Recollecting

He waited until Cid was asleep before he got up the gumpton to go see Tseng.

Vincent carefully slid out of Cid's arms, glad that the pilot was a heavy sleeper, especially since Cid had gone on that run in the morning and tired himself out. Cid whined a bit when the slight amount of warmth against his chest disappeared, and Vincent whispered out a small apology as he slipped a heavy kimono on, padding towards the door.

He slid it open, careful not to make the floor creak as he stepped out of the room and slowly slid the door closed. He paused for a moment, listening. When he was sure Cid didn't wake up, he turned and made his way towards Tseng's room, mulling the plan over in his head again for the hundreth time. He'd laid there all night, only half hearing Cid's enthusiastic, albeit angry, telling of the act Reeve pulled on him that day. The other half of him was trying to come up with a way to fulfill his promise he made Reeve.

Now as he walked down the hallway towards Tseng's room, he felt a nervous knot forming in his stomach. He wasn't sure if the plan would work the way he wanted it to, or if at all. but as he knocked on the door of his host, he figured he would find out either way. He stayed there for a few minutes, wondering if Tseng had heard him. He raised his hand to knock again when the door slid open, and the two men stood there, staring at each other in slight surprise.

Tseng stared at the red eyed man, waiting for him to say something. "Vincent-san...are you alright?"

It took a moment for Vincent to collect himself before he nodded. "Hai...Tseng, I was wondering if I might...if I might talk to you for a moment."

"WEll, of course, but what could be so urgent you had to get up at one in the morning to speak to me?" Tseng stood back and let the other Wutaiian walk in, shutting the door quickly afterwards to perserve the heat coming from the small firepit in the middle of the room. He sat down around the pit, his hands on his lap as he stared at the man sitting across from him, still silent. "Is everything alright? There's nothing wrong with yourself or Highwind, is there?"

"Mmm? Oh..no no, we're both fine. I've actually come to...to talk to you about something."

"Well...alright. What would you like to talk about?" Tseng shifted a bit, waiting for the other man to speak. Vincent looked tired, to be sure, but he also looked like he was deeply thinking about something.

"I understand that Reeve...President Tuesti, had come to you before hand and today as well to convince you to join the camp he has set up for new soldiers."

"He has. I've turned him down several times...pleae don't tell me he has asked you to come and convince me otherwise?" Tseng's calm demeanor slipped a bit as he frowned.

"I'm afraid he has. but I'm here not only for him, but for myself."

Tseng sat back a bit, the frown lifting a bit. "Oh? And what would you have to ask of me regarding what President Tuesti has asked of me?"

Vincent shifted a bit. He expected this kind of reaction, and wondered if his request would only warrant a worse one. "For one, I have to agree with Re..the president. You do have all of the skills required to train and kind of soldiers, and from what I understand you would be in a special operations group. I know the extensive training a Turk must undergo in order to obtain Turk status skills, and aside from myself you are the oldest Turk, erego you know the most between you and your other three fellow Turks. I know... a great deal, but I'm sure there were changes in the thirty some odd years I've been out of ShinRa's employment."

"There have been. Continue." Tseng settled back into a more comfortable position. It would be interesting watching Vincent Valetine, who was always cool and collected, an unshakable rock among many who would try to move him, try to, as Tseng saw it, throw him a sales pitch as to why he should go.

"I understand that this would also give you substantial pa-.."

Tseng waved a hand, cutting the older man off. "Yes, yes, yes, I have already been told of all of the bonuses, perks, etcetera, of what was offered to me. I'm not interested in those reasons as to Reeve wants me to go. I want to hear YOUR reasons. I'm sure you have some."

Vincent sighed, wondering when it would come to this. "I want you to go to keep an eye on Cid." There. He said it, straight foreward. He waited for Tseng to answer, expecting a scowl, a shout, for Tseng to yell at him about absurdity. He didn't expect the other Wutaiian to start laughing.

"You...you want ME to...to join with the WRO, train a bunch of troops, tire my already tired body out even more, and spend six months in EDGE, most of those months in WINTER in Edge, just so I can...WATCH...OVER...HIGHWIND? That's..." Tseng fell back onto his rear, shaking his head with another chuckle. "That's rich. Quite funny, actually. NOW, Vincent, MR. Valentine, tell me the ACTUAL reasons you want me to go."

Vincent himself was not amused, as his stoic face showed at Tseng's outburst. "I have already TOLD you why, Willow. "

"You..you're serious?" Tseng watched the other man's face for a few seconds, not surprised the serious look on Vincent's face did not change. "You actually want me to do this just so I can...can BABYSIT HIGHWIND?"

"NO...just...watch him. Make sure he's alright. Talk to him, inSULT him if you will. Just enough to keep his mind grounded where it should be so he doesn't think of...unecessary, things."

"I'm very sure Highwind would disagree about what you think are 'unecessary thoughts', most of them which would be concerning you, but I don't see why I would need to be there for him to be 'grounded'. I think if anything my presence would merely be a distraction. SO," Tseng smirked, lifting a brow, "any other reasons you NEED me to be there?"

