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It was supposed to be an easy mission, god damn it.
Per the treaty, the weapons and meisters of the DWMA were no longer allowed to hunt witches, and in turn the witches were supposed to leave humanity alone. However, all knew that not everyone was going to agree or be happy with the arrangement. There was the fair share of meister/weapon teams who were upset that their chances of making/becoming a Death Scythe were flushed down the toilet, which was understandable. There were also witches who were furious that their favorite pastime of fucking with people had been ripped from them and thus rebelled by causing as much chaos as they could before they were caught.
This mission involved one of those witches, a particularly strong witch up in Slovakia who had been terrorizing the local villages. Due to how powerful her magic was, Kid had opted to send in his strongest meister/weapon pairs to deal with the problem. Black*Star and Tsubaki, Ox and Harver, Kilik and the Pot twins, and of course Soul and Maka. Soul had been eager for the mission, not getting to see much action these days since his role as the Last Death Scythe required him to stay at the academy for mostly appearance sake. The chance to get to fight with his meister again made him giddy, though he tried not to let it show. Cool guys didn’t get excited over stuff like that, after all.
They also didn’t discreetly check out their meisters and her long-as-fuck legs when she was fighting, but.
Ya know.
That was neither here nor there.
Getting to the witch had been a little more trouble than they anticipated. She had hidden in an underground labyrinth that took a minute to find, and in the tunnels were various booby traps of spells and the occasional henchman to try to hold them back. Once they had reached the room she was in, the battle that ensued had been pretty intense, though of course they came out on top. She was captured and dragged kicking and screaming through the maze.
“Total piece of cake!” Black*Star gloated as they got close to the exit. “Nothing a big guy like me couldn’t handle.”
“Pretty sure you only got out of that thanks to us,” Ox said sourly, glaring at the blue-haired boy from behind his glasses.
“She knocked you flat on your ass.” Harver’s tone was harsh and blunt as he leveled Black*Star with a scowl.
The assassin waved him off. “Yeah, yeah, whatever. Water off a duck’s back and all that shit.”
Behind them all, Kilik sighed. “Guys, we’ve talked about this. No cussing when the kids are around.” He sent the Pot twins an apologetic look, reaching down to pat their heads.
“I’m sure they’ve heard worse at home,” Harver observed, reaching up to push his visor back up his nose.
Kilik glared at the spear. “Not the point right now.”
Soul watched them all with a shake of his head, looking over Maka and Tsubaki who were keeping the witch restrained with Tsubaki’s chain that was attached to her hair. “We should be there soon,” he told them, hands shoved in his pockets.
“Thank god,” Maka sighed. “I don’t know how much more of this,” she gestured to the other boys, “I can take.”
“It could be worse,” Tsubaki pointed out cheerfully.
“You better knock on wood as soon as we get outside,” Maka told her, wrinkling her nose. “I don’t want you to jinx us.”
Soul nudged her with a grin. “Thought you didn’t believe in that sorta stuff.”
“I don’t,” Maka replied with a roll of her eyes. “It would just be our luck.”
As much as he hated to admit it, Maka had a point, and Soul breathed a little easier when they stepped outside unscathed. Crisis averted.
“Oh crap.” Ox stopped and patted his pockets, a look of panic crossing over his features. “I think I dropped the charm Kim gave me. She’ll have my head if she finds out I lost it!”
“Where do you remember having it last?” Harver demanded, his tone surprisingly urgent.
“I know I felt it in my pocket when we were in there,” Ox looked over his shoulder and nodded at the entrance to the labyrinth.
“How far in?”
“About a hundred feet or so?”
Harver nodded then grabbed Ox by the arm, pulling him back towards the tunnels. “Let’s go see if we can find it. I’d rather not deal with a pissed off witch bitch.”
“Guys,” Kilik groaned, then looked at the twins. “I’m gonna go help them look. You wanna come with me or stay out here?”
Fire and Thunder looked at each other then at their meister, both pointing at Tsubaki.
“Okay.” Kilik ruffled their hair then jogged after the other two, calling out, “Hey, wait for me! We’ll find it faster with three people looking.”
Soul watched them go before shaking his head and looking at Maka. “You want me to go with them? Make sure they don’t do anything stupid?”
