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Kid's drifting in and out of consciousness after the Kishin is killed, everything he' sees as he wakes up is foggy and difficult to understand. His stomach is killing him, he's sure there's something wrong but he can't stay awake long enough to groan.
When he wakes up again, he's been flipped over onto his back, laying halfway in someones lap. His stomach still hurts – it's actually quite annoying if he's honest.
“Kid?” There are hands on his face now, and Kid opens his eyes slowly as he attempts to see who's holding his head. But it's blurry and everything’s spinning, and he realizes that he's either going to vomit or pass out again. He can't be sure which though. His eyes droop closed and the hands on his face go stiff.
“Kid!”
“Do you have a bandage?”
“No – why would I have a bandage Soul?”
“Well we need something to wrap his damn wound with!”
“Guys, he's – I think he's waking up!”
“Kid?!”
“Kid!”
Pain. He woke to excruciating pain as something was being wrapped tightly around his stomach. It hadn't actually hurt this much when it'd been left alone – but now that someone's messing with it Kid's pretty sure he's going to die from the mere pain alone.
His head is still propped up – on someones lap probably, and from the way his stomach is freezing Kid guesses that his shirt has been pulled up. It's uncomfortable, and it hurts, burns really but he can't get his mouth to obey him.
He's trying to tell them to stop, he's a Reaper, it's not like a wound like this will kill him. Cause some pain, yes, and he's going to need to fix his jacket. Maybe even get a new one if he can't get the blood stains out and he's also going to need a new button up shirt because - Kid whimpers when whoever is wrapping his wound pulls really hard. That hurt.
“S-orry.” Someone says, and he opens his eyes again. Everything’s still really blurry, so he squints in an attempt to focus his eyes.
After a moment everything comes – somewhat – into focus and he recognizes the person wrapping his stomach as Tsubaki. He blinks, before letting his head fall back and then he's suddenly looking up into the face of a grinning Patty.
Her eyes are red, puffy, and Kid realizes with shock that she's been crying. He opens his mouth to say something but all that comes out is a worried sounding grunt. Patty laughs at him.
“Welcome back, Kid!” She giggles, and that's more like her. “We were worried!”
What? Kid thinks, that's ridiculous. He can't believe they were actually worried. He finds himself wishing he could roll his eyes, but he's too tired.
Kid's not sure why he's so weak. He's been stabbed like this before and he's never gotten this exhausted. It feels like all his energy was drained somehow.
“All done.” Tsubaki says, her hands stilling.
“We should get going, then.” Maka, Kid recognizes that as Maka, says to them all. Kid can't really see where the others are in his current position, but he hears them as they start moving around. Yes, they should get moving, it's not like it's very safe to just sit here.
Kid shifts, trying to stand, but all he can actually manage to do is pull one of his legs up slightly. Patty grabs his shoulders and holds him down.
“Oh no! You aren't going anywhere. You're hurt, Kid!”
“And after that show of yours it wouldn't surprising us if you are exhausted.” Liz says as she suddenly appears, standing behind Patty and leaning over her sister's head.
Show? What show? Kid's not sure what they're talking about, but he supposes that – whatever is is – would explain why he's tired. But now he's not sure how they're supposed to get moving, because if he's not allowed to walk (not even sure he can) then how are they planning on moving him.
Tsubaki pulls his shirt and jacket down over his stomach, then, drawing his attention successfully away from the twins. Then, almost as if she's reading his mind, Maka comes over and smiles down at him.
“BlackStar can carry you if you're too tired to walk.”
“Wait, don't go volunteering me for things!” BlackStar shouted, running up beside Maka. He was glaring at her, but Maka was giving him basically the same look. After a moment of silent glaring, BlackStar groaned and knelt down beside Kid. “Fine. I'll carry him – gosh.”
Kid blinked, surprised. He actually hadn't expected BlackStar to go along with it that easily. Last time he'd carried Kid, he'd had to practically threaten BlackStar.
But now, all it'd taken was Maka glaring at him. BlackStar turned around, waving at either Tsubaki or Patty, or both. “Help me out since he can't move.”
“Alright!” Patty sung, pushing Kid into a sitting position. Kid let out a weak groan, wincing at the soreness to his stomach.
Thankfully after Tsubaki has stopped fiddling with the 'bandage' the wound had gone back down to a dull throb. Patty grabbed one of his arms, putting it over BlackStar's shoulder while Tsubaki did the same with his other arm.
Once the two had deemed him stable, they moved away and let BlackStar lift him up. BlackStar let out an exaggerated groan, stumbling forwards a few steps. Kid squinted his eyes.
“You're a lot heavier than you look, you know that, right?” Kid hears BlackStar complain, the Meister underneath him shifting so he's more hunched than before. Kid wants to tell him off, but his mouth doesn't move right so he makes a frustrated noise instead that's got BlackStar hoisting him up higher on his back. “I don't see why I have to carry you.” BlackStar adds after a moment.
Before Kid can even begin on thinking a response, Soul's turning to them both and smirking.
“You're the only one of us strong enough to carry him, BlackStar.” Soul laughs, and that has BlackStar straightening his back and setting his shoulders into a firm line.
Of course Soul saying something like that was going to make BlackStar's ego bigger. Kid finds himself wishing once again that he had the energy to stand and walk by himself.
