I did mention I was inconsistent right? Just thought I'd put that out there. It's Finals (Hell) Week! I think I procrastinated so hard I had to do 3 projects in a day. Great job me! Anyway I'm writing this because I did a decent job on my final yesterday as well as my project today. I still have a final I'm not ready for Friday, but I've got time… (Procrastination exhibit A)

I hope this isn't garbage, my brain is slightly fried from cramming and exhaustion. Enjoy! (I hope…)

This is a one-shot dedicated to my College is So Uncool fanfic. It's ahead of the story, but I hope it's enough to satisfy. Later dudes!

Finals Are So Uncool

Soul

Screw finals week! A fifteen page paper on the mechanics of an airplane, really?! I don't even give a shit about planes! Of course he forgot to mention the stupid paper until there were only three days left to complete it! ASSHOLE! He's lucky I'm a fast worker, or I'd give him the most humiliating black eye! Soul was rushing around campus searching for research material for his final paper in his mechanics class. Everything seemed to be going downhill since that night he hung out with Black Star. Drinking was probably the wrong decision, considering he had an early class the next morning. Along with his hangover, he had the pleasure to hear that a final paper was due in a few days. He had the urge to laugh at how screwed he was, but that would only worsen his headache.

Luckily enough, he had at least eight pages finished and found the project to be pretty easy. Although the work was quite boring, he persevered and got to ten pages before he called it quits for the night.

Fortunate for Soul, his mechanics class only meets three times a week. He felt relieved, not having to sit through another boring lecture that would put him to sleep. That didn't mean the other classes were a joy, oh no, these classes were just as tedious. It's like high school all over again. Required courses include a literature course, a science, and a humanities course. Most of the students found these courses meaningless to their major. The possibility of having to use these skills are slim to none. It's not necessary to learn World Literature when becoming a mechanical engineer. Duh.

Soul returns to his apartment, exhausted and frustrated. The classes he attended weren't starting finals until the last week of the semester. The semester ends next week, why couldn't we just get it over with?! After debating whether to head to the caf for lunch, or simply nap his frustration away, he chose the latter and passed out in bed. Only to wake up to a dark apartment, and a nagging concern in the back of his mind.

He checked his phone for the time, finding it to be around eight in the evening. I guess I was exhausted. His stomach growled loudly. He blinked. And now I'm hungry. He called up Black Star to find out what he was up to. Black Star managed to miss Soul when leaving the apartment to hang out with Tsubaki. He told Soul to meet him at the Japanese restaurant a few blocks away.

Soul managed to get there in time for his friends meals to arrive. He ordered for himself and tried to catch up with them, seeing as the entire week had been a disaster. After a while he realized someone was missing from the gathering. "Hey, where's Maka?"

Tsubaki wore a sympathetic smile and replied, "Oh, she needed to study for her final tomorrow. She's been studying in between classes all day. I'm kinda worried actually. She looks exhausted."

"The bookworm is trying too hard again, isn't she? If she takes a chill pill for a sec she'll realize she's just over working herself. I bet she doesn't need to study, she's just working to get the highest grade. Tell me I'm wrong." Soul looked to Tsubaki for confirmation.

Tsubaki hesitated to answer but relented, "She keeps saying she'll have the highest grade in every class no matter what. It worries me. She's really smart already, there's nothing to prove. She even did her all her research papers in advance so she would have more time to study. I'm really worried." There was a long pause, and Tsubaki turned to Soul to find out what's wrong. He had a panicked look on his face.

The silence was broken from the oddly quiet Black Star. "DUDE GET IT TOGETHER WHAT'S UP?!" He was a little worried for his friend. He's never seen that look on his face before.

"What time is it?" Soul spoke quietly.

"Um, it's almost eleven, why?" Tsubaki asked slowly. They both watched Soul's eyes widen, and immediately clamber out of his seat in mid panic.

"WHAT THE-?! SOUL WHAT'S GOING ON?!" Black Star went to grab his friend but Soul was already jogging to the entrance.

"I forgot to finish my paper! I gotta go!" Soul yelled back and quickly exited the restaurant. "Ohshitohshitohshit!" he grumbled as he sprint back to his apartment to finish this god awful assignment.

When he stumbled into his apartment he frantically searched for his laptop, to continue from where he left off. Okay, calm down, I can get this done easy. He paced his breathing and started to relax and search for the file. No. Where's the file? Nonono. The file is here. It's supposed to be right here! I saved last-. Soul stared blankly at his laptop for a few minutes, allowing the cold dread to freeze his gut. I forgot to save. Soul leaned back on the couch in defeat, trying hard to find a solution. The class starts at eight in the morning. There's no way I'll finish in time. I can't believe I'm gonna fail because I didn't save. This is bullshit. He got up to head to bed, giving up on the idea of completing the assignment. Until he realized there was a way to do this.

