The mirror had been my nemesis for six months-at least. Realistically, we never had all that great of a relationship since puberty, but the addition of Jack had fanned those feelings to a furious flame. Standing in my underwear, I could see the stretch marks. I could see the dark line that split me from my belly button down to my panties. I could see the damn rash that wouldn't go away on my right hip. These were all things I couldn't hide, couldn't change, but still couldn't accept were part of me.

They were all things that I didn't want Soul to see.

They were all things that I couldn't let Soul see.

But where did that leave me? Celibate until Jack was evicted and maybe some of these went away? Or did I expect our nights together-whenever I had the nerve to actually make them more than almost platonic cuddling-would only happen in the pitch black where there was no chance of him even getting a hint about what my body might actually look like? It was a joke to think he couldn't guess- didn't know I wasn't some behemoth.

Even worse, sex with Brian had never been all that experimental and missionary wasn't exactly something I could even do right now. I assumed there were positions pregnant women could- ugh! Even getting on that train of thought only offered me the worst reply: As if he'd want to.

The rational part of my mind was bucking: Talk to him!

The lovely, irrational and mostly hormonal side was withering: How long before he'll move on to someone who can give him what he needs?

With a desperate breath, I collapsed back on the bed and picked up my phone.

"Hey, honey!" Marie's voice always has this quality that instantly lifts you and while I was still sunken into the bed, it did at least raise the corners of my lips.

"Hi. Are you busy?"

"Well, Shelley is currently playing that penguin and ice game with her brother, so I have at least five minutes before one of them is crying."

"I don't cry!" Blake bellowed somewhere in the background.

Marie snickered as I heard movement in the background. "Alright, I'm on the deck, so no interruptions."

"Um…" The sound warbled in my throat, the pin-pricks of tears starting without much provocation. I swerved away from my original thought, offering the one that might actually keep my cheeks unmarred. "Soul's sister-in-law, Viv, is going to call you. She wants to throw a shower."

"I thought you didn't want that." Marie sighed. "Don't let someone else pressure you into-"

"No, Marie, it's OK." I let my hand rest on Jack, feeling the ghost of Soul's fingers underneath. "I-I change my mind because… I'm not scared of this anymore. And maybe it'd be nice-really nice--to have the chance to actually celebrate. At first, I was afraid to but now…"

Her hum came along with a grumble. "The second this upsets you-"

"You can shut it down-" I laughed softly "-but for right now, help Viv, please. She's actually really sweet. I'm glad the two of you will be able to meet and get to know each other."

"Am I inviting your father?"

The question struck me like a whip, leaving my mouth slightly agape. "Men don't usually come to showers, do they?" I croaked back the first excuse I could think of.

"You and I both know your shower would have to be co-ed. Blake won't stomach anything different and I'm pretty sure even Franken would complain. And maybe your boyfriend wants to come?"

It was utterly stupid, but even when Brian held that moniker, I never blushed to hear it. It was a title that men received and that was all, but Soul- my boyfriend! I couldn't stop the color from creeping up my cheeks. Blame it on the pregnancy hormones all you want, but… it feels special, doesn't it? Different?

Jack kicked to punctuate the thought.

OK, baby, I hear you loud and clear. "It'd be nice if he could be there."

"Sans-Papa?"

I blew air through my lips, trying to let the buzz bring some kind of thought forward but only getting the panic I couldn't avoid: "Is Papa going to kill him?"

Marie snorted through a few laughs. "Well, Spirit's sorta still punchdrunk over the pregnancy, so there's a chance that he could be a little zen…?" The snickering interrupted again, clearly not adopting an ounce of my worry. "You can't separate them for the rest of both of their existences, Maka. They have to meet."

"They sorta did already," I grumbled.

I should have known better than to even try, as Marie came back swinging instantly. "And you clearly told Spirit that this was your boyfriend and the man who's going to help you raise your child?"

"It was before all that," I groaned. "Please, please, please, Marie, can't you just tell him?"

