Making Things Right
Eijiro stood in the cafeteria with a tray in his hands, feeling both lost and alone.
For the past couple of weeks, he'd been eating with Orine. But now that he cut off that unhealthy relationship, he wasn't sure where to go. He'd avoided the cafeteria altogether for the past two days, instead retreating to the dorm to avoid any unwanted attention. He used to eat with Katsuki, but he knew he'd lost his respect after the stunts he pulled with Orine. Ashido was another good choice, but she wasn't here—neither was her boyfriend. They were probably eating outside in their special, haunted gazebo.
Even sitting with other people from Class 3-A felt… wrong. Kaminari, Sero, Mineta…would be sure to mock him for his relationship failures. The others might not do so aloud, but he swore he could feel the judgment they were trying to hide. Everyone with eyes and/or ears had heard about Orine breaking down in class on Monday, and heard the endless and creative rumors about the two of them—which ranged from him turning down a love letter, to him tying her up in the gym after a training session.
His shame was already unmanageable. Maybe it would be better for him to just be alone…
"KIRISHIMA."
He tensed as Katsuki's voice roared over the chatter of the crowd. He found him instantly at a corner table, surprisingly without Aisla or Todoroki with him. He took one look at Eijiro and slammed his hand down hard on the empty seat next to him. It wasn't just an invitation to join. It was a demand.
Eijiro trudged to the table and reluctantly sat down, not sure what to expect. Was he about to get yelled at? Or should he take this as a sign that they were on good terms again? He wasn't sure, and he didn't know if he should ask. Instead, he silently poked at his food while Katsuki continued to wolf down his lunch.
"Is it true?" Katsuki asked between mouthfuls of rice. "You made that middle-school girl cry?"
Eijiro flinched. "...Yeah. B-But only because I turned her down! Not that other weird rumor about something happening under the gym bleachers."
"And people are always saying I make girls cry," Katsuki snorted. "Who's the real monster?"
Eijiro sweat-dropped. "Yeah, yeah… I'm the monster."
"Shut the hell up," Katsuki snapped. "No one wants to hear your self-loathing, hormonal bullshit!"
"Okay, okay!" Eijiro held his hands up. "If you didn't want me to hear me whine, then why'd you call me over here?"
"BECAUSE YOUR STUPID FACE WAS PISSING ME OFF, THAT'S WHY."
"What's wrong with my face?" He pouted. "I always figured I'm kinda cute."
"I've seen dumpsters cuter than you, Kirishima."
Eijiro grinned. So, things were okay between them, after all. This was Katsuki's way of showing it. He must have purposely sat by himself today just to make things right with Eijiro. He'd never admit to this, of course, but the notion made much-needed warmth touch the cold corners of Eijiro's chest.
"Hey, man," Eijiro said. "I never thanked you for putting me in my place last week. I needed that. You play it tough but… you're a solid friend. I don't know what I'd do without you."
Katsuki's ears turned red and he pointedly refused to look at Eijiro. "Will you shut up with your girly feelings? If I see you acting like a dumbass, of course, I'm gonna fix your attitude. Otherwise, you'll make me look bad... stupid extra."
He hadn't used that term of endearment in a while. "Still… I owe you one."
Finally, Katsuki looked at him. He was surprised to see the boy quirking a grin. "You're a weirdo. Who the hell thanks someone for decking them in the teeth?"
"I don't know," Eijiro shrugged, meeting his grin with one of his own. "Who comes up with an entire scheme and bends the rules of a rescue scenario just to have the opportunity to punch someone in the face instead of giving them a word of advice?"
Katsuki smirked. "Not my fault you're too stupid to learn lessons the normal way."
Eijiro laughed. "I guess you did get through to me."
"Damn straight," Katsuki said. He was silent for a moment as he finished off his food. "Did it work?"
"Did what work?" Eijiro asked.
"Did you fix things with rainbow-hair-chick?"
"Aw…" Eijrio leaned on his shoulder. "You really do care, don't you?"
"HELL NO." Katsuki shoved him off. "I'm just sick of you walking around like an abandoned dog. And it's weird as hell when you're not pissing me off every day asking me for stupid advice on what t-shirts to wear or trying to practice your shitty pick-up lines on me."
