For 800 years, Shibusen's hallowed halls played host to some of history's greatest warriors, incorruptible bastions of peace and order in service of the human race, all led by Lord Death on his ceaseless mission of protection. Steeped in the memory of a thousand brave students, it has stood as the last line of defence for humanity in the struggle against all manner of things that go bump in the night and worked tirelessly to shield the world from the madness of the kishin. Naturally, such an establishment has many traditions, each rich in purpose and value. The honoured members of the latest generation of Weapons and Meister's were proud to uphold these values and, for that reason, without hesitation or fear they chose to champion the most revered and important of Shibusen rituals: getting hammered on halloween.
As most traditions do, that particular one began on a whim. Halloween was a holy day for the followers of Death for reasons lost to the ages, even the current Lord Death wasn't really sure why but yet it was, and that allowed for a unique opportunity for Technicians and Weapons. Namly, time off.
The macabre pomp and circumstance of the celebration meant that Pre-Kishin activity was generally kept to a bare minimum. After all, what are creatures drawn to fear supposed to do when most of their prey embrace their terror, cloaked in costumes depicting all manner of monsters and surrounded by bizzare decorations idolising the bane of Demons, Lord Death? And so, with little to do and everything to gain, the students of old made halloween their own: shedding the mantle of responsibility and allowing themselves a night of revelry once a year. Generations of Meisters and Weapons had followed suit with gusto. Unfortunately for them, most members of the school weren't old enough to drink legally and so, in recent years the student body had taken to hosting good old fashioned house parties to keep the cause alive.
Which was why Soul Eater Evans found himself fuming with irrational anger, in the kitchen of a random classmates house, stupid plastic devil horns dangling limply atop his head and wondering why the hell he let himself get talked into this.
He gazed distractedly at the sight before him as he refilled his cup with yet more liquor he couldn't identify, only noticing he'd overfilled when the bright blue liquid sloshed from the rim and onto his feet. "Shit!" he flailed, kicking his feet in an attempt to minimise the damage but only really achieving minor success and a few odd looks from fellow party goers for his troubles. Scowling, he stared at his ruined shoes and took a long pull of his drink, grimacing at the burn.
Drinking had never really been his thing. Sure, he'd gotten wasted with Black Star a few times in the past and that had always been fun, but it had never really been something that he actively sought out unlike his rambunctious friend: just something he did when pressured. After all, cool guys like him didn't turn into alcoholics. Tonight however, something rather aggravating had him twitching for the bottle, so to speak. That something happened to be tall, dark, annoyingly handsome and, most importantly, seemed to be adept at making his Meister burst into peals of giggly laughter. Soul's eye twitched.
He knew he didn't have any right or reason to feel the way he did, him and Maka weren't a couple or anything, but something about the guys knowing smirk when Maka wasn't looking or the way he ran his fingers through his slicked back hair made Soul want to grab him by the lapels of his stupid vampire get up and introduce him to nearest window. Preferably head first.
His eyes landed on his partner again, heart skipping a beat when he took in her outfit for the millionth time. She had dressed like she normally would when out with friends, sensible jacket and top paired with shorts (that definitely did not draw his eyes to her mile long legs), but for halloween she'd chosen to don a set of fluffy, white angel wings and a matching plastic halo that was currently shaking thanks to her mirth. They'd picked their outfits together from a crappy dress up shop on the edge of town: an angel and a devil. He scoffed at the thought, how fitting.
Maka laughed particularly loud at one of Dracula's lame ass jokes and Soul felt his fist clench around his thankfully empty cup, crushing it into a useless heap of plastic. He was still sober enough to blush with embarrassment when some of the other students noticed this and giggled at him.
"Need a distraction…" he groaned to himself. Anything to take his mind off of whatever it was that he was feeling. He scanned the room, on the lookout for a trademark shock of blue hair, pointedly inspecting the ceiling when his gaze passed over a certain angel.
The house was in pretty decent shape considering it had been filled with drunken teenagers for the better part of the evening, especially since Black Star had shown up half cut. Whoever lived here must have been loaded because the place was huge and yet it was still crammed full of people, all having a great time by the looks of things. It was open plan: the kitchen/living room/dining room much bigger and nicer than Soul's own place but honestly, he thought of that as a blessing in disguise since it meant that he wasn't ever considered for the role of host. He shuddered, images of a drunk Black Star and Kid and Liz all crammed into his and Maka's tiny apartment dancing through his nightmares.
