She woke with a start at the blare of her phone's alarm. Visions of a boy with white hair, red eyes, and sharp teeth wisp away from her mind like a fog. The last thing she sees is his smile, and it turns her cheeks a shade darker than normal.

Another dream about him, she thinks as Maka throws her legs off the side of her bed and shuffles off to the bathroom.

She does her business in silence, the only presence in the entire place being herself. Why do I still have those dreams? I should hate him.

The young woman knew there could have been a million reasons why he stopped visiting, but she was as stubborn as she was intelligent, and sometimes her emotions got the better of her. She peered over at her old communication device given to her long ago. It was pointless for her to bring it; the device wasn't like Earth cellphones that could be recharged. It had a single use that was supposed to last years without charge. The thing died over two years ago.

He hadn't messaged her even longer than that.

She still kept it to spite her Papa who urged her to get rid of that "piece of junk." And when she clutched it tightly with both hands, she knew deep down there was another reason.

Realizing she was actually holding the device, she scoffed, tossing it carelessly back in the drawer she had pulled it from and shutting it closed roughly. I have no time to reminisce. At this rate, I'll be late.

Maka Albarn had moved from her house in the quaint little village to a dormitory in Death City when she was eighteen going on nineteen. She had been accepted to Shibusen University, where her sort-of-uncle, Franken, worked as a professor and a researcher. Since it was her second year, she could live alone and off campus if she pleased and she took advantage of the opportunity when she found an apartment complex that was renting out rooms for cheap- the small one bedroom option with shoddy Wi-Fi was more than enough for her.

Living in the city had been a huge improvement in her life. Her first year she made new friends, like her old roommate Tsubaki, for example, who she hit it off with instantly and hung out with often. Before college, she never had any female friends, and her connection with Tsu made her feel less lonely. She also reunited with her old friend, Blake, who she hadn't seen in person in over a decade. Here, she didn't need good-for-nothing Papas, or Mamas who were never around, or alien boys who no longer came to see her.

Maka was a nineteen going-on-twenty year-old working towards her degree. She planned on becoming a lawyer for goodness sake, just like her Mama. She had more important things to worry about.

Like not missing the bus and getting to class on time.

"Maka? Is everything alright?"

The woman in question gazed up at the tall person with long, black hair in a ponytail to see the source of the sweet, concerning voice.

"I'm fine, why do you ask?" She broke eye contact to take a bite out of her burger.

"Well, it's just that you seemed to be spacing out. You were hardly engaged in class earlier."

"Yeah, I guess so."

"Like right now!" She placed her hand gently on Maka's, forcing her to look into those purple irises. "Is it because your birthday is coming up? Do you think your father is going to show up again?"

"There's no telling whether he will or not. I told him not to after the last time, but you know him; he does what he wants. Luckily, I have at least a week to think of something to convince him to stay away just in case."

"Doing whatever he wants, huh? Sounds a lot like someone I know."

"I know you're trying to make me feel better, Tsubaki, but I'm really not in a good mood right now," she said, trying to sound polite as she munched on her food. "Besides, I'd rather not be compared to my Papa of all people."

A pitiable smile crossed the taller woman's face as Maka took a sip from her drink to avoid seeing it. A man's hand slams on the table and startles her, however, and she nearly spills it all over herself.

"What's up, losers? And Tsubaki."

Blake Barrett: wannabe ninja with cyan dyed hair, adopted by Sid Barrett and Mira Naigus when he was just four. It had been years since he and Maka had met. She had hope that being with such responsible adults would make the boy more mature and less chaotic.

Clearly it wasn't enough.

Maka swallowed her water before mumbling "There's only two of us here, so there's only one loser."

"...What kind of a clapback was that? That wasn't even a clapback, that was just a correction. Something's wrong. Where's the Maka I know? What have you done with her?" He pointed an accusatory finger at the blonde. "Your vibes suck right now!"

Tsubaki placed a hand on his arm. "Please calm down. I think she might be upset because it's her birthday soon, and Spirit might try to visit her without warning again."

