Limits

Rating: R
Category: AU
Pairing(s): Cid/Vincent
Warnings: Thoughtless teenagers, attempted murder, misplaced hairs.
Summary: The tear is mightier than the gun.
Notes: Animama did an illustration for my story, ‘Gryphons’, and I was so thrilled I wrote her this as a thank you

This story has two accompanying illustrations drawn by Animama, and one by Andrea P.

For the first time in a very long time, Vincent was content. Not exactly happy, but content. He had been in pain for so long; alone, despondent, waiting to die but kept alive by his altered biology. Then some little blonde thing with hair straight out of an anime movie opened his coffin, and suddenly… Vincent had friends. More than friends; people who were becoming family, people who cared about him, and in some ways were even stranger than he was. It was nice to have friends again. And one friend in particular.

Cid walked up to Vincent as he stood on the deck of The Highwind, both still a little shy around each other, both still feeling their way through a situation that was very new to the both of them. But Vincent had to admit that shy and uncertain looked good on Cid, the way he grinned at him like a big kid, hands stuffed in his pockets.

“Like the ship?” he asked, like a teenager trying to impress his crush with his first car. It was a stupid question; they’d been on The Highwind several days now. Cid was just still trying to get to know him.

Vincent nodded, still reluctant to say much around him. “I’d never been on one before this.”

“I could show you around.”

“Can we just stand here for a while?”

“Yeah we can do that.”

So they stood together by the railing, looking out over the ocean as the sun set, watching the world turn gold and pink. There was a soft wind blowing, and Vincent closed his eyes, shivering slightly.

“Cold?” asked Cid.

“A little.”

Cid stepped closer, putting an arm around him, drawing him near, Vincent huddling against the large body. He glanced up at Cid, feeling overwhelmed at the look he saw in his eyes. It was a bit unsettling for Vincent to realize Cid was absolutely thrilled just to be with him. So far their relationship had been timid; they’d shared a few kisses, and there was that infamous night they had ended up sleeping in the same bed. But things were still new and exciting and innocent, two people exploring a strange new situation. There was only one teeeeny-tiiiiny glitch in the whole thing.

“Hi guys! Whatch’y doing?”

Cid slowly swung his head to look at Yuffie, and gave her that savage glare he reserved for people with especially low IQ’s. Before he could open his mouth and relieve her of several limbs and vital organs, she backed up.

“Hey I only came out here to tell you that the engine room guy is looking for you. Something’s smoking, other than you.”

Cid continued to give her that look, as if deciding whether he should kill her anyway. Then with a speed most would not have thought Cid capable of, he caught her by the arm.

“C’mon. You’re gonna show me.”

“But! HEY! Let go!”

“No damned way. Every time I find five minutes with Vincent, you show up with phantom damage reports.”

Cid led Yuffie into the airship, leaving Vincent alone on the deck. He sighed, and leaned against the railing, drumming his claws against the metal. Yuffie had let it be known very early on that she had a crush on Vincent. Not only that, she announced that he was HERS, and everyone else could just keep their paws to themselves. Yuffie had made a mistake that many people made with Vincent; they assumed quiet meant easily bullied. It would be a very cold day indeed when Vincent Valentine let himself be ruled by an obnoxious sixteen-year-old brat.

He didn’t mind Yuffie for the most part, so long as she was on the other side of the ship, or at least the other side of the room. But the closer he and Cid drew together, the more obnoxious she became. It didn’t seem to occur to her for a second that perhaps she was too young and not his type. No, she was quite sure all she had to do was harass him into liking her. And Vincent did not like to be harassed or bullied. Quiet as he was, he did have a temper at the end of his very long fuse. Yuffie had burned it about three-quarters of the way down, and was working on the rest with a dual assault of clumsy attempts to get him to like her and the occasional shockingly thoughtless remark. It did not seem to occur to her that he had feelings, and he was indeed capable of getting angry, or being hurt.

The only people on the ship who seemed to suspect Vincent was even capable of getting angry walked onto the deck, Aeris coming to sit on a crate to his right, Tifa taking up position on his left. She offered him a rumball.

“Where did we get those?” he asked, taking one.

“Cloud and Barret made them. They’re… potent.”

Vincent studied the confection, then ate it. He flinched, shaking his head.

“Holy crap!” he croaked, coughing.

