Day 1 – Geeking Out

In which Soul geeking out over music is a sight to behold and trouble for his meister, because she still can't understand a word of what he's talking about.

First things first: She was not, under any circumstances, going to admit that Soul was adorable when he was geeking out over music like now. One, because it would hurt his cool-obsessed ego and two, because that would be too similar to a confession and she wasn't going to tread that unchartered territory yet.

So, Soul was not cute, rambling on and on about that Jazzband whose concert in Death City she'd gotten him tickets to for his birthday. At least not as cute that she could actually forgive herself for telling him that, so she tried not to. It didn't help that even though he could have chosen anyone – Kilik for example or Liz, they both appreciated that type of music – he'd given the second ticket to her. She'd tried to protest against it, saying that she didn't understand music, especially that type of music, but he'd said something about how it would feel weird if she wasn't the one with him and she'd given in. "Besides", he'd added, "I can finally get you to listen to some real music. Not that techno shit you're always hearing." In the end, that had gotten him a swift hit to the head with the thickest book she'd been able to whip out in under three seconds. She'd been a little on the short fuse that day and Soul making fun of her choice of music hadn't helped brighten her mood.

Because here was the thing: She just listened with Soul to the same concert and he was talking nonstop about it and she couldn't understand a thing.

How much of a sorry excuse of a partner was she?

Not sharing the same interests was one thing, but being completely ignorant to his musical world? He liked to call her musically illiterate and she denied it often enough, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't see the difference between a C and a D and she definitely couldn't make sense of how harmonies and rhythms worked together and why a melody sounded good. And what in Death's name were those seventh chords Soul had mentioned?

She sighed, smiling a bit at Soul – who still seemed lost in his own world – but otherwise saying nothing. She wouldn't have had anything to say after all. It would be better to just let him lead his conversation alone.

After perhaps five or ten minutes (or thirty, she wasn't good at guessing), Soul noticed that he was quite leaving his partner out with his one-man-conversation. And that she hadn't complained once because of it.

"What got you so silent there? Usually you'd be talking off my head by now." As insightful as her partner was most of the time, he could be quite oblivious too occasionally. It wasn't like he hadn't already noticed ages ago that her opinion wasn't exactly the best to ask for if it came to music. "What did you think of the band anyway? I know I liked them." he smirked "You should get me presents like that more often."

"It was … good, I guess." It was the best she could think of, mostly because she really didn't know what else to say to the concert of the band playing his beloved Jazz, but by the way he snorted and leaned closer, she could see he wasn't satisfied.

"That's not everything, is it? You're hiding something!" he said, accusingly pointing a finger at her "You're keeping something from me. You shouldn't keep things from me. I'm your partner." He was right. He was her partner. It was just that she wasn't good enough to be his.

"I just – I don't understand music, is that enough for you?" She spat, angry and confused and irritated. It shouldn't be like this, she shouldn't be like this, so stupid and unable to understand even a smidgen of her partner's world.

He snorted "You don't understand music. You feel it. Right here." he placed a hand on her ribcage, over the place where her heart was. She should have whacked him over the head, because his hand was basically lying halfway over her left breast. She would have too, if she hadn't become so breathless by his actions. He started speaking again "You liked it, right? When they were playing." She nodded cautiously. "And you like it when I'm playing." This time it wasn't a question, but she nodded anyway. "Then that's enough. You don't need to understand more than that." He stepped away from her again and grinned his stupid (adorable) shark's grin. "And besides, I don't understand your fixation on books either. So don't beat yourself up over it. You not understanding music doesn't make you any less of a partner. Even if your taste in music sucks." Stunned, but with a warm, fuzzy feeling in her gut she watched him reach out and take her hand.

"Come on. You're looking cold already."

And maybe it was because his eyes were such a light shade of red, lighter than usual, or because his hand was really, really warm, but she couldn't keep it in anymore.

"Soul? Did you know that you're really adorable when you're geeking out?"

Which ended in the rapid spluttering of her scythe, who insisted that it was not 'geeking out' and that that was for nerds like her and guys weren't supposed to be adorable and a few curses that were definitely neither cute nor adorable.

She kissed him for it anyway.