Ding-dong!

Monika groaned, then spun around to gaze out of her window. It was still dark out, far too early for any visitors, so she ignored her ringing doorbell and tried to go back to sleep.

Ding-dong!

Monika lazily slapped her hand on her nightstand, snatched her phone, and brought it up to her tired eyes. 3:17.

"It's too early for this," she muttered to herself. "Even for me."

Ding-dong!

She groaned sleepily, placing the pillow over her head. Who would come visiting this early, anyway? Certainly, Sayori was too busy sleeping, herself, and Yuri just talked to her last night. That left Natsuki and MC-

She practically jumped out of bed and ran down the stairs as soon as the thought crossed her mind. Could it really be him? She wasn't about to wait and find out.

She threw the door open, and her heart immediately skipped a beat. There was MC, dressed in a shirt and shorts, standing directly outside her house at 3 AM. He stood patiently, his face basking in the dim glow of the porchlight. Monika steathily pinched herself to make sure this wasn't a dream.

It wasn't. This was actually happening. She wasn't about to complain, though.

"Hey there," MC waved, a slight amount of uncertainty in his voice. "Is this a bad time?"

Monika was still frozen in disbelief.

"Monika?" MC called out as he snapped his fingers in her face. "Yoo-hoo? Anybody home?"

Monika rapidly shook her head. "No, no! Not at all! It's never a bad time! I just. . . Wasn't expecting you. Is. . . Is there something wrong?"

MC shrugged. "I don't think so. I just. . . I had a strange dream, that's all. I felt like I had to check up on you. Are you alright?"

Wait a minute, Monika thought to herself. Did he dream about me? Did we have the same dream? No, no, it can't be. He's just being a concerned friend. He wants to make sure I'm OK. He's such a sweetheart.

"Well," Monika spread her arms out as she gestured to her pajama-clad body. Monika liked to wear white, fluffy pajamas, as they were really comfy and made for great snuggling. Not that MC had ever tried to snuggle with her, but one can always hope. "I'm happy that you worried enough about me to make sure I was OK, but I'm fine. If you really want me to feel better, though, I won't say no to a kiss," she added with raised eyebrows and a sly smile.

MC breathed a sigh of relief, ignoring her not-so-subtle request for a smooch. "I'm sorry if I woke you up over nothing. I can't explain what came over me, but I just got really worried. I'm so glad you're OK."

Monika's heart jumped for joy. She fought back the urge to cry tears of joy. Ever since she restored the world, she always knew MC cared deeply about her. She never truly realized, however, that he would run across town in the middle of the night based on intuition alone. She was so lucky to have him in her life. Now, if only he could stop playing these games and just confess. . .

Regardless, Monika took him by the arm. "Oh, you don't need to be sorry! You know I'd rather talk to you then sleep, anyway. Frankly, I'm sorta surprised you managed to get out of bed at 3 AM."

"That's the power of anxiety," MC proclaimed with mock heroism. The two of them shared a brief chuckle.

"Soooo, do you want to do anything, today?" MC inquired with an awkward smile.

Monika giggled. "Oh, MC, you know we have school today."

MC merely waved his hand dismissively. "Oh, forget school. We can just sneak in right before the club meeting begins. It just might be that I'm "sick", and you were nice enough to take care of me."

"You know the others won't buy that," Monika reminded, but she was still grinning ear-to-ear at the very idea.

MC winked. "Let them think whatever they want. I don't care; do you?"

Monika's grin became more flirtatious. "Oh, you're a bad boy," she whispered. "Have I mentioned I like bad boys? At least when they're named MC, anyway."

"That's the Monika I know!" MC laughed, taking her hand in his and pulling her into a tight hug before she even knew what happened. What compelled him to do this? He couldn't say, but it certainly felt right. Monika was just really huggable today, and he attributed that to her fluffy white pajamas.

"Oh, MC," he heard Monika swoon. "I never knew you could be so. . . Affectionate."

"You'll find I'm full of surprises," he whispered. Then, he pulled back. It didn't come as a surprise that Monika was as red as a tomato. Something about it filled him with pride. Monika made no attempt to hide her blush. Instead, she smiled sweetly. It was a smile MC felt he needed to protect, and even though there was nothing wrong with her, it reminded him that this trip was far from a waste of time.

"Thank you, MC," she uttered blissfully. "I know I said everything was fine, but I kinda needed that."

MC frowned. "Is something wrong?"

It was now Monika's turn to hold his hand. She stared deeply into his honey-colored eyes as they shimmered brilliantly in the porchlight. She thought about spending the day wrapped around him, kissing him deeply and passionately, but the more rational part of her mind knew it would be too far. Plus, she still felt like she had to take things slow, even if MC seemed to be much more receptive after this kiss.

"Not anymore," she finally purred. "Why don't you give me time to shower, and then we can think of a way to spend the day together, alright?"

MC nodded. "Sounds like a plan, my wo-man."

"I won't keep you waiting for long~," Monika sang as she headed back up the stairs. Suddenly, though, she came to a stop at the top of the stares. She turned to face MC, offering him a worried frown. "Oh, and MC?"

MC returned her worrisome expression. "Yeah?"

"I should apologize, too. It wasn't right for me to force a kiss on you like I did yesterday. I just got really excited, you know? Everything just felt so right. That's no excuse for my actions, however."

MC, however, only shook his head and laughed. "Is that all? I thought it something serious."

Monika's eyes widened in surprise. "You're. . . You're not mad?"

"It's hard for me to be mad over something so silly," MC reasoned with a sly smirk. "Run along now and make yourself pretty; I'll wait down here."

Monika nodded. "Oh, right!" she exclaimed as she ran back towards her room.

Today was going to be a wonderful day, and both of them knew it.