Slipped His Mind
By Zuimi
Quick Author's Introduction:
Just to let you, the readers, know a little bit about this writing before diving in. It is a one-shot or a one chapter fic, so don't expect more from this. I included no smut or such. It's told from both Soul's and Maka's perspectives and the switch between the two will be typed in bold like the words below. I hope you enjoy!
Soul's Perspective
My friends' eyes widened with less shock then I had originally had expected them to bear when I had heavily implied the new news. It seemed that they were more relieved, as though they had been waiting to hear those words be uttered from my mouth for too long.
Death the Kid grinned at me, "Liz always told me you liked Maka, and this definitely confirms it."
My other friend, Black Star, jumped into the sofa closer to my seat and punched me in the arm. He exclaimed throwing his head back, "I totally knew you had the hots for Maka!" He plopped down on the couch, sitting upright, and his voice switched to take a more serious tone saying, "The mighty Black Star gives you his blessings!"
I smacked his shoulder lightly saying, "Shut up. I don't need your stupid blessing."
"Aw, come on, Soul!" Kid said waving his hand to direct my attention away from our other idiot friend, "Now that you finally were able to admit it to yourself, we might actually be able to set you guys up."
I shook my head at the possibility, "Pssh! Nah."
"But it sucks that you're the only single guy when we hang out," Kid pointed out, taking another chug at his beer. He placed the bottle back on the center of the side table to preserve the symmetrical look.
I shrugged.
But Black Star punched my arm again, "But, yo, just think about how it would be if you were dating Maka. I mean, just think about it, man."
"Maybe we could triple date or something," Kid suggested.
I smirked, "No guy is supposed to talk about double or triple dating with other guys."
"But think about it," Kid insisted, "I could get Liz's help, and you know Liz could help."
"No one's setting me up with anybody," I said, cutting off anymore suggestions from my overly enthusiastic friends. Who knew they had so much to say on this topic? "I actually should be getting home. It's almost one and we've got stuff to do tomorrow."
"Yeah, bye, man," Black Star bid his adieu, watching me get up from the couch.
Kid got up from his seat to accompany me to the door. He said his good-bye, and I left the Gallows Mansion. I climbed onto my motorcycle and head for home. The night was cool and pleasant enough today.
As I had barely announced to my friends earlier, maybe I did have a little crush on my meister, Maka. And maybe it was more than a little crush. And maybe it's been going on for a while now… a long 'while'. There's just so much to her, that there was no way I wouldn't love her. From the blonde hair that she now wore down her shoulders to those long legs, she was just perfect in my eyes.
I'd never tell her. She'd probably hit me.
Maka's Perspective
The apartment that Soul and I shared was cool, as one would think when the air conditioner was on high. I sat on the soft plush couch in front of the coffee table staring straight forward, my eyes on the empty television screen. My feet rested on the glass table with a messy pile of magazines placed on it next to the small crumple of wrapping paper. One gift. For my 17th birthday today, I was given one gift. From who? From my dad, who was last person I cared about whether or not they gave me one. It was a book, that didn't even seem interesting. My dad probably bought the first book he saw. And it angered me that I'd probably end up reading it, too.
Technically, my birthday is over, seeing how it's a little past one am. I reflected on the phone call to my friends a few hours before:
"Sorry to bother you guys while you're on your special training mission," I apologized when Liz picked up the phone. I heard little gasps and giggles in the background which could only be from Patty, Tsubaki, and Jacqueline. A few days ago, they were sent off to northern California to take a special weapons-only mission by themselves. Of course, Liz, who originally was assigned the mission, chose close friends so they could make it into a week of sleepovers with a little work on the side. Though they had pleaded to stay in the city long enough for my birthday, Sid told them that the situation there needed to be taken care of as soon as possible.
I heard Liz's reassuring voice, "It's okay, we were just wrapping the day up." I hear the phone being fought over for a while. There was a long pause.
Then four voices, in unison and off-key, blared through the speaker, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DEAR MAKA! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU! WHOO~!"
I give a little laugh and said, "Thanks, guys, you're the-!"
Before I finish, the girls interrupt in more song, "ARE YOU 1? ARE YOU 2? ARE YOU 3?"…all the way to, "ARE YOU 16? ARE YOU 17?"
"Stop!" I smiled.
"So how was your birthday, birthday girl?" Patty's giggles echo through the phone.
And I sigh miserably, "Terrible. Horrible. Gross."
"What why?" I hear Tsubaki's worried voice.
"From when I woke up to now, Soul hasn't been in the house and hasn't said anything to me!" I say weakly, barely wanting to think about it, "And also, no one's wished me a happy birthday or given me a gift besides my papa!"
"You're kidding me!" Liz said in disbelief.
"Black Star and Death the Kid, too?" Tsubaki asks not wanting to accept how horrible my birthday had gone. In her voice, I could hear sorrow as well as pity.
I hung my head low as I responded, "Completely forgot."
"I'm gonna kill Kid," Liz swore, "When I get home, I'll make sure he can tell anyone your birthday in a millisecond."
