A/N: A little bit in this chapter is pulled from Resentment – Azusa had a crush on Spirit at Shibusen. But nothing else from that story has happened in this timeline.
"Please don't make me."
"Yumi. You have to talk to Maka." Marie linked arms with Azusa and continued to walk her down the hallways. It was a Saturday, so they were relatively empty, and Marie had organised to meet with Maka, forgetting to include the small detail of her father's girlfriend being present as well.
"I'm going to have a panic attack." Azusa murmured, and Marie shook her head and continued walking, rubbing small circles into Azusa's back.
"You're going to be okay." Marie said gently, and as they turned a corner, they saw a sandy-blonde haired teenager leaning against the wall, her head buried in a book.
"Smile." Marie whispered, and Azusa tried her best.
"Maka!" Marie smiled, and Maka looked up, all prepared to give a cheery welcome – until she saw the bespectacled woman next to her teacher.
"What is she doing here?" Maka asked.
"She is Yumi Azusa, and I think you know why she's here, Maka." Marie said, gently, and Maka frowned.
"You haven't spoken to Azusa since she and your father started dating." Marie said, and Azusa was as reluctant as the teen.
"At the rate he goes through girlfriends, would you bother getting to know them?" she asked, and she turned on her heel to walk into the classroom. Marie practically had to drag Azusa into the classroom and slam the door behind her. As she did, she whispered in her ear.
"Don't lie to her. She'll be able to tell – and moreover, she won't trust you otherwise. Answer whatever she asks." Marie maintained her smile as she whispered, and she then turned back to Maka.
"Can you just try and talk to Azusa? I know it seems out of line, but I've known her and your father for a very long time." Marie said, and playing up her innocent expression seemed to work, as Maka pulled up a chair and sighed, crossing her arms.
"Okay. I'm not going to say anything – I'm just here to listen." she pulled two chairs from behind the desk and set one across from Maka and the other halfway between the other chair. Azusa sat down, filled with trepidation, and Maka glanced her up and down.
"… Hello." Azusa began, and Maka shrugged.
"Hi." she managed. Azusa cleared her throat and sat back, and her eyes settled on perhaps the scariest teenager she'd ever had to deal with.
"Maka… why are you angry at Azusa?" Marie asked.
"I'm not angry." she retorted, and Marie raised an eyebrow in thought.
"Oh? Then what are you?" she asked, and Maka sighed, wringing her hands before dropping them to her sides.
"Papa's had so many girlfriends. And every time, the same thing happens. They go out for about a month and then he leaves her and then he gets all upset and goes into his Papa loves Mama and Maka the most state of mind. Then he finds someone else who gets him out of that and they start going out. And it starts again." Maka told the women, and Marie nodded.
"Do you know how long your dad and Azusa have been going out?" Marie asked. Maka raised an eyebrow and looked at Azusa. Marie nodded at Azusa as well and she swallowed.
"Nearly six months, now." she said, and Maka sat back and crossed her arms.
"He was with Mama for years." she retorted, and Azusa sat forwards.
"Well, yes, but-"
"Are you sleeping with him?"
Azusa blinked. Marie blinked. Maka held her stare.
Don't lie to her. She'll be able to tell – and moreover, she won't trust you otherwise. Answer whatever she asks.
Marie expected Azusa to follow her advice. But somewhere between the door and the chair Azusa had regained her confidence.
"Are you sleeping with Soul?"
Maka blinked. Marie blinked. Azusa held her stare.
"I asked first." Maka sat forward slightly, as did Azusa.
"You answer me first and I won't tell your father." Azusa's glasses glinted in the light and Maka straightened in her seat.
"W-Well… you tell me first and I won't tell the whole class." Maka said, indignantly.
"You wouldn't. You don't talk about your father in class. Because, and let's be honest here, he's a bit of a fool." Azusa replied, and Maka sighed.
"You seem far too smart for Papa." Maka remarked.
"Maybe his problem is that his other girlfriends were too stupid for him." Azusa stated, and Maka raised an eyebrow.
"Mama was smart." Maka retorted.
"We were best friends for years, I know that." Azusa nodded.
"You knew Mama?" Maka asked, and Azusa nodded again.
"She was a part of our group. It was her, your father, Marie-sensei, Professor Stein, Naigus-sensei, Sid-sensei and I." Azusa told Maka, and the girl sat forward.
"What was Mama like as a kid?" Maka asked, and Azusa smiled slightly.
"She was very smart. She was top of the class, academically. Would have been the strongest meister if not for Stein. Then again, he would have topped the class academically if not for her, so it was a bit give and take there. She was kind, too. But always held her own." Azusa explained, and Maka seemed enthralled.
"I haven't been involved with you for years, but I was there when you were born. And, from what your father has told me – you're much like your mother." Azusa concluded, and Maka gave a small smile and glanced at the floor.
"You were there when I was born?" Maka asked, and Azusa nodded.
"We all were. Kami was eighteen. You should ask Sid-sensei about it. He came into the room and passed out." Azusa remarked, and Maka gave a small laugh.
"Papa doesn't tell me about any of this." Maka said, and Azusa nodded.
"Because it hurts him. He thought he had everything worked out. He didn't. He never realised I had a crush on him all the way through Shibusen." Azusa confessed, and Maka's eyes widened.
"No offence, but Papa used to talk about you before you got together. He said you just called him up on everything he did wrong!" she exclaimed, and Azusa shrugged.
"There was no other way to get the attention of your father but by yelling at him." Azusa remarked, and Maka giggled.
