Here's the second chapter. I'm continuing to take them a little OOC and make Black Star have an emotion other than insane. Please review if you like the story, also if you have something you might like to see in a future chapter, please do submit it in a review and I'll do my best to incorporate it with my own ideas.
As the group took seats on the couch, Black Star sat on a small pillow on the floor, facing the group before moving over to sit next to Tsubaki with tears welling in his eyes. He knew that he was in trouble and he knew that there was going to be a long lecture ahead of him. Though the room was filled with light, it felt dark and uninviting almost to the point of making him physically ill with anxiety.
The tension in the room was palpable, so much so that one could cut it with a knife fairly easily. Tsubaki moved to give her meister more room than she normally would and Maka was giving Black Star a hard stare that mixed disdain with concern. The ninja wasn't enjoying it in any capacity and he was right to not do so as it was going to be a very long discussion. Soul sat next to his meister and had a look of pity crossed with anger though it was self-depreciation anger rather than entirely directed at Black Star. Kidd sat to the left of Black Star after returning from the kitchen and shook his head mostly in disappointment.
"Black Star, I think we all need to have a very long discussion with you about what just happened. Emotions are a bit high right now and that's not cool, but it's completely forgivable in that we are all scared and stressed out right now." Soul said with some conviction, "Look, I know there are multiple issues going on and I intend on letting you talk about them at your own pace because there is no good in forcing you to talk before you are ready to talk. But I also want to let you know that everything is going to be okay. All of us are here for you in whatever capacity you need us to be. I know we generally didn't talk about your emotions or anything else with you, but that is going to change. If something truly is bothering you, there is no shortage of people here to talk about it with. I for one feel really bad about not noticing or helping beforehand." Soul said as he looked around the room for confirmation.
"Soul is right, Star. We are all here for you. I also feel pretty lousy for not being around like I should." Kidd said with a tone blending emotional pain with wanting.
"The boys are right. I'm your weapon and I should have noticed. I'm so sorry Black Star. I'm so sorry." Tsubaki said, her eyes welled with tears as she gently hugged her meister, "I'm going to do a better job from now on."
"They are right, Black Star. I…I'm sorry that your troubles went unnoticed by any of us. Please…forgive me, I'm…so sorry." Maka said with tears in her eyes. She looked around the room and noticed that even Soul was starting to have trouble maintaining his composure. "Whatever you need, Black Star. We are here for you, we all want to help you."
"You don't need to help me, guys. I'm your God. I'm above help of mortals." Black Star said, trying to fake a smile.
"Just…Black Star…don't do that. Just…you're human like us. It's okay to need help and support." Kidd said ironically.
"I…fine…I've been struggling with depression for a while now. It's why I'm…acting all funny all the time. It's why I have an ego the size of a house. I…just don't want you guys to worry about me. There's bigger fish to fry in the world like keeping the Kishin eggs from becoming Kishin. Don't worry about me. I'll be okay. It's just a bout of it." The ninja said with despair deeply woven through his voice. He looked around and felt the eyes of everyone boring holes in him and the weight of his problems now sinking into his shoulders even more. "I just…it's been tough ever since we lost Chrona and Lord Death. Killing Mifune…I…took so much from me. It's been hard. I just have so much trouble dealing with my emotions from that. I thought that I was invincible and didn't have to worry about feelings, but obviously I do. I guess." He said, sighing quietly after he finished speaking.
"Black Star…can I ask you…a question about your…cutting?" Maka asked nervously, "If it's too much to talk about…feel free to say so."
"You can ask." Black Star replied softly with a nod of his head.
"How many cuts have you made on your body?" She asked trying not to tear up and stumble on her words. Noting that she was about to burst into tears, Soul grabbed her hand and held it softly.
"I've cut four hundred and five lines on my body." He replied looking at Maka and then at Tsubaki, "I'm so sorry." He said before hugging his weapon tightly. His emotions flowed over the top as tears spilled out of his eyes. The pain washed over him once again as he remembered the final fight with Mifune and how his arm was cut and his fingers broken. He remembered how it felt to be hurt so badly and the emotions of taking a life. He looked over at his friends and saw that Soul was holding onto Maka with tears in his eyes and that Kidd was sitting in the same spot with his knees up to his chest, hanging his head in them. To Black Star it all felt like a horrible nightmare that he couldn't escape from even in his sleep. He felt entirely helpless at the thought of feeling emotions and struggling with depression, "There isn't any significance to each cut nor are they grouped together for a certain reason. There's no group of cuts that are for each injury or time I've let you down. They are just…there to help.