"Daddy issues, huh?" The man got up close to Maka's face. She shoved him back with a glare, causing him to cackle loudly. Some of the other patrons were beginning to notice the commotion. "Well I can tell you right now that she's not pissy because her old man could show up, it's that a certain someone won't be."

"Who do you mean?" the kind friend asked curiously.

"Blake Barrett, if you know what's good for you, you'll keep your mouth shut."

The boy placed his hands on his hips and stuck his nose up proudly, ignoring the threat that failed to deter him. "Oh you know, just her boyfriend is all."

"What?" Tsubaki nearly shouted. "You have a boyfriend? Since when?"

Just like earlier that morning, Maka's cheeks tinted pink. "I don't have a boyfriend!" she admonished Tsubaki. The blonde woman then glared daggers at her childhood friend and spoke through clenched teeth. "He never was my boyfriend, anyway."

"Yeah, yeah, sure." The blue-haired man waved off. "And Dr. Seuss was a real guy."

"Huh? You know what, nevermind." She shook her head and took another bite out of her burger, one that was notably more aggressive than the last.

"So there is a 'he' after all," Tsubaki interrupted. It wasn't a question.

"Yeah," Black star exclaimed. "He's an alien! A freaky one too."

Maka choked on her food.

"Oh that's neat. So where's he from?"

"He's from s-"

Maka moved to stand up from the chair abruptly. "SERBIA," she shouted, slapping a hand over Black Star's mouth. The entire restaurant had stopped to stare at the pigtailed woman, and her cheeks flushed in embarrassment. "H-He's from Serbia," she said much quieter, moving to sit back down. "He moved here when he was young, b-but now he's in school all the way across the country."

Her soft-spoken friend hummed in understanding. "So that's why he can't come to see you. Are you two close?"

Maka blinked in surprise before offering a sad smile to the table below her. "I don't like to talk about it. We were close. I haven't heard from him in a while."

Longer than I'm letting on. I'm angry at him but at the same time I miss him. I wonder how much he's changed in all these years. Maybe there's a good reason he stopped coming. Maybe he realized he's better off without me and decided that the effort was too much to come here. Or maybe there's a different reason completely…

I should just get a cat.

"Bye, Tsubaki!" She waved the woman off with a smile before getting pounced on by the blue haired menace yet again.

He took delight in her surprised yelp. "Sooooo, what was all that about?"

"You-!" She shoved him off. "You jerk! You just almost told Tsubaki about Soul's identity."

"Look who's finally said his name for the first time in like five years or something. Whenever I've tried to bring him up, you've acted like his name was a curse." He huffed as he crossed his arms. "Besides, Tsubaki wouldn't care. She might not have even believed me."

...I hate it when Blake is the sensible one. I hate it even more when he's right; I have avoided talking about him. Papa and Blake are the only ones who cared enough to ask about Soul though. Mama hasn't said much in general to me, and no one else knows.

Maka let out a sigh, adjusting the strap of her backpack that dug uncomfortably into her shoulder. "I'm still not over the whole ordeal, okay? Yes, he meant a lot to me and I'm still hurt, but please let's just drop it."

Her friend stared at her, trying to get a better read on the girl's emotions. Black Star could badger the girl all day about it, but the way this conversation was going, it might end up with her either yelling at him or crying. Or both. Neither are scenarios he wanted to deal with. "Fine, whatever," he relents. "Mom says you shouldn't bottle that kinda stuff though."

"You should listen to Naigus more often, it might make you more bearable." she ignored his protests to check her (Earth) phone for the time. "I'm gonna head to class. Am I coming to dinner tonight?"

Black Star shook his head. "Nah, Tsu and me are going to the movies later. You're not invited. It's a date. Now go to class early, you nerd."

Her footsteps echoed in the eerily quiet room. Why is it that I feel the need to hide that I'm still into this stuff?

