Together or not at all, it had been their motto for years. Ever since the first infected turned and started killing everyone else.
Now though, after a fucking Clicker had sunk it's teeth into him, Soul didn't want Maka following him on this journey. The bite throbbed painfully and he had to focus on walking to keep from grunting when his bag's strap pressed against the wound.
"Maka, I've got something to take care of really quick, I'll meet you inside." He cut through her mumbling about ration tickets as they got closer to the city.
"What are you talking about, it's nearly curfew?" She had stopped walking now, of course she wouldn't just let him go off on his own outside the safety of the city walls.
"It's just a short errand, I'll be there shortly." He made to turn and walk away.
"Together or not at all, Soul." She grabbed at his shoulder and he recoiled when her fingers brushed the bite. His hand slapped over the injury.
"Soul, you're hurt!"
"I'm fine."
"Bullshit, you're bleeding." She had a med kit pulled out of her bag and was stalking towards him.
"I said I'm fine!" He snarled, knocking the gauze and alcohol out of her hand when she got close.
"What the fuck is wrong with you?!"
He whipped his jacket down, shimmying it off his arm. The bite looked like it was starting to fester, fungal growths sprouted from the edges and the skin surrounding it was starting to blacken.
"I'm infected." It had been easier to not tell her. The way her eyes widened and filled with tears and the way her hands shot to her mouth plucked at his heartstrings.
"Uncool right, getting caught by a fucking Clicker?" His voiced cracked and he kicked a nearby bottle into the side of a nearby dumpster, the tinkling of shattered glass didn't help his nerves much.
"Maybe - Maybe you're immune?" He'd heard the rumors, everyone had, that some people were completely immune to the infection and he was pretty sure that every one of them was a load of shit.
"I'm not immune, Maka, this bite has gotten a lot worse and it's only been like an hour." He let his backpack drop with his jacket to the ground and sat on it like a chair.
"I'm going to give you my supplies and you need to head into the city, the sun is going down."
"I'm not leaving you."
"I'm already dead!" He snapped, this wasn't the time to argue, if she didn't leave soon she'd be stuck outside the walls all night.
"Together or not at all." A click had him looking up at Maka, she loaded a single bullet into the cylinder of her revolver and snapped it shut.
"Maka no, your old man is waiting for you back in the city."
"That doesn't matter, I'm not going without you." She pulled the hammer back with a snap.
Soul sighed, one hand running through his hair, the other drawing his own pistol from the holster at his waits. Maka crouched next to him, a kiss pressed to the corner of his mouth and pressed the muzzle of the gun to her head.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" The cold steel of his own gun stung the skin at his temple.
"Together or not at all."