Chapter 2 - Shattered Glass

~Soul~

Soul was waiting in the dining area for Kid to come out. Maka had wanted to come too, but he told her it was a better idea not to. She hadn't been in the best state when he had left the house anyway. She acted like the news about her father hadn't fazed her in the slightest, but they both knew that she did care. She would be waiting for the slightest indication of where he had disappeared to.

And then there was Kid. Being assaulted on his way through his father's school was probably not the best thing for him mentally. He had been so upset; Soul had never seen him like that. His ringed yellow eyes had been filled with fury.

Soul sighed and kicked his feet up on the table. There wasn't much he could do for Kid, and coming over here, he had really had no idea what he was going to say, but he did know that Kid was his friend and he deserved to have someone to talk to, even if he didn't need it. He wondered what had pissed off Kid so much. Was it simply the gay comment? It's not as if people, including Soul, hadn't wondered... But nobody would say something like that to his face. Kid was the best meister at the DWMA after all.

A creak interrupted his thoughts. Kid entered through the double black doors.

"Would you mind taking your filthy shoes off of my table?" Kid requested, sounding slightly annoyed. Soul stood up and laughed. So it looks like he's back to his old self, he thought contentedly. Well, this was Lord Death's only son.

"You really kicked that guy's ass, you know. Probably sent him to the hospital wing for three weeks," Kid frowned distinctly, "What?" asked Soul.

"Poor Crona will have to deal with that ass-wipe then," he mused. Oh crap, Soul realized that they had completely forgotten about Crona. Well, maybe it was just him; Maka would never forget about Crona. They were too close of friends for that.

"So," Soul put his hand behind his head awkwardly, "you wanna go grab some sushi since the meal's off? I told Maka I'd pick something up for her on the way back anyways."

Dammit, did that sound like a date? Getting food together? That's definitely not how he had meant it. What if Kid said yes- or no. Would he think that he was asking him out? No. Soul stopped himself, Kid said he wasn't gay. Just because some loser in the academy thought Kid was gay, didn't make him gay. This was just two bros hanging out. Nothing uncool about that.

"Fine, but I am deciding where we're going. There's no telling what sick raw fish we could come across with your less-than-adequate taste buds," Kid was obviously back to his normal self.

Soul found himself down one of Death City's busiest streets. He really didn't want to go through it; there were so many people bustling around, bumping into each other. It was a sea of bodies, and he didn't know how they would fit through. Kid smiled mischievously. Suddenly, Kid grabbed onto Sou's wrist and tugged him through the crowd. He moved quickly, jumping into open, narrow spaces, and finally making it to a small shop. They ducked inside, seeing that it was just another occupied restaurant.

Kid walked up to the counter, not realizing that he was still holding Soul by the wrist, and said something to the man quietly. He bowed to Kid and waved for him to follow. He dragged Soul through the sushi bar to a back room. There were a few tables around and some people were sitting at them, talking quietly. Kid seemed to realize that he had been holding Soul's wrist the entire time and quickly let go.

"So I put in an order. We'll just wait here and then take it back to your place, if that's.. cool," Kid said 'cool' rather uncomfortably, like he was trying to fit in with Soul. That made him smile; Kid was trying to act more... straight?

"Yeah, man, that's cool," Soul said, leaning back into one of the chairs, then he stopped. This might be the only time he could talk to Kid about what happened without everyone else around. It would be hard to have this serious conversation, but it was worth a shot.

"Kid.. about what happened earlier," Soul began.

Kid stiffened, "Forget it, Soul. I won, that's all that matter," Nope, this wasn't going to be a fun conversation.

"It's just, you seemed really upset, dude. Not about the fight," silence hung in the air.

Finally, Kid sat down in the chair directly across from Soul, relaxing, "It's just- just that, it's not the first time someone's called me that. I don't see why everyone thinks..." he trailed off, like he wasn't able to say the word - gay.

"Why does everyone think I'm gay? I'm not!" Kid shouted, gaining the attention of the other occupants, then throwing his head down on the table and letting his arms rest around it.

Soul gently touched one of his hands in a sign of comfort. It was then that he noticed a blush appear on Kid's face. It was light, and hardly visible in the dim lighting and with his head turned to the side like that, but it was definitely there.

"Kid, nobody thinks that, okay? Just some douche bag we don't even know."

"But he did know me," Kid whispered so quietly it was barely audible. He hadn't wanted Soul to hear, that much was obvious. Soul felt a bit nervous. What did he mean by that? Kid was a really kind, sweet, cute person. Cute? No- wait, what?

