Third week in a row updates, woohoo! I did a lot of swapping around while putting together just what would go down in this chapter, so I hope everything makes sense.

Also, I've been kind of curious if there would be any interest in seeing other fics about the other couples that pop up throughout this story! I've especially been interested in playing with the idea of a Romantica AU, especially after introducing Misaki into this story.

Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter!

February 13th

It wasn't all that far into the work day, yet things were seeming a bit off to the brunet.

"Hahah, Takano-san, you're too much!" A woman from another department-Takahashi wasn't quite sure of which-had been standing at the chief editor's desk for over five minutes now..

Was she out for him?

[Misaki.]

The sudden intrusion of that familiar, deep voice shocked him. He wouldn't be surprised if his co-workers thought he was a freak for how often this happened.

[Usagi-san, I have to focus on my work right now. And don't you have a deadline soon?]

[I wanted to hear your voice.]

The brunet couldn't help the slight blush that came to his face. Sighing, he leaned back in his chair.

[Stupid. You'll be able to hear it when I get home.]

[Why bother waiting?]

[Usagi-san, I really need to get to work on this. We can talk during my break later, ok? Now get back to work, or else I'm going to make a stop at the market before I get home and buy green peppers.]

[You wouldn't.]

[I would. Now, I really, really have to go. Talk to you later, Usagi-san.]

[I love you.]

[...love you, too.]

Click.

"Micchan, something wrong? You've been staring off like that for awhile now." Kisa had been looking out for him ever since he had started working there, and he appreciated it when it didn't come down to the teasing he got from him and the others.

Not to mention Takano.

With how his boss was, Takahashi found it hard to really understand just what he was going for sometimes. He was respected by his subordinates and from what he had heard from his time working part time, he was a big deal.

Surely, passionate…

The memory of Takano's lips brushing against his own came to mind. The explanation that the mangaka could very well draw the scene better almost made him laugh.

If Usagi ever found out about that one, he'd never let him step foot into the department ever again.

"Ah, don't worry about me, Kisa-san," He laughed nervously. "I get really spacy sometimes."

"Were you talking to someone?" The small snicker that came from his co-worker only made him tense.

"..." As long as he didn't say who, it would be fine, right? "Uh, yeah."

"Oh, seriously? You're so young to have found them already."

"It actually happened when I was 18, haha."

"It probably really would help you in this line of work, you've had experience with a connection for years." He paused, rolling his chair closer to the brunet's desk. "But you should probably hide that you're already taken, the department has a reputation to uphold after all."

"Reputation?"

"There are women from the company and beyond that dream of landing a date with someone from the Maiden Club," Green eyes twitched at the nickname. "I'm pretty sure we're all taken, though. Between you and me, Takano-san has been getting much more spacy recently."

"Huh." So even the big bad boss himself had someone.

"But really, Micchan, you have to be ready. With Valentine's Day right around the corner, women from all over the building will be trying to hand deliver chocolates."

He hadn't even realized the day was so close, but now he found himself wracking his brain for just what he would be doing with his own connection.

He could think of it later. For now, he really had to get back to work, having decided he had already wasted too much time already.

"I've been meaning to ask you, have you got any plans for Valentine's?" The question caught Onodera off guard, but this being Saeki, he didn't need to worry too much.

"Just cooking and talking about work as usual, last I checked."

"Augh, Onodera-kun, don't be so boring! You've actually found someone and don't plan on making things romantic on Valentine's? It wouldn't even have to be a big thing, maybe a movie or something."

"It's not boring."

And it wasn't like they hadn't had any moments. Just over a week ago they had had, what Onodera had later realized, their actual first hug. Before that, Takano had only stood behind him, arms coming around Onodera's waist to help show him how to chop with a knife.

"I guess you two have only been together for around a month…" As she went on, he noticed another co-worker looking over at them from across the room, visibly irritated.

"Uhm, Saeki-san, I think I'm gonna get back to things a bit early today." He stood up from his seat. "See you later."

[Hey, you got a minute to talk?] Now home, Onodera initiated the connection.

[Yeah, what's up?] Also home himself, Takano replied almost instantly.

[Are you doing anything the tomorrow?]

[Valentine's.]

[Yeah, Valentine's… Did you want to, uh, do anything?]

[You want to take a break from the cooking, I assume?]

[Yeah, I think I'm getting to a point where I'll be able to manage things on my own anyways. As long as there's a recipe, anyways.]

[Ok, fair enough. So did you want to go out somewhere or to stay at one of our apartments?]

[I think I'd rather be back here at the complex.] He sunk further into his spot on the couch. [I feel more comfortable here.]

[How about a movie? What kind do you like?]

[As long as it's not one of those suspense or horror ones, I'm really open to most genres. And not to sound boring, but I really like documentaries.]

[Don't worry, I get it. Maybe we could rent one.]

[Ah, I wouldn't want to make the choice on my own like that.] Suddenly, his phone began ringing with the sound he dreaded most. It was the tone set to go off when his mother was calling. [I'm sorry, Takano-san. I'm getting a call, we'll have to talk about this later.]

After a click resounded between the two of them, Onodera put the phone to his ear and accepted the call.

"Hello?"

"Ritsu, glad that you picked up so quickly." He could make out the image of her looking at him, disatisfied by something. "I wanted to talk to you about tomorrow."

"Mother, if this is about An-chan, I-"

"It is about An-chan," She interrupted. "I talked to her, and I think you two should go out on a date tomorrow for Valentine's."

"Mother, I already have plans with someone."

