It's that time of the year again! Today, beautiful little Takumi came into our world (well, not exactly but technically) and chapter 9 is how we are celebrating.

Unfortunately, the timeframe of this story doesn't allow me to have a chapter taking place in April just yet. We're still in the late fall / early winter as of now. Despite this, I tried to make the chapter a bit more special for our birthday boy (but without sex, sorry not sorry ;p).

Oh and Sdohshi, don't die now! As goes for my other readers, you have a whole new chapter waiting for you! To Padfoot Starfyre, you're right; privacy at the Auyuzawa is not readily available and his apartment would be more secure. For this story though, we're not giving our couple the easy way out. Let's see how creative they could get ;)

"What are you smiling about?" Seeing him so jolly irked her.

Embarrassment was an understatement for how she felt right now. This topic was one the two of them hardly dabbled in aside from Takumi's uncalled jokes, but those weren't serious anyways. If she could, she would like to start today all over again.

"You have to admit, Misaki. It was your fault." He chuckled as he recalled the morning and how her frenzied state must have looked to her mother.

"Whatever."

Takumi's eyebrows pulled together. Although it must have been hard to hear it from her mother, Takumi didn't expect her to be so worked up over it.

He took her hand in his. She snatched it back. It wasn't her fault. It was his. It was all stupid Takumi's fault. For getting sick, for being nosy, for intruding in her house, in her room, in her business. And now she doesn't know how she'll face her mother again.

"Hey, Misaki. Don't overthink it. It's alright."

"Just shut up." Misaki picked herself up and started to make her way to the bathroom. The best option right now was to get some sleep. Even if just for a few hours, it would be good to forget about the last few minutes.

She stopped in her tracks and looked down towards the large hand clasping her wrist.

"Let go–"

"Misaki." He pulled her towards him. "Let's at least talk about it."

"What's there to talk about? That my mom thinks I'm a…" Misaki turned her head to the side, unwilling to finish her sentence.

"She thinks you're a what? That you're a normal girl in a relationship?"

"You make it sound like it's no big deal." Again, she snatched her hand back. Why doesn't he get it? She'd thought that he would understand her, that he would read her mind like he did all those times before. Seems like he isn't much of an alien after all.

"You don't have to keep this front with me. I know you're embarrassed, but you don't have to pretend that what your mom said is unfathomable. Although your words may say otherwise, I see it on your face. Every time I'm near. Every time we kiss."

Misaki wanted to push him away. She didn't want to hear this.

A response in words was unlikely, so she did what she knew how to do best. She raised her fist and used her emotions for strength.

His hand stopped her before she reached her destination.

"Talk to me, Misaki," he said, gently. If they continued like this, they would never get the chance to be honest with each other.

"Tch…" She was defeated, again. She looked into his eyes and saw that he was not playing.

He gave her time to speak. Times like these are never meant to be rushed.

"Why aren't you embarrassed?" Misaki asked. The past few days she has gotten the honour to learn that Takumi was not immune to this unique and unfortunate feeling. Still, he didn't seem phased at today's events.

"I am, but it didn't surprise me. I'm also a bit relieved. We've been beating around the bush for a while now, so I'm glad somebody was able to bring it up for us. Even if that someone was your mother."

The memories of today's scene resurfaced. But now wasn't the time to be worrying about her mother.

"It's not like you've never talked about it before."

"Never like this. I don't want to rush anything, and I'm happy where we are now. I only say this because I want to know every part of you. I already know the happy Misaki, the sad, the mad, the embarrassed, the hopeful and even the tender one." Takumi tried again to hold her hands and this time she didn't resist. "There's still so much more of you I haven't got to experience yet, but I'll wait as long as you need me to."

Misaki could feel the beat in her chest quicken. This time, she wasn't going to run away.

"I… want to know you, too. I mean… I want to know you… more." Misaki hesitantly looked into his face for his reaction. His eyes were wide. "But! I don't mean now!"

Misaki started fidgeting in her place, waiting for his response.

"So, what you're saying is…" he paused to smirk, "you want me?"

It was more of a statement than a question.

"You jerk! Stop twisting my words!" Misaki erratically lifted and dropped both of their intertwined hands to shake him off.

This time, he didn't let go. Misaki paused to look at him. On his face was the sweetest smile she had ever seen. He was happy.

He pulled her towards him and engulfed her small frame in his strong arms.

"Thank you, Misaki."

Silence engulfed them, but the conversation was far from over.

This was a rare chance when Takumi was being vulnerable and serious. She wasn't going to let the opportunity pass her.

"Takumi…" Her voice was muffled by his chest. He let her go so she could speak. "Um… I wanted to ask…" He never let his eyes stray from hers. "Uhm… Argh! You idiot, stop staring!"

Takumi laughed and then closed his eyes with a dramatic sight. "Alright, ask away."

Misaki fumbled with her words again. She wasn't sure if she wanted to ask him, but she did want to know.

"Have you ever… like have you ever been with someone… intimately?" Misaki wanted to bang her head on the wall.

Takumi opened his eyes in surprise and looked down at Misaki. She refused to meet his eyes.

"You know you're the first girl I've been with, in every way you could imagine. You're the first girl I've held hands with." He interlaced his fingers with hers. "The first girl I've kissed." He bent down and left a peck on her lips. "And any unclaimed firsts are yours already, too."

