The Gunfire of Empty Bullets
By SingerOfTheNight
She cursed her nerves.
Her sweaty palms slid down the length of her skirt as her eyes darted across the crowded area. Her heart wrenched when she saw a tall man in uniform pick up a woman not too much older than herself and spin her around elatedly. The man set the woman back down and her heels clicked when they connected with the concrete floor, her dress swishing about her and becoming trapped between the two. The man grinned and bent down to capture the woman's lips.
Maka turned away.
She felt the beginnings of tears in her eyes at the sudden, frightening realization that he was not here. She tore her eyes through the throng of tanned army uniforms and smiling, tear streaked faces in a desperate search for a glimpse of white or a flash of red.
She saw none.
Her breathing quickened as she thought about his letters. He told her he would be back today- promised her he'd be at this train station with all the other soldiers. He had promised her in his last letter to her that he would see her on this day. But the last time he had written to her was well over two months ago and only God knew what might have happened to him since then.
He's alive, she told herself diligently, he's alive and he's just late because he had trouble with his luggage. He's alive and he has luggage trouble.
She shook her head, blonde hair falling in wisps around her shoulders. What was she going to do? What was she going to do if he didn't show up today? What was she going to do if another soldier came up to her with a somber look on his face and sheet of paper in his hand that told her that he would not be coming home today, or any other day for that matter?
She closed her eyes as a wave of nausea ripped through her and sweet memories filled the darkness beneath her eyelids.
A calloused hand waved in front of her face, shaking her from her thoughts. She set the pen she was using back in its holder and looked up to meet red, amused eyes.
"I need to check in for another week." The man in front of her said, chuckling lightly.
She couldn't help the smile that tugged at her lips. "Business not going as fast as you'd hope, Mr. Evans?" She teased.
He sighed. "How many times do I have to tell you to call me Soul, Ms. Albarn?" He laughed when she scrunched her nose at the formality. "Exactly. And, to answer your question, no it's not coming along like I thought it would but that's okay. I get to stay in this hotel for another week and gawk at the pretty receptionist."
She tried not to, but she couldn't help the blush that spread across her pale cheeks. "Do you? Are you sure you're not just excited because that means you don't have to drive that beaten up pickup truck all the way back to Nevada?" She smirked when he sighed heavily. The first time he'd pulled up to the hotel, which had also been the first time she'd seen him, she thought that he was just coming in to see if there was a tow truck anywhere nearby. The old Chevy might have been a nice ride in its youth, but now it just looked like someone had left it to rot in the driveway for a good ten years before deciding to run it through a dumpster and polish it with rust. Soul worked on the pipeline like most of the men who stayed at the hotel she worked at, so naturally he couldn't afford something better.
"That's a perk too." His eyes caught hers. "I'll tell you what. I'll go out and buy a brand spankin' new Cadillac car and I'll pick you up tonight at eight and we'll catch the picture show at Bismarck. Sound good to you?" He leaned over the wooden counter, mischief twinkling in his eyes.
She laughed. "Sure! And I'll wear my new dress I bought at the department store last week!" She waved his proposition away like it was as impossible as Bigfoot coming in to check into the hotel.
He straightened immediately, making her jump in surprise. "Eight it is then." He slapped a hand on the counter before turning around on the old wooden floor and running towards the door. "Don't forget about that dress!" He called as he opened the entrance door.
She gasped as the harsh North Dakota wind blew into the lobby. "Soul, wait!" She shouted after him, but he'd already disappeared out of her sight. "You didn't even check in." She whispered to herself before smiling and shaking her head.
She absently thought of the rich green swing dress Liz had convinced her to buy last weekend. It had cost her a whole week's pay check and she still felt slightly guilty in wasting the money on something as trivial as a dress when she could just pick up a pattern and sew one herself but it was a beautiful piece of clothing. Far finer than anything she could have pieced together with her own two hands. And she'd be lying if she said that she hadn't thought about whether or not Soul would have liked her in it. He had told her once that she looked nice in green. That it brought out her eyes.
She blushed at the thought.
And to her utter bewilderment and surprise, at eight o'clock sharp that night Soul had pulled up to the front of the hotel in a shiny new, light blue Cadillac with the passenger door opened for her and a look on his face that said, What about the dress?
She was jarred out of her thoughts by a woman accidently running into her. She was jostled a bit and stepped back in order to steady herself only to be knocked into something cold and slightly sharp. She let out a breath of surprise before turning around and realizing that she'd hit a light pole. She looked down and noticed in despair that one of the rusted bolts on the pole had ripped a small portion of her green dress, and she ran her hands over it in heavy dismay.
She could sew it back together but it would it would be a noticeable blemish- it would never be as perfect looking as it was that night.
