Chapter 1: Lunchbox
Chapter Text
Kid POV
There was a stillness in the air, students having just finished vacating the premises of the DWMA as Kid wandered the desolate halls. His heels clicked on the linoleum as he passed through, looking for any sign of disorganisation he could sink his teeth into. The sun wouldn’t be setting for a little while yet—it was well and truly ramping up to another summer in Death City, the sun having a right old time in the sky, showing up early and staying late.
Today marked the end of another uneventful Tuesday, with combat classes having wrapped up. Kid was grateful that staying back after class was no longer a mandatory affair. While he had spent the weekend and the week prior moping about his exam predicament, his father and sisters had fought to resolve the matter for future tests.
His overall grade wouldn’t be as adversely affected thanks to a secondary verbal exam, which helped offset his abysmal score. It didn’t erase the humiliation of staying back—especially not when he’d been lumped in with Black☆Star of all people. If it were in any area other than academics, he could have handled it. But having to revisit the basics and fundamentals? Torture. His way of coping was to act as a sort of teacher’s assistant to Black☆Star, trying to get some use out of the time.
Thankfully, with the matter resolved, his mood had lifted—just enough for Maka’s celebration lunch.
Still, while his spirits were slightly higher, being at the top student’s celebration had a dampening effect by Sunday. He was doing better than before, but the memory stuck in his mind like taffy. Sometimes, he thought he’d made a mistake signing up for classes. He already knew the material. It was impulsive.
His reasoning had been unfounded. But then—how ridiculously self-pitying! If he hadn’t enrolled, he would’ve stayed in his bubble, and he wouldn’t have made the kind of progress that only came with the help of a therapist. (It was already being discussed, but the fringe incident had really been the tipping point.)
Speaking of, he had sort of regressed a step or two by staying back to dust off old books and sort through abandoned storage closets. It was a big building. But he needed a reprieve, damn it. He needed to feel like he was balancing out his poor score, and tutoring Black☆Star didn’t fully make up for having to attend the extra classes. He wouldn’t be here long, though—he had a mission tonight and didn’t want to be rushing home for dinner.
As Kid continued to sort through the shelves, he noticed a dust-covered tin box. How it fit into this place, he wasn’t sure. Reaching out to yank the handle and bring it forward without getting too messy, he found it caked in grime. Searching for a cleaning rag, he soon wiped the top layer off and unearthed “BLACK☆STAR” in big bold letters.
He must have left it here. Kid had found a few of his things before enrolling and just turned them in to Lost and Found. All had been retrieved—he wasn’t sure if by the “big man himself” or Sid.
Looking down at the box, he contemplated putting it in Lost and Found again. He wasn’t even sure if it was really Black☆Star’s or just signed by him. And besides, Lost and Found was at the other end of the building. He could always pass by their apartment on the way back.
Deciding quickly, he texted Tsubaki to ask if Black☆Star was home, knowing from past experience how terrible Black☆Star was at responding.
Almost five minutes later, Kid’s phone dinged, interrupting his cleaning.
“Should still be at school gym.”
Oh—right. That’s just next door. He could hand it over, simple.
Not wasting time, Kid trotted over to the school gym. He had never actually entered this room. He’d been told it wouldn’t be his favorite, and his father had firmly instructed him not to go in when he was younger—for fear Kid would want to tear the place apart and remodel the whole room just for aesthetics. Bracing himself, Kid noted he no longer felt that urge quite so strongly. Growth, he supposed.
He did still notice everything asymmetrical—couldn’t be helped—but he was able to proceed with his goal of tracking down Black☆Star. It was mildly interesting to be in a new room, though not exactly appealing. There was nothing here for Kid to lose or gain strength or physique. Simply put, his body would continue to grow at about the same ratio of muscle to body fat. Like dying his hair—it was pointless to try.
As he continued, he started inspecting the equipment in passing.
Hm. These weights have a bit of rust…
Just like that, Kid spotted Black☆Star doing his routine and felt the urge to hide. His justification:
“Well, I don’t want to interrupt his concentration. It really is admirable—the amount of time and energy he channels into his form. I envy that ability, on occasion.”
Eventually, Black☆Star started packing up to move to the next station. Kid snapped out of a daze and looked at his watch.
Shoot. How had he been here this long? There was no time—he had to go home.
With that, Kid sneakily departed.
As the streetlights came on and Kid was two-thirds of the way home, he found himself lamenting his inability to build mass like his friend. He was caught off guard, ripped from his thoughts by a belated text from Tsubaki:
“Why?”
Oh. Lunchbox.
Feeling panicked, Kid hastily typed back:
“I found a lunchbox with his name on it.”
He proceeded to quite aggressively shove his phone back into his pocket.
Black☆Star POV
Black☆Star felt smug walking in. Thought he could sneak around. He should know better—Black☆Star is way better than that.
Tsubaki greeted him warmly from the kitchen, snapping him out of his thoughts. He could smell her tea. Then she asked about a lunchbox?
New information.
“Huh? Nope. I ain’t got no lunchbox.”
“Hm. Weird. Kid said he found it. I assumed that meant he was bringing it to you.”
Tsubaki started texting Kid again.
“Oh, okay. He just said the gym was too asymmetrical to go in. Maybe tomorrow.”
Black☆Star frowned.
That was a lie.
He was absolutely there. Didn’t even seem to notice the room. Looked like he was too busy ogling me, to be honest… but we’ll see.
Chapter 2: The Call
Chapter Text
Kid POV
Kid contemplated what might have happened at home while he was out. Liz was likely serving dinner already—if not, she would be soon. Luckily, that still left enough time for him to leave for tonight’s mission. Not as much downtime as he would have preferred, but that was his own doing—and time travel wasn’t possible.
As he marched on, determined to make up for lost time, he was startled again by a text from Tsubaki asking about the lunchbox. Panic bubbled to the surface.
It reminded him of when he was a child, caught using a ladder to remove a painting that hung alone on one wall instead of symmetrically across from another.
Ripping off the bandaid, Kid typed out an excuse on the spot—simply stating the gym’s asymmetrical layout was too much and that he didn’t go in. Yeah. That should do it.
He absentmindedly questioned why he felt the need to lie. Why had he panicked so much over something so minor? Saying he didn’t want to interrupt felt… incriminating. Before he could dwell on it more, the manor came into view as he turned onto his street.
Walking into the kitchen, Liz greeted him—only to stop mid-sentence when she spotted the dusty lunchbox.
“Hey, Kid, I was about to call you. Were you—ew! Kid! What are YOU, of all people, doing bringing junk in here?”
“It’s not junk, exactly. It’s lost property—Black☆Star’s, if the name holds any significance.”
Kid held it up by the handle to show where Black☆Star’s name had been revealed beneath the dust.
“Why didn’t you return it then? I’m sure you would’ve caught him before you left.”
Kid’s mind went blank. What reason had he given to Tsubaki again? Luckily, he managed to keep a straight face.
“Whatever. I sincerely hope you checked to see if there was anything growing inside.”
Liz, disturbed by the image she’d conjured, wrapped her free arm around herself while continuing to stir.
Oh god. He hadn’t checked. How had that not occurred to him? He could’ve brought a biohazard into the manor—how did he forget that, of all things?
Patty, presumably hearing the commotion, entered the kitchen—first popping her head in before stepping fully into the room.
“Hey, sis, how long now? OH—hey, Kid! You’re later than you said. Did Lord Death want you?”
“No, I suppose I just got wrapped up.”
“Dinner’s in five—plates and drinks!”
Black☆Star POV
Tsubaki had sent him out for emergency soy sauce and apple juice almost as soon as he got home. She’d noticed they were out while prepping ingredients. They might’ve been behind on groceries… and their usual spots for bargains and good eats were already closed, which meant he had to go to some unfamiliar store. Hence: him, wandering the wrong aisles and griping the whole way.
“This is beneath me. Why can’t they just have someone that gets things for you? Tsubaki didn’t even give me enough to get any candy, so what’s the point?”
Whatever. He could crush this—it was just two things.
After squinting at the overhead signs and sounding them out, he’d eventually—through trial and more trial—acquired apple juice.
With his patience thinning thanks to growing hunger, he resumed his strategy. Again, he squinted and slowly sounded out the signs above… and lost his cool.
“RAAA! Where the hell does this place even keep soy sauce?! It shouldn’t be this complicated!”
Everyone nearby in the aisle looked over at the kid yelling as a nervous employee approached to assist.
“Sir, please—let me help you. Was it soy sauce you needed? Here, I’ll walk you to it.”
At checkout, Black☆Star’s mind wandered to what Kid had supposedly told Tsubaki. Why had he lied? Was he actually checking Black☆Star out?
Guess that would explain his excuse.
Not that anyone could be blamed for that—he was the big man himself.
Didn’t think Kid had taste though…
Was there actually a lunchbox at all? He’d lost so many—it was a good coverup. But how Kid even knew about that wasn’t something Black☆Star could figure out. His sleuthing was interrupted by the abrupt ringing of his phone.
He instinctively tried to fish it out of his pocket, fumbling with his groceries, nearly dropping the phone before catching it in time.
“Yo, what is it?”
Soul didn’t bother with a greeting.
“Dude, they’re gonna be doing back-to-back reruns of the old Charisma Justice movies. I think it’s to promote that show they wanna reboot. I know we usually do guy’s night monthly, but if you’ve got nothing going on—wanna move it up?”
“HELL YEAH! AWESOME! When we moving this up?”
“They’re on in two weeks. Not too late notice, so if Kid’s free Saturday, he should also be—OW!”
Black☆Star faintly heard the next words come from a distance on Soul’s end.
“Would you go to your room at least? I’m at a good point here!”
“What? So TV gets a pass but phone is too far?”
Uh oh. Black☆Star could feel the mistake at the silence that followed.
“I’ll talk to you tomorrow. She’s giving me the eyes.”
With that, Soul hung up.
Black☆Star chuckled to himself as he continued on home.
Notes:
Hot people give feedback
Chapter 3: Return to Sender
Summary:
Kid returns a lost item
Notes:
Let me know if yall need me to put names before the dialogue to keep track of who’s who here
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Kid POV
It was officially Wednesday. Kid had already gone about his usual leisurely morning routine prior to his relaxing walk to the DWMA. As he moved around his bedroom, he took in its condition and carefully laid out his change of clothes at the end of his king-sized bed.
Suddenly, he remembered the infamous lunchbox he had cleaned the night before as a “post-mission” wind-down activity. He’d done what he could to restore it, but the paint was still peeling from general wear and tear.
Should he hold onto it to repaint?
A click at the door broke his train of thought — the sharp sound of Liz’s heels on the tile announcing her arrival.
“Hey,” she said.
She lingered in the doorway, leaning against it with her arms crossed and a neutral expression.
“Hey,” Kid replied flatly, glancing at her before crouching down to inspect the lunchbox on his bathroom floor.
“You better get rid of that lunchbox today. We don’t want garbage in the house.”
Her arms tightened across her chest. She could be strangely firm about what Kid considered the oddest things. He theorized that bringing “outside junk” into their home simply didn’t sit well with her. She’d been visibly antsy ever since he brought it back.
“It’s fine. I got it, thanks, Liz.”
Kid picked up the now-clean lunchbox, no longer limited to just touching the handle he’d wiped down yesterday. Liz’s eyes trailed to it, her shoulders relaxing slightly, her brows lifting.
“Oh hey, good job — looks new.”
“Please. I wiped it. The paint’s untouched, but it’s cracked. The sooner it’s out of my grasp, the better.”
“Okay, well, we’re leaving in ten. Meet us at the door?”
“Sounds right.”
When Kid turned the corner at school, he spotted a small crowd gathered around his locker. Curious (and needing his books), he recognized Black☆Star, Tsubaki, Soul, and Maka waiting beside it.
Black☆Star noticed him first, offering a beaming smile and a wave that triggered the others to glance in his direction. As Kid approached, he saw Soul’s signature smug, sharp-toothed grin emerge.
“Finally,” Soul said. “Tried calling and texting last night. Change of plans.”
Ugh. Right — THAT call that almost cost a mission. Kid didn’t remember seeing a text, but sure enough, there it was, just after the missed call.
“What change?”
Still smiling, Black☆Star slung an arm around Soul’s shoulders.
“Sleepover’s moved up two weeks — if you’re game. They’re doing reruns to promote the new Charisma Justice series.”
Beating that dead horse again? Kid wasn’t even sure the comics had finished — and from what little he’d absorbed, the original format was better paced and structured. Still, did he have anything on in two weeks? He’d need to check his calendar — possibly confirm with his father.
“I’ll report back this afternoon.”
Right on cue, the bell rang, ending the conversation.
“Now, if you’d all kindly stop crowding my locker — I must be on my way.”
Tsubaki lingered a moment before heading off to first period. Kid’s eyes followed her, his face neutral but his mind curious.
As he loaded his bag with textbooks, he spotted the lunchbox again. Ah, that’s why. Tsubaki was likely expecting him to hand it over. Maybe I can give it to him at recess… but he could lose it again. Best to wait until after school and hand it to him directly. He could afford to stay back — and now that he’d stepped foot in that gym, he felt oddly drawn to it. Maybe he could help tidy, maybe make a difference.
Throughout the day, Kid’s attention drifted frequently to Black☆Star — not out of habit, but compulsion. As if watching him might provide an answer. Or a reason.
Then there was the lunchbox. He hesitated. Maybe he could fully restore it? How many other lost items of Black☆Star’s were strewn across the school?
His gaze kept locking onto him more often, and — worse — Tsubaki was watching him. Her eyes held the same expectant look, quiet but persistent, especially during lunch. It grated on him. It felt like silent interrogation, and eventually, he couldn’t stand it.
He had to give it back. He’d told Liz he would. And fussing over the paint would only hurt him once it got chipped again — by virtue of belonging to Black☆Star.
By the time the last class ended, Kid felt a wave of relief. He could finally hand off this accursed lunchbox. He would head to the gym and catch Blackstar there. He bet on him clapping him on the shoulder or a hug as he thanked him for salvaging his lost property.
He speed-walked through the halls, aiming for the gym — Black☆Star’s usual post-class destination. His fingers tapping on the handle of the lunchbox. As he rushed between students, he spotted a blue-and-black blur zip past him… toward the school entrance? Called to action he stuffed the lunchbox back in his bag.
Confused as Black☆Star pressed on, Kid picked up the pace.
Out of breath, he reached the main steps — just in time to see Black☆Star disappearing into the streets below, running straight into town.
What? I thought—but gym…
Too distracted to notice her approach, Kid was startled by a familiar, amused chuckle behind him. He whipped around.
Tsubaki, smiling softly.
“Oh! Um — Tsubaki. Is something the matter?”
“If you were trying to catch him, you should’ve done it earlier. He runs home on Wednesdays. I can take that box off your hands if you’d like.”
Cornered, Kid nodded stiffly.
“Ah. Quite. I didn’t want to risk him losing it again, not so soon after it was recovered.”
She smiled.
“See you tomorrow, then.”
“See you.”
He stood there for a moment, oddly unsatisfied. The lunchbox — once a mental shackle — was gone. He expected relief. Maybe even a flicker of pride. But the moment felt… empty. Like handing over a piece of himself — too small to matter, too big to ignore.
Maybe he should’ve painted it. Why did handing it over feel worse than keeping it?
As soon as he got home, he checked all his planners. A familiar spark of purpose flickered to life. He sent Soul a quick message.
Kid: “Hey, just checked. I can make it.”
Soul: “Cool.”
Black☆Star POV
Black☆Star’s jog had evolved into full-on parkour as he darted around Death City. His thoughts, however, circled the lunchbox.
So Kid shows up empty-handed. No lunchbox in sight. Gotta hand it to him — he picked a tough one to lie to. I wonder how he’s gonna dig himself outta this.
Maybe I’ll get a lunchbox on the way home? What am I even talking about—he’ll be fine. He’s not me, but he’s alright; he’ll figure out something to tell Tsubaki.
He half-considered stopping by the gym just to see if Kid would strike again.
“A good assassin waits for the target to approach before striking.”
(And he was pretty sure Kid was about to. The dude ran after him today.)
Feeling bold, Black☆Star grinned to himself and threw out a challenge to the universe at large:
“We’ll just have to see tomorrow, won’t we?”
“YAHOOOOOO!”
Notes:
Predictions are nice to comment
Chapter 4: Dumb Luck
Summary:
If he had the lunchbox why didn't he give it to him? Yeah right we ain't buyin it
Notes:
Finished with tafe. Dunno how that’ll affect this tho no hopes up. Gimme tasty predictions and ideas (im on chapter 17 rest assured)
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Black☆Star POV
Black☆Star awoke with a start, his alarm blaring at 5 a.m. He had a glint in his eye and a wide, smug smirk on his face. He was feeling unstoppable—ready to test his theory that afternoon.
