Love at Angels'
Rinny Leonheart
Summary: AU SQUINOA. Having had his heart torn to shreds 6 months ago, Squall Leonheart's best friends Seifer and Irvine decide that he has moped around for long enough and he needs to let go. For his 19th birthday they show him the world of Angels', Deling's most famous strip club, where he meets a dancer who shouldn't even be there. Determined to forget his past, he visits the club every day, in hopes to make the dancer part of his future…
Copyright Disclaimer: Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favour of fair use.
In short; I don't own FFVIII and I never will. I only possess a copy of the game, the authorized walkthrough guide and some related game paraphernalia. I use Squaresoft's (Square Enix) idea for a personal formation of my own creativity.
Author's Note: You may be thinking that I'm super fast at writing but the truth is thatI've been working on this chapter since I wrote chapter 5! I did warn you all that I was doing random chapters, and since my story plot line turned into 30 pages of plots and lots of dialogue and descriptions I felt like I had to start on several future chapters. Enjoy this one, there is more to come!
Last Chapter
She gripped the handle of the trolley. "I'm not afraid of anything!" she said, her cheeks tinting pink.
"So…?" he pressed. "Will you come out on Saturday then?"
"Ok, fine. But I would like to stress that it is not a date, ok?" she said firmly. "I'm only doing this to stop you nagging."
Squall smiled as the cab pulled up to the kerb. "Fine by me."
Warnings: This fanfiction IS rated "M" just in case you missed it! Contains adult themes and a lot of STRONG language. Rinoa's thoughts are in bold italics and Squall's are in regular italics.
Chapter Fourteen: And It Starts
They climbed out of the cab and began carrying the shopping bags up the stairs to the front of the house. Squall, as promised, carried half of her bags while she filled her hands with the others and brought out her keys to let them in.
"Thanks for helping me with my stuff Squall, I appreciate it." She said, striding into the kitchen with her bags. He followed her and set down the ones in his hands onto the table.
"No problem, I did say I'd carry them for you after all. It's the least I could do for you letting me share your cab."
"Oh I didn't mind really, you were fantastic amusement in the supermarket, that made up for it." She giggled as he rolled his eyes.
"Hmm, I'm not sure seeing someone who was trampled by Sunday shoppers is my kind of fun but whatever."
"Shall I stick the kettle on then?" she asked, removing her jacket and hanging it over the back of one of the chairs.
"Yes please. I'll make the drinks after we get this lot put away." He indicated to the dozen bags surrounding them.
She crouched down; reached into one of the bags she had placed on the floor and began removing items, placing them onto the counter above her head. Squall hoisted the box of washing powder off the floor and juggled the bottles of fabric softener into his arms.
"Rinoa, should I put these in the utility room?" he asked. She popped her head up over the table.
"Oh yeah, just leave them on top of the dryer, I'll put them away later." She said, returning to her position on the floor.
I will die if he finds the bag with my pads in! I need to keep him in his own bags!
She watched him walk down the stairs into the basement. It had been converted into a utility room, complete with 2 top of the range washing machines, 2 dryers and 3 clothes horses. There was even a standing freezer and a pool table down there. The owners of the property certainly had spared no expenses to accommodate students; it would explain why the rent was so much!
Once he was out of sight, she frantically searched through the bags for her toiletries. Once she found them, she tied a knot in the handles and left them by the door, to take them upstairs later.
He came back up the stairs and reached for a bag on the table. She popped her head back up again, startling him.
"Thanks for this Squall, but you don't need to help me with my stuff too. Just focus on your own. It's easier for me to do my own; I know where it all goes."
"I only have a few bags, more hands makes less work and all that."
She shook her head, resting her chin on the table.
"No, no it's ok. I can do my own sorting thanks. If you want something to do, why don't you make the drinks?" she suggested.
"Ok then. Do you want tea or coffee?" he walked around the table and stood beside her as she crouched on the floor with her cupboard open next to his legs. She looked at his standing profile beside her over the top of the door and felt her cheeks flame up again. He had a really nice body, there was no denying that. She couldn't help but remember the time she saw him clad in only a towel fresh from the shower. Her mouth watered at the memory.
Why had she turned him down again?
