#they might as well add vincent and cid

[sepheroth]

sometimes seeing younger sephiroth makes me wish we could see what the rest of them were like when they younger. I mean zack, angeal and genesis.

[farfromdaylight]

20 questions for fic writers

tagged by @anneapocalypse! i'm lazy (and should be working on nano oops) so i'm not tagging today, but take it if you want.

1. how many works do you have on ao3?

37. (Add 16 if you want to count my old account.)

2. what’s your total ao3 word count?

302,601. (Add 37k for my old account.)

I have written approximately 500,000 words of fic that has never seen the light of day. Maybe one day it will.

3. what fandoms do you write for?

Final Fantasy, primarily, with a focus on XIV and VII these days. I've written sparsely for other fandoms.

4. what are your top five fics by kudos?

catching sunbeams - Miraculous Ladybug, Marinette/Adrien

remember me when i die (for you) - FFXIV, Crystal Exarch

forget-me-(not) - FFXIV, Warrior of Light &/ Crystal Exarch

the miniskirt - FFXIV, Warrior of Light/Crystal Exarch (NSFW)

roaming sheep - FFXIV, Warrior of Light/G'raha Tia (NSFW)

It's kind of nice for almost all of my most-kudos'd fic to be in my current fandom. It helps, of course, that I write the most popular ship in it. The highest-kudos'd fics were posted near the height of their respective fandoms, so.

I'm also very pleased roaming sheep has done this well! In my experience, oneshots do better than longfic with regard to kudos.

This got long so here's a cut...

5. do you respond to comments?

Yep! I try to reply to all of them, though if someone leaves multiple comments at a time on a chaptered fic I might just reply to the last one. I'm sure I've missed some along the way but I'm always thrilled to get a comment.

6. what’s the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Angst isn't really the right word, but dead end (FFVII, Cid & Vincent) has a very deliberate ending. I tried to write it like a horror movie, where the ending is sometimes ambiguous or otherwise inconclusive.

Or, well. I suppose roaming sheep has an exceptionally angsty ending, LOL.

7. what’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

It's gotta be the oath, which is literally wedding fic.

8. do you get hate on fics?

Nope, never.

9. do you write smut? if so, what kind?

Any kind, though I'm pretty inexperienced with F/F fics -- I love many F/F couples but I've never been driven to write fic about them, so I'm lacking in that regard.

These days, if I want to write NSFW fic on its own, it's less likely I'll publish it. I'll write it, but I'll keep it to myself. (I wrote a 15k fic earlier this year in this vein.) I've gotten to the point that I generally want the porn to be part of the plot. That said, I do have some ideas for oneshots, so you never know.

10. do you write crossovers? what’s the craziest one you’ve written?

The Fallout/Final Fantasy VII one is the big one. The total fic is almost 350k. I have posted 10k of it. Maybe one day I'll be able to revise it.

11. have you ever had a fic stolen?

Nope.

12. have you ever had a fic translated?

Nope.

13. have you ever co-written a fic before?

Not fic, but I've posted some RP before. This was generally not the best idea as it's rare for a RP thread to reach completion, and interests change, etc.

I guess actually blinded by light (FFXIV, WoL/Exarch) counts for this to a degree, because a good chunk of Mel's dialogue was written by @shepherdtostars; I just turned it into fic.

14. what’s your all-time favorite ship?

My OCs, who I've loved for 20 years. They're married, in love, and I have written approximately 2 million words about them.

I don't have a favorite fandom ship.

15. what’s a WIP you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?

stares at beyond the vault... i love you but you're such a behemoth, why did i do this to myself

16. what are your writing strengths?

Dialogue! I can write banter all day long.

17. what are your writing weaknesses?

Description. I see the scene in my head like a movie, so I forget... that not everyone does... and I have to write the scene I'm seeing LMAO. I'm working on it.

18. thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

This is an oddball question. Just write it? Like, either write "they said in (language)" or get an accurate translation of what you want to say.

19. first fandom you wrote for?

Sailor Moon, probably. Or Digimon.

20. favorite fic you’ve ever written?

Waffling between dead end and blinded by light. dead end was a real stretch for me in a lot of ways and I'm still very proud of it all these years later. blinded by light is just fun, I really like rereading it. heaven can wait (FFXIV, WoL/Exarch, NSFW) falls in this category too, I'm so happy with it.

