Discovering
Chapter Four
Staring at the young Reaper, Soul sat on the staircase for several minutes, not moving and simply thinking about what to do next. His heart was pounding with excitement, and he couldn't wait for Kid to wake up so he could surprise him.
I have to think of something romantic to do for him…. He's been the one giving me all of these things and sending me these love letters, so I should at least do something to surprise him in return. Too bad I'm not the romantic type….
Suddenly, Kid began to shift under the blankets and let out a soft groan as he readjusted himself. Soul smiled and stood up, walking over to him, and then sat down gently in the open seat that Kid had given up. Looking down at his friend, he couldn't help but reach and touch the side of his face, stroking it gently. Kid's fever had gone down quite a bit, and his face looked less pale. Soul let his hand wander, sliding down to rub Kid's chest slowly, causing the young Reaper to stir even more. Soul quickly pulled his hand away, and hurriedly tried to change his expression to his usual laid back, cool-guy one. Kid looked up at him confusedly, lifting his tired body off of the cushions. Sitting up, he massaged his neck and turned towards Soul.
"How long was I out?" he groaned wearily.
Soul checked the clock on the wall, "I don't know; about three hours or so?" He smiled at the young Reaper, "You certainly look better, and your fever has gone way down."
"Really? That's good… I definitely feel a lot better," Kid replied, chuckling. "I guess all I needed was to sleep for twenty hours. I know it must've been boring, but I really appreciate you being here, Soul."
"Don't worry about it, Kid; I don't mind. It's a lot better than sitting in class all day."
Kid shook his head, smiling. "Have you had anything to eat yet? It's almost noon."
"Yeah, I'm pretty hungry…. What do you want? I'll make you something."
"Hmm…" Kid said, leaning back into the cushions and thinking. "How about an omelet?"
"Lunch for breakfast, breakfast for lunch…At least at this rate we should be having dinner for dinner," Soul joked, standing up and walking into the kitchen. "What do you want in it?"
"Lots of cheese, ham, and jalapeños, please!" Kid said, excitedly.
"You like jalapeños?"
"Oh, yes, I love spicy food."
"Same here! I always make sure we have a bottle of hot sauce in the fridge at home," Soul said, opening the fridge and taking out the necessary ingredients. He began to prepare their meal, still thinking about how he was going to tell Kid that he loved him too.
I've got it! he thought, realizing exactly what he should do. He's written me so many letters, why don't I write one to him? That'd be perfect! I just…have to find a time to write it while I'm here…and figure out what to say…dammit…Maka would be so much better at something like that than me….
"Do you need any help, Soul? I think I'm able enough to do something now."
"No, it's fine. Stay right there, and I'll bring it to you when I'm down, okay?" At least I can do this for him.
"Okay, thank you, Soul," Kid said, looking for the TV remote. Finally finding it buried underneath a cushion, he pressed the power button and began flipping through the channels.
Why is Soul such an amazingly nice guy? He acts so tough and cool all the time, but really, underneath it all, he's just a big softy, Kid thought, smiling to himself. That's why I love him so much; so strong, yet so gentle.
Finding nothing to watch, Kid sighed and turned the TV off, laying back down on the couch. He stared up at the ceiling, running his hand over his stomach and chest. He could hear the sizzling sounds of Soul's cooking in the kitchen, and could smell the delicious concoction in the air around him, making his mouth water.
We might as well be dating already, Kid thought, grinning contently. Putting both of his hands behind his head, he closed his eyes and wondered if he should talk to Soul. No, not yet; I've got a few more letters to send and a few more tricks up my sleeve. I can wait…I guess…
In a few minutes, Soul returned with a steaming omelet in each hand. He sat them down on the coffee table in front of the sofa, Kid sitting up and giving Soul a place to sit.
"Mm, this looks delicious, Soul," Kid said, turning towards him. "Thank you for doing all of this."
"Like I said, it's no big deal," Soul said, smirking. The payoff is going to be well worth all of this effort….
