Notes: So, this chapter is a sort of tie-in to an RP I was doing with ALynnL07 based in Lettersverse. It makes reference to some events in that RP but you don't really need to understand much about those events to get this chapter. It also references the events of the prior chapter, too. I put a lot of effort into this chapter so I hope you all enjoy it.
Date.
A date.
He was going on a date.
Him, Vincent Valentine. On a date.
For the first time in... Gaia knows.
He awkwardly stared at himself in the mirror, nervously toying with the button to his collar, debating on if he should leave it unbuttoned or no.
It was supposed to be casual...
What made him agree to this again?
Oh, right. Cheerful blue eyes and a shy smile from the young SOLDIER 3rd, that's what.
"Say, Vincent?" The blond male had asked, looking up towards them through their thick lashes.
"Hm?"
"Well, um... I was supposed to go with Zack this weekend to Gold Saucer, but he had a Mission come up. Since I don't want to waste the tickets he got for us, well... Would you like to come along with me? Shisun was too busy, and you're really the only other person I could ask. I-if you say no, it's fine." The other rambled.
Vincent blinked for a moment, silently processing the blond's words.
Gold Saucer, huh...? Wasn't really his place to go, all things considered. Too cliche, gaudy, and overdone in his opinion.
But he did recall the younger had mentioned he loved chocobos and wanted to see the races...
"...Very well. What time?" He answered quietly.
The way the others eyes lit up with surprise before quickly blooming with a joyful smile on their face enraptured him.
"Really? Oh, thank you! Um, time, time..." The blond fumbled in their pockets before pulling out two tickets and held them up, glancing over them.
"It's a free day pass, but the bottom part is for the chocobo races at 3, 5, and 7. So, uh... I guess maybe 2 o'clock? That would give an hour to take in the place and probably do some background checking on the chocobo entries to place bets, if you'd like."
The dark haired Turk nodded. "That will be fine. I'll meet you at the gates."
"Okay. Thanks again, Vincent. I really appreciate it!" The blond practically beamed, and their cheerful smile was so warm and bright it honestly made something in the Turk's chest flutter.
So here he was, acting like some pubescent teenager wondering what to wear.
It wasn't really a date, was it, though? He kept asking himself.
Simply an outing, yes. A casual one.
Didn't that somewhat constitute itself along the lines of a date?
He was really too old for this, to be honest; this kind of thing and this childish worry.
Yet he wanted to leave a good impression with the young SOLDIER, as he was the first person he'd come to acknowledge and learn a little about in such a long time. Veld's 'brats' not withstanding.
And as such, it was such a rare thing for him to associate with the SOLDIERs anyway, since they and the Turks tended to work on opposite sides of the fence when it came to their jobs. Only rarely did they mingle together.
But that was just how he'd come to meet said blond.
Heidegger's fuck up with ordering the Army and SOLDIERs led to the Turks coming in as their backup, cleanup, and securing their escape route.
It was during that particular mission he saved that small, blond SOLDIER 3rd.
Since then, the other made the effort to get to know him.
And now it was coming down to this.
This outing.
And it left Vincent feeling so astoundedly nervous he could barely think straight.
Sighing heavily, he flipped his collar loose and left it that way, finishing buttoning the majority of his shirt, leaving the two bottom buttons undone for a more relaxed look, leaving them untucked from his slacks before he slipped a belt through the loops and buckled it. He felt so bare without the majority of his uniform.
To say his job defined him was an understatement; many in the company would say he and the job were one and the same, that he was married to it.
It wasn't particularly that he enjoyed the work, but he had nothing more to devote his time to typically. Gaia forbid he actually ask Veld for some help with this... He'd never hear the end of it. His partner was always telling him he needed to get out more, and would jump the chance to try pushing him to do such.
Given their jobs and all, it wasn't going to take long for this particular excursion to make itself known to him, but Vincent still felt what he did was his own business. Having seniority over the majority of the company did come with its perks; but then, when it came to Veld all bets were off. His partner could be so stubbornly tenacious when he decided to stick his nose into his business.
Shaking his head with another sigh, he brought a hand up to run through his short locks of hair, flicking his shaggy bangs back briefly, before they fell once more partly over his eye and settled. He should get a haircut. This half unkempt look was going to be unbecoming.
Then again, his choice of hairstyle wasn't that bad. At least not compared to some of the other employee's he'd seen. And the SOLDIER, Cloud, his hair... Well, every time he saw him, his hair seemed to be a mussed up cluster of fluffy spikes that vaguely reminded everyone around of a chocobo. Said blond almost sheepishly admitted that no matter what he tried to do with his hair, it always ended up like that so he just left it alone.
