[story update]
Update for Brotherhood: Chi Iota Iota. This chapter includes art! Hooray!
The previous two chapters can be found HERE
Title: Brotherhood: Chi Iota Iota (chapter 3)
Spoilers: for the Org, sort of.
Rating: R for now
Warnings: Language, alcohol and drug use, sex, violence, and slash.
Comments: Basically, the Roman numerals X and I also have Greek names as well as English names. Greek-wise, X is the symbol ‘chi’, and I is the symbol ‘iota’. Since I am translating this from Org. XIII, I found it appropriate to name the fraternity ‘Chi Iota Iota’, leaving it at XII for the obvious absence of Larxene (I was going to gender-switch her, but decided against it). Everything else will be explained in the story. (There is also a fanfic.net link if you are so inclined)
You will like this story if you like college AU, long stories, characters who remain IC, thought-out plot, and some good old fashioned fun with the Organization members.
You will not like this story if you despise AU fics, don't want to read about some of the nastier things that can happen inside a frat, and have a bad sense of humor >:D
“Yeah. Yeah, I miss you too.”
Ale’s voice was muffled as he spoke to whoever it was on the phone, pacing the small floor space of his dorm room as he rubbed sleep from his eyes. He was still shirtless, and had a pair of sweatpants draped loosely on his hips. The roommate was gone, and there was no telling what time it was. Light poured through the window, beautiful and warm and Roxas wanted it as far away from him as possible.
“Mhm. Mhm. Yeah. Yes. Yes, mom. Okay. Love you too. Bye.”
Roxas wanted to snicker. He also wanted to disappear into the moth-eaten blanket that was glorious and warm, if not slightly itchy. He wanted to piss, but he didn’t want to move. He wanted Ale to look away so he could make his escape and throw up again. He wanted to get something for this headache… What he did do was crack one watery eye open against the harsh rays of the sun, only to stare at Ale’s form bustling about the room.
“Nnnguuuuuuurgle,” said Roxas, effectively accomplishing nothing.
Ale turned to look at him, kohl smudged into dark circles under his eyes. He smiled, looking well and happy and as if no liquor had passed through his system the night before. Gods he was thin. And pale. And approaching Roxas with a smirk that read ‘you owe me’.
“Good morning, princess. Feeling okay?”
“Uhhhnnnnn…”
“That bad, huh? Man you’re a lightweight.” Roxas glared at him, but Ale still kept his smirk intact.
“Sucks. Real bad,” Roxas managed, his first words since passing out. Sure they only had one syllable apiece, but it was something. He knew he must have looked pathetic at the moment, clutching to the blanket and balled up on Ale’s lumpy futon like a hung-over fetus.
“Hm. Well you should get up because the football game is in an hour,” Ale said, walking away to find a shirt. He knew he should probably take a shower, but logic proved he was only going to get dirty at the game, therefore a shower could be saved until afterwards.
“…I don’t think I’m going.”
“What!? You know you hafta go to all the events if you want any chance of pledging-“
“It’s too late, I’m out already,” Roxas moaned, pulling the blanket over his head in a pitiful manner. “Xemnas saw me puke last night, it’s over.”
Ale pulled a navy shirt over his head, smoothing estranged hairs back into a tight ponytail while letting out a low throaty chuckle. “I know. He was talking about it downstairs, and trust me, you’re not finished. If anything, you’ve gained favor.”
“What do you mean?”
“Said something about being shocked you took another drink or something. Then he told everyone about your brother, he seemed kinda excited.”
Roxas didn’t say anything. He sighed into the blanket and closed his eyes, trying to process this information away from his headache. Before he could, Ale ripped the blankets off his half-naked body and tossed them aside. Roxas sputtered but couldn’t form a response outside of wrapping his arms around his bare chest.
“So get up. You’re getting into that frat.”
“A-ale, I…” Roxas looked up, but he was at a loss for words. Ale had this look on his face, a determination within him that was nearly frightening. His jaw was set in such a way that Roxas felt he would be chewed out if he tried to protest further. Yes, he still wanted to get into the frat, and he supposed he should’ve been thankful for the push Ale was trying to give him. Maybe he had misjudged the man before him, brushed him off as a lazy punk while in reality, he had more motivation than Roxas had himself. “Okay,” he said finally, managing a smirk. “We’ll get in together.”
“You mean that?”
“Yes.” Roxas sat up, grinning and offering his hand.
