A/N: A birthday fic for my beautiful friend Eis (eisschirmchen on tumblr) because we've talked about this scenario before and I wanted to write it for her birthday! I hope y'all enjoy this as well.

Disney World.

That was where Soul and Maka had decided to spend their vacation after a rough year of fighting kishins, attending witches council meetings, going to required Deathscythe parties and conventions, supervising NOT students, and demonstrating for different classes. It wasn't their first choice for a destination when they were discussing the various places they could go to for their break. In actuality, it had all been because Patti suggested the vacation spot to them while they were have lunch with their friends. Considering neither Maka nor Soul had ever visited the well known location, they both agreed that that was where they were going to spend their week long break from work and responsibilities.

The months she spent planning the excursion with their travel agent helped to build her anticipation for the trip itself as they went through various levels of preparing. The woman Maka had hired told her everything she needed to know for a first timer: where the best places to eat were, the rides that were a must for anyone going to Disney World, and the different events that each park held. Since they were going a week before the end of the year, there were so many things to do and see, and as their departure grew closer, Maka found herself staying up just so she could watch different Disney movies. Maybe she was being a little ridiculous, but she didn't care.

For the first time ever she was going to Disney World, and she couldn't be more excited about it! With her father being a popular deathscythe when she was growing up, vacations were hard to come by and when they occurred, it was seldom a place that was more than two states over from Nevada. Then when her parents divorced, having any time to relax was hard to come by that trips had become obsolete. The younger side of herself that still dwelled within her was craving the time off more than anything especially when it dealt with a place she had never been to. She had only ever seen Disney World on television and read about it on various blogs; she never did have the chance to really experience it.

However, Maka soon came to realize that between her and Soul, she was the only one really excited.

They were sitting on the bus that took them from the hotel to one of the parks of their choosing when she noticed it. While she was bouncing in her seat and buzzing with excitement, Soul was sitting next to her with a scowl on his face and showing not a single ounce of emotion. On any other day she would have been used to his behavior since Soul almost always remained stoic and hard to read, but this was different! They were on their way to Disney World for the first time ever, and anybody in their right mind would have been excited about that!

She lightly nudged him with her shoulder to get his attention, and smiled when he turned to look at her. "Hold back on the excitement. I don't want you to hurt yourself."

"Cool it with the sarcasm," he huffed out.

"Are you not excited to be going to Disney World?" she asked, cutting straight to the point.

He let out a small sigh and looked up at the ceiling above them. "I am, but don't you think we're a little too old to be going here? We're both in our twenties, and I don't think it's cool to get excited about seeing a guy in a costume when you're that age. Seems sorta pathetic if you ask me."

"I didn't," she mumbled under breath. "But the whole point of this place is to bring out the kid in you. No one's going to judge you because you smile when you see your favorite Disney character that you absolutely adore even if you are considered an adult. It's part of the fun!"

Soul scratched the back of his neck, a nervous habit he had been doing for years. It told her all she needed to know: he wasn't at all confident about this trip which worried her somewhat. "I don't know. I think this was a bad idea."

Their bus stopped, and Maka looked out the window to see that they were finally at Magic Kingdom, the largest park out of all four. Turning back to her weapon, she offered him her hand and smiled. "We're going to have fun. You'll see."

However, no matter how hard she tried, Soul's scowl never left his face. They went to smell the sweets in the sweet shop, looked through the various stores that were at the front of the park for gifts for their friends and his brother (who had insisted on them getting him a Stitch plush), took selfies in front of Cinderella's castle, but nothing lifted his spirits. She wasn't sure if he was determined to be a pissy little prince the entire trip or not, but it annoyed her to no end that he remained stoic and shrugged at everything they did. If this was how he was going to act the rest of the week, it was going to be utter hell, but she wasn't going to allow it to ruin her own fun.

If there was one thing Maka was determined to do, it was to have a grand old time at the happiest place on earth! And when Maka Albarn was determined to do something, she put her whole heart and soul into it, not letting anything - or anyone - stand in her way.

