Invisible Ink

Chapter Two

Walking faster to get away from the apartment, Cid took a turn down a street he hadn’t seen before. He honestly didn’t care where he ended up, just so long as he was away from them. It was bad enough having to live with one of them, but then he had to deal with two together? He wasn’t sure if he could take the next week, let alone the entire school year. He definitely didn’t like the idea of having to have the room right next to where they would be doing... things.

He shook his head hard, making himself slightly dizzy. His hand reached out and grasped a sign on the sidewalk for balance, his eyes taking in the words when he could see straight again. It seemed to be some sort of café from the looks of the sign and the movement behind the tinted windows. Letting out a sigh, he stepped inside. Maybe a little tea would calm him down.

The place was cool with air conditioning and filled with people talking quietly and using laptop computers. From the back corner, a pale face rose to see the newcomer. “Well, what do we have here?”

The instant Cid saw the dark hair and fair face, he felt like bolting. However, he knew it would have just caused some sort of upset or gotten him into trouble somehow. Instead he stood there, quickly ordering a cup of hot tea and watching the bright eyes on him. “Guess even professors come to these kinda places,” he said, half-attempting to be nice. After all, he was fairly certain that talking to Vincent would be kinder to his mentality than staying in the apartment and listening to Zack and Reno go at it or whatever they did.

Vincent watched him, setting his newspaper down. “Yes, even professors are normal humans once in a while.”

Picking up his cup, Cid felt it somewhat safe to sit near the younger man. He quickly stirred it up and took a sip, trying to save himself from having to talk right away.

“It looks as though it’s the same for you.”

At that Cid lowered his mug, raising a brow. “What’s that ‘sposed to mean? I’m not normal?”

“I didn’t say that. I wouldn’t know anyway. I don’t know anything about you.” The professor reached forward and lifted his own mug to his mouth, taking an almost dainty sip.

“Think that’s kinda a good thing,” Cid muttered into his cup. He had had enough of people getting to know him for the day. This was supposed to be an escape from getting his mind warped, not a meet-and-greet with a professor he didn’t even like all that much.

A little movement pulled at the corner of Vincent’s mouth for a moment before it disappeared. “Why is that a good thing? I see no problem in getting to know my students.”

Cid huffed a little, watching little ripples cross the surface of his tea. “Maybe not, but I think I’m a little done with the ‘getting to know ya’ thing right now.”

“Why’s that?” Vincent asked, genuinely curious.

Cid gave him a flat look. “Don’t think ya really wanna know,” he said before taking a sip of his tea.

Vincent shrugged. “Alright. I’ll take your word.”

Cid finished his tea in the silence that started between them, reaching over to set his cup on the table. He paused, noticing something sticking out of the professor’s bag. He knelt forward a little, trying to figure out what the strange shape was, only leaning back when he realized he was practically over Vincent’s legs. “Sorry,” he mumbled, hunkering down in his own chair and pretending nothing had happened.

“Not a problem,” Vincent replied, giving him a look. “What were you looking at?”

“Nothin’,” Cid said softly, not wanting to seem intrusive. “Just saw somethin’ over there.”

Vincent shrugged. “You shouldn’t ever be afraid to indulge curiosity. It’s only through curiosity that you’ll learn.”

Cid felt strange actually listening to something a teacher was telling him, especially since the teacher was younger. “Just somethin’ shinin’ over there.” He paused, adding, “In your bag,” after a moment, figuring there was probably a lot of shining things on the floor.

Vincent glanced at his bag to see what Cid was referring to. “Oh, that’s a model plane. It’s not quite finished yet.”

Cid raised a brow, honestly curious now. “A model plane?” He wasn’t sure why, but it seemed strange to think of the quiet, book-loving professor as someone who made model planes.

Vincent nodded, reaching down to pull out a half-built model. “I work on it in my spare time, which seems to be rare these days.”

Blue eyes followed the model as it was moved, making sure to get a good look at the whole thing. “Little single-engine,” he said with a little curl to his lips. “Best kind there is.”

Vincent set it gently on the table. “Is it? I wouldn’t know. It just looked like the easiest one to build.”

Cid gave a little laugh. “They’re the easiest to control too. The more engines ya get or the more wings then the easier it is for it to get away from ya. That’s what they start people out on,” he said, pointing toward the model.

