"So how far have you two—"

"Maka—"

"Wait, I was joking!"

"—Chop!"

The smoking dent in Black*Star's head made it clear to everyone not to ask anything too personal about Maka and me. After we told Liz and Patty about us being together, it wasn't long before the rest of our friends knew about it. In fact, it wasn't that long before it seemed half the academy knew.

I was walking down the halls when Marie-sensei marched right up to me and gave me a tight, long-lasting hug.

"I'm so happy for you both," she whispered.

Then there was the time I overheard some students talking.

One said, "I want to ask Soul out, but I'm worried Maka will find out and get mad."

Another replied, "No she won't. Didn't you hear? She's dating Crona now."

"No way!"

"It's true—I heard it too."

"Ha! I'll give them a couple of weeks. A month, tops."

A crazy part of me wanted to stand in front of them and shout, "Too late! It's been three months, going on four!" and then run away cackling like an idiot. But I didn't.

Soon after it got out that we were a couple, Maka made a decision. One day during lunch she told me to come with her.

I let her lead me by the hand through the academy until we stopped at a door with a sign hanging over it that read, "Teachers' Lounge."

Maka put her hand on the doorknob while turning her head toward me. "I don't want him to hear from someone else and get the wrong idea, so I'm going to introduce you to my father. Okay?"

At first I was confused because I'd already met Spirit, but I quickly realized she meant to introduce me as her official sweetheart. I nodded, feeling nervous at not knowing how he'd take it.

She opened the door and we stepped inside. The room was large but homey. Furniture made of dark oak filled every angle. There was a fresh scent of bread in the air. A handful of faculty members walked about or were seated at small tables or couches, eating bagels or conversing about classes.

In the back, Spirit stood in front of a tall bookshelf with a wavy-haired woman. He seemed to be blocking her way and as we drew nearer, we discovered he was trying to find a book for her.

The lady kept insisting she could find it quicker than him if he would only let her.

"Nonsense! As a Death Scythe, I know this school like the back of my hand. I'll get your book in a jiffy… What was the title again?"

"Ahem!"

Maka's hold on my hand tightened as she waited for her father to notice her. She tapped her foot impatiently.

Spirit jumped, knowing full well he'd been caught stepping out of line again. "M-Maka! What brings you here?"

"I have to tell you something, Papa. It's urgent."

He pouted, glanced wistfully at the wavy-haired lady, and sighed. "Alright. Anything for you, pumpkin."

He followed us to a more secluded part of the lounge. From the corner of my eye, I saw the woman take a book from the shelf and head for a table on the other side of the room.

Spirit gave me a puzzled look and asked Maka what was wrong.

"Well… You see… I'm dating someone."

He froze on the spot. His face was expressionless at first, then scrunched up as though he were processing something difficult. Slowly his body swayed back and for a moment I thought he was going to fall.

His back straightened quickly again. "Hold on, did you say 'dating'?"

"Yes. I'm going out with somebody, Papa. All on my own free will. And I love them very much, so you better be nice to them or else."

Spirit's mouth opened and closed over and over like a gaping fish. At last he lifted a trembling hand and pointed at her.

"You?" he asked.

Maka nodded.

He moved his finger so it pointed at me. "You?"

I nodded.

His eyes glued themselves to mine. I could only imagine what thoughts buzzed through his head. It took a lot of effort for me not to look down at the floor.

His finger stayed motionless in the same position. If I were an outsider, I probably would've found the display funny. Right now I just wished he'd put his hand down.

As though reading my mind, he did. Staggering like a zombie, the Death Scythe backed into the nearest couch and collapsed onto it. He leaned back so his head drooped over the top.

A grin suddenly spread across his face. "Well, at least it's not that smart aleck partner of yours."

Maka rolled her eyes. "Now that you know, you can't come complaining to me if you hear someone talk about us. That's all I wanted to say."

She turned toward the door, but I let go of her hand.

I walked and stood directly in front of Spirit, who straightened his head and eyed me with uplifted brows.

"I know you l-love her, Sir," I said, "but I do too. I don't mean any harm on either of you, so please don't be sad or angry. I know I'm not p-perfect, but I'm going to do my best to make her happy. I hope you'll understand."

I gripped an arm to stop myself from shivering. The words tumbled out of my mouth involuntarily, but I was glad to say what I was thinking. I also realized it was the closest I'd ever gotten to admitting I loved Maka out loud, even though I wasn't speaking directly to her.

