Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy VII

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048. Secret

"So, Vincent went off and you can't find him?"

"Ugh, yeah, I know, and I, like, really told him not to but he just went off and I- AGH!"

My foot landed squarely in another deep puddle. This stupid part of the stupid marshes where it rained all the stupid time that the WRO sent us to because no one else could take on that stupid Gollum-! I swear, I wanted to scream, but no one would hear me except the dumb marsh-water.

"Why did Vincent have to pull me down with him!?" I cried out in vain, not even realising I was still on the phone to Operations as I let the keening, pathetic note into my voice.

"Uh- We'll keep searching for Vincent. You keep trying to find the Gollum, and we'll ring back if we find him."

"Okay. Thanks." I couldn't even hide the misery from my voice anymore. My entire leg was totally soaked up to my knee and covered in gross, green flakes from the water — oh gawd, it even smelled bad.

Flipping the phone shut and putting it back in the pouch on my back, I pulled out my compass instead. I tapped the glass covering the needle a bunch of times, but it was stubbornly stuck pointing north. Ugh, even that wasn't working now too! Ever since I got up-ended by that snake-looking thing, it must've damaged my compass in the fall! "Fine, FINE I'll do it my own way!" And growling at the air, I started marching in the general direction of the sun - which had to be kinda north-east.

Why did he even have to run off like that in the first place, anyway? He was so irresponsible — oh yikes, I sounded like Tifa when she was mad at Cloud. I guess this is what happens huh?

But seriously, why did he do it? Does he not think I'm strong enough? Not good enough to help out, huh? Well, I'll show him — and frankly, it's-it's just sexist, right? To think that I'm not good enough; what, because I'm a girl? Because I'm small and little and people think they can throw me around, huh? Bet he agreed with that stupid magazine that said I was the weakest of the 7 Heroes. I'll teach them! We all know that Cait Sith is the weakest, like of course he is? HE. IS. A. ROBOT. I'M. A. HUMAN. I swear - if Vincent actually agrees with all this dumb stuff he'll have another thing coming, I will literally NEVER let him have the nice bed on missions again, and if he even thinks about anything else—

"AGH!" I let out another yell up to the grey, cloud-covered sky as I stuck my foot in yet another puddle. "VINCENT VALENTINE I WILL KILL YOU!"

How could he just run off without me? What did he think that oh, because he's so sexy and so talented and so good with his hands, that I'd let him off easily? That I'd just be all like 'oh, yeah, of course I forgive you, Vincent! Now please, take me!" With big eyes like all those cartoon princesses Marlene likes, and that I'd just - what, get over it? And him just running away like that! Does he think he's gonna get all the credit or something? Does he think this'll mean he never has to go on a mission with me again? He chose me for this mission - how dumb is he?

Play dumb games, win dumb prizes - but this is much dumber than any of my games.

And like, it's not even like I can really explain to anyone why I'm so annoyed! I'm beyond furious - and it's only partially because of how he's just decided to up and leave like Edge's finest men at the first sight of babies. Like, how am I gonna go to Teefs and be all like 'oh yeah, so Vincent decided to run off during the middle of the mission' and she's gonna get why I'm so mad? Well, okay, she probably knows - but like, Cloud or Cid wouldn't! Red would probably look at me like I had two heads: I liked it when he ran off to get the guy on our last mission together, it meant I didn't have to do all the stupid-fast chasing! But this, this is different!

This is personal.

Because it's not just Vincent being all stupid-noble and running off when he thinks he has it in hand, it's him running off and leaving me! Like I'm just some common whore! — oh my gawd, now I sound like my dad. This is straight-up a disaster. Like, how can I trust the man to support me in the future if he's doing this now? How can I trust him to be there for me, to get why I'm upset, to talk to me if he just runs off like this?

"UGH!" I fell almost face-first in the goo this time, both hands landing with a splat in the ground and I almost cried. "VINCENT YOU ARE THE WORST SECRET BOYFRIEND IN THE WORLD."

"I'm sorry?"

"Oh. Hey Vinnie. What's up?" I said innocently, looking up to see none other than Vincent Valentine standing before me.

"I got the Gollum… why're you down there?"

"Because I fell — you did what?!"

"I got the Gollum. That's why I went off - I had him in my sights so I could take him down very quickly if I acted cautiously and quietly."

I didn't know whether to laugh or cry or give him the grossest hug. I settled on a mixture of all three.

"You have to talk to me, Vinnie! Seriously, I basically blew up Operations telling them you'd gone missing and you wouldn't answer your stupid phone and — ugh, Vincent!"

"I'm… sorry?" I said, and I can only image he had a perturbed look on his face as he patted me slowly on the back.

"Yeah, you will be."

"And I am… your secret boyfriend?"

"Well, yeah, like the whole sleeping together and going on missions together and generally sneaking around makes that what it is, right?"

Hopefully, he realised that now was not the time to play around.

"I do suppose so. I don't fully understand all these modern dating terms, though. In my day—"

"Yeah, okay, that's enough," and I silenced him with a kiss. "So, I'm gonna call Operations to let them know you're not dead, then we're gonna head back, and I'm gonna shower until my skin turns red."

"That sounds like a good plan."

"Wanna come too?"

"To where."

I laced the fingers of one hand in his as we turned to walk out of this godforsaken marsh. Nonchalantly using the other to pull my phone back out of its pouch, I looked up to him with a suggestively raised eyebrow; "The shower, of course."

This was actually based off an argument I had with a guy I was secretly dating because all my friends hated him! Spoilers: my friends were right, and things did not go as well as in this chapter!

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