Chapter Text
Kid’s alarm buzzed obnoxiously ruining the calm silence that the reaper had been enjoying. He’d been conscious for half an hour now, but didn’t bother getting up until he had to. He wasn’t looking forward to this day, he’d have to see his father about the Nygus incident. Turning off the alarm, he sat up in his bed and tried to calm himself. After a few more minutes of just sitting there, he decided to go on with his morning rituals, there was no point in wasting time.
On the way to school Patty had decided to play ‘step on a crack, break your mother’s back’. Kid watched with a small smile as the younger weapon jumped from paving stone to paving stone. She’d grown up in the last few years, but even at eighteen years old she was still as childish as ever. Liz hadn’t changed much either, the only difference now was that she constantly took selfies. Her Instagram was full of cute pictures of her and Patty with the occasional non-consensual images of an unamused Kid.
Nearing the top of the stairs Kid swallowed. He had to report to his father before class started, and if he was late then it would only make the situation worse. Kid wasn’t afraid of punishment, his father wouldn’t do that for something this trivial, he was afraid of the conversation that they’d have to have. Lord Death wanted Kid to be the best that he could be and inside Kid’s head, he could never fulfil his father’s wish. That’s what Kid dreaded.
“Go to class without me,” Kid ordered mindlessly as he stepped onto the plateau. The girls exchanged worried glances and hesitantly complied.
The reaper didn’t process any reply that they could have potentially said, he just walked quickly to the Death Room passing various other students and teachers. His stiff demeanour and ever so slightly paranoid facial expression earned a few concerned glances his way, he just waved them off and went on his way. He stopped right outside the double doors to the room where his father spent the majority of his time. He took a deep breath, calmed himself and walked on in as if he was going in for a casual chat. Hands out of pockets, standing up straight, he walked down the guillotine littered corridor making a bee-line for the platform his father stood upon.
As he got closer, his father turned to face him, “Heya Kiddo!” He greeted happily, pulling out a big white hand.
“Hi,” Kid replied, voice low and gravelly.
“So how ya been?! You don’t talk to me much anymore. Must be those teenage hormones distracting you, huh?” He poked Kid’s right arm.
“Father, please…”
“There’s nothing to be ashamed of! I used to be in with all the ladies when I was your age! Just don’t get too attached, you know as a reaper you can’t get too close,” Lord Death lectured.
“Dad… uhh…” Kid’s view became downcast, his confident façade gone.
“What’s up?” His father’s voice sounded concerned.
The younger reaper’s voice was nearly inaudible, “Could you uh… poke my other arm.”
The elder let out a sigh and complied, “Oh, Kid.”
Kid was still looking at his feet.
His father reached out and lifted his chin, forcing his son to look at him, “This ties in with why I asked you here, you know.”
Kid attempted to nod with his father’s large hand holding his face up at a slightly uncomfortable angle.
“Friday, with Nygus. She told me that you lashed out at her over your suits. Is that true?”
Kid nodded.
“Now I know that you’re growing up, and I can’t baby you anymore. But you’re a reaper and one day you’ll be in charge of this place. You can’t set a bad example to the other students.”
“Yes, father, I know but—“
“The suits are not an excuse, Kid. I’m disappointed in you. I know you can’t help it, it’s a part of you that you inherited from my soul. But that doesn’t mean that you can continue on living like this, without even trying to help yourself.”
“I-I-I—“
“When you were created, I’d hoped that the effects of the Madness of Order wouldn’t interfere with your everyday life. Or at least subside as you got older, but you’re eighteen now and it’s still as much of a problem as it was when you were little.”
“I’m sorry, father,” Kid was staring at his feet again.
“Don’t apologise, it isn’t your fault, Kiddo.” The elder reaper leaned in, “As much as I seem like a big old meanie right now, remember that I love you no matter what, okay?”
Kid nodded.
“Now, I want you to go and apologise to Nygus. Not just a casual ‘sorry’ I want you to formally apologise to her.”
“Yes, father. I understand.”
“Good, now go find her and head to class when you’re done. Alright?”
“Y-yes,” Kid quickly turned on his heel and headed stiffly out of the Death Room.
He closed the door almost silently and slowly headed down the hall in the direction of the infirmary.
“Left, right, left, right…” Kid’s eyes were clenched shut as he attempted to move his legs to the quick rhythm. He wanted to get as far away from the Death Room as he possibly could before he lost the ability to walk correctly. His mind became clouded and
unable stay upright, he eventually collapsed in the middle of the hallway, tears running down his face.
‘I’m disappointed’. That phrase repeated itself like a broken record inside his head. Again and again and again it rang, reminding him. The phrase began to mutate into other things like ‘you’re worthless’ and ‘you’re good-for-nothing’. Amidst sobbing he opened his eyes and stared down at his hands, a sound of disgust left his mouth. His palms were dirty and soaked with his sweat, tears and sins.
