Hiro's phone vibrated lightly in his pocket, which he noted and then ignored. He was in class and wasn't about to check his phone while his teacher was lecturing. He'd check it after they were done.

A minute later, he felt another vibration. Ignoring it again, he noted down a reminder to read up on something his professor just mentioned.

The third time, two minutes later, he snuck his phone out and glanced at it. The name 'Zero Two' was there, indicating who had been texting him. He also saw that whatever she had sent him included a picture. He was about to sneak a peek at it when another picture came through with a corresponding buzz.

Pulling the notification open a little, he had to push his phone back into his pocket quickly. In that small glance, he had seen way too much skin to be looking at in public. He had to ignore the subsequent vibrating of more texts and force his hand not to drift towards his phone. Focusing on class became much more difficult, but he stuck it out and practically bolted as soon the teacher dismissed them. Luckily, he didn't share that class with any of his friends and wouldn't have to answer any uncomfortable questions from them.

Walking quickly towards one of the student lounges, he carefully chose a seat away from anyone else and positioned in a corner, ensuring no one could see his phone. Only then did he open his messages from Zero Two.

'Got a question for you, Darling…'

'Which one do you prefer?'

What followed were two pictures in equally provocative poses that only proved that Hiro had to be careful with anything his girlfriend sent him in public. The first of the pictures was Zero Two in a loose white shirt that hung down slightly to leave the slopes of her chest visible as she leaned forward with her tongue erotically licking her lips. Her eyes bored into his through the camera, practically the epitome of desire. 'Confident?'

'Or bashful?' The second picture couldn't have been more different from the first. Wearing a massively oversized pink shirt, naturally with the huge neckline exposing a shoulder and a significant amount of the slope of her breast, she was standing and poking her fingers together as if she was nervous. Her long, smooth legs were fully visible and the shirt, though far too big for her, still clung to her body enough to give a definite idea of her curves.

'Or maybe you'd prefer nothing at all? You'll have to show up in person for that one.'

'Unless you can convince me…'

A couple of minutes had passed before she had sent the most recent message.

'You know, I'm not getting a lot of appreciation for how hot I am, Darling.'

'Hot physically or hot for me?' Hiro typed out and sent before he could think better of it. Which he did as soon as it was too late to take back, giving him nothing to do but wait for his girlfriend's response and sweat. For better or worse, he didn't have to wait long.

'Now you're responsive. Just had to chime in to defend my attractiveness?'

'I was in class; class is over now.'

'Oh yeah, you refuse to text in class, Mr. I'm-so-smart-and-a-good-student-and-sexy.'

'I don't think I'm the weird one for not paying attention in school.'

'But you are the weird one for not texting in class when your girlfriend sends you sexy pictures of herself.'

'That's half the reason I didn't. In class is not an appropriate place to be looking at those.'

'Do you know where an appropriate place is, Darling? My room. Bring snacks.'

'Other than yourself.'

Hiro almost wished that was the most aggressive Zero Two had been with him. Unfortunately, her practically sexting him a few days ago definitely took the prize. He'd had to be very direct with her about why she couldn't do that. By the end of it, her sneaky smile had promised she understood and wouldn't again, which he only half believed.

Wondering what shenanigans his girlfriend was inevitably going to pull next, Hiro walked across campus towards the dorms, stopping by the school store for a bag of pretzels and two packages of Zero Two's favorite licorice. He knew the first would be consumed in a matter of minutes once she saw it, only for her to mope about it being gone. Buying a second pack was an easy way to keep her from sulking. Not that she was, but Hiro didn't like it regardless.

Luckily, getting back to the dorms was a quick affair and he soon found himself knocking on Zero Two's door.

"Stop being polite and get in here, Darling," he heard her say from inside and he did exactly that. "I told you to stop knocking, it's always unlocked anyways."

"If you're going to lay around like this anyways, I don't know why I bother," Hiro said, putting the bag of snacks down with a sigh. Zero Two was laying on her bed, resting on her side among the rumpled blankets. Of course, she was barely dressed, wearing just a purple crop top and a pair of matching panties. "You know, usually when people knock, it's to give time for people to make themselves presentable."

"I can present myself to you if you want, but you said you wanted to take things slowly," Zero Two said, her innocent expression at odds with her suggestive words, which only made Hiro sigh at this point.

"You know what I meant."

"Darling, I was just sending you sexy pictures of me in very little clothing, I think your expectations are a little out of line with reality."

