OK, so we know I love giving you sweet SoMa moments, but I couldn't help myself and threw a decent Stein/Marie in here because they deserved it (and I set it up). Also, **sexual content** ahead.
Stein was not supposed to come home, he was well aware of his timeline and how it should be handled. There were things to attend to, to further plan the steps of Black Star and Maka but didn't he have an order from his King? Wasn't this paper in his hand, clenched like it could take flight from his fingers, something that he had to deliver? That at least was the rationale as he entered the castle, climbed the stairs, and found a surprised Marie in attendance with a room full of ladies.
"We have to discuss a message from the King, my lady," he let nothing come through his voice, flat but underneath the surface electric.
Marie glanced around at the room, trying to hide her own dismay at the idea he'd come home too early before she slowly rose to her feet. "Excuse me…" She took the elbow he offered and felt the rush as his feet flew to bring her to the closest spot that allowed privacy, the study. "You're not supposed to be home," was the first useless thing that she uttered as he shut the door behind them.
Even though his decree in front of the ladies had screamed of seriousness he was grinning as he leaned against the desk, taking in a breath that sounded like his first in months.
"Did something happen to Maka? Soul? Black Star?" Each name didn't seem to affect him and Marie let this bewildered fear come over her. "What news do you have then, Franken?"
"There's plenty to tell." He left that as dangling bait that brought Marie a few steps closer, enough that she could grasp his arms and give him a firm shake.
"You're testing my patience," Marie snapped.
His sigh was strange and wistful, making Marie's hold on him tighten. "We're going to be grandparents."
"Oh," the sound quivered out slowly from Marie's lips as the tears announced themselves quickly. "I know I should be happy, that she's really safe from that stupid deal, but…"
"The plan's the same either way," he let his voice drift down to just above a whisper. "While she's away from Soul, I'll keep her as safe as I can and you know that Black Star will do the same, and most of all, our girl will keep herself like always."
Marie blinked at him, her brows furrowing. "You're being strange."
"How?" A playful tone touched over the word as one of his hands came to her cheeks one after the other to clear the tears.
"Maka having a baby seems to be bringing out the paternal side of you." It was barely a statement and more a question, her eyes still boring into him.
"It's more than that." That smile was quick on his lips again and he leaned closer, letting his breath meet her cheek before his lips did softly. "How is our next little one?"
Marie sighed, a sweet mix of longing for this closeness and the reality of how little of it she was allowed. She carefully took his hand and slipped it into the folds of her outer robe until it firmly pressed against the gown underneath. "Excited to see you, apparently. Kicking strong since you walked in."
"Already the opposite of Benjamin," he whispered as he clutched tighter into the fabric. Stein took in the motion under his fingers as he carefully read the little soul buzzing around under Marie's. "This one's going to be like you, Marie."
"Maybe," she murmured. "I… Franken, please, what else is there?" Marie was trying to remove his hand, to part them with a step back but Stein was quick to refuse her, his arm snaking swiftly around her waist to pull the line of her body to his.
He could feel the swell of her stomach between them along with the warmth of her skin that he missed underneath. "I love you, Marie."
"What?" Her eyes expanded to their limit, her breath gone without hope of returning.
"I love you," he repeated easily. "I have since the moment you came down to the training yard with your father. You saved me from a beating, one that I most definitely deserved but… that was the first time you laid a hand on me and I knew. I was cruel, terrible, a monster and you… you were always going to be the lady I served, the one I loved more than anything else."
"Franken…" She was trembling, still trying in vain to pull away from him but he held fast, gliding his lips from her cheek to the edge of her mouth, just catching the trembling side of her lip.
"Say it back to me, Marie," he urged before planting another almost at center.
"I told you," her voice cracked as she let weak fists knock into his chest. "I don't… we can't say that. Not like this, Franken. I can't."
He sighed but she was surprised by the lack of disappointment in it, instead trickling out with just as much warmth as his breath. "You can, Marie, because right now I'm asking you to be my wife."
"Franken," parted her lips as a distressed groan. He let her get away finally, her hands coming to her hair to tug in frustration. "I have borne you a son, I'm carrying another child as we speak and you toy with me? I could kill you, you know that? You know how much that means to me and to say it so flippantly..." The tears were pressing down her cheeks as she attempted to bat him away until her hand hit paper instead of skin.
"The future King sent this." He sounded breathless, helpless, and Marie stared at him wide-eyed.
