Work Text:
Something's wrong.
Maka turned on her other side in the bed, clinging to the remaining of the rather pleasant dream she just had, but something kept trying to wake her up.
Half of her - the strict side - wanted to get up and investigate, figure out what's wrong and fix it. The other, currently dominating half just wanted to sleep. She was so, so tired - no, exhausted - from the assignment today (Or was it yesterday? She had no idea about the time) and the following day will be just as hard, if not harder. She needs to get enough rest, so whatever's wrong, it can wait until tomorrow. It’s probably just the red sky and the spreading madness again. Not good, but nothing can be done about it at the moment - but she’s working every single day to fix this little problem, so she needs to sleep now…
Maka was just about to dive deeper into sweet dreams when she got another signal.
Something's wrong!
"Fuck!"
She jumped out of bed. How could he ignore something like this? Her sharp senses were not only made her rise to the top in her class, but also kept her and Soul alive.
Soul...
Maka did a quick self-check. She was okay, no upset stomach or headache or anything that would need immediate attention.
According to her soul perception, there was nobody odd in the area either. Just the neighbours, herself, and... Soul?
It was his soul alright, but it was acting up, being erratic and unusually active. Was something wrong with him?
Cursing at herself for not reacting sooner, the young meister ran towards Soul's room, opening the door as quietly as she could in her frantic state.
There he was, tossing and turning in his bed. Sweat rolled down his forehead and he mumbled something that Maka couldn’t hear.
"Soul?"
He didn’t respond, just continued his tossing and mumbling. Maka stepped closer and saw that his face was twisted into a grimace of pain.
"Soul, wake up! You're having a nightmare!”
He was whimpering. The meister carefully leaned closer and placed her hand on his shoulder.
“Maka… Haah…”
He was dreaming about his meister? Maka carefully gave his shoulder a push, hoping to snap her weapon out of it without waking him up. He kept calling her name, whines turning into moans. Maka got an idea that maybe Soul had another kind of dream. She was just about to pull her hand back to rethink her strategy when her wrist was grabbed.
She found herself staring right into a pair of cloudy crimson eyes.
"S-soul?"
"Maka."
He looked as if he had been in a fight, face and hair all dishevelled and covered in sweat, his gaze piercing through her like a hot knife. Before Maka could say a word, she was suddenly pulled into his bed. First, his blanket was thrown on her, then…
"Mmnph!"
She was pinned under his body.
"Soul! Mngh, stop, nh..."
She couldn’t speak because her mouth was covered with his hand. The other one was still gripping her wrist, holding her down.
Ooh, she will Maka Chop him so bad, asleep or not. One does not simply treat a girl like this, especially if her name is Maka Albarn.
Soul was big and could pack a punch, but Maka was the meister. She could throw him away anytime. So now that she snapped out of her surprise, Maka could finally put this pig back into his place. Soul was amazing, but he was still a boy.
She looked up, and froze. Seeing his expression it became clear that Soul had no bad intentions at all. Maka was feeling embarassed, assuming such things about her partner, her best friend, her soulmate.
Soul looked terrified, his eyes darting around like those of a hunted animal. He was still mumbling her name, over and over, like a mantra.
He was not being inappropriate, laying on her like that - he was shielding her meister with his body. Just like when they were fighting Stein. Just like… Italy…
She had to do something.
"Nmm."
Well, it will be hard to speak to him with her mouth covered. She needs it back.
Gently but firmly, she grabbed his hand with her free hand, only to yank it back just in time before he could accidentally tore her open. His hand turned into his blade. This is not good.
But hey, at least she could speak again!
“Soul, it’s me, Maka—“
“Sssh-shh-shh!” Soul was so panicked that it made him even more quiet than usual. "Shhh, don't talk, he's here!"
"Who?”
"Him!"
Maka's eyes darted to the window, expecting a shadow or a face, but found nothing. Above her, Soul trembled like a leaf, but still didn't let go of her.
“I-I won’t let him touch you, don’t worry. But when he’s got me, you need to promise me that you’ll run, and never look back…!”
“Soul, first of all, I would nev—“
“I am ready to die for my meister. I want to die knowing that you are safe, and not being a sitting duck, clinging to my body”
Maka sighed. It would be useless now to argue about this whole “weapon protects the meister, not the other way around” thing, or how she is NOT ready for him to die for her. She should guide him out of his current state of mind, as soon as possible.
“Soul, we are safe—“
“Promise that you’ll run, Maka!”
“Soul, it’s—“
“Maka!”