A flash of blue ripped Soul from his thoughts but his mood sagged further once he caught a good look at Black Star. The assassin was clearly too busy to entertain Soul at the moment as he seemed to be rather focused on shoving his tongue inside his Weapons mouth, though by the flushed look on Tsubaki's face, she wasn't about to start complaining.
As averse to Black Stars style as it seemed, the two were sequestered off in an out of the way corner but Soul still had a good view of his friends (unfortunately for him). The shadow Weapon's fists were balled desperately against the almost non-existent chest fabric of Black Star's Spartan costume while her own nurse outfit was crumpled considerably from the attentions of her Meister's wandering left hand. Black Star's right hand was planted firmly against the wall next to Tsubaki's rapidly reddening face and, even from a distance, Soul could see the blood that slowly dripped from what looked like a busted knuckle. Soul shook his head and averted his eyes, he didn't even want to know.
"It just makes ya sick don't it?" a voice just behind Soul said, humor dripping from every word. A hand slid itself across his back in a half hug, the weight of the newcomer pressing down onto his shoulder. Usually if someone threw themselves across him, Soul would bite their head off with his razor tongue, but he restrained himself since he was familiar with the woman. "HA!, at least two of us is getting some," Liz sighed, overly dramatic.
Soul could only roll his eyes at his friend. "Thanks for the lovely mental image, as if seeing that wasn't bad enough," he said, eyeing Liz.
Her costume was pretty good, he thought, she'd clearly put in a fair amount of effort unlike him. She wore form fitting, black pinstripe slacks with suspenders and a loose tie over top a tight-white button down shirt that Soul couldn't help but notice was missing the top few button holes. A matching pinstripe trilby completed the sexy mafiosa look with style. Personally, he had thought the accompanying plastic tommy gun she'd arrived with had been a nice touch but Liz had evidently decided to abandon it for practicality. Of course, her outfit had a perfect twin worn by her sister: Kid probably wouldn't have come along otherwise.
Liz laughed, clearly somewhat tipsy, if the rosy tint of her cheeks was any indication. "Ahh don't be such a buzzkill Eater, they're having fun," she said, swaying slightly.
"Whatever,"
"Sheesh you need to lighten up, Sharktooth, it's a party!" she tittered.
Soul grumbled, at the nickname and her words because he knew she was right. Maka was at perfect liberty to enjoy the company of anyone she so desired, even if her person of choice was some slimy, slick bastard of a pretty boy that clearly deserved a punch in the face. If he focused on other things he might even be able to convince himself that he wasn't jealous.
"Where's your terror of a sister anyway? The two of you drink anyone under a table yet?" Soul said, eager to change the topic and distract himself. Liz indicated over her shoulder with a casual flap of her free arm to where two guys sat slumped against one another in their chairs against the wall. They were surrounded by empty cups and were covered in booze, as well as other fluids Soul didn't want to identify. Patty was hunched over them like the mischievous devil she was, sharpie in hand and getting right to work. Soul was particularly impressed with her rendition of a handlebar mustache. He turned back to the demon gun and found her with a cheshire grin, waving a wad of cash under his nose.
"They won't be betting against us again that's for sure," she said. Soul couldn't help but laugh, baffled by his friend. He knew that Kid made damn sure that his girls would want for nothing ever again but here they were, hustling idiots for pocket money for the hell of it.
"You can take the girl outta Brooklyn ayy Liz?" he chuckled.
The elder Thompson winked at him and patted him on the shoulder "And don't you forget it. Besides, it's all part of our charm y'know?" Soul gave her a wry look. "So what's got your panties in a bunch anyways, somebody mess with your hair?" she tugged at his snow white tresses and received a growl of irritation in return. If there was one thing that set Soul off (other than someone flirting with his Meister) it was people touching his hair and Liz was annoyingly aware of this fact.
