Chapter 2: Don't Kill Caesar

A/N: Here is the second chapter of my Butler AU. Thank you to sojustifiable for betaing this thing for me, and I hope y'all like it. Reviews are very much appreciated!

The drive up to the Albarn family home wasn't as long or tedious as most estates Soul had been to before. Their driveway was shorter than the standard that was found in Vermont where his parents lived, and their land didn't seem to be as large either. If he had to guess, it was probably only about five acres or so, but nothing more than that. The house itself it was different than what he had seen in the past as well. There was no fountain or extravagant landscape for visitors and passersby to gawk at. Nor was the architecture of the home complex, gaudy, or excessive.

It was a simple two story house with a two car garage and a guest house in the back. He had to give the family props for not splurging on their money like so many people in the past had done before. Not once had Soul seen a family that encountered new money survive for so long. There had always been a point in their new fortune that they spiraled out of control and made expenses that were unnecessary, but the Albarn family was different. They had secured their money for the last ten years, and were doing well for themselves.

He was impressed, to say the least.

"Hi," came the familiar cheery voice from the interview.

Soul turned around from his spot in the middle of the foyer to see the girl from the day before, Maka Albarn if he remembered correctly. Her hair was tied up in high ponytail rather than the pigtails he had first seen her wearing. They had given her disposition a friendlier, more innocent feel, but today he felt a more professional vibe radiating off her.

"I'm glad you were able to make it. Soul Evans, right?"

"Yeah," he grunted.

Clearing his throat, he reminded himself that he needed this job to help Wes out and prove that he wasn't a lazy ass who mooched off his brother. There was no way he was going to be fired, not for being a huge dick with a stick up his ass who thought he was better than a butler job.

No, that wasn't how Soul did things.

"I mean yes, but you could call me Soul. No Mister Evans or any sh-." He caught himself midway and back tracked, pulling up the old Evans family charm he had diminished years ago. "Or anything like that; I'm not really the formal type."

Maka's brows scrunched up in confusion, but if she had caught what he was going to say, she didn't comment on it.

"Right. Well this is a butler job, and sometimes Papa likes to refer to Blair as Miss Davis rather than her first name, especially at parties. So the formality will have to be tolerated at some points. Is that okay with you, Mister Evans?"

Soul flinched slightly.

She said the name like it was poison dripping from her lips, trying to kill him with the courtliness of his name, but he swallowed his pride to embrace the culture he had left behind. He ignored the crippling fear that clawed at the back of his mind, that reminded him of times he'd rather forget. He was doing this for his brother, and he refused to fail.

Nodding, he said, "Yes, I can handle that if I need to."

"Good." Her eyes trailed down his body as she took in his appearance, and he caught the slight arch of her brow. "You clean up very nice, I see. The suit looks good on you. Fits you very nicely compared to what I've seen past butlers try to pull off. I approve."

"Thank you," he said as he returned her smile.

It was an expensive suit, that cost a pretty penny, that he had only worn once to his brother's violin performance the year prior; one that his father had paid to have hand tailored especially for him as a graduation gift years ago.

"Shall we begin the tour then?"

"Yes. That would be great."

Motioning for him to follower her, she showed him around the main house. Maka led him around the first floor and pointed out key places he'd be working while Soul made mental notes of the things she was saying. He tried to make a mental map of the house, where each of the rooms were, and how anal her dad was about cleaning since he was technically his boss. But it was difficult without the man there to dictate him. It was hard conjuring up a mental image of someone he barely knew, let alone trying to decide how ruthless he was.

Though, based on the standard of living around him, and the light dust still present on some of the furniture, Soul guessed he wasn't that strict.

The portion of the main house he was going to be working in was mostly the upstairs near the area that Maka's old room still remained. Most of her personal belongings were still there, while the rest resided in the guest house, and the other side was reserved for Blair. She was the only one allowed to touch Spirit Albarn's belongings, but there were going to be times when Soul's help was going to be needed with other things. According to Maka, he was also required to help with family meals and dinner parties when they occurred.

The guest house - where Maka had moved by request of her father - was down a paved path outside of the house that wound down a small hill. Compared to the main house, it wasn't as large and didn't have as many rooms. There were two stories to it as well with the top floor reserved mostly for the bedroom and bathroom while the bottom floor held a small kitchen area and living room. It was a nice and cozy home, but what Soul found the most peculiar were the paintings that hung behind the television.

