Disclaimer: Don't own Kimi ni Todoke, nor any of it's characters.

Rating: M

A series of one-shots, regarding the steps taken by Sawako and Shouta in their relationship- this time, continuing the mature stuff.

Mmh... this breakfast is really good.

When it came to cooking, Sawako was definitely better than him, simply because she had the most experience with doing so. Not to say his own cooking was bad, exactly, but she knew tricks and tips he hadn't picked up yet - though of course, he would've tried anything that she cooked for him.

It might be cliche and kinda silly, but it's true.

"How is it, Shouta-kun?"

"Hmm?" Shouta wondered, looking up; he swallowed his portion of toast. "Oh, it's good, Sawako. Definitely."

She appeared relieved, slowly looking down at her own breakfast with a tiny lip curve. "I'm glad" she breathed, before looking a bit worried. "I didn't want to burn it like last time."

"You didn't burn it; it was just a little overdone" he said, a little teasing. "Sometimes that happens, and it was still good. Besides, I cook well enough, and you should've seen a few of the mistakes I've made."

"They weren't that bad!" Sawako protested, although her lips had curved even more. "Really... I'm sure with more practice, they uh, won't happen again."

"I hope so. But even the best can make mistakes, and that's okay."

"Mmh. Yes."

He just smiled, liking how cute she looked in that moment, before eating another piece.

Things were quiet for about a minute, where they just focused on eating, though for a few moments he did look at his hand, where his own wedding ring lay. The sight caused him to smile, feeling warmer as he remembered Sawako (a little shakily) slipping it onto his finger at their wedding... at the same time as this though, Sawako seemed to be preparing herself.

Then a bit later: "Um... Shouta-kun?"

Jolted, he looked over. "Yeah?"

Immediately after he said that, he noticed that her cheeks were a bit red. "We have things to deal with in the afternoon, so... this will be our only time to talk in private" she said, slower and her eyes shifting. "Why...?"

Shouta slowly put down his fork. "Why what, Sawako?"

"...in the past month, you haven't wanted to... to touch my c-chest very much" she said in this small, embarrassed voice, eyes briefly squeezing shut in embarrassment and fingers grasping the table (somewhat). "You... you've only done that twice now s-since then, and only a little even... most other times you say no, or just don't go that far..."

He'd already felt a pang when she started, but hearing the embarrassed concern and worry in her voice made it worse.

"S-So... why? Do you not like doing that with me anymore? I-I can understand if-!"

"It's not that!" Shouta said without thinking; she jolted from his force, while he let out a breath. "R-Really. I love the fact that I can do that with you, Sawako; the sensations are more than I could've imagined. I love seeing how you react to them too" he breathed, a little shaky. "It's just... I don't think I can trust myself yet, not after I assumed you were okay with- with more than you meant."

She made a sound, but he didn't register her reactions beyond that.

"If I'd been in more of a mood, I could've gone much further" he said, brushing a hand over his face. "What if I tried to force you? I never want to-"

Halfway into that last bit, her chair audibly moved, and next thing he knew she was standing right next to him- Shouta trailed off when he registered this. Her cheeks were still red, but there was a small look in her eyes... her hands slowly touched his cheeks, hesitant and gentle as always, before she slowly drew him closer.

And after a pause, even pressed his head against her upper body.

His breathing was heavier, partly because his head was almost on her chest... b-but he knew Sawako was trying to comfort him, not do anything like that.

"I trust you, Shouta-kun" she whispered, still embarrassed but sincere. "When you... t-touched my chest like that, I was really surprised. But, even when I was going to tell you that you misunderstood... I still uh, r-really like it. I- I told you that, right?"

Closing his eyes a little, not knowing what to say, Shouta slowly nodded.

"Mmh. Well... I'd like to think it's the same, for a lot of things you might do" Sawako continued, nervous yet sincere. "I would prefer if you asked me first, but... if you s-surprise me with a next step, I should still be okay. Mostly. So long as we don't try to do many things at once, stop when we say so, and try to ask when we aren't sure... we shouldn't be too afraid of g-going further, together. Right?"

