Retarded Monkey with Guns (luzzu) wrote in balfonheim_port, @ 2007-06-29 23:19:00 |
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Entry tags: | cid/vincent, ffvii, the calm after the storm |
The Calm after the Storm (working title) Chapter 1
Fandom:FFVII Post Dirge of Cerberus
Rating:PG-13 for language.
Summary:Chaos has returned to the planet along with Omega, but for Vincent there are still issues to deal with left in their wake. For the rest of Gaia, there's a planet that needs to heal and rebuild. The WRO on one side, opposing factions on the other, life doesn't seem to get any smoother.
Author notes: The rating of this fic may well go up. For anyone stumbling onto my fic journal, hello. Just so you know, this fic will contain a m/m relationship. Just a heads up.
Disclaimer:FFVII and all it entails belong to Square Enix.
“I told you we should go out for a beer.” Cid grinned as he placed two full pint glasses on the table, slightly spilling the one he pushed toward Vincent. “You still take some bloody convincin' though, Vince.”
The taller man accepted the drink with a gesture of thanks, a slight hint of a smile played at the edge of his mouth. “I answered my phone.” It was a statement of fact, but still let Cid know that he should think himself lucky Vincent did that much. He was only half joking.
Cid took the seat in front of him. “Still wonder why you got that damn thing sometimes.” His voice was good natured. After the years he’d known Vincent, he was quite used to his to the point answers, at least in his own way he was more cheerful these days.
With the events of Omega behind them, Cid had finally managed to get Vincent to come out for a few beers. He’d first mentioned it on the Shera; the airship named after his wife, during the crisis with Omega and Deepground. Since then, he’d called a couple of times and finally, Vincent had actually answered. He’d arranged to meet him in Kalm now that things had started to settle and the remaining residents had rebuilt the small town with the help of volunteers from the World Regenesis Organisation. Besides, going to Edge meant that they would probably be joined by Cloud and Tifa. Even though Vincent had become more sociable than he was, old habits died hard and Cid felt that somewhere quiet and away from familiar faces might be the best bet.
“How you been?” Cid asked
Vincent put his glass on the table. “I’ve been fine,” he paused. “How are you and Shera?”
We’ve both been doin' okay we‘re making adaptations to the ship. You know Shera, fuckin' perfectionist to the last. The woman gets a goddamn bee in her bonnet and she won’t quit until she’s satisfied. At times like this I see so little of her I almost feel I have to remind her I exist, well if I wasn‘t so darn busy myself.”
Vincent smiled. Even though Cid sounded like he was complaining, the glint in his eyes when he spoke of Shera told an entirely different story. “I’m glad everything’s working out for you.”
They fell into silence and just drank. Cid knew that Vincent’s inquiry after him and Shera, whilst genuine, was still an evasion of expanding further about himself. “People have started moving back into and rebuilding Midgar.”
“Yes, I’d heard. I hear rumour that Rufus is behind a lot of the funding,” Vincent said.
“Accordin' to Reeve,” Cid agreed. “Still, there’s enough work to keep everyone pretty occupied at the moment.”
“Everybody has a lot of healing to do. Rebuilding will help them do that.”
“An' what about you?” Cid asked.
“Reeve still manages to keep finding ways of coercing me into helping him. It keeps me busy enough.” Vincent replied.
Cid sighed gently and took another mouthful. Swallowing loudly, he placed the now empty glass down in front of him. “That wasn’t quite what I meant.” He knew Vincent would evade anything personal like the plague without prompting first. There was also the danger the man wouldn’t speak at all.
“Chaos has returned to the planet, so I suppose one of my inner demons has been laid to rest.” Vincent’s gaze met Cid’s directly across the table. “I’m okay, Cid. Everything that’s happened over the last few years is gradually putting things into perspective. What happened last year answered a lot of questions.”
Cid grinned. “Glad to hear it. Because the next round is yours!”
Vincent smiled and snorted gently in mild amusement, picked up the empty glasses and walked over to the bar. He returned shortly with two full glasses and set them down. “I get the impression that your invitation for a drink this time isn’t entirely social.” He sat down, moving his cloak so he didn’t catch on it.
Cid looked at him. “Ah, I’ve been busted. How’d ya know?” He chuckled with good grace and looked around the quiet pub noting no one was within earshot.
Vincent shrugged very slightly. “You brought up the subject of Midgar.”
Cid smiled. “And that’s bloody suspicious?” He lit a cigarette.
“You didn’t spend at least half an hour talking about the airship first.”
Cid laughed, cigarette ash falling to the table. He brushed it away. “I’ll remember that for next time. But you’re right. For the most part, this is purely social but I made the goddamn mistake of mentioning to Reeve that I was meeting you and…well, you know Reeve. He jumped on the chance of having us both together in the same place and wants to ask a ’favour’.”
“What this time?” Vincent said shortly, ignoring the smoke drifting across the table to him.
“It seems that the WRO have found files on some ancient technology, probably the same origins as the Shera. Reeve wants us to go and check it out.”
“And Reeve doesn’t have anyone else that can do this?”
“I argued with him 'bout it. I told him I had better goddamn things to do than rakin' in the dirt for old bits of rusty metal when I could be playin' about with metal that… isn’t rusty.” He gave a quick lame smile then continued. “But he wants us because of my familiarity with the technology already, and he wants you because…” Cid paused, taking a long pull on his cigarette. “To be honest, I dunno know why he wants you; beyond that he thinks it might be of interest to you.”
“Why?”
Cid sighed. “Ah, how the hell would I know, Vince? For all I know, he might think it’s a good way of keepin' you off the streets.”
“I doubt Reeve sees me as some delinquent teenager.” Vincent said watching the smoke curling in the air. A hand gesture stifled the objection Cid was about to voice. “I know what you meant.”
“I’m not over keen on the idea myself, its bloody cold up there. But I’m interested if there’s a possibility some of it could be used for the Shera. Even though we still have a box of stuff we don’t know what the hell it does, and there’s no sensible reason to be addin' to it. But, I can’t help it, it’s engineerin' and if it gives me a chance to tinker with the ship even more, I’m hardly gonna to say no.”
Vincent looked thoughtful.
“Ah, come on.” Cid said. “I can’t just have a bunch of WRO raw recruits for company.”
“Fine. I’ll accompany you.” Vincent suppressed a sigh. Yet again, Reeve had managed to coerce him into more work. At least this time the subject was more interesting.
[Chapter 2][chapter 3][Chapter 4][Chapter 5]