Author's Note: Hey, all! Been a minute.

I am the absolute worst for multiple reasons and should not be forgiven…

Firstly, I want to apologize to one of my most dedicated and supportive readers, Gray Lines, because they reviewed my story on their Tumblr account forever. ago. and I completely forgot to give them a shoutout. THANK YOU SO MUCH! It really means so much to me that you liked my story enough to review it on a different site. 3

Everyone, please go check it out! It's called 'Fanfiction Bookclub' by yes-im-gushing and they have a lot of really cool fanfiction reviews on there!

I am also sorry that this chapter took so long to get here, but that's what happens when you travel around Asia for a few months. I'm back home now and will try to update everything for you guys somewhat regularly from now on.

Anywho, ON WIT DA STOWWY!


Chapter Eight: *insert coffee pun here*

He really just can't wrap his brain around this whole situation; nothing is making sense to him, but he can't stop thinking about it. He used to think that Maka was like all of the other girls; she used to react to him the same way that all the other girls do, blushing and stuttering just from a simple touch or eye contact. But now … who the hell was that guy? She was practically drooling all over him, leaving Justin to hang like he didn't matter anymore, like he didn't even fucking exist, like a complete idiot. Needless to say, he's pretty pissed off about the whole thing, but honestly wishes he wasn't. Being pissed means more than having been embarrassed; it means he might have caught feelings and if that's true, everything is going to go to shit. But … there's no way that he has actual feelings for her; it just isn't possible for him - isn't in his DNA to fall in love.

Justin is taking the order of some regular redhead that always requests him as her server. It's been months since she started coming here, but has yet to actually voice her interest in him, though he is well aware of it. Once done, he goes about the proper steps in putting in her order and getting her drink, nearly throwing his pen and paper down on the counter.

"Woah, there. Who spit in your beancurd?" Liz gives him a quizzical look as he taps his fingers about the screen a bit too aggressively. "Dude, chill. Did the customer say something to upset you?"

"No, it's …"

"What?"

"It's nothing," he sighs, the crease between his brows saying the exact opposite. He has told himself time and time again to just let it go, but he can't. His mind will not rest, using every waking moment to berate him with questions of why and who and how and why, while it uses every sleeping moment to dream about her in every scenario possible - pure, not so pure, and some definitely sinful. He knows himself as a laid back, go with the flow, whatever happens happens kind of guy, but this is just insane - he's going insane. He can't stop thinking about her, but why?!

"I think maybe you should go ahead and take your break first, you don't look so good."

"Taking a break earlier won't help …"

"... Wanna talk about it?"

"No," he grits out.

"Wow, I don't think I've ever seen you like this. I think I might actually be worried … wait, wait, no. False alarm, just my insatiable curiosity."

"Oh, bite me."

"Gladly," Liz smirks, moving to chomp down on his arm while he leans against the counter.

"'Ow," he hisses, grabbing at his abused flesh. "What the actual fuck?"

"Aww, sorry. Did that hurt?"

"Uh, duh. Jeez, why are you so annoying?"

"It's a talent of mine."

"That's gonna leave a damn mark, damn you."

"But it took your mind off of whatever was bothering you, didn't it?" Silence. Liz watches triumphantly as Justin realizes that she's actually right for once. "I may be annoying, cuz, but helpful at times, no? Now spill, why so irritable today?" He stares at her for a moment, putting up a finger as he takes the poor redhead her drink finally before coming back with a heavy sigh.

"There's this girl-"

"Oh mah lawd, has it finally happened? A woman has finally managed to capture your heart?"

"Not exactly … I honestly don't even know what's happening. So … for a long time, she's acted like every other girl does around me, right? But then recently, she's been acting like I'm just any other guy. The change, well, I guess you could say that it just piqued my interest."

"So, this is just the classic story of a girl treating a guy differently and the guy being drawn to her, right? Or do you think she's just doing it to get your attention?"

