Title: A Cat Has Nine Lives
Author: bnomiko
Rating: PG-13
Pairing(s): Cid Highwind + Vincent Valentine, minor Tifa + Cloud, minor Elena + Tseng
Spoilers: post DoC
Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VII is the creation and property of Square Co., Ltd. / Square Enix. This is a not-for-profit fanwork and I do not own any of these characters.
Summary: After the events of Deepground Vincent's recovery is not going well. The Turks decide to help Cid break him out of the hospital in hopes of improving his odds. Sequel to "Stray Cat, Looking for a Good Home" but definitely can be read as a standalone. Post DoC, placed after the end of the credits and in lieu of the half dozen epilogues after (toss all the shit with Shelke in a shredder... only reference to any of it is that one week passes). OG FFVII universe based with DoC, a hint of Before Crisis, and a little influence from Advent Children as well.
Archived at: http://www.phenixsol.com/Miko/FF/
* * *
A Cat Has Nine Lives
Ch. 3: And for the last three he stays
* * *
There was no music; the pleased murmurs of the guests and the water gently lapping in the spring breeze were all that was needed as the pair marched in together. As a matter of habit, Vincent took in everything in the room with a single, subtle glance as he strode forth with evenly measured strides. Cid was more obvious in his excited assessment, his gaze swinging about as he looked around. There was a Cait Sith scuttling about, snapping photos; at least he was just doing the job instead of making needless commentary too. He spotted Veld in a back corner, half in the shadows; there was a woman next to him who looked too young to be his wife, so did that mean he'd had a daughter? Marlene looked up with bright eyes as he and Vincent made their way around the pool and fragrant flowers; Cid answered her enthusiastic wave with a wink and a nod of his head.
While neither he nor Vincent had had immediate family to invite, they certainly weren't lacking in those who wanted to wish them well. It was obvious with the wide assortment of guests assembled there: Turks and WRO members in full uniform, the entirety of AVALANCHE, Rocket Town denizens in their cleanest overalls, even some of the nurses that had helped treat Vincent - such a strange assortment, yet they all sat or stood side by side and smiled as the grooms joined Reeve on the low dais in the back of the room.
The commissioner had taken Cid's demand for a quick and simple wedding very literally. There were no invocations, no readings, no unity rituals... once both men stood before him, Reeve thanked friends, family and well wishers for coming to bear witness to Cid and Vincent's marriage as the pair joined hands, declared their intent to wed, and went straight for the vows. Even the vows were brief - they promised to love and to cherish, to support one another, and to always watch out for one another, as true partners in every sense, for as long as they lived.
They'd had to get creative as far as the ring exchange. As their bands were permanently attached - Vincent's was threaded onto his gauntlet and Cid's being a tattoo reading V. Valentine - they kept their gloves on until prompted to officially reveal their bands to Reeve and the assembled guests.
Everyone waited in eager anticipation of the pronouncement and kiss. Reeve had no intention of keeping them in suspense. "In the wise words of our friend Nanaki, now two sparks will burn as one flame. By the authority vested in me as commissioner of the WRO, I now pronou..." he began announcing, only to trail off in stunned silence as he openly began gawking at the center of the room.
"It's the flower girl!" Marlene called out in excitement. "She came too - look, Cloud!"
Tseng had been standing just inside the doors, positioned like a proper bodyguard (though he'd deny that Vincent's words had any weight in his decision), but he still took a half step back on reflex upon seeing the woman that he'd never be able to make amends to. At the same time Cloud pushed away from his spot by the wall and shuffled forward a few steps, ending up right next to Tifa and the kids as he blindly reached out in the pugilist's direction, their hands brushing as she'd reached towards him as well. The contact knocked some sense back into him; he remembered that Aerith couldn't be pursued. And it became obvious very quickly why she'd appeared at all.
"Thank you for including me, both of you," Aerith said as she approached the dais, after sparing just a split second to smile and nod at Elmyra as her adoptive mother's eyes teared up.
Rarely was Cid speechless, but this was one of those times. "Of... of course," he stammered when he finally found his voice again. Though they hadn't held the wedding there for that exact reason, the half-Cetra had been in their thoughts, as this was where she'd given Vincent's life back to him.
"Thank you," Vincent said quietly. Being a man of few words, it was amazing that he'd even managed that much.
