Alright, here's another little aside chapter I cooked up some time ago. Hope you folks enjoy.
WARNING: The following contains nothing but pure fluff. If there's only so much adorable fluffiness you can take in one day, this is probably going to go way over your quota, so it'd be best to just go now.
/
When someone has known a person for a certain length of time, you tend to pick up on certain things that person does. You become familiarized with their actions and routines. You start to expect certain things to be done once you known them long enough.
Which was why, for anyone else, the fact that Maka Albarn didn't go to school would just be a very large surprise.
For Crona, someone may as well have told him the world was coming to an end.
His schooldays always started the same way: he'd wake up and get himself prepared, via teeth-brushing, hair-combing, etc., before Maka would come knocking at his door. The two of them would then arrive at class approximately twenty minutes early, giving them plenty of time to sit and chat before class started. Granted, it wasn't always perfect. Sometimes she'd arrive a few minutes late, and sometimes he'd find that he'd accidentally slept in and she'd already arrived and they had to rush out. But there was always the knowledge that she'd be there.
Today was going to be decidedly different however. Crona came to that realization as he dashed out of his door, with ten minutes to go until class started and still no sign of Maka.
OK, this is not the time to panic. Crona told himself as he ran down the halls. There's an explanation for this. She probably just forgot. Yeah, that's all. You'll get to class and she'll be there, and it'll all be OK.
Naturally, this didn't last long.
What if someone killed her? Crona started worrying as he dashed out of the lower level of the school. What if it was one of the witches who came after me and went after her for information but she didn't talk and so they killed her and it's all my fault because I'm the one they wanted and if I wasn't around then she would still be alive and-
"OOF!"
"AGH!"
Crona's thoughts were interrupted when he collided with someone in the middle of his mad dash, causing him to fall to the floor beside his unfortunate victim.
"OW! Geez, why can't you watch where you're going?"
"I-I'm sorry! I was just-"
Crona stopped when he sat up and looked over to see another mass of pink hair to match his own.
"Oh, hey Crona!"
Crona looked down at the floor. "S-Sorry about that, Kim…"
Kim sighed. "It's alright. Just help me pick up my stuff, alright?"
"O-OK…"
The two of them then started gathering up the books and various other items scattered about on the floor.
"Weird how we keep running into each other like this, isn't it?" Kim remarked.
"Y-Yeah…" Crona replied.
Really weird… he continued mentally. Why does this keep happening…?
"You alright?" Kim asked, interrupting Crona's thoughts. "You look…um…well…"
Crona frowned. "W-What…?"
"Well…I was going to say you looked like someone gave you a puppy only to shoot it right in front of you, but that's a pretty dark analogy…"
Crona gave an involuntary shudder. "Y-Yeah, a bit…"
"But you do look like something's wrong…was that why you were in such a hurry?"
"N-No, I just thought I was running late…"
Which was true, Crona was technically running later than he usually did. However, he didn't really want to tell Kim just what was on his mind. As nice as she was to him, he wasn't really sure he knew her well enough to tell her his concerns. Especially frantic wondering about whether or not the most important person in the entire universe was alive or dead, all because she didn't show up at his front door like she usually did.
"Oh!" Kim suddenly cried out, causing Crona to look back up at her. "Do you know what happened to Maka?"
"N-No, I-"
Wait. Crona thought, stopping mid-sentence. …what does she mean by that? "What happened to her"? What happened?
"W-What do you mean…?" he stuttered out. "W-W-What happened?"
"That's what I was asking you…" Kim replied. "I just thought you would've heard-"
"Heard what?" Crona interrupted, the panic now clearly evident in his voice. "Heard what? What happened? Is she OK? Where is she?"
"Whoa, whoa, just relax, Crona!" Kim answered, her hands held up in front of her. "I just meant I thought you knew why she wasn't here today!"
Kim was honestly surprised at how quickly Crona's face changed. It was impressive, in a weird way, how it suddenly changed from one of total panic and fear to one of immense, unfiltered sorrow.
"…she…she's not…here…?" Crona whispered, his voice sounding incredibly weak.
"N-No…" Kim replied, holding her books to her chest. "I just heard that she wasn't showing up today…"
"…why…?"
"I don't know…that's just what I heard…she's probably just sick or something…"
"…sick? …Maka's…sick?"
"Maybe…I'm just guessing…"
Kim slowly got to her feet, gently brushing her skirt once she stood at her full height. Crona hadn't moved at all, eyes staring straight ahead. She moved away slightly, turning to face the hall.
"Um…I'm just going to go to class now…"
Crona didn't move, or make any indication that he heard her. Despite this, Kim still turned and headed down the hall, a worried frown on her face.
…what do I do? Crona wondered, still staring at the wall across from him. Maka's sick…? She's not going to be here…what should I do?
Someone walked past his field of vision, causing him to snap back to reality. He quickly gathered up his things and got back to his feet, turning and heading down the hall, trying desperately to calm himself down.
It was just something Kim heard… he reasoned. It doesn't mean it's true…she's probably just late…I'll get there and she'll be waiting, or she'll show up a few minutes later…
As Crona headed towards the classroom, he stopped when he saw Kim further ahead, this time with Ox. He watched the two of them for a few minutes, Ox fretting over something and Kim looking annoyed. He was too far away to hear their conversation, but he imagined it was because of their earlier collision, which made him feel a bit guilty.
His eyes widened slightly when the two turned to enter the classroom. Their hands slowly came together beside them, their fingers interlocking with one another.
Without even really realizing it, Crona's eyes moved down towards his own hands. That one simple image of their hands entwining with one another was now the only thing on his mind.
He and Maka had held hands before. He understood that it raised some questions about the two of them among other people, but she didn't seem to care. And it felt wonderful when she did. But the intent behind it was different. It was usually to comfort one of them, or to pull him along with whatever she wanted to do.
And they had never held hands like Kim and Ox just did. It was always just grasping the actual hands, almost like a handshake. It was never with the fingers locking together like that. He wondered what it would be like if they did…if they would fit together as well as he hoped they would…
He pulled his books closer to his chest, his face blushing furiously. He lowered his head and started walking towards the classroom, coming to a realization.
Today is going to be a long day…
/
As the minutes ticked away at an agonizingly slow pace, Crona came to realize that there was no way he could make it through the day.
Professor Stein was at the front, droning on and on about the biology of the standard pet dog (thankfully without a specimen to dissect, for once), but despite Crona's best efforts to pay attention, it just sounded like needless noise to him.
There was no way he could concentrate today. Not with the empty seat beside him that was supposed to have Maka in it, waiting for him with an explanation as to where she was. Waiting to let him know that everything was OK and that he worried for nothing.
Instead, all he got was a story from Soul, once he couldn't stop going over in his head.
"She wouldn't tell me what was wrong. She wouldn't even come out of her room. She just told me she wasn't going today and that I might as well go without her. Believe me, man, I tried to get an explanation out of her, but she just kept telling me to go, and that I wasn't going to talk her out of it. Well, that, and she threatened to throw an entire library's worth of Maka Chops at me if I didn't…"
Crona sighed, trying once again to get himself to calm down, and started going over the situation in his head.
