Summary: The gang goes to a rave. Slashy and (hopefully) humorous. Pairings undetermined as of yet.
Disclaimer: Needless to say, I do not own FFVIII or any of the characters from it.
Warnings: This fic contains slash. If this bothers you, then you should probably hit the back button right about now. There are also mentions of drug use.
A/N: This chapter is about Squall, Irvine, and Zell going to a rave. I have only ever been to three raves, so I'm not exactly an expert, but I've tried to explain some of the things in the story that some of you might find confusing. There are notes at the bottom of the chapter and numbers throughout the story relating to them for people who are confused. If you know what raves are and understand what's going on, then you can just ignore them. If you have any questions or comments concerning raves and any references in this chapter that I failed to adequately explain, feel free to leave them in a review or email me about them.
CHAPTER ONE: LET'S GET THIS PARTY STARTED
My skin tingles as the cold night air blows harshly against it. I find myself almost wishing that I had worn a jacket, but we'll be inside soon enough—I hope—and a jacket would only be a nuisance to carry around all night.
"Hurry up!" I yell over my shoulder to my two companions, tired of freezing my ass off as I wait for them. Why do they have to be so damn slow! "C'mon! It's bloody cold out here!" I emphasize, stomping my foot, admittedly somewhat childishly, before proceeding to hop up and down in a vain effort to warm myself up.
"Don't worry, I'll warm you up, babe," Irvine replies in his typical perverted manner. I send my best death glare his way. I would slap him…err…punch him, but really, I'm too cold right now to do anything but run towards the nearest heater. Anyway, Irvine seems to get the message.
"I was just joking, Squally. You don't have to be such a hard ass," he comments, trying his best to look at least halfway apologetic.
"You know you like my hard ass," I reply teasingly, though truthfully. Irvine smirks predatorily and lets out a 'Hell yeah!' before I can continue. "But right now I am freezing this ass off, so would you hurry up already!"
Irvine makes a big show out of catching Zell's eyes before rolling his own in a somewhat exasperated manner. "You'd think the Ice Princess would be used to the cold," he comments to the blonde, though still loud enough for me to hear.
I can't help but huff indignantly, causing Irvine to smirk in amusement. "Coming, your highness," he remarks sarcastically, casting a sidelong look at Zell, who merely laughs at his antics. I continue to glare, though the fact that Irvine and Zell are actually moving faster than a snail's pace now keeps me from making any rude comments to the cowboy wannabe.
Finally, we manage to make it the few blocks between the parking garage and the stadium, recognizing the other party goers as they walk swiftly beside us in the same direction as we're headed in their scantily clad and sometimes outrageous outfits.
We can hear the music from clear out here, blaring through the open gate. A smile inevitably makes its way onto my face and for a moment the cold is forgotten. We head towards the back of the line where people are gathering to get their bags checked by the many security guards.
The mass of bodies provides warmth enough while we wait, though Irvine still takes it upon himself to drape an arm around my shoulders. Despite his pervish behavior, I know that Irvine honestly means well and is—probably—just trying to keep me warm. Really, he's not as bad as he makes himself out to be.
I allow the arm to stay, though I do give him a warning look. He gives me a startled, innocent glance, as if to say 'I'd never!' I roll my eyes, letting out an amused snort despite myself.
Zell leans in from behind us, putting his arms around both of our shoulders and standing on his toes, sticking his head in between Irvine's and my own so that he can join in on the conversation. "I vote we go to the jungle(1) room first," Zell announces excitedly, bouncing up and down on the balls of his feet and causing his spiked hair to bob up and down as well.
I laugh at his enthusiasm and Irvine lets out a light chuckle. Zell's really just a kid at heart. I suppose that's what we love about him. Irvine continues to laugh lightly for a moment before casually removing his trademark cowboy hat and plopping it atop Zell's head, pushing it down so that it covers his eyes. I can't help but think he looks unbearably cute like that.
