Because my computer keeps on crashing on me so I did some exploring in my doc full with stories and I found this story I wrote over a year ago. Thought it was time for it to come out and play. This takes place within the Death Child AU and it's how Maka and Soul met. You don't need to have read Death Child to understand this. Enjoy!

Milkshake

Finally. The darkness had fallen and the moon shone and the stars were out as glimmering dots in the night sky. Only the sound of the clock ticking sounded filled the empty hamburger restaurant.

Soul swept the floor from the fries the customers dropped and paper cups teenagers had thrown to the ground and just left. The violin wept in his ear as he kept on sweeping.

The violin came to a soft end and Wes asked. "How did that sound?"

Soul could only roll his eyes. Even though he was trapped in his phone, he managed to get his hands on a violin and played on it whenever he had the chance. He still kept on creating violin pieces even though nobody but him would ever hear them.

"'s like your other pieces. Mom and dad would like it as always."

"But do you like it?" Wes empathised and Soul picked up his phone, seeing Wes excitingly looking at him as if he was a child eagerly waiting to open Christmas presents.

"It's cool. It's excellent like all your other pieces." He was a real musician and a true businessman. He knew what the people wanted and he knew how to deliver it. Every piece he made touched people's hearts just the right way and was appreciated world around by the music community.

"Yeah, but do you think it was too much?"

"You're the one with superior music knowledge. You know these things better than I do."

"But you're my brother. Your opinion matters to me. Especially now when you're the only one who can hear it."

Soul snorted and put the phone back into his pocket, continuing on his sweeping. "It's good. It's a masterpiece as usual."

"But do you really think so and aren't saying it just to get me off your ass―"

The doors slid open and Soul kept on sweeping. "We're closing in a couple of minutes."

"Don't worry. I won't stay too long."

He lifted his eyes from his pile of trash at the young woman entering. Hair in pigtails and her tiny frame drowning in a red knitted sweater. What was a kid doing out this late? Shouldn't she be home doing homework or something?

"A customer is a costumer," he murmured and he swept the trash into a pile when she took a seat by a cleaned table instead of ordering something. From the corner of his eyes, he caught the sight of her burying her face in her hands, running her fingers through her blonde bangs. He collected the trash and threw it into the garbage bag.

Her hands slammed on the table, startling him. "Do you ever just hate your friends?"

Soul cocked his eyebrow at the girl now turned toward him in her seat, clearly expecting some sort of an answer.

He had run with a bad crowd. A crowd he thought cared about him but in fact just used him. Of course he knew.

"Yeah," he confessed as he pulled up the black plastic bag from the can and tied a knot around the top.

"Like, if you tell them no you don't want to go on some random blind date, they should respect that, right?"

"I guess." He shrugged his shoulders.

"Come on, Soul," Wes said from his phone in the pocket. "Talk to her. Seems like she's a young lady in need for someone to talk to and clear her head."

Why him then? Couldn't she just go to her school's counsellor or her parents? He couldn't handle sad girls. Fuck. This was the reason he always hung out with his brother.

Soul turned his back toward the girl as he fished up his phone and raised his eyebrow at his brother's gleeful face. "Ah come on, don't look at me like that. You don't really have any friends and you could have a very positive impact on this girl's life. You've nothing to lose."

Soul rolled his eyes. He had to help this girl out, huh? He wasn't much of a talker and he had no clue how he could make a positive impact on this girl. Heck, if there was something he knew like the back of his hand, it was to mess things up. Throughout his life he had always ruined things for his family and been a huge burden to them. Now he was supposed to help this girl.

How could he even help a young woman like her? He didn't know how to listen and give good advice and all of that jazz. He didn't even know what he would do. He had no clue!

"Like, I don't even want to go on a date with a guy I have never met before. It would be too weird being stuck in a restaurant with someone I'm supposed to get to know and be in a romantic setting with a stranger."

He hadn't ever been on a blind date before, so he couldn't relate. Girls had never been interested in him and he hadn't been interested in them either. It had always been easier just to avoid the whole dating thing. How was he even supposed to give advice to her on something he had no clue about?

That's when it struck him.

He went over to the milkshake machine and quickly whipped up a strawberry milkshake and returned to the girl. Nobody disliked milkshakes, right?

"Sounds like you've a rough time." He placed the milkshake in front of her.

"But I don't have any money with me," she immediately defended.

"It's on me."

Her emerald green eyes widened as she stared at him. Big bright green eyes looked at him astonished. "Thank you." She pulled the milkshake toward her and grabbed the straw, taking a sip of the milkshake.

