Late at night, Haruki stepped out of the kitchen after washing the plates. His eyes scanned the living room before landing on the sofa.
A grin crept onto his face when he saw Tsunade sprawled lazily across it, propping her head up with one hand while reading a book.
Without saying a word, Haruki walked toward her.
Hearing the approaching footsteps, Tsunade didn't even glance up as she already knew who it was.
But when a large shadow suddenly loomed over her, she finally looked up.
"What? What do you want?" she asked, raising an eyebrow at him.
Haruki gazed down at her with a calm expression. "Don't you think you're forgetting something?"
Tsunade blinked, her cheeks slightly pink.
"F-Forgetting what?" she stammered before quickly turning away. "Go to bed if you're tired. Don't bother me while I'm reading."
Haruki chuckled softly before leaning down and snatching the book from her hands.
"Hey! Give that back!" Tsunade instantly shot up, looking like a cat whose tail had just been stepped on.
She reached for the book, but Haruki simply lifted it out of her reach.
"Did you forget about your promise? Or..." His eyes locked onto hers. "Are you trying to back out?"
At his words, Tsunade froze mid-motion.
She hugged her legs to her chest and turned her face away, burying half of it against her knees.
The blush that had only touched her cheeks earlier had now spread all the way to her ears and neck.
Seeing this, Haruki sighed, shaking his head. He walked over to the bookshelf and placed the book back where it belonged before returning to the sofa.
Without another word, he sat down beside her.
Tsunade's breathing grew uneven, and her heartbeat quickened as she waited for him to say something.
But Haruki remained completely silent, not a single word left his lips.
The longer the silence stretched, the more anxious and guilty Tsunade felt. She fidgeted slightly, struggling with her emotions until she finally broke the quiet.
"Um... H-Haruki..." she mumbled hesitantly.
Before she could finish, Haruki let out another sigh and spoke first.
"You know, Tsuna... " he turned his head and looked at her, his expression calm yet serious.
"Couples who got together around the same time as us are already married... Some of them even have kids. And even the ones who got together after us are already tying the knot."
Tsunade's eyes flickered with guilt, and her heartbeat quickened even more.
She swallowed hard, feeling a lump form in her throat.
"But we were busy and you were still shy about these things," Haruki continued.
"So I waited. I focused on bettering myself instead." He paused for a moment before exhaling softly.
"S-Stop..." Tsunade whispered, her voice barely louder than a mosquito's hum. Her heart pounded in her chest.
But Haruki acted like he hadn't heard her.
"Three whole years of dating and all we've done is hold hands, hug, and kiss..." he continued.
Ba-dump!
Tsunade clenched her fists.
"Stop," she repeated, this time a little louder.
"But I was fine with that," Haruki said, a small smile tugging at his lips. "But you're the one who told me we should take things further and even promised that if I made a name for myself in the war, we'd take that next step."
"Now it just feels like you were messing with me."
"Stop!"
Haruki sighed. "Still, I just wanted you to know... at the end of the day, I'm still a man, Tsuna. I'm dating the most beautiful woman in the village, and we live under the same roof..."
His voice dropped slightly. "If you keep tempting me like this... "
"SHUT UP!" Tsunade yelled.
Before he could react, she pushed him back onto the sofa and straddled him, her face burning.
Haruki blinked, stunned.
Tsunade squeezed her eyes shut and muttered, "Who said I wasn't serious?"
Then, as if gathering her courage, she peeked at him and pouted slightly. "I don't just want to hold hands and kiss... I-I want to do... some naughty things too. Just like other couples."
She fidgeted but didn't look away. "But... I didn't know how to bring it up. You're always the one leading when it comes to this stuff. I've been waiting for you to say something for a while now."
She let out a deep breath, her expression softening. "That's why I suggested this whole promise thing... I also thought it'd be a good way to motivate you, especially with the war going on."
"But... But... after making that promise, I started imagining doing... those things with you."
Tsunade's face was burning, and her fingers clenched the fabric of his shirt.
"Just thinking about it made my heart race like crazy. I got flustered... shy... I didn't know what to do."
She took a shaky breath before mumbling, "And... it's not like I'm the only good-looking one here. You're the most handsome man I've ever seen. And more importantly... you're the man I love."
Halfway through her confession, she hesitated, sneaking a glance at his face.
Ba-dump!
Her heart skipped a beat when she saw his stunned expression, as if he had just heard something incredible.
Tsunade swallowed hard.
"So... So, I realized I still wasn't ready. But at the same time... I don't want to disappoint you. I don't know what to do, but..." She squeezed her eyes shut, mustering every bit of courage she had.
"But I think it's just because it's the first time. If you really want to... I think... I can somehow do it with you." her voice dropped into a whisper.
"Maybe I'll get used to it... "
For a moment, there was silence.
Then, Tsunade flinched as Haruki lightly flicked her forehead.
"You idiot," he said, a fond, silly smile spreading across his face.
"Why do you think I waited this long?" Haruki sighed. "Stop saying stupid things. If you're not ready, that's fine."
He sat up, effortlessly lifting Tsunade by her waist and settling her onto his lap, facing him.
Tsunade blinked in surprise but quickly noticed the look in his eyes, like he was staring at a fool. Her irritation flared instantly.
"Who the hell are you calling an idiot?!" she snapped.
"I was just thinking about you! And don't think I haven't noticed you sneaking glances at my chest and butt sometimes!"
Haruki cleared his throat awkwardly. "Hey, hey! Stop talking! I was wrong, okay?"
"You're not an idiot!" He hurriedly reached out to cover her mouth, but Tsunade grabbed both of his wrists before he could.
Realizing he had no way to stop her from running her mouth, Haruki smirked.
With no other choice, he leaned in and sealed her lips with his own.
Tsunade's eyes widened in shock. Before she could react, she felt his tongue slip into her mouth.
She stiffened, instinctively wanting to push him away, but Haruki held her firmly, refusing to let her escape.
After a few moments, her resistance melted away. Her body relaxed as her arms slipped around his neck, giving in to the kiss.
Their eyes met for a brief second before Haruki deepened the kiss, sliding a hand down her back while the other cradled the nape of her neck.
Then, taking things up a notch, he played with her tongue, entangling it with his own and sucked on her lips, swallowing every bit of her sweet saliva.
Haruki finally pulled away from the kiss, though it felt like an eternity had passed. Their hot, uneven breaths mingled in the quiet room.
As he gazed at Tsunade, her half-lidded eyes dazed and unfocused, he gulped.
"Tsuna... We can talk in the morning. I'm going to sleep."
Without waiting for a response, he abruptly stood up from the sofa.
Tsunade blinked, still trying to process what had just happened. 'Huh?'
Her mind was hazy, but something felt... off.
Then, her eyes drifted downward and landed on his hand, which was desperately trying to cover the tower rising in his pants.
Her face instantly turned red.
"Wait... " she instinctively reached out, grabbing his wrist.
Tsunade swallowed hard, trying to push down her embarrassment.
"...I'm still not ready for that yet," she mumbled, her voice barely above a whisper.
"But... I think I can at least help with... um... your 'hunger' a little."
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