Chapter Text
One year. One year was what they promised him. One year at the prestigious private school his brother graduated from with honors. The school renowned for its advanced curriculum and rich student body. One year at Dr. William Mort Academy (DWMA for short) and if Soul was unhappy, he could go to the local public school.
“Unhappy” hadn’t even begun to describe his 10th grade year at DWMA. If he had to sum it up, he’d say he felt trapped. Suffocated. Anxious. And a bit more than just unhappy. But thanks to those feelings, Soul found himself staring at the doors of Death City High right before the school year started.
He took a shaky breath before shoving the doors open. "If you want to go that badly, you can enroll yourself," his father had said. Fair enough, he thought, entering the eerily quiet building. School didn’t start for another week but the teachers were already coming in to prepare their classrooms. However with the lack of students the school was nearly dead quiet. It felt wrong.
Soul walked down a hallway off of the front entrance and passed the main office before finding the room he was looking for. He approached a door that was propped open slightly with a door stop.The faded plaque adorned upon the wood read “M. MJOLNIR, GUIDANCE COUNSELOR”.
Soul pushed the door open all the way. He was met with cool air hitting his face from the fan in the corner of the room. It was a sweet relief from the Nevada heat outside.
His eyes found a pretty woman with blonde hair waving around her face. The eye that wasn’t covered by an eye patch lit up when it found him. She smiled kindly at him. “Hi, uh, Mrs. M.. Mill-”
“Marie, you can call me Marie. You must be Soul Evans, right?” She asked, holding out her hand. Soul took it gingerly and nodded in response. “Please have a seat.”
Soul eased himself into the cushioned chair that sat across Marie’s desk. It creaked oddly underneath his weight and he figured it had probably seen better days. By the time he was settled, Marie had pulled out a file that had Soul’s name neatly printed on the tab.
“So the guidance counselor at your old school was kind enough to send your transcripts and any other important information over and I’ve already had a look at it all. We just need to discuss which classes you’d be interested in taking and you should be all set!” Marie slid a list of courses suited for eleventh grade over for Soul to look over. She also passed over a pen for him to circle his choices.
“Thanks,” he said, taking the list in his hand and scanning the courses. It all seemed pretty basic to him. He mentally checked off the classes he knew would give him the required credits. After mulling over which extra classes he wanted to take he grabbed the pen.
Before it could even hit the paper Marie spoke up once more. “Unfortunately we don’t offer the same courses as DWMA did. I see that you were in some of the special placement music courses? As well as a few of the other advanced classes, it seems.” She said, referring to the transcript on her desk. “If you’d like I’m sure we could transfer you into DCH’s band or perhaps-” Soul shook his head, interrupting her.
“No, that won’t be necessary. The advanced classes were my parents’ idea. To be honest, I kind of struggled in them and I think I’d do better in regular classes. I mean, uh, if that’s okay?” He asked, unsure. His parents had told him he could take whichever classes he wanted but he was still hesitant, wondering if he was actually allowed to make a decision for himself for once.
“Of course it’s okay,” Marie nodded. “And what about music? Would you like to continue that?” She asked.
He froze, suddenly feeling like something was gripping his chest. Memories of his last performance came flying at him. A dark stage with the spotlight on him, thousands of people waiting and watching. His parents and brother in the front row looking on expectantly. He could distinctly remember his airway closing and his fingers cramping as the music he had rehearsed bled out of his mind. How he sat in silence before his body caught up with his mind and he ran off stage.
He couldn’t play the way they wanted him to and play. He couldn’t play what he wanted to play. He just couldn’t play. He didn’t want to bring the stress of his failure with him. This was supposed to be a fresh start.
Marie seemed to sense the tension, her gaze softening. She leaned forward in her chair, shedding some of her professionalism in order to connect to the young man in front of her. “I heard from your old school that you were a very talented pianist but if that’s not something you’d like to continue here, that’s perfectly okay. What’s most important here is that you feel comfortable and happy with the classes you’re taking.” Marie smiled brightly at Soul and it somehow managed to slightly relieve his stress .
He let out a sigh and wiped his clammy hands on his jeans, nodding. “Thanks, that uh, that’s good to hear.” It wasn’t that he wanted to quit playing completely. He just wanted to play his music without the pressure of a teacher breathing down his neck. Maybe he’d actually start to enjoy the piano again this way.
