[CLOSED]

[thisismyera]

Characters: Black★Star, Tsubaki Nakatsukasa
Location: Their House.
Rating: PG.
Time: November 17th, 9pm.
Description: After sneaking home early from the clinic, Black★Star ends up having a late night encounter with his mildly-estranged partner.

Comments

[scentedcamellia]

That was exactly what Tsubaki had done. After getting Black★Star to the clinic, the kunoichi had done her part in cleaning up the city and making sure that everyone that needed to be rescued had been. Having done very little fighting, she had more energy than most for the task, and so she worked through the day, hoping that the workers in the clinic could handle her partner while they tended to his injuries. She assumed he would be asleep for most of it, after passing out like that on the battlefield.

Oh, had she been wrong.

When she finally made it back to the clinic, Black★Star was, of course, missing. She had spent the next hour or two searching for him, before she thought to check at home. He'd been avoiding her for a long time, so the thought hadn't immediately occurred to her, but as she stepped through the door she knew without a doubt that he was here. A quick search made it clear that he was in their shared bedroom, curled up on his futon. Apparently he hadn't slept as much as she'd hoped, since he appeared to be asleep again. That was good; hopefully he would heal faster from his injuries if he rested.

Tsubaki debated for a moment, standing in the doorframe as she watched his chest rise and fall, sudden and unexpected relief flooding through her. He was here and he was alive. That was what really mattered. But he was likely still mad at her. She hesitated a moment longer before slipping silently into the room and moving toward him, laying down on the mattress beside him.

She waited a moment to be sure that his breathing was even, to assure herself that he was asleep, before curling up into his side, her arm draped lightly over his chest. She had done this a time or two in the past, when she'd been upset or felt particularly alone. He'd always been asleep, and he'd never caught her, but it felt nice and comfortable. One time in particular had been the night after the mission to find and destroy her brother; the pain in her heart now felt similar to that time.

Tsubaki let out a quiet, though shuddering, breath, thinking deeply as she lay there, feeling the urge to speak to him, even if he couldn't hear her.

[thisismyera]

For quite some time silence had clung to the house, broken only by his own breathing, so when a hand began to turn the doorknob to enter the house from the front his ears pricked and he was alert. It could only be one person, since nobody else was crazy enough to so much as come within earshot. Laying about while purposefully avoiding thinking about the issue at hand had done nothing to help resolve his inner conflict of emotions, and right at that moment he definitely wasn't in the mood for dealing with Tsubaki.

By the time the door had fully closed, he'd already slowed his breathing for sake of pretending to be asleep. It was a good thing that breath control was such an important part of both resonance and a number of their shared abilities, otherwise he never would have fooled her. He was careful not to move and keep his muscles perfectly relaxed.

It was nothing short of a miracle that Black★Star continued to do so when he felt Tsubaki's body align with his.

What the hell? Didn't she remember what had just happened as well as he did? How could she just sidle up and start cuddling like nothing at all was- oh, right. She thought he was asleep. He suddenly felt awkward, like he was witnessing something private. Or intimate, which in a way it might've been. It took only the quiet sound of her breath to know that she was, indeed, vulnerable. She was hurt. And it was his fault.

Just say you're sorry, you idiot! But he couldn't, and he wasn't. Not for making the decision he did. He stood by that. Upsetting Tsubaki had been necessary on some level but that didn't stop him from, deep down, feeling terrible about doing it. Nonetheless, he remained silent and still.

[scentedcamellia]

Tsubaki, in truth, felt really stupid. In her mind, the majority of this mess was her fault. She should have seen how upset he was about their mission, and she should have tried to talk to him about it, or gone on another one with him. If that failed, she should have simply been there for him, not focusing on the needs of other people, even if she felt somewhat responsible for teaching and helping the guests.

And she most certainly should not have let anyone else hold her, no matter the reason. Tsubaki remembered all too well what it had felt like the times that Black★Star had found without her; once in the classroom alone and again when he wielded Soul against Death the Kid.

Perhaps she deserved to be left behind for being a bad partner. Maybe this was karma for the beginning of their partnership, when she had needed someone to help her find her brother. But things had changed so much before and since then that it had never felt like she'd been using him; he was the only one who could wield her properly, and still it went far beyond that. Tsubaki didn't want anyone else.

"I'm sorry, Black★Star,."

She spoke almost silently, very hushed and under her breath.

"I'm sorry that I called you stupid. And I'm sorry that I yelled at you." It seemed futile to even speak, but she couldn't help it. At least she wouldn't have to see his dark eyes, still holding the anger she remembered within them. Tsubaki didn't think she could handle seeing it again. "I would fix it if I knew how. I'd take it all back. I don't want it to be like this. I hate it. It's your stage, it always has been, since I can't do anything without you. I just wanted to help you light it up a little bit."

