Dark Matter

It was the loud shouts and terrified screams that woke her. Her eyes immediately opened, blood pumping as her muscles tensed and she got up, exiting the tent she had been sharing with Soul for the past six months. No words were needed as her eyes met Soul's red, tired─so very tired─eyes. He transformed instantly, the weight of the scythe familiar and comforting as she made a dash towards the source of the noises.

There was no hesitation when she lunged at the pre-kishin, the sinister blade of the scythe tearing into a shoulder blade, raising her leg to kick it in its gut, smashing her fist against the wound she had inflicted. It screeched, an unholy sound and she almost dropped Soul in favour of shielding her ears. Her eyes found the hunched form of a boy, not older than 16, a civilian, tears leaking freely from his eyes, his arm cradled close to his chest. Her eyes narrowed, scanning the vicinity for more injured people, not daring to move farther away than necessary, not before she was sure the pre-kishin was dead and done for and its soul devoured by her partner.

"Maka, watch out."

It wasn't shouted or yelled or expressed in an overly noisy manner. Soul's hollow whisper made her immediately glare at the pre-kishin, blood oozing out of its wound in streams. It was too much for the injury she had inflicted on it. Her eyes widened. Something was off.

More and more dark, red liquid left its withering body, skin pale as death and wrinkling and withering, eyes hollowing out, mouth opening in a wordless scream as it raised one thin hand, bony fingers trembling. She was about to wipe her doubts away because this thing looked definitely dead but her instincts, together with her soul perception, knew better.

She gasped as the pre-kishin completely dissolved into red, thick liquid, gleaming sickly under the faint light of the deranged crescent moon. Her heartbeats picked up in speed, her body easing into a defensive stance, Soul raised in front of her. She could feel his wavelength wavering slightly before it pulsed strongly, lulling her into secureness, as always assuring her, comforting her.

It moved closer, still liquefied and still managing to look menacing. How was she supposed to fight this blobby thing? She gulped, teeth gritting, shoulders squared. She let out a hiss and moved, her feet light even in heavy, worn out combat boots, slashing at the red in front of her before it could materialize again.

A horrified scream made her cease her futile attacks, eyes drawn back to the boy.

"No!"

She was too late. The blood, the water or whatever it really was, spurted out of the soil, lapping at the boys legs, moving higher up his body before he was completely engulfed in it, a gurgling cry the last thing she heard from him.

"You bastard!"

The liquid moved, sinewy and serpentine, the blobby, viscous mass straining into all directions, taking in the form of something humanoid again but this time shorter and smaller than the form she had cut down. She slashed at it uselessly a few times, halting its transformation briefly. She tensed as the red took on the colour of healthy skin, its head regarding her with wide blue eyes, still lacking a nose and mouth.

Words weren't needed for this either. Soul understood. He always did, his soothing wavelength calming her frayed temper, her anger at her inability to save an innocent soul. This was not supposed to keep happening, yet it always did. Their resonance was strong and steady, power crackling, and the powerful blade in her expert hands gleamed as it grew and basked the trees, the ground, the scattered tents around them into an eerie blue glow.

Her eyes flashed with fury as she ran forward, driving the tip of the blade into its new misshapen head, cringing at the familiar look of horror in those blue eyes. Oh, it was good, knew what it was doing, but Maka Albarn had seen too much to be deterred by a smarter than usual pre-kishin using a familiar face. She rammed Soul into this battered mass of something repeatedly, not stopping until it couldn't transform anymore, the force of their combined soul wavelengths too overwhelming for it to handle. It dissolved and tattered into nothingness in front of her blank eyes, leaving only a red, glowing soul in its wake.

Soul shifted back into human form, eyes narrowed by his glare. He swallowed the soul down in one gulp, his satisfied grin not accompanying the process. It hadn't done that for a long time. At least, it felt like it had been a long time because she barely remembered Soul's smug smirk anymore.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes. You?"

"I'm fine."

The exchange of words had become something automatic, asking for the other's well being and ascertaining the other of their own.

More and more people resurface from their hiding spots, the dread still written all over their faces.

"Is it gone?"

"Are we safe?"

"I want to go home!"

"I'm scared."

