Chapter Summary: If a night of deception is what it takes to bring them closer, then so be it.

WARNINGS: Mention of suicide, mild innuendos and mild profanity.

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AN APPPLE A DAY – Chapter 7: Netflix and Chill

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She could see his back.

Feeling nervous was quite an understatement to what she was feeling at the moment because first, she has never been on a blind date her whole life; and second, the place looked too fancy for her liking. Also judging by how the man in front of her was dressed like he's one of those egoistic and filthy rich bastards who asked Marco Lasso (who is also a filthy rich bastard) for a date with his sister, Jeanne, then things could only go downhill, right?

Anna cringed but she fought hard to clear her head from murderous thoughts in order to focus on the now. After all, if she fucked this up, it will be Jeanne's reputation that will be tarnished and not hers. She already submitted to her friend's whims and that's about it. What's important is she did her part of the deal.

Today she will attend this blind date. And today, she shall be Jeanne Lasso.

Oh, but those broad shoulders seemed so painstakingly yummy. The man looked dashing by the way his grey business suit fit him perfectly. His brown shoes were shiny and well kept. His trousers were just the right fit it actually accentuated his bum—she had to shake the thought off. In a daze, Anna could tell that it must feel good being embraced by those crushing arms and enveloping height. And his brown hair, even though shoulder length long, were brushed neatly from the back. It was funny how she felt nostalgic all of a sudden just by seeing her date's back profile.

Her world fell on its knees when she found out who he was.

His name escaped her mouth without her permission, which made him turn around to face her.

"Jeanne?" she heard him ask with his incredulous façade.

All her confidence dwindled from a hundred and ten percent to zero real quick.

'Anna, this is a mistake. Run,' she heard her conscience tell her from the back of her mind. 'No, you don't have to do it. Don't you dare—'

"Oh, hey. Uh- uhm, bonjour."

Did she just stutter? Never mind. All she really hoped for with every fibre of her being now was that she articulated the French word correctly just as how her friend would.

Wait, did Yoh ask Jeanne's brother for a blind date? For some reason, she felt annoyed at that thought.

"Bonsoir! Ça va? What are you doing here?" Yoh had the most perplexed expression in his face, yet he tried to be polite as per his usual self.

'Since when did Yoh speak French? And God, why did he sound so sexy? Shit, Anna, stop it. You should be ashamed of yourself. Wait! So, he doesn't know about Jeanne being his date?' Anna realised this seeing he was even more confused than her. There was an inward sigh of relief.

"Good!" She realised how she said the word too enthusiastically and she panicked when Yoh blinked several times just staring at her. "I mean, I'm good. I have absolutely no idea why you're here, too," she lied through nervous chuckles. "How have you been?" She cursed herself.

After a good moment, Yoh scoffed and shook his head when the realization hit him. He chuckled sarcastically as he finally figured it all out. Of course, his grandpa lied to him about a supposedly 'family dinner'. Of course, he'd set him up on a blind date. Of course, the current head of the Asakura's would ask the prestigious Lasso's to pair their one and only heir with him.

"Let me guess, grandpa asked your brother to set us up on a date, no?" Yoh stated the facts.

"We don't have to continue if that's what you—"

"No. Wait."

Anna was about to turn her heel around when her date grabbed her wrist to stop her. She felt a quick jolt of electricity with the sudden contact, and he sure looked like he did, too. She suggested for them no to carry on with the date because it was her way out from this mess that Jeanne has put her in. She even made a mental note to remind herself to kill her friend the next time she sees her. That brat must've known that her blind date was Yoh and that she must've planned all this all along.

Yoh apologised and withdrew his hand slowly while staring into her eyes intently. "Or, since we're already here, we could grab dinner, too, right? I'm also kinda famished, to be honest." He chuckled.

Anna kept telling herself to stop. Not to fall for Yoh's charm, just give out even the lamest excuse and go. However, an hour has already passed and she found herself tipsy from all the mimosas she drank, giggling senseless with every word that Yoh said.

