A/N: I kind of felt like making this one shot its own story instead of placing it in my one shot collection. Not sure why, though. I hope y'all enjoy.

Pianoman and Boxers

Maka sighed, throwing her pencil down onto her desk. She had been studying for the last four hours, and she was exhausted. Her exam was in less than twelve hours, and she still didn't feel prepared for it, even though she had been studying all week. Lucky for her, her roommate was gone for the night which meant she had all the time to study. However, not even that was comforting. This exam was thirty percent of her grade, and she needed to pass if she wanted an A in the class.

Leaning back in her chair, she looked up at the ceiling in her dorm room, counting each of the tiles in order to pass the time during her small break. She could always ask the cute boy across the hall to help her study since they were in the same class. But she didn't know his name; all she knew was that he sat all the way in the back of the classroom and kept to himself. He never bothered to raise his hand or speak out in class which was peculiar since it was an English class. She was sure he had to have something to say about the readings they were assigned on countless times.

It didn't matter. She barely knew the boy, he was a complete stranger, so she shouldn't be worrying about him. If he failed the class then that would be his own problem. However, she did need help with studying, and everyone always said having a study buddy helped…

Maka quickly made up her mind, and gathered her study material that was scattered along her desk into her backpack. There was no harm in asking the boy if he wanted to study with her, the worst he could say was no. Besides, she was positive he would gladly welcome her company since she was the top student in that class while he was not.

She was about to zip her backpack closed when the fire alarm started going off. Cursing, she dropped the bag on her desk chair, and left the dorm room. Out of all the times to have a fire drill, the resident assistants just had to choose to do it close to ten at night. Granted, most of the residents were in their dorm rooms at around that time — most of them studying or getting drunk on a school night — so it made sense, but it took away precious time from her. How was she ever going to work up the courage to ask the boy to study with her now?

So there Maka stood, outside, fifteen feet away from the building like she had been told to do so many times before, in the freezing cold. It was the middle of October, winter was already in Vermont, and she was wearing sleep shorts with a baggy t-shirt that wasn't hers. She cursed everything around her; the people who were chatting at the benches not far from her, the resident assistants scrambling inside to make sure everyone left their room, and the boy in his boxers bouncing from foot to foot next to her. They were all part of the problem somehow.

Wait.

She looked at the boy next to her, and to her surprise it was the same boy she was going to ask to study with her. His white hair was a mess — looking similar to bedhead — and his skin was flushed because of the cold air around them. He wasn't wearing anything other than blue boxers with little bones on them; she felt sorry for him. It must have been worse for him than it was for her; at least she had the decency to wear a shirt.

"What are you looking at?" he growled.

"Watching the idiot standing next to me who thought it was a great idea to come outside in only their boxers in the middle of October."

The boy rolled his eyes. "Oh sure, make fun of the guy who was fucking sleeping before the fire alarm went off. Wasn't planning on there to be a fire drill tonight of all nights."

"Join the club."

She felt uncomfortable as his eyes gazed down her body, taking in what she was wearing before darting back to her face. "At least you actually have a shirt on — wait a minute. That's my shirt!"

Maka looked down at the piece of garment in question, the word 'pianoman' on an orange background meeting her gaze. She had been wondering who the shirt belonged to for some time now, but no one had answered her question on the whiteboard that was kept in the laundry room. She had assumed the previous owner didn't care about it so she kept it for herself. Looking back up at the boy, she smirked.

"Well, no one came to my room to claim it, so I guess it's mine now."

The boy scoffed. "That's because I didn't see anyone advertising that they found a lost shirt, ever think of that?" He rolled his eyes when she didn't answer him. "Now give it back to me, I'm freezing out here."

Maka gaped. Did he honestly think she was going to take her shirt off because he asked her to? Nevermind she wasn't wearing anything underneath — no tank top or bra; she refused to give in to the boy's demands. Especially not when he had an attitude like that.

"You're really asking me to undress out here? Where everyone will see me?" She took a step closer to him, watching as he leaned back a little. "Did it ever occur to you that I'm not wearing anything underneath your shirt?"

His eyes bulged, a light pink tinging his cheeks, and he looked down at her chest. Maka immediately thrust her arms up to cover herself, even though he couldn't see right through her shirt. At least, she hoped he couldn't. He could have x-ray vision for all she knew.

"Don't look at my chest like that, pervert!"

