Maka wrapped her arms around Soul's neck and rested her head in the crook where his neck and shoulder meet. She sleepily realized how comfortable she was. I feel safe with Soul, she thought.

When he got to the living room, Soul walked to the couch and gently set Maka down, who protested. "I don't trust you to not fall asleep standing up and burn our dinner. I'll make my famous turkey and Swiss, 'kay?" Soul had leaned over the couch as he spoke, and he started when Maka reached up her hand to cup his cheek. "Thank you, Soul." He put her hand over hers and turned his head to kiss her palm. "Anything for such a cool Meister." Maka blushed and looked down as Soul stood and moved to the stove.

She watched his confident movements and found herself thinking how lucky she was to have a weapon partner she was so compatible with. Apparently compatible in more ways than one, she thought, remembering how she felt when he carried her. Her cheeks warmed again as her palm tingled from his kiss.

Soul turned around with two plates in his hand and walked toward her. He stopped her when she tried to stand and put the plates on the coffee table. "You need to rest Maka, just stay on the couch. I'll sit on the floor so we can eat together." Soul's stomach rumbled again as he sat crosslegged and bit into his sandwich.

Maka suddenly realized how hungry she was when her stomach growled louder than Soul's. They both laughed and she put a hand to her stomach. "Oops," she said with a giggle. Soul's gaze zeroed in on her hand laying on her stomach as she took a bite. What the hell, he thought, why am I wishing there was a bump there?! He cleared his throat and lowered his gaze to his sandwich, suddenly not hungry anymore.

"Dammit," he mumbled under his breath. "Did you say something Soul?" Maka asked. He shook his head no and bit into his sandwich, not tasting it. When she had finished hers, he offered her the rest of his sandwich and took her plate to the sink to wash it. He stiffened when he felt her hand on his shoulder, but didnt turn around. "Thank you Soul. For supper, for being my weapon, for catching me when I fall." She rested her head between his shoulder blades and tentatively slid her arms around his waist.

Ah shit, he thought as his arms started to shake from leaning on the counter. "Maka," he said wearily before turning in her embrace to wrap his arms around her and hold her tightly against him. After a moment, he felt her arms tighten around him and she clung to him. Soul felt her begin to shake and felt the tears soaking his shirt again. He loosened his embrace only to scoop her up in his arms again.

"I had a nightmare, Soul. We were back at the church fighting Chrona. But he didn't just slice you open," she sobbed, unconsciously fingering the scar under Soul's shirt, "he k-k-killed you!" Soul held her tighter and walked down the hallway to his bedroom again. There's no way I can leave her alone tonight, he thought. He sat down on the edge of the bed and held her against his body as her sobs subsided.

Soul knew as soon as he felt Maka's body relax that she had finally fallen asleep. He kicked off his shoes without letting go of her and slowly lowered them to the mattress. Her body instantly curled around his and he marveled at her absolute trust in him. "I've got you Maka," he whispered into the darkness. Lightly kissing the top of her head, he very gently extracted himself long enough to pull off his shirt and switch his jeans for sweats. When he crawled back into her embrace he pulled the blanket up over their legs. She's such an idiot sometimes, always wearing those damn mini skirts.

Maka whimpered and blinked slowly. "Won't you get cold, Soul?" She asked in a voice thick with sleep. Dammit, when she says my name like that... He cleared his throat and managed to say, "Nah, I'm cool." Maka raised her head and laid a hand on his stomach. "I don't know how you stay so warm all the time, I'm usually kind of cold."

"I'm like a furnace. Nice and warm 24/7," Soul replied. He was once again taken aback by Maka draping herself over him, her left hand thrown across his chest, torso half on his, and her left leg between his. Slowly, almost as though she was doing it unwillingly, her left hand slid down his pec and settled on his abs. He sucked in a sharp breath when she began tracing his six-pack with a delicate finger.

His abdominal muscles quivered under her sweet touch and he clenched his jaw, straining for some self control. When she got to the bottom of his six-pack he had to grab her hand to stop her progress. "Maka, please don't start something like this when you need your sleep so bad. I don't know if I would be able to stop, and I don't want to hurt you or make you worse. Please, Maka," he begged. She looked up at him and half-smiled. "You're right of course but...could we maybe...try? Sometime? Please?"

Soul licked his suddenly dry lips and swallowed when her eyes followed the movement. "Yeah Maka, I promise. Tonight though, let's just sleep." She smiled and gently leaned in to place a kiss on his lips. "Good night, Soul." He swallowed again when she cuddled into his side and pulled the covers up a little farther. "Good night, Maka. Sweet dreams." He placed a kiss on top of her forehead and tightened his grip on her before exhaustion claimed him.