11Disclaimer: I do not own Soul Eater
Fae Wild
-Chapter Four-
Maybe Ox Ford asking advice on how to court a woman was supposed to be some sort of omen for Soul.
It certainly seemed that way, and it definitely felt like Soul was the one who should have been asking someone more experienced for tips on how to proceed with Maka. If there was anyone around older than two hundred however, he had no idea who or how to contact them. Thoughts of asking Harvar for advice briefly crossed Soul's mind, but he quickly nixed that idea. True the man was married, but there was probably little he could offer in terms of how to deal with a fae. Especially one as enigmatic as Maka Albarn.
It definitely didn't help that Soul suddenly felt like a teenager all over again. The day after the block party, he arrived as he always did. This time though, there was a noticeable anchor of nervousness that weighed down his every step. Thoughts of the previous night still lingered in his mind, and the image of an open, blushing Maka made every part of his body do something different; his head reeled, his stomach churned, his heart pumped, and...other places did stuff, too. Quite frankly, it'd been so long since Soul felt this way about anything that he didn't really know how to handle himself.
Besides walk up to her door like an idiot. Ring the bell. Wait patiently for her to answer. Then, a thought struck him; no flowers or anything? Was he supposed to bring flowers? Did people still do that? They weren't even on a date yet though, they were literally just planning to go out on a date. Still, she was a girl. Girls liked flowers regardless of the situation. Also she was a fae, and fae definitely liked flowers. Fuck. It was too late to turn around and go find some...maybe if he got out of there quickly, before she had time to answer-
The knob turned. Soul froze. There, standing under the archway as the door quickly opened, was Maka. A rush of cold air blew past Soul, letting him know the A/C was running at full blast at the moment. Maka's clothes reflected this; instead of the tank top and shorts, she wore a large, loose fitting shirt and some baggy pajama sweats. Her hair was tied up in two pigtails on either side of her head, and in one of her hands she held up a mug of what looked like either coco or coffee. She smiled brightly at him, and Soul had never seen anyone more inviting in his life.
"I know it's not Friday, but I got you some PJ's." Maka grinned as she handed him the mug. It was definitely hot chocolate. "You up for a pajama party?"
Pajama party? Again, the thought of being a teenager all over again flashed across Soul's headspace. "Your house, your rules. Can't very well say no, can I?"
Maka's face lit up even more and she let him inside. The air was even chillier as Soul walked in, and it definitely spurred him to go upstairs faster and take a shower. That was the rule; new clothes require a bath. He was going to take one anyway, but definitely more so now that Maka's house was practically subarctic. He mused as he climbed into the shower that her electricity bill was going to take a beating this month, though figured it probably didn't matter much to her, anyway. That smile on her face told him utilities were the last thing on her mind at the moment.
Soul made it quick, as did Maka. It took him only a few minutes to hop in and out, yet he still found his new pajamas waiting for him folded neatly atop the closed toilet lid. Briefly Soul entertained the thought of Maka scurrying in there while he showered, and the blood in his veins started to pump just a little bit faster. The voice in his head, the same one from yesterday, scolded him for letting him get excited. Excitement equaled hunger. Hunger equaled mistakes. Mistakes equaled enslavement. All true statements; Soul, however, couldn't give two shits about any of that at the moment.
He changed into a red checkerboard bottom, along with some socks and a new white t-shirt. Soul then made his way down, and found Maka in the living room. She had surrounded herself on all sides with sofa cushions, having constructed a fort out of furniture. Some cheap sheets were draped around the TV and covered the living room like a ceiling, creating an impressive base of operations for the evening. Truly, for the first time since Soul had met her, Maka's fae was showing. That chaotic energy that creatures like her possessed was on full display at the moment. He loved it.
She invited him into Fort Albarn, and he chuckled before getting down on all fours to crawl in with her. Some more blankets covered the bare floor, sparing them from touching frigid tile. Maka had made herself an impressive throne of throw pillows from which she lorded over her domain, though she saved a couple for Soul to prop himself against with. He did so lazily by a bowl of popcorn, the heat having long since left the kernels though it smelled appealing all the same. They got comfortable, and looked up at each other from opposite ends of the fort.
"You ever been to a sleepover?" Maka inquired, motioning to her handiwork.
Soul shook his head. "No, and I technically still haven't since I don't plan on staying overnight."
"You usually play silly games," she continued, purposefully ignoring his statement. "Wanna play twenty questions?"
Soul shrugged. Maka took that as permission to go ahead and ask away, which she did so eagerly. "Okay, me first. How'd you get that scar?"