One was a painting of a demonic moon with blood dripping from it's mouth, and the one next to it was a sun that seemed to be laughing jollily at an unknown source. They definitely stood out against the pinks and purples and greens in the room, and with the sun shining in through the window, it gave an eerie feeling to the bubbly personality of the rest of the home.

"Well," Maka said as she clapped her hands and turned around, "that's the end of the tour. Did you have any questions?"

"Nope. I'm good." His eyes drifted over toward the paintings, and he took a step toward them. "Actually, what's up with these paintings?" At her confused look, he quickly added, "Because they don't seem to fit the rest of the house."

"They were a gift from one of Papa's friends, and I really like them so brought them over from the main house."

She sounded slightly guarded as she said this. Her arms pulled up to cross in front of her chest, and Soul made a mental note to not ask again.

"Was that all?"

"Uh, yeah - I mean yes. That was the only question I had."

"Glad to hear that. Now if you'll follow me, Papa wants to meet and speak to you privately."

His reverie was thrown by her statement and he whirled around to stare at her. "What? Privately?"

"Mhm. It's standard for everyone who's hired to meet with him. Even though you're working under me, Papa's still your boss who'll be paying you so it's good to make a good impression with him. That won't be a problem, will it?"

"No. It's perfectly fine."

"Excellent." Soul caught the faint line of a smirk cross her lips. "I suggest you don't pull the bullshit you did with me during our interview with him."

"Right. Of course."

"So are you ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be." Which wasn't ready at all.

"Good. If you'll follow me, I'll show you to Papa's study."

Leading him out of the guest house, Maka led him back toward the main house, through the kitchen, the foyer, and down a hall off the east wing of the house. She stopped in front of a dark wood door that was across from where his interview had been conducted. Her smile was pleasant, kind, as she wrapped her hand around the doorknob, but there was a small glint in her eyes that told him her intentions were anything but that. His stomach churned with dread while his hands went cold and sweaty. He tried to ignore the feelings and pretend they were for something else, but he was unable to shake them off.

"Good luck," she said.

There was a cheerful ring to it that helped calm his nerves, but something still felt off as she closed the door and held his gaze over her shoulder as he crossed the threshold.

Soul had only heard about Spirit Albarn from what his brother had told him. According to Wes, Spirit had placed a large investment in a company called Death Enterprise when his daughter was born. After some years it had grown into an international business, but it wasn't until about eight years after the investment proved to be beneficial that he finally came in contact with his fortune. Then he moved his family out to one of the richest neighborhoods in Connecticut after branching out in the area and being placed as head of the new location.

Somewhere in there he had also experienced a nasty divorce where his wife left him, the country, and their daughter.

The picture his brother drawn for him of the man had been someone who was a laidback man and had come into money by accident. But as Soul stared at the man before him, Spirit Albarn was anything but that.

He sat as his desk in a fashion that reminded Soul of Vito Corleone; the only thing missing was a cat sitting on his lap. Spirit's eyes were closed, hands folded together as he rested his chin on top, with the sun shining behind him casting his face in shadows. It was a sinister and evil image, and Soul's heart rate only increased by the minute. Swallowing the fear down, he tried to calm his nerves and stood straighter as he hoped to give off a good first impression.

"You're Soul Evans, the boy my precious daughter hired?"

Dull blue eyes opened and trained on Soul, and he felt himself become far too aware of his own movements, which led him to overthink the smallest of things. He self-consciously smoothed out wrinkles on his suit that weren't there, and intertwined his fingers behind his back. It was difficult for him to fight against the urge to stuff them in his pockets and slouch, but he did it.

"Yes, sir."

"It's nice to finally meet you. Wish I had been there to oversee your interview, but I was working yesterday and left it up to Maka." Spirit leaned back in his chair and smiled. "You're here now, though, so we can cover some ground rules about working in my house."

There was a short pause between them before Soul realized the man was waiting for him to respond.

"And what are those ground rules?" Soul asked.

"The first rule," Spirit began, numbering the rules off his fingers, "is to not touch my daughter in any way. You're working for us. There won't be any trying to get into Maka's pants or anything like that. I know how boys your age are. I was one a long time ago, and I remember all the perverted thoughts I had. So stay away from Maka, or I'll have you castrated. Is that clear?"

