A/N Hello all!
So, this is basically an extended scene from another story of mine. But you DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT need background in the other story to understand the plot here. This first chapter will be plenty. However, the next chapter will contain a lemon that the other story will not have.
So a warning. For those who are discomforted by it, I will warn you now that mature and sexual content will be in the next chapter. For some who do not like these type of scenes, you can simply take this first chapter for what it is and not go on when it is updated.
And to my fantastic readers from DSL who maybe reading this and may have wondered how a certain event happened...yeah, I admit it. I've thought about it too. I've thought about it a lot...so much that it tormented my brain enough and distracted me from my story to make this happen. So please consider this my gift to you for being such great readers and fellow CroMa lovers(: (And for possibly being a little disappointed that such a scene didn't follow in DSL. Again, I'll admit, I would be.)
Disclaimer: I do not own Soul Eater, credit goes to Atsushi Okubo
Enjoy!
The grinning moon hung in the star littered sky as the inhabitants below enjoyed the night lights of nature and Death City in the evening. Families crowded restaurants and the young flocked to nearby clubs and other hot spots for get togethers, eager to enjoy the eventful night. It seemed that the only young teenagers who evaded the common rituals in celebrating the dawn of the weekend were the two female Shibusen students walking out of the grocery store, their hands carrying large sacks of food as they exited.
"You didn't have to come with me, Maka." Tsubaki smiled, her tone sounding like a mother scorning her child in the softest of ways. "I could have bought more food. You deserve to stay at the apartment and enjoy your night."
Maka simply smiled back in return. "After all the trouble you went through to decorate our apartment, the least I can do is help you with the groceries, Tsubaki. I still can't believe you went through all this trouble for Soul and I."
Tsubaki's smile shifted into a warm one, gently spreading across her face. "Well, you guys do deserve the best. After all, it's not every day a meister succeeds in turning their weapon into a Death Scythe."
Maka smiled in both appreciation of Tsubaki's compliment and heart-filling pride. The news of Soul consuming the soul of a witch terrorizing Germany spread almost as fast as an infectious plague or some juicy piece of celebrity gossip. By the time they had flown back to the United States, the word had spread throughout the entire world, celebrating the birth of another rare Demon Weapon from a talented meister. Upon their arrival to Death City, it seemed the entire populace clapped to the dynamic partner combo, congratulating them for their success. Tsubaki even went as far as to decorate her apartment with celebratory party balloons and streamers hanging from their kitchen light that spread throughout the ceiling like an intricate web; she and other friends shouting the chant of "surprise" as they turned on the lights. It was a pleasant surprise, but it confused her to how they gained entry into the apartment. Luckily, her question was answered quickly as the person responsible stepped forward shyly, his pale face always in a different range of blush when he spoke to her, one of the characteristics she loved and missed dearly during her two weeks of absence. Of course, mirrors were a good source of communication, you could at least see the person you wanted to...but it just wasn't the same. You couldn't hold or touch them like one yearns to do.
"Plus," Tsubaki started. She looked over and her soft smile started to broaden. "It wasn't even my idea to have a surprise party for you, I was just the helper. It was Crona's and he did most of the decorating and preparing of your house, I just did the majority of the cooking."
The girl's smiles seemed to only grace their faces farther, both appreciative of the kind swordsman's thoughts and idea to surprising an unsuspecting Maka. Tsubaki explained he conceived the idea after the news was announced over the intercom at school, Tsubaki finding out by kindly asking due to the sudden lighting up of his face; she backed him up excitedly when he spilled the beans and they had teamed up to surprise her.
Maka couldn't help but smile when she imagined his nervousness when voicing his thoughts to Tsubaki or picturing him attempting to fill what he viewed as ticking time bombs that either exploded when too much air infiltrated the flexible rubber, or too little made them barely float off the ground. It only made her giggle more when she remembered seeing a few of those colorful half-filled balloons on the floor; her thoughts must have been right. And he was still getting used to being more vocal, especially around people that weren't her. It just made her prouder of him for trying to associate with others. He was steadily growing out of his shell as time, patience, and even intimate moments were passed between them. It was clear he still was shy about everyone knowing about them being together, but it would always take time for him to be fully used to it. Her happiness grew for Crona's growth when Tsubaki began to explain that his excitement to make her happy seemed to counter his crippling abashed feelings, his stutter to others practically barren as he accepted the ninja weapon's assistance for her sake, for her surprise.
