A/N: Get yourselves a glass of milk because things are about to get spicy.

Progress

Eijiro slept in, which was really rare for him. But he hadn't been able to sleep last night, not after what Hana did, down by the river. It was all he could think about. The way she straddled his hips, slid her hands under his shirt and touched him. Her lips and tongue and teeth. Most of all, he thought about how she'd rocked her hips on him and didn't shy away when she felt him getting hard. He'd been so worried before that she thought he… or it was repulsive in some way. Now he knew that she didn't feel that way at all. He'd seen flickering fireflies land in her purple hair and knew that she wanted him as bad as he wanted her.

He'd tossed and turned, replaying it over and over. And when that wasn't enough, he imagined the night ending differently. He must have fantasized dozens of different endings, while he laid on his stomach, fingers tightly gripping his pillow, heavy breathing muffled by the cotton, pelvis pressing down against his palm.

It was wrong, and he knew that. But it didn't stop him. Hana wanted him, and he wanted her, and she was just across the hall from him, so close and so warm. He'd bitten down hard on the pillow, resisting the urge to pant her name—or the more forbidden urge to get up and creep into her room to lay down with her and beg for more. More touching. More moaning. More of her teeth and hips.

In the morning, he was horrified to see that he'd pierced the pillowcase with his teeth.

"Ugh, I'm a mess," he groaned to himself as the sunlight poured in from his windows. In more ways than one, he realized.

He set to work cleaning up and getting dressed. Shoved his pillow in the closet with the futon and prayed that he'd be able to find an extra pillowcase somewhere. Then, he sat cross-legged in front of the mirror and started working on gelling his hair the way he liked it. While he did so, he started to hear voices beyond the thin door, coming from the kitchen.

"...shima, with all due respect…"

That was Hana's voice, he realized, and she sounded upset. Concerned, he ditched his hair gel and went to the door. He'd slid it open an inch when he paused, overhearing more of the conversation.

"I don't want to hear it," his mom said, her voice a cold snap. "Your cooking is as abysmal as your personality. How do you expect to provide for a family one day if you can't even make a proper breakfast?"

Mom… he sighed.

"That's enough!" Hana said, surprising him. He'd heard that tone before. She was usually so soft-spoken, but if she was particularly flustered or upset, those words came out, sharp and demanding. "I'm tired of you being so mean to me."

"That's no way to speak to your elders, young lady," his mom hissed back.

"No," Hana said, as equally sharp. "You don't get to keep treating me like I'm not worthy to be with your son."

He knew he shouldn't be eavesdropping, but curiosity got the better of him. He opened the door just a little wider to hear better.

"Excuse me for wanting to protect my darling boy," was the haughty response. "You don't understand how precious he is to me. I was thirty-five when I gave birth to that boy. I didn't even know if I could have children, let alone one as strong and healthy as he was. I refuse to let him have anything but the best, and you are not the best."

"That's not your call to make!" Hana snapped. There was a moment of silence, then she continued, softer this time. "Mrs. Kirishima, I know that you think I'm some flighty teenage girl who doesn't know what she wants, but that's not true."

His mother didn't respond.

"It's hard for me to express myself, but… I want to be with Eijiro. I don't intend to leave him or hurt him. I've thought all of this through! I've looked at apartments I can move into near the school after I graduate so that I can stay close to him. I've put in my application at the Jeanist hero agency so that I can secure a job and future for myself so that I can be stable for myself and for him. I've gone so far as to look into homes with locations near Fat Gum's hero agency in case that's where Eijiro wants to work as a hero after he graduates. I'm always looking into the future, even if it seems like I'm not, because… Because I know what I want, and I'm serious about this."

Eijiro's heart started to pound. He'd been so worried that Hana would leave him after graduation, but… She'd been doing all of this research the entire time? He suddenly felt stupid for doubting her.

"That's all good and well but—"

"I'm not done," Hana interrupted. "The reason I feel this way, and the reason I'm so confident about my relationship with him, even though we haven't been dating a full year yet… is because he and I make each other better."

Eijiro couldn't see her, but he could imagine her fists trembling, the tears in her eyes, her braid woven with streaks of red and maybe pink too, as she confessed these embarrassing things to his mother.

