Chapter 3.
IIiiII
Evan opened the door to Zell who beamed at him. "Hey!" The little blonde greeted, walking in through the open door and Evan saw Seifer standing behind him. They had meet earlier when the taller man had helped Nida move out and to program in a new door code.
"Hey, come in." Evan said.
Seifer nodded at him in greeting.
"I didn't know you two were friends." The new Seed said. "It seems everyone I've met so far are all mates."
Zell shrugged. "It's a small garden."
Seifer nodded. "You get to know everybody…. Maybe not like everyone." He added with a frown.
Zell rolled his eyes. "Ignore the grumpy bastard, he has issues."
"I do not!" Seifer argued.
Evan lead them inside quickly before an argument broke out in the doorway. "I really appreciate this guys." The new seed said as he handed them both a bottle of beer each.
"No probs." Zell shrugged, looking around. "Where shall we start?"
"I wanted to move the furniture, some into the bedroom and the rest just away from the walls." Evan explained. "And I've got some sheets to cover everything with."
Seifer nodded. "Then once we've finished all the hard work the girls will arrive and take all the credit."
The other two laughed. "Sounds about right."
They moved the sideboard and the cupboards into Evan's bedroom and bathroom. Zell unfolded the sheets and Seifer helped him cover the sofa.
"So what colour paint did you buy?" Zell asked when they had finished moving and covering everything.
"Actually I didn't have to buy any paint, the commander gave me loads of tins. I haven't had time to look at the colours yet but he said there were a few good ones in there."
Seifer sniggered. "You don't know what the colours are? What if they're all shades of pink?"
"Well the comman- I mean Squall said he liked some of them and he doesn't look like a pink person."
"No Squall's a grey person, it's probably all shades of grey." Zell said, getting down on the floor with a screwdriver in his hand. "Let's just take a look."
Evan leant back on the wall behind and to Zell's right and Seifer leant a hip on the sofa, his eyes watching the shorter man crouched on the floor.
"Okay so first up we have…." Zell pried open the first tin. "Hey, it is grey!" He laughed. "I was right."
Seifer chuckled behind him.
"Next!" Evan said.
"Okay next it's-" Zell gritted his teeth a little as the pot as difficult to open. Then the wrinkled up his nose in a grimace. "It's pink." He said sounding disgusted.
Seifer watched with interest as the cute blonde wrinkled his face up like a child, he glanced over at the new guy briefly and frowned, eyes widening slightly.
Evan had his head cocked and his eyes watched how the little blonde bent over the tins of paints, he was checking him out. Seifer's eyes narrowed.
The brunette glanced up and at Seifer. "What?" He asked, frowning in confusion.
The taller man shrugged and shook the feeling off. Maybe he was just being paranoid.
"Next tin." Evan instructed.
Zell opened the next tin. "Finally!" He said. "It's medium blue." He moved to the side and glanced over his shoulder so that the other two could see the colour but Seifer was looking at Evan. The smile fell off his face and he bit his lip as he saw the way that Seifer was studying the new seed.
Evan glanced at Seifer and then back at Zell.
"Guys?" He prompted.
Both pairs of eyes flicked back to look at him. "Sorry." Evan chuckled. "We're listening."
Zell frowned and glanced back at the colour, having forgotten what it was in his panic about Seifer being attracted to the new guy. Although the tall blonde had already said that Evan wasn't his type, maybe he was imaging it.
"This is a good colour, I think you should just go with this one."
Evan nodded in agreement. "I'll use that for this room, see what else we have. I still need a good bedroom colour."
"How about bright red?" Zell asked with a chuckle.
Seifer smirked. "Great colour if you're going to become a pimp!"
Evan scoffed. "I don't think I'm pimp material."
There was a knock at the door and Zell jumped up. "I'll get it!"
Zell grinned at the three girls who were crammed into the doorway all trying to get a look at Evan as he opened the door. Their faces fell when they saw Zell though.
"Hey ladies!" He grinned stupidly.
"Zell!" Rinoa yelled.
