Author's Note: It's nice to be writing again after taking a mini-break. I hope people enjoy these Soul x Maka weather one-shots; they've been on my mind for a long time. (The title even comes from the song Like the Weather by 10,000 Maniacs that kind of gave me the idea to do this). Most of these one-shots will either be an AU or take place after the manga ends.
01 Snow AU
'It's finally that time of year again.' Maka thought to herself with a small smile, as she watched a few small snowflakes pass by her window at her tiny apartment.
It normally didn't snow in Death City at all unless it was maybe later into December or January, but Maka didn't mind the change to colder temperatures as it meant the holidays were coming soon.
Just as Maka was about to open her window to see if any of the snow was actually sticking to the ground, a sudden knock on her door interrupted her.
"Maka, you're still coming with me to meet Liz and the others at the mall, right? Or did you forget?" Tsubaki called out from behind the door.
"I didn't forget! Hold on, let me just put on a jacket." Maka called out, as she quickly went to her closet and put on a simple blue coat before meeting Tsubaki in the living room.
"Didn't you hear me yelling your name? I almost thought about calling you on your cellphone since you weren't answering me." Tsubaki questioned, as the two of them trudged down the damp sidewalk.
Maka laughed lightly at Tsubaki's worry. "Sorry about that, I got so caught up with trying to finish all my readings before we planned to leave and then I noticed it was snowing too…"
Tsubaki shook her head at Maka's excuses as she glanced up at the dusty grey sky with a sigh. "Maka, I know you already read the chapters for our finals ahead of time. There's no reason for you to overwork yourself like this when the exams aren't for 2 more weeks."
Maka let out a huff as she kicked a small pile of snow out of their path. "I'm not overworking myself! You know I enjoy reading and besides, I'm taking a break right now to hang out with you and the others."
Tsubaki only shrugged and nodded her head as they finally approached the mall and greeted Liz who was waving them over to their favorite spot to sit at by the food court.
"I see you guys dressed prepared for this sudden change in weather." Liz mused with a grin, as she gazed over Maka and Tsubaki's winter attire before they took a seat.
"What do you mean by 'sudden change'? I'm pretty sure the news reported that a cold front was going to be coming." Maka replied back.
"Sis just didn't want to stop wearing her summer clothes; sweaters and jackets don't really allow you to show off your figure after all!" Patty said with a chuckle, ignoring the scowl Liz sent her way.
"Can we get this started already? I still have an evening class I have to catch." Kim grumbled out from the table beside them.
Liz nodded her head as she cleared her throat to get everyone's attention. "All right ladies, it's time again for our annual Secret Santa gift exchange! The rules are the same as always, today is December 1st, giving each of us about exactly one month to find a gift for whoever's name you draw from the hat before we trade them at Kid's annual New Year's Eve party!"
"Don't forget to mention the prices." Jacqueline cut in, as Kim sent her a nod for bringing that up.
"Oh right, as usual let's keep the gifts to 50 dollars and below. I know we've all been pretty good friends since high school, but we're all pretty much broke college students now and can't afford to spend too much on anything." Liz explained.
Maka leaned her head against her palm and grinned at how excited her friends were as she watched Liz begin to write each of their names down on some scratch paper and put them in the black hat she had brought along. 'I wonder who I'm going to get this year. It doesn't really matter anyways; everyone is so easy to shop for. Liz always wants something related to fashion or clothes, Kim would take money or a gift card, Patty likes anything giraffe-themed, Jackie likes scented candles and Tsubaki usually enjoys any cool weapons or gadgets…'
"Alright, I've written down everyone's names. Draw a name from the hat and remember, no peeking or telling who you got until the party!" Liz stated eagerly.
Everyone took a crumpled up ball and carefully unopened it so nobody else would see who they got.
Maka hid back her smile as she saw Patty's name on her paper. 'Yup, it's going to be another easy year of shopping for me!'
Meanwhile, Liz frowned slightly at having read Maka's name on her paper. 'Ah, I got Maka huh? I guess I shouldn't complain since she never really wants anything special, but still…'
"Well, now that we each got a name I need to get going. The last time I was late to class my professor almost didn't let me in." Kim said, as she got up from her seat.
