Invisible Ink

Chapter Five

Bright sunlight awoke Cid the next morning. He groaned loudly and rolled over, burying his head under the pillow. A massive headache had started nearly as soon as he had opened his eyes, pounding and throbbing until he was sure his skull would bust. But it never did, just kept shooting those pains through him until he forced himself to move.

Peering around the room, blond brows knit together. Nothing looked familiar. He made a quick glance down at himself, ensuring he was still clothed, meaning he probably didn’t get picked up by some stranger last night. He carefully sat up and tried to place himself, or at least figure out what had happened the night before. Hardly anything came to memory except something about dancing, yelling and alcohol. Lots of alcohol. At least he knew why he couldn’t remember anything now.

The house was quiet, save for the odd creaks and groans of an old building. The sunlight peered in through every window, even sneaking in through the crack under the door of the room Cid was in.

Rubbing his forehead again, Cid slipped out of the bed. He had to at least figure out where he was. Why he was there, he could worry about later. The door squeaked as he pushed it open, peeking out into the hall. The place looked old, that was for sure. But that still didn’t help him out. The town held its fair share of old houses meaning he could be in any one of them, if he was even still in the right town.

Several doors faced Cid from the hallway, but still nothing seemed familiar. He wondered if he should open one just to see if there was someone inside, but which one to try? He ambled down the corridor, glancing at each one, until finally he caught sight of a door that was open, if only by a little bit. Curious, he nudged it open with his toe.

The door swung open, revealing an occupied bed. Vincent slept soundly under a single blanket, which covered him only from the waist down, his head tilted away from the light pouring through the window. His hair draped over his forehead and down his neck, the tips fluttering against his slowly rising and falling chest.

When the door opened, a furry head popped up from the other side of Vincent’s hip. Sharp, pointed ears pricked forward, and observant, slitted eyes peered at the newcomer, inspecting him from his perch on the soft blankets.

The creature yawned widely, revealing its sandpapery tongue and long, sharp incisors. Afterwards, it blinked in Cid’s direction, and made one solitary sound.

“Mrow.”

A cat. Cid blinked, inspecting the creature. He supposed it made sense seeing how Vincent acted, but… Wait. He paused. Vincent? Squinting, he affirmed his observation. But how he ended up at his professor’s place, he didn’t know.

The cat slowly got to its feet, arching its back and tail high as it stretched. It turned around and lifted one paw to step over Vincent, hopping onto his stomach before landing gracefully on the ground. Curiously, it sniffed at Cid’s feet.

The motion made Vincent stir, stretching his arms over his head until they hit the headboard. He groaned quietly, his body protesting the interruption. “Red, it’s not time to feed you yet,” he mumbled quietly, not even opening his eyes. He turned his head away, pulling his arms back down so that one of his hands rested near his face.

Cid tried to step away from the cat, but happened to hit a particularly squeaky spot in the floor. He froze, staring from the cat to Vincent, hoping he hadn’t woken the other up while at the same time trying to get the furry creature to leave him alone.

The cat, apparently named Red, mewed again, looking up at Cid with large green eyes. Vincent sighed, moving his hands to rub his eyes. “All right, I’m up.”

Cid panicked. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to be found there just in case he wasn’t supposed to be in the house. He backed up again, hitting another loud spot and cringing. This wasn’t going well at all.

Vincent moved his hands from his eyes, turning his head and blinking up at the door. “Oh, Cid. You’re awake.” He slowly sat up, stretching his arms over his head for a moment. “No wonder Red was being noisy.”

The blond glanced around awkwardly. “So… I’m ‘sposed to be here?” he asked, cringing as he became aware of how loud his own voice was in his head.

“I brought you here last night,” Vincent said, feeling awkward saying it and remembering what happened. “You didn’t want to go home.”

“I didn’t?” Cid scratched the back of his neck and leaned against the door frame. He considered asking why he hadn’t wanted to go home, but settled on an all-around encompassing question: “D’ya remember what happened last night?”