Ale laughed, taking the smaller hand in his own and shaking it as enthusiastically as he had when they first met. “Alright. It’s a deal, then!”
The football game was an event planned by Brother Lexaeus, who also held a spot on UDI’s varsity team. The game was fun, really. Despite mild feelings of nausea, Roxas was able to use his speed to his team’s advantage on a play or two. And, as Ale pointed out, the number of rushees had decreased sharply from the day before. It took them until the poker tournament that night (hosted by Luxord) to figure out it must have been Marluxia’s diarrhea fruit punch.
The next day, a tour of ‘Sorority Row’, a line of sorority houses on the west side of campus, was conducted by Marluxia. A friend of his, Larxene, was a member of the sorority Gamma Iota Iota (which was the unofficial sister sorority of Chi Double-I) had accompanied them as well. Whatever detail Marluxia left out of his description of each sorority, Larxene filled in with her scathing reviews. Like every frat, every sorority was known for something. There were the easy girls, the ugly ones, the smart ones and the party animals… the list went on.
That evening was a group expedition to the school’s student performance night, where Brother Zexion assured them they would find good music. He was right, and both Brother and rushee alike enjoyed themselves with the wide variety of genres and talent. Ale even danced with the crowd to his favorites, along with the same spikey-haired blonde Zexion had previously taken a liking to.
“Meyd,” the boy introduced himself to Roxas after being prompted by Ale, sweaty from dancing but smiling all the same. The next song came on and the two were gone again, mixed with the crowd and that was that.
There had been a combat team back at Roxas’ high school, but it was nothing compared to the extensive artillery provided for the award-winning and nationally recognized team UDI boasted. Brother Xaldin had taken the rushees to view the training areas the following morning, and Roxas was more than glad to get his hands on a long katana, giving it a few swings with Xaldin’s permission. He was captain after all, and could pull a few strings so that those rushees who were interested could poke around the area as they pleased.
That particular day of Rush Week may have been Roxas’ favorite for not only had he ‘bonded’ with Xaldin over talk of combat team try-outs, but that night Vexen had set up a few telescopes on the terrace of the astronomy and physics building. They also ate a typical college dinner of some greasy fast food while enjoying the cool night’s air. Vexen had approached Roxas while he was gazing through a telescope, Ale by his side and smoking a fag.
“Roxas, a moment?” Vexen had said, managing a pleasant smile.
“Oh, sure. What’s up?” Roxas straightened and smiled back, hand still resting partly on the telescope.
“I hadn’t had a chance to really speak to you before about this… but Xemnas mentioned that you’re Studix’s brother. Is that true?”
“Er, yeah. Tidus- I mean, Studix- used to be a Brother.”
“I see,” Vexen raised a brow, smirking slightly. “I’m surprised you didn’t mention it before. Studix was a great president, it was hard to watch him graduate last year.” Vexen said pleasantly. Ale choked on the inhale, coughing so hard that Roxas felt it necessary to pause and pat him roughly on the back.
“I mean,” the blond said between Ale’s chokes, “I didn’t really want anyone to know. It’s hard enough being in his wake at home, ya know? Jeez Ale, these things are gonna kill you…”
“I see,” the Brother repeated, bowing his head slightly as if deep in thought. The expression on his face concerned Roxas slightly, but it was soon replaced with a stretched smile. “I’ll leave you to it, then. Take care.”
“Bye…” Roxas said pathetically, Ale still clutching onto his shoulder for support.
“Your brother was,” cough “the president of the frat!?” Ale managed.
“Yeah.”
“Why didn’t you-“
“Let’s not talk about it, okay?” Roxas asked, looking to his friend with pleading eyes. Despite his inquisitive nature, Ale mercifully let the subject drop. For now.
The following afternoon, Brother Saix had the rushees engaged in a widespread game of manhunt that included over half of UDI’s massive campus. It was the second to last day of Rush Week, and the total number of men who still stood had dwindled down to a pathetic 11. Saix explained that if a Brother found them, they were ‘out’ and had to help find the other rushees. Basically, it was every man for himself, and the moment the game began, the prey ran off as fast as they could. When the big clock in the middle of campus rang six pm, it was over.
After running around like maniacs for hours on end, all eleven met back up in front of the steps of the frat house, as instructed to do should they not be found. Once they had all realized none of them had been found or even pursued, they knew they had been tricked. Moments before they could think of what to do next, an onslaught of water balloons were brought on from all angles. They were filled with soda, and the boys had nowhere to run.