The whole night, they were humorously backstabbing the head of their families being Marco and Yohmei, and they both found it oddly satisfying. Despite Anna just posing as Jeanne, she knew the love and hate relationship her friend had with her brother through Jeanne's stories, and it was enough to keep the conversation going. On the other hand, Yoh kept joking about how his grandfather, and almost his whole family were pressuring him to marry and have kids 'to keep their business going.' But despite all that, they loved their families, therefore, they put up with their toxicity.

Anna knew this exactly and it made her sad for both Jeanne and Yoh.

They were now waiting at the hotel lobby for the valet attendant to bring their cars to them when they ended up talking about how their friends, who did not leave Japan, kept doing this annual group party.

"There came a time, two years ago, I think, when all the boys were there except you and well, Hao." She didn't think it was a good idea to mention his twin, but she blamed the alcohol.

"Really? I kinda regret missing all those. Must be really fun." Yoh simply replied with a disguised smile upon hearing his brother's name.

Yoh was about to escort his date when Jeanne's driver was seen approaching the lobby from a distance, but his phone rang and was met with Ren's annoyed voice once he answered it.

"I know you're not at work. So, what the hell is wrong with you?"

"What did I do?" Yoh defenced nervously.

"I just made a big announcement on our group chat, and I've been waiting for your reaction for like, two hours already!" Yep, Ren was clearly annoyed. He knew it was kind of normal for his friend, though. The man can get irritated even with an ant for simply reaching his bowl of cereal.

"Oops, sorry. I had my phone on silent." Yoh quickly pulled his device away from his ear to check their group chat because he knew Ren would not let go of it. "I'm back scrolling now. Too many messages!" He chuckled after hearing Ren grunt.

He noticed how his friends kept saying they were shocked— mostly HoroHoro screaming into the void about how on Earth did 'it' happened. Manta and Lyserg said they had their suspicions for a while now. Nonetheless, everyone was throwing a congratulatory message, and as Yoh continued to scroll through, he saw the photo sent by Ren.

With a magnificent view of what seemed to be Lake Toya in the background, the Tao was kneeling on his one knee and was holding up a ring to a beautiful woman. The woman had a petite built, frilly clothes, long ash platinum hair, and… red eyes.

Yoh's eyes widened like donuts when he saw the next photo with Jeanne holding out the humongous rock on her ring finger for all to see.

"What?" It was the only expression Yoh could mutter after confirming what he saw.

"A 'congratulations' would be nice." Ren sounded more pissed from the other end of the line.

"Oh, of course. Congrats, man! I mean, whoah! I can't believe it! But hey, are you—are you saying that you're in Hokkaido right now… with Jeanne?"

"That explains why HoroHoro is threatening to murder me in the chat, because I didn't tell him that I was planning propose in his hometown." Ren continued to explain, oblivious to Yoh's mini panic attack. "Also, nobody knows about this yet except for you guys. If word goes out of our circle I'd personally—"

"Ren…" Yoh interrupted.

"What?" He could tell how annoyed his friend is now.

"Is Jeanne still with you, right now?" He knew that there was no way Ren proposed to Jeanne just two hours ago, because two hours ago, Jeanne was having dinner with him. And right now, Jeanne is still next to him.

Yoh heard his friend's confirmation that he was still with Jeanne, his now 'fiancee', but he dindn't really hear the rest of Ren's flowery words. His sharp senses told him that he was with an imposter all this time and was now bent on finding out who she is. "Uh, Ren, gotta go now. I'll catch you soon. Bye!" Yoh dropped the called before Ren could hurl more screams at him.

"Everything alright?" asked the woman next to him, whom he now labelled as 'Fake Jeanne' in his mind.

Yoh threw her a charming smile. "Why of course. The night is perfect." He saw the lady arched a brow.

'Who are you?'

He was thankful that years of serving as a surgeon has honed his skills in attention to detail.

As he took a good look at his companion, he noticed how she was wearing eye contacts and that she was blinking more than usual. It was a sign that she probably wasn't used to wearing them.

