Author's Note: No, not that "nectar of the gods" - though it is still amusing. Written as a short, funny blurb for the Successor Challenge 2017's extension.

Quistis tapped the end of her red pen on her desk, counting the seconds as they ticked by. Another long night grading exams, though if she were being perfectly honest, that wasn't even the part that was bothering her; she was used to long nights spent in the glow of her desk lamp, papers strewn across her desk.

It was the company.

Across the classroom, Seifer sat in the centermost seat in the front row, directly in her line of sight. She could hear him tapping away at the keyboard, his gaze focused solely on the console monitor. Every so often, he would let out a frustrated grunt, followed by frantic hammering of said keys.

If only she could do the same.

A few minutes later, he all but pounded his fist on the console, muttering a curse word under his breath. With a long, strained exhale, Quistis rose to her feet.

"Seifer, please try and refrain from destroying the equipment."

"Well, this piece of Hynedamned shit is—"

"Language."

"I'm trying to tell you this thing is broken!" He jabbed a finger in the direction of the computer with a heated glare.

"All right, all right. Let me see." She moved around her desk, eventually coming to a stop just behind his chair.

Trying to maintain a professional distance—which was difficult, given Seifer's broadness and the fact that, even with glasses, she needed to be relatively close to the screen—she leaned in, tracing her finger along the navigational pad. When she tried to submit the short essay he'd been working on, an error code popped up.

Beside her, Seifer gestured at the computer. "See? I told you."

Another sigh left Quistis, though this time it was short and under her breath. "Tell you what. This is a little unprecedented, but why don't we take a short break so I can call the tech department, and you can stretch your legs."

"Can't we just run through this thing? I got plans."

"No, Seifer, we can't just 'run through it'. After this, you still have the written portion."

"Hynedamnit," he muttered under his breath.

"Perhaps instead of skipping lectures, where we often include in-class exam time, you could show up, and therefore wouldn't have to make up exams after-hours," she suggested in a dry tone.

He snorted, and she responded in-kind with a roll of her eyes. Quickly, he stood, causing her to back up a few steps. "I guess I'll take that break then."

Without another word, he sauntered towards the door. She crossed her arms over her chest and called out, "Seifer."

At the sound of his name in that tone, he squared his shoulders, clearly tense. Slowly, he pivoted on his heel, facing her again as he waited for her to speak.

"While I call the tech department, could I ask a favor of you?"

"You can, yeah, but whether I'll do it for you is a different story," he retorted, crossing his arms as he tilted his chin up ever-so-slightly.

Quistis had to bite her tongue against what she really wanted to say, and offered a strained smile instead. "While you're on your 'walk', would you mind stopping down in the Cafeteria and getting us some coffee? It's late, and I'm sure you're just as exhausted as I am."

"I thought I couldn't have food or drinks at the consoles?" Seifer quipped.

"If you bring me said coffee, then I'll agree to keep this between us," she offered.

He raised an eyebrow. "Wow, Instructor. I'm surprised that you're willin' to bend the rules."

Again, she rolled her eyes before shooing him with her hands. "Please, go? So I can make that call and hopefully allow us to finish sometime before midnight?"

"All right, all right, I'll be your damn errand dog and go get coffee." With a nonchalant, almost dismissive wave, he was out the door.

As soon as the door let out a hiss of finality, Quistis breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, some peace and quiet.

With leisurely steps, she returned to the seat behind her expansive desk, sinking down onto the leather with eagerness. After taking a deep breath in an attempt to re-center herself—after all, Seifer's presence in the room was much like an invading storm—she reached for her phone, dialing the tech department.

Thankfully, despite the late hour, someone was still in. She explained the issue, and was told they'd be up in a few minutes to help. It wasn't until she hung up the phone that she realized she could simply have Seifer move to a different terminal.

In her head, Quistis envisioned the end result of that conversation. Telling Seifer that he'd have to re-write his essay would likely not sit well, and she cringed at the prospect of yet another argument with him. Resigning herself to being there well into the late hours of the night, she picked up her red pen again, figuring it would be a waste of an opportunity if she didn't attempt to grade a few more exams.

She'd only gotten through a few questions when the telltale hiss of the door signaled someone's entrance.

"Oh, good, that was quick. It's—" She was cut off by heavy footfalls, and a familiar gray trenchcoat came into her vision. When she looked up, Seifer was standing in front of her desk, two paper cups in-hand.

"It's just me with your damn coffee, is what," he quipped, narrowing his eyes in annoyance.

Embarrassed, Quistis pushed up her glasses before rising to her feet. "I thought you were the—"

"Yeah, I know who you thought I was," he said as he handed her one of the cups. "I take it that means they haven't shown up yet."

"I only made the call a few minutes ago, which is why I had thought it was quick."

Seifer took a sip of his own drink as he glanced behind him, before meeting her gaze again. "Well, what do we do in the meantime?"

