Author's Note: Uh, this is kind of my brother's fault. He ships Valenwind/Highentine, whatever you want to call it, and up until recently I abhorred it violently. Then I found an author on dA that wrote these AMAZING, SPECTACULAR fics that were so good I hardly noticed that I was reading and enjoying a pairing that I didn't like. So I seceded to the craze of this pairing and wrote a little diddy of it for my brother. Siiigh. Also, I'm a huge loser for never submitting anything over 1,500 words. It's even rarer that I get over 500 words. I'm so sorry guys, I just love drabbles way too much.
Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VII belongs to Square Enix and Sony and those people who aren't me.
Cid wasn't a big fan of winter. The cold, harsh season always made him bitter, like tea that had been steeped too long, then left out to get cold. In his defense, his reaction was mostly involuntary; it was just something that happened once the orange leaves slowed in dropping from the trees, and the mornings were filled with frosted windows and sharp, biting chills. It wasn't as though he was fond of summer, either; scalding temperatures screwed with his machinery and overheated delicate parts, just like cold froze them and stalled engines. Cid was more of an Autumn kind of guy, when there was little in bloom to agitate his allergies, and the air was crisp, but not cold, and the sun was shining, but not hot.
Autumn was over, however, and the pilot woke again to another frigid morning where his window was frosted over, and he could tell just by the quietness of the atmosphere that it had snowed again the night before. He didn't mind the frozen stuff so much, since it wasn't hard to fly in – not like rain, anyway – and it didn't bother him unless he was on the ground, walking in it. Like he was now.
With a grumble, the pilot stomped through a fresh snow drift, kicking up flurries of white swirls that floated in the air for a moment before settling back down behind him. He was tired, cold, there was snow in his boots, and his lighter wouldn't light; needless to say, Cid was not a very happy camper in that moment. All around Edge, children were laughing, playing in the snow, building snow chocobos, and having a good time, and this only served to further irritate the blond as he trudged through the snow-filled streets of the city.
Once he finally reached his destination, he through the door open with such force that it shook the building, which knocked a drift of snow down from the roof and directly onto the man's head. With a growl of frustration, he dusted as much of the white powder from his clothes before stomping into the building, where his friends were waiting, all smiles and good attitudes. God damn it.
"Hey, Cid!" Yuffie greeted cheerily, bouncing over to offer him a cup of hot tea. At least they had thought ahead, he supposed, and kicked off his boots by the door. He peeled off his snow-covered jacket and dropped it unceremoniously on a hook nearby before taking the cup with a grumbled 'thanks' and stomping off toward the back. Yuffie huffed and scowled at him, shouting something about manners, but he didn't notice, because he was suddenly pulled into one of the booths and wrapped in a cocoon of warmth. The pilot's icy disposition melted a little at this, even as he twisted his head around to peer at the gunman that was holding him close, the red cloak wrapped around the both of them like a blanket.
"I know how much you hate the snow," Vincent remarked quietly, brushing a bit of said snow off of the man's head with a gentle movement. Cid sighed and shifted into the embrace, sipping his tea as he leaned against his companion, absorbing the shorter man's heat.
"Thanks."