Soul watched the clock as the seconds turned to minutes, then turned to hours. The suspense was killing him.
He watched her chest move up and down as she took each breath. Lying there, on the infirmary bed, Maka looked so peaceful. He wanted to be the first person she saw when she woke up.
She'd had an operation done to repair the broken ribs she'd acquired in her fight with Asura. It was a small operation but she needed to be unconscious in the process. He did not leave her side through the whole operation, though it was painful for him to watch. Stein had told him she might not wake up until the next day. If that was the case, he would wait there all night until she did.
Golden evening light streamed through the window and landed on her face. He never would have admitted it to anyone else, but she was beautiful. Strong, independent, and courageous, she was the best meister a weapon could ask for. Actually, she was the best friend a guy could ask for.
He grinned lopsidedly at his own thoughts. Imagine that. Tiny Tits becoming his best friend. True, they'd been through a lot together. And hopefully, they'd be through a lot more. Scratch that—he didn't hope, he knew. He had faith in his meister, the same faith she had in him. He just couldn't wait for her to wake up so they could go kick some more kishin ass.
He waited until the sky outside turned dark. He was trying so hard to keep himself awake, but after spending much of the past weekend helping rebuild Death City, it was an impossible feat. Helplessly, he began to doze off, and then found himself dreaming. He dreamt he was outside—in a happy place, a place with no sorrow or fear or even madness. The grass was green and the sky was blue, and there were tall shady trees scattered around. The place went on for as far as he could see.
Sitting on the grass under the shade of a tree, was Maka. She was reading a book. He chuckled to himself. "Maka…" he mumbled, shaking his head. Hands in his pockets, he began to approach her.
Standing in front of her, he realized she wasn't wearing her usual plaid skirt, white blouse, and yellow sweater vest. Instead, she wore a short white dress. Her hair was down. He smirked, showing off his razor-sharp teeth.
"You don't have to wait, you know," she said, without looking up from her book.
Soul sat down cross-legged in front of her. "I know."
"Then why do you?"
"Because…" he hesitated.
"Because why?"
It was almost as if she knew. The phrase was hiding, deep in the shadows of his mind. But alas, who knew him better than himself? Maka, of course. She knew. Almost as if it were written across his forehead.
"It's not hard, you know," she said. "Just say it."
"Say what?" he said. As if he didn't know.
She looked up, letting her olive green eyes meet his red ones. She closed her book and smiled. "Maybe this could jog your memory."
He flinched and shut his eyes, ready for her to Maka Chop him. After a few seconds and no book came in contact with his head, he peeked open one eye. She was standing in front of him, holding out her hand. Slowly, he took it, and she helped him up.
"Maka, I…"
"Yes, Soul?"
He shook his head. No, not possible. Nevernevernever. He was not going to admit what his heart was practically screaming, as they stood there in the shade holding hands.
This is a dream, he thought. But…why does it feel so real…
She giggled innocently. "Catch me if you can!" she chirped. Then she took off running.
Soul stared after her, mouth agape. "But…Maka-!" He regained himself and went after her. But she was gone, she had disappeared. He panicked for a second—he had let his meister slip away so easily.
He heard her voice call his name. "Soul, up here!" He looked up. She was perched on a tree branch, waving down at him. Her smile was adorable.
"Maka, I'm not going to play games with you," he said crossly, grabbing the first branch of the tree and beginning his climb.
She giggled again. "You're the one playing games, Soul. Why can't you just say how you feel?" Her tone was sweeter, gentler now, "It's not that hard."
Finally, he pulled himself up on the branch next to her. He heaved in and out, trying to catch his breath.
She placed her hand on top of his. "It's kind of a waste, all this work over something that's so easy to say…"
"Yeah? Then you say it."
It was silent, besides his breathing that slowly regulated itself to match Maka's. Finally she spoke.
"Remember during the fight with Asura?" she said slowly. She paused, and it seemed like an eternity to him. "…when he went to finish me off, and you…stood in front of me to take the blow?"
He nodded.
She continued. "I was so scared. I felt so weak and helpless. I thought for sure I was a goner. But when I opened my eyes and saw you, my fear got ten times worse. I thought you…" she swallowed. "I thought you were dead, that I'd lost you forever, and I wanted it so badly to be me instead of you."
