Author's Notes- Here's the first chapter of this silly thing... and a few hours early, even! I figured- it's the 27th in Europe already, right? Might as well.
❅ Chapter 1 ❅
It was a drive of just over eleven hours from Death City to Aspen, and they had taken it in one straight shot. Maka wasn't entirely sure how to feel about the fact that Tsubaki had driven. On the one hand, it was definitely better than letting Black*Star behind the wheel of his hulking, neon blue SUV, because he had road rage of the absolute worst kind. On the other hand, the fact that Black*Star wasn't focused on driving meant that he was free to focus on other things. Things like consuming an obscene amount of junk food and talking even louder and faster than normal.
She wasn't sure if it was a good thing or bad thing that his favored subject for monologuing had switched from his godly self to the magnificence that was his longstanding relationship with Tsubaki. The three-year anniversary of their first kiss, he informed them (fifteen times), was coming up in four days.
Maka didn't even have to look at her partner to know he was getting a headache just from listening to him.
"It's a left turn right up here and then about three miles off the highway. No way you can miss it," the aforementioned partner informed Tsubaki, leaning up into the front seat to point out the turnoff.
"Thanks, Soul," she replied, with the most fleeting glance out of the corner of her eye to flash him a sweet smile, taking the turn smoothly.
As Soul settled back into his seat, Maka turned to look at him thoughtfully. "You're absolutely sure we're all going to be able to fit?" she asked him. It wasn't the first time she'd asked since he'd suggested using his family's cabin, and she was pretty sure he was getting annoyed with the question, but she couldn't help it. With the whole of Spartoi in on this getaway, she couldn't picture all of them being able to fit in a single cabin.
The death scythe rolled his eyes. "For the eighth time, yes, I'm sure. A couple of people are gonna have to bunk together, but the lovebirds up there-" He jerked a thumb in the direction of Black*Star and Tsubaki, the former of whom was making besotted doe-eyes at his weapon to a frankly sickening degree. "-were gonna be sharing a bed anyway, and I don't think the Thompsons or Fire and Thunder will mind sharing. Trust me, when my parents bought this place, they were planning on being able to entertain pretty much everybody important they know. They're like that."
Maka frowned, but supposed that he would know better than she would. "Alright, if you say so."
"I do say so. Geez, I spent at least two weeks here every winter until I was twelve, I think I know how many people it can fit."
Conceding his point, Maka sat back in her seat and returned to gazing out the window with no small amount of excitement. The winding road outside the car was lined with a dense forest of pine and spruce trees, with the mountain they were currently driving up rising dramatically beyond them against a white-grey sky. True to form, wintertime in the Rocky Mountains had afforded them a thick blanket of fluffy white snow that coated every branch of the trees and piled up in drifts well over three feet deep in places on the ground. The latest snowstorm had been long enough ago that the roads had been cleared, but the private drive leading up to the Evans family cabin had not, so Tsubaki was driving very carefully to avoid sliding off the road entirely.
They drove the last couple miles in silence. Or at least, relative silence. Black*Star still hadn't shut up, but after so many hours in a confined space with him, his jabbering had become basically white noise to the other three.
The beautiful thing about Black*Star, Maka reflected, is that you don't actually have to listen to him. That particular piece of wisdom was probably the only reason Black*Star had survived their shared childhood. He would sometimes demand attention, but more often than not you could just tune him out and occasionally nod, especially if Tsubaki was around because she actually listened to him.
Finally, Tsubaki rounded the final turn and the Evans' private ski cabin emerged from behind a thick stand of white pines.
Maka's eyes widened.
Black*Star broke off in the middle of his sentence to blurt out, "Holy shit! Soul, I thought you said your parents had a ski cabin, not a ski mansion!"
