After four years of working so diligently to create the walls of a well-crafted persona- time and time again returning to the brink of crumbling only to solidify himself- building up his walls brick by brick with lies to keep himself safe, he was finally allowing himself to be torn apart.

Bit by bit- brick by brick- Maka was tearing down his walls.

If he had to be honest, Soul liked the way Maka's hands felt against his skin, even when they were tearing him apart until only his core was left. He liked the way the pads of her fingers would drag him back in for another greedy kiss, feeling both warm and comforting. He liked the way they slipped from his cheeks to his chest, resting against his heart for just a moment before they traced his arms, only to capture his hands softly. He liked the way her thumbs traced the veins on the backs of his hands lightly, pressing circles into them.

In her touch, he felt safe, even as he crumbled.

There was raw emotion in the way Maka's fingers curled around his as their lips parted. Something telling him that even as they parted, she still wanted him. Soul hoped that the blonde knew the feeling was mutual as he tightened his grip around her hands, squeezing them gently.

With half-opened eyes, Soul snuck a guilty peek at the girl in front of him- the girl whose lips were parted as a heavy breath escaped her- the girl whose pupils were blown as she stared back at him in awe- the girl he'd just kissed- the girl who was leaning in once more, but not to capture his lips.

With a heavy thud, Maka's forehead fell to his shoulder.

"I never want to go back to Eibon," she'd whispered into his collarbone,"Not if being here means I get to have you."

There was a pause as Soul's brain processed the words spoken to him. With wide eyes and stiffened shoulders, he glanced down to the girl situated between his arms, wondering if this had all been a figment of his imagination. While the warmth that radiated off of Maka felt destabilizing, it was inviting nevertheless- inviting him to the real world, reminding him that this was all real.

Maka had kissed him. Maka wanted him the way he'd wanted her.

It was all too dangerous, and yet, it was so exhilarating at the same time.

"You can have me, wherever, as long as I can have you in return,": he replied, an exasperated breath leaving him as he did. The bold approach he had surprised him, but then again, there was no one who made him feel like this. Maka was someone incredibly different from everyone else and he loved that. "I think I've liked you way longer than I'd like to admit I have."

Love made you do stupid things, didnt it?

A nervous chuckle left the blonde as she stepped closer, slotting her feet against Soul's.

With a not so smart tongue, Maka was responding with "I can't even think straight around you. Your goddamn presence is like- intoxicating."

With a quiet eruption of giggles, Maka lifted her head.

"Intoxicating, huh?" Soul grinned as warmth blossomed across his cheeks. "You think I'm intoxicating?"

This time, she groaned but didn't reply as she dipped her head to the ground.

Now that he was feeling a bit more with it, Soul found himself shivering. "You know this is dangerous grounds to tread on, right?" his tone held no malice, and yet, he watched Maka's face drop, he knew he'd said the wrong thing.

"If I'm reading something wrong then I-"

"You're not," He quickly cut her off, holding her hands a little tighter. "You're not reading anything wrong, I promise you. I just, I mean… Maka, I'm your guard, aren't these dangerous lines to cross?"

With a bewildered expression, Maka pulled at his hands, bringing them up to her chest. "Titles mean nothing to me, Soul. They're just titles at the end of the day. Titles mean nothing without the person. It's the person you are that matters to me. If anyone else has a problem with that then they can be damned," She whispered just loud enough for him to hear, a certain desperation in her tone that made Soul feel hollow.

With a shaky breath, Soul was taking a step back, "What if I'm not the person you think I am?"

"Whoever you were in your past doesn't matter anymore," Maka urged him, swinging their hands in emphasis, "I like the person you are now."

"But- you said no more lies- and I promise you, if I don't tell you about my past, I'd be lying big time to you," Soul spoke, hurriedly and shakily under his breath as he tried to mind the crowd around them.

"Is… is your past really that bad?"

"Yeah," he replied, his voice shaking, "It is that bad."

