Here's an AU Souleater MakaxSoul fic. I know I've still left two other MakaxSoul fics unfinished, and I promise I'll get to them, but for some reason, I can't get this out of my head. I feel like them being in real-world college has been done before, but I hope you enjoy this.
Soul already regretted agreeing to sign up for the same class as Black Star. So far, Black Star's contribution was nothing more than a play by play of the hot girls in the room. To be honest, these lower-level classes were usually drowning in them so he had plenty of material. The current focus was a tall black haired girl with, as Black Star had so delicately put it, an amazing rack. He leaned back in his chair, trying to look nonchalantly in that direction but his eyes stopped one seat short.
The blond girl wasn't wasting any time, her eyes scanning through the syllabus that everyone had picked up but no one had bothered to put the effort into reading yet. The professor wasn't even in the room yet and she was so intent on the material that she was putting the rest of them to shame. A grin tugged at the corner of his mouth but he resisted, his eyes still studying her. The honey blond hair in pigtails gave her that innocent look, almost as if she wasn't old enough to be there in the first place.
And although her face still had some of that cherubic roundness to it, he could see defined cheekbones starting to poke through. He wondered for a second if the rest of her was slow to blossom just like her face, by then the grin settling on his face, laughing at himself and how ridiculous he was being just staring at a girl he didn't even know. It was her eyes, though, that made him unable to look away, a shocking verdant green that darted across the page as she read. Even if it meant getting caught staring, he wished she'd look at him, because, man, if she looked at him with half the interest of those words…
"Earth to Soul," Black Star barked.
"Yeah?" Soul finally snapped his eyes to his best friend but let his mind keep wandering back to those eyes.
"The kid behind me said this professor is weird." Extra emphasis was lent to that last word, stretching it out as if it had extra syllables. "And he assigns the lab partners!"
Well, there went the rest of the reasoning for being in the class altogether. The whole point was to get his lab science out of the way while keeping Black Star afloat but if he wasn't even going to end up getting partnered with him he might as well drop to some easier lab rather than Biology. He huffed and considered opening his laptop right away to make the change, wish Black Star good luck, and hope the door didn't hit him on the way out. Instead, the professor walked in, creating that tell-tale hush in the room.
Weird was probably the right word or at least the first word in the many lists of similar adjectives that could be used to describe Professor Stein. His hair had already completely grayed but he looked as if he could barely be forty and he was absurdly tall, his lankiness making him seem so much more so. His smile was also something that looked more fitting on a Jack-o-lantern, and the stain splattered lab coat didn't really comfort either. So when his mouth opened, the whole room seemed to shrink in fear.
"This is Biology 101 with Professor Stein. Be prepared to breakdown just about any creature you can think of." There were a few disgusted moans, seeming to bolster Stein's creepy smile. "I've already assigned you lab partners so as I call your name, please find your new friend for the semester."
Black Star's groan joined the many, but Soul just leaned forward across the lab table, waiting for the right time when opening his laptop wouldn't exactly look rude. Stein didn't seem to throw out names in any order, not necessarily linking by alphabet or any other identifiable pattern. He was thankfully slow enough that people just seemed to stand at their name, the two partners taking a minute to look at each other with a variety of emotions ranging from malaise to delight.
"Soul Evans…"
Soul stood slowly and jammed his hands into his pocket, his grin falling from his mouth.
"And Maka Albarn."
The blond stood in what felt like slow motion, her hair delicately cascading over her shoulder as just her head turned to look at him, those glowing green eyes finally focused on his.
"Oh, shit," he couldn't stop the weak whisper from his mouth. Had he really just said that? The mortification that she could have heard that settled in as he sat back down, watching her sink back to her seat.
"Dude, do you know her?" From the annoyance in his voice, Soul could tell that was the second time Black Star was asking him that question but he was in a daze, completely lost in the fate of the moment.
Soul shook his head, trying to push the embarrassment away from his mind. Why was he even feeling that way, anyway? He didn't even know her and if he could get to his laptop he wouldn't even be her lab partner anymore and he could transfer to some other science that maybe had some kind of interest for him but-
"Please change seats to be with your partner."
He had never been in a rush but his feet seemed to move on their own, catapulting him from his seat almost as soon as Professor Stein had finished his sentence. It wasn't until halfway there that he was able to force himself to slow down, thankfully just in time for her to turn her head again, those beautiful orbs focusing in on him. Oh, no, beautiful? What are you doing? But the chiding didn't work, that word felt even less than adequate to describe them.
