Welcome to the drama and angst starting. I know I suckered you in with all the sweet stuff.
Maka nudged him awake from his slack-jawed snooze on the couch. "Come on, we're going out."
"Huh?" Soul rubbed a hand over his face that then disappeared into his hair.
"Dark Soul is on call tonight or so says Liz," Maka laughed.
He sat up groggily, "Dark Soul? The fuck?"
Maka smirked, "You didn't know that's what she calls you?" With a glare, Soul got the rest of his way to his feet, grumbling as he plodded down the hallway. Like usual, Maka was flitting around behind him. "I think it fits."
He threw another scowl her way as he opened the dresser, grabbing another show-off-the-tattoos shirt from the myriad. Without thinking, he tossed the shirt he was wearing, pausing with the fabric tight between his fingers as he heard her gasp behind him. Shit, shit, just go. Just toss the next one on and don't stand here and think. He fumbled with the new shirt as he croaked, "Nothin' you haven't seen before."
"What?" she sounded flustered and when he turned to look at her her face was as red as the oni on his arm.
"When you snuck in my room. I always sleep just in boxers, so you had your chance," he managed a playful smirk only because her face seemed to brighten even more with each word.
Maka turned, not allowing him another view of her face. "It's not like that's what I went in there for."
He chuckled, "But you looked."
"It's hard not to," she murmured. That dropped like a weight into his stomach until she managed to bring her eyes back to his, a tentative smile on her face. "Is it your legs, too?"
Was that… not that it's shocking to look at but she wants to look? He choked on that thought as he settled the shirt over his stomach. "Legs are still clean."
"Plans for more?"
"Probably not," Soul raised his eyebrow. "You thinking about it?"
"No," she emphasized through a laugh.
As he walked back towards the doorway, he nudged her, forcing her a step or two. "Not even your favorite book?"
"It would have to be so small," Maka shook her head as she fluttered a few steps in front of him.
"See, I think you should go full sleeve." He dared to run a finger down her arm, awakening goosebumps on her skin.
Maka laughed again, "I don't even think holding my hand would get me through that much pain."
"Let me know when you're ready to test that," he grinned, and like a wish came true she hooked one of his fingers to start the travel of his hand into hers. Since the day at Marie's the seal was broken, Maka reaching for his hand whenever it seemed the feeling took her and there wasn't an inkling in his mind to complain.
He loved it, her fingers warm but never clammy, and her thumb would often running over his scarred knuckles. And this was what Black Star was talking about, right? Letting her know with these little physicalities because while he sure as hell still couldn't talk himself into that slow lean towards her lips, he was trying. This had to be as clear a message as his bravery on Marie's stoop and he clung to that hope.
Just like she clung to his fingers until they were a block from the club. Her hand slipped from his and Maka did as she was always instructed to do, forming the line until she set eyes on the rest of the girls. That hurried her steps, leaving Soul on his same slow momentum behind her.
"There they are," Liz waved.
"Bro!" Black Star barreled through the girls, Maka just barely avoiding him he connected with Soul.
"What the fuck are you doing here?" Soul snapped before he narrowed his eyes at Maka, "And if he's here, why the hell do I have to be here?"
Maka batted those long eyelashes as she shrugged her shoulders. "Guess I forgot he was coming."
"Maka," Soul griped as he pulled Black Star along with him.
"That was devious, Maka," Liz nudged her. "I like it."
"I don't know what you're talking about," Maka tried to deny herself the chance to bite at her lower lip, to worry at the thought. I'm no good at playing coy and I hope this doesn't just explode in my face since we're… so close to something.
Close to something or no, Maka knew the club pattern - Soul would only stand off to the side, keeping an indirect eye on their group. It seemed worse tonight with Black Star at his side, drawing more attention from who Maka could only guess were Noahs and leaving the two in a sea of tattooed men. She could see each conversation wearing on him, his annoyance not feigned but steadily rising. At one point, Black Star had pulled him aside, whispering away in his ear and earning him an icy cold glare from Soul who seemed to begrudgingly stay put at the periphery.
That was when Maka urged her feet forward, swallowing the flip in her stomach as she moved. She received the same look she always did, his eyes flicking around the room before giving her a steady glare. "Soul-"
"You should be dancing," he cut her off with his words and a flick of his hand at her elbow. "Get going."
"What? I can't say two words to you?" With all the anxiety Maka couldn't help but snap, even if she hated the childishness.
