What Friends are For

Zanny, this one's for you, toots. It's all your fault. *cackles*

And thank you again, Goki! It's always nice to hear from people who like my story. =D

I don't know if I'm completely happy with this one. Everything happens the way I want it to, but it feels like it moves too fast. I might try to fix it later, but it'll do for now.

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'What Friends are For' Chapter 8: Revelations
Lunch is eaten, questions are answered, and a decision is made. [WAFF, Yaoi, more anal play, oral, and some S&M.]

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The lunch hour was one of the busiest, they had told me; everyone loved the 7th Heaven. It was billed as a bar, but it served meals as well, more than alcohol during the daytime. It just happened that way, really. It was the only bar where people didn't go to drink to forget. Tifa ran the place like she loved it, and people could tell.

I've only seen things get rowdy there once. A couple of troublemakers had come in, already half-drunk. Despite her better judgment, Tifa served them a few drinks, though it wasn't long before they decided to pick a fight with one of the regulars. She stepped in to break it up, and one of the tough guys informed her that a fight was no place for a woman.

I'll never forget the sight of her kicking their asses and literally throwing them out of the bar. Not just push them out, but pick up and throw. It had been a long time since I laughed that hard. The really funny thing is that after they sobered up, those two became regulars too. One of them even helps out in the kitchen sometimes.

Vince and I stopped to pick up a plate of sandwiches to take up to the private area above the bar; she even added in a pot of my favorite tea, brewed just the way I liked it, and a couple slices of banana creme pie for dessert. As we headed to the stairs, I could hear one of the customers complain good-naturedly about us getting a free meal and he didn't. It was hard to not laugh when she informed him that if he ever saved the world with her, he could have all the free food he wanted too.

I swear, if I wasn't hooked on Vince, I'd marry that woman.

We ate in the dining room where we'd had dinner the night before. Cloud was out with Marlene, probably at Aeris' church, or visiting some of the kids in the area, and Tifa was downstairs watching the place. I was glad for the time alone; I didn't think I could handle any of Tifa's questions, or the knowing looks from Cloud.

I was really glad we were alone when I started to tease Vince by feeding him his pie from my spoon. The things he did to that spoon with his tongue were probably banned in public as being outrageously sinful, and brought back memories of what that tongue had done to me the day before. I moaned; he smirked, and glanced down to where he could see his actions had an obvious effect.

He plucked the spoon from my hand and stood from his chair, then straddled my lap to sit facing me. He scooped some of the creme on the spoon and flicked it off with the tip of his tongue. His mouth met mine, and he shared the dessert with me, letting me lick it from his mouth as my arms wrapped tight about him, and his around me. I shuddered breathlessly when his hips ground against mine, making me arch up into him. The taste of bananas and Vincent was unusual and erotic, and I swore to myself I'd found the perfect dessert.

I think we'd have gone a lot farther if we didn't hear someone clearing their throat, and we broke apart with a gasp. His cheeks were flushed with the arousal I could feel pressing against my belly, and I knew he could feel mine beneath him. I grinned a bit, and looked over at the doorway, where Cloud stood with his hand over Marlene's eyes.

"You know, you two could at least move to the bedroom," he said. I could tell he was amused, and Marlene was giggling behind his hand.

"My apologies," Vince replied, offering our former leader a smile. "We seemed to have gotten a little carried away."

"Just a little," Cloud replied wryly as he let Marlene go. She looked at us with another stifled giggle, and ran off down the hall to her room. "I think I might've preferred it when we thought you two were pretending. At least then, we didn't have to worry about walking in on you." He paused to take a chair on the other side of the table, and leaned over to grab one of the leftover sandwiches for himself. "Especially not in our dining room."

Vince leaned against me for a moment, his mouth close to my ear. "Later," he whispered, then stood and returned to his seat at my side. For a moment, I was a bit jealous of his ability to control his body; I really needed the same thing right then. We finished our lunch with me trying to pretend I didn't see the same looks from Cloud I'd been glad to avoid, while doing my best to ignore the way Vince would tease me with his spoon, pie, and tongue when the swordsman wasn't looking.

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We said our goodbyes with promises to call, and offers of help if anything came up. It was how we always parted, though this time they threw in congratulations on our 'budding relationship.' The runt had blabbed to Tifa about catching us 'smooching,' and the woman was acting like we'd just gotten married and they were sending us off on our honeymoon. I think I was starting to prefer it when they thought we were pretending too.

Vince and I had to walk through Edge to where the Highwind was parked. Other than Cloud's bike, there was no available transportation we could've borrowed, and all three of us wouldn't have fit on that motorcycle. I didn't mind, though. It gave me some time to think, since Vince was being his usual quiet self.

