Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in Final Fantasy. Not a single one. They belong to Square Enix.

Stuck in Second Gear

Chapter 1

The One With the Dirty Girl in Seifer's Bathtub

Seven years. It had been seven damn years since she'd returned to being a full-time instructor. Yet, here she was, in the pouring rain, cold, damp, cranky, back aching from her crouched position, stuck staring through some binoculars at a Garden target, doing a job they normally gave to cadets. Because no one else was available. And Quistis Trepe didn't know how to say no to Garden. Or Xu.

Upon that realization, Quistis felt a twinge of bitterness. It had been seven years and she was still doing exactly what she would have done at eighteen. Good little Quistis. Always taking orders. Always walking the straight and narrow. Always having to mother-hen everyone. Never the fun one. Never the desirable one; well, to anyone other than the freakishly infatuated Trepies, who had disbanded a few years ago. Everyone else had moved on with their lives.

Zell had quit Garden to become a professional boxer. He was currently undefeated. Not only that, but he had won silver in the T-board event at the most recent Extreme Galbadia Games. It afforded him the ability to make sure his Ma was set up for life. Ma Dincht no longer had to worry that one day a SeeD was going to show up at her door and tell her that her precious little boy was gone. Zell still volunteered to teach a grappling class at Garden once a semester, and he would kindly stop by Quistis' office to catch up, but the gym he trained in was located in Deling City. So, this was where he lived now. Gloomy, rainy, Deling City.

Selphie had left Balamb to help rebuild a now-thriving Trabia Garden. She was its current Headmistress. Quistis was fairly certain that she and Irvine were an item again, but it was hard to keep track. Their "are they-aren't they" act got really, really old and was taking a toll on the whole group.

Then there were Squall and Rinoa. Frankly, Quistis cranky mood had started a few months ago when the couple announced their engagement. She wasn't jealous. Well, okay, she was jealous, but not because Rinoa "got" Squall. Quistis was jealous because she was alone. The engagement was an insulting reminder of the fact that she was alone, and everyone else was changing and growing, except for her.

She was always the odd woman out.

She had been made an instructor, when all of her peers were merely cadets. Quistis' precocious achievements had robbed her of the chance to be a normal teenager. Now, at the age of twenty-five, she was still behaving like a stunted, anemic adolescent.

And she was sick of it. Sick of Garden. Sick of SeeD. Sick of being alone. Zell had his boxing and his Ma, Selphie had Trabia, Irvine had chasing Selphie, Squall and Rinoa had each other. Heck, even Xu had a girlfriend. It wasn't like Quistis hadn't tried dating. She had. A lot. She'd had enough one-night-stands to demonstrate that. She just sucked at it. Add that to yet another thing she failed at. Conversation on dates came to a screeching halt with her. "Normal" people had nothing in common with her; she didn't know how to relate to them. The SeeDs she tried dating never called her for a second date. Apparently she was "intimidating". Quistis would have rolled her eyes if they weren't presently glued to the target in her sight from the binoculars.

The only guy she had slept with more than once was Nida. In what could only be described as an ill-fated, poorly-chosen, entirely-unsatisfying two-month disaster.

She was absolutely sick of all of it.

"You look like crap."

Xu's monotone voice cut her out of her thoughts.

Quistis removed the binoculars and handed them over to Xu. "Gee, thanks. You'll look the same after you've been for eight hours straight."

Xu shrugged. "Sorry. I know this wasn't how you planned on spending a Tuesday afternoon. Not my first choice either."

"Whatever." It slipped out before Quistis could stop it.

Xu adjusted the binocular settings carefully. "Well, you're officially relieved from duty. I'll cover until your replacement gets here. You seem cranky. There's a nice coffee shop half a kilometer from here, go get some coffee and a snack before catching the train back. Maybe you'll feel better."

"Maybe."

