Stuck in Second Gear

Chapter 4

The One Where Quistis is Frustrated

A hard body pressed her against the cool tiles of the large shower. Water jettied pleasantly against her skin from multiple nozzles.

"Oh…gods…" Quistis moaned as his hand tangled in her hair and pulled her head back. His other hand was roaming along her side, up her stomach until it found a breast, pinching her nipple between his fingers.

He kept slamming into her in a delirious pace. Quistis had never felt so good in her life, and the coil in her stomach was unwinding slowly, slowly, and she was so close to letting go, he was so hard and rough, and she was so deliciously achingly full…

"Don't stop. Please, I'm so close…" Quistis whimpered, nearly begging for the sweet release she was craving.

"Don't worry, Quistis... I've got you." A lust-laced gravelly voice was in her ear, hot breath causing a shiver to shoot down and—

"Oh! Seifer!" Quistis shot up in her bed with a loud gasp, perspiration on her brow and chest, heart racing. She could feel her legs shaking, and it almost felt like he was still inside her as she felt herself spasm. Had she-?

"Sweet Shiva, what is wrong with me?" Quistis whispered to herself, before flopping back into her pillows with a groan. Glancing over at her nightstand, there was the twenty-gil note, no longer crumpled, but flattened out, his number penned neatly on it.

She hadn't reached out to Seifer. It had been almost a week. She wasn't even sure what she would say. All she knew is that their last interaction had left her… restless. She was snapping left and right at people, forgetting her ID badge in her dorm room…

She knew why. There had been a primal hunger inside her since Seifer left her in the cab back in Deling City. No man had ever made her feel so flustered before. Truth be told, it reminded her of all the reasons she'd had a secret crush on him years ago. She always felt so rattled around him. Whenever she felt like she had figured him out, he would surprise her and do something different. She wondered if that was on purpose, to keep her floundering. It certainly worked. Damn him.

The worst part was, she didn't know what his end game was. Was he just messing around with her? Teasing her? Was he trying to be a friend? Was he just trying to sleep with her to add a notch on his bedpost? One of what was likely many, many notches. Seifer was annoyingly hard to read. But, she was fairly certain he was at least flirting with her. And giving her his number had to mean something.

Now, the man had given her the most intense orgasm of her life in a dream.

After that, there was no way she was going to be able to face him without some embarrassment. And the next time she knew she would see him was at Squall and Rinoa's wedding in few weeks.

That wouldn't do at all. She had to get these feelings out of her system so she didn't fall all over herself at the wedding where she was the maid-of-honor. If the wedding was the next time she saw him, she may as well be wearing a giant sign declaring she had a secret. Rinoa would sniff it out in no time. So would Selphie.

And Seifer was bound to go out of his way to make her uncomfortable. He clearly got pleasure out of doing it. That just wouldn't do.

Coming to a decision, Quistis grabbed her phone off the charger before she could change her mind, and typed in a quick text message to the number on the gil note. She didn't need to look at it to remember the number, she had been staring at it all week to the point where she had it memorized.

Send.

Now came the agonizing wait…

Seifer opened the door after a single knock with a smile that almost looked relieved. Or maybe that was Quistis' wishful thinking. That he was pleased to hear from her. Why else would he have given her his number, after all?

He was wearing a white, skin-tight tank top and a pair of loose grey sweat pants that hung low on his trim waist. Very low. Quistis had to stop herself from picturing the shirt off, as she recalled just what he looked like the night in front of 'Richard's'.

He was also sporting a pair of glasses. There were some people who somehow became even more attractive when they had glasses on. It just worked. Quistis erroneously had never considered herself one of those people; glasses were simply a necessity for her, and, she felt, gave her an air of authority when she needed it. Seifer on the other hand, of course, was one of those people. Damn him.

The wild urge Quistis had felt surged back to life at the sight of him, and her breath unwittingly hitched.

If he noticed, he made no sign of it.

"Hey." He motioned for her to come inside. "Sorry, I have an exam next week, I'm in the middle of memorizing case-law. Turns out law school is basically a shit-ton of memorization." Seifer gestured towards his study, where there were various open books and papers strewn about.

