A/N: She's baaaaack! Did you miss me, FF? I got struck down by a bug I caught on holiday so I couldn't get back to my computer for a while, then school started and I was weighed down with homework...but finally, I finished this chapter!

So basically, this is a SoulxKid version of Beauty and the Beast, where SOUL is the uke. Please read on, you'll likey, I swear~

It's AU, and his brother's in it too, which is gonna be shits and giggles. Idk, everytime I see Wes a voice in my head goes bitch, he's fabulous. Soo...just camping up the Evanses.

On with the story, shall we? Reviews fuel plotbunnies! The more I get the faster I'll upload the next chapter~ *totally not blackmail*

The golden light of sunrise's early rays shone in through a single cracked window, the beams stinging at the eyelids of the young man curled fast asleep within a tangle of sheets upon a single dusty mattress. With no curtains to block out the morning's greeting, the sleeping figure had no choice but to arise, groaning and grumbling as he did so. Lazily throwing on the first clothes his fingers made contact with, the boy slowly trudged downstairs, rubbing away the last remnants of sleep from his eyes.

The second he stepped into the room that served as both kitchen and lounge, he was immediately greeted by the smell of freshly-cooked bacon and a friendly smile from a white haired man hovering over the stove.

"Morning, Soul."

The boy, Soul, hummed his response, already cramming as much of the delicacy as he could into his mouth from the plate his brother had-rather wisely-already prepared. Breakfasts like this were rare in their house. Since their parents had been lost in a fire ten years ago, responsibility for the care of his younger sibling meant that Wes, Soul's older brother by five years, had had to juggle guardianship as well as a lowly-paid job as a street performer, playing violin for passing strangers. To say they had little money was an understatement, they were dirt poor.

"Wes…?"

The elder male looked up at the sound of his name, brushing snow-white coloured bangs from his eyes.
"Yes? What's wrong?"
"How…How did you afford this?" Soul indicated to the hearty pile of meat stacked upon his plate. "Surely this cost more than what you make in a month!"

A knowing smile crept across the violinist's face.
"All in good time, dear brother…all in good time…Anyway, I have a small job for you regarding the means in which I got it. Do you mind?"
"No, not at all. What do you need me to do?"
"Nothing much, I just want you to collect some sheet music for me from the music store. The manager should have them."
"Oh…okay. Yeah, I can get those. Don't worry about it."

Wes smiled.

"Thank you."

After breakfast, the young man set out for town, powered by an unusual feeling of energy he rarely had due to his typical poor diet. Clutching the leather satchel Wes had provided to carry the sheets home in to his chest, the albino gazed around town, finding peace in the everyday goings-on of the townsfolk. Children playing in the street whilst their mothers gathered together to gossip, fathers working hard in the surrounding shops. Customers travelling to and fro and collecting their daily buys. There was nothing out of the ordinary, exactly the way the white-haired man liked it.

"Hey, Soul. Haven't seen you around here in a while~"

Soul stifled a groan as a familiar voice sounded from behind him. Yeah, nothing out of the ordinary here. Turning to face the speaker, he was met by a usual shock of blue hair and mischievous grin, a muscular body leaning casually against a wooden post.

"Hi, Black Star…"
"So you came back, huh? I knew you couldn't resist. The force of my god-like presence has lured you back out, huh~?"

Eye twitching, the albino sighed and turned his back on the egotist, doing the smartest thing and walking away. He wasn't in the mood for this kind of crap so early in the morning.

"Hey! Hey! Where do you think you're going?! Soul!"

It had been like this since the very first day the bluenette had laid eyes on the boy. He was determined to make him his, despite Soul's continuous refusals to any of his never-ending attempts at flirting. It wasn't that the albino wasn't into men, far from it, but Black Star was the last thing he was looking for in a partner, the very epitome of what he despised in a lover. What he wanted someone sweet and caring…down-to-earth and kind.

The very thought sent a light dusting of red to his cheeks and a silly smile to his lips, and without realising he had stepped into the very store to which he had been sent. Glancing around the stocked shelves he took a brief gander at the newest symphonies and sonatas, tinkling melodies to tragic love songs. He loved them all, and was a frequent regular at the small establishment.

The elderly man behind the counter smiled upon his arrival, as he always did. The boy had a keen ear for good music, always finding the best compositions amongst a pile of tuneless drivel.

"I take it you're here to collect Wes's order?"

Soul nodded, grabbing the coins his brother had handed him earlier as payment. He handed it over, and in return was passed a hefty folder of countless sheets. Whatever could his brother be needing all this for? It was an awful lot more than his usual order.

