Nothing like a demeaning nickname to start off your day.
A/N: I'm going to just start knocking out prompts as I do my days because I'm productive and efficient :D This one is for actual princess Senwe, enjoy~
(Also, the lovelier dresses in the story are designed by kaitlinmarley cuz I'm trying to describe clothes better than I have done in the past)
Beware of TsuSoul friendshipness. This is a longer fic too because I skipped a few days for exams.
Friends were allowed to give each other nicknames right? BlackStar went by BlackStar. Tsubaki could be shortened to 'Baki. Liz and Patty were originally Elizabeth and Patricia. Death the Kid became Kiddo. Soul Eater. But what about Maka?
From the time he was young, Soul had been searching for a nickname for his partner. Wouldn't it be fun to have one? And didn't close friends give each other fun names? Coming from a society where people resigned themselves to "Mr"s and "Miss"es, there wasn't anything more exciting than this. However, he found that giving a nickname to Maka was the most difficult thing, ever.
There weren't many nicknames that he could use like "sweetheart" or "darling" without getting an injury. "Honey" and "babe" made them sound like a couple. "Boss" and "ma'am" made her sound like a Mafia lord, not his Maka. Her name was already short enough to go without cutting it more, and what variation of "Maka" would exist that would sound better than her name?
When they first moved in with each other, Soul tried to use nicknames like "shorty" and "pigtails", but she didn't take his teasing, let alone acknowledge him. He said them casually, on the couch, from the bathroom, in the kitchen, but she would always pass him without a second glance. It was only after their workshop with Stein that he cut those words entirely from his vocabulary.
Maka was Maka, and that was that. No matter how many names he contemplated or tested, there wasn't a single nickname that felt right. In fact, was there a nickname that she didn't find vulgar and cringe worthy? He didn't find one until he tried again (with a little help) when they were fourteen.
He was on a shopping trip with Tsubaki, as strange as that sounded, because both their meisters were taking their usual Sunday afternoon to do what brothers and sisters did, aka it was a total mystery. Since they were both gone, their weapons decided to take the chance to secretly shop for special occasions, like a present for having the top grade in the class or a present for being the top ever. Clothing shopping was also something else that they did together because there was no way Maka or BlackStar had any fashion sense to spare. They had been in a higher end boutique, searching for dresses that suited Tsubaki, when Soul brought up his nicknaming issues.
Tsubaki was in the dressing room, admiring her body in a simple long sleeve, lavender dress that hung off one shoulder. A layer of black lace laid over the lavender, swirling in floral patterns but made the brightness of the purple easier to look at. It was plain and asymmetric, but did wonders to help her minimize her breasts and to bring out the lower part of her body. The mermaid design hugged her thighs and flared out at her knees, creating an illusion that she was taller than she already was.
"You're right, Soul. It's comfortable and I like the color, but I don't think it's suitable for academy parties. It's more of a cocktail dress." She transformed into a smoke bomb, becoming small enough to roll away from the dress, and reformed back into a person. She bent over to retrieve it from the ground to rehang, still pleasantly shocked that Soul was able to figure out her size and pick out dresses in accordance to her requests. The last three had been equally gorgeous but not quite what she wanted to bring home to BlackStar to see.
"Try this one." A darker violet was emerged from the other side of the door, followed by an ombre into indigo, then to admiral blue.
Her fingers ran down the dress first to feel the softness of the material, grazing over the glittery gold specks that peppered the lower half. "It feels soft enough… but doesn't it look a little plainer than the last one?"
A sniff came from the other side. "Just try it on before you judge it, Baki."
She did just that. Her quick hands zipped down the side of the dress and she wiggled into it, legs first. As she pulled it over her waist, she saw a flash of gold in the mirror from the side of her eye. The top was decorated with more golden designs but they looked like petals that bloomed from something mystical. The gown itself was strapless, still covering her breasts in a modest fashion but it accentuated her long proportions as well as the lavender one. She pulled the zipper up quickly, feeling it tighten over her chest and stomach and slimming her down just as Soul promised each of the dresses would do for her.
As she tied the sash behind her, Soul called out, "How is it? Still plain?"
