We're getting close, I think. Enjoy this cutesy chapter.


Soul wasn't sure it was physically possible but his palms were even sweatier than their first-date-but-not-first-date night to the point where he was sure they had to literally be dripping. He had opted for a black t-shirt to hide any additional sweat, but the summer weather had only added more than the nervousness had produced and by the time he walked to Maka's apartment building he was sure he looked like a drowned rat. Luckily he had been prepared for his body's ultimate betrayal and brought an extra shirt which he'd left sticking out of his pocket in hopes of it remaining untarnished.

"Hello, Soul!" It was the same security guard as before, eyes seemingly just as delighted as the last time that they met. "Or, really, I'm sorry, Ms. Albarn never gave me your last name."

"Evans, but you can call me Soul." He tried to stop his hands from running through his hair since all that would do would spread more sweat. "Is there a bathroom I could use before I could go up there?"

"Huh," the guard looked him up and down and the phrase once again occurred to Soul: drowned-rat. "Why don't you come around back and use the one in the office?"

"That would be great," Soul tried to check his exuberance at the prospect, just giving a quick nod. That was another thing about today, cool-guy-Soul was supposed to be back in town. Being with her meant he could be whoever he was at the moment, but meeting Spirit Albarn definitely meant Soul had to channel his old self, the one that had it together and never flinched in social situations, or at least not on the outside.

The doorman opened the door behind him and waved Soul through, giving Soul the first view of a cramped office that consisted of nothing more than a small wooden desk and chair. Opposite those was another door. "Right in there," the doorman motioned.

"Thanks," Soul started a few steps forward before turning back. "What's your name?"

"Oh, Mauricio Clark. Nice to see you again, Mr. Evans. Soul," he corrected himself quickly.

"Thanks again, Mauricio." Soul nodded back before entering the bathroom that was more of a broom closet. He locked the door, taking off his shirt to rub off any and all of the excess sweat he could. Unfortunately, he still caught himself in the mirror, seeing the tick marks littering his chest. Instead of the usual replay of blade against skin, Soul forced himself to remember how her hands felt tracing the lines, her voice whispering 'different' instead of 'disgusting' and how that night had ended with another step closer. Maybe that last part had been a little too much since he could feel the heat coming back to him.

He ran the cold water and splashed it over his face, happy he opted for the headband today since it at least left his hair mostly presentable. Soul took the other shirt as it dangled from his pocket and threw it on, relishing the pleasant feeling of fabric that wasn't clammy and stuck to his skin. It was wasteful, but he tossed the old t-shirt into the trash, not wanting to carry around the badge of his nervousness and unlocked the door to let himself back into the office. As a final measure, he stood in front of the small fan on the desk, enjoying a few of the oscillations before exiting the office.

"Feel better?" Mauricio grinned after another once-over.

"Meeting her dad today," Soul shrugged before offering back a little of a smile. "Any advice?"

Mauricio whistled long and low before laughing, "Mr. Albarn, huh? Don't get him started talking about women. Not only will the conversation never end but Ms. Albarn will hate it."

Soul grimaced, that bitterness hitting the back of his throat as the memory of the first night at his place washed over his mind.

"You don't look like the kind to talk women anyway," Mauricio winked at him, barely abating the wash of Soul's bad mood.

"I'm a one girl kind of guy," Soul managed a smirk. "Speaking of, I gotta go see her. Nice talking to you, Mauricio."

"Good luck!" Mauricio called after him as Soul moved towards the elevators.

The ding, the slow climb, and the eventual opening of the doors took all of Soul's patience but luckily didn't wash him in another layer of bodily grime as the AC had been pumped up to near refrigerator temperatures. He had barely stepped to the threshold of 508, his hand getting through one knock on the door before he heard the practical stampede of footsteps on the other side, the door instantly flying open under his hand.

