Rain-O

Rating: PG
Category: AU
Pairing(s): Cid/Vincent
Warnings: None
Summary: Cid and Vincent as seen from a slightly different angle…
Notes: In a FFVII/Metalocalypse crossover I had Skwisgaar show Cid how to play the guitar. The more I think about it the more I can see Cid playing acoustic. At any rate it’s an image that makes me happy. :-)

Special guest appearance by Squirrel Vicious.

‘Rain-O’ by Chilliwack.

Jessica sat outside her Costa del Sol villa, slowly fanning herself. It was hot – blazing deathly horribly hot. September in Costa del Sol was like living in a humid oven. Most places were beginning to feel the cooling effects of approaching fall. But not here. September in Costa del Sol was like summer in a salt-scented blast furnace.

Beside Jessica sat her best friend Angela, and both had their eyes glued to a certain broad-shouldered blond hunk. He was sitting on the tiny porch of the tiny little yellow house located right at the end of the road, wearing a pair of worn jeans, work boots, and an old blue t-shirt. A pair of dog tags hung around his neck, and he was leaning back in an old wooden chair, one foot resting on the porch railing as he played an acoustic guitar that had seen better days.

“Rain-o, rain-o,
fall upon the earth again
and make it good.
Make it cool and fill the river,
fill the pool, quench the thirst
of every fool and every sage
and every sour soul
who’s lost so much
he doesn't know his need…”

“How can a man be that sexy?” asked Jessica, chin resting in her hands.

“I don’t know,” said Angela. “But his rain song isn’t working. This heat’s a killer.”

“Do you think he’s single?”

Angela shrugged. “I don’t know. I never see him with anyone, and there’s no ring on his finger.”

“I think he lives with someone,” said Jessica.

“Oh yeah? Why?”

Jessica studied the handsome, broad-shouldered man. “Because every now and then… there… that. Did you see that?”

Angela watched as the man suddenly set aside the guitar, bouncing out of his chair and hurrying into the house.

“That was odd…” she said.

“There has to be somebody in there,” said Jessica.

“Well maybe his oven timer went off.”

Jessica rolled her eyes. “Gimme a break. No one jumps like that for an oven timer. And who bakes in this heat?”

“The beer timer then, I don’t know.”

“There’s no such thing as a beer timer. I wish he would come up to this level once in a while. I could get a chance to talk to him. I don’t even know his name.”

Angela watched as the big blonde came out of the little house, closing the door before heading quickly for the set of stone steps that led up to the level where the shops were.

“Looks like you’re gonna get your wish,” she said.

Jessica watched as the large man ran up the steps two and three at a time, then began walking over to a small stand that sold, among other things, newspapers. Jessica stood up and turned to her friend.

“I’m gonna go over. How do I look?”

“Let’s see. Micro bikini and short thin silk cover that hides nothing, and cute little white high heel shoes with a lace strap around the ankle. Frightfully underdressed and vaguely trampy.”

“Perfect. Wish me luck.”

Jessica crossed the white flagstones, moving over to the man as he opened his newly-purchased newspaper. She bought an ice cream cone just so she wouldn’t look like her sole reason for being there was to talk to him… which it was. She accepted her cone, then turned to the man and smiled.

“Hi!” she said.

No reaction at all. Nothing. The intense blue eyes remained fixed on the paper, cigarette smouldering between his teeth.

“I’m your neighbour,” she said. “I live right there.”

“That’s great,” he said, eyes still on the newspaper. “Where can I get an air-conditioner?”

This was not going as Jessica had hoped. She gave her ice cream a coy little lick.

“It’s air conditioned at my place,” she said suggestively.

“That’s great, you go on enjoying that.” He dumped the paper into a recycle bin and began walking to a shop down the street that sold small appliances, leaving Jessica to blink in shock. She turned to look at Angela, who appeared just as baffled as she.

“Well I’m looking for an air-conditioner too,” said the inevitable dork who lurked around places like this hoping to pick up chicks. The grin on his face implied he thought he was pretty slick.

“That’s nice,” said Jessica. “Why don’t you follow that guy? I think he found one.”

She walked over to Angela and sat down. “No luck?” said Angela.

“He seemed a little distracted,” Jessica mumbled, then leaned against her friend, whining “I don’t even know his naaaaammme.”

“There there,” said Angela. “Patience is a virtue.”

“Thanks but I’m trying to give away my virtue.”

“Here. You can play with the melted squirrel I found.”

Jessica stared in horror at the over-heated rodent her friend passed to her. Clearly it was over-heated to the point of near collapse.

“Gee thanks.”

At a loss for what else to do, Jessica shared her ice cream with the baked quadruped. Thirty-five minutes later the squirrel had perked up, and the blonde man was back by the same concession stand, this time flipping through the phonebook.

“Round two,” said Jessica, passing both squirrel and ice cream to Angela. “Wish me luck.”

“Walk through the kid’s fountain over there,” said Angela. “You’ll show more skin. Wet is sexy…”

Jessica walked through the fountain, turning her thin cover transparent. Then she approached Big Blonde and Distracted once again.

