Disclaimer: Something There is from Beauty and the Beast soundtrack.
Heads or Tails?
Chapter 16
"Dammit Seifer, you're not suppose to see her!" Xu yelled, piercing him with narrowed eyes.
"I'm just—!"
"GotoutgetoutGETOUT!" Selphie quickly pushed him out of the door before he could even breathe to say another word.
Quistis quickly turned to glance at him. Although Xu blocked her front making sure Seifer wouldn't see her, she could have sworn she saw his gaze glued at her with bewildered expression. For that fraction of a second, when their eyes met, she felt her heart stopped and leaped out her chest.
As soon as Selphie closed the door, he swung it open, but to his misfortune, Selphie slammed the door right back hitting him hard on the face.
"GOOD FOR YOU!" Selphie blurted in contemptuous tone.
"Dammit Selphie! You'll pay for this!" They heard Seifer yell from behind the door.
Seifer rubbed his face to soothe the pain, his face steaming with anger.
"Heh, kicked out by the ladies?" Irvine suavely chuckled, holding in a bigger laugh.
"Darn director, she just had to hit me!" he grumbled, this time his hand massaged the bridge of his nose. "I left my key card inside. I can't get in my room."
"Let the ladies' man handle this, I'm sure it's all in the words." Irvine confidently volunteered. He turned the knob and let himself in—just half-way through the door, he was literally kicked out of the room by an infuriated director. "Hey!" He cringed when he saw Seifer sniggered at his failure.
"Quick! Lock the door!" They heard Xu's commanding voice from behind the closed door.
Selphie quickly did as she was told.
"—You were saying?" Seifer teased in a slightly mocking tone.
"Er..."
Just when Seifer was about to break into a laughing spree, Rinoa busted the door open and strode to Seifer with his key card.
"Selphie orders you hurry up and get dressed, our final dress rehearsal starts in fifteen minutes."
"I could have been in costume fifteen minutes ago if it weren't for you taking forever to dress Quistis up!"
"Oh, don't get all cocky. We're just making sure you choke on your words every time you'll look at her later." Rinoa teasingly winked.
"Surprise me." He dared with arrogance then took off with his key card.
o O o
At the stroke of the fifteenth hour, Seifer entered the auditorium with Beast's clothes, less the fur. A flamboyant crimson cape draped down his shoulders partially covering the white long-sleeved linen top and baggy black slacks underneath. Without the facial hair, he didn't resemble anything like a beast, calling him Prince Charming would be more appropriate.
He made his way through the crowd, eventually making his way up the stage. Immediately, Quistis' white gown rimmed with silver beads caught his attention. Calling her beautiful would be an understatement; she was the epitome of a reincarnated angel, goddess, and anything beyond human level. The sight of her made him gulp, he just swallowed the words he dared Rinoa earlier. He was choking without even speaking.
"ALRIGHT! Everyone, we're starting in twenty seconds!" Selphie's voice echoed throughout the whole room, "Anyone who's not Seifer or Quistis scram out of the stage! We'll start with the scene where Belle is tending Beast's wounds after his battle with the wolves." she said turning to the two casts left on stage, "No props, this is just a warm up, we'll get to the ballroom scene after this, and that's twenty seconds! Action!"
Seifer looked at Quistis with an astonished face, he couldn't afford to speak, not while his heart was racing in between beats. It was the first time he saw her in costume, the one she wore for the photo shoot a few weeks ago was nothing, this was IT, the one which made his feeling burn with passion. For a moment, nothing came out of his lips, just the heavy breathing of catching his breath.
"Uhmmm...anytime today Seifer!" Selphie barked from below the stage.
Quistis giggled blushing as he stammered to say his lines, for how could he possibly argue with an angel, much more yell at her. Taking the initiative to break the ice, she took his arm and pretended to be nursing his wound. After all, who could choke lovingly at a beast?
"Here now, don't do that." She meekly said trying to catch his arm as he tried to avoid her contact. "Just hold still." She added in a slightly commanding tone and in the next second, he groaned pushing her back.
"THAT HURTS!" He tried to sound angry, but it was evident in his eyes he regretted his tone.
"If you'd hold still, it wouldn't hurt as much!" she said with forced emotion.
