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baconsoupforthesoul · 5 years ago

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We’ll Kiss, Just as Before

A/N: HAPPY BIRTHDAY DOBER!!! I hope you have a birthday as wonderful as you are friendo <3 This one-shot is a follow up of sorts to this piece I wrote for the Ink Demonth (and also this piece that John wrote, which inspired the art that inspired me haha). The song mentioned in this is Beyond the Sea by Bobby Darin, which you can listen to here. As always, for the Bioshock au, Henry/Alpha and Lyra belongs to @inkspottie, Ross/Omega, Lois and Aaron belong to the birthday girl @doberart, Delta belongs to @trashboatprince, Harvey/Sigma belongs to @hntrgurl13 and breifly mentioned is @gruvu’s Zeta. Get ready for a mushy one guys, and I hope you all enjoy~

The sun shone brightly through the window as Delta lounged idly on a couch in Ross’s living room, with Bendy curled up still half-asleep in his lap. Henry sat on a sofa nearby, deeply invested in a book he was reading. Ross was in the kitchen with his wife helping her with breakfast. It had been a few weeks since they had escaped from that hellscape under the sea. Harvey had gone back to his home a few days ago with Alice, leaving just Henry, Delta and Bendy staying at Ross’s house for the time being. Henry knew he should go back to his own apartment soon. He had troubled Ross enough as it was. But a part of him was afraid to go back to his empty apartment. The horrors he’d seen down there, the memories he’d regained, the trauma all of them had gone through, Henry was sure that as soon as he stepped into his vacant apartment, that would all come rushing to the forefront. The nightmares he had experienced since escaping were bad enough, experiencing them alone would be even worse.

“Hey,” Delta called, getting the attention of his brother, as the former big daddy stared out the front window. “We just escaped from certain death down there… shouldn't we, ya know… throw a party or something?”

“What?” Henry sounded incredulous as he set down his book. It was too early in the morning for this.

“Yeah, a party,” Delta continued, a huge grin spreading across his face. “I mean, isn't surviving something to celebrate? And being free from that awful place, right? That’s definitely worth throwing a big shindig for.”

“Yes, because normal people definitely celebrate almost dying in an underwater city,” Henry deadpanned. “Who would we even invite Delta? Our situation isn’t exactly easy to explain. It was hard enough explaining it to Ross’s kids.”

“What are we explaining to my kids?” Ross asked as he stepped into the room, a steaming cup of joe in his hand.

“Not dying!” Delta exclaimed, looking way too happy.

“Um, I mean, that’s a good thing for everybody to learn... but what?” Ross just looked even more confused.

“What Delta is trying and failing to get at is, he wants to throw a party to celebrate us not dying down in Rapture,” Henry explained, rubbing a tired hand down his face.

“I mean… we could I guess,” Ross mused as he rubbed the back of his head, taking a seat next to Henry. “Not sure who’d we even invite to such a party but if you really want to…”

“You don’t need to encourage him, Ross,” Henry drawled, giving his brother the side-eye as the former big daddy stuck his tongue out at him.

“Stop being a party pooper, Henry,” Delta complained. “Come on, it doesn’t have to be that big of a thing. We could just invite Harvey, and Alice. And then Ross’s kids cause they know what happened. And then they could bring the grandkids if they want to. Oh, and we can invite over Linda’s friend! What’s her name again?” Delta scrunched his forehead in thought as he snapped his fingers, trying to remember the name on the tip of his tongue.

“Oh, you mean Lyra?” Ross guessed and a huge smile broke out across Delta’s face.

“That’s the one! The one Henry thinks is cute!”

“W-what?” All of Henry’s sass drained out of him as his cheeks flushed at the thought of seeing Linda’s friend once again.

“Awww, aren’t you so precious. You even blush when I mention her~” Delta cooed, causing Henry to blush even more.

“You talking about Lyra in here?” Linda asked as she walked into the living room, idling drying a dish in her hand.

“N-no!” Henry squeaked.

“Yes!” Delta piped up, a shit-eating grin on his face, while Ross chuckled in the background.

“You know she’s just a phone call away if you want to see her, Henry. Or you could just walk over to her place, it’s not that far away,” Linda told the sweater-clad man, as he seemed to be burying himself into his turtleneck out of embarrassment.

“Anyway, teasing Henry aside,” Delta tried to talk between chuckles. “Linda, would it be alright if we threw a “Getting out of Rapture Alive” party? I promise it will be small, and we won’t trash your house or nothing.”

“Hmmm,” Linda tapped her chin in thought. “I don’t see why not? It could be fun. Might want to give it some time though. It won’t be much of a party until you’re all fully healed.” Linda took a seat next to her husband and gave him a kiss on the check, causing Ross to blush slightly. “I’m not throwing a party until I know you’re well enough to walk around without your cane. Speaking of,” Linda frowned at her husband. “Where is your cane? Did you happen to forget it again?”

“Alright alright,” Ross held up his hands in defeat. “Can’t argue with the nurse. I’ll go get it.”

“You walking around without it defeats the whole purpose of it, hun. I’ll go get it.” Linda told him as she gave him another kiss on the check. Ross turned his head and gently cupped the back of his wife’s neck to give her a proper kiss on the lips.

“What would I do without you, dear?” Ross asked, staring longingly into his wife’s eyes.

“Not take care of yourself apparently,” Linda teased him as she got up and walked back towards the kitchen. “Oh, by the way, breakfast is ready if you guys are hungry.”

“Breakfast…?” Bendy finally woke up and looked around the room with half-opened eyes. “Did someone say breakfast?”

