Stuck in Second Gear

Chapter 8

The One With the World's Worst Date

Their dinner reservations weren't until 20:00. It was barely past noon. Seifer hadn't really thought this out when he invited her for the whole weekend. How the hell was he supposed to entertain her? Was he supposed to entertain her?

Sex could kill some time, and he certainly wouldn't say no to that, but propositioning her after she'd made him breakfast and before he had even taken her to dinner felt like the wrong move. Even if all he could think about since breakfast was tearing off her panties and having her ride him on the couch. While she kept wearing his t-shirt and her glasses on.

Seifer shifted uncomfortably on his stool in an effort to readjust himself due to the consequences of his imagination. Clearing his throat, he grabbed their dirty dishes and headed to the kitchen sink to wash them. Any distraction would help right now.

"So… what would you normally be doing if I wasn't here?" Quistis finally asked, taking a clean plate from him and drying it with a towel. She let her fingers linger on his in the exchange, and Seifer smiled slightly to himself. The gesture wasn't lost on him.

"Well, I'd either run or go to the gym. Then, I would study for a few hours until nineteen-hundred or so. Maybe have a beer with Zell and watch a game, or maybe hang with Rai and Fu."

Quistis giggled—an honest-to-Hyne giggle—and Seifer was quite certain it was the cutest thing he had ever seen or heard in his life. A chicobo wearing a bowtie could waltz by him and Quistis would still be cuter.

"Well, let's do that. I mean, minus Zell and Fujin or Raijin. No offense." Quistis tried to contain her laughter.

Who knew that doing what he normally did would be enticing to her? Well, that was the entertainment problem solved then.

"Sounds good. But, what's so funny?" Seifer chuckled, the laughter contagious.

"I just never pictured you doing something so domestic. That's all."

"Domestic?" Seifer grinned, flicking a few soap bubbles in Quistis' direction, before grabbing her by the waist and tugging her to rest in between his legs as he leaned against the counter. "Trust me, babe. I'm far from domesticated."

The term of endearment slipped out without conscious thought, it came so easily. Hell, he never used shit like that, he never even used women's names in bed, usually just strings of grunts and expletives.

Trying not to dwell on the fact that a possibly real relationship was rapidly growing right before him, Seifer instead emphasized his point by grinding against her. His imagination had produced a not-so-unwanted side effect, and it was becoming increasingly difficult to ignore the pressure in his pants. He hooked a finger on the side of her panties and tugged slightly. Waiting. He wasn't going to push her into anything.

"Good." Quistis whispered, the air thick between them, before pressing her lips to his. Her fingers curled around his own and tugged downwards, panties dropping to the floor.

Sweet Hyne.

How in the world did Seifer get so lucky to have wanton sex-goddess Quistis Trepe in his arms? Who knew? He must have done good in a past life. That had to be it.

Lifting her effortlessly, he tugged her legs around his waist and carried her to the couch, plopping down so she could settle on his lap, and feel his attraction to her as he pushed against her core. She moaned deliciously at the feeling and Seifer imploded in hungry anticipation.

Quistis moved to take off her glasses, but he grabbed her hand.

"Keep 'em on," he growled, his voice husky and betraying a need he wasn't willing to admit.

She lifted her hips enough so that together they could shimmy his sweatpants and boxers down his hips and when she sat back down, she settled onto him with one thrust.

Quistis fit him like a glove. She was fucking perfect.

Seifer groaned, rising up to meet her hips, snaking his hands under her t-shirt so he could grab her by the waist. He wanted her to sit still—if only for a short moment. Savoring her. "Sweet Shiva…you feel incredible."

She ground her hips against him, head dipping back as she let out a breathy sigh. Seifer's hands roamed her skin until they settled on her bottom, cupping her cheeks and pulling her to a leisurely, pleasurable rhythm.

Hyne, she was sexy. The way she bit her lip, the soft whimpers tumbling around them. Seifer wanted to hear his name fall from those gorgeous lips.

His wish was granted before he even had to ask.

Quistis' head fell forward, her hair tickling his skin and she let out a guttural moan. "Oh…gods, Seifer!"

Her nails were digging into his shoulders in the most exquisitely painful way, fueling his desire. Seifer was sure he was fulfilling the fantasy of many a man, and was counting his lucky stars that it was his name was spilling from her mouth, begging him for release.

