I've written so many fics with healthy SoMa relationships I thought I'd take another shot at an angsty, ruined relationship (I kind of did it for Sleeping Beauty). I think I'm going to make you hate the both of them until they get back together (I should say if but we both know if I'm writing it, it'll have to end up as sweet SoMa).

The wedding had maybe been one of the best nights of Soul's life. It was her mother, Rin, who was finally taking the plunge again as Maka turned seventeen and she'd practically begged him to go. Maka obviously didn't have to, but he put up a good fight. It was a night of wins, really: antagonizing Spirit, eating expensive food in excess, and getting to pretend that he didn't want to wrap his arms around her for every single slow dance.

Spirit, of course, had plenty of grumbles about that, but it was more Rin that seemed to rub Soul the wrong way. He'd never admit this out loud, but Spirit's straight-forward nature, his mouth never denying you the chance to know what was on his mind, was what Soul preferred. With Rin, you seemed to get glances, silent stares that left you unsure of your crime, but he was pretty sure she wasn't into what was happening on that dance floor either.

That wasn't the part he really cherished though, the one that liked to play on a loop in his brain when it was three AM and he couldn't sleep. They had to sleep separately, who knows which parent insisted on that except it was definitely not a request, but by the early hours of the morning he'd been awakened by her soft footsteps next to the couch. "Come up and sleep with me."

"Your mom'll be pissed." Soul offered sleepily, but he knew in his gut he was jumping at the bit, ready for her to lead him upstairs.

Maka rolled her eyes. "We sleep together all the time on missions. Honestly, the couch sucks. Come on."

"If Spirit gives me a black eye tomorrow…" but Soul was already up, taking her hand and letting her lead him back up the stairs.

The house was pretty cramped, the bed even more so, barely allowing them to lay shoulder to shoulder on their backs so as soon as they slipped in she was on her side, facing him, making it feel like each little whisper was right against his ear. "Another half-hour," she murmured.

"I want to sleep," he grumbled.

"Please?" The little kid way she was fighting sleep gave him that fuzzy feeling in his gut.

He only sighed in reply, his usual for acquiescence to her many wants, and she continued to divulge every thought about the entire day quietly against his ear. Why she needed to when he'd been there never made sense to him, but listening to her voice was never a burden especially as her body radiated warmth next to his.

And all of it was sweet until the last murmur which split her lips halted, weak, "I wonder if she'll have a new family."

That forced him to turn his head from the ceiling, locking with those green eyes that had filled with something close to fear and maybe a hint of anger. "There won't be new and old. You're all one family." Do you believe that? Between the shoddy calls of the last year and the way she cries over her mother, do you believe that? But that's what he could give her, the only thing he ever felt like he could, strength and certainty when she didn't have it.

"I guess." She took his comment, hid it away in her mind, and let it settle before taking a deep breath. "But if she does, I…" Her hand crept across his chest, finding his sternum and clutching at the fabric there, trying to pull some kind of steadiness from him.

"You'll always have another one," the words trembled from his mouth as he wrapped his fingers around hers and squeezed. With me. Always with me. He knew those words should have been out loud especially as the final veil was lifting from his heart with no more ways to lie to himself. This was probably the part where he should have kissed her as well, sealing the promise. Instead, it just became a memory, the only thing that fed his hungry soul.

Rin called every week after that. Soul tried to be pleased with the development especially since Maka clung to it, thrived with it. Rin's name came up in conversation, dotting their moments together incessantly. Her mother was there now, a part of her life and a part of them. Those calls were like sunshine, adding a sing-songy quality to Maka's voice, but every time Soul picked up the phone all he felt was the rain. Rin was short, cold, never interested in hearing Soul's voice except to say 'I'll get her' and while he tried to tell himself he wasn't a son (or in some of his dreams, a son-in-law) so she didn't have to muster some kind of love for him, it was hard not to realize the slow seeping dislike.

That was fine. He was cool. Plenty of people didn't like him. All that mattered was Maka's smile never changed when she saw him. If he could keep that, everything else could come and go. That's why he didn't flinch when she told him she was going to visit Rin for a month. She even planned to leave the week after his birthday, giving him his due time that he never asked for but desperately wanted. They celebrated with a lopsided cake and then planned her trip.

A week later, Soul drove her to the airport, carried her bags, got her as far as he could without irking security.

"Will you miss me?" She smiled playfully.

"I'll be happy to have my bachelor pad back," Soul grunted a laugh.

"Oh, yeah, and think of all the girls you could invite over," she added an eye roll as if the tone wasn't enough.

