Asch's eyebrow twitched as his replica let out his twelfth sigh that hour! He gave up on his book to glare at the useless redhead sprawled across the bed of 'their' room (because seven arguments later, they still couldn't decide whose room it was.

"It's your room!"

"I don't want it! It was yours first!"

"Just shut up and get in!")

He pushed up from his chair and stood in front of his counterpart, "What, in the holy name of all that's sacred -" somewhere else in the manor, a light blue Cheagle sneezed, "-is wrong with you now?"

Emerald eyes blinked up at him from where the other lay (upside-down, the idiot) on the bed, then he let out another sigh! "...Don't you miss traveling, Asch? The manor was so stuffy the first time I was trapped here."

The deeper redhead crossed his arms as his brow twitched and he focused very hard on keeping his temper. Don't strangle the replica. Don't strangle the replica. Don't strangle the replica... His fingers itched. "You are not trapped in the manor anymore. They do not 'trap' the savior of the world in their own home; you're free to leave at any time." Please do: I could use a vacation from your stupidity. How I ever-

"But I don't want to go anywhere unless you're with me there."

And that threw the older teen off. He uncrossed his arms when the shock almost made him lose his balance, "...What?"

"I don't miss going places," Luke explained, "I miss going places with you. The manor's boring and all you do is read all day. I miss sparring-" his brow twitched again: he hadn't been 'sparring', he'd been trying to kill him! "-with you, and those times you helped teach me how to cook-" 'Hey, idiot, you're doing it wrong. What the hell? You're gonna poison someone that way!' "-and even more-" this time Luke cut himself off, his face flushing scarlet. But, (un)fortunately(?), Asch knew how his other half's mind worked and where that list of 'togetherness' had been leading.

The next thing the replica knew, he had Asch straddling his thighs and smirking down at him as the blood-red hair cascaded around them like a curtain, "What was that you were leading up to...?"

Instead of getting even more flustered, like Asch had secretly been hoping (his replica looked good red-faced and speechless), Luke's face did indeed get redder, but he flipped them over so he was the one on top and stared down at Asch, determination sparkling in his emerald gaze, "There was one thing I miss the most..."

Despite the new position, Asch was just as content this way as he continued smirking up at his other half, "Oh? And what, pray tell, would that be?"

And again, his replica surprised him with a soft smile and tender look, "You."

And just like that, their positions were reversed: Asch the one on his back blushing scarlet. Asch looked away with a scoff, "Tch, stupid replica..." He didn't give Luke the chance to say anything else to that: the moment the other's mouth opened, he grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him into a searing kiss that said more than the words did.

It rang over their connection; pure and true and shining.

'I love you, Asch.'

The response was hesitant, but no less honest and whole-hearted. '...Love you, too.'