She giggled softly and reached out for Cid's left hand, then carefully placed it over Vincent's gauntlet, so that their rings overlapped. "One more blessing, for a lifetime of happiness together," she intoned, as a soft glow momentarily enveloped their hands.
"Woah!" Cid exclaimed, suddenly feeling like he'd just stared into a flashbang. Strange... the glow hadn't been that bright, had it? But it was almost like he'd gone blind for a split second, and given the look on Vincent's face, he must've felt the same. "Are you all right?" he asked, before realizing the same thing that the guests had: Aerith had gone just as abruptly as she'd appeared.
Vincent sucked in a breath, then slowly nodded. For a moment he'd wondered if Cid had seen the same thing he had, but he thought he could almost make out a residual whisper - Aerith's voice - telling him it had been for his eyes only. It had only been for the briefest of moments, but was it possible that she'd given him a glimpse of their future? Cid, sitting on the porch swing in front of his weathered ranch house in Rocket Town, noticeably older but with eyes still as sparkling bright as a summer's day... and Vincent beside him, his hair showing a few streaks of gray, wrinkles softening the lines of the hand that was laced with Cid's.
Was this her way of reassuring him that now that Chaos was gone, so was the immortality that had been forced onto him? Vincent's eyes watered slightly. Maybe he was hoping for too much, but he couldn't imagine a better gift than to be able to simply live out the remainder of his life with his lover.
Cid squinted, realizing that Vincent was withholding something from him, but whatever it was, it was between him and their dear departed friend, so he left it alone. He looked over at Reeve instead. "Well, I guess we'll pardon that interruption... wanna finish this before somethin' else happens?" he whispered.
"I... how am I supposed to follow up after that?" Reeve nervously muttered, as Cid began frowning, as even Vincent turned and cocked his head at him. Aghast that he'd lost sight of what mattered, Reeve took in a couple of deep breaths, then straightened back up and said, "Now where were we?" Someone in the room made kissy noises, there were a few giggles, and Reeve nearly lost whatever was left of his nerve right there. "Ah... yes. Ahem. I pronounce you husband and husband! You may now kiss!" he quickly declared, getting out of the way.
Now, Cid had planned for this. He'd figured Vincent would be a bit timid with an audience, so it fell on him to take the lead. So when Vincent did exactly as predicted, shyly leaning down for a quick brush of the lips, Cid reached up and cupped Vincent's cheek with his left hand until the raven-haired man leaned into it out of habit. Then he slowly pressed the pad of his thumb over Vincent's lips until he parted them to inhale slightly, giving Cid the opening he'd been hoping for. He firmly sealed his mouth over Vincent's and began hungrily working their lips together like he was trying to steal the breath from his lungs, his body pressing insistently into Vincent's at the same time. Apparently it worked, as Vincent was stunned enough to be momentarily distracted from all the hooting and hollering around them.
When they finally broke apart for some much needed air, someone yelled, "Kiss him again!"
Cid was pretty sure that was Reno, so he flipped the bird in the redhead's general direction, then grabbed his new husband's hand and said, "Come on, let's beat it. I got something even better ta show ya."
Vincent blinked, his brain struggling to keep up with everything happening even as his feet kicked into auto-pilot, hurrying along behind Cid. "... Wait, what?" They'd just gotten married. What was "better" than that?
The captain grinned smugly and merely said, "You'll see..."
* * *
When they burst back out through the doors, accompanied by the applause from inside the church, there was absolutely no question what the surprise was.
Vincent's eyes swept over the sleek two-seat patroller, carbon black from the nose through the body, making way like a shadow in sunlight for a high gloss candy apple red on the wings and tail. It made him think of a piece of coal ember flickering with licks of light; immediately after that, he realized that Cid had probably been thinking about his hair and eyes instead.
"This is... for me?" the ex-Turk asked, even though the answer was obvious. How had they managed to get a plane in the small clearing in front of the church, and without him hearing it? Or had he been so preoccupied inside that he hadn't noticed?
"Absolutely! I call her the Valentine but you can rename 'er if ya want. I thought ya might like flyin' a bit more if I put together a plane with you in mind, rather than the other way 'round."
"But how...? When...?"
"I did say I had a rush job, didn't I?" Cid's grin was cocky. "I have distant cousins in North Corel and they do fabrication work fer me sometimes; had 'em handle most of the assembly to keep ya in the dark. Then when we were away fer a week lendin' Nanaki a hand in Cosmo Canyon, Shera had it brought back to Rocket Town to finish 'er up. Had the Turks deliver it ta Edge from there, 'n now here it is!" He pulled himself up on the boarding ladder and popped open the cockpit. "Come on, lemme show ya all the cool stuff in here."
