Lick My Halloweener

by Bitter November

Maka is fed up and frustrated. Soul has no idea what the heck is going on. Toss in a well meaning but short-sighted Black*Star, and it will be a wonder if this relationship ever gets off the ground.

AN: Welcome to my Halloween fic! This one is pure fluff and smut, with no redeeming qualities whatsoever. You have been warned! My Thanksgiving fic will have a decent plot, so watch out for the first chapter of it on November 12. Thanks to all the people who read, review, favorite and follow! Please don't forget to leave me a review! -begs shamelessly, Puss in Boots eyes at full stength-

The day was full of the signs of fall; the air was brisk and crisp, fragrant with the scent of burning leaves and apple pie being baked. The leaves still on the trees were in a rich array of colors, the city was dotted with pumpkins and skeletons to herald the coming of Halloween, and the Christmas decorations were already up at Wal-Mart. Truly, all these things shouted that it was autumn. The sights, the smells...the porno mags in Soul's room...

Ok, not that last one, but that was the item that Maka was currently dealing with, all thoughts of hayrides and bonfires blasted from her mind by the heavy artillery of the provocatively posed women on the covers. Honestly, they all had breasts larger than Maka's head, and she wondered how they managed to walk upright. She wrinkled her nose, wishing she had never stumbled onto this crap. Snooping had been the furthest thing from her mind when she had stormed into his room on a recovery mission. Her Batman stapler was missing again, and knowing how much Soul coveted it and stole it whenever he possibly could, she had instantly gone across the hall in search of her lost property. It hadn't been on the top of his desk, so she had systematically began to go through the drawers, rooting through the jumbled mess that consisted of, among other things, tangled sets of earbuds, dried out ink pens, and several spoons that had disappeared from the kitchen.

She had no idea what she might find next. Money, spare sets of keys, the lost city of Atlantis...it all seemed entirely possible. Maybe Elvis hadn't died; maybe he was trapped here in Soul's desk. The idea brought a faint smile of amusement to her face, which was erased once she neared the bottom of the last drawer. It was the deepest one, leaving plenty of room for the thick stack of magazines that she gingerly removed, loathe to even touch wasn't stupid, she knew knew that every healthy male had needs, and sometimes used visual aids to enhance things, but she had hoped that Soul had matured enough over the years to at least go for something tasteful. Apparently not. Her lip curled into a sneer of disgust as she flipped through the well-worn pages, and she couldn't help but squirm uncomfortably as she compared herself to the other women. Though her body had developed over the years, there just wasn't as...much. Was this really the type that Soul was into? With time, her feelings of friendship for her weapon had grown into something more, and she had hoped that one day he would finally see her as a woman and not just as a meister and friend who bashed his head in and lost his socks in the wash. Looking down at the red head that leered up at her over her size there-aren't-enough-letters-in-the-English-alphabet-to-go-that-high breasts, she was painfully aware that her chances of getting his attention were about the same as having a moose wander through their door. Theoretically possible, but not going to happen. The moose scenario was actually more likely. After all, she was short tempered, demanding, violent, a musical loss, and didn't have breasts that could seat a family of four for dinner. Lightly touching the underside of her chest, she stared at the magazine, antagonized by her own insecurity.

"Unless you're havin' a really late, really big growth spurt, there ain't no way that's gonna happen."

Soul's amused voice from the doorway startled her, and she spun around to glare at him. Wasn't he supposed to be out somewhere reliving scenes from stupid bromance movies with Black*Star? But no, it was just her luck he would decide to come home right then, leaning lazily against the door frame with his arms crossed, crooked smirk on his face. He was wearing a black Halestorm T-shirt and black jeans, and Maka had to fight the urge to just stand there and admire the way the denim clung to him in all the right places. Watching Soul had become her hobby, much like other people went bird watching. Only birds didn't judge you when they caught you doing something embarrassing in their nest.

"Like I'd want to be a walking melon stand! I was just getting ready to toss this crap out; your depraved mind certainly doesn't need any more fodder."

Soul strolled across the room, taking the magazine from her and tossing it on the pile of others she had set on the desk. "You can toss 'em if you want, but Blair will just buy more." he said, sitting on the edge of his bed, the mattress dipping under his weight.

Maka cocked her head in confusion. "Blair buys your porn for you? What are you, fourteen?"

"Those aren't mine; those are hers." he snorted, bending over to undo the laces on his black and red sneakers, surreptitiously eyeing her scrumptious looking legs that disappeared under a not-quite-short-enough skirt.

"Yeeeah. Blair has porn...of women." how dumb did he think she was? It was him that the horny cat was always molesting, not her. And she thought she had been playing it cool, not beating his head in over his gallery dedicated solely to ridiculously large mammaries.

He chucked his shoes in the general direction of the closet. "Yup. She says she has to, 'keep an eye on the competition, nyah,'" he said in an exaggeratedly sexy falsetto, "or whatever that means."

"As if you don't look at them yourself." she muttered, trying to ignore the fact that she was blushing fifty shades of red, her toes curling into the nap of the carpet.

Leaning back against the wall with his arms folded behind his head, he grinned. "Well, my choices are either them or you, so..." he waited for the explosion of flying books and bristling pigtails, but it never came.

"...Whatever, Soul. I don't really feel like cooking tonight. There's sandwich stuff in the fridge." her voice was dull, and there was a stiff set to her shoulders as she left the room.

Soul stared after her, face crinkling in confusion. where was the yelling? The chopping? That quiet reaction was nothing like her at all. Sighing, he glanced at the magazines. He knew that stupid cat was going to get him in trouble with those. Maka had been partly right though; at fourteen, that had been the kind of stuff he had devoured whenever he could get his hands (or hand, as the situation demanded) on them. How was he supposed to tell her that that stuff no longer really excited him? Yeah, breasts were attractive, but he had become more selective. He would prefer to get some hands on experience with a smaller pair of tits, tits that were firm and bouncy and looked like they would fit in his hands perfectly. A very specific pair of tits. That path led to him being kicked to the curb in a cardboard box with a sign around his neck that read, 'free to a good meister.' Reaching for his headphones, he tried to push all thoughts of his oblivious partner and his thwarted libido out of his mind. He just needed to face facts; Maka was never going to look at him as a guy, so he might as well stop obsessing over her. At least while his door was open and his lotion was out of reach...

Meanwhile, his 'oblivious' partner was in her room, torn between throwing herself in a vat of ice cream and taking a pair of shears to his beloved record collection, biting down on her pillow to muffle her shrieks of frustration. Had it been necessary to be that cruel? To come right out and say that he was more aroused by bits of glossy paper than her real flesh and blood body? Wait, did this mean she wanted him to think about her while he got off? A sudden, sharp mental image flashed through her mind of Soul on his bed, gripping himself as he moaned her name, made her thighs press together reflexively. That answered that question. Now, maybe it was the fact that she was royally pissed and sick of being on the losing end of unrequited love. It could very well be that years of dealing with Soul's black blood had left her a tad less than 100% sane. It could also be because she was outrageously sexually frustrated. Whatever the reason, Maka was done sitting back and waiting for things to happen. Unattractive, was she? Miss Tiny Tits couldn't be sexy? She would show him!

Heaving herself up from her bed, she went to her closet, throwing open the door to eyeball her wardrobe critically. She had no intentions of going overboard, but enhancements needed to be made. As she made plans and mental lists, taking into account that she needed to have a chat with her friends if she wanted this to be pulled off smoothly, she began to hum a happy tune, which Soul heard from out in the hall as he passed by on his way to make a sandwich. He smiled, thinking that whatever funk Maka had been in had blown over and he was in the clear.

The fool.

---

Soul's first clue that his usual routine was in for some rather interesting changes came the next day at lunch. The past evening's events had been forgotten, and the only thing he noticed that was different about Maka was that she was a bit quieter than usual, and that she had chosen to wear her hair down today. They had headed in to school, although they had technically graduated in the spring. Now they were taking an extra two year course that would prepare them for higher ranked missions, which would mean better pay and more interesting assignments than mere grunt-work. They had gotten seats at their usual table in the corner by the door when he excused himself, making the long trek to the bathroom. All the ones close to the cafeteria were under renovation, so he had to go all the way to the next building, a trip that practically required a pack llama and a Sherpa guide just to take a piss.

Debating whether he should risk his now most likely congealed meal or just grab something from the vending machine, he became aware that his friends looked to be in an intense discussion. Black*Star was the first to spot him, loudly drawing everyone's attention to his return.

"Yo Soul! Was beginnin' to think we were gonna have to send out a search and rescue team! Did ya get lost, or do ya just need some Ex-lax?" he bellowed, causing every one in a six table radius to turn and giggle at Soul.

Soul slunk into his seat, wondering why no one had killed that buffoon yet. He poked at the suspicious looking meatloaf, waiting for the conversation to pick back up. But there was only a strained silence and a brittle smile every time he made eye contact with someone, the one people gave you when you either intruded on a conversation you were not welcome in, or you were the subject of the conversation. Soul's eyes narrowed, the fox finally beginning to scent the hounds.

"So, what were you all talkin' about?" he asked with feigned disinterest, trying to worm out information without looking uncooly curious.

The reaction was interesting. Everyone broke into false laughter as they rushed to answer him. They all spoke at once, responses ranging from Black*Star's typical, "My godliness!" to Liz's "This article I was reading in a magazine!"

Soul stared at his flustered friends. Obviously, they didn't know that the first step to telling a good lie was to get your story straight. The only one who hadn't spoken up was Maka. She merely tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and sipped on a glass bottle of soda.

"So do I get a straight answer from you, or are you gonna try to tell me you were havin' an in-depth discussion of great literature with Black*Star?" he asked sarcastically.

