A/N: So, I had no idea SoMa week was happening, so I haven't really prepared anything for it. Sorry! I'm going to try to catch up and do the days that I can, but no promises on getting all of the prompts done!
Roommates
When Maka and Soul first partnered up, there was a sort of agreed-upon distance between them; she wanted to have a scythe as her partner, and he was glad to find someone who would not be frightened by his appearance, but neither of them was particularly comfortable with the other for their own reasons. When they signed the form finalizing their partnership, the problem of living quarters arose.
The receptionist, a rotund but well-meaning woman, smiled down at the pair. "The forms have all been filled out, save for one, dearies." She slid a final sheet on a clipboard toward them. "You have the option to live in the dorms within Shibusen, but that could be troublesome for you two." With her own pen she underlined a particular line reading, Weapon and meister pairs of opposite sexes may live in their respective dormitories, but it is strongly encouraged for them to take up residence off-campus to develop closer bonds.
Maka let out a quiet strangled noise, somewhere between a whimper and groan. Teeth gritted into a grimace and eyebrows knitted together into a look of concern, she looked over at Soul. His hands were shoved even deeper into his pockets than she thought possible, and his bottom lip had been drawn into his mouth to be bitten down on. His shoulders pulled up around his ears and he mumbled, "Whatever, she can choose. Doesn' matter to me."
At hearing this, Maka stood up straighter. If he wanted it to be up to her, so be it. She was the meister, after all; he should get used to taking her orders! The sooner he got used to it the better; it would make working with a guy easier if he was obedient. "We'll live in the dorms, please," she said, and pulled the form closer. As she circled the proper option (the only option, really, in her opinion), the receptionist tried to say something to dissuade her, but Maka cut her off. "I know what I'm doing," she said. "We'll spend plenty of time together during classes and on campus. I just don't want to be around when he starts bringing girlfriends around." The last part was spat with such malice that Soul couldn't help but snap his head around.
"Th' hell are you talking about?" he grumbled, scowling at his almost-official partner. "I don't give a shit about bringing people 'round, I'd rather just be alone." The receptionist was giving him a look of what seemed to be pity, so he looked away again. "'S fine with me if she wants to live separately, I want my own space anyways. Just don't make up stupid reasons for it."
"Maka, sweetheart, I know you're bitter about your father–"
"Men are all scum," spat Maka, and she pushed the form over to Soul for him to sign.
What the hell had he gotten himself into? Soul huffed in confusion but signed the form anyways. Maka would probably get tired of him after a few days if she had daddy problems that badly. Just as well; he probably wouldn't fit in here either, and he'd be an outcast once again. Wonderful.
With some anxious motherly clucking and concerned directing, the pair were sent in separate directions to be shown to their dorms.
Soul flopped onto his mattress, which was cold without his sheets on it yet. Unpacking would have to wait. He groaned and looked at the ceiling, white and dull. Whatever. He'd do whatever it took to stay at Shibusen, even if he had to find a new meister. Maka was weird; she had seemed so excited to find out that he was a scythe, but then shit like this happened where she lumped him into a group with all males (which apparently meant "lecherous scumbags," from what he could gather). Girls were so confusing and moody.
"Fuck, Maka!"
Soul felt a ringing impact run through him as his scythe form clattered to the ground. After focusing for a few seconds on limbs and skin, he managed to force his body back into human form, save for a blade-arm that disappeared a few seconds after. "Don't fucking drop me!" he snapped, rolling one shoulder to attempt to disperse the vibrations that seemed to still be reverberating within his bones. "That hurts, I don't care if I'm just a hunk of metal to you, I can still feel it!"
"You aren't just a hunk of metal, Soul, you're my partner!" Maka huffed and scowled down at him. "Now get up and transform, we have to try again."
She didn't even reach out her hand to help him up; she just looked down at him as if he was incompetent and a tool. Something in Soul snapped in that moment. A week and a half of this was enough. A week and a half of being treated like scum for something he had not done was more than enough.
Soul gritted his teeth together and stood up with a lurch. "You know what, Maka?" he snarled. "I'm done. You've dropped me like five times today, and you know why! We're supposed to be trying to get along and connect our souls or whatever, and you won't even get near me when I'm not just a scythe! I'm human, dammit, and I don't really care if you hate me or whatever, but I didn't do anything to make you hate me!" He took a steadying breath to calm his heart rate and continued, still a bundle of stress and nerves. "I am okay with being partners with you, no matter how fucking weird you are. I just want to have a partner. But I'll go solo and look for someone else if you aren't willing to give me a chance."
With that, Soul turned on his heel and left. Maka didn't even call out to stop him.
