A/N: This story is for the amazing Marsh of Sleep because it was her birthday a few days ago =)

Enjoy!

Hood Ornament

By now Maka was absolutely sure he was doing it on purpose. She sighed heavily as she watched the mechanic/university student/jerk/hunk work on repairing her father's car or "his baby" in his words, a nickname that always had her roll her eyes because he liked to use it for her from time to time too. This is not how she had imagined her summer break going. She had wanted to spend the break mostly relaxing, read the new books she had purchased just for this break, watch reruns of her favourite cartoons and play video games until her fingers bled. She blamed her childhood friend Black*Star for getting her addicted to them. It started with a game called Kingdoms of Amalur and then it went downhill from there.

She glowered darkly at the back of his head and tried not to avert her gaze to his naked back. She bit her lip roughly, not attempting to look covert in any way at all, boldly standing in the large entryway of the garage. He had his back turned to her so she didn't think he'd notice her anytime soon, thus she could camly-

Oh God, did he have back dimples?

She muffled something that might have been a very embarrassing, fangirlish squeal behind her hand.

He was definitely doing it on purpose!

There was no way someone could look this...this - she grimaced - sexy without trying. It wasn't like her to be this hot and bothered because of a male specimen, a very fine male specimen, true but still...

When it came down to it, he was filthy. Grease and motor oil were things she would definitely categorize under "filthy". So why was it that she, a woman who put utmost importance on hygiene, found him smeared with those substances to be incredibly desiring? She wanted to retch but it was true.

"Do you want me to do another pose for you?"

She jumped out of her thoughts with a startled squeak, icy chills coursing down her body as she found him staring at her guilty form with smug eyes.

Well, fuck.

"What-what are you talking about?"

He grinned rakishly and turned around fully, leisurely leaning against the hood of the car, arms next to him steadying him. Witty retorts and verbal comebacks of epic proportions died in favour of another action that involved her mouth. Well, she didn't actually salivate at the perfect view she got of his perfectly sculpted chest, sweat and grease only adding to his appeal. The sight of his contracted biceps made it difficult to stand still as her knees seemed to be made of pudding and her kneecaps seemed to be melting into some disgusting, gooey substance.

He chuckled lowly and she was so close to slapping herself in the face because how could she get caught staring at him again in a matter of two minutes? Her cheeks were surely going to ignite and were doing a good impression of a tomato suffering of a fever. She really tried to say something but what could she possibly do now? There was no way she could deny she had been ogling him.

Maka Albarn was officially fucked.

She was at a total loss of what to do and almost shrieked when he let the wrench slip from his fingers to let it noisily clutter on the messy ground. He was right in front of her in a matter of seconds and she came to realize just now how much taller he was. She gulped, her heart suddenly picking up in speed, hammering forcefully in her chest cavity.

"I know you're always looking at me."

"Bu-bullshit."

His lips stretched into smirk that practically spelled sinful and dangerous. She should do something, definitely. She...she could-oh, what if she touched the abs that were right in front of her? Her hands were right there! She just needed to raise them a bit and then she could rake her fingers over those tantalizing muscles and-

Wait?

What was his hand doing on her arm right now?

She gasped throatily, her addled brain completely useless. She knew she was going to get into trouble. Maka Albarn never got into trouble, damn it! She was a reasonable and smart girl, always making sensible decisions in life.

In this moment, sensible translated to: letting herself be backed against the wall and initiating a kiss herself.

His lips tasted salty and their tongues were messy as they pushed and probed roughly. She bit his bottom lip without a care in the world, relishing in the low groan he made only to have her haughty smile be wiped away the moment he attached his mouth to her neck.

She mewled and panted, rubbing against him in the most seductive way she could. Either she was good at being seductive or it didn't matter because there were tits rubbing against his chest and she could already feel his boner poking her stomach.

What the hell was she doing? About to get down and dirty with the mechanic her dad had-

Oh. Oh.

That felt nice but when had he gotten his hand under her shirt? Why hadn't she noticed? And damn it, since when did she get painfully aroused when she was bitten?

His deft fingers teased her nipple, the cup of her bra shoved up to her collarbone, pinching and twirling it with a thumb and forefinger. Oh, he was sucking the skin on her neck and it made her delirious with want, made her want to rip his pants off and take him here and now but...wait, he was going to leave a mark and-and...what? There was something else. Even though her mind was severely fogged over by his hands and mouth working their indescribable magic on her body, she still felt him smile against her flushed flesh.

She couldn't have that. She was going to have the upper hand in this, damn it! Inhaling shakily, she unabashedly cupped his junk with a quivering hand, not giving a damn at his shocked face, and squeezed.

"Fuck."

She grinned cheekily, not wasting her time and unzipping his pants, fingers teasingly dancing along the waistband of his boxers-

"Maka? I brought some Chinese take-out!"

Everything came to a deflating standstill of realization and cock/vag-blocking.

Her father was home and he was looking for her.

Her father was home and he was looking for her!

He wore the same look of shock and panic as she was. They quickly scrambled away from each other, trying to fix the damage as Spirit Albarn, police officer with the rank of Lieutenant and overprotective papa to boot, was unmistakably approaching the garage.

"You idiot," she hissed as she yanked her bra in place, smoothing her shirt down her exposed belly. "You smeared grease all over me!"

"Grease? You gave me a boner! What am I-fuck!"

He hastily turned away, writhing back into the confines of his pants and pulling the zipper up with an array of colourful curses. She winced, almost feeling sorry for him because keeping an erection locked up like that had to be unpleasant but then she remembered that she was looking like she had had a quickie with a hunky mechanic, the grease stains and messy hair and flushed face veritable proof for her father, who would very likely throw a fit if he put two and- he'd just need to put one and one together because it couldn't be more obvious.

She glanced at Soul only to find him put his filthy shirt back on, pulling it down to keep the bulge as unnoticeable as possible. She cursed herself, feeling foolish that she thought she could count on his help. Drastic circumstances called for radical measures. As much as she disliked it, she had to put on a heavy layer of Daddy's Girl.

"Hi Papa!" She called out cheerily, keeping her arms crossed in front of her to hide the ugly, black smearing as much as she could.

"Oh, there you are, Maka! What were you doing in there?" Each word was laced with suspicion and his scowl only vanished when she hugged him and kissed him on the cheek.

"Just checking if he's doing his work."