"Actually, we were talking about sex," she said in an off-handed manner. As if to punctuate her bold claim, she slowly licked a drop that had been sliding down the neck of the bottle, her small, pink tongue working its way up to swirl around the opening.

Soul could feel certain key parts of his brain begin to melt, and had to mentally kick himself for not buying his jeans in a larger size. He tried to come to terms with her words, but he wasn't having much luck. It was easy to imagine Black*Star, Liz, and Patty talking about such things, and he knew that despite her sweet exterior Tsubaki was a closet perv. Even Kid could be counted on to have something interesting to say on the topic. Soul himself had a vast knowledge of dirty jokes and locker room tales to draw on. But Maka was...Maka. The Virgin Queen. Innocent and prudish, disapproving of all things carnal.

"You mean, the others were talking about sex, and you were gettin' ready to chop them?" he asked weakly, in a vain attempt to salvage some sort of normalcy.

She took a napkin and began wiping the neck of the bottle, mimicking a familiar motion that had Soul's dick twitching with interest. "Why would I get mad at them when I was the one who brought up the subject?"

The melting process had reduced his gray matter to the consistency of Swiss cheese. "But...sex...you..."

"Guess what Soul," she said as she leaned forward, forcing Soul to notice that her shirt was unbuttoned farther than usual, "I'm not a robot."

He knew that. Nothing made of metal and wires could make him as hard as she did. He was just surprised that she knew it, and was talking about it like it was as natural as discussing test scores. In the perverted recesses of his mind Maka and sex went together like hand and lotion, but Maka and sex outside of the house went together like...like...he wasn't sure, but it wasn't natural, damn it!

Standing carefully, he shifted sideways to hide his overly enthusiastic reaction to all things pigtailed (though not currently) and Albarn (strictly the female variety), he retraced his path to the door.

"Be right back. I uh, forgot something."

"Dude, what could you possibly forget in the bathroom? You aren't a kid anymore, can't ya wait till you get home to jerk one off?" Black*Star cackled, causing Soul to scuttle away faster, darkly promising himself he would find a way to get revenge.

"You know, that was kind of cruel Black*Star." Maka said, propping her head in her hand as she looked at her friend.

"Me? You're the one makin' the poor guy pop a boner right here in public!" he laughed, raising his palms in a don't-blame-me gesture.

Maka rolled her eyes, not believing Soul had any such reaction. "Sure, whatever."

Black*Star hopped up, pushing away his empty tray. "Imma go see what's up. Homie looked like he could use some godly advice."

Maka threw herself at him with a panicked look, grasping his wrist tightly. "You're not going to tell him-!"

He pried her fingers off of him, his skin streaked with red from how hard she had grabbed him. "Give me some credit! I'm just gonna check the lay of the land. Later!"

---

Black*Star loped off in the direction Soul had taken, intent on getting two of his best friends to finally hook up. Everyone had been frustrated by their slowness for sometime now, and he and Tsubaki had been debating the merits of stripping them naked and tossing them into a bed. Fortunately it hadn't come to that. Black*Star was a little surprised Maka was the one willing to get things moving, even though she apparently couldn't see Soul's obvious attraction to her. He smirked; he recognized that distinctive trying-not-to-waddle-like-a-duck walk that Soul had done earlier. He didn't get why Soul hadn't made a move before now; there were no rewards in life without risk. He had taken the plunge ages ago with Tsubaki, and was now in a happy, stable relationship with regular and awesome sex. Really, who was the idiot of the group?

Spying a flash of white out of the corner of his eye as he sped past the columns, he redirected his course to find Soul crouched down on his heels, elbows on knees and forehead resting in his hands. He trotted over and threw himself down beside the conflicted weapon.

"Ya know, it may be a pain to go all the way to the bathroom, but if you get caught jerkin' it out here, you're gonna get in trouble."

Soul tilted his head to show one glaring red eye. "The joke's gettin' old. What makes you think I'd need to do that, anyway?"

"C'mon, I saw the way you reacted when Maka was practically blowin' that bottle!" he said, nudging Soul in the ribs.

Wincing away, he denied how much that little scene had affected him. "Whatever. Like I'd ever get all worked up over Miss Tiny Tits."

Black*Star narrowed his eyes. "Why are you still sayin' crap like that? She's not all that tiny anymore. They're actually about average."

"Yeah, well, I like to aim for above average." he snorted. He hated saying that; hated the way the hurtful lies felt on his tongue. But he couldn't risk Black*Star finding out about his feelings for Maka. He'd have it blabbed all over in the time it takes to shift into weapon form, and the look of pitying rejection, or outright disgust, on Maka's face was something he could do without.

Black*Star struggled to keep reign on his temper. Maka had told them what Soul had said yesterday, and that, plus the remark he had just made, was starting to piss him off. What he had said earlier as a joke was true, they weren't kids anymore, and the whole, 'being obnoxious to the person you like,' thing was so four years ago. Fine. If Soul wanted to play it like this, then he could play just as dirty.

"Eh, maybe that's for the best." he said, flipping himself into a one armed handstand. "We weren't just talkin' about sex. Maka also wanted us to help her get together with this guy she likes."

Bingo! He watched as Soul's body went stiffer than last week's roadkill.

"What are you talking about? What guy? And why hasn't she told me about this?"

Black*Star fought back a smirk. This was too easy. "There's a guy she's really into. She didn't say who it was, and I guess she didn't tell you so she wouldn't have to hear how she had no chance, or wasn't hot enough, or shit like that. So now that you know, you gonna help out? Even if you don't think she's girlfriend material, as her partner you should at least have her back on this."

The suggestion made Soul want to puke. Not only did he have to deal with the fact that he'd lost any chance he might have had, but now he was expected to play Cupid for his unknown rival? There was a lot he would do for her; he would wear that ridiculous apron and cook for her, he would distract her idiot father so she could make her escape, he would take a freakin' sword to the chest. But this was asking too much. It was bad enough he was going to have to act like the whole thing didn't bother him at all; he wasn't about to gift-wrap her and hand her over with a smile.

"Sounds to me like she has enough help. Besides, I'm not gonna set my meister up with some guy I don't know anything about." he said evenly, doing his best not to let on how bothered he was. "I feel kinda sick. I think I'll head home early. Let Maka know, would ya?"

Black*Star eyed him keenly, noticing the telltale signs of distress. Aw, his little bunny red eyes were twitching, how cute! "Sure thing. She may be home late. I heard her talkin' to the other girls about goin' shopping. Somethin' about getting clothes to play up her figure, whatever that means. Looks like she's serious about this guy."

Soul pushed himself into a standing position with a grunt. "If he wasn't a complete dick, she wouldn't have to change anything about herself to get his attention. See ya later, and if you find out who this guy is, let me know."

Black*Star flipped to his feet and watched the white-haired Eeyore stomp away, almost able to see the raincloud hovering over his head. Either this was a brilliant idea, or he had majorly fucked up. Oh well. If it worked out, he would take all the credit. If not, they would go with plan B; strip the idiots naked and toss 'em in a bed to work things out. Or in Soul's case, work something in.

---

Meanwhile, Maka was in the cafeteria, trying not to freak out. Just one careless remark from Black*Star and it would all be over. She could practically hear Soul's jeering laughter ringing in her ears now...oh wait, that was Patty. She must have been moaning out loud, because Tsubaki and Liz were each patting an arm sympathetically.

"Don't worry Maka-chan. I'm sure he won't say anything he shouldn't to Soul."

Liz looked at Tsubaki over Maka's head. "Are you sure? He's always been a loudmouth."

"He's gotten better about these sort of things!" Tsubaki answered back defensively. "He may joke around, but he can be tactful when the situation calls for it!"

Even Patty took the carrots out of her nose to join the others in staring at her disbelievingly.

Tsubaki's shoulders slumped. "Alright, maybe not tactful, but he can at least keep his mouth shut."

Kid wisely refrained from mentioning a certain hot pink riding crop he'd heard so much about. While watching Black*Star talk his way out of that one would be amusing, it would only serve to drive Maka further towards the need to breath into a paper bag. He took a small sip of his tea, only to be drenched in the cold liquid when a hand pounded him between the shoulders, the bench shuddering under him as Black*Star flung himself down.

"Wow Kid! Kinda clumsy today, ain't ya!"

Kid held out his left hand, face carefully blank. "Patty."

"On it boss!" she laughed cheerfully, giving him a salute before transforming and flying into his hand.

Deftly, Kid spun her in his grip, then shot Black*Star in the thigh.

"Ouch! Hey, what the hell man?!" he yelped, patting the scorch marks on his leg as Tsubaki handed him a napkin soaked in cold water.

Releasing Patty, Kid gave a contented sigh. "That never fails to satisfy."

"Hey Black*Star? Where's Soul?" Maka asked worriedly, peering over his shoulder.

Black*star took a large slurp from his drink, checking everyone else's plates for any leftovers her could scrounge. "He said to tell you he wasn't feelin' good and headed home early. You gonna finish those fries?"

Maka pushed the plate in front of him abstractedly. "He doesn't know anything does he? You didn't say anything you shouldn't?"

"Reraxth." he spoke around a mouthful of fries, rolling his eyes and swallowing. "He's so clueless, they coulda made a movie about him. You got him where you want him, just keep pressin' your advantage like you did earlier. Poor horny bastard, it'll only be a matter of time before he caves."

"What are you talking about? He didn't react at all, just got up and left like it was no big deal!" she huffed in frustration. Maybe she wasn't cut out to be the seducing type after all.

Liz squinted her eyes at her. "Uh, did you not see him walk out of here like he'd been straddling a horse for a week?"

"he walks like that a lot. It doesn't mean anything."

The two males traded a pained look at her ignorance,

"Maka," began Kid gently, "That is the walk of a man who has a...problem rubbing him the wrong way, until he can...rub himself the right way, understand?"

