Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The movie was terrible. There was no other way to put it, it seemed like a weird combination of cheap science fiction and poorly acted teen drama, with a script that seemed to be written at three in the morning by someone with too much coffee on them.

Maka wasn't paying too much attention, and not because she couldn't -she sometimes struggled to follow the plot- but because she had something way better in her arms, Death the Kid.

Right now they were curled up on the couch in the small apartment Maka shared with Soul. That night, her partner had decided to go off with Black*Star to do who-knows-what, leaving her and Kid with the living room to themselves.

It all happened on a little impromptu date that Maka had proposed and that Kid had accepted without hesitation. In his own way, of course, with that almost charming formality he never abandoned.

-"It would be such an honor to spend the evening with you."- he said, and Maka's stomach had dropped with just that simple phrase.

Now they stood there. He with a slight frown, muttering criticisms under his breath every few minutes. It wasn't that he was annoyed, really, it was more like he couldn't help but analyze every scene with his meticulous eye.

- "Why would they take that path if they were clearly being chased down by that creature? That's reckless..."- he whispered with a hint of frustration, barely moving his lips.

Maka smiled tenderly, watching out of the corner of her eye as the dim light from the screen flickered across his features, casting soft shadows on his pale skin.

The contrast with his jet black hair and golden eyes gave him an almost ethereal air, and he held her so close. His arm was around her waist with that security and care that always made her feel loved.

Maka couldn't help but turn a little more toward him. She watched him silently, unnoticed by Kid at first. His long eyelashes, the sharp contour of his jaw, that gesture of concentration that seemed so natural to him and then she reached up, almost without thinking, as gently as one would stroke a sheet of old paper, and brushed his cheek with her fingers.

Kid blinked, surprised by the contact. He turned his face to look at her, any complaints he might have had about the film instantly vanished. His eyes softened, and the annoyed line of his lips curved just barely into an expression Maka had learned to recognize: affection.

-"Is something wrong, Maka?"- he asked in his slow, low voice, afraid to break the moment.

She didn't answer right away, instead she slowly lowered her hand but didn't look away. - "I just wanted to see you..."- she murmured first, and then, with a more vivid sparkle in her eyes, she added - "Say... Do you remember when you fell in love with me?"-

The question was like a stone falling into a calm lake. Surprise flashed across his face for barely a second, then Kid tilted his head slightly, his lips curving into a quiet, almost nostalgic smile.

-"Of course I remember."- he said with a soft sigh. -"It was one of the most important days of my existence... how could I forget?"-

Maka felt her heart clench in her chest. The words he used, the way he looked at her, as if nothing else existed in the world... It was too much but she didn't look away, she just waited.

And Kid, assuming she wanted to hear him, looked down for a moment, thinking, arranging his words as if they were pieces of a precious puzzle.

-☆-

It all happened at the age of thirteen, when Death the Kid walked the halls of Shibusen with the impassive expression and sharp gaze of someone who neither expected - nor wanted - to be approached.

At that time, he did not know Liz or Patty yet, nor did he share his time with anyone other than his father. He was reserved, apathetic and cold, both in his thoughts and his attitude.

The students watched him from a distance. Some whispered among themselves, others simply followed him with their eyes, curious.

Few had seen Lord Death's son, and even fewer dared to speak to him but any attempt at contact vanished with a single glance from him. It was sharp, cutting, silent.

He was on his way to the Death Room, his father had summoned him that morning, and though he hadn't received details, Kid hadn't bothered to ask. Doing his duty was enough for him.

Just as he approached the large doors of the Death Room, they opened abruptly. From inside emerged a quick, feminine figure with a frown and hurried steps.

She wore an all-black school uniform. The skirt had an asymmetrical design, with one of the back sides longer. The matching bluse was decorated with a white ribbon and at the end of it was printed the "eyes" and "mouth" of the skull he wore on his medallion.

