Author's Note: It's a good question that deserves an answer.
Rating: Kplus
Genre: general/humor/angst
Pairing: Kidd/Serge, implied Riddel/Norris
Summary: Serge doesn't say much, but his friends are more than loud enough to make up for it. Still, is that by choice, or...?
Loud Silence
By: Mazzie May
"Ya don't talk much, do ya?" Kidd popped a tablet into her mouth and dry swallowed. Serge was sitting on a rock a little bit away from the main group and she was standing next to him.
They were sort of in the middle; they could see Riddel wandering top the cliff side, bellflowers in hand, Karsh and Marcy not far behind. She politely waved to the dirt path below and Norris gave her a small smile with a messy salute as he continued his pursuit of the quick and elusive Leah. The feral child in question hopped from rock to rock, just skittering out of Norris' gentle grasp.
Kidd looked down at him. Serge's eyes narrowed despite his smile and he turned his head away from her.
"C'mon then! I know the strong silent type is crazy attractive an' all, but it's nice to have a conversation with a bloke every now an' again. S'all I'm sayin'." He uncrossed his legs and let them dangle over the edge of the bolder. She sighed. "Seriously, Serge. Can you say anythin' besides yer name?"
He looked like he was laughing but no sound was heard. He rubbed the back of his neck. Kidd dropped down next to him. It was true, though. The boy hardly ever spoke outside of introducing himself and when he did, it was very quietly and in short sentences. Well, with mates as loud as she was, it's not like he had to say much, but it was still unnerving how much he could get across with expressions alone. Hell, she spent a lot of time learning how to lie with her eyes and his is nothing but honesty. You have to, you have to make eye contact with him in a conversation or there's nearly no way to know what he's thinking or how he feels. Like a loud silence.
His voice is very soft, a little bit past whispering, you have to lean in to hear. And it looks like it hurts. The more he has to speak, the more pain he seems to be in. He never complains about it or anything, but Leena and Radius look especially concerned and try to keep it to a minimal.
She punched his shoulder with little force. "So, what's the deal, then?"
Despite the smile, he seemed uncomfortable as he lifted his head and tapped his throat. Kidd's eyes scanned the area around the worn leather of the glove until he did it again and she realized his fingers weren't at a specific point.
"Yer throat, yeah?" The reply was a nod.
"Ripped out."
She blinked, unsure if she heard the whisper right. "Yer throat…" she began, watching his eyes. "…was ripped out, you said?"
His eyes were dark and soft as he nodded. She grabbed his chin and lifted it higher and turned his head away, allowing for more light from the sinking sun. Fraying cloth trailed against the dark skin as she dragged her hand down his neck. It took some squinting, but she found the scars she sought. It must have been a long time ago; the scars were tanned with the rest of him.
He wasn't struggling against her, just awkwardly bending in the direction she wanted. The scars were bad. Bad. She knew a thing or two about scars and for them to be that wide and flat, it must've happened when he was little. Real little for them to be stretched like they were.
"What did it?"
His throat worked beneath her finger but she didn't hear anything thing. She forced his head towards hers. "One more time, mate."
"Panther."
"Oh, jeez…" she breathed, not being able to meet his eyes. There was a subdued fear there, something that word probably triggered, something she couldn't look at. And the whole Lynx thing… "Jeez."
He shrugged, the movement allowing him to pull his head away from Kidd's hand. She brought it back to her lap.
"How'd it happen?"
Serge brought one knee up as he stared out into the chasm, (subconsciously, she assumed) drawing small circles on the side of his knee with his thumb. He looked around for something before turning towards her, sighing sadly and resting his cheek against the back of his hand on his knee. She stared right back at him.
--
Didn't see it coming, a total surprise. Just turn around at a noise and find black rushing towards him. On the ground before he can blink, before he can scream, the furry body a solid heat holding down his little form. It bats his head hard enough to bruise, knocking it to the side, giving it full access to his neck.