There probably still should have been some of that fear, the residual nervousness, but as soon as he saw her beaming face and her arms shooting up to wrap around his neck, all of it fell to the background. "Soul!" Maka was practically bouncing, arms relaxing around his shoulders so she could lean forward, capturing his lips before he even had the chance to get her name from his throat. As if that matters. The important thing was that warmth, the softness of her lips that he had gotten used to getting every day before it was stolen.

Soul was saving his contented sigh for when they parted but wasn't waiting for it, enjoying the way she lingered in the kiss. That was, until the throat cleared behind them and Soul slowly opened his hazy eyes to see the second body that had appeared in the hallway. They parted with a quick puckering snap of mid-kiss separation, giving Soul a better view of the man that he already knew to be Spirit Albarn. The look on his face was oddly familiar, that same scowl he'd adopted after ripping Maka from Soul at the piano bench.

Maka huffed before pulling Soul another step into the doorway. "Papa, this is Soul Evans."

"Spirit Albarn." He held out a hand without a smile, his eyes still stuck in the moment he interrupted.

"Nice to see you again," Soul offered his hand back, getting a half-assed shake after the connection.

"We've met?" Spirit offered a glance at Maka.

"Yeah, at a Maba Sound record party." At least an ounce of cool-Soul was there, letting an easy chuckle fall from his mouth, "I was fifteen and you were yelling at me to stay away from your daughter."

"Guess that advice didn't stick." Here should have been an opportunity for one of those good sitcom laughs and while Soul was ready to give into it, Spirit's face stayed flat, leaving Soul only to breathe out a weak laugh in reply.

"Let's go sit down," Maka sighed as she let go of Soul to press her father back down the hallway. She led them into the living room, forcing Spirit into the single chair to sabotage any separation from Soul.

"How did you two meet?" Spirit even surprised himself with the attempt at small talk, but the look on his daughter's face already told him he had to tread lightly.

"She goes to college with some of my friends," Soul offered easily, not trying to give in to his anxiety that was screaming about traps at every turn. At this point, he'd sat down on the couch and Maka was next to him, taking his hand and playing with it in her lap.

Spirit raised an eyebrow as he leaned forward, starting to ease into the interrogation questions he'd brewed up as soon as Maka came home. "But you're not going to school?"

"Papa," Maka started the scold but Soul stopped it with a squeeze of their combined hands.

"Last year I was, well, in the hospital for a while so school wasn't an option." Soul tried to shrug it off but that brought a blockage to his throat, forcing him to clear it sharply. "I enrolled for this year."

That derailed Spirit slightly, not having pre-arranged a snappy comeback about the kid being that sick. He'd originally assumed laziness, or worse, an eye on his parents' money as his only future. "Nothing too serious, I hope," he offered lamely. Of course, it was serious, a year in the hospital isn't for nothing. But the kid doesn't look sick, maybe a little lanky but not ill.

A lie easily formed on his tongue, That's all over. I'm good. Great. He swallowed that down, sure that he didn't want to risk giving Spirit untruths. "I'm good for now."

"OK…" It was obvious that wasn't the exact answer Spirit wanted, his mouth pressing into a thin line as he digested the implications.

It was Maka who squeezed his hand this time before starting a slow rub of her thumb across his knuckles. "Papa, you have two more questions and that's it."

"It's not like I'm interrogating him," Spirit tried to throw up his hands in innocence but the almost permanent frown made the movement moot.

"Two," Maka echoed again, her green eyes hard set on her father.

Soul was watching her closely, praying that he never got that kind of stare, not sure he could do anything but crumble under the weight of it. Maybe she wasn't a full-on guard dog, but Soul was seeing a repeat of that night at the party, the flared anger in response to someone threatening him, no matter how insignificant it might seem to him. Fuck, do I ever want to kiss her right now.

Spirit was watching Soul as his puppy-love eyes were lamely taking in all of his daughter. "So how long have you two been together, under my nose, without my daughter telling me about it?"

