Just a Few Reminders – 1
Disclaimer: Final Fantasy 7 and all its characters, events, places, etc; belong to Square-enix. All other characters and the story belong to me. Don't sue because I'm just writing this for fun, and if you suggest otherwise that just… Well, that sucks.
A/N: This follow-up seemed to go better on its own as a multi-chaptered story instead of adding to "Perhaps for One Day More" since the tone seemed a little different, but if you haven't read that Vincent x Tifa thread yet, you better do it before you read this… It has been glorious hell to write, so retrieve Vincent's gun (good luck) and shoot me, right after you read and review, that is. What else…? Ah, and it will be Cid x Shera as well, based on a previously established relationship in my other fics.
Cory Highwind did not enjoy taking baths, which was extraordinary for a child who enjoyed hiding in closets and painting himself with his food, making it difficult for her to eat without getting distracted by his flailing limbs waxing artistic.
Even though she thought that bathing the kid in the sink would be easier, the child, to put it simply, acted just as irritable as the man who helped create him, and the mother was now suffering the consequences.
At the very least, Cid Highwind quit smoking when she had her baby, and it was nice to kiss him without tasting the nasty tar that used to distract her—only some of the time—from the meaningful display of affection.
The boy flapped his arms and water flew out of the makeshift tub of the sink to splash her in the face, spraying over her glasses. Shera calmly tried to remove the moisture from them.
"Holy shit," Cid muttered, wiping the sweat from his forehead as he stood in the doorway of the kitchen.
He hadn't quit gushing expletives yet, but Shera could forgive that. When Cory started swearing maybe she'd start worrying. Or not. Her standards were lowered once she married Cid and plummeted even further when she had her baby.
"What are you doing to my son?" Cid demanded, and when Shera glanced over her shoulder to glare at him she saw him smiling broadly at her.
She gave him a feeble smile, relieved that he was only joking and not truly scolding her. She dealt with that enough, after all. "I'm attempting to give him a bath… but he's not cooperating…" She thought she'd add something else too, to blame Cid, but she decided against it. She didn't need two boys yelling at her at the same time. "I thought giving him one in the sink would be easier on my back… and his screams resonate in the bathroom walls."
"No shit… but… well… where the hell are his toys? The rubber ducky… the… talking trucks… and… and stuff?" The man scratched his head in thought. At least he was trying.
"We don't have a rubber ducky," she patiently informed him. "And we'll break the noisy toys if we put them in the water, Mr. Highwind."
Cid shrugged and leaned against the doorframe, but winced when the child's high-pitched wail resonated around the walls and made his ears throb relentlessly. "Well, you can always try knocking him unconscious…"
She looked over at him again in shock. "Cid! I would never do such a thing."
He threw up his hands in despair. "Shit, then I'm out of ideas! I'll leave you to it, Sher', 'cause I gotta go."
"Alright, alright… Just don't be late for dinner this time." Nagging him for all those times he yelled at her. "Oh, and your new client called. He said that the shipments will be in next week."
He put his hands on his hips. "About fuckin' time… Anyway, I'm just getting my tools. I'll be back shortly. You have the Captain's word on that."
He gave her a lop-sided grin and then headed out the door.
She let out a heavy sigh at his excessive usage of bad language and turned her attention completely to her son, who was now too tired to cry out and decided to whimper helplessly and furrow his brow in frustration instead.
Questioningly, she frowned at him and let the water go down the old drain, and then wrapped her child in a towel before holding him against her.
"Hey there, Little Captain," she said soothingly, wiping the tears from his face and looking into his distressed blue eyes. Those were Cid's eyes, and when the little one grew up, she could picture those eyes flaring in resentment. Don't think on that yet Shera. Not yet. "What's the matter?"
"No bath!" he bawled, pronouncing "bath" like "baff." At least the poor guy wouldn't have to take one again until tomorrow, provided that he refrained from drawing on himself or whatever else he did when she was caught off-guard…
She decided he was afraid of water, and after Cid's failed attempt to give the kid a bath the last time, it was no surprise. It was nice of Cid to try and help but children were not like rocket science. She groaned inwardly and brought Cory back to his room to give him a new diaper and some clean clothes.