Vincent nodded. “I suppose it was a good choice then.”

Cid nodded again, leaning forward to look at it closer. “So why do a model plane? Thought ya would spend all your time readin’ or somethin’ from the way ya act an’ all.”

“I like to do things with my hands. I like to create things.”

Sitting back, Cid raised a brow again. He seemed to be doing that a lot around Vincent, but he didn’t spend much time on the thought. “So why’re ya doin’ what ya do then? Why not do somethin’ with your hands as a career?”

“Honestly, my favorite kind of creation is the written word. I like talking about it with other people.”

Cid felt confused by that. He had never really faced a person who seemed so passionate about something written. “But why? I don’t get it. What makes ya wanna share all this stuff with other people so much?”

Vincent shrugged again. “I find it fascinating.” Suddenly, a smile appeared on the younger man’s face. “Perhaps I just need more friends to discuss things with,” he said, almost sounding like he was joking.

For some reason, Cid once more felt himself get caught up in the professor’s presence. He tried to shake the feeling, but he was trapped by the smile that had crossed Vincent’s face. “Maybe,” he said slowly, still trying to escape the partial trance he seemed stuck in.

Vincent picked up the plane, looking it over. “I may build more planes after this one. It’s enjoyable.”

Once those burgundy eyes were on something else, Cid felt as if he had been let loose. He glanced over to the floor, a little confused as to why he would be entranced like that. He was starting to think that maybe Vincent had some sort of magic spell that he used to make his students pay attention, but then his mind came back to reality and he shook the idea away, both mentally and physically.

Vincent noticed the motion. “Something wrong?”

“Nothin’,” Cid said quickly, not wanting to seem too strange. He glanced aside again, trying to figure out why he was being captivated by someone like Vincent when he was fairly sure he disliked the man. “Just had a little shiver’s all,” he said as a weak excuse, hoping the other would take it.

Vincent nodded in seeming understanding. “Have you read the story I assigned yet?”

Just when Cid had thought he was in the clear, he felt his stomach drop. “Yeah,” he said slowly, drawing it out as he tried to come up with some way to save himself this time.

“How did you like it?”

Swallowing hard, Cid shrugged. “It was... okay, I guess,” he replied quietly.

Vincent looked at him knowingly. “What was your favorite part?”

Cid blanched. He should have known a professor would ask that kind of thing. “Uh... the part where the main character... was... lookin’ up at the sky?” he said quickly, half hoping it had run together so Vincent thought he heard something he wanted.

Vincent leaned forward, interested. “Oh? Which time?”

“Uh... the second time. It was... really movin’ an’ all that,” he said, breathing out a little in relief. At least it seemed he was on the right track with his wannabe answer.

“I see. I had thought you would have liked all the stuff about aviation and rockets,” Vincent said, giving him a look that just proved he knew what Cid was up to.

Opening his mouth to try and scrap together some defense for himself, Cid stopped and realized he wasn’t going to get out of this one. He sighed and glanced down at the floor as he tapped the toe of his boot against the table leg. “So I didn’t read it yet, ‘kay?”

Vincent gave another smile. “I know. The keyword there is ‘yet’.”

Cid rolled his eyes a little, resting his chin in his palm and trying to ignore the smile. “Might not even be yet if those idiots in my apartment don’t stop rockin’ the foundation.”

“I’m not sure what you mean,” Vincent said, looking at him.

Another roll of blue eyes. “My roommate decided to have his boyfriend come over an’ bug the shit outta me. Just ‘cause I’m not all that thrilled they’re flamers they see that as a reason to do shit in the hallway by my door.” He lowered his head with a low groan, rubbing it a little. “Be lucky if I get anythin’ done in that place.” He suddenly looked up, sighing a little. “Dunno why I’m tellin’ ya all this shit. Not like ya wanna hear it all.”

“I asked, didn’t I?” Vincent said, sitting back in his chair. “So your roommate is gay? That’s interesting.”

“You’re tellin’ me. Wish I’d known before I agreed to live there.” He flopped back into the chair, acting more like a frustrated teenager than a disturbed 32 year-old.

“You don’t approve of that lifestyle?”