"Ritsu, we can only put up with this nonsense for so long." He could hear her shift in her seat, guessing she was putting her hand to her temple as she always would. "Your engagement to An was decided years ago, why not just settle down already? You're already 25."

"Mother, we don't have a connection, what's the point in-"

"What's the point in getting together with her? You two have gotten along well since you were children, and it would be a great way to connect the family companies!" She scoffed lightly, this having been the umpteenth time she had repeated this to her son. "Unless you mean to tell me you've found someone in the month since we've talked?"

"..." He suddenly couldn't find his voice, panicked.

"RItsu…"

In a panic, he ended the call and threw his phone onto the cushion like it was burning his hand. It might as well have, considering the trembling that had taken it over.

This wasn't something he had been looking forward to explaining to his parents, nor was it something he expected to have to do any time soon.

She probably going to go talk to his father now, he convinced himself of it. He had never really understood many of the decisions his father made.

All throughout his childhood, and even now, it still felt as if he were a stranger. He didn't get to see him much as a child because of how busy the man had been with work, and now even working in the same company he never really saw much of him. There were times like New Years when they always got together, but it felt forced.

What was he going to do when he went to work tomorrow? Would his mother intervene with things somehow? Was An going to show up and expect something of him?

Should he tell Takano about all this?

He plopped onto his side, staring blankly at the rest of his cluttered apartment.

[Hey, Takano-san?]

[Hm?]

[So about that movie, I was thinking…]

It almost felt odd when nothing out of the ordinary happened at work the following day. He had been on edge the entire day, worried his mother would waltz into the department and yell at him till kingdom come.

Even after walking out of the doors of the office building, he had a sort of impending sense of doom.

He really should call An and make sure she knew that this wasn't going to happen-that he had someone in his life now even though he wasn't quite at a point where he could say he was in love yet.

His thumb hovered over her contact information in his phone multiple times that night, but he never went through with things, and now he was standing in front of Takano's door.

Resolving not to ruin tonight-telling himself that this was a night for him and Takano-he initiated their connection.

[Takano-san, is your door open?]

[Yeah, come on in.]

He placed his things down on the floor next to the couch, which had a large blanket laid out on it.

Takano padded into the room, carrying a few bags of chips that he had picked up on the way home.

"Figured we could just have some snacks tonight."

"Sounds like a plan." The brunet smiled, settling himself into the cushions. "So what're we watching tonight?"

"I picked a movie that one of my employees recommended to me, uh," He picked up the case. "Miracle, it's called. It's a movie that came from America that was popular enough to get dubbed. Apparently it's about some woman who finds her connection right after heartbreak, and how they get together."

"Mm, put it in." He mumbled as he got under the blanket, still a bit cold from being outside a few minutes ago.

He put in the DVD and settled himself next to his connection, getting under the blanket himself.

The menu appeared after a few trailers in English- neither of them bothered to listen to just what the movies had been about- and Takano clicked play.

"First loves never last… I knew that… from the very beginning." A woman's voice spoke, accompanied by a full moon illuminating a night sky.

The title of the movie faded onto the screen, subtitle reading the translation directly under it.

It then transitioned to a woman's sleeping face, dark hair sprawled in all different directions on the bed she rested in. Eyelids fluttered open to reveal steel blue eyes, looking around sleepily.

She sat up slowly, taking in her surroundings. She heard the noise of a shower going off nearby and saw clothes hanging in the opened closet.

"Eh?" She looked around, now shocked. Eyes wander down, she pulled the sheet forward slightly, she blanched at- what the two of them assumed- was a naked body.

As the movie continued, Takano shifted himself closer to the younger, sending him a look. He held back a laugh when he saw green eyes staring intently at the screen.

He was having fun watching the varied expressions of his connection rather than paying much attention to the movie.

Upon seeing a slight blush appear on the brunet's face, he turned to look at the screen. A man with curly brown hair in a robe was hovering above the woman in the bed with a smug face.

[I love taking down prideful people like you a peg or two…] His forefinger traced the outline of her jaw as he invaded her mind, much to her surprise.

"Quit it!" She snapped, slapping his hand away, sheet slipping off of her upper body. Quickly pulling it back up, she glared daggers at this man who she apparently knew through work or something of the sort- Takano hadn't been paying too much attention up until this point.

As things progressed, the two continued to grow closer with their new found connection- and things grew even more complicated as the woman found out that curly haired guy had a kid and had previously had a connection with his now dead wife.

It was nearly unheard of that a connection could even be made under such circumstances, and even when they did they were incredibly rare.

Then the guy-he hadn't caught his name- went in for a kiss after they were resolving whatever argument they had been suffering with for the past few minutes. And the woman- Tiffany, he had heard that much at least-allowed him the peck on the lips.

Takano shifted at the action, looking back to the man sitting next to him. Onodera looked back at him and seemed to catch onto just what was going through the older's head.

Groping around for the remote, he found it and paused just as there was a transition to the night sky, just like the beginning of the movie.

"Onodera…" He shifted even closer to the brunet, breathing out his name. "Can I?"

"T-Takano-san, I-"

An obnoxiously loud ringtone echoed through the apartment, and the two backed away from each other.

"E-excuse me, I'll get that." Watching the younger carefully, he saw the way his face scrunched up. "Hello? An-chan, what's going on with you?"

Takano sank into his spot, only staring as Onodera walked towards the genkan reluctantly.

"I told Mother I had plans tonight, I'm sorry…" He heard the door open, and found himself getting up from the couch to follow.

When he was met with a long haired brunette pouting at his connection, his brows raised.

[So...is that An-chan?]