Stuck In Second Gear

Chapter 3

The One Where Payback is a Bitch

Her discovery of Seifer's success had been bugging Quistis all week. To the point where she was distracted enough in a lecture to actually forget if she was speaking about magic or physical combat. Flustered, she just ended the class early, much to the confusion of her students.

No wonder Cid had never promoted her. She'd a brief encounter with an old… whatever he was… and she couldn't fully focus for the rest of the week.

Maybe that was the crux of the problem. Seifer had made something of himself. Quite something. And he looked incredible. He always had been a cocky, handsome asshole. But his bravado took away from just how good looking he was. Being written off as a jerk, meant that he had never bothered to flirt or invest others' interest in him.

Seeing that bravado morph into effortless confidence… he probably had a black book filled with numbers. He had put on muscle, too. He was always a larger guy, but solid. She was sure that under his clothes, he probably looked like he had been etched from stone.

Add that to the fact that here she was, working at Garden, in literally the exact position she was in when they were eighteen. And he, had achieved success at school, success at life, success at housing. He, the fuck-up, the rebel, the person who was the cause for so much pain and destruction…

She had done everything right. Perfect grades. Perfect attendance. Perfect work ethic. Perfectly pressed uniform. Sweet Shiva, her hair was perfect every day.

And it was all fucked up, thanks to Seifer's failed field exam. And now, years later, all she had to show for her perfection, was getting back the job she was thrust into as a teenager, without a single damn promotion in seven damn years.

And the asshole who was the nail in the coffin for her career the first go around? He was sitting in some giant bathtub at the top of a condo in Deling City, with the world apparently at his feet. A successful career just a semester away, an impressive internship, and some secret source of money.

To make matters worse, in addition to her lackluster career, she had absolutely looked terrible when she saw him.

Quistis Trepe was not going to let that go unpunished. She was not going to feel "less than" because of some arrogant jerk. How dare he do something nice for her and make her feel like garbage. That wasn't how that was supposed to work!

How dare he.

She would show him what Quistis Trepe really was. She was not pathetic, or someone to be pitied. She was… well, she wasn't sure what she was anymore. But, she was not someone to be looked down on, and she was going to show him that.

She made the resolution and had committed to it before she really had time to think it through. Quistis had never been impulsive. Not once. Not even at the celebratory ball after they defeated Ultimecia, and Selphie had snuck in a flask. Quistis reminded her she was breaking Garden rules and went to go talk to Cid. At the time, she was just delighted to have her old job back.

Looking back at it, having her "old" job back was a slap in the face. She had just gone through Time Compression and saved the world. And her reward was the job they entrusted with a teenage prodigy? Was she really not any better now than she was back then? Or even worse… was she actually exactly the same? Had she really not changed… or grown… at all?

Seifer was one of the only people who never just deferred to her. Everyone else treated her like the lone grown up in the room. He had always treated her like she was exactly the same as him. Was that arrogance? Condescension? Or… something else?

It piqued her interest, that was for sure.

Part of her wanted to be treated normally. She ached for that. It was why it had been so easy to become friends with Rinoa after everything. Rinoa always just treated Quistis as a girl of the same age.

The opportunity for payback against Seifer came from Rinoa, of all people. Some extremely specialized, Dolletian hand-made lace was being delivered to Deling City. Someone had to be there to sign for the package, and Caraway was out. Rinoa had promised Squall that she would go to Esthar with him to visit Laguna. Frankly, Rinoa had to, or else Squall would either refuse to go, or would sit in silence, stewing the whole time. The only reason Laguna and Squall had struck any type of relationship (which consisted of aloof coolness on Squall's part, though he was begrudgingly warming up, and clueless happiness of Laguna's), was thanks to Rinoa.

But Squall, being Squall, told her that if he was going to have a relationship with his estranged father, then so was she.

This resulted in Fury Caraway, having been referred to as "Caraway" by his daughter, eventually becoming "Daddy" in about a year. And now, dear old dad was sparing no expense on his little princess's wedding. Ironically, Rinoa did not want that type of wedding at all, but Laguna and Caraway had insisted, given how high profile Rinoa and Squall were. Which is exactly why Rinoa didn't want it. So, Rinoa had essentially given up, and handed planning over to the two dads and Selphie. With the exception of her dress, and her bridesmaid's dresses (Quistis had already secretly cancelled four orders Selphie had placed 'just in case' for dresses, sparing Rinoa the stress).

