A/N: This is actually my friend Connor's fanfiction; she doesn't have an account here so she asked if I could post it.~
Warnings: Male!Crona, some M/M, fluff, very sexy finger sucking.
Sometimes when one questions something, it takes a lot to finally get them to understand that what they have is the real deal. Crona did that with Kid. He knew he loved him, more than he had ever loved someone in his life. Ages spent lurking around corners staring at him, many papers failed because he couldn't get the Reaper off of his mind during class, many sleepless nights imagining Kid next to him. Most times they weren't even touching in these fantasies. Just to have him close was enough to get a blush on Crona's cheeks.
What he had trouble grasping was that Kid actually loved him back, just as much. Crona had never had love before until Maka came around. Maka was the best friend he would ever have, but he didn't feel for Maka the way he felt for Kid. Kid made him so happy, but he wouldn't let himself believe Kid wanted him. The touches, the caresses, the protective nature Kid had around Crona…he loved it all. But he could have anybody, why would he continue to waste his time? He was convinced Kid would get bored eventually, and mentally prepared himself every day for that time. Doing so only made him depressed. Kid would constantly ask what was wrong, concern etched in every feature, but Crona never told him. He tried to be happy, and he was, but that one nagging thought was always in the back of his mind.
One particular night was spent in his cozy little bedroom below the school. They weren't sexually active at this time, but they were both trying to work toward it. Neither had been with a partner before and it was something they wanted to slowly work toward, especially Crona.
The swordsman's lips kissed and sucked Kid's fingers. His elegant Reaper was leaned back on a pile of pillows, propped up on his elbow, watching straight-faced as Crona's innocent lips and tongue worked the digits in his mouth. He didn't know why, but Kid's stoic facial expression aroused him more. Kid's fingers once in a while would gently rub his tongue, and Crona couldn't resist a soft moan whenever he did this. He continued this for about twenty minutes before he stopped and turned Kid's palm up, kissing it.
"You're very sweet, Crona," he said. Crona closed his eyes in shyness and felt the soft palm rest on his cheek. His wet fingers grazed his ears, making him shiver slightly.
"Anything for you, Kid," he whispered.
"Really? Then tell me what's been on your mind." His voice was stern but kind. Crona halted and stuttered out, "N-Nothing. I've told you that."
He could feel the disappointment emanating from Kid, but the Reaper said nothing further. "Actually, I wanted to ask you something."
"O-Oh really?" He dared to make eye contact and to his relief, saw no animosity or disappointment.
"Yes. My father is sending me on a mission the day after tomorrow. There's a sea-dwelling kishin that needs to be taken care of in the Atlantic Ocean, and I'd like you to come with me."
Crona was surprised and flattered by this news. Kid hadn't asked him to go with him on a mission before. Then again, they hadn't been dating too long either. "Really? What use could I be?"
"Well, I wouldn't want you coming with me on the actual mission because I don't want you to get hurt. But I'll be gone for probably a week at most trying to find this thing. She's a siren kishin, you see. She uses her voice to sing a song to lure sailors to her. Once she finds a nice big ship full of people, she consumes their souls and sinks the ship. Single men are usually her victims. My father wants me to take this mission because he knows I won't fall prey to her."
"Why not?" Crona asked, wondering what made him immune. Kid gave an affectionate half-smile and stroked his cheek a couple more times.
"Because he knows I'm in love with you."
"I'm in love with you too, Kid," Crona said, burying his face into Kid's palm. It was the truth. He loved him so much, and yet the haunting thought that one day it might all end nearly broke his heart all over again. Why couldn't he just trust Kid?
"What would it take to get you to trust me?" The words were barely audible, but Crona heard them. He wasn't surprised Kid knew what was wrong. His Reaper was very intelligent and intuitive.
His Reaper. Was he? Did he really deserve to have him for the rest of his life?
"When are we leaving?" was all Crona said instead.
"Early in the morning on Saturday," Kid replied. Crona definitely heard disappointment in his voice now. "We'll be staying in the Florida Keys, so you'll have plenty of fun things to do while I'm out hunting this kishin."
"Okay. I'll pack tomorrow." He gave a half-hearted smile, which Kid didn't really return. Crona curled up under the covers and Kid shut the lamp off. They both fell asleep without further word to each other.