His eyes were darting again before he grabbed her wrist, the same delicate grip but forceful motion. He spun her, pinning her against the wall next to him. For added effect, his other finger came to her face, a firm accusatory point. "Listen," his voice was the antithesis of the face he had on, tender instead of searing, "This isn't the place. Play it smart, like I know you can. Remember, my face with yours isn't a good idea."
For a split second Maka was sure she was going to fold, to run away scared as a perfect way to finish this act he was putting on. Instead, with every last ounce of the courage she'd saved that day, she made her voice loud and firm over the music, "I wanted to ask you to dance."
His facade slipped, a sharp laugh coming from his mouth, "I don't dance."
"Not at all?" Maka frowned.
"I don't dance," he repeated as his smirk momentarily fluttered alive. "Do I look like someone who does?"
"Maybe," she muttered.
"Maybe?" His voice was alive with amusement but he forced his face back to the stern and cold. He caught her off guard, her eyes widening as he pinned her wrist tighter against the wall, taking a step closer so his lips were dipping close to her ear. "Maybe I'll owe you one. Just… tonight there's eyes. A particular set of eyes, so no more getting close to me. In fact, I'm going to suggest in a second you tear out of this wrist hold like I showed you and give me a good smack in the face like I was whispering something I shouldn't be. Just don't bloody my nose again."
"Whose eyes?" Maka murmured, trying not to turn her head towards him to make this look any more intimate. After all, she was about to smack him, so she shouldn't be giving in to the enjoyment of being this close, his lips almost on her skin.
"Orange hat, silver hair on the balcony." He tensed on her wrist, "Don't look now. Maybe later. Maybe not at all."
"Your boss?"
Soul snorted a laugh, "Nah, just the boss's whipping-girl. Now, slap me hard enough to make a sound, got it? Draw attention to that so everyone else can forget they saw this."
"I'm sorry," she murmured and caught the last bit of his smile before she added perfectly to the act by slapping him hard enough that most of the heads surrounding turned just as much as his did. She bit another apology behind her lips and did her best to stamp off in the direction of the girls.
Soul had been right, eyes were on the two of them, and while the act was convincing, Eruka was never one to keep any amount of information from Medusa. One missed altercation could mean her skin, after all. Eruka snapped a quick picture of the blond raging off and another of Soul looked cooly unimpressed with the display. After each picture came the wall of text, the play by play of just the passing moment. Her fingers only had to hover over the screen for an extra second of a nervous surety that she would perish at the hands of Medusa for bothering her with such inane bullshit when the reply popped on the screen.
"Interesting. Find out who the girl is."
And while Soul definitely could have seen Eruka's shit-eating grin his mind was elsewhere as he rubbed at his cheek, the wolfish smile that stuck to his lips not entirely part of the act. It would have been nice if she'd been smarter than that since jump into talking to him was supposed to be a no-go, but honestly, her spur of the moment acting always got to him, especially as the whisper of calling him babe came back to his mind. Not to mention getting that close, enough that he could catch a soft scent of either perfume or her hair, was always a blessing.
As he shuffled back, Black Star grabbed him firmly, pulling him almost into a headlock. "What the fuck was that? She belted you good!"
"Nothin'." Soul battled to get out of Black Star's arm until he ultimately gave in, letting the other man at least squeeze him by the shoulders. Soul used the closeness to get a gruff whisper to Black Star's ear. "Eruka's here. Didn't want Maka to be a face they cared about."
"That bitch," Black Star grunted.
"Better not be saying that about Maka," he whispered closely before finally getting the reprieve from Black Star, giving him space.
"Never," Black Star smirked. "Boss still asks about you, though. Don't think anyone with you is a face she won't want to know about. Be careful."
The reality set Soul's teeth on edge, "Yeah, I get it."
He tried to fill his head with the asinine, useless conversation of the NGs around him since tensions between Medusa and Noah were at an all-time low. It didn't help as the worry started to settle in like a fog in his brain. I have to do a better job of keeping her safe, of getting it through her head that I'm not here for a good time. Even if it's what I want, that's a part of this I can't have. I can't give her normal because that isn't safe. That drifted from ear to ear for the next few hours until Liz ran up the signal to leave. Black Star bowed out, staying for the sake of Kim and Kilik who had just wandered in. Soul got in hello and goodbye before following a few people after the girls.
