Much thanks to Yuki Minamoto and her poll posted on her profile; was inspired by Sice/King's rather high percentage.
CHARACTERS/PAIRING(S): Sice/King, Queen/Nine.
WARNING(S): Sweet as cotton candy.
He's quiet.
He prefers it that way, better suits his outer appearance. He doesn't really mind not socializing as often as Nine or speak as casually as Jack. He's more comfortable this way; silent and observing. Perhaps it was because of this that not many of Class Zero bother speaking to him. Very few truly do just for the sake of it, and most were just business. Queen for example, spoke about battle tactics, assigning the right members for a certain task, organizing strategies and planning out escape ways. He didn't really understand why it had to be him though. Was it merely because his name was King? And she was Queen? Did she have this weird way of thinking that they should converse simply because of its double-meaning? Because of their respective titles?
"You're seriously thinking too much King."
He only grunts, his way of acknowledging his boyish-female classmate. He remembers how they started speaking to one another, all because of a certain student council president. Queen didn't like how Sice manages to blow up her whole scheme and planned out exercises on every mission they had together, so she often goes for King for supposedly emotional support. King presumes that the whole reason the student council president always came to him after her missions with Sice, was because he was a good listener.
She vents her raging frustrations, he simply nods and doesn't interrupt.
Same thing goes whenever she has a mission with Nine.
They have a lot in common. He muses, hearing the typical banters between the slacker-with-the-lance and the student council president. Sice only releases a tired sigh, crossing her arms with an expression of cool indifference as she sits lazily beside him. King actually doesn't mind the woman, her quiet presence a source of tranquility. He can't really see most of Queen's problems regarding the silver-haired member. From a few recent 'counselling' sessions he had with the council president, Sice makes great judgement on the battlefield; just not in the way Queen likes. He does understand her numerous complaints about Nine however, because seeing injured members return from simple tasks isn't a good sign of teamwork. King thinks it's because Nine doesn't worry too much about the lower levelled jobs; that he's merely underestimating them.
"He just prefers having no blue print to follow through in battle."
Sice says as if reading his mind. King allows his eyes to glance briefly towards the scythe-wielder, the woman keeping her blue pools focused on the bickering members of Class Zero. He responds with a stony nod, another grunt escaping his rough lips.
"Hn,"
He catches a wry smile taint the woman's face and finds out why when he hears Nine groan in pain. King sees Queen's hand still in the air, her expression furious with tinges of pink coloring her cream cheeks. Nine is holding his marred face as he watches Queen storm out, deep breaths leaving her mouth with her chest visibly rising. King can barely hear Sice's quiet chuckles beneath the door's weight as Queen slams it shut.
"I think you need to learn when to keep your mouth close," King hears Sice state, amusement plastering her expression as Nine walks dejectedly towards them. "just like how I've learned when to not disobey her orders." King sees Nine merely frown, slumping against the desk in front of him as he sighs. King only watches the two converse, adding in a few of his own suggestions every once in a while regarding 'how to deal with a woman like Queen'.
Rain can't paint pretty pictures.
It makes everything look gloomier, coloring the once light blue canvas a darker and grayer shade. It also gets his clothes wet, his hair, his face, his arms; all soaking and sticky and a pain. It doesn't make their missions go any easier either. The shadowed clouds would hover over him as it blocks his view of the warm sun and soldiers hidden beneath dust.
He doesn't like not being able to see the sky.
"Lighten' up," he hears her say, her boots slapping against puddles of water as she trudges alongside him, "the weather isn't all that bad." King only nods as he continues on towards their rendezvous point, guns secured in each hand. Clinks of metal hitting against gravel reminds him of Sice's habit of dragging her long weapon against the ground, apparently too lazy to carry it any other way.
"Your weapon will dull before you get to truly use it," he speaks, ears attentive at the sound of steel still being dragged against the floor, "does that not worry you?" Sice only shrugs in response, not making any motion to keep her scythe from scratching gravel.
"My scythe is a manifestation of my will," her words make him pay extra close attention, but he doesn't turn his head to see her as she continues on. "it won't dull just because of measly rocks and crushed dirt." He allows himself a fraction of a smile, mulling over how strong-willed she is before finally facing her. As he gazes at the scythe-wielder who continues to march beside him; hair damp and covering her pale face, with sapphire eyes burning in quiet strength, he can't help but muse over his thoughts.
Rain instead paints them beautifully.
"Where is she?"
