Finally a HUGE, well-deserved update. I almost was thinking this would be the end but maybe one more chapter just to round out the smut. Get ready for sexual content ahead! (Also, as a complete side-note, writing sex in the first person is WEIRD.)

I was convinced I'd died on the way to the rehab and this was all some kind of happy afterlife, a reward for all my hard work. Somehow I'd been distracted enough that he'd packed and hidden overnight bags for us, a feat that should have been impossible but he had insisted on renting a car instead of borrowing Spirit's again, and he had picked up the car, leaving him ample time for this kind of scheme. Between his directions I spent the time picking apart his deceptions of the day, finding myself more and more bewildered by this alternate Soul, new philosophies or not.

After many lefts, rights, and things in between he got us into a parking garage. Obviously, this wasn't the most romantic of starts, but as soon as we got out of the car I found myself grabbing at his coat, getting enough of a grip on him that I could pull him back to me, pressing my lips against his in an attempt to make him as dizzy as the realization of this evening had made me.

"Wow," he murmured before clearing his throat, trying to recapture any of his cool guy act. "I, uh," he stammered through to a breathy laugh, his hands slipping to my waist, burning his fingers into my hips. "The night hasn't even started, Maka."

"And you've already swept me off my feet, dummy." I smoothed his shirt before patting his chest, forcing us apart. "But I guess that was just saying I'm looking forward to the rest."

"Me, too." That goofy smile was back as he clutched my hand, leading me towards the dingy stairwell. The closed space made me wish for nothing more than the fresh scent of the night air and non-fluorescent lighting. With all his excited tugged we were out in no time, cutting through a bustling street of people to a row of restaurants that all looked too hip for their own goods. Each window came with the wonder if this would be the place, and each got the answer of 'no' as his feet kept beating the pavement.

Soul turned into an alley, pulling me with him into the narrow corridor that led to a less flashy side street. At the end was another quick cut to the right, moving down a set of stairs to an entrance almost completely obscured from the view of the road. A sign hung in the wall of the cement drop, 'The Backpage Speakeasy,' and I had no time to question it as Soul brought me straight through the door.

I suddenly found myself in that scene from Beauty and the Beast where Belle finally finds his library, all awe as she absorbs the sight of wall-to-wall bookshelves. The entirety of the bar, besides the actual part that housed the liquor, was lined with books, too many titles for me to even peruse and consider in a lifetime. Couples dotted tables arranged across the floor and my eyes followed them until I found the staircase, one of those circular ones that rotated up to a second floor that was more books sandwiching booths.

Soul was already leaning over the bar, sharing a few words and a soft laugh with the bartender before turning back to me. "Upstairs?"

I didn't even need to answer, my eyes glowing with enough wonder that he just took my hand, tugging me towards the spiral. The metal was cool beneath my fingers but my heart was burning with the idea that this was all for me. When we got to the table, wrapped almost completely in books, he tried to just put a cool hand to the small of my back and move me into my seat. Instead of going straight to squeezing in the booth, I threw my arms around his neck, hugging him as tightly as I could.

He faked a choke before letting his arms wrap around my waist. "Guess I'm doing it right?"

A wonderfully fulfilling laugh bubbled from my throat. "Too right." I pulled away, letting my hands fall to his shoulder. "You're setting a dangerous precedent."

"That's fine." Soul paused, eyes searching mine as a soft hand snuck up to touch my cheek. "Just giving you what you deserve."

My cheeks started to burn as I bit at my lip. "That's borderline sappy."

Soul scoffed before he started to push me back towards the booth. "Way beyond borderline. Almost lame. Not even sure I have retained any coolness after that."

"I'll pretend it didn't happen." I sunk into the booth, feeling him follow immediately as his hand never seemed to leave my waist. As we finally settled he did give me enough space, his arm resting over the back of the booth in my direction. The edges had been purposefully made low so that the bookshelves behind were accessible, but Soul was more interested in being within reach of at least one or two tendrils of my hair that he coiled and uncoiled from his fingertip. "Does this mean we get to read at the dinner table?" This had been outlawed at our apartment for a few years and I had always blamed it on the spills.