So, when the hemming and hawing came, of who could possibly go to the Caraway mansion and sign for this lace, Quistis jumped at the opportunity. An excuse to go to Deling City. Zell probably could have done it himself, but he had been placed on a five month ban from the Caraway mansion after breaking an antique Centran vase the last time he was there.

Rinoa sent her off with continuous apologies and thanks, but secretly Quistis was thrilled.

She was determined for Seifer to see that she was not anything like the pitiful sight he had stumbled upon in the coffee shop.

Feeling a newfound confidence, Quistis sported an outfit she was more likely to see Selphie or Rinoa wearing. Quistis tended to dress like a forty-five-year-old mother of three, not a twenty-five-year-old smoke show.

The black bra under the white flowy shirt was about as daring as she would ever be, and the skirt was more suited to Selphie's daring lengths. She looked good. She felt good.

She couldn't make it too obvious though.

Seifer's apartment wasn't that far away from the Caraway mansion. About a fifteen-minute ride of the number 8 bus, or a forty-minute walk. Quistis chose to take the bus, not wanting to risk any more mud or rain incidents.

Having worked undercover before, it was easy enough for her to waltz in through the doors, past the doorman, like she belonged there. Taking the elevator up, her heart started to hammer in her chest. What was she doing? This was absolutely nuts. Why did she want to prove herself to Seifer? She wished she had never asked Rinoa about him in the first place.

A ding told her she had made it to his floor, and she headed for his apartment. Pausing, her hand hesitated at the knocker. This was silly. This was petty. This was… needy. She should have never done this. May as well head back to the—

"Quistis?"

Quistis gulped upon hearing that voice. He sounded a little strained, panting slightly. She couldn't help it when a mental image of hearing her name, breathless, under very different circumstances flickered in her subconscious.

Her mouth went dry as she looked up at him, and she cursed inwardly. Shirtless, sweat dripping off his brow, chest heaving with uneven breaths… She was supposed to have the upper hand here!

Gods, he was perfect. His chest and abdomen were just as chiseled as she had secretly imagined, and she couldn't help but watch a bead of sweat trickle down his neck, down that broad expanse of his chest. Her eyes fell to where he was absently stroking his abdomen. He clearly noticed how she looked.

Got you…

She successfully hid a smirk, and before she knew it, he was uncomfortably close to her, unlocking his door. She could feel heat radiating off his chest, and he smelled of heady sweat, and salt. This wasn't helping the hammering in her chest or the blush on her cheeks, and Quistis unconsciously licked her lips, wondering briefly what that salt would taste like on his skin.

Which was crazy. Because, this was Seifer. As she kept reminding herself.

Before she could contemplate that further, she was once again in his apartment, and she was cold. The wonderful heat from his body was gone and he was heading down the hall to his bedroom.

"You coming?"

Get it together, Quistis. You're here to prove to him you aren't pathetic. Make him uncomfortable this time.

But… she wondered who she was really trying to prove anything to. Seifer? Or herself?

She feigned confidence when what she really felt was light headed. Is this what she had missed out on as a teenager? What was this feeling coiling in her stomach? It was just that he was handsome, surely it was that.

But then again, so was Nida… and she had never felt this not-unpleasant fluttering inside, this heat, with him.

Shaking any untoward thoughts from her head, Quistis turned her nose in the air and marched down the hallway behind him, after quickly unzipping her boots and setting them by the door. She knew he had noticed her. She saw the smallest predatory gleam in his eye when he reached for his keys. She looked good, she knew it, and he knew it.

Turning the corner to the bathroom, she could hear the faucet running.

"You wanted a bath, right?" Seifer was hunched over the tub, his muscular back flexing, as he tested the water with his hands.

"Well, you have a nice bathtub. And, you did offer last time."

Seifer glanced over his shoulder and grinned at her. "That I did…"

The grin disarmed her on the spot.

They remained in silence, Seifer throwing in a bath salt that created bubbles and made the entire bathroom smell like juniper berries. His eyes kept glancing in her direction, a look that was anything but innocent as they darted appreciatively across her body.

"That should do it." He motioned to the bathtub.

It looked as inviting as she remembered. And Seifer had graciously filled it almost to the top for her.

What on earth was she doing? This was her master plan? Showing up, becoming flustered, and then claiming she wanted to use his bathtub again? Then again, last time that was how they got talking. And she had so many questions that were left unanswered, grating on her last nerve. It was curiosity, nothing more.

Or so she kept telling herself.

At the very least, she had proven something.

Quistis waited expectantly for him to leave the bathroom, but instead he just smirked at her. Like he was a cat that just stole the cream and got away with it.

