Mothers Day
A/N: Crona is using they/them. I'm using Kid and Crona to deal with my feelings about mothers day.
A/N Part 2: I was going to put this up on father's day, but I feel like today is better one. Congratulations on legalizing Gay Marriage, USA!
Crona knew for the moment they'd gotten in it was going to be a miserable, horrible disgusting day to work. The weather was overcast and grey, not raining but just making it cold and clammy. It wouldn't just rain so people were lugging umbrellas everywhere and snapping at each other out of frustration. Even Tsubaki seemed stressed out when Crona had walked into the small flower shop.
"Crona, I'm sorry. I know I said you could help with the load coming in, but I really need you wrapping today." Crona was in the middle of putting on their apron, but looked up at Tsubaki in horror at this declaration.
"Um, why?" Crona slowly knotted the strings behind their back, smoothing out the front that read, 'Camellia Flower Shop'.
"Briar quit last night. He's moving to California." Tsubaki pushed a long black bang from her face and accidentally smudging a line of mud along her cheek. "Please Crona. Maka is already on register and I need to be back here to sign for the orders." At Crona's hesitation, Tsubaki quickly tried to sweeten the deal. "Patti and Jacqueline said they would be here this afternoon, so you won't be there the whole day."
Reluctantly Crona nodded. Tsubaki smiled gratefully and Crona sighed internally as they went onto the store floor.
X~x~X
Crona hated arranging and wrapping. There was just something so nerve wracking about having a customer stand there and watch them work.
It was even worse when the customer felt the need to interfere with the wrapping.
"No no, I want it so it's thickly wrapped." The woman shook her head and reach across to mess with the ribbon wrapped around the neck of vase. Crona leaned back and resisted the urge to slap her hands away. Biting their lip, Crona rewrapped it.
"Make the bow bigger." The woman demanded. Crona breathed out and cut a new piece of the bright pink ribbon, carefully winding it around the vase of tulips and peonies with shaking hands.
"Finally!" Crona hand barely finished when the woman ripped the vase out of their hands. "You're really slow, your boss should have more people out here for Mother's Day." With that she marched away to the register.
Oddly enough, Crona agreed with that last statement. Quickly glancing at the clock, Crona was relieved to see it was nearly three PM.
'Only one more hour. Only one more hour, only one more hour and then I can go home and ignore the rest of this day.' Crona thought desperately. Despite Tsubaki's promises, Crona had ended up wrapping and arranging all day. Patti got to do reciving because she was the strongest. Tsubaki was doing custom orders and Maka had left early to have dinner with her own mother. Jacqueline was at the register.
A businessman on his phone stepped up next.
"Just wrap it in paper and make it quick. I have to be at the airport in forty-five minutes." he barked out and thrust a bundle of roses, tulips, baby's breath and eucalyptus at them.
Crona bit their tongue and reminded themself, 'Just one more hour.'
X~x~X
At four forty-five Crona was finally pulling on their jacket to go home. Tsubaki stuck her head around the door.
"Crona thank you so much for staying late. We couldn't have done it without you."
Crona was dead tired, just nodded and smiled a little.
"See you on Monday okay? Have a good Mother's Day." Crona stiffened and quietly responded,
"Thanks. You too. Goodbye."
X~x~X
The bus ride home was a bumpy, stop-and-go ride from hell. Or at least that's what Crona's impression of it was.
Sore and tired, Crona stumbled up the two floors to their apartment. It was dark and cold inside, meaning that Kid was still on his way home. Crona resisted the urge to simply drop their bag on the floor by the door. It would upset Kid when he got home.
Instead Crona put it away neatly and left their shoes by the door. Walking through the kitchen, Crona distractedly grabbed a handful of grapes from the bowl on the counter. Popping one in their mouth, Crona continued to the living room. Ragnarok was sleeping in his cage. The old rabbit was flopped over in the sunlight, one yellow and broken tooth poking through his lips.
"Hey Ragnarok." Crona called quietly. The rabbit's ear twitched but he didn't rise. Crona tsked their tongue to try and get him to respond. Ragnarok opened one eye and stared at Crona.
"Cuddles?" Crona went to open the door of the cage and the rabbit hissed threateningly. Crona stopped. "Or maybe not."
Disappointed, Crona sat down on the black love seat instead, idelly fishing for the remote to the TV. The moment it clicked it on a commercial for Mother's Day jewellry blared out from the speakers.
Crona turned it right back off.
It wasn't that Crona hated Mother's Day. They didn't. Rationally, they knew most people had every reason to celebrate with a loved one, someone who had brought them into the word and had cared for them.
Just, not Crona.
Crona sighed.
For the past two years they'd done something for Marie, who was the closest thing to a mother Crona could remember having. This year however, Stein had surprised everyone by doing something very romantic and whisked Marie off to Italy for two weeks. So Crona was on their own this year. The sky was gradually darkening as more storm clouds rolled over the sky. As Crona let their mind wander, there was sound outside the door.
The front door unlocked, opened, closed and locked. Then it unlocked and locked again. And again. And again.
Eight times. Just to make sure.
Crona smiled a little. Standing up to go greet their boyfriend, Crona stopped cold when they saw Kid.