[mejomonster]

President Shinra is now on screen. I know Rufus is equally evil but im happy he'll be the only one of them in rebirth cause i might as well look at hot villains

I miss reeve i forget if he cameos in remake

Also aerith and tifa definitely saw cloud change clothes and. Among other things i actually really appreciate that for all the More Shippy Moments remake adds, its still more friendships than anything. I liked the friendships most about ff7 original (and ffx tbh i just like friend groups for the main cast). I liked that in original ff7 tifa and aerith Were always friends, not rivals, that barret and cloud became friends, that even weird guy vincent and girlie yuffie join up. I like that in remake likewise, in the moments it matters it doesnt go for diving into a romance. Yeah theres more flirting than id have liked personally (all the jessie flirt moments are for the fans who Love Jessie and i just do not need any more ppl flirting with cloud personally sjjdjf) but like. Its not like jessies his gf. No more than tifa is at the start - shes his long time friend. And aeriths his new friend. And barret becomes his friend, and red, and yuffie, and vincent, cait sith, and cid, he is making friends along the way. And i really like that About ff7 (versus again say 10 where i was much more pulled into the romance too - in part cause yuna and tidus parallel each other So Much) i like the lean on friendship for the foundations over romance.

[exclario]

A Timeline... sort of

Here’s a list of events for my R/W/B/Y verse. I’m listing this for both Cloud and Lightning, because their lives occurred simultaneously. In VII, the game took place in just the span of a few months, but I think one can infer that the same type of events occurred throughout the R/W/B/Y series. Something in this volume, something in that volume. Please note this list probably... will never be finished ‘cause boy, oh boy, merging three series into one is a lot of work and R/W/B/Y (and I guess VII) are ongoing.

In this verse, “materia” and “mako” are kind of the same concept. In the original game, materia was the crystallized form of the Lifestream in its natural formation, while mako was the manifestation of the Lifestream, a forbidden extraction for the sake of alternative energy and power. However, for R/W/B/Y, it’s mostly used to refer to what Muspels (non-Niffs) call Dust, and is mostly to augment Shinra’s soldiers. Although Shinra is kind of “killing” the “Planet” in R/W/B/Y, it’s not really the same as in VII; it’s not as dramatic or instantaneous, or direct. It’s more so that they’re disrupting the climate by extracting Dust from the environment. Think fossil fuel, I guess? Those who are SOLDIER are people who became augmented by Dust. This is noticeable through the color of their eyes. They mirror Huntsmen and Huntresses in fame and purpose in the eyes of the public, and are also sometimes mistakenly addressed as Huntsmen and Huntresses (a SOLDIER can be a Huntsman/Huntress but typically not the other way around, and it’s more common that a SOLDIER is not an officially licensed Huntsman/Huntress). Cloud was a Niff SOLDIER while Lightning was a Muspel SOLDIER, meaning Cloud isn’t renowned and his duties were more Nifl focused while Lightning is relatively well known and is Muspelheim focused. Also, Shinra is basically PSICOM. I think Cloud and Lightning are each 21 at Volume 1, just as they are each 21 in the beginning of their respective games. I’m still trying to brainstorm the whole Crystal business, ‘cause l’Cie is a liiiittle tricky to convert to R/W/B/Y lore. Well, I’m trying to figure out this whole Grimm curse thing as a whole. Please bear with me.

Sixty years before Volume 1, Shinra discovers Nifl during its exploration in search of Dust. Ambition and competition drives the family to assemble and expand trade. Unrest begins in the Niff government from Shinra’s presence. Shinra soon discovers Nifl’s vast sources of Dust, which the natives call “materia”.

Shinra plans begin development approximately five decades before the Volume 1. At four decades prior, their experiments are set in motion. Experiments begin simply by fusing Dust with people, but within a few months they begin attempts to fuse Grimm with people.

Two and a half decades before Volume 1, Nifl becomes polluted from the despair and unrest in Nifl. Corruption consumes the larger cities of the country, some of which were formed because of Shinra. Smaller villages remain mostly unfazed, unaffected due to a smaller or even a lack of Shinra’s presence. However, the country as a whole is blackened and infested with Grimm. Shinra grows ever more ambitious and greedy, becoming as consumed by corruption as the natives.

By two decades before Volume 1, Shinra’s military faction, SOLDIER, have claimed the country under the guise of protectors against the growing Grimm threat. They are, however, in actuality human experiments fusing Dust with people.

Cloud and Lightning are born. Lightning is born April 9th, Cloud is born August 11th.

At seven years old, Shinra begins to claim Cloud’s backwater village. They establish a base there and a factory is built. In truth, this is where they’ve chosen to hide their failed military experiments fusing Grimm and humans.

When Cloud is 8, Tifa’s mother dies. She was terminally ill from Shinra’s polluting the environment. He then expresses a desire to join SOLDIER to protect people.

