I desperately wish this story was better but, alas, it is not

enjoy the last bit [:

Disclaimer: I told you before, I. Do. Not. Own. Soul. Eater. (i know, it's a cruel world)


"That was easier than I expected." Soul stretched and flopped onto the couch. He fell on the blanket he had been using before he had gone after Maka.

"Easy? Please I did all the work." Maka took off Soul's coat and threw it at him. He was caught off guard but didn't make a move to change it's placement. It lay untouched on his face and Soul didn't bother to worry about it. He could actually smell something inside that jacket. He knew that he himself had a particular smell but he also knew that he was very accustomed to it. Now, his coat held a new smell; a smell he couldn't quite pinpoint, but a smell that was extremely close to his own.

Maka's scent.

Most people would find it weird that he had an interest in his partner's scent but he couldn't care less, despite the fact that he thought it was kind of uncool.

"You did all the work? We both know that without me, you wouldn't be able to do anything." His voice was muffled by the coat but Maka still heard him.

"Right back at you, Soul." Soul was proud of his meister. She had finally gotten over the fear of dependency. He had had it too. It was what had made his so vulnerable to the outside world. But when Maka had had that dependency and they had decided, together, that they would support each other, there by complementing each other and lessening the worry on dependency.

Maka had been scared of being left behind.

Soul had been scared letting her down.

They had compromised.

"Soul?" Soul felt the warmth of the coat leave his face and he was rewarded by clear air that was hinted with a chocolaty scent.

"Hot chocolate?"

"Sure, why not? Just because the snow stopped doesn't mean we have to miss out on the perks, does it?"

Soul laughed and sat up, patting the cushion next to him for Maka to sit on. She complied and handed him a mug of hot chocolate and his hands warmed up instantly. He grinned before taking a long sip. Even though it scalded his tongue, the after affects had been so worth it for him. His throat warmed as the liquid slid down its throat and the warmth settled in his stomach. The warmth of the mug itself was enough to heat up Soul's whole arm.

"Ahh," he gave Maka a shark-toothed grin, "Thanks, Maka, I needed that."

"Anytime." She took a sip herself and shivered a bit.

"You're still cold?"

"No, it's just..." she looked at him curiously, "That witch..."

"Maka, don't worry about it. So it was one witch. Big deal."

"Yeah, but she got away. It was my responsibility as a Shibusen student to stop her at all costs and I failed." She stared vehemently at her hot chocolate and Soul sighed. His ash blonde partner thought far too much for his liking.

Soul grabbed the blanket that he had used before and drew it around his partner's shoulders. He let his arm linger around that area and he rubbed her forearm comfortingly. "Don't let it get to you. Worrying about that kinda stuff is-"

"Uncool, I know," she looked up at him, "Thanks."

"Yeah, whatever." He withdrew his arm and snatched the remote control that lay balanced on the couch's arm. "Care for some sports?"

"Please, spare me."

"Fine then," he flicked it on and the television blinked to life, "What would you prefer?"

"Something calming. If you really want to watch sports then I guess it's OK."

Soul sighed. "Is that code for 'Can we watch a chick flick'?"

"Can we, Soul? You don't have to pay attention. Just sit here with me. You can even make weird jokes if you want."

Soul narrowed his eyes, "Can I sleep?"

"If you want to."

"Deal." Maka leaned back against the worn couch and took the remote control from Soul. She flicked through the channels until it got to a movie that Soul vaguely remembered. "Is this that blonde movie?"

"Legally Blonde? Yeah, that's it," Maka adjusted herself in the seat, pulling her legs up and moving the blanket over her. "It's a really good movie."

"Uh huh, that's nice." Soul cocked his head back so that it rested on the back of the couch, closing his eyes and hoping he could get some rest. He didn't notice that Maka was trying to shift the blanket closer to him. He felt a light pressure on his lap and cracked an eye open to see Maka spreading the blanket over both of them. He smirked but disregarded it. His meister was trying to be caring the only way she knew how.

"Hey, Soul? Were you really worried about me?" Soul looked down at Maka. Their short moment of silence had been replaced by her question. Part of Soul, the rational non-emotional side, was trying to desperately come up with an answer that wouldn't jeopardize their partnership. The other part of Soul, the part that genuinely wanted the best for his partner, wanted to find an honest answer that wouldn't weird her out.

"Sure, why wouldn't I be?"

"Thank yo-"

"I mean you're acting like you're unsure of the answer. You're my partner and we look out for each other, remember?"

"Yeah, I do," Maka smiled at him and Soul felt his heart swell. He had said the right thing for once.

"Good." Soul shut his eyes and listened to the television go on. The actress in it was pretty, he had to admit, but he had long since lost interest in women like that. He could have fawned over her or all the other actresses he knew but it wouldn't really do him any good with the one girl he actually wanted.

Vaguely, he wondered why Maka was doubtful of his feelings. He had been worried about her. It had driven him mad, but it was the truth. The very thought of losing her to a snow storm because he had been too lazy to go with her would've probably haunted him forever. But if he hadn't admitted the fact that he was worried for her safety to himself, then he probably wouldn't have been able to help her.

Soul's red orbs flashed to Maka's face. She was watching the movie intently, completely oblivious to his thoughts; probably not even thinking about how her disappearance would have affected him. Not that she would ever. No, Maka was too busy thinking about school and how to be a better meister and how to not... well, how to not screw up at life.

Soul on the other hand, had to worry about their well-being, worry about failing his meister, worry about how the Black Blood would affect their partnership, reflect on how to be a better weapon to defend her, deal with partnership requests in a way that would be cool and not hurt Maka.

Odd how everything listed pertained to Maka in some way, huh?

But that wasn't the point. How could she have wondered that of him? He'd given her practically everything.

And here he was, sitting next to her after a long day filled with excessive worrying, freezing snow and a frickin' battle with a witch, watching a chick flick. He smirked to himself. I must really be a masochist.

Suddenly, he felt a light bump on his shoulder, like a pillow had landed on it or something. Then the weight increased and soon he felt like he was going to be pushed over. His eyes flashed open and he looked down at his arm before smirking.

Maka was lying there, asleep, her eyes shut and her breathing soft. She had fallen asleep sitting up, it seemed, but she had tilted to the side and was now using Soul's arm as a pillow. Soul tried to move his arm but suddenly, Maka's arms latched itself to his, pulling him closer than he desired to be with his meister. His face reddened a little bit before he tried to escape a second tactic. He tried to pry her hands of his and, before he knew it, her hands had locked themselves with his. "Soul." The whisper was almost unintelligible. "I'm sorry."

Soul sighed before deciding against his better judgment. He took her hand, intertwined his fingers with hers, and looked down at her. "Forget it. Just sleep."

She nodded into his shoulder and continued to lie on him. Soul smiled a bit before leaning back into the sofa and allowing Maka to use him as a pillow.

He decided that maybe he wouldn't mind being used till he died. Maybe he wouldn't care if Maka worried him to no end. As long as they ended up like this, warm and comfortable, as long as she was safe with him, maybe being her weapon wouldn't be so bad. Maybe all the awful battles and awkward pent-up feelings wouldn't seem so bad.

So he sat there, his sleeping meister by his side, and let the moment wash away the panic of the day. In the end, he fell asleep himself, totally oblivious to the fact the he used the top of Maka's head as a pillow, or that Black*Star snuck in and took a picture of the two of them to blackmail him later.


*sigh* I love those guys

I know Maka was OOC but please look past that

they're soooo perfect together [:

please R&R

good night world!

(revised for Kiba Wolf. thanks for reviewing, btw, it meant a lot)