11
Magic
Vincent's eyes drifted open slowly, and for a moment, sleep-induced amnesia left him in sweet oblivion. It wasn't common for Vincent to wake up slowly. Still, he had the presence of mind to appreciate it and let things come back slowly. He'd spent the afternoon before sipping tea with Cid, a quiet peaceful stretch of time that had left him relaxed and easy. Cid had never told Vincent what had been bothering, but did seem to come around, and so Vincent left it alone, not wanting stir up old ashes. He'd also decided not to worry about it. Cid was a very strong, determined person. He could take care of himself without Vincent's interference.
Vincent came around a little more, letting crimson eyes focus on the shadowy ceiling above him. Everything was quiet onboard the Highwind, the morning still new. Under a hushed blanket of snow, Vincent couldn't hear anything except his own steady heartbeat and breathing. Still, it felt like even the metal of the airship itself was breathing steadily, still asleep under white pillows.
A grin crossed Vincent's face.
Somewhere down the hall, he knew, Cid was sprawled across the entire expanse of his bed, snoring loudly and probably drooling in his sleep, tangled up from an active night of Highwind sleep.
But here, all was quiet. Vincent didn't move, not wanting to disturb the silence around him, simply let his eyes wander. They reached his door, and the bar of golden-red light coming in from under it, from the ever-shining Christmas lights in the hallway.
Christmas... Vincent smiled softly.
Today. Today was Christmas Eve.
Vincent sat up, taking a deep breath, feeling childishly excited. In the years since he'd been awoken by AVALANCHE, Vincent had avoided the holidays, especially Christmas. He'd always viewed such merry occasions as a time for friends and family to get together and celebrate joy for its own sake, and he himself had never had either. If Vincent woke up on a hushed morning like today, and realized it was Christmas Eve, he usually went down into the basement of the ShinRa Mansion, where he'd moved in, and lock himself back in his coffin for a few days, not to come out until life had settled back down to its normal shades of gray in the town of Nibelheim.
But not this year. Vincent rose, wrapping a blanket about himself, not so much because he was cold, though the air was a tad frosty, but for the comfort and the nostalgia of it. The only thing warmer and more relaxing than being wrapped up in your favorite blanket was the arms of a lover. Vincent didn't have a lover, though he wished for one, and so, he settled for the blanket. Moving about his room slowly, Vincent cleaned up for the day, perhaps taking extra care as he did so.
A short while later, Vincent smiled as he looked down at himself. /This/ would shock Barret. He was dressed far more loosely than he had in years, foregoing the cloak and boots for bare feet, black slacks, and a red turtleneck. Yes, still his colors. He left his hair down, letting it hang loosely about his face and shoulders instead of tying it back with that same tattered old headband he'd used for years. Smiling a moment, he wandered out into the rest of the ship, headed for the lounge.
The lounge was like a universal living room for the ship, large enough to be comfortable for the crew and or any passengers that may be aboard the Highwind, but it was decorated in a homely taste, with several couches, recliners, a TV and coffee tables. And now, a shining Christmas tree and lights. Someone had put a Santa hat on the TV, Vincent noticed.
Marlene sat on the carpeted floor at the base of the Christmas tree, gazing up at it longingly. In her early teens now, she was old enough to know better than to believe in Santa Clause, but still young enough to be excited by Christmas in the way that all children were. Turning, she smiled as Vincent entered.
"You let your hair down." She says by way of greeting. Vincent smiles at the girl.
"Yes. I thought I would change my looks a little today. This is my first Christmas in almost forty years." He informed her. Marlene's face lit up.
"Well good for you!" She then heaved a heavy sigh. "I can't wait!" She complained, looking longingly again both at the tree itself, and under it to the heap of presents. Vincent laughed a little.
"Well, what time is it?" He asked
"A little after ten, why?" She replied, turning large fawn eyes up on him.
"Have you eaten breakfast?" He presses. Marlene nods, and Vincent smiles, stepping up to the tree and utilizing his height to take a candy cane hanging from one of the ornament-laden boughs, and passes it down to Marlene. "Maybe this will hold you over for a while?" Her face lights up, and she jumps to her feet, hugging him around the waist. Vincent laughs, a little startled by the girls comfort with him -he'd always thought he scared her, just like everyone else, it seemed. "Just don't tell on me, alright?" He jokes, moving away. Marlene giggles, already unwrapping the sweet, and nodding in agreement. Vincent glances around to the otherwise empty room.
"Where is everyone?" He asks after a moment. Marlene, munching happily, shrugs.
"Still asleep or already out, I guess." She pauses as Vincent nods. "Cid's in the kitchens though." He adds, smiling to herself.
