Resurfacing

"Coongradualtions, Cloud."

"Con'Grats, kid, it's about time you finally did it."

Cloud grinned, the first one they'd ever seen in all of the long years since they had known him. "Yeah, I guess we really DID do it, didn't we?"

"Yep, now all you need to worry about are the kids. If they're born with an inferiority complex, we'll know where they get it fro- OW!!" Cid grimaced as Vincent hit him in the back of the head.

"Could you not be yourself for the rest of the day, Cid? Ignore him, Cloud."

The boy chuckled, shaking his head. "Speaking of marriages, how are you two doing?"

".....YOU TOLD STRIFE?! First you had to go and blab to Reeve on accident, then to Tseng out of your damn pride and now STRIFE knows!? How many other people are going to come up to me and ask how it's like to be out of the closet?!" Cid turned to look up at Vincent, his eyes narrowed.

Vincent cleared his throat, casting his eyes away from Cid's angry face. "I didn't tell him something he didn't already know."

"No, but you confirmed it!"

"Cid, really, it's alright! It's shocking and slightly ironic, but alright! I haven't told anyone, and no one else is going to know! I don't think anyone else would BELIEVE me." Cloud pat the shoulder of the pilot, chuckling slightly. "Besides, to everyone else you two are VERY close friends. Weird, but close. And Vincent's sudden change in behavior is because he's dating a tall, hot Wutaaian girl by the name of Si Fay."

"I'm WHAT?!" It was Vincent's turn to be angry.

"I had to tell them SOMETHING!" Cloud shrugged. "I couldn't just tell everyone outright, 'no, Vincent's gay and he's dating Cid'."

There was a loud gasp behind him. "OH MY GOD, THEY ARE?!" Cloud twitched visibly, and turned around to see his new bride staring at him wide eyed, hands over her mouth. She was looking back and forth between the three men, a bright red flush on her face. "You can't....c..can't be serious! VINCENT AND CID ARE GA-"

Cloud reached out, slapping a hand over Tifa's mouth with wide eyed fear. "Tifa! Don't scream it outloud!" Cloud's voice dropped down to a whisper, and he cast his eyes around the room to make sure no one else heard. He hesitantly let go of her mouth, looking back at the two men behind him. Vincent's face was dark and angry, and Cloud was sure that if he had his gun both himself and Tifa would be dead by now. Cid looked like he wanted to crawl into a hole and die. "You have to PROMISE not to tell anyone, ANYONE!"

"No one would believe me!" Tifa's face grew into a smile, and she looked back and forth between Vincent and Cid, each sporting a blush. "....I knew it! I always KNEW there was something between you two! Always spending time together, always flirting with each other, Cid not wanting to marry Shera IT ALL FITS NOW!...I knew this would happen, congrats guys, that's so cute!" She was all giggles and smiles, clapping her hands together.

Cid put his face in his hands, doing his best not to scream at the newlyweds in front of him. Vincent groaned, his mood changing from killing to curling and dying as well. "TI-FA, you CAN NOT tell ANYONE! ANYONE! If someone like...like...like BARRETT found out!"

"Oh, he already has, he's standing right behind you!" Tifa giggled as Cid turned around, looking up at the wide eyed black man. "Though I don't think he's taking it well..."

"....You guys are....aw man." Barrett put his hand to his stomach and turned away, making a hasty bee-line towards the bathroom.

Vincent grabbed Cid's wrist, promptly pulling him away from Cloud and Tifa. He'd gone from angry to embaressed to even further embarrassment in less than five minutes, a new record for him. He knew he had to get himself and Cid out of the building before the pilot reached out for the nearest heavy, blunt object and beat someone senseless with it...or he did.

The wedding party had been moved back to Edge into the reception building they'd first met at before the ceremony, and Vincent drug Cid outside into the makeshift garden they had out back. It was very Wutaaian in design; a small wooden bridge went over a small pond, the lazy, flashy koi Vincent was familiar with swimming just underneath the surface. He put Cid down on the same bench they'd visited this morning, far away from any trespassing ears, and sat beside the pilot with a sigh. He looked at the blonde man, who was rubbing his face wearilly. "Cid?"

"What?"

Vincent cringed at the pure annoyance that dripped from that single word, but he scooted closer to the pilot anyway. "I'd hate to state the obvious...but you're angry with me, aren't you?"

