Rin - Summer Nights

A blend of festive music and chatting among the crowd passes through my ears as I weave in between groups of people, the loose cloth of their yukata fluttering in the evening breeze. Stalls have been erected on either end of the pathway, selling anything from deep-fried soba to deep-fried rice cakes.

Summer is finally in full swing. The festival here at Yamaku doesn’t begin until after summer vacation, as opposed to back home where it’s on the day before. Supposedly there were delays with the student council since they’ve been shorthanded, but to push back a national holiday is a little…

Anyway, the watch on my wrist indicates that I have no time to think or dwell on anything that isn’t getting to the destination. I was supposed to be meeting the dynamic duo five minutes ago, and the abuse I’ll receive for being late continues to build for each minute I spend not already there. I didn’t even have a chance to get dressed for the occasion, having to run out of the dorm still clad in my school uniform.

I stop every few paces to stand on my toes and glance over the crowd, looking for that head of auburn hair or those green eyes. It isn’t until a few moments later that I’m snagged out of the crowd and pulled onto a bench, landing between two girls.

“Hisao! Didn’t you mother teach you not to keep girls waiting?” An energetic voice yells in my ear.

Before I can offer an excuse, the girl beside her replies with “but didn’t we just get h-“

“That doesn’t matter! What’s important is that Hisao left us waiting. It doesn’t matter that we only just got here ourselves!”

Her argument is followed by a small yelp before the short girl on my left covers her mouth with both hands, prompting a laugh from the two of us.

The auburn head of hair to one end is accompanied by a light smile and a hint of amusement in her emerald-green eyes. From her thin shoulders down to her lithe ankles flows a sea-green yukata embroidered with a swirling white pattern, accentuated by the glistening silver obi tied around her waist. A green hairclip shaped like a butterfly settles on her bangs, giving an air of maturity I'm not used to seeing in Rin.

As if to contrast with her partner, the other girl on the bench wears her hair in a bun accessorized by a number of pins and clips, a loose lock of brunette sticking out here and there. She’s decided to wear a less conservative yukata for the festival, the blue cloth around her form only reaching below her knees. Sleeves hang at her wrists no matter how much she shakes her arms around in frustration, the dangling rings of gold on her ears wobbling with each energetic movement.

“Fine then, be that way. What a shameless man, leaving two beautiful girls on a bench.” Emi concludes, crossing her arms and giving a small ‘hmph’ before hopping up. The golden bow on her back wobbles with each step she takes.

“Calm down, it’s been two minutes and you’re already mad at me.” I counter, lying back in the seat.

“She just wants to get to the cake stall.” Rin interjects in her usual deadpan tone, an almost disinterested look on her face as she spies the object in question in the distance.

Emi puts her hands on her hips and turns around, peering at both of us with an annoyed expression. “I was talking about the games next to it.”

“Oh.” Rin responds, the glow of deep-fried confections lingering in her eyes. “Does that mean we can’t get cake, then? Because a few girls in our class were talking about volunteering for the stall and one of them is in home ed so I bet she knows a whole lot about baking and the food over there is probably going to be really delicious be-“

“No cake. You’ll gain five kilograms just by looking at it.” Emi interrupts, crossing her arms and burning into both of us with a resolute stare.

She then takes one glance over her shoulder as she looks through the stalls behind her, doing a triple take at the aforementioned distributor of baked goods.

“I didn’t see you get bigger.” I comment as her eyes return to the two of us with a wistful sparkle.

“Because I’m immune to it.” She argues, “besides, it’s too early to be getting food anyway.”

She has a point, even though Rin and I both know she’ll cave to the temptation eventually. It’s a much bigger festival than the fireworks show we had when I got here. There are more games to play and more prizes to win, which should help us work up an appetite for the larger volume of fried treats presented tonight.

“We should play that jellyfish catching game.” Rin suggests, hopping onto her feet alongside Emi.

I pick myself off of the bench as well. “You mean the goldfish one, right?”

“Yes. Gold jellyfish.” She returns, her yukata sleeves unadjusted and swaying in the breeze. “Jelly goldfish. Fish jelly-gold.”