"If you hadn't run away...this...this..." He struggled to recall his lines.
"This wouldn't have happened!" Selphie reminded him, waving him the script.
"This wouldn't have happened." he restated, monotonous.
"If you hadn't frightened me, I wouldn't have run away!" It was obvious, she was acting better.
"Well..." he opened his mouth, but he met her gaze at he went blank again, so he closed it and looked at Selphie.
"You shouldn't have been in the west wing!" she yelled his line with narrowed eyes gaping at him.
"Y-you shouldn't have been in the west wing..." another line said monotonous and uncertain.
Quistis looked at him with tentative eyes, trying to figure out what was bothering him, before she delivered her line. "Well, you should learn to control your temper!"
He took her words personally and frowned. Failing to hand her his hand, she took them instead.
"Now hold still. This might sting a little." She warned in a warm voice that he again failed to wince or groan, instead, he just stupidly looked at her as she gently caressed his arm with a pretend cloth.
"By the way, thank you." She softly whispered, making an effort to have eye contact. "For saving my life."
Their eyes transfixed and his heart stopped. He realized he was supposed to say something when she pinched him softly on the elbow.
"Yeah, sure..." he muttered scratching the back of his head.
"YOU'RE WELCOME!" Selphie was infuriated by his lousy acting and blank memory. She rushed up to the scene and slapped Seifer several times on the shoulder. "What the heck is wrong with you! The play's tomorrow and I can't get let you get out there acting like a numskull!"
Finally, getting a grip on her hand, he tossed her a miserable look, "Give me five minutes, I'll work this out."
Caught off guard by Seifer's almost pleading voice, she coincided, "A'right guys, let's take five!"
When Selphie got down the stage, right away, Quistis dragged him to the back stage with apparent worry.
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine." He murmured, avoiding her eyes.
"Because it doesn't seem like it." She held his chin for him to turn at her. When he did, she cast him an enigmatic expression of concern.
His eyes widened at the sight, he gazed at her with careful eyes, his lips partially opened and curved to a smile. The way she found him looking at her with such admiration made her blush and feel goose bumps all over. After a long moment of contemplation, he felt lightheaded; that was when he realized that he had forgotten to breathe.
He took a sudden air and choked.
"Really, are you sure you're okay?" Her face seemed to question more than just the choke.
"Yeah, don't worry." He coughed, his gaze still locked on her face.
"What was that about?"
"You'll be surprised." He said, giving her a crooked smile.
It seemed like his choking had brought him back to reality. Released from Quistis' enchantment, he was able to finish the rehearsal will less fidgeting. The rehearsal ended right before 7 in the evening, several hours earlier than their usual schedule. They needed their rest, they needed to take time to freshen and relax their mind for the next day, they had come a long way and it was finally high time they show the world their hard work.
o O o
Tic…
…Toc…
…Tic…
…Toc…
Seifer looked at the clock on the pink wall…a quarter pass eight. In those few seconds he was sitting there, he couldn't help but wonder why he felt so anxious about tonight. He had been observing as the second hand of the clock revolved around its axis and never did it pass one number that he could stop himself from thinking about her.
"Seifer?"
He spun around and finally met her gaze again after losing her for a minute. He smiled, but didn't say anything.
"Thank you for the bouquet again." Quistis smiled back as she smelled the cluster of flowers she had just placed in a vase. "It's really beautiful." She added with another delighted smile before placing the vase on her desk.
Seifer looked at the dozen long stemmed red roses in front of him and felt flustered about the thought of overdoing it with his little gift.
"Just consider it my advance congratulation for tomorrow's success...less the spiders." He mumbled scratching his nape and glancing at the roses.
She chuckled at the cuteness of his response, and then got down to business. "Speaking of, did you bring your script?"
"About that…"
She sighed, "We could share mine then."
"Yeah, sure."
She gave him her script and sat down on the bed, eyeing him as he sat across the room on her chair.
"So, which part should we rehearse?" She finally spoke when he didn't speak after a minute of glancing at the paper.
He found it unfair how she managed to keep her script so well, while his was swarming with stains and wrinkles.
He jerked up when he heard her speak and answered with the first word he saw,
"Snow."
"What? The scene at the snow?" she asked again, perplexed.