Keeping his gaze firmly on hers, he slowly began to pull down his running shorts.

"What are you doing?" Quistis squeaked, but refused to turn away. He was not going to embarrass her this time. Instead, she tried to sound offended.

He was moving so slowly, it was nearly painful. She couldn't help but glance between his eyes, and the way he was staring at her, and the way his muscles rippled underneath his skin as he languidly pulled off the shorts and tossed them into the hamper nearby, leaving him in a pair of black boxer briefs.

Oh my…

What had she gotten herself into?

Quistis purposefully kept her eyes trained away from that thin black material under his waist. She refused to look there. No matter how much she wanted to. Instead, she kept his gaze, resolutely. Proudly.

"I'm filthy. Just ran fifteen k. Need a shower. And I'm not using the guest bathroom. Don't worry, I won't see anything, Instructor." He grabbed his robe from the door, hanging it on a hook outside the separate grand shower area, where indeed, neither of them would see anything. She heard the shower turned on, and the various nozzles guzzle out, steam rapidly invading the rest of the bathroom. That was accompanied by a pair of boxers, tossed onto the floor with a thunk from behind the marble where he was hidden.

Which meant…

Quistis gulped.

At some point it became clear to her that they were playing a game. She wasn't entirely sure who started the game, but there was no way she was going to let him win. She stripped as quickly as she could, after ensuring there was no way he could somehow see her with a mirror, and folded her clothing carefully on top of the stack of towels before sinking into Seifer's glorious bathtub.

"So…" His voice drifted from the shower. "Wedding business, huh? What's Rinoa got you running around for?"

Quistis sank down further into the tub, so just her head was above the bubbles. "Lace. Some fancy imported lace. I had to get the delivery at the Caraway mansion."

Seifer snorted something that sounded like he was rolling his eyes at the same time.

"She—Rinoa—she told me about your lunches." Quistis ventured carefully

A deep knowing chuckle echoed through the bathroom that made Quistis shiver despite the hot bath. "Oh… you told her about seeing me, huh?"

"Wh—what? I mean, yes. I mentioned running into you. That's it."

Seifer's head appeared from the shower and he glanced over at Quistis with an annoying shit-eating grin on his face. "Really? That's it? You didn't mention anything else?"

Quistis shook her head.

"Interesting…" He disappeared back into the shower. "Couldn't get me out of you head, huh, Trepe?"

Damn him. Just as much of an arrogant ass as ever. Quistis needed to go on the offensive. "Honestly, I was wondering how you afford this place. Wanted to make sure you were above board after all Rinoa has done for you. Just protecting my friend."

"Please. You really think I'm gonna believe that's the only reason you're here? You're worse at lying than Rinoa. If you want to know how I have money, all you have to do is ask. I'll happily tell you."

Damn him, damn him, damn him. Now Quistis was stuck. She really did want to know, but she also didn't want to give in. This game of cat and mouse. And she no longer knew who was whom. She huffed loudly. "Fine. How do you pay for this apartment?"

The shower suddenly stopped and Seifer's hand reached out to grab the robe from the hook. A second later, he was standing before her, regarding her carefully, sporting a comfortable-looking navy blue fluffy robe. Instead of leaving the bathroom, he pulled up a stool from under the vanity and sat on it, near her.

Strangely, she didn't feel intimidated, or uncomfortable. He wasn't leering at her, or trying to sneak any peeks. It seemed like he was actually going to sit and have an honest conversation with her.

Seifer speared his fingers through his damp hair. "I bartend. It's no big secret."

The way he said it, there was obviously more to the story.

"But… the down payment? Monthly cost, it must be—"

Seifer interrupted her. "I can't tell you about the down payment. That's… I just can't, okay. But, I will tell you about the bartending."

"What's so interesting about being a bartender?"

"Do you want to hear this or not?" Seifer barked, obviously a little on edge.

"Sorry. Yes, I do."

"I have a shift tonight. You can come. But, you have to promise not to say anything to Rinoa… or anyone else."

"Um… okay?"

"You're staying the night in Deling, right? Just come to 'Richard's', downtown, tonight. Late."

"Okay." Quistis agreed, curious as to why Seifer was being so evasive.

Seifer grabbed the crossword book that sat next the bathtub and gestured to it with his pen. "You do crosswords? I'm stuck on a Sunday one. Wanna help?"