Alright…she's not dead. I know that much. But…something is seriously wrong. She wouldn't tell Soul about it, and she wouldn't come to school. What could be so bad that she wouldn't go to school? She wouldn't even leave her room…it must be really terrible…
He heard a small tapping noise and looked up, turning his head towards the source. On the other side of Maka's empty seat was Soul, tapping his pencil to get Crona's attention. He was holding up one side of his notebook, and Crona noticed some writing on it.
You alright?
Crona blinked at the somewhat odd form of communication. Realizing that there really was no other way to talk, (besides one of them moving to Maka's seat, but that felt wrong, somehow) Crona took a second and wrote something in his notebook, before showing the page to Soul.
No.
Soul frowned, then picked up his eraser and rubbed out his first sentence. He took a moment and wrote again.
Thinking about her?
Crona stared at Soul for a moment, before erasing his earlier sentence and writing a response.
Of course I am. Aren't you?
Soul rolled his eyes, erasing his writing and replacing it with a longer sentence.
I doubt I'm thinking about her the same way you are.
Crona flushed brightly, quickly erasing his sentence and writing a response.
That's not funny.
Soul grinned, erasing his sentence and rewriting, showing it to Crona with a comforting smile now on his face.
I'm sure she's fine.
Crona sighed, writing his new, short sentence.
I'm not.
Soul sighed as well, writing another sentence while clearly showing the annoyance on his face.
You worry too much, you know that?
Crona looked away, choosing not to respond.
Despite the "talk" with Soul, his mind wasn't any more at ease. Worse, he still wasn't entire sure just what to do. Or if there was even anything he could do. Knowing so little about what the situation was was the main obstacle, and before he could even think about helping her, he had to think of a way around that obstacle.
…there is one thing I could do. he thought. But I would get in so much trouble if I was caught…not to mention I could make people distrust me again…
Even with that concern, the thought that Maka was all by herself in her room, upset or sick or scared…
What's more important to me? he wondered. The rules, or Maka?
He shouldn't have even needed to ask.
He quietly closed his notebook, slowly got out of his chair, and raised his hand, his entire arm shaking all the while.
"U-Um…P-Professor S-Stein? S-Sir?"
Stein stopped writing on the chalkboard and turned to look at Crona, his eyebrow raised.
"Yes, Crona?"
Crona's entire body started to shake, hoping that he hadn't interrupted Stein while he was talking, especially for what he was about to ask.
"B-B-B-B-B…bathroom…"
Stein stared at the quivering Crona for a moment, before sighing and turning back to the board.
"Alright, go on."
Crona very quickly turned and walked past Soul, ignoring his inquisitive stare, and headed down the steps to the front and out the door.
Once outside of the classroom, he took a few deep breaths to calm himself, then turned and started heading down the hall, his destination clear in his mind.
Thankfully, there wasn't anyone wandering the halls to ask him any questions. He imagined he would've probably cracked under the pressure if anyone showed up to ask why he was wandering the halls when he was supposed to be in class. He definitely couldn't deal with being caught.
What he didn't expect to happen right then was the always-familiar splortch to ring out as Ragnarok uncurled from his back, perching on his head.
"Hey." he grumbled. "Where are you going? The bathrooms are the other way."
Crona looked up at Ragnarok and put a finger to his lips, quickly shushing him.
"I know."
Ragnarok tilted his head in confusion, but didn't respond as Crona soon started running down the hallway.
He stopped once he reached the entrance to the academy. After quickly looking around to make sure no one saw him, he dashed out the archway, and before he even really knew what he was doing, he was heading down the long, long staircase.
Don't trip don't trip don't trip don't trip don't trip he kept ordering himself. Luckily, he managed to make it down the stairs without tripping over his robe, despite moving as fast as he could.
Once he reached the bottom, he quickly dashed behind a nearby building. After taking a few seconds to catch his breath, he slowly peeked out from behind it, looking back up at the academy.
He saw that no one had followed him and breathed a long sigh of relief. Well, the worst of it's over…
He leaned back against the wall, slowly calming himself down. He then looked up to see Ragnarok staring down at him, arms crossed.
"…w-what?"
"You're skipping class."
Crona flinched, quickly looking away from Ragnarok. He started rubbing his arm as usual, realizing that Ragnarok was probably going to ruin all he had planned out.
"Y-Yes…I guess I am…"
He was very surprised to hear a loud victorious cry come from Ragnarok right then.
"I can't believe it! You're actually breaking the rules! I didn't think you had it in you!"
Crona looked back up at him, clearly surprised.
"You…you're happy?"
"Of course I am! Fuck the establishment, we're fucking rebels!"
He then smacked the side of Crona's head, almost like he was hitting a horse with a riding crop. "Now get a move on! We're burnin' daylight already, and we've got a lot of accomplishing nothing of worth to do!"
Crona sighed, walking out from behind the building and down the street, while Ragnarok started going on and on about all the things they should be doing.
It was strange for Crona to have Ragnarok actually happy with him, for once. Most of the time he would just tell him what he should be doing instead of what he was doing, and call him out on being cowardly for not doing it. When he wasn't pestering him for a snack or whatever. Yet him actually being pleased with something he did that didn't directly benefit him was…odd.
Which only made it worse when Crona realized that it wasn't going to last for very long.
"And then we'll go knock over some trash cans, because fuck trash cans, and then maybe we can go hijack a car, like that one time in Siberia, and then we'll steal some cake from the bakery, because you still fucking owe me some, and then we'll sneak over to Kid's place and raid Patty's underwear drawer, and then-"
He stopped mid-sentence, looking around the surrounding area while Crona continued to walk down the street, eyes on the pavement.
"…wait a minute." Ragnarok muttered. "I know this place…what are we doing-"
He looked ahead and saw Crona's destination: Maka's apartment.
"…oh you have got to be fucking kidding me!" he shouted, glaring down at Crona. "You mean to tell me the only reason you're skiving off class is to go visit her?"
Crona didn't look up at him, eyes focused straight ahead.
"I…you just…you're so fucking…you…how can you…"
Ragnarok, unable to properly voice his thoughts on the matter, gave a loud growl of frustration before diving back into Crona's body.
Crona stopped walking, looking over his shoulder at where Ragnarok was. …that's weird…he'd usually have more to say…
Then again, Ragnarok had been acting exceptionally different lately. He had been appearing less and less, now only showing up when Crona was alone. And even then, it was only to bug him to get him food, refusing to talk to him any more than that. Granted, there had been a number of times Crona just wished Ragnarok would leave him alone, but now that he actually was…something felt wrong about it.
He turned his head to look at a nearby window in a building, seeing his own reflection in it. He looked at his messy, uneven pink hair, his pale skin, and the bags under his eyes. He then looked at the expression that appeared to be frozen onto his face.
…have I always looked this…annoyed? he wondered.
Ragnarok wasn't the only one who had been acting a bit differently. He wasn't sure why, but Crona had found that he'd been a bit more…agitated lately. Much quicker to anger than he used to be. Much more aggressive. And he wasn't sure he liked it.
Back in the old days, before he met Maka for the first time, he had always viewed killing as a necessity. Something he had to do in order to survive, or to make Medusa happy. He had never really enjoyed it, outside of when he was driven by the Madness. But lately…lately he felt almost eager at the idea of killing. At finally having the chance to vent his frustrations on something. It was very tempting to think about it, to imagine putting the skills he'd learned since birth towards something he actually wanted.
