The steam rose up in clouds in the locker room as the girls hurried to wash and dress so they would have as long a lunch period as possible. Gym class had been grueling as usual, so everybody needed to wash, but no one wanted to give up more precious free time than they had to. Liz Thompson in particular was rushing to get through her shower so she could get ready and get out the door.
"Come on, Patti! Faster! Scrub faster!" she cried.
"Okay, Sis!" replied Patti, soap suds flying from her washcloth.
Maka, standing at the shower head on Patti's other side, got a face full of them and spluttered. "Hey! Watch it! I was trying to keep from having to wash my hair today. What's the rush anyway?"
"Sorry Maka," singsonged Patti, "Sis met some guy who works at the new burrito place and wants to make it all the way over there for lunch."
"Psh," grumbled Maka, still rinsing soap out of her eyes. "That's no reason why I should get a face full of bubbles."
"Sorry, Maka, but he's really hot. And he has the most badass eyebrow piercing! He told me he was going to make me something special next time I came in, so I've got to dry my hair and redo my makeup before we go." Liz was already heading out of the shower area and hurrying to get a towel. Maka finished rinsing off and came over to retrieve her own towel.
"Say, you wanna come too?" Liz asked from under her towel where she was vigorously rubbing the water out of her hair. "The food is way more delicious than anything in the cafeteria."
Maka hesitated. If she went with the Thompson sisters it was unlikely she'd make it back to class on time. Normally, this would make the decision for Maka, but this afternoon was Marie's class, and since she'd announced her pregnancy and that she'd be retiring at the end of the term, the class had become a joke. Marie mostly waxed on about the benefits of cloth diapers versus disposables, how to safely cosleep in the same room as a mad scientist, and other childcare issues that Maka did not want to think about so early in her career. She also had turned Liz down the last time she'd been invited to lunch, and while Liz and Patti weren't her closest friends, she didn't want to get a reputation for being cold.
"Ooh, that new place on Cemetery Ave?" asked Tsubaki, drifting over after finishing her own shower. "I've been wanting to try it."
Liz looked at her askance, and even the often socially clueless Maka could tell Liz hadn't been planning on inviting the tall brunette.
"What?" asked Tsubaki, stricken at the thought that Liz had something against her.
Patti came over, giggling, and slapped Tsubaki on the back. "Take it as a compliment! Liz doesn't care about us kids coming along, but she's worried you'd be competition!"
Tsubaki and Maka didn't look like they knew what to do with that remark, while Liz tried to run damage control. "That's not it—Patti and Maka are plenty cute too—just different types…" Then her expression turned coy and mischievous, "but I suppose I am a little worried, I mean, you were the last of our group to change back in the Book of Eibon. How do I know your lustful nature won't get the better of you when faced with the hot burrito guy?"
Tsubaki spluttered. "I don't know what that was about!" she protested. "Besides, Blair was after me, and Maka was in the Sloth chapter—so we don't know when she turned back."
Maka, still amused by her friends' stories of Tsubaki's humiliation in the Book of Eibon, shook her head.
"I was back to a girl body as soon as we stepped into Sloth. Soul was back to normal too. Good thing—it pissed me off to see what kind of girly-girl he was. That hair! It was so over the top. His nails were even pink! I wouldn't have thought a girl version of Soul would be like that."
"Well, TOC told us at the start that our appearance was ourselves as the opposite gender with our own sexual desires overlaid," Liz reminded.
"So Soul must really like girly girls," clarified Patti.
At this, Maka looked down. She'd known it was true—his obsession with Blair's breasts was a pretty clear indication that her skinny body type wasn't his ideal. Still, seeing the beautiful, put together girl version of Soul was somehow insulting. Maka had never been clear about how deep and in what direction her feelings for Soul ran, but it was hard not to see the episode as a rejection.
She strapped her plain white bra on and pulled her uniform shirt on over it. Liz had turned on her hairdryer much to the annoyance of the other girls in the locker room who now had to shout to be heard.
"If Tsubaki promises to keep her lustful thoughts to herself, can she come anyway?" Maka yelled to Liz.
