Archive of Our Own

The ‘Club Franco’ store next to the Gold Galore Pawnshop has a sale going on. They have set huge speakers outside to get everybody’s attention playing superhit numbers. ‘God only knows’ by The Beach Boys starts playing when Frenchie and Kimiko are about to leave the basement. He begins grooving to the beats and twirls Kimiko around, as they head towards the stairs, that lead up to the pawnshop and outside.

The moonlight escaping through a hovering flock of clouds shines on the road as traffic mellows down. The pavement seems to be glazed by the glowing and glittering fluorescents from signboards and window decors of the stores on that lane, faintly mimicking a dance floor. Adding more character are bright beams from the lamp-posts looking like spotlights, inviting them over.

The music and the natural setting only add to Frenchie’s excitement. If it were anyone other than Kimiko, he would have taken her by hand and pranced ahead. But not Kimiko. That little twirl earlier was sweet and might have happened in the heat of the moment but he didn’t want to risk being choked again for crossing the line.  He turns to her and adjusting his bag over the shoulder, offers his hand, “Shall we?”

Kimiko slightly tilts her head and a lock of hair waiting to tumble, falls loosely over her cheek, covering the eyes. She pulls them together and tucks it gently behind her ear. Her face glows under the moonlight as she reaches her arm out and takes his hand. A smile slyly sneaks its way through her lips and dips into her dimples, feeling honored to have fulfilled its destiny by serving this warrior queen.

Without missing a second, Frenchie pulls her closer. Faces close enough for their noses to touch, like a picture ready to be framed, they stand still diving into the depths of each other’s eyes. Without breaking the gaze, Frenchie guides her other arm onto his bicep. Slipping his arm under her shoulder, he grips her by the back delicately, pulling her even closer. Kimiko is still smiling and that checks as permission enough. A soft push and he spins her. She giggles under her breath trying not to let go of his hand. Quickly then, he spins in circles and then around her. A few more around her and in a swoosh pulls her in. Whirling she comes right into his arms. Her hair brushes over his face as the scent of her fruit-flavored shampoo fills his lungs. He realizes how Kimiko keeps adding her essence to anything and everything she touches because he certainly remembered the shampoo smelling bland when he had hurriedly bought it for her.

Taking turns holding each of her hands, he leads her into a pattern of swirls and twirls. Though Kimiko had only ever watched people dance on television, she adapts pretty quickly and follows his lead with a bounce in her feet.

Frenchie doesn’t take his eyes off her, not even when they are about to collide with someone. Though his eyes are glued to hers, he knows exactly which way to sway her. It almost seems like he had it all planned in advance.

Being in her presence always made him feel whole. He felt like they were both a part of something that belonged only to them. She brought hope into his life. He felt like a king having Kimiko by his side in all their adventures. She made him feel fulfilled and happy.

But right now, just dancing with her in the open, without any worries of being noticed, holding her in his arms even if only for split seconds, her fingers intertwining with his, and the lyrics making all the sense in the world, his serotonin levels appeared to have surpassed all the previously set standards. His boundless joy hazes everything around, making Kimiko, the song, and the now, the only things that matter.

He doesn’t force her into any moves but just goes with the flow responding to her movements. Her elbows poking his ribs, her occasional stepping on his feet, and her bag hitting him every time she spun, nothing stopped Frenchie from falling for her again.

He was the first person that gave her hope. The first person she trusted after her brother. She knew how much he cared about her and how he would always have her back. Even right now, she knew how careful he was being so she wouldn’t slip. His stronghold, the stunningly calm gaze, and that overwhelmingly cute smile reinforces a sense of security in her. She lets all her worries, pain, and sorrow go. Giving herself into his suave, she closes her eyes and allows him to spin her around and waltz through the rest of the way.

He takes her left, she goes left, he slows down, she slows down. Their steps start falling into synch. Like in a small cloud of theirs, they dance in their own little world, to the rhythm of their heartbeats. Frenchie hums along the lines and Kimiko giggles each time he pulls her closer. And it melts his heart every single time. He just couldn’t have enough of her voice especially after hearing how perfect it sounded when she laughs. He would give anything to listen to her speak or even call his name. And he strongly believes that day would come.

