Vincent seemed a tad more stand-offish than usual. Then again, it was to be expected. The man had just declared one of his deepest secrets to Cid. It'd be a miracle if he wasn't, but at least he didn't try to run off anymore.
After a good while of epically failing to get Vincent to at least smile, Cid resigned to work on some things out back, in his shed. He had to admit that this staying awake thing was a lot harder than he thought. It'd only been a week, and he was already about to collapse. He knew that Chaos hightened Vincent's stamina, and thought maybe that was the only reason the gunner could stay awake for so long. Cid laughed slightly at the irony, then cursed his own stupidity as a rawhide hammer slammed down onto his thumb. It didn't hurt too much, but enough to make him kick over a nearby table.
A few hours later Cid considered heading back inside, to check on Vincent, when he felt eyes on the back of his neck. His gaze shifted slightly, catching the small flash of red, and smiled. Y'know, Vince. Ya don't gotta hide from me." He turned back to him, smiling. "This place ain't off limits."
"Huh?" Vincent stared into the small room, from his position behind the door. How did he know he was there? Damn, he really was getting sloppy. The door opened further, allowing him to walk inside. Vincent's arms gently wrapped around himself, as if trying to shake off a chill. "You were out here for a while. I was just curious as to where you'd gone."
Cid's grin broadened. Aww, did he miss him? "Yea, sorry. I kinda get sucked into this stuff, when I'm working. I didn't worry you, did I?"
For some unknown reason, the comment made Vincent's face flush. "Should I have been?
"Well." Cid shifted around in the seat, holding out his thumb. "I did hit my thumb."
"Aw, I'm sorry."
Cid's chuckled, holding the slightly reddened appendage higher. "You wanna kiss it, and make it feel better?"
Vincent's gaze shifted nervously. "Not at the moment." He glanced past Cid at the silver contraption he was tinkering with. "I see you got it back."
"Yup." Cid spun back to the ground plane. "I was finally able to drag this damn thing back, but I'm kinda glad you're here. I need your help with something."
He started with hearing this. "My help? But I don't know anything about this kind of work."
"You don't have to, just come here." Cid slid out of the chair, settling on the ground next to it. "Come on."
Vincent stepped closer, still a bit unsure of how he could help. "What do you need me to do?"
"I need to open this compartment here, but it keeps shifting when I try to loosen the bolts. I just need you to hold it steady."
"Oh. Ok?" He knelt down, grabbing the panel Cid had indicated. "Like this?"
"Sorta." Cid grabbed the gunman's wrists, moving the attaching hands to hold it more efficiently. "Right there. Hold tight, now. This thing's stubborn." He grabbed a torque wrench, settling it underneith on one of the nuts, and tried to twist it off.
He was right. The meal plate shifted quite a bit under Vincent's grip. It was a good thing too. If he didn't have to focus so much on holding it, the closeness of the pilot may've affected him… more than it did, at least.
"Ha." Cid cried in triumph, as the last nut came loose. He screwed it off, laying it on the table. "Alright." Vincent removed his hands, letting Cid grab the panel, and pull it off. A small wave of oil escaped the new hole, causing Vincent's eyes to widen at the sight of it. "Is something wrong with it?"
"Yea. Cid shifted himself to get a better look, rubbing at an itch on his nose. "There's a oil leak. Nothin I can't take care of though." He reached in, unscrewing something else, before pulling out a small piece of silverish tubing. "There ya are." He held it up for Vincent to see the crack. "See, right there. All I gotta do is replace this, and it'll be good as new… what're you staring at?"
Vincent's cheeks reddened, hiding the bemused smile, threatening his lips. "Am I staring?"
"Yea, ya are. I got somethin on my face?"
"Well, actually…. Yea, you do." He touched his own cheek. "Just right there."
"Huh?" Cid whiped his face, making the oil spot worse. He looked at his hand. "Oh."
He looked up at the sparking eyes, the hands still hiding the giggles the movement began to encite.
Cid smiled. Finally. "Yea, well, you don't see me laughin at you about it."
Vincent removed his hands. "What?" He touched his face, trying to find it. "I do?"
"Yea."
"Where?"
Cid grinned, smearing oil onto the clean skin. "Right there."
"Hey." Vincent swatted the arm away. Cid's heart melted at the smile the motion brough to his beloved's face. He set the pipe aside, touching his nose. "And there."
"Stop it."
"Damn, Vince. Even I'm not that bad."
"Oh, shut up."
"Oh, look at that. You even got some in your hair."
"Alright, not the hair." Vincent pushed him, unaware that the movements would cause him to fall flat on him back.
In the midst of relishing in the fact that he had not only gotten Vincent to smile, but laugh, Cid followed him. He fell over the gunman, both still laughing. That is until they realized their position.
The moment Cid met the gunman's gaze, the smile fading from both of their lips. "Vince?" He inquired, not wanting it to end.
"Yea, Cid?" His human hand came up, to grab Cid's wrist, which was lying next to his head.