Without a way to respond that wouldn’t result in more mix-ups, I give a simple shrug and begin walking towards the stalls, the two girls catching up after a shared smile.

************

“C’mon Hisao, you can do better than that!”

Another softball leaves my hand and flies at the stack of bottles, to no avail. These things are always rigged – either you miss by a few centimeters or your pitch collides with the tower of glass bottles and they don’t even respond; no clattering, not even a wobble. They’re definitely glued together.

The only thing that could make it worse is if-

“Here, let me try it!”

…is if Emi takes a ball and knocks it down in one shot. Which the clattering of empty bottles would indicate is very much a possibility.

A long, disappointed sigh rolls out of my throat at the sight of it, soon to be accompanied by a “see, it’s not that hard! Just gotta put a bit of muscle into it.”

“You saw me hit them multiple times. We’ve wasted a thousand yen trying this, let’s just call it a night and move on.” I argue, ready to try the ring-tossing game a few stalls down the road.

Emi crosses her arms and gives a forceful shake of her head. “Nope! We’re not calling it quits until you win something for your girl~friend.”

She puts extra emphasis on the last phrase, as if to poke fun at the relationship Rin and I seem to have fallen into. It feels strange referring to her as my girlfriend even if I do harbor emotions of that sort for her. Something like ‘companion’ would be a more fitting title, although if-

“Hisao.” Rin says, cutting into my thoughts.

Ah, right, more pressing matters at hand. “Yes?”

“Do they give you one of those stuffed eels if you win?”

To my surprise, that's not an abstract way of describing a teddy bear – the back of the stall is littered with all sorts of stuffed fish, from tuna to marlin. They seem like just the kind of prizes Rin would love, hence why we’re here in the first place.

“Emi just won a game. Why doesn’t she get one for you?” I counter, glancing at Emi over my shoulder.

“It’s only if you kock them down twice.” Emi informs me, holding up two fingers with a set of balls in her other hand. “Gotta do it one more time, lover-boy.”

She flashes a taunting smile before hanging me the two softballs in her hand, gesturing at the stall as the student manning the attraction sets the target back up. I glare at him as he gestures for me to try again, prompting a shrug of his shoulders.

I’ve only played baseball a few times in my life, and I never had to pitch. Go figure the only sport I was ever interested in was the one where you never had to throw a ball.

My arm winds up for the throw as I aim another of the white spheres at the stack of bottles, letting loose with another shot. It connects with the top-most container although the force isn't enough to make a difference.

Emi tries to stifle a laugh at the attempt before grabbing another ball off the table and holding it out for me. “Try again, Hisao.”

“Hit the middle.” Rin adds, her eyes tracing each contour of the small tower.

I do just that, the softball leaving my hand at full force and colliding with the first of the two bottles in the second row. Once again, they wobble for a few moments before resuming their usual position, as if to mock the attempt.

“Harder.” She adds with a deadpan tone, as if it were the most obvious solution.

The second ball floats through the air and at the bottles, hitting the space between the center two and causing it to wiggle just the same, the result surprising to nobody present.

Rin stares on for a few more moments, sizing up the obstacle with a strange amount of focus in her eyes. “You can knock it down.”

I grab another white sphere from off the table and hurl it at the stack of bottles, to the same end.

“Harder.” She repeats, my frustration becoming contagious by the looks of it.

The student at the other end of the counter puts one more ball in my hand, my supply dwindling to this last shot. I want to say there will be other opportunities to win Rin something and flaunt it in front of Emi, but there’s a pretty high chance of this being the only stall with such aquatic-themed prizes.

I take a deep breath and focus my gaze dead-center on the stack of bottles, flinging the ball at it with as much strength as I can muster.

Once again, they wobble back and forth in defiance to my wishes, but this time they tilt at just enough of an angle for the top bottle to fall backwards, taking the middle row with it. The bottom row lies just as it did before, but it doesn’t matter because the win condition is ‘knock the bottles out of place.’

