"Screw you!"
Maka yells as another contraction tears through her, gripping her husband's hand tighter than before. His tanned hand is practically white by now.
"Isn't that what got us into this?" Soul asks, raising an eyebrow. He's been joking around since the start to deal with his nervousness, but that really doesn't seem to be working.
She grits her teeth in pain and gives him the scariest glare that he's ever seen before. He's seen some scary glares from her, but this one was downright terrifying. His wife was not having it today.
The last Death Scythe immediately recoils and looks away, but he can't go far because she doesn't let go of his hand. But if there happened to be a book nearby and she wasn't currently in labor, he is sure that she'd smash the book so hard into his cranium that he'd die. Instantly. He reminds himself to never piss her off like this ever again (although, granted, she wanted a kid in the first place).
"Don't you dare ever do this to me again! Do you hear me, Soul Eater? NEVER AGAIN!" Maka screeches, squeezing his hand even tighter than ever. Soul gulps, paling. "Y-Yes, dear."
He's barely known how to deal with her these past three quarters of a year, and because she's usually been angry or too emotional, he's been very freaked out in almost everything that he says. He blames it on the hormones, but she's always been more on the easily angered side anyways. He has resorted to saying "Yes, dear" a lot lately to try and calm her, and that usually works and doesn't upset her any more.
She lets out a cry of agony, and he's immediately alert again. She refused the epidural earlier because of something along the lines of "we've fought over two hundred prekishins, a few witches, and a kishin, I'm sure I can handle the pain of having a baby without pain medication after all of that," but now she's paying for it.
And it doesn't help that she's completely terrified of pain.
When she's not busy yelling at him for making jokes to calm himself down, she's screaming, and that scares the living shit out of him. As if he wasn't scared enough about their kid coming into the world!
He may have read a lot of parenting books- even more than Maka and to the point where he was always reading and she'd yell at him for it- but he certainly wasn't prepared for THIS.
He's already out of his element. He never even imagined that he'd become a father one day, so this is terrifying for him. Actually, he's been scared since the day that she said that she wanted kids.
He's secretly always wanted a kid or two so he could teach them how to be "cool," but he never thought that he'd find anyone for himself in the first place. Maka had certainly surprised him whenever she told him for the first time that she loved him.
Being taught from an early age that he was worth nothing except for playing the piano, he didn't think anyone would ever love him. If he doesn't mean anything other than for his music, why should he mean anything to anyone else?
-But that all changed when he met Maka. That day when he played for her in the music room, he displayed his soul for her. He made sure she knew exactly who he was. She was the only one he'd ever opened up to. For the first time, someone saw him as worth something. She saw him as Soul Eater, his own person, rather than just Soul Evans, the rich boy who could play piano. She never cared for his past- if you truly love someone, you just accept who they are and don't judge how their life was before you met them.
He didn't even know why exactly he was so personal with her from the start, but maybe it was the way she looked at him. Maybe it was the calm feeling that her wavelength emitted. Maybe he knew she was trustworthy already due to her immediate openness and honesty. Or maybe, just maybe, he could already sense that she was special.
She liked him for him, and not just for his piano playing when he first played for her. She didn't even judge him for his own twisted compositions or mock him much like his very own family had. She liked how dark and different his soul was and wanted to be his partner.
She was the first person to see through the cracks that he was so desperate to hide in front of his family and accepted him, flaws and all. That was all that he needed, really- someone who finally could understand him and stay with him despite everything.
So naturally, he fell in love with her over their years as partners. They had an unconventional relationship at first, being two young teens of the opposite gender who weren't really sure how to live away from their parents and being a part of a larger-than-life school to fight the evils of the world, but maybe that's why he grew to like her so much anyways. He eventually asked her out after the final battle with the kishin, and when she said yes, he finally felt like he had worth. Someone loved him for himself.
When they decided to get married, they had a talk about their future together, and that included kids. He just...never thought that it'd end up being real one day. It all still seemed surreal, being here with her now.
But it's all so real and true now, and he can't help but feel nervous. What if his kid didn't like him? What if he was a bad father? He didn't want to be like his parents at all, but what if he ended up just as strict? What if Maka realizes that he really IS worthless and leaves him and takes the baby with her?
He's brought back to reality when Maka says his name. He hadn't realized that he'd spaced out.
He immediately looks to her and notices her jade green eyes are riddled with worry. She isn't having a contraction right now, so she is calmer but still exhausted.
"Yeah?" Damn. His voice just cracked. "What's wrong?" She asks, rubbing her thumb over his hand in gentle little circles.
He offers her a small, toothy smile. "I'm fine, don't worry about me. Just focus on the baby."
She narrows her olive green eyes at him. "Soul, we both know that I'm not having this baby while you're upset."
"I'm not upset! And you can't just NOT have the baby! It doesn't work that way!" He argues.
"Soul Eater Evans," he gulps at the sound of his full name, "you have five seconds to tell me what's bothering you before I Maka Chop the hell out of you."
