Disclaimer: Soul Eater does not belong to me. The Anime and Manga, including the scenes which come before and after this one-shot, belong to Atsushi Okubo.

Pairing: SoMa

Warning: Violent reference and some mild language.

Brief: What happens when Soul is left in a room with an immobile Meister after a certain assassin had another of his 'Godly' moments? My take on what happened to Maka and Soul in episode 28.

SPOILER WARNING FOR ANIME EPISODE 28!

Soul Eater One-Shots

Two: Hospitalised

"Stupid Black Star!" the young Meister fumed, cursing her luck that she could not move her limbs in the slightest. During their encounter with the oldest Golem, Maka had fallen victim to a spell which left her effectively paralysed, and the old magic was reluctant to pass. "I swear what ever is left of his brain will be nothing but a pulp when I can move!"

"Calm down," he Weapon sighed from the door to the adjoining bathroom. "Remember what nurse Nygus said; you need to keep your strength up. It's pointless to shout about how you're going to kill Black Star if you can't actually do it."

Her eyes fell upon the only other person in the room with a look of irritation. Black Star had disappeared shortly after Sid and Nygus went to talk, with Tsubaki following suit soon after, concerned that her partner would do something stupid. Liz and Patty had decided it best to coax Kid away when he demanded that he fix the asymmetry Maka's face had, courtesy of Black Star's signature, feeling that the younger girl would appreciate not having the autograph mirrored over her forehead, much to her relief. That had left her, unable to leave due to her condition, and Soul, who had disappeared into the bathroom during the commotion.

Her eyes fell upon his hands, in which was a brown cloth and a bowl which had steam drifting lazily off of the top. Her features folded into a dubious look of confusion.

"What are they for?" Maka asked uneasily. Soul raised one eyebrow by a fraction, barely noticeable to his Meister, but she saw it.

"What do you think they're for?" he asked, sitting down and dipping the cloth into the warm water and wringing it out. "You don't really want to sit here with a moustache and Black Star's signature plastered over your face, do you?"

As much as she wanted to argue that she did not need him to do every little thing for her, Maka knew that Soul was right, and, deep down, she liked the attention he was giving to her. She sighed and relented, allowing him to dab the damp item over her flesh. Her heart rate fluttered as his hand brushed away the loose bangs of her fringe, allowing him to investigate the strength of the marker. It put up a fair struggle, but, slowly but surely, the marker began to fade. Every so often, Soul's hand would slip slightly and graze against her own, causing her cheeks to flare up slightly and her breath to hitch.

Unbeknownst to the Weapon, or anyone Maka held close, including her family, she harboured feelings for the albino pianist sat beside her and gently scrubbing away the black marks which tainted her otherwise pale complexion. Were it not for the fact that she was unable to do anything other than move her facial features, Maka was certain that she would be fidgeting due to the closeness of their bodies and faces.

Now and then, her jade irises would risk a glance upwards and fall upon Soul's face; his shark-like teeth bared slightly in concentration, the bloody red pools filled with the same delicate compassion they always had for her when she was at her most vulnerable.

He always has been like this, Maka noted guiltily, averting her gaze once more. Whenever I'm at my lowest, he cares for me as if I am the queen of the world. It's nice to be looked after from time to time, even if I am stuck like this. A soft smile graced her lips at this thought, and soon Soul noticed the reaction.

"What are you thinking about?" Soul asked, trying to break the silence other than that of water splashing gently as he cleaned the cloth for another go at what was now a distinct dark smear over the region of her forehead where the signature had once dwelled. His touch was soft, but the results were starting to show without any signs of redness or tell-tale damage on the pristine, or nearly so, canvas of her face.

"Um," Maka stumbled, caught off guard by his question. "Just about the book I'm reading at home."

For a minute, silence glazed over them, Soul wiping the last of the first mark away with his gentle brushes, then he spoke up again.

"Liar," he responded plainly. "I can feel your soul wavelength from the years of resonating with it, Maka; I can always tell when you're lying. What are you really thinking about?"

