Things are never simple.

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Chapter 6: Complications

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Black Star watched Kid pace around the room like an angry cat. The only thing he was missing was a flicking tail, though the occasional shadow that manifested at the edges of the Grim Reaper's form was decidedly more impressive, if not worrying.

"I can't believe this," Kid muttered under his breath.

Black Star ran a hand through his hair as he recalled the figures' words with increasing embarrassment.

It had taken him a few moments longer than Kid to realise what they were implying he had to do with the Grim Reaper. Needless to say, he had been avoiding Kid's gaze ever since.

Because, honestly, this was not how Black Star wanted Kid to learn that he had what almost-certainly-now-a-crush on him. This was especially true considering Black Star had absolutely no clue if Kid liked him back. Besides, if Kid did like him back, Black Star would much rather ask him out when they were fighting a Kishin Egg or doing something equally cool, not when they were stuck in tiny house.

Black Star held back a cough as he took in the burning incense the shorter figure had set up before departing. It was a pleasant sweet smell, though it did make him feel a bit light-headed.

"Yeah, this is uh, something," Black Star said in agreement. He had to do something to lighten mood, and also calm down the butterflies at his stomach. Something silly. Something… Black Star.

He spied a flower vase with a single daisy in it and a light bulb went off in his head.

While Kid was still pacing around the room, Black Star took the daisy -there were no roses unfortunately- and put it between his teeth as he climbed on the bed. At that point Kid gave him a confused look, at which Black Star laid back and gave the Grim Reaper his biggest shit-eating grin.

"So Kid…" Black Star trailed off in a purposefully deep and ridiculous tone.

He was expecting an exaggerated sigh, some light-hearted scolding, even a laugh. What he got instead was a tired look as Kid rubbed bridge of nose.

"Don't."

Huh. Not even a witty remark Black Star could play off with. The daisy in his mouth dropped, just like his mood. Unless… "Hey, if this is some backhanded insult-"

"This is not about you, Black Star," Kid said, each word carefully selected and spoken.

"What is it about then?" Black Star asked with a faked nonchalant tone. What other reason could there be? Even if Kid didn't like him, which was always a possibility, he wouldn't be this cold about it. Maybe a bit embarrassed or annoyed, but not this… fatigued.

"The whole concept," Kid eventually let out, which didn't clear up things one bit for Black Star.

Upon noticing Black Star's persistent confusion, Kid looked away. "I am not attracted to people. Romantically or sexually."

…Oh.

Not attracted to people. Which meant Kid wasn't and wouldn't be attracted to Black Star. Which meant that Black Star's crush -potential crush - was not reciprocated.

…Honestly, ouch. But, it had been a possibility. Maybe Black Star could now finally stop thinking about it.

Though the lack of attraction actually made some sense, Black Star supposed. To begin with, it would explain Kid's complete lack of interest in dating. Said disinterest could only be rivalled by Maka's, but that only because Maka was the biggest nerd among them and also the most oblivious, equalled only by Soul, the two unable to see the huge crush they had on each other. Liz's aggressive flirting was well known and something Black Star loved to sabotage, Patty was too scary for people to approach and Tsubaki tended to keep matters private -even if Black Star may or may not have occasionally eavesdropped or did some sleuthing on his own. As for Black Star himself, he also hadn't dated but that was because his crushes tended not to be reciprocated -case in point.

Oh, there were rumours about Kid, as there were rumours of the late Death, most of which Sid had kept a younger Black Star from hearing fully. He had disregarded them when he was younger, but they reappeared after Kid had enrolled in the DWMA and had made his existence public. Questions about the logistics of a Grim Reaper having a child. Tall tales of intrigue, of lost lovers and forbidden love, each one sillier than the other.

All of them had turned out to be bunk anyways when Asura had blown the lid of his Grim Reaper nature and about fragmenting being the way a new Grim Reaper was created.

Black Star wondered if there any such rumours at Death City anymore. There probably were, people liked to gossip, but whereas the late Death would be paired up with old Witches or the occasional ancient Deathscythe, who would be the imaginary match-up for Kid?

