Work Text:
A large circular piece of plastic slapped down on Kid’s desk, sending piles of papers everywhere. Unphased, Kid looked up at Blackstar with a deadpan expression, and with the wave of a finger, the papers started putting themselves back into piles.
“Why did you just do that?”
Blackstar placed his foot upon the desk and leaned over his knee. “We are going sledding,” he declared, a wicked grin on his face. “Even if I gotta drag you outta this office myself.”
“Don’t you have other things to do?”
“I dunno, can you remember the last time you gave me a mission worth my time?”
“We live in the middle of the desert.”
“With a God who can travel through mirrors.”
“I’m busy.”
“You’re in charge. You don’t gotta be busy when you don’t wanna be.”
“Then I’m choosing to be busy.” Kid banished the sled from his desk and kept on working.
Blackstar scurried around the table, grabbed the back of the chair, spun it around, and held it by the arms. “What if I ask nicely?”
“You’re capable of such a thing?”
“Lord Death, will you please go sledding with me?”
Kid’s eyes widened, the dead neutral expression wiped right off his face. He couldn’t help his smile, but it was more teasing than fond. “Did the great Blackstar just say please?”
“Uh-huh. A big man knows when to ask nicely.”
Kidd sat back and crossed his legs. The smirk remained on his face. “I didn’t even know you knew that word.” He poked at Blackstar’s leg with the toe of his shoe.
“You should never underestimate me, Kid. Here I thought you knew that by now.”
Kid shrugged. “I hope there never comes a day when you cease to amaze me.”
“When’s the last time you took a break, huh?”
“The day before I was sworn in.”
“Four years is a long time, Kid.”
“Not that long to a God, if you think about it.”
Blackstar pulled the chair away from the desk and rolled them over to the mirror. Kid did not protest, and instead pulled his legs up so the chair would move with ease.
“Where’s Tsubaki today?” He asked. “Can’t she accompany you on this excursion?”
“She’s busy today.”
“Meaning?”
“Meaning she’s having a ‘me day,’ meaning I am gonna have a me day with you.”
“Seems counter to the definition.”
Blackstar spun the chair around and caught the back of it so Kid was facing the mirror. “So, where we goin, Lord Death?”
Kidd stood and approached the mirror. He placed his finger on the glass and the image rippled into a wintery scene.
Blackstar stood beside him with his hands on his hips. “Where is it?”
Kid hummed in consideration. “Somewhere north of here. I just thought of a snowy hill and here it is.”
“Aw hell yes.”
Kid looked Blackstar up and down. “You’re going to be cold.”
“Then take me home.”
“What?”
“Ya know, do the mirror thing, I’ll grab my coat.”
Kid rolled his eyes. “Where is Tsubaki having her ‘me day?’”
“When I left she was on the couch.”
“Well, pray she’s not in the bathroom.” Kid changed the mirror again, this time to Blackstar’s bathroom. No one appeared to be using the space. He placed one hand upon Blackstar’s shoulder and the other upon the glass. “Make it quick,” he demanded, then shoved Blackstar through the mirror.
Kid watched as his companion rolled onto the floor, sprung to his feet, and scurried off to get his coat. Blackstar returned moments later and dove for the mirror. He tumbled back into the death room and was on his feet in an instant. He turned on a heel and marched right back to Kid’s side.
“Ready.”
Kid found their hill again. He summoned his own coat while Blackstar donned his winter wear and grabbed the sled off the floor. Kid took his hand and placed the other upon the mirror. He pulled them through the glass.
They fell out a window pane and into a dim wintery world. The entire landscape was painted in an eerie blue, the sun well below the trees and the street lamps waiting to turn on. They landed in shallow snow dusting a concrete path, and broke apart the moment they hit the ground. They landed with a grunt, and stood seconds later. Kid brushed the snow off his pants and Blackstar skipped through the white covered field, exclaiming an excited “yahoo!” as he bounded towards the hill.
Kid smiled and shook his head. He put his hands in his pockets and followed with far less enthusiasm. Blackstar reached the crest of the hill, tossed the sled down, and fell to his knees upon it. He slid down as Kid was climbing, and aimed right at him with open arms, threatening to sweep him up.
Kid stepped aside, successfully avoiding the assault, and continued his trek up the hill while Blackstar desperately tried to avoid the only tree at the bottom. When Kid reached the top he waited patiently for Blackstar to collect himself and run back up.
“You only have one sled,” Kid commented. “We’ll have to take turns.”
“We can go down together.”
“It’s a one person sled.”
“So?”
“So we’re not going to fit.”
“That’s quitter talk, Kid, I expect more from a God.” Blackstar laid down on his stomach and stuck his legs out straight and his arms out like superman. “Climb onto my back.”
Kid met him with a deadpan expression. “I’m not going to do that.”
