These characters are under copyright by Atsushi Ōkubo, Squar Enix, Yen Press, Shōnen,
Akatsuki Yamatoya. Madman Entertainment, Manga Entertainment, Funimation, and/or others. The song lyrics excerpt below is from Tommy heavenly6's "Papermoon", which was usedin the opening of the Soul Eater anime from episode 31 to 51 and is copyrighted by him, his recording studio, and/or others. This is a work of fanfiction, for no monetary gain.

A/N:
Caution: Brief mention of the possibility of suicide.

Chapter 10 – Magic Fingers: Are You Sure You Wouldn't Rather Get Dirty Instead?

Kid couldn't believe he'd fallen apart in front of Soul like that. Fortunately, Soul was a good friend, not someone who would broadcast his weakness to everyone in the Academy. He bit his lip, his face flushing, as he realized Soul was maybe a little more than a good friend. He could still feel the gentleness of those tender caresses, especially at the end, when he'd calmed down.

He washed his right hand and left fingertips, thinking about the implications. Liz and Patty were like his sisters, but he hadn't been sure what Soul's and Maka's relationship with one another was. Soul acted like Maka's protective older brother most of the time, but boyfriends acted that way too sometimes, didn't they? He thought so, but he'd never had a boyfriend before.

Kid soaped up a washcloth and began systematically washing his right arm, the spots between the bandages. He was grateful that as a Reaper his wounds would heal a lot faster than a human's and that he wouldn't scar. He worked hard to keep his body looking attractive, to make up for his hair being so terrible. If he ever did have a boyfriend, he wanted his body to look as good as it could for him.

Soul was so incredibly attractive, in a feral kind of way, with his spiky white hair, red eyes and pointed teeth, that sometimes just thinking about him made his heart race. It was amazing how someone so tousled looking, who often wore wrinkled clothes and walked around slouched with his hands in his pockets could appeal to him.

But his appearance wasn't what drew Kid to him the most. It was his loyalty, his compassion and warmth. He was one of the most dependable people Kid had ever met and his aura of calm stabilized him the way only Liz and Patty together could. It was like Soul was the best parts of both of them, Liz's calm reason and Patty's wild, childish enthusiasm rolled into one.

He finished his arms and started washing the few spots on his torso that weren't bound with bandages, grateful that until now, thinking about Soul kept his thoughts from how hideous he looked. He focused on the ward on his cast, the beautiful symmetry of it like the sun shining over a swamp, making the dingy blight on the face of the earth almost bearable.

Kid frowned, remembering Mifune's story about the Laughing Sun and Bleeding Moon. He'd implied that Life and Death had combined into a single being. He'd heard odd rumors before, about Lord Death never having a wife, that he hadn't needed any woman to have a child, and they puzzled him. He'd read enough biology books to know that should be impossible, and also to know that he himself definitely had the genitalia of a male. He pulled down his boxers, stepping out of them, as began soaping his groin.

Did that mean his father was a hermaphrodite? And if so, did that mean, as his son, he was flawed in yet another way? He was determined to ask his father, rather than brood about the possibility. But first, he had to tell him about Justin.

The thought of what Giriko was probably doing to Justin right now made his stomach churn, and he quickly started washing his legs, anxious to be finished. He felt vulnerable, being naked, even here, safely in his own bathroom, even though Soul was right outside the door. It's not as if Giriko can…

His eyes flew to the full length mirror on the right in terror. What if he can see me? What if he can travel through the mirror and…

He ran for the bathroom door, flung it open, and ran into his bedroom.

Soul leapt up from the chair. "Kid! What's…?"

The mirrors! I just left them there! I'm so stupid! "The mirrors! Break them! You have to break them!" Kid begged, too terrified to go back inside and break them himself.

Soul ran into the bathroom and Kid heard the shattering of glass, over the ragged sound of his own breathing, not just three times, one for each, but nearly a dozen times, as Soul struck the mirrors repeatedly. Then he emerged. "I smashed them. What happened? Did you see someone, did they try to attack you?" he asked, concerned.

