Marie felt the blush spread from her cheeks to the top of her chest as he asked if she had enjoyed the kiss, his familiar smirk back in place. She took her time chewing the small bite of jello and then shrugged.
He raised an eyebrow, giving her another bite of Jello. "And the shrug means?" He asked with that bite.
"It was a kiss, women always enjoy being kissed." She explained after she swallowed the bite, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. 'Death, but if he can embarrass me I'm not giving him the satisfaction of a straight answer!' She thought, and almost lost the ability to hide the smile. She opened her mouth obediently for another bite of Jello.
He sat there with the spoon in his hand, looking at her, his head tilted slightly to the side. The smirk on his face grew a bit, and he extended the spoon to give her the bite, the next question on his lips as she took the bite.
"I didn't ask if women enjoyed being kissed, Marie. I asked if you did; though, if you've already forgotten what it was like I could remind you if you wanted."
Marie felt herself blush; she felt confident that if she could see herself in a mirror she would be as red as a tomato. She busied herself chewing the jello until it was nothing more than a mass of sickly sweet liquid in her mouth, and forced herself to swallow it.
"I can't do anymore Jello, Franken." She said as he dipped the spoon back in.
"You need to rehydrate, Marie." He said a smirk still across his features as he offered the spoon again.
Marie looked at the Jello container in exasperation. It was still half full. She sighed and opened her mouth to complain.
*Plop*
Stein dumped the bite in her mouth and Marie grimaced, swallowing it whole. "Going to answer?" He asked, the spoon dipping towards the Jello cup again, but not quite touching the gelatinous mass yet.
"Are you going to torture me with Jello until I do?"
He moved faster than she had anticipated.
*Plop*
Marie grimaced as he pulled the spoon out of her mouth, swishing the disgusting stuff around in her mouth before swallowing. She did the only thing someone in her situation could do.
She turned her head away from him, looking to the left.
Stein laughed. It wasn't an insane giggle or the false laugh she heard him use while in a group with others. It was a pure laugh of enjoyment. She almost turned her head to look at him, but closed her eye, keeping her mouth shut.
"I wonder…" He trailed off, and she felt something touch the IV line in her left hand, the bed shifting a bit as he leaned over her, his voice coming from close to her ear. "I feel certain that I could rig the IV to deliver the Jello straight into your system. Perhaps it would cause your skin to take on the color of the Jello that was being delivered, since it would be going directly to your blood stream instead of having to go through your digestive system."
Marie's eye flew open and she opened her mouth to protest.
*Plop*
Stein was smirking.
An idea formed in Marie's mind. 'He's going to see just how nasty Jello can be!'
Stein was still smirking as he moved to dip the spoon back in the Jello cup, leaning precariously over her. With a quick movement, the Jello held against her teeth by her tongue, Marie wrapped her right arm around his neck, pulling herself to his mouth and pressed her lips against his.
Stein pulled back, the surprise evident on his face and for a brief second his lips parted as if he were trying to say something.
Marie took her shot, and pushed the Jello between her lips and into his mouth.
Stein bolted off the bed, spitting Jello onto the floor. Marie howled in laughter, relaxing against the bed as he glared at her.
"Do you know how unsanitary that is?" He asked finally, wiping the back of his hands against his lips.
"What, you didn't enjoy the kiss?" She teased, a smile tugging at her lips.
"I'm going to have to smoke just to get the taste out of my mouth."
"Or brush your teeth. I'd appreciate it if you'd bring my toothbrush and toothpaste in so I can." Marie said sweetly.
Stein glared at her for a second, and then turned to leave. He returned a few minutes later, and Marie could smell the mint of his toothpaste over the smoke from the cigarette he now had clutched between his teeth.
"You brought the smoke on yourself." He grumbled. Marie just laughed.
He sat two beakers down on the dresser beside her bed and held her toothbrush awkwardly as he squirted toothpaste on it from her tube. He carefully handed it to her and Marie began the process of brushing her teeth, being careful about not getting any toothpaste onto her lips.
Which proved to be impossible. She even managed to dribble some onto the shirt she was wearing.
His shirt.