Cid sighed as he looked up at Vincent, he brow furrowed. "Not you, no. Not this time. It was Cloud who opened up this can of worms." With that he growled and shrugged off his jacket, tossed it on the bench arm and worked on his tie. "Damn kid didn't know when to keep his mouth shut, an' now Tifa and Barrett know and proably Yuffie too. You know what a gossip Tifa is! An then Yuffie'll tell EVERYONE she knows and then..gah! I don't even want to think about it!" He tossed the tie over his jacket and leaned back with a frustrated growl, and looked at Vincent watching him. The Wutaian was sitting there, patiently saying nothing as he always did when Cid was irate. "...I love you and they're in there laughing and giggling about it cause they think it's either CUTE like Tifa or sickening like Barrett! Not a one of em's taking us seriously and that pisses me off, ya know?"

Vincent nodded, only moving his body as cid got up and started pacing. "I understand...but are you mad because they know?"

"I'm mad because they found out without us tellin' em, that's what I'm mad about!"

"Cid...do you really think that they find it all too suprising?" Vincent waited as Cid turned back to him, his face narrowed in confusion. "Before you ask me what I mean, think back to the time of Sephiroth...Tifa was right. We were always together...we always talked, we always shared the same hotel room even though we didn't have to. You were the first to see me without my cloak or gauntlet, and you never once asked me about Lucrecia or my past, or even the four demons inside of me. You respected me that much, and Tifa's an observant girl, so I think she knew all along before we did. That being said...do you really think it's all that surprising that they know? That they find it 'cute' or maybe even appropriate?" Vincent stood and looked down at Cid, bodies almost touching. Cid watched as Vincent reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out the small ring box he'd given the gunman earlier. "You gave me a reason to live...a reason to laugh, and smile, and get angry, and live. Now you've given me a ring...is that really so surprising?"

Cid shifted where he stood, not sure how to answer that question. "No...I guess not...but I saw ya wantin' that bad enough and that's why I got it for you."

Vincent smiled, and pulled the ring out of the box and snapped it closed. He held the ring out in the flat of his palm towards Cid, one eyebrow lifting. "Then it would only be fitting if you put it on me, too."

Cid looked down at the ring and picked it up, looking at it in the sun. Vincent was right to like it, he thought, as he took the slender, long fingered hand into his own. The ring slipped perfectly onto the middle finger of Vincent's right hand, and like the name suggested looked right on it. "So....am I married to you now?" He smirked, trying to lighten up the serious mood.

"Legally impossible. However, if that's what you want, we can be. Although, it would either make you a polygamist which is illegal, or a pimp."

"Sorry, can't see myself wearing a big ass, leaopard skin, purple ha-" Cid was cut off as he felt lips brush against his own, two soft hands on either side of his face. The black hair he loved so much fell around him, and he smiled into the kiss even after Vincent pulled back. "...hat. Damn Vince."

"DUDE, NO WAY! NO FRIGGEN WAY!" the voice cut through the silence of the garden, and both men looked up to see a slack jawed, wide eyed Reno standing there a few yards away. The cigarette that was in his hand was now on the ground, and he had an accusing finger pointed at them. "I KNEW YOU WERE A POSSESSIVE OLD BASTARD BUT YOU TWO ARE!....YOU AND HIM ARE...YOU TWO JUST....WHAT IS THIS WORLD COMING TO?!"

Vincent sighed, looking from Reno down at Cid. The pilot had his blue eyes in a glare, eyebrows narrowed. "Cid, you can't kill him."

"You're right, too many witnesses. We gotta knock em out first and drag his cold, unconsious body to the-!"

"CID. I'll handle this." Vincent stepped away from Cid back towards Reno, clearing his throat. "So, yeah, you found out. It might explain why you hold no interest for me, though I'm sure there's still other factors as well. But Reno..." Vincent moved up to the equally as tall man and looked him dead in the eyes. "I was trained as a turk...an ASSASSION turk, and I'm telling you, if you tell anyone else but yourself in any way, shape or form I will show you what a REAL turk can do...understand?"

"Understood...you're one scary fucker when you wanna be, you know that Valentine?" Reno looked wide eyed at the red eyed man in front of him.

"Only when I need to be."

"CIIIIIIIIID! VIIIIINCEEEEEEEEENTTT!! Come inside, it's time to cut the cake!" Tifa's voice rang through the air and Vincent sighed, stepping away from Reno. He turned back to Cid and held out his hand, smiling.

Cid picked up his jacket and tie, slinging them over his shoulder as he took the hand that was offered. He was grinning ear to ear, and he took Vincent's waist in his arm as he turned back at Reno and winked at him as both men walked back towards the door to the hall.

"Git-r-done, Vincent."

"Don't EVER say that again."
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AN- AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAA!!! LOVE THAT LINE!! *<----down home redneck*

Edited- 3/12/08