"You mean all the times that he...he was...oh...oh!" Maka did some quick calculations and came to the conclusion that her weapon popped more tents than a traveling circus.

"But that doesn't mean it was because of me." she said glumly, determined not to get ahead of herself. "It could have been a girl at another table, or a random thought, or-"

"Nope, it was because he was imaginin' you lickin' his dick like you did that botmmhmhhmph!"

"Don't make me shoot you again." cut in Kid, covering Black*Star's mouth with his hand. "What this moron means to say is that Soul was most definitely affected by you. I've never seen him like that unless you're around, or the topic of the conversation."

"Really?" she asked, and if she had been wearing pigtails they would have pricked like a pleased puppy. "I think I'll go home and check on him. Can we meet at the mall at about four?"

"Sure thing. Let's meet up by the north entrance, since that's the side that has the best clothing stores." Liz answered, already making mental lists of what they would need to buy. If she had her way, Maka's new style would have Soul panting more than a dog in July. An apt description, since he already had a bone.

---

As Maka walked home along the crowded streets, she automatically wove her way through the human traffic, body on autopilot as her mind stayed focused on the task of figuring out just what it was she wanted to achieve with her convoluted little ploy. At first, she had just been running on pure hurt and anger, and only wanted the satisfaction of watching him squirm over her, an admission that she wasn't as sexually lacking as he made her out to be. Evaluating herself honestly, she was forced to admit that she wanted him to be attracted to all aspects of her, not just physically. Yes, she wanted a physical relationship with Soul, quite badly, in fact, but she couldn't see herself going the one night fling or friends with benefits routes. She wasn't going to spread her legs for anything less than love, no matter how much she wanted him. Having that settled, the plan now was to drive him crazy, force a reaction, and hopefully get a confession out of him. If all he wanted was her body, she would go back to her normal routine and leave him to deal with himself in whatever manner he was accustomed to. At the very least, she would have the small comfort of knowing that he didn't think she was a total dog. If things took a more positive turn, she would happily jump his bones. Or let him jump hers. However that worked. Just him, her, and a reasonably flat surface.

Tugging on the leash of her mind to keep it from frolicking in the gutter, she saw that she was already home. She walked to the door slowly, calming herself so as not to appear too eager. Entering quietly, she found no sign of him in the kitchen or living room. A brisk walk down the hall showed that his room was empty, too. Turning to leave, she heard a flush, followed by the opening of the bathroom door, and his footsteps drawing closer. He stopped in his doorway, surprised to see her standing in the middle of the room. His eyes darted nervously, and his cheeks were suspiciously flushed.

"Um, hey. What're you doin' home? There's still two hours left to go." he asked, edging around her to sit on the side of his bed. He was relieved she hadn't come home any sooner, or she might have heard some very telling noises coming from the bathroom; noises that couldn't be passed off as just a really good bowel movement.

"Black*Star said you were sick, so I left early. How are you feeling? Should I ask Stein for some medicine?" she moved towards him as she spoke, until she was standing right between his knees. He gulped. Heaven was inches from his face, blocked only by a short skirt. His attention was jerked back to the present as she slid her hand under his jaw to tilt his head up.

She leaned down, brushing his bangs away with her free hand so she could touch her forehead to his.

"You're hot," she whispered, her breath warm on his lips.

Great. The one person makeout session he had just gotten through with was now all for naught. He broke the contact between them by backing himself farther up onto the bed, not sure if he was doing it to put himself out of her reach or her out of his. All he knew was he was dangerously close to doing or saying something stupid. She didn't make it any easier on him by pursing her lips up in a pout, making them look even more kissable than they had before. Yes, it was a good thing he had backed away. Although it was getting harder and harder for him to cling to that belief.

"I'll be fine. Just gonna nap until suppertime, then go to bed early. Aren't you going out later?"

Disappointed by his lack of reaction, she sighed. "Yeah, I'm meeting the other girls later. We won't be gone too long though. Tsubaki doesn't want to leave a hungry Black*Star unattended for any longer than necessary."

He swung his legs out in front of him on the comforter, snorting as he did. "Sometimes, I really don't understand how she puts up with that moron. I would've sliced up his body and left him in the desert for the vultures years ago."

Maka shrugged one shoulder, a small smile on her face. "That's just Black*Star for you. He's a pain in the ass, but you have to love him anyway. Want me to bring you something back to eat?"

"Uh, sure." he answered distractedly. "Two orders of popcorn shrimp and a side of potato wedges, and a large orange Fanta, if it's not too much trouble."

"No problem. Get some rest, and call me if you change your mind about the medicine, okay?"

"Yeah, whatever. See you later." he grunted, rolling on his side with his back to her. He missed the look of hurt in her eyes. She knew he wasn't sick, and his coldness confused her. Had she touched him too intimately? Was he that turned off by her? Maybe his earlier reaction had had nothing to do with her after all. Her eyes narrowed. Then she would just have to step it up a notch, because she had no intention of giving up that easily.

Maka had always known that her skirts were on the short side. She actually didn't think it was possible to wear them any shorter and not be working on a street corner. Liz was currently trying to convince her otherwise, holding up a tiny, deep purple scrap of cloth disguised as a skirt.

---

"Come on, Maka! This one is sure to grab his attention! He won't be able to take his eyes off of you!" she wheedled, her inner fashionista clammering to be sated.

"I really think my skirts are short enough as it is," she said, nose wrinkling. "And I'm looking for
other pieces, nothing too wild, just enough to get my point across. Help me look for some shirts instead." she hoped she had distracted Liz; that girl could be relentless when it came to clothing.

"But Maka-chan, don't you think you might be able to do something with one skirt that's too short?" Tsubaki chimed in, her eyes sparkling with mischief.

An idea formed in Maka's head, a slow smile stretching her lips. "Yes, now that you mention it. But I need you to do it this way, Liz..."

---

Soul had ventured into the living room shortly after Maka had left, his mood as dark and sour as a rotten lemon. The soft way she had spoken of Black*Star had instantly roused his suspicions, and he couldn't get the thought of his meister and his best friend out of his mind. It wasn't a pretty thought, and it made him want to punch something, preferably something with blue hair. He had thought Maka had higher standards than that! Well, he had thought that Tsubaki would too, but she had been dating the little creep for-hoooold on. Black*Star was dating Tsubaki! Maka would never go for a guy who was already in a relationship! He slumped further into the couch cushions in relief, crossing one name from his hit list. Now he felt sort of stupid for getting sulky with Maka earlier. Almost. Except that he had also made the connection that Maka had been talking about dating a guy and sex at the same time with their friends. That meant she was far too serious about this guy for his comfort.

The front door slammed shut, and Maka walked in balancing two medium shopping bags, a fast food bag, a drink, and her purse. "Hey Soul. I brought your food, and I got you an order of clam strips to go with it. Could you take it? This bag is cutting into my wrist."

He hopped up from the couch and took the paper bag and plastic cup, careful not to let the slick container slip from his hand. "Thanks. Did you already eat?"

Maka rubbed the red indentation on her wrist, the skin stinging a little. "Yeah, we ate at the food court. Go ahead and eat before it gets cold; I'm going to go put this stuff away."

Soul sat back down on the couch, pulling out a container and tossing a few pieces of shrimp into his mouth. Munching happily, since he hadn't been able to finish his lunch, he was unaware a few minutes later when Maka returned.

Damn that Liz!" she fumed, causing Soul to look up as she came to stand in front of him. He nearly shot shrimp chunks and orange pop out of his nose at the sight before him. Maka was wearing a tight, black V-neck shirt, but what he couldn't tear his eyes from was the skirt. It was more of a band of cloth, shorter than what she usually wore and so tight it looked painted on.

"Hmnaaahhhnn?" he said intelligently.

"I told her that this was far too tight, but she must have slipped it into my bag when I wasn't do you think, Soul? ...Soul?"

She came closer, and Soul discovered that in this position, he could just make out the silky crotch of a pair of black panties.

HOLY COPULATING LAWN GNOMES!

All he had to do was lean forward, and his face would be buried between her legs! Who needed clam-strips when you had fresh clam right in front of you? And he had always preferred his seafood raw...the perverted grin that threatened to appear died as he remembered that she had been shopping to impress some other guy.

"I dunno. It's not really your style, is it? Maybe you could take it back." he said listlessly, hoping she would get rid of it instead of possibly wearing it on a date somewhere.

Maka bit back a growl. "I don't know; it's starting to grow on me. Maybe I'll go ahead and keep it." she said, sitting sideways on the arm of the couch, her lower half facing Soul.

His fingers twitched reflexively at the vision of her perfectly sculpted ass put on display before him. It was almost more than he could handle not to reach out and give it an admiring squeeze. Just what else was in those bags she had brought in?

"You didn't carry all that stuff across town, did you? I would've given you a ride if you'd called me."

"No, Kid came by to pick up Liz and Patty's first load, and he gave me a ride home. It's been a long time since I'd been alone with him; I forgot how fun he can be."

Soul felt his stomach heave. So it was Kid! Why on earth would she pick him? Sure, he was polite and nice and all that shit, but he was still...Kid. Just, ugh. He would rather see her with Black*Star. Hell, he'd rather see her with Excalibur!

"Yeah, he is. You know, I've always wondered why no one's bothered to date him. Haven't you?" he asked, trying to ferret out her feelings.

"Well, I guess no one has because he's...Kid. You're the first one I've ever heard show any interest in him. You applying for the job?"

Again, he nearly sprayed the room in half-chewed shrimp. "Hell no, woman! Can you not see me eating here? That isn't even funny!"

Maka watched in amusement as his facial expressions bounced between horror, nausea, and offended dignity. It had been a low blow, but she felt it served him right. Hers wouldn't be the only ego that took a beating. She could have sworn she saw a flash of something in his eyes, but she must have been mistaken. Feeling somewhat disheartened, she decided to retreat to her room to put away her other clothes that she had left heaped on the bed in her hurry test this skirt out.