He deduced that Marco may be unaware that Jeanne was already in a relationship with Ren, therefore he would set her up on blind dates. Knowing his family's long history of friendship with the Lasso's, it was highly likely that they agreed to set him up with Jeanne.

'That's it!' He almost yelled his thoughts out loud. 'Perhaps Jeanne was forced by his brother to attend this date, therefore, it's either she hired someone to pose as her…'

Yoh continued studying 'Fake Jeanne's' features and his sharp vision caught a glimpse of blonde hair mixed within silvery ash strands.

'Or… she asked one of her friends for a hefty favour.' Yoh smirked. He knows Jeanne's closest friends. He just had to make one call to confirm his suspicions.

"Ready to go, madam?" Jeanne's driver asked, holding the car door open while waiting for the two to move.

Yoh acknowledged the driver. "I shall handle the continuity of your services. Jeanne has agreed to take a detour with me so I would bring her home myself afterwards, thank you."

'Come on, let's see how far you will go.' At this point, Yoh was taunting Jeanne's poser in the pettiest ways to see how long she will last impersonating his friend.

"What?" Anna, squeaked at Yoh's sudden declaration.

The driver momentarily got confused and turned to the lady for confirmation. "As long as the madam is okay with it."

Anna wanted to protest but then Yoh butted in. "I'm pretty sure madam is more than okay with it. Right… Jeanne?"

She noticed how Yoh mentioned Jeanne's name with such emphasis as if it was spoken as a challenge, but she shrugged it off. Her attention was divided and all she wanted to do was to send flying daggers towards Yoh because first, how dare he suddenly change her plans? Most of all, was this how all his first dates went? Inviting all the women home after dinner?

'And for what, huh? For what? To play chess? To dance tango? To have… dessert?'

"Madam?" The driver's voice separated her from her furious thoughts. She was thankful that it was night-time so they wouldn't see how flushed she was by now.

She has decided. Her drunk ego was literally screaming at her to fight no matter what, even though she was going to regret it later. Anyhow, she has decided that she won't back down on Yoh's challenge.

Not today.

She can simply kick him in the nuts if he tries something funny later.

"Yes, I'll go with him. You may go ahead now, thank you." The driver bowed respectfully after Anna confirmed.

Conveniently, the valet has also pulled up at the lobby with Yoh's car. The surgeon had a huge smirk on his face as he took his phone out and pressed it against his ear after opening the door to let his date sit in the passenger's seat. A feminine voice answered from the other end.

"Hey, Tamao."

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People would call him crazy for bringing home a stranger that was trying to impersonate one of his friends; but then again, he didn't want to cause a scene and he wanted Fake Jeanne to come clean herself after he has laid his proofs.

He glanced at her direction. To be fair, he wasn't sure if he ever did take his eyes off her when his suspicions grew stronger.

She's definitely not Jun because of the height difference. Jun was way taller than any of Jeanne's closest friends. It wasn't Pirika either, because her social media indicated that she has just gone grocery shopping with her brother after she forced him to go with her.

Meanwhile, talking to Tamao made his assumptions clear enough. He confirmed that his adoptive sister was at their main home at the time he called and when he asked if she knew where Anna was, the nervousness in her voice gave it away. Of course, Tamao denied knowing about Anna's whereabouts, but then again, he kind of anticipated that.

As he carefully studied the woman before him—her every move, the way she walked, the way she wore her expressions, how she carried herself gracefully, and on how that rare but familiar small smile flashes on her lips when he tells her something cheeky, he knew there can only be one—

"Anna?" the woman asked, completely in awe.

"Yes, Anna's." Yoh answered with a certain glint in his eyes.

They've reached his home and he offered to tour her around his place. He was lucky she accepted his invite. Their first stop was his garage where he knew the Fake Jeanne would definitely notice the Ferrari parked in there.

"How come you have Anna's ride in her?" Yoh noticed how her eyes gleamed with adoration as she slowly circled around the gorgeous blood red vehicle. He watched as she gently caressed the details around its hood while she struggled to maintain balance from being tipsy.