"Rinoa? Tea or coffee?" he asked again and she quickly turned her gaze back into the contents of her shopping bags.
"Oh, um, coffee please, same as yours." She said, focussing on the Tetris game she had going on with her groceries. They worked in silence for several minutes.
"So where do you want to go next weekend?" he asked as she scrunched up the last carrier bag and stood up.
"Er, I don't know." She shrugged. "There's nothing on at the cinema that I fancy watching… what about you? Is there anywhere in particular you have in mind?"
The cinema isn't my idea of a fun night out, not unless we were a couple… Hmm… where could we go… aha!
"We could go to Loveless and go dancing?" he suggested. He saw a sparkle in her eyes.
"Dancing?" she asked slowly, a smile creeping up the corners of her mouth.
"Yeah, what do you think?"
"I love dancing!" she said enthusiastically. He smiled back at her.
"Wonderful."
Saturday 1st October 3:39pm
Rinoa had strolled around Deling City's shopping centre for over three hours now and she was still empty handed. She'd been in all her favourite stores, looking for something new to wear out tonight.
She had plenty of clothes she could have worn but she had received a lovely, unexpected rebate in her wages yesterday and thought she would spend some of it on a lovely new outfit. She felt like being rather flush today, but nothing had caught her eye as she'd browsed through the stores.
She stopped by the café near the book shop and ordered an iced tea to drink. It was very warm inside the shopping centre today, summer was supposed to have ended by now but the warm sun rays were still beaming down from the sky. She sat outside, letting the gentle breeze flowing around Deling to cool her down.
She knuckled her forehead, sipping her drink through a straw. Where else was there that she could go to find something new to wear?
Thankfully she had spent all week working on her assignments for school. Though it hadn't been peaceful and quiet; Squall had been playing a lot of heavy amplified tunes each night he was home. There was one particular tune that he favoured above the others; she lost count of how many times he played it in a night. In the end she'd shoved her earphones in to drown out the sounds of his music and focus on her work.
The thought of studying versus the chance to visit Loveless for the first time in 3 months had incensed her to get the work done quickly. It gave her enough time today to sort out her room and get her laundry done too. And that was when she'd looked through her clothes and realised she wanted something different to wear.
She had dresses, pants, skirt and tops in her collection but none of them had screamed out at her as she pushed them across the rails in her wardrobe. The same was said for the clothes stores she'd been inside. Nothing looked right on her when she tried the items on, she had been glad to get back into her biker leathers. It had been such a relief that she always tried clothes on instead of making an impulse buy. She lived by that mantra when it came to dressing herself.
Out of the corner of her eye she spotted a group of girls walking into a store across the road. The sign was black and silver, reading out the name: "Lenne's" scripted in calligraphy. She hadn't noticed that place before.
She finished her drink and walked over to the store front. It was promoting a designer opening up their eighth shop. Lenne was a well-known name on Esthar's catwalk, a singer/songwriter/model and now a designer.
She stepped inside the building and was taken in by the flashes of colourful outfits lining the walls and shelves around her. Soft music was playing in the background and the line for the dressing rooms was already huge.
She flicked through the rails and racks, looking for anything that would jump out and scream at her. She saw a black pleated skirt which she thought would be good for work and picked it up. It had the look of black denim, but felt like cotton; the waistband was stretchy at the back and had hidden pockets in the sides.
Then she saw something blue being hung up onto a mannequin and stepped forward towards the shop assistant.
"Where can I find that in here?" she asked. The girl looked her up and down and smirked.
"This is the only one we have in stock. Lenne has some one-off pieces that she wanted in the display windows."
"I'll want to try it on." Rinoa said, longing to reach out and snatch it out of the girl's fingers. The assistant sighed and handed it over to her.
"Dressing room's over there." She pointed towards the queue on the other side of the store.
Rinoa scurried over to the line of girls; most of their arms were filled with garments.
"I wish I could buy all of these!" one girl standing in front of Rinoa gushed, her arms filled to capacity with several outfits. "But I can only afford one outfit; I need to see which one I like the best on me."
"I know right? This store is soo expensive but you know the quality is spot on!" the girl next to her piped up, with many hangers dangling from her hands.
