Tantalizing Love

Chapter 1:

~Unwanted Guest~

"So uncool."

I took in my reflection with unease, trying to shake the utterly ridiculous sense I felt at rehearsing my lines in front of a mirror. It's just that it's so— stereotypical…

"Maka… you may have tiny tits and anger issues but your pretty cool."

I grimaced.

"I'd definitely get Maka chopped for that one."

I turned away from the mirror, letting out an exasperated sigh. How was I ever going to tell Maka that I liked her without sounding like some cheezy romance novel? Or worse, a complete dick. So uncool... I glanced at myself in the mirror again, before turning away in disgust." Great, now I'm acting like a conceited school girl." I focused my attention on the wall instead, realizing that asking Maka out was a nearly impossible task. I'm either going to get Maka chopped because she thinks I'm screwing with her or she's gonna blow me off. I grinned at the thought. Of course she can do hell of a lot better than a guy like me eh?

I grabbed for the door handle and let myself out into the hall. I was fed up with the whole ordeal and ready to give up. Why would she have any interest in me? She's told me numerous times that she doesn't like jazz and I piss her off pretty frequently. I sighed again and made my way toward the kitchen. She's probably wondering what's taking me so long.

Entering the kitchen, I noticed Maka standing in front of the toaster, looks like we're having toast again. Oh well.

I plopped myself down at the kitchen table and began boring holes into Maka's back, waiting for her to notice my presence. Of course, she probably sensed me coming as soon as I opened the bathroom door, but that's what made her lack of a greeting all the more unusual.

"Something bothering you?" I asked nonchalantly as I propped my head up with my arm. She jumped slightly at the question before turning her head to look at me. "Oh, good morning Soul. I'm making breakfast, what would you like?" A bagel sprang up from the toaster, drawing her attention back to her cooking. That is if you can call it 'cooking.' Ignoring the fact that she avoided my question, I leaned back in my chair thinking of all the possible answers I could give her. "You." Damn, this is what happens when you rehearse shitty pick up lines in the bathroom.

Maka went rigid, turning ever slowly to face me. I frantically scrambled for the right words to fix the situation but they just wouldn't come. "Eh, just kidding. Pancakes are good." Wide eyed, I braced myself for the inevitable. "Maaaaaaaaakaaaaaaaaaaa—CHOP!"

With a speed that would put superman to shame, she planted the spine of a thick bound book on my head and pain exploded through my mind. Just as she was about to go for a second deadly blow, a knock sounded at the front door, putting a stop to her merciless beat down.

Maka huffed as she set her book down on the table. "You should worship whoever is behind that door because they just saved you a trip to the hospital." She took a deep breath before calmly making her way to the front door. Painfully, I sat up and nursed my battered head. "You're going to give me a concussion one of these days." I winced as I gently applied pressure to the tender area on my head. "Maybe if I hit you enough times it'll fix the faulty wiring in your brain." Maka said angrily as she pulled the front door open.

I finally managed to get up from the table and make my way over to the front door. It looked as though Maka was already talking to whoever was at the door, so I stopped and stood in the living room, feeling a little light headed. It was unusual to have visitors in the morning and no one had made plans to stop by. Maka looked back at me with a confused expression as she stepped aside to let the visitor in. "Soul, you never told me you had a brother..." A tall lean figure stepped in. He wore a loosely buttoned white dress shirt along with a pair of black dress pants and dress shoes. He looked as though he came straight from a performance, I wouldn't be surprised.

"Soul, it's nice to see you. It's been far too long since our paths crossed." Wes graciously greeted, smiling slightly. "I suppose. What brings you here?" I asked slightly confused by his sudden appearance. It's not like Wes to suddenly drop in, especially since we haven't spoken since I left the Evan's estate. I glanced over at Maka in hopes of possibly getting an explanation, but her face showed that she was just as confused.

"Is there some unspoken law that states I'm not allowed to visit my younger brother?" Wes asked smiling gently. He then pointed at Maka with a look of disproval "By the way, who's this? Don't tell me you're having intimate relations already. It's distasteful, especially at such a young age..." I think my head literally exploded. "WHAT KIND OF QUESTION IS THAT! M-MAKA!" Maka jumped in, her face glowing in embarrassment, " N-nothing like that! We're partners at Shibusen! I'm Soul's Meister, Maka Albarn." "Ah, I see." Wes said with a thoughtful look. "Well that's a relief; I won't have to deal with any awkward situations throughout my stay this week." My ears must have been failing me, just like I was imagining Wes Standing in the living room. "What was that?" I asked in utter dismay. "Didn't I mention I was spending the week here with you? I'm trying to lay low for a bit and I figured what better way than to come and visit you." Wes smiled to himself.

