"Time After Time", a Firo/Ennis fanfiction
Damn it, I knew this would happen. I knew I was going to end up writing fanfiction again when I should be concentrating on my untouched original works and other, more important RL projects, such as making my cousin's wedding present (which, while the wedding is next year, if I don't finish it within the next couple months, I'll forget about it until it's nearly too late...). This time, though, this time, I'm only ever going to write short oneshot fanfiction. No more multi-chapter projects for me, though I still have plans to finish that Inuyasha/FF:CC fusion I started... a long time ago. ^^;
So, I'm going to start with a shameless helping of Firo/Ennis fluff with a side of angst, soon to be followed with some appropriately creepy Ladd/Lua romance, and later, a heartrending tale of Jacuzzi's descent from an ordinary law-abiding citizen to the episode 8's flashback version. Most definitely more to come as the anime series and light novel spoilers progress, though I doubt I'll ever be able to handle Isaac and Miria, and so I tip my hat to Narita for creating characters leagues above my head.
I had a really hard time deciding on a title for this one (It was going to be something like "Habits" or "Learned Behavior" but... those really suck and sound like a Psychology 101 essay. x_x), so I just used the title of the song that's constantly being played over the intercom at work. I just found it really appropriate, considering what I know of their relationship.
I have one concern about this work: I'm guilty of making Firo emo. But just for a moment. He recovers quickly, I swear. Two paragraphs of Firomo. That's it. I Promise. Then it's all about him being awkwardly romantic.
Title: Time After Time
Genre: Cute romantic fluff with a touch of angst
Rating: G
Warnings: Definitely not to be read by anyone unaware of the 1930 arc conclusion, though I did my best to be subtle about it. (-> *Failed*) Also, a general cavity warning for those of you with sensitive teeth.
It would be surprising to people who didn't know him well, but there were uncommon, though most certainly not rare, moments in time when Firo Prochainezo fell into thoughtful silence. Ennis, on the other hand, did not find it the least bit strange. Far from it, actually, considering how quiet he had been during their brief first meeting. It was debatable whether his silence at that time was 'thoughtful', or not, and 'speechless' was definitely more accurate, but during all the time they had spent together afterword, there had been plenty of occasions where Firo was not speaking or otherwise involved in a conversation, and the majority of those times, she had noticed, were while they walked together.
Ennis witnessed one of those moments now, as she accompanied him during his regular routine of patrolling the streets and alleys under Martillo influence, on the lookout for upstart gangs and thugs thinking of causing trouble for the Camorra. He seemed to be thinking more deeply than usual, though, his hands deep in his pockets and head high in the clouds, seemingly unaware of the people he passed on the street.
He never stayed that way for very long, however. While he was silent on occasion, more often than not, he was talking about one thing or another, flowing from one topic to the next whenever it appeared that he'd left her behind or if her responses had grown increasingly monosyllabic. She knew the process of his switching gears well, but by the time she realized that she had fallen two feet behind him, it was too late to catch up without him noticing.
One of Firo's hands left a pocket to reach up and readjust his hat as he lowered his head and turned to the side, expecting to immediately catch sight of her red hair, but before actually registering her absence from his side, started to say, "Hey, you know," but trailed off in confusion and ceased his pace with the following footfall before it occurred to him to look over his shoulder.
He was always so careful to conceal unpleasant emotions from his face, voice, and posture, but Ennis knew that he had to be feeling hurt and disappointment with her sudden regression. It had been months already--nearly a year, now--and she was still falling back into her old ways and Firo didn't like the distance or the reminder.
Always adept at playing the fool, Firo met her bitten lip with a tipped hat and an attempt at an ashamed grin that shone a little too brightly to be considered apologetic. He took his time turning the rest of the way around and returned to her side, filling the awkward air with familiar little white lies. "Ah, there I go again. You ought to say something when I start walking too fast." He always shouldered the blame whenever and wherever she was bothered. He hated the thought of her feeling shame over the way she had been taught to live.
But Ennis couldn't accept it. She was supposed to have overcome this. It had been so long since the last time that she had foolishly stopped guarding herself from it only to step back into the old habit, completely ruining the day for both of them. She could still vividly remember the first time they had walked together; "Why are you walking so far back?" he had asked, without thinking, but even that moment wasn't as embarrassing as the times she'd been compelled to hold doors open for him (which had only ever happened once in public, because, ever since, Firo had always been extra careful to beat her to the door).
She couldn't meet his eyes. "Please forgive me. I've disappointed you so many times already. This should have been fixed long ago, but still I--"
Firo reached forward to grasp her shoulders with shaking hands, shocking her into meeting his gaze, and what she saw there silenced her. It had been quite a while since she'd seen him so upset, so upset that even he couldn't contain it, and his earnest expression left her immobilized.
"Don't say that," he choked out. "Don't talk like you're my servant; like I'm your master. Don't apologize--I knew from the start that there would be problems, and I've accepted that. It doesn't matter how much time it takes; I'll be waiting just ahead. You'll catch up one day, for sure--you've come so far already. It's something you should be proud of, not attacking yourself with."
