Death the Kid: Growing Up Symmetrical

Chapter 12: Midnight Caretaking

A/N: I do not own Soul Eater or any characters mentioned in this story.

Lord Death POV

I woke in the middle of the night to a strange noise coming from the other bedroom. I walked in to find that the noise was someone coughing. Kid coughing, to be exact. He was leaning against the side of the crib, his little hands clenching the bars. He was coughing so much that his cheeks were bright red!

I quickly rushed over and picked him up. I put him against my shoulder and lightly patted his back. After about a minute or two he stopped coughing and just put his head on my shoulder. I held him in front of me and looked at him. His eyes were droopy and he was much paler than usual, besides the flushed cheeks. He had a stuffy nose too.

"Papa, my throat hurts!" He whispered.

"Ok, let's get you some water." I said to him. He laid against me and continued sniffling. He had a hard time breathing and was forced to breathe through his mouth.

I set him down on the couch and went to get a cup of water. I came back to him slouching against the armrest. I sat down next to him, pulled him onto my lap, and gave him the cup. He drank it slowly and hesitantly, since it probably hurt his throat to swallow. When he was done with the cup I put it on the table and just stared at him with concern.

When he started shaking I grabbed my cloak and put it over him. He pulled it around himself and sniffled again. I ran my fingers through his soft ebony hair. He was covered in a thick layer of sweat, which meant his pajamas were probably damp.

I undressed him and washed him up with a nice warm bath. Afterwards I dressed him in clean shorts and a t-shirt, but kept my cloak around him so he wasn't freezing, but so he didn't overheat either. I sat him down on my lap and slowly rocked him against my chest. Soon he fell asleep, still breathing through his mouth.

I looked down at my tired son. My poor boy looked so miserable. I bet that's how he felt too.

Soon it was 2 in the morning, but I didn't want to put him back with Luna to risk getting her sick too. I went back up to my bedroom and laid him down on my bed. I laid next to him, pulled him close and kissed his warm nose.

I wondered what could have caused him to get so sick? He seemed fine yesterday, and everyday before. It wasn't the season for people to be getting sick.

Shinigami don't get sick as easily as others do, but since Kid is still so young, I guess he's more vulnerable to it. When Shinigami do get sick, it's pretty bad. Hopefully this is just a tonight thing and he's better by morning.