Holy fuck.

He was sure he would never tire of her. Of whatever this was.

"Come for me, Quistis." He pressed his lips to the shell of her ear and then licked the skin of her neck underneath.

She complied, her fingers digging even more agonizingly into his shoulders, spasming around him in a glorious, erotic, tumbling mess.

It was enough to send him over the edge as well, even though he was planning on prolonging this incredible moment.

"Fuck, Quis…I'm—" He grunted into her neck, his own hands gripping her hips hard enough to leave marks.

Seifer's last coherent thought before he completely lost himself in her was that he was a goner.

They didn't move afterwards, basking in the afterglow, the air musky around them. The weight of Quistis on his lap was comfortable, and Seifer was curling his fingers in her hair, fully jostled out of her bun, his other hand splayed against the small of her back. He marveled at how another person could somehow smell so damn intoxicating.

He was softening and he knew they would have to move soon, lest a giant mess seeped out on his leather couch. She sensed it as well and shifted slightly, pressing a kiss to his temple.

"So…I'll get ready for the gym?"

Seifer chuckled. "Damn, can't wait to see me flex my muscles, hm?"

Quistis rolled her eyes as she carefully disengaged from him and all but ran to the bedroom to avoid some consequences of their actions. She was about to reply when a knock at Seifer's front door interrupted her. Their eyes met and she ducked into his bedroom to clean off and change.

Seifer stood from the couch with a satisfied groan, tucking himself away and tugging up his boxers and sweatpants.

His hair a tousled mess, nail marks on his shoulders, the air heady with the scent of sex, it was painfully obvious to whoever was at the other side of the door what he had just been doing. Never mind the panties that were still sitting on the floor of his kitchen.

He opened it on the third knock.

After Quistis cleaned up in the bathroom, grimacing that sex was a lot messier without a condom, she heard voices at the door. The female voice was enough to distract her from the fact that she had once again slept with Seifer without protection. She never did that. Ever. But, somehow she trusted notorious man-whore Seifer Almasy. And was it ever worth it.

Hyne help her.

Quickly tugging on a pair of shorts and a sports bra, she leaned against the wall by the bedroom door, opening it slightly so that she could hear the conversation.

A honey-like voice, sultry and flirtatious, was speaking. "Hey, Seif."

The pet-name felt like a punch to the gut. Whoever this woman was, she was clearly close to Seifer, and Quistis guessed it was more than just 'friendly.'

Opening the door a little more, she used the mirror in Seifer's bedroom to attempt to see what was going on near the front door of the apartment.

"Hey Ginger."

Of course the woman was beautiful. Curves Quistis could only ever dream of having, yet accompanied by a trim waist. Gorgeous wavy red hair tumbling down nearly to a round perky bottom. The visitor had that effortlessly sexy thing going, oozing sensuality. Large lips, stained with lipstick. She was wearing tight pants and a tight v-neck t-shirt, the top of it dipping dangerously low, advertising extremely ample cleavage.

This likely wasn't an innocent visit.

Ginger put a finger to her lips in a seductive manner before looking around the apartment. Seifer was still in only his sweatpants, and Quistis noticed Ginger's eyes grazing over his chest hungrily.

A possessive feeling flared up within her.

"You have company?" Ginger's face went from seductive to understanding, and then almost friendly within a matter of moments.

Quistis' panties were sitting on the kitchen floor, along with her shoes by the door. Seifer reeked of sex. It was pretty damn obvious.

Seifer rubbed the back of his neck, a nervous tell. "Yeah. So…"

Ginger's eyes widened. "You actually let someone sleep here? It's gotta be the girl? Her? The one you…"

What the hell does that mean? Quistis thought. Has Seifer—

She didn't end her train of thought, but the jealousy and possessiveness were rapidly leaving her body, replaced by a feeling of conflicting warmth. Seifer had talked about her? Wanted her for longer than he let on?

"Yeah, Ginger, this really isn't a good time—"

"I just need your case notes from torts, Seif. Study group needs 'em."

"Sure." Seifer trudged over to his desk and fussed around until he found a stack of papers covered in his surprisingly neat handwriting, and handed them to the girl at the door.