"Don't worry, sir. I won't touch your daughter."

Spirit's eyes squinted at him, there was a hint of anger in his blue eyes, but if he had another comment, he didn't say it. "That's good to hear. The second rule is that you are to arrive here promptly at eight in the morning to begin your daily work. Blair will have your list for the day and you'll be reporting to her before you leave for the day so she can check that you cleaned well. Consider her your supervisor for this job."

"Which leads us to the third rule: Maka and I are your bosses, and if we ask you to do something, you do it. It doesn't matter if you're already doing something, you are to stop and perform our task. Understood?"

"I understand." Soul nodded.

"Right. Good." Spirit shifted through some papers on his desk. After finding the one he was looking for, he slid it out. "That's all the rules for now. I'm sure you'd like to know when you get paid and how much."

His eyes fell back on Soul before he giving him the financial portion of his job, and the other expectations they had of him. There were also some legal forms he had to fill out, but Soul's meeting with Spirit didn't last longer than about half an hour. He left the room feeling a little easier than before, calmer. Spirit hadn't been the hardass Soul believed he was at first, and had loosened up closer to the end. He still felt the superior, sophisticated air that swarmed Spirit, but behind it he sensed a more relaxed one as well.

In the end, he still felt intimidated by Spirit Albarn.

Closing the door behind him, Soul released a sigh of relief and stretched out his back. He was one step closer to ridding himself of the suit and tie getup, escaping from the confines of his outfit, and he slouched a little as he scratched the back of his neck. It was utter hell falling back into the manners he had abandoned long ago, but it was for Wes. He was doing this for his brother.

"How did it go?" Maka asked as she popped up behind him, startling Soul.

He stood up straighter once again and composed himself into the bored, uncaring mood he usually carried before turning around. "It went well."

"Papa didn't tear your head off because you're a guy, did he?"

"Um, no. He was pretty okay with me working here"

She nodded and pursed her lips. "That's good to hear. So I guess you'll be starting work tomorrow?"

"Yep."

"Great." Her smile was sweet, but a gleam in her eyes said she was anything but sweet. "I'll see you here bright and early, and hope you'll do a wonderful job."

"Thanks," he said. Turning around, he left the house and drove back home feeling a little more confident, and a little more uncertain.

A week passed by, and Soul was helping Blair cook dinner by cutting carrots.

"Oh, are we having steamed carrots and broccoli with steak again?" Maka asked, surprising both of them.

"Mhm," Blair hummed. "Your dad requested especially for you."

"That's great." Maka trailed off and smiled. "It smells really good so far."

"Thank you."

Maka turned her gaze to Soul who she noted was staring very carefully at the vegetables he was cutting, the knife slicing them slowly. Looking back at him, she saw the concentration etched in his face. His brows were furrowed, lips sucked in, and she swore he wasn't breathing. It was a little endearing, probably his first time cutting anything in his entire life. Her smile grew.

"Don't mess up with those veggies," she sangsong. Soul's gaze quickly flew to her and back to the task in front of him. "Papa would really hate if they aren't to his liking. Might yell at you. Who knows really?"

He caught the sly smile and knew she was lying, but played her game anyways. Soul had caught on early that she didn't want him there as much as he didn't really care to be. It was no surprise really why she had hired him above everyone else who had been eager and more fit for the job, according to Blair.

"Don't worry," he said. He dropped the carrots into the saucepan, that was smeared with butter already, before pulling the head of broccoli toward him. "My brother taught me to cook when I was little so I know what I'm doing. Just trying to make things perfect."

Her slight pout was adorable, and the fallen look on her face was laughable. But he controlled himself.

"That's good to hear. I'll leave you two alone, then."

Soul listened for the door to swing close before asking Blair, "She doesn't like me much, does she?"

There was a small hesitance before the maid spoke. "No, she does; Maka just takes some time to warm up to people. She'll come around. I promise."

"Yeah, I hope so. I'd really rather not lose this job. I kinda need the money right now." He flinched slightly, dropping his guard for a second, but Blair didn't comment on it.

"Spirit is a better man than you'd expect, and he really appreciates having you here. I've been putting in a good word for you, telling him how wonderful you've been with helping me. He isn't going to fire you."

"Thanks, Blair."

His heart warmed at the sincerity in her voice and the corner of his mouth twitched.