"I… started off as his tutor," she continued. "That's something that I've held onto and taken seriously since the first day we met. No, it might not be in the literal sense anymore, but… I work hard to teach him things, to give him guidance, encouragement, and support when he needs it. He's way more self-conscious and emotional than he seems to others, so I help him have the confidence he needs to be a powerful hero and man. And in return, he… he makes me a more honest, bold person. He teaches me how to accept who I am, to embrace my feelings, and how to express all of my hopes and ideas to him and to the world. We balance each other out, shape each other into better versions of ourselves."

Again, his mom was silent.

"I'm so lucky…" Hana said, quietly, her voice shaky with tears. "Most high schoolers don't get to have this kind of love. They fumble around, dating a bunch of people they aren't compatible with. They slip in and out of unhealthy or detrimental relationships until they're able to decide who they are and what they want. But it's not like that for us, because… Well, because Eijiro always knows what he wants, and he's not afraid to say it. And, even though I am afraid to say it, I know what I want, too."

They were both quiet after this. Hana's words had a sense of finality to them that resonated through the quiet air.

"Is that all?" his mom said, after a long moment.

"Y-Yes…" Hana said. "I apologize for the disrespect. I just wanted to… communicate my feelings."

Then, there was soft, chiming laughter. He knew his mom was grinning.

"I see," she said. "In that case, you have my blessing."

"...What? It was that easy?"

Eijiro restrained a snort of laughter.

"I'm sorry for being so harsh with you, Kanzashi," his mom said. "The truth is, I liked you the moment I saw you, but I knew that you are very similar to myself. I wanted to test you, to see if you could muster the courage to stand up for your relationship. In my younger days, I too struggled with such things."

"We're… alike?" There was distaste in his girlfriend's tone.

"Yes," his mom said. "We are both passionate, driven women, with emotions too powerful for our small hearts, wouldn't you say?"

That sounded exactly like something Hana had said last night. She'd referred to her heart as small, too, and easily overwhelmed by feelings.

"And I guess…" Hana agreed, reluctantly, "we're both kind of mean sometimes."

"Yes, well…" his mom's voice was soft. "We were each fortunate enough to meet young men with enough love to make up for it. And you know what they say, Kanzashi. Men marry their mothers."

"I-I'm not that much like you," Hana protested. "A-And I didn't say anything about marriage."

"You've already considered it because, like me, you're always thinking years ahead, aren't you?"

"A-Anyway…"

His mom laughed. "Why don't you go get that slouch out of bed. I'll go outside and find Saichiro for breakfast."

Eijiro slid the door quickly shut and then went back to his position in front of the mirror so he wouldn't be caught eavesdropping. Hana knocked a moment later. "Eijiro, are you awake?"

"Yeah, come on in!"

She stepped inside as he gelled up another spike of red hair.

"Breakfast is ready," she said, with a soft smile. "I'm surprised you slept so long."

"I'm on vacation," he said, smoothly. "Of course I'm gonna relax."

She nodded, totally fine with this explanation.

"I'm almost done if you wanna wait in here with me for a sec," he suggested.

She nodded but didn't say anything. Was she thinking about her conversation with his mom? Or, like him, was she still thinking about last night? Did thoughts of him keep her awake, fidgeting on her own futon? Did she ever touch herself while thinking about him? The idea made him blush.

He reached for another glob of hair gel, then groaned when he realized the container was empty. "Hey, Hana? Can you do me a favor and get my other hair gel from my suitcase?"

"Sure." She crouched next to the open suitcase. "Where is it?"

"Should be in that side zipper next to the—" his eyes suddenly went wide in the mirror. "W-Wait! Never mind, don't—"

It was too late. He whipped around just in time to see Hana pulling a handful of small square packages from the zipper pouch.

"Ah… E-Eijiro, are these…" Her face went so red that it looked like it was glowing, and at the same time, her hair was flushed entirely pink.

"I can explain!" He flailed across the floor over to her. "Ms. Kayama gave them to me, and I—"

"Midnight… gave you c-condoms?" Her eyes went wide with even deeper horror.

"No! I mean y-yeah, but not like that! We had a sex-ed class and she sort of dumped them into my bag, and…" he trailed off, feeling just as red in the face as she was.

"And you brought them with you…?" she was still holding them, inspecting them like foreign objects. "H-How many did you think we were going to need?"

"You've got the wrong idea!" He held his hands up. "I didn't think we'd use them at all! I just… Ms. Kayama told us we should always be prepared, so I was just gonna bring one in case… but then I didn't even know what to bring so I just grabbed them all!"

"O-Oh…" she turned them over in her hands. "These are… s-some of them are f-flavored?"