"Thanks! And, sorry to interrupt. Good luck with that." Ginger winked and bounced down the hall, Seifer all but slamming the door after her.

He sighed and leaned against the closed door, reaching up to rub fingers across his scar. He looked irritated, and… nervous? Quistis thought, with some surprise.

"I know you heard all that," he finally said, and as he opened his eyes, he locked his gaze with hers through the mirror in the bedroom. "It's…we used to, but…that's over."

Quistis stepped out from the bedroom and shook her head. "You don't owe me anything. You don't have to explain yourself."

Even as the words came out, they didn't taste right to her. She did want an explanation. But, was she owed one? They had hardly established what they were doing, other than just being interested in each other.

But, it was so much more complicated than that. It wasn't as if Seifer was a stranger she was starting something with. He was Seifer. She had known him since they were kids, they had history. A long history. A complicated one. A casual start to this was impossible.

And that was terrifying.

So, while she claimed she didn't need an explanation, she was thrilled with Seifer's immediate response.

"I want to explain," Seifer said quietly, before padding into the bedroom and grabbing training shorts from his dresser.

"Look—" He was pointedly facing away from her as he spoke. "I'm an asshole. We both know that. I've…done some things, and I'm not going to promise that we won't possibly run into people I've done them with. And, I may still act like an asshole sometimes, even to you…Hyne, this is awkward. But, it's just you now. Only you. For as long as you—"

"Okay." She interrupted softly, her heart swelling in her chest.

"Okay?"

Quistis nodded, trying to cover the smile on her face. That was about as close to a confession of liking her—as more than just sex—that she was going to get, and she wasn't going to ruin the moment.

After an hour and a half in the gym, where Quistis was able to keep up with him on the treadmill, then spotted him as he lifted, they made their way back[EF1] to his apartment and showered together. This led to Seifer dropping to the tile in front of her, and doing things to her with his mouth and hands that should and may be illegal, and could only be described as mind-blowing. Quistis was fairly sure the entire building heard her.

In a moment of lust and curiosity, she did something she had rarely done before, sunk to the shower floor in front of him, and returned the favor. Watching him through hooded eyes, Quistis had a smug realization. While she may be on her knees, she had him by the balls. And a small part of her brain told her that it was more than just physically.

Afterwards, they sat comfortably on his couch as he studied, muttering random obscenities to himself as he did so. His reading glasses on, shirt off. Naturally. Her head rested on his lap as she read a book, and eventually dozed off. When she awoke there was a glass of white wine sitting on the table in front of her, and Seifer was talking on the phone in his bedroom. He was already changed, in a dusty[EF2] pink button-down shirt, the first few buttons undone, grey blazer, and slacks.

Quistis' mouth went dry at the sight of him, but she quickly recovered and mumbled something about getting ready as she darted past him to the bathroom. The man cleaned up well. The clothing was well-tailored and emphasized his impressive build yet trim waist. Hell, he looked good in everything he wore. It bordered on being annoying.

When she had first packed, she had chosen a rather boring, conservative black cocktail dress she normally wore to official fund-raising Garden functions. At the last minute, Quistis changed her mind and threw in a dress she had purchased with Rinoa in Deling City the year prior. Strapless navy, with a sweetheart top, covered in a white pattern, that upon closer inspection was made up of tonberries. The bottom was tight, but not skin tight, ending mid-thigh. Completing it was a yellow ribbon tied at the waist. Flirty, playful, and whimsical. More something Selphie might wear. She paired it with navy strappy heels. Opting for her hair down, she added a pretty gold chain that wrapped a few times around her neck for sparkle. After applying some makeup, she felt good.

Seifer confirmed it when she exited the bedroom, unable to close his gaping mouth. Finally finding his voice, he offered an uncharacteristically sheepish hand to her. "You look, ah…wow."

Five minutes into the "official" part of the date, things went south.

Xu of all people, was the trigger. She turned the street corner, walking straight towards Seifer's apartment. Shit. Why would Xu be in Deling City? And heading towards Seifer's building? She didn't have a mission here, as far as Quistis knew. Did she know where Quistis was? In a moment of blind panic, the blonde practically tackled Seifer to the ground, toppling them over into a clump of bushes next to the sidewalk.

