Heyo~ Seems I've managed to squeeze some inspiration out of me for you guys. I was really having a hard time writing anything, but then I went back and read through all of the wonderful reviews I've gotten from you all and it helped inspire me. So, I just want to say THANK YOU! Thank you for all of your kind words and encouragements, for giving your opinion and pointing out errors, even the simple 'great story' makes all the difference. I really do appreciate it and encourage all of you to leave a small review if you feel comfortable doing so. I promise you, it really does give me more inspiration than you think!

Anyway! Without further ado! Chapter 14!

Enjoy!

Chapter Fourteen: Pulling Away

"Nothing."

"What?"

"Nothing happened." She was staring at him blankly, her eyes blinking as if they were dry.

"Nothing?"

"You got a little tipsy and I had to help you get into bed, but other than that, not much."

"Not much and nothing are two different things."

His gaze shifted to his bottle of beer before a snort left his person. "What, do you want a play by play?"

"Soul, something must've gone down."

"Other than me having to save you from drowning as you repeatedly jumped into the pool … nothing comes to mind." They sat in silence once more, the air turning sour as Maka's cheeks began to beam bright red. Soul didn't even know why he was doing this himself, he usually would have just told her what had happened between them, but something in himself was telling him not to. He thought that perhaps it could be that he didn't want to embarrass or hurt her in any way, but it could very possibly be that he didn't have enough confidence to know how she would react. What if she scrunched her nose up in distaste and was like, 'ew, I did that?' He would be devastated. He knew that he had some sort of feelings for Maka now and that his weapon was pulling him toward her as well, but … she might not have felt the same. It was just that simple.

"You're not lying to help me save face or anything, are you?"

"Nope."

"Soul, …"

"Maka, nothing happened."

"... Okay."

"Okay." It was straight up uncomfortable, the air was thick and completely unnerving. They had gotten so accustomed to being secure in each other's presence that this was extremely strange, making it even more difficult to cope with.

"So, …" Maka began after some time had passed, attempting to clear the air as best she could. She still felt as though he was keeping something from her, but she knew that she wouldn't be able to get it out of him at this point; he seemed pretty set on keeping quiet about whatever it was. "I think that I should probably leave … tonight." Awesome topic, really, a stellar choice. Maka wanted to slap herself across the face. She had even been making a plan on how to ease into this topic softly, but she decided to cannonball right into it, leaving the air regrettably intolerable once more.

"Tonight?" Soul turned to her, meeting her eyes for the first time since she had woken him up earlier that day. "So soon? What if …what if something happens while you're going back?"

"Like?"

"Like another storm comes while you're halfway there and you get stuck on a bus with a bunch of creeps or the train breaks down while you're on it or … something."

"The weather report says it should be clear skies for the next few days. I don't think that we … I mean, I don't think that I have to worry about that." Maka's eyes turned to stare back down at her own bottle before taking a swig. "Besides, I have to leave sometime. I can't just stay here forever," Maka joked. He didn't laugh. She was right, she couldn't just hide away in his apartment any longer. Heck, he couldn't even do that. They both had responsibilities to attend to; they were both adults, after all. There was nothing he could do to change that.

"Yeah, .. yeah, but it's the weekend, so you don't have work tomorrow or anything. Do you really have to leave tonight?"

"I mean, I have been here for more than a week already, and according to my emails, I have a lot of paperwork to catch up on."

"... At least let me drive you home."

"No, there's really no need."

"I insist, and you'll have dinner before you go, won't you?"

"You mean, I'll cook dinner before I go, don't you?" she teased, making him smirk in response.

"That's absolutely what I meant," he joked back. "What should we make?"

"Don't try to divert my attention with food again. You're still not driving me home."

"What? Why is that such a problem?"

"It's … it's just that … it's kinda far, especially by car. It would be faster for me to just take the subway."

"What if they aren't running yet? The storm may have stopped but it's still freezing out there, Maka."

"I checked, they're up and running. I'll get home just fine. End of discussion."

"I disagree very strongly. I won't take no for an answer."

"Well, you're just going to have to." Maka got up from her seat and walked out of the bowling alley, her strides long as she made her way down the hall to the stairs.

