Author's Notes: Slight AU, set before the seed exam but Selphie and Irvine are there and Quistis is still an instructor.

I smiled at the girl in the flower shop at Balamb as I collected up the things I had brought. Seifer and I had been invited over to Ma's house tomorrow I wasn't looking forward to it. On many occasions I had gone house cursing Seifer's name, telling her how much I hated him and now I was dating him, I knew she worried about me, probably thought I was cracking up or something.

Raijin and Fujin had arrived back from their mission earlier today, Raijin had always bullied me with and without the tall blonde so I was hesitant to approach him. Especially after what Seifer had told me about him having a crush on me I definitely didn't want to be alone with him. I had seen the strange pair in the hallway, I knew Seifer hadn't had a chance to talk to them yet but I was unable to escape. The albino girl had sneered at me and the large dark man had stolen my crutches throwing them into the fountain. I stamped my good foot at him and yelled some obscenities before telling him that I knew about his crush on me. I was so funny to watch the colour drain from his face and that stupid grin to disappear. I told him I knew about his crush on little old me and asked him if he thought I was hot. After a few blissful moment of peace and quiet he started to follow me around like a love sick puppy confessing his undying love for me and telling me how he thought we'd be great together at very moment. I had yelled back that I wasn't interested and I had a boyfriend but he didn't believe me so now here I am hiding in Balamb until Seifer gets back from all day monster training.

I had so been looking forward to that. A whole day of hunting monsters just a group of cadets and two instructors. For some reason the headmaster wouldn't let me go even though I told him I could keep up and attack the monsters with my crutches. It was obvious now that I didn't need them as they still lay in the fountain out of my reach and Raijin seemed to want something in return for fishing them out for me. I hadn't told Raijin about me and Seifer because I knew he wanted to do it himself but I had been tempted. How did he think I would be interested in him anyway? I mean picking on me because he likes me is really lame…. Except Seifer cause that's different for so many reasons like- err- Seifer's very hot unlike Raijin and the guy towers over me more than the tall blonde and lets face it he's not the sharpest pencil in the box is he? And the guy carries a staff for hyne's sake, that's a very manly choice of weapon. Seifer has a gunblade a very shiny one too, it's strangely a turn on to see someone banishing a sword covered in sweat and monsters entrails.

I blinked, realizing I'm standing in the middle of the street with a developing hard-on while small boy holding a red balloon stared at me. I frowned at the smiling blonde kid and quickly shuffled away towards the café where I was meeting Seifer. It was 4:00 so Seifer should be back soon. I stared out of the window and ordered a couple of hotdogs and chips, I had had to skip lunch because of that idiot. My food arrived and I was half way through a hotdog when a small group of cadets passed the window telling me that the monster hunt was over. A couple of girls came in through the door and waved at me.

"Hi Zell, shame you couldn't come with us it was really great fun."

Her friend just smiled. "You waiting for Seifer?"

I nodded.

"It's strange you two being together I never saw that happening."

"Neither did I." I told her.

The girls moved to the food counter, a lot of people had been shocked about Seifer and I and everyone asked me about it as if I planned it or something.

I looked up with a grin when the tall blonde came in the door.

"Hey." He greeted, grinning and leaned across the table to kiss me but I leant back quickly. "You smell terrible!"

"Thanks Chickie you say the nicest things." He dropped into the chair opposite me.

"What the hell happened to you?"

"I fell into a pile of T-Rexuar shit."

I stared at him. "And you were going to kiss me?!"

He grinned. "Took the Instructor with me though."

I chuckled. "Bet Instructor Trepe was pleased."

He smirked. "Apart from the smell it was the best." He looked over at me with a frown. "Where are your crutches?"

"Long story."

"We came all the way to Balamb without them?!"

I pointed a finger at him. "Before you said having a go at me this is all your fault!"

He raised an eyebrow. "My fault?"

"Yeah, Raijin and Fujin came back today and I've been trying to avoid them all day because I knew you wanted to tell them yourself."

He opened his mouth to say something but I cut him off.

"I accidentally ran into them and Raijin threw my crutches into the fountain and after loads of abuse thrown at each other I told him that I knew he had a crush on me."

Seifer slapped his forehead. "What? Why? That won't discourage him!"

"Well I realize that now! He's been following me around all day like a love sick puppy and he refuses to get my crutches back for me unless I do something for him first, I'm afraid to ask what."

"So you're been hiding here all day?"

"Pretty much, he made me skip lunch too."

The blonde smirked at my plate. "So now you're making up for lost time huh?" He moved to steal a chip but I slapped his hand away.

"Get your T-Rexuar shit hands off my food!"

He laughed. "You should have just told them."

"But you said you wanted to tell them yourself."

"Yeah but not at your expense."

"I told Raijin I wasn't interested because I had a boyfriend but he didn't believe me."

"Of course he didn't, when have you ever had a boyfriend?"

I frowned and tried to think of past relationships. There was the library girl I dated her for two weeks before I realized I really didn't want to sleep with her. Since then there had been the wonders of gay porn on the internet and random fantasies about different people, Squall, Irvine, Seifer but never Raijin.

I snapped out of it to see Seifer smirking. "Can't think of any huh?"

"Shut up Seifer." I hissed, adding. "Does gay porn count?"

He laughed, grabbing my hand from the plate of chips. "Maybe sometime you'll like to show me some of the things you've learnt from gay porn Chickie."

I swallowed hard from the way he was looking at me but then it was gone and he pulled back casually as if he was asking about the weather.

"Now eat up so we can go sort your Raijin problem."

I nodded and stuffed the chips into my mouth quickly.

We walked through the garden gates and I pointed out my crutches to Seifer.

"You really need a shower." I told him for the fiftieth time.