“They’ll find a way to do that with or without you.” Maka rolled her eyes before pulling out her compact mirror. “I’m going to call Kid, let him know that we got the witch.”
“You’ll all pay for this, you sniveling little brats!” the witch screeched as she kicked her heels up from where she was sitting. “Let me go!”
Soul sauntered up to her as Maka turned around to make the call, sneering down at the woman. “Lady, you lost. You’re going back to the witch realm and they’ll take care of you. Get over it.”
“This isn’t over!” The corners of her mouth turned up in a devious smile that made the hair on the back of his neck stand up. “I still have one trick up my sleeve!”
Black*Star came over then, a dangerous glint in his eye. “Oh yeah? You wanna act tough after a god like me beat your ass? You must be dumber than I thought.”
His expression made the witch cower a bit, though her smile stayed put. “And all of you must be imbeciles if you really thought capturing me would mean there are no more traps.”
“What are you talking about?” Soul demanded, feeling his heart start to sink into his belly.
Before she could answer, there was the sound of a minor explosion from inside the labyrinth, followed by coughing and a string of expletives that made Tsubaki cover the twins’ ears.
Maka sighed and finished up the call, closing the compact and jogging over to the entrance. “I’ll go check on them, make sure they aren’t covered in pox or bugs or goo.” Then she disappeared into the darkness, calling out to the other boys.
Black*Star and Tsubaki both looked over at Soul. “Aren’t you gonna go after her?” Black*Star asked, his head tilted to the side.
“No.” Soul arched a brow at him. “Why would I?”
“‘Cause you got that weird over-protective streak when it comes to her,” the assassin answered back casually, as though they were discussing the weather.
“Maka does hate it, though,” Tsubaki pointed out, her hands on top of the twins’ heads. “So it makes sense that he wouldn’t go.”
“But then he can’t make sure that no harm comes to his precious meister,” Black*Star pointed out with a shit-eating grin.
Soul glared at both of them. “Don’t either of you know when to shut the hell up?”
“Nope,” Black*Star said before letting out a big booming laugh.
There was a high-pitched shriek that made all of their heads snap over to stare at the tunnel entrance. Then Maka was sprinting outside, running over to them. “Help! They’ve all gone crazy!”
Soul instinctively grabbed onto her, pulling her behind him as his other arm turned into a scythe. “Who?? What’s going on?”
“Maka~! Come back, my darling~!”
Slowly, Soul’s head turned to stare at the entrance, watching as Ox came flying out with his arms extended. The expression on his face was blissful and loving as he skipped over to them, reaching for the meister behind the scythe. “Don’t be afraid, my love, everything is–”
“Hey!”
“Dude!”
Harver and Kilik came out next, running over and tackling Ox to the ground with furious looks on their faces. “You dirty bastard!” Harver growled at his meister. “You good-for-nothing cheater! You think you can just push me aside to get to my angel first! How dare you?!”
“You both really think she’ll go for you?” Kilik challenged, earning him a harsh glare from the other two. “Please, she clearly likes real men.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?!” the other two shouted.
Kilik tumbled out of the pile and stood up, looking over at Maka with a confident smirk. “Don’t worry, Mama, we all know who you’d pick.” Then he winked at her.
“Asshole!” Ox and Harver lunged for him but Kilik leaped out of their reach, laughing.
Soul looked over at his meister, confusion and fury raging in his mind. “What the hell is going on??”
“I don’t know!” she exclaimed, watching the three with wide eyes. “But they all tried to kiss me!”
“WHAT?!” Soul whirled back around with a snarl, his scythe arm itching for bloodshed. “The fuck?!”
“I’m so sorry,” he heard Tsubaki murmur to the twins but didn’t pay any attention to her. There were other things to be concerned about right now.
Like chopping the heads off of three former friends.
Speaking of, the boys stopped fighting and turned to look at Maka, all with hearts in their eyes. “Maka~” they cooed.
“Nope.” Soul growled, standing in front of the girl. “Fuck off!”
“See?” the witch crowed from where she was still sitting on the ground, drawing all of their attention. “I told you I had one last trick up my sleeve!”
Soul turned to glare at her, marching over to hold his blade at her throat. “Start talking,” he got out through gritted teeth, eyes glittering dangerously. “NOW. What’s wrong with them?”
