It was a pretty good idea at first- she would admit that without hesitation- but she was sure her worry was justified when Patty started becoming lethargic. Liz was currently in the act of watching her little sister position herself with her feet over the back of the couch and resting upside-down to continue staring blankly at the ceiling. She had been sitting like that for the past two hours. Time went by quickly but Liz was fairly sure that it was not something she could spend two hours doing- forget about spazzy Patty! The older pistol picked up two cans of soda and moved in to shake her sister from her daze.
"Hey Patty~ what are you up to?" she chirped as she placed the cans on the coffee table.
"What does it look like? I'm staring at the ceiling," she mumbled just above inaudibility. "It's been three whole weeks and he hasn't even called."
Liz put her can to her lips to keep her thoughts to herself until she was sure they wouldn't say the wrong thing. What she wanted to say was she probably ran him off, it was Chrona after all. Those words would never escape her lips without dire consequences, however. Liz sipped her soda silently instead. Patty readjusted herself to sit right side up and picked up her can.
"Do you think he just gave up?" she whispered over the rim of her soda.
"I'm not saying anything for certain," Liz replied calmly. "This is Chrona we're talking about, but, he could definitely have done something in all this time. I think we should wait a little longer, you know, give him more time."
Patty stared solemnly into the hole in her can as she ran her finger over the rim. Liz knew all about these kinds of situations- even before Soul she was rather knowledgeable- so whatever she said must be good advice. Patty, on the other hand, was new to all this love stuff. She pouted at the shimmering dark drink and put down her can. Whether Liz was right or not she was done sitting around and waiting. Patty stood and faced her sister.
"I'm going to his apartment," she stated boldly. "I can't sit here waiting anymore- I have to see him!"
She ran to the stairs before Liz could stop her. The older pistol followed her sister up to her room where Patty grabbed a pair of sneakers and proceeded to put them on as she talked.
"I know this is all my fault and it's going to kill everything I already messed up but I can't just sit back and wait for him to come back because what if he doesn't and I'm left here waiting?"
Patty took in a deep breath and stood from her bed. She looked pleading into her sisters eyes. Liz couldn't say no when she looked at her like that so she retrieve her sandals. She let Maka know they were going out and asked if she needed anything. Maka was in the middle of painting a wall in her room when they came in. She had her hair back in a ponytail and some worn clothes on to paint in.
"No, I'm fine," she said, wiping at her forehead with the back of her hand. "Tell me how it goes, okay?"
"Alright," Liz answered with a wave.
...
Patty kept at a brisk walk to Chrona's apartment, not once glancing at anything or anyone as she walked. She was determined to end this stupid game she had started regardless of the consequences. It had been to long for him not to have called her or text her or anything! Her plan ended up back firing after all...
"Patty, calm down," Liz said as she strode next to her.
"No, I have to fix this. I have to stop this now."
"What- Patty!"
Patty suddenly sprinted down the sidewalk, leaving Liz to try to catch up. The world around her began to blur as she focused all of her thoughts on getting to Chrona. She didn't see the people running to get out of her way, only the distance to his apartment growing shorter. Patty would not let herself stop until she could touch him again. It had been so long since she last saw him or touched him or heard his meek voice. She forced more energy into her legs and Liz was finally left to go the rest of the way by herself. She stopped to catch her breath on a bench.
"Whatever," she panted, frustrated. "They could use some time alone anyway."
The jolt she had gotten wore down and Patty jogged up the stairs to apartment number fifty-six. She leaned forward on her knees to catch her breath. Her heart refused to stop attempting suicide by jumping out of her throat, the adrenaline and her nerves were giving it a run for its money. Patty finally caught her second wind and knocked on the door. She paced impatiently, waiting for it to open and show that tall, slender frame she wanted so much to hold. When there was no reply she knocked harder and continued to pace. There was still no answer so Patty peaked through the window to steal at least a glimpse of Chrona.
