A/N: I just want to say thank you to everyone who reviewed on the last chapter! I've been really self-conscious about this story and worried about it not getting a lot of attention, so your feedback genuinely makes me feel like the time I've put into this story is worth it! Even the smallest amount of praise is incredibly humbling and inspiring, so thank you from the bottom of my heart for your support!

Communication

In the morning, Kirishima's dad wanted to go hiking. The sun had barely risen when Eijiro was excitedly knocking on Hana's door, begging her to go with them. Didn't he know that girls needed their beauty sleep? And he didn't really expect her not to do her hair and makeup first, did he? There was an entire morning routine, she couldn't be expected to just roll off the futon and put on hiking boots!

"You could stay here with my mom if you want," he said through the door.

Hana was out of bed and dressed in less than thirty seconds. "You can come in," she said afterward, as she brushed through her hair in the mirror.

"Whoa," he commented. "Your hair gets really long when you sleep."

The blonde strands were brushing mid-thigh.

"Well yeah," she rolled her eyes. "It grows fast because of my quirk. You already know that." She plucked the pair of scissors from her makeup bag. "What should I make?" She asked, as she scooped her hair up and looked in the mirror.

"How about… sweatbands for our morning hike!"

She giggled. "So simple." But, she cut her hair and he watched in awe as it transformed into three different colored headbands. "Here, you can have the pink one."

He made a face but then grinned. "Alright, I'm sure I can rock pink."

"I'm kidding you doof." She laughed and then handed him the black one instead. Then, she set to work braiding her remaining hair. This activity was muscle memory by this point. She could do it with ease—without… hands brushing against hers, sliding against her scalp, gathering her hair up… "E-Eijiro, what are you doing?" she snapped.

"Let me braid your hair," he said. "I'm really good at it. I used to braid Mom's hair all the time."

"I-I can do it fine on my own," she protested.

"Yeah, but you could also just let your boyfriend touch you a little."

Something about his tone was sharp. Was he… mad at her? She tried to remember if she'd done something wrong to upset him but drew a blank. She'd been holding his hand, leaning against him, and staying close to him since they met up yesterday (well, when his parents weren't in the room). So, why was there a hint of vitriol in his tone?

Does this have to do with me shying away from his touch before summer break started?

He knew she wasn't avoiding him, didn't he? He had to know… had to understand that it wasn't personal. That she just didn't know what to do with her rampant feelings. Every time he touched or kissed her now, she was taken back to that night. His tongue on her skin, his warm body pressed against hers, his excitement hard against her. And when she was brought back to those memories, her body started to ache, her hair turned purple, and she was so embarrassed that she wanted to crawl in a hole and die.

The problem wasn't that she didn't want him to touch her. The problem was that she did.

She dropped her hands as the guilt set in. "Okay… Thank you, Eijiro."

"You can always count on me," he grinned, all bitterness gone from his voice, as his fingers worked through her hair.

She shuddered at the feeling of his fingertips on her scalp, the gentle tug of his hands as he began to weave the braid. She closed her eyes and let out a soft sigh as tendrils of pleasure spread down her neck and through her shoulders. Time felt fuzzy for a moment like the world had slowed its spin just to give Eijiro the time to intoxicate her. Her nails dug into her pants, kneaded the fabric as her head bobbed along with his motions.

"Your hair is always so soft, Hana," he said. "Is it because of your quirk?"

"My dad thinks so," she answered, keeping her eyes closed. "He thinks it's because our hair grows fresh and new every day or something, so it doesn't have time to get unhealthy."

"I like it," he said. "I kind of want to—" He stopped, mid-sentence.

"Want to… what?" she asked, finally opening her eyes and looking at him in the mirror. His cheeks took some color.

"Never mind," he said. "Can you hand me the hair tie?"