To her credit, the woman did look properly intimidated, though she managed to push past it as she spoke. “It’s a love spell. Whoever is hit with it falls in love with the first person of their preferred gender that they see. Those three are now all hopelessly infatuated with that girlie there.” She nodded to Maka, who was taking several steps away from her three new admirers.
“Fix it.” Soul pressed the blade harder against her neck. “NOW.”
“Spells like that can’t just be reversed!” the witch fretted, slitted eyes wide with alarm. “The only way to undo a spell like that is for it to be fulfilled.”
“And what. Does. That. MEAN.” He was going to cut off this damn witch’s head, treaty be damned, if she didn’t start talking straight.
The witch looked at Maka, then at the three spelled boys, then back to Soul. She even had the audacity to smirk . “The only way to undo a love spell like this is with a kiss .”
Soul swore his heart stopped beating in his chest. What…what had she just fucking said??
“A WHAT?!” Maka shrieked.
“Hell yeah!” Kilik cheered, and Soul’s head snapped around to give the pot meister the nastiest glare he could manage. “Let’s fucking go!”
“I definitely will not object,” Harver commented, though his flushed cheeks revealed his excitement.
“What a joyous day!” Ox held out his arms to Maka. “Come to me, darling!”
“This is INSANE!” she screamed, turning and running from them as they all gave chase. “Whyyyyyyy??”
Black*Star had fallen to the ground, limbs flailing as he cackled. “Oh my god, this is the BEST! Holy shit!” Tears were rolling down his cheeks with his uncontained humor.
“Black*Star,” Tsubaki sighed.
Something inside Soul snapped and he bellowed, “ENOUGH!!”
Everyone stopped moving and stared at him with wide, blinking eyes.
He pointed at the witch. “YOU are going back to the witch realm so they can deal with you. YOU,” he pointed at Black*Star and Tsubaki, “are gonna make sure she gets there in one piece. And YOU,” he marched over to where his meister was standing, her stance tense and poised to take off again, “are coming with me.” Not waiting for a response, he bent down to haul her over his shoulder and started to walk away from the others.
“Hey! Soul!” Her tiny yet strong fists pounded against his back. “Put me down! I can walk, damn it!”
“Where are you going with her?” Kilik challenged.
“Put her down!” Harver shouted.
“Maka, darling!” Ox wailed.
Soul turned on his heel to glare at them. “If any of you try to put your lips anywhere NEAR my meister, I will make sure that your heads are detached from your bodies! Fuck off!” Then he turned back around to continue stomping away from them, ignoring the demands from said meister to let her go.
“This is literally my worst nightmare,” Soul groaned, dragging his hands down his face.
Maka gave him an incredulous look from where she sat beside him. “YOUR worst nightmare?? You don’t have three guys trying to kiss you all the time!”
“Yeah, they’re all trying to kiss YOU.” His hands slid away and his head fell onto the table with a loud BANG. “This is all seriously uncool.”
Her sigh was so exasperated that he didn’t have to look at her to know that she was rolling her eyes. “Oh yes, poor you, getting to indulge in your protective nature. We all feel for you, Soul.”
He turned his head to give her a weak glare, his cheek pressed into the wood. “What do you want me to do? Just let them catch you and kiss you?”
A shudder went through his meister and she shook her head. “Absolutely not. I’d rather die than ever let Ox kiss me.”
A cry of devastation sounded above them. “Maka! How can you say such a thing?? We’re meant to be!”
“Dude, shut up, she doesn’t wanna kiss you,” came Kilik’s smug reply. “I keep telling you guys, she wants a real man.”
“Says the guy with toddlers for partners,” Harver commented dryly. “You just want a mother for them.”
“Hey, that is not true!” Kilik snapped. “I want her for that sweet, sweet bod–”
Soul whirled around in his seat to give them a bone-chilling scowl. “If you value your life, you will not finish that sentence.”
Kilik looked unphased. “She’s hot, Eater, I dunno what you want me to say.”
“Nothing! I want you to say nothing! That’s the point!”
Black*Star was once again cackling, doubled over in his seat. “This is the best! Oh my god!”
“I hate all of you,” Maka groaned, her face buried in her hands to hide her red face.
“Ahem.”
All of their heads turned to see Stein glaring at them from where he stood behind the desk in the classroom. “If you’re all quite done, can I get on with my lesson?” He arched brow at them.
