Solrea had been right; this place was kind of fun.
Kid was standing against the bar, absorbing the sight of the active club. Blacklights were the main light source, with occasional colored strobes. Two days after Solrea had painted it, the club had been refurbished, and reopened. A DJ was providing music, Pastel was serving drinks, and Bounce was guarding the entrance.
Kid caught Solrea's eye, and she flashed him a beaming grin. She was part of the pulsating group in the pit nearby. Her hair flipped everywhere, feathers bouncing. He had asked her about them, and she had said that they were good luck charms. He wasn't so sure, but he accepted it. He returned her grin.
Liz stumbled over to him. Patty was on a nearby stool, spinning around.
"Who won?"
"Which one? The arm wrestling or the drinking contest afterwards?"
Kid gave her a look. "You drank?"
"I cheated, kinda. They weren't that alcoholic."
"Liz…"
"I am not drunk, Kid."
Kid sighed, then walked off.
"Hey, where ya goin'?"
"For the lavatories."
Solrea soon popped out of the mob, sweaty and gasping. Pastel handed her a bottle of soda, and the girl chugged it down.
"Hey, where'd Kid go?"
"Bathroom." Patty piped up. Solrea nodded. She noticed that Liz was scrutinizing her.
"What gives? You been drinking?"
"I am not drunk!" Liz protested. "I'm trying to figure out your soul. It's so confusing!"
"Well, it's- wait, you can see my soul?"
"Yeah."
Solrea stared open-mouthed at Liz.
"Mind is now blown." Solrea swallowed another mouthful of soda. "Can Kid see them too?"
"Oh yeah. And he knows your soul is confusing. He just chooses not to care."
Solrea smiled. "That's nice of him." She swirled her soda. "Is he always like the way he's like now?"
"Huh?"
"What's he like back at your home?"
"Uppity, obsessed with symmetry…" Liz started.
"Nice, considerate, hard-working!" Patty interrupted.
Solrea stared at the ceiling.
v.^.v
"C'mon, Kid! Dance with me!"
"Solrea, I'm not so sure of that…" Kid looked to the twins for help, but he got no reply. Solrea kept tugging at his arm.
"You'll like it! Pleeeaaassee? Just one song!" she pleaded.
"Well…"
Kid's momentary moment of weakness gave Solrea the window she needed. She yanked him into the crowd, spinning around, laughing. Liz turned to Pastel.
"Did you put something in that soda?"
"Maybe."
Kid wasn't sure how to proceed. People were moving in time with the rhythm, but it was messy and crazy.
He looked at Solrea, who was bopping around, smiling at him.
"Just let your body take over. Move the way you feel you should!"
It's the right night to make the wrong moves,
Got a bad case with nothin' to lose,
When the lights out we have an excuse,
Is this romance, or is it the juice?
Kid started to move in time with Solrea, slowly at first, but gaining speed. She moved with him, coaxing him to dance.
I might be crazy but I think tonight has already begun,
You're not my normal type but we can make an exception
Patty noticed the two dancing. Solrea was now mimicking Kid's moves, like a mirror, perfectly in sync.
A little less thinkin' and a lot more drinkin'
That'll work for me tonight.
When the room starts spinnin'
And we start sinnin'
I begin to realize
You look better when I'm drunk
Kid was almost giddy. Solrea was whooping beside him, dancing with him. The two moved in sync, spinning and jumping. He had never been under the influence of anything before, but he was pretty sure this was a similar feeling.
It's about time I learn my lesson
But this lesson is under my skin
It's a new night, a new location
So I wait for the buzz to kick in.
I might be crazy but I think tonight is already done,
You're not my normal type but we can make an exception.
Liz was transfixed by the pair. It wasn't just their bodies that were in sync; their souls were too. It was the closest thing to Soul Resonance she had ever seen with a non-meister-and-weapon pair.
Hey DJ, spin the soundtrack to bad decisions,
And these drinks make me lose my self-control.
Hey DJ, spin the soundtrack to bad decisions,
And these drinks make me lose control.
Solrea caught Kid's eye. She loved this. She loved dancing with him. She loved spending time with him, getting to know him more.
She loved him. The realization sent a buzz through her body.
You look better when I'm drunk.
The song ended, and the two stared at each other, panting.
"Wow." Was the only thing Kid could say. Solrea grinned, and grabbed his arm.
"Hey! What-"
"I said only one song, right?" Solrea pulled him out of the mob of dancers, into the back.