“Find your air conditioner yet?” she asked.

“I can’t even find a broken air conditioner!” he complained. “God-damned shit-eating heatwave! Maybe I can find a fan.”

“I’ll be your fan,” she said.

“Don’t be stupid, how useful would you be as a fan?”

“Well I can blow you.”

“That’s great. Very helpful.” He headed off down the street towards a different shop.

“You can be my fan,” said Obligatory Dork Number Two.

“You don’t need me, I’m sure you’re perfectly capable of blowing yourself,” said Jessica. She walked back over to Angela and sat down. “He appears to have a thought, and is incapable of having more than one at a time.”

“Well what’s he looking for?”

“An air conditioner, or a fan. I wonder what he needs them for? He seems awful intent on it.”

“Well this kind of heat can be really hard on some people,” said Angela. “Maybe he’s got a kid, or is looking after an elderly parent.”

“Oh I hope he doesn’t have kids,” said Jessica. “He’s sexy but I so don’t want to do the mommy thing. I don’t really want to do the elderly parent thing either.”

“I doubt he has kids,” said Angela, holding the ice cream cone for the squirrel. “He wouldn’t just up and go searching for an air conditioner if there was a little kid in there.”

“Too bad there’s no way to get into his house and find out,” said Jessica.

“Maybe there is,” said Angela, her expression thoughtful. “You bought a new air conditioner before the heat wave, right? Well what did you do with your old one?”

Jessica’s eyes widened. “It’s sitting in my storage unit! I forgot all about it! Angela you’re a genius!”

Jessica went tearing off to her storage shed. The next time the handsome blonde came by, she knew exactly how to get his attention. Tiny bikinis and translucent covers didn’t do it, but he sure as hell noticed a girl with an air conditioning unit all right. She had his full attention.

“What do you want for that?” he asked.

“Your name and a date for coffee. I have to warn you, it’s on its last legs, but it will most likely last until you can buy something half decent.”

“Lady you have a deal. I’m Cid Highwind.”

“I’m Jessica Thomas. Want me to show you how it works? It’s a bit goofy.”

“Sure. Whatever. Just so long as it cools off my house.”

Jessica gave Cid the window-sized unit, and followed him down the stairs and into his little yellow house. It was dark and cluttered with engine parts and other things she couldn’t even name, and the heat was like some hellish suffocating blanket. No wonder the guy was going mad looking for an air conditioner.

Cid went into the single tiny bedroom, pushing the air conditioning unit into the window. He plugged it in and turned it on, then walked over to the bed, sitting down on it. That was when Jessica realised there was a person in the room with them. Jessica watched as Cid reached out one calloused, scarred hand to stroke the hair of the person in the bed.

“Hey beautiful,” he said softly, his voice warm and affectionate. “Things will feel cooler really soon. You okay? You need anything?”

The person in the bed said nothing at first, then Jessica saw a head with a lot of wild black hair rise up.

“Iced tea?” said a quiet, smoky voice, definitely male.

“Okay I can do that. You want something to eat?” Cid gently touched the pale face, then lowered his head to kiss the smaller man. “You hungry at all or do you want to wait until it’s cooler?”

“I’ll wait.”

“Okay babe.”

Cid gently ran his hand over the man’s body. Jessica couldn’t really see him that well; the room seemed terribly dark after being in the bright sun. But she noted he seemed to be… oddly ponderous, as if there was an enormous belly stuck onto a thin, slender little body. She watched as Cid nuzzled and spoke softly to the smaller man in the bed, kissing him before leaving him to make him some tea.

“Thanks for the air conditioner,” said Cid. “Vincent really appreciates it. He’s… kinda bed-ridden right now and it’s my fault.”

“What did you do to him?” asked Jessica.

Cid just grinned. Jessica raised her eyebrow, but did not ask any more about the matter.

“Well I… have to get back to my friend Angela,” said Jessica. “Let me know when you… want to do coffee.”

“Sure thing! And thanks once more for the air conditioner.”

“Hope it holds out for you.”

“Ah it’ll be fine. Once it’s a bit cooler I can take it apart and see what the problem is.”

“Well… later…” said Jessica.

“Later Jess.”

Jessica left the little yellow house looking like the pet shop was all out of kittens. She walked up the stairs and over to Angela, sitting down beside her and taking back the squirrel.

“Well?” asked Angela. “How did it go? Tell me!”

Jessica sighed heavily, looking over the little animal. She picked up a cup of water she had been drinking from earlier and let the wee beastie have some.

“He needed the air conditioner for his sick boyfriend.”

“Whoops,” said Angela. “Well I guess that explains why he didn’t seem to notice the bikini.”

“Hmm. I guess.” Jessica sighed heavily. “Well damn. What else around here is worth chasing?”

Just then a long lean figure strolled by, clad in a suit of darkest blue. His jacket was open, his shirt tails hanging loose, and he was idly swinging some sort of lengthy, weighted silvery rod. His long red hair hung far down his back in a ponytail, and he had the most gorgeous sensual eyes she had ever seen.

“Well hello bachelor number two…” she said.