Sighing softly, Umi tapped her pen roughly against her desk in frustration. She loved to write, but lately the drive to do so had left her, leaving her frustrated and strangely empty. For the fourth straight night she sat at her desk and stared at a mostly-empty sheet of notebook paper, a few unconnected words written haphazardly on the page. No matter how hard she tried, nothing would appear in her brain to transfer down to the paper. Letting out a groan of pure aggravation, she let her head fall against the desk.

"Umi-chan?" Her head jerked up as she whipped around, focusing on the sight of a confused-looking ginger standing in her doorway. "Are you okay?"

"Honoka? How did you get in here?"

"Well, I was going to knock, but your mom was leaving the house and she just let me in." Umi raised an eyebrow suspiciously at that, getting a sheepish grin from Honoka. "Hey, it's the truth, Umi-chan!" Another groan escaped her lips as she slumped back against the desk.

"Fine, just try to be quiet. I'm working." Her voice was muffled by the piece of paper she was laying on, a severe lack of work done on it.

"It looks like you're napping." Umi couldn't even find the energy to get up and yell at Honoka for believing that she was slacking off, even if it was admittedly true. She just didn't need the acknowledgement from the queen of slackers herself. At the very least, Honoka did quiet down, leaving Umi's gentle, even breathing and a rhythmic dripping as the only sounds to reach her ears.

"Honoka, do you hear a dripping- Honoka! What the hell, you're soaked!" That dripping sound had been strange and out-of-place, but when Umi lifted her head up to question it, she found the culprit was none other than Honoka and her sopping-wet clothing. The ginger gave Umi another sheepish grin and rubbed the back of her neck.

"Ehehe, well, Rin-chan dared me to run through all the neighborhood sprinklers."

"... And you ran through all the sprinklers."

"Yes, yes I did." All Umi could do was shake her head slowly in sad disbelief, though it wasn't actually that hard to imagine Honoka doing something stupid like that. It was so very Honoka.

"Just... Just go to the bathroom and change before you catch a cold. You're getting the carpet wet." Trying to ignore the steady dripping sound so she could get back to not having any writing inspiration, Umi pointedly turned back to the mostly-blank sheet of paper, grabbing her pen to try and write anything down.

"But Umi-chan, I don't have any other clothes!"

"Then you can borrow mine. Just make sure you wash them before you bring them back." Not that she thought Honoka was inherently dirty, but she wouldn't put it past her friend to get dared into something involving mud while wearing her clothes. She needed to learn responsibility with others' property.

Two words later - 'annoyance' and 'soaked' - Umi threw her pen against the desk, angrily crumpling up the poor, defenseless piece of paper in her hands. Her mind was an absolute blank. Had she lost the touch? One day had been concerning, but easily dismissed as an anomaly. Four days? Now this was a problem.

"Umi-chan sounds really frustrated." Honoka was still in the room? She could have sworn that the ginger had already left to go get changed. Was she being lazy and still standing there, making a mess of her floor, or had she already finished changing? Maybe she'd been concentrating so hard on her work that she'd blocked out all the noise.

Turning to figure out which of the two options was correct, she quickly found that there was a third, more unexpected option that Honoka had chosen to go with. Umi's mouth fell open as her eyes fell upon her friend, noticing that her wet shirt and jeans were pooled together on the floor. Clad in nothing but her undergarments now, Honoka's arm had reached behind her back to undo her bra before being caught by Umi.

Desperately, Umi tried to either say something, look away, or hopefully both. Instead, she was just staring, heat gathering rapidly on her cheeks as she found her eyes just about glued to the sight before her. It was absolutely shameless for Honoka to be standing there in barely any clothes and looking so… so attractive, dammit. They'd been friends since childhood, and this was not right or fair for her to be maturing so well.

"Umi-chaaaan," Honoka teasingly drawled out, finally snapping Umi out of her veritable trance and forcing her eyes upwards.

"Y-Yeah?"

"My eyes are up here." Mortified, Umi hid her face in her hands and tried to ignore the laughter ringing in her ears.

"Wh-Why are you changing in here?! I told you to use the bathroom!"

"Aww, does Umi-chan not like the view?"

"It's… not that…" It was a lot more complicated than she wanted to admit. Her entire life had been based around living strictly and purely, so it was still tough for her to admit to herself that she had strong, shameful feelings for someone, and of course it had to be Honoka. Not only did she have to deal with these confusing and rather embarrassing feelings, but she had to deal with the fact that they were for one of her best friends. Honoka was a tease, but who knew if she held legitimate feelings like Umi did, and she was certainly not going to ask and find out.

