Red roses mean love
By kimetara
Multi-part
Chapter Eleven
"Hmm, what game do you want to try first?" Tifa asked casually, looking around. Mog House had been cute, but she didn't feel like playing that again. Quite a few of the other games were a waste of money as well. "Vincent?" He'd already moved away and was heading towards the motorcycle race. Tifa followed, curious.
Vincent inserted the necessary gil and got on. She raised an eyebrow; Tifa hadn't known Vincent could ride motorcycles. She had to admit though, it suited him. In fact, with his dark aura he looked even better riding than Cloud.
He was also very, very good.
She watched, amazed, as Vincent tore through the Midgar highway, beating down enemy soldiers almost before they reached him. She couldn't help but wonder what it would be like riding with him on a real motorcycle.
"Wow, what a hottie!" she heard a girl whisper behind her. Tifa glanced around and noticed she was surrounded by them, all practically googly-eyed as they watched him play. Sure, they could have been in line, but she doubted it. Especially as one kept squeaking whenever Vincent knocked off an opposing motorcycle.
Well, she didn't have to stand here and watch Vincent get drooled over. Tifa wormed her way out of the crowd and stepped on the snowboarding machine.
Pretty soon, the room was divided into two halves – girls watching the motorcycles, guys staring at the snowboards. Tifa played the game easily, having used to play at Nibelheim and already gone through the real thing. Her body shifted weight automatically to fit the changing board beneath her feet, allowing a full view of her curves against her thin tank top.
6th place in ranking. Not bad, Tifa smiled, getting off the game. She was slightly shocked by just how many guys were surrounding her, but grinned. *Hah Vincent! Two can play that game,* she thought mischievously, then glanced over at where Vincent was. Apparently, he had gotten the high score, and was very close to being mobbed. Tifa had to hold back a laugh seeing various girls hit on him, and when he looked at her across the room, his own eyes held an amused look.
Just then, a guy slung his arm around her shoulder. "Heyy, why don't you and I ditch this group and go down to the Event Square?" he suggested. Tifa nearly laughed again, but instead grinned and politely turned him down. Unfortunately, his proposal seemed to open a gateway, and she found herself being asked basically the same thing twenty times over and offered phone numbers. It seemed as if the two of them had attracted the entire Wonder Square.
It all died though when Tifa felt a hand on her shoulder. She tilted her chin up and was met with the currently unreadable eyes of Vincent. Tifa smiled at him, unsure of where his good-humor had gone, but chalked it up to him just being Vincent. "Hey," she said cheerfully. "Having fun?"
Now that Tifa had guaranteed she was with a guy – and a pretty dangerous good-looking guy too – the majority of her group dispersed. A few lingered, but they didn't try to get her attention.
"It was enjoyable." He shrugged.
"But you feel like eating?" she finished, before turning around and standing on tiptoe to whisper in Vincent's ear. "Or, feel like getting away from the crowd?" she asked quietly, then dropped back down to her heels. He nodded.
Tifa smiled, grabbed his gloved hand, and led him back to the Station.
She laughed, popping out the tube going from the Wonder Square. "Oh, I have got to figure out how they do that," Tifa chuckled. "It's just so much fun!"
Vincent smiled a little. "It is...exhilarating."
"That's the spirit!" Tifa turned around. "Where to next?"
"It is of no matter to me. But some of your fanclub has followed us." Was it just Tifa, or was there a hint of irritation in that calm voice of his?
"Looks like some of yours has too," Tifa added as a group of girls hovered innocently around the tube to the Wonder Square that they just come out of. "How about the Round Square?" She figured the ride was fairly long, and there was a good chance she and Vincent could lose them while on it.
He looked at her blankly. "I've no knowledge of anything here..."
That's right. He'd never been to the Gold Saucer before. "Okay. Round Square it is!" She jumped down the tube, Vincent following.
When they popped out, a hot dog stand was conveniently waiting for them. "You want one?" she asked Vincent.
"I thought we were escaping the crowd," was his reply.
"We are, but there's no reason not to get a bite to eat," she pointed out.
"Fine."
"Two please. One plain, the other..." she glanced up at him, and he raised an eyebrow. "Uh...also plain." She leaned closer to Vincent. "Have you ever eaten a hot dog before?"
"No. It wasn't one of the things Shinra fed to us."
Tifa blinked, surprised that Vincent had never had a hot dog, and that he told her something about his past. Mostly by the latter. "Oh."
"Here you go, miss." Tifa smiled and paid the man, gave Vincent his hot dog, and then strolled a little further and bought a stick of pink, puffy cotton candy. She considered getting popcorn too, but it seemed that her and Vincent's followers had begun to track them again, so she just tapped Vincent on the shoulder.
