The room was spinning around and around, but it was moving slowly enough that he didn't get dizzy. He kept his focus on the girl in front of him, watching her long hair sway with the movements of her body, seeing her green eyes sparkle as she looked back at him, noticing that gentle smile she was giving him... Feeling his face heat up, he knew he was blushing but he smiled back at her, not allowing himself to look away for even a second.

Seeing him blush made the girl chuckle a little which only made his face feel warmer, but his smile grew bigger. He loved to hear her laugh. After all that happened she hadn't laughed very much, so it was comforting to hear her laugh now. She looked so happy dancing with him, and that made him happy. When was the last time he felt like this? Had he ever been this happy and carefree before?

All around them the party celebrating the defeat of Asura continued in full swing, with other people dancing, eating, talking and laughing. Every single person in the huge room was as happy and carefree as they were, it seemed. Above the sound of cheerful conversations and laughter music was playing, filling the air with a calming song that was perfect for dancing at a nice, easy pace.

The two teenagers were too lost in their own little world to notice any of this, however. The sounds of other people became white noise to them as they danced in time to the music, hearing only that relaxing song and each other. Their friends were all somewhere out there in the crowd of people enjoying the party, but they didn't pay any attention to what they were up to. For now it seemed like they were the only two people in the room, in the world even.

For now it was just Maka and Crona, dancing together and happy as could be to have each other's company.

It had been almost two weeks since the Kishin had been defeated and the world was saved from Madness. Death City was back where it belonged in the middle of the desert, and those who had played a role in stopping Asura had been able to rest and take time to heal from their injuries. Life was finally starting to feel normal again.

The only reason this party was being held so long after the big battle was to ensure that everyone would be in good enough health to attend it. If not for that, it was very likely that the party would have commenced the moment Death City had returned to its proper place. After all, there was no denying that saving the world called for a celebration.

As strange as it seemed, being this happy made Crona think about how he had almost died soon before the big battle against Asura. It felt like it had been so long ago now.

At the time, the thought of dying hadn't bothered him because his death would have been for Maka, and knowing that his sacrifice kept her from being the one who was killed made him feel content with throwing away his life. As she held him in her arms he had welcomed death, welcomed being set free from the terrible life he had lived and the awful things he had done.

But now...being in this room, going around on the shining, polished floor and dancing with Maka... He couldn't have been more thankful to still be alive. Looking at her and taking in how pretty she looked wearing the dark green summer dress she had bought days earlier for this very occasion, Crona sighed. Yeah, he was still alive. And it felt great.

"What are you thinking about?" Maka asked with a smile.

"Oh, um..." His more bashful side couldn't be kept in check this time, and he glanced down at his feet. "I was just thinking... I-I'm really glad you asked me to dance with you, Maka."

When he finally dared to look back up at her she was still smiling, and her eyes held a look of adoration. "Well, I couldn't just let you sit there and miss out on all the fun."

Giving her a shy smile, Crona knew that if not for her, there was a good chance that he would have sat at his isolated table in a corner of the room until the party ended.

In all honesty, the only reason he had come to the party in the first place was because he knew that if he didn't show up then one of his friends–most likely Maka–would have come down and dragged him out of his room. Deciding it would be better to save his dignity and go on accord of his own freewill rather than being forced to, he had gotten dressed in the white suit that he had worn only once before and went upstairs to the main part of the academy.

Upon arriving at the party, he had been sure he would have a panic attack, if not a heart attack, when he saw just how many people were already there. Since the only people there he really knew were members of the school faculty and the kids in his class, most of the guests in there were total strangers to him. How was he supposed to deal with so many strangers at once? To make matters worse, he hadn't been able to see any familiar faces in the crowd.

The thought of being surrounded by all of those people was enough to fill him with a deep longing to turn around and hide in his room before anyone knew he was there. And that was exactly what he would have done if his partner hadn't chosen that moment to emerge from his back. After that Crona knew it was over; he wouldn't be escaping any time soon.

It sounded crazy, but Ragnarok had some sort of a sixth sense when it came to food. Somehow he always knew when there something good to eat nearby, and as he said to Crona, who had been attempting to sneak away without attracting anybody's attention, he would be damned if he didn't eat any of it. There's no use arguing when you have a hungry being made of Black Blood coming out of your back, tugging on your hair like it's the reins on a horse.