Hungrily, Kid grabbed his fork and began to eat, savoring the delicious meal that his crush had prepared for him. Soul smiled and watched him devour the meal as he began eating, surprised that he had actually been able to pull off what he made.
Within a few minutes, Kid had finished his meal and sat his plate down on the coffee table, sighing with happiness. "That was great, Soul," he said, leaning back into the sofa. He looked down at his shirt and pants, frowning. "I've been sleeping in this outfit for two days…" he said, slowly standing up, his legs weak from disuse. "I think I'm going to go and change quickly; I'll be right back," he said, walking up the stairs to his room. Soul nodded and continued eating.
Rounding the corner into his bedroom, he turned on the light and then walked over to his dresser, opening the top drawer and removing a pair of clean boxers. Walking to the other one, he took out a bright green t-shirt and a pair of black pajama shorts, the Reaper logo repeated across each leg in an orderly fashion. Slowly, he slipped out of his dirty clothes and began to dress himself, when he noticed something on his desk. He put on his shirt and walked over and picked up a half-full bag of potato chips, wondering when he had brought them up here.
"Wait a minute…these were brand new…." he said, looking down at his desk, noticing that some of his papers and books had been moved around. His heart dropped and he nearly fell to the ground, realizing that Soul had been going through his stuff. "Oh, this is horrible…he's read everything! He probably thinks I'm a freak or something and is just being nice to me because he doesn't want to make a scene or something…. This is just awful…oh, what am I going to do?" he cried, letting his arms drop to his sides, the bag ruffling quietly. He sat it back down on the desk and put on his pants slowly, his face red. Picking up the bag again, he shuffled slowly out of the room and down the stairs, not wanting to look Soul in the face when he confronted him. He stopped on the last step, his body stiff and still, and then slowly lifted up the bag as Soul turned to look at him. This is going to be awful….
"Kid…?" Soul asked, confused. Shit…I forgot I left that in there….
"Soul, I know what you did…and I'm really sorry you had to see all of that. I know you think it's creepy, and that you probably don't want to be here anymore, so you can stop acting and leave whenever you want…. Thanks for sticking around here, anyway," Kid said, his face burning as he stared at the ground.
Soul sat his plate down on the table and stood up. Kid could hear his footsteps thudding softly against the floor, but was too afraid raise his head.
That's it…he's leaving…it's all over…. I've made a fool of myself and probably lost a friend. I knew all of it was no use….
Kid stood in silence, waiting for the sound of the door slamming shut, but it didn't come; instead, he felt Soul's strong hands land on his shoulders, causing him to wince. Still embarrassed, he didn't dare look into Soul's eyes.
What's he going to do…?
He felt a hand lift off his shoulder and then land on his head, making him inhale sharply. The hand began to move back and forth, and it was only then that Kid realized that Soul was running his fingers through his slick black hair. He looked up, his face a deep crimson, his eyes full of confusion, and asked, "Soul…what's happening?"
Soul's face wasn't upset like Kid had expected; it wasn't angry or disgusted. Instead, he was smiling, his eyes radiating warmth. "Kid, it's okay."
Kid's legs grew weak, and he felt like he was going to fall over. Dropping the bag of chips onto the floor, he fell forward into Soul, who wrapped his arms around the young Reaper and embraced him, the two dropping down onto their knees as Soul tried to steady his friend.
"Do you mean…" Kid began, choking on his words, "…that you're not disgusted by what you read? You don't think I'm creepy?"
"Of course not, Kid," Soul said, pulling Kid tightly into his chest. "The only reason why all that stuff creeped me out in the first place is because I thought there was some crazy stalker chick after me."
"Then…why didn't you say anything? Why didn't you talk to me?"
"I wanted to do something special for you. When I realized that you had gone to all this effort to impress me and show me how much you cared about me, I knew that I had to do the same for you. I just wanted…to return the favor, I guess."
"Soul…you idiot…."
