Hey friends, great to see you again! Hope you're all having an excellent summer. Thanks so much to pocky and tori for betaing the final installment of this little tale. Without further ado, here's the last chapter! Hope you enjoy :)

The next morning, Maka is awakened by a soft, insistent buzzing beside her head. Each time the sound lapses, it picks right back up again, pulling her slowly out of sleep. Eventually, still half-curled in the fetal position, she puts the phone to her ear and sleepily asks, "... Hello?"

"Uh, hello," comes Liz's voice through the phone, sounding both sarcastic and stressed. "Good morning. Now tell us everything."

"Oh." Maka blinks twice. "Oh my god!" She sits up in a rush, rubbing at her face. "I forgot to call."

"Yes," Liz observes, her voice carefully neutral. In the background, Maka can hear Patty laughing. "Next time I forget, I won't get in trouuubblleeee!" she declares.

"Sorry," Maka says with a little grimace. "It was a really late night. I crashed right after everyone left."

"It's fine," Liz says, and Maka imagines her shrugging. "If I weren't so sure you could beat him in a fight, I would've called in the national guard by now, though."

Maka laughs. "I'm honored."

"Hey, enough chit-chat!" Patty yells. She still sounds far away, so they are clearly on speakerphone. "Spill."

Maka thinks about how to explain. "It went… perfectly, honestly. All according to plan."

Liz lets out an approving hum. "He's predictable."

Maka thinks of the whispered apology that she definitely didn't expect, and isn't quite sure if she agrees. "I mean… mostly, yeah."

She takes them through the play-by-play, and as always, they are a great audience - laughing at the right times, and appropriately amused by Soul's discomfort. When Maka recounts Black*Star breaking her door down, Patty lets out a little whoop as Liz groans. It reminds her that she still needs to make him pay for that.

"So… what are you gonna do now?" Liz asks, once the story is complete.

"I'll... go into the office on Monday, for sure," Maka hedges. "I still don't know if I'll take the job, though."

"Very responsible," Liz says, teasing, because they both know what she's really asking about. "And what are you gonna do about your soulmate?"

Maka is quiet for a minute, indecisive.

"...Wanna hear something fun?" Liz asks, taking pity on her. "You might get mad at me, though."

"I can't be any more mad at you than I was at Soul," Maka says with a shrug. "Or... than I am." She pauses, unsure of how she's actually feeling this morning. "Anyway. Go ahead."

"Okay," Liz says. "He texted me yesterday afternoon. Told me he was gonna tell you last night."

That is a surprise. "And you didn't think to share this information with me?" Maka asks.

"We thought about it…" Patty hedges, entirely unapologetic. She is closer to the phone now, so her conspiratorial tone is extra clear. "But we didn't wanna mess up a good plan."

Maka just laughs. "You guys are kind of evil, you know that?"

Patty lets out another round of maniacal laughter that proves Maka's point. "He had it coming," Liz says, equally unrepentant. "Also, yeah. We're having fun."

Maka decides that it's time to get out of bed and she pushes the sheets back, ready to make tea, when Liz adds, "He isn't, you know."

"Huh?"

"He isn't evil," Liz clarifies. "An idiot, absolutely. But not evil. He really didn't try to tell you last night?"

"I... didn't give him that many opportunities," Maka admits. "But no, he didn't."

As she says it, her phone vibrates, and she pulls her ear away from the phone to see a text.

[[ wanna talk today? if thats ok? ]]

A smile twists the side of her mouth at the irony. "Hey, guys? I… think I'm gonna head out."

"He just texted you, didn't he?" Liz says, amusement coloring her voice.

Maka blanches, and she's thankful that neither of them can see it. "Maybe."

"Predictable," Liz repeats. Maka's no longer sure if Liz is talking about Soul or about her, which is a bit unsettling.

"All right! Go get 'im!" Patty yells aggressively into the receiver.

Given her tone - and the fact that it's Patty - it's impossible for Maka to tell if she means it in a romantic sense or in a vengeful sense. And honestly, Maka's still deciding which one she wants.

Maybe there's still time for a bit of both.

They end up meeting at Death Brew. It's Maka's idea, and it's a good neutral ground, Soul thinks. As close as they're going to get to it, anyway. He gets there first, content to nurse his water. He doesn't want a single drop of alcohol in his system for any of this.