Spirit ran a hand through his crimson hair. "It's a lot to take in, Crona, but I promise I'm not mad or anything. Just don't let her down, alright?"

I gripped my arm harder. What did he mean? Why did he think I'd do that? Before I could consider asking, Maka tugged at my sleeve. Shaking her head at him, she led me away.

When the door closed behind us, she told me not to worry about it, even though I hadn't said anything. It was impressive how well she could read me. For the rest of the day, I silently told myself that I wasn't a letdown.

-xoxo-

"Damn," Maka muttered. "Crap. This is not good."

She, Soul, and I sat in the living room, where a pile of mail lay on the coffee table. Today we received our progress reports. Soul and I were getting Cs and were satisfied with them. Maka was different. She was earning a B+.

"It's because I got a low grade on that test I didn't study for." She sighed and let the sheet of paper fall onto her lap. "I've got to do something."

Soul shrugged. "I still don't get how scoring a C+ on a test is low."

I wanted to help, so I said, "Maybe you can do some extra credit…?"

But she shook her head no. "Professor Stein doesn't give extra credit, not even if you do a ton of extracurricular assignments."

"It's too bad Marie's just a substitute teacher," Soul remarked. "I bet she'd let us do extra credit. Guess you'll just have to follow Stein around and either beg or bribe him."

She would do nothing of the sort. Since it seemed impossible getting extra credit from Professor Stein, she decided to focus all her efforts into answering every single question correctly on future tests, quizzes, and homework. She'd work extra hard on getting full points for essays and participation exercises.

In private, she took me aside to remind me that I was still more important to her than grades. Although I didn't think there was anything wrong with her having a B+, I promised to support her no matter what goal she set for herself. I encouraged her to come to me for any help if she needed it.

She spent so much time over homework for the next couple of weeks that I feared she'd start staying up late again. She told me if it looked like she was overdoing it, I could take her out of the house. "Let's have fun together so I can remember to relax," she said.

One time, after returning from lunch, our class had an interruption. Professor Stein was reading a chapter from one of the textbooks aloud to us when a student burst through the door.

He ran straight to the professor, panting, and began speaking to him in low tones. Most of the class had been in a quiet stupor, but perked up at the sudden arrival. Whatever they discussed up front, it looked urgent.

A few murmurs rippled across the sea of students. Maka and I exchanged frowns of concern.

Professor Stein nodded, then lifted his head toward the class. "Maka, would you please come down here for a minute?"

Her eyes widened, but she stood up obediently. I, along with just about the whole class, watched her make her way out and down the steps toward the front of the room.

She clasped her hands together behind her as she listened to what Professor Stein wanted. A few of our classmates sitting in the first row leaned forward, as if straining to hear too.

Soul asked me if I knew what was going on, but I shrugged. I was just as clueless as him. I felt sure Maka had no idea either.

The professor handed her his book, then turned toward the messenger. He began following the boy out of the classroom, but barely took two steps before Maka caught him by the sleeve of his lab coat. Cheeks flushed, she appeared to ask him something.

Professor Stein stared at her. His face was difficult to read from where I sat.

Meanwhile, the interrupter had already reached the door. "Professor?" he called.

Professor Stein sighed, then nodded his head. Maka smiled at his retreating back.

A number of students raised their voices in protest when the door closed. Maka stood tall and cleared her throat loudly to quiet them.

"Professor Stein had to leave because Marie-sensei is in the infirmary. She tripped down a stairway and sprained her ankle. It's nothing too serious, but he's going to stay with her for the rest of the day. Until then, I'm in charge. If anyone has a problem with that, feel free to take it up with the professor."

No one moved. Maka had a look on her face like she was ready to Maka-Chop the first student who caused any trouble.

She looked small from where I sat, but the way she stood with the textbook in her hand made her seem like a real teacher. Her gaze swept over all the rows of her peers, waiting to see if anyone had anything to say. When no one spoke, she cleared her throat again and read from where Professor Stein left off.

Her voice carried throughout the room. She lectured in her own way, adding more than simple recitation. She didn't just read the words in front of her—she explained them to us. The book talked about the what, the when, the where, and the who; Maka talked about the how and the why.

For a while the class was silent. It almost felt like everyone was afraid to make the slightest noise. My pencil lay unmoving between my fingers. I wasn't scared, but mesmerized. I watched her as she paced elegantly while reading and I thought, She's remarkable.

Her eye caught mine briefly during one of her pauses. I jumped and remembered to take notes.