Maka watched her go before frowning as a thought occurred to her. "Oh crap, I almost forget! I promised the librarian I would help her clean up at 4! I better get going too."
"Maka always has something on her plate, doesn't she?" Jacqueline asked, as she watched Maka put back on her coat and head down the hallway with Kim.
"She's always trying to keep herself busy with one thing or another." Tsubaki said with a frown.
Liz rubbed her chin thoughtfully as she listened to their conversation. "Hey guys, I know I'm breaking our Secret Santa rule, but what should I get Maka?! She never really changes up what she wants."
Patty looked up from the doodle she was drawing on the back of her paper and laughed. "Maka is probably the easiest person to shop for out of all of us Sis! You should be happy that you got her."
Liz only pouted as she slumped into her chair. "I know, but Maka always just wants some new book. I want to get her something different this year that will actually surprise her."
"What did you have in mind?" Tsubaki asked curiously.
Liz shrugged her shoulders before meeting Tsubaki's indigo eyes with a sigh. "I was hoping you guys could help me with that part."
"Maka pretty much has everything she needs though. She stays off campus at an apartment with Tsubaki, works part-time at the library and still manages to get good grades in her classes." Jacqueline reasoned.
"Even with all that, there must be something in Maka's life that she's missing, don't you think so?" Liz questioned them.
Tsubaki was about to speak up when her phone abruptly started to ring next to her. Liz and Jacqueline watched as Tsubaki glanced at the caller ID before smiling and picking it up. As soon as they heard a loud 'hey Tsubaki, what took you so long to pick up?!' come from the phone, they both knew it was Black Star on the other end.
"It still surprises me that you two have been dating for so long." Liz said with a smirk, once Tsubaki had ended her call.
"What was he calling you about that sounded so urgent?" Jacqueline questioned with interest.
Tsubaki felt her cheeks redden at their teasing grins. "Nothing really, he just wanted to know if I was going to stop by his apartment later."
Liz snickered even more at Tsubaki's embarrassment before she snapped her fingers as a thought came to her. "Wait a minute, that's it!"
"What's it?" Patty inquired.
"I know what I can get Maka as a Secret Santa gift! She doesn't have a boyfriend!" Liz declared excitedly.
Tsubaki arched an eyebrow while Jackie furrowed her brows at that idea. "Liz, don't you remember what happened the last time you tried to set Maka up on one of your blind dates or matchmaking schemes?"
Liz only waved Jacqueline off with a grin. "Okay, so I screwed up with trying to set her up with Hiro and other dates in the past, but this time it'll be different; I know it!"
"How exactly would you plan on doing things differently this time though; are you going to pay some guy to go out with her? Maka wouldn't appreciate that and she is already very wary of men in general." Tsubaki asked in confusion.
Liz shook her head at Tsubaki's question and smirked as she pulled out her phone from her jeans pocket. "I'm sure a month is plenty of time for me to find a guy who Maka could enjoy going on at least more than one date with and think of how shocked she'll be! Now, who do we know that is single and around our age?"
Patty and Jacqueline gained blank looks after thinking over options for a few minutes until Tsubaki eventually let out a small groan to get their attention. "I know someone, but I doubt Maka would like him."
Liz leaned up from her chair towards her curiously. "Any ideas are better than none at all."
Tsubaki couldn't help but smile a little as she nodded her head. "Um, I think Black Star's roommate Soul is single. I've never seen him with any girls in the few times I've been at their apartment, but I could be wrong since he mostly keeps to himself."
"Hmm, I think it's worth a shot anyways! Tsubaki, lead the way to their place!" Liz asserted, as she stood up from her seat proudly.
~X~
"Damn it Black Star, stop trying to use different cheat codes to win! You should have at least memorized some moves by now." Soul snapped out, as the two of them played a new wrestling game they had just bought.
Black Star growled as Soul finished his player with a knockout before he tossed his controller to the ground. "Whatever, I kick your ass at every other game we own anyways!"
Soul only scoffed and got up to get a drink from the fridge when a sudden loud banging at their door made him pause.
"Were you expecting people?" Soul questioned, as he scratched a hand through his snowy white hair tiredly.
Black Star nodded his head as he leapt up from the sofa. "Yeah, I called Tsubaki earlier and she sent me a text about a few minutes ago to say that she was coming by, but that didn't sound like her usual knock."
