Shizune had called home every Monday night, since she'd left. Mizuki had only missed the one call that had occurred the night that she and Sora had gone out for their first formal dressed-up date, but she wasn't always the first person who answered, since their father always took that night off and closed the bar completely.

This time their parents were late getting back with the take-out they'd decided to have for dinner, so Mizuki took the video call, and after exchanging the first greeting she asked teasingly, "How's life in Paradise?"

The door behind Mizuki opened, and their parents' quick apologies overlapped with Shizune's unhappy reply, "Shinichi has barely spoken to me all week."

Minori dashed forward, with a bag held awkwardly in each hand, and asked worriedly, "Are the two of you fighting?"

"No, he's working constantly!" Shizune complained immediately. There was a thunk on her end that almost blended in with the noise their father was making as he set things down on the table, and then Shinichi moved into view behind her.

"You're working?" Mizuki asked him with surprise.

He looked at the display containing his in-laws with equal surprise and asked, "You don't think I just live off my parents do you?"

Mizuki just shrugged, while Shizune complained, "You never told me that you were working until after we got married either."

Junshiro pointed out with amusement, "Usually having your husband be gainfully employed is a good thing, especially when you're expecting a baby?"

"What do you do?" Mizuki asked curiously.

Shinichi replied with a bit of embarrassment, "Nothing amazing, I just design net sites and pages. I don't always have jobs either, but this is a big one, and Shizune is feeling neglected. I asked if she wanted to go home to visit while I can't give her any attention and she refused."

Minori pushed Mizuki aside and asked, "Why?"

"I want us both to come visit at Christmas instead!" Shizune protested.

Shinichi directed his reply to his wife, even though he glanced at the screen where their camera watched and explained, "I said we could do both."

"It's too expensive," Shizune complained. Shinichi must have argued that before, because he tossed up his hands and gave an expressive shrug instead of replying.

Mizuki rolled her eyes, and told her sister, "Then just call more often while you're bored, or find a new hobby or something?" She added happily, "Sora will be here for a whole week at Christmas too!"

Shinichi and Shizune both brightened up a bit at that, and the discussion turned to things that they were all looking forward to eating or buying during the commercial holiday.

It wasn't too long before Shinichi said apologetically, "I need to get back to work."

Mizuki took the opportunity to ask, "Do you mind if we start dishing up here, before everything gets too cold?"

Junshiro scolded mildly, "Let her finish the call, we can warm things up again when she's done."

Minori quickly assured Shizune, "Don't feel hurried! We can talk for as long as you want tonight!"

Shizune laughed and told her youngest sister, "Go on, dish up your food, mine was better." She stuck her tongue out, and assured her parents, "We can keep talking while you all eat! It's not like I have never seen you eating before. Even Shinichi wouldn't take offense, I promise."

Mizuki grinned as she replied, "If he were offended by seeing me eat, you know I'd find something to eat during the call every week."

Shizune rolled her eyes and grumbled, "Grow up already."

Minori gave Mizuki a look, and scolded, "Stop fighting long distance."

"We're not fighting!" both sisters chorused in sync, despite the hundreds of miles that currently separated them.

They took turns talking with Shizune as they ate, and they didn't say goodnight until after the dishes were done.

--

When Sora arrived to pick Mizuki up from school on Friday, she asked coaxingly, "Can we go on at least one more dressy date over Christmas break?"

"Of course?" he agreed questioningly.

Before she could explain, one of the students from her class stopped beside them and commented, "You've been seeing this guy for awhile." Mizuki nodded warily, but wished she hadn't when the girl added, "The sex must be good?"

Sora gave her classmate a long look, and then gave the girl a mocking smile before asking, "Jealous?"

The girl blushed and denied it hotly, "No way!"

Sora glanced down at Mizuki's face and assured her abruptly, "I'm already taken anyway."

"By a girl who's famous for dating for sex," Mizuki's classmate snapped as Mizuki reached over and laid her hand on Sora's arm.

"You're all completely wrong about her, you don't know anything," Sora replied a little angrily, even as he slipped his own warm fingers over her colder ones.

"You're the one who doesn't know anything, you'll regret it later," the girl warned him, and spun away without waiting for another response.

Sora asked Mizuki angrily, "Do you deal with this crap all the time?"

She looked up at him and shrugged, before assuring him, "Not all the time." The subject no longer came up on a daily basis after all.

He took a deep breath and questioned plaintively, "Why don't you change schools?"

Mizuki grinned up at him suddenly and asked, "Can I come live with you when this year is over?"

He caressed her face and replied without hesitation, "Sure, although we'll need a bigger apartment."

She pulled him down for a quick kiss, before assuring him quickly, "I can look for a job there right away if it's too much."

He rolled his eyes at her and complained, "It's like you think I'm the kind of guy who needs his girlfriend to take care of him."

"I don't think you need me to, but I love you so much that I won't mind if you ever do need me to Sora," she assured him sincerely. He picked her up and kissed her in a way that made her giggle and complain, "People who see you kissing me like this are going to think we really do only have sex."

"Let's go home and have sex," he suggested.

She kissed him before agreeing, "Yes please."

--

Saturday they went out before Mizuki's shift. Sunday they spent half the morning in bed after cooking breakfast.

After they showered and dressed, Mizuki leaned against Sora and sighed.

"What's wrong?" Sora enquired.

"I just wish I didn't have to go work and could stay with you longer," she replied.

He ran his hand down her back and asked wryly, "Is that all?"

She looked up at him and asked, "Why?"

"I'm more greedy than that, I wish you were already living with me and I could sleep with you every night," Sora told her before pulling her up into his arms for a long kiss.

"Yes," she agreed.

He squeezed her tightly but she didn't complain and merely flattened herself against him more thoroughly. "I love you Sora," she said quietly.

He kissed her again and agreed, "Me too, I adore you."

When he finally released her, he reluctantly took her to work. Despite her reluctance, there was a spring in her step as she headed in, which cheered him a little. He returned to pack up, and then went home.