Soul froze. His eyes widened in surprise and he immediately went to clutch the mark that hid itself beneath his t-shirt, or at least the part directly above his heart. In truth, the wound Maka was referring to carved itself clear from one corner of his torso to the other. It was a ghastly thing, complete with old stitch marks and ancient scar tissue. Soul stared at Maka incredulously for a moment as he tried to process how she even knew about it in the first place. Then, it suddenly clicked in his head and he couldn't quite believe his own realization.
"Are you spying on me in the shower?" he asked in disbelief.
Maka's face pinked at the implication. "N-no! You have a habit of throwing your shirt on as you're walking out and I saw it the other day!"
Soul's eyes narrowed. He wasn't sure if Maka was telling the truth or not, but then again that certainly sounded like something he'd do. Honestly, Soul wasn't very self aware whenever he stepped into or out of the bathroom. Once that hot water hit him he usually spaced out, so anything before or after that was kind of a blur. In Maka's defense, she probably wasn't lying now that he thought about it. Still though, he couldn't, or rather wouldn't, let the image of Maka trying to sneak a peak of him in the shower go. It was equal parts unnerving and...kind of exciting.
He'd pay closer attention to himself in the future. In the meantime, he supposed the cat was out of the bag. "I got it when I became a vampire."
"When you became...?" Maka trailed off. She thought about her words more carefully this time. "...How exactly does a human even become a vampire-?"
"My turn," Soul held up a finger, both to stress his point and silence Maka. He smirked at her obvious annoyance. "I know the game. You ask one, then I ask."
Maka rolled her eyes, but relented all the same. She leaned back in her chair and motioned for him to go on. "What's the deal with your magic? How does that work?"
It was something he'd wondered about since he'd first met Maka, but never really found the opportunity to ask her about it. Soul knew a little bit about fae, though that was mostly from secondhand accounts; they weren't as common as vampires, which weren't even that common to begin with. He wanted to know more about her powers. More specifically, he hoped she might give him some insight into these contracts of hers. How they work, if there was a way to get around them or not, and anything else that might be useful to him.
Maka looked up thoughtfully. "My magic depends on how close I am to the fae realm. The farther away I am, the less I have."
"So inside your home...?" Soul trailed off as Maka was already nodding yes to his unspoken question, "...and outside it, you don't?"
Maka scrunched up her face, "Not necessarily. Old trees like the one outside are portals to the fae realm. I have magic around them, too."
"But what can you do, exactly?" Soul continued to dig. He realized this was technically more than one question, but kept going. "Are there rules?"
"Yes, but they're undefined," Maka revealed to an increasingly confused Soul. "I know that sounds oxymoronic, but that's just how it is with fae. We're chaos."
Soul sighed and shrugged. He supposed that was as close as he was going to get to an actual answer, at least for now; Maka slid down the length of her seat and scooted in a little closer to him. She rested her head on a close fist and stared up at him with a lazy grin on her face, much like one he would normally give her. That was Maka's not-so subtle way to tell him it was his turn to answer a question now, which he supposed was fair. She admittedly allowed him more than one, though he doubted it was out of the goodness of her heart.
"Humans who drink the blood of a vampire become one themselves," Soul answered promptly. He leaned back and reached for a handful of popcorn.
"Really? No biting involved?" Maka tilted her head as Soul shook his. He stuffed his face as Maka continued, "why would anyone willingly do something like that?"
"Well," a lump ran down Soul's neck as he swallowed. "Usually one of two reasons. Either you're about to die, or you want to live forever. You can probably guess my reason."
Soul sighed and let his head roll backwards. He stared up at the blanket ceiling that came with inches of his nose and occupied himself with trying to see through the stitching. It was the only thing he could think of that didn't involve looking back at Maka, whom he knew was currently looking at him with a sad sort of face. All he did was answer her question. He wasn't looking for any sympathy out of it, especially not for something that happened well over two hundred years ago. It was such a distant memory that he hardly even remembered the details himself, anyway.
"Can I ask how it happened?" Maka asked lightly, as if she were stepping around a landmine.
"That's two questions," Soul shot back quickly. He leered down at her from the corner of his eye, "My turn."
Maka flinched. She retreated back to her spot and remained quiet for a moment. "I'm sorry. That was rude of me to ask."
Soul stared at her stoically. Then, slowly, a smile started to chisel away at his face. "No worries. I just don't want to talk about it right now."
He meant to ease Maka's misplaced guilt, but Soul could tell she still felt bad about asking. The excited energy Maka had at the beginning of the night had taken a nosedive, and Soul couldn't help but to feel bad for making her feel bad. The crazy part was that he didn't even do anything, and yet he still felt responsible somehow. Maybe that was the fae in Maka working her magic. Then again, maybe he was just a sucker for a pretty face. More than likely the latter; he had the perfect opportunity to ask her more about her magic, but ended up relenting in the end.
