Disclaimer: Hana and Ryo are original characters created by Aveza, and used with her kind permission.
Author's Note: Just to be clear, when playing "never have I ever," one person mentions one thing they have not done. Everyone in the room who HAS done that thing is supposed to take a drink. So, if you drink, you're saying you have done it, and if you don't drink, you're claiming that you have not done it. All good? Good! PS: Those of you who are too young to know, drinking games are thinly veiled excuses to ask affrontingly personal sexual questions. I am not making this up. Proceed with caution when you are of age.
Later Still…
Truth be told, Mimi preferred the noise and the crowd of the last party, but there were good things about this one. For one, the apartment was large and furnished, although the furniture looked to be third hand or so. There was music, but it was a background sound, so she could actually talk to the people around her. And, while there was a bit of a backup in the kitchen, she could get something to drink without resorting to working her charms…. Not, she thought with a grin, that I really have a problem with doing that.
She was delicately sipping a mixed drink and walking about the open living room, pretending not to notice the heads turning as she went. It was a nice place with cathedral ceilings and worn wooden floors. It was old, which the radiator in the corner attested to, but it had obviously been a high end apartment back in its day. Mimi smiled to herself as she imagined having a similar apartment of her own, or perhaps with Amy or another friend. Her college forced freshman to either live at home or on campus, but, as a sophomore, she'd have the option of commuting from her own place. Her mind placed cheerful, quirky decorations and high end furniture all around the place, and, by the time she made her second turn around the room, she felt oddly territorial.
Her interior designing was brought to an end when someone placed their hand on her shoulder. She turned slightly and smiled up at Joe, who smiled automatically in return, looking a bit bewildered. Then he shook his head slightly, as if to clear it, and her smile grew. She could tell when her boyfriend was feeling particularly in awe of her, and it did something strange and wonderful to her heart.
For a moment, his fingers trailed clumsily through her hair. Then, he cleared his throat and glanced up at the faded ceiling, apparently admiring the crown molding. "Ahh, someone is asking if we want to play Kings. Not that I know what that is, but I figured I'd ask if you're interest-" He broke off with a sputtering sound, and his eyes went wide. He was staring at something behind her, so Mimi turned for a look, but there was nothing unusual back there. Just kids drinking alcohol on a horrible seventies sectional.
"Joe?" she asked, tilting her head. He rubbed a hand over his face, and, when it fell away, he seemed to be fighting down laughter.
"Izzy's going to have a fit," he muttered, and Mimi frowned in confusion. She carefully followed his eyes to a redheaded boy standing behind the couch. He seemed to be dressed as a man from the regency period in England, which Mimi was only familiar with because of Amy's obsession with all things Jane Austin. The outfit was comparatively quiet and subdued, with its grave colors, but the boy looked classy and attractive in them.
"That's kind of hard to picture, but it sounds fun," Mimi whispered. Joe stared at her, and his lips twitched briefly upwards. "What, does he not like that guy?"
"You could… You could say that."
Mimi's thirst for gossip immediately kicked in, and she leaned into her boyfriend and lowered her voice. "Why? What's his name?" she demanded, her eyes sparkling with anticipation. She had a hard time imagining Izzy making an enemy. That required talking to someone, after all.
Joe sighed and made an uncomfortable humming sound. "Umm... I think his name was Ryo." Mimi inched closer, squishing her body against him, smiling with delight as he began to color and stammer. But the other party guests, including their friends, were beginning to assemble around the sectional, probably for the game. The influx of people cut off their opportunity for private discussion, and Joe led her to the last open space on the couch with his shoulders limp with relief. He motioned for her to sit, and she crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow at him.
"You sit," she said commandingly, and Joe shook his head.
"Mimi, I'm not sitting while my girlfriend is standing. You take the seat." Mimi felt her lips twisting into a wicked grin.
"I won't be standing," she drawled, running her fingers playfully through her hair. She splayed her hands across his chest and pushed, and he clumsily backed into the seat, falling into it when the back of his legs encountered the cushion. Before he could regain his balance, Mimi hopped onto his lap and snuggled in, like a cat making a nest on its human. She allowed herself a soft purr as intimate parts of her brushed intimate parts of him, although the sensation was mostly dulled by layers of fabric.
Joe's entire body went tense beneath hers, and Mimi fought down a sigh. "Mimi," he hissed into her ear, "we don't know most of these people! It's rude to be so... demonstrative in front of them." His long face went entirely red, and Mimi could feel that his embarrassment ran deeper than he was verbally suggesting. She fought down the tiny frown tugging at her mouth. What is it going to take to convince him to do more than hold my hand and give me a peck on the lips?
"Relax," she cooed, running a hand down the side of his face. "There aren't enough seats. We're being polite by saving space, so it equals out." She gently pressed a fingertip to his nose, then leaned in closer, smiling enticingly. "You see?" Her arms crossed around his neck, steadying and anchoring herself, emphasizing the finality of this seating arrangement. Joe must have sensed that she wasn't about to move, because he made a sound that was half grumble and half groan, then fell silent.
