The Workaholic
(By "Freakin 2 Unlimited Songs" Zar)
(Note: I am not responsible for any mental damage caused by reading this fic.)
There was nothing like being torn from one place that didn't understand you and ignored you, to a BIGGER place that not only ignored you, but didn't care at all.
He had a suitcase and a backpack with him when he stepped off the bus, and he felt painfully small amidst a large group of milling people, people who seemed to know where they were going. He stood there in silence for a moment, not sure of where he should go, and everyone seemed to be heading in different directions. He waited, his scarlet eyes panning over the crowd repeatedly, looking for some kind of focus, some kind of idea where he should go.
He adjusted his backpack as it began to dig into his collarbone and felt the aching in his back lessen for only a second, then return with greater force as the backpack slid back to it's former position. He sighed. He shouldn't have taken so many books with him, but he couldn't help himself. He had guessed from his previous situation that he would not be making many friends, and although he had not even gone to class, attempted conversation, or even met his roommate, he had a feeling that his assumption would be correct.
The claws on his metal arm creaked slightly and he slid his sweater over the golden metal. He never felt comfortable discussing the deformity, and he didn't want attention payed to it at the moment. All he wanted right now was to find a place where he could put his stuff down.
He walked forward slightly, his suitcase fortunately on wheels so it wasn't as much of an ordeal as his backpack, and looked towards the large, looming building in front of him. That must be where he was supposed to go.
Before he knew what was happening, the world flipped sideways sharply, and he cried out as his backpack overbalanced him, and he fell back onto the pavement, the grit digging sharply into his elbows even through his thick sweater.
Someone began shaking him.
He wanted to rub his head with his left arm, but decided at the moment that would be unwise. His right arm was pinned at the moment by....
Someone's backpack?
He opened his eyes and found sky-blue ones staring at his in concern and worry.
"Hey, hey? Are you okay? #$^#, 'm sorry, #%&#, this is just #$^#in' great..."
When he opened his eyes to get a greater bearing of where he was, he found that the weight that was on his right arm was from the person on top of him's backpack, which had slung off his shoulder from the impact. He guessed he was one of those kind of people who carried their backpack on one shoulder. As it was, their position was extremely incriminating, with the lighter-haired male's completely on top of him, holding onto his shoulder's and shaking him. He was wearing a light blue shirt and what appeared to be green khakis, and....
Flight goggles?
"Thank #$^#in' god you woke up, #$^#, I thought I was in some real #$^# there..." He seemed to be babbling angrily, apparently upset at himself and trying to hide it. He pushed himself up to a sitting position, shifting the backpack back onto his back. He held out his hand, which was covered with a thick glove. "I'm Cid, sorry for #$^#in' you up there, didn't mean it."
"Vincent..." He struggled to sit upwards, still disoriented from what had happened. He finally was able to rub his head with his free hand and thankfully found no blood of any sort. He was relieved, he had feared his contact with the pavement would be more damaging. It was at this point that he heard the mocking laughter around him, and noted Cid beginning to blush angrily. He took the gloved hand awkwardly. "I'm Vincent."
He shook his hand furiously and let go just as quickly. "Well, great to meet you, Vin, I really got to #^#%in' go though, sorry 'bout this, see ya!" With that, the blonde was up on his feet and running furiously. Vincent related instantly with what he was doing as he stood, enduring the laughter as stoically as possible. He felt like getting away from the mockery himself.
He brushed back his black hair from his eyes and resumed his journey towards the looming building, hoping there wouldn't be any more unwanted surprises.
~~~
After several moments of confusion, the office finally told him where to go, as if they expected him to know exactly where he was supposed to be the minute he got off the bus. He just knew his room number and dorm, he didn't know where they actually WERE. However, they looked at him like he was an idiot when he tried to explain that, so he just gave up and followed their directions.
When he got to his room, he found that his roommate had yet to arrive. He breathed a sigh of relief. Rooms had always been a big thing at his house, and he was glad that it would be someone coming into his room, rather then the other way around.
He shrugged off his backpack finally and began unpacking his clothes, folding them neatly into the drawers provided, and then digging into his backpack. He filled all of the shelves with his books, as many as he could possible fit, and put up one of his few posters, a giant picture of Cthulu, a creature created by one of his favorite authors.
Not sure of what else to do, he sat on the bed, picked out one of his books, and waited.
He waited for a while until the door was slammed open, and someone walked in, quietly mumbling to themselves.
He was wearing a dark purple sweater with no sleeves, and what appeared to be large metal bracelets. He couldn't help but stare at his hair. It spiked to the extreme in a style he had never seen before. The young man was mumbling underneath his breath as he shoved his clothes into his drawer hurriedly and threw his backpack on the bed, shoving his hands into his black jeans. He finally turned and noticed Vincent, who was curled in one corner of his bed, quietly reading.
"Oh, hello." The young man's voice was very quiet and flatline. Vincent cocked his head slightly. "I guess you're my roommate."
Vincent nodded, not quite sure how else to respond. He silently put his bookmark back in his book.
"Right, I'm Cloud. You must be Vincent, right?" Cloud shrugged and began heading for the door. "I'm going out. Do you want to come?"
Vincent shook his head quietly and watched the spiky-haired young man leave. He thought carefully for a moment.
He seemed somewhat quiet, almost angrily so. He wasn't sure what he was trying to hide or prove, but Vincent decided it would be best not to cross him, even if he was bigger then him.
He sighed and went back to reading.
~~~
Cloud immediately covered his side of the room with pictures and posters, mostly of his friends and motorcycles, but didn't seem to speak to Vincent much. They both were the quiet type, so this didn't really bother him.
The following days passed quietly as Vincent struggled to get his schedule under control and get everything sorted out. He went and noted which buildings he would have to go to on what day, and how long it would take for him to get there. Most of the time, however, he sat and read. When he slept, he had nightmares, which didn't surprise him. He had always had nightmares, ever since his parents had seperated.
When school finally started, his first class was at eight in the morning, which didn't really agree with him. Vincent was nocturnal. He woke, along with Cloud, reluctantly and headed to class anyway, bringing along his walkman. He fully planned to not be noticed, so he decided that quietly listening to "Billy and the Chocobo's" wasn't going to hurt anyone.
He sat down in the backrow, as he always did, and waited for everyone to arrive. He was early. He wasn't surprised.
Students filed in quietly, most of them exhausted and no doubt worn out from their first few nights of freedom. He turned his walkman on high power, so that he could hear nothing, and quietly sketched on his paper. Drawing was something that he generally kept to himself, as he believed that his own artwork was terrible, but it was something that he always did when he was bored.
He jumped when someone tapped him quietly and slid his headphones back, as he was accustomed to doing. He looked up, waiting for the stern look that told him to turn his music down, or keep the headphones off.
The confident face of Cid looked down at him, smiling awkwardly. His eyes had large rings under him, and he looked slightly wobbly. No doubt Cid had also enjoyed his first nights of freedom as well. His voice was rougher then it had been when they first met. "Hey, what d'you know, same class."
Vincent blinked as he remembered Cid in an instant, then nodded silently. He could go weeks without ever saying a word. Cid laughed and then gestured to the empty seat next to Vincent. He always kept at least two empty seats next to him. He liked his space, and he didn't really think anyone would want him sitting next to them anyway. "Mind?"
Vincent shook his head, and Cid flopped down in his chair, leaning back and sighing. "#$^#, this class is too #$^#in' early..."
Vincent was planning on turning his headphones back on and going back to drawing when he could feel Cid's presence near his shoulder. He could smell the faint presence of cigarettes.
"Hey, what'cha drawin'?"
"Mm?" Vincent hadn't expected that question and leaned back slightly so he could study Cid's face, which was already close to the paper. He was planning on explaining how his drawings weren't good, but Cid cut him off.
"#$^#, Vin, this is some good #$^#. Where'd you learn to draw like this?"
Vincent didn't know what to say. He just stared incoherently for a few seconds.
"Wish I could #$^#in' draw." Cid sighed and leaned his head into his hands, his elbows on Vincent's desk. He noted that he was still wearing those gloves. "All I can #$^%in' do is write, an' not well I might add..."
Vincent finally found his voice. "You can write...?"
Cid smiled cockily at him. "So it talks! Sure, I guess. I never showed anyone 'cause I think I'm pretty bad, but #$^#, you're really good at this."
"You really think so?" Vincent's voice betrayed nothing of his inner confusion.
"#$^#in-A. This one's really cute, if you're into that kind of stuff." He pointed to one of Vincent's small chibi's in the corner.
Vincent, if he was shocked before, was doubly-shocked.
If anyone saw his art, they described it as gothic, dark, bloody, and depressed. Even when he felt good, even when he tried to make his drawings light and happy, to match with his rare good moods, everyone saw them as dark, ironically morbid. No one had ever told him his drawings were cute...he had tried to for that several times, but had never really accomplished it...or had he?
He was more confused then ever now.
"You're really good, Vin." Cid smiled at him, his sincerity hard to doubt. "How'd you learn?"
Vincent finally managed to speak again, shaking his head softly and lowering his eyes. "No...no, I'm not good, there are a lot of other people-"
"#$^# the other people." Cid crossed his arms and stared at him levelly. "You're #$^#in' good and that's that."
Vincent looked to one side, suddenly aware of his claw-arm. He knew that there were others in his class with stranger defects (he even saw one with a leopard tail) but he was extremely self-conscious about his own. He looked down at his left arm, making sure it was still completely covered. "I...thank you, I guess..."
"Y'probably don't remember my name." Cid cut him off before he could protest. "I'm Cid Highwind. I'm the clumsy #$^# who ran into you. Sorry 'bout that again..."
Vincent shook his head. "No, no, it's alright, really..."
"$^#%, wish I could draw like this..." Cid seemed to sigh slightly. "I'm not really good at anythin' tho'..."
"You said that you could write..."
"More like try." Cid shrugged and moved his shoulders off of Vincent's desk, leaning back in his own chair, hands behind his head. "Least you're good at somethin'..."
"Highwind, I'm sure-"
"Class!" The professor had arrived while Vincent had not been paying attention, and he immediately turned away from Cid, focusing his attention back on his paper. He found the pen he was holding in his flesh hand twitching, as if wanting to do something. Was he that thirsty for positive recognition that his muse had been rekindled just by a few kind words?
The class began, and it went on almost without further distraction, excepting a note passed to him by Cid, written in rough, scratchy strokes.
"Wanna read some of my stories? Where's your room?"
Vincent stared at it for a while, chancing a glance at Cid while he did so, finding the young man glancing ta him ever so often as well, as if wondering whether he had found the note at all.
He wrote down his room number on the note and passed it back. After all, what's the worst that could happen?
~~~
Most of Vincent's nights were spent flipping through channels with the sound way down, or reading while Cloud watched or worked. Tonight Cloud was out, so Vincent was laying on his bed, his arms spread out to his sides, staring at the ceiling. The more that he thought about it, the more he considered putting something up there that he could stare at at times like this.
There was nothing on TV to watch...
There was nothing that he felt like reading...
He felt himself breathe for a few moments, felt his spine curve away from the bed and meet it again, a curve that he was never able to fully get rid of comfortably when he layed down. He flexed his toes, streched slightly, but still felt no real compulsion to move.
He just felt like staring at something.
He wasn't sure when Cid was supposed to come, and perhaps that was why he felt so awkward. Was it because he didn't want to be doing something when Cid came? He had never done that before...
Then again, it had been a long time since someone had come to pay him a visit in friendship...
He wondered if they would be friends, but he felt somewhere inside him that he already knew the answer. Unlike a lot of people, Cid didn't trigger his inherent fear, his mistrust. He hadn't locked up completly in front of him, refusing to talk, and he hadn't reacted with anger, asking for him to go away. There was something disarming about him, but he wasn't sure what...
He finally did roll over, reaching out one of his thin arms to take the pad of paper lying near him. He took his pencil and sat up, leaning against the wall. He rested the paper against his knees and began sketching lightly, his pencil barely scraping the paper before darting back up and striking again. His style was odd, he knew that.
The figure that quietly and slowly materialized underneath his pencil was thin and dressed in black, his hair short and light. Vincent sighed and stared at it, not even completed, and tossed the pad off the side of the bed, turning onto his stomach and staring at the wall. He couldn't even draw people correctly...they always came out looking so morbid, so sad. He didn't understand why. He tried to capture the light and happiness that other people seemed to be able to access, but he could never get it completely...
However, Cid had said that he could see it...maybe he couldn't? Perhaps he was turning a blind eye to his own work.
He threw the pencil along with the pad of paper. He hated his drawings.
There was a thump on the door, then a cough and a series of lighter knocks. He pushed himself up and hopped onto the floor, going to the door, not sure of what to expect.
The shorter young man was dressed in ragged, torn clothing, with chains hanging from his pockets and his hair spiked up, still mainly held back by his goggles. He was smiling, a cigarette giving off a gentle curl of smoke. "Heya, Vin! How's it goin'?"
Vincent wasn't sure what to say. He was dressed differently then he had seen before...he hadn't expected it. "Hello..."
"Woah, Vin!" Cid pushed his way past him and closed the door, not waiting for Vincent to invite him inside. "You changed what you're wearin'!"
Vincent looked down. He had been wearing mostly black and dark colors before, along with a larger sweater. He had foregone that currently for a black sleeveless shirt and black jeans, these more ragged and torn then the ones he had been wearing before.
"Holy #$^$!" Cid's eyes widened as he jumped onto Vincent's bed, bouncing around for a while before laying on his stomach, staring at Vincent. "Didn't see your arm either!"
Before Vincent could turn away to hide the deformity, Cid's voice came to him. "#$^#, that's cool. How'd you get that?"
Vincent just gaped at him for a while, causing Cid to smirk in a confident way. "Heh, you're too easy to #$^# with, Vin. That claw thin' IS really cool tho'." Cid bounced backwards until his back was against the wall, giving Vincent enough room to sit down.
"You think so...?" Vincent's fingers brushed against the metal. "I don't like it..."
