Blackstar limped through the doors of the emergency room. His chest wounds have partially clotted by now, not bleeding as much as he expected, though the wounds burned. In fact, his whole body burned painfully, like there was fire nipping at his skin. He pressed his hands further against the wound, not finding it in himself to care much about the wounds. He was moved to the trauma ward, being sat on a hospital bed. His shirt was removed and he was given a white cloth to hold to his chest for now. Tonight seemed was chaotic and busy. Many nurses and doctors bustled about. The walls that were lined with hospital beds rarely did not have a patient lying in it- and not a single patient wasn't covered in blood.
'Well,' Blackstar thought, 'that's kind of how hospitals are, isn't it?' Maybe it was just wishful thinking. Though, the nurses and doctors did seem oddly frantic, now that he was thinking about it. He visited the hospital often, and they were never quite like this. He shook his head, deciding not to worry about it.
He noticed bed next to him was free, the white, clean curtain between the beds pulled back. He then took to moving his eyes around the room. There were mostly people with wounds he couldn't tell the origin of, but there were a few unique cases. One lady had shards of glass sticking out of her shoulders- another boy had a knife lodged into his head, and was somehow conscious and speaking to a nurse. Most people, however, seemed to be clawed up, like some sort of wild animal attacked them, like a bear or a wolf. But that didn't make any sense, they were all right in the middle of a city.
His attention was caught when a dark-skinned nurse smoothly walked up to him. She introduced herself as Nygus, and without conversation, began treating his wounds. She cleaned and bandaged his chest, checking the bruises on his body. He winced on occasion. He found it to be extremely uneventful. Her piercing blue eyes focused on his rib cage, and she felt on the lowest bone, furrowing her brow.
"I can't tell if this is broken or not..." she mumbled, more to herself than Blackstar. She looked up at him. "I'm gonna send a doctor your way, you should lay down. He'll be right with you." Blackstar nodded, and she left.
He went back to watching people, noticing a girl with dirty blonde or maybe light brown hair that looked familiar- he leaned forward, wincing and saw that it was indeed Maka. She was hunched over someone, and judging by the bright orange of the person's wardrobe, he confirmed to himself was Soul. He wondered what happened to him and why- and if he would be okay.
'You get a pass for not texting me this time.' He grumbled to himself as he stared at Soul. If he hadn't just been beaten and attacked by his own monster of a father, and not in a hospital, he would have sprinted over and immediately seen for himself. But Blackstar really wasn't in the mood for being scolded by nurses and doctors- and, upon noticing Marie with Maka, he figured that he would be okay for now- especially because he was in a hospital. If his ribs weren't broken, he told himself he would go over there. After all, who wouldn't feel better in his presence? Just seeing his face would be enough to heal Soul of whatever ailed him!
It seemed Nygus wasn't going to return any time soon, so Blackstar decided to get the big problem out of the way.
He had to call Tsubaki.
He would either be met with heartbreakingly emotional worrying or terrifying scolding for being an idiot. He had to take his chances anyway, mostly because she deserved to know.
Despite getting into him for admittedly stupid things, Tsubaki was probably the nicest person he ever met. She was the human version of "meek is not weak". From the moment he met her, she proved how strong she really was. Her brother was in a coma due to a mysterious accident. An accident that hasn't been explained to this day, no less. He suddenly woke up one day while she was visiting, and apparently got violent. He had been screaming at her and trying to cut her with a scalpel he managed to get his hands on. She told him later that his eyes looked completely black, and when he saw him for himself, he saw that he also had black, discolored skin snaking all over his body. It almost looked like a tattoo or natural skin tone rather than a burn or something. It was in all honestly, scary. She had ran down the hall to escape him, and that's where they met.
Blackstar was there with a broken arm after a training session on a roof went wrong, but still defended Tsubaki the best he could. In the end, Tsubaki knocked him out with a swivel chair. It was one of the most epic moments of Blackstar's life. They've been inseparable ever since, always there for each other. He was there for her when her brother turned up missing a week later, and she was there for him for, well...everything.