Soul watched Black Star glance through the peephole of their door before frowning when he saw he had gained a perplexed look.
"Who's at the door; is it one of our neighbors come to complain about our noise level again?" Soul assumed.
Black Star shook his head as he began to unlock the door. "It's Tsubaki, but she brought her friends along for some reason."
Soul arched an eyebrow as Black Star greeted Tsubaki with a grin and peck on the cheek. "Hey babe, I wasn't expecting you to get here so soon! Why are Liz, Patty, and Jackie with you though; did they want to see me that badly too?!"
Tsubaki laughed lightly while Liz snorted next to her. "That's the last reason any of us would stop by here."
Black Star sent her a glare before shrugging. "I know you hate the cold Liz, so there must be a good reason why you would make the trek here."
Liz nodded her head with a smirk as Black Star moved aside to let them all in. Soul sent Black Star a confused look as to why all of Tsubaki's main friends were suddenly here, but Black Star looked just as lost as he was as the girls made themselves comfortable around the kitchen table and living room.
"Sorry we all came here on such short notice." Tsubaki apologized, having already seen Soul's bewildered look before they had walked in.
"It's no problem Tsubaki; we're all friends after all!" Black Star said with a grin, as he went to turn back on the heater now that they had company.
"What was so important that you all had to come here though?" Soul grumbled out, straight to the point.
Liz squirmed slightly in her pink jacket at Soul's attitude. 'Geez, I haven't even said anything yet and he already wants to kick us out! Though I guess all of us just showing up unannounced at anyone's house would be annoying. I wonder if this really is a guy Maka could get along with though…'
"Liz, hurry up and give him some type of answer before he gets even more pissed!" Jacqueline whispered to her, startling her out of her thoughts.
"Sis wants you to help her with her Secret Santa gift!" Patty said cheerfully, paying no mind to the shocked looks that came onto her friends and sister faces.
"Patty, I need to be the one to explain it to him, not you!" Liz cried out in alarm.
Patty only shrugged as she turned back around to face her sister with a grin. "But you're taking too long tell him."
Black Star snickered as he moved to slap Soul harshly on the back. "Looks they have something big in mind they want you to do!"
Soul scowled as he shoved Black Star away from him. "Who said I was going to be a part of it?"
Liz gained a panicked look as she quickly stood up from her seat. "Wait a minute; you haven't even heard what I had in mind! It's not anything crazy or stupid, I promise!"
Soul still held a bored expression as Liz tried to gather her thoughts together. "Okay, I know this may sound weird, but I was wondering if you could do this small favor for me."
"Of course Soul can help you, he doesn't have anything on his plate after finals really since wasn't planning to visit his folks. Isn't that right Soul?" Black Star said, sending a smug smile in Soul's direction.
Soul glowered and chose not to respond immediately. 'He's only acting like this because I beat him at a game a few times…'
Liz brightened slightly at Black Star's explanation. "Really, would you be willing to hear me out then?" 'Oh my gosh, this could actually work; and on my first attempt to find somebody!'
Soul pushed his hands into his grey sweatpants with a sigh as felt all eyes turn on him in expectation. "Doesn't seem like I have much of a choice now, do I?"
Liz ignored the sarcasm in Soul's answer as she briefly sent a smile to Tsubaki and Jackie who were nodding at her to continue. "Alright, all I want you to do is be my friend Maka's Secret Santa gift."
Black Star furrowed his brows at the name Maka. "Hold on, is this the same Maka that I think you're talking about; the one who keeps her hair in pigtails most of the time?"
Liz nodded her head gleefully before pouting as she saw Black Star burst into a fit of laughter. "What?! Why the hell would you try to set her up with Soul? They're like the complete opposite of each other!"
"Black Star you don't have to be so rude about it." Tsubaki murmured, nudging at his arm to stop.
Black Star chuckled for a few seconds more as he leaned back against the kitchen counter. "Yeah, okay that was a bit mean. Maka has no idea you have this planned for her, does she?"
Liz shook her head as she turned her attention back towards Soul who looked even more skeptical now. "Look, don't listen to your idiot friend here. It's true you and Maka aren't exactly alike in terms of personality, but that doesn't mean you still couldn't get along with her."
