A one-shot about Maka and Black Star. It's fluffy :3 This is the first Soul Eater fanfic I wrote, one of about fifteen ideas that I have. I own none of Soul Eater, the characters, etc, only the story idea. R&R? =3 enjoy!

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Maka woke up with her fists clenching the sheets tightly and a sheen of sweat covering her forehead. She dragged in a breath raggedly, her heart pounding. Ever since they had defeated Asura, Maka had been having terrible nightmares of him coming back and killing all of her friends.

It's not possible, she told herself firmly. He's dead and gone, and you're safe. She rolled over to see Tsubaki sleeping peacefully, the soft moonlight from the window illuminating her hair falling across her face as she slumbered. Maka did not want to disturb her, so she got up, quiet as a mouse, and crept into the kitchen, leaning against the counter and trying to regulate her breathing and bring her heart rate back down to normal, something Professor Stein had taught them in the E.A.T class.

Soul had taken a two week trip to a music school, to gain experience and learn from professional pianists. While Maka was excited and happy for Soul, it left her apartment very lonely, so lately she had taken to spending the nights with her long time childhood friend, BlackStar, and his meister and one of her best girl friends, Tsubaki. The two had welcomed her with open arms, and Maka had surprisingly enjoyed laughing at BlackStar's antics and Tsubaki struggling to get him to behave.

Maka felt her cheeks heat up when she thought of the wild and uncontrollable weapon. Although she'd known him since they'd been in diapers (he had been taken in by Shisuben and she spent a lot of time at the school even as a kid, because her father was a Death Scythe) she couldn't help but find him attractive as they'd grown up and matured. He was brave, always taking the first step in a battle, always at the front lines. And Maka knew he was kind, despite his sometimes crude attitude. Her mind drifted back to a memory long forgotten~

Maka sat on the steps of the DWMA, crying and holding a hand to her face. That big mean kid in the hallways was always teasing her, saying she was never going to be as great as her mother, that she would be a nobody. Today, the boy had said that her father was a coward of a fighter and Maka had snapped, pushing him roughly, causing him to fall, and telling him to shut up. Outraged, the boy had punched Maka, the hit glancing off her cheekbone. Tears had welled up in her eyes and she'd run off, much to the amusement of the boy and his friends.

She growled under her breath, mad and hurt and frustrated. She would get those boys back. As much as she disliked her father at times, no one was allowed to talk about him that way.

"Maka?" She looked up, hurriedly wiping her tears so her best friend wouldn't see her crying like a sissy girl.

"Hi BlackStar." she sniffed and tried to smile at the blue haired boy standing in front of her. He hadn't been there when the incident had happened.

"Maka, what happened to your face? And why are you crying?" he asked, worried. Maka flinched back as his hand reached out to touch her bruise, then willed herself to let him feel the throbbing injury. His hand was warm and gentle as he felt the now purplish black mark on her face. Suddenly, his fists clenched. "Who did this to you?"

"A-anyo," she stuttered out the boy's name, "but it's okay BlackStar. I pushed him first. It was my fault..." She trailed off as she looked at him, his small frame shaking and his eyes squeezed shut in anger.

"Maka, if he ever hurts you again, you tell me right away, okay? Okay?" The boy's fingers grabbed Maka's small chin, forcing her to look at him. She nodded weakly.

"Okay."

"Good." He smiled. "Now let's go find Anyo!" With that he raced off towards the school, and Maka had no choice but to follow him, calling for him to stop (but of course he didn't listen). As she neared the entrance, she heard shouting and sped up, worried. Anyo was only a second year, but he was still quite a bit bigger than BlackStar. She rounded the corner just in time to see the crowd forming around the two schoolboys and she gasped at the scene unfolding before her.

BlackStar was holding Anyo in the air by his collar, shaking him roughly back and forth as the other boy gasped for breath.