As they walked through the bright light post riddled streets toward her apartment, her eyes twinkled like the stars above her, happily envisioning a feminine looking boy whose voice and soul was gentle, innocence and sweetness escaping from him like a pungent aroma. Although she could see the turmoil in his eyes when she left, he had pulled himself together for her; they both knew there would be missions where they couldn't be together. And as time carried on, Crona grew stronger and was keeping himself together much better than he had in the years before. Pride of her achievement with Soul and growth of her lover brimmed her heart, almost making her skip in the streets. Her life was practically perfection.
Maka and Tsubaki then began to laugh and giggle as they entered the apartment complex and rode the elevator to their floor, Tsubaki bringing up the topic of funny moments of the evening:how Patty had managed to make edible displays of food and then gobbling them mercilessly, always aiming for their heads to rip off first. How Soul and Liz seemed argue over which jazz singer was the best as they chose the music for the evening, going back and forth between each other like an old married couple. Even Black Star had been enough of a glutton to eat the majority of the food and the spare stocks Tsubaki and Crona had gathered, making Crona volunteer to stay behind to do the dishes instead of coming with them like he wished.
She smiled to herself as she reached into her pockets to grab her keys to the apartment, excited to see her rambunctious friends and loving partner again. She hoped he wasn't working himself too hard. He deserved a relaxing night just as much as she did.
Maka opened the door and her ears were painfully welcomed by booming sequences of music pulsing against her eardrums, the noise and laughter from their group audible even through the walls. The girls walked in and closed the door behind them.
"Maka~!"A cheery voice that could be none other than Patty called.
Maka turned and saw an animated Patty waving excitedly, lifting up one of the pieces of food art she must have crafted while she was gone. The weapon took one of the toothpick limbs supporting a salami stick pig and waved it in her direction.
"Piggy says hiiii~"Her bubbly voice sang.
Maka raised a curious eyebrow and laughed lightly as she placed her groceries on the table, Tsubaki following in suit. "Uh...hi."
Patty's smile on her strangely flushed face grew wider, her eyes now showing a mischievous glint as they were now set on the salami stick pig. Maka's eyes widened as Patty cruelly tore off the toothpick limbs off the salami and stuffed it's entirety into her mouth, munching heartily and laughing evilly as she did so, her palms raised at her sides like a cackling mad scientist. Black Star made a typically insensitive and vulgar comment to how fast she devoured that "meat stick" and was immediately pummeled by an angered Liz. Maka was thankful she didn't have to throw her favorite book she carried with her at the moron.
"Things have definitely gotten more lively since we've been gone." Tsubaki laughed lightly, taking groceries out of the bag in preparation to be cooked.
"Without a doubt." Maka replied, frowning slightly as she scanned the room.
She didn't know if she really was a party pooper-like Soul had so often said-or not, as the group was lazier and were simply chatting when she and Tsubaki left. And now...now they were laughing almost as maniacally as Patty, their eyes almost appearing clouded and faint traces of red risen in their cheeks as they played a needlessly lively card game.
As the enraged Liz calmed and retracted her fist from Black Star's dented forehead, she drifted back to her seat on the sofa, holding what looked to be a tall glass bottle filled with water. Maka stared at the print on the side of the bottle, trying to search her memory for what it was, collecting her brows together.
A light bulb then shined bright inside her head upon the label on the bottle's side, her brain piecing together where she had seen it before: it was the same drink her father drank when he had been forced to sleep on the couch from fights with Mama. She remembered because she wondered how a "Grey Goose" could be drunken when she approached her bleary-eyed father and wondered why he wouldn't share with her. Now she was old enough to know it was a brand name of hard liquor.
Everyone was too busy laughing like idiots and focused on their game to see the venomous glare that began to invade her eyes, a small snarl in the corner of her lips as her ire burned hotter. They knew her discomfort with that substance, that she didn't want it anywhere near her living space due to her experience with her father, to Blair's tendency to get drunk at night, to the magical cat constantly trying to tempt and influence Cro-
Maka's heart suddenly stopped, her glare receded from her eyes and was replaced with wide-eyed panic, her breath being snatched from her lungs.
Crona. Where was Crona?
A light hiccup that could easily rival a small child's reverberated against her right ear drum, her eyes growing wider as she familiarized the light sound. Her head snapped toward the source's direction, seeing a heavy-lidded Crona lazily slouched in the recliner of the living room, a lopsided smile across his lips as he seemed to enjoy his daydream while staring at the ceiling. Her body shot toward him instinctively, her hands reaching for his face and cupping his cheeks as she forced his attention onto her.
As clouded dark blue met with her concerned emerald, his eyes appeared to widen as their gazes met, a heavy blush rising in his cheeks, possibly from the drink or how close their faces were. Although she would have kissed him if this had been under other circumstances, she wouldn't do that now, her worry knocked that want out of the park.