He pulled his phone from his pocket, quickly finding Tsubaki's contact. He put the phone to his ear and waited. She answered in record time, even for her.
"Blackstar! Are you okay?! I saw the news, and.-"
"Tsu, I'm fine." He interrupted. "I can't believe you doubted me! Nothing can hurt me." He heard a sigh of relief on the other end.
"Oh, thank goodness..."
"I'm not surprised I got on the news so soon though, who wouldn't want to tell my story?" He bragged, grinning even though there was no one to see it.
Tsubaki paused. "Blackstar, what are you talking about? I saw on the news that people were attacking each other. What happened to you?"
"My dad attacked me. I didn't know that it happened to other people..." he trailed off.
"Apparently there's this... "Mass aggression". It's making people go crazy, but...nobody can really explain what happens when they go crazy...apparently they somehow get claws and sharp teeth and things like that. A lot of scientists are trying to figure it out."
"That's what happened to my dad too! He looked like a monster or a demon or something, it was insane!" He recalled the animalistic look in his father's eyes, and their red hue.
"Really? What happened, where's he now?"
"I don't know. I knocked him out and called the cops. I'm at the hospital right now. He got me a couple times."
"Are you okay?!" She asked worriedly.
"I told you, Tsu, I'm fine. Don't worry about it. But can you tell me more about the attacks and stuff?"
"All the people are either getting ripped apart by their teeth or clawed up, it's really horrible. They can't be reasoned with once they go crazy. It's only been happening in our city, too..."
"Just our luck." Blackstar scoffed sarcastically.
"I know," she sighed sadly. "The police are trying their best to capture all of them. There's currently twenty-three in custody...maybe one is your dad?"
"Yeah...probably." Blackstar watched as even more wounded people were carted into the hospital. One of them had even lost an arm. Blackstar's expression hardened. If he ever saw one of these psychos, he would definitely beat them to a pulp. He was going to help whomever he could. Especially if it was one of his friends.
"So...you're for sure okay?" Tsubaki asked gently after a moment.
"Yeah, I'm good." He affirmed.
"Well, I'm gonna call the rest of our friends to see if they're okay..."
"Soul and Maka are here at the hospital, don't bother calling them." Blackstar glanced at the two in question, Maka still hunched over Soul's body.
"What? Are they alright?" She sounded paranoid again.
"Soul doesn't look so good...I'm not sure about Maka. I can talk to them once I see the doc."
"A-Alright...do you happen to have Kid's number, by the way? I want to check on him too."
"Nah, but Liz probably does..." Blackstar scratched his nose. "Can you send his number to me once you get it too? Cause we're friends now and stuff..."
"Sure, Blackstar. Well...goodbye. Stay safe."
"You too. Call me if anything's wrong."
"I will. Goodbye, Blackstar."
"Bye." Blackstar pressed the red button on his screen, staring at his wallpaper. At least Tsubaki was okay. He couldn't be sure about Liz or Patty, or even Kid, but at least she was okay. His chest ached, partially from his wound and partially for the pain of knowing that at least one of his friends was greatly wounded. Soul was one of his best friends. He hoped he would end up alright, at least survive.
He had to be okay.
Blackstar would kick his ass if he wasn't.
Eventually, emphasis on eventually, a doctor came around to inspect Blackstar. He found that his ribs were not, in fact, broken, and Blackstar did not have to endure an X-ray. Thank God. They said that he should leave, and there's no real reason for him to stay, for none of his injuries were that severe. They had worse things to worry about anyway.
He practically leaped up, running over to Soul's hospital bed. He wasn't there, but Maka and Marie still were.
"Blackstar, what are you doing here?" Marie asked in surprise, seeming on the verge of tears. Her voice cracked.
"Where's Soul?" He immediately asked, not answering her question.
"H-He's getting surgery..." Marie managed to squeak.
