Author: Lipstickcat
E-mail: [email protected]
Pairing: Irvine/Squall, plus a mystery pairing
Rating: Pg
Disclaimer: Not mine
Notes: Sequel to �Play Ball� and Cat�s Cradle�
***
Squall smiled politely and nodded. He wasn�t listening though, his eyes were glassy and his head seemed a little wobbly as he moved it. Even from across the hall, Irvine could see that Squall was drunk. Selphie carried on chattering to him regardless as he swigged on his alcopop.
//He�s drinking it like a kid drinks lemonade. I really don�t think that�s such a hot idea, doesn�t strike me as the type to have a high alcohol tolerance. //
Still, anything that helped him to loosen up couldn�t be a bad thing. It was time that he opened himself to the people who looked up to him. Irvine had started the ball rolling and he alone had been honoured to see a new side to Squall over the past week. Squall�s inner child had been released and Irvine was quite happy to pamper it.
One day, they had �borrowed� Zell�s training rope and skipped around the parking lot. Another day, they had locked themselves in the storeroom, hiding from anyone with �urgent matters� for Squall to attend to. They�d played Snap with spare Triple Triad cards. Squall had proved himself to be quite the opponent with lightening fast reflexes.
But still, Irvine was a little disappointed. After the promising start outside the training center, there had been no new developments on the romance front for a week. He�d managed to steal the occasional kiss, (getting locked in the storeroom had helped considerably), but he was always the one who made the first move. He understood that Squall was unsure of himself and was aware that he had to take things slowly, but the longer it went on, the more insecure Irvine felt about his position. He wasn�t even sure if they were in an actual relationship. Squall obviously hadn�t brought the matter up, and for all his smooth talking, it was a subject that Irvine found difficult to broach.
Irvine turned back to the bar and picked up his glass of Southern Comfort. He smiled over to Nida and Xu, who were on stools further down. They raised their drinks to him in reply.
Glancing towards the dance floor, he watched Rinoa waltz with a dashing young man who had a crop of shaggy blond hair. Rinoa and himself were the only two in the hall who weren�t wearing full dress uniform. The ball had been organised by Cid as a chance for his best SeeDs to relax during a lull in action. Although neither of them were SeeDs, they were considered so and had been accordingly invited.
Rinoa made up for her lack of uniform by wearing a modest, yet somehow slinky, black dress. Irvine was dressed in black trousers and a dark shirt with a lighter trim across the chest and edging the collar and cuffs. Naturally, he was wearing his cowboy hat, he�d have felt naked without it.
He turned his back to the bar and was about to lean back against it when he realised that Zell was staring in his direction. He smiled and lifted his glass, but got no reaction from the martial artist. Irvine thought for a second about what Squall had said to him a week ago; the idea that Zell may fancy him was like directly shooting his ego up with a drug. He tapped his fingernails against his glass as he deliberated his options. There was no harm in talking to him, just to prove Squall wrong. And what if he was right? It didn�t mean that anything would happen, it wasn�t as if a little flirting was cheating on Squall. Hell, they weren�t even in any official kind of relationship.
His conscience sufficiently satisfied with his reasoning, he crossed the room and stood beside Zell, who completely ignored him. Feeling a little miffed, he followed the direction that Zell was looking in back to the bar. His gaze fell on the area where Xu and Nida were sitting.
//Duh! Well, that would make sense I guess. //
His ego was slightly deflated, but there was no point in letting it bother him. Taking a sip of his drink, he realised that he had a better view of Xu from this position. The most striking thing about her was her skirt. If he had been a few years older, and a prude, he�d have made a comment about her putting her belt on and forgetting the rest of the bottom half of the uniform. As it was, he was the first to defend the virtues of the mini skirt. But still, it didn�t look quite right on such a normally reserved person.
�Didn�t know they issued uniforms that short,� Irvine commented wryly.
�She disappeared to the bathroom a few drinks ago and came back with it like that,� Zell surprised Irvine by not only replying, but also by knowing exactly who he was referring to. �She probably rolled the waistband up.�
Irvine nodded as Xu giggled fakely and leaned forward to put a hand on Nida�s leg. Then she sat back up and nearly toppled off her stool.
�She�s drunk,� Irvine noted.
�Not the only one,� Zell replied, nodding in the direction of the table that Squall and Selphie were sitting at.