Cid shrugged. “Maybe if I was used to it I wouldn’t care. But I’m not an’ it’s kinda... weird. Let’s just say I was raised with the mindset that it’s not right. ‘Sides. I don’t wanna wake up in the middle of the night with my roommate or his boyfriend on me or somethin’.” He gave a slight look of disgust, wondering why this area seemed so open about the subject.

“Hmm,” was all Vincent said. “Well, in any case, you should read the story, not only because we’re having a pop quiz on it next week, but I honestly think you will like it. If you can’t read it at home, there are always other places. Here, for example. Or the library, if you prefer something quieter.”

It was interesting to Cid that the professor had turned from the subject so quickly. A slight thought crossed his mind that maybe he had offended the man or even insulted him if he were gay as well, but it left him quickly. He wasn’t exactly all that worried about offending people at the moment. “Sure. Will do,” he said in return.

“You have the text book right?” Vincent asked, suddenly thinking he might not have even bought his books yet.

“Yeah. They’re back at the apartment,” Cid grumbled, not all that thrilled with the idea of going back yet.

Vincent nodded. “Alright.”

Letting out a soft sigh, Cid leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees, his eyes falling on the model again. He didn’t feel like moving, but he really had no reason to stay there aside from staring at a model plane and feeling like a hypnotized puppet.

“Did you have a question or something?” Vincent asked calmly.

“Hmm?” Cid looked up, not all that sure what to say. “Not really.”

Vincent just nodded again, and turned back to his newspaper.

Cid sat quietly for a moment before turning his head toward Vincent, a little disturbed by the sudden silence. “I, uh... I didn’t offend ya or anythin’ back there, did I? Kinda get the impression I did.”

Vincent looked up again. “I’m not easily offended. Everyone is entitled to his or her opinions. But I appreciate the concern.”

“Oh. Uh, ‘kay.” Glancing back down, Cid scuffed his boot a little. It wasn’t that he cared about offending people in general. It was just that sometimes his little sliver of a conscience grabbed a hold of him and made him think of what he’d said. “Just... makin’ sure.”

After a few minutes, Vincent spoke without looking up from his paper. “No more classes today? Must be nice.”

Cid nodded silently before realizing that Vincent wasn’t looking. “Yeah. Yours is the last one.”

“I see. That’s not a bad schedule. Done at 1.”

“Hate mornin’s though.”

Vincent chuckled quietly. “Why does that not surprise me?”

“What’s that ‘sposed to mean?” Cid said, raising up his head quickly.

Vincent smiled once more. “You just seem like the type that doesn’t like mornings.”

Calming a little as his eyes were drawn to that smile again, Cid huffed. “So? Never did. Ya won’t ever see me up before noon willingly. Least, not without a good reason.”

Vincent’s smile didn’t waver. “There’s nothing wrong with it.”

Cid fell silent, just watching the way Vincent’s lips curved into that smile. He felt a little strange watching someone like that, but it wasn’t bothering him enough to make him stop.

The younger man’s smile softened, but didn’t disappear. “You seem distracted.”

“I do?”

The professor nodded.

Something matched up with the words and Cid realized he was staring again, his hair flopping into his eyes as he shook his head. “Think I’m just tired,” he muttered softly as he rubbed his face a little. “Sorry.”

Vincent shrugged it off. “I’m not bothered by it. You don’t need to apologize.” Then he smirked. “Unless you’re in class.”

Something about the way the smile shifted into that smirk and the tone of Vincent’s voice set Cid on edge. “What’s that mean?” he asked cautiously, not sure if he was missing something or not.

“If you’re tired and distracted in my class, I might have to discourage it.”

“Oh...” Cid was relieved, thinking he might have meant his staring. At least he hadn’t seemed to notice that yet.

Vincent looked at his watch. “Well, I have a seminar to attend, so I should go. It was nice talking to you,” Vincent said as he stood, slinging his bag over his shoulder and leaning to pick up his model. “I’ll see you in class tomorrow.”

Cid’s eyes watched the professor’s movements, not sure if he should do something or not. “Uh, yeah. See ya,” he said back slowly, almost disappointed that Vincent was leaving. Now he pretty much had to go back to the apartment. Vincent left quietly, as seemed to be his nature.

A little frown settling upon his face, Cid collected the mugs and set them in the dish bin. He stood near the door, looking out into the street, the feeling that he should go back and straighten things out at home making itself apparent. He might not want to, but he would be living with Zack for the next year and he figured it probably wasn’t the best idea for them to not get along the entire time.