Vincent tried to hide his wince, but he felt a little of it come through. “Yes,” he said quietly.

Catching the expression, Cid felt himself stiffen. Obviously something bad had happened for the professor to act like that. “What happened then? I don’t remember shit. What’d I do?”

“Nothing,” Vincent said, standing. He was wearing black sweat pants the hung low on his hips, and his shirt was missing. “Let me just get dressed, and I’ll get us some breakfast.”

Cid found his gaze was drawn to the border of black against light skin, something flashing in his head about touching and maybe kissing. His eyes went wide and he turned around, staring at the far wall. “Okay…” he said softly, more worried about what had happened last night than about breakfast.

Vincent rummaged through his closet, pulling out a plain white shirt and slipping it on. On his way by his mirror, he ran a hand through his hair, but left it at that. Then he walked toward Cid. “Come on, I’m hungry.”

Cid watched him, quickly back stepping to get out of Vincent’s way. Something wasn’t right about the way he was feeling and the way the younger man was acting and he doubted he could blame both on hangovers. Vincent stepped past Cid, still feeling awkward and tense. He slowly led the way down to the kitchen, making sure Cid followed.

At least the place looked familiar now. Cid carefully chose a seat at the kitchen table and slid into it, trying not to look at Vincent. There had to be something wrong even though the other was claiming there wasn’t.

“Uh,” Vincent said, sighing. “I’ve got cereal and things… I’ve got eggs. What do you want?”

Cid shrugged, folding his arms on the table and resting his head on them. “Don’t really matter to me. Whatever ya want, I guess.” He had the aching need to ask Vincent what was wrong, but he hadn’t the slightest idea how to phrase it.

Vincent pulled two bowls out of his cupboard, going into the pantry to find a few boxes of different cereals. He brought them out and got the milk, setting it all up on the counter. “You can choose which one you want.” With that, he set about making himself a bowl of cereal and sitting at the table opposite the blond.

Slowly getting up and fixing his breakfast, Cid sat back down. He ate in silence, only occasionally glancing over at Vincent. Something felt incredibly wrong, especially considering the way they had spoken before whatever had occurred last night.

Vincent also ate quietly, his mind going back to thinking about the previous night. It freaked him out a little that when he remembered Cid’s lips and tongue on his neck, he felt a sudden pang of longing in his gut.

Cid dared another glance up, catching an odd expression on Vincent’s face. “Vince? Somethin’ wrong?” he asked, pausing his breakfast.

Hearing the nickname was strange, but oddly appealing. “No,” the professor replied quietly. “Tired. I had a little too much to drink, I suppose.”

Cid nodded faintly, scratching his neck again. He still felt like there was something wrong even though Vincent was trying to pass it off as being tired. He poked his spoon at his bowl, stirring the milk a little. “Hey, Vince… What happened last night? I mean… what really happened?”

Vincent hesitated before looking up at the blond, trying to decide if he should share. He looked unsure. Catching the burgundy gaze, Cid leaned forward a little. “I just wanna know. You’re actin’ weird an’ I know somethin’ happened.”

The professor sighed, putting his spoon in his bowl. “You… kissed me,” he said quietly.

Cid abruptly dropped his spoon, the clattering sound matching his shock. “I… I did WHAT?”

“You kissed me,” Vincent said again, understanding Cid’s confusion.

“But… I…” Cid gaped, looking around almost as if he felt lost again. He let a sideways smile come across his face. “You’re kiddin’, right? I didn’t do that. Why would I kiss a guy, let alone my damn teacher?”

“You were drunk,” Vincent said, shrugging and hoping his feelings from earlier weren’t apparent. He debated telling the blond about the other things that happened, but wasn’t sure if he should pry the can of worms open even more.

“Drunk? I know I was fuckin’ drunk! But that don’t mean… Dammit, I’m fuckin’ straight!” He roughly ran his fingers through his hair, leaning his elbows on the table.

