Happy Birthday, Vincent

Rating: PG
Category: AU
Pairing(s): Cid/Vincent, Cloud/Reno, you know, the usual.
Warnings: Drug use.
Summary: Cid learns a few things about their quietest party member.
Notes: Happy birthday, ani_mama!

The Rat would like to state that any similarities between Vincent’s birthday and birthdays she herself has experienced are entirely coincidental.

Entirely.

Lyrics used are from the song “Woodstock”. For those who do not know, Max Yasgur was the man who owned the farm on which the original Woodstock was held.

Well I came across a child of God,
He was walking along the road.
And I asked him “Tell where are you going?”
This he told me:
“Well, I’m going down to Yasgur’s farm,
Going to join in a rock and roll band.
Got to get back to the land, set my soul free.”

We are stardust, we are golden,
And we got to get ourselves back to the garden.

“Well, then can I walk beside you? I have come to lose the smog.
And I feel like I'm a cog in something turning.
And maybe it’s the time of year,
Yes, and maybe it’s the time of man.
And I don't know who I am,
But life is for learning...”

“I’m telling you he’s sick,” said Barret.

“Bullcrap,” said Cid. “He can’t be sick, he’s dead. Being dead precludes being sick.”

They were in the hills behind Wutai, resting up from Yuffie’s close call with Don Corneo. Not surprisingly, no one had a lot of sympathy for her. The general feeling among the party was that she would not have ended up tied to the face of the stone god in the first place if she hadn’t robbed the party. Besides, she hadn’t been hurt, unlike Elena, who had dislocated her knee. The Turks were camped out not far away. Far enough they could pretend they had no idea Cloud and his friends were there, close enough that Cloud and Reno could sneak off together in the moonlight. Presently Cid and Barret were having tea with Elena while Cloud and Reno snuggled together in Cloud’s tent. It was a beautiful warm sunny day, and everyone was happy to put aside their differences for a while until they had healed.

Down the hill, one of the newest members of the clan lay on his side on a flat stone outcropping, gaunt and still, the unseasonably warm October breeze blowing through his hair. Elena sipped her tea.

“Well he sure looks dead.”

“He is dead,” said Cid.

“Undead,” said Barret. “He’s undead.”

“No way,” said Elena. “You have a vampire? Why is he out in the daylight?”

“Because he’s not a vampire,” said Cid. “He’s one of Hojo’s experiments.”

Elena’s expression because thoughtful. “What’s his name?”

“Valentine,” said Barret. “Vincent Valentine. We found him in a casket in the basement of Shinra Manor. That’s all we know about him. He hardly ever opens his mouth.”

“Vincent Valentine?” she said, as if she had heard that name before. She pulled out her cell phone and called a number. “Hey, Tseng? Didn’t you used to know a Vincent Valentine? Well who did? Veld? But… that means… no way! No way! No WAY!!”

Cid took the phone. “What way?” he said to Tseng.

Tseng was hardly amused. “Are my people not supposed to be in pursuit of you?”

“They are,” said Cid. He glanced over at Cloud’s bed, watching as Reno and Cloud engaged in a little sleepy snuggling. “In fact Reno and Cloud are in close combat right now as we speak.”

“I can just imagine. Will you please at least pretend you’re afraid of us?”

Cid looked at Elena. “If anyone asks, we’re afraid of you.”

“’Kay,” she said, sharing a bundle of grapes with Barret.

Tseng sighed again. “So you’ve found Vincent, have you?”

“Yeah. Any idea what’s wrong with him? He’s kinda sickly.”

“He’s probably depressed. That would be my guess. He was a friend of my mentor, Veld. Did… did Vincent tell you nothing?”

“Just that he knew Hojo and wanted to get his hands on him.”

Tseng laughed quietly. “I can well imagine he does. Pull up a seat, Mr. Highwind, and I shall tell you the saddest little tale you ever did hear.”

Tseng talked, and Cid listened. The warm October day rolled by, and the cigarette butts piled up as Tseng told Cid the legend of Vincent Valentine, Turk.

“You have to be making this up,” said Cid quietly.

“I wish I was but as you can see the proof is lying right before you on that rock ledge. I didn’t make this up, Cid. No one could. What was done to him was hideous beyond all words, not merely the murder and mutilation but the betrayal. I’m not surprised you find him rather strange. I’m surprised he has any sanity left after what he’s endured. He’s lost in ways we could never be. When he last saw the world, cell phones and personal computers didn’t exist. He’s lost the woman he loved, his job, his life… even his time. He’s lost everything. Even himself. I wonder if he even knows today is his birthday?”

Cid stared at the thin form still relaxing on the stone ledge. Or perhaps he was dead again. It was hard to tell with Vincent.

“That’s so horrible,” said Cid quietly.

“Be kind to him,” said Tseng softly.

“Yeah… I will. Uh… thanks Tseng.”

