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It started slowly. In the beginning, Yuffie had given him, and everyone in AVALANCHE, their space. She’d joke and loom over people’s shoulders, but unless she was sneaking a peak at someone’s materia, there was a definite distance that she put between herself and others. It wasn’t until after she had stolen their materia and they accepted her back anyways, that she’d started to casually touch the others. First it was Nanaki, her hands toying with the beads in Nanaki’s mane and petting him in a way that he denied liking, but let her do regardless. Next came Tifa and Aerith, leaning against them and whispering things into their ears, followed by giggling. The rest of them came on gradually, just brushing of shoulders when they sat together and playful nudges and pokes when she was teasing them.
So how did it get to this? Yuffie’s hands were buried in his hair, toying with the strands and lightly tugging in one direction or the other to guide him as she sat on his shoulders in an impromptu ride. Her thighs were snug around his neck and her booted feet tucking in tight to his sides, holding her balance easily on her own. It was bizarre, but only because her touch wasn’t strange. Vincent had used to be a rather tactile person when he was young, but across the years he developed a fear of getting too close to anyone. He had developed a reflex to attack things that got too close too quickly and was afraid of accidentally lashing out. It was shocking now, realizing that the ninja who’s mere voice and presence used to grate on his nerves enough that he avoided her completely would be able to grab his arm, hook her foot behind his neck and swing her body up to settle on his shoulders in a modification of a hold that he had seen her use to snap a soldier’s neck. His reaction was to simply curl his hands lightly just above her knees to help keep her more stable. When did that change even happen?
“Vinnie?” Strands of black followed by storm grey eyes covered his line of sight. Even upside down he was able to read the touch of concern in Yuffie’s eye. “You still in there? Did your age suddenly catch up to you or are you just purposefully letting Denzel and Marlene escape?” Her voice whined as she tugged on his hair and shot a glance towards the two who were flinging taunts from across the yard. “Just you wait, you brats! Once my steed gets moving, your asses are grass! Let’s go, Vince!”
Instead of following her instruction and chasing after the teenagers that ran around the side of house snickering, he gave into a sudden impulse and lifted his hand from her thigh to thread into her hair - another too-familiar motion, something he’d done a thousand times at this point- and tugged her lightly down and closer to him, sealing his lips over hers gently. Yuffie went shock still for a second before her hands slid down to slide around his jaw and she kissed him back vigorously. The angle was awkward and clumsy, but a curl of contentment bloomed in his chest.
Yuffie pulled away first, her questioning eyes searching his face, and whatever answer she found there lead her to break into a wide grin. “Sweet Leviathan, who’da thunk that the vamp would make the first move? We’re going out to dinner later Vinster, then we’re gonna lounge around your place with a bottle of wine and we’ll see where this goes, eh?” Yuffie winked and then moved out of his line of sight, only for him to feel her muscles relax and her weight tip back off his shoulders in what he was sure was an elegant flip. Regardless, he turned just to check that she stuck the landing.
Indeed, the ninja stood, her hands on her hips, a confident smirk on her face that was in contrast to the light blush on her cheeks and her skewed headband and ruffled hair. “Enjoying the view?” She sent a greasy wink in his direction. “Of course you are. Enjoy it later, we have brats to catch!” And just like that, she was off, grabbing his hand and lacing their fingers together, and dragging him behind her, a smile tugging at his lips.