~Cloud's POV~
"I-I'm not s-scared..." Tifa breaks eye contact with Vincent. Slamming his cup down on the counter beside her, which makes her jump, he turns and takes long strides out of the room, but not before I see hurt tears pooling at the bottom of his crimson eyes. I look back at Tifa, who has sunk to the ground with her hands over her face, sobbing. Torn between my best friend and the crying mess on the kitchen floor, I jam my phone in my pocket and crouch down beside her.
"Tifa..."
"I never should've accused him of cheating," she cries, leaning on my chest. I jump and nearly fall backwards, but catch my balance and awkwardly put an arm on her back.
"You couldn't have known," I try to reason.
"Which is exactly why I shouldn't have picked a fight about it! I had no proof it wasn't just a prank or something." I don't have anything to say to that, so I just sit there and let her drench my shirt in tears. This is kinda awkward. The kitchen door opens and Yuffie raises an eyebrow at me but doesn't say anything as she opens the fridge in search of something to eat.
"You know what I just saw," she speaks up, closing the door and leaning against the machine.
"What?" I sigh. Tifa wipes her eyes and looks up.
"I swear Vince was just crying," she frowns. "Never imagined him to be that sort of person."
"Yeah, well," Tifa say bitterly.
"I'm assuming something went wrong between you two?" She crosses her arms.
"Yeah."
"Not to be all eavesdroppy and stuff, but are you... Are you really scared of him?" I say quietly. Tifa bites her lip and looks down at the floor.
"I don't know. I guess I've always been a little careful around him. I have this stupid fear that he'll turn into Chaos or something and just hate me. I mean, what kind of person like him wants anything to do with me?"
"Hey, don't feel too bad. At least he doesn't give you the shivers," Yuffie shudders. "Besides, as cheesy as it sounds, he loves you. We can all see it."
"I know, I just... I don't know what to do. I don't want to !make him mad, I try to keep things hidden so that we don't get into fights..."
"Don't do that," I say, shaking my head. "Fights make you guys stronger."
"But you two never fight," she scowls at the ground. I burst out laughing.
"I smell jealousy," Yuffie mutters under her breath.
"We fight all the time, actually," I admit. "We just keep it quiet and outside. There's actually times when I wonder how we're still together." Yuffie kicks my shoulder and I grimace.
"So what am I supposed to do?" She frowns.
"Just wait a little bit and talk it through when you're ready," Yuffie shrugs.
"That sounds easy enough."
"Trust me, that's not what happens between us," Yuffie laughs and I blush.
"Do I even want to know?"
"Not really," I shake my head.
"Thanks I guess," she stands and leaves abruptly. I sigh and stand, frowning at the large wet spot on my shirt.
"What was that all about?" Yuffie's asks, tearing off a couple pieces of paper towel and handing them to me. I accept them gratefully.
"She and Vincent were having a screaming match about cheating because some random number kept texting Vincent and then it just got out of control and he left because she's scared of him apparently."
"Wow," she shakes her head. I shove her back into the corner Vincent trapped Tifa in and put my face duper close to her, staring deep into her bright eyes.
"Are you scared of me Yuffie?"
"No. I'm not. Now get off me," she laughs and I feel kinda bad about making fun of the couple. Oh well.
"No," I smirk, connecting our mouths. I can't believe she actually said yes... My beautiful Yuffie and I are gonna be married. Huh. Now there's an interesting thought. She happily puts her arms around my neck and pulls me closer. With her mouth moving with mine, I couldn't be a happier man. No, forget that. Even just having her by my side is enough to make me smile. Is this what love is? Hurt and heaven at the same time?
"You should probably go find Vincent," she mumbles against my lips.
"But I'd much rather do this," I complain, kissing her jaw.
"Go console your friend or I will take away your kissing privileges until this child is your age," she threatens. "I'll probably go to Tifa anyway." With a unhappy groan, I connect our mouths again for a few seconds before turning to leave.
"Where was he?"
"By the laundry room," she shrugs, pushing away from the counter and smiling at Cid.... Cid?!?! He shoots me a smug look and shakes his head.
"At least I couldn't see this time," he chuckles and I roll my eyes, purposely bumping my shoulder harshly against his when I leave.
Walking toward the laundry room, I catch sight of Tifa hanging onto Barret, crying on his shoulder while he sends me a 'what the heck is going on?' look. I shrug and turn a corner, reaching the hall where the bathroom, bunk room, and laundry room are. Lots of rooms.