The next hour went by in surprisingly enjoyable companionship. By the time the bubbles had thinned to a translucent foam, Seifer had the good grace to turn his back, and continue their crossword conversation without facing her. Quistis found herself relaxing, and forgot how strange the scene was: she, Instructor Trepe, wallowing in a tub with Seifer Almasy in a bathrobe next to her, solving fiendishly cryptic crossword clues together.

'Richard's' turned out to be extremely hard to find. It was tucked down several flights of stairs of an unmarked building. The entrance appeared to be a very small old-timey bar, with only three stools. Dark, brick walls and low lighting. Music played softly in the background. There was a man absently drying martini glasses behind the bar wearing suspenders and a top hat, but no Seifer.

At first, Quistis thought she was in the wrong place.

"Can I help you?" The man eyed her up and down suspiciously.

"I'm… is this Richard's?"

The man grinned a little and topped his hat to her. "You must be Quistis. Seifer failed to mention how pretty you'd be."

Quistis couldn't help but blush at the comment, but also was secretly pleased that Seifer had told a coworker she was coming. He had faith she would show up.

He wanted her to show up.

The man rounded the bar and offered a hand to Quistis, which she reluctantly took. "I'm Charles. Own the place. Seifer came here because we have the best Galbadian Slingers in town. His mix was even better than mine, so I hired him on the spot. I don't think this bar was quite what he was expecting…"

"Expecting?"

Charles chuckled. "You'll see." He pushed against the back wall of the small bar, revealing it to be a hidden entrance.

As the door opened, Quistis was immediately assailed with a loud rhythmic drumming sound of electronic music. Lights were flashing in every color, and she had to blink rapidly for her eyes to adjust.

She was in a large, almost warehouse-like room, with ceilings at least three stories high. There were some catwalks with railings where people were lounging, and tall, bottom-lit platforms where some of the most gorgeous men Quistis had ever seen in her life were dancing up a storm.

In fact…

The entire bar was filled with extremely attractive men dancing. A lot of them shirtless. And almost no women.

Quistis tried not to stare at whatever hunk-heaven she had stumbled upon when it dawned on her. Places like this establishment had to remain underground for a long time under old Galbadian law. So, it shouldn't come as a surprise that it still operated as almost a speak-easy, even if the laws had changed.

She let herself be guided to the huge bar in the back, where Seifer was tending bar. His shirt was off and he was laughing with a bunch of the guys waiting for their drinks, readying to take a shot with them.

He caught sight of her out of the corner of his eye, and winked before downing the shot. Quistis absently sat at an empty stool at the corner of the bar, unsure of what exactly she was doing.

The men taking the shot with Seifer noticed the wink, and all whipped their heads to stare at her simultaneously. She had never felt so self-conscious in her entire life. A second later, they all started assailing Seifer with questions and gossiped amongst themselves. She couldn't hear what they were saying, but it was accompanied with a lot of jovial laughter and gesturing. And while Quistis couldn't be absolutely sure, she thought that Seifer was blushing, just slightly.

Seifer saluted the group of guys before making his way towards her, a drink in hand. It was quite pretty, the alcohol clear, but the ice-cube was large and had a purplish color to it. An edible flower sat on the top.

"Here." He pressed it into her hand. "This is my specialty drink, butterfly pea flower infused ice cube, cactaur syrup, and vodka. Let loose. Dance a little. Have fun."

And just like that he was gone, back behind the bar, talking to another group as he shook a cocktail maker, dramatically throwing bottles of alcohol in the air before pouring them into the mixer, flicking a lemon upwards and slicing it as it fell, the perfect sliver falling into the drink gracefully.

He must make incredible tips. Seifer always knew how to put on a show. And the man loved attention. It was the perfect job for him.

"Such eye-candy, right?" A voice came from her left. "Are you his girlfriend?"

"What? No!" Quistis found that she was a little too quick and forceful in that denial, perhaps betraying something she wasn't willing to admit just yet. She turned to find one of the guys that Seifer was taking shots with standing next to her. An attractive man with dark hair and dark piercing eyes.

"Mmm… sure you aren't. Wanna dance?" He offered a hand and she readily accepted, surprising herself.

Quistis spent the next three hours dancing with various partners, her drink never empty, Charles running her a new one from Seifer whenever she was in need. Gin with a dried candied mango and fresh blueberries, whiskey with mandarin juice and vanilla syrup, bourbon infused with banana… Each time the drink was different, and each time it was complex, thoughtful, and frankly, a work of art to look at. And each one, she liked. How did he know what she would like?

