AUTHOR'S NOTES:
So the SE manga ended; my story is officially in an alternate universe according to me. :)
Sorry I took so long to update. I was recovering from reading the last chapter of the Soul Eater manga. But I am fully recovered now, so no worries.
I was initially pleased with this chapter, but now I am not so sure how I feel about it. I feel like I could have done WAY better with it, though maybe it is just me. Oddly enough, this is my longest chapter... how odd. This chapter also doesn't further any plot and is solely for fun purposes. It contains fluff and only fluff. I may also revisit it at some point and attempt to make it better. Feedback for this one is appreciated.
It was the first time in weeks that they were able to get the entire group together. Everyone seemed to be getting only busier with time, so organizing a hangout where everyone could attend became more difficult in recent weeks. But after about two weeks of planning, everyone was finally able to set aside a two-day period in which they all could get together and just enjoy each other's company.
Patti started to organize it in the beginning, and Liz helped her as time went on. After talking with Kid and getting him to find and schedule multiple people to take Soul's place and his own place for two days, they were able to decide on a date. Tsubaki and Blackstar did not have any missions the entire week, and Maka and Crona were free as usual.
Kid's manor was established as the central meeting place for all of them. They arranged to be at the house by noon and on their way to the mall by 12:30. Soul and Liz volunteered to be the drivers for the day, and thus Maka and Soul arrived early to the manor, giving Maka an opportunity to chat privately with Liz and Patti and Soul the chance to talk to Kid outside of work.
Soul missed talking casually with Kid. He felt like he was always talking to him about work, and since both of them didn't have much free time, one never seemed to know what was going on with the other. Soul enjoyed having Kid as his boss, but there were days when he believed it got in the way of their friendship, mainly because of how time consuming it was to work for the DWMA.
The two of them sat in the living room area, chatting casually as they waited for Tsubaki, Blackstar and Crona to arrive. The faint laughs of Liz, Patti and Maka could be heard in the other room, which made both of them smile.
Soul took a sip of his drink, "They are sure havin' a good time in there."
"Indeed," Kid glanced toward the door. "But I am glad. How are you and Maka anyway? You guys doing well? And Crona?"
Soul slipped his hand through his hair. "We are all doing fine. Maka is feeling great, and you know she is getting pretty far along. We have to start scheduling a couple of those birthing classes soon."
Kid raised his eyebrows. "That should be fun."
"Interesting at least," Soul leaned back in his seat. "And Crona is taking things really well. The three of us are really focused in ways, but relaxed in others. It's... well, its nice."
Kid chuckled a bit as he took a sip of his drink. Soul sat forward.
"And what about you? How are you and Liz? I mean, you are still so busy. How do you guys find time to do anything?"
"Oh, we find time," Kid let a wily smile cross his face. "But its true, it feels like it is never enough. One day I will be more free with my schedule. It's just... going to take a while."
Before Kid could continue, the chatter of Blackstar and Tsubaki was heard in the next room over. Kid and Soul rose from their seats and headed for the room Maka, Liz and Patti were in.
They came in mid-greeting, with Blackstar giving everyone large hugs, and Tsubaki already beginning a small conversation with the girls. As the door opened, Blackstar looked toward the other boys of the group and immediately greeted them both with huge embraces and stern pats on the back.
"Hey, how are my bros?" He said almost jokingly, releasing Kid from a tight hug.
"Doing good, doing good. Haven't seen you around much," Soul said calmly, giving Blackstar a "brofist"-style fist bump after both his and Kid's hugs.
"I could say the same for you. Your really workin him, aren't you, Kid?"
"Yeah, but he likes it that way," Kid said with a chuckle as the boys migrated over to where the girls were standing. The seven of the formed a small circle as they talked.
"Crona isn't here yet? I thought he came with you, Maka," Tsubaki was curious.
"Well, we were going to pick him up, but he said he didn't mind walking. Still, it is a little unusual for him to be so late."
Almost on cue, the ring of the doorbell echoed throughout the house. Maka's face lit up, and she made her way over to the main hallway.
"I will go get him," She smiled as she opened the hallway door.
"I want to say hello to him too!" Patti chimed, running over to Maka. Maka just grinned as she and Patti entered the main hallway and closed the door behind them.
There was one more ring of the doorbell before Maka and Patti got to the door. Maka opened the door to see Crona, his face all smiles, and Maka immediately smiled back. The smile didn't last, however, once Maka got a look at his clothing. His left pant leg and part of his jacket were covered in mud and clearly soaked, though his shoes and his right side seemed perfectly dry. Patti's eyes went wide as she looked Crona up and down.
"Damn man, what happened?" She was almost bewildered, and motioned him inside as she glanced over him.
A slight blush of embarrassment crept onto Crona's cheeks as he entered the manor. "Nothing... a car just went by and I got splashed."
"Splashed? It hasn't rained in at least two weeks," Patti grabbed the wet corners of his jacket. "I am going to get the guys. Maybe they have something you can wear."
Once Patti left the room, Maka closed the space between herself and Crona, and let her hands cup his cheeks. Worry decorated her face.
"Did you really get splashed by a car, Crona? I want you to tell me if that isn't true...," Maka's words were quiet. She knew that nowadays it was rare, but on occasion, people in Death City would harass Crona in a variety of ways. For months after the Kishin battle, this bullying was common, but as years went on, the bullying began to fade. Still, even in recent times, Maka would see the stares and hear the whispers and she knew that people were not at all happy with what Crona had done in the past. She couldn't help but feel like this situation was some form of harassment.
Crona looked at her, his gaze softening as he gave her a small smile. "A car really did go by, Maka. Don't worry, I'm fine."
"I know you are," Maka let her hands slip behind his neck, the two leaning in and sharing a quick kiss.
What Crona said wasn't entirely untrue. A car actually did go by. But he knew that if he told Maka the truth, she would get riled or upset. She always got upset when things like this happened to him, and he didn't want her to be agitated today. He just wanted her to relax and have fun. He didn't ever want her to worry, especially about him.
Only a couple seconds after their kiss, Liz and and Kid entered the room. Their eyes briefly went wide before they made their way over to the pair.
"Geez, Patti wasn't kidding. You sure are a mess," Liz said playfully, glancing up and down Crona's person. "We can stop by your house on the way out so you can get new clothes."
Everyone nodded. Kid stirred.
"But shouldn't he change before he enters a vehicle? Because of the mud?" Kid spoke at a faster rate than usual as he nervously eyed Crona. It was clear to Liz that the asymmetry was bothering him. She let out a sigh, but grinned.
"He can borrow a pair of mine for the drive. I think I might have some pants long enough. Come on Crona, we will just be a minute. I'll throw those in the wash while I'm at it."