"I guess I'll go finish putting things away. Oh, I forgot to mention that Ox wanted me to come over to his place tomorrow to look over some research he's done. I know you don't want to come, but that means you'll be on your own for dinner, alright?"

Ah hah! It wasn't Kid, it was Ox! Kid had just been a clever distraction! A ruse! A ploy! He should have seen this coming. What was that saying? Nerds of a feather fucked together? And now she was trying to brush him off so she could put the moves on baldy alone! No way in hell was that happening.

He crumpled the napkin he had been coughing in into a ball, and tossed it onto the coffee table, noting the way her eyebrow twitched at his sloppiness.

"Nah, I'll tag along. We can just stop somewhere to eat while we're out."

The smile that had begun to form on her face was wiped out by his next words.

"It's not safe for you to walk around at night alone. Some perv with a Lolita complex might try somethin'" he snickered, bracing himself for impact. But again, she didn't react in her normal manner, instead cocking her head to the side with a flat expression.

"You know, sometimes I really wonder why I don't hate you." she said softly, before rising from the arm of the couch and sailing out of the room, leaving him to stare after her guiltily.

Why did he always say such stupid stuff? For a minute, she had looked almost happy that he was going, but he had to ruin it, just like always. No wonder she didn't consider him boyfriend material. Who wanted a guy that was always treating you like a little girl instead of a woman? Black*Star was right. The bratty insults had gotten way out of hand. Maybe he should just go ahead and help Maka get her boyfriend, after all. At least that way she would be happy. He gathered up his trash and went to toss it in the garbage can in the kitchen. No, he couldn't do that. There was still a selfish little part of him that was determined not to lose her. All he had to do was figure out how...

---

The next few days found Soul swinging on a fast pendulum between heaven and hell. They had ended up not having to go to Ox's because he had a date with Kim, a fact that caused Soul to slap himself. How on Earth had he forgotten that Ox was taken? With another name crossed off his mood had lightened, until Maka broke out her new wardrobe. When Soul was younger, he had been of the popular opinion that the more skin a girl showed, the better. And Maka, being her contrary self, went against fashion and, except on special occasions and her uniform skirt, usually wore clothes that were modest and loose fitting when they were in public. At home was a different matter; then she broke out the skirts and short shorts and camis, a treat that seemed to be for him alone. There was something about the contrast of other girls who showed off everything and left nothing to the imagination, and Maka, who was prim and proper in public, but delightfully skimpy when they were alone, that really got him going. The fact that her style choice kept her body mostly covered resulted in less male attention was an added bonus in Soul's opinion.

So he was rather appalled when she began wearing her tiny skirts in public, with tighter shirts that had low necklines, or exposed a small strip of skin at her midriff. And somehow, she had found some jeans that had made her ass look even more fabulous than it normally did, something he didn't even think was possible. She by no means dressed like Blair, but men's heads turned wherever she walked, causing Soul to seethe. He missed the days when her body was his private show, damn it! Home wasn't safe, either. Just last night, she had strutted into the living room after her shower, wearing a short, thin silky robe, and he had nearly needed a blood transfusion when he saw the way the water from her damp hair had soaked the front, clinging to her hardened nipples. He had locked himself in his room to take care of business, and if this went on much longer, he was going to develop carpal tunnel syndrome. The only way he had been able to keep from jumping her these past few days was to make snarky comments until she got pissed and left, but he sensed that something was off. Where before she would become a book wielding force of righteous fury, now she seemed hurt, as if she was taking him seriously. He didn't get it; what was the deal with all these sudden changes? He just wanted to go back to the way things were, where he could go along pretending he had a shot with her instead of looking at every male she came into contact with with suspicion. No one was safe; Harvar, Kilik, the guy who served them coffee. For one brief, possibly black blood induced moment, he had considered Stein. Even the yappy male dog down the street was his enemy.

Supper had been tense, filled with awkward silences the likes of which they hadn't had since early on in there partnership. He had squirmed under her gaze, her eyes assessing him and making calculations he couldn't begin to fathom. Finished with her meal, she had quietly done the dishes, then gone straight to her room, and had yet to join him as she usually did. The volume of the tv was on low as he waited for her to emerge, his curiosity over what she would be wearing when she came out switching from longing curiosity to dread and back again within the space of a few heartbeats. He shifted into a more upright position when he heard a door open and close, but slumped back down when he realized that it was the front door.

"Blair is home!" the purple cat-woman chirped happily as she bounced into the room, her tail twitching in anticipation of the cream she had waiting for her in the fridge. She was about to go into the kitchen when she caught movement in the shadows of the hallway. Maka was standing there, fists clenched, a determined look on her face. Blair cocked her head to the side, sensing something was different with the young woman.

"Blair? Can you come to my room please? I...I need your help with something. It's important."

Slitted, gold eyes narrowed. This must be serious. Maka Albarn did not ask for help, especially not from her. Her gaze flicked to the thatch of white hair visible from the couch and then back to the meister standing before her. She had a pretty good idea what this was about, and in her opinion it was about damn time. Bubbly she may be, but she wasn't stupid. The changes Maka had recently made had not gone unnoticed, nor Soul's clumsy, boneheaded method of dealing with them. If she had her way, she would make the boy suffer a bit before he got what he wanted.

"Sure Maka! Let Blair get her cup of cream, and she'll be right there!"

Maka gave her a wobbly smile, lacking the confidence she generally had. "Thanks Blair." she said softly, before returning to her room.

Blair met red eyes peeking over the back of the couch as she made her way to the kitchen, and she shot him a hard look. This nonsense needed to end, and she was just the cat/succubus for the job.

Soul huddled in the corner of the couch, cowering in fear. This was bad. Badbadbad. Baaaaaaad. Maka had brought out the big guns, and he didn't mean tits. Anything that involved getting advice from the purple menace could only end in disaster, and he suspected he was going to be on the receiving end of this cosmic buttfuck. A few minutes passed, and he heared muted giggling. Oh dear death, he was doomed. Deciding it was better to have some clue to what was going on, he made his way stealthily down the hall as music started to play, a song with a low, fast beat. The door was cracked open slightly, and his eyes widened and his breath caught in his throat when he peeked in cautiously.

Blair was using her magic somehow, causing lights to flash in the dark room in a strobe-light effect. Her golden eyes flashed gleefully from under the brim of her hat, her hands resting on cocked hips.

"Alright, Maka! This is how to be a heart breaker! Show me how you dance!"

Maka stood there in confusion, not sure what this had to do with her problem.

The other woman held up a finger. "Rule number one, is that you gotta have fun! Trust me. Let me see your moves! Remember, boys like a little danger! Put your feelings into it!"

Hesitantly, Maka began to dance. Her movements were unsure at first, since she wasn't used to being watched, but as she lost herself in the beat of the music, she became more fluid, a grin lightening her previously upset face.

Soul had to bite back a whimper at the sexy gyrations of her body. He heard a malicious chuckle, and found himself staring straight into Blair's eyes from where she stood across the room. Oh crap, this was so not cool! If Maka found out he was spying on her like some nasty creeper...thankfully, it seemed like Blair had decided not to expose him. He let out a sigh of relief at his close escape, but it looked like he had relaxed too soon.

"Pum-pum pumpkin!" with a burst of orange light, different outfits began to appear on Maka as she continued to dance, ranging from sweetly demure to downright slutty.

"Blair? What are you doing?"

"Keep dancing! Blair will find you the perfect outfit!"

"Fine, but I'm not going out in public wearing leather panties!" Maka laughed, her pace never faltering as Blair treated her like a magical Barbie doll.

"Ooooh! This one!"

Maka stopped dancing to inspect herself in the mirror, surprised that she approved of the outfit. She was wearing a short, full lacy black skirt, with a burnt orange top that moulded to her figure, with a black leather jacket over it. Dark purple fishnet stockings encased her legs, ending in a pair of black heels that had orange and purple flames around the hair was loose around her shoulders, and there was a bit of shiny lipgloss and smoky eyeshadow one her face. Not a lot, but enough to enhance her features without making her look like a totally different person.

"This actually turned out pretty good! Thanks Blair!"

"Look at the back of the jacket! Blair left her mark!" she said proudly.

Maka turned around and craned her neck over her shoulder, laughing at what she saw. There was a sparkly, dark purple outline of a cat, with the words, 'Pretty Pussy' in matching letters underneath.

"Cute, very cute. I guess since I'm all dressed up, I'll go ahead and go out. Are you sure this will work?" she asked, tucking her phone and wallet into her jacket pockets.

"Of course it will! Just trust Blair! You know where the place Blair mentioned is? Just go there, and you should be fine. Just don't leave your drink alone!" Blair instructed, clapping her hands.

Soul made a dash for the living room before he could be discovered. Maka was going out? It sounded like she was going to some kind of club! She looked way too delicious to be going out alone! What was that nefarious cat thinking? For that matter, what was Maka thinking?

"Hey Soul, I'm going out. I'll probably be back late, so goodnight! Your sheets should be ready to come out of the washer in a few minutes. Don't forget to put them in the dryer, Okay?"

"Are you sure you want to go? Maybe-" he was cut off before he could find a suave way to worm his way into going by Maka's upraised hand.

"Soul, if you're going to tell me how flat I look, or how a geek like me should just stay home and read, then save it." she said curtly. "I'm going out, and I don't need you bringing me down. See you in the morning. Bye Blair!"

He watched dumbly as the door clicked shut, then swung around to glare menacingly at Blair, who was lounging in the doorway, a smug smirk of satisfaction exposing a small fang between her lips.

