Chapter 12: Flyin' High
AN: Well, this is an extra long chapter for you guys, especially if you read the lemon. It's completely gratuitous this time if you're not interested in that sort of stuff though. Hope you enjoy, and please, leave a review and tell me what you think! I love reviews, and I'd still like to shoot for 100! (-:
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When morning dawned over Fort Condor, the first one awake was not Cid despite his resolve to leave early. Some individuals were just not born to be morning people. So it wasn't with a great amount of surprise that he woke to find the guest room completely empty, nor was he surprised to see everyone gathered around the large table happily eating and conversing when he stumbled into the mess hall.
"Whoa! Looks like somebody had a rough night," Reeve piped up first as Cid made his way towards them.
"Need my fuckin' coffee…" was the only reply Cid gave, ignoring them and seating himself heavily across from Yuffie. When he glanced up, almost everyone was staring at him with differing degrees of curiosity and surprise. He looked at the little ninja first, who gave him a conspiratorial wink. Reeve, who was next to her, appeared vaguely puzzled by his presence. He saw Vincent next, whose collar was up as usual. Still, he could have sworn the man was smirking behind it. Tifa gave him a warm smile and pushed a large mug of steaming coffee into his direction. And finally Cloud was at the end of the table, scrupulously avoiding his gaze in favour of eating his own breakfast, as though it was the most interesting thing there.
He sighed and took a long draught from the proffered mug. An apology for his rude behaviour from the previous day might have been in order, but definitely not before the first cup of coffee. "Mornin'," he finally managed gruffly after downing a large swill of the bitter liquid. There was a beat of silence, and then slowly, the tension around the table dissolved.
"Are you feeling any better?" Tifa asked him with a smile.
"Humpf," Cid grunted in response, lifting his mug again.
"Well, when are you going to tell us what's going on between you and Sh— UMPF!" Reeve said, his face contorting into a wince as soft thump was heard. Yuffie smiled innocently and picked at her plate of eggs.
"I thought we agreed not to bring that subject up," Cloud said softly, his eyes flickering up towards the other man.
"You agreed!" Reeve said, leaning on his elbows with a lop-sided grin. "I didn't, and inquiring minds want to know!"
"Gawd, Reeve, you're such a moron," Yuffie groaned, rolling her eyes.
"That's why you love me," Reeve answered her with a grin.
Cid's coffee cup landed on the table with a loud thump and he shot a glare at Reeve that was clearly filled with anything but love.
"Tactless as usual," Vincent murmured from behind his cloak.
"I prefer direct," Reeve answered with another cheerful grin. This one, however, he aimed at Cid, infused with the unexpected seriousness that occasionally surfaced beneath his bright personality. "So why're you avoiding us, eeeeh?" he wheedled.
Cid felt his eyebrow ticking; Reeve had always been persistent. Absently he wished that the man was using his mechanized moogle rather than sitting before him in person; it would have made hurting him more of a realistic possibility. "Well, since you already fuckin' know all about it, I don't see why I should say anything," Cid grumbled. Then he sighed inwardly. He had made a decision last night, and he knew he had to stick with it no matter how reluctant he was to make that decision public. "Yeah, me 'n Shera are havin' a few problems." He stared at his cup and took a deep breath. Saying it out loud would make it official. Better from me than some goddamned paper, he rationalized. "We ain't gonna make it," he told them calmly, with an air of finality. "It's over."
Silence settled around the table; Cid and Shera were practically an institution in their world. He looked up from his cup and sought out Yuffie's eyes. "That ain't no one's fault but our own," he added loudly, holding her gaze. She blinked a few times, her eyes watering, and then quickly looked away. Then he let his glare drift over the remaining members of the group slowly. "And if any of you got somethin' to say about it, you say it to my face right now," he added darkly. "Don't pick on the kid."
Yuffie swallowed as she heard him and grew still; Cid had already revealed a lot to their friends, but with his last words she knew he was leaving the decision whether or not to announce their newfound relationship in her hands. She looked up slowly and dared a glance at Vincent, who was watching her. Have faith, she thought as he gave her an imperceptible nod. "Hey, Cid," she said softly, turning to face him. Hesitantly, she reached across the table and clasped his hand in her own; an innocent gesture, so subtle and yet so strangely intimate in that most of them wouldn't have believed her capable of doing something like it. Cid Highwind didn't hold hands with anyone, let alone Yuffie Kisaragi. She would have laughed, if she could catch her breath; it was something she wouldn't have thought herself capable of doing either, three days ago. "I thought I told you to stop calling me a kid already," she told him, losing herself in his soft gaze.
