Authors Note: So this is starting out pretty humorous, and that is the way I wanted it, but I assure you its going to get rough after about chapter 6 so please bear with me.
Hope you all enjoy!
Dishes
Chapter 2
Cid landed the ship outside of Junon and began to set the barriers around it. Meanwhile in the kitchen Yuffie was getting her rolling stomach under control.
"I never thought Cloud would agree to let me take you on my team Tifa." Yuffie said as she straightened.
"I would have to say you have that pouting thing down well Yuffie." Tifa said with a giggle as she poured the batter into the frying pan.
"Yea, well I had a good teacher." Yuffie replied as she hoped up on the counter.
"Vinny could use some different company. Hanging out with Cloud and them has made him a grumpy butt plus he is still way too quiet."
"Yuffie, Vincent has always been quiet. Probably always will." Tifa replied flipping over the pancakes.
"I know. But still. We are going to make this mission fun. Poor Vinny, how do you think he will handle us?" She questioned swinging her legs.
"Like he always does. Besides, he will protect us while we are checking out the cave." She couldn't help but laugh.
"This is the first time we have been teamed together without the others, so now I get to see how he works. This will be good for both of us."
Tifa pulled the pancakes off the stove and loaded it up on the serving plate along with the bacon and sausage. She made enough to feed a small army. But that was Tifa for you, always looking out for others.
"Lets get this out there; the boys have got to be getting hungry." Tifa said as she took a hold of the serving tray and the pitcher.
"Ok." Yuffie grabbed everything else. She took the sausage and bacon plates and grabbed the syrup.
"Vinny being our big bad protector. I like the sound of that." Yuffie said to Tifa from behind her. Tifa just smiled.
Just as she figured the boys were around the table talking strategy. Well Vincent was mainly listening and once in awhile offering his opinion. When Tifa and Yuffie sat the food down on the table they themselves sat down to eat.
"Breakfast for dinner? What the hell Teef?" Barret questioned as he reached some pancakes.
"It's all that is left in the cupboards. If you don't want to eat it then go hungry." Tifa replied in a soft voice. Cid chuckled and so did Cloud. Tifa was good at putting people in their places. It had to come from tending bar. Vincent would normally eat in his room except on the eve of a mission. But tonight they needed to finish making the plans for the mission they were on so he ate at the table with the rest of the group. They all knew how uncomfortable this made him. Yet they appreciated the gesture from the stoic gunman.
Dinner went pretty uneventful. Yuffie and Cid continued bickering back and fourth to each other, Tifa was talking to Barret and Cloud and Vincent was eating in silence. When everyone was done eating it came time to do the cleanup and tonight it was Yuffie and Vincent. There wasn't any food left. Like always everyone went back for seconds or thirds except Vincent. He didn't eat a lot anyways and he didn't have to in order to keep his energy up. Hojo saw to that. Cid saw how little he ate and couldn't resist the urge to comment.
"Damn Vin, you keep eating like that you're gonna disappear on us. Get any damn skinnier you will float away when that cloak of yours catches the wind." He said as he leaned back in his chair. Vincent only had a half a plate of food. This is mainly why he ate in his room. Vincent rolled his eyes at Cids comment and thankfully no one else noticed as he stood up from his chair and began clearing plates from the table.
"Yuffie it's your turn to help clean too you know." Cloud said as he rubbed his belly and yawned.
"I know, I know." She said as she stood and picked up what Vincent didn't grab. It wasn't a lot, only the pitcher and silverware. She hated doing dishes. The only good thing was she got to do them with Vincent. But she had to do the washing and he got to do the drying since she never saw him take his gauntlet off. For once she wanted to be able to dry. Everyone else but Tifa made her do the washing, they all dried but she never got partnered with Tifa for cleanup.
