Cid was leaning heavily against the doorjam, almost unable to support himself. His knuckles were raw and bleeding, along with a cut across one eye and another near his other eyebrow, which was hard to see due to the huge black eye that accompanied it. His hair was dirty and had dark red marks in it, and the clothing he had borrowed from Vincent was now completely in tatters, revealing more bruises and bloody cuts. He was trying to keep the weight off his leg, his feet curling enough to show that they were as well cut and raw on the bottom.
"Oh my god!"
Cid's voice was soft and hesitant and frightened, completely different then anything Vincent had ever heard before. "C-can I stay with...with you tonight, Vin...?"
Vincent turned quickly to check if Cloud had awoken and pulled Cid into the room, closing the door behind him. Cid leaned on him heavily, almost unable to support his own weight. Vincent kept his voice to a whisper, making glances at Cloud to see if he was stirring. Fortunately, Cloud was sleeping soundly.
Vincent helped lift Cid to the bed, where he slumped as soon as Vincent removed his supportive hands. Vincent grabbed a nearby cloth and began dabbing at the bleeding cut near Cid's eyebrow, his voice panicked in a whisper. "Oh my god, Highwind, what happened? Tell me what happened!"
"Ow...ow, Vin, that hurts..." Cid tried ineffectively to bat away Vincent's hand but was too weak to do anything about it. Vincent continued to try and clean his face. "Stop..."
"Tell me what happened." Vincent felt near tears. This was his fault, this had to be his fault, if only he had been with him, if only he had protected him, if only he hadn't left him alone, what had he been thinking...
"#$^#in'...jumped by #$%^in' too many...too many for me...$&^$er's..." Cid winced again as Vincent tried to clean some of the dirt of his face, trying to pull away. "%$^#..."
"Oh Highwind, this is terrible, I knew something like this would happen...this is awful..."
"I'll be okay, Vin...I'll be alright..." Cid smiled lopsidedly. "I made it here, so everythin'll be okay...you can help me..."
Vincent felt tears falling from his eyes involuntarily at his words and hugged the beaten young man to him tightly, trying to keep his voice quiet. "Highwind, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, this is all my fault, this is all my fault..."
"#$^$ Vin, could you angst later...I'm in a lot of pain here..."
"Right, right..." Vincent let go and sniffed, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand. "Don't worry, you'll be fine."
Cid smiled again. "That's what I said, wasn't it...?"
"What did they do to you...?" Vincent took hold of Cid's tattered sleeves gently, pulling the shirt off over his head. Cid ducked his head obediantly, his voice muffled by the fabric. Cid's chest wasn't in better condition then the rest of him that Vincent had seen, covered with thick bruises and numerous small abrasions, no doubt from being shoved into the ground, or dragged, or...
"#$^#in' beat th' #$$^ out've me...four of th'#$^#ers...#$^#in' blacked out too, m'#@#@in' luck..."
Vincent studied his grey shirt. It was now torn and bloodied, almost beyond repair. He pushed it underneath some of his other clothes in his drawer, finding another black shirt to replace it. He walked back, finding Cid rocking back and forth, holding his sides with his eyes closed. A feeling of regret and sadness both came over him in the same moment, his heart feeling deep pain at watching Cid trying to hide such anguish.
"Here..." He gently touched Cid's shoulder in an area that hadn't been wounded, causing him to break out of whatever kind of spell he had been under. He threaded Cid's thin hands through the long sleeves, pulling it over his head quietly. Cid kept his eyes mainly closed, apparently trying to deal with something mentally.
"#$^#, 'm sorry your shirt is #$^#ed..." Cid mumbled, moving one of his hands to his head. Vincent's shirt was far too large for Cid and it dwarfed his hands as he rubbed his forehead painfully, the fabric gently scraping over the open wounds. "'M sorry..."
"You don't have to be sorry at all, Highwind, please." Vincent walked back to his dresser, searching through it for something that would cause the least irritation. "This wasn't your fault, this couldn't be your fault, don't blame yourself..."
Vincent walked back carrying some black cotton pants, the bottom part of some pair of pajamas that he wasn't sure where the other part was. Cid was again rocking back and forth, but he held out his hands as Vincent came close. He must have known that Vincent wanted him to change his tattered jeans...