Crona looked to Maka, who gave him a nod as the two ascended the stairs. Maka and Kid watched them disappear into Liz's room before they left to join the others and wait.
Liz rummaged through her closet, trying to find a pair of jeans she thought would fit Crona. Pants that ran too short on her were abundant, but she knew she had a pair of longer pants somewhere beneath the piles of clothing.
After some minutes, she pulled out a pair of plain blue straight-legged jeans that looked as though they had never been worn. Crona fidgeted in the middle of the room, his shoes now off and his dirtied jacket in a basket on the floor.
Liz approached and stopped before him. "I think this pair will do. I'll just be in the bathroom while you try them on, alright?"
Crona hesitantly took the jeans and gave her a small nod.
"Awesome, just throw your dirty pair in the basket. You will get them back by tomorrow, no worries," Liz spoke confidently, her voice dying away as she shut herself in the bathroom.
Even though Crona was alone, he still felt uncomfortable changing in the room. He didn't like changing in unfamiliar places, and because of that, he tried to change as fast as possible. Liz was in the bathroom for thirty seconds before she heard Crona's voice.
"Okay... you can come in."
Liz slowly opened the door to find Crona standing in the middle of the room, nervously playing with his hands. He glanced at her as she entered.
"How do they look?"
Liz looked him up and down, and even circled around him to see him in full. He looked great in them, better than she ever did. She couldn't help notice his butt in them either, to which she laughed.
Crona quickly turned to her, his face growing red. "What's wrong? Is something wrong with them?"
Liz gave him a warm smile. "Not at all. Actually, they look great on you. I gotta say, I am a bit jealous."
Crona shot her a confused look. "...Why?"
"Because your butt looks fantastic in those. Your butt always looks great in whatever you wear. I'm jealous. It takes me quite a bit of shopping to find a pair of pants that fits me as nicely as those fit you."
Crona turned even more red, his hands joining behind his back and his head turning to the side. "...Thank you? I guess... they do look nice. I always thought my butt was... too big. You shouldn't be jealous of me."
Liz giggled a bit and approached him slowly. "No, its fine. Consider yourself lucky. It makes everything you wear look great," She paused. "Actually, you can keep these, I don't need them anyway. And they look good on you so take them."
Crona gave her a small grin, his face still red with embarrassment. "Thank you."
"Your welcome," Liz made her way over to the door. "Now lets join the others. We got shopping to do."
Crona gave her a small nod and followed, closing the door behind himself as he exited the room.
The group was waiting in a huddle at the bottom of the stairs, their chatting filling the large room and echoing through the upper hallways. Blackstar looked up as Liz and Crona descended the stairs.
"Took you both long enough," He piped.
The rest of the group looked over as Liz and Crona reached the bottom of the stairs. Patti snorted.
"Are those your pants, sis?" She questioned, looking over to Crona.
"Yeah, they are. They look good on him, right?"
"Yes they do," Maka said softly, coming forward and taking his hands in hers. His eyes met hers for a couple seconds.
"You... like them?" Crona's words were quiet and soft. Maka nodded.
"I do. You look really nice in them. But you look nice in anything you wear."
Crona blushed, and a small "aw" was heard from Tsubaki and Liz. Blackstar sighed.
"Listen, I would love to sit here and watch you guys cuddle and stuff, but lets go already. We got places to be and things to do," He said with enthusiasm, giving the group two thumbs up as he stood proudly by the door. Patti joined him by the entrance.
"I agree, lets go! Come on, Crona. I want you in our car. I have new music to show you," She said enthusiastically, pulling out her ipod as she spoke.
"Well, I was going to ride in Soul's car first. But I can ride with you after," Crona said softly, giving Patti a smile.
Patti sighed, but smiled back. "Fine be. But later, you and me. The song Madness by Muse. We are going to listen to it and sing it."
"Sure," Crona blushed a bit. Patti always wanted him to listen to music, and he was never sure why. Regardless, he listened when he got the chance, because whether he liked the music or not, it was something new for him to experience.
"Alright. Tsuabki and I will go in Liz's car for the ride to the mall. That cool?" Blackstar questioned, glancing over to Liz.
Liz made her way out the front door, followed by Patti. "Fine with me, do whatever you want."
As they exited, Maka and Soul turned to Crona.
"Do you want us to stop at your house first?" Soul questioned as he readied his keys. Crona stood still for a moment, then shook his head.
"I don't need to. These pants are fine," He glanced toward Maka and the two of them blushed. "But I could still use a jacket I guess..."
Kid suddenly stepped forward. "I have a jacket I believe you could use. It's a black pea coat. I hope you don't mind that."
"No, thats fine," Crona said with a small nod. Kid nodded back at him and went towards his side closet.
Kid brought out a jacket that was form fitting with buttons down the middle, very similar to the one he had on. After Crona tried it on to check its size, the group was out and on their way to the nearby mall.
The mall was only a short drive away from Kid's manor. They parked side by side in the parking lot, and it seemed as though half of the party got out of the vehicles before they were finished moving. Once parked and situated, the group made their way across the parking lot, chatting along the way.
Suddenly, Soul and Patti stopped to look at a store attached to the mall outlet. Guitar Center, a store that contained many musical instruments, although mostly guitars, had a light flashing in the window that indicated a sale.
The group stopped alongside the two. Soul kept his eyes on the store as he talked.
"Would it be alright if I went in here first? I just want to ask about a couple things..." He was almost hesitant as he spoke, turning toward the group to catch their expressions.
Patti's face lit up. "I want to go in too! I gotta see what they have."
Th group was silent for a second before Blackstar spoke up as well.
"Sure, man. I don't see why not. I'll go in with ya'." He said casually, moving forward from the group to stand by Soul.
Maka's brows furrowed briefly. "I'm... not really in the mood to go in. But you guys could go in if you want."
"I'm not really in the mood either. We could split up though, since you guys won't be long. Text us when you get out, alright?" Liz shook her cell phone in hand to emphasize the need to text. Patti, Soul, and Blackstar turned to her and nodded before heading in the direction of the store. Kid, Liz, Tsubaki, Crona, and Maka waved to the distant group and made their way into the mall.
It had been a long time since Crona had been to a mall. Maka enjoyed shopping, but she hadn't gone to many public places in the past couple months. Crona was content with that. He didn't particularly like malls for a variety of reasons, but two in particular: he wasn't one for crowds or dealing with people and he could never decide what he wanted. The mall provided so many options that Crona always ended up getting nothing because of his indecisiveness. It was yet another quality he disliked in himself.
As he began to think about this, his brow furrowed slightly, and Maka caught a glimpse of it as they walked along. Suddenly, he felt her hand entwine with his own, and he glanced to the side to catch her smiling at him warmly. He blushed.
