Waltzing in the Rain

Twin-Lance

Chapter Eight: Healthy Competition

If there was one thing that could be said about Jasper, when he said something was huge, he meant it was huge. Squall stood next to Irvine and Zell as they stared at the crystal clear lake that extended from just in front of their boots, all the way along the entire length of the recreation wing.

Jasper stepped over to stand beside Irvine as he looked out across the pool. "What do you think?"

"I think this might be the most glorious pool I've ever seen in my life," Irvine told him. "And I'm not really a big swimmer."

"It's great in the winter," Jasper informed him. "It actually goes beyond the far wall and extends out onto the rooftop patio over the conference room.

"It's temperature controlled isn't it," Zell grinned.

Jasper nodded. "You can swim while it's snowing."

"I don't care if you losers join me or not, I'm getting my trunks and I'm swimming," Zell stated.

"I'm so glad Rinoa packed trunks now," Squall admitted. He was a bit jealous that this pool was wasted on Laguna. He briefly imagined the older man splashing around in gaudy bright swimming trunks with chicobo floaties. He banished that mental image as quickly as it had popped into his head.

Irvine smiled. "I kind of wish I'd brought something to swim in now."

"I thought you didn't like swimming," Squall reminded him, his eyes never leaving the sparkling water.

"For this pool I'll make an exception."

Jasper smiled. "You're more than welcome to jump in. The whole facility is private. Only the occupants of the President's and the Residential Wings have access to this place."

"Who lives in the Residential Wing?" Irvine asked.

"Both Kiros and Ward live there with their families. Laguna's secretary also lives there. The entire wing is divided up into six two story apartments with Laguna's quarters connecting to the central hall, across from the residential wing. I heard that Laguna has been trying to convince his mother to move out here for years."

"His Ma is still alive?" Zell asked. "Where does she live?"

"Wait, so Squall has a Dad, a sister and a grandmother now? That just ain't even fair," Irvine frowned. "I'd kill to have a long lost relative come out of the woodwork."

Squall started to say something but remained quiet.

"At least your folks have an excuse," Jasper told him.

"My folks are dead," Irvine frowned.

Jasper crossed his arms and looked down at his shoes. "Mine abandoned me at a train station in Dollet when I was five. The engineer took me to Balamb because there weren't as many orphans there."

A very long and awkward silence settled over them before Zell finally spoke up. "Well, the next time you're in Balamb let me know and I'll take you to meet my Ma. She'll gladly adopt you. She sort of does that to all of my friends. She thinks of Irvine as a son but clearly that isn't good enough for him."

Irvine sighed. "I didn't mean it in a bad way."

"Good. Because Ma would be hurt," Zell informed him.

"I swear," Irvine insisted.

Zell nodded. "Well, I'm going to go get my trunks. Join me if you want," he said before going over to the door and hitting the release.

"I'm going to go find something to swim in," Irvine told Jasper and Squall.

Squall looked over at him. "Where are you going?"

Irvine shrugged. "No idea. But this is Esthar. This city doesn't sleep. There's bound to be a place for me to find some."

Squall nodded, sparing a glance around the room before following after him. "I've got a pair of PT shorts if you want them," he offered.

"You actually think I can fit in your PT shorts?" Irvine laughed. "I don't know if you've noticed or not, but unlike me, you have no ass. You're thin as a rail man."

"And I wear my PT shorts baggy. Besides, the shorts fitting snuggly around your waist in the swimming pool might not be a bad thing," Squall said dismissively. "We wouldn't want them coming off."

Irvine shrugged. "When you're right you're right," he conceded. "Although I can't imagine you wearing shorts."

"It happens," Squall said as he led him back towards Laguna's private residence.

"Does not," Irvine teased. "I can't imagine it."

"It does."

"There is no way you get out and do PT in shorts. You'd probably blind everyone with your pasty kneecaps."

"My kneecaps are anything but pasty," Squall defended himself as they walked. "I, unlike you, grew up in Balamb."

"Yeah and you also lived in leather for like, two years."

"Because I was conditioned to the heat and humidity," he dismissed Irvine's argument. "But I wasn't running miles, completing obstacle courses and wrestling in leather pants. I have PT gear."

"I'll believe it when I see it," Irvine said as they opened the door to their room to see Zell checking his phone. "Put it down and step away from the dresser."

"What? Oh yeah I was just checking some messages," Zell told him.

"Exactly. She's going to be angry and she's going to harass your phone. Just put it down and walk away."

Zell made a face but did as he was told. "I'm going for a swim."