“Sorry, Professor Stein, but how can anyone focus on dissection when there is an angel among us?” Ox sighed, his chin in his hands as he gazed at Maka with an expression that made Soul want to puke.
“You bastard!” Harver seethed, glaring at his meister once more. “Stop trying to hone in on my woman! You already have Kim!”
“Kimial is gorgeous, but Maka’s beauty is divine,” Ox declared, pushing his glasses further up his nose.
“Hey, what the hell!” Kim fumed from where she sat beside Ox, eyes narrowed in a glare. “Are you saying she’s prettier than me?”
“I would advise against answering that,” Jacqueline told him dryly.
“See, no one wants to kiss you .” Kilik looked at Maka and wiggled his brows. “Now me , on the other hand–”
“I will shock both of you if you keep hitting on my angel!” Harver snarled, looking between the two other infatuated boys with a deadly gleam in his eyes.
Soul stood up abruptly, his chair screeching against the floor. “That’s it, I can’t do this anymore.” He grabbed Maka and pulled her to her feet, dragging her towards the door. “We’re going home.”
“Soul!” she protested, trying and failing to get out of his grip. “We can’t just skip school!”
“Come back here!” came Ox’s cry, followed by the sound of three sets of feet following them.
Soul whirled around, shoving Maka behind him as scythes spouted out of both of his arms. “If you try to kiss her again, so help me Death, I will end all of you!” His eyes, wide and near hysterical, looked around at his other classmates. “Anyone else wanna try to kiss my meister?? Huh?!” His lip curled out and he pointed an accusing finger at the single raised hand in the classroom. “Liz, put your FUCKING hand DOWN!”
The pistol huffed and crossed her arms, looking away with a pout. “You’re no fun, Eater.”
Both Black*Star and Patty fell off their chairs howling with laughter and Tsubaki sighed, bowing her head. “I am so sorry.”
Soul looked back at his three adversaries, growling, “DO NOT follow us.” Then he grabbed his meister by the hand and dragged her out of the classroom. “Maka, let’s GO!”
“But my attendance!” she wailed as she had no choice but to follow her weapon down the hall.
Soul flopped down on the couch, throwing his arm over his eyes with a groan. “I don’t know how much more of this I can take. I really don’t want to end up in the dungeon.”
“Why would you end up in the dungeon?” Maka asked, and he moved his arm in time to see her walk over to the couch, intending on sitting down.
He sat up to make room for her then curled himself protectively around her, ignoring the tiny huff that left her even as she made no move to get away. Good. All of this had him way too tense and that wasn’t cool. “Homicide, duh.”
“Why?”
“‘Cause I’m gonna end up killing those three if they don’t knock it off.” His eyes narrowed in a glare and his arms tightened around her as he thought about the amorous looks trained on his meister. The fact that it took a god damn spell for them to see what a catch Maka was made his stomach clench with fury. She always had been, even if he himself had taken some jabs at her, though to be fair thirteen year old boys weren’t exactly known for being sauve. He hadn’t wanted her to think he was a pervert like her dad, either, so he said the exact opposite of what Spirit would have.
Not his best look, he knew, but hey, he was trying now. That had to count for something, right?
“It’s not like they can help it,” Maka was saying, drawing his attention back to the present. She settled into his embrace, so trusting that it made his chest ache. “They’re under a spell. It’s not like they actually like me.” Though her tone was casual, Soul could see the flash of hurt in her eyes, the way her shoulders curled inwards ever so slightly.
He didn’t know what to say or do to make her feel better without giving away his gooey feelings for his meister, so he settled for a quiet grunt and pulled her back to lean against the couch with him. “We’ll figure something out to make it stop. See if Kim or Blair can’t come with some counter spell.”
“You heard what the witch said,” Maka argued, shaking her head. “There’s only one way to reverse the spell–”
“No,” he said harshly, shaking his head and clenching his fists to dig his nails into his palms in an effort to keep from screaming. “No, Maka. No.”
“But Soul–”
“ No .”
“Look, I’m not thrilled about it either,” she snipped, turning her head to look at him. “But it’s only been a day and we’re both this stressed out. We can’t let it keep going, it’ll drive all of us crazy.”
