A white box was abruptly cut through with a slash as Ann carefully crossed off today on her calendar. She sat at her rooms desk, sighing and looking at her schedule.

Three shoots this week, two meetings, one interview….

"And a partridge in a pear tree." The blonde's brain wrongly supplied, forcing her eyes to roll.

She stared at the square a second longer, then flipping to the next month on her calendar. She didn't have much yet, but with an upward tug of the corner of her mouth, she assumed it wouldn't be long before it did change.

Her eyes caught on the few things she had written down. On the 5th….a girl's sleepover with Futaba, Haru, and Makoto. A nice shoot already scheduled for the 10th, and then….

Her eyes skipped to the 14th, heart settling uncomfortably in the heel of her foot and closing her throat. Valentine's day.

Surely, Akira would be home by then - everyone had been working so hard, and….

He should be out soon. Everything had to pay off, right? Eventually?

Belatedly, she noticed that the calendar had long since become wet and that her heart had long since split down the middle. She took a deep breath and pat herself on the cheeks softly, wiping her tears afterward.

It was going to be just fine.

It had to be.

"Hey guys!"

Her three female teammates smiled at her as she opened the door, as sunny and radiant as she'd ever been. The girl was draped in a white, silky shirt and pants combo, with pink slippers on her feet. Even though she was in such casual clothing, with her hair pulled into a long, blonde strip, she was… enchanting.

"Hi, Ann!" The girls chorused, causing their subject's lips to jump even further upward.

"Come in, come in!" The blonde giggled.

Her companions did just that, stepping in and glancing around. Even though the blonde didn't have the same wealth as the heiress standing in their midst, her home was nothing short of a penthouse.

Walls vaulted and arched above them elegantly, yet the glass material that the wall was made of made the space feel modern. The wall that the door was on was all plaster, but the upper left corner of the room was nothing but glass, which gave a very nice view of Tokyo. The space itself was furnished handsomely, with tables, chairs, and even a small conversational area where the glass wrapped around the corner of the room. If they looked hard enough, they could make out the entrance to the kitchen, which became more and more clear to them as they continued to move about the room.

There were several more rooms, and a study, which was elegant yet modern in it's own right.

But while it was luxurious, it was obvious Ann had lived here for at least a few years. Pictures of friends and family were spaced about the room, more than the paintings were, and if one were to look - which, Futaba did - they would find Ann's numerous game consoles littering the TV stand. Bookshelves took up areas against the wall, housing battered, yet loved, books. Plants were littered around, too, clearly taken care of neatly by someone.

"Woah! This place would get some serious HHA points." Futaba exclaimed, looking this way and that.

"Well, at least Lyle would be proud of me once." Ann replied bitterly, catching the reference with ease. Usually, she didn't get many of Futaba's anime references, but gaming? She had that on lock.

"This is a very well furnished apartment…." Makoto spoke in awe, crimson orbs red and wide, looking around at her surroundings.

Ann giggled at her expression, giving her a grateful smile. "Thank you! Now, if you guys just follow me, you can set your stuff down in my room and then we can really get started."

The girls did just that.

"Hey, Ann?"

"Hmm?" The blonde looked up from her phone at the mention of her name, silently wanting to frown at the fact that she just couldn't find this video she wanted to show them.

The four of them sat around on the couches, wrapped snugly in big blankets that covered their whole body and then some. Takeout containers were scattered around them, intermixed with snacks. What kind of hostess would Ann be if she didn't let herself have a cheat day while she was with her friends? Futaba had paused her game at some point during her search for the video, and now the three were staring at her.

Futaba's eyes stared at her from behind square lenses as she spoke, only her bangs and face left out of the deep green blanket wrapped around her. "Are you…. okay?"

The question felt like a wound reopening from the other night - even though that night was two weeks ago. "Yeah? Why wouldn't I be?" She lied, smiling still.

"Well, you did just, well…. you know." Makoto pointed out, not even needing to say the name. It was clear enough who she was talking about.

Akira. Her boyfriend.

The blonde's heart ached at the thought of him - of him not being right here, by her side. If she shut her eyes, she could still feel the way his body pressed against hers in a hug, or the slant of his lips against her own, or his warmth, on particularly cold and lonely nights.

Her smile became a bit tired, body also surrounded by a blanket similar to Futaba's - only hers was a pretty shade of blue to match her eyes. "Yeah, I'm okay."

"Do you miss him?" Haru asked, looking at her folded hands. Ann inhaled sharply, making her look up. "Oh, that was invasive, I'm so sorry-"

"Haru, it's fine. Really." Ann waved the question off, though it had sent her thoughts into a frenzy.

Miss him? Of course she missed him. She missed him so much that it hurt, on some days. How do you describe the way you feel when a piece of you is ripped away without warning? How was she ever supposed this into words? How, exactly, did you explain how odd it was to not feel an arm around her waist, or playing with her side? How was she supposed to explain why she cried when she watched movies without him now, because she knew he'd done all of this to keep them safe - to keep her safe - and yet the thing she missed the most was the idle patterns he'd draw on her skin as he watched?

How was she ever supposed to explain that she feared Valentine's day this year - one of her favorite holidays - because she now knew that there was a strong chance he wouldn't be home in time?

Even if she was supposed to, she couldn't. Instead, she just swallowed her tears, focused too hard on the image of Mr. Game and Watch fighting the Inkling on screen, and replied: "Yeah. I miss him a lot."

They lapsed back into silence, and began to get happier and more silly as the night wore on, ending with all of the girls drifting off on their respective couches or on the floor.