Walking over to his dresser, he opened the top drawer before selecting one of his smaller sized pistols and slid it into the holster he had at his lower back, letting his shirt fall back down over it. Even if it was a casual outing at a place considered relatively safe, he was never going to be comfortable enough going anywhere without a weapon. Of course, he wasn't ever without a weapon as he could fight hand-to-hand, but he felt far more comfortable with at least one handgun on him.
Too many years of unexpected ambushes and fights breaking out at seemingly peaceful moments honed his paranoia enough to not lower his guard even in moments such as this.
He sat himself down on his bed, reaching under the rim of it to retrieve his shoes, socks already on his feet and slipped them on before meticulously zipping the side zippers up before untying the front laces and adjusting them to his feet again before retying them, nodding in satisfaction that both bows on either shoe were even and secure.
Taking one last deep breath to himself to steady his nerves, he took one last glance at himself in the mirror before making for the door of his apartment. Lateness was not an option.
While arriving early was his usual, to be approximately forty minutes early probably spoke more than it should've about his nervousness.
Not that there was anyone else who knew, but still, the matter mildly perturbed him.
He stuck to the shadows, waiting for the time to pass until it was more appropriate for him to appear. He finally made his way towards the entryway, lingering by the wall of the building as he gazed out at the mass of people, silently observing and internally assessing and profiling them out of habit until his eyes finally caught sight of spiky blond hair making its way through the crowd and dropped his gaze down to their face, subconsciously finding himself studying their face and taking in the look of veiled eagerness that seemed to be there in their eyes and found the corners of his lips quirking automatically before he made his way from the wall to meet the other at the line.
It was little baffling even to him, this quiet fondness he seemed to hold for the other. He couldn't explain it logically, the sensations he felt and the urge that stirred within him to treat the other kindly.
"Sorry, I'm a little early. I was a bit excited." Cloud apologized, a bashful expression on his face as he offered the Turk a tiny smile.
Trying to ignore the increase of his heartrate, Vincent shook his head in response. "It's no trouble. I arrived a little early, as well. Old habits." He excused, before glancing at the crowd and made a motion. "Shall we get in line?" He asked.
"Oh, yeah. You're right." The other seemed to snap himself from whatever daze he'd fallen into, cheeks reddening with embarrassment before the SOLDIER 3rd hastily strode forward to take a spot in the line. Vincent found the other's reaction horribly endearing, Borderline cute. The funny thing was, normally anything to do with Shinra was the farthest thing from the word cute and yet here was the anomaly. Somehow Cloud managed to combine them both.
He silently stood beside the other and they waited, slowly shuffling forward with the line as the crowd did. While being surrounded by so many people was not the Turk's ideal situation, he tolerated it. Because the closer they got in the line, the more he could see the anticipation and excitement building in the smaller male, the gleam in their Mako-blue eyes heightening to an almost unreal shade that he didn't think he'd ever saw on another SOLDIER.
When it was finally their turn and they walked through the gates, Cloud looked absolutely fit to burst. He was practically rocking up onto the tips of his toes. After a moment, the blond slapped both his cheeks with his hands slightly and did a set of squats, reminding Vincent exactly who was training him and he let out a quiet chuckle to himself. The other straightened back up several moments later and shook his head. "Sorry. Trying to keep myself in check."
Vincent shook his head. "it's fine. It's your first time here, isn't it?" He questioned.
"Yeah." Cloud nodded.
"Then enjoy yourself. It's not a crime." Vincent replied.
"You mean I'm not annoying you? I'm not being childish?" Cloud questioned with a sort of wide-eyed innocence.
Vincent shook his head again. "I'm not annoyed. I don't think you're being childish. This place may not be my sort of scene, but don't let that stop you from enjoying yourself." He assured quietly.
A broad beaming smile broke out onto the other's face. "Okay. Thank you, Vincent. Really."
"There's still some time before the races, would you like to check out the attractions in the park?" Vincent questioned.
"I heard they have an arcade here. There used to be a few machines in my hometown of Nibelheim that I used to play. I'd like to take a look." Cloud responded, looking hopeful.
Vincent gave the other the barest of smiles in response, dipping his head in agreement. "Sure, let's go."
After taking a glance at the large directory map there at the entryway, they set off to locate the Arcade.
