C&C is most welcome, craved, and slobbered over, of course so is a naked Vincent, but that's another story.

    Cid hung upside down in the Highwind's engine room, diligently polishing each piece and giving his 'baby' a much needed overhaul. Even he admitted it had been fucking stupid to wait so long to do this. The grease globs he'd pulled from the machinery, it was just a matter of extreamly dumb luck that the whole ship hadn't blown all to bits! The pilot fell lightly to his feet and grinned, almost done. He would have given his eye teeth to be able to just stay with his 'baby' but it was dawn. Duty called.

    The mayor of Rocket Town glarred at the figures on his desk as if that would make them change. Shipping cargo with the Highwind wasn't going to keep their little village afloat anymore. Times were changing and people had other ways to get what they wanted. That meant he would have to find other ways too. //What the fuck can a pilot do but pilot?!//

    They still had some cargo jobs at the moment. That would hold them for another year, maybe two, but after that. . .  //Shoulda just let Sephiroth blow up the damn planet.//

    "Cid?" One of the crew of the Highwind popped his head inside the office, "There's ah. . . . something you might want to see coming this way. Terry spoted it from the top deck while we were working."

    "What?"

    "It's a Chocobo."

    Cid closed his eyes and swore at all incompetent crew men, "So someone's bird got away, or they have new breeding grounds. Why the shit did you think this would fucking interest me at all?"

    "It's ah. . . dragging something?"

    Cid blinked. "Dragging?"

    Carl nodded, "It sorta looks like a woman."

    "Fuck."

    "So what do we do?"

    "Help her out ya fucking idiot!"
 

    "We tried!"

    "A fuckin' bird is too much for you?"

    "It's a silver! And it's really protective of the girl. We can't get anywhere near! We though since you were a jockey once or twice you might. . ."

    He stood up, "Lead the fuckin' way."

    "Ah. . . the Highwind was almost done when we got there again."

    "So?"

    "Don't you ever get tired?"

    "Of paperwork maybe."

    "You're going to run yourself into retirment."

    "Watch yer fucking mouth!"

    He bit his lip, "ah. . . yeah. . . there it is."

    Cid blinked at the site that greeted him around the Highwind. Seven grown crew men were being beaten away by a fuckin' mutant chicken! "Oh this is good." He growled.

    The bird looked up at his voice and he froze, "Wait a fuckin' second! I know that bird!"

    Jonah groaned and held his head misserably, "Well that explains it's temper."

    "What are you a fuckin' comedian?" Cid walked forward slowly, "Nickel? What do you have there you little shit." He touched the agitated beast's beak and calmed it before looking behind it at whoever it'd been dragging with it. An adimantium claw was still holding on to the reins. "Shit! Vincent!"

    A whining sound came from inside the folds of the great red cloak and Cid pulled it back carefully and groaned as a mutant wolf pup blinked up at him saddly and whined again. "Shit."
_________________

    Cid swore again as he placed a fresh, cool cloth on Vincent's brow. He should have known that his glory days in Avalanch would never leave him be. The ex-Turk looked beautiful laying there in a healing sleep. The pilot cursed Yuffie for stealing all of his materia. Vincent looked like death dying again. He would need a master restore materia to heal him. Or an X-potion or Elixir, but those were very hard to come by in human society.

    //The monsters have them though. They have fuckin shit loads of the stuff. And I know two different monsters who each might be man enough to help!//

    He bent over his friend and kissed his lips soft and brief, unsure of why he'd done so. "Don't worry Vincent. I'll get you back on your feet."

    The captain of the highwind stepped from his home and walked up to his ship and crew. "How us she sir?"

    "'She', Terry, is a 'he'. It's Vincent."

    "The vampire Turk that flew with you and Cloud after Sephiroth?!" Carl jumped a little, "He must've taken on something really bad to get that beat up!"

    "Yeah." Cid agreed, "And I'm gonna hunt the fucking 'baddie' down as soon as I help Vince."

    "What can we do."

    "Well Nate, you can keep an eye on him while I'm gone."

    "But aren't we going with you?"

    The capitan shook his head, "I'm going to find two old. . . aqcuantences of mine. Ones who might have what I need to help him, and I don't want Highwind to scare them into defense mode. I'll take Nickel."

    "We'll take good care of him sir. Promise."

    "And the mutant."

    That got him a mass of shocked and upset faces, "WHAT?!"

    "He held on to the damn wolf muter for a reason. It's a puppy. So train it or something, house train it, make it a pet. I want it to be alive when he wakes up."

    "Yes sir. Be safe." His men finally agreed, "Come home well."

    "I will. Don't I always?"

    "AIEEEEEEEEE!!!!"

    "Shit! Shera!" Cid ran into his bedroom and caught the scientist/mechanic right before she could bean Vincent with a broom. "Hold it!"

    "What is it!"

    He wrestled the broom from her and steared her out the door before speaking, "He's a friend of mine. From Avalanch."

    "I thought you were done with that."

    "We all are, but that doesn't mean we aren't still friends. Fuck, the man saved my skin more than once. We made a good team. Now he's in a shit load of pain and I'll be fuckin' damned if I'm gonna just let him hurt."

    "But what about us? With him here. . ."

    Cid groaned, "Shera. There 'is' NO 'us'. How many times do I have ta say that?!"

    "We had a son!"

    "You jumped me when I was fucking drunk! You raped me while I was passed out!"

    "I would never. . ."

    "When someone has told you no and you go ahead and do it anyway it's rape. Whether they're awake to feel it or not."

    "Cid. . ."

    "I'm done being mad. It was a long time ago. I know you thought you were doing the right thing, but you can't try to use that to trap me with you, it won't work and I don't want to hate you for it."

