I am back! Sorry for the wait! I proofread the chapter a few times, but I is apology if there be grammy errors and the like ;)
PLEASE REVIEW! It really does encourage me to write faster, guys ... seriously. And I appreciate any constructive and/or respectful criticism. I learn from it and it makes the story better.
Thank you to all who favourited and followed the story, it means so, so much to me that you've taken an interest. Love you guys!
So, ... yeah. I don't own Soul Eater, on with the show!
Enjoy!
Chapter Four: Rub-a-dub-dub, Thanks for the Grub
Maka stirred at the uncomfortable pressure that had built up in her lower abdomen over the night. She had to pee. She had to pee now. She slowly opened her eyes to see that the world beyond the window was still dark from the heavy clouds and thick snow. She began to stretch slightly until she was met with a large wall; that of limp muscle and radiating heat. She stilled at the soft brush of air that occasionally played - very closely - across her neck. Maka wiggled around slightly and found that Soul had enclosed her in a lazy embrace to keep her warm during the night. She blushed furiously at the realization that they had been spooning. She began to shimmy away from him so she could make her retreat to the bathroom only to be pulled back against her will. Repeating this process a few times, she finally managed to make her escape. Looking back to make sure she hadn't awoken the massive teddy bear, she halted at what little she could make out of him in the dimly lit room. He looked so peaceful and soft. His hair was even more of a mess than it had been when they went to bed, his mouth was partially open as he laid on his side. His breaths were slow and even. She decided then and there that 'ruggedly handsome' was definitely the best way to describe him. Maka couldn't help but reach over to move the hair from his face. He was gorgeous. She admired his facial features until he began to stir. She quickly and quietly retracted her appendage and crawled out of bed. She heard Soul murmur something but didn't make to look back. She shot to the bathroom and shut the door behind her silently. Her heart was racing. What the heck was she just doing, touching his face like that? How utterly inappropriate. Hopefully, she hadn't awoken him. She wasn't sure what time it was and didn't want to disrupt his slumber.
Maka finished her business and decided it best to flush the toilet, even if it pulled the man in the other room back to reality, as to save herself from the embarrassment of him later finding it. She then washed her hands, opened the door slightly after turning off the lights, and slipped out. She glanced at the bed to find that Soul still lay asleep under the covers, even breaths effortlessly working to ensure the rise and fall of his broad chest. She then checked the time on the clock, which read a blinking '2:03.' Huh. Well, that couldn't be right. She thought for a moment before her stomach made a low, gurgling sound. Clutching her middle, she decided it would be a good idea to cook breakfast for the man who had saved her life. She had been caught last night after all. A deal is a deal.
She made her way out of the bedroom, closing the door behind her, and headed to the kitchen. She searched for the light switch and lit up the beautiful room. She could get used to this kitchen. It seemed to become more and more stunning every time she was met with it. Maka walked to the fridge and peered inside to find breakfast food. To her delight, it was fully stocked with the basic necessities for many meals and she hadn't opened the freezer or other cabinets yet.
Not sure what to make, she searched the entire kitchen quietly to see what all resided in its cubbies. She decided to make pancakes and sausages. She mixed the batter and set about finding syrup, but to no avail. "Guess I'll have to make it from scratch." She muttered. After melting some butter and mixing brown sugar and vanilla extract into it, she began cooking the batter. She grabbed some strawberries, blueberries, and bananas and made them into separate toppings as she continued to flip the pancakes. She placed the three bowls of toppings into the fridge to let them cool and pulled out the bag of sausage. She turned the oven on low to keep the pancakes warm in and began cooking the meat. She knew it would make a lot more noise than anything else and would cook faster, so she had saved it for last, though still hoping it wouldn't wake Soul. She placed the last piece of sausage on the oven safe plate and slid it into the heated square alongside the pancakes to keep warm. She then set about cleaning up after herself. Mixing bowls and whisks and cutting boards and spatulas and so on. By the time she had finished cleaning the counters and the pans had cooled down enough to wash, the smell of food was getting to her, making her stomach rumble once more. She finished washing and putting away the last of it and then grabbed a tall glass of water, gulping it down in an attempt to subdue her hunger.
Maka sighed as she finished her glass, feeling somewhat refreshed yet empty still. She turned to look at the time but was startled to find Soul watching her as he leaned his shoulder against the doorframe, arms crossed to punctuate his muscles. An overly handsome eyebrow had risen in speculation, hunger apparent in his ruby eyes. Hunger for what exactly, she wasn't sure.