Which was why she dragged her weapon to the Fairy Tale Hall where four of the Disney princesses resided for the sole fact that she wanted to meet one in particular. Their travel agent had told her that if there was one thing they did, it had to be meeting the various Disney characters that were scattered around the park so that was what Maka wanted to do. She hadn't bought an autograph book because she found the idea of getting a character's signature silly especially for someone her age. Instead, she settled on taking her camera and getting pictures with them so her and Soul always had the opportunity to look back on their endeavor and remember the fun (or dull in his case) times they had.

"Oh, is this your prince?" Rapunzel asked upon seeing the pair walk up to her.

Maka's heart jumped in her chest at the princesses words, and she quickly looked between them to see that they were still holding hands, a sure sign that they were a couple. She didn't waste anytime in releasing his hand and folding her own behind her back as she felt warmth crawl up her neck and cover her entire face.

Having another person assume she was dating her best friend was embarrassing and occurred more often than she would have liked to admit to. Of course she had feelings for the man, but she wasn't ready to admit to them yet. There were other matters at hand that needed to be sorted out (like his feelings for her), and having a princess question their relationship was not how she wanted things to unravel between them.

In her haste to look away from him, she missed the sullen look the red eyed weapon gave her.

"No, we're just friends," she mumbled under her breath. "Best friends."

"Oh, darn," Rapunzel snapped. "Cute girl like you deserves a prince, or a princess! Which ever! Would you like me to help? I can get my frying pan, and you and I can go out looking for one in the park. Give him or her a good whack, tie them up to a chair at your place, and they're all yours! That's how I met my husband!"

The other woman raised her hands to pretend like she was holding a frying pan, and made a clicking noise as she moved her fist down, hitting an imaginary person. Maka thought the woman was adorable with her little movements, and was touched by the simple fact that she wanted to help her look for her own prince. The travel agent wasn't kidding when she said the experience of Disney World relied on their interactions with the characters themselves; they truly made the experience even more magical.

In all honesty, Rapunzel was the one she was really excited to see because the movie Tangled was her favorite, and the actress portraying the character was so spot on it was ridiculous.

"I don't think that's how you get a guy," Soul said as he balked a little at Rapunzel's words.

Maka rolled her eyes at him. "If you had stayed awake during the movie you would know that it's from there. She isn't actually going to go out and hit a person with a frying pan for me."

Rapunzel solemnly shook her head as she sighed and played with her hair. "No, Eugene told me I'm not allowed to do that anymore. He said something about it being unethical, and that I should only use frying pans when someone is trying to attack me. Although, Pascal is always one to encourage me to do so anyways."

"Soul, go and attack her!" Maka playfully pushed him toward the princess which earned her a menacing glare from her weapon.

"Are you trying to get me hurt?!"

"Yep!"

"Aw! Don't worry, little duckling! I won't hurt you! You seem like a very nice prince!" Rapunzel said as she reached out to ruffle Soul's hair. "I get the feeling you and Eugene would get along very nicely. Now, come here you two, and let's take a picture together!"

The meister locked arms with her weapon and closed the space between them and the princess. She pushed him to one side of the woman while she stood on the other, and they smiled for the camera as the photographer readied the bulky equipment - well, in Soul's case he gave his trademark smirk. When they were finished (taking a second funny photo under Rapunzel's insistence), they exited the building, their hands instinctively reaching out for the other to interlock their fingers once again.

"You sure did play along in there. You do know it's just a person in a costume, right?" Soul asked her.

"Of course I do! But it's part of the fun to play along and pretend they're the actual character!" Glancing toward him, she noted his still gloomy and not at all Disney-approved look as his lips were tugged down in a frown. "Come on, Soul! Lighten up! We're at the happiest place on earth! You can't be Mr. Grumpy Pants our entire trip! Aren't you having at least a little fun?"

He side eyed her and rolled his eyes at her enthusiasm while Maka pouted. She was not going to allow him to ruin her trip with his grumpy attitude!

Grabbing his hand, she dragged him to the nearest store that sold the infamous Mickey ears that she had read so much about. She had seen them on a list of things that was practically required for any first timer at the Disney parks to buy, and deep down she hoped Soul would cooperate and wear them for her. Maka was aware they weren't something "cool guys" wore, but when one was at Disney World, being cool didn't really matter. It was meant to be part of the fun and magic that came with entering the parks. Hopefully it was also something that helped spark the same magic that was glittering around her own heart into her partner.

