I apologize in advance for this chapter because it has so. much. dialogue. Next chapter will have some lemony-goodness, but Kid and Maka need to get their shit worked out first. But at least Liz and Soul make appearances via text!
No warnings other than naked people non-graphically admiring other naked people. And cussing
Kid woke to the sight of his girlfriend texting away in her underpants. Her hair was a mess, and her eyes were puffy from crying. The underpants were old, high-waisted, and patterned with faded dinosaurs. She was the sexiest thing he'd ever seen.
"Did you sleep at all?" He reached out and stroked her arm. Having her back beside him thrilled Kid to his very core. He felt like he'd been granted a miracle and made a silent promise not to take her presence for granted ever again.
"I couldn't," Maka shrugged it off, but Kid knew she was bone-tired. She was prone to insomnia when she worried. And, in spite of their argument, she'd worried about him. Kid felt terrible that she'd lost sleep but was deeply touched that she'd spent so many of those restless hours devising a plan to help his family.
"What time is it?" Kid sat up and grabbed his phone. "How is it only eleven a.m.? I feel like I slept for hours."
"You were only out for about forty-five minutes," Maka told him, "You could probably use a lot more."
Kid overworked himself, particularly if he was avoiding unpleasant realities. Reaper or not, it wasn't good for him, especially when he was in the middle of so much emotional upheaval. Maka would have to keep an eye on him; if he didn't catch up on his sleep soon, he'd start getting twitchy over lint and crooked lampshades.
Things still felt a little weird between them, and they needed comfort and conversation more than sex at the moment, but Maka planned to wear himoutlater. That always relieved his anxiety enough to let him rest. Plus, it was a lot more fun than warm milk, Xanax, or sleeping pills, which didn't work on him anyway.
"I have about a thousand texts, and I don't want to answer any of them. I just want to lay here and watch you be beautiful," Kid said, tossing his phone back onto the nightstand.
Maka put her own phone aside and looked askance, "Yeah, I look great." she said sarcastically,
"You're always beautiful." Kid said, leaning up for a kiss.
"And you always flatter me, but I love that about you."
"I loveeverythingabout you."
"I love everything about youmore," Maka said, flipping onto her side and tucking her head onto his shoulder. "It's amazing to be us again," she continued, idly stroking his chest. "But it freaks me out that we turned on each other so fast. I don't want us to do that the next time this happens."
Kid slipped his arm around her shoulders and hugged her. "How could this happenagain? "Just kidding, mom's not dead" only works once. And we don't have any other missing relatives that I'm aware of."
Maka slapped his arm playfully, "You know what I mean, you goofball."
"I know," he said, becoming serious, "We can't ever do this to each other again. I'm sorry I didn't give you space that night. You told me you were too angry to talk, and I kept pushing."
Maka took his free hand and awkwardly laced their fingers together around her splint. "I should have talked, though. I let my temper get in the way of helping you. We could have avoided all this if I hadn't freaked out and acted like a bitch."
"Hey, I was just as bad. Worse, even. I didn't respect your boundaries, and I said some very shitty things. Oh, and I almost set your apartment on fire." Kid reminded her, "I was angry at my dad, and Liz and my mom, and I tookallof it out on you. I'm so sorry."
"It feels like we…failed," Maka said sadly.
Kid propped himself up on one elbow so he could look at her, "Not everything is a win-or-lose situation. I'm trying hard to learn that. We both swing way too hard toward 'order' instead of 'balance,'" he mused, "Maybe that's why we clashed."
"Are you telling me I'm a control freak?" Maka grinned and rolled her eyes at him, "Because I totally didn't know that about myself. Soul never, ever, ever mentions it."
"I'm telling you that I don't want us to hurt each other when we get mad." Kid wasn't ready to laugh just yet. Maka ran her fingers gently over his scalp while she comforted his soul with hers.
"That's what I meant when I said we failed. We've never been tested before. It's been so easy between us that we had no idea how to handle a big argument."
Kid raised an eyebrow, "So…we need to fight more and getgoodat it? I don't think I have it in me, even though make-up sex sounds fun." Kim and Ox's constant squabbling was the most unromantic thing Kid had ever seen. Snark was fine for dealing with Black Star and his sisters, but being an ass to his girlfriend so they could practice arguing? Not on his bingo card.