"I, I am proud," Ennis replied, quickly, feeling awful for causing such turmoil in someone normally so carefree, and so very grateful, she continued, in a prayer, "but i want to walk beside you, so when I lapse like this, it's... frustrating. I wish that I had a way to stop myself from accidentally falling behind."
The clouded emotion took a moment to pass, and his grip, already gentle, softened, but it took a little longer for the usual spark to return to his eyes. When he failed to release her completely even after breaking away from her stare, Ennis thought that maybe he was waiting to hear something more, but upon closer inspection, saw that he was once again lost in thought. This time, however, it only took the second for her to notice before his eyes started to dart around, landing everywhere around them except her face, in what she guessed to be embarrassment, though she couldn't be sure if it was due to his thoughts or their continued proximity that was likely getting a lot of attention from passerby. Finally, his face tightened in determination and he slipped over to her side, sliding one hand away and the other down lower to hook her arm in his.
Surprised, Ennis angled her head to the side to look up at him, but Firo had already turned his face away and pulled his hat down low, casting shadows down to his chin. All she could see from her position was a single reddened ear.
"This way," he said, "there's no way you can fall behind." Firo resumed his pace, pulling her along until she matched him step for step.
This is nice, the thought popping into her head involuntarily, but Ennis, savoring the warmth of his arm, did not doubt its authenticity. But, if I just walk along quietly like this, he may think I've taken offense. However, at a lack of anything nice to say in response, it occurred to Ennis that the best way to respond to an action was with an action in kind.
When she raised the hand of their intertwined arms to gently wrap around his fingers, Ennis realized that she could feel his quickening heartbeat through the contact and all of a sudden, began to feel like she had become wrapped in a soft woolen blanket, enveloped in warmth, and couldn't stop herself from voicing a certain curiosity.
"Firo, what was it that you were going to say, earlier?"
Startled out of whatever thoughts that had held his attention, Firo stuttered, "Ah, uh, earlier? Um, I think I was going to say something about how quiet you are, sometimes."
"Is it annoying?" she asked, knowing full well of how he would react to such an inquiry, but inexplicably found herself looking forward to it.
"No, that not what I meant, Ennis," Firo said, quickly, twisting his face toward her, causing his fading blush to flare up again when their eyes met and he whirled it back away, tugging his hat even lower with his free hand, nearly pulling it completely off his head in the process. "Ah, what I meant to say was, I don't remember it very often, but someone told me once that there are some things you can appreciate only in silence."
"Ah," Ennis replied, and they didn't speak again until well after reaching their destination, but on the way, Firo secretly glanced over once more, catching a glimpse of her face lit in happiness, and everything clenched and awkward softened and relaxed as a wide, reciprocated smile spread out from deep inside, something he had no ability to stifle, even if there had been a need.
C&C: Comment if desired & Criticism is welcome. ^^
So, I'm going to start with a shameless helping of Firo/Ennis fluff with a side of angst, soon to be followed with some appropriately creepy Ladd/Lua romance, and later, a heartrending tale of Jacuzzi's descent from an ordinary law-abiding citizen to the episode 8's flashback version. Most definitely more to come as the anime series and light novel spoilers progress, though I doubt I'll ever be able to handle Isaac and Miria, and so I tip my hat to Narita for creating characters leagues above my head.
I had a really hard time deciding on a title for this one (It was going to be something like "Habits" or "Learned Behavior" but... those really suck and sound like a Psychology 101 essay. x_x), so I just used the title of the song that's constantly being played over the intercom at work. I just found it really appropriate, considering what I know of their relationship.
I have one concern about this work: I'm guilty of making Firo emo. But just for a moment. He recovers quickly, I swear. Two paragraphs of Firomo. That's it. I Promise. Then it's all about him being awkwardly romantic.
Title: Time After Time
Genre: Cute romantic fluff with a touch of angst
Rating: G
Warnings: Definitely not to be read by anyone unaware of the 1930 arc conclusion, though I did my best to be subtle about it. (-> *Failed*) Also, a general cavity warning for those of you with sensitive teeth.
It would be surprising to people who didn't know him well, but there were uncommon, though most certainly not rare, moments in time when Firo Prochainezo fell into thoughtful silence. Ennis, on the other hand, did not find it the least bit strange. Far from it, actually, considering how quiet he had been during their brief first meeting. It was debatable whether his silence at that time was 'thoughtful', or not, and 'speechless' was definitely more accurate, but during all the time they had spent together afterword, there had been plenty of occasions where Firo was not speaking or otherwise involved in a conversation, and the majority of those times, she had noticed, were while they walked together.
Ennis witnessed one of those moments now, as she accompanied him during his regular routine of patrolling the streets and alleys under Martillo influence, on the lookout for upstart gangs and thugs thinking of causing trouble for the Camorra. He seemed to be thinking more deeply than usual, though, his hands deep in his pockets and head high in the clouds, seemingly unaware of the people he passed on the street.
He never stayed that way for very long, however. While he was silent on occasion, more often than not, he was talking about one thing or another, flowing from one topic to the next whenever it appeared that he'd left her behind or if her responses had grown increasingly monosyllabic. She knew the process of his switching gears well, but by the time she realized that she had fallen two feet behind him, it was too late to catch up without him noticing.
