I'll Always Be Here

This is a very short bit of Valenwind fluff I wrote at school today. It's not excellent and I don't really care much.

DISCLAIMER: Cid and Vincent belong to Square Enix and I make no claim on them.

"And this…this is my punishment," Vincent said in a hollow voice, staring at his pointy-tipped boots.

Cid was silent for a moment, pulling a cigarette out of its perch behind his ear, cupping his hand around it and lighting it. He took a deep drag and leaned his shoulder against the wall, exhaling slowly and looking thoughtful.

"#$%, Vince, why you gotta be so dramatic?"

"What?"

"Yeah, you've had to put up with shit, stuff I can't even fathom, and I don't know what to say about that. But as for that whole Lucrecia crap, I can say this - we've all loved and lost. Happens to everyone. Just ask Shera, she couldn't tie down a boyfriend if someone gave her the rope."

"You have no idea of my suffering," Vincent rasped, red eyes remaining emotionless.

"No. I don't. And I feel sorry for you. My heart aches for you every minute of every day. But you have friends. People who love you. You have me."

"I…have you?" Vincent asked tentatively.

"Of course you do. Hell, I'll always be here, Vince."

"No. No, you won't." Vincent shook his head.

"Well, true. I'm gonna die some day. But, you know, we have fifty or so years before that happens, I'm reckoning. So hurry up. Stop procrastinating."

"Hurry up and do what?" Vincent asked.

"Hurry up and come here." Cid dropped the cigarette to the ground and squashed it with his toe.

It made a gentle fssssss sound while the spark died, and Vincent's tired, beaten heart sang as another flickered into life.

Or maybe it had been there all along.

The only thing that mattered was that it was there, burning brilliant and strong.