(Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy or its characters. This is just for fun.)

Chapter 5 - Break Room

And it's back, Squall thought to himself while looking at the leather jacket that was slung over his office chair. He stood at the entrance to his cubicle and adjusted his tie. He hadn't been looking forward to going another cold Balamb day without his leather jacket, but thankfully he didn't need to.

Yesterday when he gave, wait no, LENDED his jacket to the receptionist during the fire drill, he thought she'd have it for 10 to 15 minutes at the most. He hadn't thought she'd take it like it was her own. Did she think it was a present?

Squall started thinking sarcastically.

Here's something I'd think you'd like, a used men's jacket. I know you're a petite woman, and it wouldn't fit you, but here you go anyways. It'd do you much more good than it'd do me, the man who purchased it for himself so he wouldn't be cold. I'm fine going around in my thin dress shirt, don't worry about me.

Squall shook himself out of his gruff mood. It was easy to get irritated when you were cold and wet. He also felt like he'd gone out on a limb yesterday doing something kind for a stranger. He felt that kindness had been taken advantage of.

No good deed goes unpunished, Squall thought.

But was it really a punishment to see Rinoa in his coat? He'd actually enjoyed it to a certain extent, maybe not as much as she had, but still. There was something sort of sexy about seeing her in his clothes. He wasn't sure why because it wasn't as if his clothes fit her correctly. His jacket looked extra big and bulky on her slender frame and the sleeves fell far over her hands. But somehow it was, if he were to be honest with himself, hot.

Was that strange or creepy? He hoped not. And who would know? He definitely wasn't going to ask Seifer or Irvine for any input on the subject. Squall figured he'd keep it to himself and try not to picture her in any more articles of his clothing.

Ever the pessimist, he reached out and picked up the coat to see if there had been any damage done by Rinoa. No scratches or stains. It looked the same. He went through the pockets, just to be sure. There was nothing there. It was fine.

What was he hoping for? For there to be damage so he could talk to her again. Or for her to leave her phone number or address in his pocket? He knit his eyebrows together at the realization that maybe he HAD been hoping for that. Most women wouldn't have done that, but Squall Leonahart had realized long ago that Rinoa was not most women. Actually it wasn't that long ago, he'd only known her for a few days now. Was this just her third day? It felt like she'd been there forever.

He continued to hold the coat and he suddenly noticed there was a difference. Was there a smell to it now? He turned and made sure nobody was around before giving it a brief whiff. He held it under his nose. He smelled a light women's perfume or shampoo and... he gave it a deeper whiff. Something musky and animal-like.

Dog? he wondered. His beloved leather jacket now smelled like wet dog. Great.

He threw the jacket back down onto his chair.

Squall looked down at the countertop in the break room with disdain. He'd been at work for a few hours and he needed a caffeinated pick-me-up, but he would have to make it himself first. There were coarse granules of sugar and clumpy bits of non-dairy creamer smeared across the Formica. He hated it when people didn't clean up after themselves. This was one of many reasons why he was glad he didn't have a roommate. At least when he went home it would be kept to his standard of cleanliness. And even if he made a mess, it would be his own mess.

Squall's hand hovered near a roll of paper towels. The mess bothered him, but it wasn't his. He paused for a few seconds before becoming frustrated with himself. He quickly reached out and took a paper towel before wetting it in the sink and wiping off the counter aggressively. When he was done, he threw it across the room and it landed in the corner wastebasket with a wet thud. He felt better.

He turned back around and attended to the coffee maker. He'd soon have a new cup of coffee. Then he could go back to his cube. He drummed his fingers on the countertop while staring at the scratched white cabinet in front of him. The coffee started percolating.

He heard footsteps behind him and his shoulders tensed. He hoped he wouldn't get caught in some sort of stupid work conversation about the weather.

He turned his head slightly to see who it was and his pulse increased.

The new girl was in the same room with him!

He gripped the countertop until his knuckles turned white and he kept staring at the cabinet in front of him. The coffee pot bubbled loudly. He turned slightly and caught a reflection of her in the shiny microwave door. She seemed lost.

How should I spend my mini-break? Rinoa thought to herself.

Rinoa looked around the break room to take in the sight. She'd been there before a few times, but not on her own. The room was drab and gray and used looking. She thought somebody should liven up the place. She was surprised Selphie hadn't done anything to it. Maybe there was a policy against it.

She noticed that there wasn't much in the break room beyond the usual. Small kitchenette, microwave, refrigerator, water cooler, and a table with chairs. It was pretty empty except for a guy who was standing quietly by the coffee maker with his back to her.

