Disclaimer: The characters of Full Metal Panic! do not belong to me.
What If…
By Starzki
-x-
Kyouko's pencil scratched along the paper, filling in answers to the homework questions. She softly hummed a couple of notes of a popular song under her breath as she concentrated.
The sounds from Kaname's best friend were a little distracting in the quiet room. But they were only a few of many things distracting Sousuke from concentrating on his own work.
Sousuke had something he wanted to ask Kyouko in the limited time they had before Kaname showed up to their little study group; but, he wasn't quite sure how to properly convey the question that weighed on his mind.
He wasn't worried about Kyouko's reaction. She had taken much of his previous military behavior in stride and hadn't so much as blinked when the time had come to let her know a little about his true occupation and background.
Furthermore, since he and Kaname had begun officially dating three weeks ago, Kyouko had become something of a confidant. She certainly was a well-spring of information about things that girls might like. After all, it was her suggestion to bring Kaname's favorite flower as a present before their first date when he had asked her whether Kaname would like a yellow or black leather case for the pepper spray he had originally meant as a gift.
The flower had gone over well. Not much else on that first date, or any date since, had the same success.
Sousuke had meant for the few evenings that he and Kaname shared to be as romantic and low-key as possible. But things had a way of going wrong for him.
Very wrong. Very, very wrong. Yet, Sousuke did have to admit that the three hours that he and Kaname had spent in the waiting room of the busy downtown Tokyo emergency room the previous weekend had given them time to talk and get to know one another a little more. He would never have discovered so much about her childhood if they had gone to the movie as they had planned. It was actually a great experience up to the point they called him back to get stitches.
However, Sousuke couldn't help but worry that his bourgeoning relationship with Kaname was doomed before it even began. While he was a specialist when it came to operating arm slaves, he was merely an amateur when it came to everyday teenage social situations.
He felt so inept. He would wonder if Kaname would happier with someone more… normal.
Sousuke decided that Kyouko would let him know if Kaname would be better off with someone else.
Kyouko was honest and non-judgmental and Sousuke found himself turning to her when he wanted to make an effort to surprise Kaname. Any advice that she gave was simple, cheerful, and well-meaning.
He decided he should broach the subject with Kyouko because she would tell him the truth, even if it wasn't what he wanted to hear.
"Tokiwa, can I ask you something?"
"Hmm?" Kyouko did not lift her eyes from her work and her pencil continued its trek over the page.
"Um. Last night… I had a dream that I was a different person," Sousuke said.
Kyouko kept working, her tongue poking into the corner of her mouth and the light humming punctuating her thought process. Sousuke decided that she was listening to him, anyway.
"In the dream, I was a different person, but I was still me. I mean, I looked the same. Maybe I didn't have all of the same scars that I have now, but I'd had a different childhood. Basically, in the dream, I was a normal high school teenager. Bombs didn't have a way of exploding around me, I had no idea how to fire a grenade launcher, and I had never read a technical manuscript in my life. I was normal. I knew what to do around other teenagers. I could talk about the things that high school students talk about."
Sousuke took a breath before continuing. "I knew how to act on a date."
Kyouko had stopped humming, but her pencil still scratched against the paper. "Mm hmm?" she finally said, signaling her interest.
"Do you think that Kaname would have preferred that normal version of me?"
"Hmm," was the answer that came after a few seconds. Then the humming continued. Kyouko had yet to look up at Sousuke and made no move to divert her attention from her homework. He wondered if that was his answer.
Sousuke guessed that he had been too subtle in his line of questioning. He would need to work out a more direct approach before Kaname got there. He had only a few minutes.
Before he could even begin thinking up a new strategy, Kyouko sighed.
"Sousuke-kun?" she asked, still furiously transcribing answers with her pencil.
"Yes?"
"Do you honestly think that anyone without military training could handle Kaname?"
Sousuke considered Kyouko's answer. Then he smiled at the truth he found there.
END.
Author's Note: This is my first FMP posting. I love the Sousuke/Kaname pairing and this little drabble-y tidbit just begged me to be written. I would appreciate any feedback you had to offer. Thanks for reading!