With a small smile and a wave, Chrona left Maka and Soul at their desk, walking down to meet Kidd. While the emotional bond between the pinkette and the now-famous duo had remained strong, they had begun to spend less time together as the relationship between Meister and Weapon had become openly romantic. While he couldn't be sure, it seemed to be the norm for couples to be largely secluded. Besides, with Kidd always around, he didn't get lonely.

The reaper smiled as Chrona drew nearer to the door to the classroom. Well, actually, he didn't smile. That was one of the strange things about Kidd. He didn't really smile in as much as his expression softened, his eyes warmed. He hadn't realized these details at first; Kid had always seem so severe, so intimidating to him in the beginning. Over time, Chrona had started to understand. And yet, as attuned as he had become to Kidd, he was completely oblivious to the meaning of this knowledge. No one knew the things that Chrona knew about Kidd, except perhaps Liz and Patti, who, as the reaper's weapons, were bound to know. No independent student, teacher, or enemy, knew the nuances of Kidd's personality, the depth of his heart, the extent of his mind. He was, to their eyes, distant and strong, but someone to be wary of.

His distracted musings were broken at the sound of Kidd's voice.

"Wha-what? I-I'm sorry, Kidd, I got distract." Chrona's face was flushed pink. Kidd shook his head in slight bemusement, but no malice.

"I asked you if you want to have lunch on the terrace with me before combat training. I know you like the quiet." Chrona then noticed the black book bag slung over Kidd's shoulder, holding, presumably, the lunch he proposed.

"S-sure," Chrona murmured, looking at the ground with a smile. He liked when Kidd asked to him to hang out. The walk to the intended site was a quiet one; such things often were between them. They were quiet people by nature, and there was no discomfort in it. Conversation would flare as it would.

The terrace wasn't an actual, man made place, but a location that was comfortable and beautiful, a bit far away from everything. Chrona had discovered it while walking aimlessly in the first few months of his time at the DWMA, and it had become his favorite. Only Kidd knew where it was. A large, relatively flat piece of slate sat in and clearing of trees, warm from absorbing the sun's rays from dawn till dusk, and a variety of wild flowers and bushes bloomed throughout the year. If there were places that made Chrona feel less anxious, this was definitely one of them.

Chrona set out a blanket on the stone while Kidd started unpacking their lunch. It really brought out how tall the reaper had become. His long legs were toned and shapely where the material of his pants was drawn taught, and the width of his shoulders was a pleasant extreme to the thinness of his waist at the base of his ribcage. And of course, there was his face.

Kidd had a nice face, as far as faces went. His cheekbones were very high and noble, with slanted, almond-shaped eyes. Chrona knew those eyes were a vibrant golden yellow, ring and rippled, dusted in feather black lashes. He had a sharp nose, complimented and softened by a lush mouth. Of course, all of Kidd's features could be cruel. Those eyes could sharpen like stones, like fragments of chilled metal; his lips could draw sharp and small, the brow and cheekbones and nose condescending lines of superior breeding.

In the moment when Kidd met Chrona's eyes, mid appraisal, they were none of these things. They formed a chorus of warm and amused as the pinkette flushed and stuttered. I don't know how to deal with Kidd knowing I was looking at him! Kidd broke the eye contact, laughing quietly and gesturing to the picnic spread on the stone slab. "Come, sit, Chrona. Everything's ready."

...

As he had laid out the carefully packed dishes and foods from his pack, Death the Kidd had felt Chrona's gaze on him; not exactly intense. The pinkette was limited in his moments of intensity. No, it had been nothing more than a tickle, a consciousness of his eyes on his body. Honestly, Kidd wasn't sure that Chrona had even noticed what he was doing. Ah, well. He was innocent in a strange menagerie of ways, and this was one of them.

"Come, sit, Chrona. everything's ready." The panicked meister gripped his arm nervously, folding his legs under his body in one of his more feminine gestures. "Liz made everything, so I assure you it's delicious. I can't claim to be the best cook in the DWMA." As he spoke, he popped the lids off of the containers, allowing their aromas to enter the fresh air. Edamame, tuna rolls, hot dogs over rice, cut to resemble smiling squids and flowers, fresh baked bread, and sweet candied strawberries, with a thermos of hot tea to wash it all down - a veritable feast for the thin and somewhat appetite-less reaper and his timid companion.

"N-not a good cook, Kidd-kun? B-but you're good at everything," Chrona said, eyes glued to the candied strawberries. Food had been a luxury in it of itself in his childhood. Sweets - sweets were something he had tasted only often enough to mourn their lack. He wasn't sure he even knew how to deal with the abundance of their supply in this new life of his. "T-this is very generous. W-will you thank Liz for me? And you, too, of course, K-Kidd-kun."