“Told ya,” said Tifa as Aeris offered him a drink of her tea. He accepted the cup and had a drink. “He won’t tell us who gave him the recipe. So is Yuffie still bothering you?”

Vincent passed Aeris her tea, then leaned against the railing, saying nothing. He felt Tifa stroke his hair.

“She doesn’t mean any harm,” said Tifa.

“I disagree,” said Vincent. “Every time Cid and I find a moment together, she shows up and distracts him with news about the ship. I find it hard to believe Cid’s crew could not deal with these matters.” He glanced at Tifa. “How do you deal with unwelcome attention?”

“I say politely that I am not interested, and then if the guy doesn’t go away I beat him up.”

Oh yeah, beat up a sixteen-year-old girl, that would look good.

“I cry,” said Aeris.

Vincent turned his head to look at her. “Cry?”

She nodded, smiling. “Cry. Never underestimate the effect of tears on your boyfriend. Most guys will go crazy if someone makes their girlfriend cry.”

“I’m not a girl,” Vincent pointed out.

“Doesn’t matter, the principle is the same. If someone made you cry Cid would eat them alive.”

Or point and laugh, thought Vincent. Certainly Lucrecia had reduced him to tears often enough, and that seemed to have no effect. Funny how all she had to do was sniff, and he was ready to tear his own heart out of his breast in a desperate attempt to make her happy again.

There came the loud sound of the engines firing, and Aeris looked up. “Looks like we’re moving. Let’s go inside before we’re blown off the deck.”

The three made their way into the ship, heading for the bridge. They walked into the room, Tifa and Aeris heading for the window to look out, Vincent lurking quietly in his usual lurking spot. Cid was standing by the navigational charts, while Cloud, Barret, and Yuffie were talking about, of all things, birthdays.

“When’s yours, Spiky?” asked Barret.

“August eleventh,” said Cloud.

“A Leo,” said Aeris. “We should have known. How about you, Barret?”

“December 15th,” he said. “Not sure what sign that is. All seems like a load of baloney to me. How about you, Tifa?”

“June third. I’m pretty sure I’m a Gemini, but I’d have to look it up to be sure.”

“When do you supposed Vincent’s is?” asked Cait. Heads turned towards Cid. Clearly Vincent had gone unnoticed in his corner, and only Tifa and Aeris knew he had come into the bridge. That was fine. He preferred to be unnoticed. Cid took a cigarette out of his mouth, still studying the chart.

“October is all I know. Don’t know the day.”

“Bet it’s the thirty-first,” said Yuffie, her petulant tone suggesting a recent dressing down. “Every day is Halloween when you’re Vincent.”

That… hurt. Badly. It was like a hot spear through his heart. Vincent had still not come to terms with what had been done to him, and the remark nearly cut him in two. He made a small gasp of agony, almost inaudible, and heads turned in his direction, the group suddenly realizing he was there. Yuffie’s eyes went large with horror.

“Vincent I… I’m sorry, I didn’t…”

Vincent flipped his cape and turned, leaving the bridge, hoping she mistook his silent and abrupt departure for anger. He’d hate to have her know she’d reduced him to tears. He vanished into the darkness, seeking a quiet and private place to hide.

Back in the room that Vincent had so recently departed, Yuffie realized that she had gone too far. She watched Vincent leave, unable to tell if he was hurt or angry. Cloud quietly moved away from her, as did Nanaki, Barret and Cait. Tifa and Aeris stared in horror.

“Yuffie how could you say that?” said Aeris.

“That was pretty cold,” agreed Tifa.

“I’m sorry! It was a really stupid thing to say and…”

Yuffie paused, suddenly having the strange feeling that her life was about to end, the hair standing up on the back of her neck. Slowly she turned her head, and found Cid staring at her. Vincent may have had a long fuse, but Cid came with just two settings; mildly disgruntled and murderously pissed, and she had just flipped his switch. He was giving her a look that scared her, jaw muscles clenched, the cords in his neck standing out in sharp relief. She felt herself begin to shake.

“Cid, I…”

He lunged for her, and the only thing that saved her was the fact that she was smaller and faster than he was. She fled, shrieking apologies, hearing the heavy pounding of his boots as he tore after her with intent. She suddenly realized how much of an advantage he had; this was his ship, his home turf. He knew every inch of it, whereas she was unfamiliar with it. She could accidentally trap herself, and she had a funny feeling that if he caught her, he’d snap her in half with his bare hands.

“I SAID I WAS SORRY!” she yelled.