A tiny smile emerges on Rin’s lips, followed by a cheer from Emi. “Geez, took you long enough! I could’ve had ‘em knocked over and racked back up five times now.”

“So why didn’t you?” I ask as I cross my arms and wait for the attendant to pull our selected prize down, a stuffed lime-green eel –  a teddy-eel? It could be a snake for all I know, but all that matters is that Rin has her eye on it.

Emi puts her hands on her hips. “Hmph, it doesn’t mean anything if you aren’t the one that wins it for her. That’s what guys are supposed to do at festivals! Win prizes for cute girls.”

I receive my hard-earned winnings from the guy at the other end of the counter before wrapping it around Rin's shoulders. It’s about two meters long, its tip and tail bouncing against Rin’s hips each time she takes a step.

“Thank you.” She says, flashing a delighted smile and glancing at herself in a nearby mirror.

A small jolt went through my heart with the amount of force it took just to knock over a few bottles, but it was all worth it in the end, I suppose.

“Well, that’s one down!” Emi chimes, stepping between us and throwing an arm over each of our shoulders. “Let’s go see how good you are with a pop gun now! Or we can try catching goldfish again; maybe you’ll get lucky this time.”

Doubtful. We already tried one of those and not a single one of us could even figure out how to catch a fish, much less do so before the paper ‘net’ could break apart. Still, why stop at one prize when there’s more to be won?

**************

I fish around in my wallet for some extra coins, a strange guilt filling my chest as I realize that I’ve just spent my month’s allowance playing festival games and not even winning anything. Aside from that eel, the only other prizes we’ve managed to acquire are a paper fan which now rests in Emi’s belt, a couple of bracelets, and a stuffed teddy bear which, somehow, Rin managed to win on her own at a ring-tossing game.

“Are you out too?” Emi asks, her own purse empty except for a student ID and a bank card.

I nod my head, trying to keep a grimace from forming on my face as I shut my wallet. My stomach growls with a vigor like no other, exaggerated by the all the tempting aromas floating through the air.

Rin’s wallet hangs from her belt from a piece of cord, swaying in the breeze thanks to its lack of contents. She didn’t have a lot of money to spend, and it doesn’t help that these games are so expensive to play to begin with.

“Well, at least we won a few things.” I remark, feeling a little guilty about having to cut the night short thanks to lack of funds.

The two girls beside me give a nod in agreement before taking one last, longing glance at the circle of food across the path. Even Emi has begun to cave to the temptation, despite the constant lectures about one unhealthy meal ruining her work-out for the entire week.

We begin the walk back to our respective dorms, stopping at a small shrine that’s been set up on campus just for tonight. The three of us all grab a pen and a slip of paper, taking a few moments to write our wishes for the festival.

Rin is the first to finish hers, capping the pen with her dexterous toes and holding both it and the white sheet up for me to attach to a shaft of bamboo. ‘I want to see more.’

It took a little while to figure out my own goal, besides the obvious having to do with the ticking time-bomb in my chest. Ultimately, I settle on something a little more far-reaching like Rin; ‘I want to understand.’

I’m unable to keep from chuckling as Emi asks me to attach her wish at the very top of the branch. She tells me not to look at the note, but I steal a glance at it just the same.

“Please help me pass English this year?” I recite to myself, chuckling a bit as Emi gives a flustered ‘hmph’ and gets a head-start to the dormitory.

“She needs all the help she can get.” I mutter to Rin, who returns an amused smile. “She’s got a point, though. Now isn’t a bad time to head back, even if it’s a little early.”

Rin gives a nod of her head and begins walking alongside me, a light pressure on my shoulder as she leans into me ever so slightly. It’s wrong of me to say, but times like this make me wish she had a hand I could hold. The very least I can do is put one arm around her shoulder, something she doesn’t seem to mind.

It takes us a bit longer to get back to the front doors of the female dorm, an impatient Emi waiting in the lobby with a smirk on her face as we step in. “Did I give you two enough privacy?”

Before I can offer some sort of a witty reply, Rin returns with a simple “yes” before stepping away from my arm, that lime-green eel still draped around her shoulders.