They arrived in their hotel room Saturday afternoon. It was bright and sunny, and Crona couldn't get enough of the scenery. He'd never seen palm trees before, and he was fascinated. Liz and Patti had their own room next door, and Kid and Crona were sharing one. The room had everything they could possibly desire.
"We'll be heading out in an hour, you two," Kid told his weapons sternly, who were much more interested in checking out their suite and taking a hot bubble bath than a mission.
"Ah, relax Kid, we have a week!" Liz said, stretching. "Take a break, won't you?"
"I don't want this kishin sinking any more ships, I want to get this taken care of as soon as possible," Kid said, walking back into his own room without a further word.
"Party pooper," came Liz's voice between the two open doors. "Crona is so lucky he gets to stay behind and enjoy everything."
Crona didn't feel very lucky. He knew he would never be leaving the suite, too scared to go out into public by himself, and he would be worried about Kid too much to enjoy himself. He sat on the bed and watched Kid unpack his belongings into the dresser, not saying much.
"Kid," he finally said right as they were about to leave.
"Yes?" Kid asked, turning.
"Please be careful…come back safely, okay?"
"Will do," Kid said, giving him a thumbs up. And then they were gone.
Time seemed to drag on forever as Crona waited. He had no idea what to do to pass the time. He couldn't remember how to work the complicated-looking remote to turn on the TV and eating would require getting on the phone to call room service, and that was simply out of the question. Instead he sat on the bed, knees pulled up to his chest, trying to think of how to talk to Kid about his trust issues. He knew Kid wouldn't judge him for anything he said and he knew everything would be better as soon as he said something, so why couldn't he find words?
It was close to midnight before Kid and his pistols came storming back into the hotel room. Crona jumped when he heard the door open, having been lost in his thoughts. "Kid?" he asked. He could smell salt water almost immediately.
"Why are you sitting in the dark?" Kid asked. He turned on a lamp and Crona saw Kid, Liz, and Patti all drenched to the bone, and covered in seaweed and other things he couldn't identify. And they all looked to be in an extremely foul mood.
"Uh oh, what happened?" Crona asked, shrinking back a bit.
"That damn siren kept eluding us," Liz snapped, wringing her hair out in the sink. "She won't come out of the ocean unless she has a victim, and none of us are susceptible to her song, so we had to go find her ourselves, and trying to kill her was a pain in the ass. She's quick and can go deep underwater while we can't."
"Oh, I'm sorry…" Crona said. "Maybe you'll have better luck tomorrow?" It gave Crona a very nice feeling in his heart knowing that Kid hadn't fallen victim to the siren.
"We can hope," Liz said. "Come on Patti, let's go take a bath."
"Heh, okay," she said, not her usual cheery self either. "Good night, Kiddo! Good night, Crona!" They both left and Crona sat in silence, watching his Reaper peel his soaked clothes off. He got up after a few minutes and trotted to the bathroom. He plugged the tub and started to fill it up with steamy water, adding a bit of bubble bath to it.
"Is that for me?" came Kid's voice suddenly from the doorway.
"Yeah, it's the least I could do after your hard day." He smiled at Kid and got a warm smile back.
"Thank you," he said. He lowered himself into the tub. Crona went back into the bedroom and brought back clean pajamas and a fluffy towel for him, laying it gently on the toilet. Kid chuckled and sank deeper into the water.
"You're too good to me, Crona," he said, taking one hand out of the water and holding Crona's.
"I'd say it's the other way around," the swordsman replied, holding Kids hand tightly. He pressed his lips softly to Kid's knuckles, taking in the sweet vanilla scent that was on his skin. "Hey! Want me to scrub your back?"
Kid laughed affectionately. "Sure!"
They had a fun few hours in the bathtub together. At some point, Crona somehow ended up in there with him. Bubbles and suds were everywhere, they were both naked and laughing, kissing and hugging, and for once, Crona wasn't worried about anything at all. They went to bed smelling strongly of vanilla, and he was cuddled happily into Kid's arms, feeling warm and safe.
The next night with the kishin ended more or less the same, only they were significantly less pissed off than the night before.
"We wounded her!" said Kid triumphantly when they walked back in. They were all drenched again and covered in seaweed, but they looked proud of themselves, and Crona was too. The third night however, Kid asked him for a serious favor.
