Chapter Text
Cramped as the Tiny Bronco was, Vincent's legs folded up in the co-pilot's seat, the company was immaculate.
Cid's topics ranged from solar power to philosophy to new releases of old romance novels to his engines and Vincent soaked it all in.
Hellmasker purred so hard it might've been mistaken for the engine if he didn't know better.
"Hey, Vince, ya hearin' that? It's not mah engine but-"
"It's me, Captain, pay it no mind."
"... Can Ah assume its th' result of Prof Creepy?"
"Something of the sort," he admitted, still purring. "It... happens when I have a high emotional state."
"Good or bad?"
"..." Vincent inhaled and blew out a breath, "It is..."
Happiness.
Vincent hadn't felt its like since he'd fallen back into his son's life but this was new and soft and unlike anything else.
"Not bad but you're not comfy sharin' right at this moment?" Cid hazarded a guess.
Vincent gave a short nod, the purr redoubling at Cid's consideration.
"Indeed."
"Alright, well, have you seen th' theta version of our favorite?"
"Ah, that reminds me, Anika got me a signed copy of the-"
"Don't tell me you done got your hands on a signed copy of th' beta?!"
Vincent smiled, his cheeks aching a little from having done it so often in the presence of the Captain.
"... And if I brought it with me?"
"Could Ah take a peek when we land?"
Mideel.
Cid had brought him to the place he'd grown up in with Gilly, who, gods willing, had finally managed to get her foot in the door of her chosen field.
His closest friend aside from Verdot and Alric and the man had brought him home without realizing it.
"Looks like you know th' place; did Ah pick wrong?"
"... I grew up near here. There should be a small town," here Vincent pointed, "that way and closer to the coast."
"But not Banora?"
"I've never been. It didn't exist," he admitted bluntly. "but I'm willing to explore."
"Actually, th' thing we're here to see is under Banora and Ah only stumbled on it after a refuel a few months back."
They checked into the tiny guest cottage on the edge of the town and strolled through the orchards of strange purple apples.
Banoran locals, their accent oddly familiar, called them dumbapples because they fruited randomly and crops could go from zero to sixty in only three weeks. Vincent plucked one from the public orchard at the edge of town, his reach higher than Cid's.
The deep purple apple was gently tugged from his grip by rough fingers, Cid's cigarette tilting up as he turned the fruit this way and that in the fading light. Vincent smiled behind the edge of his collar, plucking another, much paler apple to inspect.
He gently liberated his apple and offered the other to Cid in his gauntlet, feeling, for a brief moment, like a cursed fairytale prince.
Cid chuckled, stubbed out his cigarette to tuck it into the goggle strap and took a bite, barely catching the juice as he made a noise of surprise. "Ah didn't think th' bastards would be that good."
"Some of my son's friends are from here and swear by them." He finally caught the niggling thought and pinned it down before Vincent took his own, much more careful bite.
The snap of the PHS camera going off had him flipping Cid off as he finished his bite. The Captain cackled, took another bite before he snapped his fingers and a spear appeared from the ether.
"Ah'm guessin' you've seen this party trick?" Cid prodded as the sun sank lower on the horizon, bathing his companion in a rich orange light.
Galian roared his approval and Vincent quashed him ruthlessly while agreeing. The glow lends him a particularly delightful look, yes, Galian, but I do not want to scare him.
Host is a spoilsport...
Yes, yes, complain about it to the rest, Vincent huffed as he returned his attention to his... friend.
"... My son. He and his sword are as close as you and your weapon."
"Huh, good to know it's not just me an' mah—Waitaminute, you know why it happens?!"
"Lead the way and I shall do my utmost to explain it as it was told to me by the Firewolves of Cosmo Canyon..."
Cid laced his fingers with the gauntlet, the last few steps, and wound an ever tightening spiral downward.
The tight space made Vincent regret his height more than once and Cid cursed his chest at least once but the opening widened into a deep cavern and—
Green light emanated from deeply slumbering beast before them.
