Pfft. It was whatever. A cool guy like me has no reason to get upset over something like this. It's Maka, she can handle herself. She can make her own decisions. If she really wants to hang around a pompous asshole like that, then let her. She'll see through him the way she sees through every guy she's ever met. There's nothing to get all worked up over... right?

I mean, she had to notice his wandering eyes, didn't she? The way they'd vaguely drift off in a different direction and linger for a bit. It might not seem like anything, but they always just-so-happened to land upon a big-breasted or long-legged beauty. Coincidence? I think not. Wanna know why? 'Cause no guy is that lucky.

Wanna know something else that's suspicious? He always returns her phone calls. He hardly ever answers when she dials his number the first time around, but he does a damn good job of sounding apologetic when he calls back. When most guys play this game, they usually just make up an excuse later, but not him. Oh, no, he has to be a "gentleman" and contact her again. He'll sound all sorry, make up one Hell of an excuse as to why he didn't answer, and she'd buy it every time. Hook, line, and sinker.

And he always wears cologne. It reeks to high Heavens, but it's never too strong. Not the strong that obviously says "I'm trying really hard to cover up another girl's perfume," but it was just that foul of an odor. Made me cringe and feel like my nose was trying to run right off my face. Stupid jerk, smelling like trash. But, of course, Maka loved it. He smelled "musky" and "masculine," or something like that. If that's what masculinity smells like, count me out.

And the really stupid thing about all of this is that I'm not the only one who's noticed. Kid was telling me the other day about how even though he was happy that Maka was trusting someone else, he couldn't help but notice the dude's lack of attention. He further explained that although his eyes never left Maka, they hazed over just a little bit, indicating that his thoughts were elsewhere. I asked Kid how he picked up on something like that and he muttered something about being a reaper and heightened senses. That seemed to be his answer for everything.

BlackStar hadn't been paying any attention, but his weapon had. She said that even though the guy seemed very nice and pleasant to start, he worried her a lot. I asked her why and she started on this rant about him becoming possessive or controlling. To tell you the truth, I listened to every word she said. I kept denying that something like that could happen to my meister, but the more she talked, the more paranoid I became.

But it's chill... just like me.

Maka was tough and hard to fool. She might be a little wrapped up right now, but the moment he lowers his guard, she'll nail his ass to the wall. Literally, probably. If she finds out she'd being duped, she'll be more frightening than the Kishin. A Maka-chop will be the least of his worries. He'd better hope that I'm not around, or she'd probably reach for me and use me to slice him to pieces. I suppose I could dull up my blade for her to make the process more... agonizing.

But all thoughts aside, I couldn't shake all of my doubts. Even though she was a big girl... incredibly smart and strong as Hell... I was still hesitant about letting this guy even more into her life. They'd already gone out on several "dates," walking through Death City, dinner, a movie, the library... this guy was lame, totally unoriginal. How was she impressed by all of this? Not cool.

But I had an opportunity to really get to know this guy when she invited him over for dinner at our place last night. It went just as you'd expect. He showed up, cheap flowers in hand, and hugged her. She let him in and introduced the two of us. I played it cool, smiled and shook his hand, the whole nine yards. I didn't need either of them knowing that I was suspicious.

We both took a seat at the table while she served the food. He offered to help her, pretending to be chivalrous when it was obvious to everyone but her that he was fake. I set the table, trying to be just as useful and then we all sat down to eat. The conversation was mostly between the two of them, but when she pulled me into the mix, I let him have it.

"So, Soul, you and Maka have been partners for a while now, have you?" I gave him that sly smirk I was notorious for as I went into detail about how we met and got together in the first place. His expression said he was amazed, but I saw the hint of flames in his eyes. I was purposely trying to trample him, to make sure he knew exactly how close Maka and I were. I even made enough emphasis to let the whole world know that damn near nothing could come between us.

Yeah, she jumped in and toned it down, also emphasizing our "we're just friends" zone. It didn't change our bond, so I let it slide. He still looked royally pissed and I was pretty satisfied with that. "So, how'd you two meet, then? Gotta be a more interesting story than mine." I made sure to mock him with that and he furrowed his eyebrows in acknowledgement. This was a little too easy, what did she see in a guy like this?

