![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Entry tags:
A Gifts&Treasures Outtake
This is one of those little 'background canon' moments. I don't think Squall really listens, because Squall's got a deathgrip on either the Conflict Ball or the Idiot Ball where Vincent is concerned. But Cid and Squall totally do have this conversation.
Yuffie finished first, which wasn't surprising, given the problems she had rattling around in that head of hers. She rinsed her plate and meandered out of the room, probably to get dressed and go find her fairy friends.
Vincent waited a slow-count before he was up and rinsing his own plate. He followed her quickly.
Leon half-stood to go after him.
"Sit down," Cid half-whispered, his voice harsher than he'd meant it to be.
Leon sat.
Tifa took one good look at him and shook her head. She stood, grabbing Aerith's plate, stacking them by the sink. "Cid, could you do me a favor and handle those? I need Aerith's help with the vera bulbs out back, and they're early morning plants."
"I'll get them," Leon said, his eyes never leaving Cid.
Kid usually knew what was what. Especially when it came to those two, and lord knew that had never been an easy feat. Cid had to give him that.
Tifa and Aerith fled the kitchen, which had probably been Tifa's plan all along.
"Say it," Leon said, standing and stretching. He picked up a few dishes and paced toward the sink.
Cid helped him clear the rest. "Look, I know you're worried about Yuffie. Hell, I am too. Kid's going through somethin' damn scary."
Leon watched him through narrowed eyes, not even bothering to look at the plates he was scraping.
"But you don't seem to have noticed that Vince is worried too. And that worries me more."
Leon raised an eyebrow, then turned his gaze to the sink. He filled one of the basins, began dunking dishes beneath the water and scrubbing with a sudsy cloth.
"Put it this way: he's got a real soft spot for her. And he's got more call to hate Hades than anyone else we've met, except maybe Herc."
Leon went still for a moment, as if he hadn't worked that through just yet.
Predictable. The man understood his family in Radiant Garden, but he didn't bother analyzing people outside it. Typical both of the boy Cid had known and the man he'd watched Squall grown into.
Still, it was damn frustrating. "And you never gave him much reason to like you. Vince is a quiet guy. That don't make him safe."
"I'm not worried," Leon said.
"You should be. Vincent's fresh from the Underworld and he's got a fixation on the brat there ain't no explaining."
That made Leon straighten. The other man's expression hardened into something Cid recognized. Something Cid had worn himself, a few times: Who is this clown, and how many bones do I have to break to get him away from the girls?
"You think he'd hurt her?"
"I think you don't back off, you're liable to get yourself set on fire."
Leon turned to face him, and Cid thought of the lion and the sun trapped in the rock their leader'd carried around for nine years. It wasn't hard to believe at all that the man had picked up the summon of a lion: there was strength, and pride, and stubbornness, and Cid could see it all in the tension of the boy's spine, in the set of his jaw.
"Aerith'd never forgive me, you got yourself killed. And I'd never forgive you for makin' her cry."
"You think he's that dangerous?"
"Man survived the Underworld for we don't know how long. That's gotta come with some rough spots."
"Survival doesn't mean skill," Leon said, and that one hurt like a punch to the gut.
More, the opposite was true. Skill didn't mean survival. And they both knew that one all too well.
"Just do me a favor and stop tryin' to piss him off," Cid sighed.
"You think he's dangerous enough to kill me, but you don't mind him being around Yuffie?"
"The way I see it, a psycho with a soft spot's probably the least of our basketcase brat's problems. She's got memories that never happened, a big giant snake summon, and apparently the attention of Hades." He paused a moment, and added, "Girl's got a good head on her shoulders, when she uses it, and she knows how to take care of herself."
That got a twitch of Leon's lips. "So you do mind."
"'course I mind, Leon. Can't say I appreciate somebody who can't possibly be hinged too tight hangin' around our youngest."
Yuffie finished first, which wasn't surprising, given the problems she had rattling around in that head of hers. She rinsed her plate and meandered out of the room, probably to get dressed and go find her fairy friends.
Vincent waited a slow-count before he was up and rinsing his own plate. He followed her quickly.
Leon half-stood to go after him.
"Sit down," Cid half-whispered, his voice harsher than he'd meant it to be.
Leon sat.
Tifa took one good look at him and shook her head. She stood, grabbing Aerith's plate, stacking them by the sink. "Cid, could you do me a favor and handle those? I need Aerith's help with the vera bulbs out back, and they're early morning plants."
"I'll get them," Leon said, his eyes never leaving Cid.
Kid usually knew what was what. Especially when it came to those two, and lord knew that had never been an easy feat. Cid had to give him that.
Tifa and Aerith fled the kitchen, which had probably been Tifa's plan all along.
"Say it," Leon said, standing and stretching. He picked up a few dishes and paced toward the sink.
Cid helped him clear the rest. "Look, I know you're worried about Yuffie. Hell, I am too. Kid's going through somethin' damn scary."
Leon watched him through narrowed eyes, not even bothering to look at the plates he was scraping.
"But you don't seem to have noticed that Vince is worried too. And that worries me more."
Leon raised an eyebrow, then turned his gaze to the sink. He filled one of the basins, began dunking dishes beneath the water and scrubbing with a sudsy cloth.
"Put it this way: he's got a real soft spot for her. And he's got more call to hate Hades than anyone else we've met, except maybe Herc."
Leon went still for a moment, as if he hadn't worked that through just yet.
Predictable. The man understood his family in Radiant Garden, but he didn't bother analyzing people outside it. Typical both of the boy Cid had known and the man he'd watched Squall grown into.
Still, it was damn frustrating. "And you never gave him much reason to like you. Vince is a quiet guy. That don't make him safe."
"I'm not worried," Leon said.
"You should be. Vincent's fresh from the Underworld and he's got a fixation on the brat there ain't no explaining."
That made Leon straighten. The other man's expression hardened into something Cid recognized. Something Cid had worn himself, a few times: Who is this clown, and how many bones do I have to break to get him away from the girls?
"You think he'd hurt her?"
"I think you don't back off, you're liable to get yourself set on fire."
Leon turned to face him, and Cid thought of the lion and the sun trapped in the rock their leader'd carried around for nine years. It wasn't hard to believe at all that the man had picked up the summon of a lion: there was strength, and pride, and stubbornness, and Cid could see it all in the tension of the boy's spine, in the set of his jaw.
"Aerith'd never forgive me, you got yourself killed. And I'd never forgive you for makin' her cry."
"You think he's that dangerous?"
"Man survived the Underworld for we don't know how long. That's gotta come with some rough spots."
"Survival doesn't mean skill," Leon said, and that one hurt like a punch to the gut.
More, the opposite was true. Skill didn't mean survival. And they both knew that one all too well.
"Just do me a favor and stop tryin' to piss him off," Cid sighed.
"You think he's dangerous enough to kill me, but you don't mind him being around Yuffie?"
"The way I see it, a psycho with a soft spot's probably the least of our basketcase brat's problems. She's got memories that never happened, a big giant snake summon, and apparently the attention of Hades." He paused a moment, and added, "Girl's got a good head on her shoulders, when she uses it, and she knows how to take care of herself."
That got a twitch of Leon's lips. "So you do mind."
"'course I mind, Leon. Can't say I appreciate somebody who can't possibly be hinged too tight hangin' around our youngest."
no subject
I <3 Squall. In whatever 'verse.