Disclaimer: I don't own Soul Eater. Dammit.

Prompt #8: OCD - Kidd's itchy fingers made him ask, "Maka, what in Death's name made your pigtails lopsided? They're usually so symmetrical!"

Words: 566

"Kidd really looked like he was about to have a stroke," Black*Star cackled as he chomped on his sandwich. "Did you see how hard his one eye twitched to the side? Like he was possessed or something!"

The rest of Spartoi chuckled as they settled for their weekly group lunch. After the final defeat of Asura, Spartoi had been officially disbanded, but the members still liked to gather for lunch whenever their schedules allowed. Today they convened along a low wall that ran through a grove of sakura trees, and with the trees in full bloom, it was a perfect spring afternoon. Only Kidd, Maka, and Soul were absent this time, and so they were the subject of today's conversation.

"How is Kidd?" Tsubaki asked curiously. "He looked so pale when you and Patti carried him away."

"We took him home and tucked him into bed," said Liz as Patti guzzled lemonade like a woman deprived of liquid for days. "He was still muttering about crooked pigtails and mismatched hair ties when we left."

"I couldn't believe she didn't fix it before getting to school," Kilik remarked as he helped Fire and Thunder with their juice box straws. "Maka knows better than anyone that Kidd notices crap like that."

"Especially when she knows it makes Kid have a full breakdown." Liz rolled her eyes. "Remember, I'm the one who's gotta take care of the dork when his brain breaks this bad."

Kim gave a very witchy cackle as she nudged Ox with her elbow. "Probably cuz she and Soul lost track of time? In each other's arms?" Her boyfriend sputtered and blushed bright red at her insinuation.

Sitting with Harvar with a cup of hot tea, Jackie sighed at her meister's obvious delight. "What Maka and Soul do is really none of our business."

"Of course it is!" Black*Star jumped to his feet on the wall and punched the air. "My man Soul is finally getting some! And he's gotta be damn good if he makes Maka look like that hot a mess - OW!" he yelped in pain when an enormous hardback book flew from out of nowhere and slammed into his face like a bottle rocket, sending the assassin to the ground.

"You start shouting about how hot a mess my meister looks, the next encyclopedia gets chucked at your nuts," Soul said as he joined the rest of Spartoi. At the incredulous looks of his friends he said, "What?"

"What the hell did you just do?" Kilik asked.

"I nailed that idiot with a book. Why?"

"Where the hell did you get the book from?"

"It's Maka's. And for your information," he added, pulling out his own lunch, "Maka slept through her alarm and didn't have time to really do her hair. The ride over on the bike didn't really help either. So despite whatever dirty thoughts you all were thinking, nothing happened."

It was clear that everyone thought otherwise, but with Black*Star still lying unconscious with a copy of Webster's still embedded in his smoking skull, nobody dared contradict Soul. Conversation quickly turned to safer topics like the weather and current events, and nobody mentioned the hickey-shaped mark just barely hidden by Soul's collar.

As Jackie had earlier noted, it was none of their business.

Here's a double update for you all! Enjoy!

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