"I know you, I walked with you once upon a dream," sang Maka, a sixteen-year-old girl with blonde hair in pigtails and moss green eyes. She was standing still on a stage with a script in her hand, though she'd already memorised it.
The audition was the product of a lost bet, but hell if she wasn't going to give it her best shot despite how hard Black Star had laughed. She hadn't given a thought to being in this year's production of Sleeping Beauty until her friend had proposed a bet ages ago for who would ask Professor Stein out first – Miss Marie or Doctor Medusa. Although he turned her down, the snake-like woman somehow beat the kind yet determined home economics teacher to the punch.
It would have been hilarious to watch Black Star streak through the next football game, though. Coach Sid would have absolutely killed him, and she would've brought popcorn just for that part.
"And if I know you, I know what you'd do," she neared the end of the audition, focusing on the casting director, aka the drama club president, as she closed the song and bowed lightly.
"Brava, Miss Albarn," the young, blond director clapped and stood. "I don't think we need to search for anyone else. You're perfect for the princess."
Her eyes widened. She didn't expect to get it, especially not this soon. "Thank you, Justin. I appreciate it."
"We found our prince yesterday, so starting tomorrow, we'll be starting rehearsals between you two while we find the rest of the cast. Please be here at 3:15."
"Will do," she smiled, hopping off the stage with ease. "See you tomorrow."
Black Star and Soul were going to die laughing.
Xxxxxxx
"Ahahahahah! Are you kidding me?!" the blue haired teenager laughed wildly, throwing his head back and clutching his stomach. "I can't believe you got it!"
"Never took you for the pretty princess type," Soul smirked, wincing when she smacked him with a book in retaliation.
"There's no way I can back out," she sighed, taking a swig from a water bottle and half focusing on her book. "I can't bring myself to let Justin down. He said I was perfect."
"You'll do anything for anyone who calls you perfect, huh?" Black Star choked, still laughing. "Bet it's really easy to get you in-"
"Shut up," she smacked him with the book next, harder than her albino roommate. "I just know how much he struggles finding the perfect actors for his 'vision'."
"I didn't know you could even sing," Tsubaki, Black Star's girlfriend, sat next to them at the lunch table. "I'm looking forward to watching the play. Do you know who the prince will be?"
"No idea," she shrugged. "I'll find out tomorrow, apparently. I bet he's 'perfect' too."
Soul inched in teasingly. "Maybe he'll be your prince."
Maka shook her head furiously. "No way. I already have my eyes set on someone."
"Oh, that college boy?" recalled Tsubaki. "The principal's older son?"
The boys looked between each other and then back at the blonde. "You mean Asura? You can't be serious, right?" Soul frowned. "That guy's crazy."
"I saw him jump at his own shadow once," Black Star scoffed. "How can you like someone that pathetic?"
"I just think he's really cute," she blushed, looking down awkwardly at her food. "He's good-looking, and he reminds me of a kitten."
"Until one day he goes batshit crazy and kills the bird crossing its path because the feathers are scarier than it's claws," the albino rolled his red eyes with a sigh.
The blunet hummed in thought for a moment. "Actually, that entire family is whack. Principal Death is a weird guy, not to mention his weird name. Asura's crazy, and his brother Kid is such a perfectionist nutjob."
"Hey, don't say that loudly around the Thompson sisters," Maka whispered sharply, looking out the corner of her eye where two blondes were glaring in their direction. "They might be sociable now, but they will have something to say if you talk smack about Kid."
The bell rang to signal the end of lunch and they scurried off to their next classes. Maka couldn't help but daydream about her scared kitten crush and wish he was the prince of the play.
Xxxxx
The end of the next day drew near. It was almost 3, and Maka had gotten herself worked up about who would be playing her opposite. She hadn't really considered that they would be working very closely when they were on stage together. They would be dancing and then kissing, and she got her hopes unnecessarily high that maybe, just maybe, a college student would've been able to audition for a high school play. Of course, as a smart student she knew it was only a fantasy, but she couldn't help but daydream.
Her hopes completely shattered when Justin introduced her to who would be playing Prince Phillip – Death the Kid. Her crush's younger brother. She had to mask her unreasonable disappointment and shook his hand, hissing inwardly when a chill ran up her spine as his gold eyes pierced into hers.
"Nice to formally meet you, Maka," he greeted with a short bow.
"You too."
They'd been top students of their classes but had never talked since he was two years older. Normally, people would've graduated at 17, but despite his perfect grades, he apparently couldn't handle the idea of graduating at such an odd number and having that in his mind for the rest of his life. That was where a lot of the crazy rumors had started, though there were smaller ones about his love for symmetrical perfection (though she couldn't exactly blame him for that – it was basically human nature to like things neat and OCD was no laughing matter) but she could not imagine staying an extra year of high school despite how easy it was for her. The social politics were bad enough to deter her despite her love for learning.