"Oh, I can tell him about your boyfriend, but that doesn't change the fact that he's going to be Spirit about it." She let out a twittering sigh. "But maybe we should give Spirit just a little more credit than that. We're talking about a guy stepping up to be a father when he doesn't have to. Even your histrionic, over-protective dad will give that the respect it deserves."

My stomach looped in on itself and there was no blaming Jack. "About that, Marie…"

All giggling ceased and nothing but gentleness graced the line. "Yes, honey?"

"Is that really OK?" I couldn't get through the whole question without the hiccup of a sob, my eyes leaking right on cue. "Jack's not his responsibility."

"I shouldn't have said it like that-" she struck again with all the severity of a hammer "-because, from the sound of it, it has nothing to do with what he does or doesn't have to do."

"He wants to," I murmured back the answer that I already knew.

"It's obvious he made a choice, Maka, and you have to let him." She threw out another weary sigh. "Even Blake makes it seem like Soul's married to you already, and you know him: dense as it comes about romance."

The pink climbed all the way to my ears as I fanned a hand over my face. "Don't even use that word, Marie!"

Another annoying snort hit the line before Marie forced her throat clear. "Listen, honey. I know limited things about this boy- man, obviously, but why don't you trust yourself? I know Brian made it hard, but I think it's time you listened to your own voice again. If Soul's what you want, then enjoy it. Let him pump the brakes if he needs to, but go at the speed you want to otherwise."

My speed? What the hell was my speed anymore? Oh, Death, wasn't that the question! I hate to keep bringing Brian into the conversation, but after all of college together, he was really the only speed I actually remembered. And let's not bring up most of my failed-or nonexistent-high school dating. Divorce, desertion, and death had sort of put a damper on that, so Brian had been what I thought my speed was.

But what if this giddy feeling, this want, this need was more than just a rush of hormones thanks to Jack? For a short, sweet second, I took my hand away from the swell and let it rest over my heart. At that moment, I finally let that thought come to the forefront: What if this is what love should really feel like?

I forced myself to knock on his door before the sixth outfit change. I couldn't keep cycling and fighting with my reflection or else the blush I was currently wearing would have been the burn of tears instead. It wasn't as if I didn't have the clothes to continue through the horrible revolutions, especially since just the day before Viv had dragged me through maternity section after maternity section. The excuse had been "professional" wear, but here I was with a fairly deep V in this wrap dress and since pregnancy had done wonders for my breasts, well… Let's just say that this was a far cry from the t-shirt and sweats that I usually mucked around in.

On that thought, I was just about to ditch since my courage was slowly fizzling at the sight of my cleavage when I heard the click of his lock. OK, Soul, please, please, please just-

"Hey." His smirk was radiant and- oh, Death, he just had to be sweeping his hair back at the same time! Such a stupidly casual motion that still somehow made my heart forget its tempo. "Now you're early. I-" Suddenly, all of that Mr. Cool dropped from him and his cheeks started to flush almost as red as his eyes.

"What is it?" I stared at him long enough to follow his glance, falling right to the cleft left wide open by the silky fabric. Oh, Death, he's looking at me? As soon as I risked moving my attention back to his face his eyes were glued to mine. "Soul-"

"Ha-" It wasn't a laugh but an entirely panicked exhale and somehow he'd added a healthy pink to the edges of his red. "Y-you look beautiful." The last word cracked and sputtered-

-and instantly flicked some kind of switch in my brain. He means that. He means that more than anything because he's dying of nerves. Look at him. He's absolutely a mess and- and it's absolutely the most precious thing. It wasn't just his voice but I swear I could feel it waving off of him. Every last bit of him was filtering through any facade he was trying to hold. "Thank you." I reached to rest my palms against the smooth fabric of his dress shirt so I could push him a few steps into the apartment.

Soul was tripping over his own feet, knees half buckling as his throat bobbed through a swallow.

So cute! I wanted to squeal but was able to smooth it out to a smile. "Are you ready?"

