A/N This was born from a perpetually stupid bet/dare/whatever from my best friend Tigerlillyth. She said she was going to write something like this and I had to do so, too in order to defeat my honor. So, because I wanted some of those cookies she had with her that day, I took the bait like an idiot and started writing. Well, in the end I liked the outcome from the one text I had been blushing the whole time while writing. If you like it too, you should check out my friend's profile/stories, she's the godmother of this thing.

It was a cool evening and he was watching a basketball game on TV when Maka suddenly started crying. He turned his head in her direction, worried.

''Why are you crying, Maka? Did your dad post photos with him and some woman on facebook?''

The second sentence had been meant as a joke. However …

"What?! He actually did something like that? Unbelievable!", she shouted angrily through her tears.

"Calm down, that was a joke. Now, are you gonna tell me what's wrong or do I have to force it out of you?" He didn't think he deserved the following Maka-chop. "Ow! What the hell, Maka?" Where did she get those damn books from?

"Shut up, Soul! I cried because the story is written so well and emotional. I can't help it!", she pouted. Of course it was a book. What else did he expect? He was at a loss for words. His tough meister was crying because of a freaking book and he was reminded again that he absolutely hated the sound (or the sight) of her crying. "It's a story I've been reading by some german author. It's-"

The rest of what he guessed to be a way too long summary wasn't understandable with the speed she rattled through the information while still trying to hold back sobs. From what he could gather it was a romance novel (since when did she read romance novels anyways?) and the girl liked her best friend or something in that category, but was too afraid to do anything about it and then the guy went ahead and got himself a girlfriend.

He could also hear that Maka kind of associated herself with that girl and her specific situation. Meaning she liked someone. Someone of their friends. Meaning he had no chance whatsoever to win her anymore and would be reduced to cheering for her and the lucky bastard. Damn that book. He officially hated romance novels now, not that he had particularly liked them before.

"Just read on 'til the end. Probably has a happy ending of some sort, it's a fucking romance novel, they always have. Just don't cry anymore. You can always cry after you've finished the book, it still doesn't have a happy-fucking-ending and I'm not in the middle of watching basketball." The last sentence, which he had added to keep at least some of his cool and not look like his heart was cracking apart (so uncool), had a book indented in his head. Again.

"Come on! I really don't think I deserved that one."

Maka just glared at him in return, told him to shut up and resumed reading her book. The fucking romance novel that almost seemed to taunt him. He was like the girl in the story after all, helplessly in love with his best friend and too late to do something about it.

At least she had stopped crying and he tried to get back to watching the game.

Somehow though he couldn't really concentrate on it. It probably had something to do with the way Maka leaned on him, warmth radiating from her, her scent filling his nose and clouding his thoughts, the fact that he loved her to a ridiculous amount of uncool, the way she was so engrossed in her book that she (hopefully) wouldn't notice him staring and the thought that soon the position he was in right now might be taken by another.

After an hour or so (he had tried different shows, not concentrating on a single one, because how could he pay attention when the love of his life was sitting next to him in a probably only to him endearing way and not noticing that he's cringing at only the thought of her sitting next to someone else like this) Maka closed the book and sighed. A sigh of relief.

"So, take it the book had a happy ending?"

She nodded, then hissed at his poor grammar. "They got together, his girlfriend was a bitch. It took him way too long to confess though."

"Yeah, well, all's well that ends well or something like that, right? There was no need to cry after all! What made you cry that much anyway? It's not like you, no matter how good or "emotional" the book is."

She frowned, "I thought I told you already before?"

He played it cool and rolled his eyes. "I didn't understand much through your babbling, care to repeat it?" Somehow, a hope had ingrained itself in his head that maybe he heard wrong, that she had meant something else entirely. Maka just shrugged, not saying anything.

"Come on, tell me? I'm curious." Damn right he was curious.

"It's really stupid though. I guess, somehow … Rue reminded me of myself?", she spoke, almost too shy to be his kick-ass meister.

"Huh? Like what? Being a violent bookworm with a non-existing chest?"