He sighed, placing a hand over his face. It's just stress…it's just the stress of the theater getting to me. That's all.
He then gave a slight moan, turning around and leaning on the wall. Who am I kidding? It got to me a long time ago.
Everything that he'd seen up to this point…all the things he'd been forced to watch happen to his friends…what he wouldn't give to find the ones responsible. To make them suffer for hurting them, or making them look stupid, or look bad…
He shook his head, trying to clear those thoughts from his mind. Don't focus on that. This isn't the time. Worry about it later.
He got off of the wall and resumed walking, heading down the street towards Maka's apartment.
Focus on her. She comes first. She always comes first.
/
It sounded like such a simple plan in his head. Go to Maka, find out what was wrong, and help her with it.
Now that he was standing in front of the door to her apartment, suddenly it didn't seem so simple.
The first problem was that Maka had been very clear that she had wanted to be left alone. He didn't want to invade her privacy like that. He absolutely hated it when people did that to him. Doing that to her could seriously hurt the trust they had between them, and that was definitely the last thing he wanted to do.
The second problem was whatever was wrong with her. There were a million different things that could prevent her from going to school, none of them pleasant. Maybe she really was sick. Really, terminally ill. Maybe she got hurt and couldn't leave her room. Maybe something happened that really upset her and she didn't want to leave. Maybe it was someone who upset her.
…maybe…it was me? Crona thought.
He couldn't think of anything he'd done lately that could've upset Maka. Maybe he was supposed to do something, but forgot to. Which only opened up another can of worms, in that he couldn't begin to think of what he could've forgot to do.
…this was a bad idea… he thought. I should just go…if I hurry, maybe I can make it look like I was just lost or something…
He started to move away from the door, but quickly stopped, shaking his head out of frustration.
What is wrong with me? If there's something wrong with her, I need to find out what it is! I've come this far, I can't go back now!
He took a deep breath, then gently placed his hand on the doorknob. He pressed his ear against the door, giving it a gentle knock with his other hand.
"M-Maka? A-Are you there…?"
He waited a few seconds. No answer.
He cautiously turned the doorknob, and was surprised to find that the door was unlocked. He carefully pushed the door open and entered the room, already wary of what he would see.
The main room looked untouched, as clean and intact as it always was. Crona breathed a small sigh of relief.
At least I can rule out the possibility of a break-in… he thought, looking around the area.
His eyes fell on Maka's room, noticing that the door was closed. Evidentially, she hadn't left it. He slowly walked over to it, coming to a stop just in front of it.
He carefully raised a hand and gently knocked on the door, almost expecting to accidentally push it open.
"M-Maka? Are you awake…?"
He quietly waited for a response. After about ten seconds, he heard a voice.
"Crona…? Is that you…?"
Oh thank God, she is alive. Crona thought.
"Y-Yes…y-you didn't come to school today, so I thought that something was wrong…maybe…"
He really hated how stupid that sounded aloud.
He heard her give a sigh from behind the door, before she spoke again.
"The door's open…you can come in…"
Without really thinking about the implications, he almost eagerly turned the doorknob and pushed the door open.
As he stepped into the room, he took a good look around. The pink-and-white wallpaper was the first to catch his eye, as he didn't really expect pink to be one of Maka's favourite colours. (Luckily, he didn't think about that too much.) He scanned the area, noticing Maka's desk that was, naturally, covered with various books. He noticed the full-body mirror in the corner, as well as the open closet beside it, and he could see her trademark long black coat, her tan sweater-vest that went underneath it, and her white Spartoi uniform.
Of course, it was right around then that it really started to sink in.
…I'm in Maka's room. I'm actually in Maka's room! Crona frantically thought, his face feeling incredibly hot. I shouldn't be here! This is private! I shouldn't be looking at this! But…she said it was OK, so maybe it-
His frantic fretting came to a stop when his eyes fell on Maka's bed. In particular, the large lump that could be seen under the covers.
The lump that was clearly breathing.
"…Maka?" Crona cautiously asked.
"Yeah…" the lump responded.
Crona blinked in surprise, kneeling down beside the bed without even realizing it.
"W-Why are you hiding…?"
"Because."
Crona frowned at the shortness in her voice.
"W-What's wrong? Is everything alright…?"
Maka sighed. "Nothing's wrong, Crona. I'm fine. You don't need to worry about me."
…something's not right here. Crona thought.
"B-But if nothing's wrong, why are you under the covers…?"
"I told you. Because."
"…there has to be a reason."
"There is. I just told you it."
"…Maka, what is it? Are you sick? Are you hurt?"
"No, I'm neither of those. I'm fine."
"But why are you hiding?"
"Because."
"…Maka, please, can't you come out from there?"
"No."
"But there's nothing to hide from…"
"I don't want to come out."
"Maka, why-"
"Because I don't want you to see me, alright?"
Crona felt as though he'd just been kicked in the face with a steel-toed boot. Maka's words could not have been more clear.
…she doesn't…want me to see her…
Underneath the covers, Maka frowned, not liking how quiet the room suddenly got.
Crona slowly got to his feet, looking down at the floor. He was exerting every bit of energy to not start crying.
"I…I'm sorry…"
Maka froze. What is he…?
"For whatever I did…to make you mad at me…" he finished, as he turned to head out the door.
Oh, you insufferable IDIOT! Maka screamed at herself. Why did you have to go and word it like that?
Her hand suddenly shot out from under the covers, waving around beside the bed, trying to either grab Crona or get his attention.
"W-Wait a second, Crona!" she cried out. "That wasn't what I meant! I swear, it's not your fault!"
Crona turned back to look at Maka's arm, waving about while the rest of her remained under the covers. He would've found it funny if he wasn't feeling so miserable.
"Look…" Maka continued, her hand still hovering in the air. "I meant to say that I don't want anyone to look at me right now. That wasn't directed at you, I swear it wasn't."
Crona frowned, still confused as to just what was going on. He noticed that Maka's hand was now grasping at the air, almost hoping to grab something. He slowly walked towards in and reached down, grasping it with his own hand.
He heard Maka sigh and knelt back down, taking her hand in both of his own.
"I'm sorry, Crona…" she said, gently squeezing his hand. "I should've worded that better…"
"I-It's OK…really." Crona replied, slowly rubbing her hand with both of his. "But…why don't you want anyone to see you?"
"…I just don't."
Crona frowned. There has to be some reason…
"I-Is it one of those things you get on your face?"
"Huh?"
"You know…one of those weird red bumps people sometimes get on their faces…"
There was silence for a few moments, neither of them moving. Soon, Maka slipped her hand out of Crona's and let it rest beside her on the bed. She started tapping a finger on the mattress.
"Crona Makenshi…do you really think I'd skip school just because of a pimple?" she responded incredulously.
Crona flinched. "W-Well, no…I-I just…couldn't think of anything else…"
Maka sighed. "Why is it such a big deal that I miss a day of school, anyway? Aren't I allowed a sick day?"
"O-Of course…it's just…you never miss school, Maka."
"So?"
"No, I mean, you don't ever miss school. Not once since I've known you…"
He carefully moved closer to the head of the bed, so that he was closer to Maka's face.
"D-Do you remember that one time?" Crona continued. "Where you came to school even though you said you were really tired…?"
