Crona X Kid fluffiness!

As always, check the bottom of my profile to see what I'm up to and when I predict I'll be done with things!

A tired sigh pushed past a pair of lips that were nearly raw from gnawing on them nervously. Bony shoulders leaned against the nearest wall and the body slid slowly down until Death the Kid sat on the cold floor of the hallway with his legs bent near his chest. Neglecting to take his hands out of his pockets, he let his forehead fall onto his knees.

I can't believe it…

We lost.

The Kishin had been revived, despite all their best efforts. Professor Stein had told them not to let Sid's quick thinking go to waste, but that's exactly what they had done. They failed and now the world would pay the price.

Kid smashed his head back against the wall in frustration. The dull throbbing dragged his mind back from the flashbacks and he was grateful.

Stein's plan had seemed mad. Mad, but ingenious. It should've worked. He and Spirit managed to kill Medusa, Maka and Soul managed to take care of the Demon Sword, but in the end…

It was he and Black Star who had failed. It was their responsibility to take care of the black blood. Kid could sit here and tell himself that it's all Black Star's fault, that he warned the idiotic boy about the hallucinations and true to his nature, he didn't listen.

He could do that.

But then he wouldn't have been being honest with himself.

Kid knew he was at fault too. If he hadn't stopped to have a meltdown about the asymmetry of the bombs, if he hadn't had a panic attack about the dilapidated structures, if he had realized the immortal was an illusion sooner… If he had done any of that, they would've had more time, more time to fight past the hallucinations and stop the witch and the immortal.

It was his fault.

He's a reaper, damn it! He's supposed to protect the world from these things!

Kid's teeth clenched as if they would shatter and he smacked his head back against the wall once more, twice, three times…

"You shouldn't do that," a soft voice called.

Startled, Kid opened his tired eyes, which he had pinched shut. He looked over to where the sound had originated from and saw the Demon Swordsman. What was his name again…?

Realizing he was staring at the lilac-haired boy who probably expected a response, Kid gently cleared his throat. "You're right. I suppose it's not going to do me any good," he responded coolly.

Still refusing to take his hands from his pockets, Kid sauntered to his feet. The Demon Swordsman clutched his arm a little tighter and took a half-step back.

Kid raised an eyebrow. "You know, you don't have to be afraid here. Maka explained everything. I'm sure my father will invite you to stay," he said, hoping it was the right thing to make the boy more comfortable.

It didn't seem to have much of an effect, one way or the other. The silence was deafening to Kid's ears but always one to keep his cool, he remained calm and collected.

Deciding it would be rude to go on without knowing the nervous boy's name, Kid spoke once more: "Forgive me for asking, but what is your name again?" He kept his tone perfectly polite as he stood facing the boy, his spine straight with his neat posture.

The was a pause as the swordsman seemed to fret over the question. "C-Crona," he said finally.

Kid allowed a small smile to grace his handsome features. "Well Crona, it's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Death the Kid," he said, extending his hand.

Crona stared at his outstretched hand for awhile and then looked away, that same worried expression on his face.

Noting that he was probably making him more uncomfortable, Kid stuck his hand back in his pocket. Losing some of his cool, Kid looked down at his shoes.

What do I say to him? He's so painfully awkward that it's nearly impossible to make casual conversation. He looked up at Crona again. And that hair… I've never seen a more asymmetrical haircut! For God's sake, what is up with his bangs?! Noticing that he was beginning to sweat, he took a deep breath. Calm down, Kid. Don't freak out. You'll scare the daylights out of him if you do. Now, think of something else to say.

Picking his head back up, Kid chanced taking another step closer. "So where did Maka run off to? It wasn't very polite of her to leave you all alone."

Crona didn't meet Kid's gaze. "M-Maka? Sh-She went to ch-check up on Bl-Black Star with S-Soul," he answered.

That made sense. Black Star was probably more torn up about the whole situation than Kid was. Actually… A vision flashed in Kid's head: Black Star stood on his desk, hands on his hips. "So what if the Kishin's awake?! I just decided to give him a chance! Now it'll be more fun to kill him! No one can beat the almighty Black Star, especially some stupid Kishin! I'm going to surpass God! HAHAHAHAHA!" Come to think of it…he was probably fine.

"Well, alright then. Looks like I'm in charge of getting you settled in," Kid said. This made Crona snap his head up and look at Kid with what seemed like panic in his eyes. Kid waved a hand nonchalantly. "Don't worry, I'll find you a room all to yourself and we'll get you a nice hot shower. You can go see my father in the morning," he explained.

Crona trembled slightly. Why is he being so nice to me? I don't know how to deal with this!

Kid pretended not to notice Crona's trembling and walked past him. He beckoned over his shoulder for Crona to follow. "Come along, I'll take you to the showers. Don't worry, there won't be anyone there at this hour," he said. "Not after the day we've had…" he muttered to himself.

Kid continued down the hall, confident that Crona was following only because of the faint shuffling of his shoes that could be heard a few steps behind him.

When they reached the bathroom, Kid held the door open for Crona in a display of gentlemanly manners. And they say chivalry is dead. Once inside, Kid took the lead again and scoped the room out. The showers were completely communal, no curtains or anything. He had a feeling that this would put Crona on edge so he made sure there was no one else in the room.

Turning back to Crona, he smiled softly. "I'll wait for you outside and make sure you're not bothered. You'll be alright on your own?"

Crona nodded nervously and Kid headed for the door. Hearing a small sound, he stopped and turned to look over his shoulder.

"Th-Thanks…" Crona's back was to him, making it difficult to hear but it made Kid's smile grow.

"Don't mention it," he said, starting to leave again. As he was exiting, he took note of the empty towel rack. I'll just go and get him one then. It won't take long.