"Yeah!" Liz shouted back. She felt bad for starting this whole thing. Sure, she didn't want Tsubaki's long hair and long legs in competition for burrito boy's attention, but she didn't want to hurt her feelings over it. "But no moves on my man Nakatsukasa! And cover up those legs!"
She tossed a pair of blue jeans out of her bag at the ninja blade and Maka rolled her eyes. Liz sure was serious about hunting down attractive dudes. Tsubaki seemed a little hurt still, but she pulled them on anyway. Maka dressed in her school uniform, not wanting to make herself even later by having to change again when they returned after lunch. Her hair had gotten a little bit wet, but not so bad that she couldn't tie it up. Maka did up her favorite pigtails, taking the time to get them just so, and as she looked in the mirror, satisfied, she caught Liz's eye from further down on the row of sinks. She had finished with the blowdryer and was on to the less noisy straightening iron.
"Speaking of the Book of Eibon," said Liz slyly, though Maka had thought they were done with the subject, "It's too bad you switched back so soon Maka. If you were just a little pervier, Black Star wouldn't have had to fight Kid at all."
Patti giggled, but Maka looked perplexed. "What do you mean? I thought he'd been swayed by the Madness of Order and needed to be shaken up to get out of it. Besides, it would have been really awkward to have to fight as a boy…"
Liz and Patti laughed, and even Tsubaki smiled.
"I don't think Liz was suggesting you fight him," she said with a knowing grin.
"I think Kid would have been shaken enough to see the Maka-Kid hybrid staring back at him," said Liz, carefully applying dark eyeliner in the mirror. "I mean, seriously, if you hadn't kept the blond hair, you could have been his twin."
"Wh—what?" Maka stuttered. "You think I looked like Kid in the Book of Eibon?"
"Welllll," hummed Tsubaki, "You still had your own hair color, and were only a bit taller, but…"
"White suit with black tie," said Patti.
"Short hair, but enough to get a cute little cowlick," said Liz.
"You even had a badass longcoat like the one Kid used to wear before he decided it was too likely to fold one way more than the other when he sat down in it," said Patti with a nod.
"Aaand you were such a 'serious young man', but just pervy enough to get flustered by that succubus," said Liz with a gesture, as if this completed the picture.
Maka was mystified. "You thought I looked like Kid? But...but we don't look anything alike!"
The three others shared a laugh at her expense.
"I know, Maka, that's what we're saying," Tsubaki said patiently. "You don't look anything like Kid—"
"—yet your lustful boy version was a sandy-haired Kid look-alike." finished Liz with a serious nod. She turned back to her reflection to finish up her eye makeup.
Maka still looked bewildered as she slipped on her shoes and picked up her bag. The others finished dressing and Liz gave herself a last look in the mirror.
"So, you think Kid and I are alike in other ways?" Maka asked hesitantly.
Liz rolled her eyes, and pushed open the locker room door.
"That's one way of looking at it," said Tsubaki gently, "but another way is that Kid—"
"KID!" Liz exclaimed, mostly to shut Tsubaki up before she went any further.
"Liz, Patti," Kid said. He'd been waiting in the hallway, and if he'd showered with the rest of the boys there was no way of knowing, as he was as impeccably dry, dressed, and styled as ever. "Tsubaki, Maka," he added politely as they came through the door.
"I told you not to wait," said Liz. "We're going out to eat, so your misguided attempts to fix my eyebrows will just have to wait for another day."
Patti piped up, "but you can come with us if ya wanna!" She grabbed his arm and hauled him over to where Maka was standing, then gave her a big wink from outside his line of sight.
Maka stared at Kid, who stared back at her. He didn't seem much like her. To start with, he was taller, and his eyes were gold. Maka supposed they both dressed neatly, but that wasn't that unusual, was it? She continued scrutinizing him, and her eyes widened in surprise as she realized that his cheeks were faintly pink. Oops, she must have embarrassed him.
Liz muttered, "Oh great, then I guess we might as well invite the boys. Just not Black Star, ok?"
"Yahoo! Did someone say the name of their god?"
