"You're on."

Those three little words are going to be his downfall, and Akihiko would never admit it, but he just had to chomp on the hook she dangled before processing what it might entail. It's almost impossible for him to resist a dare regardless of the odds, and he's not exactly of sound mind right now.

He might be running a fever the way he's flushed all over, it would explain the buzzing in his ears too, and all he can think of is two minutes of assertive her. Her affection is very addictive, and right this moment he has an intense misguided craving for self-immolation.

The lower part of Minako's face remains hidden from this angle, but her cheekbones perk up, eyes red and black halfmoons.

She looks like a cat about to pounce. Or a fox. Definitely a fox.

"Are you really sure? I don't want you to run to the hills… It's your birthday after all."

The combination of his double entendre looping in his mind and that half-lidded stare afire is cause for a second spectacular judgement lapse.

"I'm not backing down, and I'm definitely not running away."

It's two minutes. Two.

Faint light reveals a beaming smile when she raises herself above him, whirring the static in his head into a prickling cloud.

"Well, you're certainly confident... Okay."

He falls into admirative reverie and barely hears her comment, flooded with warmth, enjoying her presence. It's about the whole of who she is, maskless and genuine when it's just the two of them, and it doesn't help that she's simply radiant right now.

Her demeanor screams of aplomb, with lashes settling down in tease and a smirking purse of lips under that exquisite little tooth bite. But it's mostly her rubies that captivate, sparkling with excitement, so bright he can't help grinning when they settle on him.

You're... adorably distracting.

She blinks a few times, mouth moving, and it shakes off the tendrils of red fog, leaving him embarrassed at his lack of attention.

"Huh!?"

Akihiko struggles to focus on the words, each syllable drowned by the firestorm raging inside his head. Everything is so slow right now, and he tries to concentrate harder to forget how sore his ribs feel; the night was taxing on his heart.

"I said, do you want to bother timing this? I don't really see a point…"

Minako's pique of smugness is probably meant to rile him up, and it's absolutely working because he snickers defiantly.

"As if… I'm going to win, and when I do, you'll finish your sentence"

Bravado is something you fake until you make it, and he rarely has to pretend. It unfortunately works much better against an opponent in the ring or a shadow than when she's the one in the opposing corner.

I'm weak to you.

"Deal! But if you don't, you're going to tell me what I said when I was sick… Do you have your cell somewhere nearby?"

The topic shift doesn't do much to help his distracted mind, and Akihiko perks an eyebrow questioningly.

"I left mine in my room, skirts don't exactly have pockets."

He wets his lips to soothe his nerves, talking absently as his gaze falls to verify the truth of her statement.

"It's in my bag back there..."

What's the point of a skirt then?

His hand trembles when he points in the vague toward where he left his stuff, and she scoots off the bed on silent tiptoes. He's not even sure why he sits up, ruffling his hair to chase the sparks lodged in it, eyes roaming in Minako's wake to follow her movements. She walks with the same calculated steps he memorized in Tartarus, delicate ankles flexing in almost dance when she comes to a stop.

Stop breathing so frigging fast.

For once, Akihiko can't avert his gaze when she bends down to rummage in his bag, sidetracked by the self-contained explosion crushing his lung capacity. She indeed has no pockets from what he can see… among other things. The crisp white tinted blue by the night makes it easy to measure how high the frills ride on her shapely legs and they remind him of certain adorable little ribbon strings that lived there one faithful evening.

Don't get weird…er.

She fishes out his phone and flips it open with a flourish, pivoting on the balls of her feet.

"Perfect! You won't have any grounds to accuse me of cheating with the time."

You're you, and you're here, that makes you the textbook definition of cheating.

"I-I'm sure you'll find a way… you're a natural at twisting the odds in your favor."

A scoff of amusement prefaces her answer, her gestures too expressive, like she's performing.

"I prefer calling it adapting to the situation with the parameters I am given. There's this very smart and charming guy who said that to me once."

One hundred and twenty seconds sound like forever now.

Minako walks back toward him, staring at the screen to fiddle with the timer app, oblivious to his clenching fingers. Hers tap on the back of the device as she works her thumbs on the keys, nails needling the plastic like a hyperactive clock hand. Her compliments fly completely over his head; he's too busy twitching to the rhythm of that repetitive noise, brain broiling.