"Aw c'mon Vin, don't get like that." Cid was staring around the room, taking in everything at once. He noted the window and bounced off the bed to open it, tapping out some ashes as he went. "I know too many #$^#'s that act that way."
Vincent wasn't sure how to respond, so he layed back on his bed, staring at Cid as he breathed a cloud of smoke out the window. "You said you wanted to show me your stories...?"
"Aw #$^#..." Cid turned and rubbed the back of his head. "You really want t'see 'em that bad? They suck @#%..."
Vincent smirked softly. "I thought you didn't like it when people acted that way."
Cid walked back to where Vincent was lying, sitting on the bed so that his back came in contact with Vincent's side as he began typing at the computer nearby. "Blah blah blah, smart@$%. Give me a sec', I have to find 'em..."
Cid was a remarkably fast typer, which somewhat surprised Vincent. He hadn't taken him for the type at first. He personally didn't care for computers, but Cid used it as if he had been born with the knowledge.
Cid put a hand in his spiked hair, then looked back and forth irritably. "Man, you really want t'read 'em that bad? #$^@, I should've put that other one up..."
Vincent pushed Cid out of the way slightly and leaned in front of the computer so he could read the text. Cid began walking around in circles, then tapping his foot repeatedly. He finally just gave up and threw his hands upwards.
"#$^#, I can't stand here, #$^#, I'll be back soon." He then left the room, his feet shuffling.
Vincent understood the kind of anxiety that surrounded having to be present while others evaluated your work and didn't protest when Cid began to wander around the hall. He nudged the door shut with his foot and lay on his stomach, focusing his eyes to read the off-white text on black.
Before he knew it, an hour had gone by. Cid had created his own world, a world that focused completely on the sky, one where everyone was able to fly. The freedom was staggering, but although such an environment seemed so light, the story focused around one whose wings had been clipped, and could never fly. It was dark, involved, and complicated, and Vincent could place himself in the main characters shoes more easily then he thought he would.
He jumped when Cid tapped his shoulder. He looked even more awkward then before and shrugged, laughing nervously. "Stupid, huh? I make up this #$^#in' crazy #$^# before I sleep, that's why it doesn't make any god#$^# sense..."
He turned away and rubbed the back of his head, his blond spikes making a slight rustling noise. "I write 'bout real #$^#in' stupid stuff..."
Vincent turned to face him, staring at him very seriously. "This is one of the best things I've read, Highwind. I am not lying to you."
Cid turned and looked at him, sitting on the bed next to him, looking down. "Y'think so...?"
Vincent nodded.
Cid smiled and laughed slightly. "Highwind?"
Vincent scratched his head, his hair coming free to fall in front of his eyes. "It's a habit I have, I was taught when I was little to refer to everyone by their last name..."
"Serious?" Cid pulled himself up on the bed and crawled over Vincent, setting himself up in Vincent's favorite corner, folding his knees up and putting his arms across them casually. Not prepared for the contact, Vincent stared at him for a moment, but didn't say anything, only getting up himself and going to sit next to Cid near the corner. "That's pretty weird..."
"Yeah..." Vincent sighed and folded his own knees near his chest. "I've been weird my whole life. Even more so after my parents separated..."
"You too?" Cid responded automatically. This caused an awkward pause where the two stared at eachother. They fidgeted, not sure of what to say until Cid finally broke the silence. "I mean...#$^#, it was over me, really...'m a #$^#in' brat, if y'can't tell." Cid smirked to himself and gestured to his shredded clothing. "I really #$^#ed with 'em both tho', but I didn't think it'd do anythin'...I mean, every kid does that, right?..."
He looked down. "I guess they couldn't handle me, so they jus' said '#$$@ it' an' left. M'fault, really, but..." Cid tried to shrug carelessly, but Vincent could tell this was something that bothered him a lot. "Doesn't really matter t'me anyway, I didn't need 'em..."
Cid was tracing circles on the bedspread. Vincent sighed softly. "I don't know why mine decided to divorce. It seemed so...random to me. They seemed so happy, but perhaps I was just being unobservant...I don't know. They split and my mother got possession of me...that was a long time ago..."
"I got m'#$%#in' #$^# of an uncle. He had a stick up the #$%, that's for sure." Cid smiled slightly. "Heh...'s kind of funny when you think about it..."
"What do you mean..." Vincent let one leg slide free, staring at the fabric of his jeans as it bunched up around his knees. Cid moved out of the corner so he was facing Vincent more, kneeling instead of curling up.
"I mean, jus' th' fact that both our families #$%#ed us. That kind of thin'."
"They..." Vincent was about to protest when he realized that he really agreed. He shrugged. "I suppose you're right..."
"Hey Vin, if you don't mind me askin'..." Cid moved to the edge of the bed and leaned over the edge, feeling around underneath. He came up with a piece of paper and a pen, putting them in Vincent's lap before keeling back holding his head. "#$^#in' dizzy spells, I #$^#in' hate those mother#$%#in' #$^#-suckin' sons of-"
Vincent cut him off before he could continue his swearing rant, taking the utensils with his hands quietly. "Dizzy spells...?"
"Yeah, the $%@%ers." Cid growled to himself. "Those #$%#in' doc's said it wasn't a 'serious' #$%#in' problem..." He paused as if thinking about something. "#$^#er's think that pills solve every #$%#in' problem on the god#$%# planet, stupid..."
Vincent pulled his legs back up and took a book of his shelf for backing, quietly speaking as he did so. "They gave you pills?"
"Yeah, t'#$^#in' 'control' m'mood swings an' th' dizzy spells, altho' they don't do jack #$^#. I still think it was m'parent's way of gettin' back at me, #$^#ers..."
"Mood swings...?"
Cid laughed suddenly, startling Vincent slightly. "You haven't #$^#in' noticed yet, Vin? I can't hold a mood for more then two seconds at most...#$^#, they say I got somethin' wron' in my head that makes it hard for me to concentrate, but they're full of #$^#."
Vincent wasn't sure how to respond. "They thought you had a...learning disorder...?"
"@#%@ yeah..." Cid leaned back on the bed, his head on the pillow, so he could look up and see Vincent against the wall. "I jus' #$#^in' hated school, that's all. #$^#ers. Hate 'em all."
Vincent decided to change the topic, not sure of what to say. "Why did you bring me this...?"
"Oh, right." Cid snapped his fingers. "I was wonderin' if you could draw..." Cid's speech tapered off slightly, as if he wasn't sure how to phrase what he wanted to ask. Vincent smiled slightly.
"Draw your characters for you?"
Cid smiled back at him. "Right. You got th' perfect #$^#in' style for 'em, jus' like how I see 'em."
"Really?" Vincent began sketching, his movements quick and light. "You picture them that way...?"
"Sure as @%$%. That's why I saw what you was drawin' and I was like 'that guy, he's got some major #$^#in' talent, he can make 'em real for you' and I asked you what you were drawin' an' stuff."
"I don't have any talent..." Vincent brushed some eraser fragments away. "I just draw for fun..."
Cid made a derisive noise. "Whatthe#$^#in'ever, Vin. Thanks for doin' this for me, tho'."
"It's no problem at all." Vincent began to picture what he was drawing in his head, the form coming out on the paper slowly in all the "wrong" ways. "You are a great writer."
Cid stumbled over his words for a moment before deciding on what to say. "@$^@, everyone before thought I was 'disturbed' an' all that #$^# 'cause I didn't want to live in their little #$%#ed world, stupid #$^#ers. I didn't really show 'em t'anyone, 'cause no one really understands. They thought I was a 'freak' or whatever..." Cid was trying to sound angry, but Vincent could hear tones of sadness underneath his voice. "Stupid #$%#s wouldn't know a story if it bit them in the #$%..."
Cid propped himself up on his elbows and leaned in closer to Vincent, looking at the piece of paper excitedly. "How's it goin'?"
"Here, see?" Vincent turned the paper so he could see it. "I'm not done yet, but how's that?"
"Great, great, $@$@in' perfect!" Cid seemed ecstatic. "This makes everythin' so much more real, this is #$%#in' awesome..."
"Do you want to live in your world...?" Vincent turned the paper back towards himself and began to put in details. "It was different...but it had it's problems as well..."
Cid shrugged. "It's not that I'd want t'LIVE there, really...I jus' think it'd be a neat place if it really was there. I like the place a lot, even tho' it's really #$^#ed in some ways..."
"It does seem like a nice place, despite the setbacks you point out in the story." Vincent worked quietly. "Every place has it's setbacks..."
Cid smiled and leaned back against the wall. "#$^#, y'know it's great t'be able t'talk t'someone who isn't a #$^#in' moron?"
Vincent smiled at that. "I must say likewise."
"Y'don't think I'm stupid 'cause I can't stay focused long, do you?" Cid turned onto his stomach and looked up at Vin, wincing slightly as a minor dizziness overtook him. "A lot of people do, I mean a #$^#in' ton..."
Vincent shook his head slowly and brushed his hair behind his ear. "No, that never occured to me."
Cid put his arms on the pillow and rested his chin on his hands. "This's great, #$^#in' great, finally got someone who doesn't think I'm a #$^#in' moron..."
Vincent brushed off his drawing and handed the paper to the blonde young man. "Here. Again, I must say likewise."
Cid took the paper carefully and sat up, smiling broadly. "Can I really keep this?"
Vincent nodded.
"Alright!" Cid hopped off the bed, leaning against a post for a second then coming back to his center. Vincent studied his face during his movement and noticed slight twitches in his face. He was blocking out all signs of showing pain...
"Are you going?"
Vincent's question cause another awkward silence, where Cid toyed with the top of the paper and Vincent fidgeted. Cid finally turned back towards him.
"Do you want me to? I mean, if you do, I will, I mean...I jus' thought y'know, you'd want me out of the room or somethin', 'cause..."
Vincent shook his head and leaned back. Cid took the invitation and crawled back onto the bed, the paper carefully placed on the desk. He sat next to Vincent, and the dark-haired young man reached over and picked up the remote for the TV.
"Hey Vin, how old are you?" Cid looked at him as the TV flickered on. Vincent blinked.
"Why do you ask?"
"Well, I'm always #$#@in' younger then everyone around me, it's a big pain in the #$%." The way that Cid pronounced the obscenity caused Vincent to laugh slightly. "So I was just curious."
"I'll be nineteen this October..."
Cid muttered. "#$%@, not again. $^@# you, you old man."
Vincent laughed out loud at that. Cid smirked and continued. "Yeah, I've seen you an' your old man buddies all laughin' behind my back, you sick old #$^#s, I'm onto you! I'll get you yet! 'Cause if the heat doesn't kill th' old people, I wiiiiiilllll."
"Stop, stop!" Vincent wasn't used to laughing and he tried to keep his voice under control. "You're terrible."
Cid leaned back and stole the remote from Vincent efficiently. "That's right, I'm lookin' for trouble with a capital Cid Highwind, buddy!"
Vincent laughed again, and Cid began flipping through channels.
The hours went by quickly and easily, the two commenting and laughing at things that came on, making them funny if they weren't originally. Vincent felt more at ease then he ever had before and even made comments that he normally never would have made.
It was only the sound of the key in the lock that reminded them that Vincent wasn't the only inhabitant of the room.
"Oh, my roommates back..."
"#$^#. That ruins all our fun." Cid gave Vincent back the remote. "I should probably go anyway."
"Alright..." Vincent wasn't sure how to feel. "You should come by again sometime, it was fun..."
Cid nodded and smiled, hopping off the bed just in time to collide with Cloud as he was entering.
"Woah, sorry buddy." Cid slid past him and was gone within a moment. Cloud watched him go, rubbing where they had collided with an odd expression on his face.
"Who was that...?"
Vincent paused for a moment, placing the remote back on the desk, where he noticed that Cid had left his picture. "A...a friend."
"Right." Cloud walked across the room and picked up his bag, turning around again to head out. "I'm going out again."
Cloud had learned, even in such a short time, that asking Vincent to come with him was useless. Vincent watched Cloud turn and go, the door clicking behind him.
He slid the piece of paper off the desk and looked at it, thinking about Cid's reaction to his scribbles. His drawings really did seem to make him happy...
He drew a few more of the characters that showed up in the story around the edges of the main one in the center, then a small attempt at a chibi version of himself in the corner. As usual, it looked far too depressing, and he sighed. He slid off the bed and pulled on a black jacket, opening the door. He wasn't sure where Cid's room was, but considering he had nothing better to do tonight, he was going to find it to give him his drawing.
~~~
It took quite a bit of work to find out where his room was. He asked information and even resorted to asking his classmates if they knew where he was. As it turned out, Cid lived about two dorms away, a fair walking distance. Vincent didn't mind particularly and felt more relieved after he knew where he was going.
He was holding the paper in one hand, feeling the slight breeze rustle it against his metal claws. It was still late summer, and the air was warm, the night clear. It was a nice night for a walk, so Vincent enjoyed the physical activity.
He entered the dorm and headed up the three flights of stairs that were required to find his room. Noting the noises from downstairs and the random shouts he heard, this dorm was far more active then his own.
Cid's room should be somewhere near the center...
He walked down the hall, staying close to the wall, studying the doors as he walked along. Most of them blended in with eachother, and it was difficult for him to distinguish one from another. Some doors were open, and the inhabitants inside all seemed to be having a good time.
He finally spotted a door that had Cid's name written at the top, along with a small pair of wings coming out of the capital letters of his name. The rest of the door was completely taken over by his roommate, pictures and phrases and words dominating the entire thing.
Vincent steeled himself and walked forward, knocking on the door softly. He waited while there were some noises from inside and finally the door opened, the blaring of the television very clear. The person standing in it wasn't Cid, however. This young man had bright red hair, held back with a different kind of goggles then Cid's, and deep scars underneath his eyes.
"What d'you want?"
Vincent paused, not sure how to react, unconsciously moving his arm behind his back, even though it wasn't clearly visible to begin with. "Um...I'm looking for Highwind..."
The red-haired male made a derisive noise and turned around. "Hey, someone's here for you."
"Really?" There was a scrambling from inside and Cid replaced the previous answerer. He was still dressed the same, although he looked more tired then he had before. The shock on his face was clear. "Vin? What the @#%$?"
