Valenwind Day: Think Twice

Valenwind Day: Think Twice

Vincent closed his eyes as the music washed over him, a small smirk played at the corner of his mouth listening to the lyrics. It was his and Cid’s song; it perfectly described them... except that neither of them were female. But they’d both had their trials and bouts of jealousy. And finally in the end they had each other – the only thing they’d ever really wanted.

Vincent had first met Cid when he was a Turk and Cid was just a newbie kid in the burgeoning Space Program. His red eyes had worked over the mechanic/engineer’s form and nearly had him drooling. Luckily for him Veld had paged him just then or he probably would have made an absolute fool of himself in an attempt to be the one to show the beautiful blonde around ShinRa HQ. But Veld had and Vincent had ended up on his fateful mission to protect two crazy scientists. He’d fallen for Lucrecia not because he was attracted to her but because she seemed so interested in him. And it wasn’t the kind of interest she had for her test subjects. Vincent guessed you could say that he had been intrigued by that. So he had let her run him around by his nose – he still felt disgusted at himself for that on occasion – and then she had broken his heart. Lucrecia had married Hojo and then they’d both been crazy enough to experiment on their own unborn child. He had attempted so many times to stop them, to get them to see reason, to explain that parenting wasn’t science. He’d been shot for it and promptly became their newest scientific toy.

Vincent rolled his eyes before opening them as the song changed and shook his head. It wouldn’t do to dwell on those painful memories... or the ones of how he had still been hung up on Lucrecia even after everything that had happened. Yes, the woman had shown him a side of life he might have never known otherwise and had saved his life in the end, but it had been more out of pity then because she cared for him. If she had cared she would have left him dead instead of putting those monsters inside him to tear his sanity apart year by year. Shaking his head again to clear it he rose from his cushy red arm chair and went into the kitchen.

He pulled down a pitcher of sweet iced tea and poured himself a glass, using the rest of it. So he rinsed out the pitcher and added more tea leaves and water to steep for a few hours. He covered the pitcher and set it in a sunny window so that the warmth of the sun might make it steep faster. When it was at the right shade he would take out the tea leaves, add a bit of sugar and then replace it into the refrigerator. He took his glass out to the back porch and sat in the porch swing to sip at it and watch the horizon for The Highwind II. Vincent chuckled at the memory of the arguments the naming of Cid’s newest baby had incurred. Cid had wanted to name it after Vincent to commemorate them finally tying the knot...but Vincent didn’t want that kind of reminder hovering around. He pointed out the episode with Shera and The Shera to prove his case. Stating also that they didn’t need anything like that, they just needed each other. Cid had called him a sap, but kissed him and dropped the subject anyway.

Shera had thrown every instrument belonging to the kitchen at Cid’s head when he had told her that he didn’t love her like that. She had always had her heart in her eyes when she looked at Cid and it was one reason – really the only reason – that Vincent hadn’t jumped Cid the first time he saw him again. Vincent had gotten the distinct impression that Cid had someone he cared for waiting for him, so Vincent had acted like he didn’t even know the blonde when they had found him at the ShinRa Mansion. He didn’t know for sure, but he hoped that his actions then hadn’t hurt Cid. But then he’d met Shera while they were dealing with the rocket launch and it had just confirmed what Vincent had already suspected – that Cid had someone. Honestly Vincent hadn’t even known which side Cid played for, it wasn’t like the blonde ever knew that the black haired man had crush on him. Vincent had never said anything about it after all.