“You’re not kissing them!” The words came bursting out of his mouth, voice laced with a desperation he couldn’t contain.
“What other choice do we have?” She sighed and let her head flop back against the couch. “Definitely not how I pictured my first kiss going, but oh well.”
Her words made his blood freeze in his veins as they rang in his ears, over and over again.
“Not how I pictured my first kiss–”
“Not how I pictured my first kiss–”
“–my first kiss–”
“–my first kiss–”
“–my first–”
“Soul? Hello?”
That’s right, she hadn’t had her first kiss yet. Not that there had been many opportunities for her to kiss someone – and, admittedly, not that anyone ever had a chance to approach her for it because of him. The idea of anyone even trying to kiss her made him see red. No one was good enough for his meister, no one. Maka was sweet and innocent and good . There were way too many guys like her father out there, ones with less than pure intentions that might try to take advantage of someone as inexperienced as her.
“Are you in there? Earth to Soul?”
Having her give up that first kiss for the sake of a spell was unacceptable. Absolutely not. It wasn’t fair! He knew how much crap like that meant to her, how precious those experiences were to her. It was something she would hold precious in her heart forever. She’d given up so much already, this was asking too much. It wasn’t right.
“Seriously, you’re starting to scare me. Hello??”
He couldn’t watch her put her lips on any of those three for her first kiss and be alright. Just thinking about it made him want to ride his motorcycle straight into the sun. When he’d pictured her first kiss before – and yes, he had, shut the hell up – he’d always imagined that it would be…well…
With him.
“Soul?”
Her hand on his cheek finally brought him back to reality. He turned his head to see concerned olive-green eyes staring into his, her face close enough that he could make out the faint freckles scattered over the bridge of her nose. “What is going on in that head of yours?” she asked, and he couldn’t keep his eyes off of her lips. Soft and pink, the lower one slightly fuller than the top, with the most adorable cupid’s bow he’d ever seen in his life. How many times had he fantasized about how they would feel against his own? How often had the need to claim them seized his chest and made him feel like he couldn’t breathe? And now three bozos would get that first because of some stupid spell?
No, he couldn’t let that happen, that was asking too much. He couldn’t bear it.
“You can’t have your first kiss with one of them,” he rasped out, raising a hand to the back of her neck and pressing his fingers against her nape.
“What?” she gasped, eyes widening a fraction as her cheeks turned a gorgeous shade of pink.
“It’s not right,” he went on, leaning closer to her face. The feeling of her quickening breath brushing over his lips made him shudder and his grip on her neck tightened. “Your first kiss is special, Maka. You should share it with someone you know, someone you trust. Someone like…like…”
“Like?” she pressed, her thumb like a butterfly wing’s caress over his cheekbone.
Drawing in a deep, shaking breath, the tip of his nose touched hers as he murmured, “Like me.”
“You want to kiss me?” The shock in her voice made him want to cry. Was she really so clueless? Or was this the result of all his idiotic teasing? Death, he wished he could go back in time and slap his younger self upside the head.
“It’s better than you having to kiss one of those losers for the first time,” he settled on, trying to keep his tone light-hearted so she couldn’t tell how much effort it was taking to keep his cool.
Her expression darkened and she started to pull away. “You’re under no obligation to help me with this, Soul–”
Damn it, no, that’s not what he wanted! “I’m not saying it because I feel obligated,” he interrupted her, pulling her back in and pressing their foreheads together. His eyes never left hers, needing her to see that he meant it. “I’m saying it because it’s right. It’s always been you and me, and it’s always going to be you and me.” His thumb pressed under her jaw, tilting her head up ever-so-slightly so that her mouth nearly brushed against his. “Do you get it?”
“I don’t know,” she replied breathlessly, olive hues shining as she gazed at him. “I think you might need to spell it out for me.”
A low growl escaped him as his expression turned predatory. “Spell it out with my tongue.” But he couldn’t do it, not yet. Not until she said yes.
Maka groaned and her hands gripped the lapels of his jacket. “Damn it, Soul, don’t tease me. I’ve already waited so long.”
That was all he needed.
In a single movement, Soul swooped down and captured her lips with his, his eyes closing as the feeling nearly overwhelmed him. Soft, so fucking soft, and smooth. Her skin was so nice. She was a little clumsy with her response but that was okay, nothing that time couldn’t fix. And oh, they had plenty of time to fix it. He could kiss her for the rest of his life and it still wouldn’t be enough.
