Alright anon, you’re in luck because I fell asleep with the FFVII script open last night so I’m good to jump right into this.  I’m gonna stick to the OG in my response because I feel like the significance of their scenes and interactions in AC have been talked about a bit already, and are obvious to anyone with eyes and ears and half a brain between them.  

But the uniqueness of their relationship extends beyond that, all the way back to our beloved 20-years-past OG.  It’s subtle, clearer if you’re looking at a script than if you’re playing the game at its natural pace, but it’s there, and it’s excellent shipping fodder for anyone who decides to track it.

Just as a disclaimer… I love everyone in FFVII an awful lot.  It might seem like I’m being hard on them when I talk about these scenes, but there’s no salt meant from me, I promise.  I’m just trying to highlight what makes Vincent and Cloud’s relationship different than everyone else’s.

*crackes knuckles* Alright, here we go.

The first scene I’m going to talk about is from the initial descent into the Northern Crater.  Just before you enter the illusion you’re given the chance to speak with all the other Avalanche members while they stand around.  Here’s what they have to say:

Barret: The rest is up to you!
Red XIII: I’m going to call everyone.
Cid: Man, I sure am thankful. Wanna rest a while?
Yuffie: Are you saying you don’t like me?
Cait Sith: I’ll gather everybody, so you go on ahead.
Vincent: Don’t be caught off guard…… Sephiroth may be near.

Here you see Barret and Cait Sith focusing responsibility on Cloud, Red and Cait Sith again are worried for the wellbeing of the group, while Cid and Yuffie are mainly concerned with themselves.  Vincent is the only one who shows concern for Cloud’s safety in the form of the warning he gives.

If you’re thinking that’s kind of a stretch I don’t blame you.  I’m proud of my tin hat.  But this next part is where things REALLY heat up.  We’re skipping up to when the party locates Cloud in Mideel.  Here are their responses to that:

Tifa: Cloud!! It must be!! It’s Cloud!!

Barret: You sure!?
Red XIII: Over here!
Cid: Heh, good job, Tifa.
Yuffie: BINGO!!
Cait Sith: Jackpot!
Vincent: You’ve found him.

Barret is skeptical, Red is on-task (what a good boy), Cid congratulates Tifa, and Yuffie and Cait Sith are generically celebrating.  Vincent’s comment is focused on Cloud.  Still a little weak, but this goes on…  Later, Tifa announces to the group that she intends to stay behind with Cloud:

Tifa: I’m sorry, everyone… At a time like this……

Barret: Why you apologizin’? We’ll come back again an’ check on ya.
Red XIII: That’s all right. We’ll be by again.
Cid: Don’t worry. I’ll stop by again sometime.
Yuffie: No big, no big. I’ll pop in again later.
Cait Sith: What’re you talkin’ about? Not even. We’ll stop in again.
Vincent: Don’t worry. We’ll return and check on him later.

Notice… Barret only mentions that he’ll return to check on TIFA.  Red, Cid, Yuffie, and Cait Sith only say they’ll come back with no qualifier as to who they will come back for.  VINCENT’s line specifies they’ll return to check on CLOUD ALONE.

The FFVII dialogue system is pretty fucked, and what each character says in a given situation is dependent on what party slot they occupy and who else is there with them, so there is a second potential set of responses to this that go thusly:

Barret: You take care now, Tifa. And take care of Cloud.
Red XIII: Do your best, Tifa. Take care of Cloud.
Cid: You hang in there, Tifa. Take care of Cloud.
Yuffie: Look after Cloud. Take care, Tifa.
Cait Sith: Hope Cloud gets better soon.
Vincent: Take care of him.

Here everyone is a little more concerned with Cloud, but most of them also with Tifa… with the exception of Cait Sith and Vincent.  It’s nice of Cait Sith to hope, but even though he shares this singular focus on Cloud with Vincent, only Vincent issues his in the form of an order, not just an idle wish.  Vincent’s care for Cloud above others here is clear and unwavering, and it continues for the rest of the game…

Later on, when Cloud returns and the party steals the submarine, Cloud has a bout of motion sickness.  Again, the dialogue system is jacked, but one set of potential responses to Cloud’s anxiety is this:

Barret: EY!! Looks likes we’re almost on our way! Just keep on fiddlin’ with it!!  It’s all up to you!
Tifa: See!?  Just fiddle with the controls, and we’ll get somewhere!
Red XIII: Cloud!! Try it!
Cid: SEE! Now you take over!
Yuffie:  Oh man, this sucks!! Cloud, do something!
Cait Sith:  It’s movin’— Keep it up, Cloud!
Vincent:  I’m not very mechanical, but it seems like we’re starting to move.  Hang in there.