He felt stupid, but stood by his word. "Uh-huh, you know, the one with the snowball fight."
"Aren't we just supposed to adlib that part? Or are you expecting me to sing?" She folded her arms apparently sensing another prank.
"I just wanna hear you say those words out loud." It sounded like a joke, but it was honest.
"Why?"
"Because they always come out muted when we're on stage." He explained making an effort to sound earnest.
She raised a suspicious brow, "Alright…" she paused to see his reaction, he made a sincere beam.
"There's something sweet, and almost kind…but he was mean an he was coarse and unrefined." She felt weird about saying the line out loud this time, but it felt good to have actually spoken it for a change.
"Quis?"
She was cut short when she heard him call out her name.
He was staring at the window and saw a drop of rain hit against the clear crystal. Slowly, one by one, the drops came down until it started to droop down the edge with its weight. What seemed like a shower became a strong downpour of rain.
"About…about what happened at Balamb…" his words trailed off with the remorseful stare at the rain and the hard clasping of his fists.
"I'm pregnant."
Seifer jumped to his feet with utter disbelief causing the chair to topple behind. Nothing in his sane mind could he possibly fathom any delighted understanding to her notion, a simple "Ack!" escaped his lips as a sign of an uncalled for surprise—unsurprisingly.
"I got a pregnancy test, and it was positive."
"H-h-how?" he stuttered.
"We're having a baby!" she smiled.
"WHHHAAAAAT?" He fell on his butt, unable to think how to react at the news.
She began to laugh at Seifer's petrified expression.
"I'm kidding."
"Fuck you!" he blurted, still choking.
"Didn't you already do that?"
"I DIDN'T have sex with you!"
"Are you sure?" She seduced him by opening the first button of her white collared top.
He took a step back and gulped. "The hell are you doing!"
"Testing my trust." She smirked in a low-sexy voice, then swayed her hips towards him and pushed her knee between his thighs the moment she reached him.
He stiffened at the contact but quickly reacted by drawing himself back and turning away with a palpitating heart to match his urges. He knew she was testing him, she said it herself. He had to stop his maddening hormones at all cost.
"Shit! Don't give me a heart attack tonight, or you're gonna have to face Squall as Beast tomorrow!" he threatened watching her through his shoulders.
She laughed again, falling back on her bed with an air of giggles. "That's right! You wouldn't want to see us kissing on stage now, would you?"
"What in Hyne's fucking name is happening to you?" he finally spun around to look at her that she might see the confusion in his eyes.
She sighed and sat up.
"I'm just trying to shake off the tension."
He sighed back and left the air hanging in silence. He too felt the tension, but the play wasn't what was bothering him right now, he could die on stage for all he cared. He wanted to hold her hand to give her a sense of comfort, but felt himself still unworthy of even facing her after what he had done. He turned away to watch the water drip on the window, his face subdued to a serious frown as his finger travelled in circles on the glass's haze.
"I still can't forgive myself for what I did to you…."
"Seifer…" She called his name to stop him from saying anything more, but couldn't really find the words to add besides a frown.
It was obvious in his eyes, the anger and the regret was there and he wanted to punch himself for it. He gritted his teeth and looked at his reflection with disgust. He had to let her hurt him. He wanted her to beat him to a pulp, let her drag him through flaming coals and stab him mercilessly for what he has done. Although she seemed to be trying to forget what had happened by never mentioning about the topic, the burden of his conscience never stopped to sting him with guilt.
There she was, with all the trust in the world, and there he was, abusing that trust.
He couldn't understand…how someone could be so kind to him.
He couldn't fathom…how someone could not hate him, like he deserved to.
Unable to resist, he took her hand and forcibly made it swing to his cheek to slap himself. The hand and the cheek made a hurtful sound at the contact.
"Slap me." He ordered with a tone and face to match his pleading.
"No…" She shook her head and pulled her hand back.
"Please…"
"No."
"Please."
"Seifer…don't…don't make me do this."
"I don't know why you put up with me after everything." He finally gave up when he saw her eyes almost teary. Instead, he looked at the floor and balled his fists again in frustration.
She was silent for a second, but found the right words to say.
"I put up with you…because of everything."
"Why?"