He sent another look back to the spot he had been sitting at and then left the café, heading back toward the apartment. He wasn’t sure what he was going to find, but he figured he would have to face it sooner or later.

When the door opened to the apartment, the place was mostly dark with dim flashes on the walls every now and then, proof that the TV was on. Zack looked up when he saw Cid come in and grinned brightly, waving briefly. “Hi Cid!” he greeted cheerfully from his position on the couch, snuggled happily under a blanket next to Reno with a bowl of popcorn resting between them. “Wanna watch ‘Never Been Kissed’ with us?”

Reno paused in his popcorn munching to wave a little, popping a few more pieces into his mouth when he was done. “I’m not big on chick flicks, but this ain’t bad, yo.”

Cid’s mouth dropped open at the display. “I... think I’ll pass,” he muttered, moving behind the couch so as not to interrupt the movie.

Zack wasn’t satisfied, and tipped his head back so he was looking at Cid upside down. “C’mon, man! It’s such a cute movie.”

With a huff, Cid turned to face him. “I don’t... what’re ya doin’?” he asked.

Zack just burst into a sudden bout of laughter, not moving from his position.

“That can’t be comfortable,” Cid said, slightly irritated. He crossed his arms and stood looking down at the dark-haired man, shaking his head a little. Zack just laughed again, not moving.

Shaking his head more, Cid just sighed. He wasn’t sure what he was going to do with this guy. “What’s so funny?”

One of Zack’s arms snaked out from under the blanket as his index finger pointed right at Cid’s nose. “I can see up your nose! You have a booger right there!”

Cid stood there in silence for a moment before he burst out laughing. He didn’t want to, but there was about no way to keep himself from doing it. “What the hell?” he squeezed out between laughs. Reno smirked at the whole scene, leaning on Zack’s shoulder as he munched happily on the rapidly disappearing popcorn.

Zack grinned. “My god, he is human!”

The comment only made Cid laugh harder, nodding a little as he tried to catch his breath. Zack turned his grin to Reno, proud of his discovery.

Laughing softly, Reno ruffled Zack’s hair. “Good job, babe. Made him crack, just like you wanted.”

Finally regaining the ability to breathe right, Cid shook his head more. “Thanks. I kinda needed that,” he said, wandering almost drunkenly into the kitchen, still laughing a little. “Guess you’re not so bad,” he called from the other room.

That made Zack smile even wider. “You’re pretty awesome too!”

“Yeah, yeah, okay,” Cid replied, pulling a small box and a mug out of the cupboard and starting a pot of water to heat on the stove. “Not sure if awesome’s the word though.”

“Psh,” Zack said, turning back around and snuggling against Reno, giving his ear a little nibble as he did so.

Reno smirked at the touch, leaning his head against Zack’s. “So, think this whole thing’ll be all right now? You know you can always crash at my place, right?”

Zack smiled, nuzzling gently at Reno’s cheek. “I don’t think I’ll need to, but thanks.”

Ignoring the affections being passed around, Cid reentered the main room when he had fixed his tea and settled himself in the chair on the other side of the room. “So what’s this movie about anyway?” he asked, sipping slowly. He still wasn’t too keen on the idea of spending time in the same room as them, but he figured he should make some sort of an effort to be a decent acquaintance, if not a friend.

“It’s so cute,” Zack started, sliding his hand into Reno’s under the blanket. “It’s about this girl who wasn’t popular in high school, and she gets this job to go under cover at her old school, and she falls in love with a teacher, and she’s never been kissed...” The summary continued for a full minute, punctuated by bites of popcorn.

Folding his hand with Zack’s, Reno chuckled. “And here I thought you weren’t paying attention,” he whispered, sliding his free arm around Zack’s shoulders.

Zack chuckled. “And what else might I have been doing that would make me not pay attention?” he asked.

“I can think of a few things,” Reno said, tipping his head more. “Share some popcorn?”

Cid raised a brow. He wasn’t all that into chick flicks and would rather be watching some action or sci-fi movie. But he supposed that as long as they didn’t start furiously making out or feeling each other up then it wouldn’t hurt to stay in the same room. It wasn’t as if he had anything else to do besides read that story anyway.

