Current location:	at home
Current mood:	cold
Current music:	my roommate playing Grand Theft Auto
Entry tags:	pastfic, soul eater, spirit, stein, stein/spirit

[Soul Eater] A Sharpened Edge-- Spirit/Stein pastfic
Title: A Sharpened Edge
Pairing: Spirit/Stein
Words: ~670
Genre: Drama pastfic.
Rating: PG
Warnings: Underaged boy kissing.
Spoilers: None, really.
Other Notes: Hm. I wrote a very serious!Spirit. Maybe he's out of character here. I was thinking about that flashback scene, where he is serious when he's dealing with crazy kid!Stein, and wondering what that'd be like, not just working with that nutcase but actually being the blade he uses in battle.
...mostly, I admit, I'm just happy to be writing again, regardless of the outcome.
Crossposted. ...maybe.




It had just felt right.

The action had been no more planned out than a sneeze, a yawn.

It simply was.

Here in the filthy city streets under the mad, mad moon the reverberations of their souls echoed down the alleyways and thrummed in their blood, the perfect pitch they'd created together, that sustained note devoid of meaning and aching with desire which shivered still inside their hearts.

Together, they'd killed. Taken one more corrupt soul.

As they would again.

And again.

And again.

And again.

Stein had barked laughter into the ringing silence that crashed down upon them in the wake of the fight, his face upturned to the night sky like a crazed coyote cackling senselessly to its own savage god.

Spirit had jerked in his partner's grip, twisting and transforming, sick with tangled emotion, and he'd felt that if he had to listen to that wretched noise any longer, he'd lose his mind himself.

He hadn't been thinking about it. He'd merely moved in sync to the sound only they could hear.

He'll taste like blood, he'd thought in the second before their mouths came together.

He was wrong. It wasn't like blood at all. He was relieved to be wrong.

Spirit ducked his head and dove in for another taste.

"Senpai..." Stein's breath puffed lightly against his cheek when they broke apart a bare inch, just enough to speak, and Spirit shuddered at his tone, shuddered again as all the hairs on his body rose in response, prickling.

"I'm not just another scalpel for you to use." Oh god, his voice still shook. Why couldn't he just stop trembling.

"Senpai," Stein said again. His voice was calm, level.

Emotionless.

Infuriating.

Spirit couldn't look him in the eye, not now, not like this. He was too afraid of what he'd see there. He was too afraid of his own reactions.

"I'm not just your tool!"

Stein hitched in a ragged breath. Spirit felt the muscles in his throat twitch as he swallowed.

"Spirit-Senpai... Could you let me go now?"

Spirit blinked.

"What?"

Stein squirmed against the clenched fists holding him up against the wall by his shirt, his smaller fingers digging at Spirit's straining knuckles. His heels were off the ground by a full inch. "Let go of me now."

"Ah...!"

Spirit startled violently, his eyes opening in shock, then froze up for a single heartbeat, astonished and guilty.

Then, abruptly, he did let go.

And then he winced when his partner dropped to one knee, unable to catch his balance in time.

Had he really just picked the kid up by his collar and slammed him against the building? Did he really just...just kiss him?

Spirit couldn't remember exactly, but when he licked his lips he tasted wintergreen.

The flavor lingered on his tongue pleasantly.

He turned away to face down the alley, raked both hands through his hair, and took a deep breath.

"I... I'm sorry," he muttered. The moths fluttering around the streetlamps were fascinating weren't they. Look how they danced in the halo of light. Pretty. Innocent. He cleared his throat and tried again. "I'm sorry, Stein. I didn't mean to..."

"Why?"

Spirit turned quickly to stare at the young tech, surprised, but Stein wasn't looking at him. He'd rolled up one leg of his pants to examine the scrape that now adorned his left knee. Blood trickled in thin rivulets down his shin.

When his partner didn't respond, Stein finally did look up at him and in the same too-calm tone, he repeated, "Why? What did you do to be sorry for? Senpai is an excellent weapon."

Spirit stared for a moment longer, really looking at Stein for the first time since their fight ended, and then he felt the anger and confusion melt away, felt the tension drain from his muscles.

That's it.

He was a weapon with a sharp cutting edge. His technician liked the feel of a good blade in his hand. This is what they were born to do. There was no point in getting upset now. There was still work to be done.

It still felt right.

No, not right, but alright.

It was still alright.

"Nothing." Spirit shrugged his shoulders and shook his head, letting a small, weary smile creep onto his face. "It's nothing."

"That's seventeen," Stein said thoughtfully, then stood up, swaying slightly. A grin slashed across his face and lit up the depths of his eyes. "Eighty-two to go."

"But not tonight." Spirit jerked his thumb toward the road.

"Let's go home."