Soul could practically hear Maka's eyes roll and as he watched her heave over her father's dramatics he was able to sneak out a chuckle. "We have been friends for a while, since September, but it got serious a few weeks before Maka went to the hospital."

Got serious, Maka snorted in her head. She made a mental note to tease him about that later.

"Then I'm not too far off thinking that this maybe isn't the healthiest thing for her." Spirit was throwing the line to the side, watching as the color flared at his daughter's neck.

"I told you, I didn't go into the hospital because of him," Maka spat. "And he's been taking care of me more than-" She cut herself off since slinging arrows at Spirit wouldn't fix this, wouldn't get them out of this situation intact. "One, just one more question, and not on that topic."

But Spirit couldn't help himself, stop himself from wanting that fight. "Anyone ever tell you you're a spitting image of your brother?"

"Papa," Maka hissed.

For a second there was no air in the room and Soul could only gape in an attempt to pull some in. Come on, people are going to talk about him, ask about him, and you can do it. He tried to focus on Maka's hand, finding himself bringing it closer to him so that he could wrap his other around it as well, hanging onto her with all of him. "Yeah, we were twins ten years apart. Still hoping the looks mean I'll be at least half the guy he was."

"You are," Maka murmured. "But more than that, too." Regardless of her father's glare, she planted a soft kiss on Soul's cheek. He was slow to turn his head to her, giving a short nod and a minute smile. "And that's it, Papa. We're out of here."

"I thought I told you-" Spirit started but Maka was already out of her seat, leaving Soul's touch to take the few steps to tower over him in the chair.

"I'm leaving the house," Maka tried to keep her voice even, the broiling anger at bay. "But I agreed to your stupid curfew, remember? 8 PM, I'll be home, without Soul."

"8 PM," Spirit muttered back. "And don't try to sneak him back in here!"

Are we in high school? Soul felt a laugh bubbling in his throat at the exchange but smothered it with a hand over his mouth. He came up beside her, extending his hand to Spirit. "Look forward to seeing you again, Mr. Albarn."

"Spirit," he grumbled before taking the hand, his eyes looking over at his daughter. "8 PM."

"Yes," Maka groaned before walking through their hands, purposefully splitting them as she grasped Soul's wrist to drag him along. There wasn't any resistance and Soul waited for the space of the corridor before he threw an arm around her shoulder. Maka was silent until they got to the elevator, waiting for the doors shut them in before she crumbled. "I'm sorry! He was terrible! Of course, he'd get to you being sick and your brother!" She ended with a frustrated cry.

"Not the worst, Maka." He squeezed her shoulder before planting a kiss on her temple. "Just glad I can have you until 8 PM." Soul attempted to make serious eyebrows but as she turned her glare to him he erupted into a laugh. "How long is the curfew going to last?"

"Until he gets a new girlfriend," Maka muttered. "So maybe two or three days."

The elevator doors opened and Maka instantly put on a smile, waving softly at Mauricio. "Nice to see you, Mr. Clark!"

Mauricio offered the same wave back, "Take care, Ms. Albarn, Soul."

Maka leaned into Soul, whispering softly, "Sorry, I never actually told him your full name."

"Don't sweat it, told him to call me Soul anyway," he shrugged it off with a grin. "I'm going to be coming by more often, right? First name basis with your doorman is a good start." Soul winced a little as they hit the sunshine, once again feeling the oppressive heat that had ruined one of his shirts today. He let his hand drift from her shoulder to her fingers as he tried to limit the overheating.

"You live alone, Soul. Why would we ever come here when all we'll get is Spirit breathing down our necks?" Maka sighed out at the mental picture of Spirit's hawkish hovering to disrupt every moment.

"Because he's got to get used to it," Soul squeezed her hand. "He may not like it, but I'm here to stay."

"Good luck wearing him down." Maka couldn't sigh again, especially as those words stole all of the annoyance from her thoughts. Here to stay, still promising that after everything.

"So what do we do with our four hours?"