"What the fuck, Blair! Why did you send her out like that?! Guys are gonna read that jacket, and they'll wanna test that statement!"

"Jealous that you won't be the one to be testing that out for yourself?" she purred, enjoying herself as she watched the weapon flail and spaz out all over the place.

"Fuck you! That's it, I'm going with her. No tellin' what kind of creeps are gonna be hittin' on her if she's alone."

Sharp, purple lacquered nails dug into his arm as he tried to pass her.

"You know, this wouldn't have been a problem if you had been a little nicer, a little more honest with Maka. But now you're just going to have to sit back and wait. She's a strong girl, she doesn't need you to be with her all the time."

His body sagged, the tired bags under his eyes and the worried creases between his eyebrows becoming more prominent. "I know that, Blair. But stuff can still happen to anyone in one of those places when you're alone, especially if you're drinking. I just don't want...I can't..." he trailed off helplessly, causing her to take a small measure of pity on him.

"Maka won't be alone. Blair is going to watch over her. No one will mess with the little kitten, or they will be sorry, okay? But Soul, things can't keep going on like this. You need to fix this before something happens that you'll regret."

"I know. I'll figure something out. Just go catch up with her before things get out of hand." he answered dully, returning to his place on the couch to mindlessly surf through hundreds of channels of comforting, mid-numbing dreck. Hearing the door close, he dropped the remote, staring blankly at the screen, his attention far away. There was no way he would be able to sleep until she got home. Surely she wouldn't be gone long, right? She would probably be back by eleven, midnight at the latest. It was stupid of him to worry. Everything would be perfectly fine, and she would turn down all the losers that asked her out...wouldn't she?

---

He was beginning to rethink that assumption at about three fifteen in the morning, when finally, the door was carefully opened and shut, and a slender figure tiptoed into the apartment. Maka froze as a lamp was clicked on, illuminating her peeved looking weapon. If he slouched a bit more, he would make an excellent albino Grumpy.

Slowly, he stood and made his way towards her, crimson eyes glinting dangerously in the low light.

"Do you have any idea what time it is?' he asked through clenched teeth, trying to keep himself in check.

Maka rolled her eyes in a perfect imitation of a stereotypical movie teenager. "Yes, Mama, I know what time it is! I told you I was going to be back late, so what's the problem?"

"Oh, no reason. Was just wondering if I should make breakfast or lunch for when you got back. Damn it Maka, didn't you think that maybe, just maybe, I'd be a little worried?" noticing her unnaturally flushed cheeks, he leaned closer, smelling the alcohol on her breath. "And have you been drinking? How much did you have?"

"Honest to drunk, I'm not Black*Star." she snickered, pushing him out of her face.

"Hey! I'm serious! What the hell have you been doing?"

Her smile morphed into a scowl at his overbearing attitude. "Look, Soul, I don't know where you got the idea that you're my babysitter, but newsflash! I'm a big girl, and ! can take care of myself! And if it really mattered to you so much, you could have offered to go with me! But no, you'd rather just-"

"I tried to!" he yelled, frustrated at the way this conversation was going. "But you cut me off and walked out on me before I could say anything! And yeah, I get that you can take care of yourself just fine and that you don't need me, but I at least like to know what's happening, and be there to have your back! But now you're doing all this stuff you don't usually do, and gettin' mad at me, and I just don't know what's goin' on anymore!"

Maka's face softened as he spoke, and she noticed, guiltily, that he looked about ready to cry. Soul was shocked when her arms slid around his waist in a tight hug, but he quickly responded, holding her close to him, resting his cheek on her temple.

"I'm sorry, Soul. I should have listened to what you had to say before I snapped your head off."

"Nah, I don't blame you. I've said some shitty things the last few days, You were just tryin' to avoid hearing any more."

She sighed into his chest. "Next time you can come with me. If," she said teasingly, "you promise to dance with me at least once."

He glanced down at her, his lips quirked into a smile. "What? You didn't get your fill of dancin' tonight?" he asked lightly, trying not to show that the thought of her dancing with other guys upset him.

"Didn't dance. Couldn't find another guy that would lead as well as you. "

Soul's heart sped up at her words, but his tongue was tied. He knew that now was the time to say something, anything, but he had no idea how to go about it. His silence lasted to long, and reluctantly, he let her slide from his arms.

"Guess I'll have to come and show those losers how it's done then, huh?" he joked weakly.

"I'll hold you to that. No lame excuses like having to go to the bathroom like you usually do!"

"Sure, sure. So...did you manage to do whatever it was you went for?" he shoved his hands in the pockets of his sweat pants, unsure what to do with them.

"I think I did. We'll see. It's getting pretty late, so I'm going to head to bed. You should get some sleep, too. I'm sorry you had to stay up for me."

"'S'alright. We can sleep in, so it's not a big deal. Night, Maka."

"Night, Soul."

He watched as she walked away from him, the missed opportunity burning him up inside.

"Maka!"

She turned to face him curiously, already out of the jacket, her shoulders bare, glowing in the moonlight from the window.

"What is it? Is something wrong?"

He swallowed thickly, losing his nerve once again. "No, everything's fine. See you tomorrow."

Her forehead scrunched up in tiny furrows as she stared at him, not quite believing that things were really okay. When it was clear that he wasn't going to say anything more, she shrugged, entering her room and closing the door behind her.

Soul tugged at his hair in irritation, growling low in his throat. He had almost said something, but remembered at the last moment that there was someone she was interested in. That would have gotten really awkward really fast. He went to his room, throwing himself down face first on his bed, the springs protesting loudly. Why couldn't things ever work out for him?

The next morning, if one in the afternoon could be called morning, Soul staggered out of his room, drawn by the enticing smell of cooking food. He stopped to look into the living room, where the news channel was playing quietly on the tv. He had only meant to stand there long enough to see the score from last night's game that he had missed, but the sound of Maka's voice coming from the kitchen caught his attention.

"So I think I got all the information I needed when I went out last night, but I'm not sure. What if I mess it up? ...Liz! What do you mean, 'practice'? I can't do that to some random...oh, on someone I know? Hmm, not sure how comfortable I'd be with that, either. Oh well. I'll manage somehow. He's worth it. Okay, the food's almost ready, so I'll talk to you later. Bye!"

Soul's sleep-fogged mind tried to process what he had just heard. From what he was gathering, Maka's trip last night had been some kind of...reconnaissance mission, and she was now looking for someone to practice...something on as a means to get this guy's attention. Crap, it's a good thing he hadn't said anything last night, or he would have looked like an utter fool. He was just going to have to grit his teeth and bear it, and hope that whatever it was didn't get too serious.

He listened to her move around, the sound of plates being clicked together signalling that it was time to eat. Quietly, he went in and sat in his usual chair, wondering how someone could be so god-awful perky with as little sleep as she got. He grunted his thanks when she set down a grilled cheese and bacon sandwich in front of him, already considering the possibility of an afternoon nap. At the sound of a chair being scraped against the floor, he paused mid-bite, as he watched her scoot around the table closer to him. He blinked. This was unusual.

"Maka? What're you doin'?"

She smiled brightly at him, arranging her own plate in front of her. "Nothing, I just thought I'd sit over here today. Is that a problem?"

"Oh. No, it's fiiIIIAHghn! What the hell was that?" he yelped, jerking away. Maka's foot had been sliding up his ankle, hooking itself into the leg of his pants and running along his calf.

"What, my foot?" she blinked innocently. "Sorry, but I was cold. You don't mind warming me up, do you?"

Oh sweet baby bunnies, there were so many places he could go with that. Specifically, back to his room and under the covers, to keep her warm for the rest of the day...an unwelcome stirring came from his pants, and he shifted nervously. Sweatpants did very little to hide raging erections, and his was fast reaching Godzilla proportions. Easy, boy. Tokyo wasn't yours to ravage.

He was just managing to calm himself down when she did it again, this time stroking his hand with her fingers as her foot played merry hell under the table. Holy shit, he needed to get out of there before she started sucking on something! Fortunately, there were no bottles available today, but he wouldn't put anything past her. Pushing himself abruptly away from the table, he crabwalked behind the chair, praying she would keep from looking below his waist.

"Well, you know, I don't think I'm hungry after all! I think I'm just gonna go back to bed. Yeah. Bed. Me. Going to. Alone. Of course alone! Why would I not be alone? I'm, um, going now!"

And with that contribution to verbal eloquence he was out the door and down the hall, safely behind his locked door. Like a small child, he buried himself under the covers, waiting until it was safe to go back out. But every time he thought he had gotten himself together, he heard her voice in his head.

"You don't mind warming me up, do you?"

He whimpered pitifully, reaching for his supplies from the bedside drawer. He was going to need a bigger box of Kleenex...

---

She was relentless over the next few days, as if all her latent sexual energy had bubbled to the surface to torment him. There were touches and caresses, whispers so close to his ear he could feel her lips brush against him, suggestive words and phrases dropped into casual conversation. Any other time, this would have thrilled him, given him hope that finally, finally she was noticing him the way he wanted her to, but not now. Not like this. He wasn't stupid; he could figure out what was going on from that conversation he had overhead her having with Liz. She needed to test out her flirting methods, and she must have decided that he was just the little white haired guinea pig for the job. His nerves were beginning to fray from all the uncommon stimulation, but that was nothing compared to his temper. Not his temper, really, more of a sense of wounded betrayal. It would have been one thing if Maka had actually meant her actions, or had at least gotten his permission, but she was just using him to practice on until she could be with the one she wanted, and that...hurt.

He had gotten food and bottles of water and had holed himself up in his room since yesterday, only venturing to the bathroom when he knew he wouldn't run into her. It seemed to have snapped her out of it, because this morning she had been almost normal, if a little on the quiet side. But that was better than driving him to the point of tossing her on the table and making her his breakfast buffet. The conversation had been short and stiff, with her asking him if he was still going with her to the Halloween party that was being held at Kid's that night. That had taken him aback; of course he was! They had themed costumes like they did every year, and it was one of the few times that he could pretend they were a couple. No way he was giving that up, especially since it might be for the last time!