"What are you doing here?!" Quistis asked.
"I was invited!"
"But I thought we were early." Selphie said.
Zell scoffed. "Early? We've been here ages. You shouldn't have spent so long getting dressed."
"Hey!" Rinoa prodded him in the chest. "We didn't take that long to-"
"Wait!" Selphie interrupted. "You said 'We?'"
The girls shared a worried look and they hurried past him quickly.
"Hey!" He complained as they pushed him out of the way.
They rushed into the living room and sighed in relief. "Oh it's just Seifer."
The tall blonde frowned. "Why does everyone keep saying that?" He rolled his eyes as the little group scurried over to Evan, surrounding him.
"Evan, this is Selphie." Quistis introduced them.
The petite brunette grinned and shoved her hand in his direction and then when he hesitated she added.
"You're right, we're too close for a handshake." She hugged him, tight.
The surprised seed awkwardly hugged her back with an uncomfortable expression.
Seifer snorted a laugh, leaning ng on the covered sofa and Zell perched on the arm.
"I thought he'd be enjoying the attention."
"Would you?" Zell asked.
"From the girls? Hell no!" He grimaced.
"So where are we up to?"
Rinoa asked.
"We were picking a colour for the bedroom." Zell explained.
"The bedroom? Ooh!" Selphie squealed. "You have paint it yellow, it's my favourite colour."
Seifer scoffed. And Evan raised an eyebrow. "Well err yellow's err not really my thing." He pointed to the tins of paint. "We're choosing a colour from these tins."
"Oh good!" Selphie grabbed the screwdriver from the covered sofa.
"Hey!" Zell protested. "I was doing that!"
"Well we're here now so you guys could just leave really?" Rinoa said.
Seifer scoffed. "We're not going anyway, the party only just getting started and Irvine's not even here yet."
"Irvine?" Selphie questioned.
"We didn't invite him." Quistis said.
"When I said that me and Seifer was going he told me that he would come with Squall."
The girls exchanged a worried look. "Squall?"
"Did you invite him?" They asked each other.
"I invited him." Evan said.
They all turned and stared at him. "You did?"
He nodded.
"But why? Why would you do that?!"
The new seed looked a little nervous he shot a look to Seifer and Zell who just looked amused and absolutely no help.
"W-Well I went to ask the commander if I needed permission to vandalize- I mean decorate-" He smiled at his own joke. "-My dorm room."
They stared at him more intently. "And?"
"And while I was up there I asked him to come to the party with us and I said he could bring someone."
They all gasped together.
"Oh my god!" Selphie blurted out. "You're gay aren't you?!"
Evan, Quistis and Rinoa stared at her in shock. The two blondes on the sofa just laughed.
"Selphie!" Quistis scolded.
"What happened to subtly working it into conversation?" Rinoa hissed.
"What?!" Evan yelled. "What the hell's wrong with you people?"
Selphie looked a little guilty. "Not gay then?"
He stammered for a second. "Err- No! No I'm not gay….."
The girls sighed in relief.
"….If you must know I'm Bi…" He looked uncomfortable. "…Not something I usually admit to a bunch people I just met."
Quistis frowned seriously. "Why does it seem like everyone's Bi here?"
"It's the salty sea air." Rinoa said.
Everyone turned to see if she was joking but she looked serious.
"Well I'm not." Zell said.
"Me either." Selphie said, getting back to her paint pots. "Anyway…." She started pointing wildly to a pot of paint.
"Ooh Ooh! This is my second favourite colour ever! You'll love this one!"
The Seed glanced from her excited face to the pot of lilac paint.
"Selphie I'm not sure that's my sort of colour."
Her little pigtails drooped slightly in disappointment.
"I mean it is a very nice colour…" He backtracked. "Just not for me."
She paused for a second then bounced back with a grin. "OK!"
Seifer rolled his eyes. "It's going to be a long night." He said quietly to Zell who nodded in agreement.
The taller man was leaning on the side of the couch, his hip brushing Zell's thigh. He only had to duck his head a little to speak into his friend's ear.