"No," that came with a firm shake of his head. "I hated when you did that. I…" Soul paused a moment to laugh at himself, his eyes focused on his lap. "I talked you into that rule because I liked it better when you talked to me. If you don't have a book, you're a real chatterbox at the table and it was kind of one of the only places I had all of your attention."

A simple, small discovery like that floored me. It was the fact that the rule seemed so old in the timeline of our lives but it was one of those early hints that I should have realized. He wanted my attention, and not just any kind of attention but the entirety of it. "You said it was because I made a mess every time," I tried to tease back but it felt breathless.

"That, too," he snorted another laugh, "But by that time I was already holding on to a pretty big crush and I'd take what I could get."

Big crush! I should have laughed at that but I was swooning instead, blaming it on all the newness and elation from our change. "If your pretty big crush is out in the open now, doesn't that mean I can have my reading back?"

"You read practically all of the rest of the time," he grumbled. "And no, the answer is a solid no." Soul leaned in, his lips so close to my ear that I could feel his breath. "I still want all of your attention."

"Can't have all of it," I cooed back. "You can have the majority, maybe, if you're good."

"Best behavior, then." His smirk appeared as he gave me space again, his back resting against the booth.

I let my focus fall to the menu, happy to see the regular bar fare that screamed that our standard of dress hadn't exactly been necessary. The first obligatory question from a waiter was 'drinks?' and ours was no different, but I found myself shaking my head firmly, passing off to a Soul who simply shrugged and mimicked just without as much conviction. "If you're worried about driving, I can get us home," he offered.

"No, I'm fine," but my voice betrayed my preoccupied mind. Every step here, each little word and memory he offered was growing that urge to touch him, to be touched and while part of me was sure we were heading back to his mother's house for another night just like after our first day, I wanted to hedge my bets on the idea that if I could get rid of two out of three of his reservations from that night, maybe I could…

"What's going on in your head?" he murmured.

While I was sure part of him would be overjoyed to hear the reply 'My mind is skipping to the part where we're in bed tonight,' I didn't exactly want to put that into words at the dinner table. "It's really fine, Soul, I swear." I displayed innocent hands in the air, watching as the action only produced a frown on his face. "Promise, pinky swear, cross my heart." I leaned in, planting a convincing kiss against the line of his lips.

"You haven't lied to me before," he whispered.

I drifted my head back enough to catch the concern in his eyes, purposefully honing in on them with my own before offering a smile. "And I'm not starting now."

"OK." His skepticism was palpable, but it was enough to get him to ease back in the seat and continue his regularly scheduled pining.

Soul eventually fell back into the comfort of it, interjecting his usual little quips as I lived up to my name of being the chattiest person to ever grace a table. I made sure to pay him back for his admission, showering him with all the attention I could possibly gather, even between bites of our meal. I should have known that refusing dessert was going to get me the same concerned look but I couldn't help it. Again, to be sluggishly full might put a damper on whatever it was I wanted to happen, which was still a rolling argument in my mind.

Even though I wanted to stay, peruse the book titles and just generally sit in the wonder of what was our first Soul-created date, I wasn't hesitant to push us out the door and back to the street as soon as the check had been settled. I could see him processing the rush, his own concerned thoughts starting to churn in his skull. As we turned in the alleyway to cut back to the main street, I grabbed at his jacket, pulling him to a stop and making him turn towards me. He was throwing this questioning look at me but I didn't see it for long as I pressed my body against his while my lips starting a searching kiss as soon they met his.

I wondered if his mind was that far from mine as his one hand dug into my hair while the other dipped dangerously to the small of my back, adding pressure to the touch of our bodies. Our lips parted but we were still firmly tangled, his back pressing into the wall. A teasing smile eased across his face, "Maka Albarn, in an alleyway-"

"Shush," I cut him off. "You wanted to know what I was thinking about before, didn't you?"