Her hair, sandy blonde and loose, fell in soft locks, and one of them had a small braid tied with a scrunchie that mimicked the shape of the medallion Kid wore around his neck.

The girl seemed annoyed, and in her distraction did not notice Kid's presence. Because of this she ended up colliding abruptly shoulders with him.

The young shinigami stopped in his tracks, frowning. He was about to reprimand her for her clumsiness, when her voice came forward, cold and sharp as a razor's edge.

-"Watch where you're going."-

She didn't stop. She didn't even turn to look at him. She walked past him, leaving behind her a trail of clear indignation and surprise.

Kid stood in place, completely bewildered. He clicked his tongue in annoyance and muttered to himself. -"Who the hell does she think she is to talk to me like that?"-

Shaking his head, as if to dismiss the encounter from his memory, he resumed his march towards the Death Room. That incident, as insignificant as it seemed, had stuck with him like a thorn.

Inside the room, the atmosphere was the same as always: spacious, slightly eerie, with crosses nailed to the floor and soft lights flickering through small windows.

Lord Death greeted him with his characteristic effusiveness. -"Kiddo! Good to see you~."-

Kid bowed his head respectfully, without changing his serious expression. -"Father, you called me."-

-"Yes, yes~. I wanted to talk to you about a small mission, something in New York. A minor problem that you could take care of on your own, as part of your training as a future shinigami."-

Kid rolled his eyes, but didn't protest. -"I understand, I will."-

He was about to withdraw when the image of the girl crossed his mind again. He hesitated a moment and then asked. -"Father, if I may ask, who was the girl who was here before me?"-

Lord Death cocked his head curiously. -"Oh, you mean Maka Albarn?"-

In the exact moment that name came out of Lord Death's mouth a man who until that moment looked like a weeping shadow in the corner and on his knees, weeping like if the life had just escaped him, suddenly stood up, sobbing dramatically. -"Maka! My darling little daughter! Daddy loves you! He loves you so much!"-

Kid frowned, perturbed. -"That was Death Scythe's daughter?"- he asked, glancing sideways at the man who was still wallowing in wailing.

-"That's right."- answered his father, with a casual voice. -"Did you run into her in the hallway or something?"-

-"It was just a doubt I had."- said the Kid immediately, not wanting to dig much deeper into the subject.

Lord Death, on the other hand, did seem to want to dig further, but Kid was already turning on his heel. -"If you have nothing more to say to me, I'll leave."-

-"All right, son. Take care of yourself on the trip~."-

Already out of the Death Room, Kid walked down the hallway with a more brisk pace than before. His thoughts returned again and again to Maka Albarn, to her voice, to her way of ignoring him completely to how asymmetrical her clothes were, her braid, her gait, and yet....

-"How could I be interested in someone so asymmetrical?" -he muttered bitterly, although the question kept repeating itself in his mind, as if looking for a contrary answer.

But as much as he wanted to dismiss it as an unimportant encounter... that girl had already stuck with him, even if he hadn't realized it yet.

Now Death the Kid was walking through the outer corridors of Shibusen with the intention of going straight home.

The encounter with that girl - Maka Albarn, his father had said - still hovered in his head like an annoying fly he couldn't swat. His appearance remained serene, as usual, but inside his thoughts boiled with frustration.

He didn't understand why he couldn't just forget her. It had been a simple clash, a rough exchange of words but even telling each other all that....

He sighed, trying to put it behind him, and looked up. Without realizing it, his footsteps had led him to a place he often visited: a small pond hidden behind one of the academy's side gardens.

Surrounded by thin, tall trees, with a calm water surface and a small stone bridge crossing it, that place was one of the few things he found moderately satisfying.

While not perfect, there was a certain symmetry in the reflection of the water, in the pattern of the bushes...in the way the sun regularly filtered through the branches.

Or, at least, there used to be.

As soon as he approached, he noticed the scene in front of him. A group of students had gathered around the pond, some carrying bags of garbage, others crouched down feeding the fish. There were buckets, nets, and an absurd amount of misplaced buckets.

