Naturally, the pilot had a difficult time believing Cloud when he had said that there was indeed a man sleeping in a coffin in the basement of Shinra Manor. "Cid, he really is down there," the blonde insisted as Cid fixed him with a quizzical glance. Cid brushed past him and entered the brick room that held the single, ominous looking coffin. He crept over to it, feeling almost paranoid at the thought of another being sleeping in such a place. "I hope he can' hear me in here," he thought as his large hands grasped the lid. Cid tugged at it experimentally and found that it was not too heavy for him to move. He slid the large slab of wood off of the coffin and was dumbstruck at the sight that greeted him.
The form below him was of a man who couldn't have been any more than in his late 20s. The tightly muscled body was encased in nearly all black leather; save for the tattered red cloak that was wrapped around him. The face was undoubtedly masculine, yet surprisingly soft in slumber. Long black hair framed the man's face, and no doubt fell past the slender looking shoulders. "Who is this?" Cid wondered as he absently reached out to feel of the soft looking hair.
Without warning, the younger man's eyes snapped open and Cid's hand froze halfway between them. "What do you want?" The voice that rumbled from within the man's chest was fitting of the irate glare that was directed at his intruder. The pilot stared helplessly into the hypnotic crimson eyes that held his own. "Sorry about that," Cid mumbled. "Didn' mean to disturb ya." He swiftly retraced the hand that still hovered between them. One may never know when the loss of said hand may occur. Besides, he needed that hand to fight with and direct his craft.
An elegant eyebrow seemed to disappear into the covering on the younger man's forehead. "Disturb, huh?" He winced as his throat ached from lack of moisture. He was well aware of how unused his voice sounded. "Why are you down here?" Cid observed as the younger man pulled himself up into a sitting position, those crimson eyes never leaving his own. The pilot swallowed convulsively. "A friend of mine told me someone was down here. He wanted me to take a look."
"Is that so?"
"Yessir, it is."
Wary eyes still scrutinized Cid with discomforting intensity as the younger man stepped out of the coffin. Now standing, Cid found himself dwarfed by the younger man's height by a good four inches. "Say, what's yer name?" Cid questioned, as a means of easing the tension he felt.
"My name… is Vincent Valentine." Vincent answered. "And you?"
"Th' name's Cid, Cid Highwind."
"Cid?" Cid was snapped from his thoughts by that rumbling growl of a baritone that he loved so much.
"Yeah Vince, what is it?" Cid spun around to face the taller gunman. He once again found himself staring helplessly into those crimson eyes that had captivated them when they first met. "You've been daydreaming again, haven't you?" Vincent mused as he moved to stand near the Shera's pilot. Cid only nodded. "What about?"
"Remember th' firs' time we met?"
"How could I forget?" Vincent mused with a small smirk. "I was disturbed from my slumber twice in one day, which was highly unusual. Or at that time, it was unusual."
"Yer not mad abou' that are ya, Vince?" Cid inquired nervously.
"Not at all," Vincent replied honestly. "Were it not for you and Cloud, I would still be down there. And I would not have discovered perhaps the most beautiful thing in the world."
"Wha's that?"
"You," the ex-Turk responded by turning Cid to face him. He rested his forehead against Cid's, simply breathing in his scent. Once glance at Cid's flushed features told him that the pilot was both pleased to hear this and embarrassed by the tenderness of Vincent's actions. Not that Vincent minded. That blush and the love of the man before him had been the most breathtaking thing of his entire journey with Cloud and his friends.