Going to the hospital with him was fine, but I was usually relegated to sitting in the waiting room, nursing bad hospital coffee while reading my book. Not that anyone necessarily told me to, but it felt like a boundary, a border that I wasn't supposed to cross. I wasn't family, regardless of recent admissions about both of us caring about each other. Death, how I was starting to hate that word after tearing it to shreds in my mind so many times, trying to ascertain if his feelings just stopped at that word.

To any outside person looking in it would only be rational that if a man tells you that losing you is his greatest fear, you leaving him in this case through death since our life isn't exactly a safe one, that that's a little more than care and much closer to love. If there's anything I am good at it's jumping to incoherent conclusions instead, letting me easily talk myself into nothing more than care since our touching never amounted to more than holding onto to one another. Not to mention the fact that concerning myself with all of this while his father was recovering, while I was supposed to be supporting him seemed nothing more than childish and selfish.

Correction, then, that this morning I was sitting in the waiting room, nursing bad hospital coffee while only looking like I was reading my book, instead picking through thought after thought. This continued uninterrupted until Soul plopped down beside me, slipping the half-full, lukewarm cup from my fingers. "You'll hate it," I muttered.

My warning didn't dissuade him and he took a sip, grimacing instantly but only following that face with another drink. "How can you drink this?"

"I think I lost my taste buds long ago," I shrugged with a smirk, "Victims of your cooking."

He chuckled, a smirk replacing the disdain for the coffee. "How's the book?"

"Fine." But I shut it, folding my hands over it in my lap. "How's your dad?"

"Fine," he mimicked my tone perfectly before taking another sip.

I couldn't stop the scolding tone, "Soul…"

He sighed before transferring the cup to his other hand so he could use the closest one to grasp mine on top of the book. "Doctor said left brain, some trouble talking but less than they expected. He'll need rehab and we're supposed to watch because he could get, well, depressed about it. Shit, it is depressing, so I don't blame him, but apparently it's more common." He punctuated that sentence with almost a wheeze for air, trying to hide it behind another sip from the coffee cup.

"Well, there's rehab, that'll help and I'm sure your Mom will…" I let the words fall away because I knew what I wanted to say, that his mother seemed to dote on her husband and maybe that was just a side effect of the tragedy but it felt wrong to even mention it to him. Look at the love your father gets from her and think about how little you got.

He didn't seem to register the trail off, taking a deep breath before starting again. "I think I want to keep visiting him, too." Soul shook his head as if to disagree with his own statement, turning his eyes to mine for some kind of clarity. "I mean, not every day and I know we have work and missions but something. Something more than just, well, nothing."

"Good," I couldn't help but smile in the face of his panic, that pride from before feeding it. With that overwhelming feeling, I found my other hand reaching out, touching his cheek softly. "Soul, you better be proud of yourself."

"You can be proud," he murmured, "I'm just gonna be… I don't know. Still figuring it out, I think."

I nodded, the daring fading away from me as I brought my hand back. "Did you tell your mom?"

"Not yet." He leaned back in the chair, putting the cup down on a small side table meant for magazines. "I wanted to ask you first."

"What, for permission for time off?" I smirked weakly, most of my playfulness gone with the want to touch his face again. "Kid's the boss, not me."

"No…" His throat clicked through a hard swallow. "I want you to come with me, when I do." His hand was instantly in his hair, smoothing it back to allay the nervousness. "If it's too much, just say so and I'll do it on my own but I said I was going to try to let you know when I need things and I think I need this, I need you. And you don't have to come into the hospitals and, hell, you don't even have to meet Dad if you don't want to but just having you close enough that's… but you can say 'no,' Maka."

I followed the ramble as best I could, waiting for him to stop the compulsive pushing back of his hair and look at me. It took him an extra few seconds before our eyes actually met again, a shaky breath leaving his lips as my smile still stood. "OK."

"OK?" It was as if I'd agreed to jump from a plane.