Mimi watched as her friends approached the sectional and sat down on the floor. Her eyes followed Izzy, waiting for the moment when he noticed the boy that Joe pointed out earlier. It happened when Amy sat down next to him, and he turned towards her. His black eyes jumped from her to Ryo, who was seated a few feet behind Amy on the sectional. Izzy's eyes widened, and he flinched, then settled into a look of stony displeasure. Mimi could have sworn that Ryo noticed and gave a tiny, wry smile. Izzy slid his glance back to Amy, obviously trying to ignore the other redhead.
"What exactly is Kings?" Joe asked, and Mimi blinked and returned her attention to her boyfriend.
"It's a drinking game. Everyone takes turns drawing cards, and every card means something different. I swear everyone has their own rules, but basically someone ends up drinking with almost every card. The point is to make it through the deck as fast as possible, but people tend to have trouble remembering all of the rules when they're already drunk." Kings wasn't really one of her favorites. Mimi preferred a classic game of truth or dare, as gossip and pranks were more interesting to her than alcohol.
The host stood and explained his version of the rules, and Mimi huffed and tried to focus in. This was just too much to remember when she was trying to enjoy herself... Hopefully, no one would notice if she only loosely followed the rules.
The first few draws went typically enough, with all the boys drinking, all the girls drinking, and a long bout of categories, in which someone went with the horrifically large topic of "sports teams." Mimi threw it on purpose, just to get the game moving again. Things began to get interesting when Joe drew an eight.
"You have to pick someone to drink whenever you drink, or to drink twice if they were already supposed to drink," Tai explained from his spot a few feet away from them on the floor. Joe frowned and looked around the room, but Mimi smiled wickedly at Izzy. He noticed, and he paled. Bless him. There was absolutely no pity in her heart as she prepared to answer for her boyfriend.
"Izzy!" she shouted, throwing an arm up. Amy buried her mouth into her palms, clearly hoping to hide her amusement. Tai and Matt were less restrained about their laughter, and Izzy spared a moment to glare at each of them.
Izzy caught Joe's eye and scowled. "Very well. Salud," he said darkly, lifting his cup. Joe joined him in drinking, and then the game went on, with poor Izzy double drinking with delicious regularity. Let's hope that functions as liquid courage for the rest of the evening…
The game continued with an incredibly protracted round of Sora and Matt speaking to each other entirely in questions, a few people pouring their drinks into the massive mug of beer on the coffee table (much to Joe's disgust), and Amy slipping and smacking her head into the same table in her attempt to not be the last person to touch the floor. That was fairly normal for her, but what made it interesting was Izzy inching closer and putting an arm around her shoulders.
"You're becoming entirely too drunk," he said to her with a sigh. "Do you require assistance remaining steady?" Mimi swallowed a squeal of delight and poked Joe repeatedly, trying to get his attention. He grinned at her and nodded.
"Thassa matter of opinion," Amy muttered. "Do whatcha want." But she nuzzled into the touch before she even finished speaking. Mimi smiled, touched by their adorable affection, then focused her attention on Joe. It was time to follow Amy's lead and show some love. She inched towards him and dropped tiny kisses on Joe's cheek, relishing his slight hiss, and the way his hands closed around her waist. The details of the game and its participants slipped out of her notice as she continued to torment her boyfriend…
Awkward Perspective Shift Huzzah!
"Are you okay drinkin' alluh that, Izzy?" Amy asked, dropping her head onto his shoulder. Izzy sighed and shrugged.
He was definitely feeling the impact of all the alcohol in his system. So far, it seemed that he was retaining most of his faculties, but he knew he was growing less inhibited by the minute. "I'm alright, although I would prefer not to-"
"Melville!" Amy interrupted, giggling, and Izzy grinned. Yes, of course, she would know her literature. He stroked her hair absently, then focused in as he noticed how soft it was. It was something like touching the hair inside a corn husk, so silken that it created the physical illusion of seeming moist to the touch. He snapped into reality again when Tai began to heckle him to take a drink, as the game had continued in his mental absence.
Then he turned his eyes towards the girl beside Ryo, who was drawing the next card. She was dressed as a ballerina in white, with feathery ornaments clipped into her hair. The girl smiled and revealed a Jack.
"Never have I ever!" she cried, and she tossed the card into the air. It fluttered around and drifted about, eventually falling into Tai's hat, who was seated on the floor by her end of the couch. He laughed and brushed it out, adding it to the pile of drawn cards.
"Tiny dancer!" Amy blurted, and most of the eyes in the room flicked towards her. She blinked and took hold of Izzy's arm, and he patted her hand automatically. He had no idea what she was talking about, but Matt was laughing into his cupped palm, so perhaps he was in on the mystery. "Um, ah. I see you around at the PAC." Amy began to laugh, as if this were a hysterical happenstance, but somehow it came off as being funny instead of strange. Mutual intoxication is a powerful social lubricant, it seems...