Hana frowned. Eijiro… refraining from saying his thoughts out loud? That wasn't like him. She decided against pressing him about it, then handed him the hair tie on her wrist. He tied the end of her braid and ran his fingers along the length of it one last time, for good measure, then gazed down at her in the mirror.

"You look perfect," he said.

"Y-You're just saying that." She blushed. "I'm not even wearing makeup and I'm in hiking clothes."

"Hm…" He narrowed his eyes at her reflection, then plopped his chin right on the top of her head and grinned like a dumb puppy. "Nope! Still perfect!"

She giggled at the childlike antics, then tilted her head up to look at him. I should kiss him, she thought, but before she could find the courage, Mr. Kirishima's voice rang out through the house.

"Come eat breakfast if you want energy for the hike!" he yelled. "You know what they say! Breakfast is the most important meal of the day! Unless it's poisoned. Then the antidote is the most important meal of the day."

Eijiro mouthed the punchline of the joke word for word in the mirror as if he'd heard his dad use it at least a dozen times. Hana let out a loud laugh, then followed her boyfriend to the living room.

Three hours later, Hana started to wish she had stayed with Eijiro's cold-hearted mother after all. She was sweaty, hungry, tired, and sore. And she was getting more and more irritated at the fact that Eijiro and his dad still looked completely and utterly unfazed by what she considered to be an extreme workout. They hadn't even broken a sweat! Meanwhile, she was starting to lag behind and had stopped enjoying the scenery at least an hour ago.

"You okay back there, Kanzashi?" His dad called.

"I'm fine," she huffed through gritted teeth.

Eijiro looked back at her, concern on his face. Then his eyes went wide and he stopped walking. "Dad, go on ahead without us! We're gonna take a break here!"

"Alright, don't get mauled by bears!"

"As if!" Eijiro laughed. "I'd like to see a bear get through my skin!"

He made his way back to Hana.

"I don't need a break," she snapped. "I said I'm fine."

"Come here!" He ignored her and instead scooped her up suddenly and threw her over his shoulder.

"PUT ME DOWN, EIJIRO!" She slammed her fists onto his back. "I said I'm fine!"

A few moments later, he flopped onto the grass with her, finally letting go.

"What's with you?" she complained. "Why do you always pick me up without my permission?"

He sat up and shrugged. "I knew you were gonna be stubborn."

"I'm not stubborn," she argued.

"Yeah, you are. You and Katsuki are a lot alike, honestly. You both get stubborn and feisty and kind of mean when things don't go your way."

"I can't believe you just compared me to that psychopath." She crossed her arms. "And I'm not mean."

He leaned back on his palms and looked quizzically at her. "Hana, why didn't you tell me you were getting tired?"

She didn't meet his gaze. "How did you know?"

He responded by pulling her braid over her shoulder so she could look at it. There sure was a lot of red and green going on there. "Anger and jealousy. You're mad that you can't keep up with us."

She pulled her braid away. "I said I'm fine."

He was quiet for a long moment. Too long of a moment for the usually peppy Eijiro. She looked at him and found that he wasn't grinning this time. "Hana, why is it so hard for you to talk to me?"

Her heart gave an uncomfortable thump in her chest. "I… talk to you every day, Eijiro," she said, carefully.

"Yeah, but not about stuff that's bothering you or things that you want. You just don't…" He sighed and looked away. "Never mind."

There it was. Again, those two words. Never mind. She didn't like them being issued bitterly from his mouth.

"Eijiro…" She instinctively reached for him. Her fingers tugged on his shirt. "There's something you're upset about, I can tell. You've been acting weird since we were in the car yesterday. What's wrong?"

He glanced at her, then looked up at the sky instead of keeping his gaze focused on her own. "I don't want to say something that's going to make you uncomfortable, Hana."

Her chest ached at these words. "You can say anything, Eijiro. I know I tease you a lot, and I get embarrassed easily, but… I like when you're honest." I don't like whatever this is, she mentally added.

