The Annual Japanese Intellect Summit. A yearly event where the most celebrated minds in the country come together to discuss ways to ‘make a better tomorrow for the people of today’.
 
What fucking bullshit.
 
The only thing this almost three-week-long circle jerk managed to accomplish was using up time that I could’ve spent doing important research. And to make it worse, it ate into a good chunk of my holiday break. I would’ve fought tooth and nail against this trip if I had known I wouldn’t be back until this late on Christmas Eve.
 
As the taxi passes through familiar neighborhoods, I lean my head against the windowpane, watching the snow come down and trying to forget the events of the past few weeks. I breathe a heavy sigh, forming a small circle of fog on the glass. At least I’m almost home.
 
The driver takes another turn, and I point out my building to him. He pulls up to the curb and I thank him, wishing him a merry Christmas and tipping a little too generously. I hoist my bag over my shoulder and leave the vehicle, stepping into the chilly night air.
 
I quickly make my way inside, grateful for the warmth of the lobby. In my absence, a large Christmas tree has been erected near the entrance, surrounded by fake presents of all shapes and sizes. A clock on the far wall tells me it’s 2:46 a.m., and I hurry into the elevator.
 
The ride up to the 33rd floor is as mind-numbing as ever. It does give me a minute to relax, though, and during the ascent I realize how tired I am. A full day of travel really does a number on you.
 
Oh, what the hell am I saying? I haven’t even really ‘done’ anything today besides sit. Sitting in the airport, sitting in the plane, sitting in the taxi. Maybe I’m just getting lazy. Tomorrow I’ll have to ask Emi about resuming our morning jogs.
 
The elevator slides open and I trudge over to our door, my gloved hands fumbling awkwardly with the key. Eventually I manage to get the door open, and I shuffle inside. As I close the door behind me, the room is bathed in darkness, and my eyes take a moment to adjust. I slip off my shoes and coat and drop my bag next to the door, deciding that I’ll unpack in the morning. I start heading to the back of the apartment when I notice something out of the corner of my eye.
 
I turn around and see Rin passed out on the couch, one of her legs hanging limply just above the floor. Her auburn hair looks messier than usual, and she’s wearing one of my old t-shirts, which surprisingly stretches down to her thighs. I didn’t think I was that much taller than her.
 
I can’t help but smile at the sight of her. She must have fallen asleep waiting for me. I move closer to her and lean down, planting a soft kiss on her forehead. This doesn’t seem to wake her, so I carefully place my arms around her and lift her up, cradling her like a newborn and marveling at how light she is.
 
I carry her into our bedroom and lay her on the bed, pulling the sheets up to her neck. I brush a strand of hair out of her eyes with the back of my hand, running it down her cheek. Her face feels warm, and looks slightly flushed. I hope she didn’t get sick while I was gone.
 
I strip down to my boxers, leaving my clothes in a pile on the floor, and I climb into bed next to Rin. Soon enough my exhausted body succumbs to the warmth of the sheets, and I drift off to sleep.
 
---
 
The feeling of something tickling my stomach wakes me, and I try to brush it away, wanting to return to my dream about…damn, I can’t remember what. I feel the tickling again, and open my eyes to what is probably the most oddly erotic thing I’ve ever seen.
 
Rin is bent over my crotch, clenching the waistband of my boxers between her teeth, her huge emerald eyes looking up at me in surprise like she was caught stealing from a bank vault. For several long seconds, we just stare straight at each other. As my mind tries to comprehend the scene in front of me, I can’t help but snicker, causing her to blush ever so slightly.
 
“Rin,” I ask, a grin quickly spreading across my face, “what the hell are you doing?”
 
“What does it look like?” Before I can answer, she throws herself on top of me and forcefully presses her lips to mine. We revel in the warmth of each other, occasionally coming apart to breathe before continuing the kiss. My tongue playfully darts in and out of her mouth, and soon hers is doing the same.
 
Eventually we pull apart, our hot, quickened breath the only noise in the room. I sit up and gaze into her eyes, seeing a rare glimpse of fiery passion in her that is reserved for me alone. I quickly pull the t-shirt over her head, revealing her pale form in the soft moonlight streaming in through the window.
 
I pull her close to me with one hand, using the other to cup one of her breasts. I feel her tense up like a coiled spring, tiny goose bumps forming across her skin. Pressing a thumb against her nipple, the hardened flesh reacts to my touch, and a soft moan escapes her lips. I plant a trail of small kisses on her shoulder, slowly moving down to her breasts. Placing my lips over her other breast, I kiss it before giving the nipple a gentle tug with my teeth, and all at once her body seems to come undone. From that point on, she’s focused only the thing she wants – no, needs – the most: Me.
 
Rin presses herself closer against me, nuzzling her head against my shoulder. I move my hand further down, trailing a single finger between her breasts and across her stomach, gradually moving closer to the warmth between her legs. Her breath shudders in my ear as I caress the small tuft of hair above her slit. She whimpers something that sounds like my name through her ragged panting, wordlessly telling me exactly what she wants.
 