"Oh… I didn't mean to interrupt." Quistis immediately felt self-conscious. Memories of her dream were flooding back as she looked at him. How his hands would feel, his lips.

Get it together, Quistis. You're here so that you can get yourself under control before the wedding!

She knew she was lying to herself.

Seifer was watching her curiously, as if trying to read her mind. He shrugged. "I needed a break anyway. Nice shirt, by the way."

It wasn't said facetiously. Quite the opposite. It was said in a way that made the fire in the pit of Quistis' stomach threaten to take over all reason. It was said in a way that sounded like Seifer wanted to see that shirt on the floor of his bedroom.

She hadn't actually planned her outfit this time around, instead just tugging on a pair of skinny jeans where the knees had holes from years of wear, black combat boots on top, and a t-shirt from a concert she went to at age fifteen. Before Garden completely took over her entire life. The last "fun" thing she did. A band she still enjoyed. The shirt was well-loved and faded, and it hung off her shoulder on one side, exposing the purple lace fabric of her bra-strap. It was her most favorite shirt she owned.

Surprising her, Seifer reached out and grabbed her hand, tugging her to his personal bathroom. The contact seared across her skin and she held her breath for a moment. Feeling his skin on hers, even a small amount, was making her head fuzzy. Being near him, instead of calming her nerves after her intense dream, was sending them into overdrive.

"You said you were stressed in your text. You want to use my bathtub, right?"

Stressed was the understatement of the year. She was bordering on unhinged. And apparently going crazy, because here she was in Seifer's apartment. Again. To take a bath. For the third time in less than a month.

Since when had "bath" become a code for "I'm trying to flirt with you."?

That realization hit Quistis like a ton of bricks. She was trying to flirt with him. And failing miserably.

The bath was already filled with bubbles, and the pleasant smell of rosewood drifted to her senses.

"You want to join me?" Quistis said, immediately paling. Gods, that came out wrong.

Seifer arched an eyebrow. "Wow. Rather forward there, Trepe."

Quistis nearly stamped a foot in frustration but pulled herself together. "No, I mean, after I get in. I can quiz you on your law if you want."

Seifer looked suspicious for a moment before shrugging and nodding, disappearing into the rest of the apartment, giving Quistis the privacy she needed to undress and sink into the bathtub.

A few minutes later, he returned and handed Quistis a glass of red wine, much to her surprise, before sitting down with his back leaning against the tub, a large book on his lap. Quistis peeked over the edge of the bath so she could look at the book, a few drops of water dropping onto the pages. It caused Seifer to turn to look back at her, an unreadable expression on his face.

"Vinzer Deling v. Galbadian Military. Not as interesting as it looks, trust me. This is hardly leisure reading." He sighed, rubbing the space between his eyes, before looking back at the pages.

"Tell me about it. It will help you study."

Seifer paused, then shook his head, chuckling slightly. "Okay, but don't blame me when you're bored out of your mind. This is worse than listening to you lecture about proper enunciation in spell casting."

He spent the next forty-five minutes telling her about the various cases he had to memorize for his exam, and what he thought about them. Of course, filled with choice colorful language. Quistis found the cadence of his voice pleasant, and it lulled her into deep relaxation, while she occasionally asked him questions about the various things he was studying. She had never felt so relaxed and easy in a conversation before, and her eyes drifted closed as she listened.

He seemed so… content. Yet, she was paralyzed at Garden. Being in the bathtub, listening to Seifer's baritone just reinforced that. Quistis wanted some of that happiness. The closest she had been to it was the night she went dancing at 'Richard's'. She hadn't cared what anyone thought about her. Not even Seifer. And, unless she was totally mistaken, Seifer had liked seeing her that way.

Her eyes opened as she realized Seifer had changed the subject from tax law, to something personal.

"So… you know where I work now. You know I'm in school, but I don't really know what you do. It looked to me like Richard's was the most fun you'd had in ages. What do you do?"

Quistis blinked. "I work at Garden."

"Yeah. No shit. I mean, for fun. What do you do?"

"I—"

"Hobbies?"

"…"

Seifer turned his head so he could see her out of the corner of his eye. "You can't tell me your life is really only Garden. What would you like to do, if you could do anything?"

