A/N: This little drabble is a sort of teaser set in my resbang UA-verse, a post-apocolyptic version of the canonverse. The actual fic, a multi-chapter called World Without End, will be up 12/26. This is lighter in tone by far than the fic itself, as you will eventually see (well, assuming you all actually end up reading this or the longer fic lol)

At the Movies:

They were sitting on the couch watching a movie, side by side, close enough to share a blanket against the chill in the room, when Maka suddenly turned to him, the look on her face the same one she wore when she was trying to puzzle through a particularly difficult problem. He paused the movie to give her his full attention.

"Do you ever wonder what it would be like?" she asked, and Soul sat up straighter, his mouth gaping wide as he glanced back at the screen. He had stopped it in the middle of a steamy love scene, and the actors now stood frozen on screen in what could only be described as an extremely compromising position. He ran a hand through his hair nervously as she continued to look at him, not sure what to say, fishing for a response, any response, that would not get him chopped.

"Uh, well, of course? I uh mean it's supposed to—uh—feel good, and if you love someone it's uh—I mean it would be pretty cool—uh—"

She cut him off, her voice coming out as a squeak, her eyes widening even as her face flushed, realization dawning like a sunrise.

"No!—I—I—that's not what I meant!"

"But..you asked…" He gestured vaguely to the television, to the figures still in the middle of their amorous play, looking from them to her, frowning in confusion. She shook her head vehemently in response and he sighed his embarrassment.

"What DID you mean, then?"

"Just—about the world before, you know? The world in those movies and shows, before the plague. What it would be like there, to live like that."

"Oh—oh." He ran his hand through his hair again, feeling vaguely disappointed for some reason he couldn't pinpoint, or perhaps, didn't care to. "Yeah, of course. Who doesn't? It looks like paradise compared to this hellhole."

"Yeah," she agreed, sighing. "It must have been so great. My Papa used to tell me about it sometimes, and I'd think about how nice it all sounded, but seeing it on film is something else." She was looking at her hands in her lap as if they might hold the mysteries of the past or the universe, maybe both. The puzzled look had returned, and she looked at him again a moment later.

"So, um, you've never…?" The color had returned to her face and it was Soul's turn to look puzzled.

"I've never what?"

"Um, you know," she waved towards the screen and he was pretty sure he was as red as she was by now.

"I thought that wasn't what you meant," he gritted out.

"It wasn't," she was looking at her hands again. "But, um, since you brought it up…"

He sighed. Maka really was unbelievable sometimes.

"Cool guys don't kiss and tell," he said with a shrug.

"Soul," her tone was a warning, her sheepish look morphing into one of annoyance.

"Fine. Whatever. Thought I was pretty damned obvious before. No, I've never gotten laid. Happy now?" Why the hell was she pushing this? He couldn't mask his exasperation, with himself as much as with her.

"I just figured you would have," she said very quietly. He barked out a laugh, harsh and bitter to his own ears.

"With who?"

"You traveled. There must have been girls…"

"For Wes a few times, yeah," he responded, refusing to look at her. "But no girl was gonna get near me."

"But—"

He cut her off. "Maka, look at me," he paused until she slowly, reluctantly, raised her eyes to meet his, face flaming. He flashed her a wide sneer, baring his too-sharp teeth at her for emphasis. "No girl. Was going to. Go near me."

Maka shook her head in disbelief but pushed it no further.

"Are you sure Wes…?" He laughed in response.

"Maka, we shared a room most times. I'm sure." She made a face, something like awe mixed with disgust, that Soul had to admit to himself was ridiculously endearing, especially that adorable way she wrinkled her nose…but would let those thoughts go no further, worried where they were leading and what it might mean. So he shrugged and pulled the earbuds out of his pocket.

"Wasn't so bad. I had these."

She seemed about to say more but didn't, instead grabbing up the remote from the table and clicking to unpause the movie, signaling that the conversation was over. While the movie continued on, the two leads bringing their affair to completion, his head was elsewhere and, if her glassy-eyed gaze was any indication, he wasn't alone.

Soul found himself wishing that it were him on screen enjoying the person he adored and, with a furtive glance at Maka, hoped that some day, maybe, just maybe, it would even be possible.