Even though it was easy to hear her as she lectured, some of the things she said were hard to understand. I ignored it at first, but since it kept happening, I decided to raise my hand.

"Yes, Crona?"

"Um… P-Professor Albarn…"

Some of our classmates laughed. Her cheeks colored as she told me to call her by her first name. "I'm still a student, you guys."

I swallowed. "Yes, ma'am… I mean, Maka… What does that word you said mean?"

"Which one?"

"Im… Imper…"

"Imperious?"

"Yeah, that one."

She smiled. "It's like… 'arrogant' or 'bossy.'"

I made a note and heard a few voices go "ohhh" as if they'd been wondering too.

After that, other students began sticking their hands in the air to ask questions about the lesson. She had an answer for everything and seemed happy that we weren't so quiet anymore.

Professor Stein had left when the day was more than halfway done, so Maka wasn't our teacher for very long. Before we knew it, the bell rang.

Everyone scuffled to gather up their belongings. Maka's lay right next to me, so I bent down to grab them for her.

The room emptied out except for Soul, Black*Star, and the rest of our closest friends. We all gathered in front of the teacher's desk to comment on how she did.

She sat on Professor Stein's favorite wheeled chair, looking proud of herself. She confessed she felt terrified and anxious deep down, but thanked us all for being so cooperative.

We all planned to visit Marie-sensei in the infirmary, but Maka wasn't allowed to go yet. In addition to lecturing, she had to grade the homework from last night. Professor Stein had promised to return before it got dark.

With her permission, I stayed by her side, wanting to keep her company.

The stack of homework we'd turned in that morning lay inside one of the desk's drawers, along with the answer key. She took them out and led me to where we usually sat in class so we could sit comfortably by each other. She asked if I wanted to grade them too, but I was content to just watch. She was less likely than me to make a mistake matching answers.

When she reached my assignment, she showed me which ones I got wrong and why. She also suggested that I have her look over my homework at home in the future.

Professor Stein didn't come back when the grading was finished, so we spent some time playing Tic Tac Toe and Hangman on a blank sheet of paper.

"I kind of tricked him, to tell you the truth," Maka said suddenly. "When he asked me to take over, I wanted to do it for extra credit."

I paused, turning this bit of information over in my mind. "Well… I think you deserve it. You did a good job today, so that's worth some extra points."

She smiled at me and placed a hand over my own. "Thanks."

I smiled back, then cast a glance at the closed door. "Do you think Professor Stein was really worried about Marie-sensei?"

"I'm sure he was. Even though it's just a sprain, I bet he wanted to be the one to treat her."

I thought about this. Somewhere deep in my memory, I recalled the time I asked Marie-sensei for advice about my feelings. She looked like she understood firsthand how it felt to be in love.

"Do you think Professor Stein cares about her?" I asked slowly.

Maka nodded. "I think they're in love."

I looked at her. "Like us?"

"That's right." She gripped my hand, raised it to her lips, and kissed it.

I stared as she lowered our hands between us. A warmth spread through me, making me feel like I wanted to share it with her. "Can I hug you?"

"Of course," she said.

The moment our arms circled around us, I remembered how she didn't need me to ask to do things like this. I was free to show her affection anytime. She was okay with nearly anything.

Eyes shut, we stayed close to each other, taking in how toasty and cozy we felt. Sometimes touching her seemed like a dream, like something out of a poem or song.

Our breathing matched at calm, steady paces. My heartbeat bumped along rhythmically and though I couldn't feel hers, I was certain it sailed with just as much ease.

I heard her say, "I love you, Crona."

My eyelids shook, but I didn't open them. Even in the darkness, I was aware of the light I held. She filled me with hope, sanity, harmony, bravery, and strength. I swallowed to unstick my throat and though I stuttered, I pushed out my thoughts. "I… I… l-love you… t-too…"

The words pressed against her neck as a faraway mumble. Somehow she heard them because her fingers tensed in response.

I kept my eyes closed, focusing on keeping my breaths stable. It was good that the room was so big or otherwise I might have felt cramped.

Her silence and stillness worried me, so I moved my hands. They stroked the length of her spine a few times, then held onto the back of her head.

She moved so I could see her face. To my relief, she was smiling. She cupped one of my cheeks in her palm and breathed out a gentle stream of air. Her green eyes shone curiously.

My hands cradling the back of her head nearly slipped as she inched closer. I watched her curious eyes droop shut and knew right away what she was trying to do again. She was leaning in close, like I asked her to in order to encourage me, or I might've never tried. It was a gentle push, so I decided to mirror her. I concentrated. With her, I felt safe from everything. With her, there was no one else to worry about.