Zack chuckled and stuck a piece of popcorn to the tip of his tongue, presenting it to Reno. Taking the offered piece, Reno slipped his tongue out to curl it around Zack’s, sucking the popcorn right into his mouth. “Thanks, babe,” he said with a smile, tapping a small kiss on Zack’s nose.

Zack grinned and turned back to the movie, letting his hand rest on Reno’s leg under the blanket. “So you like classes so far, Cid?”

Pulling his legs up underneath himself, Cid sipped at his tea. “They’re okay,” he said softly, trying to not give any thought to the exchange a moment before.

“Got any hot teachers?” he asked, chuckling again.

Cid rolled his eyes. “Thought I did.”

“Uh oh,” Zack said, shifting so he could see Cid better. “That sounds like a story I have to hear.”

“It’s nothin’,” Cid replied softly, sipping his tea more for a reason not to speak than for the drink itself.

“Nope, now you have to tell me,” Zack said, climbing a little more into Reno’s lap.

Reno gave a little chuckle, pulling Zack closer and folding his arms around the other’s waist. “You may as well tell him, yo. Else he won’t shut up about it.”

Somewhere in Cid’s mind he knew that was the truth. “I... just thought one of my professors was a woman, that’s all. Turned out he wasn’t.”

Zack’s grin was almost smug. “Which professor?”

Cid rolled his eyes. “Why?”

“I just wanna know.”

“Valentine. Ya know him or somethin’?”

Zack smiled. “Oooooh, Vincent Valentine? My god he’s hot. No wonder you thought he was a woman. He gets that a lot.”

Reno gave a little laugh. “You used to have the hardest time keeping yourself from attacking him after every class.”

The youngest man giggled. “Yeah. His ass is like... dude.” Of course, he had to accent his point with a hand gesture that suggested he was squeezing something tender.

“Uh... right...” Cid looked toward the TV, not all that sure he still wanted to be around the two.

“Sorry,” Zack said, laughing at himself. “I get carried away sometimes.”

“I can tell...” Cid took a slow drink from his mug, trying to think if he had something else he could be doing. It seemed the whole movie idea had been lost in favor of fantasizing about teachers. Rolling his eyes again, Cid stood and moved to take his mug to the kitchen. He wasn’t sure how much longer he could stick around and hear them talking about their attractions.

Zack tilted his head, smiling amusedly. “You’re almost as old as he is.”

Nipping at the other’s throat, Reno laughed. “Hey, I ain’t old. You have that thing for older guys, anyway.”

Zack chuckled. “Yeah, yeah...”

Cid grimaced at the conversation. It only made him feel more uncomfortable to know Zack had a thing for older men. At least Zack didn’t know how old he was... yet. Rinsing out his cup, he set it on the counter before peeking back into the main room. “Hey, ya put my bag somewhere? Think I left it in there before.”

“‘s in your room...” Zack mumbled as he tilted his head further back for Reno, enjoying the attention.

A little disturbed by the pair, Cid hurried to his room. Just for safe measure, he closed his door and locked it. It wasn’t as if he was expecting Zack to attack him, but he liked keeping things safe. He felt better when they were.

Flopping onto the bed, he pulled his bag over from where Zack had put it. Paper crinkled as he pulled his notebooks out along with the texts, his hands settling on one in particular. He had nothing else to do, so why not read it? After all, Vincent did say he would enjoy it. Maybe that was a good thing.

A while after he started reading, a knock sounded on Cid’s door. Glancing up from the story, Cid frowned. “Who is it?” he asked, rubbing his face a little.

A high pitched, squeaky voice came from the other side of the doorway. “It’s your giiiiiiirlfriend!”

Groaning, Cid tossed the book aside and unlocked his door, swinging it open. “Funny.”

Zack’s ever-grinning face appeared. “Ain’t it? I thought so.”

“Right.” Leaving the door open, Cid moved back to his bed. “Need somethin’?” he asked as he picked up the book again, trying to find his page.

Zack leaned against the doorway, hands in his pockets. “I was lonely.”

Cid raised an incredulous brow. “Lonely? What happened to that other guy?”

“Reno had class,” Zack said, pouting.

“So what can I do?” Cid asked lazily, flipping through the pages.