"You know Aki… it's not too late to change your mind, I could be… persuaded to rescind my dare."

Why are you giving me an out?

This whole thing reeks of reckless danger and the tip tap percussion braids his spine in knots for a reason he can't pinpoint, but he's still enjoying the thrill of impending death.

"The party open to bribery is usually afraid of losing."

His mocking jab makes her look up and slyly smile.

"I'm not scared of anything! It's just that your bribes are very… convincing."

Minako has the gall to wink at him suggestively, darkened gaze lighting up with adoration when his cheeks burn bright.

"T-two minutes is nothing."

It's just enough to have a heart attack.

She's on the bed so quickly Akihiko doesn't notice until her bare knee is sliding against his on the covers, and she crawls in his space to sit close, pressing a five-point hot iron on his shirt to get his attention. But it's the memory of her soft hand mapped to his sweat-slicked chest in a misty hotel room that bubbles up at her touch, and he shudders at the vividity of the recall, blinking furiously to dispel the picture.

Stop thinking! Just, stop… thinking!

Her nails tentatively ruffle his hair, as if he's so brittle he'll crumble, and she's never hesitant with him. She's blushing too, and he wonders if he's acting weird, awkwardly aware his internal conflict might be painted all over his face. A bout is always won with the mind, and his has a serious handicap shaped like her, dismantling it into flaming pieces.

Why are YOU nervous though?

"Just tell me if you want to tap out. Maybe you should close your eyes, too."

Instead of waiting for him to comply, she feathers her hand down his forehead, then on his lashes, gently coaxing him to blindness. Swallowing with difficulty, Akihiko does as she asks. It might be easier to steel his nerves if he's not drowning in her burning rubies, full of unsaid he's probably misinterpreting.

I'm going to burn in Hell anyways.

"And tick tock the clock!"

Her fingertips continue their path, until they're painting heat a hair from his skin as they travel down his jaw. He can hear his phone flap shut and fall on the bed with a dull thud. Sparks run down his spine when a hair curl tickles his chin, her perfume filling the air. She's suddenly so close he can almost taste her.

And Minako darts away in a flash, cloth rustling, sliding on limbs, blowing a gust of air on his face with her movements. He opens his eyes in sheer fright to see her smirking wickedly, her blouse already flying toward his desk.

"W-what are you…?"

O…Okay. Okay, tank top still there, don't panic! Don't. Panic.

"I'm running a bit hot right now."

His heart takes it very personal, and all he can manage is a stuttering hiss, fearful of an encore. The remaining layer leaves very little to the imagination, a lot of blood rushing to his face and too much bare skin for his sanity. She wore just this before, but tonight it hits very different. Her chuckle at his dismay dies when she pulls hard on his necktie.

Stars collide as her lips merge with his, and Akihiko almost falls off his bed in shock. This isn't a kiss like before at all, it's possessive and demanding and she's palming his neck like she can't contain herself, thumb pressing in the rigid tendons. Her hands eventually grip both sides of his jaw, pulling him to her, and he doesn't know where to put his own.

Oh... yes.

Overwhelmed, he melts under her as she folds him backward, sparks flying through sinew and bone. He expected her to be pushy, but not like this, yet it fulfills his need for self-destruction. Minako's knees slide on each side of his ribs and his senses flood in all possible ways with loving sunshine, she's so warm he could spontaneously combust. His twitching hands make their way to her hair, holding on for dear life, begging for more.

Her lips leave his so quickly he blinks in confusion, then groans when they boil on his throat a split second later. Her teeth skim along his neck, drawing shivers, drowning him in decadent stupor.

Two minutes in heaven sounds about right.

Knowing her and all the ways she found to rile him up, she's going to make him jump right out of his skin when he least expects it. Everything she's doing sinks him in a blazing fog he doesn't want to escape, so he surrenders and pays her back in kind until she makes her play.

He's sluggish, but when her hands lift off from him, he manages to catch one of her wrists in passing, anxious at the idea of more clothing in flight.

Knowing you… I'm not taking any chances.

That enticing and terrifying possibility does more to dispel some of the clouds in his brain than anything else, he's so stiff with tension he could break. Minako briefly fights against him, incredulously amused when he tries to secure a hold on her second hand.

