The next few days passed with very little contact between Cid and Vincent other then sullen glares or soft muttering underneath breath. They avoided each other studiously and, if required, only exchanged a few words.
The passage of time, however, did help soothe the angry feelings that had presided originally and Vincent, by the time the next week had begun, had decided to accept the fact that he was wrong.
As much as he hated to admit it, he almost depended on Cid being there in his life at times. When Vincent had to work or rant or sit silently, he felt better when Cid was with him. Considering the frustration he had with his classes, the lack of Cid's calming influence was becoming evident. Vincent became more depressed and morose, spending a great deal of time in his room moping. Now that he had accepted the fact that he was incorrect--and he was incorrect--he blamed himself entirely for the argument and felt absolutely awful about it. By constantly reprimanding himself for such stupid behavior, he only managed to dig himself deeper into sadness.
Althought he could not help but ask himself what he should have done in that situation. There was still no graceful answer to that.
Either way, Vincent was prepared by the next Monday to finally confront Cid and end the standoff.
Although Vincent had intended to speak with Cid at the beginning of their class, Cid's angry glare put a damper on his confidence. He sat down quietly a seat away from him, noting Cid crossing his arms and turning away.
Vincent just couldn't take this anymore. It was driving him insane. He decided that after class, he would finally break this silence.
Fortunately, Prof. Hojo decided not to torment anyone that day, although there was another cause for concern.
The jester twins, Zorn and Thorn, were missing.
Vincent noted this with worry...for all the times that Vincent had come in late to class, Zorn and Thorn were always present. They had never missed a class in the physical sense of the word, although of late they had been napping discreetly. But for them to simply not be present...it was very peculiar.
Even Prof. Hojo seemed to notice this and perhaps that was why he did not attack anyone that day.
As the class ended, Vincent steeled himself and watched as Cid got up and stalked angrily out of the room, intending to escape before Vincent could see or interact with him.
But not today.
Cid pushed his way out of the building, ignoring the calls behind him.
"Highwind! Highwind, wait. Wait!"
Finally Cid paused on the sidewalk, turning to Vincent with a look of irritated boredom.
"What th' #$^# do you want?"
"Look..." Vincent felt nervous and awkward, his arm automatically drifting to hide behind his back. "I was lying before."
Cid narrowed his eyes at him. "No #$#^."
"But the reason why..." Vincent ran his human hand through his hair, looking off to one side almost for inspiration before returning to Cid's angry glare. People filed around them, treating them as mere obstructions in their course to their next class rather then an oddity to be observed. This was actually rather fortuitous, considering that neither Cid or Vincent wanted a large amount of attention paid to them. "It's because I wouldn't feel comfortable telling you what he said."
Cid was silent, only glaring at him. Vincent struggled to think of something to say.
"He..." Vincent gestured aimlessly with his free hand. "He implied things...I don't really feel comfortable telling you. But I..." Still glaring at him. Vincent had to be doing something wrong. "I know I handled this really badly. I shouldn't have made something up like that."
Cid looked around rapidly, although not for other people, making a few incoherent starts to an indignant sentence before one finally took form. "What the #$^#-? You're just realizing this now?! Jesus $%&#in' Christ Vin, what th' #$^# is wrong with you!?"
Against his wishes, Vincent felt anger rising up in response. Indignation and frustration managed to find their way into his voice despite his efforts. He held his arms out in a questioning manner. "Look, I know I made a bad decision. I admitted I was wrong. What else do you want?!"
Cid glared at him again. "What- I swear-..." Cid buried his hands in his hair for a moment before gathering his words. "The #^#@-? 'Kay, Vin I want this to stop. I want you to stop $%&#in' with me, 'kay? I'm #$^#in' tired of this #$^#. And sayin' you #$^#in' know it doesn't really #^#@in' change things!"
"What do you want me to say?" Thankfully almost everyone had moved on at this point, so Cid and Vincent were left relatively alone on the sidewalk. No one was there to notice the rising sense of desperation in Vincent's voice, coupled with quiet anger. "What do you want?"
"$%&#! $#%# if I know!" Cid threw his hands up in response, his voice matching Vincent's almost exactly, although not intentionally. "I just know that doesn't $%&#in' make it better, okay?!"
"Then what will?"
"How the-..." Cid stopped speaking abruptly, turning off to one side with a confused expression. Vincent followed his movement curiously, wondering what could have stopped the irate blond from continuing his rant.
"Guys!" Reeve's exhausted voice came from a short distance away. The felinoid youth was semi-jogging towards them, pausing in his progress occasionally to shift what he was carrying in his arms.