"MAKA!" She was awake. She was probably doing pointless studying anyway. Maybe she could help. He scrambled to get his laptop into his bag and grab his keys on his way out the door. He sprinted his way towards her dorm. Intensely hoping she remained awake and didn't pass out quite yet. When he got to the building, he was lucky enough to catch someone entering the building as well. He ran his way up the steps, down the halls, and finally to her door. With a moment's hesitation, he knocked on the door in hopes that she would answer. As a few seconds went by, his hope was slowly fading, and his shoulders slumped in defeat. Turning to head back to his apartment, he heard the door swing open, and a mess of ash blonde hair peeking out the doorway. "THANK GOD!" She jumped, startled by his exclamation, and turned to Soul with questioning eyes. "I need your help. I fucked up and didn't save my research paper, and now I'm gonna fail unless by some miracle I finish it by eight tomorrow morning! Tsubaki mentioned you were studying a lot so I figured you'd be awake and be able…to help…me? Uh, Maka? Are you…okay?" He ended his ramblings once he observed her disheveled appearance. There were bags under her eyes, and she looked as if she might topple over any second.

She blinked slowly and nodded in reply. "You can come in. I'm not sure I'll have time to help you, but you can work in here." She turned slowly to return to her room as Soul watched in concern.

It took him a moment to enter, his concern slowing his movements. "Maybe you should take a break. You look like you're about to pass out. I was being sarcastic about you passing out before but…" He mumbled that last sentence, not wanting to incur her wrath. She remained silent and sat down at her desk which was covered in open books and notes. "When is your final anyway?" He asked only to check if she was coherent at all.

"I have one tomorrow, but I finished studying for that already. I'm studying for the one next week." She spoke in a soft monotone. To Soul it sounded like she was sleep talking. Is she sleep…studying? I bet she could do that. After registering what she said, his eyes widened in surprise.

"Wait, what?! You're studying for a test a week from now?! Maka that's crazy. Even for you!" That last one slipped out, and he stepped back in fear of a deadly chop. He let out a breath of relief when she resumed her studying.

"I need to be ready. If I'm not ready, my grade will drop. If my grade drops, my GPA drops." She narrowed her eyes in anger. "Then Ox will win." She hissed.

Soul furrowed his eyebrows in worry. Unsure what to do, he approached her desk slowly. "Maka, if you don't sleep, you won't be able to concentrate. You're on your way to failing if you keep this up. This isn't healthy at all." He spoke softly in concern. She was on a path of self-destruction, and Soul had to help her before she hurt herself even more. She looked up at him slowly, trying to process his words in her sleep deprived state. "You should get to sleep. When's your final?" He gently guided her o her bed.

"It's at ten. I only have that class tomorrow. The other one was cancelled." She spoke softly. She was leaning on Soul to keep upright. Her legs were wobbling with exhaustion and she had trouble moving on her own. She sat on her bed, and was preparing to lay down until she remember Soul's earlier distress. "Don't you have a paper due tomorrow morning? I can help you-"

"No, Maka. I got it. I'll just be up all night. You get some sleep, I'll see ya later, alright?" Soul got up from his seat next to Maka, and started his way towards the door.

"Wait! You…you can do it here. I won't mind." She looked down at her hands in her lap. He was kind enough to convince her to take care of herself, the least she could do was give him a quiet place to work. She was sure Black Star and Tsubaki returned to the apartment. Knowing Black Star, Soul wouldn't be able to get any work done.

Soul stared at Maka for a moment before heading towards her desk.

"I…I wanna help. You can sit here." She patted the mattress and waited for Soul to seat himself. He slowly walked over and plopped down next to her in a slight daze. "What's the paper on? Let's start with that. Then we can create an outline to make it easier."

"I know how a paper works, Maka. I just don't think I'll have enough time." He looked down in hopelessness. "Fifteen pages is kinda impossible to finish in," he checked the time on his phone, "holy shit, seven hours. Fuck, I'm not gonna sleep." Soul sighed to himself, ready to head out and let Maka finally rest.

"Hold on, Soul! That's not as hard as you think. Come on, the sooner we start, the sooner it gets done. I'll help, okay?" She smiled up at Soul, and he couldn't help but give a small smile in return. Soul nodded, and opened his laptop to get started.

It turns out Maka was right. It wasn't that hard. After finding the right sources, and actually being interested in the topic, the paper was steadily coming together. Hours went by as the duo worked diligently to finish the research paper in time.