She also wasn't not sure whether or not she's allowed to be in the observatory by herself, but people finding out about her old interests are what bother her more. The young woman liked to visit before class sometimes, just to observe the telescope in the middle of the space. It's larger than the one she had back at home. It was also much more complex; the only other reason she hadn't used it yet, other than getting caught, was because it might take up a lot of time (which she didn't have) and didn't want to inconvenience whoever actually needed it. Maybe just this once though, she could take a look. Maybe it was already adjusted well enough…

"Miss Albarn."

"Professor Stein!" She pulled her hand away like the instrument had burned her. "What are- I was just-"

"Snooping around the observatory trying to use the telescope even though you're 'not into stars?'" His monotone voice continued on. "If your father's lechery is the reason you stopped, then that's just-"

"I'm not," she cut, her voice even and cold. "I'm not into them."

She could tell his brow was raised, even with his hair in the way. "Do you really think I believe that?"

Suddenly the floor was much more interesting. "...He's only a small part of the reason why."

The man sighed "I'm no therapist, but I am sort of your uncle. While I may seem emotionally dead and logical, you can still talk to me if something's bothering you. Giving up a passion is just sad."

"I'm not supposed to address you so casually at school." The girl gave him a half smile. "Marie's gotten to you again, hasn't she?"

His lips quirked upward. "She cares about you too. She's been wondering what to get you for your birthday."

"A book. Any book. She always picks out the good ones." She slung her bag over her shoulder and passed him to open the door he just came through. "Anyways, I have to go to class. I'll...talk to you about it someday. Promise."

Somewhere, in a part of the woods surprisingly dense for the area just outside of the semi-arid Death City, a man falls out of a strange craft lodged in a tree.

"Coming up next: firemen suggest that the flames they put out in Death Wood were from an unusual accide-"

Maka shut the T.V. off, not caring to listen to the rest while she brushed her teeth. It was barely past six in the morning and she already felt the effects of a headache coming on. The internet was out again so she couldn't look anything up on her phone. She just wanted to know the weather, dammit.

Speaking of her phone, it don the charger and she grabs it on her way to spit in the bathroom sink. Her eyebrow raised in both shock and suspicion at the name displayed from the text message notification.

[Uncle Franken]: There is something here at my lab that I think is important you come to take a look at. Please stop by after classes.

She frowned. He never asks me to just "stop by." Maybe it's serious.

It was a reasonable concern. As much as the man loved to exude his natural creepiness through the enjoyment he got when performing dissections in class, he kept his personal projects to himself and away from the eyes of others. There was also the matter that he never invited anyone to his home or laboratory (not that anyone would want to.) So if it's something that he actually wants to show her and it's at his lab, then it must be important. And possibly illegal.

Though she zoned out during classes which seemed to pass in an instant, the day itself dragged on like molasses. During each lecture, her mind had been preoccupied with whatever it was her uncle wanted to show her so badly. He never offers to show her anything.

The hours had come and gone and with it, dread filled her gut like rocks. He had been incredibly vague in his short text to her, and he didn't elaborate when she asked him to. He did leave her on "Read" though, much to her annoyance. There was also the fact that she didn't see him in school all day, which meant that he had taken the day off. Even Marie, his wife and a counselor on campus, was nowhere to be seen.

An hour after classes had ended, the not-so-grinning sun had begun to die down, barely keeping itself above the horizon.. Maka was going slow on purpose, delaying the inevitable whatever she was going to become a part of. The possibilities of what she could witness were endless. She never resonated with the phrase 'TGIF' more than any other point in her life before now.

Oh now the minutes speed up. How lovely.

Three knocks on the stitch-pattern door and relief filled Maka when it was his wife that answered. "Hello, Marie," she said breathily.

This woman was the epitome of motherly. The honey-haired woman with the eye to match (the other was covered in an eyepatch) smiled kindly at her. "Maka, it's so nice to see you! What brings you here?"

The woman's happiness was contagious and Maka's face matched it with ease. "I'm fine, thank you. Stein asked me to come by, there's something he wanted to show me apparently."