"I trust you."

"While I am happy that you trust me that much to ensure HIGHWIND in my care, I'm still not sure what you trust me WITH. He and I can't stand each other's company, if you CAN'T TELL from everyday encounters. AND, BESIDES, if I happen to AGREE with your request and take Tuesti's offer and join, what's in it for ME?"

Vincent frowned, sitting back more a bit. "Reeve has already told you about-"

"I mean from YOU."

The response made the ex-Turk sit backwards more, his eyes opening wide in surprise. "what are you saying?...I'm asking you to do me a favor. Consider it payback for saving your life."

"Hai, you saved my life and I took you in when you had no place else to go when Highwind's WIFE kicked you out. I consider that favor RETURNED. So, Vincent-san, I'm asking you...from you, what's in it for me?"

Vincent frowned a bit as he cast his eyes downward in thought. While Tseng's last comment had been a low blow, it didn't make it any less true. In return for saving the other Turk's life he'd been allowed a place to stay, feed, taken care of, and tolerated for longer than any normal guest was allowed. He glanced back up at Tseng, his face settling back into its expressionless stare. "What would you want from me?"

"That depends...what are you willing to give?" Tseng stood up, starting to walk around the room. He took the time waiting for Vincent to answer to put up his hair, a small smile playing on his lips. The sound of his footsteps were hollow on the wooden floor, and when Vincent finally answered, it was almost hard to hear over his soft footsteps.

"If it's for Cid...anything." Vincent held in a sigh after he answered, hearing Tseng's footsteps stop behind him, the rustling of fabric as Tseng bent down, the Wutaiian's face only inches away from his own.

"And what...if what I wanted..." Tseng's voice was close to Vincent's ear, and as the Turk spoke he eyed the pale skin a breath's away from his own. "..you?" Tseng could feel the man in front of him shudder, and he raised a pale hand to rest on an even paler shoulder, sliding the dark red fabric down so that the skin there was exposed. "what if what I wanted...was what you so willingly give Cid every night?" He felt Vincent shudder again, the ex-Turk turning his face away only slightly.

Vincent weighed his words carefully, aware of the soft breath on his neck and the closeness of the other man, Tseng's chest pressed up against his back. He suspected this from the start, but couldn't bring himself to beleive it, even now. "...If I did not know you were a man governed by rules, and personal laws, and a strict moral code that wouldn't allow you to ask me such a thing...I would say yes." He turned his face to look at the one at his shoulder, still surprised at how much the two of them looked alike. "I would agree to whatever you would ask me...and I give you what you wanted." Vincent shifted to look right into the other Wutaiian's eyes, his voice dropping to a whisper. "Humiliation included."

Tseng stared straight into those red eyes, looking for any kind of waver to his resolution. The paler, older, and still amazingly more beautiful man stared at him straight, his expression never falling. "You would give me yourself...your body...and humiliate yourself...all for him?"

Vincent frowned slightly, never turning his face away. "I would give my LIFE for him, just as I gave it to him." The ex-Turk turned his face away, staring straight into the fire pit he sat in front of. He felt Tseng at his side still, his breath changing slightly. He didn't know how long Tseng sat there before he finally stood up and turned away, a snort of disdain and a frown on his face.

"An expected answer, cheesy, cliche at the best. I would have expected something more eloquent." Tseng sighed audibly, returning to his position on the floor. "Very well, Valentine...I will do this...this FAVOR for you, but as an ex-Turk you know a favor asked is a favor owed, and whenever I want to call upon this favor I can do so at anytime."

"Do not spout Turk codes at me, Tseng. I helped make them." Vincent's words were as sharp as the look on his face as Tseng's eyes met his own. "I never go back on my word."

"I'm sure you don't..." Tseng picked up a poker sitting by the fire pit, prodding the dying logs back into flame. "You should go back to bed, Vincent-san...Highwind is probably missing you right now, and we're both tired. I will contact President Tuesti in the morning to tell him I've...changed my mind." He frowned a bit as the last word was let out, emphasizing it. He glanced up at Vincent, watching the red eyed man nod as he made his way to the door. "And Vincent?" Vincent glanced down at him, waiting to exit. "...Forgive me."

The gunman smiled, opening the door. "There is nothing to forgive...Good night, Tseng-san."

"Mmm." The sound of the door shutting behind Vincent offered no comfort to the Turk sitting by the fire. "...Good night."
*****************************

RIIIIIIIINGa RINNGAA RIIN, RIINNGA RINGAAAA RING RIIING! RIIIIIIIIINGa RINNGAA RIN-

"DAMN IT, WHAT?!" Cid all but yelled into his cell phone as he answered it, hoping that the person on the other end couldn't hear anymore. He didn't know what pissed him off more- the fact that the phone went off right by his ear, or the fact that the sun hadn't even risen yet. "Ain't it bad enough you had to freak me out yesterday by kissin' and confessin' something you shoulda talk to me about twenty-fuckin'-three years ago!"