~Kid~

After their little exchange in the restaurant, they hurried back to their apartment. Kid had tried insisting that he return to Gallows Mansion, but Soul told him that Maka would want to see him. But truthfully, Kid really didn't want to go back with him. Or did he? He felt sick and confused. He had blushed madly when Soul had touched his hand again. He wished that he'd stop doing that, but at the same time, he wanted him to.

They sat around a coffee table and ate together. Maka and Soul kept up a conversation and Kid didn't really jump in. He just wasn't feeling up to it. Something was really nagging at him ever since that boy in the hallway.

When Kid came to his senses, he realized that Maka was frowning directly at him, "Kid, do you want a soda? I'll go get you something to cheer you up."

He honestly hoped that she'd slip something in it to 'cheer him up', but he knew Maka better than that. She would never let him take a sip of alcohol, "Thanks, Maka. I'm just feeling a bit under the weather."

Maka walked off to the kitchen. Soul tossed up his plate into the air playfully, catching it with one hand. Kid rolled his eyes; there was no way that could turn out well. He did it again, catching it one-handed. He did it once more, flinging into the air, and he looked down for a second. The plate was going to come down and break on his head. Kid shoved himself off the couch and jumped up, running, and deflecting the plate from breaking on Soul's head.

He caught it easily between his thumb and forefinger, but didn't realize until it was too late that he had landed directly on top of Soul, his chest on Soul's chest, his eyes staring into Soul's.

Soul's light breath tickled his lips. Kid could feel his heart beating faster than ever. He had never been this close to Soul before, he wanted to kiss Soul, it would be so easy. Their eyes locked and they both still had that look of surprise, or curiosity. His heart was beating quickly, he could feel it pounding in his chest. Soul had the most interesting eyes, they were a deep, bloody red color, that contrasted his pure white hair so perfectly. He was... gorgeous. Soul licked his lips, and Kid felt like he couldn't stop himself from leaning forward and kissing him.

There was a crashing, and a gasp. They both turned their heads and saw Maka standing in the entranceway, looking shocked. The dropped soda can was the source of the crash. Her eyes were wide and her mouth hung open in surprise.

Kid had never moved so fast in his life. He removed himself from Soul and thanked Maka for the sushi, blushing like crazy, before running out the door, and back to his house. His feet pounded against the cobbled street and he streaked through the nearly empty streets. His face felt like it was burning. He was furious with himself for getting that close to Soul.

Before he could reach the mansion, he pulled into a side alley way and sat on his haunches, burying his face in his knees. What had he been thinking? He was an idiot. He had wanted to kiss Soul so bad right then. So terribly. Did Soul want to also? He hadn't pushed away from him. So that was it then? Does this... make me gay? he wondered. Did he really want Soul like that? I guess he had. There was no way getting around it. But Soul was the most heterosexual person Kid knew. He was always getting a nose bleed whenever stupid Blair walked around in her skimpy outfits. Come to think of it, Kid had never thought of anyone sexually before now. But all he wanted to do was be with Soul.

'Only time can tell,' Kid thought, standing up. He had to pull himself together and hope the awkwardness would go away before their next lesson. 'This doesn't make me gay,' he repeated in his head as he walked.

He opened up the door to his wing of the mansion and saw Liz and Patti lazing around, painting their finger nails, and examining their complexions.

"Hey, look, Liz! Kid's back! Hi, Kid, where'd you go? Did you miss us?" It was just like Patti to bombard him with her overzealous questions.

Liz looked up, "Hey, Kid. You okay?"

"I'm fine, thank you. Make sure to be ready for the academy tomorrow. And don't mess up the symmetry of the room," he walked into his room and closed the doors.

"Kid..." he heard Liz say quietly, sounding concerned. But she didn't know how his heart was fluttering right now. How much he wanted to see Soul again. He was okay, because that punk in the hall who had called him that name was nobody to him. Soul, his best friend, cared about him, and so did all his other friends. Maybe life wasn't getting to be so bad after all.

How could his mood have changed so drastically overnight? Liz dragged Kid by his collar though the door, while Patti laughed and shouted.

"Kid! You're already late. Pick up your feet and move, damn it!" Liz growled.

"Already late, you say? Well, how about we just forget about school today then? Wouldn't want to intrude in class. Besides, I think I forgot to pull one side of my bed sheets the same length as the other, I really have to go fix that. Let go of me, Liz!" Kid argued to no avail.

"KID, pick up your damn feet and move before I make you regret it!" Patti shouted frighteningly. Kid picked himself up immediately and hurried along with the sisters, as they jogged to the academy. Patti could scare him incredibly when she wanted to.

