Author: Mistigri Bleu
Email: [email protected]
Disclaimer: If I change my name to Squaresoft, does that mean they're mine? Until then, I guess they're not...
Warning: Uh...really bizarre idea, please just trust me on this!
Rating: PG
Pairing: a very odd one!
Feedback; Pretty please with sparkles and silver balls on top!
Thanks to; Lipstickcat who is gonna shoulder any blame for typos and/or incomprehensible grammar;p
Notes; I'll put them at the end...
Shaggy Dog Story
"At first I just thought it was because he's really cool, you know?" Red XIII managed a shrug despite not really having the right sort of shoulders for that sort of thing. "I only gradually realised how I feel about him is more than me admiring him, more than friends. Is this screwed up? It is, isn't it? I'm sorry if I'm freaking you out."
The stuffed cat toy made an exaggerated waving gesture with both paws. "Nah, Tifa getting together with Barret, now /that/ freaked me out. Cloud and Cid sleeping together threw me off a quite a bit. You, the wolfboy, declaring you're in love with Vincent...well, I just about batted an eyelid."
"So you mean, you don't think it's that fucked up?" Red asked hopefully. "I guess I kinda started to think of myself as almost human because of granddad, but I never dreamt I'd end up falling for one. I never fancied my granddad, before you ask!"
"Yeah, I reckon that one might just about have put me on my back," Cait Sith admitted.
"I know there's really nothing you can do," Red continued. "I know it's never gonna work, I can't even tell him how I feel, he'd run a mile! But I needed to tell someone, get it off my chest."
It had surprised him how easy it had been to make his confession to the stuffed toy; he was starting to understand why people talked to teddy bears.
Cait Sith rubbed his chin in a gesture of thought, then started jumping up and down. "You know, actually, I might just be able to help. Gimme a fortnight, then come see me at the lab."
* * * * * * * * * *
Reeve seemed exceptionally pleased with himself when Red met him fourteen days later. He couldn't resist the urge to make a few theatrical gestures before he pulled the sheet off of his creation, then stood back to gauge the reaction.
Red was speechless. It was a body, a human body, and yet it looked vaguely familiar. It was male, unmistakably so, as it was naked except for a cloth for decency's sake. A mane of russet hair was caught in a ponytail, except for a slight fringe. But more importantly, the scars that traced the otherwise perfect torso and limbs matched those Red knew so well as his own, including the one over his eye, which somehow did not seem to disfigure the human's features. The real giveaway however was the XIII tattoo on one shoulder.
"It's me..." Red murmured.
Reeve grinned. "Yep. Human you."
A frown. "It looks a bit like Reno!"
Reeve peered at it. "No it doesn't. Actually...No! Look, the point is, this is a new thing we�ve been working on. It's kind of an extension of the Cait Sith idea, only instead of a stuffed cat body, we've been able to synthetically produce real human bodies down to the last detail."
Red slowly circled the body, "Messing with nature still? You're going the way of Hojo, man," he suddenly stopped dead. "It has a tail."
"Ah, yes. That," Reeve ignored the Hojo comment. "We still haven't figured out how to make two legged beings balance properly - hence the mog for Cait Sith - good low centre of gravity, robust bodywork...
"So why didn't you just use the mog instead of the cat toy?"
"Because it made me look fat, all right? Look, the tail thing isn't the only flaw - so far the transfer process can only be conducted on the one night of the year when the spirits are at their most transient - and can only last 24 hours."
"Which means?"
"If you want to do this, you have to do it tomorrow night and it'll only last a day."
Red considered this - it was his only chance, even if it was really nothing more than a lie. "What do you need to do?"
Reeve explained briefly how the process worked, then got down to the important matter.
"Now, the scars and everything mean you'll look out of place in a designer suit if you wear it smart," he mused. "But, I think you could get away with it, if you scruff it up a bit - you know, shirt untucked, tie on loose - kinda smart casual..."
"Like Reno..." Red raised an eyebrow.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Reeve scowled. "I was only making a suggestion. Fine, wear a corset and crotchless panties if you want!"
