Chapter Three: He Won't
That night was the hardest, no matter what he did Soul couldn't get his mind to quiet enough to sleep. He kept turning the day over and over again in his mind like an endless tortuous loop. He'd flip one way in his chair and remember the way Stein stared at him that morning, the way everyone was staring at him. He'd turn the other way and hear Kid's words echo in his mind 'I told her you didn't need her anymore'. Throughout it all he kept reaching out for Maka, kept sweeping his eyes across her placid face to convince himself that was still her lying there and not some doll or wax carving.
The next few days were a blur of the same, he'd barely sleep- if at all, Naigus would bring something edible- lets not call it food. Maka would have visitors although Soul couldn't recall their faces after they left, then it would just be the two of them again throughout the night; the moon laughing at his sleeplessness all the while.
On the third day Tsubaki tried to get him to go out to lunch with them "C'mon Soul!" Blackstar whined from the door. Tsubaki sent him a well meaning glare before turning back to Soul "we'd love it if you came with us Soul" she cooed, a soft smile gracing her features, with a sigh Soul turned back to the bed and grumbled an apology "can't leave" he'd huffed "not again, what- what if.. Nah, you guys go" he shook his head and waited for her to turn before slumping back down in his chair and running a shaky hand across his face.
That afternoon exhaustion took over and he was able to sleep a bit before he woke to someone whispering his name, although he was awake he kept his eyes closed as he heard other voices join in on the hushed conversation "It's not that he can't" he heard Tsubaki plead "He won't. He won't leave her because if something happens and he isn't here... " she took a shuddering breath "He's convinced himself that's how this happened to begin with, i just know it" her voice had taken on a beseeching quality towards the end.
Feeling like he was intruding on a private conversation and wanting desperately to steer it away from himself, Soul gave his arms and legs a hard shaky stretch and fabricated a loud yawn, three pairs of eyes turned on him and then back to each other before a wordless consensus was reached and Marie came to his side.
"Sorry, did we wake you?" she asked sweetly while taking note of his disheveled appearance "nah, s'all good" Soul countered drowsily taking a small bit of comfort from her mothering nature. An exasperated sigh sounded behind Marie before Naigus strode towards them "you are being too soft on him Mar" reaching down to him Naigus pinched his earlobe between her knuckle and thumb yanking him up to a standing position "Ow Ow Ow" the crimson eyed man complained before blinking at her "You" she stated "Are no good to anyone- much less Maka if you don't take care of yourself" she punctuated each word with a swift wag of her finger.
"What Naigus means" Marie injected sending an accusing look over her shoulder to her friend "Is...How about you go home Soul" jumping quickly to get ahead of his complaint she went on "To take a shower, maybe eat something besides whatever great depression era food reserves Naigus has been feeding you, and pack an overnight bag for when you come back?" Marie then gestured toward Maka with a wide sweep of her arm "for both of you?"
She asked innocently enough but everything in Soul was screaming to stay, he opened his mouth ready with some half baked excuse when Tsubaki addeded "Maybe you could grab a few of Makas favorite things while you're there, to make her more comfortable when she wakes up. I'm sure she would like that, Okay?" any excuse he had fizzled on his tongue at the mention of Maka waking up "Okay" he echoed before he was pushed out the door by Naigus who asked him sullenly "the food isn't that bad is it?".