Freefall
by. Poisoned Scarlet

12a

This man was a demon incarnate.

He'd be the death of her one day – one day, she was sure of this.

But no matter what, he was not forgiven. It had been at least two days since the incident and she had been going strong in the feat of ignoring him and simmering in her dark thoughts until he caught her unawares on the couch; made her drop her tennis shoes when his lips crashed against hers hungrily, apologies and promises breathed between each kiss.

But she refused to thaw under his attention.

At least, that's what she strove to do.

"Ah—ngh...Soul..." Her fingers clutched his hair as if they were reigns, pulling and yanking and tugging as his tongue explored the regions of herself that no one else had. The window was cracked open the slightest bit, allowing a draft to sweep through the room. But the soft breeze had nothing to do with why she trembled. The blinds themselves were parted that morning, allowing a faint shine of light to spill through her apartment; illuminating the usually dim interior.

It gave her greater clarity when she managed to spare him a glance, catching glimpses of his closed eyes and the way his tongue flicked out to stroke her. But she only managed glimpses of this before she weakened and tossed her head back, groaning with every swipe and nudge and lick of his tongue. She was still in slight denial that he could actually use those sharp teeth of his for something other than frightening people.

It was too early for this, Maka faintly knew, far too early.

Just as he never saw her punches coming, she never saw his pounces.

"N-no, don't stop – don't stop, Soul!" Maka urgently pleaded, squirming under his mouth. Her thighs clamped around his head, toes curled with the steady build of her orgasm. It was so close, she realized almost dreamily, so close and she could feel his fingers reach up to spread her wider; take her all in.

That seemed to be the final push she needed.

She shuddered with a cry, back arching and her thighs trapping him between her, as an explosion of ecstasy shot through every fiber of her being and rendered her breathless. Any coherent thought that had been swimming through her scrambled mind vanished, leaving behind a welcomed nothing that she expressed in a loud scream.

By the time she caught her breath, managed to restrict her high shouts of release, she was sure she was done for the day; hell, week, why not? His own labored breathing against her folds was enough to make her swallow. She didn't know how much more of this she could take. He'd break her if they continued on at the pace they were going...

It was when her legs lost all power, slumping over his shoulders, that he finally arose. He parted them, grabbing her by the hips and pushing her back against the couch so that he could kneel before her. She didn't bother to conceal herself – after that, what was there left to hide, really? – but she did shift uncomfortably when she felt the rough material of his jeans rub against her tender sex.

"You look...dead." Soul snickered.

"Shut up, Soul!" Maka covered her face with her hands, finally feeling blood rush to her cheeks. She could sense his stare and it only made her blush harder. She caught a peek of him through the cracks between her fingers and her embarrassment doubled when she saw him licking his lips clean. "I can't believe you just did that to me..."

How had he even convinced her to go along with it? She would never know. She was supposed to be angry at him, stewing in her own fury, yet one touch from his lips and all she had worked for crumbled around her.

It was annoying, how one boy managed to throw her out of her element so quickly.

"Why? It was fun. Always wanted to try it." He shot her a teasing grin. She groaned and continued to bury her face in her hands, struggling to construct something half-way decent to explain her sudden timidness. "C'mon, you act like you've never been licked before...wait...you haven't, have you?" He chuckled and she sunk deeper into the couch in reply.

She smacked him upside the head when his laugh didn't subside. "Just because you did this doesn't mean you're forgiven! I'm still not talking to you!" Maka warned, and Soul frowned. He buried his face in her chest, smiling at how hard her heart was beating. "...What are you doing?"

"Counting your heart beats."

"Why?"

He smiled, faintly. "It's a hobby."

"Weirdo..."

Soul snorted a laugh, looking up to see her staring out the window. She avoided his gaze, distracting herself with how bright the day was beginning to shape out. It was a good day for running - or it would have been, if Soul hadn't stopped her. Her face warmed and she jumped when he spoke.

"You're a lot more shy than I thought you'd be." Soul murmured, pushing away strands of hair that had come loose in all her thrashing. "Do you really need all that alcohol in you so you could mess around?" He teased, and she finally looked at him; annoyed, ready to kick him off her and continue with the routine he'd rudely interrupted.

His eyes softened and a smile replaced his usual scowl.

Curiosity won over her anger.

His eyes were always different when they were intimate. They weren't cool ruby but rather intensified to a darker shade; like crimson, only not quite. It was as he were giving her permission to peer into his soul, and Maka wondered if he had ever allowed anyone else this private view. As if searching for confirmation that no one has, Maka leaned forward and wrapped her arms around his neck; burying her nose in his damp hair, absently noting that he'd once again used her shampoo instead of using his own.

"So...?"

"No. I'm still not talking to you."

"Technically, you're talking –"

"Don't ruin it."

Chuckling, he twirled the end of a pigtail around on his finger.

She could have stayed there all day, purring under his attention.

That was why she studiously ignored the pounding on her door a few minutes later, Black Star's loud call for Soul resounding through the entire complex. She tightened her grip on his shirt when he shifted.

"He's gonna' knock the door down at this rate."