Vincent stood in front of him, looking down awkwardly. "This should be soft, at least, I think it's the softest thing I own..."
Cid's hands hadn't been searching for the replacement for the jeans, but for Vincent himself. He pulled him close, his dirty and spiked hair scraping against Vincent's shirt, his entire body shaking. He had been trying to be strong, trying to hide how much pain he was truly in, and for a few moments that wall he had constructed broke, and he was frightened. Anger at himself for his weakness and his desire for comfort struggled within him as his mouth simply said whatever came to mind. "#$#^ Vin, y'wouldn't #$^#in' believe the #$#^ they made me say...they said I was...they said I did...#$^#, Vin, through all of it I don't think they #^#%in' knew about the picture...I think I still got it...#$^#ers didn't find it, it saved me..."
Vincent was confused at Cid's sudden show of weakness, but he put his arms around him to reciprocate, not sure of what else to do. He felt awkward, using such physical contact when he was almost positive that was the last thing that Cid wanted, but that couldn't be right, because Cid had reached out to him first...And the picture...Vincent's picture had done nothing, what was he talking about..? "What do you mean?"
"#$^#ers...they didn't think I'd make it back, but they were wrong, #$%^in' wrong...I made it back here, so I'm safe...#$^#ers didn't think of that...#$^#ers thought they got me for good..." Cid was still shaking. "Thought they'd make me #$^#in' stay away, 'cause they said they'd get me again...#$^@ers tried to make me stay away from you but I can't...#$^@ 'em all, I jus' can't...you're th' only one that makes me feel safe...I knew you'd take care of me if I found my way here..."
"Highwind..." Vincent brushed back Cid's hair, rubbing his back with his other hand, trying to keep his voice under control. Cid trusted him so deeply, so completely...why...how...No one he had ever known had trusted him like this...what did that mean? He was touched by the depth of his trust, and confused at the same time. "I'm sorry...I wish I could have been there to help you..."
"#^#% it, Vin..." Cid let go shakily, taking the pants from Vincent as he did so. "You're here #$^$in' now and that's what counts..."
Vincent turned away, thinking about his words while Cid changed, not sure of what to make of them. Cid had made his way through the beatings convinced that Vincent would be there to help him...they had made him promise not to go see him again, amongst other things that he didn't want to ask about, and yet here he was...he could have gone to Reeve, or his own room, or even someone in authority, but he came back here...
Because he made him feel safe...
But why? Why? Vincent didn't understand...what had he done that made Cid trust him so much?
"#$^#...everyone #$^#in' hits me, #$^#ers..." He turned around, assuming Cid was done. He was staring at Vincent quietly, his wounds still bleeding. "You're the only person who wouldn't #$^%in' hit me for bein' stupid now, y'know that?"
"Highwind, that's not true..." Vincent headed for the closet, digging out the box that held the emergency supplies. He pulled out some bandages and antiseptic, heading back. He wondered what Cid meant, but tried to distract himself. "There have to be others..."
"#$^#, Vin, I put you through #$^# and here you are, takin' care of me when you should be sleepin'...#%@%..."
"Highwind, you haven't done anything wrong, to me or to deserve this." Vincent moved Cid's hair out of the way and dabbed at the wound over his eye. "You haven't done anything wrong..."
"Ow, ow!" Cid tried weakly to push Vincent away and failed. "That #^#^in' stings!"
"It's supposed to." Vincent finished quickly and put a bandage over the wound. "I don't understand why you trust me so much to help you like this..."
"Want a list, Vin?" Cid sighed slightly, as if he had already answered the question. "One, you #$^#in' read my stories an' didn't call me a #$$#in' loon. Two, you #$^#in' read my stories PERIOD. Three, you didn't call me a #$^#in' moron when I said I had ADD. Four, you listened to me when I rambled on about stupid #$^#in' #$^#. Five, you think I'm funny. Six, you let me drink. Seven, you didn't #$^#in' spaz when I got drunk. Eight, you let me..." He paused slightly. "You let me #^$#$in' sleep with you. Nine, you #$^#in' helped me in class. Ten, you #^#$in' let me sleep in class..."
"That's enough." Vincent smiled slightly, wiping away some of the dirt that had smeared on Cid's cheek. "I didn't think I'd done that much."