Tsubaki unlocked the door and stepped out. She slowly twirled in front of Soul, feeling the fabric flow smoothly as it brushed against her legs. Her arms were spread out to test the limit of her reach; the strapless dress didn't slip at all. "This is perfect! It's more flashy than the others but I think I can wear this for any fancy occasion. I don't want it to drag on the ground though; it'd be a waste to get it dirty."
Soul nodded and leaned back on a leg, moving his arm to shifting a green dress from behind his shoulder. "You can wear the platform heels we bought last time at Deadlies. This dress is to show off your height anyway."
"The pink ones?"
"What people don't do enough is mix matching their outfits. If you tried blue or purple heels, that's nothing special. Now, pink or orange against this dress? It brings the wow factor."
"You're the master fashionista, Soul-fashionable (so fashionable)," she pffted. "I can't help you choose one for Maka since it's clear you already know which one to buy," she gestured to the dress hanging from a hooked finger, "but is there anything I can help to thank you?"
He shoved his open hand into his pants' pocket. "Nah, it's cool."
"Anything at all?"
"Well, there's one thing that's been on my mind all day…"
"Maka?" Tsubaki laughed as he sputtered denial. "Go on." She stepped back into the changing room and transformed into a smoke bomb, once again out of laziness, then back into a human. She brushed off the dress and hung it from the hanger that Soul passed her from below.
"You know how we call you 'Baki' sometimes, and how you just used 'Soul-fashionable'?"
"Mmhm."
"I was— I mean like— Well you see— Actually I don't know how to say it but…"
"Maka doesn't have a nickname."
She could almost see him throwing his hands up into the air— well, his fingertips poked above the door. "Yes! That! Nothing works for her. I've tried almost everything, even something silly like Maka-baka which almost got me wrecked."
"Maybe you're going on the right track, since she's half Japanese." Tsubaki stuck her feet back into her sneakers and knelt down to tie them, only to see that Soul was pacing back and forth from under the door. "I know you barely know any Japanese, but maybe that's a good idea?"
"Nothing works, I've tried 'master'—"
"Sounds suggestive."
"—'sugar plum'—"
"Gag worthy."
"—'Malpaca'—"
"Soul, why…"
"I don't know either. 'Princess'—"
"Ooo that one sounds cute, how did she react to it?"
"She snarled, doing the Maka trill, and told me to go die."
"That means she doesn't hate it!"
"Are we talking about the same Maka right now?"
The door swung open and Tsubaki came out with four dresses in one hand and her prize in the other. "I'm pretty sure we are. You may know her well, but she actually tells me things."
"Tch. Either way, she doesn't like it." Soul waited as Tsubaki handed the other dresses to the retailer, then they made their way to the cashier slowly.
"'Hime-sama', that's how you say 'princess' in Japanese."
He tested it in his mouth silently, then out loud. "How fast would I get Maka-chopped if I tested it on her tonight…"
"At a snail's pace if you said it while giving her that dress," she answered easily with a smile.
Soul twisted his arm to bring the dress in front of him. Tsubaki could already see Maka in it. The bottom was short but had some pouf, perfect for bringing all the attention to her long legs. The high collar would hug her neck snugly and the short sleeves matched her conservative style, at least when it came to the top of her body. The same dark green swirls covered both the chest area and the very bottom of the skirt over a leaf green sheer. The bodice was a similar shade of forest green as the swirls but it was speckled with gold glitter. Actually, there seemed to be traces of gold flecks everywhere, lining the collar and bottom of the skirt. At the waist, there was a small, light green bow.
She poked Soul, most likely bringing him back from also imagining Maka in the dress. "It's certainly princess-like, isn't it?"
"Whatever, I may or may not try it out."
"Just try it before you judge it?"
"We'll see."
He had barely enough time to wrap his gift in a box and fling it onto her bed before Maka came home, cutting it close to the time that Soul started to worry about curfew. She came in with Blair at her feet, carrying Chinese take out in her hands.
"Got the regular, plus I found Blair on my way back."
