"Come ON Soul! We're already ten minutes late!"
"Maybe we can just miss it then…" A low grumble sounded from within Soul's room.
"What was that?!"
"I said maybe we can miss it! I don't really need my teeth pulled out. They'll grow in just-"
Silence.
"Soul."
"What." He growled, shuffling into the room with his fist clenched over his aching jaw.
"We're going."
After what seemed like an endless string of crudely worded protests, physical flailing, and a final injection of sedatives, Soul was finally unconscious, his teeth having been pulled fifteen minutes earlier.
"Are you sure he should be out this long?…" The blonde meister cast a worried glance toward her sedated partner.
"He'll be fine." Marie beamed and lightly squeezed the girl's shoulder. "Stein had to give him a bit more than the average patient to…you know…calm him down…"
"Right. Thanks, Miss Marie." Maka smiled wearily, turning back to her weapon as he began to stir.
"Looks like they're finally wearing off." The sweet woman smiled, then sobered a bit. "Now, he might be a little…out of sorts when he comes to thanks to the medication, but he should be fine after a few hours. You did arrange for a ride home, I hope?"
"Yeah. My dad will drive us when he gets out of his meeting with Lord Death."
"Good, good. Alright I have some business of my own to attend to. Can I leave you two alone?"
"Of course, you can count on me!" Maka straightened her posture, folding her hands over her knees with a bright grin.
"Alrighty then. Take good care of our little patient!" And she was gone.
Breathing a sigh of relief, Maka jumped when Soul groaned and wiggled in the dentist's chair.
"AaaaaaAaaAaAAAAh!" He suddenly howled, his fingers limply gripping at his throbbing cheeks. "Wai duz mah fayce feeeyul lyke jellee?! Iz aull fayut feeleeng…"
"It's okay, Soul." She tried to soothe him, but he scooted from under her touch.
"Dun tuch mee, dogtur freeek."
"Soul, I'm not-Oops. Miss Marie forgot to take off your cover." Unpinning the cloth garment, Maka nearly shrieked when Soul suddenly grabbed her wrist. "Death, Soul, don't do that! You almost have me a heart attack!"
"Ssssowy nuuurze" He slurred, his eyes half open. "Lemme kizz it'n mayk id beddur."
"OH no you don't." Maka cried, eyeing the trail of drool on his chin and t-shirt. "Maybe I shoulda left this on after all…"
"Ey! I'm talkina yoo!" He blurted, trying to glare at her but instead insulting a model of the anatomy of the tooth. Giggling, the girl perched next to him and scooted closer, deciding that it could be fun to humor him.
"What? Whaddya want, Soul Eater?" She hid her smirking lips behind a hand.
"I gotta tell ya somethin'."
"Oh really, what's that?"
"Come closer."
"One sec. You got some nasty drool on your face…" She grabbed a tissue and gently dabbed at the black and red blood-laced saliva trailing down the boy's chin. He reclined in the chair, his glossy eyes gazing at her fondly.
"Yoo got pr-ritty 'air. Can ay tuge it?"
"Soul-"
"Ah." He sighed, grabbing her arm again and pulling himself up to her ear.
"Soul, I said wait-"
"Yuh no tha gurl Maakaa?." He babbled, a goofy smile plastered across his lips.
Chuckling, she replied, "Yeah, I know that girl Maka. What about her?"
"Ay lav 'er."
She froze.
"Wh-what?"
"Yooooo 'eard mee! Ay sayd ay luv 'er!"
He was just…under the influence of the medications…no reason to freak out or think he…could be serious…
"Ay dooooo." He flopped back onto the chair and grinned a sloppy, but characteristically devilish, grin that immediately sobered into a serious frown."'S why I'm so meen ta 'er. I canntell 'er."
"Why not? Why can't you tell her?"
"I'mm ssscare." He hummed.
"Scared?"
"Yyyeeaah. Shee mie not lyke me baack an I cann handl tha cuz I'min luv wither."
"O-oh."
"Yyeeah." He folded his hands behind his head, his eyes beginning to close. "Bud." His eyes snapped back open. "Don teller I told ya. Izz a seecrit."
"I-I won't…" She blushed a deep scarlet, her hands shaking as she clenched them on her lap. Could it be…?
"MAKAAAA!" Her father cried, bursting through Stein's door and nearly causing both teens to hit the roof. "I'm so sorry I'm late! The meeting ran long and we had important business and-"
"It's fine, dad. Just take us home, please."
"Alright." Spirit turned, hanging his head. "But you can help that spiky toothed punk to the car. He's so high on meds he might bite me." He commented as Soul lurched up from his seat. Taking his arm, Maka slowly led the boy out to Spirit's car as he babbled incoherently.
"'Ey, when'd you get ere, Maka? Wherzza dogtur?"
"The doctor left, Soul, but it's okay. We're going home now."
"Ogay!" He hummed contentedly as Maka helped him into the car, that blush threatening her countenance.
"Hey, keep all body parts to yourself, Eater!" Spirit hollered when a heavy-headed Soul tried to rest on his partner's shoulder.
Throwing her dad a death glare, Maka propped her partner against the opposite side of the car, hardly suppressing a chuckle as the weapon babbled himself to sleep against the foggy window.
"I love her. I do."
"Tch." She grunted to herself, shaking her pigtails to and fro in an effort to dislodge the thoughts swirling in her mind. There was no way…
"Mmaa…" Soul mumbled in his sleep.
Maka forced her gaze from her partners drooling face to the view outside her window, willing herself to repress the blush rising in her cheeks all the way home.