Maka's eyes were red, as if she'd been crying. She probably was. She was covered in bruises and bandages, hair matted and messy. She looked like all the energy had been sucked out of her soul, leaving behind a tired, worn shell behind. He couldn't let her stay like that.
Blackstar grabbed her shoulder, smiling his trademark 'sort-of-not-cocky' grin. "Don't worry about Soul too much, Maks. He's tough, he'll be fine! And if he doesn't look so good..." Blackstar raises his fist. "I'll beat the health into him! So cheer up!"
Maka's lips tightened, so either she was trying to smile or was annoyed with him. Either way, it was an improvement from what else she could be feeling.
Maka shook her head, expression not brightening.
"C'mon. Believe in him. He'll be fine." Marie encouraged, though she didn't sound so sure herself.
Maka spoke for the first time. "I-I...I know." She croaked.
"That's the spirit!" He grinned wider. "Of course he'll be okay!"
He has to be.
He heard his phone ring in his pocket, chirping "All Star" by Smash Mouth. Blackstar didn't care what anyone said, he liked it unironically.
It was much too cheerful for the situation. He quickly pulls it out, checking the screen quickly.
Tsubaki had texted him;
"Liz and Patty are at the hospital with Kid. They won't answer the phone, they just texted me. Apparently he got attacked too, have you seen them I'm worried."
Blackstar immediately opened his phone and texted back.
"No is he ok tho"
"I dont know thats why I'm worried"
Blackstar bit his lip. "I'll look for them"
"Thank you. Please text me if you see them."
Blackstar put his phone back in his back pocket.
"Who was that?" Maka asked, seeming concerned.
"Tsubaki. She was worried about Liz and Patty and Kid. Apparently Kid got attacked too and they're all around here somewhere."
"Is he okay?" Maka immediately asked. She sounded incredibly worried, even though she barely knew him. But that's just how Maka was.
"We don't know. I'm gonna try to find them so I can find out." He stands up straighter.
"Alright, be careful." Marie told him. "Tell is how they are, when you find them..."
Blackstar nodded. He shoved his hands into his pockets, walking away.
He wondered the trauma ward, not even flinching at all of the blood and torn flesh. Those things didn't scare him, they couldn't. He'd seen plenty of people in pretty bad shape. Blood just...didn't bother him anymore. He saw many blonde women, but none were Liz or Patty. He didn't see a single person with hair nearly as pitch black as Kid's, or anyone with gorgeous golden eyes like his. No one in the building had flawless, porcelain skin like him, no matter how many times he scanned the clusters of people.
It took him ten minutes, but he finally spotted a flash of pitch black hair from across the room. He speedwalked over awkwardly, as he still had to avoid people. He finally rushed over, seeing Kid sitting on a metal bench, looking at the ground.
Blackstar slightly cringed at the state he was in. He had dark, discolored bruises all along his face, neck, and collarbone, the worst of which directly on his forehead. A bit of blood had been wiped from his brow, smearing his forehead red. His bottom lip was split and red, and of his eyes were swollen, almost closed, and would likely blacken. Apparently whatever, or whoever hit him and burst a blood vessel, because the white of his eye was a blood red. His hair was a bit messy, and blood was dripping from his slightly agape mouth, him holding a tissue right below it to try to catch the blood. He wasn't in a full suit anymore, but his white button-up and black jeans were disheveled. There were bloodstains along his shirt. He looked like he had been in a very bad fist fight, Blackstar should know. Looking down, he noticed his fingernails were bloody and his knuckles bruised. The two rings on each middle finger that he had when they first met as well were both speckled with drying blood. You'd think he'd take them off. The little silver skulls looked almost intimidating with the blood added to the dark, sunken eyes of the molding.
He quickly approached him, standing in front of where he sat. Kid slowly looked up, seeming to take a minute to recognize him. He blinked his uninjured eye.
"Hey." He simply said. His voice was lower than last time they spoke. Their eyes met.
