Nygus smirked a bit at the man in the bed as she went on with her normal cleaning and caring for the dispensary. Spirit fidgeted as she did so, and whenever she'd glance his way, the man's cheeks were tinged red.

"Oh come on, Spirit. For Death's sake, it isn't like Blair or someone that can't keep their mouths shut caught the two of you." Nygus teased.

"I don't know what you're talking about Mira." Spirit said, glancing out the window.

"I'm sure you don't, Spirit. Don't worry though. I do know how to be discrete." The death scythe sighed as the other weapon walked around the corner. "Though, I'm not sure if Sid can be. That's just the kind of man he was."

Spirit paled.

"They were planning on replacing you in the academy and taking over your classes. That would give them an inside look at the academy, along with access to our students. She didn't say as much, but it was implied that like Marie, you were going to be kept alive. It's assumed that it was to garner as much information as they could from you."

Stein smirked. "They would have failed."

"I know that you are highly resistant to torture, Stein-kun, but they did have Marie-chan. You would have done anything to prevent harm to her." Shinigami-sama reminded the doctor, and Stein clenched his hands into fists before forcing them open.

"I would have given my life for her; they were idiots to have ever allowed harm to come to her." Stein forced out.

"Stein-kun, focus. They wanted you, to take over your class. That means they were aiming for the E.A.T. class and the students there in. It was more than just you and Marie, if they could have done anything to any of our E.A.T. students, we could have been without defenses at some point in the future."

"You're correct in assuming that they would be weakened, but we will never be truly without defenses… there are always the scattered death scythes, the retired meisters, and if necessary, there will be the N.O.T. class and burgeoning E.A.T. students."

"I am aware that there will always be backups, Stein-kun, but we may have suffered more serious losses."

Stein was silent, his hands clenched into fists and he took a deep breath before he spoke, his eyes downcast. "Losing Marie was still a serious loss, Shinigami-sama."

"Even so… I am… grateful that we only lost one to this plot." Shinigami-sama said carefully.

Stein's voice was cold and he quickly changed the topic. "Witch Auril, what will be done with her?"

"Hmmm…" Shinigami-sama's overly large hand tapped at his chin. "Kept prisoner, I suppose!"

Stein's eyes flicked up. "I want her."

"Stein-kun I can't allow that. Marie-chan wouldn't want you to lose yourself because of her. Letting you 'have' Witch Auril would no doubt see you lost to the madness." Shinigami-sama said gently. "Stein-kun, try to understand."

"I understand. That doesn't mean that I am happy with your decision. That… witch killed Marie. She nearly killed Spirit-senpai. She did kill an IA agent. Yet you simply wish to imprison her. That's like sending a child to their room. It accomplishes nothing." Stein said bitterly.

"Stein-kun, it accomplishes more than you would expect." Shinigami-sama said as the scientist turned on his heel. "Where are you going?"

"There's a spell wrapped around Spirit-senpai's soul still." The scientist said dismissively. "Perhaps you should ask your pet witch about it."

Shinigami-sama watched the unstable scientist leave and sighed.

Spirit was sitting with his legs over the edge of the bed when Stein came back, the ice completely melted. The death scythe was still cold though, and Stein smirked to see that Spirit was wearing his lab coat.

"I don't believe that the stitches suit you, Senpai." Stein said as he walked into the now empty dispensary.

"It's warmer than the blanket that they left me with. I know they said my temperature was coming back to normal, but I still feel half froze." Spirit said, continuing to look out the window and Stein realized that he was sitting in the sunlight.

Stein was silent as he moved over to sit beside Spirit, looking at the man's soul. As he had expected, the ice that had seemed to be clinging to Spirit's body was gone, but the icy prison around the man's soul was stronger now. Stein's hand reached out and Spirit jerked when he touched his hand. Spirit's hand still felt like ice.

"I'm going to go find out where they moved the portable heater to, Senpai. You need to stay warm." Stein stood and moved to leave, but Spirit's hand shot out. The scientist looked down at the death scythe and realized just how fragile the other man looked.

"Don't, please. Everyone else left after I woke up. Even Nygus left." Spirit's voice was quiet, and he wasn't looking at Stein, but rather out the window. "She told me that I needed to stay in the dispensary until either you or her came back. I… I don't want to be alone." Spirit's voice cracked a bit at the end, and his hand fell from Stein's arm.

Stein hesitated. He knew that Spirit needed to be kept warm. A mobile heater would be the best bet for that. Something twisted inside him though and he remembered that one of the ways to treat hypothermia was body heat. It only took a step to turn and face the death scythe, the scientist's hand resting against Spirit's chest lightly before pushing the man backwards and onto the bed.

Spirit's hands flailed out behind him, but the movement caught him by surprise and he fell. Stein was leaned across Spirit's body a moment later, his lips pushing against Spirit's even as his hands pulled the weapon's legs up and onto the bed. There was confusion in Spirit's eyes but he moved as Stein pushed. Stein broke the kiss once Spirit was back in bed and, to the weapon's surprise, nudged him over enough for the meister to lie beside him on the bed.

"Stein?" Stein's lips pressed against the weapons again as long arms encircled the smaller man.

"You need to get warm." Stein's explanation was brief and simple once he broke the kiss, Spirit's breath short. "Body heat is effective, and you don't have to be alone."

Spirit's face felt hot, so he turned on his side to face away from Stein, the other man's arms wrapped securely around Spirit's waist. Spirit lay there with just his thoughts and Stein's gentle breathing warming the back of his neck, the shivers he hadn't even realized he still had slowly subsiding. Wordlessly the death scythe rolled over to his other side, tucking his head under Stein's chin, the scientist's hands resting against his back.

"My front got cold…" Spirit said drowsily, the warmth from Stein's body lulling him to sleep. A few minutes later the scientist was also asleep, Spirit in his arms.

Nygus smirked as she walked into the dispensary. Spirit and Stein were both asleep on the small bed, and there was some color in Spirit's cheeks now.

"Well Nygus, it seems that they are both sleeping well. You may want to keep the door to the dispensary closed." There was what could have been a smirk on the zombie's face and Nygus just threaded her arm through his.

"I know, Sid. We'll keep their secret, though."

"Keeping secrets wasn't the kind of man I was. I guess it's a good thing that I'm not that man anymore, isn't it?" Sid chuckled quietly and Nygus smiled behind her bandages.

The ice cracked.

A/N: I know that this chapter has run a little bit shorter, but this is where I wanted to cut it off. I hope that you enjoyed this installment. I don't own Soul Eater.