A/N: I'm a huge Christina Perri fan. Don't be surprised if I do a one shot for all her songs, and don't be surprised if they all include Crona. Her songs define Crona. They're sad and hopeless sometimes, other times having a cheery façade, and sometimes they're genuinely happy.

I also think that her songs work really well for Kid/Crona.

This song is called Distance, of course by Christina Perri. This is a cheery song although it's slightly a façade. I'd highly recommend listening to it as you read this; I did when I was writing it.

I spent over a week writing this, and it's the longest thing I have on this website. Joy.

I do not own Soul Eater.

The sun is filling up the room
And I can hear you dreaming
Do you feel the way I do right now?

Crona held the phone to her ear, considering what to do. Her index finger rested on the first digit of his phone number. The dial tone rung in her ears, as if telling her to hurry up or put the phone down, and she sighed. She put the phone back on the receiver. Maka sighed sadly, placing a hand on the girl's shoulder. "I'm sorry. I can't do it," Crona whispered softly, feeling disappointed in her cowardice. Maka smiled sadly. "I understand. You don't have to if you're not ready yet." She soothed.

The sun shone bright in Maka's living room, and the windows were wide open, inviting in the breeze on the hot summer day in Death City, Nevada. Maka sighed once more. She had been trying to help Crona admit her feelings to Kid. Crona was always too nervous to call him and ask him to meet her someplace though, but Maka knew she had to remain patient. Crona was a very timid girl and needed time to plan her actions. She squeezed the other girl's shoulder lightly, and Crona looked down at her feet, resisting tears. "I know he feels the same way, Crona. Kid's not heartless. Why shouldn't he like you, Crona?" She asked, but immediately regretted saying it. She knew Crona was going to list all her bad qualities now. She had a habit of doing that.

I wish we would just give up
Cause the best part is falling
Call it anything but love

Crona counted on her fingers as she listed each bad quality about herself. Maka felt guilty that she had not chosen her words carefully. "I'm the daughter of a witch. I almost became a kishin. I'm a coward. I'm scrawny and pale. I'm unattractive and as flat as a board. I'm not smart. I'm insane. And to top it all off, I have black blood and Ragnarok living in it." She said sadly, holding up her hands for Maka to see. "Eleven, and probably more. I can't even count them all on two hands. I'm hopeless. I wish we'd just give up. I mean, why would he like me when he has attractive girls like Liz and Patty around him all the time?" Crona frowned, looking down at the floor once again.

Maka's eyebrows tilted sadly. She knew Crona looked badly upon herself, but Crona's good traits outweighed her bad ones. "Crona, that's not true. You're so sweet. You resisted your mother's wish for you to be a kishin. You helped defeat her. You always think about others before yourself. You're modest. You're logical and patient. You're someone that anyone can trust with a secret. You'd take a bullet for a friend. Liz and Patty are Kid's weapons, and they're like sisters to him. And I think you're really cute." Maka said, smiling at her friend. She hoped Crona would get the courage to try calling Kid again, although she knew it was unlikely.

Crona shook her head sadly, standing up off of Maka's couch and still looking at the floor. "I'm sorry, Maka. But I really have to go. Maybe we can try this again another time." She said quietly. Maka nodded and gave Crona a sympathetic look. She opened the front door for her and gave her a hug before she left. She watched her sadly disappear down the hallway of her apartment building, feeling disappointed that she couldn't help her friend.

And I will make sure to keep my distance
Say "I love you" when you're not listening
How long can we keep this up?

The next day at school was like any other. Crona tried her best to stay away from Kid, and stared at him when she sat behind him. Maka watched as her cheeks flushed when he turned around and saw her looking at him. She quickly looked away and continued taking notes. Maka sighed. She could've sworn Crona muttered something under her breath about him being perfect. How he was amazing. How much she liked him. Maka frowned, wishing she'd say those things out loud to him one day.

Crona stood up when the bell rang and waited for Maka so they could walk out together. Soul accompanied them. Maka looked at Crona, keeping her voice low so that Soul couldn't hear them. "You can't keep this up for much longer, Crona. You have to tell him soon, or he'll be gone." She said, and Crona nodded, not looking at her. She was staring at the back of Kid's head again.

Maka noticed that Kid had been rather friendly to Crona lately. She knew he wanted to help her adjust to the school, but she wondered if he knew Crona had feelings for him. She hoped he wasn't acting out of pity for the girl or just playing with her heart, because if he was, then Maka would smash his head into oblivion, Grim Reaper or not. He smiled and came to walk with them, as well as Liz and Patty. Standing right next to Crona.

Please don't stand so close to me
I'm having trouble breathing
I'm afraid of what you'll see right now

Liz and Soul chatted, Patty was humming and skipping a few paces ahead, and Kid, Maka, and Crona stood together. Maka and Kid tried to make small talk, but Crona refused to say anything. Her face was as red as a tomato. Kid asked her something once, and when she tried to speak, nothing came out. This only made her blush more, and Maka had to answer for her.

