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If anyone asked him how all of this started, he could honestly say that the entirety of the fault lay at the feet of Harvar.
It was a Saturday, and Halloween to boot. So the streets of Death City were full of people in costumes, and the later it got more and more of those costumes shifted from childish wolves and monsters into well... the kind of ‘costume’ that wasn’t really a costume so much as an excuse to party.
So, finding himself already half in his pyjamas, one Soul 'Eater' Evans would have been more than happy to spend the night in his small apartment, enjoying the quiet and very much not draining his social batteries around people with lowered inhibitions.
And maybe, just maybe, if he hadn't been so lazy and actually grabbed the phone when it rang, he may have been able to finagle the situation to his advantage. Instead, he got a bit lost appreciating the long legs of his meister as she huffed and probably said something admonishing him for not picking up the call that he couldn't quite register because of the way those large green eyes focused on him, even in anger, did things to him he'd rather not unpack right now
Then again, if he had been paying attention, he might have noticed the shift in tone and not the way Maka angled her hips while she talked, and he wouldn't have been so surprised when his best friend, meister, long-time roommate and (maybe?) crush asked if he wanted to go to Harvar's Halloween party.
"... wah?" Good job Evans.
"Like, Tsubaki is asking if I want to go and... well, it kinda sounds like fun. Liz set up some emergency costumes for us" The way she worded it tried to sound casual, but the way her cheeks flushed slightly and the slight lean forward told him all he needed to know.
'I'd really like to do this, but I won't if you don't come too'
And that was how, following instructions, he slid on some jeans and a black T-shirt. He almost said something about Maka's white dress, asking if she wasn't to be cold in the autumn night... but Arizona had been warm lately, and he figured at most she'd end up taking his leather jacket.
Harvar, being the only Spartoi member native to Death City (outside of well... Kid) lived in a relatively large house with a nice yard, and Soul could already feel a small migraine building behind his red eyes from the sheer volume of loud voices coming from it.
And the choice of music really wasn't to his liking either.
It was close to the door that the figure of the Thompson sisters and Tsubaki appeared on the distance. A few greetings were exchanged and Patty held open a large bag that Liz searched inside for a few moments before pulling a halo and little wings that slid... surprisingly easy on Maka's shoulders.
He almost leaned to tease her about her 'Angel' thing before something was pushed against his chest.
A... collar. Too large to actually restrain anyone, and with a long black chain with plastic links for a leash. I was about to ask... before Patty just smiled and pointed at me.
‘Chain Chomp!’ was apparently explanation enough. At least he could push his knee against Maka as the blonde laughed a bit.
And then as the Thompson sisters and Tsubaki walked into the loud party with their own makeshift costumes on, was when it all went to hell, ironically, at the mercy of Maka's angel costume.
Because his meister just grabbed that long plastic chain and gave it a tug, like it was the most normal thing in the world.
The party was... fine. The music was loud, he had no interest in drinking, and either his presence or Maka's reputation for being a bit... violent (not unjustified, by the by) kept pretty much every would-be frat boy from approaching his (objectively, totally observational) attractive meister.
And maybe he glared at one or two but like... he was just mad because he was dragged here, no other reason.
So the hours built, and the highlight of his night was when Maka dragged him to the dance floor and for once she let him lead without complaints.
(seriously how was this girl so graceful in combat and then so ungraceful on the dance floor)
And sure, there was a bit of a mishap where someone bumped on him and that closed the comfortable distance between the two of them, causing his own face to flush and Maka to give him a hand squeeze that he'd rather not overthink, but in general, it was... nice.
As the clock got way past midnight, he could tell Maka's own social battery was starting to get a bit low, by the way those green eyes darted around trying to find their friends, strong hands tightly holding onto that chain.
Now, if he happened to see Liz grabbing Tsubaki by the hand to go behind one of the trees in the backyard? Well... a cool guy never tells on their friends, and Patty seemed more than happy enough just playing... what seemed to be a weird strip variation of Uno?
At least, everyone else around her was missing something while Patty was half-buried under a pile of clothes. So with a small glimpse at Maka, they slowly made their way out of the party, making sure to avoid people a bit too tangled in each other's arms.
If he heard someone make a dog whistle and a female voice 'nice catch, blondie' he would be more than happy to pretend that didn't happen.
The slight, prideful straightening of Maka's shoulders? That's not something that he wanted to think too hard about.
The streets were illuminated, and the Arizona wind was growing colder... so Soul wasn't too surprised when he saw a small shiver on his meister's shoulders. Without a word, and abusing his height advantage, and even with Maka's long stride, he cut the distance in little time and wrapped his jacket around her.
This wasn't the first time something like this had transpired, and he certainly hoped it wouldn't be the last. The whole 'stopping dead on her track' thing was new for Maka, but he managed not to collide against her too hard.
The tug at his 'collar' was something new too, and he didn't want to dissect why he bent down so easily at her wordless request, but he certainly was happy about it the moment Maka tip-toed and planted those soft lips of hers against his cheek.
There was a sound then, a soft giggle that he'd like to keep with himself for the rest of his life. And he didn't ignore the way the blonde wrapped that chain around her fist a few more times, making it hard for him to keep any distance from her.
There weren't words needed, just a small glimpse of green on red.
'I... like this?' went unsaid with her shy smile, with the way she squared her shoulders.
His answer was a toothy, shark-like smile he didn't quite understand himself. And even a soft gust of cold air couldn't keep his face from burning in the best of ways.
There was another tug of that chain, and he obediently leaned down.
It was a few days later, when the plastic wings and wired halo were long in the trash that Soul was once more on their couch, the by now familiar weight of his meister over him, a book in her hand, and her waist on his.
The moment would have been one of many others, if Blair's voice didn't come from Maka's room, as their roommate/cat walked in, peaking her head with an inquisitive raised eyebrow... holding a certain black chain on her hand.
"Please tell me you two aren't planning on getting a dog," She said... but there was something about her smile that told Soul that she... knew. Somehow.
Maka's choked sound and the almost visible steam from her ears may have been the giveaway. Either that or his panicked movement that ended with both of them on the floor.
A few moments later her laughter and his resonated, as they always did.