Their voices made her head spin and she wanted to do nothing more than go back to her tent and lie down and sleep and preferably never wake up again. It was most importantly the faint traces of her sense of duty that made her act against that impulse and Soul's comforting hand on her back definitely helped as well. She turned towards the small crowd, telling them that she had successfully killed the pre-kishin and they had nothing to worry about at the moment.

"Where's Phillip?"

She winced, her mask of indifference slipping, sorrow blooming in the depths of her eyes.

"He...he's dead. I'm sorry."

He wasn't supposed to be dead. Pre-kishin's of the kind they had fought were not prevalent, but neither were they a rarity, so an experienced meister like her should had known how to kill it before it managed to kill an innocent boy. They could have used Witch Hunter earlier in the fight, but instead she had just stood there like an idiot, frozen and too stupidly surprised to act fast. It was after mistakes like these she would always ask herself why she was still bothering. It needed only one glance at the small crowd around her to bury that thought until massive heaps pity, duty and compassion.

She offered the crying boy empty words of solace, patted his shoulder awkwardly, her head bowed constantly, not able to look into the faces of the people she was tasked with protecting. She had two of them die already. Two weeks ago it had been a mother of two, who had sent her kids away with the group Sid and Nygus were leading, choosing to stay behind to look for her husband and wait for her and Soul, who would be leading another small group to the Shibusen shelter.

The pre-kishin had worn the face of her husband before it had killed her in cold blood.

She clenched her fists, instructing everyone to pack their things. "We should leave immediately if we don't want to be ambushed by another pre-kishin."

She knew that others couldn't be that far away, smelling their souls. They were ready to go in a matter of ten minutes, their fear palpable and hanging heavily in the air as they whispered hushedly to each other.

They were a group of 33 people by now and none of them knew to fight. Two or three maybe knew how to wield a gun, but that would be fruitless against pre-kishins at worst, and helpful for distractions at best.

She hoped they would make it to the rendezvous point without any troubles. Her limbs were heavy and her eyelids threatened to droop even as she was walking, the weight of the large backpack hurting her shoulders. She kept going even though a shameful apathy, which had become too familiar as of late, spread through her body.

"Hey, Maka?"

"Hmm?"

Soul's eyes gave her comfort, she didn't know how she would have been faring if she hadn't had him as her constant companion.

"If a caveman and an astronaut fought, who do you think would win?"

She blinked, her lips curling into a smile without her noticing it. She giggled a little, muffling any sounds behind her hand. It would be a lie if she said her mental health was unshakeable; she was clearly beginning to lose it. She had just lost another member of the group she was supposed to lead to safety and here she was laughing. She chided herself for such disrespect, but death had become a constant companion and it hardly surprised or affected her anymore, especially not if it were people she didn't know or was particularly close to.

Death hadn't affected as much after she had had to bury Black*Star.

"Seriously, who do you think would win?"

She blinked her tears away, trying to gulp down the tight knot that seemed to be permanently lodged in her throat.

"Astronaut, definitely."

She felt just so tired.

Even though Kid had assured her she didn't have to, she still insisted on being the one to tell two kids that their parents had been killed and a distraught father that his son had died. She offered them words of comfort and hugged the kids even as they stained her blouse with tears and snot.

"I'm sorry for your loss."

"I'm sorry, it was my fault."

"I was careless."

"If there's anything I can do for you, please tell me."

Phrases she was muttering off like machine or like a broken record maybe. She was sure she was sounding more and more insincere with her condolences as time passed on. Nevertheless, she stayed with them until they calmed down, listened to their sobbing and crying, listened to their words of regret and even listened to their accusation and insults directed at her. Sometimes she could only agree with them, agree with the names they called her and sometimes they made her angry, but more often than not she couldn't find it in herself to care much. There were more pressing matters at hand. There were countless pre-kishins to be slain, people to be saved and Asura himself to be found. If they obliterated the source of madness, getting rid of the pre-kishins would be a lot more easy.

She sighed as she entered her room, plopping down on the hard mattress. She just wanted to sleep, maybe take a shower before she did so. She felt gross and dirty, filth smeared all over her face, and her clothes tattered.

He didn't knock when he entered the small room, he never did since they had been staying at the shelter.

"You look like shit."

"Fuck you, Soul."

"No, thanks."

She scoffed and made room for him to sit down.

"How did it go?"

"As always. They cried and I tried to comfort them."

"Did anyone cause you trouble?"