“As you know, tomorrow is the final day of Rush Week,” Xemnas announced to the now sticky and cranky potential Brothers. “While I hope the past few days have excited you about Chi, I feel compelled to warn you that things will not be anything like this should you actually be accepted as a pledge. For some time, your lives will be close to miserable, actually. Code forbids me to divulge, but I would hope you understand the gist. You have approximately 24 hours to reflect over this before the final event tomorrow, do think it over carefully.”
Not a single person who was rushing backed out of the final event. Roxas looked at them all as they stood lined up against the wall, like prisoners before a firing squad. He was impressed with all of them for putting up with the games, each other, and the sometimes-taunting nature of the Brothers. He had become relatively friendly with most of them, despite the fact that they were all competition, and he could never stand up and say who deserved it more.
They were blindfolded by smirking Brothers, marched into the next room and up onto a platform of sorts, stripped of their shoes and made to stand on the edge before being abandoned. They stood shoulder to shoulder, and Roxas had no idea if he still stood next to Ale or not. It didn’t matter, and his heart rate was increasing in response to the sensory deprivation. He curled his toes against the floor, biting his lower lip out of habit.
The room was silent for a few moments save the heavy breathing of some of the rushees. It was unnerving. Suddenly, the sound of glass being thrown against the floor made everyone jump. It sounded as if the Brothers were smashing it right in front of them, and a few loud snickers could be heard every now and then, but no one spoke.
“Welcome to the last night of Rush Week,” Xemnas announced dryly, his voice monotone and serious. “Congratulations on making it this far, you have all proven yourselves to us. Still, there can be only three admitted into our fraternity this year, and we have one last test to help us make the final cut.” More breaking of glass could be heard.
“Meyd!” a Brother yelled out. Roxas silently thanked whatever god there was that he didn’t have to go first. “Do you think the Brothers here actually enjoy your company? Answer me!”
“Y-yes.”
“That’s yes SIR!”
“Yes sir!” Meyd yelled out, his voice stronger this time.
“Do you actually believe they will accept you?” the Brother continued, his voice cold. “Would you give everything you have to be accepted, lapdog? Answer me!”
“Yes sir!”
“Then prove it! Jump down onto the glass below, show us your dedication!”
A few gasps could be heard from the freshmen standing by Roxas, and he swallowed his own urge to utter his protests. Jump down onto glass? Were they serious!? The room fell quiet, the air thick with anticipation. For a few moments longer it was nothing but uncomfortable shifts, maybe a few muffled snickers from the brothers. This was cruel, it was inhuman…
Meyd uttered a small grunt of effort as he jumped from the ledge. A sickening sort of crunch was heard, followed by strangled screams that Meyd was obviously trying hard to bite back, but was failing. That was all anyone heard for a few moments and Roxas froze, true fear paralyzing him where he stood. Meyd’s screams had turned to quiet sobs before the next rushee was called out.
It continued like that, each boy being called out by a different Brother, riled up and prompted to jump. Jump, crunch, scream. It wasn’t until Roxas heard the person to his right being called out that he began to feel nauseous, knowing he was next. He heard the crunch of the glass, now sickeningly close to him as the rushee cried out in pain.
“Roxas! Do you want to pledge Chi Iota Iota?” a deep voice called out, terrifying.
“Yes sir!” Roxas yelled loudly, doing his best to be brave. This was going to hurt, but it wouldn’t be that bad, he tried to reason with himself. It wouldn’t be awful, Tidus had never come home limping or anything, it must not be that bad. He couldn’t even hear Meyd anymore, maybe it stopped hurting after a bit? Shit, this was going to hurt.
“Do you think the Brothers truly like you, freshman? Answer!”
“Yes sir!”
“Do you think this will be easy, Roxas? Do you?”
“No sir!”
“Do you think we are just going to let you in because your brother was president last year? Is that it, little shit brother of Studix? Answer me!”
“NO SIR!” Roxas screamed in response. His blood boiled, angered by the Brother’s words. They were trying to agitate him, to push him down and make him mad and it was working.
“Then JUMP!” the Brother snarled.
Without pausing, Roxas took a sharp breath and leapt from the ledge.