“I, uh… okay” Emi replies with a dumbfounded expression.

Rather than going along with the teasing, Rin outright ignores it. Is she annoyed by the fact that we've come to have that sort of an image together, or is she used to dismissing Emi's more playful comments in such a way?

Either way, I guess it’s going to stick. I’ve managed to get more in touch with my emotions after that day on the hill, but it’s going to take some getting used to. I give a simple “good night” to the two of them as they disappear around the corner and up the stairs to their rooms, deciding it would be best to head back to my own bed for tonight.

As much as I love the nights where Rin decides to adopt me as her pillow; it would be better if I didn’t have the dorm manager knocking on my door wondering why I’m sharing my room with a girl. There are already stories of prior expulsions floating around from such things.

The school grounds are still very much occupied when I get back, with paper lanterns hanging overhead and festive music blaring in the distance. There aren’t as many stalls in the central courtyard as there are around the gates, but it’s enough to be certain that getting to sleep tonight will be difficult.

It takes a few minutes to make it to my room, where I unlock the door as quickly as I can without making noise to keep from pulling Kenji out of his room. He might be out enjoying the festival for all I know, but still; best not to take chances. No point in ruining what’s been a great night so far by having to put up with an hour of insane, paranoid rambling.

************

I turn both of the knobs back to their neutral position, heaving a satisfied sigh as wisps of steam linger in the air. The only thing keeping me from showering anytime I have more than thirty minutes spare is the knowledge that I can’t lock Kenji out.

It wasn't a lot of physical activity, but my time at the festival was still enough to work up a bit of a sweat, something that didn't work too well with the multiple layers of clothing that make up my school uniform.

After drying off and wrapping the towel around my waist, I head back to my room to grab my pajamas and get ready for...

“You left your door unlocked.” Says the auburn-haired girl sitting on my bed, still clad in her festive clothes with a bookbag beside her. The stuffed eel seems to have been deposited at her own bedroom, seeing as how it’s nowhere in sight.

Well. I can’t say it’s unwelcome, even though I’d prefer if she didn’t arouse suspicion by showing up to my room each night.

It’s happened often enough for me to get used to it, anyway. “Really? I was sure I’d locked it while the water was warming up.”

Rin’s eyes droop as she spots the wisps of steam floating out of the bathroom door. “You took a bath without me.”

“I would’ve waited if you had given me a heads up.” I reply, shrugging my shoulders before stepping over and leaning on the desk beside my bed. Her gaze slithers up and down my towel-clad form, paying no mind to the music seeping in from outside.

Bathing with Rin isn’t something I’m very experienced with, but it wouldn’t be the first time she’s decided to test the capacity of our bathtub. At the very least she's someone relaxing to bathe with, and I can't complain about having someone to wash my back, even if she has to do it with her feet...

I slide my desk chair out and take a seat, deciding that the stack of clothes on my bed can wait until later. “So, are you gonna go to sleep in that?” I ask, pointing to the silky cloth around her torso and the leather sandals binding her feet.

To be honest, it doesn’t look like it’d be something uncomfortable in bed, minus the footwear of course. I doubt her parents would be happy if she got it all wrinkled up, though, especially considering how expensive it must have been to have it made.

Rin glances down before nodding her head with a playful smile, “favorite part of the night?”

I can’t help but get flustered at the sound of such an accusation, even if it might be a little true. “Could be.”

She sets one foot one my thigh as I scoot the chair closer to the bed, allowing me to undo the strap and let it fall to the ground. Rather than give me the other, however, her toe slides up my midsection and traces the scar on my chest before stopping at my chin, lightly touching my mouth.

“You need to smile more. I like it when you smile.” She says, her tone returning to that same flat manner of speaking as she nudges the edge of my lips.

I almost respond, too, until a peek up her garment reveals the last thing I would have expected of Rin.

…Girls are supposed to have underwear on under their yukata, right? That thing about them not having panties on under their festive clothes is a myth, right?

She takes her foot away before setting the other on my lap, her toes wiggling back and forth as I slip the brown leather sandal off. This time it lingers around my belly area, gliding along the skin of my abdomen with a strange curiosity.

