Vincent walked through the door and onto the small overpass, listening quietly for where the enemy was. Then , he felt, rather than heard his phone ring and reached down to his belt to unclip it.
"Hello?"
"Hey."
"Cloud."
"I finally got away from Tifa and Barett. I wanted to talk to you privately."
"Is everything okay?"
Cloud didn't speak.
"Cloud?"
"Yeah I guess everything is okay. I just…."
A bullet decided at that precise moment to graze past Vincent and through the still open door behind him.
"Hold on Cloud." Vincent said as he switched the phone into his left hand and pulled out his Cerberus gun and aimed at the Deepground soldier on the upper level platform. He pulled the trigger and the soldier fell with a 'thud.'
"That's for interrupting." He said to the corpse as he holstered his gun and brought the phone to his ear.
"Sorry, I had a visitor. Now what were you saying?"
"Where are you?"
Vincent looked around.
"I'm on one of the upper levels of the Shinra building. Why?"
"I'm coming to find you. I…. I want to help."
"Cloud, I may not make it back. I don't want you risking your life as well."
"Ha. Vincent…." Why did Cloud say his name so silkily and smooth? "I will find you, so wait for me. Please?"
Vincent sighed. Did Cloud have a death wish or something?
"Cloud I…"
"No. I'm coming to you."
"Fine…. Just….. be careful."
"You too, and like I said before, try not to get yourself killed."
Click.
"Cloud is persistent." Vincent said to himself as he went back inside the building to wait for Cloud. Ten minutes later, an amazingly short time for anyone to find anyone on an unknown floor in this building, Cloud was standing in front of Vincent. Then again, it's Cloud.
"So why did you insist on coming with me?"
"Um, because…. Nevermind, let's just get going." Cloud said, looking at the ground with a slight blush on his cheeks as he headed towards the door.
"No. Something's bothering you."
"Yeah, but I don't want it bothering you too."
"After being transformed into what I am now, sleeping for 30 years, and dealing with chaos, I think I've got the mental capacity to stay sane through anything."
"Not this."
"Tell me now, Cloud."
"I don't think you want to hear it."
"You found Cid's ship, didn't you?"
"Oh, no, not yet. It's not that morbid."
"Well if it's not that…." Vincent said as he lunged forward and pointed his Cerberus, short barreled gun at Cloud's temple. "Then what is it?"
Cloud smiled evilly and there was a strange glint in his eyes.
"Do it! Please! Pull the trigger! I've been dying to get this off of my chest for years! It's been killing me, feeling this way."
Vincent lowered his weapon.
"Cloud?"
"Vincent! I love you! More than I've ever loved anyone before! True love Vincent! It's true."
Vincent's red eyes grew wide as he took a step back and dropped Cerberus.
"Hmph. I told you that you didn't want to hear that." Cloud said, bending down to pick up the fallen weapon and putting it back in the holster on Vincent's hip. Cloud didn't make eye contact with Vincent as he headed back towards the door he came in.
"Cloud. Wait! Don't go. I'm sorry I reacted that way."
"No. Don't apologize, I expected you to do something like that. After all, who would love me? This heartless shell of what I used to be."
"No, you don't understand. I always thought that you and Tifa were together."
"Hell no!"
"Well, I was surprised because, well, I feel the same about you Cloud." Vincent's last sentence came out so fast that it took a few seconds for Cloud to analyze what he had just heard.
"Huh? You…." But Cloud's words were cut off by Vincent putting a finger over Cloud's lips.
"Shh. You've already confessed your love, and now it's time to show you mine."
Vincent removed his finger from Cloud's lips and replaced it with his own lips. He wrapped his arms around Cloud's waist as he felt Cloud's knees shake and go weak. Cloud's eyes had shut and he sighed into the kiss, bringing his own arms up and around Vincent's neck. When Vincent felt this he pulled Cloud even closer to him and heard and felt the blonde gasp. Vincent took this opened-mouth opportunity to snake his tongue into the other's mouth, if only for a taste of a Cloud. Cloud seemed to like this, as they waged a full-out tongue war, battling for dominance of the kiss. Cloud's legs seemed like they no longer wanted to hold him up, so Vincent slowly lowered himself and Cloud to the ground. Cloud immediately regained his composure and flipped Vincent onto the ground, breaking the contact to stare into those blood-red eyes which had locked with the ocean blue ones. Cloud smiled.
"Wow. I've never seen you smile before." Vincent said smokily.
"Same with you." For indeed, Vincent Valentine was smiling a genuine smile.
They leaned in to kiss again, but gunshots were heard from right outside the door and they both jumped up and pulled out their weapons. They hid behind pillars on opposite sides of the room as they waited for the door to open. A minute or two later, they heard the metal door swing open with a creak and waited for the intruders to show themselves. Vincent saw them first. It was Shelke and Cid. Cloud however, didn't know Shelke, but recognized the uniform as one of Deepground's. He jumped out and began to swing his buster sword, but Vincent, knowing Cloud would do this, and knowing all too well what Shelke was capable of, jumped out and tackled Cloud to the ground while Shelke's energy sabers cut another gash into Vincent's cape, where Cloud's neck had been seconds before.
"Cloud, that's Shelke." Vincent said, still pinning the ex-SOLDIER to the ground.
"Shit. Sorry." He said to everyone.
"Well, you didn't know."
The two looked at each other a little too long and they heard Cid clear his throat behind them.
"Anything you two aren't telling us?"
Vincent stood up and held his hand out to Cloud to help him up, and he didn't let go.
"Ah." Cid said tilting his head up slightly.
"So Vincent Valentine, you have found someone you would give your life for. Am I right?"
"Yes, Shelke, you are right."