“She sure did little guy,” Delta smiled softly down at his little devil. “You want some bud?”

“Yes please,” Bendy answered in a sleepy voice as Delta lifted him up onto his shoulder.

“Well there’s plenty for everyone,” Linda told them as she walked back with Ross’s cane. “It won’t stay warm forever though, so get it while it’s hot.”

“Don’t have to tell me twice,” Delta repiled, heading to the kitchen with his son, Ross and Linda right behind him. Henry smiled as he set his book on the end table next to him. This was nice. It was the first time in his life that he had felt like part of a family. He hated to impose on Ross more than he already had, but he wasn’t ready to leave just yet. Soon… but not yet.

---

It took almost a month for Linda to declare that the boys were fit enough to throw their “Getting out of Rapture Alive” party, but the time spent resting did not dull Delta’s enthusiasm. Just as he had said, it was a small party. with just Ross’s kids along with their respective spouses and grandkids, Lyra, Alice, Bendy and of course Henry, Ross, Delta and Harvey in attendance. But it was… nice. There weren't too many people they felt comfortable sharing their Rapture adventure with anyway. However, just being around their loved ones, and taking the time to relax and unwind was very welcome. Even Henry had to admit the party was a good idea, even if he spent most of it a blushing mess as Lyra chatted happily with him. As Henry stuttered over his words, his gaze roaming across the room to avoid looking at Lyra’s amused emerald eyes, he couldn’t help but notice Delta and Bendy over by the record player. The two of them appeared to be rifling through Ross’s albums.

“Come on, come on…” Delta muttered to himself as Bendy looked down from where he was perched on his shoulder, tail swishing back and forth idely. “I know he has it, he said it was one of their favorites…” Delta stuck out his tongue in concentration as he flipped through Ross’s music collection.

“There it is!” Bendy declared happily, eagerly pointing at an album Delta almost skipped by. “That’s the one!”

“Nice spot Bendy,” Delta smiled and raised his hand so Bendy could give him a high five. The former big daddy carefully took out the record, and went to go set it up, grinning the entire time.

As Delta was picking out the music selection, Ross was sitting down on a nearby couch, his right arm wrapped around his wife’s shoulders as they chatted with Aaron and Lois, as the married couple hadn’t had a chance to ask their children what they had been up to the last time they visited. The two Ross kids had been a little preoccupied in learning about their parents hellish time in Rapture to really get a chance to catch up. As they talked, Ross found his mind wandering a bit as he surveyed the scene around him. It almost seemed surreal, this level of normalcy. To think that a little over a month ago Ross had been back in the one place he swore he never wanted to see again, fighting his way through an insane underwater city to save his wife and his new-found brothers. It hadn’t been that long since he had found out the truth of what happened down there, about who he was and about all the horrible things Joey had done to their studio.

But after all of that, after all the pain, suffering and heartache, he was here. He was back with his family, more family even. Everybody was safe and happy. The only ones missing where Norman and Zeta, as the scientist had elected to stay down in Rapture for the time being so he could help the giant song bird into a more human form. But Ross knew it was only a matter of time before those two returned to the surface as well. It almost seemed too good to be true. Ross squeezed his wife’s shoulder, looking over at her in an attempt to remind himself that this was all real. That he had found the peace and happiness he had been craving for so long.

When Linda felt the gentle pressure on her shoulder, she looked over to find her husband’s green eyes were a little bit misty, but a small smile still graced his face as he stared lovingly at her.

“Uhh, Dad? You alright? You kind of went quiet for a second there,” Aaron asked, looking a little concerned.

“Huh?” Ross blinked for a second and turned over to his son, looking a little sheepish. “Sorry, I must've blanked out for a second.”

“You feeling alright, dear?” Linda asked. “You looked like you were a million miles away for a moment.”

“No no, I’m fine.” Ross waved off her concern. “I was just thinking... about how well everything turned out. I mean, all things considered.”

“I’m still trying to wrap my head around it,” Lois admitted, her eyes downcast as she ran a hand through her hair. “The fact that you guys went back there and made it back home at all is a miracle. I’m just….” Lois took a deep breath, composing herself. “I’m just so thankful you guys are okay.”

“Me too,” Ross gave his daughter a soft smile. “And don’t you worry. We plan to keep it that way. I’m too old for adventures like that anymore.”

“I don’t know if ‘adventure’ is the word I would use,” Linda remarked. “But definitely, we’ll try not to scare you kids like that again.”

“We’re gonna hold you to that,” Aaron replied, causing Ross to let out a huff of laughter.

As Ross was conversing with his family, the former soldier failed to notice Delta turning on his record player. The former soldier's eyes widened as a familiar song filtered through the air.

“Somewhere~

Beyond the sea~

Somewhere, waiting for me~”

This… this was one of his and Linda’s favorites. Ross quickly scans the room and sees Delta standing by the record player, grin stretched across his face as he gave him a thumbs up. A smile slowly tugged at the corners of Ross’s mouth as a thought occurred to him.

“My lover stands on golden sands~

And watches the ships that go sailin'~”

“Oh, I know that look,” Linda chuckled as she turned to her husband, her eyes alight with mirth.

Ross rose from his seat and extended his hand to his wife. “Would you do me the honor of sharing this dance with me, my dear?” Ross inquired, a stunning smile lighting up the room.

Linda returned her husband’s smile and took his hand. “I think the honor is all mine, my love~” She replied, her voice laced with playful affection.