He laughed heartily as they walked into the house. "Don't worry. He's a good boy, he wouldn't dream of screwing with my baby."

Behind them, eyes wide and panicked, Soul raised his head and smacked it squarely into the hood of Spirit's car.

Maka actually liked Chinese food but she just couldn't enjoy it as much as she usually did. She was lucky that her dad had not noticed anything aside from her immense crankiness because petting the kitty under the shower was supposed to be relaxing, but didn't do shit to help her get rid off the tension in her body.

She munched absentmindedly on the sweet and sour chicken and listened to her dad's mindless chatter and the vague details about what he did at work today. Her thoughts kept straying back to the sexy mechanic with whom she had almost screwed. She gritted her teeth.

She could technically just walk to his house and finish what they had started. He did live next door. The Evans family had moved next to them when she was still attending middle school and trying to manage life while her parents were going through their nasty divorce. They had attended the same middle school, but only for a year before they went to separate high schools; she to the closest public high school and he to a private one.

They would see each other occasionally but there had never been more to it until this summer.

She had not expected the lanky Soul Evans to fill out this nicely, neither had she been prepared to see him shirtless on a regular basis when he was busy mowing the lawn or fiddling with his motorcycle or more recently with her papa's crappy car and Maka found herself jealous of motor vehicles.

She wanted him to fiddle with her damn it!

Shaking her head, she curtly excused herself to her room, giving her papa a half-assed excuse about having a headache. She knew she wasn't going to get any sleep this night. Being next door neighbours, it was pretty much guaranteed that their bedroom windows were across from each other. So when she entered her room with the desperate wish to lay down and let sleep claim and lull her into sweet oblivion, she just had to look out of her window and she just had to catch the glimpse of his illuminated room and-

There was no way in hell that this was a coincidence!

She wanted to shriek and rage but the sight in front of her was just too good to let negative emotions overwhelm her. She tilted her head curiously to the side, stepping closer to her window to get a better look at him.

She gulped, hands fisting into the fabric of her skirt.

He was doing pushups.

How dare this fine male specimen do pushups in the safety and privacy of his own room and NOT wear a shirt at the same time? She was close to frothing from the mouth as two thoughts were running through her head:

1) It was no wonder he had filled out so nicely when he was working out like that.

2) She was being a total creep.

She feverishly shook her head and really wanted to tear her leering gaze away from the marvellous sight but she was unable to act upon this moral impulse. She was entranced with the movement of his muscles, the flexing and contracting. She almost swooned on the spot, feeling dizzy and lightheaded.

How would it feel like having these arms wrapped around her small waist? Or to have them steady her while he eagerly took her against a wall? Or to have them bound to her bedpost so she had free reign over what she could do to him? She licked her lips.

She might as well really go over there.

And then he heaved himself up and surely the first thing his eyes landed on was the window. She swore he had to have eyes glued to the back of his skull or something because how else could he have such perfect timing?

Had he sensed her coming to her room and started to work out just to rub it into her face that he was a hot piece of ass? He opened the window, casually leaning onto the windowsill, shooting her a shit-eating grin that infuriated her. She should definitely ignore him, plop onto her bed and read Pattern Recognition, which she had purchased after successfully passing her finals.

Unfortunately, this was not what she did. She opened her window as well, glaring heatedly at him.

"What goes, Albarn?"

Her glare only intensified and she wanted to tell him to fuck off until she remembered that she had been the one spying on him like a stalker. Her fists clenched and unclenched, filled with shame that made her feel like she had been splashed with ice cold water.

"Nothing goes."

She sighed heavily.

"What happened to spitfire-Albarn? Did...did your dad find out-"

"No! I made sure he didn't."

She shuddered at the possibility of her father finding out that she had almost banged the neighbour's son, whom he considered to be a good boy, in his garage. He would have a complete meltdown if he ever found out.

"Good." He sounded relieved and when she looked at him, all smugness appeared to be stripped from his demeanour. "You know when we moved here back then, the first thing he told Wes and me was something like: 'Listen, I'm sure we're going to get along just fine. Just make sure you don't get close to my daughter. I'm a policeman. I can make your life a living hell.'"

"Urgh, are you serious?" She rubbed her forehead. "That explains a lot. Like why you were always looking at me as if I was some monster or zombie or whatever."

He snorted loudly. "He never failed to remind us of it."

She groaned, face burning with embarrassment. Only her dad.

"Sooo, what have you been up to aside from staring at my superb self?" he asked teasingly.

"I have not been staring at you."

"Suuure."

In order to prove his point, he lifted his arm, making his biceps flex and the noticeable bulge of muscle only more noticeable. She gulped noisily, fearing her heart had just jumped into her throat.

"I always thought you were a prude but look at you, you're such a perv."

She snapped out of her daze only to let him see her scarlet face. How could she be so simple-minded? "So what if I am? You're the one who wanted to do me on my dad's car!"

"I didn't hear you complaining. In fact, I remember your hand was down my pants."

She gritted her teeth and she wanted to do nothing more but wipe that infuriatingly taunting grin off his handsome face. She took a deep breath. Oh, she was seething but she was not going to let him rile her up like that.

"Whatever. I don't have to put up with your crap. I'm getting ready for bed." She had endured enough of his teasing. Payback was a bitch.

She turned on her heel but didn't close the window and unabashedly unbuttoned her shirt, making sure he saw her teasingly exposed back. She discarded her bra quickly, twisting her torso so that she gave him a good amount of side-boob to fawn over, smiling devilishly to herself at his slack jaw. She put on a flimsy pajama top and faced him once more, ego swelling at his darkened eyes.

The slight chill of the evening coupled with the way the fabric of the top rubbed against her, made her nipples perfectly visible and even though the modest part of her wanted to cover herself, another part of her, the part that was clearly dominating at the moment, didn't give a fuck. She tamped down her desire to cackle like a cartoon villain at the look on his face, but just barely.

His eyes never left her, drank her in and she was only too giddy to continue. It was weird. Maka had never been a flirtatious girl; the relationships she had were far and few between. Most dates she had were awkward and just underlined how inept she was in regards to flirting and dating. She was confident when it came to academics, to books, to classes, to acing exams but was like a toddler who was just learning to walk when it came to the opposite sex.

Soul brought something out in her she had never known she had in the first place.