"But I can't believe even Soul forgot!" Jackie's voice came through the phone in a sad tone.
Liz added, "And you like him, too! Maka, I don't know what to say!"
The comment made me start to tear up. It's true, I like Soul, and I was devastated that my best friend and love interest had forgotten about the most special day of the year for me. I mean, yeah, seventeen isn't as big as eighteen or sixteen or something, but I thought of it as the last year of being a kid. The last year of a life without 'adult problems', I guess you could say. I tried to strengthen my shaky voice and said, "It's okay. Thanks, guys. I can't wait till you get back. Bye!"
I heard various 'byes' and farewells before the line died. And I was left alone and miserable during the most wonderful time of the year.
I spent my 24 hour seventeenth birthday with no one, expecting everyone to come to me and shower me with gifts and happiness. What I had awaiting all year was actually filled with reading, eating, watching television, and doing any extra homework. The apartment never felt so cold, and I felt that even my own home had betrayed me on this awful day.
At that moment, I heard the jingling of keys and the turning of a doorknob. In walked in my roommate and best friend, Soul, with a face that showed no guilt and no shame.
He saw me relaxing a.k.a. hanging out with my new friends, Abandonment and Depression on the couch, and said, "Yo."
"You can go shove that 'Yo' up your ass," I said, avoiding all eye contact with Soul as if my life depended on it. Before, I was just sad, but now, my blood was boiling over. I hoped that when Soul got home, he would apologize for not saying 'Happy Birthday' sooner or something. But nothing of that sort, he just had to go and just say 'yo'.
"Whoa!" Soul put up his hands in a symbol of 'get off my case, man' but I wasn't gonna get off his fucking case. I was pissed, "What's your problem?"
"ARE YOU FUCKING SERIOUS?" I shout, jumping up from my laid back position. I start approaching him, and I only feel amused when he backs away from me a little, "WHAT'S MY PROBLEM? WHAT THE FUCK IS YOUR PROBLEM?"
"I don't know," He asked with the most innocent look on his face. I almost felt bad for him, "Maka, I don't know what you're talking about. If it's about the ice cream, I'm sorry I ate the last of it, but there wasn't a lot to begin with-!"
I cut off Soul, "WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN ALL DAY?"
"Just doin' stuff, what's it to ya?"
I felt like my head was about to explode. He had no clue. He ruined my entire day, and he still didn't know, "WHAT'S IT TO ME? ARE YOU KIDDING? DEFINE STUFF. RIGHT NOW."
Soul knew that when I get pissed, I was very dangerous and not at all fun. Most of the time, he could say a few words, knowing my weak spots, and get me to calm down. But right now, I could already see that he knew this wasn't going to be one of those times. But he still fought for dominance in this quarrel, "WHY DO YOU CARE? IN THE MORNING, I WENT OUT TO DWMA TO TAKE CARE OF SOME STUFF. THEN I WENT FOR GROCERIES. AND THEN I HUNG OUT WITH BLACK STAR AND KID. NOW YA HAPPY?"
"NO, ACTUALLY, I'M NOT."
"BOO FUCKIING HOO!"
I wanted to strangle him. I felt murderous down to the core. He really forgot. Wow. I just wanted to cry now. I didn't want to yell and scream and wake the neighbors. I just wanted to crawl into my bed and let the tears flow. But my eyes weren't going to wait till I was in my room, they were already spilling over, "It's my birthday, Soul. My seventeenth birthday. Well, technically, it was yesterday." My weak voice was barely audible.
I saw Soul's eye widen. And there, in those deep red eyes, I saw that pang of shame and guilt that hoped to see. I wanted him to feel awful, like the way he made me feel. I hear him stutter, "Oh my god, Maka, I'm so-!"
I didn't let him finish when I just yelled, "Save it!" through gritted teeth.
"I'm sorry, I really am," He ignored me.
"I don't care."
I said those words so coldly, even I felt their harshness and winced. I turned away from him and headed to my room. I wanted to get away from him before I boil over again. With all my strength, I slammed the door, so he would get just how angry I am with him.
From the living room I hear his apologies, and they come closer and closer as he walks toward the door to my room. And then I hear, "I want to make it up to you."
"Don't. I don't care."
"I want to. Maka, please, I feel really bad."
"Good." I know he hates me for doing this. If I was Black Star, he would've punched me by now.
"I'm going to make it up to you and I don't care if you hate me for it and don't like it."
I sigh, "Then how is that making it up to me?"
But I got no response. I waited for more conversation, but I guess he must've gone to sleep, fed up with my stubbornness. And so I was going to do the same. I pulled on anything that I could where to sleep comfortably, since I didn't feel like looking for my pajamas. I changed into just a baggy t-shirt. Not caring about anything and neutralizing all emotions and thoughts, I fell asleep on a messy bed.
"Maka, get up!" I feel large hands shaking my shoulder so I would awake. My eyes flutter open dazily, welcomed by Soul's eager face. I turn away from him, and try to slip out of his grip so I could continue sleeping. He sighs, annoyed, "Maka, please, just get up."
