Because the world needs more Marco/Connie.

The first time Marco meets Constance, she tells him to call her "Connie".

He's been working for the Christiano family as the Boss' bodyguard for a few months now, but he still isn't accustomed to the new environment.

It's a huge change from his previous job as part of the Vtoroy Esminets—a job that he wants to forget. The crisp black suits and the subtle waft of cologne still clashes against the slowly fading familiarity of the lingering scents of smoking guns and blood mixed with sweat.

Marco smiles stiffly at the young woman in front of him, mentally cursing Galahad for making him pick up the Christiano's new shipment of guns from the gun shop by himself.

"I'm Marco Adriano. I'm here for Luca Christiano's order." He introduces himself awkwardly.

Has it really been so long since I've interacted with someone normal? I can't believe I don't know how to talk with someone who isn't a killer. He mentally berates himself for his lack of eloquence.

Still, Constance—or Connie, as she introduced herself as—doesn't seem to notice his uncomfortable behavior and gives him a huge, sunny smile instead.

"No problem! I just need you to give proof of who you are and you're all set." She's still grinning at him, with shining warm brown eyes, and Marco almost feels as if the sun was born from her itself.

How long has it been since I've seen a smile this warm?

All Marco remembers are razor-sharp smirks and malicious grins that promise bloodshed. He knows how to handle polite, calculating smiles. He knows how to handle Galahad's wild grins.

But this—this smile, like a friendly embrace; Marco doesn't understand. How can someone smile so openly, without deception? Without suspicion for others? He's a complete stranger, yet she welcomes him without any qualms.

By the time he's out of the store, holding a large wooden crate filled with guns, Marco's trying not to think about how much of an enigma Connie Raveau is.

Come again soon! Her bright voice still echoes through his head, and Marco finds himself wanting to go back. With just one look, one smile, one word, it's like she's burned through some of his battle-hardened layers.

And Marco isn't sure how that makes him feel. Still, her warmth is intoxicating, and he can't stop thinking about her words and her actions. He's never met someone like this before.

The second time Marco meets Connie, she almost turns him into an incoherent mess.

"Back again?" She asks Marco, smiling widely. He nods stiffly, still feeling awkward, and looks everywhere but her. Galahad just gives a booming laugh and wanders into the shop like he owns it, handing Connie his gun.

Marco tries not to look at Connie but she's blindingly beautiful with her short black tank top and cargo pants. They're not exactly the most feminine clothes, but they fit Connie as well as her short pixie haircut suits her.

Warmhearted and confident. He thinks, as he watches her interact with Galahad.

Self-consciously, he nearly reaches up to touch the ugly scar marring the right side of his face before quickly stopping himself. He feels like a clown in front of this beautiful woman.

Connie suddenly turns to him, still smiling widely. "Need anything, Marco?"

She says his name so familiarly that he almost flinches. No one uses his first name except for Galahad, Luca Christiano, and his daughter Loretta.

"I'm fine, thank you." He tells her with all the grace of a derailing train.

She frowns a bit at his stiffness and heartily claps him on the back.

"Relax! No one's going to try to kill you here. Besides, we're all friends, alright?" She tells him cheerfully, trying to joke around.

He cringes a bit at the "kill" part but gives her a polite nod.

Friend. No one's ever called him that before.

It's a strange word, and hearing it is like wearing someone else's skin. It wraps around him like a warm, but unfamiliar blanket.

"How much will it be, Connie?" Galahad asks, pulling out his wallet to pay for the repair cost.

"I'll just bill you when you come back with another broken gun, okay?" She teases him amicably.

Galahad gives another booming laugh. "You know me too well. I'll come back in two days for it, Connie."

Marco and Galahad say their goodbyes and prepare to leave, but Marco feels a small but strong hand grip his arm.

"You've got a cool scar, you know. It makes you look handsome." She blurts out, looking at him straight in the eyes.

Marco nearly jolts back with shock, and then manages to process that she just called him handsome.

Connie just grins fiercely at him, not the slightest bit embarrassed by what she just said.

"You shouldn't worry too much about your scar. So look at me when you talk, okay?" She pats his arm gently and lets him leave.

Marco can barely talk, let alone move. He just stands, staring at her with wide eyes. He can't believe that she actually noticed his minor discomfort with his scar.