Just as she finished putting a pair of blue socks on Cory's tiny, restless feet, the doorbell rang. She glanced over her shoulder questioningly as she wondered who it could be. Cid again, maybe? No, Cid would sooner curse and pound on the door than ring the doorbell, if he was locked out, wouldn't he…?
"Da—?" Cory said hesitantly, echoing her thoughts, causing her to return her attention to his face. She offered him the light blue, stuffed bunny that lay beside him on the changing table, and he eagerly accepted it, bringing one of its ears into his mouth.
She scooped her son into her arms and headed down the stairs to see who the visitor was. At least Cory was quiet now. His eyelids were drooping; he was probably going to pass out soon, his chubby fingers loosely grasping the toy.
Well, that's what happens when you drive your mother crazy after awhile, she inwardly pointed out to the fatigued child.
She adjusted the boy in one arm so she could unlatch the door and pull it open, and her eyes widened in surprise at the familiar sight of the tall, dark-haired man standing there, his emotionless blood-red gaze locked on her stunned face.
"Why, Mr. Valentine!" she nearly shouted. "I didn't expect you to visit!"
He bowed his head. "Good afternoon, Mrs. Highwind… I trust that you and the Captain are faring well?"
"Oh, yes, and the Little Captain here is probably about to fall asleep… Come in, come in!" She stepped aside eagerly and let him enter before closing the door.
Cory's head slumped and his cheek rested against her shoulder; the fluffy stuffed bunny slid out of chubby fingers and fell to the floor. Shera lovingly combed a hand through his soft light brown hair and knelt to retrieve the stuffed animal before looking up at Vincent, who was still standing as though he didn't know where to put himself.
"Why don't you sit down?" she warmly suggested, and pulled out a chair for him cautiously enough not to disturb the tired boy in her other arm. "May I get you something to drink?"
"No thank you."
"Er… Would you hang on for one moment? I should put Cory to sleep…"
Vincent nodded silently and didn't consider her offer to sit, but she'd discipline him for that show of defiance as soon as her son was asleep in his room.
The man was still standing there when she returned, and she planted her hands on her hips to glare at him, but a smile threatened to pull her lips back. She debated whether to tease him or to give him absolute hell. But apparently Cid would do that for her.
Just as she contemplated what she might say to make him agree to her invitation, Cid Highwind burst through the front door and froze on sight of Vincent Valentine.
"No fuckin' way!" he exclaimed, and set down his bag of tools to give Vincent a light punch on the shoulder, a gesture that would have knocked anyone else off balance. "Vincent fucking Valentine! How the hell are ya?"
Vincent looked down at Cid and gave the smallest hint of a smile. "It is good to see you too, Captain."
"Well, shit, what the hell are you standin' around for? Sit your phantom ass down and have some tea or somethin'." He glanced over at Shera. "Can you get him some tea, Sher'?"
"I think that's the nicest thing you've said to me all day," Shera said sardonically, and scurried over to heat the kettle on the stove.
Apparently undisturbed by her comeback, Cid collapsed onto a chair and quirked an eyebrow as Vincent reluctantly pulled the chair out from underneath the table and took a step.
Squeak.
Furrowing his brow, Vincent froze for a moment and then glanced down to see what caused the noise. He knelt down and when he stood up, Shera giggled at the sight of the toy in his hand, a stuffed cat apparently unharmed by his little misstep. She plucked it from his fingers and set it on the table, her eyes bright with delight at the quiet man's simple actions. "Sorry, Vincent."
For fear that the same incident might occur again Vincent glanced underneath the table briefly before gracefully settling into a chair.
Cid crossed his arms and leaned back in his seat, studying Vincent with narrowed eyes. "Shit, Vin… Somethin' is different about you."
Shera had noticed it too. The long-haired man didn't wear that dark red cape anymore. He did, however, still wear black, and so the threatening, impressive appearance stayed with him. Not so much of a surprise, as the man would probably look frightening in a light pink suit, so long as those blood-red eyes could still be seen… even though that was a charming image in her mind.