Around three in the morning, Maka fell asleep on Soul's shoulder. He turned when he felt the weight, and smiled at the sight. Her nose was twitching in irritation, and Soul gently moved the hair that dangled in her face. After a few moments watching the blonde sleep, Soul returned to his work with rejuvenated determination.

He finished the paper at 5AM. He turned to find Maka asleep on her pillow. He didn't realize she laid down, but thought nothing of it in his exhaustion. He moved to rise from the bed only to feel a small hand on his wrist. He looked to Maka's face to find her eyes half lidded and cloudy. She gently pulled him down to lay next to her. He complied without hesitation, and fell asleep with his arm around her waist.

He woke up to a soft voice calling his name. Soul, wake up. Soul! Come on, Soul, its 7:53! Don't you need to print that paper! In Soul's groggy state he couldn't understand what the hurry was. He had a class at eight, there's enou-. He jumped up almost bumping heads with Maka.

"Finally! You sleep like a log! Hurry up and print your paper! You finished it, right?" She looked slight guilty for falling asleep on him, but she figured he could get it done. He stared at her for a moment in confusion. "Right?! Soul, don't tell me you passed out!" She was preparing to rant at him until he responded.

"Uh, yeah! I finished it. I need to print it. Wait! Shit, my printer broke last week." He groaned and curled into a ball ready to quit.

"Soul! Use my printer! Come on, you're class starts soon! Don't you have that asshole professor that marks you absent if you piss him off? Move it razor blades!" She pushed him toward the printer in haste. As she turned it on, Soul brought his computer over connecting it and waiting for his paper to be printed. Soul gave her an indignant look for the nickname earlier, but was too tired to retort. She turned around and looked him straight in the eye, "I have to change." Soul raised his eyebrows at the statement in confusion and surprise. Before he could reply she spoke, "You better not turn around! Or I'll make sure you never reach that classroom." She stalked off towards her dresser, leaving Soul frozen in fear. He dutifully watched the papers come out of the printer, trying hard not to let his eyes wander. She returned soon after with her hair in perfect condition, as well as her clothes in an orderly fashion.

He tried his best to fix his appearance, in his slept in clothes and bed head hair. Maka reached up and fixed his hair the way he liked it, to his shock. They stared at one another for a moment before she gasped and reminded him it was two minutes until his class began. They both scrambled out of her dorm room and rushed to their next class.

Before they parted ways Soul grabbed Maka's arm to stop her. Soul spoke before she could protest. "Thanks, Maka. Really, thank you." Maka smiled at his sincerity and hugged him.

"You're welcome, and thank you for taking care of me." She pushed him towards his class a started speed walking towards her own with red cheeks and a smile on her face. Soul watched her back for a moment before jogging towards his class.

He made it in the nick of time, the professor turned to look at him about to mention he was late until he looked at his watch noticing he was just in time. Soul headed to his seat and waited for class to start. The professor cleared his throat and had his hand out waiting for Soul to hand in his assignment. "If you don't have your paper just say so. Just know that means you've failed the class." The professor smirked to himself in satisfaction. He always disliked the white-haired student. He was too lazy, there's no way he could make it in this field. The professor felt it was a waste of time to teach a student that wouldn't benefit from his class at all. That paper was meant to single out the slackers, and incompetent students. The student in front of him was definitely going to fail, and the professor felt he did a service to the professors in the next course by getting rid of him.

"Oh, right." Soul walked back to the front of the class and handed the professor his assignment with a small smirk of satisfaction. "Sorry about that. Almost forgot I had it." Soul returned to his seat with a smile and once again waited for class to begin.

The professor gave Soul a small glare before turning to the rest of the class. "I won't keep you here long, just know that this paper will decide if you're ready to take the next course. Everything you've learned should apply to this paper. If I don't find your paper acceptable," He turned to look at Soul, "you will fail." He turned back to the class and dismissed them for the day.

Soul met up with Maka at lunch. She looked up and waved him over. "How'd you do on your final?" Soul hoped the rest she needed helped her think straight.

"You were right. I needed to sleep. I aced the test but I'm still exhausted. How 'bout you? Professor Greeves give you a hard time again?"

"Nope. Handed in my paper, then he dismissed us early. I have to say, this has been the best day this entire week." He wore a confident smile. "Thanks again. You saved me from humiliation. From what he said, I would've failed if I didn't get I done." He smirked at Maka, causing a small blush to appear on her cheeks.

"U-Um, well, you're welcome. I'm glad I could help." She smiled back. "Anyway, do you have classes tomorrow? It's Friday so I thought we could all get together and hang out." She looked down shyly.

