He gasped and his eyes flew open. His arms instantly found his wife and he soon had her pressed up against his heaving chest. Slowly, after being reassured of her safety, his heart's thundering went down to a patter and his breaths came even and controlled. He pressed his lips against her blond tresses, allowing her presence to sooth him as it always did.
She groaned and nuzzled into him, wrapping her own arms around him. She felt his grip on her and instantly knew what had happened and what he needed. She let out a soft sigh. "Are you okay, Kid?"
He nodded against her not trusting his voice quite yet.
She pulled back from him slightly to look up at his face. His golden eyes met her emerald gaze before he pulled her back to him again and buried his face in her hair again, letting the scent of her apple shampoo wash over him and the strands of silk tickle his face.
She sighed again, knowing he'd need time before he spoke about it. Instead of questioning him further, she let her fingers run over the smooth skin of his chest, both for his comfort and her pleasure. She was always awed by how flawless his skin was, or how he managed to have such pale skin in such a warm climate. She supposed it was part of being a shinigami.
As were the nightmares and sleepless nights.
But she was there to help him through those nights and to pacify any bitterness that may grow from the job.
"Maka..." He mumbled quietly, so quietly she almost didn't hear him.
"The same one?"
"No... Different." Yet another reason he prefers patterns, balances... He knows what to expect.
"Do you want to talk about it?" She asked quietly, bringing her hand up to his face. She let her eyes meet his again, letting him know she was genuinely concerned and curious.
He closed his eyes and let his head turn into the soft touch of his hand. He sighed and opened his eyes again. She already knew what he'd say at this point, but he still said it despite her awareness. "I'd rather not, Maka."
She nodded and leaned up, pressing her lips to his cheek. "I'm here for you, Kid." She mumbled against his cheek before pulling away.
Before she could turn around, he pulled her face up to his again and pressed his soft lips against hers. She smiled slightly against his lips and then he pulled away, looking down at her with such adoration at love it knocked the breath out of her. And she returned his gaze with a warm smile and a small peck on the lips. She pulled herself up into a sitting position and rested her back against the headboard. She held out her arms and he smiled slightly, pulling himself up to rest his head on her stomach and drape his arm over her legs. She chuckled, making him smile when he felt it, and rested one arm over his back, hugging him to herself, and threaded one hand through his hair. She began combing through it, pulling out the tangles and he let his eyes close as her fingers sifted through his hair. The lines of Sanzu had finally connected and he felt no reason to be self-conscious about his hair anymore.
Kid and Maka had gotten together about a year after the final battle with the kishin. Then about four years after that they got engaged and five months later, they were married. While they were dating, Maka got Soul to the Death Scythe rank and was well on her way of making herself one. He turned Liz and Patti into Death Scythes during that time, and they became all his once again seven months after he married Maka. Now here they were, two years into the job and together for the long haul.
He felt himself starting to drift off again and shook his head slightly, giving Maka pause. She tugged lightly on his hair and he looked up at her, confused as to why she was upset. She sighed. "Why are you avoiding sleep, honey?"
He closed his eyes but she didn't miss the emotion she saw leak into his eyes. Fear was evident, and strangely she also witnessed grief. "I'm not tired."
"Is this about your father?" She asked quietly. His eyes shot open in surprise and he turned to her with a look of confusion on his face. "Your eyes were grieving."
He groaned. Why did his wife have to be the observant type? "Don't worry about it, Maka. And no it isn't about my father."
She nodded and bit her lip. "Alright, I get it. I'll back off. Just, don't deprive yourself of sleep because of a dream, okay?"
He hesitated and she scowled. "Kid, it was just a dream. You're a full grown man and a shinigami, what in the world could have possibly scared you this much? The number seven?" She said jokingly.
Although he'd gotten better control of his OCD, the mention of the number did cause him to shudder with disgust. But then he thought of her original question and was brought into a somber demeanor, no matter how hard his heart was thumping with fear on the inside or how much his eyes burned.
She gasped, her pools of green widening. "Oh Kid, I'm sorry!"
He blinked at her then realized he was crying when she moved her soft hands forward to wipe his tears away. His throat felt constricted and he found his chest hurting. She looked on at him with concern and he soon sat up, crushing her body to his in a hug. "I... I thought... I lost you, Maka."
She hugged him back, although not as tightly, and began to whisper sweet nothings in his ear to calm him down. Tears continued to fall and his hiccups were silent as he clung onto her. She closed her eyes, trying to fend off her own tears. It was rare to see her husband cry like this, and the last time she'd seen him this upset was when his father died. She remembered that Kid had felt as though he had technically killed his father, and while his father did have to die in order for Kid to take over, it still pained him. It hurt her to know that this time she was the reason for his sorrow. "It's all okay, honey. I'm right here, I'm not going anywhere."
He pulled back from her and there was something akin to anger in his eyes. "That's just it, love. You will. You're going to leave me, and soon. I will live for centuries, and you won't be able to be there by my side. You're human and you're going to die long before I ever do."
She went still at his revelation and he regretted opening his mouth. Before he could apologize though, she interrupted him with a heated kiss. When she pulled back he was very dazed and very confused. She glared at him. "I love you Death the Kid, and that's that. You're probably right and I probably am going to die long before you do, but that just means that we need to enjoy the time we have together before it ends rather than worrying about how it'll be when it does. Yes, it might be kind of weird to turn into an old prune while you still look young, but hey. That just means I'll always have a really handsome husband. Not that I think you'll look gross old, but you definitely look mighty fine right now.
"Back to my point, I know that it'll hurt to see me die. I know that for a long time, you'll feel alone. But you're not alone. You'll always be surrounded by people who love you and adore you and want nothing but to see you happy. And just because I'll be dead doesn't mean that I won't be able to give a good chop if you start thinking otherwise. I will haunt you if you if you recede into yourself when I die. Because I'll still be with you and I sure as hell don't want to die knowing that I've killed you." By the end of her rant tears were pouring at a slow pace down her angry red cheeks. He stared at her for a long time, letting her words sink in.
He realized that the heaviness in his chest lightened and he could breathe a bit easier. He nodded solemnly and smiled at her. "Thank you Maka, I needed to hear that."
She nodded once firmly then wiped her eyes and grinned at him. "You know I love you, Kid."
"I love you too, Maka." He pulled her into a hug, resting his cheek against her neck. He leaned up and whispered into her ear. "By the way, you're too beautiful to ever look like an old prune."
She smirked and looked away from him. "Says you."
"Yes, and when a God declares something, it's usually true." He said nibbling on her ear.
She giggled and he pushed her down onto the mattress. "Kid, it's too late at night to be doing this."
"It's never too late to show you I love you." He retorted, causing her to snort and give into him.
After that, while she lay draped across his chest, he made it his duty to be happy for her and to make sure she knew she was loved too. For his time with her, he wouldn't worry about what the future would bring. He would just savor every moment of her presence. And she would him.