The woman's smile disappeared as perplexion, shock, and concern washed over her face in progression. "Right then. I'm surprised he wants to show you his…"

"... Creation? Abomination? Crimes against humanity?"

"Oh, no, no, no, nothing like that." Marie waved her hand about and it kept Maka from worrying at her lip. "Nothing he made… Really it's not a "thing" at all, rather- oh what am I doing, here, come on in." The woman stepped aside and ushered the girl inside. "Franken! Maka's here," she called out.

Please be something legal, please be something legal.

It took a minute, but the man managed to make his way up the basement stairs. His lab coat's sleeves were pushed up (a lab safety violation that she'd love to gripe at him about had the situation for being here been casual) and his forehead was perspiring a bit. His glasses were completely fogged up too, making it impossible to see his eyes. The look was strange considering the building's temperature was typically cool. Well, stranger than usual.

"Hello, Franken. Why...why are you all sweaty? Nevermind, can you just please show me what it is you wanted to show me?" The young woman was nearly exasperated. All day her head was filled with all sorts of ideas. Who knows what her sort of uncle had in store for her.

The man took the glasses off his face and used the end of his messy-stitch coat to clean the lenses. "You're in a hurry." She gave him a desperate glance. "Right then. Come with me." He spun around headed back down the stairs, Maka treading lightly behind. Marie offered her a friendly wave before the girl descended with him.

The first and second floors were creepy enough, but the basement was much worse. She wasn't sure how Marie could stand living in such a place, but that's just how Marie was. No matter the circumstances, she adapted well to her environment (except when it came to knowing directions) and she always tries to make the environment around her a cozy one.

Her influence had yet to make its impression down here though.

Stein opened the rusted metal door at the bottom of the staircase and let Maka in first. Immediately, she was greeted by a blast of warm air. The basement level of the house was mainly another lab, but there were also several bunker-like rooms near the back. He happened to be leading her that way.

Please, please, PLEASE be something legal-

"Please excuse my appearance. Our guest says he prefers it to be warm, and I don't want him to die if a slight temperature change is what kills him." He guided her to the first bunker room.

She blinked. "What do you mean? You're introducing me to someone?" She looked at the door apprehensively. "...In your bunker?"

Stein said nothing as he knocked. They could hear a very faint grunt from the other side. It must have been an invitation because he then opened it.

Maka felt her heart stop along with time itself.

Soul?

"Hey doc, when I said I liked it warm I didn't mean- M-Maka?" There he was, her old alien friend. He had been messing with the record player on the small table, which she almost expected to scratch comically as soon as they made eye contact. The surprise was apparent on his face as well and he straightened up instantly.

Her breath was taken from her as she ignored the sting in her disbelieving eyes that urged her to blink. He still has that same white hair, red eyes, and sharp teeth, but he's changed. His shoulders are broad, his jawline is sharp, he seems more muscular- even when he's sitting down I can tell he's gotten much taller.

I almost want to kiss him like I did when we were twelve.

Almost.

She was at a loss for words.

Her mouth wasn't nearly as gaping as his, and he took the opportunity to speak. "...It's been a while hasn't it? I can't believe you're actually here."

Her lungs begged for air and she finally gave into their demand, letting the breath out quietly so she didn't seem as shocked as she was, but it only shook as she exhaled. Her face went from shock to anger, a glare being sent his way. "I should be the one saying that, not you." She turned to her uncle. "Stein, please explain. Just what the hell is going on?"

"Last night, I was collecting samples in the forest when he landed-crashed his spacecraft into the trees. This moron fell out calling your name several times before he passed out. I dragged him here and when he woke up I got him to talk to me a bit before I explained that I know you."

"I didn't think you were actually telling the truth. That Marie lady was nice though and asked me to trust you," Soul grumbled.

"I wasn't sure whether to trust you though. Not many people are named Maka, but considering your strange metal transformation, I couldn't be too sure that you had a mind reading ability as well. I also didn't know if you'd be a danger to her, but I think it's fair to say, she'll be okay." Stein observed his niece for a moment and noticed the way she avoided eye contact with the alien boy. "So it's true then. You two do know each other?"

