Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ A Fate Worse Than Death ❯ *hiccup* ( Chapter 3 )

OOCness abounds and wahoo! a lemon!... or is it? All disclaimers and warnings apply. Enjoy!

 

Oh, and review please, they are always most appreciated.

 

Chapter 3: *hiccup*

 

Vincent stood behind the door, eyes widening when he realized that Cid was getting ready to come into the bathroom. He made to move from behind the door when it was suddenly and violently shoved backwards, knocking him in the head. Apparently he had misjudged how far the bed was from the bathroom. He let out a low cry of pain and grabbed his head.

 

“What the-? Vin?” Cid questioned startled as he flipped on the bathroom light and peered around. “How the hell did you get in here?”

 

“Uhn… window…” Vincent answered, groaning as he held his head. He almost swore that he had seen stars when the door slammed into him. He opened his eyes and glanced at Cid, seeing two of him. As if one wasn't enough to handle… sheesh…

 

“Damn ninja was here looking for you again!” Cid huffed angrily. He reached to light a cigarette and swore again when he realized he did not have one.

 

Vincent groaned and blinked at him rapidly, trying to clear his vision. “I did not know this was your room. I just… ran.”

 

“Ya know, Vince, ya can't run from the damn brat forever.” Cid sighed, reaching out and grabbing the slightly delusional man by the arm. He pulled Vincent out of his bathroom and made him sit on the bed so he could take a piss as originally planned. Not that it stopped him from talking.

 

“Yer gonna have to tell her that you ain't got no interest in her ass, ya know?”

 

Vincent rolled his eyes and fell back onto the bed, delighting in the comfort it offered. He was so tired. He tried to ignore Cid's lecture and go to sleep. At least here he wouldn't worry about being molested as he slept… not unless he himself was the one doing it.

 

“She can't be all that strong. Stop running and fight her damn ass. You're a six foot tall vampire wannabe with a demon livin' in ya! Just kick her ass or sumthin'!” Cid stated incredulously.

 

He came out of the bathroom and headed immediately for the table near his bed, rifling in the small drawer for a pack of cigs and a lighter. He found both and lit up all too happily. He sat down on the bed and took a much needed drag.

 

“Sit up lazy ass, ye ain't sleeping here!” Cid yelled.

 

Vincent groaned but did not move. His hand came up and he held it out to Cid. “Let me have a drag.”

 

“You don't smoke, Vince.”

 

“I did, a long time ago, when I was a Turk. But right now, I could really use one.”

 

“I will if you tell me what caused you to run this time.”

 

“It will give you nightmares for a week, Highwind, or longer if I'm lucky.”

 

Cid muttered something under his breath before he spoke again. “Just tell me dammit! Don't think I won't go find, Yuffie. This day jes keeps getting more and more interesting.”

 

Vincent sighed and sat up. “Fine. If you insist.”

 

“Wait, where is your cloak, and your boots? And that damned headband you always wear wrapped around your head?” Cid asked, suddenly noticing the absence of those always present articles of clothing.

 

Vincent glared at him, a small shudder running through his body. “If you will let me tell you, you will find out!”

 

Cid waved a hand at him, taking another drag of his cigarette.

 

Vincent took a deep breath. “When I got back to my room, she was waiting for me. I had already taken off my boots on my own, but when I sat on my bed, that was when I noticed her. After she had already pressed her naked body to mine.” Cid nearly choked at his words. Naked? Yuffie? Oh, god the images! He motioned for Vincent to continue but stared off scared into space.

 

“In my struggle to escape, she got to keep the cloak and the headband. The scrawny teen is stronger than she looks. I ran out the room, dashed into Cloud's and crawled out the window. I climbed into the next window I found and ended up here.”

 

Cid wordlessly reached for the pack of cigarettes he had stashed back in the drawer and handed one to Vincent. He even went so far as to light up the thing for him. The two men sat and smoked their cigarettes in silence for a moment, minds replaying the images, real and imagined, that Vincent's tale relayed.

 

“Don't know what the hell has gotten into her all of a sudden…” remarked Vincent quietly. He shuddered and sought to erase the images from his mind.

Cid was quiet for a moment longer, before finishing the last of his smoke and crushing the butt against the table, effectively putting it out. “You can stay here tonight, Vince, but tomorrow you are going to corner that crazy ninja and put her in her place.”

 

Vincent stared thoughtfully at Cid, and then nodded in assent. He finished his cigarette and climbed into the far side of the bed. He lay there stiffly, staring off into the dark. He felt the bed shift as Cid lay down as well, on the other side.

