Disclaimer: I do not own Soul Eater or the characters. They are the property of Okubo Atsushi.
Notes: So, here is my first Soul Eater fic. I somehow managed to board the KiMa ship without even realising it, and next thing I knew, I was writing this fic. I apologise for any OOC moments, but as mentioned, this is my first. (Though there is a moment concerning Crona that may seem OOC, that was intentional.)
I hope you enjoy! Please don't flame if you don't...
It was a peaceful afternoon. There were no missions assigned, so the group of youths decided to take advantage of that. Soul was out playing one-on-one basketball with Black*Star, Tsubaki had invited Crona and Ragnarok to a small picnic, and Liz and Patti had gone shopping.
Maka was enjoying her time alone. With Soul out playing basketball with his best friend and Blair currently at Chupa Cabra's, she had the place to herself. She'd had a hot bath, and was currently reading a book she'd had to put off reading for quite some time. Her damp hair was down from the usual pigtails, and occasionally released little droplets of water to drip down her back.
She was so immersed in the book, she almost didn't hear the doorbell's chime. She let out a sigh as she put a marker into her book and closed it. She set it down on the coffee table and rose to her feet. "I'm coming!" she called as the doorbell sounded again. She reached the door and opened it. She was a little surprised to see Death the Kid standing there. "Oh, hey there, Kid!"
"Hello, Maka." He tried to ignore her current asymmeterical state, reminding himself why he was there. "I apologise for the unexpected visit, but I found this book and thought you might be interested in it."
It was only at that point she noticed he was carrying a large book. She'd been looking into his two-toned golden eyes that were unusually soft. "Well, come on in, and you can tell me what it is. Would you like some tea?" She stepped aside so the son of Lord Death could enter.
"I would like a cup, thank you." He wiped his feet before entering; he was a gentleman, after all. Never mind that personally, he'd never forgive someone for trekking dirt inside, whether it was his home or elsewhere.
"Feel free to sit down anywhere. I'll be right back." Maka made her way to the kitchen.
Kid fought back the urge to make the living room more symmetrical. In order to distract himself, he tried to focus on a single object. He spotted the book sitting on the coffee table. She was able to read that at last, I see. He noticed the tip of the bookmark. Isn't that...? He recognised it.
Kid couldn't say he was surprised to see Maka sitting at the table reading one of the newest books to grace the DWMA's library shelves. In the brief time he'd known her, he'd learned she was quite the bookworm.
Maka looked up when she realised someone was nearby. "Hey, Kid," she whispered with a smile.
"Good afternoon."
"What brings you here?"
"I felt it would be a good idea to come and read something for a short while."
"So, you like reading?"
"Very much so; for both research and recreational purposes."
"Same here. It's easier to read here though."
"Less chance of disturbances."
"Exactly."
"Would you mind if I sat here?"
"No, go for it."
"Thank you." He set his book down on the table before pulling a seat back and sitting on it.
Maka smiled before turning back to her book, just as the boy beside her opened his.
Maka stretched. She was finding the book quite intriguing, but it was time to stop for a while. She'd already checked it out, so all she had to do was put a marker between the pages, close the book and put it into her bookbag. There was a slight problem though.
Kid had just put a marker into his book and closed it when he heard Maka muttering to herself. "Is something the matter?"
"It's nothing; just realised I don't have a bookmark on me."
He took one out of his backpack, and handed it to her. "You can have this one."
"Are you sure?"
"Absolutely. I ordered eight, but as some kind of sick joke, they sent me nine instead. You can keep that one."
"Thank you." She accepted it and saw there were images of the laughing sun and grinning moon along the length, while a comical skull resembling Lord Death's mask was sitting at the top.
"No, thank you. I was able to rid myself of that accursed extra."
She knew he felt that way because of his obsession with symmetry and the number eight. The ninth would have thrown off the symmetry, thus distressing him. "Well, I still appreciate it." She placed it between the pages and closed the book. She slid it into her bookbag.
Maka entered the living room. She was carrying the cups and saw Kid staring at the book. "I would have thought you'd have arranged everything in here to be more symmetrical." She placed the cups on the table and sat on the sofa, inches away from Kid.