"DO. NOT. TOUCH. HER!" Her blue haired friend yelled angrily before putting the second year down. Before he could scramble away, BlackStar punched him in the face as hard as he could. The crowd gasped and someone yelled "call a professor!" BlackStar turned to face everyone as Anyo slumped to the ground behind him, a line of blood trickling out of his nose as he lay unconcious.

"If anyone touches or hurts Maka Albarn in any way, I'll kill you." He promised solemnly, just as Lord Death arrived. He took one look at Anyo laying on the ground, Black Star standingthere victoriously, and Maka's bruise and Maka was sure that if you could see his face in that moment, it would've been scary.

"BlackStar, did you attack this boy?" Lord Death asked, all traces of cheerfullness in his voice gone. The student body watched, breath held.

"Yep." Maka gasped. He hadn't even tried to deny or explain it! Without thinking, she pushed through the crowd of students.

"Stop!" she called, walking over to the shinigami. He looked up, surprised that such a good girl would interfere.

"This is my fault sir. I was the one who caused the fight. Please, don't expell BlackStar." She pleaded, tears welling in her eyes again at the thought of her best friend being expelled from the Academy.

"Hmmm." Said Lord Death, glancing at BlackStar. He was staring at Spirit's daughter, mouth agape, amazed that anyone would take the blame and stand up for him. "Well, I suppose since the three of you have all equally caused a problem, you can share the punishment. One month of detention, cleaning duties, and running errands for the teachers. In the meantime, I need to have a talk with BlackStar about violence." Maka sighed in relief that her friend would not be expelled. As Lord Death walked away, beckoning the blue haired boy to follow him, Maka stepped forward and hugged BlackStar tightly.

"Thank you." she whispered as she embraced him. She felt his grin on her shoulder as he replied.

"No problem. You're worth it, Maka."

Yes, he was kind. He had watched her back over the years, even as she had watched his, and although they had had their spats, Maka knew that BlackStar would never let her down. And there was something very attractive about that. Maybe it was because her mother wasn't around, maybe it was because her father was a let down sometimes, but she took a strange comfort in the fact that the blue haired meister would always be there for her.

She sighed and rubbed her eyes in the darkness of the kitchen. Sleep would not come back to her, not when the Kishan had flitted through her nightmares only minutes before. So she did the one thing that she knew she always could.

She went to BlackStar.

She opened his door quietly, wincing when it creaked slightly. When she looked at BlackStar, she almost decided to go back to her own bed. He looked so peaceful, all the stress and cockiness gone from his face when he was unconcious. His hair was mussed up and falling over his forhead, and he was splayed out over the black sheets and pillows, taking up the whole bed. His bare back almost glowed as the moonlight fell on it. In that moment, he was utterly beautiful.

But Maka knew he wouldn't be upset that she had come in. He never was. She padded over to him and gently shook his shoulder. He groaned and tried to burrow deeper into the pillows and duvet.

"BlackStar." she whispered, shaking him again. "BlackStar!"

He opened his eyes groggily and sat up when he saw it was Maka, rubbing his face as he tried to wake up.

"What's going on? Is the house on fire?" he asked sleepily, his voice coming out more growly than normal from the sleepiness that engulfed him.

"No, everything is fine." Maka reassured him. He flopped back down onto the bed in relief.

"Why did you wake me up then?"

Maka bit her lip, unsure if this was such a good idea. "I... I had a nightmare. About Asura. I dreamed he was killing all our friends. BlackStar, I was scared." He gazed at her for one long moment, then wordlessly opened his arms in an invitation.

Maka climbed up on the bed and BlackStar's warm, strong arms immediately wrapped around her, pulling her down into his embrace. His breath tickled her neck as he whispered in her ear.

"Shh, Maka, it's okay. Asura is gone. I won't let him hurt you, okay?" She nodded, sleep coming back to her in the comfort of the blue haired boy's arms. Her eyes drifted closed against her will and just before she fell asleep, she heard the other meister whisper: "Still worth it."