YO YO YO! WHAT'S CRACKIN LITTLE BITCHES!

I don't care HOW cliche this may be, it was fun to write damn it!

Stein's in it! Be happy about that!

Soul Eater (c) Atsushi Okubo

Sick

When Soul woke up that morning, he had the distinct feeling that something was off. How did the scythe know something was wrong?

Well, when he walked into the kitchen, he saw Blair cooking breakfast. That alone was a red flag. A really big one.

"Mooooorning Soul~" Blair sang. "Are ya hungry?"

"...Not really." Soul said, eying the burnt fish in the frying pan. "Where's Maka?"

"I dunno." Blair said, tapping her chin. "I don't think she's up yet."

That was a sign for caution. Maka was always the first one up, school day or no. Without another word, Soul walked to his meister's door and knocked. "Maka? You up?" When he received no answer, the scythe took it as initiative to go in.

He found the girl laying in bed, still wrapped up in her blankets. She looked way too pale, and there were dark circles under her eyes.

"Soul...?" She asked in a raspy whisper, before coughing slightly.

"Hey, you okay?" The boy asked, watching her carefully.

Maka nodded, slowly pulling herself out of bed. "I... think so..."

Soul sat at her bedside, and placed a hand on her forehead. "...You're burning up." He said after a short pause.

Maka's only response was a groan as she fell back on her bed. "Great... now what...?"

"Hey, it's not that big a deal, relax." Soul said. "Just stay in bed and try to sleep. I'll call up Tsubaki so she can get your homework for you today."

"What about you?"

"I'm not leaving my meister alone like this. I can afford to miss a day to help you out."

"...thanks, Soul."

Soul just smirked and headed back out the door. "Stupid."

Back outside, Blair was slipping on her jacket to leave when she saw Soul close the door to Maka's room quietly. "Hey, aren't you and Maka going to get ready for school?"

"Maka's sick, so I'm gonna stay here with her." Soul replied, walking into the living room and throwing himself in a chair.

"Whaa? Maka's sick?" Blair looked at Maka's closed door in worry. "Should I stay home too?"

"Nah, don't worry about it. We can afford to miss a day of school, but you have work. We'll be fine."

"...kay, if you're sure." Blair said with a small pout. "Tell Maka I hope she feels better soon, nya?"

"Sure thing." Soul waved. "Later, Blair."

-Shibusen-

"Medicine for Maka?"

Blair nodded. "I felt so bad that Maka wasn't feeling well and I couldn't help. So I thought I should ask if you have anything that could help before I went to work."

Stein took a moment to exhale a small cloud of cigarette smoke. "I might have something."

"Really? Nya, thank you, Doctor Stein!"

The doctor nodded, standing up and looking through the various shelves. After a moment, he turned toward the cat again, holding a small capsule bottle. "Here, these should work. Have Maka take one as soon as possible, and then every two hours after that."

"Will it help Maka's fever?"

"It should bring it down considerably, and it should help her sleep a little easier."

Blair nodded, taking the bottle from the doctor, but her attention was pulled towards something behind Stein. "Nya...?"

Spirit stood a couple feet away, rigid with apparent shock. His face was that of a father on the verge of having a heart attack, a stroke, and a panic attack all wrapped up in one big ball of pent up fatherly emotions. The poor sap had overheard that his daughter was sick, and he was having some trouble processing it.

"Umm..."

"Blair! Is it true?" Spirit asked, running to Stein's side. "My Maka is sick?"

"Well, uh-"

"My daughter needs her daddy!"

"Oh, Spirit! How good of you to join us!" Stein said, placing his iron grip on the Death Scythe's shoulder. "Could I talk to you in private for a minute?"

Spirit's soul quietly left him as the doctor dragged him into the nurse's office.

Stein turned around his shoulder and gave Blair a sort of "I got this covered" smile. "Better hurry and get that medicine to Soul, Blair."

The cat ran out of there as fast as her four paws could take her.

-Soul and Maka's Apartment-

"...and he said to make sure Maka took one every two hours, mmkay?"

"Yeah..." Soul said, still clearly surprised. "...Thanks, Blair. This was pretty cool of you."

Blair gave her signature playful grin. "This sexy little kitty understands people a lot better than you think, Soul~" With that, she turned back down the hall. "I'm going to work now. Take good care of Maka for me~!"

Soul closed the front door quietly, looking at the bottle in his hand. "Wonder if Maka's up to taking one of these now..."

The scythe poked his head into his partners room. Maka had fallen asleep again, the blanket pulled up to her neck and her face buried into her pillow. She was completely out, which wasn't a bad thing; she needed a good coma like sleep.

But Soul soon realized the problem this presented as he glanced at the bottle in his hand. According to Blair, Stein had instructed that Maka take one of these pills as soon as she could, and waiting a good couple hours till she woke up just didn't sit well with the scythe. And daring to wake Maka up was simply out of the question. He learned that from experience.

But then...

Sweet Shinigami, that meant the only way she could get it now was...

"No." Soul hit his forehead with his palm as the idea hit him. "No, no, no, no, no! That is not cool! I can't just do that!"

But he didn't have much other choice. Maka needed the medicine now, and he had to make sure she got it.

And really... it wouldn't count as anything. And Maka wouldn't know it had happened anyway. Soul could shrug off a little awkwardness, no problem.

It didn't stop him from groaning.

He sat by Maka's bedside once again and, lifting the girl up, pushed a pill between her pursed lips. His free hand picked up a glass of water he'd left by Maka's nightstand earlier and he raised it to his mouth.

Soul took one more glance at his meister's sleeping face, and sighed.

"Sorry about this, Maka... but it's the only way."

He took a swig and leaned in.

-Later-

Maka stretched, yawning as she sat up. Rubbing her eyes, the girl realized that she was feeling a lot better. Her headache had gone, her throat didn't feel dry and sore anymore, and her muscles didn't ache. Tossing the covers aside, she stood up, leaving her room and entering the living room, where she found Soul. The boy looked up when she entered.

"Hey, you look a lot better."

Maka nodded, taking a seat next to him. "I feel a lot better."

The scythe held up the small capsule bottle, eyes fixed on the TV. "Here, it's medicine from Stein. He says to take it every two hours."

"Oh... thanks." Maka said, taking the small bottle. She blinked slightly.

"...what?" Soul asked.

"Oh, nothing." she said, but Maka had the slightest suspicion she might have passed on whatever she had to Soul. His face seemed a little too red to be healthy.

Till next time! I'll be playing Portal spazzing like a freak every time a turret fires at me! :D