"But you always said you hated me coming to your room and bugging you about my relationship! Now the truth comes out!"
"Kirishima," he warned.
"I had no idea you felt that way about me! I'll come to your room every day from now on! And I'll bring my diary!"
"KIRISHIMA." He slammed his chopsticks on the table. "Answer my question."
Eijiro's smile fell. He looked away, then shrugged. "I…haven't talked to Hana since Thursday. I begged All Might to let me leave campus and I went to her apartment but…she was there with another guy. One of her coworkers. We got in a fight and… I haven't talked to her since. I think maybe…she's over me."
His friend didn't say anything to this for some time. Finally, he put his arms behind his head and spoke. "I think… you have gravel in your skull instead of brains."
"Wow, thanks man. Motivating."
He rolled his eyes. "You really think your special unicorn could just be 'over you?'" He scoffed. "Your problem, Kirishima, is that you don't give anyone a chance to get over you. You're like a damn mosquito. Swat all we want, there's no getting rid of you."
"Are you saying…as long as I'm persistent, I'll still have a chance to fix things with Hana?"
"NO, I'M SAYING YOU'RE FREAKING ANNOYING." He gritted his teeth in irritation. "If you're worried that Funfetti or whatever-her-name-is, is moving on, then go bug her instead of me. It's what you're good at."
Eijiro laughed, loudly.
"What's so funny?!"
"You know what, Katsuki? I change my mind. You should stick to giving advice through your fists because you suck with words."
"YEAH, YOU WANNA SEE FISTS, ASSHOLE?!"
Eijiro was in the process of trying to calm him down when someone cleared their throat next to him. He looked over at Iida, who was patiently waiting for a chance to speak.
"What's up, class president?" Eijiro asked.
"Kirishima, I'm afraid you'll be missing classes this afternoon, but rest assured, you may borrow my notes come tomorrow."
"Wait, what?" Eijiro blinked. "Why am I missing classes? Am I…in trouble or something?" He immediately imagined sitting in front of Principle Nezu, trying to explain everything that had happened between him and Orine. Had the rumors gotten that out of hand already?
"I should hope not," Iida said, unhelpfully. "Your father is here to pick you up. It didn't sound as if there's a family crisis, but I'll be thinking of you and your family anyway."
"My…dad's here?" He stood up. "Alright, then… Did it sound serious? Do I have time to go change?"
"He didn't give a reason, from my understanding, but I don't believe there's trouble. Please, take your time."
Eijiro shrugged at Katsuki, then went back to the dorms to change his clothes and drop off his backpack. He checked his phone to see if he'd gotten any missed messages, but there were none. His dad hadn't ever picked him up like this before, though…
He made his way to the front of the school where his dad was waiting for him. One look at his lopsided grin told Eijiro that there was absolutely nothing to be worried about, but that didn't ease his curiosity.
"Hey, Dad." He joined him and they walked through the gates together. "What's up?"
"Can't your pops pick you up for some father-son bondage?"
"Bonding, Dad. BIG difference."
"Ah, don't get so tied up by the details."
Now that was a new joke, and it actually made him laugh this time. "Seriously, though. Are we doing something with Mom?"
His dad was unusually silent as he led him to the car. He gestured for Eijiro to get inside, then got into the driver's seat and exited the UA property.
"Is it a surprise?" Eijiro asked. "You didn't forget when my birthday is again, did you?"
His dad chuckled, but still avoided the question. Instead, he replied with one of his own. "Are you doing okay, son?"
The question took him by surprise. Did his dad somehow find out about the drama on campus? Had he been talking to the teachers or something? Were Eijiro's grades dropping again? To be honest, he hadn't been paying attention to his scores lately…
"Did I ever tell you about how often your mother and I fought in our younger days?"
Eijiro looked over at him, surprised by the change in subject. "No… I don't really ask about your relationship though."
His dad smiled, his eyes not straying from the road. "There were times when we hated each other. Of course, I was a hot-headed rascal back then, and your mother has a mean streak. We must have broken up five times by the time you were born. Another two before we got married."
"Whoa, there are so many things wrong with that sentence!"
"But damn…we loved each other."
He said this with such fondness that it was abundantly clear the sentiment hadn't changed with time.