At that instant, he saw her smile, looked out the window and took his hand. He was thunderstruck at the response and couldn't say anything.
She dragged him out of the room and ran through the corridors as if running to catch the train. He trailed behind and simply watched her blonde hair swaying with the breeze in front of him as he tried to keep up with her pace.
His eye widened when she took a turn and ran into the pouring rain. She kept on running, wet to the bones, until finally, she stopped.
She looked at the sky, squinting as the rain kept falling on her face.
There he stood in front of her, just as wet, mesmerized at the woman in front of him.
She tilted down her neck to face him, and beamed a most wonderful beam.
"You made me live."
He felt his knees weakened at her words. He wanted to laugh out loud, he wanted to squeeze her real tight, he wanted…to kiss her.
Quistis started to hum a tune, a familiar one, more familiar than he had thought when she started to sing. "There's something sweet, and almost kind, but he was mean and he was coarse and unrefined."
She didn't have the voice of a diva, but nonetheless she was beautiful, and even more beautiful when she was singing.
"The hell are you doing?" he giggled, but he wasn't at all teasing, he was amused to see her so elated.
"I never really finished my line." She replied pausing her tune, then continued on as she held his hand and began to dance, "But now he's dear, I'm so unsure. I wonder why I didn't see it there before."
He laughed at first but began to sing as well when he sensed her waiting.
"She glanced this way, I thought I saw. And when we touched she didn't shudder at my paw." He twirled her, making her wound up in his arms. His voice was as beautiful as his face, deep but lucid, and she realized it was the first time she heard him sing. She looked up at him as she felt him breathing hard, and her smile subdued into a blush.
He looked down and untangled her from his arms when he suddenly felt strangely enchanted by her gaze again. Although he tried to shake off the feeling by giving an effort to keep on singing, it wasn't as bold, but it wasn't as unfeeling.
"No it can't be, I'll just ignore…but then she's never looked at me that way before."
Her cheeks burned with emotions that she took a step back, her voice almost whispering her line as she clasped herself after feeling the chill had seeped in to her skin. "New and a bit alarming…who'd had ever thought that this could be…" She turned around and started to walk away, her face flustered, but continued to sing the song, though this time in her head. "True, that he's no Prince Charming…but there's something in him that I simply didn't see."
She was about to make a quiet exit, brimming with the emotion of falling further in love when she felt as cold splash of water chilled her back.
She stood still, and another spray of cold water splattered at her back. She shook her head and spun around.
SPLASH
"SEIFER!"
He laughed real hard to see her began to shudder at the cold…or perhaps it was rage.
"We're supposed to have a snowball fight after the song right? There's no snow, but this rain should do." He yelled as he kicked another flurry of rain puddle at her.
Comprehending the logic behind his playfulness, she laughed and kicked back at him a big puddle of water causing it to splash all over his face and perchance even in his mouth.
With that move, the Puddle War began.
They chased each other under the rain for several minutes before Seifer caught up with Quistis and pinned her hand down on her back. Tired from running, she didn't fought back, but instead knocked her back on his chest and surrendered.
She felt his chest inflate and deflate on her back and it relaxed her. At that point, the rain has worn down into a drizzle causing a calming sound of light raindrops pouncing about the ground.
"I need to hear you say one more line for me…" Seifer murmured to her ears.
"Which one?"
"The one you say to turn Beast into a prince charming."
"Which is…?" she played dumb, but wasn't dumb enough to know where the conversation was going.
"I…"
"I what?" she played again, but felt flushed when his voice tingled in her ear.
"…Love…"
She tightened her palm, while the other reached out to hold his face behind her. She didn't turn around to face him, her heart was beating hard and slow much like how she felt his reverberating on her skin.
After a brief silence, she began to whisper,
"…I…"
At her cue, he twirled her around and made her face him, staring at her with a silent but waiting face.
"…I…" She repeated herself, this time as she was already looking at him.
Was she going to say it?
She was quiet a moment, but her eyes never departed from his.
She gulped and slowly smirked, "I blah-blah you."
"What?" He stared perplexed into those teasing eyes of hers.
Was she fooling around or did he just heard her wrong?
"I blah-blah you." Quistis started to giggle. "Isn't that what Selphie told me to say to you to break the spell?"