"What the fuck!"

Seifer was understandably annoyed with her move. The bushes were sharp, and mostly stems, effectively scratching and poking both of the couple in uncomfortable places as Seifer tried to right himself. He remained a gentleman and tried to protect Quistis from the brunt of the thrust, despite her actions having thrown them into this predicament. A large stick had torn a hole into the lining of Quistis dress and ripped the bottom seam. Nothing that was immediately visible, but the dress was likely ruined. Seifer had dirt covering the back of his blazer.

He jumped up and hauled Quistis to her feet and back on the sidewalk, a confused and irritated look on his face.

Quistis whipped her head around, but Xu was long gone. "I'm sorry…I'm sorry, I saw Xu, and…"

Seifer practically ripped off his blazer and dusted the back off. "I just had this fucking dry cleaned too…"

"I'll pay the dry cleaning—"

"It's not the damn dry-cleaning!" Seifer all but barked at her. "You just knocked me into some bushes because you thought you saw Xu!"

"I did see Xu! Walking toward your apartment building!" She really didn't mean to sound accusatory, but it was coming out that way.

Seifer tugged his jacket back on and started stomping down the street, no longer offering Quistis his hand.

She ran to catch up, meeting his stride, practically jogging to keep up with his fast pace and longer legs. It wasn't very fun to do so in heels.

"So sorry that the mighty Xu might have seen you with me," he spat out.

Oh. He was hurt. And rightfully so. If Quistis was honest, she had just panicked. She didn't want to stop and have some awkward conversation with Xu about what she was doing with Seifer in Deling City. And explain that they were on a first date, and she really was hoping it was going to go well. There was so much pressure. Almost too much. And it was getting the better of her.

Quistis reached out to grab Seifer's hand. He let her, but didn't return her grip. His hand was limp and slippery in hers.

"I…I just freaked out," she said. "I don't care if people know. I just, want to go on this date without having to talk to someone we know and explain—"

"It doesn't matter," he grumbled, interrupting her, but he did finally return the grasp on her hand as they walked in silence.

However, the mood had shifted completely.

Dinner was no better. The restaurant itself, Mesmerize, was lovely, intimate, with an exotic menu and an extensive wine list. It was also expensive. Seifer had done his research and was really trying to impress the woman across from him. He guessed that most of the other morons she dated had brought her to fancy-smancy places where the portions were minuscule and horribly overpriced. What the hell did he know about dates and dinners? He was a malboro in the middle of the Esthar shopping mall.

Sure, Seifer understood the finer things in life. He knew quality. He fancied himself a bit of an expert. His bathroom was pretty much a testament to that. But he hated over-paying, and hated pretense, and all of this date crap required all that. His eyebrow twitched as he glanced at the wine menu and noted that the bottles were priced at nearly three times what they should cost.

Idiots.

The meal began in uncomfortable silence, made even more uncomfortable[EF3] when Seifer realized he knew their waitress, like, knew her. And he couldn't for the life of him remember when, or where, or what her name was. Some random one-night-stand that he never bothered to call.

Hyne, sometimes being an asshole had consequences, dammit.

To her credit, the waitress, whose name began with an "A", Seifer thought, remained professional. She glared at Seifer for the entirety of the service, and he had enough sense to act sheepish. Thankfully, Quistis seemed so nervous about the entire date that she hadn't noticed the exchange, and the waitress was graceful enough to not make it completely obvious.

He could tell Quistis was irritated with something though. And, really, he was the one that should be annoyed after the whole Xu incident. Seifer had always been a bit of a mind-reader though, and suddenly something clicked.

Their roles were reversed. She'd always had her weird fetishizing Trepies, and was the top of the class, with the world at her feet, Cid touting her praises. Seifer was the reject. The fuck-up. The traitor.

Now he was making his way to the top. He was the one with a huge fan-club comprised of both sexes and everything in between. Sure, people still ogled Quistis physically, but she was still essentially an entry-level instructor at Garden. Nothing to her name in almost seven years. No longer the perfect prodigy. Cid Kramer was an idiot for not utilizing her better. Even though Seifer had claimed she was a terrible instructor in the past, he had done it just to rile her up, try to crack that perfect little exterior of hers.

He hadn't recognized her vulnerability when they were younger, but he did now.