"What do you think you're doing?"

His grasp isn't very firm, the last thing he wants is to be forceful with her, and the novelty of his ploy plays in his favor. Testing how much strength he wants to leverage with his lone grab, she throws herself sideways on the bed to hopefully break it, and he crawls over to her to try and clasp her free arm too, chuckling as she makes him work for it.

This is actually all kinds of fun.

She wiggles in and out of his reach, pushing him around as bubbling laughter and shushing fill the air, it'd be too easy to get loud and attract attention to their antics. It takes some doing, she's incredibly fast, but he eventually succeeds, grinning in victory. He pushes her wrists high above her head, his breath coming in quick, shallow bursts, enjoying the moment. Seeing as he got the advantage, Akihiko lowers his face to nag her a little in good fun.

"I'm just adapting and using the parameters to my advantage, it's my line after all."

His roughhousing shenanigans go back to the orphanage, and he forgot how entertaining such physical contests can be, although this one brings a different sort excitement in play. Her eyes narrow and turn mischievous.

"Oh really?"

Her delivery is throaty, and the way she chews her lower lip to ponder her options slows time to a crawl. He blinks, skin dewing with sweat, suddenly feeling very irrational. The aggressive affection of the game feeds his craving for more adrenaline, more… her, and he hungrily licks his way into her mouth.

Her leg slides against him in reply, humming as she rubs his thigh for the span of five heartbeats before she hooks an ankle around his knee and forces him off-balance, using his distraction as a weapon. Minako wastes no time heaving herself over, molding her body on his, slithering her curves up his shirt as his complexion decomposes in multiple shades of crimson.

You're such a cheater!

"You seem a little… tense right now, Aki…"

His teeth screech together, it's very clear that she has absolutely nothing under her striped tank top, and she clearly recalls his earlier smacking compliment to do this again on purpose.

"You're… not being… very fair!"

Minako is nimble and shameless enough to exploit her teasing, freeing a hand from his twitching grab to run her nails down his chest before he can clasp it again, causing him to shiver. He's trying to gain some leverage back and close the distance, but it's incredibly hard to keep his focus.

His pulse pounds in his temples, feeding the chaos, each contact and brush making all his muscles ache and jolt. If she could only keep those legs still! Her skirt flies every which way as they struggle and it's too distracting. The whole of her is, even that ferocious little frown, the glint of playful violence in her irises, the impudent smirk he could kiss senseless.

"Fair based on what? You set no conditions at all so everything goes!"

They're both snickering and panting as he tries to get the upper hand again, fearful of getting too handsy with all the exposed flesh she has on display. Akihiko manages to grab both her wrists back, more by accident than planned deviousness, just by wetly running his lips on her exposed neck.

You like this as much as I do.

He merges his hold in a single hand above her unruly mop of copper, keeping the other chained tightly around her waist so she can't wiggle too much, dipping his tongue through her parted lips as he brings her closer. Not that she complains at all, turning limp in his embrace, melting under his kiss. Her eyes turn wicked when he gasps for air, and she flaps her lashes seductively.

"I rather like you pinning me down. Walls, beds… Not complaining at all."

I, uh…

That makes him too conscious of what he's currently doing, and he hesitates, his hold on her body loosening enough that she spins back on him. She might not have her soft little hands in play, but she grazes her teeth on his pulse, and he jolts his neck away, afraid she's going to bite him for a swift victory.

Unable to get a lock back on her waist without being a little too forward, he does the best next thing and crawls over her to use his knees. Planting them firmly on her skirt on each side of her tights, Akihiko keeps her body in place and her wrists on his pillow with both hands, just to be on the safe side. There can't be much more time to go on the timer, and her struggles are futile, resulting in the cutest pout she ever made.

Minako looks down at the way he's got her trapped like a butterfly on display, frills pinned to the bed, as if to find a weakness in his plan. The way she curls her lips makes him doubt he got this covered as well as he thought.

"You're too adorable for your own good..."

She wiggles upward, using her skirt's elastic hem, and the fabric stuck in place, to try and slide out of it. His eyes go wild at the realization that she can slip right out of his grasp, not to mention her clothes, with a good shove or three. Her efforts are revealing the edge of something sheer, white and lacy he'd be better not looking at right this moment until he wants his wits to jump through the window.