"Pizza, park, crepes!" Maka made it chant, swinging his hand in the process.

"That's a little food heavy," he laughed.

"Well, maybe one slice of pizza and the walk at the park will make room for the crepes. But you have to get your own crepe, Soul! I will not share today." She gave him the best menacing glare that she could manage before melting it away with her laughter.

Maka at least stayed true to her one slice but refused to stay in the store, forcing him back out onto the benches outside to bake in the heat. She never realized how much she needed the fresh air or what could loosely be considered outdoors since it was rationed away from her at the facility. Sure, there were times for walks, a patio that you could relax in at certain hours, but again, all of it was mandated. She missed just popping out onto the street whenever she pleased and she planned to take full advantage of it today.

As they got to the park she did what she always did, leaning at the fence to peruse the activity, trying to determine the areas for the best annoyance-free walking. Soul brought back a happy memory, his hands slowly moving from arms to her waist to hug her from behind. He only lingered in it for a second, enough to let his cheek press against hers, before he had to give in to the summer's denial of skin-to-skin contact. Maka grabbed the hand that had just barely slipped away from her and began to guide him through the park, making dedicated turns to get to the walkways that included shade from the overhang of trees.

They'd enjoyed the quiet along the way, but Soul couldn't stop himself from asking the question that he'd always dreaded to hear. "How are you feeling? And I know I don't have to ask you to not give me some bullshit answer."

"Bullshit answer is fine!" Maka attempted as much fake enthusiasm as she could. "But maybe I'm halfway there? This is the first time in my life I've actually stopped pretending that the past couple of years didn't happen. Coming to grips with what did is weird, and so…" She let the sentence trail off as she pulled him from the pebbled path, bringing him out onto a lawn dotted with trees. After getting far enough away from any of the other meandering couples, Maka pulled him down to the grass that was safely shaded by a drooping willow. "I want to close out my end of the deal."

Soul moved a little closer so he could get both of her hands in his. "We could go back to the apartment if you want to talk."

"No," Maka shook her head slowly. "If we go back to my apartment, Spirit will just snoop and if we go back to your apartment, well, there are other things I'd be too preoccupied with." She laughed at herself as the blush hit her cheeks. "So this is probably the best spot available."

Soul had only prepared himself to be gentle and loving with her today, her first day back out in the real world, and he felt a pang of sudden guilt churning in his gut. "You don't have to do it today, Maka. Don't feel like you have to-"

"I want to," Maka cut him off with a faltering smile. "I'm trying not to run from it anymore, OK? I guess, well, I know Liz told you about the… the rape." The word felt so strange resounding in her ears and she barely knew how to form it in her mouth, never having used it to describe that moment. All it had been to her was another of her mistakes, only herself to blame. Rape meant that it was someone else's fault.

"Yeah," Soul could barely produce the sound as his teeth started to clench.

"But that wasn't the first time." She could see his mouth trying to form rage-drenched words but she shook her head, muting him instantly. "I don't know what to blame it on, my parents splitting up and both getting pretty good at ignoring me, or the fact that I created some fantasy in my head that I missed the last opportunity for true love with the boy on the piano bench, but I started going to those parties with Spirit with the intent of finding someone who would give me the attention, the adoration I wanted."

"Of course, Spirit was still overprotective and I'd spend most of the parties exchanging glances, maybe a whisper here and there when he wasn't looking. Spirit would send me home but all I'd have to do was sneak back out and go to whatever afterparty he wasn't going to." Maka let out a slow, warbling breath. "It was easy to get a drink at those private afterparties, to flirt, to have what I thought was fun. It was fun, maybe, until I realized that you have to make good on all the glances you've given the whole night."

"I was stupid, naive, and I thought maybe kissing would be enough but…" Maka shook her head, thinking about the child she was never allowed to be. "I wanted to say 'no' so many times, but there was no space for it because saying 'no' just put you in danger, one way or another. So I let it happen, over and over, and I learned to pretend to like it, to enjoy it. It wasn't until Liz broke the cycle that one night that I started to really think about it, about how much I hated it because I was so relieved when she took me home."