"Food?" Liz offered again, knowing there was sucking-up that needed to be done by the look on Soul's face.
"I'm done for tonight," he grumbled.
"Party-pooper!" Patty exclaimed.
"Maka?" Liz wrapped an arm around her waist. "And don't worry, dad, we'll get her back to the apartment in one piece."
Soul scoffed, turning on his heels to cover whatever look was coming to his face. He knew it wasn't a good one, a hazy mix of the jealousy of losing her for the rest of the night and the embarrassment of his hawkish behavior because he was about to harp on her getting home again, he couldn't deny it.
"I'm actually kind of tired, too," Maka hummed out over the disappointed mewls of the other girls.
"Let's go," Soul shot over his shoulder, just holding on to the exasperation rather than the contentment in her choice.
"Coming, dad," Maka shot back coolly.
"Hey, quit that," he nudged her as she caught up to him. "I'm not your dad."
"You're more like a mother hen, anyway," she laughed in the face of his scowl. "Come on, Soul, try to tell me that you wouldn't have gone home and fussed until I got there if I went out with Liz."
"I would have gone right to sleep," he hissed. "Like a baby. You're a big girl, blondie."
"Don't start that again." The hand that she put on his arm to push ended up sliding down, her fingers finding home in his. "And you're a bad liar."
"Whatever," he grumbled as he stupidly dared to glance her way. She was peeved but still glowing, especially as their eyes met.
"Can I ask you something?" There was that adorable musical intonation in her voice like she could barely contain the excitement.
Soul shook his head and sighed, "You always ask that but I'm getting a question whether I say yes or no."
"True," she grinned. "The first night, why did you bring your bike to the club?"
He was expecting some kind of clarification on the slap or maybe even something about Eruka, but this derailed him. "Huh?"
"You park your motorcycle at the garage," her lines sounded rehearsed and he wondered how many times she'd asked this in her head first. "That's uptown. So you went uptown, and then backtracked downtown to come here even though you don't need to drive to the club and you haven't since."
"Gotta take out the bike every now and then," he murmured uselessly as his face started to color.
Her eyes dipped away from his, focusing on the path in front of them. "But it draws attention, right? It tells people at the club that you're there, and I know you parked on the street but it was still a calculated risk. So why would you do that?"
He couldn't clear the nervous tightness in his throat and all he could croak at her was, "I'm not a mother hen, OK?"
She smothered a laugh with her other hand.
Soul's face was now a furnace and the color of hot coals. "Listen, you lived in the 'burbs. I knew you'd need a ride home, so I brought the bike. Happy?"
"How did you know I wouldn't say no?"
"You almost did," Soul grumbled through his grimace.
"You're right." She slowed and pulled their connected hands until he stopped. "I said yes because of this." Her fingers squeezed in his.
"Because of what?" There wasn't enough air in his lungs because looking at her in the glow of the street lights, her hair down and drifting in the summer breeze with that amazing smile on her face was deadly, but the implication, what he felt coming was even worse.
"After you grabbed me, when you let me go, our fingers touched, like this and I-"
Soul should have been intent on her, on the way she was lifting their hands, but it was the movement in his periphery and the tinny, fake snap of a camera that jutted his head to the side. It was Eruka again, phone in hand with that devious smile. "Oh, you bitch," he growled as he dropped Maka's hand and rushed for the alleyway where she was sticking her head out. As he rounded the corner he skidded to a halt, reminding himself what he was leaving behind, in the dark, all alone. The powerlessness warbled in his gut.
Maka was immediately next to him, her hand on his elbow. "Was that the whipping girl again?"
"Yeah," Soul muttered. He moved his arm out of her grip, teetering on his heels. "They don't need any pictures of my ugly mug. Which means they're interested in you." His eyes moved to hers, his jaw grinding before he could spit out the words, "This was dangerous and stupid."
"Soul-"
"No," he grabbed her by the forearms, barely keeping himself from shaking her. "Going out, being normal, I can't. Being with me at the club, I can't. All it's going to do is get you hurt." Being with me gets you hurt and I can't live with that. So get away, just get away while you can. Go. Leave me. Those words running through his head brought the bitter bile to the back of his throat.
"Soul, I'm sorry-" She tried to grab for him again but Soul slipped through her fingers, starting the walk again at a pace she struggled to keep.
"Don't be sorry," Soul snapped, "Just be smarter."