"That sounds about right." Maka replied, and Azusa sighed.
"But you do. Look a lot like her, that is. And I'm hoping that you can get past any animosity you hold towards me so that I can get to know whether or not you really are like her." Azusa said, and her voice was more gentle than Marie had ever heard it. Maka nodded, but her eyes suddenly flicked to the ground and Azusa raised an eyebrow.
"Don't let Papa hurt you." she murmured. Azusa nodded.
"I won't. If he tries, you'll know about it." she remarked, and Maka smiled and sighed.
"I'm sorry I've not spoken to you." Maka said, sheepishly, and Azusa shook her head.
"I was a teenage girl once too, you know." Azusa replied, and Maka looked up.
"And you know that odd relationship between your father and Doctor Stein? I had to deal with that when they were teenagers." Azusa remarked.
"How was that different?" Maka asked. Azusa sighed and shook her head.
"Basically the same. Except they both had squeaky voices, so their arguments were ten times as irritating." Azusa said, and a smile threatened to break forth on her face. Maka couldn't help but laugh, and neither could Marie.
"It went fine. It went wonderfully." Marie smiled, and Azusa sighed, watching the silver haired scientist walk behind Marie and plant his hands on the top of the chair she was sitting on.
"I don't see why you had to talk to Maka anyway." Stein remarked.
"If you had a daughter, I'd talk to her." Marie added, and Stein crossed his arms.
"If I had a daughter, I'd be rather surprised. I'd make an awful father." Stein replied, and Marie glanced up.
"I think it will grow on you." Marie remarked.
"Subtle." Stein replied, and Azusa's eyes widened.
"Are you pregnant?" Azusa asked.
"No! Wha – Why does everyone keep saying I'm pregnant? Have I put on weight? Stein, have I put on weight?" Marie looked up, and Stein's eyes widened.
"No." Stein shook his head. Marie sighed and heard the door open, and all eyes flicked to the redhead, who greeted all three of the individuals.
"Hello, hello, Stein, get out of my apartment." Spirit smirked, and Stein rolled his eyes.
"You're so funny. After twenty years, you're still hilarious." Stein said, indignantly. Spirit rolled his eyes and walked over to sit beside Azusa.
"You love me, Franken Stein, so don't even try to deny it." Spirit laughed, and Stein crossed his arms.
"I shall deny it vehemently." he replied, and Azusa sighed.
"You know, I was explaining to Maka how we had to deal with you two arguing as teenagers." Azusa told them, and Spirit raised an eyebrow.
"You spoke to Maka?" he asked, and Azusa nodded.
"It's okay. It went fine." she reassured him, and he gave a small sigh of relief.
"And the part where she spoke about you two arguing while your voices were still breaking was pretty funny." Marie remarked, and Stein and Spirit looked at one another before looking at Azusa.
"You what?"Stein asked, andAzusa shrugged.
"I was just trying to relate to Maka. And she has to deal with your petulant arguments, as did I back at Shibusen." Azusa remarked, and Stein crossed his arms.
"You understand I interact with Maka practically every day. She's a student, I'm a teacher - does that seem familiar?" Stein asked. Azusa shrugged.
"Whoops." she smirked.
"So you and Maka are all good?" Spirit asked.
"I don't know if we're all good, but we're better." Azusa took the cup of coffee Spirit had made her and nursed it gently. Spirit sat beside her and sighed.
"Bet she already likes you more than she likes me." Spirit remarked.
"She's a teenager. She likes everyone more than she likes you." Azusa replied, and Spirit smirked and laughed.
"I s'pose you're right. Like always." he remarked.
"I try." she replied, and Spirit's arm wrapped around her tightly. His chin rested on her shoulder and he closed his eyes, giving a small, contented sigh.
"I love you." he murmured. Azusa nearly threw her coffee across the room. She realised she was silent for too long when Spirit pulled away.
"I've just made this horribly awkward, haven't I?" Spirit asked. Azusa shook her head frantically and set her coffee down, pushing her hair behind her ear.
"No, no, it's just… nobody's ever… I haven't... Nobody's ever said that to me before." she mumbled. Spirit sighed.
"Marie says it all the time. Azusa sighed and frowned at Spirit.
"You know what I mean." she replied. Spirit sighed and Azusa rested against him, curling up.
"It's okay. You can reply whenever you're ready. If that's never, it's never. But… I do." he shrugged, and Azusa exhaled gently. Spirit leant down and kissed Azusa on the top of the head before standing up.
"I'm gonna get to sleep. See you when you get there." he told her, and she sat upright on the couch. She sat for a while after Spirit had gone to the bedroom, and a million thoughts ran through her head. But only one repeated itself.
You love him. You're head-over-heels, shout-it-from-the-rooftops, completely in love with Spirit Albarn.
Eventually, she took a deep breath in and walked to the bedroom door. She flicked the light on and Spirit turned over, his eyes blinking open.
"You okay?" he asked, shielding his eyes from the light. Azusa took a deep breath in and clenched her fists at her side. She looked directly at Spirit and steeled herself.
"… I love you." she finally blurted out. Spirit sat himself up and the smile on his face grew.
"I love you. I'm in love with you. Oh, Death. I love you-" by this point, Spirit had got out of the bed and walked over to Azusa, wrapping his arms around her waist.
"Sorry, I didn't quite get…" he laughed, and she gasped, the feelings swirling around in her head making her giddy and delirious.
"I love you, Spirit." she stated. Spirit leant down and cupped Azusa's jaw, kissing her gently.
"I love you too." he replied.