"I'm fine Liz, at least I was until you started bothering me," he said, swatting away her irritating hand. He didn't sound very convincing, even to his own ears, but at the very least he hadn't glanced in the direction of his partner, something that was likely to tip Liz off to his embarrassing inner turmoil. Unfortunately for him, Liz was an expert gossiper and had a drama radar more powerful than anyone Soul had ever met.
"Uh-huh, and it wouldn't have anything to do with a certain Miss Albarn getting cozy with Nosfaratu over there?" Soul didn't say anything, determined not to meet Liz's eye OR catch a glimpse of Maka by pretending to admire Patty's handiwork. "Damn, can't believe he went in for the smooch,".
Soul's eyes snapped to his Meister at the same time a beastly growl ripped from his throat like some wild animal, getting ready to tear somebody limb from limb, his ruby eyes flashing with poorly contained bloodlust. Except, Maka wasn't making out with the guy, in fact she was further away from him than before: both of them having started a conversation with a girl that Soul didn't recognise. He realised immediately that he'd been had and could only glare daggers at Liz as she guffawed uncontrollably. "Death, that was worse than I imagined! You've got it bad Soul, admit it," she said between unlady-like barks of laughter.
"Shaddup would ya? I'm just looking out for her. Don't want any creeps getting too handsy," Soul shoved his hands into his pockets, doing his level best to stop his face from matching his eyes and failing miserably.
Normally he really liked talking to Liz. The two of them got along well enough to the point where they would hang out sometimes, just the two of them, touring Death Cities record shops or occasionally seeing some of the live acts that often came to town. She was even the one to first take him and Black Star out bar hopping, much to Maka and Tsubaki's chagrin. Right now though, Soul wanted nothing more than for Kid to come stalking into the kitchen, taking his weapon by the arm and sweeping her away for some death-forsaken symmetry quest as far away from Soul as possible. He shut his eyes briefly, wishing his dream into reality and opened them up again. No dice. Liz was still there, shit-eating grin and all.
"Don't worry my friend, I've got just the solution for your troubles," she said, spinning him around to face away from his Meister and focus on her.
"Oh yeah? And what's that?" Soul mumbled, not even trying to deny it anymore: he knew Liz knew.
"First things first, we need you good and confident. Which means…" she swiveled her head around, scoping out her targets. "Patty! Kim! Jackie! Kilik! Get your butts over here, we're playing beer pong!" Liz shouted. Four heads perked up at the sounds of their name, none of them having any objections as they trooped over to Liz, though Ox looked a little put out at having Kim unceremoniously ripped away from him.
"Drinking games? So uncool…" Soul whined but Liz was already dragging him toward the surprisingly clear dining table, somehow managing to intimidate enough people into moving, to give them enough space to play.
"Quit your bitchin' Soul, you need to get some more liquor in you," she said, swiping several red cups from a nearby counter top and tossing half of them to Kilik. "Alright Kiddies; Me, Patty, and Soul on one team; the rest of you on the other," she arranged her cups in a loose triangle on one side of the table, leaving Kilik to do the same opposite her.
The Pot Meister was already half done filling up his cups with foaming liquid when the weight of what was about to happen hit Soul like a steam train. He groaned, already feeling the thumping headache that he was one course for tomorrow morning, yet he took up a position between Patty and Liz regardless. "Maka's gonna kill me, we're supposed to be training tomorrow," he said, snatching the small orange ping pong ball Liz proffered.
"Then don't miss, silly head," Patty chirped.
"Easy for you to say. You guys have like, built in aim or something!" Soul tossed the ball half-heartedly and cursed when it bounced off the rim of the nearest cup, straight into Kilik's waiting hand. He had the decency to offer Soul a sheepish smile.
"Sorry buddy," he said, to which Soul replied with a deadpan look. Still, he knew the rules and so picked a cup at random and drained it one go to the encouraging jests of teammates and opponents alike.
Kim was up next. Striding up to the edge of the table with aplomb she retrieved the ball from Kilik and took a dart throwers stance, lining up her shot. Both Kilik and Jackie joined in on the laughter when she missed the cups completely.
Now it was Liz's turn. "I wouldn't worry too much about Maka. Something tells me she'll be perfectly happy with you having some liquid courage," she said, mischief simmering under the surface of her cobalt eyes that held Soul's gaze as she took her shot. The bright orange ball disappeared into the rightmost solo cup in a spray of cheap beer and Patty cheered merrily in support of her sister. Jackie was less enthused as she was the one to take the hit. She struggled to finish off the bitter drink but supportive shouts from Kim saw her through in the end.
