Disclaimer: I don't own Soul Eater.

A/N: This is my first Soul Eater fic. I've recently become obsessed and I really enjoy this pairing. Hope you enjoy!

I can't sleep again, Soul thought bitterly as he watched the clock tick. It was 3:15am.

Grumbling, he swung his feet off the side of his bed and quietly slunk into the kitchen for a glass of water. He had a history of insomnia and knew better than to lie awake in the dark. It was lonely.

Soul couldn't remember what he was dreaming about when he awoke, but he felt hot and sweaty. Was I dreaming about the battle with the Kishin? No…

He rubbed his eyes and tried to remember the dream. He saw flashes of skin. Maka had been there. He scratched his head in frustration. Maka had been breathing heavily, and calling his name.

It's just a dream, he reminded himself as the sound echoed in his ears. Nothing to worry about.

Still, impulsively, he moved towards Maka's bedroom. The door was shut but if he leaned his ear against it he could hear her calm rhythmic breathing. It was soothing, like music.

Yawning, he settled down cross-legged with his back against the door. I'll just sit here and listen for a minute, he thought as he closed his eyes.

I'm dreaming again, Soul realized. He was floating alone in darkness. Where am I? The dark was thick and penetrating, and the air was chilly. I don't think I like this…he thought, remembering Kid's vivid description of "nothingness" from the book of Eibon. It was different than the darkness from the black blood, which always materialized into a door or room with that despicable little demon waiting.

You're just dreaming, Soul. Keep cool. But he could feel his heart rate increasing.

"Soul!" a voice called out cheerfully. "I've been waiting for you!"

He squinted, but there was no way to make anything out in the darkness. "Maka?" he called out. "Where are you?"

"Soul!" she called again. "I'm right here."

"Where?" he shouted. "I can't see anything in this!" He started to get tense. What if I'm not actually dreaming? He thought. This feels real enough to be the inside of my soul.

"Soul!" Maka's voice rang out again. "Calm down Soul," the voice said comfortingly. "I'm right here."

Soul felt arms around his waist and realized Maka had appeared. "It's okay," she said. "You're just dreaming." She pulled herself closer and leaned against his chest. "I can hear your heartbeat."

"Soul?" Maka's actual voice woke him. "What are you doing here?"

It took him a minute to realize he was lying on the floor outside Maka's room and not in his own bed.

"Oh…" She found me. This isn't cool. "I guess I was sleepwalking…" he said weakly. Maka would see through the excuse immediately – Soul often had trouble sleeping but he never sleepwalked.

"Okay…" she said, obviously unconvinced, but not pressing the issue. "Well why don't you hop in the bath while I make some breakfast? You're probably stiff from sleeping on the floor like that."

He was pretty stiff. "Yeah good idea," he said, standing up and turning toward the bathroom.

"But don't use all the hot water!" she shouted after him.

"Yeah, yeah…"

Class is so boring, Soul thought at Stein went on about the proper methods of dissection. He snuck a glance at Maka, who was taking copious notes, as always. He noticed a few strands of hair had come loose from her pigtail and were resting on her neck. He smiled and found himself tempted to twirl it around his finger.

Wait…what am I thinking?

"I need to use the bathroom," he said abruptly, standing up.

Stein looked irritated by the interruption but didn't object. Without a word to his partner, who was looking at him questioningly, he walked out of the room.

What is wrong with me? He wondered. Why can't I get Maka out of my head?

"Hey," Soul turned. Maka had followed him out of class. "Are you feeling okay?" she asked him.

"I'm fine," he said. "Go back to class." He turned his back to walk away, but she grabbed his wrist.

"Nice try," she said, pulling him back. "But I know when something's up." She paused, then placed her hand against his forehead. "Your face is red. Do you have a fever?"

He did suddenly feel a little warm, and her cool palm felt good. He breathed in deep.

"You smell good," he said absentmindedly. Wait…did I just say that out loud? Damn…

"Thanks…?" she sounded confused. She pulled her hand away. "You're definitely warm," she announced. "Let's go to the infirmary to check you out."

She grabbed him firmly by the hand and headed down the hall.

She has really soft hands, he thought. I never noticed because she usually wears gloves when we fight together…

"You have a slight fever, but it doesn't seem like anything to be concerned about," Nygus said. "You probably just need some rest. Why don't you take a nap? I'll excuse you from class."

"Okay." Soul was tired after a night of fitful sleep, and didn't see any reason to argue. He turned to Maka, who still looked worried. "You should go back to class. I won't get any rest tonight if I have to listen to you complain about everything we missed." He grinned.

