Authors note: Sorry this chapter took so long! it's diologue heavy and honestly gave me some trouble however, here it is!
Chapter Five:The Bomb
"Whatever you're doing is working!" he shouted as he came crashing through the doorway. Looking up sharply Stein gave Soul an appraising glance as he stood there, chest heaving "Oh. I see" he observed looking back and forth between Soul and Maka as if confirming his own hypothesis "resonance seems to have been restored" he proposed. With as much autonomy as a robot Soul strode up to Stein and threw his arms around the man's shoulders allowing a relieved sigh to be torn from his lips.
It wasn't until he felt Stein's tentative hand patting his back that he remembered himself and dropped his arms, stepping back. Tossing his bag into the chair by the bed he groaned, "Sorry" the word peeled from his tongue like fly paper. Soul was suddenly very thankful for Benjamin: Stein's son. 'I doubt I would have gotten away with hugging the Stein I grew up with the way I just did, even by accident' he thought ruefully, and was even more grateful for the way fatherhood seemed to strangely suit Stein.
A soft giggle blossomed behind him as Soul turned stiffly to see Marie and Naigus smothering their laughter, hands to their lips and eyes crinkled comically. "Wooooow!" an additional voice sounded from behind Marie. The Witch Angela had definitely grown since the last time he remembered seeing her, now standing nearly to Marie's shoulders she was every bit a teenager.
"Hello mr. Eater!" she giggled, clearly pleased by his previous tunnel vision. Not one for needless pleasantries Soul dipped his head in acknowledgement before his eyes tiked back up to hers, "what did you do anyway" he asked, trying to keep the desperation out of his voice and shoving his hands into his pockets so that they didn't twiddle uselessly in front of him. The Witch Angelas face cracked open into a wide grin as she studied him, "I just opened the door" she replied, never once dropping her grin.
Soul nodded his head absently "I felt her-" he started as he removed one hand from his pocket long enough to pull it shakily across his face "-in the apartment, the phone rang and I heard her on the answering machine" a weak sigh loosed through his teeth before he could catch it as he carefully curated his next words "it was like she was everywhere, and nowhere all at once." he finished quietly, stuffing his hand back into hiding.
Angela took a single step toward him when without warning the door flew open once again, slapping against the wall "IT'S ME WITH A CAPITAL M!" a head of erratic blue hair crowed stomping into the room followed closely by a procession of their friends. "Blackstar'' Tsubaki chided, running up his heels "This is still an infirmary, your yelling is disturbing the guests."
A disgusted snort left Angela as she turned to face the horde "you can't expect anything resembling manners from a heathen like him Miss Tsubaki" she spat crossing her arms across her chest and 'Hmph-ing' indignantly "why you little-" Blackstar began but cut himself off with a quick shield of his manhood. Tsubaki attempted to hide her smile behind her fingers as she recalled the two first meeting, but was despite her best efforts, unsuccessful.
Knowing that every argument with Blackstar starts like throwing accelerant on a fire, Soul dropped himself into his chair catching his head with a well placed palm. "Oh yea!?" Blackstar squawked, bringing Souls' attention back to the ensuing brawl. "At least I'M helping!" The witch Angela huffed back before advancing on the suddenly silent Demon swordsman "what have you been doing besides being obnoxious and impersonating a freaking foghorn!?".
"Would you two cut it out!" Liz boomed over their bickering "If Maka were awake she'd chop you both for fighting in a medical facility!" as if the memory were enough to cause physical damage both combatants winced in unison. After both parties conceded albeit one of them through force, Liz turned to Soul "So you guys are what? Connected again?" she asked, flicking her fingers back and forth between the pair.
Soul hummed an affirmative before really answering her question "there's just one problem though" he muttered digging his cheek into his palm, "what's that?" Stein asked with renewed interest, a sardonic grin pulling at the corners of his mouth. A weak shrug rolled over Souls shoulders before he murmured back "she's still pushing me out". Every head in the room turned in his direction at the utterance "what the hell does that mean?" Liz piped, her hands falling to her hips less than delicately.
"It means-" he squeezed out a thin sigh that caused him to drop his arm and sit up "-that even though we are resonating again and I can feel her soul, I still can't feel what she is feeling. It's like she's hiding from me -or pushing me out for some reason" he finished with a frustrated flourish of his wrist before crossing his arms tightly across his chest "Dunno why" he grumbled almost inaudibly.