Maka smiled and gently stroked his cheek, "No! To the fighting, at least. But I do understand we'll never finish working on our relationship. I hate fucking up, and you want life to be perfect all the time, but disagreements are normal—not the end of us. We're more freaked out by the fact that we argued than we are about why it happened. I'm worried that we'll start pretending things are always okayjustso we don't argue. I read this thing that said love is an active verb; that we have to keep choosing each other again and again. I want you to know that I'll always choose you. No matter what."
She pulled him down so she could kiss him again, harder this time. She needed him to understand that she'd never leave him, that she would be the consistency he craved—the person who would never give up on him again. Only time could prove her devotion, but she intended to remind him of her love at every opportunity.
"I'll choose you, too," Kid promised when they parted, "Especially when we're at our worst and life is absolute shit. You're my best…everything, and I'll choose you every day of my life, forever."
Maka swiped at an errant tear, "If I cry anymore, I'm gonna shrivel up and die. I've been such a mess all week - all I do is cry and then apologize to Soul for crying. Pretty sure I've dehydrated myself."
Kid frowned worriedly. "You want some water? I don't want you to turn into a prune. Or get a headache. I can get you an aspirin, just in case!" Her increasingly frequent headaches got worse if she became too tired or stressed. He wanted her to have some peace, not a migraine.
"Actually, I think I'll make a cup of coffee. My stomach was too upset for it before I came over to talk to your dad. I could use the caffeine. You want one?" Maka started to untangle herself, but Kid stopped her.
"I'll get it!" He offered, silencing Maka with a kiss when she protested. "I like taking care of you!" he insisted, hopping up. He padded across the room, avoiding the shards of the porcelain lamp they'd broken. He'd have to clean that up. And straighten up the furniture. And get the wall painted and…Coffee. Focus on the coffee.
He concentrated on the wall beside the fireplace, where a cleverly hinged piece of the Jacobian paneling concealed a little wet bar and refrigerator. Kid kept a Nespresso maker there so he could get his first caffeine fix of the day without having to go downstairs. Facing his sisters, especially Patty, without at least three espressos was way too much to ask of most mornings. After learning how much fun it was to have coffee in bed while snuggling his latte-loving girlfriend, he'd added a frother and started keeping milk and cream in the fridge.
Maka watched him appreciatively. Naked coffee-making would look ridiculous on most people, but her boyfriend (he was still her boyfriend!) made it look sexy. It didn't hurt that he was tall, fit as hell, and had an ass that wouldn't quit. And when he brought their cups back to bed, the front view was even better. Her ogling was interrupted by a string of insistent pings from her phone. She picked it up and saw yet another text from her worried best friend.
"Everything okay?" Kid asked.
"Just Soul being a worrywart." Maka typed a response and then held up her phone.
Kid handed over her latte as he leaned down to peer at the screen.
Soul: Are you sure you don't need me to pick you up?
Maka: No, but thank you
Soul: Are you okay? Did you and Kid talk?
Maka: We kinda had to since *somebody* set us up.
Soul: Would a cool guy like me do something like that?
Maka: A cool guy who loves me and wants me to be happy one way or the other would.
Soul: And everything is good now?
Maka: We had a fight, and we still need to talk about some stuff, but we're going to be fine. Thank you for putting up with me this week. And for whatever you did to help set us up. I owe you big time.
Soul: You don't owe me a damn thing. I got your back; you got mine.
Maka: Yep! Which is why I'm here whenever you decide to talk about Seattle.
Soul: Go away!
"Seattle? I know he and Liz got completely wasted at that concert." Kid said.
Maka gave him a 'you don't know the half of it' look. "Something else happened. Ask Liz and see what she says."
"I have to answer her, anyway." Kid said, climbing into bed with his Americano, "She's freaking out, too."
He settled against Maka and prepared himself for battle. His sister's tenacity in the gossip-gathering department was legendary and not to be trifled with.
"Better you than me!" Maka said, licking milk foam off her lip in the most distracting way, "I don't want the third degree again."
Kid resolutely dragged his gaze off her mouth and onto his screen.
Liz: What's going on?
Liz: Are you okay?
Liz: OMG - I am going crazy!
Liz: The whole family is going crazy!
Liz: Answer me or I'm coming over there.
Liz: ANSWER ME!