"Well, it's a long story but to cut it short, her old car broke down. I offered to fix it for her, and she surprisingly agreed." He saw her raise a brow when she heard the word 'surprisingly', but he continued anyway. "Unfortunately, no matter how hard I tried, her old buddy was unsalvageable, so I plan to give her this instead. It's a 1990 Testarossa. An oldie but a goodie. Still runs like new."

Anna stared at him straight in the eye. She knew that car. She knew that it was Yoh's and that it was his grandfather's gift to him when he turned five. Why the hell would she accept it knowing these facts?

"Do you think she'll accept it?" He threw the question to ask her indirectly and also to gauge her reaction about a car that he knew was familiar to her.

"Hm, it's a grand gesture, I'm sure she'll love it, but good luck in making her accept."

Yoh smiled. "She kinda has no choice though, so I'll find a way to make her accept."

Anna almost sneered at his confidence, but she caught herself.

"So, you and Anna are in talking terms again?"

Yoh chuckled at her attempt of changing the subject. He coaxed her to follow him inside his home as he spoke. "Believe it or not, we went far as agreeing on a truce before we finally got into talking terms."

It was her turn to smile.

It was true. Ever since their paths crossed again, they were worse than cats and dogs fighting for dominance. They have come a long way, and she wouldn't deny that it felt quite good not having to be hostile towards her ex all the time.

Anna wanted to say something else, but she stood awestruck once they reached the house's foyer. She knew she was tipsy, but she was pretty sure that the alcohol played no role in bringing out her mixed emotions when she saw the interiors of Yoh's home for the first time. She literally had her mouth hanging open, absentmindedly placing her little bag and phone on the coffee table while she sauntered around.

Looking up, she gasped upon witnessing the high ceilings and the tall glass windows. She touched the soft leather sofa as she walked, admiring every little detail of the place. She appreciated the modest living room and kitchen. Her eyes glowed at the big-screen TV and the mini music/library corner and Yoh did not miss that moment for he knew how much Anna loved watching television, listening to music, and reading books. He chuckled silently when he noticed her roll her eyes upon seeing the orange vendo machine. It was such a classic Anna eye roll.

A sigh escaped her lips when her eyes caught a glimpse of the hot tub in the zen garden. She knew Yoh always wanted to have some form of onsen in their home.

'Their home?' She snorted. What in the world was she thinking?

Somehow, it felt like hers, too, because it was almost the exact same floorplan that they both planned for their dream house many years ago. She felt as if she knew every corner of it even before touring it. What left her speechless was seeing it right before her eyes even though she already gave up on the idea that it will ever come to life. It was such a bold move for Yoh to actually use their old floorplan to build his very own home.

"Yoh… this is beautiful." Anna searched for Yoh's eyes when she said it. She meant it from every fibre of her being. Seeing the property did bring about a whole lot of emotions from within her.

Yoh breathed in gently when he heard her say those words.

He used to imagine this moment.

He used to imagine that she was his wife, and he was her husband, who was surprising her with their new home first time.

"Thanks. I had a lot left from my own savings after… well… after the wedding didn't happen." Yoh stared at her face in anticipation of how she would react to his words. He couldn't help but notice how teary-eyed she got and all he wanted to do was to let her know that she didn't have to continue with her disguise, pull her into a hug and tell her that everything will be okay. It took all his willpower not to do so, because he wanted her to confess. He wanted her to tell him why she agreed to impersonate Jeanne.

Her clothes, the colour of her eyes, even her hair, which was obviously a wig, they all make her appear like Jeanne, but everything else about her was still very much 'Anna,' or at least she was to him.

"But I don't know, I couldn't help but to feel the space is a little… lonely." Anna felt compelled to explain when his only response was tilting his head to the side with a curious expression. "I mean, you opted to build only one room even though there's enough space for three." She pointed towards the room upstairs that was semi-visible due to the loft style. "There are a lot of sharp edges everywhere, the staircase suggests only adults could use it, and the colour schemes are quite dark and are fitted exclusively for a bachelor."

Yoh was dumbfounded. He expected her to say many things but not that. He felt the need to rationalize.

