This is short, but I really have to give this to you all by itself. I hope you love it.
Marie's fingers were uncomfortably digging into Soul's shoulders as she marched him down the hallways. Every step brought with it the surety that this was some kind of wild-goose-chase, a mysterious cabal between the women in his life that was meant to keep him busy for some nefarious reason. If there was one thing he was sure of, it was futile to resist Marie, so he allowed the leading until he heard Maka's voice. He knew that accusatory pitch well, the you're in trouble now that usually came just before a Maka-chop, and that well-burrowed instinct of being her shadow when it was directed at someone else instantly reared in him.
Only, Marie clamped harder. There was no moving, Marie leaving him stuck just before the doorway to the upper-level of the stadium seats in the seminar room. He could peek, catching enough of a glimpse of the bottom podium that he found some comfort in Liz and Black Star flanking her but the fourth person in question still made him lean against Marie's hold. Clara. What's the fucking girl doing there? "Marie-"
"Just listen," Marie whispered softly as she kept him planted in place.
"I don't know why the three of you would need me." Clara was all innocence, eyes blinking to each one of their faces.
"Clara," there was that tone again- the Maka in command that gave Soul goosebumps automatically. "I think it's time we talked about Soul."
"What?" Her eyebrows popped, as her fingers crumpled into the edge of her dress. "Did he ask about me?"
"Fuck, you're desperate," Black Star snapped.
"Shut up, this is Maka's thing," Liz growled at him.
Maka waited for the chatter behind her to quiet. "I know how you feel, Clara."
Soul's brow wrinkled.
"How could you possibly know how I feel?" Suddenly the schoolgirl was gone, a bitter tremor stealing away anything that was cute about that voice.
If Maka had noticed the change, there was no show of it, the same assertive hint to her reply, "I feel jealous, too, when he looks at someone else- when he talks to someone else."
"What?" The rage was building behind that word but Maka continued.
"And that's fine. We're allowed to feel what we feel and that's fine." Another shiver hit Soul's spine because this was the tone reserved for the real fights, the one where making up came with real pleas of I'm sorry if you even hoped for her to look at you again. "But hurting him in your jealousy is completely unacceptable."
Hurting me? Soul tried for a step forward but Marie negated it.
"How the hell am I hurting him?" Clara snapped his question for him.
"Do you think you love him?" Maka spat back the question of her own and took a step forward, every ounce of her challenging Clara as she shoved the words at her again. "Do you actually think you love him?"
"And you think you do?"
"I know I do," Maka came back without pause, without an ounce of hesitation in her voice and Soul no longer had any power to move forward even if he wanted to. "I love him and I know this because even with my jealousy, even with how much I wish he'd love me back, I would never, ever do anything to get in the way of his happiness. If he wanted to be with you, then I would stand back and let him because loving someone is about letting them find their happiness."
"As if you actually would," Clara screeched. "The way you hang all over him- you make sure there's no room for anyone else!"
"Then hurt me!" Maka lost the battle with her cool, letting the scream fly from her throat. "If I'm in the way, why didn't you hurt me?"
"I did!" Clara pushed back and as her hands reached for Maka, Soul bucked.
"Wait," Marie cautioned.
Black Star was there, grasping Clara by the wrist and pulling her a step to Maka's side. "Don't try it," he hissed the words right from Soul's mind.
"Let go of me," Clara fumed.
"Then keep your hands to yourself," Black Star sneered as he tossed her hand away, watching as Clara took cautious steps back.
"And that's how I know you don't really love him," Maka's seething accusation echoed loudly in Soul's ears. "You didn't even realize how lonely he was. You didn't even think about what being forgotten would do to him, only what it could do for you. Even when he's with me, I can feel it. I know he still thinks that he has no one so how dare you take away the one thing he thought he had!" A frustrated screaming groan left Maka's throat but he watched her straighten her back, her face challengingly stuck in Clara's. "But you failed. I might not remember every moment, but I remember being his. So you may have stolen my memories but I have that. He'll always have that."
