Sent

The winner of the Sports Festival was Yaoyorozu's pupil, a girl with a time-freezing quirk. Unfortunately, Orine didn't make it past her first one v. one battle. When she went back into the arena after her run-in with Eijiro and Hana, she seemed distracted and unfocused. The energy she'd displayed during the previous matches was gone, sapped from her as if it had been physically drained. Her exhaustion resulted in her being forced out of bounds within ten minutes of the match.

Eijiro tried to find her after the festival. He sought out her class and asked if anyone had seen her but didn't get any help from her friends. Just a few shrugs and, 'she probably went back to the dorms after that defeat.'

"Eijiro…" Hana rubbed the heel of her hand comfortingly between his tense shoulder blades. "She probably needs some time to herself. It's not your fault."

He couldn't help but think that maybe it was his fault. After she'd seen him with Hana… He shook his head. If Orine had been upset about seeing him with his girlfriend, that wasn't something he could control. He hadn't done anything wrong. He just hoped she'd be able to recover.

"Why don't we go to your room so you can relax?" Hana said.

"Yeah, that sounds good." He sighed as the warring emotions of concern for Orine and excitement to spend time with Hana wrestled in his heart. Hana was right. Spending time with her was sure to soothe his weary mind.

He sat aside thoughts of Orine for the time being, then happily escorted Hana to Heights Alliance.

"Feels like it's been forever since I was here," she said. "Six weeks isn't even that long."

Six weeks is an eternity, he thought.

"I didn't realize how much I miss it," Hana continued as they walked to the stairs. She was marveling at everything they passed. The table, the walls, the kitchen… A distant look in her eyes. "He was right."

"Who was right?" Eijiro asked.

"Huh? Oh, James." She held Eijiro's hand as they ascended the steps. "He kept telling me that it would be good for my mental health to come back to UA. He thinks I'm working too hard."

Nice. The coworker is in my corner!

"You are working too hard," Eijiro commented as they reached his door. "You should take a break more often! With me!"

"Well, I'm with you now aren't I?" There was haughtiness in her tone as she pushed past him and into his dorm room. He snickered before following her inside.

He locked the door behind him and was surprised when he felt Hana's arms wrap around him from behind. Her cheek pressed against his shoulder and her hands fanned out on his chest and stomach. He heard the sigh of pleasure that escaped her lips, feeling the way it brushed the skin of his neck and ear.

"I'm so happy I came today, Eijiro," she whispered. "I missed you."

"Aw, Hana…" he turned in her arms before pulling her in for a tight embrace. "I'm happy too."

He breathed in the scent of her hair. It was imprinted on his mind, intrinsically woven with feelings of comfort, pleasure, joy, and love. His body was programmed to react to that scent, automatically loosening and unfurling, endorphins surging through his veins.

"I love you," he said, just before he captured her mouth in a kiss.

This time, without Yaoyorozu to interrupt them—without a public audience—they fell into their most intimate setting. Lips fervent, tongues dancing and flitting along one another, hands clutching and fingertips exploring.

He was so happy. His mind had been his own worst enemy for the past six weeks, twisting and distorting his thoughts with anxiety and insecurities. But when he was with Hana, those things all disappeared. All he needed was this. Hana with him, loving him like he loved her.

"Mn… Eijiro," she breathed. She deepened their kiss, then withdrew, her tongue tracing his bottom lip. He shuddered in a mixture of surprise and pleasure when her teeth playfully tugged his lip.

"Hey," he growled, "just what are you trying to do, Hana?"

She ran her hands up and down his stomach. "It's been a while…" she said, by way of explanation.

"A while since what?" he teased. He could see the roots of her hair darkening with desire.

"Don't make me say it," she groaned.

"Oh, you're gonna say it," he said, before tugging her hips hard against his. "Since you're the one who started getting feisty."

"Are you saying you don't want to?" she asked, batting her eyelashes up at him.

"There are about a thousand things I want to do with you, Hana," he said. "But not until you tell me what you want."

"Okay, then…" she tugged on his belt. "I want you."

He was surprised by her eagerness. He had expected her to want to chat. He thought they'd catch up, cuddle on his bed, and talk about the problems that had accumulated in their relationship since the term started. Didn't girls prefer talking about their feelings over jumping straight into sex?