When they reached class, they all separated to their seats. Luckily, Maka and Crona sat together. Maka gave Crona an inquisitive look. Crona looked down at her notebook. "I'm sorry. I felt as if I couldn't breathe." She apologized. Maka shrugged, returning to the lecture.

Maka observed Crona throughout the entire lesson. This time, Kid was sitting behind them, so that he had the upper hand. Kid occasionally glanced down to look at her, Maka noticed, but otherwise focused on the lesson. Crona couldn't stop fidgeting. Her face was ever so slightly pink. She looked at Maka with worry flooding her features. "Please don't tell me that he's looking at me right now. I don't want him to see me. Oh no, what if he sees me? I look awful…" She worried. Maka smiled sadly. "He's not looking, Crona. Don't worry. You don't look awful." She calmed. Crona tried her best to return to the lesson, finding it exceedingly difficult.

I give you everything I am
All my broken heart beats
Until I know you understand

Maka and Soul decided to host a party, since tests had finally ended. The party would be held in their apartment, and the guests would stay the night. All the guests arrived on time. Both Black Star and Patty spent the whole day laughing about random things, Liz, Maka, and Tsubaki talked about future shopping plans, and Soul, Kid, and Crona talked about the school. Maka played a movie, a horror film that scared the living daylights out of Liz and Crona. When night rolled around, Liz and Crona were still shaking. Maka regretted choosing that movie, hoping they wouldn't stay up all night. A Liz with no sleep was not very fun to handle, and even Crona got grumpy.

Maka unfortunately was right. Liz and Crona could not sleep that entire night. They curled up next to each other in the sleeping bags Maka and Soul laid out for them, and whispered to each other until Liz finally fell asleep at four in the morning. Crona however, remained up. Maka had woken during the night to soft whispers. She assumed Liz and Crona were still talking, but she could only hear Crona. She listened intently at the words she was saying, pretending to still be asleep on the couch.

And I will make sure to keep my distance
Say "I love you" when you're not listening
How long can we keep this up?

Maka was truly saddened by the words that came from Crona's mouth. She spoke so quietly that it was hard to understand, but Maka did manage to catch the words "Perfect", "Love", "Mistake", "Pathetic", and "Deserve much more". Crona stared at Kid's profile, since he slept perfectly straight. Her eyes seemed to betray her inner loneliness. From the words she caught, Maka could make out that Crona loved Kid and thought he was perfect, but she herself was pathetic and he deserved much more. Maka wanted more than anything than to give Crona a hug and never let her go, but that would mean that she'd have to explain why she was eavesdropping.

The girl adjusted her position on the couch and let out a breath. She decided to pretend to just be waking up, incase Crona wanted someone to talk to. Crona was facing her, her dark blue eyes open, though slightly. Maka slowly got up and stretched, pretending to be checking the time. It was five thirty. Crona watched her, and Maka slowly looked over to see her. She smiled and waved tiredly. Crona smiled back, though it looked forced. Maka got up and tip-toed to the kitchen to get a glass of water, motioning for Crona to follow. Crona stood and copied suit.

When they reached the kitchen, Crona sat on the counter while Maka poured herself water. She gave Crona a glass also, and she took a long sip from it. Maka patted Crona's head. "Can't sleep?" She whispered, and Crona nodded, looking at the kitchen floor. "The movie k- kind of scared me…" She admitted, but Maka could tell she wanted to talk about something else as well. Maka took a sip of her water and wiped her upper lip before continuing. "Is that it, or is there something else bothering you? You can tell me, you know. Everyone's sleeping." She asked, and Crona still did not look up. She sighed. Crona slowly lifted her head. "…I can't figure out a way to tell Kid. I'll look so stupid. Why on earth would he like a girl like me? I bet he doesn't even know I'm a girl. Black Star still thinks I'm a b- boy, and I can't deal with that. He deserves more than a witch's child. Everyone'll hate him. But it won't happen, because one, I'll probably never ask, and two, he'll reject me. So I shouldn't be worrying. But the thing is, some selfish part of me wants him to like me. It wants him to pay attention to me, so I don't know what to do. I'm so confused." Crona whispered, hopeless. Maka sighed and pulled Crona in for a hug.

She felt Crona hug back after a little while. "Crona, it's okay. I understand, really. But you shouldn't think that way. Everyone except Black Star knows you're a girl; he's just too stubborn and annoying to realize it. And a little optimism goes a long way. You should believe in yourself more. Just think of what I said the other day, why he should like you. Just think positive and be confident. Trust me. It'll work out. I promise." She said, and Crona nodded. They walked out of the kitchen, finished with their water, and laid down in their previous spots. They waved each other goodnight, and Crona didn't have much difficulty falling asleep after that. Maka was glad that Crona was resting, and she soon fell into slumber herself.

But little did they know, Kid had used the bathroom while they were speaking and he just so happened to overhear their conversation.

