It's a lot harder to keep the little stick in his mouth and talk at the same time; he ends up balancing the thing precariously on his bottom lip before he gives up entirely, feeling stupid.

"Look, it seemed like a good idea, okay?"

She regards him with the pocky hanging diagonal from her mouth, then takes a step forward, places the other end back in his mouth.

He looks somewhere off to the side, meets her eye grudgingly when she closes the distance between them. And when they meet he still feels a little bad for chickening out; tries to make up for it with the kiss.