"I'm coming to realize that more and more," he sighed, tossing one of the packages of licorice towards his girlfriend. It was a bad throw, but that didn't stop Zero Two, who slid halfway off the bed to grab the plastic wrapped treats, leaving her face first on the floor with her butt and legs still on the bed.

"You can be as deluded as you want as long as you keep bringing me yummy treats!" she said in a sing-song voice, ripping the packaging open gleefully. Hiro, not wanting to leer at his girlfriend's raised butt, looked around the room in an effort to distract himself. He could see a bunch of clothes scattered around, including Zero Two's previous outfits, along with a haphazardly stacked pile of books and notebooks and a number of empty bags and wrappers for snack foods.

"Have you been in here all day?" he asked, looking back at the pink-haired woman sitting cross-legged on her bed, hand buried in the bag of licorice. Mouth too full to talk properly, she just nodded, popping more delightfully sugary morsels into her mouth. "What's your great excuse for skipping class this time?" Hiro was very familiar with Zero Two's tendency to not attend her classes except for when she needed to.

"There's a test tomorrow. In 'Modern Psychology.' I can guarantee all they did today was review stuff. I thought tormenting you with sexy pictures was a much better use of my time," Zero Two hummed, continuing to plow through her bag of sweets with concerning speed.

"I'm always concerned and amazed by your ability to somehow pass your classes while doing the absolute bare minimum amount of effort," Hiro sighed, pulling his shoes off and going over to Zero Two's huge case of movies. Their goal of watching all of them wasn't going well, mainly hampered by the fact that sitting alone together was just asking for her to get handsy with him.

"Psht, I'll have you know I study all the time when I'm not with you."

"Zero Two, if I let you, you'd spend every waking moment with me."

"And all the sleeping ones too." The black-haired boy rolled his eyes at the thinly veiled inuendo.

"So when does all the studying happen?"

"You make it sound like there's a lot of it," Zero Two said, only making Hiro roll his eyes again.

"You make my point so well," he sighed.

"Oh, come on, you know I have a good memory. I totally remember all of the pyramid needs things."

"Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs?"

"Yeah, that one. Want to know how I remember it?"

"I'm terrified to ask."

"The basic needs are all things I want to do with you: eat with Darling, drink with Darling, sleep with Darling, cuddle with Darling, practice reproduction with Darling…"

"Okay, that's enough of that," Hiro quickly said, grabbing more licorice and pushing it into Zero Two's mouth to shut her up and ignore his extremely red face.

"Ish very effective," she mouthed around her treat.

"Yeah, that's because you're a pervert."

"You're the pervert! See?" Zero Two immediately bounced in place and laughed gleefully when Hiro's eyes snapped to her chest.

"As if you're any better," he said, pretending to be busy with looking through her movies so he had something to do.

"I definitely am, Pervert Darling," the cherry blossom haired girl asserted, throwing aside the just-emptied bag of licorice.

"Oh yeah?" Before his common sense could interrupt, Hiro stood up and stretched, purposefully leaning back to his shirt rose up enough to expose some of his skin, before ruffling his hair a bit more. He felt weird doing it, but when faced with the results, he couldn't be too annoyed. "You're drooling."

"Uhh? Oh, it's umm, from the candy…" Zero Two mumbled, her enraptured eyes saying very differently. Hiro, likewise, wasn't buying it.

"Okay, so if I do this…" Hiro pulled out the second bag of licorice and waved it so he was sure Zero Two saw it, then tossed it so it landed next to Zero Two's bed, well within range of what she could reach if she moved. She didn't though, her eyes staying fixed on Hiro as the ignored plastic bag of sugar hit the floor. "Yes, that's good, I'm convinced."

"You're a tease, Darling," Zero Two said quietly, the image of hypocrisy as she laid back down on her side, most definitely purposefully curving her body to push her ass and chest up, sliding her hand along the fabric of her shirt to pull it up and expose even more skin. "You shouldn't be so mean to your girlfriend."

"Yes, I'm very sorry you find me attractive," Hiro said sarcastically, though he was walking towards the bed.

"You should be. How are you going to make it up to me, Darling?" Zero Two purred, the sound making Hiro's spine tingle.

"I'm sure you'll think of something," he sighed, though he was far from put out. Zero Two didn't waste time either, jumping for him as soon as he got close enough and pulling him down onto the mattress. In a matter of seconds, he was laying against her pillows with her above him, straddling his waist with her arms on his shoulders, not needed in the slightest to keep him there. His own hands naturally moved to her waist, only encouraging her to press her body and her lips against his.

"You taste like licorice," Hiro mumbled between kisses.