"No."

"Good cuz if they had I'd have-"

"-I know, Soul," she smiled faintly. "Thanks."

He sighed heavily and laid himself next to her. She complained weakly, cursing him for taking all her space away. He merely grinned and she stopped her half-hearted cussing because seeing Soul grin made her feel something she hadn't been experiencing a lot lately. Happiness. Her chest fluttered and her hand sought out his, marvelling at how warm it felt, revelling in the feeling of their entwined fingers and the steady pulse she felt beneath her fingertips.

She felt the most alive when she was with Soul.

"You seem to be in a good mood today. Did you get to eat extra chocolate today?"

He snorted. "I wish. Just tryin' to keep the morale, you know. Everyone's so mopey lately."

She smiled a little, moving closer to him, his arm automatically wrapping around her waist. "Funny, you're usually the pessimist here. When did we change roles?"

He shrugged noncommittally, hands busy playing with her hair.

"Or did Kid allow you to look for Wes?"

She knew the moment the words left her stupid mouth it was the wrong thing to say. The tightening of his hand in her tangled hair only made her feel worse about it.

"You really think that bastard is ever going to let me?" His lip curled into a sneer, his body trembling from the deeply buried fury inside his chest.

Maka remained silent, fearing that whatever she might end up saying would only help to make things worse. She wrapped her arms around him, nuzzled his neck, and hoped it was enough to make him forget about his anger towards Kid.

She understood them both.

She could painfully understand why Soul loathed Kid at the moment. Not being allowed to search for your missing brother during such dangerous times was an understandable reason to resent the person who gave you the order. If Maka wanted to be honest, the likelihood of Wes being still alive was low, but she kept her mouth shut for her partner's sake. He had looked so grief-stricken when his parents had told him that they hadn't heard from Wes for three months by then and that he had been in Venice the last time they had heard from him.

"Soul," she began tentatively when she felt him relax slightly. "I'm sure, it'll be okay. Papa is there, he'll-"

"I know, but I hate doing nothing. I don't want to be stuck here while my brother could be who knows where. Sometimes I just want to take the next flight to Venice and not give a fuck."

"Soul, you can't do that. Kid said-"

"Kid can suck my dick."

"Soul!"

"What?"

"Kid is still our friend and he has a good reason for not allowing you to go. He needs us here. We need to protect the people."

He exhaled harshly, his breath flitting over the skin of her neck. He rubbed his eyes tiredly, groaning. "I know but it's difficult to...to concentrate on saving people I don't know when...when Wes is...could be..."

She held him tighter.

"Whatever." His voice was muffled in the crook of her neck. She closed her eyes, hands moving lazily up and down his back robotically. "Kid still sucks. His stupid lines should have never connected. If Shinigami-sama was still here, things wouldn't be as bleak."

"You're being very unfair to Kid, Soul."

"Not at all."

She frowned. Kid didn't "suck" as Soul had so simply put it, he...lacked experience and he lacked the age old wisdom of his father. He tried so hard to please everybody, but reality made it impossible, and with him losing more and more fighters as Asura's madness spread around, Kid couldn't allow them to leave for such a distant place like Italy. They were needed here.

"Maka?"

"Hmm?"

"You need a shower."

She smacked his arm, but despite the insult she smiled and didn't move to follow his advice. He was so warm and comfy, how could she leave?

They fell asleep like that, arm in arm and covered in filth.

Soul's wavelength had a certain edge to it, not its usual calm and relaxed...there was anger, sadness, frustration and an array of other things she couldn't identify. Her father had returned from Europe, stayed only a week, told Soul that there were no traces of Wes Evans, and that they had decided to cease their search for him. Soul had been close to punching her father and he had remained eerily quite a few days after the depressing news.

She just remembered her papa's resigned face, his tired eyes and the dark bags beneath them. He had looked like he had put on 10 years in one year. She recalled how tightly she had hugged her papa before he left again. She had felt like a little girl again─a little girl, scared, woken by a nightmare who needed the comfort of a parent. There wasn't any ill will left for him. Maka didn't know when it happened, when dark thoughts about her father started to vanish into thin air. She just knew this: she didn't want any last words that passed between her and her father be words of hatred. So she had hugged him, and much to his surprise, told him that she loved him and wanted him to be safe.