"And finally..." Cid smiled weakly. "You didn't #$^#in' get mad at me, ever."
"Did people always get mad at you?" Vincent put another bandage near Cid's eyebrow. He wasn't sure what posessed him to ask such a stupid question...
"#$^# yeah...I drive people #$^#in' up the #$^#in' wall...you're the only person who hasn't done that..."
"Gone up a wall?" Vincent smiled slightly again, brushing back Cid's bangs. He was surprised that Cid had answered the question so readily...He began working with Cid's scraped knuckles, cleaning and bandaging them as well.
"Ow, that #^#@in' stings like a #$^#in' #^#@%..." Cid mumbled angrily.
"It'll prevent infection, which would hurt a lot more." Vincent bandaged his other hand. He sighed as he surveyed the damage. "We have to tell someone about this, they can't get away with doing this to you..."
"#^#@, don't Vin...that'll jus' get 'em angrier at me an' they might come after you too..." Cid pulled his hands away and put them on Vincent's shoulders. "I don't $^#%in' want this t'happen t'you..."
"But we can't let them get away with this, we just can't..." Vincent ducked down and began cleaning the bottom of Cid's feet. This was difficult considering that Cid's foot twitched whenever he touched it with the antiseptic. "That wouldn't be right..."
"#$^#..." Cid was wincing at the contact. "#$^#, I came back here...so I'm technically #^#ed already...maybe we should tell someone..."
"Of course we should." Vincent wrapped up his foot in bandages, turning to his other one. "Besides, you can't exactly hide the fact that you got beaten up anyway...everyone's going to know tomorrow...we have to tell someone..."
"#$^#, everyone'll see me come out've here tomorrow too. #$%# 'em." Cid winced again as his other foot was bandaged. Vincent stood back up again, quietly dabbing at Cid's arms.
"This shouldn't be too bad, I shouldn't have to bandage these...these just look like scrapes..."
Cid began shaking again, apparently remembering what had happened. Vincent put his hands on his shoulders again. "Are you going to be okay...?"
Cid turned away from him and slid under the covers, curling up to the wall and shivering. "#$^# 'em all, Vin...I #$^#in' hate 'em all..."
His voice was shaky and hurt. Vincent sat down on the bed as well, putting a hand on his shoulder.
"For this...I hate them too."
He changed for bed and headed back, noting that Cid was still shaking when he came back. He moved underneath the covers, not sure of what to do. He didn't want to touch him, considering what he had been through, but he wasn't sure that his words would be enough to help make him feel better...
His quandary was solved when Cid turned towards him, clutching at him desperately in fright. "I'm sorry, Vin...I don't want t'#$^#in' invade your space or somethin'..."
"It's alright, Highwind..." Vincent put an arm around him quietly, brushing back his hair. "I understand. It never bothered me to begin with..."
"#$^# Vin, I can still see their #$^#in' faces laughin' at me..."
"Shh, don't think about it. You're alright now, you're safe." Vincent found that he could believe his own words more then he thought possible. "You'll be okay now."
"#^#@, I'm sorry, Vin...I'm sorry..." Cid was shaking again.
"It's okay, it's okay, shh." Vincent tried to keep his voice soothing. "Shh, it's okay."
"#$^# Vin, I can't leave you now..." Cid's voice was soft and frightened. "I #$^#in' can't, I can't be alone anymore..."
"Don't worry, Highwind..." Vincent rubbed his back softly. "I won't leave you either. I need you as much as you need me."
Vincent looked up at the ceiling for a moment as Cid's breathing slowed. "I honestly need you just as much as you need me..."
It felt like no time had passed since Vincent had fallen asleep when something woke him.
His eyes opened slowly and he looked around the room. It was completly dark, meaning that the sun hadn't risen at least...it couldn't have been that late.
A distressed noise reminded him of why he had awoken, and he looked down slightly, finding only soft blond hair brushing against his face. It was Cid...he was shivering.
"Highwind...?" Vincent whispered softly, raising his claw and touching his shoulder. Cid was clutching Vincent desperatly, pressed against his back, trying to hide somehow from something that was tormenting him. No doubt his experience that night had given him nightmares... "Highwind...wake up..."