Vincent blinks. Uh..."Thank you." Marlene smiles up at him as she sits back down in front of the tree, the candy cane hanging idly from her mouth, and goes back to her contemplation of the wrapped packages. Vincent wanders out of the lounge, deciding that he might as well go say hello to Cid.
Cid was indeed in the kitchens, though not eating, or yelling at the cooks as Vincent would have guessed.
He stood, an electric mixer in one hand, sleeves rolled up, dressed in jeans and a green sweater, which were protected by a white chef's apron. He was standing over a very large mixing bowl filled with some white frothy substance that smelt /very/ good. Cid looked up as Vincent entered the kitchen, and grinned.
"Mornin', Vin!" He cheered, grinning brightly. He raised the mixer, dripping with cream, in a sort of salute. Vincent wandered up to stand across the counter from him.
"What're you doing, Cid?" He asked curiously, looking down into the giant bowl, which was very nearly overflowing. Cid grinned again.
"Makin' eggnog!" He declared happily. Vincent gave the pilot a dubious look. Cid laughed. "Don't worry. I ain't much of a cook, but I know how at make a damn fine 'nog!" Vincent laughed. "Its my dad's old recipe," Cid explained. "Worked on perfecting it for fucking years! I remember when I was a kid... Got a taste every now 'n then, but not much-" He gave Vincent a devious smile. "This shit burns."
Vincent rolled his eyes.
"Which is why," Cid went on, his smile softening, "I made a non-alcoholic batch too." Vincent smiled a little at this. He'd never expected Cid to be so thoughtful.
"How long have you been up?" He asked in awe.
"Three hours." Cid shot him a grin. "You overslept, pal." He added, smirking. Vincent threw a hand towel that had been resting near him on the counter, right at Cid's head. The pilot ducked, but just barely. "Hey! Watchit there, gunman!" Cid teased, shaking a spoon at him. Vincent gave him a smirk.
"The apron suits you, Chief." He said after a moment, winking.
Cid nearly dropped his spoon at the wink Vincent had given him, heart fluttering.
"Aaw, shut the fuck up." He snarled, rolling his eyes. Vincent laughed lightly, watching as Cid went about the kitchen area, cleaning up. He went into a cabinet, which Vincent could see was just /stacked/ with porcelain dishes, and pulled out a small mug. "Hey, want a sample?" He asks over his shoulder at Vincent, who shrugs.
"Sure. Just a little though."
"Yeah." Cid agreed, coming back with two cups. "Gotta go slow with this shit." He grinned, lading a half a mug's worth of freshly made eggnog into each mug, and handing one to Vincent.
Vincent sipped carefully, heeding Cid's repeated warnings about the alcoholic content of the drink. It was wonderful, sweet, thick, and indeed very harsh. He wondered how many gallons of top brandy the pilot had used in the mix. He smiled, taking a second sip.
"Well?" Cid pressed, watching Vincent's expression eagerly. When Vincent smiled, and took a longer sip, Cid's heart just about flew out of his chest. If Vincent approved, he didn't five a flying shit what everyone else thought, though he took pride in what he'd done.
"This is wonderful, Cid." Vincent said, turning his rich crimson eyes on the other man. Cid grinned.
"Well, good!" He finished his own mug, and washed both their cups, replacing them. "I'm gunna let it sit all day so we can celebrate tonight and tomorrow." He added, covering the bowl and lugging it over to a large refrigerator.
Cid finished his cleanup, and took the apron off, folding it and sticking it back in a drawer. Vincent felt his heart leap as he noticed that both Cid's jeans and sweater fit him quite snugly, exposing every chiseled edge of his chest and legs. He looked good. /Very/ good.
In that moment, Vincent knew that he'd best stick to the virgin eggnog tonight, or he might find himself doing things he would regret in the morning, when the alcohol would otherwise be wearing off.
He smiled to himself as he followed Cid out, not bothering to try and keep his eyes off the slightly shorter man. Merry Christmas.
Evening came along with a huge meal, and warm smiles from all. It wasn't common for the whole of AVALANCHE to be in a unanimously good mood, but apparently warm food and a glittering Christmas tree in the next room did the trick.
Vincent sat quietly, simply listening to the banter bouncing across the dining table, smiling softly, and occasionally flashing a grin at Cid. Cid would always smile back, blue eyes glittering with excitement, their brilliant pale blue shining like spotlights against the richer color of his sweater. No one else seemed to notice the brief exchanges, except for Marlene, who had placed herself between her father and Vincent, and occasionally smiled up at the ex-Turk with knowing eyes. Vincent had been puzzled by this, but decided that if she was on to him as he thought she was, then she apparently didn't have a problem with it, because otherwise she wouldn't be shooting him those little smiles all the time...
