A/N: I actually found time to write the epilogue. Glad to finally be putting a real ending to the story. Thought it was best to make it as short as possible.

That being said, I'll be working on another Negitoro fanfiction after the holidays. I have already everything planned, so I just have to find both the time and motivation to write it.

Warming The Cold

— Epilogue —

Four years had passed. It had been four years since Miku and Luka started dating, and things were only getting better between them. Their love was growing stronger with each passing year. In fact, one could say that they were joined at the hip. The moment that they left their significant one, they would start missing them, a feeling of loneliness panging their chest. Each day they passed together was momentous. Ever since they had started living together three years ago, they had realized how much they had needed it, how much they had craved being together every day, every minute and every second of their existence… Happiness and bliss were the predominant emotions in their relationship. They were entirely happy with each other. There was nowhere else that they desired to be.

Miku turned around on the bed to face her lover. She ran her fingers against her smooth cheek, caressing the flawless skin very carefully. The crystal blue eyes she loved so dearly then met with hers. Luka's gaze was full of love and care, a small smile forming on the corner of her lips. The tealette's heart immediately skipped several beats, her lungs having forgotten how to give her proper breath. Miku could never get used to it. Each time she saw that loving expression on her girlfriend's stunning face, she had the sensation that it made her fall in love with her even deeper.

The pink-haired beauty took her hand and brought it to her lips, kissing the tips of her fingers tenderly. It inevitably made Miku smile, the gentle touches sending her electrifying sensations throughout her whole body. The simplest touches were still always enough to make her heart race. The strong chemistry between them didn't fade away in the slightest. They never could get enough of each other.

"I love you…" Luka breathed out softly, letting go of her fingers, her lips now reaching her cheek.

"I love you too, Luka." The petite female replied without a hint of hesitation, giggling the moment her neck was being assaulted by fervent kisses.

It was far from rare that their mornings were fiery as they often needed each other's warmth the moment they woke up. However, Miku knew that now wasn't a good time. She grabbed Luka by the shoulders and pushed her away regrettably, pressing her index against her lips.

"Not now, love. Did you forget our guests? We already woke up late, so they will probably be here soon."

Deep frustration immediately flashed into the other woman's eyes. She then growled and sat up, frantically running a hand through her messy, morning hair. She was obviously displeased with the turn of event and didn't hesitate to show it, her facial features hardening slightly.

"Right," Luka said almost sorrowfully. "I would have preferred to spend this day alone with you. Why did you invite them anyway? Our four years together has nothing to do with them."

"They're the ones who insisted on coming. Besides, they're our friends and we haven't seen them in a while."

"Our? They're your friends."

Miku crossed her arms over her chest, raising an eyebrow. She had expected that much. Even though her loved one became incredibly nice to her, she still had difficulty getting along well with others even though there was still a significant progression from four years ago.

"Meiko and your brother will be here too." She pointed out, knowing that Luka was only being stubborn because she wasn't getting what she wanted. "And I thought that you were getting along well with Lily too."

"She's the one always thinking that we're friends. That woman is more of a nuisance than anything else."

The tealette cocked her head to the side as her significant one hopped out of bed to find clothes that she would wear, an irritated expression plastered on her face. Miku knew her well enough to understand that she was greatly upset. It was obvious that Luka would have preferred to spend the whole day alone with her. She found it endearing, and she was almost tempted to comply to her girlfriend's selfishness, but she knew that it would be rude to turn down their guests at the last minute.

The younger female approached her lover with an impish grin. She ran a finger down her naked back, pressing her thumb against her spine, sending her shivers and chills. She absolutely loved seeing her tense up each time she did.

"I promise you that once they're gone, I'm all yours." Miku whispered flirtatiously in her ear, breathing teasingly in it. She then traced a heart against her shoulder blade, giving her enough mischievous caress to make her anticipate the moment even more. "Or maybe… you'll be all mine instead tonight? I want to use those cuffs we bought on you..."

Even though Miku couldn't see Luka's expression due to her facing her back, she could still tell that her face was a crimson red. Heart pounding in her chest, the tealette stepped in front of her to stare at her; as she thought, her cheeks were completely flushed, her eyes glistening with lust. Miku could never get enough of that shyness Luka was often displaying only to her.

Feeling a thrilling rush boiling inside her, the petite girl grabbed her lover's face between her hands and pulled her into an eager kiss. The tall model immediately slipped a hand down her back and pushed her against the wall, trapping their bodies together, completely filling the agonizing gap between them. Miku immediately realized how hot Luka's skin felt against hers, and she started to regret her teasing a little bit; she hadn't meant to arouse her to that extent, especially since now wasn't a good moment.