Kid's eyes widened in horror. "Your hand!"

Soul looked down at his bleeding knuckles. "Yeah. I guess I should have wrapped it in a towel or something, but I didn't really think of that until after the first hit, and I needed to be fast," he said with a shrug. "I'm fine, but are you OK?"

"I…" I was scared of my own mirrors. I ran out here naked and screaming for help. I made Soul hurt himself. Kid grabbed his hair in his hands, barely able to grasp it, because it was so short and the cast hampered his grip. "I'm such worthless, useless garbage!"

"Hey, stop that! That's not true and you know it!" Soul demanded, striding up to him. "Don't make me hug you again, when you're naked, because I don't want to freak you out any more than you already are," Soul threatened.

"I don't blame you for not wanting to touch me. I'm so disgusting, you…" Kid gasped as Soul strode up and hugged him.

"You didn't hear what I said, idiot. It's not that I don't want to touch you. It's that holding you while you're naked is… ah crap. I'm sorry. I warned you this might happen," Soul grumbled as he shifted back in a weird way, not letting go, but bent over, so he was still holding him but his legs and groin weren't…

"Oh," Kid said dumbly, his face flushing hotly, as he belatedly realized what Soul meant.

"Oh? Really? That's it? That's all you've got to say?" Soul asked, sounding part teasing, part exasperated, maybe even embarrassed.

"You have an erection," Kid clarified, and then wished he was leaning against a wall instead of Soul, so he could bash his forehead against it.

But then Soul started chuckling, and then laughing, in that wonderful, carefree, crazy way he had, that always made Kid think life wasn't nearly as bad as he believed it to be.

"I asked for it, didn't I?" Soul said, pulling back, and flashing that devilish grin of his, the one that always made Kid's heart race.

"I… um… need to finish washing up," Kid said awkwardly.

"Are you sure you wouldn't rather get dirty instead?" Soul suggested, but wagging his eyebrows suggestively, so Kid could take the suggestion as a joke if he wanted to.

Kid's breath hitched and then he replied, before he could think too much and talk himself out of it. "Can you ask me that same question a couple of weeks from now, when the cast comes off and everything else is healed?" Kid asked hopefully.

Soul froze, the look of shock on his face almost comical, if it weren't for the seriousness of the question. Then his lips broke into a slow, easy grin. "Yeah. I can definitely ask again," he assured him.

"OK. Good. That's good." Kid headed for the bathroom and then froze. There was broken glass everywhere, from the shattered mirrors. He blinked, momentarily stunned by the chaos he'd caused in the normally pristine and tidy world of his inner sanctum.

"Careful, you don't want to cut your feet. How about you use a guest bathroom or something to finish washing up, while I clean this up for you?" Soul suggested.

"The frames. There's still glass in the frames," Kid argued, staring at it in horror, at the jagged asymmetry.

"I'll take off the medicine cabinet door and get the glass out of the two floor length mirror frames," Soul assured him. "I mean, if it's safe now. What did you see?"

Kid blushed. "I didn't. I was just thinking G… that person could be watching, or even travel through them, and…" He trailed off in humiliation.

"Oh. So how about I go with you, cover the mirrors in whatever bathroom you're going to use, with a towel or something, so you know you're safe, and then come back here to clean up?" Soul suggested placidly, as if his fear wasn't completely paranoid and irrational.

"Thank you," Kid said simply, grateful all over again for Soul being with him. Knowing his luck, he might have cut his own wrists, trying to smash the mirrors, and his father and Stein might have thought he'd done so deliberately. As if he'd ever kill himself in such a messy way.

0 0 0

Soul surveyed Kid's bathroom walls critically. Fortunately, the screws that had been holding the mirrors in place had all been set into the walls symmetrically. Kid himself had likely seen to that. The empty frames and exposed screws weren't pretty, but they were at least balanced. The medicine cabinet door proved to be a bigger challenge. He'd had to remove the hinges on the left and the clasp on the right that the mirror itself had hidden, and then hide what had been inside the cabinet, because it had all fallen over when he smashed the mirror.