"Black Star…that's…a lot. I don't even know what to say." Kidd said as he wiped his eyes and peeked over his knees. "All I know is that we are going to have to come up with a strategy to make sure you are fairly well monitored and that we all share the time. What do you all think?" Kidd asked as he scanned the others for their opinion.
"I agree with Kidd. We all need to watch out for each other in general, but Black Star is the one most in need right now. Let's figure this one out." Soul said coolly through his teary eyes and choked voice.
"I agree as well." Tsubaki said quietly, "My meister needs help and we need to help him as best we can."
"I feel the same way. We have to help him. He's part of all of us. He is so special to us and he's glue that holds our resonance together. Even if he can be self absorbed and mean sometimes." Maka said with a small smile cracking her lips causing Black Star to giggle.
"I…have something to tell you guys…I just…don't want to do it in this kind of setting. I…need to think about it in private for a while before I tell you. But…thank you, all of you. I…really need you guys right now and I'm glad to know that someone really does care and is willing to help me. It…helps so much to know that you care." Black Star lied to them hoping that nobody would notice. "I'm…going to be in Tsubaki's room. I won't leave it and I know there's nothing in there that I can cut myself with. Right Tsubaki?" he said before standing up to leave.
"You're right Black Star. I've kept everything out of there since we moved in together." His weapon said quietly.
"Black Star…we really do care about you, even if you don't believe us. We care about you deeply. You're part of our group of friends and that means something to us. You faced down the Kishin with us, helped us fight the witches, and even helped us fight against the clowns. You have done so much and helped us all grow in so many ways that we would be lost without you binding us together. Thank you." Soul said with a smile as his friend left to go to his weapon's room.
As soon as the door shut, the rest of the group began to quietly debate about how to best keep him monitored so he wouldn't hurt himself. The tension in the room dropped exponentially and it felt like though there was still a great burden on their shoulders, they could breathe again.
"I think we could have him committed for a while in the nurse's office. It couldn't hurt. Could it?" Kidd suggested quickly.
"I don't think that's the best option to be honest. What if we all take turns having him over sometimes? I mean he's not good with being in a group and showing his emotions. It's like Soul not talking about his problems unless it's to one person." Maka observed, "Not that there's anything wrong with it, it's just that I know Black Star even though he wants to be the biggest and baddest of us all, looks up to Soul greatly."
"Agreed, I hate sharing my emotions in general and it's just not possible in this kind of setting. I can't do it unless it's a one on one." Soul agreed, "I also think that having him spend the night at Gallows with Kidd and the girls as well as spending some time with Maka and I will help. I mean we could all sleep over at one place as well, when is the last time that we all spent some quality time together that wasn't fighting and made a day of it?"
"I think you guys are right. I can get through to him a lot of the time, but sometimes I just…it's hard putting up with him sometimes, but I won't tell him." Tsubaki whispered, "Black Star is a wonderful meister, but there are things he does and says that are hurtful. We can all share him though; it's probably something he wants anyways. I know that he doesn't feel that he gets to spend enough time with you guys. I also agree that we could all spend the night together, I love doing that."
"I think that we could take him for the night if you would like that Tsubaki. You wouldn't have to stay up and watch him or let him sleep in your bed with you. Maka, thoughts?" Soul offered.
"I think we could do it. I also like giant sleepovers and trips. What do you guys think?" Maka replied with a smile.
"I kind of like those ideas. He's just…so messy. It would take me three days to clean up after him." Kidd said with a shudder.
"Guys I don't want you to feel forced into this. I really appreciate the offer, but I don't want to burden you with more troubles." Tsubaki offered quietly with a voice of embarrassment.
"It's no trouble at all, Tsubaki. We are all friends here and I'm sure that Black Star would love to spend time with all of us. It should help him with his depression, in theory." Kidd offered as reassurance.