Man, I haven’t felt this great about a workout since I beat Kid.
He hummed to himself as he headed for the shower, while Tsubaki quietly began preparing lunch in the kitchen.
Still grinning, he emerged from the steam minutes later, his towel wrapped around his waist, slightly damp, doubling as a hair towel.
“Your lunch is on the kitchen counter,” Tsubaki called over her shoulder. “I’ve left a few things out to make breakfast easier and set some meat in the sink to thaw.”
“Got it!”
He threw her a thumbs-up, exaggerated swagger in every step as he left to pack his bag. The sound of the shower starting again echoed behind him.
When he spotted the lunch on the counter, he paused—then did a double take.
“What the—?!”
That was a new lunchbox. Or rather, it looked almost brand new. But it had his name on it—his signature. He’d lost so many of them over time, he couldn’t even remember this one.
Coincidence, probably. Just luck. The box didn’t matter. Today did.
Even if Kid had found it… why didn’t he just hand it over? Why wait until after seeing he wasn’t at the gym? Just another excuse to sneak a look.
Such small tricks on such a big guy. Kid should know better by now—but he’ll see.
Black☆Star bounced into the DWMA on a high. He hadn’t had a mission in a while, but he and Tsubaki had agreed to check the mission board today. He practically radiated energy, like he could will a decent mission into existence after a whole week of duds.
“All right, what looks good? Read ’em out, Tsubaki!”
She skimmed the board. “Okay—we’ve got a soul exchange rumored on the outskirts of Death City, a suspicious group of weapons eating souls in Berlin, and a recovery mission in Nova Scotia.”
“When?”
“The soul exchange starts at 9 p.m. tonight. Berlin transport leaves at 5 p.m. Recovery’s scheduled for Friday at noon.”
Berlin was tempting. He’d never been. Recovery missions could be a bummer, sure—but if they went well, he’d look like a hero. Still, they took forever and might mess with tonight’s plans.
A flash of blonde pigtails passed his peripheral vision.
“Whoops! Sorry, taking this!”
Maka’s hand darted for the mission card. Reflexes kicking in, Black☆Star snatched it just before she could.
“Hey! Not so fast—I was still deciding!”
“Come on, Black☆Star! I already picked it. It’s the only good one that keeps us here!”
“I got to the board first, didn’t I, Tsubaki?”
Soul arrived mid-dispute, glancing between them like a long-suffering referee. Black☆Star figured this was a group effort from the start. Maka would play dirty if it meant convenience.
“Hey Maka,” Soul said, rubbing the back of his neck. “Looks like Stein’s already in his classroom. Why not ask him to sign off, settle this?”
There it is.
The two meisters locked eyes for a tense second before bolting past the crowd toward Stein’s classroom.
The two meisters locked eyes for a tense second before bolting past the crowd toward Stein’s classroom.
“PROFESSOR STEIN! Get off, Black☆Star! Could you sign me off for the soul exchange on location?”
“Hey Stein, between us both I’m way more qualified for this—as the greatest assassin. Why don’t you give it to me?”
Stein adjusted his glasses, eyeing the card in Maka’s hand while she fended off Black☆Star’s attempts to snatch it. After a moment, he handed it back with a flat look.
“Or, better yet, maybe both of you should actually read the mission description, before dragging a teacher into your squabbles.”
What?” Maka frowned. “Was it the wrong rank? I’m sure I pulled it from our section!”
“You did,” Stein replied. “No, you picked one from your section. However, this mission states that two teams be present. Anyhow—problem solved.”
Black☆Star folded his arms smugly. “Well, if Maka’s that desperate for help, I suppose I’m not above charity. HAHAHAHA—EUGH! HEY! STOP WITH THE BOOK ALREADY!”
“What you mean to say,” Maka huffed, “is that I’m letting you come on my mission. I picked it. Why do you even want this one so bad? Thought you would be all about the recovery mission.”
“While I am a hero in every sense of the word, I’m also the kinda guy who doesn’t back out of his plans. Recovery missions can take ages. Duh.”
“Fine, I guess that checks.” Maka sighed. “Please come on this mission with me so I can stay home this week.”
The bell rang.
“Crap! Didn’t get my books. See you at recess, Maka! We’ll talk meet-ups!”
Black☆Star spent the rest of the day staring down the clock. Maka teased him at lunch—thought he was just pumped for the mission. He didn’t deny it, especially not with his “target” within earshot. But he made sure to casually mention the gym.
Kid heard it. Good.
Maka and Soul would meet them at 5 p.m. at their place, grab pizza, then begin surveillance. That left Black☆Star with one hour of gym time. He couldn’t stretch it out like usual. Needed to work that into conversation.
Finally—finally—the last class ended. The bell rang.
“YAHOOOOOO!”
Black☆Star exploded from his seat and dashed toward the gym. This was his time. If Kid was watching, he couldn’t afford to half-ass a single rep. He’d push harder than ever. Break his own records.
Dropping his books at his locker, he grabbed his gym bag, full of towels and water bottles, and strutted toward the gym.
As he entered, his stride slowed to a cool, confident walk. A quick scan—Kid wasn’t there yet. A few usual onlookers were. Nothing unusual.
He set up at a freestanding area and began stretching. (He only started doing that after Tsubaki explained how it helped the body push itself harder. She was right.)
He’d cut a few exercises if needed, just enough to break a personal best. Anything to impress.
As he wrapped up stretches and reached for weights—there. A familiar blur at the edge of his vision.
Just as predicted.
Kid was there.
Notes:
EEEEEEE twice becomes habit. We getting all our characters written correctly? Lmk if I'm going off base for characterisation
Chapter 5: Missing Mission
Summary:
Official business with Maka and Soul
A tiny bit of SoMa. It’s my belief they don’t sort shit out for ages unlike our main focus.
Chapter Text
Kid POV
As the son of the Grim Reaper, Kid has a duty to this school: to keep the building and its students safe, standing, and thriving. Students thrive in orderly, up-to-date facilities. While the asymmetry of the gym may slightly throw Kid off, it is only slightly. More importantly, a dear friend uses those facilities regularly. A dear friend unable to thrive and better themselves due to a lacklustre environment and worn-down equipment is, in Kid’s eyes, a grand failure on his part.
For this reason, Kid has reasoned he shall use Black☆Star as a sort of lab rat—carefully observing which equipment he uses most frequently, noting it down, checking it regularly, and tracking Black☆Star’s progression in his ongoing fitness journey. Maybe tidy up a bit while he’s there.
But if one thing is apparent from the beginnings of rust on the weights he observed, it’s that he’ll be there a long time. He has to stay on top of it, after all.
With this resolve, Kid enters the gym as quietly as possible, scanning for any spiky blue or loud chant-like counting. He did say he would be here—not for long, likely, given the mission he was discussing with Maka at lunch.
Kid quickly spots Black☆Star in the back corner of the gym, finishing what appears to be his warm-up stretches. It’s good he is properly warming up beforehand. Checking that he’s obscured from view, Kid continues to observe Black☆Star confidently walking over to the weights.
Those ones on the rack—yes, they were the rusty ones from Tuesday. Perfect.
Kid watches closely, breath hitching in concentration as each muscle flexes under the weights. He looks for any signs of excessive effort or imbalance. But, though thorough in his observations, it seems that the rust hasn’t yet affected performance. Both arms appear equally strong, each side given equal attention.
All in all, Black☆Star only manages about two exercises before leaving, but Kid can gather more information on Friday.
Tactfully, he waits until he’s long gone before sneaking his way out. If he were found, Black☆Star’s performance might suffer in the future, knowing he was Kid’s subject.
Kid jots down some vague notes pertaining to the equipment used, to the best of his recollection, before tucking his recreational notepad into his left pocket—patting down both sides twice to feel for the equally-sized check-book in his right pocket—then summoning Beelzebub and departing.
Black☆Star POV
Black☆Star’s boisterous laughter carried throughout the pizzeria as he attempted to rile up Soul after being challenged on his portion of the order.
“Hahahaha! Just try me. I’m invincible! A big guy like me could never be outdone by food!”
Black☆Star stood dramatically, one foot on the seat, the other on the table—striking a pose mid-declaration.
“Black☆Star! People are looking!”
Maka hissed, trying to shield her face from the public eye.
“And I say let ‘em look! They could only dream of being associated with a man as big as I am! And I’ll get bigger! First, though, I’m beating Soul’s sorry ass and bulking up—two birds, one stone. Gotta keep the crowd’s adoration! Hahaha! YAHOOOOO!”
At this, Black☆Star continued goading Soul, trying to incite some competitive spirit from his more enabling friend. Tsubaki shot apologetic looks toward the other patrons, quietly setting aside a generous tip for their server, while Maka slowly slid under the table in a mix of embarrassment and frustration.
Finally, Soul chimed in.
“Hey, wanna pack this up so we can see which team spots the exchange first?”
“Hey! No fair—you wussin’ out? Figures if even Maka bails. Or if only Maka bails.”
Black☆Star scoffed, arms crossed, sneaking a glance at Soul to see if he’d take the bait.
“Not like she doesn’t have a point here. We want to be quiet for tonight.”
Soul was clearly avoiding the word mission like his life depended on it—and not acknowledging the Maka comment either.
‘Those two just need to be locked in a room for a week,’ Black☆Star thought, irritated.
“Whatever. Today’s still a great victory for the great Black☆Star! I’m basically on top of the world after beating my record in weight and reps—in just the hour I had! Guess the audience didn’t hurt.”
Maka POV
Yeah, right, Maka thought. He was probably just in his little corner speeding through, making a massive racket. But hey, all attention is good attention for him, I guess.
She rolled her eyes, sitting up now that the conversation had moved past the eating contest. Soul nudged her side, signaling her to slide out of the booth so he could get up. She startled slightly, then complied, stretching as she got up. As they moved, the attention of the room began to shift away from them again.
They had already gone over the plan: how to get to the outskirts without drawing too much attention. Although, with that little stunt Black☆Star pulled, that plan may already be falling apart.
Maka hadn’t accounted for this sudden burst of confidence from him just because of a new personal best.
He does that all the time, she mused. Why is now so remarkable?
Resigned to temper Black☆Star’s energy for the evening, she was increasingly grateful for the plan to take separate routes—Black☆Star and Tsubaki taking the more direct path, while she and Soul would take a few detours on the bike. Both teams should arrive at the rumored meeting point around the same time.
“You good?”
“Hm?”
“He got a bit full-on in there, and now you’re kinda quiet. You good?”
“He’s always full-on. I just didn’t think beating a personal best would hype him up this much. That’s my bad. Hopefully he doesn’t throw us off. If we end up being found out before they even do the exchange, I’m either gonna cry or chop him.”
“Yeah, and I think just about everyone in there got a good look at us. Can’t do anything about it now. Oh—look—it’s time to stop crushing my ribs.”
Soul muttered sarcastically as he parked the bike a good 10-minute walk away. Maka’s arms retracted as if he had burned her. She hopped off quickly.
“Let’s get into position then.”
Notes:
Inquiries but also suggestions on headcanons for Spirit’s dad. What kinda man was he? I ain't up to this not nearly but its best to plan ahead. Inspiration I beg
Chapter 6: Tired
Summary:
The rest of the joint mission and the day following
Notes:
Ok so going to clarify the plan here, there will be minor SoMa and TsuLiz that will be expanded upon in later works. More mentions of SoMa because everyone fucking knows.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Soul POV
The teams had been stuck here for an hour now. Soul wished he could check the time, but Maka had been insistent on him remaining in weapon form since the demon sword incident opened him up.
This is so stupid and so boring. He understood being here an hour early, but if it could just not feel like an hour, that would be so cool with Soul. The no-talking rule from Maka kept dragging it out — though it never lasted long. Black☆Star would inevitably speak, Maka would shush him in some form, and the cycle would continue.
He went through his mental inventory of tasks for the week because what else was there to do?
Shit, he didn’t get any of that gel for his back or joints. Goddamnit, he knew he missed something while getting groceries.
Now he had to deal with stiff joints. He’d spent the extra money on an instant cookie mix for lunches like an idiot. That money wasn’t spare — that was gel rub money!
This student check really isn’t enough. Maybe he could ask Tsubaki. She had some stability and parents — a mom who’d passed down all these old-school remedies. Maybe something cheaper for joint pain, because boy, it is not fun.
It had only been like five minutes…
He wished he could sleep through this, but he couldn’t risk his partner being in danger just because he was bored.
It got to around 1 a.m. before Maka finally conceded to calling Lord Death about the drop zone. Maka was certain the location was correct. Apparently, it was a false lead. “Not to worry though — they were spotted and thwarted by another team on patrol.” Nice. Cool. FANTASTIC.
Maybe Black☆Star scared them off with all his boasting. Honestly, Soul didn’t think Maka would’ve had enough energy to spare. Keeping Black☆Star at bay for four hours had already taken its toll — it was draining just witnessing it.
He had participated a few times, admittedly, at the beginning. But as the hours ticked by, he spent all his time just trying to fight off sleep.
With that, defeated, they all tiredly gave each other a brief farewell before going their separate ways.
“Hey, are you still good to drive?”
“Do me a favor and keep me awake?”
Maka shot him a concerned look, which he immediately felt the need to diffuse.
“I should be fine — and if not, I’ll park up and we can walk.”
Maka’s next yawn bled into her reply.
“Yeah, sure. Good plan.”
Kid POV
When Liz, Patty, and Kid arrived this morning, there was a noticeable absence of all four of their usual friends.
He had heard, obviously, about the mission they were on last night. A patrol.
Through the grapevine, Kid heard it was successfully thwarted during his search for answers, but not much else.
That is — until second period — when Maka and Soul finally slumped in, tiredly walking to their seats.
Unfortunately, the seating plan didn’t place Kid near either of them. Just looking at them though — they looked exhausted. Maka didn’t look her usual preppy, put-together self — hair a mess.
On the other hand, Soul walked in all locked up, each step slow and careful, and he was currently half-asleep at his seat.
I suppose recess isn’t far off — I can shake whatever details out of them when this class breaks out.
As suspected, it had to do with last night’s mission — apparently, it ran into the early morning.
Maka slept past her alarm, waking up halfway through first period and rushing to get ready.
They hadn’t even bothered to eat.
And from the way Soul was still moving slowly, it wasn’t without cause. Kid knew weapons can occasionally suffer physical repercussions from staying in form too long — like flexing a muscle for too long, as Liz once explained it.
Maka mentioned that she wouldn’t be surprised if Black☆Star and Tsubaki sat today out — the only thing bringing her and Soul here was her sheer force of will to attend.
Black☆Star, unsurprisingly, didn’t care as much for academics.
Kid felt a tad disappointed at his prospects. While he could still go to the gym, what was the point without anything substantial to record?
He had based my entire database around Black☆Star, seeing him as the logical option, given that he tends to push himself more than anyone else would dare.
Maybe I could work on assignments… but they seemed so dreadfully straightforward. Hardly a challenge.
The rest of the day felt plain, really — this sense of boredom and lethargy he attempted to conceal.
Kid hardly had the faculties to explain his latest plans for the school.
It was around lunchtime before a tan hand slammed onto the group’s table from behind me.
Looking up from his lunch, Kid followed the tan hand to its respective toned forearm and bicep — and the massive, gleaming smile.
“Hiya guys! We were late — miss anything good?”
Black☆Star shoved his way into the seat between himself and Soul.
“I must say, we were doubtful of your attendance after last night’s fiasco.”
“Well, we considered it.”
Tsubaki chuckled as she walked over, Liz preemptively shifting her and Patty’s things to make space for her.
Tsubaki seemed to be faring better than Soul. Perhaps the rest made the difference — she still seemed slower in her movements, though.
“Yeah, I heard about that. They really had you guys posted there for five hours without any contact? You sure you shouldn’t have stayed home? No offense, Soul — but with you sitting there stiff as a board, I’d hoped you guys stayed back.”
Liz had her elbow resting on the table, head leaning against it as she looked at Tsubaki with concern following her statement.
“Gimme a break — I ran outta my stuff.”
Maka rubbed his shoulder in sympathy as Soul rested his head on the table.
Ugh. Disgusting.
“Oh, yes! Soul, that was a reason I came. I got your text about any remedies I might use? I brought extra — it’s a salve for any particular problem areas you can feel out. I also put the preparation and ingredients on the lid.”
“Fank oou Thubaki.”
Soul mumbled, face squashed to the table, reaching blindly in Tsubaki’s direction.
She grabbed his arm and placed the salve into his hand. Liz piped up then:
“Are you certain a salve couldn’t wait?”
“I am. Thanks again. Just gonna go slap some on.”
