Chapter Nine: Readin' it for the Plot


Bonus: Spot the Pokémon in this chapter!


Kidd awoke to a steaming plate of pancakes on his bedside table.

He sat up, groggily rubbed his eyes, and squinted to make sure he wasn't hallucinating.

"Oh, you're awake." Maka entered the room, dressed and ready as if she'd been up for hours.

She had.

"What time is it?" He mumbled, glancing around for his alarm clock.

"Well, we're late for school."

"Shit…it's Monday, isn't it…?"

"Now who needs to watch their language?" Maka raised an eyebrow and neatly placed herself at the foot of his bed, her legs dangling off of the edge.

Kidd sighed. "How late are we?"

"Well, if you get up now we might be able to get there before fifth period."

His eyes widened and he leapt out of bed, searching for his clock. Upon finding it, he nearly shrieked. "It's after noon! Why didn't you wake me?!"

"You were up late last night," she protested. "You need your sleep if you want to function properly."

"I guess you're right." He sighed, and an awkward silence arose. "Um…can I get ready now?"

She pinked and immediately backed out of his room, closing the door behind her. Her footsteps traveled downstairs and he heard dishes clanking in what he assumed was the kitchen.

A few minutes later Kidd descended down the staircase in his usual attire; he donned a standard business suit with white rectangles arranged in a symmetrical fashion (were they buttons?).

They quickly left the house, and Kidd almost broke the speed limit on the way to school.

"Sorry we're late," Kidd announced as they entered the room, with all eyes fixating upon them.

"Take your seats," Professor Stein droned, spinning back around to face the blackboard. "Now, if you'll pay attention, you'll see that the fibers in the…"


"You seem to be in a good mood," Kidd noted, eyeing Maka as she hummed to herself while doing her homework.

"Tsubaki and I are going to see a movie later today," she chirped, hastily scribbling her name at the top of her paper.

"Are you, now?" He raised an eyebrow in amusement.

"Yep. It's that new one that came out a couple days ago. I don't really know what it's about, but Tsubaki said I would like it."

"Blind movies? Haven't heard that one."

"It's not like I don't know which one we're going to. I could easily look it up. I enjoy the element of surprise."

"Do you…?" he murmured, erasing and rewriting the 'K' in his name.

"You're going to be here all day if you continue to be a perfectionist," Maka scolded, shutting her textbook and lightly tapping his head with it. "Maka chop," she whispered.

"Maka chop?" He looked confused for a moment before beginning to laugh, and he only stopped when the librarian gave him a harsh glare. "Is that what you've decided to name your book assaults?"

Flustered, she stammered a defense. "They're hardly assaults. They're well-needed discipline."

"Well-needed discipline? You chucked a book at my face because you didn't believe me when I told you not to drink orange juice after brushing your teeth!"

"Well, it's your fault for warning me with a smug little smirk!"

"It's my fault for anticipating something entertaining?"

"Yes! I mean—no! Yes!"

"That's irrational, and you know it. It must be eating you from the inside out. Maka, using irrational and illogical arguments. Do you feel that? I think Hell just froze over."

"Hell froze over the minute you didn't realize you wrote the 'D' in your name asymmetrically."

"…That was a cruel joke."

"I'll be here all week."


"I'm off now. I'll be back in a couple hours," Maka said, waving a quick goodbye before darting out the door to meet Tsubaki.

Kidd watched them go, and once they were out of sight he sighed, fell back onto his couch, and flipped on the television.

After finding no interesting programs, he turned to his last resort: the news.

"—bail has been paid. Who would have thought? It's said his only living relative is his daughter, who caused his imprisonment in the first place," the anchorwoman said, a small picture of a familiar-looking man filling the top right corner of the television. Her male counterpart's scripted comeback soon followed.

"Maybe the man had friends. Either way, he's back out there. Stay tuned for information on why he was arrested. Now to Jennifer, for the weather…"

Kidd sat, frozen in his spot. Surely it was a coincidence. The man Maka had worked so hard to get away from…free? Bail paid?