Beyond the soft touch of her toe, however, she doesn’t pursue the matter any further, instead hopping up to her feet and doing a quick turn as she presents the large silver bow on her back to me. “Be careful with it, Emi almost ripped it when we were getting ready and Papa said he’d be upset if anything happened.”

“I wonder what he’d be more angry about; me messing up your yukata or my having to undress you in the process of doing so.” I comment as I carefully pull the ribbon apart, folding up the silky silver cloth and setting it on my desk.

“Both.” Rin answers with a stark expression. “Moreso about undressing me, though. Papa says I’m not allowed to be naked around other guys until I’m twenty-eight.”

She turns around as soon as the belt is undone, her chest at eye-level as I grasp the two sides of her yukata’s midsection. “Ten years too early, huh? Tell your dad I’m sorry.”

A look of amusement and relaxation washes over her features at my response. “I won’t tell him.”

“That might be best for both of us.” I respond as I slide my hands along the silken cloth, brushing the garment off of her shoulders and allowing it to fall to the…

My mind is bombarded by the sight of the well-kept patch of auburn between her hips, the smooth pallor of her skin totally bare from head to toe. “I think you lost your panties.”

Rin tilts her head at my response, shifting her weight from one leg to the other.

“No, I wasn’t wearing any to begin with.” She returns as if it were the most obvious thing in the universe, a smile on her lips. “Emi says it’s more comfortable this way.”

I attempt to stutter out a few snarky replies, every word slipping out of my mouth only as an “uh.”

She doesn’t seem to understand my bewilderment. “You act like you’ve never seen a girl naked before.”

“It’s not something I’m exposed to on a regular basis, no.” I respond.

Truth be told, how many guys walk out of the shower to a cute girl asking him to undress them? It’s a surreal thing in itself, especially considering that it’s not something I’m always prepared for. There’s even more trouble to be had when it turns out she’s been going commando in her yukata the entire night.

At the very least, I’m able to get control of myself now that the initial shock has come and gone. “Well, you brought pajamas, right? Or were you intending on going to sleep like that?”

She thinks over the notion for a short moment before gesturing at the bookbag beside her.

I slide the flap off to reveal one night’s worth of clothes, no doubt chosen for her by Emi – a pair of athletic shorts, a long-sleeve shirt with its sleeves already tied into knots, a button-up pajama shirt, a plain bra with a floral print on the front, and…

Tonight’s just full of surprises, huh?

“I think Emi packed the wrong underwear.”

Rin glances into the bag with me before shaking her head, “no, I picked that out.”

My eyes meet her with a shocked stare at her before she continues with “well, no, she picked it out for me when I was at the store. But I like wearing them because they’re easy to move in and they’re comfy for sleeping.”

I reach in and fish out the dainty undergarment; a t-string thong with the same pattern as the bra printed on the front; grey lacy flowers twirling across a white canvas, the elastic a solid black.

“Yes.” She concludes as I hold it up in plain sight, still unsure of what to think.

Rin in a thong.

I can’t say I don’t understand where she’s coming from; they don’t seem as restricting as her usual choices and they do seem like they'd be more comfortable for someone who moves their legs around a lot more than the average person.

But still, RIN IN A THONG.

She tucks in her uniform shirt and has never mentioned it to me before this point. There are girls out there that would wear such a thing to try and show off, but I’m certain Rin isn’t one of them. Even so, there are just too many mental images emanating from it.

It would be a flat-out lie to say Rin doesn’t have her feminine curves, but I never would have imagined her wearing something like this before tonight. She looks just fine in her usual solid-color and striped panties; why fix something that isn’t broken?

“You don’t have to stare at it.” She says after a short wait, picking up one leg and pointing her toes as if to hurry me along.

Ah, well, yeah. No need to drag it out. This is all she packed by the looks of it, and while sleeping naked isn’t necessarily ruled out, I’d rather she were at least wearing something. At least the fabric on this thing isn’t sheer.