"Shall we start rehearsal?" Justin interrupted her thoughts, holding out scripts for them.
"I don't need one," they both declined the papers politely at the same time.
The blond looked between them before breaking out into a joyful grin and clasping his hands together. "You two are perfect! Let's get this show on the road then. We will start at Prince Phillip's first interaction with Aurora. Maka, please begin 'once upon a dream', and we'll just focus on the singing for now."
He started up a cd player with just the music, queuing her to start. She stepped forward, this time with a small blush at Kid's intense stare, and began. "I know you, I walked with you once upon a dream! I know you, the gleam in your eye is so familiar a gleam!"
She continued to sing, watching Kid from the corner of her eye, preparing for him to start his part. They sang together for a brief moment before she trailed off as the script ordered.
"I'm awfully sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you," Kid recited perfectly, convincingly enough to almost make her forget her lines.
"Oh, it wasn't that. It's just that you're a, a," she trailed off, letting him play off her.
"Stranger?" his part continued, and it was time for her to wait a while and observe him. She felt her pulse quicken when he started singing, not having payed attention to the one or two solo words he'd sang before.
"I know you, I walked with you once upon a dream! I know you, the gleam in your eye is so familiar a gleam," he sang passionately, his voice reverberating through the theatre and her very soul. Once his part was done – too soon, she decided – the cd played the chorus of voices that would sing while they would be silently dancing. Apparently, they were going to be enlisting the help of the choir kids for this performance as well.
Justin pressed pause on the device and applauded. "Wow. That was brilliant!" he complimented. "Your voices go very well together. It's a shame there aren't more duets."
"I agree," Kid spoke lowly, glancing over at his counterpart. She felt another shudder run through her but tried to ignore it. There was no way she would ever fall for him instead of his brother. She began to battle with complex emotions about the performance. On one hand, she was glad that although she was the princess, she wasn't a main character, per se. But that meant she would still have to show up to rehearsals and watch everyone, especially Kid, practise when their scenes had been deemed good enough to move on without.
This was going to be a long couple of months.
Xxxxx
"Hey Ma… Pffft!" Black Star burst out in a snicker when he saw her wearing an oversized version of her princess dress.
"They still need to alter this," she sighed, holding the too-long skirt in handfuls so it wouldn't brush against the potentially dirty ground.
"It looks like they've got their work cut out for them," Soul teased as well. "They probably aren't used to having such a flat-chested princess, either."
"Shut it," she growled. "If you'll excuse me, I have to go to home ec to get this hemmed."
Tsubaki was the only one in their group to follow her, volunteering to at least hold the back of the skirt up. They made it to the room where they stopped in surprise, seeing not only Kid there for his costume altering, but his older brother as well. They were talking quietly, but their glaring match indicated it wasn't a friendly conversation.
Maka cleared her throat nervously, announcing their presence. Some of the students rushed forward and guided her on to a stool, instantly making markings along the base and arms of the dress. Tsubaki noticed Asura was now walking over to them and gave her friend a wink before going to talk to Miss Marie.
"Hello," he greeted, stopping in front of the stool. "Maka, right?"
"Y-yeah," she stuttered, willing her face to stay cool. She glanced over at Kid, who was now heavily glaring at his brother's back, but said brother moved to cut off that trail of sight.
"It looks like they ordered a costume for a giant," he pointed with a small smile. She couldn't sense any of that crazy vibe her friends had warned her about.
"Hahah, it kind of feels like it too," she replied with a giggle. "They had to order online and got a few sizes up just in case. Looks like their worry was needless."
"I'm sure it will look fantastic on you once it's properly sized," he stepped forward and reached out, ghosting his hand along her face and touching one of her pigtails. "Then again, I'm sure anything would look good on you. You're quite cute."
"R-really?" she felt her cheeks warm uncontrollably and looked away, embarrassed.
He pulled her face up almost forcefully, earning a small gasp as she stared into his eyes. His red eyes looked at her in such an intensity that she'd learned to get used to from Kid, but this gaze had some sort of animosity in it. "Yes," he smirked. "Very cute."
"That's enough, Asura," Kid hissed, making his brother let go of her and spin around. "Stop harassing my friends."
"Friends? Is that what you call them?" he stifled a laugh and put his hands in his pockets and started to walk out. "Maka. I'm sure we'll meet again."
"Y-yes," she stuttered again. Once he left the room, she felt like dropping straight to the floor. That was the first time he'd talked to her, and on one hand she felt like she could melt of happiness. On the other hand, though, she knew what her friends were talking about. It was as if he was ready attack something.
"Are you okay?" Kid asked, bringing her out of her daze.
"Huh? Oh, yeah, I'm fine," she replied, shaking her head to brush off those thoughts.