Vincent remained lightly introspective through the entirety of dinner, but his mood remained light, perhaps simply because of the dazzling grins that Cid kept throwing his way. He hadn't seen Cid that openly happy in a long time, and it left Vincent feeling extremely light hearted.
By the time the three apple pies they'd been given for dessert were devoured, everyone had mellowed, and a slow migration to the lounge was made.
Vincent was mildly confused. He wasn't used to celebrating on Christmas Eve, and he felt suddenly old fashioned.
Until Cid marched up and popped that Santa hat that had been on the TV over his head. Vincent yelped, batting at the fluffy white ball at the end of the cap, and went to yank it off, but Cid held it down, hands pressed against the sides of his head, and Vincent eventually gave up. Cid's chest had been pressed against his back, and Vincent didn't think the fabric of his slacks was heavy enough to hide the results if that warm feeling in his shoulders and chest decided to travel lower.
Cid had been very happy to find Vincent fighting off the Santa hat. It had given him an excuse to press close to Vincent, the warm, almost bony figure tight under him. Still, Vincent had relented to his harassment, and Cid was forced to move away as was expected of him.
So here Vincent was, sitting on a couch with Reeve, looking mildly irritated, but still smiling, with the red stocking cap hanging in his eyes. Cid sat across the small circle around the tree from Vincent, lounging in his own favorite easy chair.
Marlene, now dressed in a velvet green dress with red lace and bows, and a Santa hat of her own, gladly took on the job of patiently passing out presents to everyone, one by one. Cid sat back in his chair, watching, knowing that there would not be anything for him there. When he returned home to Rocket Town, there would be perhaps a few things from his buddies, and Shera and her family, but here was not his place for such things.
Vincent sat likewise, quiet, and smiling as someone presented Cloud with a large fuzzy sweater that didn't suit the fighter at all. Vincent tried to hide a smirk as Cloud did his very best not to make a face. Tifa was blushing hotly, and Vincent suspected he knew where the sweater had come from.
Somebody gave Yuffie a new materia bangle, Tifa an array of facial creams. Reeve seemed incredibly confused when Yuffie presented a large stuffed mog to him, though everyone else seemed to get the sentiment. Marlene was so surrounded by boxes that she could barely be seen, sitting on the floor in the midst of them. She was beaming happily. Barret got polish for his gun arm, and a "#1 Dad" pendant and chain from Marlene.
Cloud let out a cry and Barret swore, covering Marlene's eyes, as the blond received something else X-rated that Vincent didn't quite catch. Cid was laughing his ass off from across the room. Vincent noted to himself that he'd best ask what he'd missed, later.
Marlene, still wading through a sea of empty boxes and crumpled paper, reached the large teddy bear, and picked it up, stealing a hug before carrying it over to Vincent, and setting it neatly in his lap.
Vincent's eyes widened slightly as he held the plush toy carefully in his hands. At first he was confused, but the more he held the thing, the more he liked it, and a small smile slowly dawned on his face. Round, glassy blue eyes stared up at him from a sea of honey colored fur, and Vincent couldn't help but be reminded of Cid. He looked around, hoping to figure out who'd left it for him.
"Well, you know who its from?" Tifa asked as Vincent looked around. Vincent shook his head sadly.
"No, I don't. But I'd like to." He hinted. No one spoke up, and eventually, Vincent gave up, sitting back with the bear settled in the couch beside him, one arm around it loosely. "Well...thank you..." He said vaguely, still looking around.
Cid, looking for an escape from Vincent's wide, searching eyes, and noting that he didn't see anything else under the tree, stood.
"Well, I'm gunna go bring out the 'nogg!" He announced, picking his way towards the nearest exit. "Who wants a mug?" Most hands were raised. Cid turned to Barret. "Made a batch without any alcohol too if Marlene wants some." He added. Barret blinked, surprised, then smiled.
"Dun see why not. Yo wan' some, honey?" He said, turning to the girl on the floor at his feet. Marlene's eyes brightened with excitement, and she nodded. Cid glanced at Vincent.
"You too Vin?" Vincent's head snapped up, and he blinked.
"Uh. Sure." He graced a small smile for Cid, and the pilot hurried out.
Only after Cid was gone did Vincent realize that Cid hadn't received his present. He felt some conflict over whether or not to say anything. Tifa, who was crawling around bunching up and folding discarded wrappings, noticed before he lost his nerve, however.
"Oh!" Heads snapped around at the woman's outcry.
"What?" Cloud asked, leaning foreword.
"We missed one!" Casting the crumpled paper in her hand aside, she crouched low, reaching back and carefully pulling the long, carefully wrapped parcel out from against the wall.