Although she didn't say as much, Maka privately agreed with the ninja's assessment. At the very least, "lodge" would probably be a better term than "cabin." As Soul directed Tsubaki around the narrow drive from the front of the house to the back where the parking spaces were, she could keep from gaping a little bit. It was primarily a large A-frame building two stories tall, simple in design except for the fact that the front wall was entirely glass, allowing an unobstructed view out of the house and straight down the mountainside. However, that wasn't the extent of it. There was also a second wing of the lodge extending from the east wall which Maka assumed, based on what she could see through the glass of the A-frame, was where the bedrooms were housed. As they drove around the back and parked, Maka saw that, because the house was built on a slope, from the back it only appeared one storey tall, with the bottom floor underground.
The four of them unfolded themselves from the SUV, sinking into the thick snow as their joints creaked and popped from many hours spent cramped up in the confined space. They retrieved their bags from the back of the vehicle and waded through the snow to the door, which Soul unlocked before stepping aside to let them enter ahead of him. Black*Star scampered in first, and they could hear indistinguishable but clearly excited shouting from inside.
Before Tsubaki could pass Soul, he caught her by the elbow. "Could you try to control him, please?" he begged. "I personally don't give a shit if he breaks everything in the house, but I'd rather not have to deal with my parents if he does."
"Don't worry, Soul-kun," Tsubaki said with a reassuring smile. "I have a lot of practice with making Black*Star behave himself."
And, Maka guessed as she entered the house close behind the shadow weapon, the fact that Tsubaki could now hold sex over Black*Star's head probably didn't hurt his self-control either.
The inside of the Evans' lodge was appropriate for a mountainside getaway, all white maple-wood and moose- and pine-themed decorations of the kind one might expect of a backwoods cabin. It wasn't extravagant except in terms of sheer size, but it had clearly been designed and decorated with comfort in mind. Maka discovered upon a little looking around that the open floor plan of the A-frame contained a tidy kitchen and sizable dining room on the first floor. In the middle of the space was an open spiral staircase leading up to the second floor.
Black*Star came sliding down the railing of the staircase, landing heavily at the bottom. He wore an enormous grin on his face and he bounded eagerly up to Soul. "Dude, you didn't tell me you were loaded!"
Soul stared impassively at his friend. "Black*Star, I'm not rich. My family is. Not me."
"Whatever, man. This place is fuckin' sweet."
"Yeah well don't get too comfortable, man. I don't plan on making a habit out of asking my family to use their stuff," the white-haired boy said, expression still blank.
Maka wandered away, ignoring the disappointed whining noises Black*Star was making. She ascended the spiral staircase, poking her head up through the floor of the second storey.
The upper floor of the A-frame was devoted to a single large lounge room. On the east wall beside the door that led to the second wing of the lodge was a large wood-burning fireplace which, upon closer inspection, proved to be double sided. Peering through the grate, Maka determined that on the other side of the wall was the master bedroom. The fireplace was surrounded by a well-matched assortment of cushy sofas and large stuffed chairs. The room also featured a large flat screen television and a billiards table. The view out the window-wall was magnificent.
Maka whistled low under her breath. Black*Star had it right. This wasn't the kind of place a middle-class family could afford, especially not just as a seasonal getaway. Soul had never spoken much about his family even to her, but she had been able to deduce from what little he had said (not to mention a few quirks of his own he probably wasn't aware of) that his parents were well-off. She had never imagined anything like this, however.
At that moment, Tsubaki emerged up the staircase. Soul was right behind her, helping her carry the other half of her and Black*Star's luggage. "I figure you guys can have the master bedroom," Soul was saying, "since you've been together the longest and, I dunno, isn't there some kind of seniority about that?"
Tsubaki laughed lightly. "I don't think so. And besides, haven't Kim and Ox technically been together longer?"
Soul snorted. "Are we talking before or after the six times they've broken up?"
"Seven, actually."
"Whatever. You and 'Star take the master bedroom anyway. It's ri-"
Abruptly, he was pushed heavily aside by Black*Star, who streaked past him to reach Tsubaki. "Here, let me carry those!" Black*Star shouted in a tense voice, yanking the suitcases from his girlfriend's hands.
