Hey readers! :) Thanks for taking the time to read my fic. I really really enjoy FF8, and I got kind of nostalgic when I bought the game for the PC. So I decided I had to write something about it. A future fic, set 5 years post-game. Characters are mostly about 22-23 years old.
Disclaimer: The vast majority of these characters, settings, plot references, etc. are the property of SquareEnix and their partners. Only specifically-mentioned characters are created by me. No copyright infringement intended.
Anyways, I don't think I need to do much more for this intro, but I just wanted to say that I hope you enjoy this story as much as I've enjoyed writing it, and if you feel like reading, reviewing (including much appreciated constructive criticism), favouriting, etc. that would be a really huge encouragement for me, and I would really appreciate that! :)
Anyways, on with the story! Enjoy :)
~Anya
Chapter 1: Eyes on Me
Selphie & Irvine
"Heeey, are you ready to go yet, Irvine?" Selphie called cheerfully up the stairs as her fiancé prepared himself to go out.
"Like, give me a minute, woman!" Irvine responded facetiously, with just a slight hint of genuine annoyance underneath it. His voice was muffled by the closed bathroom door so he had to yell in order to project down the 2 flights of stairs, to the front door where his fiancée was standing expectantly. "It takes me a while to brush my luscious mane! You just can't rush beauty!"
Selphie rolled her eyes.
"You better not be rolling your eyes!"
His fiancée smiled in spite of herself. He really did know her well. Dancing in place to keep herself occupied, she works to take the edge out of her voice. "Irv, hurry, please – we're going to be late! Finish your look so we can get going!"
"Yeah, yeah, in a second. Relax."
After what feels like an eternity, Irvine finally walks out of the bathroom. He walks down the stairs at a leisurely pace, and swishes his long brown hair to the side, like a supermodel. He grins, laughing at his own silly behaviour, and finally stands in front of Selphie, looking extremely proud of himself.
Selphie looks him up and down, and her concerned frown transforms into a dainty little smile.
"You like?" Irvine asks her, beaming.
"I like those pants, that dress shirt, annnnnnd, yep! You picked a nice jacket to go with it," Selphie chirps. "However, unfortunately, your hair is still a little funny. I think you should keep it tied back. You look a bit like a girl when it's down."
"Ouch, why don't you just stab me in the heart?" Irvine gasps, dramatically keeling over. "Never insult a dude's hair."
Selphie pays no attention. Just looks him up and down doubtfully, thinking carefully. "OK, here's what we're going to do!" As she says this, she walks over to the hall closet and turns around with a sparkly black hair tie in one hand, and a solid black leather cowboy hat in the other. "This was going to be a surprise for your birthday…but maybe I could give it to you now and you could wear it to the reunion?"
"Aww, shucks…" Irvine suddenly becomes speechless, as he gratefully and gently take the hair accessories from the grinning brown-haired girl. Tying his hair up with the hair tie, and plopping the leather hat on top, he turns back to Selphie and mimics a gun shot in her direction. "What do you think, babe?"
"I think you look like a million bucks!" Selphie says, holding her arms out to embrace Irvine.
"Well, I have to, in order to hold a candle next to this smokin' hot woman over here. You are jaw-droppingly gorgeous, baby." Irvine slowly spins Selphie around so he can watch the skirt of her sparkly light blue dress twirl flawlessly around her thin, porcelain legs.
"Awwwww, you are the sweetest," Selphie says happily, clapping her hands.
The couple smiles lovingly at each other before Selphie looks at the clock. "Oh nooooo, we're going to be late! It starts in only 20 minutes and it's going to take us 45 minutes to drive there! What a super mega bummer…"
Irvine feels guilty knowing that he caused Selphie's disappointment and decides he owes her an explanation. "Hey, Selph, I know you really wanted to go, and I'm sorry that I took so long and made us late…" He looks down in shame. "Honestly, I guess I was killing time in order to put off going to this thing. I'm really nervous."
Selphie's eyes widen. "Why?"
Irvine swallows once, and walks over to sit in a chair in their foyer. He twitches uncontrollably while sitting stoically, like he does whenever he is internally freaking out. "Well…I was the last to join the group. Squall was the leader of all of you, and, well, he didn't really like me. He never chose me as a party member unless he was forced to take me, and even though I tried my best, I just never felt heard. I didn't really bond well with the others, either, except for you. I was always the one who got forgotten. I was kind of the black sheep the whole time, trying to be accepted into a well-established clique, if you get my drift…"
Selphie thinks this over quietly, and steps close to Irvine. She puts her hand on his shoulder, and squeezes it gently as his hand comes up over hers. "Irvy, don't think like that. You were just as much a part of that group as Squall was. We were all friends, and even though some people in the group were closer than others doesn't mean the others were less important. Plus," she said, taking Irvine's face in her hand and kissing him on the forehead, "doesn't it matter more what I think of you?" Here, she grinned and winked innocently.
Irvine smiled, though it seemed he still wasn't convinced. "Thanks Selph."
"Anytime!" Selphie nods cheerfully. "So you gonna come?"
"I guess so." He shrugs. "It would be a little weird if I could bring down the Sorceress, but couldn't even summon the courage to meet up with some old friends."
"Absolutely!"
"OK babe. Let's go get 'em."
"Let's go get 'em."
And with that, Selphie and Irvine locked the door to their loft, and got in the car to go meet the others at the Balamb Garden Post-Graduation Reunion.
Thanks for reading - if you've got the time, I'd really appreciate a review! :)
~Anya