About the ages of 15, both Cloud and Lightning are enrolled in the Shinra military. Lightning joins in conjunction with training to be a Huntress. She occasionally works with Sephiroth.

When Cloud is 16, he returns to his hometown still a lowly grunt. Soon his village is razed to the ground by Sephiroth and the incident is concealed by Shinra. Cloud is taken by Shinra when he notices the failed experiments.

Afterwards, Cloud is forcibly experimented on following new ambitions Shinra unveiled, undergoing more advanced experimentation than Lightning resulting in a fractured mind compared to her. He is promoted to SOLDIER, though only due to the new experiments.

When Lightning is 17, she is inducted into SOLDIER, having proven herself a combat prodigy and brilliant tactician.

When Cloud is 18, he escapes his torture to defect from the Shinra military. Together with Tifa, the two vow to resist Shinra and the concept of AVALANCHE is born. They leave Nifl and recruit others into the resistance force: Barret, Cid, Vincent (the first successful Grimm experiment, as well as the only one for a significant period of time), Biggs, Jessie, Wedge. Cloud sets off to become a Huntsman with the help of Jessie, who forges his documentation for him to apply for an Academy. He manages to be placed in advanced courses due to his military background and combat prowess, effectively accelerating his progress in becoming a Huntsman.

They make attempts to convert more people to the resistance, but civilians care little for their claims, the common belief being Nifl is a country that doesn’t exist due to the secretive nature of the government against Muspelheim. Moreover, Shinra has a well polished reputation elsewhere in Remnant due to the President’s philanthropy, which is used to disguise his corrupt nature.

AVALANCHE’s first bombing occurs, destroying one of Shinra’s branches. Civil unrest occurs and the group is labelled as terrorists. Their reputation is muddied the more bombings they do.

When Lightning is 19, she is promoted to 1st Class SOLDIER, the same rank as Sephiroth, and earns fame Remnant-wide as a prodigy in a similar vein to Pyrrha Nikos.

When Lightning is 21 and Serah is 18, Serah is branded by a Grimm experiment. Once the brand spreads and the “eye” opens, Serah is to be turned into a Grimm. However, Lightning’s attention is focused elsewhere because AVALANCHE bombs the area they’re in; mass destruction occurs in casualties and Serah is nowhere to be found. Their hometown is essentially ruined in a similar manner to Cloud’s hometown. During Lightning’s chase for her, she too becomes branded.

After this, everything is thread dependent. In my interactions with @wulfriic, Lightning encounters AVALANCHE before being branded and then defects from Shinra to join them when she is branded, but with @canefought​ this doesn’t seem to be the case. Either way, Serah achieves Crystal Stasis instead of becoming a Grimm, and is protected by AVALANCHE in this state.

I kinda just pulled all of this out of my ass so I don’t know how well this all is. R/W/B/Y is kind of a fucked timeline like VII. And there’s a lot to consider. Also, it’s eight in the morning and I’m too tired for this shit™. Things might get changed in the future as I write more, and as I come up with new ideas. For sure, I’m definitely gonna add to this as time goes on ‘cause I was mostly accounting for VII’s timeline than I was XIII. This verse was originally just for Cloud is why.

[grimtwin]

How do you think an Interaction between the Straw Hat Pirates and the FF7 Party Group would go if they met? I absolutely love these series.

I love both of these series as well. But this is a difficult question since both groups are pretty dynamic in their own rights and their series don’t have too much in common...but how bout this:

Sanji’s going to swoon over Tifa and Yuffie like there’s no tomorrow. Especially Tifa. She’s got the figure that man is in love with most so he’d drop to his knees and worship her. Probably much to her and Cloud’s chagrin. At least Sanji and Tifa have somewhat similar fighting style, so perhaps they’ll trade kicking-based techniques. As for Yuffie, she’d just schmooze up to Sanji, do a little flirting, which will work very well, then rob him of his goods lol.

Franky would probably have the most fun meeting the FF7 crew. I imagine he’d been very enthralled with Barret’s gun arm, and could either learn some tips or enhance Barret’s weaponry like crazy. Likewise with Cait Sith. There’s a lot of potential to upgrade Cait Sith’s moogle body to be able to do something other than just punch with fuzzy arms. 

Chopper would probably be pretty excited to meet Red XIII, and perhaps vice-versa. Talking animal-like creatures are a dime a dozen in the One Piece world, but not so much for Red XIII that we know, so meeting Chopper could be fun. I imagine Chopper would love to try and ride on Red XIII’s back. Robin though, I feel like she’d absolutely adore Cait Sith and Red XIII’s weird appearances, like she did that ugly dragon drawing, so she’d probably hang around them.