She let her fingers tentatively touch at the letter and he urged it closer to her, making her jump. "Soul…?" Marie was bewildered as she finally took the gift from his hands, opening the seal that Stein had broken. She read out loud, not able to see the way Stein's smile ached across his cheeks. "As reward for duties completed in the field and in exchange for the promise of loyalty to the council of war under the crown of Prince Soul, future King, Franken Stein is to be given the title of lordship and all responsibilities under it…" A gasp fluttered across her lips as she quickly brought her hand to her mouth to quell the sob that wanted to follow after.
Stein pushed off the desk to get close enough to her to peel her fingers away so he could go back to littering every inch of her lips with kisses. "Say it, Marie," he urged again only after stealing every last bit of breath from her.
Her cheeks were awash with tears again but a slow smile was parting her lips along with the soft whisper, "I love you."
"Be my wife, then," the matter of fact statement made her laugh lightly. "Before our second son comes."
"A boy?" Marie bemoaned instantly. "Franken, no."
"Yes," a pleasant smirk followed that as he ran a finger along her stomach. "But at least this one will be more like you than me, I promise."
Marie collapsed into him, letting his shirt catch the rest of her tears. "I wanted a girl."
"We can try again after this one," he murmured against her ear, earning another short laugh from her.
"Says you who doesn't have to carry them," she chided. Marie took time to catch her breath, to leech every last bit of comfort from the way his arms now suddenly felt permanent.
Stein smoothed his hand over her hair, tilting her head in the process so he could capture one more touch of her lips before whispering, "Where's my son?"
"With Auntie," her voice started to warble again as her eyes were reminded to cry again, an unfortunate side effect of when she carried children. "They should be in the playroom."
For the first time his amusement broke, his smile dwindling. "Are you against me telling him?"
Marie shook her head firmly, "As long as I can come."
Stein gave her one last kiss before waiting for her to clear her face. After a few deep breaths from her, Stein offered his elbow and led her out of the room. He wasn't as pressing as before, slow footsteps bringing them down the corridors until the sound of the familiar little voice was calling to both of their ears. Marie edged forward, leaving Stein's arm so she was the first in the room, kneeling almost instantly as the sweet little boy that was nothing more than a spitting image of Stein quickly folded himself into her arms.
"Ben, darling," Marie cooed as she pulled him away just before the tears started in her eyes again. "Can you listen for a minute?"
"Yes, Mama," Ben blinked at her expectantly before his eyes hit the doorway, finding Stein there. His stare flicked back quickly to his mother, eyebrow furrowing for a moment.
"Go ahead, darling, it's just us. You can talk to him." Marie smoothed a hand over his hair before pushing him in Stein's direction.
Ben took a tentative step closer to Stein who knelt to meet him. "Hello, Papa," the boy offered hesitantly.
"You've been a very good boy, Ben," Stein had to pause to clear his throat, his eyes touching on Marie for just a moment before looking back at his son. "I know it's hard keeping our secret, but you have. I…" Reaching for the boy had always seemed impossible whether it was to keep appearances or just because of the inadequacies Stein felt in deserving the name papa to begin with, but he forced his hand forward to press gently against the boy's cheek. "I've got a reward for you since you've done everything you could."
Those pale green eyes that so perfectly mirrored his own popped wide. "What is it?"
"There won't be a secret anymore, Ben." As he moved his thumb along Ben's cheek he was surprised by the natural feel to it, the way the boy didn't flinch or turn from him. "You can call Mama mama and me papa. I can… be with you as much as you'd like and… you'll have a new baby brother soon to play with."
"I don't have to pretend?" Ben only broke from Stein's grasp to look back at his mother.
"Papa's right, Ben." Marie pressed her hand to her mouth while the other settled on her chest, trying to hold in the bursting sensation.
As Ben turned back to look at Stein, he scooped the little boy into his arms, bringing him the few steps closer to Marie so he could be in the range of both. Though he fidgeted, Ben let Stein deposit him in Marie's lap to be pressed between the two of them.
"I'm not sure how much he thinks this is a reward," Marie let a laugh tremble through her lips as she smoothed a hand over her son's hair. "But I think he'll be happier. He's… always said one day he'd be with papa and now…"
Stein pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Will you be happier?"
"That's a stupid question," Marie nudged him as she let out a long breath. "That is such a stupid question."
Torturing a girl seemed like pushing it, but Black Star wasn't exactly above it. It also helped that he could channel a little of Soul, contemplating all of the things that she had planned to do to Maka. That was enough to piss him off to the point where gender didn't exactly make a difference. First, he went to Liz, sending her off to get Kim as low-key as possible before meeting him in the dungeon. Thankfully those dunderheaded guards from earlier managed to at least follow this order and had the girl alone in a cell, the two of them flanking the entry. He waited at the bottom of the stairs, holding his breath for footsteps.