I didn't know whose lips touched the other's first or if they met at the same time. All I knew was that her breath enveloped me before her lips did. A warm, moist breeze grazed across my mouth then disappeared under a blanket of wet silk.

A batch of sparks went off inside my mind, sharpening my senses tenfold. My whole body tingled, all from this new sensation. I held Maka comfortably against me, willing her to feel as much delight as I did. My ears burned, my heart thumped, and my cheek glowed underneath her hand.

She tasted rich and sweet like the inner parts of a fruit. She had a blend of softness and firmness to her. Both textures brushed over, around, between, and across my lips slowly, carefully. It was a lot for me to handle, but I wanted all the time in the world to grow accustomed to it.

I moved very little, tying to dwell on the newfound experience. Amazingly, she kissed with motions so fluid I never would've believed this was her first time too. It seemed to come to her naturally, like learning to sense souls.

With our faces close together, I pictured her in front of me, perhaps blushing like I did, but cuter. She resembled a light pink blossom. I clasped the back of her head gently, noting each strand of soft feathery hair. The warmth of her cupped hand blended with the warmth of my cheek.

We sat together there in our usual seats in the classroom, wrapped up in each other. We stayed in the same pose with as small a gap between our figures as possible. We were at ease.

Her lips slid against mine fully while I pressed back. They tasted juicy, fresh. Sometimes she'd focus on a single corner of my mouth, but never used her teeth. Our lips were so slick that I grew concerned they would wander away from each other by accident. Somehow they stayed in place, as if attached as one.

I gave one more press and slowed to a standstill. As we pulled away, a shiver rushed through me. I opened my eyes to find Maka breathing deeply in and out. I loosened my hold on the back of her head before she removed her hand from my face.

She began to speak, but her throat chipped her voice so she covered her mouth to clear it. "What did it feel like?"

I said the first thing that popped up. "Amazing."

She beamed. "Really? Glad to hear you liked it so much. Wait until we do it longer, more than once, and with our mouths open."

I turned sweaty at the thought, and she quickly added, "When or if you feel ready for it, that is."

I asked what the kiss felt like to her. She answered, "Tender."

I smiled shyly, happy to hear she enjoyed it too. I could still feel the kiss on my lips, literally. Heart thumping, I wiped the moisture off with the back of my wrist.

We held hands as it got darker outside. The two of us rested our heads close together on the desk in front of us, cheeks pressed against the cool surface. We listened to the sounds of our breathing in the empty room until we heard the door swing open.

Professor Stein strode in wiping his glasses with a handkerchief. We stood up to meet him down at the front. We asked about Marie-sensei and learned she was fine. She'd be staying in the infirmary overnight and going home in the morning to heal for several days.

Maka and I described how class went without him and thanked him for making an exception in terms of giving out some extra credit. With all matters settled, we bade him good evening.

The two of us walked home holding hands and rocking our arms back and forth. I felt giddy and wondered if all first kisses had this kind of side-effect.

At home, Maka and I wished each other good night and sealed it with mild but meaningful pecks on the forehead.

I all but floated to my desk and pulled out my journal. Next to the line Say, "I love you too" were five tick marks. I wrote the number six next to them and circled it, adding in the date.

Next to the line that read Kiss were three tick marks. I wrote down the number four next to them, circled it, and put down today's date.

I no longer saw the tick marks as failures. Now they looked more like steps or progress bars. Each one represented a percentage increase until I experienced the new thing. It took a total of nine trials to say we were on a date, six tests to tell her I loved her too, and four tries to kiss her when she wanted it. They took a long time to happen, but I supposed it was better late than never. I was glad they happened in the end.

But above all, what mattered most was her happiness—Maka, the girl who stayed within a special space in my heart and soul made just for her.

Before I went to sleep, I found the next blank page in my journal and wrote an entry.

Today I stayed after class with Maka while she graded homework for extra credit. She did a great job standing at the head of the class as a temporary teacher. I think she'd make a good one for real if she wanted to.

We stayed in the empty classroom waiting for Professor Stein to return from helping Marie-sensei. I was able to tell Maka that I loved her too and then we kissed for the first time. I think I'll be able to do these things a bit more easily now.

I'm really lucky that Maka is patient with someone like me. When she first gave me this journal, she said not to write about how I'm not good enough or don't deserve something. Deep down I still feel like I don't deserve her, so tomorrow I will go to her and we will talk about how wrong that is.