Sorry for the delay! I hurt my back (I am old) so typing is weird right now.
Soul's eyes focused on the unfamiliar ceiling as his phone on the nightstand started to buzz. The room was blackened thanks to the curtains, making time untellable but he actually felt rested, maybe because of the warmth of a perfectly snoozing Maka still curled up next to him with her arm tight across his chest. His hand fished blindly until it picked up the phone. It was Black Star's name blazed across the face so he swiped up. "What's up?"
"I'm at the apartment. Have been since last night. Your goons were gone but someone came by an hour ago, just testing the waters. Can you guess?"
"You talk, she's still sleeping," Soul grumbled softly.
Black Star paused from the seriousness to fill the line with snickers. "Oh? And why can't you just take a walk, huh? You dog, Soul! You guys made up real nice, huh? Tangled up together in the sheets-"
"Asshole," his mutter was sharper than he expected and he looked to her as she mumbled from the pillow next to his.
"Tell me that at least you got some, dude. It's been like years, right?"
Soul didn't, couldn't give that an answer especially not with her laying next to him.
Black Star let one last sharp laugh shoot into Soul's ear, "I'll take that as a no. You better get to it, man. Shit's about to get real because Kilik stopped by. Surprised to see me, but definitely happy. He's on for Plan B, so is Kim because you probably already know it was the boss. It's just another one of those step-to-fars that have been going on lately."
"Plan?"
"Not yet. Look, let's meet at the house. And I think it's time to get the old man out of retirement."
"No," Soul snapped and that did make Maka stir, her eyes slowly starting to blink open.
"Yes," Black Star didn't mind yelling on his end. "I'm not saying force him out, but he might be interested in hearing the plan."
Soul glanced at Maka, seeing her eyebrows slowly furrowing. "Look, we'll argue about this at the house. Tonight."
"OK to bring Kim and Kilik?"
"Only those two. I don't trust anyone else saying they'll turncoat." Soul hesitated before he sighed. "I know you're going to tell Franken to meet us so do me a favor. You're still at the apartment, right?"
"Yeah."
"Secret hiding spot, grab Shelley's gift."
"Oh, fucking shit, that's supposed to be tomorrow, isn't it?" Black Star groaned. "She's going to kill us."
"Shelley or Marie?" Soul grumbled.
Suddenly, Maka was leaning across him, plucking the phone right from his ear. "Blake?"
"Oh, blondie, good morning," Black Star chimed.
"I'm going to pretend you didn't call me that," she sighed. "Third drawer in my desk. Do not open any other drawer. There's a box in there for Shelley, too, so grab it." Maka didn't catch the way Soul's eyebrows popped up or how his heart was suddenly acting as if he'd just run laps around the bed. He moved his hand up her back, feeling her press into him in return, her eyes coming to his. "See you tonight." She tapped the red circle in time for Soul to snatch the phone from her fingers.
"Didn't anyone tell you it's rude to take someone's phone?" Soul's smirk ached on his face, feeling underused in the past week. Completely not emphasizing his point, he tossed the phone back on the stand and allowed that free hand to caress her cheek. "You know he's going to look through the rest of your desk."
"If he does, he's going to regret it." Maka leaned her head into his touch, letting a sweet sigh break her lips. "Just because he's your best friend doesn't mean he gets a pass."
Soul chuckled, "Good luck telling him that." He couldn't help it as his mind drifted to her weight on top of him, her leg casually draped over his middle. As his hand eased softly to cup her chin, he guided her the few inches forward to find her pleasantly eager to receive him. Maka's fingers fluttered against the bare skin of his chest in a beautiful form of torture.
It was particularly agonizing since she only let him linger for a moment there before whispering across his lips. "You should call Marie."
All of that warmth surging through him cooled at that thought. "Black Star's probably talking to her now…" Soul opened his eyes to see hers plainly seeing through his lame excuse. "I sort of… well, I thought I was going back, so…"
Maka stole her fingers from his chest, a much-missed touch as soon as it was gone, and grabbed the phone again to brandish at him. "Call her."
He groaned as that hand on her face fell away to grab the phone.
"While you do that, I'm going to shower." Maka planted a quick kiss on his cheek before shimmying out of his grip and starting off the bed.
Soul was desperately annoyed, ready to huff about the loss of his warmth and the task she left him with when she paused at the corner before the bathroom. "No matter what, make sure that you tell her you love her, OK?" There was a soft smile on her face but Soul could still see the pain dancing across those green eyes.
