"It'll be fun!" Stein looked dubiously at the young woman in front of him. She stared back, her eyes wide and pleading, her hands clasped together in front of her. "Please!"
"I'm not your father, I'm not going to give you or not give you permission."
She laughed and he tilted his head to the side. "I'm not asking for your permission; I'm asking for you to come with us!"
"Us?" Charlotte just smiled, looking to the side. "Who is us, Charlotte?"
"Oh, just me, Rim, Seth… Spirit," there was a gleam in her eyes as she paused for a moment. "We need chaperones after all."
"And what about Seth's partner?"
"Busy. That's why he's coming alone."
Stein was silent. He could feel Rim and Seth's wavelengths waiting for Charlotte outside the classroom; he closed his eyes and focused, trying to find Spirit's and couldn't. He opened his eyes with a sigh, meeting Charlotte's gaze.
"I have experiments that have been waiting for this weekend, Charlotte."
"And they can wait a couple more days, can't they?"
There was something in the tone of her voice that made him pause. "You're not telling me everything, are you?"
The smile on her face was nothing short of a sly smirk. "We may be expecting a guest." Stein cranked the screw in his head, waiting. She didn't disappoint, the smirk slipping into a huge grin as she blurted out the name, "Giriko!" The teen was obviously excited.
Stein was on his feet a second later, his hand wrapped around her wrist and dragging her from the room. Charlotte trailed giggles behind them as he brushed past Seth and Rim. In his haste he didn't even notice that the two boys were standing closer than usual in the empty hallways, or that Seth's arm was draped over Rim's shoulder and they were speaking in hushed tones.
He only stopped when he had pulled Charlotte out of Shibusen and they were nearly halfway back to the Lab, Seth and Rim trailing behind them. His hands found her shoulders, forcing the younger meister to look at him.
"Giriko? What about us warning you to stay away from him don't you understand? He's a wanted war criminal."
Charlotte stared up at him, eyes wide in what Stein realized after a moment was not quite concealed fear. He forced his hands to relax their bruising grip, his head tilting down to lean his forehead against hers, ignoring the souls that bustled around them to quietly say, "Neither of us wants to see you hurt, Charlotte."
She laughed and pulled away from him. "He didn't hurt me at New Year's, or any of us. He lost his chance at revenge, and he's a different person now. Can't you just give him a chance?"
"Yeah, Stein. Let's go camping." Stein just sighed as Spirit's wavelength intruded on his own, and he slipped easily into resonance. They didn't need to converse, the emotions running through Spirit's soul were enough.
"Fine." Stein was certain that noise Charlotte made as he agreed was nothing less than a squeal.
"It's a desert, isn't one place as good as any other?" Seth asked. Rim just yawned from beside him, Charlotte asleep with her head on her weapon's shoulder.
"We're looking for a cave system," Stein answered. "It should be about another 10 minutes from here. It'll have fresh water as there's an underground river that feeds some hot springs as well as being considerably more climate controlled than sleeping under the stars."
"Hot springs? Sounds great." Rim grinned from beside Seth, and this time Stein didn't miss Rim's hand sitting on Seth's thigh in the rear view mirror. He didn't say anything; after all, who was he to judge?
Rim shifted slightly to sit upright and Charlotte yawned as she followed the movement, curling into Rim's side. Seth draped his arm over Rim's shoulder, letting his hand rest on Charlotte's head and his fingers tangle in her hair for a moment before settling on her shoulder. Stein felt a surge of something he didn't completely understand at the casual contact between the three as Rim let his head fall back against the back of the seat.
The next ten minute passed quietly; Spirit stared out the window as he drove, Stein read the map and occasionally pointed out landmarks as the students drifted in and out of sleep in the backseat.
Stein felt Giriko's wavelength long before they saw the man. The demon chainsaw was sitting on a rock in the sunlight, a can of something in his hand, his shirt and gloves gone; normally hidden muscles gleamed beneath a thin sheen of sweat.
"Hey, Rim, wake up," Seth said, pushing the weapon away from him. Charlotte murmured as she sat upright beside the weapon, rubbing sleep out of her eyes as she took in the slowing rumble of the ATV's motor before Stein felt the surge of excitement rush through her.
"Giri-chan!" she crowed, leaning out the window.