"Maka, wait!" Soul caught up with her effortlessly, his hand encircling her upper arm to spin her around. "Why don't you want me to drive you home? It's really not that big of a deal."

"Exactly. It isn't a big deal. I simply don't want you to drive me home tonight, so please just let it go …"

"But Maka-"

"I'll let you drive me home if you tell me what happened last night." They were at a standoff now. She knew full well that he wasn't going to tell her, so … he wouldn't be able to drive her home; she made sure of it by setting such terms. Soul stared down at her intensely for a moment before sighing, his hand loosening its grip on her arm. His weapon was feeling stress coming off of her in waves, so he decided to surrender for now. He was still internally determined to take her home.

"I just want to make sure you'll get back safe."

"I will." Maka felt bad, but … Soul came from a rich, prominent family; he owned a business that he started all by himself and he was only in his twenties; his home was a mansion on the top of one of the tallest buildings in New York. She was embarrassed about her apartment, about the building she lived in, about the only part of town she could afford. She didn't want Soul to see it.

"... Okay … I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable …" He began to step back, a look of insecurity in his eyes. Maka could see it, almost feel it, and she wanted immediately to comfort him; to reassure him. She grabbed ahold of his hand and stepped close, her now free arm gently wrapping around his waist as she hugged him. Her face was buried in his chest as his hand dangled in her delicate fingers. She felt him squeeze her hand slightly before his traveled up her arm, over her shoulder, and down her back to return her embrace. They stood there in the hall for a few silent minutes, simply holding one another in preparation of their upcoming farewell as the sinking sting set in.

"I … you haven't shown me the rest of these rooms yet," Maka muttered as she loosened her arms around him. "How about we finish that tour before we make dinner?"

She felt the amused puff of hair that left his nose and the swift tensing of his abdomen, making her smile.

"Yeah," his hands rubbed up and down her back, making her melt into him. "Let's do that."

"This is just a storage room for now … not that there's much to store." Soul opened the first door, turning on the light to reveal a bare room.

"It's huge … what are you going to do with it?" Maka stepped in further, eyes scanning across empty walls. Everything was very bright in this room, the walls were a soft cream with light wooden floors. The lighting was warm and homey, but also slightly refined.

"I'm not quite sure yet. I had originally planned for it to be split up to make guest rooms, but I ended up doing that downstairs, so … I think it might become an art gallery."

"That would be magnificent. Do you collect art?"

"Some, I have a very peculiar taste, but at least I would enjoy it." Soul was now leaning back against the wall by the door, watching as Maka just stood there, content with staring at an empty room as she talked to him. It was very refreshing; women usually wanted to see his wealth, e.g. the bowling alley or luxurious swimming pool. Maka just … as much as it fascinated her, she didn't seem to really care about it all that much. It was like she saw it for what it was, appreciated it, and was just like, 'cool.' She had shown more interest in him as a person than any other bimbo his parents had attempted to set him up with ever.

"I hope I get to see them one day …"

"I'll probably just stick with making some extra guest rooms … next room?"

"Sure." She turned toward him and made her way out of the doors, waiting for him as he turned the lights off and exited the barren room to lead her to the next.

"Alright, little missy," he smirked as she jokingly rolled her eyes. "What do you believe to be behind door number …" he turned and counted all of the rooms they had already gone through, making her chuckle as he knew full well which room they were on. "Number five?"

"Number five," she assured, giving him a playful thumbs up. "I'll go wiiiith … a gym."

"Incorrect, but solid choice." He opened the door to be rewarded with her laughing.

"What is this? Is this a karaoke room?" Maka turned to him, shaking her head. "Do you even use this room?"

"Very rarely, actually. My brother and his girlfriend love it, though. It's most likely the sole reason they come here to visit."

"Harty-har-har. You're hilarious."

"I thought it was punny."

"You're horrible."

"If you thought that was bad, you should hear my singing."

"No, thanks," Maka turned to him, smirking all the while. The tension had begun to dissipate as they joked, thank God, and she was feeling more at ease. "Some other time maybe?"

"Maybe? Definitely going to happen now."

"How about we save it for next time? As much as I want to hear your violent screeching," she gave him a pointed look, resisting the urge to laugh as he feigned physical pain at her words. "I'm slightly more interested in what could possibly be next!" Maka began to walk toward the next door without looking back.

