Of Course

Gabreilla Moushigo

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It was the next morning and Tifa had miraculously awoken before Vincent had even thought of opening his eyes. The furnishings were very sparse in this new house. Of course he didn't have much. She didn't either really. Tifa noticed a few chairs and a table that were left next to a dumpster last night. She promised herself she would return if they were still there by morning - and they were. It had, as she said, 'neat' design on it so she grabbed all three pieces and proudly placed them down in the dinning room area. At best, it was a bistro table, but it didn't matter… it was a table! Obviously, there was supposed to be a glass surface, so she just bought one this morning to go with it.

Vincent sat down a bit uncomfortably; the legs on the chair were short. He didn't like it much, but he let his legs kick out underneath the table. "Isn't this considered looting or something of the like?" He questioned.

"No way!" She shouted, completely serious. "It was outside… next to a dumpster! It's mine now!"

His nose wrinkled at that. "You're bringing other people's garbage into the house?" He now looked at the table with a little distain.

"Don't worry about it," She said simply, grabbing the pot of coffee and placing in front of him. "I washed them off before I brought them into the house." She pushed a coffee mug over to him and preemptively put sugar into her cup.

She said that like it made it better! He grabbed the pot and sloshed some of the coffee into his mug before pushing it a little ways back so she could reach it before taking a sip. "That's not the point."

She bit her lip, "Oh, I knew I should have brought some stuff."

He put his coffee cup down, looking at her seriously. "I'm sorry. I've lived so long without such comforts I guess I just didn't need anything outside the basics."

"Oh no!" She threw up her hands, sorry she said that. "Don't apologize at all. I'm just a whiner I guess." She said with a little laugh. "We don't have to worry about furniture though; I've always been a bit of a scavenger."

"Why?" He wondered aloud. "Why not get something new?"

She thought on that, finally adding coffee to her sugar. "Well, maybe because I've never had the money to get new things." She looked up. "Vincent?"

"Yes?"

"I was just wondering…" And then she stopped.

"Yes?" He prodded.

"Would we really be staying here all that often?" She put enough creamer in her coffee to make it a fawn color.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you've always been something of a wanderer I guess." She turned the coffee cup on the saucer it was resting upon. "I was wondering if you wouldn't mind taking me along if you did." She tittered a bit, hopefully if he reacted strongly she could just act like she was making a joke. She knew he liked wandering around by himself, other wise he might still be working with the rest of AVALANCHE.

He hadn't thought of that, he was a bit of a mercenary wasn't he? "If I did leave, I would take you with me."

She brightened a little. "That would make me happy."

"But I would like some measure of peace for a time." He spoke frankly, drinking deeply before reaching for the pot again. "I would like to stay here as often as possible." He eyed her. "But I suppose I will pick up a contract here or there and we can go out gallivanting out into the wild if we like." He would give them at least a month to settle in before picking up a new one.

"That would be great." Tifa thought his choice of words was a bit funny, she never heard him say anything quite like that. It was nice that he was talking about taking her; she couldn't believe he would consider it even for a moment. She had him pegged all wrong. She was so engrossed in her thoughts that when she went to pour herself some more coffee she let it run over the side.

"Tifa?" Vincent prodded cautiously.

"Oops!" She pulled the coffee back up again. "Sorry, I spaced out for a moment."

Vincent eyed her a bit, she was distracted obviously. He wondered if what he had said earlier might have made her happy.

Tifa changed the subject. "I guess I should really think about that coffee shop though… I'll need to come up with my half of the mortgage." Tifa said thoughtfully, rubbing her chin. "I'll have to hire co-manager so they can take care of the place while I'm off with you."

"That will not be necessary." He stated, almost finished drinking his second cup.

"But Vincent…" She twirled her cup some more.

"It's already paid for." He said, before she could say anything else.

"How in the hell did you pay for it all at once?" She asked, it sounded harsher than she meant it to.

"I did work while I was away you know." Yeah, working between his good deeds and giving Reeve freebies… the cheap bastard.

"I know," She glared at him teasingly. "Mr. Guns-for-Hire."

It was his turn to set a glare on her. "Hmph!"