Black Star stopped Liz and Kim right at the bottom, letting them only just barely peek their heads out to see between the bars. "Kitchen girl?" he murmured.
"No," Liz shook her head with every last ounce of surety.
"Kim?"
Kim snuck an extra glance before narrowing her eyes at Black Star. "Does she have pockmarks around her mouth? At the corners almost like a dimple on each side?"
"Sure does," he let the grin take him.
"Eruka. Medusa's patsy. She's not smart enough to do what I do, but she's loyal to a fault. I think Medusa has something on her, she's always so skittish, afraid for her life." Kim shook her head slowly as the moments replayed in her mind. "Good luck getting her to talk. I don't think she's willing or able to rat on Medusa."
Black Star grunted, "Just leave that to me. Kim, get going before Medusa even gets a whiff that you might be hanging around us."
Kim sighed, "You know, I'll be ecstatic when this is over."
"You and me both," Black Star nodded with as much empathy as he could muster. Liz and Kim exchanged short looks before Kim pattered back up the stairs. "Look, Liz, in an hour, check on Maka, OK? Bring her some not-poisoned tea or whatever the hell it is she likes."
Liz offered raised eyebrows before she let out a low whistle. "Oh, and since when do you pamper the princess?"
He snorted as he rolled his eyes, "Pamper? I just said tea, not a whole fucking banquet."
"Oh, the captain of the guard does have a heart," Liz crooned as she flicked at his shoulder.
"You know what," he snapped. "Go up there and tell her I said to go fuck herself then. Shit. Try to do one nice thing…" Black Star waved her off as he erupted into the hallway, making both of his soldiers jump. "Both of you, take a walk. Top of the stairs for fifteen minutes."
One handed him the key and then both trudged past him. Black Star opened the cell door and quickly closed it behind him, tucking the key into his shirt for safe-keeping. The girl was glumly crouched in the corner, her knees pressed tightly to her chest. She seemed to appraise him for just a moment before letting her eyes drift back to the cobblestone floor without a word.
Black Star squatted in front of her, his hands patting to his knees amiably. "Listen, Eruka."
Her name made her eyebrows flutter momentarily.
"I have a lot planned for you," Black Star let the excitement drip from his words. "Because I know who you work for already, so I get to skip the boring stuff and go straight to finding out what the fuck you thought you were going to do to the princess."
Eruka's lips were still pressed tightly and her eyes were anywhere but with his.
Black Star sucked his teeth before snorting out a laugh, "So, tell me, what did Medusa tell you to do to Maka?" He was pleased to see the name hit like a hammer to a nail, her face growing paler if that was at all possible. While patience was never his forte, Black Star gave her more than enough time to formulate an answer, even though she ended up with none. He sighed, almost sweetly like a love-sick fool before he leaned closer to her. "Guess not, but maybe you can answer this: do you like your toes or your fingers better?" This shot her eyes back to him as he shrugged. "Hell, I guess we'll find out."
Maka's breath was still thin as she was recovering from that fluttering sensation in her stomach. Soul hadn't removed his fingers but ran a thumb absently along the crease of her leg as he was pressing more kisses along her neck. With Soul it always seemed to end up as 'ask and you shall receive' because as soon as she mentioned bliss he was quick to move her to the bed. There was no way to forget what not even a full day would bring but at the very least he was adamantly offering a brief intermission. "Come here…" she finally came back to herself enough that she could pull at his hip, trying to coax him.
"Not yet," he murmured right next to her ear before he tenderly sucked on the lobe.
That gave her chills, making her fingers tense into his skin. "What about you?"
"I'm not in a hurry," he whispered huskily as the rest of his fingers slipped along the joint of her leg before drifting up her side. "You feeling alright?"
Maka let out a snort of a laugh, "Alright is never how I'd describe this feeling. You're getting well-practiced."
His grin was there in reply but it was quickly fading as his lips pressed slowly to her collarbone. "I wish I had more time."
"I thought I told you, one hour, Soul," she urged. A frown came to her lips as he sighed but it was short-lived, a coy curl starting at the edge as she rolled in the bed. "Don't say I didn't warn you." She caught his hands that had come to try to steady her and pushed them down into the bed at the wrists as she straddled him.
"Maka…" It had been a while since she'd seen him blush, mostly seeming used to the bedroom behavior but a bright pink suddenly lit his cheeks.
"What should be your punishment?" She stumbled over the words since this kind of teasing was not exactly something she'd practiced, but the look on his face fed her courage.
Soul stared up at her, dumbfounded and blinking as he flexed his hands under her hold. "Punishment?"
She could feel the heat rising on her own cheeks but she resisted, adding a little purr to her voice. "You didn't do as I asked. I wanted bliss and you tried to ruin it. So, what should I do to you?"