His feet crunched against the floor, and he let out a startled noise as he did his best to keep his balance. But glass was not poking at his feet, and it was not painful at all. Before he could even think, the Brother who had been screaming at him was throwing his voice, sounding as if he was in pain. He grabbed Roxas by the shoulders and whispered a harsh “yell, now!” into his ear. He did as he was told, too shocked and relieved to do otherwise. He called out as if in intense pain, relief washing over him fully. “Good job” was whispered into his ear before he was released, and he continued to sob slightly. He was smiling now, he couldn’t help himself. Chips crunched under his bare feet.
Ale was called out next (so they were standing next to each other that entire time), but Roxas was too preoccupied with his faked groans of pain to really pay much attention. When Ale crunched down next to him and he heard the redhead being prompted to yell, he smiled even wider. Once the Brothers had moved on to the next freshman, Roxas blindly reached out for his friend’s hand and found it, squeezing it out of relief, joy, or both. The taller boy squeezed back and they continued to moan pitifully for a short while longer.
“I don’t like him.”
“You don’t like anybody.”
“I liked everyone last year.”
“They graduated, Saix. We have to choose new Brothers, it happens every year. Get used to it.”
“I know that, Zex. But I just don’t like that one, the other ones are fine-“
“Everyone likes him but you.”
“Would you two shut up? You aren’t freshmen anymore and we need to make the final decision before next year,” Marluxia said, sipping his tea noisily.
“The fag’s right. C’mon Saix, we all have to unanimously agree on each new pledge. What the hell is your problem with the kid anyway?” Xigbar said rudely, scratching his empty socket.
“I hate it when you do that…” Xaldin said, scooting his chair away. Lexaeus snorted in amusement.
“I can’t put my finger on it, something about him just… I don’t know. He doesn’t seem trustworthy,” Saix tried to explain, crossing his arms in front of chest. He was met with eight blank stares, and he sighed. “Nevermind, it’s probably nothing. I vote yes.”
“Thank god,” Luxord exclaimed.
“Now that that’s taken care of,” Vexen said, pulling a picture back from off the table and replacing it with two more. “These two are the ones we still couldn’t decide over for the last spot.”
“I told you I really want this one,” Xemnas said, pointing to one of the photos. “I can’t believe you guys don’t all agree. Don’t I get presidential power or something?”
“…He’s not going to replace Studix, man,” Xigbar said, uncharacteristically gentle.
“Shut up, don’t think I don’t know that.”
The room went silent.
“Roxas, get the door,” Riku mumbled into his pillow.
“It’s for you,” Roxas said to his roommate, pulling the blankets up over his head and turning against the wall.
“Roxas!” Ale’s muffled voice called out from behind the door, continuing to bang his fists against the cheap metal.
The blonde groaned and ripped himself from his warm bed, shuffling over to the door to the sounds of Riku’s chuckles. He threw the door open, sporting the grumpiest face he could manage.
“Ale. How did I know?”
“I’m in.”
“What?”
“Roxas, I was invited to pledge.”
“WHAT!?”
“Check your floor, mine was slipped under my door…”
Roxas practically jumped backwards, flipping on the lights and searching the floor frantically.
“Hey!” Riku called out, sitting up in bed and looking very angry indeed.
Ale and Roxas were looking around, and the blonde was growing more worried by the millisecond. Where was it? No, if it wasn’t here, did that mean he wasn’t in? Shit shit shit…
“Here!” Ale called out, handing a piece of folded paper to Roxas. It had the fraternity’s Greek letters on it. Roxas greedily opened it up, all ideas of sleep long forgotten. “Well?”
“I…” Roxas began, eyes scanning the page. His shoulders slumped slightly and he looked up to Ale, pained.
“No.. fuck, Roxas. No, you- you didn’t?”
“I… I got in.”
“You-! God, you tricked me you little fucker!” Ale yelled, pulling Roxas into a headlock by the front of his nightshirt.
“Still trying to sleep here…” Riku called pathetically from his bed.
“We did it, we did it!” Roxas chanted with his friend, jumping up and down in a fit of glee. They were practically dancing together, so happy it would have been contagious were anyone else awake at 5 in the morning.
----------------------------
Congratulations Roxas Igaro-
You’ve been accepted to pledge the fraternity Chi Iota Iota. You have demonstrated the qualities we desire in a future Brother, and would like to invite you to move into the fraternity’s house. But remember, you are not yet a Brother. If your scrawny ass is not on the front steps of our house with all your shit by 11 am tomorrow, you can kiss the Brotherhood goodbye.