A tune suddenly started to play causing them all to look up in surprise. Selphie and Rinoa were grinning though.
"What the-?" Seifer started to say.
"Is- Is that your doorbell?" Zell asked.
"I don't have a doorbell." Evan said.
"You do now!" Rinoa grinned. "Just a little something to make to feel more at home."
"Our gift to you." Selphie added.
"It plays three different tunes." Quistis explained. "This is 'Old McDonald'. It also plays Barney the dinosaur and auld lang syne."
Seifer laughed.
Evan smiled tightly. "Thanks just what I've always wanted, a musical doorbell."
"See?" Rinoa nudged Quistis. "I knew he'd like it! And you were doubtful."
The blonde girl nodded but she still didn't look convinced.
The doorbell rang again followed with a knock on the door.
"Is anyone going to answer that?" Zell asked.
"I'll go." Evan said walking to the door.
He smiled at the two guys on his doorstep. A tall man in a hat stood in front with his arms folded studying him critically.
The other was the commander whom he had met earlier. Squall wore the same black leather tight fitting pants that he had on before and an equally as tight navy t shirt that didn't quite reach the top of his trousers, showing off a thin slither of pale skin. The cowboy had an arm loosely around Squall's waist, the shorter man would tense when that arm got less loose and then tried to shrug it off.
"So you must be the new guy that I've heard so much about." The cowboy straightened to make himself look taller, maybe raising up onto his toes slightly.
"I expected you to be taller."
Evan frowned in confusion.
Squall rolled his eyes. "Irvine, this is Evan try not to scare him just yet." His gaze switched to the new seed. "Evan, this idiot is Irvine."
"Nice to meet you." Evan greeted, holding out a hand to the cowboy.
"I guess." Irvine accepted the hand.
The new seed moved aside to let them in. Irvine kept glancing back at him, spotting the other guy's gaze drop down to watch Squall's shirt raise up as he moved.
"Irvine! What the hell are you-?"
Squall batted the cowboy's hands away as the cowboy tried in vain to tug Squall's shirt back down to cover him and away from prying eyes.
"I told you to wear a coat or something."
"A coat? Irvine, it's about 80 degrees in here!"
"You're putting ideas into his head." He hissed quietly.
Squall rolled his eyes. "Don't be ridiculous."
"Squall, Irvine." Seifer nodded. "Welcome to the craziest party ever." He nudged the pack of beer on the floor with his foot. "Have a beer." He offered.
Evan hovered over Selphie. "Let's just have this colour for one here and err-" He picked up a tin of pale blue. "And this for the bedroom."
"You're right!" Selphie beamed. "It matches your eyes!"
Squall sighed. "Selphie, his eyes are green."
Irvine huffed. "Now you even know what colour his eyes are."
"For god's sake Irvine." Squall rolled his eyes at him.
Quistis handed out brushes to everyone.
Seifer rejected the offer of a brush and took a roller instead. After Zell gave him a questioning look he said. "It's more manly."
"More lazy you mean."
"I like this, it's bigger."
Zell smiled playfully. "Really? You know some people would say you were compensating for something."
Seifer's eyes widened. "What?! I. AM. NOT!!"
The little blonde almost fell over laughing. "You should see your face!"
Seifer huffed and cuffed him on the back of head. "Shut up Chickie."
"I don't like him." Someone whispered into Seifer's ear, tickling him.
He jumped and cupped his ear, glancing back over his shoulder to see the cowboy crouched behind them.
"Who? What?"
Irvine sighed. "The new guy! Who did you think I meant?" Irvine glanced back over his shoulder watching Evan talking to Squall. He tensed when the new seed laughed over something.
"He seems okay to me." Seifer said.
Zell nodded. "Yeah I think he's a good guy."
Seifer frowned, looking down at Zell. "You do?"
Zell shrugged. "Sure why not?"
They both looked up at the cowboy who growled in annoyance. "He's got you all over a spell and you guys don't even see it." He stalked away.
The two blondes shared a look and just shrugged.
TBC