uwu
bro we are kissing now / not accepting
be cool, be cool, be cool. the silent refrain is a mantra repeated in hopes that his heart rate might listen. of course it goes ignored, so soul is caught between maka and the piano, shoulder to shoulder, hoping to god that she cannot sense the beating within his chest. but she’s perceptive as anything, they know each other like a sailor knows the sea and its ever - changing tides, consistently unpredictable, paradoxically stable in that volatility is expected. human souls are the same; maka is the same. nevertheless, there is one thing about her which soul can never quite read. yes, she cares deeply about him – that much is evident ( and mutual ). but does she care like that, in the same manner that he does ? he truly believes that he may never know. perhaps it’s because she’s a girl, or perhaps it’s because of her parents’ divorce and her subsequent wariness, or perhaps ( most likely ) it’s because she’s maka albarn. most of the time, it doesn’t worry him too much. he’s too focused on other responsibilities to dwell on such things as … love, should he name the feeling. but in this moment, shoulders brushing as he teaches her the piano keys, it’s hard to evade these thoughts.
❛ good. now, make sure you’re staying in ‘ c. ’ follow my hand. ❜
she continues to sequence the keys incorrectly. at this rate, she may never learn beyond ‘ mary had a little lamb, ’ but that doesn’t matter to soul in the slightest. what matters is that she wants to be taught, or rather, that she wants him to teach her. he guides her hand across the keys, allowing her to feel their rhythmic pattern. after repeating this several times, he smiles. ❛ think you could try it without me ? ❜
and maybe it wasn’t a perfect rendition by most standards, but to soul, not a sweeter tune had ever been played. even faster his heart beats, and when her eager eyes look up at him expectantly, he feels as though it might leap out of his chest. by some miracle, it doesn’t. by some miracle, his body moves for him and he doesn’t know how, but he finds himself pressing his lips to her cheek. his pride in her success overflows. he lingers there for a moment, expecting her to ‘ maka - chop ’ him away, and when she doesn’t, he freezes. she’s letting him kiss her ? finally he pulls away, clearing his throat as a blush settles over his cheeks. ❛ cool. ❜