“Well, that was my reason for coming.”
“And you?”
“Can’t bail after I beat a best. That’s just bad drive.”
Suddenly, Kid’s plans had been resurrected. He had hidden it, but he did secretly feel lighter with a fuller schedule.
Kid dreaded those assignments.
Notes:
I tried to delay as little as possible while also maintaining my cushion of space for where I am
Chapter 7: Worry
Summary:
Kid’s afternoon plans have been saved, Liz is a little concerned
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Kid POV
Kid felt quite enthused for the rest of the day. Black☆Star seemed well-rested and determined to stick to his usual routine. While Kid had previously known Black☆Star to skip the odd day or two—especially after nights like the previous one—he now seemed insistent on remaining steadfast in his fitness. Admirable, certainly.
With the change in routine and energy, Kid figured it might affect Black☆Star’s performance. It may take some time for his results to reflect his usual average (an average Kid hadn’t yet determined), but in the meantime, he could begin planning to replace some of the older gym equipment.
Toward the end of class, Kid, Liz, and Patty—being in a separate class closer to the gym than Black☆Star—were dismissed earlier. He considered preemptively heading into the gym, but that risked being spotted or setting up in a poor observation spot. Tidying the classroom, though, could bide him time and offer some satisfaction. He might even stumble upon more items to return to their owners, which always brought him a small, neat joy.
Determined, Kid got to surveying—hoping Liz and Patty wouldn’t wait up for him. He wasn’t confident they would understand why this was important.
“Kid, we’re heading back now. Are you okay?”
He paused, considering how best to play this.
“Of course. I’ll catch up—I have a few loose ends.”
He caught the flicker of concern on Liz’s face before it settled into resigned exasperation. She sighed.
“If you say so. Come on, Patty.”
“Riiight!”
Once the sisters had well and truly left, Kid let out a quiet breath. Liz was concerned but had shown less pushback than he’d feared. He finished tidying, then glanced at the clock.
Shit.
Fifteen minutes late. He should’ve been there ten minutes ago—now his data would be skewed.
Kid hurried to the gym, wandering in carefully and scanning for signs of blue spikes and loud effort. His eyes locked on the back of Black☆Star’s head. There he was.
Slowly, Kid crept closer, keeping to the shadows to watch from a safe distance.
Black☆Star was… stretching?
Didn’t he already do that before training? Maybe not. Kid wasn’t actually there earlier, so he couldn’t confirm. Well, this served better in a way. It gave him a more complete picture of Black☆Star’s full routine.
He proceeded to camp out for the next three uninterrupted hours. It was likely dark out by now. He hadn’t looked at the small, frosted windows—designed to let in natural light without allowing voyeurism. Appropriate, of course.
Kid paid careful attention to Black☆Star’s form. When Black☆Star reached the point of exhaustion and let out the occasional grunt, Kid’s mouth became dry—sympathy, he assumed. Black☆Star should really hydrate better.
It was then that Black☆Star sat back, grabbed his water bottle blindly, and tipped his head back to drink. Kid watched. Maybe he should drink something himself… His throat felt tight.
Kid receded further into his hiding spot. No witnesses around. Black☆Star was already moving onto the next exercise. Kid exhaled—he hadn’t even realized he’d been holding his breath.
He was completely locked in. No notes ended up being taken during the session, but he was confident in his memory. He’d inspect the equipment later. He had one mission this weekend (just some system checks for his father—more of an errand), but that left time to push through these upgrades. If all went well, he could finish by Tuesday and see the changes in action.
Eventually, Black☆Star left, about ten minutes after the third hour. Kid waited another ten before emerging to inspect the equipment.
The weight bench still bore a faint sweat mark—Black☆Star’s towel hadn’t covered everything. The image of Black☆Star tipping his head back to chug water replayed in his mind. Eight distinct gulps that he counted.
Kid shivered, then forced himself out of the daze.
He checked the water fountains next. They functioned well—appropriately chilled and filtered—but he made a note to recommend a redesign to better accommodate water bottles. Less communal use, more sanitary.
As predicted, it was dark when he left. Streetlights flickered on as he summoned Beelzebub and glided through the roads, hands in pockets, expression blank.
He still had to finish his assigned work. Better to get that out of the way now. Then maybe—just maybe—he could focus on improving the equipment by Tuesday.
This couldn’t go on forever. He knew that. Spying on Black☆Star wasn’t… right. But if the outcome was improved facilities—wasn’t that a worthy cause?
Liz POV
Okay, so things have been admittedly a little tense. For a while now.
Liz had kept it under wraps, but with Kid failing the reaper exam, he had not had a good couple of weeks. She expected it would be rough, but even so, he’d taken it harder than she anticipated.
Since his after-school lessons ended last week, he’d either stayed behind late or spent time the weekend prior at home scrubbing every surface. Liz figured it was self-soothing in some way. She wasn’t present for his exam sessions, so she didn’t really know—but maybe he needed to restart his biweekly therapy routine.
She had been nervous when he was required to stay back, but by choice? That had her worried.
They’d suggested a verbal or typed version of the exam, but maybe the issue was deeper than they thought. Maybe they hadn’t handled it as well as they should have.
No matter. Liz was determined that Kid would have fun this weekend. No more brooding. No more spirals.
By Monday, they would be hitting the reset button on Kid.
Notes:
Yippee fun weekend with the sisters!!! Liz’s middle name is worry. Hot people write feedback!
Chapter 8: Errands
Notes:
Sorry I didn’t realise till i posted just how short that last one is, as i think i mentioned ive been writing on a timeline rather than word count 😅
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Kid POV
Upon arriving home, Kid’s sisters were waiting with anticipation just beyond the front door, causing him to startle upon entry.
Attempting to salvage his reaction, Kid squared his shoulders and straightened his face to greet them.
“Liz, Patty. Has my father’s errand been moved up?”
Liz, almost as if caught red-handed, startled in place. A nervous grin and shifting eyes darted to every corner of the room except Kid’s vicinity.
“Noooo, not at all. We just got to thinking… nothing big or expensive, really. We were just—I was just—”
Kid raised an eyebrow rather than ask, inviting more rambling. Why did Liz seem nervous? She was beating around the bush. She was still talking, but honestly, it had turned into ringing in his ears in favor of watching her darting eyes, crooked smile, and excessive use of hand gestures and filler words like “like” and “um.”
Honestly, if all she was going to do was babble, he may as well just wait it out. Still, he really wanted to get his notes about today safely tucked away and hidden in his room.
“So? I thought it seemed nice.”
Oh? He had completely missed when she got to the point.
“Kid, hello? Weekend in? Home spa?”
Kid had heard her, but he hadn’t really processed the information. He was too concerned about getting his notes to a safe place.
“Sure? I need to get inside though, so if you could move, that would be appreciated.”
Kid proceeded to speed-walk to his quarters, textbooks held white-knuckled against his hip. That was a relaxed enough position, right? Well, no matter—it would be in safe territory soon enough.
Once inside, Kid quietly closed the door and spent the next hour lying on his bed, wide-eyed and red-faced, replaying the day.
“Hm. Parched…”
“Kid.”
Kid suddenly startled into a sitting position at the unannounced and undetected company.
“Hey, lost you there. Does your dad still want us doing that dumb chore?”
Kid felt the urge to leap to his father’s defence, but honestly… it was a stupid chore. Of course, it was his own fault—he’d insisted on being assigned a task because the irrational little voice in his head said, “If I have a mission this weekend, nothing will come up next weekend.”
He was thankful the girls were coming along, though it was entirely unnecessary. Patty would help keep things from getting boring… and Liz was there to make sure Patty didn’t go overboard. All about balance.
Through stubborn determination, Kid had them there within the next two hours, after contacting his father for mirror transport. He’d heard Liz groaning, followed by Patty’s bellowing laugh when he announced they’d be checking out the station tonight. Had he not taken the initiative, Liz would have had them procrastinate until Sunday night.
Checking in, everything was running relatively to plan. Kami—Maka’s mother—had apparently been stationed here just a month prior. He’d have to tell Maka about the near-coincidental meet. He found it quite amusing, anyhow.
That aside, it was about the only interesting thing about the check-in. Nothing to do, really, other than have the head of the station walk him around and talk his ear off. He wanted to be home thinking about gym improvements. He lamented not being there presently—or at least not being able to take his mind off his subject for the sake of retaining important details.
By the end, he thinks he got the gist of it and reports back. And although he had the possible upgrades and replacements screaming in his mind, he couldn’t quite let the words out—as if somehow his work would be taken from him. Honestly, he didn’t think he cared that much, but maybe he just wanted to make sure everything was covered before bringing it up. Like polishing an essay before turning it in.
His father assured him that he remembered his plans for next weekend, before transporting them back home.
Kid collapsed into bed, the same footage reeling in his head over and over as he drifted off, feeling warm and fuzzy.
Liz POV
Kid had immediately turned in for the night, giving Liz a kind of relief. Honestly, had they started their weekend-in tonight, she somehow felt she would’ve passed out.
Patty’s hair had been thoroughly brushed, but honestly, the repetitive action of the brush gliding through it was calming. Liz had always treasured the small things. Sure, there were many bigger stories to tell with their thoroughly lived lives, but honestly, a lot of the time—despite the charges—it was all to overcompensate.
Live loud and have fun to forget why she cut Patty’s hair short. It wasn’t always Patty’s preference in particular—she hadn’t kicked up a fuss at all. Had Patty done so, Liz would’ve just grinned and borne the extra maintenance. Not like she could talk, the way she clung to her own appearance.
When they moved into the manor, one of the things Liz clung to was hygiene. She’s certain that was a relief of sorts to Kid. It was healing to have such trivial things as tangled hair be given the time of day.
She felt Patty starting to nod off in her chair and concluded the bedtime routine, helping her up and walking her to her bed, where Liz could tuck her in.
“Hey, sis… we still doing the spa day for Kid tomorrow?”
“Yeah, we are. Why?”
“I was wondering if we could have extra cucumbers so I can eat them this time.”
“I’ll see what I can do. Night, Patty.”
“Night.”
Switching off the light and gently closing the door, Liz started walking to her own room right next door—but took a second to look further down the hall, to where Kid’s room was.
Hesitating, Liz went into her own room. Putting on her fluffy pink headband, she began her steps to get herself ready for bed.
Taking time to wash her face, exfoliate, apply serum and beeswax lip balm, a quick mist—then grabbed her hairbrush, sectioning her hair and beginning brush strokes from the bottom, slowly lengthening the strokes as she worked toward the top of her head.
With the mindless action, her brain supplied her with recent thoughts concerning Kid. It was infuriating how much she worried sometimes—but she would never trade it. Hopefully, she could make this weekend into what he needed.
Notes:
So to clarify with Liz and Patty the whole hair situation, Liz would cut Patty’s hair short to make it easier on herself but its one of those things that has been observed in homeless people. Things like clinging to their makeup they had because the extra effort into appearance is clinging to normalcy. That was Liz’s long hair, why she couldn’t cut hers short. Anyway hot people know what they do
Chapter 9: Dream of Blue
Summary:
Liz executes her grand plan to hit the reset button
Notes:
Sorry if the updates to the grammar correcting were a bit much, ive gone back and redone the chapters previous to polish up a bit. Shouldnt be a problem going forward
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Liz POV
Alright, so. Set out to have a nice, relaxing weekend in with Kid. Saturday morning, Liz set up a face mask station and laid out her personal nail kit. He had shown some engagement, but seemed to be in his head still. He participated, sure, but there was no real conversation, and he was doing that thing—tapping his foot, clearly waiting out the clock. Liz took the partial loss and moved on to the next idea.
After asking for food preferences (to which Kid had said “anything will do,”—as if that narrows it down), she ordered takeout for lunch. A “thank you” was exchanged, and yet again—mind elsewhere. Right. Art supplies with free rein of the television and music. Nothing. Instead, he worked on his assignment for next Friday. He was virtually done already! Liz tried to follow his lead, since they both had the same assignment, but honestly, she was too preoccupied. Plus it was break time.
He had agreed to this weekend, and it bothered her that he wasn’t an active participant. Although a tiny voice in her head asked, “But did he really? It was a pretty half-assed yes.”
Waking up Sunday, Liz tried mustering the same resolve —Undeterred.
Okay, Saturday was a bust. But Liz might be able to redeem herself. Maybe fresh air would help? So today’s activity: yard work. Kid was more attentive here, but Liz feared it was only because if he messed up, his garden would be asymmetrical. While it was mildly more successful, it still fed into the very thing Liz was hoping to distract from.
They spent the late afternoon at the skate park. Liz wasn’t a big fan of the prepubescent boys leering at her or the guys roughly her age trying to one-up each other to win her attention—but she was willing to tolerate it for now.
Wait. Where was Kid?
Looking around, she didn’t see him skating—only sitting on the grass, staring a hole into the ground.
What the hell? He was seriously getting on her nerves. It was Sunday, they had done everything, and he was still off. More than that—he was guarded. She needed to see if he was staying behind at school, because if this was the kind of relapse she feared, that was just cause for an intervention.
Drained, she hoped the weekend had been worth her time. Kid usually voiced what was bothering him. Him being this secretive was new territory.
Liz would get to the bottom of it.
Kid POV
Kid was tired. He’d been tired since Saturday, when Liz barged in with their semi-agreed-upon weekend plans. He honestly did need to stop thinking about it, so he went along with it, thinking that would be the end of it. But somehow it bled into every other activity unprompted. Somehow, thoughts of the gym bled into the nail painting, Black☆Star’s hands into his own nails; while drawing, he couldn’t conjure any mental image soothing enough—only the layout of the gym, the shapes of Black☆Star’s hair.
That led to thinking about his hair, which led down the familiar spiral. He gave up and decided to do his assignment. At least that had structure. And with it came guilt. Shame. He hadn’t finalized his equipment report—not because it wasn’t ready, but because he kept telling himself he might catch another defect. But it felt like an excuse. Like he’d missed the point entirely.
Worse still, Liz was onto him. Every time he had a moment to himself, or spaced out, she’d come charging in with a new activity. He felt terrible for not engaging, but the whole thing felt like that voice in his head—the one that tells him to straighten his collar and alphabetize his books. But this voice didn’t have the manners to form full sentences. It just loomed.
Sunday, he felt worse. He went along with her plan because if he didn’t, he’d have to explain. And he couldn’t. Not one single reason could be put into words. He kept flinching, snapping in and out of reality at every utterance of his name. He hoped for clarity, in any form at this point.
He was gifted a dreamless sleep. And still, no answers.
He nearly sliced a finger off with pruning shears. He knew he wasn’t in a state to do anything physical. But of course, they had to go to the skate park next. And Liz hated the skate park. He was dirt. Worm shit. Not even a worm—just its waste. She was putting herself through this and he wasn’t even moving. Just staring at the ground, where he belonged. The blue sky only reminded him of what he was trying to shut out.
He wished he could skate, at least. But every time he tried, he fell. Just because he’s hard to kill doesn’t mean a split skull on concrete sounds like fun. Though maybe it would make the thoughts stop.
No. That’s not how it works. He knows that.
He hadn’t asked for the girls’ company at the skatepark; it had just worked out that way. The manor was big enough that he could isolate when he needed to. But lately? He was drawn to this place. The skate park.
It used to be his only way of feeling connected to people his age—a place to observe from the sidelines, to pretend, for a moment, that he was just another teenager. That they were all the same.
Now, even with Liz and Patty in his life—constant, reliable, present—the park had taken on a new role. It wasn’t connection he came here for anymore. It was the opposite.
This was where he could be alone without feeling lonely. Or maybe where he could feel lonely, just enough to make sense of the noise in his head.
His father had warned him—many times—that the day would come when it would feel like night and day. That his difference would be undeniable.
He supposed that was meant to help him detach.
But right now? He didn’t see the appeal.
Kid stared daggers into his plate that night, chewing slowly, thoughts spinning. He trudged through his nightly routine, thoughts branching and screaming without forming sentences.
Finally, he shut off the lights, hoping to wake to less confusion.
Kid’s ✨Dream✨ POV
Kid could hear Black☆Star’s faint “Hey, no fair!” as Beelzebub carried him up the cliff where Excalibur was said to be.
Just as he was about to step off, Kid saw water below. He grabbed onto a jagged rock to keep from falling, scrambling to wrap his legs around it. He considered how to summon Beelzebub back without the jets soaking everything.
Soon enough, he heard Black☆Star’s yell, rage-scaling up the cliff and jumping into the water. He didn’t care.
Good. Maybe this trip wasn’t for nothing.
Kid called to him as he peeked into the cave. He was… happy? Happier than he remembered feeling. Wait. What?