The inside was clean- very clean- and obviously empty. There were no clothes on the floor, no dishes sitting anywhere she could see, the carpet seemed all the same color and even the window was streak free. If anyone had not been aware that someone was living there they would have thought the apartment was vacant. Patty knew Chrona to be a nervous wreck so it was surprising that his apartment was so clean, especially considering his roommate. Patty blushed as she realized she had actually missed the annoying parasite. Her memories of him were not the most uplifting, but it was fun arguing with Ragnorak sometimes. She slapped her forehead in disbelief at the fact that she had just used fun and Ragnorak in the same sentence. Patty slid down the wall with her back resting against the wall underneath the window. Why wasn't Chrona there? Didn't he know he was supposed to be sulking and antisocial? He was supposed to be there so she could swoop in and make everything better.
"Chrona, you're so stupid sometimes," she chuckled as she stood and descended the stairs. "I guess I could use the exercise. Ready or not, here I come!"
Liz walked out of the ice cream shop digging into the cup of cold delight and moose tracks. Patty didn't need her there so early anyway, right? What if they fell into some passionate meeting? If she were there it would be so embarrassing for all of them. Liz was content to sit in the park and eat her ice cream in peace. It was such a beautiful day; the sun was bright, the grass was green, all the children were in school, a nice breeze was playing through her hair, she had ice cream from her favorite shop, and the power to spend someone else's money. Nothing could have possibly made the moment any better. Liz took a scoop of ice cream and let it melt in her mouth. She let out a contented sigh before the moment was massacred by the sound of an arguing couple. They were so loud she could hear them before they came into view.
"No, I'm not talking about this anymore, we're done!"
"A few weeks with him and you suddenly think you can get smart with me?! You're still a pathetic piece of crap!"
"I've been smart with you but you're just now caring because I'm not backing down."
"Shut up!"
"You shut up!"
Liz shielded her eyes and squinted into the distance at the approaching couple. Who makes so much noise this early in the morning and in a park? The closer they came the more she could pick out of their appearance. First off, there was only one person. They were tall, slender, and had a weird haircut. They were caring bags in either hand. Okay, it was a man. He was wearing a blue tee and sweatpants she could hear from there. Once she recognized who he was talking to she dubbed her relaxation time over.
"Chrona!" she shouted with the use of half a hand cone. "Hey, Chrona!"
Chrona looked forward, squinting his eyes to see in the bright sunlight.
"Who's that?!" Ragnorak shouted rather than asked.
"I think that's Liz," Chrona gasped.
Liz waved him over, not that she needed to, once he recognized her he was running right up to her. Chrona put his bags down on the bench and scooped her up in a bear hug. She whined about dropping her ice cream so he put her back down. He did notice she was alone but didn't let his disappointment show. Liz glared Ragnorak who had continued his raging rant by insulting the pistol.
"You look heavier than I remember you being last time," he said. "Actually, next to that big breasted sister of yours I don't remember you much at all."
Liz almost threw her ice cream on him if not for her love of moose tracks. "It's not my fault I'm smaller than my sister so shut up you stupid parasite!"
Chrona put a hand over Ragnorak's mouth before he could retort. "Where's Patty?"
"She went to your apartment," Liz said. "I'm guessing you weren't there."
"No, we needed food so I went to the grocery store."
"We can go together," Liz suggested' "And you can tell me what you've been up to for the past three weeks."
Chrona picked up his bags and started back toward his apartment with Liz following, ice cream in hand.
Patty came out of the River Styx ice cream shop with a sugar cone piled high with three scoops of cotton candy ice cream. They always gave big scoops at River Styx- which is why she liked it there. The girl behind the counter said she had seen Liz a few minutes ago. Great, now she had lost her sister. If she got ice cream then she most likely went somewhere to relax. Patty turned to go back home, thinking Liz would have gone back to kick up her feet with her favorite ice cream. Once she got her sister they would go back to Chrona's and, hopefully, he would be there.
She managed to lower her scoops into a mound of pink and blue by the time she got back to the mansion. She went inside the mansion and peeked around the living area and the bedrooms before concluding that Liz was, in fact, not there. Soul caught her on her way downstairs and waved.
"Hey, Maka told me you and Liz had gone out," he said.
"Yeah, we did, but then I lost her running to Chrona's," she pouted.
"What were you going to do at Chrona's?" Soul asked curiously.