Kid frowned in disgust. -"What a waste of time..." -he muttered to himself -"Getting dirty, poking around in the muck... completely breaking your symmetry just to clean this worthless hole..."-

He turned away, intending to leave before the mess got to him.

But then a high-pitched cry caught his attention and he froze right where he was standing.

-"Gah-! There's a dead bird!"-

A girl, pale with shock, stepped back awkwardly and stumbled. She fell against another girl who was right behind, causing her to lose her balance.

The next sound was a splash, followed by screams. -"Ahh! I can't swim! Somebody help me, please!"-

The once calm pond turned into chaos. Students were running back and forth, some screaming, some standing still, none acting.

Kid also stopped, his whole body frozen. His gaze was fixed on the girl who was kicking in the water, sinking with every second.

He could hear her gasping for breath, the bubbling sound of the water invading her throat and yet... he could not move.

If he entered the pond, his clothes would be ruined. His hairstyle, his rings, his shoes.... Symmetry would go to hell! He felt his heart hammering in his chest as his mind pleaded - almost in panic - for someone to do something, someone, anyone.

-'Come on...'- he thought desperately, staring into the murky water. -'Somebody act now!'-

Then, as if the universe responded, a shadow crossed his field of vision.

A figure approached at a brisk pace. Without a word, she crouched down, firmly tied a rope to the edge of the bridge and wrapped it around her own waist. In an instant, she threw herself into the water without hesitation.

The body hit the surface with force, splashing everyone around. Kid backed away slighty and barely out of instinct, but his eyes did not leave the silhouette under the water.

She emerged with an arm around the drowning girl, dragging her forcefully toward the shore. The hands of the others finally reacted, helping to pull her up. The girl coughs, spits up water, but breathes, she was alive.

The one who rescued her sitted up slowly, soaked to the bone, her dark uniform clinging to her body. Her blonde hair falls around her shoulders, the braid still hanging wet with the skull scrunchie. She gasps, but doesn't complain, just looks down at the girl on the floor, still recovering.

-"Are you okay?" She asked, her voice was firm just as concerned.

The girl nodded, still with tears in her eyes. - "Y-Yes... thank you... thank you for saving me."-

Maka Albarn then turned around without waiting for more words. She shaked some water off her sleeves as she walked towards the exit of the place, leaving behind her the still perplexed students.

Kid couldn't move.

Until that moment... he didn't know.

He didn't know why his chest felt so compressed. Why he could not look away, why his brain, which usually ordered the world with straight lines and perfect balances, could not find logic in the silhouette of that girl.

Until that moment he didn't know... that something so asymmetrical could be so beautiful.

His eyes followed her as she walked away. On the way, a blue-haired boy joined her, with a loud smile that contrasted with the silence that had just been broken.

-"Hey Maka, that was awesome! But you should have let me do it, you stole all the glory!"-

She snorted, looking like she was used to it by now. -"I didn't do this for glory, Black*Star."-

And they walked away together.

While Death the Kid stood there, motionless, his heart beating in an imperfect rhythm.

It was in that instant, amidst the mud, the mess and the dirty water... that he fell in love with Maka Albarn.

-☆-

The apartment was silent, barely broken by the soft hum of the ceiling fan and the distant murmur of the city filtering through the half-open windows.

Maka and Kid were still sitting on the couch in the living room, the same one where, hours before, they had only planned to rest for a while.

Kid had just finished telling his story, the one that had begun with a simple walk to the Death Room and an accidental collision.

His lips curved into a light, almost nostalgic smile as he concluded serenely. - "And since that day... my life has only gotten better."-

Maka blinked. Her expression, incredulous, took a few seconds to process everything she had just heard. She opened her mouth, closed it, and spoke again in a tone somewhere between confusion and alarm.

