50A/N: Inspiration struck hard and fast today, so this gets a little update with more to come. Thanks go to Lucy, Howl, and Jaks for the eyes, and to everyone who encouraged me to finally update.
She was lying on her stomach in the middle of the living room floor, feet swinging in the air lazily as she eyed her laptop, trying to stifle the occasional snicker or eyeroll.
Then she found it.
Maka opened the thing, figuring it would be more disgusting smut about the elder Prince, hopefully not more incest with Soul, and started skimming. A few paragraphs in, she shook her head and scoffed.
"Is this-about us?" she asked incredulously. Soul was on the couch studying, ridiculously oversized orange headphones on, so she expected no answer. She got one anyway.
"Is what about us?" Maka heard shuffling and suddenly he was squatting beside her, leaning over to look at her laptop. His earphones were off so she must have caught him in a rare moment where he would hear.
"This." She waved a hand at the laptop. "It's a fanfic about, well, you actually, but the other ones were all focused on your brother and really gross actually-but this is-" She shook her head; it was just so strange.
"Wait, why are you reading things about me?" His pale eyebrows were practically at his hairline.
She wrinkled her nose. "We were talking about fanfiction in my modern lit class, and the idea it exists for famous people came up and-I don't know-I was curious, shut up." She huffed, indignant at his loud guffaw.
"You wanted to read about me?" She smacked his arm at the eyebrow waggle.
"I was curious!" Her face felt hot. "And anyway, most of it is about your brother."
"'Course it is." He sounded resigned.
"And it's-well it's wrong, to project on real people like that!"
This was greeted with a shrug. "Seriously, Maka, let the kids have their fun with dreamy Prince Wes." He fluttered his eyelashes comically and she laughed, then hit his arm again.
"But this one isn't about Wes. It's about you. And it's not like the weird emo vampire one I saw earlier, it's-" Another head shake. "I think this person knows you. Or us."
"Seriously?" He frowned, crossing his arms on his knees, looking pensive.
"Well, I mean, the names aren't right, but some of the details really make it seem that way-though I would never put up with you for minimum wage." She rolled her eyes and he scoffed.
"Put up with me?"
"You are sort of a pain in my ass, Mr. Getting-Up-Before-Nine-is-Early."
He shrugged again. "Not my fault you like to get up at the asscrack of dawn. Anyway, what's it about?"
Her nose wrinkled in distaste for a second time. "Not much. It's setting up a larger story. But I'm only a few paragraphs in; if you'll let me actually read it I can tell you."
"Fine, fine, have at it Ms. Detective."
Ignoring the small dig, she kept reading. As Soul occasionally chuffed over her shoulder, she figured he was reading, too. After a minute she sat up and put it in her lap, sitting next to him to make it easier on them both.
She wasn't two pages in before she scoffed.
"Okay, how does the professor not know who's in his class? Rosters are a thing, hello."
Soul snorted. "Oh, I don't know, maybe he couldn't be arsed to check the roster."
"But he'll call the registrar's office?"
"Point."
A minute later she was indignant again. "I am not like that!"
"Like what?"
"Some-uptight recluse who lives to study!"
His response was to laugh. "If the shoe fits-"
"I go out, Soul. Just because I don't spend all my free time playing video games doesn't make me some sort of antisocial weirdo."
"You do study a lot-" He was grinning.
"Then I suppose you're actually a fuckboy class clown?"
"Nooooo, I-"
"Exactly. This is stupid."
He didn't respond and they both kept reading.
"Oh my god-You-at a frat party? You-suave? Someone has you confused with Prince Harry. Next thing you know they'll have us hooking up on Horsebarn Hill."
Soul groaned. "That guy is such an ass."
"And you're not?"
"Not like that, Maka." He sounded absolutely indignant.
"I'll give you that."
"And anyway, the hooking up part sounds fun." Another eyebrow waggle, another arm punch. "Kidding, kidding." He put up his hands placatingly. "You know I don't do horse shit."
"I know you learned to ride a horse and other such princely endeavors, highness."
"Doesn't mean I actually liked it," he grumbled. "A damn frat party sounds more fun."
"I'd sooner end up at a frat party than you and you know it, this is absurd. And my god! Our friends aren't that bad. I mean, okay, Star is sometimes, but still." She frowned then. "Should we be worried about this?"
His shrug surprised her. "It's sort of funny. Wonder who wrote it? I'd say they're more obsessed with you than me. Should have a field day with Spring Fling."
"That's right, we are going, aren't we." She sighed, closing her laptop in irritation.
"You agreed. And it's this weekend and-shit, you need a dress! How could I have forgotten? We can-"
"Stop panicking, I got one with Liz and Tsu last weekend. BJ insisted I use the platinum card, and before you get too worried or excited or whatever, I rejected a dozen of their picks before we found one so no, I won't be looking like J-Lo at an awards show." His relief was palpable, but he also seemed just the slightest bit disappointed.
"Spoilsport."
Her raised eyebrows were answer enough.
"Anyway, I think I'll pass on doing my paper on fanfiction. If it's all like this I'd rather donate my body to Professor Stein. At least he'd probably leave my brain intact. This stuff will kill every last brain cell."
"Probably."
Maka stood, swiping up her laptop, and grinned down at him. "Which is why you shouldn't read it either. You don't have much to spare."
Laughing at his scowl, she flounced off into her own room, forgetting about the mystery of the horrendous fanfic in favor of thinking about Spring Fling and just what it might be like to dance with Soul.
