After writing a bunch of one-shots, I thought I might as well try to put them all in one place :) So yes, this is the A-Z challenge for Isshiki and Nene! I was inspired by Armageddon Angel who wrote "Natsu and Lucy: From A to Z" on FF, so thank you so much for that fic!

Also inspired by that author, let's make this a game! Reviewers who can guess the word/theme for the next letter will get points. For whoever wins by the end, I'll write a story dedicated to them on a subject of their choice for this couple!

AN: This is a small continuation of "Yuki No Hana (Snow Flowers)". Please read it if you would like more context. Enjoy!

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A is for Alarm:

I Don't Mind Waking Up To You

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It took Isshiki a moment to realize that his blind taps on the screen of his phone wouldn't stop the repetitive ringing, for this time, it was a phone call and not the seven a.m. alarm that he had already pressed snooze on twice. Deciding it was too much effort to silence his phone, he simply let it continue, hoping the caller would just give up. He rolled over to press his face into the soft linen of the pillows, resting his folded arms underneath for added support, all in an attempt to grab a few more minutes of sleep and hide from the streak of daylight breaking from the crack in the hotel curtains he failed to close all the way and the annoying, repetitive ringtone.

One ring. Two rings. Then three, four, five… The calls never seemed to cease. Damn it.

He inhaled deeply through his nose and sighed. "Nngh," Isshiki complained as he outstretches his half-asleep arm overcome with the sensation of pins and needles, blindly searching for his phone on the nightstand again. Feeling the hard plastic case, he dragged it closer and pulled it carelessly from the table, disconnecting the charging cable while knocking over whatever laid in its path in the process. Finally, he shifted positions, turning his neck to the source of the vibrations in his hand and resting the side of his face against the pillow. Not even bothering to check the caller ID, he swiped his thumb against the screen and raised the phone lazily to his ear, letting his eyes rest while his mouth mindlessly did rest of the work.

"Uh, hello?" Isshiki spoke with a gruff voice, still thick with drowsiness. He was also sure the audible click of his tongue could be heard as he separated his it from the roof of his mouth; moving his jaw. "Isshiki Satoshi speaking…" He waited but no response came from the other line. Ah, maybe they hung up already. Thank god I can go back to-

"ARE YOU STILL IN BED! WAKE UP, IDIOT!" The clear icy voice of hers scolded, causing him to move his phone away from his ear, wincing at the sudden sound. His hazy cyan eyes snapped open, feeling the tiredness slowly melting away at the sound of her voice, even if that voice was yelling at him. He lazily sat himself up, resting his bare back against the wooden headboard while he readjusted his grip on his phone.

"Nene?" Isshiki asked hesitantly, still sort of dazed and confused. With his free hand, he reached over to turn the lamp on and rubbed the sleep away from his eyes while he squinted at the sudden brightness in the room.

"Who else would it be, stupid?"

Glancing towards the nightstand, he focused on the red block numbers on the digital clock. 7:18 a.m. "What are you still doing up? Isn't it like…" Feeling that he did not have the mental capacity at the moment to perform time zone conversions, he decided to broaden his question. "-late over there?"

"The real question is why aren't you getting ready? You're going to be late, aren't you?" He heard the faint ruffling of sheets and wondered if she was preparing for bed. "And yes, it's 11 at night here, but I thought I would try to call you anyways."

He smiled briefly at her gesture of calling first. He appreciated her staying up after work to call him, but it worried him that she would go out of her way to do so, knowing she had her own schedule to upkeep as well. "Shouldn't you be sleeping?" He shot a question back to her. "Don't you have to wake up early tomorrow for opening?"

She couldn't help but scoff into the phone, "Yeah, but I can actually wake up on the first alarm." He couldn't see her face, but he could almost imagine a smirk on it; that was such a "Nene" response.

"Hey, I can!" He defended playfully, missing their little exchanges like this. "I don't know if you forgot, but I'm an early riser too! It's just all these time zones are messing me up." He laughed.

She paused again. Only her soft breaths along the line kept Isshiki informed that she was still there. "Nene?"

"Did your flight arrive late last night?" She asked softly.

"Mm, I arrived at LAX at around one. Customs was a nightmare. I don't understand how so many people were there at that hour!" He confirmed. "Hey, is everything alright?" He stretched slightly, bring his knee up to rest his elbow on it.

"I should be asking you that. You're getting enough sleep...right?"

"Oh ho," he chuckled, "are you perhaps, worried about me?"

"What? No!" Nene exclaimed. "I just- I just want to make you're doing your job correctly. It's for an important organization after all!"

"Hm? Is that why you stayed up so late? Because you were worried about my job?" He teased. "Not that I'm complaining though, getting to wake up to you and all."

"Sh- Shut up! God, you're lucky I can only yell at you over the phone or else I would be shoving you off the bed!"

"I wouldn't mind waking up like that either, Nene-chan!" He couldn't help but imagine her flustered face; how cute she looks when she's all worked up and embarrassed.

He heard her sigh before speaking, "Honestly, you're so stupid, Isshiki."

Now, his lips upturned at the thought of her pouting face. "The stupidest." He replied, laughing slightly. The conversation went silent for a while. It didn't bother him though. In actuality, it comforted him knowing some part of her was with him despite being half a world apart, even if it was just transmitted waves over some device. In the meantime, his grin slowly shifted to a sad smile. "I miss you, Nene. I wish you were here with me." He confessed.

Those six months apart were rough. As he had gotten busier conducting evaluations and giving seminars, the calls became less frequent and shorter. All the flights, extreme time differences, schedule conflicts, missed calls here and unreplied texts there. Don't get him wrong though. The job was and still is an amazing opportunity, but the distance was taking a toll, and he wasn't sure if he could keep it up for another six months.

It took a while for her to respond simply with the words "me too." But he could tell by the choppiness of those two syllables that she was having a tough time as well. She took a deep breath, steeling her nerves. "But I'm fine, okay? Focus on what you need to do. We're already halfway through so… Just enjoy this experience and don't think too much about things. I'll still be here." She said with confidence, reassuring him.

"As expected of Nene-chan." He breathed in awe, proud of her resolve.

"Well then, I should let you get ready. You don't need to be any more late than you already are."

"Mm." They both paused, not sure who unwillingly would end the conversation first. Ultimately, the responsibility fell on Nene.

"Good morning, Isshiki."

"Good night, Nene."

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