Don't even think about that flimsy little thing!

His knees squeeze together a little more forcefully on her, she can't daringly flee if she can't leverage her legs, but Minako fights him anyways. She smirks defiantly and arches her back to force him to overextend his reach, grinning at his uncontrollable flustering.

"Please, stop… squirming!"

Stop looking down there, dumbass! Not helping!

Akihiko angles his head sideways and shuts his eyelids hard, trying to chase the flurry of mental pictures he just gorged himself with, and her mouth brushes his flushed ear. Her tongue delicately traces the outline of it with fire, the cooling wet trail left behind making his joints weak and wobbly.

"Make me."

He's so far gone at this point he can't think straight, and the huskiness of her words turn them into a provoking command he takes to heart. He's desperate to avoid completely losing it before time runs out, hanging by just a thread, so he collapses on her to keep her still.

Oh… fuck. Not helping…

He immolates on the spot as his hips lock hers in place, jaws clamming shut at the heat of her full body under him. The shaky sigh she exhales at the pressure makes him intensely aware of how they're molding to each other, and he could swoon right there and then. The droning static between his ears is so thick it's forking lightning in his spine, tangibly traveling down his body, sizzling hot.

They stare at each other through frozen time, crushed by the heaviness of the air, breaths rasping in and out. Akihiko can hear the timer going off, but he can't move, limbs paralyzed. Flaring eclipses lock him into place, the warm flowery cloud surrounding him leeching all his will, his thoughts fleeing and galloping in all directions. She doesn't speak despite her wetness edging her parted lips, heartbeat thundering against his.

It takes him forever to relax his loose restraint on her wrists, soften his crushing press, carefully trying to downplay how much she affects him although she has ample proof of that. The third reminder on the alarm goes off, and neither of them even angle a look toward the jingle's source, the why of those two minutes entirely forgotten.

…And what?

Deep down he always knew the rest of her sentence, her eyes never lie, and they're once again screaming the unsaid loud enough he can hear it very clearly. He might have won, but in a way he lost the second he mistakenly spoke his mind in the worst possible way. It's come to a head how they've been dancing back-to-back in intricately woven circles up to here and now and nothing needs to be said, not anymore.

They become cautiously joined, standing in the eye of a whirlwind, foreheads touching. It's in the air they share, and how their pulses map to each other when they cross fingers with one hand in the covers, inner wrists glued together. Akihiko's free palm brushes the hair from the curve of her neck and rests fully on her shoulder, lips roaming down her jaw as they face each other on their sides.

The shakes won't leave him and even his voice feels hoarse, strained, it's so hard to even form thoughts and push them out of the brazier consuming him, but what's dimly coherent in the moment is too shrill and loud to ignore.

"I've never… anything, before you. Even if we… I don't have-"

They were miles away from this hours ago, he never consciously imagined a scenario like this one becoming a reality until he spoke it out loud, and there is no way he would trick or treat in the boys' wing. Her low whisper cuts him off.

"Me neither… But I cover that every morning."

The cries of his conscience dissolve into the haze, he's out of excuses not to face the part of himself that's howling so loud it's erasing his mind, clamoring for her until he burns to death. He's only aware Minako shut down his phone when the alarm stops, and she keeps staring at him, undemanding, just… waiting for him to tilt one way or another. The last tattered locks inside him crack and melt, and he exhales the fragments.

"Mina, I love you… And it kills me inside just how much… I do want..."

…You. All of you.

His whispering mouth closes on her pulse as the last word slips out of his thoughts, free arm chaining around her, and Akihiko closes his eyes to savor her shaky whimper. He trails wet kisses slowly all the way to the base of her neck, tightening his embrace when she arches her head back. His lips close on her shoulder, one of her legs entwines as it can around his thigh, and he can't seem to breathe anymore.

There's no way this is real.

He doesn't let his fantasies run untamed, not often, and this is so impossibly ethereal it can't be true. Time turns lethargic, the night blurring until the only reality left is her. Part of him is shrieking to run wild, to feed with no restraint. Another just clamors to revel in the nuances of this sharing, just as loud, and he's having a hard time reconciling both.