Once Maka arrives, she appears to feel similarly. When the waiter - who isn't Black*Star, for once - comes to take their order, she orders only a plate of sweet potato fries, and nothing else. After the waiter leaves, they find themselves sitting in silence.

Under normal circumstances, Soul would be feeling awkward - hands in his pockets, eyes downcast at the silence. But after everything that's happened, he doesn't want to waste any more time. Doesn't want to tell her any more half-truths or any more lies by omission.

He steels himself and says the same thing he'd said last night, only louder, more clearly, so she can't possibly misconstrue it: "I'm sorry. I handled things all wrong. You deserved to know the truth a long time ago."

The very first thing she says in response, eyes icy in a way that burns him, is the thing that's clearly been on her mind: "Then why didn't you tell me?"

It hurts, the way she's looking at him. But he deserves it. Knows that he's gotta come clean on everything if he wants to make it up to her.

"When all of this first started, I was worried about my job," he explains, thinking back to the beginning. "I was on thin ice 'cause we weren't getting any recruits. When Liz brought me your name, I was kinda desperate. I was totally focused on making sure you got recruited. So even… even when I saw you through the webcam that day, even when I found out…" He trails off. "I just didn't wanna do anything that would screw up you getting recruited, and me keeping my job. It was a win-win for us both, I thought. And then your dad came in being all threatening and shit, and you didn't know who I was, and at the beginning, it was easy to justify."

Maka listens intently, eyes narrowed, because they both know the next part will be harder to justify.

"That night, at the bar?" she asks. "Were you following us, or something?"

"Hell no," Soul says, putting up his hands. "It was the worst coincidence in the universe. I hid in the bathroom for like an hour, trying to avoid you. Black*Star and I tried to sneak out, but uh… well. You know how that went."

A wry smile twists her mouth, but she doesn't speak. She nods, prompting him to continue.

"It got a lot more complicated, after that night," he continues, staring at the floor. "But I just kept telling myself that if I kept things… separate, if I could just get you recruited, it would all be worth it. You could get the job and I could keep mine, and everything else would sort itself out. But then…"

"...Then?" she whispers. She's sitting very still now, hanging on to every word.

"Then it all backfired, because I'm a dumbass. Because…" He looks up now, determined to watch her expression as he says this. His face is burning, heat spreading through his chest, but he presses on. "I wanted to see you. I wanted to be around you. I couldn't stay away from you, even when I knew I should. Even when I knew it was a conflict of interest."

Maka looks a bit shocked at this admission, like this wasn't the explanation she was expecting. And there's something else stirring behind her eyes - something he looks away from, for now, because he wants her to fully understand.

"And then... that night at your apartment. You… you asked me-" He doesn't finish that sentence, because they both know what she asked. What she'd wanted. "And it all… hit me at once. I realized I couldn't keep things separate anymore, and I couldn't keep lying by omission, or whatever. That's why…"

"That's why you couldn't kiss me," she murmurs, a look of realization dawning on her face. Hearing her say it aloud, hearing an actual confirmation that that was what she'd been asking, kickstarts his heart rate. He swallows hard, wanting to get the rest of his explanation out before he allows himself to think about that.

"After that night, I knew I needed to tell you, but I didn't know how," he says. "And I'm like… really bad at that kind of thing. About being clear, and explaining stuff, and whatever. At talking, I guess. I went in to last night fully wanting to tell you, and you gave me so many opportunities, but-"

Maka looks doubtful about this for some reason, and it gives him pause. He raises an eyebrow. "You showed me a hacking movie and ate sushi in front of me," he deadpans. "I could have said something anytime."

"Yeah, but I mostly did that to torture you, not to make you confess. Though..." Her expression becomes alarmingly pensive, emotionless. "I would have made sure you told me by the end of the night."

A phantom Yoohoo ghosts under his chin, and he doesn't doubt it. She was made for the FBI.

"I should've told you way before," he says, because he's had a lot of time to think about this. "That night at your apartment, the first time. That's when I should've done it."

"Yeah," she agrees. "You should have. It would've been terrible, but it would've been an interesting end to a date, at least."

A date. He must make a surprised face, because she raises an eyebrow at him.

"I told Liz it wasn't, but-"

"No," he reassures her. "No, it totally was. I'm sorry again for… for ruining it. And for everything else."

Maka appraises him carefully for a few moments, expression neutral. "Well. You'll just have to make it up to me on the next one."

His eyes widen, relief rushing through him before her eyes narrow again. "But," she says, reaching out to poke him in the shoulder. "No more secrets. Right?"