She unbuttoned her skirt, pulled the zipper down slowly. She held his gaze, gave him the sauciest smile she could muster. Bending over slightly, making sure he got another enticing glimpse of cleavage, she pulled her skirt down, letting it slide down the smooth expanse of her legs.

For the first time since she could remember she felt sexy. He made her feel sexy. The realization made her pause her private striptease as her skirt pooled around her feet. Yes, she felt sexy, powerful, and she liked it. She loved how she had him trembling and gawking, how she could reduce him from making snide remarks to being unable to utter a single word.

"W-what are you doing?" His voice was thick with want and it thrilled her, made her quiver and weak in the knees.

"I told you, getting ready for bed."

She wished she had concealed it better how much the low timbre of his voice affected her, wished she hadn't spoken so squeakily.

He laughed throatily, sharp teeth burying in his bottom lip when he let his eyes sweep over her tiny frame once more, seeming to take particular interest in her legs and her chest.

"Really? If that's how you always do it, I wouldn't mind watching you get ready for bed every night."

She smiled wryly, her heart pounding strongly, her nerves burning with tension. "That's not how I usually do it, Soul. Tonight it's a bit chilly, that's why I'm doing it a bit differently."

"Oh?"

"Usually I sleep naked."

With that she closed her window and pulled the curtains, leaving a painfully aroused Soul behind.

She had been expecting some act of retaliation on his part and was probably only asking for it when she strolled into the garage in shorts and her favourite thigh highs. She had noticed rather quickly how he looked at her legs more often when she wore them. She came to him because she was curious, drawn to him like a magnet. It didn't hurt that it was also very hot, and she knew he hadn't been keeping himself well hydrated while working on her dad's car.

She hadn't put much effort into the lemonade; in fact she hadn't even made it herself, but had bought it two days ago from the grocery store. He had taken the glass with a few confused words of gratitude and gulped the content down in record time. She had very much enjoyed watching his Adam's apple bob as he did so, neither did she find the sight of him wiping his mouth with the back of his hand unappealing, watching him wipe the sweat from his forehead with a strong and muscle-y forearm was also quite nice.

He gave her a onceover, eyes hazy and dark as he handed her the glass back. Their fingers touched, neither trying to make an attempt to avoid contact. Even though it was deliberately done, it still send tingles through her arm and she feared she might drop the glass if she didn't back away soon.

The air was humid and hot and she wondered if her body heat hadn't already exceeded normal human body temperature. It felt like it was fifty degrees too hot. She didn't leave and it was unsettlingly quiet when he turned to the task at hand. This lasted for about ten minutes before she broke the silence, asking coyly, "Did you sleep well last night?"

His reaction was instantaneous. Maka found her personal space invaded by him. She expected him to be bold and rough with her and the most primitive part of her would have welcomed it heartily, the thought of aggressive sex turning her on like no other. He was oozing frustrated vexation and her heart was thumping and her chest was fluttering in anticipation, but when he touched her she was almost disappointed that his touch was gentle.

He was barely putting any pressure into the grasp he had on her shoulders. He looked her deeply in the eyes, and it might have been her own steps that made a turn and guided them towards the car and alright, it might have been his hands in this case that pushed her onto the hood of it. He had his knee between her parted legs and was silently hovering above her, eyes like melting steel.

"The nerve of you to ask me that."

She bit back a gasp as his knee skirted dangerously close to her crotch.

"Why?

Her voice was heady and she was proud that she did get a word out of her mouth.

"Do you really think I got a minute of sleep?"

"You didn't?"

Her amusement had to have been too obvious because his eyes narrowed into a glare. She shot him a sickeningly sweet smile, a stark innocent contrast to their position and the words they were about to utter.

"How was I supposed to sleep with your little show?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Oh, so how did you spend your night, if you didn't sleep because of me."

The anticipation was killing her and she had no idea why she let him pin her wrist on either side of her head. Hiis knee moved further up but refused to touch her. She squirmed, the want for contact almost overwhelming.

"What do you think I did. I ended up with another boner thanks to your peep show and had to jerk off."

She licked her lips, his gaze immediately drawn to them and following the action faithfully. His admission did funny things to her, made her crave his touch more, made her horny beyond belief. Her eyes flitted briefly down to his crotch. He had been touching himself because of her. Was it weird that something like that gave her quite a boost of confidence? Did it make her a sick person for wishing that she had been with him and watched him as he stroked himself, sweat beading on his forehead as his lips parted to groan out her name?

She gulped, cursing her overly imaginative mind for supplying her with such lovely images that made her feel weak-boned and jittery all over. She wanted to tease him a bit more, she wanted him to feel like she was feeling now. She wanted the upper hand again. Yet why had she allowed herself to be put into such a submissive position then? She blinked, trying to regain some high brain functions.

"How does it feel like to get a taste of your own medicine?"

His lips twisted into a devilish grin, heavy lidded eyes staring her down. She was sure now, she would die of heart failure in the near future if she kept being around him.

"My own medicine, you say? Does that mean you...keep touching yourself at night when you think of me?"

Heat shot through her body, completely engulfing her skin in its intensity and for a moment she thought she had unlearned how to breathe, couldn't make her body cooperate because her senses were awash with Soul and could only register Soul. She didn't want to give him the satisfaction and confirm his theory, too stubborn to admit that he was right, that she might have been doing that even before their little game of seduction had begun. He was breathing harder and faster, his chest heaving, his hair plastered to his moist forehead as he awaited her response with barely concealed curiosity.

It was really far too hot in here.

"How do you do it?" His husky whisper ghosted over her neck, made her pulse pound and her skin crawl with scorching need. "I want to see. Would you show me?"

She exhaled shakily, hissed when his knee brushed her right there and damn it, she needed more than just an accidental graze, needed his hand, his fingers, his cock and preferably fully nude. And was he asking her to touch herself? Right here? In front of him? There had been a line once and it hadn't been so much as crossed but completely trampled upon and killed with fire. Shame and modesty were not words that were included in her vocabulary anymore.

She could do it, but that would mean admitting defeat and if there was one thing she knew described her almost perfectly, it was that she possessed the pigheadedness of a mule.

On the other hand, she was desperate; she was aroused to the point of painful and she had never thought she could be this wet without having even touched each other intimately yet. They were just words. Words weaved together that created an imagery so strong, and that were said in a voice so deep and sultry that it was enough to send her mind into a frenzy. She grasped onto the last tendrils of self-control, willed herself to continue this agonizingly arousing game.