Two weeks, he was dusting the furniture in their living room while Spirit read the morning paper.

Maka pressed her lips together and narrowed her eyes as she watched him move the duster over one of their family heirlooms. The feathers lightly curved over the small ballerina knick knack, Soul's gaze lazy and relaxed as he did so. It irked Maka to see him standing there so casually, as if he were a part of the home decor, how he didn't bother to greet her as she walked or anything. She glared daggers into his back before steeling her facial features and walking over toward him.

"Hey Soul," she said in her most cheerful voice.

Soul's turned bored eyes to her, nodded, and resumed his dusting. "Hello Miss Albarn. How are you today?"

His tone was professional, charming, and he didn't speak with the same conviction as he did during their interview only a couple weeks ago. It was confusing, to say the least. Where was the boy that slouched when he sat? The boy who was limp and stoic and didn't care about a single thing? Where did he disappear to? Because whoever this new person was, it definitely wasn't the same Soul Evans she had interviewed.

Throwing a quick glance over to her dad, Maka smirked and played casual as she crossed her arms and stared up at the butler. "Did I ever tell you your eyes looked glazed over and really droopy. Almost like you were high or something." She giggled. "But that would be ridiculous! You wouldn't come to work high, would you Soul?"

Soul threw a panicky look over his shoulder at Spirit who was still reading the newspaper, not listening to his daughter as she accused him of being high. He knew he never should have mentioned that little tidbit during the interview, and now he was regretting it. It had been a joke, something he had said to make sure he didn't get the job. But now that he was here working for the Albarn family, of course it was going to backfire on him. Of course Maka was going to use it against him. She had been trying to get him fired since day one.

Maka was a little shit sometimes.

"Huh," he started, "no. I don't do that, ma'am."

He turned and glared down at the pint sized girl, hoping his look was menacing enough to scare her, but she didn't back up or cower like he was used to.

"Now if you'll excuse me I need to finish cleaning."

"Does that mean you're hungover? Had a heavy night of drinking?" she challenged, not bothering to move out of his way.

"I'm sorry, but I don't do things like that in my spare time. I think you may have gotten the wrong perception of me during our interview." He tried to emphasis his words with a low growl, a warning, but she still ignored him.

"I highly doubt that, because I'm sure it was you who had told me that, unless I'm mistaken of course."

"Mistress," he said lowly, "if that were true, then why did you hire me?" She opened her mouth to refute his claim, closed it, puffed out her cheeks, and scowled at the ground. He smirked and nodded, knowing when the battle was over. "You see my point. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to finish cleaning your house."

The piercing look she threw him stabbed his back, but he ignored it as he walked out of the room. He noted that Spirit was wearing earphones so didn't hear the little exchange Soul had with his daughter, and he was forever grateful for it.

Three weeks in he was helping serve dinner while she and Spirit sat across from each other.

She watched as he placed a plate in front of her papa and another in front of her, filled his glass with wine and hers with diet soda before heading back into the kitchen. Spirit asked her about how her day went, Maka mumbled a generic reply that didn't really have anything to do with her at all. It was the most typical dinner in the Albarn family. The only difference was that her papa was there instead of spending another late night at his office, leaving her to eat alone.

When Soul came back out to clear up the table, she saw her chance and took it. Her dad was leaning back in his chair rubbing his slightly larger belly, and complementing the butler on how well he and Blair cooked that night. Her gaze followed Soul as he walked around the table to her side, gave him a small smile when he reached for her plate, but surprised him when she handed him her plate herself, touching his fingers with hers as she did so.

"It was really great, Soul. Thank you," she said.

From the corner of her eye she saw Blair exit the kitchen, the desert in hand, and Maka quickly debated on continuing her faux flirting or not. Nothing passed Blair. Nothing. She was more than positive she'd know exactly what Maka was up to, especially since the maid had been watching her more carefully than normal.

Licking her lips, she chanced the risk.

"You're really cute. Did you know that?" she asked Soul while brushing a finger along the length of his, relishing in the reaction she pulled from him.

Soul had been startled when Maka first interlocked her fingers with his. His body tensed up at the new sensation, but his heart had fallen into it like the hopeless romantic that he was - though, he didn't feel anything like that for her. Then when she continued to touch him, he became a little ticked off by it. If this was her way of playing nice with him, he wasn't having any of it.

