After the Night
Time: Post-epilogue.
Description: Vincent and Reno attempt to "bond" as a favor to their girlfriends.
Red and Black
Vincent looked at Reno. Reno looked at Vincent.
"So, um, you grew up with Zell, right?"
"Yes."
"Zell and I, we met during the Heartless invasion. Helped round up the survivors."
"I know."
"Oh yeah, and that's when I met Yuko. You grew up with her, too, right?"
The dark-haired young man did not even bother to answer this question, choosing instead to stare at the red-head with eyes that clearly expressed his distaste for small talk. Said red-head, who loved talk of all shapes and sizes, scratched his head and squirmed in his seat. The sheer awkwardness of the situation was killing him.
Stupid Cera and her insistence that he befriend this walking ice block. Just because she had hit it off with Luci, suddenly he was expected to get all chummy with the girl's boyfriend. Sure, he liked Luci, too -- she was sweet and polite and laughed at his jokes -- but Reno didn't understand why he had to endure this torture that Cera had called "male bonding" while she and Luci got to go off to the kitchen for some "girl talk".
Clearing his throat, Reno tried again. "Zell told me you were an aide to the President."
"Yes."
"That must have been exciting."
"Not particularly."
And just like that, the conversation died again. The ensuing silence could have made Even shiver and go looking for a sweater.
Vincent looked at Reno. Reno looked at Vincent.
Feminine laughter drifted out from the kitchen, and Reno had to fight the urge to jump up and run to Cera so that he could hide behind her and whimper about the scary man in the other room. Of course, his girlfriend would just laugh and shove him back into the fray … except she wasn't his girlfriend anymore. A small smile worked its way into Reno's lips, and his spirits lifted just slightly at the thought that Cera's finger now sparkled with a perfectly-chosen ring. That's right. She was his fiancée because he loved her. Loved her enough to marry her. Certainly loved her enough to put up with one night of King Moody.
I will get him to say more than two words before the evening ends. I will!
Vincent looked at Reno. Reno looked at Vincent.
But how?
Except for his crimson eyes, everything about the other young man was black. Black hair, black clothes, black boots … black gun holster? Reno took a closer look at the weapon that Vincent had strapped to his side. He had somehow managed to maneuver it so that it slipped between the seat and the armrest as he sat, but that made the butt of the gun stick out a bit, clearly displaying a little red diamond with white characters in the center.
"Is that the new Death Penalty model from A-Line Weapons? Yo, that's not even on the shelves yet!"
Vincent looked at Reno. Reno looked at Vincent's gun.
A bright grin exploded on the red-head's face as he accused, "You stole that from the development building, didn't you?"
Vincent's eyes narrowed dangerously. "I was eliminating Heartless from Midgar," he explained in a low voice, tinged with annoyance. "Obtaining the best available weapon for myself was a prudent course of action."
Reno responded with a loud laugh. "I'm not upset at you, man. I wholeheartedly applaud any attempt to rip off my idiot father." He tilted his head thoughtfully and added, "In fact, I rather wish I had been with you. There are some explosives in there that I'd love to get my hands on."
Vincent snorted, and something resembling a smile appeared momentarily on his face. "Yes, I heard about your fascination with bombs. And how it nearly got Yuko killed."
"That wasn't my fault!" Reno insisted, emphasizing his words by smacking the arm of his chair. "The girl asked a question, and I answered it!"
"So I heard. Do you still have them?"
"Of course."
"Isn't that kind of dangerous?"
"Nah, man," Reno waved his hand and leaned back with a smile, "I put an on/off switch on them. They're much safer now."
Vincent lifted an eyebrow in question. "An on/off switch?"
"Yeah. I'm not just handsome and charming. I'm also brilliant."
"And modest."
"That, too. But enough about me." Leaning forward eagerly, Reno fixed his bright blue eyes on the gun once more. "I want to know more about the DP. Does she reload as smoothly as the marketing department wants us to think? How is her aim? Got any recoil worth mentioning? What's her range?"
Vincent blinked several times under the onslaught of questions before slowly beginning to answer. He explained in technical terms and extreme detail the workings of the experimental gun, and Reno hungrily drank in every word. Vincent's comments sparked new questions, and the conversation between the two of them exploded.
Half an hour later, Cera decided to peek in on them to make sure they were doing all right. She walked in to find her fiancé leaning forward with his elbows on his knees, hands clasped together piteously and whining like a child.
"Pleeeeease? Just for a bit. I won't hurt it, I promise!"
With great reluctance, Vincent passed over his large rifle. "Just keep the safety on," he warned.
"What? You think I'd fire it off in my own apartment?"
"Well--"
"Don't answer that!"
Sighing, Cera turned to Luci, who had come up next to her, and asked, "Vincent likes things that go boom as well?"
Luci laughed. "Does he ever."
Cera shook her dark head and turned to go back to the kitchen. Under her breath, she said, "Tch. Boys."
End
Next chapter:
Proposal: Four little words that can change your life: Will you marry me?