"I need your help Crona," he said. "You specialize in long-range attacks. I can shoot from long distances of course, but Ragnarok will be able to do a lot more damage. She moves very quickly and I don't have enough time to achieve Soul Resonance and use Death Cannon unless she holds still, which isn't going to happen. I can distract her and get her attention on me, and then you can get her from behind with Ragnarok. You won't even have to get close, and I know that her song won't affect you." Crona liked how confident he looked throughout the entire plan, even the last part.
"Of course, whatever you want," Crona said, feeling nervous but happy to help. Medusa has certainly had him do worse, this wouldn't be a big deal. Hopefully.
"Thank you, my love," he said, kissing him happily. "We'll leave in two hours, do what you need to do to get prepared." Kid moved to the other room to discuss battle plans with the girls, which ended in a shouting match because Liz was apparently getting dressed and Kid "Just waltzed right in without even knocking!"
"Who cares, I need to discuss a change of tactics with you," Kid said, not even sounding bothered by the fact that Liz was naked. Crona highly doubted he even noticed when someone was naked unless it was Crona himself.
"Damn it Reaper, get OUT!"
They took a boat out to the spot where the siren was usually seen, which was a large rock surrounded by water. The silence was palpable, since Liz was still pissed off about the incident, Kid was still nursing a lamp injury, Crona had nothing to say, and Patti was too tired for once to talk or sing.
"Weapon form, girls," Kid said once they reached the rock. They obeyed without a word. Crona watched in interest since he rarely got to see them transform. It was fascinating. He watched Kid catch them like it was second nature and he climbed onto the rock. "Stay on the boat, Crona," Kid ordered. "Ready Ragnarok, and when she appears, slay her by any means necessary, don't hesitate. Do you understand?"
"Of course," Crona said. He rowed the boat back a bit from the rock so he wouldn't be easily noticeable. It was foggy, so they had that on their side as well. He stood up and summoned Ragnarok, wrapping his fingers around his slender handle.
"This is so stupid," Ragnarok said.
"Hush," Crona said. "We can't let Kid down."
"What the hell is a siren, anyway?"
"Uh, well…she sings, and it's really bad," Crona said. "She's a kishin. She lures in ships and humans with her song and then consumes their souls."
"Sounds like a good time to me!" Ragnarok said.
"Hey, I hope her song doesn't affect you," Crona said thoughtfully.
"Oh please, my one true love is food," his sword said gleefully. "Speaking of, when is lunch?"
Their answer came in the form of a scream. Kid's scream, to be precise. "What?" He couldn't see through the fog. He wouldn't be able to aim an attack at the thing unless he got close to the rock.
"Ragnarok, give me wings!" he pleaded. "I have to go help him!"
His back suddenly burned with white hot energy as wings burst from his back. There was no other pain like it, but he fought through it and flapped over to Kid, trying to get his vision back because it was swimming from the pain. He couldn't see very well at all.
"Where are you Kid?" he moaned, rubbing his eyes. His back felt like it was on fire. He finally found the rock through his tears and spotted Kid, and what he saw made his stomach drop. The siren must have snuck up on them quietly because she was practically on top of Kid. She had a long, mermaid-like tail that Crona could only describe as grotesque and disgusting. It was twisted and looked to be coated in slime and blood. Her teeth were long and needle-like, also coated in blood. She had no eyes or nose; only a wide, gaping mouth full of bloody needles. Her fingers elongated into even longer needles, with webbing in between her fingers. For a moment, Crona could only wonder what had happened to cause this in a person.
Kid's strangled scream brought him back to reality and he watched her fingers twist around his throat. He could no longer shoot to protect himself. "Ah, hang on!" he said. "SCREEEEEECH ALPHAAAAAAA!"
He put everything he could into that attack, aiming it with deadly accuracy at the siren. The siren turned upon hearing him scream and started to sing, deflecting the attack with her voice somehow and sending the purple energy of his Screech Alpha off into the distance.
"Uh oh."
"Well, we're screwed," said Ragnarok cheerfully. "Say good-bye to your man."
"Shut up Ragnarok, don't say such things!" Crona said, starting to panic. He wiped tears from his eyes, this time crying for a completely different reason, and shot toward the rock. While the siren was distracted, Kid kicked her in the jaw and sent her flying away, giving himself time to get up and run in the opposite direction to gather himself.
