Rainwater

Summary: She was his anodyne. He was her sin. Four moments in the life of Ladd and Lua.

A/N: I don't know if the Baccano fandom is dead or not but I've had this drabble swimming in my head for months so I finally decided to post it. Anyway, reviews are loved! Thanks!

Disclaimer: I do not own Baccano.

i. The night was suffocating.

It pressed against the very corners of her eyelids like a wool blanket. Through the heavy darkness she peered into a watery grave as waves crashed and rocked against the legs of the rusted suspension bridge.

One step forward.

She wished the act of dying could last forever.

Two steps.

The wind is pushing, howling against her lithe frame as her beige shoes tap against the creaking metal.

The third and final step.

A single, dainty foot presses against nothingness and all she can think is that the darkness will finally disappear and she'll find rest and peace and salvation—

"What's a pretty face like you doing on top of a bridge in the middle of the night?"

(but Ladd Russo is no idiot—the question is more for himself, he realizes, twenty years later when she's curled up in his arms)

The voice reaches her before the arms do. Strong limbs trap her like a spider's web, pulling her away from the water. A loud, boisterous laugh emerges from within the man's chest as he holds her, white suit pressed against her own white dress. Despite the darkness she can faintly see the outline of red against the cuffs of his suit. The scent of gunpowder and alcohol and blood is overpowering as he spins her around to look at her face.

"Ah, ya know white's my favorite color! It looks so good against blood… and you, of course." There's a dangerous, animalistic grin on his face but it only makes her want to stay buried in his arms.

"You're a quiet one, aren't ya? That's alright, I'm quite the talkative guy. The name's Ladd Russo, dollface."

His fingers dig into her collarbone, just enough to leave angry, scarlet marks against her powder-white skin, but not enough to cause any real pain.

"…My name is Lua. Lua Klein."

He immediately falls away from her, stepping back to procure a small knife from his coat pocket. He gives a little bow, holding out the hand with the knife.

"Nice to meet you, Lua. Now, I'm not one to beat around the bush—you want to die, right? Let me be the one to do it. I can promise a lifetime of pain and blood, if you'll let me."

He keeps his hand open, palm up. The light from the moon reflects against his eyes and she realizes they are the same shade of the water.

She drowns the moment she places her hand in his.

The dagger traces against the skin of her wrist as he pushes their hands together, interlocking fingers. The blade presses against both of their hands, but only cuts into Ladd's hand. With their hands locked together, the knife stays in pace, trapped in the cage their hands made. Blood wells from the cut, dripping down his wrist to stain her shoes.

Three days later she realizes he intends to marry her and that those words were his proposal.

ii. Despite his appearance, Ladd Russo is a very intelligent man.

Polished shoes clack noisily against the wood floors as he walks amongst the cherry wood bookcases. He presses his finger against every book spine (pretends it's her spine he has underneath the callouses of his hand), cobalt eyes scanning the shelves until a crimson cover catches his attention.

"Hey, dollface, every read any Shakespeare?"

She turns from the window to look at him. Shaking her head, she walks towards him, the stirrings of curiosity in her eyes.

"Really? Well, that's about to change!"

He swings around, scooping one hand around her waist and the other under her thighs as he picks her up bridal style. She doesn't resist as they walk down the staircase towards the spacious drawing room.

He sets her gently ("my little china doll," he calls her) on the sofa, moving to rest his head against the crook of her neck. She can feel the hot puffs of breath against her skin and shudders as the man (her fiancé, she corrects) brings a hand to her hair, curling a single honey lock around his finger.

"Now, I'm not gonna read you some sappy loves story like Romeo and Juliet or a tale of revenge like Hamlet."

He drapes one arm around her shoulder, pulling her close as he uses his other hand to flip the pages. Even though it's been a week since he'd killed anyone Lua could always smell blood and gun smoke on him. It was as much a part of him as the color of his hair or the way he snored in his sleep.

"Listen here, love. This story's one of my favorites. It's called Titus Andronicus. It's one of Shakespeare's least known works as lots of people hate it due to its graphic and violent nature. Many called him a madman for writing something like this!" He lets out a laugh before continuing.

"Anyway, it's about a woman who was raped in the middle of a forest. The guys cut out her tongue so she can't tell anyone who did it to her. Barely surviving the ordeal, she makes it back to her father's house, covered in blood. He takes her in and cleans her up but realizes something more is missing than just her tongue. He comes to the conclusion that someone has defiled his daughter. So, before anyone else can find out, he kills her out of love. And that's what I plan to do to you, Lua. Because I love you so much." He grins again, pecking the pneumatic girl on the cheek.

She brings her hand to his face, startling him. Lua was never one for physical touch, but, with her hand traversing a path from the bottom of his jaw to the temple of his head, the assassin stills. Slowly, she brings her petal-soft lips to his forehead, returning the kiss as she brushes the bangs from his wide eyes. She curls her fingers in his blonde locks, pushing his head towards her chest.

"Rest…"

And he does. Tired eyes flutter close as he brings his ear to her heart, listening the rhythmic beating of her heart. He whispers against the fabric of her dress one final time before he falls asleep.

"While I adore the sound of your heartbeat, I think I'll love the silence even more…"

iii. She hates it when he gets injured.

A jagged line runs across his forehead, blood beading from the wound and dripping into his eyes. She runs to their kitchen, pulling out a couple of bandages and a wet cloth. The girl silently cleans the wound, cerulean eyes cloudy and shadowed. Ladd frowns, wiping a drop of blood from her face with his thumb. It leaves a red trail in its wake, marring her otherwise flawless face.