After finally picking all of his desired courses, Soul slid the paper back over to Marie who took it with a comforting smile. She looked over the form then nodded to herself, turning to her computer. “This all looks fine. I’m just going to write up your schedule and make sure your files are properly in our system and you’re good to go!”
She began typing away at her keyboard. The small office became quiet, the only sounds disrupting the silence were the humming of the fan and the tap tap tap of the keys. Soul sat, leg bouncing and hands fidgeting with the edge of his shirt until he heard a final click of Marie’s mouse.
“Aaaaaand you are all set! You’re free to go, Soul.” She stood up and walked to the door, ready to see him out. Soul followed suit, amazed at how easy it was. As he walked away Marie called out to him, “I really think you’re going to like it here at Death City High. If you have any concerns, you know where my office is.” Soul smiled in thanks and gave a small wave as she retreated back into her office, closing the door softly.
Back out in the muggy summer heat of August, Soul looked up at the brick building he’d be spending most of his time in. In just one week, it would start. He felt a nervous type of excitement deep in his gut, the unknown future spread out before him.
* * * * *
Soul felt like he was going to puke. He managed to pull himself out of bed on time and was a little too excited to dress in his own clothes rather than a stuffy uniform, but that is where the excitement ended. He was now driving to school in what used to be his brother’s blue Lexus, feeling like he was going to throw up what little breakfast he had all over the nice leather interior. Wes would never forgive him, even if it wasn’t his car anymore.
He began to sweat as he pulled into the student parking lot, already almost filled with cars. He managed to find a parking spot but he didn’t get out of his car right away. He sat taking deep breaths and looked around. There were people everywhere. Climbing out of cars, getting off the bus, sitting on the wall outside, flooding into the building. Chatting. Laughing. Enjoying life. Everyone seemed way too thrilled to be back at school, but it was more likely that they were excited to see their friends again. Friends he didn’t have here.
“Yet,” he reminded himself. No need to be such a pessimist before he even got out of the car. It was then that he noticed everyone was staring at him. Well, at his car, that is. He glanced around at the other vehicles in the parking lot. Shit. Of course his car would be the nicest here. Normally, any high schooler would be ecstatic over that. Gain some cool points and bragging rights right off the bat. But Soul was not a normal high schooler and anything that brought too much attention to himself was no good.
That was why he hated his hair so much. Not to mention his eyes. Though flashes of other odd hair colours (Was that someone with pink hair?) caught his eye and he hoped maybe that was one thing he wouldn’t be judged for here. Unlike his old school, where dying your hair unnatural colours was strictly prohibited. Either way, it calmed his racing heart enough that he thought he could finally get out the damn car now.
“No time like the present,” he thought, repeating words his mother had always said. With one last deep breath he pushed the car door open and stepped out into the morning sun. He wasn’t sure what he was expecting. Maybe for all of the students to stop and gossip about him or perhaps even someone telling him right off the bat that he didn’t belong there, but that’s not what happened. What did happen was mind altering. After a few of the students got a good look at his car and glanced at him, they kept moving.
Simple as that. No big scene, no one calling him out, just everyone going on about their business. He hadn’t even made it into the building yet and things were already different. He was finally feeling like this really was a clean slate. No one knew he was an Evans here. No one would be judging him for his looks or for not being as good as his brother.
He could finally be himself for once. Life had given him the chance to reinvent himself and this time he wasn’t going to fuck it up. He followed the crowd of students into the building, amazed at the difference from his first visit. The halls were filled with teenagers and teachers and so much noise. It was chaotic. While crowds weren’t his thing, he had to admit that he liked this. It was a lot better than being with snobs who walked around like they had sticks up their asses like they did at the academy.
Through the chatter and laughter Soul could hear a voice on the loudspeaker, reminding everyone to go to the gym to pick up their schedules and locker information. Soul made his way down a hallway and into the gym, which was packed. Along the walls were tables with teachers passing out packets. On each table read a sign, informing students that folders were sorted alphabetically by last name. Soul found the table labeled “E-H” and stood in line.
Once he reached the front, Soul was faced with the blank stare of an odd man. The teacher seated before him had gray hair and looked as if he hadn’t slept in years. His face was covered with scars that seemed to continue on under his lab coat. Soul tried not to stare.