"Hold your horses, kiddo, we'll be inside in just a minute," Irvine informs the overzealous blonde with a mirthful twinkle in his eye. He pretends to be annoyed with Zell's behavior, though it's obvious that he's pleased with his excitement over attending his first rave(2).
Zell quickly removes the cowboy hat from his spiky-haired head, glaring at Irvine as he shoves the hat back upon the auburn hair pulled back into a loose ponytail. "Don't mess with the do!" he warns the cowboy quite seriously, hands working with practiced ease to fix the dreaded hat hair that Irvine caused him. Zell can be really fussy about his hair. It's almost funny, especially when we go swimming, though it can get annoying. Irvine and I exchange a look, before cracking up laughing at Zell's expense.
"Hey!" Zell exclaims, pouting childishly, though he'd never admit to it. This, of course, only makes Irvine and I laugh louder, which in turn makes Zell's pout deepen. We're still laughing when we make it up to the guards.
Seeing as how I could hardly fit my ticket, ID, and a small wad of cash into my skin tight leather pants and form fitting shirt, the security guard lets me through with little more than a glance. He takes a bit longer with Irvine, making him remove his hat and patting his pants down a bit to make sure he doesn't have anything stashed there. Irvine wiggles his eyebrows at me in a suggestive manner, sending a glance towards the oblivious guard. I can't help but laugh.
Zell too makes it through the security check fairly easily, though his long cargo shorts are checked thoroughly before he can meet up with Irvine and me again. We head on to the open gate, getting our first good view of the party raging inside. Handing our mail ordered tickets to the door guard and allowing him to check them and make a small rip in the corner before handing them back, we're finally allowed to cross the threshold into another world.
It sounds lame, I know, but I really can't describe it any other way. Despite what it may be like outside, in the 'real' world, with all its prejudices and restrictions, in here nobody judges you or gives a damn how different you are from everybody else. You can let loose without anybody looking at you weird or giving you a bad time for it. It's great, the best feeling in the world. The only way to party.
I let out a content sigh as the music and lights and happily dancing people encompass us, allowing all worries and cares to be set aside for the time being. The electronic sounds course through me, causing my adrenaline to rush, as the bass pounds throughout my body like a second heartbeat. It's pure ecstasy. Speaking of which…(3)
"Let's go find Selphie," I urge Irvine, nearly yelling so that I can be heard over the music. Smiling wickedly, he nods in agreement.
I grab Zell's hand in order to drag him along in our search to find our hyperactive little brunette friend, making sure he doesn't get lost in the crowd as we make our way through it. I clutch Irvine's shoulder, glad that he's leading the way, therefore making him the one who has to push through the mass of bodies.
Irvine leads us to the front of the main room, where the stage is set up, the most likely place for Selphie to be. I haven't seen her yet, but then again, she is kind of short and her usually flashy, bright colored outfits don't stand out in here nearly as much as they usually do. I leave it up to Irvine to find her, figuring he'll have an easier time at it than I would considering his four inch height advantage.
Seeing as how we've stopped now, Zell and I take the opportunity to dance as the music hits a climatic point, while Irvine searches the front for signs of Selph. Finally, he seems to spot her, tapping me on the shoulder and pointing a short distance off to the left. It takes me a moment before I spot Selphie along with some other people we know.
Once again forming a train so that we can move through the jam packed front area, the three of us dance our way over to the cute, yellow clad girl. Selphie smiles brightly at our arrival, hugging both Irvine and I happily before turning to Zell, whom she doesn't really know.
"Your first party?" she asks excitedly, barely heard over the music despite the fact that she's nearly shouting. Upon receiving Zell's answering nod, she embraces him before giving him one of the many bracelets covering the better part of both of her forearms. Zell happily accepts it; I assume he remembers what Irvine and I told him about the practice of giving out candy. When we first tried to explain it, Zell was sort of thrown off by the fact that the bracelets weren't really candy, at least not the kind you can eat(4). I swear, he can be so blonde at times.
