Title: Reciprocate

Rating: PG

Pairing: KidxCrona

Prompt: #2 “something sexy about the rain…”

Summary: It’s a new day for some, but not for all.

A/N: Crona is a boy. Continuation of the first one.

(SE)

“Lately…Kid hasn’t been focusing.” Liz spoke one clear afternoon.

“What do you mean?” Maka questioned.

“Mm…like…what’s an example, Patty?” Liz turned to her younger sister.

“Hmm…like he doesn’t care that the paintings are a couple centimeters off, or that he doesn’t fold the toilet paper into triangles anymore.” Patty tapped her chin thoughtfully.

“Th-That is…bad…” Maka was shocked.

“Right? So, Maka,” Liz bent down a little lower to Maka’s height, putting on a pleading face. “Can you help us?”

Kid walked down the hall, swaying a bit with his arms. He was lucky, the halls were empty as it was the end of school and kids were completing missions or had gone home for the day. He looked up at the board, which held the many black tablets. Some were labeled to have been taken and some labeled to be available and some labeled to be a simple mission for beginners. “Maybe…going on another mission will take it off my mind.”

Ever since that day…he hasn’t been able to focus.

At all.

Not at all.

Not even a little.

He looked down the board. “…Maybe not…” He walked away from the board. “What will I do now?”

“Kid, where are you going?”

Kid jumped six feet in the air. “C-Crona!” he laughed, “W-What a s-surprise!”

“…I guess so,” Crona looked from side to side, unsure as to what to say. “Where are you going?”

“M-Me? Well, yes, I’m, I’m, I’m looking for Liz and Patty—YES, I’m looking…for them…yes.”

“…I…see…”

“H-Have you seen them?”

“N-No…”

“W-Well then…I’ll see you later.”

“Bye…”

Kid stiffly walked away, and when he was a good distance away, he finally breathed. “I thought I was going to die.” He pressed his fingers to his cheeks, “My cheeks are hot, I better go wash my face.”

Crona walked away, bewildered. “I wonder what’s wrong with him.”

Ragnarok popped up from behind and rested on Crona’s head. “Maybe his balls finally dropped.”

“…Ragnarok…” Crona winced, “That’s really creepy, even for you.”

“…I regret it.”

“Project What’s-Wrong-With-OCD-Kid, launch!” Liz punched the air.

“Yeah!” Patty and Maka followed, punching the air with their fists.

“But do we need to wear sunglasses? I think it’ll be fine if we just stay a certain distance away.” Maka commented, “But then he might be able to tell that we’re here anyway…”

Liz smirked, pushing up her sunglasses further up her nose. “It’s all about fashion, Maka, don’t forget that.”

Patty laughed, “You spent a whole lotta money on that, didn’t ya?”

“Quiet, Patty, your big sister is busy stalking.” Liz watched Kid. They were all in the alleyway, spying on Kid who was currently staring at a display case of sweets and pastries.

“I wonder what he’s planning…” Liz whispered.

“They look really yummy…” Patty’s mouth drooled.

“He must be hungry.” Maka concluded logically.

“Ah, he’s moving.”

Kid stared at the display case. “Ah…such symmetry,” he eyed one particular treat. It was solid chocolate shaped into a heart and decorated with icing and cream. It reminded him of that one little project the other day, which led his thoughts to that one moment on the bed, which led him to…

His face flushed. “I-I better go find something to drink, it’s so hot…” He zipped away from the sweets and into a café.

“He went into the café, Hawk one!” Patty trotted over to the café window.

“Who’s Hawk one? Hey, Patty!” Liz ran over and kneeled besides her. “Don’t go and do stuff like that by yourself!”

“Like you’re one to talk.” Maka laughed, walking up next to Liz, who was pulled down forcefully by Liz.

Liz shushed Maka, “You gotta keep quiet or he’ll see us.”

Maka peered over the tables and noticed that Kid had conveniently sat right in front of them. “He seems really off today…”

“One coffee, please.”

“Yes, sir.”

“He’s getting coffee.”

“What a grown up.” Liz sniggered.

“Here is your coffee.” The waitress placed the pretty cup in front of Kid along with a small cup for cream and a small cup for sugar.

“Thank you.” Kid dropped one cube of sugar in the coffee and poured in the cream.

“Whoa, he’s not checking to make sure each cube is perfect.”

“And he’s not measuring out the cream with a teaspoon!”

Maka eyed the two unusually surprised sisters. “Is it really that big of a deal?”

“He ALWAYS does that before drinking coffee!” Patty waved her arms about.

“The world must be ending.” Liz concluded.

“You two…” Maka sighed.