He scratched the back of his head. "Well… you know, when you said that thing to my dad. You told him 'it's not like that between us' or whatever…"

She waited for him to continue, but he didn't. "I was just trying to cover for us," she said. "You know that I didn't mean it in a bad way."

He stood up. "I never really know what you mean, Hana."

The words held secret depths that swirled like a dark ocean beneath Hana's feet. And like the vast ocean, they were cold, salty, seeping deep into her skin as they spoke to his bitterness.

But then, he turned and looked at her with his regular Kirishima grin again. "Come on, why don't the two of us head back toward the cabin? We can stop and eat at one of those benches we passed, then we can go home and take showers or better yet! Jump into the river! The cool water sounds really nice right now!"

Hana stood up and dusted off her pants. "Okay," she said, quietly.

He looked at her and then bit down hard, expression turning pained. "Damn, I'm really sorry. I wasn't trying to make you sad."

"I'm not…" It was no use at all. He must have seen her hair turning blue.

"Hana…" He took a step toward her and suddenly pulled her against his chest. "I'm sorry. Don't listen to me, alright? I'm being dumb." He laughed, then tilted her head up. "You know I love you, right?"

Her heart swelled with these words.

"So, don't sweat what I just said. I'm cool. I'm happy as long as I get to be with you."

She smiled, feeling the sincerity in his words. "Eijiro… Come here."

He tilted his head, knowing what she wanted to do without her saying it. He waited until her lips touched his before surrendering to the kiss. Soft… slow… It wasn't like their fiery kisses from three weeks ago, but it filled her with warmth and desire anyway.

He pulled away and looked at her glowing blonde, pink-streaked hair and grinned. "That's better! Now, come on! Let's go! I'm starving!" He tugged her by the hand and she hurried after him, feeling a lot better now that she'd kissed him.

She knew what he was trying to say. I never really know what you mean. It was because she never talked about things like she needed to. She couldn't communicate. She was starting to hate that word now.

Was her inability to express her feelings starting to wear her boyfriend down? Was that why he was beginning to be reserved about what he said to her?

I hate this, she thought. There has to be some way I can do better… Some way I can tell you how much I care.

Two more days passed. Hana and the Kirishima's attended a summer festival in one of the nearby towns, then explored fields of lavender and sunflowers. They collected souvenirs, had dinner Kawadoka-style on the river at night, and drank matcha tea while his dad told her embarrassing stories about Eijiro's childhood. His mom still didn't talk to her much, other than to bark commands in the kitchen, but she wasn't bad to be around, at least when her husband and son were there. She seemed… softer around them. Gentler and full of love.

It had been an eventful day and the night sky was full of stars. Eijiro's parents were going through all the pictures they'd taken of the trip so far, leaning against one another in the bedroom they were staying in, with the door open behind them. They reminded her of teenagers, giggling and snorting at the pictures on the computer in front of them, then cuddling closer together. It was strange to see a couple so openly affectionate like that. Stranger since his mom was usually so stiff and formal. But... it was also beautiful.

Hana had rarely seen her own parents this close, and she wondered momentarily if that was what created the divide between her and Eijiro. He'd grown up watching two people who boldly and openly displayed their love for one another. Meanwhile, Hana had only seen arguing and a lack of expression. Was that why his declarations of love and openness about his feelings and desires often made her want to hide away? How could she be more like the Kirishimas? More like Eijiro?

She wondered these things as she sought her boyfriend out.

He was laying in his room with his feet kicked up on the wall, reading a Crimson Riot comic.

Hana's hands were trembling as she pushed the door open a little wider. "E-Eijiro…?"

He rolled over and blinked up at her. "Hey, what's up, Hana?"

"Do you want to…" she let out a slow sigh. "Do you want to go to the river with me?"

He sat up, dog-eared the comic book like a heathen, then sat it down next to him. "Right now?" he asked, surprised.

"Yeah," she nodded. "I thought we could bring a blanket and look at the stars."