Quistis arched her back in an attempt to work out the ache that was settling from the base of her neck, down her spine, and radiating all the way to her hip. With a deep sigh, she curled her coat tighter around her body and trudged her way to the coffee shop.

A delivery van hurtled past her on the road, and as if in slow motion, muddy rain-water was splashed out from the road and onto Quistis' pants, her jacket, and even a few dots splattered across on her face. Talk about adding insult to injury.

Ugh. Just…ugh.

True to what Xu had said, a café was a short walk away. "Deling City Perk" had a neon sign bearing its name and a generic coffee cup logo. It looked inviting inside, from what she could see from the glass front. Maybe Xu was right. Maybe a cup of steaming coffee would help cheer her up a bit. Or a hot toddy, more like.

Deling City Perk turned out to be more of a bistro than just a coffee shop. Comfortable chairs and couches were nestled invitingly in front of a roaring fire. Bar tables with stools lined the walls. A display case was filled with various pastries and a chalk board mentioned the daily food specials, soup de jour, and the small list of alcoholic drinks that were served.

Not wanting to sully the furniture with her mud-soaked attire, Quistis chose to wait in the queue by the bar to order, instead of sitting and being waited on. It seemed like the service went either way in the place. A tall blonde man was in front of her, chatting up the barista. She could hear the barista's tell-tale giggle and high-pitched up-talk.

Great. Just great. They were flirting. She was going to be here for ages, and all she wanted was a stupid coffee.

The barista was extremely pretty. Young. Full pouty lips, bright nearly violet eyes, high cheek-bones, naturally tan skin, long wavy hair that was bleached out and then faded into a pink ombre. No wonder the guy was flirting with her. And here Quistis couldn't even carry a two-minute conversation with a man that didn't involve her delegating orders.

She was about to give up and leave, when the man finally turned around and spoke.

"Well—You look like shit."

His deep, husky voice shook her to her core. Quistis gasped at the audacious insult.

"Excuse me?"

She set her face in the best glare she could muster, and readied to tell off this asshole of a man who had not only made her wait for coffee so he could flirt, but also had the gall to tell a complete stranger—

She was met with a pair of green eyes. A particular pair, one she had always thought were unreasonably striking.

"Been a long time, Quistis."

Seifer Almasy waved a hand back towards the barista. "Ursula, another coffee please, on my tab, for Instructor Trepe here." Seifer studied Quistis' shocked face carefully. "She takes it light and sweet…would be my guess. With vanilla."

Dammit. He was right. Seifer always was good at reading people. It was why he had been so effective as the head of the Disciplinary Committee, and why he found it so easy to get underneath people's skin. He knew exactly how to piss people off, and took far too much pleasure in doing it.

"Seifer…" Quistis managed to squeak out.

One look at him and she felt even lower than low. Especially in her current disheveled state. This day could not get any worse.

He had grown even taller, his hair a little longer than before, though not flopping into his eyes. All it managed to do was emphasize his strong jaw line more. There was a five-o'clock shadow on his face. He was dressed in a smart brown wool pea-coat with a messenger bag slung across his shoulder, neatly pressed slacks, a tight button-down shirt and a loosened tie. Seifer had clearly not stopped working out since the last time she saw him. Quite the opposite: his shoulders were broad, his chest defined, and she could practically see his toned abs from underneath the shirt. No wonder the barista was flirting with him. He was a walking freaking specimen.

Then there was Quistis herself. Wet, and muddy, with dirt streaked across her forehead, mascara smudges under her eyes, and hair clinging at odd angles to her forehead, where it was loosened from the messy mop on the top of her head. Her cheeks were red, her nose runny. She did look like shit.

And now she felt like it too.

She vaguely registered the barista pressing a warm to-go cup in her hand as she continued to stare at the man in front of her. Ursula handed Seifer a re-usable to-go cup plastered with the logo for a sports team.

"Thanks again for helping me with that paper, Seifer," the young barista said as she handed him his cup. "I ended up getting an 'A'".

