It wasn't cool to be so nervous.
Soul swallowed down the lump of fear in his throat, trying to calm himself as he shakily tried to do his own bow-tie, and failing pretty miserably at it. Such a seemingly-usual task for the boy became impossible, due to the fact his hands were shaking beyond belief. He took another small sigh, giving another failed attempt, before he felt careful, motherly hands around his neck, turning him around in order to do said-bowtie for him.
"Mother?"
The woman who stood before him now, it was painfully clear, was his uninvited mother. She wore a calm smile, her deep, brown eyes (which could pass for scarlet, like his own, if you looked hard enough) looking over the dressed-up specimen of her changed son.
Once she finished tying the black bow, she let her hands run down his lapels, making sure to pull them taught on his chest, and fixed his cufflink as well. All the while, Soul only stared at her, with wide, surprised eyes.
She never cared for him as a child. In fact, he thought she loathed him. Wes was always the better son. Which, would explain why the male didn't bother to invite them to one of the most important days of his growing-adult life, although he was only nineteen.
"You look wonderful, Soul…" She mused aloud, brushing a stray lock of white from his face, in order to look into those intriguging crimson eyes that she'd spawned such a short time ago.
"You think?"
The woman shook her head, turning her son around in order for him to see his full reflection in the body-length mirror that stood peacefully to his side.
"I don't think, Soul. I know."
There was a pause between the two, both mother and son looking at the mirror image of the human-formed scythe. From his snowy silver hair, which he'd tried to tame back, to his extremely handsome black tuxedo, all the way down to the shiny black dress shoes he wore. And in his breast pocket, rest a white gardenia flower, not of his picking, of course.
"You made the right choice." Was all his mother said, before pecking her son lightly on the cheek, and stepping back and out of the room Soul now stood in, alone. Once she'd left, Soul let out a soft sigh, his lips curling into a confident smirk as his childhood friend, and his now-boss, Kid, poked his head in the door, waving a hand in a "come here" motion.
"Let's go!" The shinigami hissed, not rudely, just in a quick sort of tone.
Soul checked his reflection one last time, before turning towards the door, and nodding as he walked out with a grin, and, for once, not slouching, or stuffing his hands into his pockets as he did so.
"Sounds like a plan."
~O-O-O-O~
Maka couldn't stop shaking.
Her nerves were going to be the death of her, she swore it, if this kept on. Her hands, her knees, almost anything on her body was shaking. But she wasn't scared. She wasn't scared at all, actually.
Soul had taught her not to be scared.
And now, she stood in the center of her mother, and her friends, Tsubaki and Liz, staring at herself silently in the mirror as each female took their turn fiddling with something on the slender girl. Be it her ashen blonde hair-which was pulled into a tight, elegant up-do on the top of her head, held together by a band of gardenias, daisies, and a single sunflower—or the extravagant white gown she wore, the one that bore no upper straps on her shoulders or arms, merely a large white bow that covered over her chest, accented her curves delightfully, and splayed out at the bottom, carrying a large train along with it.
"You look beautiful, Maka," Kami praised in her ear as she fixed the small pendent that hung delicately around her daughter's slender, pale neck.
Tsubaki beamed a smile at her gorgeous friend as she plucked a wilting flower petal from the underside of Maka's hair. "You really do, Maka! Are you excited?"
The small girl could only nod as she ran her hands over her hips, enjoying seeing her full-on hips finally visible from the tightness of the gown there. Liz grinned as she tugged at the breast-portion of Maka's dress, trying to make it show at least a little cleavage, which, Liz had to admit, was there now.
"Excuse me, girls, may I have a moment with my daughter?" The eldest woman asked, a sweet smile unable to leave her lips, even as she spoke in a chiming, pleased voice.
Both teen girls nodded, Tsubaki quickly grabbing Liz's hand in her own as she pulled her out of the room, leaving both blonde-haired woman to converse for a final few minutes before Maka would have to leave.
"Maka…" Kami started, cupping both of her daughter's perfectly rosy cheeks in her warm hands. Tears bit at the corners of Maka's eyes, tears of joy, but she held them in, but smiling as wide as she could.
"You're going to be… so happy, my dear. I promise you will. Because even now, I can see it in those eyes." The mother paused a moment, giving a light giggle as she pecked her child's cheekbone. "You and I may be alike, but not now. I never knew what you have now, Maka. Please, don't throw it away."
The white-dressed girl nodded her head furiously at her mother, her role model. She refused to let this woman down, in any and everything she did. And if her mother wanted this for her, Maka would damn well live it up to its fullest.
So, she only laughed tearfully as her mother pulled her into a loving embrace, her kind hands holding her daughter close as she left a kiss in Maka's hair. A knock on the door was what finally pulled them apart, and Kami waved a short goodbye to her lovely daughter, her husband stepping into the room to take her mother's place.
Maka sighed peacefully, blinking hastily a few times before looking directly at her father with a wide grin, one only a woman in her place could provide on such a day. Spirit gave her a calm smile in return, taking in his daughters' spectacular appearance for a moment, before offering his arm out to her, which Maka gently looped her own arm through happily.
