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The Art of Insomnia	By : RandiLynne Category: Final Fantasy VII > Het - Male/Female Views: 955 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
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The rain tapped its melody
on the roof, Tifa�s steady breaths intertwined with each consecutive drop. The
clock on the wall ticked away the seconds, adding to the countless minutes that
had passed since she�d fallen asleep. These were the sounds accompanying his
insomnia. Each sound seemed magnified, but none came as loud as his own
thoughts. There were many questions roaming the folds of his mind that evening
and an agonizing number of them centered on the woman lying beside him, her
fingers laced with his.
Tifa stirred softly in the
covers, a rich sigh breaking into the chorus of the night as she nuzzled
unconsciously into his bicep. He lay on his back, watching the ceiling with
little interest. If only he could just fall asleep. The entire evening hadn�t necessarily
caught him off guard, but the thoughts that he�d entertained since she�d
arrived had. It was much easier to put feelings aside and ignore the intricate
aspects of his relationship with Tifa when Cloud was around. But when dreams
broke down between her and Cloud, things never ceased to awaken inside him. A set of �what-ifs� would always sneak into his head whenever such
a situation arose. He began to wonder if that didn�t boil down to the
concept of rescuing her from this self destruction, as he�d failed to do with
Lucrecia. The guilt of standing by still bothered him at times, though in the
past years he�d began to manage it more successfully, perhaps even learned to
put it behind in some ways.
In the years after the
Planet�s intervention, Vincent had watched Tifa begin to shift. At times, she
was able to put on that happy smile and convince a few people that she was
still the optimistic girl that had accompanied them to the ends of the planet
to fight evil. Even back then, he�d seen the vulnerability in her. There was a
frailty beneath the smile, and an indecisive nature hiding beneath the beauty
of her eyes. At the time, he�d not put a name to the cause, but he quickly
discovered that the causes were several, beginning with her history and leading
right up to Cloud. In the past months, no one was convinced of her plastic
smile aside from Tifa herself. Cloud may have even realized just how artificial
her outward personality had become. She was but a fragment of the person she
once was. To watch such a thing happen to someone so undeserving was
frustrating.
Certain points on his back
began to bother him; he never was one to lie in one position for too long, so
he rolled cautiously onto his side. When he�d finished the maneuver, Tifa
fidgeted yet again, pushing her forehead against his chest so that the crown of
her head came beneath his chin. The scent of rose and amber flooded his senses,
a mixture quite contradictory. Sensual and intense. Delicate and strong. Feminine and
masculine. He wondered if she�d chosen it for a reason, or merely
because it was an enchanting fragrance. Though, he doubted she�d analyze this
as he just had.
Whether by the sweet
fragrance or the song of the rain, he finally relaxed into a comfortable sleep.
�
Not much passed through
the realm of his dreams, or at least not anything he could recall when the
white rays of light trickled through the bare window. At once, he tightened his
eyelids, hoping to cling to that last thread of slumber. The fact that he�d
forgotten to pull down the shade before going to sleep swam through his mind,
an annoying awakening.
Allowing one eye to drift
open, he surveyed the scene. Tifa was surprisingly in almost the exact position
in which she�d been when he�d fallen asleep. His fingers felt oddly cramped
from being bound to hers throughout the night. Hesitantly, he began to separate
each digit, flexing them once breaking free of her grip. Stiff
as a board. The air outside was calmer; the ashen clouds a much lighter
shade than they had been the previous day. The rain had taken a break, for now.
In the growing light, he
noticed that Tifa had wedged her face further between his chest and the
mattress and he couldn�t help but run his fingers across the silken layers
resting against the back of her head. She obviously needed the rest, judging by
the comment she�d made about not being able to see straight. The light would
never permit her to sleep in, so he slowly inched distance between their bodies
and lifted onto his elbow. This would be tricky. He pressed against the
mattress, counter balancing his weight as he stretched gently across her.
Luckily, the long draw string attached to the shade was in reach, and he pulled
it quietly down until the room darkened considerably. Just as he began to move
back toward his side of the bed, she readjusted onto her back, placing him in
an odd position, hovering over her. To say he appreciated the way she looked in
that moment would be an understatement.
The slight curve of her
brows arched across serene features struck him as a stark contradiction to the
previous evening�s expression. Perched on her lips was a faint smile, not the
sort she gave in consciousness. She slept so peacefully in that moment. Rather
than wake her with quick movements, he cautiously shifted back toward the
opposite side of the bed, managing to slip off the mattress seemingly
unnoticed.