I'd been wondering about us. Not in a bad way, though. Vince had changed so much in the past few days, it was like he was a different man. He didn't hide anymore, and didn't seem to mind being openly affectionate in public; I could tell, when his right hand found my left and held it as we walked. I wasn't about to complain, not one bit.

I gave his hand a squeeze as I interrupted the silence to ask, "So when did ya realize?"

"That you cared for me, or that I cared for you?" he responded, and I shrugged.

"Either or," I said. "It doesn't matter, I'm just curious."

"Mm," he replied thoughtfully. "Do you remember the night at the Saucer, when Reeve stole the keystone?"

"How could I forget?" I groaned. That still pissed me off, though Reeve turned out to be a nice guy in the end.

Vince nodded. "During the night, Chaos woke me, but told me to feign sleep. He had done that before, when a monster was trying to sneak into the camp, but we should have been safe - we were in the hotel. I remember Yuffie teasing me about how it should have felt like home for me, since it was so creepy looking." That made me laugh - I'd forgotten that part. He smiled, and gave my hand a squeeze.

"When I opened my eyes enough to see, you were sitting on your bed facing me, with your back against the wall. You were watching me. At first, it bothered me, then I saw the look you had." He sighed. "I was accustomed to being stared at. But you were not watching me with coldness and distrust, or fear and wariness, as I saw so often. It was..." He paused, and I could tell he was searching for the right words. "It was as though you would have been happy to spend your life simply looking at me."

"I think I would have, too," I responded. "I think I almost did."

"This is true," he said with a shrug. "But after that point, I began to pay more attention to you, though you were unaware of it at the time. It was strange to realize that there was someone who did not hate or fear or pity me, but actually cared, no matter how hard I tried to push you away."

I couldn't help but ask, "So why'd ya stop pushing?"

Vince shivered, and sighed. "The nightmares," he responded. "I began to realize that when they woke me, you were there doing your best to soothe me. Yet you never asked what they were about, or pushed me to speak of my troubles. You simply offered me something I hadn't known I needed. Comfort. Even friendship."

He fell silent then, and glanced at me when I squeezed his hand again. I gave him a reassuring smile, which he returned.

"I remember when I realized I loved you," he said quietly after a moment. "It was close to the end of our journey, not long after Aeris died. We were in another inn - Icicle this time. The girl's death had reminded me of another I had failed to save."

"Lucrecia," I murmured, and he nodded.

"Aye. Sephiroth's true mother," he sighed. "That brought the nightmares back worse than before. I could hear Hojo laughing at me, telling me how she had died giving birth, that the woman I had loved was gone and it was all my fault. But his voice began to fade, replaced by another. 'It's okay, Vince, you're safe, I'm here for you, they can't hurt you.' You were whispering that over and over while you held me."

I nodded, remembering. Vince had been having nightmares almost every night since we had met. But he hadn't reacted that badly to them before - or since - and it had scared the hell out of me, listening to him. "I didn't know ya were awake."

"Not completely," he corrected. "Just enough to know it was not a dream - and to know you were telling the truth. You were there for me, and I was no longer alone."

I stopped walking and used my grip on his hand to pull him to me. He arched an eyebrow, giving me that smile I loved to see, as he claimed my free hand with his own. "You've never been alone as long as I was around," I said softly.

His hands held mine as he moved them around me, pulling me close with our arms behind my back. "I shall make sure to stay near you, then," he replied, then lowered his head enough to kiss me tenderly.

I heard a whistle and a laugh, and someone called, "Don't you think you should wait till you're back on board for that, Cap'n?"

I sighed and dropped my forehead to Vince's chest as he chuckled against me. I was starting to get really tired of these interruptions. "Junior, don't ya think ya should be gettin' back to the Highwind?"

"That's where we were heading, Cap'n, when we ran into you two." I looked over, and saw that 'we' meant Junior and a good half my crew standing there. All of them were grinning, and even as I watched, one nudged another with his elbow.

I bit back a curse and moved my forehead back to Vince's chest. He was trying to not laugh; I felt like shaking him. "Fine, we'll meet you there,"I replied. They got the point, and filed past us, with Junior talking the time to pat my shoulder. I was glad Vince was still holding my hands behind my back - I wanted to smack someone.

"You are lucky, you know," Vince murmured with his lips pressed into my hair. "They do care for you, and do not mind your relationship with me."

"I know," I said with a sigh. "I just... I wish it was just us, y'know? It seems like every time we start gettin' close, somethin' happens or someone comes along."