If that wasn't strange enough, Cid returned her touch, stroking a thumb softly over her closed fingers, not a hint of humour in his face. "Shit, I musta forgot," he said carelessly, though he met her eyes with certainty. We face this together. "Won't happen again, Yu, I swear it."
The looming silence was broken by a loud clatter as Reeve dropped his spoon. Yuffie finally looked away from Cid to smirk at the shocked man next to her, though she kept her fingers firmly intertwined in the pilot's own. "Clumsy," she sang, sticking out her tongue.
"Aah… Wha… You know I was just joking about you guys yesterday, don't you?" Reeve finally managed to blurt out. If his eyes had been bulging any further, Yuffie thought they might have fallen out of his head, the thought sending her into a fit of laughter.
"So wait," Tifa interrupted when she managed to snap her jaw shut. "You mean you and Cid really are-- well, you're—" She opened and closed her mouth a few times, but the words didn't seem to want to come out. Her expressive hands were doing a fairly good job of graphically indicating what she was thinking as she mashed them together stiffly.
"Wouldn't you like to know," Yuffie answered with a smirk, reaching for her own cup of juice and sipping from it languidly. Now that their secret had been aired, she was revelling in their discomfort and secretly wishing she had brought her camera to the table.
Reeve had managed to recover first and a sly grin was sneaking across his face. "You old dog!" he said to Cid, waggling his eyebrows suggestively. "What's your secret? Because I've been trying to get Elena in the sack for ages, but she never—"
"Reeve," Vincent cut in with a pointed stare. "Tact."
The other man lifted his hands in the air and shrugged. "Can't blame a guy for trying. Can I sell the rights to your torrid love story though?" he asked again eagerly.
"What the hell do you think?" Cid sputtered with an incredulous stare.
"It's a done deal then—OWW! It was a joke, a joke!" he moaned, doubling over and wheezing as Yuffie hummed and looked up at the ceiling angelically.
"Yuffie," a soft voice carried across the table, and the conversation died out as Cloud looked up from his meal. He stared at her for a moment, the barest hint of a smile touching at his lips. "Don't worry about Barret, I'll be the one to tell him."
She looked down at the table, and her eyes sought out the hand that was still intertwined in Cid's own. She swallowed, her throat dry. Cloud was practically giving them his blessing; she knew then better than to hold on to any last, irrational hopes about the man she had once thought she loved more than anyone else. His gentle understanding heralded the start of a new relationship while at the same time firmly shutting the door on another; it felt as if a tiny piece of her heart was breaking off and slowly drifting away from the rest of her. Strangely, having that bittersweet emotion slowly fade made her feel lighter. Cid's fingers tightened against her own, and she found herself smiling. I don't need that part anymore, she realized. "Thank you, Cloud," she murmured.
"So… what are you two going to do?" Tifa asked finally, overcoming her shock. "Reeve's right, the papers are going to be all over this… thing," she said to them, smiling uncomfortably.
"I hadn't thought of that," Yuffie admitted immediately. "I was more worried about what you guys would say," she mumbled, blushing slightly.
"Nothing half so bad as the tabloids," Reeve replied helpfully.
"Which is why you ain't gonna say a single word to any of 'em," Cid added, tapping a finger on the table menacingly. "This news ain't goin' anywhere 'till I get a chance to talk to Shera," he said grimly. A brief silence settled at the table at the mention of the other woman's name. Cid shifted uncomfortably and continued quickly. "We'll be takin' the Highwind out soon as we're ready," he told them. "So if any of you fools want a lift back to Midgar, start movin' yer butts."
Vincent was the first to speak, standing up from the table. "Thank you for the offer, but if that is the case I will be taking my leave now."
"You sure you don't want to be dropped off anywhere, Vincent?" Yuffie asked him curiously.
"There's no need," he answered easily, pulling his cloak around him. He gave a brief nod to the rest of the group. "It was a pleasure to see you again, as always." He added a smirk in Cid and Yuffie's direction. "Try not to enjoy yourselves too much," he told them smugly before leaving the room.