"I guess we should count ourselves lucky Kid ain't here really," Kilik said, not at all surprised by Liz's finesse.
"Where is he anyway? Freaking out about the shape of the hallway or something?" Soul asked, somewhat surprised he hadn't noticed the lack of Grim Reaper until Kilik had mentioned it. The sisters hardly went anywhere without him usually.
"Last time we checked, he was ripping off the sleeves of his costume. Apparently, he couldn't make the forearm bandages right," she sighed in practiced exasperation "We told him to go as a pirate but noooo he had to be a mummy. Honestly, I don't know how he expected to get all the wraps perfectly aligned," she said, watching with boredom as Jackie sunk the ball into a cup and Patty gulped down the contents, ball and all.
The younger Thompson jumped up and down, ball lodged between her lips as she repeatedly yelled "My turn! My turn!" though with the impending piece of plastic in the way it sounded more like "M'hnn! M'hnn!". She spat the ball from her mouth with the force of a haymaker, sending Jackie, Kim, and Kilik hurtling to the ground to avoid the improvised missile. The little orange rocket flew far over the cups and pinged off of the back of an innocent bystanders head, knocking him out cold. It ricocheted from the poor student's skull high into the air where it lost momentum and settled atop the elaborate chandelier that hung above the dining table, balancing precariously. Then, just as Soul opened his mouth to say something undoubtedly snarky, the ball fell from the light fixture and landed neatly within the other team's centre cup with nary a sound.
"YAAYYY PATTY WINS AGAIN!" The young gun threw her hands in the air while everyone but Liz reeled at what they had just witnessed.
"Oh you've GOT to be fuckin' with me," Kilik snatched the offending cup from the table and downed it all in one breath: red in the face from lack of air or simply from befuddlement at the absurdity, Soul wasn't sure. Either way the Pot Meister had finished his drink and retrieved the ball faster than Soul was expecting, choosing to toss the ball into the air and love-tap it with his broad knuckle rather than simply throw the damn thing. Soul didn't know whether to be more impressed or annoyed that it found its target. He begrudgingly finished his second cup of the game.
"Don't see how this is s'posed to help me," he slurred slightly. He had a sneaking suspicion that there was more than just beer in those drinks and he wouldn't put it past Liz to slip something a little stronger into each one.
"Do you trust me Soul?" she questioned. Flat out ignoring his mumbled 'no', she plunged on "You do? Good, in that case take this, shut up and let aunty Liz interfere with your, frankly depressing, love life!" she gave him a winning smile, handing him the ball once more. He stared at the wretched thing for several long seconds before ultimately plucking it from her open palm.
"Fuck it."
The next day, Soul would easily recognise that it was at this point that his hangover was destined to become head splitting rather than just mildly annoying.
The game carried on much like it had begun. Liz and Patty never missing a shot while Soul tried desperately to match the breakneck pace at which everyone else seemed to see off their drinks. Team Thompson took the first match without much of a contest but Kilik, Kim, and Jackie found their range from game two onwards. By end of game 5, Soul had mostly forgotten why he'd agreed to play in the first place and, despite the copious amounts of rancid beer, he had certainly loosened up enough to enjoy himself. He laughed heartily with the others when Jackie was forced to sprint to sink to expel her most recent drink and he was struck dumb alongside them when they witnessed Liz finally have a misfire. The taller blonde had merely shrugged, giving off a humbled 'can't win 'em all' and got back to her conversation with Soul about her favorite band's newest album.
Now Soul stood poised to take another throw: Patty and Liz sidled up close to him, both spouting out hurried advice. The game was tied, each team having one cup remaining.
"Throw with your mind's eye, not your real one!" Liz shouted in his ear.
"Shoulders locked! All in the elbow!" Patty joined in.
Souls tutted in annoyance. "Shaddup would ya? Can't concentrate with your yappin'," he retorted, one eye closed to counteract his blurred vision. He could have sworn there was only one cup left, not three. He shook his head several times to clear up his sight, releasing the ball when he was sure he wasn't swaying too much. He only noticed it had gone in when the sisters scooped him up in a joint hug. Their exuberance was infectious and soon he found himself grinning ear to ear, taunting the other team alongside his fellow weapons.
