotions still running much too high.
One of Cloud's best friends is a martial artist, too, and he's seen what happens when she pushes herself too hard. Between familiarity and his sharp SOLDIER senses, yeah, it's not hard to see what Seifer's doing, here.
"Me? Nah. Looks like you need a break, though. Gonna hurt yourself, you keep at it like that."
Seifer finally turns to look at Cloud, face twisted in anger.
"And?"
It's not fair, he knows that.... somewhere. Zell and Squall aren't doing this to hurt him, that's just a side effect. One he feels like warrants a hell of a lot more consideration than they're allowing for but... that's nothing new, is it? Story of his life. One cutting wound after another and no one to blame.
There's something grounding about physical pain when everything in his head and heart are in such turmoil. Really it's a wonder he's only doing this and hasn't found some other more destructive form of that grounding.
Cloud shrugs, unfazed by Seifer's aggressive reply. "And nothin'. But Squall'd probably be upset if you collapsed from exhaustion. N'then I'd have to deal with it."
Of course, he cares a lot more than he's making it sound, but he - and, he suspects, Seifer - is more comfortable at arm's length when it comes to people he isn't close to. Or, in this case, barely knows.
"Squall can go fuck himself." The words are punctuated by another fist thrown at the punching bag and he turns from Cloud for a moment. But more words spill out whether he wants them to or not.
"If he- fuckin- gave a shit" Another particularly hard blow and the follow up misses, fatigue beginning to make him sloppy. He staggers forward from the momentum, holding to the punching bag again and this time there's something thick and wet in his voice, a hint of it in the way his shoulders shake. His voice thick with emotion but not enough to warrant tears. Not yet. Or maybe, not again. "He wouldn't do this...."
That's...not the answer Cloud expected. He moves closer to stand on the other side of the punching bag and hold it steady for Seifer, if he wants to keep going. Sure, he's still wearing himself out, but Cloud is here to call it when it really does get to be too much.
"Do what?" Quieter this time, and it's harder for Cloud to pretend at detachment now.
Ah... but Cloud steadying it means he can lean more heavily against it without actually leaning on Cloud. A nice compromise that protects his pride at least a little. The tone of his voice when he answers, though, is so defeated. Clearly he doesn't have that much fight left in him.
"He ever tell you what a GF is? Uh- Guardian Force."
Hey...we haven't talked in a bit since...well...I'm sorry for the GF. I got you something too. Let me know if you want to meet or if you rather me leave it at your door.
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[Text] @Lionheart
Date: 2022-11-09 06:46 pm (UTC)[Text] @Lionheart
Date: 2022-11-09 06:51 pm (UTC)Re: [Text] @Lionheart
Date: 2022-11-09 06:55 pm (UTC)Re: [Text] @Lionheart
Date: 2022-11-09 09:20 pm (UTC)Re: [Text] @Lionheart
Date: 2022-11-09 09:21 pm (UTC)Re: [Text] @Lionheart
Date: 2022-11-09 09:23 pm (UTC)From Seifer's phone
Date: 2022-11-12 09:23 pm (UTC)Re: From Seifer's phone
Date: 2022-11-12 09:36 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2022-11-12 09:48 pm (UTC)This is Seifer! He wouldn't get all quiet and broody unless it was something that was really eating him! And you both suck talking about that kinda stuff.
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From:@fistfight again
From:late night WTF time
Date: 2022-11-17 07:59 pm (UTC)But it's hard to tell whether it really is training, or whether someone might be in trouble, and the possibility of the latter has Cloud pulling over before he even thinks about it. He dismounts directly into a dead run, Buster at his back, without bothering to turn off the ignition.
He skids to a halt, though, when he sees who it is.
"...Seifer?"
no subject
Date: 2022-11-18 03:28 am (UTC)He stops, stepping in to stop it from swinging too much, forehead pressed against the worn leather as he tries to steady his breathing and Cloud may well be able to see the slight tremor in his arms and shoulders. Muscles overworked after too long without proper conditioning and emotions still running much too high.
"D'you need somethin?"
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Date: 2022-11-18 03:34 am (UTC)"Me? Nah. Looks like you need a break, though. Gonna hurt yourself, you keep at it like that."
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Date: 2022-11-18 01:46 pm (UTC)"And?"
It's not fair, he knows that.... somewhere. Zell and Squall aren't doing this to hurt him, that's just a side effect. One he feels like warrants a hell of a lot more consideration than they're allowing for but... that's nothing new, is it? Story of his life. One cutting wound after another and no one to blame.
There's something grounding about physical pain when everything in his head and heart are in such turmoil. Really it's a wonder he's only doing this and hasn't found some other more destructive form of that grounding.
no subject
Date: 2022-11-18 04:25 pm (UTC)Of course, he cares a lot more than he's making it sound, but he - and, he suspects, Seifer - is more comfortable at arm's length when it comes to people he isn't close to. Or, in this case, barely knows.
no subject
Date: 2022-11-18 07:05 pm (UTC)"If he- fuckin- gave a shit" Another particularly hard blow and the follow up misses, fatigue beginning to make him sloppy. He staggers forward from the momentum, holding to the punching bag again and this time there's something thick and wet in his voice, a hint of it in the way his shoulders shake. His voice thick with emotion but not enough to warrant tears. Not yet. Or maybe, not again. "He wouldn't do this...."
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Date: 2022-11-18 08:34 pm (UTC)"Do what?" Quieter this time, and it's harder for Cloud to pretend at detachment now.
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Date: 2022-11-18 09:34 pm (UTC)"He ever tell you what a GF is? Uh- Guardian Force."
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Date: 2022-12-19 03:38 am (UTC)you're doing it again, idiot.
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Date: 2022-12-19 03:48 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2022-12-19 07:08 pm (UTC)We should probably talk huh?
Sorry
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Date: 2022-12-19 08:46 pm (UTC)Why are you sorry?
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Date: 2022-12-19 11:36 pm (UTC)(no subject)
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