Shot in the Dark

Irvine’s POV
I can’t believe I got roped into this. Rinoa’s only been back for a day and we’re already moving her in. Selphie asked me to help and flashed me those big round doe eyes, how could I refuse? Squall is busy going over the will with some lawyers from Deiling City and Rinoa decided she should help, so Seffie and I are stuck doing the grunt work. Nice to know you’re important.
“Here Irvy, will you take these?” Selphie bounces handing me a box filled with teddy bears sky blue sheets and the fabric for putting a canapé over a bed. If I had to live with this stuff I think I’d have a headache, Seffie has a teddy bear and that’s no biggie but 5? And stuffed unicorns and angels, I have to say Rinoa is the least threatening sorceress I’ve ever met, even less threatening than Sis, and Sis never fought any of us.
“’coarse sunshine. Can I have the code for Squall’s room?”
“Oh! Right!” Seffie says, bouncing across Rinoa’s living room and tripping over Angelo, the dog lets out a howl. “Sorry Angelo!” she says dusting herself off and petting him on the head before rushing off into the bedroom. “Hold on Irvy, it’s in here somewhere.”
There’s a knock at the door and I almost drop the box on another box filled with rainbow colored blown glass figures. Noa would’ve killed me if any of them had broken. I set the box on the floor and answer the door.
“Zell!” He flinches when he sees me; I guess he was expecting Selphie. “Come on in, Selphie’s in the bedroom looking for the code card for Squall’s room.
“Oh… okay.” He says plainly, sidestepping around me and standing on the opposite side of the room pacing back and forth.
“Where you been Zell? Haven’t been by the dorm all day.” He stares at the flower printed carpet and cracks his knuckles. “You’re still wearing the same clothes all covered in monster blood.”
“I’ve been around.”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean? Are you mad that I drank to much or something? Because I can pay you back if it’s that big a deal.” He looks up at me nervously, then back down at the floor.
“Naw, it’s no biggie, the bartender let you have most of it free anyways.”
“Well nobody can resist my charm.” I say with a grin, but he doesn’t tease me about it like he usually does, he just clears his throat and keeps pacing. “So you want to go get dinner or something when the moving is done?”
“No, I’m good.” He says stiffly. I don’t know why he’s being so closed, it’s like having another Squall, accept, this kind of hurts. Zell can’t hide anything from anyone, so why is he trying so hard? “I have plans with Yaya.” Oh librarian girl, well it’s good that Zell finally asked her out, the whole garden has known how much she liked him as long as I’ve been here.
“Oh, well… that’s nice…” is it just me or is this really, really awkward? “Have you seen our dear Commander today?” He stiffens at the mention of Squall, maybe this has to do with ‘Squall falling a sleep’ on Zell, he still hasn’t explained that. Maybe something happened. Lucky bastard, a girl who’s crazy about him and the hottest piece of ass on this continent, looks like Hyne really loves him. Damn but why is Zell being such a prick.
“No… I haven’t seen Squall.”
“Well I’m sure he’ll turn up later.” I say narrowing my eyes at him. I don’t know what Zell’s problem is but it’s really starting to piss me off. If it was anyone else I’d let it go, but we’ve been roomies for 2 years, and he can’t even tell me what’s going on with him after he took me out to spill my guts, I don’t do that with just anyone I’ll have you know. Only Zell and Squall when we were back in Galbadia.
“What?” He says nervously turning to box with his shadow. Great now he’s ignoring me.
“I don’t know, you tell me.” I say in a questioning tone.
“What the hell is that supposed to mean Kinneas?”
“I don’t know chocobo, what the hells with the attitude?”
“Chocobo? Don’t make fun of me cowboy, next thing you know you’ll be sprawled out on the ground!” He shouts punching the air around me.
“I’d like to see you try.” I say sauntering over to him and looking down at him with a smirk. He turns bright red with anger, balling his fists up at his sides.
“You’re as bad as Seifer.” He spits out glaring up at me. He tries to take a swipe and me, and I grab his arm holding it tight around the wrist, just about to knock him out.
“Found it!” Selphie shouts bouncing through the door and stopping, taking a long look at the too of us. “What’s with you boys?” she says rushing over to us and pulling my hand loose of Zell’s arm.
“I don’t need this shit.” Zell grumbles, turning towards the door.
“Oh no Zelly. I don’t care what you and Irvy are fussing about, you promised to help me and you’re going to keep your word. A little lovers quarrel between you too isn’t reason enough to break a promise.” I could tell that she was trying to lighten the mood, but the way that Zell stiffened up more I could tell it was no use.
“Fine.”
“Okay, Zell, you help me pack up the rest of Noa’s things, Irvy is gonna start putting things up in Squally’s room.” She says handing me the key.

It didn’t take long to get to Squall’s dorm, and once I was in, I realized that in 2 years I had only been in squalls a handful of times. I took the opportunity to survey the landscape. It was plain, as you would expect. The dinning room table was covered with file folders and a laptop. I guess he doesn’t have people over much, no surprise. I set the box on the table next to the laptop, and turned into Squall’s kitchen. Me and Zell’s kitchen is tiny compared to his, we have a microwave, a mini fridge and a coffee maker. Squall has a huge black fridge, almost from floor to ceiling, an oven, a microwave and a grey marble counter top with pots and pans neatly placed in an overhanging rack. The sink is empty, and sparkling like silver. I can just imagine Squall in a big white apron, stuffing rolls of beef and baking cakes, chopping vegetables, so deliciously domestic. I’d love to have Squall make me dinner. Ah, but I have work to do. I pick up the box and pass by the plain black leather couch set facing a small flat-screened and obviously top of the line monitor. It must pay very well to be the Commander. No one could do a better job, so I suppose it’s worth it. His bedroom surprised me. It was plain at first glance, a desk covered in paperwork, his jackets and pants hung neatly in the closet at the end of his bed, a big Griever poster on his wall, but the bed, it was beautiful, king-sized, and a soft soft yet firm mattress I could tell just by looking at it. It was draped with black silk sheets; I could barely keep myself from imagining Squall slipping his slim pail body into those silky smooth sheets. Hyne. I set down the box pulled out Rinoa’s sheets and the canapé for the bed, and it seemed like a really big shame to have to fill Squalls simple elegant home with all of this gaudy rainbow colored junk. I started stripping the covers from the bed, releasing a soft musky-oceanic smell that was obviously squall. This is a wonderful dorm, so neat and so Squall all over, Rinoa and Angelo are going to ruin it.
“Oh well.” I say to myself. A promise is a promise, I said that I would have everything up before Rinoa got back to the dorm, and I will. I strip off all of those beautifully smooth black sheets and replace them with powder blue covers with clouds all over them. I turn back to the desk and noticed a picture frame that I hadn’t seen before. It was a picture of the entire group, all hugging one another after we defeated Ultimecia, we were all piss drunk and ecstatic. I was amazed, I picked up the frame and two small photos slipped out from behind. I assumed they were pictures of Noa but I was wrong, one was a picture of Zell and I, piss drunk grinning into the camera. So there is something going on with Zell and Squally, damn. And the second caught me by surprise, it was Squall and Seifer, they must have been about 15 and they looked happy together. Now I know I missed a few years but I never heard about anything like that. I carefully slipped the pictures back behind the main photo in the frame and set it down on the table, returning to my work of butchering this beautiful room.