"Yeah, I do…"
"Y-You kept falling asleep in class…you tried to pay attention to what was going on, but you were just too tired…"
"Yeah, I know…" Maka replied. "I also remember you letting me copy off your notes at the end of the day…"
Crona blushed, looking down. "I-I knew it was important to you…you wouldn't want to miss anything…"
Maka sighed, before clenching the mattress a bit. "OK, fine, so I don't ever miss a day of school. So what? There's a first time for everything, isn't there? Even the "great Maka Albarn" can do something a little different, right? I'm allowed that much, aren't I?"
Crona blinked in surprise, not expecting the minor outburst. "Great Maka Albarn"?
"…sorry." Maka added, giving another sigh. "It's just…it's tiring, that's all."
"What is…?"
"Being me. Trying to fulfill everyone's expectations of me, I mean. People think that I'm just this super-smart girl through virtue of just being me. It's not that easy. I've had to do a lot of studying and hard work to get to this point, and I'll have to do more to get better. I have to go over my notes just to stay on top as it is. I…I don't hate being like this or anything, but…I just need a break sometimes, you know…?"
Crona stared at the covered Maka, wishing beyond all else that he could understand what she meant. But, he didn't have to meet people's expectations. If anything, he had to directly defy them, as he doubted anyone really expected anything good from him. To have to actually meet what people thought you should be…to struggle to keep up with their constantly changing thoughts…
He wanted to offer some words of comfort. Instead, all he could do was reach up and gently grasp her hand again.
"…sorry." Maka muttered. "I don't even know where that came from…"
"I-It's alright…" Crona replied. "I…I mean, if something's bothering you…I-I want to know…"
He felt her squeeze his hand, and realized that that was the right thing to say.
"…anyway." Maka continued. "That's not why I'm skipping class or anything…if I did just want to take a day off, I would've told you…"
Crona frowned. "T-Then what is it…?"
Maka gave another sigh. She let go of his hand, then started edging a bit closer to him. He moved his hand off of the mattress, letting her get as close as possible without falling off.
She lifted the covers slightly, allowing her face to peek out from under at him.
Crona tilted his head, staring at her.
"…you look fine to me…"
Maka sighed, a small smile coming over her face.
"The problem isn't with my face…and for the record, you don't have to sugarcoat it. I know I look like a mess. My hair isn't brushed, I'm not wearing any make-up-"
Crona blinked. "You wear make-up?"
"Y-Yeah…a little…why?"
"I just thought you always looked like that…"
Crona wasn't entirely sure why Maka suddenly started blushing, and wondered if he'd said the wrong thing.
"A-Anyway…" Maka replied, face now serious. "Promise me you won't laugh."
Laugh? Crona wondered.
"I won't…I couldn't laugh at you, Maka…"
…how is it he can just say things like that? Maka wondered, blush returning to her face. She slowly got up to a kneeling position, keeping the covers firmly wrapped around her, the only visible part being her face.
Crona stared at Maka, patiently waiting for whatever was about to happen. A small part of him almost didn't want her to take the covers off. She looked sort of cute wrapped up like she was, almost like a caterpillar. Crona tried as hard as possible to ignore that part of him, as he didn't want her to see him blushing again.
Soon enough, Maka slowly pulled the covers off of her.
Crona's eyes immediately shot to the top of her head, the problem now very, very clear.
Sticking out of her skull were two pointed ears, which both gave a couple of twitches now that they were free from the blanket. There was also something on them. Crona wasn't sure if it was fur or hair, but whatever it was it was the same colour as Maka's hair. She was looking away from him, an embarrassed frown on her face.
"Well?" she grumbled. "Look stupid, don't they?"
To say stupid was the last thing Crona would use to describe them would be like saying the Grand Canyon was a bit long. His eyes were glued to the two ears, almost transfixed by their mere presence. They looked a lot like those fake cat ears he'd seen girls wear for costumes, except they kept flicking about, indicating that they were in fact real. That, combined with the pouty expression on Maka's face, made for undoubtedly the most adorable thing Crona had ever seen.
And God help him, he just couldn't look away.
"Crona?" Maka asked, frowning at his glazed-over expression. She leaned closer to him, trying to get a reaction from him.
"Hello? Are you in there? Crona, come on, say something."
At her command, Crona wound up saying the first thing that came to mind.
"Cute."
Maka's face immediately flushed, looking very surprised at Crona's response.
…what did he just call me? she thought.
Of course, noticing Maka's expression helped bring Crona back to reality, meaning he quickly realized what he just said. His hands suddenly clapped over his mouth, his face redder than Maka's.
Oh God oh God I didn't just say that I did not just say that WHY DID I JUST SAY THAT?
"…cute…?" Maka remarked. Crona's hands quickly moved to cover his face, turning away from her.
"I-I'm sorry! I-It just slipped out! I-I didn't…I mean, I wasn't…"
Maka decided that a change of subject would be the best option now, or they'd probably be stuck where they were all day.
"A-Anyway…" she cautiously said. "You're probably wondering how this happened…"
"Y-Yeah…" Crona replied, turning to look back at her, face still bright red.
"Well…you can thank my cat for that one."
Crona blinked. "Blair did this…?"
"Who else could?"
Crona frowned, starting to get more than a bit annoyed. He still hadn't quite forgiven Blair for her last fiasco, and now she had done this…
"We got into an argument last night, you see…" Maka continued, now having dropped the covers completely. "She wanted to bring some of her work friends over here for a party. Of course, there was no way in Hell I was going to let that happen. You know, what with where she works and all…"
"Yeah…" Crona replied, not wanting to think about Blair's workplace.
"I told her that I was not going to have her bringing a bunch of drunken slobbering men around here for her and her girlfriends to fool around with. We wound up going back and forth for a while, since she thinks I "don't know how to have fun", or whatever. After a while, she gets fed up and zaps me, putting these things on my head."
Maka sighed, getting off of the bed and standing beside Crona. "I swear, she is so petty! She knew I wouldn't be able to go outside like this, but just because I won't let her do what she always freaking does in the sanctity of my own home, she thinks she has the right to make my life difficult…"
Now, it should be noted that, despite his timid and quiet nature, Crona is still a teenage boy. A teenage boy with a helplessly obvious crush on a teenage girl. And while he is by no means perverted in any sense of the term, said crush means that he does have a tendency to stare at Maka just a bit.
It didn't help that Maka was wearing a pink tank top and a pair of rather tight shorts as pajamas.
So, one could understand and possibly forgive Crona for allowing his eyes to…well, wander a little. Hormones have a tendency to make people do things even without them really meaning to, after all.
However, it was because of said wandering eyes that Crona happened to notice something else rather unusual about Maka today. Said unusual thing was what caused Crona's jaw to drop slightly, and his eyes to widen in surprise.
"I mean, really, does she even realize how easy she has it?" Maka continued, not having noticed Crona's attention turning elsewhere. "She doesn't even have to have that job, she just does it because she's bored! Soul and I provide most of the income thanks to our work for Lord Death, and we wind up buying most of the food and stuff anyway! She could coast along on our income if she wanted, but instead she has to go and-"
"T-T-T-T-T…"
Maka blinked, turning to look at Crona, who was still kneeling on the floor.
"What? What is it?"