“Maka,”

Said girl looked up, a little shaken from the sudden voice. “Oh, Crona.”

Kid spat and choked on the hot coffee. He spilled some on his hand, screamed, fell over on his chair, hit his head on the chair behind him and accidentally kicked the table over. Coffee spilled all over along with cream and sugar cubes. The café was in a mess.

“Sir, are you okay, sir!?” The waitress ran over to Kid and helped him up from the ground. Another waitress and a waiter cleaned up the mess that resulted from his amazing stunt.

“…Whoa…”

“I wish I had a video camera.”

“What…happened?” Crona blinked innocently, peering into the café window.

Maka stood from the ground, “L-Let’s go, Crona…” She had a pretty good idea as to what was wrong with him.

Liz ran into the café, “Come on, Patty. Let’s go tease him!”

“YES, MA’AM!”

“Hey, Crona, do you like someone?”

“Eh?” Crona stepped back, heart pounding wildly. “L-Like?”

“Yeah.” Maka paused, “Well, not like as a friend, but like as a lover.”

S-So…blunt… “W-Well…no, not really.” Crona gulped. And I just got over it…what will I do? I don’t know to deal with this—

“I kinda think that…Kid might like someone.” Maka thought carefully, tapping a finger to her chin.

“Really?” Crona was a bit surprised (and disappointed), “Who?”

Maka smiled, “I…don’t know, but we’ll see.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Let’s go get a snack. That bakery back there looks really good.”

“Wait, Maka!”

“Kid likes Crona,” Patty sang, dancing in a circle around Kid. “Kid likes Crona, Kid likes Crona!” she giggled, poking Kid’s cheeks playfully.

Kid gritted his teeth, “If you’re going to do that…do it symmetrically!” He stomped his foot onto the ground multiple times.

“But to think you swung that way…” Liz rubbed her chin, “Then again, it seems like for you gender and age mean nothing.” She grinned.

“It’s not like that.” Kid spoke, grabbing their attentions. “It’s not like that at all. It’s just that, I can see that he’s growing and changing, just like a butterfly. He’s going through a sort of metamorphosis, and that’s what attracts me the most…” he pursed his lips, “WE’RE GOING HOME!”

“Ha, someone’s embarrassed!” Liz sniggered.

“Kid, you’re not a shy little bunny, you know! You gotta gather up courage like a tiger! GAO!” Patty roared, using her hands to mimic a cat’s paw.

“Courage, huh?”

Maka and Crona were both walking home. Maka had a cake box in hand while Crona held the bag of sandwich bread.

“All of those sweets really looked good, right?”

“Y-Yeah…” Crona nodded.

“Let’s go back sometime and try those pastries, okay?”

“U-Un…” Crona nodded once more.

Maka tilted her head just so she could take a look at Crona’s face. “Is something wrong?”

Crona shifted her gaze from the pavement to Maka’s face. It was so sweet… “N-No, not at all!” he laughed nervously. A sigh escaped him. This wasn’t good for his heart.

“This bitch is in love!” Ragnarok popped from Crona’s back and swiped a hand for the cake.

Maka quickly maneuvered the cake away from the grubby hands in time. “Love? With who?”

“Isn’t it obvious, boring-panties-girl?”

“Who is this boring-panties-girl you speak of?”

Crona opened his mouth to speak, but something caught his attention. “Rain…” he held out a hand, watching the droplets of water pool in his hand.

“It’s pouring!” Maka cried out, grabbing Crona’s arm. “Come on, Crona, let’s get out of the rain!”

Crona snapped his attention away from the water. “R-Right!”

“It’s raining...it rains in Nevada?” Liz stared out the window, watching the rain slap the window. “Do you think Maka and Crona are alright? They don’t have umbrellas.”

“It’s raining, it’s pouring, the old man…there’s no old man!” Patty cried out with joy.

“…I-Isn’t that great, Patty.” Liz laughed nervously. She turned to Kid, “Kid, aren’t you going to do something?”

Kid, who was reading a book (upside down as soon as he heard Crona’s name), kept his eyes on the text. “I’m sure they’ll be fine.”

Liz raised an eyebrow, “This isn’t like you. Are you really that serious?”

“I don’t know what you mean.”

“I understand what you meant back then, when you were talking about your feelings for Crona. But avoiding him won’t do you any good. Whether you want to get over those feelings or not.” Liz waved her hands lazily.

Kid shut his book, and gently placed it down on the table. She was right. But he didn’t want to get over these feelings. As much as he hated his stomach churning, his chest tightening and his face burning, it was the other thing that he enjoyed. It was those thoughts that came to mind when he was left alone in silence. And while he wasn’t a perverted little boy, oh no, those thoughts weren’t like those, it was rather his desire to see that confidence once more. To see a more confident Crona, and to see him blossom and bloom into their little circle of friends and pull away from the restraints that Medusa had placed on him.

