A/N: This one will rot your teeth, but it's done. Another tumblr prompt.


Of all the things Maka had never expected, and there were plenty of things Maka had never expected, finding herself with a bouncing baby boy at the tender age of 19 would have been at the very top of her list. She wasn't dating, had never dated, had never even had sex-yet here she was, for all intents and purposes the mother of a six month old baby.

Alright, not mother. Sister, in truth. The result was the same-the baby was hers to care for for the long haul.

She could refuse, of course, put the baby up for adoption, walk away from the responsibility she hadn't earned and didn't want, but she wouldn't. Couldn't. This baby was all that was left of her mother, so she would love it like her mother now couldn't, like her mother hadn't loved her in a almost a decade. It was the least she could do.

She felt a hand squeeze her shoulder as the lawyer droned on about about inheritance, social security, DWMA pension, and a million other things she would need to mentally sort eventually, but was still too stunned to process. She looked up at her weapon, who'd stood vigil behind her for the entire half hour they'd been in the office, and forced a strained smile. He'd been there with her through all of this, held her until she'd cried herself to sleep when she got the call last week and every night since, cooked for her, waved off all the condolences and her stupid Papa. He'd been her rock as he'd always been her rock, and a swell of gratitude that she had him in her life hit her forcefully. Maybe he'd never love her the way she loved him, but that he cared for her, that he was there for her, these things were just as important. She felt another squeeze, and this time her smile was a bit broken, but genuine.

The lawyer cleared his throat, looking at Maka pointedly. "So, that's everything. Do you have questions?"

"Um," Maka bit her lip unhappily. "No? But I may-later. It's-a lot to process."

The man, dark skinned, in his forties, wearing an expensive suit and a carefully neutral expression, nodded. "Of course. You have my card-please don't hesitate to contact me. There's still paperwork to deal with in order to finalize your custody of Yuki, but as you're his only known living relative-"

"But," she interrupted, shaking her head. "Mr. Harris, what I don't understand is-if Mama had another baby and it wasn't with-with her ex husband, shouldn't Yuki's father-"

The man shook his head, and Maka noticed that the baby in question had begun stirring in her arms, his nap clearly short lived. "We don't know who the father is. Kamiya Arakawa wasn't in a relationship and didn't list a father on the birth certificate. Your mother is the only one who could have told us who to seek, and she's gone-she hadn't even updated her will to include Yuki. I had to work completely based on the old will and your relationship to your brother to establish you as the only viable caretaker."

"Oh," she said, voice small in her own ears. "I guess that's it then. Thanks-for all of your help." She stood then, clutched the stirring baby to her with one arm as she extended her free hand to shake the lawyer's in thanks. "I'm sure we'll be in touch."

He nodded sagely in response, then gestured to the elderly woman standing quietly off to the side, the same woman who had handed Yuki to Maka when she first entered the room. "Ms. Gishi will accompany you home to help you get settled with Yuki tonight before she returns to Japan tomorrow. Take care, and again, my deepest condolences."

Maka knew a dismissal when she heard one, so she nodded, thanked him, and, shifting the now awake baby in her arms, strode out the door, Soul's hand never once leaving her shoulder. He really was her rock.

Perhaps the most strange and even unfair part of it all was how quickly the baby bonded with Soul. Not Maka, not his sister, but Soul. He had to hold the child nearly constantly to avoid shrieking. He was the one to feed him, and while Maka did the other things she could-diaper changes and clothing changes and baths-if Soul wasn't right within sight, things would never go well. Yuki wouldn't sleep, would scream incessantly if Soul wasn't with him, so the baby had to sleep with Soul in the bed if they were to sleep at all. Maka had taken to sleeping on her weapon's floor the first week to be at hand to help (Yuki was her responsibility, after all,) and then they'd just bought a bigger bed. It wasn't like they hadn't shared before, and with Yuki between them, it certainly didn't cross any lines, as if they were going to be crossed regardless.

Yuki bonding with Soul so completely was odd enough-usually children disliked her weapon on sight, his odd features repelling them as surely as if he were a demon in truth rather than simply a demon weapon-but what Maka found even more bizarre was how thoroughly Soul had bonded right back. Her weapon had long since declared his general disdain for all things small and cute, though she had as long suspected that disdain to be ninety percent "apathetic cool guy" bullshit. Still, she had never seen him show much interest in children and he tended to actively avoid them. But she caught him smiling and cooing down at Yuki the very first day, the very first hour they'd brought him home when Soul thought she wasn't looking. As the scythe began to hum some soothing tune down at the baby who lay swaddled next to him on the couch while Maka listened to Ms. Gishi's instructions on how the child preferred his formula, wide, dark eyes had stared back in wonder. Those eyes, along with the baby's dark hair, must have mirrored his father, but his nose, his mouth, his smile-all of those were like his mother and sister. Hearing the child coo happily for the first time ever, Maka had stolen a glance away from the nanny to see her weapon's actions, a soft smile gracing her own features.