Kid: Dad sent Maka to my room. He lied and said I wasn't home. And now you guys and the entire staff happened to have disappeared. Suspicious.
Liz: You needed privacy. Is the house still standing?
Kid: My room may need a few touchups.
Liz: So what HAPPENED? Fighting? Fucking?
Kid. Both. At the same time.
Liz: I'm showing that to LD, you little perv!
Kid: Hey, you asked. He deserves some shit, too. But mostly you and Soul, because I know Dad did NOT come up with this little plot all on his own.
Liz: He did a great job on his part, though. Ask Maka! She never used her soul perception 'cause she had no clue he was scamming her!
Liz: You're welcome, by the way.
Kid: Nobody asked you to interfere.
Liz: Go straight to hell. I fixed your LIFE for you - the least you can do is be grateful!
"Ask about Seattle!" Maka giggled. She seemed awfully interested in Soul and Liz' drunk shenanigans; Kid hoped Liz's thirst for what she called "The T" wasn't wearing off on Maka.
Kid: I'm grateful. I'm so grateful that I won't bring Seattle up. How's that?
Liz: WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU KNOW ABOUT SEATTLE? I'M GOING TO KILL YOU, YOU LITTLE BRAT! LEAVE ME ALONE!
"Wow!" now Kid wanted the details, too, "That set her off. What the fuckdidhappen in Seattle?"
Maka gave an impish shrug, "I dunno, but she and Soul have been texting each other non-stop since that night. And it can'tallhave been about us. Soul's been acting strange, and he usually tells me if something's bothering him. So I asked him straight out, and he said, "Seattle got weird." That's all he'll say, though. Then he came home the other night looking like somebody tried to drown him. You're the only one of us with a pool, and I'm pretty sure he wasn't hanging out with you or Patty."
Kid groaned at his friend's name. "I'm sure Soul is pissed at me. I'll have to clean things up with him later. And Black Star will try to beat me to death over all this."
Maka shook her head, "Nah. They're good. They know you'd never hurt me on purpose and kept telling me everything would work out. They were both super sweet to me."
"Black Star wassweet? How badisthat concussion of yours?" Kid asked skeptically.
"I know, right? He even went to school and brought me my homework the day I skipped!" Maka turned her attention to her coffee while Kid wondered if Black Star had been the victim of possession, brain damage, or a sudden drug addiction. He was convinced it would take a combination of all three to make the ninja merely pleasant, let alone sweet.
"Liz and Patty have been nice, too. I was worried they wouldn't be friends with me anymore, especially after I got mad at Liz for trying to get me to talk to you. But we were messaging right before you woke up, and we're all okay with each other. I'm glad - I don't have another emotional confrontation left in me." Maka said, putting down her empty cup, "I'm saving up my resilience for working on my plan with your dad. I know that's gonna be a lot for him."
"Does everybody know about my mom?" Kid tried to sound neutral, but Maka felt his apprehension.
"Soul knows because he was there. I didn't tell Black Star or Tsubaki anything, and I've barely seen anybody on Ox's team. I've been keeping my head down, but I know Liz, Soul, and Patty didn't say anything at school. It's your thing to tell. I wouldn't do that to you, no matter how mad I was."
"I know you wouldn't." Kid said, "I just want to prepare myself. I assume that helping my mom will involve our team, and that you'll probably need Kim, at least? I understand they need to know, but I wish they didn't."
He finished his coffee and stared into the empty cup while turmoil spiked through their link. Maka traced comforting circles on his back while she calmed the turbulence in his soul with her Grigori wavelength.
"Yes, but only if it's okay with you," she promised after he relaxed against her. I won't do anything if you don't want me to." She put his cup next to hers and tucked herself back against his side.
Kid sighed. "I don't know what I want. Maman's been gone for so long that I don't know what having her back in my life would even be like. But it doesn't matter how I feel; if there's a chance, we have to give it to her—and my dad. We actually had a real conversation the other day, and he cried over how much he missed her. I can't imagine what never seeing you would be like. This past week…sometimes all that kept me sane was the thought that I'd at least be able to see you ."
"I was afraid of the opposite thing. I lost my shit every time I thought about seeing you and not being with you. How horrible watching you with another girl would be." Maka hated admitting the insecurity, but she knew she could trust him with it. She was willing to be vulnerable with him, and Kid knew that was one of the most precious gifts Maka could offer.