"I don't know what you cooked," he began. Hunger for food. Noted. Filed. Maka gulped slightly, swallowing the surge of fear that had erupted through her as she waited in anticipation for him to finish. Was he mad? He seemed mad. Perhaps she had miscalculated. She was a stranger in his home, after all. Perhaps he wasn't too keen on her using his kitchen without permission? "but it smells so darn delicious that it woke me up. Gimme." A smirk spread across his face as his tired eyes scanned over her. Was he checking her out? Maka shook her head. In her dreams.
She visibly relaxed and smiled softly up at him as he pushed off of the frame to walk towards her. He looked around the kitchen, finding everything had been cleaned and put away properly, but cooked food was nowhere in sight.
Maka watched him eye the kitchen, slight confusion flicking through his features as he stopped a few feet in front of her and redirected his gaze her way. "Where's the grub? Don't tell me you ate everything yourself..." His head tilted to the right slightly as a pout formed over his face. She couldn't suppress the giggle that escaped her lips. He looked so cute, like a child sulking over candy.
"It's in the oven." She answered.
"Great! That means it's hot!" He piped up. "I'll get the plates and cups, you get the food ready!" Soul strolled past her eagerly, his long legs carrying him easily to far and high places. Maka shook her head and grinned as she pulled the food from the oven, turning it off in the process, and then went to get the toppings from the fridge. After placing them on the large island, she then went back to grab the orange juice and milk that she had caught sight of. Soul had gotten the plates and silverware; napkins and cups and had set them up in front of two stools. She set the food up on the island top as well and turned away once again.
"You made coffee, too?!" Maka jumped slightly and turned to him.
"Ah, yes. I remembered you saying you really enjoyed coffee, so I made a lot. I hope you don't mind."
"Mind? Pshhhh... you're the best, short stack." He joked as he got down a mug. "You want some?" He grabbed another mug at her nod as she set about filling their plates with food. "Alright! Two coffees coming u- oh my holy mother ducklings, that looks freakin delicious ... " Soul almost drooled out as he set their mugs down on the island. There was a tall plate of pancakes, perfectly browned; three beautiful fruity toppings put out next to them and a cup of what had to be homemade syrup. Wonderfully crisped sausage graced the other plate, making his mouth water.
"Thank you, I hope you like it. I made different fruit toppings, seeing as I had no clue as to which one you'd prefer." She answered while reaching for her mug. "Do you have sugar and creamer?" she asked, eyeing the black in her cup.
"Huh?" She seemed to have disrupted his stupor.
"Sugar and cream?" she giggled, pointing to her coffee.
"Oh, yeah, sure thing. I don't use it, so it's somewhat old." Soul turned away only to come back with her requested condiments and sat down next to her on the stool.
"This looks really good, Maka. Thank you for making this." Soul reached for the fruit bowls, spooning a little of each onto his plate.
"It was the least I could do." She smiled as she grabbed the blueberries and poured them over her stack of pancakes. She had almost managed to get a fork full of breakfast perfection into her mouth when ...
"Oh, mah fwuuckin gouf mmmm!" Maka turned with a quizzical look to find Soul with a mouthful of pancakes, moaning like they were the best damn things that his taste buds had ever been acquainted with. She watched him swallow after chewing for what seemed like forever before he turned to look at her seriously. His hand shot up, capturing her shoulder, making Maka shudder at the light grip as his eyes scanned over her.
"Maka Albarn" he stated, surprising her that he had remembered her last name. "These pancakes are so good, that they make me want to cuss." She couldn't help the laugh that broke it's way out of her mouth, leaving her to gasp for air. He looked so darn serious, it was hysterical. They both laughed for a short while, joking back and forth about just how effing delicious the food was as they ate.
"I might hire you as my freakin personal chef if this is how you cook all the time." He said, handing Maka a dripping plate. He couldn't seem to talk about anything else all throughout breakfast. He was apparently enchanted by her cooking skills.
"And I might actually take you up on that offer if the pay's good enough. And if I get to eat the meals as well." She dried the plate and reached to put it away on her tip toes, just barely making it. Soul's eyes caught her struggle and thought it adorable but silently proposed they switch, handing her the rag and taking the towel.
"I wouldn't mind. And I will think over the terms." He laughed, shrugging as he took the next plate from her. "You could even live here, so many rooms unoccupied, it gets to me every once in awhile." His eyes watched as he saw her tense for a moment and then relax as she took it as a joke. His smirk faltered for a moment as he contemplated. Was he joking?