She giggled a bit. "What's the face for? What are you thinking?" She questioned almost playfully.
Crona shrugged, growing more red. "Nothing... just thinking."
As Maka and Crona chatted, Liz, Kid, and Tsubaki walked at a close distance behind them, talking amongst themselves. Kid and Liz's hands were also entwined, and occasionally they would shoot loving glances toward Maka and Crona, and then toward each other. They were not the types to show much affection in public, but being with another couple made them both more relaxed about their affection.
After several minutes, Tsubaki spoke up.
"Is there anything any of us need today? We might as well get some shopping done while we are here."
The group paused their walk for a minute. Maka thought.
"Well, I do have to do some baby shopping today..."
Almost on cue, small gasps came from Liz and Tsubaki's directions, and the two immediately stepped forward to be closer to Maka.
"Oh my god, we HAVE to do some baby shopping," Liz smiled widely at Maka. Maka blushed a bit, but smiled back and nodded.
"Don't worry, I am going to. I won't be able to get it all done today, but Soul and I wanted to pick up some things."
"Where do you want to go? There are plenty of stores here that have baby clothes," Tsubaki chimed in, looking around at the stores nearby.
After some minutes, the group had decided on their first store, and Maka, Liz and Tsubaki began walking to the other end of the mall with Crona and Kid following close behind.
As they entered the store, the girls began to search through aisles, sometimes separating, but always staying within a close distance from each other. Kid and Crona stayed close together, mainly through their feeling of being out of place in the store. They eventually began to make conversation between the girls consulting them on infant clothing.
"You know, Crona, I haven't seen you around in quite a long time," Kid said, his eyes following Liz as she buzzed around the aisles. "How is everything going? It seems like it has been so long."
Crona turned to look at him. His eyes were watching Liz, his smile soft as he traced her movements. He had this look about him as he watched her that Crona just couldn't place. His features were relaxed, his smile warm, but there was something in his eyes that really struck Crona. Was it passion? Love? It made Crona wonder if he himself made this kind of face when he watched Maka do various activities.
Kid briefly glanced over to catch Crona's expression before continuing to watch the girls. Crona looked over to Maka, who seemed to be gathering a small pile of baby clothing. Her expression was so vibrant and happy, he couldn't help but smile.
Crona gave a happy sigh. "Things are going very well. We aren't very busy most days... but I think we will be getting more busy now," Crona paused to watch Maka and listen to her laugh with Tsubaki. "Maka is due soon, you know? And... well, we just have a lot to do."
"Oh I am sure," Kid said, his smile growing wider. "And how about yourself? What have you been up to? How are you feeling these days?"
Crona paused for a minute. In that moment, he remembered the only reason he had so much free time was because he was technically on leave from work. Kid didn't expect him to come back to work, did he? Crona couldn't tell if his questions were casual or hinting at something.
Crona bit his lip. "I am feeling... okay. But I think I need more time."
Kid turned to Crona, a wily smile on his face, one eyebrow raised. A small tension formed in Crona's chest. Kid almost snickered before he spoke.
"Do you really need more time, Crona?"
Crona suddenly felt a bundle of panic rising in himself. This quickly turned to confusion, however, when Kid chuckled at his own sentence.
"Crona, its alright. You don't have to fake anything. I can see that you are doing well. And I can also see what you are doing for Soul and Maka. For the ones you care about," He paused to watch Liz and Maka compare colorful outfits. "I didn't mean to put you so on edge. Don't worry, you don't have to come back to work. You have more important things to do right now."
Kid watched Crona's face slowly change in expression. Crona eased at Kid's words, his shoulders slumping a little and his legs and arms clearly becoming less tense. From that point on, their conversation became more relaxed, both enjoying each other's company without any thoughts of work.
After a half hour or so, Blackstar, Soul, and Patti joined back up with the group to continue shopping. A little more baby shopping was done, but then the group branched out their store choices, hitting music stores, jewelry stores, and a sports department or two. After three hours of shopping, the group was ready to move on to their next location.
The group ventured to a nearby outlet, which included a place called Top Light that the group planned to go to for coffee and tea. Once they had parked the cars, they gathered at the edge of one of the vehicles, again forming a circle so they could all face each other.
Patti stretched her hands above her before awkwardly pointing to a nearby pet store.
"I wanna go in there before we go for coffee. Gotta see what kitties and puppies they have this time," She said with a huge smile.
"Fine with me, as long as I can check out that shoe store over there first," Liz said pointing to a different store.
Blackstar sighed. "Weren't you just in a shoe store back at the mall? How many times do you need to look at shoes?"
Liz shot him a glare, to which he only smiled back. Soul rolled his eyes as he watched them.
"You guys can do whatever you want, but I think I just wanna go for coffee. You guys could meet us there, right?"
"Right," Liz and Patti responded to him almost in sync. As Liz and Patti spoke, Kid glanced toward the shoe store.
"I will go with you, Liz," He said distantly. Blackstar snorted.
"You need to do some shoe shopping?" He was almost being snarky. Kid raised an eyebrow to him.
"I can't walk somewhere with my girlfriend?"
The two began a small, playful argument, which everyone watched, either laughing or rolling their eyes. After too long, Tsubaki and Maka began to drift toward the coffee shop.
"Alright, we are going now," Tsubaki said, her voice soft, but her manner clearly impatient. As the group began to go their separate ways, Maka caught a glimpse of Patti dragging Crona off into the pet store, which at first he seemed a little reluctant to go into. She giggled at the sight before continuing with Soul, Tsubaki, and Blackstar into the nearby shop.
Maka was not a coffee person. She much preferred tea, and now that she was pregnant, she tried to avoid all forms of caffeine when possible. But she enjoyed the occasional cup of tea, so coming to the Top Light was a rare and pleasant experience.
The interior of Top Light was mostly wood, and had a cozy appearance at first glance. Upon entering, the register and staff were stationed on the right side, and the left was littered with tiny wooden tables and chairs. Toward the back left, four couches and an arm chair decorated a central space, and toward the right, a small set of stairs lead to an overhang . The overhang was directly above the bottom central space, and allowed the people above to watch the register and bustle below while also getting a view of the outside through the shop's partially-windowed wall. This area also had couches and small tables, and was Maka's favorite place to sit whenever the group came here.
After Soul got his coffee and Maka got her tea, the two made their way to the overhang to wait for Tsubaki and Blackstar. They picked two couches that faced each other as their seats, and sat next to each other on one of the couches. Just minutes after sitting down, Tsubaki and Blackstar joined them, sitting across from them and sipping their drinks.
After some minutes of sitting and chatting, Soul felt himself getting more comfortable. He slid back in the couch seat, casually putting his one arm around Maka's shoulder and slowly pulling her close. She smiled at him as he made the motion, and relaxed her body against his side as his arm wrapped around her. Blackstar and Tsubaki smiled at them.