Should I have told you that I love you? If Marie needs to hear it and all I did to her was write a stupid letter, shouldn't that mean that I'm an idiot for not saying it last night? He sighed before running a hand over his face. Do you even want to hear it? Or am I just afraid that's what this is? One more sigh before he gave up on that unresolvable point and scrolled through to the Stein family phone number. He could only catch his breath for two rings.
"Hello?" It was Marie and he could tell just by the taxed weight of her voice that she'd been crying already. He kept his fingers crossed that his best friend had beat him to the punch.
"Marie-"
"Soul Evans," her voice was already in a full-force yell, tossing anything else he had to stay to the side. "If you're calling to say anything other than that letter was some idiotic, late April Fools then you can go to hell."
"I'm sorry, Marie," Soul started again, but she was immediately flooding the line.
"How could you? How could you even think for a second that a letter was the appropriate way to break my heart, Soul?" Her only pause was to suck in more air. "Because I don't care what you say. For better or for worse you're just as much my son as Black Star is and you have to learn to accept that. Not to mention Shelley! Do you know how hard it's been to keep this from her or what I thought I was going to have to do Sunday? You know how devastated she was her sixth birthday so how could you try to pull that again! And Maka! You better not have left her some note on the fridge or I'll wring your neck!"
"If I say I'm sorry again am I going to be allowed to talk?" Soul tried to laugh but found it came out as a half-choked sob, unable to deny the tears. You know how long I've just wished, Marie, that it was you? That you were my mom from the beginning? Because then… "Forgive me, Marie. You don't deserve to have such a pain in the ass for a son."
"I've got two, I'm used to it," she grumbled. "So I'm going to assume by the fact you haven't hung up that you're calling to take back that stupid piece of paper."
"Under Maka's orders," Soul trembled through a laugh as he cleared another wave of tears from his face.
"Oh, thank goodness," Marie let out a long sigh. "You didn't try to leave her, did you?"
"A lot more complicated than that," Soul mirrored her with an aching breath, "but I think we're back on track."
"Back on track? What track were you on?" Marie was letting her octave crash through the ceiling again. "Did you at least admit that you're more than roommates? I was getting tired of that."
He managed another whisper of a laugh, a smile pulling at his lips, "You can be as mad at me as you want but I'm drawing the line at divulging my love-life, Marie."
"Love-life! Oh, that's enough, I can die happy," Marie cooed before letting the next drift out with natural concern, "But what happened? You didn't just magically decide to go back."
"Long story, Marie." Soul sat up in the bed, careful not to slouch and aggravate his stomach. "Listen, pack some stuff like you're going on a week's vacation. Have Shelley direct you to the house. I played the landmark game with her a couple of times so she should have the physical directions down pat, but she leads you off give me a call."
"You're taking us into hiding." It wasn't a question but more of an accusation.
"This is one of those times I'm going to ask you not to question me just yet. We'll talk about it when we see each other tonight. You, me, Franken, Black Star."
"And Maka," Marie corrected.
"Yeah, and Maka." The burn of tears hit his eyes again. I'll have everything I want right there in that house, every last thing, I'll live it for a few nights and then… then we'll see. "Just come tonight, alright?"
There was a pause and another long-suffering sigh before Marie started, "I'll consider it a surprise birthday getaway for Shelley. Tell her lazy brother to pick up a cake on his way. Do not make Maka bake one!"
"Got it," Soul managed to squeeze through the tears tightening his throat. "Marie, just… be careful, please. I love you."
"You be careful because I love you, too. See you tonight."
As Soul pulled the phone away from his ear the sobs started to rattle in his chest again, catching up with him from each denied moment from the week. It was a swirling mess of hurting Maka, of refusing all his wants, of what could have been lost and what still might be. He was too busy choking for air to hear the shower stop or the door open, only snapping back to reality when her wet hair slapped against his face as her arms wrapped around his neck.
"What happened? Are they alright?" Maka was aiming for comfort but unable to stop the panic from perforating her words.
"Everyone's fine," he croaked before his breath stuttered across his lips. He cleared the hair from her neck, giving himself the space to hide his face there. "You're all fine."
Maka hummed out an affirmative as her fingers went to soothing through his hair and down his back. "I don't have cookies to blame it on this time."
A choked laugh scratched his throat.
"Will you talk about it at least?" she murmured.
"It's the same feeling," he sighed hotly against her neck.
"Which is?"