Glancing down at her, Soul pulled his best intimidating face and lowered his voice as he growled, "Either this is sexual harassment, or you're trying to get me fired again. It isn't gonna work, Miss Albarn."

She blinked those doe-like eyes up at him as she feigned innocence. "What are you talking about, Mister Evans? I'm just giving you a compliment."

"Maka, please get your hand off me before I sue you for sexual harassment," he said bluntly.

"Fine," she pouted, and removed her hand from his.

He moved to the other side of her, threw a quick look at Spirit as he talked to Blair and thanked the heavens that he hadn't noticed anything. But the slight twinkle in the maid's cat-like eyes told him she had. Soul was going to have some explaining to do once they were back in the kitchen.

"I know you've been trying to get me fired, but it isn't going to work," he whispered while grabbing her glass and refilling it - the plate sitting on the table in front of him. "I'm here to stay whether you like it or not, and I'd appreciate it if you chilled with your little antics. They aren't working. Plus, you're dad isn't really noticing anything you pull, you do realize that, sugar plum?"

Maka blanched at the overused nickname and she glowered up at him. "Why you little-"

"Sugar plum," Spirit yelled from across the table and both of them turned to look at him. "Here have some cake. Soul and Blair made it especially for us!" He pushed the cake toward her, and nodded at it encouragingly.

Green eyes glaring at him in warning, she moved to grab one of the prettily wrapped cupcakes while Soul left the dining room with a small smile playing on his lips. In all honesty, Maka was a butt sometimes, but it was fun to tease the poor girl when one of her tactics to get him fired didn't work. He was enjoying his time working for the Albarn family more than he had originally expected.

When four weeks rolled around, she was only a little ticked off that he was washing dishes in the main kitchen.

And by a little, she was beyond pissed.

Stabbing her salad as she sat at the kitchen island, Maka glared at the butler. She imagined herself drilling holes into the back of his skull, and throwing him into the pool with cement shoes. It irked her to no end that he was still working at her house, that after all her complaining and plans to have her papa fire him, she had failed. Her hatred was probably pitiful to the outside eyes, but she didn't much care. He wasn't supposed to have lasted this long; he was meant to only be working in the Albarn home for a week, at the most! But he clearly hadn't.

Soul finished the dishes, wiped his hands off, and made his way out of the kitchen to clean another area of the house. As he passed by Maka, he ignored her gaze as it followed him, and she stabbed her salad harder than necessary. She angrily chewed the lettuce, huffing out a deep breath like a bull as he left the kitchen before turning back around. From the corner of her eye, she saw Blair staring at her. Her brows were knitted together, lips pulled down into a frown, and her yellow cat-like eyes looked at her like Maka had lost her mind.

"What?" Maka barked.

Blair shrugged and shook her head. "Nothing."

But she sat down on the bar stool across from Maka that reminded her of a parent about to chide their child for something they had done wrong. Rolling her eyes and pursing her lips, Maka dropped her gaze to her Caesar salad and pretended to be more interested in it.

"Maka, why have you spent the last month glaring at that poor boy like he was the one who dropped the atomic bomb on Japan?"

"No idea what you're talking about," Maka deadpanned. "I haven't been doing such things. You must be losing it, Blair."

The maid sighed. "I love you, you know I do, but Soul hasn't done a single thing wrong since he started working here, and I know exactly what you're trying to do." At Maka's raised brows, she continued. "Flirting with him, asking if he's drunk or high when your dad's around. He hasn't been none the wiser, but I know what you're up to."

Dropping her fork on the counter, Maka crossed her arms defiantly. "And what, pray tell, am I trying to do?"

"Stop trying to get Soul fired."

"I'm not trying to get him fired!"

"Don't lie to yourself, kitten. We both know you are, and it isn't fair to him. Soul is a very hardworking young man, and he needs this job."

"You can't prove anything!" Maka countered.

"If you get him fired, I will tell your dad what you've been trying to do and have him rehire that boy! I know you didn't want a butler when Spirit told you he wanted to hire someone new, but Soul is a good addition to this household. He does what he needs to, and he does it well. Stop trying to get him fired."

Maka stared at Blair, her lips pursed out, and went back to eating her salad. "Whatever."

She felt the other woman open her mouth to say something, but the scraping of the stool against the tile floor told her she had changed her mind. "Good. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go clean up master Spirit's side of the house."

