{ The dance: 15 minutes in }

As darkness fell upon Death City, students began arriving at the academy. Most of them went way over the top with ballroom dresses and tuxedos. Liz and Patty were no exception; they both wore red ball gowns with spaghetti straps and sequins along the waist. And despite their different lengths of hair, they were styled in the same way with loose curls. Liz and Patty both looked like royalty.

After they, and a glum looking Kid, made it up the steps, they all paused and took a breather. It was astonishing to the reaper that they'd made the hike at all, considering the girls' choice of shoes. Under the layers of poof the sisters wore matching red pumps so high they were nearly impossible to balance in.

" How can you even walk in those things?" Kid asked. He was still salty about having to come even if he wasn't showing it right then. If he made it obvious, he just would've ruined the fun for everyone else as well, and that was the last thing that he wanted.

" Easily." Liz lied. Kid rolled his eyes, not believing her for even a second. The three of them stood there and looked out into the city, which was alive with lights and music. Kid wanted to cry, but didn't look it. He wanted to hold Soul's hand in front of everyone and kiss him like no one was watching. And it killed him in knowing he couldn't do so. He felt like such a hopeless romantic and the urge to mope around was becoming even more hard to ignore. Keeping a straight face had never been so hard before.

" Yahoo! The star of the night has arrived!" Shouted a very familiar and energetic voice. Kid and the sisters turned to see none other than BlackStar, and the rest of their friends at the top of the stairs. Tsubaki had her arm locked around her partner's and looked very uncomfortable with all the looks they were receiving. Behind she and BlackStar were Maka and Soul. Of course they had to be holding hands and Kid had to get an eyeful of it.

" BlackStar, please calm down!" Tsubaki pleaded with the assassin but got nowhere. He kept proudly strolling towards the doors, unphased and ready to party like an animal.

Kid could only focus on Maka and Soul, how Soul looked so depressed when his eyes met with his own. He knew it was unfair of him, but he wanted claw their hands apart and drag Soul away. He didn't want to feel that way toward Maka, but it was difficult not to in that moment.

Soul scanned his surroundings and saw Kid standing with Liz and Patty. The two boys stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity to Soul. Kid's golden eyes screamed with envy and melancholy, almost as if he was yelling at him to turn around, leave with him instead. There were tiny, almost invisible tears in Soul's eyes but he blinked them back and kept walking, though nearly every part of him wanted to stop, wanted to drop everything, grab Kid, and run.

The sight of the two walking looked as though it was in slow motion. Kid was laughing to himself ever so slightly, and he pinched the bridge of his nose. Liz shook him to his senses and everything went back to normal.

The group of four walked inside the front entrance and were greeted by the blaring music coming from the auditorium. They continued down the hall and with every step they took, everything seemed to get ten times louder. With every step forward Soul wanted to take ten steps back. He hated himself for not being able to stand up to her.

" Kid? Kid, are you okay?" Liz asked, manually turning him to face her. She sounded very concerned while he stood there in a daze.

" I'm fine."

He wasn't fine. Kid wanted to go home and forget he ever saw that. A single tear slid down his cheek and he hastily wiped it away.

" We should head inside."

...

Soul didn't grip Maka's hand back as they walked up the steps. He only let his fingers rest with hers, not wanting to give anyone the wrong idea. But then again... if he was trying for that, he should've just said no in the first place.

BlackStar blabbed to Tsubaki in front of them, and even though he loved his best friend, Soul couldn't help but want to duct tape his mouth shut at that moment. He was definitely in a mood, and it seemed like the only person who couldn't recognize that was Maka.

" You remember everything we talked about?" Maka asked, leaning in a little too close for comfort. Soul shied away, his gaze pointing in another direction.

" Yeah yeah. Be polite, stand up straight, no fun allowed." He mocked, even though that was literally what she had told him earlier. Well, except that last part. Maka's face sank into a frown and she raised a single brow at him, a look he'd become very familiar with over the years.

" Please fix your tie." She whisper shouted, noticing it was loose.

" My tie is fine. Worry about yourself." Soul grit his teeth. She was fuming at that and huffed.

BlackStar and Tsubaki walked into the auditorium first. Maka pulled Soul back and fixed his tie before they, too, entered. Maka plastered a smile on her face and dragged Soul along with her through the crowd. He put up with it but wished he could just ditch her. Okay. Maybe not ditch. Let her down easy? Not be a douchebag about it?

There were blue, green, and red lights flashing on the dance floor and trendy music played loudly from speakers atop the stage. This was not the type of place Soul could enjoy himself at. Nevertheless, Maka forced him out to the dance floor.

" C'mon! Let's dance!" She giggled.

" I don't want to." Soul grumbled, standing stiff as Maka danced around him. The only person he wanted to dance with, was nowhere to be seen. And even so... if given the option, he wouldn't have been there. He would've been showing Kid his record collection at home, probably letting the reaper organize it for him. He would've been watching an old horror movie and maybe cuddled up with his "boyfriend". But no. It was all because he didn't have the balls to tell Maka what he felt, or more specifically, what he didn't feel for her.

...

Kid didn't allow himself to breakdown upon entering the school. Liz and Patty followed him down the hall where the music was emanating from. He was already getting a headache from the noise and was wondering why he allowed himself to come. Something told him he was doing the right thing, but still! This was going to be hell for him. They stopped in the doorway of the auditorium.

" Kill me now." He sighed.

" Cheer up, Kid! Let's go dance! " Liz scooted him along.

