Seriously, I had so much fun writing this chapter.

At least twenty pharmacies existed in the general area, so as Soul walked into this one he didn't see the need to look up from his phone. There wasn't a reason why he shouldn't be able to sink into anonymity, focused only on the glowing screen as he shot another playful reply to Maka. That half dreamy smirk was pulling at the corners of his mouth and as he turned down the aisle he needed, his cheeks were already starting to pink at all the thoughts of her.

Because all of this was for her and that had steadied him to only a whisper of embarrassment, about the same as the multitude of times he'd been sent for tampons. At least that was all the expectations he had for this trip until he put his phone in his pocket to finally focus on the purpose at hand. Except, the purpose was obscured by a tall, lanky red-head that Soul would have sold his soul to avoid. It was obvious that those green eyes had been appraising Soul since he turned into the aisle and now as they met scarlet were narrowing, lips pinched tight to match.

Fucking. Kill. Me. Now. The only clear option was to continue the straight line past him and hope that there was something that came along by the end of the aisle that wouldn't send Spirit into a tizzy. He could grab the tampons, that was totally an option - and now that I think about it maybe I should. It seems like there's never enough of the damn things anyway. So, scratch that, he would grab tampons but the whole point, the entire purpose was what Spirit was standing in front of at that very moment. But that's easy, just get what he'd only have a minor infarction about and then get the real deal tomorrow, or next week, or the next fucking time I know Spirit's busy so fate doesn't somehow fuck me again.

Because while Maka hadn't explicitly said it, the jump from no below-the-belt touching to practice to just about every other night screaming his name out had given him a taste of reality. They were completely a couple. A couple that was in love and exploring so… the logical next step is sex. And while Stein was amiable when he suggested protection, something tells me he and Marie would murder me just as quickly as Spirit would if I fucked that part up. Soul in his infinite need to plan for every contingency had come to the pharmacy with the express purpose of buying condoms, because even if they sat in the drawer of his bedside table for the next week, month, maybe even a year, he would just be happy to know he had them.

Technically, it could wait, right?

Soul let the old programmed part of his brain take over, walking past Spirit to the end of the aisle to pick up the right color, count, and brand he'd been conditioned to buy and tucked it under his arm like he always did. Just because it wasn't that embarrassing didn't mean he had to openly carry it. As he turned, he met eyes with Spirit again and Soul wasn't sure what it was about that stupid face or the shit-eating grin, or maybe it was all the times he'd made Maka cry or scream her head off and, well, that last little bit of giving a damn snapped.

On the walk back, Soul shifted to the other side of the aisle, just squeezing between the cornucopia of brightly colored boxes with evocative names and Spirit, and let his eyes fall just long enough to snatch a lovely lavender number called "For Her." Soul felt it, the immediate wave and he waited for the apt-to-fits Spirit to erupt like a not long-dormant volcano. He even contemplated shoplifting because there was no way Spirit was going to let him get away with standing in the check-out line. Except Soul had sealed the hands of fate when he grabbed that box and now this was the hill he would die on.

Silence eerily hung as Soul stood in line, his focus on the pimply cashier instead of the possibility that his least favorite helicopter parent was breathing curses down his neck. For a completely irrational moment, Soul let a second of calm come to his mind. Maybe Spirit's over it. Maybe this was the last straw, he realizes I love his daughter and I'm literally trying to take care of her and maybe, just maybe, our personal lives don't include him and it's none of his damn business. The delusion quickly faded, especially as he dropped the assortment on the counter and out of his periphery caught Spirit leaning in the exit doorway.

Now his only solace was calculating just how mad he was going to make Maka over the ten minutes it would take him to book it back to the apartment. As a hail-mary play he took out his phone as the cashier beeped each item through the scanner and typed with a sad finality, "I love you." He pocketed his phone, paid for his goods, and snatched the bag off the counter.

A reticent Spirit followed him down the street, not steps behind and creepily stalking but outright shoulder to shoulder, oddly mimicking Soul's usual hands-jammed-in-pockets hunch as he walked. For a fleeting moment, Soul was almost home free, the icy silence stretching for the first eight agonizing minutes of the walk. Instead, as he could actually see the door to the stairwell for their apartment, the biting, venomous words came from Spirit's mouth, "Does Maka know you bought those?"

A million implications dances across Soul's mind. Do you honestly still think your daughter's some delicate angel? That I would take advantage of her in some way? That somehow the feelings aren't mutual? Or- The worst of it all washed over him and Soul turned scarlet from his throat to the tips of his ears as he held in a breath to try to attempt to break the horrific swell on his tongue. As he unlocked the outside door, throwing it open and slamming a fist into the frame, there wasn't enough strength left to hold in the air. "I'm not you, Spirit. It's not like I need them for somebody other than the woman I love."

Spirit was still, even when the door clacked shut between them. It wasn't exactly a proud moment but Soul took it, using the time to dash up the stairs and to the door, hoping he could at least get in, at least stash the goods before the inevitable crash of her father at the door. He was frantic to unlock it and with all his rattling by the time it opened, Maka was there to greet him, raised eyebrows and a tentative smile. "What happened to you?" It was mostly playful but as he slammed the door behind him it started to fade.

Soul grabbed her by the cheeks, the bag and its contents smacking lightly against her shoulder as he captured her lips in a desperate kiss.

Maka planted her hands on his chest, tightening into his shirt with the pleasure of it until she had to knock those fists against his chest to insist on air. After a deep breath, she whispered dreamily, "What was that for?"

"Because you're about to be pissed with me," he muttered just in time for the sharp knock at the door.

