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When the dust settles – both metaphorically and in the most literal sense after the construction of Edge has completed – Cloud finds himself at odds with the landscape that surrounds him. On the one hand, it’s no Neo-Midgar (of which he’s grateful for). On the other…it’s like when he first moved to Midgar, all those years ago; nothing more than a wide-eyed country boy feeling out of place and lost in a city that’s not built for people like him.
Edge is for the people who still have hope in those who apparently have their best interests at heart, but it isn’t necessarily for the survivors who know better. And he can see that there’ll be another AVALANCHE-esque organisation soon enough because history loves to repeat itself – Cloud just hopes it doesn’t repeat itself to the extent of Shinra 2.0.
The ghost of Midgar still clings to the shape of the buildings even with their far more sustainable solar panels. People prefer the familiar after such a tumultuous time and he can’t blame them for that. Nor is it his place to say anything. This isn’t his home, not really. As much as he wants it to be – as much as Cloud has tried to make it his home – that isn’t possible and hasn’t been for years. It has taken him an embarrassingly long amount of time to realise that there is no physical place that he can call home anymore, rather…
People. His friends. His lovers.
“Were there night markets in Junon when you were younger?” Genesis’ inquisitive nature interrupts his inner musings and Cloud looks to Vincent as he speaks.
“Mm. Mostly in the winter, leading up to the solstice…” The other man looks wistful, his gaze somewhere in the distance and his mind clearly in the past. Cloud gives Genesis a pointed look. It’ll be on him if he turns this trip into one draped in melancholy and he seems to take the hint; one hand claps Vincent’s shoulder and drifts to settle on the small of his back. “Hmm?”
“Banora had harvest festivals, which were delightful until I was made to dance one year. Mind you, I don’t mind dancing, but as a precocious seven-year-old? Absolutely not. There is a chance one of the carts burned down right before my performance and I can neither confirm nor deny my involvement with such an act of terror.” If the mischievous glint in Genesis’ faintly glowing blue eyes is any indication, he was very much involved, but the story is enough to make Vincent laugh quietly – such a low and raspy quality to it that never fails to send a shiver through Cloud and make him smile at the same time.
“Genesis, you are a terror,” Vincent finally says, though he looks at Cloud while he says it.
And that’s been quite the learning curve – figuring out the new dynamics of their relationship with the addition of Genesis. Not all of it has been easy; long nights of fighting, days without ever seeing either of them simply because of a comment that’s been misconstrued or simply because Cloud has taken it to heart…but they’re trying. Gods know that’s all they can do.
And it’s working. Ever so slowly but surely, they’re getting to know each other and how they all fit together. Even Cloud and Vincent have had to relearn how they work now that Genesis takes up not only approximately one-third of the bed, but one third of their respective hearts. Even though they’ve been taking it slow with declarations of any strong feelings, Cloud knows they’re there for himself and for Vincent.
“C’mon. Let’s check out what this place has to offer,” Cloud say, flashing the two men a smile before he starts walking ahead of them so they can’t see the faint blush that’s starting to heat up his face.
With Genesis distracted by a stall toting the best leather accessories this side of Edge, Cloud can turn his attention to Vincent. He’s been quiet – which isn’t unusual, but it doesn’t stop him from checking in on his partner.
“See anything you like?” Cloud asks, nudging Vincent’s side. Tonight, he’s swapped his signature red cloak and leather for a black sweater and pants, though he keeps the bandana and boots. Cloud knows he’s got Cerberus concealed somewhere and he’s probably going to accidentally uncover it later tonight when he’s eagerly undressing him.
“Always,” Vincent replies, giving Cloud such a fond smile that it makes him blush hard. Ducking his head, he leans in against Vincent, feeling an arm curl around his shoulders to draw him in close. “Whose wallet does Genesis have?”
Cloud is too busy taking advantage of this rare display of public affection to catch what Vincent says at first before it finally clicks. “…Yours, I think,” he mumbles, feeling Vincent’s chest vibrate with a groan in response.
“Fuck.”
“Is he…?”
“Haggling for what I assume is half the stall? Presumably. Excuse me…”
With reluctance, Vincent pulls away and heads over to the other man, who looks indignantly at the stall-owner. A few short words and Vincent has his hand on Genesis’ wrist, tugging him back over to where Cloud is standing.
“He’s overcharging, Valentine, I’m doing everyone a favour,” Genesis huffs, crossing his arms over his chest. “Did you see how marked those hides were? A-grade my ass.”
“Your ass is, indeed, a-grade, but do you want to get kicked out for causing a public disturbance?”
The compliment is enough to wipe whatever mood had overcome Genesis, and Cloud watches as his bright blue eyes seemingly light up even more, finely chiselled features turning up into an expression of sheer delight. “You think my ass is a-grade, hmm?”
“Let’s go get a drink.” Vincent’s response is short, but Cloud catches the smile tugging at the corners of his mouth just as he turns to lead them away.