In his distressed state he managed to scramble into the closest bathroom without tripping too many times. He fumbled with the doorknob and managed to get inside, fortunately no one was using the faculties. He locked the door and rushed to the sink. He hastily turned both the hot and cold faucets four times each and drenched his hands in the lukewarm water, dispelling the top layer of grime and tears. His breathing was erratic as he squirted exactly two drops of soap from the dispenser into his right hand and began to rub it into the other. He would repeat this process every two minutes for another eight times. It was then that he was allowed to consider himself clean.
He had kept the water running for sixteen minutes straight while he scrubbed his hands and on that eventual realisation he instantly felt worse. So much water was wasted on this being that doesn’t even need to drink water to live, on a being that cannot even die. The Californian drought was probably Kid’s fault alone.
“So useless!” He screamed at himself into the mirror, “You can’t do anything right, you asymmetrical piece of fucking shit!”
At that keyword, Kid’s eyes instantly shot up to the three white lines that covered the entire left side of his head, to the apparent source of all his misery. With his jaw clenched shut and his teeth baring, in an impulsive burst of anger, he punched the mirror
with his right hand, aiming for the head. This introduced many small cuts to his fist. His image was still there, distorted, but still returning a disgust look. With a scream he punched it again, this time with his left hand. In a rage he continued to beat at the poor
mirror until it was merely small shards piling on the floor. It took exactly forty-six punches before there was no mirror left on the bathroom wall, he was counting. By this time blood and tears were everywhere, and his hand washing amounted to nothing.
He stepped back and collapsed to the shiny, now glass littered floor, curling himself into a ball and weeping as hard as he could. Kid wasn’t necessarily superstitious, but the thought of seven years of bad luck clouded his mind and drowned out everything else.
Seven was a disgusting number, it was abnormal. Kid despised the numeral’s existence. Did it count if he broke the mirror forty-six times? How many years would it be then? Forty-six multiplied by seven equals three hundred and twenty-two. That’s a lot of
years, even for an immortal being.
He rolled onto his back, no doubt his suit had become damaged again in the recent events. He’d have to go get another suit from Nygus in the infirmary. He’d come full circle. He was sprawled out like a star, shards of glass were digging into his back. He
clenched his eyes shut and wailed. Kid had lost all track of time, he couldn’t even remember what part of the school he was in. No doubt people had heard the pained noises he was making. His thoughts eventually became too much and he passed out on the
bathroom floor only to be found by whichever unlucky person managed to get the door open.
When Kid regained consciousness, he found himself in an empty infirmary. His jacket was hanging on a nearby chair and his hands were cleaned of any dry blood that would have stained his fists. Kid disliked the notion that he’d been tended to while he was asleep. He sat up and stretched. How long had he been in here? Who had found him? He hoped that it was someone persuadable. He didn’t want it getting out that he’d been found like that in a bathroom. The school would be bustling with theories as to what happened.
The reaper’s thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a doorknob turning. Slightly startled, he whipped his head around to see who was there. Nygus stood in the doorway in her nurse uniform, a clipboard in her hand. The three star weapon wasn’t wearing her bandages, she probably had to teach P.E that day and taking the bandages off and on repeatedly would be a pain. Upon seeing Kid awake she smiled. He quickly averted his gaze, the memory of Friday coming back to him.
“You feeling alright?” She asked, putting down her clipboard and picking up another from the end of Kid’s bed, “What happened?”
Kid shook his head, “Nothing, don’t worry?”
She pulled a chair beside Kid’s bed and sat down, “Are you sure? Because the student who found you had a bit of a fright. I don’t think I’d classify a completely shattered mirror and a passed out reaper nothing.”
He pulled his legs up into his chest and sighed.
“I won’t tell your dad. He doesn’t need to know what’s happening right now, alright. We just want you to be healthy.”
“I just had a… breakdown. It won’t happen again,” He mumbled.
Nygus nodded and wrote something down onto the paper on her clipboard, “Do you want to talk about it?”
Kid shook his head.
“Alright then,” She stood and put the document away in one of her files, “You’re free to go whenever, just take it easy.”
Nodding, Kid pushed off the covers and headed into the changing room to get another suit. His jacket and trousers had a few specks of blood on it from his fists so he needed another. The changing room was much more orderly than the last time he was in
here. He was instantly reminded of his father’s order. He had to apologise to Nygus. Within ten minutes Kid was dressed and ready to forget the whole ordeal.
Out in the main room, Nygus was doing some work on her laptop. She looked up when she heard Kid close the changing room door on his way out.
He hesitantly walked up to her desk, his fingers twiddled with eachother, “I’m sorry about Friday, it was wrong of me to be such a brat. The suits were no excuse for my behaviour. Sorry again.”
“You don’t have to apologise, I know you don’t mean to be a brat,” She smiled, not intending any offense.
“I am really sorry,” He repeated
She let out a small laugh, “Quit worrying and hurry up and get out of here, your class should be on break right about now.”
“Y-yeah, bye.” Kid turned on his heel and walked stiffly out of the infirmary.
“Bye,” She waved.