I hold it up and allow her to slide her leg through it, trying to avert my gaze from the space between her hips as she picks up her other foot and puts it in place. From there, I slide the lascivious undergarment up her slender legs and let it rest around her hips, still with mixed feelings on the matter.

Thankfully the other half of her pajamas doesn’t prove to be as stimulating to the male mind. It takes a few moments to fish the white pajama shirt out of her bookbag before draping it over her shoulders and fastening the middle button.

“Fine?” I ask, waiting for any ‘adjustments’ that may need to be made.

She shifts around, making sure her clothes are all up to standard before nodding her head, “fine.”

“Great, so can I go ahead and-“

My question is interrupted by Rin looking at me with a blank smile before stepping forward and pressing her body against mine, snuggling my head against her chest.

“What are you doing?” I ask, deciding not to stir from my position and instead pressing my face against her sternum.

She scoots a little closer, the warmth of her exposed midsection pressing against my side. “I’m hugging you.”

It’s always a strange feeling when she does things like this. At first I believed Rin would be the kind of girl that would abhor the touch of another person, which soon evolved into suspicions of indifference, and now I’ve come to accept that Rin is about as afraid of my embrace as a friendly cat.

A small sigh slips out of my mouth as I wrap my arms around her waist and pull her even closer, unable to resist the urge to lay my head on the soft mounds on her chest.

“Hugs are nice.” I murmur into her chest. “I should probably go ahead and put my pajamas on, though.”

At this, Rin steps away from my embrace and glances at the stack of clothes on the desk. “Do you need any help?”

I, uh…

“No, I should be just fine.”

Rin instead steps between me and my pajamas, the floral print on her underwear no less distracting than it was before she was wearing it. “You help me all the time. I want to help you.”

“You want to help me get dressed?” I state whilst mulling over the thought.

It’s not a bad idea, and it’s nice that she wants to help me out; but could she do something like that? There’s do reason to decline, anyway. I don’t have any problems with her seeing me without the towel, at the very least.

I nod my head before standing up, prompting her to sit down and maneuver her legs in such a way that lets her pick up my underwear.

She uses the other foot to undo my towel before I can even think to do so, causing me to hide my lower half out of instinct. An amused grin forms on her expression as she looks up and down my exposed figure.

With my hands still shielding myself, I lift one leg and slide it into the pair of plaid boxers, doing the same with the opposite foot and letting her slide the garment all the way up to my hips.

It isn’t very helpful, considering all the hoops I have to jump through just to put myself in a position where it’s possible for her to provide aid. I could have been fully dressed by now, even, but it’s a change of pace at least.

A look of curiosity then takes hold of Rin’s expression as she manipulates the pads of her feet around my private area, massaging me through the cloth of my underwear. Needless to say it’s a sensation I approve and disapprove of at the same time.

“Rin, I, uh, what are you doing?”

Her eyes meet mine even while her feet continue teasing at me. “I have to make sure it’s fine.”

Even though she says that, it escalates far beyond the point of ‘fine,’ so much that I have to pull the elastic band of my boxers up to keep it from peeking out over the top. I get the feeling that she’s playing around with me, rather than trying to help me get dressed.

The front pad of her foot continues to slide up and down while the other holds me in place, a wistful look in her eye as her gaze floats over each inch.

“You have a problem.” Rin says out of the blue, the motion of her legs stopping in an instant. “In your pants.”

“What makes you say that?” I reply with a bit of sarcasm despite letting her continue.

She bends her first two toes and takes me between them, sliding her foot up and down and sending a pleasurable chill up my back. “This.”

I turn my desk chair around and lean against it, “I’m pretty sure it’s supposed to do that.”

Rin stops again and meets my gaze, the glistening emeralds in her eyes staring into me. After a few short moments of thought, she comes to a bit of a surprise as she responds with “I didn’t know you liked feet.”

“Well, I don’t dislike feet…” I reply, my voice trailing off as her legs begin to move again, caressing each and every inch of my excitement.

She tilts her head at my response, the toes of her left foot playing with the elastic of my boxers as if tempted to pull them back off and continue from there. “Is that so?”