Soul and Black Star emerged from around the corner and Liz slapped her hand to her forehead in dismay.
"Yo," said Soul, coming up to Maka and Tsubaki from the other side. He looked between Maka and Kid, who were eyeing each other with identical tiny blushes.
"Uh, did something happen that I'm not aware of?" he asked the group at large.
Tsubaki hid her smile, though Soul caught it and raised his eyebrow.
"No!" said Maka, a little too forcefully. "We're just going out for lunch—all of us—to that new burrito place on Cemetery."
Soul again looked between Maka and Kid. "You two goody-goodies? Sneaking off campus for lunch across town?"
He caught Liz' amused eyes. "You sure nothing happened?" he asked again.
"Not yet!" Liz replied as she breezed by, grabbing Soul's arm. She squeezed it hard and pulled him along with her. "And it won't if you keep at it," she added through gritted teeth, "so shut up!"
Soul huffed out a laugh, putting up with this treatment from the demon gun and allowing her to pull him out the doors by his arm. Liz wasn't so bad, despite her bossy tendencies. She certainly knew how to take care of her appearance. She had good taste in music, too. Too bad she had a rule about dating younger guys. Maybe she'd loosen up once they were all a little older…
Black Star and Patti quickly took the lead, hungry and energetic as always. Tsubaki hurried to catch up to them, mostly so she could leave Maka and Kid to bring up the rear.
The group of teens quickly left Shibusen through the east gate, trying not to be seen by any faculty members. They were technically not disobeying any rules yet, as they were allowed to cross the street to have lunch on the benches in the park, or even to get lunch from one of the vendors there. However, their destination was far enough away that anyone who saw what direction they left in could tell they wouldn't make it back in time for class, if they made it back before the end of the day at all.
Liz and Soul watched as Patti and Black Star bolted ahead, with a battle cry of "burritos!" Tsubaki ran after them, calling out to stop being so loud.
"So what's not yet going on?" Soul asked Liz in a low voice as they hurried across the street away from the school. They both risked a not-terribly-surreptitious look at Kid and Maka following behind them. Thankfully, those two seemed so interested in pointedly not looking at the other that they didn't notice Soul or Liz' scrutiny.
Liz leaned closer to the younger boy, surprised to find she barely had to scrunch down at all despite the cute wedges she was wearing. These kids just kept growing! They'd be full-fledged adults before she knew it.
"We finally had a little chat with Maka about what everyone couldn't help but notice in the Lust chapter."
"Um, you mean the nosebleed that classless succubus gave her? That was pretty lame," mused Soul.
"No, idiot—the fact that she was a blond ringer for Kid! That's got to mean something, right?"
Soul's eyes widened. "Wow, I totally hadn't thought of that." He laced his fingers together with his hands behind his head. "They were pretty similar though—suit, tie, deadpan expression."
Liz looked hard at Soul, trying to read his thoughts. "It doesn't—well, I guess I want to be clear before we go any further with this scheme. Are you going to try to screw things up?"
Soul raised his eyebrows, "You mean, you're gonna try to set them up? Shibusen's straightest? Wow." He walked along with her, thinking. "It's a little weird, and I'm not sure it'll work. Maka is like, practically sexless, and Kid, well, he's not even human, right?" Soul trailed off, walking along looking up at the tops of the buildings rather than at the beautiful girl beside him.
"Would it bother you?"
Soul tried to ask the question nonchalantly, but he didn't quite succeed. Meister-weapon relationship stuff like this was hard to wade through. There were some precedents, but their jobs were so all-consuming that there weren't any examples of happily-ever-after kind of relationships in the lives of EAT alumni, at least not that Soul was aware of.
"Are you kidding? It would be so great. Kid is growing into like the classic kind of guy who needs to get laid so he doesn't make the people around him miserable. He's almost impossible to be around lately. I think the whole OCD thing mostly happens when he doesn't have anything else to focus on. And Maka is cool. I mean, she's a pretty hardcore fighter, her Soul Perception is even better than Kid's, and she reads a lot. They are both such nerds I'm sure they'd have lots of nerdy stuff to talk about."