For comfort the seats were covered in supple black leather and piped in gold, with the passenger's seat capable of a full recline, and there were separate climate control panels for each compartment plus warmers built into the seats themselves. Cid had thought about practicality too... photochromatic tinted glass with an additional slidable sun shield addressed Vincent's eye strain, heavy use of sound dampening materials muffled the humming of the engine, and most of the flight controllers and levers were placed on the right for Vincent's ease of use. And of course it was armed; Cid generally didn't add armaments to smaller planes, but there was a missile launcher and a gun turret built in as well - just in case.
"It's really amazing, Chief," Vincent enthused, though now he was starting to feel a little badly about the fact that the only thing he'd gotten for Cid was a small box of premium cigars from Costa del Sol. How could that match up against a custom built plane? But the engineer looked so incredibly delighted that his gift was well received... Vincent didn't want to do or say anything to diminish that.
"So ya wanna take 'er out fer a spin? Say... to the Shera for the reception?"
Vincent's head swiveled. Maybe it was his relative inexperience as a pilot, but he didn't see how that was possible. "But there's no way to take off from here."
"The Valentine's capable of a vertical takeoff and landing. I sorta had this idea ya see, of combining th' capabilities of a helicopter, plane and rocket all in one." Cid shrugged, like it was no big deal to reinvent what aircraft were capable of, and then he cackled. "'Cause... well, why not?"
Vincent's mouth flopped open like a fish. Cid was absolutely sparkling with pride and glee. If he hadn't already been in love with the man before, he certainly would be wholly charmed by now. "I... okay. You'll have to walk me through it, though."
"Ya know how to fly a chopper so ya already know how to take off. So get in, get in! Let's get this baby in the air."
* * *
The wedding guests had to make their own way to the outskirts of Edge, where the Shera was parked. Cloud pulled Denzel onto the Fenrir with him and they made a valiant attempt to race the Valentine, but once the plane had gained enough clearance to switch to standard flight form, the bike fell behind readily.
Due to the mishmash of transports, folks trickled in in clumps. The active Turks and Rufus took to the air in their posh helicopter, with most of the ghosts relying on personal vehicles like cars and motorcycles. Barret drove Elmyra, Tifa and Marlene in his truck, with Yuffie and Nanaki hitching along in the back, and Shelke and Shera joined Reeve in his sedan, while the convoy of Rocket Town denizens and Highwind Aviation employees gathered in an assortment of rented vans and buggies for the sake of efficiency.
The airship had been moderately decorated with colored lights and a few clusters of flowers from the church, and though she hadn't been designed to host gatherings the crew had done an admirable job in transforming the ship's loading bay into something resembling a banquet hall. Cid had specifically said he didn't want anything "girly" so Elena had restrained herself on décor, but as that was about the extent of his requests (and Vincent didn't make any at all) she'd gone to town on ordering enough food and drink to feed a small town. Tifa and Barret had offered to help man the bar so soon the booze was steadily flowing, and with a huge spread of dishes from every corner of the planet available on the other side of the room the guests were all in a very good mood indeed.
The newlyweds mostly stayed at their table. They didn't need to work the room when guests were more than happy to come by to congratulate them and wish them well, or to bring them anything they needed. Tifa sent over a bottle of Vincent's favorite wine and Reeve even had a second Cait Sith kick in by having him fetch plates of food for the couple while the first robotic cat continued taking photos. After a bit Shera pulled up a chair to join in the idle chatter, though the reality was she worried that Vincent would struggle with so much socializing. And while he didn't verbally acknowledge what she was doing, he gave her a thin smile and leaned against her a bit every now and then, grateful for a reprieve when it all became too much.
Eventually Veld made his way over, wearing the returned trench coat and accompanied by the younger woman Cid had spotted before. Vincent stiffened as soon as he saw them approaching, but kept his face neutral as he and his fellow ex-Turk studied each other for a drawn out moment.
"Congratulations, Vincent," Veld finally said.
Shera looked between them, then excused herself to get another drink. She still found Vincent in "work mode" to be intimidating, even though he'd barely tapped into it... he could be so grave and cold that she swore the temperature dropped around him. Cid straightened up in his seat but stayed out of it for the time being.
