The Distance Between You and I

Disclaimer: All characters of FFVIII belongs to the talented people of Square-Enix.

Chapter Warning: None, just a little canoodling between the ever lovable cowboy and chicken.


The Distance Between You and I

Chapter 3


Monday morning was always a bad time for reflections. Especially when you’ve got a pile of paperwork leftover from the previous week sitting and staring at you accusingly. Seifer turned his chair and swept his eyes over the no longer awe spiring view. Being the boss had many perks, refusing to work was a major one. When three distinct knocks sounded on his door, the blonde groaned and retracted his previous comment. Being the boss allowed him to refuse to work… just not when he had a secretary called Quistis Trepe.

Without waiting for permission to enter, the Iron Maiden of Secretarial Department came strolling in. With her hair parted severely and pinned up in a bun, clear blue eyes hidden behind large round-rimmed glasses, Quistis would managed to pass fairly well if she ever decided to pose as headmistress of old Victorian Lady’s colleges. With a loud thump, she piled a few more files and folders upon the growing pile of tree carcass. Before she could demand him back into signing endless amounts of dotted lines, Seifer flashed his cute puppy look, reserved especially for his secretary.

“What do you want?” She asked, crossing her arms over her chest. Perhaps she needed to have more respect for the hand that feeds her, but Seifer Almasy wasn’t the type to demand meaningless brown nosing. Quistis was more than glad Seifer judged her based on her capability and efficiency.

“Can I ask a question?” In reply, Quistis raised a refined eyebrow. “Am I losing my touch?” The stricken look on Seifer’s face was so out of place that even Quistis had to laugh. At her light chuckle, the blonde looked up with a glare before dropping back into temporary depression.

“I presume things didn’t go well with Rinoa?” she asked, after managing successfully to stifle her laugh.

“….no.” the usual egotistical man threw both hands up in the air in a sign of frustration and continued. “The girl told me she loved me! Can you believe it? I’ve only known her for about a week!” He recalled the moment from the weekend and frowned in disgust. “She threw a drink in my face! But no, that’s not the problem.” He stopped, waiting for the strict woman to probe further with bated breath. A few moments of tapping her foot later, Quistis surrendered.

“So what IS the problem, then?” she asked flatly.

“… I met a brunette… called Squall.”

“Good. Now sign on the dotted line of pages five to ten after you’ve read them.” Seifer looked up in stunned silence, almost ready to pull rank and demand the more serious blonde to give sympathy.

“How is that GOOD?!”

Calmly adjusting her glasses. Quistis resumed her indifferent pose. “For starters, you won’t be chasing after Rinoa, so now you can work. Secondly, you’re still in the office which means you’ve decided not to chase after the brunette, so now you can continue to work. And Lastly, if I assume correctly, Squall is a man so that keeps you AWAY from my little brother.”

“Your brother is cute.”

“Shut up and sign the dotted lines.”

“What was his name again? Bill?… Dill?”

“It’s Zell, and don’t think you’ll be getting within a ten mile radius of him.” Seifer smirked and waved a hand in humour. Protective fires were burning brightly in the secretary’s blue eyes and he didn’t want to anger her further. It’s not a good thing when you get suspicious about the presence of cyanide in your morning, lunch and afternoon coffees.

“I’m only joking. He’s jailbait anyway.” The tall woman took a long audible breath and smoothed down her meticulously pressed navy suit. “What’s my day like?”

“You’re scheduled for an eleven o’clock with Laguna Loire from Esthar Technology Holdings.”

Seifer raised an eyebrow. “Loire? Sounds familiar.”

“Of course he does. President Loire made Trabia Times cover last month for humanitarian work.” Seifer whistled, watching as Quistis dug out the month old magazine from under a stack of newspapers and financial reviews. Laguna Loire wasn’t what anyone would term as a hardcore and weathered businessman. With his long black hair loosely gathered at the nape of his neck, white dress shirt rolled up at the sleeves and donning one of the most goofy and kind smiles Seifer had ever seen, one wondered how the older man ever managed to climb the corporate ladder to presidency.

“He looks young.” He commented.

Quistis scoffs, a rare action for her by any means. “Don’t let the look fool you, Sir. Apparently Laguna Loire is pushing forty. Extremely good at negotiations, I think people fall for the easy going thing.” She rounds the large desk with measured steps and began tapping at Seifer’s computer, pulling up several files. “I sent the data to you last week.” Finding what she needed, the blonde continued giving the simplified version of background info. “Here it is, Kiros Seagill and Ward Zabac. You should watch out for those two. They’ve been with Loire since the beginning of the company. Loyal, cunning and adores their glorious leader. They’ll be there during the talk.”

“Thanks Quisty. You’re a lifesaver.” When Seifer saw the small smile twitch at the corner of the stern woman’s mouth, he couldn’t help but pushing the button. “Let me take you out sometime, maybe you could bring Zell along.” Having long figured out that retorts usually only seem to encourage the obnoxious blonde, Quistis turned on her heels and marched out the door, though her ears still managed to catch Seifer’s humoured laugh.

***

After almost a whole day of constant verbal negotiations, drafting and redrafting of contracts, cups coffees, teas, then handshakes and pats on the back, Seifer was ready to call it a day. As Quistis had warned him, getting past Laguna Loire hadn’t been easy, but getting past his unusual looking second-in-charges were even harder. Still, the seemingly goofy characteristics of the older man along with the quiet strength of his assistants left Seifer with good impressions. The final contracts turning out to be relatively fair from both angles. Dragging his weary head back into his office, he noticed the doors to his office opened by a crack. When he moved closer, a soft moan halted his stride and sent him glancing stealthily through the gap with a severe case of curiosity. Though most people would have cried out in shock and disgust, Seifer only chuckled lightly to himself before kicking the door open with a bang.

