Akira flushes, but nods. 

She takes Shiho's hand, leads her over to the futon, and sits.

Shiho pushes Akira back against the futon, kissing her lips, her cheek, her jaw, and pressing their bodies closer together.

Akira's taken by surprise for some damn reason. She's being pursued? By a girl? A real, flesh and blood girl???

Akira lets herself be pushed down, her breath hastening, her body flushed. She runs a hand down along Shiho's spine, and presses her in close. 

Kiss, kiss, kiss. How many kisses can she manage...?

Shiho presses kiss after kiss to Akira's skin, their bodies hot and close, breasts squishing together as both girls breathe heatedly. Then she scoots the rest of the way onto the futon, laying on her side and pulling Akira on with her.

Akira nestles in. 

Some stupid part of her brain won't shut up about "what if Boss sees her like this" —

It'd be fine. Just like with Morgana. It would be embarrassing but it would be fine. 

Akira kisses Shiho a little deeper, and her fear gets a little more muted and distant, a little more faraway...

Shiho sighs hotly into the kiss, holding Akira close and pressing her whole body against her.

... that's a very good noise. 

"... may I bite gently?" Akira asks.

Shiho blushes, her breath hitching, then nods after a moment. "Yeah."

She does. 

There's still the impulse to do more, to bite harder, to mark Shiho with her teeth... 

Akira patiently packs it away, kissing rather than biting, and once she thinks she has it under control she goes back to soft and gentle nibbles.

Shiho shivers at the soft nips, biting her lip and clutching Akira tighter. A hot breath escapes her.

"Shiho..." Akira breathes. Her world feels so simple, now. Just Shiho. 

She takes her time, kissing and nipping all along Shiho's shoulder and neck.

Shiho gasps and presses closer, tilting her head to the side and nestling close and shuddering with every kiss and bite. "Oh, oh Akira..."

... fuck that's hot.

Shiho, gasping her name...

Akira strokes Shiho's hair gently as she keeps nibbling and kissing. It's Shiho's decision to go further or not. She's just here to give her what she wants. 

She shivers in Akira's arms a little longer, whimpering a bit, then nods lightly and pulls back a bit, panting. "Hahh, wow, th-that's... really good... but I need to p-process it. C-can you hold me for a little while?"

"Absolutely."

Akira settles back from Shiho a little and tugs her top back into place, then wraps her up in a firm hug and just stays close to her.

Shiho nestles into Akira, sighing gratefully in her embrace. Her breathing slows, and she nuzzles into Akira's neck a little bit. "Thank you," she murmurs. "Thank you for being so careful with me."

"You deserve to be treated gently. Not like you're fragile, but like you're valuable. Like you're worth something."

Akira settles in a little closer, finding the best way their bodies fit together. 

Another grateful sigh spills out of her and she leans into her girlfriend's arms.

"Th-thank you."

"Really, it's nothing..." 

Akira takes Shiho's hand and interlaces it with hers. "I'd do this a hundred times if I had to... if that meant I could teach you you get to be safe with the people you care about, be whole, have what you want and not what you don't..." 

She trails off. "I guess I'm not making a lot of sense. The point is, Shiho... you're precious. You deserve to be treated with dignity, respect, and care. And I will keep working to show you that for as long as you need me to."

Shiho snuggles in tighter. "And that care is part of why it's so easy to fall for you," she whispers, barely audible.

Akira takes a sharp breath. 

Oh. Oh Shiho loves her. 

It seems too good to be true and so obvious it's impossible to refute at the same time. 

"I..." The words stick in her throat. Shiho deserves more than an incautious reply. 

"... You're so easy to fall for too," she manages. "Sweet, strong, thoughtful..."

Shiho squeezes Akira close. "While you're brave, dedicated, insightful, fierce..."

"Insightful? Me?" Akira looks away. "You must be thinking of some other girl..."

"From what Ann told me, and from what I saw in the castle with you, you're the one who figured this whole mess out." She nuzzles in tighter. "Don't think you get to dodge that compliment."

"I had Morgana. But... thank you."

Akira gently kisses Shiho's nose.