It didn't take them too long to find it, and Cloud wasn't disappointed. It held a variety of games within it. He was most pleased though to see the one snowboard game there and practically gushed with happiness. "Oh! This is one of the machines we had at home! I'm really good at this game." He said excitedly before he went to the machine that exchanged gil for tokens and purchased some before returning to the game and inserted the tokens before standing atop the snowboard-mount and watched the screen gleefully.
Vincent hovered off to the side, watching with piqued interest as Cloud's avatar took to the digital slopes with the blond SOLDIER controlling the character expertly up ramps for jumps and sticking landings, dodging and weaving around obstacles like it was nothing, collecting higher and higher points to his score.
It only ended when Cloud ran out of bonus time, the screen displaying "NEW HIGH SCORE" in bold letters and a place for a name entry. Cloud hopped down from the board and went to the panel, typing in three letters of CLD for his name, grinning from ear to ear.
"Impressive." Vincent complimented the blond.
Cloud flushed a little in shyness, but his smile remained. "Thanks." He responded before pointing to another arcade game.
"Want to play? I doubt I'd be able to beat you since it's a shooter, but I do pretty good at them." He offered.
Vincent glanced over to the game. It was a target shooting game with a tracker for how many targets one shot. He wasn't normally one for these types of things, but he decided to humor the blond.
"Sure." He answered, gesturing for the other to step over to the machine.
Cloud's eyes lit up again, and if possible, smile brightening further before he made his way over to the game cabinet and stuck the tokens in for each of them.
Vincent picked up the electronic gun and waited, watching as Cloud did the same.
When the sound from the buzzer began, the targets appeared on the screen and instantly both began firing away.
The scores began to rack up and while Vincent's was going up faster due to how quickly Vincent was taking his shots, he wasn't bothering to aim for the critical spots, Cloud's score was staying fairly close because the other was taking more time to line up shots to the center.
When the timer buzzed, the score was 203 to 189.
"Not bad," Vincent remarked. "Your aim is good. That's far more important than speed, if you ask me."
Cloud flushed a little. "Like I said, I didn't expect to be able to beat you, but my ability to lock onto a single point and strike is one of my better skills I've been told."
"Speed should come after you learn to aim, anyway. Mine's just from all the years I've been doing it." Vincent remarked. "You're doing well enough if you can achieve that high of a score without feeling pressured to use speed." Vincent answered.
"Ah... Thanks." Cloud rubbed the back of his neck shyly before he glanced up and around, spotting the clock up on the wall. "That was fun, but it's about time they're going to let people in for the races. Should we head over?"
Vincent glanced to the clock as well before giving a nod of his head. "Yeah, that's a good idea."
They exited the arcade and made their way past the other attractions down to the Chocobo Racing arena. They got in line and once again waited to gain entry. Once in, Cloud rushed over to the stables to get a look at the Chocobos that were going to race. Because he showed his Shinra ID he was able to get right up close without much fuss. Vincent stayed back, not wanting to disturb the birds and watched as Cloud interacted with them.
He seemed to be communing with each one as he would stare at the birds and they seemed to stare back. A few would let out a few warks and nudge at the gates, as if attempting to get closer to the other. Cloud would reach a hand through the gate and the birds would bump their beak up to his hand, which seemed to delight the blond SOLDIER. Once he was finished looking at the birds he returned to Vincent's side, looking happy and satisfied. "That was really neat." He commented.
Vincent made a noncommittal noise in response before he spoke. "Did you learn anything about them?" He questioned curiously.
"Yeah! Number six is really excited to be here and number twelve has this look in their eyes like they've been waiting their whole life to be here. It's going to be a good race." He answered.
"Got any ideas on which to bet on?"
"Hm... Yeah, I think I've got a feel for them." He answered.
"Then let's head to the betting tables, you can pick our tickets and how much you want to bet." Vincent answered. "I've never been good at playing the odds."
"Oh, ok. No problem, I'll do my best." Cloud answered before they walked down towards the betting tables and Cloud went on to place the bets he thought would win.
Once Cloud finished placing the bets, they set off to find some good seats to view the race. Because of their Shinra ID's, it got them up to the railing and Cloud was leaning against it in anticipation. Vincent was content to sit in the seat and watch the other. Something about their excitement may of given him a secondhand buzz. It was quite refreshing if he was honest. He hadn't been around such high spirited energy in a long time.
Cloud gripped the railing tightly and stood on his tiptoes as he watched the jockeys line up on their birds into the starting gates. It was thrilling to him, he'd always loved to watch the races at home on the broadcasts but seeing it live was...honestly breathtaking for him. He could feel the tension in the air, feel the charged energy all around and the hype from the crowds only sent his own emotions higher.