" No! No! I'm good... over here... by myself!" He had to shout to be heard. Liz just shrugged and she and Patty shuffled to the dance floor. Kid cringed away from the bright flashing lights and walked over to a table in the corner. He took a seat and put his face on the table, trying to hold things together. He thought about how he would normally give a speech at other dances, how he and his weapons would've practiced dances to wow the other partners, but he just couldn't stomach it after everything.

Please. Let this just be a nightmare. I want to go home.

{ The dance: 2 hours in }

Kid had been sitting at that table in the corner ever since he walked in. His head was throbbing from the music and it was hotter than hell in there. People had begun to grind in the middle and all the heavy breathing had made the air thick, nearly slimy.

" Kid, are you feeling okay?" Liz asked, placing her hand on his shoulder. She and Patty had gotten tired of dancing and sat down with him a while ago.

Kid felt sick to his stomach. To whether the cause was anxiety or his growing sense of self loathing, he wasn't sure. But all he knew was that his mental state was deteriorating with every second he sat there.

...

A slow song played in the background and Maka insisted Soul dance with her. She wrapped her arms behind his neck and he rested his arms at his sides, not putting in effort. At least all the people grinding had left the dance floor. Something positive for once.

" I don't wanna dance." Soul said.

" Don't be a party pooper." She placed his hands at her own waist. Soul felt so uncomfortable and out of place. Maka turned her head to the right and over her shoulder, gesturing to Kid, who was now sitting by himself. Liz and Patty had gotten up and went to the punch table so it appeared as though he was alone.

" Don't be like him over there. People like that ruin the mood. Like get out if you don't want to be here! Haha!" Maka laughed, obviously shaming Kid on purpose. If it was a subconscious jab, or a planned one, was hard to tell. Soul still became defensive, though.

" Stop talking about him like that!" He snapped, and people around them looked in their direction in a startled way. Soul gazed past Maka and to Kid who smiled weakly at him. The weapon grit his teeth.

" Why are you getting so mad? It's Kid, why would you care?" Maka asked, snide.

" Because he's my boyfr- my friend. He's my... friend." Soul looked at Kid again, and in doing so, had a harder time restraining himself. " He's yours, too. You shouldn't act like that."

" Still. People like him don't belong at places like this." Maka said, and she scrunched her nose while speaking. " But people like us... we do. We're... close. We have a bond and something special together."

Soul stayed silent as the song was about to end. Next thing he knew, her face was getting closer. Too close. Maka was going in for the kiss and he wasn't having it. She had insulted his boyfriend, made him miserable the whole night, and now she wanted him to kiss her? Not happening. That little thing she'd said about them having chemistry or whatever might've been true, but not in the way she was thinking.

Soul pulled his face away and saw Kid darting out the door. He'd had enough.

" I can't do this anymore." He told her, aggressively undoing his tie and tossing it at her feet. His feet carried him away from her and out the door, after Kid.

...

Kid ran down the hall and out the front entrance. Hot tears cascaded down his face way faster than he could brush them away. Maka had kissed Soul! And he wasn't sticking around to witness any more of it. He started running before it could happen in front of him. He knew it would haunt him in his nightmares for a long time.

Kid nearly tripped on his way down the steps before sitting in his usual spot. He put his face in his knees and cried. He cried because of Maka. He cried because of Soul. He cried because of Liz and Patty convincing him to come. Hell, he cried about his father organizing the dance in the first place. He was just so stressed and couldn't handle all of his thoughts and feelings at one time, so they came pouring out of him.

" KID!" Soul shouted. The door slammed shut and Kid could hear his sprinting as Soul's feet hit the stone. " KID!" He looked out and onto the city before noticing Kid on the steps. It was an impulse as he rushed down there and wrapped his arms around the other.

" How?" Kid sniffled. " How could you let her kiss you?!" He was hysterical but Soul could still make out his words thankfully.

" I didn't! " Soul pulled him in tighter, despite Kid trying to pull away.

" I saw you! " His voice is muffled against the fabric of Soul's suit. The attitude didn't have a problem being heard over it, however. Kid was steamed, hurt, everything he could've been expected to be after seeing that.

" I pushed her away. I didn't let her do it." Soul insisted. Kid abruptly stopped, settling into his chest. His reaper mind picked up on Soul's wavelength as he remained there. Its hum and frequency was just spelling out to him that Soul was telling the truth, even if he couldn't prove it otherwise. " Okay?" Soul asked, rubbing Kid's back.

The reaper nodded and pulled back, sniffling and rubbing his eyes. They were red and damp, completely shot from having cried like that. It took him a second to catch his breath, but after he did, he looked over Soul.

" Wait... wait a second? Weren't you wearing a tie?" Kid asked, sniffling again. He wondered where it had gone. Funny that it was the first thing he noticed.

" I don't need her bullshit tie. It was choking me to death anyways." Soul said before casually undoing the top button on his dress shirt. Kid hugged him tightly and leaned by his neck as the white haired boy had tears sliding down his cheeks involuntarily. It hurt him that he'd put Kid through all this.

" Please, Kid. Pull yourself together." Soul pried him away and looked into the reaper's eyes, which were still filled with emotions. If Kid cried again, Soul would've lost it, too.

" Hypocritical much?" Kid laughed quietly. Soul flashed a sharp-toothed grin and wiped away the other's still damp cheeks. " Can we get out of here?" Kid asked.

" No." Soul said, serious. " We need to finish this." He stood up and offered Kid a hand. He gladly took it, but was very confused. What was he up to?

{ N/A: Can y'all tell this is my old writing? I edited it and everything but it's still from three years ago sooo just wondering lol. Don't forget to vote and comment! <3 }