Vincent steadily looked back at Cid, raising one eyebrow slightly in question.
Then a smile overcame Cid's features and he snapped his fingers in realization, pointing a finger towards the man. "That's it!" he exclaimed. "You've lost your vampire cape and everything! I half-expected you to come in full costu—"
"Captain, would you mind keeping it down?" Shera requested quietly. "Cory's asleep…"
"Shit, sorry honey," he said a little softer, his face taking on an exaggerated mask of regret. Then he winked at Vincent. "So Vince… Have you seen the little guy?"
Vincent nodded in reply, his eyes on the table.
"He's pretty damn cute now, which means he'll be devilishly handsome when he grows up—just like his pop," Cid boasted. "Shera's been feedin' him well and I've been cursin' daily as usual—the typical nurturing process here at the Highwind residence."
Unable to imagine having another child with someone as difficult as Cid Highwind, Shera was laughing to herself and shaking her head, even though she couldn't really disagree with his observations. Devilishly handsome indeed. Maybe a little rugged. As an afterthought, she decided she wouldn't let a teenage Cory leave the house without shaving first…
Oh, good heavens… A teenager... Blows my mind.
"I believe congratulations are in order, then," Vincent remarked, "though… regrettably… a bit late…"
Shera poured Vincent some green tea and set the cup in front of him, smiling down at his dark head. "That's okay, Mr. Valentine, but that's right, you weren't here almost two years ago when I gave birth to him—"
"But shit, I was here, and that was pretty gross," Cid interjected.
She glared at him. "I wasn't going into details, Mr. Highwind," she reprimanded, and then returned her gaze to Vincent. "Anyway, Vincent, I believe you were at Tifa's party..." She settled down into the chair beside her husband, who couldn't believe his ears.
His eyebrows flew up. "And you went willingly, Vince?"
Vincent nodded. "Tifa was… insistent... and I left early… anyway..."
"Yeah, and you probably were reading the whole time too…" Cid looked over at his wife. "Did I ever tell you, Sher'? Vince wouldn't sleep on the Highwind." She nodded vigorously in reply. "Or anywhere. He would just read, read, read… Oh wait, and glare. Read, glare, read, glare, read—"
"You were never awake long enough to know," Vincent fairly interrupted. "Cloud told me you were always asleep and snoring with a volume surpassed only by Yuffie Kisaragi."
Perhaps the inappropriate "phantom ass" comment ticked off Mr. Valentine somewhat…
"Well shit, that's true. I can sleep anywhere and anytime, but anyway, Tifa saw you up and about a few times… Dunno what the hell she was doing awake. That Strife boy probably plagued her for awhile. He sure was a pain in the ass…"
Vincent fell silent again, and Shera studied him closely, noting something unusual about the expression on his face. She couldn't quite place it...
"We have yet to visit Tifa, to see how she's doing," Shera commented to Cid. "Since our baby, we've been busy… One of these days we'll have to head over to Nibelheim and give her some company."
Vincent bowed his head. "I'm not sure how long Miss Lockheart plans to stay in Nibelheim."
"Oh? Where's she goin'?" Cid wondered aloud.
Vincent shrugged. "I suspect she will be living with Yuffie in Wutai, but I'm not sure."
"Tifa's a saint," Cid mumbled, and stood up to retrieve his bag of tools.
Shera giggled. "As you can see, Vincent, the Captain hasn't changed a bit… except for quitting smoking. He only smells like tea now!" she exclaimed proudly.
"Congratulations, Cid," Vincent uttered calmly.
"Aw, shut the fuck up, Valentine…" Cid snorted and muttered something inaudible as he straightened to his full height. He brought a hand to his back when he realized he made an unwise movement that would probably make him complain all night.
Shera frowned slightly at that probability but returned her gaze to Vincent. "So… tell us how the party went. I bet it was a blast…"
"Yeah. You party animal, you." Cid's blue eyes were aflame with mirth, and Shera sent him a warning glance before studying Vincent's face intently.
His eyelashes fluttered downward as he eyed the cup of tea before him. "It was fine," Vincent answered belatedly.