"I knew it!" Yuffie exclaimed furiously after Vincent's retreating back. "I knew he heard us last night!"
"Heard what?" Reeve asked instantly, a gleam in his eye.
"Don't answer that!" Tifa answered even more quickly, her face cherry red. "I think I've had enough surprises for one day!"
Yuffie had also turned red, staring at Reeve and Tifa in consternation. "Ewwww! Get your pervy little minds out of the gutter! We were just talking!"
"Riiiight," Reeve answered with another loud laugh.
"Cid," Cloud interrupted, his hand already moving to his forehead to rub at his temples as the others began to argue loudly amongst themselves. "I think I'll take you up on that offer." He pushed away from the table and stood, freezing when Tifa broke away from the discussion long enough to send a loud "HEY!" in his direction.
"Did you suddenly just forget about me?" she asked him angrily. "I need to get back to Midgar too!"
Cloud stared back at Tifa with his usual placid expression. "I thought you might want to spend a little more time here to sort out all that frustration you have with Reeve. It worked well enough for Cid and Yuffie."
Tifa's face exploded into an even brighter shade of red and Reeve's eyes bulged for the second time that day. Then he recovered quickly and gave the other woman a broad smile. "Why, Tifa, I never knew you felt that way—" There was another loud thump, and he doubled over with a yelp of pain. "What is this, beat on former Shinra employee day?" he gasped as Tifa scooted her foot back into its proper position underneath the table.
"Frankly, I think I've had enough of this place," she replied with a huff, standing up and trailing after Cloud. "Men are such babies," she muttered loudly as the two left the room.
Yuffie withdrew her hand from Cid's grip and made to stand. "I think I'm supposed to follow her in some kinda sign of female solidarity," she said with an apologetic grin. "Besides, I need to go check on my chocobo anyway," she added as she half-rose from the table.
"Hey, Yuffie," Reeve said, catching her arm before she could leave. "I'm sorry," he said with a sheepish grin. "You know, what I said last night about Wutai…" He squirmed uncomfortably under Cid's scrutinizing glare and quickly released her arm. "I mean, we all did some things we weren't proud of back then."
Yuffie looked at Reeve and let out a sigh. He really did look crestfallen, and she felt some of her annoyance at him fade slightly. "Well, I guess I can forgive your insult…" she said thoughtfully. Reeve looked up at her with a large grin. "… if you give me that manipulate materia I saw on your watch," she added sweetly.
"No!" he yelled instantly, his hand flying to his wrist to check for the safety of the now-marked orb.
"No materia, no deal!" Yuffie yelled back at him.
A vein throbbed on Reeve's forehead. "I spent two years mastering that, Yuffie," he complained. Then he jumped as a heavy hand fell onto his wrist and gripped it tightly.
"Then you can spend two fuckin' minutes takin' it out and givin' it to her," Cid replied with a dangerous grin.
Reeve looked at the pilot incredulously while Yuffie's smile widened exponentially. "You're kidding, right?" he asked nervously.
"Am I?" Cid answered, the grin dropping from his face.
Grumbling, Reeve slipped the small orb out of his watch and dropped it on the table. "I think I liked you guys better when you weren't partners in crime," he huffed, standing up and brushing some imaginary lint off of his jacket. Then, digging his hands into his pockets, he gave them a broad smile. "Though… I am happy for you two. Really," he added, his face pulling into one of his more earnest expressions. "Unrequited love always made you guys look so tense before. It's about time you two started smiling again," he explained with a mild grin.
Yuffie and Cid watched him saunter out of the room, whistling to himself.
"Shoot," Yuffie said as soon as he was out of sight. Cid raised an eyebrow at her as she picked the small crystalline orb off of the table and eyed it longingly. "I think I might have to give this back to him now," she pouted. "Stupid Reeve. He doesn't need materia to manipulate," she complained.
Cid laughed briefly, and then grabbed her hand in his own. "You really okay with all this?" he asked her, reaching out and tracing a finger carefully along the side of her face.
Yuffie took a deep breath and nodded at him shakily. "That… went better than I expected," she admitted with a small grin. "I don't even know why I was so worried anymore!"
"Yeah," Cid admitted, rubbing the back of his head thoughtfully.
