Soul Eater is (c) Atsushi Ohkubo.
So let me explain this one. I'm kind of writing it backwards; as in, I got a plot-bunny-ish and started writing from there, which will probably end up being the middle of the story. Once I had that idea fleshed out for the most part, I started at the beginning. Even I'm not entirely sure what will happen over the course of this fic, lol. I guess what I have in mind is a long episode format? Or something like that. I'm not sure!
It was one A.M. in Soul's bedroom, but to him it felt as though days had passed since he got into bed an hour ago. Why did time always seem to slow down in the early hours of the morning? Soul ground his teeth and squeezed his eyes shut even tighter, refusing to let his insomnia get the better of him. He was going to sleep tonight even if it killed him. Thin beams of light shone through the tightly-drawn blinds covering his window, and striped his blue bedsheets luminescent.
They were annoying.
Soul grunted and turned over on his side, away from the window. His eyes were still closed. That was good. Now if only he could clear his mind, then he'd be in business. Unfortunately, it seemed as though clarity would not come easily. Random images flashed through his mind: people he'd seen that day, TV programs he'd watched earlier mixed with textbook chapters he'd been cramming into his brain all week, creating horrible, nightmareish visions that he couldn't shake off for the life of him. Homework had never seemed so scary to him as it did now. But amidst the usual stuff that would give anyone bad dreams, Soul could sense the little demon calling out to him, trying to break free from the dark room in which he was held.
"Shut UP," Soul growled from within his mind. "Leave me alone already."
"But why, Soul?" the little demon whined playfully. "Can't I come out? Just for a little bit?"
"I'm trying to sleep, dumbass."
"But it would be fu-uun!"
"I said shut up!" Soul jerked forward in bed and his eyes snapped open. Dammit. So much for that plan. He sat up, unmoving, trying to ignore the sweat running down his temples and the itchy feeling of damp, matted hair against his scalp. He scratched the back of his head as he got up and walked over to the window. He drew the blinds partially and opened it a crack to let the cool night air fill his room.
"I'm not gonna let you get to me," Soul muttered quietly as he stared through the blinds out towards Death City, which, at this hour on a school night, was quiet and empty. With a yawn, he stretched his arms above his head and turned to glare at his bed. "Let's try this again."
---
"Soul, get up already! If you're not ready in three minutes, you're going to be late for class again." Maka rapped loudly on the closed bedroom door for the fifth time, praying that this time she'd succeed in waking her narcoleptic partner in time for school. Today was an especially important lecture from Sid-sensei, and she didn't want to miss a single minute of it. She also didn't want Soul to miss it either, but judging from the way this morning had begun, the technician was becoming more and more anxious to get out the door already and was seriously considering leaving him behind. Hearing nothing on Soul's side of the room, Maka threw her hands in the air, exasperated, and huffed back to the kitchen where her school supplies were waiting for her.
Seconds later, the door to Soul's bedroom burst open, and a white-haired mess of a boy flew into the kitchen, haphazardly tugging a blue long-sleeved shirt over his head while simultaneously attempting to grab a piece of toast from the table and shove it down his throat. Maka watched him, half-amused yet also mentally kicking herself for ever choosing such an idiotic partner. "Finally," she said. "What took you so long?" Soul's sharp, pointy teeth tore the bread in half and he chewed in silence, preferring not to speak until he had finished.
"Maka."
"What?"
Soul stared at the half-eaten piece of toast he held delicately between his thumb and index finger, like it was a dead rat or something equally disgusting. "This toast is cold."
Maka's green eyes widened in disbelief. Seriously? Seriously? Was he honestly trying to be a jerk? "Of course it's cold, you idiot!" she shouted. "If you'd gotten up when I told you to it would still be warm!" Soul sighed as his partner ranted on, swallowing the other half of the toast in a single gulp.
"Calm down, Maka, geez," Soul interrupted. Boy, that girl could be so uncool sometimes. It's not like it was his fault he couldn't sleep last night. "I was just kidding." He grabbed his books which were sitting on the kitchen chair. So much for trying to lighten up the situation, but with Maka, sometimes you could never tell how she would react. "Now if you're done freaking out, let's go to class."
Maka opened her mouth to say something, but closed it upon realizing that the longer they argued, the later they'd be to class. She swung the front door open and stomped out. Soul closed it quietly behind her. "I'm only 'freaking out'-- " the technician made air quotes at this with her free hand as they walked "-- because I'm trying to keep you from getting in trouble! You don't really seem to care how important classes are. Just fulfilling missions all the time isn't going to make us stronger, you know." Soul trudged a few paces behind his meister, only half-listening.
"Yeah, yeah," he yawned. "You're the one who shouldn't be taking everything so seriously all the time, Miss Bookworm."
"At least one of us does," she muttered. Soul rolled his eyes.
"Geez, someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed today. You know, textbooks aren't gonna save you in the middle of a battle."
"Whatever." They walked in silence the rest of the way to school.
Comments and reviews, long, short, and anything in between are very much appreciated!