"Thank you for coming, Verdot. I see Elena had no trouble tracking you down," Vincent replied.
"I go by Veld now. That's the price of being declared legally dead, I suppose."
"Not the worst price to pay," Vincent commented. If that had been the worst that had happened to him, he could've lived with it.
"You're right." Veld shook his head. "Oh, and this is my daughter, Felicia. Felicia, my old partner, Vincent Valentine."
The raven-haired man politely shook her hand and commented, "You look very much like your mother, Amelia."
"Oh, you knew my mother?"
A momentary smirk tugged at the corner of Vincent's lips. "I pushed your father into asking her out," he fake whispered at her. "Or else he would've kept 'conveniently' showing up wherever she was. For a Turk, he sure made lousy excuses when it came to approaching a young lady working at a cafe."
She smiled, charmed by the thought. Veld grumbled something about he would've gotten around to it one day, then said, "Felicia, if it's all right, could you go order me a scotch?"
She frowned momentarily, knowing she was being dismissed, but left without protest.
Vincent inclined his head at the seat that Shera had vacated. Veld sat down, then said in a hushed tone, "My greatest regrets are failing Amelia, Felicia and you."
The sharpshooter nodded. He hadn't missed that Felicia had used past tense in referring to her mother. "What happened to your wife?"
Veld glanced at Cid, but the blond was pretending to not hear a thing. The older man drummed his fingers on the table, undecided if he wanted to have the conversation at all, but he'd opened the door for it, hadn't he?
"There was a bombing operation scheduled north of Kalm. I messed up. It hit the town instead," Veld admitted in the barest whisper he could manage. "Over half the residents in the area were killed, including Amelia. The survivors... I was told to send them for medical treatment... in Nibelheim."
Suddenly seething, Cid shot to his feet. "Motherfuckin' son of a...!"
"Cid. Not now."
Everything on Cid's face said he desperately wanted to argue, but he knew he couldn't. It almost made it worse that Vincent was staring at him with complete calm; he'd already figured it out, then. "Guess I'm gonna need a drink too," Cid fumed, storming off.
Veld mindlessly tapped on the table again. "I shouldn't have said anything."
Vincent couldn't help but notice his old partner's left hand was a prosthetic. Even with a glove dulling the sound, the ringing of metal on metal was impossible to hide. He snorted. What a pair they made. "It's fine. I asked."
Veld sighed. "The worst part is, I didn't even question it. Not when you were reported as a casualty in the line of duty, not when they claimed Felicia died from her injuries. I didn't investigate further; I just accepted it as truth."
"Like a good Turk."
"Like an absolute idiot," Veld immediately scoffed.
There was an awkward moment of silence. Vincent didn't want to agree, but he kind of did. They'd both been willfully ignorant of what their jobs entailed. "Even I accepted the official report that you'd been executed for dereliction of duty."
The older man waved that off. The only thing Vincent was guilty of was not seeking him out and reestablishing contact with him. His failings were far more egregious and had directly led to both Felicia and Vincent suffering at the hands of a madman.
But the sharpshooter wasn't willing to be dismissed so easily. "I spent thirty years haunted by my sins and failures. I would've probably wasted another thirty bemoaning all I could or should have done, but Cid wouldn't let me."
"You chose a good partner. He told me that drowning in my regrets wouldn't change anything, that if I wanted forgiveness, I had to stand up and do something about it." Veld tapped on the table a couple more times, then tightened his hand into a fist. "I almost didn't come. But it wasn't like I'd get another chance to attend your wedding. Even Felicia scolded me; she said she'd come without me if I really was such a coward."
"I never blamed you for what happened to me. Part of me still thinks it would've been better if no one had ever found me. I know that's not true - I would've never met Cid otherwise - but I still have days where it's hard to push those doubts out of my head."
"I convinced myself that you would not see me, that I had no right to approach you. Felicia disagreed. But Tseng continued to feed me updates, regardless. I heard about what you accomplished with AVALANCHE, and then your role in ending the Geostigma crisis and of course, the recent Deepground incident. Meanwhile I remained in hiding with Felicia and 'stayed dead,' like a good ghost."
"'Senior Director' would indicate you failed at that, as well. And I can't imagine you didn't poke your head out of your hiding hole when the ghosts were swarming Midgar during Meteorfall."