The maid's shoes clicked as she walked out the kitchen, the swinging door switching, and Maka dropped her fork to stare at the wall opposite her. Maybe Blair was right. Maybe she was being a little too harsh with Soul and being a little too mean to the poor boy. There was really nothing else she could do with getting the butler fired. Her papa refused to listen to her complaining and begging and every other trick she tried to pull out of the book. Even Soul ignored her attempts at pulling him toward Spirit's bad side.

Glaring at her salad, appetite suddenly gone, she dropped the rest of it in the trash and left the main house to go study at the guest house - her new home. It was still weird to think of it as her home even after living there for only a few weeks. She had known the guest house as the place of residence when Papa's friends came up for business meetings and needed a place to crash, as the place where Spirit brought over his one night stands because she had walked in one them once when she was little.

Lucky for her, she had spent an entire day disinfecting the place, and making it feel like it was indeed her home. Living in the guest house was a nice change of pace compared to being in her old room in the main house. She had privacy, a spot to call her own, and a breather from the home she had come to hate. Throughout the years living there, it had felt like she was suffocating, the spacious rooms closing in on her as she sat in the library. There were things that haunted her still, the remnants of her mama still lying around.

It had become an inner hell that she wanted out of.

Soul scrubbed down the counters in the upstairs bathroom of Maka's old room, the gentle hum of the air conditioner filling the silence of the room. This side of the house was always quiet when he came up to clean it. Since Maka had moved into the guest house, no one ever ventured to her room or the other ones, but there was still some cleaning to do. General upkeep of her old bedroom and bathroom was still needed.

Pushing himself off his knees, he stretched his back out and admired his work. Never in his life had he ever worked this hard over one single project - especially when that project was house cleaning. Soul was the biggest slob in the world who kept his room a mess and his clothes strewn out all over the place. Wes had commented on him working as a butler, saying maybe his job was going to help encourage him to be a little more clean. Joke was on him though, because Soul was not changing himself for shit.

He was being paid to clean the Albarn's house; Wes wasn't paying him to clean their apartment.

Making his way downstairs, Soul began to loosen his tie as he walked, and gave a small sigh as he was thankful for his shift to be over. It hadn't been too hard of day - at least, not compared to normal - but he still felt worn and tired. He nudged the door open to the dining hall, and stopped in his tracks as he saw Maka eating at the table. Alone.

"Uh," he awkwardly started before rubbing the back of his neck.

Usually he helped with dinner, followed with being dismissed afterward, but tonight it had been Blair's turn to serve the Albarn family while he cooked. He was used to addressing Spirit when it was time for him to go home, and wasn't sure what to do with Maka.

Her gaze moved from the food she was pushing around on her plate to him. Green eyes were bored and sad, reminding him of the nights he had spent alone when he was younger. Sitting at a large table that had company most of the year had been a lonely endeavor for him, and his heart ached at the sight before him. Even if her tone was harsh and cold, he recognized the hurt that was still hidden beneath it.

"What?"

"My shift is over, and I'm supposed to report to your dad-"

"He isn't here," she deadpanned. She stared back down at her plate, lips tight as she held back what he assumed were tears. "But you can go home if your shift is done. I'm sure you did a good job cleaning."

"Uh, right. Thanks." He paused. "So where is your dad?"

Maka bit her lip and bowed her head more. "He's working late."

"Do you… do you usually eat alone?"

He wasn't much of a nosy person, preferring to keep to himself and not bother others, but this was the first time he had seen something like this since working for the Albarn family. A part of him was curious; they had seemed different compared to his family when he first arrived, and it was interesting to see a scene reenacted from his own childhood.

"Why do you care?" she almost growled. Soul shrugged and mumbled a small 'just curious', and her eyes softened a little. "Yeah, this isn't the first time he's stayed out after work, probably sleeping with his secretary or something, and didn't want me to find out by bringing her home with him. I'm used to it, though."

Maka licked her lips and turned back to her plate. "If that's all, you can go home now. You're done working for the day, right?"

Her tone was final and he knew the subject was dropped, but his gut churned with sympathy as he watched her roll her food around her plate once more. It was too close to home for him - too familiar. There was no way he was going to be able to leave the house without feeling guilty knowing she was eating dinner by herself. Soul knew how it felt no matter how many times he had told himself he was fine, and that he didn't care that his family were all at Wes' concert.