[thisismyera]

Did she know he was awake, or not? The only thing that Black★Star knew was that listening to Tsubaki apologizing and blaming herself completely was tearing at his heart. He'd suspect her of guilt-tripping him if he didn't know her better. The girl didn't have a selfish bone in her body. Hell, she might not have said half of that if she knew he was awake. But then she didn't need to. He knew when she was upset - she'd have a look in her eyes that made you feel as if you'd kicked a puppy, and it didn't know what it had done, or what to feel sorry for. Just that it was.

He was glad, more than anything, that he couldn't see her face right that moment. He wasn't sure he could handle it. Not that he was then, as is. He pushed himself so hard, made gigantic mistakes, and she took all that onto herself. It'd been the case for a long time. Over and over as a One-Star team they'd failed missions because of him and his ego, and still she stuck by him. But here she was, claiming his fault as hers. She was right on one score, though. He was stupid.

It's your stage, it always has been... ...I just wanted to help you...

He was so very stupid.

It was far too much for him to take any longer without resorting to throwing himself into a wall and kicking his own ass. He definitely couldn't open his eyes and look at her right now, it'd completely undo him. He still had his pride, even if inwardly he felt like his very soul was twisting itself into knots. But he couldn't let her keep going like this either. She deserved better than that. She deserved better than him.

It really sucked being the best.

Without so much as moving his head or opening an eye, he carefully moved his hand and bonked her on the back of the head, as if to chastise her.

"You're forgiven-" Black★Star said quietly, adding after a pause, "-stupid."

[scentedcamellia]

She was startled as she felt slight movement, her heart picking up speed at the notion that she might have woken him up with the sound of her voice, but when he quite purposefully knocked her lightly on the back of her head, her entire body went rigid, every muscle contracting at once and holding her completely still against him. She flinched as if in pain, the color likely draining out of her face, and then she heard him speak.

It was easily the best thing he could have ever said.

Her eyes stung as they filled up with tears, and instead of jumping away, she instead turned her face into his chest, trying desperately not to cry and failing miserably. She'd have to apologize again for crying on him later.

But with all the sadness and unsure emotions she'd been feeling for the past week, she couldn't keep it from flowing out of her all at once, and it suddenly didn't matter that he was awake, though she'd be terribly embarrassed later.

[thisismyera]

Shifting a little awkwardly at the sound of tears, Black★Star opened his eyes and stared resolutely at the ceiling. Listening to Tsubaki cry was the last thing he wanted. Actually, that was sort of what he had been trying to avoid altogether, since tears were worse than hearing her apologize so piteously. But he took a deep breath and exhaled gustily, in a manner just a few notes removed from resignation. Looked like, as usual, it was up to him to be the strong one.

"Hey," he interjected, rubbing at the back of her head affectionately where he'd just knocked her in a backhanded way of consolation, "I didn't mean it. You're not stupid." Fortunate that she couldn't see his face - he cringed. He was generally dense, but not that dense. He couldn't really afford to deal with this in a childish manner either. Not now, at least. That thought niggled at the back of his head, but first things first.

He was going to have to deal with this like an adult.

"Tsubaki..." Black★Star swallowed. Shit, this is annoying. "I didn't mean any of it. Y'know, that stuff about you getting in my way..." I was being an asshole. I was trying to look out for you. I need you. There were too many things he couldn't say aloud. He wasn't good at this whole... talking about feelings crap. That was something he'd always skirted around, and she knew that perfectly well. Maybe, for once, it was something he couldn't avoid.

[scentedcamellia]

Of course, crying only made her feel even more stupid. She wasn't supposed to cry; in fact, this was only the second time she'd ever cried in front of him that she could remember offhand. There had been times where she'd been scared, terrified even, but she didn't cry. Maybe then it was a testament to how much recent events had weighed on her mind.

Her tears were mostly short lived as she listened to him talk quietly over her head, his hand running over her hair. Soon, she was simply sniffling here and there, her fingers wiping at her eyes as her head turned back to the side, her cheek settled in the crook of his arm.

"You don't have to say that," she said quietly, her voice calmer and less shaky. Tsubaki knew how much being right meant to Black★Star, and in many ways, she had definitely been in the wrong. She hadn't considered his feelings hard enough. Her chin lifted a bit so that she could look at him; his expression would tell her a lot, she knew. "You may not have meant that part, but you meant some of it. I deserved it."