Black☆Star turned and saw him clinging to the rock, confused. When Kid asked for help, he expected him to carry him. He didn’t. The pang of rejection hit like a wave. He walked inside the cave—a gaping mouth, pointy teeth, unmistakably shaped like Soul’s face.
Kid reached out, forgetting his position. He slipped, free-falling toward the water—
—and woke with a gasp. Heart pounding. Drenched in sweat.
His room was silent. Morning light spilling in.
He may as well have fallen. That ache in his chest? It lingered.
He knew Black☆Star hadn’t actually gone far. In truth, he came back out of the cave just a few steps in, confused and asking for directions. That had been Kid’s bargaining chip: he would be the guide, if Black☆Star would carry him through the water.
Kid smiled faintly at the memory.
Then groaned remembering the rest of it.
Excalibur. Why?
Notes:
Thoughts, predictions. I wanna see if what im setting down is being picked up
Chapter 10: Snack Duty
Summary:
Monday again! Maka starts to snoop.
Notes:
Me ahead. U get chapter early. Yippee
Chapter Text
Black☆Star POV
Black☆Star had started his day quite cheerfully, considering it was a Monday. Typically, this sort of mood was reserved for weekends. While it had Tsubaki raising her eyebrows, she didn’t seem to want any answers from Black☆Star just yet (which only served to improve his mood for what was already turning out to be an awesome day).
Humming to himself as he did a bouncy walk up the near-endless flight of steps (the beginning-of-day exercise for students—it only served to remind him), he made his way to Soul’s locker nearby. Tsubaki had split at the corner, her locker down the next corridor. The sleepover was coming up soon, so he figured it might be a good time to start thinking about snacks.
Maka POV
Monday again. The whole cycle.
Out of the masses of students, Maka spotted the unmistakable blue spikes in the distance, followed by a rather placid-looking Tsubaki. Except… Black☆Star seemed a bit giddy. It wasn’t much on the surface, but something in Maka urged her to pay closer attention. An instinct. A hunch.
And okay, while she could stand to adopt Soul’s philosophy of “Not my monkeys, not my circus,” all she could think was, “But I wanna see monkeys dance.”
With a sneaky little speed-walk, she approached Tsubaki’s locker as Black☆Star practically skipped ahead to his own.
“Hey, Tsubaki. He seems chipper—anything happen?”
Tsubaki gave a pleasant smile as she answered.
“Well, I can’t be entirely certain. I suppose that’s for him to know.”
She knows something, damn it. Even if she wasn’t sure, Maka could tell she had information she was withholding. That reply was clearly a deterrent—a wall Maka knew better than to push against.
Tsubaki rarely set boundaries, and her tolerance far exceeded Maka’s, but when she did? It was set in stone.
Well… she didn’t explicitly say not to sleuth or snoop. So snoop she shall.
With a devilish smirk and a glint in her eye, Maka attempted to blend into the crowd and hide around the corner to eavesdrop. Maybe she could even use Soul as an informant. She strained to isolate their voices—only to peer around the corner and lock eyes with Soul, who looked mildly confused.
“What are you doing?”
Startled enough to yelp and leap back, she turned—only to see the man in question right behind her. Of course. She should’ve known better than to sneak up on Black☆Star. It was quite literally impossible for him not to notice, even without soul perception.
“Hey, Black☆Star—was hoping to grab a time from Soul for when you guys are starting so I can, y’know, be gone by then.”
“Then ask him, creep. Why are you trying to eavesdrop?”
“I just didn’t wanna interrupt. Soul?”
Please stay out of this, please stay out of this, please—
“12:30 p.m.”
THANK YOU, SOUL.
“Cool, thanks.”
With that, Maka made a swift retreat to her locker. Time to think of another tactic. She could try just asking him directly. He’d probably give an answer.
Kid POV
Arriving at school, Kid still felt a sort of out-of-body nervousness. Not quite situated within himself—trapped in his head, trying to get to that place.
Gathering his books, he didn’t notice Soul approaching and leaning against a nearby unused locker.
“Hey. We just decided the sleepover starts at 12:30 p.m. Star said it’d be easier to come tell you now.”
At the name Kid’s defences were up.
Star? Where?
He had to remind himself to focus—12:30, 12:30—
Suddenly, a strong arm wrapped around his shoulder, pulling him in.
“Yeah, does that time work?”
Kid felt like he glitched. He took a moment to reboot.
“Sure.”
Soul and Black☆Star began discussing snacks while Kid tried to process the weird tingling in his gut—and in the spots where Black☆Star was touching him. It felt foreign. Queasy, even. But somehow… not bad.
Did he want this to continue? Or stop?
Given the uncertainty, Kid opted for the latter. Limply, he grabbed Black☆Star’s wrist and wordlessly removed it from his shoulder. If anyone asked (which rarely happened—they knew him by now), today just wasn’t a “touching” day.
Black☆Star looked at him with brief confusion but didn’t protest. His arm flopped down as he turned to Soul, about to speak—only for the bell to ring.
Kid turned from the sound and regarded his friends before walking toward his first class. On the way, he passed his father’s office.
What was his attachment to all this? Surely, it wasn’t just perfectionism. He despaired at the thought that all his hard work to face his flaws hadn’t gotten him further than this.
He had inspected the equipment Friday—but why hadn’t he done so while Black☆Star was using it? Surely that would’ve been more productive. Yet he had come away embarrassingly empty on notes.
He had to admit: the amount Black☆Star lifted was impressive for his age—heck, even for his trajectory. Not many in their class could train toe-to-toe with him. Kid wouldn’t count himself, given their physiological differences.
Soon, Kid found himself seated across from Black☆Star at lunch. He briefly glanced over, noting the lunchbox that had started this entire secret routine.
“So. Snacks,” Soul said. “Because I’m sure as hell not buying everything. I’m providing the place for the night. Who’s volunteering for what?”
Kid perked up. He had faculties to spare for planning, at least.
“Did we want much in the way of savory foods? Also, what are we doing for dinner?”
“Honestly, it’s either order out or do one of those easy-bake things you just unwrap and throw in the oven. We’ve got a lasagna at home—it’s either backup dinner or lunch.”
Kid considered this. He wasn’t expecting Michelin-star food, by any means. He briefly thought about other open options nearby, but ultimately, eh. Lasagna would do. It didn’t really matter past taste.
“HELL YEAH! I’LL GO IN ON A LASAGNA!” Black☆Star yelled. “Now that that’s all done—what about snacks? Ice cream? Chips?”
And just like that, the decision was made for him anyway.
“I can certainly stop by on my way and pick up frozen goods and drinks if requested.”
“Running low on iced tea. Could you grab me some?” Soul asked.
“Biggest thing of Mountain Dew they have,” Black☆Star said, leaning over the table with a gleam in his eye—as if Kid had just challenged him.
Kid leaned back slightly. Contact still felt strange today. The motion caused Black☆Star to back down.
With his task solidified, the world kept turning—and the clock ticked forward to the titular observation of Black☆Star’s workout.
Kid hesitated before sneaking in.
He didn’t need to be here.
He knew that.
Still, something tugged at him.
To open the door.
Just a peek.
And so… he did.
Chapter 11: Conspiracy
Summary:
Maka continues to spiral. Kid contemplates the lifespan of this new routine
Notes:
Let me know if there’s any feedback on Maka for this especially, not sure if im doin her right.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Kid POV
Walking home felt like a blur. He still marvelled at the feats Black☆Star managed—but, well, the problem was, he wasn’t really sure what the accomplishments were . Had anyone asked for the specifics of his routine, Kid wouldn’t have been able to tell. He knew the weights were heavy simply because of the strain in his muscles under the load.
He knew Black☆Star had that smile he does—both smug and determined—plastered on his face throughout the session. Was he even reaching his limit? He seemed to be working up a sweat, if the glossy sheen on him by mid-to-end was any indication. Mayhaps they did, in fact, need a more diverse array of equipment after all. Not that Black☆Star’s physique displayed a lack of discipline—Kid would never dream of voicing such falsities. He had seen enough to verify otherwise.
The very thought summoned glimpses of Black☆Star’s, um, attributes of mention , causing Kid to feel uncomfortably clammy in his suit.
Where was he going with this?
Anyway, he was certainly vexed by this thing clinging to him—while simultaneously avoiding direct interaction. He was so scatterbrained, and it contradicted in ways he couldn’t place. And he couldn’t just let it be. It was interfering with life!
He likened the irritation to Liz’s comical outbursts at a blind pimple. She’d had one once that had amassed great outrage. When asked, Liz elaborated—and from what was described, they were quite troublesome appearances. That bruising lump on one’s face that stuck stubbornly, flaring up whenever you made expressions or your face creased—the uncomfortable, bruise-like sensation there , and knowing it was a buildup of bacteria. Constantly making its presence known but being helpless to treat it properly—or worse, cracking and popping it in desperation to relieve the pressure.
Which Liz had, shamefully, admitted to doing after three days of her own personal hell.
Kid had been disgusted at first, given the temporary nature of the solution (which could lead to a bigger problem), but he was starting to understand that torture. He just hadn’t broken down enough layers yet. His hope was that if he fiddled with this long enough, the desired answers to his emotions would reveal themselves quicker.
Maka POV
Maka had a gut feeling. Unanswered. Gnawing at her.
While it could be explained away as excitement building for their sleepover, Tsubaki’s non-answer gave it away—intentionally hiding what it was, but confirming there was indeed an it .
She was pushing around her potatoes, replaying things in her mind. Black☆Star had retained that chirpiness into lunch, well past when snacks had already been settled. When asked, he did say it was due to excitement for the upcoming get-together—but Maka’s intuition told her it was a cover-up. He was both too quick to answer and yet uncertain, as if he’d blurted out a half-baked excuse.
Walking home, she’d tried—uselessly—to expand upon this conspiracy with Soul, who had no interest in reading into the things Black☆Star wasn’t telling them.
“When he wants to, he will. I covered for you—can’t we call it even and leave me out?”
How could he be so unbothered by this?
Black☆Star was his friend. He should want to know what was going on in his life.
“Really giving my advice the time it deserves, huh?” Soul remarked sarcastically, gesturing to her uneaten dinner.
“How are you not thinking about it? Black☆Star hardly ever has anything going on that he hasn’t already told the world . Tsubaki knows something, though. Practically shouted that she knows what’s going on.”
“Look, Tsubaki knows a lot about a bunch of us. So do whatever, just don’t credit me. My back can’t afford to not have her.”
“I guess it could have been planning excitement,” Maka muttered.
Soul seemed satisfied enough with this, patting her shoulder as consolation and returning to the last few bites on his plate.
With that, Maka finally stabbed a fork through her potato—half a plate still left.
She thinks, privately, it may be time for a stakeout.
Tsubaki POV
Life at home had become both more lively and quiet for Tsubaki and Black☆Star since last week.
Black☆Star came home beaming again, as he had all of last week. She had to admit: Kid’s interest in Black☆Star was mildly intriguing. Kid was one of those people most would read as uninterested in others in that way (at least not yet), and while she had the temptation gnawing at her to confide in someone, she knew this was no group matter.
Then again, Liz may already have some idea in her head. She was paying a bit more attention to Kid than usual, but Tsubaki didn’t think she was aware of any specifics. There would be a lot more knowing glances shot at Kid if she were. All she read from Liz so far was worry.
Hopefully, she wasn’t burdening herself too much with this—or she’d burn herself out over a false narrative.
She sounded like her mother, fretting over her. Liz really did need to start prioritising her own sanity. Because as wonderful as she was, she was not good at putting these pieces together.
All Tsubaki could really do was be there to advise Black☆Star. (When she thought of giving Kid some guidance on this delicate subject, she couldn’t see that going well.)
Black☆Star had made an effort to keep his admirer’s identity shrouded in secrecy—not daring to utter a word on the subject near Kid. Maka was starting to snoop, but given the key details she’d already missed in Black☆Star’s admission to having an “audience” at the gym, Tsubaki honestly didn’t know how that would pan out.
She wasn’t entirely sure what Black☆Star’s feelings were, other than a net positive—whether he returned the feelings Kid seemed to harbour or not. Certainly, he would not reject Kid fully from his life over a confession—that much was clear, from his love of the attention. But that was, unfortunately, what fogged Tsubaki’s vision of the whole situation.
Black☆Star greeting her snapped Tsubaki out of her thoughts, and she returned the greeting with a practiced smile.
All she could really do was watch—and hope that nobody got hurt.
Kid POV
Kid was just on the last steps down from the DWMA as the streetlights came on. When this whole routine he’d created around Black☆Star had started, it had been maybe a quarter into his walk before they would grace his presence—illuminating the path. It wasn’t too drastic a difference, but still, one Kid had come to notice—surprised that detail hadn’t escaped him in all his turmoil.
He was certain that, come the cooler seasons—when the moon would arrive quicker—his path would be fully lit for a good 20 minutes before his descent.
He stopped in his tracks at that.
Winter?
Was he wanting this to continue into winter? Could this continue into winter?
It was surprising he hadn’t been found out already.
The thought made him queasy—being discovered for this admiring of Black☆Star in his element would be… difficult to explain away. But surely he could . There was reason to his actions.
Annoyed at his own shaky internal monologue, Kid summoned Beelzebub to get home faster. The girls would be expecting him.
Notes:
Again lemme know on maka
Chapter 12: Dream of You
Summary:
Oooooh i had so much fun on this, lemme know what we think of our little dream here. Anyhow, kid has a part 2 to that dream
Notes:
Ok so important tags being added to the NEXT chapter. Next chapter (chapter 13) will have a trigger warning for SH. I feel that you can sort of infer what has occurred in chapter 14 so the deal is I will be releasing both 13 and 14 on the same day so those that feel uncomfortable with this tag and content still get a chapter and everyone wins.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Kid POV
Kid had come home to greetings from both girls and a rather lively conversation between them, asking him this thing and the next to have him chime in. He had again put in his best effort, but Kid was never good at faking a free mind.
Still, as he lay to rest, he had hoped it was enough to quell any growing anxiety. Slowly, consciousness slipped from him without notice.
Kid Dream POV
He swore he fell? What? He was being given a piggyback ride by a faceless person. He looked around the cavern to see the source of the water—a fountain. A drinking fountain. Those really were disgusting. He’s glad he wasn’t trudging through that unsanitary water.
He could hear the echoes of laughter bouncing off the walls. It sounded… familiar? Had a hint of mischievous undertones. A boyish laugh, if you would. It was embarrassing him, singling him out. Of course he would laugh at him…
As they continued, he saw various items floating about—insignificant clutter. He heard the hum of tiny wings flapping at rapid speed. Oh, Patty.
“Are we in the right place, Patty?”
“Hey Kid! It’s up ahead!”
“Thank you!”
He waved goodbye as he passed without interruption.
Eventually the path led to light—a cavern with a small hill in the centre. A spotlight from the ceiling cast directly onto the lunchbox. Finally, they had made it.
He knew from looking that this box was too heavy, so he simply knelt down and opened the lid—to find Excalibur herself.
She seemed to be in a cosy little cottage living room, fiddling with her long dark-blonde hair and checking over her nails. Her tophat looked obnoxious. Shortly after Kid had this thought, she turned, looking at him. She had a white button-up with a frilled ruff. All well and good, but where were her pants?
She only had plain white underwear. Quite odd—not to mention improper and confounding.
Regardless, he should know any powerful person in this world tends to have their eccentricities.
She scanned him up and down, critical, with dark blue eyes.
“Well excuse you! You’re late, you know? And you didn’t even have the decency to knock on my front door!”
“Greetings, Excalibur—”
“I’m not the kind of person that takes kindly to this intrusion.”
“Of course. I do apologise.”
Kid went to put the lid back on to amend his mistake.
“Well hold on! How rude! I wasn’t finished talking! You opened the box—you can’t exactly just close it now!”
“Why no—”
“Shut up! I don’t have to explain this to you! I don’t have the time. You need to think about this.”
“About what?”
“About this!”
Liz stamped her foot down.
“Certainly I will reflect.”
“Ugh. You don’t think enough.”
Kid had a flush of rage wash over him.
“I’VE BEEN DOING NOTHING BUT THINKING!”
“Pfft, you haven’t been thinking. You just keep going in circles. You didn’t even remember to wear pants!”
“I’m not the only one not wearing pants!”
“He’s wearing pants!”
Lizcalibur pointed to the one who carried him. What was Black☆Star doing here? These were his private musings!
A wave of panic hit as he crouched over the box, attempting to obscure it from view.
Black☆Star snickered before confidently approaching.
“What are you doing here? Get out! This isn’t for you!”
He surrounded Kid with one arm, brought down to the ground to support his own weight, their faces mere inches apart.
“Man, you really gotta dig deeper.”