She crossed her arms. "Well, unlike you, I don't look for any excuse to cut class, so I will." She stood up and her face softened. "Rest up. Just because you're a Death Scythe now doesn't mean you don't have to take care of your body."

"I know," he said. He watched as she walked out the door. I never noticed how long her legs are before…He shook his head. What am I thinking?

Nygus directed him to a clean cot near the window and he settled in.

The breeze feels good, he thought as he drifted off.

I'm cold…Soul thought, opening his eyes. The window was still open and the warm breeze from earlier had turned icy. He turned and looked at the clock. 3:15pm.

Ugh. I don't want to move….

"Are you awake?" Maka was there.

He turned. "Yeah, and it's cold as hell in here."

She smiled. "I'll take care of it."

"Thanks," he said, turning back over and closing his eyes again. "I'm going to get some more sleep. Don't tell Nygus I woke up…she might try to send me back to class."

"Mmm," Maka didn't really reply.

"Maka?" Soul asked. Before he could turn, he felt his blanket being lifted and a weight on the bed.

Hey…what?

"Maka…what are you doing?"

"You said you were cold," she said, wrapping her arms around him. "I'm warming you up."

Soul could feel the warmth of her body as she pressed against him. It was actually very comfortable. "But Maka-"

"Shhhh…it's okay. We're the only ones here. Just relax."

Yeah right, he thought as he felt a stirring between his legs. But this is nice…

He turned to face her and nestled his face in her neck. She really does smell good.

Soul opened his eyes. It was a dream, he realized immediately when he looked at the clock and saw that it was only 2:30pm. The door opened suddenly, causing him to jump.

"Oh good, you're awake," Maka said as she walked in. " Are you feeling better?"

"Um…yeah I feel fine now," he said as he looked her over. She was dressed in her uniform as usual, her pigtails in typical style, but something about her seemed different.

"Good!" She said smiling. "Then why don't we head home? You should still take it easy so I'll do the grocery shopping and cooking tonight."

"You don't have to-"

"Don't argue," she said sternly. "I don't want to risk you getting sick. There's no telling when we'll get sent on a new mission after all."

"Right right…" he said. "Okay let me just grab my jacket…"

He stood, then immediately realized what I bad idea that was. Oh shit…

"Soul!" Maka shouted, covering her eyes. "What the hell were you dreaming about?"

"Please, shut up," he said tersely, covering his crotch with his hands.

"You pervert," she said. "I'm going to wait outside."

"Yeah, good idea," he growled. Am I really having sexual dreams about flat-chested Maka?

We're partners, we spend a lot of time together, it's only natural to develop certain feelings for each other. Soul was rationalizing as he and Maka walked home. I've always been protective of Maka. Of course I love her. I want to get stronger for her…but I never thought of her like this before…

He shoved his hands into his pockets with more force than necessary. I need to discuss this with someone with more experience in these matters. But who can I go to? I always go to Maka…

Soul's deep thought was interrupted by a powerful whack to his skull.

"What the hell was that for?" He scowled at Maka.

"For being a pervert," she said simply.

"I can't control what I dream about, Maka," he replied, irritated. Good thing she doesn't know who I was dreaming about…I'd probably lose brain function.

"Yeah well if your subconscious is focused on that kind of stuff you can't be that sick. Did you just go to the infirmary to get out of class?"

"It was YOUR idea for me to go, remember? Why are you so angry about this? It's irrational."

Maka glared at him with her pretty green eyes. "Men are disgusting."

They had reached their apartment. Maka slammed the front door open, causing Blair, who was lounging on the couch scantily clad (and in human form) to jump.

"Just perfect," Maka said, rolling her eyes. "Put some clothes on, will you?" she shouted at Blair before heading to her room. "I'm going to change and go shopping." She dropped her bag on the coffee table. "The work you missed today is in there. Do your homework instead of looking at dirty magazines."

"I don't look at dirty magazines!" Soul said, exasperated. "Don't you think that was embarrassing enough for me without you being angry about it?"

"Whatever." The blonde stomped into her room and firmly shut the door.

Sighing, Soul fell onto the couch next to Blair, who was looking at him expecting an explanation.

"I really don't want to talk about it," he said.

Blair nodded wisely. "I understand – Maka caught you peeping, didn't she? Don't you worry, it's natural for a boy your age to do those kinds of things. It's important for your health!"

Soul groaned. "That is NOT what happened."

"It's okay," Blair said, trapping him in a bear hug and nearly suffocating him with her large chest. "Bu-tan doesn't judge."