She searched through the wall of ears and picked out an ear hat that looked like a beanie with two black ears sticking out on top and a patch with Mickey Mouse's face plaster on front for Soul. For herself, she picked out a sequined headband that had the same ears on top but there was a red bow between them. When she showed them to Soul, he aggressively shook his head, refusing to wear the ones she had picked out for him.

"There's no way in hell I'm wearing those, Maka!" he practically yelled.

Maka puffed out her cheeks and stomped her foot, using her meister voice when she spoke to him. "Soul! It's part of the fun! Are you purposefully trying to make this trip awful for us?"

He let out a small growl, but there was something in his posture that fell in defeat. She caught a small glimmer of regret flash in his eyes, and a small part of her felt like it was because of her. Was he starting to have second thoughts about coming to Disney World with her? Her heart pained at the thought, and she bit down on her bottom lip as she dropped the hand that held his hat to her side. Maybe it was better if she allowed him to sulk on their trip; no good ever came from forcing the poor man to do something. She knew that better than anyone.

"It's okay," she muttered. "I won't force you to do something you don't want to."

She turned to put the hat back, but felt his warm hand wrap around her wrist. Turning around, her deep green eyes met warm crimson, and she felt her heart melt at the sight. The regret was gone from his gaze and guilt along with something else was in its place. Maka couldn't exactly pinpoint why her heart was beating faster, but her gut feeling told her it was because of whatever she wasn't able to read in his eyes.

Soul licked his lips, and she noticed his Adam's apple bob up and down as he swallowed. "No, don't. I'll wear them." His smile was small, but she still felt the sincerness behind it.

Returning his smile as she turned around, Maka handed him the hat which he thankfully took without snatching. "Thank you."

In typical Soul fashion, he smirked and let out a small puff of air as he grabbed her hand to drag her toward the cashier. After Maka paid for their purchase, they left the store and placed the ears on top of their heads before spending the rest of their day in the park. They did everything that was on her list with no more interruptions or grumbles; they rode allege rides she was desperate to get on, ate the restaurant they had made reservations for, and saw more of the Disney characters. The most surprising thing for Maka was how Soul's scowl slowly turned into a small grin as the day went on.

She first noticed it when they were spinning around in the teacups, and Soul was helping her to spin it as fast as they could. The smile on his face was one of his genuine ones that he only reserved for her when they were alone in the apartment. His laughter rang out like bells as the world blurred behind him, and her heart gave a gentle tug at the sight. When they exited the teacups, there was glow in his eyes as he stared down at her and recalled how much fun he had just had. Slowly but surely Soul was warming up to the park, and Maka couldn't be happier.

They held hands as they walked around the park, sat close to each other on rides when it was possible, and took all kinds of selfies in various places. She was even able to convince him to buy a Mickey Mouse plush while she bought a Minnie Mouse one and carry out around with him, which was surprising in itself. The magic of Disney was gripping around Soul's heart, and Maka was in pure heaven the more he smiled and laughed. For a trip that had started out with a rocky start, it was progressing into one of the best times they had ever spent together.

She only hoped the magic would remain within him for the remainder of their visit. If things went sour again, she didn't know what she would do.

Later that night, they positioned themselves down Main Street as they awaited the fantastic fireworks show she had read about. Since it was the end of December, the Florida weather had become colder compared to earlier, and Maka snuggled up to Soul's warm body, wrapping her arms around his waist as she pressed herself onto his chest. With his arms hugging her closer to his body and his nice leather jacket providing adequate warmth for her, she was completely content. Pressing her head on his chest, she listened to the steady beating of his heart and felt him rose and and fall with each gentle breath he took in. It was the picture perfect way to the end the day, and she found herself imagining the day like it were a fairy tale.

It had been years since she thought of the fables her Papa used to read to her, and had long since believed she was beyond believing in them. However, there was something about being in Disney World that made her heart flutter and her mind imagine the ending she had always wished for them. The entire thought was ridiculous, but Rapunzel's words from earlier continued to buzz through her mind. Deep down she believed she had found her prince - of course, they had each saved each other and themselves from the dragons and evil in their lives, but that didn't make it any less real. Their fairy tale wasn't like the ones from a Disney movie; it was something they had created on their own because they had chosen to be partners so many years ago.