Kid POV
Gasping for air, Kid rose with a start, heart pounding in his ears. What kind of dream was that? He’s not sure he liked recalling it.
Given. Lizcalibur.
Looking at his alarm clock, he quickly rushed about to make up for lost time. He couldn’t afford an after-school detention, but would hate to be given leniency based on his ties to the school. Some teachers—whether consciously or not—had favoured him in the past, which he had done his best to dissuade them from doing. He couldn’t go back on that request now that it might be inconvenient.
It was punishment, for Death’s sake. It’s meant to be inconvenient.
Kid speed-walked, mind only filled with the importance of making it in time, with Liz and Patty trailing after.
“Come on, Kid! We’ve been late before! There’s nothing on today! Right? There’s nothing I’m missing, right? Kid? Kid!”
At the entrance at last, they had but minutes to spare. Luckily, his first class was in the same direction as his locker.
He had to jog a little toward the end but slipped in just before his first teacher closed the door—not spared a lecture on tardiness. That was good. He did deserve that.
“I had the oddest dream last night.”
Kid remarked as he pushed around his lunch. He’d had to get the school lunch to save on time. He had enough faith in his father to ensure they provided nutritious options for students.
Black☆Star in particular perked up, a smug look on his face.
“Oh yeah? Was I there?”
“Yes, albeit briefly. No, the dream mainly starred Liz actually.”
Liz, having just tuned in from her discussion with Tsubaki at the mention of her name, whipped her head around.
“Wha?”
“Well, you weren’t really you . It was your visage, but a different name and funny clothes.”
“Huh? Ok.”
She went back to Tsubaki, clearly more invested in that conversation.
As Kid returned to his lunch tray, he could feel Black☆Star’s eyes on him. It made him anxious.
“What is it? I can feel you looking at me.”
“Oh nothing, just… Funny clothes?”
“Oh. Er, well. It was actually… his clothes.”
Uncontrollably, Kid’s face morphed into one of irritation and disgust at the mere thought.
A shiver ran over Black☆Star as he picked up on who Kid meant.
“Ew. Him… WAIT—does that mean she had no pants on? Kid!”
“No she didn’t, or it wouldn’t be his attire.”
“Bottom half naked?”
“Underwear. I haven’t seen any of that, I can’t fill in those details and I’d rather me and my subconscious stay that way. I don’t intend to fill in the blank with Liz.”
At this, Soul’s attention was suddenly captured.
“No way. Kid scored in his dream?”
“Nah, just weird shit.”
Maka to Soul’s side, overhearing finally chimed in.
“Ew, why is that something you care to know?”
“Dreams are fun, Maka. Lighten up on Soul. He just eavesdropped wrong. Can’t say you haven’t done the same.”
Black☆Star directed a smug, knowing glance at Maka, who flustered and turned red in the face. Odd.
He tried his best to commit the dream to memory—as any new task was a welcome break from constant thoughts of Black☆Star…
Maybe he can forget the end part. It was… unpleasant.
As the rest of the day dragged on, it finally drew to the last class: gym. More specifically, a meisters’ self-defense and basic combat lesson.
They had done warmups, and now it was time for hand-to-hand pair-offs.
Kid panicked the second he caught a glimpse of Black☆Star pairing off with someone.
A flicker of relief—until his eyes were assaulted by that bald globe and those ridiculous sideburns.
Oh no. Ox? Really?
He couldn’t have picked someone less notable academically? He supposed his stupid reaper genes were going to get eyes on him anyway.
Black☆Star POV
The moment pairings were called, Black☆Star knew who he needed to find.
He’d been seeing both too much and too little of Kid lately. Damnit—he was on the other side of the room.
Damn it, he picked Ox?!
Kid had barely said a word to him the past week. Now that they’d finally had a halfway decent conversation at lunch, Black☆Star had been hopeful they’d get to spar. Out of everyone, fighting Kid was the most fun. He took him seriously. He made it a challenge.
Someone was passing behind him. He grabbed their wrist on reflex.
“You’ll be with the amazing me. Count yourself lucky.”
Just in time—Sid clapped his hands to call everyone in.
“Alright. Now that we’ve found partners, we can get to the good part. We’ll go in order of combat proficiency—best saved for last. Everyone else will observe and learn. Any rowdiness will earn extra training time to work on self-control and discipline.”
Ugh, why was he looking directly at him?
Jerk.
Fine. He’d act smug now, but Black☆Star’s performance would be one for the ages.
He only half-paid attention to the matches until he heard Maka’s name, followed by Kid’s. That got his focus back.
Maka came out tired and sweaty but victorious—gross. She flopped onto the benches, chugged water, and sprawled out like a corpse while Kid and Ox squared up.
Honestly, if Black☆Star weren’t Kid’s friend, he wouldn’t care. He already knew how this was going to go—Ox would be down in eight seconds. Kid would probably draw it out just to hit that number exactly.
He edged closer, watching intently.
Kid was making good use of his flexibility, all clean movements and controlled momentum. He could’ve beaten Ox three times already. He wasn’t even trying.
He coulda been fighting me right now, Black☆Star thought, frustrated. We’d be putting on a show.
Kid slipped low, caught Ox’s arm, and coiled his legs around Ox’s neck in a clean triangle choke. He moved like liquid, hips shifting just enough to tighten the hold until Ox dropped with a thud, dazed.
It wasn’t even a fight. It was a formality.
Sid called it, and Kid got up and dusted himself off immediately, face blank. Not even looking at him.
We’ll just see about avoiding me, Black☆Star thought.
Kid POV
Right. One more match. Then he could sit back and observe Black☆Star.
Wait. Next up was Black☆Star.
He wouldn’t mind sticking to the back for this. Just to observe. Professionally.
He did feel a little guilty for dodging him during pair-offs, but…
This was hand-to-hand. And if he knew Black☆Star, he certainly didn’t have any hangups about physical contact.
Kid edged toward the back, positioning himself near a group of giggling girls. He could hear them whispering about Sid. Apparently some kind of staff crush thing.
He never understood that.
He’d thought about romance before—hypothetically. Hadn’t felt much interest. But when he did, the mental image always involved a man. A faint preference, maybe. Something acknowledged, never examined.
Suppose he couldn’t fault those girls.
Black☆Star’s match started quick. He didn’t waste time—the other student barely dodged a punch before getting wrecked. Slammed to the ground, pinned with an arm around his throat. Black☆Star’s bicep was flexed, pressed against the boy’s face like a vise.
It was barely a match. That poor kid probably saw his life flash before his eyes.
Kid was only distantly paying attention—until—
“Apple doesn’t fall far from the tree,” one of the girls whispered. “Honestly, if he wasn’t so… Black☆Star, I’d pounce on him.”
What?
He turned slightly.
Were they… talking about Black☆Star?
He supposed he could see it.
The way Black☆Star moved—brash and fluid, like he had never once considered the possibility of being restrained. Broad shoulders, quick feet, a surprisingly graceful way of pivoting even when overcommitting.
And the arms, yes—flexed and firm where they pressed his opponent to the mat, steady and sure of themselves. It wasn’t just brute strength. There was precision. Rhythm.
That confidence, he thought. People liked that.
The grin didn’t help. All teeth and fire, like he was daring the world to tell him no.
Of course it made sense. He could understand the appeal. That sort of… self-contained certainty. Loud, yes. But alive. Present in a way few people managed to be.
And then—
A flicker of something in his chest. Not envy. Not admiration, exactly. Just—
Warmth.
His ears were ringing. His fingers had gone still against the hem of his jacket. He wasn’t sure when that happened.
He swallowed. The taste of the air was different now.
He understood.
He understood it too well.
Something felt strange. His skin was burning. His heart was thudding against his ribs, and his breath came shallow. The room was too loud, and too quiet. His chest was tight.
The whispering didn’t stop. The girls giggled.
He couldn’t hear them anymore.
Everything around him dropped into static. All he could register was heat crawling under his skin. Ringing in his ears. A tension building in his gut like a scream that had no words.
His eyes flicked back to the fight.
To Black☆Star’s body. His strength. That grin.
This wasn’t admiration. It wasn’t objective.
Oh no.
Oh, god.
Was he… understanding those girls?
No. No, no, no. This—this is more than understanding—
This was—
His legs felt unsteady.
His lungs were hollowing.
His mind surged with one desperate, silent plea:
No… I can’t.
Notes:
Remember trigger warning I will be plastering it in title and in the notes, let me know if you want a specific trigger warning for the portion of chapter it pertains to also. Trying to cover all bases but i am new to this!
Chapter 13: A Rose’s Thorn (Trigger Warning: SH)
Summary:
🟨⬛️🟨TRIGGER WARNING🟨⬛️🟨
So this one is for S H (Self Harm) lets get with it
Kid:
“lemme break it down for yah.”
*sobs*
Notes:
I preface again so nobody can come after me legally
🟨⬛️🟨TRIGGER WARNING🟨⬛️🟨
So this one is for S H (Self Harm) lets get with it I may come off light in these summaries i do apologise i dont wanna give it all away
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Kid POV
Kid’s feet started turning to lead, and his eyes began to water. He knew that once he blinked—once a single tear fell—they wouldn’t stop.
How could this happen?
His shirt was quickly soaked in sweat that should have started and stopped with the last class.
He was such an idiot . How had it taken him this long?
His own subconscious had handed it to him on a silver platter— practically dangling Black☆Star in front of him. And he’d been drooling over him like a sick, perverted freak for over a week?
If this got out…
He was supposed to be a god. And this?
No no no no no—
The crowd was dispersing. He couldn’t do this now. He couldn’t be in front of all these people falling apart. He already felt claustrophobic in his own skin.
Mustering his will, he felt his muscles start to engage in the desired action. Not too fast. He needed to make it look casual.
He was lucky no one else had gone to the bathroom—he couldn’t ruin that by running.
With the last of his rational thought, he stumbled to the bathrooms to take cover, his chest constricting, vision blurring at the edges.
The first tear slid down his cheek as the door closed behind him, and he choked on a sob.
Black☆Star POV
Black☆Star was pumped ! All those eyes on him—he loved a crowd, and the crowd loved him .
He had to admit, sometimes Sid was a genius. Having Black☆Star as the grand finale today? Peak Sid.
As people flooded out of the gym in droves, eager to ditch their sweaty clothes, Black☆Star had other plans.
He scanned the crowd enthusiastically, waiting for the three white stripes to catch his eye—but oddly came up empty.
Weird. Where was Kid?
At the sound of the restroom door opening, Black☆Star swung around just in time to catch a glimpse of Kid slipping inside.
Ha! Gotcha.
Of course—he was probably waiting in there for Black☆Star to get started. Naturally.
Cheerfully, he jogged off to grab his things and prep his routine.
No need to rush. He’d wait for Kid to join him before starting warmups.
Five minutes turned into ten. Black☆Star’s patience wore thin.
Where the hell was he?
Maybe he could hit the vending machine or something. It was something to do…
Kid POV
As soon as Kid was out of sight, his body betrayed him.
Hysterics crawled up his spine, escaping only as breathless whimpering and choked sobs. His tears poured out like twin waterfalls. He couldn’t inhale properly.
The edges of his vision began to whiten.
One hand instinctively reached for the left side of his head, scratching furiously— as if trying to dig the thoughts out. It only made the pounding in his head worse.
He hadn’t done this in so long . And it made everything so much worse. But he didn’t know what else to do.
He was desperate for the drowning sensation to end.
His father would be so disappointed.
He already was , Kid just knew it.
And now—a scum-of-the-earth creep to add to the pile?
What good were the details, when the signs were already blaring?
He needed to leave before someone saw or heard anything.
He couldn’t take deep breaths, but he remembered something from his therapist. Sometimes, consistent fast breaths were enough to ease into it.
It felt ridiculous, but he tried—two quick inhales through his teeth, one slow exhale through puckered lips.
Okay.
He could get out of here.
He needed to get out of here before the janitor came.
Black☆Star POV
Black☆Star had wasted half an hour . Thirty minutes . Pacing, dawdling, and contemplating the vending machine—even though he knew exactly which thing he wanted.
That was it. Time to find Kid.
The nerve —ditching him like this. Throwing off his routine? Disrespectful. He had words .
(Not that he’d actually say them to Kid. He wasn’t that dramatic.)
Once the 30-minute mark hit, he stomped over from the vending machine, making a whole production of packing his belongings— item by item —muttering about “better be dead or dying if you’re gonna waste my time.”
Right. All packed.
He started his search. First, where he’d last seen Kid. Nothing.
Bleachers? Just dust and gum residue (…probably his gum, let’s be real).
Bathrooms? Empty.
Slamming the door open and checking every stall, every corner: still nothing.
Lockers. Next. He picked up his pace.
Dammit.
Not there either.
Where the hell was he?
The irritation had melted. Replaced with a growing, gnawing worry.
Black☆Star kept moving.
Kid POV
He wasn’t sure if it was shock, or the sheer exhaustion, but he felt out of body.
Numb. A passenger.
Somehow, he’d instinctively skated over to the park— his usual alone-time spot these days.
He wasn’t ready to go home yet.
He hadn’t really done anything there. Just lay in the grass, staring upward. Not actively thinking, but letting the strange, backseat calm settle over him.
The storm had passed—but the aftermath was seeping into him slowly, settling under his skin.
Once he got past the panic, it almost felt clear.
Black☆Star… sort of made sense.
He should have seen it, blinded by his own hand.
He was a trusted friend.
Kind, in his own chaotic way.
Someone who treated him as an equal, not a superior.
And… physically appealing.
Ugh.
Embarrassment threatened to creep in, but he forced it back down.
Eventually, once he’d had enough downtime to face the girls , he quietly got back on his board and headed home.
The rest of the night passed in a blur.
He felt tired. Drained.
He wanted to explore these feelings more, maybe even break them down, just to get them out —but his body had other plans.
It corked everything for now. Maybe later.
Maybe once he had the energy.
He almost hoped this was a stepping stone. A turning point.
But something in him already knew:
He had reached the long-sought answer.
Tsubaki POV
It was getting later than usual for Black☆Star to come home.
He must’ve been proud of himself—he’d been pushing hard ever since this whole Kid thing started.
Tsubaki stood at the stovetop, carefully tending dinner, when she heard the rush of keys and the front door slam open.
She turned to greet him with a smile—only to see him charge past, toss his bag into their shared room, and slam the bathroom door behind him. The sound of the shower followed immediately.
Oh dear.
This wasn’t promising.
The apartment returned to silence.
Only the quiet sizzling of meat reached her ears again.
The food!
She turned back to the stove. Thankfully— not burned.
She should’ve caught this sooner.
There was nothing she could do now to prevent whatever had happened, but she could manage the fallout.
She’d give him tonight to rest and process.
Tomorrow—she’d talk to him. Help him sort this out.
She just hoped Kid was okay.
She was already anxious for what tomorrow would bring—and she was actively preparing for it.
Notes:
Ok so that parts over have fun with chapter 14 and gimme ur predictions ( i like seeing if my breadcrumbs were picked up on)
Chapter 14: Breaking Tradition
Summary:
Kid fosters a new routine while Black☆Star clings to old.
Chapter Text
Black☆Star POV
After much deliberating and grumbling to himself the night before, Black☆Star had decided to set a trap for Kid. This Wednesday, he would no longer be running home. Instead, he’d use the treadmills, playing catch-up for Tuesday’s blunder of a session.
Kid probably knew he’d be running, though, so he’d have to announce the change in this week’s routine. Right. He could do that. And Kid would show up.
With a new plan of action and determination at an all-time high, Black☆Star marched out of the apartment with Tsubaki meekly trailing behind him. She kept “umming” and “ahhing,” and he’d have to apologize later. He had no time for small talk today. He had stuff to do ! No time for Tsubaki’s musings. He had to get his routine back. Whatever slump Kid was in, Black☆Star would be the one to cheer him up and bring him back.
He tried to find Kid before class, waving off Tsubaki as he went searching — Kid’s locker, then Liz’s, then Patty’s. Eventually, he made his way to Soul and admittedly got distracted talking to him. Tracks. Of course his awesome friends were worth getting distracted by — but that was the wrong friend to prioritise right now.
Not that it mattered. Kid and his sisters narrowly made their entrance just before the classroom door shut. Kid muttered a formal apology to the teacher and walked to his usual seat — the row below Black☆Star. His eyes were stuck facing down, a nervous look plastered across his face. He hesitated before sitting between the girls, but thankfully took his usual spot.
“Hey, Kid, got a pencil?”
“Here.”
He’d hurriedly placed it on Black☆Star’s desk before he could reach for it. It didn’t seem to do much to lift his spirits. Typically, Kid would be more engaged at the first sign of being useful. He really milked the tutor thing.
It was early. He was late. And he was Kid. He probably just needed to settle. He could try again during homeroom.