The girl raised an eyebrow at Amy. "So you just go around calling me Tiny Dancer?" she asked, and Ryo was smiling at the both of them. He's doubtlessly coming to some sort of conclusion about this conversation, Izzy thought, fighting down a sigh. Although he did envy Ryo's ability a bit, he mostly found it annoying. But does it really count as being presumptuous when he seems to be accurate? Izzy furrowed his brow and tried to reason his way through the question.
Amy released him and held her palms out to the girl in a strangely pacifying gesture. "Well, you didn't seem to like me when we talked the one time, so I never got your name, and I keep seeing you around." Izzy took that to mean that Amy had a habit of naming people who stood out to her, and he spared a moment to wonder what she would have called him in her mind if they only knew each other by face. Probably something embarrassingly adorable, knowing her.
"That one time?" the girl asked, frowning in confusion.
"Yeah, yeah. I said you had pretty eyes, and you said-"
The girl nodded sharply, cutting her off. "Right, right, in the lobby at PAC."
"Perhaps an introduction is in order," Ryo said, placing a hand on the girl's shoulder. "And then we can get on with the game. Hana, this is Amy, who is, I believe, a vocalist. Amy, this is Hana, who is, as you can probably deduce from her outfit, a dancer."
Amy nodded, never questioning how Ryo knew her name and interest in singing. Izzy tried to remember if he had overheard those details that day at the student union, or if he was somehow using his uncanny powers of observation and psychological voodoo to come to those conclusions.
"You're Odette from Swan Lake, right?" Amy asked.
Hana's incredibly green eyes seemed to come alive with sudden sparkle and animation. "Yes!" she cried, leaning towards Amy. "Do you like ballet?" Amy only managed a half nod before Hana continued speaking, starting what appeared to be an incredibly enthusiastic monologue on Swan Lake, but Ryo quickly placed a hand on her shoulder. She blinked over at him in response, and he grabbed his chance to speak.
"Yes, yes, Hana, Swan Lake is marvelous." There was a slow, dry drawl to his voice, lightened somewhat by traces of amusement. "But I believe you have a 'never have I ever' prompt to attend to." Izzy held back his sigh of relief. For the first time, he and Ryo were on the same wavelength.
"'Bout damn time," Tai muttered, and the corners of Izzy's mouth twitched upwards.
"This game has been a little slow, so I'll make it interesting!" Hana chirped. She paused and produced a drunken little hiccup, and Izzy frowned slightly as he noticed the faint look of concern on Ryo's face. "Never have I ever…" she paused and laughed. "Felt up a girl's chest!"
Izzy paled and glanced at Amy. This was far more information than he wanted to reveal at the moment, but most of the people in the room were laughing, so it was apparently an acceptable suggestion in this setting. He found himself roundly cursing party culture, as well as the fact that he was out tonight. If only he had asked Amy to keep him company back at the dorm…!
"Hana," Ryo muttered, shaking his head. "It's always this way with you. Don't you think that question is a bit inappropriate?" Izzy stared hopefully up at the two of them, very much wishing for a reprieve. He did not want Amy to know that he had been very familiar with a girl's chest in the past.
"We're playing a drinking game," she countered, her expression distinctly skeptical. "It's supposed to be inappropriate."
"Hear, hear!" Tai said, laughing. He downed a large portion of his drink, looking entirely unabashed, then stood and left the room, presumably to get a refill. Izzy was beginning to fret over what to do- lie, or drink- when he noticed someone stepping over him. He glanced up and saw Mimi, then averted his eyes, as she was not being as careful as she should have been about who had a view up her skirt. Izzy made another note of the incredible powers of alcohol.
Mimi sat behind Amy and scooted towards her, pressing her front against her friend's back. What is she doing? Izzy wondered, and he glanced over at Joe, who shrugged.
"I just realized," Mimi said, smiling coyly around the room, "I haven't done that." And, suddenly, Izzy knew exactly what was about to happen. A small voice in his brain suggested that he had better intervene, but he ended up sitting perfectly still and watching events unfold as they would. His eyes followed Mimi's dainty hands as they moved up Amy's waist and fastened to her chest.
Amy blinked and stared down at Mimi's fingers, her expression blank, probably with surprise. For a moment, Mimi's touch was gentle and unobtrusive, or, at least, as unobtrusive as possible. But then her lips parted, and her eyes went wide and bright with amazement. She began to enthusiastically squeeze and stroke Amy's breasts, and Izzy swallowed hard as he watched the pale, creamy flesh indent between Mimi's fingers. Amy began to color dramatically, and she was making a high-pitched sound that resembled a whine, but also... Also, a sound of pleasure. Her eyes went unfocused, then closed entirely. Izzy could feel heat working its way over his body.
"Joe," Mimi cried, her voice going high and bright with delight, "you have got to try this!" Her mouth worked silently for a few moments, and Izzy frowned and placed his body between Amy and as many of the other guests as possible, trying to cut off the view. Best friend or no, Joe was not going to touch Amy like that, not if he could prevent it. He glanced back at Joe and found that he was staring at the two of them, his mouth agape. His fingers were gripping his knees. Izzy scanned the rest of the room and found that most of the boys looked about the same, and some were hooting, cheering, or otherwise expressing approval. Even Matt was watching with interest, despite the fact that his girlfriend was right beside him, his teeth digging into his lower lip. Ryo seemed to be the only one remaining relatively placid, although he was grinning and shaking his head slightly. "They're, like…like…"
"Cloud soft," Amy provided, tipping her head back so that it rested on Mimi's shoulder. "Whisper soft. Yes, I know. Now, cut that out." It was difficult for Izzy to tell, with her face tilted away from him, but it seemed as if she were staring at the ceiling, no doubt wishing this weren't happening.