She gave the back of his head a closer look. His hair looked familiar. For some reason she could picture that brown hair dampened and flecked with tiny raindrops.

She nearly gasped out loud. It was Squall, the jacket guy!

She'd been thinking about him a lot since yesterday, and maybe her imagination had run off with her. She was a teensy bit nervous being in the same room with him now. Although she noticed that he looked less dashing and gentlemanly than she had envisioned last night while trying to fall asleep. Right now he just looked like an office worker making coffee.

She tried to calm down.

Rinoa had arrived to work extra early today so she could leave his coat on his office chair without having to talk to him. After what happened at the fire drill yesterday, she just wanted to avoid him for awhile. Although maybe avoiding him would draw attention to yesterday's weirdness. So maybe she should pretend that everything was normal and hope that he wouldn't mention anything about yesterday. As far as she concerned, once she returned his coat, no matter how belatedly, the awkward situation between them was officially over.

Today was a new day and she was going to pretend that everything was normal. Rinoa was just a normal person having a normal break, in the company break room. Normal. Acting normally.

Maybe she should calm down and have a snack, that was a normal thing to do.

She looked over at a wicker basket full of Phoenix's line of different energy bars. There were so many different types. She didn't know which one to choose. It was weird that she worked for this company, but had never even eaten one of its products. Luckily it hadn't come up in her interview. Now that she thought about it, her interview with Cid didn't seem very comprehensive or professional.

Well, she was hired, so it wasn't her problem now.

She looked at the shiny foil wrappers with cute cartoon mascots on them. The names weren't cluing her into what the flavors were. Maybe they all tasted the same, like cardboard or something. If they did, she'd be careful not to say that out loud at work. She didn't want to get fired. Although she still didn't know that was probably not possible.

She picked up one and looked over the wrapper. Weird looking green monsters stared back at her. Tonberries. Did it taste like berries? She picked up another. It had a firebird on it with feathers flying around it in a swirl. Phoenix Down. That didn't really explain the flavor. Mega-elixir? Chocobo-crunch?

"Do you have a favorite?" Rinoa asked while looking at the wrapper, pretending that they were on casual speaking terms and that everything was normal.

Is she talking to me? Squall thought while his shoulders hunched together in alarm. She had to be talking to him. There wasn't anybody else around. So the strange new girl was talking to him. Should he turn around?

What was his favorite?

You, he thought, somewhat to his own surprise.

"..." Squall didn't say anything to her.

Did he hear me? Rinoa thought. She lifted her head up and looked over at Squall's back. He hadn't even turned around.

"Do you have a favorite?" she asked again.

"Favorite?" he asked in a soft voice.

"Yea, do you like the taste of a Phoenix Down?" she asked. "Do you think I'd like it?"

The bars. She's asking about the energy bars! Squall thought to himself. Although he was relieved that she wasn't asking anything personal, or mentioning his jacket, the one she so obviously enjoyed yesterday, he was also slightly disappointed.

If he looking for another awkward exchange, he wasn't going to get it. It was just a work related question. The disappointment turned bitter in his stomach.

"They're revitalizing," Squall said automatically. "Bring you back from the brink."

"Yes, I can read the wrapper too," Rinoa said with a smile in her voice. He hadn't given her any information that the slogan hadn't already. "But do you like it?" She was just trying to have a normal chatty work conversation.

"I don't need to be revitalized," Squall said flatly, not looking at her and staying disengaged and distant.

"Are you sure you don't?" she asked without thinking.

What? Squall thought, feeling defensive.

He turned around to look at her. "Seifer is the salesman. He'd be able to tell you more about the product line." He was starting to get flustered by her again.

"But he's not here," Rinoa said teasingly while taking a step closer, "and I'm not asking him." She took another step. "And I don't need to be sold anything. These are free and I just wanted your opinion." She leaned her body towards him.

Rinoa, just be quiet, she screamed at herself. She didn't know why she kept talking like this to him. Be normal! He's a nice guy, who happens to be shy. Just leave him alone! And why was she walking closer to him?

"My opinion doesn't matter," Squall said with an edge, feeling her approach. She was so close now that he could smell her shampoo, it was the same sent that lingered on his leather jacket. "It has nothing to do with your likes or tastes," he said.

Why are you saying those things? Squall yelled at himself internally while his heart thumped in his chest. And why'd you bring up Seifer of all people?