With a thoughtful nod of her head Marie stepped closer to lay a warm motherly hand on his shoulder "to protect you" she answered softly as his wide eyes drilled holes into her well meaning hand. Once the charged silence had a chance to settle over them all a soft 'tsk' sounded from their resident loudmouth "whatever she's feeling must be pretty bad then huh? If she's hiding it from you" came Blackstars dangerously serious conclusion.
'To protect me. Again.' Soul thought to himself as he stared at Marie's hand on his shoulder 'A weapon who is always being protected by its Meister is no good to any-" someone clearing their throat brought Soul out of his painstakingly carved pit of self deprecation "Can i ask a question?" Angela directed at him with a tilt of her head, mercifully stealing the attention away from him and the fact that all the air in the room suddenly became thick and hot "what is it Angela?" Kid asked, thankful for the sharp turn back into safe business-like conversation.
"Well" she began, a sheepish expression sliding onto her face at the newfound attention "Aren't you and miss Maka married?"
Instead of the typical carnage a bomb that size would have left behind the reactions in the room were varied as such: Kid and Blackstars mouths hung open on broken hinges and threatened dangerously with overzealous 'Guffaws'. Patty turned to stare out the window after having developed at that very moment, a love for the migration of birds. Liz, Marie, and Tsubaki had smiles on their faces that could light the entirety of Death city for a week, and finally Stein and Naigus both chose that moment to exit the room with the promised reprieve of work that needed doing elsewhere.
A nervous laugh twittered from his mouth at the shocked look on Angelas face "What makes you think that?" he asked trying to muster up any 'cool guy' nonchalance he had left "You still live together even though you aren't students anymore, you are always together, and Miss Maka has a photo of the two of you together on her desk in her classroom" she ticked off each reason on her fingers before meeting his steady crimson eyes "HE'S NOT DENYING IT!" Liz screeched the accusation, raising her voice to a nearly inhuman register.
"Liz" he started before wilting under her divisive gaze, "look, it's complicated" he added before Liz steamrolled his argument with an irritated scoff "it's actually not" she asserted, looking down her nose at him "it's not complicated, and frankly i'm tired of playing the will-they-won't-they game you MORON". Whatever quip he had ready to launch back at her lodged in his throat causing him to choke out a laugh as the words rattled nervously past his teeth "you don't understand".
"Explain it to us then" Blackstar huffed, throwing his hands up in exasperation. With his friends watching him expectantly he ran a shaky hand through his hair "okay. I guess it's sorta like how everyone lives in a house, but not every house is a home you know?" Soul sighed as his eyes slid back to the hands lying limply in his lap "i've lived in lots of houses" he murmured "not a single one of them was a home until now, Maka makes it a home" blood red eyes looked up then, evaluating the confusion on Blackstars face "Soul..-" he began slowly, comprehension creeping into his features "homeless people don't live in houses at all" he concluded with a pride and finality that made Souls mouth run dry "a-are you screwing with me?!" Soul demanded as his cheeks became Mottled with an angry red nearly the same shade as his eyes. "You are beyond annoying!" Blackstar howled in return, grinding the G between his teeth.
"Liz is right, you ARE a moron" he finished, taking in the clearly reeling man in front of him, how many times had he seen his friend put his life on the line for her? Countless times. How often did he find his friend glaring daggers at anyone who would look her way with a protective possessiveness that screamed 'MINE'? SO MANY! And yet there he was sitting there trying to pretend that his feelings didn't go beyond Weapon and Meister. Moron. "Look. you are my best friend, have been for years. As much as you hate to admit it, I know you. You love her.-"
"-I don't know why though, her bodys not much to sniff at. Not like Tsu-". Tsubaki who had her hand laid approvingly on Blackstars head due to his unprecedented wisdom, suddenly slammed it violently into his skull with the promise of hemorrhaging. "Blackstar!" she hissed as she turned to apologise on his behalf. "I like watching her read-" he gave voice to feelings he never dreamed of saying aloud, much less to an audience besides the one in the bed beside him.
"-or i guess doing anything that needs all of her attention- reading, training, sometimes movies. -feels like if she focuses long enough she can understand anything. Even...uhh" his voice trembled off and was lost with a crack as he cleared his throat "even me" he finished flatly sliding one hand to the back of his neck and rolling his shoulders again in a kind of lazy shrug, his other hand finding Makas on the bed.
"Oh Soul.." Tsubaki and Marie dolefully harmonized, as he finally looked back at Angela who rocked uncomfortably from foot to foot "we aren't married, but we do have the single highest resonance rate in all of Death city and probably further" his throat clicked as he swallowed his pride "will you help me- us. Will you bring Maka home?" he asked, trying to fill his question with any and all courage he could extract through their joined hands.