Soul pulled Kid back to look him in the face, confused. Kid lifted his head, his golden eyes piercing through Soul's heart as tears gently welled up around them, his smile warm and full of joy.
"Don't you realize…that you simply telling me that you love me too would've been more than enough?" Kid said, placing his hand on the side of Soul's smooth blushing face.
Soul smiled and followed the warm hand as it pulled him towards the young Reaper, who planted his lips firmly on Soul's, kissing him passionately, his free hand gripping Soul's shirt, keeping him close. When the kiss ended, Kid leaned his forehead against Soul's, the two panting softly, catching their breath.
"Kid, if that's what you want, then…I love you," Soul said confidently, smiling and running his fingers through Kid's hair and down along his back. Sniffling softly as Soul brought his hand up to wipe away the tears that had fallen, Kid was lifted up, Soul's arm wrapped tightly around Kid's slim waist as he guided him back to the sofa. The two collapsed into the soft cushions, Kid resting on top of Soul.
"I've loved you for so long, Soul," Kid said, burying his face into his lover's warm chest. "I've just been too afraid to say anything."
"I've been the same way…" Soul replied as he ran his hand up and down Kid's back, massaging him. "When I started getting stuff from a secret admirer, I was really worried because I thought it was a girl. I thought I was going to have to break her heart; but, when I found out it was you, everything changed."
Kid looked up at Soul's flaming crimson eyes and smiled, pulling the blanket up around them. "I want you to stay here tonight, Soul."
"I'd love to, Kid; Maka will understand," he said, laughing softly.
"I just…hope you don't get sick, too," Kid said, closing his eyes as he melted into Soul.
"Don't worry about me, Kid; I'll be fine. You should probably rest some more, though," he said, placing his hand on Kid's head. "You still have a slight fever."
"I don't think resting will be a problem," Kid smiled as Soul wrapped his arms around him. "You've got me pretty well taken care of. I'm going to have to find some way to thank you."
"Nah, it's cool. You don't have to do that. You've already done so much, anyway," Soul said, thinking about all of the uneaten candy he still had at home. "Now, go ahead and try and get some sleep, okay?"
"Oh, all right…." Kid said, resting against Soul's chest.
Soul leaned his head back and closed his eyes, running his hand along Kid's spine, relaxing him and lulling him to sleep. His heart was still fluttering, and his smile refused to run away from his face. Kid gripped Soul's shirt, who could feel Kid's hot breath through his thin shirt and the heat of his body. Soul never wanted that sensation to go away, because it was what he had always wanted.
Finally, after who knows how many months of chasing him and flirting with him, here he is: wrapped in my arms, buried in my chest, tangled up with my body… It feels like a dream, but it can't be….
"Soul…"
"Yeah, Kid?" Soul replied.
"SOUL!" Kid yelled, snatching his journal out of Soul's hands, waking him up as Soul toppled backwards in the large chair onto the floor.
"What's going on?" Soul said, dazed and confused as he struggled to get himself upright, pulling the chair up when he finally was able to stand. "Kid, what's wrong?"
"You read it…didn't you?" he asked, terrified as he clutched the journal to his chest. "What…did you read?"
Suddenly, it all came back to him: he had been snooping through the papers on Kid's desk and began reading his journal. I must've fallen asleep…so that was all a dream?
"Soul, answer me!" Kid yelled, snapping him back to reality. "What did you read in my journal?"
Soul pulled himself up off the floor and bowed his head. "I read…everything…." he said, placing his forehead in the palm of his left hand. "Kid, I…"
Before he could finish, Kid stormed out of the room and down the stairs.
"Kid, wait!" Soul yelled, taking off after him. "Kid, please…just listen to me!"
He reached the bottom of the stairs and looked around, but he couldn't find Kid. Running down the hallway past the living room, he checked everywhere: the large dining room, the library, even Liz and Patty's rooms. He opened every door and called for Kid; every time, silence was his reply, mixed with the light whispering of the rain pelting the outside of the mansion.