Not that he was complaining. They could always talk about their relationship after sex while riding on the residual high of sharing their bodies with one another.

And it had been six weeks.

"I want you, too," he said as he slid his hands up her back, under her shirt.

"Good," she whispered. Then, she broke away from him and closed his curtains, shielding them completely from the outside world.

He watched with piqued interest as she immediately placed her sunglasses on his nightstand, untied the ribbon from her braid, and slipped out of her shirt. She turned toward him as she unclasped her bra—watching his reaction when she let the straps slide from her shoulders and the bra fall to the floor.

"You're so sexy," he said. He was beginning to stiffen—body reacting to the sight of her shimmying out of her capris and panties while she kicked her heels to the side.

"Why are you just standing there?" she asked, as she sauntered toward him, fully on display.

"I wanted to watch," he said with a grin. "It's not every day I get a strip-tease."

"I-I was not giving you a strip-tease." She met him and urged him to take off his shirt with the tug of her fingers on the fabric. "I was just getting naked. Like you should be doing."

"What's the rush?" he teased, though he obliged her by stripping out of his shirt and tossing it to the ground. "No foreplay? You don't want me to tease your nipples through your little lace bralette, or lick you through your panties until you're begging me to let you come?" He pulled these specific examples from his collection of memories, selecting from some of their best experiences.

"Sh," she said, her cheeks taking on a rosy hue. "Don't embarrass me on purpose."

"But you like it—ah…" he was cut off by the feeling of her hands finding him through his pants. One palm stroked him roughly through the fabric while the other hand unbuttoned and unzipped his jeans. "Hana," he growled. "You're extra needy today."

"Will you hush?" she chastised, as she dropped to her knees to tug the rest of his clothes off.

He stepped out of boxers and shorts so that they were both naked. Hana waited patiently—or impatiently—on her knees for him. It made him wonder if she intended to—

"Ah, fuck—" he moaned when she instantly captured his growing need with her lips. She was already pumping, sucking, and teasing before he had gotten fully hard. Of course, the practiced motions of her mouth quickly brought him to full arousal.

She wants me bad, he realized. This revelation made something primal thrash inside of him, eager to meet her desire.

She stood up shortly after, when he'd just started to tangle his hands in her purple hair. "Are you ready, Eijiro?" she asked.

"Ready?" The word barely registered in the haze of lust in his mind. He was still recovering from the shock of her urgency.

"To be inside of me?" she asked. While she said this, she stepped forward and angled herself so that the folds of her sex were gliding along the top of his shaft. She rocked her hips back and forth, sliding along him teasingly, slicking him with the slight dampness of her heat.

"Already?" he asked, his voice hoarse. They'd barely started. Would she even be wet enough to accept him inside of her?

"Yeah," she said as she ran her nails down his chest, letting them catch on his nipples on the way down. "Now."

He didn't even have a chance to respond before she was stepping away from him and leaning onto his bed. She rested on her elbows, leaving her rear hoisted and sex perfectly positioned for his entrance.

"God, that's so hot…" he commented as he stepped closer to her. He stroked the curve of her spine lovingly with his fingertips, then ran his hand through her long hair, marveling at the way it seemed to run off of her skin like water. He dragged his hands to her hips and squeezed, pleased at the way his fingers indented her soft skin.

"Eijiro, come on," she prompted him.

He angled the head of his need, letting it rest against her opening. He smirked to himself as he took the opportunity to tease her, rubbing back and forth across her entrance and her clit. He knew she liked it when he did that. When he left the moment of entry a mystery that she was desperate to solve.

"Eijiro…" she whimpered.

He loved when she said his name like that—as if he was the sole master of her pleasure and she had no choice but to beg him for more.

"Yeah?" he asked, as he barely pressed the tip of his shaft inside of her before pulling out to continue the tease.

"Come on," she moaned. "Put it in."

"I'm kinda thinking I shouldn't," he said. "It might be fun to make you wait since you're so desperate right now." He dipped inside again, making sure the thrust was too shallow to satisfy her. Plus, the teasing assault was giving her core the time to melt—to provide them with the silkiness they needed for the real act.