She sighed. Soul was getting more and more worked up.
"Alright, Soul, I'll do what you say. Now will you please tell me who we're hiding from?"
He swallowed and took a deep breath.
“The Kishin… he came back for revenge. He got Blair, and Kid, and Blackstar… and the rest of the team is scattered across the city, dead. Now he wants us too. I heard his voice, he wants you! And, and— Maka, your eyes, oh god, don't, he can see you—!"
His voice trailed off into a whimper, then he closed his eyes, pressing his lips onto hers.
That's enough.
She freed her arm and cupped his cheek, guiding him away from her lips.
"Soul, please. Look at me.” Oh Death, he was hyperventillating “We are safe. It’s just you and me, in your room. I can’t sense anybody else nearby who could be a threat.”
"Maka…"
“I promise, Soul”
His breathing began to slow.
"It was just a dream, Soul."
He looked at her with a mixture of confusion and relief, then he finally released her.
"Ah! Sorry, did I hurt you?"
"No, not at all."
She gently rubbed the back of his head, hoping that this would soothe him. He seemed to like it, judging by the way he relaxed, leaning into her touch.
“Sorry for waking you up” he finally said, his voice back to normal.
"Don't worry. Are you okay?"
"I'm fine. I'm used to these dreams." He sighed. “It was the worst one yet. I can handle the rest”
"Oh."
He shifted his weight, so he wouldn't crush her anymore.
“Why didn’t you tell me? The bad dreams” Maka asked, her hand still stroking his hair.
"Dunno. I didn't want to bother you. We are both exhausted and need our sleep, and... it's just stupid nightmares."
"They are not stupid, Soul."
"No, they are. I mean, a dream can't hurt you."
"But the Kishin is not a dream. He is a very real threat to the whole world… until we finally find him and defeat him, huh?”
Finally he gave her one of his trademark sharky grins.
“He has no chance against the coolest weapon and meister team. We are gonna kick his ass so bad that he’ll wish he was never born, or, uh, created, whatever. He doesn’t stand a chance, Maka. And we will be the ones to finish him, together. I know it."
She grinned back.
“We will, won’t we? It will take a long time, though. Until then, if you get another nightmare, you can always come and wake me up. I'll help you with them."
"Thanks."
“Well, I’m going back to bed. We need all the sleep we can get, because tomorrow is going to be a busy day. Good night, Soul.”
“Actually, Maka… can you stay with me, tonight? Please?"
Her eyes widened, but the answer was a given.
"Yes, sure. Just let me bring my blankets. Knowing you, you are going to hog yours in your sleep, leaving me to freeze to death.”
“Hey! Cool guys don’t do that. Besides, you are a great, hot-blooded woman. You can keep yourself warm, right?"
She punched his shoulder, but couldn’t suppress her grin.
"Just give me a minute."
She hurried to her room and gathered her blanket and an extra pillow, then returned and climbed into the bed next to him. He was lying on his side, facing her.
"Hey."
"Hey" she smiled.
"Come here."
She shuffled closer and he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her to his chest.
“‘M not gonna let you freeze to death” he mumbled with the certainity of a half asleep person.
"Glad to know. Good night, Soul."
"Niiight..."
Maka listened to his slow, deep breaths for a while. Her partner was already asleep, his nightmare seemingly forgotten. She sighed, thinking back to his earlier panic.
They've been partners and best friends for years, but only recently have they begun to feel close. Maka didn't exactly know when or how it happened, but suddenly their bond became more intimate, deeper. It was still there, strong and unbreakable, but it was a different kind of bond, one that they've never shared before.
The two of them were still getting used to this new feeling. Sometimes she felt a little bit lost, but then she looked at him and his eyes were smiling at her, and she knew everything was fine.
She had a crush on him, and she was quite sure he liked her too. She didn’t know if they were in love with each other, though. It was still too early for that, but it was something worth looking forward to, once the Kishin is finally gone.
In the meantime, they had to make do with the occasional hug and the feeling of their souls merging into one. It was the closest thing to being one, and it was already the most wonderful thing.
Almost as if he could read her thoughts, Soul tightened his grip around her, as if she was his teddy bear.
"Love ya, Maka" he mumbled, his breath tickling the nape of her neck.
A warm, fuzzy feeling spread across her chest. Before she could return the confession, Soul was snoring again.
"Me too."
With a content sigh, Maka finally fell asleep.
They were not perfect. They were loud, and stubborn, and childish. But together, they were something better. Together, they could make the impossible happen.
They were going to be okay.