Vincent still hadn’t known which way Cid swung or said anything of his own feelings when Cid had come to him about breaking the news to Shera. They had had long conversations about how Cid felt for Shera, finally coming to the conclusion that he wasn’t in love with her, even though he did love her. It was more of a sisterly love than anything else. It was Valentine’s Day when Vincent had gone into Cid’s house in Rocket Town with the blonde to confront Shera. She had been making a chocolate soufflé and had strawberry wine set to the side... Vincent knew immediately that Shera had been about to confess to Cid and felt that her feelings would be well received. He’d chickened out and stayed in the doorway unable to bear watching Shera’s hopeful world crumble. Cid waltzed in and before he could say a word Shera had flung her arms around his neck and kissed him, Vincent had face-palmed and kept his hand over his eyes – he couldn’t watch. She had confessed that she loved him and Cid had simply stood there frozen, he’d looked back over his shoulder at Vincent to see him peeking through his fingers. Cid had turned back to Shera with a grim expression and unwrapped her form from his and set her away from him a ways. He had calmly explained that he didn’t love her back, not like that, and why. Shera had stood frozen in place for the space of a few heartbeats before destroying the kitchen on Cid’s head. Cid had simply stood there and taken everything she flung at him, verbally and physically. Vincent had been proud of him for that. Shera had stormed out the door past him, grabbed the keys for The Shera and taken off.

Cid said it was fair enough for her to take the airship, it was her namesake after all. He had calmly set about cleaning up his kitchen while Vincent hesitated to move let alone help. However when tears started falling silently from Cid’s face Vincent had quietly begun to clean the room as well, letting his friend have his grief... though Vincent hadn’t understood why he was crying at the time. Later Vincent had discovered that while Cid had cared for Shera a great deal even though he didn’t love her the way she wanted, he hadn’t liked hurting her. Cid honestly hadn’t thought that the news would hurt Shera so badly and he regretted it. But he couldn’t change how he was and Shera knew that. They were great friends now and could even laugh about the whole incident.

But the event had caused Vincent to re-evaluate his own actions and thoughts toward the pilot. He didn’t want to pressure Cid into liking him the way that Vincent liked him and he also didn’t think he could handle being rejected. So he had simply stayed friends with Cid for a few years, trying his best not to show how he felt. Especially since he was still in love with Lucrecia at the time and to his own mind only felt an overwhelming lustful attraction to Cid and not love – he wouldn’t put his best friend through that.

That all changed the day Cid chased him down in Lucrecia’s cave. Vincent would never forget the look of pure rage on the man’s face. Vincent had been there only the week before when Shelke had come up to fetch him as he was leaving. He had thanked Lucrecia then and decided to move on with his life... but this was Valentine’s Day... and the red eyed man was extremely depressed. So he’d gone to the cave to get away from all the couples and Cid... he really couldn’t be around Cid on V-Day since he told Shera his feelings. He always wanted to jump the man; it wasn’t good for either of them... at least that was what Vincent told himself. Vincent had taken a ton of booze with him and had promptly gotten drunk sitting in front of Lucrecia’s crystal. So when Cid stormed in cussing up a storm Vincent hadn’t reacted as swiftly as he might have. Death Penalty and Cerberus were flung to one side of the cave from his drunken raging at Lucrecia over how it was all her fault that he couldn’t have Cid and the gunman was far too unsteady on his feet. When he turned to find out what was going on he’d fallen on his ass.

Cid had stopped mid-rage and just stared at him. The blonde pilot had thought that Vincent had come up here to mope about how Lucrecia couldn’t love him back like he wanted and bemoan the fact that she was trapped in crystal, only to find Vincent too drunk to so much as stand without practically falling over. He’d stood there for a good long while simply staring dumbfounded at Vincent before the gunman found his tongue. “What’re you doin’ ‘ere Cid? Thought you was gonna watch fireworks w’ the kids t’day while beerlady and chocobutt were out.”

Cid had cringed at his slurred words and shook his head at the unsightly mess Vincent seemed to be, though he was slightly amused by the nicknames. He explained that he had come up there because no one could find Vincent anywhere and Marlene had wanted the ex-Turk to watch the fireworks with them as well. And frankly so did Cid. That it was the only place Cid could think of that Vincent could be. It had taken Vincent several minutes to process that Cid wanted him around on Valentine’s Day and then several more before he realized that Cid was kissing him.