His crimson eyes snapped back up to her face, seething with frustration. "If you don't want me looking at your chest, then don't tell me you aren't wearing anything underneath my shirt!" He turned his head, letting out a gust of air that sounded like a small 'pfft'. "Besides, not like there's much there anyway. A tiny tit like you — ow! The fuck?!"

Maka had kicked him in the shin, and now the boy was hoping on one foot, clutching the injured leg to his chest. "Maybe that'll make you think twice before insulting me like that again," she growled.

"You don't have to be so aggressive about it!"

"You should learn to respect women, and then I wouldn't have to be so aggressive about anything!"

"And you shouldn't steal other people's shirts!"

"I didn't steal your shirt!" She crossed her arms in front of her chest, and puffed out her cheeks in frustration. "Somehow it found it's way into my laundry! If it's anyone's fault then it's your own!"

The boy released his leg, and went back to his jumping from one foot to the other while he glared at her. A few minutes passed, and she noticed his facial expression relax a bit. A small hint of a smirk grew on his face, and his menacing eyes softened when he talked to her next.

"You're in my English class, right? The one with Dr. White?"

Maka was taken back a little by his change of subject. It fascinated her how they could go from ripping the other's throat out to an actual civilized conversation in just a matter of minutes. She may have never spoken to the boy before, but she knew there was something intriguing about him that had nothing to do with his looks. He was different from the boys she had known all throughout high school and college. She gave him the benefit of the doubt since she did draw attention to her chest and not call him a pervert, which was always a plus in her book. There was definitely something about this boy that made her want to get to know more about him.

Maka licked her chapped lips before answering his question. "Yep. That's the class we have together. Are you ready for the test tomorrow?"

"Not in the slightest," he chuckled. Running a hand through his hair, he gave her a sheepish look before continuing. "I've sorta been procrastinating on that. You?"

"I've been studying all week. Aren't you worried you won't pass?"

The boy shrugged. "Maybe a little…" He side glanced toward the building before saying, "do you maybe wanna study with me?"

Maka tried to suppress the grin that was threatening to appear, but failed. "That's funny, I was going to go ask if you wanted to study with me before the fire alarm went off."

The boy lowly laughed to himself, looking down at the ground and scuffing his barefeet against the grass. "I guess that is sorta funny. Ironic, maybe. Not really sure." He looked back up at her, and she noticed a small hint of admiration in his eyes. Despite the chilly air around them, warmth spread across her chest, and she could have sworn her heart skipped a beat. "So is that a yes for the studying thing?"

She nodded, the smile still tugging at her lips.

"You can come in now!" the hall director sing songed from the door, and all the students headed back inside.

Maka and the boy walked beside each other in silence. They were in their own thoughts, trying to make sense out of the small conversation between them. Neither one knew what was going to happen between them, but they each felt it was the beginning of something wonderful and exciting. She especially wanted to see where their relationship would go because despite the fact that he was hard headed at first, there was a soft side to him that she didn't miss. She had always believed that a person's eyes were the windows to their soul, and his had told her everything she needed to know.

They each pulled out their key when they grew closer to their doors, but stood out in the hall, awkwardly rubbing their thumb along the cool metal. It was Maka who broke the silence first.

"Did you want your shirt back?" It was an odd question, but she felt guilty about withholding someone else's possession from them. It really wasn't his fault that his shirt had somehow found its way into her laundry.

"Nah, you can keep it." He hesitated for a split moment. "Looks better on you than it ever did on me, anyways."

Her heart leaped in her chest. "Thanks." She was about to unlock her door, but turned around to offer the boy her hand. "I'm Maka, by the way."

The boy had already unlocked his door, but turned around immediately at the sound of her voice. He stared at her hand for a few seconds before taking it. "Soul."

"It's nice to finally meet you, Soul."

"You too, Maka."

She dropped his hand, and awkwardly stood there, staring at a boy who was half naked. She felt her cheeks slowly warm up, and she hoped that Soul wouldn't notice, but he did. He chuckled to himself, rubbing his hand down his face to hide the smile that was there and the faint red that was threatening to appear. The gesture was small, but it boosted Maka's confidence none the less. If she could make the boy blush twice in one night, then maybe she had a chance with him.

"I should probably go put some clothes on."

Maka gulped, and averted her eyes away from his bare chest. "Yeah, I think that'll be for the best. I'll meet you in the lounge in five?"

"Nah. Just come to my room. The lounge is too open. My roommate's gone for the night so no one will bother us."

She didn't know how she felt about being alone with a boy in his room, but something told her she could trust Soul so she nodded. "Alright. I'll be over in five then."

"See you then."