Pause

Soul listened to his meister's soft breathing as they both lay quietly on the hospital bed, his head resting lightly on her shoulder. It was a dark, cold night in which the odds of their most recent fight had failed to land in their favor. Maka had sustain many minor injuries, resulting in a fair amount of blood loss. Even though she was deemed stable, the staff had suggested staying overnight just to be safe (and after seeing a very tired and worried Soul, reluctantly allowed her partner to stay as well).

"Maka?" Soul spoke softly, his fingertips gently tracing the line of her collar bone.

"Mm?"

Soul brushed his lips against her throat, tickling her skin as he murmured, "I know what you're thinking."

"...What am I thinking?"

Careful of Maka's injuries, Soul moved above her, bracing his elbows on either side as he leaned in close. He wore a sober expression as he brushed away her hair from her tears and her tears from her eyes. "It's not you're fault Maka," he told her then, softly stroking her hair, cheeks, eyebrows then lips. "Death... is a very real component in what we do." He kissed her forehead, her nose, the tip of her chin. "If you give away a part of yourself every time it appears..." He rested his cheek beside her's, whispering, "Eventually you won't have anything left at all."

Despite his words (or perhaps because of them), the tears flowed freely, increasing to soft hiccuping sobs.

Soul sighed, eyeing the sensitive young woman he cradled. "Maka, it will all seem better tomorrow. For now, put it out of your mind."

"Soul - " Maka was cut off as Soul leaned down to crush his lips against her own. The contact making Maka's fingers ache in a way that instantly ignited her chest with a warmth that belied it's previous chills. Soul's hands, already sliding down her body and under the hospital gown, quickly found the skin beneath - his fingers happily caressing, pinching and teasing her heated flesh.

He deepened the kiss, pressing further and further into her until all he could think, feel or taste was his meister. Maka's tears dried up along with Soul's worries as the two battled desperate emotions, each craving to find solace in their brief release.

Maka wrapped her arms around Soul's neck, tangling her fingers into the roots of his frosty hair as he moved to shower kisses along her jaw. Maka gasped as Soul nibbled her earlobe, arching into him at the sensation. Suddenly feeling hot, Soul drew back to quickly rip his shirt off before hovering down against his meister once more. Excited by the sudden addition of bare skin, Maka moved her fingers along the lithe muscles of Soul's chest, pausing to trace the pimpled flesh of every scar.

Their passion soon turned silly as Soul playfully licked up the line of her neck, making him laugh as she giggled. He leaned back, sizing her up as he hovered above. They both smiled fondly at each other.

Soul brushed the hair out of Maka's eye's with blood stained knuckles before leaning down to press his lips against her forehead. "You need to sleep," he whispered against her skin quietly, as though sharing an important secret.

"And you don't?"

Soul simply rolled his eyes as they settled back down.

Okay, this is for the first person who answered my poll (it was the day I posted my last chapter - you know who are!) I love you! They wanted a smexy one-shot and I'm afraid because of my certain, coughcough, prude like tendencies, this is as good as it gets when I write anything heated. Then, the second person answered my poll, they wanted angst, so I tried to incorporate that into the one-shot. Though it's hard to mix the two without going kinky...

Then after I finished someone wanted 'other', but I figured this was pretty 'different' as is.

This is for you three for making me so happy!

(I need to practice my humina-humina scenes)

Cheers.

Ps. I have the next chapter written (how unlike me), it'll be posted next Saturday.