At that moment Squall stood up, scraping the chair back loudly. He swayed for a second before grabbing Selphie�s shoulder to steady himself. Suddenly, his face broke out into a grin. He let go, making sure he that he had his balance, and slapped Selphie�s arm.
�Tag! You�re It!� his voice carried across the room, over the other sounds of music and general chatter. Then he turned and dashed away, zigzagging into the crowd.
Selphie blinked in his wake for a moment. She glanced around herself to see if anyone had noticed what had just occurred, or maybe she was hallucinating. Irvine would have thought that he�d had too much to drink himself, if he hadn�t experienced this incredibly juvenile side to Squall first hand for the past week. It came as no surprise, however, when Selphie shrugged to herself and hurtled after Squall into the crowd.
They ran up and down the hall, exchanging tags and giggles, several times before finding their way amongst the gathering of dancers. Dashing straight to the center, looking over her shoulder and sticking her tongue out at her pursuer, Selphie nearly bumped into Rinoa and her partner. She looked back around just in time, squealed and swerved out on the way. They then began to run rings around the dancing couple. After a few laps, Squall got bored and stopped dead. Selphie ran straight into him. Squall grinned, mouthed �tag� and winked at her before shooting off into the crowd.
Selphie stamped her foot and crossed her arms over her chest irately before turning to see that both Rinoa and her partner were staring blankly at her. Selphie thought for a moment. Then she tapped Rinoa�s shoulder, informing her that she was �It�, and ran off in the same direction as Squall.
Rinoa frowned at Selphie�s disappearing form, then at the confused expression on her date�s face and finally her shoes. Biting her bottom lip, she began to pull her high heels off. Behaving as the perfect gentleman, the blond SeeD held her arm to steady her. Carrying her removed shoes, Rinoa smiled sweetly to him and quickly pressed her lips against his. Then she vanished into the throng of people, leaving him somehow holding her shoes and feeling completely lost for words.
Several more tags were exchanged before Selphie ran up to the table that Quistis was sitting at.
�Tag! You�re It!� Selphie squealed over her shoulder as she dashed off again.
�I�m sorry?� Quistis asked.
�You�re It!� Selphie called back.
�I�m It?� Quistis frowned as Selphie nodded eagerly at her. �I�m sorry, I really don�t understand what you�re talking about.�
Selphie stopped and began to walk back towards Quistis. At the same, Quistis stood up, but remained next to her seat.
�We�re playing tag. I was It, but I tagged you, so now you�re It.� Selphie explained.
�And what am I supposed to do?� Quistis asked as Selphie stopped in front of her.
�You have to tag someone else, then they�re It.�
�No, sorry, you�ve lost me again. The point of this is?� Selphie opened her mouth to reply, but suddenly Quistis reached out and tapped her arm. �Tag! You�re It!� then she sprinted off towards Squall, who was doubled over in hysterics, leaving Selphie feeling cheated.
�Ha! That has got to be the dirtiest thing I have ever seen!� laughed Irvine. �Don�t you think Zell?� Zell?�
Zell wasn�t listening, and he certainly hadn�t been watching. He was too preoccupied with his surveillance of the bar.
�You could just go over and talk to her.�
Zell turned and looked at Irvine. He opened his mouth to say something, but then changed his mind.
�Afraid that she won�t like you? That you�re not her type, or something?�
�Something like that.�
It occurred to Irvine that they were actually having a conversation. They weren�t just being civil to each other, but were talking like friends.
// So maybe I was wrong about him hating my guts. Guess I just piss him off occasionally. A lot. Not the first person in the world to find me annoying. I guess. //
�Here,� he said as he took off his hat and plonked it on Zell�s head.
�What�s this for?�
�Luck. You have the uniform already, that says that you�re reliable and successful. The hat says that you�re adventurous and not afraid to be a bit of a rebel. Chicks dig it.�
�Don�t you think that the tattoo already says those things?�
�I guess. Well, go over there already. You don�t know unless you try.�
�But what if��
�Pssshh�� Irvine waved his hand in the air. �You could die tomorrow. Or worse, you could get together tomorrow, then you�ll be kicking yourself over all the time you�ve wasted.�
�Maybe after a few more drinks��
�Nothing wrong with a little Dutch courage,� Irvine agreed.
They both settled back against the wall. Irvine watched the progress of the game of Tag, enjoying the sight of Squall actually bonding with his teammates. It gave him a warm glow, a sense of satisfaction that he was the one who had begun it all. Zell watched briefly, but his attention quickly returned to the figures at the bar.