When Ann woke up the next morning, she didn't feel anything from the previous night. No sadness, no happiness, just…. loneliness.

So she got up to order breakfast, ignoring the pink and red blankets that had tangled together on the ground. Ignoring the way that the student council president had wrapped their resident axe wielder in a tight hug while she was sleeping, as if she might disappear.

Ann ignored the pain that sight brought her. The envy. The stretch and pull at her heart.

The yearning to be folded into another's embrace.

And when she ordered breakfast to be brought to them, her voice didn't wobble and her stance never faltered.

Ann wasn't sure what would have become of her if she had given in and let herself cry.

If there was one thing Ann Takamaki wanted to see right about now, it was her boyfriend walking through that door. She sat in her seat, as jittery as she'd been for their first date. Though she knew, somewhere, that Akira would adore her looks even if she were in a trash bag, she still worried over it. Her hair looked okay, right? And her style choice was on point?

After many reassurances from the other girls - and even Ryuji, Yusuke, and Boss - she seemed to settle on the fact that yes, this outfit was plenty good enough for the occasion, and her hair looked fine. So she took all her nervous energy out on her phone and coffee cup, using this filter and that filter, snapchatting Shiho, wringing her hands.

He was coming back today. Finally, finally, after two entire months away from him, Ann would get to see him again. Fall into his embrace. It elated her, infusing her with a happiness that seemed to radiate straight from her core.

And when the door swung open, an excited gasp rose from Futaba. She could see Haru's smile. Makoto's eyes shown with pride. Ryuji's face lit up. Yusuke, for once, smiled in true joy that wasn't from painting.

But Ann? She could feel his eyes settle on her, drinking in the back of her head and just her presence as if they were plants undergoing photosynthesis, and her features were the sunlight. She forced herself to turn back to him slowly, to stand and look at him.

His wounds had long since healed, but he seemed more fit now - though, he'd lost a bit of weight - and he was healthy. No fresh bruises or marks to be found on him. He'd lost his glasses, but he still scanned her face, scanned her over, and then he smirked at her.

God, she'd missed that.

What started off as a smile and Ann's foot taking a step forward turned into a race forward that ended with both of them colliding.

And if Akira hadn't dropped everything to fold her into a nice, snug embrace, Ann surely would have fallen to her knees, because he was here. He was back. His arms were around her, and she'd found her home again.

No more going back to the large penthouse and wondering when they'd be together again. No more feeling truly, honestly alone most nights, because she didn't just have him one call away. No more crying and wondering where they'd go from here, or if he was even going to come back from this - no more nights wrapping herself in the hoodie he'd left at her house and assuring herself that this as good as the real thing.

She relished in the moment now - found comfort and joy in the way that his hands rubbed her back, or squeezed her sides gently, or the way that she could hear his heartbeat adjusting to march in time with her own.

And then Akira's lips found her own, and he kissed her, something soft and reassuring behind it. Pure joy leaked from her eyes, and when he brought a hand up to cup her cheek and wipe them away with his thumb, she was putty in his hands.

But all good things come to an end, and this time the end was Futaba. She screeched as the pair locked lips, covering her eyes. "Ewww! Public affection! Gross, gross, gross!"

Akira chuckled into their kiss, but didn't break it for a few moments, listening to the orange-haired female squawk in the background for a minute longer before he inevitably broke the kiss.

With a great deal of apprehension, Ann let him go after stealing another peck on the lips, letting the others move in for hugs.

And while the return of their leader and their resident cat made that night special, but Ann looked forward to the next day even more.

It had been easy enough to get Sojiro to close Leblanc when he saw Ann come in, and Morgana seemed to take the hint as well, scurrying to hang out with their resident hacker.

That left the two of them alone for the night - and if the bag Ann was carrying was anything to go by, she didn't plan on leaving.

The two shared a handmade dinner together, courtesy of Akira, and when Ann claimed that it was the best food she'd eaten ever, he just blushed and looked away from her bashfully.

He apologized for not telling her before, and not being able to do much today, but she silenced him with a few well-timed kisses. She didn't want anything spectacular or grand for their first Valentine's Day - only him, and the assurance that he loved her.

Eventually, they went upstairs, all giggles and smiles and hands and kisses. And when Akira said he'd sleep on the couch that night to give her some space, she shook her head and pressed all her weight against him, scared of the possibility of spending another night in an empty, spacious bed.

"We don't even have to do anything, just…..please." Her voice had cracked as she placed her head in the junction between his shoulders and neck. "Just hold me for tonight. Please."

Akira had answered in the softest of reassurances, only pulling her closer and burying the both of them under the covers.

For the rest of the night, and some of the morning, that is where they stayed.

It wasn't sexual, or amorous, or anything else that could have led to something more. It was innocent.

It was just two lovers, enjoying the touch and embrace of another.

A/N: So, I'm back for day 2!

I honestly did not realize how deep I'd gone with Ann's emotions and angst with him being gone until I started to edit this. Oops. And I didn't realize how short this was until gave me a word count, but it's still above my minimum for everyday, so that's good!
But, I do think she'd have a lot of very real emotions and I absolutely think Ann's enthusiastic about Valentine's Day! It's just one of those holidays, you know? But this angst comes with a happy end, unlike yesterday, so it's a step up, I guess?
Anyway, the next one up is Kiss, and well, that's one of the ones I liked doing.
As always, any reviews, kudos, comments, or anything else you can do to show support would be awesome! It helps me know I'm on the right track with this whole writing thing.