AN: So, first of all, a big thanks to the reviewers for my last one shot, Survival on a Plate.

I had wanted to write this story for a while now, but I also wanted to practice writing Soma and Erina together, and thus SOAP was born. (If you couldn't tell, I am also a huge fan of Survivorman)

For this one, I wanted to explore Erina's character, exposing her to something she might never have experienced before and see how that went. How it maybe helped her grow, and maybe brought the two of them closer in the process.

I have also got a recommended playlist for this one. I absolutely adore Opeth, and I believe that everyone should experience them at least once, even if you aren't too big on metal or rock.

Here's the list of songs, in the order that they appear-

Blackwater Park

Harvest

Face of Melinda

Harlequin Forest

I think that these four represent Opeth's breadth and range of work pretty effectively, so for the full experience, please give them a listen. Hope you enjoy! Leave a review if you like what I have written. More stuff coming in the near-future.

Also, in case there's some confusion, the bold text in particular represents growls.

My Heart is Thine

"Kiss, Kiss, looking dolly

I think I may go out tonight

I just wanna ride, get high in the moonlight…"

Erina was not somebody who defined herself by her taste in music, but Kali Uchis had very quickly taken over her carefully curated and methodically sorted playlist.

She was singing along to the catchy new tune, her body flowing and hips gyrating as the record player blared out the song.

Call her a snob but she much preferred the crisp, clean sound from an old school vinyl rather than using her headphones or the TV. It certainly helped that as a child sneaking into her grandfather's office, she had been fascinated by the huge collection of records he had sitting in the bookshelves, filled to the brim with music from all time periods.

It was Saturday night. Which meant that unless her idiot of a boyfriend had forgotten about it, it was date night. Wouldn't be the first time he'd done that either, so she had texted him an hour ago, as a reminder.

Wouldn't dare forget. Not after last time anyways, lol. Just been busy with some prep, so get changed up yeah? We'll leave as soon as I am back home.

Can you at least give me a hint as to where we will be going? I need some clues for my outfit.

Bah, you stress too much about all this, Erina. Just dress-up in whatever you like. You look gorgeous in everything I have ever seen you wear.

That had ticked her off, and she had half a mind to call him and explain to him the finer details of dressing according to the occasion. But she knew that such knowledge would be wasted on him. Yukihira Soma had a single, one style fits-all kind of dressing sense – Casual.

Oh, she loved him in his button-down shirts and faded jeans anyway, but it wouldn't hurt for him to dress up sometimes. The last time she'd seen him even remotely formally dressed was half a year ago, when they'd had the opening of their new high-end London restaurant.

She got up from their bed, stretching her arms languidly before moving to the walk-in closet. The music had now shifted in favor of The Weeknd, the synthy-90's track making her bounce on her heels as she mixed and matched the hundreds of outfits she owned.

Let's go with something different from what I would usually wear…

She picked out a mint green, off-the-shoulder evening gown, with a slit running down the right thigh and matched it up with her favorite gladiators.

Perfect. These should go well together.

She had just been making some finishing touches to her makeup when she heard the door open in the living room.

"Hey, you ready to go?" Soma was surprisingly already dressed, wearing a pair of black pants and his usual white shirt, over which he had the jacket she'd gifted him a few months ago. He even had a tie on him. Color her surprised.

"Let me just finish with my mascara here. Can you grab my handbag from the closet, please? The black one?" she was focused intently on the mirror, her right hand holding the applicator while her left held her eyelids open.

He gave her a mock salute, walking into the closet as she struggled not to roll her eyes at him. Coming back out, he held a couple of them in his hands, as if saying - your choice.

"Didn't I tell ya that you look gorgeous in everything?" He moved closer to her, wrapping his arms around her shoulders and slowly gave her a once over in the mirror. "But you look extra terrific today, if I do say so myself."

If there was one thing she'd learnt over the years, it was how to take a compliment from him without being reduced to a blushing, stuttering mess. So, she smiled, turning around and kissing him on the cheek.

"Of course I do. Who do you think I am?"

He said nothing, inhaling her lavender perfume, his lungs filling up with the heady aroma.

"I have got a surprise planned for today. You ready to have your mind blown?"

"Sure, but I hope this is not going to be another one of your half-baked and reckless ideas." She said, putting on her earrings. They were of an elegant and graceful sort, the diamonds glittering in the light. A present from her grandfather when she'd graduated, they instantly elevated her style points by 10%.

"Umm… hey, have you seen my watch? I can't recall where I put that thing at all." He was rummaging around the bedroom now, looking under the bed. She tried and failed to stifle her laughter.