"That's okay with me if you guys are really okay with it." Tsubaki replied after a tense few moments of silence. "Let's see what he has to say when he comes back out."
"We'll have to, he's cut off the resonance link so he can be alone." Maka and Kidd said in unison.
"Why don't we take Black Star tonight and let you rest, Tsubaki? You did the bulk of the work today." Soul asked quietly, looking in Maka's direction for a nod of approval.
"That's a great idea, Soul." Maka nodded quickly letting her partner off the hook for not asking her beforehand, "He trusts Soul as much as he trusts you so I'm sure he could get through to him. Besides, Soul is right. You need a break from today, we all do. I don't think we should rotate him through us though. He needs stability and that would really ruin him if that happened. We just need to find time to be friends rather than partners who work together only."
"I...if you guys are sure that you would be okay with having him tonight, I'll let him know and I'll call you when he decides on what he wants to do. The only thing we really need to do now is respect his decisions unless they are really bad and going to get him hurt." Tsbuaki said quietly.
"Kidd, we really haven't discussed what is going to happen with all of us as a group since we defeated the Kishin. I mean, we've been attending classes here and there between missions, but I just…I know that school is something that stresses out Black Star. It stresses Soul out as well. I think it stresses everyone out, but I just want to know what you would think about considering us graduated so that we no longer have to attend classes." Maka asked in a curious manner.
"She has a point, Kidd. The DWMA has really served its purpose of defeating the witches as we have struck a peace treaty with them that is indefinite. Not to say that they aren't planning to stab us in the back, but it truly served the purpose. The only thing we have to worry about is the eggs becoming Kishin. Beyond that we need to set about restoring the command chain for each of the continents, we lost several good officers." Soul added as he sat back before hugging his meister much to her embarrassment.
"You do bring up a few good points. I'm keeping my death scythes here for now so that we can keep a group ready should something go wrong. I'd like you to attend a few classes so that if you decide to leave the DWMA and go into a normal or as normal as possible life, you can be prepared. As far as I am concerned, your education in the classroom is pretty much complete though I would like you all to take five more classes, ones you haven't taken before. You will take them as a group and upon the completion of every class, you will be considered officially graduated." Kidd said with pride.
"Just five more classes? I like this. Here I was thinking I would have to be in school for forever." Soul said with a smirk.
"But that doesn't answer the point about missions and command structure." Maka said as she pulled away from Soul's embrace.
"The command structure can be rebuilt by the meisters and weapons that graduate next year, if there are any four star meisters that is. I will talk to Sid about that point. As to missions, Soul and Tsubaki are death scythes. I'm not going to make any of you go on anything but the highest-level missions. If you want to do a low-level mission that is your choice, but when you do the higher-level missions, you will have to take a lower star pair of students with you so that they can learn." Kidd said, scanning the room for reactions.
"You're in charge, Kidd. I think we all agree with your plans." Tsubaki said as the others nodded in agreement.
Black Star sat in his weapon's room and killed his link with the rest of the group; he wanted to be truly alone in his sadness. He hated feeling alone like he did right now, but it was the only way he could think to be so he could muster the courage to tell his weapon about his sexuality. He didn't think he could face Maka about it yet, rather he knew he couldn't face her with it. She was the oldest friend he had and he thought of her as so much more than just a regular friend. She was his best friend next to his weapon. He was desperate to be able to tell her, but he knew that the courage would never be gathered before the group finished their discussion about what to do with him. He knew that it wouldn't be good and that they would likely just have him committed to the psych ward in the nurse's office, as there weren't really many options otherwise.
Black Star dreaded the feeling of being locked away. His group needed him and there was nobody else that could wield Tsubaki like he did. What if there was some important mission that he had to go on because the Maka and Soul were tied up with something or injured again? What if Kidd had a job that could only be handled by a ninja? Obviously, he would have to work on his sneaking skills and being quiet rather than making a large entrance. "Perhaps it would do me some good to be in the psych ward." Black Star thought as tears streamed down his reddening face.