More on Robin...she and Vincent have more distant, darker themes to them. Robin moreso in her humor and hypothetical thoughts, but maybe the two could get along? I don’t know what they’d talk about though. Vincent seems more learned from his past with his Turks, so maybe there’s some kind of information trade to be made. Aerith could probably do pretty well with Robin as well if she’s still around at that point. Both ladies look pretty well educated.

A dangerous combo, Nami and Yuffie, would definitely plot out something nefarious and sneaky. The thieves of the bunch, members of the other teams would probably have things go missing, like money and some rare or powerful items. Add Tifa, Robin, and Aerith, and I feel like the ladies of both groups would get along pretty well. Can’t be easy traveling with so many men and be fighting all the time. 

Cloud and Zoro are the most difficult to place. They’re probably not going to be the most talkative to many of the other crews, but maybe they could bond over swordsmanship. I’m sure Zoro would be interested in Cloud’s massive Buster Sword, and maybe Cloud could take interest in Zoro’s fighting style and katana.

Usopp, Franky, and Cid would also get into some engineering for sure, especially if Cid saw any of the Thousand Sunny and Franky’s creations. Probably get some major tips on how to upgrade the Highwind or the Shera.

Vincent and Usopp are the sharpshooters of the bunch. They might be able to work in a shooting competition.

Tifa’s a pretty experienced bar tender, and with Sanji’s cooking, the two of them could put together one hell of a party. Maybe Tifa would even be able to make up some drinks that’d get even Zoro and Nami drunk. 

Brook is going to immediately ask to see Tifa, Aerith, or Yuffie’s panties. He might either get decked, laughed at, or be given a peek for some of his money...or a shuriken in the face. And given his immense trauma from Zou, I think Brook might try to avoid Red XIII at first, fearing that he might be chewed on. But both are pretty old, Red is like 45 compared to humans, so they might have some wordly experiences to share. 

Luffy...that dude’s just going to have a grand ol’ time, no matter what. He might want to try and fight, and I think he’d have a pretty good tussle with Cloud or Tifa. He’d be amazed with Cait Sith, seeing it as a weird robot which he adores so much, and be blown away with any type of materia, especially summons.

There’s probably a lot more than can be said. Once I started typing, it was pretty easy to imagine how they’d get along. 

[strifescloud]

i want trees instead of gravestones (and nothing to confess) 3.1k words vincent valentine/cid highwind

Summary:

Vincent slowly gets more and more flowers.

They vary in their outlook, some a reflection upon the past, some a wish for the future. He comes back with anemone crawling up his ribcage (forsaken, he murmurs to Cid one night), gladiolus blooming across his shoulders, a mix of statice and Queen Anne’s lace right beneath where his pink ribbon rests, then more that Cid doesn’t recognise.

The night after a new blossom finds its place on his skin, he tells Cid a little more.

[note: This is also available to read on ao3. not linking on the post this time due to recent tumblr nonsense with links in search results but there is a link in my sidebar if you prefer]

In hindsight it was foolish of Cid to assume that he’d be any less busy once the whole Meteor business had been dealt with.

Even after they had saved as many as they could from the wreckage of Midgar, relocating them to a settlement just outside the city, the need for an Airship was still too great for Cid to tell them to go fuck themselves and head on back to Rocket Town for a well-deserved rest.

Though if he was being honest, that wasn’t the only reason he stayed in close contact with the rest of AVALANCHE.

The soft touch of a hand on his shoulder breaks him out of his thoughts.

“Hope I'm not disturbing you.” Vincent’s deep voice rumbles from behind him, hand trailing down Cid’s arm only to disappear again into the folds of Vincent’s cloak.

“Nah, always got time for you. Need something?”

He lets the sentence fall easily from his lips, forgetting for just a moment to be embarrassed of his open affections.

Planet knew Vincent needed to hear it more often, anyway.

Vincent shuffles slightly closer, peering over Cid’s shoulder at the dials that rest behind the ship’s wheel, silent. His metal boots click softly as he crosses the length of the bridge, staring down at one of the maps that perpetually sits on top on navigation console.

He remains silent. Cid waits, watching the clouds drift past the slowly setting sun.

“Can we stop in Kalm?”

It's unexpected, but Cid tends to like Vincent’s surprises. He taps his finger against the wheel in thought.

“What’s in Kalm?”

