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Chapter VII and shit is going down. Time to talk a bit of sense into Vincent Valentine. Get him Yuffie!
7th Heaven, bar.
Vincent x Yuffie
All things considered, he wasn't as nervous as he expected to be. Reno drew back his shoulders and kept his hands in his pockets as he heard Yuffie bounding down the stairs. Rude was a solid, comforting presence beside him.
"You know, I just remembered. I never thanked you for fixing the door, Rude," Tifa said lightly, before her tone lowered dangerously as she turned to Reno, "And I never scolded you for breaking it either."
Rude adjusted the sunglasses on his face in silent amusement as Reno flinched back a little. They'd both had their asses handed to them by Miss Lockheart enough times to be disquieted in the face of her displeasure.
"Yeah, I definitely owe you an apology too, Tifa," the red-head agreed, "Sorry. I shouldn't have acted the way I did that night. I'll pay for the damage."
Tifa's stern expression melted away as she smiled, "No need. I accept your apology. And Rude's handiwork means the door is as good as new. You can order whatever you like, Rude, on the house."
"Thanks." Rude replied, subtly pleased that Tifa was happy with him. Reno rolled his eyes at his partner good naturedly, but his attention was swiftly redirected by Yuffie entering the room. Her eyes took in both Turks before settling on Reno.
"Hey," she said sweetly, "What's up?"
In answer, Reno jerked his chin in the direction of a secluded table in the corner of the bar, and Yuffie took the hint to follow him there. Tifa watched curiously for a moment before busying herself with organizing the various glasses in the cabinets, while Rude took out his phone to fiddle with it quietly.
"I wanted to apologise to you," Reno stated when he and the ninja sat down, "for acting like such a jerk after I kissed you."
Yuffie blinked in surprise before answering, "Oh. Um. Okay. I didn't expect that."
"I mean, everyone knows I'm an idiot," the Turk said, stretching out an arm over the back of the seat, "But the way I acted with you was stupid even for me. Like some kinda child that got rejected for the first time. I'm sorry, Yuffie."
She laughed a little, "Yeah, I can't argue with that. But you're forgiven."
"Heh. I'm glad, thanks," he replied, "I've missed seeing you around. Thought you might be avoiding me."
"No, it's not you," the ninja confided, "I've had a lot on my mind lately, that's all."
"You wanna share with the group?" Reno offered, only half joking.
She smiled knowingly, "I don't think so. I already unloaded by emotional baggage on an actual child a minute ago, and I'm in no hurry to repeat the experience."
"Well, okay then," he decided amicably, "If you're sure."
Yuffie nodded just as another presence sidled up to the table, and Reno noted her wide eyes as she took in who it was.
"Oh! Vincent," she greeted, her voice suddenly pinched, "Hi."
"Yuffie," he reciprocated, sliding into the booth next to her.
"Sorry!" she spoke hurriedly, rambling, "I know this is usually your spot, you know, here in the corner, all dark and isolated, there's probably a metaphor in there somewhere-"
"It's fine," Vincent patiently interrupted before she really got going, given that he was more than used to her quirks by now.
"Okay," she replied, a little too chipper, "So, how have you been? Haven't seen you around in a while."
Oh. Reno got it now. Despite appearances, he wasn't a Turk just because he liked to blow shit up. It truly wasn't him she had been avoiding after all.
The red-head glanced over at Rude for confirmation, who was just in the process of removing his shades and replacing them with slightly darker ones from his pocket. That was their code for 'get the hell out of there.'
"I think Rude wants to get going. Tseng probably wants to see us," he quickly excused himself from the table, "I'll see ya round, Yuffie."
"Sure, yeah," she mumbled in reply, obviously distracted.
Vincent seemed to have noticed her odd behaviour too. He frowned slightly as the Turk walked away from their table.
"Are you well?" he asked her quietly, so as not to be overheard, "Is he troubling you again?"
Yuffie was taken aback, "What? Reno? No, he was just apologising to me for something."
His glower only deepened, "I heard the door was broken, after some kind of altercation between you."
The ninja kept her head down and dug a blunt nail into the grooves of the table as she spoke, "Gosh, why is everyone around here such busybodies!"
"Yuffie," Vincent's tone was as serious as ever, "If something were wrong, you would tell me?"
She scowled a little, beginning to grow annoyed, "Why would you care?"
His brow lifted from it's frown in surprise, but after a moment's thought he could see why she would say such a thing.
"I care," he affirmed, rather than argue with her about it.
Yet that didn't seem to appease her. If anything, it made her mood worse, "Why? Why now all of a sudden are you being nice to me? I don't get it. It's messing with my head."
He was unsure what to say to that. Instinctively, Vincent ducked his head in the customary gesture that would partially hide his face, were he wearing his cloak. He wasn't. His hair was tied back too. Nothing to hide behind now.
The ex-Turk lifted his chin instead, "You and I show that we care in different ways, I think."
That almost made her melt. She just knew he was thinking of repeated late-night, one-way phone calls with no regard for disparate time zones. Of sticking together on Avalanche travels, staying in the back row, always the outsiders of the group. A little ninja in a big parka jumping in front of Rosso the Crimson to save him, and later being wrapped up in the gun-slinger's much larger frame as he pulled her out of Nero's darkness.
He cared. Oh, she could cry.
'Don't get sad. Get angry.'
"This is bullshit," Yuffie declared, palms hitting the table abruptly.
Vincent did not recoil. In fact, he grew deathly still.
"You are full of shit, Valentine," she continued, deliberately enunciating every word, "You know what, Vincent? There is something wrong. Surprise, it's you!"
Yuffie's voice had been getting progressively louder, and by the end of her sentence Tifa held the tips of her fingers to her lips in shock. Reno was hiding an impressed and incredulous grin behind his hand, while Rude was torn between a sense of trepidation and pride.
Vincent said nothing. Did nothing.
"You can't keep clinging to the past forever!" Yuffie burst out, rising to her feet, "It's hurting you and the people who care about you. It's not right. Vincent, Deepground should have been it. The end. That was your resolution. I don't understand what else you need. I want to help but you won't let me. I can't keep doing this with you! When I try to get closer to you, you push me away, and when I try to give you space you come to me and say you care! Do you not realize how unfair that is? Make up your mind already! Do I mean something to you or not? Because you are so important to me, Vincent. I've had this ridiculous infatuation with you since I was sixteen years old, and it hasn't gone away, and this back and forth doesn't help! So either go back to acting like my existence bothers you or…or-"
She hadn't thought that far ahead. Hadn't even dared to hope for any other possibility.
Oh no. She really was going to cry.
Yuffie scrambled for the door like a feral cat, pushing past Vincent roughly on her way. He didn't try to stop her or call her back.
Reno wanted to, even got out a sympathetic murmur of her name as she passed him, but Rude nudged him gently and shook his head.
"Oh, Yuffie…" Tifa whispered mournfully. She knew all about unrequited feelings.
Vincent hurriedly left the room also. He needed time to process what just happened.
"I've got this," Rude assured Tifa, draining his glass with a purpose before setting it back down on the bar and turning to Reno, "Trust me, partner."
The Turk crossed his arms, masking his own hurt, but nodded, "Sure, alright. Good luck."
Rude didn't need luck. He knew exactly where Yuffie was going.
Feelings have been revealed. It's happening.
Thank you for reading and reviewing, as always.