“Well, if I'm the only one strong enough, then I, the amazing BlackStar, will put up with him!” He laughs, tossing up his head and leaning backwards so far that Kid starts to slide off his back.
Kid's hands flex slightly in a feeble attempt to grab onto BlackStar, and he lets out a startled noise as his upper body moves away from the other's. But then BlackStar leans forwards quickly, cursing as Kid's face slams into his shoulder.
It hurts, but not as much as the rest of him, so he just turns his head as much as he can so he's not staring down into the other Meister's shoulder.
“Woops.” BlackStar laughs, and Kid watches as Soul rolls his eyes and turns around, jogging to catch up to Maka and the others – they've already started to head back towards DWMA, apparently. “Sorry.”
Kid let out a sigh, letting his hands go limp from their 'hold' on BlackStar's shirt. This was better then having to walk back to the school, Kid supposed, even though it wasn't that long of a walk. Comfortable silence drifted over them as the group walked back towards the school, occasionally someone attempted to start up a conversation but they never lasted long.
BlackStar was focused in on making sure not to drop Kid, carefully navigating the rubble so he wouldn't trip and drop the Reaper. Kid was impressed with his patience but too tired to compliment him. He'd have to remember that for later.
Suddenly BlackStar stopped walking, causing Kid to blink in surprise. Kid couldn't see the others face at this angle, but he didn't seem hurt or something else that would make him stop. After another moment of silence, the rest of the group now a little ways away from them, BlackStar spoke.
“I thought you were done for.” He said, voice rough and thick with emotion. That was a rapid change of pace, one minute BlackStar seeming happy and now upset. Kid wasn't used to this, wasn't used to BlackStar sounding so raw, and it was unnerving. “The way you fell after he hit you – it looked like you were dead.” BlackStar's voice cracked near the middle, causing Kid to flinch.
He remembered that, remembered getting stabbed by the Kishin, and then he fell and everything went black. He doesn't remember anything else. But obviously something happened.
“Every time-” BlackStar started, pulling Kid out of his revere. “-every time, one of my friends gets hurt and I can't do anything about it. Tsubaki and the Enchanted Sword, Maka getting paralyzed, Soul getting injured because of Crona – I'm either never there or just can't do anything.”
Kid sucked in a breath, taken back by what BlackStar was saying. He had no idea that any of that had upset him – he always acts so happy.
“And then you go and almost kill yourself. Kid, I swear, if you ever do anything like that again I'll kill you myself. You can't get hurt -” BlackStar's voice broke - was that him crying? It was so weird to hear BlackStar so upset, and it was because Kid had screwed up. He'd gotten hurt and now BlackStar was upset and - fuck. Kid could feel tears starting to form in his own eyes. “- right in front of me, Kid, and I couldn't, couldn't even, do anything. You looked dead, and I thought that was it. It didn't even matter that you're a Reaper because your dad got beat up by him too! Fuc – you just can't do that to me, Kid, you bastard.”
BlackStar was – Kid was sure he was crying, but it wasn't like he was any better off. Tears were now streaming down his face and Kid didn't even have the energy to hide them or wipe them off. Kid hiccuped, pushing his face into BlackStar's shoulder in a feeble attempt to silence his crying. Then BlackStar shook and sniffled, and now Kid knew he was crying, his breath hitching as he tried to speak.
“Don- don't cry Kid, this – that's making it worse, you dumbass!” He sounded as embarrassed as Kid felt.
“'m s-s-s'rry.” Kid stuttered out, his mouth finally – sort of – forming the words he wanted.
He felt himself let out an embarrassing whine, clenching his hands into fists as another wave of tears covered his face. It was a stupid thing to cry over. He didn't normally cry when his friends were, but BlackStar was upset about him.
He sucked in a breath, then another and another in rapid succession and he heard BlackStar let out a pained noise, his knees bending underneath them. Suddenly he grabbed one of Kid's hands in his own, and as if that was some metaphorical last straw they both started to cry together.
An overflow of emotions, both from the joy of the Kishin being killed, to the sorrow of wounded and lost friends, to the fear of what had happened, had to be what was making them so upset. What was making them raw and open and making them cling to each other for something.
The others had stopped a little ways away, Kid could see them through watery eyes, and they were trying to look as inconspicuous as possible. Maka was making Soul look away, the twins looking upset as they kept their eyes away, and Tsubaki covering her face with her hands.
Kid supposed that it wasn't everyday that you got to see BlackStar crying alongside Death the Kid like a couple of preschoolers. So they could have been acting much different, and Kid was grateful for that, at least. Slowly but surely, the two Meisters calmed down, their crying becoming quieter. By the time they had settled down again, Kid's throat burned along with his chest and BlackStar was breathing heavily.
They didn't move for a while, catching their breaths, before BlackStar stood up fully again and began to – carefully as ever – make his way towards the others. BlackStar wipped his free hand across his face, and only then did Kid realize he hadn't let go of his hand.
As they walked Kid was expecting him to stop, but he didn't let go of Kid's hand, and Kid couldn't find the energy to make him move. Instead he opened his fist, and felt himself blushing as BlackStar's fingers slipped in between his own.
It was embarrassing, but it felt right and Kid didn't even care as the others gave them a strange look when they finally caught up to them.