Vincent felt even more awkward now then he had before. He took the paper with his flesh hand and held it out. "I...I came to give you this...you left it in my room..."
Cid took the paper slowly, and the happiness that flashed across his face when he saw what it was was painfully clear. "Alright! Can't #$^#in' believe I forgot this..."
The TV behind him turned up a few notches and Cid looked very awkward as he stepped out of the room and closed the door. "Look, Vin, I don't want to be a selfish #$#% but...can we go back t'your room?"
"Why?" Vincent's voice was quite and nervousness he was feeling before had lessened somewhat with the sound Cid's familiar voice. Cid rubbed the back of his head and looked awkward again.
"Just 'cause...c'mon, let's go, the guys here are #$^#s anyway..." Cid began walking, and Vincent followed him quietly.
"Alright...Cloud left anyway, so it's alright..." Vincent looked back at the room. Cid stopped abruptly and turned.
"Oh @$@%, almost forgot!" He headed back to his room, pulling out his key from his pants and opening the door.
Cid darted in and out again amazingly quickly, something shoved into his pocket. He closed the door and returned to Vincent.
They resumed walking. Cid apparently felt uncomfortable about the silence and began talking. "So Cloud's the name of your roommate?"
"Yes..." Vincent nodded slightly, again staying close to the wall. Cid walked directly down the center of the hallway, his hands in his pockets, slouching terribly. "He's gone a lot of the time..."
"Lucky." Cid remarked offhandedly. "Know when he's comin' back?"
Vincent shook his head. "I don't know what he does, but he usually doesn't come back until I'm asleep...we have classes tomorrow, so he has to be back at some point..."
"Right, when's your class?" They began walking down the stairs.
"...Sometime in the midday, really...I think after twelve..."
"Great, so's mine!" Cid smiled brightly. "Maybe we have the same class!"
"What's yours...?" Vincent didn't want to volunteer information first, it wasn't something that agreed with him. Cid looked thoughtful for a few seconds.
"I forget right now, but I got my schedule in my pocket somewhere, it's no big deal." He smiled again. "Keep everythin' in these pockets, I love these things."
Vincent smiled gently as they walked outside. "Yes, I can tell."
Cid paused and held his foot out, staring at the ragged remains of the bottoms of his pants and laughed. "Yeah, I really beat the #$^# out of stuff like this. Used to drive my parents #$^#in' nuts."
"I could guess." Vincent continued walking, watching as Cid sped up slightly to walk alongside him. "Whenever my clothing got in bad shape, they threw it out or had it repaired...so I never really had clothing with rips in it like yours..."
Cid laughed quietly for a few seconds, then smiled. "Most of it isn't jus' me wearin' it anyway, I rip 'em up on purpose. I like doin' stuff like that, it's weird."
Cid paused awkwardly after what he said, apparently debating whether or not he should have said that. Vincent nodded, not wanting to frighten him away. "Right, I know what you mean...that kind of desire to destroy something..."
Vincent had never admitted to anyone that he felt that way and paused in much the same way that Cid had, feeling embarassed. When he looked back at him, Cid was staring at him in wonder. "#$^#, I didn't know other people wanted t'do that. I thought it was jus' another reason I was #^#$ed up."
"You know..." Vincent turned as they approached his dorm. "You look down on yourself a surprising amount..."
"Yeah, I know. @$@# if I tell anyone tho'." Cid opened the door and walked into the dorm, waiting for Vincent to follow. "Enough people #$%#in' angst without me addin' to it."
"Is that why you never..." Vincent thought about what he was going to say, then decided against it. Cid seemed to be able to tell.
"What?"
"...you know that I don't think to highly of myself..." Vincent touched his metal arm through the cloth softly. "That's why I don't talk to people, but you seem really open to me...is it that...you hide how you feel...?"
Cid paused for a moment, staring at Vincent with various expressions, then shrugged carelessly, laughing in a way that Vincent could tell was covering how he felt. "#$^#, everyone does, Vin. I'm not the only one."
Vincent could tell that he was making Cid uncomfortable and decided to change the subject as he unlocked his door. "...Who's your roommate?"
"Ah, his name's Reno. Real #%#^, that one." Cid crawled back onto Vincent's bed and moved instantly into the corner. "Ain't got any sense of personal space."
"What do you mean?" Vincent sat next to Cid in the corner, taking the remote with him.
"He throws his stuff all over th' room, it's a #$^$in' pain." Cid's response seemed almost automatic. Vincent turned on the television, somewhat bothered by how he kept catching glimpses of how Cid really felt about things, then getting thrown off course. Cid reached into his pocket.
"What did you bring with you, anyway...?"
"I managed to get someone to get me some @#$%in' liquor..." Cid pulled a bottle from one of his seemingly bottomless pockets. "#$^#in' cost me tons, tho', but..." he shrugged. "I can't really do anything about it."
Vincent nodded. He could sense by how sensitive Cid was about his smoking, how he had gone to the window and extinguished his cigarette shortly after and how he wasn't smoking now, that he was aware of how his addictions could hurt or annoy other people. He must have trusted Vincent greatly to want to drink in front of him...Cid didn't seem to talk about his addictions at all.
Vincent changed the channel. "I understand."
Cid smirked and uncapped the bottle. "I thought you would."
Vincent changed the channel again as Cid took a drink from the bottle. He paused before speaking again. "Should warn you tho', I saw some pretty stupid #$^# when I'm drunk, an' do even stupider #$%#."
"It's alright." Vincent wasn't sure of what else to say. He couldn't very well stop him, and he didn't want to push him away. Cid was trusting him here, and he didn't want to break that trust. He could tell by how desperatly Cid seemed to be hanging around him that having a friend like him was something that he wasn't used to. "I don't mind."
"Right." Cid raised the bottle to his lips again, gently taking the remote from Vincent's hands instead of forcefully as he had done before. "Thanks."
"Your welcome." was the only response that Vincent could think of.
The night went by as quickly as it had before. Cid was quiet at first, but after a while he began to talk, and as he did he didn't stop. He talked about anything that seemed to cross his mind while he watched the TV, and as the night wore on he changed channels faster and faster. He also flicked off the light at one point, and told Vincent it was because he didn't want him to see how much he had drunk. Vincent assumed it was because he thought that he would tell him to stop, but as it was Vincent was just sitting and listening, something that he was used to doing and had gotten very good at.
Cid rambled on and on about anything he saw on the TV that captured his attention or bothered him. He talked about the flat characters he saw in shows, how he would change the plot to do this or that, how he wanted a certain thing he saw in a commercial and how other commercials really bothered him, and how sometimes changing channels was soothing in itself, even if he liked the show. He felt like he had to constantly be changing channels to make sure that he wasn't missing something. The more that he talked, the more that he began to talk about himself and how he thought without hiding behind metaphors or TV shows. Vincent listened as Cid talked about how he felt alone a lot of the time, about how he felt like he could never fit in with anyone else, about he felt like his universe was trite and stupid, or that he could never really write for a living. He talked about how he wanted to fly, to just fly away from everything, and just give up on the world itself sometimes, because it seemed to hate him so much. Through all of this, Vincent stayed quiet and listened. Through all of it Cid began to lean on him rather heavily, his hand not even in the air anymore as he changed channels, his voice listing.
"Y'prolly hate me now, don't you, Vin...?" Cid's voice was soft as he leaned his head against his shoulder. "I'm such a stupid #$^# when I drink...'s a bad habit..."
"I don't hate you, Highwind." It took some effort to make his throat work again, and Vincent wondered just how long it had been since he had spoken. "You haven't done anything wrong at all."
"#$^# I haven't..." Cid gestured at to the obviously empty bottle by his side. "I'm #$^#in' smashed..."
Vincent wasn't sure of what else to do and, seeing that the blonde looked somewhat shaken, he rubbed his back softly. "There's nothing wrong with that. Nothing that I can see, anyway."
Cid paused for a minute and put the remote down quietly. He then turned and hugged Vincent fiercely, hiding his face in his chest. Vincent stared at him in surprise, not sure of how to respond.
"'M scared, Vin...'m #$^#in' scared an' too god#$^# #$^#in' lonely..."
Vincent rubbed his back gently again, not sure of how else to react. "It's alright, Highwind. I'll be here for you, if you want me to be."
Cid seemed to have drifted off into sleep, his tight hold loosening as he didn't respond. Vincent took the remote from where Cid had left it and turned the volume down on the TV, changing the channel again. He watched a sitcom without laughing, waiting for Cid to wake up or say something. Eventually he became concerned and shook his shoulder gently.
"Highwind, it's getting late...don't you want to go back to your room...?"
Cid mumbled sleepily. "Don' wan'a...'e's mean t'me...wan' stay here..."
Vincent's mind instantly told him in several dozen ways how this would be a bad idea. However, he didn't listen. "Alright, if that's what you want. You can stay with me."
Cid mumbled something unintelligible and seemed to drift off again. Vincent changed the channel again, then looked at the empty bottle, listing to one side. He picked it up with one hand and put behind some of his books, where he could get rid of it later. Cid jerked sharply at his movement and clutched the fabric of his shirt tightly.
"What are y'doin', are y'movin', what the #$%#...what are y'doin..."
"Shh." Vincent moved his arm back to where it had been before, which calmed him down a bit. "I'm not going anywhere, I was just moving the bottle, that's all..."
"#$^#, 'm sorry, #$#^, 'm a #$^#in' #$^#%@, never should'a done this t'you..." Cid was mumbling to himself now, repeating certain words. It was reminscient of how he rambled while watching the television. Vincent put his hand back on his shoulder.
"It's okay, Highwind, nothing's wrong. It's fine."
Cid stopped mumbling slowly and stopped talking entirely, apparently going back to sleep. Vincent leaned back against the wall, wondering what he was going to do. He didn't want to leave Cid alone or make him go back to his room if he didn't really want to, but he couldn't just let him stay in his room...
Could he...?
Vincent gently shook Cid awake again. "Highwind, I'm going to go change, alright? I'll be back soon."
Cid clutched his shirt tightly. "Don' go, don' go, don' go..."
Vincent gently detached his hands from his shirt. "It's alright, I'm not going anywhere. I'll be a few feet away and I'll come back, alright? Nothing is going to happen."
Cid didn't replace his hands, but he curled up tightly instead, not saying anything. Vincent moved off the bed and walked to the dresser, picking out his sleeping clothes. His mind was screaming at him to stop, to tell him to go away, to do SOMEthing that didn't involve the blond staying, but he didn't listen. He changed clothes quietly and returned to the bed, finding that Cid had gravitated to the corner and was still curled up tightly. He moved the covers, causing him to start and roll towards him.
"Are you alright?" Vincent pulled the sheets from underneath him, causing Cid to move in confusion, not sure of what was going on. "See, I'm back, nothing happened."
As soon as Vincent had settled, Cid had immediately replaced himself, holding onto Vincent tightly and desperatly. "#$%#, I was #$^#in' scared y'wouldn't come back at all, #$^# Vin, jesus..."
"It's alright, see? I didn't go anywhere." Vincent patted his head, trying to think of a way to calm him down. "I'm fine."
"#$#@in' scared t'death..." Cid mumbled, holding onto him more tightly then ever. The warmth that Cid was generating was considerable, and Vincent could feel it through his clothes very easily. Vincent pulled the blankets over both of them.
"Just go to sleep, Highwind. Everything will be fine, I promise."
"'Kay..." Cid's voice was very soft. "If y'say so..."
~~~
Vincent woke to the rays of sunlight warming his face. Still feeling tired, he threw his left arm over his eyes, ignoring the shock of metal, and tried to turn away, only to find something blocking him. Mildly confused, he moved his arm and looked down at his chest, finding a bed of soft blonde spikes. It only took a moment for the entire evening to come rushing back to him. He pushed himself up with his free arm, holding Cid down gently so as not to disturb him. He leaned against the wall and watched Cid breathe quietly, still clinging to him tightly. He wondered for a moment how he must feel. Did he feel sick? Was he alright...?
Would he regret his actions...?
"You know, the next time you want to have people stay in the room, could you please tell me in advance?"
Vincent turned his head sharply to see Cloud staring at him, his arms crossed and an indecipherable look on his face. Shock kept him from saying anything, so Cloud simply turned and picked up his bag from the floor, opening the door and leaving without a word.
Vincent wasn't quite aware of what had just happened for a while, and the true meaning of what had happened finally hit him, causing him to sigh deeply and put a free hand to his head. Cid stirred slightly and looked up at him, looking confused.
"What the #$^#...?"
"I'm afraid we're in for a bit of trouble, Highwind..." Vincent's voice was soft.
"How the #$%# did I..." Cid looked around, then withdrew his arms sharply from around Vincent's middle, backing against a wall. "Oh #$^$! I'm sorry, jesus @#%$in' christ..."
"No, no, it's alright, it's okay." Vincent tried to placate Cid, who was holding his head in what seemed to be pain. "Are you alright?"
Cid made a pained noise. "#$^#, my head hurts..."
Vincent got out of bed and moved across the room, shuttin the blinds. On the way back he chanced a look at the desk clock and found they had only a few minutes before their class began. Not wanting to panic Cid, he moved to his dresser and began to pick out what he would wear for the day.
"#@$^, #$^@, #$^@..." Cid dragged himself out from under the blankets, holding his head in both hands. "What did I do, Vin? I don't remember anythin', #^#@, tell me I didn't do anythin' stupid..."
Vincent sighed slightly, realizing that most of last night would only belong to him. He quietly gestured for Cid to turn away, which he did quietly, while he changed into a black t-shirt and a different pair of black jeans.
"You didn't do anything, Highwind...you talked a lot, and you fell asleep. That's all." Vincent changed quickly and walked back to where Cid was staring fixedly at the wall.
"Did I say some stupid #$^%? I know I must've, #$^#, I'm sorry..."
"No, it's alright. You didn't say anything bad at all." Vincent sat on the chair near his desk. "Nothing happened."