"That day, I admitted in my head, had to, that I wanted you. You fill up something in me," he laughed roughly again. "That sounds so strange but that's what it is. Something's always been missing in me and when it gets filled… I just… I'm not sure I know how to be with that feeling." Soul lifted his head, letting his hands come to rest at her cheeks. "But I made you that promise. I love Marie, I love that whole damn family, Black Star included and they love me. I'm not running from that just like I'm not going to deny that I… the way I feel about you. It just seems unfair to tell you now that I-"
Maka silenced him with a press of her lips as she pushed against him. Soul caught her, letting his back hit against the headboard to give her the space to allow her body to meld into his. It wasn't just the damp towel but warm skin meeting his to steal away the rest of his breath that the kiss hadn't already. Maka only just released him, her words just as warm as her lips, "Not yet."
"Does that mean you don't-"
He could feel her lips turning to a frown, the movement so close to his, but as she pulled away he could see it paired with those soft eyes. "It means I know, and I hope you know it's the same for me, but is it too much to ask that it's not here, not now?"
Soul laughed breathlessly as a smirk started to part his lips, "You… you asking for a little romance?"
"Well…" Maka sighed.
"Alright, and fuck am I going to regret this," he half muttered to himself. "But the whole naked on top of me thing should probably wait too."
"My towel's open," it was an adorable yelp that did nothing more than make his smirk explode.
"A little, yeah." Soul slid a hand over his eyes, rubbing away the last of the tears and letting it linger there. "Not peeking, I swear."
Maka didn't immediately tear herself away, letting her head come to his chest for a moment as her cheeks started to burn. "I just heard you crying and couldn't…"
"I know," he murmured as his free hand tentatively touched at her shoulder. The droplets from her hair tickled the pads of his fingers as he drifted them towards her damp hair. "I wasn't saying I minded, just… you're right. Old motel room wasn't exactly the way I pictured…" He could only expand with a shrug.
"You pictured it, hm?" She teased before finally separating from him, instantly missing the warmth as the air hit her mostly bare skin. He'd been right, her towel was really just a cape at that point and she left it as she rolled the rest of the way off the bed. Maka couldn't help herself, looking back at him to see if that hand had slipped but found it firmly in place.
"Can't say I haven't wondered," Soul mumbled.
Maka leaned over the edge of the bed and fumbled through her limited choice in clothing. "Did Marie agree to tonight?"
He snorted a laugh, "Yeah, after plenty of yelling."
Maka rolled her eyes to the wall before starting the work of clasping her bra. "But you-"
"Deserved it, sure," Soul finished for her. "All three of them will be there, plus Black Star, Kilik, and Kim. Hopefully, that doesn't mean we're asking for trouble." He sighed and she hurried through her shirt and moved to stand to finish dressing. "But they'll all be smart. They have to be. We'll be fine."
"Are you convincing me or yourself?" Now fully clothed, Maka grabbed the towel off the bed and weighed it in her hands as she waited for his answer.
"Hopefully both." Soul risked opening his eyes, breathing a sigh filled with relief, want, and hope all rolled into one. "You coming with me tonight?"
"That's a stupid question," Maka rolled her eyes again.
"Guess I'm full of stupid questions." Soul eased off the bed slowly, careful to leave the ache in his stomach to just that, not a stab, as he stood. "Like what about work, Maka?" He was scared to throw his eyes over his shoulder and just made it to the cusp, seeing just the outline of her.
"We'll figure that out tonight, won't we? It depends on what your Plan B is." Maka didn't hesitate as she moved to his side of the bed, no longer allowing just that sideways glance. "But I'm going to guess that in the end, we're a team. If you're going to have to focus on this, I think I can deal with Eibon. I'm not going to let you come back to nothing, Soul. You've worked too hard." She reached up and touched his cheek, Soul instantly catching her hand and keeping it there as if she would even think of taking it away. "You just have to promise me that we're both fighting together."
His same old smirk came back, "I don't know, Maka, you were pretty badass all by yourself. Maybe I don't have to do the work anymore."
"Idiot," she huffed as she tried to steal her hand away but all she did was bring him closer. "Just make the damn promise."
Soul chuckled as his hands came to her shoulders. His threat was to pull her in, to hug her tightly because that's what he wanted to fill these seemingly safe moments with but he kept it at bay so he could gently knock his forehead to hers. "I can't say no, but in the same breath as that promise, I'm going to beg you to be safe, be smart."
"Same to you," she murmured. "So promise already."
He took a deep breath, the words coming easily off his tongue because it felt like the most genuine truth he'd ever told. "No matter what, it's you and me."