"That was a close one!" said Liz from his right hand. Kid panted, looking fearful.
"She's quick AND quiet!" he said. "How did that happen, I was on full alert!"
"Mistakes happen, but pull yourself together and get moving!" Liz said.
Crona meanwhile, was in full combat with the kishin. She kept trying to pull his soul out through his body via song. Everytime he got within three feet of her, he felt instantly weak because of the powerful pull of it. It was strange, but he didn't have time to dwell on it.
"Screech Gamma!" His voice echoed over the sea and he got her, blasting her into the ocean. She screamed and landed in the water with a loud splash. He ran to the edge and saw blood turning the green water red.
"I think I got her!"
"Good job Crona!" said Kid, running to his side. "You did well! If she's not dead, she's at the very least close to it."
"I hope that she is," Crona said. "I got really scared. I thought she was going to kill you Kid, and I don't know what I'd do if I lost you."
Kid gave him a wide smile and looked ready to cry at the same time. "Crona…I love you."
"I love you too," he answered while pulled into a tight hug. Crona nuzzled into his neck and held him tightly, savoring how his Reaper felt against him. Crona opened his eyes after a minute and screamed loudly when he saw the siren behind Kid.
"KID, WATCH OUT!" he shouted, but it was too late. He saw razor-sharp needles coming for him. His life was going to end, it was too late to block it.
The pain came in a different form instead. Crona watched in absolute horror as Kid fell to the ground instead, nearly every inch of him blossoming in blood.
"KID!" Crona screeched. Burning tears fell down his face. He had blocked it…all for him. He sacrificed his own life to save him. Crona would never have guessed he'd ever meet someone that would love him enough to do that…until recently, he had been Medusa's puppet, ready to be thrown away at any time. And now a Reaper had just given up his life for him…
"YOU BIIIITTCHHH!" Crona screamed. It was like moving in slow motion. Needles and shards of pain tore at his heart as it broke, jumping over his body and railing his sword deep into the kishin's body, slicing her in half and then hacking at the rest of the remains, not caring how much blood he got on himself, as long as she was dead and in pieces. Tears ran in a steady river down his face and he knew after this battle he would die too from heartbreak. He couldn't live in this world without Kid, it just wouldn't be possible. He was fully prepared to lay down next to him and give up.
He gave up hacking when his arms couldn't move anymore. He looked up and saw a bright red soul hanging in the air, waiting to be eaten. He felt like Liz or Patti should have it. Their Meister died because of her. It would bring them one step closer to Death Scythe status, and he knew Kid would like that. He took it into his hand and brought it over to them. They were in human form now, sobbing over Kid. Crona wondered if they would hate him.
"Here," he said hesitantly. "I feel like one of you should have this."
Liz looked down at it and shook her head. "No, you have it. You killed her, it's yours." Crona was relieved to see no malice or hate toward him. He set the soul to the side and moved over to Kid. Liz and Patti let him have his space, crying over each other instead, trying to console one another.
"I'm an idiot, Kid," Crona said softly, tears choking up his throat. "I wish it didn't take this for me to see it. I should have seen it a long time ago, and I didn't want to believe. You truly love me unconditionally, and I know that now. Because of everything I've been through before, I didn't believe anybody could love me as much as you seemed to, and I thought you would get bored or that it would all end up being a trick…but I know now. I'll take that knowledge with me into the afterlife and with any luck, you'll forgive me next time we meet. I feel so stupid for blowing it. Go figure that when something good is placed in front of me, I don't know what to do with it. I'm so sorry, Kid. I love you."
Tears were soaking Kid's jacket as Crona buried his face into his chest. "I love you so much!" His voice rose in pitch as he became more hysterical. "I didn't think I would ever know what it was! I didn't think I would ever find it! I thought it was for everybody but me! And then I came into your life on that ghost ship, and you didn't even try to kill me! You told me how to be strong, you told me how to live, you showed me love on that ship even though we were enemies at the time! And after we met again, you forgave me, and I should have seen it, all of it! I'm sorry, Kid!"