Vincent shrugged again, unhappy with Cid’s reaction for some reason. “That’s what you did.”

“Nn… Knew I shouldn’t’ve gone anywhere last night…” The blond dug his nails into the back of his neck, half at the explanation of last night and half at the pain still plaguing his head.

Vincent took another bite of his now-soggy cereal. “It’s good to get out sometimes.”

“Not if it makes me go do stupid shit like that!” Cid lowered his head, the cool wood of the table pressing against his forehead. “Sorry I did that. Was completely fuckin’ stupid of me.”

Vincent found himself speaking before really thinking. “It’s all right.”

“It’s not all right! Do ya realize what I did? I kissed a man! Not just that. I kissed my fuckin’ teacher!” Pressing his palms to his head, Cid groaned. He had done precisely the last thing he ever thought he would do and here was someone telling him it was “all right.”

Vincent gave up on his cereal. “Look, I won’t tell anyone. It doesn’t necessarily reflect well on me either. You’re my student. I could get fired for that kind of thing.”

“Yeah, but you’re weird! Ya probably don’t even care it happened!” Blond brows knitting, Cid sighed. “I can’t believe this shit… I’m not fuckin’ gay!”

Vincent laughed humorlessly. “Yeah, I don’t care.”

Cid raised his head, narrowing his eyes at Vincent. “Ya know what I mean. You don’t care what people like an’ I kinda get the feelin’ you’re the same about yourself. Fuck. For all I know, ya might’ve liked it. But I don’t want anythin’ to do with that kinda shit. That’s why I’m all fucked up in the head, all right?”

“You’re making a big deal out of nothing, Cid. You… probably thought I was some girl.”

“But you’re not a girl! You’re a fuckin’ man unless there’s somethin’ you’re not tellin’ me.”

Vincent looked at him. “No, I’m not a girl, but with the way you were calling me ‘pretty’ last night, you may just as well have thought I was. Alcohol can do that.”

“I-I called you pretty?” Leaning back in his chair, Cid rubbed his hands against his face. “You’ve gotta be fuckin’ kiddin’ me! What the hell else did I do?”

Vincent looked at him seriously, still debating whether he should share or not.

“Well?” Cid wasn’t sure if he wanted to know, but it couldn’t hurt asking. “No, actually, I don’t wanna know. Just… if I did anythin’ else, ‘m sorry. I didn’t mean to.” He stood abruptly and picked up his bowl, depositing it in the sink. “I think I better go. Sorry to be an ass an’ cause ya all this shit.”

Vincent stood as well, far more composed than the blond.

“Just… Is there anythin’ I left or somethin’?” Cid patted his pocket briefly to see if his wallet was in place and found it was. “Don’t know what I brought here in the first place.”

“You didn’t bring anything.”

“Then I’m gone. Sorry I bothered ya last night an’ all that.” Shaking his head at what he apparently did, Cid exited the kitchen and found himself about as lost as he was this morning. “Shit… Vince, where’s the damn door?”

Vincent stepped out after him, quietly walking around him and leading him to the front door, which he opened for the blond to step through. “Don’t forget to read the story. We’re going to be discussing it tomorrow.”

“You’ll be lucky if I show up,” Cid mumbled to himself as he slipped through the door into the sunlight. All he wanted was to get out of there. He had apparently made a complete fool of himself and he knew he would end up regretting it even more at some point. He just didn’t want that to be immediately.

Vincent sighed, annoyed with both Cid and himself. He didn’t even say anything as he quietly shut the door and went to clean up the kitchen.

A little ways down the road, Cid stopped and raked his fingers through his hair. He couldn’t believe what Vincent had told him. And to think he had done it willingly? He groaned loudly and hurried his steps, finally reaching the apartment and shoving through the door once it was unlocked.

Zack jumped from his spot on the couch. “Whoa, buddy, where’s the fire?”