Warmth flowed through his body, loving all these things about Sawako; no matter how hard something was, nervous or embarrassed she was, she never stopped trying to improve herself at anything.

"You're right" he breathed, starting to relax (and shake a little). "I'm sorry that I got so caught up in my own guilt, Sawako. I was so worried that I might hurt you... that I really overdid it, and worried you anyway. I'm- I'm still afraid of that, but... I shouldn't let it stop me from trying."

She adjusted her hold on him, enough that he could look at her; though her cheeks were still red, her lip had curved. "I'm glad that we cleared up this misunderstanding, Shouta-kun."

"Me too."

This time, she wasn't surprised when he kissed her, or at least not for very long- rather, she was surprised that he pulled her downward to do it. Because she was standing and he sitting, she had to lean over to be more comfortable, but after this sank in, Sawako began to return the kiss like usual.

She still squeaked when he added his tongue, even if it was only for a few seconds-

-but later when they pulled apart, without her realizing it at first, her lips had curved into a little smile, which he'd certainly appreciated seeing.

Nighttime

"So, I can't open my eyes at all?" Shouta asked, curious.

"Y-Yes, please" Sawako breathed, somewhat close by. "I mean... I may be relaxed enough for you to, l-later, but not right now. That's all."

"So you're trying to ease yourself into... whatever this is?"

"Mmh."

To that, Shouta just smiled, thinking she's so cute when she's nervous- actually, she's cute during most anything, period. Plus after today's little talk, he was going to keep on trying just like her - he still feared going overboard and forcing her, but so long as he can stop when she needs him to, they'll be okay; he wants to make sure of that. He was sitting there for about a minute, focused on breathing and waiting before he heard her footsteps, then a few creaking sounds that told him that she's sitting down beside him. Although, she did seem to take some time arranging how she sat, which made him curious about what this idea of her's was, but he didn't question it.

Then carefully, she guided both his hands forward... and then they touched skin.

"O-Okay, Shouta-kun" Sawako breathed to him, in this small, embarrassed voice.

Shouta noticed this, and had to resist opening his eyes. "What do I do, Sawako?" he wondered, gentle.

"You, uh... can explore" she said, still the same way. "J-Just don't go past my waist. Please."

He wondered about that, but otherwise tried not to think about it, though he was soon distracted by the realization that he's touching her bare back. That meant she wasn't wearing a shirt... b-but did that mean that- no, he has to make sure of things before he assumes.

So, his heart beating faster, he slowly moved his hands up in little brushes... soon enough, his fingers brushed against a sort of fabric, but it seemed more like a strap than anything.

Her bra.

Shouta gulped when he realized the implications, instinctively trying not to imagine this in his head... n-no wonder Sawako said to keep his eyes closed...

"S-Sawako?"

"Ah, yes?"

"...are you really okay with this?" he asked, nervous. "Even with my eyes closed, you're... y-you know."

At first, Sawako only made this squeaky sound, then she was silent for a time, seeming to fidget under his fingers - but though her voice was small, and nervous, she sounded okay:

"Y-Yes. But... I wanted to try this, b-because we haven't done anything like this... i-in awhile. I- I also want to see if... if it might help me get used to the feeling, for the next times...!"

"So that you'll be m-more comfortable later?"

"M-Mmh!"

Whether she meant just touching her chest, or all similar situations, it didn't matter at that moment; Shouta felt warm (again) that she's trying so hard. Even with his eyes closed, with what happened last time, even this had to be a big deal for Sawako... and yet she's doing it anyway to try and help them both move forward, and he loved her courage.

His hands slowly moved near her shoulders, then a little higher up, and he discovered her hair had been parted on both sides, right over her front.

He'd been wondering why he hadn't felt her hair before... and- and that probably helped her too, a little.

"Okay" Shouta breathed. "And thank you."

"Hmm?" she wondered, surprised. "For what?"

"For what you said earlier today. And also... for allowing me to go this far with you; I really appreciate it, Sawako."