With a stifled yawn, he
began to make his way toward the counter where he�d left a book sleeping lazily
atop the surface. There were still several chapters to be read and time had not
progressed past seven in the morning. Slipping back to his place in the bed as
cautiously as he�d exited, he leaned back and settled into a comfortable
position while opening the novel to a marked page a quarter of the way through.
In the pages of a novel,
one could most certainly be lost. It would be hard not to be enveloped in the
lives of fictitious characters when the story in which they dwell contains
excitement and emotion almost unknown to the real world. A good book was always
something he could enjoy. He had an appreciation for most well written works,
regardless of the genre in which they fell. Recently, he�d been sucked into a
series of mystery novels set in a universe unknown to any but the author. Yet,
somehow, events in the story seemed to align with certain characteristics of
his life. This had piqued his curiosity, originally, but now he read the final
book more in habit whenever he had nothing else to do. And so the minutes would
pass in silence as he read on through the events of a foreign world.
As he turned the pages
toward the end of the novel, he heard Tifa adjust her position and laugh
gingerly into the silence. Moving his eyes from the text, he found her watching
attentively. He hadn�t heard her wake, if she�d done so before the laugh. A
smile brightened her features as she propped her chin on curled fingers.
�You were so focused,� she
announced, turning her eyes and lips to mock his so called focus.
�And that face is
ridiculous,� he teased. She laughed again, losing the stern expression.
She reached to tip the
novel forward, peeking at the title through narrowed eyes. �White?
That�s an odd title,� she observed.
�It�s an odd book,� he
replied while closing the cover and setting aside his distraction.
�Ah� I should have known.�
She nodded, and trapped her bottom lip between her teeth. By the way she�d
averted her eyes; he ventured a guess that she wasn�t feeling much of an
improvement over the previous evening.
�Did you sleep well?� To
this, she inadvertently frowned, creating a serious face as if she were
carefully formulating her response.
�I did,� she replied with
a nod, though he couldn�t help but feel that there would be a �but� involved.
�But I could really go for breakfast right about now.� She was disentangling herself
from the sheets and moving over his legs as quickly as the words had left her
mouth. She was in the kitchen in seconds, throwing the refrigerator open to
peer inside.
�There�s not much in
there,� he reminded her. She rose from the hunched position she�d assumed when
trying to get a better look, directing a good natured glare toward him.
�I can see that,� she
said, looking a little disappointed with the left corner of her mouth tugged up
gently.
�There�s a coffee house
down the street,� he offered, hoping she�d leave the barren fridge. It wasn�t
that he didn�t eat; he actually preferred to order in or eat out. Cooking,
beyond simple meals of repetitive flavor, was not a skill he possessed; he had
no need for it. She still didn�t look very impressed. �They serve fresh muffins
and scones, among other things.�
Finally, she nodded
agreeably. �That works.� The fridge closed with a tap and she roamed through
the apartment into the bathroom. When she�d passed by, he noticed the same
delicacy around her eyes. Perhaps she was coming to the realization that Cloud
was sure to be waking at this time, if not already, to an empty bed. The waltz
of deception and indecision had drawn to a close, for now. Would that be
disappointing for Cloud? For that matter, would Tifa be able to successfully
pull away before being trapped into the routine once more? Usually, he soothed
her with false words that Cloud would come around. He hated to put on that
charade, but telling her that Cloud was an immature boy incapable of fixing his
life enough to care for her the way she deserved didn�t seem to be the best of
ideas. He idly wondered how much would be �enough� for her to make this
decision to leave permanent. He wanted to see her well again, to see her happy.
His thoughts were interrupted
when she reappeared with quite a frown, the leather she usually wore crumpled
and stale around her thin frame. Leather never did react well to being
thoroughly soaked and left in a heap on the floor throughout the night. The
vest must have been useless, for the thin white tank usually beneath was
wrapped nicely around her upper torso.
�I did the best I could to
hang this up, but it must have fallen,� she said while gesturing to the bottom
half of her ensemble.
He smirked, observing the
strange angle at which one of the short legs pulled away from her knee. �Well,
I guess you can�t go around like that.�
�It�s
that bad?� she inquired, obviously thinking she could salvage at least the
shorts.
�It�ll need to be
straightened out before you wear it again.� With that, he moved from the bed to
the drawer of the dresser. Again, he searched for something half decent and he
settled for a pair of black cotton pants much like the ones he wore. She could
roll the bottom and tie the drawstring until the waist bunched. Not that his
waist was anything formidable. He held the pants out to her and she thanked him
before disappearing into the bathroom again, the tail of her outfit swishing
far less gracefully than it had last night.
He gathered a pair of
black slacks and a dress shirt dyed a deep shade of crimson, along with
appropriate undergarments and socks. If her attire was in such dire shape, his
would likely be the same until he took some time to coax it back into decency.