"We're still friends, right?" Black Star blurted out before he could stop himself. Kid hadn't said anything about friendship and Black Star was certain that the Grim Reaper was more than capable of having fiends. Still…

Kid raised an eyebrow at him. "Of course we are, why wouldn't we-?" he cut himself off and rubbed his brow. "Ugh, this is why I don't like having this conversation with people."

Black Star frowned. Had he said something wrong?

Whatever.

"Good," Black Star eventually said, happy that at least Kid considered him a friend. "You're my pal too."

"I'm glad," Kid said in a flat tone.

"Why wouldn't I be?!" Black Star announced, feeling some of his old cheer returning. "A God should be fond of those below them after all!"

"Pushing it," Kid warned him, but there was a hint of fondness in his voice. "I guess this must be rather embarrassing for you too."

Hah, Kid had no idea. "Pft, who cares?" Black Star nonchalantly said. "No really, why am I supposed to like, flirt with you or something? Why can't I just kick ass-?!"

"It probably has to do with the Goddess and her…" Kid grimaced, "mourning. Not that I'm any more comfortable with this." His frown deepened. "Really, pairing vague notions of humanity with romantic love? If I was human, I would be very offended-"

"So, what do we do?" Black Star said, eager to change the subject. He hoped this brief talk was a neat resolution to his crush and the sooner it got out of his mind, the better. "Can't we pretend we're dating?" he asked before he could stop himself.

Huh. Apparently, not that tidy of a resolution. Still, the sooner they got off their island, the sooner Black Star could go back to being a hermit in the mountains.

"It's about the principle of the thing!" Kid said with an exasperated sigh and his frame slumped. "But I can't think of another way…"

Black Star blinked. Had Kid just agreed on the fake dating idea?

Black Star felt like he was in a cliché romance chick-flick, where the protagonists pretended to date only for 'true love' to blossom between them and then they'd save the day, get married and adopt a dog or something. Though he wouldn't admit it out loud, he did like some of those aforementioned movies, especially the ending.

Maybe…

Kid let out another sigh and sat by the bed, facing away from Black Star, arms crossed.

Well, this was no way to start. Black Star went to sit next to him until Kid tensed, keeping his gaze away, causing Black Star to freeze.

What the fuck was Black Star doing? Kid was visibly uncomfortable, why the fuck was Black Star letting him go along with this? Why had he even suggested it in the first place?

No, this wasn't fair to Kid, and goddammit, even if things hadn't worked out the way Black Star wanted them, Kid was his friend and had already been forced into a lot of shitty situations in the past.

Black Star took a step back forcing a nonchalant smile on his face. "Nah, I think it's a stupid idea."

Watching Kid's frame relax was painful. "You do?"

Black Star shrugged. "Stuff like that only works in movies and these guys haven't even invented cinema. Besides, it's also about the principles, or something like that." He swallowed when he got no immediate response. "That's what you said, right?"

The relief evident in Kid's now fully at ease posture only made Black Star feel guiltier.

"True," Kid hesitantly said. "But the more time we spend here…"

Black Star shrugged again. "Then we figure out another way. I mean, you're a god I guess, and I'm way up at the top of all that so we'll easily come up with something," he added, guessing Kid would appreciate his subtle compliment.

Problem solved. All was well.

Kid apparently did not think so, as his frown deepened. "Even if we find an alternative, because of this nonsense we'll be stuck here for who knows how long."

Apparently, all was still not well.

"It's not like we're in a hurry-"

"Yes we are," Kid cut him off. "I am the DWMA's headmaster and, unlike some, I can't just up and disappear for half a year-"

"Hey, I didn't disappear, Tsubaki knew where I was-"

"And she honoured your wish of keeping your location secret-"

"She did?" Black Star cut him off, raising his eyebrows in surprise before adopting a smirk. "Neat."

Kid looked like he was moments away from strangling something -or someone. "Why?" he eventually asked. "Why keep it a secret?"

