What Friends are For

Thank you so much, Goki, and thank you again, Elfwench, for taking the time to leave a review! It's always nice to see. =)

And another thanks to Zanny, who's there for me while I write. *heart*

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'What Friends are For' Chapter 7: Why me?
The friends have dinner, and an interesting breakfast - after which Vincent takes Cid to meet an old acquaintance. [Pretty much entirely WAFF, Yaoi]

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The five of us sat around one of the larger tables in the bar. I sat on Vince's right on one side. Cloud was across from me with Tifa next to him, and Marlene had the honor of sitting at the head of the table, between me and Cloud. She was the princess, and we were her subjects. Or so she would have us believe. Not that any of us tried to talk her out of her royal takeover of the bar, of course. She's a good kid, which surprised me with all the crap she's been through.

But, hell, look at the shit all of us have been through, and we all turned out okay.

"So why the change, Vincent?" I heard Tifa asked, and dragged my mind out of my thoughts. I realized I had been ignoring my dinner, and took a bite while I waited for the answer.

"It is Cid's fault, actually. And, I suppose indirectly, your own." I just rolled my eyes, and busied myself with cutting off a piece of steak. I'd missed Tifa's cooking, oddly enough. I mean, I kept a pretty good kitchen on the Highwind, and the chef I'd hired was decent, but Tifa could make a damn good dinner even when we were camping in the middle of nowhere, which we used to do too damn often.

"Why's that?" she asked, tilting her head. That's another thing she was always good at - listening. You always knew she'd be willing to lend an ear.

So Vince told them about his 'adventure' in the cargo hold. I was glad he'd been there to help my boys, really. I had a feeling he'd been more than useful; his recount only proved me right. I'd have to think of a way to thank him properly later.

I could tell they were all surprised when he got to the part about taking off his gauntlet. It was easy to forget I was the only one who knew about it. So, of course I had to go grab the key and open the lock, and held the metal thing for him while he withdrew his arm, which brought a childish 'Cool!' from Marlene. I think that was probably the best response I could've heard. Vince gave the kid a smile, and lifted up his arm so they could see it, wiggling his fingers and everything. When Tifa reached out to touch it, though, he pulled back.

"It's still tender," he said apologetically. "It is better than it was, though. I am getting accustomed to having it off."

"So Cid had to cut your shirt off you so it wouldn't hurt?" Cloud asked with a glance in my direction, and I nodded.

"Yeah. I think it's still on my floor, actually. Carpet's prob'ly ruined by now." I grinned, and lifted my glass in a toast, before taking a drink.

"But why not wear a different shirt like your others?" Tifa asked. "I know you have more. And your cape is gone, too. It's nice seeing you without them, but it's such a surprise." Unfortunately, as good as Tifa is a listening, she can be even better at asking questions when she wants to.

"Mm, that is the part that is Cid's fault," Vince replied. If I hadn't been looking at him, I would've sworn by the tone of his voice that he was grinning. "He likes for me to take him flying, and I cannot do that with any other shirt on; that was the only one properly modified." He paused, taking a thoughtful sip of his drink. "I should stop by Ahz's while I am here and order a new one. Perhaps a couple, just in case."

I carefully ignored the stares Cloud and Tifa were giving Vince, though he didn't seem too phased by them. I had the urge to laugh again. Yeah, Vince is a good guy, but he can be a real piece of work sometimes.

"Vincent, what the hell are you talking about?" Cloud asked. The spiky-haired kid always was good at getting to the point.

"Chaos' wings," Vince replied simply. "I was the 'monster' that Marlene saw with 'Uncle Cid.'" He had to be doing it on purpose. There's no way one guy could be unaware of the effect his words had on people. And yet he just sat there with that almost-smile, as if they were just discussing the weather, and not the demon he shared his body with.

Twisted as it sounds, I think that let me see how good he was as a Turk. He hardly ever let anything bother him. I guess in a way he kinda reminded me of that Rude guy, the one with the shades. Look up 'stoic' in the dictionary, and you'd see their pictures side by side.

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The rest of dinner went like that. We updated them on what we'd been doing (minus the purple guy's hunting trip and our own private encounters, of course). They told us how well the building of Edge was going, and about the rumors that all the Turks were still around, along with Rufus. Somehow I wasn't surprised to hear that part; he's like a Midgar cockroach: no matter how many times you squash him, he just refuses to get killed. Kinda like our group, though I wouldn't mention that to any of them. I knew Vince might appreciate the irony of us having something in common with Rufus ShinRa and his crew.

It was great to know everyone was doing well. It'd been a while since our last big gathering, and Tifa really missed everyone. They got letters and calls - can't go through what we did and not have some sort of permanent bond or something. I had a feeling it wouldn't be too long before she tried to whip up another 'family reunion.'