"Hana!" He finally grabbed her wrists and made her drop them back into the bag. "J-Just forget about it, okay?" He shoved them back into the pocket and retrieved his hair gel. "Like I said, we don't have to use them. I won't pressure you to do anything. It was… just in case."

"R-Right." She scooted away from the suitcase like it was now rigged with explosives. "That was… very responsible of you."

"I guess so, huh?" He scratched the back of his head, awkwardly.

"I'm gonna… go set the table," Hana said, standing up. Her hair was still all solid pink.

"Okay," he gulped. "I'll finish my hair and be right out."

She slipped out of his room. He groaned and put his face in his hands. That was so embarrassing. Stupid sex-ed class. Still… at least now she knew they were there in case… He shook his head. She'd already told him she wasn't ready for that, and that was okay. If she changed her mind one day, he'd roll with it. For now, his little packets of fun would just stay tucked away.

After lunch, his parents made an announcement.

"We'll be headed to the city for a festival," his dad said. "Just me and Yasuna."

"What?" Eijiro complained. "Why can't we go with you?"

"Because you're not nineteen," his mom said with a smirk. "And it's a beer festival."

"Man, that's so lame," he huffed. "Wish I still had the fake I.D. Kaminari made me."

"You used a fake I.D.?" Hana and his mom said simultaneously while his dad laughed out loud.

"N-No, I never used it! I just had it. It's a long story and it has a lot to do with my best friend Katsuki."

"At any rate," his dad chuckled. "Here's some money and tickets for the fireworks festival in town. You guys can enjoy that while we're gone."

Hana looked at the money and shook her head. "That's way too much," she argued.

"Don't sweat it, kid," his dad said. "It's just my life's savings, nothing too big."

Hana's expression sank even more while his parents laughed.

"How long are you going to be gone?" Eijiro asked.

His parents looked at one another. "Well, the city is quite a drive and we'll both be drinking so… We rented a hotel there. We'll probably be back around midday tomorrow."

Eijiro blinked. "Overnight?" he asked. He and Hana were going to be… alone?

"Yep, so you'd better protect this house, understand young man. With your life, if you need to."

"Yes, sir!" he said, automatically.

An hour later his parents left. They had already called and scheduled a car to pick up Eijiro and Hana to take them to the firework festival that evening.

The next two hours were… awkward. They were alone in the cabin together, which somehow made being with each other seem taboo. They still didn't really know how to talk to each other after doing stuff like they did last night. Were they just supposed to act like it didn't happen, or…? He wasn't sure, so he tried to lighten the mood the best he could with jokes and enthusiasm. They ended up watching tv together until their driver showed up. It was nice… Hana leaned against him and held his hand, then eventually giggled as he laid his head in her lap and pretended to fall asleep.

The rest of the evening was spent at the festival. They played games and ate treats, watched dancers, and ate local cuisine. They shot some of their own fireworks, nearly catching Hana's kimono on fire in the process. Then, the big show started, and they sat together on the grass, watching the beautiful shapes and colors explode brilliantly in the sky.

"Reminds me of your hair," he whispered into her ear. "All those colors changing so fast, I mean."

"My hair does not change color that much," she pouted.

"Hey, look, that one's my favorite!" He pointed up at a bright burst of purple light.

"Eijiro!" She shoved him, laughing, then gasped when he caught her lips in a kiss.

After some ice cream, they met their driver, who took them back to the cabin. It was late, and they were buzzing with all the happy feelings of the festival, which were somehow keeping them just above exhaustion.

"That was fun," he said, grinning.

"Yeah," she agreed. "And it was nice to be alone with you. It felt like a date."

"It totally was a date!" he said, though he sounded more amazed than insistent, like he hadn't realized until she said it.

She rolled her eyes and kissed him on the cheek. "We should get ready for bed," she said. "It's really late."

"Kay," he squeezed her hand. "I'm gonna shower and then—"

"Eijiro," she interrupted, "can't you… just shower in the morning?"

He blinked at her, uncomprehending. He tried to read her body language, as Midnight had taught them. Her cheeks were rosy, her hair half-pink. She was clutching onto him like a child, and her eyes seemed big. "Why?" he asked. "What's up?"

He saw the way her lip quivered. She was embarrassed, afraid to say whatever she was thinking out loud.

"Do you… want to do something with me instead?" he guessed, carefully. He hadn't meant it in a sensual way but saw her blush deepen and the roots of her hair turn dark.