Quistis frowned. The fact that she did nothing outside of work was rather pathetic. But, there was one thing she had always been curious about, but always made lame excuses for not practicing. "I… I want to be a good baker. It's methodical. I enjoy the process."

A deep chuckle came from beside the bath and Quistis huffed, feeling embarrassed and ashamed for disclosing that tidbit. What a jerk! He had coaxed a secret out of her, just to make fun of her?

Seifer stopped laughing, seemingly sensing her frustration, but his tone was playful. "I'm picturing you in an apron. Quite a nice sight. If you want to bake, why don't you just do it?"

Though her nerves were still a little rattled, she was relieved to find out that he hadn't been mocking her. "What's so funny about me in an apron?"

Quistis swore that the tips of Seifer's ears got a little red. "Ah… you don't want to know what else I'm picturing you wearing while you have it on," he confessed quietly. "You might slap me if I say it out loud." He turned around then to face her, his trademark cocky grin on his face.

"Seifer…" She leaned forward to the edge of the tub until her face was near his. Small droplets of water were dripping from her skin onto his brow.

"You got a little—" Reaching forward, Seifer gently brushed a fingertip along her cheek, wiping bubbles from her skin.

Quistis inhaled sharply at the contact, and unwittingly closed her eyes at the feel of his touch. It was surprisingly gentle, and his finger lingered on her cheek.

"Quistis…"

She could feel his breath near her mouth, centimeters away, but he was hesitating. If he would only just…

"If you want me to stop…" His voice was hoarse, and she could practically taste his breath. Her lips parted. Waiting, waiting.

Quistis shook her head with the smallest of nods. "Don't sto—"

Her words were never finished as he crushed his lips to hers. The hand that was on her cheek went to the back of her neck, pressing their faces closer. His other hand was cradling her face, tilting her so that he could have better access to her lips. He was still being careful to keep her under the water, surprisingly gentlemanly.

She moaned as their lips finally met, hands reaching up to claw at the collars of his tank top, practically pulling him into the bath with her.

He tasted like caramel, and Quistis wanted more. His tongue pushed beyond her lips and she eagerly welcomed it, deepening their kiss.

Pulling him closer by the straps of his tank top, she tugged upwards, slowly raising her body from the bathtub. Seifer got the hint and pulled them both up to stand, Quistis reaching the same height as him from the elevation of the tub.

She pressed her entire body into him, the suds dripping off her form and soaking his shirt. He was all muscle, in all the right places, his large physique fully enveloping her small frame.

He pulled back a fraction with a satisfied grunt. "Shit, Quistis, you su—"

She didn't reply, instead smashing their lips together again as she tangled her arms around his neck, practically melting her body into his, uncaring that she was naked. One of his hands snaked around her, resting on the small of her back to press her even further into him, if that was possible. She could feel his arousal pressed against her thigh and she whimpered slightly, before taking his bottom lip in her mouth and sucking on it, surprising herself.

He responded by pressing further into her, grinding slightly, but still keeping his hands in respectable places. Maintaining modesty despite the fact that they were making out in a bathroom and she was completely nude. It was clear he was holding back… Why was he holding back? Did he not-?

Ring. Ring. Ring.

He pulled back, interspersing his words with small pecks, his voice rough. "Shit… work…" Seifer was panting, but kept her gaze, the hand by her face pushing hair away from her eyes. "I'm sorry, that's my work ringtone… I have to-"

"I understand," she managed.

And like that, his warmth was gone and she was left standing in the tub, hands touching her kiss-swollen lips. Her legs were shaking from more than the cold, and all she knew was that she wanted to be kissed like that again.

Who would have thought it could be so intense. Kissing had always been a means to an end for her. But with Seifer…

She could hear his irritated voice from the other room. Suddenly feeling very naked, chilly, and vulnerable, she grabbed a large towel to wrap around herself before cautiously walking into his bedroom.

"Right now?"

Seifer was pacing, his white tank soaked from where her body had been pressed against his. She could see every contour of his chest and stomach through the fabric clinging to his skin. The front of his sweatpants were also damp, an impressive bulge making the heat travel from her belly to in between her legs.