Rinoa's back straightened at his response, and she leaned away from him. Not very friendly or talkative. Curt, rude, or just really awkward? She couldn't decide.

Maybe he wasn't as nice as she thought, jacket-giver or not.

"Wow, no wonder you aren't the company salesman," she blurted out, taking a step away.

What is that supposed to mean? Squall thought angrily.

Although he knew what that meant. He wasn't the smoothest at social interactions.

Squall kept his face still as he shrugged at her. He wasn't the salesman, that was true. He didn't pretend to be, so she shouldn't have a problem with it. Selling things wasn't his job. Spreadsheets and making the numbers tally up right was his job. As long as he didn't pretend any differently, there shouldn't be any problem.

Why would she complain about that? Was she trying to get on his nerves on purpose? He was starting to rethink whether or not he found her attractive. Sure, she was good looking, and he her hair smelled nice, but she was also weird. Sometimes she seemed timid and unsure of herself and other times she seemed oddly forward and pushy. He was getting confused by her. He decided that he was just going to get his coffee and leave the room and not think about her anymore. He had work to do.

"Next thing, you'll be telling me not to try ever eating one at all," she said while crinkling the wrapped energy bar in her hand absentmindedly.

Squall was stunned by her accidental admission. Did she just say what he thought she did?

"Try?" he asked. "You work here and you never tried one?"

Oops, she thought.

"What I meant was..." Rinoa said, trying to think of something.

Squall couldn't believe this. So this person got a job here at Phoenix without knowing anything about the company. And that wasn't her only problem. She couldn't read an email about an upcoming fire drill. She didn't have the sense to bring a coat with her when it was damp and cold outside. She also didn't have the courtesy to give a jacket back in a timely manner. And she didn't even have the judgment to keep quiet about not knowing anything about the company she worked for.

What was Cid thinking when he hired her?

He scrapped his plan to leave the break room with his coffee. He had to say something first.

"You went for an interview with a company without doing any basic research?" he asked in surprise.

Was he more surprised that she did that or was he more surprised that she got the job?

He'd done his research for the company before his interview. And before his second interview he'd even taste tested every single flavor just in case it was relevant to any of the interview questions. It wasn't, but he was prepared. He was always prepared.

But this new girl just seemed to show up and get a job without knowing anything.

Maybe he was trying too hard in life.

"Actually this one is my favorite," Rinoa said while grabbing one. "Nice and sweet," she added trying to cover for her earlier shortcoming.

"That one has chili peppers and caffeine in it," Squall answered flatly. She really didn't know anything about the Phoenix line did she? There were a lot of quirky flavors.

Chili peppers and caffeine? she thought in horror. That was so gross she forgot about everything strange that had happened yesterday.

Rinoa stuck her tongue out in disgust and looked down at the wrapper. So that's what was in the Phoenix Down? Fiery firebird with a punch of caffeinated energy? Gross. Was this bar some kind of hangover cure? Is that why college students ate these? Maybe it was a weird dare sort of thing.

"Yea, that's my favorite combo," she said unconvincingly.

"I doubt that," Squall said while looking straight at her.

How dare he?! Rinoa thought, angry at being called out on her obvious lie. Who was this guy? He didn't know her. She stood up straighter and put one of her hands on her hips. And this wasn't typical behavior of a shy person. A shy person would have just nodded at the lie and left her unchallenged.

"For your information, I put hot sauce in my coffee in the morning to wake up," Rinoa countered. Where did that come from? Why was she getting so argumentative? She wondered if somebody had turned up the thermostat, it was feeling hot in there.

"I'm sure it's your favorite combination of flavors, okay?" Squall said, not wanting to get in a stupid argument with her. He could clearly see her angry body posture, it was so obvious even he could notice it. He figured it was time to get going.

Squall looked around, his coffee in hand. He eyed the doorway to make a quick escape, but Rinoa blocked him. She wasn't done being angry at him. He shifted to walk around her, but she leaned in the same direction. He shifted again and she mirrored him. Was she doing this on purpose? He was just trying to leave.

The more they couldn't get around each other, the more ridiculous the situation got. At this point Rinoa really was trying to avoid bumping into him, but she just couldn't, they were synched. She went from being irritated to being amused. She started giggling at him. He moved to leave again and they couldn't get past each other. Now she was laughing so hard she was becoming out of breath.

"Wait, wait," she said. "Let me just," Rinoa said as she tried to let him by, but she accidentally stumbled and bumped into his coffee mug, spilling hot liquid all over Squall's white shirt and charcoal gray pants.