She puts her weight on their joined hands, her foot digs behind his knee and she coils herself on top, flipping him on his back. Floating above, she angles her head sideways to throw her loose hair, the tips of her fingers tracing patterns across his face, brushing across his mouth as he strings his own up her neck, inviting her lips to join his.

Minako slowly whips something from his collar and throws it aside, then blindly tugs at his shirt buttons, tentatively undressing him. Her fingers trace burns under the fabric as soon as she has enough leverage, trailing kisses on his jaw as his hands slide to her waist. Her lashes flutter once in slow motion when he meets her gaze, settling down low, the red an outline around black that makes his heart constrict painfully. She dips her lips lower, hovering tantalizingly close to his neck, just enough to parch his mouth as he shivers.

He broils inside out when she languidly licks the contour of his throat with the tip of her tongue, sizzling all the nerve endings in its path. The rumbling growl he makes surprises even him and she latches on his collarbone. Dizzy, Akihiko pushes her hip down on him, unable to stop himself. She squirms back in reply, humming as she softly sucks on his skin. He can't stop his moans at the feel of her mouth on him, his shudder traveling from nape to heels.

This has to be a dream.

She travels back upward, breathing near his ear, dropping a boiling kiss just next to it. Minako's teeth are barely grazing the outline, and he finds himself irrationally hoping she bites down on it. Panting, she whispers instead, her thumb hooked in his shirt, lips sticking to his skin.

"Do you… want to stop?"

There's an unbridled lust in her voice that dares him to jump the last inch, to confirm if he truly wants this. He's already dangling in the void above a wildfire with the tiniest bit of balance, and his toes edge close to oblivion.

I don't want an out. I want…

"N-no, please no…"

I want to die like this, charred by you until only the husk of bones remain.

Akihiko breaks their death grip to take that hand to the front of his shirt, clumsily trying to give her some help, but the trickle of fire tracing his earlobe is too dizzying to get any kind of result. His fingers keep shaking, slipping, too clammy to grip the plastic buttons properly and unfasten them.

C'mon, I do this all the time!

He could use the other hand he keeps on her waist too, but his thumb found the soft dip made just for it above her hip bone, and she sighs in abandon when his fingers mold to that dreamy curve like a missing puzzle piece, pushing her down to grind on him.

"I can't… undo this."

What's wrong with me?

"One sec…"

His eyes are bleary, and he squeezes them shut hard to clear his vision, both her hands flying off him as he does so. There's a ruffle of cloth as Minako's weight shifts on him, and when he cracks them open, she straightened up to slip her tank top over her head.

You…

"It seemed… fair."

There's an unmasked shyness in her voice, and she's more defenseless than he's ever seen her before despite her audacity. Her skin has a radiant sheen, almost dewy, pale under the heat of a blush, and his lungs fail at their job. It's dark, but what little light there is paints how fit she really is under her uniform and he… really likes that.

It takes a tremendous effort to find a speck of coherence at the back of his skull and bring it to the forefront, she's so distracting he's feeling faint, but she deserves to know.

"Mina… it burns to just… look at you."

Her hands drop back to his shirt, red blooming on her cheeks, and both of his find her bare waist, hesitant. She stares at him, dark rubies gleaming with undisguised anticipation, and he lets his trembling fingers delicately caress all those highlighted contours upward with the reverence they deserve.

You're so soft and lovely…

"I really like… your hands on me."

Spurred on by her breathless admission, he gets a little more daring, the heartbeat in his eardrums so loud they could bleed. She's all silky and aflame, white as snow, curves and planes flexing under his touch. Akihiko brushes his shy fingers higher, watching her lashes flutter above parted lips at his delicate exploration. He palms her breast very tentatively, letting his thumb caress it in lazy circles until Minako's weight melts on him with a languishing sigh, grinding against him right there. His jaws impact together hard enough to make his head reverb and his eyelids snap shut to keep himself afloat.

You're going to kill me.

Gasping for air, their gaze meet just as she shakily finishes with the last button. She yanks on the bottom of his now undone shirt to pull it out, pushing the fabric aside with flaring rubies, and he can't resist a teasing whisper because of her adorable expression. He never really cared about the side effects of his training except as proof of progress, he's not that vain. The way she bites her lip greedily as she takes him in, that, he could get used to.

