Disclaimer: I own pretty much nothing.
A/N: It's October 13th, so I decided to write a birthday fic for Vincent. I hope you like it! It takes place a little after Advent Children. I will probably continue this fic if you review and ask me to.
(Ugh, I feel like the worst, most incompetent Vincent fan ever! I didn't even plan ahead for this fic!)
Vincent lay sleeping peacefully in his bed, the light streaming in through the window with an ethereal luminosity. It caressed his face like a mother's gentle hands, softly coaxing his eyes open. It was on days like these that he was glad to be far away from the Shinra mansion, the forlorn prison which had held him captive for three decades. He was visiting the slowly-growing orphanage near Midgar, as per Tifa's request. Slowly sitting up, he looked around the guest room. It was lightly furnished, having in it a bed, a dresser, a small night table, and a chair tucked neatly under it.
Feeling rested, he got up, washed his face in the adjoining bathroom, and got dressed in his usual attire. As he walked into the hall, Marlene ran up to him and hugged his legs.
"Vincent!" she chirped happily. "Happy birthday!" She smiled up at him brightly, still clinging to him.
He looked down at her, perplexed. What day was it? He looked at the calendar hanging on the wall, which had been put together and decorated by Tifa and the children. Indeed, it was open to the October page arbitrarily decorated with pumpkins, ghosts, and the like, and the next box to be X-ed was the one with the small 13 in the corner. Forgetting his birthday somehow didn't surprise him; time had become rather irrelevant to him, as he hadn't aged in over thirty years. Still, today was his "thirtieth" birthday.
"Vincent?" Marlene tugged on his cape, still demanding his attention.
"Yes, Marlene?" he asked quietly, still a bit tired.
"Here's your present," she said, giving him a small box wrapped in light-blue paper.
He took the box carefully, not wanting to damage whatever was in it. "Thank you, Marlene," he said, almost smiling.
Marlene let out a giggle. "It's from all of us: Tifa and Denzel and me and–"
"Ah, I see," he said, before she could list the name of every single child she could think of living in the orphanage. "Well, I'll have to thank everyone today for the gift."
Grinning, she let go of him and ran down the stairs, her mission completed. He looked down at the lightweight parcel he held, curious about what was in it. Walking back into his room, he decided to open it. He sat at the desk and removed the wrapping paper, then opened the box. What he saw made his expression soften slightly. It was a picture book containing various photos taken over the past two or three years. As he flipped through it, he saw pictures of him talking with Tifa, him with Marlene, Marlene and Denzel playing under his cape, the children all running around together, several more with Tifa and Marlene in them with the children, and even one or two with Marlene hugging Cloud. The book was titled "Our Family".
He set the book down on the desk. He was part of their "family"? He had never truly considered himself to be a part of them, usually keeping to himself, and living in the Shinra mansion by himself. Occasionally, he would visit them, but even then never really got involved in any activities. Even leaving the orphanage to go outside required persistent yet ever-patient coaxing from Tifa.
He left the room after setting the book down on the table. He almost ran into Tifa, who was about to knock on the door. Regaining his composure quickly, he watched Tifa laugh embarrassedly.
"Good morning, Vincent!" she said.
He nodded. "Good morning, Tifa. Thank you for the gift."
Tifa smiled. "You're welcome, Vincent. I'm really glad you like it." She looked up at him, still smiling radiantly. He loved when she looked like that, so relaxed and happy; she was a picture of what he could never be.
"Well, I should get going," she said. "I have a lot to do today. You're welcome to stay as long as you like."
"Thank you, Tifa," he said. He hated to be a burden to her, but since she always ended up convincing him to stay longer, he figured spending a little while longer here wouldn't hurt.
A/N: Well, is it worth finishing? Review and tell me! I'm not really satisfied with this chapter, but I was rushing, so I hope it's all right for now.