I am unable to write anything but this right now. I apologize. Please enjoy.

Maka's heart had pounded the whole way back to the dorm. There was no way that she had been that smooth, that she had given him her number without prompting or provoking. But this was apparently a new Maka Albarn, a Maka that was letting herself like someone. That guarded part of her chimed in, insisting that he needed a way to reach her for class and that was it. Remember, this was a business deal, not some K-drama. Those reservations always seemed to have the last say.

There had been some explaining to do when Tsubaki finally arrived back to the room. "You ditched me," Tsubaki groaned, throwing her back on the couch.

She couldn't exactly explain that she couldn't risk Soul catching up with her after class, the nerve of her actions only going so far. "Sorry, I had to pick a few things up. How's B.S.?" It wasn't fair, but she knew this was an easy way to divert Tsubaki's attention since those initials had been a constant in their conversations since the class started. From the sound of it, Soul had really lucked out with Maka, that's for sure.

"He had something that resembled notes today." There was a long, tired sigh to punctuate.

Maka couldn't help the laugh as Tsubaki plopped onto the couch. "Progress?" Before she could gauge her reaction, Maka heard her phone buzz from her bag, instantly sending her into a frenzy to get it out.

The SMS was clear on the screen, a number she didn't have saved. "You tricked me."

She could feel the heat rise from her stomach, up her neck, to her cheeks.

"What's that face for?" Tsubaki narrowed her eyes.

Maka practically fumbled her phone as if Tsubaki were looking over her shoulder, not a few feet away. "Oh, nothing!"

The suspicion melted to concern, "Are you OK?"

"Fine!" She pocketed her phone, her mind running through all the possible answers. "I'm just, I'm going to get ready for bed, I think."

"It's so early," Tsubaki started to get up from the couch, "Are you sure nothing wrong?"

"Nothing!" Maka hurried into her room, shutting the door to the rest of the suite. They'd been lucky, well, really, she had been lucky, since with Tsubaki's family ties they'd scored one of the fancy suites in the new dorm. It allotted her some privacy, able to hide in the small cubicle she called a room. There was just enough space for the twin bed jammed to one side and a desk to the other. She tossed her bag on the chair at the desk before catapulting herself onto the bed, cell phone in hand.

She stared at the message again before typing her own. "No trick. I was being nice."

There was barely a breath before the next message popped onto the screen. "Define nice."

"Socially acceptable. Did you decide where we're meeting?" Her heart was in her throat. She could invite him here, especially since Tsubaki was so kind that she'd never even suggest it was something other than a study session but was that OK? And what if Tsubaki wasn't here?

"Library? Lounge again? My house has B.S. +2 so…"

She couldn't stop herself from derailing the conversation. "You live with him?"

"I swear he's not all bad." A second message pinged. "I hear you live with his partner?"

"Yup, Tsubaki. Spartoi Hall Dorm." For a second she typed come here but deleted it, her reserved half whispering in her head. "Library. They have study rooms, right?" Time actually started to tick by, her question staring back at her. Maka rolled onto her stomach, trying to will the phone back to life, overexaming how the last suggestion could have destroyed the flow.

"Library OK. Early? 3?"

Maka bit her lip, trying to summon that number writing bravery again. "3. No coffee necessary."

"Don't take away the things I enjoy."

That heat brushed at her stomach again. "I guess I'll start keeping a tally."

"Don't worry, I'll cash in."

She pushed her phone forward, letting her face fall on her arms, covering the blush rising over her cheeks. It took at least three breaths to get herself composed enough to look at the screen again, a new message from him had buzzed between her fingers while she had recovered.

"See you Thursday."

"Look at that face." Kim was practically shouting, drawing the attention of the Kilik and Black Star faster than a fly to honey.