Seeing her up-close, Quistis realized she was likely only seventeen or eighteen.

Seifer grinned, not the cocky smirk, or flirty smirk that she remembered, but an honest-to-Hyne good-natured grin. Even so, he kept his eyes fixed on Quistis.

"No problem, Ursula. Make sure you tell your mom I said hi, okay? I'll see you tomorrow."

"Okay!" She flashed a kind smile at Quistis before bouncing off back behind the bar.

Seifer took a casual sip of his coffee, eyeing Quistis skeptically. "So, today is obviously not a good day, given how you look, but… How've you been? It's been what—Five years?"

Five years. Since he had been officially fully pardoned for his actions in the Sorceress War. Since Seifer had been given a real chance at life. Thanks to a long, valiant, generous effort by Rinoa. That was the last time Quistis had seen him.

He was acting insanely cool, calm, and collected given the random circumstances of their encounter. As if they were merely old casual acquaintances running into each other. No history. Seifer barely seemed surprised to find her in Deling City. His bravado and confidence were making her feel even worse about herself. She, at least, was certainly surprised to see him. To the point of rendering her nearly speechless.

She had always envied that about Seifer. His ability to make things seem so…easy. Decisive. A word that had always been written in his evaluations when he was a SeeD cadet.

Decisive to a fault. Even when it led him the wrong way.

Quistis finally managed to find her voice. "What are you doing here?"

"I live here. What are you doing here?"

She remained purposefully silent.

Seifer's familiar cocky smirk crossed his features "Ah. SeeD business then."

It was said with no bitterness or malice. Simply matter of fact. He didn't pry further.

Quistis let herself be led by the elbow out the door of the café. It was still raining, but the rain was no longer torturing her. Seifer had opened up a large umbrella that covered them both.

"You should drink that coffee. Best in all of Galbadia."

Quistis nodded mutely and took a sip, not knowing what to say. She also wasn't sure why she was letting herself be dragged off to Hyne-knows-where with him.

Seifer started to talk, seemingly keep to create idle chat to fill the awkward silence.

"Ursula is a good kid. Met her last year when the firm I'm interning at took the case that killed her dad. Hit-and-run. Criminal case didn't go through, so mom was trying to get something from a civil trial—"

"Firm? Trial?" Quistis interrupted.

"Oh, yeah. I'm in my third year of law school at Galbadia University. That's why I live here."

She realized they had stopped in front of an impressive apartment building. "What are you doing?"

Seifer nodded his head towards the top of the building. "This is my place. Figured you may want to clean off. You look like you've had a crappy day. I've got a nice bathroom. What do you say?"

"You're…bringing me to your place so I can clean up?"

Seifer shrugged. "Like I said, I've got a really nice bathroom. Take a bath. Take a load off."

Was Seifer actually being thoughtful and not sarcastic? What was his angle here? She must have been staring at him apprehensively, because he let out a deep sigh.

"No catch, Instructor. I'm just trying to be nice. Promise."

Her eyebrow twitched at the use of her title. She knew he was saying it to irk her. But… a warm bath did sound extremely nice. More than nice. It sounded like the perfect way to make her feel less like crap. After all, she wasn't afforded the luxury of a bathtub back at Garden.

So—she agreed.

The lobby of the apartment was small but inviting, with marble floors that squeaked under their wet shoes, and a fish tank along one wall. A doorman behind a desk nodded at Seifer, who nodded back. They rode the elevator to the twentieth floor in silence. Seifer guided her down the hall and into a tastefully decorated one-bedroom apartment.