He pulled my crutches out of fountain getting quite wet in the process, I took them from him and I started to rub the handles dry with the sleeves of my shirt.

"Thank you." I told him.

Someone angrily shouted something followed but two voices arguing. Me and Seifer watched in shock as Selphie ran out of the quad with tears in her eyes. I had never seen Selphie cry before she was too happy, too laid back to get wound up about things. I narrowed my eyes at the cowboy who followed, calling after her. They headed in our direction. Irvine reached out a hand to grab her shoulder but she lashed out, slapping him around the face.

Seifer and I winced. "That's got to hurt." The tall blonde muttered.

Selphie ran past us, Seifer reached out and grabbed Irvine as he tried to go after her. "Leave her alone yeah? Before she really gets annoyed and puts you in the hospital."

He was exaggerating she had done it before, not to Irvine to a 6ft Galbadian who wouldn't let her fight because she was a girl and called her sweetheart a lot.

I folded my arms at the cowboy. "What have you done now?!"

"Nothing!"

We gave him a look.

"Well this girl kissed me and-"

"You kissed another girl!?"

"She kissed me!" He insisted.

Seifer rolled his eyes. "Couldn't fight her off, huh? Didn't encourage her at all?"

The cowboy looked a little sheepish. "I'm a flirt but that's all, I never would have kissed her back."

"Sure about that?"

He put his hand on his heart. "I swear on my life."

"Did you swear on your life for Selphie?"

He hung his head. "She said my life wasn't worth much."

I shook my head and heard Seifer sigh. I clapped hand to the cowboy's shoulder. "She'll come around."

He didn't look too sure, he frowned. "What's that smell?"

We both turned to Seifer at the same time. "I'll go have that shower then." The blonde walked away.

"Wait!" I called after him. "You can't leave me, what if you-know-who turned up?"

"Stay with Irvine, I'll come find you when I'm done."

I watched with uncertainty as he disappeared.

"Who are you afraid of?" Irvine asked.

"I am not afraid! …. I'm just a little- worried about Raijin that's all." I turned to Irvine. "Come on you look like you could do with a drink I have some in my dorm."

"Trying to get me drunk are you?" He teased.

We rounded the corner and ran straight into my new enemy. My eyes widened and I turned to run or limp quickly but a large hand landed on my shoulder.

Irvine glanced nervously between us. "What's going on?"

I made a very unmanly sound when I was lifted into the air and placed over a strong shoulder. Legs flailing desperately, Raijin had one arm up to stop me getting away.

"There you are, you know. Been looking everywhere for you, you know." He grinned at Irvine. "Zell here's my new lover, you know."

"What?!" I yelled.

Irvine looked very confused. "Oh, I thought you and Se-"

"Shut up Irvine!" I hissed.

The large man pasted the cowboy. "Me and Zell are off to make babies now, you know. He'll see you later, you know."

As I was carried away I yelled franticly. "IRVINE! HELP ME! GO GET SEIFER!"

We moved through the dorm hallways getting lots of strange looks but no one stopped to help me. Raijin had put a large hand over my mouth after I had called out to several cadets.

"RAIJIN!"

I tried to look up when I heard Seifer's voice.

"Seifer? You're back?!" The large man's eyes lit up.

"Raijin man, what are you doing?"

He shrugged. "Nothing."

I cried out when he promptly dropped me to the floor and hurried over to see his friend. I saw Seifer wince when I was dropped. I gently straightened out my legs both the good one and the broken one.

I heard Raijin rant on at his friend about everything that had happened but Seifer pushed past him and knelt beside me. "Are you okay?"

I put an arm around his neck as he helped me get to my feet. "Fine considering I've just been dropped." I glared at Raijin.

My crutches had gone again probably left behind where Raijin had first grabbed me. My leg hurt to put weight on it again so we moved slowly with Seifer's arms around me. Raijin gave us both confused looks. After a few painful steps the ground disappeared from under me but this time I was in Seifer's arms.

"Raijin, think we need to have a little chat." The blonde told him.

Irvine told the lift to the second floor after seeing Seifer sort out the Raijin thing. This time of day the second floor was deserted, he needed some peace and quiet to think. He passed the classroom, hearing sound inside he looked in. A figure jumped from the front of the room.

"Oh Instructor I'm sorry I didn't mean to scare you."

The blonde woman shook her head. "I heard you and Selphie broke up I'm sorry."

"Oh we didn't break up, we just had a fight that's all."

The instructor packed up her things on the desk to take away with her. "Really? That's not what she said.

"Y-You spoke to her? When?"

"In the hallway, she looked really upset. She said she was sorry that you two had had to break up but you liked other people."

The cowboy quickly shook his head. "That's not true! I have to go find Selphie."

The blonde grabbed his arm. "I don't think she's in the mood to talk to you now, leave it till tomorrow okay?"

He hesitated. "I don't know."

"If you see her now you'll just make the situation worse."

He nodded. "You're right Instructor, thank you." He leave the room and went up to the end of the corridor. The blonde woman smiled slightly and walked to the lift.

When the doors opened Selphie stood there. "Instructor I was looking for Irvine, sometimes he sitting up here."

The blonde smiled. "I haven't seen him recently, sorry maybe he went into Balamb or something."

"Maybe I wanted to talk to him, I think I was a bit hasty earlier."

"So you haven't broken up?"

"I hope not. I don't think he meant to kiss that girl."

The blonde scoffed. "You really believe that? He's a player Selphie, they don't settle."

"But-"

"You've seen how he is with girls, always flirting, teasing." She sighed, glancing at the strangely quiet girl. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you."

"Maybe if I just talk to him."

The blonde smiled. "Maybe, you should go find him then."

The brunette smiled back. "Thanks your help Instructor."

Tbc

EVIL, EVIL QUISTY!

I like evil Quisty!

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