He hates that he needs to, but he hesitates. "Uh, well. I do kinda have one more secret- but it's a good one, I swear!" he says quickly at the angry flames that jump back into her eyes. "It's a surprise. You'll find out this week, sometime. Promise."

Her expression clears; she is pacified, for now.

They end up splitting the fries and the rest of the evening passes with somewhat less intense conversation, the two of them hypothesizing about what will happen tomorrow, how things will go. Another hour passes, and it's time for them to go, and he's feeling a bit better about the whole thing.

Once they pay their bills, Maka turns to face him one more time.

"Hey, Soul," she says after a moment. "Did you... want to?"

"Did I want to... what?" he asks, regarding her warily. Something about the way she's looking at him puts his heart in his throat.

"That night," she says. Her voice is almost shy, but her eyes are round and curious, boring into him. "Did you want to kiss me?"

His face crinkles up against his will. On instinct, he wants to deflect, wants to hide from the embarrassment of being asked such a question. But in his newfound quest for honesty, he knows he'd never be able to forgive himself for downplaying his answer to this.

No more secrets, right?

"Yeah, I did," he says, looking up to meet her eyes. "Really bad, actually."

The wry smile is back on her face, and her gaze is warm. "Good to know," she says.

After all of yesterday's hypothesizing about how his Monday morning would go, this was certainly not what Soul had expected. He sits in his cubicle with Black*Star opposite The Kid, both of them staring open-mouthed at their boss.

"We're what?" Black*Star blurts.

The Kid surveys them both with a completely neutral expression. "The order came down this morning. You've both been dismissed from the recruitment team."

Soul is frozen in his seat, speechless. After all of that, this was it. Everything he'd done until this point to save his job had just gone up in smoke.

Black*Star, on the other hand, is not speechless at all.

"For what? What the hell?!"

The Kid looks between the two of them. "I am confused about your surprise," he admits. "Have the two of you not known about a massive security hole in the Resonance program for weeks? One that would allow hackers to gain Administrator privileges to the program?"

Soul blanches, though he does feel a bit slighted; he hadn't known the full extent of the problem. It had been Black*Star's decision to lead Maka to that exploit. Though based on what happened, the way their computers had connected so strangely at the beginning, he probably should have realized it earlier. Should have looked into it, or told someone.

"You used an actual security threat as a recruitment test, endangering countless agents," The Kid says against their silence.

"Where do you think I got the idea from?!'" Black*Star retorts, staring pointedly at The Kid. Soul literally wants to smack him. He's digging his own grave, and he's getting the metaphorical dirt all over Soul's jeans. "And why didn't you do something about it? You knew what was going on."

"I didn't, actually," The Kid says lightly. "As you might recall, I wasn't yet working with this department when that incident happened. I didn't check any of the logs prior to the first test because I wasn't made aware that I needed to do so." Again, his tone is neutral but the facts are damning. Out of the corner of Soul's eye, Black*Star has abandoned his grave-digging and is now staring at The Kid like a gaping fish.

Well, this is… kind of what he deserves. Soul hadn't expected it, but it does make sense. They'd broken, like, a million rules, and it does feel like this is an appropriate ending to all of this. He's actually… a bit relieved, strangely enough. At least he won't have much to take out of his cubicle, he thinks, glancing around the space.

"In any case," The Kid continues. "The higher-ups have gone through all of the logs at this point, and due to some campaigning on your behalf, they have concluded that, while there were some terrible recruitment tactics... there was some pretty good hacking, too."

"...Wait." Black*Star eyes The Kid suspiciously, and then, inexplicably, he starts laughing. "I get it!" he says, clapping Soul on the back. "We aren't getting fired."

"We aren't?" Soul says. He can't tell if he's missing something or if Black*Star is really just that delusionally confident.

"No," Black*Star says. "We're getting transferred."

A moment of silence stretches between the three of them. "...The pay is worse, at first," The Kid eventually says. There's definitely something resembling amusement in his expression, now. "But if you don't make any more mistakes, it will get better quickly. Think of the next few weeks as a… trial period."

They're being tested. It's ironic.

"We're really not getting fired for this?" Soul says, disbelieving. Black*Star lacks Soul's impulse control, so he actually does smack Soul. "Geez! I just meant-"

"Under other circumstances, perhaps you would've been," The Kid says. "But the tech division is still swamped. Also…" Something resembling a smile ghosts across his face. "As you likely know, hacking teams often work in pairs. And one of the tech division's new recruits asked for you specifically. She made quite the case for having you both transferred earlier this morning."