The childlike figure that Reeve bore towards them was alternately being held against Reeve's chest and splayed across his arms, motionless. The red-checked pattern was a dead giveaway.
"Is that Thorn?"
Their argument entirely forgotten, Cid and Vincent moved to meet up with Reeve halfway as he slowly slid to a stop, panting heavily. He again shifted Thorn's weight as he paused for breath before speaking.
"Yeah." Reeve's ears were backed tightly against his black hair. "It's him. He's heavy-"
Reeve, looking around while he was speaking, finally spotted a nearby bench and headed for it, setting Thorn down in a sitting position before gratefully sinking down himself. His tail twitching nervously, he tried to regain his breath as Cid and Vincent sat down beside him.
"What happened?"
"$#^@, so that's why they weren't in class."
Thorn was now propped upwards by Reeve's shoulder, apparently asleep. His eyes were closed tightly, dark bags painfully visible beneath them, and he was breathing fairly regularly. Reeve, on the other hand, was panicked which was not helping him regain his breath any faster.
"Yeah. I don't know exactly what happened, but-"
Cid was looking over Thorn carefully. "#$%#."
Reeve paused to inhale. "I was at the Nurse's office, you know, and I was just waiting there for my turn. There were a lot of people there because of the whole flu thing that's going around and oh yeah!" Reeve snapped his fingers and pointed at Vincent. "Are you okay? Not sick anymore, are you?"
"I'm fine. What happened?"
"Okay." Another breath. "Well, I was waiting there and the thing is, I'm pretty sure someone saw Zorn and Thorn go in because they were all talking about it. I was kind of listening but not really, but anyway what I think happened is that Zorn just passed out on the way to class or something. That's what I think happened."
"Breathe, Cait Sith."
Reeve did so.
"So I was sitting there and waiting and then Thorn comes out and he looks like someone just killed his mom or something and he sits down and just kind of curls up. So I went over to ask him what was wrong because he didn't seem really upset the day before, and he just sat there-"
"Wait wait wait." Cid held up his hands. "Okay, wait. When did you hang out with them?"
Reeve took a few breaths before responding, a quick smile crossing his face. "I have a life outside of you, Spazboy."
Cid rolled his eyes in response as Vincent tried to ignore the statement. "So, what happened?"
"Right." Reeve nervously ran one hand over one of his ears. "Um, so I sat and asked him what was wrong because he seriously looked like something terrible had happened, and he totally freaked out and started shouting at me and saying stuff like..." Reeve paused for a minute. "Stuff like 'do this without Zorn I cannot' or something. You know he talks all backwards. Anyway, he totally loses it, just starts crying right there and I don't know what to do, you know? I mean, I'm his friend but I'd never seen him like this."
"Actually, on that note..." Vincent broke in more to give Reeve another chance to take in air. "I've never seen Zorn and Thorn apart. Not once. No wonder..." Vincent stared at Thorn thoughtfully. "No wonder he looks so...small I guess."
"So anyway, Thorn's losing it and I sat next to him and I was trying to tell him it was okay, but he wasn't really listening and just saying the same thing over and over and over. He was really tripping out something serious. Then he suddenly just passed out." Reeve made a quick, horizontal gesture with his hand. "Just fft! Passed right out there on the chair."
"Jesus..." Cid looked down at Thorn with a good deal of sympathy, his voice soft.
"Understandable..." Vincent mumbled, aware the others could hear him. "Crying does tend to wear a person out..."
"So Kiros came in and told me that they had a total nervous breakdown or something." Reeve scratched quickly and nervously behind one of his ears. "Like, their bodies and minds just turned right off. Or at least, Zorn's did. I think Kiros mentioned that Thorn dragged Zorn in by himself or something. Anyway, Kiros said that they needed to sleep or else they were going to seriously damage themselves. It turns out- oh yeah, this is the really freaky part." Reeve pointed at Vincent, who blinked at him in response. "You know that sick thing you had?"
Vincent nodded.
"They both had it!"
Cid and Vincent stared at him in disbelief until Reeve finally continued as if he truly needed to elaborate. "I mean, they both got sick and they still went to work and classes and stuff!"
Vincent shook his head, brushing some loose strands of hair from his face. "No wonder they just...I mean, considering how I felt...I can only imagine how tired they must have been. How miserable...I can't believe they managed to do that for so long..."
"Jesus #$%#in' Christ, these little guys are a #$^# of a lot stronger then I #^#@in' gave em credit for."