However, nearing the corner of the street, their steps become lighter and moves soften. The song behind them fades into indistinct city noises. Frenchie doesn’t want to let her go yet but the fear of making her feel uncomfortable compels him to distance himself from her.

Turning onto the next street Kimiko frees her hand from Frenchie’s and walks forward. He freezes there like a statue drowned in his feelings, as they sink deep into his heart. He watches her spring ahead, cursing his luck for how close it brought her, and yet so far she was. But that doesn’t beat his delight, the ecstasy he is under. As if caught under enchantment or a powerful magic spell, he stands there beaming with joy. And that huge smile finds no excuse whatsoever to leave his face.

Few steps later, not finding Frenchie by her side, Kimiko turns around and sees him standing right where they had split. He is smiling like a puppy as his face looks flushed with pink. She beckons him to hurry and he jogs up to her. With a concerned look, she enquires if he was okay.

“Of Course, just ran out of breath that’s all,” he says pretending to pant.

‘You? Ran out of breath?’ she signs with a smirk, squinting her eyes knowing very well that a little dance couldn’t render a person like Frenchie breathless.

He just nods, scratching his bristly head as his face turns red like a cherry. She throws a whimsical look and walks on.

They continue to walk together beside each other watching every store pass by. While few of them put minimal efforts at flaunting, others had huge glass displays with mannequins and lightings showing off their best collections. Kimiko is drawn towards one such display that catches her attention and makes her stop short. Frenchie observes her face fill with glee as her eyes lock gaze with the dress.

“We can buy it if you like Kimiko. Do you want it?” he says

He gets an eager nod as her eyes hesitantly look down, evincing her shyness. A reminder of how powerless he feels when she does something out of the blue. He is not able to contain how adorable she looks, with her neck slightly bent forward and eyes fixed on the ground, like a child asking for a present. His smile only widens as he walks up to the store’s door and holds it open for her. He bows and says, “Please Mademoiselle”

Kimiko’s smile expands as a tinge of pink fill her cheeks. Sticking her hands to the sides of her body, she locks her palms and struts to the door. She signs ‘Thankyou’ while entering, to which Frenchie bows as a soft ‘Of course’ escapes his lips.

A lovely woman welcomes them inside. After a short greeting, he enquires about the dress, while Kimiko looks on. The sweet lady asks them to wait while she searches for Kimiko’s size.

Kimiko glances around and is awestruck by the endless racks of colorful clothes. Frenchie standing right next to her notices and hears her gentle gasp that makes his heart skip a beat.

Frankly, anything she did would have that effect on him but the impact increased exponentially whenever her voice got involved.

He leans in and whispers, “Kimiko, you can try them if you want. Do you want to?”

She turns to him and nods keenly, her face still in wonder.

Holding his hand out, he waves to the racks. And with an obedient smile, adds, “Go ahead”. She giggles again and paces towards them.

While she picked her favorites, the sweet lady returns with the dress and asks if she could show Kimiko to the trial room. Kimiko looks at Frenchie and he acts out while whispering along, “Try them on and see if you like them. Go on. Don’t worry. I will wait here”

She nods and takes the dress and her other picks to the trail room.

Frenchie spots a sofa nearby and sits with the bags.

After what seemed like five minutes, he hears the latch open and out walks Kimiko wearing a gorgeous red gown with lace sleeves running down to her elbows. The dress outlined the shape of her body emphasizing her frame and showing off her curves. The elegance of the color red brought out a classy look. The low neckline revealed her collar bones and shoulders while making her neck the center of attention.

Frenchie’s jaw drops. He gulps and catches his breath trying his best not to look creepy. He had once or twice, maybe a lot more times only but imagined how she might look in a dress, but witnessing the sheer beauty of it made his insides tingle.

Kimiko walks towards him signing ‘How is it?’

His sparkling eyes and wide mouth are approval enough, but she still waits for him to say something.

Frenchie is speechless and evidently seems ambushed by this version of her. Struggling to get words out of his mouth, he says, “Amazing!” with a meek thumbs-up.