Vincent opened an eye, glad that he was already awake before Cid did this. He recognized the ring tone, and wondered with as much annoyance as Cid why the hell Reeve was calling the pilot at four in the morning. He almost felt sorry for the man on the phone, but only almost. He closed his eyes as he snuggled deeper into Cid, his face planted as deep as it could go in the pilot's neck. "Cid, stop yelling."

Cid bit back another scream, taking a deep breath instead. "What do you want, Reeve?"

"Just a wake up call. I want you to get used to waking up at this hour, seeing as you'll soon need to be awake and ready by five o'clock each morning." Reeve's voice was patient as always, as he expected to be yelled at because of the time. "And I already told you I would explain that...if it's any consolation, you weren't exactly helping me get over you when we were younger, IF you remember your eighteeth birthday and what happened that ni-"

"NAHNAHNAHNAHNAH, you got no right to talk 'bout that!" Cid couldn't see Vincent's eyes opening up and looking at him in curiousity, but he knew they were. "Did you just call me to wake me up and harass me?"

"No, I need you to come over to HQ and pick up the rest of your paperwork and to get measured for your suit."

Cid would've slapped Reeve if he were present, opting instead to tighten his grip on the phone. "Right the fuck now?!"

"Yes. Right the fuck now. Be here as quick as possible." And with that he hung up, leaving Cid glaring at the cell phone.

"Stupid, fuckin', no good, teasin' son of a bitch."

"Cid?"

"WHAT?"

"What happened between the two of you on your eighteenth birthday?" Vincent's smile met his eyes, and he watched as the pilot turned a delicate shade of pink.
**********************************

"So how did the meet up with Reeve go today?"

"I hate wearing suits. Did I ever mention that?" Cid dropped another large packet of paper down on the floor, plopping beside Vincent with a grunt.

Vincent just smiled. "You mentioned it. You look tired." He let his eyes roam up and down Cid's body, noticing the subtle signs of sweat from his many jogs back and forth between Reeve's temporary HQ and Tseng's house, sure he'd hear complaint's about it later. He remembered Cid had looked fine, albeit angry, that morning when he had left, and now, with most of the day gone later, he just looked tired. Vincent sat up from his spot on the futon, scooting over to drape an arm around Cid's chest and to plant a kiss on his shoulder. "Maybe you should go take a bath, get relaxed and ready for bed? You have to be up at five tomorrow, not to mention...not to mention you and Tseng leave in another couple of days."

"Yeah...can't beleive the guy changed his mind. Made Reeve as happy as a clam though." Cid looked back at Vincent, face serious. "You should give Shera a call and see if she needs...wants, you, to come back. I don't wanna leave knowing you're not at home or somewhere safe."

It was the last thing he wanted to do, but he knew it had to be done. Vincent just nodded, resting his head against Cid's. "I'll call her when you two leave. Tseng already said I could stay here as long as I need to, so you won't have to worry about that. Go take a shower, Cid. You smell horrible."

Cid smirked as he stood up and looked down at Vincent. "It's called SWEAT, smartass...oh, and by the way, happy birthday. Sorry I don't have anything right now, but you think about what you want and it's yours." Cid grabbed a few clothes from his duffel bag and headed out of the door, the sound of his heavy footsteps fading as he walked down the hall.

Vincent's eyes lightened a bit as he grabbed Cid's phone, looking at the date on the screen. He didn't even notice it until Cid said something, and it came as a happy surprise that Cid, mr. I-can't-find-my-goggles-that-are-on-my-head Highwind, remembered it when he didn't. He flipped the phone closed and put it back by the futon, thinking over what Cid had said. He glanced down at the black, gold and red ring on his finger, watching it sparkle a bit before he made up his mind. He smiled to himself; now all he had to do was wait for Cid to get back.

After five minutes of waiting, his usual patience waned, and he walked to the bathroom where he knew Cid would be.

The pilot glanced up from his spot in the damn-it-was-bigger-than-he'd-ever-seen-tub as the bathroom door opened, and he smiled in relief as Vincent walked in, shutting and locking it behind him. "Hey Mister. Think about that gift yet?" Vincent walked over and squat beside his head, kissing him sweetly.

"Mhmm."

"And?" Cid lifted a brow at the curiously playful look on the usually collected man's face. Vincent bent down in his squat, mouth right next to his ear.

"I want you."

Cid frowned, looking over into the gunman's eyes. "But you already hav-"

Vincent covered Cid's mouth with his hand, and without warning licked and nibbled at the pilot's earlobe, earning wide eyes, a shudder and a groan from the man beneath him. "I want you....to submit." He watched Cid's eyes grow wider, staring straight into his in curiosity. "You said ANYTHING..didn't you?"

Cid watched the man above him for a moment before a smile split his face. "Yeah...I did, didn't I?"

Vinent took that as a good enough answer as he started to strip.
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AN- alright, bedtime. update later. enjoy. ~D
PS- there ARE still people reading this, right? O_o

Edited 3/14/08