bTitle:/b Giving up the GhostbAuthor/Artist:/b Emo_Hazard/Jeklyn~HydebPairing/Character/etc:/b Cid/VincentbFandom:/b Kingdom HeartsbRating:/b PG for Cids mouth. Sorry Kingdom Hearts ^^;bDisclaimer:/b Kingdom Hearts © Square Enix aka Squeenix. ;p
IbIn the end, only kindness matters…~*/I/b
-'Hands' by Jewel.
Vincent Valentine strode down the streets he hadn't seen in so long. 10 years was a long time to be away from home, but he had his reasons. After he had heard it had been destroyed, he didn't see the point in returning.
Especially since the person he cared for most was probably dead. Finding a bench in the town square, Vincent sat and thought back to how this all had begun. He was just doing his job. Security detail for Ansem the Wise and his apprentices. But when things began to turn for the worse, he tried to leave.
Xehanort got to him first, using him as a living experiment. His heart and body were probed and prodded, exposed and tortured. In the end he succumbed to the darkness and became something… different.
Then their world fell into darkness and he went with it. As far as anyone cared, he was dead. Who would miss him?
Well… Cid might.
Cid… that name made Vincent's dead heart ache. Or whatever was left of his heart.
He sat up and continued to walk the empty streets. Vincent made sure he arrived at night, when no was up and about to recognize. Once place looked to be busy. An old tavern. Vincent peaked his head over the windows side and saw some very familiar faces.
Squall and Cloud. Last he had seen of those two, they were barely teenagers. Aerith and Yuffie went from little girls to beautiful grown women. Up on the little stage, singing his heart out and not caring if anyone thought he stunk at it, was Cid.
I"Cock a doo, what a day.
The sun is shining brightly.
Cock a doo, sunny day,
Down here on the farm.
Cock a doo, stay away,
You big ol' weary rain cloud,
Or I'll cry out with this voice of mine./I
Vincent remembered that old song. Cid used to sing it all the time when they were growing up. He had learned it from his father and had every intention of teaching it to his own children one day.
That is, if Cid was every going to marry. From what Vincent could see; there was no other love in the crowd. No one else that the golden-haired pilot had to call his heart. This made Vincent's face frown behind his mask.
'Cid, you fool. I'm dead. Why didn't you…' thought the black clad man.
It was no secret in the Radiant Garden that Cid and Vincent were lovers. They had grown up together and as they grew they became inseparable. It was inevitable that they fell in love.
Vincent could still remember the days before he was sent away into the World of Darkness. He had the feeling that Cid was close to purposing. He would catch glimpses of the pilot fiddling with something in his coat pocket. Cid would try to stop Vincent before leaving for work but then say it was nothing.
Vincent would smile and nod. He was the patient type. When Cid was feeling less like a nervous child he'd pop the question. Never rush a Highwind. Not a good idea.
The dark man sighed and turned away from the bright, loud celebration. He could never be a part of this world again. He was still within earshot when another familiar song came to him. Pausing and holding his breath, Vincent listened; immediately recognizing it.
I'We had this crazy plan to meet and run away together Get married in the first town we came to and live forever But nailed to the tree where we were supposed to meet instead I found this letter, and this is what it said : "If you get there before I do Don't give up on me I'll meet you when my chores are through I don't know how long I'll be But I'm not gonna let you down Darling wait and see And between now and then Til I see you again I'll be loving you Love, Me."/I
'That… that was our song.' thought Vincent. He went back to the window, seeing Cid sitting in a chair and playing a guitar. The crowd was seated and listening intently, knowing exactly what the song was and who it was meant for.
Vincent stayed until the songs end, unable or unwilling to leave. For the first time in forever, the gunner felt his heart beating. Beating in tune to the strums of his beloveds guitar, soothed by its sweet sounds.
When the song was finally over, the whole crowd stood up and applauded, shouting things like 'For Vincent!' and 'Viva amour!' Cid made a grand bow before getting off the stage and heading to the door.
Vincent hid in the alley next to the tavern, needing to see Cid badly, needing to be so close he could touch the mans sun kissed skin once more. The old pilot leaned against the door frame, hands resting in his belly warmer and his head bent down ward.
Unless the wind and the noise was playing tricks on him, Vincent could swear Cid was… crying. This made the gunner grip the stone wall tightly. Cid was never one to cry, ever. Not even to Vincent. Cid raised a hand to the wooden toggle around his neck, his thumb gently rubbing it, like a pacifying motion.
"You 'member that song, darlin'?" said Cid. Vincent's eyes widened. Was he… talking to him? "That was our song. I was gonna sing it on our weddin' day. Well… if I hadn't been a yella streaked coward, I would have.