Yuffie smiled at him and stood, tucking the yellow orb securely away in her pocket. "I really do need to check up on my chocobo," she said apologetically as she stepped away from him. "I'll find you as soon as I'm done!" she promised, turning to leave. That was about the same moment Cid's eyes fell on her shorts.
"What the hell!" he thundered and Yuffie jumped in surprise.
"Geez, Cid!" she yelled, spinning around and tapping her foot. "You nearly scared the pants off of me!"
"Wouldn't take much to do that," he replied, staring at the shorts… no, thing, she was wearing around her hips. They did drop lower than her previous pair, coming to mid-thigh rather than dangerously skirting the edge of her butt. That was conceivably the only thing about them that was more modest than her previous pair however. Full strips of fabric were missing from the sides, only to be replaced by decorative criss-crossed lacing that rose so high that he thought he should have been able to see the line of her underwear peeking through. Which he couldn't. Which meant either that she had changed into a skimpier pair than what she had been wearing before, or that she simply wasn't wearing any underwear at all. That made him swallow thickly. The front of the shorts were also closed with carelessly loose lacing, and the whole thing hung even lower off of her hips than her previous pair. Worst of all, however, was their cut; the shorts were moulded against her curves like a second skin. Cid was fairly sure that most bathing suits would have left more to the imagination. He spent a few distracted moments appreciating the full impact of her new outfit before remembering why he was so upset. "That was not what I meant when I told you to change!" he yelled at her.
Yuffie's face dropped into a cute pout, and she shifted her hips just far enough to make his head tilt as he followed their motion. "But I wore these just for you," she complained.
Cid snapped himself back to attention and renewed his glare. "And everyone else!" he yelled. "What you got ain't for other men to see!" He sprung up from the table and approached her with a dangerous scowl. He looked livid, and Yuffie backed away quickly, a nervous smile on her face. She stopped when she bumped against the wall, but he didn't, planting his hands around her head and leaning in with a furious glare.
"Cid, we're in public!" she whispered, her heart pounding in her chest. Partly because he looked so angry, but more because his close proximity roused all-too-clear memories of his hands on her skin.
Cid slowly looked down, glancing over her entire outfit. Besides the shorts, she was still wearing the same lace-up boots; she had replaced her mini zip-up vest, however, with an impossibly brighter tropical version. She still had yet to replace the headband she had given him, though. If he was honest with himself, it wasn't actually a very unusual outfit for Yuffie to be prancing around in at all; just as flashy and gaudily risqué as most of her other clothing. It was the knowledge of having her that had changed the skimpy little outfits for him; he had felt the soft pressure of her thighs wrapped around his own, and now he didn't want her sharing even a glimpse of them with anyone other than himself. He reached out and ran a hand down her throat and over the thin fabric of her vest, thrilling in the knowledge that she wore nothing beneath it; even as his fingers barely brushed over her he felt her nipples poking through the thin fabric.
With a shaky oath, he drew away from her, his jaw clenching. "Put some fuckin' clothes on," he muttered harshly.
Yuffie breathed deeply, trying to push away the blush and the swirl of emotions he had aroused with his slow inspection. When the fluttering euphoria faded, it was replaced by a slowly growing sense of indignation. "Excuse me, but I'm not going to stop wearing these clothes just 'cause you say so," she replied, the beginning of a fire flashing in her eyes. "I didn't ask you to stop smoking, did I?"
"That ain't the fuckin' point!" Cid growled at her, his own annoyance also resurfacing.
"No, that's exactly the point," Yuffie shot back, crossing her arms in part defiance, and in part to cover herself and hide how much his touch had excited her. Urk, though I guess a few more clothes right now wouldn't be a bad thing, she thought with a twinge of embarrassment. Righteous anger quickly overrode practical concerns, however. "I like wearing these clothes! Just because I love you doesn't mean I'm going to stop doing what I want, you know!" she said hotly. "It's my life, Cid. Stop acting like my dad, because you're not!"
He opened his mouth to reply angrily, and trailed off. "You love me," he said slowly. He wondered if she realized it was the first time she had said those words to him directly.
Yuffie rolled her eyes. "Well, like, duh!" she said, planting her hands on her hips. "That doesn't mean I'm gonna let you tell me what I can do!" she added, narrowing her eyes at him challengingly.
His anger returned, burning hotter than ever. Yuffie was his now, they had just made it official; she would just have to learn to understand that. Cid glared at her, his teeth beginning to show from the intensity of his frown. "So you get a fuckin' rise outta flashin' every man in the room like a little slut?" he answered her.