His joy shattered the moment the crowded living room parted ever so slightly and he caught a glimpse of Maka and her new friend in huddled discussion by the room's ornate fireplace. He made her laugh again.
Soul deflated like a balloon. Sobered up and mood instantly soured he shrugged off both Thompsons sloped off toward the bathroom. He made it only a few steps before he felt someone tug on his arm. He turned around, making his face as unapproachable as he could manage but stopped once he remembered that it would have little effect on Liz. The elder Weapon gave him a strange look of exasperation and mild sympathy, Patty watching on, over her shoulder.
"Don't get all mopey on me now Soul, there's still phase two of my genius master plan," she said with more confidence than Soul thought was strictly appropriate. So far, all she'd managed to accomplish was get him drunk.
"Pretty obvious Maka's too busy to be part of your 'plan' Liz," he mumbled.
"Hey, Sissy!" Patty suddenly called. She sounded uncharacteristically angry about something but Soul and Liz didn't notice.
Liz didn't even say anything else, she just thrust a small carton into his face and flipped it open with a flick of her wrist. Numerous, inviting, white cylinders filled Soul's view and he reached out to grab one on instinct. He only stopped himself when a small voice in the back of his mind that sounded suspiciously like his Meister said something about 'Filthy habits' and 'Lung cancer'.
"Sissy, you're gonna wanna see this!" Patty shouted, only to be overlooked again.
"Take one, hell take a couple, go to the balcony and calm your nerves," she waved the pack intriguingly under his nose. "And DON'T leave the balcony, got it?".
Against his better judgment, Soul slid two of the cigarettes from the pack, placing one in his mouth and the other behind his ear. He waved away Liz's offer of a lighter, being a habitual carrier of one ever since he first picked up smoking.
Finally, Patty had, apparently, had enough of being ignored as she yanked her sister by the arm and yelled "Liz!".
"What Patty!? I'm trying to play cupid he-oh HELL no!" The sudden lash of her harsh tone shocked Soul enough that he momentarily forgot his nicotine escape and he followed Liz's eyes to find the source of her mood swing. On the couch at the far end of the room, Death the Kid sat looking rather uncomfortable as a very pretty but clearly drunk girl draped herself over him, sporting a lascivious grin. He turned back to the sisters, only to find that the pair of them looked just about ready to transform and shoot the poor girl. He could practically hear Patty's teeth grinding as Liz gave him a glance almost as an afterthought.
"You still here Soul? Go outside already, and don't move from there," her voice suggested little room for argument and Soul found himself following her command, lest he be the next one on the receiving end of her wrath.
He stalked away from the raging pair of weapons, watching from the corner of his eye as they made their way over to their Meister and his unsuspecting admirer. He was grateful for the distraction in all honesty: the path to the double doors that lead to the balcony came uncomfortably close to where Maka happened to be standing and Soul really didn't want to meet her gaze. Luckily, she had her back to him.
He gripped the handle of the large balcony doors, offhandedly admiring the complex arrangement of glass and painted black steel, before he wrenched it open just enough slip through without drawing too much attention to himself. He'd always found smoking to be a private affair after all.
One of the best things about living in the middle of the desert, Soul decided, was the uncompromised beauty of the night sky. The little specks of light from the city's many buildings paled in comparison to the blanket of illumination that exploded across the abyss above so vividly, it was a wonder that one couldn't reach out and pluck one of the stars from the night. Soul strolled to the balcony's edge, leaning on the railing while he lit his cigarette, taking in the magnificence laid before him. He didn't look to the moon: too many bad memories.
Sometimes, whenever Maka could convince him to stop being so lazy, the two of them would go flying at night, rising high into the biting cold of the Nevada air, basking in the quiet and the calm. It was their way of escaping the insanity of their daily life. It was hard to forget sometimes, with the whole 'saving the world' crap, but they were only kids. Stupid teens swinging around more power than they knew what to do with half the time and with the weight of the world on their shoulders. Somehow, amongst the clouds that all fell away, and the two of them could pretend that they were regular teenagers. Well... teenagers that could fly but still, the idea was sound. Soul wished very much to be up there in that moment: just him and his Meister. He took a long drag of his cigarette, memories of the serenity of her company filling his daydreams as the nicotine flooded his brain. Death, he forgot how good the first one always mix of feelings and toxins swirled in his mind: which one was more harmful he didn't know.