Soul felt Marie's fingers fall away but before he could even take a step she was edging in front of him and taking determined strides down the aisle. "I think it's time to take Clara to Kid."
"Marie?" Liz raised innocent hands as she turned to the woman descending. "I swear, we were going to do that."
"I'm sure you were," Marie laughed softly, "but I think that time is now. Come along, Clara. You too, Black Star, Liz." She had started to herd her little ducklings, fingers dangling out to beckon them all along.
Black Star started to grumble, "What about Maka?"
"Soul's got her," Marie turned on cue, seeing Soul standing exactly where she expected at the top of the aisle, hands in his pockets. "Right?"
Soul nodded.
Black Star leaned into Marie, "Do I still get to punch her?"
"That was never the plan," Liz hissed.
"Let's argue in the hallway, please," Marie chimed as she placed not so gentle hands on Clara now.
"Soul!" Clara managed to pull away, getting one or two steps up the aisle before the glare she received in reply from the man in question froze her in her spot.
There was nothing there in his scarlet eyes, no glow, barely any recognition of anything at all. To look at him was to see a man in pure boredom, but to glimpse into his mind was to see a storm, and the grit of his voice spelled it out clearly. "Don't come near me."
"But I…" trembled on Clara's lips.
"Can't say I agree with Maka, that hurtin' me is some big deal,'' that was saturated with cool apathy, but the next came with a swell of bitter hatred that grated down every spine in the room, "but anyone who knows anything about me- pretends to know anything about me would know that nobody gets away with trying to get between us. Take another step and find out what happens to you, or make the better choice and let Marie take you to some kinda mercy."
"Come on, Clara," Marie murmured, this time leaving Clara unable to refuse the grip at her elbow. The girl took a few more shaking steps as her eyes stayed locked with Soul until he easily broke it. All the warmth came back, a fire lit behind the glance that fell on Maka.
Maka was still entirely puffed, her hands digging into her hips as she looked up at him. "Don't you dare yell at me."
"About what?" he muttered as he took a few steps down, eyes ticking towards the door to watch the group scuttling out.
She huffed, "If I told you I was confronting her-"
"Nah, you had your little posse," he chuckled. "Not surprised Liz and Star fell in for that plan."
That adorable wrinkle appeared between her eyebrows and he couldn't help but watch it with a smile. "You're not angry."
"Uh," he caught the end of the wonder with a chuckle. "Guess I'm a lot of things right now."
"What does that mean?" Maka moved to meet him as he finally reached the last step, his hands coming out of his pockets to hover out between them.
Soul cleared his throat, "Pissed- at her, but at myself, too. Was a little too blind about her."
Maka shook her head as she took his hands, squeezing with a gentle reassurance. "You had enough on your mind, so not seeing that… what's more important is that-"
"You said you loved me," he cut in with a desperate pull of air to follow.
Her cheeks dusted with a gentle pink, but her voice trembled with the same accusatory flare as moments ago. "Don't tell me I don't, Soul. I don't want to hear it. I know I don't remember, I know-" The words snapped from her mouth as he tugged her forward.
If anything, Soul was always careful, not jamming her ahead but just enough to stop her from the meaningless argument. As his head hung down, he gently untangled one hand from hers, letting it come up to touch her cheek, to hold her steady along with himself as he released one last aching sigh before he tucked just low enough for his lips to brush hers. He could barely stand the way his nerves fired, the way all of him was begging for more connection, more skin, more of her. His other hand squeezed hers desperately.
When they parted, there was barely a breath between them but Soul managed a whisper, "Maka, I've never had anything- anyone like you. You're…" His fingers trembled up into her hair and as if it would do something other than steal any last bit of breath or sense he had left he brushed his lips against hers again, letting that sweet ache tug at him. "Just fucking tell me that you're mine," eked from his throat just before the sob broke him, the fear making him give up on her lips and hide into the crux of her neck. He tangled his arms around her shoulders.
Maka took all of his weight as he buried himself against her. "I thought I already did."