He looks over, watching Vincent’s sharp golden claw slowly trace over the Eastern Continent’s coastline. Vincent hums slightly before he answers, expression contemplative.

“Someone.”

Vincent’s claw trails down the map to rest on Kalm, tapping pointedly on the precise lettering.

“You’re real mysterious today, ain’t ya?”

Vincent laughs ever-so-quietly, the sound rough but warm in the otherwise empty bridge.

“You wouldn't have me any other way.” He replies, mouth hidden behind the oversized collar of his coat but a smile audible in his voice. Cid can't help but answer it with his own smile, turning back towards the still-setting sun.

“Nah, I wouldn't. Kalm it is.”

Cid wakes in the middle of the night when a metal claw brushes along his back.

He bites back the instinctual hiss at the sudden cold as he rolls over, peering into the darkness at the other side of the bed. Vincent is sitting upright, dark hair spilling over his pale shoulders. Pale slivers of moonlight filter through the dirt-stained windows of Cid’s quarters, surrounding him like a halo as he stares blankly down at his hands.

His claw traces the lines of his scars as they trail up his flesh arm.

“Vince, sweetheart,” Cid manages, voice rough, too disoriented to avoid letting the endearment slip past his lips though he always fears they make Vincent skittish, “what’re you doin’?”

He reaches out for Vincent’s arm only to be deftly evaded, Vincent slipping out of his grasp so that Cid reaches only his metal hand instead.

“I am...troubled.” Vincent murmurs, barely loud enough to be heard even in the silence of the room.

“I ain’t blind, I can see that.” Cid replies, untangling himself from the blankets and sitting upright to face Vincent properly. The faint glow of Vincent’s eyes allow Cid to see them slowly flit around the room until they come to rest on his face.

“I’m sorry I woke you. Go back to sleep.”

“Hell, I’m not going to be able to just go back to sleep while you’re sittin’ here worrying about something.” Cid insists, closing the distance between them. He softens his voice, ducking his head to hold Vincent’s gaze when it seems it might slip away from him. “You got somethin’ you wanna talk about?”

Vincent’s mouth twists as he finally looks away.

“Only memories,” he replies, “hardly worth voicing.”

“It’s worth it if they’re troublin’ you.”

Vincent doesn’t reply, but if Cid doesn’t pursue this he fears he will lose it.

“Y’got a lot of shit in your head, I know that. More than I do, that’s for sure, probably more than I’m gonna understand. But fuck, Vince, we’re doing this, you and me, and that means I wanna share it all with you. Good shit, bad shit, all of it.” It sounds awkward coming out of his mouth and he fumbles, stumbling over the words, “I mean- it- you don’t have to talk about it. If you don’t want to. But I think it might be-”

“Cid.”

“It might be good. For you. If you did one day.”

The metallic grip on his hand tightens, pulling it over to rest on Vincent’s other arm where Vincent’s own hand had been moments before. Cid can feel the thick lines of scar tissue that stretch under his palm, twisting across the skin and up under the thin shirt that Vincent is wearing, and Cid suddenly feels a tightness in his chest.

“Not today,” Vincent near-whispers, stroking a metal thumb across the back of Cid’s hand as he holds it in place, “but soon.”

Cid nods, solemnly, and swallows down the feeling.

“Want me t’just sit with you for a while?”

That makes a ghostly half-smile flit across Vincent’s face, and Cid takes it as a yes.

Cid repositions his arm so that it curls around Vincent’s back, but his hand returns to the same place it was shown, tracing absent spirals into the scarred flesh. He rests his head on Vincent’s shoulder, feeling an arm snake its way around his shoulders.

He feels the urge to speak again rise in his chest but he pushes it down. It’s ridiculous, he knows, he knows , but he’s feared all this time but that if he tells Vincent he loves him, it’ll scare him away.

He closes his eyes and they wait for the night to pass.

They touch down in Kalm late that morning. The sky that day is a cloudless, pale blue, the sun a harsh force against Cid’s skin and he can’t help but be grateful for the thin cotton of his shirt.

Vincent is fully dressed, red cloak billowing in the wind as they disembark the Highwind, seemingly unbothered by the heat.

“Now, where’re we goin’?”

“You’ll see.” Vincent replies, brow furrowed against the bright sun as he stares out into the streets.

“Like I keep sayin’, Vince. Mysterious. Full of secrets.”

“The aura of mystery adds to my outfit.” Vincent replies, a note of good humour in his tone.

Cid is so thrown by the statement that he almost misses Vincent striding off down a well-hidden back alley.

“Hey!”