Her eyes flickered about the crowd around them before she was staring back up at Soul With more desperation. "I'm Not going to stand here and make you spill your story to me, I'll never do that. If you want to talk about it someday, then we can, but I meant it when I said I wouldn't care even if you were Satan himself. I want to just live in the present, with you."

The heat in her eyes had Soul wanting to barrel to the floor.

"I really like you, Soul," she spoke shakily, "I think I have ever since that day you fell asleep in the goddamn garden. There hasn't been a day where i don't feel guilty for what I did and I-"

Heat rose from Soul's stomach to his chest.

"You just said you want to live in the present, didn't you? I don't hold anything against you, I never could."

A cheesy grin grew on Maka's face after that.

"Okay," she said as she tugged at Soul's hands, pulling him off the crowded dance floor. "Then let's live in the present, just you and I."

The rest of their night goes off without a hitch. Soul doesn't know how they pull it off, but they do. They spend their last hours in Loew lingering in that damned tavern, acting as if nothing had really changed as they surrounded themselves with strangers, laughing as if it had always been that way. Maka, having submitted to Girikos pleas, did have one drink, but it was just enough to leave a tinge of red stain on her cheeks.

The night couldn't have been better, Soul decided.

As the tavern beggan emptying itself, only a crowd of wasted people left, Soul found himself pulling Maka from her seat with care.

"Hey, we should really get going," Soul said as h e checked out the tavern window, only to be met with the midnight stars. "It was a pleasure to meet you all but we have a long day tomorrow."

"Awe, it was a pleasure meeting you, Soul! You too, Maka!" Tsubaki ecstatically spoke, standing from her seat. "Maybe we can meet again someday? Are you guys traveling far?"

"No, not really, we're just going to the village over," he answered, pushing in his chair.

"Sweet! Please visit us again; we'd love to see you guys again!"

The table gave them a collective nod, bidding them farewell and safe travels. With a heavy heart, Soul found himself slipping his hand into Maka's as they walked the dark and quiet streets of Loew.

"So," he started, clearing his throat, "Was this everything you expected it to be?"

With a hum of delight, Maka took a step closer to him, brushing their shoulders together as they walked. "Yes, and then some," she answered, her voice laced with a quiet giggle. "I wish I could do stuff like this more often."

Rolling his eyes, Soul sighed. "Yeah, you and me both."

"Tsubaki and all of them see like such a happy and carefree bunch. I bet if I was born as a civilian I could be that way too."

In the shelter of the night, Soul peered beside him, tracing Maka's profile in the moonlight.

"I think about that all the time, you know. Like, If i could live a normal life, what would have been different?" Sucking in his bottom lip, Soul turned away from Maka. "I like to think in another life, I'd be living in some stupid village with Blackstar as my housemate or something. I bet Kilik would live beside us and steal our food every night."

He paused, turning his head to the sky. "I feel like Kim would be Kiliks housemate. They seem close enough. Imagine we all lived in a village like this? I bet everyone would get along with tsubaki, especially Blackstar. Now that would be a fun life."

Soul could feel Maka's shoulders shake against his. "Oh, yeah? Where would I be in this other life?"

A wheeze left him. "You'd live here with all of us, of course. You'd probably be the village's heartthrob. I bet every man would be throwing themselves at you."

"Would you be in those masses?"

"Oh, definitely not," Soul spoke with pride, "I wouldn't stoop that low. I'd actually try to win your heart. Maybe I'd bring you flowers and ask you to accompany me to the pub. I'd find a way to make some big romantic gesture that would sweep you off your feet- maybe I'd take you on some romantic ride on horseback at night, then we could watch the sunrise together. Sounds like a perfect time to confess my feelings, huh?"

"Oh, yeah?" Maka giggled. "I'd probably like that."

"Of course you would, Princess."

With a groan, Maka bumped her shoulder into Soul's with enough force to cause both of them to falter in their steps.

"You think we'd live happily there?"

With a pause, they were nearing the entrance of the village where they'd tied Ember up just hours before. Selfishly, Soul didn't want this night to end.