The man stared at the empty doorway with his arms crossed and eyes narrowed. "You shouldn't let him get that close. There have been… Incidents," he warned, looking at her again with concern.
"You don't get along with your brother?"
"Not at all," he admitted. "He doesn't even live with me and our father."
"I see." She was curious, but decided not to pry in family affairs. Besides, over the past few weeks, she and Kid had grown to become friends to the point of him and the Thompson sisters joining their group. She didn't want to overstep boundaries quite yet.
He decided to switch the topic. "So, are you excited to start dancing?"
Justin wanted them to start once the costumes had been completed, citing it pointless to practise together in their everyday clothes for some odd reason. The production went on in a month, and they hadn't done more than singing and reciting their lines. They hadn't even rehearsed the kisses at the end, and the thought of those made her nervous.
But the dancing. "Yes, I actually love dancing," she replied. "Especially ballroom. Exclusively ballroom, actually."
"I'm quite versed in it as well," he revealed. "We really should've just started the rehearsal for it sooner."
"I agree."
As the conversation died down, he went back to his stool as a new round of students came in to power through the alterations. By the end of the day, the costumes were perfectly fitted, and Justin couldn't have been happier. Thankfully, the commoner's outfit had been sent in the right size and she quickly changed in to it before rehearsal started.
"Beautiful! Both of you!" he complimented. "Now we can really start the romance between Aurora and Phillip!"
The music started and they sang their parts and recited their lines with more interaction than the first rehearsal with Maka dancing with a pillow-stuffed jacket hanging off a line until she turned her back, knowing Kid would be stepping in this time. Although they hadn't danced together before, Justin did have them working on choreography in the meantime so when it came time, they connected easily and smoothly.
When she sang the line 'you'll love me at once' and raised her hands, stepping backward, she almost jumped when he caught her and started singing, leading her forward and back until she was pointed to the stuffed jacket.
They moved to their lines, but she couldn't stop thinking about the electrifying feeling running through the spots on her hands and wrists he'd lightly been touching. He kept catching her hands as she tried to move away, and it was getting harder to remember what she was supposed to be saying.
And this time, when they parted and he started to sing, she felt like he was singing straight to her. When the chorus of voices kicked in on the cd player, she allowed him to grab her hand and he pulled her seamlessly into a passionate waltz. She could feel her dress flaring out like it was supposed to, and oddly enough, it made her feel like a real princess in the moment. Since they didn't have any more lines during the song, they focused on dancing. They weren't able to look away from each other's eyes through the whole thing but made their habitual movements together.
He spun her easily and they parted before coming back together and holding hands, walking off towards stage right where a tall coat hangar served as a tree. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders, and she leaned into him as the music faded.
Justin pressed pause and applauded, as well as the other cast members. "That was amazing," complimented Jaqueline, who was playing the queen. "It was like watching a real movie."
"It was enchanting!" the director cheered. "You two portray exactly the essence of falling in love. You two don't happen to be dating?"
"No!" they both countered, blushing.
"That's too bad. You have amazing chemistry."
They awkwardly separated from each other, going to opposite sides of the stage. Justin paid them no mind, instead calling Kim, who was playing Maleficent, to perform the scene where she captures the prince.
Xxxxxxx
As the days drew closer to the performance, Maka grew more and more nervous. The dancing scene had only been rehearsed a few more times, but each time her body felt hot wherever he touched, and she found her heart beating faster at their proximity. After they'd separate, she had to keep shaking it off and reminding herself how much she liked Asura.
It grew more difficult, though, especially when she ran into the college student more and more. The first few times seemed like happy coincidences, but by the seventh or eighth time, she knew there was something up. She'd liked him for months before the play was even announced, and not once did they just run into each other.
"Seems we meet again, Maka," his voice ran a chill down her spine, but at this point, she wasn't sure if it was because of the crush or out of fear.
She slowly turned around with a can of peaches in her hands, wondering how in the world he bumped into her at the local grocery store of all places. His family was supposed to be rich. Didn't they have people for shopping? "H-hello," she stammered.
He walked closer to her and her pulse quickened, her eyes darting down both sides of the aisle. There was no one around, and she couldn't tell if she was thrilled or horrified. As he trapped her against a shelf, she couldn't help but blush at both his proximity and the fact that even if she were scared, he was incredibly attractive.
"I can't help but wonder if our constant meetings are fate?" he gazed down at her with a hungry look, subconsciously licking his lips.
"I-I don't believe in fate," she admitted, looking away nervously.
She felt his hand cup her chin, making her look up at him. "Perhaps I can change your mind."
"Are you interested in me?" she found herself asking.
"Perhaps," he gave a wry smile, sending more chills down her spine. Definitely fear, she decided. "You remind me of a harmless bunny. It's a breath of fresh air compared to the rest of this terrifying world."
