SWDS prequel ficlet
So, while I let my brain decompress from the end of the semester, I figured I'd finish this while I worked on my latest Gregory x von Karma fic the next chapter of SWDS proper. Which I want to get out before Christmas, but still. Anyway, this ficlet is pre-SWDS and set when Dr. Harris there is still in med school. Enjoy!
Title: If the rain comes
Fandom: Petshop of Horrors (sort of)
Rating: PG
Archive: Ask and ye shall be as gods receive
Warning: Profanity, AU, reincarnation
Spoilers: None. Though it is definitely connected to SWDS, and might not make too much sense if you haven't read it.
He drew his jacket more closely around him, and cursed the weathermen for what had to be the third time in as many minutes. They had been calling for a cold but clear day that day. And Vincent, sleep deprived as he was, had believed them. That had clearly been a mistake, since it was currently raining so hard that at least two of his professors and one of his bosses had made comments about building an ark. And since it was November, it was the cold nasty kind of rain that chilled you to the bone. Vincent honestly would have preferred snow to this.
In fact, the only reason he was walking out in the mess in the first place was because his motorcycle was currently being fixed. Which was, of course, going to mean working more hours in an already full schedule to pay for the repairs. Which really was just what he needed, especially with finals in less than a month. The whole sorry situation made him want a cigarette, but lighting one right now (if he could manage to get it lit in the first place with the rain) would be a waste of a perfectly good cigarette.
Vincent was so lost in his thoughts that he almost didn't hear the sniffling. It might have been better if he hadn't. But he did, and he started looking around for its source. It sounded like a kid. He scanned the area quickly, trying to figure out where the sound was coming from. It got a little easier when the sniffling turned to crying. It sounded like it was coming from a nearby dumpster, but why would there be a kid in there in weather like this?
"I better not be fucking hallucinating," Vincent muttered, as he approached the dumpster.
The crying just got a little more insistent at that, as whoever it was realized that there was someone around. Vincent saw a flash of movement, and then he saw the source of the sound. Sitting on a window-box air conditioner above the dumpster was a little girl. At least, that's what she looked like. But something seemed a little off.
"You all right? What are you doing out here in the rain?" Vincent asked softly, stopping not too far away. The overhang of the building's roof provided some shelter from the rain.
"I'm cold. And hungry," the girl said plaintively, looking at Vincent curiously. "And everyone is gone."
Really, those eyes could probably get the little girl anything she wanted. At least, that's what Vincent thought. They were a very striking shade of green. And they almost drew all of his attention. So it took him a moment to realize that the little girl's hair was pure white. At least it looked like it. And that was with it being soaked through with rain. It just added credit to Vincent's suspicion that something was not right here.
"Gone? What do you mean?" he asked.
"Mama's gone, and I never knew Papa, and people came and took my brothers and sisters away!" the little girl wailed, bursting into fresh tears.
Vincent sighed softly. He could not take the girl in. Not with his current schedule and money troubles. But... he was a doctor. Or going to be. And he couldn't just let her stay out here and catch her death.
"Come on," he said, holding out his hand. "Let's get you somewhere warm, hmm?"
The little girl eyed Vincent for a moment or two, before jumping into his arms with surprising grace. He caught her, but he noticed that she was a lot lighter than he thought a girl of her size might be.
"Will there be food? I haven't had anything to eat in forever!" The little girl proclaimed. "So you'll feed me!"
That last sentence was a command, not a request. And Vincent just smiled a little as he re-balanced the little girl in his arms and positioned her so that she would at least be protected by some of his jacket wrapped around her.
"I'll feed you. Hopefully nothing in my refrigerator's started growing mold yet," Vincent said, making a bit of a face, before he started to walk. "What's your name, anyway? Since I should know the name of the lady that I'm rescuing," he teased.
"I am Charon," the little girl said loftily, her mood improved when it looked like there would be food and warmth forthcoming in the near future.
"Charon, huh? Weird name for a kid. I'm Vincent."
"Kid?" Charon asked, looking a bit affronted now. "I am not a kid!"
"You aren't?" Vincent asked bemusedly.
"Of course not!" Charon grumbled. "But you promised me food and somewhere warm, so I guess I'll forgive you!"
Vincent blinked, before chuckling a little, and started heading back in the direction of his apartment. She was a very strange little girl, and Vincent knew that something was clearly up. It would come to him. Maybe when he wasn't so exhausted, but it would come to him, eventually.
*~*~*
Purring. There was purring. And something light and warm on his chest. Vincent yawned, cracking his eyes open. He had work that afternoon. And class in about an hour and a half. Which would be why his alarm had gone off. But the purring... well... he hadn't expected the purring.
Of course, opening his eyes brought him face to face with a small, white kitten. With very striking green eyes. And he blinked. The kitten was looking at him expectantly. The way that Charon had when he had gotten them back to the apartment and rummaged through the fridge to see what he could feed her. There wasn't anymore milk thanks to the strange little girl, but she at least had been happy after she had eaten.
"Oh hell," Vincent muttered, closing his eyes as realization hit him. Then he opened his eyes and looked at the kitten again.
"That was a dirty trick, you know," he informed the kitten.
Charon just mewed at him and started to groom one of her paws.
"You're just lucky I have a weird way of seeing animals, Charon."
She mewed happily, before bounding off into the apartment in an attempt to get Vincent moving. She wanted to be fed sometime today after all. Vincent just stared after her, a bit bemusedly. He had a feeling if he tried to get rid of her that she would just come back. Which meant he had ended up the proud owner of a precocious kitten.
Though he had to admit... a kitten was probably better than taking care of a little girl. Even if he had a feeling that the kitten could be just as destructive, if not more so.