"No thanks are needed for my part, Chrona, but I'll be sure to pass them on to Liz. And, no, I'm actually a rather terrible cook, to be honest. As the next Death, I never had the need to do my own menial tasks." He paused, taking a bite of fresh bread. Chrona's plate was only lightly graced by the elegant bites before them, with only one of the coveted strawberries in site, pushed to one side away from all the other food. "Chrona," he said gently, placing his form on his plate with a soft touch, "You can have as much as you want. I brought everything here for you."

Chrona glanced up sharply, face flushed, before looking stubbornly at the weave of the blanket. His grip on his arm returned and tightened. With a sign, Kidd put his plate to the side and slid next to the shivering pinkette, who refused to look up. Sometimes, simple things were a struggle for Chrona. While stable, there would always be a little madness in him. When Kidd slipped a hand under the meister's chin, and, bringing their gazes level, he found them a little less whole than he was used to. "I-I wanted to give them to the little one, but Medusa said... Medusa said that the little one had to die. I didn't want to hurt it." His shivering had gotten worse.

Kidd's heart wrenched in his chest, and before he could think better of it, he gently drew the smaller boy to his chest, wrapping his arms around him. His lips were buried in soft pink hair (hair that smelled like loneliness, wood smoke and cotton and cold air smells). His posture hadn't changed, neither stiffening at the contact or softening at the touch, but the lack of resistance was pleasing.

"All those things happened when you were alone, Chrona," Kidd whispered into his hair (wood smoke and cotton and), "When things were scarier. But that's all over now. You have Maka, and Soul, and Tsubaki. And you have me, Chrona. With my dying breath, I will protect you. Nothing like that will ever happen to you again." And as he said it, he knew, perhaps he had known for months now, that the words were true. Unless he wanted it, Kidd would never, ever leave Chrona's side.

They stayed like that for a long time, until the muscles in Kidd's legs had started to nap and his murmurings blended together. But as the time passed, Chrona's shivering abated, and eventually, his voice could be heard whispering out from beneath his hair. "Hey, Kidd-kun?" His voice was soft and a little sleepy. Kidd hummed an acknowledgement into the pink hair at his lips. "I think I can handle this." Kidd chuckled, his arms tightening a little around Chrona's form. "Hey, Kidd-kun?" Chrona's face turned up to look at the reaper, who's eyes had relaxed to a half mast.

"Yeah, Chrona?"

"Why are we like this?" His eyes were calm, but a little confused. This time, Kidd smiled a little, really smiled. Chrona's unturned face was like a pale moon. Instead of answering, Kidd lowered his lips softly, so softly to Chrona's.

It was a very slow, but very chaste kiss. Still, Kidd's blood was soaring in his veins. While the pinkette didn't really kiss him back, his lips softened, and his eyes shifted closed. As the reaper drew back, a little sigh escaped the smaller boy, and he shifted his head right under the black haired boy's chin. Another chuckle escaped Kidd, whispering warm breath through Chrona's hair.

So this is what it feels like to hold the world in your arms.

...

By the time they had cleaned up the terrace, they had missed combat training. Despite his promises that he would simply have his father write them an excuse not for Professor Sid, Chrona was both fretting and had a permanent blush on his face. I wonder when we'll actually talk about this, the reaper thought to himself with amusement, but didn't both to address it in words. After all, his pinkette had had more than enough stress for one day. In fact, Kidd would go so far to say that Chrona was holding up admirably to new experiences; he'd grown a lot in the last two years.

Still, the silence on the walk back to the DWMA was a bit more tense than usual. Chrona was locked up in his own head, trying to make sense of everything and undoubtably making a good situation dour. Kidd smiled to himself at the thought. He would have to go very, very slow with the pinkette. In all likelihood, the only functioning romance he boy had ever seen was probably Maka and Soul, and they tended to be a tad volatile - not at all a reflection of what the reaper wanted for the meister and himself.

Even such reasonable thoughts couldn't pull Kidd from the happiness of the day. Despite the moment of Chrona's instability, not only had he been able to hold the pinkette, but he had kissed him. And Chrona had been okay with it. That was enough to put a spring in even the most serious reaper's step. Mid musing, they reached the door to the meister's room.

"Do you still want to accompany me to the pavilion later, for the weapons showing?" Chrona shifted back and forth a little, perhaps weighing the question in his mind. "You don't have to go, Chrona," Kidd said, a little softer, making sure there was no emotion in his voice. The pinkette would pull a decision from perceived emotion.