"I'd like to think so," he murmured under his breath, turning to meet Maka's eyes. "Who's to say we can't be happy in this lifetime, too?"

With a quirked eyebrow, Maka teetered back away from him. "You're so cheesy, aren't you?"

"What can I say? You've had an effect on me."

Just like that, they're making their way to Ember. Parting in silence, Maka pulls her way onto Ember's back as Soul carefully unties her reins all while patting the side of her face gracefully. Soul passes the reins off to Maka as he pulls himself up behind her, settling against her before taking custody of the reins once more.

"Are you ready to return to Eibon?" Soul finds himself asking as he signals Ember to start moving.

As if it's an answer, Maka sighs, collapsing against his chest. "Not really," she answers truthfully, "at least it was nice to have one night without everyone's eyes on me. It felt nice- being free to do whatever."

"I get it," Soul hums.

His heart stutters in his chest as he holds Ember's reins with one hand again, the other dropping onto Maka's thigh.

"Is- is this okay?"

There's a small hum of approval as Maka leans into his touch.


Soul wonders if the whole event had just been a dream or not. There was no way that the night had been real. There was no way that they'd successfully left Eibon without anyone realizing. There was no way that Maka actually felt the same for him- no way they'd kissed.

He felt so high off dopamine that Soul just couldn't piece it all together, even as the two of them ran through the castle's garden to Maka's window. Even as Maka collapsed against his side, laughed and ran a hand through her hair, Soul couldn't believe it.

He let himself crumble in Maka's crutches- and he didn't ever care. For once, he didn't care about the repercussions that his actions could have brought, not with how the blonde was currently staring at him- not with how warm he felt pressed against her side.

"You should get to bed so you can at least be a little prepared for tomorrow," Soul urged as he shook her shoulders, pushing the Princess off him clumsily.

Stiffening, Maka straighted herself out, staring at the window as if it were going to kill her.

"Are you going to leave?"

"I- I need to return to the guard's quarters," Soul replied, stumbling over his words, "It's late."

Without another word, Maka marched up the window and threw it open.

"You should come up with me, just for a few minutes," she suggested as she began pulling herself through the window.

With wide eyes, Soul shook his head. "It's late, the sun will be rising in just a few hours, Maka-"

"Just for a little bit." With pleading eyes, maka leaned against the window. "Please let this night last a little longer."

"I dont know-"

"You left your armor up here, anyway," Maka informed him cokcily, "you may need that."

Defeatedly, Soul dropped his shoulders, unknowingly they'd been stiffened. "Fine, just for a minute."

With an exasperated sigh, he followed after the Princess, puling himself through the window. With a knowing smirk, Maka started her way up the dark staircase like it was nothing. Soul closed the window behind him and followed the blonde up the stairs, keeping a careful hand against the wall in the dark as he uneasily toed at the stairs.

"How can you see anything?"

"It's a guessing game!" Maka called back from the top of the staircase as she pushed open her door.

The second he stepped into Maka's bedroom, his eyes readjusted to the light from the moon that spilled into the room. Before him, the Princess shrugged off her clock, dropping it to the bed in a fluid motion as she turned her back to him. "You left your stuff over there," she spoke as she sat on the edge of her bed, her hand pointing toward the corner of her room.

The sadness that laced her tone didn't go unnoticed by Soul.

With a hum, Soul walked up to Maka's bed, resting a hand carefully onto Maka's shoulder, as if he was seeking her body warmth again. The Princess jumped at the contact for a moment, her head turning up immediately.

"What?"

Blinking rapidly, Soul looked down at her.

"I- I just want to say goodnight," he found himself replying uneasily, unsure why he'd made his way to Maka in the first place. With a shaky hand, He pushed Maka's bangs away slowly, bringing his lips delicately to her forehead. The room spun for a moment as the smell of lavender greeted him and he couldn't help but sigh.