Veld chuckled dryly. He'd forgotten just how sharp and quick witted Vincent was; that was what had made him such a stellar Turk and partner. "Are you really retired?" It'd be a tremendous waste if he was.
"We both know the answer to that." Turks officially retired when they were six feet under, so the saying went. Vincent wondered if being stuck in a coffin for three decades counted. He quirked a half-smile. "I'm an aeronautical electrician now, apparently."
"That pay well, at least?"
"I get room and board in an old rancher that hasn't been updated since braided rugs were a thing, as long as I make dinner on nights when Shera and Cid are working overtime. Which is about three or four nights a week. But as a bonus, I can park as many aircraft as I want behind the house, and there's no gun restrictions so it's open season on cans and bottles on the back fence."
Veld's eyes crinkled at the corners. "Gods, I've missed talking to you."
"Ya forgot the annual tumbleweed invasion in late summer, when shit's all dried up," Cid commented. He'd returned with a tumbler of whiskey and Felicia and Shera in tow. Shera was sipping at a colorful cocktail; Felicia placed a snifter on the table in front of her father, and waited.
"How could I forget? It piles up by the fences and the porch and pretty much makes it impossible to go anywhere on foot for two weeks," Vincent volleyed back as Cid retook his seat. He leaned against his husband, glad that he'd cooled off fairly quickly. It wasn't like Cid was mad at Veld anyhow... anything Hojo related tended to set off fireworks, no matter the crowd.
"I thought you liked the rugs," Cid casually continued. Ah, he'd been listening in, then.
"I said they were 'interesting,' Chief. It's not the same."
"Well fuck, shoulda told me ya didn't like 'em. They're hard on the knees ya know? I still have rug burns from..."
Vincent quickly slapped his hand over the blond's mouth though that didn't stop those blue eyes from sparking with mischief, as Shera buried her face in her hand. "I have to sit on that sofa too, you know," she groaned.
Veld took the hint to scram. He stood up, picking up his drink. "Is it all right if I call you from time to time?"
"I'm sure you have my number whether I gave it to you or not," was Vincent's quick, dry reply.
Shera looked at the now available seat, then decided since she was already up and everyone should've long since arrived, it was probably about time for a toast. She turned around, held her glass aloft, cleared her throat, and tried to get the room's attention. "Excuse me, I'd like to give a toast. Excuse me, everyone?"
A piercing whistle suddenly cut through the air. Vincent scowled, wincing... it was going to take a while to clear out the ringing.
"Oh, sorry Vince, I didn't mean to do that," said Yuffie contritely. She'd been nearby, seen Shera struggling, and jumped in to help out without fully thinking things through. She clapped her hands instead, then yelled. "Hey everyone, pipe down! Shera's giving a toast!"
Shera smiled gratefully at the ninja as the room quieted down and all eyes swiveled to the newlyweds' table. "Well as you all know, I live with these two, so I've had a front row seat to their relationship from the start, not that I realized that until much later."
"I've known Cid since we were kids; we met early on in elementary school I think? Even back then he was always fascinated by the sky - he said one day he was going to be the first man to make it to the sun, to the moon." She paused, sorting through her many memories of her long time friend. "He once sprained his ankle leaping off the swings because he was convinced that if he tried hard enough, maybe he could learn to fly. Head in the clouds - that's how he's always been."
"The first time I met Vincent, it was like Cid had brought home a potted plant. He stayed out of the way and didn't say more than yes, no, and please the whole time he was there. I've held more conversation with my sister's deaf cat." Predictably, there was a smattering of laughter at her description, but everyone who knew Vincent back then knew it was pretty on point too. "I didn't think anything of it at first, but after Meteorfall, Cid asked if I'd be okay with Vincent moving in with us. I admit I was nervous about living with a former Turk. But even though Vincent was still quiet he remained polite, and Cid... Cid was more optimistic and energetic than he'd been in a long time. He threw himself back into work with gusto, saying he wanted to make a difference, not just for us, but for the planet and the future. He wanted to build a new rocket, better engines that didn't use mako, faster and more efficient transports. He got everyone else on board too."
"Vincent stayed a while then started coming and going, like the wind. It couldn't be helped; the world was still in distress and he could do something about it. But I noticed that Cid's mood would drop when he wasn't around. He'd even work slower."