When she next spoke, her voice was softer, if still embarrassed. "We- we are married, Shouta-kun" Sawako breathed, as much to herself as him, and with a little lip curve as she said it (though he wasn't aware of either part). "We're allowed to... e-explore all these things."

Shouta smiled, hearing her voice become really small at the end. "Yeah" he breathed, simply sincere. "It's embarrassing too, but... we are enjoying it. Both of us."

"Mmh... yes."

Slowly, carefully, he moved himself even closer behind her- when his fingers brushed up-and-over her cheek, he felt Sawako turn her head, as well as her breath. "Can I kiss you?" he wondered, hearing her breath out once, even as his other hand slowly moved over her back... after three seconds, her lips gently touched his own in answer.

Even now, still a bit tentative; how cute.

...

Because he was being careful, both to keep himself in check (if not too much, again) and not pushing Sawako's nervousness, it took about fifteen minutes before he tried going further. At first, they spent that time kissing and easing more into the sensations, including when he lightly touched kisses to her jaw, neck, and back- Shouta never got tired of her little breathes when he did so. Then, when he slowly inched around to her chest, his fingers first came in contact with her hair... just like he'd thought earlier, it was covering her chest, even with her bra on. Whether that was intentional or not, he smiled a bit, thinking it must be helping her feel less nervous about this, even with his eyes closed.

He's still trying not to let his mind imagine anything too; it was a struggle, but he kept trying.

Sawako nearly gasped as his fingers brushed over her bra's cups, and he felt her arms move against his hands, but little more. After hearing her pant for several seconds, Shouta kept going, lightly rubbing in small circles and loving the sensations... and to think, no one else but him would be able to do this.

Just as he wanted.

Her head briefly touched his (as he's resting it upon her shoulder), and he realized her head was tilting, because of her reactions to it all- quickly, Shouta leaned over and kissed her. While surprised, she was rather quick to return the sensations, not minding that he was 'dominating' that particular one... slightly, anyway. As he did so, he felt Sawako's heart beating against her ribs, a fast-yet-steady sensation underneath his fingers; he could rest his hand there for hours. It never let up for even a moment, and quietly increased his admiration for her courage; she's so nervous deep down, more than he could even see, and still she trusts him to touch her like this.

Suddenly, his struggle not to go overboard lessened a little; if Sawako trusts him, he can't fully give into his desires, no matter how much he may want things.

Things like to open his eyes, to see her chest (a-and feel it bare again), and take the rest of her clothes off-

-those'll have to wait, at least for awhile longer.

For what seemed like a minute, Shouta kept things up in their kiss and on her chest, at least before she pulled away for air. Even as he caught his breath, he felt Sawako start to shift, to move forward... his work paused by instinct, and his arms gave her room to move, wondering if she'd had enough now.

However, Sawako's hands slowly touched his shoulders, fingers moving in little circles.

At first he was confused, thinking her back was still facing him, but he quickly realized that's no longer the case- she must be facing him now, and that's why she'd moved away from him. His realization was confirmed when slowly, tentatively, she moved forward until their bodies were touching... he felt it when her body jolted, nervous, but her arms slowly came around his head, and her lips gradually touched his again.

She quivered, briefly; he immediately made sure to kiss her back the way she liked, arms around her back and staying there, trying to help ease her nervousness.

He was also distinctly aware of her chest (lightly) pressed against his, the faint, fast-beating thud of her heartbeat, even through the softness of her hair and her bra's fabric... he loved it.

It took a little, but Sawako eventually eased against him, working her way through their affections, though the odd quiver here and there remained. They remained that way for what seemed like minutes, and it was only after a time that Shouta realized - almost suddenly - that he was feeling warm 'down there'; he quickly tried to reign himself back in, before Sawako could feel his groin pressing against her body.

B-But, it'd already started poking her, very slightly... he silently hoped that she hadn't noticed...

Unbeknownst to him, Sawako had actually noticed, even though she didn't say anything that night.

Mainly dealing with the aftermath of last time, but still a bit of a step for Sawako.

Not much else to say right now hehe