The man adjusted his old glasses and sighed. “Name?”
Oh, right. “Evans,” Soul replied. “Soul Evans.” He waited for some sign of recognition in the teacher, but he only shuffled through the papers in front of him. After finding the correct packet he handed it over. Soul took it, nodding in thanks before turning away.
Finding his locker was easy enough with the school being so small. It was only two stories high but fairly wide. On the second floor by the eastern staircase he found his locker. As he was getting familiar with his lock, the normalness of the school was shattered by an idiot racing by on a skateboard.
Soul could feel a rush of air go past him. He turned just in time to watch a boy with blue hair fly past him.
“YAHOO! DEATH CITY HIGH! FUCK YEAH! YOUR GOD IS BACK FOR ANOTHER YEAR. GET OUT THE WAY BITCHES!”
Before the screaming monkey could make it to the end of the hallway, someone else came running up behind Soul. It was a petite blonde with wide green eyes and she was furious. “Black Star!” She yelled out. “Get your dumb ass back here!” She stopped and turned to Soul, who was petrified. “Can I borrow that?” She asked, gesturing to the lock in his hands.
He had no time to respond as she took it from his hands and hurled it down the hall. He watched in amazement as it met its mark, smacking right into the back of the boy’s blue head. The boy who called himself Black Star went flying off the skateboard, landing face first onto the linoleum.
Wide red eyes slowly moved back to the girl. He had to get a good look at the person who managed such a terrifyingly impressive execution. She was calm as she fixed an ash blonde pigtail that had come loose from the force of her throw.
“Not as good as a book, but that worked well enough.” She sent a smile Soul’s way. He stared in awe. “Thanks.”
There was movement down the hallway. Miraculously the boy had survived and was getting up. “What the SHIT Maka? What was that for?” He yelled, picking up the lock and rubbing his head. He left the skateboard idly rolling down the hall and made his way over to them.
Maka, he presumed, put her hands on her hips. “One, you’re not supposed to be skateboarding indoors,” she scolded. “And two, that skateboard isn’t even yours! I saw you take it from that freshman outside.”
“I was gonna give it back,” he reasoned.
Maka arched a delicate brow.
“Eventually.”
She rolled her eyes. “Suuuuuuuure you were.” She paused and then directed her attention to the new student behind her. “Can you at least give this nice young man his lock back?” She requested, gesturing to a dumbstruck Soul.
“Yeah, yeah, whatever. Here ya go shark face,” Black Star grumbled, shoving the lock back into Soul’s hands. He assumed that was a jab at his sharp teeth that were clearly showing from his open mouth. He didn’t feel much malice behind the words but snapped his jaw shut anyways.
Maka glared and pointed harshly down the hall, “Just go to class Black Star.” With one final wave the energetic boy bounded off, yelling at the top of his lungs at the other students as he went. Soul’s attention was brought back to the girl in front of him. She let out an exasperated sigh, shifting on her feet.
It was then that Soul noticed she was wearing thick combat boots and he was struck with the thought that she could most definitely kick his ass and, thanks to her skirt, look cute while doing it. Shit. He shook his head, trying to get his mind onto safer subjects.
“Sorry about that,” she said, looking sheepish. “And thanks again for lending me your lock.”
Soul grinned. “No problem. You’ve got crazy good aim.”
She let out a giggle that sounded like tinkling bells. He could get used to that sound. “Thanks, I try,” she shrugged. She took a couple steps back, lifting a hand to wave. “I’m gonna go return the skateboard. See you around?”
Soul nodded a bit too eagerly. “Sounds cool,” he replied. He watched her jog down the hallway and grab the skateboard. She turned and waved once more before turning the corner.
After finally managing to get his locker situated, Soul went off to find his first class. He double checked then triple checked his schedule, making sure he found the right room. Outside the door he took a deep breath, slouched his shoulders just so, and sauntered in like he owned the place.
Fake it till you make it, Evans.
The class was filling up quickly, friends finding each other and grabbing desks close together. Soul slinked his way near the back of the room and slid into a seat.
“WHAT’S UP, NERDS?” Soul jumped in his chair as the loud voice from earlier echoed in the classroom. None of the students seemed fazed at this sudden outburst, most either waving in greeting or ignoring the idiot completely.