When it came time to relocate, Black☆Star made sure to sit close. Kid seemed to fret over being separated from the girls, but not enough to say anything. He did cling to them when he was down. Black☆Star knew he was right — Kid was obviously feeling low.
Good thing he had Black☆Star watching out for the little guys.
Now for something truly unpleasant.
“Heya, Kid! Was hoping I could get some answers from ya!”
“Answers?” He looked afraid?
“Relax, I’m not about to kick your ass for homework. Stuff’s a waste of my time anyway. I just don’t want to get held back today. Heading into the gym after school.”
Nice. Subtle . First of many seeds planted.
“Sorry, I can’t help you.”
Huh?
“Aw, what?! Why noooot?” Black☆Star dramatically draped himself over Kid’s desk — causing Kid to quickly remove all contact, like it was infested with something. The outburst caught a few onlookers’ attention, and Kid flushed red, chewing on his lip, eyes still facing down.
LOOK AT ME.
Just as Black☆Star was about to ramp it up or probe further, those same girls from yesterday came over, giggling and whispering, pushing one forward.
“Hey! We heard you haven’t done the homework, and Kaylee has the answers, so we were wondering if you were interested?”
“Oh?”
“Black☆Star, you should go with them. Seriously — they have the answers, and I haven’t gotten around to it yet.”
“Um… sure then, I guess?”
Black☆Star would have sulked, but they weren’t lying — they had the answers, and Kid would’ve made him do the work and just coached him through it (which he hated ). Plus, they were picking up Kid’s slack with compliments . Would it be weird to replace Kid?
…Maybe.
If this wasn’t a fluke though — if Kid didn’t come back to the gym — then an audience is an audience. He mentioned the gym in his thanks and made sure to note them as potential audience members.
He announced his schedule change loudly as a big deal. An exclusive, one-time-only occurrence! Why? The weather. It just wasn’t giving “run.” He could tell Maka wasn’t convinced, but she’d been on his case these past two days anyway.
He definitely saw Kid twitch at the mention of the gym — eyes wide, glued to his lunch. Good. Loud and clear. He patted himself on the back for that little effort.
Black☆Star spent the rest of the day monitoring Kid. Checking in on his mood from a distance, and wherever possible, inserting himself to add a little cheer. He managed to get a smile or two, or at least see them happen.
Fully confident in his efforts, Black☆Star bounced along his walk to the gym. He set up at his usual station and got to work — warmups, weights, cardio, squats. He ran through his entire workout.
Kid hadn’t shown.
He felt almost betrayed .
Whatever . He had options now. There were bound to be people who didn’t appreciate him. Their loss, not his.
He’d get his crowd going tomorrow. The prospect of three more sets of eyes on him? That was enough to replace — no, surpass — the high he felt. Just imagine the heights he’d reach with more people watching.
Kid POV
Once again, Kid found himself on the verge of sorting another broom closet. He’d been heading over to see what he would need, but as he looked over the flickering lightbulb and shelves of dusty chemicals, he froze.
Wait a minute. That’s how he got into this mess.
He couldn’t be here again. Not until he felt like himself.
He was obviously failing, given how much Black☆Star had been trying his usual tactics to cheer him up. He was thankful that he didn’t usually ask for explanations. He wouldn’t be able to keep track of his lies in this state.
Still, he fought the smile threatening his face at the sentiment.
He was grateful to have them — all of them.
Now at the school entrance, he summoned Beelzebub to rocket down the stairs. Normally he’d walk, but today, he’d rather get far away from the temptation of cleaning and organising. He could admit a part of him still wanted to stay in the dark — deep in denial.
He was terrified of being found out for his unsavoury actions in particular. His silhouette was hard to mistake. If someone had seen, there was little denying it was him. And with the age ranges at the academy, some might believe it just for the gossip.
And Black☆Star kept goddamn mentioning it. Gym this, gym that. He felt like he was going to pop a blood vessel. It was the universe’s grand way of rubbing it in.
God. If Black☆Star found out… The humiliation. The never-ending commentary. He’d never live it down.
Hopefully that girl group could keep him distracted long enough to get his head straight.
He was a little concerned about those three girls. At first, he thought it might be jealousy, but he didn’t feel particularly possessive over Black☆Star. It seemed to be equal parts joke and admiration — laughing at him more than anything.
He’d keep an eye out (as best he could), but Black☆Star was quick to bounce back from mockery.
It wasn’t like Black☆Star was interested in anyone, to his knowledge. So any sting of rejection would fade just like the others.
Honestly — and unfortunately — he’d never clocked Black☆Star as being interested in anybody .
But then… what would he even do if he was ?
He supposed the natural thing to do with feelings was to move on. Friendship was messy enough without the functionally immortal thing hanging over him.
He’d never really considered himself viable for a romantic relationship before this. It still felt foreign. Wrong-sized.
He’d be in a relationship — and what, tie someone down for the rest of their natural life while he went on with other obligations? Or worse, when he was unable to ignore the centuries difference between them?
That was how his father had always put it. That he needed — and was better off — being separate from his peers.
He still stayed up at night thinking about what it would be like when only he remembered. When everyone else was gone.
He tried to find light in it. Told himself he could carry them through the ages. Tell their stories. Immortalize their deeds.
But if a love of storytelling was hereditary, he doubted much of it would stick with people.
When he found out their only maid had passed — he must have been about seven — he’d cried endlessly . And then, to find out everyone would die someday? Well, he was far from a “happy camper,” as his father had put it. He was later informed that this didn’t mean the people he knew would be the last humans to ever exist — that, in fact, new people were born all the time. Apparently, there wasn’t a finite supply of them, like rare collector’s items. Not that his childhood had afforded him many names or faces to keep track of anyway.
But the bitterness didn’t really take root again until he got close to Liz and Patty.
It was sort of funny, in a macabre way — the things his exceptionally sheltered upbringing had left him with. He wondered how many psychology majors would kill for a crack at his early life.
He’d gotten very introspective today.
“Well, if there’s a day of the week for it,”
he muttered sarcastically to his grand audience of one.
Notes:
Ok so if anyone can give feedback on sprinkling in early memories i have made for kid and blackstar that would be appreciated. Just lemme know how they are lining up with the characters
Chapter 15: Lead a Horse to Water
Summary:
Black☆Star finally decides on what to do about his gym blunder. Tsubaki continues to try and talk with him
Notes:
So hopefully i did the last chapters with all the correct steps in place. Please seriously give any feedback on how i handled the double upload and trigger warnings and if there was anything else that I can do for future or even going back to edit that chapter. Feedback good and bad will be acknowledged and appreciated!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Black☆Star POV
At the sound of his alarm clock, Black☆Star sat straight up and brought his closed fist down on the button up top to shut it off. Only one more sleep until the Charisma Justice reruns.
He’d spent the night hyping himself up for Thursday. Hopefully those three girls would end up in the gym. Maybe they’d cheer him on? He wouldn’t know until he tried, but he had a good feeling. They looked like the type who’d be down.
He jumped up to hit the shower, per usual.
If one Kid could make him double his gym time, he might just start eating dinner at 11 p.m. from now on. He was excited to see what this new attention might bring. Maybe after a few days of training with a proper audience, he could challenge Kid to more fights. He’d beat him again for sure — and this time, no one would be disputing the legitimacy of his win.
Well, his and Soul’s win.
But he wouldn’t need help this time. All he’d have to do is start flexing — he’d have it in the bag.
Speaking of, he needed to pack. A couple of protein bars, more water than usual, a spare tank, axe body spray, a Gatorade from the home stash, and gym towels, obviously. Right. Good choices.
Tsubaki had packed their lunches — leftover day. She’d used the same lunchbox that started this whole new routine for him.
Once Tsubaki was ready and out of the shower, they were on their way.
“Hey Black☆Star, the markets are coming back soon. I was wondering if we want to hold off on some of our produce until Sunday? I know we usually do shopping Saturday, but… well, that might give us more downtime — before the sleepover kicks off .”
“Yeah, good call. That way I’ll be able to give my full attention to grabbing what we need and getting outta there.”
“Right.”
A pause wedged itself into the conversation. He could tell by her almost expectant tone there was some secondary meaning in what she’d said. She’d placed importance on that “ downtime .”
Tsubaki was still trying to talk with him, and he supposed this was as good a time as any for her to encroach.
“Black☆Star, I’ve noticed you’ve been spending a lot more time out after school. Is that still the gym?”
“Yeah! Isn’t it great? I’ve been really pushing myself lately — I’m glad you noticed.”
“Yes, well… about that—”
“Those warmups really were a great idea. Thanks for that, by the way.”
“Oh, of course. But as I was saying, is there anything else that’s been happening?”
“Other than the gym? Well, I haven’t been anywhere else.”
Poor Tsubaki. That must be it — she was concerned he was pushing himself too hard. It made sense to worry; he had been spending a lot more time there. All he could do was reassure her this was a positive thing .
“Hey, Tsubaki. I know you can’t help but worry sometimes, but there’s no need when it comes to a star like me. I’ve got myself handled.”
A strained smile appeared on her face.
“Of course, Black☆Star. I don’t doubt your training’s been nothing but upward in terms of strength. However—”
“OH, SOUL! Sorry, Tsubaki — I’ll chat later!”
“Black☆Star—wait, please. I need to—”
But he was already halfway across the hall, waving like nothing had been said at all.
Tsubaki POV
Tsubaki slumped, unable to stop Black☆Star from running over.
She’d tried to think of so many ways to ease into this discussion. Since the Tuesday he’d returned, she’d been looking for the right time — but he really wasn’t making this easy.
She supposed if what she believed was happening was happening, Black☆Star would be hesitant to share anything for the sake of Kid’s dignity. He was a good friend like that — but he needed to not be, just for a little bit, so she could actually talk to him about it.
She really wanted to help, to bring in perspective, and there were already hurt parties involved. Liz was slowly going crazy with worry for Kid, and Tsubaki felt immensely guilty not being able to share what she suspected.
“Oof, harsh. Got ditched by monkey man?”
Speaking of.
She spotted Patty and Kid hanging back, watching their interaction from a distance. Her eyes lingered on Kid a moment longer.
“Yeah… how’s Kid, by the way? Any improvement?”
“Change. He’s been so quiet and… well, late. I don’t know whether to have the sit-down with everyone or just us and his dad.”
“I have a feeling it might go over better if it’s just you and Patty. Besides, you might have to delay it indefinitely if you ask Lord Death. Have you been giving updates to his dad?”
Stiffening at the mention Liz gave a sheepish smile.
“Well, no. He can be a little intimidating with how cheerful and unreadable he is. I get that it’s better for the little ones, but it’s a little too wacky for my liking when you’re trying to bring up serious stuff.”
“That makes sense. See if he’s still out late tonight. Hopefully not.”
“Hopefully… crap, they’re moving over — we were talking, uh, uh—”
“Farmer’s market.”
“Farmers? HEY Kid! Thought you’d want to be talking sleepover with Soul and Black☆Star.”
“The details were already set out. I can catch up later — or Saturday.”
Patty looked like she was going to implode trying not to talk.
“I heard farmers — is there going to be a petting zoo?”
“Oh, I’m not sure. Ask Tsubaki.”
“Is this about the farmer’s market Sunday? Are you attending?”
“Yeah — it’s a good way to get quality ingredients, and it supports the farmers. If I remember, it’s pretty close by. Can’t imagine the noise will be appreciated.”
“Wait, near us ? How long does this thing go for?”
Liz started anxiously twirling a strand of hair, dread already blooming at the thought of days of noise and crowds.
“It goes from 7 a.m. until 4 p.m. for four days, starting Sunday.”
“I was hoping to sleep in Sunday…”
“Can’t you do that Saturday? I’m the one with plans.”
Kid wasn’t really waiting for an answer. He was already walking back toward his locker.
She really should get to hers too, instead of loitering at Liz’s.
“We’ll talk later — go! Shoo! Before the bell rings.”
Tsubaki giggled as she waved goodbye to Liz and Patty.
She hoped Liz would take her advice.
She couldn’t think of anything more awkward than an intervention about Kid’s after-school activities with his father chiming in .
Notes:
So yes Tsubaki is being not firm enough. I got specifics lined up timeline wise and have chalked it up to being hyperaware that this is a VERY guarded topic for Black☆Star as this being exposed doesn't just reflect poorly on him and he is aware of this. She knows that if she tried to seriously corner him he’d be like a rabid animal lashing and biting his way out of it.
Chapter 16: Anticlimactic
Summary:
Black☆Star makes good on his plans to replace Kid. Tsubaki tries to confront him about Kid’s late nights
Notes:
Slight trigger warning, Kid’s previous injuries are brought up. He isnt called out on it but it’s still tender so. Yeah. Forgot i had that, no second chapter this round bc less of a honed in look at it but also im behind where i wanted to be.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Black☆Star POV
During his second class of the day, Black☆Star happened upon his newest targets. They seemed to have spotted him too, nudging each other before walking up to sit near the back with him. They had been whispering amongst themselves about how to approach. He must have intimidated them.
“Psst. Hey, Black☆Star — had any missions lately? Looks like you’ve leveled up.”
Keeping his eyes forward so as not to arouse suspicion, he retorted confidently:
“I level up every day. That’s just me being awesome.”
A few snickers and giggles followed.
“We saw you in combat and were wondering if you could show us the ropes?”
Oh? This would be easy.
“Sure! I go to the gym after school. I can show you my routine.”
He replied casually. They perked up, clearly into the idea.
“That would be amazing! We were wondering what the secret was.”
“Then I’ll be happy to show you! See ya then!”
He patted himself on the shoulder for that one — a simple satisfaction, not the overwhelming triumph he’d expected. Probably because of how easy they’d just made it. Now he could cruise through the rest of the school day thinking about the weekend.
Kid POV
Kid tried his best to focus on the busywork assigned throughout the day — or to think of literally anything else. To say it was impossible felt like underselling it. He’d at least managed not to make an absolute ass of himself by lunch… only to see Black☆Star had amassed a trio .
It sucked. Everything sucked. He was so over this whole stupid day.
He had spent a good amount of time trying to reason himself out of the hurt. He knew it was irrational — Black☆Star was only interested in them so long as they served to boost his ego.
This was what he wanted. He wanted Black☆Star to move on in life, to do great things with the limited time he had. He wanted to be there, watching him achieve those feats. He told himself this.
It wasn’t him — it was this stupid, defective brain.
HE DIDN’T EVEN NEED TO HAVE ANOTHER PERSON INVOLVED TO REPRODUCE, FOR DEATH’S SAKE! HE WAS A GLORIFIED APHID!
“Hey, Liz is worried. You good?”
He heard Soul through the bathroom stall.
“Yeah. Someone was just wearing a really ugly jacket.”
“…Okay? I’ll pass on whatever you want me to, I guess.”
Kid doubted he was buying it. Soul just really didn’t like having other people’s business on his conscience. Still, he had one thing to thank him for — Soul had gotten him to stop worrying about that and start worrying more about appearances.
He could do that.
With a breath, Kid mustered the determination to face everyone. He’d put this on hold and work through it at the skatepark later. Liz had made room for him, at least. That helped.
“Hey, Kid — what kept you?”
“I saw a jacket that caught my attention.”
“Oh. Um, okay? Well… make sure to eat lunch.”
Maka had remained silent through the exchange, but she was giving him a look. He’d have to address that. As he picked at his food, he rested his head in one hand and winced slightly at the residual damage. He hadn’t touched the area — or had it touched — since. He really needed to think this through. People were starting to pick up on it.
He made it about a third of the way through his lunch before the bell rang.
…Well, he wasn’t hungry anyway.
Black☆Star POV
Black☆Star was so excited for that same rush to hit him again this afternoon. The trio would show up unannounced, so there was a good chance of applause. He couldn’t stop himself from running straight to the gym, bouncing a little in place when he got there.
Eventually, he flagged down the girls and jumped right into his demonstration. He started with warmups, felt their eyes on him, and grinned. Optics were good. Energy was high.
It wasn’t the same fireworks he was used to — but this was only warmups. He had all the time in the world and records upon records to break. He’d even told Tsubaki he’d be home late, just in case.
He wasn’t one to count during workouts — usually just going until he couldn’t anymore. Bench. Free weights. Leg press. Chest press. Pull-ups. As he hoped, they cheered.
But… something weird happened.
He was faster than usual. That sounded great, but… mmm. Not for this . He stuck to his usual rule: push through. They were giving him motivation, so why was he getting so drained?
He didn’t want them to notice he was off his game, so he played it cool, waved goodbye, and walked home — feeling weirdly unsatisfied.
The streetlights weren’t on. The sun was still up, having a great time with summer, not a single yawn to be heard.