He walked silently in the kitchen and set the dishes on the counter for her. He took up a rag and began to clean off the stove with his human hand. She was amazed at how quiet he could be with his metal boots. Yuffie followed behind him and set her dishes down and turned on the water to the right temperature. She put the stopper in the sink. She loved adding the soap because of the foam bubbles that would rise from the sink. They were fun to make soap sculptures in when the sink was filling. When the sink was full she shut the water off and dropped the dishes in the sink admiring the chocobo she made out of soap suds. Though it looked like a giant soap bubble and not a chocobo.
Vincent knowing he was needed for drying grabbed a new towel and took his place next to Yuffie and began drying the dishes she handed him. She couldn't stand the silence anymore.
"Vinny, we are going to have fun tomorrow. There is a really cool cave that Tifa and I want to check out."
Vincent continued to dry the dishes in silence. He didn't like the fact that Yuffie said that they were going to have some fun. It usually meant she would get careless and end up injured. They were supposed to be finding drakes, not exploring caves for fun.
"Vinny are you even listening to me?"
"Yes Yuffie."
"Good 'cause were going to really have some fun. You could use some you know." She told him as she turned to face him and almost dropping the plate.
Vincent looked down into her stormy eyes and took the plate with his clawed hand. She couldn't help but stare. His eyes were beautiful as was the rest of him from what she could see at least. She caught herself and her face flushed. She began talking again hoping Vincent didn't notice. Not much got passed him and he did notice that she was staring. He hated being looked at like that.
"We are going to sit around the campfire roasting marshmallows and telling ghost stories. Oh this is going to be fun and you will have fun to Mr. Grumpy drawers." She giggled at what she called him.
"Aren't we supposed to be…"
"I know that but you need to lighten up a bit. You are so serious all the time. All work and no play make for a dull Vinny." She cut him off with a giggle.
"Besides with Tifa and I around we won't let you get board. We will keep you company." She added with a smile.
"Great."
The next few days were defiantly going to test his sanity and he had a feeling that by the end of the first night he would turn his faithful gun on himself. Why Yuffie wanted Tifa with her was still unknown to him.
"Uh Vin, can I ask you something?" Yuffie said as she handed him the last plate. He took it with his clawed hand and dried it. He put the towel down on the counter as he put the plate away.
"Yes Yuffie." He replied as he turned to face her.
"I uh, I have always wondered, can you take that off?" she questioned as she pointed to his left arm. He looked down as he brought his clawed hand up for her to see. She looked at the metal in front of her more closely, though not seeing whether he could or not.
"No, I can't." he replied calmly
"So you shower and everything with it on?" she couldn't help the nervous tone her voice took.
"Yes." He replied coldly as he dropped it down to his side and turned to walk out. He got to the door when Yuffies voice halted his steps.
"Vince, I'm sorry."
Turning his head so he could see her over his right shoulder he could make a small tear rolling down her cheek.
"Its fine." He walked out when he saw her smile.
He headed down the hall to his room. It was the smallest and the closest to the nearest exit in the engine room. It was his protective nature that made him choose it. Since he didn't have a lot of stuff the size suited him well. He turned the brass handle and walked in the cold dark room and closed the door. He always kept it about 10 degrees colder than the rest of the ship. It made him more comfortable. His room was also the darkest on the whole ship. There was a small bathroom in the farthest corner and a closet next to it. There was a chair on the wall next to the door and black curtains up on the small window. He slept on a full-size bed that was adorned with black bed linens and one lamp and night stand on the right of the bed. He didn't need the light to see but he used when others would come in to visit with him. There was an alarm clock with numbers that glowed red next to the lamp. He kept his rifle hidden in the closet and the machine gun under his bed. Cerberus was always with him and he only carried the others when they went out on missions. When Barret saw his room the first time he told everyone he still thought he was a vampire and asked where he kept the coffin at. He couldn't help but chuckle and the memory.
He pulled Cerberus from his thigh holster and put it in its rightful home for the night, under his pillow. He then removed the holster and set it on the nightstand. He reached up to unfasten his cloak when he heard footsteps approaching and then a knock on his door. Removing his hands from cloak he reached down with his human hand and turned on the light and took a seat on his bed. He turned on his light so the person who was standing outside his door could see not because he needed it.
"Come in." His deep voice called.