“You’re welcome. Now stop bothering my boss.”

“Yeah yeah.”

Cid closed the cell phone, ending the call, his eyes focused on Vincent. He gave Elena back her cell phone, then walked down to the ledge where Vincent lay. He stepped onto the stone, and sat beside him, wondering what to say. Three hours ago he barely knew the man. Now he knew him in ways he wished he didn’t. He knew his pain and his demons, and where that distant lost look in his eyes came from. He knew why he stood in dark corners with his head down, his arms crossed defensively over his small body, and why he had simply shut down and let himself be dead for three entire decades.

It had been fascinating to hear. But Cid found himself wishing he didn’t know any of it. Because now there was no way he would ever to be able to look at him again without feeling his heart break.

“Hungry?” he asked softly.

Vincent raised his head, looking at Cid with red eyes. Once those eyes had been the softest brown, and the mop of fine, wild hair had been neatly cut. He’d been pretty back then. Pretty and thin and shy, the brown eyes gentle if slightly bemused by life. Now they were red - red depthless pools of grief.

Why in hell had he let Tseng tell him all that? He shouldn’t know it. Vincent hadn’t said a word about his past; he didn’t want anyone’s pity. And Cid pitied him. He could damn near weep for him.

“Food?” said Cid, and grinned.

Vincent slowly sat up, a little puzzled by the offer. “No one is cooking anything.”

“I know. I thought you and I could stroll into Wutai, maybe get something.”

Vincent gazed at him with those beautiful eyes, blinking, running the offer over in his mind, trying to decide how he felt about it and wondering what Cid’s motive was.

“In… Wutai?”

“Yeah. It’s right there. We could take a nice twenty minute walk, go into Turtle’s Paradise, have a few drinks, something to eat… just you and me. How does that sound?”

Vincent blinked, then, after a little while… he nodded.

“Good,” said Cid. “C’mon. Let’s ditch these troublemakers for a while.”

Vincent slowly stood up, moving with a surreal grace. “I thought you were the troublemaker.”

“Me?! How could you say that? I’m a sweetheart.”

The faintest little smile flickered across Vincent’s lips for just a moment. Cid growled.

“You behave or I’ll put you back in the coffin. Can you get down from here by yourself?”

“Sure,” said Vincent softly.

As Cid watched, Vincent stepped lightly off the stone ledge and dropped gracefully down the hundred or so feet to the ground below. Cid was obligated to take the path, meeting up with Vincent after a few minutes.

“That looks kinda like fun,” said Cid.

Vincent shrugged. They began walking along the dirt path together, Vincent silent as a crypt. Cid hadn’t really noticed how tall he was before. Then again they had never really walked side by side before. Vincent had to be over six feet tall, and paper thin, swathed from head to foot to keep people from noticing the cold whiteness of his flesh, the blueness of his lips, and… in all likelihood… the numerous scars left by the experiments.

“Can I ask you a personal question?”

Vincent did not look at Cid. He didn’t say anything, either. Cid took that as a yes.

“Do you… breathe?”

Vincent stopped. Cid stopped beside him, watching as Vincent seemed to turn the question over in his mind. Then he drew a deep, slow breath. He then proceeded to cough out thirty year’s worth of dust and spider webs settled into his lungs.

“I’m… really sorry,” said Cid as Vincent choked and hacked.

Eventually Vincent managed to get himself under control. “The answer would appear to be I can, but I haven’t done it in a while,” said Vincent.

Cid rubbed his back. “Sorry about that. I didn’t mean to make you inhale by accident.”

They resumed walking. It was late in the day, and the sun was slowly lowering itself to its bed behind the hills. Wutai was quiet when they reached it, but Cid could tell that Vincent was not much interested in sitting in a bar. They bought their dinner to go, as well as a bottle of sake, then went to the river to eat. Cid built a small fire so they could warm the sake, and they sat together, watching the sunset turn the river to gold.

“He told you, didn’t he?” said Vincent.

Cid snapped his attention to Vincent, eyes large, wondering to what secret Vincent was referring – his tragic history or his birthday.

“Told me what?” asked Cid cautiously.

“I don’t know,” said Vincent. “But someone told you something. You never sought out my company before.”

“Oh. Um… well… Tseng kinda… spilled the beans about it being your birthday.”

Vincent stared at Cid in utter confusion. “My… my birthday?”

“Yeah. October the thirteenth. You… did know it was your birthday, didn’t you?”

Vincent slowly shook his head, turning his gaze to the river. “No. I really had no idea.” He was silent for a time. “I’m fifty-seven. Wow. When did that happen?”

“I would say sometime today.”

Vincent smiled slightly. “Where were you thirty years ago?”

“I was two.” Cid thought about that. “Wow.”

“Rather brings it home, doesn’t it?”

“Yeah,” said Cid. He looked at Vincent. “Happy birthday.”