Squall jumped back in surprise and pain. The coffee just had been made and the liquid was near boiling temperatures. Rinoa gasped and covered her mouth.

"Oh! I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to..." she trailed off. She should have just left him alone. What had gotten into her?

"It's fine," Squall said while the pain burned through his chest. The dark stain was spreading through his shirt. The pain! And he wasn't even taking into account his crotch.

Rinoa ran grab a wad of paper towels, her earlier anger completely forgotten. She balled them up in her fist and splashed cold water over them in the sink before turning back towards Squall. She started blotting at his chest while he stood there still in shock.

"Oh no! I got your pants too!" Rinoa gasped, just seeing how much damage she'd done.

Squall reached out and grabbed the paper towels away from her before she could start blotting at anywhere more personal.

"I got it. It's fine," he said while turning his back to her. He hoped she'd get the hint and leave him alone. He kept blotting at his shirt, spreading the stain around. Now that the coffee had cooled off, he'd gone from overly hot to chilled. Goosebumps started appearing on his forearms.

"You've got to rinse that out or it'll stain your shirt," Rinoa said. "I can help."

Squall's face fell. She obviously wasn't going anywhere.

"I've had enough of your help," Squall said, his voice stressing the last word and going low. Crotch pain didn't improve his already sour mood.

She didn't know this man very well, but that came across to her as being overly harsh. Rinoa's eyes started watering. She blinked back tears, glad that he wasn't looking at her. She knew she'd screwed up, but it wasn't intentional. Sometimes people spilled things. Did he have to be so mean about it?

She turned her feet towards the door, intending to leave the break room. She felt guilty for ruining his clothes. Maybe she should just give up and leave him alone. She took a step. And then another step. Then she halted.

Actually no, she shouldn't leave feeling guilty. She was innocent, at least her intentions were. And he was a big stubborn jerk! She was just trying to help, and he better accept her help right now! Now that she'd thought it through, she was still angry, and that gave her strength.

She abruptly turned back towards him and tugged at the back of his white dress shirt, catching him off guard. His eyes opened in shock and he started tipping backwards. He tried to regain his balance, but she tugged on his shirt again, pulling him down. He rocked back on his dress shoes, hoping he wouldn't slip and fall. Dress shoes weren't known for their good traction, especially on glossy linoleum floors. She tugged again, and a button popped off and went flying into the sink with a few tiny clinks.

"Just let me help you rinse that stain out before it sets," Rinoa said, ignoring the damage she was doing. She actually wasn't the best at doing laundry, as she'd grown up with a maid who did those sorts of things for her family. But she'd seen a lot of TV commercials for laundry soap when she was watching dramas. She was pretty sure what she said was correct. She just had to get enough of his shirt off so she could angrily stuff it under the sink faucet.

What is happening? Squall thought.

Squall couldn't believe it. He felt like he was being physically attacked. His shirt was halfway unbuttoned at the bottom, skin showing. And if this girl had her way, he'd clearly be on the way to becoming completely shirtless too. At least his pants were on tight, for now. That was the nice thing about wearing a belt, it protected you from stuff like this. Maybe he should wear more than one belt if this girl continued to work here.

Squall leaned away from her, trying to edge away from the sink. If she didn't let go soon, this was going to turn into a shirtless wrestling match.

"Just stop fighting me!" Rinoa said with another forceful yank. Another button flew off. This time Rinoa actually noticed the button flying away. Her earlier surge of anger ebbed away and she realized what she was doing. What was she thinking? She looked up and met Squall's bewildered blue eyes and let go of his shirt.

"Maybe I got a little carried away," she said. Tears built up in her eyes. "Oopsies," she added.

She took a step backwards before turning around. Rinoa ran out of the room, the tears that had been in her eyes started leaking out as she ran. What was she doing? She couldn't believe herself. Right as she exited the room she nearly bumped into Quistis.

The last thing Rinoa remembered thinking as she ran past Quistis was that Squall had surprisingly toned abs. So ripped, so smooth.

As she heard Rinoa running down the hallway, Quistis stood there with her mouth hanging open, trying to understand the scene before her. While the wheels in her head turned, her glasses started to slip down the bridge of her nose. She noticed that Squall stood there with a stunned look on his face and too much skin showing.

Professionally speaking as the office manager, this didn't look good.

Author's notes: I had a lot of fun writing this chapter. Please read and review. (And thanks for all the reviews so far! They really make my day and motivate me to write more of this story.)