"I want…" she swallowed, avoiding his gaze.

"Hana," he picked her chin up, forcing her to look at him. "It's okay. You can trust me. You don't have to be shy."

She nodded, slowly. "I just want you to sleep with me," she admitted, quietly. "Like… hold me while I sleep, I mean. I keep thinking about it," she whispered. "How good it felt to be in your arms yesterday. I wanted to fall asleep like that."

He blushed. Of course, she had gone to bed thinking about how nice and warm their cuddle-session had been, while he was fantasizing about sex. Guilt made his throat constrict.

"Of course," he grinned, after clearing his throat. "I'll cuddle you all night long, cutie," he teased.

She smiled, then tugged him down the hall to their rooms. He stripped down to a tanktop and shorts for bed. Ordinarily, he'd prefer to just be in his boxers but somehow thought that would be kind of risky for a night alone with his girlfriend. He grabbed his futon and pillow and dragged them to her room. He laid his stuff out next to hers, panicked and turned his pillow bite-side down, then sat cross-legged on the blanket while Hana finished in the bathroom.

She was still dressed when she walked back into the room, but her makeup was wiped off and her braid undone. "Do you want to brush my hair, Eijiro?"

"Sure!"

She sat down in front of him then handed him the brush. "Softly, okay? It's really sensitive."

He pulled the brush gently through her hair, which was now wavy from her braid. It was long again, blonde tips brushing her lower back. He relished in the soft, smooth texture. It was somehow untangled, with no fly-aways or stray pieces.

Hana liked when he touched her hair, he could tell. She was like this when he did her braid the other day. Eyes closed and eyelashes fluttering, lips parted in euphoria. He noticed then, like he noticed now, that just a little bit of purple spread from her roots and down. He didn't tell her, of course. He didn't want her getting embarrassed again, not when she was so enraptured by his hands in her hair that it was bringing her real pleasure.

After several minutes brushing and re-brushing her hair, and breathing in her welcome scent, he sat the brush down.

"Thank you," she whispered.

"Anytime," he smiled.

She stood up while he stretched out on his futon. His stomach was all nerves now. The thought of sleeping with Hana all night long made him feel lightheaded. They'd taken naps with each other on the occasional afternoon in their dorm rooms, but this was different. There was no curfew, no supervision. They got to sleep through the night and wake up side by side. The thought made him feel warm and fuzzy, and excited too. It felt like… they were adults, real lovers who lived together and slept together and touched each other's rousing forms in the light of the sunrise.

I so don't want to go back to the dorms after this.

He thought Hana would dig through her suitcase to get pajamas now, then disappear into the bathroom to get dressed. Girls take so long. But to his surprise, she closed the bedroom door and stood there for a moment, her back to him.

Then… she hooked her hands under her shirt and began to shimmy it over her head.

Eijiro stared, something below his stomach giving a sudden, longing twitch.

He remembered the night they went to the pool and the way she had chastised him for looking at her panties, so he rolled over and looked out the window instead, acutely aware of her undressing behind him.

"Eijiro," her voice was a whisper. "You can look… if you want."

Permission? He swallowed hard. "Are you sure?" he asked.

"Yeah… J-just don't say anything embarrassing."

He rolled back over to look at her. She had stripped down to her bra and panties, and stood awkwardly in front of the door, one arm crossed over her stomach. Her hair was bright pink, and she couldn't meet his gaze.

He felt another deep, aching twitch in his shorts. She was gorgeous. Her smooth, slender skin adorned with matching red bra and panties that looked thin and silky. It was the most he'd ever seen of her. The swimsuit she wore at school was up to dress-code, so it didn't show her stomach or cleavage. He'd touched her last night and felt her torso and breasts, but it was different to see her now, exposed to him like this. "You're the prettiest girl I've ever seen," he said, breathlessly.

"I told you not to say anything embarrassing," she huffed, going pinker.

"Sorry," he laughed, "but it's true."

She took a deep breath. Again, he expected her to get pajamas and crawl into bed with him, and again she surprised him. Instead, she turned off the light and joined him just like this, body clad only in the underwear.

"Hana…?" he swallowed nervously as she laid down, facing him.

"Yes?" she asked, softly.

"Can I…" The rest of the sentence nearly dove off his tongue, but he caught it just in time. Can I feel you? Can I press myself down on you and take those clothes off and touch you everywhere?

"You want… to touch me, right?" she asked.

