CHAPTER 15

His door was wide open, the morning light shining through the window as he was too lazy to close the curtains when he lied down for what he probably intended to be a time to relax after dealing with her mother, but which turned into an extended nap. As Maka saw the golden sunrise add its color to his hair, she meditated on just how long she had been talking with her mama.

She'd have to repay Liz for this. But first, she had to repay him.

He had kicked off the sheets while sleeping—little mutt, she thought. And of course the sight she was greeted to included his crimson boxers—she figured he probably tugged his pants off as soon as he rounded the hallway even before he set one foot in his room, as per usual. That idiot.

She tiptoed through the mess of books he had left on the floor since exams wrapped up, and she rounded the corner of his bed to sit on the side facing the window, as his back was turned away from her. She turned her head, and nudged him.

"Wakey-wakey, Soul."

He groaned into his pillow, lifting his head up, drool falling down his face. Then he saw her eyes, and almost fell off the side of the bed. Feeling the spit hanging falling from his mouth, he must have looked awful.

She hesitated, then finally said, "Um, Merry Christmas?"

He stared, then chuckled. "You're a bit late on the tradition this year."

She looked down. "Been a late on a lot of things this year." She curled a finger through her hair. "Like getting gifts for you."

"Don't feel bad," he said, his voice light. "We've been busy: a lot changes for a Death Scythe and his partner, right?"

"Partner," she repeated. "You were busy all last night. What the hell did I give you for Christmas?"

He took her hand, interlocking his finger in hers.

"Hope."

She looked at him. He stared out the window.

"I hate to speak for you on this, but I didn't think becoming a Death Scythe would be this difficult. 200 plus souls later, and I still don't have the hang of it."

He looked at her. "I thought I was getting stronger to protect you, like a weapon should. And I haven't got it yet."

She sat a little closer to him. "I can't say I've done the best job of that." She stared where his scar was. Feeling her soul touch his own, he instinctively gripped at his scar. "But when we're together, we're kind of awesome, right?"

He didn't have to look to see her infectious smile: it already was copied on his own face. "We get stronger for each other, right? We protect each other."

She sighed. Then her smile widened, as she untangled her hand from his and gripped his shoulders to face him, leaning her head closer to him. "That's it! I know exactly what to get you for Christmas!"

She had put her face so close to his that their lips were nearly touching. His eyes widened. No way, he thought. He blushed and stammered, "W-w-what's that?"

"A helmet!"

He blinked. This idiot, he thought. "Seriously?"

"Kid told me about this great shop he visited! We can even make matching helmets!"

"So, this is more a gift for you, then?"

She smirked. "The weapon follows the will of the meister, right? I'll let you pick what to put on the helmets." She nudged him. "Wings, maybe?"

His eyes betrayed the frown he was trying to wear. "Angel?"

"Hey, you just said we protect each other, right? What's better to protect you then your guardian angel!" She poked his forehead with her right index finger. "And I've harangued you enough to get a helmet!"

"So has your mom," he said with a smirk. She still had her left hand around his shoulder. He desired to swipe her hands away from him, yet kind of liking leaving them there.

"See, she does have good taste, right? She knows just as much what you need as I do!"

"What I need is you."

She stopped smiling, as he assumed his cool facade. He wrapped his arms around her, and held her. "Congratulations on surviving another year of soul gathering, nerd. Here's to surviving a few more, right?"

Though stunned, she instinctively reached her arms around him, and patted his back. "Y-yeah."

She then closed her eyes, and with her soul sent a wavelength out to him, nudging at his soul. Now it was his turn to be stunned, but he followed the will of his meister, as he closed his eyes, and resonated with her. The electricity in their bodies flowed between their souls, back and forth, generating a music that Soul could hear and, for his low musical IQ meister, play back for her. She nudged him, both against his soul and against his body, for that cheap shot. He apologized mentally, and she forgave it, at least this time. She could hear the melody of that hum play as it filtered through his soul, and she let out a soft hum, as she struggled to keep up with it. His chuckling disrupted the attempt, and she pushed him back playfully for not taking the exercise more seriously. He just smirked-like Christmas Day was any time for a soul resonance exercise.