The countdown started, and he held his breath as he watched the lights tick down. When the buzzer went off and the gates opened, nothing prepared him for the rush he felt as he watched the birds rush out and onto the track. He couldn't help himself as he cheered loudly as they passed by the railing. Watching the pure joy that lit up the blond's face was a treat for Vincent and he found himself smiling unknowingly. They really were too cute for their own good, and it was a wonder that such a person still existed within the Company. He was more apt to watch Cloud's responses to the race than the actual race itself.
Cloud cheered louder on the second lap, and felt his heart beating so fast he was lightheaded when the third, final lap came around. He was gripping the rail so tight and leaning all his weight on it he could barely balance otherwise when the chocobos ran past on their way to the finish line. He felt for a moment his voice would fail him as the whole crowd errupted into loud screams of elation and cheers alongside him as the birds passed over the finish line, the winner sprinting on ahead for a victory lap.
"So cool..." Cloud whispered out dreamily, unable to raise his voice any higher than that from the yelling he let out just moments before, yet somehow Vincent heard it over the loud chatter from the crowd.
The intercom started up with the announcer stating the winning bets and tickets and to come claim the winnings.
Vincent glanced down to his ticket, blinking as he realized the numbers bet matched up.
"It seems we've won." He said to Cloud.
"Huh?" Cloud stupored for a moment before snapping his focus back to the other and blinked rapidly to clear his daze. "Oh! The bets, right." He held up his own tickets and quickly checked before shaking his head. "I only won the third place bet. But hey, it looks like I still picked the winners for you." He replied cheerfully.
"You didn't pick the same odds for yourself?" Vincent asked curiously.
"There were a few birds that I sensed had the potential so I placed the more sure bets on yours and my guesses on mine." Cloud answered.
"Hm." Vincent responded as they began to make their way through the crowd to head back down to the betting tables to collect their winnings.
He was thoroughly not prepared for the Gil ticket he received for 500,000 gil when he read it.
"...You're sure?" Vincent asked to Cloud.
The smaller male smiled up at him and nodded. "Absolutely. You said you didn't have much luck betting the odds, so I gave you the highest chance of winning. Consider it my thanks for coming along with me and putting up with all this." He answered earnestly.
"...That isn't truly necessary." Vincent shook his head.
"I know, but still, I feel I owe you at least something for agreeing to come with me on such short notice. Especially when it's not something you really enjoy. I hear upkeeping your equipment can get pretty pricy on your guys' side of things, so think of it as going towards that." Cloud responded, giving the other a reassuring smile.
Feeling a little pinned, Vincent let out a quiet sigh. There was no way he would be able to convince the other his gesture was unnecessary so he dipped his head and agreed. "...Very well. Thank you."
Cloud glanced up towards the big clock that displayed above the gates, and a moment later a grumbling noise came from him. He flushed embarrassedly. "Ah.. Guess I'm hungrier than I thought. Either that or all the excitement just made me hungry quicker. Can we go get some food?"
Stifling a chuckle at the other's sheepishness, the Turk nodded his head. "Of course. I hear they're going to have a fireworks show this evening, did you wish to stay and see it?" He found himself asking.
What was he doing? He'd only agreed to come to viw the race but... Something about the pure joy the other had about being here compelled him to stay and let the other enjoy his time.
"Oh, really? I didn't know that... Um. If that's okay, I'd like to see it. We didn't get to see fireworks much in Nibelheim, the risk of starting fires was too high and the threat of disturbing the local monsters from it would've been bad. Only if the season was mild could we have them." Cloud answered as they walked along.
Vincent hummed noncommittally to show his acknowledgment of the other's words, looking thoughtful for a long moment.
"I don't mind staying to let you see them." He finally said after a moment.
"Really? Thank you. Already it feels like you've humored me enough, but I really appreciate it." Cloud responded, looking a little shy.
"...It's such a rare thing for me to get out like this, let alone find much enjoyment but it's been... Pleasant. Your earnest energy and excitement is contagious." The Turk found himself admitting quietly.
The other looked a little surprised, cheeks reddening a little in response and for a moment his heart fluttered. "Oh... Well. Um. I'm glad you're enjoying what you can and that I'm not boring." He responded.
They fell into a silence the rest of their walk to the food court, but it didn't feel awkward. Neither had anything more to add onto the conversation, so it was like a silent acknowledgment to simply move on.
Looking around at all the different choices in the food court, Cloud got in line for the burger joint. Vincent followed him silently.
"You getting anything?" Cloud asked.
