Sorry this took so long! Hope you enjoy it. I also ended up changing the tense since I really wasn't enjoying working in present. Feel free to tell me whether it works or not.

I-love-yous seemed to come from me when Soul did something cute, when he looked my way, when I stared at him too long, and just about any second of the day when the whim took me. Soul holds onto his words, using them when he'd clearing blood from my brow, when he'd picking me up from an enemy hard hit, and when he gave me that last, long kiss when he was spent on top of me. He'd never let one of mine go without responding, but to get them from him sometimes seems like a gift each time.

But today, a year and a half after the first I-love-yous, as I'm grabbing my bag to leave for a maximum of thirty minutes just for groceries, he stopped me by grabbing my elbow and looked at me, almost desperate, before punctuating each of the words, "Maka, I love you."

Was I not informed he was trying out for a soap opera? "I love you, too." I paused because he still did not release my elbow. "I'm just going for groceries, alright?"

Soul took a deep kiss as payment before finally releasing my arm. At that point, I wasn't even sure I should leave but he offered me one of those grins. "Yeah, take your time."

"Ok…" I knew I should make this quick, mostly because of that impromptu declaration, but how much trouble could he really get into on his own? Right? I tried to focus on my shopping list instead, walking the aisles matching my paper to the shelves. It was hard to concentrate, and my mind kept drifting to Soul with that tight grip. I barely got the list finished before I booked it home, my shopping trip actually taking more time than I had expected thanks to all the spacing out and backtracking I had to do throughout the store.

I started up the stairs and the sound started to trickle in from the distance. First, it just sounded like voices, as if Soul had left the TV on too loud but as I got closer, I realized one of those voices was Soul. The other instantly sent my eyebrows into knots, especially because the tone wasn't all that loving. I was stomping at this point and couldn't stop myself from practically throwing open the door.

Soul and Spirit were sitting across from each other, one in the armchair, the other on the couch, both now miraculously quiet, but I could see the rage tick in my dad's eye and the tone of Soul's face matched his eyes, the color creeping up from his neck. Neither bothered to look at me, just locked in a staring contest. I tentatively placed the groceries down on the counter before turning to the two. "Um, hello?"

Spirit was up first, his hand grasping at my arm. "Tell me you didn't say yes!"

"Say yes?" I couldn't stop blinking and it turned the scene into stop motion.

Spirit pulled me in, "Did you accept his proposal?"

"You idiot!" Soul howled.

"Proposal?" But the information was starting to connect in my head and my eyes move from my father to Soul, seeing the absolute agony on his face as the realization spread across mine. "You mean get married?"

"You idiot!" Soul was grabbing Spirit by the back of the collar.

"Are you pregnant?" He turned his stabbing glare towards Soul, "Is she pregnant?"

"What?" Soul was temporarily repelled from my dad, looking back at me again. "Are you?"

"No, you idiots!" I needed a step back, I needed air, but Spirit was on a roll.

"But you had to ask her! You're sleeping together? You deflowered my daughter?"

With his murderous intentions turned toward Soul, I took the opportunity to plant a firm chop to his head, sending him sprawling. "That's none of your business!"

"Maka, you're too young…" he gurgled into the floor, turning into a blubbering mass.

I crouched down, contemplating smooshing his face further into the floor but gave in to the nicer side of me with a sigh. "I'm nineteen, papa."

"And that's young, Maka."

"You and Mom-"

"And you see how that turned out," Spirit moaned.

Okay, so I started rethinking and was about to commence the continuous smashing of Spirit's face into the floor when Soul finally awoke from the pregnancy scare and pulled me off instead, threatening his own violence. "And whose fault was that one, old man? You know I'd never treat Maka like that so I don't know why you won't just consent!"

"Soul…" It was romantic what he was trying to do, but it was a clusterfuck and just needs to be over. "Papa, I think it's time you go." I did my best to keep Soul from murdering my father while coaxing the other one to slither out the door, hearing a lot of griping from both parties in the process. I finally got the door slammed behind Spirit, every inch of my mind screaming for silence.

"Maka-"

"Nope!" I pushed him towards the couch. "You're going to sit down and shut up for a while. I'm going to cook and think and if you even once try to interrupt me you will regret it." I didn't bother with a response or even a look before my back was to him, getting the groceries unpacked. His eyes were drilling into the back of my neck but, luckily for him, all I could hear was his endless fidgeting on the couch which I suppose didn't count as an interruption. By the time I had the rice started and the vegetables sliced, my brain was no longer stuck on murder. I finally turned to look at him, seeing him practically melting into the couch, his face slack and terrorized.

He shot up to a sitting position, "Can I - Oh, fuck, I'm sorry, Maka, please tell me you're ready to talk."

I walked to the couch and slowly brought myself to sit next to him, a sigh escaping as I relaxed back. "What in the world made you think that talking to papa was going to be a good idea?"

"Isn't that what people do when you're going to…"

"Say it, Soul, I feel like it should be part of the punishment," I smirked.

"He fucking ruined it anyway," Soul grumbled. "Isn't that what a guy's supposed to do when he's going to ask a girl to marry him?"

"Normally, yes, you ask or at least talk to the family first." I placed my hand in his before using the other to rub my brow. "But normally. That's for normal people. Papa is anything but normal. You had to have guessed that he'd…" Implode? Explode? Go berserk? There were too many options for a description.

His clutched my hand in his like I was giving him a lifeline. "Yeah, freak out for sure. I guess I just was hoping this would be the one time…"

"And you're lucky he only asked two embarrassing questions." I could actually laugh at this point and I let myself put my head on his shoulder, his arm instantly wrapping around my shoulders to squeeze me closer.