Another small whimper came from the blonde has he continued to hold onto him, burying his face into Vincent's shoulder and shaking terribly. Vincent pushed himself up on one elbow, turning and shaking Cid's shoulder. "Wake up, Highwind...you're dreaming..."
At the movement of what he believed was protecting him Cid made a short, loud exclamation of surprise and opened his eyes in panic. Vincent put a hand over his mouth and looked over at Cloud, who fortunately had not been disturbed. "Shh!" Cid was breathing quickly and his eyes darted back and forth wildly, apparently remembering where he was. It took a few seconds, but he eventually quieted and Vincent removed his hand.
"Are you alright? You had a nightmare..."
"$@%@..." Cid held his head, closing his eyes in what seemed to be pain. "#$@^...I thought I stopped havin' those..."
"It's alright...what did you dream about?" Vincent looked at Cid's face. "Or maybe you'd rather not talk about it..."
Cid was silent for a while, then fell back onto the pillow, closing his eyes and breathing a heavy sigh. Vincent lay back down as well, brushing some stray strands of his long black hair from his face.
"#$#&, I'm sorry 'bout this, Vin..." Cid kept his hands close to his chest, his voice soft. "#$^#, I do all this #$^#in' #@$^ to you an' you never say anythin'..."
"It's alright, Highwind." Vincent wrapped his arms around himself, not sure of where else to put them. "You don't have to be sorry for anything..."
In the silence that followed, Vincent remained staring at the ceiling, thinking. Cid remained closed off, keeping to himself, a change that Vincent decided must have come from his nightmare. Cid's even breathing made Vincent almost positive that he was asleep. He sighed himself. Without Cid's body as close to his as it had been before, his heat was disappearing quickly...
He banished the thought from his mind and turned his back to Cid, trying to keep his mind clear.
He drifted off into sleep, somewhat uneasy and cold.
Sunlight woke him up, as it had before. The unexpected warmth on his face made him squint his eyes and try to turn, only to find something blocking his progress.
Cid's head was resting on his neck, his blonde hair intermingling with his black, sleeping quietly. His arm was draped over Vincent, his body curled completely along with his. Apparently during the night he had another change of heart...
The black eye was fading, fortunately, but he still wasn't in good shape. Vincent wasn't sure if he should come with him to class, but he was worried about him...he couldn't miss early classes like this.
He sighed and moved Cid's arm off of him, sitting up and sliding his feet out from underneath the covers. Cid woke blearily, mumbling to himself almost incoherently.
Vincent left the bed to close the blinds, noting on the way that Cloud was already gone. He vaguely wondered where he went, but decided it wasn't really that important.
"Do you think you can go to class today, Highwind...?" Vincent's voice was hesitant and awkward. He didn't really know what to say at the moment...it just felt extremely awkward to him.
"#%@^...don't really got a choice..." Cid's voice came from behind him, and he turned to see Cid slid his own bandaged feet out from underneath the sheets. The bottoms of the bandages were a faint reddish tinge, and Vincent walked over quietly, kneeling. Cid looked down at him.
"That's the thin' I #$^#in' don't understand the most...why the #$^# they #$^# with my feet...I mean, #$^#iin' Christ..."
Vincent turned to the first-aid kit, but found that he had already used most of the bandages. He sighed. "I don't know, Highwind...perhaps they knew how sensitive and important feet are...I don't know."
Vincent stood and walked to where he had left his shoes. He heard the soft sound of feet hitting the carpet of the room, then a sharp hissing. He turned and found Cid sitting on the bed, his feet drawn up near him. He stared at them for a moment, muttering curses under his breath, then turned to Vincent.
"Vin...I don't think I can #$#^in' walk on these..."
Vincent finished putting on his shoes and sighed. "Are you sure?"
Cid nodded. "#$^#in' feels like #$^#in' fire..."
Vincent thought for a moment. They had to go back to Professor Hojo's class...and he didn't want them to be late...but with Cid in this condition...how were they going to make it...?
"We have to go to the nurse...she'll know what to do..." Vincent rubbed the back of his head. Cid sighed and leaned his head on his hands.
"How?"
Vincent thought for a few moments. "I think I have an idea..."
Vincent let Cid open the door, considering that his hands were occupied. He was surprisingly light, considering, which made things easier. Fortunately the nurse's office wasn't that far away, so Vincent wouldn't have to carry him far.