His mouth slanted over hers to deepen the kiss and her answering moan kicked his heart into overdrive. His tongue came out to play then and holy shit Ox was right. She was divine . Heat and wetness and determination to keep up with him, and he drank it all in. This was his and he would hold it close until the end of his days.
They were both panting when they finally parted and Soul couldn’t resist planting a few more chaste kisses against her lips before fully pulling away. “There,” he whispered, his thumb brushing across her throat. “Now you have it. Your first kiss.”
“What a kiss,” she sighed, voice filled with a bliss that made him feel giddy. Her eyes opened and stared at him with such open affection that he thought he might melt into the couch. “Thank you, Soul.”
“Anytime,” he grinned, leaning back in for another kiss.
The next morning found Soul feeling both ecstatic and dread. He and Maka had spent the rest of the previous evening making out on the couch, getting acquainted with each other’s mouths. They hadn’t done anything else but he wasn’t bummed. There was plenty of time for that. Cool guys didn’t rush this kind of thing.
But she was determined to break the spell on her three unwanted suitors today and he couldn’t say he was looking forward to watching his meister lock lips with other guys. It wouldn’t mean anything other than getting rid of the curse they were under, but still. No guy wanted to watch their new girlfriend do that.
At least, he was pretty sure she was his girlfriend now. They hadn’t really talked about it last night, being too preoccupied. He made a mental note to fix that later.
For now, Maka was leading the way up the steps of the academy with a determined fire in her eyes. It was the same look she always got when she intended on making sure things went her way and it was sexy as hell. Soul barely kept from grabbing her hand and pulling her to him so plant one on her right there in front of the laughing sun. He would have done it without a second thought if she didn’t perk up and hurry up the last few steps.
“Kilik, hey!”
The pot meister heard Maka calling and turned around, grinning when he saw her approach. “Hey, pretty mama, what’s good? Finally come to your senses about me being the superior choice?” The boy winked and wiggled his eyebrows at her.
Soul wanted very badly to break his nose.
“Not yet,” she ventured, hands clasped behind her and eyelashes fluttering sweetly up at Kilik. “There’s one thing I gotta do first.”
“Yeah?” Kilik leaned closer, wrapping an arm around her waist to pull her flush against him. “And what’s that?”
“This.” There was no hesitation as Maka reached up to grab his shirt, pulling Kilik down to plant her lips firmly against his.
It’s just for the spell, it’s just for the spell, god damn it–
After a few seconds Maka pulled away, letting go of Kilik and looking expectantly up at him. “Well?”
The pot meister blinked a few times, glancing from where he was holding Maka back up to her face. Then his face turned bright red and he quickly let go of her, taking a few steps back. “Holy shit. Maka, I am so sorry–”
“It’s okay,” she quickly reassured him with a small compassionate smile. “It was the spell. I know you didn’t mean any of it.”
The relief on Kilik’s face was momentary as he turned his head to look at Soul, both hands raising with his palms outwards. “We good, man?”
“As long as you’re not trying to kiss my meister anymore, we’re good,” Soul said coolly, crossing his arms over his chest.
“Hella.” Kilik nodded at him then turned back to Maka. “You plannin’ on kissing Harver and Ox, too? To break the spell?”
Her shoulders lifted in a brief shrug. “I don’t really have a choice.”
“Well, good luck. Harver will probably be easy, but I think Kim’s gonna be pissed about Ox,” Kilik informed her, stuffing his hands in his pants pockets.
“Unless she wants him pining after me forever, she’s gonna need to get over it.” Maka turned to look at Soul, holding her hand out to him. “Come on, let’s get this over with.”
Soul took it and allowed her to tug him along into the school. He waited until Kilik was out of sight to yank her into a dark corner, ignoring her yelp of surprise as he backed her against the wall and captured her lips with his. She tensed at first then melted against him, her arms reaching up to wrap around his neck as she kissed him back with unbridled passion that made his toes curl in his shoes.
God, he loved this girl. She was so perfect. She had to know that…she just had to.
She was panting when they finally parted. “Are you going to do that after I kiss Harver and Ox, too?” she gasped out, olive eyes shining up at him.