"I . . . suppose you could move on to the written portion, if you were finished with your essay."

"Yeah, I was. The error thing kept poppin' up when I tried to hit 'submit'."

"All right, then." Quistis set her coffee down to smooth her skirt. "Let me grab the exam, and you can sit anywhere else in the classroom, if you'd like."

"Does that include here?" He pointed at her desk.

Equally surprised and confused, she said, "I'm sorry?"

When he spoke again, he inserted an extra pause in between his words that set her nerves on edge. "Can . . . I . . . sit . . . here?"

"At my desk?" she asked.

"Hyne, Instructor, I know it's late but it ain't that late. Yes, can I sit at your desk?"

"Certainly not." She folded her hands in front of her, staring at him with cinched brows.

"I meant here," he said as he stomped one foot, "on this side."

"Oh, I see," she muttered. "I . . . suppose, if you really feel so inclined."

"I do." He turned, dragging over a chair from behind the first row of consoles. "It feels stupid sitting three rows away from you when we're the only two people in the room."

After shoving the chair in front of her desk, he plopped down onto it, looking for the most part as if he had no cares in the world, let alone this exam. In fact, if she hadn't been sitting there, she was quite sure he'd prop his boots up on the desk with no qualms whatsoever.

Feeling slightly uncomfortable, Quistis gingerly sat back down opposite Seifer. She reached for her coffee cup as a form of comfort, cradling it between her hands. The warmth was reassuring, but she found that for whatever reason, she felt strange taking a sip while he was staring at her.

Oh, for Hyne's sake. It's just coffee. She raised the cup to her lips, intent on taking a sip.

"Instructor?"

Startled, Quistis jumped, spilling a drop on her crisp, white blouse. "Oh, for the—" She broke off with an sharp exhale, looking up at Seifer. "Yes, Seifer?"

"The exam?" he asked with a raised brow.

"Hm? Oh! Yes, the exam." Again, she set her coffee on the desk. Taking a key from her skirt pocket, she unlocked the drawer she kept all of the exams in, taking one out before locking the drawer once more. After a quick perusal, she slid it across the desk to Seifer.

"Pen?"

Frowning, she took a pen out of her designated pen cup, and handed it to him. "Do you ever come prepared?"

Seifer scoffed. "I've taken this test how many times, Instructor? Plus, I figured you'd have at least one pen." He eyed the cup, full of pens, with a derisive expression.

Quistis resisted the urge to throttle him. "Indeed. Please, begin."

He shook his head with an amused smirk on his face, scribbling his name across the top of the paper. The room fell silent, what with Seifer finally concentrating on the exam, and Quistis getting the first, actual chance to drink her coffee.

However, as per the universe's usual cruel sense of humor, the first sip had her reconsidering her trust in Seifer. She immediately cringed, pulling the cup away from her lips. "What is this?"

Seemingly annoyed at the interruption, Seifer glared up at her. "The Hynedamned coffee you made me get for you."

"This . . . is not coffee."

His expression twisted up even further before it evened out into a neutral expression. Then, it morphed into amusement. With a chuckle, he leaned back in his chair. "That little shit."

"Excuse me?"

"Chicken-wuss. He was in the Cafeteria when I walked up to order, and said that coffee—" He pointed at the mug in her hand. "—was 'all the rage with the ladies right now'. Then, he called it, 'the Nectar of the Gods'."

"And this coffee is . . .?" She trailed off, raising her brow at him.

All he offered back was a shrug. "Said it had pumpkin flavoring, and some spices and shit in it."

Quistis sighed. "Just because it's fall does not mean we need excuses to infuse everything we consume with pumpkin."

Again, Seifer chuckled. "That's why I just got me a regular black coffee."

"And you couldn't have done the same for me?"

"Hey, you didn't specify. Chicken-wuss said you'd like it, so—"

"Well, I hardly think Zell Dincht is an expert on what I like and don't like." She stared down at the contents of her cup, frowning as she added, "Clearly."

"I'm not about to—"

"Relax, Seifer. I wasn't even going to ask," she interrupted him to say. A second sip of her coffee elicited another shudder from her, but by-Hyne, she was tired, so she'd drink it nonetheless. "Your exam?" she prompted, pointing at the paper in front of him.

"Yeah, yeah," he mumbled, still shaking his head in amusement.

The room fell silent once more, and when Quistis took yet another swig, she put the cup down in disgust.

"I'll tell him you said, 'Nectar of the Gods, my ass'," Seifer offered with a wide grin, his eyes still trained on the paper.

"Don't you dare. And finish your exam."

A/N: I felt the need to clarify that I do actually like PSLs, but the fact that literally everything comes in PSL flavor is a little ridiculous. We need to tone that shit down, y'all. Also, this isn't beta'd, so sorry for any typos.