'Harmless bunny?' She was almost taken aback. Clearly, she'd given him the wrong impression before, but she was in no position now to bare her fangs. Well, she probably could but as he leaned in closer to bask in her wide-eyed fear, all her thoughts started to fly out of her mind.
"What do you think you're doing?!" an enraged voice called out from down the aisle. She glanced over to see her co-star running towards them, aiming a punch towards his brother. Asura easily dodged by stepping back, letting Kid run between the two with his back to her, spreading his arms protectively.
"You just love to spoil my fun, don't you?" the older man hissed.
"I know what you've been doing," Kid growled. "If I catch you one more time, Father will be dealing with you again."
She saw a flicker of fear pass through Asura's red eyes before he scoffed and walked away. "Until we meet again, bunny."
Once he was out of sight, the younger man sighed and lowered his arms before turning to her. "Next time you see him, run," he warned.
She wanted to protest. She wanted to tell him to mind his own business, but by now, she knew something was up. Her feelings wavered between blind crush and sensible fear, and she found herself inquiring about it. "I didn't want to pry before, but what's wrong with him?"
"He's a serial stalker of cute, harmless girls," he explained curtly.
"I'm not cute or harmless," she replied with a huff, placing the can of peaches firmly in her basket.
"You're very cute," Kid countered, "but I know you're not harmless. And once he figures that out, well… He's been known to snap when his fantasy shatters."
She tried to suppress the blush at him insisting she was cute, instead focusing on his warning. "What do you mean, snap?"
He ran his hand through his hair with a sigh. "He doesn't live with us anymore because every time he got rejected, he would destroy his room so badly he'd have to be moved to another one and all his belongings would need to be replaced."
"Wow," she whistled lowly. Her image of him was definitely shattering, but she found herself curious still. "Did he ever do anything to the girls?"
Kid looked at her with worry. "Nothing that would get him arrested, but you should still be careful."
"I will," she promised. "Thanks for helping me."
"Well, he's my brother whether I like it or not," he rolled his eyes. "Therefore, his actions affect me directly. This time, though, he's treading on my turf."
She giggled into her hand. When he gave her a questioning look, she shook her head and waved it off. "Sorry. It's weird to hear you say 'turf' like a wannabe gangster or something."
"It's true, though," he narrowed his eyes and looked into the distance. "I bet he picked you to bother me specifically, too."
"Why would that bother you?"
He was silent, but his face briefly turned pink before settling back its normal pale complexion. "Anyways, I'll accompany you home just to be sure."
"Thank you." She knew better than to reject his offer. Besides, knowing she was a specific target did make her appreciate a temporary bodyguard.
He walked with her throughout the store as she finished shopping and they got to talking about lighter topics. He warned of a few of the teachers in the next grade, as well as some of the ridiculous assignments he now had to do twice. It also turned out he took a second year not just because of the number issue, but because he needed a few extra credits to graduate, having apparently missed a lot of classes the year before due to cleaning up incidents with Asura and occasionally Liz and Patty, who they'd taken in at the start of high school.
She talked about her friends and the books she'd read. She admitted she'd watched Sleeping Beauty a million times, explaining her knowledge of the lines and a firm grasp on choreography, and had only auditioned because of a dare. Her father, who happened to be the English teacher, got brought up briefly but she expressed her bitterness towards him due to his actions that led up to her parents divorcing.
Before they knew it, they were standing outside her apartment building. Maka knew this was as far as he planned to go but couldn't help but invite him in for lunch as a thank you. He accepted with a smile and followed her through the doors and into the elevator.
Kid was surprised to find a colourful and spacious apartment filled with all the necessities. When she'd said she lived with another high school friend, he expected maybe a table and a small television set, but it was fully furnished and decorated.
"This is a nice place," he complimented, following her into the kitchen.
"Thanks," she smiled politely, starting to put her groceries away.
The man nearly jumped when another voice rang through the apartment.
"Hey Maka, did you get those energy drinks?" a man called. His footsteps got closer and he entered the kitchen, surprised to see someone else there. "Oh, hey Kid."
"Hi, Soul," he waved awkwardly.
"Oh!" Maka stood up quickly and turned to him. "Sorry, I forgot to mention Soul is my roommate."
"That makes sense," he realised. "I had just presumed your roommate would be a girl."
"My parents and Maka's are close so when they wanted to go on a few world tours a few years ago, it was decided I would stay with her family," the albino explained. "My folks are musicians."
"I see."
"We're not dating or anything," Maka assured. "We're like siblings, and I got him in the divorce."
"Yeah. And I sure hope my sister bought those energy drinks," he teased, resting his arm on top of her head. She swiped at him to get off before resuming her grocery organizing. "So," his attention turned back to Kid, "not to sound rude, but what are you doing here?"