Umi watched as Honoka sauntered over - yes, sauntered, in a way that Umi found very strange from the girl who once tried to hand out bread to kids on Halloween - and placed a hand playfully on her hip. "You know, Umi-chan, overworking yourself is bad for your health."

"U-Uh…" Well, it was true, but it was such a strange thing to hear helpful advice coming from Honoka of all people. Then again, overworking meant working at all, so… "Wh-What are you even saying, Honoka?"

"Well, it didn't seem like you were making any progress with what you were writing," Honoka noted, correctly as it turned out. "So I thought I'd give you some inspiration." Grinning cheekily, she went right back to what she had been doing before Umi caught her, unhooking her bra and teasingly holding it up for a brief moment before letting it fall to the floor, though Umi couldn't get her eyes to follow its downward spiral.

Her brain fought desperately to stop these sinful actions from continuing, but something inside her was not willing to concede just yet. With her heart starting to beat faster in her chest, Umi stood up slowly, almost in a daze, but at least the action made her gaze move slightly up and onto Honoka's pretty blue eyes. Yes, they were pretty: compared to Eli's often-icy stare, Honoka's blues were like a warm ocean that she had slowly but surely begun to fall headfirst into. It was so unfair.

Standing in front of Honoka now, Umi could tell by the big smile on her face that she knew of her victory over the bluenette's sensibilities. "Why do you do this to me?" Umi muttered weakly, placing her hands firmly on Honoka's shoulders and pulling her into a nervous but hungry kiss. This wasn't meant to happen, but her self control had abandoned her and left her to her own devices. The fleeting feeling that Honoka might actually push away disappeared the moment she felt those lips press back with brash eagerness.

When they broke from the kiss, any and all thoughts of her writer's block had been lost within her mind, replaced by the sight of a nearly-naked Honoka and the taste of her lips. Though she tried her best to keep her composure, Umi found her eyes drifting slightly downwards once again, and it didn't take long for Honoka to catch on.

"You know, Umi-chan, if you want, you can honk them."

"Oh Gods, Honoka, don't say it like that." Her face started burning up all over again as Honoka giggled openly, leaning forward to press her lips against Umi's jawline. Try as she might, Umi couldn't keep a low whimper from escaping her lips.

"Don't worry, Umi-chan. I promise to take good care of you."

"Why does that worry me more?" Smirking, Honoka gave Umi a push, catching her by surprise as she fell onto the bed. Before she could make a move, Honoka was on top of her, planting kisses all over her neck and jawline while her hands ran along her sides. Letting out the occasional whine or moan, Umi felt somewhat awkward just having her arms hanging uselessly at her sides, so she moved to grab the first thing she could reach, which just so happened to be Honoka's ass. Her shame knew no bounds.

"Umi-chan is so forward," Honoka giggled, pulling up on Umi's shirt. Muttering unintelligible, weak disagreements, Umi quickly pulled her hands back and lifted her arms, not putting up a fight as Honoka worked her shirt over her head and onto the floor. "Ahh, here we go!" Licking her lips, Honoka slid down and placed her hands on Umi's abs, not helping the bluenette's raging blush in any way.

Slowly Honoka ran her hands up and down Umi's washboard abs, worshiping the skin with peppered kisses. Umi felt too embarrassed to watch, first looking at the wall, then having her eyes drift towards Honoka's ass, which was swaying slightly with each of her movements. This only served to embarrass her more, and she ended up looking at her bedsheets instead. "H-Honoka! Jeez..."

"I can't help it, Umi-chan! You're so swol!"

"S-Stop talking like that!" She strongly considered dying of embarrassment, but decided against it when she couldn't convince herself that Honoka would dress her again before telling everyone of her untimely passing. This was not a warrior's way of going out. Maybe it was time to turn the tables.

Grabbing Honoka by the shoulders once more, she pulled her forward to capture her lips in another kiss. The kiss, however, was brief, a mere distraction that allowed Umi to flip the ginger onto her back, her eyes widening in surprise as she looked up at a slightly smirking Umi. Without allowing herself to hesitate, she moved down and returned Honoka's tender kisses, this time all over her chest. She felt a strange, heated rush when Honoka's soft moans reached her ears, spurring her on to continue.

Her lips moved fervently around Honoka's chest until they brushed over her right nipple, gifting Umi with a loud gasp. She backed up and repeated the action, reveling in the sounds she was able to get from her friend. Attaching her lips to Honoka's nipple, she sucked gently on it, tugging up as her body grew warmer from the actions. She could feel her reservations and hesitations slipping away, hidden deep behind a growing cloud of lustful desire. It was too difficult to deny it anymore.