She spent another second looking over his face, her eyebrows furrowing, before side-stepping him to get to the door, opening it slowly to expose Spirit in the doorway. "Oh, Papa, hi. Is everything OK?"

Spirit's glare was burrowing steadily through the door. "I need to talk to you."

"Sure, Papa," Maka took a step back but Spirit didn't follow and while he offered a quick flick of his glance to his daughter, she finally realized the look wasn't for her.

"Sorry, honey, not you. Soul."

Maka looked between the two of them, "What's-"

"Just give me a sec," Soul whispered as he handed off the bag. May as well just rip off the entire bandaid, let her be mad about all of it if she's gonna be. He squeezed out the door into the hallway and shut it behind him before jamming his hands in his pockets. At least he still had the balls to look Spirit in the eyes. "I can guess what your gonna say but do me a favor and keep your damn voice down, Maka's-"

Spirit cut him off with exactly the voice Soul had asked for, a low hum that might reach the door but nothing further. "Can you give me a real answer to my question?"

Soul blinked at him before matching his tone, "No. I didn't talk to her about it, but that doesn't mean I wasn't gonna and it doesn't mean it's any of your damn business."

"Talk to her," Spirit offered back simply and Soul began to contemplate whether or not he'd actually died on the walk back from the pharmacy, if this wasn't a bloodstained dream while he died in the gutter on the side of the road from some freak accident. While he sat in that weird fugue state, Spirit fed it with more soft words. "Look, getting along isn't our thing, never going to happen, and you better not be thinking we're having some kind of heart-to-heart, father-son talk right now because I'll be damned if-" Spirit cut himself off with a sigh before running his fingers through his hair. "She's so strong. I know she is. Stronger than me, than her mother put together."

The next sigh came with such a weight that Soul felt it sit heavily in his chest. "At the same time, she needs you. Has since, well, since forever. And instead of growing out of it, she's grown into it which as a dad is probably the most terrifying thing to see - watching your daughter go from having a crush to being in love," he finished that with glum finality as he looked almost in need of commiseration Soul couldn't give. "So any… steps forward, any moves in this relationship," that word made him falter from the nail in his gut, "just do it the way you always have: when you're both ready. When you're together and have confidence in each other."

Soul waited, counting each pump of his heart as it thundered in his ears with strangely alternating anger and confusion. "I'm… I'm not just some hormonal asshole," he muttered, and while he expected a snap back got a weak smile from Spirit. "I love her, too, and I'm not gonna hurt her. Not like that. So forget it. Don't fucking worry about it because I was gonna do that with or without your unsolicited advice."

Spirit snorted a laugh that was barely more than a huff of air. "Maybe you'll get it when you have kids. Which'll be never, got that? I'm too young to be a grandfather."

The scarlet was back to his cheeks and Soul swatted the air in hopes of defeating the words before they settled into his ears. "Can I go back to my life now?" He grimaced as he started to squeeze past Spirit and only getting the door open an inch before Spirit's foot got in the way.

"Just don't ever let her be scared, got that?" Spirit didn't wait for an answer, especially since Soul's face told him there wasn't one besides more confusion.

Soul stood in the half-open door for another minute, watching the red hair fade to the end of the hallway and into the stairwell. He tossed a sigh as well as the idea in his brain as he slipped back into the apartment. Maka was right past the door, sitting on the floor of the entryway with each box set in front of her like a riddle. Her green eyes batted up at him patiently and Soul settled down to the floor in front of her. "I don't know where to start," Maka let a few giggles follow that before letting a finger prod at the plastic shrink wrap around the light purple box.

He put a hand over hers, forcing those fingers to cover the black lettering on top. "I bought those because I don't want you to worry, to be scared." Under the weight of his hand, he pressed the box towards her. "Not that I'm not scared because I definitely… well, I can't plan for everything, but at least I can do this. When we want to, when we're ready, it's here. That's all I wanted."

"Security," Maka nodded thoughtfully. "Especially since you know your meister likes to jump headfirst."

Soul snorted a laugh, "That's kinda your thing. One of the things I love about you."

"And this is your thing," she tapped a careful finger under his palm. "One of the things I love about you."

He hid the happy little sigh with a clearing of his throat. "I just… well, I sorta bought those in front of your dad."

"Idiot," Maka chided with a roll of her eyes. "And I bet you didn't have to, you just got defensive."

"Wouldn't say defensive," Soul grimaced. "Maybe…?"

"Defiant?" Maka offered playfully. "Oppositional?" As he huffed away she laughed, moving her hand with his overtop to the other box. "And this one?"

"'Cuz," he dropped the word with the rest quickly falling after in a low grumble, "Maybe I almost didn't buy the condoms because I saw him but then I kind of, dunno, lost it."

"Why'd you lose it?" Maka peered closely at his face especially as Soul tried to hide under the mop of his hair.

"You just didn't see his face, OK?" Soul snapped.

"You two are going to have to grow up," Maka said with a sigh. "Someday."

Soul let out a languishing sigh before leaning into the wall, his head thunking against it roughly. "What's the punishment?"

Maka let out a long, thoughtful hum as her finger pressed to her chin. "A video."

He raised his eyebrows.

"Do you want me to pick the topic or you?" He had an itching feeling that while there was sweetness in her smile the baseline was deviant, a devil wearing a halo.

Soul cleared his throat, trying to buy time as she continued to shine a deceptively tender smile his way. No matter what I'll regret it, right? "You."

That was the correct answer as the grin turned to beaming. "Why you want to have sex."