Zell slides his gift onto his left wrist before I steer him over to the rest of the gang while Irvine and Selphie head to a place where they can hear better so they can talk 'business.'(5) I watch as the two brunettes disappear into the crowd, heading to the outskirts of the room, away from the blaring speakers. Losing sight of them, I turn back towards Zell, giving him a reassuring smile as he looks uncertainly towards the rest of the gang, obviously feeling uncomfortable joining this group of people that he doesn't know.
"Loosen up," I speak into his ear, only loud enough for him to hear me, as I start to dance. I grab his hand and urge him to join me. He does, though he seems somewhat apprehensive at first. It takes him a few minutes, but he finally loosens up as he looses himself in the music.
A hand suddenly clasps my shoulder from behind, pulling me closer to the body behind me. Just as I start to turn around, wondering who's behind me, I hear Irvine's familiar voice as leans in close to my ear. "Mission accomplished," he tells me; I can practically hear the smirk in his voice.
I allow Irvine to steer me toward a somewhat secluded area, feeling him pause just long enough to grab Zell before leading on. Now in an area where talking to each other is at least halfway possible, Irvine quickly fills us in. "Alright, Selphie managed to get some tan dollar signs(6) this time; they're supposed to be good."
He hands both Zell and me a pill before motioning for Zell to take out the water bottle he brought from one of his cargo pockets. Handing the water over to Irvine, Zell watches as Irvine casually bends down, pretending to tie his shoe, and surreptitiously sticks the pill into his mouth before standing up and taking a sip of the water.
Taking the water back as Irvine hands it to him, Zell follows Irvine's example, pretending to cough as a cover for downing the pill. He takes a few huge gulps of water, handing the bottle to me as he wipes his mouth with the back of his hand. I quickly swallow my own pill as I scratch my nose, giving the water back to Zell to store in his pocket once again.
"So…uh, how long do we have to wait?" Zell asks, scratching the back of his head, carefully though so as not to mess up his hair of course.
"It'll probably be about fifteen or twenty minutes," I inform the blonde, smiling at the reminder of the fact that this is all new to him. How I love corrupting the young and innocent. I smirk at the thought, inadvertently catching Irvine's eye, the twinkle in it telling me that he's thinking something along the same line. "Come on, let's go back now," I suggest, waiting for Irvine to start moving before pushing along behind him, Zell trailing in the back.
About halfway across the dance floor, we cross paths with Selphie and the rest, apparently heading outside to cool off and take a quick break. Merging together to form one big group, the three of us start back the way we came from and out to the little patio area surrounded by fencing. Heading for an unoccupied corner, I take the opportunity to introduce Zell to everyone.
"This is Zell," I inform the group, "He's the roommate I've told you guys about." Turning back towards Zell, I proceed to introduce everyone else, "The energetic brunette in the yellow dress is Selphie. The blonde haired girl with the dominatrix outfit on is Quistis," here I pause as Quistis rolls her eyes, though doesn't bother voicing any objection. I smile playfully at her before continuing: "Nida's the one smoking a cigarette; he thinks it makes him look 'cool'." Nida glares at me as if to say 'You're one to talk.' I shrug in reply before moving on. "Rinoa's the one with the glittery wings on. And last, but heaven forbid least, there's Seifer, the one leaning against the fence with his arms crossed, smirking like an arrogant prick." I smile as Seifer lets out a derisive snort.
"Nice to see you too, Squally," he comments dryly. Zell glances between Seifer and I, a confused look on his face, as if he's trying to figure out whether or not we're merely playing. I shake my head slightly, silently telling him not to ask; I can hear Irvine chuckling lightly from behind me.
"Don't mind those two," Irvine comments wryly, "You'll get used to their bickering. They're worse than an old married couple, I tell you." I turn around, sending Irvine an unamused glare as he merely smirks back at me unfazed.
"You trying to get on my bad side, cowboy?" Seifer questions with the raise of a blonde eyebrow, casually pushing off of the fence and raising himself to his full height, an impressive 6'2", a full two inches taller than Irvine.