“Somewhere~

Beyond the sea~

She's there watching for me~”

“Oh boy, of course this song comes on and the first thing dad wants to do is dance with mom,” Aaron snickered softly to his sister.

“Did you expect anything else?” Lois countered as Ross lead Linda to a more open area of their living room.

“She's there watching for me~

If I could fly like birds on high~

Then straight to her arms~

I'd go sailing~”

Ross placed one hand on Linda’s hip and held her hand tightly in his as she gripped his shoulder. Age had not dulled their love of dancing, and Linda suddenly felt young again, like it was their first dance together all over again.

“Oh~ Would you look at them! They’re so sweet!” Alice chirped, looking on excitedly as the married couple moved perfectly in time with the music.

“They certainly are,” Harvey agreed, glad to see his new-found brother reunited and happy with his wife after everything that had happened.

“It's far beyond the stars~

It's near beyond the moon~”

“Putting on this song might have been my best idea yet,” Delta remarked quietly to his son. “Up top Bendy.” He gave the little devil another high five, as the little guy on his shoulder hummed along to the music.

“I know beyond a doubt~

My heart will lead me there soon~”

“Oh, I love this song!” Lyra commented, tapping her foot excitedly. “And of course when this song comes on those two hit the dance floor.” Lyra giggled, watching her friend having the time of her life as Ross pulled Linda closer, their foreheads almost touching.

“We'll meet beyond the shore~

We'll kiss just as before~”

“I had no idea Ross was this good of a dancer,” Henry remarked, watching the couple moving gracefully, with hardly a misstep to be seen. “I’d be tripping over my own feet it it were me.”

“Happy we'll be beyond the sea~

And never again I'll go sailing~”

“Don’t tell me you don’t know how to dance, Henry,” Lyra chuckled as the sweater clad man went bright red in the face.

“Well… uhhh... I’ve never really… uhhhh…” Henry floundered, unable to get it past his lips that he had honestly never danced before.

“Well come on!” Lyra grasped Henry’s hand and lead him to the impromptu ‘dance floor.’ “We can’t let those two have all the fun, now can we?”

“Wait! Lyra! I-” Henry had no choice in the matter as Lyra grasped onto his hand and started leading him a dance of sorts, if tripping over yourself and almost stepping on the other person’s feet counts as dancing.

Ross couldn’t help but laugh as he watched his brother with Lyra. Henry was a blushing clumsy mess, all the while his dance partner continued to smile sweetly at him. Linda chuckled too before returning her eyes to her husband, once again lost in his sparkling green eyes.

“Whoot! You go twinkle toes!” Delta called out to Henry from the sidelines, unable to hold back his snicker as Henry turned to glare at him.

“I know beyond a doubt, Ah!~

My heart will lead me there soon~”

As Henry tried his best to dance with Lyra, Ross effortlessly spun Linda and pulled her back into his arms. Ross couldn’t imagine anything better than this. Rapture, now more than ever, was well and truly behind them. Through all the pain and tears, Ross had found a family he hadn’t even known he had, and brought his wife home safe and sound. While the memories and the trauma would be a lot to bare, they now had each other to help shoulder that burden. Now… here… surrounded by his loved ones… Rapture could not be further away and Ross could not be happier than he was right now.

“We'll meet (I know we'll meet) beyond the shore~

We'll kiss just as before~”

Overcome with joy, Ross leaned down for a kiss, which Linda lovingly returned. Ross pulled Linda closer as she wrapped her arms over his shoulders, running her hand through the hair on the back of his head.

“Happy we'll be beyond the sea~

And never again I'll go sailing~”

Ross slowly pulled away, his eyes a little wet as he suppressed tears of joy. He brought his hand up to Linda’s face and gently rubbed her check with his thumb as she was overcome with happiness too.

“I love you,” Ross nearly whispered, his voice heavy with affection.

“I love you too dear,” Linda replied, her voice soft and heartfelt.

And as the music started to fade out, the two of them continued to sway, so caught up in each other’s eyes, no force on earth could drag them apart.

“No more sailing~

So long sailing~

Bye bye sailing~”

#bendy and the ink machine #batim #henry stein #henry batim #linda stein #linda batim #henry x linda #bioshock au #spacy writes

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niveunwhite · 6 years ago

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tddk valentine/white day exchange 2019: (for ray)

for @tododekuvalentine and @tzubakis !! happy tododeku valentines day friendo

title: i think i love you

summary: In a so-called exercise of teambuilding and marketability awareness, the UA teachers had decided to arrange a secret Valentine exchange between the students.

Midoriya Izuku

Todoroki stared down at the piece of paper impassively.

“And remember! Valentine’s Day is next week, so get those cards and candies ready fast-- let me hear you kids say ‘YEAH’!” Present Mic’s words fell on deaf ears as 1-A went about whispering to each other about the names that had been distributed to them.

In a so-called exercise of teambuilding and marketability awareness, the UA teachers had decided to arrange a secret Valentine exchange between the students.

Aizawa shuffled to the front of the group of staff, ignoring Present Mic’s radio energy, “Even though they’re called ‘valentines’, your gifts should not necessarily be romantic. The purpose of this exchange is to establish an appreciation for your peers. You’re likely to be working together for a long time, so take note of and acknowledge the positive traits in each other.”

Todoroki looked over to see Midoriya muttering to himself, deep in thought. Midoriya’s positive traits… Considering the possibilities, Todoroki should have been relieved to have picked him; there should be no shortage of compliments to give such a positive and overall inspiring individual. So why do I feel so tense…?

