Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII or any of its characters. I am just borrowing them.

Universe: Post AC.

Story's Key: "Talking" –Thinking – 'Emphasis' "Emphasis" – *Song*

Author's notes: A short story I had been meaning to write for quite a while. It will only have three chapters. I'm almost finished with the second one so you should expect a quick update. Please do not forget to review. ~Cheers!

Last edited: 1/12/2015.

"Too much hope is the opposite of despair... An overpowering love may consume you in the end."

-Vincent Valentine (Final Fantasy VII)-

"Cell phone Quest"

By: FenixPhoenix

Chapter 1: "The Favor"

A cell phone. He'd never given thought to it before that day… The day he helped Cloud rescue Marlene from Sephiroth's 'brothers', he'd been also made aware of the benefit of owing such an item. Vincent remembered how Marlene had asked him for his phone in order to talk to Tifa and her disappointing pout at his resulting shrug. He smiled at the memory.

Tifa Lockhart. Vincent recalled she'd been the one Marlene had asked for, even before her own father. What none could have predicted was what happened next. The seed sowed a long time ago somewhere inside him took roots as her name came out of the child's lips. Inevitably, thoughts about the numerous possibilities a cell phone –if utilized correctly- could offer made him reconsider his fright of technology.

Shortly after he'd helped retrieve Marlene, Vincent had met with Tifa herself as Bahamut –summoned by Kadaj- wrecked the city of Edge. Thinking back, Vincent hadn't even the courtesy of greeting her or at least asked if she was alright. Instead, he'd externalized his sudden and lately engrossing desire.

"Where can I buy a cell phone?"

It had to be destiny! Tifa had been the first he'd seen -from among all the people there- when he arrived to help. And though it could have been a mere coincidence or maybe even an unconscious choice to land near her, Vincent was not willing to discard the hand of destiny. Who was to state that a higher power did not have a hand in directing said event?

Granted, perhaps this was his way of giving ground to something that seemed impossible -of believing that someone out there had dictated that he should not be alone. Maybe someone, more powerful than the demons that lurked inside him, actually wanted him to be happy; to renounce his solitude and the numbness it produced…

Whatever it was, it had pushed Vincent to make a choice that would alter his life for better or for worst –he had yet to find out. So here he was, standing just outside her door, still wondering if it was a good idea to have come at all.

Vincent Valentine closed his eyes as he tried to keep his sudden and unusual nervousness at bay. It had been long since he had struggled with such petty feelings, but he decided not to examine that too closely, else he lost his courage. He was nervous, which sucked. Even before a fight, Vincent had never felt especially nervous. Instead, he'd often juggled with anger, revenge, self-pity and even excitement. For a while he'd entertained the thought that maybe the range of his feelings had been reduced by Hojo when he'd experimented on his body and, perhaps, his very soul.

Yet, whenever Tifa was around him something inside him changed. It was as though the broken pieces of his heart were made whole, allowing him to feel several intense things for her. And thought the change was refreshing, it was also confusing and frightening.

The hard shell his lack of feelings provided crumbled whenever she spoke to him. So Vincent couldn't help but feel awfully vulnerable when in her presence. A feeling that had intensified to such an extent, that he'd been left without a choice but to flee! And yes, Vincent Valentine, expert-gunman, half-monster, former Turk, had chosen to run away from his feelings rather than face them. It seemed to him that no matter how much regret he harbored whenever he allowed his mind to wander down memory lane, to muse about what he could have done differently to save Lucrecia… he had not learned a thing.

But suppose he was not too late? Suppose he still had a chance to study and learn from his new feelings? Naturally, he would need her. He would need Tifa to ignite the dormant feelings in order to learn to cope with them. Who knew, perhaps he would even get to like them…?

Vincent sighed and push away that part of him that wanted to return to the solace of the forest. When his mind was clear of both fear and hope, he rapped his knuckles against the ominous door. The sound was a reflection of himself. It was a composed, clear sound filled with a confidence he was far from feeling. As he waited, he entertained several thought in order to quell the annoying sensation of self-consciousness and what he realized –not in the absence of surprise- was fear.

Maybe she was not home? Or maybe she was out working with Cloud? Where they still together? Or was the stupid man still searching for a way to bring Aerith back from the land of the dead?

His musings were cut short when the door creaked opened to reveal her pale and lovely face. Her smile, he noted with mixed feelings, faltered for a second as she gazed at him in stupefied silence. Slowly, her brows rose to disclose her unbound surprise at finding him there.

"Vincent!"

He was not sure how to take her look. Was her surprise good or bad? Had he perhaps interrupted something or had she simply been taken off guard? How was he, thus, expected to react to her one-word greeting?