"You're being so slow," she complained. "Don't you want it, Eijiro?"

"Yeah," he affirmed, before entering her again, a tiny bit deeper. "But I can wait."

"Well I can't," she said, then pushed herself backward, purposely forcing him deeper.

He let out a broken moan as she took control, pushing herself back and moving forward until her rear was bouncing and she was taking him fully inside of her. This was new, and it made that primal sense inside of him take over. Within moments, he was gripping her hips and yanking her into his thrusts, responding to her urgency with his own.

"That's better," she said through a blissful sigh.

He was surprised by her enthusiasm. To his knowledge, this position wasn't the most comfortable for her. She'd told him such in the past. Angles from behind like this didn't do any favors for her and could be painful if he was too rough. And yet, here she was, asking him to be quick and rough with her.

Is she only doing this for me?

Maybe she was trying to be giving and selfless, to make up for the time they'd lost since the last time they'd seen each other. She knew he liked these positions, liked gripping her hair and seeing her squirm and writhe from behind. Maybe she was neglecting her own pleasure at the moment for his.

He didn't like that.

As sweet as the sentiment was, he didn't want their first time together after six weeks to revolve around him. So, he pulled out, despite his instincts screaming at him to go harder, deeper, faster.

"Eijiro?" She looked over her shoulder, confusion on her features.

"I want to make you feel good too, Hana," he explained.

"You are making me feel good, silly boy." She rolled her eyes, but then turned over, grabbed his arm, and pulled him onto the bed with her. "Why don't you lay down?"

He stared into her silver irises, seeing an intent there that made a moan settle on the back of his tongue. He could only muster a nod as he lay down on his back and watched her straddle him.

She looked at his face for a moment, then her eyes flicked to the side as if she was looking at something or maybe thinking about something. Then, she met his gaze with a smile before turning around.

He watched in awe as she lowered herself onto his need from this position. Straddling him backward, so he could see her arched back, hair, and straining thighs.

"Hana…" he moaned. He took the bait, tangling his hand in her hair while she rode him. She let out a whimper of pleasure when he pulled her head back.

She was soon panting with exertion, due to her quick and precise motions. Her skin was red and starting to glisten with sweat. The sight of her like this, along with the rapid motions on his throbbing need, caused his pleasure to swell much quicker than usual.

"Hey…" He gripped her hips and held them down, preventing her from continuing. "S-Slow down, Hana. You're gonna make me come."

She looked over her shoulder at him, her lips parted as she gasped for breath. "Isn't that the point?" she asked, voice amused.

"I don't want to yet," he protested. "We just started, and I haven't done anything for you."

She let out a long exhale before removing herself from him. She turned around to face him, taking on a more natural position. His eyes rolled back as she lowered herself completely onto his cock before laying down on his chest.

"Eijiro," she whispered against his neck while she picked up her motions again. "You're too good, you know that?"

He let out a shaky moan. "I just want to be a good boyfriend," he said, as a shiver went through his body.

"You worry too much," she said, then drew her tongue out along his neck and collarbone, tasting his sweat and making him shudder again. "You're already perfect."

He instinctively raised his hips and thrust upward when she bit down on his collarbone. She nipped him with her teeth, slid her tongue to his shoulder, then bit down hard again.

"Fuck, that's not fair, Hana!" Pleasure overwhelmed his nerves with every bite. She knew it was one of his weaknesses and she was using that to her advantage. She hummed against his skin, moved her lips back to his neck, and bit the sensitive skin here too. This elicited a loud, longing moan from the recesses of his throat.

"You're so close, Eijiro," she said, drawling her words. "I can feel it."

"H-Hana, I—"

She cut him off with a kiss. He moaned into her mouth, then gasped when she bit down on his bottom lip again and tugged.

"Eijiro," she sang, moving her lips to breathe against his ear. "I know you're going to come," she whispered. "So, do it already. Come for me." She followed this up with her teeth, snagging on his ear, biting the sensitive skin, and pulling.

It was too much for him to take. He pulled her hips harshly down as he thrust upward. He turned his head to the side and let out a rasping moan as the pleasure unraveled. He could feel himself pulsing with every wave of intoxicating pleasure, his erection throbbing inside of her as he violently expelled himself.