Tsubaki gave him a very strange look. "It's alright, Black*Star, I can carry my own bag."
He shook his head firmly, both of her bags in one hand and his other arm sneaking around Tsubaki's waist. "No, I'll do it," he said, calming. Turning to look at Soul, who was rubbing his shoulder where Black*Star had shoved him and glaring, he said, "Soul, my man, what was it you were saying about the bedroom?"
Soul rolled his eyes, but guided them into the other part of the house. Shortly after they disappeared, Maka heard the creak of a door, and then Soul said, "The bed should already be made, 'cause Wes called the guy to come out and open up the house last week, but if you need anything, just let me know."
A slight grin crept across Maka's face. She was always terribly amused when her weapon slipped into hospitality mode. It didn't happen very frequently, because a good ninety-seven percent of the time Soul couldn't give less of a crap about formality and his idea of being a good host was usually to tell anyone who crossed their threshold that there was soda in the fridge if they wanted it. Every so often, however, some particular circumstance would set him off and as if a switch had been flipped he would bustle around fussing like a housewife. It was absolutely adorable, not that she ever planned on telling him that.
There were a lot of things Soul did that she felt fell into the "adorable" category, truth be told. He tried so hard to pretend that he was a real hard-boiled tough guy, and for a short time at the beginning of their partnership, Maka had bought the act. However, it hadn't taken her too long to start to see through the cool facade and discover the gentle-hearted, always thoughtful, occasionally awkward weirdo he really was. Soul was definitely cool, but he was so many other things underneath the surface, and discovering him slowly over the years had been the best part of their school years by far. He was a strange blend of sweet and sour, idiot and genius, and the combination made her heart do funny things.
Not that she planned on doing anything about it, because even if Soul was receptive to the idea- which she sometimes suspected he was- she knew all too well that introducing a romantic aspect to weapon/meister relationships couldn't end well. All apologies to Tsubaki and Black*Star, of course. But Maka cared deeply for Soul and enjoyed their current relationship far too much to risk it.
It was getting dark by the time the final car-full of people pulled up. Kid and the Thompsons had arrived not long after Soul, Maka, Tsubaki, and Black*Star, but once they had gotten settled into their respective rooms, the seven of them found they had a bit of a wait on their hands for the other half of their group. Only a handful of texts from Kilik and Jackie kept them from worrying that something had happened on the road.
As it was, they gathered in the sitting room on the second floor and enjoyed each others' company while they waited. It had been too long since they'd all had a break together, especially now that Kid had taken the title of Shinigami-sama, and it was refreshing to be able to relax and just hang out together like they had done when they were younger, before the war against Asura had changed their lives. Liz beat each and every one of them at pool, which put a self-satisfied swagger in her step for hours and put Black*Star in a foul mood until Tsubaki distracted him with kisses that had everyone politely averting their eyes. Once the group had officially thrown in the towel and admitted that nobody could beat her, even with Kid's superhuman eye for angles, Patti had broken out the collection of board games she'd brought with her and coaxed Kid and the girls into a rousing round of Chutes and Ladders. They put on Christmas carols in the background, and with the light snow still falling outside visible through the window wall, it was altogether a festive gathering. Soul even made cocoa- the real stuff, not the powdered kind.
Maka was pleased to see him bustling around the kitchen pouring a ridiculous amount of milk into a pan for the cocoa, because Soul only volunteered for stuff like that when he was in a good mood. She knew he'd been apprehensive about bringing them here, probably because his relationship with his family still wasn't the best, but the fact that he was as cheerful as the rest of them was a good sign. Sometimes Soul was a little too stuck in his head for his own good. Spending time with their friends was good for him, she thought, and as she watched him distributing steaming mugs with a pleased smile on his face, it warmed something deep inside her. He was so different than he had been when they first met! He was still introverted, which was fine, and he usually preferred to listen rather than speak himself, but his reclusive tendencies and defensiveness had faded over the years. It also helped that his self-conscious-pubescent-male posturing had subsided dramatically as he got more comfortable in his own skin.