They had pulled back from each other, then stood up. She held out her hand to him. "Partner?"

"You know it." He slapped his right hand into hers, and wrapped his left arm around her back. Then he wrapped his right around her. Soul held onto Maka for what seemed like a moment, yet lasted for a few minutes. She leaned back against him, just to create some slack between them. Her green eyes met his red ones. Her smile infected his own. She held him tight. It used to be, before his growth spurt, that her head leaned down into his shoulder; now he was just a bit taller than her, and her head now only reached up to his chest. She lifted her head, his eyes still focused on her. Maka stood a bit on tiptoes, her lips meeting his surprised ones. It was an innocent kiss, more of a peck, but it still made his cheeks match his irises in color.

"W-we didn't have any mistletoe around here," Soul stammered. "You know, that stuff is like catnip for Blair. More than catnip is already!"

She giggled. "Just accept it, you jerk." She leaned her head back against his chest. "Merry Christmas, Soul."

He sighed, and leaned his chin onto the top of her head. "Ditto, Maka."

SQUIRT!

They leaned back a bit from each other.

"What the hell was that?" Maka practically shouted.

"Sorry!" Soul shouted, then paused. "Wait, I didn't do anything." He glanced down at his waist just quick enough that Maka didn't notice. "Nope, not me!" he repeated.

They glanced out the door into the hallway, to see Kami Albarn leaning against the doorway, a streak of red across the floor and wall.

"Sorry to be a bother, kids," she began, "but it looks like one of my wounds opened up. Oh, and all over your nice rug, Maka-I'm sorry!"

Blood that was dripping onto the floor was forming a puddle on the floor. Upon seeing the children's mouths hung open—yet their arms still wrapped around each other's waists—Kami made her tone more polite: "Maka, be a dear and call Stein—I think I'll be needing some stitches. Soul, please procure some of your old shirts and rags, so I may apply pressure to the wound."

Maka pushed Soul away. "Soul, call the bandages—I'll put Stein on Mama!" She inched past her mother to exit through the doorway and to find the portable phone in the living room.

"N-no! Backwards!" he shouted after her. "Bandages on her, I get Stein!"

"Idiot!" Maka shouted, as she hunted for the phone. "Why did you get Mama injured like this?!"

"Me?!" He was yelling into the hallway closet, trying to find the bandages. "She's the nut who got caught up fighting mummies!"
"When I'm done with you, Soul, you'll need more than a helmet!"

"Oh," Kami said, walking over to Soul's bed to sit. "She convinced you to get one, huh?"

"Quiet, you!" Soul muttered through clenched teeth, as he tossed some old shirts onto the bed. "Apply pressure on your own wound! I'll get some bandages!" He darted out of his room and into the bathroom next door.

Kami chuckled, then inhaled sharply-it hurt to laugh. But she would be okay-it was just a flesh wound-a really, really deep flesh wound-and she could trust her daughter and her daughter's new boyfriend to get her patched up. They were quite some gifted kids.

She just hoped Stein wouldn't leave a scar this time.

o-o-o

She had been half-awake for about an hour, since around 6 o'clock. She could see him across from her, although his back was turned away. Ever since he took his bath last night to remove the eggnog smell, Black Star had had a terrible attitude.

Tsubaki extended her leg across the gap between their beds, so her sock-covered foot could poke at his bare toes.

"Merry Christmas, Black Star."

"Hmph."

"Oh, sorry-I did not realize I shared a bedroom with Scrooge." She giggled softly.

"I'm sorry."

She stopped laughing, and sat up. She continued to look at him, but said nothing, waiting for him to continue.

"I'm just not in the Christmas mood right now."

She got out of bed, and sat on his mattress. "You did not seem upset last night."