"Aw, look at you two, gettin' all cuddly and shit," Blackstar spoke playfully, but Soul still gave him a wily grin. Maka blushed a bit.
Tsubaki smiled at Maka and Soul. "Blackstar, don't tease them."
"You know I am joking. I have to joke sometimes because we are surrounded by PDA," He took a sip of his drink before he continued. "Between you guys, Kid and Liz, and Patti and her boy toy, I can't seem to get away from it."
Soul laughed a bit. "Aw, boo hoo. You feeling a little lonely, bro?"
Blackstar laughed back. "I am never lonely. I always have Tsubaki at my side," He said, the two giving each other firm nods. "But if I accidentally catch Patti and Doc making out one more time, I am definitely going to do something about it."
Maka's brow furrowed. "Yeah, they have to stop that. I mean, I can understand forms of PDA, but I feel like they just... forget where they are sometimes."
Soul thought about Maka's words. "Hey Maka, were we ever like that at any point? I can't remember."
Maka shot Soul a look before giving a little chuckle. "Nah, we always knew what times were appropriate and what times were not."
Soul smirked at her comment. "I was gonna chalk it up to teen love, but I guess that isn't it."
Not long after that comment, Patti and Liz came through the door of the coffee shop. The two ordered their coffees and went up to the overhang, taking seats on the couch next to Blackstar and Tsubaki.
As they greeted the group and began to situate themselves, Maka glanced around, her look confused.
"Where is Kid and Crona?" She looked down from the overhang to see if they were at the register.
"I left him at the pet store," Patti said firmly. "He was looking at the cats and I told him I was leaving. He told me to just go on ahead."
"And Kid got distracted by one of the decorative Corinthian columns inside the store. I let him go; sometimes you just have to. He will snap out of it eventually," Liz spoke casually, taking a seat next to Tsubaki at the end of a couch.
Tsubaki turned towards Liz. "Is it smart to leave him there? I mean, won't it take a while for him to stop obsessing?"
Liz took a sip of her coffee. "Nah, he will be alright. There are only two columns, and once he examines them in full, he will be done. I told him that I was coming here. Not sure if he heard me, but he will figure it out."
The group gave a small chuckle to her closing statements, and soon after, became engrossed in group conversation. The topics changed constantly, but they were always fun and light-hearted.
Twenty minutes passed before Crona finally began to make his way to the coffee shop. He was always conflicted when he went into pet stores. He loved looking at the animals, but knowing that they needed homes always made him depressed. Even with this depression, he usually stayed a while in any pet store he went to, mainly to try and play with the caged felines.
He entered Top Light quietly, glancing around for his friends as he approached the counter. He had only been to Top Light one other time previously, and he couldn't remember where the group sat that time. He didn't see them anywhere. Maybe they had stepped out briefly.
As his thoughts began to swim, he tried to focus on the menu. Crona didn't enjoy ordering food or drinks, but over time, he had become more accustomed to it and more comfortable with placing orders. The size of Top Light's menu presented the problem of indecisiveness again however. For a while, he stood glancing over the menu, eyeing different drinks and mulling over prices.
Only a couple minutes passed before a young man from a nearby table got up and stood next to Crona. Crona caught a glimpse of him looking over the menu from the corner of his eye, but quickly returned to attempting to find a suitable drink.
The man glanced over at Crona before he spoke. "Big menu, right? I always find it hard to make decisions when the menu is so large."
Crona was caught by surprise by the man, and quickly turned to meet his face. The young man was smiling at him, his hands in his jacket pockets, like Crona's own, and his appearance was clean and well kept. Crona just stared at him for a second, an awkward smile crossing his face.
"Yeah... I don't know what to pick," Crona wasn't sure what else to say. People didn't normally approach him or talk to him out of the blue like this, so the situation almost automatically felt awkward to Crona. He tried to think of more to say, but nothing came to mind.
The young man gave a small chuckle at Crona's response. "I know the feeling. I am not from around here, so I am not exactly familiar with this place either. Do you come here often?"
Crona began to feel even more awkward. Why did this man care whether he came here often or not? Why did he continue to talk instead of look over the menu? Where was everyone? Crona didn't understand the man's interest in him, and this made him almost nervous.
He glanced around the place one more time, in a small desperate attempt to find his friends. He knew he had to wait for them at Top Light, and so, reluctantly, Crona started to enter into casual conversation.
As the group carried on with a quiet chatter from above, Patti's eyes were fixed on the scene below. She had noticed a while ago that Crona had come into the shop, but he was already making conversation at that point, and Patti was far too interested in the scene to break it up.
After a while, Patti's staring caught Liz's attention.
"Hey, what are you staring at down there?"
Patti turned to the group suddenly, motioning them to all lean in and form a circle. She spoke quietly.
"Okay, here is the deal, and nobody say anything just yet. Crona is down there talking to a dude. And I am 99.9 % sure that dude thinks Crona is a girl."
At the mention of Crona, Maka immediately peeked over the banister to check. Sure enough, there he was, seemingly making conversation with a young man. She turned to the group, her eyebrows furrowed.
"Why didn't you call him up? This is not some social experiment."
Patti shushed Maka, putting her finger finger up to her own lips. "Hush, Maka. Yes it is."
"He was probably looking for us. We should at least tell him where we are sitting," Tsubaki glanced over the banister.
"Absolutely not. You will ruin the experiment," Patti too took another peek below before continuing. "Come on, you guys can't tell me you aren't curious. I mean, when I first saw Crona, I wasn't sure what he was. He has that whole androgynous thing going on. And he's in ladies pants now," Patti said with a snicker. After the mention of the pants, the group couldn't help to look over in unison. Some seconds later, they returned to looking at each other.
"He does look really good in those pants," Liz leaned back on the couch, sipping her drink. Maka rolled her eyes.
"Guys, this is ridiculous. I am going to get him."
As Maka stood from the couch, Patti grabbed her arm, her eyes meeting Maka's fiercely.
"Five minutes, Maka. Come on, just five more minutes. And then you can go down."
Patti's expression was pleading, but Maka's remained stern. Maka glanced around at the five of them, her face meeting Soul's last. He shrugged at her. He knew she expected his opinion on the situation, though he was somewhat reluctant to give it.
"Honestly, I think this situation is harmless," He said as he sipped his drink. "It's not like talking to someone he doesn't know is going to kill him or anything."
Maka's face was still stern, though it began to relax. It wasn't the situation itself as much as how they were all making a spectacle of it. She didn't like when people made a spectacle of Crona in any way, though she knew that it was sometimes inevitable.