"T-T-T-T-T-T-T-T…"
"…what? C'mon Crona, spit it out."
"T-T-T…Tail."
Maka froze, staring at Crona, who was now pointing at something around her lower back.
"…no."
Crona nodded, jaw still hanging open.
"…I do not have a tail."
Crona nodded again, jabbing the finger forward a little.
Maka turned to look over her shoulder, but couldn't quite see what he was pointing at. She slowly reached back and started grasping around the general area.
"…I don't feel anything."
"I-It moved…"
Maka kept reaching for the offending appendage, yet every time she came close to touching it, it somehow moved out of the way, almost as though it had a mind of its own. With each desperate grab, she turned her entire body towards it, starting to spin in a little circle.
"How can it…how is it moving like this? Why can't I just grab a hold of it? This is ridiculous, if it's there, why can't I see it?"
She started spinning in the other direction, still trying to grab it but somehow failing to. All while Crona watched, utterly lost as to just why Maka was suddenly acting so odd.
It then dawned on him, his face starting to flush at the implications.
…oh my God…she's chasing her own tail…
He had to think of something fast, or he'd wind up saying something crazy again.
"M-M-M-M-M…"
Maka stopped, looking at Crona. He was now standing on his feet, pointing at the corner of her room.
"M-M…mirror."
Maka looked at the mirror in her room, mentally smacking herself for not thinking of it sooner. She walked over to it, promptly turning around so her back was facing it and looking over her shoulder.
Sure enough, there was a tail sticking out of her lower back, poking out of the spot where her tank top met her shorts. A short, albeit fluffy tail that swished back and forth even while she wasn't trying to grab it.
"…so…" Maka started, looking back at Crona. "I'm…a doggirl?"
Crona couldn't even begin to think of a way to respond to that, so he simply stared at her. Maka turned around to look back at the mirror, tugging at her ears a bit.
"But…that doesn't make any sense! Why would a cat turn me into a doggirl? What, did she want me to chase her around or something? If this is her idea of revenge, I don't see-"
Wait. Maka thought, suddenly realizing something. Doggirl…girl dog…female dog…
Crona was surprised at how quickly a scowl came over Maka's face, her teeth grit in anger.
"Oh, very clever, Blair! Yeah, I see what you did there! Well it takes one to know one!"
With that, Maka turned and stormed out of the room, leaving a very confused Crona behind. He took one last, almost regretful, look around the room, before quietly following Maka out the door into the living room.
He saw that Maka had since sat on the couch, fuming about her current predicament. It was an odd visual, to see Maka sitting down, leaning forward while her arms were crossed, her ears flattened across her head. He tried not to focus too much on how strange the situation was, and instead walked over and sat beside her, trying to think of some way to help her feel better.
After a few seconds of thinking, he heard Maka sigh and sit up, reaching up and giving her ears a slight tug.
"Well…things are starting to make a little more sense now…"
Crona tilted his head. "What do you mean?"
"This isn't the only thing that's different about me…"
Maka sighed, lowering her hands to the sides of her head and brushing her hair back. Crona leaned forward slightly, and his eyes widened when he noticed a slightly disturbing visual.
The area where her normal ears should've been was surprisingly empty, only two spots of skin being visible, as though the ears were never there to begin with.
"…what in the world…?" Crona muttered.
"Yep." Maka replied, letting her hair fall back into place. "These are my real ears now. And they're really sensitive ears too. Like, I could actually hear you coming down the street, just because my bedroom window was open."
Before Crona could even begin to marvel at this unique ability, he noticed the frown on Maka's face.
"Incidentally…" she continued. "You didn't have to skip class just to come see me…"
Crona flushed, quickly looking away. "W-Well…I-I was just worried…I thought something was wrong, so…"
Maka sighed, then moved closer to Crona, giving her the chance to reach over and hug him, pulling him close while resting her head on his shoulder.
"I know…and that is really sweet of you, Crona…thank you…"
Crona's face remained red, yet he still leaned into the hug. "I-It's alright…"
Maka smiled, gently rubbing his arm while still holding him.
"And I'm sorry if I was acting a bit mean earlier…" she continued. "I didn't really get any sleep last night, so I'm a bit cranky…"
Crona blinked, turning to look at her. "You didn't sleep?"
"No…I had to get used to all these changes, and that isn't easy. It's not just my ears that are better, for one thing…"
"What do you mean…?"
"Well…I can smell better."
Crona tilted his head in confusion, but quickly froze in place once Maka actually started sniffing around him.
"For example, I can smell those chicken strips you had for dinner last night…" Maka explained, before giving another sniff, a frown coming over her face. "…and nothing else…"
She looked up at him, giving him a slightly inquisitive frown.
"…did you skip breakfast?"
Crona flushed, looking away again. "W-Well…I-I was just in such a hurry…"
Maka sighed, feeling slightly guilty that she had disrupted his morning routine a bit. She gave him a small squeeze before letting go, sitting in her original position.
"Not only that…but I've had the strangest craving for meat." Maka continued. "Like, I want a steak right now. A big, juicy, T-bone steak! And I've never even had steak before, but I really want it! As rare as humanly possible without it being raw meat!"
She gave an annoyed growl before continuing further. "And to make matters worse…I've had this wicked itch all day that I just can't reach!"
She reached up and started scratching around her right ear. "I have no idea why it's even there, but no matter what I do, or how hard I try, I can't get at it! It's just there constantly driving me crazy-"
"M-M-Maka?"
Maka stopped mid-scratch, looking at Crona. "Eh?"
He was pointing at her, his expression one of both embarrassment and surprise.
"L-L-L-L-L…Leg."
Maka looked beside her and noticed just what Crona was referring to. Without even realizing it, instead of reaching up with her hand to scratch at the infernal itch, she had instinctively used her leg, and was scratching at her ear with her bare foot.
The room grew incredibly quiet for a few moments. Maka's head had lowered, making it impossible for Crona to see her face. Not speaking a word, she slowly used her hands to move her foot back to the floor, returning to a normal seated position.
After a few more moments of dreadful silence, Maka spoke.
"Say, Crona…what do you think of tennis?"
Crona blinked, more than slightly confused.
"W-What do you mean…?"
"Well…I was just thinking, since I'm not that good at basketball, I could try something else and see if I'm any good at it. I just figured tennis would be a good choice."
"Oh…OK…" Crona replied, still not really sure where Maka was going with this.
"Yeah…the thing is, buying the equipment is just so…expensive, you know? So I figured, maybe I could do it myself…"
"Huh?"
"You know…" Maka continued, her voice now suddenly become a lot more hateful. "With just some wood and some good old-fashioned catgut…"
Oh. Now it makes sense… Crona thought, quickly deciding to change the subject.
"U-Um…i-if that itch is really bothering you…I-I could get it for you…"
Maka blinked, turning to look at Crona, who was blushing bright red.
"I-I mean…" he continued. "I-If you're O-OK with it…"
Maka stared at Crona for a few seconds, before giving him a gentle smile.
"I would really appreciate that, Crona. Thank you."
Crona gave a small nod of understanding. He cautiously moved closer to Maka, then slowly reached up. Trying to not focus on the fact that he was about to touch Maka's head, and by extension, her hair, he started scratching around one area.
"H-Here?"
"No, little higher."
Crona moved his hand, then scratched again.
"Here?"