Chaos, who—up until this point—had been radiating smug joy, stopped so suddenly it felt like he'd never been in Vincent's mind.
As if to refute such a yank, the ancient being pressed so close to the surface that Vincent knew his eyes to be gold.
EMERALD WEAPON,
The Weapon didn't stir but the glow brightened.
EMERALD, I AM HERE.
The glow flickered and Vincent ceded most of the control to Chaos.
He felt his hand leave Cid's and made sure to lace their fingers.
The absolute furnace of heat radiating from the sleeping Weapon should've burned his hand away; instead, he found himself tenderly stroking the half-buried brow.
"...-nce?! Vincent, Ah think-"
""So it comes that another learns of our secret. I am Chaos.""
Cid's eyes, already flared, widened to the point of fear.
Vincent made to release him and the man tightened his grip, foolishly, until the point of bleeding.
"... Ah gotta ask," his voice shook but he pulled down the cigarette and held it towards the heat Emerald Weapon was letting off to light the end, "this another, errr, 'present' of Prof Creepy?"
""No." Chaos responded for them both. "That would be the result of someone else entirely. I cannot thank you enough for the chance to see one of my siblings."
"Pardon mah Banoran for a moment but what th' ever lovin' fuck are you? Actually."
""I am a Weapon of the Planet. Emerald is another, slumbering until the end of days.""
Cid's teeth showed green against the washed out red of the filter as he processed the information. "... Someone thought it was okay t' put you in Vince? Without your say-so?"
""She wanted him to live. I doubt she knew I was a being with my own thoughts and doubts until it was too late."" Chaos gently unlaced their fingers, healed Cid and washed the gauntlet in a cross cast. ""I do not think a Weapon was ever meant to fit a person but Vincent is physically enhanced past even human endurance for such a thing. I cannot lie and say we are not well suited but I did not expect such a being to tolerate me so; nor do I expect you to tolerate me.""
Cid blinked, looked at his recently healed and released hand and immediately took the gauntlet back up. "Fuck tolerate, Ah fully intend on gettin' t' know Vince and all his demons or whatever you are."
""I see we have failed to sufficiently terrify you away, pretty swearing pilot.""
"Ah ain't pretty! Vince is th' pretty one,"
""You think yourself without merit?""
"Pssshaww, Ah said nothin' of the sort, damn demon-"
""Then what did you mean, oh favored fool?""
Vincent found himself laughing right along with Chaos—
Trust Cid to take it all with a very large grain of salt.
The night wind whipped by them as they exited the cavern, Vincent in control again.
"Cid-"
The burning coal of his cigarette was the only light aside form the millions of stars overhead.
"... Gotta give me a minute t' process." He made to release Cid's strong hold and received a look of censure as he made to leave. "Ah didn't say leave,"
So Vincent tilted his head back to look at the stars and prayed, quite desperately, to Bahamut that Cid would let him go without telling anyone of his secret.
"Ah want you t' answer me honestly."
"... Within the best of my ability, I will do so."
"Was Chaos flirtin' with me?"
"... He was."
"Huh. Don't know whether or not t' feel flattered that he's doing it or that he's using your face t' do it with,"
"He says... 'Feel flattered, you're the first I've ever flirted with in a mortal Host.'"
"Noted," Cid allowed with a nod, "You ready t' get back?"
"If you're still willing to accompany me-"
"Vincent Valentine," Cid chided as he let go to lean on the spear, "if Ah ain't scared shitless from that demon ya got housed in there," here he poked at Vincent's chest, "Ah ain't scared of you either. Now c'mon."
Vincent watched him go, right hand clenched in the fabric over his heart where Cid had so casually touched him still.
Looks like you picked a good one after all, Host.
Don't you even start, Chaos.
I could even swear on your ridiculous Summon that he was flirting back with that comment about tolerance—
Chaos!
Very well, Host,