"...Oh." Maka… was the one fighting for him to stay? Maka literally saved his job? He sits there, dumbfounded. Black*Star starts cackling.

A text vibrates in his pocket, but he ignores it for now, far too overwhelmed by what's happening.

"Wait," Black*Star says. "If we're gonna be working in pairs, who's my partner?"

The Kid blinks, and the smile on his face grows wider than Soul has ever seen.

They both catch his meaning at the same time, and Soul blurts out a startled laugh as Black*Star proclaims, "Oh, god damn it."

He doesn't hate the idea of The Kid following them to the tech division. In fact, after all that's happened, Soul thinks it feels a little like fate.

His phone vibrates again, and this time he has the presence of mind to check it.

[[ You're welcome. ;) ]] Maka says.

[[ Sorry about the scare. I may have... encouraged Kid to word things in a very particular way. It was Liz's idea. ]]

He shakes his head in disbelief, huffing another laugh.

[[ thank you. seriously. ]]

[[ also tell Liz i still prefer this to her reading my livejournal ]]

[[ Your what? ]]

...Oh my god. The phrase no more secrets echoes through his mind once again, and he resigns himself to just a little more humiliation.

[[ ugh ]]

[[ ask liz. she probably has it bookmarked or something ]]

Even with his new commitment to transparency, his instincts to deflect are ingrained:

[[ u timed that first text really well btw. u have the room bugged or something? ]]

[[ Something like that. ]] she says, after a moment. [[ Look up. ]]

Soul looks up and immediately meets eyes with The Kid, and watches as he taps lightly at his right ear with a finger.

He's wearing a wire.

After a week of introductory paperwork for Maka and a bunch of disciplinary paperwork for Soul, the days of their first week in the tech division go by extremely quickly. Even though they're supposed to be working together, she barely gets a moment to talk to Soul, and even though she knows they're both busy, there's something that's been on her mind that she hopes he hasn't forgotten.

On Friday morning, when they're both still in separate meetings in separate rooms, he texts her: [[ hey. you ok with sticking around a little longer today? ]]

[[ About time! ]] she says. [[ I was worried you'd forgotten about my surprise :( ]]

She smiles as the next text comes through: [[ nah. not gonna forget this one. ]]

That afternoon, they take an elevator to the basement, making their way past hallways of locked doors, some with filing cabinets backed up against the darkened windows. Soul is silent as he walks - possibly trying to remember where he's supposed to even go - but he's also been quieter than usual this whole week.

They're still trying to figure things out in their new normal. Soul has been giving her lots of space, both in terms of the amount he communicates with her and in a physical sense, both of which she appreciates. They're back to taking things slow, but at least this time they're on the same page.

"Wow, I love this surprise," Maka deadpans, after they've been walking for fifteen minutes. "Forget long walks on the beach, sign me up for long walks in the stuffy basement of the east building."

"Agh. We're literally here," Soul says, rolling his eyes. As he says it, they stop in front of a nondescript door that says Evidence on its nameplate.

She raises an eyebrow at him, and he says nothing, only grabbing the door handle and pulling. Once inside, he leads them to a table with one lone box sitting on it, waiting to be opened.

"... What is this?" she says.

"Your surprise. C'mere," Soul says, lifting the lid. "Can't take 'em out of this room, but here they are."

She leans over the box, and a sparkle of red catches her eye. She can't help it, she actually gasps as she realizes what they are.

"... Oh," she says quietly. "Wow."

She'd forgotten, in all of the chaos surrounding the Soul/Stooge identity crisis, that this was what he'd been looking for when she'd caught him. The mismatched ruby slippers wink up at her, glistening in the dim light of the room.

"Did you need these for a case, or something?" she asks, looking up at him.

"Huh? No," he says, surprised. "I just… I wanted you to have a chance to see them. I was kinda planning to show you these and explain things at the same time but that… didn't work out, since I've lost a few… privileges. But I was still allowed to bring you here."

Her head is buzzing, the lowlight making her a little dizzy, now. "Oh."

He'd planned this before everything had happened, she realizes. This wasn't a new ploy to get back in her good graces. It had been part of his plan all along.

She lets out a soft laugh. "You really can't keep things separate, can you?"

A small grin appears on his face as he shakes his head. "Yeah, no. Really bad at that."