"Hey, I was training-"

"You've been training at Death City since childhood! Why leave now?"

Well, Black Star could definitely not fully explain things now, not when they'd been complicated with this whole Champion business. "Wanted a change of scenery."

"A what?" Kid asked, baffled. "Why?!"

Black Star shrugged. "'Cause."

"That's not a reason-!"

"It is for me."

"It was thoughtless-"

"Dude, what?!" Black Star cut him off, frustration rising. "I don't have to like, write down an essay on the pros and cons of everything I do-"

"I'm not asking you to do that but you're being irresponsible-!"

Black Star stopped listening after that.

Irresponsible?

There were many less-than-flattering descriptions Black Star would accept as true. Reckless? Sure, he'd even treat such description as a badge of honour. Not a team player? Fair enough, but he'd been working on that and he'd improved a lot since he was younger. An idiot? Maybe not something to brag about, but it didn't matter because of his godly strength.

But irresponsible?

Black Star was many things but irresponsible was not one of them. Sure, he could be more responsible, but he had a good head on his shoulders. He could take care of himself and other people, he had done so in the past. He may have acted irresponsibly in the past, but he had more than paid for such mistakes. Calling him irresponsible may not be as bad of an insult as calling his confidence hubris, but if Kid had done the latter Black Star would have already punched him.

Instead, Black Star took a deep breath and calmed some of his nerves by tightly clenching his fists. He still couldn't concentrate on what Kid was saying, or if he was saying anything at all. Not that it mattered.

In fact, it didn't matter what Kid was saying because Black Star knew the perfect retort, especially when it came to cutting personal insults. The perfect counterpart to the Grim Reaper's irresponsible.

"No," Black Star began, voice low, "you're just too controlling."

Kid went silent, eyes briefly widening before narrowing down into slits and looking away.

Black Star tensed when Kid's grip on the duvet tightened, expecting the Grim Reaper to throw him a haymaker any moment now. It'd been a long time since they fought, even longer since the nature of their fight wasn't sparing but more akin to a street brawl.

Then, as quickly as it came, the tension left Kid's shoulders. "I'm only trying to look out for everyone." The Grim Reaper's voice was barely above a whisper but it caused Black Star to grimace.

Shit. Black Star shouldn't have said that. Really, trading a low blow for a lower blow? Black Star should know between than that. He was supposed to be above God after all, and that included not responding to a jab with a sucker-punch.

At least he hadn't called Kid something worse, like neurotic, or obsessive. That would have been beyond bad taste, right? Black Star may or may not have a superiority complex, but he knew that Kid's issues ran way deeper and more convoluted.

Again, shit. Black Star never wanted to fight with Kid and he sort of understood where the Grim Reaper's grudge was coming from.

Maybe… He should apologise? Black Star could count the times he'd given a genuine sombre apology on one hand, but he liked Kid. He wanted them to at least stay friends.

Yeah, apologising might work. Black Star would say sorry and then Kid would say sorry and they could go back to playfully annoying each other.

Kid turned his back on Black Star and began adjusting the pillows on the bed. "I am going to sleep," he blankly said before Black Star could utter a word.

Black Star frowned. Sleep? He had pegged Kid as more of the type to stew and skulk overnight. "Thought you didn't need to sleep."

"Being with you is exhausting," Kid shot back, and Black Star would have found the quip amusing in any other context. Now, watching Kid bury himself under the multiple sheets and duvet just unnerved him.

Hah. Irresponsible his ass. In fact, Black Star was so responsible that Kid's uncharacteristic desire for sleep worried him. Just yesterday Black Star had to use some very creative blackmail techniques to make Kid take a nap, and now he was going to sleep on his own?

…Maybe Black Star's jab had been too well-aimed?

Black Star rubbed his forehead. Ugh. He wasn't good at this kind of stuff. And he was still hungry…

Stomach growling, Black Star trudged back to the table and began lifelessly eating the rest of the fruit and vegetables.

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