"Maka," he laughed softly as he tried to push up against her but found her locking him in place. She didn't weigh much, but her legs almost seemed dug into the bed and as for his hands, Maka left him with no wiggle room and a grip fit for a wrestling match instead of the soft kind of bedroom action they'd taken to so far. With a fresh hint of color to his cheeks, Soul realized she was serious. "Isn't… not being able to touch you punishment enough?" he offered hopefully.
"Oh, that's cute," Maka smirked before she gave a swift shake of her head. "But I don't think so." She lifted her hips slightly and when she lowered them again it came with a quivering breath from his lips because she had readjusted just to get him trapped between her legs, her slick opening pressed against his shaft. "Does this feel alright?" she quipped playfully. Just as his lips parted for an unsure answer she rocked her hips, leaving just a shuddering nonsensical noise to come instead. She stopped at his tip. "More?"
"Please." He had no shame for the breathless beg especially as he was falling in love all over again with the curl of her lip, that beautiful reminder that while this was playful, Maka was no stranger to taking charge.
She leaned closer, pressing more weight on his hands as she used it for leverage to slide against him again. "Do you want to kiss me?"
"Yes," he let come with a moan. Her lips hovered over him, coaxing him to lift his head to try to capture her mouth but finding her just out of his reach, a power-drunk smile on her face. "You're torturing me."
Maka nodded before dipping her head just enough to catch his lower lip, offering him half a kiss that turned into her teeth pulled at the soft flesh. She stroked him again and felt his hips come to meet her. "Stay still," she warned.
"Maka…" A little growl left his lips as he tried to resist the motion again but was powerless against the reaction to her touch.
In reply she lifted her hips, leaving him without her warmth. For a second, Maka enjoyed the powerlessness that overcame his face, the way his lust-laden eyes stormed up at her as he let out a frustrated sigh. In her next breath, it hit her, that deeply hidden whisper that echoed in her. "I'll let you go if you promise."
"What?" he was quick to ask.
She contemplated it, the moment of weakness in the middle of all her power with him, but wasn't that the entirety of them? She had always been powerful, singularly driven, talented. When Soul came along it was a strange combination of opposites, their partnership always offering strength tainted by fragility. My only vulnerability has been him. Even though she released one of his hands, Soul stayed still, looking up at her expectantly. That hand positioned him as she lowered her hips again, a contented sigh breaking both of their lips as she brought him to his depth inside her and leaned close enough that he could reach the lips he had so wanted.
"What?" He repeated because the break was dragging on and while seconds ago he'd been teetering on the edge of losing his mind, that look in her eye and the new flimsiness in her grip forced clarity to the surface.
Maka swallowed slowly, letting a weak breath drift in through her mouth. "I'm the only person who will ever be in your bed."
Soul sat up as best he could, free from her hold so that his arms could wrap around her as his lips stayed only a breath away. "Is this more of those damn maids running their mouths?" he hissed with little patience.
"No," she let out a weak laugh, "I'm just… going to be gone, Soul."
He kissed her forcefully, pushing those words back in her mouth as if that made them not true. One of his hands settled on her waist, feeling her move her hips to please him in the middle of the pain. He broke their lips just enough to let the words pass between them. "I'm yours. You're mine. I won't replace you just like I know you won't replace me."
It was nothing more than fact from his lips and Maka found herself laughing softly as she pressed her forehead to his. "There's no one like you."
He pressed his growing smirk back to her lips, searching her mouth before he broke to pant out, "Now, do I have you beg for you to finish what you started?"
"What?" Maka murmured, her head moving back enough to blink those green eyes at him in confusion.
"That act that wasn't an act," he chuckled. "I didn't know you could be tough in bed too."
"Oh…" For a moment a blush flushed her cheeks, "You liked that?"
He nodded before nipping at her lips again. "I don't know how you do it but you always fucking surprise me."
Her hands searched for his as she took to sucking at his lower lip, teasing out his kisses. Instead of forcing at his wrists, she intertwined their fingers as she pushed his hands back to the bed, easing him against the sheets. She hovered out of his reach again as she started to ease her hips, experimenting with rotation and speed. Soul offered breathless gasps and soft groans, his red eyes trying to focus on her but slowly hazing over as she used their hands as leverage to pick up speed.
He lifted his head to reach for her mouth and Maka leaned just enough to give him a sweet taste before the helpless moan rumbled in his throat, her name tumbling a few breathless times from his lips. It was only then that she slowed her hips, letting his fingers get away and sink into her hair, urging her back to his mouth so he could share every last bit of euphoria as if he could breathe it from his mouth to hers.