I turn over and glance at my alarm clock. In large red print, it read '3:53' (AM, of course). I groan, and in a groggy voice, I say, "Shut up, Soul, it's, like, 4 in the morning."
"I know, now get up."
"No, I'm tired. Go back to bed, Soul , just let me- OH MY GOD!" I squeal when Soul grabs one of my arms and one leg and drags me off my bed, "Holy crap, what do you want?"
"Come into the kitchen!" Soul says enthusiastically.
"Get away from me," I reject his proposal, preparing to spend the night on the floor. Soul leaves suspiciously. Had he given up? But my drowsiness had decided that that was enough thinking, and sleep tempted me.
I hear footsteps approach my room again and then splash! Water was hurled at my face from above. My sleepiness is immediately dismissed and all my senses are alert, "Soul, fuck you. I hate you!" But I smell something I had missed before. It's sugary… and buttery… like cake.
Soul pulls me up from the ground, and leads me down the small hallway to the kitchen.
"I made you a cake," I grins at me, pride in his eyes. What? He did? Though I was still angry at him, the thought of him dedicating so much time to make me a birthday cake made me so happy. But when we turned the corner and I caught sight of the cake, I burst out in laughter.
"Oh my- oh! Oh my gosh!" My breaths are constant and my laughter nonstop. What I see before me was a simple pound cake the size of half a loaf of packaged supermarket bread. And though it was one of the simplest deserts, the entire kitchen was a mess. The scene was so utterly ridiculous, especially when you add an overly confident and proud Soul, that I couldn't keep the giggles in.
"Okay, I know it's not cool," Soul admitted, "But I've never baked before. I only cook, and not anything too fancy. I made a different cake, but I burned it because I read the thing wrong. I mean, I preheated it to the wrong temperature by accident. I thought it might go by faster. And I also added too much flour and too little egg and it just didn't work. And by the time I was done with that, I didn't want to complicate things anymore so I just went with a simple pound cake. I know it's not what anybody would want as a birthday cake but it's the only thing-!"
"Shut up," He shut up. I continue, "I love it."
"Cool," He said, throwing me a grin. I knew I should hate him for leaving me drowning in sadness for my birthday, but his failure and efforts shouldn't go to waste. And looking at him again, getting a knife to cut the stupid pound cake, I knew I wouldn't stay mad at him. I felt so confident and so powerful and excited. And for some reason, right now, after he dedicated these past hours for me and only me, I wanted to tell him how I felt about him. After his reaction to missing my birthday, I was reassured his care for me. Another cause for my sudden determination was my exhaustion and over-happiness.
He started to cut the pound cake, but I took the knife from his hand. After placing it on the table, I redirected my attention to him. I guess he felt like I wanted something from him, so he hugged me tight and said, "I'm sorry for making this the worst birthday ever. I'm sorry."
"You didn't make it the worst birthday ever," I said. Not sure if it was a lie or not. I mean, yeah, it was shit. But I would never forget his devotion or this silly cake. I hugged him harder. Slowly though, I move my face away from his shoulder to look him right in the eyes. I don't know why I did this. For a second, I was going to awkwardly break apart the stare and go back to cutting the cake. But then he leaned in. And so did I.
And our lips collided. His lips were softer than I imagined them to be. One of my hands came around and held his face, feeling the slight stubble. The other hand soon was laid on the other cheek. His arms dropped down around my waist pulled me closer. I loved the warm feeling of his lips, and how tender they were on mine. I loved the energy that ran through my veins quick, the sensation of a dream being fulfilled after a wait. I could feel my heart pounded hard, like it was going to jump right out of my throat. I was running out of air. I forgot how to breathe. And a scarlet blush ran across my cheeks and nose. I kept on kissing him, though, never wanting to stop. My hands moved back to his neck, pulling him closer to me, kissing him harder. But I couldn't get enough of him, my hands now moving up to tug on his stark white hair. His hands went lower though, getting a hold of my ass. This only made my blush more. And finally, oxygen was too precious to be apart from. We pulled away, and Soul leaned toward my ear.
"I love you," he whispered. I was speechless, wanting to say the words back to him, but too overcome with everything to say so.
Finally, "I love you, too," I say aloud back to him, "I love you, too."
And I look into his eyes, seeing this certain softness, an expression new to me. This adoring aura that surrounds it bathes me in a feeling of being loved, which I return in a heartbeat. I never would've imagined that this birthday would come with such a twist. Soul continues to cut the cake, and we eat. Of course, just like its looks, the cake was mediocre.
But that piece of that simpleton desert seemed to be the best birthday cake I ever had.
Thank you for reading 'Slipped His Mind'. In case you didn't read the author's note at the top, I'd like to remind you all that this is a one shot, so don't expect any more chapters or a sequel. It's just a little story I wrote just write something. Feel free to read my other fanfictions.
PLEASE REVIEW! I would love to hear all feedback whether it's your opinion on the writing or some advice. I love getting hearing what readers have to say to help me improve!
Also, I thank everyone in advance if you choose to favorite, review, etc. It means a lot. Thank you!
-Zu
