Skipping forward to once again deepen relationships and make Maka more skilled at speaking Italian. Won't be skipping so much soon.
~Two Months Later~
It started out as such a normal day.
"Amara, siete pronti per la scuola? Stiamo andando a essere in ritard. (Amara, are you ready for school? We're gonna be late.)" Soul shouted from the bottom of the stairs, hearing shuffling and banging from his adoptive daughters bedroom.
"Sì, Papà! (Yes, Daddy!)" she shouted back, Soul sighed but shook his head fondly, muttering lowly as he turned on his heels to take a seat on the couch, keys in hand.
"Hey," Maka made her way from the kitchen, a flask in hand and a pink, flowery lunch box in the other.
"Ah, yeah, thanks," Soul muttered, reaching out for the flowery lunch box. Maka giggled and shoved the flask in his hand, laughing more at his low chuckle. She placed the box on the side before sitting beside him and snuggling up into his warmth. He curled an arm around her and rested his cheek on the top of her head.
"Hey, you okay with picking Amara up from school today?" he murmured into her hair, pressing a kiss there before continuing. "I need to go to the academy, Kid wants to catch up and I need to get some more work done."
"You still on paper work duty?"
"Yah, but I don't mind. Amara can barely stand the thought of me getting in a car on my own, never mind going off to fight death scythe missions." Maka sighed, nodding in a agreement. "Anyways, it's all simple anyways. Nothing a cool guy like me can't handle." Maka chuckled, burying her face in his chest and breathing in his scent. It was strange, spicy but with a hint of a kind of fire wood smell. She sighed before looking up.
"I don't mind picking her up. You take the car though, since you need to go to the academy. Me and Mara can walk home."
"You sure?"
"Yeah, course I am. Could use the excersise anyways." Soul nodded and smiled at her as Amara came running down the stairs in a flurry, giving Maka and quick goodbye hug and kiss before running to the door.
"Ciao mamma! Dai, papà, ho intenzione di essere in ritardo! Ti voglio bene, mamma! (Bye Mama! Come on Daddy, we're going to be late! I love you Mama!)" Amara shouted in a rush. She tended to slip into Italian without realising it when she was over excited. Her teacher at pre-school had told Soul that with a hint of panic, since no one could understand her when she slipped into this mode.
"Va bene, il bambino. Ricorda, a scuola è necessario parlare inglese, sì? (Alright, baby. Remember, when you're at school you need to speak English, yes?)" Amara blinked before giggling, realising and nodding at her uncle. Soul grinned at her before looking back to Maka.
"Ciao bella, (Bye beautiful)" he teased Maka, he pressed a chaste yet tender kiss to her lips before standing. Amara jumped up and down as he approached.
"Ciao Mamma! Ti voglio bene! (Bye Mama! I love you!)" Amara shouted and Maka couldn't suppress the tightness in her chest at the happiness she felt when Amara said that.
"Ti amo anch'io piccola. (I love you too, baby.)" Maka said, waving at the door. "Drive safe!" The two scurried from the apartment leaving Maka on her own to finally catch up on her reading, waiting on the time when she had to exit to pick Amara back up to return home.
Soul dropped Amara off at her school and watched her go in from the car. She waved at him at the door before entering, Soul dropped his hand from waving and leaned back into the seat, a smile trained on his face. Who would've thought his life would turn out like this? Four months ago, if someone told him he would be pursuing a relationship with his Meister, and raising a young child with her, he would've laughed in their face. But now...
He swallowed thickly, his eyes lifting to eye the picture hanging from his cars rear-view mirror. It was of Wes, but the other side was of Wes and his wife. Soul was never close with Ana but he knew she was a nice woman and Wes really adored her. She must have been a good mother. Soul squeezed his eyes shut before looking back at his brothers face who looked so much like the little girl he classed as his daughter. He looked away, titling his head back to rest against the head rest and sighing heavily.
"Thank you, Ana... Wes," he murmured before clenching his teeth. He coughed gruffly before starting the car and making a U-turn, heading for the academy.