"I thought you wanted me to keep a shirt on?"

Her soft hands skim up his chest, tracing the outlines of his muscles with her nails, humming in contentment. She finds all the contours where she can drip fire with her fingers, drawing groans out of him.

"Aki, I lied. Oh, you're beautiful..."

Every motion makes him hiss, each contact a candle held to his flesh, and Akihiko won't stop shivering at her caresses, sinking deeper into affectionate reverie. Her breath joins the dance as she lightly brushes the swell of her curves upward on his goose bumped skin, kissing her way up his torso to his neck, until her lips crest his chin and dive back where they belong.

The feel of so much of her bare against him, molded to his flesh, is enough to liquefy his bones. His palms shakily find their way to her waist again, leeching heat upward as he gently maps his hands on her ribs, while she gasps through her kisses.

If this is a dream, I never want to wake up.

He trails his fingers up the length of her back, drawing on the curve of her spine, exploring all the hollows created by her moving shoulder blades. He's starved for the feel of burning silk that sheathes her on his palms, how it moves when she breathes. Minako mirrors his motions, gently running her nails on his shoulder, down his arm in a trickle, then back to his chest and going further still, descending to his ribs.

She inches downward with deliberate slowness, silently giving him a chance to refuse, and his muscles ripple hard under the stress of his gasps, tense and jolting. She blazes a path lower when he doesn't stop her, and he bites his cheek to stifle a growl as her hand slips between them, her mouth on his pulse.

Oh... Oh god!

His ribs could snap like twigs, heat flooding him in a rush when she gently grazes her fingers over him, his skin slicking with sweat in the span of two heartbeats. Each moan that escapes him emboldens her, every movement feeding sparks to his nerves until he's crackling all over.

Please don't stop…

Minako doesn't relent, trailing her lips on his throat as she sighs along. She licks up his neck again, painting him with molten lava, gasping in pleasure like he's so delicious and he's absolutely losing his goddamn mind.

Don't break. Don't... break.

Her tongue ends its path in his mouth to steal his strained groans, relenting her magical torture to toy with his belt instead when his gripping fingers twitch hard on her sides. It takes Akihiko a few moments to get a grip on himself, and she tugs at his undone pants, lashes tickling his face until his vision fills with dimmed stars.

"Can you…?"

At least that's easier to do since he can leverage his legs to squirm out of them, pushing the pile of black off the bed, but it takes some doing, very distracted at the sight of her. He shivers, cold, as she moves off him to hook her thumbs in the elastic band of her skirt. His palms immediately take their place on her hips, his gaze locking with hers with more assurance than before.

"Please…"

The curtain of the Dark Hour falls from one frame of reality to the next when she lifts herself higher on her knees to help him slip her out of her clothes. The phosphoric haze highlights her silhouette, the silence heavy as lead.

Those sultry, darkly framed bursts of red above him twists Akihiko's insides in a burning knot, Minako is looking at him, piercing stare touching his soul. His panting rasps as much as hers, transfixed by the reflection of silver stars dancing in the black of her eyes, and she's all there is.

You're… just you.

There's no mask to hide the defenselessness floating in the flames, but there's a degree of trust in them that awes him. Her hands rest on his shoulders, pushing the remains of his shirt down his arms until he can shake them off. She steps out of the pool of frills and lace he slides down her legs and it falls to the floor, while he remains entranced by her eyes. Wild copper fall in wavy curtains around her face, and in the viridescent light, the flush on her cheeks and the gleam of wetness around a hint of pearl sends him right off the cliff.

His hands reverse course, fluttering up her tights to her hips, following the flat plane of her abdomen until they're skimming up the swell of her breasts to her collarbone, fingers draping delicately over the curve between neck and shoulder, and he whispers, terrified.

"Can I… love you?"

There's no strength in his invite, no pull, yet she falls into the offered embrace until their lips connect. The kiss is as soft as the way Akihiko gently lays her next to him, her arms loose around his neck, an unspoken invitation to drown in sun fire he readily accepts. The hand under them intertwines tenderly and they wrap around each other, face to face.

I want you.

It's a disembodied detachment that chases the static storm from his mind, the droning screech muted. He may not be good with spoken words, but he can be eloquent differently, show his love in other ways.

