It was already dark when they returned home that night. Maka sighed as she put her key in the lock and listened to the chattering girls behind her who had come to collect their Miesters.

Just as she turned the key a loud crash was heard from the other side of the door startling the girls into silence. Maka flung the door open. Soul and Black*Star sat backwards on the couch facing the door both equipped with little plastic guns which shot suction cup arrows.

Maka stood in the door for a moment in shock her mouth hanging slightly ajar as she took in the scene before her. Her eyes drifted across the chaotic mess that had once been their living room.

Tsubaki quietly entered behind her pointed to a shattered vase on the floor, its floral ceramic pattern scattered across the carpet. Maka glanced at the table shocked at the huge pyramid of beer cans that was stacked there. Or as Soul would latter drunkenly inform her a' beeramid'. Kidd stood before it panicking about the symmetry of it all.

Maka's hand twitched dangerously.

"I'm so sorry Maka!" Tsubaki said seeming mortified. "I'll make sure that Black*Star replaces it." Maka sighed in dismay, all of the relaxation she had experienced during her day out vanished the moment she walked in the door.

"Um, speaking of Black*Star aren't those your underwear on his head Maka?" Liz asked with a snort as her and Patty joined them in the mess.

Maka looked at Black*Star's head horrified realizing that Liz was right. Tsubaki covered her face with her hands in embarrassment moaning her Miester's name.

"BLACK*STAR!" Maka screamed picking up a lamp that had toppled over onto the floor. "MAKA-CHOP!"

Black*Star fell backwards off of the couch, twitching as he hit the floor behind him. Soul turned to look at his fallen comrade before looking back to a now fuming Maka.

"Maka!" He said giving her a goofy grin. "Welcome home!"

"Welcome…home?" Maka gritted out between clenched teeth. "Soul our house is a mess! There's beer cans everywhere and my vase is broken, again! Wait a second…are you drunk?"

"…No?" Soul replied unsure before he gave Maka another childish grin. Maka sighed feeling momentarily at a loss of what to do with her misbehaving partner.

Tsubaki sighed walking towards the couch where Black*Star was just starting to get up. Soul glanced down at his friend and seemed to notice something for the first time.

"What the hell Black*Star?" Soul roared suddenly pissed. Maka shook her head; Soul could be so bipolar sometimes. "Why the FUCK are Maka's underwear on your head?"

Maka blinked, this was a surprise she'd thought he'd be mad for some other reason. Why did he suddenly care so much?

"Huh?" Black*Star asked reaching up to his head and removing her underwear. "Oh…I don't know. But look they have bows on them!" He laughed hysterically. "Hey Maka, wanna model them for me?"

Tsubaki paled and looked at her friend who was slowly turning redder and redder. Soul's eye twitched before he looked menacingly at the blue haired ninja.

"That's my Miester your talking about you dick!" Soul snarled socking Black*Star in the face, who fell back onto the floor with a thunk. Maka felt her eyes widen, shocked by Soul's unusual reaction.

On the other side of the room Liz and Patty were trying to drag Kidd away from the beer pyramid which due to some sort of panic attack on his part had toppled over.

"NOOO!" Kidd wailed dropping to the floor and sticking his butt up in the air while pounding the floor with his fists. "THE SYMMETRY IS RUINED! I AM A WORTHLESS HUMAN BEING, I SHOULD JUST DIE! SOMEONE KILL ME!"

"I'd like to." Soul grumbled. Watching Liz and Patty grab hold of Kidd's ankles and drag him towards the door.

Maka and Tsubaki waved as Patty and Liz dragged Kidd from the apartment. Patty laughed hysterically as Kidd continued to wail about him being a failure. Behind them Black*Star and Soul continued to yell about Maka's underwear.

"Bye guys we'll see you Monday." Liz sighed slamming the door.

Tsubaki sighed before turning around and gently smiling at Black*Star who was waving his fist in the air like a mad man. Soul was clutching something in his hand and jerked it away from Black*Star who was now reaching around him for it.

"I'll fix your vase and return it to you at school Monday." Tsubaki said cheerfully as she picked up the shattered remains of Maka's precious vase. "I'm sorry that Black*Star broke it again." She sweat dropped apologetically. Maka sighed and shrugged before smiling at her innocent scythe friend.

"It's alright Tsubaki!" Maka assured with a genuine smile. "I should have known better than to let Black*Star into the house with a pack of beer. This time it was my fault."

"Oh, you saw him then?" Tsubaki asked surprised as she bent to pick up the last piece from behind the curtain.

"Yeah." Maka sweat dropped. "Pretty stupid of me, huh?"

"No, it's just because you trust them." Tsubaki smiled.

"Well, because I did trust them." Maka grumbled. "Look what those idiots did to my apartment!" Maka waved her hands around exasperated glaring at Soul and Black*Star. Tsubaki laughed a little bit before turning to Black*Star.

"Common Black*Star it's time to go home." Tsubaki called heading towards the front door.

"What? Now way! I'm going to surpass god someday!" Black*Star shouted standing up with one foot on the back of the couch. "We can go another round, right Soul?"