"Probably just a drink. I'm not very hungry." He answered. Certain...incidents...left him with an imbalanced metabolism that didn't require a lot of intake. He could eat, he supposed, but he saw no point in it. Even getting a drink was unnecessary, but he figured he should keep up a somewhat normal appearance so as not to seem impolite.
Cloud nodded. "Ever since my SOLDIER enhancements from the Mako, I get hungry more often. I've found myself eating a lot more than I used to." He commented.
"That's not surprising," Vincent replied. "SOLDIERs are enhanced so their bodies require more intake and their metabolism is increased and sped up so you require more sustenance to keep the output."
"You really do know a lot about everything, huh?" Cloud wondered aloud, sounding a bit awed.
The Turk shook his head. "I suppose I'm privy to more knowledge than most within the Company thanks to my seniority, but also my father was part of the Science Department." He reminded the other.
"Oh, right." The other responded sheepishly. "You mentioned that before. Sorry, I forgot."
"It's fine, I'm not upset." He assured.
They were next in line so they fell quiet before stepping up to the counter. Cloud ordered two burgers and a large fry with a large drink while Vincent merely ordered a medium sweet tea. He chuckled to himself at the thought of how Cid would have a fit at him for committing such a sin as drinking 'manufactured, cheap, imitation crap' and rave about proper tea making and all.
They sat down at one of the tables to wait for their order, Cloud still looking around at all the different sights to see around them in fascination. Vincent's eyes kept scanning the area around them instead. He wasn't a people person, but he preferred to be aware of the space around him and gauge for any potential threats. His Turk training didn't allow him to drop his guard.
"This place is so huge, no wonder people get lost so easily in here." Cloud remarked offhandedly. "I'd probably get lost if I just let myself wander."
"Are you bad at direction?" Vincent asked.
Cloud shook his head. "No, I don't think so. If someone tells me which way is North I'm ble to figure my way out of places, but I mean... If I just let my feet take me in a direction and I didn't pay attention to where I was going in here, it'd be easy for me to end up mixed up and lost. I'd probably have to ask one of the Staff members where I was and for directions. Zack's the one with directional problems. I swear if he didn't have his PHS directing him which way to go, he'd be a lost cause." He laughed.
Vincent's lips quirked just a little at that. "Yeah, I've heard about that. He's pretty infamous for a lot of things in the Company."
"No kidding," Cloud responded with a nod of agreement. "Avoiding desk work, repelling Sephiroth, dodging Angeal, all the times he's thrown himself out of a window to escape doing work... Also don't mention his girlfriend around him or else he'll start spouting poetic sap about her. Did you know he's actually bribing one of the lower Science Department members to help him create an undying flower bloom from one of the flowers he got from her? He was spouting something about wanting to give it to her as a present to showcase his love for her, or something. I kind of tuned him out at that point because he practically had hearts in his eyes and the stupidest, goofiest grins on his face."
Vincent snorted. "He's quite the character." He commented.
"All that aside, he's a good guy, though. He's a good leader and I look up to him." Cloud added on with an honest smile.
"That's what a lot of the other SOLDIERs under him say about him, so I'll take your word for it." Vincent responded.
Their order arrived a moment later and Cloud eagerly dug into his food while Vincent picked up his drink and took a small sip of it, making a slight face at the taste. It was too sweet in his opinion and the tea flavor was hardly visible, but it would do.
It didn't take long for Cloud to demolish the burgers and fries, but once finished he sat there for several minutes to let his body adjust to what it just consumed and sipped slowly on his drink. "Not the best burgers I've had, but it was pretty decent for a place like this, I guess." He commented.
"Hm." Vincent hummed in response, shrugging a little. "I'm not a good judge of food quality." He responded before taking another sip of the tea, frowning once more at the taste.
"That bad?" Cloud asked when he caught sight of the face he made.
"It's...too sweet. The flavor is barely there as well. I'm hardly a tea expert but it's nothing compared to Cid's." He replied.
Cloud tilted his head for a long moment."I've heard he's quite the tea fanatic." He responded thoughtfully.
"That's...an understatement." Vincent deadpanned before letting out a chuckle.
"I guess everyone has their quirks." Cloud responded with a small grin.
"Quite."
Cloud stood up and stretched before taking his tray with his garbage over to the bin and dumped it before returning the tray back to the front and returned. "It's still not quite time for the fireworks yet, is it?" He asked.
Vincent looked up towards one of the many clocks that littered the grounds. Evening had fallen over the area, but there was still plenty of life amidst the crowd. "No, not yet. Half an hour." He responded.