"He could be behind any of these doors," I mutter to myself. But of course a loud smash from the laundry room brings me to open the creaky door, praying that he won't try to kill me when I enter.
A shaking red cloak topped with thick black hair huddles with his back to me, a mess of shattered glass all over the floor. A few shards crunch under my boots when I take a step forward, the figure not even caring that I can hear a few quiet sniffles.
"Vince," I say quietly.
"What do you want," he snaps. Preparing myself for the walls he's building up, I close the door and walk in a little farther.
"What's up?"
"What do you want?" He repeats a little more hatefully this time.
"I just heard a noise thought I check up on you," I half lie.
"I'm not stupid, Cloud."
"Never said you were."
"She thinks I am. No, I think I am too. Wait... I don't know anymore," he grumbles.
"She doesn't think you're stupid. If anything, she thinks she's stupid for picking a fight."
"Great, now I've got her believing my lies," he spits bitterly, still not turning around. " She probably hates me, doesn't she?"
"She's pretty upset," I shrug.
"She has every reason to be. I knew the day would come when she would admit she never trusted me. I just didn't want it to ever come."
"Of course she trusts you," I scoff. "You're being ridiculous."
"Can you leave?" He grits, finally turning to glare at me with his splotchy red eyes.
"No," I cross my arms. "Yuffie's got Tifa and I've got to take care your mess. Now get of your butt and go make it up to her." In less than a moment, Vincent has me slammed up against the wall, gripping my collar tightly. My head stings where I got stitches and the where the holes front the spikes are.
"Don't you think I want to!?" He yells in my face, making me cringe. "I don't want her to be afraid of me, but she is! I can't help that everyone I meet thinks I'll just blow up on them in full on monster mode!"
"Dude, you're blowing up on me right now," I struggle to get away from him. "For all I know, you could be going into monster mode right now."
I move my head just in time for his first blow, which goes all the way through the aluminum wall. Um... This is not good. The second, I'm not so lucky and he hits me square in the jaw, knocking me to the floor and getting shards of the use-to-be-white glass jammed into my hands. I roll over and blink at the ceiling only to have Vincent pounce on me again, straddling me and grabbing my shoulders. He's going to freakin' kill me. I try to get him off me, but he doesn't budge and he slams my head into the floor. Lucky for me, there's no glass behind my head. Instinctively, I touch my forehead where my head aches, but the glass from my hands opens a gash there too. Vincent's heavy and angry panting sends a wave of breath over my face and it smells like... Vodka? Is he drunk?! That can't be good...
"Vince, calm down," I hold up a my hands in surrender and try to blink the blood running over my eye away. Something in his eyes flickers, but he doesn't change his deadly position. "Vincent..." He reaches across the floor for a large shard of glass and I gulp. He's going to kill me. I'm going to die by my best friend's hand and he won't even know what he's done until he's... Undrunk. Driving the large shard into my side, he twists the glass as I cry out in pain, trying to push him off me. Gosh dang it, why am I so short?!
"Vincent, please," I plead in a weak voice. I feel like such a girl. His red eyes shift again, but this time he seems to wake up and he blinks at me before looking at my side, where my warm blood spills over his hand. He makes an odd noise tat sounds like a gasp and jerks the shard from my body. I wince and mentally cuss him out for drinking. Why on earth did you have to freaking attack me?!
"Oh my gosh... I didn't... I..."
"You're lucky I put materia on the other day," I growl, casting a Cure 3 spell on myself. The cuts close and the glass shards disappear as I sit back up.
"Sorry," he grumbles.
"Really Vince?" I glare at him. Why am I getting mad? I did the same exact thing.
"What?"
"I can smell it in your breath." Oh the urge.
"Don't get mad, you did the same thing," he scoffs.
"I'm not mad about that." A few drinks won't hurt... "I'm mad you didn't share any with me." I swear if he wasn't half way drunk he wouldn't have smiled at me.
~|~|~|~|~|~
"Give," I hold out one hand and Vincent passes the glass bottle.
What number is this? I don't remember. Why am I drinking? No idea. But it feels nice. We're lounging across from each other on the laundry room floor and it's a wonder nobody came to save my life after all my yelling. And also why no one has peeking through gaping hole in the wall Vincent left when he tried to punch me. Wincing at the thought as if I could feel the glass, I take another long swig before handing it back.