Sincerely,
The Brothers of Chi Iota Iota
----------------------------
:D
Next Chapter
The previous two chapters can be found HERE
Title: Brotherhood: Chi Iota Iota (chapter 3)
Spoilers: for the Org, sort of.
Rating: R for now
Warnings: Language, alcohol and drug use, sex, violence, and slash.
Comments: Basically, the Roman numerals X and I also have Greek names as well as English names. Greek-wise, X is the symbol ‘chi’, and I is the symbol ‘iota’. Since I am translating this from Org. XIII, I found it appropriate to name the fraternity ‘Chi Iota Iota’, leaving it at XII for the obvious absence of Larxene (I was going to gender-switch her, but decided against it). Everything else will be explained in the story. (There is also a fanfic.net link if you are so inclined)
You will like this story if you like college AU, long stories, characters who remain IC, thought-out plot, and some good old fashioned fun with the Organization members.
You will not like this story if you despise AU fics, don't want to read about some of the nastier things that can happen inside a frat, and have a bad sense of humor >:D
“Yeah. Yeah, I miss you too.”
Ale’s voice was muffled as he spoke to whoever it was on the phone, pacing the small floor space of his dorm room as he rubbed sleep from his eyes. He was still shirtless, and had a pair of sweatpants draped loosely on his hips. The roommate was gone, and there was no telling what time it was. Light poured through the window, beautiful and warm and Roxas wanted it as far away from him as possible.
“Mhm. Mhm. Yeah. Yes. Yes, mom. Okay. Love you too. Bye.”
Roxas wanted to snicker. He also wanted to disappear into the moth-eaten blanket that was glorious and warm, if not slightly itchy. He wanted to piss, but he didn’t want to move. He wanted Ale to look away so he could make his escape and throw up again. He wanted to get something for this headache… What he did do was crack one watery eye open against the harsh rays of the sun, only to stare at Ale’s form bustling about the room.
“Nnnguuuuuuurgle,” said Roxas, effectively accomplishing nothing.
Ale turned to look at him, kohl smudged into dark circles under his eyes. He smiled, looking well and happy and as if no liquor had passed through his system the night before. Gods he was thin. And pale. And approaching Roxas with a smirk that read ‘you owe me’.
“Good morning, princess. Feeling okay?”
“Uhhhnnnnn…”
“That bad, huh? Man you’re a lightweight.” Roxas glared at him, but Ale still kept his smirk intact.
“Sucks. Real bad,” Roxas managed, his first words since passing out. Sure they only had one syllable apiece, but it was something. He knew he must have looked pathetic at the moment, clutching to the blanket and balled up on Ale’s lumpy futon like a hung-over fetus.
“Hm. Well you should get up because the football game is in an hour,” Ale said, walking away to find a shirt. He knew he should probably take a shower, but logic proved he was only going to get dirty at the game, therefore a shower could be saved until afterwards.
“…I don’t think I’m going.”
“What!? You know you hafta go to all the events if you want any chance of pledging-““It’s too late, I’m out already,” Roxas moaned, pulling the blanket over his head in a pitiful manner. “Xemnas saw me puke last night, it’s over.”
Ale pulled a navy shirt over his head, smoothing estranged hairs back into a tight ponytail while letting out a low throaty chuckle. “I know. He was talking about it downstairs, and trust me, you’re not finished. If anything, you’ve gained favor.”
“What do you mean?”
“Said something about being shocked you took another drink or something. Then he told everyone about your brother, he seemed kinda excited.”
Roxas didn’t say anything. He sighed into the blanket and closed his eyes, trying to process this information away from his headache. Before he could, Ale ripped the blankets off his half-naked body and tossed them aside. Roxas sputtered but couldn’t form a response outside of wrapping his arms around his bare chest.
“So get up. You’re getting into that frat.”
“A-ale, I…” Roxas looked up, but he was at a loss for words. Ale had this look on his face, a determination within him that was nearly frightening. His jaw was set in such a way that Roxas felt he would be chewed out if he tried to protest further. Yes, he still wanted to get into the frat, and he supposed he should’ve been thankful for the push Ale was trying to give him. Maybe he had misjudged the man before him, brushed him off as a lazy punk while in reality, he had more motivation than Roxas had himself. “Okay,” he said finally, managing a smirk. “We’ll get in together.”
“You mean that?”
“Yes.” Roxas sat up, grinning and offering his hand.