-"How did I act like that!?" -she exclaimed, holding a hand to her forehead- "Did I really crash into you and didn't even apologize!?"-

Kid cocked his head, amused with a raised eyebrow. -"Don't you remember, dear?"- he asked with gentle irony, the smile still on his lips.

Maka quickly denied, still in shock.

-"I remember about the pond. Of course I do, I remember that girl screaming and.... everything that happened afterwards but... I didn't remember that I had bumped into you before that. Let alone that I spoke to you that way."-

Kid let out a small laugh, discreet but charged with affection. He gently stroked Maka's hand, which was still resting on his leg. His fingers traced hers gently, trying to convey calmness to her just by the contact.

-"I guess you were so angry... that you didn't even realize who you bumped into."-

-"Tch..." - Maka snorted, visibly embarrassed, lowering her gaze- "I really was like someone else back then. I didn't like to be interrupted for a second, I was always on the defensive, sometimes I wonder how I didn't scare half of Shibusen in my first month."-

Kid nodded slowly, still stroking her hand. -"I agree with you."- He said calmly, and Maka looked at him sideways, faking indignation. -"The truth is, when I saw you again for the first time, already as an official student... I didn't recognize you right away either."-

-"Really?"- she asked with a pout, almost offended.

-"Yes."- He smiled sweetly. -"It was during that... absurd confrontation that Soul and Black*Star arranged for me. When they said your name, I froze. I thought, 'It can't be her. Not that girl.'"-

Maka chuckled softly, slightly more relaxed, her cheeks tinged with a slight blush. Kid then leaned toward her without losing the tenderness in his gestures and planted a warm kiss on her forehead.

His lips brushed her skin for only a few seconds, but the gesture was enough to make her breathing quicken slightly.

-"But I don't regret anything."- he whispered, barely audible, but with each word filled with sincerity. -"Because if it hadn't been for that shoulder bump...I wouldn't have fallen in love with you."-

The silence that followed was distinct. Not awkward, but filled with a warmth that required no explanation.

Maka lowered her gaze, cheeks still aflame, and let out a soft, almost musical giggle.  -"If you put it that way... you sound like a masochist."-

- "For you..." -answered Kid, settling closer to her, with a mischievous expression. - "I would be."-

They both remained curled up on the couch, surrounded by the warm light of the living room lamps, the still air and the memories floating between them like soft smoke.

They remained silent for a few minutes, enjoying the stillness and the warmth they shared. Kid, however, spoke again, his voice caressing the air with curiosity and tenderness when he asked.

- "And you, Maka... when did you fell in love with me?"-

Chapter Text

Unlike Kid, Maka Albarn could not pinpoint the exact moment she fell in love with him. At least not the way he had, remembering in vivid detail the encounter at the hall along with the rope around her waist and her silhouette emerging from the water.

No. For Maka, things were more diffuse, her feelings had been slowly born between the days of battle, the shared silences and the gestures that seemed minor, but ended up sneaking through the cracks in her heart.

She could, however, speak of one moment. One that stood out among the others, one that she would not forget no matter how many years passed.

That was after Arachne's birth.

Maka was immobilized in the infirmary, bandages on her arms and frustration biting at her heels every time she tried to move.

Her friends had been in and out during the day, trying to cheer her up: Black*Star brought a permanent marker and painted all over her face, he was certainly the one who cheered her up the least...

Tsubaki, on the other hand, brought her herbal tea made with her own hands and Soul.... Soul had been by her side, quiet, feeding her when needed with the utmost care.

And then there was Kid.

Maka watched him with a slight frown as he paced in front of the medicine shelves, eyes scanning each bottle and box with almost religious concentration.

At first she thought he was simply being himself, absorbed in his obsession with symmetry but then he spoke, and something in his voice made her pause.