Xu was well and truly out of her skull. The slightest movement resulted in her almost falling off her stool and poor Nida was constantly jumping forward to catch her. As she ordered another drink, he tried to stop her, but she ignored him and leaned forward in her seat, so that her hands were in his lap. Then she began to rub his legs as she looked up at him through a mass of dishevelled hair. He sat bolt upright and his body stiffened. Her hand began to creep further up his thigh. He glanced around desperately for some means of escape.
The only person remotely near was Selphie, but she turned and ran off in the opposite direction before he had the chance to call to her. Then he saw Squall. He was grinning inanely, which took a second to register in Nida�s mind. Nida had seen the developing game, but he whole idea of Squall playing was totally alien to him. It was hard for him to connect this Squall to the one who always acted so seriously.
Xu�s hand moved higher and Nida squeaked. Now was not the time to think. He had to act quickly before Squall followed Selphie.
�Squall!� Nida waved as Squall looked to see who had called him. �Over here!�
Thankfully, Squall gave up his pursuit of Selphie and ran towards the bar. Nida was leaping off his stool before Squall had even tagged him and dashing towards the small gathering of Quistis, Selphie and Rinoa at the other side of the room. The group split up in opposite directions, giggling loudly.
Squall paused to get his breath back. He glanced at Xu and felt a little guilty, but Nida obviously wasn�t interested. He hoped that she would find someone for herself soon, everyone needs somebody to lean on. Thinking of which, he realised that he hadn�t seen Irvine for several hours. The idea of playing a game without him almost felt like cheating on him. He quickly scanned the room and spotted him leaning against the opposite wall.
He was smiling and looked his normal laid back self. But, there was something missing. Squall began to walk towards him, intending to convince him to join in. As he got closer, he realised what was missing and, more importantly, where it was. A familiar feeling shot through him, it seemed to have a sobering effect that left him seething.
Irvine smiled at Squall as he approached, but he ignored him. Instead, he stopped in front of Zell. Zell smiled as well, but Squall raised his chin, drawing himself up to his full height so that he was looking down on him. Zell was aware of how strong a fighter Squall was, but he had never considered the Gunblader to be threatening before now.
�Hey Squall, what�s up?� Zell tried to sound bright, but he couldn�t hide the waver in his voice as he blinked up at Squall.
�I�m the only one who should be wearing that,� Squall stated.
�Wha?�
�He�s mine!� Squall shouted as he drew his clenched fist back.
The blow itself was drunken and unskilful, but Squall�s knuckles caught Zell�s jaw with a crack and it took the martial artist completely by surprise. As Zell fell backwards, Squall snagged the cowboy hat from his head triumphantly. Irvine pushed himself away from the wall in shock at the same time as Zell�s head hit it. The blond slumped to the floor moaning.
�Shit!� Irvine ducked down and scooped up the top half of Zell�s semi-conscious body, cradling it in his lap. �What the fuck do you think you�re doing?�
Squall looked down at him. He was wearing the hat and a smug expression that would have looked more at home on Seifer�s face.
�He was wearing your hat! Only I can. I thought that� I�� Squall�s lip began to quiver as his victorious expression faded.
Inside, Irvine was punching the air. Everything suddenly seemed clear. Squall was jealous and possessive; he wanted a serious, exclusive relationship. But on the surface, he was angry at Squall for behaving so stupidly and ruining a perfect night.
�You can�t just go around hitting people because they have something you want. It�s immature. You don�t even know why he was wearing it for Hyne�s sake!�
Squall pulled the hat off and flung it at Irvine. Then he turned and ran though the hall, and out the entrance, leaving the double doors swinging behind him.
// Shit! //
�Is he ok?�
Irvine jerked his head around to find himself face to face with Nida. He smiled half-heartedly to the pilot and told him that Zell probably needed an ice pack.
�I�ll look after him, you go after Squall.� Nida offered warmly.
�You sure?�
�No problem,� he replied as he knelt down and ran his fingers softly long the side of Zell�s face.
// Oh. //
Irvine thought for a second. Nida was behaving a little strangely, but he decided that Zell would understand if he left him with him. He had to go and talk to Squall.
He carefully shifted the blonde�s weight to Nida�s lap, scooped his hat up and stood. Nida bent close to Zell�s ear and muttered something to him. Zell�s blue eyes fluttered open and he half smiled, half winced. His hand found Nida�s and laced tightly with his fingers as the pilot began to help him stand up.