Still, Soul had a point, and after thinking for a minute, she slowly sat back in the seat next to Soul. She gave a large sigh.
"Fine. Five minutes. I am timing it. And when it's up, I am going to get him."
"That's cool with me," Patti said with a smile, turning around in her seat to look at the situation below. After a couple seconds, the rest of the group followed her lead, some more willing than others.
Five minutes had passed, and the conversation didn't feel any less awkward to Crona. It was one thing to make small talk; Crona was fine with discussing the little things in life casually. In fact, he sometimes enjoyed it. But this young man showed an interest in him that Crona just couldn't interpret. It was something he had never encountered before, and because of that, Crona was unsure how to react. The man had already asked him a series of awkward and even personal questions, which Crona tried to answer without revealing more than he wanted. Still, the situation's natural uncomfortableness made Crona's anxiety slowly rise, and as he continued to glance around for someone, the tension in his chest and stomach grew even more.
The young man inched a little closer to Crona, causing Crona to involuntarily blush. Something about his conversation with this man made Crona feel almost exposed.
The young man laughed as Crona's nervous expression met the floor. "There is no need to be nervous you know. Although it is pretty cute."
The last statement struck Crona so oddly that he couldn't help but turn to face the young man. Crona's expression was one of disbelief, yet the man continued to smile at him. Did he really just say that his nervousness was... cute? Why would he say something like that?
Before Crona could contemplate the words any further, the bell tied to the entrance door jingled. As Crona glanced over, he finally saw a familiar face, his tension from the current situation disappearing almost entirely. Kid walked in slowly, his hands in his pockets and his expression somewhat stern. Seeing Kid almost excited Crona; maybe he knew where everyone went or what to do to find them. As Kid made his way toward the counter, his face briefly met Crona's, and Crona immediately began to approach him.
"Kid!" Crona didn't mean to speak so loudly, but his name came out with hints of excitement and desperation. Kid shot Crona a smile before meeting him just to the right of the counter, a couple feet away from where the young man was standing. They stood facing each other, the man watching the two with a puzzled expression. Kid smiled softly again.
"Hey. Sorry I am late. Where is everyone?"
"I...Well, I am not sure," Crona fidgeted as he talked. Kid and Crona were friends, though Kid admitted they didn't hang out as often as he would have liked. Still, even with his limited knowledge, he could tell Crona was more nervous than usual. Kid glanced around the store, noticing the young man staring at the two of them intently. Kid briefly drew closer to Crona, his voice a little more than a whisper.
"Are you alright? Was that guy messing with you in any way?"
"No, I don't think so," Crona's eyebrows furrowed as he glanced over at the young man. The man stood perfectly still as Crona and Kid shot him looks, and several seconds went by before Kid finally approached the man. Kid's expression again became stern.
Kid straightened his back, standing as tall as possible. "Who is this young man?"
Crona stepped forward, yet still took place just behind Kid. "Uh, well, This is..."
The man's expression hadn't changed since Kid and entered the shop. He slowly adjusted his eyes.
"Your.. Your Lord Death, aren't you?"
Kid gave the man a small grin before speaking. "Indeed I am. And who might you be?"
As Crona began to explain his conversation with the man to Kid, the wheels in the young man's mind began to turn. These two stood close to each other, their voices quiet as they shot each other concerning looks. They smiled, and not nervous smiles either, but comfortable ones that were matched with relaxed postures. Between the ease of conversation, the soft expressions, and even the almost matching black coats, the man was able to form his own opinion of the pair.
Before long, the young man made his way for the door. Crona turned from his conversation with Kid, and Kid turned to address him.
"Are you leaving?"
The young man laughed as he looked the two of them up and down. "Yeah, I know when to back down. Sorry I made you uncomfortable. I get it now. You two have a nice life together."
The door closed just as the last statement ended. Crona and Kid just eyed the door, baffled expressions overcoming their faces.
"Did that man just say we should have a nice life together?" Kid's eyebrows furrowed as he stared at the door.
"He did... but I don't-"
The faint sound of laughter coming from above stopped Crona before he could continue. It was in that moment that he realized he had forgotten to check the overhang, and as he glanced above, he glimpsed the faces of his friends.
As Patti's face met Crona's, a wave of laughter poured out of her. Blackstar's and Liz's giggles also soon filled the air, and the entire group soon stood by the overhang railing, looking down at their two confused companions.
"Were you guys watching that man?" Kid yelled up to them. This incited more laughter from Patti and Liz, to which Maka only rolled her eyes. She gave the two a big smile.
"Yeah, we were watching. You guys get your drinks and come on up. We have a story for you."
After Maka spoke, Crona and Kid shot each other uncertain glances. They weren't sure what was happening, but they knew they would hear the whole story once they went upstairs. After some tender smiles and shrugs, the two got their drinks and went upstairs, where the tale of their imaginary romance was told in full detail.
Hours later, just after the sun had gone down, the group had decided on their final location before heading back to Kid's manor. There was a park nearby that the whole group enjoyed visiting, and because it was generally close to all of their houses, they had spent a lot of time there in their youths. It included many slides, jungle gyms, bridges and other obstacles made out of a variety of materials. The group settled in the swing area, which included four swings, two benches, and a set of monkey bars.
Maka, Crona, and Soul took seats on a nearby bench, Maka sitting between the two boys, and the three of them huddling together for warmth. Patti and Tsubaki sat on the swings, and Blackstar made himself comfortable on top of the jungle gym. Kid and Liz leaned up against a wooden fence not far from the bench and jungle gym, watching the group as they talked and played.
After some minutes of chatting, Patti jumped from her swing, her hands shooting up to emphasize her enthusiasm. "Oh my god, guys, we should play truth or dare!"
The group shot her looks, Tsubaki speaking first. "Wow, I can't even remember the last time we played that game. It has to have been at least a year now."
"Which is all the more reason why we should play. Come on guys, for old time's sake?"
Patti turned to the group, a couple seconds of silence lingering. Finally Soul snickered.
"We won't get penalized for picking truth over and over, will we?"
The question made Patti sigh, her arms crossing. Her voice had a hint of disappointment in it. "No, you won't get penalized."
Liz and Kid looked at each other before they both shrugged. Liz moved forward so that she was standing next to Crona on the bench. "I'm game. I don't see the harm in it."
Kid came up next to her, a soft smile on his face as he put his arm around her waist. "I don't either, I am in."
"We are too," Maka chimed, the two boys beside her looking up to Patti and nodding.
"And you know Tsubaki and I are in," Blackstar jumped down from the monkey bars as he spoke, meeting Tsubaki in front of the bench, the group forming a small cluster. Patti glanced around at everyone, a wily grin growing on her face.
"Alright, who wants to go first?"