"Are you okay?" She asked.
A groggy smile slowly tugged at his mouth's corners, a small hic leaving him. His head flopped back and forth in affirmation in her hands. His hand lifted up a tall water glass and shook it's half-filled contents from side to side... a water glass that did not smell like it had water inside it.
Her nose wrinkled from the familiar scent and she frowned. A palm left his face to point to the glass, saying, "Who?"
Crona's heavy lids blinked slowly for a moment, then his head dropped from her grasp, moving to the side as a shaky hand lifted to a brash blue-haired man whose attitude she often couldn't tolerate.
"H-He gave it to me." Crona slurred. "He said I'd feel less worried if I drank it." His eyesight moved to her steadily growing in rage one, using all of her power to not grind her teeth into powdered dust. "It actually k-kinda works. You should try some too."
"No, I don't want any." Maka immediately replied. And she would never have any, not after seeing what kind of influence it had on her father, what influence it could possibly have on this fractured mind she held. He was one of the prime reasons why she would not have alcohol in her house. Crona had the personality type and a scarred enough mind to easily become dependent to the stuff, finding an addictive liquid source to escape his nightmares and fears...and she would not have that. "And you shouldn't be having any of that either."
She took his face again and gently guided it to the headrest of the recliner. Her hand slid down from his face and took the half-filled glass from his hand, using her remaining hand to run it through his hair."Just rest here for awhile, I'm going to have a...talk with Black Star." She leaned over to gently peck his forehead, feeling his face rise with heat as she spoke, "I won't let you get into this like Papa did."
She then removed herself from him and stormed off in the Star Clan member's direction, anger bubbling in her veins and red creeping across her vision. Only Soul's face dropped in sudden awareness of her presence, but Black Star was...wonderfully ignorant of her threatening approach to him. She quickly unveiled her book from her hiding spot, hiked it into the air and smashed it down onto the ninja meister's head before he could defend himself, his head slamming against the floor, a crater being developed below him.
Music was the only noise in the room as inebriated eyes fell onto her, watching as her chest rose and fell with indignant breath and eyes fuming brighter with each inhale.
"Are you really that much of a fucking moron?" Maka snarled angrily. She upturned the glass in her hand so the vodka would fall on Black Star's head, the liquid being absorbed by his dented blue scalp. "What were you thinking giving Crona something like this?! I know you can be an inconsiderate and conceited ape, but even an ape can listen when someone tells them something over and over again. And I've told you over and over again to not let Crona near this stuff!"
Black Star didn't respond, as his eyes continued to swirl from the unexpected impact, blood dripping from his mouth and nose. Her anger and concern filled her senses too fiercely to see how hard Soul and Liz had begun laughing, Patty joining with them in their uproar. Kid would have possibly joined, but his attentions were too focused in alphabetizing her bookshelves and making sure each knick knack was symmetrical as he muttered his treasured mantra under his breath: "Perfectly symmetrical."
Maka turned from her friends, not wanting to deal with the rest of the group yet until Crona was placed somewhere more comfortable, somewhere he needed to rest to sleep off his intoxication. When she reached him, she took his hand and wrapped the other around his waist to support him in standing. Hazy pools of clouded dark blue looked up at her in subtle shock from her movements, but it faded quickly as he realized what she was attempting to do.
He nearly fell over the first few times, his legs wobbly underneath him and limbs shaky as he pushed himself up, but he succeeded as she helped support him. His walk was unsteady as she guided him to their room, his attention toward the living room and possibly concerned about the idiot who fed him the drink. He and Tsubaki seemed to be the only people in the apartment who cared, seeing as she was upset out of her mind and the others seemed to re-enact her approach to the brainless dolt.
She retracted her gaze from the living room and walked him inside their room toward the bed. She gave a gentle command for him to lie down as she patted a hand on the comforter. His body flopped over the silken sheets as his stumbling body met the bed, possibly adjusting himself to get comfy. His movements against the comforter reminded her of a kitten nuzzling against something pleasantly soft, purring against it as it squirmed and flailed their limbs haphazardly. Maka began to giggle lightly before she was even aware and a large smile appeared across Crona's face, finally finding a comfortable position on his stomach.
"Stay here for a bit Crona, and get some get some rest." She said as sweetly as she could. She placed a hand on his shoulder blade and rubbed it softly through his robe. The large smile on his face seemed to broaden more. "I'm going to go clear everyone out. This celebration has gotten way out of hand."