"What's in for me if I actually agree to take part in this?" Soul challenged.
Liz bit her lip at that inevitable question. 'And here I was hoping he would just go along with everything. I don't want to pay him to do this, but how else can I persuade him?'
Jacqueline noticed that Liz was struggling to find an answer to Soul's question and grinned as an idea came to her. "Hey guys, take out your phones for a moment." Jacqueline whispered towards Tsubaki and Patty.
Tsubaki and Patty gave her curious looks before nodding their heads and pulling out their devices. "What do you want us to do?" Tsubaki asked.
Jacqueline opened her photos tab and started to slide through some images. "We need to try to find some nice pictures of Maka that we can show Soul. He probably only has a vague idea of what she looks like since they've never met in person."
"How could they not have met in person at least once by now? We all went to the same high school and the colleges we go to now aren't even that far apart from each other." Patty questioned.
"Well, Black Star really only knows you guys through me and we didn't start dating until our junior year of high school and like I said earlier, Soul keeps to himself mostly. Even if he did see Maka, he probably doesn't remember what she looks like." Tsubaki reasoned.
Patty seemed to accept that answer and giggled as she found a photo. "Do you think Soul will like this one?"
Jackie and Tsubaki looked up from their phones and laughed gently too. It was a photo of Maka sleeping peacefully under the shade in a hammock after a trip they had taken to the beach late last spring. It was probably one of the few actual pictures any of them had of Maka with her hair down and not doing something school related.
"That would be a nice photo if it weren't for the fact Maka is asleep in it and still in her bikini." Jackie mused.
"Those things aren't a big deal, I'm going to go show it to him anyways and see what he thinks!" Patty cheered out, not waiting to hear Tsubaki or Jackie's response.
"Hey sis, show him this photo of Maka, then he'll at least know what she looks like!" Patty called out, as she got both Liz and Soul's attention.
Liz accepted Patty's phone and looked taken aback at their picture choice. "I don't think that photo is the one we should go with..."
Black Star peeked over the two of them to get a look at the photo and grinned in amusement. "No, I agree with Patty. That is a good one to go with!"
Liz was about to make a retort, but Patty had already turned her phone in Soul's direction so he could get a clear look at the image too.
Soul stared at the picture for a few seconds before blushing slightly and looking away. "I'm sure there were plenty of options you could've picked from besides that one…"
"None of which would have gotten that response though." Black Star muttered lowly enough, but Soul still heard him and sent him a scowl.
Soul groaned as he realized Liz and all of her friends had been at there apartment for over an hour now. 'They're really not going to give up on this, are they? I guess spending one day with this girl can't be that bad if it will get them to stop pestering me.'
"Okay, fine. I'll be this Maka girl's 'Secret Santa' thing or whatever." Soul finally said.
Liz squealed happily as Jacqueline, Patty, and Tsubaki grinned as well. "Yes! I promise you won't regret this! I'm pretty sure you already know him, but at the end of the month my boyfriend Kid will hold his annual New Year's Eve party. You'll meet her then when we exchange gifts so mark it on your calendar or set a reminder on your phone to dress nice."
Soul just nodded his head blankly; only half paying attention to all the details Liz was giving him. Soul sighed as Liz eventually sat back down at the kitchen table with the rest of the girls to high-five them happily and go over more details of the party amongst themselves.
'What the hell have I just gotten myself into?' Soul pondered, glimpsing out the main living room's window at the light snow dancing in the wind.
Black Star patted Soul comfortingly on the back before plopping down back on the sofa. "Hey man, you and Maka are both sad and lonely people during the holidays. At least now you can both keep each other company!"
Soul picked up the remote from the counter and tossed it directly at Black Star's head. "Shut up already."
~X~
Maka carefully tucked a curl out of her face before smiling at herself in the mirror and admiring her simple black evening dress and emerald scarf. 'Still though, I'm not sure why Tsubaki kept pressuring me to dress all fancy tonight. Kid never really had any issues with people dressing in casual wear for past parties…' Maka considered.
Outside in the living room, Tsubaki was sending another text back to Liz that Maka had agreed to dress a bit nicer than normal to attend the party.
