His Condition

Maka slammed her locker closed and sighed. In just a matter of minutes she was going to walk out the back door and Soul would reveal his condition for keeping her secret. The whole idea of a condition was idiotic and nerve wracking, but she had to go through with it no matter what it was. If anyone at their school found out she was a maid, her reputation would be ruined; if Black Star found out, she would die of humiliation. How did she get herself into this whole thing anyways?

Had Soul never walked into the cafe that one day, she could have avoided the entire situation, but no. Luck had not been on her side that day or any day after that.

She slung the bag with her uniform over her shoulder and pulled the hood of her jacket closer to her neck. It was a normal habit of the maids to change into street clothes after work because the people who roamed the outside world at night were not the most pleasant of people. A girl wearing a maid outfit was sure to get a few whistles and catcalls and maybe some offers to spend the night in a hotel, things Maka would have much preferred not to experience.

Placing her hand on the door knob, Maka took a deep breath and was about to open the door when Liz showed up.

"Are you going to meet your boyfriend?" The other blonde asked.

Maka tossed her head back and stared up at the ceiling. "I've told you, he isn't my boyfriend."

"Doesn't matter, he still likes you."

"Soul does not like me." She glared at her co-worker. The woman barely even knew Soul, and if she did, she would know he was the type of boy who didn't really like anyone. "I'm not having this conversation right now."

Liz only nodded and turned to walk away but not without adding, "make sure to give him a smooch for me!"

Maka inwardly groaned and cursed the woman before opening the door and walking out into the cool night air. She hugged her arms around her waist and looked around the alley for the man in question, but didn't catch any sight of the man. She checked her watch to make sure she made sure she hadn't spent too long prolonging their meeting that he had left and found that she hadn't. So where could this idiot be?

As she was looking down one side of the alley, she heard the distinct sound of sneakers hitting the pavement as someone made their way toward her. Maka readied herself to attack them. She stood her ground and tightened her muscles to punch the stranger, but when they placed their hand on her shoulder and spoke, her demeanor changed.

"What took you so long?" came Soul's deep voice.

"I was trying to bide my time from seeing you," she growled and whirled around. "Now tell me what your damn condition is so I can go home."

He removed his hand from her shoulder and stuffed both of them into his pockets. That smug grin slowly crept onto his face and Maka wanted nothing more than to punch it off. Soul was such a smug bastard who always thought he had the upperhand when it came to others, especially her. There were countless times when he thought he was going to get away with breaking the dress code or skip out of class, but she was the class president and she always made sure everyone was in order.

Even the trouble makers.

"You really think I'm gonna tell you here?" he asked.

"What are you talking about?"

But Soul didn't respond.

Instead he turned around and walked down the alley in the direction he came from, ignoring Maka's cries for him to just tell her. She huffed and stomped her foot on the ground as she followed him and allowed the curses to fly through her mind. The smug bastard was being far too difficult. Why couldn't he just tell her here and now? What was so secretive about the condition that he had to do it somewhere else?

He led her up a hill on the outskirts of town where there was a park and some benches nearby and leaned on the railing that looked out toward the rest of the city. Maka crossed her arms as she stood by, waiting for him to say something, but nothing ever came.

"So are you going to say something or what?" she finally asked.

Soul turned his head slightly to look at her before answering. "Why are you working as a maid?"

Maka stared at him dumbfounded for a few seconds before the question popped out. "What are you talking about?"

He turned around so that his elbows were casually leaning on the rail and looked at her, that same grin tugging on the edge of his mouth. "That's my condition: tell me why you're a maid and I'll keep your secret."

"Seriously? That's all I have to do?"

"Yep."

"That is the most idiotic condition I have ever heard of, and if you think for one second I'm going to spill out–"

"Or I can just send this photo of you in your maid outfit to Black Star and we can see how the school handles it tomorrow." Soul pulled out his phone, typed in the code, and moved his thumb around until he found what he was looking for and showed Maka the screen.

She walked the few feet that was between to get a closer look, wondering how the hell he was even able to snap a picture of her. Her questio didn't go unanswered for very long; on the small screen there she stood in the black and white maid outfit setting down a plate in front of a customer.

"You took that without my permission!" she screeched. "What the hell are you doing taking pictures of me without my knowing?! You are such a pervert!"