"No way!" Mimi's fingers dug possessively into Amy's skin and the fabric of her clingy little dress. "They're too amazing! Joe, get in here!" Izzy glared at Mimi and made a move towards her hands, trying to end this whole thing, despite his undeniable interest in the visual. But he realized that it looked like he was attempting to take up Mimi's offer, and he froze, unsure of what to do.
"Uh, I'll have to pass." Joe's voice was oddly squeaky, and he was wiping his forehead with his palm. "She's my lab partner. I don't mix business and… And whatever this is."
"What! You're crazy!" Mimi cried, her mouth opening with shock.
Joe squeezed his eyes shut and groaned, burying his face into his cupped hands. "I'm getting there…"
Alright. This truly has gone on long enough. "Mimi, you've had your fun," Izzy said, trying to remain calm. "I believe you've made your point. Kindly release Amy so the game can continue."
Mimi grinned and caught his eye. "What, before you've had a chance to try this?" she asked playfully, and he scowled full-out. Mimi tsked, shook her head, and let go of Amy, heading back to Joe.
It took a moment for Izzy to realize that, in all of the excitement, he hadn't taken a drink. At least there's that, he thought, quietly watching as Tai wandered back in and Ryo drew a card. He glanced at Amy and found that she looked flushed and a little twitchy, but seemed calm enough. He wanted to offer her some sign of support, but was worried that his touch may somehow be interpreted as inappropriate, after what had just happened. He sighed and half-heartedly went along with the game, which went along uneventfully for a few turns.
Eventually, a boy in a baseball uniform pulled another Jack, and Izzy sighed, trying to mentally prepare himself for another loaded question. But it turned out that there was no way to be ready for what the boy ended up asking.
"Okay, so this is totally a lie, but I want to see who answers what," he said, grinning drunkenly. "Ah… Never have I ever…gotten laid."
Shit. Shit. Shit! Izzy was so alarmed that basic swearing was all he could manage. He was dimly aware of Ryo trying to convince the stranger to change his question, but people were already taking drinks. Tai grinned wolfishly before drinking, and Mimi shrugged and took a drink, as well. Izzy's eyes twitched to the remaining members of their group, falling onto Sora, who made no move towards her cup, then to Matt, who was engaged in staring at Amy, and not in drinking.
I don't understand. Why does he look so intense? Surely, Amy isn't going to drink. Someone who had tried to flee from a hug and a kiss from her only romantic interest surely hadn't gotten much further than that with him, at least not when they broke up a few weeks later.
Amy was staring into her cup. She looked up, her eyes landing immediately on Matt's, and smiled, but it seemed more like a random muscular twitch than an actual expression of emotion. Her hand landed on her drink, and she began to lift it. Matt shook his head infinitesimally, his eyes wide and cringing beneath the weight of his brows, but she ignored him and took a long draught.
Shock and numbness swept over Izzy's body. Bits of information were colliding in his brain, trying to fit together, but something seemed to be blocking them from connecting through understanding. The alcohol, he realized. I can't make sense of this until I'm sober, damn it all to hell and back. Although it was the last thing he wanted to do, he drank some more. He could sense Amy's discomfort, and offering solidarity only seemed fair. Her eyes flicked to him, and she tilted her head, looking a bit taken aback. It would seem we've surprised one another, Izzy thought grimly.
Joe happened to be the next in line to draw a card, and he reached somewhat desperately for the deck, no doubt wanting to move off of this topic. Izzy wondered how Joe felt about learning that Mimi wasn't a virgin, or if he already knew. He wasn't happy about giving that bit of personal information away to Amy and the rest of the room, although it occurred to him that, since Amy was a fair person, her lack of virginity might make his easier for her to accept. Assuming, of course, that the topic ever came up between them.
His friend drew an Ace and shrugged. "That's a waterfall card," the host explained. "You take a drink, and then the next person has to start drinking, and they can't stop until you do. The drinking goes around the room like that." Sighing, Joe began to drink, and the person on his other side followed suit. It passed around the room, until the stranger on Amy's other side began to drink.
Izzy watched without really seeing, still fretting over what the last Jack had revealed. Eventually, he began to realize that the boy next to Amy was drinking for a suspiciously long time, and that Amy was turning a little red in the face from following his lead. "Amy!" he cried, grabbing her cup. "He's not even drinking anymore, he's just leading you on!" He pulled her hands down, paying no heed to the liquid that fell onto his cape, then grimaced when he saw that she had just downed almost an entire drink in one go. "Who… Who prepared this drink for you?" he asked desperately, hoping to hear that Matt had made it.