Yuffie stared at him, the expression rapidly draining from her face. Too late, Cid realized that he overstepped his bounds. Her fists clenched, and she stepped forward. Her hand met his cheek with a resounding slap that echoed through the empty room.
"I was a twenty-one year old virgin before you came along, in case you already forgot," she hissed at him under her breath. "If you ever say something like that again…" She blinked rapidly and took a deep breath, shaking her head slowly.
Cid backed away from her and sat down heavily on the bench. The sharp pain of her hand meeting his face had penetrated the angry, possessive haze that was blanketing his mind. As her words began to register, it felt as though all of his strength was being sapped from his body. "Shit," he swore softly, feeling his fingers go numb. Is that why? he wondered, looking at his hands. He had always thought Shera was frightened by his body, the idea that he might physically hurt her somehow. With Yuffie standing before him, admitting her love for him openly and yet still ready to walk away, it suddenly became clear that the worse abuse didn't always leave visible scars.
Is that what I've done to Shera? he thought with a shudder. That was the difference between the two women, he realized then. He would tell Shera what to do, and she would willingly lie down and let him step on her. Yuffie, on the other hand, wasn't willing to break herself to please him; in fact, she was more than ready to shove his hurtful words right back down his own throat and leave him on his own. Alone. An icy jolt raced through him, cracking open a yawning, dark chasm of fear that threatened to consume him. He scrambled off of the bench clumsily and barrelled into Yuffie, who stiffened, but didn't draw away when he wrapped his arms around her.
"Fuck…" he mumbled into her hair, closing his eyes and holding her tightly; did I lose her already? he thought dimly. He felt hollow and weak, disgusted with himself and yet he couldn't bring himself to let her go. "Yuffie…" he whispered, his voice raw with pain. It was only when he felt the soft pressure of her arms around his waist that he realized he was trembling.
"Shh," she whispered, closing her eyes and relaxing in his arms. "It's okay, Cid, calm down."
He took a deep breath and forced his arms to relax, though he still couldn't let her go. The vague fear that she would step out of his grasp and out of his life kept them locked around her. "I don't wanna lose you," he managed to say.
Yuffie remained quiet, her arms drifting up and down his back slowly, comfortingly. "I do love you, you know. Even when you're being an asshole."
Cid smiled faintly, and tightened his arms briefly. "I don't have to like it when you wear those fuckin' clothes," he grumbled. "… but I won't try an' change you," he added quietly.
"Hmm, well, I'm not sorry I slapped you," Yuffie laughed lightly, though he could hear the tell-tale tremble in her voice that spoke of tears. She turned her head in and kissed his neck softly. "Cid…"
He bent down and pressed his lips against hers, stroking her cheek gently with his thumb and trying to convey everything he felt with touch alone. When they broke apart, her eyes were still overly-bright, but the raw hurt in them had been dulled away. "No more words," he told her gruffly. Then he pushed her away and turned around, avoiding her painful gaze. "Go look after yer damn chocobo. I need to prep the Highwind." Even after he heard her leave, he spent a few more moments gathering himself before he dared to turn around.
.x.x.x.
"Ohh…" Yuffie moaned, curling up into the tiniest ball her body could manage to contort into. "Why does it have to be so far away?" she complained weakly.
"You're the one who wanted to go home," Cid reminded her, though he did send a sympathetic glance in her direction. They had been underway in the airship for almost an hour, first dropping off the others on the fields near Edge before starting on the journey to Rocket Town. Less than ten minutes into the trip, however, Yuffie had suddenly come up with the idea that they needed to visit Wutai urgently.
"My old man might be a big jerk, but he's a BIG jerk," Yuffie had said with a nervous smile. "A big, ninja-trained, sword wielding, country-ruling jerk. You don't want him comin' after us when he's mad." After a brief argument, Cid eventually admitted that Shera was less likely to start a land war than Godo on hearing the news and had changed course. Unfortunately for Yuffie, however, Wutai was on the opposite side of the hemisphere, which meant a very long trip. And, of course, a very long trip on the airship could only mean one thing for the little ninja.
"I should've stolen more tranquilizers," she moaned, doubling over and making gagging noises.