Maka looks down at the slippers again, placing her hands on the box to pick it up.

"Oh," Soul says, remembering something. "You can hold them, if you want." He points to a pair of white gloves on the table. "Apparently you just gotta toss those in the bin on the way out after you use 'em."

"Okay," she says enthusiastically, grabbing the gloves and pulling them on. She lifts both of the shoes out of their box and the two of them look down together, the reds of the sequins standing out even more against the white backdrop of her gloves. She turns them from side to side, watching them sparkle.

"It's kinda weird, isn't it?" Soul says after a few minutes of silence.

"Hm?"

"That they kept the different shoes together. Why wouldn't they put the original two shoes back together? In the museum, I mean."

Maka hums thoughtfully, but then starts to smile. "I like that they're a little mismatched," she decides. "They're different, but they still fit together."

She looks up at Soul, who's looking at her with a guarded sort of expression. Without really thinking about it, she places one shoe back in the box and sets the other on the table, removing one of her gloves. She reaches out and slowly, watching his face, entwines their fingers together.

"They still complement each other," she murmurs.

Soul looks like he's trying not to panic, but there's something else stirring behind his eyes that intrigues her. "They've been through a lot of crap to get here," he cautions her, because he's caught on to her meaning, now. "Maybe too much."

"They have," she agrees. "But… when I think about it, I kind of like their story. I like…" She pauses, and slowly, her eyes glide down his face, much like the way they did on a balcony during a sunset, once. "I like the idea that they still… ended up together, after everything. Do you?"

He takes a step closer to her, which looks like it surprises him, but when she starts to smile, he does too.

Instead of answering her question, he asks her, teasing: "Still wanna try somethin'?"

She has the presence of mind to abandon her second glove onto the table as she reaches for him, pulling him closer. Eyes drifting closed, they lean in, lips almost brushing-

"What exactly do you think you're doing, ya little punk!" comes a disembodied voice, bursting from an intercom in the ceiling.

They both jump, and Maka takes in Soul's bug-eyes as he stares up at the ceiling. "What the hell?" he says.

She's as confused as he is, until suddenly, she realizes that she knows that voice.

"Papa?!" she says, fists clenching.

"Hi sweetheart!" the intercom says, tone of voice morphing entirely into something sickly-sweet. "Don't worry, Daddy's here to protect you!"

"Are you serious right now?!" she grits out. "How did you even-"

She spots the surveillance camera in the corner of the ceiling, and abruptly closes her mouth.

"Just because you got to keep your position at the bureau doesn't mean I don't have my eye on you, buckaroo!" the voice continues. "So keep your hands to yourself, if you know what's good for you!"

Soul has finally regained his voice after his initial shock. "Are you really spying on us right now?!" he starts yelling back. "Aren't you in charge of like a million things?! Don't you have anything better to do?!"

The intercom lets out an astonished gasp. "I'd better hear a some more respect out of your mouth the next time you talk to me-"

Maka puts her head in her hands. "Oh my god." She takes a deep breath, and then an idea pops into her mind.

"Hey, Soul," she says. "Can I get on your shoulders?"

"Uh." He eyes her suspiciously. "Sure?"

Soul kneels down and she clambers up, taking her bag with her and ignoring the yelling that's still coming from the intercom. "Okay - walk over to that camera?"

He obliges, shuffling over until she's within an arm's length of the device.

"That's perfect," she says, reaching down into her bag. From the bag appears a pop of yellow, the sound of adhesive being pulled from a page. In one swift motion, Maka promptly sticks a Post-It onto the lens.

"Hey- what the hell?" the intercom exclaims. "Take that thing off-"

"Much better. Let me down?"

Soul kneels down, and once Maka is appropriately settled onto the ground, he starts laughing at the sight of the Post-It.

"You're insane," he says appreciatively.

"I do not get it from my father," she informs him as she pulls him back towards her.

"You sure about that?" he asks, grinning as he glances down to her lips.

She answers by tugging at the collar of his shirt, eyes as warm as her smile as she brings their lips together, the intercom still announcing its displeasure in the background.

At that moment, a text vibrates in her pocket, and judging by the dismayed look on his face, so does Soul's.

They meet eyes and silently agree to check. Pulling out their phones, the same text awaits them:

[[ WHERE DID U GUYS GO? DEATH BREW TONIGHT? I'LL PAY ]]

Maka lets out a little sigh.