Breathing and talking were a hardship for him at this point. He could practically feel his heart losing hope. "I love you with every fiber of my being, my Reaper. I would do anything for you. I really mean that." He kissed him and laid his head on his chest, hoping death would be merciful enough to take him too.
"That's very beautiful Crona…but I'm not dead yet," came Kid's voice. Crona shot up, wondering if it was real.
"KID?"
Liz and Patti looked too, hopeful and scared. "YOU'RE ALIVE?"
"Why didn't you say something earlier, you little jerk?" Liz asked, sobbing all over again, looking like she wanted to hug him and strangle him at the same time.
"Would you be able to talk immediately after sustaining an injury like that?" Kid asked. "I'm a Reaper, I'm not easy to kill, but that put me out."
The three of them loaded Kid onto the boat and got out of there. They got him to a hospital as soon as they reached shore, which was fairly quickly since Patti rowed like she had never rowed before. The next several hours were spent in the hospital. Liz and Patti were in and out of his room, tending to their Meister and making sure he was okay. They kept Crona updated on everything since Crona didn't want to go in there. He was too ashamed of himself to face Kid just yet. But he was very relieved that the Reaper was going to be alright. Everything in the world was okay as long as Kid was alive.
"I'm so selfish…" Crona muttered to himself, looking at the clock once again. It was half past midnight.
"You're not selfish, Crona," came a soft voice. He looked up.
"Hello, Liz," he said somberly.
Liz pulled up a chair and sat down next to him. "I heard everything you said to Kid, and let me tell you something Crona," she said. "You're definitely not selfish. Have you heard about my past at all?"
Crona remained silent. He knew bits and pieces.
"I grew up homeless in New York. I stole whatever I wanted and I used my powers for my own survival. My sister and I were feared and nobody fucked around with us. But that doesn't mean my life was easy. Living on the streets in Brooklyn, that's tough, and incredibly scary. Not as scary as what you went through growing up, but you can see where I'm coming from, right?"
Crona nodded slightly.
"When Kid took in Patti and I, I didn't fully appreciate the love he showed for us, either. I knew he cared about us, the signs were there. But because of what I went through, I had a hard time trusting him, and it took me a long while to finally realize that he was sincere and wanted to take care of us. I thought he was some rich wack job or something, but no, Kid is the real thing. What you went through in your past, that took a lot of bravery and strength to survive. Nobody blames you for the doubt you experienced. You couldn't help it. You never had anything good presented to you before, and of course when something finally comes along, you can't HELP but think it's a dream or that it won't last. Don't blame yourself. The point is, Kid is perfectly fine now, and you know now that you don't have to doubt him anymore. You can both move forward completely honest and open with each other, and I have no doubt in my mind that you'll have no further problems. And in case you're wondering, Kid isn't upset with you at all. He understands and he really wants to see you. He sent me out here to get you, and I figured I'd talk to you before I sent you in."
Crona lept from his chair and embraced Liz tightly. "Thank you so much!" he sobbed into her hair. "Thank you, thank you!"
"It's not a problem," Liz said, giving him a tight hug back. "Go see your boyfriend, I'm gonna go get some food."
Crona dabbed at his eyes with his sleeve and tried to collect himself before walking into Kid's room. He opened the door, shut it softly behind him, and sat down next to Kid.
"You look a lot better," Crona said, smiling slightly.
"Thank you," Kid said. "I feel a lot better. I'll be out of here by tomorrow. I'm on a mission hiatus for the next week, though I doubt I need it, but father's orders." He leaned over and kissed Crona intensely. He kissed him back with just as much passion, for a while forgetting what he wanted to say. When they came back up for air, Crona cleared his throat.
"Kid, about what I said…I mean…I meant every word, and I'm sorry for everything." He said it very fast in his nervousness and he looked down at the floor, toeing at the ground with his shoe.
"I know, Crona," Kid said, smiling. "I understand completely, but I think you know now just how much I love you, and I don't foresee us having any further issues with that. I'm just glad you finally know."
"I do, I do," Crona said. "Can we still be together?"
"I wouldn't have it any other way," Kid said, stroking his cheek. Crona kissed his palm again, and went forward with him, finally with an open heart, and having no regrets. They were completely, totally in love, only with each other, and nothing would ever change that. Crona finally learned to trust, and he kept the knowledge that Kid and Liz gave him close to his heart forever.