Ordered Chaos
By Cybra
Story Summary: Kid's preference for black and white has prompted plenty of speculation, but the real reason is a lot more mundane than everyone guesses.
Disclaimer: Soul Eater belongs to Atsushi Ohkubo.
Black and White
Black and white. White and black. These two colors dominated just about everything in regards to Kid from his clothes to his home decor.
A lot of people speculated on why that was. There were all sorts of explanations for why the young reaper chose to stick with monochrome whenever possible.
Some believed it was because of his need for things to be balanced. What two colors could be more balanced than black and white? Everything else needed a color chart to see which colors were complementary to others.
Some claimed it was a subtle plea for simplicity. The world was loud and chaotic. To someone as tightly controlled as Kid, it was probably like walking through Hell itself every day.
Many thought it had to do with his father though the reasoning was split. Half thought it was because Lord Death had made it something like a standard uniform for Kid. The other half thought it was purely voluntary to honor his father who was nothing but black and white.
A few people thought they were simply Kid's favorite colors. Death god or not, why wouldn't he use the hues he preferred for just about everything?
Kid always listened to others' speculation regarding this, making noncommittal noises where appropriate and politely excusing himself due to important reaper matters at the earliest opportunity. When he couldn't escape, he usually led the conversation so far away from the topic that people forgot what they'd originally asked him about until much later. (Being tutored in diplomacy was a serious boon and a skill he exploited at every opportunity much like how his father used puns.)
He probably should've just told them and ended the mystery, but the fact of the matter was that the real reason was too embarrassing:
White went with everything, black went with everything, but patterns weren't always so easy to match up. Had his Lines been three complete Rings, there would've been no issue, but the stripes in his hair looked strange whenever he wore anything but white or black. As a man of status, he needed to look impeccable, the black and white clothing helping to disguise the fact that the patterns didn't always quite match up with his Lines.
As for the house, well, black just made it easier on his need to keep things clean. (He would've never realized Patty had spilled her soda on the couch and not been able to get all of it up if it hadn't started to smell.) The white was really just to keep the entire Gallows Manor from becoming one giant cave. That and a former nanny had nearly quit the first day when he'd disappeared into the shadows created by black walls during hide-and-seek: She'd sworn his childish giggles had come from every shadow in the house. Really, it was for everyone's health and sanity that the Gallows had white mixed in with all the black.
And if he wanted to be honest with himself, he'd admit he was starting to enjoy listening to all the speculation. Explaining himself would ruin the fun.