'No, this isn't right…' he thought, mustering up the strength to tap the power button on the remote. 'I should…I should warn Maka.'

A shiver trickled down his spine as he slipped his coat on (Maka had asked how he could stand the heat; he simply didn't get hot) and exited the house. Her phone was probably turned off or silent; she wasn't one to break rules, nor was Tsubaki.

Electing a faster method, he decided to drive instead of walking.

He arrived within minutes—and only then realized that the movie would likely not be over for at least another hour. Sighing, he leaned against the wall that presumably used to have a 'No Loitering' sign and pulled out his phone to pass the time.

Maka and Tsubaki emerged from the theater, giggling like schoolgirls (which is all fair, because they were).

"I can't believe how they ended it. How cruel!" Maka laughed.

"Still, at least it leaves it open for a sequel," Tsubaki chimed.

"Well, the book it's based on is a series, so we can only ho—oh, Kidd!" Maka exclaimed, waving him over to the entrance. "What are you doing here?"

"We need to talk," he said sternly, causing the wide smile to quiver and fade from her face. Tsubaki looked confused. Before she could ask what was going on, Kidd dismissed her: "It's fine. I'll drive her home. Sorry to interrupt your girl-time." He offered a small smile as consolation, and Tsubaki begrudgingly accepted, bidding them goodbye and leaving.

"What's wrong?" Maka asked, looking genuinely frightened. "Is someone hurt, or—?"

"Have you seen the news recently?"

"No, not for a few days…" Though she had an idea of what Kidd was leading up to, she could only hope that her assumptions were false.

His eyes quickly darted around the buzzing environment. "Your father's bail was paid."

Her eyes widened and her knees buckled briefly. Kidd tensed and prepared to catch her should she fall, but she soon righted herself.

"…I see…I can't say I'm surprised. He does have powerful connections."

"Maka…"

"What?"

"Come on, let's go home."

"…okay."

He led her to his car, where she wordlessly climbed in and fastened her seatbelt.

"If you want to talk about it…" he nudged, "Don't keep things bottled up inside you."

"I'm scared," she murmured, adjusting the air vent.

"Don't be. You have friends who will protect you."

"That's why I'm scared," she declared, swiveling to face him. "I don't want any of you to get hurt because of me. I can be independent. I can handle him on my own. More people involved just means more people get hurt."

"Maka. We've had this discussion before."

"…The closer I get to all of you, the more it's going to hurt when you leave me."

Kidd grit his teeth and pulled over on the side of the road.

"Stop that. You're going into your shell. What have I told you, time and time again? No one is going to leave you anymore. Especially not me."

"I..I don't…"

"You don't what? You don't understand? Soul's not gonna leave you, Liz isn't gonna leave you. Patti won't leave you, and Black*Star won't either. Tsubaki's sure as hell not going to leave you, and I will not leave you. Got that?"

"But he'll—"

"For fuck's sake, Maka."

Kidd stretched over the center console, and when Maka saw his eyes close, hers began to water.

It was a wet kiss—from tears, that is.

Most of them belonged to Maka.

Most of them.

Hers were tears of worry and realization, and his were of frustration and desperation.

She worried that she'd be putting all her friends in danger, and she truly realized that Kidd wanted to help her; that he didn't feel obligated.

He was frustrated that she couldn't grasp the fact that she had people to count on, and he was desperate to convey to her somehow that she didn't have to worry so much.

When Kidd pulled away after a few seconds, he nestled his forehead in the crook of her neck. "What do I have to do to drill it into that thick head of yours?" he whispered, hugging her as best as the restraints called seatbelts would allow. "Open your eyes, Maka. You're surrounded by people who care about you, who want to help you, people who love you."

"Don't…" she sniffed. "Don't throw that word around so carelessly."

"What word?"

"…Love."

"Why shouldn't I?—Fuck it all, just fuck it. I love you. Is that careless? I love you, I love you, I love you. I love you, Maka."


Plot and romance in one chapter.

Dun, dun, dunnn.

Also—I'd be so damn happy if someone drew that angry car kiss. 3