“What on earth happened?” I gasped, staring at the two boys currently being patched up. Tsubaki was focused on patching up Blackstar, while Soul just watched, annoyed.
        “Soul and Blackstar picked a fight with some thugs. Apparently the thugs were experienced weapons and meisters. Blackstar can’t even lift Soul.” Maka sighed, exasperated, handing another band aid to Tsubaki. I frowned, sitting on the coffee table in front of Soul, and looked over his wounds. They were mild, just a few scratches here and there. Blackstar is the only one with actual cuts, and even those are mild. Soul shifted under my stare, eventually growing uncomfortable and standing up, walking into the kitchen. I followed him.
        “Why would you pick a fight with thugs?” I whispered, placing my arms on the counter beside him and staring out the window while he slouched a bit, gulping down a glass of water.
        “Blackstar picked the fight. Couldn’t leave him there alone.”
        “But you guys know Blackstar can’t use you. Your wavelengths or something are off, right?” Soul raised a brow, surprised I knew even a little about that stuff. “Maka mentioned it when she was complaining a couple weeks ago.” I gave the albino an awkward smile, only receiving a nod in return.
        “It’s not cool to leave your best friend hanging.” Soul replied, leaving the kitchen and walking down the hall.
        “And you’re all about being cool…” I whispered, knowing he’d never hear me. I could hear Tsubaki chiding Blackstar gently, unhappy he picked a fight with such a large group without her.
        “You’re too soft on him, Tsubaki.” Maka sighed, making her way towards me. “Jeez, Y/n. I honestly don’t know what I’m going to do with those idiots.” I laughed, earning a half-hearted glare from the dirty-blonde just as my phone went off.
        “Hello?” I answered the unknown number cautiously, unsure about actually answering.
        “Y/n! Oh, thank the gods you picked up! Where are you!?”
        “Uh, I’m at Maka’s place. Got here not long ago, why?”
        “Can I come over? I’ll explain later!” I mouthed the words to Maka, and she nodded, though her face showed she was just as confused as I am.
        “Yeah, sure. When will you get here?”
        “In two minutes, I’m rounding the corner, open the door!!” My eyes widened as I ran to the door, hearing the urgency in his voice. Swinging the door open, I was nearly tackled by the tall male.
        “Shiro? What’s going on?” Maka asked as he slammed the door shut, breathing heavily.
        “Someone has been following me all day!” the raven haired male huffed, backing away from the door slowly, his eyes wide. “I know I’m pretty hot and all, but that doesn’t mean I should be stalked!”
        “DON’T WORRY, BLACKSTAR WILL PROTECT YOU!” the blunette jumped up on the back of the couch, laughing hysterically while pointing down at the now confused male, surprised at how Blackstar reacted.
        A sudden knock sounded on the door, causing Shiro to jump nearly ten feet in the air. “Your secret admirer is here.” I whispered, wiggling my eyebrows at the taller male, whom glared at me in return, unamused.
        “Hello?” I asked, opening the door a crack.
        “No don’t open the door, you idiot!” Shiro shouted, both knees and his left hand planted on the ground as his right hand shot up in my direction.
        “Why should you not open the door?” I stifled a giggle as I look as the somewhat confused male in front of me, two absent minded girls behind him.
        “Oh, hello Kid! Liz, Patty.” I smiled, allowing three inside. “Shiro was being followed today. He thought the stalker was at the door.” Kid paled slightly, staring at the nervously smiling teen on the ground.
        “How old are you, Shiro?” he asked, raising a brow at the older male.
        “Nineteen…” Shiro said slowly, returning the raised brow towards the Shinigami, “Why? How old are you?”
        “I am seventeen. Liz here is eighteen, and Patty is sixteen.” Kid stated simply, taking a seat on the couch.
        “Whoa, Liz you’re eighteen!?” I asked, surprise leaking out of every pore on my body.
        “Well, yeah.” Liz said nonchalantly, waving her hand in the air.
        “Are you saying you didn’t know how old your friends are?” Kid asked, smirking at my ignorance and naivety. I frowned, wondering why I had never asked.
        “I guess I just kind of assumed you were all sixteen. I mean, you all look my age, soo…” I rubbed the back of my head, an embarrassed blush rising to my face as I smiled awkwardly. “How… old are all of you?”
        “Most of us are sixteen… the only exceptions are Kid, Liz and Tsubaki.” Maka stated, tossing a chocolate bar my way. I caught it with ease, giving Maka a questioning look. “Can you take this to Soul? He’s in a bad mood, and you’re probably the only one he won’t snap at.” Maka sighed, handing me a sandwich and glass of orange juice on a tray. I nodded, shoving the chocolate bar in my pocket as I took the tray from my friend, walking towards Soul’s bedroom door. Balancing the tray on my left hand, I listened for a moment, trying to see if Soul was asleep or not.