Shaking all doubts aside for now, Vincent settled for honest politeness. "Hello, Tifa," he greeted smoothly.

"Holy, Vincent! It's really you!" her lips parted in a wide smile that made his heart skip a beat. Even with a mere look, she managed to make him feel things he had thought forgotten.

Before his reflexes could kick in, Tifa had trapped him in a hug that made him feel both thrilled and awkward. After some initial hesitation, his arms –as though they had developed a will of their own- clasped on her lower back until, before his mind could comprehend it, he was hugging her back gently.

"It's been so long," she said when she finally broke the hug. To his annoyance, he found himself missing the closeness immediately. But with the expertise developed over the years, he hid his disappointment.

"I concur," he agreed, studying her expression attentively. He realized, as he took in every detail of her beautiful face, that he had really missed her. A lot.

"So… do not get me wrong, Vincent, I am thrilled to see you. But what brings you here?" she breached, gesturing for him to step inside.

Vincent followed her to the kitchen, glancing around the house in search for any other sign of life. "Where's Marlene?" he questioned, noting the silence.

"Oh, Barret came for her a week ago. He also took Denzel with him. He said he was taking them to Golden Saucer," she explained while she poured recently made lemonade on two glasses and handed him one.

"I see," he sipped at his drink to quench the sudden dryness of his throat. It was delicious. Just in between that fine line that divided bitterness from sweetness. "What about Cloud?"

He turned to look at her when she remained quiet. She was sitting before him, her eyes lost on the contents of her glass. So then Cloud was still hoping for Aerith to come back? The bastard…

"He's an idiot," he voiced it before he could stop himself and to his surprise, she chuckled.

"It's fine," she flashed a smile that would easily light up the gloomiest of rooms. "I always knew we would end up as friends. It just took me a while to accept it but… I'm fine now."

He nodded curtly, mentally writing a note to not bring the subject up again. And though he maintained his face stripped from any giveaway expression, Vincent was happy to learn this. How could he not? For him, this meant that Tifa was available.

"Tifa, I didn't drop by just for a visit. I'm here because I need to ask a favor," he informed, straight to the point.

Curiosity and excitement lit her exquisite eyes. At his pause, she titled her head to one side. It was something she did whenever she could not figure something out.

"I will be delighted to help," she said, inviting him to continue with a broader smile.

He nodded, entwining his fingers. He kept his face solemn and leaned on the table to address the issue that had brought him here. She leaned forward as well, her face a mirror of his as she waited.

"I want to get a cell phone."

There was an odd pause after that and then… her laughter rang loud and clear, breaking the silence, filling the house. Again, Vincent couldn't help but marvel at the sound. It was beautiful. The feelings he'd thought Hojo had eradicated from his heart made their presence known. He felt lighter -happy even!- whenever he heard that soothing sound and wondered if she knew the healing attributes she possessed.

"When you're done making fun of my request, would you let me know your answer?" he kept his voice polite, but he knew she could see his smirk. Even if she hadn't, he was sure that a glint of amusement also showed in his blood-red eyes.

Tifa was still grinning minutes after she was done laughing. A blush was covering her cheeks as she stared back at him with undisclosed pleasure. "You're serious?" she said, as though to make sure.

He nodded, "Marlene explained the advantages of having a cell phone. After careful consideration, I figured it wouldn't harm me to get one. It's about time I made myself more," he paused, struggling for a word, "…available."

Tifa Lockhart nodded in acceptance and stood up. "I will be honored to guide you into the age of technology," she said with exaggerated solemnity. Putting on a jacket and taking her purse, she proceeded towards the door. "Well? Let's go!"

Vincent smiled and followed suit. They were just about to step outside when she stopped. She pursed her lips as she considered something that had to do with him –if her eyes studying critically was any indication. Despite his outward casualness, Vincent struggled to keep his nervousness from showing. With a low hum, Tifa closed the door and stared at him some more. A little unsure, he raised a perfect eyebrow, deep down hoping she was not regretting her decision.

"Perhaps you should lose the cape," she suggested. She must have sensed his reluctance because she added, "Unless you want to be the center of attention?"

Vincent winced inwardly. Granted, he didn't want to be the center of attention but… He sighed. What else was he to do? She was right of course, she usually was. Not bothering to mask his distress, he undid the buttons of his collar. In seconds he stripped himself of his crimson shelter. While he was at it, he also pulled off the red bandana that had been holding his bangs in place. He inspected what was left of his getup, hating the fact that the dark color of his clothes made the gold of his claw stand out even more. To add to his concerns, he knew that the long sleeve shirt he wore would be weak defense against the crisp weather.