She then pulled away from him and left the room, leaving the door slightly ajar as she traveled back to the living room. As she returned to her friends, she noticed the hard-headed meister had regained consciousness, Tsubaki kneeling next to him as she attended to his injuries. Upon sight of her, he gave her a kiddish scowl of disapproval, her own mature one shooting back at him.
"What the hell is your problem?" Black Star huffed, his eyes full of annoyance and carefully blocked off remnants of pain.
"What the hell is your problem?" Maka fought back, putting her hands on her hips. "Are you just genuinely stupid, or do you just tune out every time I tell you something? I can't even count how many times I've told you, all of you, that Crona shouldn't be near that stuff. He's damaged enough as it is and doesn't needed that crap further damaging his physical or mental health."
Black Star snorted, chuckling to himself as he shook his head. "Oh come on. He's not a baby and you can't protect him forever. He was eventually going to try it, so who else would be better to have his first drink with than his own friends? Besides, he looked like he was having a damn good time to me." An uncomfortably mischievous grin pulled at his mouth's corners, ascending near his earlobes, raising what seemed to be insinuating eyebrows. "Plus, I saw that look he was giving you the wholeeeee time. You may have gotten me when my guard was down, but a manly God like myself can smell looks like that from a mile away." His face seemed triumphant, crossing his arms as he smirked, making Maka's eyelid twitch as fiercely as a pink-eye victim. "You maybe upset now, but I bet you'll be thanking me later when you get laid tonight. And if he doesn't pull it off first, I bet you'll take off your nerdy book worm disguise and tackle him, because he's allllll buttered up and limp for you. So might as well just thank me now then late-"
Maka unleashed a series of relentless Maka Chops onto Black Star's unsuspecting head, revolted by his crude behavior. She drove him deeper into the crater with every descent of her book, making Soul laugh louder and Tsubaki to wince.
"Maka..." Tsubaki said, gently touching her arm as she prepared to hit him again. "I think that's enough. His head has had enough trauma for the night."
"Tell me about it." Soul smirked sharply. "If you keep hitting him he'll probably lose the brain cells he needs to properly function."
Maka's angered attention then diverted to his, lifting her book to swipe it against his head. He quickly dodged, lifting himself from the couch and retreating behind it to shield himself.
"And you." She hissed. "You should have known better too!"
Soul simply scoffed as he lifted himself from the back of the couch, putting his hands in his pockets. "Come on, it's like Black Star said: you can't protect him forever. Everyone needs to have some nice relaxing time, especially Crona. And to me, he looked like he was having some good relaxing time."
"There are plenty of other ways for him to have a good time, and being drunk is not one of them."Maka replied.
Soul shrugged and Maka frowned further. She crossed her arms, sighing. "Alright, I think that's enough excitement for one night. Thank you for the surprise, but the party is over." Her thumb pointed to the door. "Out." She looked to Soul. "Everyone."
"Waittttt a second, why do I need to leave?"Soul frowned. "I live here!"
Her threatening glower furthered in command and his rebellious nature remained, refusing to move. It wasn't until a hand from the elder pistol weapon touched his shoulder.
"Come on, Soul." Liz said. "It would be best to not end up like Black Star and save yourself while you can. You can stay at the mansion until morning."
Soul raised a suspicious brow and she returned it with her suggestive one, a smirk from him responding. Maka rolled her eyes as she shook her head, averting her gaze to Tsubaki who was focusing on lifting an unconscious Black Star.
"I'm sorry about this, Maka." Tsubaki attempted to console, her eye's partially saddened. "I didn't intend for the party to end like this."
Maka gave her a sympathetic look, her anger partially fading as she kept her sights on the apologetic ninja weapon. "It's not your fault. I really did have a great time." Her eyes then turned to the unconscious Black Star. "But I should have known he would pull something like this the minute I stepped away. It's just so like Black Star." She mustered a small smile. "Thank you again for the party and be safe on getting home."
Tsubaki returned the smile as the group began to head out, Maka turning off the music and returning the spare food into the refrigerator. Soul pulled at his face toward her in mocking as he prepared to leave with the Thompson Sisters and Kid. Her hand lifted an egg in threat towards him, suggesting she's not afraid to maim his favorite jacket and he backed off, chuckling to himself as his arm went around Liz's shoulders. Black Star mumbled obscenities under his breath as his brain attempted to mend itself, laughing childishly as he appeared to notice how close he was to Tsubaki's chest as she pulled him away.
Maka left to her room, still grumbling under her breath as she opened the creaky door and placed her blood-stained book on her dresser. She heard the front door finally close and she sighed with relief.
