Unexpected Love

Cloud sat, watching the cars pass him by on the bridge above him. He was leaned against Fenrir casually but the turmoil in his head was not casual. He twirled a stick idly in the sand as he looked to the sun rise. Tifa was going to be so angry at him for missing the party. He had promised too help her without. Not that she would truly express that anger too him. Which him wonder who she did express it too.

Ssnapping the stick into he pushed from the bike. In one fluid motion he turned and mounted Fenrir, starting her up and closing his eyes at the sound. The power from the bike coursing through his thighs and humming through his veins.

Cloud opened his eyes and kicked the kick-stand into place. Balancing himself on the bike, he took off, headed back towards the bar. Tifa would already be asleep. He would apologize when she awoke. He hadn’t intended too be gone so long. Just needed to clear his head for a bit.

“Not that it did any good.” He said too himself as he rode up the ramp too get him on the bridge he was just watching.


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Cloud parked Fenrir, pushing the kick-stand down and locking it into place, while looking skeptically at the seemingly familiar vehicle parked in front of the bar. Tifa hadn’t said they were expecting company. Maybe one of the customers was too drunk too drive and left their vehicle behind.

Cloud fumbled with the keys outside the door and Vincent shifted slightly as he came wide awake. The sounds of someone’s keys jingling outside the door had pulled him from his slumber. The broom still lay across his lap.

Tifa had tried to convince him not to stay and help clean up but he hadn’t listened. Exhausted after their three hours of cleaning, they had just simply sat down and made small talk. Most of the talking done by Tifa since he wasn’t one for casual chit-chat. She had fallen asleep first and since the door was only able too be locked from the inside without a key, and he didn’t want too wake her, he had decided too sleep as well. Rather than leaving her alone in an unlocked building.

Opting to pretend to be asleep when who ever walked in, Vincent shifted to a more crouched position and appeared more relaxed. There were tell-tale signs that said the man was awake.

Cloud finally got the key in the door and unlocked it. He opened the door and walked in before shutting and locking it behind him self. He took a quick glance around the room out of habit and started for the stairs. He stopped abruptly and looked around the room again. Something was wrong.

Vincent heard when the door opened and assumed it too be Cloud coming home for the night. Glad he had opted too feign sleep, he listened as the man’s foot falls halted just short of where he and Tifa sat.

Cloud scanned the room and noticed a couple chairs gone and one of the tables. A darkened area on the floor drew his attention and he walked closer too it. His senses went on high alert as he seen it was blood on the floor that someone had tried too wash away. The spot would have gone un-noticed to the average person but Cloud was trained to spot these kinds of things.

Resting his hand on the hilt of his sword, he started back towards the stairs, moving with more precision and care to be silent. As he rounded the bar, two darkened masses caught his attention. He turned towards them to find Tifa asleep, leaned against the bar. But what shocked and unnerved him the most was the man asleep across from her. Vincent Valentine leaned against the wall opposite of Tifa with the yellow and black broom laid across his lap. Next too his leg was the blue dust pan.

Cloud started moving closer too them, releasing the hilt of his sword. As he drew closer, he seen Tifa had bandages on her arms and her face was slightly darkened in some areas. He was about too kneel beside Tifa and try to wake her without waking the gunman when He heard the click of a guns safety go off. Cloud turned slowly too look at Vincent.

“Sorry.” The gunman clicked the safety back on and pretended to wipe sleep from his eyes. “I didn’t know it was you.” He lied to cover the fact he had been awake the whole time.

“You always come awake like that, Valentine?” Cloud arched a brow at him.

“Only when one is sneaking around,” He looked around. “Or wasn’t around when I fell asleep.”

“You helped Tifa clean up?” Cloud looked pointedly at the broom.

“Least I could after the shape this place was when.” He stretched and made a show of coming too his feet as if he had just really woken up. He could have won some awards for his acting in this part. “Grab a seat and I’ll fill you in, Strife.”

Cloud settled himself down on the barstool closest to him and watched with an arched brow as Vincent moved around the bar as if he knew where everything was. Vincent pulled out some liquor and two glasses before turning back to Cloud and taking the barstool next too him.

The gunman downed a few gulps of his drink while sliding the other drink to the swordsman. Neither spoke as they drank, relishing in the burning liquid. Finally Vincent took a breath and proceeded too tell Cloud of how he came about coming too the bar last night and the position Tifa had been in when he arrived.

Vincent watched as the emotions played themselves along Clouds face. He went from curious, to furious in the time of two sentences. By the time Vincent had finished recalling the events, Cloud looked as if he would kill the messenger. Vincent took another swallow of the liquor, not worried in the least should Cloud decide to do just that. Instead the swordsman looked at Tifa and hung his head.

“I should have been here.” He sighed.

Vincent didn’t say anything. Nothing was asked of him so why should he speak? Besides, he agreed with Cloud. Why would a man leave his woman’s side? Specially when she was in a bar full of drunken fools and she was as beautiful as Tifa. But it was not his place too question other peoples affairs and doings in those affairs.

“We finally passed out from exhaustion about three hours ago. We tried to wait up on you.”

Tifa sat, unmoving, listening too the two men talking. She had heard Cloud’s angry words about being here. She was pretty sure Vincent was lying about how they had been asleep. She may have been asleep for three hours but he still looked wide awake when she had fallen asleep. Maybe he was more tired than he looked. Why would he lie about how long he had been asleep.