Red started to back-pedal. "I didn't mean anything, I, uh, just don't know much about clothes, and comparing it to Reno gives me a mental image. It helps."
Reeve pouted but accepted that. "Okay. We'll sort something out. And I'll phone Cloud - he can drag Vincent out to a place where you can meet him."
** * * ** ** * * * *
Vincent absently stirred his drink with a long piece of fluorescent green plastic. He was starting to doubt that Cid and Cloud were coming back. The pilot had announced he was going to the bathroom and the ex-Soldier had gone with him. That was three-quarters of an hour ago. Vincent decided he'd leave as soon as he'd finished his drink. He was out of place here.
He felt old. True, technically he was, but he didn't look his age. He didn't like it when young people were overly familiar with him; it wasn't that he disliked company, but he felt awkward around others. He'd even tried getting drunk to see if that would loosen him up, but it just made him melancholy. He found it hard to trust new people, even his friends he kept at a distance. Even though sometimes, he longed to talk to someone, to be with someone, there always seemed to be something missing.
He downed the last of his drink and flicked out his cloak as he stood up. He turned around and almost bumped into someone.
They both started apologizing though there really was no need. Vincent noticed the young man was scruffily dressed, but somehow managed to pull it off. The scar across his eye revealed that his life had not been an easy one. Yet he didn't seem like a macho brawler.
"Um, can I get you a drink?" the sentence came out almost as one word when the young man spoke.
Vincent smiled and shook his head. He really should get going. But there was something that stopped him. Something in the other man's expression when he thought he would say no. Vincent made a decision.
"No, please, let me get you one. Do you want to sit down? I'm Vincent Valentine, by the way."
"Na-" Red's voice caught in his throat - he couldn't admit to who he was. He didn't want Vincent to treat him as who he really was - tonight he wanted to be with him as a human. He coughed. "Uh, Nanook."
Despite the young man's shyness, Vincent found they got on well once the ice had been broken. He felt almost as though he knew him. Somehow, he could relax around him, he felt at ease with him, so he took a risk he had not taken in a long time. He asked the boy back to his place.
Red hesitated. But he knew this was his only chance, this was the only night he would have with Vincent. If he walked away, he would regret it forever. He agreed.
* * * * * * * * * *
Reeve was hopping with excitement when Red returned the next evening but his questions died in his throat when he saw the downcast expression on the young man's face.
"What happened? Didn't he like you?"
Red pressed his fist to his mouth but he nodded. "No, he did. It's so unfair. I had to leave and he thinks I don't want him because I said I couldn't see him again. Go on, do it, put me back in my own body so I can find somewhere quiet to die."
Reeve bit his lip. "I have a confession. I told a little tiny fib. All in the good cause of making you actually seize the day and go for it though, so please don't beat me to a bloody pulp. The whole 'only on Halloween and only for 24 hours' thing? Well, I just said that because I thought you might back out otherwise. I think you should put that down Red.... Red? I'm sure Vincent will understand!"
Reeve quickly dodged behind the other scientist who had just walked in.
"I was trying to help!" Reeve cried. "Hey, I gave you the body didn't I? You should thank me!"
Red's eye flared. "But I lied to him! I can't go back and tell him the truth - he won't be able to trust me! He wanted Nanook to stay, not me anyway!"
The scientist coughed politely. "Yes, as I was about to say, there's a gentleman at the front desk in a red cape looking for a Mr Nanaki."
Reeve grinned and stopped ducking. Red frowned as though he didn't quite believe what he had heard.
"Vincent figured it out?"
"Well, duh!"
Reeve dodged as Red dove past him, possibly forgetting for a moment that he had only two legs instead of four. The ex-spy smirked. It was a damn good thing he'd made the body fully functional...
Okay, notes...this bunny landed in my bathwater just after I'd read Poppy Z Brite's take on "The Poor Miller's Aprentice and his Cat" so it's surprising it's not a twisted evil Holy Grail of a bunny^_^;; I started to wonder what Red would look like a human...I'm attempting to draw him with Vincent too - the scene I haven't written yet;) Oh and Nanook is what I think the dog in The Lost Boys is called:S