His cheeks took some color, then he grinned. "Yeah, that sounds awesome! Let me get changed and get us a blanket, I'll be right out!"

Hana waited for him, her whole body alive with nerves. She'd been thinking about it this entire trip. About how her utter lack of communication was hurting her relationship. She wanted to make it better somehow. So, she'd promised herself that no matter what Eijiro wanted to talk about tonight, she'd be engaged in the conversation too. She wouldn't dodge or avoid, even if she was uncomfortable. She'd answer his questions, no matter how embarrassing they were. Even if it meant talking about things like… taking their relationship further into unknown territory.

It helped that they were going to be outside in the dark where he couldn't see all of her embarrassing hair colors, of course.

"Ready?" he asked when he came out of the room a few minutes later.

"Yeah," she nodded. "Got flashlights?"

"Of course I do, are you kidding? I bought these puppies last year with my night vision goggles and scope."

"And why did you buy a bunch of tactical gear, randomly?" she teased.

"Dunno, just seemed cool and like they'd be practical to have one day. Today's that day!"

"You kids headed out?" his dad asked as they made their way to the back door.

"Yeah, we'll be back in an hour or two," Eijiro answered. "Just going to hang out by the river."

"Hope you're not actually going to be hanging out, son," his dad said, seriously. "That's what zippers are for."

Eijiro ignored him completely as he waited for Hana to go through the door so he could close it.

They traversed through the dark, following the path behind the cabin to the riverbank. It was only a few minutes from the house, and they could still see the lights shining through the trees from their location.

Eijiro laid the blanket out on the flat ground and Hana sat down, tugging her jacket a little tighter around her body. It was summer, sure, but they were up farther north than she was used to, and it was chilly in the countryside.

He flopped down next to her, already turning his gaze toward the sky. "Crazy how different the sky is out here, right?" he asked, amazement in his tone. "Don't get me wrong, I love the city, but there's something special about moments like these, close to nature and the stars."

"I agree," she said, as she laid down next to him.

"You're good with space science stuff, right?" he asked. "Can you tell me what constellations there are?"

"I can tell you some stuff about the stars that are visible, right now." She pointed at the sky and shapes that she recognized. He followed along in awe, commenting occasionally. And as she was pointing at the twinkling lights in the distance, lights started to flicker in front of them, as well. She lowered her hand as the air around them started to blink and glow with the pulse of hundreds of fireflies.

"Wow," she whispered, as if afraid to scare them. "That's beautiful."

"Romantic too," he said. "Haven't you heard the story about the firefly who lights up every night as a beacon for his long lost lover to come home?"

"No," she giggled. "You're definitely making that up."

"It's a real story!" he laughed. "I'm not poetic or sappy like that or anything, but it's a nice story. I hope all these little guys find who they're looking for."

She turned on her side and looked at him, taking in everything about this boy, from the rise and fall of his chest to the spikes in his dyed hair and the scar above his eye. "What about you, Eijiro?" she asked, softly. "Did you find who you're looking for?"

He looked at her and beamed, teeth gleaming white in the dark. "I didn't know I was looking, but I found you anyway, didn't I?"

She blushed. "Can I…" Come on, Hana. Be like Eijiro. Just say what you're thinking. Be honest. Take a risk. "Can I lay in your arms?"

He stared at her, his expression as easy to read as always. Confusion, followed by surprise, and then by excitement. He adjusted one of the arms that was behind his head and held it open wide for her. "Of course," he smiled. "I'm your boyfriend after all. What else am I here for?"

She giggled at the old familiar phrase, then settled herself down next to him. She huddled close to his body, resting her head in the crook of his shoulder and placing her hand on his chest. He was so warm and strong, and nothing felt better than being close to him like this.

They didn't speak for a while. She felt the rise and fall of his chest under her palm. He stared at the fireflies for a long time before finally closing his eyes. She wondered if he'd fallen asleep, as the minutes stretched on. He was so peaceful and cute, so warm and attractive. She couldn't help the motion of her hand as she splayed her fingers out on his chest and instinctively traced the muscles there.