"Why? Are you too lazy to do it yourself?"

His eyes widened for a moment, his grip on her wrists loosening and giving her enough time to yank them free. She was torn between showing him exactly what she was doing at night because of him and pulling him roughly towards herself to do all the naughty things with him. She grabbed his hand and placed it between her thighs, her breath hitching when he put the bearest of pressure into his fingers.

"Like this," she breathed out shakily and put her hand on top of his, fingers curling and moving slowly to guide him, even though she was sure he had to know how it worked. She shifted a little, leaned against the dusty front windshield of the car as she spread her legs further apart, making him place his knee onto the hood and lean forward, hands never disconnecting.

"Like this?"

She mewled when his gentle caresses transformed into bolder strokes. She could only helplessly gasp out to get rid of her stupid shorts and underwear right now, please. It annoyed her a little that what she had started as a means to torture him had her on the begging end now, but her entire being was far too much flooded with pleasure to dwell on that for too long. Her thighs trembled when he unbuttoned her shorts and didn't bother to take them off, instead he pushed his hand into her panties, the fabric embarrassingly soaked, his taunting grin only adding to her self-consciousness.

It didn't come to her as a surprise that he knew what to do with his fingers. She had had already gotten a foretaste of his skills yesterday but it had been always been the sight of him busying himself with repairing some sort of vehicle that convinced her that he had to have dexterous and nimble hands.

Her head hit the strong glass behind her, a dull thud accompanying the action as she whispered and moaned and encouraged him to go faster, to do more and please, it felt so good. She wasn't sure how he managed to make her feel like she was on the verge of combustion when his hand had so little room to move, it was like they had been doing this forever, his touch almost familiar-

Heavy lidded, green eyes snapped open when he brushed against her clit, his name tearing out of her mouth, a syllable completely wrapped in need, strained and thick. Whatever her initial plan had been was completely washed away with the aching tension in the pit of her stomach, growing more and more with each pump of his fingers, making her hips flex and her hands uselessly claw at his shoulders because she needed something to hold on to. She was faintly aware that she was being very loud yet the thought that someone might actually hear didn't cross her dazed mind. He placed his large palm against her mouth, only managing to muffle the noises she made, unable to silence her fully.

She was unaware of what was going around her, registering only his touch and his voice. Oh God, his sinfully deep voice. "Shh, quiet. Someone's gonna hear you."

She whimpered weakly in response, eyes clenching shut as she was desperately waiting for her release to come. Her flat breaths whipped over the back of his hand, its smell metallic and salty and-

Fuck!

She was so close! She was almost there!

And then he stopped. A frustrated whine found its way out of her mouth as his hand left it. She was too dumbstruck and confused to bother with buttoning her shorts and making herself look halfway presentable again. His shoulders were shaking and his face was flushed, the hard-on obvious in his pants. Clearly he was as affected by this as she was.

Yet he didn't touch her again, didn't even voice his desire to be touched now. He managed a shaky grin, a poor, worthless imitation of the ones he normally pulled off so effortlessly. Her mouth opened and closed and there was just no way she was capable of normal speech in this moment.

"W-why did you stop?"

"Sorry, I got work to do."

She had never wanted to punch someone so much in her life.

The next week was spent primarily with sexual frustration and her miserable attempts to avoid him. She had discovered another talent of herself: failing to avoid Soul. She would always peek at him when he was working on her dad's car. Her papa was getting impatient, asking her if he should entrust "his baby" to a real mechanic even if it would cost him more.

Despite her seething fury, she had managed to talk him out of it. She was so weak and it bothered her that she was enjoying Soul's company- or at least the sight of his naked chest so much. She wanted to get back at him, wanted to hate him for driving her crazy like that. So when she marched towards the garage again, intent on...on doing something, things of course weren't going to go according to her nonexistent plan.

His loud curses drew her attention away from plotting her revenge. It didn't help that he sounded like he was in pain. Without a second thought, she walked into the garage and the worry that gripped her heart eclipsed the anger she had been feeling.
"Oh my God, Soul!"

There was so much blood on his hand; her brows creased with concern.

"Cut myself on a goddamn wire. Looks worse than it is."

He washed most of the blood in the wash basin, the water taking most of the dirt away too. He was right. It had looked worse than it was. All that was left was a comparatively tiny cut and she allowed herself a sigh of relief.

"You don't happen to have some band-aid somewhere?"

She snapped out of her reverie, almost jumping five metres into the air. "Oh! Sure! Let me get you some."

During those minutes she needed to fetch the opened package of band-aids from the bathroom and to get back, her heart calmed as her concern faded and her annoyance returned in full force.

Consequently she re-entered the garage. She ignored his outstretched hand and instead ripped a band-aid free herself.

"Uh..."

Her eyes flashed. "Your finger."

He dumbfoundedly held his hand to hers, watching her curiously as she carefully put the band-aid on his bleeding cut.

She didn't let go.

Her eyes were burning with a rekindled fire, body high-strung and muscles taut with unignorable tension. He shifted awkwardly but made no attempts to make her let go of his hand. He swallowed hard as she brought his hand towards her mouth, gently pressing her lips against the band-aid.

He flinched, making a startled gasp as he watched her fascinatedly shower his long digits with small kisses. The pace of her mouth was teasingly slow and she deliberately held his hazy gaze, making sure he had only eyes for her. He groaned when she lightly nibbled on the pad of his thumb, teeth scraping along calloused skin. Her tongue picked up the faintest traces of metallic copper and salt and she quickly moved on to his knuckles, turning his hand so she could easily kiss the inside of his wrist, noting with particular interest how that seemed to get more of a reaction out of him than the rest.

It was even more gratifying when she bit him there, relishing in the shuddery growl he made. There was that feeling again, the feeling that had been at its strongest when she had done a little stripping for him. Pride burned within her when she saw the bulge in his pants, feeling powerful and giddy and excited. He sucked in a raspy breath when she stepped closer to him, relinquishing his hand from her grasp.

He was frozen on the spot, unmoving like a statue. She might have to change that. She nuzzled his neck, smiling haughtily to herself when she felt his frantic pulse beneath her lips. Slowly she let her hand slither down from his chest further down, tugging at his belt playfully before she grabbed his junk. His body jerked suddenly, his face burying in the crook of her neck as his breath ghosted over her sensitive skin, making the fine hairs on the back of her neck rise.