Squall and Irvine watched as he left. "You do know she is going to be waiting on him when we get back to Garden," Irvine told Squall.

"So?" Squall asked as he pulled a pair of navy shorts from his duffel bag.

"So it's a little bit stalkerish man. She's going to bully him as much as she can. Women are vindictive like that."

"He's a SeeD. If he can't handle an ex-girlfriend maybe he shouldn't be holding a mercenary for hire job title," Squall stated as he tossed the shorts at Irvine. Irvine caught them and then frowned down at the Balamb Garden emblem. "If you don't like them you should've come better prepared."

"Galbadia Garden's got better colors."

"…."

"Yeah anyway, I'll be right back, I'm going to go try to squeeze my butt into these things."

Squall ignored him as he pulled on his swimming trunks and grabbed his pair of running shoes. He was having a moral dilemma about whether or not to remove his jewelry when Irvine came back out of the bathroom.

"Disgruntled Chocobos?! That is so….not you. Seifer maybe but not you," Irvine grinned as he tilted his head to the side and looked at the yellow birds plastered across Squall's trunks.

Squall shot him a glare through the strands of hair that hung in his face.

"Glare all you want. It isn't going to change my mind. You might be grumpy and disgruntled as a personal default but you are not a gamer."

Squall ignored his comment. "Ready to go?" he asked as he zipped his ring, necklace and earring away in his bag.

"Yeah," Irvine grinned, still looking at his swimming trunks.

"Stop staring," Squall scowled as he pulled on his shoes and started back out to the recreation wing.

"Does it make you uncomfortable?" Irvine prodded.

"….."

"It does doesn't it? Well you shouldn't wear such adorably awesome swimming trunks if you don't want to attract attention."

"I feel like you're staring at my butt. Stop it."

"Prude," Irvine teased.

Squall shook his head and stopped momentarily to remove his shoes as they approached the pool.

"Well, you are."

"Coming from the one of us that hasn't been laid yet," Squall quipped.

"Ouch," Jasper commented from his spot at the poolside.

"Hey," Irvine defended himself. "I've got my reasons, and I'm pretty sure Zell hasn't either." He looked out over Jasper's head to watch Zell come up above the water's surface. "So, what are we doing?"

"I'm swimming laps," Squall stated as he lowered himself into the water.

"I've got one better. I say we see who can swim laps the fastest," Zell said as he swam over.

"Sure, of course he wants to race. He probably grew up swimming off the sandy coast of Balamb every day," Irvine dismissed it.

"He wouldn't be the only one," Squall grinned as he tossed head back to get his hair out of his face.

"Let's do it!" Jasper said enthusiastically as he pulled his legs out of the water and hopped up to his feet.

"You guys suck," Irvine complained but still grinned.

Not too long after the boys began their laps, Rinoa and Selphie stood at the pool's edge and watched them as they swam. Neither of them said anything. They just waited, seeing how long it would take for them to be noticed. A few minutes passed and all four of the boys swam past them multiple times without ever looking over in their general direction.

"I don't think they've noticed us," Selphie stated as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Yes they have, they're just too caught up in their little race to stop and see what we want," Rinoa shook her head.

"But I thought you said Squall was on board with everything."

"He is. And he knows we're here too."

Selphie glanced around and then grinned. "I know how to get their attention." Rinoa looked over as Selphie bounded over to an equipment shelf. She grinned as she watched Selphie carry an armful of brightly colored dodge balls over. Selphie stumbled and sent two balls bouncing free of her grasp. Rinoa was able to catch one and stop the other with her foot. "How good is your arm?" Selphie asked her.

"Good enough," Rinoa smiled and then hurled a ball at Zell's head. It made contact and then bounced straight up in the air. A cackle escaped Rinoa's lips at the sound the ball made when it hit him. He went under and flailed about for a moment before bursting through the surface of the water, coughing. Selphie sent her ball flying towards Jasper but it landed with a disappointing splash behind him. They both laughed as Rinoa threw her second ball and landed right in front of Irvine. He thrashed and fell back in surprise as he tried to avoid the obstacle in front of him. When Selphie hurled her second ball at Squall, Rinoa might've given him a head's up.

Go under!

Squall was under the surface of the water before the ball ever splashed down.

"No fair you cheated!" Selphie laughed as she pushed Rinoa playfully.

"Prove it," she pushed her back.

"What the hell guys?!" Zell said once he finally caught up to everyone else. "That came out of nowhere!"

"That was the idea," Rinoa stated.

"Yeah. That's what you guys get for ignoring us," Selphie taunted him.