She couldn't remember the last time she had this much fun. No one was eying her up as Garden's failed prodigy. No one was acting like a creepy Trepie. No one was sitting there waiting for her to fail. There was no pressure. Just good-natured fun. She would catch Seifer's gaze every once in a while, and he would salute with a glass to her and smile. He seemed to genuinely enjoy working here, and she didn't blame him.

Finally, when she was tired, she made her way to the bar to settle her tab. There was a lull at that moment, which she was thankful for.

"How much do I owe you?" She shouted over the music, leaning over the bar so Seifer could hear her. She was damp with sweat, her hair now wavy and tousled, and her shirt had become even more un-buttoned in the heat. Quistis never let herself be seen like this in public. She wasn't… perfect.

Seifer shook his head and grinned, his eyes traveling up and down her form, obviously appreciating what he saw. Reflected in his eyes, she felt like the most beautiful woman in the world.

"On me. It was worth it to see you dance. You looked good out there."

Quistis found herself flush, heat shooting down deep in her belly. And it was due to far more than the alcohol. Was he flirting with her? Regaining her composure, she grabbed a twenty gil note from her purse and put it on the bar. The least she could do was tip.

Seifer made no move to grab the money, but kept his eyes trained on hers. "You headed back to Caraway mansion?"

She nodded. "I'm exhausted."

He nodded his head to Charles, who nodded back. "Here, let me get you in a cab."

"You don't have—"

"Quistis, its two in the morning. You don't live here. I'm getting you in a cab."

He guided her by the small of her back to the entrance, back through the secret area in front. There were a few cat-calls and whistles as they exited, all in good-natured teasing.

Finally, they stood outside, Quistis' ears ringing from the aftermath of the loud music. Her skin was flushed red, and her feet had a pleasant ache from dancing. She found herself smiling widely at Seifer. She hadn't smiled like that in… she didn't know how long.

"Thank you." She said honestly. "That was really fun."

"My pleasure." Seifer stuffed his hands in the pockets of his extremely tight jeans, and leaned up on his tip-toes. All it managed to do was emphasize the perfect v-shape of flesh leading to the noticeable bulge near his zipper, causing Quistis to bite the bottom of her lip.

"Like I said, worth it to see Quistis Trepe finally let go and dance. Grinding on three guys at the same time, no less. What would Garden say?"

"Seifer!" Quitsis slapped a hand to his chest playfully and was immediately reminded of the fact that he wasn't wearing a shirt. Her hand lingered, and she was secretly pleased when he flexed slightly against her, taking a sharp inhale of breath at her touch. His skin, like hers was also damp with a sheen of sweat. She felt herself get warmer, despite the cold air. Quistis kept her hand on him, but let it slowly drop down his chest along his abdomen, almost reverently tracing the contours with a feather-light touch. Down to that inviting dip of flesh. Gods, his body…

It had to be the alcohol… she would never be this… forward.

Seifer was perfectly still, keeping his eyes glued to hers as he held his breath. "Quistis—"

His voice was gravelly, and the tone caused a shiver to run down Quistis' spine. Was it because of her, or just that he had been yelling in the bar? All she knew was that she wanted to hear him say her name that way again.

Honk!

The arrival of Quistis' cab broke the moment, and she retreated her hand from his skin as if she had been burned.

Seifer swore under his breath, before leaning down to open the car door for her. He barked something at the cabbie in a tone that betrayed his annoyance at the poor timing.

Quistis hesitated for a moment before almost regretfully sinking into the backseat of the cab.

Instead of shutting the door, Seifer leaned down, his face close. Was he-?

Her eyes fluttered closed on instinct, but instead of a kiss, she felt hot breath on her ear, and could smell his musk close. His hand was on her hip, rubbing ever so gently in a way that made her want to feel it against her bare skin. The feel of his mouth near her ear was making her squirm. How could such a small touch feel so incredibly intimate? So erotic?

A small whimper escaped her lips, and she could feel Seifer's grin against her.

"Good night, Quistis," he whispered to her. "Come use my bathtub anytime you're in town."

And just like that, he was gone. The cab door shut with a loud bang. The cabbie drove off and Quistis whirled her head around to try and catch a glimpse of Seifer through the rear window. He was nowhere to be seen. Quistis placed a hand to her chest, hoping to slow her breathing. Should she have… kissed him?

Absently, she placed her hand against her hip, where his hand had practically burned a hole into her skin.

A crumpled-up twenty gil note was there, with a phone number scrawled onto it.

Thank you to the lovely colobonema for acting as my beta on this. You are the best :)