What Himiko Craves
by Ulquiorra9000
Chapter 25: anything for you (I mean it!)
Her heart hammering in her chest, her mouth dry, her gut churning like crazy, Himiko turned Eijiro around and held both his hands in hers and looked up into his warm eyes. She took a deep breath. "Eijiro, listen..."
Eijiro cocked his head like a curious dog (it was cute when he did that). "What's on your mind?"
"I..." Himiko swallowed. She had mentally rehearsed this on the cab ride here, but saying it aloud was a titanic effort. "I have a confession to make. I was this close to breaking up with you today. There, I said it." Her heart would not stop pounding in her chest! This was terrifying!
Eijiro went pale. "Wh-what? Himiko, if something's wrong, we can talk it out."
"No, wait! I'm not gonna... I'm not actually breaking up with you," Himiko explained quickly. "It's kinda the opposite, in fact. During all our dates, I was studying our relationship, and trying to decide if we would still be happy together in the future. That's the real reason I had us go on so many dates at once and try new stuff together. And I made my decision: I'm staying with you, no matter what."
Eijiro paused, then made a tentative smile. "So... this was all a test? I passed?"
"We passed, silly," Himiko said with a nervous laugh. She held Eijiro's warm hands tighter in hers. "Ever since you said you loved me in November, I was terrified, because I didn't love you back! I felt like such a bad girlfriend, making you wait so long for my answer. But I wasn't gonna say something I didn't mean. As I told Ochaco, we both deserve better than that. I've said and done all kinds of outrageous things, but I'd never lie about being in love." She lowered her voice and gently added, "especially not to you."
"I understand. That makes total sense," Eijiro told her equally gently. "You're right; I wouldn't like anyone telling me they love me just 'cause they're afraid to break up. So, what's gonna happen to us? You said earlier that we almost broke up. Why?"
"Because I was still afraid," Himiko admitted heavily. "Until a few hours ago, I had concluded that since I'm still not ready to say I love you, I'm not fit to be your girlfriend, and I should get out of your life. I was so ashamed, and so afraid to admit it! Then, during our last date today, I realized something really simple that fixes everything." She beamed.
Eijiro brightened. "You did? What is it?"
Himiko let go of Eijiro's hands and reached up to tenderly hold his face in her hands. She felt herself blush bright pink. "I realized that I was stupid to give myself a time limit to say I love you. I didn't have to make my final decision on Christmas! Love comes when it's ready, and I was just too insecure to understand that. I'm so happy that you told me you love me, and one day, I'm sure I'll say it too!"
She stood on her tip-toes kissed her boyfriend, sweet and slow. "I'm done playing games with myself and everyone. I don't need the Doki Doki Avengers or Mrs. Joke or anything anymore. All I want is you, Eijiro, and when I'm ready for the next step, I'll take it." She beamed. "See? So freaking simple!"
Eijiro wrapped Himiko in a tight hug. "That's perfect, Himiko. And you know what, I was willing to wait as long as it took to hear you say you love me. I don't care if it takes a whole year. I love you, and I'll be there by your side no matter what."
That was something Eijiro could have told Himiko much sooner to prevent all this drama, but honestly, Himiko had been too afraid to ask about it anyway. And this was Eijiro's first relationship, too. Himiko didn't blame him for dropping the ball a little on that one. Because...
"We're both still learning, aren't we?" Himiko said fondly. She savored the warm feeling of Eijiro's embrace. "I made some mistakes, and you could have done a little more to help. But don't feel bad about that! I'm happy to figure this out with you. It's so worth it."
"It absolutely is," Eijiro said fondly. "I still wanna apologize, though, for not realizing just how anxious you were about all this. I had no idea! I seriously should have done more to support you. I didn't even know you were pressuring yourself so much to say I love you back. Otherwise, I'd have done things differently."
"Don't blame yourself," Himiko told him. "Seriously, it's all right. I've told you before about how I'm new to serious relationships and commitment. That's the whole reason I wanted a partner! I got tired of the hookup game, and craved something more real. I had no illusions about how difficult this would be."
"I know, and you're a braver person than I'll ever be," Eijiro declared. "I have such a great girlfriend. She pushed herself to totally change her love life and throw herself into the deep end with no way out. I don't know if I could have done it."
"Just assemble the Avengers, and they'd help you as they helped me."
"I guess you're right!" Eijiro laughed. Then he let Himiko go and wiped his brow. "So, Himiko... what's next for us?"
"Hmmmmm... well..."
"We cleared the biggest hurdle, didn't we?" Eijiro spread his arms wide and grinned. "You overcame your fears and established a clear vision for our future together. Unless I missed something, we're all set! Smooth sailing from here, right?"