Vincent smiled that same little dispirited half-smile. “Tseng told you everything, didn’t he? There would be no reason to keep the secrets of a dead Turk. Well… go ahead. Laugh.”

“Why would I?” said Cid.

“Why wouldn’t you? It’s pretty damned funny after thirty years in a small box.”

“It’s not funny,” said Cid softly. “It’s not funny at all. Broke my heart to hear it. There’s nothing funny at all about someone you love stomping all over your dreams and your heart.”

Vincent looked at Cid. “You sound as if you know something about that.”

“I know every morning this crazy woman I hate who intentionally fucked up my one chance to go into space comes by simpering about how she will live her life for me.”

“Shera? But she seemed so contrite.”

“She was gloating. She knew if I got that bird off the ground Shinra would have moved me to a facility outside of Junon and she would have been sent back to Midgar. We would have never seen each other again. Well she couldn’t let that happen.”

“Are you sure you’re not being hard on her?”

“Hard on her?! She TOLD me!! After I finally fucking forgave her she smiled sweetly at me and admitted she did it on purpose. She’s lucky she’s still breathing.”

“At least she did it to be with you.”

Cid thought about that. “Yeah. I suppose that’s something at least.” He looked at Vincent. “Well, you’re the birthday boy. What do you want to do?”

“I’m not sure.”

“Well what did you used to like to do on your birthday?” asked Cid, picking up the sake bottle to have a drink.

“Take off my clothes, drop acid and have sex in a hot tub while listening to ‘Sunshine of Your Love’.”

Cid choked, spewing sake in all directions. “WHAT?!”

“It was 1969, Cid. That’s what people did.”

“I know but… I have a really hard time picturing you as a flower child.”

Vincent shrugged. “I wasn’t. I just… did what I wanted. Did my own thing was how they put it. Being a Turk enabled me to travel and meet new people, paid for my dope, enabled me to waste my summers living in a park staring at the flowers. It was a completely different time, and a completely different mindset. It was like the human race was emerging from a chrysalis and seeing the sun for the first time. We had such hopes for the future. I miss that mindset. I miss being able to spend hours discussing Nietzsche and Kerouac, and believing that by joining Shinra I could somehow influence them to make the world a better place.” He drew a quick little breath, wiping at one eye. “I miss having hope.”

“Hey,” said Cid softly. “Look… there’s no need to give up hope, Vincent. We… we can’t give you back what you lost. But… we can give you something to look forward to. C’mon. Tell me what you want to do, and we’ll do it. No matter what it is.”

Vincent looked at Cid. “You… mean that?”

“Yeah,” said Cid, grinning. “Anything at all.”

“Even get naked, drop acid and have sex in a hot tub while listening to ‘Sunshine of Your Love’?”

“Yeah… about that last one… the sex in the hot tub.”

Vincent blinked those gorgeous red eyes at him. “You wanna be on top?”

“Hell yeah I wanna be on top. I mean NO!”

“Well I can get on top.”

“Vincent… I’m a little uncomfortable with the idea of having sex with a man.”

“Why?”

“You’re a man!”

Vincent crept closer to Cid on all fours, until he was nose to nose with his friend.

“Cid…”

“Yeah?”

“If you were lying in a perfectly dark room and someone crept up to give you oral sex… would you enjoy it or turn on the light?”

Cid stared into the red eyes. “You’re an evil man, Mr. Valentine.”

“Evil? Nuh-uh. I’m a child of the cosmos, unbound by social restraints.” He tipped his head close to Cid, parting his lips, letting his tongue slip out to touch Cid’s lips. “And like the song says, life is for learning.”

“What song?” asked Cid.

Vincent just smiled, rising to his feet and extending Cid his hand. “Come on. Let’s pretend.”

“Pretend what?”

“That it’s 1969, on a beautiful summer night. That there is no such thing as Shinra, or Sephiroth, or Jenova. We’re just a couple of flower children living in the park.”

Cid shrugged, then smiled. “Well you’re the birthday boy.” Cid took the offered hand and stood up. “Lead the way, Moonunit.”

***---***

Yuffie summed up the feelings of the rest of the party rather admirably.

“Oh. My. GAWD!”

“You know… I honestly didn’t believe it,” said Tifa. “I didn’t. If I had not seen it with my own eyes, I would never in a million years believe that this is where we would find you two.”

Cid and Vincent were in the tiny jail cell in the equally tiny Wutai police station. They were both mostly naked, Vincent wrapped in his cape, Cid wearing a toga made out of a pair of Wutai flags. He had on a headband of tie-dyed silk and a pair of sunglasses, and had at some point managed to stain the better part of his body green. Vincent was covered in body paint, and was lying on his back on the cell’s small bunk, entirely engrossed in the way the lights reflected off his metal gauntlet.

“We can explain,” said Cid weakly.