Deep in his own head, it took a while for Soul to realise that his cigarette had burnt down to a stub, taking some of the filter with it on the way out. He flicked the spent butt over the railing and reached his second, simultaneously reaching into his back pocket for his lighter.
"You told me you quit."
Some part of him had been expecting this. She always came back for him, even if he felt like she didn't want to at times. He didn't answer straight away, taking a small amount of satisfaction in leaving her waiting, though he knew she hadn't done anything to deserve that.
"Sorry, gotta lot on my mind," he said, turning ever so slightly toward the intruder to his brooding session.
There she stood as beautiful as ever in Soul's mind, hands on her hips and a slightly miffed expression warping her features. Angry Maka excited him more than it frightened him nowadays but he wouldn't ever let her know it. "Then come and talk to me instead of resorting to drugs, Soul!" she pouted, taking up a spot against the railing beside him. He must have imagined it but he thought he saw a mischievous glint in her look, much like Liz.
"You looked a little preoccupied to be worrying about me," he mumbled.
"What's that supposed to mean?" she looked a little hurt by his words and Soul immediately felt awful.
"Nothing."
A quiet descended over the pair, Soul chewing slightly on the tip of his unlit cigarette and Maka shooting him furtive glances that were one part curiosity and one part genuine concern and a little bit of something else under the surface. It stayed like that for several long seconds.
Maka was the one to break the silence "Well what did you want to ask me?" she said.
"Huh?" Soul turned to look at her in confusion only to find Maka equally baffled.
"Liz told me you wanted to talk to me about something. She told me you were waiting out here for me. What's going on Soul?" she looked a little concerned now and Soul was feeling worse by the second.
"That idiot…" he grumbled "Don't worry about Maka, Liz was just messing around. I'm surprised she managed to stop herself from murdering that girl long enough to talk to you."
Maka grimaced a little, clearly having witnessed the results of Liz and Patty's war path. "Yeah, that wasn't pretty but it didn't take very long, those two sure don't share well, ironically," she giggled. The sound made Soul smile involuntarily. But quick as a flash the scythe Meister reverted back to a pout cute enough to make his heart seize up and she shoved an accusing finger in his face. "Hey! Don't you change the subject mister! What's going on with you?"
Soul rolled his eyes, endlessly amazed at his partner's ability to flip-flop between thought processes faster than most people could blink. "I told you Maka, nothings going on. Go back to your friend. I'll come back inside in a minute."
"I want to stay with you."
Soul looked at her from the corner of his eye but faced her fully once he saw the look she was giving him. She always had that look about her whenever she decided to stand her ground and Soul knew better than to try and talk her down. She was the most stubborn person he'd ever met, more so than even himself. It was of the reasons he was so drawn to her: he liked the back and forth they had whenever they both dug their heels in. It always ended in an argument, something that Soul could feel bubbling to the surface right now. He snorted.
"Didn't look that way to me," he shrugged. He knew he was being petty, letting out a side of himself he thought he'd buried the moment he'd left Wes's daunting shadow, but he couldn't stop it: couldn't stop his fierce jealous streak from rearing its ugly head and lashing out at his partner. "Looked happy enough all alone with that asshole in there."
Maka's hand twitched and Soul knew that, if a book was close at hand, he'd have a new dent in his skull to add to his collection. Instead she huffed, turning back to the stretch of the city viewable from the balcony. "What, it bothers you that I have friends other than you?" she said in an aloof voice, tinged with something Soul was almost inclined to call teasing if he didn't know any better.
"It does when they're sleazy pricks like that guy," Soul growled. He was getting riled up now and that mixed with the alcohol meant that he couldn't stop himself from spilling his guts out: maybe Liz had had the right idea all along.
Maka didn't like that answer. She glared at him, fire in her eyes and teeth bared: somehow she made fluffy wings and a crooked halo intimidating. "You don't even know him Soul, he's really nice!" she crossed her arms and grit her teeth when Soul rolled his eyes once again.
