A/N: Alright, so, this chapter need no introduction. I'm sucking up to kyonkichi's kitten in this chapter. Contains a little bit of KidxMaka.
Sorry that I've been so lazy with updates. Blame the final year of high school -_-
~ Stitches – 6 months old ~
Spirit Albarn. I love him, but sometimes he takes things the complete wrong way.
Spirit has decided that Stein was getting too angry and agitated at Shibusen, and drew his own conclusions. Stein is touchy because Stitches has only just begun to sleep through the night and our sleep schedule is still out of whack.
Spirit, however, decided that it was because Stitches had prevented Stein and I from… well… you know… having 'romantic encounters.' Whether that is true or not is beside the point. So, he said that he'd take Stitches for the night. And I couldn't tell him no. Damned Spirit. Him and his charisma. Plus, I have difficulty in saying no at the best of times. So, Stein and I have a night in, by ourselves. I'm worried, in a way. Is it bad that I'm excited too?
Damn you, Spirit!
Marie x
"So, you've got her bottles?" Marie asked. He nodded.
"You've got her toys?" Marie asked. He nodded once more.
"And her pop-up-cot?" Marie asked. The redhead exasperatedly nodded.
"Marie, Stein, you can trust me. Plus, Maka's helping." Spirit said to Marie, who was holding her six-month-old daughter close to her chest. She reluctantly gave Stitches to Spirit. Spirit smiled, as Stitches gabbled slightly. She was six months old, and at the age where she had begun to make up her own language. Her golden eyes filled with tears as she looked back at her parents.
"A…ga…ba…" The little girl babbled, motioning to her parents. She struggled in Spirit's arms.
"Come here, Uncle Spirit will take care of you." Spirit said, turning the little girl around to face him. She glared at him. He looked over at Marie, who had a similar scowl on her face.
"Uncanny." Spirit said to himself. Maka walked over to Spirit, looking out the door.
"Ah, Marie-sensei, Doctor Stein. Papa, give Stitches here." Maka said, motioning for the little girl. Spirit reluctantly gave Stitches to Maka, and she immediately calmed down. She even began to smile as she saw the recognisable face of the girl who was essentially her cousin.
The girl squeaked happily as Maka placed her finger against her palm, Stitches' grip tightening and Maka waving around her fist, causing her to giggle with delight. Marie and Stein poked their heads around the doorframe. Marie smiled. Stein looked at Spirit.
"I wouldn't let Maka have too much fun with Stitches. The way she and Kid are going, you could be a grandfather like that." Stein clicked his fingers. Spirit's eyes widened.
"Alright, Maka-chan, give Papa the baby!" Spirit said. Maka glared over at him.
"Papa! What are you doing?" Maka said, turning Stitches to laugh, slightly too maniacally for a six-month-old.
"Give Papa the baby!" Spirit said, throwing his arms out towards the slightly scared infant. Maka glared.
"Papa, she's fine." Maka said.
"But-" Spirit began.
"Papa, you set up the cot. The only reason you're here is so that there's an adult in the house with the baby. Besides, Kid will be here soon. When he comes over, you can have Stitches all to yourself. Kid and I will go off by ourselves." Maka said. Spirit's jaw dropped and his pupils widened.
"No!" Spirit said.
"I think that's our cue to leave." Stein said.
"Okay…" Marie said, walking over into the apartment to say goodbye to her daughter.
"Say goodbye to your mama, Stitches." Maka said, letting Marie take the girl for a hug. Marie reluctantly gave the baby back afterwards. She walked back over to Stein, who took Marie's hand and pulled her out of the apartment, because there was no way she was leaving of her own volition.
"She's going to be fine, Marie." Stein tried to reassure the mother of his child.
"Stein, face it, I'm going to be tense all night." Marie said. A wicked grin crossed Stein's features and he glanced down at Marie. he then shoved his hands in his pockets, the smirk not disappearing.
"Not if I can help it." he replied, nonchalantly. It took Marie a couple of seconds for it to click, but when it did, she slapped Stein in the arm.
"You are terrible, Franken." Marie crossed her arms. Stein smirked.
"You're already calling me Franken? Usually you have to be in a much more advanced state of undress before you start calling me-"
"Franken, if you don't shut up, I will punch you. Just because you happen to be the father of my daughter does not mean I won't punch you." Marie crossed her arms. Stein rested his arm around Marie's shoulders, kissing her gently on the head.
"I love you too, Marie." he replied. Marie just gave a small smile as they walked out of the apartment complex.
Kid arrived shortly after Stein and Marie left. He walked in the door to see Maka, Stitches sitting on her lap, playing peek-a-boo. Kid smiled and took a seat next to his girlfriend.
"Maka." Kid said, quietly. Stitches turned to analyse the slightly less familiar looking Kid. The baby girl reached out and swiftly grabbed a tight hold of Kid's nose.
"Ouch!" Kid said, recoiling. Maka and Stitches both giggled.
"Thanks, guys." Kid said.