"I thought that might be a possibility, too, but after a, uh, chance meeting the other night, I found out that she's actually head over heels for some other guy and, I don't know, I just can't let it go like I usually am able to. I can't stop thinking about her and I hate this other guy for absolutely no reason at all, and I'm irritated one-hundred percent of the time."

"Oh. My. God. You've finally caught it."

"Caught it? What's 'it'?"

"Lovesickness, my friend. The good ol' crush."

"What? That's impossible."

"Good news is now you'll finally be able to relate to all of those poor girls that pine after you."

"... You may be my cousin, but I really don't like you."

"You love me. Now go serve that poor girl her food." Justin does just that, rolling his eyes as he goes. He laughs internally at the prospect, shaking his head; there's no way that he has a crush on Maka Albarn. Sure, he wants her, but his want is most certainly based on a physical desire. He's always found her attractive; it just so happens that he finds women who aren't interested in him more enticing than those that fall at his feet. Once she had stopped acting like he walks on water and began treating him like a normal human being, her level of appeal went from about 6 to 10 in seconds. He didn't think that she'd be unattainable so soon and now it is eating him alive. And he can't stop fucking sighing all the time.

"You have it so bad," Liz chuckles out mockingly.

"Shut up."


"How have you never tried this before?"

"Fried potatoes and frozen dairy has just never sounded appetizing to me." Soul stares at her with a small smile quivering to stay hidden, trying his darnedest not to all-out judge her.

"How have you been living?"

"On a healthy diet that doesn't consist of fried carbs and sugar," she deadpans.

"That's not living," he chuckles. "That's more like constant punishment and deprivation from the finer things in life." She can't help but laugh at the hilarious sincerity that he puts into his words as he looks toward the counter. As if on cue, the worker - who very much looks like he wants to beat his head against a wall - calls their number and Soul stands quickly to fetch their 'food'. He's back as quick as he left, their tray that hosts nothing but fattening food in hand.

"This is not lunch…"

"You are correct. Like me, this is a snack." The wink he throws her way is very much not appreciated; it almost throws her off, but she manages to compose herself just in the nick of time.

"You're more like a full course meal," she mutters as he hands her her fries. He catches the comment regardless of how softly she lets the words escape the confines of her lips and he can't help but smirk.

"Oh? So, you won't be needing me to buy you a meal tonight?" Oh, shit. "Between the two of us full-course meals, I'd say we wouldn't have much of a need." She's gulping, her water doing nothing to sate the desire that's to blame for her dry throat. She can't stop staring at him as he teasingly licks his vanilla ice cream, his tongue like that of a cat's as he swipes it across frozen milk. "You're fries are getting cold." This fucker. He knows exactly what he's doing to her.

"I'm usually famished after eating that kind of meal." He halts from conquering his fries, his eyes piercing as he looks up at her once again. It's serious and has chills sweeping through her like wildfire. Maybe she shouldn't have said that?

"... Quit stalling and try your snack." Is that a blush spreading across his cheeks? Damn straight, it is. She feels like she's won some small award or something. Her face contorts adorably as she attempts to hold back her smile, reaching for a fry to dip in her ice cream - her stomach is going to hate her in a few hours. As soon as she starts to chew, her eyes widen, Soul watching all the while. "Told you."

"This is … I don't even know the right word for it. Delicious isn't good enough."

"It smacks, right?"

"My tastebuds are all having mini-orgasms, I literally don't even know what to do with myself."

"This just proves that I don't lie."

"I guess so … wow. I, I think I need more."

"Are you sure? I thought you didn't like fatty foods?" he teases, pulling the tray that hosts their food slightly away from her.

"If you dare…" He lets out that chuckle that always has her licking her lips and squirming in her spot. He's all man and he makes her dizzy, especially as he reaches up to feed her a long, ice cream coated fry as he leans forward.

"Don't worry, I'll share properly," he chaffs. "Wanna 'Lady and the Tramp'?" She stares up at him, slight surprise widening her eyes before she snorts at him, biting the fry out of his hand.