Marlene got sleepy not long after dinner, and Tifa took her up to bed. But not before the princess became a monster, by talking Vince into letting her wear his gauntlet (left unlocked, of course). She stomped around with plenty of snarling and growling, which had us all trying to hold back our laughter. She 'attacked' Tifa, who Cloud rescued by 'slaying' the mighty beast, and the kid had herself a theatrical death. It was things like that that made me wish I'd had kids of my own, but it wasn't too bad. I had Vince, and the Highwind. Might not sound like much, but it made me happy.

The four of us stayed up late reminiscing about the good old days, when we had the fate of the world on our shoulders. We talked about Aeris; Vince and I hadn't known her long, but I knew Cloud had had a thing for the girl, and still missed her. There were funny things too - like the time Yuffie ran off with our materia and we had to save her and the blonde Turk girl from that Corneo wretch. It wasn't very amusing then, but looking back, it was.

It was after midnight before yawns outnumbered words, and it was a unanimous decision to turn in. They offered us a room upstairs, which we were happy to accept - besides, it was either that, or walk back to the Highwind. We all headed up in a companionable silence. I had the bag over one shoulder, and Vince's gauntlet had been replaced earlier in the evening.

"Here you go," Tifa whispered, opening the door to one of the rooms. Vince stepped in with me behind him, and we said good night.

As she pulled the door shut behind her, I looked over at Vince. "D'ya want it off for tonight?" I asked, slipping my fingers between his metal-covered ones. He nodded, and I smiled, then fished out the key again. We made short work of getting the contraption off his arm, and set it and the rest of our belongings on the little table in the room.

I stepped over to Vince and slid my arms around his waist, my head tilted up as I leaned into him. "There are two beds," I murmured. "Would you mind if I said I want us both in one?"

His arms wrapped around me and pulled me close, and he tilted his head downward enough for us to meet in a tender kiss. "Not one bit. I would have made the same request, but you beat me to it."

"Sorry," I murmured, nuzzling into his neck before stepping away to undress. He chuckled softly and did the same, though we both left our boxers on. I was glad for that; I didn't think I'd be able to keep my hands off him if he was nude. We crawled under the blankets together; I ended up on my side with my back to him. He tucked his left arm under my head, with the other over my side. I held both his hands with my fingers laced with his, and we fell asleep like that.

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I was the first to wake up again, though that time I hadn't forgotten who was in bed with me. Vince had stayed on his left side while I'd rolled onto my back. His head was on my shoulder, with his right arm draped over me and his right leg over mine. If there was a better way to wake up in the morning, I couldn't think of it.

I turned and rest my lips against Vince's head; his hair still smelled clean from our shower yesterday, as well as the scent I'd long ago associated with him. I felt him smile against my shoulder, and the arm he had over me tightened its grip for a moment. "Good morning," he murmured.

My right hand still held his, but my left was free now; I moved it to brush my fingertips over his cheek. "Mm. Good morning," I whispered in reply. He moved enough to let me kiss him, soft and sweet, the best greeting I could have asked for.

I felt him stiffen half a second before I heard Tifa's startled scream and the sound of dishes breaking near the door.

'Well, shit.'

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I sighed and rubbed my forehead. It'd been half an hour since Tifa had found us together, though at least she'd left long enough to let us get dressed before reading us the riot act. I was frustrated, and Vince... Well, Vince looked amused. And for some reason, that irritated me even more.

"Damn it, Tifa, what's the big deal?" I sighed for the third time.

"The big deal? The big deal? The big deal is that I invite you two over to dinner to thank you for helping out, and we spend all night talking, and you don't even tell me you two are together! I probably wouldn't have known if I didn't try to take you breakfast!" Yeah, that was the sound of breaking dishes. She'd made us a great breakfast, then promptly dropped it all when she saw us kissing. In bed.

At least she didn't know about the mostly-naked part. We'd never hear the end of it.

Don't get me wrong, we didn't care that she knew - hell, her only problem was that we didn't tell her right away. We had just wanted to wait until we were ready to let the news spread. I knew my boys wouldn't have said anything - they're a good lot. But now that Tifa knew, everyone was going to know.

Bad enough that Cloud was looking at me with the same damn amused look that Vince was giving Tifa.

"Look, I'm sorry. Okay? I'm sorry." And it had started out to be such a great morning. "We should've told ya, but we hadn't even talked about letting anyone know. Hell, even we didn't know 'till two days ago."

That shut her up. She actually looked surprised at that. For a moment, I thought we'd gotten a reprieve, but then Cloud added his two cents. "It took you two that long? Hm. And they say I'm dense."

"Oh for the love of--" I stopped before I got myself into another profanity-filled rant, and just groaned and dropped my head back against the couch. "Did everyone see it but me?" I sighed without lifting my head. At least the ceiling wasn't smirking at me.

"I think Barret missed it," Cloud said. "Marlene's too young to notice such things. And you would have known if Yuffie found out. But everyone else?" He paused, and I could feel him grinning. "Yeah, pretty much."

I just groaned again and pressed the heels of my palms against my eyes.