"Well, what should we do to pass the time?" Cloud questioned.
"Hm... Wander, I suppose. You can choose, I've no particular interest in where we go." The Turk responded.
Nodding their head, the SOLDIER 3rd stretched again before looking around once more. "Then... I guess I'll let my feet take us where they will." He answered.
"Very well." Vincent agreed, standing up.
Cloud began to slowly meander in a direction, not really caring about where they were going, simply letting himself take in the sights around, Vincent following near wordlessly.
They passed by the arcade again in their little jaunt, nearing the junction that housed the battle arcade when suddenly, a voice rang out loudly.
"Aye! You!"
Cloud stopped, blinking wildly, looking around for where they voice came from.
Vincent was already on alert at the voice, it sounded familiar but he couldn't immediately place it.
Looking down, Cloud blinked in surprise as a mechanical cat rode up on a doll to them. "Yes, you!" The machine cried.
"You look like ya have quite an interesting Destiny! Would you like your fortune read?" It asked.
Cloud blinked again in confusion, and didn't notice the slight darkening of Vincent's eyes.
"Um..." Cloud began, looking a little bewildered.
"So what do you say? Just five Gil and I'll read your future!" The cat pushed.
Glancing over to Vincent, Cloud had the biggest expression of bemusement on, causing Vincent to sigh a little. "It's up to you." He answered before he gave the mechanical cat a long, hard stare.
"...Sure, I guess. I don't really believe in these things, though." He finally said before he reached into his pocket and withdrew the five gil and slotted it into the doll.
"Aye, thank ya kindly!" The cat cried, the doll hopping up and down. "Now then, your fortune!"
The mechanical cat raised its arms and the doll began to rock back and forth. "I see, I see! Your fortune is..."
A paper printed out of the doll and the mechanical cat snatched it up.
"'Stay true to yourself, and you will be rewarded greatly!'" The cat quoted before the doll jumped up and down again as if in celebration. "It sounds like you have something great to look forward to if you play your cards right, aye!"
Cloud's head tilted again at the fortune. "Hm. Sounds like something Zack would say." He said after a moment.
Vincent let out a quiet snort. "We should begin heading in the opposite direction if we wish to view the fireworks." He informed.
"Oh, yeah. This completely threw me off, thanks for reminding me." Cloud responded, regaining his smile.
"Head that way, I'll be right behind you." The Turk pointed the way.
"Okay." Cloud began to walk off in the direction pointed and Vincent turned on his heel to practically glare down at the infernal machine still standing there.
"Not a word of this," He threatened lowly to it once he knew Cloud was out of earshot.
"Breathe of it, and I'll tell Cid you broke the teacup he gave you."
The cat was eerily still and quiet for a long moment before a static-y noise emitted from it, followed by a different voice coming through the voicebox. "...Understood."
"Good." With that, Vincent turned and strode quickly in the direction Cloud had walked, catching up to him as if nothing happened.
He stepped into place beside the SOLDIER wordlessly, guiding them through the crowd towards another location. Cloud looked a little curious as to where they were going, but he kept quiet and allowed the Turk to take them to their destination, inherently trusting the other. Ever since that mission the other had saved him and the squad he was part of, he'd felt nothing but gratefulness and trust in the other. What little he'd come to learn about the other only fueled his belief that the other was a trustworthy individual.
Not that he expected anything to happen here at the theme park, but he was always told to be prepared just in case because anything could happen. He saw that much in the way he silently viewed how Vincent scanned the crowd and areas they passed as if determining threat level at all times.
It was a little saddening to think the other had to keep his guard up at all times, but he supposed that in the end, that's just the way things were. It was the world they lived in and the choice they made in being employed by Shinra. The Company had enemies, after all. Not to mention there ere plenty of just normal, ill-willed people. He tried to see the good in things but he knew well enough not everyhting was sunshine and roses.
He was so into his musing he failed to see Vincent stop until he felt their hand grab his shoulder to force him to stop as well and he let out a startled little gasp, blinking wildly.
"We're here." Vincent informed quietly.
Blinking again, Cloud looked around at his surroundings, only to realize they were standing in a line that led to one of the attractions. Not just any attraction, to the ferris wheel.
"Oh... The Ferris wheel?" Cloud asked in wonder.
"If one wants to get a clear, good view of the sky, where else could you go for such a thing?" Vincent responded.
There was no flaw in the logic at that, and Cloud nodded his head in agreement, smile rising to his face "Yeah, you're right. It just didn't occur to me to think of it." He said.