"Who's it for?" Marlene asked hopefully. Tifa fumbled with the tag lightly for a moment, then blinked, startled.
"Its for Cid." She looked up, glancing around. "it's a good thing he's coming back, I guess..." She said. She'd more or less forgiven the rough man for his harsh treatment of her, due to his benign and incredibly jovial mood. Looking around again, a little unsure, Tifa finally settled with carefully placing the large package in his chair, and sitting back to wait.
Vincent relaxed back into the couch, idly petting his teddy bear, waiting.
Cid came back in, carefully balancing a tray with eight frothy-topped mugs of eggnog, only to set it down on a table and start handing out mugs. It took him until he took the last of the mugs for himself and went to return to his seat, to notice the large gift waiting for him.
"What the--?" Startled, Cid set his cup down, and, picking up the present, sat down in its place, holding it for a moment. He glanced at the tag idly, confirming his name. Shrugging, Cid began to carefully peel the colorful paper open.
He frowned when he only came to another layer, this time the faded brown butcher paper.
"Uhh huh..." He muttered to himself, not aware of how several eyes were watching him curiously. With one last careful tear, Cid slid the painting out of its confines, resting it on its edge on his lap, where he stopped all movement, eyes wide.
Vincent could see Cid's eyes moving across the painting, several times, taking in every detail of it. He also saw the change in Cid, how his throat tightened as he swallowed, his eyes misting.
"...Cid?" Reeve asked from beside Vincent. He'd caught the change too -everyone had. "...What is it?" He went on when Cid looked up, blinking away the mist. Slowly, he turned the painting around so that everyone could see. He was cradling it carefully in both hands and his lap.
"Oh, wow..." Yuffie breathed, Tifa nodding in agreement.
"Who's it from?" Marlene asked abruptly. Cid blinked, and checked the tag again.
He smiled.
Swallowing, Vincent took the moment of distraction as Cid looked, and everyone else watched Cid, to slip out of the room quietly. Only Reeve glanced at him in surprise.
"It doesn't say," Cid said just as Vincent was reaching the doorway. He risked looking back, and Cid caught his eye. "But the handwriting is unmistakable."
Vincent's eyes widened and he darted around the corner. No one else saw his escape besides Cid, who was quickly choking up.
"Who--?" Tifa began, but Cid shook his head, eyes watering, and she cut herself off, startled.
"I...need to go hang this up." He said lamely, hurrying out of the room.
Vincent hurried down the hallway, headed for his room, heart pounding. Cid wasn't supposed to know...It was just something nice, not... He shook his head, trying to clear it, and increased his pace as he saw his own door down the hall.
He skidded to a halt as Cid came around the other corner, striding right at him. Vincent paused, startled, and almost turned and ran.
"Vin, wait," Cid said softly. Vincent froze as Cid hurried up to him. "Hey...." He went on softly, seeming to struggle for a moment. His throat worked, trying to clear the knots in it. "Thanks." He looked up at Vincent, not bothering to hide the well of tears forming in his eyes, knowing that he had allow sincerity.
"...Do you like it?" Vincent said lamely. Cid smiled, a soft, dreamy smile filled with his happiness and adoration, and nodded. Taking a leap of faith, Cid reached foreword, carefully hugging Vincent.
"Yeah. I love it." He whispered. Vincent stood stunned for a moment, then his shock and fear snapped away as Cid's arms around him slammed into sharp reality. He firmly returned the hug, letting his chin drop to Cid's shoulder.
"I hoped you would..." He whispered back. Cid lifted his head to look at Vincent, and felt his heart leap into his throat, pounding excitedly.
Vincent was there, arms still around him, gazing down at him with such an intense look, Cid swore it could stop the world from turning if need be.
"Cid," Vincent said, suddenly deciding that it was now, or never. Cid looked up, though his brain screamed for him not to dare, and Vincent, very carefully, caught him up under the chin with only two slender fingers, turning his face up higher. Vincent smiled softly, eyes locked on Cid's, just before finally dipping his face down to meet Cid's in the gentlest kiss he could muster.
OoO
AN: HAHAHAHA! YOU GOTTA WAIT ANOTHER TWO DAYS TO FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENS! HAHAHAHA!!! (ducks)
I wuv you.
OOH! one of my VALENWIND fics got flamed! lol. I thought it was this one, but I think it was F/A . lol. Someone seemed to think Vinnie and Cid were straight, lol. Hehe. Yeah, they probably are, lol, but I'm having my fun, lol So, if anyone runs into "RichestNecromancer" slap them (probably a 'him' most likely) for me, yeah? lol :)
so yea, my first flame. lol funny, isnt it? lol