"The age gap gave us the most hang-ups," he continued with a chuckle. "My friends and my parents were always trying to tell me 'she's too old for you, you should relax and go to college and focus on yourself.' Women tried to hook up with me and tried to argue that she'd be too old to have kids and that I should reconsider whether I really wanted to live a life without children. We got a lot of negativity back in the day."
Eijiro listened. "Wow… I never thought about that."
"I didn't care, though. I loved her with everything I had. Even when we screamed at each other and she kicked me out and tried to move on with her life… I never stopped loving that woman with everything in me. You know, I never once got with another woman after I met her? Even when we were broken up. She was the only person I wanted to share anything with. I had a lot of problems, but you wouldn't catch me in bed with anyone who wasn't the beautiful Yasuna. She had my whole heart and every beat of it."
"That's…cringey, hearing it from my dad," Eijiro laughed, "but also…kind of cool. I…don't think I could ever be with someone who wasn't Hana."
"Are you admitting to engaging in underage, premarital sex, Eijiro?"
Eijiro gulped. "Uh…no! I just meant like…in general, you know!"
His dad gave a boisterous laugh. "You're gonna be okay, kiddo. You just need to keep trusting your gut, alright?"
"Okay, but… Why did you bring this up? Did you…hear that me and Hana are having problems?"
"Well, your Mom and I figured it was inevitable, what with the new change in Kanzashi's lifestyle, but…I did get a special call today."
"A special call?" Eijiro asked, as his dad turned onto a street that paralleled the shore. Why's he taking me to the beach?
"Imagine my surprise when the silk flower herself was ringing my cell before daylight," his dad snickered.
"What?! Hana called you?" Eijiro stared at him in disbelief. "Hold on, why do you have my girlfriend's cell phone number?"
"I gave her my number when she was staying with us at the cabin. It was important for you both to be able to contact an adult in the event of an emergency. Strange how pink her hair turned when I gave her my number, though."
"Dad!"
His dad's laughter filled the car as he pulled down a one-way street onto the beach and finally parked.
"Wait, so… Hana asked you to pick me up today? Why? What's going on?"
His dad answered with a simple nod. Eijiro followed his line of sight out of the passenger window and to the shore. His heart lodged itself in his throat when he saw her standing there, back toward them, facing the ocean. She was wearing a yellow sundress and sandals, her hair loose and blowing in the wind. It was lighter than her usual blonde, indicating an emotion he didn't often see in the delicate strands. Fear.
"Go on, son. Go make things right with your woman."
"Yeah," Eijiro opened the car door. "Thanks, Dad."
"Just remember that public nudity is a crime and sand doesn't belong in every crack anyway."
"Dad, I'm not going to… ugh, just go!"
He shut the passenger door behind him, then stood there at the edge of the beach, staring at the woman before him.
Alright, Eijiro. This is it. No matter what happens here… No matter what she decides… She'll still be everything to me. I'll still love her.
She had hoped the clear, ocean breeze would ease the anxious thrashing in her mind. The sea was a happy place, shimmering in the midday sun while its waves playfully tugged the shore. Most importantly, it was a neutral place for her and Eijiro. They hadn't made memories near the ocean. There were no strings of emotion bundled around the setting like there would be at UA or in her apartment or on the canal. She thought that a peaceful place like this would be the best for talking through their problems.
She heard the car door close behind her and knew it was Eijiro.
"Why can't you sign him off campus yourself?" Saichiro Kirishima had asked that morning.
"Only family can sign him out during class hours. And… I'm starting to get kind of scared of being reported."
"You're fine as long as you don't get caught swapping saliva while he's in his uniform."
"I'd rather play it safe for the next few months…"
"When does he turn eighteen again?"
"You're his dad…you really don't know?"
"Don't sweat it, Kanzashi. I'll pick him up for you and give him some old-fashioned words of advice."
She was grateful for his help. She couldn't imagine how awkward it would be to pick him up herself. But now that he was here, her anxiety was amplified.
No matter what happens…at least I can say I tried.
She heard his footsteps in the sand until they came to a halt behind her. Her heart beat rampantly in her chest, as violent as the flap of seagull wings from above.
"Hello…Eijiro," she said, quietly.