"We'll, it's true." Tifa crossed her arms, giving him a smile. "Well, then." Tifa cleared her throat. "You know… running a bar hasn't been all that fun and I'm guessing that a coffee shop would be about the same." Tifa also realized Vincent's "job" usually brought in enough money in one month than she would in an entire year slaving away in the service industry. "So maybe we could just… I dunno… do what you do all the time?"

He gave her an odd look, having not expected such a statement from her. "Really? I had always thought you liked your line of work." Whenever he had visited she always seemed happy enough. Maybe he hadn't been paying close enough attention to her.

"That's because you only saw me while you or one of our other friends were there." She smiled and shook her head. "It was just a way to make a living. I lived in the slums you know? I guess it was a good trade… I'd much rather have been a barmaid than… well." She didn't say and just left it at that.

"Ah." He understood.

"I guess it just sort of started over when Edge was reconstructing. Barrett and Cloud sort of helped me build it. I didn't have the heart to tell them otherwise. Besides, I had two children to raise. I couldn't just run off whenever I wanted. I needed a steady job and household."

"I didn't know," Vincent sighed, looking at his coffee cup thoughtfully. "About how you felt."

"Well, it's not like I told anyone I didn't want to become some perpetual barmaid." She grabbed a spoon and started heaping sugar into her cup. "Like I said, it was a job and I had to do it for the kids." She grabbed the creamer and watched as the cold milk rose from the bottom like a thunderhead. "Now, I just want to go around again… see the world once more. I wouldn't mind settling down in a few years - just not yet." She smiled and tilted her head to the side. "Maybe then I won't mind being a barista."

"Until that day…" He lifted his glass.

"Until that day." She agreed and took a sip.

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Tifa had settled into the new home quite nicely. Since she had no short term goals of making a coffee shop, she decided that she would put a majority of her money into savings and keep a little out to stock the house with things like towels and bed spreads. It was almost like she got to start her life anew and break all ties from the past. She felt free for the first time in years.

Vincent had kindly refused going with her at first, not sure how to properly furnish a house anyway. Besides he didn't want her to ask him what he thought of something, only to run it over and get what she wanted anyway. She had a habit of doing that.

Of course she never let him off easy. "If you don't go with me – I'll buy you a pink bed spread with unicorns."

"I'll come with you." He said immediately.

"That's what I thought." She rewarded him with a triumphant smile.

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Tifa lost him somehow. She stood on her toes a few times trying to catch a glimpse of him over the isle. She made out a very tall man walking soundlessly a few isles over. She could tell by his hair that it was Vincent. "Vincent?" The hair flinched, but walked obediently around the isle to where she was. "Oh!" She saw what was in his hands. "That's a very nice lamp!" It was a deep red shade of course, with glass beads that hung from it.

"Mm." He grumbled patiently.

Tifa took it from him and placed it gently into in the cart. "You're really picking out some nice things." She complimented him. "Are you sure you weren't a decorator instead of a Turk?"

That comment embarrassed him more than anything. "I can assure you that I wasn't."

She nudged him playfully. "Oh, come on, I was just kidding." He only made a noise with his throat to indicate he had heard her. She took him over the bed spreads and sheets. He picked up, to her surprise, white lacy sheets and a white quilt with a big red island flower right in the middle of it. She gave the items a startled look before she looked into his eyes. There was a faint hint of amusement to be found in them. She decided to ask him. "I didn't think you would like something like that."

He leaned down, as if to say something private. "Well, of course." He teased.

She pulled away, "Are you sure you want these?"

"Why not?" He grinned; somehow it didn't matter that he couldn't stand the sight of them. They just seemed like something Tifa would like. Not to mention he wanted to see her reaction when he picked out such things. She was obviously shocked. Mission accomplished.

"Well, alright." She said with an air of finality before she took the items from him and put them in the cart. She smiled at his selections. "You seem to like red."

His response was the tug at his cowl. "Of course." He said again, walking away from her to the next isle.

"Of course." She repeated, following after.

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More fluffiness! I guess I wanted them to do something pretty mundane… God I'm so boring! Stick with me though - things will be fun soon enough. I decided to throw this chapter in for the day because my last chapter was so short – not to mention silly.

Some turbulent and interesting times will be coming soon – until then please read and review because it makes me very happy when you do. I never put up the "you have to be signed in" stipulation for this story so even you guys without accounts can give me some feedback. Don't worry – I won't bite hehe.