// Ooooohhhh�. You really are a dumb hick sometimes, Irvine. //
Irvine walked with them as they left the hall together. He wondered if Zell really needed to lean against Nida quite so much for support. He was pretty sure that he had got up and walked away from nastier knocks during battle. But Nida was holding onto him pretty tightly as well, and Irvine was sure that it wasn�t just because he was afraid that he might pass out.
Once out of the hall, Irvine said his goodbyes and left them to make their way over to the infirmary. On a hunch, he jogged towards the quad.
The night air was warm against his face and still. The sky was clear, with bright pinpricks of silver set in thick dark velvet above him. As he approached the edge of the Garden, he could see the distant glow of a town or city across the water. Waves sloshed and broke gently below him. Squall was sitting cross-legged on the ground, looking out over the water.
// He knows how to pick a romantic setting, I�ll give him that. //
Irvine sat down next to him, not too close to be intruding on Squall�s personal space, but closer than was necessary. Squall didn�t acknowledge his presence, he didn�t even look away. He just continued to contemplate the sea in silence.
�Did I tell you how handsome you look in your uniform?�
No answer. Irvine pulled at his pigtail in agitation.
�Look, Squall, I�m sorry. I didn�t mean to snap, but you can�t just go around punching people because you�re jealous. There was nothing going on. Zell�s not even interested in me, in fact�.�
�But you were still flirting,� Squall�s measured voice interrupted Irvine, but he still didn�t turn to face him.
�I� Yes.�
Squall sighed and continued to watch the night. Irvine was stumped. Should he talk? Should he wait for Squall to speak? Should he just leave and hope everything would get better by the morning?
�Well?�
�What?� Irvine frowned.
�I�m waiting for an apology.�
Irvine smiled to himself. Squall hadn�t been able to hide the playful tone in his voice. He knew that he was already forgiven, but he could go along with this anyway.
�I�m sorry Squall. I shouldn�t have snapped at you, and I shouldn�t have let Zell wear my hat. How�s that?�
�It�s a start,� Squall told him as he turned to look at him.
�How about I promise to cut down on the flirting?� Irvine asked as he stood up and held his hand out for Squall.
�That�ll happen,� Squall grinned as he levered himself to his feet and promptly fell into Irvine.
Irvine looked down at the figure clutching onto his chest as if his life depended on it. This, he could get used to.
�Are you still drunk?� he asked. Squall batted his eyelids up to him through his silky hair and smiled sheepishly. �How in Hyne�s name did you manage to knock Zell for six, run out here and not end up in the sea?�
�Why do you think I was sitting here?� Squall shrugged. �Suddenly the whole Garden seemed to tip to the side, I had to sit down fast to hang onto the ground.�
Irvine laughed. He carefully adjusted Squall so that he was holding him by the waist, with his arm draped around his neck. He pulled off his hat and gently placed it on Squall�s head, tucking stray pieces of hair under the brim.
�There. Now it�s where it belongs. C�mon, lets get you to bed.�
�Join me.�
�Huh?�
�Spend the night with me.�
Irvine almost dropped Squall. Surprise tremored through him, making his chest tingle. He�d never expected to hear Squall say something like that, even if it was what he had wanted to hear. The alcohol certainly made the shy Gunblader less so.
�I can�t,� Irvine was surprised to hear his own voice turn Squall down. It wasn�t like him at all to miss an opportunity to get laid. But then, Squall was about more than just getting laid. �It wouldn�t be fair to take advantage of you while you�re drunk.�
They continued in silence until they reached the corridor. Then Squall stopped dead, causing Irvine to jerk to a halt as well. He removed his arm from around the cowboy�s shoulder and turned to face him.
�Then stay the night anyway. Tomorrow morning I won�t be drunk anymore and you won�t be taking advantage.�
Irvine smiled and cupped Squall�s face, letting his thumb brush over his soft cheek.
�Tomorrow morning you�ll be too hung over to even think, never mind move.�
�But don�t you want to see?�
�Beats sleeping alone in my bed,� Irvine shrugged.
With that, Squall leaned forward and kissed him. Even though the taste of spirit and artificial flavourings reminded Irvine that Squall was drunk, he felt secure in the knowledge that Squall was making moves on him now and that, whether Squall realised it or not, they were in a serious relationship. He hoped that Squall wouldn�t be hung over in the morning