"Just check the bedside drawer, it should be there."

At this point, she was quite familiar with his "Take it off and leave it wherever" policy when it came to most things that he owned, and so she had taken it upon herself to bring some semblance of organization into his life.

It's how they worked; he made up for her emotional deficiencies, while she brought some order to his chaotic lifestyle.

It was no wonder that people often teased them on taking so long to get together. " You guys were made for each other" Hisako had proclaimed when they had just started dating. She had denied it then, but more often than not she was starting to see her best friend's line of reasoning these days.

They got into his beloved BMW, speeding along the London streets.

Living in London had taken getting some used to; The weather was often dreary, it rained with almost no warning at times, and she was not a huge fan of most of the local cuisine.

But it was also here that she'd started dating Soma, and just for that the city would always hold a special place in her heart. It didn't hurt either that after Paris, London was probably the biggest fashion capitol on this side of the planet.

"Still not going to tell me where we're going?

"Just wait and watch, my lady."

She huffed, looking out the windows. It was a beautiful evening, the clouds giving the general populace some respite for a change, and the streets were filled with pedestrians and other vehicles.

They were soon down the SW7, heading towards south Kensington, and it was here that she started to get an inkling as to what her boyfriend might have planned for tonight.

When they stopped outside the Albert Hall Mansions on Kensington Gore, it only served to confirm her already growing suspicions.

It was the Royal Albert Hall. Lit up in colorful hues and with a plethora of people slowly streaming inside, it was a sight to behold.

"You've always wanted to come here, haven't you?"

She had. She had dozens and dozens of clips of her favorite concerts and plays hosted at this venue saved in her phone. But her busy schedule and circumstances had meant that she'd never actually visited.

"You… you've got tickets for this place?" her eyes were glowing now, cheeks flushed and a grin on her face.

"Yup. Box seats too. Come on, the concert starts in 15 minutes from now."

"Who's playing?" She couldn't quite manage to keep the anticipation out of her voice, her knees bouncing in place.

"I will uhm… keep that as a surprise, although I am fairly certain that you are going to love them." Oh, he was definitely teasing her now. She pouted, and he laughed while getting out of the car, before moving over to her side to open the door.

She took a hold of his fingertips, moving out of her seat and into his arms, and was immediately assailed by the general humdrum of the crowd around her. There were a lot of people here, and more were showing up by the minute. If nothing else, it was definitely going to be a packed show.

Soma handed his keys over to the valet, one of the privileges of having box seats apparently, and led her away from the main gate where most of the people were getting in from.

They walked through a side entrance, and up a few staircases, before reaching an opening.

"So, from what I've heard, these should be the best seats around here." He said, leading her out of the stairwell and into the bright gold and red of the galleries of the concert hall.

"Grand-Tier seating, 1-12 on the right." She read from a placard placed there, the lettering embossed in gold and glittering like everything else.

He held her hand in his, fingers interlocked as he led them through the curtains and into a private seating area. There were 4 plush chairs there, the velvet a deep vermilion and with an ornate oak table set in the middle.

As they sat down, she really took in the majestic sight before her for the first time; This place was huge, and they were on the second floor, the floor below them filled to the brim with people. The lights had also been dimmed now, the stage glowing an ethereal blue.

He smiled, noticing her wide eyes. It was usually an uphill task to really impress her with something, so this time he had spared no effort or expense.

"Good evening, esteemed guests."

Turning back, she saw a man in an impeccable suit standing behind the table. He held a tray with a bottle of champagne and 2 coupes in it.

"I welcome you both to the Royal Albert Hall." He placed the tray on the table, daintily opening the bottle and pouring the sparkling liquid into the two glasses. "My name is Samuel, and I shall be your server tonight. It's a pleasure to have you with us. Here's some champagne to start off the night in style."

Erina reached out for the glass, the wide bottom giving off a vintage look. She took a sniff before taking a sip, then nodded.

"You like it? I had this specially requested from the chef." Soma was grinning, taking a sip from his own drink.

"If there's anything I can do to make your dining experience more enjoyable, please don't hesitate to let me know. Any ingredients you would like the chef to avoid? Or any dietary restrictions, ma'am?" the server asked, turning to Erina.

"Oh no, I think we are good here. Could you please thank the chef for this? And may I know his name?" She took another sip of the champagne, the bubbly liquid tingling her taste buds and warming her core.

"Ahh yes. The dinner service tonight is being overseen by Michelin-awarded chef Eric Chavot, ma'am. I shall convey your compliments to him." He bowed, turning around and then disappeared behind the curtains once again.

