Maka's POV
My shoulder was wet. And, when looking back on it through my sleep-addled brain, my neck was ravished in the same sad tears that were drenching my shoulder. My eyebrows furrowed in confusion; just who the hell was crying into my backside? A little frustrated and still asleep, I turned my seemingly unmovable body towards the being in my bed. Opening one eye, I caught a glimpse of pink or purple hair, depending on what way you look at it. Opening my other eye and squinting through sleep, I could see that this person was sniffling, wiping tears away from their swollen eyes. Who could be… Crona.
My eyes snapped open, my body suddenly very awake and very concerned. A flurried series of questions flew through my mind. What had happened while I was sleeping? Did Soul make fun of him again? Was it Medusa? Crona, what happened?
I heard another harsh sniffle, another collision of skin meeting rough cloth. Carefully, so as not to alarm him, I lifted one hand up, one of my outstretched fingers catching a stray tear. His hazy blue eyes found mine instantaneously, that ever present worry and timid shyness clouding his features. For a moment, I caught fear tangled in those cloudy blue eyes and my chest tightened around my thumping lifeline. After all this time, he's still afraid that I'm going to hurt him. I shook my head, my thumb trailing under one of Crona's broken eyes, catching the rest of his tears. No, Crona. I could never hurt you. I love you.
"M-Maka… I…" His eyes searched mine frantically while another fit of wracking sobs overtook him. My hand that had just played savior to those descending tears wrapped firmly around Crona's cheek, caressing it as softly and carefully as was possible. Cautiously, he leaned into my touch. This was good. Pulling my lips into a small smile, I leaned my forehead against his own, my eyes closing.
"It's okay, Crona. I'm here for you. I'll always be here for you; always." My free hand snuck around from under my side, reaching forward to rest against Crona's fluttering chest, his heart seeming to cry out to me. It was beating relentlessly against his ribcage, like a trapped bird in a class cage. His veins were alive with his singing blood, a symphony only witnessed when in the clutches of a bad dream or during a horror movie. I heard another terrible sniffle, and my lips tugged up into that sweet smile I could only muster when I was around Crona.
Pulling my hand away from Crona's chest, I wrapped my arms firmly around his neck, tucking his head under my chin and shh-ing him softly. The tears that were just previously hidden into my backside cascaded into the awaiting fabric of chest, my chin resting on top of his cotton candy hair. Soothingly, tenderly, I ran my fingers through his sweat-drenched locks, a soft humming resounding in the back of my throat. Just wait it out, Maka, he'll be alright. I promise you, he'll be alright.
I could still feel the soft wetness of heavy breathing reaching my ears, and every now and again I could hear the timid and tired whimper of a worn out body, my worn out Crona. I couldn't count on my fingers the nights we spent like this; wrapped around in each other's limbs, my comforting words echoing back into the sad abyss that was Crona's heart. I couldn't tell you how many times my synthetic materials had caught and caressed the tears dripped from swollen lids and sobbing heartache. I couldn't tell you how many times I've watched the only boy to pull out some kind of girly emotion from within my roughened bones and stubborn head fall apart, the remaining pieces running down the blades of my shoulders.
I leaned my tired temple against Crona's bobbing head, the soft humming still resounding in my throat, my fingers still rubbing soothing circles through his troubled hair. My eyes slipped closed, and my arms tightened around the nervous, always so nervous, boy encircled in my gangly limbs that have known all but too much pain.
Without thinking, my lips found Crona's forehead, planting a chaste kiss in their wake. My slipping mind didn't notice the small gasp that followed or the response in his tired bones and deprived breath. My eyes were still closed, my arms still encasing the only person to bring forth Maka the Girl, and not Maka the Scythe Meister. My lips parted, a small hope of a whisper slipping past them.
"Crona, I love you." The sobbing stopped, his muscles tightened. I heard an audible gasp, and could feel the shock behind his voice as he spoke, voice spent from the nightmares that resided in his shadows.
"M-Maka… You… You love me?" His eyes popped open, the hazy, beaten down blue swirling to meet a curious, sky blue that you can only find on the gloomiest of days. One of my olive green retinas followed, looking straight into a sky blue almost as pure as the boy who owned it.
"Of course I love you, silly. Why wouldn't I love you?" It was a simple question; I didn't mean any harm behind it. But, watching Crona's face fall as my words left their prison of lips, my heart sunk, the pounding nervousness picking up in the heels of my feet, echoing through my fingertips. Crona turned his face towards the far wall, his words jumbled and quiet, my ear obediently leaning in to listen.
"Because I betrayed you, Maka. I've betrayed you, all of you, so many times. You shouldn't be so nice to me. You shouldn't smile when I walk into a room. You shouldn't have saved me from Medusa; you could have gotten rid of me, once and for all." I glanced up, my eyes paying close attention to his own, watching for the threat of Niagara Falls again.
"Crona, no, I don't want to get rid of you. I would never want to get rid of you. You… You're my reason. Besides Soul, and everyone else, you're what keeps me going during a battle or… What keeps my insanity in check." I smiled, picking my head up and leaning it against my straining elbow. "I was the one that came after you during the battle with Asura. I couldn't leave you, you were the only thing on my mind the entire time. You've saved me from certain death countless times, and you would do it again, wouldn't you?" I could see the hesitance in his stare, his head moving mechanically to stare back at me.
"Of course I would, Maka. I…" His cheeks flared, his face turning quickly back to make friends with the wall, his voice dropping down to a whisper only Crona could form. "I love you too, Maka."
I couldn't help the maniacal grin that spread across my recently shadowed face. Only Crona would be able to pull this out me. Only Crona could make me hang onto every word he has to say like a fish on a line. Only Crona could make a girl like me turn into a mushy love puddle in two seconds flat. My heart thunk-thunked against my chest, my canary responding to his trapped cuckoo. My bones started singing with trembling shivers, my veins rushing blood to the surface of my cheekbones. Maka Albarn NEVER blushes.
"Maka… You're blushing." I jerked my head up to find Crona's timid smile reaching my own, his sky blue turning into a muted ocean. My smile widened, if even possible, one of my hands jutting out to take Crona's own, my fingers finding homes between his. I watched the blush spread across his cheeks, I could feel mine growing earnestly. My eyes met his, one never leaving the other. And then, carefully, as slowly as I could manage, I let my lips meet his, if only for a second. It was sweet, like marshmallows and summer air. I tucked his head under my chin once again, my fingers twining around the palm of his hand.
I smiled once again, my lips finding the perfect retort.
"You're blushing too."