"Mmmmffff," Soul couldn't speak, and Blair continued to snuggle him. This will not help my case. But…how come I'm not turned on right now? Despite his compromising position (or ideal position, depending on how you look at it) Soul felt no stirring between his legs this time. What the fuck is going on here?

That night was a hot one, so Soul left his bedroom window open and crawled into bed wearing only his boxers. Maka's insane, he thought to himself. His partner had gone out shopping and cooked dinner as promised, but then locked herself in her room for the rest of the night and refused to come out, even when he had questions about the homework. I don't know why she's so upset…I'm the one that should be upset with this weird dreams. Frustrated, he closed his eyes and attempted sleep.

As was typical, Soul found himself suddenly awake in the night. 3:15am. Like clockwork, he groaned inwardly. Nature was calling, so he disentangled himself from his sheets and shuffled to the bathroom. After he had finished his business he headed straight back to bed, but stopped when he realized Maka's door was open and swinging from the breeze through the window.

That's weird…even when she's not mad at me she sleeps with the door shut..

Curious, Soul stalked his way to his meister's room. "OUCH!" he shouted suddenly, when he tripped over a shoe that was for some reason laying in the hallway. You idiot. Soul cursed himself for being so clumsy…and loud.

"Soul?" Maka's voice called out.

"Yeah, sorry!" He called. "I didn't mean to wake you."

"It's okay you didn't wake me," Maka said, coming to the door.

"We should try to get some – WHOA!" Soul completely forgot what he was saying when he realized that instead of her regular flannel pajamas, Maka was just wearing a long green tank top and panties. As she leaned against the doorway the moonlight gave Soul a perfect view of her willowy figure. He'd never seen her in that clothing before. "W-What are you wearing?"

"It's too hot for flannel," she said simply. She tilted her head and smiled mischievously. "Why…does this bother you?"

"Um…ah…" Say something! This is so uncool. Soul felt himself stirring again. STOP THAT, he tried to tell his body, but it was useless. SHE CAN'T SEE, he thought desperately. He closed his eyes in anticipation of a painful Maka chop.

Instead of a blow to the head, Soul felt soft hands against his naked chest. "It doesn't bother me when you walk around in your underwear," she whispered.

This has to be some kind of trick…Soul thought suspiciously. As her fingers traced his nipple he found himself unable to control his body. Gathering Maka against him, he whispered back.

"It really bothers me."

She looked up at him, running a finger down his face. "What can I do to make it better?" She asked.

This has to be another dream. This can't be real. But in that case I might as well enjoy it, right?

"You could let me take them off," he said.

She smiled at him and guided his hands to her hips. "Start with the top."

This feels so real.

Instead of following her directions, he scooped her up and tossed her over his shoulder. "You're coming with me."

"Wait - Where are we going?" she asked, hanging upside-down.

Soul smirked. "To my bed."

BEEP BEEP BEEP.

Soul groaned and slammed his hand down on his alarm clock viciously. It can't really be time to get up. I'm so tired.

He sat up and stretched lazily before taking a look around. As he expected, everything was in the place it had been when he originally went to bed the night before. The sheets were tucked in, the various trinkets on his dresser in their rightful places.

So it was another dream. Soul couldn't help but be slightly disappointed. The real Maka might be a prude, but the Maka of his dreams was an animal.

Soul sniffed and realized he could smell bacon. Sweet.

He hopped out of bed and threw on some sweatpants before heading to the kitchen. When he turned the corner and saw his partner, he felt a nosebleed come on. What the hell…?

"What's wrong with you?" Maka asked scornfully as she handed him a napkin to stop the bleeding. She was wearing short pajama shorts that showed off her toned legs. That wasn't what set Soul off, however. What set him off was the green tank top she was wearing.

It's the same as my dream! But I've never seen that before, have I? Soul tilted his head back to stop the bleeding and to avert his eyes from Maka without being obvious. "I must be dehydrated," he muttered.

"Yeah, okay." Maka clearly didn't believe him. "Look, I felt bad about yesterday, so I cooked breakfast. Clean yourself up so you don't bleed on the table."

"Looks great," he said weakly, still pinching his nose. "I'll just go take care of this.." He backed away slowly, careful not to take another look at the way her shirt clung to her small but amazingly perky breasts. Once he reached the bathroom, he slammed the door and collapsed against it.

She must have worn that top before and I just forgot. That's it, I just remembered subconsciously. Yeah…

After collecting himself, he returned to the kitchen. "This looks great," he said enthusiastically, filling his plate with bacon, eggs and French toast. "Thanks Maka!"