"Hey, Hana?" he asked after a while, his voice a whisper, suppressed by the crickets and rustle of the trees.

"Yes?" she kneaded his shirt with her fingertips, wishing secretly that it was off.

He didn't respond for a moment. Then, he let out a quiet sigh. "Never mind."

Those words. Again. Cutting through this moment they had together like her favorite pair of scissors.

She propped herself up and looked down at him. "Eijiro, whatever you want to say, you can say it. I won't get embarrassed or uncomfortable. I don't… I don't like you hiding stuff from me because you think it will make me feel better. I never wanted that. What I love about you most is that you're not afraid to speak your mind, no matter who you're with. Don't change that. Not for me. Not for anyone."

She didn't know how emotional this was going to make her. She felt the passion in her own words, the tears welling in her eyes.

"I'm not changing who I am," he said. "I just… don't want to keep saying or doing stupid stuff that makes you avoid me or push me away."

"Eijiro, I'm not avoiding you," she promised. "I—"

"—talk to me every day," he interrupted, knowing the words she would say before she spoke them. "Yeah, I know." His voice was bitter. "But you won't talk to me about anything that matters, and you don't want to be close to me. I can tell, even when I'm with you, that you don't want to be there."

Hana held her breath. He really thinks that, doesn't he?

"E-Eijiro, that's not it at all!" She argued. "Of course I want to be close to you! I-I'm just… embarrassed."

"You're always embarrassed, Hana." He sounded almost angry because of this. "How long is that going to be your excuse?"

She held her breath, humiliated by the challenge in his voice. She wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. "What is this about, Eijiro? Why are you so upset?"

He changed position suddenly, pulling her more fully into his arms. He wrapped them around her as her head rested on his chest. She could hear his heart pounding centimeters from her ear. He squeezed her tightly and stroked her braid for a long time.

"Do you…" he swallowed, "still want me?"

She placed her hand on his stomach and balled his shirt up into a fist. "What?" she asked, stunned by the question.

"I've been thinking about it," he said, voice quiet. "It's your last summer at U.A." he explained. "You're going to graduate soon and I'll still be there. Just a dumb kid studying in high school." He was trembling. "It's just… Is the reason you can't talk to me about stuff because you're trying to let me down gently or something? Are you trying to be nice, giving me at least a good time until you're gone? Is that why…" his hand gripped her back tightly. "Is that why you don't want me to touch you anymore?"

She was frozen. While she'd known that her failure to communicate had worn down on their relationship somewhat, she'd had no idea the damage was this bad. She had no idea he was harboring these intense doubts and insecurities all because of her.

"Why do you think I don't want you to touch me?" she asked, in a barely audible whisper.

"Because you've been avoiding me since we went swimming that night. You don't want me in your room and you don't want to visit mine, you don't want to cuddle or do anything but hold hands and sometimes kiss a little. I don't know, I just…" He bit down, then released a groan of frustration. "I wish I didn't make you go with me to the pool that night. If I hadn't, then you'd still want me like you did before. It's been driving me crazy, but I don't know how to fix this. I can't fix it if you just don't like me anymore."

"Eijiro, that's enough." She sat up. "It's not like that."

"Then what is it like, Hana?" he asked, desperately. "You never tell me."

"I know!" Her voice echoed in the trees, too loud for their riverside confessions. She started to cry. "I know…"

"Kinuhana…" he reached up, but she pinned his hand back down.

"Listen to me, Eijiro Kirishima, you… you stupid little second-year." She swung her leg over him and sat on his hips, staring down at his perplexed, longing face. His sad, puppy-dog eyes. She put her palms on his chest and squeezed her eyes shut so she wouldn't have to look at him anymore. She could hear her tears falling onto his shirt below. "I'm not good at talking about my feelings," she said through clenched teeth. "But that doesn't mean I don't feel things, Eijiro. It doesn't mean I don't feel things for you."