His heart was thudding loudly in his chest as the walls of Shibusen flew by him, and unconsciously his feet matched the same frantic rhythm. Shit. Had he fucked up his one chance at having a place here? Blood roared in his ears, and his face was hot with chagrin. Fuck. Just... fuck. He should have stayed quiet. He should have been a good hunk of metal and listened to Maka even though she didn't have any sort of concern or care for him.
Soul's shoulder bumped against someone else's side, and he stumbled. Before he could mumble a quick "sorry," a hand grasped his shoulder firmly and swiveled him around.
The man who had stopped him was tall with red hair, and his face was a little dopey, but he looked baffled. He squinted at Soul's face before asking, "You're... Maka's partner, right? Where is she? Why isn't she with you?"
Soul shrugged off the man's hand and scowled back up at him. "Hell if I know. Probably back in the training hall still. Don't know why you'd bother with her, though, she probably hates you just for being a dude just as much as she hates me for it." The man flinched back as if he had been burned, pain flashing behind his blue eyes, and Soul took that as his chance to flee back to his room. Back to being alone. And probably partnerless.
What the fuck ever.
Soul did not go to class the next day, nor did he go the day after that. What was the point, after all? Maka hated him, and there was nothing he could do about it. There weren't any solo meisters who were willing to partner up with him anyways.
Apparently he sucked at being a weapon just as much as he sucked at playing piano.
Out of nowhere, a timid tap sounded against his door. His eyes lazily floated over to the door. It was quiet outside, but the shadows of two feet were visible at the crack near the floor. Soul sat upright on his bed and threw the covers off of himself. He had missed two days of class; chances are he was in some sort of trouble. He pulled on a shirt (manners, of course) before sighing and opening the door.
It was Maka.
Her eyes were fixed on the floor, avoiding him even though she had come to his room, and her fingers played with the hem of her skirt. She looked... nervous. And maybe apologetic, but Soul did not want to get ahead of himself. Hell, he didn't honestly want much to do with her right now either way.
"What?" Hurt and frustrated or not, Soul had not intended for it to sound so harsh.
Maka fidgeted in the doorway, and her cheeks pinkened. "I... ran into my papa today," she mumbled. "And... he said that he met you the other day, and asked why I was being mean to you, that you said I hated you." Soul stiffened; that old man with the dopey face had been Maka's father? "...I don't hate you."
"Sure seems like it."
A small sound, almost like a whimper, slipped past Maka's lips. "I know. I'm sorry. I just... My papa is stupid, and... I don't hate you. I really don't."
Despite the lack of an actual explanation, Soul could read between the lines. "He's a cheater?" Maka nodded. "That's stupid of him. Don't blame you for bein' pissed at that. It's whatever." If Maka was not comfortable telling him more, but it was obvious that her hatred of men came from her father's past mistakes. It wasn't like he was without baggage as well.
Soul stuck out his hand. "Are we cool?"
Maka hesitated for a moment, but took his hand and smiled. "Yeah, we're cool. Oh, and, um..." Soul looked at her quizzically. "If it's okay with you..." Maka pulled something out of her jacket pocket. It looked to be a sheet of paper; makeup work, perhaps, for the classes he'd missed? "If it's okay with you, I'd like to live off-campus with you to get to know you better, Soul."
Woah.
Soul couldn't help but laugh.
Maka was a weird girl. A really weird, really messed up, really moody girl. But she was his partner, his meister, and his ticket to a new life. Who was he to turn her down?
"Sure." He grinned. "You'd better not be a crappy roommate."
"Hey, shut it!" she snapped back, face red. "You'd better be grateful I'm going to live with... with... a guy like you!"
"Yeah yeah yeah. Whatever."
Maybe it'd all work out after all.
Scratch that. It was not working out. It was not cool at all. Soul groaned and looked at his bedside clock in his –their– new apartment. Three in the morning. Wonderful. The pounding on their apartment's door had been going on for almost an hour, and Maka had already come to his room twice to apologize.
He smashed his pillow over his head harder to drown out the knocking and wailing, but the sound still came through loud and clear.
"Makaaaaa! My darling, please! I didn't mean it like this! You don't have to live with your partner, you don't have to live with such a nasty boy! My precious daughter, I just want you to be pure and safe! Maka!"
A/N: Aaand there! A piece for SoMa week! I know it's a day (almost two) late, but it's something! I'm going to try to keep up with making day-late SoMa pieces this week to follow up, but I can't promise anything since I'd have to be pumping out chapters daily!
I hope you enjoyed this, and hopefully I'll be giving you something else to read tomorrow! I'd love to hear what you all think about these chapters, so please leave a review if you enjoyed it, and follow to read whatever other days I get around to finishing! Mwah!