"You taste like Darling," Zero Two returned, going back in with more fervor than before, hindered by Hiro's laughing.

"What else am I supposed to taste like?"

"I dunno, but I'm glad you don't. You're my favorite flavor."

"That's so stupidly cheesy."

"Don't care; gimme more Darling." Zero Two didn't say anything more or give Hiro the chance to, slipping her tongue in alongside his, eager to get even more of him. Hiro didn't resist, yearning for her just as much as she was for him. They fell into a blur of kissing, giggling, caresses, and sighs, their hands just as busy as their lips. Zero Two's constant efforts to make Hiro bolder in his advances had been making steady progress, much to her pleasure. He wasn't outright groping her like she almost wished he would, but he was much less of a limp fish than he had been before. And one thing pressing against her abdomen could hardly be called limp at all. Hiro finally broke away from her lips as she somewhat deliberately ground her hips against his.

"Sorry, you don't have to-"

"Darling, what part of this makes you think I mind?" Zero Two interrupted, rocking her body against his, the layers of fabric between them feeling increasingly like an unwelcome obstacle. The heat in her core was demanding and it gave her ideas and impetus. "If you want, I could help you with it…" she whispered and felt him jump against her.

"You don't…I don't think…uhh, I'm not sure if…" he stammered, unsure and off balance. Zero Two hoped he would overcome his hesitance and say yes, but that might have to wait, the heat in her body demanding her lips be pressed to his again. She kissed him, a bit more gently than before.

"Just offering, Darling. I wouldn't mind that either." She lured him back into more kisses before he could say anything or think too much, her hips still slowly grinding against him. She continued to increase in fervor, unable to get enough of him to soothe her heat. She knew what she wanted, but also knew where Hiro would draw the line, leaving her at an annoying in-between that only drove her on. Until the sound of the door opening and Ikuno's voice made them both freeze.

"Hiro, Zero Two, you in here? We've got a questio-!" The couple both looked to the door, where a flabbergasted Ikuno stood, hand still on the doorknob.

"Ikuno, what's wrong? Why did you stop?" came Kokoro's voice from the hallway, the pale blonde's head peeking around the corner a moment later. She looked in at Hiro and Zero Two on the bed, the former of whom was trying to sneak his hand away from the hem of Zero Two's panties. It didn't help though; the pink haired girl couldn't help but purr at what was clearly a gentle caress to her still-flushed body.

"They're…um…busy," Ikuno said, her face going from normal to supremely red in moments.

"Oops, yeah, sorry! We were just planning to go to a movie on Sunday and wanted to invite you guys," Kokoro said, already dragging Ikuno away. "We'll ask again later when you're not so…busy." A sneaky smile was on the pale-haired girl's face as she reached for the doorknob.

"What movie is it?" Zero Two asked, her slightly husky voice making Hiro's lips itch to kiss her again.

"Uhh, gah, I don't remember, Zorome just told me. Something 'Train' I think?"

"Oh, yeah, I know the one, I haven't seen it yet. What do you think, Darling, movie date?"

"Sounds like fun," Hiro said, trying very hard not to make eye contact with either of his friends in the doorway.

"Great, we'll figure out the rest later. You two have fun~!" The door finally closed behind Kokoro and a locked-up Ikuno, leaving Zero Two and Hiro alone again.

"That's why I always knock," the messy-haired boy whispered eventually, and Zero Two fell into giggling.

"I guess you really proved you point by having your friends walk in on us making out," Zero Two returned, not moving off of him even the slightest bit.

"That definitely wasn't the plan," he trailed off, embarrassed. "I'm not looking forward to the teasing I'm going to get for this."

"How about you just stay in here with me?"

"You act like you're not the biggest tease of them all."

"That's only because you won't say 'yes' when I offer," she whispered into his ear, kissing him just below the jaw a moment later.

"You're very…assertive today," Hiro said, moving his head away from hers to either avoid her kisses or give her better access to his neck. Her gentle sniffing and licking made the actual result rather obvious.

"Aren't I always?"

"Are you always showing off your underwear?"

"Would you like me to?"

"I'd like you to explain first."

"And underwear later?" Zero Two laughed a little at her boyfriend's answering flat glare. "Isn't a girl allowed to want her Darling? To want to be special and sexy for him? So what if I'm a little extra…assertive?"

"It's just unusual. Do I really seem overly put out?"

"I wish you would." Hiro actually sighed aloud this time. Every time he thought he had heard everything, Zero Two found something new to put him off balance.