“You’ve all been working nonstop for the past few months, so this should be a nice change of pace. There’s only fifteen minutes of class left, so just go ahead and get started on this, I guess.” As Aizawa zipped himself in his sleeping bag cocoon for the day, and the rest of the teachers filled out of the classroom, the students quieted down, seeming to take the assignment very seriously.

To Todoroki’s left, Yaoyorozu was writing hesitantly, often sighing to herself. In front of her, Mineta was slumped over on his desk, sniffling. I suppose he didn’t get one of the girls. Todoroki took a moment to give a small prayer of thanks before directing his gaze further forward to see:

Midoriya Izuku. He was leaning over his notebook, writing furiously, right foot tapping. Ever so often, he’d tangle his other hand in his hair, and Todoroki took the opportunity to study the particular shade of green it was. Emerald? No. Brunswick? Not quite… Pure phthalo green. Like it was just painted on. He wondered what it would feel like to run his hands through it.

Then Midoriya began to shift as if to look over his shoulder and Todoroki snapped out of his reverie. Quickly looking down at his own blank notebook, Todoroki felt a familiar burning sensation crawling up to his face. Don’t write about his hair, Todoroki made a mental note to himself as he picked up his pencil.

Class ended, as it tends to do, and when evening came, Todoroki found himself in his room, still staring at the same empty piece of paper. Frustrated and confused, he decided to head to the dorm kitchen for hot chocolate. Perhaps he’d run into someone who knew what they were doing along the way.

When he entered the common room, Todoroki saw, in one cluster, Ashido, sprawled upside-down on a couch next to Kaminari and Hagakure, while Iida, Uraraka, and Midoriya sat in another on the opposite side of the room. Midoriya looked up as he walked in, smiled, and waved. Todoroki attempted a smile back but it may have come out looking like a grimace, considering how desperately his heart suddenly seemed to be attempting to jump out of his chest. This is probably not normal.

“Sooo, does anyone know what we’re supposed to actually be doing for this secret Valentine thing?” Hagakure’s voice drew his attention back to her group.

“Yeah, they didn’t really give us a whole lot of instructions,” Kaminari agreed, “What’s up with that?”

“As many things will be when we are Pro Heros,” Iida cut into the conversation from the other side of the room, “This assignment is up to our interpretation and discretion. It is yet another test of our initiative and resourcefulness.”

Ashido pouted at this response. “Boo, it sounds less fun when you put it that way.”

Todoroki debated asking for more specific advice, but he wasn’t sure how to do so without sounding foolish. Hot chocolate will make this better, he thought to himself… Probably. As he headed further to the kitchen, Todoroki heard Ashido call his name.

“Todoroki! Who do you have for the exchange? You could probably do something super duper fancy and romantic, huh?”

“Uh.” He responded eloquently.

“Don’t push him!” Uraraka scolded, as Iida simultaneously cried out a reminder of the platonic nature of the exchange.

Then the microwave timer went off and suddenly Midoriya was standing by his side, retrieving a steaming bowl of katsudon. Todoroki stared at Midoriya’s hands as the boy hummed to himself, pouring a sweet-smelling sauce over his food and smiling all the while. They were warped and scarred, but steady and soft-looking? That can’t be right.

“Would you like to come sit with us, Todoroki?”

Todoroki startled, meeting Midoriya’s eyes. “I’m--” he waved his hand towards the empty mug he had retrieved from the cabinets, “... Hot chocolate. Sure.”

Midoriya gave a nervous laugh, scratching lightly at his face with his utterly captivating hands and Todoroki is vaguely aware that Midoriya is saying something, and he’s trying to pull himself back to reality, but he’s a little preoccupied at the moment and--

“T-T-Todoroki? What are you doing?”

Ah, yes. Midoriya’s hand is comfortably soft, despite all the scar tissue. Now what can Todoroki do to explain why he’s holding it between both of his own hands?

“Boom.” A small plume of fire puffed out from Todoroki’s palm, held in such a way that it almost looked like it was coming from Midoriya’s, “You’re Bakugou.”

There was a stretch of silence.

“WHAT?” A sudden wave of laughter came from the common room, “Todoroki, what was that?!”

Turning to look, Todoroki saw his classmates in various states of disarray. Ashido and Kaminari had ended up on the floor, while Hagakure flailed about from her seat, all in fits of uncontrollable laughter. From their own corner, Uraraka looked on with a mixture of concern and barely-concealed mirth, while Iida appeared to be going through every stage of grief simultaneously.

But back to the matter at hand. Todoroki glanced back to Midoriya, who bared an uncanny resemblance to a tomato at the current moment. In the back of his mind, he vaguely registered the smell of something burning.

“I think… I might go back to my room, actually. I have a bit of work I need to do,” Todoroki muttered. Hot chocolate be damned.

“Oh! That’s totally okay,” Midoriya stammered out, “But, um. You’re kind of. On fire a little bit.”

The shrieking in the common room was revitalised as Todoroki quickly extinguished his hair, absolutely mortified. That hadn’t happened since the time Fuyumi caught him running through the living room, pretending to be All Might’s sidekick when he was five. And that now seemed to pale in comparison.

“Thanks. I’ll… see you later.”

...

“Todoroki?”

“Yes?”

“Can I have my hands back?”

Todoroki left the common room with a speed that would have made Ingenium retire in shame. Back in his room, both hot chocolate-less and no further along with his valentine, he laid down on his futon with a silent huff. Sleeping his troubles away didn't sound too bad…

There was a sudden, timid knocking on his door. Inwardly bemoaning his existence, Todoroki pulled himself together and opened the door to find--

“Ah! Hi, Todoroki!” Uraraka beamed up at him with an angelic smile. But not quite as angelic as Midoriya-- He shook his head to clear his thoughts.