While it’s not Seventh Heaven, the bar Vincent chooses is almost as cosy. More importantly, it’s quiet – presumably everyone is busy exploring what the night market has to offer for the time being. Which means Vincent and Genesis’ ongoing argument about leather quality is only audible to Cloud, and a rather wizened bartender that looks like he’s already had enough of their shit as soon as they walk in the door.
“Sit. I’ll order,” Vincent says with enough of an edge to his tone that Genesis finally shuts up and stalks over to one of the booths furthest from the door. Cloud follows him, amused until he sees the forlorn look on the other man’s face and frowns.
“I’m not wrong,” Genesis finally mutters, turning one of the coasters over in his hands. Cloud sits down next to him and takes the coaster away, replacing it with one of his hands. Whatever the reason for the tension in Genesis’ body seems to melt away, and he sags against Cloud, resting his head against Cloud’s. “Starting to see why we don’t go out much.”
Oh. That’s what this is about. It hadn’t occurred to Cloud that Genesis might want to go out – after all, their friends know what’s going on between the three of them, and they’re supportive enough. Vincent hates being in the public eye even more than Cloud does, so it’s never even dawned on Cloud that Genesis might want to go out like this.
“Is that…”
“I’m not anyone’s dirty secret, Cloud. I’ve already played that role before; I’d rather not have a repeat performance again.”
A bottle of beer and a wine glass are placed in front of them, and Cloud looks up, making eye contact with Vincent. “Hold that thought,” he says, giving Genesis a pointed look before walking back over to the bar to fetch his own glass. Apparently Genesis takes it to heart, because he doesn’t utter another word until Vincent is seated across from the two of them.
“Do you want to go on dates, Genesis?” The tension starts to creep back into Genesis’ body if the way it tenses against Cloud is any indication, and the man lets out a huff at Vincent’s question.
“I might. As much as I love staying in and fucking, sometimes it’s nice to actually go out. Or are you too ashamed to be seen with an ex-SOLDIER?”
For all of Genesis’ seemingly endless confidence, it is nothing more than a façade, hiding a fragile insecurity that runs deeper than what either Vincent or Cloud have even started to touch upon. And Cloud knows where the blame lies for a lot of it, but it doesn’t stop him from trying to fix it. Because that’s just what he does – puts the focus on someone else, so he doesn’t always have to face his own issues.
Vincent lets out a sigh, looking to the wine glass in front of him. “I hate to break it to you, Genesis, but Hojo didn’t include mind-reading when he was experimenting on me. Did he give you that upgrade, Cloud?”
Blinking slowly, Cloud shakes his head as best he can while Genesis is still leaning on him.
“So, by that logic…how are we meant to know what you want if you don’t ask?”
Given his position, he can’t see Genesis’ face, but he can hazard a guess as to what the expression might be when he starts to answer Vincent. “That’s…I see your point. But you must see it from my point of view as the interloper with this…relationship.”
It suddenly dawns on Cloud that they might not have had ‘the conversation’ about the nature of their relationship now that Genesis is a part of it. They went from flirting to…well, all manner of activity in the bedroom, and while they’ve had serious talks about their overlapping pasts, it’s never been about…this. “I think you stopped being an interloper around the time you and Vincent double-teamed me,” Cloud says, and this time instead of tension, there’s a hand suddenly on his thigh and Vincent’s eyes seem to grow darker.
“Cloud makes a point. You’ve not been an interloper for a long time. And if you want…dates…we can work around that. So long as they’re not busy establishments – purely because I hate crowds, Genesis, not because I’m ashamed,” Vincent says, holding his hand up to stop any protests. “And I’m sure we can discuss other…activities, to make you feel more included.”
When Genesis straightens up, it allows Cloud to finally look at him. Instead of anger or frustration, it’s nothing but fondness directed at Vincent. “In turn, I’ll do my best to vocalise my needs better. Like needing to get out of here so we can have a repeat performance of the aforementioned act,” Genesis murmurs, and Cloud lets out a rather put-upon long-suffering groan.
“No, this time it’s your turn for being such a damned asshole,” Cloud mutters, meeting Vincent’s gaze which seems to have turned more heated if anything else.
“I concur with Cloud. After all, you want to feel included, don’t you?”
Genesis’ nails dig into Cloud’s thigh further and he finally laughs low. “Fine, yes. Point taken. Drink up, my loves!”
They don’t linger at the bar for long after that; with the charged atmosphere and lightened mood, they wander back out into the market, making a beeline towards the exit. Only this time, Cloud walks behind them at a leisurely pace, and he catches the way Genesis and Vincent’s hands seem to brush together as they walk. It eventually culminates into their fingers loosely joining, filling his heart with the kind of joy that he once thought would never be possible.
Unlike the city around him, there are no ghostly echoes of the past clinging to this new beginning – and Cloud finds himself speeding up so he can grasp Genesis’ other hand tightly. What good is a new city if they cannot build a new life together?