This time he was prepared for the Maka-chop that was sure to come after that comment, he had asked her what exactly was the same and (probably hopelessly) hoped that she wouldn't say it, wouldn't say that she already liked someone, that her heart was already taken, that he'd lost his chance before even realizing he might have had one, once. The Maka-chop never came. Instead he was faced with a sad-looking Maka. Great.

"Not exactly. I meant the unrequited love for her friend."

That single sentence destroyed, no, completely nullified any trace of blissful ignorance and hope, painfully shattering his heart into little splinters that bore into his flesh, knowing that he'd never have her look at him the same way he looked at her. Man, he was being so melodramatic and uncool right now, no matter how much he was tempted to lose his cool persona right now and scream out the agony filling his head.

If madness didn't drive him insane, this would.

But one look at her face, still holding a sadness he wished to blow away from her face, had him do otherwise. His meister was apparently troubled enough without feeling guilty over her weapon, he didn't need to bring her more anguish. So he decided to deal with his own pain later and get rid of Maka's first.

"Howd'ya know he doesn't like you back? For all you know he could, or did you ask him about it?"

She shook her head.

"Then how would you know?"

"I didn't ask him, but I can see it quite clearly from his behaviour."

This had to be about the most painful thing ever, right after getting sliced up by Ragnarök. Here he was, pining for this girl since ages ago, and now she was telling him indirectly that it all had been useless and that he'd just lost his everything to someone who probably didn't even love her back. Fucking great. But, alas, he still couldn't handle a sad Maka and screw his pathetic side that just wanted to crouch into his room and sulk, his meister came before anything and anyone.

"Well, maybe he'd start looking at you if you tried. Should be worth a shot, right?"

"I won't do something like that."

Honestly? She wouldn't even go and try for the guy she'd be leaving him for? Though, it wasn't really like he could stop her, she didn't even know she'd leave him behind. He had, after all, no romantic claims on her whatsoever. Sadly.

"Why? It wouldn't hurt to try, now would it?" She glared icy daggers at him when he said that. What the hell was her damn problem anyway? He was only trying to help!

"Have you listened to me at all or did you conveniently miss the part where I said it was a friend? I won't ruin a perfectly fine platonic relationship like that."

Yup, she had no idea at all what this sentence did to him. A really close friend whose friendship she cherished, huh? It couldn't be …

"Do you like Kid? Or, heavens, Black Star? No wait, it can't be Black Star, he annoys you too much, that leaves … What the fuck?! Kid?! You've got to be kidding me! Really, Maka, an OCD reaper? What. The. Heck?!"

"No! I'm not in love with Kid! I couldn't handle his symmetry-fits anyways. Besides, I was thinkin of setting him and Liz up. They'd make a cute couple, don't you think?"

"Liz and Kid?"

"Yes! Have you never noticed the way they are looking at each other?"

No, he silently thought, because he had been way too busy looking at her and scaring away all the damn motherfuckers who did the same.

"At least Black Star is still loyal to me and tellsme abouthis still wishful-thinking love-life. Kid that traitor, he didn't a word slip about that."

"Black Star has a crush?"

"I wouldn't call it a crush, he's totally fallen for Tsubaki!"

"Tsubaki?"

Oh, shit, she wasn't supposed to find out! If only he had kept his mouth shut, then maybe he wouldn't have to worry about dying a painful death from his best bro's hands. Maka smiled lightly, as if sensing what he was thinking about, telling him silently that this secret was safe with her.

"You wouldn't have to worry even if I told her. I mean, it's obvious she loves him too. I've been rooting for them for years, you know."

Huh?

"She does? No, wait, that's not the point. When exactly did you turn into such a romantic? Where has the male-hating girl gone to?"

"She learned to trust.", she simply replied. He pretended that he didn't feel a comfortable warmth at her words, that were telling another line between those letters:

Because you showed me trust.

He wasn't going to delude himself that she meant it in a romantic way – her platonic friendship was enough to make his heart flutter and his personality do an 180° turn-around from "cool" to "sap". Yet part of his mind still wanted to believe in hidden meanings with underlying feelings that differed from the ones he was aware of.

"But if you ask about when, I'd say it was when all those possible romantic feelings in Spartoi turned up. For example, Kim and Ox or Jackie and Harvar. Oh, and Patty and Chrona were kind of cute as well …"

"What the hell is up with those last two?"