Deciding it was time to lighten the mood, he said, "No other girl could ever compare to you, so I guess you're stuck with me. I'm all yours!" He flopped them back onto the pillows and attacked the ticklish spot at the back of her knee.
"That's good because I'm needy where you're concerned," Maka laughed and threw her leg across his. Kid's wavelength flattened, and she wondered what she'd said wrong.
"Am Itooneedy?" he asked quietly, "Do I cling and put too much pressure on you?"
Maka sat up and glared at him, "I've never felt like that." She said, her green eyes dark and serious, "You never hold anything back; you let me know exactly how much you love me. You don't lie, or play games, or try to get an upper hand, or any of the other shitty stuff I see people do in relationships. Honesty like that gives me the power to hurt you, and it means a lot that you trust me with it. I'd rather die than let people see my weaknesses. I can barely admit I have soft spots, even to myself. Not that I need to tell you that. I don't trust anybody the way I trust you—not even Soul—because I know you're all in with me."
Kid kissed her softly, "I'm honored that you let me see your soft spots." He brushed a knuckle down the side of her breast and was rewarded with a little shiver. "And that I get to touch your soft spots, too," he added.
"I love it when you touch my soft spots. Almost as much as I love touching yours." Maka gave him a wicked grin and bent to flick her tongue across the sensitive place just below Kid's ear. A fierce possessiveness overtook her and she hugged him hard, "I hated the thought of anybody else touching you." She told him, "I can't live without any part of you. My mom would kick my ass if she ever heard me say that, not that I care what she thinks."
"Speaking of your mom, how is she?" Kid inquired. He'd never heard Maka criticize her mother, and it was somewhat alarming. She'd also referred to her as a "babysitter" during their fight. He hoped Kami's job looking after his mother hadn't caused a rift with her daughter.
"She's driving me crazy," Maka replied, her voice hard. "She's beat to hell, hasn't seen me in five years, and all she could do was complain about me not being able to train because my finger's broken!"
"I'm so sorry that I didn't protect you," Shame stormed Kid's soul again, " I knew how violent Maman can be - I never should have let you get near her. My dad had no business putting you in danger to help a lunatic."
Maka cupped his face in her hand. "Stop apologizing, Kiddo. We both know she didn't do it on purpose, and I wanted to help. She's sick, not hateful, and I wanted to help. My mom doesn't have an excuse, and she was even meaner. She didn't care that I got hurt, or that I was scared for her, or that I was a wreck because you and I broke up. All I got was a lecture about how worthless I am if I can't be number one. I've always wanted to be just like her, but I'm starting to realize that she has some fucked up priorities, you know?"
It was her turn to churn their bond with stress and sharp-edged hurt.
"Jesus!" Kid was appalled, "Am I allowed to be disgusted by that? Or incredibly annoyed, at least?"
Maka nodded, "Knock yourself out. I do have to go see her, though—I've been avoiding it."
"I'll go with you to see your mom if you go with me to see mine. At a safe distance, of course." Kid offered, only half-joking.
"Sounds like a plan," Maka agreed, sealing the deal with a kiss, "I don't want to talk any more about either of them right now, though."
She stood up and stretched luxuriously, "Wanna take a bath? I could use a good soak. And another cup of coffee."
Kid hummed appreciatively, "Me, too. And then we can go out for lunch. I'm not up to coping with my family or the staff when they come back, but I'm starving. You start the water, and I'll make some more coffee."
"Deal. And then we're getting this ugly-ass blanket off the bed."
"What's wrong with the blanket?"
"Besides the fact that we sweated, cried, and came all over it, you mean?"
Kid gingerly pushed the blanket away from his legs. "Ew. Let's just change the whole bed. "
"Where did the quilt go?" Maka asked as she helped him strip the blanket and sheets off.
"It reminded me too much of my mom and how fucked up everything got because she came back," Kid said quietly.
"But we're okay now. And I love the quilt." Maka gathered the bedding and gave Kid a lingering kiss over the bundle. "We've made some goooood memories under it."
Kid gave her a slow, sexy smile. "If I put it back, can we re-enact some of those memories tonight?"
"Of course," Maka said over her shoulder as she headed to the bathroom, "And we're going to add a few new ones."