This behavior was usually annoying, but even though his head hurt Crona had laughed and began to feel more comfortable with the situation he was in. Maybe it was from being in the presence of someone familiar, but after that he had been able to work up enough courage to enter the room.

Ragnarok may have had many faults, but to give credit where it was due, he knew how to make Crona feel more at ease without really trying. For that reason, Crona had been happy to feed him until Maka showed up wanting to dance. Once her invitation had been accepted, Ragnarok took that as his cue to leave and dived back into his Meister's body, becoming one with his bloodstream again.

Actually, he had been strangely quiet since then...

His short conversation with Maka seemed to be over, so Crona took a brief moment to search inside himself and found that Ragnarok was taking a nap, apparently satisfied with how much he had been fed. Good, he thought with a tiny smile. At least he would behave himself and not cause any trouble for the foreseeable future. With this in mind, Crona was able to relax and continued enjoying himself.

How long had he and Maka been dancing anyway? It couldn't have been for too long, because the song that had been playing when they started was still playing now.

They had gotten off to a rocky start, because Crona had never danced with anyone before. When Maka taught him how to get into position for a slow dance he hadn't minded holding her hand, and he was fine when her other hand rested on his shoulder, but being told to wrap his free arm around her torso made him a little uncomfortable. As if that hadn't been bad enough, Crona had also managed to step on her feet twice in the span of twenty seconds. Maka had assured him that it happened a lot to people who weren't used to dancing, but he didn't feel any better about it.

It had been embarrassing, being so clumsy while Maka moved with a gracefulness Crona didn't think he could learn to have while dancing, but with her help he soon got the hang of it. Now that he was able to keep up with her and follow her movements without tripping over himself, as had already happened once, he was glad he stood up to the challenge of dancing.

He wouldn't have minded going like this all night, just the two of them dancing together. It didn't seem like he could ever get tired or want to take a break.

They came to a stop when the song ended, a new song soon taking its place. This song was a little faster than the one before it, which made Crona nervous. He hoped he would be able to keep up with this tune.. Maka, apparently reading the look on his face, offered an encouraging smile.

"Are you ready?" she asked. "We can go a little slow if you want to."

Feeling determination build up in his chest, Crona nodded and prepared himself to pick up the pace. Before they could even begin, however, he felt a gentle tap on his shoulder and turned to find Soul standing there.

"Mind if I cut in?" he asked. He smiled in a friendly way, but that didn't do much to lessen the blow his question delivered to Crona's heart. He had only shared one dance with Maka, why did Soul have to cut in now? Couldn't he have waited for one more song?

Oh well, he thought, giving a mental sigh. It hurt, but the request couldn't be denied. As much as he wished he could keep Maka to himself for a while, Crona didn't want to be selfish. Besides, Soul was her partner; he should be allowed to dance with her, too.

With a forced smile he answered, "Y-yeah, go ahead."

He let go of Maka's hand and removed the arm that was wrapped around her body, but she didn't move. Her hand continued to rest on his shoulder as she tilted her head slightly and gave him a questioning look.

"Are you sure it's okay? I'm sure Soul wouldn't mind if we had one more dance first."

"That's fine with me." Soul shrugged, not looking the least bit upset or annoyed by the suggestion. "I can wait if you two aren't done yet."

"No, really, it's fine." Having one more dance with her would only make it harder for him to let her go. "I should probably rest a little, anyway. P-Professor Stein still wants me to take it easy for a while, and I don't want him to get mad at me."

"Oh... I guess you have a good point." Although she smiled, there was a hint of sadness in Maka's voice that only Crona seemed to notice.

"Don't worry, I'll give her back soon." With a grin, Soul turned to Maka and held out his hand. "Shall we?"

"We'll dance again later, okay?" Maka's voice was a whisper, but she sounded a little happier again.

After giving Crona's shoulder a gentle squeeze she accepted Soul's hand and the two went off, disappearing into the crowded dance floor. Crona was glad to see them go. All of his determination had melted away, leaving an empty feeling inside his chest, and his face was beginning to hurt from forcing himself to smile.

Learning to dance had been a challenge, but standing on the dance floor without a partner was even worse. Crona grabbed at his right bicep with his left hand and looked around, feeling awkward and unsure of himself.