"Uh- y-yeah." The click of his swallow was audible. "Just give me a-a minute." He was trying to backpedal a little further but each step he took was absolutely overcome by my own.

No, I won't. I hid the deviousness in my smile by tilting it closer to him, leaning on tip-toe so my lips could meet his. Kissing him always felt necessary, like pulling in breath- like my body would ache and wither if I went long enough without it. Death, I know that sounds dramatic-and here we go, let's blame a little bit of it on hormones-but it was the truth I was living. Because there was a certain taste to him, a particularly euphoric mix of his own hopes and desires from all the words he always left on his tongue that was sweeter than honeysuckle dew.

"Maka…" For a fleeting moment, I thought he was going to stop me as he whispered that while I caught some air but trembling fingers feathered along my neck instead. His thumb drew a line down to my collarbone, creating goosebumps along the way. Just as a heated sigh started to escape from my mouth, he caught it with his own. After a few desperate latches, his hand finally pushed down, forcing me to flat feet. "I-I really need a minute," he whispered hoarsely.

I released him, allowing him to make shaky, stumbling steps towards the reprieve of his bedroom. The door clapped shut but it didn't matter. All of it was just temporary barriers because I was going to listen to Marie. I was going back to the old Maka, the one with trust, courage, who jumped instead of hid. And that Maka was pretty sure she just caught Soul Evans wanting her.

Stealing glances seemed to be all Soul could do as his tongue stayed tied on the way to the restaurant. His hand was definitely glued to mine with desperately intertwined fingers that were only slightly tainted with nervous boyish sweat that I could still easily ignore. Nothing so far could tarnish the joy that was starting to blossom, especially with each bit of anxiously sweet bumbling he managed on the way.

His steps started to slow as we approached high glass windows, tinted so that the inside was obscured. "Before we go in…" He nodded towards the doors we were still a few steps from. "I-I told you, we ain't a secret, so Liz and Tsubaki know about you and about…" Soul was careful to reach but not touch, fingers just grazing the air in front of the swell of my stomach.

"Really?" I couldn't bite back the surprise especially as my eyebrows betrayed me.

Even with that dopey, love-drunk softness to his face, his glare hardened momentarily. "Only reason I didn't tell 'em right away was because before it wasn't my business. When I figured that this- that being together was where I was hoping we'd end up I told 'em because it ain't anything to be ashamed of."

I nodded as my smile started to blossom. "Not a mistake."

He sucked his teeth, glare fading so he could roll his eyes. "That shouldn't even be part of the conversation anymore, Maka. All I'm trying to say is I want you to have fun tonight, so if you were thinking about-"

"I'm not-" I tugged at his hand, bringing him a step closer "-so don't be such a worry-wart." I tilted my chin up, letting my eyes go half-lidded so I could still catch a glimpse of the blush on his cheeks.

Soul cleared his throat and fiddled with my fingers nervously.

"Soul, this is the part where you kiss me."

"After you call me names like that?" he grumbled.

"Especially after that."

He huffed, but after one more revolution of his thumb over my knuckles, his lips gently brushed mine.

"I'm only thinking about you," I murmured and opened my eyes just in time to see the fireworks on his face, the added color on every inch as his mouth gaped in sweet dumbfoundedness. Yes, Soul, you. I'm trying to make this as clear for you as I can so hopefully that'll be the last time it surprises you. "Can we go in now?"

"Yeah…" His free hand was trying to rub away the color until we reached the door. He opened it for me, only letting go of my hand to wave me in. The lobby was full of the early evening bustle which would have swallowed me if it hadn't been for Soul's quick hand at the small of my back, twisting me out of a stampede of suited people. "I swear the bar's a little quieter," he muttered, dipping his face close enough so it found my ear instead of getting lost in the tumultuous fluttering.

"Good evening, Mr. Evans!"

I looked towards the tall, lanky blonde at the podium just before the entrance and then quickly back at Soul, catching a wisp of his eye roll. "Maka, this is Liz."