He looked around his weapon's room and marveled at the simplicity of it. There weren't that many things in there besides her desk, a TV, and an Xbox with a few games. Even her bed was simple; being a full size bed rather than a queen or a king as he thought it would and really, should be, as she deserved nothing but the best for putting up with him. Her walls were simple and decorated with a few pictures of the two in different stances and weapon forms along with some pictures of her family. Her bed sheets were even simple in that they were light green with a darker green stripe through the middle. There simply was nothing complex about his partner even in her choice of childhood treasures such as a simple dollhouse with dull and quiet colors or her very bland jewelry box. It left him stunned; in the time that he had lived with his partner he had never really noticed her room or its decorations.
While he looked he continued to cry silently, knowing that his entire life was about to change when he pulled his weapon into her room to discuss things with her. "I don't even know how to tell her that I'm interested in guys and girls." He thought quietly, "I…I could only tell Soul and Kidd because they told me they both felt the same as well. I don't think I could hurt Tsubaki like this after all that she has done for me. She has helped me mature greatly in that I know far more about how to be an assassin because of her. She has the blood of a demon weapon running through her and she is the best partner anyone could ever ask for. I don't know what I'd do without her." His thoughts grew quieter in his mind as his tears finally subsided. He gave the room one last look and kissed his partner's pillows softly as if that would impart some emotional connection to her. "I…I guess that I'll just tell her almost the same way that I told Soul and Kidd and hope for the best." He thought as he stood up and walked towards the door. "Well, here goes nothing. I hope this goes well." He said to himself at a nearly silent volume in a tone that mixed depression with fear and anxiety as he reached for the doorknob. "You can do this." He said as he opened the door and walked out of the room.
"Bye Maka, bye Soul. I'll call you later." Tsubaki said in her quiet manner as she gave each of them a hug.
"Bye Tsubaki, can't wait to hear from you." The pair said in unison.
"I'll be heading off as well. Call me if either of you need something." Kidd said as Tsubaki gently hugged him.
"I will. Thank you for everything today, Kidd. If…it's not too much trouble, could you give all of us a break from missions? I think it would help us all in the long run to just have a bit of time off." Tsubaki asked as she let go of Kidd.
"That I can do. We all deserve a break from missions. I don't really think we have taken a break since we fought the madness and actually won on the moon of all places to battle."
"Thank you, Kidd." She replied as she showed him to the door before wandering back into the living room to find her meister albeit a bit pale sitting beside where she had been recently sitting. She smiled softly at him before sitting next to him. "Are you feeling okay, Black Star?"
"To tell you the truth, Tsubaki…I don't know. I'm scared out of my mind right now. I…can I…have a hug please? Just…a hug, it will help me get my nerves under control." He said softly with fear coursing through his voice.
"Of course you can, Black Star." She said as she gently wrapped her arms around him. "I can feel your heart beating in your chest. It's beating really fast, faster than I've ever heard or felt it beat. Whatever it is you have to tell me, I promise it will be okay. I won't hurt you and I certainly won't tell anyone if you don't want me to tell. I promise."
"Tsubaki…I…the problem…I…me…you…I…Tsubaki…I don't know how else to say it so I'm just going to say it. Tsubaki, I…have always had feelings for girls, you know that firsthand, but more recently I've found that I…also like boys. It's…I don't honestly know how else to put it. I…like boys and girls." He said nearly fainting from fear in the process. His already pale skin lost its remaining color, and he felt sick to his stomach.
"Black Star? Is that everything?" Tsubaki asked with some concern in her voice, "I honestly wasn't expecting you to say that, but no matter because it's perfectly okay and perfectly normal to like boys and girls."
"You don't…hate me or see me differently?" he asked as he pulled back from her hug and scratched his head softly in confusion.
"Of course I don't, Black Star. You are who you are and I can't change that. It wouldn't be right of me to even try to do that. You're my meister and my closest friend. I'm so glad that you felt safe enough to finally tell me about it. Thank you for telling me. It makes me feel so much better that I know this about you."
"Thank you Tsubaki, for everything. It means so much to me. I…didn't know how you would react to that and I was terrified that it would change everything about us."
"The only thing it changes about us is now I have someone to talk about boys with maybe even girls." She said lightheartedly as she winked at her meister.
"Very funny. I already know your taste in boys from the Lust chapter of Eibon's book." Black Star said with a giggle as he hugged his weapon tightly. "From what I recall you looked oddly like me for a while."