“YOU AIN’T SORRY ENOUGH!”

“YES I AM!”

From his hidden perch near the ceiling, Vincent watched Cid tear after Yuffie. He was fast for such a large man, though his rage lent him speed. The only thing that ultimately saved Yuffie was his almost three-pack-a-day habit, and he at last slowed, leaving Yuffie to find a hole to hide in while he panted, swearing. With surreal silence and grace, Vincent dropped slowly from his hiding spot, landing behind Cid.

“Gotta stop smoking,” Cid muttered, and coughed with that lung-tearing hack only smokers and people with sever lung ailments could manage.

Vincent made a quiet sound, almost a laugh, and Cid turned sharply. The blue eyes softened.

“Didn’t see you there,” he said.

“Child abuse is frowned upon, you know.”

“That’s not a child, it’s a spoiled little monster and she better be down on her knees thanking any gods listening that I didn’t catch her.” He coughed again. Vincent fully expected to see old cigarette butts and lung fragments come out.

“Why were you after her?”

Cid gave him an incredulous look. “Why was I after her? The vicious little bitch made you cry, that’s why I was after her!”

“I was rather hoping no one knew I was.”

“I don’t think anyone noticed other than me.” He drew close, touching Vincent’s face. “You know she didn’t mean it, she just has the brains of chocobo shit.”

“I know. But…”

“It still hurt.”

Vincent nodded, closing his eyes as Cid pulled him close in a protective embrace.

“If she ever upsets you again I really will kill her.”

Vincent pressed close, eyes closed, basking in the warmth of knowing his lover would stick up for him. It was a wonderful feeling, and it deserved rewarding. Vincent gently nipped Cid’s chin, then kissed him.

“If you still want to show me around the ship, we could start with your cabin.”

Vincent could almost feel Cid’s heart leap. It was a huge step for both of them. So far their relationship was mostly holding each other and a few soft kisses, and while Vincent doubted they were ready for actual sex, there was no reason they couldn’t test their boundaries.

“We could do that,” said Cid.

They began walking, but after a few steps Cid had to stop and cough some more. Vincent sighed, and waited.

***---***

It was a miserable day. The rain was pounding, the clouds were black and lead grey, and visibility was non-existent. They were going nowhere, save into a valley where their ship was in less danger of being destroyed by the weather, Cid and his crew having to navigate solely by instruments. Vincent stood before the window, looking out at the pounding rain, silent and serene. He gave no indication he noticed Aeris and Tifa as they walked up, but they knew he was aware of them.

“Cid’s in a good mood this morning,” said Tifa, gently teasing.

“Very relaxed,” agreed Aeris.

The only reaction their observations gained was a slight raising of an eyebrow. Vincent kept watching the storm. He was not in the habit of kissing and telling, or of doing anything else and telling for that matter.

He reached up one brass claw and delicately picked a hair out of his teeth.

“Vincent?” said a subdued little voice, and he narrowed his eyes slightly. He caught the errant hair and slowly crossed his arms, ignoring Yuffie. She stepped before him.

“Vincent I came to say I’m sorry. I really am. It was a stupid thing to say and…”

The temperature seemed to lower. He was not in a forgiving mood. She had found the biggest, rawest spot on his body and poured salt on it. She would have to wait a very long time indeed for him to excuse that.

“I’m really sorry,” she said, eyes large and wet. “Please forgive me.”

Fat fucking chance, sweetie. He shifted his gaze to look at her, red eyes like frozen gems, cold and hard.

“Yuffie, if you ever say anything like that about me again…”

She swallowed, and nodded. “I know. You’ll shoot me, right?”

“No.” Vincent turned his head, looking at Cid bent over his instruments and oblivious to all else. He then looked back at Yuffie. “I’ll cry.”

She nodded, eyes large. She then backed away, leaving the bridge. Vincent resumed gazing at the storm. Tifa and Aeris watched as Vincent picked his teeth again.

“The worst part,” said Tifa, “is not the hair in the teeth, it’s the way you can’t seem to get the taste out of your mouth.”

Vincent finished picking and crossed his arms once more, saying nothing. They waited for a reaction, but received none, and finally left him alone, in peace, watching the clouds. Privately, Vincent disagreed with Tifa. The worst part by far had been an absolute lack of experience coupled with a moment of panic, wondering if he should spit the fluid out or swallow it, then inadvertently choosing option ‘B’.