"How much is the pay?" she asked, a sly grin playing at her lips. He was pulled from his brief self-analysis with her voice of honey, deciding it better to play pretend than to look any deeper than he already had.
"You kidding? I'm feeding you and providing you with a home!" He laughed out. "You don't need more than that." He sluggishly put a mug away and walked back to her side at the sink.
"What's the point, then?" she handed him some silverware. "I need money to buy stuff, like clothes and what not. Plus the cat needs taken care of."
"Ooohh fine." He conceded. "Twenty-five dollars an hour, no more, no less."
Maka stopped her washing and turned to him. "You're still joking, right? That's a lot of money." She asked, an awkward smile fighting her lips.
"Maybe, maybe not." He shrugged. "Depends on the next meal you cook." Soul leaned forward, right hand on the counter and his left on his hip, lowering his body; bringing himself closer to Maka's frame. Was he flirting? She couldn't tell. Men like him never affiliated themselves with her, especially in a romantic sense. What was she thinking? It was absurd ... wasn't it? She looked back up at him to find that he was closer than she had left him. Oh, man.
He watched as a beautiful blush bloomed over her cheeks. Just the reaction he was looking for. He smiled cheekily and grabbed the last dish from her hands, rinsing it off as he held eye contact until turning to put it away. Butterflies erupted throughout her belly, dancing oddly with her intestines as she watched Soul's broad back retreat.
"You're clothes should be done by now if you want them." Maka placed her hands over her cheeks as she pulled herself out of her daze. Somehow, she felt that she just might be on the verge of trouble. Which trouble, she wasn't sure, but would more than likely find out later.
"Yeah, I'd appreciate that, thank you." She answered. Was he serious or joking? She still couldn't tell. Would she seem dense if she were to ask him again? That would be her dream job. Cooking all day for a hot guy with a room of her own and a pay that others would kill for. He had to be kidding.
Maka reached into the water, unblocking it's flow and placing the plug on the edge of the sink. She washed her hands and turned to follow Soul to the laundry room. They left the kitchen and entered the living room, turning left to pass the dining area. They walked straight into a long hallway, turning to the right after Soul switched on the light. All doors were located on the left of the hall except for one door at the very end.
"I'm continually amazed at how large this place is..." Maka stated as they walked past a few doors before Soul went to open the fourth.
"Yeah. I can take you on the tour after you change. It'll take us a while, this place is pretty big." He smirked. "This is the laundry room." He flicked on the lights and walked in. It was a good sized room. It had practical white tile with blue walls and uncharacteristically calm yet bright lighting, not fluorescent. To the far left, it held a large white washer and dryer set, one on top of the other, and a countertop with a large sink closer to the door. Several blue and white cabinets ran along the walls. At the far right, there was a clothing rod to hang clothes on placed next to an ironing table.
Maka watched as Soul opened the dryer and felt inside, making a face.
"What is it?" she inquired.
"They're still damp. The electricity might have gone off last night. I noticed it got quite chilly after we went to sleep, so ... it probably got turned off before it could finish." He huffed as he closed the door and restarted the dryer.
"Your, um ... undergarments are done, however ... " He blushed slightly as he lazily pointed behind him to the pastel underwear hanging up. "The tags said not to put them in the dryer."
Maka blushed madly and strode farther into the room, grabbing at the underwear desperately. How embarrassing.
"Th-thank you. I really appreciate that." She stammered out. An awkward silence passed between them before Soul cleared his throat to fill the void.
"I can lend you more of my clothes if you'd like." He offered, scratching the back of his head. They continued to face away from each other, too abashed to look into the other's eyes.
"That's okay. These are fine ... "
"Maka ... " He turned to her, waiting to see if she would do the same. "Maka." He repeated when she made no move to acknowledge him. Ever so slowly, Maka turned towards him, refusing to meet him in the eye.
"You should change." He spoke.
"No, I think these are-"
"You're covered in pancake batter and sausage grease."
"Wh-what?" Maka's head shot up to Soul and then back down to look herself over. He was right. She was covered in breakfast makings. "Ah ... " Maka felt heat spread across her cheeks as she pulled the bottom of the sweatshirt out to get a better look at the mess she was wearing. "Yeah, I think I'll take you up on that offer. We should wash these as soon as possible."