She watched the evergreen trees through the crystal clear window as they flashed past her. "I still don't understand how you obtained this." She said, running her fingers over smooth seats. She'd not been in too many cars before this, maybe five or six, and she definitely hadn't been inside any that had its own electric heater built in.
He shrugged. "I bought it. What else do you want me to say?"
She had never seen him without his work clothes on. For the past month he had always woken up early in a clean long sleeve button up and a pair of faded blue jeans only to come in late at night with his clothes smattered with dirt and boots covered in mud.
Today, he was wearing a nice black suit with a matching black tie and dress shoes. Her heart sped up a little as he glanced at her and she knew he caught her staring by the smug grin on his face. He cleared his throat. "That dress is nice." He said, eyes flickering to her again.
She looked away. "Thank you."
He pulled into small parking lot outside the theatre and once he had found a decent spot, he turned towards her in his seat. "Stay put." He commanded and braced himself before opening the door and taking in the bitter cold. Maka pulled her overcoat closer to her body. She watched him run to the other side of the car and open her door for her, holding his hand out in order to take hers. She slipped her hand into his as he helped her out and he shut the door for her, sticking his arm out for her to grab onto.
She looked at the car and then back at him, quizzically. "Aren't you going to shut it off?" She asked him carefully, wondering if he forgot.
He shook his head, white locks moving in the chilled air. "Nope. It's gonna be nice and toasty for you when you get back. I don't see how you've stood this cold for twenty two years." He shivered but she wasn't sure if it was from the winter or from the thought of living here your entire life.
"But Soul…" It wasn't like there were many thieves around this part of the city, but that was a brand new Cadillac and not many people owned cars around here. It's like he was saying, 'I don't care if I may lose the car, I just don't want you to be cold'.
He grinned at her like he knew what she was thinking. "Relax. It'll be fine. Let's go watch the show before it ends already."
She hesitated, but glanced back at the car one last time, before grabbing ahold of his elbow and letting him lead her inside.
To her relief, the car was still there the show ended and she could honestly say that she wasn't cold at all once she slid into the passenger seat, though she couldn't say for sure if that was because of the heat radiating from the car or because he had held her hand all the way back to the hotel.
By this point, she was starting to panic. It blossomed in her chest then spread like a wildfire throughout the rest of her body, setting her limbs ablaze and burning her heart to an aching flame. She searched the crowd wildly, lip quivering in distress and eyes as wide as the sun that loomed over her, seeming to laugh at her desolation.
"Soul!" She called out but her only response was a few questionable stares and the distant sound of a train horn. "Soul!" She called out again, before her knees buckled and she fell to the ground in a heap of wretchedness.
He was not here.
He did not come today.
He hadn't responded to her letters.
And she was alone.
A silent sob bubbled in her throat and she placed a hand over her mouth to stifle it. A few people looked on in knowing pity and others simply watched her with curiosity. Many more gawked at her in open disapproval at her unladylike behavior.
"Maka!" A voice tore through the loud chattering of the crowd.
She snapped her head up towards the sound and felt her heart synch.
It couldn't be.
She scrambled to her feet, paying no attention to how awkward she looked and not minding proper etiquette. Her heels clicked against the concrete as she walked quickly through the crowd, pushing past anyone that stood in her way. "Soul!"
Someone blocked her off and she angrily shoved them aside, taking no heed at the offended rebuttal the person shouted at her.
"Maka!" She heard again and her heart leapt to her throat. That's his voice. That's him. That's him. That's him.
She tore through the crowd more urgently now, desperate to see the truth for herself. Desperate to discover if her mind was playing tricks on her. Desperate to know whether or not she was going mad.
She ripped through an opening in the crowd and stood in the place his voice had originally come from. She spun around, dress twirling around her, trying to catch a glimpse of the man she loved. There was no white or red that caught her eye, just the seemingly endless masses that surrounded her. "Soul?" She called, a little weakly, but there was no reply. Her legs began to shake again and she felt hot tears prick at her eyes.
Suddenly, someone grabbed her from behind by her waist and spun her around. She was crushed against something hard and she could barely breathe by the way her nose dug into a light brown shirt. But she could smell him. Smell that musky pine smell that reminded her of the forests outside the farmhouse she used to live on as a child. She could feel his chest beneath her fingers and it was so familiar to her that she let out a sob in utter relief. She heard his heart through his uniform-beating fast and strong- and it was confirmed that she wasn't crazy. He was alive and he was holding her and the world didn't seem so bad after all.