"I bought that ring with a months savings, and I kept in on me all the time, just in case that was the day I FINALLY grew the backbone to ask ya to marry me. But… no. Shoot, no! Never occurred to me that Radiant Garden was gonna sink inta the darkness! Never crossed my mind that you'd up and disappear on me!"
By now Cid had slid down on to the cobble stone ground, his hands gripping and pulling on his hair in anger and shame.
"Why… why wasn't I brave enough to say it? Where did you go, love?" Cid asked of the silent air, as if Vincent was going to answer.
Vincent did want to answer. He wanted to throw his arms around the blonde pilot and tell him that he was alive and that it was the thought of seeing him again that brought him back home.
But Vincent stayed still, his fear of rejection for what he had become keeping his feet glued to the spot. He wasn't that sweet, innocent young man Cid had fallen in love with anymore. He was monster, a Heartless, and a Nobody all in one.
"I love you, Cid." he whispered in the shadows.
Cids head turned to his right, as if trying to catch what had just passed from Vincent's lips. The gunner retreated from sight, hoping his little confession hadn't been heard.
When he peaked his head over the corner, Vincent didn't see Cid anywhere. Satisfied he wasn't seen, Vincent put the hood of his coat over his head and continued down the street, unsure where his feet were taking him.
Cid peered out from over the edge of the other side of the tavern. He knew someone had said 'I love you', to him. Either it was his mind finally going senile or he was being watched. Needing to confirm this, Cid pretended to go back inside. When the hooded figure finally stepped out of the shadows and began to leave, Cid took to following him.
The robes were red, so it couldn't be OrgXIII. The figure was tall and lean, and walked with perfect grace. Cid tailed him until the man turned down to another street. The one that led straight to Cids home.
Now very interested, Cid kept his sneaky following of the man. Sure enough, the man stopped at the front door of his modest home. He couldn't afford anything grander on an engineers budget, but it suited him just fine. Not that he needed anything more for just himself.
The man knelt down and lifted a stone near the welcome mat, picking up the spare key from underneath it. Cids eyes widened with shock. Only one other person knew where his spare key was kept.
Now he was angry. Whoever this guy was, he was about to get the ass kicking of his life.
Stomping put from his hiding place, Cid shoved the man hard in the back, sending him spiraling to the floor of the living room.
"I don't know who you are, but you got some nerve tryin' at break into my house." said Cid, his voice barely veiling the rage he felt. "Who are you and what are you doing here?"
The man said nothing, just laying there trying to keep his hood over his face.
"Get up and fight, ya coward!" Cid grabbed the man by his shirt and hoisted him off the floor with the full intention to slam him into a wall. "You picked the wrong day to make me angry!"
As Cid moved to commence the wall slamming, the mans hood came off; reveling long black hair and a set of familiar red eyes. Everything went in slow motion for Cid once he saw the mans face. He released Vincent's coat and the red eyed man twisted in the air, landing on the other side of the room with the grace of a cat.
Cids entire body went cold as his heart thudded in his chest.
"Vi- Vincent?" Cids voice stuttered, straying to speak a name he hadn't spoken in over 10 years.
The gunner just stood there, staring at his love. Cid had changed after all this time. His face was lined with wrinkles, and the cigarette that once always stuck out from between his lips was replaced with a tooth pick.
But his eyes were still the same, even after all the horror and battles.
"Yes… hello, Cid." said Vincent.
Cids arms were around him so fast that Vincent hadn't had time to get out of the way. The pilots powerful arms held him in a bear hug, as if thinking if he let go, his love would disappear again.
"Its you. Oh gods, its you Vincent. I thought… I thought…" Cid choked out between sobs. Vincent was reluctant to hold him back. Once Cid realized what he was, he'd cast him out.
"What happened? Where did you go, why didn't you come back?" Cid shook him and yelled out his questions. "I thought you were dead, Vince! Thought you died with Radiant Garden…" Cid was back to sobbing, his knees giving out from under him and taking both men to the carpeted floor.
"Cid, please let go." asked Vincent. "I cant stay."
"Why not? Why the hell not?" Cid demanded to know.
"I'm… not the man you remember. I'm not even sure I'm human anymore." Vincent cast his gaze away from Cids.
"What the hell are you talking about? 'Course you're human! Two arms, two legs. Ten fingers and toes plus a head! That's human enough for me."
"Cid, please…"
"No! No, damn it! Listen to me, Valentine! I waited years for you, I grew old for you! I kept going because I held onto this stupid little sliver of hope that you weren't dead. That…" Cid clutched the necklace in his hand, almost crushing it. "… that you would come back and… I could finally say what I needed to tell you."
"Cid, please don't." Vincent began to get up off the floor, but Cid kicked his legs out from under him, caught Vincent and slung him over his shoulder like a child.
The gunner was stunned. Even more so when he was dumped onto Cids bed and found the pilot on top of him, trying to get the strange leather armor off of him.