"Wanna go?" Soul asks, because between her still-screaming father through the speakers and poorly timed texts from their friends, they both know the moment has been fully lost.

"...Yeah," Maka says, mouth settling into a thin line. "I need a drink."

"Dude, you yelled at her dad?" Black*Star says, slamming his fourth glass of beer on the table as he claps Soul on the back. "You're crazy! Are you trying to get fired twice in one week or something?"

"He deserved it," Maka says. She is clearly still seething, arms crossed as she sits sandwiched between Liz and Patty.

"...Why was he so mad, anyway?" Liz says. "What were you even doing?"

Both of them are silent, and Soul is sure that both of their faces are red as hell as Black*Star and Patty burst out laughing.

"Ugh, no, gross!" Liz exclaims, jokingly bumping against Maka's shoulder. "Forget I asked."

For moral support, probably, Maka reaches out and twists their fingers together under the table. It does help, actually.

"...Are we gonna be working with him a lot?" Liz asks, eager to change the subject.

"Not if I can help it," Maka mutters.

"Hey, we're all working together now!" Black*Star exclaims, eyes sweeping the table. "Hell yeah!"

"We won't be with you guys all the time," Liz says, pointing between herself and Patty. "But hopefully Kid will let us work with you when we can. When we need Master Hackers, I mean," she says with a wink. Black*Star puffs up with pride at the nickname.

"Couldn't get him to come out tonight?" Soul asks. He's been feeling The Kid's absence tonight; after everything that's happened, it feels like he should be here.

Liz shrugs with a little grin. "Said he had a lot of paperwork to do. They've gotten a lot of new recruits this week, and not just us. Apparently the new recruiters are super on the ball."

Soul blanches again, meeting Black*Star's eye. It is humbling for him to realize that, after all this time trying to save his job, getting moved is probably the best thing that could've happened to the recruitment department.

"We all ended up where we're supposed to be," Black*Star hums, reading Soul's mind once again. "You are welcome, everybody."

"You're welcome?!" Maka says, indignant. "After everything you've put us through? You owe us big time. For the emotional distress, for my front door-

"Hey, I'm paying tonight!" Black*Star exclaims. "I already opened a tab! I literally can't forget to pay now!"

"That's growth," Patty gasps, poking Maka in the arm.

"Not good enough," Maka says. "I want free sushi for the next year."

"You're gonna have to talk to Tsubaki about that one!" Black*Star says proudly. "But she loves having you guys around, so I'm sure she'll say yes!"

"It still doesn't feel like enough," Soul mutters.

"Yeah," Maka says, thinking. "Okay. I want free sushi for a year, and I want you to buy my drinks for, like, the next five years."

Black*Star surveys her thoughtfully. "You only get like, one drink every time you go out, right?"

Maka raises an eyebrow at him. "One or two."

He laughs. "All right then, I'll do it! That's like a drop in the bucket compared to the rest of my bill!"

Maka looks somewhere between amused and unimpressed, and she holds out a hand for him to shake. "Fine then. Five years of drinks it is?"

Black*Star grins back, and shakes her hand.

"Five years it is."

Five years later

The van is parked a good fifty yards away behind a small clump of trees, an assortment of beeps and pings sounding off in the silence.

Three figures make their way towards a house in full gear, guns at the ready. All is quiet as they edge their way up the steps, swiftly pick the lock, and edge into the house.

"Checking in," Kid says. No longer The Kid - just Kid. Five years is plenty of time for everyone to fully embrace his new code name.

"We've been gone twenty seconds, boss," Liz murmurs, chuckling. Patty's giggle in the background punctuates Liz's sentence.

"Checking in," he repeats, sounding weary.

"All clear in the hallway," Patty whispers enthusiastically.

Maka and Soul glance at each other and then back at their individual screens.

"Lots of heat signatures in the basement," Maka says into the wire, looking at her screen. "They should be down there."

"Basement door should be to your left," Soul says, zooming in on a floor plan. "Past the living room."

"Found it!" Black*Star whisper-yells. "Door's locked, hold on."

The soft clicking of Patty picking the lock passes through the wire, and when it clicks open, there's a sharp intake of breath from all three of them.

"What is it?" Kid says, tense.

"There's just-" Liz begins.

"A lot of dogs," Patty concludes.

"Yeah… and they..." Black*Star sounds worried, which is such a rarity for him that everyone falls silent, waiting with bated breath.

"...They are so cute, yes they are!" he exclaims. The sound of a bunch of dogs milling around his feet comes through the wire.