Quistis didn't need to tell him all that, he already knew. He had kept up with what she had been doing, and Rinoa was an overflowing fountain of information that was oh-so-easy to pry out of her.

Meanwhile, Seifer had made himself even more desirable.

How the tides had turned.

He didn't care at all. She was just as desirable to him as she was all those years ago. Even more so. Garden were morons if they didn't see her potential. She was so incredibly wasted there. Seifer wished Quistis could see what was so obvious to him (and Rinoa, for that matter). So, he decided to go for the jugular, because he didn't know how to attack any other way.

"So…why are you still at Garden?"

The defensiveness in her tone was immediate. "What does that mean? Where else would I be?"

Seifer shrugged, not off-put in the slightest. Years of watching people had taught him that defensiveness usually meant a vulnerable spot, and he wanted to know more. "I don't know…literally anywhere? Chicken-wuss seems much happier here."

"Squall is still with Garden," Quistis retorted, and Seifer wondered if bringing up his formal rival was a jab.

"Don't be an idiot, Quistis. You know that's not the same."

Quistis visibly bristled, but attempted to compose herself by taking a sip of water.

"Commander Douche Canoe stays at Garden because it's the only way to keep Rinoa safe. The second he leaves, Cid Kramer will call for Rinoa to be encased in that deep-freeze in Esthar or worse."

Quistis jabbed her fork into her fish a little more violently than necessary. "That's absurd, Seifer. You're just stirring the pot for no reason. Garden is their home. Cid took us in as kids."

Seifer barked out a laugh and almost spat out his food. "Home? Took you in? Cid Kramer is a sociopath who groomed you from a young vulnerable age, when no one else wanted you, to turn you into a child soldier so he could make money. Oh, and strip your memories so you wouldn't know any better. Don't tell me you still believe all that Garden bullshit. Hyne, I thought you were supposed to be smart."

A frown crossed Quistis face. Not one of disappointment or frustration, but rather resolve. As if Seifer had spoken a deep truth that she knew but had never admitted out loud.

"And don't try and argue with Xu as your point. I'm pretty convinced she's half robot."

Quistis balked, closing her mouth tightly shut.

Seifer felt some guilt. He wasn't trying to make Quistis feel like crap on a date. But the whole thing so far had been an unmitigated disaster.

Then, with a flash of blonde and a facial tattoo, a newcomer walked into the restaurant.

"Holy mother of—he only goes to three places in the entire city…what the fuck is Chicken-wuss doing at a five-star restaurant? Mother fuck—" Seifer punctuated his complaints by ducking under the table and hiding underneath the tablecloth like a child playing hide-and-seek.

Quistis quickly joined him under the table, looking extremely non plussed and trying in vain to sit in a way that kept her hidden while also relatively modest, given she was in a strapless short dress and heels.

"Why is Zell here?" she whispered to him. "And…for all the crap you gave me when we saw Xu…"

Seifer waved a dismissive hand. "Yeah, yeah…this is different. Hold on a sec…"

He snuck a quick peek from under the table cloth, then surreptitiously reached a hand up to grab their drinks, handing Quistis her glass of wine.

"Holy shit." Seifer whispered upon re-entering their table-fort, a surprised look on his face.

Quistis took her wine and sipped gratefully, the look on her face betraying the fact that this evening could not possibly get any worse. "What?" She finally asked.

"He's picking up take-out and Rinoa's crazy cousin is outside!"

"No way…" Quistis, unable to help herself, crouched on the ground, scraping her knees slightly so that she could look out from the bottom of the table cloth.

Indeed, Chantelle was waiting outside, looking far less made up than at the wedding. Still dressed in thousands of gils-worth of clothing, but more casual, with her hair in a pony-tail, jeans and a t-shirt that probably cost three of Seifer's mortgage payments. A topic that thankfully, Quistis had not broached with Seifer again, as the means of his down-payment for his condo was not a story he was ready to share with her.

She sat back up from spying on Zell and Chantelle and tried to cover a smirk with her wine. The whole situation was ridiculous. She now had scrapes on both knees, and it was impossible for her to sit without giving Seifer a show of the underwear she had on.

"So, Zell is happier with some supposedly crazy socialite, boxing in Deling City, than at Garden, huh? You really think that?"