“Fuck if I know,” Cid growled as he hurried through the apartment and shut himself in his room as soon as he reached it. He didn’t bother with locking the door and instead just flopped onto his bed, burying his head under his pillow.

Zack blinked, looking in the direction of Cid’s room. “…What the hell just happened?”

“Gah!” Pressing the pillow down harder, Cid shook his head the best he could. He wasn’t sure what he was going to do about Vincent or himself. He couldn’t just forget because it was just that fucked up in his head.

Zack, too curious for his own good, stood and went to Cid’s bedroom door, knocking quietly. “Cid? What the hell just happened, and where were you last night?”

Not even bothering to look out from under his pillow, Cid groaned again. “I don’t even know what happened. An’ what I do know, I don’t like.”

Zack pushed the door open. “Oh, this is gonna be good.” He plopped himself down on the foot of Cid’s bed. “Spill.”

“Spill what?” Cid grumbled, finally peering out from under his pillow.

Zack held out his arms like it was obvious. “What happened?”

“Nothin’.”

“Nope. You’ve already given too much away, and now I gotta know. You left the club with Vincent, and now you’re talking about something that happened that you shouldn’t have done.” The younger student grinned like a Cheshire cat. “What the hell happened?”


“Just that. Somethin’ that shouldn’t’ve happened.” He closed his eyes and rested his head on his pillow, sighing. “Nothin’ much more to say ‘bout it unless you’re gonna beat the fuckin’ details outta me.”

Zack chuckled. “C’mon…”

“No. Ya don’t wanna know.”

“No, I really do.”

“Sure ya do.” Cid grimaced and tried to block out the fact he knew what he had done. Unfortunately, he was a little curious as to what the actual memory would be if it ever came back to him. He might have been absolutely disgusted by the thought of kissing Vincent, but still… for some reason he wondered what it had been like.

“I do!” Zack said, nudging Cid’s leg with his elbow. “Come on, maybe I can help.”

“Bullshit.” He rolled over, rubbing his hands over his face and keeping them there. “I… just did somethin’ stupid. Really stupid.”

“Out with it.”

“I… I woke up at Vincent’s today with the hangover from hell.”

Zack shook his head, waiting for more. “And…?”

“An’… I made a big mistake.” He shook his head, sighing loudly. “A big mistake.”

“Stop beating around the bush, man. Give me the dirt!”

“Fine! I fuckin’… I kissed him.” Cid paused for a moment. “An’ apparently called him pretty a lot.”

Zack grinned widely. “You kissed him?”

“Yes,” Cid hissed through clenched teeth. “I was completely smashed last night an’ he decided it’d be better to take me home with him than leave me somewhere. ‘Course that turned out fuckin’ great.” His tone was nearly dripping in sarcasm.

Zack couldn’t keep the grin off his face. He couldn’t wait to tell Reno. “So what’s the big deal?”

“What’s the big deal? What the fuck d’ya think’s the big deal? I fuckin’ kissed a man!” Dragging his fingers through his mussed hair, Cid shot Zack a harsh look.

“So?” Unfazed, Zack looked back. “I do it all the time.”

“But you’re like that!” Sitting up, Cid narrowed his eyes again. “I’m not! Did ya miss that part?”

“What’s wrong with it?”

“What’s wrong with it is that I’m straight! I’m not s’posed to be kissin’ guys!”

Zack leaned closer, just to emphasize his point. “Who says?”

“Me, that’s who!”

“Why?”

“‘Cause that’s what I’ve always known! I’m not attracted to guys. I like chicks. Meanin’ I’m straight, all right?” Cid gave him a sour look.

“Change can happen,” was all Zack said.

“But I don’t fuckin’ want change! I wanna stay the way I am an’ not somethin’ different. I know who I am an’ I’m fuckin’ fine with it.”

Zack nodded, still grinning to himself. “Right. Okay. I’m gonna go order some pizza.”