The Meister bit her bottom lip, caught out by this statement and unsure whether to try and brush it off or respond. Knowing Soul as she did, she doubted he would press for the information, since it was so trivial, but as her partner he deserved to know; especially after all the effort he was going to to make her more comfortable. Her thoughts were cut short by the cloth gently rubbing her top lip as Soul started on it, making her blush further.

"I was... just thinking about how..." She paused, trying to find the right words while Soul soaked the cloth again. "How you always take care of me when I'm like this."

"I see," Soul said with a smile of his own, a soft chuckle escaping from his throat. "It wouldn't be cool if I didn't do this for you; whether you realise it or not, you always do the same for me, Maka."

"What are you talking about?" she asked. "I don't remember tending to your every need any time you were ill."

"I didn't mean that, idiot," Soul replied, shaking his head. "You always keep me company regardless of the situation; even when I got my scar." Maka's eyes fell from him, a guilty look passing over her. "That's what I love about you, Maka."

Maka smiled, the cloth passing over her mouth as it turned into a look of shock.

"Mumph stid oo phay?" she asked as he washed the moustache away fully.

"Mouth closed, Maka," he said in mock sternness. He finished his work then went about washing the cloth properly. "Now, what were you trying to say?"

"What did you say?" she repeated coherently. "That's what you love about me?"

Soul's eyes widened in shock as he realised his words. Shit, did I really let that slip? Of all things to say, why did I have to say that? He was so preoccupied by these thoughts that he did not notice his fumbling hands in the bowl of water until it tipped over, splashing Maka's left side.

"Oh, shit, I'm so sorry, Maka!" he said quickly, rushing to grab a towel and dry the wet mark on the bedclothes and her pyjamas.

The closeness was unbearable, and Maka wished that her body could move, even if only one arm. The concern in his eyes over his slip of the tongue proved to Maka what was the case; like her, Soul had a secret, and he did not want her to know from fear of ruining their friendship or partnership. Either way, she felt touched by his actions and body language.

"Soul," she whispered to him. With the damp patch dabbed dry, Soul looked up at her face, blushing as he did.

"Sorry," he said meekly. "You can beat the crap out of me later for that, I-"

"I love you," Maka interrupted, cutting off his nervous rant. "I have loved you since you played for me that time we first met, but I didn't want to move too quickly; not after what happened with my parents, and by the time I was certain you were different, I was scared that you might not feel the same and that it would ruin our friendship."

"Maka..." Soul said breathlessly, stunned that his Meister felt that way. She often belittled mankind for being pig-headed, callous, cheating, lying bastards to say the least, yet she was admitting to him that she had been harbouring the same feelings as he had for her. He brushed his thumb over her left cheek gently, smiling softly down upon her. "I love you too. You are the only one I have ever fully let into my world and the only one I play for willingly. You are what completes me, Maka Albarn."

The sat there, faces close to one another, but unmoving, until Maka smiled at his indecision.

"Hurry up and kiss me, you idiot," she giggled, causing a further shade of pink to stain Soul's cheeks.

He lifted her chin and kissed her chastely on the lips, his tongue binding around hers. Soul's arms supported Maka's head and the small of her back gently while hers hung limp at her sides. They continued their delicate kiss for several minutes before Soul eased back. Maka's eyelids fluttered open again, a grin on her face.

"I can't wait until this damned spell is gone," she said, her tone more of a sigh of contentment.

"And why's that?" Soul asked, his deep tone staying rigid throughout. Maka flashed him a dreamy smile, her eyes full of endearment for him.

"So that we can do that again," she replied, before adding, "Without me feeling useless."

The pair chuckled at the light-hearted words, enjoying one another's presence greatly.

I'm in the middle of watching the Anime again, and I watched episode 28 last night, hence where this came from.

I think it's pretty good for my second SoMa One-Shot, but I'll leave it up to you guys.

So, please let me know your thoughts on this, I appreciate it all.

Also, I'm taking requests for these One-Shots, so let me know any ideas or prompts you want me to do.