A/N: So, I technically do have the other chapter ready. I'll post it tomorrow, in case I want to make any changes. Hope you like it! I don't own anything.
Soul knocked—no, that wasn't the right word—Soul rammed against the bathroom door, towel in hand. "Maka! You've been in there for a whole hour! I need to take a shower!"
"I'll be out in just a minute!" She called back to him. She was acting awfully cheery today. She hadn't even Maka-chopped him when he burned the toast this morning. It was starting to get on Soul's nerves. No one, especially not Maka, could be perky for that long this early in the morning.
"That's it, I'm coming in!" Soul turned the handle to find Maka in a very nice, very short dress, with her nose less than an inch from the mirror. She turned to him and frowned.
"You idiot!" She yelled at him, "What if I was naked?" He wasn't sure how to answer that but he didn't have to. She went back to staring at herself in the mirror. She would flip one strand of hair to the left side of her face, then the right, then back again.
"What're you all dressed up for? You gotta date or something?"
She giggled a little into the mirror before smiling at him again. "None of your business!" Soul felt like someone had punched him in the stomach. Maka? Dating? She was always to busy studying, or something else smart! Who could have asked her anyway?
She bit her lip for a second before turning to him and grabbing him by the shoulders. He flinched. For some reason, it felt like her fingers were burning through him. That was ridiculous, she had touched him plenty of times before. "Tell me," she asked, her eyes piercing through him, "Does my hair look symmetrical?"
"Symmetrical?" Soul laughed nervously, "You sound like K-" he cut off mid-sentence as realization hit him. Kid? She was going on a date with Death the Kid? He could feel his face falling as his mouth turned into a perfect O. Something deep within his stomach was churning like a sea in a storm.
Maka's annoying giggle did not help. "I told you, it's none of your business!" She slipped past him and grabbed a backpack, being careful that the weight within was balanced evenly on both shoulders. "I'll probably be out for most of the day. I told Blair she could have the leftover fish we had for dinner. There's frozen meals in the freezer in case I'm not back for dinner."
"I know how to cook." Soul said indignantly.
She giggled again. "Yeah, that burnt toast this morning was a delicacy." She smiled and shook her head. "See ya!" She said over her shoulder and closed the door behind her.
Soul stared at the closed door for a full five minutes before he realized he still hadn't taken his shower.
"Remind me why we're here again?" Black Star said, playing with a rock in his hand.
"I have to know what's going on! I'm her weapon, I have to protect her." Soul was crouching behind a low wall, watching the door to the theater with the same attention one might give an approaching fireball.
"Keep telling yourself that." Black Star said getting up. "I'm going to go find something to do worthy of someone who has surpassed God."
"No!" Soul told him, pulling him down again, "I need you!"
"For what?" Black Star pushed his friend off him.
Soul thought quickly. "To sneak up on them, I'm gonna need the skills of the best assassin in the world!"
"Oooo! I can do that!" Black star knelt next to Soul, but soon got bored and began playing with the rock again. "How long are we gonna be out here?"
"I don't know." Soul said, trying to will the doors open and bring Maka out, preferably crying about something Kid did. What was he thinking? How could he wish Maka any pain? If Kid did hurt her, though, Soul would make sure he paid for it. That thought made him happy. "The movie ended ten minutes ago. What are they doing in there?"
"Probably making out." Soul wished he could chop Black Star the way Maka did. Because he couldn't, he decided to punch the blue-haired annoyance instead.
Finally, the doors opened and Maka and Kid came out laughing, hand in hand. Sudden images of beating Kid within an inch of his life entered Soul's mind. He realized for the first time he really hated Kid, with his stupid 3 stripes, and his skateboard, and his 'symmetry.' What a jerk.
"C'mon, Black Star," Soul said, not realizing how much anger was in his voice, "We're moving out."
"Finally." The two of them followed the couple down the street to a small restaurant, where they sat down at a table outside and ordered food.
They began talking. Soul stretched his ears trying to figure out what they were saying, but he only heard Maka's occasional laugh. This only made him angrier.
"You know, if you like her, you should just talk to her about it, instead of stalking her around the city." Black Star had started playing with the rock again.
"What?" Soul said, "I don't like her! Well, I mean I do like her, but not in the way your thinking. She's just my meister."
"What're you guys doing?" Soul and Black Star looked up to see Tsubaki, Liz, Patty and Crona walking towards them.
"Get down!" Soul whispered urgently at them. "They'll see you!" Crona and Patty crouched down almost immediately, Tsubaki went to sit next to Black Star, but Liz looked up to where Kid and Maka were before rolling her eyes and sitting down herself.