Good, I've already have Black Star and Soul here at the mansion. Soul is currently just exploring the mansion, but the last time I saw him he was wearing a black pinstriped suit (So they'll be matching I guess!). Let's try to all meet up with each other in the main foyer at 8 pm for the gift exchange! –Liz
"Tsubaki, who are you talking to?" Maka asked, tapping her shoulder.
Tsubaki jumped back startled as Maka sent her a concerned look. "Oh, it was just Black Star asking if I had reach Kid's manor yet is all."
Maka narrowed her eyes at Tsubaki's quick answer before shrugging as she picked up her present for Patty wrapped in red and white paper sitting by the door. "Do you have your present? I don't want you to forget and leave the house without it."
Tsubaki nodded her head as she picked up her own present wrapped in blue and green paper. "It's already 7:30 now; we should get going. You know how Kid is about being on time."
Maka silently agreed as the two stepped out the doors. Maka shivered and clutched her scarf and coat closer to herself as the wind blew a few snowflakes into her face. "I don't see why I couldn't have worn my casual winter clothes since it's still snowing even now. Does Liz plan for us to go to some fancy restaurant afterwards?"
"Something like that." Tsubaki murmured, trying to hold back her smile as Maka kept one hand in her pocket and the other on her present.
After walking for about 15 minutes, Tsubaki and Maka arrived and greeted Kid at the entrance of his house.
"Hello, glad you could make it, and on time too!" Kid stated happily with a smile.
Tsubaki watched as Maka went ahead of her inside to greet Jacqueline and Kim before she turned back to Kid. "Um, you haven't seen Black Star and Soul around recently, have you?"
Kid thought it over for a moment before shaking his head. "I saw the both of them earlier, but I think Black Star is still somewhere inside by the food tables and I'm not sure where Soul went actually. I'm surprised he even came since he's not a party type of person."
Tsubaki nodded her head worriedly as she looked amongst the passing guests going in. 'This isn't good if Soul still isn't here, there's only about 10 minutes to go before we gift exchange!'
Tsubaki sighed and was about to turn to head inside herself when Liz unexpectedly rushed up to her out of breathe.
"Tsubaki…have you…have you…seen Soul?" Liz panted out.
Tsubaki shook her head as both her and Kid helped her to calm down. "I was just about to text you and ask Black Star if he knew where he was. What happened?"
"Well, everything was going fine because I made sure Black Star and Soul got here early before any of the other guests arrived, but Soul decided to take a look around the mansion and hasn't come back yet. Black Star tried calling him on his phone and texting him, but he wouldn't pick up!" Liz explained tearfully.
Kid and Tsubaki patted her back soothingly before Maka returned over to them and frowned when she saw the tear streaks on Liz's face. "I was wondering why you guys hadn't come in yet, what's going on? Why is Liz crying?!"
"I can't find where my gift for you is!" Liz sputtered out, not even caring she had revealed herself as her Secret Santa.
Maka blinked in confusion before smiling warmly. "Oh, that's nothing to cry about Liz. I didn't want or need anything in particular anyways."
Liz shook her head in frustration as she stood up and gazed inside towards the entrance. "No! I worked hard to get you this present and I'm going to find him no matter what and not ruin this night for you!"
Maka watched as Liz proudly stood up and marched back inside before turning towards Tsubaki specifically. "What did she mean by him?"
Tsubaki shrugged her shoulders with an innocent smile. "I'm not the one to be asking."
Maka pouted at Tsubaki's secretive answer as they all headed indoors. Even though Liz had run off in order to find her 'present', Maka insisted that everyone else still gift exchange in order to not delay it any further.
"Ooh, a giraffe themed phone case with a matching necklace and plushy! Thanks Maka!" Patty said, as she gave her hug.
"You're welcome; I noticed your old phone case cracked, so I figured I could get you another one. The necklace and plushy didn't cost much more to add in either." Maka explained.
"Liz still hasn't found your present yet Maka?" Kim asked.
Maka shook her head with a sigh. "I told her it wasn't a big deal, but I'll try to look for her anyways so she can just enjoy the rest of the party."
Maka left her group of friends and trudged down a few hallways in search of Liz. After visiting Kid's mansion plenty of times throughout high school, Maka knew her way around pretty much every corner of the house. 'Dang it, where is she? She wasn't in the guest rooms, the kitchen, the balcony, the study room, or any of these random hallways…' Maka thought, as she paused in her search to admire the small amount of moonlight managing to creep in through the blinds.
