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1) stone
Cid knelt by the riverside to pick up a jagged stone, holding it carefully in his fingertips. It was an iridescent black, sparkling in the sunlight, and felt flaky to the touch. He didn't know anything about rocks- it wasn't really his thing- but it was a beauty to behold. It made him wonder where it came from, and how it was made. There must be some story behind this rock, surely.
Cid grinned, looking back at Vincent. "Hey Vince! Check this out!"
It didn't skip across the river like he wanted, but it was still a pretty good attempt.
2) yoke
"What the hell am I, a goddamn mule?!" He snarled, twisting down a bolt with far too much aggression. It'll live being manhandled. "That fucking asshole has no idea what kinda work I hafta put into everything t' make it work! Expectin' me t' bend myself over backwards fer him just 'cause he's a hoity toity fuck. Shithead."
Vincent rested his claw against the metal frame, amusement flickering in his eyes. "I think you'd fit rather well in a yoke, Chief."
He threw his wrench at him, ignoring how the man laughed in response. Some kind of partner he was.
3) grain
"Should I do oatmeal 'r granola t'day?"
Vincent raised an eyebrow at him. "...They're made of the same grain, Chief."
"Well, yeah, but they're totally different foods in the end. One's sticky an' shit, the other's got a satisfying crunch." Cid paused, considered the options, and then nodded. "Yeah, okay, granola's better. Should I make that into a cereal...?"
Vincent rolled his eyes and swept out of the kitchen. "I'm leaving."
"You're the one that followed me in here, you dork!"
Cid snickered as he plucked the container of granola off the pantry. His husband was always so weirdly adorable.
4) name
"Chief... is 'Cid' your true name or a nickname?"
Cid looked at the red-caped man for a moment, blinking at him curiously. "...Why do you wanna know?"
"I've heard... talk." Vincent muttered, looking slightly guilty. "Some of the people who know you say your name is 'Cidney'."
He groaned, slapping a hand over his face. "No, it ain't. It's a leftover from some fucknuts thinking they were funny an' callin' me somethin' girly. 'S not a bad name, but... 's a pain when people still think it's the real thing."
"Hm."
People stopped calling him Cidney after that conversation. Strange.
5) rifle
Death Penalty was beautiful. Vincent didn't use it as often as Cerberus these days, but it was still a formidible weapon. He could wield the thing one-handed, and it was a rifle. Superhuman strength was nuts. The rifle had a full set of linked materia slots and grew stronger the more monsters Vincent killed with it. It shone with polish, and looked well taken care of.
It was silly to be jealous of a gun. But... Compared to it, Cid felt rough and matted, a wild shot that hardly hit anything.
He was probably just being stupid about it, though.
6) pipe
The furry monstrosity went down, skull cracked open and red pooling everywhere. Cid glared at it for a solid five seconds, his brain lagging behind a bit because he hit it entirely on instinct. One minute he was minding his own business, and in the next this fucker snuck up behind him and tried to eat his balls off. Seriously, what gives? This was supposed to be a relaxing camping trip with no monsters.
He glanced at the metal pipe in his hand, one section of it splattered with blood, and sighed. At least Vincent would appreciate the wolf pelt.
7) tongue
A quiet, aborted squeal brought Cid out of his blueprints, making him look up towards the source of the noise. Vincent was slightly more to the right from where he was last sitting. "Uh... was that you, Vince?"
A close-mouthed grunt. His eyes glared stubbornly ahead, looking for all the world like they were impassive, but Cid knew Vincent better than that.
"You bit yer tongue, didn't you." He held back a snort of amusement, very generously he might add, and turned back to his papers. "Dork."
He very briefly thought about kissing it better, but ultimately decided not to.
8) system
Cid was woken by someone slipping into bed beside him, opening bleary eyes to the sight of glowing red. "Hey."
Vincent settled in, draping his good arm over Cid's waist. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you."
"S' fine." He yawned, ducking his head to snuggle into Vincent's chest. He smelled faintly of wet dog. "Galian have fun?"
"Yes."
"Good. Glad y' figured somethin' out fer them bastards," He mumbled a bit deliriously, trying to stay awake. He always missed Vincent whenever he was off dealing with his 'system.'
Vincent smiled into soft, blonde hair. "Go to sleep, Cid."
9) cracker
Goat cheese was a rare but delightful commodity, one that Cid never passed up whenever he saw it at a shop. He preferred the softer varieties; they were easier to spread on crackers and snack on whenever he was hungry. Add sliced garlic and turkey breast, and it was the best goddamn thing on Gaia, period.
Vincent once bought him a high-quality slab of goat cheese as a gift. Cid had laughed and laughed and laughed, and then had to soothe Vincent's glare with a well-placed kiss. He really didn't mean to laugh-- it was just so sweet of him.
10) end
Golden claws caressed the gravestone quietly, catching against the fine grain on occasion. He knelt on the ground silently, cape pooling around him like a sea of blood. His eyes roamed over the inscription of the gravestone like they had countless times before. It read:
Cid Azuul Highwind-Valentine
1975 - 0048
Dearly Beloved Husband
May He Take to the Sky Forevermore
"Forgive me, my love," Vincent whispered, heart heavy with anguish. It was so hard to move on. "I thought you would never end."
Vincent Lazarus Highwind-Valentine kissed the earth beneath him one last time and rose, never to return again.