"Actually, that was rather unethical of them." Vincent sighed. "Considering how much they do, they probably passed it to everyone else."
"Unless everyone else gave it to them." Cid countered. Reeve nodded in response, but continued with his story.
"Anyway, Kiros told me that their systems were totally overworked and all this other medical stuff that I couldn't understand. But he told me they really needed to sleep. They needed to sleep a lot and more often because he said it looked like some nights they didn't sleep at all. Kiros has got Zorn in the Nurse's Office but he said he couldn't take Thorn in, because..." Reeve looked distant for a moment, his story trailing off into thin air before he seemed to remember his place. "He said that he didn't trust them together. They'd escape or something. Anyway, he asked me if I would do it and I said I would-"
"You?" Cid pointed at Reeve incredulously, who responded with a kind of indignation.
"Yeah, me. I'm the only friend they've got here and I see Kiros..." Again, Reeve seemed to remember something or focus on something else other then the conversation, before returning as if nothing had happened. "Kiros asked me to take care of Thorn for a few days until Zorn's okay. So he's going to have to stay with me for a while."
Reeve then snapped his fingers again and reached into one of his pockets, pulling out a small red plastic bottle. "Oh, that reminds me, Kiros told me that I was supposed to give him these because..." Reeve struggled to remember. "He said that they can't sleep normal anymore...something like that."
He handed the bottle over to his two friends, shrugging as best he could without disturbing the sleeping youth beside him. "He said it would also help them calm down. They're both majorly stressed out."
Although Reeve held it out in both their general vicinities, it was Vincent who actually took the bottle, studying the label as if he understood what it said.
"So...this is...Valium?"
Reeve shrugged again to the best of his ability. "Kiros said he tweaked it a little. So it..." Reeve scratched behind his ear once again, although this time without the same kind of nervous energy present before. "It would help them sleep and calm down at once. I didn't really understand it all...he talked a lot about...benzo thingies. I'm not good at that kind of thing."
"I can't read Dr. Kiros' handwriting...how often are you supposed to give it to him?"
Reeve looked down, again scratching at the same spot behind his ear as he struggled to remember. "Um...I think he said twice...he said that it was stronger then usual because of all the stuff he added or something...he didn't really call it Valium, he called it something else, but he said that I could call it that 'cause they're almost the same thing."
"So, when is he supposed to take it?" Vincent paused and then looked over at Reeve. "Actually, have you even asked Thorn about this? I mean, is he going to stay in your room?" Vincent was about to inquire about what Reeve's roommate would think when he remembered that Reeve's roommate wasn't a jerk. "I don't think Thorn's going to like this, considering."
"Yeah, they're %$&#in' obsessed about their work. I'm surprised they haven't #$&#in' lost it before now."
"Um..." The thought had not occurred to Reeve and he paused, trying to think of a response. "I...I didn't really think about asking him...I'm sure that after...after I explain it to him, he'll...you know...go along with it...I hope..."
"What about Zorn?" Vincent handed the bottle back to Reeve, who replaced it in his pocket. "I mean...Thorn's not going to be happy about that either, I would think."
"I know." Reeve sighed deeply at that. "Believe me, I know. But I can't do anything. Dr. Kiros said that I should try and keep them apart or else they're going to try and get each other out...but that seems so..." Reeve's ears backed against his head slightly. "It seems kind of mean...I know how close they are and break them up to...to..."
Reeve closed his eyes tightly and breathed for a few moments before looking up again, the lost look having vanished from his eyes. "I'm sure it won't be that difficult."
At that moment, Thorn began to wake.
"Oh #$^#!"
Reeve panicked, his ears backed against his head and his tail lashing wildly as he looked around desperately. "What should I do?!"
"Calm down." Vincent struggled to follow his own advice. "We'll explain what happened and then we'll take him back to your room, okay? Just everyone calm down, we don't need to worry Thorn any more then he already is."
Vincent felt he phrased himself semi-awkwardly, but Cid and Reeve's lack of response didn't prompt a rewording.
Thorn's hands moved upwards towards his eyes, the dark red-stained backs of his hands moving back and forth as he rubbed at his eyes with surprising strength. As he pulled his hands away, he blinked twice before he seemed to realize where he was.
"Where am I?!"
The panicked reaction was entirely unexpected. Thorn quickly pushed himself away from Reeve, propelling himself to the ground where he landed somewhat sloppily, his arms wavering to keep his balance. He crouched in a defensive posture, balancing on his toes as he looked back and forth rapidly, searching for his counterpart.