It was killing him. He was so close. The only obsticle standing in his way was Chaos. Vincent was almost his, but that damn demon kept bringing the fear back into his heart. Pushing Vincent so far out of Cid's reach. "Is this alright?"
Vincent sighed, tears tainting the corner of his eyes. "I wish it was, Cid. I truly wish it was."
Cid hung his head, beginning to push himself up. "So do I, Vince."
They both sat up, twitching with the silence that followed. Finally Cid was the first to speak. "Er… uh, Vince?"
"Yes, Cid." He responded, still not able to look at him.
"Now, uh… don't take this the wrong way, but I've been thinking about some of the problems you're having with Chaos."
Vincent glanced over at him, a bit nervous for the fact that the pilot was blushing.
"And if you need ta… y'know… re-re-relieve yourself." His face darkened. "You can um." He scratched the back of his head, trying to will those eyes off of him. "You can… u-use me."
"What?"
Cid finally turned back to Vincent, afraid of what he must be thinking. "I know this sounds bad, but I don't mean it like that. Well… maybe a bit, but I just want you to know that you can uh, help… with…." He dropped his head into his hands. "Ah hell, I don't even know what I mean. Forget I said anything."
Vincent contemplated the words for a while, then smiled. Cid usually said really weird things, that used to make him angry. (At times he does, but still.) He had to learn to look past what he was saying, and try to desifer the meaning. While Chaos howled in his head, to take him up on the offer, now, Vincent just smiled, kissing the pilot lightly on the cheek. "Thank you, Cid."
Cid looked up dumbfounded, watching Vincent as he left. "Uh, sure. You're welcome, Vince." He sat on the ground, running a hand through his hair. Whoa, he got it? Incredible.
"Cid, come out here."
"Huh." Cid jumped up, with hearing Vincent call him, and darted out. "What's up?"
"Look." Vincent pointed down towards Kiwi, who was crouching next to a large off-white egg… which was shaking slightly.
Cid yelped, running over. "It's hatching, what do we do?"
Vincent and Kiwi both stared at the pilot, trying to resist the urge to roll their eyes. "We let it hatch, Cid."
"Oh. Well, do we have to do something to help it? Do I have to catch?"
Vincent knelt down next to him, and the egg. "Tell ya what, Cid. Why don't you go get a blanket, or something? Maybe build the little thing a crib."
"Sure, right." He jumped up, darting inside.
xXx
Cid ran back out, carrying a blanket and a little wooden box with rockers.
"(Omg, he actually built it.)"
"Where's Kiwi?"
"She probably ran off to get food. Just sit down."
"Ok." Cid was kinda nervous, and at the same time excited. He' d never seen a birth before. Ok it wasn't a literal 'birth', in a sense, but it was still pretty exciting.
"I was kidding about the crib, Cid."
"Oh." Cid glanced down at the little wooden contraption, as he flopped down onto the grass. "Well, couldn't hurt, right?"
"I suppose."
Cid proceeded to put the blanket in the crib, when Vincent grabbed his hand. "Just wrap it around the egg. It wouldn't be a good idea to move it right now."
"Oh. Kay." He situated the thick blanket around the twitching egg, when a piece of it cracked. Cid's eyes widened to the size of golf balls, and he screamed. "I broke it!"
"Cid? Stop it."
Cid started blushing. "Sorry. I never seen an egg hatch before."
"Neither have I, but just calm down. All we have to do is watch and keep it safe."
"Ok."
Cid's excitement continued as the small bird began to emerge even more, slowly but surely. Even Vincent had to admit that this was quite a sight, and he was getting a bit excited to see it hatch.
At one point, the pushing stopped, and Cid started to get worried. "Is it ok?"
"I think it's tired. The poor thing's been cooped up in an egg his whole life.
Cid layed down on the grass, to get a better look. "Guess that makes sense, but where's Kiwi?"
"Must still be getting her Chickobo some food."
Cid looked into the hole of the egg, which was at least big enough for him to see into. "It's all wet and gooey in there. Ohmygod I see it!"
"Really?" Vincent leaned over to try and see inside the hole. "Oh, wow. Look at it. It looks so uncomfortable."
"Wark."
They both looked up to see mommy had returned. She nestled in next to the egg, nudging the blanket's around it, and pecking softly at the thick shell.
Cid smiled, stroking her head.
The little egg, ok it was big as far as eggs go, started shuffling again, possiby sensing it's mother. A tiny beak poked out of the hole and 'waked' in a far higher pitch than the larger bird. It bit some at the surrounding shell, a small foot soon poking out of it, to push the hole bigger. Cid leaned in closer. "Look at the little foot." A large chunk fell off, letting another leg fall out. "It's gotta butt."
Vincent couldn't help but laugh at the pilot's enthusiasm.
Kiwi nudged the baby tail, working away some more of the shell. The rest of it finally flopped out, waking in panic. The little wet grey body rolled around, trying to get its waggling claws under it.
Cid grabbed Vincent's arm, asking if he was seeing it too. Vincent just shook hs head, a hand reaching out to nudge it upright.
"Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww."
Kiwi glanced up at Vincent, nuzzling the small chickobo with her beak. It nestled into her, trying to open it's eyes.
