Since I am writing this with the sole purpose of practicing romance for my actual novels, I have jam-packed this story with oodles of romance and fluff. Feedback is a virtue. :3

This first chapter is just setting things up. This is going to be a long but involved fanfic, so I hope you are in it for the long haul. It will also be a somewhat unconventional fanfic in a lot of ways. If you don't like what I am doing, you are free to move on.

ALSO: It is not my goal to portray the Soul Eater characters exactly as you remember them from the anime or manga. This is five years in the future, not in their modern time. I try to foresee what their personalities would be like after several years of development, so if you see some kind of character flaw, consider that it might not be a "flaw". People change, that is just the way of life.

(estimated 5 years after the Kishin battle)

One time.

Just one time was all it took. One moment of passion, one moment of lust. And now one moment of paniced silence...

Maka stared down at the little strip in her hand, unmoving, unthinking. All she could manage to do was stare in disbelief.

She was pregnant.

She had been feeling out of sorts in the recent weeks, some nausea and lightheadedness were the only two symptoms she experienced, and thus couldn't be too sure what was the cause. But after too long, she had to check all the options. This was simply the last option she checked, and the last she wished for.

Upon sight of the little blue line, she knew exactly when it happened. She reviewed the night in her head at light speed. Soul and her talked all night, had a big dinner, and then out of curiosity and in the heat of the moment, drifted into Soul's bedroom. Both parties reveled in the love making, but in the aftermath, Soul discovered a small tear on the side of his protection. While at first they were white as sheets at the discovery, they both played it off, telling each other that the odds of something coming of it were slim to none.

But something did come of it.

Maka flopped down on the couch and stared at the ceiling, eyes wide in disbelief. A million thoughts went through her head at once, and suddenly it felt like the weight of life was crushing her. What was going to happen to her career as a meister? How was she going to be able to work?

But one thought pervaded all. The thought of her parents, the knowledge that she had now made the very mistake her parents did when they were about her age, and the idea that her family crumbled in her youth and her parents went in totally different directions.

Maka began to feel sick, unsure if the cause was her last hideous thought or genuine nausea.

Maka wasn't sure how long she sat swimming in her thoughts, but it felt like an eternity before Soul finally returned from grocery shopping. He managed to open the door, hands full of bags, and began to unpack the goods as he maneuvered to the kitchen table.

"Hey, they didn't have any rye bread, so I just grabbed some multi-grain stuff," Soul spoke, engaged in putting things away. "Hope that's okay with you..." Soul's sentence trailed off once he turned to see Maka, stone still, eyes glazed over in what looked like disappointment. She slowly turned her face to him, her eyes meeting his.

"...You... tried the..."

"Yeah" Maka's voice cracked a little before her face met the floor again. She spoke softly, almost too quietly to hear. Her mouth tried to form words, but it was several seconds before sound finally managed to escape her throat.

"I... I'm pregnant..."

There was a pause, a deathly pause. What was only a couple of seconds seemed like minutes to both of them. As the words sank in, Soul slowly made his way to the couch and sat beside Maka, looking a tad bewildered as his eyes concentrated on the wall in front of him.

Some silence passed before Maka finally heard what sounded like a small exhale. Soul's arm found its way around Maka's waist, and he pulled her tight against him. Maka crained her neck to see his face, and to her surprise, found a big warm smile. His eyes were soft and conveyed his happiness as well as his grin. Maka's heart skipped a beat.

"This.. this is fantastic. I am going to be a dad..." Soul let his eyes drift away for a minute as he mulled over the idea. "Well alright."

Part of Maka was shocked. How could he react like this? Is this how he was supposed to react? Her head began to pound. "But... What about our-"

"I know," Soul stopped her there, his hand moving up and trailing through the hair on her shoulders. He knew what she was thinking. He could read her face like a book, all the emotions, all the confusion, shock and disappointment. Something deep inside him was also confused and panicked; being a parent was the biggest responsibility he believed one could take on, but he knew he couldn't show it. It was clear that Maka had only thought of the terrible outcomes that could sprout from this. Soul had to play it cool; he had to be the voice of optimism, of a bright future, even though Maka was usually best at it. He stared into her eyes.

"Maka, I know, but we are going to... be parents. We are going to have a baby. This is really... just so great," Soul let his head tilt back before his eyes met Maka's again. Now she was bewildered, and Soul could almost see her thoughts rearranging. Finally she spoke.

