Unexpected Love

Tifa removed her skirt and threw it into her bag. She had searched the bag and found nothing too sleep in. So she was settling for just a big t-shirt and her panties. She checked in the closets and under the bed before turning off the light and jumping up onto the bed. She wiggled slightly until she pulled the blankets from under her. The sheets were white satin and slightly cool against her skin. She laid in the dark staring up at her reflection in the mirrored ceiling above the bed. It had taken a few minutes to notice it was a mirror above her and the mirror wasn’t helping her already freaked out mood.

Vincent stretched as much as he could on the couch. He had to fold his legs underneath him because he was too long for the couch and it was uncomfortable too have his feet hanging off that much. It had been two hours since they had retired. He was exhausted but he couldn’t get comfortable enough too sleep.

Vincent had just started drifting off too sleep when he heard a feminine scream coming from the back of the house. He jumped awake and fell off the couch with a loud thump before scrambling too his feet. He had forgotten too set the alarm. How stupid of him. He grabbed a spare gun from the end table and went sprinting quietly towards the hall.

Vincent rounded the corner to the hall at the same time Tifa rounded the corner to the living room. The two collided, causing Tifa too scream again before delivering a painful punch to Vincent’s ribs.

Vincent doubled over in time too see Tifa dart for the couch and jump on it. He regained his composure and started checking the rooms. He searched every room and found no one in any of them. Nor did he find an entry point. He clicked the safety on his gun and walked back to the living room while running his hand through his long black hair.

Every light in the kitchen and living room was turned on. Tifa was sitting on the couch, huddled on the far end with her arms wrapped around her knees that were pulled too her chest. Vincent stopped at the sight of the female. Her pale flesh was glowing and he could see every inch of those soft legs. She wasn’t wearing anything but a shirt and her panties.

He swallowed the lump in his throat and forced his eyes to meet Tifa’s gaze. Her brown eyes were wide and fearful, but her face held guilt and embarrassment. Vincent couldn’t help the wide grin that played across his lips as he watched her.

“Shut up.” She all but whined as she threw a pillow from the couch at him.

Surprising himself and Tifa, Vincent started laughing as he narrowly dodged the pillow. Tifa stilled at the sound of Vincent laughing before she too gave into a fit of laughter. Vincent bent low and picked up the pillow, walking back to the couch and setting it down before sitting beside Tifa.

“What happened?” He chuckled out.

“The mirror above the bed freaked me out.” She admitted. Turning away so she wouldn’t have to look at him. She looked at the front door.

Vincent sat looking at her with a smirk across his lips. It amazed him thazt she was frightened of something. He never would have pegged Tifa Lockheart as one too fear something so trivial.

“Can…I…Can…?” She looked down at her hands and took a deep breath. “Will you you sleep in the room with me?” She asked after a time.

Vincent’s smirk dropped quickly as his throat closed. He hadn’t been expecting that one. He swallowed around the lump in his throat before coughing and answering her question.

“Not a problem at all, Tifa.”

She looked up at him with a sheepish smile. “Thank you, Vincent.”

Tifa yawned widely into her hand as her eyes dropped slightly. Vincent stood up and walked too the kitchen, turning the lights off. When he entered the living room again, Tifa was standing by the light switch, waiting for him. He stood in front of the female and reached towards her.

Tifa’s breath caught in her throat as Vincent reached towards her. Her stomach felt as if it was doing flip flops and her heart fluttered, threatening to come from her chest. She had never felt anything like it. Her skin was tingling as if ants were marching along her skin while her breathing quickened.

[You shouldn’t feel this for him, Tifa.] Her inner voice said too her.

Vincent reached around Tifa and turned the light off. His eye brow quirked as he heard her breathing quicken as well as her heart rate. Her eyes had also gotten bigger around.

[She fears you, Valentine. And who wouldn’t?] Vincent closed his eyes at the voice inside his head.

He started walking towards the hallway, heading towards his room. If she feared him, why ask him too sleep in the room with her? If she didn’t fear him, why did she react that way when he reached to turn the lights off? All thought process stopped when he felt soft hands grip his right arm gently and Tifa’s body pressed against his side lightly.

Vincent’s steps stumbled slightly as Tifa gripped his arm. She hadn’t thought too warn him. She was just frightened. But now that she had her hands on him she couldn’t help but start too feel guilty. She loved Cloud, right? If she loved Cloud, why was she reacting this way too Vincent? Truth be told, she had always been this way with Vincent. Had always wondered if things would have been different for her had she been in love with him and not Cloud. But she was supposed to love Cloud.

Vincent continued to walk down the hall and to the bedroom. He reached in to the room and turned the light on. Tifa released his arm and walked to the bathroom attached to the room. She had too get a hold of herself.

Vincent watched Tifa enter the bathroom and shrugged his shoulders before going to the closet and grabbing more blankets. He spread the blankets out on the floor and made him an area to sleep in. He had just laid down when Tifa came back in to the room from the bathroom.

“What are you doing?” She all but yelled at Vincent.

Vincent jumped slightly at Tifa’s raised voice. He hadn’t expected her too com in yelling at him. In turn, he looked down too make sure his hands were visibly above the blankets before turning to meet her gaze.

“Going to sleep?” He made it a question as he watched her.

“Down there?” She leaned down and pulled the blanket off him. “We’re both adults Vincent. You can sleep in your bed. It is more than big enough for both of us.” She put her finger to his lips when he went to speak. “Or we can both sleep on the floor but I’ll be damned before I let you sleep on the floor in your own room.”

And he would be damned before he would make her sleep on the floor. With a resigned sigh, he pulled himself to stand and kicked the blankets towards the foot of the bed so they wouldn’t trip on them. He then walked to the bed and plopped down, looking at Tifa as he did so.

Tifa smiled to herself before climbing into the bed and pulling the blankets over her. She turned to turn the light off when a single photo on the night stand caught her attention. She hadn’t seen it before and she was wondering how she had missed it since it was the only personal decoration in the whole house.

She knew the picture well. She had a copy of it that she kept framed and tucked under her pillow. In fact, hers was in her back pack. Yuffie had taken the picture after their last escapade in saving the planet. Tifa had been hugging Vincent when Yuffie called their names. It was the first time Vincent had hugged her back so when they both turned to Yuffie, their arms were still coiled about each other.

Vincent leaned up to see what had stopped Tifa. He seen the photo and mentally cringed. He had meant too take that photo down before she came in to sleep. How had he forgotten about that picture? He went to sleep every night looking at it. He would never forget the way he felt with her arms wrapped around him. She had hugged him many of times before and since but this one was special because it was after he decided to embrace how he felt about her. That’s why he had hugged her back.

Tifa turned the light out with a smile. She liked that the two of them shared an interest in the same photo. She would have to show him her copy in the morning. For now she was tired and unable to keep her eyes open anymore.

Vincent listened to Tifa’s breathing as she drifted off to sleep. His exhaustion had worn off with her being so close to him. He chewed his bottom lip as he tried to control the images flashing through his mind. But it was all useless when Tifa whimpered in her sleep and wiggled closer to him so that the line of her body pressed firmly against his side. He was still outside the covers so in essence, she wasn’t touching him. But his body reacted as if she was.

Keeping her words about them both being adults in mind, Vincent turned so that her backside pressed to the front of him. He took a deep breath and draped his right arm over her slim waist. He smiled at the position he was in with the one woman who had made him forget about Lucercia. He was contempt and he let the darkness of sleep pull him in. Just before he drifted off altogether, he felt Tifa’s body relax as her hand took his and she sighed contentedly in her sleep.