[thisismyera]

Black★Star's expression was... uncharacteristically thoughtful. It was difficult to remember every little thing that he'd said right before the attack. He'd sort of just let his mouth run on its own after she called him stupid and anger had taken over. He couldn't remember what else she'd said, but it'd started with making it seem like he couldn't do anything without her.

"I said a lot of stuff I didn't mean," he said slowly. He couldn't recall most of it. Recovering had given him more than enough time to think though, and he knew then that his stupid idea to become stronger without her was, just that, stupid. That niggling thought pricked at him again. Childish. He had instead been selfish when the night before had called for him to be a Two-Star Meister, not a kid out to prove himself.

"You were right, I was being stupid." That much was obvious. Black★Star's gaze lowered slightly and he continued, quite hurriedly adding, "And-I-guess-I-sorta-need-you." He glanced away from her gaze stubbornly and refused to meet her eyes. He wanted to tell her that she didn't deserve what he did to her, and so much more, but it was true. He had to be right, and yet he was making concessions.

Admitting to needing her was embarrassing enough, and it only occurred to him belatedly that those words could be, well, misinterpreted.

[scentedcamellia]

Black★Star seemed to edit his statement, but what he said essentially meant the same thing, and this time she believed him. Thinking things through was not one of her partner's strong points, and she could understand why he'd said some of the things he had, especially after everything that had happened. She still believed she deserved it, if only to make her see things more clearly, and she couldn't be angry with him for that.

She'd hurt him, and he in turn had hurt her. It wasn't something they were supposed to do, but even they weren't immune to idiocy. What mattered was that they could work through it, together. And now, Tsubaki fully believed that they would.

"You were upset with me. I still shouldn't have said it." Even if he were being a little foolish. Tsubaki looked a little startled at his rushed confession, her eyes lifting again to try and get a look at his face. He was avoiding her eyes, but it didn't really matter. She finally smiled, for the first time in awhile, and even laughed softly.

"I need you too," she replied, lifting her face so that she could press a gentle kiss to his forehead. "We're a team, after all. I'll follow you anywhere."

[thisismyera]

Arguing with Tsubaki about whether or not the whole thing was her fault likely wasn't going to go much better than it already was, and Black★Star rolled his eyes. It'd be nice if she just accepted that this had been his mess, but oh well. Tsubaki was Tsubaki, always taking responsibility for him. It was only natural that she'd continue doing so even when the matter only concerned the two of them. Then again, that was part of the larger problem, and why he had done all this.

He blinked once when she pressed her lips to his forehead though, then abruptly scrunched up his face at her with feigned distaste. "Fine, just-" -don't get in my way. No, none of that. It wasn't going to be that way. "Just yeah." He turned his face and looked at her more squarely after a moment's pause of discomfort. While they were being all touchy-feely about their feelings, he may as well be clear about things. Best to come away with something positive after all this drama.

"Are you sure about that?" Black★Star asked, shortly before he tilted his head and rolled his shoulder, as if working out a kink. Come on, do it. "I mean... yeah, we're a team. But... I don't want you protecting me if it means you get hurt." Even if it was the Weapon's job to protect the Meister, he couldn't stand seeing her suffering because of him again. Tsubaki's cries of pain had cut him more deeply far more than his own injuries. Besides, all their effort was wasted if she went and died. Unlike her, he was replaceable.

He'd promised to make her a Death Scythe, and even if that wasn't the same as surpassing God, it was a close second. And she was the only one he could ever share that dream with.

[scentedcamellia]

She chuckles at Black★Star rolled his eyes at her. Perhaps he didn't like it when she insisted on such things, but it was part of her nature. Tsubaki didn't mind taking the responsibility; Black★Star had dealt with enough accusations and annoyances from others in the past. Most people had a difficult time dealing with his self-confidence and his outgoing personality. If she could ease that burden even a little, then it was well worth it. She didn't mind, regardless.

"Mm," she murmured. "So long as it's okay with you." She had a sneaking suspicion as to how he was going to finish that sentence, and she was inwardly proud that he hadn't. Old habits were hard to break.

Tsubaki blinked once or twice at his question before her expression settled into her usual calm demeanor. "Of course," she said, as if there were no other answer. "It's my duty to protect you. That's what a Weapon is for." She tilted her head to the side, confused. They went into battle a lot, and this had never been an issue. "Fighting is what we do, and we're good at it, but there is always the chance of pain and injury." His courage had always been a huge part of his effectiveness, and what she found endearing about him. She didn't want him to stray from that because of his concern for her.

"I'm made to keep you safe." It was a fact. Her body could withstand attacks that his couldn't. It only made sense that she take the blows in his stead. He was injured far more often than she was anyway, but that was the life of a Meister, as well.

