[FIC] Two Sol/Ky snippets
Jul. 30th, 2008 10:15 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rallamajoopFinally I'm back to posting Guilty Gear fic again! Can only hope a few people around here are still interested in reading it after all this time ^^;. For now, just a couple of little just-too-long-for-drabble-length snippets I've had sitting around a while staring the usual suspects. The first is just a little war-era scene - and though I'm not sure I'd usually set Ky as being so collected during that era, I liked the idea too much to pass up. The second, completely unconnected, is about as close to morning-after fluff as I think I will ever be able to picture working for those two. *g*
Devil's Advocate
It was when Ky had gotten his second promotion inside a year that Sol started seriously questioning just what kind of army he’d joined here. How Ky had gotten it was straight-forward, the rules on promotion weren’t exactly hard to grasp, but all that policy about emphasising skill and talent over age or experience sounded a whole lot better before it put a sixteen-year-old boy a hop, step and a jump from running the whole show. Officers with decades more experience than that kid were now third-in-line candidates for future commander-ship – and normally Sol might’ve enjoyed that just because it pissed off a lot of people he liked seeing pissed off, but when the result was that the army was one crucial retirement from being run by a kid who still blushed slightly when Sol used any swearword stronger than ‘damn’ he was starting to wondering whether old Kliff had missed his date for retirement altogether and gone senile while still on the job.
“The old man likes you too damn much,” he grumbled out loud, but for once in his life not even the kid rose to the bait of the implied insult.
“Sol, I’d hope even you have enough respect for our Commander to trust he wouldn’t hand out promotions based purely on who he does or doesn’t like,” said Ky, sounding faintly surprised and faintly bemused, but nothing worse.
“You think he’s gonna leave his army in the hands of someone he didn’t like?” asked Sol testily. It might’ve held more weight if their last visit to headquarters hadn’t involved the old man trapping Ky in his office for a whole evening to chew him out over every hair-brained decision he’d made during the fiasco that had been the Battle of Rome, but it was nothing the kid hadn’t deserved.
“I would say the opposite is more likely,” said Ky authoritatively. “Commander Kliff is far too wise not to know that a leader must occasionally make a point of promoting a few men who will disagree with him. After all,” he added, giving Sol a pointed look paired with one of his more frustrating smiles, “every leader can benefit from having at least one advisor who’s willing to tell us the things we may not want to hear now and then. Don’t you agree?”
The Morning After
The first morning after was very nearly ruined when some of Sol’s less informed combat reflexes kicked in and almost made him strangle whoever it was who’d snuck up on him in the middle of the night before he realised what he was doing.
“Are you always this friendly first thing in the morning?” Ky asked blearily, startled rudely out of sleep.
“Gimme a break,” Sol grumbled, slumping face down on to the pillow next to him. “Haven’t done this in a while.”
“‘This’?”
“The waking up next to someone thing,” said Sol, voice half-muffled.
“How long a while?” Ky wondered.
“None o’ your damn business,” Sol muttered back, which came out slightly more defensive than he probably intended, and made Ky smile at him in a way he definitely hadn’t intended at all.
Who knew with Sol – it could have been a very long time indeed.
Devil's Advocate
It was when Ky had gotten his second promotion inside a year that Sol started seriously questioning just what kind of army he’d joined here. How Ky had gotten it was straight-forward, the rules on promotion weren’t exactly hard to grasp, but all that policy about emphasising skill and talent over age or experience sounded a whole lot better before it put a sixteen-year-old boy a hop, step and a jump from running the whole show. Officers with decades more experience than that kid were now third-in-line candidates for future commander-ship – and normally Sol might’ve enjoyed that just because it pissed off a lot of people he liked seeing pissed off, but when the result was that the army was one crucial retirement from being run by a kid who still blushed slightly when Sol used any swearword stronger than ‘damn’ he was starting to wondering whether old Kliff had missed his date for retirement altogether and gone senile while still on the job.
“The old man likes you too damn much,” he grumbled out loud, but for once in his life not even the kid rose to the bait of the implied insult.
“Sol, I’d hope even you have enough respect for our Commander to trust he wouldn’t hand out promotions based purely on who he does or doesn’t like,” said Ky, sounding faintly surprised and faintly bemused, but nothing worse.
“You think he’s gonna leave his army in the hands of someone he didn’t like?” asked Sol testily. It might’ve held more weight if their last visit to headquarters hadn’t involved the old man trapping Ky in his office for a whole evening to chew him out over every hair-brained decision he’d made during the fiasco that had been the Battle of Rome, but it was nothing the kid hadn’t deserved.
“I would say the opposite is more likely,” said Ky authoritatively. “Commander Kliff is far too wise not to know that a leader must occasionally make a point of promoting a few men who will disagree with him. After all,” he added, giving Sol a pointed look paired with one of his more frustrating smiles, “every leader can benefit from having at least one advisor who’s willing to tell us the things we may not want to hear now and then. Don’t you agree?”