The mission wasn't a difficult one, nothing she hadn't seen already. The pre-kishin was more evasive than strong, which pissed her off as she wanted to this stupid mission to be over already. And to top it off it was storming. Rain pelted down at them forcefully, drenching her clothes; her boots were coated with mud and her hair plastered annoyingly to her face. She breathed deeply, widening the range of her soul perception because this stupid pre-kishin might not be able to fight well, but it could run well and fast.

The sound of thunder distracted her momentarily, only for her to catch the sight of lightning, starting from the clouds and hitting the ground, branching out and filling the sky with blinding, purple light. She blinked, her heart hammering in her chest as she shook her head and continued the chase.

Growling lowly, she willed her body to move faster, for her burning thighs to continue even if her muscles screamed for rest. Soul's wavelength was pulsing, his voice concerned even in his ire as he asked her if she was alright.

They cornered the pre-kishin on the flat roof of the highest building this small nearly empty small town had to offer. She didn't bother with the pleasantries anymore. No I'll take your soul, no ferocious battle cry. She bit her lip, her eyes scanning the area around her, lips twitching into a small smirk, satisfied that its only means to escape was to jump and get acquainted with the muddy ground.

Her blood pounded, thrills coursing down her back as she ran forward, blocking its feeble attack, cutting its hand off. There was no hesitation when she slammed the blade into its neck, severing the head from the body. It dissolved completely before the head hit the ground and she watched it vacantly, eyes hollow as the corrupted soul pulsed in front of her.

The rain was cold and it was now she noticed how much she was shivering, how pale her skin looked, how noticeable her veins were. Such a stark blue, contrasted with the white of freezing flesh.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes. You?"

"I'm fine."

They decided to take shelter in one of the abandoned apartments. Breaking in was easy enough and there was no guilt when Soul used a scythe-finger to pick the lock. She took her coat off flinging it on to the small table in the living room, she left her boots next to the door, her sweater, blouse and skirt followed swiftly, forming a tiny heap of wet on the dusty table.

Soul followed her example, stripping down to his underwear and unlike her he put his clothes neatly over the backrests of the chairs in the dining room to let them dry properly. The apartment couldn't have been empty for that long, the layer of dust barely noticeable. Soul busied himself with the heater while she seated herself on the couch, pulling her knees close to her chest, eyes drawn to the medium-sized television in front of her.

She was startled out of her mindless staring when she felt something soft being draped over her shoulders. She looked up, smiling slightly when she saw Soul with a blanket in his hands. He sat down next to her, sighing pleasedly as he stretched and moaned before he enveloped himself with the blanket, leaning against her lightly. They sat in silence for some time, comforted by each other's presence.

"You know sometimes I think about running away."

He raised his head a little and she didn't need to look at him to see the confusion written all over his face. "What?"

"Just leave, go somewhere else and never come back. Live a life without having to fight a losing battle."

"Seriously, Maka, what is this emo-shit all of the sudden?"

"I mean it, Soul. Sometimes I get so sick of it, I just want to stop."

He didn't answer for a few minutes, her words hanging gravely in the air. It seemed he had taken most of his frustration out against the pre-kishin. His mood was no longer dark and sombre. She felt him shift next to her as he made himself more comfortable. She didn't wait for him to speak and broke the silence herself. "I miss how we used to watch a movie on every Sunday." She smiled fondly, eyes glazing over in remembrance, the pleasant memories warming her heart and chasing the darkness in her soul away. "Maybe we can watch a movie again some time."

He snorted. "As long as it isn't a documentary, we can watch all the movies you want."

"I'd like to watch that movie where these friends go to Las Vegas and were so drunk the night before they have no idea what they have done and their friend is missing. Liz told me it is a funny movie."

"When we get back we can watch it. It's not like we can't have fun once in awhile because the world is shitty."

Her brows furrowed, her hands pulling the blanket closer to herself. "Do you sometimes wonder how things would have turned out if Asura hadn't won?"

"Oi, Asura hasn't won yet. We're still kicking pre-kishin and witch ass on a regular basis. If he had won, we wouldn't be alive anymore. And about how things would have turned out if shit hadn't gone down the drain?" He shrugged casually, his head cocking to the side briefly. "I guess we'd still go to boring classes and stuff, I'd make uncool remarks and you'd hit me for them, and I dunno along the way we might have hooked up."