Oh my…

He caught her gaze, an almost sad look crossed his features. "Okay. I'll be there."

Hanging up the phone, he tossed it on the bed before striding over to her purposefully.

"I'm sorry," Seifer murmured, before pulling her up by the chin for a chaste kiss. His hand lingered, before gently trailing down the side of her neck and tracing a line along her collar bone. He may as well have been branding her with that touch. "I have to go to work…" It was said with a kiss before he pulled back and rummaged through his dresser for something dry to wear.

He wasn't facing her and Quistis could see by his shoulders that he was trying hard to even his breathing.

"Stay as long as you want. Just… text me when you leave so I can set the alarm remotely for the apartment."

"Really?"

He pulled the wet shirt off his head before glancing over his shoulder. "Really. You're here for a bath, you should finish it."

The bath was not what she wanted to finish.

She made no move to leave the bedroom, instead watching him as she clutched the towel tighter around her body.

"Fucking timing…" he muttered, tossing the shirt angrily on the floor. One last quick kiss and he was off her before she even had time to react, grabbing his fresh clothes and heading towards the living room.

Quistis was left shivering in his wake, wondering just what would have happened had he stayed.

Did she want it to go further? It was hard to deny the answer. She wanted the feeling he had ignited in her to be quenched by him. She needed to feel that again.

That night, after she got back to her dorm room in Garden, Quistis found a text message on her phone. A message with two simple words.

Sweet Dreams.

Followed by a winking face.

Realizing that sleep was not going to come, she decided to go to the general-use kitchen of Garden. No one really used it, as people mostly ate in the cafeteria, so it was almost always empty, though they did keep the pantry stocked with basics.

She took out a bag of flour from the cupboard, and a glass jar packed with brown sugar. The butter in the fridge door was coated with crumbs, no doubt from some careless cadet slathering it on their toast, but if she sliced the top layer off, it would be usable. She inspected the eggs for cracks. They would do.

She set the mixing bowl down from the shelf, and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, staring at the ingredients. Seifer was right, wasn't he? When did she ever do something for fun? For herself?

So Quistis baked.

When she finally went to sleep that night, she had a smile on her face.

Less than two weeks later, Quistis came to a decision. She and Seifer had been texting almost daily. Innocent things. Asking how his exam went. Her mentioning that she had baked some things. Him telling her a particularly funny story about a drunk patron at his job. A picture of his shirt covered in glitter after "a work incident". A few mentions about the stress Rinoa was going through leading up to the wedding…

Never, though, did their messages contain anything flirtatious. Quistis almost wondered if the entire kiss in his apartment had been some bizarre fluke driven by her dream about him.

But every night, Seifer would still text her Sweet dreams. Always followed by a winking face.

After baking for a few hours every night, she had mastered the absolute perfect cookie. She had a day off, so, why not? The high-speed train to Deling City from Balamb took less than two hours.

Icebox tray in hand, Quistis went to Deling City with the intent of giving Seifer some cookies as a 'thank you' for the times she had used his bath.

And maybe, just maybe, she could use it again while she was there delivering the cookies. And more importantly, she might be able to get some answers.

She was about to knock on his door when it opened in front of her. Seifer had a confused, momentarily panicked look when he saw her.

"Oh… Quistis?"

He was dressed in a tight button-down shirt covered by a smart leather jacket and snug ripped jeans, and was stuffing his wallet in his front pocket. Obviously about to leave for somewhere.

"I—" Quistis shyly held up the box of cookies. "These are a thank-you. For, the bath."

Seifer reached out and grabbed the box, peeking inside the lid with a small smile. "You brought me cookies? Thanks." He stepped inside and placed the dish on the small table by his entryway, before coming back out to the hallway.

It was clear to Quistis that she wasn't going to be invited inside. "I should have texted you… you're obviously busy."

He looked good. And hurried. And… effortlessly charming.

"Yeah, I'm late for… a thing."

A thing?

He obviously wasn't going to invite her to whatever the "thing" was, and also wasn't going to offer up any more information.

Was he going on a date?

She cringed at the realization. Bahamut's Roar, he was clearly going on a date. How could she have been so stupid? So pitiful.

