40 Mixed: Vincent/Reno
Disclaimer: Nothing you see in this fic belongs to me.
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T.28 – The Damage is Done
Reno had really screwed up this time. Vince could forgive anything but this. He was almost in tears as he held two pieces of red cloth in his hands.
"It's okay Vince, we'll find you a new one just like it," Reno said in a comforting voice, putting a hand on his distraught lover's shoulder, not understanding the full extent of the damage.
"Reno, you don't understand, I can't just replace it! That goes against family tradition," Vincent replied, his voice full of sadness.
"Vince… it's just a cape, it can be re-made," Reno said.
"It's not "just a cape!" It's my cape! The one given to me on my 18th birthday as a symbol of my place in the Valentine family. It's an odd tradition, I know, but it's part of who I am, I can't just let it go," Vincent explained, moving away from Reno, the remains of his cape cradled in his arms. "Your cape is your cape, you can't replace it! You make small repairs but must keep all imperfections as a sign of your achievements. A huge rip created by your boyfriend is NOT a sign of achievement!" With that, Vincent stormed into the bedroom, slamming the door behind him. With a heavy sigh and tears, he placed the destroyed cape in a garment box and placed it on the top shelf of the closet, mourning the loss of his cape.
Reno didn't really understand what was so special about the ratty old cape, it was just cloth and leather, nothing to get so worked up over. Yes, he had accidentally ripped the thing nearly in two, but it could be easily replaced by one just like it… right? With a sigh and a resolve to set things right, Reno went over to the computer he was supposed to use to get some work done at home and pulled up the Internet browser. It was a few weeks before Christmas and he still had a bit of gift-buying to do.
By Christmas Eve, it was clear Vincent was still angry with Reno. No one dared ask why, but they knew it had something to do with Vincent's infamous cape. He usually wore it when the weather got bad and especially when it snowed. In fact, on Christmas he would pin a bit of white, fur trim to the bottom of the cowl, making he look like "a Gothic Santa Clause," as Cid put it. When Vincent showed up to the annual AVALANCHE Christmas party sans cape, everyone was suspicious.
"Maybe he's finally ditched the caped look," Yuffie whispered to Cid, watching Vincent as he gave himself a little shake to remove the last of the snow from his body, a move usually hidden by the cape.
"Yeah? Say anything about it and I bet you'll get the patented 'Vincent Glare 'O Doom'," Cid replied, putting out his cigarette in the ash tray on the table. Tifa had decorated the bar well for the holidays and it would be closed while their party went on.
"Hi Vincent, is Reno coming?" Tifa asked, pouring the gunner a glass of his preferred wine.
"Yes, he said he just needed to pick up a few last-minute things," Vincent replied, nodding his thanks as he took the glass and moved to sit with Cid and Yuffie.
The party was in full swing when Reno finally arrived, a few boxes in his hands. Vincent had brought the bulk of their shared gifts for the group when he came. Reno had wanted to get a few himself for those people he shared a good relationship with. Once passing all but one fairly large box out, he slid onto the couch next to Vincent, kissing his cheek.
"Sorry I'm late, you," he said. Vincent made a noise of acknowledgement; he was in a slightly better mood than the past few weeks. "I got ya something special." Reno placed the large box into Vincent's lap, watching the man's quizzical expression. Slowly, he tore off the green wrapping paper, removed the lid of the box, and moved aside the tissue paper covering something. His eyes went wide as he saw what it was.
"Reno…" he began, his voice quiet.
"Now, before you get angry, let me explain. I did some searching and was able to find the tailors who created all of your family's original capes. The company's still around, so I took your old one to them and asked what they could do. The cowl is the same one, seeing as it wasn't damaged; the actual cape part is new but has been painstakingly aged and weathered to look exactly like your old one… without the large rip of course," Reno explained. Vincent looked as though he was about to cry, but pulled Reno into a kiss instead.
"This is the best gift you could ever have gotten me," he said, smiling.
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A/N: Happy Holidays, whichever you choose to celebrate at this time of year! And I do apologize for a severe lack of updates. My life has been really busy lately and I just got a job at a local fabric store. I haven't really had the time nor motivation to sit down a write. I will try harder in the new year to work on stuff.