stay on the edge of your seat, friends.
Maka had just started to unzip her dress, her mind catching more than the zipper. 'I just want you to stay with me tonight, please.' What was that? And the way that he kissed me, I feel like he's never kissed me like that before. He's never been so soft, so… desperate? Sad? Needy? All of that and more that I honestly can't seem to put into words because it's just the same jumbled mess that I'm feeling?
Just as her hand hit the dip in her lower back the rattle came from the door, forcing her to quickly wrest the zipper half-way back up. "Did you forget something?" Maka called as she moved into the hallway, the knob jiggling again. "Soul, be patient, I'm almost-" Another jolt of the door cut her off and Maka huffed out a sigh, turning the deadbolt and letting the door pop on its hinges. "You-" Maka cut off with a blink before narrowing her eyes. "What are you doing here?"
"Came here to celebrate or commiserate," Star shrugged his shoulders, making the six-pack clink under his arm. "Oy," his face turned from her to call down the hallway. "You lost?"
Maka dipped her head out, seeing the man standing at the end of the hallway, feet unsure at the start of the stairs. "Probably some delivery guy."
"Yeah, but he's lurking," Star grumbled before belting another shout at the man. "Where you delivering to, idiot?"
"Star," Maka sighed with exasperation but watched the man flee instead of fight. "Guess not."
"Idiots," Star grunted. "So, let me in. I'm here for Soul."
"Who's not here," Maka continued to block the way.
"Bullshit," Star laughed.
Maka only raised her eyebrows.
"Bullshit," Star repeated with a sharp laugh.
The message was clear and Maka fizzled, moving out of the doorway and letting Star lumber into the apartment. She shut the door behind him, locking it since there was no hope that it would open again any time soon, and followed the obviously searching man into the living room. "He's not here," Maka chimed with little patience. "And what did you mean 'celebrate or commiserate' - also, that word's too big for you in the first place."
Star sucked his teeth as his eyes roamed the empty living room. "Yeah, I was either going to be toasting that idiot losing his v-card or nursing his dumb broken heart."
"What are you talking about?" Maka snapped even if her mind could fill in the blanks.
Star flopped into the armchair, beers jingling as he slipped one from the cardboard and popped off the cap with his teeth. As he tilted his head, he barked, "What'd you two do tonight?"
"That's none of your business." Maka contemplated the couch but still stuck to the doorway, hopeful that it spelled out that they weren't sharing.
"Have a damn seat, Albarn."
"This is my apartment," Maka griped.
"And I'm your guest," he spouted before taking a long chug of his beer. "So sit."
The couch groaned under her weight as she sat with a huff. "We did what we always do. Went out. Until Soul got a call from the precinct."
Star groaned as he tilted his head back against the cushion. "Of fucking course. Guy can't catch a break, but it wouldn't kill him to say 'no' every now and then."
Maka narrowed her eyes.
"What?" Star grumbled between swigs of beer.
"You still haven't answered my question."
Star snickered, "You didn't answer mine."
"We went out, hung out, just like normal."
There was a pause to weigh this, Star pursing his lips in thought before casually releasing the words, "And did you break his heart or fuck him?"
Maka's face flushed as her lips snapped open and closed, her chin jerking towards the hallway to turn her eyes from his. "I told you before that-"
"Yeah, yeah, you told me bullshit," he grumbled. "But you went out on a date, didn't you?"
"He didn't call it a date," she barely squeezed from her lips, her eyes still focused on the doorframe, wishing desperately that Soul would appear there.
"Because he's great with words," Star scoffed. "And you're even better with labels. So, seriously, Maka, did he leave here tonight heartbroken?"
A deep sigh broke from her lungs, expelling every last bit of air before she forced in a new breath. "I don't think so, but I'm not sure I know whatever he's feeling."
Star let out a long groan, "Did he at least say something to you?"
"Say what to me?" Maka brought her eyes back to him with a snap.
"Ugh," Star grimaced. "In other words he said jackshit."
"What, did you both have some grand plan?" Maka found the words hissing between her teeth. "I mean, I get it, he actually planned this one, but-"
"He planned this one," Star echoed sharply. "At least you noticed that. What else did he do differently? You said same old, going out, coming back because he got called away to work, but you sure about that?"
Maka could feel the color creeping up her neck as the ghost of his hand sat at the small of her back, his lips dancing words against hers. 'I just want you to stay with me tonight, please.'
Star blew air between his lips before letting it erupt into a laugh, "You're a fucking tomato right now, Albarn! How long you gonna lie about it? You kiss him at least? I mean, the guy's a virgin for you for shit's sake."
She couldn't stop her brows from creasing, the word Star had to repeat finally hitting her. A virgin? Star thinks Soul's a virgin which means… he's never told him? Not once? Not any of the times and not any of the things - not from a kiss to a fuck or anything in between? He's just kept that to himself? Is he ashamed? Would being with me, his friends knowing he was with me be-
"Yo, Albarn!" Star snapped. "Listen, did you fucking kiss him or no?"
