Him: 1

He is feeling a lot more off than usual for a late Tuesday shift. While driving back from working the night shift, he had a sudden desire to take the old route, which isn't that much longer than the usual, but it did take him by Death City Bridge. Why the need for a change in scenery, he would never know.

What he does know is that he saw a woman standing on the other side of the railing while driving by. Like an idiot, his brain told him to hit the brakes. His body, being the lackey of said idiot, did. This caused the car to do some interesting skidding before finally stopping a little farther down the bridge. He's forced to jog back.

He then spent the next twenty minutes trying to talk this young lady out of jumping off the bridge. It was terrifying, because he didn't know how to help a stranger who's given up on herself. Heaven knows he is the least qualified to do it. He is no life coach, but considering she laughed at least once during his attempted rambles, he thinks he did a pretty good job.

Excluding the part where she crossed her arms in a pout and nearly fell overboard.

But he caught her, so she's safe now, maybe even a little chipper if that soft smile is anything to go by. He wants to pat himself on the back for being capable of saving another's life like a badass, but he can't because he's driving her to the local diner for a super early breakfast. He didn't think she would take him up on the offer, but the craziness of the last thirty minutes seems to have bonded them together much faster than any normal life event ever could. He can't say he isn't glad about that.

"Soul?" Her voice is soft, and he thinks that it's more adorable when combined with that innocent gleam in her big green eyes. She looks young, what with the low pigtails and rather curve-less body, but his mind tells him she's much closer to his age than he is being led to believe. She's a spit-fire too; he knows it's true due to the sassy attitude she had after he saved her. It amazes him how her eyes can be so deep even while she scowls at him. He reminds himself that, as a cool guy, he shouldn't get attached to someone so capable of looking like both a kitten and a hellcat. She'll tear him a new one while he's still caught up in that sweet smile and soulful eyes.

He risks a quick glance at her, humming as he tries to remember the route back to his favorite all-night diner.

"What…" She pauses, and he worries that she's doubting her choice in coming with him. He worries she will ask why he bothered to save her. He doesn't have a solid answer for that one. "What kind of job do you do until four in the morning?"

"A shitty one," is his automatic reply, and he hears her reaction as a soft laugh. He grins, adding a second tally to the mental score board. Making her laugh makes him feel even cooler than usual. Not that he thought that could ever be possible. "Actually, I work security at a company building."

"Oh." She trails off, but he can practically feel the additional questions radiating off her. He can see her out of the corner of his eye, twitching her lips like she is eager to ask more.

Is it weird that he thinks her restraint is cute?

"Yeah, I do a lot of part time jobs," he elaborates, and her curiosity feeds off his explanation. It's a surprising motivator, and he thinks that she must be a crazy good listener or something to make him want to chat. He's not a chatty guy. "I'm currently a freshman in college. A poor freshman." He emphasizes it in hopes of earning another laugh, but she remains quiet. Minus a cool point. "Anyway, I do a couple different part time jobs to pay for living."

"Sounds exhausting." She sounds much more sincere than he thought he could deserve, which makes him grin like a mad man. He has no idea why.

"Nah, I have it all planned out. Like, tonight." He pauses, having no choice but to concentrate on parking just right in front of the diner. It's not his car and he refuses to treat it any worse tonight. They both get out and head for the door before he continues, "I don't have classes until the afternoon, so I can sleep until lunch. Sometimes, I just sleep all day though." He grins wide at her as they walk in; it's something that has become known as his signature look thanks to his sharp teeth.

She grins back at him without hesitation, her eyes sparkling just a bit in the new lighting. He's amazed at their intensity, like an emeralds in a jewel showcase. "You sound awfully lazy, Soul."

He scoffs at her teasing as they both take a seat in the booth. The place is quiet as a mouse, which he gets because it's not even five yet. She picks up the waiting menu, flipping through it. He doesn't, knowing just what he likes. So, instead, he observes the area. However, the place is still empty, which leads his eyes to his only companion.

Soul tells himself that, because she was suicidal up until about a half hour ago, he should really be keeping an eye on her as the cool guy who saved her life. She could revert and grab a nearby straw in an attempt to finish the deed by shoving it into her throat. Or maybe she'll smash the ketchup bottle and start stabbing her gut. She may even attempt to drown in hot sauce. They're all gruesome thoughts that don't even come close to matching the image of the girl sitting in front of him, but apparently anything can happen before 5 am on a Tuesday.

