Day 4: Dragons

Fighting Dragons with You

He cuts across their shared yard as he makes his way back over to Maka's house. Rather than going to her backyard first, however, he opens the front door to her house and heads to the back through there. Soul notes how much her living room hasn't changed since the last time he was there. How the stains from their crayons when they were little are still smeared across the wall, and how the pillows on the couches don't match at all with the rest of the decor. The same manic moon he remembers scared him the first time he ever saw still looms on the wall, the twisted smile sending chills down his spine.

It doesn't live up to his taste in decorations, but everything about it screams Maka. And his heart warms at the thought this might be the girl he'll marry one day. That one day their varying tastes are going to clash so well together that no one's going to notice. They'll say that it's the Albarn-Evans way because it explains the pair of them so well, and a smile creeps along his face.

"Soul?" comes a voice from behind him.

Soul stops just inches away from the back door, and turns around to see Spirit Albarn standing behind him.

"What are you doing here? I thought Maka said you weren't going to make it home in time for the party."

"Uh." He threads his fingers through his hair as he tries to come up with a good explanation. "Yeah, I wasn't, but then there was a change in plans so I was able to come home for the weekend."

It isn't the complete truth, but he doesn't have to explain himself to Spirit either. There's only one person who deserves to know why he lied to her, and she's standing outside.

"Ah," is all Spirit says. "I'm happy you were able to make it then. Maka really did miss you, you know. She always finished her homework early to be on time for your skype calls, and refused to talk to anyone when she knew you'd be available."

Soul isn't sure what to say to that so he just nods. He's flattered but also flustered at the thought that Maka had missed him just as much as he missed her. His decision to surprise her for the weekend is probably going to pay off once he finally goes outside.

"You two have been through a lot together." Spirit pauses and gives him a small smile like he knows something Soul doesn't. "You may be an octopus headed kid, but you're good for her. I'm sure she'll be excited to see you. Go on outside to the party, Evans."

And he listens to Spirit.

And there's a new spring in his step as he catches the implications of Spirit's words, how out of character they are for the older man, and his heart is pounding against his chest because he knows.

He knows what Maka's answer is going to be, but he's still nervous as fuck.

Xx.

Fights weren't particularly foreign when it came to their friendship.

When they were younger, Soul had learned early on that Maka had a slight temper, and by slight, he meant she had a short fuse. There had been many times when he had done something that ticked her off, and every single one of them were met with the same reaction. She placed her hands on her hips, puffed out her cheeks, and stomped her foot. The first time she had looked ridiculous doing it. But the second time he learned that was dangerous because he had always met with the same fate.

Receiving the look from his mom because he hadn't originally wanted Maka to play with him was never fun, no matter how old he was.

As they grew older, though, her tactics had become a little more abusive. When Soul was going through his preteen years, there had been things he'd say without really thinking. Things he had thought made him seem more cool at the time. Which it really didn't. No, teasing his best friend because her looks weren't up to par with the standard of society was a real low blow. And Maka made sure he knew it too. His skull had met the spine of a book many times when he was going through puberty, and it didn't stop until he entered high school.

That was around the time he began learning that he shouldn't make fun of her because she was flat chested and had fat ankles. It was also around the time that he started appreciating those aspects of her, and his mind had become too preoccupied with wanting to say other things.

Either way, though, their fights still didn't disappear or run their course. They had actually become worse, and grew into Maka yelling at him.

It had started when she entered high school after him. Back when he wasn't entirely sure if he still felt platonic love for her, or if it had become romantic love over night. He had found himself ignoring her when they passed each other in the hallway, avoiding eye contact when they walked up to their houses, and not returning her phone calls or texts. The whole thing was stupid and childish, but he didn't know what else to do. His heart stopping at the sight of her and his chest going cold weren't feelings he was used to experiencing for his best friend.

Eventually, she finally cornered him outside his house and screamed at him, asking him what the hell his problem was. He should have expected it, though. Maka was never the type to avoid situations or allow someone to fuck her over without an explanation. She was the type who faced things head on, especially things that bothered her or placed a turmoil on her heart and soul that she wasn't able to handle. And that was what Soul had done to her. Stopped their friendship that had been built on years of knowing each other without any explanation, and probably caused her to put the blame on herself.

Needless to say, he had felt like complete shit after that day, and made sure Maka was treated as the best friend that she was for the rest of the month.

But as time went on and they became a little older, Maka resorted to other tactics when she was pissed at him.

Namely, the silent treatment.

Soul groaned as he was killed yet again in Call of Duty, and flopped down on top of his bed as he waited for another round to start. Thrumming his fingers over the front of his phone, he prayed for it to vibrate or ring. To do something! It had been silent for an entire week, and he wished he knew what he had done wrong. The ceiling fan rotated around and around, its blades mocking him as it went, and he wanted nothing more than to rip it down.

Maka had been ignoring him for an entire week now. She wasn't answering his calls or texts; when she saw him in the hallways at school,she pursed her lips and turned away. He had fucked up, but he didn't know what exactly he had done to fuck up. There weren't any important dates or events that had passed. It wasn't anywhere close to being her birthday. Hell, he hadn't even said anything to piss her off. But he had definitely done something, and it was bugging him.