"Not that smooth," Himiko admitted. "We both might make mistakes again in the future. In fact, I'm counting on it." She clapped her hands to her cheeks. "That's how we'll grow, Eijiro. Together. I'm dissolving the Avengers so I can discover more about myself and our relationship in the months and years ahead without any training wheels. I don't care how long it takes! Five weeks, five months, five years... I'm ready for the whole thing, and I want you with me. Will you join me?" She offered a hand for Eijiro to shake.
Eijiro, bless his heart, knelt and held Himiko's hands solemnly. He bowed his head. "I swear myself to you, Lady Himiko, through thick and thin! My blade is yours!"
Himiko snorted with laughter. "Oh boy, I got a knight out of the deal! Or a samurai?"
"You got me."
"I sure did." Himiko smiled widely yet again. This felt so right! She was finally free, and her mind felt lighter than it had in weeks. Who cared if she had a stupid grin on her face? "And I swear to you, Lord Eijiro, that my heart shall be true, and you shall one day know my love. Let us discover it together."
"I can't wait. Five weeks, months, or years."
Himiko licked her lips. "Maybe by next Valentine's Day? I bet I'll say it by then!"
"No rush."
"I know, but it's Valentine's Day, Eijiro!" Himiko went a shade redder. "You already make me so happy, and it's a month and a half away. I'm sure I'll say the three big words by then! I can't wait!"
"All I can say is, bring it on." Eijiro got to his feet and put his hands on his hips. "Hit me with your best shot, Himiko Toga!"
Himiko gave him a playful punch to the chest. "Get ready, dear boyfriend. I never hold back when it counts! Just look at what we did to your last bed frame!"
They laughed, and it was the most innocent and carefree moment Himiko had ever had with Eijiro. She had flip-flopped on this issue a few times already, but now, it was seriously over. No more would she let insecurities haunt the back of her mind. So what if she needed so long to profess her love? She'd say it when she was good and ready, dammit! Besides, the tantalizing long wait would make the big moment even sweeter when it finally came... aaaahhhhh~
"So..." Eijiro clapped his hands and looked over his shoulder at the couch. "Is it time for our fabulous, romantic, erotic Christmas Eve?"
Himiko gasped. "Oh, fuck! The Charlie Brown special must be half-over by now! Get your ass on that couch and I'll prepare the refreshments and blankets. Hurry! Double-time it!" She motioned frantically.
"Yes, ma'am!" Eijiro actually dived onto the couch in his haste to watch Charlie Brown suck at Christmas, and switched on the TV just as a commercial break came on. Booooooooo!
Himiko hummed to herself as she finally joined Eijiro under the blankets on that couch. "Guess what?" She kissed his cheek. "I bought a special something from Victoria's Secret we can both enjoy tomorrow morning. I promise, it's the only present we'll need."
Himiko liked the ravenous look in Eijiro's eyes as he smiled widely. "I can't wait!"
*o*o*o*o*
"Okay, now that we're all here, we can get down to business, my lovely friends," Himiko said lightly when her bestest friends gathered at two tables pushed together in the campus StarBuds on the 26th. StarBuds was open, but most people were still recovering from naughty Christmas antics, so Himiko's squad had the place to themselves, plus Mrs. Joke, who generously hosted them.
"So, what's this good news?" Mei Hatsume asked eagerly, leaning on her elbows on the table, her eyes sparkling. "I wanna hear! C'mon!"
"I am rather intrigued myself," Momo added politely. "Do share with us, Himiko."
"I just feel lucky to be here," Kyoka Jiro added, and Denki, Melissa, and Toru agreed.
"I ain't got nothin' better to do," Denki confessed. "Are we gonna party?" He looked hopeful.
"The party starts after I declare one thing," Himiko said dramatically. She stood before her assembled friends, and gave Mrs. Joke a hearty wink before breaking into a smile. "Success! We did it, Avengers! Eijiro and I are very happy together, and I am grateful from the bottom of my heart to all of you. I owe you." She bowed, and the friends broke out into an appreciable golf clap.
"Meaning," Himiko added, spreading her arms wide, "I'm dissolving the Doki Doki Avengers, and free drinks for all my friends! You heard me right! It's all on the house, 'cause today is a happy day! Whooooo!" She clapped, and everyone else clapped much more enthusiastically with her this time.
"I am thrilled by this news, Himiko Toga!" Tenya declared. "It was my pleasure to help you find happiness and achieve your personal goals."
"So, you and Eijiro are going the distance?" Ochaco asked eagerly. "As a real couple?"
"Yup! I'm 100% sure of it, former Avengers!" Himiko flashed two peace signs. "I realize I took up a lot of your time with late-night calls and texts about my messy love life and my own problems. I'm sorry if I was ever a burden. But it's all over now. I'm doing better than ever."
Itsuka smiled. "You don't have to apologize for a thing, Himiko. It was an honor to help a friend in need. And to be honest, it was intriguing to see the queen succubus transform her personal life and seek something more... more..." She faltered.
