Author's note: I do not own Final Fantasy VIII or its characters. This is set after the game and is a sequel to Bittersweet.

Take Her In Your Arms

Seifer was not a romantic. Ask anyone. Yes, there was that one incident with the movie The Princess Bride, but that was the exception, not the rule. Besides that movie had some incredibly good sword fights. Still, he wanted to do something special for Quistis for White Day. Seifer knew that she'd been having a hard time lately, and truthfully, he hadn't seen as much of her lately as he would have liked. There were times when Seifer wondered why she was still at Garden. They didn't appreciate her, overworked her, and generally took advantage of her. However, convincing Quistis to leave the only home she could really remember would probably be impossible, and Seifer knew better than to try.

None of that helped him with his White Day dilemma though. There was also the traditional flowers and candy, but Quistis wouldn't really have the time to enjoy the flowers before they wilted, and truthfully, he didn't know what candies she preferred. A stuffed animal just seemed silly. That really left jewelry. That was a gamble though. Seifer rarely saw Quistis wear jewelry other than earrings. Given what she did for a living, it really wasn't all that practical. Still, it would be something.

At this point, Seifer was just wandering in and out of the shops along Balamb's waterfront area, hoping to find something. He walked into a place that was half a bookstore and half a boutique. There was a display of reading glasses and fancy chains to wear them on that caught his eye. Quistis constantly wore her glasses because she couldn't read without them, though her distance vision was fine. He knew that it was pain for her to put them down some where and not remember where they were later.

The woman behind the counter was an older woman who reminded Seifer of Matron. She coaxed him into telling her why he was shopping and then helped him find a glasses chain that was gold and accented with pale green and blue beads. Then she started asking questions about Quistis. When he mentioned she had long hair, the woman led him over to another display.

"She might like these then. The hair sticks are great for putting your hair up, and they'll keep it in place during most activities. They're also a little prettier than an ordinary hair clip."

Seifer ended up buying to sets of those as well. The shopkeeper wrapped everything for him, and Seifer was simply left with figuring out how to give Quistis her gift. He was seriously considering just kidnapping her for a night out. Seifer didn't think that she'd had a break in the last two weeks. True it was midterms, but that really was no excuse for them not to give her a break. If anything, she deserved more free time because of it. He frowned wondering if Quistis had been taking care of herself. There were times when she got so caught up in her work that she forgot to do things like eat.

With that in mind, Seifer decided that bringing Quistis lunch would probably be the best way to get some of her time. He showed up at her office the next afternoon bearing gifts and lunch for them both from a local café. Quistis looked up from her paperwork with a frown that softened when she realized who it was.

"Hey." She offered him a smile. "I don't have a lot of free time today, but I could take a fifteen minute break."

"How about you take your lunch break instead? I brought food."

Her blue eyes lit up. "Really? I'm starving, but I have to get through these papers by four."

Quistis moved her papers out of the way while he set out their lunch. It was simple fare: a salad, pasta, and bread, but it was still warm, and Quistis seemed happy enough with it. They didn't talk much while they ate. Once the main meal was finished, Seifer produced dessert: raspberry chocolate cheesecake. The look in Quistis' eyes was completely worth the trouble of finding it at this time of year.

"You are the best person I know," she said reverently as she took her first bite.

Seifer laughed. "You say that now, but the next time I piss you off, you'll forget all about this."

"Then maybe you shouldn't piss me off. Ever think about that?"

"But you're so cute when you're riled."

They continued their banter as Quistis got back to work, and Seifer took care of the remains of their meal. Finally, he set the wrapped package on her desk and nudged it towards her. Quistis picked it up with a raised eyebrow.

"What's this?"

"It's a present, silly."

"I can tell that. I mean what is it for? It's not an anniversary or my birthday."

It occurred to him that in the hecticness of her work, Quistis had completely missed the date.

"It's White Day, Quisty."

"Oh." A light blush tinged her cheeks. "I didn't realize."

She carefully peeled away the paper to reveal the box, and then just as meticulously, Quistis unfastened the lid and pulled away the top layer of tissue paper. Her eyes lit up when she discovered the hair sticks, and she flashed him a brilliant smile.

"These are perfect. My hair's gotten so long that my clip keeps popping open when I try to put it all up. Thank you so much, Seifer."

Quistis came around to the front of the desk, so she could kiss him, and Seifer pulled her down into his lap. She leaned into him with a sigh, resting her forehead against his. Seifer smiled up at her.

"Feeling better, Quisty?"

"Mm." She sighed again. "I need a vacation. Just you, me, and a beach some where far away from people."

He ran a hand through her hair, further loosening it from its clip. "The orphanage is almost completely renovated. Matron won't be moving back for another few months, but I'm sure she wouldn't mind us staying there for a little while."

She bit her lip. "I don't know when I could get away."

"When was the last time you had a vacation, Quistis?" Her hesitation was all the answer he needed. "You have more than earned a break."

"All right. How does two weeks from now sound?"

Seifer closed the distance between them and kissed her. Rinoa chose that moment to walk into the office. The couple parted, and Quistis was blushing a dark rose. She tried to get up, but Seifer tightened his grip on her waist. He was sick and tired of tiptoeing around the rest of Garden. He loved Quistis. They were just going to have to deal with it.

Seifer raised an eyebrow at Rinoa. "Yes?"

"I didn't realize Quistis was busy. I can come back later." She beat a hasty retreat.

Quistis dropped her head onto his shoulder with a groan. "I give it fifteen minutes before Squall shows up, and the two of you get into a fight."

He laughed. "You know how to keep that from happening? You play hooky and spend the rest of the day with me. We'll be gone before he knows it."

Seifer could see her considering the idea, and given the wistful look in her eyes, it was something she was very tempted to do. Deciding to make the decision easier for her, Seifer rose to his feet and tossed her over his shoulder, heading for the door. Quistis put up a half hearted attempt to escape, but the fact that she was giggling throughout it told him she didn't really mind. With a smirk, he headed out of Garden. Maybe it wasn't the most romantic of gestures, but he was fairly certain he had given Quistis a White Day to remember.