Sitting back up, Soul grabbed his phone, swiped it on, and the screen lit up to show him his unanswered texts. The fine lettering at the bottom teased him as it told him the days and times she had read his messages. They each ranged from apologizing for whatever shitty thing he had done to begging her to please tell him what he did, and they were each lonesome as they remained with no reply. No explanation to tell him how he could fix this situation.

He typed out another text, asking her if she wanted to go get food or something. Anything to get her to talk to him. Soul was so desperate for some kind of contact with the girl, he'd probably even agree to go see that shitty new Nicholas Sparks movie she had been gushing about. His thumb hovered over the send button as he quickly debated if he should or not before pressing down on it and tossing his phone back to the side.

First round of Call of Duty, no answer.

Second round, no answer.

Third round, no answer.

An hour later, and Soul still hadn't received a reply from her.

"The fuck did I do?" he groaned out as he fell back on his bed.

The next day at school was exactly like the past week. He saw Maka in the hallway, wanted to say hi, but she looked away before he was even able to raise his hand. If she wanted to give him hell, she was doing a mighty fine job of it because Soul was downright anxious. His nerves were on end for the rest of the day, his mind focused on everything he had said and done in the last year. Soul over thought everything, and believed every little thing was a strike on his record with her and the reason for her avoiding him.

To say he was a nervous wreck was an understatement.

After school, he made his way toward the student parking, his helmet tucked under his armpit while he texted his brother in the other hand. He didn't pay attention to where he was going as he kept his attention focused on his phone. For him, it was normal to pretend like he was preoccupied in order to keep people from bothering him. Soul occasionally glanced up to make sure he didn't bump into anyone, but no one conversed with him as he left the high school. It wasn't until he reached his bike that he noticed her standing beside it.

Stopping a short distance away, he took his time as he slid his phone into his back pocket. He switched his helmet to his other arm, and ran a hand through his unruly hair as he tried to calm his nerves. Soul needed to remember that she had been avoiding him for the last week, never bothered to tell him what he had done to piss her off, and caused him to fret over every little detail of his life. Maka had put him through hell, and he wasn't going to allow himself to forgive.

Even if his first instinct was to grovel at her feet, and thank the heavens that she was there.

He was better than that.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"I need a ride home. Tsu is busy finishing her art piece, Star's staying to give her a ride, and the girls on the rugby team said they'd rip my teeth out if I schedule one more practice with no breaks."

"So I'm your only option?" Maka nodded, her lips pursed as she stared at the pavement and refused to look up. Soul let out an unhumourous laugh. "That's funny considering you haven't talked to me in the last week."

"I know," she grumbled. "But you're the only other person who has a vehicle. And we live next to each other so it isn't like you have to go out of your way."

"You've been giving me the silent treatment. Do you honestly think I'd give you a ride home? Just walk."

"You and I both know you're not gonna do that, though."

He didn't respond.

Instead he treated her the same way she had treated him, and silently walked toward his bike. He settled the helmet on the handlebar as he mounted it, pulled his keys from his jacket pocket, and stuck them into the ignition. Soul focused on taking his time as he straightened out his clothes that didn't need it and brushed off invisible dust from his pants. Maka's glare burned into his back as her frustration buzzed in the air around them, but he pretended not to notice. It was low of him, but payback was a bitch sometimes.

"Soul," she growled. "You're not honestly gonna make me walk home, are you?"

A few seconds passed, his engine roaring like a restless dragon, and he still didn't respond.

"Soul, I swear to god if you don't-"

"Here," he said as he thrusted his helmet into her stomach. "Stop wasting time and get on already."

Turning slightly, he noted her surprised look as she straddled the bike behind him and slid the helmet over her head. He smiled to himself as he knocked the kickstand up before maneuvering out of the school parking lot. For the first few minutes of their ride, Maka refused to hold him around his waist like she normally did when they were on the bike. Instead she held onto the bars on either side of her seat, leaning as far away from him as possible.

At least she did until he made a particularly sharp turn that had her wrapping her arms around him for dear life since she almost fell off.

If she was talking to him, she'd probably chide him for doing such a dick move.

When he parked in his driveway, Maka didn't waste any time as she dismounted the bike, handed him his helmet, and crossed through the grass toward her house. But Soul was quick as he put down the kickstand with his boot and turned off the engine before following her. His hand wrapped around her wrist to stop her from going any further, and she whipped around, green eyes blazing as she glared at him.

For someone who was shorter than him, she was definitely a very intimidating person.

Soul backed away a little, but refused to let go of her. Frankly he was sick of the silent treatment, and wanted to clear things up between them again.

"The hell is your problem?" he asked.

She tried to shake his hand off her, but failed. "I could ask you the same thing! Let go of me!"

"Not until you tell me what the fuck I did wrong!" But he still loosened his grip on her, and prayed she didn't run away from this. "You've ignored me for a whole week without telling me shit about what I did wrong!"