"I kinda want to hear you sing, Miss Albarn." He leaned his shoulder against the wall near the karaoke room, his arms crossed as he watched her turn; her lips puckered in a way that showed she was attempting to hold back a smirk of her own. She may not have been able to see it, but he felt a little nervous about what hid behind the upcoming doors. He didn't really like people being in his music room, that's why he always kept it locked, but … Maka was different from the rest, as cheesy as it sounded. He normally would have felt out of place in his own home if there was some stranger staying with him, but Maka had never really felt like a stranger, not really. Nevertheless, it still put him a bit on edge to have anyone in his creative space.

"I need time to warm up," she deadpanned.

"Yeah? Are you going to sing your scales as we walk through these next few rooms?"

"Possibly," she giggled, turning back and making her way to the music room. "Or maybe I will if you do."

Soul had unconsciously begun to nibble at his top lip and his hands fidgeted with an odd anticipation that he was never very good at dealing with. His whole family, excluding his brother, disapproved of his love for jazz and his decision to start his own business instead of entering into the family business.

"Soul," she called out, pulling him from his daze. "The door is locked … you're not hiding some weird Fifty Shades of Grey shit in here or anything, … are you?" The look on her face would have been enough to make him burst into a fit of laughter, but he schooled himself into an air of blasé expertly. He allowed a subtle grin with a ruggish upturn to morphe his lips, his ardent orbs focussed on her as he dragged his gaze up and down her body. She recalled this look coming from him once prior to this moment; it was the time she had decided that it was a great idea to prance around looking for clothes in just a towel. She had meant to enter his closet while he was asleep, but thought better of it, not wanting to invade his privacy. Before she could turn back to scurry off to the bathroom, however; his husky voice had her whipping around as her heart split in two, one half jumping up into her throat, the other plummeting down into her stomach. The look she was met with as his maroon stare caressed her body from top to bottom and back had ignited the pit of her stomach, making her heart race in its separated designations. Needless to say, her body was reacting the same exact way as the first time he had given her such an intense and heated look. She couldn't read him at all when he was like this.

"It's a room that brings me pleasure, if that's what you mean." Holy shit. "Would you like to take a look?"

"Uh, …" Her mouth was now exceedingly dry. "I … I'm suddenly very unsure."

"Oh?" he asked cooly. Soul pushed himself off of the wall and began to make his way over to her leisurely, his predatory eyes never leaving her person. "You sure?"

"Oh, my gosh, stop it," she was laughing nervously, whacking at his chest. "You're freaking me out a little."

"Don't worry," he lightly grabbed her wrist, backing toward the door as she willingly allowed herself to be pulled along. "I'm sure that you'll enjoy it, too." She began to mumble hilarious things as he inserted the key into the hole in an obscene manner. He felt the sweat around her wrist as she became very hot in his grasp. It took everything in him not to let out the laugh he had been holding back the last minute and a half right then and there. She became even more frazzled with the click of the lock as it unhatched, Soul twisting the knob and pushing the heavy door open.

"This room is soundproof … for obvious reasons," he added, keeping the huge smirk on his face hidden from view as she began to resist the more he pulled her into the room.

"Soul, oh, my gosh. What is this, what's happening." She was giggling, but he could hear the concern lacing her voice as he closed the door behind them, trapping her with him in the dark room. He may have been taking this joke a bit too far as he tugged her to him, her back gently coming into contact with his chest just as he flipped on the lights to unveil to her a multitude of musical instruments. In the middle of the room stood a gorgeous grand piano, bright walls, and lighting articulating the redness of its wooden frame. The right wall was lined with bookcases clothed with music books; in the far right corner was a record player with vinyl carefully placed on dark shelve of their own. The rest of the wall space was taken up by that of an assortment of different instruments, some of which she had never seen before, lights placed perfectly to highlight them.

"Behold, my music room!" Soul stated enthusiastically from behind her before peeking around her to see her face.