"Was everyone there?" Cid asked.
"Reeve and Nanaki were not. I don't know why Reeve didn't attend, but Nanaki had business to take care of in Cosmo Canyon. I spoke with him before I came here."
"Shit, the cat's got a huge responsibility anyway… So… What's Cloud been up to? He stopped by awhile ago to introduce us to… Maria, was it?" He glanced at Shera for confirmation and she nodded. "So anyway… What's the deal? I thought he and Tifa were an item."
Shera giggled uncontrollably at this. "Since when are you interested in romantic affairs, Mr. Highwind?"
"When I married you, sweetheart," he said accommodatingly, looking at her with a mask of innocence. Then he returned serious blue eyes back to their silent guest. "Anyway, Vince. Forget Cloud and Tifa… What the hell have you been up to?"
"…Traveling."
"Fuckwowies. Traveling… You don't seem like the traveling type…"
Vincent looked up at him suspiciously. "What do I seem like to you, then, Cid?"
"Like a—One of those… guard types… who just… stands outside of pricey bars and pushes people out of the way if they're not dressed appropriately. That sounds like something you'd do. Or maybe… a ninja assassin—yeah, that's it—with a collection of guns and swords. Er… Shit, ninjas don't really use—"
"Oh, give it a rest, Captain," Shera said, exasperated. She smiled broadly at Vincent. "He's been so happy and even more talkative ever since we brought Cory into our lives. And I know how much of a pain in the butt Cid could be, but I'm so glad you came to visit us."
Vincent nodded in reply. "It isn't a problem…"
"Will you be spending the night?"
"I thought I'd stay at the inn…"
"Ah hell, you can stay here. The inn is pretty nasty anyway," Cid commented. "Ever since they changed hands…" Cid stood up sharply then, as though there would be no disputing with him. "Well, while you're here, I may as well show you all my stuff. I bet that'll make you more talkative. Talking about guy stuff. Machines and tools and shit. You like that sort of thing, right?"
Oh no, here he goes, Shera lamented.
"If you want," Vincent replied, shrugging one shoulder indifferently. He was in for a headache…
"Sounds like a great plan! Hop to it, boy! Er… technically, you're a bit older than me, aren't ya…?"
Shera smiled as she watched Vincent slowly rise from his chair and follow Cid out the door. He glanced over his shoulder at her. "Thank you for the tea, Mrs. Highwind."
"Oh, you are always welcome, Vincent. If the Captain begins to bore you, don't hesitate to beat him upside the head…"
"Are you kiddin'?" Cid protested. "This is probably the highlight of Vin's day!"
She noted Vincent's eyes rolling up towards the ceiling just before he closed the door.
Happy to see one of Cid's friends again, she watched them from the window for a few moments and then turned to check on Cory.
At dinnertime, Cid continued to tease Vincent about his anti-social tendencies, since looking at "guy stuff" didn't make him more talkative, while Shera struggled to feed Cory and be an admirable hostess at the same time.
When they finished, Shera demanded that Cid take Cory to get him cleaned up and settled to watch his cartoons before sleeping so she could do the dishes. Besides, she wanted to talk to Vincent about a few things. Those "things" probably weren't any of her business, but she wanted to try nonetheless. She was shy, after all, and Vincent may have been pretty shy too, or at least secretive. Perhaps she could learn more about him. She wanted to know why the quiet Vincent Valentine hung out with her boisterous husband anyway, since the pilot gave him so much hell about his anti-social tendencies…
Silently washing dishes, she contemplated ways to ask Vincent about himself without sounding too nosy, but she simply couldn't help her curiosity. She looked over at the table and was startled to see him standing beside her, drying dishes for her—silently and without any obligation.
Smiling warmly, she thanked him and began, "Vincent… Cid and I have interrupted whenever we asked you… and I was wondering what you have been doing. I know you've been traveling, but… Well, you don't have to answer, but I'm just curious… I guess…" And of course, it came out all wrong. She sincerely hoped that he didn't see her as rude.