"Shut up and don't question it."

"O … kay? So who is this guy you were talking about earlier if it's not Kid or Black Star? Do I know him?"

She blushed a bright red at his question.

"You, ah, know him."

"Sooo? Who is it?"

He didn't have any claims on her, but that wouldn't stop him from thoroughly investigating the bastard and making sure he wouldn't hurt her. Yeah, that sounded like a good plan.

"..!."

"Sorry, I didn't quite catch that."

"I don't want to tell you …"

Now that really hurt. He knew he was not exactly what she was looking for in a man, her falling for someone else proved that enough, but he was still her weapon! Her friend, if not her best!

"Excuse me for wanting to find out which bastard I have to screen! I'm not going to let you run off to some weirdo when I don't even know who he is!"

Somehow his words had a quite different effect than he had intended, one he didn't like at all: She had begun crying again. What the hell was up with her today?

"You alright?

She seemed to reply something to his quite weird question, as he had shouted at her for keeping her crush – her love, oh shit – a secret not even minutes ago, but all he could hear were her broken sobs.

"Maka?"

He had never seen it coming and he was still trying to figure out what had happened just now, until he noticed that the pain from his head was all too familiar and that she was holding a bloodied book in her hands. The same one she had hit him with.

"What the … why a Maka-Chop? What did I do now?"

Apparently that was not the right thing to say to a very red-faced, very angry, (very flustered?) Maka that seemed like she would explode any moment now.

"How the hell do you expect me to forget you if you're being so damn sweet?!"

Sweet? Sweet? What the …

"What the fuck are you talking about?"

"You heard me the first time! I tried to get over the fact that I freaking love you, but I simply can't, which I guess would be good if you loved me back, but you don't, so there!"

That was the time when he, Soul "Eater" Evans, decided to either faint there and then or have his ears and his hearing checked by a professional that was not Stein. Because he had to have some strange illness if he heard Maka cursing and telling him she loved him. He decided that it couldn't be a dream, the pain from her Maka-Chops had been too real for that.

"Could you possibly repeat that?"

If anything, Maka only got more angry and mad at him when he blurted that out.

"No! You should have heard it if you listened, I'm not saying it again!"

Don't make me say it again if you're going to reject me one way or the other.

"Well, sorry, but I can't really believe it. You of all people saying you … it's just … could you say it again? I definitely didn't get it the first time."

She was still glaring at him, but he saw her expression and heard her voice both soften at his words.

"I meant it."

His eyes grew wider when it finally settled in his mind that this was neither a dream, nor was he hearing incorrectly, that this was reality.

"I really did mean it. I love you, Soul. Sorry if this bothers you or … I'd understand. Just, please, can we stay like always? I just -"

What was this? Wasn't he the one that had been convinced that all he ever wanted he could never have? Wasn't he the one that had been pining hopelessly for this flat-chested idiot, who had fallen for her so hard that he wondered sometimes for how long he could keep himself from snapping? Why was she sounding like that, so sad, so lonely? As if he'd ever reject her!

"Soul? Could you please say something?"

As much as he wanted to, he wasn't able to respond: His mind had overworked itself a bit and while it was trying to recharge, all he could do was stare blankly at her.

"… Soul?"

"This is just …"

"Huh?"

"It's just … really weird? I mean, I tried to act normal, because you never showed any signs of having the same feelings and also because I didn't want to screw our partnership if that was the case. And now you're saying you do love me and sounding like I don't and I do, I really do, and why do I get the feeling that I'm sounding incredibly uncool right now?"

Maka stared at him. He stared back and wondered if that really had been too awkward right now. She still stared and he felt himself growing more nervous (and probably more uncool) with every passing second.

"You love me?"

Her voice almost cracked at that sentence, but not because of incredulity. It almost seemed to burst with hope and a little remainder of insecurity.

"Duh, that's what I've been talking about, isn't it? Now who's the one not listening?"

"Could …"

"Yeah?"

"Could you repeat that?", she asked, avoiding his eyes that were observing her quietly. Was she mocking him by speaking almost exactly what he had asked before?