"We met in the library. Funny story, actually: We were both in the mystery section, reaching for the same book. Our hands brushed and we caught each other's eye. I grabbed the book for her, handing it over with a smile on my face. She tried to tell me to keep it, walking over to the ladder to climb for a different book. As if by fate, she slipped and fell backwards. I, of course, ran to her in an instant and caught her effortlessly." He dragged on about how they stared into each other's eyes, cheeks ablaze with a fiery red tint, but I just inwardly gagged. Really, Maka? You fell for that two-bit Casanova crap? I'm disappointed.

He then prodded into my interests and we had a mini competition of who was more awesome. He can deny it all he wants; I have this in the bag. Meanwhile, Maka just sighed and assumed it to be a "boys will be boys" sorta thing. It wasn't until after she left the room to go do something that we became real with each other.

To make a long story short, he accused me of being jealous. I told him that he should be the jealous one, seeing as he'd be the one leaving at the end of the night and not me. I didn't play my "I'm on to you" card, because I knew that would just make him cautious. I wanted him to feel like he was on pins and needles, but I also wanted him to stay away from my meister. He then proceeded to ask me what my deal was and I told him that I didn't like shady people. Then right before Maka came back, I said, "Look, Maka doesn't trust a whole lot of guys. She's been through a lot, so I'm only gonna say this once: Don't hurt her." He didn't get to be a smartass after that, because she reappeared right after I said that.

So that should pretty much bring you up to speed. The three of us watched a movie after that before he went home. It was more like Maka watched the movie and he and I glared daggers back and forth. He intentionally tried to piss me off after that, wrapping his arm around her, snuggling up to her, that cheeky goodbye kiss he gave her... it worked for a moment. I just chilled out after that, content with the fact that I'd get to stay up with her after he left. He knew it, too. Damn bastard.

So, yeah, that's about it. I lied to her, saying that he seemed like a decent guy. She asked me what the ominous atmosphere was all about and I told her that it was a guy thing. She busted me, so I lied again and told her that I gave him the famous "break her heart and I'll break your face" speech. She laughed uncontrollably, not believing me for a second. But she dropped it.

The only problem with my totally tactful and smooth impression was that now every time I saw them, he'd make it a point to "claim" her. Grabbing her hand, her waist, stealing a random kiss, etcetera. I played his game, too, slinging my arm around her shoulder, putting my face really close to hers. I didn't have as much ammunition as he did, but I still made my point. She was totally unbothered, too, was the best part. It was so natural for us that she didn't think anything of it. I was still finding it hard to believe that she hadn't caught on to either of us. Let's face it: we're not the greatest actors.

So over the next several weeks, I toyed with him. Whenever we were alone, I'd remind him that I had more access to his girlfriend than he did. I purposely made it perverse, too, just to tick him off. I told him that I got to see her every day, I've seen her in her pajamas, her bath towel, her bathing suit, completely naked (once, but still), and that we'd both fallen asleep together on the couch more times than I could remember. And what had he accomplished? A kiss. Kissing was all he'd gotten from her and even that was too much. Still, I made it painfully clear that I had it much better off than he did.

That, of course, set my next plan into motion. After all that was said and done, he started to break. It started with him just trying to look "cooler" than me (which was impossible to begin with). He dressed differently, styled his hair, and tried to look totally relaxed as he walked about. That earned him a few fan girls, but that didn't work in his favor. In fact, it just pissed Maka off. She accused him of trying to get other girl's attention while he pathetically pulled the "I'm doing this for you, baby" bullshit. He was like a cheesy soap opera character, I swear.

Then he tried being slick, putting his hands on her. I'll admit, I had to bite my tongue and glue myself to the ground every time he did it, but it was so rewarding to see what happened next. Maka let the little stuff slide, like him resting his hand on the small of her back, or the way he would drape his arm over shoulder and let his hand rest just barely above her boob. She was handling it quite well. But the hugs from behind where he'd squeeze her tight enough to mesh her breasts together and the light taps on her ass were absolutely not tolerated. I'm proud to say that I was able to witness his first ever Maka-chop. I about died laughing.

She ended up confiding in me one night while we were cleaning up after dinner that something about him had changed. I played dumb, asking why on Earth she would think something like that. She basically said he was turning out like every other guy and she didn't know what to do. I suggested the obvious break up with him point, but she wouldn't have it. She said, "I know he's a good person. He's just a little lost." My jaw hit the floor and I about ripped all my hair out. All of this coming from the girl who accused me of trying to leave her for some well endowed cat lady. Has the world gone mad?!

No, just her, apparently.

Oh, yeah, I'm purposely leaving out about the part where Spirit came sprinting in to save the day. It was the one time I was actually happy to see the old man. He was gonna the wring dude's neck for even thinking about touching his precious daughter, but said angel forcibly removed him from the situation. Permanently. I had never felt so ashamed of him, the hypocritical bastard.