"In my defence, I only turned the other two rooms into a walk-in closet and an office."

"Didn't you think of a future family when you had this built?" Her question caught him off guard and also had himself asking: did he?

He displayed a forlorn grin as he closed his eyes and leaned onto a nearby wall with his hands in his pockets.

"I… I sort of gave up on that idea a long time ago." He raised his gaze to meet hers. "After Anna left… I never—"

"Excuse me, what did you say?" His drama was interrupted by her sudden query. "Don't you mean, after you ditched Anna?" There was a tinge of bitterness in her voice.

Yoh's eyes widened. He has almost forgotten that he was talking about Anna while he was indeed talking to Anna herself. He meant to bite his tongue, but he thought it would be interesting to provoke her until he could corner her into admitting that she was Anna.

"I'm sorry but… is that what Anna told you?" He almost saw a vein throbbing on her temple when he laughed sarcastically.

Anna inhaled a considerable amount of air in order to keep her cool. This idiot in front of her was definitely asking for a slap and she knew he deserved it. On the other hand, Yoh kept on challenging her, even if it meant he was risking himself being slapped senseless.

They both gazed into each other's orbs as if they were trying to find answers from one another just by doing so.

Yoh was ready to force a confession from her, but Anna looked away with clenched fists. She was getting suspicious that he might know something because he was acting strage, but she stood her ground. Her pride won't allow her to lose like that.

"There's always two sides to a story," she simply stated.

"I don't mind hearing Anna's side of the story."

"Why don't you ask her yourself then?"

It seemed like eternity has passed in complete silence between them. Neither of them spoke nor moved after the atmosphere around them turned sour.

She then broke the silence and motioned to leave.

"I'm going home. I'll just call a cab. Thank you for tonight, doctor."

"Anna…"

She whipped herself back to face him again, eyes filled with shock. She was starting to get dizzy, and she wasn't sure whether it was the alcohol or just plain exhaustion.

"What did you just call me?"

Yoh didn't answer. Instead, he took a few strides to close the gap between them and pulled her into an enveloping embrace. Anna just stood there dead stunned with her arms dropped to her sides. Tears started to blur her vision and she swallowed hard to contain her sobs.

Realising that he was just toying with her all along made her so upset.

"I'm sorry. I knew for a while now."

"Is that why you brought me here?" she inquired with much frustration, and even more when she felt Yoh nod.

"Argh! I'm so stupid!" Anna couldn't stop crying.

"Shh, you're not stupid. I was just waiting for you to admit it."

"I'm leaving. Call a damn cab. Now!" Yoh felt her squeeze her arms between them to push him away, but to no avail. He held her harder.

"Anna, I don't think you'd want to leave now."

"And why is that?"

Anna was almost ready to challenge him for his nonsense, yet she gasped when he pointed towards the windows. It was raining hard, and she flinched reflexively, closing her eyes at the flash of lightning and the roar of thunder.

How did she miss wild weather outside?

Seeing this, Yoh continued to hold her in his arms, especially when he felt her hold her breath. He knew how storms like this scared—no, incapacitated Anna, and it was almost like an automatic instinct for him to comfort her during such events.

She stood there, immobilised, as the skies continued to rage.

Yoh reached for a remote control that was luckily within his reach and with a push of a button, automated blinds covered the massive windows of his home. He watched her settle gently, but with her face remained buried onto his chest. He heard her mumble something incoherent which he made out to be: "I'll kill you if I wasn't so damn tired."

He laughed. Only Anna could throw such a haughty attitude despite being caught red-handed of trying to trick someone by impersonating someone.

"Don't worry, I won't ask about the whole Jeanne act. You can tell me everything when you're ready." Yoh grabbed his companion by her shoulders to make her face him. "In the meantime, you should go rest. You look so tipsy and exhausted, it's hilarious." He bit his lower lip to contain his laughter when he saw her pout her lips like a child before plopping herself on the sofa. Only 'drunk Anna' does that.