What was he supposed to do now? Find another partner to dance with until Maka was free? Or maybe he should take a short rest like he said he would. Professor Stein really did keep warning him to take it easy until his injury was fully healed, because even with Black Blood to speed up the healing process, life-threatening injuries had to be taken seriously.

As he stood there wondering what to do next, someone bumped into him. Turning to them he started to squeak out an apology, but they had already moved on with their dance partner before the words "I'm sorry" had finished leaving his mouth. It was time to stop standing around before he was got in someone else's way.

Turning to leave, he froze when he noticed for the first time just how many people were around him. All of those couples he hadn't paid any mind to earlier suddenly seemed to be surrounding him.

Gripping his arm even tighter, Crona felt overwhelming anxiety seeping into his body. Heart pounding, he struggled to keep his breathing under control. Where were his friends? Why couldn't he find anybody that he knew? This was exactly why he hadn't wanted to come here in the first place, he didn't like huge crowds and now he was stranded in the middle of one. How was he supposed to deal with this by himself?

He couldn't deal with this, he just couldn't deal with this. He couldn't–

"Wake up already, you dumbass! You gonna just stand there and let everyone dance into you or what?"

Crona gave a startled yelp, causing a few people to give him a weird look. But that scare was just what he needed; the crippling anxiety loosened its grip on him and his mind became clear. That's right, he wasn't alone. He was never alone.

Loosening the death-grip on his arm, he took a deep breath and let it out slowly. His heart continued to beat quickly, but it no longer hurt in his chest. He started to feel a little better.

It's okay, he thought as he began to make his way through the crowd, everything's fine. I'll be okay, I just have to get away from these people. I...I can deal with this.

He kept repeating those words to himself until he was finally off the dance floor and away from all of the dancing couples. Although the terror of all those people was behind him, Crona didn't completely calm down or even stop walking until he found himself outside on a balcony. Going right up to the safety railing, he let his arms fall to his sides like limp noodles as he looked out at the city below him and heaved a big sigh of relief.

His pulse started to slowed down as it, along with his breathing, returned to normal. It was all over now, the scary crowd was no longer closing in on him.

A tiny smile crossed his face when he realized that, once again, Ragnarok had come to his rescue and helped him get through a stressful situation. A moment later Crona frowned, wondering if he would have to go back inside to show his thanks with food again. Hopefully he wouldn't, because he didn't feel like going back in there any time soon.

That, and he was worried Ragnarok would end up with a stomach ache before the night was over. Crona wasn't exactly in the mood to put up with that tonight.

Well, it was a nice enough night, maybe he would just stay outside for a while. That seemed like a good idea. It was a little chilly out there, but even though he was shivering a bit he didn't mind. Anything would be better than being with all those strangers again.

"I can't leave you alone for five minutes without you having a breakdown, can I? Now how about a 'thank you' or something for getting your dumb self out of there?"

Used to being harassed for gratitude like this, Crona just smiled as he rested his fingertips on the concrete railing. "T-thank you...very much." He almost forgot to add that last part but did it quickly, knowing he would get an earful if he didn't. "Um...why aren't you still sleeping, though?"

"How do you expect me to sleep with your heart pounding like crazy?" Ragnarok's very annoyed tone of voice made Crona glad he hadn't come out of his body, otherwise he was sure he would have gotten a bop or two over the head. "What happened, anyway? You were fine when I left." He sounded less annoyed now and a little more...concerned? It was hard to pinpoint just what Ragnarok was feeling at the moment.

"I'm sorry. Maka went to dance with Soul, then I was alone with all those people... I-I didn't know how to deal with it and I panicked."

"Dropped you like you were a hot potato, eh? Tell me again why we risked our lives for that cow."

"Don't be like that; it wasn't her fault." With a sigh, Crona propped an elbow up on the railing and rested his cheek in the palm of his hand. "Soul wanted to dance with her and I said it was okay. I didn't know there were so many people there until I was alone with them. It was my fault, s-so please don't be mad at Maka, okay?"

There was no answer, and the long silence seemed to signal the end of the conversation. Crona sighed again, feeling loneliness fall over him like a heavy weight on his shoulders. Soul had said he would let him dance with Maka again soon, but how soon did he mean? After one dance? Two? And would she even be able to find him out there on the balcony? He would have to wait and see. To pass the time, he looked up at the sky and counted stars while listening to the music coming from inside.