She tensed up, her spine stiff and her fists gripping the blanket tightly, his declaration making her gut twist with the intense onslaught of emotions she thought she had forgotten how to feel. She didn't want to get into an argument with Soul because she couldn't share his optimism. Every day was tedious, a struggle to go through, repetitive with death and terror and pain. Yet she continued to fight even though she didn't expect the odds to turn in their favour any time soon. She gulped, lips quivering as she grasped for words. "Would you run away with me, Soul?"

She turned her body slightly, regarding him curiously, watching his droopy eyes glimmer in the dim light of the room. He raised an eyebrow. "You wouldn't run away in the first place."

"I want to, though. What makes you so sure I wouldn't?"

She almost had to laugh at the trust he put in her.

"Because you care too much."

She chortled, lips stretching into a bitter smile. "Bullshit. I think I have stopped caring long ag-"

"You're a liar. Why do you keep fighting if you don't care about all the people who can't defend themselves against pre-kishins?"

"I...I..."

Her tongue was tied. What was she supposed to retort to that? Deny again that there wasn't much of pity and selflessness left in her? It would make quitting so much easier if she didn't care. Sometimes she really wished she didn't give a fuck but..but she guessed she could never reach that emotional low. Yes, she had been unable to save many, but the slight tug in her chest whenever she saw families united happy and in tears, hugging each other tightly made it worth it...sometimes. No, not just sometimes, but always because she loved helping people, loved to see families and friends reunited.

"I'm just so very tired, Soul."

"No shit. I always feel like I haven't slept in years."

She laughed a little, her hand automatically seeking out his. They met under his blanket, their grips firm and tight.

"Soul?"

"Hmm?"

"I changed my mind. How about we watch the Princess Bride instead of the Las Vegas movie."

"Sure, whatever tickles your fancy."

The thunder roared loudly outside, lighting flashing and rampaging as fat droplets of rain hit the windows. Tomorrow they would have to go back, hunt pre-kishins or maybe Kid would sent them on another mission to retrieve helpless people and to bring them to the Shibusen shelter. The thought made her cringe, but Soul was right, she did care too much to leave without a word. And if her morale ever hit the lowest of lows again, she would have Soul with her. It was frightening how much she relied on him, didn't know what she would do without him, if she could keep going like Tsubaki if he was ever taken away from her. The thought alone was too much to bear. It was very scary that every possibility in a life without Soul ended with her in despair and the far scarier possibility of following him into death.

She shook her head. There was seriously something wrong with her. Such low self-worth was a problem. She liked to rely on Soul and he liked to rely on her but basing her wish to live solely on the condition that he was always at her side was hauntingly ridiculous.

She leaned fully against him, head cushioned on his broad shoulder. She closed her eyes, his warmth lulling her into a state of drowsiness. Before she could drift off and let sleep claim her, there was something she needed to get off her chest.

"Soul...about the comment you made."

"I think I made lots of comments. You gotta be a bit more precise there."

She smiled. "About you and me...hooking up if...if you know."

"Oh." He averted his eyes, rubbing the back of his head uneasily as a blush marred his face. "I mean...err..."

She giggled, patting his head and enjoying the sensation of soft, white hair slipping between her fingers. "You sounded so bold, why are you embarrassed now?"

She wasn't entirely sure what she was doing, but it somehow seemed to be the right thing to do. She cupped his cheek gently, slightly deterred when he looked her in the eyes. She leaned forward regardless, heart soaring and lips burning when she closed the gap between their mouths. He felt warm and smelled like rain and wet clothes. He shifted, the blanket sliding down his shoulder and revealing a bare, muscular arm that wrapped around her waist.

They parted only to look at each other with wide eyes, but in spite of their shock they didn't let go of each other. His breaths were flat and quick, his chest heaving. "Maka, what are you doing?"

Indeed, what was she doing? It wasn't like her to be bold like this, at least not when it came to making physical advances like this. She bit her lip roughly, mulling over her options, getting slightly distracted by the tingling sensation on her lips, cutting off any train of thought that lasted longer than three seconds because it had felt good, and she wanted to do it again, feel him again.

"You were the one who was talking about us hooking up," she mumbled petulantly, looking away because the intensity of his eyes made her feel awkwardly hot and bothered and embarrassed all at once.

