Title: Pulse
Summary: Vincent has a strange way of reminding himself that he still lives.
Disclaimer: I do not own FFVII nor its characters in any form. The plot's mine though.
Author's Notes: This was living on my computer for a while, so I decided to post it here, since the next installment of ASOFE wouldn't be up in another week or two. Anyway just a very short and silly piece of fluff for Yuffentine fans out there. As for the timeline...ah well, it's definitely after the first game, but whether it's before or after DoC is up to you. Vincent may be a little OC at the end. You have been warned.

Please enjoy!

He had had another nightmare.

Vincent jerked awake as the last of Hojo's laugh faded away, his breath labored and eyes clenched tight. Drenched in cold sweat, the usually calm gunslinger's insides were clammy with freezing, biting dread. He could still see Lucrecia's haunting green eyes on the back of his eyelids, staring at him, questioning him, wondering why he didn't come to save her...

"Vince…" An almost inaudible gasp drew him back to reality.

He opened his eyes with frightening speed, capturing the other person in his crimson gaze.

"Are you okay, Vinnie?" Her eyes were wide with concern. Genuine concern, he noted. Unlike the others, who just pretended they care, when they obviously didn't. "I can hear you thrashing and crying downstairs!" She leaned towards him, touching his forehead with the back of her hand. He tried to lean away from the inviting warmth, the monsters inside him cackling at the indecent thoughts running rampant in his befuddled mind. "You're not sick, are you? I knew someone who had a fever and died from it! It was horrible!"

As the girl chattered perpetually on about nothing in particular, he let his mind wander, mindful of the other not-so-suitable thoughts. He wondered why she would come to check on him. Why she of all people cared. He had been staying at the bar for several weeks already and nobody had seemed to notice his nightmares.

Even if they did, well, they didn't talk about it.

He was a monster, after all.

So, why did she care?

"Why?"

His quiet enquiry stopped her rant. She blinked, dumbfounded. It took her a full minute to comprehend his words, but then again, most of the time she was the only one who could really understand what he meant.

"Well…we're friends, aren't we, Vinnie? Friends care for each other! Besides," A wicked grin began to spread across her face. "Whose materia am I going to steal if you're dead?"

Impulse, sudden and dangerous, took hold of him at the sight of her smile.

Moving as fast as lightning, he pulled her down into her arms and buried his head in the crook of her neck. She squeaked in surprise, which was expected, yet unexpectedly made no attempt to move away. Pressing his lips on her pulse, which throbbed harder in response, he closed his eyes, feeling his heartbeat synchronize with hers. Thud-thud, thud-thud, thud-thud, thud-thud…

It reminded him that he still lived.

Thud-thud, thud-thud, thud-thud, thud-thud…

Really lived.

Thud-thud, thud-thud, thud-thud, thud-thud…

Not like, sleeping in a coffin for the rest of your life. And he knew that she wouldn't have allowed it if he did so. She'd just drag him out and stick her weapon up his ass like she promised. The thought surprisingly brought a smile to the usually apathetic ex-Turk's face. Thud-thud, thud-thud, thud-thud, thud-thud…

At long last, he raised his head, pausing slightly at her ear. "…Thank you, Yuffie." He muttered gruffly.

The ninja's face was almost identical to a tomato.

"Did you just give me a hickey, Vince?!"

Fin