 

The bed was quite comfortable, probably more so than his own. Vincent closed his eyes tiredly and tried to go to sleep. Oh god, and that damned party was tomorrow too…

 

***

Cid awoke and found that he was sleeping in his big bed alone, again. Vincent must have slipped out early that morning. Man was as quiet as a shadow when he wanted to be. He was always an early riser as much as Cid himself was a late sleeper.

 

He wondered on the statement that the gunman had made the night before. He had claimed that Cid would find out soon enough. He always had to be mysterious, deliberately not answering anything, though he was quite talkative last night. He was damn near friendly and that thought almost scared him more than Yuffie acting all sex crazed.

 

When had everyone started going nuts!?! Fuck, he needed a cigarette. Dragging himself out of bed, Cid glared blearily at the clock then blinked surprised. For a moment there he thought it said three in the afternoon.

 

Rubbing his wrists over his eyes, Cid looked again. Damn, it really was three. Tifa's damn party would be starting in a couple of hours, and he still had tons of work to do. Never was he one to turn down free food and booze.

 

Cid rifled a cigarette out of the drawer next to his bed even as he scratched his stomach heading for the bathroom to take a much needed shower. He wondered briefly if Vincent had used his shower that morning. Suddenly, images came to his mind unbidden, of the beautiful raven-haired man naked, water coursing over his pale skin.

 

Whoa buddy! Beautiful? Naked? Vince? He felt his cock jump in response to the thoughts. When had he started thinking of the crazy quiet man in that way?

 

Shaking his head in disgust to himself, Cid tried to banish the erotic thoughts from his mind as he climbed into the shower, turning it more to the cold side than to the hot. But the images would not fade and he found himself grower harder as he imagined joining Vincent in the shower and running his tongue up his chest, catching the water. He imagined it would taste sweet and spicy, like the strange cologne that Vincent wore. He hadn't even noticed it before until last night… when the two had shared a bed.

 

Groaning at his predicament as he now looked down at a full erection, Cid wondered when exactly his imaginings had turned on him. Granted he had always felt a certain friendly affection for the dark-haired gunman. Why then was he so eager to have the man squirming beneath him, making soft little moans of encouragement?

 

Cid cracked a smile, just a small one, as he wondered, how much it would take to make the silent man scream his name? Now that would be a quest worth partaking. Soaping himself, Cid began to whistle a happy tune as he plotted his seduction of his crimson-eyed friend.

 

* * *

 

Tifa's party went off without a hitch. She was real proud of her efforts. The decorations were tasteful and celebratory, the food was well planned and absolutely yummy, and the alcohol flowed freely enough for everyone to enjoy. It was her idea for this get together. After the battle with Sephiroth two years previous, everyone had just kind of drifted off in their own directions. Fearing that she would never see her friends again, she called up everyone on their PHS and planned the party. Even Reeve came, in person, rather than piloting Cait Sith. He was quite a handsome man, she noticed.

 

Tifa looked around the room, noticing that everyone seemed to be having a good time. Cloud and Barrett were laughing over some obscure memory near the small stereo system she had set up. They had a beer in each hand and were downing them rather quickly.

 

Reeve was sitting by his lonesome, half-drunk already, rocking to the beat in the song, but she would fix that soon enough. He was dressed rather handsomely in a pair of black dress pants and a red dress shirt, making his honey brown eyes literally shine. Nanaki was watching him, laughing occasionally when he made some odd move. Yuffie hadn't come yet, she was probably still sleeping and had forgotten about the time, no surprise there.

 

Cid was standing next to the food table, as close to both food and alcohol as he could get. She was even surprised to find that Vincent, normally the loner and quiet one, seemed to be enjoying himself. Of course, that might have had something to do with the liquor that she occasionally saw Cid surreptitiously slipping into his drink.

 

She giggled, thinking that maybe her plan had worked. The brown-haired lass thought back to her actions of yesterday, remarking on how they had gone off without a hitch.

 

Tifa was in her matchmaking mode yet again, determined to help Yuffie find a husband and bring Vincent out of his quiet shell. Like others, she thought all he needed was a good night in the sack. So she concocted the perfect plan. Asking the high-spirited girl to help her, Tifa spiked the girl's drink with a sex potion triggered by the color red. She then made it so Vincent was the next in sight and voila! Yuffie goes chasing after Vincent. Tifa giggled. She figured eventually the ninja would catch him and have her way and then everyone would be happy. The potion would probably wear off within the next twenty-four hours or maybe less, she wasn't sure, but either way… her plan was flawless.