“I wasn’t out on a business call or anything, gunman.” Cloud’s voice was angry and sharp. “I was out all night for stupid reasons.”

Vincent listened to Cloud but his eyes were on Tifa. She was no longer asleep. He could hear the change in her breathing, heard the slight shift of her body and could now see the stiffness that comes from being awake. Cloud carried on the conversation, unaware that the female listened in while pretending too be asleep.

“Vincent,” Cloud’s voice lost some of its edge. “Have you ever been in a situation where you wanted…” he waved his hands in the air as if searching for the right word. “…Someone… But they didn’t want you?”

Vincent shrugged, finding he had no answer.

“Have you had someone want you that you just didn’t want?”

As soon as the words left Clouds mouth, three things happened at once. Vincent knocked the bottle of liquor over into Clouds lap, Cloud thought about his words and opened his mouth too correct himself, and Tifa stood up quickly and ran from the room. Her hands were pressed too her face and Vincent heard her silent sobs.

He could hear the female upstairs heaving her soul out into her pillow and, though he would never admit it, the sound pulled at him. He pitied the female in a way he had never pitied any one before. He didn’t pity her because she was weak or couldn’t do something. He pitied her because she hurt and he considered her a friend.

Cloud sat back in the seat with a sigh.

“That came out all wrong.”

“She’s hurt. And she needs someone to comfort her.” Vincent turned too face him while trying desperately to ignore the sounds of Tifa’s sobs. “Go upstairs and explain that it came out wrong. Explain how you meant it too come out. Fix this problem. If you don’t then it will end this way.”

Cloud looked at Vincent in shock. The man had uttered more than a single sentence. He had heard Vincent say more than a sentence before but only when relaying or updating on a status for a job. Never in general conversation. Before Cloud could recover himself from the shock, Vincent stood from his seat and clasped his shoulder gently before walking out the front door.

Vincent got in his vehicle and sighed before looking up towards the second story of the building. Tifa was up there crying and now she needed her hero too come rescue her once again. How Vincent, himself, longed to be someone’s hero. He pushed that thought aside with a shake of his head before starting the vehicle and driving off. He stopped at a station just down the street and just sat there.

Cloud took two steps up the stairs before he shook his head and turned around. He didn’t know how too fix this. And all he would do was make things worse. He needed sometime too figure out a way too fix this and she needed some time too stop crying and get over the initial pain, he decided. He could go for another ride, clear his thoughts, regroup. He walked out the bar and into the harsh sunlight. Locked the door and slid his sunglasses on before straddling Fenrir and riding off.

Vincent heard the bike long before he seen it. He looked around wondering if it really was Cloud or just someone else on a bike. He watched for the vehicle that came long after the sound and sure enough, it was Cloud. Vincent shook his head in knowing. The naïve hero hadn’t gone to soothe things over with his woman. There would soon be trouble in paradise for their relationship. Still Vincent just sat there. Not wanting too return to his vacant home but not wanting too be in any strangers company. He was content too just sit there.

Tifa heard Cloud leave, the Fenrir humming deep into the distance as he left. She wiped the last of her tears and stood. Making her way too the bathroom while fighting herself not to cry again. She had told herself from the beginning it was just useless hoping on her part that she and Cloud would become something more.

The sounds of their neighbors music boomed loudly and the sound started too annoy Tifa. Annoyance turned to anger and eventually she broke a glass in frustration. Tifa sighed and picked up the phone. Calling the in on call bartender. She explained she had fallen ill and would need someone too watch the bar so she could rest. The man happily agreed. Tifa told him where too find the key that she would hide for him incase no one was here when he got here to open the place. Meanwhile the neighbors music played on and her anger mounted.

She pulled a pen and a scratch piece of paper from the desk in her room. She gathered some things and piled them all into her suitcase. She really didn’t have anywhere else too go but she had too get away for just a while at least. Let her heart mend itself together. After she had enough clothes too last a few days she sighed and zipped her bag up before sitting at the desk too write the letter.

She set the letter on Cloud’s night stand before grabbing her bag and walking down the stairs. She removed the key too the bar from her key ring and hid it in the said location after locking the door behind her. She turned and looked down the street in both ways. She shrugged and just started walking. No destination in mind. Just walking. She had enough gil in her pocket too get a room for the night. After that she may call a friend and go stay with them for a time. Wutai should be nice this time of year.

Vincent started his engine back up and sighed in resignation. It wasn’t that he really wanted too be around people. It was more that he felt he should want to be around people. He watched the many patrons coming and going from the store. Laughing and smiling. Talking too each other. Truth was, every since they had come back from their last expedition and the group had dispersed, he had been hoping for another Planet threatening event. At least then the group would be back together and they would all be busy doing something. Have a goal. Now he just felt like he was floating through a routine that would never end. A loop that wouldn’t break.

He put the vehicle in drive and started to pull away. He looked down the street and saw a figure walking towards his vehicle. Is that Tifa Lockheart? He watched as the figure got closer and then close enough for him too see it was Tifa. She turned to go into the store he was at and he sat there watching her. She had a bag slung over her shoulder. Was she leaving? Where was she going? None of their friends lived out this way, save for him.

Vincent decided to wait for her too come back out to ask her where she was going and if he could at least give her a ride over. He understood more than many the need too escape for a while. The need too be alone and regroup or reminisce about things.