"Hey..." Blackstar responded, not able to tear his eyes away. "Tsubaki was worried about you. She asked me to see if you were okay." He paused awkwardly. "Are you okay?"
"I've been better, admittedly, but yes." He lisped ever so slightly, probably from pain in his mouth. He spat out a bit of blood into the tissue.
"You don't look so hot." Blackstar argued, frowning.
"Yeah, but that's unavoidable. I'm fine. It hurts and all, but it's fine." He insisted, wiping his reddened lip.
Blackstar crossed his arms. "Alright, so you won't mind if I show Tsubaki how you look?"
"Be my guest." He shrugged. He looked up, his pretty eyes apathetic.
Blackstar pulled out his phone. He snapped a quick picture of Kid and quickly sent it to Tsubaki with the message:
"Found him. He says he's ok."
Tsubaki took a few minutes to respond.
"Hope you'll save that forever and cherish it and what not." Kid sardonically snorted, which earned a hearty chuckle from Blackstar.
"As if." He looked back down at his phone with a grin, reading Tsubaki's new message.
"thank you for finding him, though he doesn't look ok. Where's Liz and Patty?"
"Hey, Kid." He addressed the dark boy, who's small smirk had fallen for his earlier joke.
"Mm?"
"Where's Liz and Patty?" He inquired. Might as well not waste time typing 'IDK'.
"I asked them to leave, in case something happened. They're at my house." He answered, spitting out a bit more of blood.
Blackstar texted Tsubaki what he said, glancing up at Kid. He had shut his lips tight. He thought for a moment. He sighed, sitting next to him on the bench and texting Maka.
"Liz n pat left, so imma stay with kid is that ok? He's ok btw. beat up tho."
Maka just responded with a simple, "okay." He swallowed. He couldn't really ever comprehend what Maka was feeling right now. Something that bad had never happened to anyone close to him.
Kid looked over questioningly, turning his head fully, for Blackstar had sat on his bad eye's side.
"I'm gonna sit with ya since your girls left. It's chaotic in here, y'know?" He said casually. At least he hoped it was casual.
"That's fine, I suppose. I do have one question though." He glances down at Blackstar's bare torso. "Why don't you have a shirt on?"
His cheeks burned a bit in embarrassment. Welp, he was an idiot. "Uh, my chest was getting bandaged and I never got my shirt back." "What, like what you see?" He joked, trying to recover from his embarrassment.
"I might, if I could. Unfortunately my eye is full of blood." He sarcastically replied.
"Use your other eye."
He raised an eyebrow and monotoned, "I would really rather not."
Blackstar laughed. "Your loss, man!"
Kid rolled his eyes, the corner of his mouth barely turning up in a smile. "I feel more like I dodged a bullet." Blackstar chuckled again, and they both went quiet again. It was a little uncomfortable, and Blackstar shifted.
Blackstar slowly ran his eyes over Kid's injuries, not much else to look at. He rested his eyes on Kid's features, but quickly glanced away as Kid's good eye met his for a split second.
"So, uh." Blackstar began. "What exactly happened to you?"
Kid's shoulders tensed a bit, wetting his lips almost nervously. "I got attacked."
That didn't tell him much.
"When? Like, actually, what happened?"
Kid sighed. "I was outside my home, I got attacked, and so Liz and Patty drove me here." Kid didn't seem like he was going to go into detail any time soon.
"Was it one of those crazy guys that did it?" He asked. The image of his father's deranged eyes flashed in his mind.
Kid simply shrugged, answering with a soft, 'mhm'.
He decided to let it go, shaking his head a bit. If he wasn't going to tell, he couldn't make him. He was probably traumatized, or something. If Blackstar hadn't already seen some serious things in his life, he would have been traumatized, too. Kid didn't look or sound like the type to have seen enough things to be unbothered by being attacked. His mind was probably as delicate and fragile as he looked outwardly. They sat in silence once again, Blackstar staring at the black screen of his phone. He got an idea, and turned to Kid again.