“Kinneas! Stain it, and you buy it.”

A yelp and several thumps from fumbling bodies later, Irvine Kinneas, a cowboy by reputation and accent only, sat unabashed with his pants around his ankles and hiding the bearer of crazy blonde hair under his arm. Seifer thanked the higher powers that the man had enough decency to not display his manhood, even if they had been friends forever.

“Quistis is going to kill you, cowboy” And himself, thought the blonde. Zell looked up from his hiding space and relaxed when he saw it was only Seifer who had stumbled upon their more intimate moments. With gravity-defying blonde hair, lineless tanned skin, exotic tattoo caressing his left cheek, a tight body and an endless source of stamina, Zell was satisfaction guaranteed. If it weren’t for loyalty to his friend and of course fear of retribution from his secretary, Seifer would have tasted the energiser bunny a long time ago. Clad in a hoodie and loose denim shorts, Zell shifted closer to Irvine and helped the man put his suit pants back on. They made an odd couple. Though Zell was more level-headed and serious than most hormone driven teenager just turned eighteen, he was still excitable and easily entertained. On the other hand, Irvine, twenty-three this year; dressed in the freshly crinkled suit that screamed money, looking as though he just stepped out from a boardroom, was cool, calm and slightly jaded. If it wasn’t for the knowledge that the two had been necking since Zell was sixteen and now obviously doing more than that upon the younger man reaching the age of adulthood, Seifer would never have thought the two as an item.

“Relax darlin’. I won’t stain your couch. My baby here can take everything I’ve got to give.” Irvine winked his unusual violet eye while Zell blushed in record time.

“Don’t be vulgar.” Said Seifer, mockingly reprimanding. “Where Quistis?”

“She went to get some lunch.” Volunteered the youngest of the three men, attempting to battle the blush with thoughts of his sister rather than what else he could be doing right now. Seifer, being Irvine’s best friend and all, had known about their relationship right from the beginning. In fact, he’s helped more than once in making sure Quisty remained oblivious.

“So what do I owe the pleasure of my favourite couple?” Seifer saw Irvine, and occasionally Zell, quite often; but the cowboy never comes to his office without a request in mind. Since Quistis could walk through the door at any given moment, it was a more favourable option to get to the point. He took a seat on a chair facing the couple.

“You’re being too suspicious for your own good, blondie.” Irvine grinned, flashing pearly whites. “We’re simply here to cordially invite you to a celebration in name of the two years your ‘favourite couple’ have spent together.” Making speech marks at the words ‘favourite couple’.

“In that case, I feel most honoured and --” In mid-bend of his mock bow, Seifer stopped and consider the invitation. “….since when did any of chicken’s family know about you two?” While Zell cringed, not only at the hated nickname, Irvine merely shrugged his shoulders.

“Well, I guess they’ll find out on the day.”

“You’re going to be a dead man, cowboy.” Seifer looked across at the younger blonde, “and you’re gonna end up as battered chicken right along this idiot.”

For a moment, Seifer considered and thought he could’ve used more tact. But hey, his intentions were good. Looking between the odd couple, he conceded one of them must have gone insane. Who in their right mind would tell the Dincht family that their son who just turned eighteen was having raunchy sex with a twenty-three years old pervert? A rich pervert certainly, but still a pervert and a man.

“Listen,” said the soon-to-be dead cowboy, very calm considering his impending death, “they’ll have to accept it one day. If we do this privately, then we’ll never see each other again. But if we blow this out into the open, then there’s nothing his family can do but smile and concede. Even if the smile is only from the lips out.”

Seifer dropped his head into his chest and saw Irvine’s point. There was no doubt that Zell’s family would grab him and run. Even if Quistis could see the point, she alone can’t convince her family to let the two do what they want. Sighing, he scratched his short blonde hair.

“I see your point.”

“So you’ll come.”

“Of course.”

“Great! I’ll send the details to you later in the week.” Before either party could move, loud, high pitched electronic music flooded through the room. Zell dug out his cell from a deep pocket and flipped to pick up the call.

Running through the usual phone pleasantries, a few yeah and no exchanged, Seifer turned his attention sharply when a single syllabled word caught his ear. The brief conversation finishing so quick, it left the blonde wondering if he had heard it at all.

“You know a Squall?” He directed the question at the tattooed blonde.

“Sorta.” Sensing his short reply to be unsatisfactory, Zell continued. “He’s the new guy at Garden, the club I part-time at.”

“Skinny brunette with grey eyes?”

“Yeah. Why?”

Seifer couldn’t contain the mouth-splitting smile that pushed its way to his face. Two pairs of eyes stared at him strangely, but the blonde decided not to explain until he bagged the aforementioned brunette. It was fate, he decided, dropping a big fat present in his lap, probably apologising for messing up his weekend fun. He needed to get rid the couple to think and get a plan of action.

“I’ll let you guys go then.” He mumbled bluntly, and herded the confused couple out his door. Right before letting them go though, he couldn’t help at a last jab.

“Hey Chicky! What the hell are you listening to these days?”

Zell stalked off in a huff, leaving Irvine in the dust while the cowboy laughed instead of defending his honour.

***

When Quistis came back from a very late lunch. The office was empty and quiet, leaving her to wonder on the whereabouts of her boss and confused as to why people told her Zell was here. She sighed, plopped herself back into her seat and re-directed all calls to her phone.

TBC……..

AN: So, thanks to everyone who wrote a review. It’s very encouraging when you’ve just started a story, made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. I know there wasn’t much action in that last chapter but bare with me okay? I promise there will be lotsa luuuv between Seifer and Squall later on. R&R if you like it!