Cid was never one to really go on about how cute something was, but this little thing was his grandbaby. "It's so ugly, it's adorable. Why's it look like that, Vince? All fuzzy and grey? Why doesn't it have feather?"
"Cid, those are feathers. They're called down and they're just there to keep the chickobo warm and safe. It's cold out here for it."
Kiwi was busy cleaning out the small ball of fuzz, covering her baby with her wing. Vincent smiled, the love of a mother was absolute, even in the animal kingdom, and was truly a good thing to see.
xXx
The chickobo grew fast over the next few weeks, and was also starting to explore the premesis. It was a very curious little thing. Cid often had to pull the fuzzy ball from all kinds of crevises around the house. Something else that was rather sweet, but at the same time very annoying, is that the little ball seemed to adore Vincent.
The gunman didn't appreciate the affection, as it followed him almost everywhere, always crawling up into his lap any time he sat down. Kiwi didn't seem to like it either, and was quite jealous for the attention she felt she rightfully deserved. Cid thought it was adorable.
And it actually used the crib. He was very pleased with that one.
At some point the soft feathers started to fall away, growing out with slightly darker ones.
"It's black." Cid exclaimed, examining the feathers of the protesting chickobo, trying to reach his self designated 'mommy'. "But Kiwi's yellow. Does it take after it's daddy?"
"Not sure." Vincent stepped closer, peeking at the feathers. It waked with his approach, reaching out for him. "What sex is it?"
"Erm." Cid checked, enciting most protests from the small bird. "I don't see nothin, so I'm guessing it's a girl." We looked at the little birds face, grinning. "You still need a name, little one. Here, Vince." He held the chickobo out to him, and it seemed grateful for the geasture. "You can name her."
Vincent recoiled, at the thought. "Why me?"
"She likes ya."
"Yea, but." The tiny bird was finally able to weasel out of Cid's grip, and Vincent caught her, before she hit the ground. The chickobo nuzzled into his arms, finally quieting down. "Ugh. She's like a little puppy."
"S'okey. Kiwi is too. Maybe it's a bird thing."
"I highly doubt that." Vincent held the tiny ball of fuzz out, hearing it protest again. "How bout lil pest?"
Cid scoffed. "Oh, come on. Give her a real name."
"I don't know anything about naming things, Cid."
"Just give it a shot."
Vincent sighed, pulling back in the squaking bird, to quiet it down. "Kiwi jr?"
Cid laughed. "Girls can't be jrs."
"Sure they can. I've seen girls named after their mother before."
"Well what was your mom's name?"
"Lu-lu."
"Aww."
"Oh hush."
"What? No. That's a perfect name for her. If you don't mind callin her that."
"Ya, think?" Vincent sat down on the grass. (Oh yea, they're outside.)
"Yea. Doesn't she looked like a Lu-lu?" Cid kneeled down, settling next to him. "I think she does." He rubbed the soft feathers on her head.
"Hmm. I don't know." Vincent was slowly started to melt for the small nuscience. "Maybe I should name her Sid."
"What? Cid's not a girl's name."
"It can be. I knew a girl a long time ago named Sid. It was spelled with an S."
Cid didn't quite seem too thrilled about the idea. "But why the hell would ya wanna name her that?"
"Because she drives me nuts, but I can't help to find her adorable."
Cid's face reddened from his words, but Vincent just smiled at him. "How bout it, girl." Vincent rubbed the little bird's soft belly. "You like the name, Sid?"
The chickobo just stared up at him, it's little blueish-grey eyes glittering, then she cocked her head to the side. "Wak?"
"Is that a yes or a no?"
"I think it's a no." Cid huffed, as Kiwi walked over, flopping her head down in his lap. "Hey girl." He scratched the feathers behind her ear.
Vincent looked down at the golden bird, eyeing him from where her head was nestled in the pilot's lap.
He just shrugged. "Sorry. Do you wanna name her?" The gunman tried to hold the chickobo out to her mother, but she waked in protest again, scurrying back up his arm.
She growled, turning over, and stared back at the house. Cid just laughed, scratching her head again. "Poor thing."
"Hmm?" Vincent rubbed the tiny head, and she closed her eyes, vastly enjoying the feeling. "How bout Keri?"
Cid looked over at him. "Keri? Where'd that come from?"
Vincent shrugged. "I dunno. I used to have a black lab named Keri. She's kinda reminding me of her."
"Hmm. That works." She rubbed her head. As much as she didn't want him touching her, she still liked it. "She kinda looks like a Keri. See… you can name things."
Vincent cocked an eyebrow at him. "My dad named my dog, Cid."
"So? You named the chickobo. So there."
"Yea, but." He sighed. "Forget it."
--
AN: OMG i love writing Chocobo's. kiwi just makes me so happy when i write her, and now she gotta baby *hug*
yes i'm aware that Cid says "There's a oil leak" at one point.... i wrote it by accident, then realized that Cid actually said that in my head... so there XP i also meant for the Chickobo to say 'wak' instead of 'wark'