Undeterred by his silence, Uraraka continued on, “So I couldn't help but notice that you seem kind of unsure about your valentine.”

“Well, I don't really know what to say…”

“Mmhm.” Uraraka studied his face with bright eyes. “Do you have Deku?”

Todoroki took a bit of pride in preventing himself from combusting again. He nodded curtly.

“Oohh, I see…” Uraraka had a somewhat unnerving look on her face… Mischievous? Knowing? What could she know? “Is it alright if I come inside?”

Once reseated on the futon, with Uraraka reclining in his swivelling desk chair, Todoroki felt himself beginning to sweat.

“So, Todoroki,” Uraraka clasped her hands together in a very business-like manner, “What are your intentions with Deku?”

He blinked. “To… surpass him as a hero?”

Uraraka stared at him. “Okay, but maybe, like, more personally?”

Twice. “To give him a good Valentine?”

“Okay, and you want to do that because…?”

And again. “Because… That’s the assignment?”

“Oh, my God, you’re even worse than I was! Where’s your fighting spirit?!” Uraraka slammed her hands down on the chair armrests, “ Listen, Todoroki. I’ve been where you are. Deku would never let anything come between him and his friends. Now’s your opportunity! You have nothing to lose but your chains!”

The confusion in the air had a somewhat salty taste.

“Are we talking about the same thing?”

Todoroki felt his skin crawl as Uraraka once again stared through him.

“You like him,” she stated, matter-of-factly.

“I… Like him.”

“Yes.”

Todoroki contemplated this for a minute. Oh. Oh no.

“You’d do anything for him, wouldn’t you?”

His head seemed to nod on its own.

“And you have so many things to say that you can’t even begin to write anything down?”

He looked towards his noticeably blank notebook and nodded.

Uraraka hummed, satisfied. “Sounds like love to me.”

Hm. That surely sounded interesting, but Todoroki was unfortunately too busy experiencing a total emotional reboot to respond.

Uraraka stood up. “I’ll leave you to think about it. But really, you’ll feel a lot better once you get it out there. I’ll see you later!”

Todoroki remained firmly planted on his futon as Uraraka let herself out.

Sounds like love to me. The words rattled around in his head like the world’s most confused baby angel. Is this what love is? Not being able to look at one of your best and only friends in the face without spontaneously combusting? When did this start? How do you make it go away? What would Midoriya do?

Memories of Midoriya murmuring to himself while furiously writing flooded his mind. Smiling, hard-working, genuine, beautiful Midoriya. Todoroki could feel his heart melting. Midoriya would never do anything to hurt him. Maybe Uraraka was right. Maybe he should be straightforward.

With a new sense of resolve, Todoroki picked up his pen. He was ready for the class Valentine's exchange.

I think I love you.

#tddkvalentine2019 #this is my first time doing something like this i hope its okay #tododeku #yeet yeet

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ilovereadingandilovebreathing · 7 years ago

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Soul Eater SoMa for 6! "Things you said under the stars in the grass"

For those of you who don’t know or are reading this in the future, today is Valentine’s Day, and the precious human who sent this request is one of my favorite people on the planet. He’s an incredible friend, and I’m blessed to call him my platonic valentine this year. I’ve had this little diddy simmering in my inbox for weeks, but I decided today was as good of a day as any to FINISH this sucker. Also sorry not sorry that I cheated because no grass. *shrugs* Hope you like it, friendo. ♥

Summary: Soul’s still on a mission to get his promised date with Maka, even if they have to lose a few degrees to do it.

Word Count: 3,470

Characters/Pairings: Soul “Eater” Evans, Maka Albarn; SoulxMaka

Genres: Fluff, romance, with a splash of angst; College!AU

Warnings: divorce, bickering (let me know if there are others)

“Good Morning!” Maka breezed up to their usual table in the Commons, a light grin on her lips.

“’Mornin’,” Soul replied between forkfuls of scrambled eggs.

“As suave as ever, I see.” Maka rolled her eyes good-naturedly, shrieking when the youth flicked said breakfast food in her direction. “Rude.”

“You started it,”the blond breathed out after taking a huge gulp of orange juice.

Maka merely grunted in return, setting off to get her food. When she returned, her table partner snagged a piece of bacon off her tray before she could protest. “Excuse you.” She swiped a slice of apple off of his plate.

Soul chuckled. “Take it.” He slid the bowl of fruit toward her. “ I hate fruit, anyway.”

“Fruit’s good for you, Soul, and you need to eat healthier after that nasty sinus infection you had.” Maka glared when she realized he was mocking her, his hand poised like a hand puppet mouth. “Fine, ignore me, but don’t blame me-”

“What’s got you so high-strung this morning?” Soul interrupted, brow quirked.

“What? Nothing. I’m fine. Why would you say that?”

He just hummed in reply, choosing to let this battle die before it was fought. “Here’s a better question:”

“Hmm?”

“Am I ever gonna get that date?” Soul asked, wiggling his eyebrows.

“You got your date, multiple times!” Maka replied, huffing and sending her bangs flying with a puff of air.

“What, being sick and going to Waffle House in the middle of the night count as dates?”

“I mean they might as well these days, right?”

“True…Well….What have you never done before? What’s something you’ve always wanted to do?”

“Mmmmm….” Maka sucked in her cheeks.