“Goddammit, Zack, I’m not fuckin’ gay an’ I’m not plannin’ on changin’!” Leaning over his own lap, Cid glared at the darker-haired man. “Don’t try an’ tell me somethin’ else.”

Zack stood up. “I didn’t say a word, dude. You said it. What do you want on pizza?”

Cid closed his mouth, holding back any more defensive words. He had nothing else to say that wouldn’t be just repeats of what he had already said. Lying back again, he brushed a hand through his hair. “Don’t care. Whatever.”

Zack grinned, holding in a laugh. “One whatever pizza coming up.” He turned and left the room, picking up the phone and ordering.

“That’s not fuckin’ funny!” Cid yelled through his door, huffing loudly afterward. Zack seemed far too entertained and… satisfied with what had happened and it bothered Cid. A lot.

A few minutes later, Zack called to Cid from the kitchen. “Pizza in half an hour!” He then moved to the couch, turning the TV on.

Cid sat on his bed for a while, just thinking. Unfortunately, he wasn’t very good at thinking for the moment. Finally he just got up and went to go flop onto the couch next to Zack, staring silently at the TV.

Zack didn’t comment, not wanting to push his luck. When the doorbell rang, he jumped up, pulling the door open and paying for the pizza. The blond watched as Zack received the warm box, not bothering to get up. He wasn’t all that hungry, his appetite chased away by the understanding of what he had done. He let his eyes return to the TV where a ridiculously cheesy show was playing, not actually watching but using it as an excuse of doing something other than just staring into space.

Zack came back to the couch, already munching on a piece of pizza. He set the box down on the coffee table in front of the couch and plopped himself back in his original spot. “Help yourself,” he said through a mouthful of food.

“Not hungry,” Cid said quietly, leaning over onto the arm of the couch and resting his head on his folded arms.

“More for me,” Zack said with a shrug.

Cid watched him for a while, finally sighing softly. “What should I do?” he asked quietly, tired of trying to figure it out himself.

Zack gave him a sidelong glance. “About what?”

“About… this mess I got myself into. I dunno what to do.”

“With Vincent?”

The blond head nodded. He hated having to go to someone else for advice, but he couldn’t see any other way around things.

Serious for once, Zack put his piece of pizza down and gave Cid his full attention. “Is it really wrong to like him? What are you afraid of?”

Cid closed his eyes and settled more against the couch. “I… I dunno. I just… this fucks up everythin’ I’ve ever been told an’ everythin’ I’ve ever felt. I don’t like that. I hate it, actually.” His tone sounded tired, almost worried as he spoke, which, in itself, had the blond messed up. He wasn’t supposed to feel like he did.

“It’s not a crime, Cid. You’re allowed to be attracted to whoever you’re attracted to. And it doesn’t even really make you gay.” Zack reached for his pizza again, taking another bite. “I mean, you’re not drooling over any other guys except Vincent, right? If I did a strip tease for you right now, you’d probably throw a pillow at me or something.”

“But it still means somethin’s really fucked up, don’t it? I mean, he’s a guy. I’ve never looked at another guy an’ thought I’d wanna kiss them.” Letting out a frustrated breath, the elder leaned his head back. “He’s pissed at me anyway. Don’t matter.”

Zack popped the last bit of the piece of pizza into his mouth. “Nothing’s fucked up about it, dude. Stop stressing.”

“An’ what’m I ‘sposed to do instead of stressin’? This whole thing… it’s got me fuckin’ confused as hell an’ I don’t like it.” He pressed his fingertips to his forehead.

“Just stop worrying about it. You’re only making it worse.”

“But I don’t know what to do. I wanna fix it, but I dunno how an’ I can’t do shit if Vince’s pissed at me.” Groaning, Cid shook his head. “‘Sides. Even if I was all right with all this, he didn’t seem like he enjoyed it too much. Least he didn’t this mornin’ when he told me about it.”

“Hmm,” Zack said, reaching for more pizza. “Maybe he knew you’d be pissed about it, so he wasn’t happy or something. He’s a considerate guy.”