"I was going to fix everything, seeing as it was my fault.. Actually, he wasn't at home so I was looking for him! Wanna help me find him?"
Patty was pleading more so than asking. Soul smiled and put an arm around her shoulder.
"Yeah, I'll help you find him. Come on little sis."
Liz's eyes wandered all over Chrona's apartment. It was so clean, even more so for a guy to be living there. Soul wasn't that bad but he wasn't the cleanest person she knew. Chrona put away the food in the kitchen while she wandered around. She had to admit, it was small, but nice for a someone living alone.
"This is the first time I've been inside your apartment," she said when she sat down on the couch. "It's nice- just perfect for one person or two really close people."
"Thanks...I guess," Chrona replied as he saved the bags away into a drawer.
"Now, tell me what you've been up to! No one's heard from you in a while, we thought you had left on another assignment from Shinigami-sama."
Chrona joined her on the couch and rubbed his arm nervously. "No, I've been here. I haven't had a new assignment in a while though. I spent a while sulking after...you know."
"But there's something different about you now," Liz observed with narrowed eyes. "Did you cut your hair?"
She stared at his shoulder length locks with a menacing glare, causing Chrona to shiver.
"N-No I didn't cut my hair," Chrona replied nervously. "I...I took Patty's advice."
"Her advice? Advice on what?"
Soul knew Liz's favorite places to go when relaxing outside of the mansion so he led Patty on a short trip around the city. They went by the old basketbell court they used to play at when attending Shibusen. No one had taken the time to fix it up, the bench still had the words they had written on it all those years ago. BlackStar had written the number one as if that were all it needed to say. Kid had written "symmetry" next to Soul's "cool" and under Tsubaki's "love". Maka thought a long time before writing her word, "independent." Patty remebered writing "giraffe" next to Liz's "family." She ran her hand over the words with a sad smile. "It feels like we were just here yesterday," Soul reminisced.
"Yeah, it's so wierd looking at it now," Patty agreed. "This was even before Chrona became a part of our group. That was a long time ago, huh?"
"Geez, I'm starting to feel old. Let's go look in the park," Soul said, taking Patty's hand.
There was no trace of Liz anywhere in the park. Patty climbed a tree and tried to spot her from up there but to no avail. She jumped down and they continued on to the stores she frequented. None of the clerks had seen her that day either. Patty sighed in defeat.
"I can't imagine where else she could have gone off to," Soul said, rubbing the back of his neck. "She was supposed to be with you wasn't she?"
"Yeah, she was.."
"Maybe she went ahead to Chrona's place to wait for you. He may have come back by now."
Patty didn't wait another minute once it was said; she grabbed Soul's arm and ran from the store with her sights set on Chrona's apartment once again. Soul half stumbled, half ran after her.
Liz stared at the black blooded meister in disbelief. Had he really done such a thing? Did he seriously do this with BlackStar of all people? She shook the incredulous look from her face and narrowed her eyes at him. Chrona sweatdropped at her reaction; she was completely overreacting.
"So you went to BlackStar...about being manly?" She made air-quotes as she said the last word.
"It was Ragnorak's idea," he pointed out. "I actually didn't want to go."
"You can never say anything about me ever again," she said to the weapon with a smug grin.
"I can say whatever I want fatty!" he snapped.
"What?! Did you just- Did he just call me fat?!" Liz gasped. "Watch who you're talking to you little weed!"
"Oh, 'little weed'. Is that the best you got fatso?!"
"Keep going and I'll pick a few more choice words just for you," she hissed.
"I wouldn't be surprised, sheesh! You could hide a couple of cheese burgers in that flab!"
"That's it! You're done you little worm!"
Liz lunged at Ragnorak, forgetting all about her conversation with Chrona, and tried to grab him before he went back inside of Chrona. The person in question was holding her wrists to prevent her from scratching into him like a cat post; it looked like she had recently gotten a manicure. Liz stopped struggling and let him push her back, but not without a glare at the black weapon.
"I-I'm sorry about that Liz," Chrona apologized nervously. "He's in a particularly bad mood today and is taking out on me for some reason."
"Because it's your fault!" Ragnorak shouted and punched him in the head.
