For SoMa Week 2016's Prompt 3: Stuck In The Rain

A short high school AU with a Miraculous Ladybug inspiration. Hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Soul Eater or Miraculous Ladybug.

Umbrella Scene

"Hey." Maka turned away at Soul's greeting. She missed the way his hand fell, eyes lowering at her brusque action. "Look, I need to talk to you."

"About what? If you think you can try to lie your way-"

"I'm being honest here," he said sharply. Maka glanced over at him, clutching her school bag to her chest.

"Fine, I'll hear you out, but only because I'm stuck here till my dad comes to pick me up." What had started out as a wonderfully sunny day had ended in an inevitable downpour. The torrent had assaulted their high school in waves as if wanting to flood the streets. What would have been a dry path home would have inevitably be filled with water. Tsubaki and Black*Star had long since departed along with most of the student body. Maka's after school duties had kept her well past five o'clock. Why Soul had lingered on the grounds around the same time, she didn't fully know.

Soul fidgeted under his umbrella, the boy standing halfway between the school's dry alcove and the stubborn rainfall that persisted on all of Death City. For the son of famous musicians, he didn't seem to have the same poise she'd thought he'd have. In the few weeks since he'd enrolled in their school, Soul had been deemed a friend of Black*Star, Maka's childhood tormentor, and that alone put her on edge with him. If she thought he would just forget how he 'coincidentally' showed up every time something horrible happened to her, then he had another thing coming. She'd put up with Ox and Black*Star's abuse for years with nothing more than clever words and a clean right hook if they pissed her off too much. She didn't need Soul to join in their bully Maka escapades. Granted, sometimes Black*Star wasn't a complete joke and his jokes weren't always malicious, but that didn't mean it didn't annoy the shit out of her every time he tried to mix up her textbooks or con her into washing the blackboards instead of him or try to stick weird things on her chair so she'd sit on them.

That last one was more for shits and giggles in Black*Star's twisted world.

"I just wanted to let you know that I didn't stick the chewing gum on your seat."

"Excuse me?" The confession had startled her, all annoyance lost at his sudden need for honesty.

"The gum. It wasn't me. Or Black*Star for that matter. I know that you think we did it 'cause Black*Star is an idiot and he laughed louder than anyone else, but it wasn't us. It wasn't me."

She stared at him, dumbstruck. Defending himself was one thing. Defending Black*Star? That idiot couldn't get anyone to vouch for him in a million years. Either he had paid Soul a hefty amount (unlikely seeing as Black*Star didn't even have a part-time job and Soul was ridiculously loaded) or Soul was telling the truth, had been telling the truth since that very first day. Maka felt the beginnings of guilt start churning in her gut.

"I've never been to school before," he said awkwardly with downcast eyes. His shoulders still sat in their usual slump, but in the rain there seemed to almost be a washed out glow around him., "and I've never had a real friend," Soul glanced up, "but-"

Soul took a breath, eyes flickering to his umbrella, and shoved it forward. The fist clutching the handle was tight and rough, but it was the gesture that struck her most. She stared at it in awe. How could he do this? She'd been trying so hard to dislike him, to shut down his offers of civility. Her parents' messy divorce had put her off boys in general. Soul's association with the resident asshole of school coupled with his clear camaraderie with Black*Star made it difficult for her to trust him. She had vowed the first day she met him that she wouldn't fall for his exotic looks and cool guy image; that no amount of his fortune or handsomeness would dissuade her. Yet this offer...

Maka tried to meet his eyes but he seemed to be decidedly looking away from her, his cheeks dusted a light colour. Soul shivered a bit before her. There was a roll of thunder that made them both flinch and Maka remembered that he was still waiting for her to take the umbrella from him. Water was dripping off the plastic shell and fell to wet his shirt and the exposed mop of hair he was sporting now. She willed her hand forward, fingers trembling as they bumped awkwardly against his in the hand off, and finally clutched the curved handle of the umbrella and held it to her chest.

"Thank you," she said softly, hazarding a smile, "and don't say you've never had a real friend before. We're going to be friends now." She stuck her other hand out. "Friends?"

He nodded and shook her hand. "Friends."

"Great. I'll see you tomorrow, then," she said, taking a step towards him and trying to shelter him beneath the umbrella's safe curve.

"W-what are you doing?"

She laughed lightly. "Well, I've got to walk you to the car. I think your chauffeur is giving me the stink eye from the front seat. I feel like he might yell at me if I just let your walk there on your own."

Soul looked over his shoulder to see the same, grumpy man Maka could see from within the car sent to escort him home. "Yeah, he does that a lot." They walked down the school steps to the door, which the driver had opened for him. The man held his own umbrella, and looked expectantly at Soul to take the umbrella back from Maka. "I'll see you tomorrow," said Soul, giving Maka a quick wave before disappearing into the car. Maka waved at him as the car drove away, a faint smile on her face, and walked home with a skip in her step.