Giriko threw his head back, dumping the remainder of the can of beer down his throat before smiling at the now idling vehicle. "Took ya damn slowpokes long enough, didn't it? What, ya get lost makin' ya way out here?"
Before anyone could stop her Charlotte had hopped out of the vehicle and had launched herself at Giriko, hugging him tightly around the waist. To everyone's surprise the chainsaw picked the teen up and flung her over his shoulder.
"That's the hot cheeks I remember! Miss me, didja?" He punctuated the question with a slap on Charlotte's ass. She just laughed as he grinned. "Let's get inside. Beer should be nice and cold."
Stein had wanted to protest against the students drinking. He knew what the legal drinking age was, but memories of New Year's kept resurfacing and he hesitated. He knew what was going on, especially when Rim and Seth, with a half dozen bottle of beer between the two of them, said they were going to the hot spring already half-drunk and leaning all over each other, barely able to stand.
He looked over at Charlotte, the teen sitting cushioned in Giriko's lap, a smile on her face and a bottle of tequila in her hand, and couldn't help but wonder if maybe she was right about Giriko moments before Spirit pressed a bottle into his hand and draped an arm over Stein's shoulder.
"She likes him, you know, but only when the two of us are here," Spirit said quietly. "She's fine with you alone, but if he's here both of us have to be. She's strange."
"She's 19," Stein said, but he didn't bother moving away from the weapon, the bottle Spirit had handed him dangling from his fingertips.
"I remember being 19. Miss it, though I don't miss Maka's terrible twos," Spirit said without the usual melancholy in his voice when he would speak of Maka. Stein was grateful.
"A lot has changed."
"Yeah. Well, let's go."
"Go?" Stein looked over at Spirit, noticing now that the weapon was obviously in the beginning stages of drunk.
"Yeah. Going to make sure she enjoys being 19 more than I did." Spirit took a quick drink of the alcohol in his hand, his other sliding down to grab Stein's wrist. "Rim and Seth are geniuses. To the hot springs."
They couldn't see Rim when they first came around the corner that led to the hot springs, but his absence was quickly explained as the weapon came up for air, his left hand remaining underwater as he kissed a nearly breathless Seth.
"Wait!" Charlotte called out, attracting both Rim and Seth's attention as she darted forward, stripping out of her shirt and pants with practiced ease. Her bra fell to the ground behind her and she stopped briefly to remove her thongs before dropping into the water with the two teens, a smile on her face as she swam over to them before it changed to a pout and she said, "You left me behind."
Stein felt something that he was acutely aware of rush through his veins, and he felt Spirit's hand squeeze his shoulder as Giriko gave a low whistle.
"She replace the two of you already?" Stein was speechless, his hand clenching into a fist as Giriko laughed. "Seems you didn't know that she was 'playing' with someone else, didja?"
Rim's voice cut through the cluster of Stein's thoughts and sent Spirit into laughter. "Don't worry, we know all about your games… and we don't play with Charlotte like that. Seth would be too jealous."
"Hey, we did offer," Seth countered, "and you're the one who didn't want to share."
"Me? You're the one who said you couldn't stand the thought of seeing her kiss me," Rim laughed, splashing water at the other teen.
Charlotte moved in between them, her arms draping across the two young men and making them support her lithe body as grinned at the three individuals still on shore before winking at Rim. "It's alright; they both want me but don't want to share so they have made up a story to convince themselves otherwise. They're settling for each other!"
Seth and Rim both laughed as Giriko hopped into the water, his arms wrapping around Charlotte and lifting her from the water before settling in her spot, the teen in his lap. He looked at both boys as they drifted away from him slightly, and then up at Stein and Spirit. "Sausage fest you got here, doc. Couldn't ya bring that blonde from before? Heard that old red there was into some black haired Asian beauty too. Couldn't bring her either?"
Spirit's face went red enough to match his hair, and Stein laughed. "Marie is in Oceania. Azusa is too, but there's nothing going on between her and Spirit."
"Then you'll have to find a way to make up for it. I'll miss that Marie though. She was…" Giriko paused for a moment before smirking, "Well, let's say 'inventive'."
Stein's hand was clenched into a fist and in Giriko's face before anyone realized that the scientist had entered the water, his glasses fogged from the steam and his lab coat billowing on top of the water.