He half-runs after him, following the trail of red fabric down the maze of tiny streets. His unease grows as the buildings grow shabbier, the eyes of the townspeople less welcoming, and he begins to fear that Vincent has led him into a rather unfriendly part of what is usually a friendly town.

“Vincent, seriously,” he murmurs, tugging on the back of Vincent’s cloak, “what the hell’s down here?”

“Don’t worry.”

“Don’t w-”

Vincent stops suddenly, and Cid is forced to swallow the rest of his reply as he narrowly avoids running into him. Vincent turns, eyes alight with something Cid cannot hope to identify, and without breaking eye contact he reaches out to knock on the nearby door with his metal hand.

“We’re here.”

The door cracks open, just enough for one bright eye (Mako enhanced, Cid realises with a jolt) to peer out from behind it. Vincent turns again to meet its gaze and the figure backs away, allowing Vincent to push the door fully open and follow it into the ramshackle building. Cid reluctantly follows, as close to Vincent as a shadow, eyes darting around nervously.

Here turns out to be the most shithole tattoo studio that Cid has ever been in.

“Seriously? ” he hisses, and Vincent ignores him.

The hunched figure turns to stare at them again, the jagged scar that runs through one closed eye a sharp contrast to the Mako glow that filters out of the other. He ignores Cid entirely, shuffling closer to Vincent, who hands him a folded piece of paper.

“How enhanced are you?”

Vincent pauses, not long enough to be uncomfortable but enough to make a point.

“Extensively.”

“The strong stuff, then. Take a seat.” The man gestures to the grimy chair as Vincent begins unbuckling his coat, handing it off to Cid and yanking up the sleeve that covered his right arm. Cid watches in silence as Vincent settles himself in the chair, offering his arm to the artist as the man begins to set up.

The piece of paper sits unfolded on the desk. Cid catches a glimpse of flowers.

They wait in silence, Cid eventually finding a stool so he can sit by Vincent’s other side.

The artist tests the foot pedal once, twice, then stops. He stares at the paper for a long moment, eyes tracing the lines. Vincent gives him a nod, and just like that, he begins.

“You okay?” Cid asks.

Vincent hums noncommittally in response, but his hand flexes with a creak of metal as the needle passes over the first scar.

The same scar that Cid felt beneath his fingertips the night before.

He takes Vincent’s other hand.

“You heal fast.” The artist eventually notes as he turns for more ink, one eye flicking up to Vincent’s face.

“As I said, it was...extensive. The procedure.”

The artist nods, understanding, but there’s a shade of suspicion in his face.

“You weren’t in SOLDIER, were you?”

Vincent’s grip tightens on Cid’s hand.

“No.” He replies, tone final, and Cid feels the worry creep up his spine again. To his relief, the artist only snorts, returning to his work.

“We all got fucked one way or another by the program. Figured there was more going on that we didn’t see. At least you pulled through.”

“At least.” Vincent murmurs in acquiescence, and the silence falls between them again.

They are ushered out quickly when it is finished, Vincent placing a large wad of gil into the man’s hand as they slip out the door. The skin is already partially healed when Vincent tugs his sleeve back into place, pulling his cloak back over his shoulders as he turns to face Cid.

“You sure it’ll stick?” Cid asks, tone skeptical.

“I’m sure.” Vincent replies, seeming oddly serene as he steps past Cid, returning the same way they had come.

Cid sighs, pulling a cigarette from his pocket, and he lights it as he follows.

The skin is nearly healed by the time they make it back to Cid’s quarters that night, the lights in the ceiling flickering unsteadily as Cid flicks the switch on.

“Why those?” He asks as they dress for sleep, eyes locked on the pink petals that frame a white and yellow centre. They stretch across Vincent’s forearm, creeping up the joint of the elbow onto his bicep.

“Hm?”

“You didn’t strike me as the flower type, I guess.” He offers instead.

“Ah. These...can mean many things,” Vincent stops, staring down that the bright design etched into his arm as Cid draws closer, “daring, resourcefulness, courage, change. Transformation.”

“Sounds appropriate.”

“I thought so.” Vincent offers with a slight smile, stepping back slightly to shake his hair out of his customary headband. He pauses as he sets it down, seemingly working up the courage to speak, and Cid waits a long moment in patient silence.

“Lucrecia used to always talk about transformation. Of the subjects, of the future.”

Cid freezes.

“I don’t think she...intended the transformation she did succeed at creating.” Vincent brought his hand up to rub at his chest, where Cid knew a starbust gunshot scar rested beneath the black material. “But still....maybe I’ve changed from what they made me. Become something new.”