"C'mon Maka don't be so naive. He's just putting on a mask, acting like he's all friendly so he can put the moves on you," he spoke slowly, as if talking to a child, but she was having none of it. She stood tall, her unassuming height mitigated by the fact that Soul knew how dangerous she could was something else in her eyes, something that Soul couldn't identify.
"Oh so now I can't look after myself is that it? I'm not a child Soul," she wasn't shouting, just the opposite in fact: Soul could barely hear her hissing whisper over the sounds of the party behind him and yet, she was all he was able to focus on.
"Obviously you can't if you keep letting guys like him get close to you," he shot back, fully turned to face her now, his last cigarette crumpled in his clenched fist and his eyes boring into her unflinching glare: crimson vs emerald.
"You think I don't know what guys are like? You've met my dad haven't you?" She took a step closer and, determined not to be out done, Soul did the same.
"Exactly, so you should know better, dumbass," he leaned toward her more.
"Funnily enough Soul, it was you who taught me all guys aren't only looking to get in my pants," she retorted, and the slight curve at the corner of her mouth threw Soul for a loop. She was up to something and Soul was only just catching on, her anger had hidden it well.
Still, he didn't feel like backing down just because something felt odd. "I'm not like him, or any other guy for that matter," he growled, now vividly aware of just how close her face was to his.
For a moment he imagined Maka's fierce eyes shooting towards his mouth before flicking back to meet his gaze, but that couldn't have been right. "Is that so?" she said lightly, and Soul suddenly had the distinct feeling of being a deer stuck in headlights. He could have sworn that she was seethingly angry not two seconds ago, but now she seemed almost...flirty. He gulped and tried to back away, anything to get some air that wasn't filled with eyes of deep green, soft skin tinted rose, and softer lips that looked oh so intriguing.
Quicker than Soul could react however, Maka's hand shot out from her side and latched around his collar, effectively trapping him. He couldn't avert his gaze from her now smouldering eyes while slowly, very slowly, she dragged him by the front of his shirt until they were mere inches apart.
"M-Maka?" Soul managed to stammer out in a whisper "What the hell are you doing?" He wasn't entirely sure he wanted her to stop, whatever it was.
"Why didn't you want me talking to that guy huh? Were you jealous?" she questioned in a low voice.
"Tchh yeah sure, why would I be jealous over you tiny tits?" he replied coolly, but under the veneer of composure he was anything but. He could feel the beginnings of combustion in his mind and he was certain that it would eventually creep its way onto his face.
She cocked her eyebrow, and hummed. "Really? Well that's good, I was thinking of giving him my number," she smirked evilly when he growled in response.
Soul for his part groaned internally at his own reaction. Really moron? Second time in one night, so uncool... he thought, thoroughly embarrassed that both Liz and Maka could apparently read him so easily.
"Oh? Sounds like you've got something to say about that," Maka's grin deepened, her tight grip on his shirt not letting up in the slightest.
Soul returned a shaky grin of his own, one filled with far more conviction than he felt "When did you get so bold huh? You sure you're Maka?"
"Yep. I'm all me Soul, the same Maka I've always been. I'm just tired of waiting around."
Despite himself, Soul gulped again "Waiting around for what?" He was almost shaking now but he couldn't show any weakness: his stubborn streak was a mile long after all, and it refused to back down from her least of all.
She didn't answer right away, choosing instead to maintain eye contact and inch him closer. After a painfully tense few seconds (at least, it was painful for Soul) she spoke in a breathy sort of voice that had Soul strung tighter than piano wire. "You said you weren't like anyone else," she exhaled very gently, her warm breath tinged with the faint scent of vodka felt inviting in the cold bite of the desert night. She spoke again, her voice a tantalising whisper "Then prove it."
Something inside of Soul snapped under the pressure.