Reeve had been pushed off the bench by the force of Thorn's weight, but had regained his balance, standing nearby in case Thorn should try to run off. Likewise, in response to Thorn's completely unexpected action, Cid and Vincent had stood up and now stood near him as well, although all three tried to look non-threatening.
"Okay Thorn, calm down." Reeve kneeled down, matching eyes with him. "It's kind of a long story."
Thorn backed away, now obviously frightened and confused, arms shaking as he looked around frantically for his brother. "Zorn...? Where's my brother? Where is he?! Where am I?!"
Reeve reached out a hand for Thorn, who darted away from his touch as if the feline youth was trying to attack him. The bells on his hat jingled furiously as Thorn looked in every possible direction, as if Zorn had somehow escaped his notice and had been here all the time.
"Zorn's fine, alright? He's with Kiros right now. He told me-"
"What time is it?!" Thorn flashed his arm in front of his face, glancing quickly at his watch. Fear and worry crossed his face as Thorn turned sharply on one heel. "Late I am! Work I have to, shift I missed, docked in pay, I'm-"
As Thorn took the first step to begin a frantic attempt to return to work, Cid moved forward in response, his hand reaching out towards him. Thorn was not expecting someone trying to stop him, or that someone being of Cid's strength, and with an unintentionally strong jerk, Cid pulled Thorn back. The force that Cid had accidentally exerted was enough to lift Thorn off his feet and fling him backwards, causing him to collide rather sharply with the bench behind them.
"Highwind!"
"$#$@!"
"Let go of me!" Thorn did not seem too damaged from his rather sudden collision with the bench and braced himself against Cid's grip, struggling to free himself. Cid, unable to resist a challenge no matter what the situation happened to be, added his other hand, holding Thorn tightly.
"Highwind, don't-"
"Got a better idea?"
Reeve, now even more worried and flustered then he had been before, again kneeled in front of the small jester, struggling to get out the entire story in the shortest amount of time.
"Thorn, calm down, alright? We're your friends, or at least I am. You know that. Your brother's fine, he's asleep now."
A look of terror crossed Thorn's face at hearing this and he renewed his efforts against Cid's grasp, his feet scraping uselessly against the floor. Thorn simply did not have the mass to break free. "Sleep-"
"He passed out because you guys work too hard." Reeve spoke with a typically uncharacteristic flash of anger, finally ceasing Thorn's struggling as the jester stared at him, thin chest rising and falling rapidly. "You're working yourselves to death, so Kiros told me that I had to make sure you got some sleep-"
"Sleep!?" Thorn sounded both indignant and furious all at once. "Know nothing you do! Sleep I cannot, sleep I can not, work I have to. A choice it is not."
"Of course you have a choice and that's what we're here for." Reeve was not intimidated, which only seemed to further enrage the jester. "You are going to get some sleep."
"Make me you can't." Thorn gritted between his teeth as he braced himself against the bench and again, tried to pull himself out of Cid's grip. Cid, irritated at this point, simply raised his arm, lifting Thorn completely off the ground. Only half of Cid's size, there was nothing that Thorn could do except flail at Cid uselessly. "Let GO of me!"
Vincent finally felt the urge to speak. "Thorn, we can't. Your brother's already asleep and whatever work you had to do is probably already over by now. Be reasonable, for god's sake. You have to rest."
"Like that I would." Thorn's voice was dripping with malice and venom in his response, glaring at Vincent angrily. He bent himself almost double, managing to plant his feet against Cid's forearm. With a sharp kick, Cid was forced to relinquish his hold. Thorn fell gracefully to the ground while Cid fell back, cursing loudly and holding his arm. "But do that I can't!"
"#$^#! You little #$^#er-!" With a surge of rage, Cid again rushed forward, managing to catch Thorn by the neck of his shirt before he could begin to run. Angrily, Cid pulled Thorn back--ignoring the choked gasp that came from him in response--and threw him harshly to the floor.
"Highwind!"
Cid ignored Vincent entirely as he placed one knee against Thorn's back and held the jester's arms down forcefully.
"Cid, stop!"
Thorn, at this point, struggled weakly to get out from under Cid, who increased the pressure in response until Thorn got the point. He ceased struggling, breathing heavily as best he could while underneath such weight. Vincent knelt down beside him, glaring at Cid angrily.
"What do you think you're doing? You could've seriously hurt him!"
Cid turned to Vincent angrily, gesturing with a quick nod of his head towards his dirtied and now bruised arm. "That #$^#in' hurt like $#%#in' #$^#! I'm not lettin' him do that without payback, god$#^#it."