"Hi…Hana," he responded, as equally quiet.
"Do you want to walk with me?" she asked.
"Sure."
Finally, she turned to face him. She only briefly glanced at his face, afraid to stare too long and lose her nerve. The glance was long enough for her to see the sorrow, trepidation, and longing so plainly displayed on his features.
Don't look at me like that, Eijiro. I feel so bad already.
She took off her sandals and started to walk, right at the water's edge where the sand was damp and cool under her feet. He walked next to her, burying his hands in his pockets and occasionally glancing to his right to look at her, maybe waiting for her to speak. She wanted to… She even managed to open her mouth a couple of times, but then the guilt and fear clogged her throat like sludge and she was forced to gulp the words down.
In the end, it was Eijiro who found the courage to speak.
"I'm kinda surprised you brought me here," he said. "It's a Wednesday. Aren't you supposed to be at work?"
She clasped her hands behind her back and took a deep breath. "I asked for a half-day today."
He was quiet for a moment. "You can just…request half-days?"
She could tell he was trying to mask the slight pain in his voice.
"I can," she said, slowly. "I just…didn't try until now."
He didn't respond to this. She bit her lip, willed up the courage, and finally spoke again. "The truth is, Eijiro…I didn't try at all. My focus was on work. I neglected myself, my needs, my health… Worst of all, I neglected you."
Still, he was silent. It was so unlike the Eijiro she knew and loved, but she couldn't blame him. Of course, he would retreat within himself after being hurt so badly.
"I know…it might be too late to make a change, but…" she shivered as a breeze tousled her hair and coaxed the cold uncertainty in her veins. "I…asked for a new schedule at the agency. It's a lot less hours, but I won't work most weekends and I'll be able to take half-days and vacation time more often."
She stopped walking. He took another step, then turned to face her. She forced herself to make eye contact, even as her guilt pulled and weighed on her.
"I should have done it sooner," she said. She felt the tears prick her eyes. "I'm sorry that I didn't try to make more time to be with you, or to at least talk to you. All I did was make excuses because I was so tired and single-minded. I didn't mean to hurt you, Eijiro."
His lips parted and his eyes widened as she spoke.
"I know that it might not be enough, but…" now the embarrassment crept in on top of everything else. "I…made sure that I'll have time for you, from now on."
He swallowed, and a flash of nervousness passed over his eyes. "You still…want to spend time with me?"
"Eijiro… I never stopped." She reached out, tentatively with both hands. He eyed her open palms for a moment, then slowly lifted his own hands to hold hers. Warmth spread through her palms at the welcome touch, prickles of pleasure at the feeling of his fingers interlacing with hers. "I'm so sorry I made you feel that way."
He cast his eyes to the water momentarily. "I thought…you were moving on. After the sports festival, I really thought…you didn't even want me anymore. Then I saw you with James and I knew he was a better match for you. He's older, working in the same field as you… I thought it was over for us."
"Eijiro…" she waited until he was looking at her again. "I'm not seeing James. I was never interested in him like that. I told him on Monday that I already have a boyfriend. I've never had eyes for anyone but you… I've never wanted anyone but you. I…" She closed her eyes. "I messed up after the Sports Festival. I know you must have felt terrible after that… I'm sorry."
He let out a measured breath. "So…you're still into me? You think of me…as a man?"
"Oh, Eijiro…" she squeezed his hands. "You're more than just a man. You're…" she blushed, suddenly not willing to say such an embarrassing thing. But, knowing that he needed to hear it, she took a deep breath and continued. "You're my man. If… if you still want to be with me, that is."
"You're not breaking up with me?" he whispered.
"I was worried you would break up with me after seeing James at my apartment," she said. "Are you saying you still want to be with me?"
"Hana…" his mouth was parted in something resembling thirst. "All I ever wanted was to be with you."
"...I know," she said, softly. "And I promise to make time to be together from now on."
He smiled. For a moment, a tremendous amount of joy shone in his eyes, sparkling all the brighter with the reflection of the sea. But then, his smile fell and he released her hands.
"I don't deserve to be with you anymore, Hana."
She blinked in surprise. She'd practiced this conversation in her head a dozen times, but she hadn't prepared for him to say something like that.