"Stop it! I'm not a man anymore, Cid! I'm a thing! A monster!" Vincent cried out, tears finally forming at the corners of his crimson eyes.
Cid tore off his white t-shirt and felt a hand down ward to the front of Vincent's pants. Even through the leather, Cid could feel the heat of Vincent's manhood.
"You're man enough to get turned on." Cid said, leaning down and trapping Vincent's lips in a kiss that bordered on savagery.
Vincent kept trying to get the bulkier man off him, but it was no use. Where was that awesome strength he had gained as a monster? Did it just not work on Cid?
Cids hand finally managed to get the zipper of Vincent's pants open and down. He sat up and started to remove his and his lovers clothing.
"Please, I promise I'll be gentle the second time. But…" Cid swallowed hard. "Dear gods, I need this so bad." he begged of Vincent.
Vincent couldn't help but agree.
At first Cid was clumsy, having not made love in a long time. This surprised and touched Vincent. Cid really hadn't taken another as his love. This hot, hard and fast copulating was the pent up desire of a man who missed his lover so much that he hadn't sated his lust any other way.
Vincent's body glowed with the effects of Cids love making. He felt alive again, whole and human. His toes curled and his breathing became labored. He and Cid climaxed with each other, a crescendo of long denied passions finally coming to fruition.
In the after glow, Cid held Vincent close to him. Just like he used to. The pilots face was nuzzled into the gunners ebon tresses, his lips gently kissing his alabaster skinned forehead.
"I missed you so much, darlin'." Cid confessed. As if the furious fornicating like rabbits wasn't indication enough.
"I missed you too, lover." Vincent said, his voice still sad. "Cid… I can't stay." Vincent began to leave Cids embrace before the bigger mans arms clamped tight around the gunners waist.
"Where do you think you're going? Just why the hell can't you stay? This is your home! With me!" Cid was desperate to know what was wrong. After finally getting him back, he would be damned if he lost Vincent again.
"Look at me, Cid." Vincent sat up, baring his chest to Cids full view.
On him, what looked like faded scaring, was the worn and faded emblem of the Heartless. Cid placed a hand upon it, then leaned into place a soft kiss over Vincent's real heart. He turned his ear to it, listening to its gentle, rhythmic beat.
"You're still a human, Vince. You're still that shy kid I used to beat up bullies for. That young man who accepted every greasy, nasty, unsophisticated part of me. And you're still that same, beautiful man even after so long. At least whatever happened to you kept you pretty for me.
"Can't say I did the same for you, huh?" Cid looked away bashfully, the sudden awareness that he looked twice Vincent's age becoming some what embarrassing.
Vincent took Cids face in his hands and made the pilot look up at him.
"You're still that ruggedly handsome man who made my heart skip a beat every time you looked my way, chief." Vincent smiled for the first time in an eternity.
They made love again, slowly and gently like Cid had promised. Every and any concern Vincent had about his condition was melted away with every sweet kiss, every caress, every jolt of pure pleasure. Cids pure blue eyes bore into Vincent's red, their hearts and souls reconnecting.
After their second round, Cid reached over and took that little velvet box from off the night stand and opened it for Vincent.
"Will you marry me?" he said, the question finally leaving his lips.
"What took you so long?" said Vincent, snuggling and kissing Cid.
The next day, Vincent made his grand re-entrance into Radiant Gardens society, and he was warmly re-welcomed by all. Yuffie glomped him tightly, while Aerith hugged him warmly. Squall and Cloud gave him man hugs and hand shakes, telling him it was great that the whole family was back together.
"Now we can have the wedding! Do you remember that you promised me and Aerith that we could be flower girls?" said Yuffie, hyper from all the good cheer.
"Course we didn't forget, kiddo. But don't you have to be a 'girl' for that?" Cid teased. Yuffie slugged him in the arm for that.
They wasted no time getting everything together. Merlin presided, and all of Radiant Garden bore witness. Yuffie and Aerith got to fulfill their flower girl fantasies. Squall and Cloud were Cid and Vincent's Best Men.
Merlin preached on about the strength of the hearts true love, of how it is powerful enough to fight back even the greatest of darkness. Vincent knew that personally to be true. When he was torn apart and floating in the nothingness, the only thing that pulled him back together was thoughts of Cids smiling face, his warmth, his love.
He became human just to come back to him. And now they were here. At the beginning of something new for both of them.
"By the power vested in me by Yen Sid and Kingdom Hearts, I pronounce you wed. Now get to kissing you two!" Merlin ordered.
Cid scooped Vincent up in his arms, dipped him and kissed his new husband long and hard. The whole town cheered, tossing flower petals in the air; raining down a flurry of pink and white upon the newlyweds.
"I love you, Vincent Highwind." Cid said with his trademark grin.
"And I love you, Cid Valentine." said Vincent before they kissed again.