"Come on, Anna. You can take my bed upstairs. I'll go sleep in the lounge." He urged her to sit but she didn't move an inch. He noticed how her hand remained clutching his dress shirt. He knew perfectly well that whenever Anna did that, it meant she wanted him to stay. He sighed. How is it that after all these years, he still knew how to read her body language and simple whims?

"I'll be fine here. Just— just wait for me to fall asleep before you go, okay?" She trembled once again when she heard another thunder. She looked like a helpless little girl, but he didn't mind looking after her when she's at her most vulnerable state.

"Okay." Yoh simply replied as he sat next to her and turned the TV on to help drown the outdoor noise out. Following that, he quickly removed his suit's jacket, grabbed something from under the sofa and after pulling it outward, the seats have been converted into a bed. "There. We can now do Netflix and chill." He opened his eyes when she didn't respond and saw her eyeing him furiously. His cheeks turned red after realising what he had just implied. "No! No! Not that kind of 'Netflix and chill'! I meant actually watching Netflix while just chilling!" He waved his hands frantically as he pointed at the TV which was now displaying the said subscription app.

"Is this couch even clean?" Anna narrowed her eyes at him even more. "Never mind, I don't want to to know."

Yoh didn't know whether he should be amused or offended with her statement, but then she eventually let it go with a little threat. "No funny business."

"No funny businesses." Yoh threw his hands up to reassure her.

Suddenly, Anna stood up as straight as she can, reached for her handbag and poured some hand sanitizer to rub onto her palms. In a few swift movements, she managed to clumsily remove her contact lenses and her long ass wig. She groaned in satisfaction after doing so and then she proceeded to lean back on the sofa bed.

Yoh was being suspiciously quiet, and she caught him staring at her like a puppy.

"What?" she spat.

"That's much better."

"Shut up. I'm gonna try to sleep." Anna attempted to hide her blush.

"Okay. I'll still wait for your explanation, though." Yoh teased and she threw a cushion against his face, which he blocked effortlessly because her drunken was no good.

They savoured the calm between them despite the bad weather continuing outside. He was not seeking answers anymore, and she was no longer upset. If they only realised how their energies seemed to bring peace towards each other, then things would have been much easier from the start.

"Yoh…"

"Hmm?"

"Why didn't you tell me about them?"

Yoh opened an eye only to see that she was staring at one of the few photos propped on the side table. The one with Redseb standing next to him while he gave Seyram a piggyback ride. The kids looked utterly happy with their beaming smiles and hands that were thrown in the air. Yoh's eyes softened.

"Who told you?" He asked trying to avoid eye contact. She already knew something, but she wanted to know more, coming from him.

Anna paused as a memory flashed hazily within her mind.

"Stop stalling. I don't have all day."

Manta recoiled as she raised her voice in frustration. But what to do? Her patience was running out and her friend kept beating around the bush.

"Yoh and the two kids—they—they're half-siblings." Manta finally blurted out.

Anna remained silent so he carried on with the story.

"Six years ago, it was rumoured that Mikihisa had an affair in New York, and the kids were products of his infidelity. However, the mother died by some accident, they said. A year after, the children's father found out about the affair and suspected that the kids were not his so…" Manta paused to check Anna's reaction before continuing, "…so he committed suicide by overdosing on his insulin."

Silence prevailed.

Manta waited for any response coming from Anna, but none came.

"No one in the Asakura family has dared to speak about it since, of course, 'cause it was such a scandal. They just quietly acquired the children's custody but never spoke of them. They even told Yoh that they were just random kids that the family has decided to adopt into the family as a form of charity, but no introduction to the public took place. Up to this point, they think Yoh knows nothing about the truth."

She sat completely still from across Manta, at the café where they both chose to meet. Her stoic expression made it hard to read what she was thinking or feeling.

"Anna, please don't tell anyone that I told you this. It's just, you know. Yoh's been through a lot that year. Finding out about his father, his uncle's accident… you." Manta reluctantly mentioned about her, but it was the truth. His voice almost broke thinking about how Yoh tried to hide the pain from everyone else all those years. "He's literally been through hell."