When it hit three o clock, Soul almost stood to leave the room. He halted his actions when he remembered Maka was going to pick Amara up but hesitated to take his seat once more. Maybe he could just skip for today and meet them at the school and walk back together... But he'd already put off half of this work already. He sighed before sitting back down and looking back to the piles of paper spread out before him. He worked uninterrupted for about ten minutes before the door creaked open.
"Hey," the door opened to reveal Kid, stepping in and closing the door behind him. He had a cup of coffee in each hand and placed one down before Soul. Soul grunted his thanks before leaning back to take a large swig, ignoring the burn in his throat.
"Hey, man," he said as he placed the cup back down, looking up to his old friend. Kid took a sip of his own drink before placing it down.
"So, how you holding up?" he asked politely. Soul arched a brow. Kid sighed. "With Amara. It's almost been five months. How you all doing?"
"Oh," Soul said in understanding. "We're all fine. She loves all of you, even Blackstar. Well, especially Blackstar, surprisingly. She thinks he's funny." Kid laughed.
"Of course she does," he observed before folding his arms over his chest and leaning on the desk. "So, about you and Maka – "
"Ay," Soul held a hand up, narrowing his eyes. "Save it. I ain't talking."
"Whoa, I'm not trying to pry," Kid raised his hands up in surrender, though a smirk played at the corner of his lips. "This has nothing to do about your... relationship," Kid grinned as Soul looked away before composing himself. "No, I'm talking about your partnership. You're a death scythe, Soul. And you're sat here doing paper work." Soul leaned away, running his hand through his hair.
"I know that but... I have a kid now, man. It's made very clear that death scythes can retire temporarily, just look at Spirit! Just until she's completely settled and happy. Heck, she's scared I'll die driving around the corner, or if I catch a fuckin' cold! Not to mention Maka," Soul ran a hand over his face. "Jeez, that kid can worry."
Kid's eyes clouded with sympathy. "Poor girl. She worries about Maka?"
"Oh Death, you should hear it," Soul muttered. "She adores Maka, seems to think she's too breakable. Don't blame her, she is a small little thing. She had a small fever and Mara breaks down, thinking she's dying."
Kid shook his head, lowering it slightly. "I didn't know it was so bad," he muttered. "Take as much time as you need. Get Amara to feel better about this whole dying thing an-"
And then Soul's phone began to ring.
Soul frowned, raising a finger at Kid before pulling his phone from his pocket, his eyes narrowing more when he didn't recognise the number. He answered the call before pressing the phone to his ear, his confusion plain on his face as well as in his voice.
"Hello?" he drawled slowly.
"Hello," a polite yet slightly breathless voice said. There was a lot of background noise Soul couldn't place. "Is this Soul Eater?"
"Yeah," Soul said slowly. "Can I help you?" The man on the other side of the line hesitated.
"Yes. This is regarding Maka Albarn and your... daughter, I assume?" Soul's heart near enough stopped. He shot a panicked look at Kid's confused face as he gripped the phone even tighter, the breath caught in his throat.
"Oh my Death," he choked. "What is it? Are they okay?"
The man hesitated again. There was a small silence before he finally uttered his next words. "Your partner has been involved in a car accident." He told him rather emotionlessly. Soul felt a sharp, deep pain lace through his entire chest and his jumped up from his chair, it falling backwards behind him and he ran a frantic hand through his hair. The man continued. "A taxi driver had a seizure at the wheel and lost control of his vehicle. Your daughter is fine." Soul pressed a hand to his forehead.
"Is – Is Maka... Is she – "
"She'll be fine, sir," the man said, easing some of the tension in Soul's chest. "But she is injured. She lost consciousness for a few minutes so she may suffer from a minor concussion. The cab hit her side on. She has a few broken ribs, a sprained wrist and a nasty cut along her side that will require stitches." Soul started breathing heavily, the man spoke up. "She is perfectly coherent. She's looking after your daughter as we speak, she is the one I'm more concerned about." Soul closed his eyes, a sad feeling gnawing in his stomach.
"Oh Death, is she alright?"
"..." The man didn't respond. "I think you should meet us at the hospital, Mr Eater," he said professionally. "Go straight to reception and tell them your name and show some ID and you will be guided to your daughter and partner."
Soul didn't reply, he just snapped his phone shut, grabbed his keys and jacket and ran out the door.