Soul took this in. He couldn't say he was thrilled about this "need to get laid" angle. Maka was a sexless tiny-titted demon, but so far she'd been his sexless tiny-titted demon. He wasn't sure if he was ready for that to change.
"But it wouldn't be awkward for you or Patti? I mean, being Kid's weapon partners and all?" Soul wasn't exactly sure where he was going with this, but Liz seemed happy to talk about it, and it might help to hear what her perspective was.
"It's more awkward the way things are now. I mean, everybody knows weapon and meister training partners getting together is a bad idea, but there's still this weird expectation. I guess because we're supposed to live together and spend all our time together to learn to match wavelengths. But relationships? No way. Spirit-sensei and Maka's mom are like the poster children for why that is a terrible idea. It is a recipe for teenage pregnancy and messy divorce."
"Stein and Marie are from the same era, and they're having a baby together," Soul pointed out.
"Yeah, but they were never partners at school—they learned to synchronize wavelengths with other people and only got together as adults. And I mean, I hope things go well for them, but they are hardly in the most stable relationship I've ever heard of."
Soul thought about Liz' words. Maka was definitely the product of one of the most notorious scandals at Shibusen in the last quarter-century. Not for the first time he wished he'd been able to synchronize with Black Star or Killik. Nobody looked at Ox and Havar and whispered suggestively. It would be so much less troublesome on a social level to have another dude for a partner. Thinking this way made Soul feel bad though. It wasn't like any of this was Maka's fault. And she was a hell of a meister. Soul couldn't ask for someone fiercer or more dedicated.
There were a bunch of other factors involved, but Soul had to admit that at least on one level he would be as relieved as Liz if Maka was in a relationship with someone else. His feelings for her were complicated, as maybe they would have to be for anyone whose soul he knew so well, but he also knew that he and Maka were not necessarily romantically suited. She was just so secretive and tetchy when it came to feelings that he felt out of his depth.
Soul finally answered. "I guess it would be okay. But are you sure Kid even likes Maka? I would hate for her to get all hurt and embarrassed for nothing. I mean, he's a shinigami, right? So does he even like girls? I mean, human ones?"
Liz laughed. "There sure are a lot of rumors about Kid still going around, huh? I mean, yes, he's a shinigami, but I can tell you for certain that he's as much of a warm-blooded boy as the rest of you guys. And I don't have to toss him back into the Book of Eibon to know that his girl form would definitely be wearing his beloved symmetrical pigtails. I think he swooned a little when he first saw them."
Soul had to laugh at that. "Seriously, the pigtails do it for him?" Another chuckle spilled out of him. "I guess that makes a very basic kind of sense."
"Right?" said Liz. "He shocked us all by insisting that we go help you guys out on your extra lesson when Shinigami-sama first showed us your group in his mirror, but then Kid chickened out. He got fixated on something back at the house, I can't remember if it was the picture in the front hall or toilet paper that wasn't folded into a perfect triangle, but he bailed. I didn't think that much of it at the time, but again and again, he would get all worked up—going to help Maka on assignment, going to swoop in and save Maka, and then he would like literally lose his mind over something ridiculous."
Soul snorted. Looking at it this way, Kid's behavior was still pathetic, but much more comprehensible. He remembered going to check out an old factory with Kid's team and getting stuck dealing with the insanity clown while Kid fussed around looking for the main entrance. Somehow it was more forgivable knowing that Kid was freaking out not so much about superficial symmetry but about a crush that he didn't know how to act on.
"Quick, let's go a little faster, I think they're finally starting to talk to each other!" Liz grabbed Soul's arm again and hurried him along the sidewalk, depending on him to navigate since she was peeking back at Kid and Maka the whole time.
"I'm pleasantly surprised you don't want to hang back to eavesdrop on them," said Soul.
"Oh, I would if I thought it would work, but Kid would probably clam right up if he knew anyone else could hear him."
Liz and Soul hustled along the street, finally trying in earnest to catch up to Patti, Black Star, and Tsubaki.
Behind them, Kid and Maka were talking about shoes.