[thisismyera]

"Yeah, I don't care what a Weapon is for," Black★Star said bluntly, frowning. It wasn't even about whether or not his Weapon was allowed to protect him, in his mind. It was about her. "I'm not letting you hurt yourself for dumb reasons." He didn't make a habit of sharing what exactly the girl meant to him, but his sudden concern for her well-being was a testament to such. They'd been through way too much together. They weren't just a Weapon and Meister. Partnerships were much more sacred than that.

"I'm not letting myself get hurt for dumb reasons either," he clarified, giving her a pointed look. He didn't want her jumping out of Weapon form to save his ass for any reason. If that meant he had to be less of an idiot, so be it. He wouldn't give her a reason to have to. Self-preservation had never been much of a concern to him - he would endure anything in order to win - but after that run-in with the Witch he was aware of the fact that the two of them were intrinsically linked in more ways than one. Not just through resonance, but through their own bond.

It was a pain in the ass, but he was gonna have to start thinking about the one person who looked out for him.

As if to emphasize the point, Black★Star prodded Tsubaki's forehead with two fingers insistently. The matter really wasn't up for discussion, as far as he was concerned. Yeah, he could admit he needed her, and they'd always have to fight side by side, but there was zero room for argument in regards to letting her do something reckless due to him being reckless. He didn't fully understand her unwavering devotion to him, but he did know that given the circumstance, this could happen again. He couldn't allow that. Ever. He'd rather deal with this now and take enough injuries for the both of them if that was what it took.

[scentedcamellia]

She already knew that Black★Star was much more than just her Meister, had been for awhile. Most partnerships went that route, in her experience. They were partners, best friends, nearly inseparable. This ordeal only proved that even more; a lesser pair may not have been able to recover from this sort of thing.

"Saving your life would not be dumb to me," she said quietly. "But if you insist, I won't do anything reckless that might endanger my life." She knew what he was getting at; Soul had done something similar in the past, jumped in front of an attack to keep Maka from being harmed. Tsubaki had never done that kind of thing before, and she knew that she was of more good to her Meister transformed than she was in human form.

Still, it wasn't something she could entirely promise. Things happened in the heat of battle that couldn't be reasoned with. To her, if it truly meant saving his life, it wouldn't be reckless. It would be required and necessary.

"I know you aren't." There had been a time when they hadn't taken things so seriously, but that felt like ages ago. Things weren't so simple and easy anymore. Tsubaki glanced up as his fingers pressed against her head, a direct parallel of where she'd kissed him earlier. "I'm not worried. We're stronger than that."

[thisismyera]

Black★Star opened his mouth as if to protest but promptly closed it, and gave a nonchalant shrug. "Alright," he conceded. He'd thought to argue the notion of whether or not saving him at risk to herself was "dumb", but decided against it. They were partners and if he'd learned anything from all this, it was that they relied upon each other in more ways than one. Plus partnerships are supposed to go both ways. Even if it's stifling.

Besides, it only made sense to protect the one who is Biggest. Once upon a time he would have insisted that he was perfect and thus incapable of mistakes, but he had matured. He could admit that even divine beings with majesty such as his occasionally slipped up, and there was nothing wrong with having a safety net.

"Yeah, you're right," he agreed and removed his hand, folding it back behind his head. There had never been any doubt that the two of them had strength, and that was something Shinigami had told them more than once. Maybe he was beginning to understand what the old God had meant. Maybe. Truth be told, Black★Star would always be Black★Star, and together the two of them would always have their own style. Goofy just happened to be their style.

His face grew more resolute. "Next time we see that Witch, her soul is mi- ours." That's where it had all started. He may always be... eccentric when it came to how he approached a mission, but next time he wouldn't be careless. For Tsubaki's sake, if not his own. Not only did he never want to hear her in pain again, but she needed a Witch's soul to become a Death Scythe. And that bitch had made it personal.

[scentedcamellia]

Tsubaki made a quiet humming sound between her lips, pleased that he was being so acquiescent about this. It was unusual for him, especially to agree that someone other than himself was correct. It was a testament to how much he had grown since they'd first met.

But, in the end, he was still Black★Star, and Tsubaki wouldn't have it any other way.

"We'll defeat her," she said. "And any other Witch that tries to get in our way." She was entirely optimistic, and her face was all smiles. Now that they knew what they were facing, and Black★Star knew not to underestimate her, she had no doubt that they would win. They'd overcome equally difficult confrontations in the past, and together they simply couldn't lose.

With her heart happy and her mind soothed, Tsubaki glanced up at her partner. "I can leave you alone if you'd still like to sleep?"