A/N: This chapter rated T for mild gore and swearing. Responses to much-appreciated reviews are at the end of the chapter.
"I'm not going to die." he insisted as she helped him ease into a chair. He looked, and felt, like the end might be upon him, but knew he wasn't in any real danger.
"You could have, though." Maka said tersely. Her hands were shaking like crazy; fueled by a potent combination of adrenaline, fear and anger. He felt them vibrating through his shirt as she crouched in front of him and undid the buttons. When she saw the wound under the blood-soaked fabric she covered her mouth and gave a muffled little scream. A spike negative emotion rocketed through their soul bond and hit Kid like a brick wall.
"Can you tone it down, please?" he complained, "I don't need a headache on top of this."
"How can you not already have a headache?" she demanded, hands still clapped against lips that were swollen from a glancing blow during the fight, "There was a hole in your forehead."
"It's gone now," he protested, swiping his hair back to show her. The white stripes that ringed his head were stained dark red, which did nothing to relieve Maka's anxiety.
"I don't care," she yelled, "I saw what it looked like. If that evil bastard got you a little deeper or ten inches lower..."
She broke off, fighting the tears that stung behind her eyes. Kid was looking at her like he had no idea what she was talking about and it made her angry enough to spit out the rest of her thought.
"Deeper or lower and it might have killed you. You shouldn't have done it."
Kid own anger rose, "I had to!"
"No you didn't! Black Star was on its left flank. You saw him coming in for the kill. You just had to get one more shot in, didn't you? This competition thing between you and Black Star is going to be the end of both of you."
"That kishin egg had time to finish its strike." he snapped, "and you were right in front of it."
Green eyes narrowed dangerously at him and little purple sparks of Reaper energy zipped over her fingernails.
"Don't you ever take a hit for me again," she warned, "Ever. I am not some weak little woman who needs protecting! I finally got Soul past that shit and now you're going to start? I thought we agreed not to bring our relationship into the field so we won't be preoccupied and make bad decisions. Like the one you made today."
Kid's own hands and eyes started to glow, "So trying to save a teammate from being slaughtered in front of me makes me a misogynist all of a sudden? I've taken hits for you before, and if I truly think it's necessary I'll do it again. That piece of my soul you have makes you a little more impervious than the the average human, but you can't survive what I can. Fuck political correctness. I won't take a chance on you dying just so I won't look like an overprotective boyfriend!"
Maka felt his anger rising to meet her own and a smoke-tinged cloud of purple started to fill the small space between them.
"I had plenty of time to do a back roll and bring Soul up for a parry. A solid blow through the head or neck like that might have offed you even though you are a Reaper!" Maka retorted, "And it still wouldn't have saved me, because I don't think I could live without you. You're not allowed to take risks like that; not with yourself and not with the future Lord Death, and not with us, godammit! Not with us."
Giving voice to her worst fears extinguished her anger along with the sparks on her hands. She leaned forward and rested her head on his knee. Kid felt hot tears seep through his trouser leg, burning into his flesh like no wound ever could.
"Now who's being overprotective?" he asked softly, feeling his own eyes grow wet. He pulled her up into his lap in spite of the ache in his side and hugged her tightly. Maka buried her dirty face in his shoulder and put her arms around him.
"Both of us." she sniffled, "I guess there's no way we're going to stop it, either, huh?"
"Nope. So let's not argue about it. As long as we don't put other members of the team in jeopardy or hold back in a fight, we'll take care of each other. If I watch out for you, it has nothing to do with my faith in your ability or your decisions. It has everything to do with not being able to live without you, either."
They snuggled together for a long moment, souls humming together in accord once more.
"Okay," Kid said when he had himself firmly under control again, "I have to get out of these clothes. They're disgusting."
"The rest of you isn't so great either. Maybe if you get all that blood off you won't look so terrifying."
Maka got up and helped him to his feet. He winced in pain when he stood and felt her worry return.
"Are you sure you're okay?" she asked, helping him toward the bathroom where the shower and clean clothes beckoned.
"Yep. I'm pretty much healed up already. Just really sore and tired," he admitted.
Maka turned on the shower and started filling up the tub at the same time. It wasn't often that she threw responsibility aside, and rarer still that she interfered with Kid's duties as a Reaper. Today she was going to do both.
"I'm about to be overprotective again. Rinse off all that blood and then you can have a long, hot bath. We'll eat dinner up here by ourselves and you're going to bed right after, even if the whole world's falling apart and you fail the Economics test tomorrow." she decided, going to gather clothes and towels.
"Only if you do the same, because you're worn out too. And you're almost as dirty as I am. Is it as deal?" Kid asked.
Maka stopped and gently pressed her bruised lips to his bloody ones.
"It's a deal."
RESPONSES!
Sempiternal Dreamer: I can't wait to see your KiMa Week submissions! I'm glad you thought my first was okay, because I seriously whipped these things out. I want to go back in to edit them later this summer. And add some description, because they're all dialogue heavy.