"Ready when you are, sweetie." He murmured as they stepped outside the bridal's quarters, into the hallway that seemed to go on forever before they finally reached the door, waiting for their cue to enter together, as one, for the last time.
After taking a deep breath, Maka put on her bright smile, emerald eyes catching sight of that lovely mess of white hair standing at the alter, through the window of the door the Albarn's stood behind.
"I'm ready."
~O-O-O-O~
He walked her down the isle. Without even smacking Soul upside the head, crying like an idiot, or making any snide comments to either him or his lovely daughter.
And then, he actually stepped back, taking his seat silently as tears dripped down his cheeks. His only daughter, his own little legacy, now stood before the whole room of people, her hands resting perfectly at ease in Soul's larger ones. Spirit doubted they were even really listening to the words the priest spoke with such enthusiasm, such pride.
They were lost in each other, that was the only way to describe it.
But when the holy man began asking them the questions of which they already knew the answer to, it was noticeable Maka was gripping Soul's hands tightly enough to cease bloodflow to his poor fingers. But the albino only gave her a smile, squeezing back once before he let go of her, and took the rings that were presented to them.
Maka only watched in silent pleasure as Soul picked up her left hand, spreading her fingers apart for him as he carefully slid the band down to its new home. Only then, did she open her own mouth, speaking her vows clearly and as perfect as possible, as she too, took the opposite ring that was offered to her, and slid it down Soul's finger, amazed with his perfect hands.
Then again, everything about Soul was perfect. Even those flaws she used to point out so long ago, back when she was just "tiny-tits" and he was "shark boy". Back when all Maka wanted from Soul was his loyalty, to make her dreams of creating a Deathscythe become reality, so she could lose him just as quickly as she gained him.
Back when she never expected to hear him admit his love for her. And she never realized she adored him, too.
The sound of the priest beginning to speak the traditional, "In sickness and in health" part of the ceremony was what broth Maka from her thoughts. Viridian eyes looked up to crimson ones, and she nearly burst out into laughter when she was Soul roll his eyes at "for richer and for poorer". But she kept it together, because it was Soul's turn to speak in less than a minute, the words she'd been waiting all her life to hear that velvet voice hum to her, just like this.
"I do."
His glance lazily turned to Maka, with what almost appeared to be tears beginning to sting behind his eyes. But he only grinned at her, because crying isn't cool for guys, especially at their wedding. That was the girl's job, anyway, and it looked like any women who sat before them watching was sobbing in joy.
Soul just stared at Maka, though. Even as the girl looked to the man who was telling her how, why, and when she would love him himself, things that were perfectly unesscessary for her to know, because she already id them wonderfully on her own, to him. Which, was really all that mattered.
Nonetheless, he soon found her staring right back at him, with the same passionate gleam in her eyes as she opened her mouth to say a perfect, beautiful phrase he always thought he'd never live to hear her speak.
"I do."
Soul grinned as he gripped her hands tightly once more, his heart racing in both anticipation and joy as he remembered the words that always followed after the woman's "I do".
"…I now pronounce you, man and wife."
The scythe didn't even have to be told to kiss the bride, because as the priest was speaking the phrase, Soul already had his hands on the thin veil that lay in front of his wife's face, gently flipping it back over her extravagant hair to reveal the fresh stroke of joy-filled tears that ran down her perfect cheeks.
He loved her more than words could ever describe.
Feminine lips met strong ones as Soul dipped her jaw up to meet him, his hands pulling the rest of her body to meet against his, in the perfect way they always did. Her slender arms reached up to grab hold of his neck and shoulders, a grip God himself wouldn't be able to counter, not even if he'd tried.
The whole hall burst into cheers, and claps, and praiseful words, and footsteps, and laughter, and so many other things that neither husband nor wife could exactly place.
But, after breaking their perfect ,first kiss as husband and wife, the human-scythe leaned down a bit, his arms swooping Maka up in one fluid motion, making the girl squeal as she clamped her arms tightly about his neck.
He carried her back down the isle, then, a wide grin plastered on those lips as he hoisted Maka up to a more comfortable position against his chest, tilting her head closer to his mouth as he showered in her loving whispers of "I love you" and "my everything".
And, once they got outside, Soul grinned as he set his meister down, catching her by surprise as he grabbed her hand and transformed into his Deathscythe mode, Maka holding him awkwardly and curiously.
"Get on," Soul commanded cooly, with a sly grin that reflected on his red-black blade for only his spectacular meister to see as she poised his handle under her, making sure to sit with bother her legs to one side.
"Where are we going?"
A quick burst of bright light engulfed the two, before revealing two large, rather angle-looking kind of wings, which slowly began to flap as the meister and her scythe left the ground, Maka's heeled feet swinging slightly in gape of nothing that separated her from the ground.
"Anywhere."
Soul's deep chuckle made Maka smile as she held onto him, looking up into the obsidian evening sky as they ascended upwards towards the heavens, the light of the grinning moon certainly enough for the two.
And, for the first time in both Maka and Soul's entire life, the weapon-meister team smiled to themselves with a certain realization.
There's nothing to fear anymore, now that I have you.
I love you.