Black Star looked around the room and grinned when his eyes landed on Soul. He jumped over a desk, nearly kicking someone in the face as he did, and plopped heavily into the seat next to Soul. “Hey! You’re that dude from this morning. Shark Face, right?”
Soul ran his tongue over his teeth self-consciously. “The name’s Soul, actually,” he corrected.
“Soul? Pfft, weird name,” he snorted, as if Black Star was completely normal. “Anyways, you new here?”
Soul rubbed his neck and coughed. “Uh, yeah. How’d you guess?”
“C’mon, I know all the peasants who go here. It’s a God’s job to know his disciples.” He said it so confidently, chest puffed out and everything, that Soul couldn’t even find it in him to laugh. Black Star clapped him on the back, hard. Soul lurched forward, surprised. “Whatta ya say newbie? Interested in becoming one of my underlings?”
“Uhh,” the teen responded eloquently.
“I mean, there ain't no one who knows this school as well as I do. You should feel blessed someone as amazing as me is even offering.”
This time Soul did laugh. This guy’s confidence was amazing. He held out his hand, grinning. “Why the hell not.”
Black Star’s grin matched his own as he smacked his hand and grabbed onto it. “Good choice, bro.” He sat back in his chair, kicking his feet out in front of him. “Where you from, anyways?”
Crap. Well, no point in hiding it, he thought.. Nervously he responded, “Uh, I used to go to DWMA actually.”
“Oh shit, really? Would say sorry for all the ass whoopings we’ve given you guys on the court but I’m really not.” Black Star cackled. “We fuck them UP.”
Soul snorted. He wasn’t wrong. While Soul wasn’t in the sports scene at the academy, he knew about all their losses to DCH. He heard rumors it was because DCH played dirty and cheated but he was pretty sure they were just sore losers.
Black Star shook his head. “Damn, can’t believe you were a fuckin’ bonehead.”
Soul grimaced at the odd name DCH had come up with for the students of DWMA. It was a low jab at the headmaster of DWMA, Doctor William Mort himself, who had a sunken in face and a broad shiny forehead, making his face look like a skull. Soul had never really liked it. He shrugged it off.
“Oh well, you’ve obviously seen the light.” He smashed his fists onto his desk and jumped to his feet. “Death City High fuckin’ RULES!”
“Black Star, sit down and shut up.” Soul bit back his laughter as their teacher entered, rolling her eyes. She was obviously used to his antics already.
Black Star huffed, reclining in his chair again. He flashed one more grin which Soul returned before they gave the teacher their attention.
The class passed by uneventfully, just first day basics, and then the bell was ringing. Walking back out into the hallway Soul realized he had survived his first class. Not only was it not bad, he actually made a potential friend.
Said potential friend came up behind Soul and smacked him in the arm. “See you later, bro!” He ran off, once again yelling about something. Soul rubbed his arm but smiled.
His next class was biology. He checked his schedule once more for the room number and began to search. He noticed on his journey that the walls were painted brightly with oranges and purples. He assumed they were the school colours. There were also posters advertising any and every extracurricular program the school had to offer, from Drama Club to the school’s revered basketball team.
At first Soul thought that the over enthusiastic Black Star just had an unusual amount of school spirit, but now he wasn’t so sure. It wasn’t that those at DWMA didn’t have spirit, they just didn’t express it the way the Death kids seemed to.
In the furthermost corner of the school, Soul found his next class. The room felt colder than the rest of the building and rather than desks, the space was filled with long metal tables. Soul looked around, finding there was already at least one person at each one.
“Hey, locker guy!” For the second time that day Soul’s eyes met bright, green ones and a glowing smile. “Need somewhere to sit?” The girl from that morning, Maka he remembered, patted the seat next to hers.
Ignoring the stupid butterflies in his stomach, Soul shuffled over and sat down. “Thanks,” he said gruffly.
“No problem. I’m Maka, by the way,” she mentioned, though he already knew. “Thanks again for this morning.”
Soul chuckled, “Don’t mention it. It kinda scared me honestly. Remind me not to piss you off.” Her tinkling giggle made another appearance. “Oh, and I’m Soul,” he coughed out awkwardly.
She smiled. “Nice to officially meet you.”