"Ah, Yuki will be lucky boy to live in house with love," the nanny had commented, causing her to start.

"Uh, yeah," Maka looked up, then switched to Japanese because she spoke that far more fluently than the nanny spoke English. "I loved my mother very much, and I will love my brother as she now can't, of course."

"No, you misunderstand," the woman had replied in Japanese with a knowing smile. "You and your young man love each other fiercely. Yuki is lucky to come to such a home, where there is love already."

"We," she'd stammered, still in Japanese. "I mean, he and I-he's just my weapon partner. He's not my-my-young man, and we're just friends, not-"

"Ah!" the woman said knowingly. "Perhaps that is so, but it cannot erase love or desire. The heart often knows before the head."

Maka had blinked at her, then, but that was all. If the women misread their partnership, well, she was far from the first and would not be the last. Deciding the bottle was temperate enough, she had excused herself to feed her baby brother.

Ms. Gishi had gone back to Japan the next morning, and Maka hadn't considered her words since.

A year later, though, the words came back to haunt her and she couldn't help her concern. They had been walking Yuki through Terminus Square Park, each holding one of his hands, when Yuki ran ahead to watch the ducks. Maka had grabbed Soul's hand reflexively in its place as they walked down the grass slope towards the pond, where Yuki had already reached the perimeter of the fence. When they caught up with the boy, Soul hoisted him up on his shoulders for a better view, and an older woman who was standing near had smiled warmly at the sight, catching Maka's eyes.

"You have a beautiful family," she'd said. "Your child is lucky the two of you love each other so much-to be raised amidst love is a true blessing."

Soul and Maka had exchanged an embarrassed look, then, but Maka thanked the woman and went on with her day-they were often mistaken for a family. Still, her words, the words of Ms. Gishi so many months ago, weighed heavily on her mind all that afternoon. Yuki was so dependent on Soul already, and it had Maka's heart in her stomach. If they truly were a family, if they truly were in love, it would be fine, it would be-the word ideal came to mind, actually. The trouble was, that just wasn't true. They loved each other, sure, as friends, as partners. But they weren't together, had never been together. Her weapon just didn't see her that way, and as he neared his twenty first year, she knew it was inevitable that he would eventually, and probably sooner than later, find someone he did see that way and then-then everything would change. Their little family would crumble as her weapon finally lived his own life, and Yuki would be left with only her.

She had no doubt Soul would still be there for them as much as he could be, of course he would, but it wouldn't be the same, they would cease to come first, and she couldn't do that to her brother. The longer this continued, the worse it would be when everything came crashing down around their ears.

Better to-to deal with it now.

That night, after Soul put Yuki to sleep and snuck into the living room to plop down onto the couch next to her, Maka decided it was time. She'd been watching a movie idly, some silly, unrealistic rom com about a one night stand and the resultant pregnancy, but her mind was elsewhere, and as her weapon snarked at her viewing choice, she shrugged and grabbed the remote to click it off, turning her eyes to him.

"That's fine, I wasn't really enjoying it anyway."

"Really, Maka," he replied with a concerned frown. "I was just giving you shit. We can watch it." Clearly he had picked up on her mood, which was for the best.

"No." She shook her head. "I'd rather talk-or-we need to talk, I guess."

The frown deepened. "About?"

She took in a breath, deep and calming. "About Yuki. And-and-us." He began shaking his head, his confusion writ large on his face. She continued before he could speak. "It's just-we're friends and partners, and we'll always be friends and partners, I know that, but Yuki becomes more dependent on you everyday and someday, Soul-someday, you're going to find someone, and you're going to focus on your own life, and probably, eventually, your own family, and just-I don't want to do that to Yuki."

He looked stunned, as if he'd been smacked viciously, unexpectedly.

"I know what it's like," she pushed on quietly. "How hard it is, to lose someone important. I don't want that for Yuki. So I think maybe-maybe it would be better if you distanced yourself more now. Yuki and I can I can start to sleep in my room, and I'll start taking care of him most of the time. That way, when you do find someone you want to be with and move out some day, it won't-"

"No," he interrupted suddenly, firmly, his red eyes seeking hers imploringly. "You're my family, you and Yuki, and I'm not going anywhere. Ever."