Her sudden movement of standing up almost made Manta jump. Anna didn't know what to say or how to feel. She did not expect that this revelation would weigh so much against her shoulders. Her head spun and she felt being suffocated, she needed to get out of the place.

"Likewise. Don't tell Yoh that I already know."

Manta could only nod profusely.

"Oyamada," Anna mumbled, still engrossed in her thoughts. "In his defence, I forced it out of him."

"I'm sure you did." Yoh bit his lip to hide his smirk as he shook his head. He then noticed Anna was looking at him as if still expecting an explanation. The TV show playing in the background was now completely forgotten.

He hurled a sigh.

"I was going to tell you eventually," he started, now fiddling with the TV remote on his hands to avoid looking at her, "but before I knew it, shit happened… and there were things that I really couldn't recover no matter how hard I tried."

He paused as if contemplating before making a bold move.

"So Anna, I guess what I'm trying to say is—"

Right after he finally made the decision to face her, he was met with a slumbering blonde. Yoh tried to whisper her name to see if she was still there but with no luck. A chuckle escaped his lips. She really must be dead tired but was trying her best to fight it.

Yoh drew the throw blanket from his couch and spread it across Anna's body, tucking it all the way over her shoulders to protect her from the sudden changes in weather. He was about to leave her be since their deal was for him to stay just until she fell asleep, but she heard her mumble something incoherent and so he sat again and leaned closer.

"What's that?"

"Yowr en eddie yet."

For some reason, he understood her gibberish talk, and he wondered if that was him being so used to her vocabulary throughout the years.

She looked so peaceful in her sleep that no one would suspect she could throw the hardest slap one could ever imagine. His vision roamed her features. He didn't miss her fluttery lashes that touched her cheeks, and the tiny wisps of hair that he couldn't help tucking behind her ear. He even noticed her 'cute' forehead, as he used to call it in the past, and an unexpected feeling of longing surged from within him.

It was such a long time since he was able to take a good look at her angelic face, and before he realised it, he was gradually inching towards her, planting a brief kiss just atop her brows.

She crinkled her nose but went back to sleep immediately. Yoh chuckled for the nth time that night and the sole reason was her.

"You're an idiot, too, you know." He felt like whispering that, even though he knew no reply would come.

Yoh felt his lids become heavy with drowsiness coupled with a sense of calm that has not visited him for quite a while. And just as he was about to succumb to sleep, Anna's phone vibrated multiple times as if a jealous boyfriend was sending a barrage of texts. He tried to ignore it, but the incessant sounds went about seven times for the past thirty seconds.

When he sat to take a peek at the screen, he confirmed that it wasn't from work, so his conscience went clear for Anna wasn't missing any emergency calls, at the very least.

However, he observed from the SMS previews that the number was not registered on Anna's phone, but a few of the messages started off with 'are you home now?' and 'please tell me you got home safely.' Another one read 'Anna, you know I get worried when…'

The vibrating stopped, but not even a minute has passed, it buzzed again. This time, continuously, indicating that someone was calling. Glancing at the screen once again, Yoh could see the number clearer this time. It was an international one, starting with the numbers: '+61'.

Yoh racked his brain for any information that may remind him about which country was using that type of area code, and it didn't take long until he figured it out.

He felt the sleepiness leave him in an instant.

. . . . . . . . . . .

A/N: HAPPY COUPLES DAY!

Yes, yes, I know. I am not dead. It's just that, September and October were such eventful months for me (in a good way), which in turn made me sooo busy that I couldn't even find time to open my fanfic files.

To be completely honest, this is not how I intended to write this chapter, but since November 22 is supposed to be the so-called 'Couples Day', I thought, making the chapter dedicated solely to some OTP goodness and drama (and a dash of RenMei), then it could work, right?

Also, these scenes alone are already made-up of a whooping 5 thousand words. And despite it being shorter than my usual word counts per chapter, I would eventually have to cut it in half. So you know what that means. The next chapter draft is already half-made, so I guess see you in a week or two!

Review and show me some love! ;3