Ale laughed, taking the smaller hand in his own and shaking it as enthusiastically as he had when they first met. “Alright. It’s a deal, then!”
The football game was an event planned by Brother Lexaeus, who also held a spot on UDI’s varsity team. The game was fun, really. Despite mild feelings of nausea, Roxas was able to use his speed to his team’s advantage on a play or two. And, as Ale pointed out, the number of rushees had decreased sharply from the day before. It took them until the poker tournament that night (hosted by Luxord) to figure out it must have been Marluxia’s diarrhea fruit punch.
The next day, a tour of ‘Sorority Row’, a line of sorority houses on the west side of campus, was conducted by Marluxia. A friend of his, Larxene, was a member of the sorority Gamma Iota Iota (which was the unofficial sister sorority of Chi Double-I) had accompanied them as well. Whatever detail Marluxia left out of his description of each sorority, Larxene filled in with her scathing reviews. Like every frat, every sorority was known for something. There were the easy girls, the ugly ones, the smart ones and the party animals… the list went on.
That evening was a group expedition to the school’s student performance night, where Brother Zexion assured them they would find good music. He was right, and both Brother and rushee alike enjoyed themselves with the wide variety of genres and talent. Ale even danced with the crowd to his favorites, along with the same spikey-haired blonde Zexion had previously taken a liking to.
“Meyd,” the boy introduced himself to Roxas after being prompted by Ale, sweaty from dancing but smiling all the same. The next song came on and the two were gone again, mixed with the crowd and that was that.
There had been a combat team back at Roxas’ high school, but it was nothing compared to the extensive artillery provided for the award-winning and nationally recognized team UDI boasted. Brother Xaldin had taken the rushees to view the training areas the following morning, and Roxas was more than glad to get his hands on a long katana, giving it a few swings with Xaldin’s permission. He was captain after all, and could pull a few strings so that those rushees who were interested could poke around the area as they pleased.
That particular day of Rush Week may have been Roxas’ favorite for not only had he ‘bonded’ with Xaldin over talk of combat team try-outs, but that night Vexen had set up a few telescopes on the terrace of the astronomy and physics building. They also ate a typical college dinner of some greasy fast food while enjoying the cool night’s air. Vexen had approached Roxas while he was gazing through a telescope, Ale by his side and smoking a fag.
“Roxas, a moment?” Vexen had said, managing a pleasant smile.
“Oh, sure. What’s up?” Roxas straightened and smiled back, hand still resting partly on the telescope.
“I hadn’t had a chance to really speak to you before about this… but Xemnas mentioned that you’re Studix’s brother. Is that true?”
“Er, yeah. Tidus- I mean, Studix- used to be a Brother.”
“I see,” Vexen raised a brow, smirking slightly. “I’m surprised you didn’t mention it before. Studix was a great president, it was hard to watch him graduate last year.” Vexen said pleasantly. Ale choked on the inhale, coughing so hard that Roxas felt it necessary to pause and pat him roughly on the back.“I mean,” the blond said between Ale’s chokes, “I didn’t really want anyone to know. It’s hard enough being in his wake at home, ya know? Jeez Ale, these things are gonna kill you…”
“I see,” the Brother repeated, bowing his head slightly as if deep in thought. The expression on his face concerned Roxas slightly, but it was soon replaced with a stretched smile. “I’ll leave you to it, then. Take care.”
“Bye…” Roxas said pathetically, Ale still clutching onto his shoulder for support.
“Your brother was,” cough “the president of the frat!?” Ale managed.
“Yeah.”
“Why didn’t you-“
“Let’s not talk about it, okay?” Roxas asked, looking to his friend with pleading eyes. Despite his inquisitive nature, Ale mercifully let the subject drop. For now.
The following afternoon, Brother Saix had the rushees engaged in a widespread game of manhunt that included over half of UDI’s massive campus. It was the second to last day of Rush Week, and the total number of men who still stood had dwindled down to a pathetic 11. Saix explained that if a Brother found them, they were ‘out’ and had to help find the other rushees. Basically, it was every man for himself, and the moment the game began, the prey ran off as fast as they could. When the big clock in the middle of campus rang six pm, it was over.
After running around like maniacs for hours on end, all eleven met back up in front of the steps of the frat house, as instructed to do should they not be found. Once they had all realized none of them had been found or even pursued, they knew they had been tricked. Moments before they could think of what to do next, an onslaught of water balloons were brought on from all angles. They were filled with soda, and the boys had nowhere to run.
