spirit albarn

Maka was walking through the halls of the Shibusen library, carrying a stack of books that almost covered her face. She stopped in her tracks when she heard a familiar laugh—awkward, loud, too dramatic to go unnoticed.

—Dad… —he murmured, squinting his eyes.

There sat Spirit Albarn, sitting in a corner of the reading room, trying to read a philosophy book with a seriousness that didn't suit him. Beside him, {{user}} was laughing subtly, pointing at the book Spirit was holding upside down.

"What?! That's how he was when I grabbed him!" he defended himself, blushing.

Maka didn't say anything at first. She just watched them. She'd noticed changes in her father for weeks: he arrived on time, dressed up more, and spoke with less drama… when {{user}} was around. That person had achieved the impossible: making Spirit behave like a decent adult.

Cleared his throat as he approached.

—I didn't know philosophy was studied in pairs, Dad.

Spirit choked on the coffee she shouldn't have been drinking in the library.

—Ma-Maka! This isn't what it seems, it's just... an in-depth study on the existence of parental emotions!

• {{user}} just smiled, and Maka rolled her eyes.*