Rivals

I always wanted to play with a bit of rivalry between Soul and Crona for Maka's heart, but the more I saw of them the more I got more of a big brother, little brother sense so I decided both subjects would work well together. I plan on doing one or two more chapters but I'm hoping to keep this short.

Soul considered himself cool, everyone one who knew him could plainly see that in the way he acted, and being cool he never let much get to him. Everything that stressed out his partner or his friends he would just shrug off, as it wasn't cool to spaz. This worked well with all the trials he had gone through since he came to Shibusen, until one day someone new showed up.

Crona was different, that was obvious as soon as he stepped into public, or rather cowered into it behind Maka. He was so timid and naive it was like having to deal with a manically depressed kindergartener. His constant whining and pessimism quickly ran on even his cool nerves. If he had a choice, he wouldn't have spent little if any time with the strange boy but Maka saw something in him that apparently no one else did just yet, and he trusted his partner… even if he thought all the boy really needed was a swift kick in the pants… or dress…

As the days went on things did get better but a new problem began to arise, Maka had taken the stuttering boy under her wing, almost like a protective mother, matching his childlike personality. It wasn't cool to be jealous so he wasn't but he started to notice something besides admiration shining in the boy's large blue eyes whenever he looked at her. At first he just excused it, Crona had never had a friend before and as he made others he wouldn't be so attached to her hip, but even as he began to branch out he still clung to the girl like a pup.

Still, Maka wanted him to be nice and he was, and he would be lying if he said he didn't feel sorry for the little emo. When his meister told him to get him a present for the upcoming holidays he thought it might be time to have a talk with him.

A few days before Christmas he came knocking at one of the Shibusen dorms. There was such a long delay he wondered if he should just come in the way Maka did but finally the large wooden door cracked open and he spotted a sad blue eye peeking, as if whatever was out there might bite him. When he saw it was Soul he seemed slightly relieved and finally pulled the door away.

"Hello Soul-kun." He blinked for a moment then looked around, expecting something that he didn't find. "Where's Maka?"

"She's not here today, I want use to have a chat."

"A… chat?"

"Yep, just you and me." He put a hand on his shoulder and led him back into the room. When they both sad down on the bed Crona clutched a pillow to his chest, he always seemed so insecure, even when others were with him. Soul guessed he must have had a lot to be afraid of in his life.

"To start with I have a present for you."

That took him by surprise; he didn't know someone's eyes could be that wide. "A-a present?"

"Yeah, don't tell Maka I'm giving you this early alright, it's a special present." He pulled the package, wrapped in spare newspaper, from his coat. I wasn't very big or pretty but when he gave it to the boy he seemed amazed.

"I-I-I've never got a present b-b-before…"

He felt a pinprick of guilt at the comment but didn't show it. "Well don't just stare at it, open it."

Obediently he began pulling at the paper as soon as he was ordered, though he treated each piece like it was just as important as what was going to be inside. He thought at that moment he had never seen anyone more excited about a crappy present in his life, then the boy actually found out what was inside and he lit up like a light bulb.

"Maka!" he squeaked.

Inside that crumpled newspaper was a single, small picture of his partner he had taken himself a while ago, he liked it because she looked happy without actually posing, he had taken it just as she turned. The smile on her face was excited, like she was looking forward to something, and quiet by accident the lighting was terrific as it shined off her blowing pony tails.

Crona stared at it like it was the Holy Grail, lips gapped in amazement. After a moment or so to understand what it really was he smiled the biggest lopsided smile he had ever seen on the scrunched little face. Hopping up from his bed he set the picture frame on one of the few pieces of furniture in his room, a desk, making sure it was in just the right place in a way that reminded him of Kid, before finally sitting back down. Clutching the pillow to his chest he stared at the picture with a soft smile, snuggling his face into the soft fabric, he even heard a faint sigh in the air. It was more than obvious with the moon eyes he was giving the portrait that his fears were true, and it was time to bring it up.

"Hey Crona, you like Maka don't you?" he thought it was best to be blunt.