"I'm not having sex with you, Zero Two, no matter how much you beg and dress up. Or down," he said with a bit of reluctance. The pink-haired woman straddling him didn't move though, except to kiss him lightly on the lips again.

"They say 'distance makes the heart grow fonder', but I don't know what holding out is supposed to do. It's certainly not making seducing you any easier."

"That's unfortunate for you."

"And you. I'd say you know what you're missing, but you don't remember the last time." The pinkette gave him a devious smile and very purposefully rocked her hips against him. "But I can wait. The anticipation will only make the end result better. Then you won't be able to get enough." Her tone switched to her most seductive at the end, low and teasing and full of lurid promise. Even then, he didn't buckle.

"You'll just have to keep waiting then," Hiro managed to say, quickly occupying her tongue with his own before she could retort yet again. He could practically taste more taunting words there, but he didn't let up and soon enough, neither did she.

"They should really lock the door if they're going to be doing that," Ikuno said, red-faced and walking quickly. Kokoro smiled knowingly beside her.

"They're a good match though. And Zero Two is very pretty. She looks good in that underwear." Ikuno shot a dirty look at her innocently smiling friend.

"You'd think you were the lesbian, not me," the tall girl said shortly.

"You know I don't mean anything by it, Miss stickler."

"I don't like you teasing me either way," Ikuno quipped, looking straight ahead. "Especially not with that."

"Fine, fine. I'm sorry I'm the only one of all of us that's observant enough to notice you like girls. But I also know you'd never go for Zero Two. I know your type is much more petite." By this point, Kokoro's innocuous smile wasn't going to fool anyone. She knew exactly what she was doing.

"I don't appreciate that either."

"Oh shush, this is why you can't get a girlfriend. You're too strait-laced to meet anyone and open up."

"I don't need advice, thank you."

"It couldn't hurt. After all, I'm the only one of any of us who got herself into a relationship."

"What about Hiro?" the dark-haired woman asked, her blush slowly fading. "From what I just saw, he's definitely gotten himself into a relationship."

"That's being generous. Anyone can tell Zero Two got into a relationship with him, not the other way around. So my point remains." Ikuno had to admit she was at least partly right.

"I still don't need it. Goro isn't even on her radar, much less me. She hardly needs more distraction."

"You certainly do though. And you know it but won't do anything about it."

"I can have my hopes a little longer."

"Yeah. That's why I'm going to make sure you get to sit next to Ichigo at the movie." Kokoro watched closely and definitely saw Ikuno's lips twitch upwards.

"Thanks," the taller woman said quietly. They walked a few paces more when Ikuno's silent smile widened further.

"What's so funny?" Kokoro couldn't help but ask.

"Zero Two is really hot, even if she's not quite my type. I was just imaging how much trouble Hiro is having keeping his hands off her."

"Quite a bit, I'd say, from where his hands were."

"I'm just glad my room is further down the hall from Zero Two's. I'd hate to be kept up all night when Hiro inevitably breaks."

The two girls laughed together as they walked to rejoin the rest of the group, leaving Hiro and Zero Two to their very slowly and gradually building tension.

Oops, that took a while. Sorry. Hopefully won't happen to this degree again.

For those who care, there are image references over on the AO3 posting. No need to worry about any other additional bits this time, those here get to see all the fun. There's also a link over there to a Discord I've set up if you want to join that. Just a warning, there are 18+ sections that you should not join unless you meet that criteria; a significant portion of the server is dedicated to a story that is very much for adults. That's not a deterrent, there are sections for my other stories, including this one, just a cautionary warning. Hope to see you there.

Reviewy things! O5-7: ;P Godamora, glad I could provide satisfactory art-stuff. I dated an art person for a while, you're all very creative and delightfully unique. Hope you continue to appreciate this and coming chapters. Vosck, glad you enjoyed, sorry you had to wait so long! Dutch, despite having nothing to say, you still said the most important thing! Thanks so much, glad you enjoyed, and I hope you continue to do so whenever I manage to provide. Cylindryk, I'm referencing 'Gurren Lagann', a delightfully ludicrous anime that anyone who's a fan of action and great animation should totally watch. It's more big robots kicking ass, but without the implied sexy of 'DitF'. Trust me, there's nothing that needs to be implied about how much of an absolute man Kamina is. Super good, usually hilarious, and a fantastic watch. Much recommend!

I think that's everything, sorry again this took so long, I just couldn't get the flow going. Then once I did, it worked out. Already got ideas for the next chapter though, so look forward to that group movie next time! And if you want more immediate responses to questions and comments, pop over to AO3 and hit that Discord link. Cheers!

~Aro