"I'm sorry, Cid," Tifa said then, and I could tell she was trying not to laugh. "But really, with the way you two always looked at each other, and always stuck together, and then taking him to live on your airship, we all just figured... Well, you know."

Finally, Vince spoke. "If you expected it, then why did you react so, when you found us... involved?"

"I'd always assumed you two were so careful, alway sleeping in different beds, even though we knew what was going on - or, we thought we did." She paused, and I tilted my head back down to stare at her. "I'm sorry we were wrong," she continued, "but I'm glad we were finally right."

And then I realized: It didn't matter. Sure, it's a bit annoying to have everyone know what you want before you do, but still... I finally knew. It was a bit disappointing to think that I'd missed out on the time I spent wishing, but like Vince said, some things are worth the wait. I glanced over at him, and for the first time since Tifa interrupted our kiss, I smiled. Maybe that's why he was amused instead of bothered - he'd come to the same conclusion already.

I held my hand out to the man I could finally admit I loved, and he used it to draw me close, keeping a hold on it as his other arm wrapped around me. His lips met mine, and as my own arm slid around his neck, we resumed the kiss from earlier, the other two forggoten for a moment.

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"So who is this guy?" I asked, as we neared a building a few blocks from 7th Heaven.

"Ahz?" Vince replied. "He makes leather clothing, customized according to the order. He made my flying shirt, which now needs to be replaced."

"Ya could just go without," I couldn't help saying, giving him a grin. He tried to give me the Valentine Glare, but I could see he didn't mean it.

"Lech," he growled, and leaned to nip my ear. He opened the door in front of him and herded me inside, and a bell above the door jingled as it shut behind us.

"Yes, yes, I'll be there in a sec," I heard someone say from the shop's back room. I took a moment to look around, and realized the place was a leather fetishist's wet dream. Some of it was normal clothing, but there were straps and stuff that I didn't look too close at - I just didn't want to know. "Mm, all right, now what do you--" That drew my attention to the counter, where the shop owner had emerged from the back. When he saw us, he came around and offered Vince his hand. "Vincent! It's good to see you again! So, who's your friend, hmm?"

I stared - the guy was huge. Not fat, just with a lot of muscle, though he was shorter than me by a few inches. He was completely bald, and wore a leather apron and pants - those I weren't too surprised to see. He didn't match his voice, though - it was softer, almost feminine.

"It is good to see you as well, Ahz," Vince said, as the guy came to shake my hand next. His grip was strong, covered in callouses, and he gave me a broad grin as Vince continued. "This is Cid, a close friend. We are here on business."

"Close friend, mm?" The leathersmith replied, and I had the distinct feeling he was looking at me like a piece of meat, though his eyes didn't wander. Much. "Mm, and what can I do for you today?"

"My shirt needs to be replaced - the one with the slits. It was irreparably damaged in an accident." Vince paused; I could tell the guy wanted details, especially with the look he gave me. I just sighed, and rolled my eyes. "I would like three of them this time, though two can wait. The other I would like to have as soon as possible."

"Three this time, mm?" Ahz said, glancing in my direction with a more appraising look. "Mmhm. Planning for more 'accidents,' are we?"

"Just in case," Vince replied, ignoring the way I closed my eyes and rubbed my forehead. I was trying to not be embarrassed, but those two were not making it easy. "There is something else I would like, as well. It requires very specific construction."

Vince hadn't said anything to me about a special order, and that sparked my curiosity. Ahz's too, I could see. "Mmhm, I like a challenge, you know that. Hmm. So what is this I'm going to be making for you, mm?"

That's when I found out I was involved in the latest project. Vince had me take off my jacket, and - despite my protests - my pants too. He showed Ahz where to measure across my chest, both diagonally and horizontally, and then around my waist and both thighs. I wasn't comfortable having the leathersmith's hands on me, but he was very business-like, which was a relief. Apparently he knew what he was doing.

After the last measurement was scribbled down, Vince asked me to step outside. I wanted to ask what it was all about, but I just shrugged, and got dressed again. I'd find out eventually, I was sure. It was a few minutes before I heard the doorbell jingle again, and Vince stepped out to meet me. "All done?" I asked, taking the unlit cigarette I'd been chewing on and tucking it behind my ear.

He nodded. "The first two will be done in three days."

"Will I have to come back with you?" I winced at how plaintive I sounded

Apparently he could hear it too, as he chuckled and slipped his left arm around my waist. "No, you will not have to come back with me. Now come, lunch should be almost ready."

I breathed a sigh of relief, and returned the embrace with my right arm on his waist. "Good. Yer friend doesn't seem like a bad guy, but I dunno if I can handle much more of him."

That made Vince laugh, and he gave me a squeeze. "Few people can, Cid. Ahz is... unusual. But he does good work, well worth dealing with the oddness."

"Kinda like you, huh?" I said, grinning.

He snorted. "Next time I take you flying, I am going to drop you." I just laughed, and he shook his head as we made our way back to the bar.

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*Note: Yeah, Ahz is an OC. But this is his only appearance in the story.