"I didn't know that they had a restaurant here." She glanced over to him, taking in his features lit up by the soft lighting.

"It's called the 'Coda'. I had a chat with the chef before coming here, so dinner should be good. Look over there though, they've almost setup the stage."

Soma leaned forward, grasping her hand, before getting up from his seat.

They stood near the railings, the noise of the crowd almost deafening below. The huge screen at the back of the stage displayed an ornate 'O' written in stylish calligraphy, and the strobe lights were going haywire.

The drummer started a beat, before who she assumed was the lead singer and guitarist launched into an intricately crafted and melodic guitar solo.

The acoustics of the hall being what they were, she could hear each and every note being played with amazing precision, despite the roar of the crowd below.

"Good evening, everyone. On this most momentous of occasions, it being the 20th anniversary of an album that many of you here might be familiar with, blackwater park…" the lead singer, who was quite distinguished looking with long hair, beard and a mustache, spoke to an ever-rising applause from the crowd "…we start off this sojourn with a song which we usually play to end our other performances. It's the titular track, The Blackwater Park."

The crowd was now in a fever pitch as the guitars kicked in once more, the base and jazzy instruments creating an atmospheric sound and a haunting melody unlike any she'd heard before.

Just as she was starting to get into it, the lead positively roared.

The growl sent the crowd into a frenzy and made goosebumps crawl through her skin. She could feel her spine tingling.

"Confessor, Of the tragedies in man,
Lurking in the core of us all,
The last dying call for the ever lost,
Brief encounters, bleeding pain…"

The deafening storm of distortion and drums came to a sudden halt, the lead taking center stage once again with an acoustic section and she was finally able to breathe.

Erina looked sideways, having until now been completely enraptured.

"What… How… How is he… singing like that?"

"It's known as growling, and Mikael Åkerfeldt is a master of his craft. Come on. You might wanna sit down for this next part." Soma took her hand, guiding her back to her seat before sitting down himself.

"The band's called Opeth. I had kind of been looking for an opportunity to see them live, and so this was too good to pass up." He was kinda exhilarated, both from the music and at seeing her half incredulous, half in-awe expression.

The acoustic had now been joined by the base, adding a gothic, almost jazzy tune to it. It was calm and serene… almost like the calm before the storm…

"And, here we go…" he muttered under his breath, holding Erina's hand tight.

The guitars came back with a vengeance, and that first growl from the singer's lips made her shiver in her seat.

"Lepers, coiled neath the trees,

Dying men in bewildered soliloquies…"

From there on out it was a barrage of transitions and amazing chord progressions, with some bombastic solos sprinkled on top.

She had her eyes closed; her brows furrowed as she tried to process the variety of new sensations she was feeling. It was like she had been blind all this time, enveloped in darkness, only now someone else had come in and removed her blindfold, making her truly see for the first time.

The song ended as it had begun, with soft tones and a haunting melody, and the last few lines still reverberated inside of her.

"The sun sets forever over, blackwater park…"

The audience below were losing their minds, screams and applause ringing out for the performance, and Erina was sure that she was losing her mind right along with them.

She checked her phone real quick, taking a few pictures in the process, before her eyes were drawn to the time. "What the… that was a 12-minute song?!"

"Yup. That's pretty normal for a prog-metal band. They really love to play and experiment with their music." Soma was sipping leisurely on his champagne, his eyes focused on the stage.

"Excuse me, sir."

Samuel was back, another tray in hand that was covered by a cloche. He set the tray on the table, before uncovering it, to reveal 2 plates with appetizers.

"The chef's special, my lady, canapés and a fruit salad. Would you like me to get you anything else?"

"Bring me your finest bottle of wine, please. That will be all, thank you." Erina was examining the small and beautifully crafted canapés. Satisfied, she popped one in her mouth, tasting the venison and butternut along with the subtle texture of the cracker underneath.

"Looks like they are getting started with the next one." Soma ate one off his plate, finding his to be topped with smoked salmon, cream cheese and dill.

The band launched into the next song, and at once she resonated with it; the acoustic guitar playing a mellow, almost folksy tune.

Then Mikael started singing, and even after Erina had thought she was done with her share of surprises for the day, she was bamboozled once again as instead of the deep, guttural growls of blackwater park, what came out his lips was a melody that could rival the greatest of traditional singers.

"Stay with me a while,

Rise above the vile,

Name my final rest,

Poured into my chest"

"He's got an amazing voice…" She whispered to herself, glancing at Soma to see him relaxed in his chair with eyes half shut.