"Eijiro, you didn't do anything wrong," she assured him. "You weren't too needy or dramatic, or anything else you might be thinking right now. I should have spent more time with you."
"That's not…" he shoved his hands in his pockets. "That's not what this is about."
She looked at him for a long time. So long, she had to shuffle her feet as the ocean waves pulled the sand from underneath them. She waited, watching the expressions of anguish that twisted his face. He couldn't look at her. His eyes were wet with tears now.
"I…cheated on you, Hana."
Her heart plummeted. It felt as though it had been wrenched from her body and violently chucked into the blue void. Painful pricks of icy dread spread up her arms and legs, making a violent shudder pass through her body. "...What?" she asked, though she realized the word was inaudible—less than a whisper.
"I was so hurt and lonely…" He clenched his teeth in frustration. "And she paid so much attention to me…"
Hana felt her legs start to buckle. She caught herself but still felt as if the ocean would yank her down and into its depths.
"It was Orine," he admitted.
Amiru Orine. The second-year girl who was crushing on him, who practically worshipped the ground he walked on. Of course, it would be her. Who better to fill the void she'd left him with? Yet somehow, realizing that it was someone she'd seen and talked to, made the pain cut even deeper.
"I went to her for comfort. I messed up. I really messed up. And I understand…if you can't forgive me."
She felt the tears start to fall. "E-Eijiro… you… H-how many times?"
He shrugged, looking down at the sand as his own tears started to fall. "A few times a week, I guess."
A few times a week?! But that was more often than the two of them had even…
"How far…?" She asked. She shouldn't have. She knew the answer would only be salt on an open wound. She knew that whatever it was, it would be her breaking point. She'd be ruined. "How far did you go with her?"
"How far?" He looked up at her, tears caught in his eyelashes. "What do you mean?"
"Was it…just touching? Or did you…go all the way?"
No, I don't want to know! I don't want to think about his hands, his mouth, his body on anyone else! I can't take this! I'd rather drown!
"We didn't… H-Hold on! You don't think I had sex with her, do you?!"
She blinked at him.
"No! Oh, god, no! H-Hana, that's not what I…I didn't touch her!"
"But you said…you cheated…" She breathed in a ragged breath between sobs. "Did she touch you then?"
"No!" He pulled his hands out of his pockets and suddenly reached for hers once more. "Hana, I didn't do anything physical with her! Well… I mean she kissed me once but that was after I already said I wasn't into her. A-And I pulled away!"
"I…don't understand. What did you mean?"
"I meant that I…" He breathed in a few quick breaths as he tried to recover from the verbal slip-ups. "Like… I went to her after we fought and I talked to her about our relationship and I knew she had a crush on me, so I…flirted with her. I…led her on."
Hana tried to make sense of this confession. "Wait, so…you're saying you flirted, but it didn't go anywhere?"
"Yes!" His eyes were desperate. "Hana, I didn't do anything physical with her at all. And I told her a few days ago that we can't keep talking because it wasn't appropriate. I knew I was using her…"
Hana let out a long sigh of relief. "Flirting and cheating are two very different things, Eijiro. You really scared me."
"I don't know…" he looked down. "I think flirting and emotionally cheating are still bad…"
Hana stared incredulously at him. Then, she laughed.
"Why are you laughing? You're not mad at me?"
"I can't believe I thought for even a second that you could be capable of cheating. You're so good."
He scratched the back of his head awkwardly at this. "So…does this mean you're not mad at me?"
Hana considered this for a moment. "Well…what you did was wrong, Eijiro. I know that I hurt you, but confiding in another woman…one that you knew was attracted to you, wasn't okay. You might not have cheated by my standards, but you definitely set yourself up for it."
"You're right…" he hung his head. "I'm sorry."
"What happened between you two, exactly?" she asked, carefully.
"Well, like I said… I hung out with her, we did a bunch of after-school training, I talked to her about you a lot… I, uh… started calling her by her first name and teasing her a little…" He flinched, clearly burdened by this confession. "But then Katsuki saw me messing with her and he punched me, and then I saw you with James and I thought…" He squeezed her hands. "I thought about how James called you by your first name and then I imagined you teasing him like I was doing and the thought made me feel sick."