She excitedly fluttered her fingers in my direction. "Glad Mr. Evans could finally come accompanied."

We'd made it close enough that he could attempt to lean menacingly against the hostess stand. "I swear if you call me that again-"

Liz slapped his threatening finger right out of the air with a mile-wide smirk. "And you kissed her right in front of the window! You lil' Romeo!" With all the practice of an older sister, she pinched at his cheek, forcing Soul to stutter backward in an effort to escape the inescapable. He was trapped and turning redder by the minute.

"I think Romeo's a bad comparison-" I interrupted with a giggle as my hand balanced him at the elbow "-since I don't think Soul's dramatic enough. Blake would make a good Mercutio though…"

With my steady hand, Soul slipped out of her clutches, turning a smirk back to me. "You're not speaking our language, bookworm. Liz thinks the only Romeo out there was DiCaprio."

"As if you know any other Romeos," I teased as I leaned into him.

He caught me around the waist, pulling me closer so he could murmur with way too much satisfaction: "Leonard Whiting."

"Wow, OK you two-" Liz's voice cut in, making us both jump. "Let's get you to dinner before you just start undressing here…" She turned away just in time to only catch Soul's dissatisfied grunt.

His cheeks had pinked again-Death, hopefully he was getting enough blood flow to his brain with how much was being stolen for his face. Instead of giving me time to examine, Soul was guiding me along, following Liz through your everyday swanky hotel bar. They had gone the traditional direction with a dark wood bar that was still polished to a perfect sheen. Tables dotted what was left of the floor but we were passing them and working our way towards the patio. Those windows had been left untinted but were framed with a lovely climb of ivy.

Liz pressed open the door, letting the pleasant night breeze back on my skin. I snuck a glance at Soul, seeing that same satisfaction flutter across his features. "Let me guess, best seat in the house?"

"Depends on who you ask." Soul shrugged off what could have been a compliment. "Quietest," he corrected.

Even at first glance that seemed to be the truth as our final destination was the furthest table from the door. It was tucked against a lower brick wall, tall enough to rest your elbow without encroaching on the view of the pristinely kept but tiny garden below.

"Your table, Mr. Evans," Liz chimed joyfully with that Vanna White sweep of her hand.

Soul saved his breath for a sigh, lobbing in Liz's direction without anything biting to back it up. Instead, he instantly moved his attention to me, pulling out my chair before I got the chance. "Since when did you get so proper?" I grinned as I slipped into my seat, letting him fiddle until I was perfectly arranged next to the table.

"Well, apparently I'm Mr. Evans so-" He shot a quick glare at Liz who only gave him a bright smile in return.

"Tsubaki will be your waitress tonight. Please enjoy." Soul just narrowly dodged the hair ruffle that was supposed to come with that, earning him a chorus of giggles as Liz slinked away.

He heaved a sigh before moving to his side of the table and slumping into the chair without any of the ceremony of my seating. "Sorry about that."

"Nothing to be sorry about, Mr. Evans."

He gruffly laughed before narrowing his eyes at me. "You sure are trouble tonight."

"And the evening's just getting started," I chimed back through as brilliant a smile as I had in my repertoire. While that did bring a little color back to his face, he seemed to have it better under control, leaving me only that smirk to fawn over. "So Liz likes to tease you."

"Loves," he corrected.

"What about Tsubaki?"

"You're about to find out…" He nodded his chin towards the doors as another woman, still tall but with more of an hourglass shape, entered. Her dark hair was pulled high in a ponytail and while her smile spoke instantly of understanding and gentleness. They really did seem like a perfect foil for one another, the light and the dark.

"Hi!" Some of the serenity melted from her face as bubbliness burst into her voice. "You must be Maka. It's so nice to meet you! Soul has told us so much- or, well, not anything too much, I swear, just-" Her eyes darted towards his, glancing over the ever-present grumpiness Soul was trying to exude.

