Fic: "Somewhere in Time Part VI -- And We Drink"; FF7
And this takes place about two weeks after the last part.
He just watched Reeve sitting there at the bar, looking at the same spot on the wall but not really seeing it, drink in hand. Looked like the kid had seen hell and come back. Kinda reminded him of the look he saw on the faces of some of his war buddies. The shell shocked men who had come out of Wutai with blood on their hands and stains on their souls. Hell, how old was Reeve anyways?
He clapped his hand on the man’s shoulder, and saw more in those eyes than words could say.
“You okay there, Reeve?”
“I… I remember everything.”
Fuckitall. He knew that there were troops in Wutai, those who were brainwashed to do things that no one else had the balls to do. They’d been given some odd codename. Angels or something. Ironic, he’d thought. They were the devils that brought destruction to the heart of Wutai. And for Reeve to be in the middle of that… fuck. Just, fuck.
“What happened out there, in Wutai? That wasn’t your fault. Those people that died, on both sides, were jus’ doin’ what they were told to do. So don’t dwell too much on it. I’ve seen the eyes of the men who don’t get past that. Who can’t believe the death they’ve seen. And they’re crazier than Cloud on a bad day. Lost in their memories, never movin’ forward, always lookin’ back. And you’re stronger than that.”
“How could you possibly say that, Cid?”
“Because I was there. An’ I’ve seen you. The real you, not that fake shit that the Shinra spit at us. Not Cait. Not whatever the fuck they told you to be in Wutai. I’ve seen you in the middle of Midgar, wind whippin’ all around ya. The city was fallin’ apart at the seams, and you stood there and made sure that the things that needed doin’ got done. That’s why I can say that. You’ve got more guts than you give yourself credit for. I know guys who wouldn’t have the balls to do what you did. Hell, they’d go runnin’ in the other direction, pissin’ their pants at half of the things you’ve seen. You didn’t run. That’s what makes you stronger.”
Reeve looked down to his glass for a moment, then back to Cid.
“Maybe you’re right.”
Cid lifted his bottle in a toast. “To the devils we’ve known, the devils we’ve fought, the devils we’ve dated, and the devils we’re still friends with.”
Reeve smiled. “I’ll drink to that.”
He just watched Reeve sitting there at the bar, looking at the same spot on the wall but not really seeing it, drink in hand. Looked like the kid had seen hell and come back. Kinda reminded him of the look he saw on the faces of some of his war buddies. The shell shocked men who had come out of Wutai with blood on their hands and stains on their souls. Hell, how old was Reeve anyways?
He clapped his hand on the man’s shoulder, and saw more in those eyes than words could say.
“You okay there, Reeve?”
“I… I remember everything.”
Fuckitall. He knew that there were troops in Wutai, those who were brainwashed to do things that no one else had the balls to do. They’d been given some odd codename. Angels or something. Ironic, he’d thought. They were the devils that brought destruction to the heart of Wutai. And for Reeve to be in the middle of that… fuck. Just, fuck.
“What happened out there, in Wutai? That wasn’t your fault. Those people that died, on both sides, were jus’ doin’ what they were told to do. So don’t dwell too much on it. I’ve seen the eyes of the men who don’t get past that. Who can’t believe the death they’ve seen. And they’re crazier than Cloud on a bad day. Lost in their memories, never movin’ forward, always lookin’ back. And you’re stronger than that.”
“How could you possibly say that, Cid?”
“Because I was there. An’ I’ve seen you. The real you, not that fake shit that the Shinra spit at us. Not Cait. Not whatever the fuck they told you to be in Wutai. I’ve seen you in the middle of Midgar, wind whippin’ all around ya. The city was fallin’ apart at the seams, and you stood there and made sure that the things that needed doin’ got done. That’s why I can say that. You’ve got more guts than you give yourself credit for. I know guys who wouldn’t have the balls to do what you did. Hell, they’d go runnin’ in the other direction, pissin’ their pants at half of the things you’ve seen. You didn’t run. That’s what makes you stronger.”
Reeve looked down to his glass for a moment, then back to Cid.
“Maybe you’re right.”
Cid lifted his bottle in a toast. “To the devils we’ve known, the devils we’ve fought, the devils we’ve dated, and the devils we’re still friends with.”
Reeve smiled. “I’ll drink to that.”