Tsubaki blushed deeply as she hugged her meister back, leaning back on the couch and pulling him with her, "You're mean, Black Star. You are just mean. You're correct, but also mean."
"It's just because I'm right isn't it?" he asked with a giggle as he happily laid with his weapon, "I think it's just because I'm right. I'm your god after all."
"Yeah yeah, god boy. It's because you are a god after all." She said rolling her eyes very deeply.
"I forgot to do this." Black Star said as he restored the resonance link between himself and his partner, "Don't die on me, Tsubaki. It's awfully cold without you."
"The same for you, Black Star. That cold you experienced was simply a reaction to being away from someone you really care about and missing a certain thing with them. But yes, it's a very deep and chilling cold when you aren't resonating with me." She said blushing even deeper.
"I think…wait…earlier you said that you have someone to talk about boys with and maybe girls…what aren't you telling me Tsubaki? Are you…like me?" the ninja asked in a perplexed manner.
"Well…kind of. I've always kind of had a thing for boys and girls, I've liked both probably since I was little." She said quietly, "I mean. I didn't know that you were struggling with it or I would have most certainly helped you through it. I'm going to be her for you, every single step of the way. I promise it, Black Star. Even if we are apart, you know that I always have my phone with me. I'm here for you every minute of the day no matter what it is that you need help with." Tsubaki said with a low volume, embarrassment flooding through her voice.
"Thank you for telling me Tsubaki." Black Star replied nervously, "What was it you guys were talking about while I was in your room?"
"There's a lot that we talked about, Black Star. We talked about missions and school along with how we are all going to help you fight your troubles. Kidd specifically said that because we helped destroy the Kishin that we are to be finished with school after we take five more classes. Those classes are ones that are based on life skills that we would need to possess if we were to decide that we don't want to be with DWMA anymore. He also said that we are all going to be given a break from mandatory missions and if we go on them they will be high level missions, but we will also have to have a lower star weapon and meister pair to tag along with us and that we can continue doing missions meant for one and two star pairs. The only thing he stipulated about the classes is that we have to take five, as I said earlier, but they have to be ones that we haven't taken before and that we are taking them as a group, you, Soul, Maka, and I." Tsubaki said as she lay with her meister resting at her side.
"That's…a lot. Tsubaki, I don't know what I would do if it wasn't for you. I…know that what you saw earlier really hurt you and I'm sorry. I shouldn't have started cutting, but…" his voice broke as tears welled in his eyes, "I just couldn't stand being the way I am. It was just so hard to accept it." The ninja said as his tears spilled over into his voice. He laid his head back on his weapon's shoulder and wept bitter tears of pain. It was a moment of pure emotional anguish for him, something he had really never experienced.
"Black Star, shhh don't cry. It's okay," Tsubaki said trying to comfort the broken meister after a few minutes of tears, "I know how hard it can be, but it's okay. I'm here and ready to help you. All of us are. Our entire group is ready to talk to you about everything at any time."
"Tsu…Tsubaki. I'm really sorry." The ninja said as he recomposed himself. "I'm really sorry that I started cutting. I'm really sorry about everything."
"It's okay, Black Star. I'm just glad you are here and you are safe now. I'm going to do whatever it takes to help you. By the way, I neglected to mention something that the rest of us talked about while we waited for you." Tsubaki said sheepishly.
"What did you guys talk about? Locking me up until I recover completely? I don't wanna do that." He said with a tinge of fear in his voice.
"No, well yes, but no. We decided against that. What I was going to say is that we've agreed to start spending more time together and take time off from missions and school. Also, Soul would like to know if you want to spend the night with him. No rush on your answer."
"I…I'd like to, but I want to spend time with you for a little. I'm really comfy like this…minus the crying of course." The ninja replied with excitement in his voice.
"Perfectly fine with them, I'll call and let him know that you want to. I'll make sure that you get some food before you go over there so you don't eat them out of house and home…again…" Tsubaki said with a joking glare at her meister.
"Thank you so much." He replied before falling asleep on his weapon's shoulders.
An hour later, Tsubaki gently shook Black Star to wake him up for dinner. "Black Star, wake up." She softly spoke, "Time for dinner. I made stuffed rice balls, your favorite."