"Huh," he chuckled to himself. "I think this is the part where I say, 'Who are you and what have you done with Maka Albarn?'"

"What?" I snapped. "I can be…" I rolled my eyes to the side, trying to let them insinuate the words.

"Oh, say it, Maka," he continued to let the laughs roll off his tongue. "I definitely want to hear this."

"I was just looking forward to tonight, after dinner," I managed to stutter out as I felt the heat lighting up my cheeks.

"No, say the word," he cooed. "You're…"

"I won't!" It was impossible, definitely not that childish word that only deserved to come from the boys' locker room or a porno.

"Come on." He surprised me not just with the playfulness in his voice but the way his hand slid smoothly from the small of my back to the curve of my butt, renewing the pressure between the two of us. "That makes you feel…" his whisper was throaty, sending an extra chill down my spine.

I let out a withering sigh, "I'm turned on."

"Close," he smirked.

"No."

"Yes." I was sure that locking eyes with him would defeat that grin and get me out of saying it. He let me stare for almost a full minute before he laughed and released the pressure, letting his hand slide down my arms as he got himself away from the wall. Even if he let me out of the confrontation, that dastardly smirk still tore at each corner of his mouth. I thought he would offer me another smart quip but he just started the walk again in complete and total silence.

Why should I have to say it? It was immature! And these feelings were mature, weren't they? I just wanted him to rip off my clothes, hold me down, and swallow me whole, that was all, right? I let out a weak sigh which only brought me another view of his smirk as he looked back. I had nothing more to add and he only fed his smile as he walked me back into the parking garage and to the car. As I sat back in the driver's seat, Soul threw himself into the passenger, letting that devious grin shine at me as our eyes met.

I slammed the door shut, put my hands on the steering wheel and clutched it tightly. "I'm horny."

He erupted into deep, throaty laughter, his hands clutching at his stomach like it was going to explode.

"I hate you," I hissed.

"No, no, no," Soul was clearing the tears from his eyes as his laughs barely died down. "Take that back."

"Fine." I half-heartedly punched him in the shoulder, watching as he rocked dramatically. "I love you, but you're annoying."

"Yes, but I got you to say a word I never even thought was in your vocabulary," he let a few last laughs trickle from his throat. "I can't believe you caved."

"I'm sure you'll treasure the memory," I grumbled at his gloating, throwing a second punch.

Soul grabbed my wrist as it connected with his shoulder, changing its momentum to keep going and pulling me close in the process. "I will, forever."

"Ridiculous." I turned my head away and his lips met my cheek, another laugh breaking against it.

"If it makes you feel better, I will freely admit that I'm horny." His lips started the slow crawl from my cheek to my neck, his hand coming to the other side of my neck to force me closer.

"And how is that supposed to make me feel better?" I wasn't at all concerned with the word anymore, especially as a few of his kisses turned to nips and the hand from my cheek started to drift down, fingers starting to roll over my breast barely hidden by the thin fabric of my dress.

"Because at least we're both suffering together," he sighed hotly against my neck before withdrawing, dropping his just journeying hand back into his lap. "Let's go back to Mom's. At least tomorrow night-"

"Tomorrow night?" I couldn't stop the disappointed huff, especially as he left my chest burning from his touch. "Soul!"

Soul was leaning back in the seat and throwing his hands up in exasperation. "I get it, but it's my mom's house, Maka, I told you. She's the next room over."

"No." I flexed my hand into the steering wheel before letting one hurriedly fall to the ignition.

"No?"

"I can be quiet if you can be quiet." I was relieved by the way my mind could focus solely on the movement of the car, the slow crawl through the garage, so I didn't have to concentrate too hard on my own words.

"Sex isn't quiet," Soul's voice definitely raised on octave with a cute little tremble. For a boy who just coaxed me into saying horny, he sure lost his nerve quickly.