"Maka, Maka, Maka…" He repeated, burying his head in her hair and panting. "I saw the dress- I heard your voice…I heard your voice…I thought you didn't come…"
She fisted her hands in his shirt, turning her head so that she could speak, but even that was hard because she couldn't stop crying. "I-I-Of course I would come, you idiot!" She said into his chest and she felt him shudder with a laugh of relief. "Y-You didn't write me back!" She sniffled, anger bubbling inside her. "Why didn't you write me back? I-I w-was worrying for months! I couldn't sleep, I-I couldn't eat-!"
He pressed her tighter against him. "I know! I'm sorry but things got…rough."
She couldn't stop the tears from sliding down her face. They poured down cheeks like they were trying to pave a river there and she huffed stubbornly. "I'm glad you're here." She said, pulling back a little and looking up at him, seeing his face for the first time in a year.
He was clean shaven like she always remembered him to be but his hair was a bit less spikey. The military haircut that had been given to him when he had first been drafted was long gone, as if his hair refused to be tamed.
His appearance was pristine and tidy but the look in his eyes was a little more rugged and she knew that there were horrors in his memories that he would never be able to tell her.
"You don't know how happy I am to be here." He removed his hand from her back and placed it on her cheek, bending down and brushing his lips against hers before enveloping them completely and taking her back in his arms.
After a few minutes and a few shocked glances, they broke the kiss and he leaned his forehead against hers, looking at her like she was a painting in God's personal gallery.
They took a cab back to her apartment and she was reminded of their first date and the harsh winter chill of the night. It had gotten colder since he left and it wasn't until now that her bones were starting to thaw.
The cab was filled with her voice as she told him of the happenings around and the town and he had chuckled when she'd gotten too animated during a particular retelling. She would ask him gently about his last few months overseas but he would brush off her questions and squeeze her hand while asking her about how someone was doing or about the latest picture show that came out.
Maka wasn't a dense woman. She knew that Soul would prefer not to talk about what had happened during the last few months and she couldn't help the small stab of worry that gnawed at her stomach. Nevertheless, she gave in to his wishes and squeezed his hand back, taking in the warmth of his skin.
She played with his fingers until they reached her apartment and after Soul paid the fare, they walked up the three flights of stairs it took to get to her room before he was able to set his suitcase down. She shut the door behind him and as soon as she turned around, his hands were at her waist.
He smashed his lips to hers and she returned the kiss fervently, being just as desperate as he was for his love. One hand smacked the boat-shaped hat off of his head before she worked at the buttons that lined the shirt of his uniform. He groaned when her teeth raked across his bottom lip before biting down gently. He responded by angling his head to capture her lips better and snaked his tongue out to ask permission to enter her mouth.
She obliged him.
While his tongue prodded and explored her mouth, his hands trailed over her body, touching lightly at her breasts before making their way back to her waist and up the length of her back. He found the zipper at the top of the dress and brought it down smoothly in one long stroke to where the only thing that was keeping it on her was her raised arms at his chest.
She undid the last button and pushed it from his shoulders and he shrugged the rest of it off, his lips not once leaving hers. She let her fingernails glide down the surface of his chest and he shivered with delight before taking her hands and angling them downward, allowing the dress to slip off her body.
He pressed her up against the door roughly, removing his lips from hers and planting them on her neck and she moaned when he sucked on a sweet spot of hers. He knew that drove her crazy. She pressed her body against his and felt his erection press against her, prompting a moan from him that sent her reeling.
She pulled at his belt and hurriedly undid it as he did the same for her under garments. She broke his lips from her body to pull both his pants and underwear off of him in one urgent motion. He stepped out of them and returned to his ministrations while his hands gripped her exposed breasts. He looped an arm around her waist and picked her up easily, carrying her to her room and throwing her on the bed. He loomed over her for a second, eyes taking in her naked form before he swooped down and swirled his tongue around one pink nipple, liking the way it hardened against his lips and she let out a gasp.
His breath hitched when he felt her tiny hand grip his erection and start to slowly pump. She moved her body from beneath him and lifted her head to bite at his neck and he grunted effectively. He had all but stopped moving from above and she chanced a glance up to see him staring at her intently, lust tracing his features. She fumbled with her hand and he took the chance to pull away and slide a finger across her entrance making her throw her head back and hit the pillow behind her.
He growled in want and she looked back up at him. He had moved his body to position his length at her entrance and she shuddered in anticipation at what was to come next. His red eyes caught her green ones and he gave her a look that practically begged her, 'Please'.
She smiled delightfully and nodded immediately, her screams lost in the night.
She was awoken by Soul shooting straight up in bed beside her.
"Three! Two! One!" He shouted, hands on his ears and head in between his knees, the white sheets twisting around him. "Three! Two! One! Three! Two! One!"
She immediately lifted up from her resting place and placed her hands on his bare back. "Soul!" She shook him.
