The slow bat of his eyes brought the blurry world into focus, the wobble of a ceiling turning into straight beams. While he expected a cascade of blonde hair it was umber instead as a pleasant face—but definitely not the one he longed for—stared down at him. "Welcome back to the world of the living, Soul." Brown eyes sparkled down with a mixture of amusement and care. "I'm Jackie."
He opened his mouth, ready to form the call he wanted so desperately to make but found his throat closed to it.
"Ah, water!" Jackie jumped to attention, grabbing a cup with one hand while sliding her hand behind Soul's neck.
It brought a sweet pain to him as all the memories of Masao to Maka's doting came rushing back. She brought the cup to his lips, letting him sip just enough to free the obstruction. As soon as she cleared the rim away, he murmured, "Maka."
"So sweet…" Jackie cooed as she put the water to the side, letting his head rest against the bedding. "I'm sorry, she's not here. Both Marie and Franken made her rest since she gave herself a fever."
Soul rolled on his side, groaning with the effort.
"Oh, no you don't." While her face and voice up until now had been soft, her grip was not as it forced him back into the linens. "You're not in any shape to get up, and if she's actually contagious and gets you sick in this state, then there's a chance we'll lose you." She was firm in her arranging of the blankets as she settled him on his back. "Do you really want to make her feel that again?"
He sighed, fists balling uselessly at his side.
"So you do have a little sense." She finished arranging him with a satisfied pat. "I still sort of can't believe it. Maka with a husband…" A thoughtful glow warmed her brown eyes as they fell on Soul. "And a weapon, at that."
Soul stiffened, a grimace automatically stretching his lips.
"Don't–" Jackie laughed softly. "She told you I'm one too, right? There's a few of us here. We even just got another new boy while Maka and Star were gone– Harvar. Everyone here understands." Her hand gently tapped the blankets again. "It must have been hard– never having someone around who went through the same thing. I was lucky. Mira found me when I was young and–" She cut herself off with a short laugh. "This is what happens when the other person can't talk. You just try to fill in space."
Soul nodded.
Jackie had been grinning, but instantly her face fell, ears perked as her head tilted towards the door. "Go back to sleep," she whispered.
Soul did so without question, just in time for the door to slide open. He had expected Franken's smooth coolness or Star's boisterous cry, but it was someone who seemed to fall perfectly in the middle. "Is the kid awake yet?"
"No." Jackie's lie came with all serenity.
The man sucked his teeth. "He's already a pain in my ass. Makes my daughter worry herself sick–"
"After he saved her life," Jackie interjected with an almost blissful chime. "How is Maka?"
His groan morphed into a steady whine: "She won't even let me in the room. Every time I try to sneak in, she throws another book at me."
"Shocking."
Soul used every last ounce of energy to keep himself from smirking.
"What am I supposed to do if she doesn't even let me explain ?" His diatribe continued. "I'm her papa– it's not like I didn't have a good reason–"
"Spirit, we need to let Soul rest." The floor creaked and Jackie's voice started to recede as she continued, "And remember what Marie said: you're only allowed to complain to Franken from now on."
That brought another dismal groan before the door slid shut again.
Soul remained motionless for a few more breaths, studying the silence of the room. When he finally dared to open his eyes, it was empty. "Maka…" he practiced again, still feeling the persistent ache in his throat. A fever… The urge to damn Jackie's sensibility struck him again, but his body answered with sluggish muscles. He managed to lift an arm, struggling against the weight of the blankets.
His fingers found the edge of his bandages just above his hip bone. The ache still spoke of split skin underneath as he ran sore fingers along the wrapping to his opposite side, just under his armpit. How did… I shouldn't have survived. He weakly patted his chest as if to mimic the beat of his heart. But she's alive. That's all I could ask for.
Maka had the book aimed at the door at the first sound of approaching footsteps, wrist ready to chuck it wildly. Instead, those deep brown eyes stopped her, fluttering with concern as Jackie slid open the door. "How are you feeling?"