Kid stood, his chair squeaking as he pushed it away with his legs. “I’ll be right back.” He quickly ran out, grabbing two umbrellas from his perversely neat closet (now all messed up due to his action, but now wasn’t the time to dwell over something so minor), and ran out the door.

Crona sighed sadly in the shop, hands pressed against the glass.

“I’m sorry for the trouble.” Maka nodded to the shopkeeper.

“No problem at all.”

“Thank you.” Maka walked up next to Crona, “Rain, huh?”

“…It rains in Nevada?”

“…I guess so.” Maka smiled.

Crona looked at Maka’s smile and smiled himself.

But the rain was pouring, like as if the clouds decided it was time to release all the water they had over Death City. No one was outside.

“Guess we have to wait it out.” Maka sighed, hands behind her back.

“Y-Yeah…” Crona squeezed her right arm a little tighter.

“Ugh, rain?” Ragnarok rested on Crona’s head. “How boring…” He made a grab for the cake.

Maka quickly moved it a good distance away from Ragnarok. “No.”

“Che, bitch.”

“MAKA…” Maka lowered her book as soon as she saw Ragnarok about to use Crona as a shield. “Dirty…”

“As always.” Ragnarok cackled.

Crona placed a hand over his thumping heart. To experience that again…

“When…will the rain stop…?” Crona placed his forehead on the glass.

“Who knows? It might take all day and we’ll have to run home.” Maka winced at the thought of walking home with wet underwear.

Crona winced at the thought of using the public bathroom to shower.

Things…weren’t going so well…

And so due to this boredom, Crona slipped into silent thought. He thought of everything that had happened up until this time. How much he might’ve changed and how much more he needed to change. All the people he’s made friends with. Maka, Soul, Black Star, Tsubaki, Liz, Patty, Kid…

Kid, huh?

He helped him a lot the other day.

First with the failed project, then comforting him.

It felt nice, that time on the bed.

Consolation from someone else besides the pillow.

But what was with him that one time, that one time after, when he stumbled his way out the door. And it’s not like Crona didn’t notice how Kid’s been avoiding him.

Was it his fault?

Was it something he did?

Or maybe…Kid doesn’t like him anymore, or…

“Crona, Crona!” Maka was shaking him, pointing out the window. “Look, it’s Kid.”

They say that there’s something sexy about the rain, when someone’s out there breathing so hard that you could see his chest rise and fall, that there was some charisma that emitted from that particular moment.

Well, Crona didn’t really see it, but he was, in fact, taken aback.

Kid had two umbrellas in hand, and he was soaking wet. He slowly walked to the shop and came in. He was completely wet, his clothes clinging to his body. His usually perfect hair was matted down onto his face, a complete mess. This was so unlike Kid, that he was almost unrecognizable. “I…I heard you guys needed umbrellas.” He breathed, holding out the both of them.

Crona and Maka stared at the umbrellas, at him and back. “I’ll take this,” Maka took one umbrella, “You two share the other one.” She smiled slyly.

“Huh? WHAT?” Kid nearly dropped the umbrella. “B-But I brought two…”

“You should’ve brought three.” Maka pointed out.

“…” He was at a loss for words.

“W-What’s wrong with that?” Crona questioned, walking to the door and opening it. He opened the umbrella, preventing any rain to come in. “Come on, Maka, Kid.”

“Let’s go home!” Maka pushed the wet Kid to Crona, “Sorry for the mess!”

“No problem.”

Kid was trembling, his face unusually hot again. “W-Wait, don’t I have a s-say?”

“K-Kid,” Crona helped onto the umbrella tightly, “You…don’t like me?” He pursed his lips, “Is that why…you have been avoiding me?”

Liz’s words came back. “No, that’s not it, at all. Not at all. I’m just…really wet and…I don’t want you to…get wet and…” Kid looked down, a blush on his face. “L-Let’s go.” He stood next to Crona, standing straight, but head tilted to the ground, to his shoes.

Crona stared down at Kid for some time, at the top of his shiny wet hair. He smiled a bit, “Okay.”

Maka stood from behind, enjoying this little development.

The three walked down the rainy streets. Maka, under one umbrella, chatted with Crona who was under an umbrella with an embarrassed Kid.

“Kid…you like Crona, don’t you?” Maka bravely asked, a wide grin upon her face.

(SE)

And that’s the end. The rest is up to your imaginations.

I’ll be making more KidxCrona, because this is part of the 42 prompt challenge for Soul Eater in Livejournal. CHECK IT OUT!