Oh yes, she was going to enjoy this very much.

Ignoring her own throbbing core calling for attention, she got down on her knees.

"M-maka, what?"

She smiled wickedly, his helpless whimper amusing her to no end. She took care to be extra slow when she undid his belt, even yanking it out of the belt loops despite it being not necessary at all. The sound of the zipper was startlingly loud, the sounds of their heavy breathing the only other source of noise. His pants fell and she didn't spend as much time with his boxers, pulled them down with a move of her hand.

She paused, taking a second to look at his dick, to lick her suddenly dry lips.

Her knees were starting to hurt, the ground was hard and cold. She should get over with this quickly.

She enclosed his tip with her eager mouth, giving him a languid lick that made him hiss and quiver.

"Fuck."

She hummed pleasedly, relishing in the control she had over him. The noises he made turned her on more than she'd like, but she ignored her own arousal in favour of making him go insane. Her tongue was quick to find where he was the most sensitive and she didn't waste any time to make proper use of her discovery. He gripped her shoulder fiercely, his knees buckling as curse after curse left his mouth.

She released him with a wet plop, grimacing a little as she stood up. Before he had the chance to say something, she said, "Oops, I totally forgot that there's still something I need to take care of. See ya."

In that moment Soul was sure of two things.

1) Maka Albarn was the devil.

2) He was going to run out of lotion today.

This was ridiculous, so ridiculous that it was ridiculous she was even thinking about it.

Maka wanted to barf.

Her beloved books did nothing to distract her and her thoughts kept flitting back to Soul and the new guest that had arrived in the Evans household three days ago. Blair was a stunning woman with a body to die for and a bubbly personality that made it impossible for her to hate her as she captured the attention of everyone she passed whenever she traipsed along the streets in her risque attire.

The first time she had seen the woman talk to Soul in that excited and very playful manner, sexist slurs had already been on the tip of her tongue before she stopped herself. She was being unfair.

Soul and she didn't have anything they could call a relationship, just some weird mess that was primarily based on sexual teasing and second to third base flirting, meaning that she had absolutely no right to be jealous that he was spending more time with Blair.

That, and when it came down to it, Blair's shorts weren't any shorter than her own. Blair just seemed to favour low cut tops more than she did.

She wished it didn't affect her this much and really didn't want to think about the reasons why it did affect her. It would only give her a headache. She wanted to forget, wanted to ignore everything around her and just be engrossed with her novel. She should have known that ignoring them would be difficult if she read in the backyard which was pretty much adjacent to theirs.

Her heart clenched whenever she heard their laughter and the funny tales they shared. Jealousy gnawed at her in such a way that she was reaching the point where she wanted to march over, knock that Blair-girl over, drag Soul somewhere private, or semi-private, (she wasn't choosy) and do him.

She groaned as she let the book fall down from her lap. It slid shut the moment it landed on the grass below and she hadn't marked the page she had stopped reading. Usually something like that made her go on a mental rampage of epic proportions.

She felt just very tired and drained of all energy.

Soul had told her papa that he'd start to work on his car later, which he accepted with narrowed eyes. He had helpfully repeated how long it was taking him to repair it, but his demeanour had changed the moment Blair had joined Soul's side to beg her dad to let it slide this once since she wasn't going to be staying long.

Her papa had always had a weakness for beautiful woman of the busty kind. A weakness that had cost him his marriage and his daughter's respect for some years. Yeah, having memories like that well up again didn't make her like this Blair person more.

She just wanted to curl into a small ball of misery or punch someone.

"Hey, Soul you remember the time when you used to-"

She put her hands onto her ears, trying to block out every noise that came from them. She didn't want to listen to their happy reminiscing, didn't want to hear his bad jokes, didn't want to hear them together.


She wondered if the past weeks held any meaning at all. She surely hadn't been thinking much about there being any meaning initially,but now it made her wonder if there was more to his action towards her or if it was just wishful thinking on her part. What made her so sure that he had been making these advances on her because he truly found her attractive? He might as well picked her because she lived conveniently close to him. He might be doing this little game with other women as well, with more beautiful women, more desirable women. He was a handsome man so she doubted he didn't get any attention from other interested people.

Even though she sort of wanted to believe that to make it easier to distance herself from all of this, a large part of her couldn't agree that Soul was such a man. Then again, where did she take such confidence in her judgment? She didn't want to be hurt, and she had never expressed that she was interested in him beyond the weird sexual thing they had going on...or had been going on. So if he wanted to be with other women, she was not the one to stop him.

She dejectedly cast her eyes down, trying to swallow the large knot in her throat down that seemed to be permanently glued in there since Blair had arrived here. She sighed heavily and slumped limply down onto the grass, tickling her skin, the sun pleasant and warm.

"This sucks."

She had sworn to herself that she was going to avoid him from now on. That didn't mean she didn't end up setting her foot into the garage later in the day. He was back in his mechanic's garb, looking as irresistible as ever.

The confidence with which she usually approached him was completely absent. She was at a loss of what to do, wanted to beat herself up because why the hell was she here again? She really had to work on being more consistent.

She wordlessly remained standing right at the entrance, shoulders slouched and heavy. She nervously gnawed on her bottom lip, never having felt this indecisive before. She wanted to go...but she didn't want to go. Gah! What was wrong with her? She frowned.

She should go. Should go back into the house before she did something stupid because she knew lots of crap could come out of her mouth when was upset. She should go, definitely. She didn't move from the spot.

She...she liked spending time with him.

She hated these realizations that hit her with a sudden force, making her almost tumble down because her body couldn't handle it. Why did she like spending time with him, though? Was it because he happened to be hellishly sexy and a very passionate man who could without a doubt fuck her so well that she wouldn't be able to walk properly for nearly a week?

She had never been such a shallow person.

Had they done something else than sexing each other up? Well, as long as they had remained in the garage that had been the case. But Maka remembered moments when they would talk in the nights thanks to their conveniently situated windows. Sometimes their conversations would last until they'd see the faint specks of the rising sun.

"Are you done daydreaming?"

She flinched, muffling a squeak behind tightly sealed lips. "Shut up."

He chuckled and she noticed just now that he didn't look like he had even started on any repairs. His shirt was a pristine white, lacking the grease and motor oil she found so enticing on him.