His free hand dance in her hair, tracing her ear, thumb outlining her jaw as his lips slide on hers. His breath flows down to kiss her chin, the curve of her neck, slowly inching to Minako's shoulder. His lips recite an impromptu love poem across the span of that creamy canvas, the tip of his tongue carefully inking each word in her flesh, languidly.

I want all of you. The scars, the smiles, the dreams, the pain.

He's fearful of disrupting the fantasy, vision half-lidded, mesmerized at the way she responds to his touch. There's only her, the way she sings in bliss, how the heat of her body seeps into his, her hand searing the flesh off his bones as it flows on his back. Akihiko reads how all her curves rhyme against his mouth as he slides lower, what makes her shiver and sigh.

Chained to and through me until there's no undoing the links.

His caresses are aerial, shy even, but he can't stop the howling half overpowering him, not anymore. He snaps so far his restraint breaks, and despaired desire takes over.

He kisses between her breasts, drinking the rapid thrumming beneath her skin when his hand cradles the left one, fingers grazing its peak, feather-light. His lower lip runs to the right, softly cresting the curve, languidly letting his tongue swirl in circles as she moans, writhing against him. Her nails rake his neck and shoulders, lips mumbling his nickname. He closes his mouth to taste, sucking gently as he squeezes, marveling at how she fills his palm just right.

She smells like floral sunshine layered over a musky sweetness that's slowly driving him insane, it's tantalizing how the very air is perfumed with her. His free fingers draw down her flank, finding her hip, traveling to the leg she's sliding on his ribs. There's no end to the softness as he runs the tips on her thigh, tracing the skin down her knee to her calf. She has great muscular tone with all their running and fighting, and Akihiko very much adores all that definition gloved in warm velvet, sliding his body between them to feel both, above and under him.

Your legs are amazing…

His fingers palm back up her thigh delicately as his lips go downward, kissing her navel, mapping his mouth on that hip curve calling him, completely drunk on the smell and taste of her. Minako shudders with a sharp intake of air, squeezing her legs together when he slides her left knee over his shoulder and his mouth runs lower.

She's so slippery and soft and won't stop trembling as he delicately glides his tongue, groaning in frenzied hunger. His cheek rests on her inner thigh, her skin warm against his ear, and he could drown listening to the siren song of her pleasure as he kisses her in ravenous abandon.

This sound will weave all my dreams.

He could die right now with no regrets, intoxicated, gorging on her. There's her soft creamy leg dancing on his shoulder, the haunting melody of her whimpers filling his ears, her fingers in his hair and he almost breaks apart at the decadence of it all.

"…Just... there…"

Taking her whispered cue, Akihiko flicks his tongue the same way again and again as she tenses, rigid. Her nails claw harder in his scalp as she shudders and moans, twitching uncontrollably until she pushes his head away. She's panting hard, boneless, tugging weakly at their still joined hands to call him back to her.

He licks his lips to savor the remains of salty wetness, kissing his way back up, sliding on the length of her body as her legs cradle his hips. She's congealed flames cloaking him, lips roaming his shoulder when he settles between her thighs, murmuring.

"Mina… are you… really sure?"

Her eyes are glassy and sparkling as her hands caress his upper body with tenderness.

"Please…"

Her nails stroke lower until they're between them again, her burning fingers on him driving a whine out of his throat as she guides him into her, awkwardly trying to align just right until they figure it out. Her lashes flutter shut when he slides into her, groaning in unison with him when it becomes the sum of them, and he's suddenly a thousand stars adrift in a void of red.

His sanity takes the same road as his virginity, soaked into his sun and burned into ashes, the rest of him following close behind because they're both barely existing as motionless flesh and yet he's flayed down to the marrow.

I'm dying.

Minako's nails curl in the small of his back, coaxing him toward her, whimpering his name as they cling to each other until they could choke. His skin catches fire as her thigh coils around him, chaining them together, her heel pushing him to her. The slickness on his chest sticks to her curves, her arm a noose flowing on his shoulders. They're so entwined she's everywhere and he's basking in sunlight, burning alive in her. Hips twitching to trust as hers rock slowly against him, Akihiko nearly unravels right there, squeezing their joined fingers to stay afloat.

We're dying.