"Hey, what's your number?" Kid raised an eyebrow once more. "Yknow, cause we're friends now. Right?" He grinned at Kid.
Despite his friendly smile, Blackstar was begging to himself that Kid wouldn't think he's creepy.
"Well, you're sitting with me in the hospital while I bleed, so that pretty much seals it." Kid smiled vaguely, and Blackstar's smile widened, trying to ignore the jolt of enchantment the sight sent through him. Kid's smile seemed to have that effect on people. And, well...just Kid in general seemed to have that effect on people. Including Blackstar. Maybe even especially Blackstar.
Blackstar unlocked his phone, handing it to Kid. "Put yourself under whatever name you want. I don't really care." Kid nodded, tapping to the contacts and starting to punch himself in. Blackstar watched him closely, noticing how Kid seemed to pout in concentration, and he took his phone back when Kid offered it to him. He checked it, and Kid had put himself in as 'Kid Satshini'.
"Really? Just your name? You're one of those people, huh?"
"Well, if I put something ridiculous you might forget who it is." Kid reasoned, crossing his arms.
"I won't forget. At least put an emoji or some shit after it." He handed the phone back.
Kid's expression flattened. "I hate emojis, but fine. If I must."
"Dude, what kinda sociopath do you have to be to hate emojis?"
"If you ask me, it's the sociopaths who love emojis." Kid leaned down and scrolled through the emojis with vague disgust. He chose the skull, giving Blackstar his phone back.
"Better," he said with a nod. He saved the contact. His chest fluttered a bit as he gazed at the new contact. He read it over again. "Satshini?" He asked. "Cool last name. Is that Japanese or something?"
Kid nodded. "Something like that, I don't actually know. Thanks, though." They met each other's eyes once again, Blackstar's roaring green locking onto two delicate pools of honey.
"So what's with your first name? It's fucking weird. Like, on your birth certificate it says Kid?" He gestured with his hands on that last word.
"Yes, I suppose. It's my real name and everything." Kid met his eyes again. Blackstar stared into them.
"Dude, who even were your folks to name you that?" He snickered. "Did your parents hate you or something?" He joked.
"Knowing me, probably yes." He responded, smirking slightly. "I'm a trash can."
Blackstar laughed, "oh, you're not hat unbearable. So how's your folks now? They can't be worse than my pa, he's the one that attacked me and sent me to this shithole."
"My father's...away. He's great. And...I don't have a mom." He explained, his smile falling.
"Oh. Sorry." He apologized quickly, guilt pricking at his chest. "I didn't..."
Kid cut off his apology. "No, it's fine, it doesn't really bother me." He told Blackstar, expression soft and comforting. "I never even saw her, so I'm not really emotionally attached. It's really okay."
Blackstar nodded slowly. He felt kind of bad for Kid, but he didn't just want to offer pity. "Alright, I just didn't want to offend. I kinda know how you feel, my mom left when I was a tyke. Never saw her again." That wasn't the whole truth, but it wasn't technically a lie. She did leave, but only after his father and her got in a brutal fist fight. He ripped out a chunk of her hair and she clawed him across the face. If he was honest, he didn't root for either of them to win. If his memory serves, then he was only six when it happened.
"I'm sorry about that." He looked a bit sympathetic.
"It's okay, she was a bitch anyway." Blackstar smirked a bit. He didn't miss her. She got into trouble with the law a lot, anyway. The day she left, despite all the chaos, was a good day for him. She wasn't exactly a kind mother.
Kid tried to smile. "I see. Well, I'm not sorry then."
Blackstar laughed loudly, holding his chest. "Me neither, shit!" He cackled for a bit more, before sighing, grinning wide. Usually dark human and sarcasm wasn't his thing, but Kid...
"On the topic of names, I'm hoping your violent dad and bitch mom didn't actually name you 'Blackstar'." He made finger quotations as he said his name.
"I wish, it's way cooler than my real name. I usually go by Blake if I need a real name."
"Why Blake? And it's really not that cool."