The line disappeared quickly and soon it was Rinoa's turn to use one of the 8 cubicles the store had available for trying on the clothes. She stood in front of the mirror admiring the piece she had on. She pulled the skirt up her legs and smiled. This was what she wanted to buy.
Changing back into her own clothes fast she strode from the changing room and headed straight for the tills.
"I'll take it." She said to the assistant who had been dressing the mannequin. "And this skirt too."
The girl rang it through the till grudgingly. "That will be 200 Gil please."
Rinoa blanched. 200 Gil?! For a top and a skirt? Did she want to pay that much?
"If you can't afford it…" the assistant said loudly, causing several customers to stare in their direction.
"No! I can!" Rinoa exclaimed, fingering the soft material longingly. It was worth the price!
She put her chin up defiantly and looked at the accessories behind the counter. "I'll take a pair of those too." She pointed at an item hanging behind the shop girl's head and slammed down her bank card onto the counter. "The blue ones." She said firmly.
8:35pm
Squall sat on the edge of his bed, his knees shaking uncontrollably. He'd asked a girl out for the first time in over 3 years. Well, she'd turned him down the first time he'd asked so it was technically the second time. And yeah ok, it wasn't a date date, but he'd still asked her and she'd said yes, well, after a bit of persuasion anyway.
Seifer, Zell and Irvine had given him the low down earlier that afternoon, it had seemed alien to him, being in a girl's company after all this time. Compliment your date- even if it isn't a real date, it could turn into one so show her that you're interested. See to it that she is comfortable at all times, so don't do anything foolish to scare her off; do not let her buy her own drinks, but if she offers to go halves on anything, then accept it once; pick her up from hers and take her to the destination and make damn well sure you get her back to her place, no letting her go off on her own in a cab even if you decide not to see her again!
The only thing he hadn't told them was who she really was; they'd have raised their eyebrows and tried to talk him out of it. He could hear the conversation in his mind already:
"Are you freaking nuts?! Because she lives with us then what'll happen if it doesn't work out? Could you look her in the eye again? Why couldn't you pick someone who you wouldn't have to see every day if the shit hit the fan?"
His mind was spinning as he tied his ankle boots up. He knew the dress code at Loveless was strict; no tracksuits, trainers or jeans were allowed. He'd grabbed his black suit trousers and shoved them on, they were a bit tight around his butt, the only other pair he owned which weren't denim or sportswear were his leather pants and there was no way he'd be wearing them to the club, they looked great on him but they restricted his movement which was no good if he'd be dancing all night. He threw on a tight fit black short sleeved shirt and grabbed his wallet from his bedside table. His eyes looked to the single white rose he'd bought that afternoon on a whim.
They'd laughed at his question about getting her flowers or something- that is too old fashioned, nobody does that sort of thing anymore. Besides, they weren't going out to dinner or anything, they were going dancing, where would she put the damn things, did he expect her to carry them round with her all night?
Allison had always loved it when he gave her flowers, especially if he went over the top and brought a bouquet he could hardly get through the door. He reminded himself that Rinoa was nothing like Allison, she may not be into flowers the same way.
It was a magnificent flower, full blossom, thorns had been delicately removed and a simple blue satin ribbon was tied into a bow halfway up the long narrow stem. It wasn't anything extravagant, and he'd liked the idea of giving it to her. He stroked the soft petals, deliberating whether or not to offer it to her as a gift.
He leaves it on his desk, realising she may see his attempt to change the game before it started. She wasn't the type to allow that sort of thing happen. She was stubborn, a lot like him. Reaching for his hair gel next to the rose, he runs the gooey substance through his chestnut coloured locks, spiking his bangs down across his eyes, fluffing the back of his hairline up slightly.
Taking one final look in the mirror, he walks out of his room without his jacket. He wouldn't be needing it tonight, autumn was just starting, and it was still just warm enough to go without. He looks to Rinoa's door, and knocks on the hard beech wood.
Rinoa scolded herself as she looked into the mirror; she was almost ready to leave. She just had to drag a brush through her hair, but she had a nasty feeling building up in her mind. She knew she'd gone over the top with her outfit, sure it had looked so nice on her in the store, but she'd told herself that tonight wasn't a date and she shouldn't have dressed up like it was one. But then again; why shouldn't she dress up a bit? She hardly ever went out anymore but still…
"What am I thinking? Why did I even say yes, and why did I decide to buy this?! He's going to get the wrong idea, I just know it!" she hissed.
