Hiya!
Another chapter, thanks to PfenixB for the awesome betaing and enjoy please!
9
"Do you have the annual tax declaration from five years ago?"
The calm question sent new shivers down Cid´s spine, as he scratched his head, blowing smoke through his mouth and frowning.
"I ain´t even sure if I have the one from last year let alone if I wrote one…"
The concentrated look of his apprentice shifted from the papers up to his employer, now somewhat scolding and strict. "Well then search for it, please." He said umercifully, making the mechanic cringe.
Sighing, he waved a hand, murmuring a "yeah, yeah" and turned around to search the stack of papers that had shrunken considerably throughout the last 4 hours.
Frowning, Cid flicked through some files, eventually finding what they needed under a book about engines. The file had some coffee rings on it and the blond unsuccessfully tried to half-heartedly wipe them away with his sleeve before handing them over to Yazoo.
The youth didn´t do so much as look up, just took the file, giving a distracted "Thank you" and continuing to scribble numbers on a paper. He was typing on the calculator Cid had managed to find somewhere in the depths of his desk, and arranging papers.
"Ya really seein´ this through, ain´t ya?" the mechanic asked in a mixture of being slightly impressed and sceptic. Paperwork was like double Dutch to him and it was hard for him to believe that someone could actually make sense of it.
"Well, I´m trying," was the distracted reply from below, as Yazoo gave the file a look, but didn´t say anything anymore. If he was to give his comments to every ragged, disordered, coffee-spilled file Cid handed him, he´d sit here for another year.
Seeing that Yazoo was totally busy with the documents and figuring out what they meant, Cid felt a little superfluous, something he wasn´t very used too.
After he´d stood there for another moment, looking over Yazoo´s shoulder but only getting a headache from all the numbers he cleared his throat, announcing "´m off ta make sum coffee."
A barely audible "Hn," was all he got, and with a hint of a smirk the mechanic left the office with long strides, grabbing for his cigarettes lying on his desk on the way out.
Yazoo meanwhile gathered his long hair and pulled it up in a ponytail, all the while mentally being occupied by Cid´s liquidations, order forms, and bills. It wasn´t that difficult actually, just a matter of addition and subtraction, but finding, arranging and looking over all the things was taking a lot more time than should have been necessary if only Cid would have taken more care of it.
Also there were some irregularities, rather unnecessary expenses that could have been avoided if Cid would keep track of what he´d bought. All in all this was extremely inefficient, confusing and annoying.
Striding a loose strand out of his eyes Yazoo opened another file and flicked through it, when something caught his eye. Stopping to scribble numbers on his paper he took the edge of a coloured paper that looked out from between the pages.
It was a photo, a bit wrinkled, but the colours were still brilliant. It depicted a park or something, one couldn´t really tell, because the majority of the photo was taken by two people. One of them was a blond man who was grinning into the camera, showing his white teeth and eyes sparkling somewhat mischievously. His short hair was held back by big goggles that reminded Yazoo briefly of those Reno always wore to hold his red mane in place.
The man´s arm was drawn around a nice looking woman, who smiled softy into the camera and generally gave an impression of kindness and gentleness. In the other hand the man held a spear and only then Yazoo noticed with a slight shock that the man on the picture was none other than his employer Cid Highwind. But instead of the grumpy, tired looking man Yazoo knew this one looked genuinely happy, satisfied and almost impish, just like –
"Ya haven´t eaten ya breakfast," Cid interrupted his train of thought, sounding somewhat accusing. Yazoo looked up from the photo, seeing the mechanic coming into the room, and avoiding some stacks, with a tablet in hand. On it were two cups with steaming, black coffee that made the youth inwardly flinch and a bitter taste filled his mouth at only the thought of drinking this obnoxiousness.
The plate with sandwiches looked rather tempting, though, making the emptiness in his stomach become painfully apparent suddenly.
Meanwhile the mechanic pushed away some of the papers, much to Yazoo´s distress, because he had just arranged them, and put the tray there instead.
"Ya have ta eat, ya hear me?" Cid rumbled on. "Ain´t doin ya good ta be dat skinny an´ believe me no one in his right mind ain´t want these zombie models, so ya ain´t have ta emulate ´em." He put the plate on the table, pushing it towards the teen with a strict, inviting look.
Yazoo was just about to tell the man that he wasn´t trying to 'emulate' anyone and rejecting the implication that he was having an eating disorder, but stopped, giving the man a strange look. Just like Reno, always nagging that he should eat more…
"What?" Cid had raised an eyebrow, grabbing for a sandwich and taking a hearty bite.
Shaking his head, Yazoo just took a sandwich of his own and started eating.
Snorting, the mechanic took a sip from his horrible coffee to wash down his food, glancing at the paper Yazoo was still absent-mindedly holding and asking "What ya havin there?"
The youth looked down at the photo in his hand and then held it out to Cid, explaining "I found it between the files."
Cid took another bite, wiping his hand at his sleeve and reaching over to take the offered picture. Upon seeing it he stopped chewing though, face becoming strangely blank. He laid his food aside, holding the photo with both hands and staring at it.
"Oh," he just said, continuing to watch the photo as if he´d seen a ghost.