Even with all the time he had spent being out and about at night while working for Lady Medusa, he had never been able to look at the stars much. It was nice to just watch them now and not worry about having any work to do for a change. Stars were just tiny, shining dots that filled the dark sky, but they were so bright and pretty. Looking at them made Crona feel better, and they took his mind off thinking about Maka until he heard a new song begin to play. Standing up straight, he turned around and looked into the room to see if he could spot her.

After scanning what little of the room he could see from where he stood he found her, but when he did his heart sank. She was still with Soul, still holding his hand and his shoulder, smiling and laughing. They were still dancing, not looking like they planned to stop yet. Crona tried to convince himself that it was fine, that they would share one more dance before it was his turn again, but he didn't have too much faith in that being true.

Maka looked like she was having the time of her life, and Soul looked just as happy. Why would they want to stop anytime soon? Too crushed by his sadness to even sigh, Crona turned and went back to his previous position. It would be a while before he got to dance with Maka again.

"It's a good thing there are a lot of stars out there," he muttered. "I guess I'll have to start over, though. One... Two... Three..."

"Since you're so torn up about it, why not just cut in and take her back?"

"I couldn't do that," Crona answered, shaking his head with a frown.

"Why not? He did it first."

"They're having fun together, I don't want to get in the way of that. It wouldn't feel right..."

"Well standing around here is boring. Besides, the number of stars in the sky is so big your tiny brain can't begin to comprehend it."

Frowning even more, he wondered if insulting his brain had really been necessary. "Do you have a better idea then?"

"I dunno. Go find someone else to dance with or something. At least then you'll start swaying like a hammock again and I can get back to sleep."

Was that supposed to be a compliment? Shrugging it off, Crona decided that it wasn't another obvious insult so he didn't care.

"I can't just ask a stranger to dance with me, though. T-that would be too weird!" Shaken up by just the thought of doing that, he turned to the party once more and found he still couldn't see any familiar faces. Even Maka and Soul had gotten lost in the crowd again. "And I don't see anyone that we know, s-so there's not really anyone for me to dance with right now..."

"What about me, you moron?"

"H-huh? What do you– Ah!"

The pain Crona had grown accustomed to feeling between his shoulder blades was suddenly felt in his abdomen as Ragnarok emerged from his body in a way that allowed the two of them to face each other for once. Startled by this, Crona tried to back away, not that it would have done any good even without the railing behind him. They were permanently bound together, after all. Two souls dwelling in one body.

Out of breath from both the pain and being so surprised, he could only stare with wide eyes as Ragnarok continued talking as if that whole thing hadn't just happened.

"Didn't even think to ask me, did ya?" He folded his arms, and his voice hinted that he was smirking playfully. "What? Do you think we can't make it work because we're stuck like this?"

"Oh, n-no, it's not that." Crona shuffled his feet. "I guess...I just never thought it was something you would want to do."

At this Ragnarok gave a little snort and rolled his eyes. "It's not that I want to, but standing around doing nothing is really boring. Anyway..." He started stroking his chin, an action that looked much cuter than it should have thanks to his chibi size. "You did let me eat a lot of really good food, so I guess it couldn't hurt to do something for you in return."

"T-that's really nice of you, Ragnarok," Crona said with a shy smile.

"Wha...?" His already large eyes widen even more. "I'm not doing this to be nice! I'm doing it because you're so damn annoying when you get all mopey!"

Not used to seeing Ragnarok get flustered like that, Crona couldn't help but giggle. "Okay, if you say so."

The expression on Ragnarok's face went from being annoyed to looking like he was pouting, not an easy feat for someone with a mouth which was hidden most of the time. All this did was make Crona giggle even more. Ragnarok wasn't the least bit amused.

"What the hell are you laughing at?"

"I'm sorry." It wasn't easy, but Crona managed to get his laughter under control. Trying to hide the smile that refused to leave his face even after his giggles had died down, he added, "I couldn't help it."

"Hmph, whatever." Crossing his arms in a defensive manner, Ragnarok shifted his glance away to stare at nothing in particular. "If you don't want to dance then just forget I offered."

"B-but I do want to dance with you!"

The words left him at a higher volume than he had meant for them to, causing them both to flinch slightly from the sudden loudness, but it was the truth. He really wanted to try dancing with Ragnarok, and not just for the sake of being able to dance some more.