"He helped me out in the store, so I invited him in for lunch," she explained in his place, shooting him a look to keep quiet about the incident.
Soul smirked, leaning back on one of the counters. "I thought you two scholars might be rehearsing or something. The show is in what, three weeks?"
"That wouldn't be the worst idea," Kid replied. "We're already flawless in our scenes together, though."
"Perfectionists," the albino not-so-subtly coughed into his hand, earning a glare from his roommate. "Tell me, Kid, how did you get into this play?"
"My father convinced me to try out. Apparently, I spend too much time reading and not doing any socialising, so this landed in the middle," he shrugged.
Soul stared between the two, speechless. 'Oh my god, there are two of them,' he thought.
Maka started making lunch and set Soul to chop vegetables while she made soup, eventually bringing out soup and sandwiches to their dining table. "It's pretty much our Saturday tradition," she explained sheepishly to Kid. "Sorry it isn't fancier."
He stared down at his plate in awe. "This looks fantastic! Perfectly symmetrical triangular cuts," he measured with his fingers to be sure. "I don't get a lot of simple meals at home. I'm the only one who can cook decently but I've been busy recently, and the girls always want takeout anyways."
"You're welcome to come over for dinner whenever you want," Maka offered. "Soul always makes something when I'm at rehearsals. I'm sure he wouldn't mind an extra portion, right?"
"Yeah, feel free," the albino agreed. "Just text me in advance."
"Thank you," Kid smiled in gratitude.
They began to eat and chat, the Asura incident slipping from their minds. Maka's sense of unease was slowly drifting away, and she found herself sincerely enjoying his company.
Xxx
The first night of the performance finally arrived without incident. The actors were running around in a panic, making sure their microphones were hidden and their makeup was perfect. Some were practising their lines despite Justin assuring them everyone had been able to flawlessly perform for the past two weeks. Stage hands were assuring everything was perfectly set up and the painted scenes and props were all where they needed to be.
Maka paced, feeling like a fish out of water with her hair styled and light makeup on. She was extremely nervous for more than just making sure the play went smoothly. Someone had suggested to Justin that the magical kiss should be reserved for opening night, so they hadn't practised that at all. Which meant she hadn't gotten the chance to get used to being kissed. By Kid.
And the first one was going to be in front of a packed audience.
She groaned into her hands, barely avoiding wiping away the light pink powder that dusted her cheeks. Why did he have to be so attractive? At least if she had, say, Ox as the prince, she wouldn't be nearly as nervous.
"Are you doing alright?" the source of her current anxiety asked, looking concerned.
"Yeah, just a bit on edge," she replied, taking a few deep breaths.
"If it makes you feel any better, I'm a bit nervous too," he admitted. "I took a look at the audience and it's packed."
"Don't get stage fright now," she teased.
"I assure you, I'm comfortable in front of a crowd," he replied. "I've had to take my father's place for many announcements since he's awful at speeches."
"Oh, then pass some of that confidence to me," she joked, feeling her nerves lighten already.
They then heard Justin announcing the start of the play and everyone cleared out from behind the curtain, only leaving the necessary props and the choir in the corner and Justin narrating from the side.
Backstage, Maka felt like she waited forever for her queue to come on stage. The curtain closed briefly for the stage hands to switch the scene from a castle to a small cottage in a forest. The blonde ran inside and to the upper level once it was set and waited for Justin to narrate the scene once the curtains opened.
She opened a window and hummed a tune while he continued to speak. She pretended to sweep the floor and socialise with some woodland creatures while the focus went to the fairies on the lower level played by a trio from a grade under her: Tsugumi, Meme and Anya. They worked very well and played off one another, making them a hit with the audience already.
Maka went down the steps and interacted with them, only for her character to be told to go pick some berries. She went back offstage and waited for their scene to finish. The curtains closed for setup again, leaving just a forest background that she ran to the middle to. Once they opened, she started singing a tune and frolicking along with some fake animals being controlled from the ramp above the stage.
She registered Kid joining the stage. He said his lines and did his bit with his horse, one of those silly sticks with a plush horse head on top. He then proceeded to trip and fall into a fake pond, letting his horse go to the side. "No carrots for you!" he lectured, making the audience laugh.
The scene was now hers, and she started to pick some fake berries and sing to the animals about finding love before sighing about her guardians and the prince that kept appearing in her dreams. The animals moved away and stole the prince's clothes that got scattered.
He said a few lines before noticing the animals and following them, stopping behind a tree to listen to her sing.
The music started and she took a deep breath. 'Here we go,' she thought before starting a dance with the props. "I know you, I walked with you once upon a dream," she sang, enchanting the audience. She continued the song and dance until turning her back, knowing they would be replaced with Kid. Goosebumps ran down her arms as he touched them lightly, guiding her in the light dance.