"No, that's too high. It's not on the ear, it's around the base."
"O-Oh." He moved again, then scratched. "Here?"
"Not quite, just a little to the left, and-Ohhhhhhhh, there we go…."
Maka gave a pleased sigh as Crona started gently scratching around the troublesome area. Crona couldn't help but smile at how happy Maka looked, her eyes closed and a wide smile on her face.
"That is so much better…"
Crona could swear he saw her tail wagging out of the corner of his eye, but tried not to think about it too much. He instead focused on dealing with Maka's itch, gently scratching the bothersome area. Sometimes he'd move back and forth, while other times he'd move in small circles. It didn't seem to matter too much to Maka, as the end result was the same: happy sighs and pleased coos of approval.
This isn't so bad… he thought. This is actually pretty nice…
/
Man, I can be thick sometimes. Soul thought as he marched down the hall towards his apartment. Of course he'd go see if she was OK. He's like a lost little puppy without her, so why would he worry more about class?
He stopped in front of the closed door, sighing as he moved to open it. Well, he's probably already coaxed her out of her room, so I can at least figure out what the hell is going on…
Just as he was about to grasp the doorknob, he heard a very strange and unexpected sound.
Maka giving a very pleased moan.
…what the hell? Soul thought. Without even thinking about why, he gently pressed his ear against the door, listening carefully to the sounds coming from inside.
"Wow…you are so good at this, Crona…"
"I-I am?"
"Yeah…I could swear you'd done something like this before…"
"H-How? Wh-Who could I have done it with…?"
"Good point…oh geez, this feels sooooooo good…"
A very large blush came over Soul's face, as he started to jump to a conclusion he wasn't all too happy with.
…no way. They're aren't…she isn't…he isn't…
Soul covered his mouth as he heard another moan come from Maka, trying to not cry out in surprise. They really are! They're…oh God!
"God, you have no idea how much I needed this, Crona…I honestly couldn't sleep last night because this was driving me so crazy…"
"Y-You really couldn't take care of it yourself…?"
"No, not that I didn't try…but for whatever reason, it just didn't work…"
By herself? Soul thought, blood starting to leak out from his nose. She…she…by HERSELF?
"Ow!"
"Oh, s-sorry!"
"It's OK…just go a little slower, alright? I'm still getting used to this…"
"R-Right…"
Getting used to it? Getting used to what? Soul frantically thought, trying to stop the blood flowing from his nose. Getting used…to HIM?
"There we go…oh yes, that's much better…"
"…d-do you like this better…?"
"Oooooooh…"
"W-What about this…?"
"Ohohohoh…"
Holy Hell, what are you doing to her, Crona? Soul wondered, wiping at his nose.
"Uh, M-Maka? Y-Your leg is…"
"Oh, geez, sorry about that. Hang on…maybe if I…"
"L-Let me just…if I move over here…"
"No, this position's just too awkward…here, you try it from behind me."
"A-Alright…"
FROM BEHIND? Soul thought, both hands covering his mouth and nose. Jesus Christ, Maka!
He backed away from the door while Maka resumed giving pleasured moans. He quickly wiped away at his nose again, then stood straight.
Alright…no two ways about it. I'm going in.
Waaaaaaait a minute, Soul. he ordered himself. How many times have you seen this scenario on TV? Some guy overhears two people making weird noises, bursts into the room, assuming they're having sex, and it turns out they were doing something completely different. It happens all the time.
He took a deep breath, giving his nose another quick wipe. Just be calm. Be cool. Do this right.
He slowly walked up to the door, then reached up and knocked, ear pressed against the door again.
He heard Maka give a surprised squeak, panic clear in her voice.
"Oh crap oh crap oh crap!"
"I-It's OK, Maka! …m-maybe they'll just go away if we don't answer…"
Yeah, nice try, Crona. Soul thought.
"Maka? You awake?" he called out.
He carefully listened as Maka's panic only got worse.
"Oh shit, it's Soul! I can't let him see me like this!"
"H-Hang on…here, hide here! Quick!"
He heard some loud rustling as well as more panicked whispers coming from Maka. Soon enough, it quieted down, and Soul heard footsteps coming towards the door. He backed away from it as it opened, Crona sticking his head out.
"O-Oh, h-hi Soul…"
Hello to you too, you cheeky bastard who's plowing my meister. Soul thought, a smirk coming over his face.
"Hey, Crona. Everything alright?"
"Y-Yeah, everything's fine…"
"How's Maka?"
"Sh-She's OK…"
"Oh? Nothing's wrong with her?"
"N-No, no…"
"Really? Then why'd she stay home today?"
"Oh, y-you know…just…felt like it…"
You really need to work on your lies, pal. Soul thought, taking a careful step forward.
"Oh, well, if everything's OK, I'll just come in and see her…"
Crona quickly exited the room, shutting the door behind him and blocking Soul's way.
"Y-You can't!"
Soul frowned. "…and why not?"
"W-Well…y-you just can't…"
"…I think you should move, Crona."
Soul tried to get past Crona, but with every step he made, Crona moved in front of him. After a few seconds of the two of them stepping from side-to-side, neither of them getting out of the other's way, Soul glared up at Crona.
"Crona, why are you trying to stop me from going into my own apartment?"
Crona flushed, looking away. "W-Well…i-it's just…"
He quickly shook his head, looking back at Soul.
"Y-You have to go back to class!"
Soul raised an eyebrow. "And why is that?"
He was surprised when Crona suddenly grabbed hold of his shoulders and spun him around, ready to push him down the hall.
"W-Well, Maka won't want to miss anything, right? So you have to take notes and make sure she gets her work…"
…OK, I have to admit, he has a point there… Soul thought. He sighed, moving away from Crona and turning to look at him.
"Alright, alright, I'm going…but you don't have to go through all this trouble, you know."
"H-Huh?" Crona breathed out, confusion evident on his face.
"Look, I've already told you guys more than once I don't care what you do. So you don't have to go through all this just to do…that."
"What are you talking about…?"
"You know…Maka saying something's wrong and that she won't go to school, you skipping class to come see her…you can just wait until the weekends, you know."
"Wait for what? I don't get what you mean, what are we-"
Soul thought for a second Crona had turned into a traffic light, considering how quickly is face changed to bright red.
"Th-Th-That's not what we're doing! Not at all!"
"Uh-huh…look, Crona, I seriously don't care-"
"W-We're really not doing that! Seriously!"
"Look, at least tell me you're using protection-"
"We aren't doing that!"
"…so you're not using protection?"
"That's not what I meant!"
/
Crona sighed, walking back into the room and closing the door behind him. Somehow he had managed to get Soul back on his way to class, though not before he managed to retrieve his notebook from him, as well as have to listen to more veiled accusations of what he and Maka were doing.
Why did he say that…? Was it just because we were alone together? Crona thought.
He then had to stop for a moment and focus all of his efforts on not thinking about actually doing what Soul said they did. Which was possibly the most difficult thing Crona had ever done, taking a rather long time, with his face constantly moving from its normal pale tone to beet red.
After a while, he finally managed to calm himself down. He quietly walked back to the couch and sat down. He turned his head to look at the lump beside him, covered in the blanket Maka kept beside the couch.