At least his heart had stopped hammering, from his earlier fear for Kid. He didn't ever want to see a look of terror like that on Kid's face again, even if the aftermath had been kind of great. "Can you ask me that same question a couple of weeks from now, when the cast comes off and everything else is healed?" Holy crap!

Soul picked up the deodorant, shampoo and conditioner he'd salvaged before hiding the remainder of the collection of bottles in the back of Kid's closet. He'd have to remember to confess to that later. Now he had a certain Reaper's hair to wash.

He glared down at his groin. "Stop that. Only the hands get to play, and that's in Kid's hair, and there's no way that he'd ever let me…" Soul grinned as a wicked thought crossed his mind. "I could always tell him I wanted to give him stripes on the other side, to match, right?" He headed for Kid's door, laughing at the look Kid would give him if he said something so outrageous.

Then he stopped laughing. Although he might say something completely different. After all, he hadn't expected that "ask me again" line. Evans, you idiot! Stop thinking about that!

He sighed when he entered the other bathroom and saw Kid struggling to hang a towel neatly enough over the mirror to satisfy his need for symmetry.

"How about…" Soul began, jumping, when Kid jumped and spun, his eyes wide with terror.

"Crap! I'm sorry. I'm an idiot. I didn't realize you didn't hear or see me come in. I was just going to suggest I stand guard in here instead, while you finished bathing, so you don't have to spend the next six hours trying to hang the towel perfectly."

Soul cringed when Kid hung his head in shame.

"Damn it! I didn't mean it like that. I just meant… Let me protect you, OK? You're safe with me here. Just calm down, clean up, and let me wash your hair. Come on, you'll enjoy it. I wash Maka's all the time, and she says it really relaxes her," Soul assured him.

Kid looked up at him, speculation and was that… disappointment… in his eyes? "You wash Maka's hair?

Soul's eyes widened. "Crap. I'm not supposed to tell anyone. She's afraid her father will overhear and get the wrong impression about us. We're just buddies, you know? But people keep thinking we're together, because we're close. But she's like Liz and Patty are to you. She's like a sister to me."

"I don't wash Liz's and Patty's hair," Kid commented, eying him curiously now.

"Yeah, well, I didn't used to wash Maka's either, until the day Black*Star was showing off, trying to prove to everyone that he could blow a bigger bubble than anyone else, because he was a God, and it popped all over both of them, and he got gum all over her hair. I caught her ready to hack it off with scissors, before I showed her she just needed to use peanut butter to get the gum out and…"

"You washed her hair in peanut butter?" Kid asked, appalled.

"No. I cleaned the gum out with peanut butter, and then washed the peanut butter out for her, because she was so upset. I remembered how relaxing it was, back when I was little, this one time when my grandmother washed my hair. And it really did relax her, I've never seen her calm down so fast. And the next time she was angry about something, she just blurted out, 'Can you wash my hair?' And well, after that, it kind of became a thing we do, whenever she needs to calm down. Anytime she needs it now, all she has to do is call me Spa Guy, and I know what she needs."

"That's amazing. That you help her like that. Not that Liz and Patty don't help me, because they do, all the time. I'd be a total mess, if it wasn't for them. But just… that's really sweet," Kid said, smiling at him.

And suddenly Soul's heartbeat was spiking like he was under attack, he was getting that same awesome adrenaline rush he loved, but just from seeing Kid smile. Stay cool, Evans. You can do this. "So, how about I be your Spa Guy for today?" he asked, with a smile.

"Alright. Sure," Kid agreed, clearly a lot more relaxed about the idea now that Soul had told him about Maka.

Maka. I hope she doesn't kill me for telling him. Although no one needs to know I washed Kid's hair, either, right?

"So you wash it in the sink? I can't see that being very relaxing," Kid asked skeptically.

"No, we use the bed," Soul replied, as he set down the care products he was carrying.

Kid eyed him askance. "The bed?"

"Yeah. We don't have one of those salon chair sinks or anything, so instead, she lies on the bed, with a waterproof cushion under her neck to support it, and I have a basin in my lap, and… Just trust me, OK?" Soul urged.

