Title: The Nature of Fear, Bravery, and Love
Summary: Kid is injured on a mission. Liz is scared, and then she's not. Kid/Liz.
Notes: Gift exchange fic for Hidan4eTheBest on deviantART.

It is the nature of fear and bravery and love to confuse us. The fear of what lies ahead, the bravery to confront it, and the love that is our driving force - these emotions guide our decisions and often conflict, leading to indecision and hesitancy within us. We can never be sure of where our choices will lead us; too much of any one of these emotions can cause us to misstep and fall.

Elizabeth Thompson has many fears. She doesn't consider herself a brave person, and she's pretty terrified right now, faced with yet another monster and a situation that her meister's ridiculous obsession has gotten them into. But this isn't like any other time. Kid is seriously hurt, and Liz finds herself wondering, panicked, if his kind can truly die.

An acute fear courses through her body, for Kid and herself and her sister, who looks to her to make a decision, a split decision in the few seconds before they find out once and for all if Reapers can die. Liz is having a hard time thinking past her fear, and she's ashamed of the fact that her knees have locked and her chest has tightened.

But she doesn't let it rule her.

Bravery she thinks doesn't have, selfish fear she thinks she's feeling - none of that matters as she holds out a trembling hand. Patti understands the signal at once; the younger girl transforms, falling neatly into outstretched hand. And Liz takes a breath and runs forward, toward the creature that's managed to take out her meister. She skids to a halt between Kid and the thing intent on consuming him and opens fire. The act of protection calms her; her hands steady, and she aims with a keen eye gained on the streets, targeting possible weak spots, pushing the creature back.

When something touches her leg, she jumps, and her barrage wavers. She looks down. Kid has dragged himself up onto his knees, coughing, using one hand to press against the large wound in his side. He gestures to Patti. Stomach clenching, Liz nods and hands her sister to him, but doesn't transform herself. Instead, she quickly circles around Kid, kneels, and wraps her arms around him, careful to avoid his injuries. She steels herself and him firmly, knowing he'll probably collapse without the support, even if he's too stubborn to realize it himself.

He seems surprised, looking back at her, almost forgetting their predicament.

"Kid!" she cries.

His head snaps forward; he raises Patti, channeling his power and delivering an onslaught to the creature attempting to sneak up on them.

Liz doesn't know if the trembling is his or hers; all she knows is that her worry is intensifying. It's impossible to ignore the blood that flows from the terrible gash in his side. She tries not to hold him too tightly, because there's a good chance that a rib is broken, and she can feel his wavelength wavering, exhausted. Almost unconsciously, she leans her head against his back, trying to lend him all the strength she can.

With a last, furious scream, the creature charges at them. It's dying, but it's determined to take Kid with it. Liz pulls the injured Reaper out of the way with a quickness born of adrenaline, and the creature skids past, stumbling and collapsing. It shudders, moaning, and pretty soon all that's left is a harmless, floating soul.

Liz hates that soul, wishes it had never existed, because it's the reason her arms are covered in blood and Kid is shaking in her grip.

His head lolls back on her shoulder, eyes closing and breath rasping out, as Patti transforms again, an unusual look of gravity on her normally bubbly face. The sisters share an identical look of concern.

"Call Lord Death," Liz says quietly.

Kid is fine, of course. His Reaper body means that he heals supernaturally fast, and the wound that would have put anyone else in the hospital for weeks will only keep him there a few days. It takes him a while to wake up, though, and Liz doesn't leave until he does.

Plenty of people stop by. Maka is terribly anxious and offers soothing words all at once, while Soul hangs back and tries to pretend he isn't concerned. He doesn't fool anyone. Black*Star is his usual self, at first trying to be awkwardly comforting. He ends up yelling at the unconscious Kid that he better wake up soon, because how is Black*Star supposed to become number one if he doesn't have Kid to beat at it. Liz is getting ready to deck him, but Tsubaki apologizes and offers to cook something for Kid when he wakes up. She shoos Black*Star out of there, and pretty soon the hospital wing is blessedly quiet.

When Lord Death shows up, the death god is not his normal cheerful self. He thanks the Thompson sisters so sincerely that Liz is touched. She finds herself trying to comfort the elder death god, but Lord Death waves it away.