"I guess we do have similar requirements in footwear," mused Maka, still trying to see exactly what she and Kid had in common. "Though I'd sort of imagine most meisters would want something practical but still professional."
Kid shrugged. "Some people put fashion ahead of practicality, but I've never seen why the two can't peacefully coexist," he said.
Kid wasn't entirely sure why Maka had started asking him about clothes, but since he hadn't been able to think of a single thing to say to the blonde-haired meister all the way from Shibusen, he wasn't about to complain.
Maka looked cute as always, but very serious, like she was trying to figure out a puzzle that she didn't have all the pieces to yet. She took a breath and muttered, "I guess there must be something a little less superficial."
She turned to Kid. "I see you in the library sometimes," she observed.
Kid tried not to get too excited or distracted. With his luck he'd spot something hideously asymmetrical and lose his concentration. He focused on her words to keep himself in check. This was probably the most personal conversation the two of them had had in three years of knowing each other.
"I see you too, sometimes. Though I don't spend as much time at the library in Shibusen as you. I mean, I have a lot of books at home, and I'm allowed to check more things out since I have higher level borrowing privileges than you."
Kid hoped that didn't sound arrogant. Liz always told him that things he said came out sounding that way, even though he never intended it.
"Yeah," said Maka regretfully, "Ever since Shinigami-sama caught me taking Papa's ID card I've had to read things there like everybody else."
"What sorts of things are you interested in checking out?" asked Kid. "I have copies of a lot of the same texts at home, and I wouldn't mind if you want to take them home with you."
"Really?" asked Maka hopefully. Then she deflated. "I don't think your father would be too pleased to find out he punished me for taking library materials so I snuck them out of his own house instead. But I've been trying to read as much as I can about advanced Soul Perception, and it's not easy to get through all the works during library hours. A lot of things are in other languages too. Latin I can handle, but Ancient Greek still gives me trouble."
"You should come see if I have anything you'd like to read. If you don't want to take it with you, then you could just read it there. My house doesn't have hours, that is, you could stay as long as you want. And I'm pretty good with Ancient Greek. Actually, I came across something in Greek the other day that reminded me of you." Kid blushed, but hurried to clarify, "Well not you specifically—it was about Grigori Souls, but you're the only person I know who has one."
"Really?" asked Maka excitedly. "Can I see it? I might need help with translation, but I'm always trying to find references to Grigori souls. Everyone says it has to do with the shape, but it seems like there must be more meaning to it…"
Kid smiled a tiny bashful smile, pleased that his offer was making Maka happy. He looked around dazedly, and realized that they were already in the part of town where Liz wanted to have lunch. In fact, they were stopped outside a storefront that said "Bandito Burrito" and had a sign with two pistols crossed over a sombrero. No wonder Liz and Patti liked this place.
Liz turned to her gathered friends with her index finger outstretched in classic elder sister scolding position.
"We're finally here. When we get inside, let's not forget to use our inside voices—Patti and Black Star I mean you—and absolutely no embarrassing me! Nakatsukasa, you've already got your marching orders. Try to keep it in your pants," she said with a wink.
Soul, who was standing next to Tsubaki, couldn't help but notice her annoyed expression.
"What was that about, Tsubaki?" he asked, holding the door open as the others rushed inside.
Tsubaki hung back with Soul and growled a little. It was pretty cute and half-hearted, but still a growl. "Liz is being a jerk," huffed Tsubaki. "She's like, fixated on the Book of Eibon today."
"Oh yeah, that's when you were outed as a closet perv," he nodded. "I can't believe Maka and I missed that part."
"She wasn't going to invite me to eat today, because some guy she likes works here. As if I'd just plaster myself all over some random burrito-slinger Liz likes!" Soul had probably never seen Tsubaki so annoyed, but his heart felt like it had sunk into his stomach.
"Some guy, huh?" he said.
"Yeah," Tsubaki sighed. "I'd probably be taller than him anyway. She doesn't have anything to worry about. Not like I've ever had a boyfriend anyway."
"Aw, hey," Soul awkwardly tried to comfort Tsubaki, "Uh, there's no shame in not having found the right person yet."