Large windows flanked two entire walls, giving an impressive view of gloomy downtown Deling City. Seifer, it seemed, was remarkably clean and tidy. Everything had a place. Warm parquet floors and a plush white silk area rug. A sleek sofa sat in front of a flat screen television mounted on the wall. Underneath was a console housing a stereo and video game system. A modern glass coffee table was laid a set of coasters with cheeky old pin-up photos on them. There was a worn, extremely inviting leather armchair to the side. A galley kitchen with dark quartz countertops and bright white mission cabinets and a peninsula that faced on to the living room. In the large room there was a dark wooden dining table that could seat four, and there was even a decorative bowl on it, filled with apples. Across from the table there was a set of open Dolletian doors that revealed a small office, a desk stacked with papers, legal textbooks piled on the floor, a cup filled with multiple-colored highlighters and pens, and a computer monitor. It was the only messy part of the apartment.

Seifer motioned her down the hallway. They passed a bathroom, and Quistis began to protest. "Isn't that—"

"Bath, right? Bathtub is in the master bathroom." He led her through the door to his room, and she tried not to stare at his personal living space.

The bedroom was similar to the living room. Warm wood floors, an soft looking Centran rug in blues and grays. A gray marble fireplace with wood stacked neatly to the side. A simple modern bed with gray linens, and a tall wooden headboard. A book on one of the bedside tables. A large mirror over the fireplace.

But, the real show stopper was the bathroom.

Sleek white marble lined the floor and walls. The room held a double sink with beautiful platinum faucets, and a shower large enough for two people with multiple showerheads both overhead, and mounted on the walls. There was a door that led to a water closet. The real star, though, was the tub. Sitting on platinum clawfeet was the largest, deepest, most inviting bathtub Quistis had ever seen. A perfectly-formed dragonhead spigot arched from the wall to the middle of the tub. Stacked neatly next to it was a hamper of perfectly-folded white fluffy towels, and a basket with various bath salts.

"Wow…" was all Quistis managed to say.

"Told you I had a fancy bathroom," he replied. "Help yourself."

She was vaguely aware of the bathroom door shutting behind her.

After ensuring the door was locked, Quistis turned on the faucet and tossed in one of the salts she found in the basket. As the steaming water filled the bathtub, bubbles started to form, and the pleasant aroma of apricot filled the air. She stripped out of her muddy, wet clothes, and tried to avoid messing up the pristine white tiles.

Seifer's voice came from outside the door. "Hey, I can't do much for your jacket, but there is a washer and dryer in there with a quick cycle if you want to wash your clothes."

Quistis found herself blushing, knowing she was completely naked with him merely meters away. "Th—thanks."

She quickly tossed her things into the washer-dryer and set it to the quick cycle, and throwing in some detergent. The light blinked at her. Fifty-two minutes. She would be naked in Seifer's apartment for fifty-two minutes.

Well, better make the most of it.

After shutting off the water so the bath wouldn't overflow, Quistis quickly rinsed the grime from her body and hair in the shower, before gingerly settling into the large bathtub with a pleasurable hiss. There was nothing quite like a too-hot bath to ease an aching back, and a bruised ego.

As she sat in the sudsy water, a realization came over her. She really didn't know Seifer at all, not any more. But did she even truly know him back then? Other than the fact that he was an arrogant ass, of course? It seemed that his teenage arrogance was certainly still there. And she was sure he could be an ass when he wanted. But apparently, he was now a guy who took baths. And did crosswords in them too, judging by the well-worn crossword book that sat on a tray designed to fit over the tub. He also wore reading glasses. And had a monogrammed navy-blue bathrobe. Somehow, that fact did not surprise her.

Seifer was apparently a person who let someone he hadn't seen in five years into his personal space to take a bath. Like it happened regularly, or something. Just any old Tuesday afternoon. He hadn't seemed remotely fazed by her presence, yet she was acting like a confused stray adolescent.

Quistis cleared her throat loudly. "Did you…choose this bathroom on purpose?"

She swore she heard a nervous chuckle from somewhere on the other side of the door, and Quistis was secretly relieved Seifer was still there, and that she wasn't just yelling to herself.

His answer came back, slightly muffled. "Um… Well, actually, I had it put in. Custom. I own this place."

