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.
------Author's Notes are at the bottom of the chapter.------
CHAPTER TWO: FEELING HOT, HOT, HOT
"It's too fucking hot," I comment to Irvine, shouting to be heard, as I stop dancing for a moment and attempt to fan myself with one of the many flyers(1) I've been handed so far tonight.
Irvine, in his usual manner, doesn't miss a beat in his pervish remarks. "You're too fucking hott," he says, smirking as he sidles up to me.
I roll my eyes at him and promptly push him back a bit in order to preserve what little personal space I have. "I'm not joking, Irv. I need to take a break; go outside for a minute or something."
Irvine nods, done with the joking around. "Zell might have some water left," he provides helpfully, looking around for our little blonde haired companion. He spots him and is about to walk over, but I stop him before he has the chance.
"I think I'll just go buy a bottle," I inform the cowboy, "A nice, ice cold bottle," I add longingly, smiling at the thought.
He nods his head in understanding, giving me a small wave as I head off to the refreshment area, pushing my way through the mass of bodies. As I get farther away from the stage, the crowd begins to thin a bit, which is why I am a slightly surprised when I suddenly feel someone brush up behind me, a hand making its way to the small of my back.
Flipping my head around to see who the impertinent stranger is, I find Seifer smirking down at me, seeming quite pleased with himself. I raise an eyebrow in question at him, silently asking what he thinks he's doing. He merely holds up a pack of cigarettes in reply, shrugging idly and acting as if this is the answer I was looking for.
"You're going outside right?" he asks rhetorically, somehow already knowing the answer as only he can. "I can use a break too. Thought I'd join you," he explains unnecessarily, deftly making his way over to where the water bottles are with me.
There's no line at the moment, so it only takes a second for me to get my drink, receiving the water bottle in exchange for two dollar bills. What a rip off, but at the moment I'm too hot and thirsty to care.
We make our way over to the patio area once again, not speaking along the way, it being too loud inside to do much talking. As I open the door and step outside, the cool night air rushes to greet me, feeling like heaven against my heated face.
Seifer leads the way over to a corner, leaning against the fencing and lighting up as I take a couple huge gulps of water. Sated for now, I offer the bottle to Seifer, who trades me his cigarette for it.
I take a long drag, slowly exhaling the smoke and reveling in its scent, which I've unsurprisingly linked to Seifer in my mind. I take another short drag before Seifer and I trade back again. "Those things are going to kill you," I half joke, knowing Seifer hates people criticizing his 'bad habit' as Quistis and Rinoa do constantly.
He lets out a derisive snort, taking a nice long drag of his cigarette in response. "I'm gonna die way before these things ever get to me," he comments in all seriousness, inhaling more smoke.
I shake my head in annoyed amusement at the comment that is just so typically Seifer. "Die young and live in perpetual glory," I say with dry sarcasm, scoffing lightly at Seifer's vision of his future, or lack thereof.
"You have to die young in order to be remembered that way," Seifer tells me profoundly, though I still don't agree with his reasoning. "Besides, who wants to get old anyway?" he asks, though he doesn't really expect an answer, and I don't bother supplying him with one.
We stand in mutual silence for a moment before Seifer suddenly asks a question that I can tell he's been dying to ask for a while. "So are you and the blonde chicken just roommates, or are you sleeping together?" His tone is casual, though I can tell that the question, and what its answer might be, bothers him.
The straightforwardness doesn't surprise me coming from Seifer, though the obviousness does. The E must have loosened his tongue a bit. I'm a bit thrown off, not having expected the question.
With anyone else, I would probably tease them a bit, asking them why they wanted to know and if it would bother them if Zell and I were sleeping together. But Seifer's different. Although he would never admit it, he's sensitive when it comes to things like this.
"We're just roommates," I inform him directly, knowing it as the best approach. "In fact, I'm pretty sure Zell has a crush on this girl that works at the library. He's always in there checking out books, though he never ends up reading them. It's kind of cute actually. But anyway, he's not really my type," I add just to make sure Seifer is convinced, knowing how paranoid he can be.
"I didn't ask for his fucking life story," is all Seifer says in reply, though I know him well enough to know that he's relieved by the news, even if he tries not to show it. "You been hanging out with Chickie and the John Wayne wannabe a lot lately or what?" he asks nonchalantly, easily poking fun at my friends as always. I can tell he's wondering whether or not Irvine and I have hooked up, though Hyne knows I've told him enough times that he should know the answer by now.
I answer him anyway, careful about how I word it in order to assuage Seifer's fears. "I've been pretty busy studying lately, you know with mid terms coming up and all. Haven't really gotten out much with everyone else being so busy…Irvine's been chasing after some girl from his English class, so he hasn't been around much," I provide as casually as I can.