"So… You were doing things with her that you and I did when we first started dating?" The news did sting, though not as severely as what she'd thought he'd done a moment ago.
"Yeah… I guess so. That just makes me feel worse."
"It sounds like… you were feeling really neglected and you missed the feelings you had when we were together, so you were trying to replicate them, and trying to escape the problems we were having."
He didn't answer, and she knew she'd hit the nail on the head. "What happened next?"
He sighed before continuing. "Then, I told Orine I wouldn't train her anymore and that I was sorry for leading her on and everything. She was… really upset. Like, extreme-breakdown upset."
"Of course, she was…" Hana said. "You were treating her like she was your girlfriend, and she really liked you. It must have been heartbreaking for her."
"Yeah… She lost it. She kept saying she was better for me than you are. Then she grabbed me and kissed me. I didn't kiss her back! I got away from her and left. That's all that happened between us, I swear. Except, now there are all these weird rumors about stuff I did to her. I don't know if she's spreading them or maybe friends of hers, but…pretty much everyone thinks I'm a scumbag. They're right, though…"
Hana looked down at their hands and nodded as the information settled.
"Are you gonna break up with me…?" he asked, in a small, boyish voice.
"That depends…" she said, slowly. "Are you going to run to another girl the next time we have a fight? Is it going to go further than 'teasing' and a rejected kiss?"
His eyes were wide and pleading. "No, Kinuhana! I would never… I won't ever do something like that again! I learned my lesson. Next time, I'll keep trying to talk to you, even if you don't want to hear from me. I…I'll keep bugging you like a mosquito until we work through our problems!"
"A mosquito?" she giggled. "Really?"
He nogged, vigorously. "Please, stay with me, Hana. Please, don't leave me."
"Eijiro…" She released his hands, then reached up to cup his face. "We both made some terrible choices and hurt each other… I'm ready to leave those mistakes behind us and try again if you are."
"I am," he said, his hand spreading out on the back of hers and keeping it pinned to his face. "I want to be with you forever."
"Okay… then I forgive you, silly boy."
"Hana…" he breathed her name like a prayer. "You're so beautiful right now. You look like an angel."
"It's the ocean playing tricks on you," she said with a blush. "Light refractions and all that."
"No… you are beautiful." He stepped closer. "Can I kiss you?"
"You know I don't like it when you ask…" she said in embarrassment.
"Let me kiss you, Kinuhana Kanzashi."
She looked at him—at the way his lips were parted and his eyes burned with yearning. How could she say no to such a raw, powerful request?
"Okay…" she said, pulse quickening in anticipation.
"Hana…" He wrapped his arms around her and drew his face closer. It suddenly felt like years since she last tasted his kiss. She was starved for it—desperate to connect with him in any way possible.
"Eijiro," she whispered. She closed her eyes, eager to accept his mouth. The tender brush of his lips against hers…
Suddenly, he scooped her into his arms, bridal style.
"H-Hey, what are you doing?!"
He walked deliberately into the oncoming waves, getting his shoes, then his pants wet with every step forward.
"E-Eijiro! Put me down!"
"Nah, we gotta do something to commemorate this moment! Something symbolic to show that we're starting fresh! Washed clean by the icy, cold ocean!"
"I do NOT want to get wet!" she squeaked in protest.
"Come on, Hana~ It's gotta happen! Then we'll always remember this moment when we fight in the future!"
"I'll remember it just fine, thank you! E-Eijiro!"
He was waist-deep now. She scrambled to stay above the water.
"Hey, remember when I jumped in the pool with you that one time and your hair was all purple from checking me out? If you think about it, that was kinda the catalyst for us eventually losing our virginities in my parents' cabin. See! Jumping in the water is a good start to any fun story!"
"E-Eijiro, I swear if you put me in this water, I will break up with you—"
She was cut off by the warmth of his lips. She hummed a pleased sound as he kissed her, deeply, passionately. His tongue danced slowly and purposefully against hers, his lips moving in a way that told her how deeply he cherished her. She could feel his adoration, his loyalty, his warm and unyielding love with every motion. It was so perfect, so freeing that she protested the moment their lips parted. She refused to let him stop. Her fingers spread out through his spiky hair and she pulled his lips back to hers before he'd even had a chance to catch his breath. His chest rumbled with joy and pleasure as they lost themselves to the sweetest kiss they'd ever shared.
