Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Studying until 5am wasn’t the smartest move Maka could’ve made the day before her finals ended. She’d definitely enjoyed being able to sleep in during the aftermath of her cram session but hadn’t planned ahead of time to factor in when everyone would be leaving Death City now that it was finally summer.

She would’ve slept through the whole day if the sharp sound of a guitar falling onto her carpeted floor hadn’t filled the stagnant air around her.

The young woman then flinched her head up to find Soul sitting on the small bean bag she had slumped in front of her bed.

“Ughhh what time-“

“It’s 11pm,” Soul quipped, probing Maka’s mouth to gape open as she reached for her phone and confirmed that she had essentially slept through the whole day.

“Shit! Does-does that mean everyone already left?” Maka huffed out, causing Soul to give her a reassuring smirk before rising from the bean bag chair and settling beside her on her small mattress.

“Yea, Kid n’ the Thompsons left this afternoon and Tsubaki left a few hours ago. Star would’ve came to wake ya’ up, but we wanted you to get your rest,” Soul then elaborated before Maka released a sigh while she rested her back against her headboard, only to jolt herself upright once more.

“Wait…weren’t you also supposed to be leaving-“

“I was…” Soul exclaimed over Maka, only to leave the young woman even more flustered as he tentatively slipped one of his palms against her own.

She couldn’t help but shoot her gaze upwards and allow herself to be caught up in the tantalizing line of stubble across Soul’s sharp jawline before her eyes took in how his disheveled mop of ivory hair seemed to make him even more attractive and gosh she really should get him a new pair of studs so he’d stop wearing the ones she got him back in high school-

“But I-err told Wes I wasn’t in a hurry to get home,” the young man then added with a gentle squeeze of his palm against Maka’s, eliciting the young woman to squeeze her fingers against his in hopes of showing she was in absolutely no hurry for him to leave as well.

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Grading papers until 5am wasn’t the smartest move Maka could’ve made the day before her TA duties ceased for winter break. She’d planned to spend the day resting from the ordeal but couldn’t find the heart to turn down Tsugumi, Anya, and Meme after they’d invited her out for a drink as a way to thank her for all the last minute tutoring sessions she’d given them over the years.

“We’re really glad you were able to make it Maka, especially since we never see you outside the library or without a book in front of you,” Tsugumi hummed as Maka downed the contents of the cocktail she’d ordered and blanched at how it seemed to be too strong for her liking.

“Hmm, I do have a life outside of school girls,” Maka then replied with a light giggle, probing Anya to let out a snort while placing her drink down.

“No offense Miss Maka, but I have yet to see you do anything that’d constitute as a normal college experience. I mean, have you even had your first kiss yet?” Anya then retorted, causing Maka’s smile to slowly falter at the question.

She was left too shaken to even drift her thoughts away from how warm her room had felt with her hands clutching onto Soul’s, how they’d untangled their appendages for a brief moment in order for Soul to clumsily strum his guitar, and how that too had ultimately led their hands together once more while their lips danced feverishly against one another.

“Of-of course I have…” Maka eventually murmured, only to regret the statement when she noticed how each of the girls seemed to sit upright in response, almost as if they were expecting her to elaborate on the statement.

“ Ohhh , is it someone we know,” Meme then probed as Maka downed the rest of her drink in one swift gulp.

“No, it’s not someone that goes to DCU. Actually, you might know him but not at like a personal level or anything since he’s-“ Maka monologued before locking eyes with Anya, eliciting the other woman to raise an eyebrow in confusion.

“Ugh, it was Soul Evans! And before you ask, yes it was the Soul Evans, the famous pianist everyone’s obsessed with…” Maka coughed out while feeling her shoulders straighten at the mere utterance of his name.

Ugh, it’s been so long and I’m still-

“We were really close in highschool and started dating before my sophomore year in college. Things sort of went downhill from there once he moved to study at Juilliard and got too busy with composing. We broke up after that rumor came out about him flirting with another girl in one of his classes. Does that answer your question Anya?” Maka added before flinching at the way her words sounded so clipped over something that’d happened years ago.

She’d expected Tsugumi to lighten the mood after a few moments of heavy silence but was left with the aftermath of her confession lingering in the air for far too long.

“I can’t believe you were his girlfriend this whole time…” Anya eventually murmured from across the table, forcing Maka’s gaze away from her empty glass and towards Anya’s perturbed expression as it suddenly hit her how many times the name Hepburn was mentioned in that stupid paparazzi article she’d read about Soul’s supposed cheating all those years ago.