Quickly stuffing the music into his satchel, the albino bid his farewell before setting off back home, taking the long route so as to avoid running into Black Star again. Quietly to himself, he hummed a small tune, one of the more recent ones he had purchased from the store. Lost in his melody, he near failed to realise that he was almost back at he and Wes' cottage, only the sound of his brother calling his name from where he was waiting by the gate pulling him from his personal concert.

"Soul! Did you get my sheets?"

Soul nodded, pulling the large folder from his bag.

"It's all here. But Wes, what do you need all this for?"

Giving a knowing grin the elder tapped the side of his nose, taking the sheets from the younger albino and leading the way back inside the run-down house. He set the music down on the kitchen table and set about making some hot milk for the two of them, indicating for his brother to sit down. Soul complied, waiting patiently.

After what felt like hours Wes finally joined him sitting, setting down a steaming cup of warmed milk before either of them.

"So…you want to know what all this is about, huh?"

Soul nodded. "Obviously. What have you been up to?"

Wes chuckled. "Nothing shady, if that's what you're thinking. Far from it; our fortunes are changing for the better."

The younger sibling cocked his head curiously. "What do you mean?"

"Well, about a month ago I was performing in front of the usual crowd, just a few punters from the tavern. I wasn't doing so well money-wise, no-one had any to spare. I was all prepared to pack up and come home but then…I can't describe it, it was like something out of a fairytale. This carriage came down the street and the guy inside must've heard me. This wasn't just any carriage either-just by the looks of it you could tell he was nobility. But the coach driver stopped and the man got out, requesting me to play again."

By now Soul was listening in wide-eyed wonder, almost in disbelief.

"Then what happened?"
"When I finished, he said that he was an Earl of a neighbouring kingdom, and he asked me to play for him at his manor occasionally. Tomorrow, I am to visit him to give my first performance."

He had to be lying. Opportunities like this never befell mere commoners! Although, Wes' talent on the violin far surpassed many of those even professionally trained, and rumours had been rife in town of a local being selected by nobility to act as their personal musician. He had just never figured it to be his brother.

"S-so…you work for him now…?"
"Sort of. Should tomorrow go well, he promises to support us financially as long as I continue to provide my services."
"Oh…that seems fair enough."

Wes smiled, taking a sip from his cup before reaching over and grabbing Soul's hands. "Don't you see what this means? We won't have to continue living in poverty anymore…hell, from the money he's promised me we'll be able to afford a house twice the size of this by the end of the year. Triple, even!"

The sheer excitement shining through his brother's face was enough to make a grin spread across Soul's own. Giving a carefree chuckle, the elder of the two drained his cup and rose from his seat, giving the younger's hair a quick ruffle.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got some music to rehearse."

The next morning, Soul was out of bed before the sun had even risen, preparing the saddle of Wes' horse and packing away some foodstuffs and spare clothes into the saddlebags. He could still feel the remnants of sleep itching at the corners of his eyes, determined to lull him back into a peaceful slumber. He shook his head forcefully. Now wasn't the time for rest. However his brother's performance today went could determine the rest of their lives. They couldn't afford to screw up.

A yawn sounded from behind the younger sibling, and he turned to face his elder, who was currently pulling his fingers through sleep-flattened locks.

"Morning, Soul. Is everything ready?"
"Mm-hm. Your food is in the right bag, clothes in the left. There're some money bags in there too."

Wes smiled, and pulled his brother into a deep hug.

"Thanks…I promise, I'm going to play so well, that Earl won't know what hit him. We'll be up to our eyeballs in gold. Bathing in it, even."

Soul laughed at the idea, returning the embrace. They stayed like this for a few seconds more, before the taller of the two pulled away and began to mount his horse.

"I'll be back in five days. Try not to get into much trouble while I'm gone, alright?"
"I can't make any promises."

Wes chuckled, turning his horse and leading it out the gate.

"Five days, no more. Goodbye, Soul, wish me luck!"

With that, he rode off, down the path leading away from their run-down shack of a house and out of sight. Soul smiled.

Maybe now, their luck would start to change for the better.

A/N: Tsk, Evans. Tempting fate ain't a good idea!

Anyways, if ya didn't know, LoveYaoiStudios is holding auditions and I entered! Please watch my entry, I'm really proud of it :3 watch?v=rn8l7Qovlwg

Aaaand the *FINISHED* SoulxKid MEP! watch?v=1PyH84mCTso&feature=relmfu