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Crona was in their bed, laying on their back, legs and arms both crossed. It was probably 1 am by now. They had just been laying there staring at their ceiling for what felt like hours. They felt exposed and strange without the comfort of cradling themselves in the corner, but it made Maka upset when they did that. Even though Maka wasn’t here, they feared her finding out somehow. Plus, you couldn’t sleep like that. So instead, Crona lay in their bed uncomfortable and not seeing how it made much of a difference where they sat in the nearly empty room.
They shifted slightly, their thoughts becoming more of a nuisance and sleep becoming more of an unrealistic desire. They reflected on their day. They spent it out with Maka and the rest of the group, hanging out around the city. In the moment they had almost been having fun, but now they were left feeling almost… hollow. Like it never even happened. They had always felt like this after hanging out with the group. The only thing that left them feeling at least a little fulfilled was spending time with Maka individually.
Crona thought more of Maka. She was their best friend, so it seemed normal they thought about her as often as they did. Which was a lot. She meant so much to them. They couldn’t wait to see her again. They thought of her talking to them. Her voice was so gentle when she spoke with them, but still enthusiastic and happy. It made her very easy to speak to. They missed her voice.
Suddenly, Crona had what they believed to be a great idea. They should call Maka! Maka told them earlier that they could call her whenever they needed to just to talk. Crona smiled fondly at the thought of hearing her voice again. Yeah, that was what they should do! They sat up and reached for their phone.
3 am. Crap. It was later than Crona previously thought but Maka did say whenever, so they reassured themself. They had a few contacts in their phone but Maka was the only one under favorites. They hit the call button and listened to it ring a few times.
“H-hello? Crona? Is everything alright?” She sounded confused and not nearly as gentle as usual. She sounded worried maybe? Crona couldn’t quite tell.
“Oh um… yeah, I was just calling because I-” They paused. No, they couldn’t say that. That would be weird, "Because I wanted to… to check in!” Crona had their arm gripping their other arm which held their phone to their ear. They felt like Maka might be upset and started to become nervous.
“Oh, I see. Well I was just sleeping--”
“Oh.” Crona paused for a moment. Had they interrupted her? They felt a wave of incredible guilt. “I didn’t realize, you said I could call you whenever and I was having trouble sleeping and just felt a little bit upset so I thought maybe I could just-”
Maka interrupted the nervous meister, ”That’s okay! That’s alright, really! You said you were having trouble sleeping?”
“Y-yeah,” Crona said, feeling a little reassured.
“Is there a reason for it? ...Either way, I’m sorry Crona.” Maka had returned to her soft and happy voice by this point.
“It feels like my brain won’t be quiet. Like I keep thinking… thinking about so much at the same time, and worrying about so much, and it won’t stop.”
“Oh… I see. That’s really okay though! Is it like this a lot?”
“Only when I’m not--” They stopped themselves. No. That was weird. Friends don’t say those types of things, right?
“Hm? What is it? You can tell me.” Crona could almost imagine Maka’s welcoming smile on the other side of the phone as she spoke.
“Well uh-- When I’m with you sometimes my head... it seems to quiet down.”
Maka was silent for a moment before saying in a soft voice, "That’s...really nice Crona. That means a lot to me. Thank you for saying that. I’m really glad!”
Crona could feel the care from Maka through the phone. They were in two different buildings in Death City and yet they could almost feel her welcoming soul reaching out for theirs.
“O-oh. You’re welcome.” Feeling comforted and safe, they decided to say what they were meaning to say earlier. “I called because I missed your voice,” they said quietly. “It’s nice”
At this, they heard Maka let out a giggle.
“Wha-? Did I say something funny? What’s funny?” Crona gripped their arm tighter.
“No! Nothing! That was a laugh of happiness, not amusement! ...Your voice is nice too Crona.”
Crona felt their face flush at this. Maka was usually nice, but a compliment like that was beyond nice. It made them feel warm and not so hollow. It was hard for them to explain the feeling, as they barely understood it themselves, but it was their favorite emotion. It was a complete contrast from how they had felt before calling Maka.
“Wow that… that’s very nice. Thank you, Maka. I think I’m going to leave you alone to sleep now…”
“Will you be able to sleep?”
Crona thought for a moment. “Yes... yes, I think so.”
Maka let out a sigh of relief. “Alright! Good! Remember you can call anytime. Goodnight Crona, sweet dreams!”
“Goodnight Maka. Sweet dreams,” Crona replied in a bittersweet tone before hearing the beep of her hanging up.
They didn’t feel so hollow anymore. After speaking with Maka, how could they? The empty feeling was replaced with a warm, fulfilling one. Like they were okay now. They set the phone down on the table besides their bed and curled up under the covers on their side, their knees as close to their chest as possible while still being comfortable. Even though they were no longer on the phone, they could still feel Maka’s comforting soul drifting off to sleep.
And so was theirs.