"Don't cry," he whispered.

"I feel more things around you than I've ever felt in my entire life," she said, "and I don't know how to express that all the time, and I… I thought it would be enough if I just show you I love you, by being there for you and reaching out to you in whatever ways I can, but I understand now… I understand that it's not enough. That sometimes people need to hear these things to understand each other. Especially people like you, people whose hearts are so big and vulnerable. I should have said this stuff to you like you say it to me all the time. I know you need to hear it."

She lowered herself, crying against his shoulder. "I… I'm in love with you Eijiro," she whispered into his ear. "I love you so much. I love how funny and energetic you are. I love your pointy-toothed smile. I love how honest and straightforward you are, even when it embarrasses me. I get embarrassed because no one has ever lavished me with the kind of love that you give, and my heart isn't big like yours. It's small and… and it can't take all of that love sometimes. But you help me grow. You help me love myself and you help me love you, too."

She dragged her lips up to his and kissed him. "Of course I want you, dummy," she cried. "I want you so much that I lay up at night thinking about you, wishing you would sneak in through my window and hold me all night long. I want to be with you all the time and I want to stay your girlfriend after high school. Eijiro, maybe it's stupid or emotional, but I… I want to be by your side my entire life."

"H-Hana…"

"And don't you dare tell me that you wish we didn't go to the pool that night!" She was practically panting through the tears. "I was nervous and shy, but I think about that night every day, all the time. I'm always thinking about how badly I want you, in every way… I want you as a friend, I want you as a boyfriend, I want… I want your body, too. I want to share myself with you." She let out a shaky breath. "Of course, I want you."

He didn't say anything, just wrapped his arms around her and held her close. She could feel him breathing heavily beneath her, moved in some way by her … to her complete astonishment, he started to laugh.

"I just poured all of that out to you and you're laughing at me?" She stared down at him incredulously. "O-oh." She was dumbfounded when she saw the tears rolling down from the corners of his eyes. He was crying, but grinning too.

"Sorry," he laughed. "I'm just so happy."

She couldn't help it, she started to laugh too. A feeling of immense relief washed over her, as if she'd been waiting to release those words for months now.

"I didn't mean to get so dramatic," he laughed. "I kind of lose my cool around you, Hana."

She looked down at her fingers. "I guess… I lose my cool, too."

"So…" he let out a slow breath. "You… um… you still want to do sexual stuff with me? Even after what happened in the pool?"

This was the embarrassing conversation she'd been afraid of having. But it felt minute in comparison to the fears he'd expressed to her moments ago. A matter of sexual attraction shouldn't be a harder topic to approach than the topic of their relationship breaking down and fears of her dumping him. But, her hammering heart protested anyway.

"I told you how I felt about that on my balcony…" she whispered.

"I know, but then… after you felt my… y'know. That's when you started to act like I had the plague. Did you think it was gross? It was seriously an accident!"

"I-I didn't think it was gross…" her face felt like it was burning, like she'd leaned too close to a campfire. "It was really…" she swallowed. Just say it, Hana. He needs to hear it. You have to talk to him about this stuff now. "...um… really sexy."

"Really?" A spark lit in his eyes.

"Yeah…" she tried to control the quaver in her voice. "Thinking about that night… t-turns me…" She couldn't say it, she was so embarrassed it was almost painful. "...turns my hair purple."

"Good," he said, sounding breathless. "Because I can't stop thinking about you, Hana—and all the things I want to try with you. I want it bad."

"E-Eijiro!" She bit her lip. "T-That's…"

"Embarrassing?"

She nodded. "B-But it's okay… You can say whatever you want."

"What about you?" Eyes sharp in the darkness. "Can you say it too, Hana?"

"Say… what?"

"That you want to do more with me. More than making out."