The sun’s laughter felt pointed . Like it was laughing at him.
He sat down on a bench near the basketball court, eating one of his protein bars. Shoot. What was he supposed to tell Tsubaki when he was still home early ?
Eventually, he got bored of sitting there and decided to walk again the second the streetlights flicked on.
When he came back, he was lucky — he interrupted a phone call between Tsubaki and her parents. She turned her head at the sound of the door, surprised. But when she tried to talk, her mother’s voice came from the phone, calling her back into conversation.
He used the downtime to think about the day — disappointing and weird. So weird he didn’t even know what to do with it.
Later, when he emerged to grab food, Tsubaki pointed at the microwave. From her tone, the call was wrapping up. Maybe one day she could teach him some basic Japanese. With her help, he’d be fluent in a week.
Tsubaki finally ended the call, still sitting cross-legged on the floor. She seemed to be chewing on something — lips parted, brow drawn. For a second, he thought she might just say goodnight.
But instead, she blurted:
“Do you know what Kid’s been up to?”
Black☆Star stiffened. What was that supposed to mean?
He hadn’t done anything wrong. Not really.
“What do you mean ‘not present’?” His voice came out sharper than intended. “He’s talking to everyone. It’s not like he’s shutting down.”
The next beat from Tsubaki was measured. Bordering clinical in its blunt delivery.
“I think we’ve both noticed a change. I just want to know how you feel about it.”
She had ended on concern, but Black☆Star’s anger kept on her opening accusation.
“Tsubaki, a big guy like me doesn’t make assumptions about what I have or haven’t seen. Talk to Liz if you want a Kid expert.”
Feeling anger bubble up, he removed himself from the conversation with that final statement. Tsubaki stayed silent the rest of the night — contemplative, maybe even remorseful.
He tried to stay angry, but it didn’t last long. She clearly felt bad.
“Black☆Star?”
“What’s up?”
“I’m sorry I phrased things the way I did. I just… worry about the people I care about. I don’t want anyone to come out the other end hurt. Liz has been worried about Kid. He’s been coming home late.”
“Okay, but… can we not talk about it?”
Tsubaki hesitated, clearly not wanting to put this down indefinitely, then sighed.
“I suppose no one can force it. If I did, you’d just want to talk less. But if something is going on — tell me. I can help.”
“Yeah. Thanks.”
With the tension lifted, they continued the rest of their night in relative peace.
Still, Black☆Star had trouble sleeping.
He kept wondering… just how much Tsubaki might know.
Notes:
Complaints and predictions, particularly critiques. Im a big boy ill cry on my own time
Chapter 17: Sit Down
Summary:
Liz thinks its time to call it.
Notes:
So admittedly it feels like i wrote later in the game Liz here but hopefully thats all good for now, u may notice lapses in her behaviour due to the writing her post development i guess u could call it?
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Maka POV
Admittedly, she may have gone a bit too far into her friends’ lives. But what else was she supposed to do? Kid was an easier person to follow—he had routines, patterns. Maka had overheard Liz’s chat with Tsubaki, caught wind of Kid staying late at the academy, and that bit about him lingering in the bathroom because of a jacket ? That had been the tip-off. But somehow… all of that still led to a skatepark.
He hadn’t cleaned enough of the school to be satisfied—impossible. DWMA was too massive. For someone like Kid, there would never be enough peace if he approached it with a janitor’s mindset. So what gives?
Had he figured out she was tailing him? Was this just some elaborate misdirection? No—that didn’t fit. He wouldn’t waste time on anything that didn’t move a task forward with maximum efficiency. This wasn’t just odd. This was insane. She was insane.
Still, she swore up and down there was something. Right under her nose, maddeningly out of reach. And it had spread—she could feel it—spreading from Black☆Star to Kid. There had to be a connection.
It was too late today to double back and confront Black☆Star, but she had Saturday. Maybe if she arrived early enough at their apartment… maybe then she could catch it. Whatever “it” was.
Liz POV
Backed by Tsubaki’s quiet insistence, Liz had decided she’d waited long enough. If it went poorly, maybe she’d reconsider bringing in Lord Death, but she was trying to avoid it. That kind of intervention could spiral. For now, her and Patty would suffice.
Leaving the manor that morning, a heavy sadness pressed down on her. It wasn’t panic. It wasn’t fear. Just the hollow knowledge that something was coming— some reckoning—when they came home.
It had to be done. Progress wasn’t always a straight line. Sometimes you circled back, repeated steps. She didn’t fully understand what Kid was struggling with, not really, but she didn’t have to. She could see it .
Kid, for his part, didn’t seem to notice her worry. Too buried in his own thoughts. Tsubaki had checked in again, asking if she’d informed Lord Death. Liz admitted she hadn’t. She knew she should—he was the actual parent—but Tsubaki reassured her once again: not yet. Not necessary.
Black☆Star POV
As he got ready that morning, Black☆Star noticed the silence. Tsubaki hadn’t tried to start a conversation. No probing glances, no careful suggestions. Last night must’ve been enough to get her to back off.
Good.
Liz could handle the soft-touch stuff. He didn’t need another round of people trying to get in his head.
Today, he was going to be great. Yesterday had been a write-off, sure, but today was the day. The girls hadn’t said anything definite, which meant the field was still open.
But then there was Kid.
Had he gone back to cleaning again? Maybe. But if he asked about it, that’d tip his hand.
As he passed through the halls, he caught sight of a familiar face. One of the quieter girls smiled and gave a tentative wave. She always hung back behind the others.
Tsubaki’s gaze lingered a little too long.
He felt it. Her watching. Wanting to say something.
And he hated how defensive it made him feel.
Kid POV
He’d started the day conflicted. He wasn’t even sure he should go to the gathering tomorrow. He told himself he’d wait and see how the day went, but would that be too late to back out?
Keeping it in—whatever “it” was—felt heavier than the crush itself. Which, congratulations to him, he could finally name. A proper admission, after all this time.
The skatepark helped. Somewhat. It gave him a way to rationalize, to patch the leaks in his thoughts. And the more he tried to decide, the more reasons he found to go through with the plan. If he backed out, people would ask why. And if pressed, he wasn’t confident he could hold it together.
He was terrible at hiding when something really got to him. The compulsive spirals—those, at least, he understood. People either accepted them or brushed them aside. But this? Emotional turbulence? That was harder. Less defined. Less forgivable, dismissible . And still, somehow, the cracks showed all the same.
And if Black☆Star found out? He wasn’t sure he could face him. He didn’t think he’d be cast aside—Black☆Star wasn’t like that—but the idea of him boasting about it, treating Kid’s infatuation like a punchline… that terrified him. The feelings weren’t voluntary. That probably wouldn’t matter in the argument.
As he packed his bag with textbooks for the morning, he let his guard drop—and that was when it happened.
“Heya, Kid! Psyched for tomorrow?”
Black☆Star leaned on the locker, one elbow propped, hand on hip. Soul was nowhere to be seen.
Solo venture.
“As much as I can be,” Kid said. “I suppose you do recall I’m relatively unfamiliar with the franchise.”
“Oh. Well, I’m sure one of us can fill you in. I could point stuff out.”
The thought of Black☆Star guiding him through something he cared about felt almost sacred. He wasn’t sure he could handle it.
“If it’s what it takes to make sense,” Kid said, trying to remain distant.
Black☆Star blinked. The flat response hit harder than Kid meant it to.
He opened his mouth to say something more—but the bell rang.
Kid moved like clockwork, trying to keep the distance, to stay just close enough without slipping.
He drifted through the day, disengaged. Maka noticed—of course she did. She asked questions. None that really mattered. She was irritated. Maybe she knew something was off. She spent the second half of the day focused on Black☆Star.
After school, Kid fled to the skatepark. His new ritual.
Even with eternity ahead of him, everything felt immediate and sharp and mortal. He didn’t want to miss a single day. He had already spent too long isolated—guarded, secret, untouched. When he took in Liz and Patty, he’d been told, “It’ll be gone in a flash.”
So how long did connection of this nature last? Weeks? Months? Years ?
He didn’t want to waste any of that time. And on trying to recover from a crush of all things. But part of him still whispered: bury it. People are temporary. Bury it.
He’d talked about this in therapy. The idea had been dismantled, compared to letting a toilet-trained dog pee on the carpet because “ one day it wouldn’t be there. ”Wouldn’t it be better to enjoy the time while it lasted?
He took the scenic route home. The manor was silent.
He didn’t expect the Thompson sisters to be waiting.
But there they were. Both of them. Sitting on his bed, solemn.
“Um, hey Kid. I know you just got back, but we think it’s time to talk.”
He froze.
Liz stood. Patty stayed seated, calm, solid. Liz moved carefully, hand resting on her sister’s shoulder as she approached Kid like he might bolt.
“We’ve been really proud of you this past year, Kid. You’ve made some amazing progress. But… we can feel you pulling back a bit. Ever since the exam, it’s seemed like things have been rough. We know there’s a ton of pressure on you—we can’t even imagine what that’s like. But we’re worried. And we just want to understand.”
She reached out, gently nudging him into the room. His legs moved, though his mind stayed still.
“You’ve been coming home later than usual. At first we thought, okay—maybe he’s cleaning more, trying to feel in control. That makes sense. But now it’s starting to feel like something else. Like it’s getting away from you the way it used to. Is that fair to say?”
Kid said nothing.
Liz’s voice softened. “Progress isn’t linear. It’s okay. But we’ve got to talk about this. Figure out the next step.”
Silence filled the room, ringing in his ears. He wanted to run. He could barely speak. He was cornered. But as he thought about it. He really wanted that support right now, he needed that support.
“I can’t talk about this with Patty,” he said, voice cracking.
Patty didn’t flinch. “No hard feelings, Kid. We’re just glad you’re talking.”
She left the room, soft click of the door behind her.
“I’m garbage,” he said, as tears threatened to fall.
“Then so are we,” Liz replied.
“No.”
“Okay,” she said. “Why are we sure about that?”
“I… I haven’t been cleaning,” he admitted. “I lied. I haven’t been.”
She nodded. “Alright. So we lied. Still doesn’t make us garbage.”
“I was watching someone.”
“Okay…”
“In the gym. I like him. I don’t know if I should go tomorrow.”
Liz blinked. Connected dots. Her eyes widened.
“Do we like Black☆Star? ”
A small sound escaped him. A snivel.
“How long?”
And that was it. The dam broke. Tears falling. Words tumbling.
“I didn’t know—I swear I didn’t know—I would’ve stopped, but I’m such scum—I kept looking—I’m so sorry—I’m so dumb—”
“Whoa, okay,” Liz said. “We didn’t know at first. That matters. But then we kept going?”
Kid buried his face in the pillow.
“I told myself I was just testing the equipment.”
Liz started laughing. He threw the pillow at her, red-faced.
“Sorry,” she said. “I just—God—I thought you were spiraling. I had pamphlets to psych wards . All this time you were just being a teenager.”
“THIS ISN’T JUST BEING A TEENAGER, LIZ! DO THEY WRITE ABOUT THAT?”
She caught her breath—visibly trying not to laugh, lips twitching as she pressed her fingers against them. “Okay, okay,” she managed, her voice shaky from restraint. “No, probably not in the pamphlets. But—” she took a deep breath, serious again “—that doesn’t mean you’re broken. It means you’re human. But ask anyone— everyone does dumb stuff at your age. Honestly, I’m surprised it took this long. Granted you haven’t had much opportunity.”
“I feel like it’s too late to back out. But if I don’t… what if I slip up?”
“Valid,” Liz said. “What if you do?”
“Then I ruin the night. Soul finds out. Gets mad. Black☆Star finds out and gloats forever.”
Liz shook her head. “Soul won’t be mad. He doesn’t like drama , but this isn’t his issue. As for Black☆Star… yeah, maybe he’d gloat. But do you really think he’d do it knowing it was hurting you?”
Kid lamely shook his head.
“So, what do you want?” Liz asked. “Not what you fear. What do you want ?”
He hadn’t thought that far.
“Think about it,” she said. “And talk to him. Be honest. He’d respect your boundaries if he knew why they were there.”
She moved toward the door. “You’ve got more time than anyone. But you’re still living on our clock. Don’t waste the chance to feel human.”
Later, she texted to ask if he wanted dinner. He declined. Patty left gummy bears and a nut bar by the door.
He only ate the bar.
He didn’t sleep well.
Tomorrow loomed.
Notes:
Justifying Liz taking this like a champ as “omg its just a normal problem that ive had before i know this!”
Also big W for Tsubaki saving Kid from his father attending the intervention. We praise her efforts
Chapter 18: Falter
Summary:
Black& Star's new plan isn't working, a last desperate ploy
Kid arrives at the sleepover/sleepover commences
We gettin good stuff
Notes:
I love this, sorry it took a bit, havent been writing but this is here so yippee
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Black☆Star POV
Still optimistic, Black☆Star had led the trio to the gym, switching up his routine for a little extra flair. The girls still giggled and watched him closely—it felt great , but not the same. Confused, he ended the session midway, formally dismissing himself. They had looked guilty, as if they somehow knew they weren’t enough. Or maybe they felt bad about laughing. He wasn’t sure that would have made any difference to him.
DAMN IT, WHAT GIVES!
He was losing all progress. He was descending…
He walked home with thoughts swirling, replaying every moment. As he reached his apartment, he knew then and there—his path was clear. He had to get Kid back.
While exchanging pleasantries and small talk with Tsubaki that night, he began concocting a plan to subtly lure Kid back to spectate his gym sessions.
He couldn’t stop thinking about him. The weights felt lighter, the colors around him brighter, a skip in his step. All that power without even a single cheer. Like the knowledge of Kid’s admiration had been transferring energy into him.
He had to get things back on track—back to how they should be. If he could show him what he was missing on Saturday, it was a surefire way to get his attention. A nervous energy filled him; he felt like he was buzzing.
When he woke up the next morning, he had no idea when he had actually drifted to sleep. There was a lot riding on today.
Going through a later-than-usual morning routine, he found Tsubaki already up, vacuuming the common areas.
“Anything you need me to do?” he offered.
“Can Maka use your bed while you’re gone? If she can, strip the bed.”
“You got it!”
“And hey, sorry to bug, but I want you to know I’m still open to talking.”
Black☆Star bit his cheek, a stiff and stern look on his face, avoiding eye contact as he nodded.
As he went about stripping the bed, his thoughts kept spiraling. This sleepover felt like a turning point. Like he needed to get the train back on the tracks before it derailed entirely. He was almost hurt by how far off course it had gone… Ugh. Fine.
Once he finished putting on a new set of sheets for Maka, Black☆Star hesitantly shuffled over to Tsubaki in the kitchen. The air in the room felt heavy as he worked up the nerve for his request.
“Hey, Tsubaki? Maybe we could talk—”
Tsubaki POV
A knock echoed through the apartment. Tsubaki’s attention flicked toward the door, but when she looked back, Black☆Star was gone. She glanced around the room desperately before reluctantly opening it.
“Hey guys! Hey, what’s going on?”
Maka’s smile faded the moment she stepped inside, sensing the tension. That’s when Black☆Star reappeared with his bag packed, squeezing past them.
Tsubaki knew she would risk being endlessly prodded by Maka, but she had to say it—for her own peace of mind.
“Have a good time. Don’t do anything rash, okay?”
He tensed at that, nodding without confirming any intent to follow through.
Maka looked between them as Black☆Star sped down the hall.
“I didn’t screw something up, did I?”
She looked genuinely worried. Tsubaki had to summon all her strength to bury the irritation bubbling inside her. Smiling, she reassured her.
“No, of course not. Checkers or Jenga?”
Kid POV
Kid woke that morning feeling considerably lighter. Having someone else validate his feelings had done wonders. With the burden eased, he felt more optimistic about today—which was good, since he hadn’t exactly called ahead.
He would be late if he didn’t get moving.
As he brushed his teeth and combed his hair, Liz came in to check on him.
“So I’m guessing you’re going?”
A simple thumbs-up, toothbrush in hand.
“Remember to think through whatever keeps running in your head. Also—get the drinks on the way.”
“Oh, and when you can, let me know what I’m telling Patty.”
Spitting into the sink, he hastily replied, “You can tell her. I just didn’t think she would be much help in this area, unfortunately. Well—not unfortunately , she seems quite happy without any worries of this sort. I honestly envy it, at present.”
“Yes, Kid, I’m aware. But if you’re sure, I’ll tell her. Swear her to secrecy as an added bonus—because I’m a great sister.”
Kid smiled to himself as she left. She really was.
He received an encouraging farewell as he departed for the store nearest Soul’s. Down the aisle, he retained Black☆Star’s request (irritatingly enough, most things he said now stuck in Kid’s brain like a glue trap): “the biggest thing of Mountain Dew you can find.”