"How dare you. We'd need spaghetti for me to truly live up to Lady's name." The pair continues to jokingly pester each other as they slowly eat their fries, attempting to prolong their date as much as possible. Time seems to move too quickly for the likes of them, as all they want is more of it; to spend as much of it together as they can. Any excuse to remain across a table, talking to her like this, he'll use.

Soul watches Maka as she tells him a story of one of her classes from last year where the prof would regularly make deals with the students, like, 'Everyone gets an A on this quiz if Cadence can answer this one question correctly,' or 'If Wallaby can get this tissue into the trash can from the back corner, I'll cancel class for the rest of the week.' He loves how her expression lights up as she tells her tales, animated and energetic when her classmates succeed; a pout and a sigh when they don't, and he deduces right at this moment that he does. He just does. There's this overwhelming feeling of assurance in every part of his being as he smiles at her and he knows that walking away from this girl would ruin him entirely. They've known each other for nearly three months now and not once has he felt disturbed by her presence - she only makes him happy and confident and all of those great things you hear about in romantic comedies, only this is real and he can feel it. And as he sits, listening and watching her, he just knows all of a sudden, just like that. He won't second guess himself like he has with every other girl, because he doesn't have to. From the moment their eyes met back at that coffee shop and she somehow managed to turn his nervousness into confidence; his anxiousness into calmness, he's felt nothing but good from her. She's good - good for him. He tells himself that it's time, he needs to push himself forward with this one. He won't be like his father, not if he feels like this, not with Maka. Hell, he has a feeling that she wouldn't let him.

" - with the catch being: if he misses, we had to take a pop quiz every day for two weeks instead. Well, Wallaby is the ace shooter of our basketball team and we were all so sure that he would make it, so we agreed, but when the teacher attempts to throw it to him, it barely makes it halfway there and we all thought we'd be doomed. Wal goes to grab it off the floor with this huge smirk and spits into this tissue to give it a bit more weight and we couldn't believe it when he made it all the way from the back of the room, even though we knew how talented he was. Long story short, that class was full of strangely talented individuals. Not a single one of them were unable to succeed in that prof's insane bets and we all passed the class with extremely minimal effort." She's fantastic and he finds himself questioning why it's taken this long for him to realize it - that he wants her and wants to give this a shot. There's no point in pulling away before it's even begun.

"Did he ever ask you to do anything?"

"Oh, did he ever," she laughs. Her laugh is like fireflies and napping in the sun on your carpet; it's warm and inviting; exciting and contagious and her smile is like heaven. She has freckles like constellations and … wait … he's known this. He's been here; done this; seen this all before in her without even realizing and he's an idiot to think that this is the first moment that he knew. He's known since that time ..."I was one of the few who did the required reading, so he learned quick to ask me any questions having to do with our daily homework. He was really just a lazy teacher."

"Wish I'd had a prof like that…" She's smiling at him, obviously delighted that he pays attention to what she says, but really, how could he not? He can't get enough of her; he is literally hanging on her every word. The decision is made and he's here for it, one hundred percent. He has this bubbly feeling welling up inside of him and he just might burst if he doesn't move soon. "So, it's going on 5:30. Are you in the mood for dinner?" He doesn't think he's ever been this excited before, about anything, and he gets pretty damn excited about music - to the point of not being able to describe it.

"5:30? Already? I can't believe that we've been sitting here for two and a half hours already."

"Yeah," he chuckles, leaning forward on his elbows as he watches her nibble her straw. She's a million and one things, all good and of which he can't get enough of, and he can't help but fall harder. In no way is he trying to catch himself; he's done it several times, now that he thinks about it, having stopped himself from truly accepting her and this - whatever this is, though he hopes it to be something as magical as he feels it is - and he's decided to give in. He's consciously making the effort to just allow himself the pleasure of falling. He's never been one to throw in the towel for these feelings; he's never felt something worth throwing anything in or out for … until now. "Time flies when you're having fun."

"I guess so … but yeah, I could eat. I was going to make something tonight, but, um … did you want to come over or go out to eat?" He feels high, like he should be falling down, but he's falling up? And it's such a weird feeling, but he just can't get enough of it.