"Ooo! Are we playing hide and seek?" Patty asked gleefully.
"No Patty." Liz said, "Soul is spying on Maka."
"I am not spying!" Soul shouted, but when everyone (except Patty who was smushing ants) raised an eyebrow at him, he realized there really wasn't any other word for it. "Okay, so maybe I am, but it's for a completely legitimate reason!"
"Which is?" Tsubaki asked.
Soul opened his mouth, but couldn't come up with anything other than, "To protect my meister."
Liz rolled her eyes again. "You should just tell her how you feel."
"Yeah, I will." He said, they all seemed surprised and happy for a moment. "I will tell her exactly how I feel about that tight-ass, OCD, jerk!" He suddenly felt two fists ram into either side of his head. He opened his eyes to find Liz and Patty glaring at him.
"Sorry," Liz said, "I know you're feeling jealous, but we really can't have you talking that way about our meister."
Soul nodded to show he understood, before peering over the wall at the couple again. They had received their food, a plateful of pasta each. "I'm not jealous." He said. He could hear the exasperated sighs behind him. "What's there to be jealous of anyway? What's Kid have that I don't have?"
"Good grades, for a start." Liz said.
"He's neat and orderly." Tsubaki added.
"His father is Lord Death and he himself will inherit the title someday." Crona said.
"He gets to be in my presence everyday." Black Star said.
"Ooo! I know! He doesn't have pointy teeth!" Patty said.
"Okay! I get it! The guy has some good points." He turned back towards his friends. He couldn't bear to watch Maka laugh anymore. "But, he's still not as cool as me."
"Maka doesn't care about cool." Crona said. "She cares about kindness and making other people happy."
Soul looked down at his hands. He knew Crona was right. Maka always put others before herself. That was what made her such a cool partner.
But she doesn't care about cool, and cool was all Soul had. What else could Soul offer her than that?
What was he thinking? Offer her? Did he—was he-? He closed his eyes and accepted the truth. His friends were right. He was in love with Maka. He couldn't bear to see her with another guy. But he needed to move on. Whether he liked it or not, she WAS with another guy, and there was no chance she would love him even if she wasn't seeing Kid.
"I keep telling you." Black Star said, "Just tell the girl, and you'll feel a lot better."
"Yeah, like you would tell a girl if you liked her." Soul said bitterly.
"Sure I would! What kind of God would I be if I couldn't face a girl! Just watch!" He stood up and reached out a hand to his weapon. "Tsubaki, you're my girlfriend now. Let's go on a date!"
Tsubaki looked thunderstruck. "Wow, Black Star! I never thought you would ever ask me! Yeah, let's go!
The two of them got up together and walked back to the movie theater, hand in hand.
"He didn't ask her, he told her!" Soul said angrily.
"Yeah, well, for Black Star that was practically begging." Liz said. "I'd recommend asking Maka when you tell her you like her."
"I can't do that." Soul said. "I just can't. It would be too uncool."
Liz got up, dragging Patty with her. "You gotta make up your mind about what's cool, and what's right." Liz bent down again to pick Crona up off the ground, "Anyway, Patty and I are taking Crona shopping."
"Woohoo! Glitter clothes!" Patty nearly shouted.
"Just not too much glitter, okay?" Crona said as they started walking away, "last time, they blinded Ragnarok and he nearly tore up all my shirts, and I don't know how to deal without any shirts."
Soul turned back to Maka and Kid. They had finished eating, and Kid was paying for the meal. Soon they got up and started walking again.
Soul couldn't take one more second of their stupid date. When they finally had their backs facing him completely, he picked up a wad of dirt that smacked Kid straight in the back, and got in his hair.
Soul knelt back down, making sure he was completely out of sight, but smiled as he heard Kid scream "WHO THREW THAT! I SWEAR, I WILL MAKE WHOEVER HIT ME PAY FOR WHAT THEY'VE DONE!"
"It's okay, Kid. Here, I'll take you home so you can change."
There, Soul thought That should put an end to that date but would it be enough to prevent them going on a second? Or a third? Or prevent Maka from becoming his girlfriend?
Soul kicked the rock Black Star had been playing with all the way back to his apartment. So, Maka didn't care about cool, huh? Well, he didn't have to be cool. In fact, he could be pretty uncool, if he wanted.
He stopped directly outside his apartment. Well, he couldn't change by himself, not overnight. He turned away from his building and headed across the street, taking out his phone.
"Ox." He said, before he could even say 'hello.' "I need a tutor."