Her eager question went seconds without an answer until Maka's voice rose up.
"I nominate Soul," Her voice was playful, and she gave Soul's hand a light squeeze. Before Soul could protest, Blackstar and Kid spoke in unison.
"Seconded."
A small fit of laughter rose from the group, to which Soul gave a small grimace.
"Nice guys, way to throw me under the bus. So uncool," Soul ran his hands through his hair, though a smile decorated his face.
Patti snickered as the laughter died down. "Well, you have been chosen. So who will you choose as your victim?"
Soul looked around, everyone giving him grins. He was never very fond of the game truth or dare, and he was especially not fond of being the one asking the questions and making dares.
After glancing his friends over for a while, his eyes focused on Patti. His voice was low and serious. "Patti, truth or dare?"
Patti let out a playful gasp, to which Liz laughed. "For you Soul, I am gonna pick truth."
Soul shot her a look of disapproval and shook his head. Patti only laughed.
"Hey, I am just scared of what you might do. After this warmup, you know I am going all dare."
Soul thought for a minute, staring at the ground as his thoughts swam. As time passed, a small chorus of the jeopardy theme song began among the group. Soul eventually shushed them, and moved to the edge of the bench as he readied his question.
"Alright, so I never knew this, and I always wondered how it happened. How did you and Doc hook up?"
There was a pause among the group, which Blackstar soon filled. "Wait man... are you serious?"
Soul became confused. "Yeah... why wouldn't I be?"
After Soul's response, a series of boos came from Patti and Blackstar. Soul sighed.
"What? What is the problem?"
"Everyone knows this story already. We all talked about it for, like, a week after it happened. How did you not hear about it?" Patti again used her hands for emphasis. "And this is a shitty truth. I could tell you this without you asking me."
"Well too bad, that's my truth question. Are you going to answer it or not?" There was a hint of annoyance in Soul's voice. Maka couldn't help but giggle as he fretted, and Crona also smiled.
Patti rolled her eyes. "Fine, I'll tell you. But its such an old story, I don't feel like telling it."
"Want me to tell the tale?" Liz offered from the side. Soul shot her a look.
"Hey now, wait. This is Patti's truth, shouldn't she tell me?"
"But its a truth, not a dare. It's information about Patti that you want to know. She agreed to let you know, so who cares who tells the story, right?" Liz spoke with confidence, her look almost scheming as she glanced over to the three on the bench. Patti gave a pleasant sigh.
"Thanks, sis. I can't be bothered with this retardedness," Patti's words became slightly muffled as she walked over to the money bars and began to climb them.
"Sure thing."
Soul looked between the two sisters before slumping back in his seat. "I give up with you people."
Liz laughed at his comment, stepping forward to be a little more centered in the group cluster. "Ah, come on. Don't be like that. Here is your truth. So Patti and Doc met at a Deathbucks nearby. They really hit it off, but you know Patti had no tolerance for boys at the time, being that they have cooties and all," Liz paused to look over at her sister, who smiled and nodded. Liz continued. "So, even though he pined over her and they would hang out quite a bit, she never really gave him the time of day. That is until the school talent show," Liz paused again as Patti began to laugh. Soul sat forward.
"Wait, what happened?"
Liz let out a happy sigh before continuing. "Are you at all familiar with 'A Goofy Movie', Soul?"
Soul's brows furrowed as he thought. Maka turned to him.
"It's the Disney one where Goofy and his son go on a trip."
"Oh yeah, I kinda remember," Soul looked to Liz, his face showing a hint of confusion. "Why?"
Liz chuckled a bit. "Well, I don't know if you remember that scene in the movie where Max performs the song 'Stand Out' for the girl he likes, but... yeah, that happened."
Soul thought the scene over for a second before he let out a chuckle. "Really? Seriously?"
"Oh yeah. Dedicated it to her. His friends were the backup dancers. He had smoke and everything," Liz couldn't help but smile as she reflected back on the memory. Patti jumped down from the monkey bars and approached again.
"As soon as he came out in that yellow onesy, I knew he was mine," Patti said proudly, her smile huge. Soul gave the two sisters a large grin.
"Well alright, that's a pretty cool," Soul sat back again, thinking the situation over in his head. Patti giggled.
"Yeah, it is. But don't think you are off the hook, Soul. That was a lame-ass truth," She shook his finger at him, but Soul just rolled his eyes.
Patti then crossed her arms, glancing around the circle before her eyes met Blackstar's. "Hey Blackstar, truth or dare?"
Blackstar stood up straight, his arms also crossing. "Ha, I am definitely going for dare."
Liz took her place next to Kid again, the two of them looking over Blackstar.
"Oh this is going to be good," Liz turned to Kid, and he nodded. Crona looked up at the two of them, his confusion and curiosity piqued.
"What do you mean... by that?"
"Patti's dares are notoriously humiliating," Kid began. "And as you know, Blackstar doesn't back down from anything."
Crona looked over to Blackstar and Patti, a small tension building in his chest. He was intimidated by the game truth or dare, though he didn't seem to mind it as much as Soul. Still, the idea of being a victim of one of Patti's dares made him uneasy.
After a minute or so went by, Patti cracked her knuckles and took in a deep breath.
"Alright, I dare you to go around the park shirtless-"
"Really? That's easy. I can-"
"Hey, I wasn't done!" Patti snapped. "Go around the park shirtless, holding your nipples, and frolicking. And if you don't frolic, it doesn't count."
The mere image was too funny for several group members to handle, and a couple began to snicker. Blackstar gave Patti a stern look before shrugging and relaxing.
"Alright, fine by me," His manner was nonchalant as he pulled his shirt over his head. He then jokingly stretched his arms a bit as if preparing for the exercise. Crona looked over at him, his eyes filled with concern.
"Are you really going to do it, Blackstar?" Crona spoke almost hesitantly. Blackstar gave him a thumbs up.
"Of course. I never back down. Plus now you all get to look at my sculpted abs," He spoke confidently and jokingly. Tsubaki laughed as he posed while Maka, Soul and Liz rolled their eyes, but everyone had smiles on their face.
"Enough stalling, get going," Patti ushered.
"Alright, I'm going," Blackstar's reply had a tad of annoyance, but he immediately began the dare. He grabbed his own nipples and, in a skip-like manner, began to prance around the children's area. Patti immediately burst out into a fit of laughter, and Maka and Tsubaki's giggles soon followed her own. Soul also couldn't help but laugh, though he tried to hide it. Crona just looked on, somewhere between amusement and anxiety at the possibility of doing something equally as humiliating. As the others laughed, he looked toward Liz and Kid, who remained rather quite. Kid had a wide smirk on his face, and Liz's smile was just as wide.