The edges of her mouth started to tug as she thought of everything they had been through. She was definitely not the typical princess, Soul was not the typical prince, and they were each other's savior as well as their own. Their story wasn't made up of pixie dust and wishes on stars. It was formed by their continued want to be with each other. Her heart warmed at the idea, and her body started to buzz with happiness.

Maka didn't know she had closed her eyes until she felt Soul lightly nudging her with his shoulder. Music that hadn't been there before sang into her ears as she realized she must have silenced the world around her as she faded into her own thoughts, and she turned her head slightly on Soul's chest to look up at him.

"Hm?"

"It's about to start. Thought you'd like to see the fireworks."

Sure enough, the voice over was announcing the spectacular nighttime display that was about to unfold, and Maka quickly turned her attention to the castle sitting in front of them. The fireworks started bursting slowly from either side of the castle in time with the calming music followed by Jiminy Cricket talking about wishes and the different Disney characters exclaiming their own wishes to the crowd around her. That was when the fireworks started to illuminate the night sky, creating a dazzling display behind Cinderella's castle.

It was a magical experience to behold, and her heart was close to exploding itself. She had never seen something so beautiful as the display before her; the fireworks that Shibusen let off didn't compare to what she was seeing. There was something about it that was unique in of itself even though they were just gunpowder mixed with other combustible chemicals. She had to hand it Disney, when they did something they definitely went all out.

The fireworks crackled into the sky in time to the music that played out of the speakers; when The Sorcerer's Apprentice played, the sky shone with red as if they were the broomsticks themselves from the movie. When the villains came into the picture, they went off like magic spells being spewed out into the air.

It was no wonder why people adored the theme parks so much. Everything about the place made her feel like all her dreams and wishes could come true, even the ones she thought were impossible. Maka closed her eyes, and for the first time in a long time, she allowed herself to make a childish wish, one that only ever happened in fairy tales and places that didn't exist. Her heart yearned for one thing and one thing only.

She wished for the courage to tell Soul how she truly felt for him.

"You - it's beautiful," she heard Soul whisper.

Opening her eyes, she didn't want to believe that her ears had heard him stumble on his words and the fact that he almost called her beautiful. The only reason she had heard was because it was the words her heart wanted to hear.

Maka nodded against his chest and snuggled up closer to him to watch the rest of the fireworks display. By the end of the week, she promised herself she was going to come clean to the man in her arms about her feelings for him. She was going to tell him her heart beat faster when he was near, how much she yearned to kiss him, how she didn't care if it ruined their partnership because it was something he deserved to know. Deep down she wanted to believe he felt the same way, but she always knew she wasn't Soul's type; deep down she wanted him to return her love, but she always knew it was ridiculous pipe dream. Her and Soul were to remain best friends for the rest of their lives, that much she knew.

She never did notice the adoring eyes as they watched her from above.

Soul smiled down at her as she turned her attention back to the firework display. The shine from each burst lit up her face, and her smile grew as each one crackled into the sky. His heart started to beat wildly in his chest as he continued to watch her, and his own smile as hers did. Once again he had chickened out on telling her how he felt about her, but there was something magical in the air at Disney World that made his confidence grow. A part of him believed that by the end of his stay he would come clean with his beloved meister and tell her the secret he had held in his heart for years.

He loved her, there was never any doubt in his mind about it, and as they spent more time at Disney World, his love for her was growing. There were times when he thought it wasn't possible for him to adore her more, but he was wrong. Maka was special in a way that no Disney princess would ever be able to compare to, and their story was nothing like the fairy tales she had grown up watching. Theirs was their own. She had chosen him at a time when thought no one else would, saved him from the madness when he couldn't save himself, he had saved her when she didn't find the strength, and they were always equals to each other.

A few years had passed since he wanted to come clean about his feelings for his meister, but something always held him back. It was the same thing that had always held him back from reaching his own desires: fear. However, now as he stood beside her, holding her close to his chest, his fear was dissipating and bravery was taking its place. He swore to himself at that moment that no matter what happened, he was going to tell Maka how much he loved her and wanted to be with her. No matter what, he was going to find the courage she had always shown him and use it for himself.

Hell, they were at the happiest place on earth where all dreams came true.

Anything was possible.