The tealette pulled away from the heated kiss and gave the woman she loved an apologetic and guilty smile. However, the pink-haired beauty decided it wasn't enough; she pressed her lips against hers zealously and let out a low and frustrated moan, her heart thumping hard and her breathing ragged.

However, before it could go any further, they heard the door's bell ring. They were both immediately pulled out from their trance. They then stared at each other a bit skeptically, unsure about what to do with the current smothering situation.

Luka finally growled and swiftly grabbed clothes from the closet, feeling even more infuriated with how things turned out.

"I'm sorry, Luka…" Miku murmured softly, guilt crushing her, knowing that she had taken it too far.

"Don't be." She replied almost instantly and took a quivering breath, hesitating before speaking again. "It's not the main reason why I wanted to be alone with you today. It sort of ruined my plans."

The tealette blinked in surprise. She had no idea that her loved one had planned something for this special day. She should have told her instead of having kept it a secret from her —then, she would have refused when their friends asked to come. She was about to apologize again, but she soon closed her mouth, thinking that it was useless. She still planted a soft kiss on her cheek as if it would be enough to be forgiven.

She then quickly headed downstairs, a feeling of regret strangling her. She should have noticed that Luka wasn't upset only because she had wanted to spend time alone with her. She had made plans for today, and now they were ruined.

They were both very busy with their model career; they were receiving more and more contracts, so they already had less time to spend together. Fans and designers have been supporting their relationship. There were people who still felt betrayed and couldn't accept it, but the couple had definitely more supporters than haters.

Miku opened the door and grinned brightly at the trio in front of her; Lily had an arm around Meiko's shoulders, smirking smugly while Gumi was standing beside them, a bored expression plastered on her face.

"Ugh, it was about time that you answered the door, Miku." The greenhead spoke first and entered inside. "Those two couldn't keep their damn hands to themselves. Talk about being disrespectful."

"Hey, it's not my fault if Meiko can't stop touching me."

"Excuse me?" The brunette frowned disapprovingly at her girlfriend. "You're the one who kept on groping me."

"Oh, really now? It's not like you weren't enjoying it, baby."

Meiko's face went a gentle red. Gumi only grimaced disgustingly at them and went to take a seat, arms crossed over her chest, almost sulking. Miku preferred to stay out of it. Still, she was glad to see that her cousin's relationship with Meiko was steady even after four years had passed. They fought from time to time, but from what she had heard, it was rarely serious and they would immediately make up the following day.

As for Gumi, she was still single, but she seemed to be alright with it for now. She told her that she just hadn't found the right person yet and that she shouldn't worry about her. Though, the tealette suspected that she had a small crush on Luka's brother. She was often staring at him admiringly whenever they were all hanging out together. Miku never dared to bring the topic, but she thought that Gumi would do it when she would feel more comfortable about it.

"Where's Luka?" Meiko asked, looking around for her friend.

"She'll be here soon…" The tealette responded a bit sheepishly, knowing that her girlfriend didn't desire the company right now. "Maybe…"

Just before Lily could make an inappropriate remark because of it, they heard knocks on the door. Miku quickly went to open it and smiled courteously at the two guys in front of her. Holding Luki's wheelchair, Kaito pushed it inside and placed it near the window so that he could face everyone. Then, he happily approached his model and crushed her in his arms.

"Hey, happy fourth anniversary to my two favorite models!"

"You're talking like they're actually married," Luki said with an amused grin.

It was obvious that Luka's brother was doing better. Despite his incurable paralysis, he was still trying to enjoy life as much as possible. He was also able to see his daughter more often, so it probably helped to improve his mood.

Miku pulled away from her manager's squeezing embrace and scratched her nose cutely.

"We're not planning to get married. Luka said many times that it was useless."

"Sounds like her," Meiko commented. "She's never been into that traditional stuff."

The tealette gave a thoughtful nod. It was true that her significant one lacked romanticism at times; she was more the direct type, often showing her love to her physically instead of using words, but she never minded it. Besides, she also thought that they didn't need to get married to prove their love for each other. What they had now was enough to fulfill her with endless and flowing happiness.

Miku then went into the kitchen to prepare tea and snacks for their guests. She guessed at that instant that Luka didn't plan to make her apparition. It was a bit disappointing, but she wouldn't force her to be present. She was never the one who enjoyed being surrounded by people even if her career required her to at times.