King doesn't allow his emotions to get the better of him, doesn't allow his voice to come out of his throat like Queen as he watches her slam her fists against a nearby wall. He doesn't want to show any vulnerability, any kind of feelings because he believes he's the 'reason' out of their group. The one who calms everyone and speak sense to troubled members. He's the one everyone can go to ease their doubts; the strong boulder of restrained emotion. He's the one who'll pick up fallen pieces and glue distraught classmates back together. He is the one they'll go to for emotional support.
But what about him?
"She lied, King." He responds with a weak grunt, not as controlled as he would have liked. "She lied. What does she think she's doing?" King doesn't allow himself to speak; afraid of the emotions bubbling inside him. But he feels like he's drowning beneath anger, frustration, worry, rage - "She's putting herself in danger!"
Because he fell for her little white lie.
"She's not supposed to go in there!" He lets Queen release her rage, allows her to vent them because it isn't good to keep them bottled up. It's good for her health.
But I'm an exception, he thinks, hating how hypocritical he was being.
"And that idiot Nine," he hears her mutter, voice cracking ever-so-slightly as she pounds her fist against a crate, "following along, they're both morons." King wants to laugh, wants to smile because it was true. They are idiots, morons, partners-in-crime, and constantly putting themselves in danger. They could even be considered the mirror images of each other; a female version and a male. Seeing them both wield long weapons only reinforces that. They didn't care of the risks they took, and usually King and Queen didn't care either.
But this wasn't a lower-levelled mission.
Sice and Nine both knew that.
Queen made sure to have them both swear that they wouldn't do anything reckless the day before the actual mission. King was even there to supervise and act as witness to this oath-taking event. He watched as amusement danced across those sapphire eyes as she motioned to 'cross her heart'. Nine had the exact same expression, a grin painting his face while Queen made sure they cite her stated promises.
"I'll go scan the area one more time," she had said, waving a dismissive hand his way as she headed out the door. She hadn't allowed him to say anything, hadn't given him enough time to ask if he could go with her. Perhaps he should have acted on his gut-feeling, should have listened to intuition when he heard Queen ask him where Nine had gone off to. He realized at that moment that Nine was out on patrol during that time and Sice had already finished her turn. Worry ate at his heart at the screen of Sice and Nine running over to their enemy's base-line with charged steps. He shared Queen's ferocity when she began hitting things.
"I thought we made sure the enemies wouldn't reach our hiding place..?"
His heart actually stopped at that trademark hoarse, feminine tone. He sees Queen pause, her eyes flickering in mixtures of worry, pain and relief before finally choosing to run over to a dishevelled Nine. King watches him stagger back against her weight, eyes wide before returning the rather rare gesture with injured arms. King thinks it's smart of Nine not to comment on the obviously affectionate gesture the student council president was giving him. King wasn't sure what to think when he sees Sice smile wryly at the scene.
"I knew she'd be waiting for him," she says, plopping lazily beside King once again as blood continues to ooze from a gash on her arm, "so I made sure he didn't take too many hits."
He understood what she implied and he wants to do nothing but yell at her, to scold her for allowing to take damages on Nine's behalf as he allows his hand to glow and heal the injury. King doesn't trust himself to speak and Sice doesn't comment as he reaches for her crimson-covered arm; feeling the warm liquid itch beneath his thick, calloused fingers.
Didn't she know that he was waiting for her too?
"What about me..?"
He hates how his voice sounds so weak, so pathetic and so vulnerable as he tries his best to avoid making eye-contact with the fearless woman. He can feel her blue gaze burn against his face as he keeps his eyes trained on her red arm. King doesn't want to see what's swirling beneath those pools because he knows full well that she wears her emotions on her eyes. He wouldn't know what to feel if all he saw was confusion etched on those pretty pairs of sapphires. If there was one thing King had to say regarding any like and dislike towards her characteristics, he'd say it without any hesitation.
King hates and loves how dense Sice is.
"Come here," he's speechless when her uninjured arm wraps around him, the tip of her index finger drawing an invisible circle as she continues to whisper, her breath tickling his ear. "you've got to stop wearing your heart on your sleeve, King. Even I can see them." He feels heat rise to his cheeks before he had a chance to stop it. Silence never failed him before, so he doesn't say anything.
His eyes flutter close, keeping quiet as he listens to Sice's hoarse chuckles that sound exactly like music.
After thinking long and hard about it, Sice and King are actually pretty sweet together. As you can see, I'm playing with Sice's personality; she's much more calmer here than in "Decisions."