His shoulders were balled up tensely, rolled up and back from his neck. His head was shoved forward, forehead nearly touching the wood of the door. His hands were shaking on the knob and he was still locking and unlocking the door at a gradually increasing pace, almost frantically.
Crona bit their lip. Clearly Kid's day hadn't been any better than Crona's.
Crona approached slowly, but steadily. They made sure Kid could hear their footsteps. Carefully, so as not to startled Kid in whatever trance he was in, Crona laid their hand on top of the one that was locking and unlocking the door.
"It's locked. It's fine. We're safe. It's locked. It's fine. We're safe." Crona muttered over and over until Kid stopped and his shoulders slowly uncurled. Crona took their hand away and stepped back.
"Touching or no touching?" Crona asked softly. Kid let out a shuddering breath, hands stiff at his sides.
"Touching." Crona immediately went in for a hug, both arms wrapped snugly around Kid. They buried their face in the collar of his shirt, smelling black coffee and paper. After a moment Kid wrapped his arms around Crona, holding tight. He was shivering, but his body was gradually relaxing. After a long moment Crona stepped back, arms still loosely wrapped around Kid.
His eyes were closed, breathing out through his nose, trying to clear his thoughts. Crona knew that it was easiest for Kid to do this in silence so they just watched as Kid stopped frowning and his eyes opened.
"Sorry." His eyes were on the floor. Crona shook their head.
"Nothing to apologize for." Kid looked up, meeting Crona's eyes for the first time since stepping in. He smiled a little and took both of Crona's hands pressing a kiss to the top of the knuckles. Crona blushed. Even after a little less than year of dating, acts of spontaneous affection still made flutters appear in their belly and heat wash over their face.
"I'm happy to see you." Kid distracted himself, taking off his shoes, putting away his bag, carefully hanging up his raincoat. When he looked up Crona was blushing harder.
"I-I'm happy to see you too." Crona said quietly. Kid smiled.
"How was your day?"
Crona shrugged, looking down at their feet. "It was fine, a little busy I guess."
When they looked up, Kid's frown was back.
"You don't look like it was fine." Kid hesitantly reached out, waiting for Crona's permission. When Crona nodded Kid put his hands on either side of their face, smoothing over the sharp cheekbones and under the eyes with his thumbs. Crona could feel the way their shoulders dropped and the way warmth was being added back to their skin. Their eyes met Kid's.
"Maybe it wasn't so fine." Crona whispered.
"That's alright. Neither was mine." Kid whispered back. He moved his hands to join with Crona's, and they walked to the living room, to sit down on the couch.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Kid offered. When Crona stayed quiet, eyes on the floor tracing over the patterns of the wood, Kid kept talking.
"Father called me today when I was at work." Kid worked for an accounting firm and hated any interruption or deviation from his pattern. Eight to five, lunch at one o'clock, meetings at three o'clock. Home by six o'clock, depending on if he took the car or longboarded. Crona had his schedule memorized, and knew that Kid needed it.
"Father called me around two and wanted to talk to me about my mother." Crona winced. Kid's mother had died in labor with him. Kid's father had never remarried, but made sure to discuss her every chance he had. "He's always made it clear he doesn't blame me for what happened, but it's frustrating because I don't know how to talk about her." Kid breathed out quietly. "I don't know what to say about someone I haven't ever met. So I just let him talk to me." He squeezed Crona's hand tightly. Crona felt the small bones in their knuckles grind and relished it. "I don't how to deal with him when he talks about her." Kid admitted softly. "It throws me off, it makes me feel out of balance."
Crona nodded, then took a deep breath, sensing that Kid was finished.
"I miss Marie and Stein. I wish they hadn't gone on vacation. This time of year makes me nervous. I'm always afraid that she's going to come back, and expect something from me. It's easier when Marie is here, because she always reminds me that I don't have to do anything Medusa tells me anymore." Crona pulled their knees up and rested their chin on top of them. "Maka thinks I should try and make my peace with her. I don't think I can." Crona admitted.
Kid grunted. "Maka has a different perspective on mothers than you and I." He said.
Crona smiled, blue eyes darting over to him. Kid reached out and wrapped his hand around Crona's. He gently pulled Crona towards him, until they were both laying on the couch, facing each other. Outside it had finally started to rain.
Crona brushed a finger over Kid's jaw line, up over his nose, tracing his cheekbones. When they traced over his mouth, Kid kissed the fingertips.
"I'm crazy about you." Crona said softly, moving their hand to rest over Kid's heart. "I'm so happy with you, that I forget to be sad about anything else."
Kid's eyes were soft, the usually intense stare gentled by affection. "I love you Crona. You make my mind so quiet. I don't need anyone else when you're here."
Outside it thundered and the gentle patter of rain on the roof made Crona feel tired. Kid kissed their forehead.
"Sleep. I'll be right here for you."
Crona closed their eyes. Maybe it hadn't been such a terrible day after all.
FIN
(Hey. Real talk. Dont ever let a 'missing' part of your life hold you back. It's perfectly fine to have one mom or one dad or two moms or two dads or a mom and someone is sometimes mom and sometimes dad. It's fine if you call your parents by their names and not mom and dad. Trust me when I say, someone out there loves you. I'm a very reliable source.)