"RICE BALLS!" Black Star said enthusiastically as he shot up from the couch. "I love rice balls. Thank you Tsubaki."
"It's no trouble at all, Black Star." She replied quietly in direct contrast to her meister's loudness. "I know that you love them and I wanted to make you your favorite food to celebrate you telling me your secret. It takes a lot of trust to tell someone a secret that big and I'm both proud of you and happy that you told me."
"Thank you Tsubaki, for everything. How…long was I asleep? Is it too late to go over to Soul's?" He asked sleepily.
"You were asleep for a little more than an hour, I called Soul and let him know that you would be there after you ate your dinner. It's not too late as it's only half past five. I had enough time to make us both some food so we could eat together." Tsubaki said with a warm and comforting smile. "Want me to bring you a bowl?"
"If you want to bring your god one, that's fine by me." Black Star said with a smirk.
Tsubaki turned around and went to get them both some rice balls with her meister sneaking behind her. Just as she began to reach for a bowl she felt arms wrap around her waist and something lean on her back, "Black Star?" she asked timidly.
"Thank you Tsubaki. Thank you so much for everything." The ninja said as he let go of her and grabbed two bowls before getting a few rice balls for each of them. "I figured I could start repaying you by doing small things to help out."
"You're welcome Black Star. Anything for my meister." Tsubaki said as she turned and kissed his forehead gently.
The two went back to their living room and sat close to each other, quickly eating their rice balls. Black Star soon finished and went to his room to gather some extra clothes and bandages in the case he should tear open his stiches on accident after doing the dishes quickly. Returning from his room with a backpack full of stuff he smiled at his weapon and spoke quietly, "I'll call you when I get to Soul's. I shouldn't be long, but first I'm going to get a shower." He smiled and stared at Tsubaki who seemed to be slightly sad that her meister would be leaving, "Please do call me. You don't have anything you can cut yourself with do you? Do you have an extra set of clothes, some bandages, your controller, and some snacks?" she had asked him in a concerned manner. Black Star's voice was gentle in positive and negative reply before heading to take a shower.
As soon as the water hit his skin he jumped, "GAH TOO HOT. I'M MELTING!" He screamed and heard Tsubaki crack up in the living room as he turned the temperature of the water down leaving it still hot enough to steam up the bathroom just like he loved. He smiled and then frowned as the water reached his stitches and instantly moved out of the way so they wouldn't get wet. 'Perhaps I should have covered those better.' He thought quietly. He looked down at his body at the cuts he had made and looked at the scars and frowned at how they looked to him. 'They are now a part of me, forever. All the pain and suffering that those brought me, but the sweet release of the stress that melted away only to return. They are forever a part of my body now.' His thoughts started blending together as tears fell from his eyes, the pain washing off of his skin and into his soul as he quickly scrubbed his spiky blue hair clean. He knew that self-hatred would always be a problem in his life and it bothered him greatly.
"Black Star? Can I come in?" Tsubaki's voice called from outside the door, breaking his train of thought.
"If you want to you can." He replied dismally.
"Black Star," Tsubaki said as she opened the door to the bathroom, "it's okay. I'm here now. I felt your sadness from the living room and I wanted to check on you. She continued as she sat on the floor next to her meister's towel. I don't want you to be sad, Black Star. You can talk to me about anything you know. I won't judge or hate you for it."
"I know," Black Star replied with tears choking his voice as he quickly washed his body, taking great care to be ginger around his stitches, "I just…I don't know how to deal with my emotions. I'm sad all the time and I hate who I've become. I just want to be happy, but I don't know how to."
"That's okay, Black Star. It will take time to heal everything, even your scars, and I promise you that I will be here every single step of the way for you. I'll do my best to help you. You don't even need to ask me." The weapon said calmly before standing up. "Hey, come to the center of the shower and close to the edge."
"Thank you Tsubaki." He said as he did what he was told. Seconds later he felt the curtain wrap around him with Tsubaki's arms pushing it. He felt a sense of peace and security that hadn't been there before. "Tsu…Tsubaki, thank you. I…really needed a hug."
