Stein knew. He knew that he didn't understand love, that Marie was only chasing a pipe dream. It didn't stop him from hoping that someday he would be able to understand, to return the affection that she unashamedly gave him. He knew that he more than likely would not live to be old enough for that hope to come to fruition, but he did have hope. That hope grew more and more with each day that she stayed with him, and he could feel the cracks developing in walls that he had built up for decades; emotions developing that he had long let atrophy.
And then Joe Buttataki returned to Shibusen. Stein could see the difference in Marie immediately. She dressed up for Joe, when she was to meet him so he could see if she was the mole inside Shibusen. She agreed to go on a date with the man. Stein knew that he was going to lose her if he didn't tell her what he hoped. He knew if he didn't tell her about the emotions that she was slowly unlocking inside him she would be gone, taken away by that old part of her life. Taken by Joe Buttataki.
So, was it any surprise that when Joe Buttataki was found dead, Stein didn't feel any remorse for his death? That he thought it was nothing more than a grand joke being played on him by one of the powers that be? If Joe was gone, then he had a chance, albeit slim, at reaching his goal of being able to understand what Marie was doing to him.
But when he saw Marie's face, saw the tremors that were running through her soul, the agony that nothing could hide, he knew. Joe Buttataki was dead, and in that moment Stein would have done anything, anything in his power to bring him back. In that moment he knew that Marie needed Joe Buttataki more than she had needed him, and that while his own death would hurt her, Joe's had devastated her.
His sudden knowledge devastated him. He left, a broken shell barely clinging to his sanity, Marie following him because of a promise that he hadn't known she had made to Joe. Even in his death, Joe was interfering. Oddly though, Stein knew then that he didn't mind. With the man's death, which he was accused of, he had a shot with Marie, a shot that may never have happened if the man hadn't died. As much as the pain of seeing Marie in pain hurt, there was a small part of him that was glad that she was aching.
He pulled her into his arms as she stopped, trying to muffle the sobs that she could no longer hold back. Silently, not knowing if it was to himself or someone else, Stein thought a thanks for the untimely death of Joe, without remorse or guilt. Marie Mjolnir, aching and in pain, was held awkwardly against his chest, and even though her tears were staining his shirt, he knew that the timeline that may never have happened had this event not occurred was firmly set now.
Hoping that it wasn't himself, he left with Marie, looking for whoever it was that had killed the love of her life and given him a shot at his. Even in his twisted, warped mind the man known as Franken Stein was desperate to understand the concept of "love", and he knew that it would begin, and end, with Marie Mjolnir.
A/N: It was scratching at my head, demanding to be let out. I claim no ownership of anything mentioned in the story, or of Soul Eater. Thanks for reading.