"Hey, weren't you supposed to start already?"

"Yeah, so?"

"Well, you don't look like you've done anything yet."

"That's because I haven't."

"Soul, papa isn't paying for nothing!"

"Chill. Your dad isn't paying me anything for this."

"Huh? He...isn't?"

"Nope. Blair wanted to go to the cinema, that's why I'm starting a bit later."

She scoffed. "You don't have to come here at all if you'd rather spend more time with her."

Shit! There she had it. Oh, why did she open her stupid mouth? Without a fail, she always said some crap when she was upset. She wanted to take her bitter words back, wanted to lock herself in her room until she cooled down.

He looked up, an eyebrow raised curiously. "Uh, we got the time of the movie mixed up. It started half an hour later than we thought. That's why I'm late...and I really don't know why you're-wait! You're jealous!"

"Whaaat? No-no way, I'm not jealous!"

Fuck, fuck, fuck!

"You are, admit it."

"Am not."

"You've nothing to worry about, sweetheart. First off, Blair is like a sister to me. I've known her since I was in kindergarten. Second, she's a bit of an airhead," he smiled fondly, "I'm more into smart girls; the nerdier the better."

"Ooh."

She had gotten to third base with this man and had done it with such casual flippancy, yet hearing him call her sweetheart left her blushing like a smitten schoolgirl. Maka also remembered being called nerd very often. She didn't want to get her hopes high but...

Maybe she could risk it. Confidence swelled in her chest, muscles tense with nervousness. "Okay, maybe I was a little jealous."

"I knew it!"

"Oh, shut up." She tried her best to sound annoyed but couldn't keep an insistent smile down. "You should make sure you repair that car by the end of the week. Papa is getting impatient."

He laughed uneasily. "About that, well, I gotta admit that, uh, I have no clue how to repair it."

"Whaaat? What have you been doing the whole time then?"

"Well, I knew what to do here and there but now...not so much, yeah. I only stuck around because...because..."

"Because?"

"Because...I got to see you more often that way."

Her heart fluttered at his admission, made her skin prickle and her mouth dry. She wanted to swoon at the bright blush on his cheeks, didn't know if it was okay to kiss him or to jump him right now. She took a deep breath in an attempt to calm her frayed nerves, took a few steps forward until she was standing next to him.

"You know if you wanted to see me more often, you could have just come over...or just asked me out."

He averted his eyes for a moment, fists clenching before he looked at her again. "I don't know. You never struck me as a girl who'd be interested in someone like me."

"Huh? Why would you think that?"

"'Cause you're smart and shit, and always reading and I'm the total opposite?"

She laughed softly, glancing down at her feet shyly. "Idiot."

And she kissed him. It was probably the gentlest kiss they had ever shared, not that they had shared that many in the first place. Her lips slanting over his with the faintest of pressure, she inhaled through her nose before she deepened the kiss, arms wrapping around his neck as his bare, muscular arms found their place around her waist.

It didn't take them long to fall into their familiar heady rhythm. Her nails raked over his arms, hard muscles flexing as he tightened his hold on her, carrying her to the car and placing her on the hood. She writhed a little, trying to get as comfortable as possible and flashed him a coy smile as he leaned down again to kiss her.

She gasped needily, rubbed herself against him, her blood boiling and roaring loudly in her ears. This time there would be no teasing. His lips were at her neck, unabashedly biting her skin, suckling greedily on a particularly sensitive spot until he left his mark behind.

Oh fuck, she had needed this since forever.

She threw her head back, giving him more neck for his teeth to play with. They were so sharp and they felt so good, leaving her skin prickling and tingling, each little scrape making her crave more. He nibbled his way down to her collarbones. He pulled away, his hands placed on either side of her head. His eyes skimmed over her lithe frame, stilling when they were directed at her breasts.

She licked her lips, played with the hem of her top and lifted it up slightly, enough to reveal the taut skin of her flat stomach. She only saw a ghost of a grin in his face before he was tracing lazy circles with his tongue around her navel, making her flinch and shiver and giggle at the same time. His hands were at her top now, pushing it up little by little, exposing more and more skin for him to take in.

Her top was pulled over her head with one smooth movement, leaving her chest completely bare.

The look in his eyes could only be described as: Yay, boobs!

But what came out of his mouth was: "No bra? Nerdy girls are the biggest pervs."

She made a squeaky sound in the back of her throat that might have been intended as some sort of retort when his warm hands slid over her sides and stopped briefly at her ribs, her skin feeling it was going to burst into flames.

She needed him to touch her fucking tits!

"Soooul."

"Hmm?"

"Stop stalling."

There was no hesitation when he pinched her nipples; he had groped her tits often enough to know that she liked it when he was rough, liked to be pinched and bitten.

There was still far too much space between their bodies and he was being far too dominant for her liking. She bit back a moan as one particular twist of his fingers had her mind reeling, her hands gripping his butt to pull him closer.

He hissed and she ruthlessly dug her nails into the firm flesh beneath her fingertips, loathing the pants that were obstructing her prize. His pants weren't particularly tight but she still had to undo them to get her hands inside. She grinned like an idiot when she finally touched his ass free from any useless fabric that only served to annoy her.

She wondered if his workout regimen also included intensive training of butt-muscles.

And then she decided she didn't care and groped him some more, pulling him so close that his erection was brushing against her inner thigh and she needed to shift a little, adjust the angle of her hips and wrap her legs around his to feel his dick against her aching core.

They shared a gasp, rocking against each other in a pace too slow to satisfy them. She had to be insane. Why was she endorsing more teasing and torturous foreplay when her body was burning and screaming for him to fill her, to thrust inside her forcefully, to clutch her hips and fuck her until she cried her voice hoarse?

Even when she tried to quicken their tempo, he made sure she failed, his hands on her hips firm and strong as he rubbed against her, each graze against her drenched panties making her thirst for more. It was annoying; he still had his shirt on and his pants were only half undone and still clinging to his ass like nobody's business. She wanted to voice her thoughts, wanted to tell him get naked right now but before she could, his mouth was on her tit, biting and sucking hard and causing her words to turn into strangled whimpers.

He was most certainly as affected as she was but he managed to be quieter, limiting himself to deep grunts and suppressed groans whereas she was thrashing wildly, lips parted constantly, chest heaving with her panting.

"Mmmh-Soul, off! Take it off."