"I'm down for either, but I think I'd prefer a home cooked meal. If you're feeling up to it, that is." That seems to be the right answer, as a small fraction of a smile illuminates her freckled face in satisfaction.

"Do you like fish?"


Homemade fish and chips ss not what he is expecting when he agrees to fish, but he isn't complaining in the slightest.

"God, I thought your spaghetti was good. Didn't realize you were gonna turn out to be such a great cook."

"Do I not look like I can cook well?" she jokes, a smirk gracing her features as she raises an eyebrow, daring him to put his foot in his mouth, and while he has a history of doing that purposely, he also knows how and when not to.

"You look like you can do anything."

"Wow," she snorts.

"What? Too cheesy?"

"Just a bit."

"But it worked, didn't it?" His smugness is not lost on her as she glances up at him through her bangs, struggling to keep her amusement from spreading across her face. He finds her utterly adorable and he can't get enough of her. "But seriously, I've never met anyone who can cook fish and chips at home like this. You're a way better cook than I gave you credit."

"Well, thank you. My dad … well, he used to let me cook meals with him." Dammit. She doesn't want to talk about him right now. Heck, she doesn't really want to talk about her family history ever again, especially not with Soul, and especially not on their - what? - second date?

"That must've been nice …" he sighs. "Can't say I've ever seen my father cook." She looks up to see him lean back in his seat, eyes void of any discernible emotion, and she thinks maybe parents and family matters aren't a good topic for him either. She doesn't feel so alone anymore when she realizes that this might be the case, and though she feels like a piece of shit garbage for thinking so, she's silently grateful that this topic isn't uncomfortable just for her. Now, though, she's stuck with a massive decision to make: does she risk asking him about his and having to talk about hers in turn? Or worse … what if she continues into the abyss of family problem past only for him to evade it and not open up to her?

Maka glances back up at him as he continues to chew the large bite of potato he shoves in his mouth to somehow explain the silence. She doesn't think he would avoid it if she brought it up first, even if it is uncomfortable, but she has a feeling that it's probably a bit too soon for this talk. He does seem in dire need of a topic change and Lord knows so does she, so … ah, lightbulb!

"Well," she begins, grabbing his attention. "As I have shown off my cooking talents twice now, I believe it's your turn." She smiles as he lifts an eyebrow in amusement, head tilting ever so slightly.

"Oh? And what kind of talents shall I be showcasing this evening?" She bites her lip, averting her eyes; she wants to say something a bit risque, but she holds her tongue, not wanting this to move too fast despite the conversation that started it all. She doesn't want him to think of her that way, either; like she's fast or easy. Maka has only ever dated a few guys seriously, and all the rest have been one night stands to satisfy her needs. She never meant to be anything like her father, but she doesn't feel so bad; she's not a cheating, lying sack of shit. She'll stay faithful when in a committed relationship and even if she and Soul aren't technically there yet, she hasn't slept with anyone since she first met him at Res nearly three months ago. She's surprised at herself, really, that she's held out this long and hasn't caved. But, if she's lasted this long, she can last until they make things official … if they make things official.

Dear, God, she prays that they become mutually and exclusively official and soon.

Her silence is heard loud and clear along with the biting of her bottom lip - which he very much wants to nibble on himself - and the blush that spreads across her face. She can't be thinking of what he thinks she's thinking of … can she?

"I was thinking that it was high time you sing for me." He lets out the air he wasn't aware he had been holding and relaxes down into his chair. As much as he's ready to move forward with her into a serious relationship whenever she wants, he doesn't want to make the wrong move or assume anything physical will happen. He's had a habit of … taking advantage of situations like this for less than pure means, none of which he's proud of or cares to admit to, unless of course Maka asks him - he does not look forward to that conversation and prays it never happens - but she is a whole different level of new and wonderful and he refuses to ruin it by … well, being that guy. So, he's relieved when she mentions singing instead of that, no matter how much he hates the idea of one-on-one performances.