"#$^@...I #^$#in' curled up to you, what about that?" Cid looked at Vincent, and he looked extremely pained. Vincent was surprised to the extent which Cid seemed to be reacting to what had happened. "#$^#, I hate it when I do this, I #$^#in' hate this..."
"Highwind, would I have let you if it bothered me? It's okay. But at the moment, there's a more pressing concern..."
"What?"
"We still have to go to class."
Cid stared at him for a few seconds, then clenched his fists. "#$^#! #$^#, I can't go like this, #$^#..."
Cid looked down at his rumpled and stained clothes. "#$^#..."
"Here, you can borrow some of mine if you want, I should have some that will fit you..." Vincent headed back to his dresser. "You can give them back later, we don't have time to go back to your room..."
"What about my bag?" Cid slid onto the floor, holding his head. "#$^#, my head hurts..."
"You can borrow some of my paper, it's nothing." Vincent pulled out a dark grey shirt and yet another pair of black jeans. He turned to Cid, holding them out. "Sorry, these are the lightest things I have..."
"#$^@..." Cid took them and headed towards a corner of the room. Vincent turned and faced a wall, trying to catch Cid's angry mumbling.
"It'll be okay, Highwind. Nothing happened, no harm done."
"@#$@ Vin, I hate it when I do this to people..." Cid tapped Vincent's shoulder, causing him to jump. The clothes seemed to list slightly off Cid's smaller frame, but other then that they seemed to fit. Cid looked around the room, then finally brushed his hands over his head rapidly, causing the spikes to flatten and flare out in a somewhat more tame way. "I #$^#in' hate bein' so #$^#in' clingy...y'wouldn't believe how many times it's #^#%ed me over..."
"Look, it's alright." Vincent put his hands on Cid's shoulders. "Everyone has to cling to someone sometime. There's nothing wrong with that."
Cid held out a piece of paper to Vincent, who took it quietly. He scanned it, then handed it back to him. "And I guess we do have the same class. I think we'll be able to make it in time."
Vincent opened the door, letting Cid walk out first, and let it click behind him. When he turned, Cid was glaring at someone in the hallway who was staring at him.
"What the #$^# you lookin' at?"
The other person walked away, not saying anything, and Cid made an angry noise. He began walking, Vincent following along behind him.
They walked in silence for a while, then Vincent leaned closer to Cid. "Have you noticed something, Highwind?"
"What?" Cid seemed extremely irritable with everyone.
"Everyone is staring at us..."
"That's #$^#in' great for them, then." Cid flipped off one of those that Vincent was talking about, causing them to turn away quickly. "#$^#in' nosy @#$%@s."
"I just find it strange..." Vincent brushed back his hair, wishing he had brought his headband with him. His hair just refused to be controlled otherwise.
They made it to class only a few minutes late, but the professor had already begun talking. Vincent had always been hesitant to enter classes that had already begun, but Cid seemed to have no such reservations. He opened the door and walked right in as if nothing seemed to bother him, Vincent trailing behind him.
There was an palpable pause as the two made their way to two empty seats near the back of the room. All eyes seemed to be on the two as they sat down, Cid flopping in his chair almost angrily and Vincent putting down his bag softly. The professor coughed and looked at the two of them.
"And you are...?"
"Vincent Valentine."
"Cid Highwind." Cid added something under his breath that Vincent couldn't catch, but could guess wasn't flattering.
"Well...I'll excuse your tardiness today, but I don't want this to be repeated."
The two nodded, Cid's arms crossed.
"For those who missed it..." He looked at the two in the back. "My name is Professor Hojo."
Cid and Vincent didn't react. After a short pause, the professor resumed speaking, and class continued on.
It was only a few minutes in before Cid leaned close to Vincent and whispered to him. "#$^#, my head hurts like a #$^#in' #$^@#. #$^@in' hangover."
Vincent kept his eyes on his paper at all times, even when others were speaking to him, and he was sketching something lightly. He hadn't had much time to think of what to draw or how, so the sketch at the moment could become anything. The concern in his whispered response was evident. "I'm not sure what to do...we should probably go get something for you to eat after this...that would help, wouldn't it...?"
"I guess...but my stomach's #$^#in' beatin' the #$^# out've me right now."
Vincent chanced a glance upwards to see if anyone was noticing their conversation. "Highwind, they're staring at us again."
Cid made an angry noise under his breath. "#$^#ers."
"It's probably because you're dressed like me."
Cid started slightly, then looked at himself. "Woah, forgot about that."
Vincent smiled slightly, his sketch taking form as two people sleeping together. "It's probably nothing."
"Well, @$%@ this class." Cid rested his arms on the table, his head soon following suit. "I'm goin' to get some sleep to get my head to #$^#in' shut up. Tell me if I miss anythin' important."
"Alright." Vincent responded quietly, working on darkening the outlines of his sketch. It wasn't anyone that he knew, but the position was very familiar. He smiled slightly as the drone of Prof. Hojo seemed very far away. Thinking back to last night, to Cid's frightened voice talking about how lonely he was, he realized that he had finally found a true friend. That was something that was going to take some getting used to.
"Cid!"
Vincent started sharply as he heard the blonde's name called and nudged him. Cid jerked upwards in surprise, looking back and forth in confusion.
"Cid, are you paying attention?"
"#$^# yeah." Cid responded without thinking, then put a hand to his head in what seemed to be pain. There seemed to be a slight giggle from the rest of the class. Vincent tried to remember what Hojo had been talking about before he had been startled out of his drawing reverie. He could only remember vague concepts, but he was sure he could fill in the rest.
"Very nicely put." Hojo's sarcasm was clear. "So tell me, what do you think about the ninth treatise on love?"
Vincent thought hard as Cid scratched his head, trying to stall for time. "#$^#, um..."
"Highwind, it's shallow." Vincent tried to whisper without looking as if he was. "Shallow and contrived."
Cid seemed to hear him, but didn't show it. "It was shallow. Shallow and contrived."
"So then tell me, Cid, what is your idea of love?"
Everyone stared at him now, apparently interested in his answer. Cid paused again, scratching his head.
"Well...I guess love is acceptance, really. No matter what #^#@ the other person does, or who they are, or any of that #$^#...I think it's really just acceptin' who they are. I think that's really love..."
Cid had turned his eyes down, not sure of how else to act. Vincent felt like the eyes were boring holes in him, they were staring so hard.
"So, Cid, you think love is love, no matter what?"
The more answers were demanded of him, the less inclined Cid was to answer them. Vincent didn't envy the headache he must have at the moment. Cid kept his eyes down, playing with some of the remaining spikes as he tried to think of something to say.
"@#$%, I guess so...I don't know..."
Prof. Hojo stared at him, as if considering asking him another question, then turned back to the board, underlining something he had written down there. He continued speaking, and Cid slouched down in his chair holding his head. Vincent turned to him in concern.
"Are you alright...?"
"#$^#, can't deal with this right now, Vin, what a pain in the #$^..." Cid slumped back down over his desk, his head back on his arms. "#$^#..."
Vincent patted his back softly. "Don't worry about it, it'll be alright."
"Vincent!"
Vincent turned to the front silently, his hand automatically returning to his paper. He inclined his head slightly to show that he had heard him, and Hojo seemed to imitate him in a mocking way. "Why don't you come up here?"
Vincent didn't trust this, but he put his pencil down. He sighed as he remembered the other times he had been asked up to the front by teachers and resigned himself to the upcoming humiliation. He touched Cid's arm before he went in a silent farewell, not sure if he was awake to hear what was happening, and headed up.
He stood in front of the class, hiding his arm behind his back as he usually did. Prof. Hojo stared at him critically, and Vincent waited for the question that would be turned against him if he answered truthfully.
"Tell me, Vincent..." Hojo crossed his arms. "Do you agree with nine's theory that love transpasses all physical boundaries?"
Vincent moved his other arm behind his back, taking hold of his metallic arm, feeling extremely awkward. "I suppose, although I don't believe it really applies in nine's case-"
Prof. Hojo cut him off. "Do you believe, Vincent, that love is a worthwhile investment of one's time?"
Vincent felt more and more awkward as he could feel people staring at him. He hated people staring at him. "I don't think you can choose who you love or when you love...therefore, it's pointless to argue that it's not a good investment of your time because it's not something you control..."
"So love is beyond control?"
Vincent wasn't sure if he even believed what he was saying, faced with the cold tone in Hojo's voice and the continued staring of the other students. He sighed slightly. "I believe so, yes..."
"And love is beyond physical limits or boundaries?"
Vincent rubbed his flesh arm with his metal one, feeling the edges of his claws scrape across his skin. "I believe so, yes..."
"Do you believe that people will even love a monster?"
Vincent paused for a while, his eyes turned to the ground. He fidgeted slightly, his hair drifting over his shoulder.
"As previously stated, physical limitations have no bearing..."
Hojo crossed his arms and seemed to look at the class. Vincent couldn't even bear to look at his face, it seemed so superior and cold. "So, say, even if someone had some kind of...physical deformity..."
Vincent's claw seemed to contract against his will against his arm, and he inhaled sharply as he knew he broke skin unintentionally.
"Someone could still love them...?" Prof. Hojo turned towards him, a sadistic smirk on his face. "Someone could still love them, despite their deformity and perhaps their very being...?"
Vincent tried to make his claw unclench, but it was a reflex that refused to let go under the tension he was in. He looked upwards slightly and caught Cid's eyes from the back. He was watching. He could sense the fury emanating from his gaze, the frustration. Prof. Hojo took this in with some quiet movements of his eyes and smirked again.
"Perhaps even if they were...say...the same sex...? Would love still be possible?"
Vincent's claw clenched tighter against his arm. He knew he was being led on, he knew there was no right way to answer this question. He lowered his eyes back to the ground, hearing the rest of the class talking amongst themselves. He could still feel their eyes on him. He let his hair fall forward, masking his face.
"I...I guess..."
"I didn't hear you, I'm sorry." Vincent was taken aback by the sheer malice and amusement that seemed to blend in the professors tone. "Could you please repeat that, louder? So that we can all hear you? After all, it's important to stand behind what you believe."
The class seemed to snicker slightly, and Vincent forced himself to look up, trying to find something he could stare at that wouldn't be incriminating. His gaze glanced back at Cid, who seemed to almost be crouching in his chair, glaring at Hojo venemously. He tried to move his eyes away again, but he knew that this time Hojo wasn't the only one who caught the stare. He turned his eyes to the window, the whispers increasing as he tried to stop the heat from rising to his face.
"Yes...I think it's possible..."
"Do you really?" Prof. Hojo turned to the board and began writing something. Vincent didn't want to turn around, to reveal that he had caused his own arm to bleed because of tension. "You think that love can transverse everything, including physical appearance and sex?"
Vincent's claw was digging in deeper, and he was beginning to feel the stinging going up his arm. The eyes continued to stare at him. "Yes..."
"So tell me one more thing, Vincent, before you return to your seat..." Hojo returned to stand next to Vincent, his arms crossed and the smirk back on his face. "Do you think that people who are in love begin to resemble one another?"
He knew that there was no right answer again, not even if he lied. A dull noise came from the back of the room, and he looked up to find Cid had punched the wall rather hard and seemed to be snarling to himself. Hojo glanced in that direction momentarily, then returned his gaze to Vincent, the acidic tone back in his voice. "What do you think?"
Vincent remained silent, not wanting to answer, but knowing that silence was no less incriminating. Prof. Hojo took the opportunity. "Begin to act alike, talk alike...even...say...dress alike...? What do you think, Vincent? We all want your opinion."
Vincent's claw was causing his other arm to go numb. He tried to force it free, but he couldn't make it let go. He didn't want to be asked to be repeated again, so he made sure that his answer was clear, although he didn't want to give it. "I...I would suppose so..."
Prof. Hojo clapped twice, then gestured to the back of the room with his thin hand. "You may sit down, Vincent. You've said more then enough."
Vincent could still feel the eyes staring at him as he walked back up to his seat, wishing that he had been able to control himself. He could feel something sliding down his arm, he knew he was bleeding. His claw refused to let go until he was sitting down, and he stared at it underneath the desk, the tips shining red. He wanted to put his hands to his head, but he didn't want to get blood in his hair...
Cid was just cursing under his breath when Vincent sat down, but as soon as he saw his arm, he hissed sharply. "#$^#in' Christ, Vin, what the #$^# did you do?"
Vincent didn't feel like talking, feeling as though he had been betrayed by his own tongue, although he hadn't even intended on saying anything. He let his head fall onto his desk, still feeling the burning sensation of people staring at him.
"#$^#, Vin? Vin, are you okay? #@$^..." Cid mumbled under his breath. Cid looked upwards and found that Prof. Hojo hadn't even resumed talking, only staring at the two of them with a kind of detached interest. Cid glared at him in pure hatred.
"Hey, Vin needs some #$^#in' help." Cid stood up, taking a hold of Vincent's shoulder and pulling him up as well. Cid noted the complete lack of resistance that Vincent seemed to put up, and his refusal to show any kind of facial expression. Cid vaguely remembered Vincent mentioning something about how he locked up in front of people and assumed that he had completely locked himself away in an effort to deal with what was going on. He began walking down the aisle, hearing the soft snickers of those around him and trying to ignore them. Vincent followed him passively. Prof. Hojo continued to have that smirk on his face that Cid was rapidly growing to hate. Cid glared at Hojo, drawing himself up to his full height in front of him, which didn't amount to much, and walked out of the room. "We'll be back soon."
Cid slammed the door behind him and began cursing as soon as he did. "Those mother#$^#in' pieces of #$^#in' #$^#, what the #$^#..."
Vincent was staring at his bleeding arm, his face completely passive. When he spoke, his voice was completely emotionless. "I didn't intend to hurt myself. It was beyond my control. I'm bleeding rather badly."
"#$^#..." Cid looked around, not sure of what else to do. He dragged Vincent to the bathroom, letting go while he looked around for something to use to take care of the wound. Vincent stood quietly, his face still having a lost, faraway look.