She didn't clarify what exactly she wanted him to take off and wasn't sure if she was disappointed or relieved when he decided her panties should come off. And her skirt, making her wonder why he'd bothered with it since it didn't do much covering in the first place. She must had voiced it out somehow, she was dimly aware of uttering something but not about the content of her words because he answered, his voice dropping to a rich, velvety timbre, "I want to see all of you."

She was ridiculously wet and he didn't fail to remind her of this, fingers dancing along the sensitive skin of her inner thighs, venturing between them only to draw them back before he touched where she needed it the most, her eyes nearly tearing up because of the pressing, needy desperation she felt. It made her almost forget how to breath, how to move limbs that had become heavy as lead.

Her breasts were going to be littered with marks and bruises but at least she could hide those easily. Her neck was another matter altogether. He sucked on the underside of her breast particularly hard, releasing the spot with such a naughty sound that couldn't be found even in the dirtiest porn.

"Soul, your shiiiirt-ah!"

He was a devious little fuck. Touching her soaking slit the moment she was about to say something important. She moaned loudly when he stroked her clit, making her delirious with pleasure, her blood boiling heatedly as she tried to hold onto some reason, which became impossible to do so the more high-pitched her cries became.

What was he doing? With heavy-lidded eyes, she watched him as he went down to his knees, shooting her a sultry grin and planting a small kiss against the inside of her knee. It was chaste and just a precursor of what was to come, the promise to make her see stars when he was finished. His lips ventured higher up her leg, his kisses becoming more heated, his teeth and tongue being used more and more.

She faintly noticed how someone who happened to walked by would be able to see them. The thought made her tense up slightly. Oh God, if someone saw them, she didn't know what-

Further thoughts were derailed when Soul busied himself with her inner thighs, spreading them farther apart. She was completely on display yet she couldn't find it in herself to care, not about that they were in a semi-public place, neither about modesty because his mouth was so close. And she wanted it between her legs finally!

Unbidden whimpers escaped her mouth when she felt his breath hit her damp folds. He gave her a tentative lick and then at her sounds of encouragement, he spread her folds, suckling on her clit. Her hands fisted in his hair, tugging and yanking, causing him to groan as she rode his mouth. Her hips bucked on their own accord, there was no way she could still them even if she wanted to because she had waited too long for this.

He put a hand on her hip, trying to keep her still, his tongue never once ceasing its assault on her clit. She knew she wasn't going to last much longer at this rate-not that she wanted to, having craved it since the first time they had touched each other.

Her orgasm hit her the moment he gave her clit a particularly hard, noisy suck, her back arching away from the hood of the car, her toes curling and her throat raw from screaming. When she opened her eyes, having barely recovered from her high, she saw him lick his lips and wipe his mouth with the back of his hand before he was hovering over her again, lips stretched into that sinful grin of his she had come to adore over time.

Hadn't she wanted to be the dominant one here? Didn't she want to make him beg and moan? She decided it didn't matter if he made her feel this good. He nibbled on her chin and kissed her cheek briefly before he pressed his mouth against hers. She could taste herself on him, shuddering when he stroked her hips.

She gasped, fingers curling into his shirt. "Off!"

He chuckled. "As you wish."

She gulped as the shirt was hauled over his head and thrown away like a useless piece of rag. She hooked her forefinger into a belt loop of his pants, voice a breathy whisper as she spoke again, "This too. Take it all off."

He complied wordless but the teasing smirk on his face never faltered, neither did he avert his eyes from hers. She licked her lips when he was finally - finally - naked. He was such a wonderful sight to behold. She loved his broad shoulders, loved his strong arms and his chest was marvelous, so chiselled and perfect. She beckoned him to step closer, immediately wrapped her legs around his hips and raked her nails down his torso, especially enjoying the grunts he made whenever she pinched his nipples.

She couldn't get enough of him; her hands were everywhere: on his shoulders, clawing at his back, fondling his firm ass. It didn't take her long to shake the tiring after effects of her orgasm off, panting needily against his ear as she whispered words she didn't know she would ever be capable of saying to someone.

"You have such a dirty mouth."

She licked the shell of his ear, eliciting a shaky moan from him. She chose not to answer, instead opting for her body to do all the talking, rubbing her breasts against his chest, giggling as he tensed and sucked a deep breath in between clenched teeth. She guided his dick between her parted legs, gripping him softly and hissing when his tip brushed against her sensitive flesh.

There was miniscule moment of hesitation and she was torn between annoyance and affection, frustrated that he was still making her wait and touched that he still took his time to make sure if she was okay with this. She smiled, petting his cheek and kissing him gently. What a silly man. She would never dream of stopping.

He slid inside her carefully, her lips pressed tightly together as muffled noises slipped out of her. The first few thrusts were gentle, gauging her reactions, testing what she could take and then he held her legs at the back of her knees and began to pound into her more quickly, grunting and groaning.

She didn't know how she was going to do this if her arms felt like they were going to give out in any second. Her palms hurt, the surface of the hood too hard but she didn't care, not when he was making her feel so good, not when burning pressure was building up inside her again, not when she demanded with her breathless, husky voice that he go faster and harder, her cries shameless and wanton.

Belatedly it occurred to her that they were being quite loud, and that it wouldn't need someone walking close by to find out what was going in the garage. She clamped her mouth shut, smothering her moans, only tiny whimpers making it out. He was relentless with his thrusts, his rhythm perfect, smooth and powerful as his red gaze raked over her sweaty body, relishing in the sight.

She almost sobbed in frustration when he stopped and for a moment she truly feared he was going to leave her like this as a sick continuation of their little game. She shook her head, brushed her hair from her face and looked him questioningly in the eyes.

"Flip over."

There was no way she could refuse him, not when he was using that voice, not when she was giddily looking forward to having him fill her again and fuck her brains out. She shakily did as she was told, his hands always steadying her until she was on her knees and he was clutching her hips. This time, he didn't waste any precious seconds and slid inside her with a growl, picking up his previous rhythm quickly.

She really tried to be quiet, really did. But how could she when he was constantly brushing against something that made her sob and beg for more? Her skin was flaring with heat, her entire frame trembling with the onslaught of pleasure. Yes, this was what they had been waiting for. She could see their faint reflections in the front windshield of the car, the sight embarrassing and arousing at the same time.