Watching him like this, almost grown up, smiling and joking with their other friends, Maka felt a surge of profound pride in her weapon. It was a similar feeling to what she'd felt on the day of Kid's enthronement as she'd watched him play for all of Death City to hear. She leaned her cheek against the back of the couch and smiled warmly as she savored the feeling as it melded together with the contentment of being together with their friends and a certain flavor of holiday cheer.
From downstairs, a knock on the door could faintly be heard, and Soul went clattering down the stairs to answer it.
A few moments later he emerged again, leading the rest of Spartoi, all wrapped heavily in winter gear and laden with bags. He began directing them to bedrooms, calling down the stairs to inform Kilik that he and the twins had adjoining rooms on the first floor, down the hall from Liz and Patti. Kilik could be heard voicing his understanding faintly from downstairs.
"If you need any help finding the right room just yell," Soul called down, shifting the suitcase he was carrying to his other hand. "I'll get everybody situated up here."
"How was the drive?" Liz asked Jackie.
The lantern weapon gave an obviously forced smile. "It was good. I mean, Harvar took the wrong highway out of DC and ended up in Albuquerque and had to swing back north, which is why it took us an extra six hours to get here, but other than that we didn't have any trouble. Except, um-"
"Soul," Ox Ford said loudly, "I hate to be a bother but I'm going to have to ask you to rearrange the room assignments."
"Uh, why?" Soul asked, looking mildly peeved.
"Kim and I have parted ways and no longer wish to share a room," he said bluntly, turning a sour look on the pink-haired witch standing by Soul's elbow.
"Except that," Jackie whispered, just low enough that the preoccupied ex-lovers wouldn't hear her. "I think it happened this morning. They were sniping at each other the whole drive." She shuddered visibly.
Maka, Liz, Tsubaki, and Kid made sympathetic faces. Patti probably would have as well, but she was too busy arm-wrestling Black*Star for the last of the cocoa.
"Yeah, uh, I guess I can figure something out," Soul said, ignoring the side conversation. "Tell you what, we can put you down on the first floor with Harvar. There's a rollaway bed in that room, so you guys can share."
"That will be perfect, thank you," Ox said with a haughty little sniff in Kim's direction. Clutching his suitcase, he descended back downstairs to rejoin his weapon.
Seeing that Jackie was now absorbed in conversation with Liz, Soul shrugged and turned to Kim. "Anyway," he said a little awkwardly, "I guess the room up here's still yours then. I can show you where it is if you want?"
Kim nodded enthusiastically, plastering a bright smile onto her face and patting Soul's bicep. "Yes, and thank you so much for carrying my suitcase for me! I should've never packed more than I can carry with magic."
"Uh… yeah," Soul said blankly. "You're in the one at the end of the hall, between Kid and Jackie, so…" He led her away, with Kim still clinging a little too close to him.
From the hallway her voice could be heard echoing back as she chirped, "Wow, Soul, this place is huge, and so nice! Your parents must be really wealthy to afford a place like this!"
Maka stared at the dim doorway, eyes narrowed confusedly and with a slight weight of suspicious discomfort forming in her gut. Across the room, Jackie's eyes also rested on the doorway her meister had vanished through, before her gaze fell sadly to her lap and she nodded inattentively along to whatever Liz was saying.
Author's Notes- Voting is currently going on to make the final decision for themes for SoMa Week 2014 (dates tbd). If you would like to submit your vote, there is a link to the survey on my profile. Voting will be open until after New Year's, currently set to close on January 2nd. If you plan to participate in SoMa Week with art or fic, definitely vote, but even if you don't plan to contribute, your participation is still encouraged!
Official business aside, I hope you continue to enjoy this fic, and I would like to thank you for any feedback you have time or inclination to leave me!