"Duh," he said through a quiet snicker. "You just crawled into bed with me almost naked."

She didn't say anything for a moment. Then, she ran her fingers down his arm until she found his hand. She held it with her own and guided it over before resting it in the dip of her side. "I want you to touch me too."

"You're getting bold, Hana," he commented, as he spread his fingers out on her smooth skin.

"I guess you're rubbing off on me," she whispered.

He smiled, then leaned over to kiss her. Their lips moved together while he explored her bare stomach, side, and back with his fingers. He dragged his hand low, to the waistband of her panties, and heard her inhale sharply. But it wasn't the same kind of breath she took when he touched her other places. It sounded surprised, scared even. "I won't," he assured her. He remembered Midnight's lesson. He had to learn to read Hana's body language, when she was too shy or embarrassed to tell him what she wanted—or didn't want.

He slid his hand back up, instead, to the silky bra that she wore. "Can I touch your boobs again?" he asked. "Like last night?"

She groaned and pulled a pillow over her face. "Why do you have to ask? I'm here in some stupid panty set, aren't I? I don't even wear the color red."

"You're wearing this for me?" he asked, the clothes taking on a whole new meaning now.

"Obviously," she huffed. "So… since the bra and underwear are basically yours anyway," she swallowed. "You can touch them or do whatever you want."

He placed his hand on her shoulder and pushed it down, naturally forcing her onto her back. She gasped, looking up at him with wide, dilated eyes. That's a good sign, he remembered. He kissed her again as his palms explored her stomach and ribs, then further up, to her breasts. He squeezed on the outside of the fabric, heat and desire ricocheting through him with the simple touch.

No one has ever touched her like this, he realized. I'm her first… She's mine. She's letting me touch her because she loves me and wants me too.

The thoughts made him woozy. "Hana…" he moaned against her neck, after dragging his tongue along the sensitive stretch of skin there. "Can I take it off?"

"Take… what off?" she said, her breathing rapid and voice hoarse.

"Your bra," he said, hand dipping around her back to the clasp.

"I… I don't know…" she squirmed beneath him, mouth parted with thirst.

"I'll be gentle," he promised. "You'll like it."

"I know that, dummy," she said. "It's just… so embarrassing."

He waited, desperate for her answer. Finally, she relented, rolling slightly to give him more access to her back. He undid the bra and pulled the straps from her shoulders, eagerly.

"D-Don't look at them, okay? You can touch, but don't look."

"That's kind of backward, isn't it?" he teased.

"I'll make you sleep in your own room!"

"Okay, okay," he laughed. Then, she helped him slide the bra off of her arms. He took a deep breath, trying to control his nearly panting lungs. Finally, he drew his hands along her sides and up, against the mounds of soft skin.

"Don't look," she whimpered, grabbing his head so he was forced to keep his gaze on her face. "It's embarrassing."

He swallowed hard, but kept his gaze on hers as he cupped her breast with his hand and gave an experimental squeeze. "So soft," he breathed, "and squishy."

"Don't say anything stupid, either!" she snapped, but her vision was disoriented, her cheeks so flushed that she looked feverish.

She likes me touching her here.

She didn't realize that looking at her expressions was so much more telling than letting him look at her boobs. He could see the wild lust in her eyes and parted lips. Watched in fascination as she bit her lip and threw her head back when his calloused palm brushed her nipple.

"That's so sexy, Hana," he growled, as he repeated the motion.

"S-Stop being embarrassing," she panted.

"I kinda think you like it," he observed, while also rubbing his thumb over her nipple, feeling the soft bud beneath his fingertips. "You like when I say what I'm thinking…"

She whined, arching her back as he pinched her nipple softly between his fingers.

"W-What are you thinking?" she asked, breathlessly.

"I can't tell you," he said, as equally breathless.

"You can tell me anything," she said. "Even the embarrassing stuff."

He let out a shaky breath. "Honestly, Hana… I'm thinking that I want to know what you feel like down there." He touched the waistband of her panties again. "I want to know if I make you wet."

"E-Eijiro!" She squeaked and clamped her thighs tightly shut.

"You asked," he pointed out.

"You have zero restraint," she chided. "Can't we do like one thing at a time before you think about going there?"

"I'm sorry," he sighed. "You just get me so excited. I want to try everything all at once with you."

She didn't say anything. Instead, she wrapped her arms around him and pulled him down to her, chest to chest. "Lay on me, Eijiro."