Vincent still did not approve, but then again, it did prevent Thorn from going anywhere. "I don't think that was a good idea."
"Well $%@#, you think of a better one."
"Thorn? Are you okay?" Reeve, ignoring his friend's bickering, looked down to where Thorn's cheek was pressed against the pavement. "Look, this isn't really an option for you at the moment. You're going to have to come with us and you're going to have to go to sleep."
"I can't." Thorn's voice broke in the middle of his sentence, tired and weak. "I can't..."
"Thorn, please listen. The world won't end if you don't work for a day." As Reeve dug the bottle out of his pocket, Thorn spoke again with the same tired, broken voice.
"It will. Know it you don't, but it will..."
"Here." Reeve fished one of the small tablets out of the bottle and held it out towards the pinned jester, who stared at it without expression. "Just take one of these, alright? You can come back with us."
"Can't."
"You little @#%@%^@!" Cid leaned heavily on the knee on Thorn's back, prompting a pained cry. "You stupid #$^#er, we're tryin' to help you, for the love of Christ! Stop bein' so #$^#in' stupid!"
"Highwind, stop it!" Vincent reached out, putting a hand on Cid's shoulder angrily. "This isn't helping!"
Cid looked down at Thorn angrily, then looked back at Vincent. With an frustrated noise, he turned away, moving his knee off of Thorn's back in the process.
Cid released Thorn slowly, poised in the event that he should try to escape again. Fortunately, the jester only pulled himself upwards slowly, arms and legs shaking in the process. Reeve reached out and steadied him with one hand, the other still offering the tablet.
"Are you okay?"
Thorn just stared at him.
"We're not going to let you go unless you take it, alright? Please, make this easier..."
Thorn narrowed his eyes at Reeve. "My brother...?"
"He's fine. He's with Kiros at the mom-"
"See him...take me to him."
"I can't. Kiros told me-"
"ZORN!" The sudden fury and burst of energy at the shout shocked the three of them. "Want to be with ZORN I do!"
Reeve forced his ears back upwards as he struggled to think of something to say. Quickly, he again offered the tablet. "Here, take this and we'll take you to him, okay?"
Thorn stared at Reeve suspiciously, face still smudged slightly his visit to the ground. Cid stood to one side, Vincent at the other, watching as Thorn let loose a deep sigh. He covered his face and curled up into a ball, shaking. Reeve, concerned, reached forward again.
"Thorn...?"
"Can't...can't..."
Reeve pulled one of Thorn's hands free and pressed the tablet into his hand.
Thorn returned the hand to his face, but it was impossible to tell whether he actually ingested the pill or not.
"Thorn, please don't do this."
"The school...our jobs...our homework..." Thorn was shaking, although now it seemed to be out of nervous energy rather then any kind of emotional distress. "Do... do what are we going to do...the end of it all this is...the end..."
"Thorn, this isn't the end of anything." Reeve capped the bottle and put it back into his pocket. "Did you take it?"
Thorn nodded.
"#%&@in' #$^#." Cid spoke with barely concealed irritation and he grabbed Thorn's hand viciously, pulling it away from his body with a sudden jerk. Thorn stared at him in shock, then struggled to pull his clenched fist from Cid's own.
"Let go!"
With a little application of pressure, Cid managed to force Thorn to open his hand, where the tablet stuck to sweaty skin as Thorn struggled to free himself.
"I knew he was lyin'. #$^#, the only way he's goin' to take it is if we make him."
Reeve sighed deeply. "Thorn, please just take it."
"I CAN'T!" Thorn shouted furiously, but this time Cid had apparently had enough.
"Th'#$^#in' #$^# you can't!"
He grabbed the tablet quickly and in moments had Thorn pinned on his back, the pill in his mouth and Cid's hand blocking its exit.
"Swallow, god#$^# you, or I swear to #$^#in' god-"
"Highwind!" Vincent pulled at Cid's other arm, prompting Cid to wave him away distractedly as Reeve, worried but unsure of what to do, hovered around them nervously, rubbing at his own hands.
"Shut th' #$^# up, Vin, 'less you've got a better idea!"
Vincent could not think of anything and stood by as Thorn kicked uselessly, unable to shift Cid's much more massive body off of him or escape the hand that had enclosed his mouth. He made angry incoherent noises, but Cid remained unmoving, glaring at the jester angrily.
"Swallow, you god#$@# little #$^@#!"