"Fine–" All of her friendliness cut away as she saw the redhead hovering behind Jackie. "Jackie, tell him to leave ."
She offered innocent hands as she stepped into the room, walking a perfect line to hide Spirit from the waiting assault. "Has your fever gone down?"
Maka huffed, dropping the book in the process of collapsing back into the bedding. "I never had one to begin with. Star and Marie just made that up as an excuse to get me to sleep." Her jade eyes focused on a wrinkle in the linens, her nail digging at it. "I hate being away from him. What if he wakes up? What will he think if I'm not there? As if I abandoned him!"
"I think he'd rather his wife didn't make herself sick and him sick er in the process." Jackie sat, giving Maka a full view of her father grimacing in the doorway.
"Say it," Maka spat at him.
"Maka…" Jackie sighed, but it was lost over Spirit's unavoidable reaction.
"How long did you even know that boy?" Spirit's voice rose in accusation. "You're too young to have even thought about marriage let alone done it."
Maka's lip curled into a sneer. "And you actually remember how old I am?"
"Maka–"
She catapulted up, fists tensing into the sheets. "You don't get a say in my life– not when you chose to leave it. I am married. Soul is my husband. I love him, and you–" her voice broke, the tears burning the back of her throat. "You may have shown up at the right time, but that doesn't mean I have to forgive you."
His mouth opened as if to reciprocate the scream but Jackie snuck in: "Spirit, would you mind asking Franken to come here? I want him to check Maka's fever."
"I don't have a fever," Maka hissed before she threw herself back into the bedding.
Jackie rolled her eyes as she tilted her head back towards Spirit. "Please?"
He could only sigh before slamming the screen shut behind him.
"Did you have breakfast?" Jackie chimed once Spirit's storm was out of listening distance.
"Marie made me eat." Her grumbles were still half-eaten by the sheets.
Jackie started to hum in thought before pondering out loud: "Did she make something with broth today? Or plain porridge?"
"I said I'm not sick," Maka snapped as she leveled one jade eye at Jackie. "And if I didn't think you'd scorch me for it, I'd sneak out and see him right now."
The accusation made her giggle as Jackie eased back on her palms. "You really do love him, don't you?"
"You don't just marry someone you don't love." That ached down to her bones, singing a melancholy note that resided in her soul. "How is he today?"
Jackie offered a weak smile as she turned her head back to the door. "I wonder what's keeping Franken."
"Probably Papa," Maka grumbled as her eyes rolled again. "Complaining over and over about my marriage, my husband, my life ."
"Maybe if you discussed–"
"Discussed?" Her pitch hit the roof. "He doesn't want a discussion. He wants to bear his soul and then be forgiven ." She shook her head firmly before turning her glare to the sheets. "And I won't. Not this time."
Jackie's sigh was luckily cut off by the shutter of the door.
Franken appeared, an easy smile parting his lips. "I just saw my other patient."
I am not a patient! She wanted to scream, but the mere mention of Soul quickly cleared all other thoughts from her mind. "And?"
"Stitches are still solid. Bandages changed. Color is good." He listed them with cool detachment as he came to Maka's side. "And you…"
Maka shook her head. "Marie–"
"Knows a fever when she sees one," Franken corrected with a sudden fervor, making Maka hear an echo of her papa. "Now." He motioned her to lean closer as that hand sank to her forehead. "Any sweating?"
"Not at all today," she murmured. His hand was cold but his touch still moved with an unexpected gentleness.
"And your headache?"
"It was fine after I slept." The crawling itch of guilt started its way up her spine. Sick with worry… I've never, not once felt like that before. That I could waste away with him. "Please, Franken, can I see him?"
Franken exchanged a glance with Jackie before nodding his head. "Marie's already there. Feel free to relieve her."
Soul was trying to suppress those persistent waves of déjà vu as Marie spooned porridge with all the slowness and dedication of a mother. Franken had sat him up against the wall before he'd left to check on Maka. There was weakness still straining his gut, but it was a refreshing change from the horizontal.
Marie sat the spoon back in the bowl. "Is it too much?"
