Marie sat at the table, nervously watching as her thumbs made repetitive rotary movements around each other.
She could not believe that had happened.
She took a deep breath and rested her hands at her sides. She was hoping that today was one of those days that Stein was particularly bad at reading social situations, and that he'd just-
"Are you okay, Marie?" the silver-haired man asked.
Oh, Death.
That voice; the voice which, in her dream, had been saying her name in a criminally seductive and deep manner. Why did today have to be the day he decided to ask her if she was okay?
"Y-Yeah." she replied, looking down into her tea. Or maybe it was her coffee. Honestly, she was a little vague on that one.
"Okay." he replied.
Pssht.
Any idiot could have recognised the dubious tone in his voice. He knew she wasn't okay. Of course she wasn't okay.
She'd had a sex dream about her best friend; she was far from okay.
It wasn't that she hadn't had dreams like that before; not that she'd admit it, but she'd had those dreams about him before. But that was back when she was a hormone-fuelled teenager. Now, she was a mature, proper, grown woman.
And the things he was doing to her in that dream were far from proper.
"Yes, I-I'm fine." Marie said, insistently. Stein sat down across from her, cranked his screw backwards and rested his head on his hand.
"Marie," Stein began, "I learnt one thing from living with Spirit and Kami. Whenever she said that she was okay, she was not okay. What's the matter?" Stein asked.
Oh, nothing, just the fact that I had a dream about you where you were screwing me senseless and I liked it. Very much.
"I'm fine, really, Franken. Don't' push me or I won't be fine." Marie stared down at her coffee. Stein raised an eyebrow and sighed.
"What have I done?" he deduced from her state.
Well, pretty much, in my dream, you just got naked and we did it. But, you know, I can't actually say that.
"You haven't done anything, Stein," Marie looked up at him, her expression regaining its usual warm composure, "honestly."
"Marie…" Stein stared at the hammer. The hammer stared back.
"Yes?" she asked, feigning ignorance.
"I will get it out of you." he pledged.
Yeah, the only things you got out of me last night were screams and moans, thank you very much. Dream infiltrator.
"No, you won't, because there's nothing to get out." Marie lied through her teeth.
"We've got all day, Marie." Stein looked up atht eh clock on the wall.
"Uh, no, we don't. We have jobs. You know, that thing that we do? To make money?" Marie asked. Stein shrugged.
"Eh. They'll be fine. I've all the time in the world, Miss Mjolnir." Stein teased. Marie scowled and pouted. It was almost like he could sense what she was thinking.
Damn meisters.
"Fine. I'll sit here all day." Marie sat back, outwardly unperturbed about the scientist's remarks, but on the inside, she was simply replaying that infernal ream in her head.
"Okay… what have I done? Did I leave the toilet seat up? I know I hate it when I mess with your ex-lovers." Stein guessed. Marie shook her head.
Don't say that word. Don't' say lovers. We are not lovers. No. Just… I need to get out of my own head.
"Franken, you haven't done anything." Marie said, calmly.
"Okay, you're calling me Franken," Stein continued, "so that either means that I've done something really minor, or it's so incredibly major that this is the calm before the storm."
"Franken, you can stop that." Marie stood from her chair, walking over to the kitchen with her coffee cup. When she put the cup down, she squealed with shock as Stein pulled her down to sit on his lap on the desk chair.
"What is it?" he asked, darkly.
"Franken, you let me go right now!" Marie exclaimed, half-heartedly hitting Stein in the arm.
"Not until you tell me what's the matter." Stein said as Marie struggled against his hold.
"Let. Me. Go." Marie warned.
"I don't want to do it, but I'll soul-stitch you to the chair if I have to." Stein gave a little sadistic grin.
Oh, that damn soul-stitching. You soul-stitched me to the bed in my dream. Ugh, you and your infernal soul-stitching.
"Just tell me, Marie, and I'll let you go." Stein chuckled in her ear, which did not quell her impure thoughts about the scientist.
"No." Marie insisted.
"Come on." Stein said, and he poked her in the side, just under her ribs. He knew that she was ticklish.
"Franken, don't… you… dare." Marie hissed.
"Tell me what's the matter and I won't have to stoop to such pitiful levels." Stein said. Marie pouted and squeezed her eyes shut tightly. She couldn't deal with the tickling. She was goin to break.
"You're going to laugh at me. Or hate me. Or never look at me again." Marie mumbled. Stein let the Deathscythe go and stand to her feet and as she turned around the embarrassment on her face did not waiver.
"What is it?" Stein asked. Marie looked down at the floor and clenched her jaw.
"I… You… We… I had… I can't say it." Marie mumbled. Stein stood up and looked at the blonde.
"Marie…" Stein said, his tone stern. Marie looked down and turned her feet inwards.
"I had a dream and you were doing naughty things to me." Marie looked away and covered her face with her hands, crouching down as though her confession would evoke some sort of nuclear reaction. Instead, Stein gave a sigh of relief and a tiny chuckle. Marie turned around and hissed at his,
"You said you wouldn't laugh!" Marie exclaimed.
"No, no, it's a laugh of relief." Stein promised.
"…What?" Marie asked. Stein sat down and rubbed the back of his neck.
"Last night, you kept calling out my name. And I kept coming into your room to check on you, and you were writing around like you were having a seizure or something." Stein said. Marie's eyes widened and she blushed furiously.
"You saw it?" Marie asked. Stein nodded, but could no longer keep it strictly professional.
"At least now I know it wasn't a seizure you were having, ti was an o-"
"Don't even." Marie hissed, brandishing her now transformed mallet arm in Stein's face.
"Sorry, sorry." Stein held his hands up in surrender. Marie looked down and wrung her hands.
"I can't believe I just told you that." Marie mumbled.
"Well, I mean… it's good that you trusted me enough to tell me." Stein quipped.
"You threatened me with tickling. That's not fair." Marie pouted.
"Well… sexual dreams are an inherent sign of attraction, you know." Stein stated.
"You think? Wow, I can see your genius shining through." Marie crossed her arms.
"Hey, hey, calm down, I'm not the one who had a sex dream about me." Stein gave a tiny grin, and Marie thwacked him in the arm.
"Shut up."Marie wen tot walk away from Stein, but he piped up.
"Just a little note…" he began. Marie turned around and crossed her arms.
"What? Another witty comment about my dream?" Marie asked.
"No… well… sort of." Stein admitted. Marie sighed and dropped her arms.
"Go on." Marie remarked.
"I can't guarantee it, but I'm fairly sure that real me is more pleasurable than dream me." Stein gave a tiny smirk, scratching the back of his head. Marie gave a small, flirtatious smirk and raised her eyebrows.
"Oh, yeah?" Marie asked.
"Yes. Maybe, one day, you'd be interested in helping me test the theory." Stein crossed his arms. Marie gave a wider smile and looked at the scientist.
"Is this how you proposition all women for sex?" Marie asked. Stein shrugged.
"Pretty much. Not that 'all women' is very many, but still, the point stands." Stein said. Marie sighed and dropped her shoulders.
"I suppose it's okay if it's all in the name of science." Marie bit her lip.
"Does tonight work for you?" Stein asked.
"Tonight sounds fine. I was only planning a night in with my weird roommate, but I think I'll pass." Mare gave a tiny giggle. Stein gave a small smirk and they each went back to their regular routine.
Neither of them could really believe what had just occurred. They could not believe how an awkward conversation had turned into a soon-to-be night of fun and frivolity.
But, then again, neither of them rejected the idea.
And certainly neither of them rejected it later that night.
And, purely for scientific purposes, of course… Stein's theory was proved completely correct.