Disclaimer: I do not own Soul Eater.

Uncle Soul
by. Poisoned Scarlett

Wes is sparkling—or it could be the window behind him, shining morning sunlight through the curtains. But the look on his face is undoubtedly ecstatic. Soul, on the other hand, could only be described as sleep-deprived and in need of a few shots of vodka by the stare he's giving the little girl in his brother's arms.

Maka sits ramrod straight, her hands twisting on her lap nervously, as her eyes go to and fro Soul and his older brother, Wes. She has never met Wes before, this is the first time since Soul let it slip that he had a brother when they were students in the Academy, but she can already tell that he is the complete opposite of Soul. She already knows this is part of the reason Soul always rubs his eyes out and sighs when the topic of his brother arises.

They look alike, of course, startlingly so with their shocking white hair and dark red eyes. But whereas Soul is leaner, built more for stealth, Wes is broader and it also helps that his jaw is squarer than Soul's. Wes dresses formally, reminding her of Kid in a sense, but his hair matches Soul's now in tameness. She's smug to know that the cowlick Soul always grumbles about is also visible on his brother.

"Her name is Celeste! She just turned three a week ago and she told me that for her birthday, she wanted to meet you. I contacted the DWMA to figure out your next day off and booked a plane here the instant I got the call," Wes explains with a lopsided smile, his eyes bright. "My wife told me it was about time I came over to visit you, anyway. I would have told you about her sooner but, well, it's difficult to get a hold of you when you're always busy with assignments..." Wes says, apologetically.

Maka smiles a little. He does remind her of Soul but where Wes' eyes are always bright, Soul's only brighten like that when he is caught off-guard. It's what makes his happiness such a gift in her mind.

"It's understandable. We're really busy nowadays because of rogue witches. Some of them didn't take working alongside the DWMA very well," Maka says, forgiving. Wes looks relieved, though his eyes still dart to Soul uneasily. Maka makes sure not to lose her temper and kick Soul for being so rude. "Y-your daughter! She's adorable, Wes," Maka adds, unable to help giving Celeste a happy wave when the little girl turns sleepy eyes on her. She's sucking on a pacifier that resembles Lord Death's skull which told Maka that Wes had bought it earlier today. "Hi, Celeste! My name is Maka, I'm your uncle's Meister! I hope we can get along!"

Wes preens when Celeste gives Maka a shy wave, not hiding in his neck like usual.

"She looks nothing like you," Soul deadpans, the first thing he has said all morning since Wes arrived at their doorstep bearing a little girl and a box of cupcakes. "You sure your wife wasn't seeing the milkman behind your ba—OW! OW, DAM—NNNNNN," he keens, slapping a hand over his mouth as Maka gives him a deathly look. "I-I mean...she's cute."

Wes rubs the back of his neck, unaffected by his brother's mouthiness. He seemed even more relieved by it, Maka curiously notes. "Ah, yeah. She inherited all of her mother's genes. But she's taking up the flute! She got that from me!" He informs excitedly. He's sparkling again. Maka elbows Soul when he makes a face. "I think this is it, this is going to be her instrument!"

Soul snorts, leaning back into the couch coolly. "Wes, the first instrument I picked up was the harp and you know how that went." He's still in his sleep-wear: baggy sweatpants and a plain t-shirt matched with white socks. Maka, at least, had been awake and changed when Wes arrived at their doorstep that Friday morning.

"Harp?" Maka pipes. "I thought your first instrument was the piano?"

Soul only shakes his head.

"That was his fourth instrument," Wes informs.

"So the harp...?" Maka prompts.

Soul shudders.

"Let's just say he cut the strings off our mother's beloved harp with scissors and used them for his arts and crafts project," Wes laughs fondly.

Soul pinks a little but doesn't make another comment on it, despite the dangerously curious glimmer in Maka's emerald eyes. He's in for a backstory when Wes leaves, Soul sighs. "So, the kid. She wanted to meet me for her birthday?"

"I showed her our family album. We don't have a lot of pictures of you when you were young, mainly because mother wasn't very keen on those sorts of things. But I had this one picture you sent over when you...you decided on your Meister," Wes explains, glancing at Maka. She looks surprised; Wes smiles gently. "Celeste saw it when she was one and ever since then she's been wanting to meet you."

"Well," Soul pauses. He looks the little girl in the eye for the first time, watching her suckling stop suddenly. Her stare made him feel awkward; she's been staring at him just as much as he's been staring at her. "Here I am. Hey."

"Soul!" Maka groans lowly under her breath.

"What?" He hisses back, feeling awkward. "What else am I supposed to do?!"

"How about holding her?" Wes suggests, standing up. Soul scrambles up, too, and Wes wastes no time handing her over to him. She's very light in his arms and she smells like milk and baby powder. Soul gazes down at her hesitantly, Celeste's sky blue eyes wide. Soul blinks when the little girls' brows furrow intensely, glancing between the both of them in confusion, and Maka is the first one to catch on.

"Aww, she's so cute!" Maka laughs. "She's confused!"

"What," both brothers say simultaneously. Celeste only looks more helpless.

"About what?" Soul adds, scowling. "I'm just holding her! I'm doing this right, right, Wes?"

"You're fine."

"You two look alike," Maka explains, standing next to Soul. "Hello, Celeste, this is your uncle Soul and that's your papa!" Maka points at Wes, the little girl slowly coming to terms with this new conundrum. "Uncle Soul, papa," she repeats.

"Papa!" She says, looking at Soul. Soul looks stricken.

"Nooo, uncle," Maka coos, giggling when Celeste repeats uncle at Soul. Soul manages to pull on a smile, his face still rather grumpy compared to Wes.

Wes is sparkling again.

"She likes you, Soul!" Wes croons. "And your Meister! She's so open with her. You're, ah, very good with children, Maka!"

"Oh, no, I'm not! I hardly interact with kids!"

"No, no, you are!"

Soul feels a steady irritation as Wes and Maka go back and forth, their twitching smiles and strained insistence starting to get on his nerves because this is so, so awkward; no one has to tell him how awkward it is when a brother who hasn't seen his runaway younger sibling in years suddenly appears at said runaway younger siblings doorstep with a child.

"Both of you, shut up!" Soul suddenly shouts, brow twitching. "Maka, you're good with kids. Shut up. Wes, stop trying so hard. You…" Soul eyes Celeste, whose eyes are starting to shine like his brother's. Definitely his brother's spawn, Soul thinks sagely. "Stop looking at me like that. It's weird."

Maka smacks the back of his head. "Soul, she's three! Don't be a jerk!"

"It's his way of showing affection, he likes her," Wes insists.

"No, it's not, she's just creeping me out with her stare!" Soul flushes, not fooling anyone.

Celeste throws her hands up suddenly, dropping the pacifier from her mouth. It hangs around her neck tidily and she squeals, "UNCLE!". Soul's eyes round, face rather blank as he ruffles the little girls mousy hair.

Maka swears that was the day Soul finally understood Spirit's disgusting excitement over children.