"Where would you like to go?" Kid asked him as he entangled Crona's hand in his.
Crona thought for a moment, his brow rising. He was too shy about is body to go to the beach- he was covered in scars from the years of constant abuse from Medusa and Ragnarock and wasn't exactly jumping up and down to show them off. He didn't have the money to go out to dinner, nor did he want Kid to pay for him after all the gifts Kid's already showered him with. Restaurants were often loud and Crona didn't feel comfortable enough to carry on a conversation with his crush alone. The bookstore was an option, but he didn't want to give Kid an incentive to spend money, again, and it was often crowded.
"T-T-The Library?" Crona asked him, his cheeks pink. When he saw the look on Kid's face he looked away. "I-I-I mean, we don't have to…"
Kid's brow rose on his otherwise neutral face. Why would he pick there? They couldn't speak and there was hardly any people…oh…Kid smiled and looked ahead. "That sounds perfect." He pulled Crona into a chaste kiss before pulling away and starting to walk, a small blush on his cheeks and a bright red hue on Crona's.
Kid pulled Crona on, gritting his teeth behind a fake smile as he ignored glares and whispered slurs.
Crona was used to this kind of treatment. Between how he dressed and who he was related to it happened so often he barely noticed anymore. But now it was directed at Kid.
"Isn't that Lord Death's son?" One man asked his wife. "He's gay?"
"Homos," one man muttered as he purposely bumped into Kid. Kid inhaled a shaky breath before he continued. This will have to take getting used to. Is this what it was like for Crona?
"Lord Death must not be that great of a father if his son turned gay," one woman said to her friend. "He must be going through a rebellious phase."
At the mention of his father, Kid's fake smile fell. His walk slowed and his eyes fell to the ground.
It was Crona's turn to be the protector. It didn't seem as though Kid was used to having slurs hurled at him from everyone. It made Crona so sad to drag down his crush this way, but some things just couldn't be helped. He began to regret the kiss. If he hadn't expressed his feelings, Kid wouldn't be treated like this; nevertheless, what is done is done.
Crona matched Kid's pace and held tightly onto his hand, staring straight ahead, trying as hard as he could not to show any nervousness or submission to anyone around him. They were less likely to attack that way.
Kid turned to him, surprised. Crona was not usually this assertive. But he guessed that Crona had to find a way to ward people off, being who he is and what he has done.
"Is this what you have to do?" Kid whispered. "Just to get people to leave you alone?"
Crona closed his eyes and nodded. "It's b-b-been getting better," Crona replied. "I-I-I don't get the glares I used to."
Crona was tempted to let go of Kid's hand so people would think they were just friends but Kid had put his mental health on the line, barely avoiding an anxiety attack, just to prove to Crona that he doesn't care what people think. Crona couldn't hurt him like that.
A tense silence fell over the pair before they finally approached the steps of the library. Crona relaxed his grip. Everyone kept to themselves in the library. He was hardly ever bothered.
Kid looked over and saw Crona's face. Before, it had been stressed and on edge. Now, it was happy…er, happier. Crona must have found some solace from his anxiety and fears in books. Kid was happy about that. "Well, show me the kinds of books you like," Kid requested. Crona nodded and looked away from him.
Crona took him up the steps, never letting go of his hand.
The air felt nice and cool as they entered the building. To Kid's surprise, Crona headed to the comic book area. He pulled out one on Deadpool and smiled as he flipped through it. "This one is my favorite," he whispered to Kid. "H-H-He's the result of experiments and w-w-went insane, just like me."
Kid's heart broke. He knew the toll of abuse doesn't go away quickly, if it ever truly does. And Crona had experienced more abuse than Kid could imagine. He was curious. What exactly had it been like? What Crona hit? Neglected? Screamed at? Ignored? Molested, even? Kid had already heard that Crona had been starved as punishment at times. The memory made his blood boil. How did someone as sweet as Crona deserve to go through all that?
Though Kid couldn't help but wonder if that's what made him so sweet.
Crona felt the need to fill the silence, so he continued. "I-I-I feel strong when I read about them," he said. "L-L-Like I could do that o-o-one day."
Kid enveloped him in a hug. "You already are so strong," he muttered in Crona's ear. Crona's face flushed and he looked away.
Maka had told him several times that when he deflects compliments all it did was hurt the people who care about him. They had told him how they felt and he pushed them away. So, even though he was tempted to deny it, he didn't want to hurt Kid. He plastered on a fake smile and nodded.
"Don't believe me?" Kid asked him. "You kick ass. I've had very few opponents harder to beat than you. I'm sure Maka and Soul would say the same." Crona gulped and looked away. Those weren't pleasant memories. "Not to mention you went against your mother, one of the most powerful witches of all time."
"I lost," he muttered quietly as he put the comic back.
"You also almost died to save Maka," Kid said, hugging him tighter, willing his hands not to shake. What would he do without his sweetheart? Crona had come so close to being gone from him forever…
Kid took a shaky breath. Crona was here. That's what mattered. "That takes a lot of courage. And even now, when people were treating us badly, you didn't run and hide. You stood up for yourself and us by walking forward. You told them- without words- that their bigotry does not frighten you."
"But it does," Crona whispered, leaning into the hug.
"But the fact that you didn't let that take control of you shows how strong you are," Kid said as he pecked Crona's neck. Crona gasped and tore his head away, his face pink, hands trembling. Kid almost fell over laughing at how adorable he looked.