"You are right Soul, you are so right..." suddenly Maka's face was brightened, and she snuggled even further into Soul's arm and side.

Hours passed as the two of them talked, and by the mid-afternoon, no two people could be happier.

It was late in the day by the time Soul and Maka started to prepare a meal. While the first half of the day was draining and somewhat stressful for both of them, with talk of what to do about the pregnancy and what to tell everyone else, now the only emotion lingering in the kitchen was a quiet happiness that showed in everything they did. They walked softly upon the floor, light kisses and small heart-felt talks were frequently exchanged. Everything was moving so slowly, and it felt like the world could not be a more perfect place. They decided to wait till tomorrow to tell their friends (Blair would find out once she returned from work); it was better to finish the day with some peace and couple time. It was only once dinner was half way prepared that Maka let out a sudden gasp. Soul jumped to her side.

"What is it?" Soul's heart nearly leapt out of his chest.

"Crona," Maka's hands met the top of her head. "I totally forgot, I invited him over tonight..."

Soul's face twisted into a mess of relief and annoyance. "Jesus Maka, don't scare me like that.." Soul made his way back over to his cooking station. "When is he supposed to be over?"

"Around 7..." Maka kept her fingers interlaced with her hair.

While it seemed like a small event, Soul and Maka both knew his arrival would be bigger than normal.

After the Kishin battle, it was fair to say that Crona had a whole new set of emotional problems he had not quite learned how to deal with. With help from everyone, especially Maka, he was able to improve himself dramatically in terms of mental state, so much so that Kid allowed him to start working with the DWMA again doing solo missions (this didn't come without scrutiny however). He had become more confident and better at voicing his opinions. He was even able to overcome most of his stuttering and hiding habits.

He wasn't completely changed however. He still remained somewhat timid and fearful of most things and he was rather quiet around almost everyone. The changes in him were small, but they had occurred, and Maka and the group realized and accepted that overcoming such emotional obstacles after years of torture and mistreatment would take time.

In later years, something else began between Maka and Crona that many had noticed was a little more than friendship. While Soul and Maka had an obvious relationship going on in most recent years, Soul was very aware early on that Maka and Crona had a kind of connection that made them inseparable at times and incredibly close, perhaps as close as Maka and himself. At first, Soul didn't mind, but eventually they all had to talk it out when awkwardness and hints of jealousy met their peak.

Maka was quick to admit that she loved Soul. She was also quick to admit that she loved Crona, and that she wanted to be with them both equally. After weeks of discussing their weird love and talking about dozens of possibilities, they came to the conclusion that the only way they could all be happy was if they set aside the stereotypes and stares, and realized that people could be in love with more than one person. Crona, Soul, and Maka all accepted the idea that the three of them could be in a relationship without emotionally harming themselves or anyone else. Or at least they could give the kind of relationship a try.

And so, while Soul and Maka had been together for some time, Crona and Maka had also recently gotten together. It created what Liz and Patti affectionately called a "flirty cloud of awkwardness", and occasionally Liz would refer to it as "the most awkward polyandry relationship in existence."

Maka glanced at the clock continuously as she finished with the dinner. She and Soul both discussed how they should approach the subject as they prepared the table, and just as the food was being placed, a knock was heard at the door.

Maka froze, her feet felt planted to the floor, and only with Soul's quiet ushering was she able to move again. She reached for the door and opened it slowly, revealing Crona, notebooks in hand and at attention, his jacket a little damp from a possible rain.

"Hi Maka," Crona spoke softly with his usual timid smile. While Crona had slowly adapted a wider range of clothes for himself, many things about his appearance didn't change. He still chose to wear a dress-robe in battle and occasionally during the week. He still wore his hair somewhat choppy, with pieces of varying length scattered aside his head . And he still had that smile that Maka always treasured.

Maka was only comforted by his smile briefly however, and this comfort was quickly replaced with a clumsy set of the shakes.

"Hi Crona," Maka smiled as best she could. "Come in, we were just going to sit down and eat." Maka's voice wavered, and she was afraid he could tell. But he just smiled at her more.

"Okay," He spoke as he put his bag on the floor by the couch and his jacket over a chair. His voice had an air of innate nervousness. Maka was becoming uncomfortable. Could he already tell something was up?