Seifer nods his understanding, familiar with Irvine's behavior. It's one of the reasons he's not too fond of the guy. That and the fact that Irvine and went out for a while, albeit that was over a year ago and never got that serious. Besides, Irvine and I are just friends now.
Seifer seems satisfied with the way I've answered and, interrogation over, snubs his cigarette, signaling to me that he's ready to go back inside. Somehow I had almost forgotten where we were. Only with Seifer could I have a serious discussion like this in the middle of a party; no matter how much E I could never loosen up that much with anyone else. It was like we were in our own little world—it was always like that.
It was odd how things were between us, and I wondered briefly why everything always had to be so serious, so intense, when it came to our…relationship? I wasn't really sure what to call it.
Are we friends? We have this understanding of each other like nobody else, but we are also very competitive and the tension between us is usually so thick that you could cut it with a knife…the word 'friends' just didn't seem right somehow. Frienemies? Maybe…but it's hard to say. I'm not sure that there really is a word to describe the way things are between me and Seifer.
I kind of like that thought. It makes our relationship unique, somehow more real because of it. And, if nothing else, things have always been real between us. Sometimes too real. We've been through so much together, faced the harsh realities of the world. Sometimes I wonder whether Seifer feels threatened by me because of the fact that I know so much about him and his elusive past, something he rarely talks about.
Everyone knows that Seifer and I grew up together and that things were tough for us, but I doubt that they could even begin to imagine just how bad things were. I think we turned out pretty good considering, though friends sometimes get frustrated with the way we seem to shut them out and the fact that we're like 'closed books' as they put it. I think we're more like books written in a different language though, and they just don't know how to interpret us. Seifer and I have this understanding of each other that no one else could ever hope to come even close to. He couldn't fool me about what he's thinking even if he wanted to and I know that I can't fool him either.
Shaking my head in an attempt to dislodge these depressing thoughts, at least for the time being, I follow Seifer back into the building and through the crowd, gripping the back of his black muscle shirt so we don't get separated. Meeting up with the group once more, I blatantly ignore Irvine as he raises a questioning eyebrow, glancing back and forth between me and Seifer.
"Let's go to the jungle room," I suggest to the group as a whole, shouting to be heard over the music blaring from the speakers not ten feet away.
Selphie pouts playfully, pretending to be upset at being parted from stage front spot, before smiling brightly and hopping up and down like the energizer bunny. Grabbing my hand, she practically drags me through the crowd, making her way through easily enough despite her lack of height, as the others attempt to keep up.
We make our way into the Jungle Room in record time, and I stop abruptly, pulling Selphie to a halt, as I check to see if the rest of our group is still behind us. I spot them a little ways off, struggling to make their way through.
"Slowpokes!" Selphie complains, proceeding to drag me to the front of the stage, obviously not wanting to wait for everyone else to catch up. She starts dancing right away, her hair bouncing wildly as she jumps around with unceasing energy. I shake my head amusedly as I watch before proceeding to dance myself.
Glancing up at the stage to see who's spinning, I excitedly realize that it's AK1200 and am glad that I decided to follow Zell's wishes to come to the jungle room first. I would have had to kill myself if I missed this.
Losing myself in the fast paced beat, I let motions come to me naturally, not caring what I look like as I dance. I feel someone come up behind me, turning me around so that we face each other as we dance. Opening my eyes, I see that it's Seifer, though I was fairly certain it was him even before I looked.
He smirks at me, though it's a friendly smirk rather than his usual snide one. I smile back at him, brushing my sweaty hair away from my face as I continue to dance.
After what seems like hours, though was probably only about thirty minutes or so, I start feeling overheated once more and long for another water. Grabbing Seifer, not bothering to explain but knowing that he'll get it anyway, I head over to buy a water, noting Irvine and Zell following. I smile at them before leading the way over to a group of couches set up to one side of the main room.
Finding an empty couch, I collapse onto it, leaving room on either side of me so that the rest of the group can sit down. Seifer sits to my right while Irvine sits on the opposite side of the couch, Zell hesitantly sitting between me and Irvine.
"So what do you think?" I ask Zell, referring to the party raging on all around us. He shakes his head, looking a bit bewildered or more likely overwhelmed, before answering.
"It's different than I expected, but I like it. It's way cooler than any other party I've been to," he replies, smiling contentedly as Irvine and I nod in agreement to his statement.
"It better damn well be better than any other party you've been to," Irvine comments, ruffling Zell's hair lightly.
The blonde automatically reaches up to straighten out his hair before stopping midway and letting his hands drop down to rest in his lap once again. "Screw it. It's not like it's not all messed up already from the dancing and sweating and everything," he says, letting out a sigh, though I can tell he's not really all that disappointed.