"What face?" Soul's voice went up ten octaves as his hands scrambled for a better grip on his phone. It ended up tumbling to the ground at the foot of the beaten recliner he was in, the perfect opportunity for Kim to snatch it. "No, no, no!" But for all his scrambling, he wasn't even close to being fast enough to grab it from her, face-planting on the floor as her foot smashed into his shoulder to keep him down.

"Don't worry, I'll cash in." Kim tried her best to deepen her voice, mimicking Soul poorly. Regardless of the quality, Black Star and Kilik were already halfway to the floor laughing. "See you Thursday. You forgot to name her lab girlfriend in your phone, Soul."

"Give it back, Kim," he grumbled from his prone position on the floor, her foot too firm in the center of his shoulders.

Kim wiggled her thumbs over the screen, raising an eyebrow at the other two boys. "What do you think I should text her?"

"Can I get a whiff of your panties?" Black Star offered.

Kilik went for the tradition slap to the back of the head as Kim groaned as the over the top suggestion. "How about you invite her over so we can actually see what the fuss is about?" Kilik continued to press on Black Star's head to keep him from drowning out the far better suggestion.

"Oh, I like that." There were one or two taps on the phone screen.

Soul was floundering now, the panic started to negate the weight on his shoulder. "Kim, I swear-"

"I know it's early, but we always do a Halloween party at the house. You should come." Kim paused, her finger dangling over the send button as she looked to the boys.

"No way, no hook-ups at the Halloween party, you know the rules," Black Star lips curled a little in disgust from the suggestion of tarnishing tradition. "Halloween is for real friends only."

"Definitely not a hook-up," Kilik shook his head.

Black Star finally got out of his grasp, his face still looking sour. "Soul is only about the hook-up."

Soul just about had his hands underneath himself, almost enough leverage to push out from underneath Kim. "I'm about to kill everyone in this room if you don't-"

"Twenty bucks says she's not a hook-up," Kim grinned, her fingers still primed.

"You're on!" Black Star's previous disgust for marring their holiday quietly wilted at the prospect of the bet.

"Sent!" Kim chimed, finally removing her foot from Soul's back. She dangled the phone down, letting it go into his weak grasp.

The SMS was there, a bright bubble on the screen, definitely sent. Soul stared at it for a moment before switching to another contact, his red eyes burning up at Kim. "Guess Ox is coming then."

Kim's foot went to connect with his back again, finding just the floor as Soul rolled away. "What?"

Soul tapped furiously as he slid a little further away from her. "You never should have sent that text, Kim." Almost the second Soul tapped send, Kim's phone began to glow on the table, sending her nervous eyes towards it. "Looks like we're even."

She turned to the table, staring at the screen as one after another message illuminated it. "I hate you," Kim groaned.

"The feeling is fucking mutual right now," Soul growled back. He felt his phone vibrate in his fingers and he hard swallowed. After catapulting himself off the floor, Soul slunk into his room, slamming the door behind him, trying to shut out Kim's complaining and the laughs of the boys.

Halloween wasn't for hookups. It was the law and had been since they started the party back in high school back when it was at Kilik's house and was more of an intimate gathering than a party. Even now it never got to the point of raging, but it was still sizable, every long-lasting friend getting an invitation. Girlfriends and boyfriends were allowed, but it was never for the casual date or a one night stand.

So, Maka was coming as a friend. No big deal. The thought itself made him queasy and the prospect of looking at the screen on his phone intensified it. He counted to ten and flipped it over, opening the phone with a slide of his finger.

"I have to dress up?"

All the other feelings wiped away fairly quickly, leaving behind the joyful smirk on his face. "I believe that's the purpose of Halloween."

"Can I bring Tsubaki?"

"If it means you'll come, sure." Apparently, fuck tradition, and he honestly meant it. The feeling was starting to settle in him that she had to come, Kim's torture and bet or no. "You have like a month and a half to decide."

"It's OK, I'll come."

With that, he collapsed on his bed with his phone pressed to his chest. He had a month and a half to figure this out. A month and a half, no big deal.