"There you go," she mused, rocking slightly on his still bursting need, milking every last drop with the tight walls of her sex.

"God, Hana…" he said through heavy breaths. "That was… ah…"

"I'm glad you liked it," she said, softly.

He felt her lips tenderly kiss his while his eyes were closed. He shuddered as she removed herself from his softening groin and rolled off the bed.

He sat up, disoriented from the explosive orgasm he'd just had. "Hana…?"

She was stooping to the ground and gathering up her discarded clothes.

"I'm sorry, Eijiro," she said. She sat on his bed and used a hand towel from his shelf to wipe up the evidence of his essence still dripping from her opening. "That took longer than I thought."

"Wait, what are you saying?" He blinked, still trying to make sense of everything as he came down from his high.

"I have to go to work. James is sick, so I have to pitch to the new potential clients." She pulled her underwear and pants on, then fiddled with her bra, cursing when her hair caught in the clasps.

"Hold on… you're leaving?" He stared at her in disbelief. "But I thought you had the day off?"

"I said I got some time off," she explained, as she finally situated her bra. "I wasn't able to get the whole day. I thought I told you that this morning?"

"No," he said, feeling disappointment start to ball up in his chest. "You didn't tell me that."

"Oh." She slid her shirt on. "I'm sorry, I thought I mentioned it. I would stay if I could but they need me."

"I need you," he said, quickly. "I thought I'd get to spend the whole day with you. I thought… I mean I figured we'd have dinner together and watch something and talk or… I don't know."

"Eijiro," she said, her voice exasperated. "I'm sorry to disappoint, okay? I wanted to do those things too, and I swear I would if I could but—"

"Wait, so were you trying to get sex over with as soon as possible so you could leave?" For some reason, this revelation felt like a knife digging into the ball of disappointment in his chest.

"It's not like that," she sighed.

"Hana, if I'd known you had to leave then I wouldn't even have…"

"Are you complaining that I had sex with you?" She turned on him with anger in her silver eyes as she buttoned her capris.

"It's not that!" He threw his legs over the edge of the bed and leaned down to pick up his boxers. He suddenly felt too exposed. "I'm always glad to share that with you, Hana, but… There were things I wanted to talk to you about and… well, you didn't even get to finish because that was so quick, so—"

"We can talk on the phone," she said, as she pulled a hairbrush out of her purse and ran it through her locks, which had quickly lost their purple color and shifted back to blonde. "And we don't both have to climax every time. It's okay to just have quickie sex sometimes."

"Of course it is!" He pulled his boxers on and sat back down, staring at her. "But maybe not when we haven't seen each other in six weeks and you only have a few minutes before you ditch me."

"Oh my god," she rolled her eyes. "Don't be dramatic, I'm not ditching you." She started to braid her hair. "Eijiro, don't make me feel more guilty about this than I already do, please. I wanted to spend the whole day with you. I thought I was going to be able to but then James called me this morning because he's sick. I wanted to make the most out of the time I had with you."

"I get that, but…" His jaw clenched and unclenched. "I feel like you're doing that thing again, that you do sometimes."

"What thing?" she asked, sounding increasingly more agitated.

"You know… that thing you do when you're avoiding me. You try to do the bare minimum to make me feel better when really you're just trying to stay away."

"You think me opening my body up to you and being completely vulnerable is the bare minimum?" Her expression was incredulous. "Eijiro, I was trying to be intimate with you. I was trying to show you how much I care about you and love you before I had to leave! I'm sorry that's not good enough for you!"

"Hana, come on…" He stood up. "It's not that it's not good enough, just… See, this is what I was talking about! We need to talk about what's going on in our relationship because we keep arguing about this stuff and—"

"You're the one blowing this whole thing out of proportion, Eijiro!" She tied the end of her braid in the ribbon, then snatched her sunglasses off his nightstand. "And I don't have time to talk to you right now because I have to go to work. It's not my fault you don't understand how important this job is to me."

"You think I don't know that?" He snapped, feeling his anger start to surface. "Trust me, I can tell that your job is way more important to you than I am!"

She stared at him, mouth agape and tears forming in her eyes. "Is that how you really feel, Eijiro?"