This is driving me insane. Part of me wants to put the rest of my pajamas on and hop into bed to sleep for the night, but my other half would rather push Rin down to the bed and…

Before I can pull the thought back into the recesses of my mind, I lay my hands on Rin’s shoulders and nudge her down to the bed, positioning myself above her lithe frame. She stares into me as her eyes widen with surprise.

“Hisao.”

“Hm?” I reply, keeping myself perched atop her with both arms. I can feel my entire body heating up even though she makes no attempt to budge or otherwise reject my advance, remaining still as her gaze locks with mine.

”Be gentle.” She says without breaking eye contact, something of a pout emerging on her lips.

My mind becomes a blur as she says that, all restraint leaving my body. I shut my eyes and let my lips settle into hers, the warmth of her chest brushing against my sternum as she shifts into a more comfortable position.

Our lips stay connected for what feels like an eternity, parting only to draw breath. One hand wanders down her side, caressing her slender build and brushing against the smooth texture of her belly. I struggle with the one fastened button on her shirt before undoing it with one hand, brushing the white cloth away.

I trace the small indentation on her midsection all the way up to her chest, a gentle moan escaping her throat as I tease at her bosom. Our kiss subsides as I rest my forehead against hers, watching her reaction as she winces against my touch. Her breath quickens as I tease at her nipple, pinching it between my thumb and forefinger.

Even through all my doubts and confusion, I know in my heart that I love this girl. Sometimes I can’t even begin to fathom how her mind works or why she says the things she says, but that can come later. Things like that take time. Even if her thoughts are a total enigma to me, we can still share moments like this. We don’t need words to express emotion.

I away from the bed, pressing my lips against the nape of her neck and leaving a trail of kisses all the way down to her chest. Her head tilts back and a short gasp escapes her mouth as I massage her breast with one hand, sliding the tip of my tongue around her nipple.

Rin’s heartbeat thumps in my ear and her chest rises and falls in excited breaths, her frame quivering against each squeeze of my fingers, each movement of my palm, each brush of my tongue against her skin. Before long I change sides, leaving a smooch in her bosom as my hand begins to caress and massage her other breast. She wiggles against my touch, another soft moan floating past my ear as I take the pink nub into my mouth and gently suck.

It doesn’t take long for things to escalate, my arms pushing away from the edge of the bed as I fall to my knees between her legs. I plant a small kiss on her hip and hook my thumbs under the elastic of her thong, her toes pointed and digging into the carpet as my lips graze her inner thigh.

She looks down at me from the bed, her eyes glistening under the light of the desk lamp and her lips pursed in thought. I’m given a small nod before she lays back once more, beads of sweat gathering on her smooth, creamy skin as her body heats up more and more.

I pull the pair of showy panties down to her ankles, letting them hang around on foot before I lean in and settle my lips against the warmth between her hips. She opens her legs a tiny bit before squeezing my head between them, her entire body flexing from the first movement of my tongue. My arms wrap around her thighs and my hands rest against her belly, her skin soft to the touch of my fingers.

“Ah.”

She lets out a small, almost restrained sigh against my touch, pulling my head in even closer with her legs. I roll the tip of my tongue against the tiny nub, unable to hold back as start to slide my tongue up and down her lips. Her hips buck against my mouth in tiny motions, asking for more and more.

One arm reaches up and pinches her nipple, giving it a light bit of pressure while I set my mouth against her and dive in. I wiggle my tongue up and down, in and out, letting her fluids wet my lips as strength leaves her body.

All I want is for Rin to accept.

For her to leave everything to me, to lie back and allow me to take care of her, to call out my name as I give myself up completely. My only desire is for her to totally lose control.

We don’t need words, or thought, or anything else where intentions can be misunderstood and meanings can be lost in translation. Rin can be at her Rin-est and I can be myself, lost in this world of lust and pleasure where emotions can truly know clarity.

Her head rears back and her back arches as I slide my tongue in as deep as it’ll go, sliding along her inner walls, her sweetness trickling over my lip and down my jaw.