It was a bit of a wait, the line had been relatively lengthy as others had the same idea to try and get a ride in time for the fireworks. Vincent wasn't too worried about it, though he wasn't paying as close attention to the time, he always had a good sense of judgment for things so even if the fireworks did start, they'd still be able to catch a good view of them by the time their ride came around.
It was a really strange concept to him, though. His willingness to push himself to stay for the other's sake. There was just something about Cloud's whole energy and aura that drew him in. His smiles made something in him want to keep it there, and his heart would flutter in little bouts of emotion. Honestly, he was more than a little concerned and worried about that part. It had been far too long since he really had a connection with anyone, let alone feel so compelled to want said interactions.
Just as they got up to the front of the line to enter the ride, the first crackling and boom of the fireworks began, lighting up the sky. Cloud stared up at it for a moment in awe before he quickly slid himself into the cart and sat. Vincent joined him a moment later and the safety bar came down over their lap and Cloud gripped it in anticipation, eyes trained up at the sky, watching the bursts of colour and patterns the lights made in the sky.
The ride soon started up and slowly rotated them, beginning its ascending climb upwards. The further up they went, the clearer the sky became until they reached the top and the ferris wheel halted. It was in that moment the sky lit up in a dazzling array of various fireworks all at once. Cloud's expression was completely enraptured, and Vincent had to admit the way the colours reflected off of the other's eyes and face, shadowing and highlighting every other moment suited him. When the coloured faded, even up here in the dim, faded light of the evening, Cloud's eyes were glowing brightly.
The Turk's heart fluttered again and he found himself smiling a little again without his knowing.
"This is great," Cloud spoke up, voice filled with his happiness. "Thank you, Vincent. I've never seen such a bright display like this before."
The blond turned a little towards the other and leaned a bit to the side, slowly pushing into the other's personal space to lean his shoulder against the others in his gesture of thanks before straightening. Vincent was unsure for a moment how to react to the gesture, but he found his gaze softening again before he found his hand rising of its own accord to reach over and gently pat the fluffy lock's of hair the other hand.
"You're welcome." He responded, feeling a little surprised at how easily he was able to do such a motion without thought. He let his hand drop back down after a moment, fingertips still tingling from the texture and feel of Cloud's hair.
Cloud smiled even brighter, cheeks flushed a faint shade at the pat to his hair, surprised that the other was comfortable enough with him to use such a gesture but he would take what he could get. He turned his eyes back up to the sky as the sound of more fireworks firing off sounded and once more, colours lit up the sky.
The ferris wheel slowly began its descent, but neither paid much attention to it. In fact, they were so caught up in the show, or in Vincent's case, observing Cloud's reactions to the display, that the ferris wheel revolved around three more times before the show finished and they descended once again to the ground.
Once there, Vincent quietly stepped out and off of the ride before turning and offering his hand out to the other.
Cloud had a dazed expression on as he automatically took Vincent's hand and allowed him to help him out of the cart. He smiled dreamily. "That was the best. I can't wait to be able to tell Zack and Shisun." He murmured.
Vincent gave him another small smile in response. "I'm glad you enjoyed it."
"Really, thank you so much for coming along with me, Vincent. I've really enjoyed it." Cloud said.
"It was nothing." Vincent excused. "I hope my presence didn't dull you."
"No way, you were fine. I didn't expect you to get excited or anything but you humored me and I enjoyed spending the time with you." He responded before he seemed to grow a little shy, glancing down to the ground. "If it wouldn't bother you, I'd like to do something like this again sometime when we're free."
He wanted to see him again? Vincent felt hi heart jump just a little at those words. Before he could even really think of what to say, the words came slipping out. "I'd like that."
Cloud's eyes lit up with surprise as he glanced up through his lashes at him. "Really?"
"Yeah. I don't get out often, as you know. Maybe changing some things up will break up the monotony of my life. I appreciated your company." Vincent answered honestly.
Flushing a little again, Cloud positively beamed. "I enjoyed your company, too. Come on, we should head towards the exit. It's getting late and I have a train to catch if I want to get back to Midgar on time." He said.
Vincent nodded his head in agreement and they both made their way back to the gates, exiting out of the park.
"You'll be alright, then?" Vincent found himself inquiring.
"Yeah, I think so. Trains don't bother me like airships do. ...I don't think I'll ever be able to fly again." He murmured with a mildly sour look.
"I heard about that incident. Reno always has to go overboard." Vincent responded with a sigh.
"I don't know how Rude can deal with him practically every day." Cloud made a face.
