(a/n: Felt like writing a really short oneshot because I love these two so much! This fic takes place about a year post-anime, in the late summer.)
The drizzle outside turned to pouring rain, and with flashes and rumbles, the pouring rain turned to a storm. Crona hadn't seen too many thunderstorms since they came to Death City, with it being smack in the middle of a desert and all, but if they had to be stuck anywhere during a storm like this, they were glad it ended up being Maka's apartment.
Crona closed the Soul Studies notebooks they and Maka were going over and laid out across the couch. Watching the rain as it fell outside the window. Watching Maka get up to get some candles for incase the power went out. Blair was at work, and Soul was at Black Star and Tsubaki's place. So as far as Crona was concerned, they were more or less alone with Maka. (well, technically Ragnarok was with them, but he didn't seem to be in the mood to come out) Maka returned with two candles and a box of matches, which she set on the coffee table. Right as the power went out.
"That couldn't have been better timing," Maka said, opening the match box. It was too dark to see the exact number of matches in there until she lit one. There were about nine in there, including the one in her hand. She lit both the candles with it before blowing it out, the two small flames now the only source of light for the room. It wasn't much, but the soft glow was nice.
"It doesn't look like there's going to be enough light for us to keep studying," Crona said, looking over at the candles and their flickering flames.
"But it'll do until the power comes back on," Maka added. She set the dead match down on the coffee table, before glancing over at the couch. Should I make room? Crona thought, noticing just how intently Maka seemed to be looking. But she could just want to sit on the chairs... She chose the couch. Setting the single pink throw pillow from the couch against one of its hard metal armrests, Crona was about ready to just curl their legs up so Maka would have some sitting room. Until they looked over their shoulder to see she was lying down next to them. And she was really, really close.
"If there's not enough light to study, could we just cuddle?" Maka asked. The look on her face as she said this was so warm, so beautiful, so inviting, Crona could have just fallen for her all over again with that look alone.
"Of course we can," Crona replied with a smile. Please don't tell me that came out sounding awkward, they thought, as Maka immediately wrapped her arms around them, Crona soon doing the same. Right then, it was just the two of them, the soft glow from the candles, and the pitter-patter of the pouring rain. Crona didn't want it any other way.
But they noticed how Maka was looking at their face as the minutes passed, how she almost seemed hesitant. Almost like she had something just at the tip of her tongue that she wanted to say. But right as Crona was about to ask her what it was, she then glanced away and curled up closer to them, even thought they were practically sandwiched between her and the back cushions already. It wasn't suffocating, but comfortable. Secure, almost. Except for the hesitant look on Maka's face.
"Maka, is there something wrong?" Crona asked. "Are you worried for the others out there?"
"No, I'm not worried, I know they're safe," Maka replied. "It's just..." She looked up at Crona, her face so close to theirs that their noses nearly touched. "...you look really pretty in the candlelight. " Crona blushed a little when they heard this, but unlike the pinkish hue Maka usually took on, their cheeks turned a light grayish color.
"Ah..." Crona began, freezing up a little. It wasn't only the compliment that left them tongue-tied, it was the way the candlelight looked on Maka as well, it seemed to glow on the back of her head like an angel's halo. "...you look really pretty in the candlelight, too." Sure it was mostly just a repeat of what she said to them, but Crona meant every word of it.
Maka laughed with a slight tremble before bringing up her hand to touch Crona's face. She had a strong and gentle touch with that small hand of hers. It was calloused in some spots from her combat training, but that did not detract from the moment in the slightest. Crona wasn't sure whether it was her gentle touch, Maka and them already cuddling, or the storm and the candlelight around them, but there was something about this moment that made them want to kiss her. And judging by the hesitant look on Maka's face, maybe she felt the same? The butterflies welled up in their stomach. Would this really be happening tonight, their first kiss? This trembling, heart-pounding feeling only swelled up as the seconds went on. Maka closed her eyes, and took a deep breath, before moving in even closer to Crona's lips. An invitation for them to close the gap, and it was one they were definitely going to take.
And in that moment, time just stopped. Though Crona was sure their lips might have been dry, Maka's were soft with the texture of multiple coats of lip balm, worn to keep her lips from drying out in the summer's air. And the feeling lingered even after the few, all-too-short seconds ended and she pulled away. Crona slowly and timidly opened their eyes to see a radiant smile on Maka's face.
"I..." Crona began, not fully knowing what to say. They felt like they should say something, but the problem was they didn't really know what.
"You don't have to say it, I already know," Maka replied. "I love you too."
Crona smiled, feeling that despite the chaos of the storm going on outside, right then, the room was peaceful. In a way, they felt like they could stay like this with her forever. Please, Crona thought, don't let the storm end for a while.