"Hey, Kid, pass me that can."
"This one?" Red eyes watched as the other boy's hand landed on the pop can's lid and he nodded once before reeling back comically when Kid went to throw the open can at him. "Jeez! Don't throw it!" He scowled when Kid started laughing and took the can irritably, realizing the Shinigami'd been faking.
"Relax, Soul." Kid smirked and nudged the weapon with a closed fist, then opened his own drink can. Soul stopped frowning so heavily, but he was still scowling a little as he opened a bag of chips and pressed the game console's 'on' button.
"Easy for you to say. Maka would literally kill me if we stained the carpet." He lowered his tone for the last part and shot a worried glance at his miester's closed door as if just speaking her name would bring her stampeding out to check on him. Actually, knowing Maka, it might.
"No, we wouldn't want that." Kid frowned and shuddered a little, trying to wrap his mind around the horrific asymmetry of a stained carpet. Soul quirked a brow, but was way too used to Kid's weirdness to comment. He picked up two game controllers and tossed on to the other boy by way of distraction. On the table, the third controller remained as a physical reminder of their friends absence.
"Sucks that 'Star couldn't make it this time." Soul lamented, looking at the controller as the screen lit up with the racing game's logo.
"Mmmm-hmm, but he did sound excited about the Kishin Massacre in Nicaragua." Kid said and selected a virtual character who was decked out in black gear.
"Yeah. Definite 'Star Power' needed there." Soul snorted and selected his signature red character. Black Star had sounded very thrilled to be the one chosen to wipe out the festering madness half the world away, but that didn't make his absence any less noticeable. These 'Boy's Nights' they had every other week had long become a constant in the weapon's life and he didn't like it when a wrench was thrown into them.
Besides it was way too quiet without the blue-haired assassin shouting and shoving his way through the night, Soul mused. Plus, it was a commonly known fact that the more people you had playing a video game, the more fun it was. With only the two of them, the game became little more the pressing buttons and buzzing around a track over and over…
"What're you playing?" A voice piped up from right next to Soul's right ear and made the boy curse, press pause automatically - earning a slight complaint from Kid - and wheel around to see who it was. Maka gave him a funny look and scooted backward a little pointedly. Soul took a deep breath.
"A game-"
"Did we wake you up?" Kid interrupted, finally noticing that a third person had joined their little party and climbing onto the couch to give Maka a worried look.
"No, I just couldn't sleep. You guys are actually being way quieter than usual." She said lightly. "But, I guess that's because Black Star isn't here."
"You guessed it." Soul sighed and contemplated commenting on her pink, duck printed pajamas, then decided against it. "Why can't you sleep? Did you hit the books a bit too hard this time?"
"No!" Maka denied, snorting at the very idea. "Just a bit worried about why Stein wants to see us before class next week…"
"Ah, chill out about it Maka. He probably just wants up to do another demo for Sid's newest batch of recruits."
"I don't know, Soul." Kid said, joining the conversation again. "Father would've just had me do it if that was needed, since you two ran double classes this week and I haven't even been in school. Maybe the professor wants to teach you some new techniques since he's been practicing with your father a lot lately?"
"Who knows…" Maka trialed off, then peered around Soul to look at the screen. "Which one of you is winning?"
"I am." Kid said, sliding back down onto the floor as Maka climbed into his spot and Soul turned back around. "It's not as fun with only two players though."
"So true." Soul groaned, glad that Kid said it and not him. Before he knew it, Maka had leaned over and grabbed the third controller with a grin.
"Well then, since I can't sleep, I might as well play a level."
"Round." Soul corrected disbelievingly.
"Shut up." Maka advised. Kid stifled a giggle.
"Are you really sure you want to play, Maka? You've never shown an interest before." The black-haired teen asked, amused. Said meister scoffed.
"I'm still not showing one. I'm just playing in hopes that it'll bore me enough to put me to sleep." She said haughtily. Soul smirked, shaking off his disbelief, that was a challenge if he'd ever heard one. This night had definitely just gotten more interesting.
"Oh really?" The weapon grinned, opening the game's menu to send them back to the start and choosing the multiple players option. "We'll see about that, bookworm."
That comment earned him a glare, but Maka retained from bringing out her infamous book in favor of picking a green character and watching Soul and Kid pick theirs.
"Beginner's track?" Kid asked politely, but Maka shook her head.
"Pick the same one you guys were on earlier. It didn't look too hard."
"Are you sure?"
"Completely." Ooooh, she was asking for it now. Soul actually stuck his tongue out in anticipation as the game counted down till the race's start.
3
2
1-!
"What the fuck man!"
"Language Soul."
"Did you just friggen' run straight into me?"
"I might've." Maka blushed and looked at the opposite wall as Soul gawked at her and Kid snickered.
"'Might've'? You caused a ten-car pile up!"
"A virtual one!"
"Same difference!" Soul face-palmed in exasperation and Kid managed to stop laughing long enough to ask:
"Do you even know how to steer, Maka?" The girl pinked for the second time in two minutes.
"Uh, it's these things over here right?" She said and pointed to the set of arrow-like buttons placed on one side of the controller hopefully.
"Actually, no. You use this to steer." He reached over and poked the little joystick on the other side of the controller that she'd previously been using to rest her thumb against - hence the ten-car pile up. "And the arrows to switch gears."
"There's different gears?"
"Oh jeez." Soul scoffed. "If you didn't know, you should've asked!"
"Well, I didn't think a simple-looking game like this would have so many different controls!" Maka huffed indignantly, gesturing to the foreign consol in her hand. Soul gasped dramatically.
"Simple! This is the best my monthly allowance from Shibusen could buy-"
"So that's where it goes."
"-I'll have you know!" Soul ignored her magnificently.
"Well, considering that, why don't we explain the controls then try again?" Kid broke in, raising a brow and trying to hold back his smile. This was really starting to feel like a T.V. show for some reason.
"Fine." The weapon and meister grumbled in unison. The next ten minutes were spent doing just that until Maka, and Soul, felt confident on releasing her on the beginner's track.
Which she completed, in last place, then demanded to go through again and again. And again.
All in all: the night didn't turn out to be as quiet as Soul thought it would be and Maka learned a thing or two about the meaning of 'virtual road rage'.
The end.
Yep. That's how it ends.
I'm really sorry I don't have anything better guys!
Thank you very much to xxWARxx, SakuandSyao-CLAMPGirlForever, waiting-for-you443, Hiezen Uchiha, blackbloodbaby, magnusrae, and Tricksterr for reviewing! And to those who alerted/favved! *bows*