"The other stuff can be," I corrected, trying to keep my mind on the explanatory track. "I mean, I've never heard you, and I have to assume you've masturbated."

"Maybe I do that when you're not home," Soul squeaked.

I was glad for the pause at the stop sign leaving the garage so I could offer him an eye roll. "Have you heard me?"

"No!" It was another sharp note before his eyebrows furrowed. "You mean, you - while I was home? With me in the other room?"

I tried to concentrate on the road but found myself severely missing the full view of the panic on his face, only getting a little of the redness and flustering out of the corner of my eye. "Right across the hall, and don't lie to me and say you've never, Soul Evans."

"I…" He ran a hand through his hair before giving up with a groan, "Yeah. Right across the hall."

"OK. We're not drunk. I love you. We're going to be quiet." I lifted a finger from the steering wheel for each one before snapping them back. He didn't offer any argument, simply sitting next to me in a kind of daze, pondering my order from the passenger side. I found myself clearly in a rush, trying to keep the courage I'd mustered to actually put a plan in place to jump one of those final hurdles.

After parking the car, the walk into the house was eerily similar to that first night, me urging him forward as if this wasn't his house and he needed the leading. I had still half-expected Regina to be up, waiting again for some kind of play-by-play but the house was dark and quiet. I thought for sure he was going to put his foot down as soon as his bedroom door shut, offering a different deal, but instead, his hands slipped over my hips, pulling me back against him. One slid up, clutching my breast through the fabric while the other dropped to my thigh, letting my dress gather at his wrist until his hand was flush against my stomach. "Soul!"

"You said quiet," he hissed against my ear before his lips pressed against my neck.

I swallowed the next sound I wanted to make, instead surrendering to him and letting his hands take control as I let out a few shaky exhales. This wasn't a slow exploration but an explosion of his need, the hand on my stomach sliding between my legs, pressing the fabric of my panties just enough that my knees tremble. He continued that motion a few times, forcing me to bite my lip to hold back a moan. Maybe, no, definitely, stop lying, Maka Albarn, this was completely different from being alone.

There had been nights after agonizing stays on the couch with him where he'd breathed too close to my ear or his hand had maybe touched bare skin a little too long that I had, well, done the only natural thing there was to do to relieve that frustration. And all I had ever had to smother were those panting breaths, a little squeal of air as my hips locked. Except these were his hands touching me now, definitely without the automatic instruction of my brain, that almost point-A to point-B mentality that one can fall into when experiencing pleasure on your own. By yourself, the journey is rarely the interesting part, just the big bang at the end, but Soul was making all of it feel so damn necessary.

"The bed," I whispered as my legs were honestly turning to jelly and I was sure I didn't want him bothering to lose a hand to hold my weight. Both of those hands had to continue or I would melodramatically die.

"Take everything off." There didn't feel like an end to the shock of that statement. Soul never ordered, suggested firmly sometimes, sure, but straight orders weren't in his vocabulary but here it was. Not to mention the hoarse quality of his voice, the strain like he was barely keeping himself together at the seams. I remembered questioning if he ever looked at me, even thought of me that way, but the complete abject desire that was coming off of him in waves now made me feel like a complete idiot. He'd locked this up tight, but I should have known.

He released me temporarily and I had planned a little playful 'you, too' when I turned around but he was already beating me to it, practically ripping through the buttons of his shirt. I threw my dress over my head and ditched my underwear and bra, winning the race and getting to the bed first. My courage started its unfortunate fizzle there as I found myself still pressing my knees together. We'd done a lot of exploring over the past few nights, but bottoms had always remained intact. I mean, were there preferences in that sort of thing? Was he going to look at it and think 'huh, that's weird' or, even worse, 'eh, I've seen better'?

My thoughts only stopped racing when I heard the huff of his breath and finally focused on him, finding his thumbs hitched into the waistband of his boxers. "Get out of your head, Maka."