"If that's what you need, that's what I'll do." I could see his jaw setting as soon as the words were out of my mouth and I tried to add, to diminish the correction he was about to make. "It's not too much. It's fine."

Those words only seemed to confuse him more and his fingers started to tighten around mine. "Why?"

The hand that had so daringly touched his cheek moved to his chest, my fingers pressing into the spot where I knew his scar started even without the visual of his chest. "I know you'd do anything for me. Why wouldn't I do the same?"

His hand came over mine on his chest and I could feel his heart thundering under my fingertips. As his eyes moved to the contact I could hear the shaky breath exit his lips but still no words. It took a few more before he could whisper, "Come in with me now?"

I didn't hesitate, "Yeah, of course."

Soul didn't relinquish either of my hands, instead using them to pull me out of the seat along with himself. Before I could move my feet to turn in the direction of the rooms, he let my hands drop only to snake his arms around me, wrapping me tightly against him. I wished it was long and lingering but it almost lasted just long enough for him to breath again before detaching, taking one of my hands and leading me towards his father's room.

The last little bit of that not family feeling was falling away along with the idea that caring was all we were doing.

I had drifted into the kitchen to find Regina leaning over a teapot, her eyes scanning the liquid as if reading the tea leaves for good fortune.

"Good morning," I tried to let my voice be filled with melodic cheer. It wasn't exactly a stretch, especially with the elation that was growing from Soul toeing the line, being open.

"Oh, Maka, good morning." We'd been there almost a week and she still seemed genuinely surprised at my existence, but at least it had a joyful quality instead of discontent at a stranger in her house. "Tea?"

"Thank you, but I prefer coffee." Regina started to fix the lid back on the teapot and reached for the coffee maker but I placed a soft hand on hers. "Don't worry, I'll do it."

She smiled in reply as she moved to the table with her pot and elaborate teacup, one of those that screaming Victorian lady. "Seems like you've become well acquainted with the kitchen."

I was already sorting through the necessary cabinets for the goods to start the coffee maker but I shot a smile over my shoulder at her nonetheless. "Wes was very helpful and not to brag, but I'm a quick learner." It got to the point where all I needed was to press the on button and the machine sprung to life, huffing and puffing. "Soul said Arthur would be at rehab by the end of the week?"

"They'll wait until after the weekend, Monday most likely," Regina murmured as she poured. "I honestly tried to argue that he could come home but Soul told me absolutely not, that I was trying to take on too much." I honestly didn't have a word to say back to that, surprised at the mere idea that he'd have an opinion let alone voice it and use it to boss his mother. Regina seemed to follow the same thought before continuing, "So Artie will go to that place for a month or so before things can finally go back to normal." That last statement made her laugh gently before she continued, "But it won't be, will it?"

"Hm?" I broke my attention from the dripping coffee, trying to piece together what she could mean.

"Or maybe it will be more normal," she mused before taking a sip from her tea. "Since you and Soul will be visiting more often now."

"Oh," I smiled at the realization and I couldn't help but feel a little heat coming to my cheeks. "Yes, I think we'll try as often as we can but with work and-"

"Don't be silly," Regina waved her hand. "I know you're, well, saving the world most days, aren't you? This was already a burden on you, I know, but I'm glad things are open now."

Saving the world, I sighed as I interrupted the coffeemaker to pour my cup. I tried not to let that feeling come over me, the idea that time here was fleeting, that this wasn't really a part of our everyday reality. It was Soul's hand that saved me from the thought, having snuck up on me with a slow fingers gliding down my arm. That was enough to get me to turn, to perfectly deliver my cup of coffee into his thieving hands.

"Good morning," it was a victorious little coo as he took a quick step with my cup.

"Hey!" I grasped at the back of his shirt, getting it just in time to choke him a little at the collar.

It was Regina's healthy laugh that froze both of us, a sound that wasn't common to either of our ears. "Soul Evans, give that back. I assume you'll prefer tea anyway."