"C'mon Vin, we got to #$^#in' clean your arm up. Mother#^$#..." Cid dragged Vincent to a sink and held his arm underneath it. Vincent didn't protest or help, only letting Cid wash away the blood angrily. "What the #$^# does that #$%^in' pompous #$% think he's doin', #$^#er...can't #$^#in' believe this #$^#..."
When his arm was clean, it was clear that Vincent had five small open slits in his arm that were still bleeding, although not too heavily. "#$^#..."
Cid pulled out a small knife from one of his pockets and clicked it open. He took the edge of the grey shirt angrily. "Sorry about your shirt Vin but..."
He ripped off a portion of the bottom, washing it off in the sink before wrapping it tightly around Vincent's arm, tying it off. "Got to stop this #$^#in' bleedin'..."
Cid looked at Vincent's face, which was still very far away. He shook his shoulders softly. "Vin? Vin, are you #$^#in' listenin' to me? Vin?"
Vincent looked down at him. "Highwind..." His eyes softened slightly. "You do realize that from now on, we're...we're..."
"#$^#ed?" Cid supplied and shook his head. He brushed a wet hand through his hair. "That's what I would #$^#in' guess. #$^#."
Vincent looked at his claws and finally made some movements of his own, washing off the tips with the same expressionless face. "This is my fault...I'm sorry, Highwind."
"$%^$, if this's anybody's #$^@in' fault it's that $%^# Hojo's, so shut the #$^# up." Cid took a hold of Vincent's arm. "Don't #$^#in' blame yourself for his #$^#in' trick questions."
Vincent shook off his claw quietly. "I shouldn't have said anything..."
"#$^# 'em!" Cid shouted, causing Vincent to break out of his stoic shell for a moment and stare at him in surprise. "#$^# 'em all, Vin! Who the #$^# cares, alright?" Cid turned and punched the wall viciously. "Who the #^#$in' #$^# cares? Let 'em #^#%in' think all the #$^#in' stupid #$^#in' #$^# they want, I don't give a flyin' #$^#! An' you shouldn't either!"
Vincent stared at him and finally raised his claw arm to stop Cid's arm from raising again. The anger and sudden burst of violence had surprised him, and he was worried. "Highwind, calm down, it's alright."
Cid smiled at him in relief, but Vincent could still see the lingering traces of anger in his eyes. "There's the Vin I know. Those stupid #$^#s don't know a #$#^in' thin', alright? Let 'em #$%^in' talk. I don't #$^#in' care. I know what's $%&@in' true an what #$%&in' ain't, and that's all that $%#@in' counts."
Vincent touched the impromptu bandage on his arm. "...we should go back..."
"#$^#." Cid crossed his arms and put a hand to his head, sighing deeply. "#^#%, wish I had a #$^#in' cig right now. Mother#$^#er..."
"It's alright." Vincent shook his head slightly, running his flesh hand through his hair, pushing it back. "I'll be okay, don't worry. I'm sorry if I frightened you, I've done that ever since I was a child..."
"Lock up?" Cid turned and headed for the door, hearing Vincent's soft footsteps behind him. "#$^#, it's okay, Vin."
Vincent sighed as they headed down the hallway. "I wish that I wouldn't have to endure their eyes again..."
"$%%%%%%@$ their eyes." Cid held out his arms light-heartedly. "Don't worry about 'em, Vin. They're #$^#ers."
Vincent smiled slightly. Cid took this a chance to continue on. "Huge #$^#ers. In fact, in my entire #^#%in' life, they're the biggest #^#%er's I've ever known! In fact-"
"Shh." Vincent put his hand on the door to the room. "Keep it down."
"Right." Cid took a deep breath as Vincent opened the door.
Prof. Hojo was writing something on the board, but turned as the two entered the room again. Vincent's claw instantly moved behind his back and the two remained in the doorway, as if waiting for him to say something before moving any further. Everyone turned to look.
"Ah, so you two are back." Prof. Hojo's voice was cold, and he looked at the grey fabric around Vincent's arm quietly, immediately assessing where it had come from. "I trust you didn't have any...difficulties?"
More quiet snickering. Cid took Vincent's arm, who seemed to have locked up again and dragged him forward, muttering under his breath. "No, you mother#$^@er."
"What was that?" Prof. Hojo's voice lost the quietly amused tone it had before and immediately became dangerous. Cid seemed to snarl in his throat quietly before responding.
"Nothing."
"Hmm." Prof. Hojo leaned back and crossed his arms. Cid walked up the aisle towards their seats in the back, mumbling under his breath the entire time. He waited until the two were seated before speaking again, quiet clearly and carefully. "I'm glad you managed to take care of him, Cid. However, I think that is to be expected...you are his..."
Cid clenched his fists and felt his nails digging into his skin. His knuckles were already aching from when he had punched the wall before. He wished he had his gloves, they gave him an extra layer of protection when he felt like punching things. Hojo paused on purpose before continuing, seeming to be studying Cid's reaction. "...friend, are you not?"
Cid didn't say anything, only glaring daggers at him. He knew that anything he said would just be turned against him like it had to Vincent. His headache was coming back in full force now and he winced as a wave of dizziness overtook him. He refused to show anything, watching Hojo turn back to the board and continue speaking.
Waiting for the black to pass, he held his head quietly, cursing under his breath. After it had cleared, he looked over at Vincent, who had picked up his pencil and was sketching what seemed to be automatically. The form came out quickly, a familiar thin, long-haired figure, bleeding and curled up on the ground.
"Don't worry about that #$^#, Vin..." Cid whispered, knowing what Vincent was trying to convey through his drawings what he couldn't convey through his facial expressions. "He's a #$^#in' #$^#@#$ with a #$^#in' stick up his #^#%in' #^# a #$^#in' mile long."
Vincent didn't respond, only writing in thin, spindly script on the edge of the paper nearest Cid. "I'll be okay. Can't risk talking, might break."
Cid nodded quietly after reading the note and rested his head on his hands, his headache still throbbing in the back of his skull. "#^#@in' hangover...what the #^@#..."
Fortunately the rest of the class passed without incident, although they continued to get stares from the rest of the class. Hojo apparently was done humiliating the two of them and didn't call on them for the rest of the class. They left relieved and tired, thankful that the rest of the class had been uneventful.
"What a #^#%in' piece of #$^#-#$#^ that class is." Cid grumbled as he shoved his hands in his pockets. Vincent walked alongside of him, keeping his eyes to the ground. He smiled slightly.
"That's a new obscenity, I must admit..."
Cid smiled back. "Oh, you haven't really seen me go yet, I make up #$^$in' strings of #^#$ that don't even make sense. It's #$#^in' great."
"We should go get something to eat..." Vincent turned his head slightly towards the stairwell. "You know...so your headache'll stop."
"Right." Cid rubbed the back of his head slightly. "$^#@in' headache."
They headed down the stairs quietly, noting again the constant stares they were getting.
"I hate being stared at..." Vincent mentioned as they were walking out in the hot day towards the dining hall. The sun was shining brightly and fiercely on the campus. "Did I ever mention that...? All my life, I've hated it..."
"Don't worry, Vin. They're #$^#in' morons, don't look at 'em." Cid shrugged, trying not to let the staring bother him as well. Despite his best efforts, it was getting to him, but he didn't want to mention it. "%&#^, there are other people who look a #%^#load weirder then we do."
"I don't think it's how we look that's getting attention..." Vincent whispered softly. Cid tried to continue with his point, even though he knew Vincent was right.
"See? Look over there, there's someone who looks a #$^#load weirder then us."
The man was sitting on a bench, his elbows resting on his knees and his head on his hands, staring forward. He had what appeared to be black cat ears coming from his short black hair and twitching near him was a long black tail, coming from underneath a red and black t-shirt, flicking lazily in the heat. His elbows rested on his black pants, his hands hanging. He had a small thin goatee and a sad look in his eyes as he stared forward listlessly.
Vincent sighed. "There are other people who have tails here, Cid. For example, there was that one blonde person I saw-"
"Shhh." Cid walked towards the man on the bench, gesturing for Vincent to follow. Vincent shrugged and followed him, not sure of what he was doing.
"Hey!" Cid sat down next to him, noting the nervous reaction he got from the cat-like man. "How's it goin'?"
"Um...fine, I guess..." His reply was hesitant and unsure. Vincent sat down as well, trying to think of a way to calm him down.
"I'm Vincent."
"I'm Cid Highwind!" Cid held a hand to his chest and smiled. He turned towards the other man. "Who're you?"
"I'm Reeve..."
"Great!" Cid smiled again and leaned his head back, apparently enjoying the sunlight. Vincent sighed.
"I'm sorry about this, he wanted to talk to you." Vincent shrugged. "I'm sorry if we're interrupting anything..."
"No, it's alright..." Reeve twitched one of his ears. "I just didn't expect anyone to sit next to me, that's all."
"Why not?" Cid asked before Vincent had a chance to respond. Reeve looked at his hands and held one of them up. He flexed his fingers and small claws appeared from his fingertips.
"...It's complicated..."
"Ah #$^$, how complicated can it be?" Cid didn't appear to be paying a great deal of attention. Vincent sighed again. "Just cause you look like a #$^#in' cat, it's no big deal."
"I'm Reeve..." He put his hand down, seeming to ignore what Cid said. He returned his stare downwards. "And I guess...you could also call me Cait Sith."
"Cait Sith?" Vincent held up a hand to silence Cid, who seemed to want to say something. "What do you mean?"
Reeve closed his eyes for a moment. "Right now I'm Reeve...but sometimes...if something bad happens or I can't deal with something...Cait Sith shows up instead..." He shook his head sharply and buried his face in his hands. "I'm sorry, I'm not making any sense...I do this all the time..." He thumped his hand into his head for a few seconds. "Why do I always do this, I always do this..."
Cid grabbed Reeve's hand quickly. "Woah woah woah, calm down!"
Reeve sighed deeply. When he spoke, his voice had changed and become more casual. "Sorry, didn't mean to freak out on you guys there, it was an accident. I do that sometimes, it's no biggie."
Cid and Vincent exchanged glances.
Vincent opened his mouth to say something, but Cid cut him off. "Want to come eat with us, Cait?"
Reeve looked up at Cid in surprise, his large eyes blinking. He turned to Vincent, finding him nodding as well. Reeve turned to look at his hands again and nodded slowly. "Sure..."
"Great!" Cid stood, putting his hands back in his pockets. "Don't worry, Cait, we'll be your friends."
"If you want us to be..." Vincent added, not sure of whether or not Cid was scaring Reeve away. Reeve's white-tipped tail was flicking back and forth rapidly.
"Sure, sure!" He had a slight accent now that hadn't been present before. "You guys are great, thanks a lot! Reeve has some problems talking with people, he ain't exactly all there, if you know what I mean." He pointed to his head. "That's why he'll trip out and hit himself or start talking weird. But don't worry, he'll get out of it eventually."
Vincent blinked slightly, but Cid seemed to take this completely in stride. He began walking, smiling happily as he kept his hands in his pockets.
"Nothin' like warm days." Cid turned to Vincent. "Almost makes me forget my #$^#in' headache..."
Vincent nodded, not sure of what to say. Reeve walked on Vincent's other side, his tail sweeping along behind him as he smiled brightly. Vincent leaned towards Cid, whispering quietly.
"I think you did Reeve a favor by talking to him..."
"#$#^, you did him a favor by talkin' to him too, don't give me all the credit here." Cid smirked. "Besides, we all need friends, right? #$^#, I know I do."
Vincent just stared at Cid in surprise and heard Reeve humming happily near him. He shrugged and continued walking.
When they entered the dining hall, everyone seemed to stop for a moment to stare at them. Vincent began to wonder if he'd ever get used to this. Cid seemed to not care as he handed over his ID card, which he had apparently gotten out of his old clothes beforehand. Which reminded Vincent...
"Highwind, where'd you get that knife...?"
Cid turned to him. "Hmm? Oh that..."
Vincent handed over his own ID, noting the awkward look on Cid's face. "I just do, y'know, in case #$^# happens or somethin'...makes me feel better to have it, really..."
Cid then turned and began walking towards the main area, seemingly oblivious to the stares of everyone around him. "Now, I wonder what they got today."
Reeve paused near Vincent, looking at him with an almost catlike grin on his face. "He's real energetic, you know that? Real sparker."
Vincent didn't quite get the metaphor that he used, but he smiled slightly. "Yes, you're right."
Reeve walked forward, his tail lifted and held high for once. He looked back at Vincent with the same catlike grin. "Oh, and I'm Cait Sith. Not Reeve. You'll know when he's around."
Vincent nodded again, scratching his head softly as he walked forward. He could feel the strain on the wounds on his arm and sighed deeply. He really didn't want to go back to that class in two days, but what could he do...?
He thought back to the previous night. Cid had said he was scared and frightened...is that why he seemed to seek out other people who felt the same way...?
Vincent shrugged and picked up a tray, deciding that he should think about it later, when he knew more about Cid and Reeve, and most likely himself.
~~~
It took him a while to find where Cid and Reeve had chosen to sit. Vincent had never been good at picking faces out of a crowd, and he felt awkward without Cid's presence near him. He had forgotten how strange it felt to not have the shorter young man's comforting aura of strength. He finally located them near a corner, where they waved to him cheerfully. Vincent would have waved back, but his hands were full.
As he walked there, the stares seemed to increase and seemed to have a touch of hostility instead of the questioning blankness they had before. Vincent didn't like this development.
He slid into his seat and both Cid and Reeve smiled at him.
"Took you long enough, Vin!" Cid had picked up some rather high-energy food, which didn't really surprise Vincent at all. All of the food that Reeve had chosen seemed to have some kind of element of seafood in it. Vincent, however, had stuck with the vegetarian selection.
Reeve leaned forward, whispering in a not-very-confidential way. "Hey, I don't know if y'guys know this or not, but everybody here is staring at you."
Cid stared at Reeve levelly and flicked his nose. "Jesus, Reeve, what the #$^# gave you that idea?"
Reeve backed away, his ears lowered, and rubbed his nose in annoyance. "I'm not Reeve, I'm Cait Sith, I told you that already."