Besides, he didn�t much need to be dressed that way to accompany her to the
coffee house, or one of the shops he assumed she�d probably want to visit.
She�d likely avoid going back to Seventh Heaven clothed in his pants and shirt.
She emerged the second
time with the waist of his pants tied tightly with bunched elastic. The hems
were rolled up and rested lazily over her sneakers, which must have been dry
enough to manage. With the white tank, she wore a strange combination of
disheveled attractiveness that he didn�t much mind.
�Better?� she asked with a
grin.
�Much,� he replied as he
brushed past her to steal the bathroom. He felt like a shower, having not taken
one since the prior evening, but Tifa was hungry. After redressing, he slid on
a pair of shoes just outside the door and was met with burgundy irises as he
rolled the cuffs of his sleeves half way up each forearm.
�I�m getting attached to
seeing you like this, Vince.�
The sweet compliment came
as a bit of a surprise, and his eyes widened ever so slightly as he finished
the last cuff. �Is that so?�
�Mhm. I like your usual look, but this� this is just sophisticated and
handsome.�
He supposed that was true,
to a point. The styles were infinitely different. Actually, he just liked the
fact that she had been so generous with her compliments. He opened the door
opposite the bathroom door and removed one of the coats that happened to be
residing inside. Leather, again, but this time it would do just fine. �Here,�
he said as he slipped behind her. She obliged and he inched the coat over her
arms and wrapped it around her shoulders, narrowly escaping the impulse to wrap
her in his arms.
�Thanks,� she said
quietly. �What about you?�
�I�ll be fine,� he
replied, propping the front door open for her. She passed him, carrying with
her that intoxicating scent which he could not push from his mind. Once she
waited in the hall, he closed the door and joined her as they exited the
building.
The coffee house was
literally a few doors down and without the rain, the walk was pleasant. She
hugged her torso as they walked, but he assumed this was not from the weather.
The air was chilled, but not to the point it had been the previous evening.
When they entered through
a small wooden door, he noticed that Tifa took a moment to glance around the
interior of the quaint room. He�d always liked to come here and read
accompanied by the rich aroma of coffee beans and the sweet tune of unique jazz
played quietly from speakers perched around the ceiling. The dim lighting was
not the best for reading, but the chairs were plush and inviting, so he let his
eyes strain. The heater was working to keep the room at a nice temperature, and
Tifa quickly shrugged off the coat and hung it on the coat rack as they
approached the counter.
She posted her hands on
her knees as she gazed through the glass display, eyes traveling over the
various items offered, from breakfast to dessert. Without intention to unnerve
her, he came beside her to observe the treats. Though he was close to her ear,
he hadn�t expected his voice to send her lashes fluttering and bring a tint of
pink to her pale cheeks when he asked her if she saw anything she liked. She
simply looked to him with a timid smile and said, �I think so.�
The skeleton of a smirk
played his lips before he turned his attention to the blonde behind the cash
register. �I�ll have the dark roast, along with a black forest scone.�
�Vincent! That�s
practically dessert�� Tifa seemed to find his taste humorous, a light laugh
carrying across the soft tones of the music.
�I like to indulge,� he
replied, allowing the smirk to form at full strength for a split second.
�Anything else?� the
blonde asked.
�Just the breakfast blend
and one of those fruit�platters,� Tifa answered, glancing down at a plate with
several fresh slices of fruit.
�All right, that�ll be
fifteen gil,� followed several little beeps.
Vincent removed the
required amount from a small zip wallet kept in his pocket and handed the gil to the woman before Tifa had a moment to protest. The
blonde exchanged the gil for two cups of hot coffee,
and he could tell which was his simply by the hue of the contents.
�You didn�t have to do
that,� Tifa commented as she lifted the two small plates holding their
�breakfast� from the counter with expertise, walking gracefully behind him
while he sought a decent table. Years of working as a waitress seemed to pay
off at times.
�I know.� The table he
chose sat enticingly in a dim corner beneath a paper lamp that cast a warm glow
over the rich, dark wood of the table. Several times he thought about inquiring
as to where the owner of the caf� had gotten the chairs, but fitting the
oversized arm chairs into his apartment would have proved difficult. He took a
seat and set the tall mug with chestnut coloration on the opposite side of the
table. Tifa carefully placed the chocolate scone before him and sat, watching
him curiously.
�Aren�t you the
gentleman,� she remarked as she took up two packets of sugar and a small
individual serving of vanilla creamer.
Was that such a bad thing?