"Ow!"
"It's not his fault you're a useless apendage," she retorted.
"I'm not his only useless apendage, trust me."
Chrona rolled his eyes and Liz lashed out at Ragnorak. He retreated just in time for her fist to hit Chrona dead in the ear.
"Ow! Ahh~ Liz-"
"I'm sorry Chrona! Sorry, sorry..." She rubbed his ear.
What kind of perverted little creature was this coming out of sweet and innocent Chrona?! She knew she had walked right into that one but the way he said it was so...wrong. A knock on the door summoned Chrona from the couch and he went to answer it with a hand over his ear. He unlocked it and pulled the door open. A loud thump would be heard on the ceiling of the person below them. Liz leaned over the arm of the couch to see Chrona on the floor with Patty on top of him, her arms around his neck. Soul stepped over them and smiled at her.
"What are you doing here?" she asked, not that she was complaining.
"I was helping Patty find you and Chrona but it looks like you've been here the whole time," he answered, sitting next to her.
"Yeah, I ran into him at the park and we walked back to meet Patty but she was gone when we got here."
Patty was currently distracted by that pink haired, black blooded meister. She added his warm, thin lips into the equation and wanted to melt into his arms right there. Chrona was caught completely off guard but not so much that he couldn't return the favor. Liz choked down a scream as she saw their lips part invitingly to eachother. One part of her wanted to rip her sister off of him and slap some sense into her, yet another, stronger, side refused to ruin their reunion. Soul pulled Liz into his lap and held her against his chest to calm the conflict he saw in her expression.
At some point the couple realized they did indeed need to breath and pulled apart. Chrona breathed heavily as he stared into Patty's light blue irises. She smiled back into his dark eyes before getting off of him.
"Finally," Liz said, "I was wondering how far you two were gonna go with all that."
"Oh sis," Patty giggled.
Chrona only blushed and grabbed his arm, still unable to lose that nervous habit.
"Could we get some privacy please?" Patty asked, now blushing herself. "I need to talk to Chrona."
"Sure," Liz said as she shimmied from Soul's lap.
They went outside and closed the door. Patty then turned to Chrona. There was so much to say but where to begin? She pulled him to the couch and sat him down then sat next to him.
"Chrona, I'm sorry about what I said to you," she blurted out. "That was awful and I shouldn't have said that in front of everyone like that. I was being so selfish and not thinking about you at all and-"
"Wait, no, I'm sorry Patty," he said. "If you hadn't done that then I wouldn't have been able to become the kind of person you could depend on and I wouldn't be able to live with myself. I appreciate everything you've done for me."
"But-"
"L-Let's not talk about that any more," he said. "There's something I want to ask you now."
Patty kept silent as he took her hands in his and held them firmly. She looked up into his eyes, her heart beating a little to fast.
"Will you...
"I'm pretty I answered this question already," Patty speculated.
"Wha- When?"
"When I did this."
Patty leaned forward and took his lips once again. She was sure no matter how many times they did this she would never get tired of that soft sweetness that accompanied the sensation. The front door opened slightly to let Liz and Soul peek inside.
"I knew it!" Liz exclaimed, startling the lovers apart. "Am I gonna have to put a muzzle on you two?"
"Sis!" Patty whined. "Stop it! Can't you see I'm in the middle of my happy ending?!"
Liz stuck out her tongue and closed the door again. Patty shook her head then faced Chrona.
"Sorry about that."
"I don't mind," he chuckled. "She is your sister after all."
Patty threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. That soft sweetness was very comforting to breath in as well. She couldn't hold it in anymore and the tears ran from her eyes onto his shirt, spotting it with dark blue dots. Chrona hugged her back.
"What's wrong?" he asked, alarmed by the sudden tears.
"I...I'm just so happy~!" she cried.
Chrona laughed and kissed her cheek. "So am I."
A/N: Yaay! Reconciliation! I'm not sure how I'm actually going to end this one, but I'm sure something not cheesey will come to me sooner or later. There was an idea I was musing over and a reviewer also brought it up as an idea. I may end up going with it, maybe something else will come to me. We'll just have to see!