“What? What is it?”

“You’re gonna think it’s dumb.”

“No I won’t; tell me!”

She fiddled with her fork, staring at her plate. “….I’ve never been stargazing before.”

“Really?…” He mused, suddenly contemplative. “You know, I don’t think I have, either. We should definitely do that, then! When are you free?”

“Soul, we’re in the middle of a cold snap in winter; it’s too cold to go out at night!”

“We’ll be fiiiine! We can just bundle up in as many clothes as we can, hats and scarves, the whole nine, and get some blankets and stuff. I’ll figure it out. It’ll be great.”

“Soul-”

“Pleeeeease, Makaaaa? I’ll take care of everything; I promise!”

“….Fine.”

“Yes!” He grinned in triumph. “So when are you free?”

That Saturday night found her sitting on her couch bundled up in long johns, leggings, ski pants, 2 pairs of socks, boots, a long-sleeved thermal shirt, a sweater, a coat, a scarf, ear muffs, two pair of technology gloves, and a hat, waiting for him to text her that he had arrived.

Her phone finally lit up with the contact photo she’d assigned him (one of him giving her a pointed look when she tried to sneak a picture of him reading), and she swiftly swiped into the call.

“Hey, Soul. You here?”

“Yup, just pulled up. Sorry I’m late; took longer than I expected.”

“‘S fine.” Maka pushed herself up. “Took a little while to get layered up.” She quickly locked her door and set off down the stairs, giving him a wave when she eyed him on the way down. “See you in a sec.” She hung up and slid the phone in her pocket, a grin sliding across her lips. She couldn’t believed she’d let him convince her to do this. He might get sick all over again, or she might catch something, but….the allure of going stargazing, and on a perfectly clear winter night, was too tempting to pass up. “So,” she asked as she threw her leg over the motorbike. “Where we headed?”

“Little area right outside of town; no streetlights and lighter car traffic.”

“Sounds good.” She held on tight as they sped of into the frosty night.

—–

“What’s that over there?” Maka pointed to a strange orange glow a couple hundred yards away. “Not a fire I hope?!”

“How stupid do you think I am?” HSoulcalled back. “It’s a portable heater. I set it in front of our blankets to get them nice and toasty for us.”

They pulled up to their spot, and Maka couldn’t hold in a grin. There was a single, huge air mattress on the ground, blown up to capacity, and a huge stack of blankets sat next to it.

“Wow…” She let Soul take her hand and lead her over to their setup, too enthralled to notice the blush on his cheeks. Once they were settled, he handed her a thermos.

“Hot cocoa.” He explained, popping open his own container to sip at the still-steaming liquid.

“Oh, but-”

“I know, no milk. Just water. I got you covered.” Soul grinned proudly as she smiled back and took a satisfied sip, humming with happiness from the warmth.

“Thank you.” Maka shivered as a breeze passed over them and reached for a blanket, cocooning herself in warmth. “Oooh…this is a nice blanket!” She rubbed her arms absently, looking at what designs she could see with the light of the space heater. Little foxes, it looked like.

“My Granny made it.” Soul smiled, but Maka detected just a hint of sadness in his tone as she looked over at him. Sure enough, though his lips were spread, his eyes were downturned at the edges.

“Oh, is she-”

“No, she’s alive,” Soul reassured her. “Just far away. She’s my favorite person in the whole world. Leaving her was the hardest part about coming to college, but….she wanted me to.”

“She sounds like a good person.” Maka tenderly placed a hand on his arm.

“She is.” Soul agreed, absently placing his own hand over hers as he stared into the space heater. “Anyway, she made that for me when I was little; I’ve had it for as long as I can remember.”

“Oh, well then, here-”

“No, it’s fine-”

Maka sighed not unkindly and threw the blanket over the both of them, taking another from the stack to wrap around her shoulders. “There.” She grinned up at him cheekily, and he stuck his tongue out, blowing a small raspberry. “You’re such a child.” She mumbled under her breath.

“Quit lookin’ at me, then, and look at the stars.” Soul jested, pointing upward as he laid down on the mattress.

Maka complied, staring up from her hunched position beneath the blankets, and she was glad she did. Thousands upon thousands, possibly millions of pinpricks of light hung above their heads, some large and glittering and some small and stable. The sun had just set, so traces of purples intermingled with the blacks and browns of the night sky, leaving tasteful streaks between patches of stars.

From there,Maka could swear she could see whole star systems, though astronomy was not her subject, so she couldn’t tell you which ones. She sighed, watching the bitter air curl before her like smoke, and soaked in the glory of galaxies. Suddenly, another gust of wind swept through the landscape, and she curled into herself, teeth chattering.

“Here.” Maka looked over, and Soul had his arm outstretched toward her, his eyes screwed up toward the stars. Without hesitation, she scooted next to him and snuggled into his side, her thermos cradled between her palms. He pulled her in close, giving her a squeeze before placing a firm, loving kiss on the crown of her head.

And then she froze.

Soul felt her muscles physically stiffen next to him, and he was at a loss for words. “Maka? You okay?”

“Y-yeah, I’m fine.” He felt her wiggle away from him a bit, placing the drink container between them, and he brought his arm back into his lap.

They sat in silence for a full minute

“I’m sorry if I….if that was too fast.” Soul muttered, his voice low.

Maka inhaled through her nostrils, unwilling to take her eyes from the sky to meet his.

“Maka, I’m sorry; it’s just….we’ve been hanging out for months…a lot….I dunno, I just thought…”

“You thought wrong.” She bit back, still not looking at him, and that comeback broke his resolve.