"...Yeah you could say that," she said to the floor.

"And you never told me an alien visited you on your birthdays because…?"

She crossed her arms and swiftly turned to face the scientist. "How much did he tell you anyway?"

"Quite a bit. People open up easier when my wife is the one asking my questions."

Soul was next to look at him incredulously. "Is interrogating people something you do often?"

"No." He sported a dangerous grin. "The only reason I still haven't dissected you yet is because Marie insisted not to, and now that I know you're telling the truth about Maka, I can't do it now- unless she's angry enough that she wants me to." He turned back to look at Maka.

"...No, please do not dissect him."

"Damn," he sighed. "I have to get something from upstairs. Can you promise not to kill each other while I'm gone?"

They offered terse nods and soon they're alone in the room.

"...So, Maka-"

"I don't want to talk to you right now," she said evenly, still not looking at him.

Soul released a half sigh, half grumble. "You know he did this on purpose right? He left the room so that we could talk it out."

It was enough to get her attention and earn the man a glare. "Does Stein know why you stopped talking to me? Why you stopped visiting me? I needed my friend at a very bad point in my life and you just vanished."

"I know, he told me what happened-" A deep breath in and out. "And I did tell him why. I didn't just stop talking to you one day. Believe it or not I have an explanation and it isn't just an excuse."

She gritted her teeth. "Fine. Talk."

"Okay." He relaxed his shoulders. "A while before your 13th birthday, my brother went missing."

Her eyes widened. That's...not what I was expecting at all. Jumping right into the fray, huh?

"He was supposed to join a prestigious academy on a different planet and I knew that would be problematic because of our tradition. I was going to message you about it but right before I could, my parents took my communicator from me. They found out that Wes was flying to Earth and taking me with him, and that all the excuses he had given every Earth year were all lies. They got pretty pissed at the both of us- said we were never allowed to even enter your galaxy ever again. They're those 'we're-better-than-other-aliens' people; our planet is pretty diverse.

"I was already going through my rebellious phase, so I kind of said our equivalent of 'fuck you, you guys suck,' yada, yada, yada. But Wes told me that they couldn't keep tabs on him nearly as well as before when he left for the academy. He assured me that he'd take a break from school just to take me to see you. But about an Earth month before your birthday, the school told us that he had been missing for several days."

Maka's stubborn front had broken the moment he had mentioned a second time that his brother went missing. Her eyebrows worried, and her body wasn't as tense as before. She allowed herself to face him as he spoke.

"It wasn't until after your birthday that we found out where he was," Soul continued, the sheets on the bed suddenly interesting. "He...he was on the planet's moon- the planet that the school was on. Well, that moon had been closed off because it was temporarily taken over by raiders. Turns out that Wes was there when it got raided and-" he cut himself off with a sharp intake of breath. "...We couldn't even tell it was his body. They had to do a DNA sample to confirm that one of the bodies they found was Wes's." He found it hard to speak; his throat burned from holding back the tears that wanted to fall.

"That's-!" Maka was not as close to the man as she was with Soul, but she was fond of him and enjoyed his presence. She was always thankful when he brought her friend to Earth just so that the two of them could hang out. She found herself holding back her own tears, worrying her fingers in her jeans. "Soul… I'm so sorry."

A shaky exhale was the only acknowledgement to her apology he gave. "I was pretty fucked up afterwards. For like, I don't know, three, four Earth years, I was still grieving and holing myself up in my room when my parents decided that I was 'finally ready to learn how to operate a ship.' Those assholes- they told me that since I was 'depressed,' I probably wouldn't be as willing to fly down to see you." He clenches his fists. "What makes me even angrier is that they were right. I'd do everything to spite them whenever I could, but after Wes's death I couldn't find the motivation to-to fly out that far. I wasn't even in the mood to learn, but like always they didn't care."

