A/N: After dealing with stress at work and loss of a loved one, I figured writing something quick and short would help take my mind off things. I've had these buzzing one-shots in my head for a long time so time to release some of it from my head now lol and feel free to hit me up with your own suggestions! ;)
07 Earthquakes (Manga)
"You know, you didn't have to stay here with me; didn't Black Star want you to play basketball with him after school?" Maka emphasized to her wayward death scythe partner who only yawned in response.
"But you're the one who said we have to get this project professor Stein gave us done, even if it isn't due for another two more weeks." Soul dryly responded back.
Maka restrained back the urge to roll her eyes, fighting down the snappy comeback bubbling on the tip of her tongue. It was too hot to continue this argument anyways, the air conditioner for the library only providing minimal relief from the blistering midday sun.
And added to that, Death City just had to be having record high temperatures for this particular summer season.
'If Soul's going to really stay here, then he needs to buckle down and help. This is his grade on the line too!' Maka considered, not so subtly pushing a book on kishins and attack strategies in his direction.
Soul noticed the action, arching a brow before smirking and pushing it back her way. "It's going to take more than that to get me working Maka."
The rise in heat that pooled in her cheeks only made his grin widen.
'Oh, I can definitely push this further.' He realized. Annoying her with his laziness was one thing, but teasing her was a whole new ball game that could ease off his boredom.
"Come on Maka, what's a five minute break going to hurt? We're already more than halfway done with this assignment." Soul drawled on.
"All the more reason to get it over with now then procrastinate…like a certain somebody." She easily countered, though a smile quirked at her lips and goosebumps rose on her skin when he scooted his chair a bit closer.
Soul groaned for a moment as Maka went back to scribbling some notes down, emerald eyes slowly becoming deeply immersed in work and not on him until he reached out and grabbed her pen to toss it across the room.
Bad choice.
And after the dull throbbing in his head of getting Maka-chopped calmed down, he got up to retrieve said pen, pausing when he saw it's vibrating.
"Uh Maka, did your pen always have some shaking feature with it?" Soul questioned, watching for a moment as the pen continued to slightly rumble against the ground.
"No, what are you talking about?" Maka asked back. She followed his line of direction and felt her lips quirking into a frown as she tried to properly stand.
Her pen wasn't the only thing shaking.
'What's going on? Everything is starting to tremble…' The rumbling only became stronger in force beneath them, books beginning to slide off their selves and collapse to the ground below.
"Soul, you don't think this is a…?" Maka began, stepping back from their table towards the middle of the library where he was.
The sound of books crashing and tiles cracking drowned out his response though. A bookshelf began to tip over in their direction and she sucked in a breath as Soul abruptly maneuvered them before everything went black.
-X-
'Tastes like dust.' Soul grunted to himself.
At least he could deal with that on his tongue rather than blood.
"You okay Maka?" He grumbled to his side. They were both currently trapped under a table complete with the rubble of books, files, and other assortments piled atop it.
'But we're safe; that's the main thing.' Soul thought in relief with a smile, watching as Maka coughed and attempted to adjust to her surroundings.
"I think a book's edge jabbed me in my side, but other than that I'm alright, you?" Maka asked, rubbing her hand against a growing bruise on her thigh.
She hoped that was the worst injury she sustained.
Soul shrugged, ignoring the sharp twinge of pain at the action. When he had pulled her away from the falling objects, it had resulted in him receiving the brunt end of their force.
He winced at a creeping liquid he could feel sliding down his shoulder to his back.
Maka continued to send him a worried look and he shook his head, helping them both to stand and push the debris off of them.
"This is nothing I can't handle." He remarked when they were out of the wreckage, taking a look around to assess the area.
He wasn't sure how long they had been waiting under that pile for the shaking to stop, but it seemed like quite a while telling by how bad things looked.
Sunlight poured in through the cracks in the windows, illuminating dust, books, and broken wood/tiles twisted in every which way.
"Seems like we're still dealing with some aftershocks too." Maka pointed out, a slower rumble passing underneath their feet.
They both glanced over where they were just minutes ago, their belongings now crushed under the weight of computers and a cabinet that had slid from across the room.
Maka groaned, all that hard work for nothing. Fingers curled around her hand and she turned her head away from the site, nodding towards Soul to guide her away.
"Shit, the exit has been blocked off." He grumbled, not wanting to venture through the broken glass and stands strewn about.
"We'll have to try the emergency exit then." 'Though being on third floor now, who knows how bad the other floors might've been damaged.' Maka mentioned warily, eyeing the growing scarlet stain on his back carefully.
Her face heated when he squeezed her hand tighter, pushing her ahead. She could practically hear him saying not to worry or focus on it right now.
They were able to reach a hallway left relatively unscathed minutes later, trying to follow the faint sound of voices only to reach dead ends.
"Hey, do you still have your phone on you? Maybe if the connection didn't go out we can call somebody." Soul suggested.
Her phone's screen was cracked as she dug it out it from her pocket, making an odd scratchy sound as she attempted to call Tsubaki, Liz and even her Papa.
All of them went to voicemail.
Soul grimaced, toothy grin a mix of annoyance and fear. "Well, this could be worse than we thought. There's no way our old man would just ignore a message from you."
Maka scoffed, almost wanting to toss her phone into one of the open holes in the ground.
"Not helping."
-X-
'What time is it?' Maka wondered, resisting the urge to check her phone again for the fourth time.
She needed to conserve what little battery energy she had left, even if she wanted to continue to attempt to read the incoming texts or calls her phone continued to try and come through.
But it was hard not to be antsy when Soul had been relatively quiet since this had all began. Her thigh throbbed at the twist in movement as they turned down another darkened path and she quickly brushed away at the bit of blood beginning to seep onto her skirt once more.