"Let me just go um ... find something that might fit you." Soul all but fled the room. Instead of following him, she waited there, allowing herself to calm down before he came back. Why was this so awkward? He had stripped her, seen her naked, and dressed her in his clothes. His big, warm, comfortable clothes ... and she had ruined them without even noticing. She looked at her underwear. They were cleaned well and she was happy to not have to go commando anymore, but somehow, she regretted the practical side of her. Now that she looked at them, they were rather plain ... Oh. That's why she felt embarrassed. Not because he had seen and washed her underwear, but that the underwear itself looked like something a grandma would wear. But why should she care about that? They were cheap and comfortable and practical. Maka sighed, looking around the room. She found her purse was sitting on a countertop, and having nothing better to do, she walked over to it to make sure everything was there in an attempt to distract herself. Her phone, her wallet, pepper spray, everything was accounted for except the one thing she wanted. Her mother's locket.
Soul walked back to his room quickly. He hadn't really thought of her reaction to him having washed her undergarments for her. He had just wanted her to have something of her own to wear, and you know, underwear and bras were kind of a necessity for women ... weren't they?
He took a deep, calming breath and walked to his closet to search for anything warm that wouldn't just fall off of her. Finding yet another large black hoodie and sweatpants, he grabbed another long sleeved t-shirt and socks and took his time to walk back to her. Once there, he was met with her looking through her purse.
"Seeing if I stole anything?" Maka jumped slightly, looking over at him as her hand rose to clutch at her heart. Her grassy orbs were graced with his signature smirk as he held the clothes over his right shoulder, hands tucked away in his pockets.
"Quit sneaking up on me." she scolded. "And no. I'm looking for my mama's locket, you know, the one I told you about?" Maka's attention turned back towards the purse as she decided to check through it again. No matter how attractive this man was before her, her mother's heirloom was exceedingly more important right now.
"Oh! Yeah, I put it in that drawer right there." Soul pointed to a drawer before moving to place the clothes down. "One of the chain links was about to come apart so I fixed it." She glanced up toward him at that, the overly fond look she held completely lost on him. "It took me a moment, but I realized as I was looking for clothes that you and I are completely different sizes." He stated as Maka quickly redirected her gaze and opened the drawer to retrieve her keepsake, making her laugh.
"And it's taken you this long to figure that out?" she joked, smirking slightly. A gruff chuckle flowed through the air.
"Well, I had a momentary lapse of logic. But anyway, this is all I can really do, huge hoodie and sweatpants." He said, sliding them to her as she inspected the necklace and then placed it in her wallets change pocket.
"That's quite alright." She giggled. "They're extremely comfy. Thank you." She turned and smiled up at him, making him feel things once again. His heart went pitter patter as his stomach did back flips and for some reason, all he wanted to do was 'boop' her little button nose. He instead, however, he found himself ruffling her hair. What? What, what, what? Why? No, no. No. Bad Soul.
Reeling himself back in and mentally shaking his head, he backed up a little. He nervously rubbed his fingers over his palm, his face turning to it quizzically as he felt the icky greasy consistency. He looked down at his hand and looked back at her hair.
"So um, you have grease and batter in your hair." Maka reached up as the words registered, feeling gunk layering her locks. She scrunched her face at the unwelcome grime. "Shower?" he chuckled. She nodded and they walked to his bathroom. "Just let me know when you're done." He stated, turning and shutting the door behind him.
Doing as she was told, Maka stripped and shivered at the feel of her birthday suit being without gargantuan clothes to keep her warm. She turned on the hot water and stepped into the abyss of steam. The heat massaging her back was wonderful. She still ached from prior events, chills would spread over her form from time to time, and her throat was still so sore. She gargled some of the hot water and let the warmth consume her, working at her tender muscles.
Maka finished washing her hair and skin and grabbed the towel she had used the night before. She sat down on the edge of the tub wrapped in a large cocoa coloured towel, looking around the room. Like everything else in his home, the bathroom was extremely large. The shower stood to her far left in the corner, steam still fogging up the glass doors, was big enough to comfortably fit five people in. The jacuzzi tub she sat on was on the left side when entering the room, located after large cabinets. The sink had bronze plating and stuck up a touch higher than the black marble counter. The mirror opposite of her covered the entire right wall. Everything was coloured bronze, tan, and brown, with black lining. The floor was made of dark stones, seemingly putting everything in place. It had a very exotic feel to it and was somehow comforting. She had to admit, Soul had impeccable taste.
Maka stood and leisurely dried herself off with the huge towel. She turned to change, slipping into the clean underwear only to find that the oversized clothes Soul had gotten for her were absent. Her eyebrows knitted together in confusion, looking around in an effort to find them to no avail. Mentally retracing her steps, she closed her eyes and sighed in defeat as she realized where they had been left. The laundry room. Of course. As if the past two and a half days hadn't been bad enough, she just had to forget borrowed clothes in the other room.