I grabbed an empty mug in time to trade it off to him, receiving and instantly moving to protect my coffee from future burglary. "He'll only like it if it's barely brewed."

Soul shot me a dirty look before sitting himself next to his mother. He leaned over and sniffed into the teapot before tipping it into his cup.

"It's the tea your grandmother used to make," Regina smiled. "I think she was actually the first one to let you have anything like that, but even back then you'd have to add milk or you'd never dream of drinking it."

"Ganging up on me," Soul muttered as he shot another glare over the lip of his cup.

Regina and I exchanged a laugh at his expense before she continued, "I was just telling Maka what an inconvenience this must have been for both of you."

Soul frowned, letting his cup thunk back to the table. "Mom…"

The joy on Regina's face didn't falter, her smile turning strangely cool and knowing. "I'd like to make it up to the both of you if you'd let me."

"It's not a big deal, Mom," Soul muttered. "Maka and I-"

"Are going to go out and enjoy yourselves tonight," Regina finished. "With all that's happened the last thing you've been able to do is be a couple. It's not fair and you should take advantage of at least one night out on the town while you're on this impromptu vacation."

"Mom, really, we, I," Soul stuttered along, his eyes permanently stuck away from me.

"That's so kind, Regina, but we," my own head was spinning and I could feel the color rising in my cheeks, "we couldn't leave you alone."

"Wes is still here," she stated matter-of-factly. "And, really, if there's one thing Soul can tell you is fighting me is usually impossible."

All Soul gave in reply for a heaving sigh as he ran his fingers through his hair.

"I'll take that as compliance," Regina beamed. "But I will ask one piece of selfishness, that Maka accompany me in a little bit. I have a few errands to run."

Soul sighed again, "Mom-"

My hand on his arm was enough to silence him. "It's OK. I'll go."

"Perfect," she chimed before standing up, leaving her tea at the table. "Just let me freshen up a little and I promise to make it quick."

I flexed my fingers into his arm, thankfully keeping another word from exiting his mouth. "It's fine, Regina. Whatever you need." She gave me a sweet smile as a reply before starting out of the room. I didn't relax my fingers until she was out of the doorway, the sound of her footsteps receding in the hallway. "Soul…"

Soul's hand was running through his hair again, eyes plastered on his mother's teacup so that he couldn't even catch me in his periphery. "Look, I swear, Maka, I never said that we were, you know, I don't know how-"

"Partner can be a weird word," I murmured. "And we… the sleeping together, the hand holding…"

"Yeah," he choked. "But I'll… you shouldn't have to do this. I'll just tell her and you won't have to."

The silence was enough that you could hear a flea sneeze and regardless of his words he remained motionless. I blamed the immobility on my hand still on his arm but the looseness of my fingers would have allowed him to leave at any moment if he wanted to. He's waiting for you to push. You're the courageous one, right? "Soul…"

"I'll tell her." He stood but my hand clamped on his forearm again, jerking him back. The color was high and bright on his cheeks as he finally turned his face to me.

"Don't," it was a weak whisper, but it was a foot firmly planted in the door he was trying to close.

"What?" His voice practically cracked, the blush refusing to dim from his features.

I was embarrassing him, embarrassing myself but couldn't stop it. "I want to go out with your mother and… I want to go out with you tonight, too." As I loosened my grip his arm slipped out of my fingers only to be caught at his hand as he closed his fingers around mine.

"Maka, you… don't do this just because…" A frustrated sigh escaped his lips.

"Your Mom's right, Soul." I could feel my heart trembling in my chest and I wasn't sure whether or not the next breath would actually come. "We don't get chances like this so… maybe just this once, you and I could… if you want to."

His mouth opened before closing again, swallowing hard as his eyes trailed off to our tangled fingers. "Just… don't let her do anything too crazy this morning. And…" His eyes darted around the way they usually did when he was examining something in his mind, playing it back and forth. He seemed to throw away the entire scenario in his head with a sigh, "No matter what, I'm not wearing a tie."