Disclaimer! I do not own Soul Eater!

I can't do this. My body, this feeling, I can't do this.

Stein stared at the stitched door in front of him, his eyes tracing the stitched pattern from the ground to the ceiling. The door was unlocked, as he knew it would be, and it was a simple matter to push it open and walk inside.

But there was the option to leave, the option that nagged at him every time he came home. That constant longing to dissect something gnawed at the back of his mind, threatening to let the madness take over. How could he be normal when his mind was threatened by the madness? The madness waited patiently in his mind, longing for him to drop his guard so that it might take over his brain.

I have to be normal. For them, I have to be normal.

Stein's hand lifted slowly toward the handle, his fingertips touching the cold metal lightly as he trailed his fingers along the grooves of the handle. He heard noises on the other end of the door, hushed voices, three of them, that grew quiet as he listened. Finally, mustering his sanity, Stein turned the knob, pushing open the door.

"Welcome home, Daddy!" two voices exclaimed as their owners rushed toward him. The two children wrapped their arms around his legs, giggling as they hugged their father. Stein smiled, staring down at his son and daughter. He ruffled his son's golden hair and his daughter's silver hair playfully before prying them off his legs so that he could enter the house. He picked up his daughter, positioning her so that she sat on his hip. She laughed cutely, grabbing onto his stitched coat.

Stein kissed her lightly on the cheek, causing her to giggle, and set her down next to her brother. He looked up to see the smiling face of Marie who stood patiently as their children greeted their father.

"Welcome home, Stein," she said, and Stein went to hug her, pulling her into a tight embrace. Their children left the room, already bored, leaving the adults alone.

I can do this. For her, I can do this.

~AN~

I may make this longer but I really wanted to post something so I did!

I'm almost done with Soul Eater and watching the episodes with Marie fighting to bring back Stein just made me love this pairing so much! And then I pictured how adorable their children would be and my brain spawned this: Stein fighting over the madness every day as he gets home, knowing that he must overcome it for the sake of his family!

So yeah! First Soul Eater fic! I feel so accomplished even if it is really short! I may add to it but probably not...