Vincent nodded quietly and sipped his drink. "Yes, we are aware of that though, Cait Sith..." He shook his head quietly. "I believe rumors are spreading that are untrue. Today's class couldn't have helped."
"Oh wait..." Reeve looked thoughtful for a moment, his ears pricking up. "You mean, you're those two guys everyone's talkin' about?"
Cid and Vincent both stared at Reeve for a second. They had different reactions.
"Talkin' about?"
"Everyone?"
Reeve took a drink from his glass and then blinked at them in surprise. "Yeah, jeez, I would've thought you would know by now!"
"I may have guessed..." Vincent rested his head on his flesh hand. "But what are they saying?"
Reeve looked back and forth for a moment and held his hands up, his ears lowered again. "Don't kill me for this, I'm just a messenger, but they think you guys are majorly boffin' eachother."
Vincent stared in incomprehension while Cid grabbed a fork almost compulsively. Cid's voice was very strained.
"They what?"
"Hey hey hey hey." Reeve seemed to lower himself in his seat, holding his hands up again. "I said don't kill the messenger, okay? There's all this stuff going on about how you came out of his room, and how there were weird noises, and how you're wearing his clothes, and everythin'! They say it's really obvious you guys are sexin' it up all over."
Cid's eye twitched. Vincent buried his hands in his hair. "I left the TV on, no wonder there were strange noises..."
"WHAT THE #$^#-" Cid slammed the fork into the table and stood up, knocking the chair back sharply. Reeve curled up in his chair, the fur on his tail rising in alarm.
"Agh! Don't kill the messenger, don't kill the messenger!"
"Highwind, please!" Vincent reached out and took hold of Cid's arm, pulling him back down. "We don't need to attract any more attention then we already have!"
Cid began to string curse words together, muttering under his breath with his arms crossed as he went and retrieved his chair, pulling it back up and sitting down angrily. Reeve finally uncurled, seeing the danger was over, and looked at both of them in surprise.
"So you mean it isn't true an' all?"
Cid glared at him while Vincent was the one who responded. "No, it isn't. I'll explain what happened later, this isn't exactly the place."
Cid looked around and noticed that almost everyone was staring at them again, more actively then before. Reeve raised one eyebrow.
"Right...sorry 'bout bringin' that up, I probably should've kept my mouth shut."
"It's alright." Vincent noted with concern that Cid was staring at the table in silence, something that seemed very uncommon for him. He leaned on his elbows and sighed. "I guess my assumption was right...I didn't think it was that far though, I only thought that they perhaps thought there was an emotional relationship, not a physical one..."
Vincent was masking his words more then he intended, but it was a natural reaction of his when he got upset. Reeve toyed with a fishstick on his plate. "Either way, you guys are targets, MAJOR targets. You should be careful." He pointed at both of them with the fishstick. "I don't want you guys to get hurt, you're the only people who talk to me."
Vincent nodded and touched Cid's arm. "Are you alright...?"
Cid took a deep breath, then exhaled, the tension that Vincent could feel in his arm lessening. It took him a while until he could speak. "Yeah, I'm #$^#in' fine, just didn't think they thought we were #$^#in', that's all...stupid #$^$s..."
Vincent looked down at his plate, his appetite suddenly gone. "I do agree though...I think we should be careful..."
~~~
They bid farewell to Reeve outside of Vincent's dorm. Although Cait Sith wanted to stay with them, Reeve wanted some time to himself, and so they said their goodbyes. They promised to meet up again at some time, however, and exchanged room numbers. They also agreed that they shouldn't walk alone, any of them, and to be careful. It hadn't taken Vincent and Cid long to become friends with Reeve, who was really a nice guy, if a bit confused at times. His physical abnormalities weren't so much as a disfigurement then a characteristic of Cait Sith, and therefore became perfectly normal to them both. They did understand, however, how Reeve could have no friends, considering that even if someone got beyond his appearance, they had to get past the Reeve/Cait Sith complex, and that took effort. However, outcasts as they were, Cid and Vincent didn't give up easily.
It was assumed that they'd be heading to Vincent's room, considering that it was the most hospitable place for the two to stay, considering how touchy Reno could be. As they headed up the stairs, a high-pitched laugh seemed to come from their floor. Heading for Vincent's room, they noted a woman with blonde hair and a extremely lowcut red dress, laughing in an extremely high-pitched tone. The minute she saw them, her eyes hardened with a sadistic glint.
"Well well well, what have we here?" Her voice arced at strange points. Vincent whispered under his breath at Cid, who was tensing up angrily.
"Don't say anything, ignore her..."
"It's the little homo and his #$^#@. Going back to his room to go #$@%?"
"YOU #$^#IN'-" Cid lunged for her, only stopped by Vincent grabbing his arm before he could reach her. She pressed against the wall, laughing hysterically as Cid continued cursing randomely, still trying to reach her as Vincent held him back.
"Highwind, calm down! Please! We can't give her what she wants!"
This made her laugh louder. Cid eventually made an angry frustrated noise and began walking quickly down the hall, his fists clenched in fury. Vincent followed, his own anger masked perfectly.
"#$^#in' #$^#@. I'll get you!" Cid turned and pointed at her. "I'll #$^#in' beat the #$^# out of you, don't think I won't!"
"I don't think so, shorty. You aren't man enough to even TOUCH me."
Cid was trembling, but managed to control his rage enough to not go lunging after her again. "I bet every #$^#in' guy HERE has #$^#in' touched you, you #$^#in' slut-whore! Go #$^# a bedpost!"
The woman turned on him angrily, her face contorted in fury. "No one calls Scarlet a slut!"
"You're a #$%^in' slut-WHORE, didn't you #$^@in' hear me!?" Cid shouted at her. Vincent touched his shoulder, his door open.
"C'mon Highwind, just forget her..."
"I won't forget this!" Scarlet shouted after Cid as he followed Vincent.
"Shut the #$^# up, slut-whore!"
Cid slammed the door to the room and instantly curled into the corner of the bed, pressing his head against the wall in frustration.
Vincent rubbed his arm awkwardly, trying to think of something to say. "Look, I wouldn't listen to her. Her opinion isn't worth considering..."
"$^#% her, Vin. #$^# 'em all..." Cid slid onto his side, pressing his hands into his head. "#$^# the doctors an' #$^# the dizzy spells an' #$^# that #$^#er Hojo an' #$^# college an' #$^# life in #$^#in' general...#$#$ em' all..."
Vincent sat on the edge of the bed, sighing. "I have a feeling this isn't going to be the end of this...and to think..." He stared at his hands. "This is only our second day..."
"And already we got the entire #$^#in' school against us. We must have a #$^#in' gift." Cid curled onto his side and tried to hide underneath the blankets, his voice angry and tight. "Oh, I forgot to mention, #^#^ this piece of #$^#in' #$^# hangover, god#$^# it..."
Vincent fell back himself, letting his arms fall outwards. He sighed as well. "Well, at least it can't get any worse..."
There was a pounding on the door and deep voice shouted through it. "Did one of you #$^#ers in there call Scarlet a slut-whore!? You get out here right now-"
Vincent reached over and picked up the remote, turning the TV on and turning up the volume until it drowned out the shouting and the pounding. He slid back towards the wall, sighing as he settled into his old position. Cid finally got out from underneath the blankets and sat next to him like before, sighing deeply.
"#$^#, Vin, this is just beginnin. We're goin' to get dragged through #$^#in' #^$# before this is all over."
"And it's all circumstance..." Vincent sighed and changed the channel. "We're victims of circumstance..."
"#$^# Vin, everyone is. We're not #$^#in' victims, we're #$^#in' TARGETS. #$^#in' targets of circumstance..." Cid took the remote from Vincent and began flipping channels rapidly. "#$@^ it, #$^# it all, I #$^#in' hate this..."
"We'll get through this somehow..." Vincent tried to make himself believe it, but somewhere he simply couldn't. "They can't keep this up forever..."
"#$^# 'em all." Cid responded, continuing to flip through channels rapidly. "#$^# the #$^#ers to #$^#in' #$^#, the pieces of #$^#."
Vincent sighed and waited for Cid to stop on one channel. "I'm afraid I'm inclined to agree with you..."
Cid paused for a moment, then began clicking through channels again. "#$^#."
The two sat and watched TV together for what must have been an hour, making half-hearted jabs at the actors. Both of them were concerned over what was happening and what could happen and this made their talk heavier and quieter then it had ever been before.
Vincent finally sighed and put down the remote, looking down. "Strife will probably be back soon..."
"Right..." Cid slid off the bed, heading for the phone. He fished the slip of paper out of his pocket and dialed quickly. "Yo, Reeve?...Cait, whatever. Mind comin' on over? Considerin' the atmosphere I don't think it's the greatest #$^#in' idea in the world for me to be walkin' around alone."
Vincent was searching around his desk, not sure of what to do. He didn't want Cid to be hurt because of him, he never wanted that...he wanted some way that he could help protect him, even if it wasn't truly physical. Unfortunately, his posessions didn't leave much to the imagination. He looked towards Cid, who apparently was having a rather active conversation with Reeve on the phone. His eyes glanced down at the pad of paper on the floor, and he picked it up, leaning back against the wall to begin to sketch.
"C'mon, it ain't that bad, sure, Hojo's a #$^#$, but you can't let him do that to you!...Well, #$#^...shut up, that won't happen again! Cause I said so, that's why! Oooo, you're askin' to get that tail of yours pulled! Yeah, wouldn't like that, would you? What?! You leave my goggles out of this, you little..."
Vincent could tell from his tone that the two were teasing eachother gently and without seriousness. He smiled quietly as he tried to draw himself on the paper, demonic wings flaring to protect a smaller, feather winged person underneath him. He wasn't sure what other way he could give protection, knowing that he couldn't be with Cid all the time, but he felt as though this was at least making some kind of visible effort.
"What class you got tomorrow, catface?...Well of COURSE you don't like that name, that's why I thought of it! Pff, you're too easy to #$^% off, man. So what class you got?" Cid pulled the paper out of his pocket, looking at it as he supported the phone on one shoulder. "Great, me too! We can meet up there and ignore everythin' together! ...Pff, you sound as if you WANT to pass college, catface...well of COURSE that's not the purpose of college, man! It's to get drunk and get #$^@ed, everyone knows that."
Vincent began snickering to himself, finding the irony too much for him. Cid pointed at him with the paper. "Shut up, I don't need any comments from YOU."
Vincent rolled his eyes and darkened his lines, trying to shade evenly. His shading always seemed to be blocky and sharp and it bothered him, but here he seemed to be making progress. "And to think, that's what started this entire mess."
"Hey catface, meet me here in fifteen minutes, okay?" Cid hung up without waiting for a response, smiling broadly. "#$^#, I don't think I've ever met a guy in my life that's easier to tweak with then him."
"I'll make a note of that." Vincent smiled softly and continued to work. It wasn't long before Cid was hovering around him, blinking curiously.
"What are you drawing?"
"Oh..." Vincent put his pencil down and handed the paper to Cid. "A gift, I guess. I suppose you could say it's my way of offering my protection."
If Vincent expected an awkward pause he didn't get one. Cid smiled brightly at him and folded the paper twice, putting it in one of his many pockets. "Thanks, Vin! Don't worry, I think everything will blow over soon anyway. Those #$^#ers got to get tired of it sometime."
Cid slid off the bed again, rubbing the back of his head. "#$^@, wish I thought to bring my cigs tho'. #^#%. In fact, mother#$^#."
"You'll get them soon, Highwind, don't worry." Vincent's arm twitched slightly, and he remembered about earlier that day. Curious, he tried to unwrap the fabric with his claw, but only ended up shredding it instead. Sighing, he pulled the fabric away, staring at the five glaring red marks left on the inside of his arm.
Again, Cid had come to look. "Really did a #$^#in' number, Vin, I'm not kiddin'."
Vincent sighed. "I didn't intend to...it's a nervous reaction of mine...to clench this..." Vincent couldn't even continue with what he intended. He moved around it. "Whenever I get upset..."
The gold glinted softly in the light. Cid stared at him seriously for a moment and took the claw authoratively. "Vin, come on. It's not that bad. You're way too #$#^in' hard on yourself."
Vincent didn't physically respond, his voice level. "I'm worried, Highwind. What if one of us gets hurt...? I mean...with all the rumors going around..."
"#$^# the rumors, man!" Cid leaned back on his heels and stood, his feet sinking into the bed. He wavered for a second, then found his balance, putting a hand to his chest. "I'm Cid #$^#in' Highwind, I'll beat the #$^# out of anyone that tries to touch you! An' me, for that matter. An' good ol' catface."
Vincent shook his head and smiled in spite of himself. "Are you going to call him that permanently now?"
Cid sat down quickly, bouncing a few times before responding. "Hey, I could be callin' you gothboy."
Vincent raised an eyebrow and smiled slightly. "Gothboy?"
Cid smiled and leaned against the wall for a second. "Or I could think of somethin' even worse. You're lucky you got off with Vin."
"You always make up nicknames for people...?" Vincent leaned forward and wrapped his arms around his knees, more because he wanted something to do with his arms then anything else. Cid looked at him levelly and managed to return the same kind of smile that Vincent had before.
"You always use their lastnames? I bet it's drivin' you #$^#in' nuts you can't figure out what Catface's last name is."
Vincent looked vaguely annoyed while Cid smiled knowingly. "Ah, see? I was right!" Cid again shifted off the bed. "See, I'm always right."
Vincent smiled again, leaning back to watch Cid walk around the room, poking at things. "You're always right, are you?"
"#$^# yeah." Cid poked something that spun and smiled. "Doubt me?"
There were some timid knocks on the door. Cid opened it before Vincent even thought of getting up, pulling Reeve inside and closing the door quickly behind him.
"How was your trip?" Vincent inquired from the bed. Reeve was brushing himself off from his rough pull into the room, his clothes pretty much the same as before, his shirt now black in the front and red in the back and the slacks replaced with black cargos. His ears flicked back and forth, following his inquisitive eyes.
