07
Dumbshit
I wasn't in the brightest of moods when his call came, but I suppose I was feeling bright enough to warrant the straightening of my apartment rather than laying in bed all afternoon. I was uninspired - really it was only that I couldn't seem to tear my mind away from my only excitement - and had nothing planned for the day, so it was either clean the place up or stare off into space and daydream for hours on end.
The apartment wasn't going to clean itself, and I was up anyway.
I trudged over to the blinking technology on my dresser, bright blue lights casting a glare on the varnished wood in the darkness of closed blinds. I could feel the grimy bleach-water from the sopping rag I carried dripping through my fingers, and I held the offending mass at arm's length over the tile of the bathroom floor as I stood just outside the open door.
My false arm darted out to snatch the phone from the dresser in aggravation, and I flipped it open single-handedly, not bothering to check who it was that had called. My ambiguous greeting did little to hide my irritation. "Yes?"
"Vincent! How've you been?" Cid was undeterred by my harsh tone, and his easy joviality pushed me over the edge. My shoulders slumped as I turned on my heel and walked back into the bathroom, resigned to the old man - who had done nothing to deserve my bad mood - and tossing down my rag. The heavy material landed with a loud splat followed by a sickly squishing noise as the pungent moisture drained from the cloth.
"...Cleaning." I leaned over the sink in frustration, frowning at the blue soap stains that had marbleized on my bathroom counter. "...You?"
"Fine, just fine. Mm." I heard him exhale. Probably sitting at the kitchen table with his feet up on the wood as per usual. "An' how's Tifa?"
I straightened up, cradling the phone in the crook of my neck as I washed my hands. "...Why don't you ask her yourself?"
"Put her on, then."
I turned the water off, inspecting my pale, yellowish skin in the mirror as I dried my hands. I needed to spend more time outside. "...What?"
"She's with you, ain't she?"
"No." I furrowed my brow, wondering how Cid had acquired this knowledge. "Why?" I asked, side-stepping the clothes littering the floor of my room and returning to the kitchen.
"I called the bar and Yuffie answered. Said she was with you." He sounded skeptical, if not a bit knowing.
"Did she now," I mused half-heartedly, winding a napkin into a makeshift wedge and digging into the joints of my left hand, wiping away any water I might have missed.
"Yeah. She also said any time Tifa wasn' at the bar, it was a good bet she was with you."
"Hmm." I lifted the lid from the pot of boiling water on the stove and salted it. "She said that?"
"Mm-hmm. Sounded happy 'bout it too."
"...Happy?" I idly flipped the package of pasta over in my hand, watching boredly.
"Like a school-girl." Oh, he knew. Thanks, Yuffie. Damn ninja and her big mouth...
"Huh." I opened the box and emptied the noodles into the pot, stirring them in and turning the dial beneath the sauce-pan to 'low'.
"So you're sayin' she's not with you?"
"...I already dropped her off."
I heard him take a rather long drag, and I knew he was preparing for something. "Vince, what are you doing?"
"Pasta," I replied blankly, as if I didn't know. "It's easy, and I can eat it for day-"
"-You know that's not what I meant, shithead."
His tone was firm and accusing. "...Where do you get off calling me a shithead?"
"'Cause you know better'n to pussy-foot around with me." Cid sighed loudly on the line; he always was a bit over-exaggerated. "I know as well as you do that Tifa's not happy. But what she don't know is that it ain't gettin' any better, an' she's gonna have to find that out for herself." He took another long drag and I felt a bitterness rising in me. I knew where he was going, and I never thought I'd see the day when I'd gladly take Yuffie's advice over Cid's, even if I knew his was the wiser. "You get in the way, and you're just gonna get hurt. You know I'm right."
I pinched the bridge of my nose. "Cid..."
"No, you listen to me. Tifa's got a boyfriend. And he's someone who trusts you." I heard him take a swig of something. "Now if he wisens up to what you're feelin' for his girl, he's not gonna trust you anymore." Another drag. "Bye-bye, Tifa. An' her life in that house is just gonna get more complicated, an' it's gonna be a pain in the ass for all of us."
I leaned against the counter, stirring the sauce. "You know I don't want to cause trouble."
"But you will. An' she doesn't need this pressure. Not now. He's gonna come back, Vince. An' when he does, you're gonna get hurt. An' she's gonna be stuck in the middle."
"And what about her? Do you know the position he's put her in?" If anyone deserved a lecture, I felt it was Cloud.
"Yeah, Yuffie told me all about that. It's a damn shame, an' Tifa needs to wisen up, too. But you..." and I could imagine he'd be poking me in the chest if I were standing in his house, "...better stop lettin' your feelings get the better of you. She trusts you; you can tell 'er what she needs to hear, but you'd better not be doin' it for your own reasons."
"...My reasons..." I ground out the word, "...are separate."
"They'd better be. 'Cause if you ever hurt her, I'd-"
"-I know."
"Well..." He cleared his throat as he swallowed his drink. "This's a delicate thing. The way I see it, we're like one huge family. There's a balance here, and a lot of lines you just can't cross. Now you know I love you guys..."
