Disclaimer:
DR: MWAHAHA I've given them a cliffhanger! No way I can lose their interest now!
DragonRider: *Sigh* So who did you say was the actual rapist again?
DR: Like I'm gonna tell you that when we're being recorded on Disclaimer Cam?
DragonRider: Then make it so they can't hear, and then hurry up and get to your disclaimer.
DR: *Whispers*
DragonRider: Really? Are you fucking kidding me.
DR: *Sheepishly shakes head*
DragonRider: *Facepalm* Just...just get to saying you don't own Soul Eater.
DR: No need when I just got you to.
Trust No-One
Chapter 7:
Maka and Soul didn't discuss anything having to do with the rape or the investigation that night, besides Soul asking her if she still wanted to sleep in his room. She tried to tell him that she'd be okay in her own room, but he insisted he would be alright sleeping on the couch. Finally, she consented, hugging him tightly before heading off to his room.
She looked around the room, his scent all over it. There wasn't much to the room, but at least it was warm. She laid down on his bed, pulling the covers up to her chin. She thought about the crazy events of the day, most of them bringing tears to her eyes.
She remembered waking up, tied down, sore, panicking.
She remembered Soul finding her and soothing her, promising everything was okay.
She remembered waking up in the hospital, scared and confused.
She remembered all her friends standing around her, desperate to see that she was alright.
She remembered Soul's comforting embrace.
She remembered him holding her and whispering that it would be okay, that he was there, that nothing bad was going to happen to her anymore.
She remembered him crying for her...
She pushed that thought away, curling up into a tight ball on her side. Swallowing back tears, reminding herself that she was safe and Soul was back in the living room to protect her, Maka bravely closed her eyes to sleep. The warmth of the sheets and the scent of Soul on the pillow made it seem almost like he was right there next to her...
Maka smiled and slowly drifted off to sleep, comforted by thoughts of her partner.
Soul lay on the couch, but didn't fall asleep immediately. He knew Maka was safely in his bedroom, but something told him to stay awake and make sure nothing else bad happened to her. So, instead, he grabbed the remote and turned on the TV, trying not to make it too loud; he didn't want to wake her. If she needed anything right now, it was rest.
He was so exhausted. He was fighting sleep, caught up in the TV, and trying to stay alert for danger at the same time. He was so busy fighting himself that he didn't even realize when he actually slipped into sleep.
Soul woke up around two in the morning. Normally, he would have simply growled at the early hour and fallen back asleep, but after trying to escape from his nightmare for so long, it seemed like a good idea.
Groaning, he lifted himself onto his feet and stretched. He grimaced at his morning breath and dragged himself into the kitchen to get something to wash it down.
After stumbling around like a drunken man for almost ten minutes trying to pour himself a glass of orange juice (and simultaneously form a half-coherent swearword) Soul staggered back into the living room. Maybe to get more sleep, or just stand there like an idiot, who knows? Even he wasn't quite sure what he was going to do at two in the fucking morning. He just needed to do something to keep him from falling back asleep. So, he went with the first thing his idiotic, half-asleep, equivalent-of-piss-drunk mind came up with.
Shaking himself awake a little bit, slapping himself a couple times for good measure, he snuck into his room, where Maka was soundly asleep. Careful not to step too loud, he crept over to the bed and gently brushed some of her hair out of her face, looking at her peaceful expression. Smiling just slightly, a rare smile, without any hint of the smirk he usually wore, he leaned down and kissed her cheek softly. Then, he stood back up and grabbed his iPod and earbuds out of the top drawer of his dresser and tip-toed back out of the room, shutting the door silently.
He was still unsure of whether this would actually do any good at keeping him awake, Soul put his earbuds in and turned it on. Then, he dropped to the floor and started doing push-ups.
He wasn't used to exercising this soon after waking up, but he pushed through anyway, doing sit-ups, push-ups, hell, he even went around the house looking for objects heavy enough to weightlift. Body covered in a thin sheet of sweat, hair stuck to his forehead, he thought about going outside and running laps, but then remembered that it wasn't even three AM yet. And he was supposed to be staying in here and keeping an eye on Maka. So, putting down the stool he hadn't even realized he'd picked up, he turned off his iPod and set it on the kitchen table. Then, he took a deep breath and leaned back against the wall. The clock on the microwave read 2:43 AM. He sighed, shaking his head and wandering back into the living room.
What did Maka usually do when she wanted to stay awake? He figured she'd probably read a book or something. At first, the cool-guy side of him said, "Hell no!" but then, he figured, that idea was as good as any. "Don't knock it till ya try it," he always said. He was just headed for the bookshelf when he noticed the TV was still on. As he bent down and shut it off, he was jolted very much awake by a scream.
Soul didn't think twice. He spun on his heel and ran into his bedroom, where, sure enough, Maka was sitting bolt upright, hands covering her face and screaming her lungs out.
Maka jolted awake with a terrified scream. She'd been fighting the nightmare for what seemed like forever, but at the same time, it hadn't felt like a nightmare. She could clearly feel the gritty rope on her wrists and ankles and in between her teeth. She could hear the man's voice as he whispered in her ear, could feel the excruciating pain and indescribable terror like it was really happening.
Trying to escape that horrible image, she covered her face with her hands, still screaming in pain and horror. She heard the door slam open, but she didn't look up. She just started crying. She didn't quite realize she wasn't dreaming anymore, and she was still scared.
"No, no, no, no, no!" she sobbed into her hands. She felt the mattress depress on her left side and a hand on her shoulder.
"Maka?" she heard Soul's voice. "Maka, are you okay? What's going on?!"
She didn't answer, only shook her head and cried harder. She felt Soul wrap his arms around her, softly shushing her and whispering "It's okay, I'm here, it's alright."
When she finally calmed down enough to realize she wasn't dreaming anymore, she gripped Soul's shirt in her fists and buried her face in his chest. Soul rubbed her back and ran his fingers through her hair, whispering in her ear to relax. At last, her sobs faded and her hands loosened up on his shirt. She closed her eyes and took several deep breaths to steady her ragged breathing.
"Are you alright, Maka?" Soul asked worriedly. Maka wet her lips and nodded, finally opening her eyes.
"I-I just..." Suddenly, she wrinkled her nose and slid away from him. "You're all sweaty," she muttered when Soul raised an eyebrow at her. He shrugged, more concerned about her safety at this point.
"Was there somebody in here?" he asked, his protective instinct kicking in. He still didn't relax when Maka shook her head.
"No…" she whispered, "No, it was just a nightmare."
Soul nodded slowly, scooting closer to her and pulling her into his arms again. He stroked her hair and kissed the top of her head.
"Well, I'm here now," he told her. "I won't let anything happen to you, I promise. Now maybe you oughta get back to sleep; it's three in the morning."
She nodded hesitantly, cuddling into his chest, despite the sweat.
"Can you stay with me until I fall asleep?" she asked. Soul smiled; she was just so cute when she asked things like that. He nodded.
"Of course. Whatever you want."
She smiled, relaxing in his embrace. It wasn't long until she fell soundly asleep, Soul soon lying down next to her and following suit. All through the rest of the night, he never once let go of her.
A/N: SQUEEEE fluffiness! X3 Read, review, check out my Facebook, all that good stuff!