"Hey, Soul?" she checked through the closed door. When no response was heard, she wrapped herself in the towel once again, cracking the door open to find the bedroom vacant. "Soul?" She stepped cautiously out into the room to be met with cool air. She was overtaken with a shiver but soon began to slowly make her way to the laundry room in hopes of getting the much-needed clothing. She peeked her head out into the living room, looking this way and that. No Soul to be found, she traveled on further, tip-toeing across the wood to the hallway. She scanned the hall, noticing a light shining from under one of the doors. Luckily the laundry room door was wide open, indicating that maybe he was in the former. She snuck past as quickly as possible and poked her head around the corner just to make sure he wasn't there. A sigh of relief flourished and she made to enter the room, closing the door behind her.
She shuddered involuntarily as she let the towel fall to the ground. She reached for the clean pile of clothing, grabbing the long sleeved t-shirt and sliding it over her head. A few droplets of water slid down her form, as her long hair was still wet. She grimaced as she felt chills begin to sweep across her body once again.
The sound of a door opening startled her, making her eyes widen as she turned to look to the opposing sound. There stood Soul, eyebrows lifted as he scanned her form briefly. They stared at one another for a moment before Soul muttered a curt apology and quickly shut the door. Maka turned back, red sprinkling across her face heatedly as she clutched the sweat pants to her chest.
Soul stood outside the laundry room, still holding onto the handle, blankly staring off into space. Did he just walk in on her changing? He blinked. He wasn't sure. She had adorned enough clothing to cover all of the essential areas, but he seemed to recall that her legs lacked a certain article. Yes. Her legs had been bare. They had been as long and creamy as he remembered. Not that he had time to admire them either time, when he had stripped and clothed her or, well, ... just now. His shirt came down to almost her mid thigh. Dark forest green looked good on her, he noted. Shaking his head in an attempt to rid himself of any incoming inappropriate thoughts, he began to listen to her through the door.
'I'm being such a creep...' he sighed internally.
He could hear her bustling about within the confines of the room, more than likely covering herself. He felt the door knob begin to turn and he jerked back in surprise. He had apparently been holding onto it this entire time. Weird. The door opened to reveal a fully clothed Maka, dressed head to toe in black and forest green. He stared down at her, holding a huge towel in her hands as the clothes seemed to be consuming her, hair dripping every so often. An adorable blush had blossomed across her cheeks, giving way to the slight embarrassment she had just experienced. 'Cute.' he thought.
She glanced up at him, being met with his admiring gaze, which soon became apologetic.
"I am so sorry for walking in on you. I just wanted to ... um..." He bowed his head a bit as he cast his eyes downward. His right hand came up to scratch the back of his head. She followed his gaze to find some dirty clothes in his left hand. She silently moved aside to let him into the room. He entered and threw his clothes into the washer, not starting it as he found Maka had left hers in his master bath.
"I'm really sorry..." He began again after not getting an answer the first time.
"It's fine." She whispered. "You couldn't have seen much with this humongous shirt covering me." She was rewarded with a soft chuckle.
"True." He concurred. "It leaves much to the imagination." Soul relaxed and shoved his hands into his pockets.
"It would, except you've already seen everything there is to see, which isn't much." She had meant it as a joke, but poor Maka didn't exactly excel in what was or wasn't socially acceptable sarcasm.
The air became thick for a moment as another awkward quiet passed between them. She averted her gaze as surprise had awoken in his orbs. Was that a jab at him? Possibly. She had sounded playful, though now her demeanor conveyed that she was in desperate need for a change of subject. And being the gentleman he was, he would provide.
"So!" he turned to her. "How about that tour?"
Okay! There you are, my lovlies! I hope you enjoyed that! Let me know your thoughts!
Just a few announcments:
I will be posting the next chapter of my other Soul Eater story within the next two weeks! I encourage you all to go take a look at it. It'll be a lot steamier than this story, so if that's what you're looking for... go 'head. ;p It's called 'That One Night'. It's another AU. x)
I want to start posting other stories, but I would like to hear your feedback. I plan for Bigger Bed to be a fairly long story, so if you crave more, I will post short smuts and fluffy oneshots. Also, Soul Eater will always be my main, but if y'all have any other anime/manga you would like to request of me to write stories for, I would love to do so!
uh ... so, yeah, that's all I got.
Much Love! - K.T.