Since he didn´t say anything else, Yazoo asked, carefully observing the man´s face. "Who is this with you?"
The mechanic kept looking at the picture and the youth almost thought that he wouldn´t get an answer when Cid slowly started chewing again, saying with a throaty voice. "Ma wife."
At that Yazoo inclined his head, pointing out "I didn´t know you were married."
His gaze flickered towards Cid´s left hand, and surely there was no ring. "Where is she?" he inquired, taking another bite and watching as the blond rose to his feet again, facing him with his broad back as he slowly walked over to his desk.
The sound of paper rustling could be heard when he put it away or something - Yazoo couldn´t tell because the view was blocked- but then Cid informed him, sounding somewhat final "She´s dead."
Dropping his sandwich, the silver haired youth kept observing Cid´s back, offering quietly "I´m sorry."
The man stood there for another moment, then he suddenly just shrugged and came back to the table, sitting down again.
"Ain´t ya fault."
The strangely intimate moment was gone, Cid taking out another cigarette and lightening it. He had a dismissive and rejecting aura around him now, that clearly said that he didn´t want to talk about it anymore and that this was a private matter, though he wasn´t hostile or anything. Just distanced. Under this composure Yazoo thought he could detect a slightly defeated melancholy, but he didn´t say anything. It wasn´t his business anyway.
"I´d say ya finish eatin´ and then we get over with this crap. Ya sleepin´on the couch tonight, sorry but there ain´t no other option." Cid declared, brushing the ash against the tray, his sandwich laying on the plate forgotten.
Yazoo´s expression was less than enthusiastic, but Cid just ignored it, nodding at the plate and telling Yazoo to finish it, so that they could continue.
*
"Mornin´" came the slightly crouchy and grumpy greeting from the kitchen when Yazoo rose from the couch, a little dazedly remembering where he was. He had a hell of a night after him, which was mainly because he wasn´t used to sleeping alone and partly because his brain was still putting numbers together.
"Hn," the youth answered, absent-mindedly staring in his lap, fine hair hanging in his face as he slowly tried to wake up.
"Here." A cup of coffee was put before him, as well as a plate with bacon and eggs, along with the convicted comment "Ya must eat."
That again, held just the tiniest hint of accusation.
Too tired to point out that he was alright, Yazoo just grabbed the plate and unmotivatedly pushed the food around with his fork. Cid had proven to be rather stubborn and seemed to have taken it upon him to feed Yazoo, despite the youth telling repeatedly that he was neither bulimic nor anorexic. But all Cid had done was giving a disbelieving "Yeah, sure" in an infuriating pitying tone, and just as if he was talking to a petulant child who had just told him that a fairy had flown into his room to have a dance party with the dwarfs living under his bed.
"The bath´s free, ya can go. An hurry, ya goin home."
Yazoo stopped picking at his food, looking up at his employer. It couldn´t be that easy, could it?
"We getting´ sum things fer ya, can´t run around in da same shit for days. Starts reeking an shit, ain´t want ta scare ma friggin clients away…" Cid explained with a slightly miffed look when he noticed the hopeful gleam in Yazoo´s eyes that dulled right away after the mechanic´s statement.
Setting the plate on the table rather forcefully Yazoo abruptly stood up and marched to the bathroom, ignoring the surprised frown from his employer and the grumpy look at the untouched food.
Aww, they´re getting to know each other more closely... Next chapter´ll be the confrontation with Reno^^
luvyuy: Hey! No problem, it wasn´t working for me either. Just glad it got fixed now^^ I´m glad you liked it! Yeah, Cid´s badass and a bit of a grumpy guy, but once he´s opened up to someone I suppose he´s a rather careing person. And he gradually let´s Yazoo into his world, so the chances aren´t that bad :)
Valitiel: Haha, he has! He´s lucky Yazoo´s not in a labour union, could get ugly for him XD But he´s just doing what he thinks is best for Yazoo. Hopefully it´ll work out. Thank you for reviewing, I´m happy you like it!
Koumori-chan: Hm, Yazoo is a bit reluctant to get rescued... But Cid´s a persistant knight, he'll fight the 'evil' force^^ Haha, and a LOT more swearing than the average night XD Also he´d probably come in a smoking, old truck instead on a white, elegant horse... I was wondering about that as well... Reno the dragon. Probably not, but we´ll see :) Thank you hun *hugs back* I´m glad you like it and thank you for the feedback!
Xyleel: Ja, ich hab mich da in eine ziemlich komplizierte Sache reinmanövriert... Aber zumindest weiß ich so ziemlich, wie sich das Problem lösen wird. Mal sehen, für wen es ein happy end wird. Reno ist aber auch wirklich nicht einfach in dieser Story... Freut mich dass es dir trotzdem soweit gefällt, und danke für´s Kommentar!
sareyva: I guess you are right. Yazoo is slowly growing used to the treatment since it´s worsening gradually. If Reno would have beaten him bkoody right at the beginning he´d probably broken up with him, but so... yes, Reno´s a typical abuser, which is because I personally have no experiences with physical abuse and more or less stick to the text books. Haha, you really are? Cool, I think Cid´s place is kind of neat^^ Thank you for commenting, and I´m glad you like it!
Review please?