“His-aah…”

The rest of her statement fades off into a short cry, her entire body quivering against me. I pull away as far as her legs will allow, watching her struggle just to tilt her head down at me.

“Now.” She says, her eyes narrowed in exhaustion as she takes short, quick breaths.

Other words are unnecessary at this point.

She releases the tension in her legs and pushes herself onto the bed, laying her head on my pillow. I slide my boxers off and climb back up and on top of her, the citrus scent of her hair filling my senses. My mind is cleared of anything from the outside world as I mentally prepare myself.

I’m ready for this. I’ve been ready for this. And I know she feels the same.

I position body between her legs, guiding myself in with one hand without breaking eye contact with Rin. She clenches her eyes shut as I slide in, a subdued moan leaving her throat and gliding past my ear.

Her feet dig into the blankets as I start to move, little by little. She tightens around me as if trying to hold everything in place, her hot breath puffing against my neck and sending chills down my back.

A bead of sweat drops from my face onto the pillow as the pace quickens, my hips making tiny increases in rhythm and my fingers clenching the bedsheets. Rin moves in reaction to each thrust, her entire body glistening with perspiration.

The bed begins to rock underneath us as I shift myself back and forth with more force, causing Rin to wrap her legs around me once more. She leans her head against my shoulder and presses her lips against my skin, at some points gently biting the flesh with fervor.

Her legs squeeze against me, making it difficult to move even if she’s pushing against me with each thrust. My arms shake in the attempt to support my weight and my chest feels as though it could burst at any second, but I continue on, our hips rocking together at a steady pace.

It feels as though an eternity has passed when the finish line comes into sight, a warm pressure building up in my lower body with each and every repeated thrust. Rin feels as though she could burst at any moment as well, falling back against the pillow with her eyes shut and a slew of sighs and gasps slipping out of her open mouth.

“Nnh.”

I clench my teeth and she lets out one final moan as we both reach climax, our bodies tensing up as one before parting and taking our respective sides of the bed. To keep from crushing her beneath me, I flop over beside her and stare up at the ceiling, my chest heaving in exhaustion.

For the first time in a while I can feel the cool air wash over me, practically freezing me on the spot as I realize that I’m covered head to toe in sweat. I turn to find Rin in much the same condition, her torso rising and falling in rhythm with her fatigued breaths.

She turns to meet my stare, our eyes locking together at a loss of words. I turn on my side and plant a small kiss on her forehead before I do anything else. A tired smile forms on her lips before she rolls over to face me, her legs clenched together and a bit of a mess on her thighs.

“You’re all sweaty.” Rin says with a blank tone.

“I could say the same to you.” I reply, grabbing the collar of her night shirt, which is already soaked with her own perspiration.

“Mm.” She agrees, her expression returning to one of boredom. “We should take a bath.”

As much as I’d love to fall asleep right here, a bath does sound nice right about now. Especially considering all the things that aren’t sweat that have accumulated on the two of us. I’ll have to change out my blankets as well; hopefully they won’t have stained…

I can worry about all that tomorrow, though. There’s more important things to be taken care of right now.

“Rin.”

She glances at me with a glint of curiosity in her eye. “Hm?”

“I love you.”

The air between us freezes as she mulls over the words, picking apart each one in her head as if to test for some kind of higher meaning. She eventually returns my statement with a contented smile, staying silent until I decide to stand up and get the bath ready.

After making sure that Kenji is nowhere within threatening range, I begin filling the bathtub with warm water. A few moments later I turn around to find a still-very-much-exposed Rin standing over me, a look of fatigue beginning to overshadow her usually calm demeanor. She's managed to slide out of the spent pajama shirt, leaving us both in the nude.

It's a little easier to avert my gaze from her private parts having just done the deed, although it's quite evident that we're both in need of cleaning up down there. Especially since...

Since...

...Oh no. “Uh, Rin, did I... I did it inside of you, didn't I?”

“Yes.” She states with that same blank look in her eyes. “Don't worry about it.”

“What do you mean don't worry about it?” I ask, a sinking feeling taking a hold of my chest.

“Emi made me take one of those pills before I left.”