The cat strolled to the couch and jumped onto the arm, nestling herself into it. "Bu-tan saw something interesting on my way back, too." She slyly grinned in Soul's direction. "Bu-tan won't be sticking around tonight. The bob kitty down the street wants to share fish with Bu-tan tonight, and a little more."
Maka placed the cartons onto the table. "Please don't do it under my window this time, last time was terrifying."
"Bu-tan will make no promises." Both she and Soul watched Maka as she made her way to her room, pausing just before her reached to turn the doorknob.
"Please Blair, I don't need to hear that at three AM. Have fun." She disappeared into the darkness of her room and closed the door, clicking the light on.
Blair hopped onto Soul's shoulders to whisper, "Soul-kun spent quite the penny, does he have something planned tonight?"
"No! I mean, not what you think, but still no! Why would I have something—"
A nyan interrupted him and Blair jumped off, trotting to the door still ajar. "Bu-tan wishes Soulie good luck, ta-ta!" She was gone with a flick of her tail and echoing cackles down the hall.
Maka bursted into the kitchen seconds later, wearing the dress with excitement in her eyes. "Soul, it's so pretty! Can you zip me up?" She turned to reveal her bare back, brushing her hair to the front and away from her neck.
Soul bit his lip as he stepped closer. He held his breath as he pinched the bottom of the zipper, just above her butt, and dragged the tag up to the nape of her neck. She spun around immediately and stepped back, placing a hand on her hip and sticking her other hand into the air.
"How do I look? Like a model?"
"Like a freaking dorklord." Dammit, he missed his chance to say 'Hime-sama'.
"That's what I thought. But what's the occasion?"
He shrugged, turning to retrieve two plates from the cupboard. "One, you beat Ox again, so congrats."
"Naturally."
"Two, I was out with Tsubaki earlier today and it caught my eye."
She was walking back to her room, the sound of her footsteps were moving away from him. "And what good eyes you have, grandma."
"All the better to see you, hime-sama." Crap, his whole face felt hot. He looked up to see Maka's equally flustered face.
They both started to sputter and ramble about something at the same time, anything other than acknowledging what just came out of Soul's mouth.
"I went rock climbing with BlackStar—"
"I saw an old man wearing a maid outfit—"
"— we did a thing—"
"—yeah that was so weird—"
"—I pushed him off the side of the cliff—"
"—Tsubaki has a new blurple dress—"
"What the hell is blurple?"
"Blue and purple make blurple."
"No, blue and purple make a darker shade of purple."
"You know what, I don't even know— wait you pushed Star off the side of a cliff?!"
"We both know he has a hard head."
"Did he die?"
"Of course he did— No! Of course not! Who do you think I am?"
"I don't know, hime-sama, but you've probably killed him like twelve separate times today."
"I did— That's not— Why would I— No!"
She slammed the door of her room, only to silently come back out with her hair to the side. Soul looked away as he pulled the zipper back down, and she slammed the door once more.
'Hime-sama' slowly became part of their daily routine after that night. From teasing to arguments to light, sassy bickering, Soul abused his new found powers, resolving to make Maka blush at least once a day.
He tried to ease into the words during the first few weeks, testing the currents to see when he would be able to submerge himself into it. She had every chance to ignore him, to harangue his sudden need to irritate her, but she never showed discomfort towards her new nickname. No matter what the combination of words were, she still flushed at the start of the first syllable.
After the following weeks, she started to call him "ouji-sama" to counter him. Maka sneered the words to him, letting them hiss through her teeth like they were curses. She followed each phrase with a mischievous glint though, and he didn't find out about what the words meant he repeated them onto google translate. It was his turn to become flustered, because she'd called him a "prince." But his pursuit never faltered, and he never stuttered when he called her a princess. Pretty soon after that, they were the rulers of their own castle, not looking for someone to rule by their side, but someone to pass the time with.
"Hime-sama" and "Ouji-sama" indeed.
"Oii! Ouji-sama, pick up your trash in the living room. I'm not your maid and I swear something is starting to mold over there. It stinks." Maka held her nose, glaring down at Soul from the corner of her eye.