If Soul thought this platitude would help Tsubaki's mood he was sorely mistaken. She gave a little wail and covered her face with her hands. She pushed past him into the restaurant and rushed straight back to find the rest room. Soul shook his head and caught up with Black Star who was salivating at the counter. Kid and Maka had already ordered and were looking for a table, and Liz was talking to the girl working the cash register. No sign of a Liz-crushworthy guy.
"Hey bro," Black Star greeted. The two fist bumped and turned to stare at the menu. Soul felt his stomach rumble. Not cool. He rubbed it through his favorite white and red hoodie.
"What's up with Tsubaki?" Soul asked. "She was getting all upset about not having a boyfriend, but then when I said she'd find someone someday she freaked out."
Black Star looked up at Soul. "Ah shit, you really stepped in it this time."
"Oh no, what am I totally unaware of now?" groaned Soul.
Black Star, to his credit, glanced around him to make sure no one was looking, and waited for the girl behind the counter to take their orders and get to work before he responded.
"You know that samurai dude whose ass I keep almost kicking?"
"Uh, you mean Mifune-sensei?"
"Yeah, it turns out Tsubaki has been majorly crushing on him this whole time, but when she said something to him he told her student-teacher relationships were not cool. She cried for like a week straight. I offered to kick his ass, but she said no. To be honest I was a little relieved. I mean, I would totally pound that bastard into the ground fo sho, but to do it for not getting all pedophillic with my weapon partner...man, I'm not sure what I'm supposed to think about that."
"Shit," said Soul. That was even more complicated than his situation. "At least she told you. Maka would probably glare at me constantly for not having magically figured it out for myself."
"Well, like I said, the lady was bawling for days. Eventually it became a big enough problem to be dealt with by a guy like me."
"You just let her cry without even asking what was wrong? Dick. That is not cool Black Star."
"Yeah, Black Star is not cool," agreed Patti from Black Star's other side.
"Shit!" Soul swore again. "Aren't you supposed to have like ninja senses man? How come Patti always sneaks up on you?"
"I dunno, she's like a demon or something, always springing up when my godlike mind is on bigger matters."
Patti giggled, and Soul gave up on the conversation with Black Star for the moment. He joined Liz, Maka, and Kid at the table and sat down next to Liz, who was frantically typing something on her phone.
"No hot burrito guy?" Soul asked.
"Nope," said Maka. "But the food is really good!"
It must have been, because even Kid was eating like a normal human being, picking the burrito up and everything. Usually he got into these weird patterns with a knife and fork, needing to eat things evenly from both sides. For some reason it really irritated Soul when he did stuff like that. Other than putting his napkin in his lap, Kid seemed to have let go of all of his prissy and obsessive table manners today.
Patti and Black Star joined them with their food, a truly massive number of enchiladas, and Tsubaki joined them a couple of minutes later with her own taco salad. Everyone was shoveling food down happily, though Liz was picking at her plate of tamales.
"I thought he worked on Tuesdays!" she groaned. "But I guess I must have got it wrong."
"Well," said Soul, "what did the girl at the counter say?"
Liz colored. "I was going to ask her when he'd be in, but I kind of, well, l-forgot-what-his-name-was." She muttered this last part into her sweet tea, but Soul heard it and snorted.
Maka must have heard it too.
"Wait, you hauled us all the way over to this side of town—making us all late for class—for a guy whose name you can't even remember?" she asked incredulously. Maka looked at Kid and gestured to Liz as if to ask if he could believe it.
Kid just rolled his eyes and shrugged. Liz at least had the grace to look a little sheepish.
Patti giggled. "The food is good though!" She took a hearty bite of enchilada. "Mmmm."
"Damn straight," agreed Black Star around a mouthful of the same.
Liz gave Maka a coy look, "Besides, going with me to check out that guy wasn't the only reason you came, right?"
Maka raised her eyebrow in confusion. "I guess I didn't mind skipping Marie-sensei's class since I didn't really want to listen to another lecture on infant and toddler nutrition."
Patti swallowed another bite. "Say Kid, whatever happened to that coat you wore for a while?"