"What, you wanna make me write it down like some kind of contract? OW! Maka!"

"Just say it already, jerk, or do you want to get Maka-chopped again?"

He winced slightly, because he knew that when she voiced a threat like this, menacing, glaring and with a thousand-page-dictionary in her hand, he should probably retreat. Fast.

"I was getting to it, jeez. Cool down, bookworm."

She raised the papery threat in her hand and he gulped. Bad attempt at trying to calm her down.

"Okay, okay, I love you, Maka. Happy?"

When she didn't say anything, he wondered if he had done something wrong. Wasn't this what she had wanted him to say? Why did women have to be so difficult? Or rather, why did Maka have to be so difficult?

"Maka? You alright?"

When she still no word came out of her mouth, he thought, god, I just confessed my fucking love for you, don't leave me hanging like that!

"Maka! What the heck? Answer me, goddammit!"

When still no sound ensued, he began to find the silence creepy. Eerie. Too much like the silence they encountered before striking in battle.

"God, so uncool, tiny-tits! Wha- no, please, don't, EVERYTHING BUT THE BOOK!"

"I knew you were lying!"

"Huh?! I didn't – fuck, Maka, why would you think that?"

"Because you're insulting me again!"

"How was I insulting you?!"

"By calling me tiny-tits!"

"Well, news-flash, I like tiny tits!"

"W-what?"

Crap.

"How … what …?"

"Uh, sorry, that kinda came out wrong."

He was sure he was blushing about twenty different shades of crimson right now and he had no idea whether he had actually done something right or wrong. He sincerely hoped it was the former, seeing as she still held the freaking book in her grip, something his skull would rather not be reacquainted with. It didn't help that the way she bit down on her bottom lip, a rosy hue of blush on her cheeks, was absolutely endearing. And going to be the death of him.

"Shit, Maka, you don't have to say yes to this or anything, but … can I … can I kiss you?"

Her face reddened instantly, jaw dropped slightly and he was about to take it back, to say that he was sorry, he didn't mean to scare her, when she spoke.

"You don't really need to ask, you know."

"Meaning I can?"

"You can, Soul. I love you."

His breathing hitched slightly when she spoke the last part, a stupid grin forming on his face. This, he decided, was something he'd never grow tired of hearing.

And then he leaned in, cupping her cheek with a hand, tangling his other in her hair and trying to get that idiotic grin off his face. When their lips met, he felt something warm, fuzzy, fluttering, butterfly-like and his heart-rate doubled.

He angled his head and even though their noses bumped together, even if he didn't have the slightest bit of experience and was a mediocre kisser at most, he loved every single second of it. Maka's hands snaked around his neck and the hand previously cupping her cheek wandered down to her waist as she lightly ran her tongue over his lips, making him almost lose his sanity. He opened his mouth, sliding his tongue alongside hers into her mouth, eliciting a moan from her.

That single, stifled moan reverberating through his chest did it. He couldn't restrain himself anymore and he began running his hands over her body, the kiss growing passionate and needy.

As their lip-lock grew more and more heated, teenage hands began to undo the buttons of each other's shirt, discarding them, and then the fabric of her bra was pressed against his bare chest. The two broke their kiss and he leaned forward to lick her earlobe, making Maka blush furiously.

Somewhere along the way they had moved to the couch, where Maka pushed him down, lying on top of him and claiming his lips again. She moved her hands down his chest, tracing his scar while he unsuccessfully tried to remove her bra. After a few seconds (or rather after at least half a minute) he finally managed to unclasp it and she shuddered it off.

He flipped her over so that he was on top of her and slowly moved his fingers from her waist over her abdomen up to her breasts, looking at her for permission. She nodded, yanking his head down to hers into another searing kiss. Instantly, his hands began roaming, running across her breasts, making Maka moan against his mouth.

That just turned him on even more. He was about to lose the last bit of his self-control and was actually kind of glad when Maka's cellphone started to ring. He pulled away from her and she took the call.

