Blood & Sympathy (FFVII: Vincent x OC)

Ch32 - Mideel

She felt her nose brushing against skin. She was almost convinced her forehead was pressing against his chin. A clawed hand was passed around her, reaching her shoulder. The metal was cold against the bare skin of her shoulder and she shivered. She felt the faint touch of light on her eyelids as she opened her eyes and allowed it into her sensitive vision.

Jocasta noticed her hands were pressed flat against that black shirt on his chest. She could feel his scars beneath the thin fabric. She was sure that his skin beneath would look like a map, just like hers. And she wouldn't mind. She couldn't care the least. They were both scarred. They were both monsters. But they still had a heart. And hers beat so loud now, it was almost deafening.

Especially when she lifted her face and her eyes met his. He looked almost as surprised as she did. His hands were around her without him even knowing how they got there. All that she could guess, was that he'd been thinking of Lucrecia when his hands snaked around her and pulled her against him. There was no other explanation to that. His heart had been Lucrecia's for so long. Jocasta knew he wasn't hugging her because he wanted to hug her. Jocasta. It was Lucrecia in his thoughts, in his dreams, and thus it would forever be.

His hands retreated, fending away from her. But he couldn't deny that short moment when he allowed his eyes to rest on hers. Just a short moment, it was. Nothing more.

Jocasta's hands fended away as well. She parted her lips to speak but she didn't know what to say. His eyes stared at her, in both surprise and confusion, letting her know that he didn't know what to say either.

"Excuse me," Vincent collected these words carefully as he watched her fending further away.

"No, no, no, it's okay! It's a short bed anyway. We have to... somehow scooch in, am I right?" She could feel the edge of the bed digging in her hips, and for a moment she didn't care crashing on the floor. All she cared about was stopping things from being impeccably awkward. And when she realized she was indeed heading for the floor, she let out a yelp of surprise.

Vincent's eyes widened in alarm. His fast reflexes kicked it, and his hands grabbed her waist immediately, stopping her from moving any further. His right hand found her lips, shushing her loud yelp "Don't fall off the bed, alright?"

She nodded and then he pulled his hands away "Ah yes, right, of course! I... uh... thanks, Vince," she said awkwardly, still shocked as she watched him. He got off the bed and grabbed his leathery shirt with the straps, that rested on a chair with his cloak.

Jocasta shook her head, mentally scolding at herself. What the hell?! She felt the heat creeping on her cheeks and she was just glad he wasn't looking at her now. She urged herself to wake up. Her bare feet touched the cold metal of the Highwind's floor. Her fingers ran through her messy black hair, untangling a few curls. She made a mental note to ask Tifa if she had a hairbrush somewhere.

She turned and took a look at Vincent's hair. They were an even worse mess than hers. Maybe that's why he had that frown on his face as he blindly tried to buckle the straps of his shirt. Jocasta chuckled and she walked towards him. She smacked his hands away and she started buckling it up for him.

His eyes rested on her face. How her skillful fingers worked on the straps and the muscles of her face wrinkled in a focused expression. He couldn't help but remember Lucrecia's thin fingers when he'd let her work on his tie. He wouldn't get his eyes off of her back in the day. And then he felt the sadness creeping on him when he had to remind himself that these days were gone, and she was gone. He was gone too. He'd lost part of himself, and Jocasta had too. He tried to shake the thought away when her voice snapped him back to reality.