"Oh, do you now?" He leans forward, arms crossed as they rest on the table and he smirks over at her, content just basking in the beautiful hue of blush cast over her freckled skin.

"I do, I think it's only fair. Two meals for a song." She waits as he purses his lips together, eyes narrowing in mock contemplation. Obviously, he's going to sing for her; she's worth the embarrassment he faces when singing, but he also loves to tease her. She makes this adorable pout sometimes that has him wanting to snuggle the fuck out of her and it is always his goal to achieve that particular facial expression in these instances.

"I don't know~ I usually don't sing for girls until the third meal at least." Pout achieved.

"Fine, no dessert for you then." She scooches her chair back as he chuckles, grabbing her plate to take to the sink. He's up and standing behind her before she can even fully leave her spot at the table and places his hands upon the wood on either side of her.

"But," he begins, not touching her as he cages her in. "For you, I'll make an exception." He's rewarded with a cross between a glare and her glorious smile as she turns to look up at him, making him grin like a complete doof.

"I bet you say that to all the girls."

"Only hauntingly gorgeous earth goddesses with honey blonde hair and enchanting emerald eyes," he confesses. He should probably confess to never actually having sung for another girl before, aside from his mother, but … that can wait for a later date, one where they are maybe a bit more committed. Well, … he's already pretty committed, though, so maybe official would be the right word? Not that it matters, really. He'll tell her at some point; he's sure he'll be telling her a lot of things he would never say to anyone else.

She sighs, full of delight as she looks down, her cheeks adorable little apples of pleasure. There's a comfortable silence that passes between them and he thinks his heart is going to burst if he doesn't back the hell up away from her right now, but he also can't seem to tear himself away. Stationary is the only way to go about this until she makes a move or says something, but nothing more than breath leaves her lips; her body moving only as she inhales and exhales and it's driving him a little crazy. He doesn't realize his right hand has made its way to her hip until a soft moan vibrates within the confines of her throat, the one he's resting his cheek against. He blinks and decidedly backs away, his hand still lightly resting along her waist. How the hell had his body made moves on her so fast and without his permission? Unacceptable.

"At the risk of sounding completely and utterly cliché," he begins, his breath rushing out to dance upon her skin, making goosebumps rise across her reddening flesh as she turns to meet his gaze. "And like a total sap, … I want to ask you something."

"Yes?"

"Would you … possibly be interested in, um, a relationship? With me?" He didn't think her smile could be any more radiant than he has seen it prior, but Lord are his legs weak as her pearly whites gleam. Damn, his heart is pounding. He feels the overwhelming urge to drop to his knees and beg.

"What do you mean?" she teases, eyes following her hands as it trails along his arm. "Don't we already have a relationship? We're two people who are-"

"Romantically," he interjects, stepping forward as he bites his lip in excitement. This is no time for tomfoolery and he will have none of it. "Girlfriend, boyfriend - exclusively - and all that." Her eyes meet his once again and her face couldn't be glowing any brighter. He's thought that a million and one times and knows he'll be saying every time he looks at her for the rest of his life; she's stunning without trying and he falls each and every time.

"Exclusively?" Why must she choose this moment to play coy? His nerves are already spiraling frantically about his body, he can't take it. Daring himself, he takes a step further into her space, forcing her to crane her neck back so that she can continue to look up at him as his hands grab her waist lightly. She gasps as he presses her gently back into the table, towering over her in all of his anxious glory. He takes in a slow, deep breath before allowing his fingers to grip her sides with a dull firmness as he lowers himself ever so slightly.

"Please?" he all but begs, boring his heated currant gaze down into her delighted shamrock. His earnestness and sincerity is not lost on her as she lifts her hands to rest on his upper arms before giving them a soft, reassuring squeeze.

"Obviously, yes." She breaks out into a gorgeous smile and all he wants to do is finally kiss her; to mold his lips over hers in a breathless fashion as his hands hold her by the nape of her neck, but he restrains himself. She, however, seems to be pulling him down as she rises to her tip-toes to meet him somewhere in the middle, beckoning him to unabashedly give in to his urge.