"Solrea, are you allowed back here?"
"I don't care right now, Kid. I need a breather, and the best place is the roof."
v.^.v
Kid stepped onto the flat top. Solrea ran ahead, stopping at the wall.
"C'mon Kid! This is one of the best sights in the city!"
It was. Lights danced under the sky, from cars and buildings. The night sky was cloudless, and the stars were clearly visible along with the moon.
"I love it up here." Kid turned to look at Solrea. Her hair was silky against her back, falling in just the right places. She smiled at him, purple eyes sparkling.
Things were silent for a few minutes. Kid stared out at the city, but once in a while, his eyes crept back to Solrea.
There was something about her, something that stirred him. He didn't know if it was her playful yet serious attitude, her artistic mind, or the way her eyes shined as they talked.
He'd seen her come close to crying. He'd seen her get mad. But most of all, he'd seen her happy and content.
And he wanted to see more. It startled him, but he did. He wanted to be near her, hear her voice, see her face. He wanted Solrea.
"You know," Solrea said, breaking the silence, "I think there was another reason why your father sent you here."
"Hm?"
"I mean, he could have sent anyone, any student, any teacher. Out of all the people he knows, he sent you."
"Are you saying you dislike my company?"
"No, no no no! I'm really glad that you're here, Kid, but think about it. Who else could he have sent?"
Kid paused. True, his father could have sent Stein, Maka, Black Star, even Sid. Solrea watched him.
"I think your father wanted you to learn something."
"What do you mean?"
"Think of it like this. You like symmetry, right? You are obsessed with it. You go nuts when things aren't symmetrical."
Kid nodded.
"Well, think of it like colors. Symmetry is black, and asymmetry is white. For you, it's either one or the other, never both. Things are black and white for you.
"Try applying that to everything. Everything, you think, is black or it's white. There is no in-between. But in reality, that isn't true. The world isn't black and white. Sometimes, black and white mix. There isn't just black and white anymore, but shades of grey too."
Kid stared at Solrea. "So, what are you saying?"
"I think your father wanted to help you see things differently. See the grey in the world instead of just the black and the white."
Kid mused over it.
"Kid?"
"Hm?"
"What color am I? To you."
Kid gave her a surprised look. "Are we still using black and white?"
"Not-not exactly," Solrea looked embarrassed. "Use that, but...Liz said you can see souls. What color is my soul?"
Kid stared at her. He could see her soul, indiscernible yet distinguishable from others. It was small, fragile, tinged yellow and purple. The dual coloring confused him, yet it made her unique.
"Gold and violet are your soul colors. As for you…"
Solrea met his eyes. There was a softness about them.
"You are pitch black. Perfectly symmetrical. But...there's also little bits of grey in there too. But it makes you you, and…" Kid blushed, "I wouldn't want it any other way."
Solrea just stood there. 'I wouldn't want it any other way.' His words sent a shockwave throughout her being.
"Kid…"
"What is it?" He looked up. She was stoic.
"I'm gonna do something that's probably really stupid."
"What do you-"
She kissed him.
Kid didn't know what to do. But as the seconds passed, he gradually closed his eyes, and melded into it. His hands found her waist, and he gently placed them there, tilting his head to make them comfortable. She tasted like the soda she had been drinking earlier, but also like wood smoke and fresh rain. Her hands were on his shoulders, and everything felt oh so right.
But all good things must come to an end. Solrea broke the kiss, and the two found themselves in what seemed to be an awkward position.
"So…"
"Ah…"
"Erm…"
They broke their embrace, blushing wildly.
"It…" Kid spoke first. "It was...nice. I liked it. A lot."
"Me-me too." Solrea put her head on her knees. "I'm sorry, I just made things really awkward now, didn't I?"
Kid didn't know how to reply.
"Do you, wanna, head back down?" Was the only thing he could come up with.
Solrea shook her head. "No. I think I need a moment alone right now. You go on ahead."
"Okay…" Kid started back to the stairs. He felt like lead and his head was spinning. He stole one last glance at Solrea before heading down, back to Liz and Patty.
PLW: Ooh my gosh, so many bombs dropped!
Also, fun fact: while not published on the same day, I wrote this almost immediately after finishing chapter 3.
Disclaimer: I do not in any way own Soul Eater, only the setting and Solrea. I also do not own 'You Look Better When I'm Drunk' which is the song used. It belongs to the White Tie Affair, who are awesome and you should check them out!