"But… I'm hard and I'm not even wearing jeans. You'll feel me."

"I know," she whispered. "Just do what I tell you to, second-year."

He definitely wasn't going to argue. He adjusted himself over her and pressed down, shifting his body weight so he wasn't crushing her, but still laying partly on top of her. The source of his excitement was flush against her thigh now, and he had to resist the urge to move to the right and thrust himself down against her red panties.

She wrapped her arms around him and ran her nails up and down his back, sending shivers of pleasure all the way through him.

"Eijiro…" she breathed against his neck. "You make me feel so good… My heart and my body."

"I'm your boyfriend," he whispered. "It's my job."

"Why do you like me so much?" she asked.

"Cuz you're smart, and cute, and I love how shy and sweet you are." He instinctively thrust against her thigh, even though he was trying not to. "You're perfect to me."

"Eijiro…" She let out a soft sigh.

"Hana…" he controlled his breathing after a moment. "Do you want to do more tonight? Or are you done?"

"Why?" she asked, her silver eyes wide in the semi-darkness.

"Just because… I could probably stop right now, but if we do any other stuff, then…" he trailed off.

"Then… what?" she asked.

"Then I'll have to… finish. You know… I'll have to come. Somewhere, at least. I won't be able to control it after a certain point, when I start feeling really, really good. And I already feel really good, so…" he sighed. "Tell me if you want to stop or keep going."

She was tense as she considered his words. "Like… if you kept rubbing against me like that, then you'd… in your shorts?"

"Yeah," he said. "Because I want you so bad."

"That's so seriously weird to think about," she groaned.

"I'm just telling you the truth!" he said. "My hot girlfriend is wiggling around underneath me, topless and sexy. I'm trying to be a man and respect you, but I'm also a regular dude."

She giggled. "Okay… then… that's enough for tonight. I'm sorry if I got you too excited."

He pulled away from her. A sad pang of dissatisfaction touched his groin but he ignored it. "It's cool," he said. "I finally got to second base, so that counts for something."

"Second base," she deadpanned. "Are you serious?"

"What?!" he laughed. "Kaminari beat me to it like a month ago!"

"Was this just some sort of level for you to conquer, Eijiro Kirishima?" she snapped.

"No, of course not!"

"Because if that's the case, it's not fair that you get to brag about touching my boobs when you've been wearing a shirt this whole time!"

He blinked and looked down at his tanktop. A grin settled on his features. "Geez, Hana, if you wanted to touch my muscles so bad, you coulda asked." He stripped the tanktop off and tossed it to the side. "I'm all yours, Kinuhana."

She shoved him suddenly onto his back and assaulted his chest with kisses.

"H-Hey! That tickles!" He writhed away from her but she pinned him down, laughing against his skin.

"Second base, huh? Stupid boys. See how you like it." She ran her hands over his chest and teased his nipple with her thumb, which should not have caused as much pleasure as it did. He instantly felt a zap of longing shoot into his hardened core.

"Hana, cut it out." He gripped her by the arms and pulled her against his chest. "Now you're just teasing me."

"S-Sorry," she whispered.

"Are you sure you don't want to go all the way?" he asked. "I have condoms."

"Eijiro…" she sighed.

"Just thought I'd ask!" He hugged her tightly against him, then kissed her, gently this time. "Are you ready for bed, babe?"

"Babe?" She blinked at him, and he could tell she was blushing, even in the dark. "D-don't call me that."

"Why not?"

"I don't know, because it's…"

"Something a boy would call his girlfriend?" he teased. He pressed his lips against her hair. "I love you, baby."

"Hmph." She snuggled down next to him with a huff.

He laughed and put his arms around her.

He was still wildly aroused from tonight's interaction, but the day's events were wearing on him too. He was exhausted, and it was surprisingly easy to start drifting to sleep, even with the insistent pulsing in his shorts. "You… really wanna live with me after high school, Hana?" he asked, as waves of darkness began to overtake him.

"What are you talking about? Did you hear me talking to your mom?"

He didn't answer.

She sighed. "Go to sleep, Eijiro. You already know the answer to that."

"Mm…" he breathed against her purple hair. "I can't wait to live with you and touch you every day. Imagine all the sex we'll have."

She elbowed him. "You're too bold! I'm a lady, okay? Not some sex-driven animal like you."

He laughed. "You're my lady, Hana. All mine…"

She gave a soft, happy giggle. "And you're my big, strong man, Eijiro."