Whatever method she uses, he should definitely watch her. Just in case he needs to reactivate those life-saving skills he just recently acquired. Most definitely.

He must be too obvious while looking because her green eyes glance up over the menu. They share a moment of just looking at each other. Then her eyes squint, and he hears her call him an idiot. He suddenly wonders if those big, green eyes give her mind-reading abilities.

She sets the menu down as the waitress joins them. Maka orders a platter of flapjacks with a glass of milk. His brain tells him that the choice is nothing short of adorable. She looks at him not even a moment after he thinks it, squints those eyes one more time, and tells him to shut up.

She really can read minds.

What's more surprising to him though, is that it is not a turn off.

Soul orders some sausage and eggs, with extra hash browns. He also gets a cup of black coffee. Maka perks at this. "Is the coffee good?"

"Yeah, it does the job."

The waitress smiles tiredly at Maka, having been in the business too long. "Two coffees then?"

Maka agrees with the new order, but insists on the milk as well. The waitress leaves them just before Soul can make an ass of himself about it. There is a long silence between them. He wonders if he should ask about her, but he doesn't know what is safe territory. A part of him wants to know what could have made her so depressed she would end up on that bridge. It's a small part though, because he's a cool guy and cool guys don't pry into other people's problems. Instead he chooses something much more neutral.

"You don't strike me as a coffee girl."

She looks up from pretending to be interested in the tripod display on their table, eyes wide for a moment before replying. "I don't drink it black; I like a lot of cream, but if I don't have a cup before classes I'll probably pass out before the day ends."

He snickers. "Yeah, kindergarten can be rough without enough naps." He knows he's asking for it, but he doesn't know why he wants it.

She huffs at him, eyes blazing. "What does that even mean?"

He reaches out, not even thinking about it, and pulls on the pigtail to his right. "You look like you're five, Pigtails." Only after the chuckle of such a clever nickname does he realize how tense she is. Her eyes are even bigger than before. She looks beyond uncomfortable with him touching her, and he thinks he overstepped her boundaries here. His hand lets go and retreats before he can even think to try to apologize.

She recovers fast though, which he isn't expecting, and growls at him just a bit. "I'm eighteen." Her eyes are at a slight downcast though.

He rolls with it. Like a cool guy would.

Soul smirks, "Right." And although he decides to tease her about it, a tiny voice inside his head whispers that she's just a year younger than him. "An eighteen year old in pigtails ordering pancakes and milk." He neglects to add that it's cute, which in reality, would not have saved him from any of the following grief.

The next few seconds are a blur of movement on her side. He doesn't understand how she did it, but he does know that she packs a lot of power in her petite frame. His skull hurts like hell. "What the fuck, Maka?" He can feel the cool points slipping away as he realizes how high his voice had been when he yelped.

She's smirking. "It's my signature Maka Chop. Consider yourself lucky, I usually carry a book with me and use that."

He can't even imagine what a book lodged into his skull would do to him. He wonders if he'd end up losing all of his brain cells while hanging out with this girl. "What did I do?" His voice is not whining.

"You're being an idiot."

"I don't know if I can help that, Maka."

She's grinning and he wonders if he should feel proud or terrified that she's practically a different girl from the one on that bridge. But as the food arrives, and as he watches her add butter and syrup all over her plate, he finds a real smile tugging at the corner of his lips. A small one though, because cool guys don't do mushy.

"You sure you're eighteen, Pigtails?"

Her nose scrunches but she doesn't comment with food in her mouth, and he knows what her reply is without her saying anything.

Idiot.

Maybe mind-reading is contagious.

(`_ `)

Hello again.

This is the second part of the first chapter. I hope that the chapters' titles aren't too confusing.

Honestly, I got to the end of Her: 1 and thought, "I want to switch it up." I tried being classy about it. I hope I didn't lose anyone. As mentioned before, I plan to post in pairs to sustain the flow of the story and keep the confusion down.

Right. Short notes. I'll stop here then.

SunnyD545

(Also, thank you for reading!)