Kid let the door fall shut with a dull thud behind him. Briskening his pace, he turned the corner and reached the supply room. It only took a moment for him to locate the stack of clean towels and he left before the asymmetry of the organized supplies could bother him.

Moving silently back down the hall, the towel tucked under his arm, Kid reached the bathroom door and pushed it open quietly, not wanting to startle Crona. The sound of running water reached his ears and he turned the corner, hoping he wasn't going to startle the showering boy.

When Kid looked up, he stopped dead in his tracks. The water was pouring down from the showerhead and running in rivulets over the curves of Crona's body, which were normally hidden by that hideous garment he wore. His lilac hair was darker in color thanks to the water and it clung to his slender neck, even as he pushed both delicate hands back through it.

Kid's gasp of alarm was what alerted Crona to his presence and he turned, baring the rest of his body to Kid's eyes.

Those eyes grew wide as crimson stained his cheeks.

The Demon Swordsman…is a girl?

He opened his mouth to speak and instead gaped like a fish, mouth opening and closing in what would've been a comical manner had it been happening to someone else.

Crona caught sight of Kid's expression and looked worried once again. "H-Hey, are you okay?" she asked, tilting her head and hugging her hands towards her chest.

What are you doing?! Don't look there! Kid scolded himself. Finally catching some train of reason, he blinked rapidly and looked away, down towards the ground. "I-I, uh, I brought you a towel," he said, holding up the towel he had tucked under his arm.

Hurriedly, he placed the towel on the nearest shelf and turned away. His next words came out in a rush, his mouth trying to catch up with his manners. "Yes, I'm fine, thank you very much for asking. Pardon me, enjoy your shower," he blabbered, waving over his shoulder as he nearly sprinted out of the room.

Once safely in the hallway, Kid heaved a sigh and slid to the ground, assuming the position Crona had found him in.

He hit his head against the wall once, twice, three times… I shouldn't do that. It won't do me any good.

He just couldn't believe it. In all the times he'd seen Crona, he never would've assumed she was a girl. Come to think of it, Kid felt a little guilty for shooting at her so much on that horrible ghost ship. No use dwelling on that. She wasn't exactly very nice to you that day either.

Kid pulled his hands from his pockets and rubbed his face, which was very hot to the touch. He, Death the Kid, was actually embarrassed. Well, it's not every day he sees a naked woman. Patty doesn't count.

It wasn't so much the idea of it that was staining his cheeks red; it was the image of water dripping down her hair, onto her back, over the curve of her hips and her - "Don't picture it, you pervert!" Kid chastised himself.

Kid leaned his throbbing head back against the wall, lightly closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. It'll be fine, he thought. Just stop blushing before she comes out. Another thought struck him and suddenly he felt like a jerk for bringing Crona to the men's bathroom. He allowed himself to groan softly aloud.

Several more minutes passed with Kid wallowing in self-loathing and despair before, finally, the door beside him was pulled inward and Crona stepped out. Kid turned to look up at her and to his horror, he saw that she held her towel around her body with one hand. Any ground he had made towards making his blush disappear was in vain as he scrambled to his feet.

"Where are your clothes?!" he asked before he could stop himself.

Crona looked embarrassed herself. "Well, they're all b-bloody and d-dirty so I didn't want to p-put them back on…" she explained.

Kid almost smacked himself. Of course they were! She was just in a brutal fight with Maka and Soul!

Kid cleared his throat lightly. "Right. Of course. Well, I'll take you to your room and I'll find you something suitable to wear," he said. Much better. You sound like a gentleman again.

Thankfully, with Kid taking the lead and Crona following behind, Kid didn't have the opportunity to obsess over the fact that Crona was still very much naked only a few feet away. Just don't look. It's as simple as that.

After a few minutes, Kid opened the door to one of the rooms at the end of a hallway. These were the spare rooms, used mostly for when kids went to the infirmary and needed a room to themselves for awhile before returning to their roommate.

He allowed Crona to step into the room and said, "I'll be right back with fresh clothes for you."

He scampered off back to the supply room and found a drab-looking night gown that would simply have to do for now. He'd wash Crona's robe tonight for her so she could wear it in the morning.

This time, having learned his lesson, he knocked before he entered. "Come in," came Crona's soft reply.

Kid pushed open the door and saw Crona sitting on the bed, towel still wrapped around herself. He extended his arm to hand her the folded night gown with an apologetic smile on his face. "It's the best I could do."

"Th-That's okay. Th-Thank you again," Crona said, finally meeting Kid's eyes for the first time that night.

He found himself staring back at her lightly colored eyes and mentally snapped himself out of it. "Like I said, not a problem in the slightest. If I'm going to take over for my father one day, I should know how to take care of his students," he responded, hardly realizing the promise that lay in his words until they had tumbled out of his mouth. Well, looks like I'll have to convince Father if he doesn't already plan on asking her to stay.

Crona seemed to look slightly less worried after that and that made Kid relax a little. "Tomorrow, I'll bring you your clothes, nice and clean, and we'll go see my father together. How does that sound?" he asked. Crona nodded hesitantly and Kid continued. "And after that, I'll take you out for brunch. There's a lovely little coffee shop just down the street," he said, smirking lightly.

Crona didn't seem to know what to say to that so Kid turned and rested his hand on the doorknob. "Try not to worry too much tonight, Crona. Tomorrow's a new day," he said, opening the door.

"W-Wait!" Crona called. Kid turned to look over his shoulder. "W-Why are you being s-so nice to me?" Crona asked, going back to not meeting his gaze.

Kid paused a moment before smiling. "Because you looked like you could use a friend," he replied simply.

And just before he closed the door behind him, he could've sworn he saw the beginnings of a smile tug at the corners of Crona's lips.