chapter fourteen

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Chrona POV

Stein...Professor Stein...Why was he acting like that?! I held my hands up to my face in some stupid effort to refuse that it had happened but I couldn't get it out of my head. I don't understand at all! Could it be...he likes me? I thought he liked Miss Marie!

I groaned, slipping into my room and collapsing on the bed, trying to take deep breaths and not have some sort of anxiety attack. Calm down...maybe you're overthinking things...Maybe Professor Stein is just looking out for you because Free has had a bad past. Plus...he is a lot older than I am. But so is Professor Stein so...

"I CAN'T DEAL WITH IT!" I really needed Kid-kun here with me!

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Free POV

Once I finished patroling and handed my report into Shinigami-sama, I found Stein waiting for me outside the Death Room, looking none too happy.

I frowned at that, a little unhappy that he wanted to do this now but I knew he would bring it up once he had a free moment and it wouldn't cause a scene.

"Free. May I have a word?"

"Do I have a choice?"

"No," he shrugged, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it, walking off down the empty hall and forcing me to follow him.

"You sure you should be smoking in the school?" I may have been and exconvict, but I was never one for smoking.

"You sure you should be having lunch with students?"

Ouch...I sighed. "Look, if you're going to tell me not to see Chrona, you're just gunna have to do whatever it is you're planning to do to me as punishment. I care about her and I'm not giving her up just because you say so,"

He turned back to me, his yellow eyes sharp and cold. "Care about her, huh? And what makes you think she cares about you? You do realize that it would be much more appropriate to have her date someone her own age?"

"Why don't you take your own advice?" ...Oh, crap! Did I just say that?!

"...Come again?"

"You like her, too, don't you? That's why you want me away from her,"

"..." He just gave me this look as though I had just claimed I invented gravity. It caught me off gaurd.

"...What?"

He ignored my question. "Just stay away from Chrona! She already has someone that cares about her and he's much more suitable for her than you are!"

"And who would that be?" I snapped, starting to not care whether or not I pissed this guy off. Who cares if he was the most powerful Meister to graduate from the Academy? He was driving me nuts! "Chrona told me herself that she's not interested in anyone yet! She doesn't know how to deal with dating!" I caught Stein's expression turning into one of confusion, but I kept going. "And I'm not forcing Chrona to be with me! All I did was tell her how I felt. And you know what? She was okay with it! She didn't get repulsed or tell me to stay away from her! She just said that she didn't feel that way for me right now. And you know what? It doesn't matter if she ever feels that way about me because when I talk to her, she listens to what I have to say! She respects me and she doesn't judge me! She makes me happy!"

By the time I was done talking, I was fighting to catch my breath and noticed that my temperture had raised a few degrees, my fists clenched and my body shaking with pent up frustration.

Stein just stared at me blankly before putting his cigarette out almost too casually. He looked back up at me, still blank faced. The tension seemed to grow and I was suddenly beginning to feel a little nervous again until finally he spoke. "Happy, huh?" I nodded in response, not trusting my voice. "And she accepted your confession?" I nodded again, starting to become a little confused. "Huh...I thought for sure that she and Kid were gunna end up together..."

"What?" I was seriously confused...

"I mean...they're always together..." He was drifting off now, looking distracted as he wound his screw and his eyes glazed over, like he wasn't really looking at anything but more in deep thought. "She looked so happy with him...and I was actually looking forward to seeing them end up together..."

I frowned, feeling kind of bad for him but was also lost beyond belief. "But...I thought you liked her. Wasn't that why you wanted me away from her?"

He looked back up at me, his gaze more focused. "What? Oh, no, I was just being a little over protective I guess. I mean...she's my only daughter,"

"...WHAT?!"

"Yeah...You really thought I wanted to date a girl half my age?" He smiled now, like I had told him some hilarious joke.

I felt stupid..."Her...dad..." I slapped my palm against my face, groaning. How could I have been so stupid?! "So that's why..."

"Yeah...Sorry, it's just that I thought she was in love with Kid and I didn't want you to stand in their way of happiness. I never got to be with the person I loved, and I didn't want the same thing to happen to her..."

"But I don't understand! I thought Chrona said Medusa was her mother,"

"Ah, that...Well, Medusa only had Chrona to create a kishin, you know. She needed a stong...donor and I fit the profile. I didn't know until a few months ago when she had her bloodwork done,"

"So...why didn't you just tell her to stay away from me instead of telling me off? Ya know...being all parental and all that..."

"Well..." he rubbed the back of his neck akwardly. "She doesn't exactly know I'm her dad yet..."

"What!? Why not? I bet she'd be happy to have you as a dad!"

He shrugged, clearly uncomfortable. "She's just getting out of her shell...I don't want her thinking she can't be herself because she has a parent working in the same place she's living,"

I guess that makes sense..."Will you ever tell her?"

"Eventually...I just want her to find her way first..."

Of course, as weird as the moment was, I had to ask the one question that was now bothering the hell out of me. "...And...What is if that way...ended up with her being with me? Would it still be okay?"

He frowned, his gaze one of warning before he sighed. "If...she's happy..."

Did he...really say that? "You mean-"

"Don't make me say it again," he grimaced. "I'll see you tomorrow," He walked off, leaving me alone in the hall, beaming.

AWESOME!

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sorry but i had to make stein her dad

if u guys want stein x chrona, send requests and i'll get to it eventually (i have a list i write down all ideas and requests on lol)

plz review~