Freefall
by. Poisoned Scarlet

17a

"I really don't want to do this."

"Too bad. He's coming."

"I know. I can see him from here... Soul, can we please just go now?"

Soul jammed his hands in his pockets, grinning out. "Nope."

Maka groaned. "I'm not ready."

"Then get ready." Soul shot her a cheeky grin. "'Cause here he comes, ready to smother his precious baby with his love."

Maka glared, hissing: "Shut up, you jerk - !"

"My wonderful Maka! YOUR DADDY HAS ARRIVED—ugh!" Spirit landed face down on the floor when he tripped over the curb, a sprawl of limbs as his daughter shook her head in embarrassment. Soul turned away with a hand slapped over his mouth, stifling laughter at her fathers complete fail. Spirit regained his good humor quickly enough, bouncing back up and bringing Maka into the tight hug he had intended on giving her. "I'm so happy to see you before you leave! Papa's gonna' miss you so much! Say hi to your mom for me and don't talk to strangers and be sure to call me when you get there, okay? I want to make sure you get there all in one piece!"

"Papa, I'll be fine! I'm an adult already, I think I can manage getting on and off a plane by myself!" Maka mumbled, flushing when several passersby laughed softly to themselves at Spirit's overprotective muttering. "Thanks for seeing us off, papa, I really appreciate it, but we have to go now if we want to make our flight!"

"Of course, sweetheart, I'll see you in two weeks!" Spirit smiled, warmly. He patted her head affectionately. "Be good!"

Maka was hesitant at first but she gave him a full, genuine, smile that had her father dazed and more than a little euphoric.

"Come on, Soul!" Maka called, hastily making her escape to the ticketing line before the situation could grow any more awkward for her.

"Bye, sweetheart!" Spirit happily waved, a goofy smile on his face. "Oh, noyoudon't—!" Spirit growled, grabbing Soul by the shoulder before he could follow Maka.

"What the - ?"

"Listen here, you little brat," Spirit hissed, eyes narrowed dangerously. Soul glared back defiantly. "You better take good care of my Maka, do you hear me? I know I may not have taken very good care of her in the past," Spirit cut him off before he could protest, "but you still have a shot. Don't screw this up. If I get even one complaint from her, you're going to have to deal with me, got it?"

Soul glared. "Loud and clear."

Spirit's own glare softened. His fingers stopped digging into Soul's arm and Spirit eased off, resigned. "And if Kami causes you any problems, don't take it personally, alright?"

"Why would she cause me any problems?" Soul asked, confused. Maka stood in line to have her ticket checked, casting him looks over her shoulder impatiently.

"Kami is a little—okay, she's really difficult to please." Spirit sighed tiredly, deciding sugar coating his ex-wife's shrewdness was unnecessary. She had probably cursed him, wished death upon him, more times than he could bother to count. "Maka studies so hard not of her own volition but because Kami forced her. Maka could barely read and Kami was already forcing her to summarize middle-school level books..." Spirit sighed, troubled. "Just listen to me when I say that she'll give you a hard time. Trust me – you're not exactly average."

Soul snorted a laugh. "Why the sudden advice, old man? I thought you hated me."

"I don't hate you!" Spirit denied, defensive. "I just hate that you're with my little Maka!"

"She ain't so little anymore."

"I know..." Spirit mumbled, depressed. He cheered up soon after, making Soul believe this man went through moods faster than a woman on her rag. "I admit, you're a little better than the others – but just a little!" Spirit insisted, upon catching Soul's amusement. "Don't get the wrong idea! I'm not saying I approve of you or anything!"

"Nah, it's cool. I get you." Soul smiled, lopsidedly. Spirit studied him for a moment before relaxing as well. "I'll keep an eye on her for you. I'll make her call you when we get there, too." Soul pivoted on his heel and waved lazily, heading over to where Maka waited impatiently to no doubt interrogate him on what he and her father were discussing about so animatedly. "Later, Spirit!"

For a second, Soul believed that was the end of it.

Spirit somewhat accepted him as Maka's boyfriend; even warned him of his ex-wife's wrath.

It was all good.

