Title- Smile for Me

Pairing- Vamp/Raiden

Rating- PG-13 for darkness, sadness, slash

Disclaimers- I own nothing save a couple of MGS action figures who decline to appear in this fic. My first MGS, ergo my first Vamp/Raiden. Only my second ever finished fic

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They injected him today. After four days, captured, locked up, tortured, allowed to know each other, to fall nearly in love. He'll be dead by morning. And his new lover can only watch, knowing that there's nothing he can do. He doesn't have the information they're asking for.

Vamp and Raiden had never known each other, never met when they were'nt trying to kill each other.

They'd never known how much they had in common.

The first day they avoided each other.

The second day, they talked. They started by discussing escape plans. They ended by discovering they were not alone, neither were they evil. Each found in the other a sort of warped mirror, doing what he needed to do, whatever the cost.

They slept, together, and felt less alone.

The third day, they fell in love. Nearly.

The fourth, Vamp was set to die. For information Raiden could not give.

A cruel, but effective method.

Raiden wept bitter tears in the shadows, until the voice of the dying man reached his ears.

"Jack?"

"Mm?"

"Jack!"

Jack came to stand near the sad, beautiful, terrifying man. Their eyes met, and a single tear fell on Vamp's upturned face.

"Are you crying for me?"

"Yes"

Jack looked away, in shame

"Why do you cry for me? Enough tears have been shed on my account."

Jack couldn't answer, and Vamp's hand reached to cup his cheek, forcing their eyes to meet again. His finger traced a tear's path, and he spoke softly

"Do not cry because it is over, my dear one. Smile because it happened."

Jack's eyes brimmed again. He brushed the tears away angrily.

Vamp sighed, softly, and spoke again in a whisper

"Jack, we would never have been. You will return to your Rose. You will love her. You will perhaps have children. I die a happy man. None is left to remember me. Scott, Fortune, everyone I have known has died. But you, you will live. Perhaps you will remember me to your children, perhaps not, but you will remember. And when you remember me, you will smile." His figers traced the younger man's cheek again, and he raised himself to place a soft kiss under Jack's left eye, his face now dry "Your smile means more to me than an endless stream of tears. Now, go, when they open the door to take me. Go, and never look back. Marry your wife, raise your children, and when you remember me, smile. I love you, Jack. I always will. You will be safe as long as we remember. Forever, or nearly so."

Jack held Vamp until his last breath escaped him, and a single tear fell as he closed those blue eyes, which had seen so many loved ones die.

He stood, a tear slowly tracking down his face.

But as he walked to the door, he smiled.

He smiled as though his heart were breaking.

~fin~

A/N- My first Vamp/Raiden. I generally don't do dark, and I usually sail Snake/Otacon, but this got in my head and wouldn't go away till I wrote it. Not beta read or anything, but at least it's finally out and I can get on with the other 3 I'm writing!