Chapter 4- Midnight Confessional

It seemed like an eternity to Cid before the girls finally said their farewells and the fathers retired away to thier beds. Cid had refused the command to sleep engrossed in a new airship project. She was a simple little craft, child's play compared to the Gelnika docked next to her. Cid called her the Tiny Bronco, or just Tiny for short. He named every one of his ships, they were all like his girlfriends, his children. They were the closest the boy would ever get to showing genuine affections towards anyone. People were just way too much trouble especially in a conservative little town like this one. He absently found himself wondering if it was the same in Wutai.

The blonde slid out from beneath the ship wiping away grease and oil from rough hands. He made a mental comparison of he and Vincent's hands. The prince and the pauper. How dainty and soft his touches must be. Never seen a day of hard work in his life, pampered and primmed... and yet so very stained. Cid would love to give those hands a thorough workout sometime soon but he wouldn't have doubted if Vincent's hands would be working him over instead. It was this intuition Cid had, he could tell so much about a man by just looking at them. A trait he'd picked up from his father. Lev was excellent at differentiating a friendly man from an enemy though in many cases personal bias clouded his father's judgement. Something set off this alarm in his head and he couldn't shake the nagging curiosity.

He didn't have to wait for long. Behind him the door creaked and he turned down the lantern, curious to see who was taking a late night stroll around the shipyard. None other than Vincent, long black hair billowing around his lithe body as he tentatively strode the grasses careful not to trip on any of the scattered parts. He stubbed his toe and angrily shook it off, this look crossing his face as if he was about to cry. Deep in those eyes Cid could see so many emotions whirling around. He could only imagine the mass confusion in Vincent's head right now. Vincent reached into his pocket and withdrew something on a string and held it up to the moonlight. A stray beam fell perfectly on a black porcelain angel wing tied at the end of the string, it looked as if it had been broken off something. A statue or knick-knack of some sort. Tears welled in Vincent's eyes and he allowed them to shamelessly flow tossing caution to the wind wallowing in his own pain, his own regret, his own loneliness and misery.

Well, misery loves company.

"Yo!" Vincent almost jumped out of his skin, stuffing the angel wing back into his pocket. He wiped his eyes furiously trying to mask that he'd been crying, embarassed to show emotions in front of Cid. To show emotions at all. He could not be weak, he had to be strong.

"Y-you startled me, Cid. I didn't expect anyone to be out here."

Cid shrugged, sitting down on his toolbox. "I'm workin' late t'night. Got myself a new ship an' she's got some work ta be done so I'm gettin' a headstart."

"I won't bother you then." Vincent turned to leave but Cid snagged his arm.

"Why the hurry man? It's a nice night, come sit down here."

"My father will be angry..." he tried to escape back into the house. "Please, I should go.."

"Don't worry 'bout it. Sit down and shaddap." Vincent had most certainly never been spoken to with such disrespect before but it was oddly.. comforting. He didn't mind it.. not at all. For once he was being treated like an individual, not an aristocrat. Cid was crude, brash, and downright obnoxious when he wanted to be but Vincent enjoyed the spontaneous behavior. He sat down on the grass next to Cid and yanked the ribbon holding back his hair letting the raven locks fall free as he laid back on the cool grass. Crickets sang in harmony with the calls of night owls hidden in shadowed trees. Unnerving as it was being out in the wood at this time of night, especially alone with Cid within earshot of the house, Vincent embraced the feeling. It was a gorgeous evening he might as well enjoy it.

"So." Cid kicked his shoes off rubbing toes into moist dirt. "what was that thingamabob you were holdin'? Vincent hesitated but drew out the angel wing. Immediately the light in his eyes vanished.

"It.. was given to me by a dear friend of mine.."

"Friend, eh?" Cid flashed that all-knowing smile. "Wasn' no friend."

"No..." Vincent stared at the wing running his fingers lovingly over cool black feathers. "He wasn't just a friend.. he was so much more to me.. It's my fault.. all my fault.. he's dead."

"Dead?" Curiosity outweighed Cid's sense it was time to stop asking questions now.

"...Yes." Vincent held the wing tightly, gathering up his courage to try and speak. "I've never told this to anyone... I don't know why I'm even telling you about this.."

"Cuz yer lonely." Cid reached down and snatched the pale, soft hand in his. Pink tinted the pale cheeks as he slowly laced their fingers. Strong, warm. Just like him.. just like Sephiroth...

"I am.." Vincent laughed in spite of himself, "I am very lonely.. I tire of all these wedding games the elders try to play with me.. it is not what I want with my life." he paused to cast a beautiful smile skyward. "He was part of a SOLDIER regime that was on their way to the mountains to train. We'd met up there and we talked... he was amazing, I'd never met anyone like him before..."

"What was his name.?" Cid tenderly brushed the other's hand.

"Sephiroth..." Vincent held the wing close. "He'd given me this porcelain figure of a demon the night we first began dating but on the way home it broke. I kept the broken wing in my pocket and I just kept forgetting to fix the statue. In time we just decided it was better that way, I thought of him everytime I looked at it. Then..." his head lowered looking down at the broken wing in his hand. "He... Father.. found out. He took me and beat me when he found us together, infuriating Sephiroth. He tried to kill my father but.. the bullet in his gun was faster than Sephiroth's sword..."

"Vincent.. I'm sorry.." Cid felt horrible for the guy, he really did. Sephiroth was his everything and because he was a man his father killed him. Reaching out he gathered the dark boy into his arms, letting Vincent lament and mourn.

"I-I never.. got to say goodbye.. he.. it's all my fault they killed him!" Vincent wailed into Cid's chest, years of guilt finally spilling forth. Cid just pet and hugged him, offering him the most tender of comforts he could.

They stayed there like that as the night wore on wrapped up in each other's arms. Cid was the knight, the brave warrior guarding over his delicate, broken princess. Vincent had finally wept himself into silence, unable to summon up any more tears. He felt lighter now, the burdens lifted from his shoulders. Cid was the perfect medicine, the perfect cure. He needed this comfort, this strength. He could have stayed here forever wrapped tightly against the pilot in their backyard watching the moonshine in the shade of the Bronco.

"We shoul' get back inside." Cid helped Vincent to his feet. "Don' want yer old man to have a heart attack."

"I would not complain." Vincent purred, refusing to part from the pilot's strong arms. "Cid.."

"Shh..." Cid drew closer until their mouths just barely pressed together. "I got you Vincent... I got you.." Vincent hesitated then slowly responded to the kiss, keeping it chaste and innocent before pulling away. He would not give his father the pleasure of ever hurting anyone else he adored. The two hurried into the house, Cid setting down his toolbox and lantern off to the side before ducking into his room. Vincent stole back over to the couch and pulled the blankets up over himself tightly. Brushing his lips he couldn't help but smile as he drifted into sweet sanctuary of sleep.

Across the room, feigning rest, Grimoire smirked.

So that is how this was going to be....