"Tai," she wheezed, her throat strained with the exertion of intaking so much alcohol. A frustrated, worried sound slipped out of Izzy. His temper, already frayed with recent events, slipped entirely, and his hands closed around Amy's wrists. This is ridiculous, all of us encouraging each other to intake more alcohol than we can comfortably handle, to reveal things that had ought to be kept personal… I have to remove the both of us from this asinine game.
"Although it may be presumptuous of me, I'm cutting you off," he said firmly, placing her cup on the coffee table. "And we're stepping out of this game to get you some water." Amy turned her huge, dark eyes to him, blinking uncertainly. She turned towards Tai and Matt, and Matt was nodding encouragingly.
"That's a good idea," Tai said, his eyes fastening to his cousin "This is gettin' intense, and she was tipsy when she got here. Go drink some water with Izzy, Amy."
"Mmmkay," Amy agreed, and, when Izzy stood and tugged on her hands, she rose obediently with him. He led her to the kitchen, taking firm hold of her hand, since she was walking slowly and staring at her feet with great concentration. Once there, he backed her into a counter so that she could lean against it, then rummaged around in the fridge. Predictably, there was lots of beer, but thankfully some bottled water, as well. He really wasn't sure if guests had fridge rights, but was pissed enough to not care. He brought the bottle to Amy and opened it for her, then watched as she downed some of it. She was drawing swirling patterns against the tile floor with an arched foot.
"Out of curiosity," Izzy said slowly, "just how good is your alcohol tolerance?"
Amy lowered the bottle and made a far-off humming sound. "Ehhhh… Well, if I drink somethin' Tai made for himself, which probably has, like, four shots of strong stuff in it… I get all funny, but I'm okay the next day."
"I see," Izzy said, drawing his hand slowly around his chin. "And if you drink approximately that much at one party, then roughly the same at the next one…"
Amy stared at him for a long moment, then began to laugh uncontrollably, doubling over and spilling water on the floor. Izzy jumped in and grabbed the bottle, then steadied her with a hand, not trusting her to be able to remain upright as her body shook with mirth. Izzy waited, with growing worry and impatience, for her to stop laughing.
"I dunno!" she croaked at last, struggling to pull herself upright. "I. Do. Not. Knoooow!"
Izzy buried his face in his palm. "Prodigious," he muttered. He was seriously considering trying to convince her to go back home with him when someone placed a hand on his shoulder. Izzy turned instinctively, then fought back a cringe when his eyes landed on Ryo. Perfect. Just the thing to improve my mood.
"Is she alright?" he asked quietly. Izzy frowned slowly, unsure what to make of this encounter.
"I think she might be in for a rough night." He glanced back at Amy and watched her giggle at absolutely nothing. "Make that night, morning, and early afternoon," he amended with a sigh. Ryo stared at him blankly for a moment, then leaned in slightly.
"You don't seem to have taken my advice," he whispered, and Izzy frowned up at him. The last thing he needed was to have Ryo speak to him like a disappointed therapist. He stepped forward, forcing Ryo to step back and away from Amy, unintentionally showing something like dominance.
"Not that it's any of your business," Izzy began, his voice low and hard, "but I fully intend to ask her out, and to do it soon." He paused and colored, slightly shocked by how forthcoming he was being, and, once again, he mourned his intake of alcohol. But, begrudgingly, he recalled the precision of Ryo's past analyses. And, since he had already said as much as he had, what was the harm of asking advice?
His pride reared up, instantly offended at the thought of coming to Ryo for help, but the other boy was already fixing him with a concerned look that seemed to speak of a desire to be helpful. Does he really care, or does he merely see me as some sort of practice patient? Izzy had no way of knowing. He looked back at Amy, who was smiling serenely at the ceiling, and something twitched in his chest, growing hot and strained.
Damn it, he thought savagely, crossing his arms and staring at the floor. "I've been trying to think of a way to tell her since we left the last party," he admitted, never looking up from his feet. "But… The atmosphere is so strange tonight, it almost feels like an alternate reality. It's leaving me somewhat muddled and uncertain."
Ryo grinned and lifted his shoulders. "Halloween can have that effect on you," he said, and there was something infuriatingly knowing about his tone. "But I wouldn't worry about finding the perfect thing to say or do when you tell her. Believe me, her desire to hear that you're interested in her far outweighs her desire for pomp and circumstance. My advice would be to relax and say whatever comes naturally. Don't script it."
Izzy produced an uncomfortable, noncommittal grunt, and Ryo patted his shoulder and slipped out of the room, his exit every bit as subdued as his entrance. Izzy stared after him for a long moment, then went over to Amy and enjoyed a bit of peace and quiet standing beside her, steadying her with an arm around her waist.
A Bit Later
The game of Kings had ended with Tai drawing the last King card, then chugging the King's cup in one long, continuous shot, laughing and choking as he pulled the container away from his flushed face. Currently, everyone was mingling in little groups around the living room. Mimi glanced at her friends, watching Matt and Tai have a friendly argument about how much alcohol the soccer player had ingested so far. According to Tai, he had drank enough to kill a particularly fat elephant. Matt seemed to think that he was a little over-impressed with himself.