"I dunno, I just like it." Blackstar glared dramatically. "First of all, yes it is, and second of all, my real name is lame. Don't make me say it." Blackstar cringed.
"Well now that you say that, I wanna know." He smiles mischievously. "It's only fair."
Blackstar shook his head violently.
"Aw, come on, please? For me?" He spoke in a mock-begging voice, smiling innocently.
He groaned loudly. "Ugh! Fine!" He paused for a few moments, bracing himself. "It's Blackwell." He always hated his name with the passion of one thousand sobs.
"That's not so bad." Kid looked disappointed. "I was ready to make fun of you and everything."
"Dude, yes it is. I sound like some stuck up rich kid or something. It's not cool in the slightest!"
"As a rich kid, I take offense to that." He exaggerated a pout, making his voice overly dramatic.
Blackstar chortled. Kid didn't chuckle, but still smiled. Blackstar just now noticed that Kid had long let the bloody tissue he held drop, seeming more relaxed. He didn't realize until now how tense he seemed around people. He had seen it back when he first saw Kid.
Their little moment was interrupted by a familiar dark-skinned woman stepping in front of them. They both looked up.
"Has anyone given you treatment?" She asked Kid. "You sure don't look it."
Kid shook his head, and as if on cue, he brought up his hand and spat out a bit of blood into his now-soaked tissue.
"Hm," She turned to Blackstar. "I thought we advised you leave." She glared slightly.
"I'm with my bro here." He gestured to Kid. "Can't just leave him in a hospital alone with potentially crazy people."
"Well, regardless, we need to get you treated. Follow me, please." She helped Kid stand, leading the two to a nearby hospital bed. Blackstar noticed Kid was limping.
Kid sat on the hospital bed, and Blackstar backed off as Nygus checked him out. She made several trips away to get needed supplies, and removed his shirt at one point to get a better look at the bruises along his body. He had an attractive slim figure, though spotted with dark bruises. The worst were along his stomach, where nearly his entire lower torso was a discolored purple, red, or sickly yellowish. Nygus furrowed her brow.
"What happened here? These are pretty bad." Her icy blue eyes stared up at his apathetic expression.
Kid gave the same simple answer as before. "I got attacked."
"Who attacked you? One of those...people?" They all knew what she meant. It was almost depressing how a outbreak of insanity had already gained unspoken understanding between strangers.
He hesitated. "Yeah." Kid glanced away for a moment.
She seemed suspicious. "That's strange, because the patients who were attacked by those people came in with claw marks and bites, not severe bruising. You're not cut or bit at all." She looked up with a firm look. "So I'll ask again, who attacked you?"
"I don't see what the identity of the person has to do with my injuries." He narrowed his good eye ever so slightly, his other being already covered with gauze and medical tape.
"It would be beneficial." She began wiping down any abrasions he had with some disinfectant.
"Sorry, but I really would rather not." Kid kept his expression blank.
Nygus sighed, simply going back to focusing on her work. "If you're going to be that way, I can't really make you tell me. But when it comes to your friends and family, they would want to know. They deserve to know what's going on with you."
Kid's lips tightened.
Blackstar glanced away. He hadn't really thought about it before much, but now...
Now he was curious. And maybe a bit worried.
Kid eventually got patched up by Nygus and re-dressed, though his clothes were still bloody. Most of the blood had now dried into a sick, crusty brown color. Blackstar had led him to Maka and Marie silently. Maka had told them that Soul was attacked, like most of the people in the hospital, and she had tried to fight the thing off, but failed. Kid was sympathetic, apologizing for not being able to somehow help. Marie tried to comfort him, but he remained a bit gloomy. Giving the best of wishes to Soul, Kid joined them. Now, they all chatted quietly, say for Blackstar, who was naturally loud, while sitting on what was Soul's bed in the Trauma Ward. Blackstar was the only one who tried to keep cheerful.