He made a thoughtful noise as we stood there; I didn't feel much like moving. Even standing on the edge of a city, Vince felt comfortable. "Perhaps we need a vacation?" he finally said. "You and I. We could go away for a day or two, let your Junior take control of the Highwind." He moved to hold both my hands in his golden claw, and his right one tucked under my chin, tilting my head up. "Perhaps that honeymoon you mentioned," he whispered, before kissing me a second time.

I gasped softly against his lips, then closed my eyes to lean into him. That sounded like a damn good idea.

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When we returned to my cabin, Vince unlocked his gauntlet and slipped it off, sighing in relief. I took my usual spot at the head of the bed to lean against the wall, but instead of sitting in the chair, Vince came to ease over me, straddling my thighs like he had at lunch. No way was I gonna argue that.

"So, where should we go?" I asked, moving my hands to his hips. His arms circled my neck, and he leaned in to kiss me again.

"It is a good question," he mused. "I would not say the Golden Saucer or Costa Del Sol. They are far too touristy for my tastes."

I nodded. "Yeah. Would ya be comfortable going to Wutai? We should be able to avoid running into Yuffie there. Heard it's a good spot for honeymoons."

"Mm," Vince replied. "Is that what we are calling our vacation?"

The question made me pause. I looked at him for a moment as I came to a decision I hadn't so much as considered before. But it felt right to me. "Well..." I was hesitating, I knew. Just say it!' "It could be a real honeymoon, I suppose. I mean, that's where Tseth's brother tied the knot, so if... I mean, if ya wanted to... We could..." I trailed off, not knowing what to say. I could feel myself shaking.

"Cid," he interrupted, "are you asking me to marry you?" His voice sounded odd, and I wondered if I should be worried.

"Yeah, I guess I am," I replied. "I'm sorry I'm not doing it right, with the ring, and getting down on one knee, and the witnesses." I was on the verge of rambling again. I do that when I'm nervous, and right then I felt queasy enough to die. "Four days ago I would've been happy at yer side for the rest of my life with ya never knowing how I felt, just so long as you were there, an' we were still friends. I might've been a little sad, too, but still happy, because I love ya enough, yer important enough ta me, that I didn't wanna risk losing ya by sayin' the wrong thing." I forced myself to stop, and took a deep breath. "If ya don't wanna, that's fine, I didn't plan on asking ya, it just felt like tha right thing ta do, but it's okay, we can still--"

"Yes."

"--be togeath... What?" I blinked, probably looking like I'd just been sucker-punched.'Did he just say...'

"Yes," Vince repeated. I realized he was smiling, and yet for the first time since I've known him... He was crying. 'Vince... is crying?' My hand moved without thought to brush over his cheeks, catching the wetness on my fingertips. Even during the worst of the nightmares, when he would scream and his words would be filled with so much terror and pain, he never cried. Ever. That's why I didn't recognize the emotion in his voice.

I looked up from my damp fingertips and met his eyes, his wonderful, beautiful, perfect eyes that looked so much like rubies when they were shining with tears that hadn't fallen yet. I could see there the same things I felt - joy, excitement, a little bit of fear, and so much love I thought I'd burst. Before I knew it, we were kissing again. Not the passion-filled kiss from earlier, or a soft, tender kiss, but something we both needed right then, just to feel each other. I could feel myself laughing, and it was okay, because he was too, we were both laughing because we were so happy, but laughter wasn't enough so we were both crying too, and our tears mingled as we tried to kiss them away from each others' cheeks.

Eventually we were just holding each other. Somehow I was leaning against him, even though he had me slightly pinned against the wall; I don't know how it worked, but it did. I had my cheek on his shoulder, close enough to his neck that I could smell his scent, and his left hand was running through my hair. My own hands were under his shirt, and I was brushing my fingers over his back, tracing the scars and the ridge of his spine. I'd never felt better in my life - everything was just the way it was supposed to be.

"I have something for you." Vince's voice almost startled me, and I realized how close I'd been to dozing off like that. "It is not as spectacular as an engagement ring, or the flying, but I think it will interest you."

"Mm?" I replied lazily as he pulled back, letting me lean against the wall on my own. I watched as his right hand dipped into a pocket, and he pulled out a tube of some clear liquid that was just a little too thick to be water. He didn't let me see the label as he flipped up the cap, and held it up in front of me. I leaned a bit to give a tentative sniff, and laughed in surprise. "Bananas?"

He nodded, and smirked. "Bought it from Ahz, on a whim, when I paid for the rest of the order." He leaned in and gave me a brief kiss. "Now close your eyes, and smell again. Breathe deep, and think about the scent."