"Finally, some peace and quiet." She huffed. She opened her drawer and started to collect pieces of clothing, eager to get some relaxing time of her own. "I swear those idiots don't have any amount of self-control. Leave it to Black Star to go out of his way to seem like an even bigger insensitive jerk. I leave for twenty minutes and he breaks out the booze just like that. Honestly, is he so stupid to think I wouldn't see it when I got back? Or was he too high off his own confident ego to even think straight?" She turned to face the always listening Crona, her concerned and frustrated eyes meeting half-closed lids and cloudy ebon-blue. Had he not been drunk, she would have mistaken that heavy and determined look in his eyes for the ones during their intimate nights. But now the sight only seemed to pain her, as it was a clear reminder of her failure to protect Crona from becoming drunk. Her face began to fill with remorse. "I'm so sorry I let them do that to you, Crona, I should have been here. I should have known he and Soul would pull an immature stunt like this. You didn't know any better, but he should have."
Maka allowed an annoyed brow to wriggle in spite and shook her head. After a few moments, she squared her shoulders and looked at Crona. "But, at least we have them out now and we can enjoy the quiet." She gave him one of her brightest smiles, hoping to comfort him and saw the red in his cheeks cutely grow. "I'm going to take a shower, I think some of Black Star's disgusting man sweat and blood got on my skin. I'll be back before you know it, just stay here and rest."
She walked over and gently pecked Crona's blushing forehead. Before she left, she made sure to give him another smile and dimmed the lights of her room as she exited.
Keeping her clothes to her chest, she opened up the bathroom door and sealed herself inside, turning on the fan in the ceiling to absorb the heated mist of a future hot shower she so desperately needed.
As she prepared herself to enter the shower, she felt a rise of heat in her cheeks as Crona's half-closed eyes remained hovering above her mind, the image stuck there and almost feeling like he was watching her as she prepared to peel off her clothes, making her cheeks burn brighter. Her thoughts continued to venture farther as those weighted lids reminded her of treasured moments stored away in the deepest parts of her heart, of when words were not used to express their love, but their heated bodies as they attempted to form themselves into one, their souls feeding them a hungry vitality that wasn't sated or ebbing until they had collapsed from blissful release, their glistening sweat almost acting like a radiant shield to protect them as they slept soundly through the night.
The heat had spread to her ears as Maka began to undress herself. At first it had been difficult for Crona in learning how to give or accept intimacy, caused by an unforgiving lack of it throughout his life. The simple act of her touching his hands or face was mixed with what she saw as longing and fear, flinching away and unused to everything that she was about to show him, things that had taken him over a year to fully learn or become aware of. An ache spread through her chest as she remembered his eyes from the past again; half-closed and yearning for something he thought so firmly he couldn't have, the hesitation in actions she guided him through that caused his body to shake and soul to tremble.
She exhaled in an attempt to let out the thoughts of the past and was fully undressed as she entered the shower, turning the knobs for the water flow to begin. She stood under the spray, attempting to cancel out those pained glimpses of Crona, knowing a different one was now lying on her bed, possibly sleeping soundly. Fear would always be there in him, in everyone, but he was growing to not be overcome by it like he was in their intimate moments before.
The water began to warm and Maka closed her eyes, hoping Crona would sleep soundly through the night like she had advised him to.
Crona stumbled over his own shaky limbs, his hand pressed against the wall for as much support as possible as he walked. Through sheer will power he forced himself forwards, keeping his shaking from his intoxicated limbs to a minimum. Fogged blue eyes stared at the door before him, hot mist from the shower behind the door slowly escaping from the crease at the bottom and the patter of water clear through it. He stared at the wooden entrance for a couple moments, a voice behind the fog of insobriety and lust spoke that this was a bad idea, that he should return back to her bed and rest like she advised, that he was foolish to not listen to her. But the sound was easily eaten up by his inebriated focus, absorbing and dissolving the thoughts that caused hesitation like a phagocyte to a foreign invader. He had been weak long enough, fear was an obstacle he could resist right now, and it wouldn't stop him from what he had decided after Maka arrived.
His fists balled together as he steeled himself. Maka had been leading this type of thing too many times. It was time for a change. Too many times had he been too frightened to advance in their intimate moments, too many times had Maka been burdened with enduring his frightened tendencies and refusals. But with the help from what Black Star gave to him and called "Magic Water", he had gained the ability to begin at the cost of his limbs being shaky. But handling that was easy, he had fought and walked with staggering, tired limbs before. He could handle something like this.
He forcibly lifted a sluggish hand to grip the door handle and turned, pushing the door open.
It was his turn now.
The update should be up soon:) The majority of it is ready, I just need to finish editing...ho boy. Stay tuned!