Her eyes fell to their connected fingers, watching as his thumb rubbed slow circles in her skin. "I talked a lot to the doctor about how much danger I'd put myself in, how vulnerable I'd left myself at every turn, and I think I came to the realization that maybe I wanted all of that. Maybe I was hoping for it to kill me." She didn't want that to be the last word, nor did she want to see his eyes with that thought in his head. "But by the time we met I wasn't letting that happen anymore. I hadn't kissed or touched anyone since the night Liz found me. I thought I was being careful, but I was really just hiding it all away."

Maka finally let her eyes come to his, finding him squirming, impatiently waiting his turn through all the pain and turmoil. It was enough to make her smile, albeit weakly before she let the final bit of it out. "Honestly, I wanted so much to guard you against me, to keep you from getting dirty by what I'd done but I wanted you so badly, Soul, that I couldn't help myself. I know you said that it didn't bother you, but-"

Soul finally let the guttural, frustrated groan grumble up his throat. "I don't care," he urged over her words. Maka could only blink at him, her train of thought derailed. "Oh, fuck, I know that doesn't sound right, Maka, but I mean… all I want to know, the only thing that matters is does it feel like that when I touch you? Do you have to pretend to like it?"

"No," Maka whispered softly, the words slipping dumbfounded from her lips. "I told you, sometimes my body gets confused, but as soon as I think about it, think about you, know it's you…"

"That's what matters." He let go of one of her hands, freeing his fingers to touch her cheek. "The only reason I'd ever think about your past is because I'm trying not to repeat it. I want you safe, I want you alive, and I want you happy."

"Soul…" Maka leaned forward, pressing her cheek to his shoulder so she could hide in the crick of his neck.

"Just keep taking care of yourself, Maka, please," he hated the begging quality in his voice but let it be. It was definitely a painful dose of his own medicine, thinking about her not wanting to live, the idea that she could have died even before they got together. He knew this is where Black Star must have been, or his parents, all of them hoping the broken didn't outweigh all the good in life.

"And you're going to keep taking care of yourself, too, right?" Maka pulled back to get a good look at his face as she grasped the front of his t-shirt, giving him an unnecessary shake.

"Don't worry," he laughed softly. "You're stuck with me, OK?"

Maka pulled him forward without much effort and let his lips linger on hers, knowing that this time at least wouldn't be interrupted by her father. She savored it, allowing for the tension to release from her stomach as all thought of tears finally abated. "That's it. All the shameful-"

He hushed the word with his lips. "Don't."

"All the things that happened," she corrected herself.

He sighed across her lips as he tried to quell the thumping of his heart. "Which means you beat me in the deal, huh?" Soul was hoping that this could almost sound cool, joking, but with the way her hands instantly smoothed from his shirt to cup his face, he knew it fell completely short.

Instead of what he hoped for, another deep kiss, she pulled him away, eyes searching his. "It wasn't a contest, Soul. So don't think you have to go and rush to your part."

"Not rushing." Soul grabbed her hands from his face, clenching them tightly as he brought them down. "Just definitely wasn't going to make the first thing I said to you when you got home was 'I'm ready to take off my pants.'"

Again, Maka hadn't imagined today would have been filled with laughter but he managed to elicit a tumble of giggles from her mouth. "I'm sure that would have gone over great with Spirit."

"I think that's Black Star's level of romantic," Soul smirked.

Maka leaned a little closer and raised her eyebrows playfully. "And he would say your's is to silently pine until I do the work."

Soul's mouth flung open, an incredulous huff escaping his throat. "That is totally not true."

"Says the man who missed every chance to kiss me," she cooed.

"I won't miss them now." Soul gave up on the teasing, leaning forward and catching her lips. "So no pining, Maka. I'm, uh," he laughed breathlessly, "I'm ready when you are."