- "Oh, nothing special. I'm just arranging these shelves so that they look completely symmetrical from your angle on the bed."-

Maka looked at him with slow blinks. Kid smiled a little, not taking his eyes off his task. - "It must have been bothering you before, don't you think? I guess it's bothering you even more now, since you can't move."-

She didn't know what to say, it was.... So absurd, so completely unnecessary and yet, for some reason, something warm ran through her chest, settling just below her ribs.

It wasn't a romantic gesture, not even one you could consider intimate but Maka still felt it, that strange, relief-like sensation, mixed with a gentle tingle she couldn't quite identify.

Kid had continued talking, detailing how he planned to organize a welcoming party for when she recovered. That he would take care of every detail himself, the decorations, the order, that everything would be perfect, just for her.

- "It will be symmetrical, of course but also pretty and cheerful, just like how you are, Maka."-

She didn't have time to say anything to him.

Kid, in his enthusiasm, realized that he was short of a few bottles to even out the rows and quickly left for the medicine cabinet.

Before disappearing, he called out to his guns with a firm gesture. -"Liz, Patty, come on. This is going to take a while, but it will be worth it."- And so he left.

Black*Star came in shortly after to play some prank on her, bringing her the bugs that she hates, managing to distract her for a few minutes.

The sun began to fall, dyeing the room with golden tones. Tsubaki, Soul, the twins... one by one, they all said goodbye to her, promising to visit her again soon. Everyone... except Kid.

She waited. At first, she thought he would come back, that he would reappear through the door to say goodbye properly, as he always did but minutes passed, then half an hour.

The room fell silent, Maka turned her face to the side of the room where the Kid had been tidying up and found it empty.

Without knowing why, something that looked similar to disappointment knotted her stomach.

She sighed, suddenly feeling tired, and closed her eyes slowly but her mind kept thinking of him. In his gesture, in his words, in that brief smile.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the corridor, Death the Kid was still in the medicine cabinet. Not for a second did it cross his mind to abandon his task.

The incomplete symmetry of that cabinet gave him a tangible discomfort, an invisible itch he could not ignore. He arranged jar after jar, labeled some with a meticulous hand, and mentally measured the distances between the syrup jars as precisely as an ancient greece architect.

Liz and Patty, after helping him for a while finally gave up, everyone had their own limited patience!

-"Alright Kid, that's enough. Seriously, you can't stay here all night ordering meds."- Liz said, her arms folded as she leaned her weight on one leg in exhaustion.

-Yeah, Kiddo! We already put the chamomile tea symmetrically and the suppositories too!"-added Patty, visibly more amused than her sister.

Kid, however, did not stop moving his hands, too concentrated to even give one care. -"Cant you see that the bottles are still missing from the second shelf?! The visual balance from Maka's angle is insufficient! The eye perceives a greater density on the left."-

Liz let out a long sigh. -"Thats it, we're leaving. Don't come back too late to the mansion, okay?"-

- "And don't freeze in here!"- Patty teased, blowing him a kiss in the air before turning away.

Kid barely nodded as his sisters disappeared down the hallway continuing to arraganged the whole cabinet.

It took forever, or so it seemed.

When he finally placed the last jar and stepped back to contemplate his work, he noticed something, silence. A dense, heavy silence, as if the whole night had fallen over the hospital without him noticing.

He blinked. -"Is it... night already?"- he whispered, almost in disbelief.

With a pang of urgency, he grabbed the last of the necessary medicines and exited the cabinet.

-"Maka! You don't have to worry anymore."- he announced, with enthusiasm and relief. -"I have finally obtained the missing bottles. Soon you won't suffer any more at the sight of those terribly unbalanced shelves-..."-

He paused, his voice died away at the sight of her.

There, in bed, Maka slept peacefully. She was breathing softly as her golden hair spilled over the pillow, the bandage on her shoulder was still visible, but she no longer looked as frail as before.

Kid swallowed saliva and carefully, approached the bedside table and deposited the medicines with surgical precision.

Then, almost without thinking, he sat down in the chair next to the bed, where Soul had been feeding her earlier.