"Yeah sure. Sounds cool." They both got up to leave the cafeteria and before Maka could turn to head towards her dorm, Soul spoke up, "Wait, uh, do you want to hang out? I mean, you've only been over once. Just to you know, hang out." Soul rubbed the back of his head in nervousness. Why am I nervous? We've hung out before. So uncool. I sound like I'm asking her out. A small blush rose to his cheeks.

Maka looked at him with a raised eyebrow in question. He doesn't usually get this shy, what's the big deal? "Yeah, sure. I've got nothing else to do. I'm gonna relax until finals next week. Just so I don't worry anybody again." She smiled at Soul and headed towards his apartment.

A smile lit up Soul's face and he rushed to catch up with the small blonde.

During break, the scores for finals were sent through email to all the students. As Soul was looking over his grades, he came across the score for his mechanics class. "HOLY SHIT!" Soul managed to get a 96 on his research paper, and an A overall for the class. He was so ecstatic, he called Maka and started telling her the good news. She was genuinely happy for him. She's never heard him so exuberant since getting to know him. It was a surprise at first, but the genuine happiness made her excited as well.

She visited his apartment during break, congratulating him again for his success. They hung out for the day, and enjoyed each other's company. Many disorienting mornings, and late movie nights, and soon a week passed. Maka stayed longer than she expected, and needed to return home before Spirit calls the police. Soul offered to give her a ride home, unknowing of the vehicle he owned she accepted. When they reached the orange death machine, she stopped in her tracks and stared in horror.

"No. No I am not getting on that death trap. You're insane if you think I'm riding that thing!" Her eyes were wide, and she didn't look away as many possibilities of death by motorcycle crossed her mind.

"Chill Maka. It's not as bad as you think. C'mon, you gotta get home right? Don't want your old man to flip his shit." He waited for her to approach the bike before lifting her slightly to help her on the seat. Her face went pale, and she had a white knuckle grip on the seat beneath her. "Relax, Maka. You'll be fine, I've been ridin' since I was sixteen. Trust me." He smirked at her before lifting his leg over the seat. He revved his bike and kicked his kickstand up before taking off down the road. He went relatively slow for Maka's sake, she already looked terrified, no need to send her into a panic attack. When they stopped at a stop light he informed her that she might feel more comfortable if she hung on to his waist. "It's more secure than hanging on to that handlebar. Hang on tight, alright?" Maka complied with his suggestion and wrapped her arms tightly around Soul's waist. "Okay, don't kill me, I need to breathe. But you're doin fine Maka. You'll be home in no time.

As she got used to the vehicle, she started to calm and enjoy the wind in her face. It was exhilarating and relaxing at the same time. She started to laugh to herself in complete astonishment of the situation. She's riding a motorcycle! "I'M RIDING A MOTORCYCLE! WOOO!" Soul turned slightly to smile at her, glad to see she was enjoying the ride.

They soon arrived at Maka's home, to her disappointment. "I'm glad you enjoyed the ride Maka. I'll let you ride again another time, if you want." Maka's face lit up with joy at another ride. Soul blushed at her expression and ducked his head rubbing his neck. "Uh, well, I'll see ya later Maka."

"Bye Soul, thanks so much for taking me home! That was the most fun I've ever had, thank you!" She hugged him from the side of the bike and left him flustered and unsure what to do. He patted her back awkwardly before clearing his throat and returning his hands to the handlebars.

"Yeah, you're welcome. Later." He watched as she headed inside before making his way back to his apartment. Smiling goofily the whole way.

"Who was that punk? Why are you hanging out with creeps? You know I wanna keep you safe, baby. Why would you do this-" He was cut off by a Maka Chop.

Maka huffed to herself before ascending the steps towards her room. "He's a good friend Papa. I don't have to explain to you why he's my friend, but I will say he's the one who took care of me when I panicked over finals. He genuinely cares, Papa. That and I trust him." Spirit stared at her shocked at her words. "Speaking of creeps, Papa. The only one I see is you!" She turned and entered her room closing the door behind her.

Spirit immediately broke down and ran to her door to beg her to forgive him. Maka only smiled in memory of her well spent week with Soul.

I finished! I'm not sure if I wanna make this a chapter later or just leave this as a one-shot. I think I'll leave this as a sneak peek of the future of the story. I needed the motivation anyway. At least I know where it's going now, right? I hope you enjoyed this. I think I spent 3-4 hours on this. Huh… I put a lot of work into this, I hope people read it! Good luck with finals, whoever has any left!

Keyz of Resonance