Then his eyes soften, and he smiles gently. It's a strange, alien feeling on his normally serious face, but he can't help the rush of gratitude and contentment he feels from talking with Connie.

"Thank you." It's the first two genuine words he's said in a while.

Connie just gives a blinding smile in return. "Come back soon, okay?"

Galahad throws an arm around Marco's shoulder, smirking. "Better hurry up, lover boy, or we'll be late for the meeting."

Marco almost chokes with embarrassment but rolls his eyes coolly at Galahad and they head out. Connie stands by the door and waves pleasantly at them until they disappear from sight.

The whole time they're driving back, Marco can't stop hearing Connie's words in his head.

His outer expression hasn't changed, but there must be something in his eyes, because Loretta gives him a curious look as he walks into Luca Christiano's office and asks her father why Marco looks weird today.

The third time Marco meets Connie, she somehow manages to gain Loretta's respect.

Loretta Christiano is not an easy child to please. She's almost just like her father, at times, and Marco can't help but see the resemblances between them. It's in her voice, her features, the way she crosses her arms; the parallels are endless. And that's what makes her a difficult child.

She's barely eleven, but she has almost impossibly large shoes to fill. The life of an adult has been forced onto her, and there's a constant reminder that she's the heir to the Christiano family, that she has to be prepared to take over any time. Because the world they live in is violent and unstable and death can come swooping in at any time.

And Luca has decided that it's time Loretta owned her first gun.

She's shot plenty of guns before, sure, and has amazing aim for someone her age. She knows her way around a gun, and has held the cold metal in her hand with the knowledge that she could steal someone's life with a single pull of a trigger. But she's never actually owned one.

This is one of her first steps into adulthood; into the life of a true leader. And she's barely eleven. Still, this is the world she was born into, and she has to know how to survive in it.

Marco takes her to Connie's shop alone, since Galahad's off at Bastard doing who knows what, subsequently dumping the entire job on Marco.

They walk into the store, and thankfully, it's during a time where there are customers except for himself and Loretta.

"Welcome!" Connie is smiling at him as usual, "Who's this with you, Marco?"

"Ah," He answers calmly, forcibly steeling his emotions, "This is Loretta Christiano. We're here to find a gun for her."

"A gun, huh?" She asks cheerfully, "Well, let's see what we have. She's rather small, isn't she?"

Loretta's eye twitches. "I'm not small!" She nearly stomps her foot like a petulant child, but remembers who she is and what family she belongs to and merely crosses her arms with annoyance.

Connie laughs loudly, "I didn't mean that as in insult. It just means you have a different variety of guns to choose from. You look like you're more about precision than power, right?"

Grudgingly, Loretta nods her head. Connie's assessment had been accurate.

"Well, let's see." Connie pulls out three different guns and places them on them table for Loretta to try holding.

Gripping each gun one by one, Loretta adjusts her stance to that of a shooting position and is careful not to accidentally pull the trigger as she aims at an imaginary target.

Marco watches Connie advise Loretta about each gun, going over all the merits and disadvantages of each gun as Loretta listens, enrapture by the sheer amount of information. He nearly smiles; the scene is a bit heartwarming, and the two are getting along a lot better compared to their meeting. When Loretta looks at Connie, there's a hint of respect in her eyes.

In the end, Loretta chooses a small, sleek black handgun with a brown grip.

"Here, I'll even give you a holster for free. Congrats on your first gun!" Connie says enthusiastically, handing all the items to Marco. She continues to list off different tips on how to take care of a gun, and Loretta smiles confidently.

"Thanks, Connie." Though Loretta can be a bit haughty, she appreciates help when she gets it, and she's gained a lot of respect for Connie.

"No problem. Come back any time if you need advice!" Suddenly, Connie turns to Marco with a twinkle in her eye, "And Marco, why don't we go on a date sometime?"

Marco nearly chokes on air and Connie just grins.

"What?" He blinks once, harshly, and is still wondering whether or not he's living in reality at the moment.

"Let's go on a date!"

Loretta sniggers and turns towards the door. "Marco says yes. Now let's go back; I have to show father my gun."

"What?" Splutters Marco, not even sure why Connie would ask him out on a date. And did Loretta just answer for him? He's still putting the things together in his head and wondering why he's so frustratingly awkward when it comes to romance when they get back to the Christiano estate.

"Guess what," Loretta tells her father cheerfully while she smirks like the devil, "Marco's got a date."