"And I took the bait." Soul kissed my forehead and let out a rough laugh. "Totally uncool of me."

"I think I can overlook it this time."

His hand flexed against my shoulder and he cleared his throat. "But the marrying thing, Maka…"

"You have my permission to ask." I lifted my head so I can look in those crimson eyes. "But maybe not just this minute? I'm no princess, but I think I'd like something a little more fancy than right after my dad yells about my deflowering."

Soul smirked, taking a moment to press his lips against mine, his hand drifting along my neck and making me start to forget the ridiculousness of the day. "Seems like a tall order, but I'll try."

Oh fuck was a phrase that I had heard many times in Soul's company, having a wide range of uses such as:

"Oh, fuck!" as he dodged some attack he definitely wasn't ready for.

"Oh, fuck," as he slurped the last of a ramen bowl that was far too large for his stomach to contain.

"Oh, fuck!" as he forgot his keys and locked himself out of the apartment for the fiftieth time.

Or, my personal favorite: "Oh, fuck!" as he cums, which has been more often and with more intensity since that engagement discussion with my dad. And, no, I haven't really figured out why that's what's spurring him to more sex and, somehow, more enjoyment for him.

But this oh, fuck seemed misplaced. It wasn't when he actually finished since Soul had make sure to give me his signature ending, the kiss and I-love-you, but only as he slid out of me, and as I felt the slow crawl of liquid between my legs.

"Oh, fuck." It sounded weak and lifeless next to the others.

"What?" My voice almost cracked since this was one of those situations where you never wanted this version of that phrase.

"It broke!"

"Me?" Because the liquid could only translate to blood, so I was definitely bleeding, definitely dying, but when I reached my hand down, cupping at myself to see what I could hold in the viscosity wasn't right, something I definitely knew because I'd had lots of experience with my own blood before. I pulled my fingers away and saw the milky white, not the signature red.

"The condom, it broke," he muttered as he moved from the bed, wide gait walking to the bathroom. "I'm getting a towel."

"Yeah," my voice fluttered. I wondered if this had sunk in for him yet. I knew I was apt to panic, hence why Soul was the perfect partner being the antithesis, but he seemed way too nonchalant for this kind of accident.

"Here." He put the towel by my arm and I couldn't do more than just press it there, my thoughts almost immobilizing me.

I brought my butt to my feet, sitting up to look at him. "Soul, if it broke…"

"I must have been going too hard, I'm sorry, Maka," he shrugged with a grin on his face.

"No, that's fine, but the condoms, that was all we were using, Soul. Remember?"

"Oh," he elongated the vowel and as he continued his voice seemed to drop, his hand reaching out for my arm. "But don't panic, Maka. There's stuff for that. A just in case, right? Or, we could, uh…" The original cool guy that started that sentence started to unravel.

"We could what?"

Soul took a deep breath, moving to take both of my hands in his. "What if we left this one to chance?"

"What?" The analytical side of me was drowning, but the look on his face seemed so sure like this was the best-case scenario.

"The chances aren't one hundred percent," he rubbed his thumbs over my knuckles, "But if it happened, would it be… would it be so bad? I know it's totally not planned, and you're body is your body and I'm not about to put my foot down."

"I…" What did I want? I couldn't even begin to fathom the situation in front of us, let alone the man in front of me. "How are you so calm?"

"Well, the dude can always be a little calmer since like I said, it's your body," he touched my stomach and a chill ran down my spine. "But remember when I saw you with Ben? It clicked, Maka, that feeling that you were it and that could be our baby." Soul pulled back his hands, rubbing them along his thighs. "But it's not just me. You have to be into it, too, and I don't want you to think I'm trying to sway you one way or another. And damn, I must sound crazy right now."

In a daze, I stood up and finish cleaning myself off, leaving the conversation in that room to go to the bathroom. I knew I wasn't exactly treating Soul very well at that moment, but I still closed myself in, locking the door, and ran the sink. The water was cold and I splashed it against my face, trying to evoke some kind of thought other than the base panic. But was that it? If I'm panicking, doesn't that mean I don't want it? Or is it just a big step and every natural human being would be terrified at that initial moment?

I put extra time into the regular post-sex clean up routine. It doesn't necessarily feel dirty, but it feels weird, and I contemplated taking a shower, but couldn't, still too focused on my thoughts. His footsteps were outside of the door and I knew he was just being good, being patient, letting me get it together. And just as I was thinking that he slid my phone under the door. I picked it up, hearing his body thump against the wall outside the bathroom. "You Google post-sex contraception and I'll Google the pregnancy chances," he calls through the not so thick walls separating us.

I do as I'm told. "Most effective up to 72 hours after sex," my voice wavers. A momentary thought washes over me that I want to call my mom, but would she even be available?

"Ugh, I should have given you this one. I'm finding jackshit." I can hear his frustration even through the door. "What other information do you need? Because you definitely can't lock yourself in the bathroom much longer. I have to pee."

I unlocked the door, trying to produce a laugh for him. Soul was sitting there in his boxers, holding up my t-shirt and panties to me. I slipped each on then slid down the wall, landing hard on my ass next to him. He looked at me, again waiting patiently. "Would I be a good mom?"

"I mean, if you can keep Black Star alive on a team, I think you can handle a baby," Soul shrugged. I cracked a smile, but not much more. "Hey, you're great, Maka. And like I said, if it's this scary, we don't have to do it now. It was just an idea, maybe a stupid, half-assed idea, so don't stress."

"72 hours, OK?" I leaned into him, almost losing my breath as he hugged me a little more vigorously than usual.

"Take your time. No matter what, I love you, though, alright? We're doing this together no matter what."