"The ride's over there. Let's go." Tifa turned to walk towards the main attraction, paused, and turned back around. "You're done with your hot dog already?"
"Yes." Tifa shook her head – she was only half done with hers – and continued towards the ride.
"Oh, I'm sorry, but no food is allowed on the ride," the attendant told her politely when they reached it. Tifa shrugged.
"Is it okay if we just stand on the side and wait then?"
"Of course."
"Okay, thanks!" She settled down on the curb and started finishing her hot dog. Vincent waited, standing above her.
"Why don't you sit down?" Tifa requested. "There's plenty of room."
"I am watching for your admirers."
Tifa smiled. "It's okay. I doubt they're psycho stalkers, and if they are, we can handle them," she stated confidently. "So sit down, I'm getting a neck cramp looking up at you."
Vincent complied. "Here, have some cotton candy," she offered. He hesitated, then took a small bit.
"It's nothing but pure sugar," he stated, sounding surprised. Tifa laughed.
"Yup. Cotton candy, the dentist's nightmare." She pulled a big section off, having just finished her hot dog, and popped it in her mouth. Vincent took some more, and for a little while, the two just sat there sharing cotton candy. Tifa giggled at seeing Vincent eating something pink and fluffy.
"What?" he asked.
"Nothing." She smiled sweetly and kept eating. He shrugged.
When it was all gone, Tifa threw the paper cone away, licked her fingers, then pulled out a wetnap she had snagged from the vendors earlier and wiped her hands off. She turned to find Vincent still sitting on the curb, looking annoyed while sticking and unsticking the fingers of his gloves.
Tifa laughed inwardly, before kneeling down and gently grabbing his hand, starting to wipe it down. It was his right hand, his whole one, and it felt wonderfully warm and firm through his glove, albeit slightly too thin. Vincent, in general, was slightly too thin. It was partly why Tifa had first thought he was sickly when she saw him coming out of the Nibelheim basement.
Maybe it was the cotton candy, maybe it was holding his hand, or maybe it was the memories, but Tifa's mood changed. Her strokes became longer, slower, and her eyes grew distant. It didn't escape Vincent's attention.
"There. All done." She threw the wetnap away.
"What's wrong?" Tifa looked startled.
"Nothing. It's nothing," she replied. "Do you want to go?"
Vincent grabbed her wrist to keep her from standing up and pulled her gently to the curb beside him again. Tifa sat, a tad reluctant.
"What's troubling you?" he asked again. She sighed.
"Did you know...well...Cloud and Aeris had a 'date' here."
"Ah." Vincent's mood dropped dramatically. Of course. Cloud.
"Yeah," she said ruefully. "I...was up, actually, planning to go ask Cloud out myself, but...I saw her leave her room, and when I looked down the hallway, she was walking with Cloud down the stairs..." Tifa stared at her hands.
"I see."
She shook her head. "Sorry. I know you're probably sick of me always talking about Cloud."
"Actually, you have been mentioning him less than I expected." Of course, he hated it when she mentioned him at all.
Tifa gave him a wry look. "I'm not sure whether that's supposed to be comforting or degrading."
"Neither. It is merely the truth," he replied in his ever-present monotone. Tifa sighed.
"I know. Well..." she stood up and brushed her pants off. "It's alright. I'll get over it."
"Hmm?" Vincent tilted his head, confused. A lock of dark hair fell into his face, and he didn't bother to remove it.
"What?" She turned to him and smiled. It was a real smile, even if wasn't as uplifted as her smiles usually were. "Did you think I'd just pine away? Or go chase after him?"
"...something of the sort crossed my mind." Tifa shook her head.
"No. I've lived through my town burning down before my eyes. I've seen my father die." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath as the memory passed through her mind. She didn't think she'd ever lose it. "I'm not about to be crushed by being left behind. Not even by Cloud."
Vincent looked up at her, his respect for this beauty rising. It was no wonder he loved her.
Tifa saw it. She saw him looking, she saw his eyes, and she saw something there that she wasn't sure was meant to be seen. Suddenly nervous, tucked a strand of wayward hair behind her ear and reached out a hand.
"Why don't we go on the ride?"
Vincent accepted, holding her hand and pulling himself up. For a moment, they stood there, standing together with their hands clasped.
Then Vincent let go and turned away, and Tifa followed him into the small booth.
"How many?" the ticket attendant asked brightly.
"Two, please," Tifa replied and paid her GP.
"Here you go! Enjoy the ride!"
AN: Review please? *is extremely surprised and delighted by how popular this fic is* *feels guilty for making so many people wait for updates* I will try to keep updating quickly...oops, better not jinx myself.