A/N: I apologise for the long foreword, but I wanted to explain a couple of things:

1) I originally wrote this series of short pieces for the 7snogs ("snog" means "kiss" for those unfamiliar with British slang) prompt community on LiveJournal. The seven prompts are: Uniform, Jealousy, Embrace, Sunset, Rumour, Argument, and Milk. In addition to using the prompt, each story must contain or mention a kiss in some form.

2) I've had an idea for a long time for a modern-day AU Seth/Eirika story. I thought it would be fun try see how well I could parallel elements of TSS and its character dynamics in a modern setting. I imagined the story would take the form of a series of linked short stories. This collection became a sort of dry run to see whether it would be feasible and interesting. These are far more scattered in terms of time frame, covering about seven years from first to last. I still don't know if I'll ever write the longer one, but I thought these shorter ones were amusing and so I'll post them one by one in case anyone else should happen to find them amusing as well.

Uniform

Seth always wears a suit: black, navy or charcoal, but always a suit and tie. In all the years I've known him, I've rarely seen him in anything else. It's his uniform– his armour, I sometimes think. And it has been since he turned in his policeman's uniform and came to work security for Renais Enterprises like his father had. His father had been our head of security... until he was killed protecting my dad. I was twelve when it happened; Seth was twenty.

So Seth turned in his badge for a suit and took on the role of protector of my family. Sometimes he has regular office duties, but when he works as a bodyguard he puts on his sunglasses and his expression changes. It becomes cold and impassive so that you'd never guess how truly kind he is. When he's working, his gentleness is replaced by a stony ferocity. At the office, he leaves off the sunglasses and his features relax, but always the suit seems a sort of barrier. I think I was seventeen the first time I saw him in anything else.

It was Friday night and I was wandering our office building looking for Ephraim. It was only out of sheer desperation that I checked the company gym. Ephraim had taken to working out when he'd turned sixteen (to impress girls, I'm almost certain), but I'd never done more than walk past a gym, even the one in our building.

For a moment I remained frozen in the doorway. It was long past closing and the offices were nearly deserted. The gym was no exception, at least at first glance. I was about to turn and leave without bothering to walk past the myriad odd-looking exercise contraptions, when I heard something from within. I took a tentative step into the gym. My footfalls were painfully loud on the hardwood floor. The rows of exercise machines called to mind nothing less than a torture chamber– though perhaps a bit shinier and less damp and dreary.

"Ephraim?" But no sooner had I called out than I spotted the source of the sound.

Seth was seated at one of the exercise machines– something for his arms– and I couldn't help but stop and stare. Instead of the suit I was so used to seeing him in, he was wearing a grey tank top and a pair of navy shorts. I could see the muscles in his upper arms and forearms flexing. There were beads of sweat on his brow and trickling down his neck.

He stopped as he noticed me there. "Miss King?"

Suddenly too abashed to meet his eyes, my gaze flitted downwards– only to be met with a glimpse of his thighs, which weren't quite covered by his shorts when he sat. I could feel my face flushing at the sight of this sudden expanse of skin. The only safe thing seemed to be to look at his face.

Seth's brow was crinkled. "Is there anything wrong, Miss King?"

"No. I– I'm just looking for Ephraim."

"I haven't seen him. Have you tried paging him?"

I held up Ephraim's cell phone and pager, which I'd been carrying around for the past twenty minutes. "He left them in my office," I explained. "I'm certain he hasn't gone home yet, though, but I can't find him anywhere."

"Do you want me to help you look? I can change and–"

"No," I cut in. It was so like him to offer, but even though a part of me relished the thought of having an excuse to be in his company, I hated the idea of imposing on him when he wasn't working. He already went beyond what was required of him according to his job description. He'd always been like that, just like his dad. "No, it's fine. You're off-duty, right?"

"Even so..."

I smiled. He was so dear that way. "Don't worry. I'm sure I'll find him eventually."

"If I may ask, Miss King, why are you here so late? I wasn't aware your father was such a slave-driver."

I couldn't help but laugh. He delivered the line deadpan, but I could see the slight twitch of his lips as he did. People said he was so serious, humourless even, but I knew better. "Tana's coming in for the weekend but her flight got delayed so we decided to hang around here for a while."

"She didn't take the private jet?"

"Her dad was using it," I said vaguely, checking my watch for the time. He chuckled and I titled my head to look at him. "Is that funny?"

"I'm sorry, Miss King." But he was almost smiling– it was so obvious. How could other people not see this when they looked at him?

"It's because I'm being blasé about a personal jet, isn't it?"

He shrugged. "I've worked here for years and yet... It's difficult for someone like me to imagine having an airplane at my disposal."

"Oh. Well, yes..." I checked my watch again just to have an excuse not to look at him. Wealth was something I'd grown up with and I hated to think I was stuck-up about it, or worse, that Seth thought me so. "Why are you here so late?" I asked to change the subject.

"Natasha's working a late shift at the hospital."

I felt a twinge of jealously when he spoke of her, his girlfriend. Even then I knew it was silly. I was a high school student with a summer job in her dad's company, too young to even walk into a bar or to vote. Seth though... he was an adult by all standards. He had a real job and a girlfriend. And they probably... They must be... It rankled me to think of it. But in the end, he was twenty-five and I was seventeen and still not much more than a child in his eyes.

"I thought I'd get some things done here before heading home," he continued. The thought of him alone in his empty apartment weighed on me. I always had friends or family around if I wanted company.

"So... you're going to be all alone?"

This earned a chuckle. "I think of it as having a quiet evening to myself."

"Do you come here often?" I suppressed a groan at the way it had come out, like a cheesy pickup line. "To the gym I mean..."

"A few times a week after work," he replied. "I also run every morning."

"Oh wow," I blurted and instantly wanted to kick myself. I'd met his girlfriend. Natasha had poise; I had "oh wow."

Seth shrugged. "I wouldn't be of much use as a bodyguard if I weren't in shape." His humility only made him dearer to me. It seemed profoundly unfair that I should be so much younger, that I should be such a child compared to him. I didn't feel like a child save when abashment got the better of me. And the way I felt when I looked at him, there was nothing child-like about that.

"I guess I should get going then," I said finally. "I'll leave you to finish your workout."

"I was just about done anyway," he said, as he got to his feet. "Are you sure you don't need anything?"

Aside from you? I chided myself for the thought, once more keenly aware of the wealth of exposed skin on display by his outfit. I was so used to his suits, to the way they disguised the lines of his body, and to the way they seemed to conceal his smiles as well.

"No, I'm fine," I said. And then, amazed at my own daring, I kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you for offering, though."

"It's my pleasure, Miss King," he replied, quite unaffected by my affection. It was to his credit really, but rather frustrating for me. "I suppose I'll hit the showers then. Goodnight, Miss King."

"Goodnight," I squeaked, for the image of Seth showering had taken hold of my mind and I felt embarrassingly tingly all over. As I watched him disappear into the men's change room I couldn't help but think that perhaps I ought to start working out now and then. If Seth were here the exercise equipment might not look quite so intimidating... and I'd get to see him out of uniform...

To this day I credit Seth for the excellent exercise regime I began in my teens.