"Got the royal starin' treatment, as usual." Reeve noted that there was a large blank space on Cloud's shelf where the books were supposed to be and instantly made his way up there, despite the fact he had to climb the desk to do so. He layed down on the shelf and rested his head on his hands, smiling in that catlike way of his that seemed so natural. "Think people've never seen a cat before..."
"Maybe it's 'cause you're only a #$^#in' half-@#$ed cat, catface." Cid seemed to be filled with a bizarre kind of energy, jumping back onto the bed with such force that Vincent was knocked out of his curled position. "What the #$^# you doin' up there anyway?"
"I'm plottin' to take over the world, genius, what do you think?" The catlike smile remained on Reeve's face. Vincent watched him in amazement. Earlier today, when talking to him, even when he was Cait Sith, this kind of ease hadn't been present. Cait Sith must have really grown to trust them in the span of time that had passed since the parted. He wondered if Reeve would follow suit.
"#$^#, if you do, can I make sure a few people die in some real nasty ways?" Cid smiled. "I know a few that really #$^#in' deserve it."
Reeve let one of his thin arms fall over the edge of the shelf, drifting lazily across the top of the Cloud's monitor. "So do I, really. I think everyone does. But anyway, why'd you invite me here anyway, you spaz?"
"Don't call me a spaz, catface." Cid pointed at Reeve mock-threateningly, who lowered his ears.
"Spaz."
"Catface."
"Spaaaaz."
"Caaaatfacceeeee."
"Yes, the maturity in this room is astounding." Vincent remarked quietly, causing the two to turn their eyes to him.
"You're too serious, Vin, honestly." Cid shrugged. Reeve flicked his tail back and forth lazily along the same trajectory his hand had been following, a smile crossing his face. The same smile lit up Cid's face a few seconds later. "You should lighten up."
"It's not my fault you-" Vincent was cut off as Cid lept at him and began tickling him furiously. "AGH!"
Reeve began to laugh from the top shelf as Vincent tried in vain to push Cid away while laughing too hard to talk.
"See? You look better already!" Cid was laughing as well as Vincent squirmed, trying to get away from him. Reeve sat up slightly, propping up his elbows and letting his head rest in his hands.
"Stop! Agh!"
The sound of clicking from the door cause all sound in the room to stop. Cid backed away quickly from Vincent and in the process managed to trip over his chair. He gave a short cry of surprise before falling on his back heavily. Vincent pulled himself up, trying to catch his breath. Reeve remained completely silent, his tail lifted back up to the level of the rest of his body.
Cloud walked in, looking tired and worn. He threw his bag near Cid, almost striking him, as he slammed the door. He finally seemed to notice Cid after a moment's pause.
Cid struggled to right himself, managing to somehow knock the chair over again in the process. He put it back up and brushed himself off, holding his head slightly. The dizziness there must have been terrible.
"Again, would you please warn me when you have people over?" Cloud moved over to his bed, sitting down with a thump.
Reeve's tail wandered back down near the monitor as he spoke. "Sorry, we don't want to bothering you..."
Cloud jumped as he realized that Reeve was there, then again looked at Vincent, just in time to miss Reeve repeatedly thumping his head into the shelf mumbling to himself.
"Stupid stupid stupid..."
Cid stood and pulled on Reeve's tail gently.
"Woah woah woah, stop it, come on! It's no big deal, come on."
Reeve slowly turned to look at him, his forehead a slightly darker color then the rest of his face, his expression changing for a few moments, then returning to the ease it had before. "Sorry about that, don't know what came over me..."
Vincent sighed deeply as Reeve made his way down from the shelf with a quiet grace. "I'm sorry, but I think you should probably go..."
"No problem, Vin, no problem." Cid smiled lightheartedly, pushing Reeve along in front of him. "We'll be back later, alright? Call us if you need us."
Vincent nodded as the two left, bantering back and forth seemingly carelessly. Vincent again felt a twinge of worry for them both. He hoped they'd be alright.
Cloud continued to stare at him for a few moments, as if waiting for him to explain something, then shook his head, rolling onto his side on his bed. "I'm going to sleep...turn the lights off."
Vincent obediantly flicked the switch and sat in darkness, unable to rest.
~~~
Cid and Reeve meandered down the hall, glancing back at the room where Vincent had been left alone.
"Man, what a #$^#$. I still got a #$^#in' headache and now Vin's roomie is all like 'this be my room now, #$^@%, get out!' and stuff." Cid put a fake accent into his speech, eliciting some muffled snickering from Reeve. "I ain't down with that."
"Stop that." Reeve's tail moved back and forth lazily as they headed down the stairs. "You're just being silly now."
"Pff, I was born to be #$^#in' silly, catface."
"Whatever, spazboy."
Cid playfully lept for Reeve, but he dodged out of the way with the feline grace that came so naturally to him. Cid laughed and crossed his arms. "$#^#in' catface. You're too #$^#in' fast."
"Comes with the territory." Reeve stuck his tongue out at him and continued walking down the hallway, Cid following along behind. "Never been hit by somethin' thrown at me in my life."
"Yeah yeah." Cid looked slightly awkward for a moment. "Hey, can I stay at your place for a while? My roomies a #$^#in' #$#%."
Reeve paused for a moment then smiled. "Sure I guess. But you got to go back sometime tonight."
"Hey hey, I said a little while!" Cid held up his hands nonthreateningly as they walked towards Reeve's dorm, which was in-between his and Vincent's. "Not like I'm #^$@in' askin' you to marry me or somethin'."
"Good, 'cause I'd divorce you in a second." Reeve's tail was flicking back and forth playfully as he smirked back at Cid, who caught up and put his arms behind his head.
"Pff, divorce me an' I'll take you for everythin' you got, @#%@%."
"I'll see you in court then! I want the dog, and the cat, and the car..."
"Pff, you already HAVE the cat, catface."
"Great, you just ruined the entire thing! Thanks a lot."
"No wonder I want a divorce."
"No, I wanted the divorce."
"Lies! All lies!" Cid kicked open the door to Reeve's dorm roughly and walked in, his arms outstretched. "You know what, catface? I just can't handle the truth, that's what. Just can't. I got a restrainin' order on it too."
Reeve rolled his eyes. "You never quit, do you? Come on, my room's over here."
Cid waited impatiently while Reeve struggled to remember where he had put his room key. He noticed as he waited the stares he was getting from everyone passing by with increasing annoyance. The fact that Reeve was talking to himself and pulling debris out of his pockets wasn't helping at all.
"God#$^# it, catface, speed it up already."
"Ah! Here we go." Reeve smiled and unlocked the door. "I wonder if Moog's in..."
"He your roomie?" Cid walked in. Reeve's side of the room was decorated with pictures of cats and various casinos, along with what seemed to be architectural plans. The other side of the room seemed somewhat barren in comparison, but the same kind of fascination with casinos seemed to be present. Cid, having no real respect for anyone's sense of personal property, went and sat on Reeve's bed, propping his feet up.
Reeve cocked his head slightly, his ears changing positions slightly with each motion. "Yeah, we've been friends for what feels like forever, so we signed up to be roommates. I feel bad for you suckers who just got the random assignments."
"Yeah, I bet you're #^#^in' sorry." Cid found a ball of yarn and began throwing it idly at the ceiling. "What's he like?"
"Ah, the quiet type. I don't think he'll appeal t'you much, but me and him go waaay back." Reeve was watching the yarnball with great interest. "Either way, you can stay here if you want for a while, but y'got to go back sometime."
"Don't worry about it." Cid let the yarn ball fall back into his hands, looking at it for a moment before throwing it upwards again. "I'll be fine."
"I hope so." Reeve leaned back and sighed. "I really hope so."
Cid's night was spent rather uneventfully in Reeve's room. They mainly just pretended to bicker back and forth until his roommate came back. He was a huge, completely white, overweight kid that seemed to dwarf everything in the room. He talked slowly, but he wasn't stupid. Cid was surprised for a moment, but at the happiness in Reeve's face at seeing his friend, he shrugged and decided to go along with it.
Cid eventually had to bid Reeve and Moogle (as he found out he was called) farewell and, tired of people having to go out of their way for him, he decided to walk back alone. It was about time he started doing things for himself again.
The staring was beginning to bother him, although he liked to pretend it didn't. His thoughts wandered to the paper in his pocket. Vincent had drawn himself with demon wings, and he had angel ones...
Cid sighed and rubbed his head, his headache still lingering somewhere in the back. He wondered why Vincent had made him the angel...was it because that he thought that he was a demon himself, or because he thought that highly of Cid? He wasn't sure. He did feel better with the paper with him however.
He left the dorm and began walking back to his own, sighing. He didn't want to have to deal with Reno right now. Considering the rumors going around, it would just give him more ammunition to use against him, and Cid really didn't want to listen to his cruel jabs while he tried to sleep. Especially since his head hurt. He shouldn't have drank so much...
He paused on the sidewalk, a slight breeze blowing by in the night air. He looked at the sky, finding the moon to be nearing full. Where had the time gone? It felt like it had just been lunch...
Time flies when you're having fun. He smiled to himself. When he was with his friends, he really did feel like time went so much quicker. It had always been a problem for him, the passage of time. He always felt like it was too slow, and that the world was moving at a snails pace compared to his own. He wondered if anyone else felt that way.
The sound of a footstep nearby brought him out of his daydream and he looked around, wondering what new person would be staring at him this time.
This person was standing in front of him, arms crossed. Their hair was spiked up in an extremely odd way, dyed a sapphire blue color. In fact, he was dressed entirely in the same hue, his wrists adorned with other sharp looking blue shards. And he was well out of Cid's league in strength. Cid backed away slightly, dread completely filling his body. Knowing his own #$^#in' bad luck, this wasn't going to be pretty...
More footsteps around him. He turned to his right to find another one, almost the same stature as the one in front of him, this one however dressed in black. Turning in a slow circle, he found a red one behind him, and the most peculiar of all, one that seemed completely white.
"Who the #$^# are you?" Cid couldn't stand the silence and tried to sound confident. He really, really could use a cigarette now. The four stared at him with unconcealed hatred and disgust.
"We don't take kindly to your type here." The blue one in front of him gestured slightly, and the black one moved towards him. "We're here to teach you a lesson."
"Is that #^#@in' so?" Cid struggled to keep the confidence in his voice. In truth, being surrounded by four people who were, not only physically superior, but actively wished him harm, was frightening him more then he wanted to admit. He tried to lock away his fear, struggling to be able to ignore it.
Cid waited for the black one to approach him before dropping suddenly, kicking out and knocking him flat on his back. He crossed his arms again and smirked confidently, hoping that would be enough to show that he wasn't defenseless and make them back off. "Well, what #$^%in' lesson was that?"
The blue one simply glared at him for a moment before turning away. "Diamond, Ruby, bring him over here, out of sight."
"The $%^# you will!" Cid turned on the white one, not sure which one he should be watching out for. "Get the #$^# away from me!"
Diamond wasn't the one he should have watched out for. In a moment his legs were taken out from underneath him and he fell, Ruby having knocked him down from below. He hit the sidewalk harder then he would have liked, and he winced. His entire field of vision went completely black, accompanied by the normal horrible pain in his head. Figures he'd have to have a spell NOW, wouldn't it?
That didn't stop him from struggling as they grabbed his arms, dragging him off to some darker area away from the sidewalk. He tried to speak, but he felt as if his words were garbled in his current state. He'd have to wait for the dizziness to wear off first...he couldn't do anything in this condition. The pain was making things blurry.
"Ultima, drop him here."
Cid again changed altitudes and angles, which didn't help the spell in any way whatsoever. He couldn't help but put a hand to his head, trying to stop the world from moving. The pain increased steadily, and the blackness in front of his eyes began to throb and shift, changing colors so that he could occasionally see some reality, but only for a few moments before it disappeared.
"Is that all it takes to take you down? This shouldn't take to long then."
"Sapphire, what do we do?"
"What do you think?" The blackness faded enough so that he could see the spikes off of one of their bracelets and their clenched fist in front of his face. "Like I said before, teach him a lesson."
He could hear them moving around them as his vision blacked out, entirely again, bringing with it another wave of disorienting pain. The fear he had tried to keep locked away before had now completely taken over him, and he could feel his heart quicken. Already knowing what was going to happen, and helpless to stop it, Cid groaned underneath his breath. "I am SO #$^#ed."
~~~
Vincent was reading by a small nightlight near his bed when the hesitant tapping came to his door. He looked up, confused, placing his paper bookmark in his book and moved forward. It was rather late for visitors...
Along with the tapping came a slight dripping noise and the sound of someone shifting their weight unevenly. Shrugging, he went to the door and opened it.
Cid was leaning heavily against the doorjam, almost unable to support himself. His knuckles were raw and bleeding, along with a cut across one eye and another near his other eyebrow, which was hard to see due to the huge black eye that accompanied it. His hair was dirty and had dark red marks in it, and the clothing he had borrowed from Vincent was now completely in tatters, revealing more bruises and bloody cuts. He was trying to keep the weight off his leg, his feet curling enough to show that they were as well cut and raw on the bottom.
"Oh my god!"
Cid's voice was soft and hesitant and frightened, completely different then anything Vincent had ever heard before. "C-can I stay with...with you tonight, Vin...?"
Vincent turned quickly to check if Cloud had awoken and pulled Cid into the room, closing the door behind him. Cid leaned on him heavily, almost unable to support his own weight. Vincent kept his voice to a whisper, making glances at Cloud to see if he was stirring. Fortunately, Cloud was sleeping soundly.
Vincent helped lift Cid to the bed, where he slumped as soon as Vincent removed his supportive hands. Vincent grabbed a nearby cloth and began dabbing at the bleeding cut near Cid's eyebrow, his voice panicked in a whisper. "Oh my god, Highwind, what happened? Tell me what happened!"
"Ow...ow, Vin, that hurts..." Cid tried ineffectively to bat away Vincent's hand but was too weak to do anything about it. Vincent continued to try and clean his face. "Stop..."
"Tell me what happened." Vincent felt near tears. This was his fault, this had to be his fault, if only he had been with him, if only he had protected him, if only he hadn't left him alone, what had he been thinking...