"What was that, Hime-sama? Maybe you should practice what you preach and take out your store-bought, strawberry tart before BlackStar comes over to pick you up. If there's one thing that stinks around here, it's that thing." Soul continued to flip through the channels on their TV, lips tucked in a huff.
He sifted through the few channels that they had, then again, and again. There was one thing that he wished he'd let Maka talk him into when they were first living together, and that was spending a little more cash a month for cable. As he resigned himself back to Netflix, Maka had walked back into the living room and perched on the armrest next to him.
"Where are you going this time? Skydiving?"
She grabbed the remote from his hands and started to skim through the anime category. "Underwater basket weaving. Don't look at me like that, it's pretty extreme."
"On which planet is "underwater basket weaving" a thing, is that even real?" Soul scoffed but he shoved his hand into his pocket for his phone. He turned away from Maka momentarily to hide his screen's background, which was a selfie of the two of them on their latest mission in the Alps, and shimmied back into position after tapping on the Safari app.
"It's a thing, Soul, and it's extremely extreme." Sure enough, it was a thing. "We're holding our breath and swimming laps as we do it. First to finish and go the farthest wins. First to resurface, fail at weaving, stops swimming, and finish last, while holding our standards, has to jump into a tank of sharks."
He grimaced and silently thanked to himself that he was sane, or at least more sane than these death children who happened to love to hang out with death. There were times when they went skateboarding or parachuting, which were the times that he wished he was included in their shenanigans, but there were also times when they did extremely dumb activities, like underwater basket weaving two point oh.
Half way through episode seven of Ouran High School Host Cub, BlackStar crashed through the window, hitting his head on the shatterproof window that Maka had installed months ago, and tumbling onto the floor.
"What's up, Hime-Sama! The dragon has arrived!"
Maka's pupils seemed to shrink and her irises became a lighter shade of her usual forest green. She tilted her head slowly to the side and she whispered, "What did you say?" Soul, himself, shrank from the very tone of her voice, her meister voice.
"I said the dragon has arrived, princess! Let's go, I can't wait to beat your shitty ass this time!" BlackStar had no idea that there was steam coming from her ears. The air became more dense as she slid off of the couch, making her way to where he was bouncing off the walls.
"Blake. We do not call me, Maka, a princess—"
"Soul does that all the time, come on let's get—"
"Blake. We do not call me, Maka, a princ—"
"Yes, yes, ok can we g—"
"Blake. You. Do. Not. Call. Me. Maka. Fucking. Albarn. A. Hime-Sama."
His knees started to tremble. "Sor—"
"Blake. I raise the stakes of our challenge. If either of us loses, we jump into a volcano on our next mission."
"Wah—"
"If you lose, you are going to jump into an active, erupting volcano."
"Him— Maka, are you al—"
"Fire can not kill a dragon, or are you just talking shit."
She pressed her chest against him, backing him up against the wall. BlackStar was visible melting under her unwavering resolve and he looked ready to throw himself at her feet. Maka slammed her forehead against him and repeated her newest addition to their contest. There was nothing he could've done but to agree, and so he did.
When Maka stepped back, he fell to his hands and feet, shivering.
She turned to Soul, who had abandoned the TV to slink behind the side of couch, watching them with wide eyes. He couldn't see the malice that radiated from her, and couldn't imagine the terror she promised in her eyes as she cornered BlackStar, but at least it wasn't him who was the target. The smile that Maka gave him as she bundled the back of BlackStar's shirt in her fist was horrifying.
"Well Ouji-sama, we're going out now! Enjoy the end of the pool episode! We're having our own splash today. It's going to be a real splash." She waved at him as she dragged BlackStar behind her, picking up her bag on the way out. "Bye! We'll be back after dark, way past dark. Don't wait up."
"B-b-bye, Ma—"
"Hime-sama."
"G-good bye, H-Hime-sama."
She gave him one final nod, and shut the door softly behind her. May the gods be with BlackStar.
Prompt from Senwe: Person A having a cute nickname for Person B, which is actually embarrassingly silly (muppet, stud-muffin, marshmallow, idk). Person C, a friend, clearly doesn't know that Person B only allows Person A to call them by that, and one day learns the dire consequences.