Blackstar flipped into his back and sat up. He grabbed Kid’s pant leg and started pulling him down. “Come on, let the big man carry you down.” He grabbed the back of Kid’s knees successfully forcing him to step closer. As soon as Kid was fully within reach Blackstar dragged him all the way down and pushed off with his heel.
Kid yelped and tripped over. Before he knew what was happening they were sailing down the snowy hill, one haphazardly stacked atop the other. The ride wasn’t smooth, and they didn’t make it all the way down without falling apart. Kid’s legs were dragging and when he tried to readjust he slipped entirely off the sled and started rolling the rest of the way.
The snow was smooth and well packed. Blackstar went on, laughing so hard he could barely breathe. He cackled and sailed right past the tree, nearly rolling all the way back to the building they’d come from.
Kid laid on his back and stared at the grey sky. It was snowing, but the flakes were so small they were hard to see. The park lights and street lamps had gone on, splashing the field in tones of yellow. Blackstar leaned over him.
“How ya doin’, death god?”
Kid turned his eyes to his companion and didn’t immediately respond. He shifted like he was about to get up, but instead swept Blackstar’s legs out from under him. Kid sprung to his feet, stole the sled, and booked it up the hill.
Blackstar blinked at the sky a moment, and lifted his head just in time to see Kid whoosh past him on the sled. He turned in circles and held the edges for dear life, a genuine smile curling his lip as he slid as far as the sled would take him.
Blackstar leaped back to his feet. “My turn!” He declared.
Kid stood and ran right past him. “Only if you can get it from me!”
Blackstar gaped at his back, but the hung mouth quickly twisted into a wicked grin. “Oh, you wanna play, huh?”
Kid wasted no time getting back on the sled the moment he reached the crest of the hill. He sat down upon the plastic and as he started to slide down, caught sight of Blackstar waiting for him in the path.
Blackstar was fast, but the moment he made a grab for the sled Kid summoned a tiny skull-shaped jet to one of his shoulder blades and avoided his assailant with ease, skimming past Blackstar’s efforts to grab him and sailing down the hill uninterrupted.
“You’re gonna whip out your god shit, Kid?” Blackstar said, standing at the base of the hill. “This is gonna be way more fun than I thought.”
Kid stood up and held the sled against the ground on its edge. He spun the sled around and stopped it short, smirking at his friend. “Well come on, Blackstar, I expect a little more effort from the man who’s going to surpass god.”
Blackstar smirked back, then he was gone. He moved in a blur. Kid caught the movement the moment Blackstar got close, and pulled the sled just out of reach. He pulled it up, rolled it over his shoulders and caught it in the opposite hand. Blackstar made another grab but Kid rolled it under the outstretched hand, passed it to himself behind his back, and tossed it into the air.
The speed and force of Blackstar’s pursuit nearly knocked Kid off his feet. He booked it across the field like a whip and used the lone tree to propel himself into the air.
Kid smiled at the display and started running back up the hill. Blackstar caught the sled and started running the moment he hit the ground. He ran all the way to the opposite side of the hill, all the way up, and started sledding down before Kid could get ahold of him.
The air whipped the hair back on Blackstar’s head, the chill prickled his face, and he could not stop smiling. As soon as he reached the bottom the sled was pulled out from under him, and he found Kid in a mad dash for the crest of the hill. He leaped on the sled the moment he got there and went down the otherside.
Blackstar scrambled to his feet and ran around the base, trying to catch Kid right at the bottom. He stopped short when he got there, but Kid was nowhere to be found.
A snowball plopped right onto Blackstar’s head. He brushed it out of his hair and looked up to find Kid hovering above him with two little skull jets.
He smiled and waved and wobbled the sled in the air.
“You’re gonna have to come down eventually!” Blackstar called up to him.
“Make me,” Kid challenged.
Blackstar rubbed his cold hands together and looked around. He stepped way back in the field and took a running start towards the tree. He used the trunk to propel himself into the air again, and got his aim dead on.
Kid turned to the side and avoided the attack, but caught Blackstar by one hand mid flight. The sudden dead weight nearly pulled him out of the air, but he held fast and firm and he and Blackstar floated there hand in hand, one hung by the other.
Blackstar smirked up at him. “Wanna go down together?”
Kid smiled back. He dropped him, and Blackstar landed with ease. Kid lowered himself back down and handed over the sled. They trekked to the crest together, and placed the sled in the center of the hilltop so they wouldn’t slide down before they figured out how to get two people on a one person sled without one of them falling off.
They settled on Kid sitting on the sled cross legged and Blackstar sitting in his lap. Blackstar pushed them all the way to the edge with his heels and they slid down backwards accompanied by a symphony of yelps and laughs as the world flattened out but they kept going.