The butterflies only seemed to get worse but Soul chose to ignore them, settling into his seat and pulling out a notebook. The final bell rung and the teacher that had dealt with Soul in the gym rolled up to the front of the room on a wheeled chair. His calculating gaze roamed over everyone before landing on Soul. It was unsettling.
“Good morning class, I’m Professor Stein and I’ll be teaching biology 11 to you this year.” His features were broken by a crooked grin. “Hope you all enjoy dissections.”
A few kids shuddered, others made disgusted noises. This only seemed to please the deranged professor. Soul visibly gulped.
“Before we start, I’d like you to meet your new lab partners; that is, the person sitting next to you. Congratulations, you’re stuck with each other for the rest of the semester.” The man spun around in his chair till he was facing the black board.
“Looks like we’re partners,” Maka said, flashing a shy grin Soul’s way.
“Looks like it,” he agreed. He looked back up at the board and noticed Stein had started writing things down.
“In case you were wondering, you should be copying this down,” he said without looking back at the class.
Soul scrambled for a pen and began scribbling down the notes. None of it made sense to him and Stein seemed like the type of teacher that barreled on regardless. His anxiety rose. He took a peek at the girl beside him. When did she even open her notebook? She already had most of the page filled with neatly written notes.
“Don’t worry,” she whispered, eyes never leaving the page. “He may seem intimidating but he’s not so bad.”
Soul scoffed, hurrying to catch up. “How do you know?”
“Because,” Maka said, still quiet, “He’s my god father, I’ve known him my whole life.” Oh. She dragged her pen across the page to underline a phrase. “Plus, he managed to capture Marie’s heart so he’s gotta have some humanity, even if I’ve hardly seen it.”
Soul nearly dropped his pen. “Marie?” He whispered back. “As in the guidance counselor Marie?” He was staring incredulously between Maka and his professor.
She stifled a giggle. “That’s the one.”
“Holy shit.” Stein turned to look at Soul, raising one silver eyebrow. Soul quickly began scribbling down notes again, not sure his talk with Maka gave him any comfort. If anything, it just made him question the nice guidance counselor’s taste in men.
At the end of the class Soul’s hand was cramped and he could feel the beginnings of a headache. “I’m so fucked,” he breathed out, leaning back in his chair.
His new lab partner stopped packing her things and looked over at him. “It’s okay, I’m pretty good with classes like this and since we’re already partners, I can help you out.” Soul glanced at her, eyebrows raised. “That is, if you want,” she quickly added.
A teasing grin pulled at the edges of his mouth. “What, are you some sort of nerd or something?”
Maka flushed a pretty colour. She lightly punched the same spot Black Star hit earlier, Soul winced. “I am not! God, sorry I offered.”
Soul sat up abruptly, trying to keep his grin off his face. “No, no I was kidding! Seriously.” Though still glaring, Maka didn’t leave. “Your help would be great.”
Angry green eyes softened and a smile broke out onto her face. “Alright, you’re forgiven.” She picked up her bag. “See you later, partner.” The way she skipped out of the room reminded Soul disgustingly of the effect her smile had on his heart.
Yep, he was definitely fucked.
* * * * *
By the time lunch rolled around Soul had become mostly familiar with the school. He hadn’t had any other classes with Maka or Black Star but he found if he was alone he could actually concentrate.
After putting his new books away in his locker, he followed the gaggle of students down to the cafeteria. He stood in line with the rest of them, choosing the most appetizing thing on the menu, which happened to be a slice of pizza that was made up of 98% grease. Well, he found one thing he’d be missing from his old school. At least, the food at the DWMA didn’t look like it could cause cardiac arrest.
Soul turned around and almost expected the next few moments to play out like a scene from a teen movie, with all the tables separated into cliques and everyone staring at the new kid, wondering, “Where will he sit?” However, he found it was a lot more open. There were many people sitting alone and groups were mixing in whatever fashion they chose. He looked around for an empty spot when a wild, waving arm caught his attention.
“Hey, Eater! Over here!” Standing on top of one of the tables was Black Star, gesturing to Soul. The others sitting at the table were staring in Soul’s direction as well. He slouched into himself and made his way over. “There he is, Soul Eater!”
Soul set his tray down and sat on the bench, Black Star climbed down and plopped in the space next to him. “Who the hell are you calling ‘Eater’?” Soul asked.