"Don't mention it," she said, plopping down across from him with a plate of her own. She glanced at him, and he could have sworn her eyes lingered longer than normal. "It's nice to have a big breakfast before school sometimes."

"Yeah," he agreed with a full mouth.

"Especially today," she continued.

He looked up at her for an explanation. "Whaddya meffn tooday?" He had shoved another forkful of toast into his mouth.

She looked at him sharply. "It's duel day, remember?"

He had totally forgotten. "Oh yeah, of course of course," he said, waving a hand in the air. "We don't have anything to worry about. After all, you made me into a super cool Death Scythe."

Maka laughed. "Of course. Today we'll show everyone just how cool we are."

"Damn right." Soul smiled his best crooked smile at her.

"I'd better get dressed," Maka said, standing up. "I don't want to be late!"

Soul nodded, his mouth stuffed again. It wasn't until she turned to the side that her hair slipped off her shoulder and he noticed a dark brown mark just above her collarbone. Is that a hickey? Before he could collect himself, blood spurted out of his nose and he felt himself slip out of his chair.

"Soul? Can you hear me? Soul?" He felt cool hands against his cheeks. Groggily, he opened his eyes and blinked.

Maka's emerald eyes stared back at him. "Oh good," she said, looking relieved. "That was scary. I've seen you get nosebleeds before, but that was just violent."

"You're telling me," he said, rubbing a bump that seemed to have developed on his head.

"What set you off, anyway?" She asked, gently helping him sit up. "Is Blair perching half-naked on the window sills again?" She whipped around to check for herself. "I told her not to do that!"

"No, it wasn't that…" If I tell her I thought I saw a hickey on her neck she'll probably kill me. But did I see a hickey on her neck…? Maybe I should just tell her about the dreams. But what if she thinks I'm a creep?

This made Maka even more concerned. "Then what's wrong?"

"Well…" How can I explain this? "I've been having some freaky dreams, honestly. This morning I woke up with my heart racing. I think maybe my blood pressure is spiked…" This isn't a total lie…

Now Maka looked downright alarmed. "Heart racing and high blood pressure? You didn't say anything about that to Nygus yesterday."

He shrugged. Shit, now she's freaked out. "It's not a big deal. Don't worry about it."

Maka glared at him. "You just passed out in the middle of breakfast. I categorize that as a pretty big deal. Look at yourself!"

Soul looked at his chest and realized he was covered in his own blood. "Well then…"

"You're a moron!" Maka said angrily. "Just because you're a weapon doesn't mean you don't need to take proper care of your body. You're human just like the rest of us!"

Soul shrugged again. "You're overreacting."

"I am not overreacting," Maka said, seething. "Unless…" Her eyes dropped down to his lap. "You're lying."

"Why would I lie? And what are you staring at me like that for, anyway?"

Maka stood up and pointed at him accusingly. "You've been having pervy dreams about me."

HOW THE HELL DOES SHE KNOW? Soul was panicking inwardly. "I-I don't know what you're talking about," he stammered, blushing.

"Like hell you don't," she said, a triumphant smile on her face. "Looks like Mr. Cool is all hot and bothered."

"You're insane." Soul didn't know what else to say.

Maka laughed. "Honestly - why didn't you just tell me?"

Because I was afraid you'd make me a vegetable using a dictionary. He just shrugged again.

The blonde giggled again and sat down beside him. "Serious question," she said.

"Mmmm?" Soul was too embarrassed to look at her.

"Was I good?"

"What?" He looked over at her. I must have misheard.

"Was I good?" she asked again.

Soul snorted. "You were awesome."

Maka's eyes glittered playfully. "How awesome?"

"Mind-blowingly awesome."

Maka's face broke out into a full-blown grin. "Good," she said, leaning close to him. "Because," she whispered. "I don't want you dreaming about anyone else like that." With that, she kissed him forcefully on the lips.

He moaned inadvertently and wrapped his arms around her. Is this another dream?

"This isn't a dream," she said, as if reading his mind. "I love you, Soul. But you're always making jokes about my flat chest."

I am a horrible excuse for a human being, Soul thought immediately. No wonder she was so mad yesterday. But Maka just smiled at him again.

"It's nice to know you don't mean them." With that, she stood up again, untangling herself from his arms. "Hurry up. You're a mess and we need to get to school." She turned on her heel and headed toward the bathroom.

Soul groaned and collapsed back onto the floor, his hands over his face. She's totally insane. And amazing.

Realizing he hadn't responded to Maka's confession, he sat up and cupped his mouth with his hands. "I love you too!" He shouted at the bathroom door.

She opened it a crack and smiled at him again. "Good."

The End