"The urge is there," he muttered. "Thank you for the tea." He picked the cup up and put it to his lips, taking a sip of the hot beverage. After three more, he turned to Maka. He noticed some of her hair was falling over her right shoulder, but not her left. SO ASYMMETRICAL! "Have you been enjoying that book?"
"I have, since I finally have a chance to. It's so intriguing. I can't thank you enough for recommending it."
"I had a feeling it suited your tastes in reading materials." He looked away again. "You still have that bookmark, I see."
"It's perfect. It's not flimsy, nor too thick. It quickly became my favourite bookmark."
"I'm glad." He had a few more sips. "Now then, something has been bothering me since arrival."
"Really? What is it?"
"Your hair is so asymmetrical right now! Some is falling over one shoulder, but not the other, and your bangs aren't even on both sides of your face! All I want to do is put it up in those perfectly symmetrical pigtails!"
"Oh. I was going to do that later."
"Let me. I can do that while you keep reading."
"I couldn't have you do that while you're a guest. It's still wet anyway."
"Then, I'll dry it. I sometimes help Liz dry her hair."
She had a feeling he was on the edge of getting onto his knees and begging to fix her hair. With a sigh, she nodded. "I'll go get everything you need."
His eyes sparkled and he grinned widely; finally the asymmetrical appearance will be made the opposite. "Yes! Thank you, Maka! I promise that when it is done, you'll look absolutely perfect!"
"Okay... Now, just wait here for me." She rose to her feet. When she knew Kid couldn't see it, she rolled her green eyes while smiling slightly. She'd learned pretty quickly about Kid's obsessive-compulsive tendencies after meeting him, and had heard from Liz about some of Kid's extreme measures. At least it was just her hair and not the whole house.
Kid felt his heart race as he saw Maka had returned with a towel, a brush and two hairties. He could finally do something about her currently asymmetrical appearance.
"Okay, so here's everything you'll need." She handed the objects to him. She watched as he set the brush in the middle of the table, then arranged the books, teacups and hairties so they'd be positioned symmetrically. She sat down and turned so her back was facing him. She felt him immediately start scruffing her hair in the towel, though she noted while he was being firm, he was taking great care not to be too rough.
His two-toned golden eyes were focused intently on his task, not allowing himself any distractions.
Soul entered the apartment quietly. He'd been warned that if he was to disturb her from her reading, Maka would deliver one of her worst Maka-Chops to date. The thought of a large, book-shaped dent in his head was unappealing and uncool, so he decided to heed her warning.
He entered the living room, expecting to see her lounged on the sofa with her nose in the book. He saw that, plus the unexpected sight of Kid sitting behind her and running a brush carefully through her hair.
When the shock wore off, he smiled softly before heading to his bedroom. He was tired from constantly wiping the floor with Black*Star, and hoped to catch a nap before Blair got home.
Kid finished brushing her hair. He parted it evenly and reached to pick up the hairties. He took one of the parts into his fingers while preparing one of the ties. He looped the hair through, twisted the tie and looped it again. He worked the tie up, gently pulling the hair apart to help get the tie up neatly. It worked so he brushed the hair again to make it neat.
Maka felt his fingers take the other part. "How are you so good at this?"
"It's because of Liz. She had me help her put her hair up a few times. During those times, she was working on styling Patti's." He ran the brush through the second pigtail. "Can you please turn to face me?"
She did as requested, and saw Kid wasn't smiling yet.
He used his fingers to fix her bangs. He finally smiled once his task had been completed and nodded in approval. So symmetrical... "You look perfect and precise."
"Thanks, Kid." She noticed his gaze was intensifying the longer they looked at each other. "Kid?"
"No. You don't look perfect and precise."
She realised he was getting closer. Or was she getting closer to him? Either way, her cheeks turned pink. "Um...Kid...?"
"You are perfect and precise, Maka. I have often thought that whenever I saw you."
"Um..." She didn't know what to do. Should she close the gap? Should she back away? Should she say something?
He waited for her to decide what to do next. He knew how Maka felt concerning men, and would rather not give her reason to think that of him too.
She closed the gap. Her lips met his and her eyes closed as he returned the kiss.
A yawning Soul had come out of his bedroom and was scratching his stomach as he made his way to the living room. He had to go through there to get to the kitchen, and he could do with a glass of water.