He joined in on her song briefly before they were back to acting. He then started to serenade her while she walked away, leaning against a tree and peeking around. He stepped around it and touched her hand, coaxing her to dance with him.
His singing part ended, being passed on to the choir in the corner as he pulled her into a waltz across the stage. She couldn't help but stare into his eyes as she'd been doing since the first time they danced, almost audibly gasping when she saw a certain softness she hadn't before. Before she could put her finger on it, he twirled her and she took a few steps away before slinking back to him and sheepishly taking his hand, leaning really close to him before they walked to the side, ending the song with the light cuddling.
They then resumed their acting and she fled across the stage once he asked for her name, telling him where to find her that evening. The curtains closed for another stage set, and once Kid was no longer on stage, she felt like she was just going through the motions as she said and acted the way she was supposed to without giving it much thought.
Every minute that ticked by made her stomach twist more and more. The next time she would see him was after he kissed her, and she fixated on it, thankful when she eventually poked her finger on a spindle so she would no longer need to act. Her only job now was to lay on a rolling bed and wait until they wheeled her on and off the stage.
She watched Kid's performance with the trio and Kim as he battled through a fake dungeon and eventually had to fight the rosette wearing a dragon costume. The lighting softened once Maleficent was defeated, and she knew it was time for her to be rolled out again.
Her eyes closed and she tried to steady her breath, relaxing into a pretty sleeping pose. During rehearsals, they'd practised this scene with the musical queues but always cut off before the actual kiss. As the gentle music got almost climactic, she somehow heard his footsteps approaching over the sound of her heart pounding in her ears. She felt his hand caress her face, making her pulse even faster with anticipation.
And then it happened. His lips pressed firmly against hers, almost making her gasp in shock. The script read for a faint kiss, which in other words meant light and quick. Yet here he was, taking much longer than necessary. When he finally pulled away, she barely had enough sense left in her to slowly open her eyes and smile, trying to not let herself look as shaken as she was.
His expression was gentle, like it was supposed to be, but the sudden glow in his eyes gave away he was affected by it too. He held out his hand and she took it, letting him help her out of the bed. They slowly walked along the stage as the royals on the other side said their lines before noticing the couple. Maka went to hug Jaqueline and give a light kiss on the cheek to another underclassman who played King Hubert before rejoining Kid.
They started to dance across the stage as the fairies started talking and arguing about what colour her dress would be. The special effects crew were able to get a silver material for her dress that reflected pink or blue in certain lights and they shone them on her as they danced to match the argument. Eventually they stopped talking, letting the choir take over with the final 'once upon a dream'.
As they danced and the song ended, Kid leaned down to kiss her again, pulling her close to him. It was fiercer than the first and she pushed forward to kiss him back, noting how soft his lips were and how expertly he was able to do it without making it PG. The audience broke out into applause as the curtains slowly closed and the lights switched off.
Maka felt a bit disappointed when he gently pulled away. She knew the entire cast had to line up and walk in front of the curtain to take a group bow, and was pleased that he was next to her so she could hold his hand more.
'Since when am I so crazy about Kid?' she wondered, noting that a month ago she was crushing hard on his brother. It was hard for her to understand her own feelings, having been hopelessly enamored with and then terrified of Asura. Was she just switching and fixating on the next best thing?
No she wasn't, she decided when he gave her hand a squeeze before lifting it and bowing with the group. The crowd cheered and applauded as they all slowly walked off the stage.
Once they were backstage again, they all separated and got into lines for the dressing room. Kid didn't let go of her hand and dragged her further from the cast, making sure they didn't notice them slip away. He pulled her outside to a remote area behind the school that was undoubtedly unoccupied at 8 pm.
"What are we doing out here?" she asked, enjoying the gust of cool evening air along her face.
"Can't the two leads take a nice breather?" he answered with his own question, shooting her a sneaky grin.
She took a deep breath and relaxed with the scent of fresh-cut field grass. "I suppose it's a good idea."
They relaxed against the building in comfortable silence. Maka started to think about those kisses and how good they felt and the warmth from before flooded through her again. She spared a side glance at him and was almost mesmerised at the look of his relaxed expression. His head was leaning back against the building, his eyes were lightly closed, and his lips pulled in a comfortable line as he enjoyed the night air.
It suddenly hit her how much she actually liked him. She knew she wasn't just exchanging her fixation on Asura for him. The older brother had been cute, but that's all she'd known until he revealed how crazy he was.
She and Kid had been so focused on the performances while together she never got to dwell on how similar they actually were in their daily lives, and how much she enjoyed his presence. It was never a dull moment with him around, even if he didn't stir up trouble like her other male friends.
Her heart started to beat faster again, and she forced herself to look away. "I'm glad there weren't any mishaps during the performance," she said, breaking the silence.