"Hey, Kid!" He had joked. "You and Marie match now, with your whole eye-patch thing!" Marie had given him a soft giggle, while Kid's expression didn't change. After that, even Blackstar partook in the somberness of the situation. He would much rather see everyone smile again.
They waited and waited for news on Soul's condition.
After an hour of waiting, a doctor had lead them to Soul's hospital room. Maka had assaulted the doctor with questions, he barely had time to answer them all.
Once they got inside, Maka immediately screamed Soul's name.
"SOUL!" She sprinted to his side, grabbing his hand in an iron grip. Soul was barely conscious, but somehow had the energy to crack a toothy grin.
"Hey, Maka." He croaked, voice hoarse. "Miss me?"
Maka laughed through her new tears, relief flooding over her entire body. He was okay. Soul was okay. He was safe, and patched up, and okay. She sobbed, and not even she knew if she was crying from happiness Soul was okay, or crying because of how scared she had been.
Marie calmly approached her, standing beside the girl and rubbing her back in a motherly, comforting way. She whispered to her. "It's alright now."
Maka had broke, hugging Soul tightly from where he lay. "I was s-so worried! Oh thank god you're okay!"
Soul grunted, coughing. He patted her back. "Ow." His smile was happy.
Blackstar and Kid smiled at watching their reunion, Maka and Soul laughing together happily, Maka having released him. They looked so happy, and the air of a deep, trusting bond filled the room. Marie smiled at Maka, and Kid forgot the ache in his body for a moment.
They hugged again, and it felt like it was going to be okay.
Kid groaned loudly, causing passerbys in the hospital hall to look at him questioningly. He sheepishly waved his hand in apology. He'd called Liz eight times in a row, and that was his limit. He sighed. He really and truly did not want to walk all the way back home with all of those Demon things running around, but...
"Hey." His thoughts were interrupted by a familiar energetic voice.
"Hey, Blackstar." He responded, blinking. He thought Blackstar went home. He glanced at the tattoo on Blackstar's right shoulder, then his bare chest. Apparently he hadn't gotten his shirt back. He tore his eyes away.
"Stop staring, he'll notice," he told himself harshly.
"What's up? I heard you whining a mile away." Blackstar grinned cockily.
Kid frowned. "I wasn't whining, I was upset because Liz isn't answering her phone and she's my only ride home."
"I can take you!" Blackstar said quickly. "After all, who wouldn't want a ride in the great Blackstar's car?!"
Kid couldn't help but smirk. "Never say that again, it makes you sound like you're about to abduct me."
Blackstar's face lit up. "Don't you mean...KIDnap you?!" He laughed loudly at himself, throwing his head back.
Kid resisted the urge to punch him, eye twitching. "Let's just go." He walked past Blackstar, who seemed shocked, but quickly caught up.
Once in the parking lot, Blackstar hopped into the driver's side, Kid taking a seat next to him in the passenger's side. He buckled himself in.
"Where to?" Blackstar asked, starting up the engine.
"I'll lead you as I go." Blackstar nodded, and they were off. Kid guided him as they flew through the streets, Kid staring out the window.
His whole body ached, and his sight was blurry and flat due to his bad eye being covered. His stomach throbbed, and it felt like blood sloshed around in his insides, just waiting to be coughed up. Kid bit his tongue. He decided possibly giving himself motion sickness by watching the street lamps rush by was a bad idea, and instead turned away. His eyes fell on Blackstar's right shoulder again. The obvious asymmetry got on his nerves, he couldn't stop looking at it. That, and, the more obvious reason to him. The simple star tattoo didn't seem like anything special, but...
"Hey, Kid? Can I ask you something?" Blackstar broke the silence. His face seemed a bit flushed and Kid cocked his head.
"You just did. But I assume you meant after that. So yes, you can." Kid was admittedly curious, but it was always these kind of questions that made Kid fill with dread.
"So, um..." Blackstar seemed unconfident for once. Kid was taken aback by this. He only just became a friend of his, and even he knew that Blackstar wasn't the nervous type.
"Yeah?" He urged.