He made a sound that might have been something between a sigh and a snort, "I might have been joking back then."

Her heart clenched painfully and for a moment she wanted to leave the safety of his arms and run into the thunderstorm outside.

"I wasn't, though."

She could feel his cocky smile and it made her want to hit him for messing with her like that. Her head snapped up, eyes gleaming fiercely as she boldly pulled his face towards hers, lips millimetres apart. "Then what are you waiting for?"

She shivered and awaited his next move with chilling anticipation; she felt like she was standing outside again, rain and wind hitting her skin. She didn't know how much longer she would be able to sit still and hope for him to do something. She was so close to just shoving her tongue into his mouth and not giving a damn about anything. Her plans were derailed the moment he brushed her wet bangs out of her face, tucking them behind her ear.

His hand ended up resting there, fingertips caressing the smooth skin of her cheek, his thumb pausing at the corner of her mouth before it grazed her bottom lip. She sucked in a harsh breath, convinced she was going to drop dead because of her overheated blood. She almost whimpered when he finally pressed his lips softly against hers, her eyes fluttering shut.

The blankets fell away completely when she situated herself on his lap, her tongue prodding his slowly and a little sloppily, unused to kissing. He made a gasp, his breath hitting her skin, making goose bumps rise as his hands came to rest on her hips.

She had no idea what she was doing, why they had gone from chastely holding hands to grinding against each other. Maybe it was because Soul was right that they might have hooked up if Asura hadn't spread his madness over the world like a plague, and getting it on with Soul was just the logical conclusion of that. Or maybe it was because there wasn't any other person she would ever dream of doing this with. Maybe it was because they (she) needed it, needed the skin to skin contact, needed it because it was comforting, because it felt good, because she craved his touch, was desperate for warmth, wanted her blood to roar and her heart to thrum with excitement. She wanted to enjoy this, not think of how bleak the world was, she wanted to feel good again, wanted to shake this stupid, oppressive cloak of hopelessness and apathy off.

She was grateful that they had gotten rid of most of their clothes already. Discarding the rest was done quickly. Whenever he touched her bare skin, it felt like he was leaving a path of fire behind, yet she shuddered, arched her back and raked her trembling hands over his chest, gently tracing his scar. Her mouth latched onto his neck, kissing, nipping and licking to her pleasure, relishing in the small groans he made.

His lips were on her breast, tongue teasing a pert nipple, and she could only helplessly mewl and press her body more urgently against his. His teeth felt heavenly and his hands were far too nimble for his own good, guiding her hips into a certain rhythm, their grinding becoming more fervent, more eager.

His hands traced her body, leaving nothing unexplored, stroking the skin of her shoulders, palming her breasts and petting her sides until his fingers unabashedly travelled lower and lower. She gasped out his name as he caressed her inner thigh, her own hands aimlessly clawing at his shoulders and arms, nails digging into hard muscle.

She didn't know how much longer she could handle this teasing. She wanted him, she needed him so much, her body calling out for him and her voice becoming needy with lust. She lost all rationality when he stroked her wet slit with a finger, careful and slow, watching her face closely before he grew more confident with his touches.

Her mouth parted in a soft, wordless cry when he dipped a finger inside her tight heat. He whispered the sweetest things against her ear, told her she was beautiful, told her how amazing she felt and how much he wanted her right now. He added a second finger, her mind careening over the edge of sanity as her senses were filled with Soul and only Soul. He found her clit, doubling her pleasure when he stroked it with his thumb while two other fingers were busy working in and out of her.

She panted and buried her face in the crook of his neck as heat gathered in the pit of her stomach, igniting her nerves, making her vision go blank for a second before she unraveled in his lap, moaning and reaching her peak with his name on the tip of her tongue. She pulled away from his shoulder, eyes met before their lips did once more.

She greedily trailed kisses down his neck, sucking on his pulse point and wandering lower, mapping his broad shoulders out with shaky hands, mouth enclosing over his nipple, suckling eagerly. His hands raking through her tangled hair surprised her, making her squeak and accidentally graze his sensitive skin with her teeth. He growled lowly, but made no intention to remove her from his she continued, only pausing briefly when she was kneeling in front of him, the carpet rough and unpleasant under her knees, her head hovering over his shaft. He hissed when her breath feathered against him. She curiously touched him, marvelling at the feeling of silky skin, at the veins, at its hardness when she gripped him fully. She pumped him slowly, his moans only encouraging her, making her own excitement increase and her desire for him rise to unbearable levels. She tugged and stroked him, tongue darting out of her mouth to lick up his length.