Thorn breathed hard, staring at Cid angrily and helplessly as he finally ceased struggling, lying still. Cid waited patiently until Thorn closed his eyes and opened them again, making a small noise through the flesh barrier covering his mouth.
"Did you do it this time?"
Thorn struggled to nod, still glaring at Cid angrily.
"And I'm #$^#in' serious here or else you're going to #$^#in' regret it-"
Thorn nodded again and Vincent, sighing, buried a hand in his hair as he looked around nervously. "I think I saw him swallow something...at least that's what it looked like..."
Reeve leaned in towards Thorn, looking concerned and not entirely approving of the current situation. "Did you really do it this time?"
Thorn again nodded weakly, his eyes closing, then opening again after a short pause. This seemed to disorient him slightly and his head listed to one side for a moment.
Cid let him go, wiping his hand off on his shirt as he stood up. Thorn remained on the ground, staring upwards at the sky until Reeve reached a hand out towards him.
"Here."
Thorn groped for Reeve's hand clumsily, forcing Reeve to take Thorn's hand, and he pulled him upwards slowly. Thorn's face was red, burning with humiliation, and he glared at Cid resentfully and angrily.
"Do you want to see your brother now?"
Vincent and Cid stared at Reeve in confusion at the question, although Thorn continued to stare off at something in the distance.
"Thought I did...I couldn't you said..."
"I know, but let's make an exception, alright? Considering..."
Thorn wavered on his feet slightly, and this apparently galvanized him into action. He steadied himself, opened his eyes wide, stood up straight, and stared forward, the dizziness present before now gone.
"Alright."
Reeve waited for a moment before noticing the ever-present jester cap on Thorn's head had been upset in the previous scuffle. However, when he reached out a hand to adjust it, Thorn swatted him away angrily.
"I'm sorry about all this, Thorn..."
Thorn mumbled something under his breath that was unintelligible but most assuredly not flattering. Sighing, Reeve turned, making sure that Thorn saw where he was heading. "It's this way."
As they walked, Cid and Vincent made their way closer to Reeve, although still surrounding Thorn should he try to escape again.
"Why did you say that?"
Reeve turned an ear towards Vincent. "What?"
"Why did you say you'd take him to his brother? You aren't supposed to."
"I know that, but I also know how long it takes those things to kick in." Reeve whispered back. "He won't make it all the way there."
They had only walked for about fifteen minutes, Reeve having deliberately led them down a wrong path, before Thorn's steps became increasingly heavy and slow. Stumbling and apparently furious at himself for this lapse in self control, Thorn fought to keep his body under his control. This, however, was a battle that Thorn could not possibly win.
The three friends kept him from falling initially, but after a while, Thorn simply could not continue. They were prepared for when Thorn fell forward, unable to keep his body moving.
Cid caught the small jester with ease, although this time the previous anger and vicious power in his motions was absent. He spun Thorn around, lifting him up into his arms smoothly and gently. The jester, so emotionally volatile only fifteen minutes ago, now slumbered peacefully, twitching only slightly.
"Thank god that's over with..."
Reeve stared at Cid for a moment, his ears flicking back and forth before he finally found words. "Um...I...It's weird...how you were so mean before...but now you're not."
"Oh, that..." Cid looked down at the unconscious youth in his arms. It was amazing to think that Thorn was his age, but was only the size of a small boy. "Well #$^#, he was frustratin' me. I mean, we were only tryin' t'help and he had to go all ape#$^#. It's #$^#in' ridiculous. Sometimes you got to take charge, I guess."
Reeve ventured ahead of Cid and Vincent for a moment, allowing Vincent to speak with Cid for only a few seconds.
"I'm sorry."
"#$^#, this ain't th' time."
"I know. But let's let it go, alright? At least until Thorn's better."
"...#$^#. Fine."
"We aren't too far from my room now." Reeve looked back at them with a relieved smile, although it was obvious that the past events had had an emotional toll on him. His tail moved nervously and quickly, the fur ruffled, and his ears remained pressed against his head. "He should be out for a good amount of time."
"Thank god." Cid shifted Thorn's weight as they continued walking.
Moog was home when they arrived back at Reeve's room, although he did not ask any questions. Reeve nodded at him and this seemed to satisfy him.
"I guess he can stay in my bed..." Although loud enough for the others to hear, it seemed that Reeve was talking more to himself then to anyone else. "For now, anyway."
Reeve pulled the covers off his bed with quick, nervous energy, looking at Cid immediately afterward. "I hope he'll be okay."