"H-He's gone now…"
"Yeah…" Maka answered. "I know…"
Crona winced. Oh, that's right…she must've heard him too…
He watched as Maka slowly sat up, pulling the blanket off of herself and wrapping it around her shoulders. He noticed the heavy blush on her face, her embarrassment matching his own.
"I'm sorry…" she whispered, not looking at him. "You shouldn't have had to listen to that…"
"I-It's OK…" Crona replied.
The room soon grew quiet, the two of them still feeling very uncomfortable. Though Crona was still glancing over at Maka, she wasn't looking up at him, instead looking downwards.
Stupid Soul… she thought. Why'd he have to go and say that to him? He had to have known how embarrassing that sounded! I swear, next time I see him…
She looked up towards the top of her head, reaching up and tugging at one of her ears. She thought about Crona helping her with her itch, and started to realize how she was reacting.
…I didn't help with those noises I was making… Maka thought, the blush on her face growing brighter. Oh God, no wonder he thought we were doing that…I sounded like a total idiot…moaning and groaning like a dog in heat…
She winced, letting go of her ear and pulling the blanket tighter around her. I hate these things…I hate them so much…
Crona watched Maka's expression change to one of equal parts embarrassment and regret. He was completely entranced, unable to look away from her even if he wanted to. Somehow, the combination of the look on Maka's face with her ears flattening over her head made for the absolute saddest thing Crona had ever seen.
What only made it worse was that it was Maka doing it. Maka was sad.
So it was only natural for Crona to slowly reach over and start scratching around her ear again.
Maka froze, face still red from earlier. "C-Crona? What are you…"
Crona stopped, quickly looking away from her.
"W-Well, I just…I mean…th-the itch isn't gone…is it?"
Maka looked down. "W-Well, no…"
"D-Do you not want me to help…?"
Maka shook her head. "That's not it...it's just…"
She tried to think of a delicate way to explain things to him. Yet nothing appropriate came to mind. It wasn't like she could just flat out say "I don't want people to think we're having sex" or anything. The last thing she needed was for him to be even more embarrassed or uncomfortable.
Finally, she sighed, giving up on trying to explain things.
"G-Go ahead…if you really want to…"
There were a few seconds of silence, followed by Crona resuming scratching around Maka's ear. She gave a small sigh, but quickly quieted herself, determined to not make any noise whatsoever.
Crona frowned as he scratched around her ear, alternating between the side-to-side movements and the small circles like before. Despite doing nothing different from earlier, Maka didn't make any sounds or any indication that she was enjoying it. He hated to admit it, but listening to her sound so pleased…it really felt good for him.
Of course, he then began to think about what Soul said, and quickly flushed in embarrassment. Is…is that what's bothering her…?
He thought for a moment, before reaching up with his other hand and scratching as well, both hands gently moving around the area near Maka's ear.
He heard her give a small gasp of surprise, but that was all. He looked at her face and noticed that she was keeping her lips firmly closed, her cheeks still blushing rather brightly.
"Is…does it not feel good anymore…?" Crona asked.
Maka flinched slightly, still looking away from Crona. "Th-That's not it…it's just that…I don't…well…"
So, that is it… Crona thought, looking at Maka's embarrassed expression. He felt a flash of anger towards Soul, upset that he had indirectly made Maka feel like this.
No, stop it. he ordered himself. This isn't the time to start blaming people. Focus on her. Focus on making her feel better.
He stopped scratching for a second, then slowly moved his left hand along the back of her head, gently brushing her hair while doing so.
"C-Crona…?" Maka asked, wondering just what he was up to.
His hand stopped at her other ear, and he started scratching around there while doing the same with the first ear, both hands moving in unison with each other.
Maka let out a surprised exhale of breath, her face getting redder by the second. Before she could begin to protest or anything, she heard Crona whispering.
"Maka…please…don't think about that…"
She didn't move, unable to think of any real response.
"This…this is bothering you, I know it is…I want to help you feel better, so please…let me…"
…I really wish he knew just how he sounded right now… Maka thought, wondering if her face could get any hotter. Realizing that there was no real way out of this, she let out a sigh, deciding to just give in and relax.
Crona continued to scratch around her ears, happy that she was now at least reacting to it. They weren't the loud, pleased moans from before, however, but more small breaths and slight "mmm"s instead. It seemed more like Maka was focusing on the relief she was feeling, rather than the pleasure.
Which, Crona had to admit, was probably the better choice.
Even so, some small part of him wanted her to be pleased. He just hoped that part of him didn't want more than that…
He began to slow his scratching down, instead gently rubbing the areas with the tips of his fingers. He heard Maka finally let out a low moan, clearly enjoying the change in motion. He continued to gently massage the bothersome areas, Maka giving small, tired moans in response.
…no wonder Soul thought that… Crona thought, his cheeks burning brightly. But…it isn't like that, is it? It's just scratching an itch, that's all…there's nothing bad about that…is there?
Crona soon stopped thinking about it when he noticed that Maka was actually leaning closer to him, her head pressing against his hands while he moved them.
"M-Maka…?"
Then, without any real warning, Maka suddenly fell against him, pushing him down onto the couch. He gave a slight "oof" when he felt Maka fall onto him, her head now resting on his shoulder. The blanket she had wrapped around her was now laying over them both, only adding to the strange warmth Crona was now feeling.
"M-Maka? Wh-Why did you…"
He frowned when he noticed that she had her eyes closed, and was simply breathing quietly. Her hands were now resting on his chest, neither of them reacting to it moving with his breaths. It took a few seconds, but Crona soon realized what was going on.
She's…asleep? he thought, looking at her while doing so. …she did say she didn't sleep last night…maybe I just got her to relax enough…?
Of course, that didn't quite solve the problem, that being that she was now sound asleep on top of him.
I can't just leave her like this! he thought frantically. She'll definitely be upset when she wakes up! I have to move…
He frowned, looking at the peaceful expression on her face. But…she really needs to rest…and if I get her to move, she might not be able to again…I should just leave her alone…
So, Crona slowly reached past Maka and pulled the blanket up a little, hoping she'd at least be warm. He stopped afterwards, his hand now resting on her back, the blanket between it and her body.
…this…this is what I wanted…right? Crona wondered, looking at his hand. To be able to hold her like this...to be this close to her…this warmth…
Without even thinking about it, his hand moved away from the blanket and slowly moved under it, resting it on her back. His other hand carefully trailed up underneath the blanket and joined it, both of them now on her upper back. He didn't pull her closer or tried to move her in any way, despite desperately wanting to.
…this is OK, isn't it? he thought. I'm not really doing anything wrong…we're just cuddling…it's not like before, where she wouldn't know what happened…
He looked back at her sleeping face, noticing the small smile still on it. It was remarkably close to his, their noses almost touching.
The most tempting thought he'd ever had then began to creep into his mind.
…I could…couldn't I? he thought. …just…just a tiny one…on her nose…or her forehead…would she feel that?
He stared at her face, still surprised at just how close they were. It would be so easy, to just lean his head forward a little, to press his lips against her skin…
…no. he ordered himself, looking away. I definitely can't do that. This is bad enough as it is. I can't go further. I shouldn't go further.
He gave a small sigh, trying not to focus on how agonizing this was going to be. Having to lay there, staring at the ceiling, with the most wonderful girl in the world in his arms…if he didn't move away from her, would he be able to ignore his temptations? Would he wind up giving in?