Before he could pull away, Maka wrapped her hands around his middle, pulling him down to the bed beside her. Against his clock, her fingers traced down his spine slowly as she tucked her head under Soul's chin.

"I know I've already asked before," kmaka started, her voice muffled by Soul's clock, "But will you stay the night?"

Soul stiffened in Maka's arms. "You- you are so absurd," He murmured, his eyes trained on the wall on the other side of the room. "You remembered asking me to stay last night?"

"Of course I did," Maka chuckled, the warmth of her breath pressing against his neck. "I also remember being very disappointed when you said no."

Warmth engulfed Soul's cheeks.

"You understand what you're-"

"I don't mean like that, you foolish freak," Maka sighed, pressing her palm into Soul's back with force. At the action, Soul's nerves calmed, like an ocean after a storm. "It's just nice being in your presence- it's calming- you don't have to stay if you don't want to, but I figured I'd try again."

With a heavy sigh, Soul closed his eyes, dropping his head onto Maka's. "If you want me to stay, I will."

There's a beat of silence before Maka is laughing.

"Really, that's easy?"

"What?" Soul picked his head up. "You sound so said I just-"

"I was kidding, Soul." Reluctantly, Maka picked her head up. "Kick off your shoes."

"Why should I?" Soul laughed, leaning back from Maka, still trapped by her arms wrapped around his back.

"Because I'm asking you to?"

Rolling his eyes, Soul complied with her request, both of their shoes falling to the ground with small thuds. Before Soul could say another word, Maka's gaze was lowered to his mouth and he could feel his lips part wordlessly.

There was a moment of hesitation as Soul dropped his hands against Maka's collarbone.

"What? Why are you looking at me like that?"

Maka's answer came in the form of lips pressed against lips. The moment Maka's mouth was against his, he stopped breathing.

The blonde's hands slipped from his back to his chest, fingers working away at untying his cloak as their kiss deeped. Soul couldn't help but shiver as Maka pulled away, pulling his cloak off simultaneously.

"Sorry," she muttered, "that was in the way."

There was a brief moment where Soul wanted to ask what she meant by that, but he didn't. Maka was looking at him like her life depended on it, and it was like nothing else he's seen from the other before. Hands were pressed against his slightly exposed collarbone, pushing him back onto the bed with desperation.

The moment his head hit the bed, Maka followed after him, reconnecting their lips easily. Following her lead, Soul reached up with a sigh, wrapping his hands protectively against the others hips.

It was messy- nowhere near as soft and calculated like they had kissed when they were in the tavern. Lips meeting halfway for mere seconds before pulling away, only to chase after each other again.

The adrenaline rush Soul felt left him shaking under Maka's hands as they moved from his collarbone to either side of his neck, her thumbs pressing against his jaw.

Their kisses held a certain heat to them- a heat Soul wasn't ready to explore yet.

When they finally pulled away, Soul found himself gasping, his eyes flying open. Maka's half-closed eyes were now wide open, an alarming curiosity washing over her features as she pulled back.

Soul was stunned at the enticing flavor of the foreign lips he found himself longing for. He was tempted to give in to them again- tempted to grab Maka by the cheeks and pull her down again to reconnect their lips- tempted to continue what they started- but he had some self control.

A very small amount of self-control, that is.

Pulling his hands from Maka, the Princess was rolling off him, dropping onto the bed beside him with a sigh.

"Sorry," she'd hummed under her breath. "Got too carried away."

A sad chuckle left Soul's lips. "It's fine, don't worry," He replied, his voice hoarse, his throat dry.

In the quiet of the night, flushed in the moonlight, Soul stared up at the top of Maka's bed, detached from himself.

"Maka," He called out, his bottom lip quivering," What- where do we go from here?"

"I don't know," the latter answered, "as long as you're here with me, we'll figure it out. We've got time."

Blindlessly, Soul reached out across the sheets feeling for Maka's hand. When their fingertips brushed together, Soul grabbed onto his hand, squeezing it in the dark.

"Yeah," he laughed, his eyes shutting, "We've got time."