"What a spectacle," Kid spoke softly, raising an eyebrow. Liz giggled as Blackstar reached the halfway point around the park.
"Worth it, definitely worth it," She let out a small chuckle as she watched on.
It was another minute before Blackstar's dare was over. He made his way back, striking an awkward pose in front of the group as he finished.
"So? What did you guys think?" He flexed his muscles before putting his shirt back on. Soul let out a small laugh.
"Oh, it was something."
"It was elegant as always," Kid said almost sarcastically. Blackstar turned to Kid, giving him a wink.
"That one was for you, buddy," He said jokingly, again taking his place in the group circle. "Now, which one of you wants to go next?"
Blackstar glanced around, but he already knew who he was going to pick. His face immediately met Soul's with a wily smile.
"Alright Soul, truth or dare? I will just let you know now, either way, you are not gonna have fun."
Soul grimaced. "Why are you all pickin' on me? You know I don't like this game..."
"That's what you get for picking a crappy truth. Come on man, just pick truth or dare," Blackstar urged.
Soul thought. He certainly didn't want to pick dare, although he knew Blackstar was not as good at making up dares as Patti. Still, there was a lot the group as a whole didn't know about his life. He could easily lie if asked a truth, but he still didn't want to be faced with any questions that might bring back awkward memories.
Soul sighed, glancing at Maka and Crona before facing Blackstar. "I am gonna go with dare."
Blackstar crossed his arms again. "Ha, and I have just the dare for you. I dare you and Tsubaki to switch bottoms for the rest of the game."
Suddenly Tsubaki and Soul's faces met, then drifted down to their lower clothing. Soul was wearing straight-leg jeans in a dark khaki color. Tsubaki, on the other hand, wore a colorful skirt that went an inch or two below her knees. It was rimmed in flowers, and it often flowed with the breeze.
Soul's mouth hung open for a minute, which made Maka giggle. Blackstar began again.
"What? You don't wanna? You gonna forfeit and be the first loser?"
Soul raised an eyebrow to him. "Where are we even gonna change?"
"There are a set of bathrooms over by the slides. And I can be your go-between," Blackstar just kept smiling at Soul, which only made Soul more annoyed. After some seconds pause, Soul stood up from the bench. He looked toward Tsubaki.
"Tsubaki, are you okay with this?"
Tsubaki looked between Soul and Blackstar. She always felt a little old for truth or dare, but she enjoyed playing it regardless. It always ended up with silly situations based on dares or deep, revealing conversations based on their truths, and neither of these things bothered her. Even now, standing before Soul and Blackstar, with the possibility of exchanging her skirt for Soul's jeans, she seemed to enjoy the silliness.
She smiled at Soul and nodded, knowing her agreement would only make Soul's situation more hilarious. "Yup. I am totally fine with it."
After a couple seconds, the three of them made their way over to the bathrooms, leaving the other five to chat.
After some minutes of chatting, Maka felt Crona nuzzle close to her, his face almost rubbing against her shoulder. She giggled as his hair touched her neck.
"What's up, Crona? You are getting quite cuddly..."
"I don't know how I feel about this game..." Crona's words were slightly muffled by Maka's shoulder. She squeezed his hand in hers and let her other hand slide up and touch the side of his face. Liz, Kid, and Patti all glanced at each other before Liz spoke.
"You know, Crona, nobody here is going to make you do anything crazy if you don't want to. We just do this sometimes to be silly; we never have any intention of making anyone feel bad," She tried to be reassuring. Crona lifted his head and glanced over at her.
"R-really? You mean, I don't have to do anything... embarrassing?"
"Absolutely not," Patti chimed in. "This whole game is just for fun. If you don't want to do something, you can opt out. I am just pickin' on Soul because his truth was so lame."
Just as Patti finished, the three others returned from the dare, and Maka, Liz and Patti couldn't help but give small giggles at the sight of Soul. He looked everywhere but at the girls, his hands casually in his pockets, yet the wind blowing the flowing colorful dress around his hairy knees. As he took his seat next to Maka, he glanced at her, his look somewhere between being amused and defeated. Maka just smiled at him, eventually running her hand over his cheek.
"Aw, poor baby," She said jokingly. Soul turned to the side, but Maka only continued to stroke his cheek. "If it makes you feel any better, you don't look half bad."
Soul snorted. "You are kidding, right? I look ridiculous," His voice was firm, but he smiled. Patti laughed at the scene.
"Nah, Soul. You know she is just sayin' that because she has a thing for guys in dresses."
As Patti said the comment, a unison "OOOOH" began between her and Blackstar which left them both in fits of laughter.
Crona listened to their laughs for a while before a thought clicked in his head. "Wait... was that comment also poking fun at me?"
With his comment, Liz and Kid couldn't help but give small snorts, although Kid obviously tried to hold his in. Tsubaki's laughter eventually choked out as well, and before long, the whole group was in a small fit of giggles.
As the giggles died down and the group calmed, Patti addressed the game.
"Alright, since Soul has already asked a question, we should just have someone else ask something. Any volunteers?"
There was a pleasant silence for a couple seconds before Tsubaki's voice rose up.
"I don't mind asking a question if no one wants to go next I guess," She said, adjusting herself in her new jeans. Soul looked over as she adjusted.
"Do they fit you?"
"Yeah, they do. They are a little tight in the butt area, but otherwise they are fine," She said as she pulled at the top of the jeans. Maka nodded.
"That's because Soul has a severe lack of butt," She spoke playfully, planting a kiss on Soul's cheek after her last word.
"You are not gonna argue that, Soul?" Blackstar questioned.
"What's to argue? Its true," Soul said confidently, eliciting a small chuckle from Tsubaki. Liz let out a happy sigh.
"Well, the good news is Crona has enough ass for both of you," She remarked. A small blush crept onto Crona's cheeks before Patti finally cleared her throat.
"Alright guys, back to the game."
"Right," Tsubaki's eyes wandered around before finally settling on Kid. "Truth or dare?"
He raised an eyebrow to her, a smile tugging at his lips. "I'll take truth."
Tsubaki thought for a minute before a question came to mind. "I know this sounds cliched, but I am actually curious. Have you ever had feelings of more than friendship for someone of the same gender?"
Kid's eyes widened for just a second, but his mind quickly turned to thought. After some seconds, his answer came as firm and confident. "No, I have not."
"I don't know, I think you are full of bullshit," Blackstar said, a wily smile growing on his face. Kid turned to him, raising an eyebrow.
"Oh? Why would I lie about that?"
"I don't know, but you hesitated, man. I think are lying," Blackstar moved forward a bit. Kid simply shook his head. Blackstar continued. "I think you have the hots for someone in this very circle."
Kid gave a chuckle, turning away and rolling his eyes. Liz giggled as well before Blackstar began again.