"You, … " she started. "Little jerk!" Her hand went up to be placed over her heart as her other supported her upper body with the help of her knee. This asshat had scared the sense out of her! "Why the hell is this room locked and what the heck do you think you're doing!?" He ran, finally allowing the laugh he had been holding in to fill the room. She had enough left in her to give chase as he went around the piano.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't help myself. You should've seen the look on your face: priceless!"

"You're gonna pay for that, you con artist!" Soul spun on his toes immediately after hearing that, intrigued. She was closer behind than he thought she had been, so she ran right into him with an "oof!" as his arms wrapped around her. She looked up at him with a pout on her face, glaring like it was her life's purpose to murder him and he was making it exponentially difficult.

"Con artist?" he smirked, her eyes widening to indicate that she knew where he was taking this. "You make it sound as though you were expecting," his hands tightened on her waist as his head dipped down close to hers for a moment. "Something." She gulped, face turning a beautiful shade of pink as he slowly backed her up until the back of her knees met the piano stool, where she was sat down by Soul's guidance. His smug smile forced her heart into overdrive as he winked at her, standing to walk around her and seat himself next to her on the stool.

"I led you astray because it's fun," he laughed, answering her questions from earlier. "The door is always kept locked because this room is not only the most expensive, believe it or not, but it's also very … private. My music, that is." Soul lifted the fallboard and began to absentmindedly pluck out chords that he had always been drawn to.

"But nobody else lives here other than you, right? People can't just come in … can they?"

"Not usually, but my parents certainly like to visit without any warning, and they both have a key."

"Oh, … do you not trust them around this stuff?"

"Well, … it's less about the instruments with them and more … my style of creativity that they don't quite understand."

"What do they do?"

"They own a music company, too," he laughed at her incredulous expression, continuing to play slow blues softly. "But it's all about the genre for them. My mother is an opera singer and she plays the harp, my father is a conductor for a world renown orchestra and knows how to play pretty much anything, and then there's Wes who can play all of the stringed instruments like a genius."

"And you? What do you play?"

"Well, mostly the piano, but …" Soul stopped playing, looking up at the walls surrounding them. "I've mastered every instrument in this room. Still working on it." She blinked, glancing around the room. He was smiling at her wolfishly, his eyes gleaming with a bit of well-deserved pride in his trade.

"Soul … there are at least fifty different instruments in here. You mean to tell me that you can play every single one of them; that you've mastered them?"

"I suppose … at least, that's what my music teachers have told me in the past. I've been known to pick things up rather quickly." He shrugged it off like it was nothing, like all he had done was simply look at every instrument once.

"Why are you being so chill about this? That's a huge deal!"

"Yeah," he smiled, standing as he ruffled her hair. "I guess it is. It was expected of me, though, and no matter how much I can do, I'm still not the favourite - not that I want to be, I just don't want to be the least favourite. That's why I strived to be better than Wes." Maka stood up, following him to one of the bookshelves where what seemed to be old, used composition books sat. "Do you read music?"

"A little, I used to take piano lessons when I was young, but I wanted to read literature books instead. It's been awhile." She watched as his eyes scanned over the binders until he finally landed on one, reaching up and pulling it out. "Why?"

"This has one of the first pieces I ever composed. I was eleven years old," he says, a sense of nostalgia washing over his features as he opened it up, leading them back to the piano.

"You were composing at age eleven? What are you, prodigy?" He began to laugh heartily at that, sitting down with his book full of scribbled notes on the desk.

"Not according to my parents, I'm not. They hated the songs that I wrote, still do, but … this has always been one of my favourites." Maka sat next to him quietly, waiting to hear the magic she knew was to come only to be scared as Soul crashed his nimble fingers over the keys harshly. She would have never guessed an eleven-year-old boy had written something so calamitous and … complicated. As frightening as it sounded, it was a masterpiece in itself and she was awestruck. Maka found herself closing her eyes to concentrate on the sounds, the rhythm; it was all over the place, but in a way that made sense. She felt a shiver rush over her as he brought the tempo down to a crawl with melancholic notes plucked with hesitance, ending with a clatter of progression. It was sudden and left her with chills, but she really liked it; it resonated with her on a level that she didn't quite understand. When she opened her eyes, Soul was staring at her apprehensively, his hands gripping his knees with worry.