He supposed that it just might be, given their situation. He always carried a
sense of morality, not to be mistaken for anything else. However, he found that
his habits improved when Tifa was around. Perhaps she�d taken precedence over
the recent months as they�d grown closer. Somewhere in his attempts to be a
consoling friend, he�d come to care for her beyond anything he could have
expected. But he�d written this off, content to help her when she needed it and
let her go whenever Cloud decided to reappear. There are some who would find
that disturbing, yet it did not bother him. Some would say he ought to save her
from the dysfunctional relationship, but he hadn�t the desire to repeat
history. Perhaps she�d come around on her own, which would be far better than
persuasion. Then she would feel that she�d made her own choices, and she
wouldn�t have to look back with question and maybe even regret.
Tifa broke the seal on the
creamer and watched it pour into the coffee, followed by the sugar. Once again
nibbling on her bottom lip, she stirred the liquid until it turned a milky
shade of lighter brown. The usual glint in her eye was simply absent, as it had
been when he found her in the rain. Taking a sip of the bold roast, he geared
up for the conversation that would likely take place whenever she decided to
bring the subject back up. It would only be a matter of time. Tifa never could
remove her mind from what happened whenever Cloud left, and Vincent assumed it
would be no different in this case.
�So, how long can I keep
you?� Tifa asked, pushing a smile.
�As long as you need, I
suppose.� Vincent cut off a piece of the scone with the fork provided and
snaked the delicious pastry into his mouth. Having Tifa�s company a little
longer would certainly not be a burden.
�I was thinking of heading
over to the boutique near the center of town, just to pick up something decent
to wear�� she thought aloud, finally biting into a slice of pink fruit. She
chewed softly, watching him for some sort of reaction. �You don�t mind, do
you?�
�Not at
all.� He sipped
a bit more of the coffee, washing down the remnants of chocolate.
She nodded gingerly,
biting into another slice of pink flesh. The juice slipped down her chin,
causing her to trail the tip of her finger over her skin, gathering the
transparent liquid. The sun finally crept from behind the layers of clouds,
spilling light down onto the street outside and she held a smile as she
finished the last of that slice of fruit. �I guess the sun will shine, after
all.�
The comment struck him as
odd, though he did not inquire as to what she meant, precisely. Having the
habit of reading into the words spoken was never the best habit, anyhow. It
would be easier if things were so black and white, but there were always grey
areas. That mind of his particularly enjoyed playing with those grey areas.
�I have no idea what I�d
do without you�� she added, almost dreamily. She leaned lazily against the edge
of the table, her imperceptibly disheveled hair brushing over her bare
collarbone on its way to the surface of the table. The view her vest would not
have provided distracted him for a moment, but he averted his eyes to meet her
gaze. �I really hope I�m not driving you crazy.�
Not in the way you�re
suggesting� but crazy nonetheless. �It�s no trouble at all, Tifa.�
She accepted the answer and
went back to savoring the remainder of the fruit, while he enjoyed the last of
the scone. Those things would be the death of him. The small portion of coffee
that remained in his mug quickly grew cold, and she�d finished hers just after
trying a tidbit of his scone that he�d managed to part with.
�Ready?� she asked, likely
aware all of the same things he�d noticed.
�Sure,� he replied as he
rose from the chair.
He led the way toward the
coat rack, where he once again did the honors of slipping the item over her
arms and shoulders. She smiled shyly and began for the door, but was stopped in
her tracks by a most disappointing sight. In the short time since she�d noticed
the sun�s appearance, the clouds had overcome the warmth and started to drizzle
cold water down onto the street.
She looked questioningly
toward him, a pronounced frown in place. �What now?�
�We�ll have to drive to
the boutique,� he shrugged nonchalantly. The notion was hardly crazy, but she
still looked to him with guilt. When would she ever understand that she was not
burdening him with anything?
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Well, I simply could not
resist continuing. I have so many ideas flowing on this one and I wanted to
share this chapter before my birthday tomorrow. All of the reviews given were
especially appreciated and I am so glad to see them. I can only hope that
chapter two will be as welcomed as the first. The coziness from the first
chapter has carried over, because there�s nothing quite as lovely as a warm
caf� on a rainy day. I do hope that this version of Vincent I am creating is
not displeasing. So, do tell me what you think of this chapter ;) Chapter three
should be out relatively soon, and things will certainly gain momentum. The
first two chapters were quite purposefully slow as I wanted to focus on his
thoughts and feelings toward Tifa. I don�t think that this pairing is one to be
rushed.
I have found it
interestingly easy to write emotions with my husband being in Iraq. It�s
almost an outlet for those excess amounts of emotion I keep stored away. Please
let me know if anything seems� too much, as I might be prone to dramatic
things. I�d love to hear any thoughts or suggestions on this chapter and I look
forward to sharing chapter three. Thanks for reading!
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The Art of Insomnia