And I keep waiting
For you to take me
You keep waiting
To save what we have

The next morning, everyone woke up at about ten o'clock, with the exception of Kid, who woke up at eight on the dot. He silently arranged Maka and Soul's apartment until they woke up and forced him to stop. Most everyone woke up shortly after due to the yelling Maka was making. After their little argument was done, Maka went into the kitchen to prepare breakfast while Soul and the guests chatted, watched TV or got ready for the morning. Maka noticed when she left the kitchen to get napkins that Kid was glancing over to Crona now and then, making her squirm nervously. Maka decided that she needed to have a chat with him. She couldn't have him playing with her best friend's heart.

When breakfast was ready, Soul, Patty and Black Star rushed to the kitchen, while Tsubaki, Liz, Kid and Crona walked calmly, Tsubaki and Liz engaged in a heated discussion. Kid seemed to be closer to Crona than usual, and Maka didn't like that. It seemed to her that he pitied her. She'd definitely need to talk to him now. With her dictionary, the hard cover one. After breakfast.

We can all expect who the first three who were finished with their food were, so let's just skip over that. When Maka took the plates to the kitchen, she could see that Liz and Patty were keeping Crona busy by playing with her hair, and Kid was arranging the coffee table slyly. She poked his shoulder and pointed to the kitchen, where he followed her. She gripped her book, which seemed to come out of nowhere, so tight that he could see that her knuckles were white. He decided that he should choose his words very carefully unless he had a death wish. Maka shut the door, and he tried to remain cool despite the fact that he was trapped in a small room with Maka who was armed with a hard cover dictionary, which, in his defense, was very nerve-wrecking.

"Alright. I need answers. How do you feel about Crona?" She asked, cutting directly to the point. She stared at him hard, but he returned it best he could. "Crona? She's a good friend, and a nice person. I can tell she's changed from when she was Medusa's servant." He said, but Maka shook her head. "That's not what I was looking for. How do you feel about Crona? On a personal level." She restated her question. He looked at the ceiling, pondering if he should tell the truth or not. He decided that it wasn't a wise choice to lie to Maka, especially not in a situation like his, so out the truth came.

"She's cute. She's really nice and understanding, despite what she's been through. I like her." He said, not really thinking about what he was saying. But of course, this did not yet satisfy Maka. "Why should she be with you? What could you possibly give her that nobody else can? Or are you gonna be horrible like every single other man on this damn planet and throw her away once you get bored with her?" She asked, her words cutting him like a knife. He didn't realize she thought this way about every man just because her father was an unfaithful husband.

Kid could tell things were getting a bit more personal for her. She cared so much about Crona, and she'd never want to see her cheated on like her mother. But he'd never do that. "Maka. I'm not like your father. I will never 'throw her away' like you say. You shouldn't base your opinion on men like that due to your father's actions. He was a bad husband, I'm sure, but I think he did a great job as a father. Now, if you're satisfied, I'll be leaving." He said, hoping he did not anger her. But she nodded, with the slightest trace of a smile on her face.

So I'll make sure to keep my distance
Say "I love you" when you're not listening
How long can we keep this up?

Running into the living room, Maka grabbed Crona despite her protests and dragged her to the hall. She quickly explained that if she was going to ask Kid on a date, that she should do it now, when everyone was leaving and Kid just admitted that he liked her. She nodded nervously, and Maka told her to relax, taking her by the hand back to the living room where Black Star, Tsubaki, and Patty were leaving. Patty was going to hang out with the two of them, and Liz was starting to pack her things up. Kid was once again arranging the coffee table, and Soul was dozing on the couch.

Maka pushed Crona towards Kid, and she took a few nervous steps forward. Kid saw her and chuckled, standing to speed up the process. He patted her back and led her to the corner, where he decided that one of them had to admit their feelings. Maka spied on them from the kitchen, along with Liz, who was gushing. She heard Crona trying to make small talk, but she willed her silently to get to the point. But right then and there, Crona began to feel very nauseous.

And of course, when Crona ran to the bathroom holding her mouth and her cheeks puffed out, her face slightly green, Maka was the one who had to hold her hair back when she released her bile. Not too long after Crona had finished, tears from the incident streaming down her face, and Maka wiping her face with a rag while giving her a cup to rinse, Kid knocked on the door, asking if everything was alright. Crona pleaded her not to, but Maka opened the door for him anyway. Crona hid her face in the cloth Maka gave her only a minute before, ashamed of what had just happened.

Kid sighed and walked up to her, embracing her before she could manage a word. She squeaked, and Liz and Maka silently cheered in the background, high-fiving each other. Kid rubbed the girl's back gently while whispering soothing nothings to her, and she sighed, burying her face in his shoulder where a few tears leaked out. But he didn't mind for once.

Make sure to keep my distance
Say "I love you" when you're not listening
How long 'til we call this love?

Needless to say, Crona was much more confident the next time it came to calling Kid on the phone at Maka's house on a sunny afternoon. And Maka couldn't be more proud.