Maka gaped at him like he was a complete moron, and that the answer to his question was as plain as day. "You honestly don't know?"

"No. If I did, do you think I'd be asking you now?"

She growled and stomped her foot that was reminiscent of when they were kids, and if she wasn't furious right now, he'd probably think she was cute.

"You are the biggest idiot on the face of the planet! I can't believe you, of all people would forget something as important as the anniversary of when we first became friends!"

He blinked and backtracked a little because that didn't make sense. Not one year had passed where he had forgotten their friendship anniversary. There had been a tradition with it, one he kept up with since he turned ten, and he was positive that he hadn't missed celebrating it. Hell, it had always been him who sent her a text first thing in the morning to tell her happy anniversary. Their anniversary wasn't even in April! It was in May!

"Maka, what are you talking about? We met in May. Not April."

"No we didn't," she insisted. "It was April 10th. I'm positive about that. I have it circled on the calendar in my room!"

"We met on May 10th."

"No we didn't!"

"Yes we did! This is me you're talking to. The guy who puts on this big celebration where we go out for ice cream and pizza and stay up watching movies. Do you really think I'd forget when our anniversary is?"

She licked her lips, and seemed to be debating something in her head before turning back to him. Her brows were scrunched together as she refused to believe him. Soul groaned out as he saw a losing battle before him, and ran a hand through his hair. Why did Maka have to be so difficult sometimes?

"You're not gonna give up, are you?"

"No," she said.

But her voice told him that a part of her was putting the pieces of the puzzle together as she tried to remember when their anniversary was exactly.

"Maka, listen to me. I'm right about this, I know I am."

"No. You can't be. I clearly remember that we had celebrated it after Easter last year which is why I had circled it in my calendar so I didn't forget. You're the one who forgot! I know you are!"

"Why do you have to be so hardheaded sometimes?"

"Why do you have to forget important dates?!"

"You're being unreasonable, Maka."

"You're being unreasonable!"

"Why do you always have to be right?"

"Because you're a dumbass!"

"That makes no sense."

"You make no sense!"

"You're being a child."

"I hate you!"

"I hate you, too!"

Maka huffed and crossed her arms. "Fine. We both hate each other, and we both forgot to celebrate our friend-iversary. Can we at least settle on that?"

"Except that I didn't forget! You're the one who mixed up that damn dates!"

She opened her mouth to say something, but seemed to think against it as she snapped it close. Turning on her heel, she stomped across the grass toward her house without saying anything more on the matter.

"Walking away, huh? Typical," he muttered under his breath.

And instead of following her to argue more on the matter, he walked toward his own home.

Typical.

Later that night when he was trying to fall asleep, his body still fuming over the little argument with Maka, his phone vibrated next to him. The screen lit up his room for a few seconds before it faded to black. He flipped over, and pulled it off his desk to read the text he had received. At first he thought it was Black Star asking him if he had the answers to their homework, but his heart lurched at Maka's name gracing his phone once again.

From Maka to Soul: I'm sorry. You were right. Our friend-iversary is on May 10th not April 10th. I was a slight bitch to you this last week and earlier. I'm sorry.

He smiled to himself as he swiped his phone on, and typed out his response.

From Soul to Maka: It's cool. Not the first time I did something that ticked you off.

From Maka to Soul: Urgh. Yea, sorry about all those times too. I've been a terrible friend, haven't I?

From Soul to Maka: Nah. You're the best friend a guy could ask for. A little temperamental sometimes, but still one of the best friends ever.

From Maka to Soul: Thanks, Soul.

From Maka to Soul: So are we friends again?

Soul chuckled to himself. God he loved the girl so much even if she was a moron sometimes.

From Soul to Maka: We never weren't friends, idiot.

From Maka to Soul: Good. I'm glad :)

From Maka to Soul: Drive me to school tomorrow?

From Soul to Maka: Can't you walk?

From Maka to Soul: Rude!

From Soul to Maka: I'll give you a ride. Be ready by 7, 'kay?

From Maka to Soul: Thanks! Night, Soul!

He typed out his reply, and paused before sending it. The urge to type out 'I love you' was strong as his thumbs hovered over the keyboard. But it was far too soon. There were things that had to happen before he went of on a tangent and said he was in love with her. Soul had to be sure that Maka felt the same way about him, that she wanted to be with him as much as he wanted to be with her. Telling her he loved her now wasn't the right time. So he hit send.

From Soul to Maka: Night.

With that final message, he rolled over in bed and tried to get some rest before the next day. Thoughts of being madly in love with his best friend swarmed around his mind. Sleep didn't come easy to him as he dreamed of kissing Maka, touching her in places he had never touched before. It was probably one of the best dreams ever had - one of the most vivid ones - as he felt the smoothness of her thighs beneath his fingertips. The burning sensation of having her move beneath him, and the way her nails scratched down his back all felt far too real. Like he had done this before with her many times.

He woke up the next day with a smile on his face, and his dick in an upright position.