"What?" I knew exactly what he meant but I couldn't help being flustered, my automatic reaction to deflect and hope that it would buy me enough time to make some excuse.

"Right now, you've got those deer in the headlight eyes." He huffed out a breath again and instead of pulling down, he readjusted the band upward a little. "Do you want to stop?"

"No!"

"Sh." The finger he put to his lips was almost comical but the next part squashed my laugh as his hands came back to his boxers and dropped them down his legs. That certainly wasn't a 'huh, that's weird' or 'eh, I've seen better' experience and as he crawled onto the bed, I found that his nakedness wasn't even necessarily my first concern, just all the obvious thoughts that were dancing across those beautiful red eyes locked on mine. "Never thought I'd have a girl naked in this bed, let alone Maka Albarn." He was slow to lower himself on top of me even with that amused smirk, eyes continuing to hold mine in an effort to see any change.

I loved the feeling of his weight on top of me and the way his skin was always on fire, instantly bringing warmth and relaxation as I nestled underneath him. It was that safety, that pressing that brought the words out of my mouth, "I'm not exactly sure you're going to like that nakedness."

"Well, I didn't get a great view before we got like this," he murmured as his eyes did the regular rotation of furrowed to forced straight every time he was about to correct me. "But I told you, I got that glimpse before and I've been hungry for it ever since. You're all I want." Soul didn't let me argue, not that I had much prepared at that moment, let alone reply since his lips came crashing into mine. This was a dangerous position because as I wrapped my legs around him all it would take was one well-placed thrust. I could feel him hesitating, the usual way he would grind against me with pants on completely thrown out the window as his erection was simply resting on me, tempting to split my lower lips. "Fuck," he murmured. "Don't, Maka, just-"

I didn't listen, moving my hips to rub the side of him against me. He let out a sharp breath against my lips but he didn't deny himself, mimicking my motion as a muted growl rumbled in his throat. This was getting out of hand, my promise of the other stuff almost dissolving as he continued to rub against me. "Roll on your back," I whispered as I broke our searching kiss with a hand to his cheek.

He let out a breathless laugh, "Can I bring you with me?"

"No, just go," I patted at his shoulder. Rolling off me felt like a jolt back to reality, not just because of the cool air that could now hit my front without his space-heater-like body but also because of this strange, sudden feeling of loss as if he wasn't coming back. That quickened my movement, getting me up on my knees and planting my hands right above his shoulders. It wasn't anywhere near close enough, especially after the perfect way he could sink me into the bed, but I wanted to at least get a few more kisses in. As I tangled my tongue with his, Soul's hands got to work, one sinking into my hair while the other clutched at my breast, not exactly a soft motion but callused hands kneading at me until he finished with a tentative pinch to my nipple. The moan I tried to hold back broke our kiss, leaving me staring at his smirk.

"Sh," he snorted a laugh before tweaking at my nipple again.

I bit my lip, holding it back and allowing only a shot of air from my nose. After that wave subsided, I patted his chest, "See if you can take your own advice." I leaned back on my knees, watching his hands try to come with me and snatch me back to him.

"Huh?" His hands were grasping at my hips but I didn't give in, just pivoting so my face could turn to the other half of him as I ran my fingers down his thigh. "Oh," it was a small quivering sound from his throat as the goosebumps raised on his legs. He'd only been able to keep one hand on me after the move and he let it slide from my hip to my butt, squeezing in anticipation.

Obviously, I'd never done this before. I didn't go on dates, mostly because of Spirit, but more so because of the obnoxious amount of pining I did for my weapon, so hooking up really hadn't been on the table either. Not to mention, up until this point, imagining myself having the trust to get naked with someone other than Soul seemed impossible. All I had to go on was instinct and what I'd seen in one or two pornos (yes, girls can watch porn, just usually more tasteful than a pizza in exchange for a blowjob). I grabbed him at the base of his shaft, hearing him let out a long sigh from the contact alone.