"Well, I...I-I don't know if I can handle looking for a new partner, Kidd-kun," Chrona whispered. His face was turned down, but there seemed to be tears in his voice. "I-I know it's stupid. Everyone thinks so. He was always so mean to me, and he did terrible things to my friends. But I m-miss Ragnorak. I miss him all the time. I-I don't think I can handle anyone else... I'm weak." His voice had dwindled to a whisper.

"Chrona." Kidd's voice had become firm, the top he used when adjusting Chrona's battle stance or lecturing on symmetry. The meister straightened on instinct. "You are not weak. You and the demon sword were bonded since infancy. Any meister would struggle with the concept of losing a life-long weapons partner, and they could not imagine the closeness of sharing body, mind, and soul the way you and Ragnorak did. You. Are. Not. Weak."

This time, Kidd did not touch the sword meister, only step close, so close, so that there was only a handbreadth between them - just enough that Chrona would know he was not alone. For a moment, there was silence.

And then there was a hiccup. Chrona was definitely crying. "H-hey Kidd-kun?" Shakily, nervously, achingly unsure, Chrona detached the grip from his arm to tentatively extend a hand to Kidd. "W-would you stay here with me i-instead?"

...

This is a really bad idea, Chrona thought, extending a hand to the reaper. But he was scared and upset and so very tired of being alone at night. It had been a very trying day, and now, he wanted to do something Maka always said he should - trust his friends.

Though, Kidd-kun isn't just a friend, he thought. Shaking his head a little, he forced himself to say, "W-would you stay here with me i-instead?" He could see that Kidd was taken a little aback, and felt disappointment hit him like a familiar shackle. He shouldn't have said anything. Why would Kidd want to stay with him? He had real friends -

"Anything you need, Chrona. I'd love to stay with you." And then he smiled one of his not-smiles, taking the pinkette's outstretched hand. "Lead the way." After a moment of adjustment, the meister nodded, pushing open the door without letting go of the reaper's hand. The door shut with a solid click, and the candles in the room lit. Chrona shuffled to the center of the room, standing a little awkwardly. When Lord Death was unable to get the pinkette to leave the dungeon-esque room he had been confined to, Maka and Tsubaki had taken it upon themselves to spruce up a bit.

The cement walls had been painted a pale cream color, completely gender neutral for their gender neutral friend. The spartan twin bed had been replaced by a simple, black lacquered queen sized palette bed with cream and black bedding, pushed into a corner. The bars on the window had been removed, using Blackstar's brute strength, and they had added a pane of glass to let in the sun. He also was given a dresser for his clothes, a floor length mirror, and a few shelves to hold his meager possessions. All in all, it was spacious, though a little minimal.

It was also completely asymmetrical.

Tension filled Kidd's back. "Um, Chrona... do you mind if I... uh, rearrange, a little? It's a little asymmetrical." Sweat was now beading on his brow. Chrona gave him a wan smile.

"Go ahead. It doesn't matter to me, Kidd-kun." The meister hadn't even been finished giving the reaper permission when Kidd started flying around the room, readjusting for perfect balance. It would be a little hard to find extra furniture on such short notice, so he would have to tolerate a more simple level of complimenting balance. All in all, the process took barely more than a moment.

Brushing off his hands, Kidd switched his focus to Chrona, only to see him wavering on his feet from exhaustion. Looking out the window, the reaper could see that the sky had darkened to a velvety indigo. He smiled to himself. Chrona could be such a little kid. The black haired boy shrugged off his dress jacket, hanging it over the back of a straight backed chair and walked towards the pinkette. He sat himself on the edge of the bed, kicking off his shoes and gesturing to the smaller boy. "Come on, Chrona. You're tired. Let's lay down.

The thin boy nodded with his trademarked anxiety, bending down to remove his shoes and to carefully unbutton the jacket of his gakuran, draping it carefully over Kidd's before lying down next to him. His body was tense, but his proximity was still near to the older boy. Slowly, his breathing started to even out, until he was almost sleeping. It was then that Kidd wrapped his arm around the boy's slim waist. The boy was so close to sleep that rather than tense, he did something utterly unexpected: he scooted gently into the curve of the taller boy's body, wrapping his hand around the reaper's arm.

"Kidd-kun...", he sighed, a small smile on his face as he fell asleep, not lonely or cold for the first time in over a year.

Almost peaceful.

...

A/N: Sorry it's been so long guys, and thank you for the very kind reviews! Because of your words, I decided to spend the last 4 1/2 hours writing this for you. It's a little shorter than the last chapter, but I hope you enjoyed it! R&R!