Honoka stood up suddenly, making Umi fall to her knees. She stared up in confusion, taking careful note of her friend's flushed face and accelerated breathing. Honoka's hands were pulling her up before she realized what was going on, and she was powerless to resist as she was pushed away from the bed and forced against the wall. There was a hunger in her eyes that Umi had never seen before, like when she hadn't had bread in several days, but a lot more primal, her gaze misted with need.

Nearly throwing herself against Umi, Honoka kissed her roughly, entrancing her with a side that she had no idea could even exist within someone so seemingly innocent and silly. Her hands returned to Umi's abs, carefully caressing them as her tongue flicked across the bluenette's lips. Umi's lips parted on their own, and Honoka's tongue dove in to make itself a new home. It captured Umi's tongue and dominated it easily, and she gave in immediately. The warmth was so overpowering.

Umi's hands automatically found themselves once more on Honoka's backside, giving it a squeeze to coax out another moan, a sound that she was starting to become rather fond of. Her attempts at dominance were short-lived, as Honoka reluctantly removed her hands from Umi's stomach to unhook her bra, an action that Umi allowed without complaint. Something in her mind was telling her that this was a rather shameful activity, but for once she ignored it and let herself fall completely into Honoka's eyes; her warmth; every single inch of her.

The room seemed to be heating up along with them. Each kiss lasted as long as they both could handle it, until one of them needed to take a breath, and then they were right back into it. Umi couldn't remember at what point her pants had come off, but she was only partially aware that they both were only in their underwear, Honoka's heavenly body pinning her to the wall.

She felt Honoka's knee press in between her legs and begin to rub, sparks of pleasure shooting up and down her body. Moans fell freely from her lips as she tried to push through the haze that had settled around her brain and gain some semblance of control: at least a return volley. One of her hands slipped down and found its way into Honoka's underwear, and when a little bit of rubbing got a pleasure-drenched moan out of her, Umi knew she could come back.

Soon the room was filled with their mingled moans, with Umi's long fingers pumping fluidly in and out of Honoka, whose once-determined face was now flushed with pleasure. Umi could tell that she was getting close, her body practically begging for release, though her pride would never allow her to say such things.

Their actions continued unabated and wildly until they both reached their limits, eyes locking onto each other as they finally let go. Umi wasn't sure how she sounded, or how loud she ended up being as the most pleasurable climax of her life ran rampant through her body. All she could hear was Honoka, those dulcet moans and cries filling her ears as they held onto each other, unable to look away.

When they both came back down together, Honoka ended up collapsing into Umi's shaking arms, her legs no longer able to support her exhausted body. Umi wasn't doing much better, but she forced herself to stay upright so they wouldn't collapse ungracefully to the floor. Slowly she took Honoka and herself to the ground, wiping sweat from her forehead as she let out a shaky, relieved breath. She could feel Honoka panting and laughing in relief against the crook of her neck, and Umi couldn't help but let out a breathy laugh of her own.

"I... did not expect that," Umi panted, her arms wrapped loosely around Honoka.

"I kinda... thought you would say 'shameless' a few times." Honoka's laugh was a gentle rumbling against Umi's skin, and though she rolled her eyes at the remark, she didn't find it annoying. She leaned against the wall, still trying to catch her breath as tiny droplets of sweat rolled down her arms. An idle thought ran through her mind that she was really going to have to wash this particular pair of underwear after how... damp they had become.

Honoka squirmed around until she was able to snuggle up against Umi's firm, muscular frame, an action that was only encouraged when the bluenette pulled her close again. They were already bared to each other in a physical sense, but in the afterglow Umi felt bared emotionally, vulnerable yet empowered to say what she never would have said not that long ago.

"Did this... Did this mean anything to you?" Though she was too wiped out to feel truly worried, a low-key bout of nerves still shook her voice slightly. It had been more than pure, carnal lust that had driven Umi to do what she did, but she wouldn't blame Honoka if that was all there was to what had happened.

"Of course, Umi-chan!" A weak smile was all Honoka could muster after their private workout. "Don't you only do this with someone you love?"

Umi let those words sink in, unable to stop a smile from growing on her face. She pulled Honoka into a tighter hug, the warmth spreading and wrapping around her heart. "Yes, Honoka. I love you." It should have been said so many years ago, but now that it was out in the open, it felt extremely right. There was no regret or shame, just satisfaction and unbridled affection.

"I love you too, Umi-chan." Sighing contently, Umi closed her eyes and smiled, listening to Honoka's breathing near her ear. In her arms, she had found her inspiration.