A loud laugh that he knows all too fucking well comes just then to ruin yet another incredible moment and he sighs, standing up straight as they both turn to look toward the front door before it unlocks and opens. He's given enough time to grab the plates behind Maka's back and take a few steps toward the kitchen before they appear. He glares at Blake as he and Tsubaki enter the apartment in a fit of giggles and Maka slouches with a huff. She goes about cleaning up the table as Soul starts on the dishes.

"Hey, guys! I didn't realize you cooked tonight." Tsu goes to look in the oven to find the leftovers and grabs a small piece of fish.

"Smells great, Maka. Mind if I have some?"

"Not at all."

"We were going to go catch a movie here in a bit. Do you two want to join us?" Tsubaki asks, going about making a plate for Blake and herself. Soul shoots a look over at Maka hurriedly before she can answer and shakes his head in the negative because, no, he would much rather be left alone in this apartment with her tonight. If he were to go out in public in his current mood, he'd probably act like a spoiled turd the entire time.

"Um, thanks, but no thanks. Soul and I have been out all day, so we were planning to just stay in and watch some tv or something."

"Yeah? What'd you two do?" Tsu and Blake sit down at the table to eat as the other two continue to clean and put away the rest of the leftovers, giving Maka and Soul the distance they need to share flirtatious stares and play footsie without their friends noticing.

"I taught her how to play ball and then she kicked my ass."

"Then he made me try the most disgusting concoction."

"Excuse me? Who related the sensation of said concoction to mini orgasms?" Tsubaki sputtered as she turned to look at the pair.

"You what? What the heck did you eat?"

"Fries and vanilla soft served." That then sparks up an entirely new conversation revolved around strange pairings of food that go so well together that it's still weird until 45 minutes later, Tsu and Blake head out for the movies, leaving Soul and Maka alone once again - at last.


He's walking down the street, a permanent scowl distorting his features as he braces himself against the beginnings of an intense thunderstorm. Here's the thing, he knows that these feelings aren't justified in any sense, but then again, he's never felt this way before. That has got to mean something, and though that is no excuse for the things he wants to do - namely punch this 'Soul' dude in his overly handsome, somehow dangerous yet motherly-eyed face - he can't stop his thoughts from steering toward Maka or that white-haired mess of a giant. His heart is either beating fast in anger or is skipping around on rainbows and he wants to barf. This is insane, he's insane and this needs to end. And yet, as much as he thinks or says that; as much as he tries to force himself to think of something else - anything else - he just can't and he wants it all to just fucking stop already.

There's something seriously wrong with him.

Is this just a pride thing? Maybe his interest in her only runs that deep. He has always been a bit competitive, after all, not that he's ever had to try too hard to win the affections of someone else's girl. Is it because he now knows that he didn't even have a chance? Maybe if he had taken an interest in her before she had met the guy, then things would be different, but he can't change his feelings or the past as much as he can change hers … wait. Could he? Change her feelings, that is? It's possible. If she was able to fall for this Soul so quickly, maybe he could convince her to stop liking him? He knows that she finds him attractive, he just needs to appeal to her as an option; as a candidate. Right, yes. All this time, he's been viewing her as if she were like every other girl, keeping his hands off of her - for Liz's sake mostly - but now that he has an actual interest in her, he can go after her. As far as he knows, she isn't yet dating this other guy, so there's no need to hold back.

He can woo her.

He will woo her.


I have literally read through this SO. MANY. TIMES. that I really can't even tell what grammatical or spelling errors are anymore... Do they exist within this chapter? Probably - most definitely - so, but alas, I am tired and my brain just doesn't seem to be working. I think you all have waited long enough for this chapter. BUT, if you happen to find anything that is just completely horrendous or is even just a small spec of a misspelling, PLEASE let me know so that I can later fix it.

And PLEASE don't forget to check out Gray Lines' Fanfiction Bookclub by yes-im-gushing on Tumblr!

Love you all and sorry for being the w0rsT!

Much Love~!