The Morning After
The first morning after was very nearly ruined when some of Sol’s less informed combat reflexes kicked in and almost made him strangle whoever it was who’d snuck up on him in the middle of the night before he realised what he was doing.
“Are you always this friendly first thing in the morning?” Ky asked blearily, startled rudely out of sleep.
“Gimme a break,” Sol grumbled, slumping face down on to the pillow next to him. “Haven’t done this in a while.”
“‘This’?”
“The waking up next to someone thing,” said Sol, voice half-muffled.
“How long a while?” Ky wondered.
“None o’ your damn business,” Sol muttered back, which came out slightly more defensive than he probably intended, and made Ky smile at him in a way he definitely hadn’t intended at all.
Who knew with Sol – it could have been a very long time indeed.
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no subject
Date: 2008-07-30 04:21 pm (UTC)I really liked those - few drabble authors manage to convey something larger with a very short piece, but I think you've done beautifully. I really like both situations, though I admit the second one had me giggling myself silly. And I love your insightful Ky - that's something that gets dropped all too often in fanfics, that this is the guy who figures out what Sol is doing by looking at bounty records.
Just one tiny thing in the first drabble: "...Sol might’ve enjoyed that just because it pissed off a lot of people like liked seeing pissed off". I think there's a word missing here. Just thought I'd tell you.
no subject
Date: 2008-07-31 01:43 am (UTC)Thanks! ^_^ Was a little worried the first might be a little too vague and the second a little too silly, but awkward!Sol is too much fun. With the first, I swear the whole conversation just happened in my head at random one evening and had to be written down (then lost, found, rewritten a bit and finally posted). The second was just a dumb little image I've had sitting around in my head for ages now, but I'm glad it gave you a few laughs.
And I love your insightful Ky - that's something that gets dropped all too often in fanfics
Ah yes, poor Ky, so often reduced to the clueless blond just because he's cute and a little naive. I'm sure I've said it before, but one of the things I love most about him is how you can see him maturing and gaining all that insight as the series progresses, and even right at the start, well, you certainly don't win a war by being dumb.
...that this is the guy who figures out what Sol is doing by looking at bounty records.
Mm, though let's be fair, it doesn't hurt that he's completely obsessed. Knowing Ky, he probably goes through the records every morning thinking "which ones of these are going to be Sol?"
Wouldn't be entirely surprised if he picks a few false positives now and then either.Oops, thanks, fixed now. ^^; I tend to think of ficlets like this to be too short to be worth bothering a beta reader with, but clearly it doesn't take many words to hide a mistake.
no subject
Date: 2008-07-31 12:17 pm (UTC)I think you hit a good tone with both of them - the first one was a nice bit of insight into how they click when they aren't beating each other up, and the second one was very cute and humorous in a realistic sort of way. I mean, really, did Sol EVER bother to wake up next to someone?
XDDD Isn't that how most ideas happen?
Well, I'm of the opinion that Ky's naivety is pretty selective. And yes, I'm right with you on that - I'm almost sad AC+ left off where it did, because damn it was just starting to get interesting.
Of course. XD Which is what makes it so amusing to picture.
Very likely, too.
Sol: Hey, you can't attribute every crater in the world to my presence! Some of them get made by, you know, volcanoes. Or meteors.
Hey, it's no big thing - I tend to discover little things wrong with my works even after I read them for a fifth time. I think it has something to do with how your brain knows what you want to say.
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Date: 2008-07-30 05:42 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-07-31 02:08 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-07-30 10:16 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-07-31 02:58 am (UTC)BTW, do you still want to get together over chat sometime to talk about the manga translations? My schedule's been absolutely crazy lately, but I'm hoping I'll be able to find some free time soon.
no subject
Date: 2008-08-01 01:06 am (UTC)If it's really something that needs to be taken care of, like, NAO~ then...well the soonest I might be able to squeeze something in would be after my finals (about a week from now).
I'll keep you posted.
no subject
Date: 2008-08-04 07:23 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-07-30 11:49 pm (UTC)1. Sol has a point with the whole hands of someone Kliff likes, but I still think Ky owned him :D If there's one thing Ky is, it's a good leader.
2. heehee nawwww. He's totally embarrassed! :3
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Date: 2008-07-31 02:36 am (UTC)1. And Ky does not get many chances for ownage on that scale, so he makes the most of them!
2. For more than one reason too. Hah, now I probably need to write a drabble or two where I don't horribly embarrass him just to balance these out. XD
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Date: 2008-07-31 03:42 am (UTC)See ya!
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Date: 2008-07-31 07:28 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-07-31 05:36 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-08-01 03:24 pm (UTC)So much of what you see written for Sol/Ky is all overblown angst and drama - which isn't necessarily wrong or bad, but there are just enough cute moments between them in canon that it's really not so very hard to picture little scenes like these as well without having to stretch characterisation to get the fluff to work. I for one am all for encouraging that sort of variety. *g*
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Date: 2008-07-31 07:31 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-08-01 03:25 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-08-02 12:19 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-08-03 03:02 am (UTC)