I smirked. "...You love me?"
"Shut up."
"I'm touched..."
"I said to shut the fuck up. I'm tryin' to sugarcoat this shit because you're like a brother to me..."
"I wouldn't call us brothers." I casually flicked a noodle onto the wall, watching to see if it would stick.
"Distant cousins then, whatever the hell you want. Just listen up, you dumbshit..."
"You'd better stop calling me names." I tried to keep in monotone so as not to give it away, but I was grinning by then, and wishing I could actually see him.
He sighed again, and I could imagine the amount of smoke that had probably filled their house by that time. "...Just don't. All right?"
"Anything else?" I pulled the collander from the cabinet.
"Promise me, Vince." There was that demanding, threatening tone again.
"...No."
"Don't be stupid. If you fuck him over-"
"-I have no intentions of making Tifa dishonest. But I can't promise that nothing will come of this, and I'm not going to say otherwise to please you."
"...So you're really gonna try an' win her over?"
I held the phone down with my jaw, trying not to drop it while avoiding the steam rising from the sink as I tossed the pasta around. "Not actively, no. But should the opportunity present itself..."
"Fine. We'll say it your way. So, passively...you're really gonna try an' win her over?"
"...Maybe."
"Fuckin' shit..."
"Anything else?"
There was a pause on the other end, before I heard his less spirited reply. "...Think you could put me up for the night?"
Now a favor? I smiled to myself. "You're coming into town?"
"Yeah, I wanted to check on 'er myself. Been a while since I seen you, too. But seein' as she's out of beds..."
I finished pouring the sauce over the potted noodles. "...Do you need a ride from the hangar?"
"That'd be nice."
"...If I can manage, that is."
"I kinda need to know, Vince."
"Not sure. I might be too dumbshit to find the place."
"Oh, hell..."
I grinned to myself as I filled a bowl. "...I'll be there. What time?"
"'Round four in the afternoon."
I still had time to get things in order. "...Got it."
"Thanks. I'll buy you a drink, or somethin'."
I laughed around a mouthful of food. "Tifa owns a bar."
"Yeah, but I figured we'd go out later."
"...We?"
"Well, I doubt she'd come, but if you want to ask her..." And then paranoia crept in. "...now wait just one goddamn minute!"
"She needs to get her mind off of things."
Cid huffed. "Things like Cloud?"
"Cid...don't do this now."
"You get her to come, and I'll cover your tab."
I smiled. "...You're on."
He sighed exhaustedly. "Just...don't set yourself up. Y'know?"
"I know."
A pause. "There ain't nothin' I can do to change your mind?"
"No."
More silence, as the thought sunk in. "All right, then. You can't say I didn' warn you, though."
"Nope, guess not. Same place as before?"
"Yep." I was sure he didn't appreciate the brush-off, but he was as tired of talking about it as I was, and we both knew he'd have all the time he wanted later in the evening to torture me.
"...You're lucky I was cleaning when you called."
His tone instantly picked up. "We havin' pasta for dinner?"
"Liquor for dinner. If you're still hungry after that, you can have pasta."
"Ha! It's a done deal." There was the Cid I knew. I only hoped he would stick around for the rest of the night.
"Then I'll see you at four."
"Right. See ya."
I hung up and glanced around the apartment. I'd have to finish the bathroom, but other than that I only had a few dishes and some laundry left. Cid would sleep on the couch-bed in the livingroom like he always did, so I went ahead and moved the coffee table to the far side of the room and set out some sheets for him.
When I was finally finished with the housework, I relaxed into my mattress and set my alarm for an hour's nap. I snatched the folded paper from my nightstand, holding it up as I laid my head to rest on the pillow behind. Negative on all counts, and just a few miles away, Tifa had a paper of her own that held identical results.
...That was nice to know.
I stared at the paper for a few moments longer before pulling my phone back out of my pocket and dialing her number. I didn't really care if Cid thought it was a bad idea; I just wanted to see her out of the house without watching the clock, and if I got to spend a little time with her, then that was all right too. It had been a long time since Tifa had enjoyed the night-life; no doubt Cid and Yuffie missed her, and they weren't the only ones.
I heard the line pick up, and there was a scratching and fumbling in the background. Once the distortion had stopped, I thought I heard...running water? "...Hello?"
"Tifa."
"Hi, Vincent. Uh...what's up?" More jostling.
"Did I catch you at a bad time?"
"Well, I um...I was just about to get in the shower." I heard the unmistakable sound of a brush working through a snarl in her hair. "What did you want?"
I smiled to myself. "...Do you think Denzel would be all right watching Marlene for the night?"
"Hmm...why?" She drawled on the words distractedly, before hissing an offended curse. "Damn!"
"...Tifa?"
"Oh, I'm fine. Just fighting with my hair again. Why are you asking?"
"I thought that perhaps you would like to go out tonight."
"Well, I don't know. I've got a lot of things to work out at the bar..."
"Tifa," and I hoped to catch something in her at the way I said her name, "it's Sunday. You don't even work tonight."
"Yeah, but I need to catch up on some things."
"...Like?" She didn't have anything in mind, I knew. She was only telling herself that there had to be something.