Without the consent of his conscious thought, Soul's body closed the gap between himself and his Meister in a surge of courage that definitely had something to do with Liz' and her little drinking game. Their lips met in the middle and instantly, fireworks exploded in Soul's brain, fizzing the end of his already frayed nerves into overdrive as he moved his hands to settle against his partner: one grabbing a loose fistful of ash blonde hair and the other resting tenderly at the side of her face, his thumb lightly caressing her cheek. She tasted of liquor and lemonade and immediately Soul was addicted, tongue darting from between his lips so as to experience more of her. To his shock she invaded his mouth first, but he quickly realised that he should have expected this: everything else between them was half a dual, why would kissing be any different? Maka hadn't relinquished her grasp on Soul's collar and she didn't quite know what to do with her other hand, alternating between running it through his snow white hair and clawing desperately at his shoulder for any sort of grounding influence to stop her from becoming lost in her Weapon. They engulfed each other completely, both forgetting their surroundings entirely as they melted into one another.
It could have been 2 minutes or it could have been 2000 minutes until they finally pulled apart, neither could tell and neither really cared that much either. They stood there, now open eyes locked, red faces huffing in the cool air as they tried to recover from the wave of intensity that crashed down upon them. Maka's lips were flushed from the attention, parted slightly from her soft panting and Soul had to hold his own control in a vice grip to stop himself from claiming them again. He settled instead on once again wiping his thumb across the soft skin of her cheek, making damn sure that she was indeed real and not some vivid, alcohol induced hallucination. Her skin burned under his fingertips.
She smiled at him bashfully, a far cry from her earlier slyness "Took you long enough, idiot," she giggled at his wide eyed expression.
"You were baiting me…" Soul's voice came to him slowly, as if his brain was struggling to process the idea. His Maka, manipulating him into doing something like that. The prim and proper bookworm who blushed at so much as a steamy romance novel had taken the initiative and backed him into a corner, forcing him to make a choice. It was kinda...cool. He grinned ear to ear, displaying his fang like teeth with reckless abandon.
"Took you long enough," she laughed at his wide smile " I was starting to think Liz was lying to me," and again at his shift to a puzzled look. "You know, she's really a lot more intelligent than she gives herself credit for, she saw through the both of us after all."
"What do you…" Soul began but he realised in that moment that he didn't really care. If this...this wonderful moment was all down to Liz and her damn meddling? Well then he'd just have to buy her something nice and shiny as thanks. He moved his arms down, enveloping Maka's hands in his own, and placing a soft kiss on her forehead. Death, if Black Star saw him now he'd never the end of it, then again he had a sneaking suspicion that it would be a bit hypocritical for Black Star to make fun of him for being so mushy.
"You should work on your subtle glaring by the way, I could see you from a mile off in there," Maka chirped, smirking at the memory of his glowering. Just like that they were back to the same old bantering. The thought made Soul smile. Only on the inside of course: on the outside he scowled at his partner.
"Dunno what you're talking about," he lied, but he submitted under Maka's disbelieving raised brow. "Alright fine, maybe I was brooding."
"Sulking you mean?"
"Brooding sounds cooler."
Maka's clear bell of a laugh warmed Soul against the cold of the balcony even as she bullied him for his not-so inconspicuous moping. "Okay cool guy, we can go with brooding," she loosened her hands from his grip and wrapped her arms around his waist, pulling herself closer in order to steal more of his body heat. It was getting colder. In response, Soul rested his chin atop her head, burying her in the alcove between shoulder and neck. Maka humed in contentment.
"We should probably get back inside. Heh, I bet draculas gonna feel like a real jackass now," Soul sneered vindictively, though he supposed he never really had cause to be jealous anyway.
Maka thumped him on the arm "Play nice, Soul. Denny is my friend for real," she admonished.
"Sure, as long as he keeps his hands to himself," he replied. Maka scoffed at him.
"One little kiss and now you're all possessive."
"Yep, you're my woman now," he grinned.
"Pig."
"Brat."
"Lazy ass."
"Tiny tits."
"SOUL!"
"Sorry, force of habit."
Maka harrumphed but didn't remove herself from their embrace. Soul took that as a good sign.
From the corner of his vision, he spied the crushed, unused cigarette on the stone floor of the balcony, having fallen there amidst the heated argument he'd just shared with his Meister. It looked rather tempting. He took one more look at the top of Maka's head, snuggled up against him and, without even stopping to debate himself, flicked the smoke off the edge with the toe of his shoe, sending it hurtling into the abyss below. He decided then and there that she would be all the stress relief he'd ever need again.