The fourth time Marco meets Connie, they go on a date.

The day before the date, Marco sleeps fitfully. It's almost as if all his doubts and fears have manifested themselves into a single, unending nightmare. He relives his past in his dreams, and he can't escape. The darkness chokes him, and there's only red in his nightmares.

red. the world's tinted red and he can't breathe—the choking stench of blood suffocates him—there's splattered blood—fractured gunshots and the slice of wires—a blade slices into his face—there's blood everywhere on his hands his face and he can't breathe he can't breathe

Marco wakes up with a guttural scream half in his throat, half in his nightmares.

Sweat beads his brow, and he gasps, chest heaving for air.

It still eats away at him, the innocent lives that he stole. He'd never felt anything close to redemption until he joined the Christianos. But even that can't smooth over the atrocities he's committed.

So many innocent lives gone, ahead of their time. All because of him.

Their faces haunt his soul like a lead weight everywhere he goes. But he lives on because living is a punishment—because he wants forgiveness for taking those lives, and the heavy guilt he bears is more than enough to make his life a living hell.

Turning onto his side, Marco tries to close his eyes and go back to sleep. But the red—the incessant splatters of red—won't leave his sight. They linger behind his closed eyelids, drowning him in his memories and sins.

The next day, Marco is exhausted, and he has noticeable dark bags under his eyes. He's made up his mind. Connie is someone he could never have a right to be with. He was a fool for ever thinking he had a chance at redemption.

The date is nothing complicated, just a walk down the streets near Connie's shop. He isn't sure what a date really is, but the walk is enjoyable, even though his mind is swirling with self-deprecating thoughts.

Her presence soothes him and brings him a serene kind of joy he's never felt with anyone else. In fact, he's almost content. Content with himself, in spite of all the horrors he'd committed in the past.

Her bright and bold laughter pushes his thoughts into the back of his mind for most of the day, but when they reach her shop, he's ready to cut whatever this is off.

"Want to come to see Granny Joel with me next time?" She asks eagerly, grinning up at him as usual.

Marco hesitates, because it's such a tempting offer, but forces himself to forget what could be. He doesn't deserve this happiness, and he never will.

"I'm sorry, but I don't think we should meet up like this again." His voice is devoid of emotion, and his face is stone cold.

Feel nothing.

He's almost reverted back to his old self, when he killed countless people with a flick of the wrist, barely feeling anything. Because that was how he was raised, what he was born to be.

Connie frowns at him, her usual light demeanor melting away. "Why?"

"I'm…" He doesn't know what to say to her. Marco doesn't want her to know all the things he'd done, but he needs her to know that he can never do something like this with her again.

"I'm a bad person." He says finally, looking her straight in the eye. "I'm a killer." There are many words left unsaid, but nevertheless, Connie hears them all.

"Are you stupid, Marco Adriano?" She asks him almost scathingly, "Do you think I care about that? That I'd be so shallow to judge you by your past instead of the person you are?"

Marco's face is frozen and once again, Connie has left him speechless. "That's not—".

"Stop. Look, I don't care, okay? I don't. The person I see in front of me is someone kind and loyal; a devoted person. You may be a killer, but really, in a place like this, who isn't? You need to give this a chance." Her voice is firm and intense.

He's shocked to the core, and he's still scared of his past, burdened by the things he's done, but Connie's words warm his heart. Lifting his lips up in a small smile, he says nothing and just looks at her. Really looks at her, because he's never seen such a strong person before.

And even though it's barely a hint of a smile, it's a start. And that's all Connie needs, and that's all Marco needs.

The fifth time Marco meets Connie, she beats up three grown men.

It's a relatively normal day (or at least, as normal as it can get in the Christiano household), and there's enough time for Marco to finally pay a visit to Connie. The past few weeks have been busy, and the two have barely had any time to meet up.

Their relationship has been progressing slowly but nicely (though Galahad constantly complains about how annoyingly sweet it's getting because apparently Marco is smiling more) and everything is fine, for once in his life.

And then he walks into tension so thick he barely has time to think before his eyes land worriedly on Connie.

There's a trio of gangster looking men and Connie's looking irritated as they gesture wildly. One of them breaks the glass case with an iron stick and the shatter is terrifying for Marco. He won't let Connie get hurt.

