It's Saturday! And because it's Saturday, that means the story gets updated, hooray! Granted, I haven't received bucketloads of attention so far, but in my experience you generally don't until a couple of chapters in. Anyway, happy reading!
Warnings: Is this yaoi, you ask? Of course it is! I write nothing BUT yaoi! For those who are still hopelessly green, yaoi is boys with boys (or in this case, men with men, rawr). The pairing is, or eventually will be, Cid/Vincent. If you don't like that then you either stumbled across this by accident, or you're in some serious denial; whatever the reason, just hit the back button.
Disclaimer: The story is mine, but sadly the characters are not - they belong to Square Enix/Squaresoft, and that Japanese guy whose name I can never remember. I can't prevent it, but please don't steal the fic idea; you can come up with your own.
Chapter two, otherwise named: '#!£&, Cid is fun to write'.
There he was. Cid, who was covered in oil stains. Cid, who was wearing his flight goggles with a pack of cigarettes tucked into the strap. Cid, who was exactly as Vincent remembered him.
Cid, who looked ready to hug him and strangle him at the same time.
"What..." Cid uttered, staring at Vincent much like one would at a ghost, "Vin...where...what...Vin?"
"That would be correct," The gunner tilted his head ever-so-slightly to the side, the quirk of his lips obscured by the high collar of his red cloak, "Long time no see, Chief."
He was met by stunned silence.
And more silence.
And then...
"YOU #!£&ER!" Cid shouted so loud that several birds scattered from the nearby trees, "Where the #!£& have you been for the last two years?!"
Vincent winced slightly at the volume, but he supposed he deserved it after abandoning the man, "My apologies, Cid. I've been travelling the world-"
"Don't give me that #!£&in' sorry excuse," The pilot interrupted, and prodded Vincent sharply in the chest for effect, "Cloud an' the others told me about you visitin' them. You got time to drop by all the other members of AVALANCHE but you 'aint got time to see me?"
"Cid, I-"
"Two years, Vin! That may not seem like much to you and your non-existent biological clock, but for some of us it's quite a long time," Cid continued as though he hadn't heard, "Would it have been so much hassle for you to just stop by? Or 'aint my company good enough for you anymore?"
"Cid, it's not like that-"
"An' another thing," Cid ranted on, and Vincent realised that he wouldn't be able to get a word in edgeways until the pilot had completely vented his frustrations, "Why the hell can't you use a goddamn phone? #!£& Vin, you 'aint that old, it can't be that difficult-"
"Cid," Vincent said sternly, and stuck a cigarette in the man's mouth.
"...?" Well, that managed to shut him up at least. Cid removed the cigarette, looking at it in confusion, "What the hell...?"
"Your favourite kind," Vincent declared, amused by his friend's bewilderment, "I picked some up on the way here."
"...Vin, sometimes I don't understand you at all."
"Very few people do, Chief," The gunner assured him, "May I come in?"
"...Sure, why the hell not," Cid stepped aside, allowing Vincent to enter.
The house seemed exactly as he remembered it, right down to the mugs on the shelf and the cigarette butts in the ashtray. Cid took a seat at the table, lighting his newly-acquired cigarette before leaning back in contemplative silence.
"...Cid?" Vincent asked unsurely. It wasn't like Cid to be so quiet.
"Shaddup. I'm still tryin' to decide whether I want to punch you or not."
Vincent sighed and took the chair opposite his friend, "I suppose I would deserve that."
"Two years..." Cid said again, and took a long drag of the cigarette, exhaling smoke as he talked, "Damnit Vampy, you had me up half the nights wonderin' what the hell I did wrong. I kept hearin' about you visitin' that lot in Midgar, Nanaki in Cosmo Canyon, even Yuffie...I was hopin' you'd drop by Rocket Town next, but you never did."
"I'm here now," Vincent pointed out.
"Why'd it take so long, though?" Vincent was surprised at how genuinely hurt Cid looked, "Did I do somethin' to piss you off? You know what I'm like sometimes, I can't keep my mouth shut-"
"Chief, it was nothing like that."
"Well what the hell was it, then?"
"It's-" He paused, considering how to explain his actions rationally, and found that he couldn't, "It's complicated."
"Cid!" There came the sound of the door opening, and both men looked up to see Shera enter the room, bags in hand, "I just went out to get some groceries- oh!" The bags were abruptly dropped, contents spilling onto the floor. Shera didn't seem to notice, however, too preoccupied with the black-haired male sat at the table, "Mr Valentine, is that you?"
Vincent was about to reply when Cid did it for him: "Of course it's Vince, woman. How many people d'ya know who look like that?"
"Yes, of course, it's just-" She looked flustered and shocked and disbelieving all at the same time, "It's been..."
"Two years," Vincent inclined his head formally, just as he had done when the two had first met, "Hello, Miss Shera."
"Vincent came by just before you arrived," Cid added, and then frowned at the sight of the shopping bags, "Shera, there's milk all over the floor."
"Sorry, sorry!" Shera began hastily picking up the fallen fruit and vegetables in an attempt to salvage them, "I'll get a mop...but Mr Valentine, why did you decide to come by now? If you don't mind me asking, that is."
"Not at all," Vincent shook his head, and leaned sideways to pick up a peach that had rolled by his chair, "You see, I have a favour to ask...and of course I'll understand if you refuse, seeing as it's been so long-"
"Get on with it," Cid waved an impatient hand, sending cigarette smoke everywhere.
"Well, I've been travelling around, staying in hotels and such. Except I'm all out of Gil, so..." Vincent's eyes flickered up to meet Cid's, red against blue, "Could I stay here?"