For a few seconds, he did nothing, just looked at her but not as a friend, not as a battle buddy or an academy colleague. He looked at her as someone who knew he was seeing something precious.

His gaze slowly descended, following the curve of her eyelashes until it stopped at her lips.

Before he knew it, he was leaning toward her, barely inches between them, his breath touching Maka's skin, but he dared no more. His heart pounded with incompressible violence, and his hands trembled on his knees.

Then, Maka stirred, writhed slightly in her sleep. A small groan escaped her lips, and her eyelids began to open

Kid panicked silently and quickly pulled away, his face completely red, and grabbed the medicines from the small table with clumsy hands.

He ran to the shelf in front of the bed, placing them with desperate precision as he tried to look casual, as if he hadn't just been half an inch away from kissing her or as if his heart wasn't pounding in his chest like an out-of-tune drum.

Maka opened her eyes slowly, blinking several times, disoriented. The first thing she saw was a moving figure in front of the bookshelf, which startled her.

- "Kid...?"- she murmured, still drowsy, with a slight tone of alarm in her voice. -"Is that you?"- she asked.

The young shinigami turned around slowly, taking a deep breath before answering. Although his voice came out calm, his hands were still shaking. - "Oh, you're awake. I'm sorry if I woke you up, I didn't mean to."-

Maka watched him with narrowed eyes, still processing what she was seeing. Silence settled between them for a moment, heavy and filled with something they didn't know how to name.

Finally, Maka broke that silence with a whisper. - "Am I... dreaming?"-

Kid denied softly, and a small smile appeared on his lips. His voice was low, serene, almost like a secret when he said. -"No, Maka. This is not a dream, because if it were, the symmetry of this room would be perfect and I have yet to correct the height of the jars on the second shelf."- He said, directing his somewhat annoyed gaze towards the still asymmetrical shelf.

She let out a slight laugh, half confused and half amused. -"Always so you"- she muttered, and laid her head back on the pillow.

Kid secretly looked up at her, and his smile grew more intimate.

A comfortable silence, barely interrupted by the faint tinkling of bottles clinking against each other, now filled the room. Each small tap produced by the Kid's trembling hands seemed to set the leisurely pace of that strangely intimate evening.

Maka, still half reclining on the bed, averted her gaze to the window, where the night lay in a deep, calm blanket.

The reflection of the smiling moon drew soft shapes on the floor, barely illuminating the outline of her cheeks.

-"It's silly..."- she suddenly began to say, her voice breaking the silence with an unexpected fragility. -"But I thought I was dreaming because... you came back after you left."-

She paused a little, cocking her head at him with a somewhat mischievous half-smile, and raising an eyebrow playfully added. - "Were you that concerned that the cabinet wasn't symmetrical from my point of view?"-

But Kid, far from reacting as she expected -a short laugh, a biting comment on her lousy attempt at a joke- scowled seriously. He stopped moving the jars for a moment and turned his face slightly toward Maka. - "I... never left the Academy."-

Maka blinked, this time surprised by the sternness in his tone. A slight blush began to creep up her cheeks, and she quickly averted her gaze to the sheets, fumbling awkwardly with her fingers.

- "Ah..."- she murmured, lowering her voice even further. -"Well it's just that.... I saw Liz and Patty saying goodbye, and... I figured you would have left, too. You just... you didn't say goodbye to me."-

The silence that followed his confession was almost painful. The Kid didn't hesitate to leave the jars where they were, the next thing he did was to cross the room in barely two steps and, with gentle but determined movements, took Maka's hands between his own.

The contact made her look up immediately, meeting the Kid's intense golden eyes. Maka gasped at this, not quite knowing why.

He bowed slightly, coming up to her level, his expression serious but tinged with a tenderness somewhat rare to see in him.