Cid sighed and tried to feel dutifully sympathetic, but it was difficult when she kept threatening to vomit all over the control deck of his precious airship. "Hey Yu, maybe you should ride this out on the balcony…" he mentioned uneasily.
"Uhh… don't make me move," she groaned, her eyes squeezing shut. She let out another hacking cough and swallowed loudly, and Cid flinched again, looking mildly ill himself at the prospect of her remaining in that position for the duration of the flight.
"You want some water or somethin'?" he asked cautiously.
"No!" Yuffie yelled, waving her arms at him wildly, then doubled over again shortly after. "If you leave the controls, what'll happen to the ship? Oh my gawd, we'd go down in a flaming ball of fire and die a horrible, painful death! Oooh…" Her face paled again and she leaned back against the floor with a listless thump.
"Shit," Cid said, shaking his head slightly. "You're the one who's makin' yourself so damn sick," he complained. "Flyin' ain't that bad! You didn't look like a goddamn frog when you were hang glidin'!" he told her.
"Shut up!" Yuffie snapped, keeping her eyes squeezed shut. "Hang gliding is different! If I'm gonna crash then, at least I'll know I did it to myself!"
Cid chewed on the toothpick in his mouth with a thoughtful expression. "Huh," he said. If most of her motion sickness was caused by her fear of flying, he realized, then there was a possibility for everyone-- and everything-- to make it through the trip unscathed. "Get up, Yu."
Yuffie let out a tiny whine of protest and didn't move.
Cid cursed under his breath and walked over to her, looking down at her sprawled body. A smile worked its way across his face; her physical reaction to motion sickness was so extreme it was almost comical. Still, she hadn't actually lost her breakfast yet, which meant there was a good chance that her illness was mostly theatrics. That, or he was going to be spending a long day wiping up the navigation controls on the Highwind if his experiment failed. "I ain't kidding, get up," he added, reaching down and grabbing her arms to pull her upright.
Yuffie stood unwillingly, cracking her eyes open and swaying unsteadily. She caught a glimpse of the clouds rushing by through the large windows and instantly closed her eyes again with a loud gulp. "Cid!" she complained. "Let me die in peace!"
"You ain't gonna die," he groaned, guiding her to the navigational control panel. "You're gonna fly this thing," he said, scooting her firmly in front of the large panel.
Yuffie opened her eyes and let out a loud squawk of surprise. "That's not funny!" she squeaked, her voice several octaves higher than normal. She jumped as Cid placed his hands on her shoulders and gave them a firm squeeze.
"I'm right here behind you," he told her. "Quit yer bellyachin', I ain't gonna let you crash my baby," he said reassuringly. Then he reached over her and began to point out the controls, slipping easily into his teaching mode. Cid had trained so many pilots over the years that it was almost second nature for him. "Speed," he said, pointing at one of the flashing knobs. "Over there we got altitude," he continued, motioning at another set of switches. "This way goes up, that way down. And there's the manual steerin'," he said, pointing at another lever. "Don't worry 'bout the coordinate system or landin', you ain't gotta learn all that hard shit that right now."
"You mean not ever!" Yuffie replied quickly, her eyes wide with panic. The paleness of fright looked slightly more productive than the paleness of illness, however, so Cid took it as a sign that his plan was working.
"C'mon, babe, I know you can handle it," he said, guiding her hands to the steering lever. He kept his own hand firmly wrapped over hers as he discreetly disengaged the navigational system. Then, carefully, he moved her sweaty palm over the controls.
Yuffie let out a tiny, breathless gasp as the clouds before them shifted, mirroring the gentle tilt of their hands. When her breathing steadied, Cid slowly reversed the motion, circling the airship slowly in the opposite direction. This time, Yuffie didn't tense up quite as much, and he smiled. "See? Pretty fuckin' simple," he told her, easing his hand away from hers.
Yuffie didn't notice, her eyes still wide with shock as she turned the airship on her own. "Whoa…" she finally managed to murmur in awe. The colour had returned to her face, and she was starting to look more curious than ill. Experimentally, she tried turning the airship a little more courageously, and let out a small scream of delighted shock as the ship veered to the side.
Cid laughed as he stepped back and shifted his weight to compensate for the sudden tilt, keeping his balance. "Easy now, she's real sensitive."