Chapter Text

Christmas couldn’t come fast enough for Maka, although it wasn’t because of the odd sense of comfort she found in spending time with her papa or even having an entire week to de-stress after finals.

The culprit laid in the events of that groggy night right before winter break, when both she and Soul had decided to take a leap of faith in their relationship .

The aftermath had felt tumultuous to Maka, as their sporadic video calls always seemed to start with talking about something trivial like what Soul’s grandma was planning for Christmas dinner and always ended with a small “I love you” mumbled to each other that left her heat skipping a beat like a bashful highschool girl.

That too would come to an end once Soul finally returned after Christmas and practically spent the entire time at Maka’s house since her papa and Blair wouldn’t return home until New Year’s Day.

“Mmmm I can’t wait to come crash at your dorm after classes,” Maka mumbled into the crook of Soul’s neck as they decided to spend New Year’s Eve dozing off together, only to shoot her head upwards when he hadn’t graced her with a snort or witty comment.

“I-uhhh about that,” Soul added while she felt his hand begin to run down her spine, earning him an uneasy hmmm from her.

“The tests came back for my grandma and…the doctor sayin’ it’d be better for us to spend more time together. My father already pulled some strings n’ got me admitted to Julliard for spring semester, b-but I should be back by next year. I swear, I was gonna tell you this sooner, but it all just- ugh it happened a few days ago so I….” Soul attempted to explain, although Maka seemed to be too preoccupied trying to piece together what it would mean for the semester together she’d been planning since the break had began.

She attempted to reply to his confession with a silent hug, only to notice how tense his posture had become after his confession.

“I-Soul I’m really really sorry about your grandma but…” the young woman exclaimed while she unraveled her arms from around his chest.

“This is a lot for me to process, so I’m going to need some space,” she then finished before noticing how her bed already felt emptier as her boyfriend slowly shuffled out from under the covers.

“Sure thing. I’ll-uh be back around 11:30 for if that’s cool with you?” Soul then drawled out, only for Maka to watch his face morph into an uneasy grin after she gave him a muted nod in confirmation.

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Soul’s hand had shot out towards his fiercely buzzing phone before his brain could even process where he was and how he’d gotten there.

“ Mmmm ,” Soul breathed out once answering the call and stretching his limbs against the warm covers of his bedsheet as he heard Kilik chuckle from the other side of the phone.

“It isn’t cool to sleep on the job, Evans,” Kilik then taunted, earning him a snort from the other man.

“Maybe if ya’ stopped scheduling all those early morning interviews, I’d stop,” Soul then replied before hearing his manager release an elongated hmm through the line.

“I’ll think about it. Speakin’ of which, have you picked out a venue for your live performance this year?” Kilik exclaimed, probing Soul to suck in a low breath at the question.

His annual live performances had brought him to some of the most grandiose music halls not even his family’s wealth could build, although it never seemed to bring out the same flurry of emotions as the countless times he’d played on a beaten up Yamaha while feeling a gentle weight doze off against his shoulder as his music filled the air.

No, I kept my distance to protect her…

“How bout’…Death City?” Soul blurted out instinctively before feeling his heart beat faster at the thought of stepping back into that city after all these years.

Chapter Text

Maka knew long-distance relationships weren’t uncommon or “abnormal”, yet she couldn’t shake off the feeling of how unpredictable her relationship with Soul would end up being for the year.

She remembered how hollow she’d felt the week after Soul had left, which had only made her even more restless when passing by an unnerving amount of couples once Valentine’s Day was slowly approaching.

Her restlessness had ultimately been quelled when she stepped out of her British Lit class to the rhythmic thrum of a motorcycle and Soul standing beside it with a dopey smile and a small cake perched between his hands.

Her fear had then spiked up once more after Soul had alerted her that he’d have to spend the entirety of spring break preparing for a large recital, which left her feeling a somewhat dejected while staring at him through her laptop screen every night.

However, her sense of unease was sated once again when Soul had been able to spend all of July with her in Death City. The days soon muddled into warm summer walks around the park, the smell of chroline when they’d go swimming with their friends, and an overwhelming sense of warmth while she’d try to map out all of Soul’s body before they’d have to separate once again.