"#$^#in'...jumped by #$%^in' too many...too many for me...$&^$er's..." Cid winced again as Vincent tried to clean some of the dirt of his face, trying to pull away. "%$^#..."
"Oh Highwind, this is terrible, I knew something like this would happen...this is awful..."
"I'll be okay, Vin...I'll be alright..." Cid smiled lopsidedly. "I made it here, so everythin'll be okay...you can help me..."
Vincent felt tears falling from his eyes involuntarily at his words and hugged the beaten young man to him tightly, trying to keep his voice quiet. "Highwind, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, this is all my fault, this is all my fault..."
"#$^$ Vin, could you angst later...I'm in a lot of pain here..."
"Right, right..." Vincent let go and sniffed, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand. "Don't worry, you'll be fine."
Cid smiled again. "That's what I said, wasn't it...?"
"What did they do to you...?" Vincent took hold of Cid's tattered sleeves gently, pulling the shirt off over his head. Cid ducked his head obediantly, his voice muffled by the fabric. Cid's chest wasn't in better condition then the rest of him that Vincent had seen, covered with thick bruises and numerous small abrasions, no doubt from being shoved into the ground, or dragged, or...
"#$^#in' beat th' #$$^ out've me...four of th'#$^#ers...#$^#in' blacked out too, m'#@#@in' luck..."
Vincent studied his grey shirt. It was now torn and bloodied, almost beyond repair. He pushed it underneath some of his other clothes in his drawer, finding another black shirt to replace it. He walked back, finding Cid rocking back and forth, holding his sides with his eyes closed. A feeling of regret and sadness both came over him in the same moment, his heart feeling deep pain at watching Cid trying to hide such anguish.
"Here..." He gently touched Cid's shoulder in an area that hadn't been wounded, causing him to break out of whatever kind of spell he had been under. He threaded Cid's thin hands through the long sleeves, pulling it over his head quietly. Cid kept his eyes mainly closed, apparently trying to deal with something mentally.
"#$^#, 'm sorry your shirt is #$^#ed..." Cid mumbled, moving one of his hands to his head. Vincent's shirt was far too large for Cid and it dwarfed his hands as he rubbed his forehead painfully, the fabric gently scraping over the open wounds. "'M sorry..."
"You don't have to be sorry at all, Highwind, please." Vincent walked back to his dresser, searching through it for something that would cause the least irritation. "This wasn't your fault, this couldn't be your fault, don't blame yourself..."
Vincent walked back carrying some black cotton pants, the bottom part of some pair of pajamas that he wasn't sure where the other part was. Cid was again rocking back and forth, but he held out his hands as Vincent came close. He must have known that Vincent wanted him to change his tattered jeans...
Vincent stood in front of him, looking down awkwardly. "This should be soft, at least, I think it's the softest thing I own..."
Cid's hands hadn't been searching for the replacement for the jeans, but for Vincent himself. He pulled him close, his dirty and spiked hair scraping against Vincent's shirt, his entire body shaking. He had been trying to be strong, trying to hide how much pain he was truly in, and for a few moments that wall he had constructed broke, and he was frightened. Anger at himself for his weakness and his desire for comfort struggled within him as his mouth simply said whatever came to mind. "#$#^ Vin, y'wouldn't #$^#in' believe the #$#^ they made me say...they said I was...they said I did...#$^#, Vin, through all of it I don't think they #^#%in' knew about the picture...I think I still got it...#$^#ers didn't find it, it saved me..."
Vincent was confused at Cid's sudden show of weakness, but he put his arms around him to reciprocate, not sure of what else to do. He felt awkward, using such physical contact when he was almost positive that was the last thing that Cid wanted, but that couldn't be right, because Cid had reached out to him first...And the picture...Vincent's picture had done nothing, what was he talking about..? "What do you mean?"
"#$^#ers...they didn't think I'd make it back, but they were wrong, #$%^in' wrong...I made it back here, so I'm safe...#$^#ers didn't think of that...#$^#ers thought they got me for good..." Cid was still shaking. "Thought they'd make me #$^#in' stay away, 'cause they said they'd get me again...#$^@ers tried to make me stay away from you but I can't...#$^@ 'em all, I jus' can't...you're th' only one that makes me feel safe...I knew you'd take care of me if I found my way here..."
"Highwind..." Vincent brushed back Cid's hair, rubbing his back with his other hand, trying to keep his voice under control. Cid trusted him so deeply, so completely...why...how...No one he had ever known had trusted him like this...what did that mean? He was touched by the depth of his trust, and confused at the same time. "I'm sorry...I wish I could have been there to help you..."
"#^#% it, Vin..." Cid let go shakily, taking the pants from Vincent as he did so. "You're here #$^$in' now and that's what counts..."
Vincent turned away, thinking about his words while Cid changed, not sure of what to make of them. Cid had made his way through the beatings convinced that Vincent would be there to help him...they had made him promise not to go see him again, amongst other things that he didn't want to ask about, and yet here he was...he could have gone to Reeve, or his own room, or even someone in authority, but he came back here...
Because he made him feel safe...
But why? Why? Vincent didn't understand...what had he done that made Cid trust him so much?
"#$^#...everyone #$^#in' hits me, #$^#ers..." He turned around, assuming Cid was done. He was staring at Vincent quietly, his wounds still bleeding. "You're the only person who wouldn't #$^%in' hit me for bein' stupid now, y'know that?"
"Highwind, that's not true..." Vincent headed for the closet, digging out the box that held the emergency supplies. He pulled out some bandages and antiseptic, heading back. He wondered what Cid meant, but tried to distract himself. "There have to be others..."
"#$^#, Vin, I put you through #$^# and here you are, takin' care of me when you should be sleepin'...#%@%..."
"Highwind, you haven't done anything wrong, to me or to deserve this." Vincent moved Cid's hair out of the way and dabbed at the wound over his eye. "You haven't done anything wrong..."
"Ow, ow!" Cid tried weakly to push Vincent away and failed. "That #^#^in' stings!"
"It's supposed to." Vincent finished quickly and put a bandage over the wound. "I don't understand why you trust me so much to help you like this..."
"Want a list, Vin?" Cid sighed slightly, as if he had already answered the question. "One, you #$^#in' read my stories an' didn't call me a #$$#in' loon. Two, you #$^#in' read my stories PERIOD. Three, you didn't call me a #$^#in' moron when I said I had ADD. Four, you listened to me when I rambled on about stupid #$^#in' #$^#. Five, you think I'm funny. Six, you let me drink. Seven, you didn't #$^#in' spaz when I got drunk. Eight, you let me..." He paused slightly. "You let me #^$#$in' sleep with you. Nine, you #$^#in' helped me in class. Ten, you #^#$in' let me sleep in class..."
"That's enough." Vincent smiled slightly, wiping away some of the dirt that had smeared on Cid's cheek. "I didn't think I'd done that much."
"And finally..." Cid smiled weakly. "You didn't #$^#in' get mad at me, ever."
"Did people always get mad at you?" Vincent put another bandage near Cid's eyebrow. He wasn't sure what posessed him to ask such a stupid question...
"#$^# yeah...I drive people #$^#in' up the #$^#in' wall...you're the only person who hasn't done that..."
"Gone up a wall?" Vincent smiled slightly again, brushing back Cid's bangs. He was surprised that Cid had answered the question so readily...He began working with Cid's scraped knuckles, cleaning and bandaging them as well.
"Ow, that #^#@in' stings like a #$^#in' #^#@%..." Cid mumbled angrily.
"It'll prevent infection, which would hurt a lot more." Vincent bandaged his other hand. He sighed as he surveyed the damage. "We have to tell someone about this, they can't get away with doing this to you..."
"#^#@, don't Vin...that'll jus' get 'em angrier at me an' they might come after you too..." Cid pulled his hands away and put them on Vincent's shoulders. "I don't $^#%in' want this t'happen t'you..."
"But we can't let them get away with this, we just can't..." Vincent ducked down and began cleaning the bottom of Cid's feet. This was difficult considering that Cid's foot twitched whenever he touched it with the antiseptic. "That wouldn't be right..."
"#$^#..." Cid was wincing at the contact. "#$^#, I came back here...so I'm technically #^#ed already...maybe we should tell someone..."
"Of course we should." Vincent wrapped up his foot in bandages, turning to his other one. "Besides, you can't exactly hide the fact that you got beaten up anyway...everyone's going to know tomorrow...we have to tell someone..."
"#$^#, everyone'll see me come out've here tomorrow too. #$%# 'em." Cid winced again as his other foot was bandaged. Vincent stood back up again, quietly dabbing at Cid's arms.
"This shouldn't be too bad, I shouldn't have to bandage these...these just look like scrapes..."
Cid began shaking again, apparently remembering what had happened. Vincent put his hands on his shoulders again. "Are you going to be okay...?"
Cid turned away from him and slid under the covers, curling up to the wall and shivering. "#$^# 'em all, Vin...I #$^#in' hate 'em all..."
His voice was shaky and hurt. Vincent sat down on the bed as well, putting a hand on his shoulder.
"For this...I hate them too."
He changed for bed and headed back, noting that Cid was still shaking when he came back. He moved underneath the covers, not sure of what to do. He didn't want to touch him, considering what he had been through, but he wasn't sure that his words would be enough to help make him feel better...
His quandary was solved when Cid turned towards him, clutching at him desperately in fright. "I'm sorry, Vin...I don't want t'#$^#in' invade your space or somethin'..."
"It's alright, Highwind..." Vincent put an arm around him quietly, brushing back his hair. "I understand. It never bothered me to begin with..."
"#$^# Vin, I can still see their #$^#in' faces laughin' at me..."
"Shh, don't think about it. You're alright now, you're safe." Vincent found that he could believe his own words more then he thought possible. "You'll be okay now."
"#^#@, I'm sorry, Vin...I'm sorry..." Cid was shaking again.
"It's okay, it's okay, shh." Vincent tried to keep his voice soothing. "Shh, it's okay."
"#$^# Vin, I can't leave you now..." Cid's voice was soft and frightened. "I #$^#in' can't, I can't be alone anymore..."
"Don't worry, Highwind..." Vincent rubbed his back softly. "I won't leave you either. I need you as much as you need me."
Vincent looked up at the ceiling for a moment as Cid's breathing slowed. "I honestly need you just as much as you need me..."
~~~
It felt like no time had passed since Vincent had fallen asleep when something woke him.
His eyes opened slowly and he looked around the room. It was completly dark, meaning that the sun hadn't risen at least...it couldn't have been that late.
A distressed noise reminded him of why he had awoken, and he looked down slightly, finding only soft blond hair brushing against his face. It was Cid...he was shivering.
"Highwind...?" Vincent whispered softly, raising his claw and touching his shoulder. Cid was clutching Vincent desperatly, pressed against his back, trying to hide somehow from something that was tormenting him. No doubt his experience that night had given him nightmares... "Highwind...wake up..."
Another small whimper came from the blonde has he continued to hold onto him, burying his face into Vincent's shoulder and shaking terribly. Vincent pushed himself up on one elbow, turning and shaking Cid's shoulder. "Wake up, Highwind...you're dreaming..."
At the movement of what he believed was protecting him Cid made a short, loud exclamation of surprise and opened his eyes in panic. Vincent put a hand over his mouth and looked over at Cloud, who fortunately had not been disturbed. "Shh!"
Cid was breathing quickly and his eyes darted back and forth wildly, apparently remembering where he was. It took a few seconds, but he eventually quieted and Vincent removed his hand.
"Are you alright? You had a nightmare..."
"$@%@..." Cid held his head, closing his eyes in what seemed to be pain. "#$@^...I thought I stopped havin' those..."
"It's alright...what did you dream about?" Vincent looked at Cid's face. "Or maybe you'd rather not talk about it..."
Cid was silent for a while, then fell back onto the pillow, closing his eyes and breathing a heavy sigh. Vincent lay back down as well, brushing some stray strands of his long black hair from his face.
"#$#&, I'm sorry 'bout this, Vin..." Cid kept his hands close to his chest, his voice soft. "#$^#, I do all this #$^#in' #@$^ to you an' you never say anythin'..."
"It's alright, Highwind." Vincent wrapped his arms around himself, not sure of where else to put them. "You don't have to be sorry for anything..."
In the silence that followed, Vincent remained staring at the ceiling, thinking. Cid remained closed off, keeping to himself, a change that Vincent decided must have come from his nightmare. Cid's even breathing made Vincent almost positive that he was asleep. He sighed himself. Without Cid's body as close to his as it had been before, his heat was disappearing quickly...
He banished the thought from his mind and turned his back to Cid, trying to keep his mind clear.
He drifted off into sleep, somewhat uneasy and cold.
~~~
Sunlight woke him up, as it had before. The unexpected warmth on his face made him squint his eyes and try to turn, only to find something blocking his progress.
Cid's head was resting on his neck, his blonde hair intermingling with his black, sleeping quietly. His arm was draped over Vincent, his body curled completely along with his. Apparently during the night he had another change of heart...
The black eye was fading, fortunately, but he still wasn't in good shape. Vincent wasn't sure if he should come with him to class, but he was worried about him...he couldn't miss early classes like this.
He sighed and moved Cid's arm off of him, sitting up and sliding his feet out from underneath the covers. Cid woke blearily, mumbling to himself almost incoherently.
Vincent left the bed to close the blinds, noting on the way that Cloud was already gone. He vaguely wondered where he went, but decided it wasn't really that important.
"Do you think you can go to class today, Highwind...?" Vincent's voice was hesitant and awkward. He didn't really know what to say at the moment...it just felt extremely awkward to him.
"#%@^...don't really got a choice..." Cid's voice came from behind him, and he turned to see Cid slid his own bandaged feet out from underneath the sheets. The bottoms of the bandages were a faint reddish tinge, and Vincent walked over quietly, kneeling. Cid looked down at him.
"That's the thin' I #$^#in' don't understand the most...why the #$^# they #$^# with my feet...I mean, #$^#iin' Christ..."
Vincent turned to the first-aid kit, but found that he had already used most of the bandages