"Soul?" Her question seemed less about his identity and more about the name, something he easily tuned into because of the common confusion.
"Yeah, my parents were trying to be creative," he shrugged, "but I assume you get me. Maka's not exactly a common name." Her smile in reply seemed strained and he tried to grin wider as if his would be contagious. "Can I?" he motioned towards the seat next to her.
"Uh, sure." Maka moved her things that had seemed to spread into the space. He dropped his backpack on the table, but before he could even get his butt in the seat he heard a deep breath from her and then the stream of words. "Look, I don't want to be rude but I'm really particular and if you aren't planning on doing the work, please just tell me now and I'll figure something out but I'm going to panic if I don't know now so…"
Usually, when people start with I don't want to be rude, it's just a way to absolve them of the asshole comment they're about to make, but the look on her face seemed to actually portray a girl on the edge of dread. And, damn, was she cute biting her lip like that, definitely slinging any dislike for her comment out the window. Soul smoothly reached into his bag, taking out the textbook he'd bought this morning. "I was actually planning on having to carry my friend back there, BS, through this class." He nodded back to Black Star as he fell into his comfortable signature smile.
"BS?" She was thankfully more incredulous about Black Star's name.
"I would say it's because he's full of bullshit, but his name's even weirder than mine." He felt his stomach flip as she actually laughed, a hand coming to her mouth to try to reign it in. It sounded like music to his ears, but he tried to hold onto his cool, leaning an elbow on the desk to hold up his head. "But you shouldn't worry. I'll be a good partner, promise."
"Ah, OK, thanks." Was she blushing? She definitely turned her head from him as if to focus on the book but he could tell her eyes weren't really seeing words on that page.
Soul allowed her to shy away and edged back in the chair, opening his own book to the page Professor Stein had scribbled on the board. It was mostly safety drivel today - don't stick your hand with sharp objects, kids! - and watching the clock was like the old adage that a watched pot never boils. It would have felt longer if it wasn't for the opportunities he had to steal glances at her, finding that each time he looked over she was intent on the paper in front of her as if her life depended on it.
"Since it's the first class, I'll let you out a few minutes early. Perhaps you should take the time to set a study schedule with your partner, but that's up to you." Even Stein's suggestions sounded malicious, almost making Soul's skin crawl.
He watched her quietly as she packed up her things, noticing how everything seemed to be meticulously in order and even - was it color-coded? He was amused to no end at the sight of this, the urge to tease her coming to his lips but he bit it back. She didn't really seem game for that type of stuff and he was already on thin ice as it was. "So, uh, I'm usually around to study weekdays. I definitely can't on Fridays or Saturdays."
Maka's lips tightened into a quick frown that disappeared into a blank almost an instant later. "OK."
"Not that I'm partying or too busy dating or anything." Damn it, Soul, your mouth. That humiliation washed over him again, the cool-guy act ripping away at the seams. "I mean, I work those nights, and I can't really switch because it's the only nights I'll actually make money."
The bashfulness from before seemed to be gone and Maka was studying his face, her big, bright eyes dissolving that facade a little further. The pause as she stared at him was agonizing and he thought the room suddenly felt twenty degrees too hot. "What do you do?"
"What?" he gaped.
She repeated herself again, slower, "For work, what do you do?"
"Oh, I play." Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion and he mimed the keys with his fingers. "Piano. At a bar. Lame, I know, but it's what I'm good at."
She stared at him, her mouth opening for just a moment before snapping shut again. Her eyes focused back on her bag, giving Soul a moment of reprieve. "Maybe we could just meet two hours before class. We can decide on other days if it seems necessary."
"Sounds good," but it didn't for some reason.
"We can meet here," she offered, her eyes narrowing in on her bag as if she were still stuffing it.
"Sure." He could feel her getting ready to leave and it made him antsy. How was he going to get her to look at him again without being creepy? It was practically impossible. "Maka…"
And thankfully that was enough, her head instantly turning to him, her eyes widening as if she was surprised by the sound of her own name. "What?"
What is right! He didn't have anything in his head. There was no smooth talk to insert and with each second he let tick away he could see her face growing a little more confused, a little more uncomfortable. "What I said - I wasn't lying. I won't let you down." Oh, brother. If she wasn't looking straight at him he would have rolled his own eyes at the uncoolness.
"OK…" Yup, completely uncool. But as Maka turned and pulled her bag onto her shoulder she paused. Soul found himself holding his breath. Her head turned back to him and the vibrancy of her smile hit him like a sucker punch to the gut. "I guess I won't either. See you next week."
Next week couldn't come soon enough.