"I...just figured out while I took my bath, why Kid assigned me to work with Santa."

She rolled her eyes, yet her pleasant smile persisted.

"Why not send Maka? Well, 'cause if she told, people would believe her. Maybe the same with Soul. And I'm too awesome not to send out on a mission." He turned, and looked at her. "But he didn't send you with me." Black Star thought she would look offended by Kid's oversight—but she gave a slight shrug regarding any seeming insult. "Kid didn't send you because, well, you're the most honest of all of us."

She was taken aback by that one. She moved her hand away from the bed, and closer to her face. "You know that is not true," she replied, blushing.

"See? That's the proof!" He sat up. "You're even honest about not being honest!" He crossed his arms. "Kid just wanted some patsy."

She smirked. "A patsy that did an epic job taking down zombie reindeer and saving Christmas?"

He studied her.

"Black Star, even if I do not believe your drunken reverie, I have seen you do too many amazing things to discount you as a person-not as a meister, not as my partner, but as you." She closed her eyes, and smiled wider. "You're the great and powerful Black Star-if you say you can do it, I know you will, even if you haven't yet!"

Black Star tried not to smile.

"You brought Kid home before Christmas."

"He did that himself."

"Black Start being modest: a Christmas miracle." She nudged him. "See? You can do anything."

He looked at his bare toes for a few seconds.

"Hell yeah I can!" he exclaimed, hopping up in bed. "Black Star, the world's greatest assassin, meister, and now Santa's number one elf! Yahoo!"

He bounced to get out of bed-and slammed his head against the ceiling.

o-o-o

"Ug," he groaned, lying on their couch in their tiny living room, holding the pack of ice from their tiny refrigerator to his big fat forehead. "I wish we still had some of those snowballs in the freezer left over from Alaska…"

"You used up most of them pelting Soul, Liz, Patty, and Maka."

"And I would have gotten Kid, too, but you and him took off running!" His smile betrayed his glare. "Coward, deserting your meister like that!"

"Now, now," she held up her hands. "I just did not want to get hit by such an epic snowball colliding with the force of your godly hand, that was all!"

He turned up his nose. "Your tribute is much appreciated, Tsubaki." He opened one eye. "Seriously, thanks for the compress."

The kettle whistled on their tiny stove. "You're welcome," she said, as she held up one finger asking for him to give her a moment. She then flew across the floor, and after tossing two cups in the air, and having them land perfectly on the counter, she deposited the teabags and poured the hot water over them. Upon setting the cups onto the try, she took it to where Black Star sat up on the couch.

He took one cup, and tipped it against hers. "Merry Christmas."

"And to you as well, Black Star."

She felt his muscular arms wrap around him as soon as he downed his cup. She yelped, not so much because of the intensity of his hug, but just because it happened. "B-Black Star?" she whispered.

"And thanks for the Easter Eggs."

She blushed again. "So, I guess no more Easter Egg hunts?"

"Hey, I didn't say that!" he said, pulling her back a bit. "But I wouldn't be opposed to wearing bunny ears!"

Her face reddened more. "We'll...see about that."

"Oh! I almost forgot!" Black Star dashed back into their bedroom, and returned with the wrapped gift. "I know what the card says, but really, it is from Santa."

"Okay, okay, I believe you, Black Star," Tsubaki said, as she unwrapped the gift. "But if it is from Santa, that would mean you do not know what is in here either, correct?"

"I...hadn't thought of that." He snatched up the box before she finished opening it, and gave it a shake. "Hmm. Not breakable."

"Assuming you did not just break it."

Black Star grimaced-and let go of the box, sending it to the floor. He cringed more. "No! Sorry!"

She held up her hands. "It's okay, Black Star!" She got onto her knees, and moved the box between them. "Here, let me finish unwrapping, then we'll open it together, okay?"