So many questions. How did he have the money? How long had he lived here? Why did he go to law school? Where would she even start?

"So… You wanted a place with a bathtub?" Great, Quistis. Just great.

"I…like taking baths. They're relaxing." Seifer sounded almost embarrassed. Almost. But then he added, "Plus, every place should have a shower big enough for two. Can get into a whole lot of fun and trouble in there. You guys are nuts for putting up with the SeeD dorms."

She could picture a shit-eating grin on his face, but chose to ignore the second half of his statement.

"The bath is really nice."

"The building's new, so I was able to create my own living space. I lucked out. Raijin was the contractor for the project, believe it or not. Otherwise, no way would I have been able to change the plans to add the office and bigger bathroom."

Okay. That made sense. She had heard rumors that Raijin and Fujin had started a successful contracting company. Raijin was the head contractor, and Fujin tended to the books and researched the jobs.

"That's pretty lucky. Did you say you were going to law school?"

"Yeah." Seifer fell silent for a moment. "Quistis?"

"What?"

"So… D'you need me to sit by the door and make chit-chat the whole time?"

She bristled, feeling suddenly redder than could be attributed to the heat from the bath.

"No, Seifer, I do not. I'm perfectly capable of having a bath without being babysat."

"Glad to hear it. Relax in there, okay?"

His footsteps faded away, and she ducked her face into the sudsy water in embarrassment. When she resurfaced, Quistis resolved to follow Seifer's advice and relax in the tub.

And what a tub it was. She stretched out her legs, and closed her eyes.

The fifty-two minutes flew by. Quistis was surprised when the washer dinged its complete cycle. She had stayed in the bathtub the entire time. It was only just starting to get to the point where it wasn't hot enough. She was fairly certain she had spent the first ten minutes of the bath catching up with Seifer.

She was shocked at how easily conversation flowed between them. Why had it never been this easy on the many dates she had been on? Was she only capable of holding a conversation with a man when there was a door in between them? It had flowed so easily. Was this what it was supposed to be like? After dressing and twisting her hair into a wet braid, she gave herself a quick glance in the mirror, determining that she looked acceptable.

Exiting the bathroom, she found Seifer lounged casually in an armchair in the corner of his bedroom, flipping through a magazine. He had shed his business casual attire and was wearing loose sweatpants and a tight t-shirt. Very tight. A fire was roaring in the fireplace. Quistis found her cheeks were warm, and chalked it up to the fire. It had to be the fire.

She opened her mouth to speak, but found the words wouldn't come. The idea that he had been changing his clothes while she was naked in his bathtub just a stone's throw away left her feeling extremely flustered. Like she was still a seventeen-year-old girl hoping her crush would dream about her.

Which was crazy. This was Seifer.

"Feel better?" He asked, standing up and tossing the magazine on the chair before walking over to her.

Quistis put on her best 'I'm-an-instructor' face and kept her voice as business-like as possible. "Much. Your bathroom is very nice."

Seifer studied her for a moment before frowning slightly. The tone of his voice dropped from friendly, to borderline condescending.

"Guess you're catching the train back to Balamb? Last one leaves in forty-five minutes."

"Y-yes."

Quistis was a little confused by the change in his cadence as she made her way to the front door, pausing to slip on her boots. They'd had a great conversation before this, much to her surprise, so why was he suddenly so cold?

Opening the door for her, Seifer handed her her bag, effectively kicking her out. As she grabbed the bag from him, her fingers brushed up against his, and she swore he lingered for a brief moment.

"Thanks again, Seifer."

He flashed her that cocky grin she remembered from years ago, but it didn't reach his eyes. "Anytime, Quistis. Anytime."

The door shut behind her and Quistis lifted her hand to her chest, trying to control the pounding in her chest.

A/N: Thank you to the lovely colobonema for acting as my beta on this, as well as helping me flush out ideas. Hope you enjoy :)