She repeated this a few times before she felt confident enough to take him in fully or as much as she could, taking care to keep her teeth away.

Oh, he made the most marvelous of sounds. She had always thought he had a very nice voice but these low, husky growls had her limbs quivering with arousal. She sucked noisily on the head, hand creeping lower to lightly cup his balls and this was when his hand shot out, causing her to still all movements.

Had she done something wrong? She sought out his eyes, silently voicing her worries. He grinned crookedly as he pried her hands from his dick. He muttered something about having to wait 20 minutes longer to get down to business if he let her continue like that.

At first she didn't understand, and he didn't seem to have the capacity to form words anymore and despite the inconvenience, it made her feel immensely proud. He pulled her up from her kneeling position and made her sit on his lap, eyes heavy-lidded with lust and desire.

They remained like this, barely moving, chests heaving, eyes locked. So much passed between them that words could never possibly encompass. It made her chest ache and fingers flex because her want for him had doubled tenfold. This man had always been by her side, so loyal, so devoted to her that it almost pained her because she doubted her devotion could ever match his. Even if she lived with the constant fear of losing him, losing the most important person in her life, she would cherish this moment forever─the texture of his heated skin, the feeling of his hot breath, of his soft lips, of his deft fingers pleasuring her as if he had been doing this for years.

She inhaled deeply, heart fluttering nervously in her chest, thighs trembling as she looked down, catching him grip his dick to make it easier for her to sink down on him. He squeezed her hip reassuringly, groaning when he was fully inside her. Her lips parted to release a mewl, her skin burning, and she was certain she was going to end as a pitiful pile of ashes if she didn't move now.

She didn't know how her body worked anymore, didn't how to move until both of his hands were on her hips, cautiously lifting her up only to move her down against him again. She released a heated puff of breath, taking a strong hold of his shoulders before she repeated the action. Soon she got the gist of it. Hissing, she moved her hips up and down, clinging to his shoulders for support.

"Oh God."

It felt amazing. He felt amazing. There was nothing comparable to the sensation of his length, hard and smooth, sliding in and out of her, neither her fingers nor his own. She felt like she was on fire, skin burning, fingers tingling, his breath hitting her skin with a scorching heat. She moaned loudly, red hot pressure building inside of her. She gritted her teeth as her thighs burned and the movement of her hips was reduced to frantic gyrating and grinding against his shaft. She couldn't keep up the tempo without her muscles protesting but oh, the added stimulation to her clit now was marvelous.

His rumbling voice against her ear drove her crazy, his groans of encouragement spurred her on, made her go faster, heat building up, limbs quivering, toes curling and yes, this was it. She needed to reach that peak so badly, needed to release the tension but also didn't want this to end.

She made a high pitched squeak when Soul's hands clutched her hips tightly, causing her to still all of her movements and she was so short of screaming and cursing him because how dare he interrupt now when she had been so close!?

"Sorry," he sheepishly said, the huskiness and hoarseness of his voice only a small consolation. He must had noticed her dismayed face. He carefully rearranged their position, making her lie back onto the couch and hovering above her trembling form. She pressed her legs together, the hot wetness between her legs uncomfortable.

"Soooul," she whined, squirming beneath him as his eyes travelled her body up and down, clearly enjoying the view of her exposed, sweaty skin, her delicate curves, the smooth expanse of legs. He parted her legs, fitting between them comfortably before he thrust into her again. Maka feared her heart might burst out of her feeble body if this continued. How was it possible it could beat so fast?

The moment Soul draped his strong body over her, hands on either side of her head steadying him or alternately caressing her face.

This was different from before, he had her completely encircled, her legs wrapped around his hips; this was more intimate, more-

Words left her when he crashed his lips against hers, his tongue quickly seeking out hers, muffling the noises they were making. His mouth was hot against her neck, his tongue and lips working teasingly on her flushed skin, suckling and licking and biting, leaving marks. His thrusts got faster and more forceful and her needy voice only emboldened him. His eyes never left hers, taking her hand to entwine their fingers. How could it be that such a simple gesture could make her struggle for air, breaths shallow and fast, lungs burning as her blunt nails dug into his back.