Everyone breathes a sigh of relief. "Can you be a little more professional, please?" Soul asks, half-joking, but it looks like Kid unironically agrees.

"They're okay?" Maka asks.

"Some look nervous, but they seem unharmed," Liz says. "Looks like a pretty standard hoarding situation."

That means their coming out here was technically a waste of time, but in their line of work, getting called in and having the situation be less serious than anticipated is a gift.

"Alright, code green," Kid says. "Liz, Patty, get on the phone with the ASPCA and let them know. Black*Star, get started on the paperwork."

A resigned sigh on Black*Star's end comes through the wire, and Kid shuts his wire off in response, clicking his tongue. It was supposed to be temporary, but unfortunately, they work so well together despite the bickering that the higher ups have kept them both together as a unit, much to Black*Star's chagrin.

"I love a code green," Soul says, putting his feet up on the dashboard, careful to avoid all of the knobs and buttons.

"Same," Maka says, leaning back in her chair.

"Yes," Kid agrees, and then pauses. "Hm."

"...What?" Soul says.

"That just… reminds me," he says, a thoughtful hand coming to his chin. "I'm surprised that the two of you have never asked."

"Asked what?" Maka asks.

"Who my soulmate is," Kid says. This piques both of their interests immediately, and they turn around in their chairs to face him. Soul feels like he's having an out-of-body experience - he's waited so long to have this conversation, and Kid's just bringing it up.

"I mean… it's kind of a personal question," Maka says, glancing at Soul. "I never wanted to impose-"

"For the record," Soul says, not wanting to miss his chance at solving this particular mystery. "I've been dying to know for, like, ever."

Soul glances at Maka's screen, watching their co-workers amble back to the van on the camera. He has the feeling that Kid won't want to have this conversation with a larger audience.

"Well," Kid says. "I'm afraid my answer might be disappointing for you, then. Because I don't have one."

Soul and Maka glance at each other, then back at Kid.

"... I don't understand," Maka says after a moment.

"Yes," Kid says evenly. "Surprising, isn't it? There is, in fact, a minuscule population of people who can see color without a soulmate."

Both of them are shocked, staring at him with round eyes.

"How can that be?" Maka asks.

"It is hereditary, apparently," Kid says. "That's why I was so intrigued when I found out that you could see color, when I didn't know who your soulmate was," he says to Soul. "I'm always on the lookout for others who might be in my particular… situation."

"That sounds…" Lonely, is the first word that comes to Soul's mind. "Have you ever found another one?" he asks instead.

"Outside of my family, no," he says. "But there's plenty of time to keep looking."

"...I didn't know that," Soul says after a moment, and Maka nods. "Thanks for telling us."

"Well. How could you have known?" Kid says, the side of his mouth quirking up in amusement. "After all. It's not in my file."

At this, the door bangs open with a flourish.

"O-kay!" Black*Star announces. "Paperwork is started, ASCPA is on the case and it is time to get out of here!" Behind him, Liz nods and Patty punches the air with a fist.

"You comin', boss?" he says, sidling up to Kid. "It's a veeeeery special evening."

"Why is that?" Kid says, suspicious.

"It's five years to the day that I made a deal with these bozos," he says, pointing at Soul and Maka. "One more drink, and I'm free!"

"I suppose that... sounds enjoyable," Kid says, surprising everyone. "I assume you'll be paying for my drink as well?"

Black*Star looks like he wants to argue, but he thinks about it for a moment and then says, "You know what? I will buy your drink tonight, boss. Let's go!"

Over the past five years, Kid has opened himself a lot in social terms - in large part thanks to Liz and Patty, who are basically attached to him at the hip at this point - but until tonight, a night at Death Brew has escaped Kid's purview when it comes to social activities.

"Kid is coming out with us?!" Patty gasps, throwing her arms around him and making him sigh again.

"Hell yeah!" Liz says, embracing him from the other side, squeezing tightly.

"Do not make me regret this," Kid says, deadpan, and the girls just laugh, poking and prodding at him as they walk.

Soul looks at the three of them as they walk away, and Maka reaches out for his hand, pulling him away from the group.

"What's up?" he asks.

"It's just…" She starts to smile, pointing at their friends' retreating backs. "I know he just told us that he didn't have a soulmate, but… soulmates don't have to be romantic, do they?"

Her smile is contagious, sliding onto his face as well.

