Valentine Snow

Rating: PG
Category: AU
Pairing(s): Cid/Vincent.
Warnings: None
Summary: An unexpected snowfall reveals all.
Notes: Happy Valentine’s, everybody.

Illustration by Animama

The weather had been strange in Wutai, which was where they were now. It was unseasonably warm for February, and the cherry trees were in full blossom. They had decided to stay for a day or two and rest as well as restock their provisions. Cid had only been with Cloud and his little group of dysfunctional wanna-be heroes for a brief time; just long enough to know they were all a pack of whack-jobs and they were not following Sephiroth so much as Sephiroth was fleeing their big fat happy pink cloud of bat-shit crazy. There was Cloud himself, the emo-boy with the bad hair cut. Then there was Nanaki the four footed WTF and his side-kick the talking cat mounted on a mog. There was Barret the ranter, Tifa, Aeris and Yuffie the Cackle Committee, who seemed to be more worried about who was going to get into Cloud’s pants than finding Sephiroth…

And that quiet little undead whatyamacallit they found in the coffin. Yeah Vincent was okay. Cid liked Vincent, even though it was clear he was badly damaged emotionally. He liked him because Vincent was quiet, and kept his thoughts and neurosis to himself. He was content to sit quietly by Cid, and just listen. He didn’t complain about anything. He didn’t complain about the cigarettes, or the smell of engine grease, or the foul language… yeah Vincent was okay.

Cid had been trying to make friends with him, but it was clear that Vincent had been hurt in ways that Cid just didn’t understand. He seemed afraid of people, and almost never spoke. But he would sit near Cid, like a quasi-feral animal, saying nothing, his silent expressive eyes speaking for him, and Cid would just talk. He didn’t even really talk about anything important, but it was just so easy to be around Vincent. He could talk to him about blue prints or aircraft or fishing or the time he built a new bathroom for his house and he connected the sewer pipes incorrectly and the entire place smelled like a diaper for months, and Vincent just listened, silent and patient. Sometimes Cid wondered if Vincent understood a word he said, but it didn’t matter. He just liked to have him around.

They had rented some little cabins just outside of Wutai, in what was now a family campground. Many years ago it had been an orchard, and while the original owners had long gone, the cherry trees were still there, growing wild and flourishing, providing nourishment and beauty to the campers. There was something inviting about the old trees, and even Cloud had been playing in them, taunting Barret from his lofty perch until Barret reminded him that he still had a gun. But even with the numbskulls, it was still a beautiful area.

“Isn’t this a great place to spend Valentine’s Day?” asked Aeris. “Look how beautiful everything is! Cloud don’t you think it’s beautiful here?”

“Yeah I guess,” said Cloud.

Barret grinned. “Not enough red heads for Spiky,” he said.

Cloud smiled. “No but there’s one in town, and he’s still on vacation.”

Aeris harrumphed and looked annoyed. Tifa just looked smug. She didn’t really care who landed Cloud, so long as it wasn’t Aeris.

Cid left the group to their nonsense. Yeah Valentine’s Day was tomorrow. Once upon a time that meant something to him. Now all it meant was one more fake holiday and another reminder that the only woman on the planet that wanted to be with a chain-smoking foul-mouthed has-been was a crazy bitch who had ruined his career.

He paused and looked around, but didn’t see Vincent anywhere. He felt a pang of disappointment, but resumed making his way to his own little house. He went into his cabin and closed the door, looking forward to an early night. He had some tea, sketched some ideas for airship engines on a pad of graph paper, then climbed into bed and fell asleep, looking forward to one more day of rest before hitting the road again.

***---***

Cid wasn’t sure what woke him. He sat up in bed, aware that the sun was not yet up. All the world was an eerie pearl grey, utterly silent in the pre-dawn light. He got out of bed and dressed quietly, as if afraid to disturb the profound stillness. He pulled on his boots, then opened the door and stared at the spectacle that greeted him. It was snowing, and the world was covered in a delicate layer of crystal-white. Chilled by the unexpected snow, the cherry trees were dropping their blossoms, which were caught up in the soft wind that gently blew down from the mountains. The delicate pink petals were mixed with the fragile white flakes, and the winter air was fragrant with their scent. Nothing moved in the silence, and Cid just stared, watching the snow and petals flutter to the ground.

He pulled the door closed behind himself, and realized there was a note tacked to it. Or not a note so much as a silent expression of love left by someone who no longer had any words of love left to share, and did not think his feelings would be returned anyway. It was a simple bouquet of cherry blossoms, tied with a scrap of pink lace and some tiny silver heart-shaped bells on a string. They tinkled almost shyly as Cid took the flowers off the door, and examined the bells. They were old, and a little tarnished, but still beautiful. There was a tale behind them Cid would never know, and would never ask about. He smiled at them, then the expression broadened into a grin and a laugh as he saw the tracks in the snow.

It didn’t matter if Vincent didn’t sign his name to the card. No one but no one left tracks in the snow like Vincent. Who the hell else wore Mary Janes with a killing blade? Cid followed the tracks to a large cherry tree, and found a tall lean figure standing there, covered in snow and petals.

“Got your message,” he said quietly. “Why do I have the feeling you didn’t really want me to know it was you?”

Vincent just blinked those big red eyes that were so soft and expressive. Vincent never had to say a word; he could convey whole conversations with those eyes.

“You didn’t think an obnoxious bastard like me would like getting a Valentine from another guy, did you?”

Vincent shrugged slightly, the red eyes darting nervously, not looking at Cid. He drew back slightly, and seemed to hunch further down into his cloak. Cid moved closer.

“You didn’t count on the snow giving you away. You thought by the time I woke up, your tracks would have been covered.”

Vincent nodded slightly, saying nothing, trying to read the situation. Cid leaned close, reaching down to take the clawed left hand in his own.

“It’s okay Vincent. You never have to say anything to me. I hear you just fine.”

Vincent moved closer, and let Cid hold him. He closed his eyes, pressing his face against Cid’s neck. Together they stood beneath the cherry tree, saying nothing in the winter silence.