(no subject)
Written for first_seventhe's Valentine's Day Kiss Battle. Tifa/Vincent from FFVII. Ficlet leading up to a simple kiss.
Link to original request.
Behind a bar was no place for a woman who'd blush at the names of drinks, and Tifa was good at what she did in every way Vincent could think of.
It seemed she had, however, thought she might get more of a reaction out of him with some of the drinks they'd ordered along with dinner tonight. To his credit, she'd barely seemed to faze him at all.
She even caught a subtle smile on his face twice.
In truth, he thought he could sit across from Tifa and watch the way her mouth shaped words for hours. It had nothing to do with alcohol. If he was honest with himself, it'd been like that for months.
If he was scrupulously honest with himself, it was even more than that. And... he didn't see a need to go that far.
"Do you know I see more of you these days then any of the others?" she asked him as they left the restaurant together after paying for their meal.
It wasn't surprising to either of them, but he very deliberately chose to look up at the starlit sky rather than ask if it was a bad thing. "The others are missing out."
She grinned, and her arm brushed against his. "Last time Yuffie was here, she tried to set me up with Adrian."
That got more of a hesitation out of him than any lewd drink name. "The one you've hired to tend bar part-time?"
She nodded.
It was... ridiculous. He'd seen no sign of interest between them at all, no electricity, no longing glances, no secret smiles. They would be a terrible match, and Yuffie clearly had no concept of taste. He did recall that Adrian had blond hair and blue eyes, but he felt Tifa would have to squint hard from over ten feet away to be reminded of Cloud. "How did that go?"
"It didn't."
Unspeakable relief surged straight through his veins, and the only reason he didn't answer right away was because he didn't want her to hear it. "I'm sorry."
"I'm not." Her lips curved into a soft smile, and he could even hear an undertone of laughter in her voice. "Besides, I can hardly date an employee, and I'd much rather have him tending the bar than tending to me."
He absently flexed his clawed hand. "That's practical of you."
"Sometimes I'm very practical. Does that surprise you?"
"You have a way of captivating," he offered, almost diplomatically, "whether you surprise or not."
The way their sides bumped was intentional this time, and he took no small amount of inward pleasure in the full-fledged laugh his answer coaxed out of her.
"Is that true? Do I captivate you?"
He could feel the weight of her eyes on him, and it was both exhilarating and maddening. "I suspect you captivate most people. I'm no exception."
Stopping right there in the middle of the sidewalk, she put her hand on his arm.
He wasn't quite sure of what her expression was supposed to tell him, but he had no doubt it started with an almost disbelieving Vincent Valentine... and went from there. "Was it something I said?"
"Yeah."
He was about to ask another question when she rose on the balls of her feet, still resting her hand on his arm, and pressed her mouth to his. It was soft -- so soft -- and he took the space of a heartbeat to respond, but when his lips did part against hers, she tasted like vodka and fruit juice.
When she broke the kiss, her smile fell just short of being coy. "I hope that surprised and captivated you."
She'd long had an unconscious habit of leaving him breathless by doing far less, but he didn't miss a beat. "I'd be more surprised if you did it again."
Link to original request.
Behind a bar was no place for a woman who'd blush at the names of drinks, and Tifa was good at what she did in every way Vincent could think of.
It seemed she had, however, thought she might get more of a reaction out of him with some of the drinks they'd ordered along with dinner tonight. To his credit, she'd barely seemed to faze him at all.
She even caught a subtle smile on his face twice.
In truth, he thought he could sit across from Tifa and watch the way her mouth shaped words for hours. It had nothing to do with alcohol. If he was honest with himself, it'd been like that for months.
If he was scrupulously honest with himself, it was even more than that. And... he didn't see a need to go that far.
"Do you know I see more of you these days then any of the others?" she asked him as they left the restaurant together after paying for their meal.
It wasn't surprising to either of them, but he very deliberately chose to look up at the starlit sky rather than ask if it was a bad thing. "The others are missing out."
She grinned, and her arm brushed against his. "Last time Yuffie was here, she tried to set me up with Adrian."
That got more of a hesitation out of him than any lewd drink name. "The one you've hired to tend bar part-time?"
She nodded.
It was... ridiculous. He'd seen no sign of interest between them at all, no electricity, no longing glances, no secret smiles. They would be a terrible match, and Yuffie clearly had no concept of taste. He did recall that Adrian had blond hair and blue eyes, but he felt Tifa would have to squint hard from over ten feet away to be reminded of Cloud. "How did that go?"
"It didn't."
Unspeakable relief surged straight through his veins, and the only reason he didn't answer right away was because he didn't want her to hear it. "I'm sorry."
"I'm not." Her lips curved into a soft smile, and he could even hear an undertone of laughter in her voice. "Besides, I can hardly date an employee, and I'd much rather have him tending the bar than tending to me."
He absently flexed his clawed hand. "That's practical of you."
"Sometimes I'm very practical. Does that surprise you?"
"You have a way of captivating," he offered, almost diplomatically, "whether you surprise or not."
The way their sides bumped was intentional this time, and he took no small amount of inward pleasure in the full-fledged laugh his answer coaxed out of her.
"Is that true? Do I captivate you?"
He could feel the weight of her eyes on him, and it was both exhilarating and maddening. "I suspect you captivate most people. I'm no exception."
Stopping right there in the middle of the sidewalk, she put her hand on his arm.
He wasn't quite sure of what her expression was supposed to tell him, but he had no doubt it started with an almost disbelieving Vincent Valentine... and went from there. "Was it something I said?"
"Yeah."
He was about to ask another question when she rose on the balls of her feet, still resting her hand on his arm, and pressed her mouth to his. It was soft -- so soft -- and he took the space of a heartbeat to respond, but when his lips did part against hers, she tasted like vodka and fruit juice.
When she broke the kiss, her smile fell just short of being coy. "I hope that surprised and captivated you."
She'd long had an unconscious habit of leaving him breathless by doing far less, but he didn't miss a beat. "I'd be more surprised if you did it again."