The question was crap and Seifer knew it. Everyone knew that Zell was far happier after leaving Garden, from no longer worrying his Ma, to doing what he loved the most: fighting and riding his T-board.

Seifer sighed, not liking how the evening was going in general, and especially, still feeling more than a little guilty from their prior discussion regarding Garden. One that clearly was still upsetting Quistis, given the fact that the shock of seeing Chicken-wuss wasn't enough to get her off-topic.

He opted for the honest approach.

"Look, I'm not innocent, my hands are—well, everyone knows what I've done. All I'm trying to say is that there is life outside of Garden. Look at Zell, despite whatever crazy predicament he is in now. He's really happy and successful, way more than at Garden. And now, at least he's getting laid and not with that boring-as-sin chick from the library. Hell, look at me. My second chance has been…I'm really lucky. I never really fucked around with the GFs as much, so, I remember almost everything. And, the memories on this side are a hell of a lot better."

Quistis' eyes shot up and she looked at him intensely. It bordered on unnerving.

"Everything?"

Seifer sighed, and broke her gaze. "Well. Other than…well, you know."

He gestured vaguely, hoping she understood that he was sharing something deeply personal with her. Something he never talked about. Well, other than with Rinoa, of course. He had almost no memories of the Second Sorceress War, while Rinoa had all of hers. That had been established when they were giving their testimonies while appealing for pardon.

He wasn't sure who had the worse end of the deal in that case.

"You…remember the orphanage? All of us?" Quistis' continued, her voice quiet.

"Hell yeah. Not even a memory-sucking parasitic GF could make me forget little Quisty."

For some reason, that made her smile, and the earlier tension was broken.

Thankfully, Zell and Chantelle left, and the time spent stuck under the table cloth was limited to about ten minutes.

They went on in companionable small talk, until their waitress appeared again and ruined any good sentiment, by glaring daggers Seifer's way and creating an awkward tension.

"We're all good, Alice," Seifer leaned back in his chair to try to avoid her. "Just the check."

"It's Abby!"

"Dammit, sorry." Seifer appeared slightly flustered for some reason.

The waitress huffed, shooting a strange look at Quistis, who felt incredibly uncomfortable, before tugging out their bill from her apron, writing on it, and handing it to Seifer.

Seifer opened the bill and sighed, before dumping a bunch of gil-notes on top, and leaving it there. "No way I'm giving her my credit card, she'll probably stalk me…" he mumbled.

He stood abruptly and tugged Quistis to her feet, all but ripping the wine glass out of her hand. "Can we please get out of here?"

"Um…"

"Thanks." He marched quickly out of the restaurant, gripping Quistis' hand like a vice, causing her to nearly jog to keep up. He didn't lessen the pace until they were a good one hundred meters away.

"Slow down, Seifer, please!"

He slowed, but didn't drop her hand, instead returning to walking at a more leisurely pace as they passed the decorative fountain of Leviathan the middle of the city. He paused and gazed at the fountain, an unreadable expression on his face.

"Sorry…that was just… I'm sorry."

An apology was certainly not what Quistis was expecting. The mess at the restaurant wasn't completely Seifer's fault.

She shrugged. "It's fine."

They stood, watching the fountain together in silence.

It was finally broken by Quistis. "Why do all the guys at 'Richard's' call you 'Squall'?"

Given his reaction, that was certainly not the question he was expecting, but it did cause him to grin.

"Well, not going to use my real name and get tracked down, am I? I'm a freaking god, babe, don't know if you've noticed. Do you know how many people you'd have to fight through to get to me if they knew where I lived and went to school?"

The man's ego was unreal. Quistis rolled her eyes. "Yeah, but…Squall?"

Seifer grinned so wide, his teeth were showing. "What other name should I use?"

Quistis couldn't help but laugh a little at that. "Well, it explains a lot of strange phone calls at Garden, that's for sure."

Seifer guffawed, actually having to hold his stomach as he bent over in laughter.

It was short lived.

"Watch out!"

A moped flew by them, dangerously close, and both Seifer and Quistis on instinct tried to pull the other to safety, which resulted in both of them tripping over the stone edge of the fountain and falling in.