“Look.” He sat up, turning fully toward her. “You’ve been making weird comments all week. What’s your beef? Did I piss you off again?”

Silence.

“Maka-

“No. It’s not you. It’s….”

Soul waited patiently for her to continue, staring at her for a moment then up at the stars splayed above them.

Maka sat up and sighed shakily beside him. “It’s the anniversary of my parents’ divorce.” She grumbled, pulling the blankets tighter around her. “My mom always tries to send me a present to make me feel better. My dad used to, but now he just gets hammered and drunk FaceTimes me.” She chuckled harshly, bringing her thermos up to her face. “I know it’s stupid, but I just….I can’t help remembering. How they pretended they were okay even though I heard them arguing constantly. They tried so hard to pretend for me, and I just…I don’t know. It makes me cynical, I guess. Wonder if I’ll ever find someone, and if I do, will I be able to keep a relationship alive.”

“Maka…”

“But it’s nothing. Stupid. Just the whiny grumblings of a child of divorce.”

“Hey, it’s not nothing. It’s not stupid. You’re allowed to be upset about it, Maka. It’s a crummy thing to put your kid through.”

“No. Staying married would’ve been crummier. They hate each other.” Maka bit her lip. “They only got married because of circumstance. It seemed like the right place at the right time, and they thought they were in love. It was this whole movie-esque tornado of events. So I just…I don’t know. I’m afraid of things moving too fast. It sucks because I’ve met some really amazing guys, but they all wanted to get serious so quickly and it was just way too much. I’m scared of moving too fast, if I’m being honest with myself. I’m scared that I’ll meet someone great and think I’ve fallen in love really fast and it’ll all just happen so quickly and in some kind of whirlwind but one day I could wake up and realize that I’m not in love anymore. Or that I never even was. Like, how much would that s-su-uck?” She hadn’t realized she was crying until her voice broke, and a chill went up her spine as her felt the tears trailing down her cheeks. She hugged her shins, resting her chin on her knees, and she squeezed her eyes shut as fat droplets squeezed from between her eyelids.

“Maka, I’m so sorry.” Soul’s voice was choked, and her eyes snapped open in alarm. She glanced over and found that his eyes were gleaming dangerously. “I didn’t realize I was pushing things along so quickly or that I seemed like I was coming on too strong. The fact of the matter is…’ He swallowed. “I like you a lot, Maka. I really do, but I want you to be comfortable in all of this. I don’t want you to feel pressured into something you don’t want to be apart of. If you don’t feel that way about me, it’s fine, we can still be friends because I love being around you-”

“Soul.” She cut him off. “O-of course I like you.” Her voice was barely more than a whisper. “Why else would I be so worked up about all of this right now?”

“Besides the anniversary?”

“That’s….an excuse, really. Like I said, they’re better apart. It’s just…the implications of it all that get to me sometimes. I guess that’s why it upset me…I…like you a lot, too, Soul, but I guess I just….I don’t know, with the anniversary thoughts and how often we’ve been together I guess I just freaked out. I don’t want to hurt you, Soul. Not like my parents hurt each other.”

“You won’t.” Soul murmured, inhaling deeply with his gaze fixed on the orange glow of their heater.

“How do you know, though?” Maka asked, so softly that the words fairly trailed along her breath.

“Because you’re better than them.” Soul deadpanned, looking her straight in the eye now. The conviction in his features nearly stole her breath. “Because you’ve actually thought about this stuff, and you’re more aware than they were. So what if your parents marriage fell apart? I mean that sucks and all, but that doesn’t mean you can’t be happy one day.”

“You’re really passionate about this, huh?” Maka sniffed and wiped at her eyes.

“I mean….I dunno, I get it in a way. My parents are still together, but only because a divorce would look bad in their social circles. They hate each other, and always have, so it’s not like I had a great representation of what love is, either, growing up.” Soul shrugged, turning back to the starlit sky. “But that doesn’t mean we can’t figure this stuff out for ourselves. I mean, we’ve made it this far in life, and I think we’re pretty damn smart, don’t you?”

“Yeah, I think so.” Maka giggled.

“So we’ll be fine.” Soul smiled warmly, but it melted into a complacent line too quickly. “Plus, it’s not like I proposed to you or anything. We’re not even really a couple, so no worries.”

“Hey!”

He lifted a brow and peered over at her sudden outburst.

“I never said I didn’t want to be with you.” Maka continued, suddenly shy. “I love our time together. I just…slapping labels on things makes it complicated. Can we just…I dunno, let it be an unspoken agreement?”

“Works for me.” Soul folded his hands behind his head and laid back on the plastic mattress.

“Um, so…”

“Yeah?”

“Since we’re unofficially official….we can still cuddle.” Maka’s cheeks were blazing pink. “But ask me before you do anything, okay? And I’ll…be better about communicating my feelings. Deal?”

“Deal.” That warm smile was back, and she gave him one in return as she settled down next to him. A moment passed before she reached around and guided his arm around her, snuggling in close to his side with a final sigh of contentment.

“Thanks for this, Soul.” She whispered as they stared up at the stars together.

“Only for you, Maka.” He replied before suddenly jerking in realization. “Oh yeah! I have this really cool app that will show us what stars are above us! Hold on-” He pulled out his phone and thrust it toward the night sky, and they both stared intently as the device found their location.

“All those stars, and they can still be identified, one by one. Amazing.” Maka commented as they scrolled through their findings.

“Kinda like the odds of us finding each other, huh?”

