Hey guys! This is my first ever Soul Eater fic, and I assure you there will be more. I already have a much longer one in the works.

This is also the first writing thing I posted on tumblr, so it would really mean a lot if you could show your support there too and maybe like and/or reblog? Fanfic isn't letting me post the link, but if you go to my profile you can find my tumblr username and writing tag.

Thank you so much!

On the coldest day ever to hit Death City, Maka and Soul's heater decided to break down.

Maka had layered her regular pyjamas with one of Soul's sweaters that she'd found lying around and cocooned herself in her own blanket. As she lay in bed, her teeth chattering uncontrollably, her mind continued to return to an unusual moment earlier that day.

She and Soul had just come back from a successful mission and they were both and giddy with the excitement of working regularly again. Since they had defeated Asura just over six months ago, things at the Academy had been slow. There were still regular classes, but time that would have normally been dedicated to going on missions had been taken over by helping clean up the city that had suffered terrible damages.

Though the battle with Asura seemed like ages ago, every time Maka went outside, she found a reminder of the terror and suffering that the city and its inhabitants had endured. Whether it was scaffolding on buildings that held up crumbling rooftops, or debris lying in deserted alleyways, or even the broken basketball net at the park that no one had bothered to fix yet, it made no difference. All of it sent shivers up Maka's spine.

The welcome escape from the city, even if it was just for a few days to some desolate little village in the middle of no where, left Maka feeling refreshed and clear-minded for the first time in a long time. Soul seemed happier too, more at ease, more like his usual self. Seeing a familiar smirk returned to her weapon's face made her chest swell with happiness.

To any onlookers, most of their conversation as they made their way back to the DWMA would have made them appear like a couple of completely regular, average, every day teenagers, discussing ordering in pizza for dinner that night, and debating over which movie to watch. The thought of them being ordinary caused an amused smile to spread across Maka's face. She was on top of the world, and not even the cold air and slicing gusts of wind that threatened to blow them away could disrupt her mood.

"Man, I haven't eaten a good soul in too long," Soul said, sighing contentedly and stretching his arms above his head. As they walked up the stairs to the school, their arms brushing against one another, making her skin tingle lightly.

Soul slipped his hand into hers, holding it gently. His hand was warm. Maka looked down at their intertwining fingers in a sort of trance. It wasn't like they hadn't held hands before, but this felt different somehow. It was more tender and tentative, without the usual intensity that they had when about to leap into battle or reuniting after a near-death situation. They weren't hurrying somewhere, trying to pull the other after them, or about to fight any kishin eggs. It was so normal.

"Maka, I-" Soul started, slowing his pace until he stopped right before the threshold to the Academy. Her eyes snapped up to look at him. She frowned and tilted her head, concerned.

"What's wrong?" she inquired worriedly. Soul glanced up at her with intense red eyes that made an electric pulse run through her body. She tried to think if that had always happened when he looked at her, but she couldn't recall.

Soul pursed his lips, then shook his head slightly. "Ah, forget it," he mumbled.

"What is it? You can tell me," Maka insisted, squeezing his hand. He scuffed his shoe against the ground.

"Do you ever wonder if things would be different if I wasn't your weapon partner?" he asked finally. Maka was extremely surprised by his question. She felt a small fluttering in her stomach, but she ignored it.

"Different how?"

Soul opened his mouth to say something, but then sighed and shook his head again. "Never mind." He released her hand and all of a sudden, her palm felt cold.

"Soul, tell me!" she said, more demandingly. He ignored her and started walking again. "Don't do that."

"Do what?" he asked indignantly.

"Don't just walk away and ignore me!" she snapped.

"Just drop it, Maka, will you?" he yelled back over his shoulder. She jogged to catch up with him and tried to put a hand on her shoulder. He brushed her off.

"God, Soul, just tell me what's wrong already!" Maka exclaimed. Soul shot her a menacing growl, his eyes narrowing. "You know you don't scare me, Soul," she muttered. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and Maka crossed her arms over her chest as they kept walking, a silence and wide margin coming between them.

All that day, things were off between them. They were on edge, snapping at one another over every little misstep or sharp comment. At one point, when Soul accidentally dropped a plate while he was cleaning the dishes, they got into a full on screaming match that made Maka's throat go raw and her eyes sting with angry tears. She stormed out of the apartment and rushed off to find Tsubaki, then spent spent the rest of the evening ranting her frustrations. Tsubaki just sat back and smiled knowingly as she listened, which after a while began to really tick Maka off. She didn't like not knowing things, and Tsubaki was obviously aware of something she wasn't. When she stomped back into the newly freezer-like apartment, Soul and already turned in for the night, leaving a note on the kitchen counter saying the heater had stopped working again.

So that night, the only thing on Maka's mind other than how to not freeze her ass off was Soul. Soul and his stupid smug smile and annoyingly warm hands.

After an hour of restlessness, Maka swung her legs over her bed. Keeping her blanket wrapped around her tightly, she shuffled to Soul's door. She hesitated for a moment before knocking lightly.

A few seconds later, the door swung open and Soul stood there, squinting at her groggily. She half expected him to snap at her. Instead, he scanned her up and down, taking in her attire, then turned back into his room, leaving the door open as an invitation for her to enter.

"You look like a burrito," he remarked, flopping back down on his bed.

"It's cold," Maka retorted defensively.

"C'mere," he mumbled, lifting up his comforter and scooting to one side of the bed. Without thinking, she layered her blanket on top of his and crawled between the sheets beside him. He had left an imprint with his body heat that lasted all too short for Maka's liking. Soul rolled over to face her, his face only inches from hers.

"Did I wake you?" she asked tentatively.

"No. It's too cold to fall asleep," he sighed.

Maka paused for a moment, then spoke. "Sorry. For yelling."

"Yeah… me too."

Maka took a deep breath. She prepared to ask him about what he'd been talking about earlier when he asked if things would be different if they weren't partners when Soul calmly took her hand that was lying limp on the bed between them and laced his fingers in hers. Maka felt alarmed again, but did not pull away. She was grateful for the dark as it hid the redness in her cheeks.

"Soul, can I ask you something?" she said softly.

"Mhm," he hummed affirmatively. Maka fell short of words, suddenly overcome with an aching in her chest. All of a sudden, the only thing that mattered was being close to him, not the stupid fights, or the broken dish, not even his stupid question which had taken over her mind for the better part of eight hours.

Without saying a word, Maka untangled her fingers from his. She heard Soul let out an almost inaudible huff. She smiled slightly and scooted closer so her head was neatly tucked under his chin and her hands were resting loosely against his chest.

"Maka, what's up? Are you—" her weapon said, about to question her further, concern streaking his voice.

She shushed him. "I'm tired," she sighed. With a small laugh, Soul threw an arm over her and buried his face in her hair.

Maka fell asleep without any problems whatsoever, barely feeling the cold at all.

Please review and tell me what you think!