Murky fountain water was certainly not ideal. Quistis felt sticky and gross, and if her dress wasn't ruined before, it was certainly ruined now. Seifer's clothes were no better, and he looked miserable. What an utter failure of an evening. From straight out of the gate.

She sighed, flipping wet hair from her eyes, mascara now dripping from her eyes onto her cheeks.

"What an entirely appropriate ending to this dinner. Talk about icing on a cake. I'm pretty sure this goes down as the worst date in the world."

Something flashed in Seifer's eyes. Hurt? Frustration? Disappointment? That was certainly what Quistis felt, even if it wasn't either of their faults, per se.

Seifer stood from the water, tugging off his jacket and wringing it out. "Probably. Still the best date I've ever been on," he mumbled, offering a hand down to Quistis to help her stand.

It helped that it was the only date he had been on, and Quistis knew that. She felt a little pathetic.

She accepted his offered hand and stood slowly, noting that Seifer wasn't meeting her gaze.

"Me too."

Sadly, it was true. Despite the circumstances, Seifer was the best company she had ever had. Time with him went by easily and was surprisingly enjoyable. The relentless tormenting he had given in his youth had transformed into a flirtatious teasing and honest commentary. She really liked him.

Sweet Hyne. She liked him. And after the horrible evening, she was pretty sure that this would be the last of it. He'd had his fill of her and that was that. Fantasy checked off, reality setting in, and real Quistis wasn't what he wanted. The reality of courtship wasn't worth it. Best date or not.

She felt a sharp tug, and Quistis found herself in his arms as they still stood in the fountain.

"Maybe we're just trying too hard," he mumbled into her ear, and she looked up in confusion.

"What do you mean?"

"Just… maybe we need to be more natural? More us? Whaddya say next time, you bring that sexy whip of yours and we go to the Monterosa Plateau and kill a bunch of monsters together?"

"Next time?" Quistis knew she sounded surprised.

Seifer shrugged. "Of course there's a damn next time. You think this was it? Nope. We're on for Date Two. Then after, I'll bring you back to my place, bend you over, and fuck you senseless. Fighting then fucking, now that sounds like a perfect date."

Hyne, he was so crude. It did sound appealing though. And amazingly, the mess of an evening, the mess that she was, hadn't been enough to turn him away. Because, she was a mess, in her life, not just on this date. She was actually being herself, and he wasn't turned off.

"Do you always have to be such a brute? You have the biggest foul mouth—"

Seifer stopped her with a kiss. "What? Fucking? What would you call it? Sex?"

She shook her head, instead leaning in to kiss him again, despite the fact that there were now some people pointing and ogling the rather disheveled couple standing in grimy fountain water and kissing.

To Quistis' surprise, Seifer scooped her into his arms and finally stepped out of the fountain, intent on carrying her the rest of the way back to his apartment.

She allowed him, resting her head on his damp shoulder as he began the trek back. His strong arms comforting around her.

"And what about tonight?" she asked, her voice low, sultry.

A baritone sigh rumbled deep in his chest, sending a shiver down her spine.

"Tonight? Tonight, we go back to my place, take a bath together in my incredible bathtub, and wash off the stink of the …what did you call it? 'World's worst date'? And then, I worship that gorgeous body of yours until neither of us can move anymore."

His arrogance had no bounds. And Quistis hated to admit that it worked.

She lifted an eyebrow. "No fucking?"

Seifer chuckled, before dropping his voice to nearly a whisper. "No fucking. We take it slow. Savor it. Especially since I don't know the next time I'll be able to see you again."

"Hmm…and what would you call that, exactly? If not fucking?"

Seifer shrugged, and hoisted Quistis up closer to his body. "I'd call it something else."

Something else indeed.

And he fulfilled his promise of a hot bath, filled with laughter about the disaster of the evening. The bath led to stolen kisses, hands dragging across skin, which led to stumbling into the bedroom. Limbs tangled, words of encouragement and affirmation, slow exploration of each other, taking their time, until they both collapsed into each other's arms, sleep overtaking them with smiles on their faces.

A/N: Thank you to my beta colobonema , and to Bebedora for your help. Sorry for the delay on this chapter, I was having a lot of trouble writing it for some reason. Also, I totally did not intend for more smut. But...smut happens XD