He smirked in reply as the myriad of confessions played as background noise in his head. Fed by them, his hand reached up, clearing a rogue hair from her face because there was no way he could do what he really wanted to do, to caress her cheek softly before saying, "Just a month, right?"

The little bit of color that came to her cheeks was barely noticeable especially since she actively willed it away. "Yup." To her surprise as soon as the word left her mouth his arms wrapped around her, a sensation he rarely gifted her with and she threw her arms around his neck in return. Maka knew that this was the part where she should have kissed him, sealing the promise. Instead, it just became a memory, the first thing that filled her with regret.

The first week she called every night. Maka had so much to say while he had so little. Even though he wanted to listen he felt strangely distracted by the loneliness and would often drift off, urged into a fantasy about her coming home.

The second week it turned to every other day. Her side of the line was still filled with conversation including excuses for why the gap had appeared. Rin was keeping her busy. Soul tried not to have an opinion on that.

The third week gave way to no particular pattern, no set time put aside from him. Soul resorted to calling on his own but when Rin would pick up, which would be most of the time, Maka conveniently wouldn't be there. Again, he tried not to have an opinion but there was a rage building. In his mind, Rin was an obstacle and he hated himself for feeling that way about someone Maka loved.

The fourth week she called late on Friday and he was pathetically waiting by the phone, having watched the hours tick away minute by minute. "Soul, listen…"

I am, he wanted to urge, but I don't want to do it like this anymore, I want you here, face to face. I can't stand this static over the line.

"Well, the good news is Mama's pregnant," that came with a chipper rise in her voice.

"Cool," Soul managed to keep it from being a grumble, just a flat sound from his mouth.

"But she… well, she asked me to stay a little longer." Every word tripped from her lips with hesitation.

A chill ran down his spine as his fingers tensed into the receiver. "How long?"

"I don't know, she's about five months now and she was hoping-"

"She," Soul couldn't stop the hiss from his mouth. "She asked you, but what do you want to do?"

"I want to help my mother," Maka's voice was tentative but anger was starting to line the words.

Soul's hand uselessly turned to a fist, his nails digging into his palm. "Then how long are you staying, Maka?"

She sighed, "I told you, I don't know-"

"You know," it took everything in him not to scream it.

There was a break and Soul almost thought she hung up until another sigh resounded on her end. "I want to be here when the baby's born, and then a little after so… I think the year, Soul."

"A year?" It scraped out of his throat as a desperate cry. "What am I supposed to do for a year, Maka?"

The question left another block of silence, Maka's mind overrun with a million thoughts as she let the first tear loose from her eyes. "You're Kid's weapon now, right? And, well, it'll give you a chance to… I thought you wanted some time by yourself."

The breaths were heaving from his chest as if he'd run a marathon and he couldn't hear the insinuation over their thunder. "Not a year," he begged regardless of how much he hated that tone in his voice. "Please, Maka. You and me. It's supposed to be you and me."

"But it's not." She covered her mouth quickly to stop the choking sound of the sob from filtering over the line. "You barely talked to me the past few weeks and you said… you wanted the apartment to yourself." Maka wanted it to be accusing but all that was left was the gut-wrenching agony. "You don't need me because it's not like we were in love or something," her voice warbled over the line.

He was being gutted alive, the knife sinking in right at his sternum. "No, because that would be impossible, right?" The air strained from his throat, the words a rage-filled cough. "Stupid to even think."

"Soul-"

The blade was sliding between his ribs, exposing his lungs and stealing away all his air. "No, you're fucking right," the words gushed from his mouth, fed by the searing pain, "We were nothing. Partners until you got the job done and now you've got your life, I've got mine, and there's no reason for you to come back here."

"Soul-" It was a desperate cry.

That knife was already to his bellybutton, forcing the rest out like vomit. "So don't come back. Don't call me. Don't even give me a second fucking thought because why would you? What am I to you anyway?" He slammed the phone back on the receiver but the clack of the plastic wasn't enough. He continued beating it together as the casing broke apart in his hand, the stark white crumbling in his fingers with smears of red as the rough edges tore away at his knuckles. He could have sworn the blood was from his innards strewn in his hands, everything ripped from him because of her words and his.

Soul opened the door, his eyes bloodshot and about to be worse as they focused in on Spirit in the doorway. He turned quickly, refusing to let him see the new tears, and left the door open before stomping down the hall to his room.

