Heat. Burning, relentless heat. Pounding at his temples, everywhere. Throwing off the bed sheets desperately, hoping for some temporary end to the heat, but there was nothing. He touched his forehead, which was beaded with perspiration, and then dropped his head into his hands, both metal and flesh, before jerking away abruptly. Even the metal claw was warm, uncomfortably warm.
Why had he accepted to come back to her house? It wasn't as though he deserved to be taken in by her. He wasn't a stray dog on the streets, eyeing passers-by, seeking refuge and rescue. Yet he had been foolish enough to accept her offer. Foolish or not, it had been a generous offer, one kind act of many which Tifa had bestowed on her fellow AVALANCHE members. She had a good heart. That couldn't be debated. It wasn't as though he deserved her acts of generosity himself, though.
So hot. He couldn't get away from it… what on earth was wrong? Ever since Hojo's experiments so many years ago, sickness had become a thing of the past, something which he was grateful for. But he was so hot… his head was spinning, what could it be? Closing crimson eyes with a soft sigh, he rolled onto his side, trying to will himself back to sleep.
*~*
Defeating Sephiroth hadn't been easy, but anything was easier then summoning up the courage to knock on Vincent's door. I raise my hand, pause, think about it, drop my hand, think about it some more, raise my hand, and then the cycle continues. He's been asleep for a long time. Yes, he probably has a hangover to the first degree after all that whiskey, but even still, he should be up by now, and it was past three in the afternoon, after all. Not that I was trying to get him out of the house or anything, it was just…
Just I was trying to get him out of the house. My mind surmises. Sighing and distantly wondering how my own mind can outsmart me so badly, I bite my lip and knock on the door, two sharp knocks which would alert anybody to someone's presence. There is silence. Mentally crossing my fingers, I twist the doorhandle and open the door slowly, peering inside. The sight that meets me is rather surprising.
Vincent is fast asleep, from the looks of things. From memory, in AVALANCHE, he hardly ever slept, but here he was, hair tousled from movement, right arm thrown carelessly over his stomach, modestly clothed in old sleeping clothes of Cloud's. Granted, he was a bit taller then Cloud, but still managed to fit the clothes perfectly. His left arm was stretched out away from him, as if even in sleep he couldn't bear having the metal contraption any closer then he had to. Looking closer, I frowned slightly. Now that I did look closer, his breathing was rather erratic and perspiration beaded on his forehead. I gently move closer and touch his forehead, before jerking my hand away, surprised at my own motion. He is hot. Unnaturally hot. Nobody is supposed to be that warm to the touch.
He shifts with the contact of my hand, and pulls away. At first I think he is going to wake up, but he merely turns over slightly, murmuring something. I have to strain my ears to hear what it is. "Lucrecia…"
Lucrecia? Still? Of course, he still hadn't managed to forget and forgive about her with thirty years dormancy, so what hope was there with a mere one year since we had seen him last? Suddenly, his crimson eyes fly open wildly as he sits up and looks around. I start back away from him, and it is only then that he notices me. His eyes widen with… fear? With anyone else it would have been, but with Vincent… I still don't know. When I look back at him, however, he has his usual nonchalant, almost bored expression on his face. Wait a minute. What makes me think that I know what is usual with Vincent? Again, with anyone else that I have known as long as him, but…
"You have a fever," I state simply. Anybody could understand it, surely. "I don't know how long you were planning on staying in Kalm, but you're not fit to travel in this state," I am pleased to notice that my tone is firm, rather then expressing the underlying fear that I am feeling being around him. It isn't him, exactly, but he is- was so… unpredictable. You never knew what his reaction would be. I think that was what scared me. Me being me, I was expecting hostility at my statement. What I got was exactly the opposite. Acquiescence.
"I know," He shifts slightly in the bed, almost as though he is expecting me to argue with him. "I- I shouldn't have come here in the first place. I apologise for being a burden,"
"Don't be ridiculous!" My surprise at his words is conveyed in my tone. "You're a friend. How could you be considered a burden?"
He turns to look at me with those bloody eyes. "An acquaintance, maybe,"
For the first time, I really look at him then. Aeris had always liked Vincent, I had never really understood why. One time she told me she had looked at him and had liked what she had seen. Of course, I had no idea what she meant. But now, I think that I was beginning to understand as I looked at Vincent for the first time as a person.
Good Shiva, he really was handsome. Excluding the fact that he would probably be about twice my age. But I was female. It had been the first time I had looked at him as a man, a human, as opposed to him with biased pity because of what he was, what he had had to deal with throughout his lifetime.
He was probably right. Due to my nervousness, albeit concealed by an open attitude and personality and his reservedness, we probably never would be more then mere acquaintances. It was odd; really, that I could trust him with my life better then my emotions, my secrets. For some reason, that scared me to some extent.
Even including those factors, though, I still… I couldn't explain it in simpler terms then I cared for him. But it wasn't that simple. I was reined by feelings of confusion whenever I was around him, ever since I had met him it had always been that way. Never would I have minded getting closer to him, but he would never have cared for me closer then ten feet away. I reach out a hand to touch his brow, and am inwardly surprised that he doesn't remove it, forcefully or otherwise, immediately, that is. He lets it rest there for a few seconds before reaching up his flesh hand and gently brushing it off.
"Do you want anything?" It seems odd also, that one can feel so out of place at her own house. He shakes his head.
"I will get up soon. I must thank you for your hospitality,"
Nodding, my feet automatically carry me out of the room. As soon as I step outside, the tense atmosphere disappears and I can breathe freely, easily again.
It must just be his room.
I forgot to mention. There's been so many good V/T stories written recently that I don't know why I'm writing this, cos it ain't a bundle compared to some of the other stories, but hey… I'm having fun. That's why I write, I guess! To all those V/T writers out there, keep up the magnificent work! And one last thing, I don't know how it's happened, but anyone that isn't Tifa has ended up being written in past tense, while Tifa is present. Don't know how, but it sounds alright, so I'm leaving it. I might edit later, but for now it is fine. Just so you know. :)