"Into the orchard, I walk peering way past the gates…"

There was a sudden change of scale, the atmosphere almost dreamlike. Clearly, they played around with the chord progressions even in their ballads.

The bottle of wine was already sitting on the table, a finely aged Cabernet Sauvignon, with 2 full glasses beside it. It seemed like Samuel had decided not to rouse their attention.

She took a hold of her wine , inhaling the rich and strong aroma and took a slow, measured sip. It paired quite well with the canapés.

"Pledge yourself to me, never leave me be, huh…" Within her heart of hearts, Erina knew that she had pledged herself to him before they had even graduated.

She reached out her hand for Soma's arm, snaking it around his bicep and leaning into his shoulders.

"Such a stark difference, isn't it? This one's a ballad about a dying singer and his thoughts on his own mortality…."

"Hmm… they have managed to keep me on the edge of my seat for 20 minutes now. I can see why you like them."

The song winded down in slow tunes and the melodic, quasi-romantic acoustic.

"They really know how to set the mood." She said, the strobe lights shifting to red and the guitars picking up once again.

Samuel was back, this time rolling out a trolley. He wiped the plates and set them on the table, presenting them with the main course for the evening.

"The Mediterranean platter, ma'am. Feta stuffed peppers, piquillo hummus & tzatziki; served with braised cherry tomatoes and smoked paprika picos. Enjoy."

"I asked the chef to be really careful with this. I know just how much you love hummus." Soma was already munching on one of the breadsticks, testing the creamy spread for himself.

It felt perfect to him, but he knew that satisfying the god's tongue was a completely different ball game.

"Hmm… It's a bit under seasoned. Just needs a touch of lime I think." She squeezed a few drops of lime juice into the hummus, then sighed upon tasting. "Perfect."

He tested it again, dipping in the rest of his breadstick and as usual the sheer sensitivity of her god's tongue amazed him.

"What's with that look?"

"Nah, just thinking. There are very few people on this planet who would be able to discern such a minor difference. Your god's tongue really is something else, Erina."

"It's not just that… I mean, I was trained to do this sort of thing since childhood. You remember… right? My father may no longer control any aspect of my life, but I'm afraid that his teachings still do."

He realized his mistake too late. To this day Erina rarely talked of her father, and even though she was possibly the toughest woman that he knew of, her father was the chink in her armour. A wound too deep to ever truly heal, a scar that would forever remain on her otherwise pristine self.

The music was gentle in the background, he noticed, Mikael crooning out the Face of Melinda.

"I'm… I'm sorry… think I successfully ruined the mood for the night."

"By the turnstile beckons a damsel fair,

The face of Melinda neath blackened hair,

No joy would flicker in her eyes,

Brooding sadness, came to arise…"

"Oh no, don't be. I rarely even think about him anymore. It's just… something that I need to get comfortable with. And really, you've helped me so much with that… so thank you." She was looking right into his eyes, her digits touching his cheek, and he never thought it possible but could swear that she looked radiant.

It was moments like these that had him beholden to her, the depth of his feelings frightening and yet exhilarating.

Meanwhile, the music took a sudden turn, the riff of the guitar electrifying the air.

"I took her by the hand to say,

All faith forever has been washed away,

I returned for you in great dismay,

Come with me, far away to stay…"

Soma could hear the words seep into his bones, and he held her hand tight against himself, feeling the warmth of her touch intoxicating.

"I will always do that… helping you out with that stuff. If you will have me, that is."

Her eyes were slightly misty, the song now in a crescendo.

She leaned over and kissed him, a soft meeting of lips which lasted a few seconds and yet managed to convey everything she wanted to.

I would like that.

"But baffled herself with the final line,

My promise is made but my heart is thine…"

The song finished in a rousing peak, and they could hear the roar of the fans down below.

It might have gone unspoken, but they had promised their hearts to each other at that very moment.

On the stage, the band seemed to be taking a break now, Mikael taking the opportunity to engage with some of the fans. "So, I met Bruce Dickinson today."

The crowd roared in response, chants of his name going around the hall.

"I was uhm… I kept my cool, actually. He was pretty cool too."

One of the fans from the back screamed out something unintelligible.

"What was that? Oh, did he fly me out here in his plane? Umm… Is that funny in England?" Laughter ran through the crowd, and Erina found herself smiling again.

"Cause in Sweden…" he shook his head, his long hair flowing with him. "Not funny."

"We're not in Sweden now!" came another reply.