"Wholesome," Ochaco suggested.
"Empowering," Toru put in.
"Intellectually challenging," Mei offered.
"Meaningful," Tenya said.
"Fulfilling," Momo added.
"Horny!" Mina cried, and everyone burst out laughing.
Himiko grinned widely. "Well, the sex is good, and you know what, a good fuck with your committed romantic partner is way more exciting than random hookups. Now, I'm not saying hookups are bad. But if you really connect with someone, you get something more out of it. It felt like a whole new world, and I've got a broken bed frame to show for it."
"Whoo! Go, girl!" Toru cheered.
"That makes two of us," Kyoka muttered, glancing away.
Himiko cupped a hand to her ear. "Oooooh, what's this? Did you dethrone King Orgasm Explosion and rock his castle?"
Kyoka went red as everyone turned their eager attention to her. "You broke a bed frame, too?" Ochaco asked. "Great work!"
"A true milestone," Denki added, and he high-fived his girlfriend.
Kyoka winced. "Is that a rite of passage around here?"
"Honey, you don't love someone 'till you're ready to break furniture for them. It's just a fact," Himiko purred. "I think Descartes said that."
"He did not," Momo said sourly, who actually studied Descartes because she's a nerd. A busty nerd.
Himiko clapped her hands together yet again. "Well, let's first congratulate my lovely little friend Kyoka for breaking new ground along with her bed frame, and then get the first round of drinks going! Place your orders!"
The rest of the party was an easygoing and lovely affair after that, with a beaming Mrs. Joke supplying free Christmas-themed coffee on demand and even some snacks, and everyone swapped stories of their steamy Christmas adventures. Himiko was delighted to hear that all her provocative gifts for everyone had paid off, with a spicy story of Ochaco trying four new sex positions with Deku in her new lingerie and Toru rocking Rikido's world with her own getup and Melissa Shield administering some serious self-love with her own gift. The way Melissa put it, she had stretched herself in ways her body had never stretched before.
"So get this! Sometime next spring or summer, I'm gonna visit Eijiro's parents in Chiba," Himiko mentioned halfway through the festivities, gesturing with her Succubus Sugar Bomb drink (her own invention). "His mom's gonna cook for me and everything! Isn't that sweet? I can't wait to go."
"I've been to Chiba once or twice," Itsuka mentioned. "It's a lovely place."
"Oh! I know a few tourist attractions there, Himiko," Momo offered, clasping her hands together. "You could visit the Hoki Museum, the Chiba Zoological Park, the Fukuda Denshi Arena, and the Kasori Midden."
Himiko stuck her tongue out. "I think I'll get laid in all those places and call it a day."
"One does not get laid in museums!" Tenya Iida cried indignantly.
Momo made a sheepish look. "We've already done so ourselves, Tenya."
"One definitely gets laid in museums!" Tenya corrected himself. What a good boy!
"You seriously fucked in a museum?" Kyoka asked.
"In a spare storage room where we disrupted no one," Tenya said in a dignified tone.
Melissa cracked a wicked smile. "Because Momo's body was the finest work of art you saw that day, right?"
Tenya saluted. "It was!"
Momo buried her face in her hands, but not before Himiko caught a satisfied grin on her face. Go you, Momo!
"I think Deku and I are gonna hold off on further vacations," Ochaco admitted. "We've gotta start saving money for real. We went all out yesterday, and that was our last hurrah for the foreseeable future."
Himiko toyed with her Succubus Sugar Bomb. "Did you make a sex tape to create magical memories?"
Ochaco smiled. "Yup!"
"Me too!" Mina said happily, and she and Denki high-fived again.
"Amateurs. Eijiro and I made three of them," Himiko boasted. "All from different angles!"
"Now that's dedication," Itsuka commented, half annoyed, half impressed.
"Momo and I record nothing during our intimate evenings," Tenya said rather stiffly. "Our actions speak for themselves."
Momo cleared her throat. "If you help me record one, we can try what you call the 'swooping eagle' later tonight."
"A sex tape it is!" Tenya declared, and everyone laughed. Seriously, wouldn't he ever realize how easily Momo can manipulate him? Dance, puppet!
The gang had nothin' better to do, so Himiko savored her afternoon with all her friends, while also dearly looking forward to returning to her apartment where her super-duper boyfriend would meet her for yet another magical evening. As Himiko had hoped, this really had turned out to be the best year of her life, and she and Eijiro would ring in the new year in high spirits, side by side.
Who knew what the future will bring? Himiko wondered as her friends laughed at a surprisingly crude joke from Mei that involved four different uses of the word "shag." Well, whatever the future brought for Himiko and Eijiro, Himiko was absolutely ready for it. It was what she craved most of all.
THE END!