He felt tears welling in his eyes. "Maka…" he choked out, squeezing her hand.
"It pissed me off," she said firmly, "That you could be so stupid as to go and get yourself killed to protect me. And leave me all alone…without you."
He watched the tears stream down her face. He couldn't fight the feeling of guilt in his gut. Slowly, he wrapped his arms around her and held her quivering body close to him. "Maka, don't be so stupid," he started, but she cut him off again.
"But then I thought, that if you had so much loyalty, so much faith that you would sacrifice yourself for me…it made me realize."
She pulled away and looked him in the eyes. She wiped her tear-streaked face and smiled. "It made me realize, you must really…" She stopped.
The world around them suddenly started to evaporate, turning into black nothingness. Soul, alarmed, shook her and demanded, "Must really what? Maka tell me!" Then the nothingness swallowed them both.
Soul jumped, suddenly wide awake. He was back in the infirmary, sitting in the seat in front of the window. His white hair stuck to his sweaty forehead and he rubbed his arms, trying to gather himself. He blinked and looked around. Morning light shone through the window. He facepalmed. How could he have let himself fall asleep? All night?
Thankfully, Maka was still asleep. The clock said it was around seven in the morning. He rubbed his eyes and stood up. His stomach grumbled. He was so hungry…but he was going to stay here until Maka woke up.
Then he heard it. A very faint whimper—or was it a moan?—coming from Maka. His ears perked up, and his eyes landed on her as she began to stir.
Her eyelids flickered. "…S-soul?"
He was at her side within seconds. "Maka. I'm here." He took her hand and held it.
She smiled up at him. The definition of beauty. "You kept your promise." The promise that he would stay there by her side the entire time, and be the first thing she saw when she woke up. He said nothing, just stood there, listening to his own irregular heartbeat.
Maka sat up, suddenly worried. "Soul, what's wrong?" He was still silent. She patted the bed next to her, gesturing for him to sit down. Awkwardly, he did so. "What is it?" she asked, smiling up at him expectantly.
He shook his head, and finally spoke. "Maka, you're amazing."
She kept smiling, though she looked a little puzzled. "You are too, Soul."
He furrowed his brow, and looked at her. He felt her hand squeeze his.
"I had the strangest dream," she said.
His heart leapt in his chest. "You did?"
He watched as a blush spread across her face. Suddenly, somehow, he knew what she had dreamt about. Because he dreamt it too. "Yes, but…" He didn't let her say any more.
With no warning whatsoever, he leaned closer to her, reached out and brushed the hair away from her face. Her green eyes were wide, and her mouth was slightly parted. "Soul…" she breathed.
The way she said his name gave him the courage to do what he had wanted to do for a long time. He smirked and leaned closer to her, closing the distance between them. Her body was trembling; he wrapped his arms around her to stop it.
"Soul, what are you…" He shut her up by pressing his lips against hers. She tasted like…dark chocolate and cream soda. Her kiss was electrifying—he was suddenly aware of every fiber in his body, and his heart beating so fast he could hardly keep up.
He felt her smiling. It seemed like she didn't quite know what to do with her hands. She placed them against Soul's chest and closed her fists around the fabric of his shirt, falling back on the bed and pulling him down on top of her. He smiled too and they broke the kiss, laughing and catching their breath.
Say it. "I love you," he blurted out.
"What?" she stopped. Her hands started shaking.
He grinned, flashing his sharp teeth. "I love you, Maka Albarn. L-O-V-E."
Her face lit up momentarily. "Soul, did we…"
"Have the same dream?" he nodded. "Yeah."
She gulped. Her breaths were shaky and uneven. "I…love you too."
Soul cocked his head to one side. "You do?" He smirked at her.
"Yes, Soul. I love you too." Her smirk matched his.
He sat up. She pulled herself up too, then sat cross-legged on the bed. They stared at each other.
There was a knock on the door. "Maka," Stein's voice said. "Are you awake?"
"Yeah," Maka called back.
"Good. Your mother's here to see you."
"Mom!" Maka shrieked, and practically jumped out of the bed. Soul stood up too, and grabbed her hand before she could open the door. He pulled her towards him and captured her lips in another kiss.
They pulled away, and she smiled at him, opening the door.
"See ya later, Tiny Tits."