This day could not possibly have been worse. Z thought as she dragged herself through the door. Unruly students, backstabbing Miss Park, scolded by the principal, no lunch, spilled coffee, homesick, V cancelled their date - the list went on and on. She managed to keep her cool until now but suddenly the cruelness of the day dropped on her like a brick, crumpling her to the floor. Without warning, tears rolled hot and fast down her cheeks.

It's probably a good thing V had to cancel. I wouldn't want him to see me like this. She thought absentmindedly as she tried to stop the flow of tears with her hands.

A minute later there was an excited knock on her door.

"Z! We finished early!" Z froze as the knocking continued.

Really, universe? She could pretend to not be home. The time they had together was always limited but she was sure he could use the rest.

"C'mon, Z! I know you're in there. I can see the light coming in from under the door."

Letting out a muted groan, Z quickly did her best to look normal - wiping tears away, fanning her face to cool her rosy cheeks. One deep breath later, she was opening the door with her face masked in mock disapproval.

"You're making an awful lot of noise out there." She scolded.

"You took an awful long time answering the door." He replied as he entered. She shut the door behind him, pausing briefly to blink back some tears that were threatening again. "Were you watching a video?"

"No... why?"

"It took you longer than usual. And I thought I heard someone crying." He hung his jacket on a hook and slipped on some house shoes.

"Must have been the neighbor or something." She shrugged and made her way past him. 

"That's weird..." He trailed off. "Well anyway. Let me get a look at the most beautiful girl in the world." 

"Oh come on, V." She continued her way into the apartment, trying to avoid scrutiny. "What would you like to do?"

He grabbed her wrist. "No hug for your hardworking boyfriend? How was your day?" Z stopped in her tracks. Tears threatened to spill again. She blinked them away furiously. She quickly turned to hug him before he could look at her. Hoping the remaining moisture would blend into his shirt.

"Oh you know. Just another day." She squeezed him tightly and then turned toward the living room again. His hand was on her wrist again before she got very far.

"Z. You're acting weird. What's wrong?"

"Nothing! I'm fine." She tried to release herself from his grasp.

"Z." 

Why did he have to say her name like that? He turned her to face him.

"Today wasn't super great. That's all. Can we please talk about something else? *Anything* else?" She begged, avoiding his gaze.

"...it was you that was crying, wasn't it?" He said as he tucked some hair behind her ear, inspecting her face. "What happened?"

"I don't want to talk about it. You've had a long day. I've had a long day. Let's just be happy we're together, okay?" She tried to escape him but he held her fast.

"Please, Z? You can tell me. I'm not in this relationship for just the good parts."

Z closed her eyes. "I just." She sighed. "My students were rude and out of control." She paused.

"Anything else?"

"Miss Park is up to her tricks again." She paused again. V looked at her expectantly. "I forgot my lunch." A shorter pause. "I spilled coffee *all* over my lap." Tears started to well. An even shorter pause. Now the flood gates were open. "The principal yelled at me. I thought I wasn't going to see you and I'msohomesickand..." Her slur of concerns muffled as the sobs from earlier resurfaced and she buried herself in V's chest.

He held her firmly, rubbing her back and her hair while softly mumbling words of comfort until she started to calm down. He gently pushed her back and tried to take stock of the situation.

"Don't look at me." She whined, hiding her face.

"Why not?" He asked. She managed to grab a tissue from a nearby table and blow her nose. 

"Because I'm a mess." Her voice wavered - tears threatening once again. He carefully took her chin and turned her face to him. She bit her lip to keep it from quivering.

"You're not a mess. Everyone has bad days." He brushed her cheeks with his thumbs. She clenched her eyes shut, causing a few tears to slip out. He kissed them away and placed his forehead against hers. Z continued to sniffle with her eyes closed. He nuzzled the tip of his nose against hers. When she didn't object, he dared to graze his lips across hers.

"V... I..." She sniffled. V pulled his face back just far enough to search deep into her eyes while caressing her cheeks.

"It's okay, Z. I'm here." He placed one of his hands on the small of her back and gently pressed her against him. "It was just a bad day. I get it. I'm here for whatever you need." He flashed a sincere smile her way. "You're so beautiful, even when you cry." He wrapped her in a bear hug.

"V?" She asked. V released her so he could see her face again. Z didn't say anything else but their eyes seemed to call to each other. V slowly bent toward her. It seemed to take an eternity but also only an instant when his soft lips pressed against hers in a slow, sweet kiss. He kept pressure on her lower back and moved his lips mere millimeters away, waiting for Z's cue. She tilted her head ever so slightly, welcoming his affections. V was quick to oblige, though his kisses remained long. A slow burn wound its way through Z. But there was something else too. Love? Is that what it was? Not that she'd say it. Was it coming from her or V? When he kissed her like this they seemed to meld into one person. She wasn't sure which thoughts and feelings belonged to who.

Her thoughts were interrupted as V's fingers combed their way into her hair and the intensity of his tantalizing kisses increased. She pressed her arms against his back, hands splayed across his strong shoulder blades. 

Z felt the weight of the day slowly melt away and her heart lighten. V continued to her cheek and hair as they returned to being two separate entities.

"You always make everything better." She said, truly smiling for the first time that day.

"I'm always going to be here for you, Z. Even if I'm halfway across the globe or up to my ears in rehearsals. Don't ever feel like you need to hide things from me, okay?" He pulled her into another bear hug.

"The same goes for you, you know." She said into his chest.

"I know. But nothing could go wrong as long as I have you." He squeezed her extra hard.

"V..." she warned.

"I know, I know. You're always here for me too." He kissed the top of her head and then laced his fingers through hers. "What should we do now?"

"Cuddle while watching a movie?" She offered.

"Perfect." He grinned and kissed her one more time. "Though I can't promise how much I'll be able to pay attention to the movie." He teased.

"I can't promise how much I'll be able to pay attention to the movie either." She teased back, winking. The stunned look on his face was the best thing to happen to her all day. "Are you coming or not?" She laughed as she headed to the couch.