However, the journey there was less then easy.
The strident laugh coming from down the hallway made it painfully clear that they were seen.
"Look! Here comes the bride! HA!"
Cid crossed his arms angrily, but didn't say anything, and Vincent tried not to awknowledge her comments. They turned away from her and continued down the hallway, cruel jabs and taunts following their progress.
Vincent wondered just how many people seemed to be out at this time of day, because it seemed like everyone in the entire college had gathered in their dorm just to stare at them. Cid mumbled to himself the entire time, while Vincent tried to keep himself from blushing in embarassment.
They made it to the Nurse's office with nothing worse then a few angry stares and Scarlet's mockery, fortunately. Once inside, Vincent put Cid down on a chair and stretched, his muscles protesting angrily at being worked so hard so early. Cid continued to mumble incoherently to himself as Vincent turned.
"Hi! What are you guys doing here?" Reeve's large eyes stared into Vincent's own and he jumped backwards in surprise. He hadn't even heard him come up.
Vincent opened his mouth to tell him why, then realized what had happened. He paused momentarily, glancing back at Cid who had his arms crossed sullenly. He looked back at Reeve, who had sobered greatly.
"Oooh. I get it. Did the Weapons getcha?"
"The what?" Vincent looked at Reeve, askingly, who didn't turn to look at him, only focusing his eyes towards him.
"The Weapons, man. Big family of guys, all in the college together. Heard 'em talkin' 'bout beatin' someone up last night for ..." Reeve gestured somewhat awkwardly. "You know, but I didn't think it was you..." He then looked thoughtful. "Although actually now that I think about it, you're the only guys that make sense..."
"Who are the Weapons?" Vincent sat down himself, holding his head. Reeve sat down on the floor, his tail whisking back and forth behind his back.
"There's a bunch of 'em, I can't even remember 'em all...there's Emerald, and Ruby, and Diamond..."
"That's them, those #$^#Ers.." Cid finally spoke up. "Four of 'em...#$#@ 'em all."
"Sucks to be you." Reeve brushed one of his hands over his ears absently. "So you're here to get the royal checkup?"
"Actually, that brings to mind another interesting question." Vincent leaned forward. "Why are YOU here, Reeve?"
The change that came over him was extraordinary as he moved his eyes to the carpet and and pawed at the back of his head. "Um...it's awkward, don't talk like about...wait..."
The pawing turned into a repetitive striking. "That's not right, not right..."
"Nevermind." Vincent leaned back, sighing. "It's okay."
It only took a moment for Reeve to turn back to his outgoing self. "Actually, you guys should go ahead of me, I got all day. You got to go to that freak's class, right?"
Vincent and Cid nodded at the same time, an almost identical look of disgust crossing their faces.
"Does anyone need our assistance?" A male called out from behind a door, and Reeve smiled at them.
"Your call. Go for it!"
"Be careful, Reeve." Vincent turned to Cid and slid his arms back underneath his knees and shoulders, lifting him back up easily and carrying him forward. "I think things are getting more dangerous then we thought."
"Don't worry about me." Reeve smiled confidentally at him. "I can take care of myself. You take care of eachother, alright?" Reeve was back in his previous seat in a flash, looking for all the world that he hadn't been talking to anyone.
"Do you have a problem?" The man asked, leading them to a small room with a table. Vincent put Cid down on top of it and stood awkwardly.
"This is Cid Highwind...I'm Vincent Valentine...um..."
Cid didn't mention his bloodied knuckles, the bruises and wounds on his arms, or the bandages over his eye. All he did was lift his foot and point at it. "My feet hurt like a #$^#in' $@^@^."
The man raised an eyebrow for a second. "...right. Well, how did this happen?"
Cid remained completely silent. Not encouraged by his response, Vincent stayed silent as well. The man sighed and shrugged, unwrapping the covering over Cid's wounds. "Alright...whatever."
"Will he be able to walk?" Vincent finally ventured to speak. Cid kept his arms crossed and remained quiet. The man stared at the wounds for a while, then shrugged, looking through a nearby cabinet until he found a bottle. He pulled a cotton swab from within a drawer, moistening it with the substance inside the bottle.
"I suppose...I wouldn't recommend it..."