He stopped in his tracks when he saw Maka and Kid in a liplock, arms around each other. He knew it would be uncool to ruin the moment, so he quietly continued on his way. It didn't stop him from thinking about freakin' time, you two! though. He'd say it later.
The kiss ended and the two Meisters pulled back, eyes slowly opening. Maka looked down at her lap, her cheeks dark. "Sorry. I don't know what I was thinking... Maybe we should forget that happened."
Kid noticed a few strands of hair had slipped forward on the right side of Maka's face. He reached over and brushed them behind her ear. "I won't."
She looked up at him.
"I refuse to forget about kissing you. I told you I often found myself thinking you are perfect and precise."
"Yeah, but -"
He raised his hands in a please allow me to finish what I was saying motion. "After time had passed, I came to realise it wasn't just because of your perfectly symmetrical appearance."
Maka's face darkened another shade as she realised what Kid was trying to say.
"There was another fondness that I felt when I saw you. It took some time for me to realise what it was." His cheeks turned a pale pink as he took Maka's hands into his. "I'm in love with you, Maka Albarn."
She swallowed before inhaling deeply. She'd never felt so anxious, not even when facing tough opponents. "I'm in love with you too, Kid."
He leaned forward and pressed his lips to the exact center of her forehead, unaware of the third presence in the room.
Soul had emerged from the kitchen, just as Maka had made her confession. He wore a lopsided smirk and commented, "well, it's about freakin' time, you two".
One Maka-Chop later, the scythe lay on the ground with a large book-shaped dent in his head.
Sould recovered in no time; it helped he was used to Maka-Chops. He turned to face them. "Where was I? Oh, yeah. I can't believe how dense you two were." His hands went up into surrender position when he saw Maka take hold of the large book again. "Hey, chill. I'm happy for ya." He focused his attention on Kid, his expression nothing but serious. "You take good care of my Meister, partner and friend, okay? You do anything to hurt her, anything at all, and you'll have to answer to me. Got it?"
"I understand perfectly, Soul. You needn't worry though, I would never hurt her."
His grin returned. "Good." He directed his gaze to Maka. "That Maka-Chop was painful, don't you think you could've held back even a little?"
"That's what you get for teasing me," she huffed. "When did you come in anyway?"
"About the same time your hair was bein' brushed. I also caught you two smoochin'."
As Maka brandished the book to deliver more Maka-Chops, and Soul started to tease his Meister, Kid looked on in amusement. He could only begin to imagine what everyone else would have to say about the development, and found himself thinking that it would not just be Soul who'll have something to say about it.
The next day when Kid and Maka told the rest of their friends (Kid somehow managed to hold off from telling Liz and Patti until everyone was together), it turned out everyone did have something to say, aside from it took you long enough or any variant thereof. While Tsubaki and the Thompson sisters offered their congratulations (Patti laughing the whole time), Ragnarok insisted on showing himself and commenting endlessly about how dense they were. Black*Star echoed Soul's warning of hurt her and deal with me.
The most surprising response came from Crona. In many situations, s/he would often state s/he didn't know how to deal with it. Instead, s/he looked Kid in the eyes. "Maka is my best friend. I am happy you two are together now. But, if you should hurt her or make her cry, I will do what I must to take you down." The courage quickly left, and s/he averted hir eyes and shrunk back.
Kid nodded. "I believe you, Crona. I've already said this, but I shall repeat it. I will never do anything to harm or upset Maka."
"G-good."
"What's this? Developed some backbone, huh?" Ragnarok commented as he ground his knuckles into Crona's head. "If you should ever do that to me, I'll keep doing this for the rest of the day."
"You can't; I don't know how to deal with the headaches it causes," Crona protested.
Ragnarok only stopped when Tsubaki offered him some food.
When the day rolled to an end, and the sun was fighting to stay awake with little success, most of the friends had parted ways.
In the yard of Gallows Manor, Maka and Kid sat under a tree; leaning against each other as they read their books.
Kid cast a glance to her and noted the shadows across her face were perfectly symmetrical. "Perfect and precise," he whispered before wrapping an arm around her, pressing his lips to the top of her head in a gentle kiss, then returned to his reading.