While he kept something close to a frown for a second, it lost the battle to another grin. "S'alright, she knows I told you about the baby."

The swivel was instantaneous and suddenly my hands were gathered up off the table and in hers. "Congratulations! I hope you don't mind but I did make you something and I'll give it to you before you leave. But for right now-" she quickly released me and melted back into her role "-would you like something to drink?"

Another bit of exasperated air shot from his mouth. "Tsu, you didn't have to-"

"I can't help it!" She tried to make that a hiss in his direction but her excitement had taken hold of it, and it easily reached across the table.

"Um-" I interrupted what I assumed was going to be more frustration between the two "-it's very nice of you. Maybe you should hold on to it though- for the shower."

Soul's eyebrows lost all control, slamming up to his hairline.

"Your shower?" Tsu entirely dropped the waitress act again as her face blossomed with the warmth that came from her voice. "You mean Liz and I could come?"

"I don't see why not…" I risked a glance at Soul, finding him still stuck somewhere in shock. "Your Soul's closest friends, aren't you? And he's part of this now, too."

The break in the floodgates was instantaneous as Tsu turned on her heels and grabbed at Soul. His features fell into further disarray as she hugged him tightly around the neck and stole at least ten heartbeats worth of air. It took that long before she snapped out of the excitement, straightening before fixing the wrinkles she'd put into the shoulder of his shirt. "If that's alright with you, Soul."

"Yeah." His murmured answer still came with that airy lack of breath.

She hummed out sweet satisfaction before she settled back into her role. "So, drinks?"

"Water for me."

He nodded along as he leaned back in the chair. "Same."

"Be back in a second!" Tsu chimed before turning on her heels.

"You can have a beer if you want." I let my hands settle on my stomach as I laughed softly. "Just because I can't drink-"

"Not a big deal," he cut in with a shrug. "Beer's sorta for loneliness. This ain't lonely."

A prideful little buzz started in my chest, especially as his smirk grew.

"Hey, you…" Instead of that easy slant backward, he slid his elbow onto the table to rest his cheek on. The lean had brought him to the halfway point of the table, leaving his next words just between us. "You mean that? You want Tsu and Liz there? You just met 'em and… well…"

"Was I wrong?" I mimicked his closeness, letting my hand drift across the table close to his elbow just to be caught by his free hand. "They're your friends, aren't they?"

He nodded as if the answer was barely his to give. "But Viv's already-"

"Promise me something," I interrupted with a squeeze of his hand.

His brows furrowed.

"You told me to let you try-" I tried all the firmness in my voice that I could muster but the tears that came without warning made it warble "-so I want you to accept when I do. The first time. No convincing."

There was a pinch of dreaminess to his sigh as the wrinkles in his forehead released. "That's a tall fucking order."

"So you're not going to promise?"

In the tangle of our hands, he maneuvered to hook his pinky with mine. "No convincing. My friends, my family can go."

"And you," I added firmly and watched the shock flood back over his face. "You honestly didn't think Blake would let me have a girls-only shower, did you?"

He chuckled, leaving my stomach fluttering in between Jack's kicks. "Should've guessed. Alright, but I ain't in charge of the beer."

My giggles were interrupted by Tsu's quick return to place menus in front of us. "Sorry, in all the excitement, I actually forgot!" Her own laughs twittered as she turned over our glasses and used the pitcher she'd brought to fill them. "Soul knows the specials, but do you want to hear them anyway?"

"Let's give him a break." I squeezed his hand again but let my eyes stay on Tsu. "Tonight he's Mr. Evans after all."

It wasn't a fair memory to relive, but my first date with Brian snuck into the back of my mind. I had always assumed that nervousness didn't exist for him- that part of his brain having been written over by intellect and sophistication. He challenged me all night with his own bookish knowledge, forcing near arguments on philosophy and history- his favorites. I thought that was what I wanted-bravado and brilliance-and I thought the anxiousness in my heart every time we met after were those first flutterings of love.