“But he was apparently pretty damn drunk too, so how would he really think about that kinda shit?”

“Psh,” Zack said, laughing a little. “Vincent doesn’t get drunk.”

“Yeah right. According to him, we were both three sheets to the wind. ‘M surprised we’re still both alive.” Shaking his head, Cid sighed. “He didn’t wanna tell me anything ‘bout last night.”

Zack nodded. “I know Vincent. He’s upset about it, but not for the reasons you’re thinking.”

“Then what is it?” Cid asked, a little irritated. He didn’t like being the one who knew nothing, especially when it pertained directly to him.

“I dunno. I can’t read minds. But if I know Vincent, he’s struggling with it just as much as you are.”

“Yeah, well, I kinda doubt it. I didn’t hear him freakin’ out or anythin’.”

“Different strokes for different folks.” Zack shrugged again and finished his second piece of pizza, immediately reaching for a third.

“Fine. If he says somethin’, then maybe I’ll believe ya. Until then, don’t think so.” He fell silent for a moment. “Think I’m gonna skip tomorrow. It’d be weird to go to class with him.”

Zack shook his head. “C’mon, he assigned that story just for you. He told me about it.”

“Why would he tell ya about somethin’ like that?” Cid set his attention on the TV again, almost as if he needed something to look at to keep his mind off of this morning’s events.

“Me and Vincent go way back.” The younger student tilted his head a little. “You didn’t know that?”

“No, I knew.” He shrugged. “I just wondered why he would tell ya somethin’ specific like that. Kinda weird. ‘S not like I’m the best student in the class or some shit like that.”

“He’s interested in you. He’s never had a student that’s older than him.” Zack leaned back, licking some sauce of a few of his fingers.

“So? That don’t mean shit. Hell, he was goin’ on about how this whole thing last night, whatever it was, could get him fired. Ya really think he’d wanna see me in class either?” Shaking his head, Cid scoffed softly.

Zack cleared his mouth of food before speaking. “I said he was interested in you, not interested in sleeping with you. Professionally speaking, you interest him. He wants you to do well in his class.”

Cid’s eyes grew wide. “I never said anythin’ ‘bout sleepin’ with him!” he said, gaping. He suddenly blanched. “Shit… I didn’t sleep with him, did I? Did he tell ya I did?”

Zack chuckled. “I haven’t talked to him since last night.”

“Shit… what if I did? Fuck!” Panicking, Cid sat up and stared at Zack. “What if we slept together? Dammit, that can’t happen! Knowin’ I kissed him is bad enough!”

Zack simply lifted an eyebrow. “Did you wake up naked in bed with him?”

“No, but that don’t mean shit! I coulda redressed myself or somethin’ an’ then passed out in his guest bedroom for all I know!” Blue eyes darted around the room for a moment, finally landing on the phone. “Call him. See what happened. Ya wanted to know all the shit anyway. He’ll prob’ly tell ya more than he did me.”

Zack gave him an incredulous look. “You want me to call him.”

“Yes! That’s what I said, ain’t it?”

“I think you’re overreacting.”

“Then call him an’ make sure I don’t have a reason to be overreactin’.” Cid gave him a persuading look, raising a brow at him. “Well? I’d do it myself, but he’d prob’ly just say the same shit to me he did this mornin’. I know there’s somethin’ more he ain’t tellin’ me, okay?”

Zack sighed, slightly amused. “Okay, okay. I’ll call him.” He chuckled as he reached for his phone.

“Why’s this funny to ya?” Cid set himself back down on the couch, watching him carefully. “An’ no shit about me tellin’ ya to call. If you’ve known each other for a while, he knows how much ya love to hear about people’s lives.”

“I just think you’re worrying too much,” Zack said as he dialed. “Now shush, or he’ll know you’re here.”