She hears a knock on her door and stays quiet.
"Rinoa? It's Squall, are you ready to go yet?"
She needed more time to think, she feels so nervous. Instead of answering she throws her bathrobe on and shoves her ebony tresses into a towel. She walks to the door and opens it slightly, just enough for him to see her face.
"Ohhh, hi. I'm not quite ready to go just yet… Err… I could be a while longer. How about you go on ahead and I'll meet you there later, ok?"
"Nah, don't be silly, I'll wait in the lounge for you to finish up."
Shit, she hadn't counted on that, she was hoping he'd go on ahead and then she could just not show up. If he asked her tomorrow where she was, she'd lie and say she hadn't been able to find him. The club was a huge place; it was easy to lose a person in there.
"No, no it's ok, I can get there myself, there's no point in keeping you waiting around."
"There's no point in me going on ahead if you'll be coming shortly after, so stop being difficult. I'll be downstairs, just give me a shout when you're ready to go and I'll call a cab." He said as he headed for the stairs.
"Squall! Wait!" she finds herself saying. He turns to her, his foot halfway to touching the second step.
"G-give me ten minutes, I'll be down soon, ok?"
She closed the door without hearing his reply, leaned against it and face-palmed.
Dammit, if she couldn't convince him to go on first then she had no choice. It was her own fault for saying yes in the first place really. She could have said no a lot more, but he'd persisted; his eyes captivated her and broke down her wall. She'd agreed to go with him and she had no chance of getting out of it. But she was sure she'd made the arrangement on her terms though, she'd been clear with him that she didn't date.
She pulled off her robe and smoothed down her outfit, brushing out any creases that appeared when she shoved on the dressing gown. She yanked the towel from her head and brushed her hair firmly, making sure she did it extra hard when she came across a knot; as punishment for being so spineless.
"I'm such an *ow* idiot…"
Squall reached the bottom of the stairs and walked into the living room. It was not a place everyone tended to use, not that it wasn't a nice room, but the kitchen was the main place of congregation in every place he had been to. The walls were covered in a cream and red patterned wallpaper, the carpet was soft, thick and fluffy in various shades of red, almost like a crimson river. The two 3-seater sofas co-ordinated with the obvious colour scheme; made of cream fabric and had four red throw pillows scattered across the back with matching red throw blankets hanging over the arms of the chair.
There was a TV in there too, on a pine wood cabinet, which was gathering dust since everyone had their own televisions in their rooms. He sits on one of the plush sofas, it's quite comfortable actually. If he ever got too tired to climb the stairs after a night out he could always fall asleep in here.
The clock above the electric fireplace ticks slowly, the sound soothing to his ears. He glances at the time; it's almost nine o'clock. Loveless would be opening soon and if you weren't there before half past then your chances at entering that night were very slim. Weekends were always packed; the DJ often played remixed tunes from the last 10 years which were popular with the student body. That and the new releases everyone adored so much.
He flips out his phone and fiddles with the buttons absentmindedly. What was he supposed to do? He should call for a cab, so he dials a number and makes the booking.
He hears footsteps coming down the stairs and stands up quickly, a giddy feeling rushing through him like a wave. He walks out of the room and his eyes focus on the stairs. His heart freezes in his chest as he looks up to see Rinoa walking the last set of stairs.
WHOA! Oh my Hyne! Wow!
She was wearing a low cut navy blue top that stopped at her midriff in a triangle with white frills enveloping the plunge neck to her shoulders and baby blue frills cascading down her left hip to touch her knee, matching blue frilled arm warmers which had thin black straps crisscrossed halfway up her biceps, a pleated black miniskirt which left little if anything to the imagination, and a tiny, unnecessary powder blue belt unlooped and hanging off her hips. She wore a pair of mid-heeled stilettos which showed off the curves of her legs. Her raven hair was left down, her makeup was minimal, but he wasn't focussing on those aspects. She looked completely stunning.
"Is this… too much?" she asked, noting the look on his face as she reached the last two steps. He didn't answer so she took his hanging mouth and wide eyes as a yes.