She begins to blush and, in an attempt to hide it, turns away and races back to the trial room.

Frenchie sits there on the sofa reminiscing how beautiful she looks, burning that image forever in his mind. He remembers that when Mother’s Milk was talking about someone to love and go home to, his mind had subtly hinted at Kimiko. But seeing her like this, he couldn’t stop picturing them together having fun dates, walking on a beach, watching sunsets, sharing clothes, cooking together, going on vacations, and just being a couple. He shuts his eyes basking in that feeling and rests his head on the back of the sofa.

After another ten minutes, Kimiko returns with her arms filled in clothes. He gets up and pretending as nothing happened, grabs all of them and smirks, “Is that all Mademoiselle?”

She smiles coyly and picks the bags off the sofa. They head towards the billing desk but Kimiko stops him and points towards the aisle right next to them. It is filled entirely with accessories - from hair clips, scrunchies to nail polishes, combs, and whatnot. Frenchie smiles again and in the gentlest tone says, “Go ahead, Kimiko”.

Her nose scrunches a little as she smirks and strides towards the aisle. She comes back with scrunchies, snap clips, barrettes, perfumes, nail polishes, and makeup and they get the items billed. Frenchie sees Kimiko reaching for her pocket to get the cash out and stops her. Shaking his head, he says, “Not that money”

Her gaze shifts immediately to the ground. She understands that he meant well and only cared about her. So, out of respect, she lets him pay. He demands to carry all the bags, however after almost breaking his little finger trying to hold them all, hands her one or two.

They finally reach their apartment; the one Butcher had sent him the address of. It is a cozy place on the fifth floor with two rooms and a balcony overlooking the street. The balcony opens up to the sky allowing wind to flow in. Frenchie checks all the electrical fixtures and water outlets while Kimiko looks around admiring its openness. Having spent most of her time either in captivity, reclusion, or stealth, this new place emanated signs of new beginnings. Its domesticity and homely aura welcomed her with warmth.

“It’s nice isn’t it?” he asks peeping into the rooms.

She looks at him and signs ‘I love the balcony’

“Aah yes! You can now look at the moon every night. We can put some plants over the ledge so the leaves will look like trees… like from your pictures”

She agrees with a happy nod and goes into the balcony. She holds the railing and stares into the moon. A wave of cool breeze whispers the secrets of the night into her ears, reminding her of her home. An emptiness fills her heart as she reflects over her past life when everything changed on one unfortunate night. But the moon looked different tonight. Very peaceful. She felt stronger and safer.

She could hear Frenchie in the kitchen humming to the song they had danced earlier to. The grocery bags crackle and utensils clink. The click of the igniter, a slight hiss of the gas, and a woosh when the flame finally kicks in, echoes throughout. Popping his head out he says, “Kimiko, go freshen up. Let’s have dinner”

This makes her realize how hungry she is, so she goes to her room with all the shopping bags. She checks herself out in the mirror and holds some of her new clothes against her body to see how they looked again. She also arranges her hair clips and nail polishes in the drawer and puts all clothes in the closet, while carefully hanging her special dress.

By then Frenchie shouts from the kitchen, “Dinner is ready!”

Kimiko hurries out of the room to find Frenchie sitting in the balcony. He has carpets laid on the floor with pillows around and blankets tucked in a corner. A small table is set in the middle with Frenchie’s special Jambon-beurre, some fried eggs, and a chicken stew, Coq au vin blanc. There is also coke and candles in the middle. He pats the floor next to him and says, “Mademoiselle, would you like to join me for dinner?”

How could she refuse him? Her heart fills with joy as she makes her way and sits next to him. His fondness for good food and sharing it with others showed in the way he served her dinner. They start eating under the moonlight with candles around. Kimiko shows her nail color to him and he takes her hand to look closer. He signs something and Kimiko bursts into fits of laughter. He laughs along cluelessly until he realizes that he had signed something profane. His eyes widen as shock and shame spread over his face.

“Beautiful! I meant beautiful! Not that Mon Coeur!” he shouts shaking his head.