Maka narrowed her eyes. Hadn't Patti mentioned that earlier? She shifted her gaze to Liz, who was looking at Patti with a brow raised in question.
"Oh. Well, I decided that it was too inconvenient for daily use. And if I'm wearing a cloak anyway, it's pretty much redundant, right?"
Kid didn't seem phased by Patti's random question. In fact, she asked random questions all the time. He turned back to his food and Patti leered at Maka over Kid's shoulder.
"So can ya get it? I wanna see it!"
Kid sat up and looked back at Patti. Everyone was eating their food except for Maka and Liz who were still wondering what Patti was up to.
"What? Now?" he asked. Kid looked thoughtful for a minute. "I could probably get it." His eyes narrowed skeptically. "Are you asking to borrow it? You know what I've told you about using my things Patti."
"Nah! I just want you to put it on, jeez!"
"I don't—"
Patti leaned way too far into Kid's personal space and growled, "Just. Do. It."
"Okay, okay." Kid set down his food and stood up. Everyone looked at him, but Kid seemed to be responding to Liz's look of inquiry when he said, "Patti wants me to do that thing, so I have to stand or it might not. . .be good."
Maka caught on to what was happening. "Wait, when she asked if you could get it, she meant right now? Wow, can you really do that?"
Kid took a breath to respond but Maka was already answering her own question.
"Well I guess it must be the same principle as summoning your skateboard, and we've all seen you do that before. Does the item already have to be in a certain alternate dimension for you to get it? I mean, is your coat sitting at home right now or is it in some alternate pocket of space and time?"
Kid once again started to respond, but Patti held up a hand. "Maka, shut up and let Kid get the coat."
Maka glared at Patti but closed her mouth. Patti smiled.
Kid shrugged, and closed his eyes. A slight breeze ruffled his high contrast bangs though they were inside a draftless space. Maka shivered. Kid's eyes snapped open at the same moment as he stood straight up, and Maka could have sworn his gold irises pulsed for a beat. His serious expression bored straight into her though Maka knew he was not seeing her. His Soul expanded. Maka sucked in an involuntary breath. A wave of something crashed over her. Her pulse was racing and she licked her lips. Then he was wearing his long dark coat, pulling at the cuffs to make sure they were even, and Maka realized that she was staring with her mouth open in a little "o" of amazement. She shut her mouth but knew that a crimson blush must be staining her cheeks. Patti was smirking at her, completely uninterested in Kid's coat now that he'd gotten it. Oh. So much that hadn't made sense to Maka before was undeniable now.
Black Star went back to eating his lunch.
"Cool trick," said Soul, and did the same.
Kid sat back down, carefully arranging the coat so that it hung symmetrically on his chair. He started tugging at each side a few too many times before Patti elbowed him and hissed, "Didn't you have something you wanted to say to Maka?"
"Ouch," he grumbled, but when he looked across the table at the blonde meister he couldn't remember which of her questions to answer first.
"Do you want to come over tonight?" he asked, and all noise at the table ceased. Even Black Star stopped, mid-scarf, and looked incredulously around at the others. Tsubaki shook her head at him, misty-eyed with happiness for her friend.
"—to look at that Greek text on Grigori souls," he said hurriedly, though he got the feeling that it didn't matter what he said, only what Maka's answer would be.
She blushed even brighter, and said, "I'd love to."
-o-o-o-
On the way out of the burrito shop Kid and Maka left first, deep in conversation about Kid's summoning powers. Liz and Patti watched them go and high-fived in self-congratulations. Soul shook his head, but held out his hand for a high-five as well. Liz smirkingly obliged him. Tsubaki sighed and laced her fingers together behind her back. That had gone so well!
"What the fuck was that?" asked Black Star, pointing his thumb back toward their lunch spot.
Everyone looked at one another, not sure how best to answer, but Tsubaki charged ahead. "Shut up Black Star," she said, "You'll understand when you're older." She mussed his hair as she went past, and she smiled as he chased after her to punish her for her impudence. Patti took off after them with a laugh and Soul and Liz sauntered back toward Shibusen. It was a beautiful day, and after all, hurrying wasn't cool.