"Uh… next week. The wedding. I'll see you there, right?" Seifer offered awkwardly.

Quistis nodded mutely as he locked the door, before dashing down the hallway and taking the stairwell. He hollered a half-hearted apology and a goodbye on his way out.

She felt like an idiot. She was an idiot.

According to Rinoa, Seifer had a reputation as a bit of a player. He had an impressive rotation of admirers and paramours. And here Quistis was, baking that asshole cookies? Like some pathetic fan-girl? Thinking they had something special? Just how many other girls had been in that bathtub of his?

She thought their kiss had meant something. Apparently, not. He had been texting her all week, while planning a date with some other floozy.

Dejected, Quistis made her way back to the train station, to return to Balamb, determined to get Seifer out of her head.

She would see him at the wedding all right, and would have the chance to make it clear that all his attentions to meant nothing to her. Absolutely nothing. Sure, she may have briefly fallen for his little act, but it was momentary lust and nothing more. And that ship had now sailed as she was woefully reminded of the fact, that deep down, Seifer Almasy was still just as much of an asshole as ever.

Damn him.

Zell's waving arm directed Seifer to the stool that was reserved for him. "Dude, you're late! The game started already."

"I know, I know… I'm sorry." Seifer offered the apology without much substance behind it, sat down and accepted his standard micro-brew from the bartender.

Eying him up and down carefully, Zell smirked. "What, you have a girl over? You look awfully happy."

Seifer couldn't help but grin, though he tried to cover it with his beer glass. He was happy. And shocked. Quistis had baked him cookies. He felt like an ass for running out on her like that, but he and Zell had plans, and even if Zell was an annoying idiot, Seifer wasn't so much of an asshole that he would cancel last minute.

And there was no way he was going to miss the final match in the Dollet Cup.

Maybe he should have mentioned that to Quistis, now that he thought about it. But, he really didn't feel like explaining that he was hanging out with Zell Dincht of all people. He had a reputation to uphold after all.

"Something like that," Seifer mumbled, taking a sip of his beer and gluing his eyes to the television screen.

"So… what are we going to tell everyone at the wedding, dude?"

"What are you going on about, Wuss?"

Zell absently tore at the label on his beer, tearing it into smaller and smaller pieces. "About us. Like, what are we going to say to everyone?"

"We aren't a damn couple, Chicken-wuss. We're not debuting something. We don't need to say anything."

"But, we're friends now. And hang out."

"We are not friends. We happen to watch sporting events at the same time. I hardly see how that's going to come up at the wedding." Seifer rolled his eyes.

Zell huffed silently, likely counting in his head so as not to yell. "You're such an asshole sometimes, dude."

"I know, Dincht. I know."

Zell leaned over the bar and expertly tossed his now empty beer bottle into the recycling bin. The bartender had a new one in his hand before he even leaned back into his seat. "So… who's the chick?"

Seifer didn't say anything, but he couldn't stop the small smile that took root on his face.

"Damn. You must really actually like this one."

He did. Dammit it all, he did. It actually surprised him, even though it shouldn't have. He had always found her physically attractive; anyone with a pulse found her beautiful. But seeing her act so free at Richard's had sparked an itching curiosity. He wanted to make her happy. Without any ulterior motive, either.

He hoped it was mutual. Her kissing him was a good sign. He was extremely relieved that she hadn't gone radio-silent after their kiss. Hopefully he hadn't left the wrong impression with her that day. It was not how he wanted things to go down, and he was secretly thankful that their kiss had been interrupted.

Quistis Trepe was not a one-and-done type of woman, she was a class act. He should be taking her to dinner, or something. Seifer hadn't taken a woman on a date since Rinoa, and that was buying her an ice cream cone. Once. He never had to put in that much effort with girls to get what he desired.

But, Quistis was the type of woman who deserved to be cherished. To be worshiped. And he hoped he was lucky enough to have the opportunity to worship every inch of her.

Seifer had never been excited to see Squall in his entire life, but found himself looking forward immensely to Commander FuckBoy's wedding.

"Shut up, Chicken-wuss. Let's just watch the damn game."

Thank you to the lovely colobonema for acting as my beta on this, and helping with plot and all my annoying questions :)