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Challenge: 100 ways to say I love you

Prompt: 70-You're warm

Disclaimer: I own nothing

"For me it's a glimpse and a smile on your face, a touch of your hands, an honest embrace...
With you all I know is I'm coming home." Vanessa Carlton

They both stopped in the hallway, putting down the few luggages they had brought with them and looking around the now dusty and silent room.

"It's so good to be home!" Yoh exclaimed with a big grin on his face.

Anna said nothing. If their plan had gone right, he wouldn't be home at all. He'd be as good as dead, locked inside the Great Spirit. That's why—

She was pulled out of her thoughts as she felt two strong arms wrapped around her waist. She instinctively took a step back, watching with confusion her fiancé standing before her with his grin still in place.

"It's just me Anna!" he laughed lightly, his arms tightening their grip on her waist. Her traitorous body relaxed at his contact but she forced a scowl on her face. Of course Yoh being who he is acted as though it wasn't there and if possible, his grin grew even bigger.

"It's really good to be home," he repeated but now his grin has turned into a warm smile and Anna couldn't help the warm feeling that spread across her body. But then he had to ruin it all by kneeling in front of her and covering her belly with kisses.

"Yoh," she warned. But of course he ignored her. After all, no living person was likely to catch them in that intimate moment. Still. When she called his name for the third time in a stern voice, he pulled back slightly and looked up at her with a pout on his face. She didn't know if she wanted to smack him or kiss him.

"Oh come on," he whined. "I am allowed to be excited now."

There was nothing to be excited for. Having a child was something the both of them knew would happen. That was the main reason why they were engaged. It has always been there at the corner, it was only a matter of time. And Yoh was never meant to meet his child anyway. He was supposed to become Shaman King and to live in his private quarter inside the Great Spirit. They had made love to ensure that the Asakura line wouldn't die with Yoh and that was all. He had come to terms with that ages ago, he was never supposed to be attached, to be excited but of course he was. He's been since day one, since she woke up disoriented inside an empty restaurant with a wet towel on her forehead, the pressure of Yoh's hands rubbing hers and him telling her she had fainted in the middle of the street. She had known then. And when later on, as they walked back home, she had told him, it had taken her threatening to burn all his Bob CD's to make him stop from rubbing her flat stomach in the middle of the street for everyone to see and running after his stupid friends to tell them the news.

But it should have never surprised her because it was Yoh. Yoh was loving and caring. And if it wasn't for the promise he'd made, he would have certainly abandoned the Shaman Tournament to have a future with his child.

"I can't wait to meet you buddy," he was telling her stomach and she snorted. She was only starting to show and it was easy for him to say, he wasn't the one supposed to push the baby out of his body.

"Alright," Anna interrupted after she heard Yoh tell their unborn child that he was going to make him listen to Bob. She took his hands off her stomach and took a step back, folding her arms in a scolding manner. "If you don't want to sleep with an empty stomach you better get to work right now."

Yoh blinked and it's as though the situation dawned on him for the first time. Why I am not surprised? Anna thought. The house was a mess, there was dust everywhere and there was probably nothing edible in the fridge.

"Oh," Yoh smiled, scratching the back of his neck sheepishly. Anna gave him a look that implied he was the dumbest person she's ever had the misfortune to meet.

And as if to prove her right, Yoh ran upstairs throwing a "wait there" in her general direction without taking their luggage with him.

"Yoh!" she called irritably.

She was about to follow him and slap the hell out of him when he returned with a blanket tucked under his arm. He grabbed her by the hand and guided her outside. Anna watched with absolute confusion as the brunet spread the blanket on the unkempt grass.

"What are you doing?" she demanded.

"Relax," he assured now facing her. "I figured you're tired from the long journey so while I go upstairs to clean our room, you'll rest here."

Anna looked at him completely dumbfounded. She was more surprised by his thoughtfulness than anything really. She gaped at him for about two minutes until his laugh brought her back to reality. He settled her on the blanket and promised to be quick. And sure enough, 15 minutes later, he was guiding her upstairs. She wasn't sure if it was her training paying off or his impatience to be done as quickly as possible with his chores. But all thoughts flew out of her mind when she opened her room and found the place spotless. Well, spotless except for the bigger futon that definitely didn't belong to her.

She turned around, hands already posed at her hips to demand an answer from him when Yoh spoke.

"Well," he started, once again scratching the back of his neck "I thought it'd be pointless for us to sleep in separate rooms. After all, you're already pregnant and—"

He was cut short by the sound of her palm making contact, savagely with his cheek.

"Ow!" he wailed, "Anna! What was that for?"

Of course he was right. Still, it didn't stop her from being a bit insulted. She kicked off her sandals and threw her red bandana at him to his utter confusion then lie down on the futon.

Yoh was still standing there unsure of what he was supposed to do. He had thought that she'd want him to replace the new futon with her old one yet she was lying on it.

"What are you waiting for?" she snapped, glaring at him from her position on the futon.

Yoh looked at her uncertainly, unable to give her an answer. Rolling her eyes with obvious annoyance, Anna spoke "I'm not sleeping here alone. Lie down."

"But the diner," Yoh protested weakly, not that he didn't want to lie down with her, and to be honest, he was quite tired too, but he knew that if there's no diner when she woke up, Anna would be capable of making him sleep in the garden.

"You're taking me out tonight," was Anna's reply. Yoh didn't need to be told twice. He kicked off his sandals and made sure that Anna's red bandana and his precious headphones were safely at their right place before lying down beside her, using one hand as a pillow and placing the other one on her small bump.

As his body made contact with hers, Anna sighed contentedly. For the first time since a very long time, she felt at home. It occurred to her that, this very moment could have never happened. Had Yoh won the Shaman Tournament, she'd be lying here alone and cold.

"He was right," Yoh's voice muffled by her hair said "When he said I would never be alone again, he was right."

Moving her hair aside, he kissed her neck softly and for the second time since they came home, Anna felt the warm feeling spreading through her whole body.

"Thank you, Anna," he said quietly, "for sharing this life with me. I love you."

For what it seemed like forever, Anna didn't respond. Her eyes were wide open and her heart was beating furiously, it was almost painful. She knew Yoh loved her, she's always known. They had never been the kind of couple who needed to proclaim their love to each other but this was different. She didn't know if it was the hormones or the knowledge that he could have been gone forever, but his words, his warm embrace and just him being there felt different. It felt warm, it felt like together forever.

So as she turned around and snuggled up in his embrace, eyes closed, "You're warm." Was all she managed to say and even without seeing his face Anna knew he was smiling.