"Yeah, fuck Sweden." he smirked, the crowd cheering along.

"Mikael, you should play the organ!" a voice rang out.

"Ah? I should play the organ? Nah, I got my own 'organs' to play. I do it all the time."

She was stifling her laughter now, amused at the impromptu stand-up session the lead seemed to be having.

"Uhh, we're gonna move forward to the ' Ghost Reveries' record." The crowd was roused again in response. "Notice the change in tone when I introduced that record. I said, we're gonna move forward to 'The Ghost Reveries' record."

"Looks like we are going back to the growls." She could see Soma was excited from her head on his shoulder.

"Uh, so we signed with roadrunner records, then put this one out. By this time, Per Wiberg had joined, give him a hand." the crowd screamed and applause rained down in droves.

"Haha yeah, he's drunk. Now then, this song is called The Harlequin Forest."

The intro was intense, with the drummer going to town on the snare and the entire band headbanging in rhythm, the crowd following in their footsteps.

"Into the trees,
Past meadow grounds,
And further away from my home,
Baying behind me,
I hear the hounds,
Flock's chasing to find me alone…"

Almost involuntarily, Erina found her head bobbing to the tune, her foot tapping softly on the carpet.

"Erina… are you trying to headbang elegantly or something?"

"Next time around, get the front row seats."

"Next time?" Soma smirked, glancing at her.

"Well yes, their music has intrigued me enough to warrant another visit… or two, I suppose." Erina blushed, her head feeling light from all the alcohol.

"Umm… also, are you sure? We'll have to stand amongst the crowd for hours. Those mosh pits can get… pretty wild."

"What's a mosh pit?" She had a puzzled expression on her face that Soma found endearingly cute.

"Well, you see how they are all bumping and pushing against each other down in the crowd? That's called a mosh pit. It's pretty mild here, but some of them can get real nasty."

He had intentionally got the box seats so as to not force her out of her comfort zone too much, while also ensuring that they could have a private dinner in peace.

"I… I think I would like to experience it for myself… even if I end up hating it in the end."

"I mean sure, if you want to. But… any particular reason for the sudden interest?"

"It's just… they look like they are having a lot of fun… and I have been looking at you, you know?! You've had this wistful expression on your face at times, like you want to be there, amongst them as well…" her voice petered out at the end, coming out in a soft whisper."

The song was reaching its conclusion, the crowd moving in sync with the driving beat of the music.

"It is all false pretension,
Harlequin Forest,
Awaiting redemption for a lifetime,
As they die alone,
With no one by their side,
Are they forgiven?"

"Hey now, you don't have to force yourself for my sake, okay? I know you don't do well with crowds…"

"No… I am not forcing myself; I want to do it for myself too. I can't stay a sheltered ojou-sama with daddy issues forever. I feel like… I want to live like a normal person too, even if only for a few moments…"

Soma could hear the plea hidden within those words. She was struggling against everything she had been brought up on, against the very ingrained scars that her father had left on her as a final memento.

Oh well. He had never been too good at refusing her for anything, especially not with her looking at him as she was now. He sighed.

"All right then… next time around, we go right up to the front row."

If Erina couldn't handle it, or if she got too uncomfortable, they could just get out anyway.

"Thank you!" she threw her arms around him, as the song came to an end, cheers and whistles ringing out from below.

"And hey, didn't I tell you?"

"Tell me what?"

"That you need not worry about this stuff. If you think that doing this is a step in the right direction, then sure. I will be there. Right by your side."

She blushed, hiding her face in his shoulders and tried to compose herself. He really did have a way with words at times.

Over all these years, after so many bumps and hitches along the way, it felt like for the very first time they could each say what they wanted to clearly; and in doing so, create something new and wonderful which would hopefully last forever, a monument to all they had went through and a testament to what they felt for each other.

The night after had been eventful to say the least, and the morning after, she'd woken up in their bed, feeling sore all over and a heady sense of fulfillment in her mind.

They attended another concert a month later, this time in Amsterdam. Keeping to his word, Soma had got them to the very first row this time, right in front of the stage. It had been a thrilling experience, and that was putting it lightly.

He'd held her in his arms the entire time, holding her tightly against his frame. Acting as a shield, protecting her from the surging crowd.

He'd smiled, looking at her going full tilt with the music, laughing and jumping and screaming.

The scars had finally begun fading away.

End Notes: At this point in the story, they've been dating for about 7 months. Those who've read Survival on a Plate would remember that they had been dating for about 2 years in that story. So technically, this story is sort of a prequel to that one, and you can consider the two to be part of the same series.