"I could do inventory. I need to fill out some orders anyway, and-"
"-Cid is in town tonight." I had expected her protest, and cut her off with the only thing I could think of to make her change her mind.
"...He is?"
"Yes." I paused. "And he's leaving early in the morning." If nothing else, I could appeal to her familial instincts.
"So will you guys be coming by the bar?"
...Right. We'd been holding her hands for so long and walking her through the ups and downs of her relationship with Cloud. But she was a big girl, and she needed to be given a reason to go out and seize her own opportunities. She wasn't helpless, and she wasn't going to fool me into thinking otherwise. "...We will be, but not for long."
"...Oh."
"We were hoping you might come out with us." Even if she were to say no, I still held onto the hope that she might come around when she saw us walking out the door, especially if we took Yuffie along for the ride. Hopefully, the ninja wouldn't offer to stay behind and play enabler.
"Can I call you back later?"
"Yes. I realise I am running up your bill." I inwardly groaned, knowing that getting her to agree was highly improbable, and she was only stalling for time.
She laughed unexpectedly, that forced sort of shallow explosion that comes from beneath a heavy blanket of depression. "Which one, my phone or my water?"
"...Most likely, both."
"All right." I could hear the smile draining from her voice. "...I'll call you when I'm out of the shower."
"I will talk to you then."
"Bye, Vincent."
"...Goodbye."
Two hours later, I was waiting by the elevators for Cid. He strutted over in his usual fashion with his arms held out. "Vince!"
The pilot's rough clap on my back was the greeting I'd come to expect of him, so I was more than a little surprised when he let his duffel bag slip from his shoulder and wrapped me in a bear hug, nearly lifting me from the floor. I made a false choking sound, signaling him to put me down.
"Thanks for comin', Vince. I didn' wanna have to call a cab." He grinned at me as he picked his bag up from the floor.
I turned and walked to the elevator, and he followed. "...I hope you're aware that I'm charging you."
"Is that so?"
I nodded. "Room and board."
He laughed out loud as we stepped into the elevator, and I pressed the button that would take us to the roof. "How's about I just show you a good time?"
I raised one eyebrow suggestively, and he frowned at me in feigned annoyance.
"You don't miss a beat, do ya?"
I couldn't help the grin inching its way onto my face. "I don't know. You tell me."
Cid grimaced and faced the doors with a stony look as I tallied my winning score in my head. No doubt we'd continue the game later, when we'd both had a few drinks; it was just our style.
We stood in comfortable silence until the bell sounded and the doors gave way. Once we were on the roof, I led Cid to my car and popped the trunk open, so he could dump his bag in. As I sank into my seat, I heard his surprised exclamation from my right.
"Hey! What's that on your chin?"
"...Hair?"
"Is that what that's called?"
I scowled at him.
Cid grinned as he settled in for the ride. "Well I'll be damned. You're startin' to get some character on that face of yours."
As I entered the garage and began the slow spiral down the building, my phone rang. I lifted myself up from the seat and fished around in my pocket for it, using the wheel for leverage and trying to keep it straight at the same time. I finally found the damned thing, and when I saw the display, my mood was instantly lightened. Not only was my favorite person calling me, but I was going to drink for free that evening...maybe.
"Hi, it's me."
"Tifa."
"...Are you still going out tonight?"
My mouth twitched. "That was quite the shower."
"Hmm? Oh! Well, I was going to call you when I got out, but I wasn't sure yet if I was going to be able to go, so I thought I'd wait a little bit and call you when I knew."
"And...?"
"...I think I'll come with you."
I was about to respond when an enthusiastic, 'Hey, watch the wall!' was thrown my way. I edged the car away from the concrete as we continued mindlessly down to the street, and I grinned in satisfaction. "Wonderful. I'm taking Cid to the apartment now. Tell Yuffie to be ready by eight, and I'll swing by and pick you two up then." Then, as an afterthought, I added, "...She's not twisting your arm, is she?"
"No. Well...maybe a little." I frowned at that, but she continued. "She asked me who I had been talking to, and I mentioned that Cid was in town. She said we should all go out, and I told her that you'd already asked." Tifa sighed in what sounded like contentment. "...She convinced me. Said that I needed to get out and enjoy myself, and she wasn't going to take no for an answer."
I was glad to hear that Yuffie hadn't decided to stay at home with Tifa, and instead had coaxed her to go out. "Good. I'm glad you're going to come, even if it's not just to see us."
"Yeah...hey!"
I chuckled. "I'll see you at eight."
I hung up my phone, and I could see Cid's wary look from the corner of my eye. "Was that Tifa?" I nodded, and he whistled low. "Should've known. You damn near killed us."
I only blankly stated, "You'll feel much better about it once you've bought me a drink," but I couldn't help the smile Cid's surprised expression solicited from me.
AN: This chapter was tedious to write and I'm sorry for the delay. You were right, Motchi; I nearly did resort to pulling out my hair. Thanks to you as well, for reminding us all that Vincent is a man, and therefore grows hair in places other than his head.
Next chapter is going to be a lot of fun. As always, reviews are much appreciated!