She had seemed less tense when he made it clear that he was still going, and had beamed at him, then shooed him out of the kitchen so she could start getting ready to make some of the desserts she had promised to bring tonight.

He spent the day listening to some new records that Wes had sent him, till he noticed the sun setting outside, signalling that it was time to get into his costume. Going to the closet, he pulled out the two hangers that held his outfit. First came the black pants, followed by a long sleeved white shirt with the top three buttons undone, and then a black vest over that. He added his black shoes, and then ended with the final touch; a low-slung black holster with a fake blaster. Damn, but he made on hella fine Han Solo! He grinned to himself as he thought of Maka; she, of course, would be Princess Leia, and he couldn't wait to see her in that shapeless white sack dress and hair buns. She would be safely covered up for the party, and he could breath easier knowing that she wouldn't be showing her delectable goods to all and sundry. He left his room with a bounce in his step, looking forward to a night that would be blessedly, mercifully, boner free.

It has been mentioned before, and bears repeating; fool.

---

As he neared the kitchen, he heard Maka singing to herself. Good, she was in a good mood. His dreams of a G-rated evening were cracked when he made out the lyrics; some candy-themed song that had way to many references to licking, sucking, and sticky substances for his state of mental health. He needed to shut her up, because he was one step away from railing her right there on the counter-top, her crush be damned.

"Hey, Maka? You almost ready to go? We should probably leave soon if- HOLY MOTHERFUCKING DEATH WHAT ARE YOU WEARING?!" he shrieked upon entering the kitchen and discovering her costume was not what they had decided on. Oh, she was Princess Leia, all right. Slave costume Princess Leia. His dreams of a G-rated evening were cracked? More like shattered and scattered all over the earth, never to be whole again. The outfit consisted of what basically amounted to underwear with a strip of cloth hanging down the front and back for 'modesty', though how anything could be considered modest when it flashed enticing amounts of ass-cheek with every movement was beyond Soul's current level of comprehension. His hands had curled into fists at the sight of her ass swaying before him, his urge to grope rising dangerously close to the surface.

The sudden sound of his unexpected yell had startled her, and she had spun around quickly, a glob of frosting flying off the knife she held and landing on her chest, barely missing the material of her costume.

"Damn!" she hissed, using the middle finger of her free hand to scoop up the frosting, sucking it off with a loud smacking sound that seemed to ring in Soul's ears. His mouth hung open, little wheezing noises making him sound like a ripped accordion.

"Good grief Soul! What's your problem? You almost made me stain my top!"

"Are you kidding me?" he squeaked. "It's not big enough to stain! I thought you were going to wear the Princess Leia costume we ordered online!"

Maka rinsed the knife of under the faucet and turned back to him. "I changed the order at the last minute. What's wrong with this costume? It's still Leia."

Not the Leia he wanted guys drooling over at the party, though! "You can't seriously be considering wearing that-that...I don't know what to call it, since there's hardly anything there!" he waved at the outfit wildly.

"Soul, relax! It's just like wearing a bikini! It's not that big of a deal!" Maka yelled back, resting a fist on a cocked hip.

Soul was suddenly up in her face. "Last I heard, this wasn't a pool party!"

"Maybe I'm not 'hawt' enough to pull this off, but this is what I'm wearing, so you're just going to have to deal with it!"

He wanted to throw a tantrum like a toddler. If she wasn't sexy, then this wouldn't be such a problem! Her next words halted his argument before he could speak.

"Besides, if I changed now, we wouldn't match, and it wouldn't be as much fun."

"...I can't take you on the bike dressed like that. You'll freeze." he muttered, in one last futile effort to get her to change her mind, leaving out the part that he didn't think he could deal with her half naked body being pressed so close to him for the ride.

"That's not a problem, since I'm going to wear something over it." she answered, hoping he would let it go.

"Damn straight you are." he whispered under his breath.

"What was that?"

"Nothin'. I'm gonna bring the bike around front if you're ready, okay?"

She grabbed a stack of containers from the counter and shoved them into his arms

"Here, could you take these out with you? I still have to fill this last one, then I'll be out. And Soul, only eat the brownies that I made. We don't want a repeat of last time."

He headed for the door, juggling the stack of containers that threatened to spill from his grasp.

"Hey, that was a mistake! How was I supposed to know those brownies were loaded? I only did it once, and I just took one bite! I threw the rest away! Are you never gonna let me live that down?"

"Probably not. Just be careful; you look stoned half the time anyway, and it's hard enough convincing people you're not."

She listened to him grumble all the way out the door, then sighed as she began filling the Tupperware with Oreo cookie bars. To be honest, she was a little embarrassed about the costume, but this was her last seduction attempt. She had gone to that club the other night like Blair suggested to watch people flirt, and she thought she had figured out what she had needed to do. She had stepped up her game, but Soul didn't seem to want to play. There were times when she thought he might, but he always recovered quickly. Her confidence was being fed to the shredder at an alarming rate, and she had decided that she couldn't handle this much longer. If she couldn't get him to make a move tonight, she was done. Which was looking more and more likely, since she had no idea what to do now short of stripping naked and pouncing on him.

Snapping the lid firmly in place, she went to the hall closet and pulled out a black ankle length cloak and pulled it on, careful to lock the door behind her on her way out. Soul had just pulled up front, the engine purring as he waited for her to load the last of the desserts and climb on sideways behind him. Feeling her squeeze his shoulder to signal that she was ready he took off, going slower down the streets than he usually did, keeping an eye out for trick-or-treaters.

---

The party looked like it was in full swing when they pulled up, loud music blasting out as groups of people went in and out, costumes ranging from absurd to I'm-trying-to-get-laid-tonight. Soul pulled the motorcycle around back were he could park without having to worry about someone messing with it, and helped Maka carry the load of food to the kitchen door. They must have been expected, because before they could knock, the door was flung open by a grinning Patty. She was wearing a brown velour long-sleeved one-piece that ended in puffy shorts much like her usual outfit, with a long tail waving behind her and monkey ears attached to her head.

"Hey guys! We were startin' to think you weren't gonna make it!" she laughed, ushering them in, taking some of the containers and trotting to where the tables were set up in long lines in the dining room. Maka and Soul followed at a slower pace, waving at Kid at Liz, who were dressed as Tarzan and Jane, meaning that Patty must have been Cheetah.

"Soul, did Black*Star mention what he and Tsubaki were dressing as?" Maka asked curiously as she set the desserts out, slowly reducing the stack he was holding until there was nothing left, leaving him free to snag a peanut butter brownie.

"Nope, and honestly, I was too scared to ask. Why, didn't Tsubaki tell you?" he spoke around a mouthful of chocolatey, peanut buttery heaven.

"Every time I asked her, she would just give me this nervous laugh and change the subject. I have a bad feeling that Black*Star chose the costumes this year, and-oh holy fuck." she said numbly, her jaw going slack.

Soul waved his hand in front of her unseeing eyes. "Maka? Hey, Maka? You all right?" he followed her shocked gaze to a spot across the room, where he saw a familiar pair in a set of familiar outfits. "Oh holy double fuck." he said, his jaw hanging to match hers.

They had truly outdone themselves this year, both Soul and Maka thought as they watched their friends with a sick fascination. Foregoing traditional costumes, Tsubaki and Black*Star had dressed up as Soul and Maka, track jacket, headband, plaid skirt, combat boots...the whole nine yards. Only Tsubaki was dressed as Soul, while Black*Star was dressed as Maka.

"Damn. We shoulda worn somethin' with masks." he sighed, and Maka could only nod in agreement.

Black*Star spotted them, and with a cheery wave he lead Tsubaki over to them, his skirt flipping dangerously high as he crossed the room.

"Maka! Soul! How you like our getup? Spot on, huh?" Black*Star laughed loudly, attracting attention from nearly everyone in the room

"Well, it's too late to pretend we don't know them." Maka deadpanned, as Soul slapped his face, his eyes darting around for an escape was about to slither off into the crowd, when Maka firmly grasped his hand.

"Oh, no you don't. You're sticking this out right along with me."

He froze at the feel of her hand on his wrist, fighting the impulse to take her hand in his.

"Black*Star, what the hell were you thinking?" Maka asked her eggplant-IQed friend with a growl.

He scratched the back of his head. "Well, we left pickin' somethin' out till too late, and we didn't know what to do. But I saw in one of Tsubaki's magazines where they were givin' costume tips, and one of the ideas was to dress as your favorite couple. So here we are!" he beamed proudly, while Tsubaki mouthed 'sorry' behind his back.

"We're not a couple." Soul and Maka spoke in unison, the bitterness in their voices making it sound like they found the idea unpleasant. Each flinched back, before masks of indifference slipped over their hurt features.

"This is lame. I'm gonna go talk to Kid." Soul drawled. "Later." and without a backward glance he was gone, leaving her hand feeling empty from his lack of touch.

"I'm so sorry, Maka-chan...things don't seem to be going well, and we may have made them worse."

Maka shook her head dispiritedly, her high ponytail swaying behind her. "It's not your fault. I guess it just wasn't meant to be, and I was fooling myself to think otherwise. After tonight, I give up."

"No."

Maka's head snapped up at Black*Star's serious tone. "What do you mean, no? He's obviously not the least bit attracted to me, so I might as well stop now while I have some dignity left."

He rolled his eyes. "Faith. Have some, why don't ya? Look, trust me on this, okay? Just forget about it and concentrate on havin' some fun."

"I guess I might as well." she said with a shrug of her shoulders.