"Hell yeah!" Soul yelled standing up right along with him. He seemed to have gotten over his earlier irritation or was at least too drunk to remember.

"MAKA-CHOP!" Maka screamed smashing them both over the head with a dictionary. She turned to Tsubaki looking eager. "Okay now you can take him home without a fight!"

"Oh uh, thanks Maka!" Tsubaki laughed nervously as she collected her fallen Miester slightly worried for his and Soul's health.

Maka waved as she watched them disappear through the door before sinking to the ground, her back resting against the back of the couch.

Soul was passed out on the couch from the Maka chop he had received and Maka stood up wearily looking around tiredly as she decided where to start on the mess. Turning to peer at the coffee table in front of the couch she sighed making her way towards the kitchen before returning with a garbage bag.

"Okay!" Maka said determinedly with a nod. "Let's do this!"

Tying her hair back in pig tails and pinning back her bangs Maka began to rush around the apartment picking up beer cans and empty bags of chips before she tossed the stuffed garbage bag out the window and into the dumpster below. Sighing she trudged over to the closet and grabbed the vacuum before running all over the apartment with it, vacuuming up every crumb that crossed her path. The vacuum whirred along noisily as it sucked up every last evidence of her partner's stupidity.

Groggily Soul sat up on the sofa and turned draping an arm across the back of the couch to watch as Maka continued to clean the rest of the house like she was attacking the kishen himself. Soul watched her work silently his eyes never leaving her frantically moving form. Subconsciously he licked his lips and leaned forward so that he was resting with both arms crossed on the back of the couch and his head resting on them.

Sighing Maka turned off the vacuum and looked around satisfied with her handiwork. Slowly her eyes trailed over to the couch and she nearly jumped when she realized that Soul was curiously watching her. His eyes were strangely focused for someone who had downed nearly two packs of beer on his own.

"Oh Soul," Maka said blinking. "You're awake."

He didn't reply only shrugged before turning around on the couch, placing his arms behind his head.

Maka frowned at the back of Soul's head wondering if being drunk had only been an act so that Black*Star wouldn't bother him. Curious Maka shuffled forward and leaned over the back of the couch slightly.

Soul heard Maka approaching the back of the couch cautiously. He slid his eyes over to the side as she approached and felt as a grin stretched across his features waiting for his prey to fall into the trap.

"Soul…" Maka asked leaning over the couch to look at him. "Are you really drunk?"

Suddenly Soul turned and Maka caught his grin but she wasn't fast enough to dodge as he grabbed her arm and pulled her over the back of the couch. Smirking down at her Soul caged her in his lap, one of his arms resting casually behind her head and the other wrapped around her left thigh, dangerously close to the edge of her skirt.

"What do you think?" Soul asked his smirk growing to show his teeth. Maka wrinkled her nose as she smelt the beer on his breath and she stuck her tongue out at him.

"Yes, I would say that you're definitely drunk." Maka said her nose still wrinkled. "Now, let go of me."

Soul's arm snaked around her tighter pulling her deeper into his lap as the hand behind her head laced its fingers through her pig tails pulling them loose. Gently Soul weaved his fingers through her hair nearly moaning at the silky texture on his overheated skin. He bent his head down tugging with the hand that had a hold on her hair.

Maka gasped as she felt her head being pulled back so that it exposed more of her neck to Soul. He made a noise that suggested that this pleased him and Maka felt a hot blush rush over her cheeks. Ever so gently Soul skimmed his nose over the skin that was now exposed to him, his lips resting entirely to close the junction between Maka's neck and jaw.

"No, I think I like how you are right now." Soul whispered. His hot breath fanned out over Maka's skin making it rise in goose bumps.

Maka felt her entire body shiver with delight, her brain felt foggy and she couldn't decide if it was the new sensations or what he was saying that was making her feel this way. Her breathing hitched as his lips got closer to her skin before everything became almost painfully clear.

Soul was drunk; he didn't know what the hell he was doing! If she let him continue then she would never forgive herself. Maka knew very well that Soul only thought about her as his partner and nothing more. He would be mortified and possibly even angry with her if he found out about this.

"Stop!" Maka gasped jerking away from his hold which had momentarily loosened. "Soul stop!"

Soul bolted upright looking down at her with a confused and slightly irritated expression. But it quickly changed when he saw Maka's own expression and looked at the way she'd positioned herself, almost defensively.

"What's wrong?" Soul asked frowning. "What did I do?"

"You're drunk Soul." Maka said flatly. "And…you're kind of scaring me." Her voice faltered and Maka had to look away the blush returning even hotter than before.

Soul's frown deepened but he quickly relented his hold on Maka and let her scramble away from his embrace. Maka quickly backed away once she'd regained her balance blushing madly at the situation at hand. Almost angrily she willed her heart to stop jumping around in her chest like a love struck idiot. For a moment neither one said anything.

"Fine," Soul said suddenly as he stood up and stretched before heading for his bedroom. "We'll continue this later, night Maka."

Maka blinked her mouth opening to reply but his door had already closed. For a moment she stood staring at it before she clenched her fists and turned stomping off to her own bedroom.

"Idiot!" Maka grumbled slamming her door. Could he possibly be any more confusing?