kinkfest | Don't Look Back in Anger [Chrono Trigger, Crono/Marle/Lucca, G] (Reply)

Title: Don't Look Back in Anger
Author: kristinmachina
Rating: G
Warnings: Game spoilers. Otherwise, completely work-safe. Sadly devoid of porn.
Word count: 805
Summary: Crono, with Lucca, checks on Marle after a difficult battle.
A/N: For the following prompt: Chrono Trigger, Crono/Lucca/Marle: battle aftermath - checking everyone's all right

***

I knew I had a strong, resilient team with me. No matter how tough the battle, how venomous the monster, or how brutal the boss, my friends and I always prevailed. Afterwards, we had scratches, bruises and the occasional broken bone, but that’s what heal magic was for, right? After every battle, I’ve made a practice of checking up on everybody, just to make sure we’re all okay. Sometimes someone needs an elixir, or an oil change, or just an open pair of ears.

After our battle at Guardia Castle, I found Marle, sitting by the fire at camp. She seemed quieter than usual, like she had a lot on her mind. Can’t really blame her–she’d been through a lot these past few days. A falling out with her dad, being betrayed by her chancellor (or rather a monster pretending to be the chancellor), all on top of being tossed across the centuries. For her, our last battle didn’t seem as easy to bounce back from. The wounds weren’t just physical–they were emotional. There were years of hurt that needed a lot of healing.

I sat down next to her. Marle gave me a sad, weak kind of smile.

"You know," she said, "if I never ran into you in Leene Square, none of this would have ever happened."

Ouch. I must have made a face, because Marle suddenly looked horrified.

"Oh no, I didn’t mean it like that!" She said quickly, as she held my arm. "I meant, I would have been locked away in the castle forever! I never would have made such great friends, or meet my ancestors, or go to all these interesting places and times. But most importantly," Marle’s voice started to crack, "I never would have forgiven my father."

I wrap my arm around her shoulder, and Marle leans her head against my shoulder. I’m never sure of the "right" thing to say. What do you say when someone dear to you has had her heart broken?

I heard rustling come from one of the tents. Apparently, Lucca couldn’t sleep either. If anyone was the most responsible for our wacky adventure, it was Lucca. Maybe it was an accident that her machine tapped into Lavos’ time portals, but at least she invented a way we could control them, with the Key.

Lucca poked her head out of the tent flap, putting her glasses on. "Are you guys okay?"

"Yeah," Marle nodded. "Crono and I were just talking."

I just smiled at Lucca and shrugged. Marle was doing all the talking, and I just listened.

Lucca crawled out the tent and sat next to Marle. "I wasn’t eavesdropping or anything, but I

heard you talking. I can’t imagine what it must be like. My dad is like my best friend. If I was in a fight with him and we just stopped talking, I’d be lost."

I had no words of wisdom, no insightful thoughts, no memories of Dad. He went out sailing one day, when I was very little. He mentioned to Mom about exploring some strange islands out in the ocean. He never came back. Whatever I remember of him is blurry, at best.

"I’ve been mad at him for so long, I’ve actually forgotten why," Marle said as she held Lucca’s hand. "I just became, sort of, used to being angry."

"That kind of anger is poisonous," Lucca said. "Look at Janus. His anger and hatred for the people who hurt him and his sister turned him into Magus. I’m sure even he forgot the reason for his rage, and he turned into a monster."

Magus was nowhere in sight. If by any chance he had the slightest interest in what we were talking about, he might just agree with Lucca. At least, he hasn’t turned us all into some amphibian.

"Now you can start over fresh," Lucca said to Marle, smiling. "Now you can let that anger go."

"Yeah," Marle nodded, as she squeezed my hand, smiling at me. "Thanks, guys, for everything!"

Marle wrapped her arms around my neck and Lucca’s. We huddled together, staring at the fire, warming our toes. We didn’t talk for the rest of the night. We just sat quietly, listening to the soft croaking and snoring from the nearby tents. We pulled out our blankets, and we slept by the fire, under the stars. Marle slept on one side of me, and Lucca rested on the other. It made me rest easy to know that my friends were alright, that they were close by. Whatever wounds and scars we had after the battle was over, we had each other to help us heal. The girls and I counted the stars, and our blessings, before we finally fell asleep.