"I told you not to bother," I laugh, shaking my head at him in amusement. He merely rolls his eyes, leaning back against the couch.
"Tch, whatever," he says, stealing my favorite phrase, as he situates himself more comfortable on the sofa.
"That's my line," I complain, causing him, Irvine, and Seifer to all laugh.
Plopping his cowboy hat onto Zell's head, this time with no objections, Irvine stands up, stretching. "Come on, Zelly, let's go join Selph and the gang again," he suggests, helping the blonde off the couch and sending me a pointed look. I wave them away as I take a sip of my water.
Leaning into Seifer, I close my eyes, resting them for a moment as I snuggle up to the tall blonde next to me. I wouldn't normally do this, but I think the ecstasy is getting to me; it must be stronger than I thought.
Seifer snorts good humouredly and I feel him shift a bit. "What am I, your pillow?" he asks, though without any malice.
I smile against him before nodding my head. "Mhm. You got a problem with that?" I question him rhetorically as he plays with my hair. "That tickles," I complain to him half heartedly, liking the feeling despite the slight tickle.
He chuckles, stilling his fingers, causing me to utter a mumbled complaint. "Come on sleeping beauty, time to get up," he tells me, shaking the arm I'm lying on. "You know Selphie will throw a fit if we don't return soon," he adds, smiling crookedly at the thought.
"Like she'd even notice," I point out truthfully, shaking my head at the thought of the overly energetic girl. "She's probably too busy gulping down Pixie Stix or something," I continue, referring to an inside joke that Seifer and I have about where Selphie's undying energy comes from.
"Yeah, either that or hanging all over Irvine," Seifer says, shaking his head. "How that guy doesn't notice that she likes him I'll never know. I think that cowboy hat he always wears must have done some damage to his brain…if he even had one to begin with," Seifer disses Irvine, smiling to himself in perverse amusement.
I smack him on the shoulder glaring at him for making fun of my friend, though he and I both know that I'm only playing, although I truthfully don't like his animosity towards Irvine. "Give him a break. He and Selphie have known each other for like forever, so he probably has just gotten to the point where he's so used to being her friend that he can't think of her as anything else. And he's not dumb, just a little…oblivious at times," I chastise Seifer, though I'm sure he already knew all that.
"Yeah, yeah," the blonde concedes without emotion, rolling his eyes, "I don't see why you always have to defend stupid Pervy Irvy." I shake my head at the nickname he's given Irvine, trying not to laugh despite myself.
"Stop it," I tell him, chuckling slightly, unable to help it, "He's not that bad."
Seifer raises an eyebrow, not even have to verbalize the 'Oh really?' that I know he's thinking; his look saying it all.
"Okay, let's go," I finally declare, jumping up from the couch all of a sudden, feeling a lot more refreshed. Seifer gives me an odd look.
"Did you find Selphie's stash or something?" he questions with a serious tone as I laugh, suddenly feeling really good.
I don't think his question really constitutes an answer, so instead I merely pull him up and start dragging him back toward the Jungle Room and the rest of our group, acting remarkably like Selphie had only an hour or so before. I laugh as the thought crosses my mind.
Selphie and I were about as different as two people could be in any normal circumstance, though I don't really consider a rave a normal circumstance (even though I go to so many that you'd think it would be). Anyone outside my little tight knit group of friends would probably just about die of shock if they saw me right now. Usually—though I'd never admit this aloud—I act kind of bitchy. 'PMSy' as Rinoa calls it, probably due to the fact that she knows I hate the term. Whatever…
"Are you sure Selphie gave you the same thing as everyone else?" Seifer questions from behind me half seriously. I merely smile back at him.
"I assume she did," I respond nonchalantly, "Though I don't really care even if she didn't as long as I don't feel like shit tomorrow." And that was the truth. At least for the moment. Right now I was feeling too good to care about anything other than the music and the blonde I was dragging along behind me.
TO BE CONTINUED…
Author's Notes: So sorry this chapter has been so long in coming. I hope you all enjoyed it and thank you so very much to everyone who reviewed. I'll try to get the next chapter up as soon as I can, though it will probably be awhile because I need to go update some of my other fics in the meantime.
(1) At raves, people go around handing out flyers for other upcoming parties.
Gullwing Yunie: First off, yes, this is supposed to have some comedy. Secondly, I've gone back and edited chapter one to include various references to what some things are, including an explaination of what a rave is. Just go to the author's notes section and it's all right there.
Angels-Obsession: I know it seemed like I died there for a while. Sorry I never got back to you. I was real busy for a while with work and school and everything, but I'm back now, hopefully to stay. ;)