Okay guys, so this one is still having Harvar drama, but it'll probably be the last one for a while. R&R

"You're late," I said irately from the couch. Maka chuckled quietly and closed the front door.

"Sorry, Soul, I was hanging with Harvar. He showed me this new dance. I think he called it the salsa. Anyway, it was really fun."

"Yeah, well, while you were out having fun with Harvar, your dinner got cold. You'll have to throw it in the microwave," I said sourly. Maka came over and bent down, trying to look me full in the face.

"Soul? Something wrong?" she asked concernedly.

"Yeah, somethin's wrong," I replied acidly. "I worked hard to cook dinner, planning on you being back by seven, like you said you would be. Usually, when someone says they'll be back by seven, they don't mean nine forty-five."

Maka blinked, a look of surprise flashing through her eyes. Before I could congratulate myself for making her think, she looked down at her watch.

"Holy shit, I hadn't realized I was that late!" she exclaimed. "Harvar said it wouldn't take long to learn that dance. Damn, I'm so sorry, Soul! I guess I just lost track of the time!"

I looked at her earnest face and heaved a great sigh. It was impossible for me to stay mad at Maka. Completely, totally impossible when those big, bright green eyes shone at me and made her look every bit the kicked puppy that she wasn't.

"Go get your food. It shouldn't be too bad microwaved," I said, waving her off.

She smiled and disappeared into the kitchen. I heard the sound of the microwave opening, then closing, then the beeps as she set the timer.

I sighed again, sinking deeper into the couch, trying to chase away the stabbing pains that attacked me whenever she mentioned Harvar. Why did she hang out with him so much? It's not like he was all that interactive. If he talked at all it was with that robotic tone that implied that absolutely nothing interested him. But those two had been hanging out together more and more recently, and it was bothering me. I didn't want to admit why. Hell, I'd barely come to terms with my feelings for her before she started hanging with Harvar again. And that spear sure as hell knew how he felt. He never made any attempt to keep it a secret, although Maka still hadn't seemed to notice. Whatever; she was clueless.

The microwave beeped loudly; Maka jerked the door open and set her bowl on the counter with a loud clank. I winced at the sharp noise, but threw my poker face back on before she came in, holding a now-steaming bowl of ramen. She was smiling wryly.

"I can see how hard you worked over dinner, Soul," she chuckled, sitting down on the couch beside me. "Must've taken a lot of effort to open the package and stir the contents into water. Oh, and mixing that cheap seasoning in? Exhausting."

I rolled my eyes and bumped her with my shoulder. "Whatever, bookworm."

"Oh, whatever!" she laughed, bumping me back so hard that I fell over the arm of the couch.

I peered up, over the armrest, to see her trying hard not to laugh.

"Whoops. Sorry," she giggled, not sounding sorry in the least.

"You're lucky you've got food in your hands, or you'd be joining me down here," I bared my shark-like teeth.

A soft pink began to creep into her cheeks, and I felt my jaw hit the floor.

"Maka! You're not the one that's supposed to have dirty thoughts!" I exclaimed, falling back and laughing so hard that tears sprang into my eyes. "That's my job!"

"Shut up, Soul!" she snapped, the pink in her cheeks deepening to a rosy red. "Coming from you, what was I supposed to think?"

My laughter subsiding into chuckles, I managed to rock back onto my feet and stand.

"That, Maka," I said, trying to mimic a serious tone, "is an excellent point, and yet…I still think that's hilarious."

I plopped back down on the couch, slinging an arm carelessly over her shoulders and reaching for the TV remote.

"Hey, Soul?" said Maka after a huge unladylike mouthful of noodles. I hid a grin.

"Yeah?"

"Harvar's birthday is this weekend, and Ox was going to throw a party for him on Saturday. He invited us. If you want to go, of course?"

I stiffened and glanced down at her. She was looking up at me with an expression that I could only describe as resigned. Like she had already guessed my answer.

"I'd…rather…not," I ground out, trying and failing to sound indifferent.

"Why do you seem to hate Harvar so much?" Maka wondered. "You guys used to be great friends; Harvar still wishes you'd hang out more. What happened?"

What happened? Holy shit, only a lot. She'd become my partner, and so she'd tag along when we all hung out together. Harvar started hanging out a lot with just her, talking about dumb useless things like schoolwork or what career they might want if they weren't a meister and weapon. He slyly tried to convince her to leave me and be his partner. And…And I…

I shrugged. "I don't know what you're talking about. Nothing happened. If you want to go to Harvar's party, go right ahead. I'll probably just hang with Blackstar or something."