When the swab touched Cid's foot he jerked back sharply. "#$^#! What the #$^# is that?!"
The man waited until Cid calmed before speaking. "It's supposed to hurt, alright? It'll sting, then the pain should fade."
Vincent put a hand on his shoulder. "Remember?"
Cid winced for a moment, then shrugged. "Alright, whatever."
Vincent removed his hand and the man resumed putting the medication on Cid's feet, not noticing how Cid's grip on the edge of the table tightened. Vincent stared at him as Cid tried his best not to show any signs of pain, just the hissing between his teeth and the grip he held on the edge of the table.
"There, that should do it."
"Thank $^#@in' god." Cid released the table, his knuckles white, and brushed a hand through his hair. The man rebandaged Cid's wounded feet and marked off something on a clipboard he was carrying.
"I wouldn't walk on those...hold on for a second." He walked out of the room and returned carrying a pair of crutches. Cid stared at them for a few seconds.
"Hold on a #$^#in' second, I'm not #$^#in' mortally injured, it's just my feet..."
The man handed them to Vincent with a resigned sigh. "Try walking on them, Cid."
It only took a few moments on the ground for him to realize how much pain was still present. "Alright, alright..."
The man seemed to regard Vincent as his protector or guardian or something, because he handed him a sheet of paper from his clipboard. "Keep him off his feet and away from strenous activity...he should be fine."
"Al...alright." Vincent nodded awkwardly and handed the crutches to Cid, who snatched them away irritably, muttering to himself. It took a few moments for him for find his balance, but Cid eventually was able to stand.
"Come back if anything serious happens..." The man walked away, apparently heading back to the waiting room for Reeve. Vincent glanced at a clock on the wall.
"We might be able to make it on time..."
"#@#%, I don't got my backpack or anythin'..."
"Neither do I, but I'm sure we can improvise..." Vincent shrugged and began walking, waiting for Cid to follow. "It shouldn't be that bad."
It took quite a few tries until Cid was able to walk at a steady pace, taking longer then both intended. When they had finally made it to class, it was almost as late as it had been when they had gotten there the first day.
"Ready, Vin?"
"I suppose..."
Vincent opened the door. The class instantly quieted at the sight of the two, Prof. Hojo turning from something he had been explaining on the overhead. He noted them with a mixture of amusement and annoyance, then finally settled on amusement. In the awkward silence that followed, the two entered the class, Cid's crutches making painfully loud noises. Both were waiting for the comment that they were sure Hojo would make.
It didn't take long until his cold, calculating voice reached them.
"Late again, I see...rough night, Cid?"
Vincent felt his claw clutching out of his control. Cid refused to look at Hojo, only muttering angrily underneath his breath. "@#@% you."
Vincent wasn't sure if Hojo had heard him or not, but he apparently wasn't finished with them yet. "Did you sustain some kind of...lower back injury?"
There were quiet giggles from within the ranks of the class, and Vincent could see Cid shaking with rage, still unable to say anything.
"We're sorry, Professor." Vincent felt anything if sorry, wishing that he didn't have to prolong the moment any longer then necessary, but he felt that perhaps an apology would make Hojo stop his assault...
"I suppose you are." The cold tone was back into his voice. "Despite whatever activites happen at night, I do expect people to arrive here on time."
Cid's shaking was interfering with his ability to move, and when he turned to head to the back of the room, one of the crutches caught on the step leading upwards. He gave a surprised noise as his support gave out, trying to keep his balance in vain. Vincent was at his side at an instant, catching him and stopping his descent to the floor. The giggles from the rest of the class increased as Vincent looked on the floor for the missing crutch. He could feel Cid trembling through the arm that rested across his shoulder. Turning slightly, he found Hojo standing next to him, holding the crutch in his hands.
"You should be more careful, Cid..." The cruel tone was back in his voice. "Some people don't want you to be hurt."
"Too #$^#in' bad you're not one of 'em, you #^#@..." Cid mumbled almost inaudibly underneath his breath. Vincent took the crutch and gave it back to him. Cid took it angrily, taking a bit more care in making his way to the seat in the back. The whispering and giggling had increased again, and Vincent found himself wishing that he had never left the comfort of his bed and Cid this morning...
He shook his head, wondering for a moment why including Cid had been so automatic, then decided not to think about it.