"Thanks for the forewarning but I don't recall agreeing to this arrangement" I said slightly annoyed. Who the hell did he think he was coming in here and expecting me to just let him stay.

"Soul! We can't just kick him out, he's your brother! Besides maybe having a role model around can fix your poor attitude." Maka gave me a warning look before turning back to Wes and smiling. "Let me show you around a bit."

Oh yeah, of course, how could I have forgotten. He's Wes, the talented brother in which I could never be compared to. The role model I can never aspire to be.

I kicked at the carpet in frustration. Why would Wes just come over out of the blue? How the hell did he even find me? I had a million questions swarming through my head, causing my mood to worsen by the second.

I fell back onto the couch and leaned my head against the back of the chair. I could hear Maka cheerfully showing Wes to his room, where was he staying at anyway?

"It's ok, Soul can sleep on the couch for a week. He'll be fine." I did a double take, the hell I'll be fine! I leaned over the back of the couch to yell down the hall. "Oi Maka! I don't appreciate you renting out my room without asking first. As far as I'm concerned, he's your guest so why don't you let him stay in your bedroom for the week." I glared at her, trying to prove my point. "Fine, I'll sleep on the couch since you're crying about it." I smirked back at her, "fine by me." I loved the way she gawked at me as I turned around to sit comfortably into the sofa. "It's really ok Maka-chan, I don't mind taking the couch. It'll be an interesting new experience," Wes said graciously. Flustered, Maka turned back to Wes to try and argue the situation but Wes would hear nothing of it. He set his belongings in the corner of the living room before turning around and plopping himself down next to me. I shifted to the far end of the sofa, examining the blank television and willing it to magically pop on and create a distraction. Unfortunately, I wasn't blessed with telepathic abilities as a child.

I relished in the uncomfortable silence as Maka and Wes stared at me, waiting for some kind of response, though I'm not sure what they expected me to do. So I did the one thing I did best, offend and retreat. "As much as I enjoy being the center of attention for everyone here, I have better things to do then sit around and be stared at." As I stood, I saw Maka reaching for her book and Wes simply staring in wonder. I ran full speed to my bedroom, slamming the door behind me and leaning heavily against it. It wasn't long before I heard the second slam of the book hitting the door.

Since when did she start chucking her book at people? She's getting more dangerous with every stupid remark I make. A bead of sweat began forming on my brow as I considered the thought. I looked around my room for something to do but nothing seemed to stand out. I didn't feel like listening to Jazz or any music for that matter since Wes was here. Really, that's all there was to do in my bedroom besides read a few boring books that Maka gave me. "So much for having better things to do." I flopped backwards onto my bed," maybe if I go to sleep I'll wake up from this nightmare." I closed my eyes for maybe ten minutes before, a light knock sounded at my door. "Unless you're Maka, I would suggest going away," I said coldly, glaring at the door. Maka stepped in, quietly shutting the door behind her. I was surprised by the sullen expression on her face as she sat down at the foot of my bed. "You know, your brother really does care about you." Maka said as she fiddled with corner of my comforter.

I shrugged "He sure showed it through the years of disconnection." Maka sighed as she turned towards me, "he wanted to get in touch with you for a long time but he didn't know how. He really is a nice guy." I looked up at Maka and was taken aback by the light blush that adorned her cheeks. I tried to play down the situation a bit but the plan seemed to back fire. "pfft. With the way you talk about him I would say you're attracted to him." I laughed lightly. Please deny it and erase this unease at the back of my mind. Maka's silence was agonizing. I looked at her once more to see her that her blush had deepened and she was staring at the floor. "Oh.. You do like him." I frowned as she stood from my bed. "Well, I'm going to bed now Soul. Try to get along with Wes tomorrow would you? We're supposed to give him a tour of Shibusen and I would really like it if you would at least try to reconnect with him." She smiled gently at me as she took her leave. If only she could begin to understand how much that look tormented my Soul. How could she have fallen for Wes after knowing him for maybe a half hour when she has known me for years? As I said before, I can't think of anything Wes can't beat me at, but I'm not gonna let him have Maka without a fight.

I don't own soul Eater. Sadness. ;_;