"Me too. We're lucky everyone practised seriously," he agreed. "We only have to do that two more times, though. It's strange to think we've been working this hard for three unpaid performances."
"We get extra credits for it, though," she pointed out. "Besides, I'm having a lot of fun."
"Me too," he smiled. He propped himself off the wall and spun sharply to face her, lightly bowing and holding out his hand. She took it hesitantly, not knowing where this was going until he pulled her into another waltz.
"I do like the dancing," she admitted after a moment. "I haven't done it this much since my formal lessons ended a few years ago."
He gave her a silencing smile before taking a deep breath.
"I know you, I walked with you once upon a dream. I know you, the gleam in your eye is so familiar a gleam, and I know it's true that visions are seldom all they seem. But if I know you, I know what you'll do! You'll love me at once, the way you did once upon a dream," he sang, twirling her and bringing her back in. It was enchanting, and she felt lightheaded in a pleasant way.
He stopped their dancing, gazing into her eyes with an indeterminable look again, illuminated only by the bright field lights. She closed hers when he leaned down to kiss her again. This time it was gentle and cautious, as if he were asking her to confirm her answer through the gesture.
Maka let go of his hands and wrapped her arms around his neck, standing on her tip toes to kiss him back. He placed his hands on her hips and rubbed circles with his thumbs as he gently pursed his lips against hers.
The cold air contrasted their burning skin as they continued to melt against each other, and they wondered how they hadn't been doing this all along.
A sudden sound of crunching gravel around the corner pulled them apart, and Kid moved along the wall, putting a few feet between them. Soul appeared and breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing the two. "Hey, I've been looking for you two."
"Oh, really?" panted Maka, who was grateful for the dim lighting to downplay her flushed face. She tried to calm her breathing to not seem suspicious, but by the questioning look on her friend's face, he definitely knew something was up.
"Justin wanted to congratulate everyone and say a few other words and sent me to find you," he informed, brushing off his suspicion. He didn't care that much, and by the state of the two, he could pretty much guess. "They're all waiting in the cafeteria."
"Alright, let's go," Kid's voice was husky, making him clear his throat and send a glance at the blonde.
Soul only smirked and put his hands in his pockets, walking off lazily. The actors followed him, walking close enough to each other that their hands kept brushing together. They made it to the cafeteria where the cast was waiting, and the director clapped his hands in joy upon seeing them. "Finally! There's our stars!"
"Sorry, we were just getting some air," Maka explained.
"Understandable," he replied, brushing it off and standing on a chair. "I just wanted to congratulate you all on a successful performance." The cast all clapped and cheered for each other, dying down once he held his hands up. "Now, as you know, we have two more performances over the weekend. Please make sure you're energetic and ready to go. Eat good breakfasts, rehearse your lines, and continue to have fun! As a treat, we have a small spread of snacks here for you before you go home tonight so enjoy."
He stepped down and let the cast mingle and eat. Kid realised he and Maka were still wearing their costumes and excused themselves to change into their normal clothes. They avoided talking about what happened outside to prevent others from eavesdropping, but when the man saw her emerge from the women's dressing room wearing her normal white blouse and red skirt, it took everything in him to keep from approaching her again. Taking the lid off his feelings was proving to be difficult to manage.
She was feeling the same way but was able to keep it a bit more concealed, only sending a simple look at him before running ahead to mingle with their co-stars. She noticed he tried to keep his distance to keep up appearances for now. Once the night was over, she went home with Soul with only a light wave directed at him.
As soon as she crawled into bed, though, she opened her phone and sent out a text before turning the device off and trying to ease her wildly beating heart. Sleep came easily despite the excitement, but her dreams only spurred her feelings more.
Xxxxxx
Kid looked down at his phone in complete shock, rereading a text he'd gotten from his co-star. After the performance, he'd been thrilled to let her know of his feelings and have them seemingly reciprocated. He'd been a little ashamed of himself for getting a little too carried away, but the look of her flushed and breathless was burned into his brain forever, and he craved seeing it more.
By the text he received, he knew it wouldn't just be another unanswered wish as he read it one more time.
'Hey Kid, I really enjoyed tonight. Until the performances are over, I think we should continue as we were, but I would really like to talk about the progression of our relationship afterwards.'
He swallowed hard, trying to ease his dry throat. Talented, intelligent and respectable Maka was so close to being his, and he felt like a hormonal preteen again as he resisted the urge to dance around in excitement. He'd been enamored with her ever since he heard her sing at the very first rehearsal.
Asura had caught wind of it somehow and started coming up with excuses to visit the school, hoping to run into her and sweep her off her feet to irk him. Although it got dangerous, Kid was glad she was able to see how crazy his older brother was sooner than later, leading to Asura surprisingly giving up with the threat of getting their father involved.