Cid put Thorn down on the bed, where he immediately curled into a fetal position. Reeve replaced the covers, this time with much more grace, and watched as Thorn only curled deeper into himself.
"Should you take off his hat?" Vincent ventured, feeling awkward after not speaking for so long. Reeve raised a hand to his mouth, then shrugged.
"No. They don't like other people touching them." He whispered softly in response.
Cid shrugged as well, and Reeve fidgeted, apparently trying to think of something else to say.
"You guys got classes now, right?"
That was a not so subtle hint.
"Right." Vincent actually did not, but he turned to leave anyway. "We'll talk to you later, alright?"
Reeve nodded, and the pair left his room, shutting the door quietly behind them.
Normally, there would have been a long, awkward pause as they made their way back to their respective rooms, but this time Vincent refused to let silence take hold. "What are they going to do?"
"Huh?"
"I mean...the school." Vincent gestured vaguely. "Everywhere I go, Zorn and Thorn are doing things. They work everywhere. It's almost like they work every shift of every job. They even work at the cafeteria."
"So what's goin' to happen now that they've blown out, right?" Cid's voice was not quite back to normal yet, still harboring some suspicion and lingering resentment. "Well, $%&$. I don't know. I'm more worried about how the two of 'em are goin' to handle this."
"This is going to be terrible for them..." Vincent pushed the door open, letting Cid pass by him. He didn't do this as a kind gesture, but rather subconsciously, and Cid did not react to it. "They're together all the time. They're almost never apart. It has to hurt when that happens..."
Although Vincent had been struggling to fight away silence, it seemed like it had returned now. Cid stared at him peculiarly, and Vincent could not think of anything to say.
"%#^#, I don't know...I guess...#^%#." Cid kicked aimlessly at the air. "I wish there was somethin' I could #^#@in' do. I like those little guys. Feel bad for 'em. And now there's nothin' I can #$^#in' do ta help 'em out...#$^@." Cid's tone was laced with self-contempt, but Vincent was not worried.
"I know what you mean. I've seen them suffer and such...Hojo particularly enjoys doing that." This prompted a growl from Cid. "I do feel bad for them though...I wish there was something we could do."
"#$^@. I wish I had talked to 'em more now. Catface is doin' everythin' and...@#$^@." Cid shook his head. "I don't know. I'm probably not makin' any sense."
"No, I understand."
"$#&#! We've still got that #$^#in' meetin' tonight."
"Ugh." Vincent couldn't suppress a reaction. It had slipped his mind, but now that it returned it brought with it even more distasteful memories. "I almost forgot."
"#%#. Have to go deal with a bunch of $%&#in' crazies...#$@%. I'm so not in the #$^#in' mood."
"Well, we still have a few hours..." The words escaped him before he thought about them and he regretted their passage. Vincent decided that he may as well complete his intended statement. "If you want, we could go back to my room..."
"I..." Cid paused and the two of them stood on the sidewalk in silence. He turned to Vincent and stared at him for a few moments, apparently considering how to react.
Cid punched Vincent rather roughly in the shoulder, then smiled at him in an almost natural way. "Alright, let's go."
Despite the slight ache in his shoulder, Vincent could not help but smile in response. He hoped it looked as genuine as it felt.
"I see we have a new member tonight." Aeris tapped her pencil against her clipboard before pointing at the newcomer. Both she and Rinoa seemed rather frazzled...or at least, more so then they had seemed the first meeting. Cid and Vincent were inclined to blame that on the lack of Zorn and Thorn, but they had no evidence. "Care to introduce yourself?"
Vincent recognized the youth who sat next to his roommate. He had been there when the room search that had landed him in this group had occurred. What was his name again...?
"I'm Zack."
"Alright." Aeris scribbled something down. "Why are you here?"
"Just keeping ol chocohead company." Zack nudged his reluctant companion, and Cloud shot him a glance of mild irritation. Zack seemed all too enthused to be present at the group. No one else could understand why.
"HI ZACK!" Zell shouted from across the group.
Never mind.
"Hello." Irvine slinked down in his seat and pointed over ta Zack languidely. Vincent sighed and leaned back as he waited for the inevitable rush of greetings for the new member. This was still so tedious...
Cid waved shortly. Vincent didn't bother to do anything.
"That's okay, but I'd like more notice next time." Aeris looked down at her clipboard. For a moment her voice faded, sounding almost lost in thought. "I had no idea..."
She shook her head and looked back up again, returning to her more alert self. "It's not important. Anyway, I'm glad you all could make it."