Soul looked her in the eyes for the first time since he spoke. "Guess that part kind of is an excuse. I technically could have come down much sooner, but…"

"No, Soul," Maka groaned, holding her hand in her palm. I told myself there were all sorts of reasons why he couldn't see me or talk to me, but I chose to stay bitter and angry. I was going through a lot, but the amount of pain he went through all those years… "I had no clue that any of that happened. It's not an excuse- I-I just can't imagine what you were going through."

He shook his head. "Stein told me that your mom divorced your dad. No offence but leaving you behind was a dick move."

"Don't talk about my Mama like that," she snarls, sympathy disappearing. "She had every right to leave my Papa."

"But she left you, too. My point is that we were- are still dealing with our own losses." Somehow, he slouches even more and he plants his hands on his kneecaps. "I wanted to see you, too. I wanted nothing more than to just curl up next to you and let it all out, but I couldn't find it in myself to leave.

I hate it. I hate how he's right about my Mama, I hate how he's saying his grieving was an excuse to not see her sooner, and I hate how he doesn't hate me for being angry at him all this time.

"...Your brother's passing is much more severe than my mother leaving my family," she added quietly.

"Not trying to compare pain," he grumbled. "We aren't twelve anymore. I just wanna know if you forgive me for not seeing you all this time."

Maka knows the dam has already broken, and she wiped her eyes with the heel of her palm. "I'm the one who should be saying sorry, you idiot." She walked to the side of the bed he sits on and wrapped her arms around his back, squeezing as tightly as she could.

He met her hug with the same enthusiasm, pulling her slightly so she knew to sit on the bed as they hugged each other. "I missed you."

"I missed you too," she sniffed.

The door opened unexpectedly and revealed Stein with a clipboard. Marie was close behind with a tray of tea. "I'm sure they're fine- oh."

The first thing the older duo saw were the two emotional, barely adults holding each other in their arms. Maka and Soul had let go instantly and scoot away on opposite sides of the bed. Maka tried to explain. "We were just hugging, I swear."

"Just don't have sex in my bunker, please," the scientists said monotone, which did nothing to keep their faces from heating up.

Marie slapped his shoulder. "Franken, don't say that kind of stuff!" She moved farther into the room and placed the tray on the table with a smile. "Does anyone want tea?"

"So why did you decide to go back to Earth now?"

Marie and Stein sat in chairs at the table facing the alien boy still sitting on the bed. Maka held his hand as he answered Stein's question. "My parents were trying to put me into the same school they put my brother in. I didn't want to, they didn't care, so I decided to leave. Maybe that's why Wes left too. My plan was to arrive right before your birthday, but they were speeding things up so I had to as well. Except I wanted to hide out here instead, way farther away from them."

"This can get messy," Stein proclaimed. "Your parents know where this planet is. If they come here to retrieve you-"

"They won't," Soul interjected. "I'm not worth the effort. The only reason they were planning to put me through all of that was because their 'golden child' was gone. Besides, we're technically not allowed to visit a planet outside the federation without permission."

Stein raised his brow. "And what if this 'federation' comes for you then?"

"It doesn't work like that. Once they realize you've left, you're dead to the system. You can't come back." He paused to take a sip of this tea, letting out a pleasant hum afterwards. "My parents care too much about their reputation to come and get me back themselves, let alone have it get out that their remaining son ran away from home."

The creepy professor wrote something down before he clicked his pen and slid his clipboard under his arm. "Well, now that we know the planet is going to be invaded, now it's time to move on to other matters: where you're going to live."

"He can stay with us, can't he?" his wife asked him.

Soul held his hands up. "Marie, you're super nice and I appreciate you a lot, but this place creeps me the fuck out- no offence."

"None taken," Stein replied without enthusiasm.

Marie continued to ponder out loud. "Hmm, well-"

"He can stay with me," Maka announced as she stood up from the bed. Their eyes were all on her and she shrunk down a bit. "...I mean, only if he wants to." She turned to face Soul. "You don't have to if you don't, really it's fine-"

"I want to." The red-eyed man grinned and stood up. "I don't have much luggage. I had a bag, but he took it from me." He threw a thumb in Stein's direction.