"Blackstar's going, Soul," Maka sighed, downing the rest of her ramen faster than should have been possible. "So is Kid, Ox, Liz, Pati, Tsubaki, and Jackie. Oh, and he convinced Kim to come, too. Hiro was invited, but no one thinks he'll show."

"Alright, then I'll just call K—"

"Oh! And Kilik showed up with the twins and said they'll probably be there, too."

Well, damn, then what did I do for my Saturday? Clearly Maka wasn't that concerned; she stood with a loud yawn and went to wash her bowl and chopsticks.

"I'm gonna hit the sack, Soul. G'night," she said softly.

"Yeah, me too" was my reply, but I didn't rise. I sat on the old, musty couch, listening as she let the faucet run, water splashing on her utensils.

Why didn't I like Harvar? Well, he'd always kinda creeped me out, what with the I-feel-nothing aura he exuded and the fact that you could never see his eyes and that he never smiled and was kinda ruthless with words and actions. Yeah, I considered him my friend, but that didn't mean that I wasn't a bit wary of him. And then Maka turned up, and everything changed. Something about her just seemed to draw that guy; her intelligence, maybe? Her tough and fierce demeanor? The fact that they were both considered elite, and yet, if there was a ranking, Maka would be higher than him? It's not like it was a secret at first that she was the first meister at the academy to manage such a perfect Soul Resonance, and that had stunned a lot of people. Even Harvar, for whatever reason, really seemed interested in her.

The only problem was that his interest set my teeth on edge.

"Soul?" said Maka, reappearing from the kitchen, one pigtail gone, and her fingers working the other one out. "I thought you were going to bed?"

"Uh, yeah, I was," I said, rising and stretching.

Maka frowned and walked over, her hands leaving her pigtail and settling on my shoulders. Her piercing green eyes focused on mine, and they flashed momentarily. I knew what she was doing. She was using her Soul Perception. I could have pushed her away. I could've told her to knock it off, or I could've just turned around and walked to my room. Instead, I let her see my soul, the emotions written there as though it was an open book. Her hands tightened on my shoulders. The color in her eyes darkened back to normal, and even a little more, so that they were shadowed.

"Soul…" she sighed, hands leaving my shoulders so that she could wrap her arms around my waist. "Soul, you idiot, you're not going to lose me. Especially not to Harvar."

Her words were muffled, due to the fact that her face was buried in my bare chest. Hesitantly I placed my hands on her lower back.

"There are a lot of weapons out there, Maka. What if you find one that you get along with better? If you can merge souls better with someone else, then what?" If only I had the courage to say that her changing weapon partners wasn't what I was afraid of.

She let out a laugh that sounded almost like a choked sob.

"You're my partner, Soul. There's no one I'd rather have. I get along great with Tsubaki and the others, but I get along great with you too."

I snorted. "We argue every other hour."

I felt her lips curve up against my skin.

"Yeah, but that gives us a chance to understand how each other's minds work. And besides, even if there is someone who has a more compatible soul wavelength, I still wouldn't take them. You're my best friend, Soul, and you're not getting rid of me so easily."

I tightened my hold on her, laying my cheek on the top of her head and closing my eyes. I loved these moments with Maka, where she wasn't abusing me with Maka-Chops or using me to cut evil things in half or arguing constantly. When she was quiet and thoughtful and affectionate, I could almost pretend that she felt the same way.

"We really should get to bed, Soul, we do have school tomorrow, and there's a test," she sighed at last.

"What? We have a test tomorrow?" I exclaimed, jumping back as though she'd burned me. She looked at me, half amused, half exasperated.

"Yeah, Soul, we have a test tomorrow. You would know that if you didn't treat school as a place to sleep between naps."

"Well, that settles it," I said. "I can stay up as late as I want, because I do not have school tomorrow. And I sure as hell don't have a test."

Maka gave me a dangerous look.

"I'll be waking you up for breakfast. And you will be outside, on that bike at seven-thirty, and you will be driving us to school. I will knock you out if I have to, but so help me you will be there."

"Alright, alright, I give! Fine, I'll go, but we both know I'm gonna fail."

She smiled sweetly and slipped out of my arms to go to her room.

I shook my head and traipsed to my own room, shrugging out of my shirt and falling onto my bed still in my jeans.