Disclaimer: Don't own Soul Eater. Wish I did. Etc.
Author's Note: Oh, wow! It's been... a very long time since this has been updated. Nearly a year, if not one. And that's how it's been since I've written... anything. It's been a rollercoaster of a year. More bad than good, so I've been stressed. I couldn't afford another semester at college, so I've been working and working so I can go again in the spring. I start work at 5 AM some days! I'm always tired. But enough whining. Here's another... drabble. Or, I guess this is a one-shot. I'm very, very rusty. So this isn't writing like it used to be. I'm hoping that adding drabbles and chapters to this story will help me work out my kinks, so I hope no one minds me suddenly updating at a rapid pace! I'm trying to get back into the swing of things, and what better than to do it with my favorite manga couple? :) I missed them.
This chapter takes place I guess 4 or 5 years in the future? Interpret as you please! I boosted the years for various reasons; one is that I am in unfamiliar territory again and figure I can justify out-of-character moments as just them growing up. Haha. I'm sorry if they've gone too far out of character for comfort! I hope you all enjoy this.
This one definitely has a rating of T. Not sweet and sugary like my other ones. A little more tense.
Enough of my rambling... Let me know what you think! Thank you. I'd love to improve since I've been out of writing for so long now...
"Maka?"
"Mmm?" She poked the peas on her plate around with her fork and gradually buried each one in her untouched pile of mashed potatoes, as if they were hidden gems. Her mind clearly wandered.
"Maka." He tried his best to contain his agitation, but it grew steadily with her lack of attention.
"Yeah?" Her eyes still didn't meet his, locked on her lunch.
He pressed down on her foot with his own, hard. "Maka!"
Instantly he felt a book-shaped space in his head, and both stood up from their places, out of breath and ready for more.
"What?" she spat. Finally, their gazes matched, and immediately he relaxed, returning to his chair as if that moment had never broken out.
"I just wanted to ask why you seemed so out of it today."
"You couldn't obtain my full attention without causing me physical pain first?" She kept the book in a place visible to him on the table, just in case. "I was just thinking about something other than food, okay? I know that seems foreign to you, but some people are capable of it. Smart people. People that read, Soul." A touch of a smirk edged her lips.
Soul ignored the remark. "What are you thinkin' about?"
"Kid-kun asked me out on a date. Tonight." Her eyes glittered in an unfamiliar way in their dim kitchen light as she struggled to spill out the words. She felt he might react and be against it; well, she hoped he would be against it. She hoped he would tell her no, tell her he wanted to take her out instead. Tell her that he loved her, that he had always loved her and no other man would be able to have her.
"Ah, so flat-chested women are capable of getting dates after all, huh? What a crazy world." He chuckled slightly, and took another bite of his steak.
No shaky voice. No uncertainty. No sad ruby-red eyes. He did not reach out and grab her hand and hold her there, nor did he lean across the table and kiss her madly. He did not embrace her as she dreamed he would, holding her in his strong arms and not letting go for the rest of the night. He did not get angry. No change. No reaction at all. He felt nothing for her, just as she always feared. She felt the tears bubble, and walked into her room without another word.
If he wouldn't react, than she would pretend she hadn't, either.
But she did make sure to slam the door hard enough for him to hear.
For the first time in his life, Soul put more than half of his dinner into the trash. For the first time in his life, he had no appetite. He felt stomach sick, he felt heartsick. Like someone had reached inside him and wrung all the energy right out of his spirit till he couldn't breathe.
He, too, slammed his door.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" Tsubaki asked as she finished curling Maka's golden locks. Her friend's blue eyes looked just as sad outside as she felt, which only sank her heart deeper into its melancholy.
She tried not to cry, if only because Tsubaki had also just finished applying the perfect amount of mascara for her thin eyelashes. "Yeah," she whispered, fearing her voice could break if she brought it any higher. "Of course. Thank you."
"I'm afraid to ask, but… how was Soul about all of this?" She cleared her throat as a silence ensconced them both like a thick blanket. "Nevermind. Forget I asked. Sorry!"
"No, no. It's fine. He… didn't react at all. He was perfectly okay with it. So that's good. No fight." She absently played with one of her new curls, admiring herself briefly in her vanity. She really never thought herself to be beautiful, but her friend had transformed her into a potential model in just an hour. If only I had a more… voluptuous body.She sighed.
And that's why she's not okay.Tsubaki kneeled to be on eye level with her best friend. She smiled sullenly and held Maka's tiny hand in her own. "If you don't want to do it, don't. You're only playing with your own heart. Don't make your very first date a bad one. You can only have so many firsts." She rose again and began packing her things away to give her meister friend some time alone to –hopefully – think it over again before launching into a relationship she clearly didn't want.
"I know." She returned the smile. "Thank you again, Tsukbaki-chan. You're so patient."
"It's hard not to be after living with Black Star," she said, and they both eased up and laughed.
Maka slowly sauntered down the steps, still not used to heels. They were firetruck red, and she almost felt embarrassed by how bold she looked in her outfit. It seemed like the ensemble by itself had more sex appeal than her body did, though she had become a littlebusty over the past few years. And kind of curvy… Her dad would go white as a ghost within a second if he saw her in the tight, short black dress and then saw her red lips and eyeliner and blush and red earrings and…
She hated it. She liked the other Maka, the one in the plaid skirt and big boots and trenchcoat. The one who didn't care about dates or boys, but only about studying surrounded with the crisp smell of old books and other quiet students. The one who found great strength in sweeping the streets of evil kishin, the one who felt no fear even in the face of death.
The one who cared so deeply about Soul it made her fragile just thinking about it.
She felt her hands clutch the dress at her sides as she held back another urge to breakdown right there in the doorway and sob.
She tensed up as she grabbed the doorknob. She tried not to think about where Soul lingered in the eerily peaceful house. She tried not to think about just curling up on their old, threadbare couch and watching TV feeling safe with her partner flicking channels by her side.
A hand much bigger than hers grasped hers and whipped her around.
"Maka."
She spun around so quickly she saw his familiar image spin for a few beats first.
"Um." He obviously hadn't thought over what he meant to say before facing her to him. "You…" Soul especially couldn't think as he looked her up and down unashamedly. He tried, at least, to disguise a rush of lust washing over him like a tidal wave. He could scarcely breathe. He felt so many firsts tonight: skipping dinner and having an incredibly strong appetite for his partner.
"Sorry," he said out loud.
"For what?" Maka contained her happiness at seeing him look at her that way.
He leaned onto the door, keeping her trapped closed to him and unable to move. "Thinking terrible thoughts," he murmured, hoping she wouldn't hear.
"It's okay," she responded. "I… It kind of made me feel good about… myself."
They both turned as red as her shoes in the silence.
"I don't want you to go. I didn't want to from the start but I know I can't stop you." Soul spoke before he could control himself. He lost the "cool," but didn't care. Hewanted her. All to himself. No Kid involved. The thought of someone else taking her out on her first date made him cringe. But what made him especially sick was the thought of Kid taking her first kiss, which he wanted. Or the thought of his hands on her hips and in her hair…
"But please don't go," he continued.
"Why should I stay?" she snapped. "You didn't stop me when I told you before."
He moved to face her, their lips mere centimeters apart, their breath mingling. "Because I snuck a peek at your dress and I really wanted to see you in it." He leaned around and nibbled on the lobe of her ear, setting her nerves on fire. "You look… sexy." Soul never imagined saying those words to Maka, but he couldn't help it. He couldn't contain the urges any longer without getting too rough.
He locked the door, and kissed her.
They'd be dining in tonight.