"Sorry, Maka..." He says sheepishly, a guilty smile on his face. Her eyes soften. "Soul..."
He sighs and runs his free hand through his soft white hair. "Well, I'm just nervous. I know it's cliché- and clichés are NOT cool- but I'm just worried that she won't like me. What if...what if I'm not a good father? Not cool enough for her? What if I turn out like-" He chokes on his words, absolutely horrified, "-my parents?"
Her eyes soften more in understanding. "Soul..." She sighs softly. "She's going to love you. You're her father, and they always say that a girl's father is her first love." She pauses, thinking over what else to say. He watches her silently, mulling that over.
"And you're going to be the coolest father ever, remember? You told me a long time ago that you'd be. And you're nothing like your parents, Soul, you know that. You couldn't ever be like them- you're too special, too unique. Your parents were very rigid in their thinking. I know you're going to do just fine."
"Thanks." His voice is so quiet and distant, and he has stopped looking at her. Her words are reaching him, but he still can't help but feel as if he's not good enough again- like when he'd play the piano and his instructor would hit his hands when he played a note wrong...or when his parents would fawn over Wes when he was also in the room.
In the grand scheme of his life, he was used to mediocrity. Never being good enough has always haunted him day in and out, and he only sometimes could forget that feeling for a little when he was with Maka. No one else could tame that raging insecurity the way she could.
"Soul, look at me." She pleads, turning his hand over in hers.
His blood red eyes met her olive ones slowly, trying to stop his mind from dwelling on the past.
She says each word with a calm, loving tone, as if she's thought of this entire speech before. She must know him too well. "You're completely different from your parents. You decided that you wanted to make your own path and follow your own dreams instead of becoming the renowned musician that they tried forcing you to be. You played your own music, even if it went against everything you were ever taught. Soul, that shows that you're special. And you went to the DWMA despite your family's distaste and gave up your wealth! They'd never do what you've done in a million years. THAT sets you apart from them and makes you so much cooler. Soul, you'll never be like them, and you're going to be the best father ever. I just know that, okay? Please believe me when I say that everything'll be fine."
He finally manages a genuine smile. "Thanks for cheering me up, Maka. I'm sorry you had to see me being so uncool." She waves it off, and he ruffles her hair affectionately. "You're gonna be the coolest mother ever."
She giggles a bit and grins. Then, she cups his cheek in her hand gently and pulls his face closer to hers. Her lips meet his, and for just a brief moment, everything is okay, their lips melded together in perfect harmony-
-That is, until Soul notices tears pricking at Maka's eyes that she's trying to suppress. It only takes a few seconds before she quickly pulls away, screaming at the unwelcome feeling of pain.
Oh, right.
He doesn't miss a beat and immediately takes her hand again, and she practically squeezes the death out of it.
It's all too long as Soul watches his wife suffer. Maka has always been afraid of pain, so he doesn't understand why she wouldn't swallow her pride and take the stupid epidural. He can hardly watch her cry out in agony, and it hurts him to see her this way.
Why was this taking so long?
After many more tears and screams, a wail pierces their eardrums. Maka breathes heavily, trying to relax. Soul's expression changes from the worry that was displayed on it moments before. He's unreadable with the vast amount of emotions flooding his systems. "She's finally here." He thinks, his mind going a million miles a minute.
He can't even process what the frantic nurses are doing. His eyes are on Maka and only Maka.
She is paler than he ever could've imagined she'd get. Her breathing is still labored. He doesn't know what to do other than hold her hand.
His heart races. "What's going on, why is Maka so pale and weak all of a sudden, where's my baby girl, what-?"
His thoughts screech to a halt abruptly as soon as the nurse in front of him speaks up. "Mr. Evans? Would you like to hold your daughter?"
He blinks, only to see a little baby girl wrapped in a soft pink blanket in the nurse's arms. The baby still wails, flailing about unhappily. Apparently her first few breaths of air weren't good enough.
His heart skips a beat. "U-Uh, yeah." The nurse nods with a smile and places his baby in his arms. "Make sure to support her head- yes, like that- mhm, and make sure you hold her close so she doesn't fall- great, you're doing just fine!" She praises.
Soul carefully cradles his newborn daughter, treating her as if she could break at any moment. He's doing surprisingly well holding a baby for the first time in a few years- the last time he held a baby was when he held his nephew at his own wedding. "Hey, baby girl. Shhh, it's okay. Papa's here. You're cool."
The infant looks up at him, her dark eyes misty and lips trembling before letting out another wail. His own blood red eyes soften. "She looks so much like her mother..." He whispers, watching her closely.
His thoughts suddenly halt at the realization of his wife's condition. "Maka!"
He looks over quickly to see her laying there with her eyes closed peacefully.
She's never looked quite that calm before...which is unnerving. She should be yelling at him or fawning over their newborn daughter or something, anything but resting completely.
He walks closer, his heart breaking at the sight of her. "Maka..." The nurses are worried and run around desperately.