He sat, cross-legged on the floor, and as she removed the paper, they each put their fingers under the lid. They looked at each other, nodded, and lifted the lid simultaneously. She reached into the box, and from it she removed a miniature Christmas tree, with tiny fiber optic lights along its artificial branches, and already decorated with a few tiny ornaments: deer, stars, and bells. As the meister and the weapon gazed at the tree held in her hands, the tree lit up on its own, alternating in colors: from red, to yellow, and to blue.

"Whoa," Tsubaki uttered. "The batteries must respond to touch."

"Santa's Workshop's best! I bet it's magic!"

"What, should I have Angela or Kim examine it?" Tsubaki teased.

"Hmph," he protested. "Don't ruin magic by having a witch explain it, alright?" Despite his annoyance, he was transfixed by the alternating colors, as they lent dimension to the tiny ornaments around it. "I bet the ornaments were hand-sculpted and hand-painted by his elves."

"And electrical engineers handling the fiber optic lights?"

"Hey, toy making isn't as simple as it used to be! I bet Santa requires at least, like, a master's or something first before you can get hired to his workshop!"

She set the tree down. "We finally have one in our home," she said, as she placed an arm around his shoulder.

"Yeah."

They curled up against the leg of their couch, and sat in silence, watching the lights alternate. While Black Star's attention wavered a bit, looking around their small apartment to see the colors change around the room, Tsubaki was astonished enough to just keep looking at her meister's excellent gift: it really was quite useful for this time of year.

Then she heard papers rustling.

"Studying That Booty: A Black Star and Kid Smut Fic."

Her face fell. Did she really just leave that sitting on the table last night?!

"Black Star!"

"So, Patty wrote more fan fic about me and Kid?"

She hid her face in her hands. "You knew?"

"Well, yeah. I keep finding it in the closet in that box marked 'Do Not Open Black Star.'"

She dug her nails into his shoulders. "Then why did you open it?!"

"I thought it was saying 'Do Not Open Myself.'" Then realization crossed his face. "Oh! It meant the box!"

"How horrifying," she muttered, her face back in her hands.

Black Star away from his partner, shrugged, and skimmed through the printed pages. "Huh. Patty is getting better."

He thrusted the papers into Tsubaki's hands. "Here, you read it!"

She hesitated.

"Come on! I like hearing when you read stuff!" He folded his hands in his lap, expectantly. "If anyone can bring to life my epic sexual prowess, it's you, Tsubaki!"

Her blush intensified upon hearing Black Star's words, yet she smiled despite herself over what was shaping up to be a pleasant, if strange, Christmas morning. "Okay, Black Star."

"Oh! And do the voices!"

o-o-o

The monitors displayed news reports from around the world, of the usual puff pieces celebrating another Christmas, with children lucky enough to have Santa visiting their homes and who were clutching the new gifts they were so happy to have received from the jolly old man.

"As saccharine as these reports are," Azusa said, fighting a smile, her arms across that ugly purple and green sweater she still had to wear for a few hours more, "I am pleased to see that Black Star and Kid were successful in their missions."

"Yes, yes," Lord Death bemoaned, reclining in his chair, an ice pack pressed to his own head.

"You really should moderate your drinking, sir," she replied, as she walked towards him. "Shall I prepare some coffee for you?"

Lord Death inhaled. "Azusa."

She blinked, surprised to hear his more serious voice.

"I think I know why Joe always wanted real coffee."

Her eyes softened.

"I don't suppose we could start a coffee fund at the Academy, could we? Among faculty?"

She smiled. "The Joe Buttataki Memorial Fund?" She crossed her arms. "Really, is that the best you can think up?"

"It's what he would have wanted!" Lord Death protested, his humor returning to him as he sat up-too quickly, as he clutched his head again. "Oh-Just, just get me anything we have."

She could not help but laugh a bit.

"Oh, Azusa!"

So much for that, she thought, glowering at the source of that voice. But not only was Spirit Albarn entering the room, but so was the meister who had wielded him, Dr. Franken Stein.

