fic post: Old Shadows
Nov. 12th, 2009 08:32 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rainsometimesInspired by the current prompt at ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
onepiece_300 but going way over the word limit. Posted here instead. Nitpicks (and other concrit) MUCH appreciated!! But not expected, since I fully understand people are busy with NaNo and other important stuff.
...I seem only able to write this pairing using late-night scenes. Not sure what this signifies.
Title: Old Shadows
Rating: G
Word Count: 583
Characters/Pairing: intended as Franky/Robin, but not terribly shippy
Setting/spoilers: Any time after Franky joins the crew
Prompt: Nightmares
Franky sleeps soundly most of the time, especially these days, but tonight is one of those other nights where that just won’t happen. Old memories and half-forgotten faces in his head keep stirring when they should just be quiet; and stupid nameless unsuper worries for the future also keep rearing their head.
Finally he’s had enough and steps out, trudging over to the galley for coffee and cola. And Robin is there.
"Hiya," he says and waves, not feeling up for posing right now. She hums in reply.
Franky goes for the cola first, not filling himself up fully because then there’s probably no hope of sleep. There’s coffee left in the kettle.
"I couldn’t sleep," she says, matter-of-factly, sitting quite straight. There’s an open book on the table, but she’s not reading it.
"Yeah, same here." He sits down, leaning back in his chair, half-wondering if he should take out his guitar.
"Nightmares," she goes on, in a lower voice. He shoots her a raised-eyebrow glance. Robin looks calm and collected, like always. But it's true that sometimes, very occasionally, Robin will say that kind of thing, exposing herself just a little bit, for just a moment. Almost as if she's daring herself to.
"Well. That sucks." Franky starts drinking the coffee, swears because it’s too hot, then blows on the surface repeatedly before gulping down. "What kind?" he adds, because there’s something about Robin’s still, stiff figure and her serious face that makes him think she won’t mind being asked.
Her eyes look distant now. "Oh, this and that..." She stops, looking hesitant, then goes on more slowly, "Mostly about a man I once killed to survive, long ago." Her voice is calm and clear, if not very loud. "There was a woman in black, and a young man. In the dream, I knew without telling they were the widow and son of that man, come for revenge. I was unable to move, and forced myself to wake up." She says the last part almost dismissively, almost embarrassed – but not quite.
Franky stirs his coffee with a spoon slowly, first in one direction and then the other. "Yeah," he says quietly. "I’ve had dreams in that direction once or twice, maybe." He pauses, then admits, "Maybe more than that."
Robin looks at him, eyes mild but steady. "I wasn't sure, but I thought perhaps you might have," she murmurs. Then she looks down at her cup of coffee, held with both hands. "I don't know why I dreamed of him particularly. There was nothing very remarkable about him, or the circumstances."
Franky shrugs. "Coulda just been his turn to be remembered. In the old memory line, y’know?" He starts to fiddle with the tunings of his guitar. "Not even Adam’s wood is strong enough to keep bad dreams away... but things are better now, right?"
Her smile is a little melancholy, but still seems sincere. "Right," she agrees. She finishes her coffee, then puts the cup down. "I was thinking, since I won’t fall asleep I might as well go up to the crow's nest and take over the rest of the watch from Nami." She tilts her head as she looks at him. "Care to join me?"
He grins and tells her that's the most super thing he's heard this week, and they get up and leave the galley together. It's still really dark outside, but Robin moves easily without hesitation, and he knows she'll catch him if he stumbles.
onepiece_300 but going way over the word limit. Posted here instead. Nitpicks (and other concrit) MUCH appreciated!! But not expected, since I fully understand people are busy with NaNo and other important stuff....I seem only able to write this pairing using late-night scenes. Not sure what this signifies.