He'd give her an easy question instead. Cheer her up a bit. Soul leaned forward and grinned lazily, "How many boyfriends have you had?"
Maka's eyes immediately shot up. She blushed, and underneath Soul's amused gaze she ground out, "I don't know...a few? It's hard to keep track."
"Because of how old you are?" he prodded, to which Maka reluctantly nodded. He waited to give her a second before continuing, "which is how old, exactly-?"
"How many girlfriends have you had?" she promptly cut him off. At first Soul glared at her with annoyance, however she held up a finger to him similar to how he'd done to her before.
Soul stared at her for a second, before he eventually relented with a chuckle. His reaction seemed to give Maka some relief, as a reserved smile spread across her lips quickly after. She didn't want to talk about her age. The topic was off-limits apparently, the same way Soul wouldn't talk about his scar. Both had their boundaries, and so long as they respected one another then everything would be fine. Soul still very much wanted to know, of course, but he figured Maka would reveal her age when the time was right. At least he hoped so, anyway.
"Zero," Soul answered with a knowing smile. He knew what Maka's reaction would be.
"You're full of shit!" she replied incredulously, much to Soul's satisfaction. "Be serious with me, Soul!"
"Plenty of one-night stands," he clarified, "but no girlfriends. Can't really be with someone you'll munch on later, right?"
Maka hesitated. She seemed to consider something for a moment. "You've never been with anyone, though? Not even another vampire? "
Soul snorted in pure amusement, "I told you before, vampires are assholes. At least the ones I've met. Not a single one yet that hasn't tried to kill me."
"Kill you?" Maka gasped. A look of pure horror swept across her face as Soul nodded casually in confirmation. She couldn't fathom why anyone would try to off Soul.
"Competition," he answered plainly. "Most vampires don't restrain themselves like I do. The less vampires around, the more blood they get to drink. We're selfish like that."
The subject was a morbid one, and yet Soul couldn't stop himself from smiling at all the faces Maka made as she processed everything he told her. He'd had plenty of time to come to grips with the intricacies of being a vampire, and sometimes he failed to remember just how fucked up it could be sometimes. Fae weren't especially confrontational, as far as he'd seen. They had their moments, but for the most part liked their peace and quiet. Vampires were the complete opposite; maybe stumbling into eternal life made them all cranky or something, or maybe hunger eventually just drove them all insane. Regardless of the reason, creatures like Soul were not pleasant company to keep, at least not for long periods of time. He was definitely the exception, not the rule.
Maka could only shake her head. "I'm really lucky I met you, then. Otherwise I would have just assumed all vampires were terrible."
"Yeah, I remember you saying that," Soul smirked as he thought back to the day they met. "Can't hardly blame you, though."
Maka smiled back. She glanced at the floor, then at Soul. "Still, I can't believe you've been a bachelor all these years."
"Yeah? Why does that sound so surprising to you?" Soul feigned ignorance through a mile-wide grin.
"Because," Maka played along. She scooted forward. "You're quite the catch, Soul Evans."
Suddenly, the constantly running A/C didn't quite seem to cut it anymore. Underneath a veil of sheets, heat bubbled up between the sole occupants of Fort Albarn as Soul and Maka continued to stare at one another. Sweat started to bead through grins and smiles, and it didn't take long before the space between them quickly started to close. Loose fitting pajamas only added to the melting pot they found themselves in; shirts stuck to sticky skin and gave each other a better view of their respective bodies. The air became heavy, and the sound of their breathing became quick.
"Glad you feel that way," Soul admitted. It was a genuine statement.
"Can vampires charm people?" Maka asked playfully as she stared into his eyes.
"Yup," he revealed, much to Maka's obvious surprise. He gave a devilish grin in amusement.
"...Why am I just now finding this out?" she raised a brow. "Have you been charming me this whole time?"
Soul chuckled a little as he scooted in closer. "It only works on humans. Besides, I don't need magic to make a woman swoon."
Maka pursed her lips. She had a tendency to do that when she was annoyed, much like at that very moment, but the only thing Soul could focus on was how damn good Maka looked when she did so. Maybe that was by design. He wouldn't put it past her to know exactly how she looked to him right now, especially when she shifted on all fours and crawled to him like a cat to fresh prey. Soul couldn't help but to trace the outline of her curved body; all the way from one end to the other, ending in pink lips and rosy cheeks. It drove him wild.
"Maybe you're right," Maka breathed. Giant green eyes captured Soul and refused to let go. He kept grinning.
"What are you thinking about right now?" Soul knew exactly what. He wanted to hear her say it; like icing on a cake he desperately wanted to eat.
