Crush
---
By a freakish, death-defying coincidence, I do own part of Square. Disclaimers can kiss my rump.
-
I really have one thing to say: Poor Cid. Song for this fic? Go listen to The Denial Twist, by The White Stripes.
---
He heard Rin's reports about his daughter and niece as they passed through the Thunder Plains. His daughter was terrified, and finally convinced the group to stay at Rin's shop for the night. He heard how the red-coated man had been the main one against their stay there, and of how he spurred Rikku into angrily shouting that she hated lightning.
At least she's over that, for a while, Cid thought. Brother nodded, feeling slight guilt. Oops.
He saw his son's reports on the Save-Yuna-Take-Two, and how the red-coated man had hurried his daughter away from the Al-Bhed hater. How Rikku and the red-coat had ridden to the temple together. How Rikku watched with thankful eyes.
Don't worry about it, man, Cid thought. Brother raised an eyebrow.
He heard her scream as she ran over the dune towards her Home, and forced himself not to grab her and hug her worries away, because he was the leader of the Al Bhed and he had to think of all his people, not just his only daughter who was about to cry her heart out in the midst of a battle.
Later, on the airship, he saw on one of the ship's viewscreens that his daughter had slunk off somewhere—to cry, most likely. Good. He didn't worry, really, until he looked at the screen later, and saw his daughter---his Rikku---crying into the red-coated-man's chest, Auron's own arms wrapped comfortably---if a bit awkwardly, like a puzzle piece that didn't quite fit---around her shoulders.
Just a crush, Cid. She's being a teenager, and he's being a friend, he reminded himself, quashing down a creeping feeling in his chest. His son, seeing the viewscreen as well, wisely said nothing.
The creeping feeling started again as he saw the red-coa---no, he had to call him Auron. He's your daughter's crush, so be sympathetic. As Auron threw himself in front of Rikku, keeping the giant wyrm from hurting her. As she cried out in anger and sadness when she saw him fall.
Just a crush, Cid told himself, yet again. He's her teammate. It's what teammates do.
He didn't see them again until they came back from Zanarkand, bruised, weary, and somewhat happy. Rikku was standing close to re---no, damnit, Auron, holding his arm in a way that made Cid's insides start to boil a bit. Brother saw his Pops' face, and hid a smile.
Just a crush. At least he's not returning the feeling, he thought. The man was his age, for Yuna's sake!
Of course, that didn't stop Cid from cursing in a way that would have made some of the most foul-mouthed men in all of Spira---hell, even Jecht---from raising an eyebrow when he turned on a viewscreen at the most inopportune moment and seeing his daughter and red-coat---nope, didn't deserve a name---having quite a match of tonsil-blitzball.
It looks like Rikku's winning, Brother thought, but he kept that to himself.
Just---a---CRUSH, thought Cid angrily, his teeth grinding together. Brother quickly left the room, and there was the sound of roaring laughter outside of the cockpit.
Then the group went to beat Sin, and won, luckily enough. Well, if they hadn't, they all would have been completely and totally screwed over. And to tell the truth, Cid was going to have quite the talk with red-coat when he returned.
But it wasn't going to happen that way. What did happen was that the group came back, missing the red-coat, and then the blonde kid---Tidus, jumped off of the ship as he was turning all see-through.
Cid congratulated the group, and they all smiled at him, Yuna's and Rikku's smiles fake as hell and Cid knew it and Brother knew it and the whole group knew it about Yuna, but Cid and Brother knew Rikku's fake smiles.
Just a crush, Cid thought calmly, if a bit sadly, because he didn't like seeing his daughter hurt. Brother was frowning, and he hugged his sister and cousin, congratulating them both in his own stilted Spiran.
Later, by accident, Brother turned on the viewscreen to Rikku's cabin that she and Yuna were sharing and both were crying, holding each other's arms for their respective loves lost.
Cid gruffly told Brother to turn it off. Brother complied quickly and gladly, wishing he had never seen it in the first place.
Just a crush, right?
---
This was fun to write, I've got to say that. I hope you didn't mind the run-on sentences too much.
-kinokokichigai