This one didn't come out exactly like I wanted, but I still like the idea. It takes place after Cid and everyone had to abandon the Hallow Bastian, so Cid and Leon are younger than they are in the game. They've been living in Traverse Town for roughly one year.

2

Ergonomic

Traverse Town was forever dark and a mess of crowded buildings. If it wasn't for his garage, Cid would have felt very claustrophobic, because the town was just not a good place for flying. There was no place on the ground where a ship could take off and not crash into or impale everything within wingspan.

What Cid eventually discovered, spending long nights smoking and staring at the eternally starry sky, was that there was plenty of air if you just climbed high enough.

Cid had dragged Leon to the roof of the bell tower. It didn't take much too much pestering on Cid's part. Leon had been depressingly obedient ever since they had arrived, so he didn't complain as he helped Cid roll the small gummi plane, the Minute Gummi, into position.

"All right," Cid said, heavily putting one hand on the nose of the plane. "Get in, Leon."

Leon clenched his jaw. Something like surprise had flickered briefly in his cold eyes.

"…what?"

Cid scowled.

"You gone deaf or something? Get in, dammit, you're the one who's gonna fly her," Cid said. "I'm too heavy for this model. Got to start out small."

He had been working on it for months. Just another project, he said, another distraction. Another way to make Traverse Town a little bit better.

Leon didn't say anything right away. He studied the plane, eyebrows furrowing. Cid impatiently pulled off his pilot's jacket and thrust it into the boy's chest. Leon took it, frowning at the frayed patches. He put it on and climbed into the seat.

"Now, she's just a baby," Cid cautioned, eyes double checking the restraints Leon was sulkily buckling around himself. "So be careful for chrissakes. It's your first time and I don't want you screwing anything up too bad."

"Thanks," Leon said. For once, Cid ignored the sarcasm, because he was just too excited for his baby. Both of them.

One quick crash-course in the mechanics of flying and another don't fuck up later, Cid was standing back, goggles drawn over his eyes, holding one hand up. The engine spluttered, then roared as the propeller started to beat steadily. Leon, taking this like he did everything, with far too much seriousness for a sixteen year old, was hunched over the controls, his silhouette blue and cold in the dark.

With a long whine and a roar, the plane took its first lunge into the sky. Cid didn't breathe as he watched it duck and catch the air, steadily rising up, up into the night.

It was not one of his better ideas.

As Cid watched the plane make a shaky turn over the Mad Hatter's shop, he could feel it in the pit of his stomach. If it had wings, Cid Highwind would find a way to keep it in the air. Flying came more naturally than breathing to him. As far as Cid knew, Leon had never flown so much as a kite before and now he was sitting miles above the ground, guiding the plane with all the grace of a Fat Body.

"What the hell," Cid roughly ran his fingers through his hair. The plane jerked as it crossed paths with a strong gust of wind.

It was more than the weight. Cid had made it just for him. He'd tried to make it as simple as possible. When he did the calculations and knew the cold equation just wouldn't hold him, he tried to build it so Leon could try and just for a minute, maybe see what Cid did whenever he dozed off behind the counter of the accessory shop.

Cid's fingers twitched. He wanted a cigarette, but he had to settle for chewing on the piece of straw in his mouth.

He couldn't put his finger on it, but he didn't think it was just Leon being a pansy with the controls. Something just didn't look right.

And he had been so proud of himself, too.

"Shit," Cid said.

The straw bobbed frantically as he gnawed.

The Minute Gummi was definitely not supposed to be tilting like that.

"Fuck."

Cid was running. By the time he reached where the Gummi plane had crashed, he was winded, but he didn't stop. He tore through the wreckage of the left wing, scrambling to reach the cockpit. Leon was curled up inside, blood dribbling down the side of his face and neatly trickling over the line of the old scar.

"Shit, shit, Squall!" Cid grabbed his shoulder and shook the boy as hard as he could. "Fuck, dammit all seven hells, Squall! Leon! Say something! Say something, goddamit, say…"

Cid stopped. Leon's eyes hadn't opened yet, but something had been tugging at the corners of his mouth.

Cid was so scared he nearly wet himself. Leon was grinning.

"…Captain?"

"What?" Cid snapped, his heart pounding.

"My name is Leon."

Just like that, the grin was gone. Cid sank back on his heals, running a rough hand over his face.

"You crazy little shit, you could have died."

Leon sat up, gingerly rubbing at a swelling lump above his eye.

"I know."

Cid roughly pulled Leon out so he could quietly sit on the cobblestones while Cid surveyed the damage. Cid carefully lifted the wing to examine the side, and heard Leon speak.

"Can I try it again?"