"I know he'll be fine," Death says. "A father can't help but worry."

When at last evening rolls around, Patti says that they should probably go home. Liz refuses.

"But we need to get some rest," the younger sister says uncertainly.

"I'll rest here," Liz says adamantly. "You go on home and sleep, Patti. I'll stay here in case he wakes up."

Patti hesitated, then nods knowingly. "Okay. Tell him hi from me if he does!" She leaves, giving her sister a suggestive grin as she does, and Liz rolls her eyes.

The older sister pulls up a chair and rests her elbows on the mattress, heaving a sigh. "You idiot," she says, gazing at the unconscious Reaper. He appears to only be sleeping, looking remarkably better than before. But, like Death, Liz can't help but worry.

She wakes up to someone playing with her hair.

When she lifts her head, Kid snatches his hand away, faint color flooding his pale cheeks. "It wasn't symmetrical," he mutters, avoiding her gaze.

"Idiot," Liz sighs. "You and your damn symmetry. Do you know how worried I- we all were?" Now that he's awake and looking better, she feels it's okay to yell at him. After all, she has to let her worry out somehow, and what better way to conceal that fact that she's practically quivering in relief?

Kid heaves a sigh. "I'm fine, aren't I?"

"It could have been a lot worse! Next time to want to have a meltdown, I'm just going to leave you there!" Liz is trying to keep up her scowl, but she just can't. Maybe it's something about the (adorably - what is wrong with her?) sheepish look on Kid's face or her immense relief that's he awake and going to be fine. Sighing once again, she drops her head onto folded arms. "I'm glad you're okay," she mutters.

A long silence follows this and then... "Thanks."

Liz lifts her head.

Kid meets her gaze evenly. "You were... remarkably brave," he says, faltering a little in his words but not his eyes. "And you saved me. So thank you."

"Don't mention it," Liz says, suddenly more uncomfortable than she would have believed possible. She looks away, unconsciously reaching up to brush back a few strands of hair. Kid twitches. Hmm. So maybe he really did think it was unsymmetrical. For some reason, this annoys Liz, and the atmosphere between them, which has rarely been anything other than relaxed, grows only more uncomfortable.

The silence is killing her, and the need to break it becomes overwhelming. "So, uh..." Liz says hesitantly. "How are you feeling?" It's a natural question to ask, but it's inadequate at the same time.

Kid rests a hand on his side and the thick bandages there. "I've been better," is all he says.

"Can I get you anything?" It's early in the morning; there's no nurse around at the moment, though Liz glances around for one.

"No, thank you." Once again, Kid's answer is short.

Does he have to make things difficult? Liz wonders morosely.

So it's a great surprise to her when he suddenly jerks awkwardly, his hand half-reaching for hers before retreating just as fast. She stares, rather astonished, as he turns an interesting color.

"Liz," he says thickly, as if the words are fighting to come out of a stubborn throat. "Ah, well... you see, I... well, heh..."

It's strange. Kid is always more than eloquent, and here he is, struggling for words.

"Yes?" Liz prompts.

"Well, you know... experiences like that, they, ah... make one think. And..." He trails off, looking mightily frustrated.

"Kid," Liz says gently. She suddenly knows where this is going.

"No, wait." Kid holds up a hand. "Let me finish, please." He is frowning, avoiding eye contact as he tries to summon up the proper words.

"... Kid."

"Please, Liz."

"Kid." Taken by a sudden impulse, Liz leans forward and kisses him.

When she pulls away, the look of absolute shock on his face is enough to draw a small laugh from her. She's feeling unusually brave all of a sudden, almost reckless. Almost, she realizes, like when she faced down the creature.

It's in the nature of fear and bravery and love to confuse us and make us fall, but sometimes, sometimes - they work together in perfect harmony.

"It's alright," she tells him. "I get it."

Odd. She's never seen this much color in his face before.

She can hear movement outside the room; it sounds like a sizable crowd has come for moral support. Liz stands, running a hand ruefully through her messy hair. "I'll go stall the cavalry," she says with a small grin. "Give you time to compose yourself."

As she heads to greet their friends, she swears she can see him smile.