Our luck runs out, though, when Yuffie enters the room. Vincent quickly hides the glass bottle behind his back, but not before she sees it and scowls at him.
"How's guy talk," she looks at me suspiciously. Crap, I'm caught. Oh well.
"Okay I guess," I slur. She clenches her jaw in disappointment but holds her tongue until she gets whatever clothing she was washing in the washer.
"How many bottles?"
"I don't know," Vincent shrugs and openly takes a huge gulp.
"You're kidding me, right?"
"Jealous," I wiggle my eyebrows.
"No, I'm not. I'm lucky that I can't join you," she says after a moment of silence. "Otherwise I'd join you." Oh gosh, that wonderful smirk...
"Come 'ere," I say, motioning for her to sit by my side. With a reluctant sigh, she sits cross legged by me on the floor.
"Tifa said she might talk to you later," Yuffie nods in Vincent's direction. At the mention of her name, he frowns and chugs down the remaining liquid in the bottle.
"Easy there," I chuckle.
"I'm gonna drink until I can't feel it anymore," Vince laughs darkly before hiding the empty container with the rest. Opening another, he sets it on the floor at looks up at Yuffie with his bloodshot eyes. "People say up drinking doesn't fix your problems. Well I think it does. It numbs everything for one day and then gives you a headache so bad you can't think the next."
"Um.." Yuffie starts but I cut her off.
"Course, you wouldn't know, would you," I smirk down at her. "You're only twenty."
"Trust me, I know," she laughs.
"Ooo, lawbreaker eh?"
"Just under aged," she shrugs.
"I'm surprised they haven't arrested you yet," I tease, my face moving closer to hers. She furrows her eyebrows but doesn't move away.
"I guess I'm just that good," she smirks.
"At what?" I smile slyly. "I can think of a few things you probably aren't thinking of."
"You're gross," she crinkles her nose and pushes me away.
Vincent laughs and takes another drink. Are we seriously drinking straight vodka like water? Wow... We're worse than I thought. I'm gonna make such an amazing father. I'll be just like mine... With a scowl, I reach for the bottle and take a few bitter, burning sips. So many that Yuffie reaches over the pulls it from my hands and puts it back by Vincent. Then she sighs and lays her head on my shoulder. I put an arm around her back and pull her closer to my side, much to her discomfort.
"You're really hot," I whisper by her ear. Her face goes red and she tried to pull back from me.
"I think you've had quite enough to drink," she mutters. I smirk and press my lips to hers. Her hands fold against my chest, then move to the back of my neck. Must be a habit of hers. What was supposed to be an intimate moment turns awkward when the kiss gets rougher and rougher on my part. She pushes me back and shakes her head at me when I try to kiss her again.
"You two should go get a room or something so I don't have to watch that," Vincent chuckles, taking another drink from the bottle.
"What..." Yuffie trails off when she notices something, pink creeping up her neck. I bite my lip and kiss her cheek gently. She rolls her eyes and stands, brushing imaginary dirt off her thighs. "Well I hope you resolve your issues with Tifa, Vince." He scowls and gulps yet another sip down. I can't imagine what kind of hangover he's going to have.
"Oh yeah, and no more of this," she says, confiscating our alcohol. Vincent curses at her under his breath but let's her have what other drinks he was hiding.
"So what now?" He slurs when she leaves.
"I don't know," I shrug. We sit and talk (cough, slur) about nothing really for a while. But our conversation is broken by a sharp scream that brings me to my feet instantly. Yuffie...
I'm not sure if Vincent knows what's going on, but I stumble drunkly for where I hear several cries of pain before they silence. He follows reluctantly. We scramble for the deck, which is where the last pained cry echoed from. Cid runs past us and I try to run as non-drunk as I can, but I think he still swears at me. I don't know. I'm panicking. Is she alright?! Is the baby alright?! I shake the thoughts away and push past Barret, who already stands in the doorway, and go rigid. A dead man with the Shinra uniform on and metal knuckled gloves lies dead on the floor, but that's not what makes my heart stop. It's the sight of Yuffie lying unconscious on the ground, bruises and cuts all over her body. And it looks like she's dead.
NO! YUFFIE! AW, BUT DRUNK VINCE THO :D I'M PURE EVIL... THIS STORY IS COMING SO CLOSE TO THE END, I JUST MIGHT DIE :'( BUT THERE WILL BE A SEQUEL FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE INTERESTED!
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