Mia crossed her arms slowly, leaning against the doorframe with a look on her face that was doing a lot of careful work to appear casual. "You were gone all night."
"Ayaka and Rina needed help. I told you she wasn't feeling well yesterday."
"She was sick." Flat.
"She was." He kept his tone even. "But she's better now. I stayed to make sure."
Mia was quiet for exactly three seconds. Her gaze travelled to Mei-san, then back to him. Then she pushed off the doorframe and walked over, stopping a foot in front of him.
She looked up at him, and something complicated moved through her expression: relief and possessiveness and the remnants of a sleepless, worried night all crammed into one look.
"Next time," she said quietly, "you tell me."
"I'll do that."
She held his gaze for a moment longer. Then, she grabbed the front of his jacket and pulled him down to kiss him. It was a fierce kiss, and she gripped the fabric tightly. She had made her point without saying anything. He let her.