“You’re such a sap.” She joked, nudging him lightly before settling her head on his chest, tucking herself in.

“I was thinking clever, but I guess that works, too.” He snarked back.

“Oooh look, those stars in a row there, is that one of the dippers?”

“Nah, I think it’s Orion, the hunter constellation…”

“But that doesn’t look right….what does the app say?”

“I dunno, it’s taking ten years to load things because the signal sucks out here.”

“Well, shoulda thought that one through-”

“Hey, I was trying to do something cool for us-”

“Chill. Kidding.” Maka screeched when he tried to pinch her side, and she aimed to pinch him back, though neither were successful with layers of cloth over their fingers. Nevertheless, Soul’s phone was abandoned in favor of defending himself against an onslaught of tickling, though he soon discovered he could easily trap Maka’s arms in a tight bear hug. “Sooooouuuuullll let GO!” She shrieked, trying to wiggle out of his hold while suppressing giggles.

“Mmmmm, nah.” Soul rolled both of them over, Maka now snuggled against him like a teddy bear. “I wanna sleep, and you’re the perfect snuggle buddy.” He nestled his nose between her head and the mattress and promptly faked snoring.

“Sooouuulll not funny, let me go! My arms are gonna fall asleep.”

“You’ll be fine. I’m not that strong.” He mumbled, burying his face further into warmth.

“Sooouulllll-” Maka whined.

“Fine, you’re no fun.” Soul released her and rolled onto his back.

“I am so fun. You’re the one who wants to be a pain.” Maka reached across him and grabbed his phone, handing it back to him. “Now tell me more about the stars. It’s getting really cold, and I want to go home soon.”

“Fine.” The backlight of his phone revealed the grin on Soul’s cheeks, and Maka smiled to herself. She searched for a moment, quickly finding his gloved hand before holding it in hers. She laid back down against him, head on his chest and watching as he scrolled through the list of stars above them. “See that really bright bluish one? That’s Uranus! The only planet clearly visible from here right now.”

“Whoa,” She stared intently where his finger pointed, nodding in recognition before snickering a bit. “I had a science teacher who tried to convince us that it’s pronounced “ur-in-is” so people would stop laughing about it.”

‘Well that’s dumb. That only makes people talk about it more.”

“I know, but what can you do with middle schoolers?”

“Ugh, true.” Soul continued scrolling. “I think that’s the North Star, there…but I’m not quite sure…”

“Or there?” Maka pointed to the left of his initial guess.

“Oh crap! I totally forgot-” Soul reached off the side of the mattress, feeling around for a small bag. “I brought a small telescope.” He carefully brought up the drawstring bag and opened it, bringing out a foot-long silver tube. “My Grandpa gave it to me.” He explained fondly. “He loved this kinda stuff. Bird-watching, star-gazing, anything he could do from his balcony. I used to go out there with him, and he got me this when I graduated high school. He said it would let us keep star-gazing together, even though we’re far apart.”

“That’s so sweet. You have great grandparents, Soul.”

“Yeah…I’m sure they’d love to meet you.” Soul’s breath hitched.

“….That would be nice.”

They both relaxed against each other, and Soul picked up the telescope. “Let’s see….ah crap, there’s a cloud in the way now…stupid desert clouds….”

“Point it at Uranus; I want to see its rings.” Soul handed over the telescope, and Maka gasped. “It’s not an incredibly clear image, obviously, but…wow….that’s a whole other planet. It’s nuts.” She swung the lens between planetary bodies, gasping louder each time he told her what it was. “This is so cool…”

“Yeah…” He gazed at her fondly, soaking in the pure childlike wonder and fascination exuding from her voice, her eyes, her posture, and the undisputed joy when she turned back to face him.

“This has been a great time, Soul…Everything included.” Maka squeezed his hand. “But it really is cold out here, and I can’t feel my nose anymore.” She grinned sheepishly, handing him the telescope with trembling fingers. “We should totally do this again, but like, when it’s warmer.”

“Agreed.” He chuckled and sat up, sliding the telescope back into its bag as Maka slowly shed her layers of warmth. “Let’s get you home before you freeze, huh?”

Maka nodded and rose, stretching her limbs before plodding over to his motorcycle and swinging her leg over. Soul followed right behind and sat himself in front of her, revving the engine with an uncontrollable smile when she squeezed him in a hug before settling in.

The drive back was brisk but short. When they arrived outside of her apartment, Maka quickly swung herself off of the bike and stood beside him, waiting expectantly. Soul raised a brow, and the girl huffed in return, holding out her arms.

“Ooooohhhh.” He grinned widely, pulling her against him in a side-hug, and she groaned into his shoulder.

“Noooo a real hug, you doofus.” She yanked him off the bike, nearly sending all three of them toppling over, and they held each other close, holding on for as long as they each dared before letting go.

“Really, this was fun…and good.” Maka smiled, leaning up to place a peck on his jaw before turning on her heel and speeding up the stairs to her apartment. “Good night!” She stage-whispered, waving to him before vanishing into her apartment and leaving a still stunned Soul leaning against his idling motorcycle.

His hand slowly rose to where her lips had grazed his face, and he felt his heart stutter just a bit.

There was really hope for them after all.

With a final triumphant grin, Soul swung himself back onto his bike and sped back toward their date site, hoping that the cleanup would be faster than the setup.

#soul ea #soul eater fanfi #soul eater fic #soma fanfic #soma fic #mine #sefanfics #soma #soulxmaka #asks #replies #itsthatonepunnyguy

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