"Yeah, you're totally right," Soul says. "Forget one soulmate - I think he's got two."

In the early hours of the morning, once Black*Star has finally been freed from his drink-buying chains and Kid has experienced the magic of Death Brew on a Friday for the first time, Soul and Maka make their way back to their apartment.

They'd moved into the new place two years prior. It's still cozy, with a nice kitchen - a requirement, according to Soul. While apartment hunting, he'd adamantly refused to go back to a life without an ice dispenser. It's got a bigger balcony than before, though sometimes they still squish their deck chairs close together for the nostalgia of it all. Blair especially enjoys the bigger balcony, as there are even more plants to sniff.

"Hey," Maka says, once they're settled on the couch, ready to doze. "I've got something to read to you."

"S'that?" Soul asks, already nodding off.

"Liz found it for me."

"Great," he says, which wakes him up a little.

"Here goes," she says, opening a page on her phone.

"I think this whole soulmate thing is stupid. I won't let the system control whoever I end up with. That shit's not punk at all."

Soul groans. This must be really far back in the Livejournal trove.

"Well, anyway. If I do have a soulmate someday, they better be cool. They better listen to good music and not, like, annoy me all the time."

He grimaces. Maka's music taste is still terrible, and she drives him bonkers at every opportunity.

"But, it might be kinda nice. If they have a Wizard 101 account and that's still a thing, we could play co-op."

Soul chuckles. "God."

"Anyway, just wanted to put it out there that soulmates are dumb, and I'm super independent and don't need one. K that's enough for today, Soul eater, out!" She pauses. "And then you posted the lyrics to Smells Like Nirvana at the bottom."

He groans, wanting to bury himself in the couch cushions. "Make it stop. I've suffered enough."

Maka takes pity on him, leaning down to kiss him on the cheek. He wraps his arms around her waist, tugging her down on the couch with him.

"Luckily, your soulmate ended up being super cool," she says, poking at his cheek with a finger.

"Yeah, yeah," he says, grabbing her hand. "... It's true. She did, though," he adds softly, holding her gaze.

She smiles, slipping their fingers together. After five years, he still finds it both comforting and exhilarating.

"The sun's gonna rise soon," she murmurs. "Wanna stay up for it?"

He leans up to kiss her again, thumbs stroking her cheeks, and when she pulls back, he takes in all of the freckles in her eyes, hazel against forest green.

"The world is our burrito," he says happily.

"...What?" she says, nose wrinkling. "Oh." She rolls her eyes, pulling him up to stand. "That's a Weird Al reference, isn't it?"

"Yep," he says, letting her drag him to the balcony.

"Well," she says, pulling his arms around her as they watch the sun begin to peak over the horizon. "Just so you know. There's a microscopic bit of milk left in the refrigerator."

He starts to grin, hearing the lyrics in his head as she finishes the line: "I coulda finished it off, but I quit. In case you want a tiny little sip for later."

"That's a pretty obscure Weird Al reference, Maka," he says, thoroughly impressed.

She turns to face him, thumbs toying playfully with the sides of his shirt. "Well. I read somewhere that your soulmate needed to listen to good music, so I figured I'd better deliver."

"My soulmate is perfect," he says, tucking a stray bit of hair behind her ear. "Even with her awful music taste."

Her eyes narrow. "All right, be quiet and watch the sunrise," she says.

"...Make me," he says, grinning, and she responds to this challenge by anchoring her fingers into his shirt and tugging.

Ultimately, they don't end up watching much of the sunrise that morning. Soul doesn't feel too bad about it.

They've got a lifetime to catch the next one.

:)

Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed. If you have a sec, I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Also, if I may get mushy for a brief moment: I want to say a huge thanks to all of the wonderful people who have encouraged, beta'd, favorited, followed, reviewed or reblogged this story over the past three years. I can't believe this fic is over! In my eight years of writing, this is the first time I've been able to complete a longfic that wasn't a Resbang submission, and it's entirely thanks to you guys' enthusiasm and wonderful feedback that I've been able to finish this thing. Thank you for your patience between chapter updates (grown-up jobs are no joke!) and for just being the best bunch of readers a gal could ask for.

If you enjoyed this fic, I've got another longfic already on the go! If you like soul/maka, fake dating, a bit more romance and a comparable level of shenanigans to this fic, check out Angel with a Shotgun! It's my newest project and will be a ridiculous time.

Anyway, thanks again for being swell. All my love, and catch ya soon, babes.