Soul Eater:Cold War- Chapter 3

"Stein?"

His gaze darted up from his plate, which he must have been picking at, to meet Marie's concerned eye. She had finished her dinner long ago, her plate absent from the table. She must have gotten up earlier to put it away. He really was being careless. It had to be the moon. He couldn't get its prophecy out of his mind.

It took a few seconds for him to pull himself together. "Yes? What is it Marie?"

"Are you really going to be okay?"

He paused for a moment, and for a second, he was totally lost. Fortunately, he knew how to tell a joke, and by the time he was able to pull himself together,  Marie had been in tears of merriment for at least fifteen seconds. He smiled. After all they had been through together, he was glad to see that he could still make her happy. It was too miserable being with him, so he had to make some effort to compensate her for her time with him. After all, even if Marie insisted on staying here, he knew that his lifestyle had to worry her at least a little. Even after her healing wavelength had cleansed him from his temporary madness, he still harbored a few odd habits, including the tendency to forget daily needs, and he knew that she could not stand to leave him like that, not if she still feared a return to insanity. He never doubted that she didn't.

Pulling himself back into reality again, he found that Marie was no longer laughing, her face stony in a warning against dishonesty. He had to be careful now. She was getting suspicious, and only an immediate answer would prevent an exercise of Marie's infamous rage.

"I've just been thinking a lot lately," he volunteered, saving himself the trouble of her asking anything. He had to keep the conversation in his court, lest the questioning get out of hand.

"About what?" she asked, curiosity opening her features a little. Just a little.

He shrugged, crossing his arms behind his head nonchalantly and leaning back in his chair.

"About you. About me. About everything."

"And about the past?"

He didn't lie. "Some of that. A little bit about the future as well."

"I see," she said, stirring her tea thoughtfully. "What about the future? Is it about us?"

He could sense the hope in that question, but decided not to encourage it. They had been there before and it had not ended well. It was best to leave their emotions out of this. Well, her emotions primarily. He wasn't sure if he was capable of feeling what she felt all the time.

"I'm not sure. All I know is that I think there are going to be changes."

"Like what?"

Yet again, another grandiose shrug. "I really don't know. It's just one of those feelings where you know that something big is going to happen. A sort of breakthrough you could say."

She smiled, her good heart unable to stay suspicious for very long. She probably thought he was working on a new dissertation, something that would cause him to be so preoccupied.

"I see. Well, let's hope for the best then, shall we? Cheers."

He smiled, imagining she was truly wishing him luck on his secret project, and clinked his beaker full of water on her tiny porcelain teacup.  The delicate container shattered against it, tea gushing from its innards like waste products from a popped kidney. Like sobs from Marie's heart would if he let her get too close. Beneath the table, Stein clenched his right fist, willing his mind still again. He had to stay on top of things. He needed to get a washcloth.

"Sorry about that," he chuckled sheepishly, gathering the shards of the teacup in the rag he had swiped from the newly-installed kitchen's countertop. Marie shook her head, more amused than angry.

"It's okay. Here. Let me put the tablecloth in the laundry."

"We have a laundry machine?"

"Since before I moved here."

"Huh. And here I was using the Death City Laundromat. I guess you must have helped me move in more than I expected."

She giggled, grabbing his hand playfully in her own free one. "Silly Stein. I've always been helping you."

He smirked. "Ever since you first arrived at the Academy."

And for the rest of Marie's time awake that night, Stein let her guide him through the labyrinth of laboratories, nearly laughing when she nearly got them lost in search of the laundry machine. And when the two had finally managed to locate the washer, the two busied themselves with happy, harmless chatter. For a few hours, Stein was almost able to forget his destiny. For a few hours, he was able to forget himself. And for a few hours, he was able to forget the night.