"Hana…" he breathed. "Can you…tell me you love me?"
She looked at him, eyes flicking back and forth between his. "I love you, Eijiro. I still love you."
"Thank you," he whispered, before pressing his lips to hers again.
"Eijiro… I can also love you outside of the water, you know," she pointed out.
"Oh yeah," he chuckled. "I was never really gonna throw you in, you know." He turned around and started back toward the shore. "I just like to see you squirm."
"Whatever," she said with a huff. "Just get me out of here before—"
Too late. A huge wave came out of nowhere and crashed into Eijiro's back. They both cried out as the surge rolled over them, knocking Hana out of his arms and onto her back, closer to the shore.
"Hana!" Eijrio sputtered out water as he waded over to her. "Are you okay?! I'm sorry, I didn't know—"
"You got me WET, you stupid high-schooler!" She grabbed him by his now soaking shirt and yanked him down onto the wet sand with her.
She couldn't help it… The situation was so ridiculous that she started to laugh. A few minutes ago they'd been having one of the most serious conversations of their entire lives, each wondering if their relationship was on the cusp of ending. Now, here they were, drenched, covered in sand, grinning at each other in the warm, early-July sunlight. Her chest felt as light and airy as the sea breeze. She was so happy that she laughed even harder, and her giggle spread to Eijiro, who laughed so hard that he had to clutch his stomach and tuck his face down just to get a hold of himself.
"Kiss me again," she demanded, through a fit of giggles.
He obeyed, and this act caused their joyous sounds to melt into something else. Suddenly, perhaps as a result of the endorphins surging through their bodies now, their pleasant emotions took on a more primal edge. Hana was acutely aware of him pinning her to the shore, his shirt clinging to his chiseled muscles, his skin shining with droplets of water, his tongue teasing hers. The overwhelming sensations made her moan, husky and desperate into his mouth.
"Don't do that," he complained, but his voice was a growl, just as husky as her moan. "Or you'll tempt me to really make you wet."
"E-Eijiro," she gasped. "Y-You can't! We're in public!"
"I know," he said, sounding pained. "Come on, babe. Let's get away from the water before another big wave hits."
He stood up and offered his hand. She took it, then shivered as the cool air hit her standing form. "E-Eijiro, we don't have towels! Or a change of clothes, or anything."
"Hey, coming to the beach was your idea," he reminded her. "Let me call my dad to… shit! My phone!" He plucked the device out of his pocket. "Ah, come on!"
Hana giggled despite herself. "I left mine at home on the charger," she teasingly informed him.
"Do you think it's ruined?!" He took the case off and blew air uselessly at the device.
"I doubt it." She took his hand. "Phones these days are mostly waterproof up to a certain depth. I should know. I ran mine through the washer once."
He pouted.
"Let's walk to my apartment and dry it off. We could shower and change, too."
"I didn't realize your apartment is close to the beach," he said, surprised.
"It's not that close," she sighed. "We've got…about a half-hour walk in our wet clothes."
He groaned. "Man, this is gonna suck!"
"Isn't this what you wanted?" She giggled and took his hand. "Something symbolic to commemorate a new start?" she teased. "Come on then, Eijiro. Let's walk toward our new adventure."
He looked at her with a grin. "Y'know what? You're right! Let's walk!"
So, they walked.
Hand-in-hand down the streets toward Hana's apartment. They got a dozen stares from passersby on the way, until Eijiro made up a story about how they got caught up in a hero vs villain fight with a water hero. He felt the need to announce this loudly every time someone shot them a disapproving glare. Hana just laughed, beyond even feeling embarrassed at this point.
She was just happy. Happy to be with the man she loved. Happy that they had worked through their problems together. Happy that this trial by fire had churned them out even stronger than before. Most of all, she was happy at Ejiro Kirishima's side.
A/N: Okay, friends! I only have one chapter left to post after this. There's potential to continue the story but it's all I have written for now! I've been working on a new fic project about Shinso and a cat that he adopts. It's going to take a turn from the rom/com stuff I've been doing and focus on some old-fashioned angst! Follow me if you want to check it out! With that said, I'll see next week!