Kimiko’s heart flutters on hearing him call her that. It had been so long since he had called her Mon Coeur, that when she heard it again this time, it felt like she had longed for it ever since. She signs ‘beautiful’ without realizing how involuntarily it came to her. Frenchie copies her this time uttering ‘beautiful’ several times pointing at her nails. He gets back to eating while she looks on. She had missed him. She had known that he was following her the other day and that he was present at the church too. But when he had left in anger, she had seen the disappointment and a hint of betrayal in his eyes. It had seemed like there was no other choice than to continue working with Cherrie. But most of the time, she missed him. His voice, his kind heart, his food, everything. And now it was all back.

She smiles back at him and continues with the meal.

After they are done, Frenchie brings out a bag he had hidden under the table.

“I bought it for you. I want you to have it”

She gestures ‘Me?’

He just nods.

She pulls out the wrapping paper and finds an Origami book inside.

“I saw you making this. And this book has so many other animals in it. So, you can learn and make more animals and birds and everything else.”

Tears start welling in her eyes as she places the book aside. What Frenchie had seen earlier were little mouse figures she and Kenji would make for each other as gifts during their time in the Shining Light Liberation Army Training Camp. The emptiness she had felt earlier was for Kenji. She wanted him to feel the freedom she felt right now. She wanted to take care of him and protect him. All her feelings hit her at once and she starts sobbing. She tells him what they meant while crying and it pains Frenchie to see her this way.

Frenchie wants to hug her tight and tell her that Kenji had gone to a better place and that she will be okay. But he fears she might push him away again, so he just sits there in pain. Kimiko looks at him and tells him that she missed Kenji. Frenchie can’t stop himself so he grabs her palm and squeezes it. She lifts her head and looks at him. Guessing to have crossed the line, he lets go of her hand. She leans forward and before he could pull back, grabs him into a hug. He freezes for a moment until he realizes what’s happening and hugs her back.

“You know… your brother is in a better place Mon Coeur. He is looking over you. He wants you to live his freedom.”

She sniffles and he continues, “You are going to be alright Kimiko. I will always be here for you.”

His comforting words make her feel much better. Wiping her tears off she thanks him.

To lighten the mood, he pulls a butterfly barrette out of the bag and hands it to her saying, “I want you to be happy and colorful like this butterfly.”

Her smile returns as she takes it. She hugs him again and thanks him.

Frenchie moves the table aside and props the pillows for them to sleep. Kimiko lies down hugging the book gazing into the vast dark sky twinkling with stars. Frenchie lies down next to her. They hold each other’s hand and lay in silence.

Her breathing returns to normal after a few huffs and puffs. She feels more relieved to have gotten all the overwhelming emotions out. The agonizing pain in her chest had vanished, making her appreciate what she had right now. Her thoughts start falling in place imagining how far she had come when it came to trusting people. And it had all started with Frenchie. When he saved her the first time, she couldn’t understand a thing he said but his genuine eyes and a reassuring voice told her that he was her only chance at getting back to her brother. He was the first one who treated her like a person and not a freak. That night when she fought Black Noir for attacking Frenchie, she considered his favor returned, but lying there hurt and hopeless, she wished for him to come back. And he did come back to hold her hand until she felt better. That was the moment she knew she could trust this guy. Of course, after being with Mother’s Milk, Hughie and Butcher she had learned that not everyone she met would want to hurt her but Frenchie… he was her beacon of hope. Her retreat. The source of her journey to healing. Her second chance at life. He was right about her not asking for help but she couldn’t deny how much she needed to be cared for and that to her was saving.  

She locks her fingers with his, making him hold on tighter. Closing her eyes, she takes a deep breath.

Frenchie watches her fall asleep as his heart falls in love just like her sleep took over. Slowly at first and then all at once.

He had understood by now that it was him after all that needed saving.

But the truth is, they had saved each other.

The way a ship after wandering through treacherous ocean always found its way to the harbor, Kimiko and Frenchie seemed to find their way back to each other.

In the silence of the night, under a blanket of stars, in a language of their own, without talking or listening, they had told each other everything.