"It's none of your business," Maka hissed before she stood. "And if you're here to see him, I told you, he's not here. So leave."
"I'll wait," Star shrugged.
Maka let out a wail of a groan. "I want to shower and go to bed!"
"Then do it," Star chuckled again before bringing his attention firmly to his beer, ignoring any more of her fit. His solid refusal left her to stomp her feet uselessly down the hallway, slamming the bathroom door behind her. Star waited for two or three swigs before he eased his phone out of his pocket. The ring droned only twice.
"Star, I don't have time for this," Soul was breathless on the other end but quickly amended, "actually, how fucking close are you to the apartment?"
"I'm in the living room," Star replied with a shrug.
There was a hard pause, a gasp of breath on the line before a weak, breathy laugh cracked in the quiet. "Where's Maka?"
"In the shower."
"And what the hell are you doing?"
"Drinking a beer," Star laughed.
"Look," Soul sighed. "Make sure the door's locked. Stay there tonight."
"Stay here?" Star balked. "I have a life, places to be, girls to fuck, Soul. I'm not hanging around Maka fucking Albarn especially when she has her panties in a bunch. Did you fuck up tonight?"
"What's the definition of fuck up?" Soul muttered.
"Not telling her what you had to tell her, idiot," Star spat back.
"I got… close," came the grumbling reply.
"Oh, fuck you," Star stopped to take another long swig, emptying the bottle before continuing, "and fuck me for being your best friend. Fine, I'll stay, but when the hell are you getting home?"
"Maybe tomorrow morning," Soul's sigh was almost drowned out by the shuffling of paper. "I can't leave yet because I bet that jackass is watching me. Bet he doesn't even know where the hell we live and this was just a ploy, so I'm not coming home 'til I can be sure he's gone. Not to mention, I want to-"
"What the hell are you going on about?" Star interrupted before cracking open another beer, leaving the empty back in its old slot. "Who's the jackass?"
"Giriko, from the Arachne case. Listen, just tell Maka-"
"No, no, no," Star groaned. "I'm not telling her shit. You call her, text her, whatever. She's gonna kill the messenger and I'm totally not in the mood if I have to stay here with her."
"Can't do me one more favor?"
"'Til you tell her what you're supposed to, all my fucking favors have run out, bro."
The hallway was pitch black and Maka could hear Star's snoring from the living room. She was checking Soul's door again, afraid she'd somehow slept through him coming home even though her rest at best could be considered thin. She tugged at her sweater, tucking it tighter around her waist as she tried to wish him into bed, to force him to appear sprawled lazily across the sheets. That's selfish, she tried to urge but none of it diminished the feeling. But for a second, tonight was supposed to be mine, right? His time? Maybe even him?
Maka let a few slow, creaking steps bring her into his room. Her fingers ran over the desk as if she needed the support to keep the momentum of her steps. Again her mind cast the spell to make him materialize, imagining that half-asleep smile shining up at her in the moonlight, that dexterous hand reaching out and grabbing her own to pull her towards the bed. I was supposed to stay with you tonight. Why didn't I just tell you to bring me with you? Why didn't I just come to whatever interview you had? Because after you said it, the only thing I can think about is staying with you.
"You're up."
She could have climbed the walls, her breath catching in her throat as she wheeled around to see him in the doorway. "Sorry."
"For what?" He shrugged easily but his shoulders sunk back down immediately with the weight of his exhaustion.
"I don't know," she murmured as she pressed a hand to her forehead before clearing her hair from her face. "I guess I shouldn't be in your room."
"It's fine." He walked past her towards the hamper, starting to unbutton his shirt.
"Did you send Star here?"
"Nah, coincidence."
"You're telling me the truth?"
Soul sighed as he ripped the button-down off and tossed it in the hamper. "You accusing me of lying?"
"Just checking to see if you're not worrying too much."
He jerked off his t-shirt, forcing it to follow. "I texted you that much."
"You did," Maka sighed.
"Listen," his voice rasped and his eyes were anything but soft with her, not an easy reflection of earlier in the evening. "I just want to sleep for a few hours. Then you and me have something to do."
"What are we doing?"
"We've got a meeting with Arachne," he muttered before stripping off his pants, leaving them as the last offering to the basket before slinking into bed. "So if you're not going to sleep, think of your questions for her, but I got plenty of my own."
She watched him, her wish come true as he curled up into bed, a mop of white hair the only thing left of his face. "Soul…"
"Maka, seriously, a few hours."
Her fingers ached from the tightness of her knuckles, digits kneading into the edges of her sweater. "You asked me to stay with you tonight."
His face lifted from the pillow but his eyes were still focused on the headboard. "Yeah."
"Did you mean that?"
A weak sigh drifted from his lips, "Yeah, of course."
"Then can I?"
He hid his burning cheeks, trying to wipe away the way his mask was peeling and crumbling, as he nuzzled his head back into the bed. "Go get your pillow," he grumbled against the fabric.
Maka's heart pounded as she did what she was told.