She took in a deep breath. "And then one night Vincent stumbled in late, unannounced, and Cid stared at him with a sort of awe and reverence like a star had just fallen out of the sky and landed in front of him... and I realized I'd completely misunderstood just how important Vincent was to him."
A faintly blushing Vincent slid a glance at Cid; his spouse was flushed as well.
"Sh... shit. Was I that obvious?" the pilot stammered. He hadn't exactly been hiding it but they hadn't been in anything resembling a conventional relationship either, so trying to define what was going on between them at the time had been beyond him. Good thing Shera had never asked! His main concern back then was making sure Vincent wasn't uncomfortable as he gently coaxed him out of his shell and back into some sort of everyday, normal life. But things were undeniably clearer now, and perhaps it was time he just came out and broadcast it to the world. "Well then, I guess I gotta say something too, since... well, since we've got everyone here, and it's not like any of this is a secret, and I wanna make sure I'm clear, Vince, just how much this means ta me..."
"Remember that day when Shinra No. 26 finally made it into space? 'N I told ya that was th' best moment of my life?" Cid waited for Vincent's nod, sucked in a breath, then plunged ahead. "Well, guess Shera had a point. That ain't got nuthin' on today. I'd trade every rocket, every moon and star in the sky, ta see ya smilin' like ya have today, Sweetheart. 'Cause that's how much I love ya."
Vincent's entire face erupted in crimson. Having Shera sweetly make an observation was one thing; Cid loudly declaring it to the whole assembly was another. He ducked his head, immediately remembered he had no cowl to hide in, not even his hair to veil his blush, and ended up pressing his face into Cid's shoulder in embarrassment.
"Awww...!" went several female voices in the room.
"Shaddup!" Cid snapped back, though he kind of agreed with them. But he also hadn't meant to put Vincent on the spot like that, so he quickly reached up and pulled out the red ribbon tying back the long black hair, letting it spill back into its usual curtain around Vincent's face and shoulders.
Vincent slowly peered up at him, ruby eyes glimmering from beneath long, tousled bangs.
Cid suddenly shivered, struck by a maddening desire to coo at him. How can he be so damn cute?! This was the side of Vincent that only he was privy to, soft and snuggly as a kitten, so far removed from his persona as a Turk that it was almost unbelievable. "An... anyhow..." Cid took another breath and steadied himself. "Yeah. Without a doubt, this is tha best day of my life," he stated, as the crowd applauded.
Vincent gave a tiny nod, so slight that no one, not even Cid, saw it. He'd only felt it since the ex-Turk was still leaning into him. The captain pushed his hand under the heavy fall of hair and Vincent pressed against it, his eyes sliding shut as he took a moment to settle himself before breathing, "Mine too."
Cid grinned from ear to ear. "Damn, I'm so happy. And it's all because of you," he murmured as he ran his fingers through long locks. It had been a nice change of pace to see Vincent with his hair tied back, but Cid definitely preferred it down, just so he could stroke it like this as Vincent trembled faintly against his shoulder.
After a few minutes - and with no further interruptions - Vincent finally lifted his head enough to say, "I promise I'm not complaining - this really has been an amazing day! - but I never want to do this again. It's exhausting, and we didn't even have to do anything but show up."
"Of course we ain't doin' this again! Marriage is forever ta me; if wanna get rid of me, yer gonna have to kill me," Cid asserted. Vincent hummed his agreement, smiling. "So... you wanna get outta here?"
Was it bad form to sneak out of their own reception? Still, Vincent nodded as he snagged their half-finished drinks.
"Oh no you don't," Shera intercepted. "You have to at least cut the cake." She pointed to the table in the corner, where the two tiered layer cake sat waiting, along with stacks of plates and plenty of forks.
Elena had planned everything else for the reception, but Tifa had specifically laid claim to the right to bake the cake, which turned out to be no small task. She asked them about their favorite flavors: Cid's request was coffee, Vincent mentioned chestnut, but he quickly took it back since he realized it was unusual outside of Wutai and therefore difficult to source. All that did was make Tifa even more determined to work the ingredient into the cake somehow. Thankfully Yuffie and Tseng came through, procuring more than enough candied chestnuts for her to make the filling for the cake, and to scent the buttercream frosting with.