Again we see the pattern of everyone relying on Cloud to take command - even when he’s in crisis.  Vincent, meanwhile, admits that he can’t help and tries to give encouragement.

The next set I’m going to look at is just a collection of lines you can get from the party while they’re hanging out on the Highwind shortly after Cloud’s recovery:

Yuffie: I wonder why anyone would ever make an airship like this……
Tifa: How are you feeling?  You ought to rest a bit… Don’t push yourself.
Barret: Them Shinra guys think they’re gonna fight Meteor with the Huge Materia?
Red XIII: Shinra only cares if things are good right now.  But, I plan to live for 500 years and won’t stand for that type of thinking.
Cait Sith: Them Shinra’s ar’ all gathered at Cid’s Rocket Town… Yep…there ain’t nuthin’ I like more than lettin’ out secrets.
Vincent: …how does it feel, Cloud? Living for yourself and not someone else?
Cid: You said there’s somethin’ goin’ on at Rocket Town…?

Here, again, only two people’s lines are centered around Cloud.  Tifa and Vincent both ask how he’s feeling.  Tifa’s worry manifests in a way that seems to me to be much more motherly.  Vincent, on the other hand, avoids this… his concern for Cloud’s health remains, but he uses it as an open-ended request for information, as curiosity rather than an opening to pull Cloud back under care.

Then there’s this cute little exchange when Vincent returns to the Highwind:

Cloud: Vincent!
Vincent: Why such a puzzled look?  You don’t want me to come?
Cloud: No, it’s just that you’re always so cold. I thought you didn’t care what was happening.
Vincent: Cool?  Hmm…… I guess that’s just how I am, sorry.

Apart from this just being adorable is the fact that Cloud interacts with Vincent more here than he does with any of the other party members when he sees them.  It’s also the only exchange that occurrs solely between Cloud and the party member in question (Vincent), without the involvement or commentary of any of the others.  

Here’s another little thing… I think most people know about how when you enter the Northern Crater you get to split the party up along its branching paths.  If Yuffie isn’t with you, she’ll try to steal any items she finds along the way.  If you send other people with her so she’s not alone, they’ll prompt her to give it back when you all reunite again.

Tifa: By the way Yuffie, didn’t you find something?
Barret: Oh yeah, Yuffie, didn’t you find somethin’?
Red XIII: By the way Yuffie, didn’t you find something on the way?
Cid: Yeah, Yuffie, didn’t you pick up something on the way?
Cait Sith: By the way, Yuffie, didn’t you pick up something…
Vincent: Yuffie, just let Cloud have it.

I think it’s really interesting how all the core party members have really generic, nearly identical (and nonconfrontational) statements… Vincent, on the other hand, does no side-stepping.  His first priority is looking out for Cloud, as always.  

The same goes for the statements the other party members make when they willingly hand over their own finds - most say something like ‘look what I found’ while they give Cloud whatever it is they picked up.  Vincent, specifically, gives Cloud a Megalixer - the most powerful healing item in the game - and says ‘hold on to this’, the only party member to specify that he wants Cloud to have it.

As you can see… a lot of this dialogue is pretty one-sided.  It’s mostly Vincent who shows he cares for Cloud… I chalk this up to the hasty programming of the game.  It was more important to give Vincent some lines reacting to Cloud in case the player got him, than to give Cloud lines reacting to a character they couldn’t be sure that everyone would have.  But, from a meta standpoint, you can always say that not EVERY relationship begins with mutual pining.  Poor Vincent.

Hell, even if you wanna read their relationship as platonic the fact that it is consistently depicted as DIFFERENT from Cloud and Vincent’s relationships with any of the others is just downright INTERESTING… so it’s definitely something I want people to know about.

Anyway, that’s my piece… and I wanna give a HUGE credit to THIS SITE which is hands down the BEST and MOST COMPLETE & ACCURATE version of the FFVII OG script without which I would know so much less about this game.  Please send them your love and use them for all your FFVII script needs.