 

Picking up her drink, Tifa strode over to Cloud and Barret, joining in their conversation easily as she kept an eye out for Yuffie. The girl would show up sooner or later, after all, the party had only started an hour ago. But for now, it was time for her to enjoy her own party… and see what she could scrounge up for Reeve. Giggling despite herself, Tifa tried to pay attention to Cloud's narration.

 

“Have a drink, Vince,” said Cid, striding up to the crimson-eyed man and holding out a plastic cup filled with the orange punch.

 

Vincent narrowed his eyes at the cup and glared at Cid all in the same movement. “I do not wish to consume alcohol tonight.”

 

“It's just the punch, something Tifa made for Yuffie and Nanaki,” Cid insisted, pushing the cup towards him once again.

 

“If it will make you happy,” Vincent answered, as he took the cup from Cid. He crossed his arms as he leaned further against the wall, eyes scanning the room again for Yuffie. The little ninja had yet to show up and that much Vincent was grateful for. He hoped that being around everyone she wouldn't make a scene and he wouldn't have to run. He would hate to look like an idiot…

 

“You are supposed to be having fun, too.”

 

“I do not have fun.”

 

“Then why'd you bother coming?”

 

Vincent opened his mouth to speak, and then abruptly closed it again. He did not have an answer that would not reveal his secret. He wasn't sure if he was ready to reveal that quite yet.

 

“That's what I thought,” Cid commented before he grabbed Vincent and pulled him by the arm towards the table that was laden with food and drink. He pushed him towards it and gestured at all the goodies. “Eat, drink, do something!” he ordered.

 

Shrugging his shoulders, Vincent selected a single chocolate cookie even as he took a sip of the punch that Cid had given him. “Happy?” he asked, one eyebrow crooked.

 

“Sure,” answered Cid, emitting a small smile as he drank some of his beer. It was a smile that Vincent did not see. Little did the gunman know but Cid had already spiked Vincent's drink, and had planned on doing it as much as possible the rest of the night.

 

“Tastes kind of bitter,” commented Vincent after sipping from the cup.

 

Cid waved his hand in dismissal. “It's the pineapple. Makes it kinda tangy.”

 

Shrugging, Vincent drank more of the strange concoction, suddenly finding himself very thirsty.

 

Cid tried to keep up a conversation, occasionally slipping in sexual hints when he could, as he continuously refilled Vincent's cup and his own.

 

Thirty minutes later, Vincent was beginning to feel the effects of the alcohol, and was confused because he knew he hadn't had any. But he knew where to point the finger.

 

“Cid, this isn't tangy because of alcohol, is it?” he questioned, with a raised eyebrow. He noticed that his voice was slurring just a little.

”Aw, don't be mad, Vince, you just need to lighten up.”

 

Vincent narrowed his eyes, preparing to rebuke the pilot, when the door to the common room opened and the object of his fear came strolling in. Yuffie wore a large grin on her face as she greeted everyone.

 

His flee instinct wanted to kick in though he felt rooted to the spot. Damn alcohol made his thought processes slower. Her gaze fell on the gunman and instantly her brown eyes lit up.

 

“Oh, god, Cid, help,” breathed Vincent softly, keeping an eye on Yuffie. He felt cornered as he slugged down his punch and felt around behind him for something much stronger.

 

Cid saw his distress and quickly slipped him the shot of scotch he had already poured himself. “Now's the time, Vince, tell her who's the boss.”

 

Vincent took the scotch and quickly tossed it back, gesturing for Cid to keep them coming. Cid was more than happy to oblige.

 

The gunman watched Yuffie carefully, crimson eyes wide. She made her way to Tifa, saying something first before she left, making sure to speak to everyone first. For a moment, Vincent entertained the belief that Yuffie had finally come to her senses and was going to leave him alone.

 

Three shots of scotch later, Vincent knew that he was wrong as the little ninja made her way to where Cid and he were standing, that predatory look back in her eyes.

 

“Heya, Cid, Vinny, how's it going?” she asked as she jauntily reached around them for a cup of punch and a few cookies. Vincent watched where her hands went carefully, eyeing her every move.

 

“The party's great,” Cid answered. “You finally made it, I see.”

 

“I had a long night,” she shrugged. “Needed to sleep in. So Vince, where'd you go last night?” She sidled up close to him, not exactly touching but looking as if she might.

 

Vincent opened his mouth to speak but Cid beat him to it.

 

“He was with me, of course,” the pilot answered broadly, smile bright on his face.

 

Yuffie narrowed her eyes. “Is that so?”