"See, Stein? I told you-hilarious, am I right?"

"I have to say, Spirit, I'm pleased that my having lower expectations of you have finally paid off."

Spirit pouted at his former meister's comment, as the scientist removed his cigarette pack and matches for a celebratory Christmas smoke.

Stein's smirk was quite sadistic. "So, Azusa, where'd you get the nose from?"

Azusa did not take the bait, opting to remain silent. "Shouldn't you have partnered with Marie for a mission, Stein? It would have done you some good rather than depending on Spirit to save you from any potential case of madness."

Stein exhaled his smoke. "I have been able to compose myself for quite a while now, thank you. And actually, the mission with Spirit was surprisingly enjoyable."

"And the northwest owes it to use for helping put the smack down on 50 wanted souls!" He bowed dramatically before his meister: "You are quite welcome, Lord Death!"

The Grim Reaper only groaned, holding his forehead.

"Oh," Spirit replied, looking concerned. "Eggnog again? You really need to pace yourself, sir."

Azusa had let this conversation go on long enough, she thought: time for some revenge. She suppressed her smirk.

"Maka called."

"My darling daughter was calling to wish me a glorious merry Christmas?"

"Actually, she had nothing to say about you at all."

Spirit collapsed in despair.

"She was calling for Stein."

More of his tears flooded the floor around Spirit.

"Evidently Kami is in town."

Spirit stopped crying, and stood erect. Stein-Franken Stein himself—froze, as he felt the cigarette fall out of his mouth.

"She needs medical attention," Azusa said, referring to her notes, "and she needs you, Stein-"

She looked up, and raised her eyebrows. No one stood before her—all that remained was a smoking cigarette on the floor. Her far-reaching sight could see Stein and Spirit, sprinting out of the Death Chamber, into the hallways of the DWMA, out of the Academy, maybe even out of Death City itself. Azusa then broke out into uncontrollable laughter.

"Hmm," Lord Death mumbled, amused. "I trust you have enacted your vengeance, then?"

Azusa wiped away a tear. "Oh, yes, indeed. Ha….I'll call Nygus: she's still in the infirmary." She gave her first authentic smile all week to Lord Death. "And I'm sure Kami's injuries are superficial. After all, she has handled worse."

Lord Death and Azusa looked back to where the two men had previously stood. "Like Spirit," both said simultaneously.

"Ho, that is a funny one, Azusa!"

The Death Scythe felt a slap to her back, which dislodged the blinking red nose from her face, as it smashed against the floor. She turned to see a familiar face stare back at her.

"Santa?"

She then felt her ribs crushed from the happy man's bear hug. She struggled and finally released herself-and found that she was back wearing her usual attire, the ugly sweater gone.

"You're welcome, Azusa!"

She blushed. "Um, yes. T-thank you, um, Kristopher, sir." She cleared her throat, placing her hands behind her back. "And congratulations on another successful holiday run."

"Oh, thank you! It was Black Star who deserves so much credit-such an excellent student you have here!"

Azusa grimaced. "Please tell me you are joking."

"Completely!" Santa said, his jovial tone yet conflicting remark leaving it unclear to Azusa whether he was serious.

"Santa!" Lord Death shouted, extending a hand to shake to the spirit of Christmas, the Grim Reaper's headache evaporating in his presence. "Good to see you! You are just the man I wanted to see!"

"Ho?" Santa questioned. Then he chuckled. "Let me guess-eggnog stock?"

"Indeed" Lord Death squealed. "Come, let's re-stock my supply now and toast to our good health!"

"Sounds joyous! Lead the way!"

Azusa stared as the two men departed, her mouth hung open. She studied them as they passed through the mirror centered in the room, vanishing to whatever mysterious space her greedy lord kept his eggnog stock. She shrugged. At least things would be quieter in the Death Chamber as she concluded her monitor duty.