He bent his head. Dark hair fell to shield his eyes from her. "Just… trying to find myself…"
"Aren't we all?" she replied mysteriously. She smiled, since that response didn't suit her at all. Perhaps being in Vincent's company had an unusual effect on her.
"No," he denied calmly. "You have already found your place… with Cid… and with your child." When he mentioned Cid's name, she thought there was a hint of surprise there. Of course, no one would have guessed that she would marry such a difficult man, let alone conceive his child.
With a tiny smile, she tilted her head to a side and stopped scrubbing a pan for a moment. "…You will find your place someday, Vincent," Shera said gently. She shook her head and furrowed her brow at the somber thoughts he probably left unsaid. "You don't have to find it now… It'll come to you, I think. You'll see…"
He shook his head. "It doesn't matter…"
"Of course it matters, Vincent," she argued.
He looked up at her, blood-red eyes gleaming. "Why do you persist, Shera?"
"Because you are a good man, and you deserve happiness."
He shook his head in denial. "You don't know me," he answered coldly.
This was true, and yet she understood self-loathing. "Now wait a minute…" She set down the plate she was working on and glared at him defiantly. His own intense look was enough to make her uncomfortable, and so she hoped to soften him up with a gentle smile. "I was like you once, Vincent… hating myself…"
He opened his mouth to argue with her, but she spoke first. "Let me show you something, Vincent… Come with me."
He eyed her suspiciously, but she began walking and simply expected him to follow. Living with Cid had taught her to be assertive, and she could certainly try with Vincent Valentine, of all people. She only knew one other person just as stubborn as Vincent or Cid…
She tugged on the tall man's sleeve and when he flinched slightly at her touch, she gave him an encouraging smile and continued to lead him towards Cory's room. Cid had put the child to sleep and then went to go pass out on the couch in the living room, no doubt. The man didn't even say goodnight to Vincent. Who knew how long he'd be staying?
Vincent stopped abruptly in the hallway when Shera paused in Cory's doorway, and she looked over her shoulder at him to see his eyes watching her curiously.
She smiled encouragingly and took Vincent by the claw arm—he flinched slightly at her touch, but she kept her grip firm and towed him into the room, stopping in front of Cory's crib.
"Look at him, Vincent," she whispered.
"…It's a child, Mrs. Highwind," he said flatly.
Her smile became bitter. "I know it's a child, Vincent," she whispered harshly. "Here…" She leaned over the crib and lifted Cory into her arms. Then she moved close to Vincent and murmured, "Take him."
"Shera, I don't see the—"
"Take him."
Uncomprehending her intentions, he cautiously took the slumbering child into his arms, a worried expression on his face as he settled the boy against his chest and held his claw out awkwardly so as not to touch the baby-soft skin with the sharp metal fingers. Cory settled his head against Vincent's shoulder while the man stood woodenly, afraid of waking him. The boy shifted in his sleep, turning his head slightly, but did not awaken.
Then blood-red eyes lifted to her light brown ones, sparkling with amusement in the half-dark.
"You see, Vincent?" she breathed. "He's not disturbed by your presence… so you can't be as bad as you think you are…"
He shook his head, his expression incredulous, and whispered back, "Just because he didn't wake up doesn't mean—"
She put her hands on her hips. "My mother always told me that any decent human being can hold a child without waking him, Mr. Valentine. Now… What do you say to that?"
Vincent stared at her blankly for a moment; she could see in his eyes that he didn't see her point and wouldn't listen to her, no matter what she threw at him. Maybe it was a feeble attempt anyway… Well, I tried.
After a second, he tentatively stepped towards Shera and returned the child to her arms. She noticed with some dismay that his hands were trembling during the transfer. How long had it been since he touched anyone?
She kept that thought tucked in the back of her mind as she gently returned her little boy to his crib. Remarkably, he remained asleep. She was glad that he finally rested, since he was keeping her on her toes all day. Hopefully, he'd be less hyper tomorrow, and be more cooperative with his bath. But she wouldn't count on it.
She pulled the blanket up over his shoulders, leaving his face uncovered, and then straightened to her full height only to find that Vincent was gone, and after a few moments of surprised silence, she heard the quiet hush of the front door closing.