Irvine however doesn't seem impressed, or threatened for that matter. Smirking in a mischievous way that he knows will only tick Seifer off more, Irvine merely shrugs. "Not my fault that you're touchy when it comes to Squall," he says.
I really don't like where this is going, so before the situation can escalate any further, I attempt to break it up. "Where are Raijin and Fuijin?" I ask the group at large, my blatant change of the subject being a tad more obvious than I would like, but whatever. Despite being a diversion, I truly am curious as to where the other two are.
"Oh...I think I heard them mention something about Fisherman's Horizon. Some weekend long fishing trip or something…" Rinoa answers hesitantly, glancing around at the others as if to ask whether she has it right or is way off. Everyone but Seifer shrugs in reply, obviously unsure as to where Seifer's posse has gone off to.
Breaking eye contact with Irvine and turning back to the rest of us, Seifer confirms Rinoa's statement. "Yeah, they went fishing. They invited me to go, but I'm not really into that and all. Plus Raijin mentioned something about some mating season for one of those bugs or insects or whatever he's always going on about. I swear that guy's got some sort of freaky fetish or something…" he finishes with a shake of his head as he reaches out and snatches Nida's cigarette, taking a long drag before blowing the smoke back in Nida's direction like the right asshole that we all know and love. Nida glares in annoyance, though doesn't bother chastising Seifer, knowing it's a lost cause. Instead, he simply takes another cigarette out of his pack and lights it.
I let out an exasperated sigh at Seifer's childish behavior. He really is beyond help…though that's nothing new.
Looking around, I suddenly realize that Zell is no longer standing right beside me. Wondering where he could have gone—maybe the bathroom?—I let my gaze skim along the enclosed patio. Finally, I spot him, chatting excitedly to a group of people on the opposite end, giving hugs to everyone within reach and receiving another piece of candy from a guy with spiked black hair and about fifty glowsticks hanging off of his pair of baggy, black pants.
"I think the E(7) has kicked in," I inform Irvine, nodding my head in Zell's direction. I watch as his gaze travels over to the far corner that I indicated, and a mirthfully look crosses his face as he lets out a slight laugh.
"Guess we'd better keep a better eye on him from now on," he remarks amusedly, glancing back at me, "We should probably go get him and drag him back here," he adds, shaking his head slightly, finding the situation humorous.
I follow him as he strides over to Zell, smiling and nodding a greeting to Zell's new found friends. "Time to say goodbye to your new friend's, blondie," Irvine says, talking to Zell as if he is a small child. Zell pouts slightly before hugging everybody in farewell and letting Irvine guide him back towards our group.
I find myself giggling slightly at the picture they make, an effect I attribute to the E. I hastily cover my mouth to stifle the sound lest Irvine, or—God forbid—Seifer, should hear. I'd never hear the end of it if they did.
Author's Notes: For those of you who don't know much about raves, the following explanations might help you better understand what's going on in the fic.
Jungle is a type of techno (electronic music) characterized by a fast beat. Usually at parties, if they are big enough, they have a separate room where they play jungle.
Basically, a rave is a party where they play techno. They're sort of like clubs, except for people seem to be more interested in the music than in getting laid. There's a whole culture surrounding them, including things such as candy and ecstasy, which will be discussed later on.
For those of you who are confused, Squall is going from talking about ecstasy the feeling to ecstasy the drug. In other words, he's going to go see if he can get some.
I tried to provide an explanation of candy in the chapter, but for those of you who are still confused, candy is basically brightly colored bracelets. People buy those little bead kits that you get when you're a kid and make bracelets and bring them to the party and give them to people they meet there.
Irvine's going to buy some ecstasy from Selphie. Yes, Selphie deals drugs.
Tan dollar signs are a particular kind of ecstasy. There are many different types of pills and each one has its own name.
E is just another name for ecstasy. As for Zell's behavior, people tend to get really happy and friendly when on E. It's not uncommon for people to go around giving hugs to perfect strangers.