She frowned at him. This was hard enough-why did he have to make it harder? She should have expected it from her fiercely loyal weapon, but still. "I know you feel that way now, Soul. I know you love Yuki and want to be here for him, and I even know you well enough to know you would choose him, choose to stay with us, over-over your own wishes when you find someone. But I don't want that. I don't want you stuck here with us, I don't want to rob you of finding happiness with your own family. I don't. So can you just-can you just listen to me, for once, and do as I ask? Please?"

"No," he repeated, voice never wavering, eyes full of hurt in a face that was firmly impassive. "Look-that's-that's not gonna happen, okay? There is no other person or happiness or family or whatever the fuck. For me. There isn't. There's just you, and now, there's Yuki. That's it. I'm not going anywhere, I don't want to go anywhere. And look, someday, maybe you'll be the one to finally find someone, and that's okay. If you do, if you want me to back off, butt out, become Uncle Soul, I'll do that. But that's the only way I'm going anywhere, you got that?" She began to shake her head, violently, and was surprised when he caught her chin in his hand, stroked her cheek gently. Maka couldn't help it, she leaned into his touch, closing her eyes.

"Soul," she breathed, but he didn't let her speak further.

"Even before Yuki, Maka, long before, I was never going anywhere. Here, right here, is the only place I've ever wanted to be, right by your side. I-thought you knew that."

She opened her eyes. "I know you love us, Soul. I know I'm your best friend, but-that's not always going to be enough. You know it isn't. Someday, you're going to want more, going to find someone-"

"Fucking hell, Maka," he cut her off, and she'd been blocking herself from feeling his wavelength, too afraid to catch the hurt, but the anger bombarded her suddenly, viciously. "For someone so damned smart, you don't listen. You. Are the only one. I want." His words were spoken slowly, gritted out, as if he were schooling a stubborn child. "There is no other happiness. Not for me. So can we cut this crap and move on with our lives? 'Cause I'm never leaving, never gonna wanna leave, always gonna wanna be as close to you as you'll let me." His eyes were full, intense, but his wavelength suddenly quieted to a simmering hurt and sadness and she-his words-she- "And look," his voice was quiet again. "You don't have to worry. It's okay, you know, that you don't feel that way, I get that. You can't help who you love, I know that better than anyone. So when you don't want me here anymore, that's fine, I'll deal with that, and you know what? I'll be happy for you, I swear I will, because you being happy is the most important thing. You deserve to find love, Maka. If anyone does, it's you. But-but-just-don't shut me out before then, okay? Just-it can't be best for Yuki. You have to see that."

"Soul," she was shaking her head again, and he finally removed his hand. She felt its loss keenly so she grabbed for it, held it tightly in her own. His words-it was almost as if-and his wavelength-how had she never noticed? But then, he was so good at hiding things, they both were. "You speak of me finding love, of me finding happiness, as if it were some far off thing, some hazy future. It's not." She swallowed, hard, licked her too dry lips. "I-it's been a long time since my heart was my own, Soul. A long time. And happiness? I don't know if it's in my future, or yours, but the last few years have been the happiest of my life. I-I'm never going to want you to leave. Ever. There's-there's no one that could change that, no one that can take what already-already belongs to-" his eyes were wide "-to you."

"Maka," he rasped out, his hand clutching hers tightly.

"So-so you're right, the best thing for Yuki, for both of us, is for you to stay right here if here is where you want to be."

"Always," he managed.

"Good," her smile became wide and bright and she laughed quietly in relief, and his smile was soft but real and his soul was so full of warmth she could have basked in it forever, and as she leaned forward and pressed her lips chastely to his, she heard a small, sleepy voice ask, "Mama? Papa?" from a few feet away.

At first, she had always told her brother to use their names, but as Yuki had continued to call them that, she eventually hadn't had the heart to correct it.

She pulled away from Soul, her lips still warm, and cast her eyes on the child they had raised together for over a year.

"Yes, Yuki, Sweetie?"

"I'm escared." His dark eyes were pleading.

"You want me to come to bed with you?"

"Yeah," he said timidly.

"Okay, let's go."

She stood, and as Soul stood with her, she met his gaze. "We can finish our talk tomorrow," she told him, "but I think-I think we have plenty of time to figure things out."

"Yeah, definitely." Soul's warm smile remained as his hand tightened around hers again, and hand in hand, they took Yuki to bed, contentment radiating warmly from all three of their souls as both weapon and meister finally realized the one thing they had never expected above all, that they'd had what they always wanted all along.