Although they were constantly with each other, there wasn't a whole lot that they actually did together besides fighting. Whether they were facing an enemy or just training, being in the heat of a battle was the only time they shared a common goal and that brought them together. Outside of that they didn't really spend a lot of quality time doing things with each other, and Crona thought it would be good for the two of them to finally have some fun together.

Speaking in a softer voice he continued by saying,"I-I promise I won't laugh at you anymore. Um..." Clearing his throat, Crona looked and sounded as serious as he could before holding out his hand like he remembered Maka doing earlier. "May I... May I have this dance?"

There was a brief pause.

"Well... Since you asked so nicely..." Ragnarok put his hand into Crona's while at the same time allowing their eyes to meet again. He sounded like he was smiling as he said, "I guess I can't say no."

Crona smiled back at him. "Thank you."

They stood there for a while without saying a word. Neither of them moved except to breathe and, in Crona's case, blink. Looking into each other's eyes they stood like statues, both of them waiting for the other to make a move, or for something to happen in general. It didn't take long for Ragnarok to grow tired of this and break the silence.

"So...what now? I've never dance before, but something tells me this isn't what we're supposed to do."

"Right, s-sorry." Until now Crona had just assumed that Ragnarok had still been awake when Maka taught him how to dance and thus would know what to do now. That apparently wasn't the case, but he didn't mind. "Now put your other hand on my shoulder, l-like this..."

It took a little guidance, but soon they were in the position Crona had been taught. They were ready to begin, but he hesitated, unsure of what to do with his feet. Before he had followed Maka's lead and did his best to not step on her, which seemed to work out just fine. Now it was up to him to take the lead, but with nobody to follow this time how was he supposed to know how to move his feet?

From inside the song that was playing ended and a slow song began, which was perfect. At least they could go slow until he had a chance to figure out what he was doing. Taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly to calm his nervousness, Crona closed his eyes and tried to remember how he had moved with Maka so he could replicate those movements. He didn't want to mess this up.

"You sure you want to do this?" Ragnarok asked.

"I'm sure."

Opening his eyes, Crona inhaled and exhaled again before taking his, no, their first step. That step was followed by another one, then another, and before he knew it they were dancing.

It was like dancing for the first time all over again; awkward and a little embarrassing. If anyone had been watching them, they might have thought that the two looked similar to a child dancing with a stuffed animal, given their special circumstances. But everybody else was inside and not paying any attention to them, so it didn't matter how silly they looked.

As he had before, Crona soon got the hang of what he was doing, and as he became more comfortable his movements became more natural. He stopped second-guessing every step he made and gave up trying to look at his feet to make sure they were moving like they were supposed to, mostly because Ragnarok got in the way so it was impossible to see them.

Letting go of all his self-doubt and worries of making a wrong move, Crona allowed himself to just be free and let the music be his guide as he danced around like he had with Maka. Only...this wasn't like being with Maka at all.

Maka had made his heart beat a little faster than normal from the excitement of just being near her, the closeness they had shared made him blush shyly, and her gentle smiles made him happy. It was amazing how one person could make him feel so many things at once. Whenever there was silence between them it felt warm and friendly, holding promises of future conversation.

Meanwhile, Ragnarok didn't invoke pulse-raising excitement, instead his familiar presence was calming and kept Crona's heartbeat steady. Even though they weren't in any immediate danger, he knew if something bad were to happen unexpectedly Ragnarok would protect him, and that made him feel safe like when he sat in Mr. Corner.

The silence between them wasn't warm like it was with Maka, but it wasn't cold either. It was somewhere in between and felt just right. Being able to sense each other's feelings most of the time often made words unnecessary, anyway.

"A-am I doing okay?" Crona's voice was timid when he asked this. Although he hadn't received any complaints or criticism so far he was almost afraid of what the answer would be.

"You're doing better than I thought you would." Chuckling, Ragnarok added, "You haven't even tripped over yourself like you did before."

Sure, he had been awake for that, but he couldn't have been bothered to pay attention to Maka's lesson on dancing. Still, Crona was relieved by his positive comments. At least he seemed to be having a good time.

"Then do you...um..." He swallowed hard, unsure if he should even ask. "Should we...keep dancing for a while?"

"...sure. I guess this is kind of nice, so...why not?"