The boy blinked at him, he didn't seem sure of what he said at first but eventually his mind worked it out. He didn't seem surprised or mad, just embarrassed, burring his pink face in his pillow. "I-I… I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"I-I know I'm not supposed to… She's smart and pretty and so nice and… I've done bad things. I don't even deserve to be her friend."

"Now don't talk like that, it's not cool to go around feeling sorry for yourself."

"Oh… I'm sorry."

"And don't apologize all the time."

"I'm s-…"

"It's alright to like someone, no matter who you are and who they are, you know."

"B-but I-"

"But you know… I like her too."

The boy was silent, sinking back into his depression right in front of him, he never knew anyone could look so hopeless.

"I'm sorry…" he could see his hands turning almost white as he clutched the pillow, "I-I-I won't like her any more… I promise."

Soul gave a sigh, this wasn't how he had planned this to go at all, though he did get what he wanted he wasn't about to crush the boy's fragile little heart like that.

"Don't make promises you can't keep, you can't help who you fall for." Crona was about to respond but he stood up before he could, "What I'm saying is… Just because you like her too doesn't mean I'm going to give up, and just because I like her doesn't mean you should give up so easily either. Unless you don't really care for her all that much..."

That got a response, the boy popped right up, pillow and all. "O-of course I d-do! Sh-she…" he blushed and looked back down, too shy to even finish his sentence, but Soul knew what he was going to say because it was the exact same way he felt.

"She quite a girl isn't she?"

His face grew a darker shade of red but he nodded.

"Well from this point on it seems you and I are rivals Crona." He held out a hand.

The boy hesitated, unsure of what he was agreeing to. "I-Is that bad…? A-are you going to… to hate me?"

He gave a shrug with one shoulder, "Just because we want the same girl doesn't mean we can't be friends, it's Maka who will decide in the end anyway so there's nothing we can do."

"O-oh… so…this means we're friends?"

"Of course, now are you going to leave me hanging all day?"

"Oh! Right…" his shaking palm reached out to the others, his hand shake was limp and weak but that was to be expected, he gave him a smile, hoping to boost his confidence, and managed to wrangle a small shy grin.

Perhaps not he was beginning to see what Maka did in the little weirdo, he was like a kid, a younger sibling maybe, whenever you looked into those shy blue eyes you just wanted to protect him.

"You know Crona, we should hang out more often."

"R-really?" he practically bounced with childlike excitement, he didn't have many friends yet.

"Yeah," he placed a hand doorknob to leave, "I'll teach you how to be cool."

Leaving Chrona with that thought Soul trudged out into the hallway, though it wasn't exactly what he had planned he was satisfied with results. He expected the rest to be smooth sailing.

That is until he ran face first into something feet from Crona's door.

Whatever it was seemed his height and stumbled backwards as well. When he finally caught his bearings he recognized the distinctive three strips in a black back drop.

"Hey Kid…" he mumbled, rubbing his bruised forehead. "Sorry about that, I wasn't paying attention."

But it turned out their unexpected meeting was the last of the Shinigami's worries. "Are you and Maka here too see Crona? I don't see your partner anywhere."

"Aw, no, I came down to have a chat with Crona, Maka doesn't know about it."

Something in that sentence was apparently wrong, maybe it wasn't symmetrical enough, because Kid started to yell.

"Have you no sense of DECENCY?! A boy shouldn't be coming down here by himself to one so innocent as Crona! What were you trying to do! Take advantage of naiveté? Is that how you get your kicks!?"

What the hell? "Dude… for one I have no idea what you're talking about, and two… if something like that could happen what were YOU doing here all by yourself?"

That triggered something else and an embarrassing shade of red flushed over the Shinigami's face, he tried to mask it with anger but he couldn't even speak straight. "W-well I… you… I WON'T GIVE HER UP THAT EASILY!" he shouted finally before taking off in a run down the opposite hallway.

"… 'her'?" damn it… since when were there so many love triangles at Shibusen?

I had to throw kid in there, I am such a fan girl