'Maybe I should go back to the party; Liz is probably with all of our friends again anyways.' Maka reasoned. As Maka retraced her steps down the hall, a faint noise coming from one of the rooms caught her attention. Maka paused in her walk to make sure she wasn't hearing things, but continued to hear a faint sound coming from down the hall that only increased the closer she got to it.
'How is it that I didn't first hear this noise when I first came upstairs? It sounds like someone is playing something.' Maka pondered, as she peeked inside Kid's secondary ballroom and found to her surprise a guy at Kid's old grand piano.
~X~
"Wow, he's so focused on his playing he didn't even hear me come in." Maka whispered under her breathe, as she finished listening to mysterious man's song before he abruptly stopped when he finally glanced up from the piano and noticed her presence.
"How long have you been standing there?" Soul asked coldly.
Maka arched an eyebrow at Soul's tone before shrugging. "Just long enough to hear you play that alluring melody. Who are you anyways; I've never seen you here before."
Soul looked taken aback for a second at the compliment to his playing as he closed back the piano case. "I'm not some creepy stranger if that's what you're thinking. I'm a friend of Kid and Black Star; I just wanted to take my mind off of being at this party so I came up here."
Maka still looked distrusting, but then saw a name tag on him that nearly made her gasp. 'Am I seeing things or does that nametag on him say Maka's present?! Don't tell me Liz really did plan on giving me a guy as a present, honestly…'
"Anyways, why are you up here? Shouldn't you be enjoying the party downstairs with everyone else?" Soul questioned, snapping Maka out of her thoughts.
"Err; well I was until my friend ran off trying to find my present so I went searching for her." Maka mumbled.
Soul thought over Maka's answer before smirking. "Oh, I see. You must be Liz's friend Maka then, right?"
Maka nodded her head and scowled at Soul's smirk. "Listen, I don't know what Liz might have told you or even paid you, but she already knows I hate it when she tries to set me up with people."
"Liz didn't pay me anything, though she could have told me that you were flat chested. The picture I saw of you didn't make you appear that way." Soul mused just as Maka slammed a book onto his head with a loud Maka-chop.
Maka growled as she put her book away. "Humph, maybe I should tell Liz that the 'present' she got for me is defective!"
Soul was still grumbling out curses from his sore head before he faced her properly once more. "Look, I normally don't like to go to parties like this, but I made an exception this time."
"Oh, and why is that?" Maka asked in boredom. 'He's probably disappointed now that he's actually met me in person.'
Soul grinned toothily as he walked out of the ballroom with Maka following after him. "To meet you of course, you're friends kept gushing about all these great things about you and it made me curious enough to be your present for your Secret Santa thing."
Maka rolled her eyes at Soul's explanation, but he didn't appear to be lying as she studied his facial expression carefully. 'Liz definitely picked an unusual guy for me this time. I've never seen anyone around our age that had white hair and dark red eyes.'
"You know, you don't have to spend any time with me. Liz basically dragged you into all this. Maka stated.
"It's a risk worth taking, and now that you seem to be accepting me as your 'gift' I'll introduce myself properly: I'm Soul."
Maka nodded her head at Soul's introduction, but sighed. "And I'm Maka, but you already knew that. I still don't want to force you into this."
Soul shook his head as he gently grabbed Maka's hand, grinning when the action caused her cheeks to redden. "Trust me, I wouldn't walk here in the snow and nearly trip over myself on the sidewalk like an idiot if I wasn't at least a little interested." 'And just from these past few minutes of talking to her I know she doesn't seem to mind my looks or attitude for the most part.'
Maka gazed down at their clasped hands cautiously before meeting Soul's face once again. 'Well, I did say I wanted to break out of my comfort zone as one of my New Year's resolutions…'
Maka eventually laughed lightly and couldn't help but squeeze his hand in return. "Okay, I'll give you a chance, but you better be ready for my Maka-chops in the future if you keep throwing anymore snarky remarks at me!"
~Snow Ends~
A/N: The first of many one-shots to come, feel free to leave any suggestions and thanks for reading as always!