Yuffie smirked, both hands going around the steering lever with a twinkle in her eye. "I'm a sensitive kind of girl," she replied, her motion sickness disappearing under her rapidly resurfacing curiosity. She tilted the ship again and laughed loudly, her excitement almost visible. "Geez, why didn't I ever do this before?" she said, cutting the ship through the air in haphazard patterns.
"I wonder," Cid managed to choke out. He was still on his feet despite Yuffie's rapid, sharp turns, but he was beginning to understand how she felt earlier. "Somebody tell me why I thought this was such a fuckin' good idea," he grunted to himself, grabbing for the edge of the control panel as the ship jerked wildly again and Yuffie squealed with delight.
"Hey, let's go higher!" he heard her say and he let out a low groan of dismay. Still, watching her lean over the controls, he couldn't stifle the grin that spread over his face. Seeing his current obsession handling his lifelong one was the equivalent of a mechanic's wet dream. Especially since she was still wearing those tiny strips of cloth that passed for shorts. And he was very definitely a mechanic.
A gleeful laugh brought his attention away from Yuffie's butt and back to her face. She had stopped playing with the altitude control, his stomach noticed with a tiny twist of relief, and was now having fun pushing the airship to its fastest speed without resorting to unleashing the jet rockets. Inwardly, Cid gave a mental sigh of thanks that he hadn't actually shown her how to activate them. Then he gave another mental groan of satisfaction, because the velocity control rested on a particularly distant panel, one which forced the short ninja to stretch out fetchingly as she reached for it. With a slowly expanding grin, he sidled up behind her and put his hands around her waist. "There's one last thing I wanna show you right now, babe," he murmured in her ear.
Yuffie twisted eagerly in his arms, her eyes shining with anticipation. "The jets, the jets!" she cheered, jumping up and down, or at least trying to in his firm grip. The only thing she actually managed to do was create a delicious friction between them as she squirmed, and her eager, childish smile tapered out and turned into a wide-eyed intake of breath as she felt the results of her motions.
Leaning over, Cid flipped a large switch on the panel and slowly drew Yuffie against him. "The autopilot," he informed her, pulling her away from the controls.
.x.x.x.
Yuffie leaned against the railing breathing heavily, and she felt Cid's arms wrap around hers, supporting himself as he bowed over her. A trickle of sweat rolled off of his forehead and splashed onto her head, and she exhaled with a shaky giggle. "If anyone ever finds out about this," she murmured to him, "you'll never train another co-pilot again."
"What they don't know can't hurt 'em," Cid replied, grinning into her sweat-dampened hair. Reluctantly, he eased off of her and she straightened up.
"Ouch," Yuffie winced as she felt her sides. "Cid, I think that's gonna bruise!" she complained, inspecting the red welts at her hips where his hands had been.
"Good, maybe you'll stop wearin' those shorts then," he smirked.
Yuffie looked at her feet and giggled softly. "I don't think anyone will be able to wear those shorts again," she observed, picking up the tattered cloth. "Great, I really liked that pair," she pouted.
Cid grabbed the dangling cloth and used it to pull her towards him, trapping her in his arms. "Me too," he murmured, kissing her jaw softly. "Damn, Yu… you make me crazy, you know that?"
Yuffie smiled lightly. "Hmm, I like it when you're crazy. Therefore, the shorts stay," she informed him.
Cid grumbled against her, his arms tightening.
"Cid?" Yuffie said firmly, pushing him away. "I mean it."
He stared into her face, searching, and then let out a loud sigh. "Yeah, I know," he agreed reluctantly. "I won't try an' tell you what to wear." She was still watching him, he noticed, so he gave her a grudging smile. "Guess I can't really complain 'bout something that gets results like this after all," he told her as he raked his fingers down her side.
Yuffie kissed him deeply before pulling back with a blinding smile. "Glad you finally see it my way!" she cheered, draping herself across his arms. "Now, are ya gonna show me where the rockets are?" she pleaded, blinking her eyes at him in an obvious play for sympathy.
Cid only smirked and pulled her in closer. He heard her heart speed up, and brought his lips to her ear and paused, waiting. When he heard her breath hitch into a shallow pant, he drew his tongue slowly across the outer shell of her ear, then took a deep breath. "The sex wasn't that good," he whispered, and with a firm slap across her butt, he pushed her away. Her indignant screech of protest mingled with his loud, rumbling laughter, filling the cockpit with the joyous cacophony of their voices.