"Is there anything else you like?" Kid asked him. Crona thought for a moment, bringing a finger to his chin.
"I like most fiction," Crona said nonchalantly. "I also like social studies and history," he added.
Kid looked around and, finding the erotica section, grinned, getting an evil idea in his head.
"I found something you might like," Kid said, pulling a confused Crona with him.
"W-W-What are we doing in here?" Crona asked him.
Kid pulled out a random book from the shelf and flipped through the pages. His grin grew wider. He found the perfect passage.
"His tongue danced all across her breast, wild desire coursing through him," he read aloud, peeking at Crona.
Crona gulped and shook, slightly, his face burning. "W-Wha…What are you-"
"-She moaned as he licked her clitoris with his cat-like tongue," Kid continued, almost laughing at how badly it was written. People read this stuff? He could write better in his sleep.
Crona's nervousness was so funny and cute, Kid had to continue torturing him.
Crona clasped his hands in front of him and took a deep breath, trying to stop his body from trembling. If Kid knew how many sleepless nights Crona had because couldn't stop having dreams about him…
Crona wasn't as innocent as everyone thought. Oh, no. He had thoughts. He had dirty thoughts. Deliciously dirty thoughts all about him and Kid's bodies entangling with each other, huffs and puffs and broken skin, hollering and sweating…
"You seem to be excited, dear," Kid said with a smirk as he put the book back and wiped the bangs out of Crona's eyes. Crona squeaked and turned his eyes away. Kid held his stomach and laughed. Crona blushed deeper and crossed his arms, clearly not enjoying being teased.
"Come on, let's go get coffee," Kid said with a chuckle as he put his arm around Crona's shoulders and escorted him out of the building. Crona clutched his own arm in embarrassment.
There was a small coffee shop right by the library Crona pointed him to. Admittedly, Crona was not a big fan of coffee. It worsened his nerves.
Crona spotted something from the corner of his eyes and looked over, stopping both of them.
"What is it?" Kid asked.
Crona didn't reply. A black razor snake slithered through the bushes. It looked familiar. Painfully familiar.
It wasn't too long ago Crona had attempted to murder the woman that gave him life…
Crona stared at the snake, not looking sad or upset or scared, just…tired. Worn down. Finished.
Kid frowned. "Crona?" His eyes travelled to the snake and guessed what Crona was thinking about. "You're thinking about her, aren't you?" He mumbled, tightening his grip on Crona.
"How could I not?" Crona replied, more so to himself than anyone else.
"She's gone. She can't hurt you anymore," Kid told him, putting his other arm around Crona for comfort.
Crona turned to him. "W-W-What's it like to have your parent love you?"
Kid froze, his jaw dropped. How…how do you answer a question like that? Crona stared into his eyes so lost…so hopeless…so pained.
Kid cleared his throat and scratched the back of his head. "I honestly don't know how to answer that question," he sighed as he sat down on a nearby bench. He held Crona's hands and pulled Crona to face him. "I'm not exactly…conventional. I wasn't so much born but…willed," he said. "For lack of a better term. My father made me like this. I never was a child. I don't have any kind of mother. And before now I only saw Father as my creator, not as my…well…father. It was only when he saved my life from the Kishin did I begin to actually care for him as a father figure."
Kid pulled a hand away patted the seat next to him. Crona hesitated before he sat down next to Kid and pulled his own hand away.
"It's just…" he sighed and hung his head. He put his elbows on his knees and propped his chin up on his fists. "Like you," he started, looking back to Kid. "I-I-I was also…uh… 'w-w-willed' into existence. But I always saw M-M-Medusa like a mother. I-I loved her." Crona hugged himself and turned his eyes away. "A-A-And I wanted her to love me too," he whispered to himself.
He swallowed his tears. He wouldn't cry. He had spent too many tears on that bitch. "I remember on Mother's Day, I-I used to make her breakfast. Sh-She would scream at me and f-f-feed it to Ragnarock."
Kid could see how much Crona was hurting and his heart cried out. Here is this poor young boy willing to do anything, even murder, just to get his mother to approve of him. And it was never enough.
Medusa had always considered Crona weak. And she was right in a sense. Crona was a weakling when it came to doing evil. But when it came to doing good? Crona was right there with everyone else, fighting the good fight and willing to die before backing down.
Kid figured that Crona needed a little bit of space. He placed his hands on Crona's knee, causing a frightened gasp from Crona before he relaxed. 'I can't even touch him without him flinching,' Kid thought to himself, his heart feeling even heavier.
Kid didn't know what to do. He just pulled Crona into a hug. "I'm sorry," was all he said. How do you comfort someone who has been through that?
"It's not y-y-your fault," Crona mumbled, still not looking at him.
"If the person who hurt you will not apologize, then I want to step up for them," Kid said as he touched his forehead to Crona's. Crona's eyes finally met him and he smiled. "She cannot hurt you anymore," he continued. "And I'm sorry you were in so much pain growing up and I'm sorry she couldn't see what a wonderful son and person you are. But that's her loss. You have me, Maka, Soul, Tsubaki, BlackStar, Patti, Liz, Dr. Stein, Maka's father, and even my own father who all adore you and want you to be safe and happy. Try not to dwell on the past dear."
Crona couldn't gulp back his tears this time but he was smiling. He just leaned into Kid's embrace, his face gentle, his body relaxed.