It had wounded him, and seeing Maka like that brought on a wave of compassion for her.

Storming off into the kitchen - his mind made up - Soul loosened the tie around his neck even more. He grabbed a plate from the cabinet and set himself a plate along with grabbing a soda from the mini fridge before heading back out to the dining hall. Soul sat across from Maka pretending like everything was normal, and ignoring the confused stare she gave him.

"So how was your day today?" he asked as casually as possible while stuffing a fork full of potatoes into his mouth.

All of his manners had been thrown out the window the moment he saw Maka sitting at the table by herself, but he couldn't really bring himself to care as long as it helped her to feel some kind of normalcy between them.

Maka blinked and felt her mouth fall open slightly as Soul sat in front of her with a plate of food.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"What does it look like?" She saw a hint of the boy she had interviewed when he answered her, arms gesture as if it were obvious. "I'm joining you for dinner. Hope you don't mind or anything."

She shook her head. "No, I don't. But don't you have someone you have to eat dinner with?"

"Nah. My brother'll be fine eating by himself."

"Oh. Okay."

"So how was your day today?" he asked again.

"It was... fine. I guess?"

He didn't have to say it, but she knew he had sat down with her because she was by herself. She had seen it in his eyes when he walked in. A hurt, broken boy that had been far too familiar with her situation, and her heart warmed at the gesture. Even though she'd never admit it, she was grateful for it. Maka smiled as she talked to her food rather than him.

It turned out to be a nicer dinner than she had expected; Soul was actually a nice person to talk to. His humor was a little dry, but Maka still laughed at him occasionally. Their conversation didn't get too deep, though there were moments when she said something and he flinched slightly or stared down at his food while he changed the subject. But Maka still found that it was fun and interesting to talk to him rather than spending another night eating alone in the dead quiet.

When they finished up, Soul followed her to the kitchen, placed his dishes in the sink, and turned to her.

"Um, I guess I'll be going now," he said a little awkwardly. Maka noticed that he raised his hand to rub the back of his neck - something he did often - and she now noted that it was a nervous habit of his.

"Yeah, I don't wanna keep you too long over here. I don't think Papa would like to pay you over-"

"I clocked out before eating with you," he cut in quickly. "That wasn't work just now."

She stared at him and blinked. Maka had assumed he had joined her expecting him to be paid for his services, but realizing he had done so through the kindness of his own heart changed things.

"Oh. Then I don't want your brother to keep waiting for you."

It was her turn to feel awkward, folding her hands behind her back and swaying in place. How was she supposed to bid goodbye to the help during these situations? He wasn't necessarily acting like a butler either; it was more like a friend...

"I had fun?" His voice rose slightly at the end making it a question.

Maka smiled and nodded. "Me too. Thanks for joining me; I really did appreciate it."

And for the first time since Soul started working there, Maka really did mean it. There was no hidden meaning beneath it, no secret plans to thwart him. For the first time, she was genuinely happy to have him as a butler.

"No problem." There was a small pause in which he shifted from foot to foot before saying, "I'll be going now. Bye, Maka."

He walked around to head out of the kitchen and toward the front of the house, but Maka whirled around and blurted out, "I'm sorry for being a little shit these past few weeks," before she lost her courage.

Soul stopped, hand on the door handle, and turned to stare at her - one brow quirked up as if questioning.

"I'm sorry for trying to get you fired. I didn't originally want a butler, but I'm... kinda glad you're here. Maybe I'll stop being rude and we can start over?" Her heart beat against her chest as she pushed the words out, worried he'd take it the wrong way or something, but he saw they were true and smiled.

"Thanks." His grin widened to reveal a set of sharp teeth, and she felt her eyes bulge at the sight. "I'll see you tomorrow, Maka."

"You too. Bye, Soul."

Giving her a small nod, he left the kitchen and Maka turned around to wash the dishes they had dirtied to give him at least one breather the next day. Maybe having Soul as a butler wasn't going to be too bad after all. She was slowly warming up to the idea, after all. It also helped that Soul wasn't too bad of a guy like she had thought in the beginning. At least he had cleaned up his act from the interview because that's exactly what it had been: an act. The real Soul was not a douche at all.

The real Soul was a boy who ate dinner with her, because her stupid Papa was working late again, and she was grateful for that.