I guess I'll have to put something else on, he doesn't look too thrilled with what I'm wearing.
She sighed. "It is, isn't it? I'll go change into something else if you want. I'll be back in two min-"
"No!" he almost shouted. She blinked at him in surprise. "I… I mean, you look… Don't change a damn thing." He stammers, unable to vocalise coherently.
Oh! Perhaps not.
She blushes. "Thanks, er… have you called for a cab yet?"
"Yes, it's on its way, shouldn't be more than five minutes or so." He tells her quickly, trying to restrain himself from dragging her into the den and barricading the door. He was turning into a pervert again and he hated it!
She gives him a strange look. "Is something wrong? You seem kind of edgy."
A sharp horn blows outside. The cab had arrived. He shakes his head and turns towards the front door quickly. Her eyes open wide in realisation and she mentally kicked herself for putting the damn outfit on now; he was so getting the wrong idea.
"Squall, look at me." She tells him firmly. He glances over his shoulder, his hand on the door knob mid turn.
"We're just friends right? You don't need to act funny around me, ok?"
The words hit him like a dagger in his chest. Friends… How could she say that to him while looking like that? She'd specified it wasn't a date but damn! She certainly knew how to give out mixed messages!
He nods the tiniest bit and pulls the door open. They climb in the back of the taxi; the atmosphere is tense between them on the journey. He keeps taking sly glances at her profile on the seat beside him. The outfit she had on accentuated her slim figure and the curves of her breasts. That damned skirt of hers was higher than any skirt he'd ever seen a girl wear, even the one Alexa had worn that fated night hadn't seemed this short! He looked at the rear view mirror on the windscreen and wondered if he had been in the driver's seat, would he be able to see what colour panties she had on underneath…
He mentally smacked himself for even thinking that; how sick was he! He thought about what she had just said inside the house, she couldn't possibly have been serious, could she? The effect she was having on him was surreal.
Rinoa fiddled with the hem of her tiny skirt absentmindedly.
This is so awkward… I can cut through the tension in the back of this cab with a knife! Maybe I shouldn't have come after all… Hey, wait a minute! Just because this isn't a date doesn't mean I have to worry about what he's thinking all night; I'm going to have a good time whether I want to be here or not!
She turns her head and looks at his face; he looked like he was having a difficult time trying to say something. Her hand slides from her lap and grasps his. He looks back at her and she smiles.
"Are we ok?" she asked softly, giving his palm a comforting squeeze. He smiles back.
"When weren't we ok?"
"You are very difficult to read you know? I wasn't sure if you were thinking about backing out on going to the club. You looked kinda spaced out just now."
"Yeah, sorry, I was away with the faeries."
Yeah, away with these damn hentai faeries hell bent on making me lose control!
"That happens a lot with you, doesn't it?" she teased with a smile.
Yes, dammit, and it doesn't help when you're dressed that way either!
He grunted instead of answering.
The taxi pulls up outside the club. As expected there is a horrendous queue leading from the front door. Rinoa slides the driver the money before Squall could pay, then opens her door and as she climbs out; Squall gets his answer to what colour panties she had on, her skirt rides up slightly as she pushes herself from the seat. His hands clench in his lap.
Holy freaking Hyne, this isn't fair! He screamed in his mind as he got out of his side of the car.
He looked at the long queue and wondered if they would actually get in there tonight. He didn't have to worry for long, he saw Rinoa with a bouncer. She had her arm around the guy's neck, whispering into his ear. The guy grinned at her and lifted the velvet rope in front of the door. She turned to Squall and waved him over.
"C'mon then!"
Author's Note II: Leaving it here, I know it is very short compared to what I have posted already. My word, this story is going to be more than the 30 chapters I expected! The next… four are all linked to this one chapter in succession. Ok that didn't make sense, so it's less confusing, the following four chapters are all based on this one night, it'd be more pages than I'd ever want to post on here, probably about 50 ish… that's too much and I'm not sure I'd be allowed to put that much text up in one go! Don't forget to review!
I am so happy I had the start of the big stuff posted in time for my birthday tomorrow (21st March) and to have an extra chapter up that I hadn't planned on getting up just yet; well I am very proud of myself!
Chapter 15: Loved up at Loveless: What started as a fun night out between the pair turns sour.