He springs into action but Connie's already ducking a swing of the iron pole, slamming her fist into the man's face and kicking him onto the floor. Another man pulls out a gun but in a flash, she disarms him in literally three seconds and renders the guns useless in another five. Both men come charging at her and all Marco can do is stare wide-eyed because he's never seen her like this before and it's beautiful and awe-inspiring and just plain crazy.

She's usually too kind to do anything like this, too brimming with life and joy to beat down three men with a cold face.

But even though it should be terrifying, it only makes Marco respect her more.

By the time he's done with his inner monologue, the three men are lying limply on the ground, unconscious and battered.

Connie dusts her hands off on her pants and looks up.

"Oh, hey Marco!" She says cheerfully, like she didn't just beat up three men, "What're you doing here? It's been so long since I last saw you!"

"Wasn't I the one who was supposed to protect you?" He asks wryly, coming towards her and holding her bruised hand in his own.

"We all know who's the real man here." She teases lightly, though her tone quickly shifts to serious. "See? I can take care of myself. So stop worrying all the time. It's more than enough to have me worrying about you; though I'd like it better if I didn't have to."

He nearly laughs. It's almost scary to see how much she's helped him; how he now feels so much lighter. Galahad's noticed the change and won't let him forget it. But Marco doesn't mind, because he knows how much he owes to Connie.

Marco just shakes his head exasperatedly and Connie pulls him into a hug. He can't even imagine how lucky he was to meet someone like her, and he's too selfish to let her go.

The sixth time Marco meets Connie, he tries to give her a ring.

He's been silently freaking out for days, and subtly asking people for advice on what to give a significant other.

Galahad knows who he's talking about and makes fun of him and is absolutely no help at all.

Surprisingly, it's Luca Christiano that gives him the perfect advice.

"Buy a pair of rings," He says, "And give one to her and keep one for yourself. That way, you can hold on to each other's love."

Marco tries not to go red at the word "love" (and how awkward it is for him to hear his boss say that) but thanks his Boss for his advice and sets off to find the perfect rings.

In the end, he finds a pair of rings that are simple. Just a band of silver, but he knows Connie doesn't care about extravagant things, so he buys it.

"They're not promise rings." He tells her awkwardly, "They're just rings. So take one." (He doesn't want her to feel tied down; she's way too independent for that).

He gives her the ring, and Connie pouts a bit after slipping it onto her finger. It's a perfect fit.

"And I don't get to give you a ring, Marco Adriano?" Her voice is playful, but she moves over to her counter and rummages through scraps of metal before she pulls out a long chain and a metal ring. She carefully strings it onto the chain, and then walks to Marco, holding it out in her hand.

"There. Now you can't disappear because you have something of mine, okay? You always have to bring it back, even if you're dying." She's uncommonly serious, and her fierce brown eyes hold his gaze.

"Okay." He says softly, and his eyes are warm as he looks at her. A small, affectionate smile plays on his face, and he clutches the ring.

Neither of them say "I love you", but the unspoken words are reflected in their gazes and their gestures. They're not an overly affectionate couple, Connie and Marco, because they don't need an excessive amount of hugs and kisses and words to show their love for each other. Because the smallest gestures are the most meaningful, and to them, that's all they need to know.

"You still have to talk to Granny Joel, though." Connie teases him lightly as she clasps the chain with the ring around his neck.

Marco blanches and she laughs; a bright, warm thing that echoes the future they have together.

And their future is in their rings.

A/N: I was really disappointed when I watched episode 12, because all the little snippets of info they have didn't match up with my fic. But I didn't really want to trash it, since I'd been writing it for four weeks, so I decided to just go ahead and post it. I'll definitely be doing a rewrite where the anime and the manga matches up with their story though. (Because whoops, apparently Marco somehow killed Connie's parents? I really don't know… but that adds a whole new layer that needs to be explored). And this is my first time writing romance so... yeah. This probably sucks but the Connie/Marco feels needed to be expressed.

Also, Gangsta. is my favorite anime of the season at the moment. This fic was inspired by the scene where Marco slices Mikhail's finger to get the ring back, even though Mikhail could easily kill him with a single move. And the scene where Connie hugs Marco. Also ep. 11. Basically every episode with Marco and Connie.

And goddammit episode 12 started to make me ship Nicolas and Alex and now I don't know who I ship more and I kinda want to write something for them… There are just way too many interesting characters in this anime.