However, Spirit surprised Soul by yelling:

"Yeah, later, you brat!"

A slight grin tugged on his face as he approached Maka, merely shrugging off her questions and distracting her with a well-placed teasing regarding her child-like curiosity – which earned him a well-placed Maka Chop but secured that his private conversation with her father was kept between only them.

17b

Spirit had been right.

Soul wondered how he had even managed to get someone so uptight, so strict and no-nonsense, to fall for him – this woman was more uptight than Maka, far more strict than his piano instructor, and could rival his corporate cold father in friendliness.

She kept looking – no, glaring at him as if he had committed a horrible crime right before her very eyes. Truthfully, Soul hadn't known what to expect from Kami Albarn, aside from the ominous warning given by Spirit, when he approached her in the airport after picking up he and Maka's luggage. Maka had been happily conversing with her as they waited on him but the instant Kami turned to look at him, her smile was wiped off her face and she soured.

Since they had left the airport, Kami had been sending him nasty looks. She had tossed a few jabs at him ("I'm not a very big fan of dye jobs - especially dying your hair outrageous colors like red or white.") and treated him as if he were a high-school dropout with absolutely no future ahead of them, although Maka had cheerfully boasted that he had finished his schooling rather early and had a successful career at a famous record company.

But even Kami managed to find a dark spot in that ("Well, the music industry isn't making much money anymore. What with illegal downloads and all...").

He didn't have to be a genius to know it was how he looked that disappointed her, as Spirit had gently hinted. Be it his stark white hair or vivid red eyes; or perhaps his black leather jacket or the chains and keys that hung off the loops on his coolly ripped black jeans. Regardless of what it was about him that put her off, Kami wouldn't relent in her resentful looks and even Maka had taken notice of it.

Or perhaps it had been when Kami straight out turned his help down, using the excuse that he wouldn't be able to find the store although it was simply down the street, when he offered to buy them all dinner since they had arrived home late.

"Stop trying to defend her: she hates me." Soul deadpanned. Maka cut herself off abruptly.

"She doesn't hate you, Soul, she just..." Maka struggled for words before sighing. "She just thought I'd go for someone...happier?"

"What, I'm not happy? I can be happy - see?" Soul plastered on a fake smile. His tone, however, remained as flat as ever.

Maka stared dryly.

He snorted and grinned a little, some life draining back into his face. "Alright, so I look like I'd rather jump off a bridge than deal with everyone half the time – that doesn't mean I'm emo."

"She just wasn't expecting someone like you." Maka told him, thoughtfully. She sank back in the couch, taking Soul's hand in her own. Her mother was discussing something on the phone in the other room; two of her brides maids paying rapt attention to whatever it was Kami was yelling about. "She was probably expecting someone, well..."

"Nerdy like you?" Soul finished for her. He added, teasingly:"Yeah, I figured. But, y'know, for a dork, you're pretty great in bed – !"

"MAKA CHOP!" Maka put her book away without sparing her pained boyfriend a second look. "Mama was just expecting someone in dress pants and a button-up shirt, not someone in a leather jacket with combat boots. She told me you were a bad influence." Maka cringed as she said this, looking apologetic.

Soul remained unaffected by her words. He had been told that many times, only to have those people eat their words when they discovered he was making twice as much as them in half the time. "Why would you want someone so boring? Face it, Maka, I make your life colorful." He snickered at the look of exasperation that crossed her face. "You'd be miserable without me."

"Would not."

"Would too."

"Would not!" Maka laughed when Soul leaned over and cuddled her, his snickering shifting to laughter when she flushed pink at his teasing affection.

"Denying the obvious isn't cool, Maka."

"Soul – quit it! Not here!" Maka hissed when a devious hand slithered up her shirt, fingering the edge of her bra teasingly. "Soul! I'm serious! My mother is in the other room!"

"C'mon, live a little. I'm a bad influence, remember?" Soul cracked up when she slapped his hand away, red-faced and nervous, but unable to suppress a smile at his playful ways.

Too caught up in their fun, they didn't notice Kami's resigned smile as she watched her daughter giggle happily when Soul kissed her cheek in apology.