He pushed her off with a strength he had never used on her before. Sure, he was rough in the bedroom but he would never, ever hurt her intentionally.
"Three! Two! One!" He repeated, again and again and again.
"Soul Evans!" She shouted at him, but to no avail. It was like he was in his own world, beyond the reach of her help. She jumped off the bed and ran into the bathroom, grabbing a cup sitting on the sink and filling it with water before running back into the room and pouring it over his head.
He gasped and stopped shouting out his countdown. His eyes shot opened and raked across the room wildly. "Maka?!" He yelled before he found her in the darkness. His shoulders visibly relaxed.
She took a cautious step towards him. "Soul?" She asked timidly.
He was still panting, but his eyes never left her. "What did I do?" He questioned quickly. "Did I hurt you?" His hand reached out toward her hesitantly, as if he was afraid she'd run away.
She shook her head and grabbed his hand. "No, you didn't hurt me. You were just counting down from three over and over again. Are you alright?" She covered his hand with both of hers and sat down beside him on the bed, neither taking notice of her nakedness in the moonlight.
He was still shaking, but he nodded his head quickly. "Yeah, I'm fine. Don't ever touch me when I do that." He warned. "I could seriously hurt you. Don't ever do that."
She squeezed his hand. "Soul…"
He looked at her, a silent pleading in his eyes. "Maka."
She wasn't going to give up this time. Not after what she had just witnessed. "Soul, tell me what happened." She gently pried.
He broke their gaze and shook his head. "I can't."
She placed a hand on his cheek. "What station were you in the army?" She asked, figuring that if she asked specific questions, it would be easier for him.
It was quiet for a long time but she didn't push him. She waited patiently, hand gripping his tightly. "Staff Sergeant."
"What did you do for the army?"
Another long pause, only this time there was more tension in the air.
"I blew up bridges." He said, finally, once the tremors in his body stopped.
That explains the countdowns.
He took in a deep breath. "I can't talk about it, Maka. I don't want you to know. I don't want you to know what I've done. I don't want you to know the things that I know. I don't want to taint you with them. I don't…I don't want you to look at me like I'm a monster." He practically spat the last words out of his mouth.
Her heart ached inside her chest. "Soul, look at me." When his head didn't move she tried again, this time a little more forceful. "Look at me, Soul."
He hesitated for a long, drawn out moment before raising his head to meet her eyes.
She took in a breath. "Don't you ever think you're a monster, Soul, because you're not. You're not. You're a good person. You're a good person who was forced into a situation you didn't want to be in in the first place. You were drafted, Soul. It doesn't matter whether or not I know what happened over there while you were fighting and blowing up bridges or whatever, because no matter what, you are perfect to me. You have always been perfect to me since the first time you stepped into that hotel two years ago. You're smart, you're funny, and you're worth all the wars in the world. You are the love of my life and my soul mate and when you stopped writing to me, I had to force myself to go on-to believe that you were okay and that you would be back in my arms one day. I love you. I love you, Soul Evans. Do you hear me? I love you so much it hurts." She reached up to wipe a tear she didn't know had developed in her eye, but his hand beat her to it and she watched his eyes. He was entranced by her.
"I love you, I love you, I love you-!"
He cut her off by crushing his lips against her mouth. He pulled back suddenly and she opened her eyes to see his. She was slightly startled by the intensity of his expression. It was serious, determined, and he had seemed to make up his mind about something.
"Marry me, Maka."
She sat there for a few seconds before she blinked. "What?" She gaped.
He took her hands in his. "You heard me. I know your father was a cheating bastard and I know your mother left you, but I would never do either of those things, Maka. I will never, ever, hurt you. Please, marry me. I love you, too. So much." He brought her hands up to his lips. "So, so much."
She swallowed, heart racing. "On one condition." She said, after a few seconds of her head spinning. Why had she never thought about this?
He looked up and held her gaze. "Anything."
She squeezed his rough hands back. "You take me for a ride in your Cadillac."
He blinked at her, dumbfounded, before realization dawned on him and a smile parted his lips. "As long as you wear that green dress."
She grinned at him. "Then by all means, just call me Mrs. Evans."
He laughed softly but genuinely and pressed his lips against hers. "Mrs. Evans, Mrs. Evans, Mrs. Evans…" He murmured against her lips.
And in that moment, the war had never happened.
A/N: Hello, all. I hope you enjoyed this one shot. This was based on true stories my grandmother told me about her relationship with my now deceased grandfather but I added a huge spin (my grandmother obviously didn't talk to me about her sex life LOL).
Since this is the first time I've anything that resembles a lime or a lemon, feedback would be much appreciated.
Much love to you all and please review,
~Sin