At least she's not the Count.
Yes, there was that. Unlike so many of the other weird thought flashes he had about his past life, that one was one that he could agree with.
Title: If the rain comes
Fandom: Petshop of Horrors (sort of)
Rating: PG
Archive: Ask and ye shall be as gods receive
Warning: Profanity, AU, reincarnation
Spoilers: None. Though it is definitely connected to SWDS, and might not make too much sense if you haven't read it.
He drew his jacket more closely around him, and cursed the weathermen for what had to be the third time in as many minutes. They had been calling for a cold but clear day that day. And Vincent, sleep deprived as he was, had believed them. That had clearly been a mistake, since it was currently raining so hard that at least two of his professors and one of his bosses had made comments about building an ark. And since it was November, it was the cold nasty kind of rain that chilled you to the bone. Vincent honestly would have preferred snow to this.
In fact, the only reason he was walking out in the mess in the first place was because his motorcycle was currently being fixed. Which was, of course, going to mean working more hours in an already full schedule to pay for the repairs. Which really was just what he needed, especially with finals in less than a month. The whole sorry situation made him want a cigarette, but lighting one right now (if he could manage to get it lit in the first place with the rain) would be a waste of a perfectly good cigarette.
Vincent was so lost in his thoughts that he almost didn't hear the sniffling. It might have been better if he hadn't. But he did, and he started looking around for its source. It sounded like a kid. He scanned the area quickly, trying to figure out where the sound was coming from. It got a little easier when the sniffling turned to crying. It sounded like it was coming from a nearby dumpster, but why would there be a kid in there in weather like this?
"I better not be fucking hallucinating," Vincent muttered, as he approached the dumpster.
The crying just got a little more insistent at that, as whoever it was realized that there was someone around. Vincent saw a flash of movement, and then he saw the source of the sound. Sitting on a window-box air conditioner above the dumpster was a little girl. At least, that's what she looked like. But something seemed a little off.
"You all right? What are you doing out here in the rain?" Vincent asked softly, stopping not too far away. The overhang of the building's roof provided some shelter from the rain.
"I'm cold. And hungry," the girl said plaintively, looking at Vincent curiously. "And everyone is gone."
Really, those eyes could probably get the little girl anything she wanted. At least, that's what Vincent thought. They were a very striking shade of green. And they almost drew all of his attention. So it took him a moment to realize that the little girl's hair was pure white. At least it looked like it. And that was with it being soaked through with rain. It just added credit to Vincent's suspicion that something was not right here.
"Gone? What do you mean?" he asked.
"Mama's gone, and I never knew Papa, and people came and took my brothers and sisters away!" the little girl wailed, bursting into fresh tears.
Vincent sighed softly. He could not take the girl in. Not with his current schedule and money troubles. But... he was a doctor. Or going to be. And he couldn't just let her stay out here and catch her death.
"Come on," he said, holding out his hand. "Let's get you somewhere warm, hmm?"
The little girl eyed Vincent for a moment or two, before jumping into his arms with surprising grace. He caught her, but he noticed that she was a lot lighter than he thought a girl of her size might be.
"Will there be food? I haven't had anything to eat in forever!" The little girl proclaimed. "So you'll feed me!"
That last sentence was a command, not a request. And Vincent just smiled a little as he re-balanced the little girl in his arms and positioned her so that she would at least be protected by some of his jacket wrapped around her.
"I'll feed you. Hopefully nothing in my refrigerator's started growing mold yet," Vincent said, making a bit of a face, before he started to walk. "What's your name, anyway? Since I should know the name of the lady that I'm rescuing," he teased.
"I am Charon," the little girl said loftily, her mood improved when it looked like there would be food and warmth forthcoming in the near future.
"Charon, huh? Weird name for a kid. I'm Vincent."
"Kid?" Charon asked, looking a bit affronted now. "I am not a kid!"
"You aren't?" Vincent asked bemusedly.
"Of course not!" Charon grumbled. "But you promised me food and somewhere warm, so I guess I'll forgive you!"
Vincent blinked, before chuckling a little, and started heading back in the direction of his apartment. She was a very strange little girl, and Vincent knew that something was clearly up. It would come to him. Maybe when he wasn't so exhausted, but it would come to him, eventually.
*~*~*
Purring. There was purring. And something light and warm on his chest. Vincent yawned, cracking his eyes open. He had work that afternoon. And class in about an hour and a half. Which would be why his alarm had gone off. But the purring... well... he hadn't expected the purring.
Of course, opening his eyes brought him face to face with a small, white kitten. With very striking green eyes. And he blinked. The kitten was looking at him expectantly. The way that Charon had when he had gotten them back to the apartment and rummaged through the fridge to see what he could feed her. There wasn't anymore milk thanks to the strange little girl, but she at least had been happy after she had eaten.
"Oh hell," Vincent muttered, closing his eyes as realization hit him. Then he opened his eyes and looked at the kitten again.
"That was a dirty trick, you know," he informed the kitten.
Charon just mewed at him and started to groom one of her paws.
"You're just lucky I have a weird way of seeing animals, Charon."
She mewed happily, before bounding off into the apartment in an attempt to get Vincent moving. She wanted to be fed sometime today after all. Vincent just stared after her, a bit bemusedly. He had a feeling if he tried to get rid of her that she would just come back. Which meant he had ended up the proud owner of a precocious kitten.
Though he had to admit... a kitten was probably better than taking care of a little girl. Even if he had a feeling that the kitten could be just as destructive, if not more so.
At least she's not the Count.
Yes, there was that. Unlike so many of the other weird thought flashes he had about his past life, that one was one that he could agree with.