But alas, when all my hopes were dashed, dreams crushed, and thoughts of suicide from being in a reality where all sense was gone, I saw the light at the end of the tunnel. For standing unknowingly before me was Maka's so-called boyfriend. Although, he was lip-locked and getting frisky with a girl who most definitely was not Maka. I snapped a quick picture with my cell phone, grinning like an idiot (a cool one, though) as I walked away. Of course I wasn't going to say anything, I was fully prepared to let Maka take care of this low-life herself.

I'm sure you were all expecting something like that, but here's the twist: I didn't get to Maka first. You see, she sent me out on this dumb errand via text message to pick up some stuff for dinner. I actually just complied, still feeling pretty good about my little discovery. So I went and I bought the stupid ingredients, wondering what she would be making tonight. So long as she didn't burn it, I would be a happy man.

But my joyous thoughts were ruined when I opened the door to our apartment. It didn't matter that I had walked in right when she was going to knee him in the groin and show him who was boss, all I could see was red. For sprawled all over our couch was one unwilling and distressed Maka with one moronic creep on top of her. And to make matters worse, he had his hand up her skirt.

I'm sure you can piece the rest of this together. I got mad, he got scared, I yanked him off of her, he went flying into a wall, and I beat the shit out of him. The sad thing was that the guy was quite a bit taller than me and certainly more muscular. I suppose the rage and adrenaline gave me the advantage, though. In fact, Maka had to drag me off of him and plead with me not to commit murder.

Skipping to the good part, though, after everything was said and done, I still had that picture to show her. You see, we had to call the police and an ambulance took him away. I was questioned, almost arrested, but they understood that I was just acting in Maka's defense. After they left, she curled up on her bed, blanked wrapped around her, and tears sliding down her face. I, of course, came in to break her heart some more and then comfort her.

Now, understand: she wasn't upset because she had felt almost violated. No, she was upset because that jackass had proven to be exactly like she said all men were. Obviously, she was beating herself up and tearing herself down. It took hours (literally, hours) to finally get her to calm down enough to look me in the eye. I had given her about half a million tissues and my sleeve was soaked form constantly wiping her tears. She really knew how to be depressed.

"Jeez, Maka, don't waste your tears on that dirt-bag. He's not worth it." It was then that I pulled out my phone and showed her the picture. Her eyes lit up with pure, raw anger, and I was sure that I had set off the apocalypse. She shrieked loud enough to make my ears bleed and then it was my turn to hold her back from running down to the hospital and finishing what I started. All I could do for the longest time was hold her and let her be both angry and sad.

"How long?" She muttered quietly. I listened closely as she clarified. "How long have you known?" I quickly blurted out that I had only caught him cheating just a few hours before I got home, but that wasn't what she meant. "How long have you known... that he was just like the others?"

Oh.

So then I told her everything that I just told you. She gave me a couple blows, pounding me until I was bruised and almost completely immobile. Apparently I should have told her as soon as I noticed, but we both know that she wouldn't have listened. She would have told me everything that I told you. She's a big girl, she can make her own decisions, she would know when to back out... yeah.

She then sank to the floor when I said that, realizing that I was, for once, absolutely right. I wanted to relish in that moment, but the unbearable pain I was in was kind of distracting. But she crawled over to me and grabbed my hand, regaining my attention. All I could do was look up at her and her soft, sad eyes. Those emerald orbs looked rather mossy as she stared at me. I knew that she was going to be a mess for the next couple of days, at least, so I was fully prepared to do all of the cooking and keep the house semi-tidy while she recovered. That might be kind of hard now, being as broken as I am, but... I had no intention of getting off the hook.

"Thank you... Soul. You're the only one who hasn't let me down. You crazy jerk." Was all she mumbled before wrapping her shaky arms around me. I could feel her breath on my neck as she just rested there... on top of me...

I was totally not thinking inappropriate thoughts right now.

So I suppose to wrap up this tragically beautiful story, I should reiterate my first point: I was most definitely not jealous.

"A/N: I've been reading too many cute SoMa fanfictions to not write one of my own. I tried to keep it cool, I didn't want to be all cheesy and stuff with a kiss and a definite relationship at the end. That's all implied after stuff that I didn't write down. Anyway, I hope this wasn't rushed or out of character. I tried my best to keep everything together. Leave a review and let me know what you think!"