Cid quieted down, watching his roommate. Why he was acting almost like a ridiculous teenager, he didn’t know. What he did know was that he needed to find out what had actually happened before he could even begin to deal with it.

Zack waited a few moments before Vincent picked up. “Hey, Vince, it’s Zack. Yeah, had fun last night? Good.” Zack waited a few minutes while Vincent said something. “Yeah, he’s in the other room.” The dark-haired man grinned. “So what’d you guys get up to last night? Cid was all freaked out but he wouldn’t tell me anything.” Pause. “Oh, come onnn. You know I won’t let it go until you spill.”

Cid shifted uncomfortably. He didn’t know what Vincent was saying, but it didn’t sound like he was giving in to Zack’s questions.

“Pleeeeeeeeeaaaaase…” Zack whined. He waited a moment, then grinned, giving Cid the thumbs up. “He kissed you? No way.” Zack waited a few more minutes, his face slowly twisting into a surprised look. He stayed silent for a good ten minutes while Vincent explained what had happened the night before. By the time he was finished, Zack’s mouth was hanging open. “Oh my god.”

Cid swallowed hard. That couldn’t be a good sign, not in the slightest. He bit his lip, hoping it wasn’t what he had been thinking before. He shifted anxiously, waiting.

“So…” Zack said, feeling his mouth pull into a grin. “…Did you like it?” He laughed when Vincent yelled something at him. “Yeah, yeah. Okay, fine. Yeah, I’ll see you later. Bye.” He flipped his cell phone shut and grinned at Cid. “You dog, you.”

“What? What?” Cid leaned forward, looking at Zack intensely. “What’d I do?” he asked nervously.

“Relax,” Zack said, putting his phone back in his pocket. “You didn’t sleep with him.”

Cid sat back, but the anxiousness on his face remained. “Then what the fuck did I do that made ya go ‘oh my god,’ huh? Don’t hear ya doin’ that every day over a kiss.”

“Well… you didn’t just kiss him.”

“What else did I do?”

Zack shifted a little. “You kinda tried to make out with him, I guess is the best way to put it. Apparently he led you back to his place and got you all ready to stay in his guest room, and then you pulled him down on the bed on top of you and, like… were trying to nibble on his neck or something. He said he could only get away from you after you passed out because you wouldn’t let go.”

Cid listened, gaping. “Shit… Shit! No wonder he’s fuckin’ pissed at me,” he said, his voice a little strained.

Zack shook his head. “I don’t think he’s pissed. At least, he didn’t sound like it.”

Cid sank down into the couch, thinking over what Zack had told him. No wonder he had briefly had that memory about touching that morning. He brushed a hand through his hair, leaning it back to rest against the couch. “Why’d ya ask him if he liked it?”

“I was just goofing around,” Zack said. He tilted his head a little bit and smirked. “Why? Do you want him to have liked it?”

Blue eyes narrowed dangerously at Zack. “No. I wanna know if I should avoid him for a while. If he liked it then doncha think that’d be even more awkward to meet up than if we’d just kissed?”

Zack chuckled. “Chill out, killer. I’m only playing. If it makes you feel better, he said no.”

“He did?” Cid felt a wave of relief wash over him, though there was a little bit of him that was disappointed. Why, he hadn’t a clue. Maybe it was the fact that he had never heard someone didn’t like what he did. He decided it was that and let out a sigh. “Thanks,” he mumbled to Zack, referring to the phone call.

“Hey, you gave me an excuse to gossip, so I should be thanking you.”

The blond gave him a sideways glance. “Right.” He sat there a few moments before shoving himself up and heading for his room. “Think I’m gonna go… take a nap or somethin’.” He ran his fingers through his hair to scratch at the back of his neck.

“Okay,” Zack said, remembering his pizza and grabbing another piece.

Cid shook his head and escaped to his room to try and piece together how he would fix the mess he had created. He lay on his bed for longer than he cared to think about, his mind just going in never-ending circles until, finally, he fell asleep from wracking his brain so much.