"With my life," Kid replied, and then he blushed.

"Yeah, well, I'll try not to drown you, then," Soul kidded, to lighten the atmosphere a little. "So after you're cleaned up, do you have a robe or something you can wear? It'll be more relaxing that way, and you won't get your clothes wet.

Kid pointed to a black robe with a white skull hanging from a hook on the back of the door. "All the guest bedrooms have one," he explained and then winced.

"I call that practical," Soul stated, not giving Kid the opportunity to get down on himself for needing even their guest rooms to be symmetrical with one another.

Kid nodded in agreement and began soaping himself off, reminding Soul all over again that Kid was naked. He'd been focused on his face before, but he couldn't help letting his eyes stray, even as he dutifully watched the mirrors for other perverts. Not that you're a pervert, Soul assured himself.

"Sure you're not. So I guess you're expecting a chainsaw wielding maniac is going to come out of Kid's ass?" the devil in his head commented.

Soul quickly looked back at the mirror, trying not to think of smooth, white skin and lean muscles and... This is a lot harder than I thought it would be, Soul silently groaned.

"Harder, huh Evans?" the devil smirked.

Soul had to fight the urge to punch himself in the head. Instead he started humming, knowing it annoyed the devil inside him whenever he made any kind of music other than playing the piano in his head. He was distracted enough that it took a few moments for him to realize Kid was staring at him. "What? Did I do something weird?" Soul asked.

"You were singing. I liked it. I was just listening, trying to place it, but I don't think I've ever heard that song before," Kid claimed.

Soul frowned. I was singing? I thought I was only humming. What was I singing?

"What's it called? Who's it by?" Kid asked, intrigued.

Crap. "Um, to be honest, I was just humming and thinking and I didn't realize I was singing, so I don't have any idea," Soul admitted sheepishly.

To his surprise, Kid started to sing, in a smooth, melodic tenor that suited him perfectly:

"You are my everything, the reason that I live in sweet captivity so faithfully
And I swear you'll never be alone. When you're lost here I am
Forever with your soul
We can make it through most anything, if you can just believe."

Soul felt his face flush with heat. "I sang that?" he asked in wonder.

"Oh. So I guess it didn't mean anything," Kid said, the sparkle leaving his golden eyes, his voice sounding dejected.

"No! Of course it meant something! I hate singing, because of my family, so every time I do, it means something really important. I only sing when my feelings are too strong for spoken words," Soul insisted in an anxious rush. And then his eyes widened in shock at the implications, as he played the words back in his head. He recognized them now. They were from "Papermoon".

"So then what do those words mean to you?" Kid challenged, folding his arms in front of his bare chest, looking all the more vulnerable for it.

"They mean that I care about you even more than I consciously realized, which is kind of amazing, because I thought I already knew how important you were to me," Soul admitted honestly.

Kid's eyes widened and his arms dropped down to his sides, his defensive stance vanished. "Oh. Alright then." He headed for the robe on the back of the door and slipped it on. "Then I think it's time we use the bed. I mean both of us. I mean to wash my hair," Kid explained, tripping over his words.

"Has anyone ever told you that you're cute when you're flustered?" Soul asked, with a growing grin.

"My father," Kid muttered, and then he blushed fiercely.

"Well then. It's high time someone else told you. You're cute when you're flustered, Kid. And you're pretty much adorable the rest of the time, as well as one of the coolest people I know. So why don't you hop onto the bed, and we'll see if my magic fingers please you as much as they please Maka," Soul teased, wagging his eyebrows suggestively and wiggling his fingers.

"Permission to break every one of Soul's magic fingers?" Spirit's voice said coldly from behind them.

"Not if I get to him first," Lord Death threatened, suddenly in the bathroom behind them.

"Crap. Wait! That wasn't what it sounded like! I was just going to wash Kid's hair!" Soul proclaimed his innocence, realizing how doomed he was the moment he finished. He would have broken his fingers, if this was Maka and someone else had said a lame line like that.