One of Firo's hands left a pocket to reach up and readjust his hat as he lowered his head and turned to the side, expecting to immediately catch sight of her red hair, but before actually registering her absence from his side, started to say, "Hey, you know," but trailed off in confusion and ceased his pace with the following footfall before it occurred to him to look over his shoulder.
He was always so careful to conceal unpleasant emotions from his face, voice, and posture, but Ennis knew that he had to be feeling hurt and disappointment with her sudden regression. It had been months already--nearly a year, now--and she was still falling back into her old ways and Firo didn't like the distance or the reminder.
Always adept at playing the fool, Firo met her bitten lip with a tipped hat and an attempt at an ashamed grin that shone a little too brightly to be considered apologetic. He took his time turning the rest of the way around and returned to her side, filling the awkward air with familiar little white lies. "Ah, there I go again. You ought to say something when I start walking too fast." He always shouldered the blame whenever and wherever she was bothered. He hated the thought of her feeling shame over the way she had been taught to live.
But Ennis couldn't accept it. She was supposed to have overcome this. It had been so long since the last time that she had foolishly stopped guarding herself from it only to step back into the old habit, completely ruining the day for both of them. She could still vividly remember the first time they had walked together; "Why are you walking so far back?" he had asked, without thinking, but even that moment wasn't as embarrassing as the times she'd been compelled to hold doors open for him (which had only ever happened once in public, because, ever since, Firo had always been extra careful to beat her to the door).
She couldn't meet his eyes. "Please forgive me. I've disappointed you so many times already. This should have been fixed long ago, but still I--"
Firo reached forward to grasp her shoulders with shaking hands, shocking her into meeting his gaze, and what she saw there silenced her. It had been quite a while since she'd seen him so upset, so upset that even he couldn't contain it, and his earnest expression left her immobilized.
"Don't say that," he choked out. "Don't talk like you're my servant; like I'm your master. Don't apologize--I knew from the start that there would be problems, and I've accepted that. It doesn't matter how much time it takes; I'll be waiting just ahead. You'll catch up one day, for sure--you've come so far already. It's something you should be proud of, not attacking yourself with."
"I, I am proud," Ennis replied, quickly, feeling awful for causing such turmoil in someone normally so carefree, and so very grateful, she continued, in a prayer, "but i want to walk beside you, so when I lapse like this, it's... frustrating. I wish that I had a way to stop myself from accidentally falling behind."
The clouded emotion took a moment to pass, and his grip, already gentle, softened, but it took a little longer for the usual spark to return to his eyes. When he failed to release her completely even after breaking away from her stare, Ennis thought that maybe he was waiting to hear something more, but upon closer inspection, saw that he was once again lost in thought. This time, however, it only took the second for her to notice before his eyes started to dart around, landing everywhere around them except her face, in what she guessed to be embarrassment, though she couldn't be sure if it was due to his thoughts or their continued proximity that was likely getting a lot of attention from passerby. Finally, his face tightened in determination and he slipped over to her side, sliding one hand away and the other down lower to hook her arm in his.
Surprised, Ennis angled her head to the side to look up at him, but Firo had already turned his face away and pulled his hat down low, casting shadows down to his chin. All she could see from her position was a single reddened ear.
"This way," he said, "there's no way you can fall behind." Firo resumed his pace, pulling her along until she matched him step for step.
This is nice, the thought popping into her head involuntarily, but Ennis, savoring the warmth of his arm, did not doubt its authenticity. But, if I just walk along quietly like this, he may think I've taken offense. However, at a lack of anything nice to say in response, it occurred to Ennis that the best way to respond to an action was with an action in kind.
When she raised the hand of their intertwined arms to gently wrap around his fingers, Ennis realized that she could feel his quickening heartbeat through the contact and all of a sudden, began to feel like she had become wrapped in a soft woolen blanket, enveloped in warmth, and couldn't stop herself from voicing a certain curiosity.
"Firo, what was it that you were going to say, earlier?"
Startled out of whatever thoughts that had held his attention, Firo stuttered, "Ah, uh, earlier? Um, I think I was going to say something about how quiet you are, sometimes."
"Is it annoying?" she asked, knowing full well of how he would react to such an inquiry, but inexplicably found herself looking forward to it.
"No, that not what I meant, Ennis," Firo said, quickly, twisting his face toward her, causing his fading blush to flare up again when their eyes met and he whirled it back away, tugging his hat even lower with his free hand, nearly pulling it completely off his head in the process. "Ah, what I meant to say was, I don't remember it very often, but someone told me once that there are some things you can appreciate only in silence."
"Ah," Ennis replied, and they didn't speak again until well after reaching their destination, but on the way, Firo secretly glanced over once more, catching a glimpse of her face lit in happiness, and everything clenched and awkward softened and relaxed as a wide, reciprocated smile spread out from deep inside, something he had no ability to stifle, even if there had been a need.
C&C: Comment if desired & Criticism is welcome. ^^