When she came back with the plates, she noticed that everyone was having an animated conversation with each other. Lily, Meiko and Kaito were surprisingly having a friendly discussion (despite the occasional crude jokes the blonde would make and offend both her girlfriend and the manager). Gumi and Luki were also making small talk, obviously enjoying each other's presence.

Everything looked so perfect that Miku thought it was best if she didn't interrupt any of them. She decided to check on Luka instead. She couldn't stop worrying about her since she had seemed seriously upset earlier. It was troubling her so much that she decided to stop ignoring the constant pang in her chest.

Once she entered their room, she noticed that her girlfriend was sat on the bed, staring at her own hand a bit absently, her lips pursed in a thin line.

"Luka?"

The model's head immediately perked up at the familiar high-pitched voice. She soon closed her hand and stared away from her.

Miku was seriously starting to think that she did something wrong. Her stomach clenched in sudden anxiety and a lump formed in her throat. There was a moment of silence between them as if neither of them knew what to say. Then, Luka stood up and mentioned her lover to get closer to her, her lower lip noticeably trembling.

The teal-haired female obeyed, unable to shake off the feeling that something bad was going to happen.

"I'm sorry about earlier. Knowing you, it must have been worrying you." The pink-haired female murmured, hesitantly meeting with her vibrant teal eyes. "I suppose I can be a little bit unreasonable at times. I must remind myself that I'm not the only important person in your life, and I'm fine with that, but I wish we would have more time to spend together. We often have to travel because of our careers. Weeks without you feels very… lonely, so that's why I was being a bit selfish earlier. You'll be leaving for a month soon because of that contract you just got. I wanted to spend as much time as possible with you before you do."

The tealette's expression softened. So it was why her girlfriend looked so upset. It made sense now. She was about to reassure her by telling her that she would call her every day but stopped in her tracks when she noticed that Luka wasn't done. She took one of her hands and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"When I first met you, Miku, I thought that you were really annoying. You were always meddling in my business and following me around like a lost, curious puppy. You even became a model to get closer to me because you were a fan of mine, it was seriously irritating. I used to think that you were only a nuisance who would give up on being a model after a few weeks at trying it." The pinkette declared almost emotionlessly. "I didn't think that I would be wrong. It was a real shock that you still tried to get to know me even after I ended up hurting you countless of times. I thought that you were an idiotic girl. Who, in their right mind, wants to get closer to someone who doesn't know how to love and care for anyone?"

Miku remained silent. She couldn't help but be a little bit hurt by her words. She knew that it was only the past and that Luka didn't feel that way anymore, but it was still slightly disturbing.

The pinkette sighed, probably having noticed the change of mood.

"I'm still bad with words. I'm sorry, lovely," Luka whispered and caressed her cheek with the back of her hand. "That's the past now, and I'm sure that you're aware of that. I did really think that you were annoying at first, though, I only spoke the truth, but before I realized it, I grew a soft spot for you. I was always looking forward to seeing you. No matter how bad the situation could get, you were always being optimistic about everything and it was getting to me. Your smile was my medicine and your presence was my motivation to try enjoying life again. You taught me how to love and care again. You've taught me how to be happy, and I'm insanely grateful for that. I… thank you, Miku… Thank you for always being there for me, thank you for still loving me even after all the hardships we've encountered…"

The tealette's heart started playing loud drums in her chest, her face becoming a deep shade of red. She felt completely speechless; the words she wanted to say we're stuck in her throat. Those were things that the pinkette never told her before.

"Y-You don't need to thank me… T-This is only natural…"

"Today, it's been four years since we're together," Luka continued to speak and took a deep breath. "Those years with you have been wonderful. I never thought that it would be possible to love someone to that extent, and those strong feelings I have for you never faded away, not even a little bit. In fact, they're only growing stronger. I'm sure that our relationship will only get better as years will pass. That's why… I…"

The popular model finally opened her palm, revealing an expensive-looking ring. Miku's eyes widened in shock. She knew well enough what was coming next, and she wasn't sure if her heart was ready for it. Tears of happiness were already starting to fill her eyes.

"As you already know it, I've never been the one to care about weddings. I never believed in the one true love. However, I… I do believe in our love. I do believe that our future still has many wonderful memories in store for us. Miku… I…" Luka's voice cracked gently, the emotions getting to her as well. "…Will you spend the rest of your life with me?"

Miku started crying. She felt like her heart was going to explode in her chest. She couldn't believe that it was really happening. She couldn't speak; she was completely unable to say a thing.

And so, Miku only nodded shakily, her stare holding boundless happiness and love.

Luka smiled devotedly and carefully slid the ring around her finger.

It was still only the beginning of a never-ending love.