As Soul's bedroom door slammed shut, Spirit couldn't stop his eyebrows from shooting up as he stood frozen in the doorway. He tried to remind himself he was just there to grab a few of Maka's things but as he wandered slowly down the hallway he couldn't ignore the choked sobs on the other side of the door. The way the boy looked when he opened the door kept flashing across Spirit's mind as he picked through Maka's clothes, filling the bag he'd brought. When it was full, he threw it on the floor in the hallway before walking over to the other door that couldn't hide the cries.

He knocked.

"Fuck off, Spirit," came wailing through the door, definitely enough to be heard at least two apartments over. Spirit opened the door anyway, watching as Soul jumped up from the bed, fists tight. "Seriously, fuck off," Soul shrieked. "Fuck off, fuck off, fuck off!" With each iteration he took another step, that balled fist swinging as soon as he was in range.

Spirit caught his wrist and used Soul's momentum against him, getting him with his arm behind his back and twisting it until he heard the strangled groan. "You're still not that good at hand to hand."

"Leave me alone," Soul bawled.

Spirit watched the liquid drip from the boy's face, the choking continuing from his throat. "This isn't like you."

"What the fuck do you know?" Soul tried to wrench himself away but the pain shot up his shoulder, Spirit holding strong.

"Maka's just staying a little longer-"

"A year, Spirit, at least a fucking year," he hissed back.

Spirit sighed, "Yeah, so? We'll miss her. But acting like this isn't going to solve anything." Spirit finally gave up his grip, assuming that the boy would flip back up to yell on his level. Instead, Soul dropped to his knees, sending a chill up Spirit's spine. "Nothing's over, kid. She'll come back and you'll get right back to-"

"No," Soul snapped. "She doesn't give a shit about me and she's not coming back."

"Hey," Spirit tried to reach down and grab Soul's shoulder but he ripped it away. "I know I talk a lot of shit about you two, but you're one of the most important people in her world, Soul."

"Bullshit."

Spirit had heard that tone before, knew it too well, like the one that came from Rin's mouth the first time the infidelity came out. It was betrayal, anguish, spite all rolled into one. Death, what did Maka do? was the first horrible thought that struck across his mind. "Listen, Soul-"

Soul's head snapped to Spirit, those sharp teeth bared as he ground his fists into the floor. "I don't want your advice. I just want…" That dissolved into a painful groan, his eyes suddenly overwhelmed with tears.

If Spirit didn't know better he'd assume the kid's insides were bursting. "Maybe go stay with Black Star a few days, kid."

"I'm fine," Soul moaned out. "Just leave me the fuck alone."

This isn't good. You shouldn't leave the kid and you should sure as hell call your daughter for an explanation. Spirit took a few steps out of the room as if looking to the hallway for inspiration or maybe even assistance. It was then that his eyes fell on the phone, or what had been a phone but was now scattered bits of plastic and, fucking Death, is that blood? Spirit took another look at Soul, the sobs no longer making a sound but silently streaming down the boy's cheeks. Oh, fucking hell.

He moved further down the hallway to the living room, trying to give himself enough distance before taking out his cellphone. Speed dial #4 rang a few times before a tired voice answered. "Spirit," Stein offered his best greeting.

"Marie home?" Spirit shuffled his feet.

"Sure."

There was some shuffling in the background before Marie's much brighter voice twittered through the line. "Hey, Spirit!"

He was already rethinking this plan but his only other option was to continue force-fathering Soul and that was only bound to end in bloodshed. "Think you can come to the kids' apartment?"

"I thought Maka was away…" There wasn't much of a bright tone anymore, that motherly worry instantly seeping in.

"And apparently it's not going over well," Spirit grumbled.

"Soul?" It was a stupid question but Marie asked it anyway.

Spirit paused to listen for any dangerous movement down the hall, still hearing an eerie amount of silence. "Yeah."

"I'll be right there."

Spirit hung up the phone and slipped it back in his pocket before flopping into the couch. There was guilt gnawing at him since he couldn't say that he hadn't encouraged this, that he hadn't told Maka to take a little time away at her mother's because, well, he guessed what was coming. As far as he was concerned it was history repeating itself and his daughter was probably a month away from being that brat's girlfriend, from getting herself in the same mess that Rin had all those years ago. But while he could congratulate himself on keeping his daughter from being a teen mom and it was no secret he didn't exactly care for Soul, there wasn't any celebration for decimating the kid like that. He had to admit that his hatred for the idiot wasn't because of any actual character flaw, but just simply the fact that it was way too obvious how much space that white-haired punk took up in his daughter's heart.

Sure, he'd expected some tears, maybe some underage drinking, but what was that in there? Spirit tried to excuse it with that teenage need for drama, where every problem became the end of the world, but no. It was real bitterness, total heartbreak and he couldn't help but think his daughter had done it.