I parted my lips and let my tongue roll along his head, getting no sound but another clutch at my ass. After a few tempting flicks, I took as much of him as my mouth could manage, feeling the pressure at the back of my throat that threatened my gag reflex. He was definitely more than a mouthful so I tried to let my hand make up for what my mouth had missed. I kept that pattern, my lips gliding from tip to as much as I could take, the grip of my fingers trailing behind. I must have been doing it right, or right enough because I could hear him struggling to keep with his admonishment, only allowing himself sharp huffs of air as he continued to clutch at the skin in his grip.

"Fuck, Maka, I'm gonna…"

I was thankful for the warning, especially with the horror stories of cum shooting out of your nose with a mistimed suck. I was halfway through another stroke when his legs stiffened, an airy groan barely leaving his lips as my mouth filled with cum. It wasn't entirely my favorite flavor, that was for sure, but the way he had to pant afterward, the last desperate squeeze to my ass was more than enough to make up for it. I swallowed, trying to clear the taste from my mouth before looking up at him, finally catching the eyes that had been watching me so intently during the process.

"That was… fuck, Maka Albarn, where the hell did you learn to do that?" his whisper was more a wheeze followed by a delirious laugh that he muted with a hand to his mouth.

"Right here, Soul Evans," I cooed back as I slowly sat back on my heels. "It was OK?"

"OK?" Apparently we were through being quiet because he tossed that one back incredulously. He realized his mistake, clapping that hand back over his mouth for a second to get his volume in check. "I don't know how I'm going to match it, Maka. Seriously. I've never, and you're the first, you know…" The words trailed off with a huff of air from his mouth.

"I'll show you," I shrugged before easing myself on the bed next to him.

He quickly rolled towards me as he brought his hand to my cheek, turning my face towards him. "Always the know-it-all."

"About my body, sure," I smirked. "Now I think you should at least have an idea where your hand could go?"

He blew air out his nose, "Ouch. Inexperienced but not stupid."

"Just like when we first met," I nipped at his lips.

He lingered in the kiss for a moment before whispering, "Never thought you'd teach me this many new tricks."

"This one might be one of the most important." His hand had been slowly inching down my stomach, just now reaching where my panties would have been. "Just start slow, soft, but build up."

"Warm-ups then the real thing?" He moved his head back far enough to watch the slow crawl of his fingertips as they disappeared in a smooth glide between my legs. "You feel pretty warmed up," he wheezed.

I wanted something cool to say here, maybe even sultry but the feeling of his fingers rubbing up against my clit made any amount of thought impossible.

"Maka?" He turned his eyes back to me, having probably expected my sweet comeback.

"Keep going," I managed to breathe out.

I was thankful that his only reply was a smirk that quickly disappeared as he pressed his lips back to mine, his tongue instantly slipping into my mouth. My request didn't require repeating, his fingers starting off slow circular revolutions, each one twisting that knot tighter in my gut, that ache just wishing for release. All I could do was run my fingers through his hair, my other hand's only purpose to clutch into the sheets in anticipation.

I broke the kiss out of necessity, needing more air than I was getting. "Put your fingers inside me," it took every last bit of self-control not to groan that out.

"Fingers?" he murmured with a healthy amount of skepticism.

"Two, then three," I could almost produce a laugh but he cut me off with my request, plunging two fingers inside me. I guess he had some instinct for it too because he rubbed them forward purposefully, not just clumsily jamming them in but stroking at me, and I slid my legs up by bending my knees, helping the thrust of my hips to meet him. The third stroke brought the third finger, just enough to bring a moan I tried to catch in my throat. "Now up and down, firm."

"It feels good?" Even with the haziness in my brain created by the build-up, my heart took a solid moment to melt, that adorable mixture of concern and nervousness on his face adding a flutter to my already palpitating heart.

"Perfect," was the most I could offer back but it was enough for him and he was able to relax into a soft smile.