"What do you ladies want?" Irvine asked.

"Squall and I need to talk," Rinoa told him. Zell made a face as he turned to look over in Squall's direction.

"We might as well get out anyway," Irvine stated. "Jasper was kicking our asses, Zell's included."

"What did you expect he grew up being trained to be a White SeeD," Squall stated.

"Yeah I'm still not one hundred percent on what that even means."

"It means he was raised and trained to protect Ellone at all costs. It stands to reason he'd have to be a great swimmer in case that ship of theirs ever sank or ran into trouble," he clarified.

Jasper pulled himself up out of the water and smiled. "Sorry guys, thanks for playing though," he joked. "It was fun."

Irvine smiled faintly as he pulled himself out of the water and then hurled a wet ball towards Selphie. She squealed and ducked out of its way. He smiled as he sat contently on the edge with his feet in the water.

"Are you sure you don't want to go again?" Zell asked Jasper.

"Squall, we need to talk about the wedding," Rinoa said as she carefully made her way around the edge of the pool. Squall pulled himself up on the edge and stood. He reached out to keep her from slipping.

"The wedding? This is about the wedding? Can't it wait? We were having a guy's night," Zell complained.

"The wedding is going to be tomorrow," Squall stated, his wet hair plastered to his face and neck.

"It's what?!" Irvine asked as he found his feet and grabbed a towel. "That's too soon!"

"Thank you!" Zell agreed, climbing out of the pool and pushing his hair back. "You need time to plan and make sure you're ready."

"You need time for us to go out and party before the big day," Irvine argued.

"How did you get Laguna to go for it?" Squall asked Rinoa, ignoring both of his friends.

She shrugged. "I just showed up at his office and told him I was afraid of a media frenzy and how awful it had been immediately after the war. He agreed almost immediately."

"After he fell off his desk," Selphie interjected.

Rinoa smiled. "Yes. After he fell off his desk. I think he was surprised."

Squall smiled at the mental image as she picked the wet strands of hair off his face and neck and tossed them back. "Well I'm glad he caves so easily when I send you in to ask him for things."

"Just let me know what you would like next. A shiny new gunblade? A car? A hefty donation to Garden to help with post war repairs?" Rinoa smiled.

Squall grinned in return.

"Wait a minute. If you two are getting hitched tomorrow then we get him tonight," Irvine said as he threw an arm around Squall's shoulders.

Rinoa spared a glance over at him and smiled. "Laguna's going to have a bunch of people over in the morning to help put everything together as quickly as possible so don't stay out too late," she told Squall.

"Don't worry about him, we'll have him back at the Palace in time," Irvine assured her as he pulled Squall away. Squall scowled and resisted. "Oh don't get fussy! You can spend all the time with her you want tomorrow night," he teased him with a nudge to the ribs. Squall stared past Rinoa and over at the windows as he tried not to blush.

"I'll see you first thing in the morning," Squall assured Rinoa.

She nodded, fighting a blush herself. "No strippers," she warned Irvine.

"Whoa whoa! Who said anything about any strippers?" He held up his hands defensively and then caught the look on Selphie's face. "I promise there won't be any strippers. But there will be a party. A party that you gals can't be a part of. So if you don't mind, we need to get changed and go out and humiliate—I mean celebrate, with Squall here."

Squall sighed. He had no idea what Irvine was going to come up with but he was certain it would be horrible.

Rinoa smiled. Don't be so hard on him you're one of his best friends.

Squall started to make a face but didn't. "I'll see you in the morning," he told her.

Rinoa smiled and rose up onto her tiptoes to kiss him. "Night," she said with a smile before starting to leave.

"Night Irvy," Selphie smiled.

"What? I don't get a kiss?" Irvine asked.

Selphie scrunched her nose. "You're all wet," she told him.

"Fine," he dismissed her.

She smiled in response. "No strippers," she mouthed to him before following Rinoa out.

Once the door had slid shut behind them, Rinoa looked over at her. "Do you think there'll be strippers?" she asked.

Selphie snorted and rolled her eyes. "Occasional dirty magazines is as far as it goes with him. He wouldn't know what to do with a naked girl if she slipped off the stage and kicked him in the face."

"…I hope you're right," Rinoa grimaced at the thought.

Author's Notes: Due to Chapter Eight ending up MUCH longer than I'd anticipated, I decided to break it into two chapters so that it wasn't too long and overwhelming. A big thanks goes out to my new Beta Reader for helping me edit this chapter. I hope I haven't committed too many crimes against commas in this chapter, but my Editor and Muse was unable to proof for me this time.