The last few weeks had been very peaceful without him, leaving room for him and Maka to spend more time together, and he enjoyed every second of it. His habitual mature and gentlemanly nature was enough to mask his feelings throughout that time, but as soon as he was able to kiss her, he couldn't hold them back any more.
And now here they were. He felt like he was in a real-life fairy tale. He'd never thought himself as the soft, romantic type, but she just brought it out of him. There was nothing more he wanted to do than to spend time with her doing just about anything, be it studying together or dancing the night away.
Shaking away his long train of thought, he sent a reply before going to sleep.
'After the performances are over, I would be happy to discuss our relationship. Perhaps at my house where there is more privacy. See you tomorrow, Princess.'
Xxxxx
"-the way you did once upon a dream," the choir sang as Kid pulled Maka into their final performance kiss. The curtains closed and they separated gently with excited smiles.
"We did it!" she cheered, raising her arms above her head in triumph.
"We still have to do the curtain call," Justin reminded her, barely containing his own glee at the success of the performances.
Music started to play, and the cast walked out hand in hand to give a final bow. The director grabbed a microphone and started to announce each of them by name, leaving the couple for last. They stepped forward together and raised their hands before bowing deeply to the applause of the crowd.
Once they were finally out of their costumes, the cast gathered for once more after party. They'd been excused from classes for the next day, so the event went late. Kid and Maka were able to make an excuse to leave earlier and headed to his house to discuss their relationship. Liz and Patty were out, and Soul wasn't expecting her back home for hours.
His house was walking distance from the school, and she was amazed to see such a large, gated manor in town. He guided her through the gates and in through the doors, and she gasped at the sight of the inside. It was much bigger than any house she'd ever been in, and he invited to give her a tour. She accepted, and he gently took her hand as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
They wandered through the house while discussing their favourite parts of the night. She was in awe at the theatre room, library, and ballroom, which was apparently used for events his father held, but she started to get nervous as they approached their final destination: his bedroom.
It was a regular-looking bedroom, other than the fact it was half the size of her apartment. She'd expected some gothic aspects, but it seemed plain and almost impersonal. Just by observation, he clearly didn't spend a lot of time here. He invited her in, gesturing to a couch at the side of his room.
"So, do you feel sad at all now that the play is over?" she asked. "I feel a little empty, myself."
"I will miss the rehearsals. My father was right to push me into this," he admitted.
"I can't believe I enjoyed something Black Star told me to do," she giggled, shaking her head. "Don't tell him, though."
"I promise," he crossed the spot over his heart. "I'll also miss being a prince. It was nice to be seen as something other than the weird OCD kid whose father is the principal."
"I see you as more than that," she assured earnestly.
"Really?"
She blushed and looked away nervously. "Well, yeah… You know that already."
"Do I?" he moved closer with a teasing smile.
"Of course you do," she turned to him. "My friends teased me when I first got the part, saying I might find my actual prince. And I did."
"Heh, that's a little cheesy," he chuckled.
"Hey, you called me 'Princess' first," she defended, puffing out her cheeks.
He took her hand and placed a kiss on it. "I know. Princess."
Her face grew warm again and she looked down, not knowing how to reply.
Kid only grinned, considering her reactions as cute. "Maka, please look at me." She shyly did as told, a pleasant chill running through her at his gaze. "You're the most amazing, kind, and beautiful person I've ever had the pleasure to meet. Would you do me the honour of becoming my girlfriend?"
She gave him a sweet smile. "I'd love to."
He felt a rush of excitement run through him but kept it at bay, instead standing and offering his hand out. She took it and let him pull her up, wondering what he had planned next. She didn't have to wait for long as he brushed his hands through her untied hair before placing his hand softly on her cheek and leaning in.
She closed her eyes for the anticipated kiss. It was gentle, like he was testing the waters despite them having done it many times over the weekend. As they became breathless, they pulled apart and he pressed his forehead against hers. "Do you think we should try out for next semester's performance?"
"Definitely."
XXXXXXXXXXXX
Hi all, welcome to my newest KiMa story. I haven't posted anything in the fandom in like 7 years, but I recently got really into Soul Eater again and I couldn't resist. I also have like a million other stories for them including a kind of mashup between two I'd already posted since oh man my old writing was bad. I only gave myself 3 days to write this so feel free to let me know if anything seems off or rushed.
I found a prompt post and rolled some dice, so I got 'main couple in a play, main girl likes the guy's sibling and denies their connection at first'. Oddly enough I picked Sleeping Beauty solely because Maka is blonde but as soon as I started writing I was like 'yes, this is perfect!' Once upon a dream is something I personally love singing all the time so it was quite fun.
Please look forward to other eventual short stories because I've got a list, plenty of time, and only one other main story that I update once a month.