She breathed shakily through her clenched teeth. "I can't… but…" please understand what I'm trying to say with this. She grabbed his face in her hands and kissed him.

It wasn't the soft, nearly chaste kisses she'd been giving him for the past few weeks, either. This was desperate, hungry, and so full of the love she wanted to express to him. She parted her lips and teased his tongue with her own, asking him to invade her mouth again. He willingly abided by the silent command, plunging his tongue into her mouth with fervent need. They parted for gasping breaths, just to fall back into the kiss once more. Over and over, lighting each other's senses like electricity.

She tugged on his lips with her teeth, eliciting a sharp gasp from his lungs. Then she dragged her tongue along his jaw and to his ear, like she had that night in the pool. He tensed in anticipation, automatically turning his head to give her more access. She didn't hesitate, didn't question her actions at all as she ran her tongue along the soft flesh and bit him again. He moaned, his hands gripping and kneading her hips.

"H-Hana, wait…" he groaned, as she dipped her head lower and nipped his neck, then lower to his shoulder. "I-I…"

"It's okay," she said, softly. She knew what he was trying to say. She had already felt the change taking place. She was sitting on his hips, after all, and was acutely aware of the hardness developing beneath her.

"You're not going to push me away this time?" he asked, as he instinctively rotated his hips slightly, rubbing his growing erection more directly against her.

"You took me by surprise last time," she said, quietly. "And I already told you that I do want you, Eijiro." As if to enunciate this point, she rocked her hips back and made him give a broken moan.

"Hana," he whispered, "that feels so good."

Pride and lust filled her. She kept kissing and biting, a little rougher on his shoulder than before. Her hands slid up under his shirt so she could feel the tight muscles of his stomach and chest. His hands drifted up under her shirt, too. Up her back and sides, nails digging in as she touched him. She felt his hips buck, the hardness between them getting even thicker, more demanding.

"I want you, Hana," he said. "I want you so bad."

"I want you too," she moaned. She was suddenly remembering her fantasies about him. The way she'd imagined him whispering lewdly into her ear, and imagined his fingers slipping inside of her. She shuddered as he ran his own tongue along her neck, and as his palms ventured forward, thumbs dipping below her bra.

"Can we?" he asked.

"Can we… what?" She leaned back, letting his hands have access to her chest. He kept his palms on the outside of her bra, beneath her shirt, but he was feeling, squeezing, massaging her breasts for the first time and it made her insides swirl and ache and cry out for him.

"Can we do it?" he asked. "Tonight?"

She blushed furiously, understanding his meaning at last. "I… W-What is it that you want to do? How far do you want to go?"

"Everything," he said, breathlessly. "All the way."

Of course he does, she thought. He's such a boy.

She lowered herself back down and hugged him. "...I'm not ready for that," she said. "N-Not tonight. I'm sorry."

Sex? Already? I was just barely able to cope with grinding in the pool and he already wants to go there?

"That's okay," he said, surprising her. "I'm just glad that you're able to tell me that. I'm glad you're talking to me."

"Eijiro…" She slowed down her movements, not wanting to get him worked up any further since she was going to deprive him of what he wanted. She kissed him softer this time. "Can we slow down now?" she asked. "I just… want you to hold me."

"Yeah." He let out a heavy breath. "Whatever you need, Hana. I won't ever pressure you."

"Such a gentleman." She removed her hips from his.

"How much are you comfortable with doing?" he asked. "In general, I mean."

"I don't know yet," she said quietly. "But… I'll let you know. I'll keep talking to you about it."

"Thank you." He rolled on his side and tugged her in close. "I love you, Hana."

"I love you too, Eijiro."

It took a while for the steam to escape between them. They were both still hot and yearning, but the kisses and touches got softer and sweeter, as they gathered themselves. Eventually, they were able to relax, snuggled tightly in each other's arms under the dancing light of the fireflies.

So, she thought, this is the reward for communication. I'll have to speak my feelings more often.