"Hello? … Papa! Why are you calling?", she asked and he almost broke down laughing. He didn't though, Spirit would hear him and he wasn't about to explain the overprotective deathscythe that he found it simply hilarious that a call from him had just stopped him from going too far. It was just too ironical. Although he was a bit thankful for the read-head …

His thoughts trailed off when he noticed that Maka was still shirtless. And braless.

And thus, his day ended with a major nosebleed.

Omake

The next day, he was walking through the halls of Shibusen, completely lost in memories of the day before, of his confession, of her confession, of their kisses, of her freaking moans and of her fucking perfect breasts which he silently vowed to never insult again, when someone bumped into him.

Too bad for him that that someone just so happened to be one of his fangirls, one of the more desperate ones at that, that had made a plan to capture his heart once and for all. He didn't notice her walking up to him, which had involuntarily ended with the bump. His mind was … elsewhere.

"Hiii, Soul-senpai.", the fangirl began speaking with a flirtatious voice.

That was about the time when he realized he had just bumped into something – or someone, he noted dryly – and willed his thoughts to not show him images of a half-naked Maka. He refused to get a boner right now, as much as those images were extremely pleasing.

"Do I know you?", he asked the girl instead. Better concentrate on something else or he really would pop one and he didn't have enough time to jerk off before class. The girl looked a bit miffed at his question but answered nonetheless.

"Weeell, you probably don't know that much about me, but …"

What the heck was she talking about? He didn't know her at all. In fact, he had never even seen her before this day.

"… I reaallly like you, Mr. hot guy, so would you want to go out with me?", she continued, batting her eyelashes suggestively and showing off her cleavage. Her cleavage that had nothing on Maka's, in his opinion.

"Nah, thanks.", he replied, in hopes that this would shut her up, but no such luck. She stood in his way when he tried to go on.

"Oh, Soul-senpai, do you not think that I'm beautiful?"

"Not really.", he said. The girl was taken aback, eyes furious, but refused to give up just yet. This was her chance and she was going to nail it. In a voice that was obviously meant to be seductive, she whispered,

"I could let you take me, you know."

His eyebrow twitched in annoyance. Some people really didn't know when to stop and just leave him the fuck alone. Alone with his almost-boner and the dirty images of his meister.

"I'd rather get laid by my girlfriend than by some random whore."

The girl almost jumped at his words and if looks could kill, he was sure that she would have strangled him seven different ways already.

"I could become your girlfriend.", she hissed, not at all flirting with him anymore but only trying to prove a point. Which was going to be impossible for her. She wasn't his type, for his type consisted solely of Maka and Maka alone.

The same Maka that suddenly appeared at the end of the end of the corridor and noticed his desperate "please help me"-look. She looked at him, then at the girl and rolled her eyes. Then she went over to the fuming female and tapped her on the shoulder.

"What do you want!?"

"Easy there. I just wanted to know if you could postpone your little flirt until later? Kid is calling about some deathscythe mission and papa is too drunk to do it.", Maka tried to calm her.

The girl pouted. "I won't, at least not until Soul-senpai agrees to be my boyfriend!"

Maka raised an eyebrow at him and he just shrugged in response. He couldn't deal with this anymore, not when Maka was standing in front of him with her too short skirt and especially not when all he wanted to do was run his hand up those long, long legs and kiss her again.

"Soo, Soul-senpai, will you take me as your girlfriend?", the girl went on, flirtatious-mode switched on again.

"Like hell I will. I already have a girlfriend."

"Show her to me and I'll give up!", the girl said, believing that it was only a bluff. Of course, the rumours about Soul "Eater" Evans's love life hadn't been updated yet, she had no way of knowing anything.

He smirked. The girl, annoying as she may have been, had just given him a valid excuse to do just what he had been itching to do all morning. So he grabbed Maka's hand and pulled her to him, capturing her lips with his, which soon turned from chaste into a full-blown making out. She had to take some responsibility for getting him all bothered, he decided, and her lips on his were more than great for taking responsibility.

The girl, however, still stood at her former place, absolutely dumbfounded by the fact that her chance to get the hottest guy in Shibusen to be her boyfriend had just been ruined by said hot guy's flat-chested bookworm of a meister. She never bothered Soul again.

And in the background, watching, Liz murmured to Patty that she owed her twenty bucks.