"Mr. Evans, we have to ask you to step away." One nurse says after a minute. His mouth opens to protest, his sharp teeth showing, but the crying baby in his arms reminds him to give her his attention. He sighs, his thoughts back in a jumble. "Fine."
He reluctantly steps back. The nurses pull a curtain around his wife's bed and rush in and out.
His heart beats all too quickly in his chest. What's going on? Why is she doing so horribly now? How can birth take her down? They fight prekishins all the time and almost die on many occasions! How can this possibly be it?
He can feel himself panicking, and he desperately clings to the hope that she'll be alright. He just silently begs her to wake up or at least show some sign of being okay.
All through this, he lightly rocks his daughter. "Kiddo, it'll be okay. I promise. Mama's gonna be alright. We just have to be patient..."
He can feel the tears coming, but he can't cry. Not now. Not in front of his newborn who's finally calming down. Not now, when there's still hope.
Maka wouldn't want him to.
But he can't ease the horrible sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. He's her weapon partner and husband, for Death's sake! He's always been the one to protect her! It's too painful to watch helplessly from the sidelines and not be able to help her.
She means everything to him- no, she IS his everything. Nothing has ever come close to how much she means to him, and he can't lose her. Not now, not today. The day that she dies is the day that he does.
Up until his last breath, he vowed to protect her, and he sure as hell isn't breaking that vow now. He just has to pray and have faith that she'll make it through this as she has with everything else in their lives so far.
"She's Maka Eater Evans- she can do anything." He mumbles to himself.
He lightly nudges her soul with his own through their natural resonance, praying for God to save her.
It feels like forever until the curtain is finally pulled away, and he takes note of her steady breathing and open eyes. He rushes over, careful to mind their now quiet infant, and pulls her to him with one arm and holds their baby close in his other arm. He buries his face in her hair, just comforted to see her. "Thank Death you're alright!"
She smiles fondly as if she wasn't almost dying a minute ago and hugs him and their baby. "Yeah, I'm fine. Did you think I'd leave you that easily...?"
He manages a pained laugh that breaks her heart a little. "You certainly scared me enough into thinking that." His voice cracks, and she frowns. She can still see the lingering desperation in his eyes. She wants to talk on the subject, but she knows that he won't answer even if she tries to start that conversation. He shifts a bit. "Wanna hold her...?"
She nods eagerly and scooches over on her hospital bed, inviting him to continue staying right by her side, and he carefully transfers the baby from his arms to hers. He then wraps his arm around her and uses his other arm to support her arms holding their little girl.
"She's so perfect." Maka whispers. "Look at her, Soul. She's ours. I can't believe it."
"I can." Soul says softly, and she looks up at him curiously. "Hm?"
She's never seen such a happy expression on his face before. "I can believe that she's ours because I love you, Maka."
She brightens and rests her forehead against his. "Of course. And I love you too, Soul." He grins and kisses her nose.
The new parents immediately look down when they hear their baby cooing softly.
"Hey, little one," Maka whispers, "it's Mama here." "And Papa." Soul adds gently. She laughs softly. "It's nice to finally meet you."
The baby looks up at them and reaches up to them happily. Maka giggles quietly and takes her tiny hand in between her thumb and index finger gently. She looks up at Soul. "Are we still naming her what we already wanted to...?"
He nods with a smile. "Yeah. She looks like a Chiaki."
She smiles gently. "Chiaki Eater Evans. Yup, it suits her perfectly."
He grins and squeezes her lightly in a hug. "Mhm."
"Chiaki." Soul says quietly, and the newly named baby looks up at him curiously. She then shoves her other hand in her mouth.
Soul and Maka laugh softly. "She's gonna be just like you." Maka teases playfully. "No, she's clearly going to be like you from that!" Soul teases back.
She gasps. "Hey! I don't suck on my hands!"
"But neither do I!"
And so the new parents bicker like they already do so often, Chiaki falling asleep in their arms.
They stop arguing when they notice this and glance at each other lovingly. Their lips touch, savoring their moment together.
Everything is perfect now. Even if troubles come with tomorrow, right now, everything is right with the world. Everything is finally okay.
They couldn't possibly be happier.
Author's Note: Hiya! I'm brand new to (although I've been lurking here for five years). Soul x Maka is my absolute favorite pairing, and I really wanted to write a cute one-shot for them. I actually wrote this a year ago, but I have spruced it up a bit since then and am of course just now posting it since I recently got an account. I'd love it if you could leave a review and let me know if you liked this! If you like this, I DO have a prequel that I'm on the fence about posting. Lemme know what you think! Constructive criticism is welcomed, but no flames, please! By the way, I'm not sure how much I like Chiaki's name, I really wanted to name her something else because I'm not sure if I like how her name fits with Soul and Maka but was stuck for ideas, so I named her that. If you get the Easter egg in her name, though, comment about it! Maybe I'll write a short one-shot with a prompt you give me if you get it right. :)
Thank you so much for reading! Have a great day~!