Izzy and Amy had joined them a little while ago, and they were standing slightly apart from the rest of the group, chatting about mass effects, whatever those were. Then, Amy broke away from Izzy and stumbled towards the rest of them, and Izzy followed, taking hold of one of her arms. Amy turned at his touch, then leaned into Izzy, probably closer than she meant to, forgetting some of her usual shyness under the influence of alcohol. "Saaaaaay. I was just thinkin'. You're a nerd, like me. Do you know any sciency pick-up lines? I looooove those!"
Izzy blinked, but did not step away from Amy, despite her invasion of his personal space. Mimi silently cheered as Amy drew in even closer, pressing a pale hand against the redhead's shoulder. "I suppose I know a few," he offered, turning his dark eyes to her face, "but they're all rather cheesy, I'm afraid."
"Dude, all pickup lines are cheesy!" Tai said, laughing. He handed Amy a cup. "Now, Amy. Drink this slowly. 'M serious." Izzy frowned darkly at Tai, and the taller boy shrugged. "Don't give me that. Matt mixed it. It's hardly got any alcohol in it." Mimi took that to mean that it didn't have any alcohol at all, and that this was an attempt to get something nontoxic into Amy, but, by the look of Izzy's scowl, he wasn't picking up on that. He must be smashed, if I'm noticing things that he isn't. But I guess he did have to drink a lot during that game of Kings!
Amy stared at the Dixie cup for a long moment, then smiled, took it, and held it between herself and Izzy. "Let's make a bet!" she said, tipping the cup. Izzy's hands hastily closed around hers in a frantic attempt to prevent the liquid from spilling. Mimi's eyes fastened on their connected flesh, on the reluctance with which Izzy released her.
"What exactly are you proposing?" he asked, raising a heavy red eyebrow. Mimi inched closer, dying to know what her helplessly drunk friend was about to propose, madly hoping that it was romantically charged.
"I wanna do a pickup line battle! Whoever has the best one wins, and the loser has to chug this allll down!" She shook the cup again, and Izzy grabbed it a second time, then wrestled it out her grasp, most likely to prevent future panic.
Matt laughed, long and low, and, despite her lack of active interest in him, Mimi felt her pulse quicken. Matt just oozed sexiness, especially in that costume, with his hair lightly tousled and his glance warm with drunken amusement. She allowed herself about fifteen seconds of glorying in the feelings that his appearance, voice, and charm stirred up in her, like a dredge scooping up succulent oysters from the bottom of a bay, before snuffing them out and reminding herself that she was happily dating a total cutie. A total cutie who won't take a hint and ravage me, she added in afterthought. A tiny frown pulled at her lips, and she fought to straighten it out.
"This is going to be amazing. Does anyone have a camcorder?" Matt asked, flicking a bit of his cape into place behind him. Mimi slipped up to Izzy and smiled deliberately at him. He had the sense to look a little uncomfortable.
"You know she just wants an excuse to make you hit on her, right?" she said, using a whispering tone that everyone could still clearly hear. Izzy colored and swallowed hard, then admirably rearranged his face back into that distant, polite mask that he wore so often and so well.
"I just wanna see if he knows ones that I don't, is all," Amy chirped. Interestingly enough, she didn't look embarrassed, and Mimi hoped that was a good sign. Perhaps she was warming up to the idea of being the object of Izzy's attention, and didn't find the suggestion unusual or upsetting.
Izzy's glance moved from the alcohol, to the crowd of friends assembled around him, and then to Amy, where they lingered. His expression was impossible to read, at least for Mimi. Finally, he sighed and nodded. "I don't think either of us would particularly benefit from ingesting more alcohol. Especially you. But… If it would entertain you…" He shrugged in a way that suggested that he wasn't much interested in the whole business. Liar, Mimi thought, shaking her head. "Would you care to open?"
Amy smiled brightly, and her pleasure seemed contagious. Everyone except Izzy smiled automatically. "Yeah!" she said, swaying on the balls of her feet. "I'll start soft, and work my way up." She made a fist and pressed it to her chin and lower lip, mimicking one of Izzy's typical gestures. After a pause, she offered up her first one.
"You must be a carbon sample, because I have a strong urge to date you!" Amy dissolved into girlish little giggles, pressing her breasts together and up as her arms wrapped around her body. Izzy's eyes were not the only ones that snapped into focus on them. Mimi's were right there with his. She was convinced now that those boobs were made up of unicorn dust and magic and rainbows. If Mimi weren't totally confident and happy with her body, she would have been jealous.
"That was adorable," Sora whispered, sounding almost awed by the pure, saccharine sweetness rolling off of her roommate.
"Cute," Matt agreed, tipping his head to Sora, "but certainly no game-winner." He paused and pulled his girlfriend into him, molding the sides of their bodies together. For a moment, their eyes locked, and a look of restrained, desperate heat passed between them. Mimi watched with interest and no small amount of envy, wishing that Joe had the confidence and disposition to show so much desire for her. Then, Matt tore his glance away from Sora and focused on the redhead, clearing his throat before he spoke. "Izzy, your rebuttal?"
