Platonic Stein X Spirit as young students.

0000

The side of the road is quiet at night. Only the occasional screech of a car breaks the silence, accompanied by the sounds of nocturnal animals in the undergrowth and their own lonely footsteps. Their mission could have gone worse, but it hadn't been at their usual level of performance.

Spirit looked over his shoulder at the younger boy, watching his grey-ish silver hair sway with every slow step. The boy's dull green eyes were downcast, staring at his now dusty shoes. He half heartedly kicked at a rock, pulling at the straps of his backpack almost nervously. Stein probably didn't want to report to Lord Death about their less than stellar success. The young boy seemed to be obsessed with being the number one meister-weapon team, and often became distant when they did fail, though that was rarely ever. And they didn't fail this time, they got close, but they won in the end.

Spirit frowned and turned back to watching the road, squinting at the next set of headlights coming towards them.

"Spirit."

"What?" The redhead spat over his shoulder. "What do you want now?"

"...I just..." The younger male flinched at the harsh tone, looking down at his shoes. "..I'm sorry. I failed and we didn't do as well as we should have. It was my fault - I got distracted and messed up. I'd understand if you want a new partner...I know I wasn't your first choice."

Spirit turned completely around, shocked beyond words. Stein apologizing?! He rarely ever did that! And when he did he rarely ever meant it.

The other boy had stopped, although he wasn't looking at the scythe. Wasn't paying any attention to his weapon. He'd gone to the edge of the road, hand out and thumb up. He'd pulled a flashlight out of his pocket aiming it at the ground. More cars passed by without slowing down, and the wind caused his hair to cover his eyes for a moment.

"You're not - we didn't - Stein!" Spirit ground his teeth together, reaching out to the meister. Before he could grab him by the bag, a car slowed down and stopped, and a young man poked his head out of the open window.

"Hey there kids! Where ya headin' to?"

"Death City. We're students at the DWMA. Can you take us down that way?" The man nodded and motioned for them to get into the back of his truck, and then Stein was moving and climbing in among the hay stacks the man was hauling. Spirit hesitated, then joined him, picking at the pale straw around them.

"You weren't my first choice." The redhead continued. "But I know now that you were the best choice, and I do not regret anything. Sti - Franken, you're my friend. I'm not gonna abandon you. Now get over here, you're shivering, and I don't want to report to Death with a frozen meister."

He didn't get a verbal response, but he still grinned when his silver haired meister immediately pressed against him, abnormally skinny body shivering with the cold winds made by the racing car. He sighed, rubbing his hand up and down his meister's back.

"You're such an idiot sometimes, but you're my idiot, you got that?"

"Thanks, Spirit."