To pull it all off she had two different ovens going and Cloud serving as a second set of hands, mixing and stirring things as needed. She even roped in additional help in the form of Alvis and Elena's older sister Emma, both former Turks who were doing rounds with the others and happened to stick their heads in. In lieu of flowers or ribbons of frosting or other impersonal trappings, Yuffie, Shelke and Barret helped the kids bake sugar cookies and decorate them, so the cake was topped with a smiling cookie Cid and Vincent holding hands, a rusty looking rocket, a silvery blob that was either the Shera or the Highwind, and a church with yellow and white flowers. Cookie-fied members of AVALANCHE and anyone else the kids could think of ringed the rest of the cake, including a number of black suited Turks and even a gold chocobo.
"So I just cut it?" Cid asked, picking up the cake knife once he and Vincent were done admiring it. A crowd was gathering around them, eager for dessert, or just to compliment the kids on the decorations.
"Yup. Just cut a slice for yourselves, we'll take care of the rest," Tifa said, her hands firmly planted on her hips.
It took a bit of looking to find a good spot to remove a slice without damaging any of the cookies, but Cid finally did just that, sliding it onto a plate that Tifa handed him.
"Damn, looks good; yer a real pro!" the engineer enthused upon seeing the even layers. He took a closer look at the moist filling. "Hey, is this th' chestnut in here? Good job, Tif'!"
"Wutaian candied chestnut. It's in the frosting too. Thank Tseng and Yuffie for finding some for me."
Vincent smiled a bit awkwardly, surprised yet delighted that she'd been able to fulfill his difficult request. "Can we take these cookies too?" He pointed at the edible versions of themselves adorning the top.
The pugilist laughed. "Of course! It's your cake."
"I decorated your cookie, Vincent. Denzel did Cid's," Marlene said proudly while Denzel grunted in agreement, trying to pretend like it was no big deal.
Vincent bowed his head at them in acknowledgment and gratitude for their hard work. Marlene giggled and copied his gesture.
Cid was always amused by how well Vincent handled kids, even if the man himself would disagree. The ex-Turk was convinced they ought to fear him, but he was a good listener and never talked down to them, so children took to him quite easily. Eyeing the cookies, Cid joked, "I bet ya can hardly wait to sink yer teeth into me," with a waggle of his brows.
The raven-haired man nearly scolded his husband for flirting in front of the kids, but decided to play along instead, picking up the cookie Cid and taking an exaggerated bite out of it, leaving the cookie with only part of one leg and half its torso.
"Ouch! Damn!" said Cid, acting like he was wounded.
"Is it good?" Marlene asked eagerly.
"It is," Vincent assured her once he finished chewing. "Thank you."
"So we did the deed. Can we go?" Cid asked, spinning a fork around between his fingers, like a tiny spear. He was eager to have some cake, but even more excited about getting some fresh air and a little peace and privacy.
There would traditionally be a few rounds of dancing to finish off the celebration but Shera knew neither man would be keen on that, especially in front of an audience. And people were too busy socializing and eating to care about the lack of music anyhow. "Well, I suppose..."
"Great! See ya in a bit!" Cid said, grabbing Vincent's wrist and disappearing through the doorway before anyone else could protest their leaving.
* * *
Over forty minutes had passed and things were winding down in the banquet hall. No one could possibly eat or drink any more, and the sun was starting to dip lower in the sky, so unfortunately that meant some of the attendees had to start thinking about departing or risk riding home in the dark.
The Turks weren't immune to that either. Tseng had been fine giving everyone the day off, but that meant duties that had been deferred for the day would need to be dealt with that night instead. Since the newlyweds hadn't reappeared, they went looking for them. Shera mentioned that they were most likely on the upper deck and sure enough they were, hanging out at the railing while passing around the stub of a cigar, an empty cake plate, whiskey tumbler, and wine bottle nearby. Cid had unbuttoned his jacket and undone his cravat; Vincent's hair was still loose, but looked wilder than before thanks to the air currents rising up over the hull of the ship.
"I thought you quit, yo," Reno said, indicating the nub.
"I did," Cid replied, taking a slow drag and holding it for several long seconds before releasing a soft puff of smoke. "It's our weddin', so go suck a dick."
Reno snickered. "Isn't that what you... OOF!"
"Did you two forget about everyone downstairs?" Elena teased after having slammed her elbow into the redhead's ribs.
As she spoke, Vincent casually draped himself over Cid's shoulders, his eyes faintly glowing like embers in a dying campfire. The sharpshooter couldn't get drunk, not with the amount of augmentation he'd had, but the majority of a bottle of wine plus half of Cid's whiskey was enough to soften up his edges temporarily.