He glanced back to his work and then to me, locking eyes as I wasn't exactly capable of that deep kind of kissing we'd started off with. Soul pecked softly at my lips, letting me struggle against producing the noises my body so desperately wanted to make. Even he didn't seem able to focus on my lips, his eyes so intently staring at my face. I was slow to realize, especially as I was teetering ever closer to the edge, but it was that same look that he made when at the piano. It was the Soul-at-work stare, the one that he reserved for piano pieces or other tasks he wanted to be done perfectly, and right now that task was me, my pleasure.

When that clicked in my head it was the last little bit necessary to push me over, forcing me to bite into my lip to stop the moan that wanted to crash from behind my teeth. Soul helped, pressing his lips over my clenched ones, muting the noise that did leak through. My quivering legs slid back down on the bed, his fingers finally stopping their movement. My lip felt puffy when I finally let it go, adding an extra pout as I sucked in air. "You're a quick learner," I whispered as the tingling was barely abating. I'd never felt like this after, not once in a trance from my own workings.

"When you're the teacher, yeah," he chuckled as he leaned back on his elbow, letting me see the entirety of his growing smirk. "You were barely quiet."

"But I managed," I shrugged. "It's hard to stay quiet when it's the best orgasm of your life."

Soul whistled softly, "Stop, you'll give me an ego."

"Maybe you deserve one every now and then." I ran my fingers through his hair, that pleased glow coming to his eyes as they went half-lidded. "Soul, everything about tonight was perfect."

"I tried, Maka." His fingers lingered up my stomach to my sternum, tapping softly there. "I was serious. I'm going to make it different and I'm going to give you what you deserve."

I let out a short laugh, "Something tells me that promise is going to be pretty easy for you to keep."

"Yeah, now it's easy." He leaned in, stealing another kiss before sighing softly. "What made you do it, Maka? Because I can't imagine when I was ever going to have the guts to do this, but you… you just kept pushing us forward even without my help."

"I'm the courageous one, remember?" I murmured but quickly shook my head at myself. "But really, I was scared the whole way, scared you'd really push me away once you knew that I was just dying for you to know how much I loved you." I moved my hand to his arm, running it up and down the bare skin, memorizing yet another new feeling. "But you let me come with you in the first place, so you did your own pushing. Maybe not me, but yourself."

Soul snorted a laugh, "At that point, I couldn't imagine sleeping without you, so you had to come. Even if back then it was just sleeping."

"I think I like the current upgrade," I chimed before taking a second to nibble at my lip, contemplating my next line. "And I… well, that was just a start, right?"

"Right," he answered back almost too quickly, making him laugh at his own desperation. "Sorry, just when we started tonight… damn it, Maka, I almost begged-"

"I know," my laugh matched his. "And I don't think I would have had a problem letting you, except I'm not too sure either of us has condoms."

"Oh, shit," he grumbled. "Guess that's something we're going to have to get."

"I actually, well," I stumbled over this part, feeling strange being embarrassed at this but not my naked body underneath his. "I have some at the apartment."

"Since when?" he laughed.

"Well…" I let my eyes wander away from him. "Since you've been sleeping in my bed I've bought them."

I could see the calculations running on his face, feeding his smirk. "You mean since the nightmares started?"

"Yes," I sighed. "I didn't think-"

"Maka Albarn, were you planning on taking advantage of me?" The feigned innocence in his voice made me want to chop him. "I was upset, vulnerable, I-"

I pressed my fingers to his lips just to stop the ridiculous tone. "Some nights I thought you'd kiss me, hoped you'd kiss me and I wanted to be ready for whatever else happened after that."

He grabbed at my wrist, pulling the fingers from his lips. "Every night I wanted to kiss you, just didn't have the guts. But now… Maka, that's going to happen. Every night. As much as I can give you."

"Every night?" I let out a soft laugh that he caught with his lips, busying them until I could get the rest out. "I'll be waiting."