'He wouldn't have gotten injured like this if I just let him go play basketball with Black Star and Kid and you wouldn't have to hide your own frustrations if you were just more confident of your own feelings.' Her thoughts taunted before she tuned them out.
Her stomach rolled with the guilt though that she was happy he was hear with her and she didn't have to suffer through this alone.
Selfish.
She was being selfish for wanting him, for wanting more when it didn't seem they were ever going to go beyond this light flirting, teasing, friendship they had going on.
The ground quivered again below them and her heart thumped anxiously at another shockwave coming through, reaching to grab onto the nearest object to keep herself steady.
Which in this case was Soul.
"Geez Maka, how do you handle battles alone when I'm on assignments with Kid if this is how you are for a little quake?" Soul teased.
She purposely poked him in a sore spot. Hard.
"I remind myself not to pretend to act like I'm so cool and mighty." Maka snapped back, grinning at his scowl and curses under his breathe.
She broke away from her grip on him to head downstairs, carefully sidestepping and leaping over cracks and sighing when it lead to another obstruction.
Could she and Soul really be the only ones trapped here still?
Sure it was after school and most of the people in the NOT class and faculty had gone home, but she knew for a fact they were club meetings and groups still going on during the time of the quake occurring.
'But what if they managed to all get out safely already?' Another thought pointed out.
"You're overthinking things. Again." Soul noted, patting her shoulders gently and forcing her to turn and face him.
"We've been through way deeper trouble than this. We'll find a way out of here; even if it means escaping through the windows." He went on with a chuckle.
Soul directed them to an empty bench to pause and think, leaning his head back against the wall. He could feel Maka's stare on him on what he wanted to do next and felt his lips tighten in a frown. Sweat began to dampen and mix with the dried blood on his back and he felt Maka eventually begin to sway and lean into him sleepily.
They were going in circles and just tiring themselves out at this point.
Though they could make the most of this situation, he had already seen the way she blushed around him. The underlying double meanings in the jokes and remarks she made…
Feelings left unsaid.
'Maybe I should just ask her if she…?' A braver part of his mind hissed, parting her ash blonde hair out of her face and sighing.
"Maka, are you going to fall asleep on me? You can't rest until we get out of here." He instead asked, watching her verdant eyes open and close slowly.
"I'm fine, don't worry about me. It hurts…but…but I just want to rest my eyes for a bit." She muttered slowly, hard to decipher as she snuggled closer into his warmth of his jacket between each word.
He shook her awake just as she finished that statement and she fixed him with a sharp glare at his sudden turn in behavior. He at the most had to make sure she got out of the school safely.
Maka shifted again back into him and he again felt the familiar prickle of a blush rising up on him, this time he had to think of a way to really keep her from falling asleep.
And himself. Fast.
Her face felt hot underneath the tips of his fingers as he guided her face closer and he saw her eyes momentarily widen in confusion as his lips pressed against hers.
The pain became dull and forgotten for that brief moment.
-X-
"Hey, I think this exit isn't blocked off!" Maka breathed excitedly, almost wanting to race towards the entryway to check.
The earth had upheaved in various parts of the floor revealing the cement below and lights flickered on and off from above in their attempts to move objects out of the way heading down each flight of stairs, but now they had finally come across a relatively clear path with light on the other side.
"Don't be so quick to assume there isn't something that's closed off the sides of it or something." Soul snorted, ignoring scoff she sent him back in return.
Though he didn't miss the glimpse of the smile that crossed her features and pretty blush that came upon her face when he pointed it out.
The dynamics of their relationship had definitely changed.
They combined their efforts to push through the door, light blinding them as a familiar cry pierced the air from the ensemble.
"Maka, Maka! Oh thank God you're safe! Are you injured; I'll call for an ambulance!" Spirit cried out, rushing to her from across the field to check her up and down.
"I'm okay too." Soul added in, getting Spirit's attention off his daughter only for him to mutter a simple that's nice in return.
Asshole.
At least he could find amusement in Maka's mouthed 'help me' which Spirit remained ignorant of, doting over her and calling for Stein and Marie to take a good look at her as well.
Black Star popped in through the crowd, snickering over their dirty uniforms now stained with dust, ink, and blood. "What took you two so long to get out? I know you don't have my superior strength and power, but still…"
Soul rolled his eyes, jabbing his accusatory fingers away. "I figured I would save my strength and power towards not injuring myself further like an idiot."
"Humph, something tells me you're not giving me the full answer…" Black Star griped about to start another interrogation until Kid luckily pulled him back.
He'd have to answer him before the day was over though. 'Not sure what answer I'm going to give him when that time comes.'
Liz and Tsubaki meanwhile slinked up to Maka's side once she was alone. Their shared grins a little too big considering the ordeal she had just been put through.
"So…you know you and Soul were alonein there for quite a few hours after that earthquake occurred. And we're pretty sure something had to happen in that time considering the rest of us got out relatively easily." Liz began.
"Let me remind you that you weren't on the third floor and the majority of your exits weren't blocked by fallen shelves and other crap." Maka pointed out.
Tsubaki arched a brow, ebony hair swishing as she took a step closer. "So nothing big happened?"
The heat of Soul's lips on hers came to mind. His touch.
Shit, she could feel her face starting to burn all over again.
'Oh God, I'm not to hear the end of this anytime soon.' Maka realized at their growing smirks.
But across the way she saw Soul looking at her and couldn't help her own small smile creeping up on her face.
Everything that happened during that period after the earthquake was their secret.
For now.
~x~
It was nice writing some Soul x Maka, not sure which weather pattern I may do next. Let me know your thoughts!