“As you know, tomorrow is the final day of Rush Week,” Xemnas announced to the now sticky and cranky potential Brothers. “While I hope the past few days have excited you about Chi, I feel compelled to warn you that things will not be anything like this should you actually be accepted as a pledge. For some time, your lives will be close to miserable, actually. Code forbids me to divulge, but I would hope you understand the gist. You have approximately 24 hours to reflect over this before the final event tomorrow, do think it over carefully.”
Not a single person who was rushing backed out of the final event. Roxas looked at them all as they stood lined up against the wall, like prisoners before a firing squad. He was impressed with all of them for putting up with the games, each other, and the sometimes-taunting nature of the Brothers. He had become relatively friendly with most of them, despite the fact that they were all competition, and he could never stand up and say who deserved it more.
They were blindfolded by smirking Brothers, marched into the next room and up onto a platform of sorts, stripped of their shoes and made to stand on the edge before being abandoned. They stood shoulder to shoulder, and Roxas had no idea if he still stood next to Ale or not. It didn’t matter, and his heart rate was increasing in response to the sensory deprivation. He curled his toes against the floor, biting his lower lip out of habit.
The room was silent for a few moments save the heavy breathing of some of the rushees. It was unnerving. Suddenly, the sound of glass being thrown against the floor made everyone jump. It sounded as if the Brothers were smashing it right in front of them, and a few loud snickers could be heard every now and then, but no one spoke.
“Welcome to the last night of Rush Week,” Xemnas announced dryly, his voice monotone and serious. “Congratulations on making it this far, you have all proven yourselves to us. Still, there can be only three admitted into our fraternity this year, and we have one last test to help us make the final cut.” More breaking of glass could be heard.
“Meyd!” a Brother yelled out. Roxas silently thanked whatever god there was that he didn’t have to go first. “Do you think the Brothers here actually enjoy your company? Answer me!”
“Y-yes.”
“That’s yes SIR!”
“Yes sir!” Meyd yelled out, his voice stronger this time.
“Do you actually believe they will accept you?” the Brother continued, his voice cold. “Would you give everything you have to be accepted, lapdog? Answer me!”
“Yes sir!”
“Then prove it! Jump down onto the glass below, show us your dedication!”
A few gasps could be heard from the freshmen standing by Roxas, and he swallowed his own urge to utter his protests. Jump down onto glass? Were they serious!? The room fell quiet, the air thick with anticipation. For a few moments longer it was nothing but uncomfortable shifts, maybe a few muffled snickers from the brothers. This was cruel, it was inhuman…
Meyd uttered a small grunt of effort as he jumped from the ledge. A sickening sort of crunch was heard, followed by strangled screams that Meyd was obviously trying hard to bite back, but was failing. That was all anyone heard for a few moments and Roxas froze, true fear paralyzing him where he stood. Meyd’s screams had turned to quiet sobs before the next rushee was called out.
It continued like that, each boy being called out by a different Brother, riled up and prompted to jump. Jump, crunch, scream. It wasn’t until Roxas heard the person to his right being called out that he began to feel nauseous, knowing he was next. He heard the crunch of the glass, now sickeningly close to him as the rushee cried out in pain.
“Roxas! Do you want to pledge Chi Iota Iota?” a deep voice called out, terrifying.
“Yes sir!” Roxas yelled loudly, doing his best to be brave. This was going to hurt, but it wouldn’t be that bad, he tried to reason with himself. It wouldn’t be awful, Tidus had never come home limping or anything, it must not be that bad. He couldn’t even hear Meyd anymore, maybe it stopped hurting after a bit? Shit, this was going to hurt.
“Do you think the Brothers truly like you, freshman? Answer!”
“Yes sir!”
“Do you think this will be easy, Roxas? Do you?”
“No sir!”
“Do you think we are just going to let you in because your brother was president last year? Is that it, little shit brother of Studix? Answer me!”
“NO SIR!” Roxas screamed in response. His blood boiled, angered by the Brother’s words. They were trying to agitate him, to push him down and make him mad and it was working.
“Then JUMP!” the Brother snarled.
Without pausing, Roxas took a sharp breath and leapt from the ledge.