If he ever came back, she would be immensely surprised.
It was nice talking to you anyway, Vincent, she thought, and left Cory's room.
At some unknown hour early in the morning, Cid Highwind awoke in his bedroom as he turned on his side and felt a twinge in his back, no doubt the residing pain from his dumb-ass maneuver in bending over to get his stupid tools. Biting back a curse and settling for biting his tongue furiously so he tasted blood in his mouth instead, he slowly sat up and took a deep breath.
He scratched his chin and idly noted that he needed to shave again as he glanced over at Shera, who lay sprawled on the bed with her brown hair splayed across the pillow. He should just wake her up and start bitching about his agony. He was such a pain in the ass and yet she found it necessary to bring in another boy into the family. She had been good to him, she was brave to take him on, and she probably wasn't going to get much sleep because Cory would wake up and start complaining soon. But Cid was pissed that she coaxed him to quit smoking—to stop, cold turkey. Though… he could get back at her for taking him away from the nasty habit by spending the extra time he had to live tormenting her in his every waking moment.
Except in moments like these when she looked damn pretty by just simply laying there. Plus, his back hurt and she could probably take him without trying. He never saw her punch anyone but he didn't doubt that she could do that, and much worse. Many women were like that, actually…
Yeah… Fuck it. I'll get back at her later…
He'd removed himself from the couch in the middle of the night and stumbled into bed, simply so he could feel her warmth beside him. Not without stumbling over some of Cory's toys as he unthinkingly navigated towards his bedroom.
He lightly touched her arm and then slipped off the bed silently, wincing as his bones protested the movement.
"Fucking middle-age," he whispered harshly as he crossed the doorway, and lazily began his trip down the hallway.
He peeked into Cory's room and murmured towards the crib, "Mornin', little guy…" He was tempted to go pick the child up and hold him, just to remind himself how lucky he was, but the kid would probably wake up and start crying because Cid didn't have that same calming effect as Shera did on the little guy, and then she would wake up and start scolding him in her sweet way, and then Valentine would wake up and politely but effectively tell Cid that he was being a dumb-ass, and…
Valentine. Would the guy be asleep? Maybe Cid missed him while walking with his sleepy, zombie-like grace, and the guy was actually sleeping on the floor or probably under the table, because maybe it reminded him of a coffin or something.
Well, shit, the man couldn't have been asleep, could he? No, Cid would find him sitting quietly in the kitchen, maybe reading the morning paper, or perhaps staring at the toaster in consternation, wondering why it didn't work. Because Cid forgot to try fixing it, that's why. Shera was going to threaten him for that soon, no doubt.
He sauntered into the kitchen, glancing around with every step to see if Vincent was anywhere in sight, but the man was nowhere to be seen.
Once he made it to the center of the room, he crossed his arms and scanned the room more, as though he expected Valentine to materialize out of nowhere and just… glare at him.
Contrary to all of these different scenarios he fabricated, Vincent Valentine was gone. Maybe he had been sleeping, at least for a few hours, and then he woke up in the middle of the night to leave early. That seemed like a Vincent-y thing to do, anyway. Trying not to be imposing but still looking exceedingly scary and mightily bad-ass, all the while keeping a polite demeanor even though sometimes his remarks could frighten the hell out of people… Yeah, and Vincent probably had things to do. People to kill. Maybe suck their blood… or shoot them in the ass. The latter sounded more likely.
Thoughtfully turning his attention to the clock, he rubbed his sore back. 5 AM. A really stupid fucking time to be awake, especially with no Shera awake to torment. And it was a Sunday too. Shit. What the hell was the thinking? He obviously hadn't been, and it was probably just his damn back that made him wake up so randomly in the first place. A pretty inconvenient body part, Cid thought.
Dejectedly, he walked back to bed and hoped that he could fall back into sleep just as easily as he was cruelly taken out of it—
—only seconds before Cory Highwind thought it would be a good time to wake up.
A/N: Notice how I'm creating rooms that don't even exist in the Highwind household. Well, they do now… I'll be making up all sorts of buildings and things in here, so you'll just have to work with me, people. Thanks for being patient.