(754 words) 

Your POV 

The next day of school that Hisoka and I went to Stein had us go head to head against Maka and Soul.  We stood at the base of the stairs in the area around Stein's desk as we were waiting the order to fight. 

Stein was smirking as he looked back and forth between the partner pairs. 

"Ready? Begin!" 

Maka jumped at me and tried to hit me with Soul's blade. 

I rose the curved staff and blocked quickly. 

"You're quick, nice work" 

Maka jumped off. 

She looked at me as she thought about the angles she could get me from. 

"Don't think just do." 

I said as I jumped and slashed at her as she struggled to dodge fast enough. 

She put the end of Soul's staff to the floor and stopped my blade before kicking me to the other end of the room. 

I slid to the wall and sat up quickly. 

I looked at Stein. 

He was a smirking mess. 

"I underestimated you (y/n). You've grown more than I thought you would in the last week or so. Very good indeed." 

I shrugged.

"Tends to help when you have a good teacher." 

The class made a bunch of oos at us and I rolled my eyes. 

"She sounds like a brown noser Maka. Brown nosers aren't cool, not cool at all." 

I rose a brow for a moment. 

She shrugged and slashed at me making me jump on to Stein's desk, 

He glanced at me before looking back at Maka and ducking as she went to swipe at my legs to get me down. 

"What do you not like it when your opponent is bigger than you? You sound like Blackstar." 

She growled. 

"I am not that egotistical maniac!" 

I jumped onto Soul's blade pushing it into the desk. She looked at me. 

"It appears you've met your match, Maka." 

Stein stood and smirked. 

"(y/n) wins. Maka, Soul. Go sit." 

Stein looked at me for a moment as Maka and Soul trudged back to their seats. I let Hisoka down and he changed to normal as he sat on the floor next to me with his legs crossed. 

"Can I speak to you in the hall?' 

I nodded and Stein and I went to the hall. 

He looked at me as he closed the door. 

"That was pretty good for your first fight. I can say that Blackstar and Ox are probably going to try and fight you maybe even Kid. Maka might want to try again if she gets competitive enough as well." 

I smiled and he smiled back. 

Mine faded. 

"This isn't all you wanted to talk about is it?" 

He shook his head and sat on the floor as he leaned against the wall. 

"I wanted to speak to you about another thing." 

I sat down with him and looked at him. 

Stein and I had gotten quite close on a personal level. He talks to me about his worries as well as his beliefs especially as we get closer to Arachne and the kishin. I've noticed his madness spiking lately as well. 

"Stein? You can tell me. What is it?" 

He looked at his hands like a teenage boy about to confess his feelings to his best friend. 

"About the fight, I'm going to have with Arachne and the kishin." 

I nodded at him for him to go on. 

"What would you do if I don't make it out alive?" 

He glanced up at me. 

"What do you mean? Do you think you won't make it back to the DWMA?" 

He was silent for a moment before nodding slightly. 

"Where did this doubt come from? You've survived more than you think you have. Your madness is getting you again but don't let it beat you. Aside from being my Professor, you are also my friend. I'll be damned to see a friend of mine get hurt." 

I stood and reached a hand out to him and smiled. 

"Now we should get back to class before they start having a party." 

He smiled and stood before going back in the room. 

Stein's POV 

She does care about me huh. But just as a friend. It appears I have been friend-zoned. Now I know what Spirit feels like. It could become more than that though. Or she is afraid of what could happen to my job for that matter. There are so many things I do not yet know about her. But alas, only time will tell.