"I know you did, that's why I'm hugging you, they help settle your emotions in a way that nothing else can. Now wipe your tears away because I'm here for you." Tsubaki said quietly. She felt strong arms move against hers as he wiped his bitter tears away silently. "Don't forget, you still have to go over to Soul's. I'll have my phone so turned all the way up so you can call me if you need me."
"Thank you again, Tsubaki. Thank you for being so supportive of me. I need that now more than anything else. I'm also done showering so unless you want to see me naked, I suggest you either turn around or go."
"Wouldn't be the first time I did." Tsubaki said with a giggle as she left her meister to get dried off.
As soon as he arrived at Soul's apartment complex, Black Star called Tsubaki to let her know that he had made it safely and in record time of ten minutes. He felt a smile grow on his face as he walked up the steps to his friend's apartment and punched Soul's number in.
"Hey Soul, I'm walking up right now." He said as soon as he heard his friend answer his phone.
"Cool. See you in a few." Soul said before hanging up.
"Sou-"Black Star began as Soul hung up, "sounds good." He said, perplexed at the slight tinge of sadness in his friend's voice. "I wonder what's up with Soul." He said as he scratched his head causing his spiky blue hair to go everywhere.
As he continued walking up the steps his confusion regarding that bit of emotion that slipped through Soul's voice only increased. He knew that they would have to talk about it at some point that night, which made him panic at the idea of him having to tell Maka about him being bisexual. He felt dirty at the word, he didn't like the idea of being bisexual or rather he hated the label that was tacked onto what he liked. The word was almost like a plastic bottle being crunched at it ate away at him slowly. He knew that every one of his friends would be okay with him no matter what who he loved so long as it was a good person and they treated him fairly. He looked around and realized he was on the top floor of the building, which meant he had arrived to Soul's floor and he smiled softly knowing that he would be able to hug his friend and smell that same strange smell that had to be a mixture of his cologne mixed with his natural musk. Black Star loved that smell, whatever it was. He meandered over to Soul and Maka's door and knocked softly before standing still, waiting. A moment passed by quickly and Soul opened the door with a smirk.
"Hey Black Star." Soul greeted him with a smile and a gentle hug that caused Black Star's heart to flutter.
"H…hey Soul." He said as he returned the hug, taking in that smell that was ever so slightly different than what he remembered from their last hug 'Perhaps he took a shower. Whatever it is, I'm definitely in love with it. I love that smell.' He noticed something on his neck and knew what it was just from the feeling. "Soul you're drooling on me again."
"Sorry." Soul said quickly with a definite embarrassment in his voice and let go of his friend before turning around and walking back into his apartment, "Come on, got new stuff to show you."
"This I have to see." Black Star said softly, slightly hurt that Soul had cut the hug short. "Hey Maka!" He said in a slightly louder than normal voice, "Your god has arrived."
"Hey Black Star, good to see you are doing a little better." Maka replied, turning around with a smile as her pigtails whipped around behind her. "Soul has some stuff to show you, there's leftovers in the fridge if you guys get hungry, and I'll be reading if you guys need me." The energy seemed to radiate off of her as she skipped over to the couch dressed in what he knew were her favorite sweatpants and her favorite t-shirt.
"Thanks Maka. You look nice by the way." Black Star said as he got closer to Soul. He felt the heat radiating from Soul's body as he was only a step or two away and shut the door behind him as soon as they got into Soul's room. "What have you got to show me?" he asked quietly.
"New posters on the wall. Also wanted to show you this," Soul said as he stepped closer to his friend and pulled him into a soft kiss that took Black Star's breath away.
"That's really neat, Soul." Black Star said as he tried to catch his breath, "I think that's one of the coolest things I've seen in a while."
"Really? I thought…that might have been too cool to show you." Soul replied with his trademark spiky toothed smile.
"Definitely cool." Black Star's heart pounded in his chest with the thought of kissing Soul again. He barely heard his own response to Soul as thoughts of Soul's body clouded his mind. His only outstanding thought was to put his backpack by Soul's tv. "I…brought my controller, Soul."
"Excellent. I was about to ask you if you remembered to bring it." Soul answered coolly, seeming to not be phased by kissing his best friend. "Now, let's get down to gaming."