But while this was our first official date, if I looked back at the track record for Soul, it was completely different. Mr. Cool had been the entirely wrong name for him. Well, maybe not- sometimes he had that accidental suaveness, the adorable bit of surprise at his own ability to bring a smile to my face or a laugh to my lips. Most of the time, cool wasn't his capability- just overthinking and worry that led to enough melancholy to drown him. The anxiousness I had for him was entirely different. It was this overwhelming desire to heal, to be with him in whatever way he'd let me.

As far as first dates went, the two weren't even up for comparison.

I was still challenged, but in a way that felt like a chess match instead of a battle.

I was still waiting for his every touch, every look, but not because I needed to calculate his wants and needs first but because I just wanted them.

I still felt those flutters, and never so deeply as when he offered me his hand and said, "If you're not too tired, I sorta… I thought it'd be nice to play for you on a real piano this time."

Even if I had been tired, he'd be more likely to get me to admit nuclear launch codes. "I-I'd love that." It was my turn to tumble into a bumbling mess, my cheeks pinking as he smiled down at me.

"C'mon."

I took his hand and we started back towards the main dining room. Tsu was nowhere to be found on the floor until we ventured back towards the hostess stand, seeing her whispering away with Liz. "Piano's all ready for you, Mr. Evans."

Soul graced her with one more extravagant eye roll before tugging me along, leaving the two girls giggling behind us. It was a short walk to an alcove off the lobby that was lined with windows, the piano the distinctive centerpiece of the room. Formations of couches and chairs sat between it and the windows, waiting for a concert to accompany the view of the continuation of the petite garden outside. He led me to the bench without a word, depositing me on the left as he slid onto the right side.

"It's just a parlor grand-" he murmured as if I knew what he was talking about "-but it's better than that old keyboard. Still can't say the song's any better…"

"Stop that and play," I whispered as I laid my head on his shoulder.

His muscles flexed tightly for a moment before they unwound with his sigh. Maybe the euphoria was part piano-he definitely wasn't wrong when he said the sound would change-but having one ear to him and his pulse seemed to drive an extra sweetness into my song. I could listen to it and to him forever, but just as I was settling in, ready to nuzzle even closer and hope it didn't interrupt his fingers, a blonde head bobbed into view.

A bray of a laugh cut through the next note, made even worse by the fact that Soul paused, his eyes darting from the keys to the man now leaning on the side of the piano.

"I overheard the girls saying that you had a date, but damn, man!" The man with his chef's jacket slightly undone was leaning a little further, trying to catch a better view of me.

"Hiro-" Soul started, but the man obviously didn't have time to be derailed by his name.

To make matters worse, I saw exactly where his eyes rested as his jaw dropped. "Holy shit! And she's pregnant? Man, I knew you were quiet, but-"

"Don't you have to get to the fucking kitchen?" Soul hissed.

Hiro shrugged before pulling out a cigarette from behind his ear to brandish at us. "Guess you're going back to the Evans' fortune then, huh? Can't support a kid on tips."

Evans fortune? The question only amplified as Soul's face twisted, his eyes burning like coals. Those sweet lips were contorting further and just as he was about to snap I put my hand over his. "Hiro, was it?"

"Oh, yeah, where're my manners!" Hiro extended a hand to me. "Assistant Executive Chef Hiro."

My eyes momentarily dipped to his hand before leaving mine entwined with Soul's to gaze back at him. "Oh, I wasn't worried about where your manners had gone-" I sent him a glowing smile "-especially since it's obvious you have none. Right now, I'm trying to enjoy time with my boyfriend, not be part of some spectacle for you. Maybe the idea of a date is out of your repertoire, so let me explain." I let go of Soul's hand momentarily to signal between the two of us. "We're together, having a nice time, which means you should not be in the general vicinity, no matter how much you want to butt in and get a view of his pregnant girlfriend. I'm going to suggest that in the future, if you ever want one of those for yourself, you'll walk away now before I make sure that's never possible. Though, your personality might be enough on its own."