His new friend shrugged. “Shark Face wasn’t workin’ for ya so I thought I’d try that out.” With a sigh, Soul shrugged. He supposed it didn’t sound too bad. “Everyone else, this is Soul. My newest worshipper.”
Soul looked up and found a table full of unfamiliar faces. The girl directly across from him with the long blonde hair who was checking her eyebrows in a compact mirror was named Liz. A younger version of the tall blonde leaned against her and giggled at something on her phone. Liz introduced her as Patty. A boy with dark skin and cornrows reached across the table to pound his fist with Soul’s, telling him his name was Kilik.
“Oh, Soul! Glad to see you found your way to us.” Soul looked up and found Maka balancing her lunch tray on a stack of books. Beside her stood a tall and elegant girl with her black hair piled in a bun upon her head.
Soul’s mouth pulled into a crooked grin. “Same. Though it was more like God calling to me.” He threw his thumb Black Star’s way.
Maka rolled her eyes. “Of course. Oh! This is Tsubaki,” she introduced. The girl beside her gave a shy wave before sliding in beside ‘God’ himself. Maka made her way around the table and slid in next to Soul. He tensed up. She set her books aside and picked up an apple. She looked around the table. “Where’s everyone else?” She asked.
There was more to this group? This was already more than Soul was used to.
“Harvar’s still in line, and I think Kim and Jackie are spending lunch together today since they didn’t see much of each other over summer break,” Kilik explained.
Maka nodded, munching on her apple. When the one they called Harvar had arrived, Soul was feeling less tense and conversation was flowing freely. Black Star had outed him as a so called ‘bonehead’ and they all had a bit of fun teasing him (though the insult seemed to agitate Liz, he couldn’t tell why).
He learned they were all the same grade besides the sisters. Liz was a grade above them and Patty a grade below. Some of them had only become friends in high school while others had known each other all throughout their school years. He was entertained to find out Maka and Black Star had known each other since they were in diapers. It explained their sibling-like dynamic.
He found out that not only was Black Star on the basketball team, he was the captain. (“He basically self appointed himself as captain without our say. Buuut Coach Nygus wouldn’t have let him stay as captain if he didn’t have any talent,” Kilik had said. “Even if she is his mom.”). They invited Soul to join but when he refused, insisted he had to at least play casually with them from time to time. He agreed to that happily.
As lunch hour passed Soul was feeling less and less stressed and more like he actually might be accepted here. He ignored the fact that he had barely given them any personal information and that he was trying extremely hard to keep it cool. Didn’t need to scare them off right away. Especially not the pretty girl who sat next to him with her nose in a book the whole time.
Mercifully the rest of the day passed easily. A few of the people he had met at lunch even waved goodbye to him as he climbed back into his car (which was now ignored, the novelty of it having worn off). With only a few small bumps, he had made it through. The worst of it was over. Though his anxiety would still plaguing him, he felt like this school year wouldn’t be all that bad.
Soul quickly learned that the first day was easy compared to how the next couple of months went. His schedule was so full that he didn’t have time to worry about the same things he did at the start of the year. Each day he had a new assignment or project to work on (whether or not he did them was something else entirely) and when he wasn’t in school he was hanging out with his new group of friends.
It had taken a while to realize that yes, this ragtag team of people were indeed his friends. He managed to fit in so seamlessly that it almost felt too easy. Or maybe making friends at DWMA was just incredibly hard (what with nearly everyone being high maintenance snobs). He did have one friend from there, however they hadn’t spoken since the end of last year. He should really send him a text.
Perhaps the most surprising realization Soul had was that he was looking forward to his classes. Or at least one class in particular. Each day, he could hardly wait for Biology. The class was difficult and he could hardly keep up but one person made it all worthwhile.
After the awkward first day niceties, Maka became a lot more like the fiery girl he had met by his locker and watching her get riled up had become one of Soul’s favourite pastimes. He learned exactly what to say or do to tick her off. This explosive temper of hers provided him with a bit of entertainment during Stein’s boring and lengthy lectures
They would tease each other and bicker almost constantly but ultimately, they got along. It was an odd friendship, to say the least, but it worked out.
The days passed peacefully like this and before Soul knew it, he was an irreplaceable part of the group.