"She's got her father's reflexes." Maka said, between giggles. Kid looked over at Maka.
"You look very natural with that baby on your lap." Kid said, still trying to work out the little baby girl.
"It makes sense. I can chain resonate well with her father; her soul is similar to his." Maka said, bouncing the little girl on her knees.
Kid concentrated hard on the little girl's soul. It wasn't completely developed. It had very few defining features. The shape of the soul was like her mother's; round with a sharp-pointed, lightning-bolt like tail. It was blue, like her father's, and seemed to 'act' in the same manner as Stein's.
"I agree." Kid said.
"Do you ever want children, Kid?" Maka asked, turning Stitches around to lean back on her stomach. Kid nodded.
"Yes. One day. Hopefully with someone who cares about me; someone strong-willed and confident." Kid said.
"With green eyes and a flat chest?" Maka asked, grinning at her boyfriend.
"Definitely." Kid smirked, sitting back on the couch. Spirit walked into the room, saw the close proximity of her daughter and the shinigami and the look on his face, and immediately jumped to sit between them.
"Maka-chan, why didn't you tell me Kid was here?" Spirit asked. Maka crossed her arms.
"Because I knew you'd do this. Come on, Kid. Let's go. Come on, Stitches." Maka said, picking the little girl up and placing her in the small cot which doubled as a playpen. She gave Stitches a small rattle, which she waved around contentedly.
"Make sure she doesn't throw it around too much." Maka said, taking Kid's hand and leading him past her father to her room.
"Keep your door open!" Spirit yelled to them. The call was followed by a swift slam. Spirit growled. He walked over to the babbling little girl and picked her up, much to her displeasure. He turned her around to face him.
"Maka-chan thinks I can't take care of you properly… well, I raised her! A single fath-Ow!" Spirit exclaimed, causing Stitches to giggle maniacally. Stitches had hit him, clean in the middle of the forehead with her rattle.
"You just enjoy watching me suffer, don't you?" Spirit asked. The little girl's head dropped to the side, slightly. She raised her arm and hit Spirit again with her rattle. Spirit rubbed his forehead, looking down at the little girl. He couldn't help but crack a smile.
"Oh, yes. You're definitely Stein's kid."
Marie glanced over the shirtless body of her partner to the clock which sat at the side of their bed.
"It's ten in the morning, and we're still in bed." She smiled; pulling her scantily clad self back against Stein's chest.
"It's nice." Stein said, looking down at the top of her head.
"Nice does not begin to cover it." Marie said. Stein chucked slightly.
"Spirit's probably been up for ages." Stein said. Marie turned around to look at him.
"Let's not talk about Spirit." Marie smiled, sultrily, and wrapped her arms around Stein's shoulder. Stein would usually have submitted gladly.
"Spirit!" Stein exclaimed. Marie ignored him.
"I said, stop talking ab-" Marie began, but Stein cut her off.
"No, Spirit!" Stein said, swiftly flipping Marie over to see the redhead at the door, paralysed in shock. Marie squealed as she brought the quilt up to cover her face. Stein looked over at her.
"…I think he saw you, Marie." Stein said, raising an eyebrow. Marie, instead of dropping the quilt, curled up into a ball and hid under it completely. Stein sighed.
"Stein, I-I'm sorry. I just-uh-I'm gonna-yeah-see you in a minute." Spirit said, turning around and walking out of the doorway. Stein shook his head and got dressed, looking at Marie who was still curled up under the quilt.
"Come out whenever." Stein said, lingering at the doorway.
A noise of disdain came from under the covers.
Stein chuckled slightly, turning around and walking over to Spirit, who had Stitches. She was uncomfortable, still trying to get away from him. Her eyes lit up as she saw her father and she began to babble happily. Stein took the little girl from his former weapon and she immediately calmed.
"Sorry about that, before." Stein said, sitting down across from Spirit.
"Don't worry about it. What you do in the privacy of your own home is none of my business. I just thought I'd bring her back because she was getting agitated." Spirit said, still not able to make eye contact with his ex-meister.
"Yeah, she does that. Marie is kind of mortified, though." Stein said, sitting Stitches forward on his lap, leaning her forward with one hand on her chest, the other on her back, rubbing circles into it as she slowly began to fall asleep. Spirit smirked slightly.
"Well, apologise to the missus for me, won't you?" Spirit asked. Stein nodded. Spirit sat forward in the hair and placed his hands on his knees, ready to stand up.
"Well, I'd better get going." Spirit said, standing up and heading over to the door. Stein turned around as Spirit opened the door.
"And Stein?" Spirit asked.
"Yeah?" Stein asked.
"Your daughter is sadistic." Spirit said, rubbing the spot on his forehead where he had been hit with the rattle. Stein smirked as Spirit left. He turned his now-awake daughter around to face him. He looked at her golden eyes, which looked up at him intently. He simply pat her on the head slightly, causing her to smile.
"Proud of you." Stein grinned.
A/N: Aw, he's proud of her already :) Schwaah.