"Pleasure to be here, as always." Irvine smiled at Aeris from his seat across the room and she studiously ignored him.
"Now, I trust none of you have taken anything since the first meeting?"
There was a silence greeting this in which several pairs of confused eyes stared into hers.
"Of course, this is all confidential-"
"Oh, oh." Kefka looked up from his lighter for once, waving a hand excitedly. He stared at Aeris with the peculiarly psychotic grin. "I took a lot."
Aeris stared at him in utter disbelief, which only seemed to please Kefka more, encouraging him to continue. "It was fun. I do so love the artificial high, don't you? It's so...illegal."
Click went the lighter.
And away scooched the chairs around him.
"Kefka, you know that the entire purpose of this group-"
Kefka's insane giggling cut Rinoa off before she could fully go into her rant. Zell looked back and forth rapidly between the two then began waving his hand back and forth.
"Yes, Zell?" Aeris managed to regain her composure first.
Zell stood up so fast that the chair he was sitting on was sent flying. He struck a dramatic pose, deepening his voice as he spoke. "My name is Zell Dincht and I'm a lifeaholic!"
Among those who responded to him were Cid, Zack, Reno, and Irvine. "Hello, Zell!"
"Sit down!" Aeris was not amused.
Zell did so, but apparently forgot his chair was missing. Zell fell flat on the floor, where he managed to find his way over to his chair by swimming across the ground.
Irvine smirked broadly. "He's doing the hundred meter carpet."
"Irvine!" Rinoa sounded aghast and, despite his best efforts, Vincent could not stop his smile. The majority of the group was already laughing, excepting the stoically unamused Three and Squall.
"Calm down! Everyone calm down!"
It took a few minutes, but eventually Zell's chair was uprighted and order was restored. Or at least, the closest approximization the drug group ever got to.
"Alright now, let's be serious. I've had enough silliness for today, alright?"
"Wait, why are you here again?" Reno leaned forward and pointed over to Zack, who blinked at him a few times before adopting a bizarre tone and an equally bizarre expression.
"I am government man come from the government. The government has sent me."
"Reno, we already went over that." Aeris was now getting irritated, which was not threatening in any way, shape, or form. Everyone else snickered to themselves at the response, but no other comments were made.
Relative peace reigned for about fifteen minutes.
"And that is why you should never take ecstacy, it can have-"
"Oh my god." Cid jerked up in his chair for a moment, looking around in confusion. He finally settled at staring at the two girls sitting a few chairs away. In the silence that followed, he pointed at them almost accusingly. "Your mouth is movin', but I'm not hearin' a #$@$ thing."
"All I hear is a slight buzzing!" Zell chipped in from across the room, much to Cid's surprise, and he smiled at their confusion. "I have entered the 'i'm not listening' zone."
"Excuse me, I find this extremely disrespectful-" Aeris raised her voice. Zell looked straight at the ceiling and shouted at an exactly equal level of volume.
"IIiiiii'm nooooot liiiiisteeeeeninnnnngg!"
"Zell!"
"Nooot Liiiisteniiing!"
"So, what's your story?" Zack was looking over at the winged Black Mage, who had been glaring at almost everyone since the meeting had began. Three just stared at him, not giving an answer.
"That's Three, Zack." Aeris was glad that at least this conversation had distracted Zell from his shouting. "We should have done introductions, that reminds me..."
"Black Waltz Number Three." Irvine mellowly waved over to the winged Black Mage. "A romantic waltz by any chance?"
Vincent stared at Irvine in surprise. So they were called Waltzes...
Three glared openly at Irvine and did not dignify him with an answer.
"Yeah, they're dead. They're...all messed up." Irvine continued, waving his hands in a vague, lazy way.
"Stop talking." Three finally spoke, his voice surprisingly harsh. Irvine only smiled at him in response as Aeris tapped her clipboard again as if it would regain order.
"Alright, we've had enough sidetracking for tonight. I would like to get back on topic please."
"I ate it."
"Excuse me?" Aeris stared at the incredibly pleased Zell incredulously. He blinked at her and returned her stare with disbelief.
"I ate your topic. It was delicious. Like a sweet, sweet chestnut."
Aeris opened her mouth to reply, but then decided against it. She turned back to the group.
"As I was saying, the maturity of this group-"
"AGH! MY ARTERIES!" Zell flung himself bodily into the center of the group, grasping the general area of his heart and thrashing around wildly.
"ZELL!"
"You know..." Cid smiled at Vincent, who returned it reluctantly. "If all the meetings are like this, maybe this won't be god#$^# boring after all."