"What's wrong, dollface? You know the business. It was a setup this time. I was given a contract to kill this one wealthy businessman but when I snuck into his house there was a group of policemen in the living room! I had my doubts about the guy who gave me the contract but he paid me in full so I went anyway."

Too reckless. She wants to scold him, tell him that if he died she never would. Every cut, every bruise and broken bone came back to her twofold. But, she merely drops her gaze, returning the bloodied dishrag to the sink. She doesn't hear his footsteps as he follows her. Before she even realizes it, she's crying, tears burning trails down her cheeks. They drip down her face and onto the wooden floor as she frantically rubs them away. Suddenly, she is spun around as the man who always made her cry (and laugh, and smile, and sing) frowns at her flushed face.

"Lua… I'm alright. It's just a scratch, love. Ya don't need to worry, remember? I'm the best goddamn assassin this dump's ever seen!" He brings her to his chest, crushing her small frame into his until the tears finally stop falling from her eyes.

"Thank you, Ladd."

He laughs, brushing his thumb against her bottom lip before diving in for a kiss. She can taste the metallic flavor of blood and stills in his strong grip, using his hair as an anchor. She's drowning in his eyes, his lips, his hair, until he falls away, a characteristic smirk on his lips.

"Now, why are you thanking little ol' me?"

She doesn't respond for a long time, staring back into the same, crystal blue eyes that had pulled her in the first time they met.

"Thank you… for saving me."

Her demon grinned widely, "Saving you? Dollface, I'm gonna be your end!"

She shakes her head and smiles back, unafraid even as the same hands that had killed hundreds of people wrap around her neck. Her smile doesn't falter even when he applies pressure. And she is still smiling when he lets go, shock apparent in his cerulean eyes.

Sometimes, even demons broke contracts.

iv. Ladd Russo was not always a monster, despite his best intentions.

One particular morning the honey-blonde awoke not to the sound of her beloved's snoring, or laughs, or suave voice, but to the sound of the rain. His side of the bed was uncharacteristically void and cold, the occupant long since gone. For a moment, flashes of a life without Ladd cross her mind but she immediately calms herself. While it was rare for the assassin to go anywhere without her, it wasn't impossible. Sure enough, peering through the window she sees the figure of a certain blonde man sitting on the garden bench, hands folded in his lap.

Hurrying out the patio door, she stumbles towards him in her nightgown, hair messy and tangled. Silently, she places her hand on his shoulder. He does not turn around.

"Go back inside, Lua."

She frowns, moving in front of the man to sit on the wooden bench with him. The rain pours down on the pair, soaking both to the bone. Neither notices the cold drops of water as an eternity passes between the two (as if an ocean of time separated them and not a few inches on a bench), Ladd never once speaking up or looking in her direction. Eventually, he turns to the beautiful woman, broken.

"Lua," he growls, fingers clenched into a fist. He turns to her, a look of anger mixed with confusion apparent in his eyes. "Leave, please." It does not sound like an order but a plea, shaking the woman to her core.

"Ladd… what's wrong?" She tries to bring her hand to his face but he slaps it away.

"Damnit, Lua! Can't you listen to me for once?" He yells, clutching at her shoulders. She is immediately reminded of the time when they first met, when his hands had dug the same scarlet marks across her collarbone. He immediately recoils when she winces.

"Fuck." He breathes out, clutching at his head.

For the first time, Lua Klein is afraid. But, she's not afraid of him, but for him. He had always seemed so… strong. This broken husk of a man suddenly appeared with no warning and she wants to pick up the pieces of the man she loves but she's only ever been good at breaking things. She had never needed to fix anything or anyone. Slowly, she puts her hand on his shoulder, rubbing his back in soothing, gentle circles. He does not push her away, face hidden beneath his bangs and hands.

"…Do you love me, Lua?"

The question is whispered and is almost swallowed by the raindrops that thud against the uneven ground like gunshots.

"I do. I've always loved you, Ladd."

"Would you love me even if I couldn't kill you?"

There's a brokenness to his words as he removes his hands from his face to stare into her eyes. Water trails down his cheeks and she can't tell if they are from tears or rain.

"Would you love me if I said I didn't want to die anymore?"

Every atom of his existence rebels against the idea of letting anyone live; every lesson, every word he had heard from childhood to that very moment whispered in his ear the same words. It's time to let her die.

He brings his hands around her neck once again, a resigned look on his face. He squeezes half-heartedly, unable to look at her face (because he knew she would be smiling that beautiful, radiant smile he loved—the smile he craved ). His hands fall down to her shoulders again as he lets out a breathless laugh. He brushes his wet bangs from his eyes as he gives a famous Russo smirk.

"Well, dollface, looks like you're gonna be stuck with me for a very long time."

She gives a silent smile because words were never needed. Ladd Russo loved Lua Klein. And that was all there was to it.

(because somewhere, underneath the guise of a monster, there was a scared, crying boy)

A/N: I'm sorry if they are a bit OOC, I've only seen the anime so… XD I probably shouldn't love this couple as much as I do :PAnyway, I always saw Ladd as being a bit childish (the way he always got excited for murders, dancing in blood puddles, etc.) so it kind of explains my characterization a bit. Once he gets hold of something he really wants he won't let go of it so easily. Also, I might do another drabble for Ladd later if you guys want more Baccano! fics (this fandom seems a bit bare, lol).

Anyway, hope you guys liked it! Please leave a review if you get a chance!

-Isis