Title: Old Shadows
Rating: G
Word Count: 583
Characters/Pairing: intended as Franky/Robin, but not terribly shippy
Setting/spoilers: Any time after Franky joins the crew
Prompt: Nightmares
Franky sleeps soundly most of the time, especially these days, but tonight is one of those other nights where that just won’t happen. Old memories and half-forgotten faces in his head keep stirring when they should just be quiet; and stupid nameless unsuper worries for the future also keep rearing their head.
Finally he’s had enough and steps out, trudging over to the galley for coffee and cola. And Robin is there.
"Hiya," he says and waves, not feeling up for posing right now. She hums in reply.
Franky goes for the cola first, not filling himself up fully because then there’s probably no hope of sleep. There’s coffee left in the kettle.
"I couldn’t sleep," she says, matter-of-factly, sitting quite straight. There’s an open book on the table, but she’s not reading it.
"Yeah, same here." He sits down, leaning back in his chair, half-wondering if he should take out his guitar.
"Nightmares," she goes on, in a lower voice. He shoots her a raised-eyebrow glance. Robin looks calm and collected, like always. But it's true that sometimes, very occasionally, Robin will say that kind of thing, exposing herself just a little bit, for just a moment. Almost as if she's daring herself to.
"Well. That sucks." Franky starts drinking the coffee, swears because it’s too hot, then blows on the surface repeatedly before gulping down. "What kind?" he adds, because there’s something about Robin’s still, stiff figure and her serious face that makes him think she won’t mind being asked.
Her eyes look distant now. "Oh, this and that..." She stops, looking hesitant, then goes on more slowly, "Mostly about a man I once killed to survive, long ago." Her voice is calm and clear, if not very loud. "There was a woman in black, and a young man. In the dream, I knew without telling they were the widow and son of that man, come for revenge. I was unable to move, and forced myself to wake up." She says the last part almost dismissively, almost embarrassed – but not quite.
Franky stirs his coffee with a spoon slowly, first in one direction and then the other. "Yeah," he says quietly. "I’ve had dreams in that direction once or twice, maybe." He pauses, then admits, "Maybe more than that."
Robin looks at him, eyes mild but steady. "I wasn't sure, but I thought perhaps you might have," she murmurs. Then she looks down at her cup of coffee, held with both hands. "I don't know why I dreamed of him particularly. There was nothing very remarkable about him, or the circumstances."
Franky shrugs. "Coulda just been his turn to be remembered. In the old memory line, y’know?" He starts to fiddle with the tunings of his guitar. "Not even Adam’s wood is strong enough to keep bad dreams away... but things are better now, right?"
Her smile is a little melancholy, but still seems sincere. "Right," she agrees. She finishes her coffee, then puts the cup down. "I was thinking, since I won’t fall asleep I might as well go up to the crow's nest and take over the rest of the watch from Nami." She tilts her head as she looks at him. "Care to join me?"
He grins and tells her that's the most super thing he's heard this week, and they get up and leave the galley together. It's still really dark outside, but Robin moves easily without hesitation, and he knows she'll catch him if he stumbles.
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no subject
Date: 2009-11-12 09:30 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-11-12 09:52 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-11-12 04:05 pm (UTC)I also like the look at the darker side of Robin's past, and how she can never leave it all behind.
no subject
Date: 2009-11-12 10:00 pm (UTC)I could well be wrong, but I'm thinking that Robin's past darkness might just be understood better by Franky the ex-thug boss than the other members of the crew, at least to some extent. Although him perhaps having killed people is sheer speculation on my part.
no subject
Date: 2009-11-14 11:41 pm (UTC)I guess you won me over when you wrote 'unsuper' right at the beginning. And for some reason this sentence stroke a chord in me:
That is Franky - using language of his trade whilst addressing the matter at its heart. Great work! :)
no subject
Date: 2009-11-15 12:14 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-11-15 08:40 am (UTC)Oh, I for one would be very interested top read this story from Robin's POV. :) And yes, Franky definitely sounds like Franky here. (ahh, I miss them all so much. As interesting as the battle in Marijo is - I want my nakama back!)