The inn room was quiet except for the faint creak of the floorboards under your boots as you both stepped inside. The mission had been exhausting, and you were both relieved to finally rest. But when your eyes landed on the single bed in the middle of the room, your relief melted into something else—confusion.

“…Oh.” You blinked, then glanced at Crona, who was staring at the bed as though it were some kind of puzzle. Their pale hands fidgeted with the hem of their shirt, pink hair falling into their face.

“I-I don’t… I don’t know how to deal with this,” Crona muttered, their voice unusually tense. “There’s… there’s only one bed, and um… well, you know, I’ve never… shared one with anyone before. Not like this.”

You tried to lighten the mood with a laugh, though your cheeks warmed just the same. “It’s just a bed. We’ll survive, right? It’s either share or one of us sleeps on the floor, and that doesn’t sound very comfortable after today.”

Crona hesitated, shifting their weight from foot to foot. “I could… maybe… maybe I should take the floor. I mean, I wouldn’t want to—”

“Crona.” You cut them off gently, patting the side of the bed. “It’s fine. We’ll just sleep. That’s all.”

After several more moments of silent debate in their head, Crona slowly shuffled over, climbing onto the very edge of the mattress like a wary cat. They lay stiff as a board, hands clutched tightly together, leaving as much space between you as possible. You couldn’t help but chuckle softly at the sight.

“You’re going to fall off if you keep clinging to the edge like that,” you teased.

“I-I don’t know how to deal with this,” they repeated, their voice muffled as they buried their face halfway into the pillow. “It feels… strange. Close. I can hear your breathing and—and it’s warm and I—”

You rolled onto your side, keeping your tone gentle. “It’s okay, Crona. Just relax. It’s just the two of us, safe, after a long day. That’s all.”

Little by little, the tension drained from them. Their shoulders softened, their breathing evened, and though they still kept a respectable gap, their presence no longer felt so uncertain. Eventually, their hand shifted closer to yours on the sheets, brushing just barely against your fingers in a hesitant, accidental touch.

Neither of you commented on it, but neither of you pulled away, either. And as the quiet night settled around you, the one bed didn’t feel so strange anymore—it felt like a quiet, unspoken step closer.