I did as he asked, taking a deep breath full of the scent of bananas. It smelled like the pie we'd had at Tifa's, and I remembered the way it tasted when mixed with Vince's flavor. I could see the way he teased me by stealing the cream from the spoon with his tongue, and that brought back flashes of him in the shower, on his knees, so beautiful when he was covered with water as he took me in his mouth, and gave me the most powerful orgasm of my life.

I took a deep, shuddering breath, and opened my eyes to look at Vince. He was almost grinning. "Before you ask," he said quietly, "I did not know what Tifa had for dessert. It was pure chance, but I could not have planned it better. Interesting how one simple thing can be associated with certain memories, is it not?"

"Okay, so yer an evil man who likes to torture me," I growled, and he chuckled. "But what's it for?"

His hand found mine and turned it palm-up. He held the tube to let a couple drops of the liquid fall onto my fingertips, and I rubbed it with my thumb. It felt slick, like oil. I looked at him questioningly.

"I may not have much experience when it comes to sex," he explained, "but I am aware of how men make love."

I stared down at my slickened fingers. 'What does he... Oh. Oh!' I could feel my face reddened; it'd taken me a moment to realize what he meant. 'Gods, as if I wasn't horny enough already!'

"And the best part?" he said with a smirk as he brought my hand up. "It is edible." His tongue flicked out to steal the oil from my fingers, lapping and suckling tenderly, and oh holy hell I was going to explode in my pants if he didn't stop. At least there wasn't much, so it was gone quickly, but damn if he didn't have the most powerful effect on me. He kissed me then, his tongue invading my mouth, which I was more than happy to accept. There was that delicious taste again - bananas and Vincent, sweet and delicious. My favorite treat.

I moaned when he pulled away and stood, though he leaned in for a short kiss. "Undress," he growled before moving to the intercom. While I shed my clothes, I could hear him giving the request to take us to Wutai. By the time he turned around, I was nude; I'd even taken off my goggles. I could feel myself shaking a bit, wondering if he was going to do what I thought he was going to do, but he didn't speak. He just guided me back to the bed and sat me down on the edge while he stepped out of his own clothes and ('oh gods') put his gauntlet back on.

I knew he used to think of himself as ugly and scarred to the point of being monstrous. But if he still did, he was damn good at hiding it. There was something about him in that moment as he stood in front of me, completely naked except that golden claw, that I realized I could fear him if he wanted me to. He looked powerful, so damn sure of himself. Almost... almost god-like. It scared me, and excited me, and if I hadn't already been so painfully hard right then, the hungry look he gave me would have done the job.

Vince moved close enough to place the palm of his clawed hand on my chest and push me back onto the bed. His other arm slipped around my waist and pulled me toward him, until I was hanging off the mattress from the thighs down, with him between my parted legs. He straightened up, and as he pulled both arms away, his claws raked over my chest again, and oh hell it felt good, leaving another set of four welts that crossed the other set like an X; the scratches from before were still there, and the new pain reawakened the old, making me hiss in pleasure.

He knew. I don't know how, but he did. He knew something about me that I had been too ashamed to admit even to myself. That those burning, stinging welts made the ache of desire more intense, that the pain felt so damn good, that I wanted more. I could hear myself moaning, feel myself squirming, but I was detached from my body, though I could feel every searing nerve. I watched him through lust-clouded eyes as he retrieved the tube of that sweet banana-flavored liquid, and the scent filled the air again when he coated the fingers of his right hand with it.

He didn't wait for my consent - he knew he had it. He just plunged two of his fingers into my entrance; it wasn't enough to break the skin, but it hurt, and my hips arched off the bed with a cry of ecstasy. He knew what I wanted, what I needed, and he was giving it to me, his digits working inside me relentlessly, writhing and twisting and scissoring apart. And then he added the third, which made me feel so full, made me ache deliciously from the unfamiliar invasion, but he gave me no mercy - nor did I want any. He hadn't even touched my cock, or that horribly pleasurable spot that was hidden inside me that he tortured me with yesterday, but already I felt like I was about to cum already - I needed to before I shattered.

He found it, that button somewhere inside; he pressed it hard, rubbing it with his fingers as he spread them wide. At the same time his mouth devoured my shaft completely, swallowing me down with a rough suction. His claws raked my belly, crossing both previous sets of marks, and oh gods I screamed because I was dying, that's what it had to be, not just an orgasm, it was too much all at once. Vince was killing me with pleasure and pain and ecstasy. The last thing I heard was me shouting his name and the sound of his answering chuckle as it sent vibrations through my erupting member, and everything went black.