They hurried through the streets of Death City and up the stairs of the school. Fortunately, they weren't late yet, since they had practically run there.

They rushed into Stein's class and sat in the back, next to Ox Ford, although he was not one of the most fun people to be around. Maybe Kid would be able to focus in the back without worrying about what Soul was thinking. He leaned over the desk and looked down to see Soul sitting next to Black Star and Tsubaki. Maka was sitting to the other side of Tsubaki. She and Soul must have had a spat because those two were always right next to each other. Best friends... Or closer? Kid frowned and let his head sink onto the desk. Did Soul really like Maka in that way? He had never seen him look at her the way he had looked at Kid yesterday. Or was that just out of shock? "Gah," he muttered frustrated. He would never be able to focus like this.

It was five minutes after the bell rang that Professor Stein wheeled in on his custom-made chair. His face looked somewhat distraught today. There was something in it that was different than his usual concentrated frown.

"Hello, kids. Let's start by talking about the dissection we are going to perform. Please take notes," Stein began reading from a list, lacking his usual vigor, "You will each need your scalpels, forceps, needles..." he trailed off, before flashing his glasses upwards. Kid could feel the professor staring right at him, "Ah-hem, Kid, would you mind finishing this lab please? Maka, I'd like a word."

'I knew I should've stayed home from school today,' Kid thought, aggravated. Now he would have to face Maka and Soul. Oh crap. He forced himself to walk forward in front of everyone, but didn't lose that air of self-assurance he had.

He took the paper off of Stein's desk and continued reading, although he was sure nobody was listening. Normally, this class was far more entertaining than this.

"Scissors, and probes. Step one of Cat Dissection Lab, cut a hole in the bag, remove the cat tail in the sink," this was disgusting, Kid mused. Who would actually want to do this? Stein was such a strange man. Kid continued to read off the directions, but wondered what Maka and Stein could be talking about outside.

After a few minutes, Stein walked back in to class with Maka in tow, he excused the class to go outside and practice, looking bored as ever. He was acting exceptionally strange today, that was for sure. He would never pass up dissection for watching amateurs fight. Kid was at a loss for a moment, not knowing which way to go.

He didn't want to see Soul right now, though, so he rushed off through the doors as everyone was filing out and hurried down to the hospital wing to see Crona. She would be in the ward for girls; hopefully they'd let him in. He reached his destination and pulled the door open. Crona lay on the bed. Ragnarok had taken ill and wasn't appearing lately. This disease he had was draining Crona and that showed clearly across her pale features.

"Hey, Crona," Kid said gently. Her eyes flittered and she looked over at him.

"Oh, hi, Kid. I didn't know you were coming to visit," he smiled back at her. She looked lonely like this.

"Yeah, well I hadn't seen you in a while. How are you holding up?" he asked.

Crona had grown less nervous and frightened while she had been at the DWMA, but that did not mean she was completely changed by any means. She was still shy, anxious Crona, "I- I'm okay. Thanks, Kid. Have you seen Maka lately?" She asked in that genuinely caring voice she had.

"Uh, yeah. I think they just went out to practice," he saw Crona's face fall slightly, "But Maka told me she was planning on surprising you. I wasn't supposed to tell you though. Can you keep that a secret?"

She smiled and nodded gently. He sat down in the chair next to her, "You okay, Kid?" people kept asking him that. Did he seem particularly upset?

"I'll be fine, Crona. You only need to worry about yourself."

"And Ragnarok," she added quietly. He smiled and nodded. Crona was so selfless.

Well, now he would have to face Maka and Soul. He would try to be as selfless as Crona for once. If Soul had to face Maka after that, he should be able to talk to Soul.

"Kid?" he looked up, "If you need to talk about it... You can, with me, that is," she said awkwardly.

"It's nothing. It's just Soul, you know," his sentence was slow and drawn out.

Her black eyes looked up at him understandingly, "You care about him a lot, huh. It's okay, Kid," she stuttered through her words, but less than usual.

He hardly realized it, but his hands were shaking. Crona could see how much he cared about Soul. Did he really feel so much for him? All he wanted to do was see him. He could have cried right then.

"How'd you get to be so smart Crona?" she smiled sheepishly, "I just need to sort out my thoughts, I suppose."

"Maybe- maybe you should talk to him about it?" she offered.

There's an idea, he mused. But it was better that that didn't happen. If he told Soul how he felt, he might reject Kid. And Kid didn't know if he could deal with that. He sighed loudly, "We'll see what happens. Thank you, Crona," He said her name earnestly. She was a good friend. He wished he could be better to her.