Something in Cid’s chest seizes at the near-fragile tone Vincent’s voice takes, reaching forward before his mind can catch up. He cups Vincent’s face with one hand, watching red eyes turn downcast, grasping for something to say even though his mind has gone infuriatingly blank.

“Maybe there is change still ahead, beyond what was already done to me. Perhaps one day I will enact that change myself.” Vincent’s voice has dropped to a murmur, sounding more like he spoke to himself rather than Cid.

“I think you’re pretty fuckin’ perfect the way you are.” Cid counters, equally quiet, unwilling to break the fragile atmosphere that had fallen over the room. He stretches up to kiss Vincent, not on the lips for fear of silencing Vincent’s halting honesty but on the forehead, as gentle as he can make it.

He often feels awkward and rough around Vincent in the face of the other’s inhuman grace, his hands clumsy and perpetually stained with grease, but somehow Vincent doesn’t seem to mind.

He draws backwards, letting Vincent follow him back to sit on edge of the bed, intertwining their hands as he waits for Vincent to speak again.

Vincent takes one long, steady breath.

“I once thought it began with my assignment to the Nibelheim mansion, but in truth, it began with my father.”

Cid listens.

"How does it work, then?" He asks Vincent over dinner one night.

"How does what work?" Vincent replies patiently, still trying to slice his steak into near-perfect cubes.

Cid watches him for a moment, half-baffled even after all this time by Vincent's very particular approach to food, before he remembers to reply.

"The tattoos. Always figured you enhanced types would heal over or reject it or somethin' before the guy had even finished."

"That was the case for a long time," Vincent says, placing his cutlery delicately down onto the table, "especially as the company generally frowned upon...such visual modifications to its property." Cid frowns slightly at him, unnerved by the phrasing, but Vincent doesn't seem to notice. "No normal ink would ever work, and few had the opportunity to try anything that might yield some modicum of success."

"It's infused with Mako?"

"In varying amounts, depending on the level of enhancements."

Vincent's eyes take on a distant, glassy sheen.

"There's a scar, from before- it looks like Hojo tried to give his subjects serial numbers. I know Cloud has one similar - obviously he never cared enough to ensure it lasted." Vincent's mouth twists bitterly, and Cid feels suddenly sick.

"Will you," He clears his throat, voice unusually hoarse, "will you get that one done over?"

Vincent shakes his head slightly, the bitterness fading from his face.

"If it were still ink, I may have considered it. But just the scar...he never succeeded, even if just in that small task. Perhaps that reminder is best left to stand."

Vincent tells him he has another appointment in Kalm a month later, and then another two months after that, and Cid ends up simply fitting it into a regular space on their schedule.

Vincent slowly gets more and more flowers.

They vary in their outlook, some a reflection upon the past, some a wish for the future. He comes back with anemone crawling up his ribcage (forsaken, he murmurs to Cid one night), gladiolus blooming across his shoulders, a mix of statice and Queen Anne’s lace right beneath where his pink ribbon rests, then more that Cid doesn’t recognise.

The night after a new blossom finds its place on his skin, he tells Cid a little more.

I loved her, even when she married him.

I don’t know how long he spent experimenting on me.

She implanted Chaos in my body to revive me, but when I woke I wished that I had died to the bullet instead.

Cid sits across from him, Vincent’s hand curled within his own, and listens.

It’s one night, many months after the first, that Vincent returns to the Highwind with a particular lightness to his shoulders that Cid always attributes to the feeling of fresh ink.

“What’d you get this time?” Cid asks as Vincent slips through the door to their room.

“Something small.” Vincent responds absently, already getting  changed. His headband comes sweeping off to rest on a side table, cloak thrown over the back of the desk chair.

His possessions are scattered everywhere about the room. Cid doesn’t think of it as just his anymore.

Vincent tosses the shirt over the cloak, turning to face Cid and perching across from him, just as always.

There is a new splash of colour above his heart, a gorgeous lattice of red flowers with yellow stamen. The thin stems are a pale green where they’re visible beneath the intertwining blooms that stretch across the skin, a slight redness visible on the edge where the skin has not yet healed.

“Scarlet larkspur. They’re known as ‘fire followers’ - the seeds lay dormant for years, only to be germinated by a forest fire. Perennial, as well, so they can regenerate themselves from seeds or roots.” Vincent smiles, half to himself, looking down at their joined hands. “Sleeping for years, then born from flame and ash. It seemed apt.”

Cid stares.

Of all the things Vincent has ever said, it’s far from the most heartbreaking, or the most moving.

Something within Cid crumbles, still, with the quiet sincerity of the words.