"Not at all. Wanted ta watch the sunset first," Cid explained as he leaned back against Vincent while examining his gifted cigar with regret. There really wasn't enough left of it to comfortably hold, though Vincent could manage with his gauntlet if he wanted to, so Cid handed it back to him instead.
"Hmm. I suppose we can have people come up if they wish to give their regards, then," Elena mused.
Cid glanced at his lover; Vincent took a small puff and shrugged in return. They certainly couldn't turn guests away when they merely wanted to say goodbye.
"Regretfully, we'll be the first to leave," said Rufus, with a polite bow of his head. "Thank you for inviting us all."
"Recruits don't train themselves, unfortunately," Tseng added with a smirk.
"Man, what a harsh taskmaster," Cid complained.
"Turks don't get days off. Shitty benefits, can't even retire in peace," Vincent mumbled, the words wrapped in a lazy ribbon of smoke.
"Is that why ya quit?" Cid chuckled.
Vincent purred near Cid's ear, the sound vibrating along his skin. He smiled, then pushed off Cid's shoulders and stepped around him, dropping the stub into the whiskey glass. He approached Elena, tilting his head slightly as he regarded the petite blonde, then he opened up his right arm and waited.
Elena looked up at him, momentarily stunned. Vincent wasn't the sort of person you ran up to and hugged. Turks in general weren't the type of people one would embrace with or without warning, but Vincent was more intolerant than most. He accepted it from Cid of course, and Shera to some degree, but even closer friends like Yuffie and Tifa knew to keep any unasked for contact to a minimum.
She stepped forward, awkwardly placing one arm around him while he wrapped his around her shoulders. He gave her a very slight squeeze as he said, "Thank you for everything," before releasing her.
"... Of course! Every girl wants to plan a wedding, right?" she said, rocking up slightly on her toes.
Vincent hummed in agreement, then made sure he had her attention as he flicked his gaze towards Tseng and back. Her eyes widened, but he didn't do or say anything more on that front other than grin rather toothily at her.
After a round of obligatory have-a-good-evening's, the Turks and their boss headed back down and out towards their helicopter, parked next to the Valentine. Elena glanced back at the Shera, at the two figures still up on the deck, now saying good night to Barret and Elmyra from the looks of it. Cid's head was thrown back in laughter as Barret animatedly gestured his way through a story; Vincent's hair whipped over his shoulder as he pushed it out of the way and leaned down to rest his chin on Cid's shoulder once again. She turned back towards Tseng's sharp silhouette, now several strides in front of her. Before she could rethink what she was about to do, she ran up behind him, reached out, and touched his wrist.
He stopped and turned his head, his eyebrow arching in question.
Elena's mind went blank. Her mouth went ahead for her. "If you're not doing anything tomorrow night, would you like to have dinner?"
"Ooooh...!" Reno wound up.
Rude rolled his eyes behind his sunglasses and dragged his partner away as Rufus smirked and continued towards the chopper.
Tseng's second eyebrow momentarily joined the first, then his features settled back into their usual smooth calm, with just a hint of amusement in his dark eyes. He'd known about her interest in him for a long time, but since she hadn't voiced it, he'd simply left it alone. But Cid and Vincent's engagement and marriage had apparently gotten her fired up enough to act. And that was fine; he was willing to see where things would go. "All right. We can do that."
"... Really?"
He dipped his head, then gestured for her to walk next to him instead of a step behind, like she'd been trained to do. "Yes, really."
She sucked in a breath, feeling a squeal coming on, but managed to tamp it down, redirecting all that energy into a sunny smile instead. "I'm looking forward to it!"
The corner of Tseng's mouth lifted in response.
* * *
* * *
Author's Notes:
- Vincent talking to Veld (and Tseng last chapter) about forgiveness was inspired by the scene in AC where Cloud asks if sins are ever forgiven, and Vincent answers, "I've never tried." But if things had gone differently for Vincent by that point (namely, a relationship with Cid), maybe he would've forgiven himself of the sins he was so convinced were his, or at least tried to. So that'd mean he could flip that knowledge onto someone else.
- BC Turks reference: Alvis is Rod (Male) and Emma is Gun (Female). I wanted to include Emma just for the fact that she's Elena's sister.
- Thanks to Nenya85 for beta work. Reviews are appreciated!
December 9, 2024