Soul's only contribution was a hearty chuckle as the color drained from Hiro's face.

"Well?" I offered as I raised my eyebrows.

The blonde man took a step back, trying one last glance at Soul before slinking away.

Soul tipped his head over his shoulder-most likely watching the man leave-before he turned his attention back to me with a long whistle. "You really gave it to him."

I huffed. "Sorry, that's just my song and-"

"Nothing to be sorry about-" the way his smirk punctuated that made my heart climb into my throat "-especially since I like that about you." He leaned a little closer, his lips daring to brush my cheek. "You're really beautiful when you refuse to take shit from anybody." His laugh sprung even more life into the heat he'd left behind in his kiss. "Though I sorta want to know when that started being your song." The whisper was playful but still quaked a little at the end as he pulled away to show eyes that really urged that request to life.

I cleared my throat, trying to uncover that courage again as I let my hand drift back into his. "Well, I had to take it since you kept making fun of it. It's a perfect song and I was tired of you putting it down."

He snorted a laugh as he squeezed my hand. "What if it's our song?" One more sweet press of fingers and he was untangling them, bringing the keys back to life with those sweet notes. "Because I started, but you, Maka, you definitely finished it."

The walk back to the apartment was slow, partially because of my swollen ankles reminding me that pregnant women weren't made for long-distance. The night air was perfectly cool with just enough breeze that I needed to be cradled under his arm to give me a little extra warmth. "You got work early tomorrow?"

"Same time as I always do…" I teased, squeezing my hand at his waist as I saw color on his cheeks even in the weakness of the streetlights. I was beginning to break his codes- the way it was almost impossible for that straightforward ask. "Did you want to stay tonight?"

"Don't want it to get in the way of your rest," he murmured as his eyes only briefly met mine before concentrating on the road ahead.

"You haven't done that so far."

That didn't bring any more argument from him, but there was no sly grin, no humor to accompany it and as we reached the apartment and started for the elevator, he stayed quiet. There was no relinquishing his hold on me, but that silence had started to wheedle its way into my heart, creating a fluttering nervousness that wasn't accompanying that feeling of love but fostering fear. The ding and the opening of the doors brought us to what suddenly felt like a crossroads as he stretched the length of my arm. "I'll go get changed and then-"

"Wait." I tugged our connected hands, getting him a step closer to my door. Patient concern was crinkling his eyebrows but I reached for the door instead, putting in my key and unlocking it. Again I pulled, urging him a few steps into the apartment.

"Not brushing my teeth before bed'll give me cavities-" his joke twittered from his lips, hitting a high note as I invaded his space. "Maka, I-"

I lifted our connected hand, putting it back to that spot along my neck where his thumb had rubbed a burning line on my collarbone only hours before. Whatever else he had to say melted into a sigh, one that I caught with my lips. His fingers spread, smoothing over skin that sang underneath them as they glided under the neckline of my dress as they ran along towards my shoulder. The pressure slid off one of my bra straps, making me shudder. That minute motion spurred action in him as he forced me a few steps back, his body bending into mine just as his other hand caught my other shoulder. While I had been expecting the other strap to fall, he instead pinned me back, forcing space between our mouths even if he didn't dare break any other connection.

"I-I need you to…" he let out a desperate sigh "... just wait a little bit longer, please."

"What?" Oh, Death, how all of that wanted to flood me, to drive me to run but I was motionless, blocked by him and his stare as I caught his eyes.

"I want to-" his murmur seemed to start and stop in his throat, caught on so many words he couldn't shape "-but I-I'm not ready. I know I'm not, and I don't want to ruin-"

I pressed a finger to his lips as I let what he could say make a home in my heart. It's not me. It's not something to do with me. He's scared. Something else is there and he's scared. "I'll wait. And you're not ruining anything." I don't think I'd ever heard a breath more filled with relief, or felt fingers so hungry for the comfort that he pulled out of hugging me closer. I'd wait forever for you.