Maka began to pound her fists on his crossed arms as she tried to release her frustration out on him. She knew Soul was a sly, conniving boy, but she never exactly expected him to stoop this low. Was he really low enough that he would take a picture of her while wearing the maid uniform? Was this the type of blackmail she was dealing with? Honestly, she was ready to punch the boy in the jugular and move with her life – probably cut off his manhood while she was out, maybe that would teach him not to mess with her.

Soul quickly grabbed her fists in both his hands, pausing her actions. She glared up at him with fiery green eyes and her breath huffed out in small white smokes thanks to the chilly air around them, but none of it mattered. For a few seconds she noticed just how nice looking the boy next to her was. It might have been the small glint in his crimson eyes or the way his mouth was slightly parted, but something within her stirred and her heart practically skipped a beat.

For just one moment she wanted to kiss him.

Maka inwardly snapped herself out of it. Was she really imagining what his lips would feel like against hers? This was Soul "Eater" Evans she was thinking about. The same boy who mocked her when they were in middle school for having a flat chest, and the same one who threatened to cut off one of her pigtails if she didn't let him slid for wearing the wrong shoes. She couldn't like him of all people.

"Would you calm down?" His voice was rough against her ears and a small wave of heat washed over her body. You can't fall in love with him, she thought to herself. "I can explain the picture. I only took it as a little blackmail in case you were difficult… which you were so it came in good use."

"You know I should really rip your head off for that," she spit out.

"But you won't."

"Try me."

Soul backed away from a little and she caught a flash of fear in his eyes. "I think I'm good."

"Then release me."

"Promise you won't try to hit me again and I will."

"Fine. I won't hit you if you let me go."

He released her fists and Maka quickly took a step back from him. Her body was reacting in weird ways just being close to him and she hated it.

She could not – will not – fall in love with Soul Evans.

She glared up at him. "So if I really tell you why I'm a maid, you'll keep my secret from the rest of the school?"

"Yep."

"That's it?"

"That's it."

She sighed and walked over toward one of the benches that was near them to sit down. Patting the empty space next to her, she nodded her head to indicate that she wanted him to join her, and she didn't have long to wait as he sat down beside her in no time. However, she didn't start talking right away. Instead she stared at her hands as she fiddled her fingers together, trying to bide her time with telling the boy that aggravated her for years one of her most private stories. Not even her best friend knew she was a maid or about her own family life.

Those were two of her best kept secrets until now.

"My papa used to gamble all the time even when we didn't have much money. Eventually he started to take out loans and… sell himself to women in order to make ends meet for us. My mama left a few years ago which made him stop the gambling and finally figure out that he needed to get his shit sorted out so he found a decent job. But it still wasn't good enough and we were still struggling to make ends meet which is why I applied for the maid job." She leaned back in the bench and crossed her arms in front of her chest. "It's good pay and up until now no one knew about it."

She pouted and side eyed him as she waited for him to say something now that he knew about her screwed up family. It wasn't much, but it was something she didn't want the rest of their school to know. The perfect class president who always seemed to have things in order secretly had a father who was a drunk and gambler while her mother left them because of it, wasn't exactly the way she wanted to be viewed by the rest of the student body.

"Are you gonna say something?" she asked after a few minutes of silence.

"What do you want me to say? That I'm sorry you have a fucked up family? Join the club, everyone has one of those." He mumbled the last part but she was still able to hear it.

She thought it was best if she kept silent about the mumbled bit. "Well you don't have to be so rude about it. I just told you something really personal so you can be quiet about my being a maid and you're going to respond like that? Maybe I really should rip your head off."

He let out a low chuckle and glanced at her. "Do you always have to resort to violence?"

"Only when you're being an ass to me."

"Well, it's been a pleasure, but I really should be getting home now." Soul stood up and folded his hands behind his head before stretching out his back.

"Wait, that's it?"

"I'll be sure to keep your secret and I look forward to having you as my own personal maid from now on." Maka's jaw drop as he started to walk away.

"Wait, what? That wasn't part of the condition!" she yelled at his retreating back.

"See you tomorrow, prez!" he called over his shoulder.

"Soul!" she cried out, but it was useless. He continued to walk away from her and she watched him go before his white flop of hair disappeared beyond the dip of the hill.

"I am going to kill Soul Evans the next time I see him!" Maka cried out into the silent, empty park before following in his path and heading to her own home.