“T-tell your grandma and Wes I said hi,” Maka remembered murmuring to Soul as she  prepared herself to part with him at the airport, all while wondering how she’d deal with the trepidation that slowly overtook her when they were apart.

She couldn’t remember anything else she said after that, as the gentle weight of Soul’s palms sliding against her cheeks and his forehead resting against hers was the last time she remembered feeling his touch before their imminent breakup.

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Anya had been able to explain her complete side of the story after gradually getting over the anxiousness of meeting the girlfriend of some guy the tabloids had accused her of hooking up with.

“He’d wanted to give it all up you know,” Anya had explained after noticing how Maka had ordered her fourth drink that night to wash down the information being given to her.

Maka wanted to ignore the possibilities of why Soul had decided against leaving the fame behind for her, only to feel Anya slide a hand against her stiff shoulder.

“The only reason he didn’t was because he didn’t want the tabloids coming after you the way they did for me. I actually ended up taking a year off because of all that before Wes recommended DCU as a good school to start over again. I was able to make the most out of what I had, but I always wanted to reach out to the girl Soul was dating and let her know how much he cared for her…” Anya eventually finished before Maka began to ponder on how much truth laid in those words as the other three girls gave her a somber farewell and left her to her thoughts.

Her extensive research about Soul’s career after that night hadn’t cleared up any of her questions.

It seemed as if Soul would skirt away from questions regarding his love life or simply state that he never had one at all, causing Maka’s heart to tug at the idea that she was nothing but a blur between his time as a DCU student and rise to a musical prodigy.

She’d continued her research even through the midst of the Christmas party Tsubaki and Liz had thrown in their apartment, only to feel a large hand swat against her back as she was watching Soul battle through a coughing fit during his Hot Ones episode playing on her phone.

“Relapsing this late isn’t healthy Maks,” Black Star tittered out from behind her while she turned her torso and swung a fist at him.

“M-mind your business Black*Star,” Maka stuttered out as the blue haired man easily blocked her attack with one of his palms.

“I’m bein’ serious,” he then exclaimed with an expression Maka had only seen come out when he’d talk their school principals out of giving them detention for the mischief they’d caused or when he’d try to figure out how to make up with Kid after a fight.

“Honestly Maka…we’re all kind of worried,” Tsubaki murmured over their squabbling, causing Maka to turn her head and meet Tsubaki’s sympathetic expression.

She would’ve found the gesture to be reassuring if her eyes didn’t wander down to the matching wedding bands adorning Tsubaki’s and Liz’s fingers.

“I’m…I’m alright guys. Ok…maybe I’m not alright , but how else should I react to the fact that my ex didn’t just break up with me on a whim-“

“You make up and let him rock your world again!” Black*Star then exclaimed before letting out a sharp squeal once Kid slapped a hand across the back of his head.

“I believe my idiot boyfriend is right about the first part of his statement. Letting your feelings weigh you down can’t be good for you, especially since you two broke up around Christmas as well,” Kid interjected, probing Maka to let out a sigh at how he’d essentially uttered out what she’d been thinking ever since Anya had explained her side of the story.

What am I supposed to do if he really doesn’t want anything to do with me anymore? It’s been a while since we’ve broken up, and he’s doing well, so is it even worth- Maka pondered before her memory faded to the night she’d broken up with Soul and how a good portion of that night had been spent staring daggers at a nearly wrapped gift box sitting within her bedroom drawer.

“I actually still have the gift I was going to give him for Christmas…” Maka whispered, fearing that speaking the idea into existence would backfire on her later on.

“That’s it then! You’ll go to his performance on Christmas Eve and find a way to get him that present!” Liz added while Patty pulled Kid’s phone out his back pocket.

“The tickets are already sold out, but Kiddo has connections in the industry,” Patty then explained as she displayed the sold out drop box on her phone while swiftly unlocking Kid’s phone and scrolling through his lengthy contact list.

“I… ughh I’ll call them tomorrow and see what I can do. Worst case scenario is that we’ll have to sneak you into the venue, but I’d rather go down the nepotism route before doing something illegal,” Kid added, probing Maka’s other friends to voice their approval of the plan as Kid gingerly pried his phone out of Patty’s jittery hands.

Maka gazed down at the hundreds of interview links on her phone before a picture of Soul giggling holed it’s way into her peripheral vision, causing the young woman to hope that her friend’s sense of ease would manifest itself in her before his performance day.