She never believed she could ever sound this obscene, her mouth a fountain of wanton noises, mewls, whimpers and moans. She held him closer, nibbling on his earlobe as it was very conveniently in front of her and licking up the shell of his ear, eliciting a particularly pleased grunt from her partner.

Liquid heat pooled in her belly, increasing, adding to the tension that she desperately needed to be released.

Her orgasm hit her with a blinding force, pleasure taking her body over in blazing waves, her back arching as she sobbed his name, feeling him follow her into the same blissful euphoria, voice raspy and spent as he slumped down on her, shoulders quivering and shaking.

They laid there for some time, forgetting time and everything. There was just them, the feeling of heated skin against heated skin and hasty breaths calming. She smiled when he showered one side of her face with tiny kisses, her arms coming around his broad frame to embrace him and bask in the comforting warmth of his body. His hand was on her cheek, fingers toying with the blond strands that were plastered on her face before pushing them behind her ear.

When he looked up, eyes dazed and the slowing thuds of his heart echoing hers, their lips met in a gentle touch. She hummed happily into his mouth when he parted her lips and their slid against each other, she enjoyed the sensation of his skin beneath her fingers, the scars, the hard muscles of his back.

His breath was hot against her neck, his eyelashes feathering her cheek, his hair tickling her nose as he intimately traced her skin, memorized her very shape and form, relished in the comforting warmness between their spent bodies. They smiled goofily and she was surprised how easily her lips quirked up, the back of her mind tingling with the dark thought that such a happiness was going to be short-lived and that she shouldn't get so used to it and keep her distance. But Maka knew she could never distance herself from Soul, he was too important, her anchor of sanity paradoxically, when it was her wavelength that was keeping him sane.

She was feeling a little bad for relying on him so much, but she guessed it was okay because he relied on her too. They were a team, partners, together, braving madness and witches and pre-kishins more powerfully than ever.

Sleep came to them slowly, and as cliché as it sounded, Maka hadn't slept that well in a long time. Perhaps they needed to do this more often to get a good night's rest.

Morning came too quickly to both of their liking, but Maka's heart was close to bursting with the elation she felt when she awoke with their limbs tangled together, completely nude, his arm around her tiny waist. They exchanged a shy "Good Morning" and he kissed her clumsily on the mouth, making her giggle and smack his shoulder when he tickled her in retaliation.

They cleaned up the best they could, got dressed and checked the vicinity with her soul perception for any rogue pre-kishin's. Grinning cheerily, she entwined their fingers, her good mood not dampened despite the grey sky and the mud on the sandy path they chose to walk on.

"Sooo," Soul began casually, swinging their arms between them in a big arc. "You feeling better now?"

She hummed her agreement.

"Well, how could you not, considering you had some amazing sex with the coolest guy ever."

"You dork," she snorted, nudging him lightly on his side with a finger.

"No, really. I think we should do this more often; it releases endorphins and shit and makes us happy and not to mention it feels really, really good and...I mean...if you want and if it's okay, but if you don't want to it is okay with me too. It's not like I want to pressure you into anything and─"

"Soul!"

"Huh, what?"

"Don't be stupid."

"Um..."

Maka decided that a blushing Soul was a very adorable Soul. She reached up with her free hand, tousled his hair and kissed him on his nose, smiling amusedly at his bewildered face.

"There's no way I'd not want a repetition of what we did last night." The statement didn't even make her embarrassed, she felt too happy and comfortable with him and maybe it was because he had always been at her side, seen her best and worst, knew her in and out and maybe Maka wasn't completely sure, but maybe she loved Soul, maybe she had for a long time.

Even if things weren't looking exactly up for them and their hunt for pre-kishins, having Soul's support and being able to support him in return made it more than a little bearable. Maka refused to give up even though it felt like the easiest way to go; she cared, she really cared and would do her damn best to protect and help the people who needed it.

A/N: What is this?! Lu posts a new story so soon after another?! :O Yep, it's true XD. This is a prompt fill for the Soul Eater prompt-archive on tumblr, number 48-SoulxMaka-comfort sex. Even though this one is bleaker than the usual stuff I write, I still hope you enjoyed it. As always, your reviews keep me going; tell me your thoughts!