"Good! And hey, I'm still tryin' to figure out where you hide books in this rig. It can't be the skirt, 'cause there's barely enough room for my di-"

"Aaaaand let's go look at the pumpkins that Patty carved!" Tsubaki cut in loudly, dragging the two of them behind her.

Maka laughed, determined to have at least a little fun tonight. She would worry about this mess with Soul later.

---

Soul observed everything from his corner of the room, where he had stationed himself for the last two hours. He had seethed while watching guys drool over his meister, although he was pleased to see that she didn't seem to notice the attention she was receiving. But every little look, every whispered comment he overheard about her was raising his blood pressure, his teeth squeaking as they ground together. She hadn't made any effort to speak to him since he had walked off earlier, and he didn't know what was worse; being ignored or being used as some crash test dummy for flirting. Right now she was with their friends, her head thrown back as she laughed at something that had been said. He wanted to join them, but he was afraid she would start practicing on him again, and he knew he couldn't take it, not when he wanted so badly for her interest in him to be real.

A new song started to play, and he watched with mounting jealousy as Maka and Black*Star began to mock grind against each other, his hands on the bare skin of her hips as she bent forward and pressed into him. Soul's vision went red; he didn't care that it was just a joke and didn't mean anything, that even Tsubaki was laughing at their antics. He had had enough, and before he could think his actions through, he was across the room, yanking her away from everyone, dragging her along behind him.

Liz and Tsubaki started to follow them, but Black*Star blocked them with a wide grin. "No need to worry, his balls finally dropped! Let'em go. They'll get everything worked out, and I doubt they want witnesses for it, if ya get my drift."

"Are you sure? You don't think they're just going to fight?" Tsubaki asked nervously.

Black*Star gave her a wicked leer. "Oh, they're gonna fight, alright. That's just what they do. But I saw the look on Soul's face, and that was the look of a man that's finally snapped. She's gonna be lucky if she can walk tomorrow."

Maka was actually having trouble walking now, trying to keep up with the long strides of her weapon as he lead her on a winding path through throngs of people.

"Soul? What's going on? Ouch! Hey, I can walk on my own! Could you slow down?"

He didn't answer, but he slowed his pace fractionally to accommodate her. They passed a giant lobster, who looked Maka up and down appreciatively.

"Hey Albarn! Rockin' body! If his blaster jams, look me up!"

She heard Soul growl something as they sped back up, going deeper into the house, the amount of people decreasing the further they went. They reached a bathroom at the end of a hallway, and Soul yanked her in, slamming the door and locking it behind him. He spun around to face her, his hands on his upper arms, body pressed flush against hers.

"You've been driving me crazy all night," he snarled. "hell, you've been driving me crazy for weeks! Is this what you're looking for?"

He covered her mouth with his, putting all his pent up longing behind the kiss, his tongue thrusting between her lips to toy with hers, feeling her blunt teeth scrape against him, till finally he pulled away, both of them breathless.

"Is it?" he demanded again, lust darkened eyes searching hers for answers.

Maka was slightly confused, not knowing what had finally set him off, but she was sure of one thing.

"Yes." she answered firmly, grabbing him by the hair and yanking him in for another kiss. It was shorter than the last, ending when he bit her on her lower lip, and he pulled away roughly, dropping to his knees before her.

His hands ran up and down the enticingly soft skin of her thighs, fingers finally grazing the edge of the cloth where it rested at the crease of her leg. More tenderly than he had been, he stroked his fingers between her legs, marveling at how wet she was; the material was soaked and clinging to her alluringly. He was deaf to everything but her shocked but pleased gasps, blind to all but the sight before him.

This did not mean that he wasn't still frustrated. Far from it. But Soul, when he was frustrated, had one way of comforting himself. He ate. There hadn't been a chance to take his feelings out on the snack table earlier, and in here, there was only Maka, or toothpaste.

He hated mint.

"Soul? What are you doing?" she breathed shakily, becoming nervous when he paused. "Why are-Aaah!"

He had spread her legs, and with one fluid motion ran his tongue up her cloth covered slit. Feeling her muscles quiver, he leaned back to look at her.

"I'm giving my meister what she wants. I don't know who the hell you plan on hooking up with, but I always want you to remember one thing;" he glared up at her, his voice dropping to a rumbling bass that had her even more aroused than before. "I made you come first!"

Without hesitating for her reply, he shifted the crotch of her costume aside, diving in with abandon, his tongue working magic between her folds. He plunged into her repeatedly, occasionaly circling her clit, tapping at it and flicking it from side to side.

Encouraged by the way her hips were thrusting into his mouth and the way she gripped handfuls of his hair to hold his head in place, he carefully inserted a finger, rubbing her walls untill she got used to the sensation, increasing the speed which he moved in and out of her, before repeating the process with a second finger.

Her shouts were getting louder, and he could feel something building as her channel began to clench around him spasmodically. He attacked her clit, sucking at it mercilessly, then gently grazing it with one of his sharp teeth. The stimulation was enough to send her reeling over the edge, his name on her lips the sweetest sound he had ever heard.

He removed himwelf from her shaking body, licking her stickiness from his fingers with concentration. That was probably the only time he would be with her like that; he wanted to commit everything to memory, from the way she tasted, to the way her voice rasped as her chest heaved up and down with soft pants, trying to recapture her breath. It came as a total shock when she pushed herself away from where the counter had been digging painfully into her waist and dropped to the floor, grasping his beltloops and slamming him into her previous place.

"Eh, Maka? why are you-you don't have to, um..." he stuttered as she undid his pants, her eyes narrowed as she bared her teeth at him, an alarming sight in their current situation.

"Returning the favor. I want you to remember something too. When you finally choose some big breasted girl like something out of those magazines, just remember you got hard over a flat-chested nobody like me!"

Something about her words struck him as being off, but it was hard to focus with the way she was pumping him up and down with one hand, the fingertips of the other dancing over his tip. He had opened his mouth to croak out a question when suddenly, he was being licked from base to head, and every thought above his waist was blasted from his mind.

"WHOA! Ah-ah, MaKA!" he yelped, as she took the head into her mouth, giving him an extra squeeze as she began to suck on him. His hips gave a small buck forward before he was able to control himself, his fingers digging into her hair as he fought to remain still. He was afraid for a moment that he had choked her, but after a tiny pause, she took him in even deeper, sucking harder than she had before. As her head bobbed up and down in a steady rhythm, the hand at his base began to jerk him in a twisting motion, her other hand cradling his balls, being careful not to apply too much pressure as she rolled them between her fingers, finding the slightly rough texture a pleasing contrast to the smooth ridges of his shaft.

His nights of lotion and his right hand hadn't prepared him for the hot, wet heat that was her mouth, and he felt his end approaching swiftly, pleasure beyond what he was used to feeling building up in his lower stomach, his mind blanking out as he growled her name over and over. Before he could warn her, or at least pull out, he came, shooting into her mouth with one final cry. Through the white noise roaring in his ears he heard her choke, and staggered to the side a little, enough for her to release him. Bonelessly, he collapsed to the floor, the room still spinning as he tried to catch up with everything that had just occured.

Vision returned to him, and he watched with fond amusment as she daintily wiped her mouth like some elegant lady at a fancy dinner with a handtowel she had pulled from the rack on the wall. She caught him looking and blushed heavily, discreetly closing her legs that had been sprawled open, as if he hadn't been buried between them just a short time before.

Slowly, her words came back to him, just as confusing as when he had first heard them, only now he wasn't being sucked to distraction.

"Hey, what were you talkin' about earlier? What do you mean, when I choose some girl?"

Maka wadded the towel up into a ball and tossed it into a corner, her eyes refusing to meet his as she fiddled with the strip of cloth hanging at her waist, feeling suddenly exposed.

"I meant exactly what I said." she spoke quietly, wishing she could flee the scene and ignore this awkward confrontation. But Maka wasn't a coward, and she knew that things couldn't go back to the way they were, and that they needed to get this all out in the open.

"Eventually, you're going to go out with someone like that. That's just the type you're interested in. Pretty much the exact opposite of me." she continued with a calmness she didn't feel.

His face twisted in puzzlement. "I told you, those were Blair's magazines. Why do you keep sayin' that I'm into that kind of woman?"

"Oh come on! You even said yourself that it was came down to them or me, and that you preferred them! And if that wasn't enough, you've made it perfectly clear that I'm not attractive by the way you've been avoiding me!" her voice cracked with sadness and frustration, the corners of her eyes growing moist.

A small light went off for Soul. "Of course I said that! If I admitted it was you I got off on, you would've castrated me on the spot! And it's not fuckin' fair saying I've been avoiding you! You've been tempting and teasin' me for weeks till I almost can't control myself! Do you have any idea how much it hurts, when the girl you like is using you as a practice run for another guy? You know I'd do anything for you, Maka, but this is askin' too much." his words were breaking worse than hers, his voice thick with emotion as his hands clenched into tight fists, his knuckles as white as his hair.

It was her turn to be confused. "What guy?"

"You don't have to hide it. Black*Star told me that you asked them for help to get the guy you liked. He even said I should help too. Why didn't you just tell me? It would've been better than usin' me like that." he said sadly, the hurt he was feeling evident on his face.

She gripped his shoulder, shaking him until he looked at her. "Soul! The guy I liked was you! He knew that! I have no idea why he would make you think it wasn't, but he's about to feel the business end of Witch Hunter on his ass!" she growled angrily, her eyes gleaming with a fierce brightness that had Soul thankful he wasn't the recipient of her wrath. Then her words sunk in, and he he whipped around, clutching at her shoulders.

"Then...all that...all those things you did, it was for me?" his voice was full of cautious hope, the dark cloud that had been hanging over him finally starting to disperse.

"Of course it was! So...the reason you kept pushing me away wasn't because you didn't want me?"