Marie huffed towards her husband. "Franken, give the nice boy his stuff back."

The older man stood up and left the room with a promise to return. "I had to make sure he didn't have anything dangerous with him," his voice echoed as he re-enters the room. "Which, by the way, he does. That strange gun device you brought is a definite no-no, so I had to confiscate that."

Soul groaned loudly and pulled the bag towards him after Stein dropped it on the bed with a thunk. "That's not cool, man. You just want to study it or something, probably."

"Get over it. Concealed weapons are frowned upon by the public. And also illegal for the average citizen, which you will be once I forge some papers for you. Besides, you'll be fine. You have that blade-hand thing."

"Oh yeah," Maka piped up excitedly. "He said something about that earlier. Can you show me what it is?"

"You promise not to freak out? he asked. At her assured nod, he lifts up a hand boredly and a light encases his hand. In an instant, the light disappears and his fingers are miniature scythes.

Marie gasped and nearly dropped her cup, but Maka stared in wonder and ran a finger along the outside of the blade. "That is so cool."

He blushed and pulled his hand away, transforming his fingers back into flesh. "Don't touch it, idiot, you'll get cut." He throws the bag over his shoulder and stands in the doorway. "So, we going or what?"

I didn't do too much today. That's fine by me, she thinks as she adjusts the knobs on the device she set up recalling the previous day's events . But I think...I think I want to start doing *this* again.

The roof of the apartment complex had luckily been left unlocked. She had carried a rectangular box up a few flights of stairs before she unpacked its contents and removed the pieces. Maybe Uncle Franken was onto something when he questioned me stopping in the first place.

She twisted another knob and looked into the lens. "There. Perfect."

The telescope was not technically new as it had been the previous year's birthday gift from her Papa. Her first year of college, when he had shown up to her dorm without letting her know beforehand, he had dropped the poorly wrapped box in her hands and watched her rip the paper off. Her breath had hitched as she examined the picture on the box. It was even the same brand as their old one back home.

"Maka," he had said, breaking her focus on the box. "I know you said you're not into this kind of thing anymore, but I can't help but feel like it's someone else's fault. Well, it's mostly that punk's fault, but also mine too."

"Sweetie." He put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't give up what you love because of shitty people. It might bring up bad memories, but you'll also be able to remember the good parts of life too. Try to create better memories too.

She had a sinking feeling he wasn't just talking about the telescope.

Maka never had it in her to throw it out.

She couldn't remove it from the box before, not without her hands shaking whenever her digits tried to pull back the tape.

Tonight, however, she was finally ready.

"Hey," called out her week-long roommate from the doorway of the rooftop's entrance.

She jumped and whipped around in time to see that smug grin on his face. "Soul, you ass!"

He strode over to her and inspected her set up. "Looks cool. Your dad send you this?"

"Ah, I've actually had it for a year now. I'm just now opening it up." I almost regret not asking him to visit this year.

He nodded and looked to the sky as he moved closer to her. "Can't see as many stars here like you could back at your house. What's up with that?"

"Light pollution," she replied and she peered back into the lens again. "Cities have so many lights that even at night when it's dark, we can't see as many stars. This helps though." She removes herself from the telescope and gestures to him. "Wanna see?"

"Maka Albarn," he said with a teasing grin. "Are you saying you want to bring back our stargazing tradition?"

His stupid smile caused her to pout while simultaneously blush, and he chuckled over it. She shuffles her feet on the ground. "I just- I…" She couldn't look at him while he said it and instead pointed her gaze towards the night sky. "I want to see the stars with you."

The grin is wiped off his face and a pink tint matching hers erupted on his cheeks. "Ah, uh, alright then," he said with the grace of a toddler. But it came out softly and afterwards he cleared his throat. "Move over, nerd."

He shoved her over playfully and he took his spot in front of the lens. And when she placed hand on one shoulder and leaned her head on the other, he couldn't help but sigh blissfully as they watched the stars together.