Serves me right for not purchasing civilian's clothes, he reprimanded gloomily as Tifa unceremoniously took the cape from his arms and hung it in the nearby closet.

As if having read his thoughts, she took out a dark brown, leather jacket and offered it to him. Vincent accepted it gladly and pulled it on. It was a perfect fit.

"Cloud's?" he blurted as they stepped out. He was about to lecture himself for the slip but something distracted him. Tifa was holding two scarves. One was light brown matching her jacket while the other one was black.

Tifa smiled at him, silently assuring him that it was alright to speak of Cloud, while she wrapped the black scarf around his neck. It was an odd action that nevertheless made him feel good.

She inspected him silently for a moment before confiding, "I bought the jacket some time ago but I never gave it to him." She shrugged and smiled, "It's a good thing, since it looks much better on you. You should keep it, Vincent."

Vincent could not hide his surprise. How was she able to make giving a gift sound as though it was a normal, everyday event? Not knowing how to react, he settled by answering with a polite thank you, which Tifa was quick to brush aside with a wave of her hand.

"Come on," she said, looping her arm with his so naturally that –if he didn't know better- he would have sworn they were already dating for some time. It was perhaps that natural way of doing the most amazing of things that had sparked his interest to begin with.

Five blocks later, they arrived at a huge store that sold cell phones and other related -and highly complicated-looking- equipment. To Vincent's dismay, just as they were about to enter the store, they were met by a loud group filled with many –far too many familiar faces. How very annoying…

"Yo! Whatcha doin' 'ere?" Barret's dark eyes switched from Tifa to Vincent and back again. He brushed his eyes, probably wondering if he was dreaming. "'Tis amazin'! 'Tis really ya, Vincent!" He flashed a toothy grin and draped a heavy arm around Vincent's neck. Thankfully, the arm was not the one with the gun attached to it. "Man, I have'nt seen ya since dat damn Sephiroth reunion-thing!"

"Stop fu%*in' exaggeratin'!" Cid complained, his blue eyes studying him from head to toe. He was probably trying to decipher why he didn't look as he normally did. "It hasn't been that fu%*in' long anyways! How long's it been, eh, Tif?"

Tifa smiled when Cid wrapped an arm around her and squeezed her shoulder with affection. Vincent felt a prang of jealousy, before he shut the feeling inside a box and locked it up. Hopefully, the only thing they would detect would be his cold stare.

"It has been long, Cid. Almost half a year," she corrected, patting Cid's back before she moved to hug Yuffie.

Yuffie had been pouting since she'd seen them, probably angry at having been ignored. She was quick to return to her usual cheery self when Tifa offered an embrace, which she happily accepted. Vincent smiled. He knew how tempting Tifa's embraces could be.

"It's indeed quite a pleasure to see you," Reeve stood forward and offered his hand. Vincent shook it. For some reason he didn't dislike him at all, even when knowing he was never around when it came down to a fight.

"I see you're not wearing your suit today," Vincent remarked. That was the closest he could get to a joke.

Reeve smiled, "Likewise."

Cid's eyebrows rose and the cigarette between his lips almost fell off, "Ah! So that's what's fu&%in' different! Where'd you buy the jacket, Vinny?"

Tifa cleared her throat and tried to cover her blush with a hand. Turning to Barret, she deflected, "Where are the children?" She looked around, almost as if she expected them to jump out of their hiding place.

"Oh! We left 'em wit Shera," he answered, quirking an eyebrow when Vincent shrugged his heavy arm off. How would the man like it if Vincent were to drape his claw around his neck?

"Yes, yes, the children are fine," Yuffie stepped forward. "More importantly," her eyes became slits, "what are you two doing here?"

Vincent closed his eyes fighting the urge to let Chaos deal with the nosy, little brat. The questions he dreaded had finally been asked and now… Now, he was very sure his evening of relaxation would die a short death.

"Wait!" Yuffie gasped, and Vincent realized he'd forgotten to answer. "Are you on a-"

"Oh, well…," Tifa cleared her throat again, interrupting Yuffie before she could finish her sentence. Vincent noticed with interest the way her fingers started fidgeting with the zipper of her jacket. "Vincent asked if I could help him buy a cell phone-"

And with that, much to Vincent's dismay, all hell broke loose…

"Then allow me to offer my services," Reeve said taking out his own cell phone, "I proudly consider myself a great guide and nothing would make me happier than to introduce you to-"

"Shut it, old man!" Yuffie growled, barreling into Reeve. To Vincent's irritation, she hooked her arm with his pulled him into the store before Chaos could break out. He heard the rest of the group trailing behind, muttering curses and bragging loudly about how they would be of better help. Vincent gave a deep sigh. This was not going the way he'd intended…

To be continued…