        “So uncool…” I heard a muffled voice on the other side of the door and smiled, knocking on the door lightly. I waited, listening to Soul’s footsteps as he came towards the door. As Soul opened the door, my right hand reclaimed the right side of the tray.
        “Oh, it’s you.” Soul said, his tired eyes showing a hint of annoyance as he heard Blackstar’s shouting from across the house.
        “I brought some food for you.” I smiled, holding up the tray, “Can I come in?” Soul glanced around his room before nodding.Probably making sure there’s nothing ‘uncool’ laying out.
        “Make yourself comfortable.” Soul said, taking a seat on his bed. I nodded, taking a seat at his desk, placing the tray atop it.
        “You’re in a bad mood ‘cause you lost against a bunch of thugs, huh?” I asked, trying my hardest not to smile or laugh. Soul’s eyes widened as he stared at me in shock.
        “W-what!? No, of course not!” Soul flushed, turning away to hide it.
        “Oh, really?” I questioned him, using a tone to suggest I believe him, but that I also want more information. A curious tone, if you will.
        “I’m way too cool to get upset over a stupid fight like that.” Soul whispered, tilting his head down so his hair would cover his face.
        “Then… what is it?” I asked, leaning forward slightly, intrigued by this side of Soul. I saw it once before; that night I had stayed over, but that was over a month ago. I want to know… all about this side of him.
        Soul reeled back slightly, startled by my obvious interest. The albino narrowed his eyes and stared at me, long and hard, as if trying to decipher my thoughts. I puffed out my cheeks, pursed my lips, and furrowed my brows. I’m sure I look utterly ridiculous, but Soul is amused. Soul smiled, letting out a low chuckle.
        “Well, you see… there’s this… girl. I… kinda like her, but every time I’m around her… I make a complete fool of myself,” Soul sighed, rubbing the back of his neck slightly before placing his elbows on his knees, grasps his hands as he looked at the ground. I felt my heart sink into my stomach as I waited patiently for him to continue.
        “Whenever I see her, my heart starts racing and I get butterflies in my stomach… though, they aren’t really butterflies. More like cannon balls, hitting my insides… urging me to vomit and make an even bigger fool of myself,” Soul chuckled bitterly, shaking his head, “I always freeze up when I talk to her… I stutter, and I can’t think properly. It’s embarrassing. So uncool.” Soul whispered, making lean in more so I could hear him clearly.
        “She’s always on my mind. It’s like I can’t think of anything else. I can’t even escape the thoughts when I sleep; they just turn into dreams. Dreams that give me a glimpse of what it could be like if she liked me back, though I know she doesn’t see me as anything more than a friend. She’s way too perfect for that.”
        I watched Soul for a moment, my eyes examining every inch of his face. “You say she’s perfect, but nobody is perfect. It’s… impossible.” I said, reminding myself of that simple fact. Nobody’s perfect. Not even Soul. I sighed audibly, causing the crimson-eyed male to look up.
        “People say it’s impossible, but I can’t find any flaws,” Soul grumbled, his eyes trailing over my face, trying to figure out what I’m thinking, “Even when other people point out flaws, or when she points out flaws, I see absolutely nothing but perfection. Her so-called ‘flaws’ are just attributes that make her her.”
        “What’s she like?” I asked suddenly, surprising even myself. Soul raised a brow, seemingly unsure of how to answer my question. “I know you said she’s perfect, but perfection can mean different things. Different personalities.”
        “She’s… kind. And funny.” Soul started, a smile creeping its way onto his face, “She’s accepting and understanding. She always seems to know what to do, and she’s really clumsy, but it’s adorable. She’s adorable… I… think I love her…” Soul stared at me in shock, sudden realization written all over his face as I felt my heart shatter. It’s not like the red string really means anything… I mean, it’s more of a strong suggestion, right? Plenty of people happily marry the one the string doesn’t lead to… even ones that know who their soulmate is… My thoughts trailed off as I forced a smile on my face, making it look as natural as possible.
        “Y/n! Hey, c’mon! We gotta go before it gets dark!” Shiro called out to me, quickly stepping quietly down the hall.
        “Well, I’ve got to go.” I smiled, standing up and walking towards the door. Pausing, I glanced back at Soul, my right hand on the doorknob. “It… seems like you really love her. I hope things work out for you.” I smiled warmly, sincerely meaning what I said as I left the teenage male’s room, meeting Shiro a few steps away from it after I shut the door.
        “Hurry, we gotta get home before it gets dark. Gods know what that stalker will do after it’s dark…” Shiro shuddered, grabbing my wrist and pulling me down the hall as I let out a soft chuckle, amused.
        “Alright, let’s go home.”