"That was," she breathed, shaking her head. "Incredible. I won't pretend to understand it because I really don't have any music theory background, but I really liked it. I would've found it impressive if you had written that at your current age, but eleven? That's just mind-blowing."

"... really? You didn't find it … disturbing?"

"Why? I mean, it scared me at first because it started so abruptly, but once I settled into it, it was full of all kinds of emotion. You're very passionate, Soul." He began to laugh again, shaking his head in disbelief. "What? Why are you laughing?"

"You are the first person to ever react like this; I wasn't expecting it."

"What do you mean?"

"I wrote this song when I first realized that I was never going to be able to be seen in the same light as my brother, Wes. I felt so severely unloved and distraught at being cast aside when I wasn't meeting the expectations of my parents. In an attempt to get their attention, I began composing, something that Wes isn't the best at, and though my parents were elated to hear that I was composing works worthy of Mozart or Beethoven, it wasn't … as beautiful as theirs. I don't know, my 'frightening' sound was shrugged off as nothing more than adolescent obstinance."

"Wow, … that's just ridiculous. Your parents shunned you because they didn't like the music you made, even though they were masterpieces?"

"Well, I don't know about masterpieces," he chuckled. "But that's basically what happened."

"I am so sorry … it must have been difficult to go through." Maka didn't know what else to do or say other than that, rubbing his back tenderly as she leaned her temple against his shoulder. Her right hand found the one placed on his knee and he grabbed it, rubbing his thumb in circles in her palm.

"Thank you," he whispered. Maka couldn't tell if he was crying or not, but decided not to check, giving him a moment to settle his emotions. "Well, I don't know about you, but that's enough sentimentality for now. Next room?" She let out a breathy giggle as he squeezed her hand. She merely nodded, lifting her head off of his shoulder so that they could stand. Soul closed the fallboard before returning his old staff book to its place on the bookshelf. They turned off the lights and he locked the door before they silently walked to the next room.

"Alrighty, what does the young lady believe to be behind door number seven?"

She thought about it for a moment, thinking of only one thing that it could possibly be. "It has to be a gym … there's literally nothing else that comes to mind at this point."

"Mm, should've thought about it a little more." Soul opened the doors and turned on the lights. Maka's jaw dropped and a huge smile took over her face.

"A library?!" He hadn't thought that she would be quite that excited about it. Seemed he had severely underestimated her love of books, as she had only mentioned in passing at some point, but she was overjoyed. She all but ran into the room, eyes roaming over shelves and shelves of classics of all shapes and sizes and genres. "I wasn't aware that you read." Now it was his turn for his jaw to drop.

"Wow," his laugh came out particularly exaggerated before he quickly stalked her down. She squealed as she ran from him, stepping behind a plush reclining chair as a safety precaution. "I can't believe you just said that to me." He had this huge smile on his face, his nose scrunched moderately as his hands grabbed either armrest of the chair she was snickering behind. He leaned forward, shaking his head as his face continued to host a mix between bewilderment, shock, and mischief.

"I don't appreciate the insinuation," he chuckled out, pushing the chair further into the corner as to trap her. It seemed to have been becoming a habit of his, caging her in places she couldn't escape from him.

"I didn't mean it like that, I swear!" she laughed as her back connected with the ends of two shelves. "I just wasn't expecting an entire library in your home."

"Maka," he leaned forward, coming extraordinarily close. "I have a bowling alley, a karaoke room, a movie theatre, and a giant swimming pool and you never once thought that a library was a somewhat likely option?" He was smiling with a glint of devilry swirling in his pools of wine.

"It just … never crossed my mind?" she replied innocently, shrugging her shoulders in an utterly adorable way. Soul chuckled again, his tongue sliding out over his bottom lip before his teeth bit seductively down on them. She could feel her heart begin to pound once more in a not so pure wy and she gulped. He had absolutely no idea what he did to her.

"I am no barbarian." She wished he were sometimes, maybe then he would snatch her up and do some not so gallant things to her. For a moment, Maka thought that he might do just that as his head swooped down, making her shut her eyes and head jolt down in nothing more than shock and uncertainty before she felt his teeth on her nose. Her eyes flew open to find him standing tall and proud with his signature smirk, left eyebrow raised in triumph. Both of her hands shot up to cover her nose and growing blush as her eyes remained wide.