- "Maka... I would never do something like that"- he said staring at her with. -"I would never leave without saying goodbye to you... and even less after having promised you something."-

Maka noticed how the blush also ascended Kid's cheeks, staining his ears. Kid lowered his gaze a little landing them on his joined hands giving the impression of searching for the right words, before adding with a vulnerability unusual for him.

-"You are a very special person to me, Maka. One of the most important in my life, I want you to know.... That I..."-  There was a pause before Kid looked up into Maka's emerald eyes with a small smile on his face. -"...That I want you to never doubt it, Maka."-

The words hit Maka with the force of an unexpected wave. Her heart, until then reasonably under control, began to pound so hard she feared the Kid might hear it.

The butterflies in her stomach wouldn't stop churning and her face burned so hot she felt it might melt the sheet she was half wrapped in.

They stood like that, staring at each other, for what seemed like centuries compressed into seconds.

Finally, Maka, driven by a torrent of emotions that she didn't know how -nor wanted- to control, smiled. A luminous, honest smile, capable of melting any tension between them.

-"It makes me very happy to hear that..."- she whispered, her voice laden with a sweetness so palpable that it surprised even herself.

Without much thought, like if her body reacted before her mind, Maka propelled herself slightly from her reclining position and embraced Kid. Her arms wrapped around his waist awkwardly and her head rested against his chest, where she could hear the loud, rapid beating of his heart.

Kid, for a moment, froze, his eyes wide with surprise but he was quick to reciprocate the embrace, slowly lowering his arms to wrap them around her carefully, as if afraid to break her. One of his hands went up to Maka's loose hair, stroking it tenderly.

They stood like that, embracing in the middle of the moonlit room, saying nothing, words seemed to have ceased to be necessary.

Kid closed his eyes, inhaling the soft scent of Maka's shampoo, feeling the outside world blur around him.

But the night was moving on, whether he wanted it to or not.

With obvious regret, Kid pulled away from the embrace a few inches, though his hand lingered a few seconds longer in her hair, in a way that seemed to make it hard for him to let go.

- "It's late already..."- he murmured, his voice charged with unusual warmth. -"I should go. At least... now the cabinet is perfectly symmetrical."-

Maka, though a shadow of sadness crossed her eyes, nodded sympathetically. -"All right..."- she whispered.- "We'll see each other tomorrow, right?"-

Kid gave her a small, sincere smile. - "Of course, see you tomorrow, then."-

With a final gentle squeeze on her hand, Kid pulled away, picking up his jacket before leaving the room, closing the door behind him with reverent care.

Maka was left alone, lying on the bed, looking out the window where the stars twinkled.

Her heart was still pounding against her ribs, she brought a hand to her chest in an attempt to calm it but it was no use.

There was something different about her now. Something that had grown quietly, unnoticed, and was now unfolding strongly. - "Is this... love?"- she whispered to herself, a small, trembling smile spreading across her face.

-☆-

They returned to the present, sitting comfortably on the old but cozy sofa in the apartment Maka shared with Soul. Evening had long since fallen, leaving in its place a warm night, illuminated only by the soft lights of the living room.

Maka finished telling her story, her words still floating in the air charged with palpable emotion. Her cheeks, to her utter horror, were completely red, and Kid, who was looking at her with that disarming tenderness of his, couldn't help but laugh softly.

Kid's laughter was quiet, deep, almost musical, and Maka, indignant but too embarrassed to hide it, punched him lightly on the shoulder.

-"Hey! What did you expect me to do?"- she protested, puffing out her cheeks slightly in an adorable way. -"After all you said that day!"-

Kid, far from apologizing, laughed even more. He bent down to her, getting so close that Maka held her breath, and gently placed a kiss on her forehead.

-"I thought you were already adorable then."- he murmured against her skin, before pulling away just barely to look into her eyes. -"But you're even more so now, Maka. Knowing that you fell in love with me like this, so sincerely... it makes it all worth it."-

Maka felt her heart melt in her chest. The warmth of his words, the honesty in his voice... everything wrapped around her like a blanket in winter but despite the happiness, her face suddenly reflected a small shadow of sadness.