Tai snorted helplessly into his cup. "Are we gonna judge this?" he asked, wiping the stray liquid from the edges of his mouth. "Because that's hilarious." He smirked and settled his eyes on Izzy, giving him a look that made it clear that he would brutally favor his cousin.
Miraculously, Izzy ignored everyone and kept his eyes riveted on Amy. Mimi smiled, pleased by his ability to focus on her. That was important, especially for someone who had a way of sometimes ignoring the people around him. "You must be the square root of two," he said, holding her glance with his. He paused for a moment, then smiled a little ruefully. "…because I feel completely irrational around you."
Mimi squealed with delight, and her hands closed around Joe's nearest wrist. "He totally meant that!" she cried. Izzy finally broke away from Amy long enough to give her an annoyed look, but it only served to make her squee again, because his cheeks were coloring before her eyes.
"Ugh, enough with the cutesy stuff," Tai complained. His upper lip curled back with impatience. "These are pickup lines, guys. They're supposed to be ridiculous, not some weird form of nerd charm."
"Fiiiiine," Amy sang, drawing the word out with a musical lilt. She drew herself up, clearly trying to project confidence, but Mimi frowned as she began to wilt and draw in on herself. She tried to start once or twice, but fumbled. Her eyes stayed firmly on Izzy's shoes as her next pickup line spilled from her mouth in a quick, almost indecipherable tumble. "You're a start codon. You turn me on."
Mimi had no idea what a start codon was, but she knew sexual innuendo when she heard it, and her hands instantly went to Amy's shoulders. She patted them affectionately, trying to support her. Her eyes flicked around the group, and she saw Joe grinning (he probably understood the whole thing), Matt leaning in with interest, Tai looking confused and just a touch uncomfortable, and Sora pressing a hand to her face, most likely to hide a smile. Finally, Mimi turned her glance to Izzy, and her heart constricted in her chest. For just a moment, the little nerd's eyes darkened with desire. But it wasn't overtly sexual… It was more like watching a starving man stare up at an apple hanging from a branch just beyond his reach, some unsettling mixture of raw need twinged with despair. And, for the first time since she pieced together that Izzy liked Amy, Mimi realized that there was more holding Izzy back from confessing than simple shyness and introversion.
And, just like that, Mimi was more determined than ever to get them together. But, for now, all she could do was watch this interesting little verbal game.
Izzy cleared his throat uncomfortably and made his next move, somehow looking Amy in the face when he did. "You completely overload my processor."
Mimi and Sora responded with identical coos of touched admiration, while Tai and Matt groaned and tsked, respectively. Joe buried his face in his open palm.
"That round goes to Amy," Tai said, shaking his head. "Overload my processor… Seriously. That was just too stupidly mushy."
"Agreed." Matt lifted an eyebrow crossed his arms. "Step up your game, Izzy."
"I liked it," Amy commented, smiling. "But uhhhh, guess I gotta do another one. You've prob'ly heard this one, I guess it's like… Old, but good!" She giggled into her palm, and Mimi had no idea what was so funny, and wrote it off as intoxication. Either way, apparently this pickup line was well known enough that Amy had no problems delivering it with a straight face, as if the familiarity made it safer. "I'm DNA helicase. Let me unzip your genes."
Izzy nodded automatically. "I thought that's what you were going to say."
"Even I've heard that one," Tai commented, "but I have no idea what it means." Joe brightened and cleared his throat, but he was only allowed to say the words 'enzymes' and 'DNA replication' before Tai crankily told him to stuff it. Mimi narrowed her eyes at him, but didn't say anything, as she was eager to hear Izzy's next one.
The redhead was staring into the cup of alcohol and making a faint hedging sound. "While I do know more, they're much less… appropriate than the ones I've used thus far." His expression grew faintly beseeching, but no one seemed to heed it.
"About time," Tai said, grinning and leaning in. "Let's hear it!"
"I don't… Amy. I don't want to offend your sensibilities." He shifted uncomfortably, and his eyes moved quickly about, taking in all of the people who were listening to this exchange of increasingly intimate suggestions. Mimi smiled encouragingly at him, hoping that he would end up saying something that somehow communicated his desire to Amy, and that she would actually take it at face value.
Amy smiled easily and shrugged. "It's just a game, and I started it. Noooo worries!" Izzy stared at her for a long moment, then sighed and moved his gaze to the ceiling.
"Can you help me calculate the spring potential of my mattress?" he muttered, and his face went from flushed to full-out red. Amy's eyes popped open, and she doubled over and trembled with laughter, drawing Izzy's glance right back to her. He grimaced and scratched behind his ear, looking like he would very much prefer to be somewhere else at the moment.
The moment Amy recovered, she blurted something else out. It took Mimi a moment to understand it, but, when she did, she grabbed Joe's arm and collapsed against him, shaking with all-out glee. "I won't block your pop-ups."
Matt and Tai broke down in laughter, and Izzy frowned at the lot of them. Then, he sighed and took a deep drink from the cup, and Mimi deflated a bit. "You giving up?" she asked. Izzy turned to her, scowling impressively.