    "I. . . I just wanted. . ."

    "What I can't give you." He breathed deep, "Fuck this, you know I love ya, but like a sister. A friend. Not a lover, girlfriend, or wife. I never loved you like that."

    "I love you enough for the both of us Cid."

    "No, that's obsession kid. Not love. Now you keep things running around here while I'm gone."

    "You're leaving?"

    "Only for a couple days. Shit. Vincent needs an elixir. I have to find one for him. Watch out for him ok. He's real fucking dear ta me."

    "Oh."

    "Promise me."

    "I. . . yeah."

    "Thanks kid. I'll be back soon."

    Shera stood on the porch as Cid mounted the silver Chocobo and reined it toward New Niblem. "Cid."
_________________________

    Niblem had been a small town with a few shops and a mako reactor only because of it's location, not it's population. New Niblem was quickly proving it's people to be exceptional under the command of General Cloud Strife and his lover and life partner who looked and acted a little too much like Sephiroth to be anyone but the general. Luckily though, when Cloud had descovered the delirious and dying man out in the snow near Icicle Inn, the man had been whole and himself again.

    Cloud called it a miricle of love after throwing the group for a spin by announcing that he and the general had been lovers long before the Silver haired man found out he was a monster. Sephiroth didn't remember what he had tried to do to there world and Cloud had been slowly telling him, allowing time to heal and accept between each tale. So far, the general hadn't shown signs of insanity again. Their love was holding him strong and Cloud cherished every touch that he'd thought he'd lost forever. The one tale Seph would never hear was how close he'd been to suicide after killing his beloved's insane clone.

    "Cloud?" Sephiroth hugged him from behind, spooning him tight against him under the covers, "What is wrong my lovely."

    The boy with Chocobo hair blinked and smiled, "Nothing. Just thinking."

    "About what? You looked so . . . thoughtful."

    He hugged his lover's arms against him and hummed lightly, "Just. . . the town. Our friends. . ."

    "The battle."

    "I always think about the battle." Cloud closed his eyes tight, "I still see you in my nightmares. Falling, covered in blood. Your blood running over my arm. . . I thought I'd lost you, and it hurt so much Seph. The others all thought I was just tired after the fight, but it felt like a hole in the exact size and shape of you had been drained out of me. I was empty."

    Sephiroth chuckled, "I'm larger than you Cloud, if a hole the size of me was made in you, you'd be gone."

    Cloud had to smile at that and he knew his lover was happy that he'd made him laugh again. "I like you this size." He snugled closer, "We fit together just right."

    "That we do." Sephiroth pressed close as he could and took note of their bodies. Cloud's head lay pillowed on his shoulder, his other arm enfolding him. their backs pressed perfect together and Sephiroth's now flaccid manhood rested snug against the crack of his ass, clouds knees fit right over his and Sephiroths feet rested right against the soles of Cloud's feet. They were like two pieces of two different puzzles that just happened to match eachother.  Niether wanted it any other way.

    "I love you Sephiroth."

    "And I you. I don't know how you can stand to be near me after all of the things my doubles did to you and your friends, but I thank the Ancients every day that you're still with me."

    "They weren't you." Cloud insisted, "They may have had your face, but they didn't have your  soul."

    "Because they didn't have you."

    Cloud blushed, "You know, we should get up. We need to shower before the town meeting."

    "In a minuet."

    "'k."

    "CLOUD!!!"

    "Eep!" Cloud dove under the covers to conceal his nakedness and Sephiroth lunged for his sword.

    "HOLY SHIT!"

    "Cid?" Cloud grabbed for Sephiroth quickly, "Wait! It's Cid!"

    "Cloud." The pilot panted, out of breath and paniced combining to completely silence him.

    "Cid, calm down, what are you doing here?!"

    "H. . . he's hurt. Cloud I n. . ." He gasped and hung his head, "Need the master restore materia the Sephiroth had."

    "Who's hurt?"

    "Vincent!"

    "Vincent's back?!" Cloud imidiatly turned worried eyes to his love.

    Sephiroth took in a ragged breath, "My father."

    "He's hurt. Really baddly hurt."

    "I gave my restore materia to Reno."

    "The Turk?!" Cid was astounded, "Why the fuck di'ja do that?!"

    "Rufus died firing on the diamond weapon."

    "Yeah, I heard."

    "Reno was his lover. He wanted to have him back so he needed Recover and Restore. "

    "Shit! Where's Reno?"

    "Wutai I think."

    "Oh fucking great. Yuffie probably has that too now. Shit."

    "Cloud?"

    Both men turned to Sephiroth.

    "I. . . I wish to watch over Vincent until Cid finds the materia."

    "Seph. . ."

    "Please, I need to go to rocket town. He's my father and I never. . . I didn't even know him."

    Cloud smiled lovingly and hugged the tall man tight. Cid felt a hollow inside of him as he pictured him and Vincent doing the same. It would never happen, but it was a real sweet dream. "Ok Seph. After the town meeting we'll leave Zach in charge, I'll go with Cid to talk to Reno and you can go to rocket town and watch over Vincent."

   The silver haired man smiled tearfully and Cid nodded out, "Ok, I'm off to Wutai. You take care and watch him good when ya get there 'k? With luck we'll join ya soon."

    Cloud smiled at Cid and nodded, "I'll meet you in Wutai."

    "Right."

    The pilot was out the door in an instant and Cloud smiled in his lover's arms, "He's in love."

    Sephiroth blinked, "I don't think I can take Cid as my step father."

    The blond froze and stared at his smirking lover for a moment, then laughter filled the halls of the old Shinra Mansion that was now home.
 
 
 

~tbc~