 

“Listen, Yuffie, I need to tell you something,” cut in Vincent, eager to dispel the angry look that was taking over her genial features.

 

Instantly her growl was replaced by a smile, she threaded one arm through his and looked up at him expectantly. “What is it, Vinny-poo?”

 

He grimaced at the sound of her calling him that as he looked down at her. There was a look of rapt adoration on her face. He could see Cid moving around next to him out of the corner of his eye. Hurriedly downing what had to be his seventh shot of scotch in the past twenty minutes, Vincent cleared his throat.

 

“I am sorry but I am not attracted to you in any way shape or form other than as a sister and friend,” he stated as simply and slowly as he could so that she would understand what he said. Carefully, he removed his arm from her grasp and took a small step away, hoping that she would get the picture.

 

She looked up at him, a blank expression on her face. She blinked once then twice, not responding at all. Vincent saw Cid move closer to him, standing at his right arm as the two men held their breaths waiting for her reaction.

 

She stared at them again, blinked, and then a big smile broke out on her face. She launched herself at Vincent, wrapping her arms around his neck. He oomphed and was forced off balance nearly falling over as she exclaimed, “Don't lie to me Vinny! I know how you really feel!”

 

“Yuffie, get off me!” he demanded trying to disentangle her limbs from his own as he fought to maintain his balance. “I don't want you.”

 

“Why are you lying to yourself, Vinny?” whined the little ninja.

 

By now, every attendee at the party had turned their eyes to the comical sight before them. Yuffie was attached to Vincent at the neck, trying to kiss him as he moved his face far away from her. Cid had a hold of Yuffie, attempting to pull her off of the scared gunman.

 

With a great heave, Vincent grabbed onto the ninja's arms and pulled them off. She fell backwards, crashing on top of Cid who had been pulling her. They collapsed into a jumbled heap. Vincent took several steps back, swaying lightly on his feet, finally feeling the effects of the scotch. He was breathing heavily with the exertion.

 

“Get off me, dammit!” Cid cursed, pushing the ninja off of him as he sprang to his feet.

 

“Stay… stay away from me, Yuffie. I don't wanna hafta… hafta hurt y… you,” Vincent stated, stuttering. It seemed like his tongue felt so heavy and thick. Cid moved to stand beside him, blue eyes concerned.

 

“But, Vinny-poo…” Yuffie frowned as she got to her feet, advancing towards the frightened inebriated gunman and the enraged pilot. It seemed being thrown on the floor hadn't stopped her any.

 

“No…” said Vincent slowly, before he gripped his head with his right hand, swaying unsteadily on his feet. It seemed like the ground wanted to say hello… before he felt a pair of strong arms grab him around the middle. It was Cid.

 

“Whoa there… had a bit too much to drink, didn't ya?” asked Cid, looking at Vincent worriedly.

 

For a moment it seemed as if time had stopped as crimson eyes met sky blue ones, faces hovered so close to one another. Vincent blinked slowly, looking at Cid. He could smell the alcohol on the pilot's breath and the pout of his lips looked so enticing. He forgot about Yuffie… he forgot about the people around him… he wanted to kiss him but something held him back… what was it…

 

Cid was no less affected. Without thought, without provocation, ignoring everything around him, he followed his instincts.

 

Eyes closed as lips locked, and Vincent melted into Cid's arms, relishing in the feel of Cid's lips on his own. The pilot tasted like alcohol and chocolate and cigarettes and a taste that was quintessentially all Cid, a taste that was indescribable.

 

The gunman moaned slightly and parted his lips, inviting the pilot inside. Cid was more than happy to oblige. They probed into each other's wet caverns, tongues warring to get the most of it, tasting, testing, feeling.

 

Finally, the two men broke apart, gasping for breath, the need for air having been the factor that separated them.

 

There were startled looks of amusement and amazement on the faces of the friends gathered around the party. And Yuffie, she looked absolutely crestfallen, as if someone had just broken her heart all to pieces, the result of her love affections being dispelled.

 

Cid spoke softly, ignoring the looks around him, “Oh shit, Vince, I been wantin' ta do that for a long time.”

 

Vincent smiled softly at the pilot who held him and opened his mouth to speak. “…*hiccup*…” His crimson eyes rolled up into the back of his head as the gunman passed out, becoming dead weight in the pilot's arms. Apparently, he had had too much to drink…

 

* * *

 

Semi, cliffy but not really. Just thought it was a good place to end it.

 

Please Review, I absolutely love to get any type of comment, even it it's to tell me that grammar sucks, since I tend to get too eager and post my chapters before my beta (thanks Azar!!!) sends `em back to me.