Black☆Star plus caffeine—good God. Why would he make him do this to himself?
Sighing, he grabbed a two-litre bottle, praying Black☆Star didn’t plan to chug the thing. With his other hand, he texted Soul to ask what drink he wanted, browsing for himself in the meantime.
Eventually, he settled on an iced mocha. Soul’s reply came in then: iced tea. Right. He quickly grabbed it and departed the store with ease. No need for constant updates—asking about drinks had been plenty.
As he neared the apartment building, nerves returned. If absolutely necessary, he could leave at any time.
He stared at the door for a moment, faintly hearing Soul and Black☆Star inside. Taking a deep breath, he lifted his hand to knock—
—but was beaten to the punch. The door swung open.
“Heya Kid! Thought I heard you at the door!”
Before he could get a word in, Black☆Star grabbed his arm and pulled him inside. His body wanted to give in way too easily, but as soon as he was in, he stepped back, seeking Soul. He followed through to the kitchen and saw the assortment of chip packets.
“Heh, even got you your favorite. I know, I’m awesome.”
Black☆Star dangled the Pringles tube in front of him, his arm nearly brushing Kid’s neck as he moved to stand beside Soul—brushing his shoulder in the process.
He could handle this. He would use the sleepover as an exercise in reintroducing small degrees of proximity and contact. He needed to adjust, and this was the first step.
After putting his drink in the fridge, Kid went to admire Soul’s record collection.
He had developed a quiet appreciation for it. Initially, he’d suggested reorganizing the shelf until Soul walked him through his method—categorizing by genre and year. Things Kid wouldn’t have picked up on alone. It became a fun exercise in trivia, something to look forward to when new additions came in.
Soul had notably moved the coffee table to the side wall and dragged nine pillows and at least three blankets to the floor. A large inflatable mattress took up the rest of the space. Kid gave it a test sit—acceptable.
“Impressive, right? Should’ve seen Soul trying to inflate it. He was turning blue when I got here!”
“Lucky you were late, or you’d have to be swapping spit taking turns inflating the damn thing.”
Kid’s face went red. He swore steam was coming out of his ears. Soul had no idea how badly he needed not to know that. Not that it was a tempting offer—he just didn’t want to picture it.
Nobody batted an eye at his flush. In this context, it was still a “within the norm” reaction.
Once everyone had arrived, Soul asked if they had eaten. He ended up making sandwiches just for himself and Kid as they flipped through channels.
When Soul reached into the pantry for snacks, a massive groan sounded behind them.
“Is something the matter?” Kid asked.
“Maka left her stupid cookies here.”
“If you don’t want them, I’ll have them. Where you got cookies?”
Black☆Star leapt off the mattress and shoved his way into the pantry. Kid casually followed to see Soul holding him back.
“I’M NOT GETTING IN TROUBLE BECAUSE YOU ATE THEM! WHAT IF SHE COMES BACK FOR ‘EM?”
“She can’t think they’re that important if she made the effort to show up early!”
Soul hesitated, chewing the inside of his cheek. “…She did that?”
A pause. Then, quieter, “Yeah, whatever. Go nuts.”
“VICTORY! HAHAHAHAHA!”
Black☆Star began stuffing his face. Crumbs scattered as he crammed cookies into his mouth, laughing and choking simultaneously. Kid leaned on the wall—amused, befuddled, and slightly put off.
“Either laugh or eat,” Soul advised.
Then he started cramming cookies too. The snacks didn’t stand a chance.
It seemed Soul was already under Black☆Star’s influence—as he often was. The longer those two shared the same oxygen, the less it seemed to reach Soul’s brain for critical thinking.
After retrieving the actual snacks, they went through Maka and Soul’s DVD collection, eventually settling on Zoolander . Kid hadn’t seen it—and apparently that trumped all other decision-making logic.
Pretty much from the start, he could sense how often it was going to be referenced during the night.
Starting strong, he supposed.
After the movie, it was decided they’d change into pajamas. A bit earlier than Kid would have liked.
He changed in the bathroom—he’d never been comfortable changing in front of friends. When he emerged, after brushing out any creases—
He was immediately struck by the sight before him.
Tan skin. A lot of it.
Oh god.
Notes:
Rate plan on gay scale. Idk if its too subtle
🫤
Chapter 19: Dumbstruck
Summary:
The plan in motion i guess. Read the thing. I am excited for the masses to read the thing. Sorry she small. I make frequent offering in exchange for smaller offerings
Notes:
This one for fine shyt @TB_BG. They wanna marry me platonically so im basically set.
Anyway enjoy my dumb musings
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Kid POV
Oh god, he needed to stop gawking. They had noticed him. His face was burning, and his eyes felt glued to his bare chest. Why couldn’t he just put a damn shirt on?
The voice he’d grown to loathe was secretly whispering that he should commit this image to memory before the shirt went on. He had that smug look. Oh crap—he was looking right at him. Oh god. Soul too. He couldn’t deny it anymore—he’d been caught staring.
He held a closed fist to his mouth as he cleared his throat, also using it to obscure his attempt to bite down a scream to the universe.
“So, um, no shirts?”
“Ha, yeah. I run hot, or something.”
He chose that moment to clasp his hands together, stretching them out in front of him before raising both arms above his head. His body stiffened like a plank, sitting diagonally with his lower half lifting from the couch seat without bothering to fully stand.
Soul glanced between the two of them before taking the Pringles can and tossing it toward Kid. That was enough to tear his eyes away—he caught it easily. With that, Kid took his rightful place next to Soul, placing him squarely between them.
He used the opportunity to center himself. He could never predict Black☆Star’s spontaneity, and this was just one of many examples. He wasn’t sure how he’d be on Monday. He would use this sleepover to determine whether he could handle keeping this to himself.
If not… well, Liz had said Black☆Star probably wouldn’t rescind friendship entirely. But the thing was—Kid might need to. Not forever, but maybe for a little while. Of course, he couldn’t just go silent and cut contact without a reason. Black☆Star would notice, and once he noticed, there’d be no such thing as “alone.” Unfortunately, if he did take a break, he’d have to bite the bullet. He really hoped it wouldn’t come to that.
It would be rather embarrassing to fess up to Black☆Star. He knew Liz and Patty had his back, though. He could shut off for one night. It’s just one night…
Black☆Star POV
Stage one of his grand plan had successfully been put into play. The plan was beautiful in its simplicity. Without Tsubaki to talk to beforehand, he’d sort of had to scramble for purchase. Regardless, this was more planning than he usually did. Kid should be flattered he cared.
He couldn’t let Kid know he was aware of what had been going on these past couple of weeks. That would scare him off. He simply needed to remind Kid what he’d been missing. He definitely got a look from him earlier.
He just needed to keep that up and things would finally go back to normal.
He’d placed himself so Soul sat between them, as if that could come between him and his goal. He spread out, arms slung over the couch, his hand just within reach of Kid’s neck. He could touch, but Kid probably wouldn’t find that thrilling. He’d start small.
Black☆Star waited another 10 minutes before announcing he needed to use the bathroom. Getting up, stretching, and walking casually over, he bumped Kid’s knee a little as he passed. No flinching. That was good. He was buzzing, heart pounding out of his chest.
That was one thing he wanted to change after their secret exchange—Kid had become more private. Avoiding Black☆Star’s casual touches and affection when interacting. It’s not like they were overly affectionate, but to suddenly lose all contact felt like a step backwards. It felt crucial to return to their new status quo.
Washing his face, he prepped to return to the living room. This time, he’d sit near Kid. A grin split his face at the thought of executing phase two.
Black☆Star returned, his gait a confident strut before plopping down on the open section nearest the bathroom—which coincidentally pressed him right up against Kid. This caused a domino effect: Kid and then Soul shifted, Soul claiming the space Black☆Star had vacated. Leaning in without looking away from the screen, he whispered:
“Hey, what’d I miss?”
Black☆Star knew what he missed—it was reruns, and he’d seen this episode maybe a year ago. But that was beside the point.
“Um, I think the origins? I got lost after that.”
“Oh, ok cool. Thanks, Kid.”
After a while, Black☆Star decided to up the ante again. He spread himself out on the couch: knees apart, arms outstretched along the headrest. His wrist collided with the back of Kid’s neck. There was no flinching. In fact, no reaction at all. Kid was focused on the movie.
He figured this would be easier—Kid wasn’t a big fan of this franchise. Maybe he didn’t understand it yet. That’s why he was so focused. Time to make it a learning moment.
“So how’s it been so far?”
Startled, Kid looked a little confused, glancing between the TV and Black☆Star.
“Erm… it’s not dreadful? The acting is okay. Not sure about the organisation though.”
“So wait, are you following along or not? I’m confused.”
“Well, as far as the main character goes, it’s a fairly standard backstory. It’s mainly just how many plot holes there are with the villainous organization. What exactly do they produce? Are they arms dealers? Is that a side hustle? It’s elusive. They have their own building in the middle of town.”
“Oh. Uh… guess I never really questioned it.”
So he was paying attention then. That worked a moment ago! Black☆Star had to get his game face back on or this sleepover was a waste.
He reached over Kid—placing a bracing hand on his thigh to grab his drink, abandoned when he’d moved earlier. Soul gave a slightly confused look toward Kid before handing the drink over.
No longer leaning, Black☆Star removed the hand he had purposely placed on Kid’s thigh. He stayed close, arm over the couch back to give the illusion of an arm loosely around Kid’s shoulder. Honestly, he felt quite pleased with himself. Kid hadn’t backed away or flinched like he had been. He had this gym thing in the bag.
Notes:
So um cool plan. Solid work. Imma finish a chapter on the backburner and start the next one (like one sentence bare minimum dw) before updating again. I wont make people wait long
Chapter 20: Soul Bare Witness
Summary:
Star does 47 pushups. Kid doesn't notice
Notes:
The crux of my creation. This is what we wanted. It gets to the fun bits
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Soul POV
How did he find himself here? This was such an odd hangout, even for him.
Currently he was watching Black☆Star doing one-handed handstand pushups during the ad breaks.
“Nobody’s counting Black☆Star you might as well stop.”
He went to nudge Kid with his elbow, sharing in the ridiculousness of the display Black☆Star was putting on when—
Huh, a bit stiff. He seemed poised. He had expected a reciprocation of sorts, an eyeroll maybe at his antics. Not even a sigh, like he was at some hodge podge event. He knew the tension from personal experience.
Ok. He slinked back into his seat to see the situation unfold.
Was it something in the room? He did see his record collections. Did he put them in the incorrect order?
For his own way of categorising, he had clarified his methods and since then it had seemed unproblematic and rather a pleasant feature of their living room for Kid. Maybe he had them in the wrong order?
He doubts Kid would go out of his way to fact check and his knowledge on music genres and artists was limited.
No that couldn’t be it, if he saw a problem there he would have told him.
What else? Try looking without looking too hard. Where is he looking?
The floor? A chip in the tiles?
There it was, a flicker. Involuntarily pointing to the problem.
Black☆Star? Maybe he’s being a bit too loud. Better mediate.
“Hey I like the tune on this ad can we can it?”
“47! OH ok sure thing.”
Black☆Star got up immediately to launch himself onto the couch, cosied up to Kid.
What was that? A flinch?
He’s not seeming to be doing much better… Actually, it appears he’s in more distress.
Ok it’s definitely Black☆Star, what the hell is going on?
Could he not have the one sleepover?
Ugh of course Maka sticking her nose in would loop him into whatever mess this is.
“Hey Kid would you mind checking the instructions for the lasagna and preheating the oven?”
Kid in a measured response calmly got up with a curt,
“Of course.”
Waiting for Kid to be just out of ear shot Soul approached Black☆Star with a critical stare.
Speaking in harsh whispers—
“Ok something is up with Kid. You know anything?”
Black☆Star startled to attention, whipped his head around.
“What makes you say that? Anything he’s been doing?”
He seemed almost… giddy, expectant. He was trying to hide the fact though unsuccessful.
Ok he’ll see if he takes the bait.
“Anything I should look out for?”
Black☆Star’s POV
He hesitated a little. He was pretty sure Soul could be swayed to understanding.
“Mainly if he’s looking at me.”
Soul looked confused at first, then slowly prodded.
“Wait. Are you trying to impress him? Like… actually?”
Suddenly nervous, Black☆Star let out a laugh—too loud and too fast.
Really, it was such a teensy issue. Why was he blowing it out of the water?
“No, nothing like that. I just want him back at the gym, you know.”
“I could know. Try.”
Should he? Screw it—Soul wasn’t going to let this go now.
“Soo maybe Kid was at the gym for the past week and a bit… watching me. And you can’t tell him I know! Seriously, or it’ll screw the whole thing up.”
“Hold up. You’re not just trying to win him back like… a rival or something. You’re—”
Soul leaned in, lowering his voice.
“Are you coming onto him?”
Black☆Star could immediately feel the reaction brewing inside him—a hot, embarrassed fizz in his gut.
He wanted to laugh it off, spit a denial, something. But the words wouldn’t come.
Why was he smiling?
“So what if I am? Best action this place has seen.”
Soul scrunched his face, scoffing at Black☆Star’s statement.
“During the sleepover? Dude, that’s gross. I’m right there. Just… can you not?”
“Stars don’t just stop shining, Soul. You should know that.”
Soul groaned, signaling the end of his patience.
As the conversation slipped into silence, Black☆Star mumbled to himself, quietly reclaiming the moment:
“Victory, as always.”
What he got in return was an eye-roll and a tongue click from Soul.
But the victory didn’t feel solid—not with the new pit forming in his stomach. Something that felt suspiciously like uneven footing revealing itself beneath his bravado.
Tsubaki POV
Tsubaki had just set up a tray of tea and biscuits in the blanket fort her and Maka had made.
She was insistent on the very traditional stereotypical sleepover antics.
She hadn’t heard a whole lot about Maka, her theory was based on her own snooping.
That being, for a long time Maka didn’t really have any close connections outside of Black☆Star. It was what she could see and what she had heard from Black☆Star himself.
He mentioned the situation with her father and at a point in the past she had confided he was her only ‘safe’ option. Given his no mum thing.
It was unfortunate but Tsubaki was happy to be making up for lost time with her.
“I made tea!”
“Oooh sounds delicious! So what was that book you were talking about earlier?”
As she placed the tray down Maka seemed to take particular interest looking at the biscuits.
“Damnit!”
“What is it?”
“Ugh I made cookies but I forgot to bring em. Whatever, Black☆Star would have been into them by now. They were technically Soul’s anyway.”
“I can’t say I suspect any different. It was very thoughtful of you regardless.”
Right, Black☆Star. She couldn’t say she wasn’t worried.
She had advised him against acting rashly but honestly she’s not sure he’d stick to that.
Her only real consolation was Soul being there.
While he wouldn’t want to be caught in the middle with Black☆Star and Kid she very much doubts he’d let things blow up.
If only she had been able to talk to him earlier…
Kid POV
Kid had narrowly made it through the night, with Black☆Star’s usual antics being more intense tonight.
He had called Liz in the hushed privacy of the kitchen. As he hunched over the landline, she had reassured him that if he needed to come home it was absolutely something they could arrange.
A fabricated emergency.
It seemed just knowing an out could be provided at the drop of a hat soothed him enough to face the rest of the night head on.
Though there was little need once those titular episodes aired. Black☆Star’s showboating ground to a hault in anticipation, his eyes thankfully glued to the screen.
About 15 minutes into the second episode they were sitting with their lasagna dinner. Black☆Star and Soul exchanging cheesy one liners and picking up references.
Whenever the latter occurred Black☆Star had still taken the time to explain them to Kid.
He was calmer now though or maybe it was the fact that Kid himself was.
It was sweet of him to include Kid. Unfortunately that little brainworm persisted.
However Kid did still have pressing matters on his mind, this was merely a calm belt.
Black☆Star to his knowledge was settled due to this holding his attention but he was a very ‘in your face’ type of presence.
He would mull it over on Sunday but something Liz had said was echoing.
“If you needed the time away it would do better to tell Black☆Star why. He would respect your reasons.”
He knew this to be true but rejection and fessing up to a crush had rarely been painted as fun and he had to wholeheartedly agree at the very notion.
He focussed his thoughts into just making it to Sunday, once he was home he could run through this with Liz and Patty.
Try to coordinate a way to make the separation easier.
Maybe he was being dramatic given the height of his emotions right now, it was only yesterday that he had his breakdown with Liz.
He remained optimistic.
As he drifted to sleep on the shared air mattress he held strong affirming himself.
Notes:
Breathe if Soul being caught in the middle is one of life’s few joys
Doo_doof (Guest) on Chapter 2 Sat 14 Jun 2025 04:42AM UTC
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