A half hour of talking and eating ensued between the three of them. Not long after the meal, Soul pulled Maka into his room.

"I am going to leave the room for a bit, you have to tell him while I'm gone," He whispered, into her ear. She nodded.

"I know," She spoke softly into his chest. She knew she was dragging her feet, but she was terrified, terrified of what Crona might think about the pregnancy. The relationship amongst the three of them was already a little weird, throwing a baby into the mix didn't make it any less weird. But the main idea behind all these thoughts was the that she could lose Crona over this, and that was why the stalling had started. She knew she couldn't stall anymore however; she needed to tell Crona tonight.

A loving embrace and a kiss were shared before Soul and Maka went back out into the kitchen area. More talking amongst the three of them ensued, but it wasn't long before Soul gave the cue.

"Hey guys, I'm going to be in my room for a bit. Knock if you need me," Soul gestured a wave before swiftly disappearing into his room.

Maka and Crona stood at opposite ends of the table. The room was quiet for a minute as they cleaned up before Maka's voice broke the silence.

"Crona... there is something we need to talk about."

Crona wasn't exactly good with people; not because he didn't want to be, but because he never got the opportunity to be. To this day, he had problems reading gestures, faces, and tone of voice. But he knew Maka. He occasionally had trouble figuring her out, but if there was anyone he could figure out, it was her. And while he had no idea what it was, he quickly found that something was unusual about Maka and Soul all throughout dinner.

Even with this tiny foresight, Crona's heart began to pound.

"Okay... Sh-should we-"

"Yeah, you should sit down," Maka was quick to cut him off, and slowly directed him to the living room couch, where he promptly sat. She seated herself beside him.

"Is something...wrong?" Crona was beginning to feel a slight sweat building up. "If you don't... want to talk about it..."

"No, I have to," Maka was firm in this statement. Crona braced himself. Maka's hand found its way into his own, her eyes met his soon after.

"Crona... you know I love you... I love you more than anything..."

There was a pause. Crona wanted to reassure her that he knew, but he couldn't speak. She continued.

"Crona, something... has happened..."

Another pause. Crona fidgeted, and after about a minute, Maka got up from her seat and went over to the window, back facing him.

Maka's heart was beating wildly. She couldn't delay this any longer. She closed her eyes, leaning all her weight onto the window sill with her arms.

"Crona... I'm pregnant."

Usually people were happy about a thing like this, but Maka didn't sound happy at all. Her voice wavered, she was hunched over, she wouldn't turn around to look at him.

Why didn't she look at him?

Did she think he would be... upset?

Truthfully, Crona was experiencing a turbulent mix of emotions. He wasn't upset by any means, but he had no idea how to feel in that moment, and he certainly didn't know what to do or say. Over the years, he learned to deal with all kinds of situations, but this one was somehow different from them all.

He began to panic. It was getting difficult to breathe. What should he say? He felt like Maka was upset about the situation, and he wanted to tell her that he wasn't.

Maka had taught him many years ago that sometimes you should just say what you feel. Despite the undercurrent of anxiety that was flooding him, he knew this was one of those times. He clutched his arm nervously and opened his mouth to speak.

"Maka... it's okay..."

Maka's eyes flew open and she turned to him. She was staring at him now, surprise painted onto every feature of her face.

"... What?"

Crona felt his panic rise into his chest. Somehow, against his will, his feet began to move, and before he knew it, he was standing up. He turned to her.

She was expecting him to speak again, and he knew he had to. He had to reassure her that what he said was true. His eyes hid beneath his choppy bangs.

"It's okay... I..I don't mind. It's a good thing... right?" His head slowly lifted to meet her eyes.

She continued to stare. He couldn't read her face, but before long, it contorted into a mix of relief, sadness, and happiness. Maka finally crumbled, and she rushed to him, hugging him tightly and burrying her face into his chest. He stood stiff for a while, but eventually relaxed, letting his arms slip around her waist.

Soul tilted his head back against the door, still sitting against it. He rarely eavesdropped, but he felt as though this was an appropriate time to do so. He listened to them talk about the pregnancy for a while longer, and for several minutes, he didn't even think about returning to the living room. His thoughts were swimming,his emotions were tangled into to a mess of pure joy and anxiety, but he didn't wish to sort them out. The thought that he was going to be a father made him feel amazing. Even though he knew the road ahead would be bright and new, he also knew that things would probably get a little crazy.