"Did you just bite my nose?!" she squeaked.

"Perhaps?" Soul pulled the chair back to its original place nonchalantly, freeing her from her confinement.

"I thought you said you weren't a barbarian?" She was following close behind him before he turned, beaming with a giddish sort of enjoyment down at her red cheeks.

"It's not like I'm going to eat you or anything, … but I might be persuaded to do so." The implication had her red skin deepening further as he laughed. She was too stunned to know what to say at this point, so all she could do was weakly push at his arm. "Do you feel like reading or do you want to move on?" There was no way that she could focus on a book at this moment in time, not with the memory of his alluring eyes burned into her head.

"We can move on, but if I visit you in the future, I'm definitely taking advantage of this room."

"Sounds like a deal, wait, if? What do you mean 'if' you visit?"

"I mean, assuming I'm welcome?"

"Don't ask stupid questions. I fully expect you to visit often, groceries in hand." They exited the library and began to make their way to the last room.

"Is that all I am to you? A means for good food?"

"Don't pretend like it isn't a compliment," he chuckled. "Besides your gift in the kitchen, you make for extremely good company." She began to nibble at her lip as he winked at her, coming to stand in front of the final door of the hall that stood to the right across the hall from the stairs that led down to his apartment. "Wanna guess?"

"It literally has to be a gym, unless you're going to surprise me again and have a garden or traditional Japanese tea room?"

"No," he cackled. "The garden and tea room are up on the roof in a greenhouse. A gym is correct." He opened the doors to reveal just that, a large workout room with mats placed everywhere, machines all around with a few punching bags. There was a small area to the left that seemed to be for yoga.

"Wow … you really spare no expense … what's that big closet over there?"

"That?" he pointed, not really in need of an answer. "That stores the boxing ring and equipment." She looks up at him, her face a mix of awe and annoyance. "What?"

"You could seriously rent these rooms out or own your own hotel," she shook her head.

"Oh, did I not tell you? I own this apartment complex." Her mouth hit the ground.

"Are you kidding me?" She was flabbergasted. All he could do was nod somewhat shamefully. "There are literally no words," she said, laughing as she made her way around the room to glance over different weight lifting machines.

"I'm sorry," he chuckled out. "It was a good investment."

"... Do you really have a greenhouse on your roof?"

"Um … maayyybeeee?" It wasn't convincing in the slightest; he definitely did.

"Oh, my gosh," Maka giggled, blinking excessively as they made their way back to the door. They left the gym, shutting the door and heading back downstairs to make dinner. "Why did you feel the need to get so much?" He sighed, allowing Maka to go first once more. They walked down the long hall and turned left into the living room, passing the dining room and making their way to the kitchen.

"I actually have a rather large family. Most of it was made to keep them entertained for when they decide to visit, usually unannounced. That's why I'll most likely turn the empty room into more guest bedrooms; two isn't enough for all of them." She nodded as he explained the in and outs of his complicated family tree. They went about preparing the food, deciding that steaks, potatoes, and salad were perfect for their last night. Somewhere along the way, Soul had decidedly turned on some music to dance to, pulling her along to twirl and spin her about. They finished cooking like that, in an upbeat mood as they twisted to songs like Twist and Shout by The Beatles and Low Rider by War. As soon as the food was put onto plates, Soul turned down the music and changed it to something more suitable to play in the background as he greedily cut a slice of steak.

"Mmmmph," Soul muffled out after having stuck the first slab of perfectly cooked meat into his watering mouth. "Pho fwickin' good."

"Oh, my gosh, chew your food," she laughed, pretending to wipe spit from her face as he began to dig into their meal more aggressively. They ate in silence for a moment, both enjoying their food but also … not sure what to say. They couldn't just ignore the fact that she was planning to leave soon after they were done, but Maka certainly didn't want to rush anything, but thanks to the silence, they had eaten their food much too quickly for her liking, leaving their plates bare.

"Wine?" Soul was standing up, taking their dirty dishes to the sink.

"I probably shouldn't."

"Why? You aren't driving." Fare. She did want it, so … one glass wouldn't hurt.