"No. I just need more alcohol in me before I can say this." Mimi's mouth twisted into an automatic grin as he drank some more. Whatever he was going to say, she hoped that it would be good, good enough to linger in Amy's memory and make her think about it again, even when she was sober…
Izzy emptied about half of the cup, then took a step closer to Amy. "I wish I were your abstract algebra homework," he began quietly, looking her in the eye. He opened his mouth to continue, but he coughed, then stared at his feet, as if the rest were addressed specifically to them. "Then, I'd be incredibly hard, and… and you'd be doing me on your desk."
There was a slight pause, and then Amy made an indistinct whining sound. Everyone stared at Izzy in varying shades of shock and awe. "I… I feel like I should punch you," Tai muttered, crossing his arms.
When Mimi finally came back to herself, her tiny hands formed tight fists, and her foot stamped the ground with frustration. God, the look on Amy's cute little face..! Her full, plump lower lip had dropped open just a tab, as if it were just begging for Izzy to take a nibble, and he just stood there, looking embarrassed and grim, shifting his weight from foot to foot, trying to avoid everyone's eyes. "Oh. My. GAWD," she cried, flailing her hands, "will you two just suck face already?!" Incensed beyond the ability to behave rationally, she took hold of Izzy's shoulders and shoved him towards Amy, and his attention immediately went to the drink, which was threatening to slosh over. He didn't notice his impending impact until it was too late, and he crashed into Amy. His hand closed around one of her upper arms to keep the both of them upright. Their bodies were pressed flush together, but all they did was gaze shyly at one another, and Mimi felt a scream of pure vexation bubbling up her throat.
Then, Joe's hands were on her shoulders, and his voice was a soft thrum in her ear. "Calm down, Mimi," he whispered. And, somehow, the slight touch of his lips on her ear, the feeling of his breath against her skin… Mimi turned to her boyfriend, feeling oddly overwhelmed. A quiet voice in her mind asked her why she was so concerned with Amy and Izzy when her own relationship was moving so infuriatingly slowly. Of course I want Amy to be happy, and that's why I care. But… Could it also be that I'm trying to distract myself from what I'm not getting out of my own relationship?
Mimi glanced between Joe and Amy and Izzy, unable to decide where to devote her attention. Then, Amy sighed and eased the cup away from Izzy. Her free hand went absently to his hip, and she swayed slightly in time with the background music. "I can't beat that, Izzy. You win." She tipped her head back and drank, and Mimi watched as Izzy's eyes moved to her throat. A droplet of liquid was slipping down Amy's skin, and Izzy intercepted it with a finger, rubbing it off when it pooled at the base of her neck.
They're fine for now, Mimi thought, feeling no small amount of pride. Then she squared her shoulders, took hold of Joe's hand, and pulled.
"Wha- Mimi- What are you doing?" he asked, stooping down towards her.
"We're finding a quiet corner and making out," she snapped back at him. He produced a sputtering sound, and his long legs seemed to tangle beneath him. For a moment, he said nothing and stared at his feet, probably expending all of his attention on staying upright.
Once he had that straightened out, his grip tightened on her hand. He followed her obediently, and Mimi grinned ecstatically, fiercely looking forward to the next few minutes. I'll teach you how to treat your ride, she though saucily, running her tongue along her lips.
Author's note: But then she had to wait until the next chapter, because the author got tired of writing.
Haha, so much OOCness in this chapter, but I'm writing that off as 'incredible mass intoxication.' And if you're wondering why Mimi has been treading carefully in her relationship with Joe, given her reputation of taking what she wants, we will be learning more about that next chapter.
I have to say, though, I really don't like this chapter as much as I thought I would. Actually… I'm worried you all will feel disappointed. I just couldn't juggle so many people and so many things going on, and my quality of writing definitely dropped off. And was it even funny? I ended up inserting hints at some of the plot's darker points, which I think might have killed the mood. Not to mention that Izzy is a total buzzkill, what with his disapproval of all of the drunken fun. At one point, the entire chapter was actually narrated by Mimi, but I couldn't get it to work, and I switched to Izzy, but then I couldn't be bothered to work in a proper perspective shift, so I was like, ehhhhhh who cares, just make it funny. I gave up on it, guys, and I am sorry. What I am trying to say here is that there are problems with this chapter, it's a mess, and I acknowledge it, and am open to suggestions for improving it.
Next chapter will have so much romance and feels in it, though, you all will love it. I've already written a lot of it, so I am confident in saying this. Also, just a few remaining shenanigans. Uh, please look forward to Mimi and Joe finding their quiet corner, Sora and Matt getting each other worked up, Amy and Matt strutting their stuff at the bar's karaoke stage, and Izzy throwing his restraint entirely to the wind. Oh, and, you know, I guess Tai will be there. (Poor Tai… Thrown into the corner as all the couple stuff happens…)
That's all for now! Please remember to visit my tumblr over the next few days, I will be posting a drawing of Amy and Izzy walking around campus before too long.