Fortunately, Kid stepped protectively between the two angry parents and Soul, and thankfully he was wearing the robe now. Soul didn't want to even think about what would have happened if Kid had still been naked.

"In spite of how that sounded, Soul really is just going to wash my hair, like he washes Maka's, only you can't let her know that you know that," Kid said calmly. "Soul isn't doing anything wrong father. He's been helping me."

"Why does it look like Soul's been hitting someone?" Lord Death asked, his voice dangerously deep.

"I asked him to break the mirrors in my room, because I thought G… Giriko might spy on me or attack me using them. That's why he's in here with me. He's guarding me. And he was going to wash my hair, because I can't, because of my cast. I was just washing up, so I could change. He's just being a good friend. And Maka's like a sister to him. He would never do anything disrespectful to her," Kid defended.

"Why are your eyes red, like you've been crying?" Death asked suspiciously, but sounding more calm, more gentle, more like his usual safe.

"Because I was. Not because of Soul, but because of what happened to me. And no, Father, Giriko didn't… he didn't rape me. But that's what he told me he was going to do to Justin. I was too afraid and too upset to tell you that before, but telling Soul and letting out all that fear really helped," Kid explained, his voice only breaking once, and this time without stuttering on Giriko's name.

"Oh. I guess that explains everything we saw and heard, although I'm still confused about the hair washing part," Death said.

"Soul helped Maka wash gum out of her hair once, and it really calmed her down and relaxed her, so Soul washes her hair for her sometimes, when she's upset. But that's supposed to be just private, between the two of them. Soul only told me because I was such a wreck, and he was hoping it might calm me, too. But I'm alright now. So if you'll help me with my hair, Father, Soul and Spirit can go. As long as you understand, Spirit, that Soul would never hurt Maka in any way."

Spirit nodded. "I do. It just sounded… but OK. Come on, Soul. Lord Death could use some time with Kid."

Soul was surprised by the urgency, almost pleading, in Spirit's eyes. He looked exhausted, completely frazzled. He realized Spirit was the one who had calmed Lord Death down ever since Kid disappeared, and he'd nearly been choked to death at least once. He obviously needed some time away from Lord Death, but only if he was with someone who could safely keep him calm, someone like Kid.

"Sure. Stein probably wants me back in the Infirmary anyway, and there's no way I'm leaving Maka there and going home without her."

"Thank you for being such a good friend to Maka. Actually, I'm going to ask that Stein allow me to bring her back to your home. She and I need to talk. And I'd like you there too, Soul, not in the room, but in the house, because she's going to need to talk to you after she's done talking to me."

Soul frowned, worried. "Did something happen to her mom?"

"Yes, a long time ago. I'm going to tell Maka the real reason her mom and I aren't together anymore," Spirit said, sounding infinitely weary. "It's up to Maka to tell you, if she chooses to. I just want you to know that every word I tell her is the truth, and she can speak to both Lord Death and Stein to verify that. I know she'll need to. I don't expect her to believe me, considering I've been lying to her all these years. It was for her sake, and her mother's, but I'm afraid I'm about to shake the foundations of her world view," Spirit said with a heavy sigh.

"He's telling the truth, Soul. He was doing his best to try to fix a bad situation, but Maka is old enough now to learn the truth. She's a strong young lady, with strong friends. She'll be fine," Death assured him.

"I just want you, at least, to know how much I love her and want her to be happy. I actually thought that would be with you, but I guess that's not the case," Spirit told Soul.

"When you say 'happy', you mean relationship happy?" Soul asked cautiously.

"Exactly," Spirit said.

"Well, after you clear the air with her, maybe she'll tell you who that person actually is, because there is someone. Just not me," Soul stated truthfully, because it wasn't his place to tell Maka's father about her and Crona.

He could see Spirit was intrigued, but he merely nodded, and waved him towards the door.

"Thank you, Spirit, for everything. Not just for tonight, for yesterday, but for all the years you've served me so faithfully. And good luck," Death told him.

"Thank you, sir. I'll need it," Spirit said, with a rueful smile, and then they left.