[FF7] Too Smart For His Good 1/1 - no sex/violence

[anyssia]

Title: Too Smart For His Good

Author: anyssia
Fandom: Final Fantasy VII (Meteor Crisis, anyssia's fanfic, Guide)
Prompt: prompt 167- Antapology, tamingthemuse (LJ)
Warnings: no sex/violence, unbeta'ed (WriteOrDie contest: 1000 words in 67 min)
Rating: PG
Wordcount: 1284 words, one-shot, 09/29/2009

Summary: "He had to admit that dry, heavy and dusty volumes probably weren't a reading of choice for a thirteen years old teen."
Notes: This ficlet is set in the universe of my other fanfic, Guide and is a snapshot of Cloud and Vincent a few years before the actual story.

---

"Yeah, sure..." Cloud didn't seem convinced. "Well, I still don't understand half of this. What does 'excursus' mean anyway?"
"A lengthy digression. The author of your text is saying that he went off-topic," Vincent explained patiently.
"Oh. Ok."
Cloud went back to his textbook with a stubborn frown. He hadn't even chosen a scientific one for once but still had trouble understanding three quarters of it. He had to admit that dry, heavy and dusty volumes probably weren't a reading of choice for a thirteen years old teen.

Vincent glanced at him with an amused smile before turning back to his own book. They were both silent for a few more minutes when Cloud groaned, frustrated.
"Okay, I give up! This time it's 'antapology'. I guess he didn't just misspell 'apology', did he?"
Vincent almost couldn't suppress a laugh. "No, he didn't. An antapology is a response or reply to an apology."
"Alright, thanks. I'm still giving up, you can have my book since you seem to be able to understand it."
"Actually, I just might take up your offer. You got me curious: 'antapology' isn't exactly a common word, there are very few people using it. "
"And of course I would choose the one book in the whole library using this totally forgotten word."

Cloud hung his head, upset. He hated it, when he looked weak and stupid in front of Vincent. The man was mysterious, strong, and smart and he somehow seemed to like him.
The ex-Turk had been his first friend, or at least, the first adult that had treated him like a companion of sort and not a pariah. It was so humiliating to be reminded that he was no more than a brat next to the man.

"Don't let this disturb you, I am not lying."
Surprised by the man's words, Cloud whirled around to face him.
"Of course, you aren't! I never said that I didn't believe you!"
And now he was even more upset. Somehow he had managed to offense his friend. He really was a failure, thought the boy, lowering his head.

"That is not what I meant. You didn't accused me of anything, don't worry," Vincent clarified with a sigh. The boy was amusing and far too serious and mature for his age, but he was still a fourteen-years-old boy. "What I was trying to say, of all the people in this village, I am probably the only one who could read this book and actually understand it."

Cloud looked at him with big eyes.
"Really? Not even Tifa's father?!"
"I don't think so. They might like to treat you as a mongrel, but they are nothing more than villagers and hunters. Most of them hate you because they fear you. You are far too intelligent for them, and it scares them."
Vincent was calm, confident and logical as always but still, Cloud couldn't believe what he had just heard.
"I'm not that smart! Did you see my result at the last test?" he asked, with a wistful smile.
"Yes, I did. Tell me, Cloud. How did the teacher react, last time Nibelheim's best bullies picked on you in class?"
"Er... She didn't say anything, of course."
He was frowning again. Really, sometimes Vincent didn't make any sense.

"I will say it this way, then. During school hours, how much time do you spend learning and how much time do you spend dodging attacks?"
"Ah." This time, he did understand Vincent's point of view, but... "Okay, you're right. But I study at home. I read all my textbooks at least twice and I really thought I understood them. So I should be able to get at least a few good answers!"

He was getting pretty worked up and he shouldn't have let Vincent turn the conversation toward school work, it was such a sore point for him. So much homework and review and he still couldn't get anything right!

A gloved hand on his chin brought him back in the Mansion's secret basement.
"Stop brooding and show me your last test."
Cloud felt his eyes widen. He couldn't show to the ex-Turk how much of a failure he was. There was absolutely no way...
"Obey me."

Vincent's tone wasn't menacing or anything, but for the life of him, Cloud wouldn't have been able to disobey him.
He move back a few paces without letting his eyes stray from Vincent's, then turned around and sprinted outside the underground laboratory. He couldn't let himself think or he would never go through with this.

The boy crossed the town at a run, not caring if anybody saw him. It was night anyway and in the dead on winter, pretty much every sensible person was buried under piles of warm blankets in a comfortable bed.
Cloud stealthily entered his mother's house, listening for any sound that would tell him she was still awake. But as he had known, she was dead to the world, asleep before night's fall and wouldn't be up before long after dawn. These days, she spent more time sleeping than living.
Refusing to dwell on his mother's declining condition for now, Cloud grabbed his schoolbag and went back to the Shinra Manor as quickly as he could.

He found Vincent still in the laboratory - well, more a library now, with all the books he had dragged here from the upstairs room - and slammed his bag on the table. He had gone from mortified to angry during the few minutes he had been gone, and now he wanted to get over this as quickly as possible. Without alienating his only friends in the meantime, if he could.

Oblivious to the boy's temper, Vincent carried the battered satchel to his armchair and dropped it on his knees before rummaging around. It was easy to find the test, seeing as there were about three sheets of half torn papers pressed as neatly as possible between two trashed schoolbooks.
Every time he came across a new proof of the boy's mistreatment, it was all he could do not to go out there and show the villagers a piece of his mind. If it wasn't for this stubborn boy and the promise he reluctantly made to him, he would have gone to meet a few people months ago.

Vincent forcefully ignored these angry thoughts and concentrated on the test.
A few seconds later, he closed his eyes and again tried to stay calm. Just as he thought...
"Cloud, come here."

With an unusual shyness, the boy slowly crossed the room and stood with his back rigid and his head bowed next to Vincent's armchair. He wouldn't look at him and kept his eyes riveted to the floor, his cheeks blushing with shame.
Sighing, Vincent grabbed his chin for the second time this day, and forced him to look at the test.
"Here, here and here, you made a mistake."
Cloud moved, probably to try and hide the tears he saw glistening at the corner of the boy's eyes, but the ex-Turk stopped him.
"As for the rest, your answers were all corrects."

The boy froze for a long moment, stunned and deeply wounded. Then his eyes grew cold and he wiped his face of all emotions. After all, it was only one more betrayal amongst dozens of others.

Cloud took a deep breath and then stood in front of Vincent with a too serious expression on his young face.
"Please Vincent, would you mind being my teacher from now on?"

And maybe Vincent was a fool or a weak-willed idiot, but there was no way he could refuse the boy this.

END