"Let him." Maka mumbled, sourly. She looked down at him, finding him frowning at the door before he looked back at her expectantly. Reluctantly, she added: "I...don't want you to leave yet..."

His lips quirked into a smile at her mumbled defeat. "You think I do? I'd rather stay here than go deal with that idiot. But he'll break the door down if I don't get it – he knows I'm here." He pinched her nose fondly and dragged himself to the door. He looked over his shoulder to check if she had composed herself and found her fixing her skirt on her hips.

Maka heard Soul's: "what the hell do you want, Black Star?" as she padded to her bedroom to recover her strength.

There, she flung herself on her bed and breathed in the floral smell of her sheets. She could hear only fragments of what they were saying but it was enough to inform her that Black Star had gotten the concert tickets to some rock band that didn't interest her. She knew Soul would go – he had been raving about it all week before the incident a few days ago – but she'd firmly told him she'd stay behind this time around.

She was already succumbing to sleep when she felt the mattress sink with weight and felt his hand nudge her awake.

"Hey, I'll be back by around four in the morning." Soul whispered as her eyes fluttered open. "Gotta' leave now if we wanna' make it on time."

"Okay." Maka stifled a yawn. She gazed sleepily at him. "Don't do anything reckless – I don't want to have to bail you out of jail if Black Star drags you into one of his insane schemes."

Soul grinned toothily, glad to have gotten the OK from her. Everything seemed to be going smoothly - no whacks on his head, no withering looks, or scathing words - although that could've simply been because Maka looked about ready to go under for another few hours. "Got it! We'll keep it cool, don't worry, Maka." He kissed her cheek before walking out the door, closing it quietly behind him.

Maka rolled on her back, feeling torn between fondness and unease.

Their conversation a few days ago returned, stringing along all sorts of horrible images.

Maka shook herself from those dark thoughts - there was no way she could keep ignoring him because of it. She had told him she accepted him wholly now. The past was in the past, she had said...

She knew just how to spend the rest of her day, she decided.

But first, a nap, and she rolled on her side to sleep.

12b

"Do you think they made it to Las Vegas safely?" Tsubaki asked a few hours later, stirring a cube of sugar in her tea. Maka had dropped by just two hours after Soul's departure and spent the rest of the day with her, reminiscing on old and new times and debating whether or not she had been too easy on him by letting her anger at him go. Tsubaki had been a tad more understanding when Maka told her a snippet of Soul's past after she got over the shock.

Needless to say, their conversation crumbled a lot of the fears Maka had been nursing for the past few days.

"I told Soul he should be the designated driver because Black Star is reckless but what if Black Star convinced him to let him drive?"

"Don't worry, Tsubaki, Soul knows better than to let Black Star drive for so long." Maka reassured, cross-legged on the floor. Tsubaki sat beside her, resting against a worn and comfy couch. "I'm sure they're enjoying the concert right now."

"The concert began at five..." Tsubaki glanced at the clock. Six fifty two reflected back. "I hope they had no problems getting in."

"You worry too much, Tsubaki!" Maka giggled, drawing her knees to her chest. She cocked her head to the side when Tsubaki dropped her eyes to her lap instead, tracing the ripples within her tea with a troubled frown. "Are you really that worried about Black Star?"

"Well, yes, of course!" Tsubaki blurted. She flushed immediately after. "He...he has grown on me over these past few weeks. I know you don't like him very much, Maka-chan, but he acts completely different when he is surrounded by his friends than when he is alone. It is his calm and peaceful attitude when he is with me that I like the most."

"I find it hard to believe he can sit still for more than five minutes." Maka muttered. Then she smiled. "But I wouldn't be surprised if he can with you around – you have a way of calming people down, Tsubaki!"

"So I've been told. But sometimes I wish he'd be more energetic when he's with me." Tsubaki spoke in her native tongue, wistfully. It was easier to convey her feelings in Japanese than English. "I don't know what I want from him yet, but I'm sure my companionship is what he wants from me."

"I think he wants more than a friend, Tsubaki." Maka quietly said, earning a look of confusion from her. She was tempted to say more but she forced a smile on her face instead, shaking her head. "Nevermind. Let's forget all about those two for now! What time does that drama start again?"

"Oh, ah, it's already started – hurry, turn on the TV!" Tsubaki rushed, laughing as Maka cheered that the drama hadn't started without them. But her laugh subsided soon after, leaving behind a faint smile that itself, too, extinguished when Tsubaki dwelled on the significance of Maka's words.

She couldn't place the reasons for why her heart beat so fast, but she knew it wasn't because she was scared at the thought of meaning more to Black Star.

No - she couldn't wait. She eagerly awaited the day it would happen and it was that type of arrogance that frightened her the most.

"I-I'll be right back! I have to go wash these before I forget." Tsubaki excused herself, picking up their empty cups and plates.

"Okay, but hurry! It's getting good!" Maka warned, eyes glued to the television screen. Her friend smiled weakly and rushed into the kitchen, placing the cups in the sink. The water ran cold; she soaped up the cups and rinsed them mechanically. Her mind was circling that single revelation; that one irrefutable, undeniable, fact that made her gut knot up and her conscious act up.

She was becoming just as egotistically blind as Black Star, and she wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not.