“I dunno,” Zack said, plopping down on the end of Cid’s bed. “Tell me a story.”

Cid gaped at the request. “Tell ya a story?”

Zack laughed. “Or don’t.”

“Good. I don’t know any stories anyway.” Cid laid back down, occasionally switching his gaze from the book to Zack. “Ya comfortable or somethin’?”

“Why yes, thank you,” Zack said with a bat of his eyes.

“Right,” Cid muttered. “Ya ever realize how gay that looks? I mean, I know ya are an’ all, but c’mon. I guess next you’re gonna be pullin’ a dress outta the closet an’ wearin’ it around town.” He glanced back to his book, seeing nothing wrong with what he had just said.

Zack laughed. “A dress? Sorry, I know how stunning I’d be in a dress but you have to be pretty damn special to get me to wear one.”

Cid put down his book, watching Zack. “Ya mean ya don’t cross-dress? Thought that was a big ‘gay’ thing to do.”

Zack laughed again. “Uh... no. That’s a big drag queen thing to do.”

“Ya sure? Always hear gay guys go paradin’ around town in makeup an’ all that shit an’ hittin’ on every man they see.” He was fairly positive that was what he had always been told.

Zack’s laugh was louder this time. “My god, where did they teach you that? Sunday school?” He shifted to a slightly different position on the bed. “I’m a guy just like you. I just happen to bat for my own team.”

Cid shifted also, just a little uneasily. “Just like me, huh? What about the whole shoppin’ an’ hangin’ out doin’ makeovers an’ redecoratin’ the place five times a day with flowery shit? ‘M still waitin’ to hear ya say ‘fabulous’ or ‘honey’.” He tilted his head, looking a little closer at Zack. “Ya sure you’re gay?”

Zack stared at him before bursting into more laughter. “Dude, you’re hilarious. I’m telling you, the only thing different between you and me is the fact that I like flat chests and penises instead of floppy boobs and vaginas.”

Cid just stared at him, not sure of what to say.

Zack smiled. “You really don’t know anything about what a gay lifestyle really is about do you?”

Cid shook his head slowly. “I guess not.” He paused, watching Zack for a moment. “So... you’re not gonna try an’ grab me in the middle of the night or somethin’?” He knew it was strange of all of this to be coming from a 32 year-old, but it had never been explained to him any other way and there had never been a reason to know otherwise.

Zack’s smile softened a little, making him look genuine. “No, Cid. I’m not going to molest you in the middle of the night. Honestly, that’s the most annoying cliché ever.” He shifted again, sitting cross-legged. “Just because I prefer men doesn’t mean I’m attracted to everything with a penis. There are some girls you don’t find attractive. Well there are some guys I don’t find attractive. Not that you’re not hot, I’m just saying.”

Glancing aside, Cid thought over the words. Basically it came down to the fact that he knew nothing about the man he was living with or about how he lived and that bothered him a little. He didn’t like looking like the stupid one, which was exactly how he felt at the moment.

“I’m not a bad person, man. I’m just a little different.”

“Guess I’m just not used to that,” Cid replied quietly.

Zack shrugged. “It’s okay. You’ll get used to it.”

Cid shrugged faintly. “Dunno. I’ve been hearin’ all that for my whole life. Had it ground in, guess ya could say.”

“A lot of people have. It’s a stereotype, and it’s generally wrong.”

“Guess ya just have to get used to me not bein’ used to you yet then, huh?” Cid gave him a wry smile, not quite friendly but not unfriendly at the same time.

Zack smiled back. “It won’t be so hard.”

Cid shrugged again, resting back on his bed. He wasn’t the best at conversations anyway and it didn’t help that he still felt a little uneasy about everything.

“Guess you’ve got homework then. Well I’m gonna find something to eat. See ya,” Zack said as he stood, leaving the room and closing the door behind him.

Letting out a little sigh of relief, Cid picked up his book again. At least he didn’t have to worry so much about Zack now. He had to admit that was most of what was bothering him at the moment and it felt a little good not having to watch his back every second.

Flipping the book to the page he had left off at, he let his gaze wander over the words. Now all he really had to deal with was his classes, especially that English one. Or maybe it was just the professor that set him on edge, not the class. Which ever it was, he wouldn’t have to deal with it until tomorrow and that was something he was a little thankful for.