"Ask her if you should call her parents to get her," Wes said.

"Um, do your parents know you're here?" He returned to the register to start counting the cash. He doubted a teenage girl could beat him down and steal the money. Why not let the girl warm up in here. It was chilly outside and he bet even with the huge sweater, she must've been cold.

"If he did, he would probably be here dragging me back to the dorm."

"Dorm?" The question was thrown out before he had a chance to stop it.

"I live in a college dorm." She sipped on her milkshake, this time turning more toward him so they could talk properly.

"I see."

"Don't just say I see. She's obviously interested in talking to you and she's in college and that can only mean she's of age! Ask her what she's studying." Wes pitched in. "Oh! And while you're at it, place the phone on the counter. I want to see all of this."

Soul mentally rolled his eyes. Of course his brother's mind would go over there. It's not like he wanted his first time to be with some random girl who was nice to him. It… it had to be special.

But he did as his brother said and fished up the phone from his pocket and casually placed it on the counter. Who knew his brother would guide him through the world of talking to girls. Soul never saw it coming for sure.

The task of closing down the restaurant and counting the cash was completely forgotten in favour of talking to this strange girl. It was… it really was a while ago since he talked to someone who wasn't Wes.

"So what's your major?"

"I'm studying law. I'm on my second year."

"Law major," Wes cued. "That's impressive. And she's pretty cute."

She was pretty cute. Her eyes were a rich green reminding him of freshly cut grass and the avocado on the sushi he enjoyed to eat so much. Sandy natural blonde hair and not the bleached damaged hair he saw a lot of girls rock. Her lips a rich pink from the milkshake. She was indeed a beautiful sight.

"How about you?"

His eyes fluttered before he shook his head. "I'm not going to college." He hadn't even finished high school.

"So you haven't decided yet?"

Yeah he wasn't going to college. He didn't have the energy to pick up his studies and pass high school just to continue hell by going to college. He wasn't nearly as ambitious as the young woman in front of him. He could only imagine all the hard work she had to put in in order to go to college as a law major. "Something along those lines."

"How old are you?"

"22. You?"

"You don't ask for a woman's age―"

"21." Wes's hiss was quickly cut off by Maka's straight up answer. Wes let out a quick sigh. "You didn't go to Shibusen High, did you?"

Soul could only chuckle. "That obvious?"

"No, it's just my friends are older so I think I should've seen you before. You're… memorable."

He leaned on the counter and chuckled. "Yeah, I stick out like a sore thumb in a crowd."

"But it's not bad." She placed her now empty milkshake on the table. "I mean, it is unusual, I've never met someone with white hair and red eyes, but it looks good on you."

"Ohhhh! Did you hear that, bro?! She's attracted to you!" Wes whooped loudly in his ear, celebrating it as if him and the woman had announced a pregnancy or something just as extravagant. "You totally got to ask her out."

Hell no he wasn't. There was a huge difference between finding someone attractive and a polite way of saying you don't look like a freak, her way was definitely like the later. A successful and beautiful woman like her would under no circumstances be into someone with his looks and flips burger. There had to be so many good guys in her law class hitting on her and all. Who knew, she might even have a boyfriend or she might not be guy orientated at all.

"I bet you haven't met someone with my teeth either." He flashed his teeth, expecting some kind of horrified expression but instead, her eyes widened with curiosity.

"Wow." She shot up from her seat and crossed the space up to the register. She took a closer look at his teeth, and she didn't look at them with fear or disgust, just amazement. "Did you get them filled in?"

"No. They're natural."

"No way! That's really cool." Her eyes seemingly twinkled as she admired his mouth from every angle. "They look so sharp."

"Because they are."

"Look at you conversing so effortlessly with a girl. Ask if she wants a ride back to the dorms. Maybe she will even reward you with a date." He could just hear the flirtation in his voice as if he could transmit his thirst to Soul. This chick wasn't interested in him like that. She didn't do the winking or fluttered her eyes excessively as if she had dust in her eyes. She was just… curious.

But he couldn't deny the fact she was attractive and maybe he was a little interested in her. But just a little! He wasn't even sure, he had never had a girl admire his features like she dis. It was… heart-warming. He felt special and he liked it.

A soft melody played and the girl fished up her phone from her black jeans and unlocked it. Her eyes almost rolled into her head as she seemingly read a text. "I got to get going back to the dorms before my friends start turning the city upside down looking for me." She put the phone back into her pocket. "It was nice meeting you and thanks for the milkshake. It really did lift my spirit."

"You're welcome." He waved it away.