The bite doesn't hurt, at first anyway. The big thing growls, the rough tongue dragging back and forth just a bit. That, mixed with the hot huffs for air makes the skin raw and wet, the teeth just sitting within his skin. It's more holding his neck than chomping it.
His squeals of fear and pain come don't sound right as his vocal cords struggle against the blood and pressure. He chokes on a thick warmness that settles in his throat, a dry tongue working frantically to get something across. His head is stuffy and everything looks soft as his body tingles and struggles.
He hadn't even thought of his father until he heard him shouting. Surprised by the noise, the panther jumped away quickly and fiercely, scratching up the boys arms and chest.
But not before closing it's jaws, taking everything in front of the bone with it.
--
Kidd blinked slowly, Serge's expressive gaze allowing her into his mind. She could imagine it perfectly. From the individual hairs of the big cat's coat, to the bloody dirt it kicked up as it darted back into the jungle. "Bugger," she breathed.
He broke the eye contact, smiling and then shrugging, putting his chin over the hand still on his knee. The movement said, 'eh, it happened a long time ago.'
"Still," she responded. "Blimey."
He turned to her a little, his eyes drifting over her arms and then to her face, his expression quietly curious. 'Do you have any scars?' it said.
Her contemplative frown one-eightied into Cheshire's grin. "Oi, the things I could tell ya! Fallin' outta trees, off'a rocks, in'ta rocks…" He smiled at the last part, though his looked her over, searching for them. She laughed.
"Don't think I wear this white gunk fer fun, do ya, Serge?"
He sat up, surprised. She hopped up, placing her hands on her hips. "C'mon, I'll tell ya all about it ov'ah din'ah. I'm bloomin' hungry." He shook his head with a smile, standing as well. They began hopping down the rocks.
"Bloomin' hungry," she breathed. "Been waitin' to get me grub on all day."
As they hit the path, they saw Riddel sitting on a rock Zoah had no doubt found for her, smiling down at a passed out Leah who was curled up on Norris' lap, wrapped in his jacket. The captain looked very confused and asked a question they couldn't hear, something funny that made everyone laugh, except Karsh who obviously flushed, even in the red light of a dying day.
"Real quick there, mate," Kidd touched Serge's arm and he stopped. "Next time you don' wanna talk about somethin'? Lemme know, alright?" He tilted his head.
'What do you mean?'
"Not every scar tans out, yeah?" she offered, a hand on her hip. "An' sometimes, there ain't enough paint in the world." It wasn't really a grin she offered with a bob of her head, but it was a very large smile.
He stepped back, hands out in front of him, his eyes wide, shaking his head. 'Oh, I didn't mind,' it tried to assure, and with a small smile, 'It's not so big of a deal.'
She scowled in mock anger. "Yer a lotta things there, Serge, includin' a bad liar."
He blushed, with a shake of his head and gestured to her. 'Nothing's off limits,' and 'you can always ask'. Oh, or maybe 'you can always ask.' Shoot, she wasn't sure.
She shrugged. "Just sayin'."
Serge made a face at that, before letting the grimace fall into a gentle smile that made her raise her eye brow just a little. He touched her arm, just for a second. 'Same with you,' he was saying.
Smirking, Kidd moved past him. "Like you could get me t' talk 'bout somethin' I don' want to." The smile he gave said a million things, even though he didn't say a word.
Author's Note: First, everyone mentioned. I see the party as this: Serge, Norris and Riddel. Riddel wouldn't be aloud to go anywhere with out at least one Deva, I gave her two. If you're lucky enough to be using Norris when you hit up Gaia's Navel for the first time, he shows a lot more corcern about Leah than any of the other charactes, so if Serge called him to the front lines, I could see him saying, "If I go, she comes with" so she's not left alone. And Kidd's just there to harrass Serge. And... there you go. I don't know why I said, "first", there's no second. Enjoy!
R&R please, any commentary appreciated