Misaki blushed with the implicit meaning. Still, she felt surprisingly relieved. Misaki didn't classify herself as the jealous type, but Takumi doing anything with anybody else was an unnerving thought.

The thought of claiming his first wasn't new, but it was unfamiliar. She knows the time will come. When it does she will welcome it with open arms, but she's reserved this confidence for her future self. She has little idea of what to do in those situations. How do you even initiate a situation like that?

Sensing the fragile tension in the room, Takumi continued the conversation carefully. "I know this is new for the both of us, so we'll go slow. If it ever feels like we're going too fast, just let me know and I'll do the same."

"Yeah…" The conversation was catching up to Misaki. They finally had the talk. She wasn't expecting it to happen; she always thought the throes of passion would be enough for them to take the next step. However, she was glad she ate through the awkwardness that came with these conversations. In a way, she feels closer to Takumi than she ever has before.

Despite how open they were at the moment, the topic was still sensitive. With nothing left to say, an unwelcome silence filled the room.

She looked at her boyfriend as he busied himself in fixing his hair. She felt a small smile on her lips seeing Takumi's sheepishness.

After a few more still seconds, they excused themselves with the distraction of finishing schoolwork.

…

An hour had passed since their weighted conversation and the usual atmosphere had returned.

"Ah ah, Misa-chan," Takumi disapproved, "you're wrong, again."

"You asshole, I'm still in the middle of the question!" Misaki shoved his finger away from her paper and continued scribbling numbers. "Don't you have work to do?"

"Yeah."

"Then do it!" It was really starting to feel like she was babysitting a child.

"Nah," he said dismissively, "Don't wanna."

Misaki rubbed her temples and said, "Fine, whatever. Just let me do mine."

He stayed quiet for the next half hour as he pondered on Misaki. She was twirling her hair around her pen as she read, her legs bent in front of her. She had retired to her bed after finishing with her math. The soft glow of the lamp on her face made her look even more irresistible.

Misaki finished with the last few pages of her assigned reading. She dog-eared the next page and closed the book with a sigh. A consequence of working in bed was the unignorable drowsiness.

"Can you put these in my bag?" She asked slowly, raising her arm out to him with her Oscar Wilde novel in hand.

"Of course, milady." Takumi gently removed the book from her grasp and kissed the back of the tired hand. She did not retaliate, evident of her absentminded state.

He gathered her notebooks and textbooks and organized them into her school bag.

"Also," Misaki yawned, "can you put my pens and stuff back into my drawer."

Takumi gathered her "pens and stuff" and slid open her desk drawer. He organized them in a way he knew Misaki would. He stopped when he noticed a purple object. Its shape was best described as… phallic.

He stared at the object and moved his gaze to the left. Misaki had her eyes closed, presumably already cast asleep.

After little consideration, Takumi pushed her drawer closed. This was not meant for his eyes nor was it his business.

He could feel his pajamas tightening, despite trying his best to distract his mind. The thought of Misaki with her purple toy between her bare legs…

A small moan escaped his lips. He looked back to Misaki, double-checking if she was asleep. When that was confirmed, he palmed the bump in his pants, rubbing to release some of his tension.

He bit his lips, trying to keep quiet. He shouldn't be doing this, not now.

Despite his internal dialogue, his body wouldn't listen. The room was getting warmer, or maybe it was just him.

He made his way to the washroom, finding it improper to tend to his needs while his girlfriend lay unaware and nonconsenting a meter away.

Softly, he shut the creaky door and flicked the lock. He took a quick glance at the mirror. Dilated eyes and coloured cheeks stood still in front of him.

He grabbed his shirt behind his neck and pulled it off in one motion. With hurried hands, he hooked his thumbs beneath the waistband of his bottoms and slid them down across his skin.

The fabric of his pink briefs stretched against him. With a sigh of relief, he let himself loose.

It felt against the code of conduct to be standing naked and aroused in his girlfriend's house. He cast the thought aside along with the shower curtain. A twist of the nozzle sent water spraying against the porcelain.

He stepped inside and let the warm water run over his body. The splattering of the water droplets should be enough to mask his voice. He would be sure to pitch in more in groceries to make up for the hydro bill.

He tilted the showerhead towards the wall and ran his hands over his body.

The darkness beneath his eyelids was once again replaced with the image of his girl. She had as many clothes on as he. One hand never left her chest, while the other gripped her vibrator. He imagined her resting it directly atop her bundle of nerves.

His breath quickened. To share the moment with his imagination, Takumi grabbed himself with one hand. Slowly, he moved his hand along his length and down. A large exhale escaped his lips.

The speed at which his hand moved quickened. Takumi braced himself against the wall with his other hand as he watched Misaki writhe and whine. Grunts and groans lost themselves in the patter of the water.

He whispered her name as he continued to watch her through his mind. His arm ached with the speed he mustered. All too soon, Misaki's back arched, and Takumi's movement stilled. Together, Takumi and his imagined-but-all-too-real goddess let their bodies succumb to the height of possible pleasure.

With a few more seconds of running water and multiple deep breaths, any evidence of his unrevealed performance vanished. All but the ones inside his head.

Because it's his birthday, I decided to give him at least some relief. Of course, there's only one person who can truly satisfy him.

IV XXVII MMXXI