Stop it. he told himself. You cannot do anything. You have to stay still. You can't move an inch. You're doing a ton of damage already, you'll be lucky if she forgives you for even this. Do. Not. Move.
He slowly closed his eyes, trying to keep himself calm.
You can do this. Just relax. Just relax…
/
Maka gave a slight "mmm" as she awoke, keeping her eyes closed, not wanting to really get up yet.
Well…I can safely say that was the weirdest dream I've had… she thought, wondering why she felt so tired.
She sighed slightly, nuzzling her head against what she was laying on, thinking it was her pillow.
She froze when she noticed that her pillow felt oddly hard.
Eyes still closed, she carefully moved her hands around underneath her, expecting to feel her soft mattress.
What she felt was something rising and falling, in conjunction with what was unmistakably breathing.
…this isn't my bed. she concluded. Fearing the worst, she slowly opened her eyes to see just what she was laying on.
She flushed when the first thing she was Crona's face pointed in her direction, eyes closed and his breath heating up her face.
Maka, for the love of God, DON'T PANIC. she ordered herself, trying very hard to keep calm. Think! There's an explanation for this!
She took a few quiet breaths, not wanting to wake him and make things worse. OK…it wasn't a dream. Blair actually did zap you…he came over, then all that other stuff happened…he was scratching…no, massaging my ears…
She kept in the embarrassed moan she was about to make, instead placing a hand over her blushing face. Oh God…I fell asleep on him…what is WRONG with me?
Her first thought was just to get off of him and hope he would understand that it was all an accident, and that she didn't want to make things uncomfortable. And yet, she couldn't. No matter how much she told herself it was the smart thing to do, she didn't want to move.
…I shouldn't disturb him… she thought, looking at his sleeping face. I'll just explain when he wakes up…
So, she decided to simply wait. When he awoke, she would calmly apologize for what happened, and he would accept it, like he always did. Everything would be fine.
Now that she was fully awake, however, she started to notice a few things.
For one, she felt what were unmistakably Crona's arms around her, simply resting on her back. She flushed a little more, wondering if they just happened to fall there or if they were deliberately put there.
She then looked at his face, and noticed the bags under his eyes. She gave a sad frown, wondering why they were there. He had been good in catching up on his sleep lately, yet he still carried an air of general exhaustion about him when she saw him.
She slowly reached up and placed a hand on his cheek, gently rubbing the area with her thumb.
…is he normally like this? she wondered. Does he sleep like this when he's alone? …what does he dream about? What's he dreaming right now?
She couldn't help but think that his normal nights weren't this peaceful. That they were full of nightmares, of horrors that only he could fully understand. Even though she had seen what he'd been through, through his eyes, he was the one who truly experienced them. No matter how close they got, she could never truly comprehend it like he could.
A small thought entered her head: that he was sleeping peacefully because of her. Her being there somehow chased his nightmares away, letting him rest properly.
She quickly pushed that thought away, embarrassed at her childishness.
The third thing she noticed was a small thumping against her other hand. She looked down and noticed that said hand was resting on the left side of Crona's chest, rising and falling with it.
…his heartbeat. she thought, face flushing again.
Before she could really figure out why, she was slowly inching downwards, her head soon resting on his chest. She closed her eyes, listening to the thumping.
Th-thump. Th-thump. Th-thump.
She listened to the rhythmic tone, her hands resting beside her head. She felt her head move with Crona's chest, rising and falling with each breath he took.
…what is the matter with me? she thought. It's just a heartbeat…everyone has one. What's the big deal about his? Why does this feel so…comforting?
She wasn't entirely sure what it was, but she felt…happy. Happy that she could hear this small sound. Happy that she was being held by him, even though they had hugged one another more times than she could count. Happy that he was at peace, even if it was just for the moment.
Above all, she was just happy that he was there. Safe. Unharmed. Not in any immediate danger, whatever it could be. And that confused her.
She had an idea as to why that was, but didn't focus on it. It wasn't something she wanted to think about.
She didn't want to think about how right the whole situation felt.
She then heard a small mumble escape Crona's lips.
Oh God, he's waking up! she thought, her face flushing again. What do I do? What do I do?
She couldn't very well crawl back up and rest on his shoulder again. That would just freak him out. But she couldn't stay there, it was too…intimate, and she knew he'd be embarrassed by it.
But before she could finally come to a decision, she heard him speak.
"Maka…?"
Don't move. she told herself. Maybe he'll think you're still asleep…
"…you're awake…"
…shit.
She gave a slight "mhm" in response, now realizing that she had buried her face in his chest.
"A-Are you OK…?"
"…s-sorry, Crona…" she whispered, still not moving. "I-I didn't mean to put you in this position…in more than one sense of the term…I don't know what happened to me…"
No response, save for his breathing becoming slightly more rapid. Maka, naturally, felt more than a little guilty for that.
She then felt his hands move off of her, followed by the blanket being pulled down slightly. She looked up to see him staring down at her, a shocked expression on his blushing face.
She quickly looked away, her face burning red. Dammit Maka, think of something to say to him! Don't just leave him like this!
"I-I'm really sorry, Crona…" she muttered, not realizing her speaking against his clothes was only making him more flustered. "I…I didn't mean to…I was just…"
"They're gone."
Maka suddenly looked up, confusion evident on her face. "Eh?"
Crona pointed at her head. "Th-The ears…they're gone."
Maka blinked in surprise, then slowly reached up and touched the top of her head. She gently rubbed around, not feeling anything sticking out.
"…hey, they are!"
She quickly rose up, the blanket falling off of her as she sat back on the couch. Crona sat up as well, watching Maka pat her face, checking for anything else.
"My normal ears are back…the itch is gone, too…that weird craving for meat is gone…and I'm guessing my tail is, too?"
"P-Probably…" Crona muttered, making sure not to check for himself.
Maka sighed, leaning back against the couch. "Glad that's finally over…"
"…sorry, Maka…"
Maka looked at Crona, surprised. "For what?"
"I-If I made you feel bad when I…did that…"
Maka flushed slightly, then sighed. How is it he can apologize to me after what just happened…?
"You didn't, Crona. It's alright." she replied. "If anything, I should apologize to you…I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable or anything by…well, falling on you."
"I-It's OK." Crona replied, hugging his knees to his chest. "I-It wasn't…I mean, I didn't…um…"
Maka blinked, wondering why Crona was suddenly blushing so hard.
…is he trying to say…he didn't mind? she wondered. She quickly pushed that thought away, not wanting to dwell on it too much.
"B-But…there's something I don't get…"
"Oh?" Maka responded. "What?"
"How did you change back?"
Maka frowned, tilting her head slightly. "Maybe it just wore off?"
"M-Maybe…"
"Actually, I just felt like undoing the spell right then."
Maka and Crona both flinched, quickly looking up at the source of the voice. Leaning over the couch was Blair, a sly smile on her face.
"Sooooooo? You two enjoy yourselves?"
As Maka let out a venomous war cry and lunged for Blair, book in hand, Crona couldn't help but wonder something.
Where does she keep that?
/
Whew. All done.
Bit of advice for my fellow writers: don't try and finish a chapter at 2 in the morning, only to give up and finish it the next day. Not fun.
Next review will come soon.