"I…" he swallowed, already regretting the words. Or did he? It was true, after all. More and more he felt as though Hana's new full-time schedule was more valuable to her than their relationship. "Kind of?"

She dabbed at the corner of her eyes with her sleeve. "I am trying my best!" she said, voice frantic, almost a cry. "I'm trying my best for me… for us." She looked at the ceiling, trying to prevent the tears from escaping. "I'm trying!"

"I know, Hana…Please don't cry." Now guilt compiled on top of his other negative emotions.

"No, you don't know! Because you're still a high schooler who has no idea what it's like to be an adult! To try and provide for yourself and plan for the future and keep your job and…" She abruptly turned her back on him. "I'm leaving."

"Hold on!" He stood up and reached for her. "Hana, if… if you can't stay right now, then can we talk tomorrow? I really think we should…"

"Goodbye, Eijiro."

She didn't look back as she stepped out of his room and slammed the door behind her.

Eijiro stood there for a long time, hand still outstretched as if he could will her back to him. Eventually, his arm dropped. He slumped back down onto his bed and put his face in his hands.

It didn't make sense. He'd spent most of the day with her. They'd smiled, laughed, kissed, had sex… it was everything he'd been missing this whole time, so…

Why was he crying?

Somehow, he felt even worse than he had before. His loneliness felt even vaster, even darker now that he had seen Hana. It wasn't supposed to be like that… They were supposed to be able to talk about their hardships, share their worries and make compromises and be together. But here he was, feeling farther from Kinuhana Kanzashi than he ever had before.

He saw his phone screen light up. Was it her? Was it going to be a wall of text about how he was supposed to support her while she worked full-time—about how she needed him to be patient and strong for her but he had failed? Or would it be an apology and a promise to meet up soon to resolve their issues? Or… could it be a break-up text? Angry words saying that she needed a break, or implications that she was going to go be with someone who could understand her work struggles—someone like her American coworker, maybe?

The tears were hot and unwelcome on his cheeks. He picked up his shirt and used it to wipe them away as he unlocked his phone, fully expecting something from Hana.

But it wasn't Hana's name that showed up. It was Orine's.

"Hi, senpai. I wanted to say sorry for earlier. I didn't mean to act weird. I guess I was jealous because I wanted you to pay attention to my matches and not to Kanzashi. That was mean of me, and it cost me that one-on-one battle. I'm sorry for losing the match. I wanted to impress you but I guess I screwed up. I hope you don't think badly of me now. Sorry."

Orine… He was shocked that she was just coming out and admitting that she was jealous of Hana. But, he supposed, that was the difference between the two girls. Hana kept her true feelings bottled up and out of reach, often denying them or running from them until they hurt someone. Orine tried to mask her emotions temporarily, but they always came quickly and boldly to the surface, where she displayed them with an innocent honesty that was… admirable. She was much more straightforward—much simpler to understand.

His thumbs hovered over the empty text box.

I shouldn't.

A stray tear landed on his phone screen, reminding him of the unpleasant encounter he'd had with his girlfriend.

I know how Orine feels about me, so I shouldn't.

He closed his eyes and let out a ragged breath. His mind was bombarded with images of Hana. Of the way she was touching him and begging him to touch her. Not because she wanted it, but because she wanted it to be over.

It's fine, he reasoned with a slow breath. I just need to relax and clear my head. We fought. Couples fight. It was a misunderstanding. I need to cool off.

He sat his phone down while he measured his breathing. Just calm down, Eijiro. Find something to occupy yourself. You could punch the punching bag, find Katsuki, go for a run, or…

He picked his phone up again, slowly.

Hanging out with someone would be the best way to get my mind off of Hana. That's what I need right now. I need a friend.

His fingers trembled. He willed them to stay still.

I just need a friend to talk to.

He typed the response but his thumb still hovered above the send arrow.

It's not like that. Just a friend. He wasn't doing anything wrong…

"You don't have to apologize, Orine! Thx for being honest. I still wanna talk about your battle! You wanna get dinner together? My gf just left. We could hit up the cafeteria and hang out?"

Sent.

A/N: Okay, after editing this chapter and looking in retrospect, I have to agree, Hana really is the bad guy here. XD

But my boy Eijiro really be playing with fire now...