Giriko broke suddenly tense silence with laughter. "I always knew you was sweet on that old blonde! Not that I gots anything against that. But you'd think you had a claim on her, ya damn screw head, with as possessive as ya are." Giriko looked slyly over at where Charlotte was leaning against Rim, the weapon having managed to pull her out of the way. "'Sides, I know from experience that ya possessive of more than just blondes… though if I guess right, this one ain't always had black hair, have ya sweet cheeks?"
Spirit's hands were on Stein's shoulders then and the death scythe was pulling the scientist back and away from the other weapon. "Damnit, Stein, is that something you want them to see? I know you're possessive, but for Death's sake, don't give Giriko ammunition!" Spirit released Stein a short moment later, the tension draining out of Stein's body.
"- used to be blonde…" Charlotte was saying, a blush on her face, Giriko's attention already back on her.
"Maybe the doc's just got a thing for blondes," Giriko said as he brushed some of his hair from his face. "Maybe he thinks my hair is dark blonde instead of brown, would explain a lot. Doesn't explain old red there, though. Not sure they fuck though. Maybe they just share." Charlotte laughed, his arm draped around her side, Rim and Seth already oblivious to the others again. Stein's body tensed up again as he looked at the pair.
"Stein!" Spirit hissed, and pushed a bottle of something into Stein's hand. The meister didn't even bother to look and see what it was; he just threw his head back and took a straight shot. The alcohol burned like fire going down his throat, but he managed not to cough himself hoarse, the burn different but no worse than some of the cigarettes he had smoked. He focused on taking another swig, ignoring the fact that Charlotte's giggles were getting louder and that he knew that Charlotte was naked underneath the thin layer of water.
Spirit's hands were moving down his shoulders, and Stein realized after a second that the death scythe was pulling his lab coat off, the weapon's suit jacket and shirt already gone. Stein stood still letting the death scythe undress him, relaxing slowly, focusing only on the weapon beside him, letting his wavelength slowly reach out to Spirit's, knowing that there wouldn't be rejection. Never would be, never could be. The water seemed to mirror the placid wavelength and Stein started to relax.
"So they have fucked!" Giriko's voice cut through Stein's mental concentration, shattering his fragile grip on peace.
Surprisingly, Spirit's voice cut through the din of Giriko's laughter. "So what if we have, Giriko? You jealous? Stein and I both have reputations that you seem to be lacking. Only thing that you're known for is downing more alcohol than even me. At least we're known for something else."
"Then what ya saying is that ya got experience on both sides of the fence, Red?" Giriko stood, the water cascading down his chest as he moved to Spirit, a sly smirk on his face. Charlotte watched from where she floated beside Rim and Seth.
"Again, jealous?" Spirit asked, his hand still on Stein's shoulder, a smirk stretching his face.
"Everything is an experiment," Stein said suddenly. "Myself, my weapon partner. I never said they were all scientific in nature, even if conducted scientifically, although I hardly believe that the details are your concern."
"And if I want to make them my business? Maybe I want in on this experiment of yours, with a few variables of my own?" Giriko asked, half turning to the meister, ripples rushing away from him.
A thought crossed Stein's mind and he grinned a little too suddenly, he could feel the worry that flickered through Spirit's soul. "Then allow me to demonstrate."
Spirit's hand catching Stein's wrist was the only thing that stopped the scalpel that the meister had pulled from his half undone pants from burying itself in Giriko's side.
"What the hell, ya damn screw head?!" the chainsaw shouted as he moved backwards, nearly floundering in the water, and despite his position beside Stein Spirit couldn't help but chuckle. "What's so fuckin' funny, Red?"
Spirit turned slightly and raised his left arm, the same side that Stein had been aiming for on Giriko, and revealed a long, thin scar. Silence fell for a moment, just the gentle lapping of the water hitting the rocky sides of the hot springs breaking it, before Spirit turned to look at Stein.
"I thought I was the only one that you were going to mark like that, Kohai."
"Forgive me, Senpai. He seemed… eager." Stein's eyes betrayed the apology. He was finally enjoying himself.
"I think that what we all need is a little more to drink. Maybe some food later. Sound good? Need to break the tension a bit" Spirit said, moving out of the hot spring and to the side where he had left a cooler. "Cold beer and hot water is always nice, and we've got some sandwiches."