"I thought if you were interested in someone else, I should just back off and keep quiet. I just wanted you to be happy, even if it was with some other bastard."

Maka leaned forward and placed her lips on his, this kiss shyer and softer than their previous ones.

They pulled back, each one giddy with relief, putting a mental memo note in the back of their mind to murder Black*Star later. Right now was time to focus on each other, and as their mouths met again, her fingers twisted into the front of his vest, his arms going around her shoulders to pull her closer to him. The kisses became needier and more passion filled as hands began to wander, soft moans being swallowed by the other as soon as they were released.

His hands roamed the smooth contoures of her waist, fingers sliding teasingly into the sides of her costume bottoms.

"Makaaaaa," he whined into her neck, his breath tickling the sensitive skin, "I don't wanna do this on the bathroom floor, but I don't think I can make it till we get home..." he trailed off in embarrassment.

"You don't have to." she gasped in his ear, the tingling between her legs growing with each second. "Kid gave us a room in case you weren't able to drive us back."

She gave a delighted squeak when he nibbled his way back up her neck, one hand finally fondling the ass which had been tormenting him for so long.

"Then what are we waiting for? Lead the way, princess!" he grinned toothily.

Maka stood up, giggling. "Alright, let's go. Oh! Um, one thing before we go...you might want to tuck yourself back in."

He looked at her blankly, then followed her gaze to where he stood at attention, ready to wave a happy hello to whoever they passed into the halls. Quickly, he fumbled himself back into his pants, glaring at her snickers as she unlocked the door.

"Just keep laughin'. Maybe I'll keep it in my pants the rest of the night."

Maka paused to smile seductively over her shoulder, causing him to gulp. "We'll see about that. Because now that I know you want it, I can make these last few weeks seem as innocent as a nun's sewing circle." she purred, leaving no doubt in his mind that she was capable of such a thing.

"On second thought, maybe you should get us to that room you mentioned. Fast." he replied hoarsely, already regretting the restricting confines of his pants.

She lead him down dim hallways lit only by candles, finally stopping in front of one of the doors. They entered quietly, Soul closing and locking the door behind them as he took note of the room. There was a large bed in one corner with black sheets and comforter, going nicely with the dark wood of the floors and furniture. A small lamp cast a glow over the room, and from its light he could make out two sets of clothes on the dresser that appeared to be regular clothes of his and Maka's to change into tomorrow. There didn't seem to be any pajamas, but he decided with an inner leer that they wouldn't be necessary.

They both sat down on the edge of the bed, suddenly shy in spite of their previous actions. He watched her fidget nervously for a few seconds before deciding to make the first move, grasping her chin gently to tilt her head as he kissed her slowly, his lips moving softly on hers. She drew back, kicking her sandals off as she lay down, pulling him on top of her. Two soft thumps came from the floor, the sound of his shoes following hers as he stretched over her body, careful not to put too much of his weight on her. His hands began to explore her as they continued to kiss, gliding over the taut skin of her waist to cup one of her breasts, his thumb grazing over the already hardened nipple. He propped himself on his other arm to get a better view as he rolled and pinched it, enjoying the way she gripped the sheets in her fists at the new sensations he was eliciting from her body.

"Sorry about earlier. Things got kinda crazy, and we missed a few steps. Let me make that up to you."

Maka couldn't form words to answer; it was all she could do to remember to breath as he kissed his way past her collar bones to join his fingers, his tongue taking over the teasing as he lapped at her through the silky material of her top, her moans growing louder when he began to suck on her. He removed himself from her breast long enough to lift her upper body to help her wiggle out of the top of her costume, before latching on to the previously neglected breast, her hands tangling in his hair as she held him close, gasping when he began to use his teeth to give short, sharp bites, leaving red streaks on her once flawlessly pale skin.

It became more than her oversensitized flesh could handle, so she pulled him back up for more kisses, tugging his vest and shirt off so she could feel the delicious skin on skin contact as he draped himself over her once more. He felt his already pounding heart speed up as she wrapped her legs around him and began to grind their pelvises together, the heat from her body nearly scorching him through his thin slacks.

His hips shot forward to meet hers, her nipples rubbing against his with each hard thrust that he made. Her hands ran up and down his shoulders, brushing through his hair at intervals only to return to the heated skin of his back, their breaths growing heavier and more rapid. Soul noticed that they were no longer even kissing, all their attention focused on the friction that was building between their legs. If this kept up, their pants would end up a sticky mess, and as nice as release would be, Soul could think of a way to make it even shaky legs he stood from the bed, quickly shucking off his pants, boxers and socks. He knew not where they landed; all his attention centered on Maka, who had taken the opportunity to remove the last of her costume, along with the elastic that had been holding her hair in the high tail.

He climbed back into bed, spreading her legs and kneeling between them. Earlier, he hadn't gotten a very good look, too intent on bringing her release to enjoy himself. He was determined to examine her more thouroughly this time around, so he watched closely as he parted her pink folds, soaked and slippery with evidence of her arousal. His fingers were just starting to get reaquainted with her when she brushed his hand away. Confused, he looked up at her, worried he had somehow done something wrong.

"Soul...that was really nice, but...I'm ready now. Could you go ahead and...?" she blushed, not quite sure how to word her request.

"Ah, sure! If you're, you know, ready." he gulped. When she gave him a small nod, he bent forward to kiss her, both of them letting out a moan as his cock brushed her wetness, the feel of him sliding between her legs as he rubbed himself against her exciting them both.

He reached down to position himself, and she braced herself for the feeling of him entering her. When nothing happened, she opened her eyes, staring up at his distressed expression.

"Soul? Why did you stop?" she whined, irritated that he had stopped so soon.

Soul was about to have a panic attack. "We don't have... I can't, or you'll..." he gibbered. He was trying manfully not to cry, at least until he could make it to the refuge of the bathroom.

Understanding, she used her legs to pull him closer, his head entering her, a low sound rising in his throat.

"It's okay. Pill." she grit out, not letting him move away.

"Dearsweetgodinheaventhankyou ." he muttered, sinking fully into her gratefully.

The feel of her wrapping around him made the hairs on the back of his neck rise up. He had been told that getting head was like having sex. He had been lied to. As mind numbingly awesome as Maka's mouth had been, this was on a whole other level.

Something struck him. "Um, wasn't I supposed to break through, or somethin'?"

"That broke a few years ago." Maka grunted as she tried to get used to having him inside her.

"Are you okay? Does it hurt much?"

She considered her answer carefully. "Not...really. It just feels strange. You feel different than my vibrator. It's warm, and...bigger."

Soul felt like he might cry after all. Things just kept getting better; he was the one she wanted, they were having sex, she wasn't bleeding and crying because of him, and she had just said he was big. The fact that she had mentioned using a vibrator was also not lost on him; he found himself wondering if he could convince her to let him watch her use it, and maybe if he asked right, she would allow him to use it on her.

Distracted as he was by his plans, he had let his hips shift forward, her sharp gasp pulling him back to the present.

"Sorry! I'll stop, just-"

"Try that again."

He did so, being sure to move slowly, giving her time to tell him if it was too much. She didn't seem to think it was, whispering his name as she began to move with him.

Once he realized she was starting to feel good, he braced his knees on the bed, picking up speed, watching her toss her head restlessly from side to side. Leaning onto his forearms, he buried his face into her neck, biting down on the spot where neck met shoulder to muffle his cries, her name barely distinguishable to her ears. She felt no urge to restrain herself, her shouts getting progressively louder as the heat in her stomach coiled tighter and tighter, her nails raking down his back as she bit his earlobe, sucking it into her mouth as her hips lost control of their movements. She could feel him tensing up, swelling within her in preperation of his release. If he could only hold out a few seconds longer...There! Her orgasm tore through her, making her head spin as if she was on a rollercoaster. She felt her legs drop to the mattress as he froze above her, filling her up as her muscles continued to squeeze down on him.

The next thing Soul was aware of, he was lying on top of Maka, her hands lazily stroking his neck and shoulders. He basked in the sensation for a moment, then realized he must be crushing her. Quickly, he rolled off of her onto his back, taking her with him to reverse their positions.

They lay there silently, both of them taking pleasure in the closeness of the other. After a while, Soul spoke up in a drowsy voice as he played with a strand of her hair.

"You know, if it wasn't for that moron Black*Star, we could've done this a lot sooner. I don't know about you, but I plan on gettin' some payback."

Maka giggled into his chest, nuzzling her cheek against him. "Dont worry. I already have several ideas for revenge, none of them pretty. I guess the last few weeks would have gone differently if he had kept his mouth shut, huh?"

Soul grinned down at her, light from the lamp reflecting off of his teeth. "You have no idea...but to make up for it, I say we have a reenactment, startin' with that little purple skirt you bought. There are several fantasies involving that thing that I wouldn't mind tryin' out."

Maka hugged him tightly. She could feel the love he felt for her thrumming through his wavelength, the warmth of it soothing her to sleep. As her eyes drifted shut, she resolved to make up these past few weeks to him. She had a few ideas for that skirt as well...

In another room of the large mansion, Tsubaki watched anxiously as her meister unzipped his skirt and tugged it over his hips.

---

"Black*Star, are you sure they'll be alright? Soul looked awfully mad."

He ruffled her hair, tossing the headband she had been wearing onto the dresser. "They're gonna be fine! Besides, you know that he wouldn't do anything bad to her, no matter how mad he was. You'll see, in the mornin' they'll definitely be a couple! and it's all thanks to me! I'm sure they're already thinkin' of ways to thank me for gettin' 'em together!" he laughed, as Tsubaki shook her head in exasperation.

Black*Star slid into bed, grinning at the thought of two of his most loyal followers throwing themselves at his feet in gratitude. Yes, he truly was a god; god of love!

Fool.