"Well, just a glass." He filled two wine glasses up with some fancy ass merlot that he had gotten as a gift, bringing the bottle over along with him. He slid her the glass before sitting down solemnly, leaving them to both sip at their drinks quietly.

"You know," Soul began, shifting uncomfortably as she turned to look at him.

"Hmm?" She was feeling a little warm, being the lightweight that she was, but she had decided to allow herself more than the amount that Soul had given her, pouring herself another half of a glass.

"Even though I was the one that kinda saved your life." She laughed, brilliantly, as she always did. "I feel as though I have been extremely lucky to have been the one to save you. I … have really enjoyed these past two weeks with you. I hope we can do it again soon."

"Thank you," she hummed in her tipsy state, swaying slightly as she smiled. "I feel the same way, and yes, we most certainly should do this again, excluding the whole almost dying thing."

"Yeah, or you know, I could show up in some alley near your apartment and you could save my life," he joked, scooting himself closer to her in case she decided to fall out of the stool at any point in the near future.

"I'm not so sure that I would be able to carry you into my apartment."

"I don't know, you're stronger than you look," he gestured to the shoulder she has taken a liking to unleash her wrath upon. "Pretty sure I'm bruised for at least half a year. Rude way to handle your savior." She slugged him for good measure. They fall into a short silence once more before Maka checks the time on the stove top.

"It's already eight," she mumbled, the air shifting again. "I should probably get going."

"Sure you don't want to stay one more night?" Maka's stare shifted toward him; he was sitting in his stool, leaning back against the counter with his third glass of wine in his hand. He looked unfazed, but she could see the internal battle playing out inside his head. What the battle was over, she wasn't sure, but it was happening. Maybe he was thinking of maybe … making a move? Maka shook her head. No, that was absurd.

"I really should be getting home," she sighed, rubbing her hands up and down her face. "As much as I want to stay tonight, I know it'll probably just be harder to go tomorrow."

"Yeah … yeah. And you're dead set on taking the subway?" All she could do was nod, knowing that her voice would waver, giving him a reason to try and persuade her. "... okay, let's … let's make sure we have all of your stuff, I guess." They got up, making their way around the apartment to find all of her didn't take that long, seeing as she hadn't had a lot on her when she came, but it was still almost surprising how little there was to collect.

"Well, I think that's everything." She takes in a heavy breath, keeping the tears from surfacing.

"Looks like it," he sighed. "I'll be right back."

She stood there with all of her things, wearing all of her own clothing that just felt … odd on her now. Maka had become accustomed to Soul's comfortable clothing engulfing her body and she had gotten greedy for it. She was slowly walking through the apartment as she waited for Soul to finish dressing appropriately for the weather. He had given up on driving her home as long she allowed him to walk her to the subway, which she had agreed upon in an attempt to spend as much time with him as she could before … the possibility of never seeing him again.

"You ready?"

"Yeah," She turned as he stepped out of his room, adorning winter boots, a large wool coat, gloves, and a scarf. "No hat?"

"Not for now." Soul took out a warm looking beanie from his coat pocket, sliding it on her head. "Let's go." Soul led her through the dining room and down the hall to the elevator, silently recalling the last time they were confined in it. It took them down to the lobby, where the doormen greeted him politely as he nodded. They exited the building altogether, turning left to walk stiffly down the sidewalk side by side as the cold brought them closer to one another. It was only a three block trek from his building to the subway, something he had originally been grateful for, but now it had only brought their time together to an end much quicker than he would have wanted. They stood there in front of the station, people bustling about to get to their designations.

"Well," she began. "I hope to see you again soon."

"You know where to find me."

"Thank you for everything." It was awkward, saying goodbye, and though they had been a bit overly familiar with each other in his apartment, the real world was making it difficult for him to embrace her as he so wanted to.

"Same to you," he smiled, his hand coming up to pat her head. "Stay safe out there and no more collapsing in alleys during a snowstorm."

"Promise," she laughed, fidgetting slightly, her gaze falling from his momentarily before returning with a look of determination. "Goodbye, Soul." She was smiling as she turned and made her way down the stairs, giving one last wave before she all but disappeared from his sight, and all Soul could do was watch her go.

"Goodbye, Maka."

;)

Much Love~!

K.T.