Vincent had blinked at him as he pulled away, not coherent enough to know what to say or ask. Cid had grinned and shaken his head again before gathering up everything Vincent and brought and throwing the ex-Turk over his shoulder. He walked out to the repaired Highwind with him and took Vincent back to Rocket Town. Cid had made Vincent a stiff non-alcoholic drink to make him sober up and then brought him out back to where Marlene, Denzel and Mai were all playing tag waiting for them to show up. It was nearly dark by then and while Cid got the fireworks all set up Vincent had ordered pizza for everyone and made up some sweet iced tea. They all ate dinner and then watched the fireworks go off before putting the kids to bed. By then Vincent had recovered a bit of his wits, at least enough to realize that Cid kissing him hadn’t been his imagination, and he cornered Cid about it in his kitchen.

The same kitchen that only the year or so before Shera had torn apart in her anger at Cid. Now it was Cid who was angry, which had confused Vincent. He had ducked the pot thrown at his head and given the pilot a completely confused look. Cid had thrown a tantrum about how oblivious Vincent was and that he couldn’t believe that he was in love with someone so stupid. Vincent was floored, he had simply stood there much like Cid had when Shera confessed... but in this case Vincent was happy. However his lack of reaction just pissed Cid off and the pilot had thrown him out before he could say anything. He didn’t get the chance to make it up to the man for over a year, Cid simply refused to be around him.

The only reason they were where they were today was because of Cloud and Reno. Both numbskulls would check up on both Cid and Vincent: Cloud with calm conversation and news about the others and Reno with his annoying streak simply trying to get the two ‘old men’ to be more active. Both ended up reporting to Tifa one night that Vincent wouldn’t be coming to the next get-together because he was too depressed. That Vincent sent his apologies but didn’t want to upset anyone there with his presence or current mood. Cid had overheard them and become pissed off all over again. He asked, for the first time in over a year, about where Vincent was. Not thinking anything of it they’d told him that Vincent was staying up at Lucrecia’s cave since he really had nowhere else to go.

Cid had taken off back to the cave in order to yell at Vincent for being such a mopey loser, but when he had gotten there Vincent had been asleep on a bedroll just inside the cave entrance. There was a picture of Cid standing proudly next to The Shera clutched in his hand. The picture had stopped Cid in his tracks, so instead of shaking Valentine awake and letting him have it; he had sat down next to him and waited for him to wake up on his own.

Vincent smiled as he set his glass down on the glass end table next to the swing and began to rock to and fro, letting the memories come. Vincent had opened his eyes to find Cid sitting in front of him and the first reaction he’d had was to pull him down and kiss him. Granted Vincent had thought he was dreaming... they didn’t leave the cave for a couple of days. And when they did finally emerge it was together, which they had been ever since.

Vincent was about to take his glass back inside and check on the tea when The Highwind II arrived in the distance. The gunman grinned and went back inside; he rinsed his glass and fixed up the tea. Then he pulled the roast out of the oven and lit the candles on the kitchen table. It was dusk now after all. He grabbed the potatoes and carrots off the stove and grabbed the butter and the cherry soda out of the refrigerator and set them out on the table as well. He grabbed plates, glasses and silverware and had everything set up for their Valentine’s Day dinner by the time Cid made it to the house.

He greeted Cid at the door, “Hey lover.” He kissed the blonde’s sweaty cheek before allowing him in the house. “Dinner’s on the table, you’ve got time for a quick shower before it’s ready to eat.”

Cid grinned at him and brought him in for another kiss, “I love you Vince. I’ll be right out then.”

Twenty minutes later Cid was seated across the table from Vincent and they were eating. Once they were finished they went out to the yard with glasses of now cold sweet tea and sat under a tree to watch the stars for a while. It had been their tradition for a few years now. After a while Vincent chuckled and Cid turned to look at him questioningly.

Vincent shook his head, “Oh I just remembered that our song was on the radio earlier today. It got me thinking about everything that’s happened to us.” He looked over at Cid and smiled warmly, “I love you Cid.”

Cid chuckled himself, “They still play that?” He shook his head before returning Vincent’s gaze. “I know.”

They sat there quietly for the rest of the evening just enjoying each other’s company.