"Come on bro, ask if she needs a ride back to the dorms. It's dark and a young lady shouldn't be walking alone."

Yeah right. The girl had managed to get here and he was sure she could manage get back in one piece.

A smile played on her lips as she waved goodbye and exited the restaurant.

…

He was sure he wouldn't see the girl ever again. Sure this was all just a nice conversation to her, but his next shift his colleague told him a girl wearing pigtails had asked when his next shift would be.

It had stunned and flustered him to the point he had to go to the bathroom to calm down his racing heart. He must've left a good impression on her or else she wouldn't want to see him, right? If she just wanted a burger, she wouldn't have asked about him. He didn't dare to get his hopes up because she really was a sweet girl and he enjoyed their chat, it was surely just small talk with the cashier, right?

He couldn't get the blonde girl out of his head. Her cute twinkling eyes as she examined his teeth and the vague freckles on her nose. Just thinking of her sweet and warming smile made his heart racing.

For such a long time, he had just had his brother, before and after the accident, now, he had suddenly connected with this strange girl, and they connected well. He… he kind of regretted not asking for her name. He bet it was beautiful.

His brother didn't help him with his developing crush on the pigtailed girl. Wes was always notorious for his teasing and now when he liked a girl, it was like tossing gas on a flame. Every sentence was about her. He encouraged him to take detours passed the collage so he could possibly run into her. He didn't exactly enjoy going to crowded places and have children unknowingly screaming out their curiosity about him toward their parent and either receive a just stay away from him or some are unfortunate with hideous looks. It was a situation he would like to avoid. That was why he worked night shifts and was in the kitchen instead at the cash register.

It was night once again and he swept the floor once again from the trash the customers had dropped. The night was calm and he kept on cleaning to the pleasant sound of Wes's violin in his ear.

The automatic double doors slid open.

"We're closing soon."

"I promise I won't stay for too long."

He stiffened. It was like déjà vu as his gaze slowly went to the strange woman standing in the entrance in a black trench coat and cute red scarf. She smiled gently toward him and she raised her hand where a bill was.

"I bought money this time."

"She's back! She's totally into you! You gotta ask her out or at least give her a ride home this time!" Wes hooted in his ear.

He was left speechless. He could barely believe it. She was here! He really didn't expect her to return here, sure, his colleague had said she asked about his next shift― but he still didn't think she would return! Let alone now.

Silently he went over to the cash register and she went up to it and placed the bill on the desk. "Two strawberry milkshakes, please." He couldn't help but notice heat rising from her neck to her cheeks.

He took the money and grabbed the first cup, went over to the milkshake machine.

"And, um," the blonde gulped as she fiddled with the hem of her purple turtleneck. "Maybe… you would want to go, well, I read about this good movie on the web and it had gotten quite good reviews and maybe… you would want to go and watch it. With me."

He accidentally spilled the milkshake and turned toward her.

What had she just said?

"I can't believe you got asked out?!" Wes gushed with joy in his ear and broke out playing a happily melody on his violin. "You got to accept!"

"It's just…" she kept on fiddling with the hem of her shirt nervously. "… you seem like you're a nice person and well, it would be cool to hang out with you."

Was this really happening to him? He couldn't quite wrap his mind around the idea that she wanted to hang out with him. It made him… happy. Really, really happy. He had never really had anyone willingly hang out with him except for his brother.

He awakened from his shock and he wiped the milkshake mess on his pant and grabbed a new cup. "Sure." He made two new milkshakes and placed them on the counter.

"Really? That's great!" She beamed with joy and she pulled out a pen from her jacket. She started scribbling down digits on one of the milkshakes and she pushed it toward him. "Here's my number."

"Wait, but it's yours." He pushed the milkshake toward her.

"You paid for mine a couple days ago. It's yours."

His heart fluttered pleasantly and he could only gaze at her phone number on his cup. He did have a phone, but it was taken by his brother and didn't work. How the fuck would he manage to call her?

"Do you have one?"

Soul cocked his eyebrow with confusion.

"A phone number?"

"Oh." Soul massaged his neck.

"Just tell her the truth," Wes said in his ear.

"My phone's broken. I haven't bought a new one yet." Soul fished up the phone and waved the broken screen at her.

"Oh, okay, but you better call me!" She pouted and she looked beyond adorable.

"Don't worry. When you see a creepy phone number from a pay phone, you'll know it's me."

She raised her milkshake. "Cheers to pay phones and milkshakes."

Soul chuckled and raised his cup, gently bumped his cup with hers. "Cheers to…?"

"Maka. Maka Albarn."

"Cheers to you, Maka Albarn."