Seth and Rim hadn't needed much more to be completely hammered, and now their panting breaths were mixing with the lapping of the water against the rocks, Seth's half-cries as Rim pushed into him filling the small cavern and making Charlotte tremble from her spot near them. She was less than five feet from the involved pair, yet it may as well have been miles, the two teens oblivious to anyone else.
Charlotte crossed her legs, her bottom lip caught between her teeth as she tried to ignore their slightly blurry forms, but her alcohol addled brain wondered why she was trying to and she closed her eyes to focus a bit on the why. She opened her eyes a moment later and started backwards, Giriko and Stein both in front of her with matching smirks on their faces.
"We…" Giriko said slowly, drawing the word out for much longer than necessary, "have… an idea…"
"An experim… ent," Stein volunteered. Spirit's laughter echoed from behind them, momentarily drowning out the panting cries of Seth.
Spirit draped his arms over Stein and Giriko's shoulders and leaned in towards the girl. "You see, Stein won't let Giriko near you unless he's there, but with the other two over there occupied, that'd leave me all by my lonesome…" Spirit's voice dropped to a near whisper, "And even though he acts like a tight ass, he isn't… at least that way, and he doesn't want me to miss out on all the fun either."
Stein was wearing a lopsided smirk as he leaned in, his voice low as well. "To fix that…well… I trust Senpai…" he glanced over at Giriko, his eyes glinting and she realized suddenly that he wasn't wearing his glasses, "so he'll be… here." Stein moved and pushed Spirit forward. The death scythe splashed a bit, nearly pitching head first into the water and Charlotte's lap. "And I'll be… here…" Stein's arms wrapped around Spirit's waist, eliciting a moan from the death scythe, "and Giriko will be…"
"Here." Charlotte squealed a bit as Giriko moved behind her, lifting the girl slightly and settling her into his lap.
"It that acceptable?" Spirit asked with a bit of a smirk, moving closer to the teen.
She could only nod.
She lost track of how long it had been, reclining on Giriko, her body moving not of its own volition, but by the powerful movements of the men that surrounded her. Giriko's arms held hers to her sides, pulling her against his body with each upward thrust, the water cushioning the force and pushing her up and into Spirit's downward thrusts. The death scythe was panting over top of her, Stein behind him, one hand on Spirit's hip, one hand tangled in Spirit's hair.
"Deep breath!" Giriko urged her suddenly and she could only nod mutely before sucking in a deep breath of air.
She went under the water, Giriko leaning back and Spirit and Stein following. The movement drove the weapons deeper into her than previously, but without the force that gravity would normally cause. She almost cried out, her hand reaching up to brace on the stone wall, Giriko allowing her arms to move as his hands wrapped around her breasts, gently kneading them. The roughness of the stone proved a wonderful counterpoint to the smoothness of the water, of the silky texture of her partner's skin. As both men moved faster she could feel their heartbeats speeding up, could feel the burning in her lungs as her own matched theirs. She vaguely heard a splash as Stein came up for air, her head thrown back and resting against Giriko's chest, her eyes clenched tight as Stein thrust forward, forcing Spirit into her at the same time as Giriko thrust up.
She couldn't keep from whimpering as they repeated the movement, both men's hands tightening on her, their bodies tensing as they forced ahead as hard as they could, the water cushioning it and making it something less than frantic, changing the motions to something smooth and slow; something that drove the young woman to arch her back, whimpering deep in her throat as she realized she couldn't handle it anymore, her body clenching and a stream of bubbles escaping from her nose as she fought to remember to hold her breath, the weightless environment intensifying everything, the water heightening her awareness of it all.
Her vision went black for a moment as she felt the convulsions of their release moments after hers and the next thing she knew they were lifting her limp body from the water and collapsing beside her on the warm stone. Their breathing was deep gasping breaths and she couldn't help but start laughing.
Spirit propped himself up on an elbow to look down at her. "What's so funny?"
"We could have drowned!" she laughed out.
"Yeah, but what a way to go," Giriko said quietly, and even Stein chuckled.
A/N: Written for TheAUWalker, it features her OCs Rim and Charlotte (not sure who owns Seth, sorry). I don't own Soul Eater or any of the characters that appear in this fic. Prompted from the word "Cave", a request for smut and a "SawLette"+some.