He giggled as well. After all, she was dead-on.
"Just when did you become this spiteful?" he interrogated with a twitched lip.
"Ever since I had to deal with you." She grinned.
"But tomorrow's words…will be different right?" he asked as he drew her face closer to his.
"Yes…" she nodded, not resisting what he was trying to do.
"If you say them…" he inched their faces closer, "Will you mean them?"
Her eyes arched a little.
"…Yes."
"Quis?"
"…Yes?"
Soaked with rain, he could see her bare skin beneath the white fabric which had clung tight to flatter her curves. He slowly knocked his temple against hers, breathing slowly as he felt the warm air she was exhaling blow against his lips, while his hands gradually travelled beneath her top to feel the warmth of her belly. She didn't stop him, she didn't want to, his warm hands on her was the most comforting thing she could feel under the freezing rain. She responded to his gesture by wrapping her arms around his waist and inclined her face to stare at his intent eyes. At less than an inch of distance between his lips from hers and their noses already touching, he at last leaned in and kissed her just beside the lips then drew himself back just as quick.
"I have to go." He mumbled, released all contact from her, his ear hoping to hear his name be called out, or his hand be pulled, any sign to stop him at all, but she didn't figure out that split second when he stood still, so he strode out of the rain leaving her silent and dripping wet.
o O o
A few hours more before the play, about close to midnight, Seifer stood alone on stage. His hair was still wet and frizzy from the shower, but he felt refreshed after changing into dry-comfortable clothes.
His mind couldn't stop but wander back what happened a few hours ago. Quistis under the rain and beautiful as ever though dripping wet, them, singing under rain and splashing at each other puddles of water, her, saying 'I blah-blah you', him, feeling her breath as their faces inched in closer…and him, almost making a move.
He slid his hand into his pocket and felt the ring cold against his skin.
He couldn't do it after all.
He raised his head and looked around. The backdrops were already set, costumes hung at one corner, the props piled up at another corner of the auditorium. It was silent, as if practice had never even happened a few moments ago.
He felt shivers run down his spine; he was nervous about the play…but even more nervous about what was to happen right after it. He sat on one of the prop box and held the mirror he would be using tomorrow, the magic mirror that he would make believe could show him anything his heart desired. He smiled at the thought when Quistis came to mind.
His heart's greatest desire.
"Got butterflies in your stomach?" A familiar voice called out from below the stage.
He waited to see the man at full before giving him a reply, "More like giant moths."
"Don't worry, I got them too." Irvine said as he ascended up the stairs holding his hat.
"What's up?" He casually asked placing the mirror on the box then stood up in greeting.
"Oh nothing...just checkin' if you're mentally prepared for tomorrow's big debut." He teased.
"If sanity was an issue, Selphie wouldn't have picked me as Beast." He said, sarcastic.
"Can't back out dude…remember the contract?"
"Oh yeah…miss the part, eat my fart."
"Hahahahaha! That Sefie thought of a good one."
"Some bitch she is." Seifer snickered, but it was good-humoured.
"Having second thoughts?" Irvine added an instant later, "Seriously, what's going on with ya? You seem a little off lately. I mean, what's up with all the extended pauses and missed out lines when you do a dialogue with Quisty? You never had that problem before." his question pressed concern and curiosity.
After a reflective silence, he answered, "It's nothing...I'll get over it."
"Then get over it by tonight. You can't go out acting like some autistic tomorrow. It's gonna be a big show, everyone's gonna be expectin' something big."
"Ever since—" he cut himself off like something got up his throat. He wasn't sure if he should say it at a very critical time; he mustn't get distracted. That's what he thought.
"Ever since what?" Irvine repeated, his tone bordered on scepticism and interest.
But Seifer dismissed the question and simply shook his head in disapproval.
"This stinks!" Irvine grumbled, then walked up to Seifer and said in all seriousness, "Seifer, I want you to know that I'm out here to make sure everything's gonna be okay for Selphie, just as you are out there to make sure Quistis'll be fine. The reason why I came out here's to make sure you don't mess up what she's been workin' so hard for. C'mon dude, tell me what's bothering you?"