"Right now..." Maka couldn't come any closer. They were practically in the same space. "...I'm thinking about how badly I want to be my new servant's first girlfriend."
Soul stopped. The moment Maka mentioned the word servant, he couldn't help his grin from outright falling off his face. She was teasing him. Everything in the way she looked and how she talked told him that Maka was just playing along with the mood. She was kidding. She was trying to be sexy. He liked that. He loved it. Why now all of a sudden it bothered him so much, he had no fucking clue. The voice in his head that had shouted at him for two days straight was nowhere to be heard. This was all him, now. He was the one who was suddenly averse to the word; servant.
There was no hiding it from Maka. She could see him pull a complete one-eighty, and the look in her eyes shifted when she realized the mood had been thoroughly killed. She stopped her advance and just stared at Soul, who in turn stared back with a jumbled mess of emotions in his eyes and face. He opened his mouth to apologize, but found the words just wouldn't come out. He wasn't even sure what he was supposed to say; sorry for not wanting to be your slave? Again, it was a joke. He knew it was a joke. It was totally a joke. Right? Right...?
Soul's stomach started to churn. At first he thought it was just because of the awkward situation he found himself in, but then he quickly realized it was much worse than that. Perhaps the sudden stress and excitement had stirred something inside him, because all of a sudden his vampiric thirst had come back with a vengeance. A queasiness overtook him, and a different kind of sweat suddenly started to bead at his brow. On top of him having to figure out what to say to Maka, he also now had to keep himself from making the biggest mistake ever. The slice of cake he wanted to partake in moments before was mere inches away from him, along with a veritable eternal life sentence looming just underneath the surface. The ultimate insult.
Maka had no way of knowing all this. She was too busy looking thunderstruck at his sudden retreat from her, and she scanned Soul up and down to figure out what was wrong. Maka quickly came to a conclusion; whatever it was specifically, she'd never fully reveal it. The only thing Soul knew after that was he suddenly found her coming at him once more, only this time she crawled well beyond the walls of his personal space. Soul's eyes grew wide as he found himself leaning back to accommodate her. Maka trapped him on both sides with her arms, and threw her face right up into his. The fort felt claustrophobic as there was no longer space for Soul to breathe. Maka consumed him in every regard. His attention, his essence, everything.
Emerald pools were wide and open as if to let him in. Even amidst reluctance and hunger, Soul wanted to do nothing more. "Can I kiss you?"
Air rushed through Soul's lungs as he panted like a dog. It took all he had to stay focused. "...Why would you ask me that?"
"I don't want to disrespect a guest," Maka replied quietly. Maybe that was supposed to be cute. To her credit, it was.
Soul's head spun. He couldn't think straight anymore. "...What makes you think I'd find that disrespectful?"
"It is if you don't want it," Maka brought her lips to his, stopping just shy of embracing. "Do you?"
Everything about Soul stopped; his thoughts, his heart, his pulse. He nodded. "...I do."
Maka blinked, then went in. She closed her eyes as her lips found Soul's. He found himself unable to do the same; Soul wore a thousand-yard stare as the feeling of Maka's breath and tongue mingled with his own. The form of her on all fours in front of him, back arching as she moved her head ever so slightly, was enough to finally get him to focus all of his attention on her. His brain was empty at the moment. All he could do was close his eyes and repay every soft stroke and movement of her lips. Her taste did nothing to quell his hunger. That was fine.
The smell of her. The touch. The taste. It was all more than enough for Soul. He opened his eyes again after the longest minute of his life. He wanted to gaze on her form one more time, but found Maka doing the exact same thing to him. Air escaped him, escaped her, and they both came to the same conclusion. Soul pushed forward; Maka let him, and she fell backwards onto the cushions behind her as he landed in place on top of her. She wrapped her arms around his neck. He slid a hand underneath her oversized shirt and felt soft skin for the first time.
Maka moaned in approval, and at that point Soul knew he was fucked. This woman, this fae, had him in the palm of her hands and he didn't even care. A deep ache in the pit of his being begged to be sated, but he suddenly found it very easy to ignore. Whether or not Maka was joking, whether or not she really hadn't the faintest clue as to why he was upset, it didn't matter to Soul anymore. Vampires couldn't be charmed. Not by magic. Yet, nothing he thought or did could pull him away from Maka. Despite his gut and every other part of his body screaming at him to get the hell out of there, Soul refused to obey. The only thing he would listen to was every one of Maka's silent commands to keep going. Kiss her more. Touch her. Caress her.
She finally got what she wanted out of him. Whether that was a companion or servant, Soul couldn't yet tell.
A.N
I wasn't planning on writing this chapter, hence why it's shorter than the others. More soon to come!