He surges forward to kiss Vincent with unusual fervor, mouths connecting urgently as Cid tries to pour everything he wants to say into a single gesture.

In that moment, he forgets his fear.

“Fuck,” he whispers when they break apart, the need for air too great to ignore, “fuck, Vince, I love you.”

He remembers himself after that, feels his heart stutter with remembered nerves, but Vincent only reaches back towards him, pulling him back to kiss him again in answer.

“Cid,” Vincent says, pulling back slightly, and though Cid tries to chase him he feels Vincent’s metal claw running through his hair, the other hand warm on his face, and he stops.

Vincent locks eyes with him, deliberately, pronouncing each syllable with a deliberate weight as he speaks.

“I love you, too,” he says, lips curling into a smile, “even if you get nervous about the strangest of things.”

“S’not strange,” Cid insists, though his heart rate picks up again, “hell, a beautiful guy like you’d make anyone nervous.”

Vincent’s head tilts slightly, and Cid abruptly remembers that he can probably hear his heart beating.

“You’ve let me speak of my nightmares for many months now,” Vincent replies, leaning closer, “and never passed judgement.”

“I didn’t want to pressure you.” Cid begins, voice weak even to his own ears.

“I’m only ever where I want to be, now.”

With you, he doesn’t say, but Cid hears it nonetheless.

Cid wakes the next morning as the sunlight streams through the windows, the cool air of the cabin slowly warming as the sun rises further into the sky.

His hand runs slowly through Vincent’s hair, trying to smooth some of the tangles though he knows it to be an insurmountable task. He feels the metal against his side flex once as Vincent’s wakes, then again as he scrapes his fingernails soothingly against Vincent’s scalp.

“Morning, sunshine.” He rumbles teasingly, Vincent’s eyes blinking blearily at the far wall. He groans at the sound, turning his head towards Cid’s chest to block out the offending sunlight that had woken them.

Cid clears his throat slightly.

“Love you.” He says into the morning stillness, trying to make it sound like an offhand comment.

“You too.” He feels more than hears, Vincent’s voice muffled from where he’s buried his face in Cid’s side.

His hand leaves Vincent’s hair to trace the designs across his shoulders, feeling the slight scarring on the cool skin. He can hear noise from further into the ship, the sounds of the day crew getting ready, and he knows that he should get up and join them.

Vincent’s claws dig ever-so-slightly harder into his skin.

“A few more minutes.” Vincent grumbles, sounding on the verge of falling asleep again himself.

Cid feels for Vincent’s other hand, squeezing it once in wordless agreement.

A few more minutes couldn’t hurt.

[itshaejinju]

Hi, I'm sorry to bother you, but I was wondering if matchups were still open? If so, I had a few questions. Do you mind in the information is long/detailed? Are the fandoms in your about me page, the fandoms you can do matchups with? Also, what is the limit to fandoms we can ask for? I apologize for all the questions.

Not a bother at all, anon-ssi I have several fandoms I match up for!

FF15: Noctis, Prompto, Ignis, Gladiolus, Cor, Regis, Cindy, Lunafreya, Ravus, Aranea, Ardyn, Older Talcott and Nyx.

FF7: Cloud, Tifa, Yuffie, Cid, Barrett, Zack, Vincent, Reno, Rude and Aerith. 

Mystic Messenger: 707, Jumin, Jaehee, Yousung, Zen, Unknown and V.

Star Crossed Myth: Huedhaut, Zyglavis, Leon, Scorpio, Ichthys, Karno, Partheno, Aigonorous, Krioff, Dui, Teorus, and Tauxolouve. 

Dragon Age: |Origins & 2 and Inquisition | All the characters you can romance in all the games plus Varric. :D 

I would prefer if it is detailed as much as possible there is a 500 word limit on asks so if you have more just please use the annotations of (½) then (2/2) so I don’t loose them or anything! Also if you WANT do have to but it would help some using the website 16-personality-test (myer-briggs test!) and take that and enter in your result, like for me my answer would be INFP-T (yeah go us mediators!)

You can send me OCs as well I don’t mind! 

Also if you want me to answer you privately I will I have one already with the request so I have no problem with that. :D 

I picked FF series and two of my favorite popular otome games for match ups, currently if might add more fandoms but for the moment these four are what I want. 

And you can request multiple fandoms as long as they are the ones I do! (LOL) Just please let me know what ones you want to be matched with. IF you do not specify I will just choose FF15. :D (Would prefer if you remember to do so just so be thorough.) 

| Hopefully this answers your questions plus more! | Match Ups Open until 6/25/2017 |