There was a moment of complete silence. He took a deep breath and sighed. He knew exactly what Irvine was talking about. Just like him, he'd hate to see Selphie's hard work fall down to a disaster. He placed his hands on his pockets, gripping the ring again, and sat back down on the same box which stood a few steps away.
"Remember four days ago when I went to Balamb with Quistis, Zell and Xu?" he shifted his gaze away from Irvine and onto the darkened seats of the auditorium. He couldn't look at him, not with what he was about to confess. "Something kinda happened between me and Quis—it's not what you think—" he made sure he stressed that out "But ever since that night, whenever I look at her, I can't expect myself to think. It's like there's no sense in anything else BUT her." And for what was probably the first, he blushed, "She made me fall that much."
"Dude, if you're so in love with her, why not just tell her! It WAY overdue!"
"I can't...not with the play and all." He backed off, "...maybe next time."
"You're just making up excuses and being a coward."
"Shut up, the hell do you know!"
"Well let me think...I know that this is the first time you really took your time to think things through, and probably the first time you choke on a woman...you must really love her that much." He said with a smile.
"I thought I could…" he pulled the ring out of his pocket and showed it to Irvine. "…but it turned out, I couldn't after all."
Irvine was taken aback, he was that serious. "At least you went that far with it. What's stoppin' ya?"
He took a deep breath and sighed. "D'you think nineteen years is enough to make you decide who you wanna be with your whole life?"
He smiled, "At this point? A second is all it takes." and then abruptly suggested, "Tell you what, let's toss a coin—"
"Woe there—I'm not letting a damn coin decide for me!"
Irvine let out a peal of laughter at his remark. "It's not gonna decide for you, it's gonna help you make up your mind." He took a coin from his pocket. "Here's the deal, heads, you propose tonight, tails, you propose at your own time."
He looked at the coin on his finger. He was putting the fate of his 3,000 gil AND 50,000 gil over a single penny.
He looked at Seifer and the ring he was holding.
Perhaps, it was worth it.
Besides, he has nothing else left to do but push Seifer…he knew too well that was all it would take, after all, it was already pretty clear, the two had already fallen in love.
Undeniably in love.
Seifer never got the chance to respond when Irvine suddenly tossed the coin.
As the coin flipped, suspended in the air, at that brief moment Seifer realized what Irvine meant. He suddenly knew what he was hoping for, what he was wishing for. He realized that the coin, heads or tails, it couldn't possibly decide for him; for whether it fell on the ground heads, tails, or for some reason disappeared, it would no longer matter, he knew what he wanted. He knew had fallen madly in love with her, and he wanted her to know. He didn't wanna lose her…he wanted to be with her,
Forever.
The coin, though for him defied gravity for from the moment it was launched to the air and flipped on its sphere, it was possible for him to reflect on a thought which took him forever to come into terms with, gave him enough time to decide. But just like every coin, it was still bound by reality and fell to kiss the ground on one side.
Tails.
Sneak Preview:
A Fairytale Ending
Chapter 17
After all the scenes had been done with passion, this was it, she was about to speak the line Selphie never permitted her to say until they stood on the final stage. Belle was supposed to say 'I love you' to break the spell. Since it was such a big deal for Quistis to say those words, even when acting, Selphie made it her decision not to let her speak the line throughout the rehearsals as well as the big kiss and saved it for the actual play for it to have a real impact, not just for the audience, but also for the two.
She looked at him; his seemingly lifeless body looked so real, she wished it were true. If she said those three words, for certain he would be alive enough to hear it. Her sobbing took a while, she was gathering the courage to say it and at the same time, with authenticity…not that she needed to pretend. After some time of taking deep breaths to calm her nerves, she took the deepest and exhaled all her tensions.
It was time.
A/N: Almost there! The next chapter will be the last chapter for this fic...This fic is just something I found myself obligated to write to fill in a gap in me ever since I decided to drop my first fic, "I Think I've Finally Learned to Love You More" which I plotted with 40+ chapters! So you have no idea how hard it was to cut it in half! But this is one fic that I surely loved doing that I guarantee; I have put in a lot of passion to write the whole thing. I hope you have seen that. As for the next chapter, I made it a point to make a closure for some of the elements I wrote in earlier...though I wasn't able to place in everything because I really don't know how to present it well...I hope you'll be okay with that. Hehehehe...