The moment they came to a stop they rolled onto the ground and laid on their backs, smiles still pressed into their faces. When the chuckling died down they sat in the quiet of the winter night, and watched the snow fall. Flakes met and melted on Blackstar’s warm cheeks, but retained their form against Kid’s cold skin.
He sat up and wiped the snow off his face. He turned to his companion. “I think that’s enough sledding for one day.”
Blackstar laughed and sprung upright. “Man, I gotta get you outta the office more often.” He stood and picked up the sled as he did.
Kid led them back to the window from which they’d come, and pulled them back through the mirror. Blackstar blinked and winced, expecting the sterile light of the death room. What he found instead was something equally dim as the world outside.
“Where are we?”
Kid wandered over to the wall. “Brace yourself,” he warned.
Blackstar winced as the lights came on. He blinked his eyes open and found himself in a sizable and overly well maintained bathroom that he recognized from at least one or two occasions prior.
“Huh? What are we doing here?”
Kid drifted towards the door and exited into his bedroom. “Well, it is pretty late,” he said. “I don’t have to return to the office just yet.” He twisted on a heel and stood in the doorway. “I thought you’d want something warm to drink.”
Blackstar’s confused expression melted into a smile. He stripped out of his coat and shoes and followed Kid out of the bathroom and into the house.
“If you feel so inclined,” Kid said. “You may take a warm bath in one of the guest bedrooms while I prepare the drinks. I should have a change of clothes for you around here somewhere.”
“Is this a ploy to get me to stay longer?”
“Well, Blackstar, I think we both know I’d never object to you staying longer.”
Blackstar smirked and stopped short of following. He broke off to find one of the guest bedrooms with every intention of taking the invitation.
Kid banished his wet coat and clothes in exchange for something more comfortable. He wandered down to the kitchen, and leisurely made his way around to the fridge and cupboards pulling out cream, milk, chocolate and instant hot chocolate powder. In the midst of his gathering he wandered off and turned on the TV in the opposite room to have some sound while he prepared the warm beverage.
He pulled a pot from the cupboard, put it over medium heat and filled it halfway with milk and a portion of cream. He stirred the liquid slowly with a whisk for a few minutes until it was warm but not bubbling.
When thin wisps of steam started to drift off the surface of the liquid, Kid grabbed a sift and the jar of hot chocolate mix and started adding it to the milk. With one hand he shook the sift over the pot and whisked with the other. He watched his mixture with care, keeping a close eye on the color. When the mix was completely integrated he leaned over the pot and silently determined whether or not to put in more. Feeling satisfied, Kid summoned a microplainer from the drawer and grated several pieces of dark chocolate into the liquid. He paused and took a moment to let it integrate, then added more as necessary.
He tapped his whisk on the edge of the pot, turned the heat to low, and moved on to the next step. He pulled the large stand mixer out of a lower cupboard and placed it on the island. He dumped a fair portion of sugar and cream into the bowl, turned the mixer on and let it go.
In the middle of doing this he sensed a shift in the air, and didn’t bother to look over his shoulder to see who was entering the room. Seconds later he felt a strong set of hands on his waist which made a fruitless attempt to tase him.
“Here I thought you’d take longer,” Kid said, looking over his shoulder for Blackstar’s face.
Blackstar’s hands lingered on the waist, but the touch was far softer. “I could smell the chocolate from all the way up there,” he said in a faux dreamy voice. He relinquished his hold and twisted around to throw himself up onto the counter.
“And whipped cream too, damn. Ya know, for a guy who doesn’t really eat, you sure know how to make a mean hot chocolate.”
“I wouldn’t call it that good.” Kid watched the whipped cream carefully as it started to take shape. His hand lingered on the toggle, ready to stop the mixer. “Well, then again I don’t have much a say, do I?” He grumbled. He turned off the mixer the moment the whipped cream reached perfect consistency.
Blackstar leaped off the counter and watched patiently as Kid meticulously filled two mugs with hot chocolate, topped them with whipped cream, and topped that with dark chocolate shavings. The amount of hot chocolate was perfect for three servings, the two they would drink, and the second Blackstar would inevitably return for later.
They gathered in the living room, Kid set coasters on the coffee table, and they pressed into the warm couch under a blanket.
Kid was always freezing. He was so cold it was sometimes like trying to cuddle with an ice pack. But Blackstar prevailed regardless. He pulled a blanket over their laps and pressed into Kid’s side.
They watched whatever had been put on the TV, but neither paid much attention to it. Blackstar guzzled down half of his drink and licked the whipped cream off his lip as he put his cup down. He wrapped one arm around Kid, bringing them just the slightest bit closer, and pressed back into the couch.
Kid took short sips of his hot chocolate. His hands were warmed by the mug, but he cooled it far more effectively than it warmed him. He put the cup down and pressed into Blackstar. He released a small sigh and settled against the radiant body.
“We should go sledding more often.”
Blackstar cracked a smile. “Definitely.”