His hand strokes her neck as he nuzzles her pulse, moving very slowly in her. He breathes hard, unevenly, the soft boiling feel of her around him, trying to keep the dream alive as it edges on falling apart already. His fingers caress the leg around him tenderly, palm closing on her skin when a shiver runs through the muscle. Lulled by the erratic drumming on his cheek, he softly murmurs.

"Mina… Are you-"

Her back tenses as she shakes, the echo of a weak chuckle in her words.

"Not fast. Just like... this."

Slow... like this.

She burns, but the leisured friction becomes a red lightning bolt nonetheless, liquid, wet, with no outlet to disperse. Her nails needle into his shoulders, on his neck and back, heavy-lidded rubies filled with a darkness that chars his sanity as his eyes drown in them. Their parted mouths connect, lips brushing, air mingling, until they're kissing languorously with the motions.

We're dying in each other.

The crackling bounces, from Minako to him, back and forth, every time they move, wherever they connect. It's stuck in a closed circuit with no escape, growing, shocking, buzzing through his veins, a looping violent counterpoint to the slowness of their joining.

I never want this agony to end.

Akihiko's hand cradles her cheek, thumb tracing her brow, running down her arm as her palm brushes lazily down his shoulder to his tailbone.

Not yet! Please... no.

She fills him to the brim, too much too fast, and he could shatter in a breeze as the fire trenches too deep.

Slow! Down!

This communion is pure ecstasy. She is, they are, and that addition is a brazier that threatens to engulf him whole, calling for his death as she writhes around him.

He almost die when she exhales a moan of abandon down his throat, shuddering, quaking his bones and Akihiko can't help groaning with her. He's so high-strung he could snap in two, her tremors rippling through him over and over.

Don't break, not yet!

She sighs his name on his lips, the cinders of her words still tingling his chin when the tip of her tongue darts down his throat, the same way her body slides against him, and she bites the side of his neck around the tendon to share her grave with him. It's a full-blown groan of pleasure that escapes him; his eardrums roar with static waves, vision swimming red as he unravels, overwhelmed. He moans in his death throes, liquid lightning rampaging through his nerves until it leaves him senseless.

His heart takes its merry time calming down, their hand grip in the covers so tight his knuckles are numb. It's her fingers that kindle life back into him, gliding softly on his back, and she murmurs sweet nothings he can't quite make out. The affectionate tone makes him smile, and he opens his eyes, absolutely incoherent.

His arm coil around her possessively, in a protective and tight embrace. His forehead rests against hers while he breathes like a madman, drained, burned inside out. A bead of sweat falls from his damp hair to roll on her brow and he wets his lips absently, feeling her heartbeat singing through and around him.

I can't even explain…

"I love you."

Just three simple words that mean everything, whispered with a lot of effort, to emphasize what he told her in many ways all evening. They're both limp, hazed, sight glazed and exhausted. Akihiko manages to unstick some hair from her forehead and his lips flutter near her mouth as the rubies regain their flames, slowly.

How she looks at that moment is so strikingly like her waking back to life at the playground that he can't help staring in wonder, and she smiles serenely, silent. Minako looks so beautifully undone right now, eyes brimming with love for him, and there's a single dominant thought in his mind.

I did that.

It's silly, really, but it's really hard not to grin like an idiot just thinking it and Akihiko hides his expression by nuzzling the curls framing her jaw, raining feather kisses all over her in adoration, slowly.

I'll do it again a thousand times if you let me.

Her hands rise to his face, lazily tracing his features, entwining the other tighter where their shoulders lay in the covers. Her lashes slowly rise and fall until they close completely, and she exhales, content.

"I breathe you."

Oh… Mina…

He pulls on the edge of his bed cover behind her back, flipping a corner over the lower end of their naked bodies. The only proof Minako is still conscious is how she ruffles his wet silver locks absently, cradling his head against her chest with trembling nails as he nests lower against her. He absently tastes the salt that rolls down the hollow of her cleavage, arm coiled around her hip, dancing fingers stroking her tailbone. Her leg is still around his thigh, and he purrs as her heartbeat sings him a lullaby.

"You're… never leaving..."

Minako's words tug at him, their weight a mountain, pressing achingly on his mind as a promise when he drifts off, embracing her close.

Never.