Kid noticed it immediately. He frowned, genuinely concerned, and took her hands carefully, interlacing his fingers with hers.

-"What's wrong, Maka?"- he asked, stroking the back of her hand with his thumb in a reassuring gesture.

Maka smiled, albeit faintly, before replying with a soft sigh. -"It's just that... you were in love with me for so long"- she murmured, lowering her gaze. -"And I barely realized it that day in the infirmary... a year ago."-

Kid understood at once, and his expression softened even more. Slowly, like if he was afraid to break the delicacy of that moment, he raised a hand to take her chin, guiding her face to his.

-"Maka."- he said, his voice barely a whisper. -"I never cared how long I had to wait. I loved you without expecting anything in return... because you had already given me more than I could ever ask for."-

She blinked, surprised by the intensity of his words.

Kid smiled shyly, the warmth of his gaze melting any insecurity. - "I'm happy, so incredibly happy, to just know that you love me too."-

Maka, unable to help herself, laughed softly, her eyes sparkling. - "And why wouldn't I love you?"-she asked tenderly, tilting her head at him.

Kid, who usually maintained impeccable composure, this time averted his gaze, visibly nervous. He scratched the back of his neck awkwardly.

-"Well..."- he began, hesitantly. -"While you're so... amazing, so strong, so determined... I hardly have things that weren't a given because of who I am. My powers, my position as a shinigami.... everything was given to me by birth. Whereas you have struggled and worked hard to achieve every single thing you've achieved."-

He couldn't go on because Maka, without a second's hesitation, raised both hands to clasp his face between hers. Her thumbs gently caressed his cheeks as she brought her face close to his, close enough for their breaths to mingle.

-"Don't you ever say those things about yourself again."- She said firmly, though her voice then shifted to a gentler one. -"You struggled too, Kid. You worked hard to study at the Academy, you chose your own weapons, Liz and Patty, and you've worked so hard to keep your OCD under control..... even though it wasn't always easy."

Kid opened his mouth to retort, but Maka didn't give him a chance.

-"And not only that."- she continued, not taking her hands away from his face. -"You've done so many things for others... like throwing parties, walking me to the library when you knew I was stressed, staying with me on nights I couldn't sleep after difficult missions, finding me rare books just because you knew it would make me happy.... You are amazing, Kid. Don't let anyone, not even yourself, say otherwise."-

With a determination that left no room for doubt, Maka took his hands - both of theirs - and clasped them together, pressing them to her chest, closing her eyes.

-"Promise me that you'll never say those things about yourself again."-

Kid watched her, in complete silence, feeling his heart beat in rhythm with hers. He closed his eyes as well, a serene smile curving his lips.

-"I promise you."- he whispered. -"And I want you to promise me something too."-

Maka half-opened her eyes, curious.

Kid looked at her again, his golden irises glowing with so much love it almost hurt from being so pure. -"Promise me you'll never feel bad again for belatedly realizing how you felt."- he said. -"I would have waited my whole life if I had to."-

Maka felt her heart melt again under the weight of those words.

She nodded slowly, her eyes shining with emotion. -"It's a deal."- she said, smiling.

Kid let out a soft laugh, the one that was just for her, soft and genuine. -"I accept the deal."- he murmured. - "You know... I like that idea."

Maka arched an eyebrow, amused. - "What idea?"-

Then Kid leaned toward her, his face barely a breath away. - "The idea of loving you."- he whispered against her lips.

And before Maka could respond, Kid kissed her.

It was a tender kiss, full of affection and silent promises. Maka reciprocated immediately, closing her eyes and sighing against his lips, murmuring between kisses. -"I like that idea too..."-

When they broke apart, their foreheads still touching, they were both smiling, happy in a simple, real way and there they knew there was no hurry. That it didn't matter how long it had taken to get there.

They had each other and that was all they needed.