His hand, she wasn't sure which one, as she had pretty much lost all capacity for thought, slithered up her stomach and ribs, cupping a breast, twisting and twirling her nipple. His movements never faltered, driving her closer and closer to the edge. She called out his name desperately and he complied with a few hard shoves, finally sending her over the edge, red-hot waves of pleasure invaded her small body. Her back arched and her eyes squeezed shut, limbs quivering as she moaned, voice spent and croaky.

She watched him in the front shield as he lost himself, his body shaking feverishly as he came with her name on his lips. The last few thrusts he managed were weak as she felt him throb inside her, his heat filling her.

He slumped against her as they tried to catch their breaths, bodies tired and exhausted. Inhaling flatly, she slowly turned around, wincing and grimacing. Having sex on a bed had some advantages. Their lips met tenderly and he pulled her close, her chest flush against his.
"You have no idea how long I've wanted this," he said breathlessly, running a hand through her moist hair.

She kissed him again, humming happily against his mouth. "Neither do you..."

"I've wanted this since we were 15."

She tensed up slightly, pulling away from him to look at his face. "What, really?"

He grinned wryly. "Yeah. It was kinda difficult to put on moves on you because-"

"MAKA! I'm home!"

"Fuck."

"Oh God, where are my clothes?"

"If he sees us, he's gonna castrate me."

"Shut up and get dressed."

It was a frantic scramble for their clothes and Maka really hope her dad would just go into the house and not bother to look here for her. There couldn't be a worse way to ruin her post-coital bliss. She was about to run out of the garage when a hand on her wrist stopped her.

"Soul, what-mmpf."

The sudden kiss didn't last long but it still left her dazed. His cheeky smile didn't help at all to clear her head.

"See you tomorrow?"

"Y-yeah."

When Spirit asked her later over dinner how she spent her day, stating that he knew it could get quite boring here, Maka choked on her coke.

She knew the day would come but it didn't make it easier. He had to leave for college two weeks earlier than she. There was a thick knot in her throat and her limbs felt heavy. He was packing his luggage into the trunk of his father's car together with his older brother. Her papa eyed them warily, his eyebrow twitching with irritation. In the end, Soul had admitted that he basically had no idea what to do with the car. Suffice to say, her papa had been angry, his mood was only further spoiled when they didn't bother to keep their relationship a secret from him. Maka had to admit though that he had taken it better than she had expected; he had just frothed a little from the mouth and nearly fainted. Other than that and the dark glared he'd throw at Soul's way, her papa was handling this quite well considering it was him.

She sighed heavily. "Papa, I'm going outside."

He frowned and she sure he was going to give her a lecture about staying away from boys like Soul but he caught himself in the last minute, heaving a resigned breath and smiling sadly. "Yes, go. Talk to him."

Slipping into her flats, she left the house and gave her papa a small smile, waving at him before she closed the door behind her.

Soul was just shutting the lid of the trunk when she approached the Evans brothers.

"Hey, Soul...Wes." She gave the elder brother a small nod.

"Hello Maka."

Soul and Wes had the uncanny ability communicate without words. Soul just looked at him, something between them before Wes excused himself, leaving them alone. She bit her lip.

"When are you leaving?"

He sighed, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his pants. "In about an hour."

"Oh." She had known of course but hearing him confirm it only made it their goodbye more imminent and final. She looked down, dejected and at a loss of how to deal with the sadness.

"Hey, don't be so mopey now. We're going to see each other during midterm break and there's also Thanksgiving break soon after. We can also visit each other, it's only a five hour drive after all."

She raised her gaze from the uninteresting sight of her shoes and met his comforting eyes. "Yeah. We'll manage somehow."

She guessed they were going to be okay. They wouldn't let the distance ruin what they had now and soon they would see each other again. Maybe at her college or his or they could just meet halfway between their universities, not that it mattered as long they saw each other. She took a shuddery breath, feeling slightly better, the heavy weight on her shoulder lessening.

"Come here," he whispered and held his arms out.

She embraced him without hesitation, burying her face in his chest. She smiled when she felt his lips press against her temple and his arms tightening around her. She was going to enjoy these last minutes she had with him to their fullest as much as she could in public.

"Uh, Maka?"

"Hmm?"

"You're groping my ass."

"I'm aware."

"..."

"I just wanted to have one last grope."

He let out a bark of laughter, discreetly slapping her on the butt, making her giggle like an idiot.

"People usually ask for last kisses you know."

Her smile became even wider. "I guess I could go for one of those, too."

He tilted her head up, his hand warm on her cheek when he leaned down and closed the gap between their lips. Even though he had to leave soon, she was happy they could part like this. It was perfect and she wished-

"GET YOUR FILTHY HANDS OFF MY DAUGHTER!"

"What the hell, old man?"

"Papa, leave him alone!"

"I SAW HOW HE TOUCHED YOU. I WILL NEVER ALLOW THIS! NEVER!"

"Papaaa!"

"I'm in love with your daughter. Deal with it! And she groped me first!"

There was a beat of silence, all of them frozen on the spot. Maka's head was spinning, mainly from Soul's confession and her father's stupidity. Soul's parents and Wes had by now joined them outside to stare at the racket with confusion, only Wes seemed a little amused by it. Spirit's face was completely blank for a moment before he regained his wits and his face flushed brightly.

"Who said anything about groping? YOU CRETIN, YOU GROPED MY DAUGHTER?"

Maka wanted to yell again but just sighed, rubbing her forehead exasperatedly. At this rate Soul was not going to catch his plane in time.

"I did more than groping her, old man."

Or make it out alive from the confrontation at all. She was contemplating getting between them or hitting her dad over his head with something heavy, like a book. But then Soul was right in front of her, making her breath hitch as he hugged her close and turned them so her papa could perfectly see him kissing her passionately.

Her father's spluttered protests fell on deaf ears, Soul pulling away with a grin, "I really do, you know."

He pressed a last kiss on her forehead and easily slalomed around her papa, who looked close to having steam come out of his ears. He hugged his family and got into the car, Mr. Evans shooting his neighbour a disturbed glance before he joined his son, intent on getting Soul away from the crazy neighbour as fast as possible.

Maka waved at him, holding his gaze and tried to not to tear up. Meanwhile, Spirit was back in the world of consciousness, and ran after the car with astounding speed with flailing arms, looking like a deranged boxer.

"GET BACK HERE, YOU PUNK!"