Marie's eye opened wide as Stein chuckled. "I wondered how long it would take you to notice. You kept shivering last night; none of your sleep clothing looked very warm. Mine was warmer."
"Um… thanks…" She mumbled around the toothbrush. "Sorry for the toothpaste." Stein reached out and flicked the toothpaste off of his shirt, his finger dragging across her chest lightly as he did and she blushed again.
She busied herself with finishing brushing her teeth, rinsing and spitting thanks to the beakers he had brought in. "Thanks." She mumbled again.
It was too big. She could tell that now, and the fabric was heavier and coarser than anything that she had to sleep in. She had to admit though… it was comforting to wear it. She wriggled back down into the bed, sighing contentedly, warmth spreading through her body.
Stein smirked as he left the room. He returned a minute later without the beakers and sat down beside her bed again, this time balancing the plate on one of his knees. Marie was asleep and Stein let himself grin. 'She certainly knows a good way to avoid talking about something. I'll have to remember that.'
Marie was asleep for an hour before exhaustion finally claimed Stein again, the energy provided by eating not enough to fight it off; he fell asleep with his head propped against the side of Marie's bed, the screw supporting his head against it. A cigarette hung limply from his lips, a small pile of ash having gathered on his pant leg.
The area was pitch black and Stein couldn't see anything, but he could hear the sobbing. It was familiar. Marie?
No, not Marie.
Who then?
In between the sobs there came little hiccups that sounded almost like laughs. Eventually the hiccups overrode the sobs and turned into hysterical laughter.
Stein stepped in something wet and slick.
Light flared.
Stein was left staring into his own eyes, Marie scattered around them, the floor awash with her blood.
He scrambled backwards, his wavelength playing across his hands. The other's face morphed and Laryn stood in front of him, a twisted grin on her face. 'Promise her again, Shibusen dog!'
Stein screamed out wordlessly and lunged.
Marie sat up with a shriek. Stein jerked awake, the laptop clattering off his knees as he stood; wrapping his arms around Marie he held her while she shuddered against him.
"Marie. You're safe. You're home. Focus. You're safe, it was a nightmare. I promise that you're safe." Marie's sobs grew louder and more frantic as he finished and he held her closer, one hand pausing for a second to remove the cigarette from his mouth and drop it in the half-finished jello cup before rubbing small circles against her back. "Marie, tell me." He said quietly.
Brokenly she spoke. "I… I felt like I was watching you dream…" Stein raised an eyebrow but didn't interrupt as she whispered through her tears into his chest. "It was dark… but I… you… could hear sobbing… you thought it was me, but it wasn't, you listened and could tell… then I… you… stepped in something slick and wet…"
Stein's mind filled in the blank. 'Blood.' He had had similar dreams often enough to know what it was without asking.
"Then there was light… I, you… we were looking at you… and I…" Her voice dissolved into a chorus of sobs as she struggled to continue, "I was scattered all over the floor… there was blood everywhere… my blood…" Stein tightened his grip on the sobbing woman. "Oh, Death, I almost couldn't recognize myself…"
'It may have been kinder if you couldn't.' Stein thought, blocking the image from his mind.
Marie wasn't finished. Shuddering in his arms she relayed the end of the dream. "The other you… turned into Laryn… She… she…" Marie took a deep breath. "She told you to promise me again… to promise to keep me safe again…" Marie's voice broke and she sobbed into his chest.
Stein tilted her head up to look at him, and before he could think better of the action pressed his lips against hers; as before the tears stopped. He smiled into the kiss, ignoring the taste of her tears as he leaned her back against the bed.
Her fingers tangled briefly in his hair and he smirked, pulling back.
"I believe that answers whether or not you enjoyed it."
Marie just blushed and turned her head away, the taste of mint and smoke lingering in her mouth.
A/N: I don't own Soul Eater or Jello.
And yes I do like Jello o.O And lemon-lime soda. My favorite type of pop actually, with lime being my favorite Jello. (I prefer 7-up over any of them though. Which I also don't own.)
So… this has the potential to go to an M rating o.O Though, I think I may keep it Teen. Let me know what you think in the reviews!