His feet crunched against the floor, and he let out a startled noise as he did his best to keep his balance. But glass was not poking at his feet, and it was not painful at all. Before he could even think, the Brother who had been screaming at him was throwing his voice, sounding as if he was in pain. He grabbed Roxas by the shoulders and whispered a harsh “yell, now!” into his ear. He did as he was told, too shocked and relieved to do otherwise. He called out as if in intense pain, relief washing over him fully. “Good job” was whispered into his ear before he was released, and he continued to sob slightly. He was smiling now, he couldn’t help himself. Chips crunched under his bare feet.
Ale was called out next (so they were standing next to each other that entire time), but Roxas was too preoccupied with his faked groans of pain to really pay much attention. When Ale crunched down next to him and he heard the redhead being prompted to yell, he smiled even wider. Once the Brothers had moved on to the next freshman, Roxas blindly reached out for his friend’s hand and found it, squeezing it out of relief, joy, or both. The taller boy squeezed back and they continued to moan pitifully for a short while longer.
“I don’t like him.”
“You don’t like anybody.”
“I liked everyone last year.”
“They graduated, Saix. We have to choose new Brothers, it happens every year. Get used to it.”
“I know that, Zex. But I just don’t like that one, the other ones are fine-“
“Everyone likes him but you.”
“Would you two shut up? You aren’t freshmen anymore and we need to make the final decision before next year,” Marluxia said, sipping his tea noisily.
“The fag’s right. C’mon Saix, we all have to unanimously agree on each new pledge. What the hell is your problem with the kid anyway?” Xigbar said rudely, scratching his empty socket.
“I hate it when you do that…” Xaldin said, scooting his chair away. Lexaeus snorted in amusement.
“I can’t put my finger on it, something about him just… I don’t know. He doesn’t seem trustworthy,” Saix tried to explain, crossing his arms in front of chest. He was met with eight blank stares, and he sighed. “Nevermind, it’s probably nothing. I vote yes.”
“Thank god,” Luxord exclaimed.
“Now that that’s taken care of,” Vexen said, pulling a picture back from off the table and replacing it with two more. “These two are the ones we still couldn’t decide over for the last spot.”
“I told you I really want this one,” Xemnas said, pointing to one of the photos. “I can’t believe you guys don’t all agree. Don’t I get presidential power or something?”
“…He’s not going to replace Studix, man,” Xigbar said, uncharacteristically gentle.
“Shut up, don’t think I don’t know that.”
The room went silent.
“Roxas, get the door,” Riku mumbled into his pillow.
“It’s for you,” Roxas said to his roommate, pulling the blankets up over his head and turning against the wall.
“Roxas!” Ale’s muffled voice called out from behind the door, continuing to bang his fists against the cheap metal.
The blonde groaned and ripped himself from his warm bed, shuffling over to the door to the sounds of Riku’s chuckles. He threw the door open, sporting the grumpiest face he could manage.
“Ale. How did I know?”
“I’m in.”
“What?”
“Roxas, I was invited to pledge.”
“WHAT!?”
“Check your floor, mine was slipped under my door…”
Roxas practically jumped backwards, flipping on the lights and searching the floor frantically.
“Hey!” Riku called out, sitting up in bed and looking very angry indeed.
Ale and Roxas were looking around, and the blonde was growing more worried by the millisecond. Where was it? No, if it wasn’t here, did that mean he wasn’t in? Shit shit shit…
“Here!” Ale called out, handing a piece of folded paper to Roxas. It had the fraternity’s Greek letters on it. Roxas greedily opened it up, all ideas of sleep long forgotten. “Well?”
“I…” Roxas began, eyes scanning the page. His shoulders slumped slightly and he looked up to Ale, pained.
“No.. fuck, Roxas. No, you- you didn’t?”
“I… I got in.”
“You-! God, you tricked me you little fucker!” Ale yelled, pulling Roxas into a headlock by the front of his nightshirt.
“Still trying to sleep here…” Riku called pathetically from his bed.
“We did it, we did it!” Roxas chanted with his friend, jumping up and down in a fit of glee. They were practically dancing together, so happy it would have been contagious were anyone else awake at 5 in the morning.
----------------------------
Congratulations Roxas Igaro-
You’ve been accepted to pledge the fraternity Chi Iota Iota. You have demonstrated the qualities we desire in a future Brother, and would like to invite you to move into the fraternity’s house. But remember, you are not yet a Brother. If your scrawny ass is not on the front steps of our house with all your shit by 11 am tomorrow, you can kiss the Brotherhood goodbye.
Sincerely,
The Brothers of Chi Iota Iota
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:D
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