"Are you single?" Blackstar looked over at Kid, whose eyes were now wide in shock.
...single? Him? Of course he was single, why would someone date him? A better question was why Blackstar would care.
"I..yes, I am, actually. Can I ask why?" Kid looked utterly confused.
Blackstar chuckled suddenly, only adding to Kid's confusion. "Damn, you're dense."
Kid poured. "What do you mean?"
"Just forget it, man." Blackstar was still grinning, but he shook his head. "Not important."
Kid grumbled, looking away once more. "Fine."
A long silence filled the vehicle before Blackstar broke it once again. He seemed to have made a habit out of it, Kid thought to himself.
"Can I ask you one more thing?"
"You might as well," Kid grumbled.
"Can you tell me what actually happened to you?" His voice was suddenly more serious.
Kid felt his body tense uncontrollably, his fingertips burning. "I..." he tried to speak. He thought it over. They were alone, and though Blackstar was a loudmouth at times, he just didn't see Blackstar going out and yelling to the world what he had said. He couldn't figure out anything significant from what he told him, right? Besides, despite not knowing Blackstar well...he felt that he deserved to know.
"Yes... I can." Blackstar looked interested, gesturing for him to go on.
"I had a..." he looked for the right word. "Disagreement..." he settled on, "with my older brother, Asura. I'm...not capable of self defense, and my brother is much stronger than I am." His voice shook a small bit near the end.
Blackstar stared out the windshield. "...you two had a disagreement, and so he beat you up?"
"Essentially. That's just the way he is." It always had been.
"So he's done this before?" Kid could sense anger radiating off the blue-haired boy.
"Yes." He said casually, expression the exact same. Why was he getting so angry? Kid just couldn't comprehend why he cared. Especially about something like him.
"So he abuses you?" Blackstar looks over, green eyes flaring with rage.
Kid was dumbfounded. Some people had jumped to that conclusion before, yes, but no one had just outright said it. "Wh...What?" Was all he could manage.
"I'm asking if he's abusing you." His voice was stone sturdy, with the welling anger of a raging volcano, ready to destroy.
"No! Why would he? Just because we get into fights doesn't me-"
Blackstar cut him off by shouting, "You're not FIGHTING! You said you can't fight back, and he's clearly hurting you!"
"It's not that simple, you don't understand!" Kid retorted, matching his volume. "You're not the one who gets to decide that!"
"And what if YOU refuse to?!" He screamed.
"It doesn't- Watch the road, asshole!" He screeched, Blackstar veering to miss a car that had attempted to pass them, thankfully not hitting anything. They got an angry honk from the other driver. Blackstar honked back, hitting the steering wheel almost violently.
Kid sighed as the two of them grew quiet again. "Look, if I thought things were like that, or will be like that, I'll get help. Okay? But believe me, if he was just outright...abusing...me, I wouldn't let him. He's a dick sometimes, but he wouldn't..." he doesn't want to say the word again. "Do you understand?" He glanced up at Blackstar again, who was staring out the windshield, not really seeing what was in front of them, he was too riddled with emotion. He didn't know Kid well, but he was his friend now, and he always had a strong sense of justice. Kid could deduce that easily.
"Fine. But I officially don't like your brother. If you two ever get in a fight again, you just call me and I'll bust his head wide open!" Blackstar's grin finally, mercifully returned. Kid smiles gently.
"Deal." Kid could definitely get behind that.
They finally made it to Kid's home, which was quite large, a manor in fact, in a semi-gothic style. The whole house was white, black, and the roof was shingled in fading red. There was a quite tall, black metal fence surrounding the property. Blackstar went slack-jawed.
"Damn, you really are a rich boy..."
Kid smirked, opening the car door and stepping out. "I told you so, didn't I?" Kid stepped away, turning towards his house. He briefly looked back to say, "Text me sometime."
He then walked to his front door without another word, leaving the entranced Blackstar staring at him as they entered the heavy wooden doors of the dark manor.