"I know who it is," He lowered his voice a bit, and Kid looked toward him smirking as he did so. Blackstar stood up straight and tall. "It's me, isn't it? I know you want a piece of this."
As Blackstar flexed, a small giggling began among the group again. After some minutes of laughing and a gay joke or two, everyone settled, and Kid cleared his throat.
"Alright, now I think I am going to pick Maka."
Maka looked up to him, her expression alert and warm. "I'll go with truth."
Kid hesitated, Liz leaning over and giving him some advice on a question. After he and Liz quietly talked it over, Liz faced Maka, her voice speaking for Kid.
"What is the worst thing you have ever said to someone?"
Crona's brows furrowed at the question. "Maka doesn't say mean things."
As he ended his sentence, a series a small snorts began amongst the group. Maka took Crona's hand in hers lightly.
"Oh, Crona... Crona, Crona Crona."
Soul leaned over to address Crona directly. "I will bet you anything it has something to do with her dad."
Maka gave Soul a stern look, but eventually sighed. "It's true sadly. The worst thing I have ever said to someone was to him. It was a couple years ago. We got into an argument, and I told him I wished he didn't exist. It was all in the heat of the moment, but still. I always regretted saying that to him. He really gets to me sometimes, but I am not sure what I would do without him."
She spoke with a smile, yet her head tilted to face the ground. There was a brief silence among the group before the emptiness was filled by Tsubaki.
"Well, its nothing to worry about now."
"I know," Maka lifted her head, giving Tsubaki a reassuring nod. She glanced around the circle, her eyes drifting between Liz, Crona, and Tsubaki.
"You three haven't gone yet, have you?"
Liz sighed a bit, pushing her hair back with one of her hands. "Honestly, I am okay with not going."
"Same for me," Tsubaki said, giving Maka a large smile. "I am content just wearing Soul's pants."
Soul rolled his eyes, to which Maka giggled. She then directed her attention to Crona, who had been glancing about nervously since she mentioned his name.
"Do you want to try to answer or ask a question, Crona?" Maka spoke softly.
Crona became nervous, but not overwhelmingly nervous. He didn't like making up questions, but the idea of getting an embarrassing truth or a crazy dare was far more alarming to him.
Crona gulped a little before he spoke. "I guess I could ask a question..." He said quietly, looking around at his friends as he thought. As his eyes met Kid's, a question came to him that he was genuinely curious about, which was enough for him to decide on his victim. Though he wasn't sure what he would do if Kid picked dare.
His eyes became serious. "Kid, truth or dare?"
"I think I will go with truth again."
A sigh of disgust was heard from Patti at that moment. "You guys are lame. Buncha chickens."
Soul's head snapped towards Patti. "Hey, you said you wouldn't get mad if we all picked truth."
"Yeah, but I didn't think most of you would pick truth. I thought it would be pretty even."
"Well oh well, Patti, just listen to the truth," Liz spoke firmly. Patti sighed, directing her attention toward Crona.
Crona's eyes narrowed. "It's okay if... you can't answer this. I am just curious. Have you ever... abused your power as Lord Death?"
Kid was surprised. The way in which he used his power was not something he often thought about. Off hand, he didn't recall ever abusing his power, but the question actually got him thinking.
Patti and Liz began to think as well. They knew they wouldn't know any work incidents, but outside of the DWMA, the three of them had done plenty of activities that one would consider unusual or dangerous, whether part of a job or not.
After a minute or so, Liz laughed. "Okay, I am not sure if this counts, but Kid, Patti, do you guys remember the ticket we almost got last year?"
"Oh boy, do I ever!" Patti said with enthusiasm, drawing closer to Liz as she spoke. Kid became confused, but soon after, he let out a happy sigh.
"I suppose that situation was one in which I definitely used the grim reaper in me to my advantage."
Blackstar moved forward, eager to hear the tale. "Wait, what happened? I haven't heard this story..."
Liz looks to Kid, getting a nod from him before beginning the story. "Okay, so about a year ago, we took the convertible out for a drive on this beautiful stretch of highway. I was driving, Kid was passenger, and Patti was in the back. After a couple hours of driving, we get to this stretch of road that looks pretty much deserted. So of course I floor it. The roof is down, the car has gotta be hitting 100, and we are blasting 'Don't Fear the Reaper' as usual. At one point, there is a bend in the road, and right as we go around the bend, we see the cop car sitting there," She paused, glancing at Patti, who was all smiles. "So of course he flags us down. After we pull over, Kid asks me for a pair of sunglasses, so I give him a pair, and he puts them on. Now all three of us are wearing them, and we turn the song down, but not all the way off. The cop approaches, and when he first gets to the car, he gives us the usual routine questions. But after a minute or so, I see his eyes get wide as he looks at Kid, so I look over myself. And Kid is letting his reaper cloak flare up a bit."
Liz shot Kid a wily a smile, to which he blushed a bit. "I couldn't help it."
"Yeah you could," Patti said with a snort. "You guys should have seen this cop's face. Looked like he was going to shit his pants."
Liz rolled her eyes and continued. "So anyway, this guy's jaw drops. Finally he stammers out 'Your... Lord Death?' and I swear, Kid just turns to him really slowly, taking off those sunglasses to give the guy the most serious glare. God I wish I had a picture of this whole situation. Eventually though, Kid's gets a little less stern and simply says 'Indeed I am', but apparently that was enough to scar the guy for life."
At that point, Patti begins to laugh, speaking between chuckles. "He just slowly walks back to his car. GOD that was the funniest shit."
A series of giggles erupted from the group, with Soul's voice a little louder than the chatter. "That is pretty sweet. Although not as much an abuse or power as an abuse of person."
Patti smiled at Soul. "It's close enough, Kid doesn't abuse his power. That's the only situation I can think of where he used anything to get out of something actually."
Kid turned to Crona and grinned. "That was a good question, I actually had to think about it."
Crona blushed, but after a second, gave Kid a firm nod.
The group spent another two hours talking about life and interesting situations they were in at one point. Truth or dare had ended after Kid's question, which nobody seemed to mind, and Soul was particularly happy to have his pants back. Conversation was light, yet sometimes deep, and ended with the group huddling together by the benches, telling stories of their lives and discussing random topics that came to mind. After many great hours spent at the park, they left for Kid's manor, ready to relax in the warmth of the house and the pleasure of the group's company.
END
I am still not sure how I feel about this chapter. Regardless, I promise I will never keep you guys waiting that long again. So sorry you all had to wait at all. I am back to normal now, I promise. :3 And my writing will continue as before, with more plot in the next chapter. This chapter is not my best by any means, but I feel as though it is decent. My next chapter will be back on par with my other chapters. Feedback is a virtue.