The little black Labrador puppy in the store window caught Maka's eye as she and Soul had walked hand-in-hand to the usual date night restaurant. "Oh, Soul, isn't he so cute?" Maka squealed in a high-pitched tone she usually reserved for rom-com movies.

Soul glanced at the puppy before looking back at Maka. "Sure, he's a pretty fluffy furball, I guess."

Maka huffed, saying something about him being blind to the puppy's adorableness and then dragging him into the shop. Soul protested, claiming they had to leave now if they had to make their reservations. "It'll only be a minute, Soul!" Maka had released his hand as they entered the shop, dashing to the window display.

The puppy's brown eyes lit up as Maka cooed at it through the glass. Impatient, Soul let this go on for a while, checking his watch occasionally. He breathed a relieved sigh when Maka finally got up.

Only for his sigh of relief to turn into a frustrated groan as Maka asked the manager if she could hold the puppy.

The grandmotherly clerk willingly obliged, opening the window and handing Maka the wriggling puppy. Maka buried her face in his fur as he eagerly licked her cheeks and neck. Maka giggled. "Well aren't you the cutest thing ever!"

Soul rolled his eyes. "You never react like that when I do that to you in public."

He was too busy chortling at his wit to see the book swing in his direction.

Tucking the book away, Maka turned her attention back to the puppy. "Look at his face, Soul! We can't just leave him here!"

Rubbing his sore head, Soul said, "Oh yes we can. You said you just wanted to look at him."

Patting the puppy's head, which it seemed to enjoy, Maka looked down. "Well, yes…but then I held him." As if on cue, the puppy started to snuggle on Maka's shoulder.

Soul felt like he was watching a car accident happen and he couldn't stop it. "Maka, you know it's not practical to buy a dog right now. What with this influx of missions, us getting married and finding a house, a puppy…just…isn't…," he trailed off as Maka looked up, her eyes too shiny.

Dejectedly, she hung her head. "Yeah, you're right." With one last hug, she handed the puppy back to the waiting clerk and walked past him to the exit. "Let's go."

Soul clenched his eyes shut. She was good. "Wait."

He could feel Maka pause with bated breath. He slowly spoke. "Maybe…the puppy…could be…an early wedding present."

She turned and flew at him, forcing him back a few steps with the power of her hug and covering him with kisses. Words of thanks couldn't come out fast enough. "Thank you, thank you Soul! He's going to be the best puppy ever! We're going to call him Cereberus."

Soul held back a snort as Maka released and claimed the christened Cerberus. The tiny puppy that was now happily licking Maka's face again looked far from a fierce hellhound but if Maka was going to be this…grateful, then he didn't really have a problem with it.

Maka threw herself into buying all the proper supplies for Cerberus, still holding him, while Soul lugged all her choices around. He was okay with it though. The little fluffball was meant to be for her, anyways. But he did regret missing dinner as his stomach rumbled with hunger.

Back at the apartment, after having a quick dinner, Maka busied herself with making a space for Cerberus in the living room with a makeshift fence. Soul stayed out on the sidelines. This was her puppy after all.

"There!" Maka huffed, out of breath. "All finished!" Soul looked out from the kitchen. The fence towered over Cerberus' small body.

"You built him a fortress."

"Well, I don't want him getting out during the night," Maka said, brushing a loose strand of hair from her face.

Soul walked to stand by Maka, watching Cerberus happily play with his toys in his new home. "I don't think this little furball will be giving us any trouble."

However Soul was forced to amend his statement as Cerberus whimpered for attention the tenth time that night. The puppy might not look like his namesake but he certainly had lungs. Soul had expected Maka to eagerly get up and attend to "her puppy" but after the ninth time, she had simply rolled over in bed and mumbled, "Get your dog."

Biting back a retort, Soul walked tiredly into the living room where Cerberus leaned against the fence. He wagged his tail excitedly at the sight of Soul, preparing to bark again.

Soul yawned, picking him up. "Oi, one more bark and you're "accidentally" getting lost."

Cerberus settled in his arms contentedly and looked up at Soul with large brown eyes. Unwillingly, Soul's hand began to stroke his fur. Maka was right. It was soft and fluffy. As Cerberus' eyes began to droop, Soul muttered in his ear, "I guess you are pretty cute, you annoying furball."