Crona began to sense strong feelings of embarrassment coming from Ragnarok. Knowing it would be wise to not ask about it or make any comment, he just smiled.

With the moon shining down like a spotlight and the balcony for a stage, they were like the stars of their own private show as they continued to dance in time to the music. With no one there to get in their way or even watch them, the feeling of being alone in the world with his dance partner came back to Crona more strongly than before. His feet knew what to do now and seemed to be moving on their own, so he just focused on what really mattered: spending time with his lifelong partner.

It was getting close to midnight, but Crona wasn't aware of this fact as he struggled to hold back a yawn. With his body swaying back and forth like a flower in a gentle breeze, he felt like he could fall asleep right then and there. From inside a quick, upbeat song was playing, but he didn't have the energy to keep up with it so he tuned out the music and rocked at his own relaxing pace.

Hours had passed since they started dancing, and in all that time they hadn't stopped. It was inevitable that Crona would get worn out sooner or later, but when he finally started to get tired from moving so long he was too stubborn to quit while he was still having fun. His solution had been to stand off to the side of the balcony and slowly rock his body from side to side, which in his mind still qualified as dancing.

Their dance style wasn't the only thing that had changed, though. They had taken up a new position as well. Ragnarok now had his arms wrapped loosely around Crona's neck, with his head resting on his Meister's shoulder. Crona held him close, taking care not to squish his small form. It was like they were sharing a prolonged hug, and while it felt strange because it was something they normally wouldn't do, he loved it.

The way they were holding each other was somewhat reminiscent of a mother rocking their child to sleep, not that either of them chose to think of it like that.

Their closeness was so unusual that Crona hadn't known how to deal with it at first, but when he felt Ragnarok snuggle up to him and almost melt against his body like cold butter on hot toast, he decided it would be worth trying to put up with. For once his partner was happy to be with him, and Crona didn't want to do anything that would ruin that.

A yawn escaped as he finally lost the fight against it. Maybe retiring to his room for the night would be a good idea, otherwise he really would fall asleep out on the balcony. Well...just a few more minutes couldn't hurt. By tomorrow morning everything between them would probably return to the way it had always been. Crona was enjoying their time together, so he wanted to make the most of tonight before it was nothing more than a nice memory.

"Hey, are you still mad at me?" Crona spoke in a whisper, unsure if Ragnarok was still awake. "I mean, for laughing at you before."

"Nah, I'll forgive you this time." He hadn't dozed off yet, but he did sound sleepy. Lifting his head up, Ragnarok put his hands on Crona's shoulders and made the sternest expression that he was able to. "But you better not do it again, got it?" His tone of voice made it obvious he was just teasing.

"I promised not to, didn't I?" Sighing, Crona closed his eyes and leaned his head forward until his forehead was resting on Ragnarok's. "Um... Thank you for everything you did tonight. I...had a lot of fun."

"Don't get all mushy on me now..."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to."

Silence fell over them as Crona's tired body finally stopped to rest. For the first time in a while he thought about Maka and wondered if she was still at the party. If he could stay awake long enough, he would have to look for her to say goodnight before he left, and apologize for not being able to dance with her again. Maybe he would ask her to dance the next time there was a party for something.

"Hey, Crona?"

"Yes?"

"There's gonna be other times when that stupid Maka leaves you to be with someone else, you know." Had Ragnarok been reading his mind or something? "But...I'm not going anywhere. I'm always here for you, okay?"

"N-now you're the one who's being mushy." Blushing, Crona lifted his head up so he could look at Ragnarok and give him a sly smile. "I don't know if I can deal with that."

"Oh yeah?" Grinning, Ragnarok pinched Crona's cheek and tugged on it in a playful way. "Can you deal with this?"

"Ah, that hurts!" Despite the pain, Crona couldn't help but laugh as he tried to free his poor cheek. Now this was more like the Ragnarok he knew and loved. "Stop it!"

"You better not forget what I just told you," Ragnarok said, also laughing. "'Cause I'm not saying it again."

"I won't forget, I won't forget! Now let me go!"

It had been an interesting night for Crona, getting to see a side of his partner he had never known before. The night was over now and things were already going back to how they had been. It wasn't such a bad thing, though. Their relationship was made up of playful teasing and a little bit of tolerable pain, not hugs and kindness. But he couldn't imagine it being any other way.

Maybe...he didn't even want it to be any other way.