He shook his head. "Fine."
She sighed before clearing a hand through her hair. "I keep seeing this picture in my head of you when we first met. You were skin and bones and–" Marie's voice caught, the tears starting to twinkle in the corners of her eyes. "You almost died– again ."
"Not skin and bones though…" He offered a throaty chuckle.
"Soul," she chided.
"Sorry, just…" He tilted his head slightly, a half smile where bitterness and happiness fought taking over his lips. "She's gonna yell at me for the same thing, so maybe give me a break."
There was a sudden flurry of steps, the door violently swinging open as Maka tearfully stood in the doorway. "I-I heard your voice."
"It's comin' back," he murmured.
Another wave of tears hit her cheeks as she took one faulty step into the room.
Marie left the bowl at his side. "I'll see to it that you two aren't disturbed, but make sure you eventually eat the rest of this."
Soul nodded but never tore his eyes away from Maka, watching as her feet finally brought her to his side. He entirely missed Marie's disappearance, too enthralled with the way he only had to barely lift his hand before Maka was gathering it up in her own. "You alright?" The scratchiness wasn't dissipating, adding an almost pleasant rasp to his baritone.
" Me? " she squeaked with incredulity as another wave of tears took her. "You idiot, how could you even ask?"
He squeezed her hand, feeling the strain in his muscles. "I heard you had a fever."
"I'm fine ," she insisted as she finally started to clear the tears from her cheeks. "Franken said"—her palm pressed to her lips only for a moment to catch whatever warbling was threatening—"your stitches were healing, and your… your…" She leaned closer, body wavering before gently letting their cheeks connect. "You're alive–" Came with a sudden surge of air as if her breath had been held since she walked in the room.
Despite the ache in his chest, he moved his other arm to gently touch her hair, fingers not feeling dexterous enough to toy with the strands as he usually would. Instead, he smoothed as best he could, letting the warmth of her cheek remind him of the truth in her words. "I love you," he murmured before brushing dry lips over her wet cheek.
In all the tenderness, Maka pulled away, her palm coming to rest against the top of his bandages. Her chin tucked, a few wayward tears still falling to saturate her yukata. "I want to be stronger," her whisper started, drenched in fear and pain. "I have to get stronger." Her jade eyes finally rose to meet his, a fiery glow pulling him in just as much as her words. "I don't ever want to put you in a position like that again, so I have to do just as much work as you've been doing." Her fingers searched towards his skin, gently touching his collarbone. "If I really loved you, I'd be able to protect you."
"Maka…" His murmur was still sweet even with the affectionate admonishment that lingered behind the name. "Guess that just means you're gonna have to stick around and show me. I'm your delicate flower after all."
"Where else would I go?" Her hands moved to cup his cheeks, pulling him a little closer before Soul tucked his chin hesitantly.
"Hey, I haven't been able to clean up in… how long have I been out?"
"A week," Maka whispered mournfully, "and if you think I care about that, I'm going to call you an idiot again."
He chuckled. "Alright, but can't say I didn't warn you." Their connection was nothing more than a tender brush, but Soul could swear he felt her desires calling right through her fingers. He played with her hair, hands starting to tremble as they grew weak and tired.
"That's the second time I had to hear your heart stop," she whispered across his lips. "I won't let it happen again."
"Mhm," his murmur buzzed back against her mouth until he claimed it again. Soft, wispy, but so necessary. "Stop cryin' now, alright?"
She hiccuped, moving a hand to her cheeks again to clear. "Then stop almost dying, Soul."
He sighed, nuzzling his nose to hers. "Yeah. Keep forgettin' I got a lot to live for now. I'll try to be a little more careful."
She snorted a dry laugh before moving her cheek back to his, pressing gently as she gingerly laid her arms around his neck. "That's right. You're home now. Everyone's waiting for you."
"Let 'em wait a while," he murmured. Regardless of the weakness, he stole her lips again, tasting both the saltiness of her tears and the sweetness of her relief. "For now, all of that can wait. Afterall, I'm here to live for you. Only you, Maka."