“Absolutely,” he answered with a firm nod.
Her answering grin assured him that in no way, shape, or form was she upset by that outcome. Before she could answer him verbally, though, the bell rang and she grabbed his hand to drag him to their classroom, seemingly determined not to ruin her attendance again.
When the bell rang for lunch, they waited outside the classroom for their new target. Harver came strolling out and Maka reached out to grab his sleeve. “Hey, can we talk?”
The dark-haired boy turned around, face lighting up with delight for a moment before he tried to cover it up with his usual veneer of indifference. “Of course, angel. What is it you need?”
“This.” Maka leaned up to press her lips to his, keeping the kiss short but firm before pulling away.
Like with Kilik, the spear blinked a few times before blushing, groaning as he buried his face in his hand. “Sweet Death, this is embarrassing. I can’t believe I acted that way. Shit.”
Soul actually felt kind of bad for him, reaching over to pat his shoulder. “It was a spell, man. We know you didn’t mean any of it.”
“All’s well,” Maka assured him with a smile.
Harver accepted this with a sigh, stepping back and reaching up to fix his visor. “If we could never mention this again, it would be much appreciated.”
They both agreed and watched Harver walk away, then Maka turned to Soul with an arched brow and an expectant grin. “Well?”
He made good on his words from earlier, grabbing her and yanking her into the empty classroom to cover her giggling mouth with his own. They barely made it to the cafeteria in time to grab a quick bite but it was totally worth it.
It wasn’t until the end of the day that they were able to approach Ox, catching him at the top of the outside stairs. “Ox, wait!” Maka called out, running over to him. “I gotta do something!”
The bespeckled boy turned around and Soul swore he could see hearts in his eyes. “Maka, darling! Does this mean you’ve changed your mind about me??”
Maka came to a stop in front of him and Soul could tell she was holding back a grimace. “Well–”
“No!” Kim was suddenly there, wrapping her arms around one of Ox’s and glaring at Maka. “I know what you’re going to do and I say no!”
“Kim,” Maka started but was cut off by a growl from the pink-haired girl.
“He’s supposed to love me ! You already have emo boy over there!” Kim gestured to Soul.
“I resent that,” he scowled, crossing his arms over his chest.
“Look, if I don’t do this then he’ll be pining after me forever!” Maka exclaimed, hands spread out at her sides. “Is that really what you want??”
“Then kiss his cheek or something!” the other girl snapped back. “The witch never specified what kind of kiss!”
“Are you shitting me?” Soul gaped at the witch. “She could have just kissed their cheeks this whole time and it would have fixed this??”
“You won’t know until you try.” Kim’s glared stayed in place. “But no funny business.”
“Oh please, as if I actually wanted to kiss this loser,” Maka huffed, leaning up on her tiptoes.
“Hey,” Ox started to protest, but was cut off when Maka placed a kiss on his cheek, lingering for a few seconds before pulling back.
Soul held his breath until the other boy’s expression changed from shocked to mortified, then terrified as his head whipped over to look at the pink-haired witch. “Kim, I swear, it was just the spell, I never meant anything I said!”
“You better not have,” Kim warned him before looking over at Maka. “Thanks.” Then she dragged the sputtering boy down the steps away from the other two.
“Well, thank Death that’s over,” Maka sighed, her shoulders relaxing with relief.
But Soul couldn’t say he felt the same. “All this time, all this fucking time, you could have just kissed their cheeks?!” His hands flew up to grip his hair as he yelled up at the sky, “God damn it! All this trouble for nothing!”
“I wouldn’t say nothing.” Maka’s smile was so sweet it could have given him cavities. “I got some pretty good kisses out of it.”
How was he supposed to stay mad when she was this cute? Soul grabbed her and pulled her into his arms, rubbing his face against hers like the growly puppy he was as she laughed and wiggled in his grasp. “I thought I had a Death Scythe, not a hellhound.”
“You have both.” Grabbing her hand, he started to lead her down the stairs. “Now come on. It’s been a long day and I’d like to take my girlfriend out for dinner.”
“Girlfriend, huh?” Her grin was so bright that it rivaled the Nevada sun. “I think I like the sound of that.”
“Yeah, you would,” he shot back, unable to stop his own grin from forming. Maybe all the trouble had been worth it, after all.