Vincent chuckled. "He's used to it by now, but believe me, I've seen him knock Reno out with a punch before when he was too fed-up with him." He answered.
"He deserved it, so good on Rude." Cloud nodded before turning. "But back on topic, I'll be okay. I'll be careful, but I don't think I have much to worry about." He assured.
Vincent gave a nod. "Right. Stay safe."
"You too. Bye, Vincent!" Cloud gave a short wave before he began to make his way off towards the station they had attached to the park.
"Goodbye." Vincent replied before turning and heading off of the park's grounds and out to where he'd parked his helicopter. Flying was much quicker than train, so he knew he'd be back in Midgar long before the other, but that was just as well because his schedule would more than likely start up sooner than Cloud's.
When he arrived back in Midgar and made his way to his apartment, he closed and locked the door behind himself before going over to his laptop and pulled up his calendar of his schedule and began browsing through it.
It would be some time before he was freed up from work, it seemed. He felt a little diappointed, but that was how it went. He supposed he could turn in his paperwork for time off, Goddess knows he had more than enough of it built up but no, the notion didn't feel right.
Sighing, he closed the lid of the computer and glanced over his desk. His eyes landed on the framed photograph he had on it of his father and him standing outside of their home.
Home...
Something clicked a little in his mind and he made a mental note to look further into it at a later time.
Instead, he began his nightly routine of preparing himself for bed.
The next time he spotted Cloud was several days later in the hall, he was passing by with Zack.
"Oh, hey Vincent." Cloud greeted with a smile.
"Hello, Cloud." He returned with a nod of his head.
"My schedule is full for a while, but when it clears up... How would you like to come out to Kalm?" He asked.
The puzzled, bemused look on Zack's face was amusing, but his eyes were fixed on Cloud's face.
The other had a thinking face on for a moment before he nodded, smiling wider. "Sure, that sounds nice. I've not been out there yet." He answered.
"Very well. I'll message you sometime when it's closer to my off days to see how things line up with yours." He replied.
"Okay. See you, Vincent." With another wave, the blond SOLDIER began to pull at his mentor's arm to drag them down the hall.
"What was that all about?" Zack asked Cloud.
"Huh? Oh, nothing. When you couldn't go with me to Gold Saucer I asked Vincent to come along. We talked about going out somewhere else just to get out." He explained.
"Huh, so like a date?" Zack asked curiously with a tilt of his head.
Face flushing brightly, Cloud shook his head quickly. "N-No! Nothing like that. At least, I don't think so..." He trailed off, looking shy.
Zack saw this and proceeded to take the opportunity to tease his protege with sing-songs of 'Youuu like hiiim' all the way to the training room.
He was soon silenced by Angeal conking him on top of his head, to which Cloud was quietly thankful to the other First for.
A date, though...
Shaking the thought from his head, Cloud focused himself to get ready for training. It didn't really matter what their outing would considered. He was looking forward to it, regardless.
Meanwhile, Vincent sighed deeply.
"A date, hm?" Veld inquired in a somewhat amused tone.
He felt his eyes rolling. "Call it what you'd like." He responded back flatly.
"It'd do you good to get out again, my friend." The leader replied.
"So you've been telling me all these years."
"I'm just shocked it's with a SOLDIER of all people." Veld responded, before shrugging.
"That SOLDIER is different than the rest of them." Vincent found himself defending.
"Huh." Veld blinked, going silent for a moment in thought as he analyzed Vincent's reaction before speaking again. "Surprising that you feel so strongly about them."
Vincent shook his head. "Don't read too much into it, I merely spoke the truth." He answered to his partner.
Before either of them could continue the conversation, a loud crash happened and Kana came staggering into the room with Arlene having a tight hold to the back of his collar.
"Sir, Hirushima tried climbing into the vents again." Arlene informed.
"I didn't do it first! Reno went in first!" Kana defended.
Veld let out a heavy sigh and Vincent felt his eyes rolling once more.
"For the last time, the vents are off limits. Reno will be dealt with but I expect better of you, Hirushima." The man said seriously.
"Sorry, sir." Kana replied.
Vincent's life would return back to it's normally scheduled chaos until the time came when he would take Cloud to Kalm and they'd visit the Chocobo Stables together.
But that's another story.
-End, TBC.-
It's my headcanon that Grimoire and Vincent lived in Kalm when Grimoire came to work for the Company, as Midgar was still being constructed at the time and didn't want to live in the metropolis. So that's what I meant by Vincent being inspired by 'home' to take Cloud there cuz he remembered about the Chocobo Stables. -nodnod- Anyway, that's all.