But as she walked back to her monitors, she heard bells jingling. She glanced to see the elf shoes were still on her feet. She smiled—such attired she could tolerate, at least to honor Spirit's bet. She turned the feed onto the Death City street surveillance monitors, to see just how far that pervy Death Scythe and Stein had departed from the Academy. She crossed her arms, her smile widening.

o-o-o

"Faster, Stein, faster!"

"This chair runs faster without two people on it, senpai!"

Those walking through Death City that Christmas morning were greeted to a surprising view: two men riding a stitched-up office chair down the streets, struggling to get out of town as quickly as possible.

"She's my ex-I have more reason to escape than you!"

"Do you know what she did to me to get me to stop vivisecting you?! I'm amazed those parts of my body can grow back, and I'm not about to run that experiment twice: the control was sufficient, thank you very much!"

They rounded a tight corner, the chair's wheels sparking against the asphalt roads.

"Where are we heading, Spirit?"

"I heard Mexico City is wonderful this time of year!"

"I thought that was where you assigned-"

"If she's here now, then she ain't there, right?"

Stein shrugged: he could not argue with that logic.

With that, the two men departed from Death City, as small children watched the scene, questioning why the value of the annual Christmas parade had become so remarkably cheap.

o-o-o

"What a rush!"

"Patty, you are indoors-please remove your helmet."

"But then I couldn't do this!" She reeled back her head, and started to bounce it off one of the walls.

"Stop that-you'll put gouges into the wall!"

"Patty," Liz began, placing her hands on Kid's shoulders, "why don't you start setting out the dishes?"

"But dinner isn't for another three hours!"

"Best then to start early, is it not?" Kid added.

"And Please set an additional plate," Liz added: "I am almost certain Maka and Soul will be bringing a guest with them."

Patty removed her helmet, so she could stick her tongue out at her family as she stamped her feet into the dining room.

Kid placed his hands behind his back, as he alternated between the balls and heels of his feet. Liz avoided eye contact, looking around the decorated hallway.

"I think we did good this year."

"Yes," Kid replied, "the new decorations suit our home." He peered into the living room. "Hmm-Father must have gone back to work." He narrowed his eyes. "And he left his mess, too," as he thumbed at the pile of empty eggnog cartons and puddle of its remains.

"We'll get clean it later," she said, walking into the room. "Come on-I want you to show me all the sights you saw at our old stomping grounds!"

"I...did not really have much time for sightseeing, Liz."

"Then just show me a few places," she said. She saw her neon pink laptop still sitting on the coffee table. She picked it up, and plopped down onto the couch. "I'll pull up the map, you point to the spots, 'kay?"

Kid smiled. "Okay." He sat to the right of her-until she patted next to her leg, and Kid accommodated by sliding closer, so he could look onto the screen with her. She put her arm around the back of the couch behind his neck, lifted the laptop screen, and with one hand typed in her password.

"Now, let's see what we can find in good ole Brook-"

Their eyes both widened.

"Patty! You've been writing smut on my laptop again?!"

"Good lord! I-I never did any such thing with Black Star! Or anyone! This is absolute fiction! Patty! How could you?!"

Their friend's giggling echoed throughout the mansion.

o-o-o

WRITER'S NOTES

Done!

Of course I end the fan fic with Kid finding smut about him—I can't let a story end on some authentic moment of sentiment between Liz and Kid when I can disrupt it with some low-class joke. And of course Black Star is going to be into that kind of writing—it's about him, so he's going to love it. Black Star ships himself with everyone: he's like Jeff Winger, he has chemistry with everyone.

Soul and Maka nuzzling each other's souls has been done in other fan fics—so I'm pretty sure I'm stealing that idea from Marsh of Sleep's story "Amplify."

This story is not good: it is more than 100 pages, it is limited to one season of the year, and it was written very quickly over the course of maybe two weeks.

But I enjoyed the experiment, and I thank you for sitting through even one sentence of this Frankenstein's monster. Have a decent winter this year— watch the holiday television special or film of your choice, and hang in there through the season.