Soon I give in to her moans, slowly pushing one and then two fingers through her entrance. I work them in and out, back and forth, over and over again. Her hips start wriggling against my touch, and I push faster, my fingers coated in her wetness.
 
I can sense her getting close to the edge, and I suddenly pull out, dragging my fingers against her lips as I do so and eliciting a quick gasp from her. She opens her mouth to speak, but a desperate “Please…” is all she can get out.
 
“Not yet,” I whisper into her ear. I manage to remove my boxers and lie back on the bed, Rin’s nude body quivering on top of me. I place my hands on her hips and lift her up slightly, positioning her over my erection. I start gingerly lowering her, but she suddenly breaks my grasp and slams her hips against mine, taking my entire length into her at once.
 
Her breath catches in her throat and she wraps her legs around me as best she can, and I begin to pull out and push into her again. Her moans become louder and louder, and her hips start grinding against mine as I thrust harder and faster. Somewhere in the back of my mind, an alarm is blaring in response to my quickly increasing heart rate, but I ignore it as desire overtakes my every action.
 
Rin throws her head back wildly, her modest breasts heaving as I continue to drive myself in and out of her. Her hips start bucking against mine. She’s nearing her limit, and I know I am as well. With every thrust I can feel myself getting closer, and I start pumping as quickly and forcefully as I can. My brain and heart are screaming at me to stop, but at this point I am far from capable of doing so.
 
We reach orgasm at the same time, and she tightens her grip on me and bites her lip as I give one final thrust, pushing as far into her as possible. Climax overtakes me, and my mind blanks, pure ecstasy surging through my body. At the same time, Rin cries out, her whole body convulsing as waves of pleasure wash over her.
 
I fall back onto the bed, and she collapses on top of me, completely spent. Our bodies are slick with sweat, our breath heavy and ragged. Rin rests her head on my chest, her hair gently tickling my chin.
 
As we slowly come back to reality, I become aware of my erratically pounding heart. I shut my eyes and the throbbing in my chest fills my ears. Damn it, not now. I try my best to calm my breathing, and my head is suddenly filled with thoughts of having to explain this to a doctor, to my parents. Please, for the love of god, not now!
 
After several agonizing minutes, my heart rate seems to even out, and I breathe a sigh of relief. Hisao Nakai narrowly avoids a sex-related heart attack, yet again. God, I wonder what Nurse would think.
 
I open my eyes and see Rin staring up at me, a concerned look on her face. “I could hear it,” she says, nodding toward my chest. “Are you alright?”
 
“Yeah, I…I’ll be fine,” I tell her, “Just need to take it more slowly next time.”
 
“Oh. Sorry about that…” Her voice takes on a slight dejected tone, and I’m quick to reassure her.
 
“No, no, it’s not your fault. I’ve been living with this thing for almost five years now. I should know my limits.” I give her a comforting smile. She rolls off of me and flops on to the bed, nuzzling against my side.
 
“I feel like I should know your limits by now too,” she says, staring up at the ceiling, “But I couldn’t control myself. I just…I really missed you, you know?”
 
“Of course, I understand. I missed you too,” I reply, leaning over and kissing her on the forehead.
 
“And,” she continues, “It’s hard to…relieve myself like that when you’re not around. I even thought about asking Emi to help me do it when she came over the other day.” I repress the mental images before they can even form in my head, fearing for my poor heart.
 
We fall silent for a while, watching the pale moonlight illuminating the room gradually turn lighter as the sun begins to rise. At some point my eyes droop shut and I start to doze off.
 
I’m almost back in the peaceful realm of sleep when I feel Rin shaking my stomach with her foot. I open my eyes and see her sitting up and staring at me.
 
“What are you doing?”
 
“Sleeping,” I mutter, “Or trying to, anyway. Why, do you need something?”
 
As she opens her mouth to answer me, a loud gurgle escapes her stomach. “I haven’t eaten in a while,” she admits, stating the obvious.
 
I prop myself up on my elbows. “How long is ‘a while’, exactly?”
 
“…A few days.” The guilty way she says this would’ve sounded cute if it didn’t worry me so much.
 
“Rin, you can’t keep doing this to yourself. The last time I went on a trip, you stopped eating and ended up sick in bed, remember? If there’s something going on, you have to tell me.” I feel like a parent scolding her for bad behavior, but I am genuinely concerned. Whenever something is bothering her or she feels upset, she often forgets to eat, and the repercussions worry me. She’s even thinner now than when she was living in the atelier back at Yamaku.
 
“I know,” she sighs, hanging her head, “I just wasn’t really hungry. I know you don’t believe me, but I mean that. Besides, your cooking is better than take-out.”
 
“You’re sure there isn’t something else going on?” She nods, and I decide to drop the subject for now. No sense in starting an argument on the first day we’ve seen each other in weeks, and it is Christmas. Gotta be in the holiday spirit and all that shit, right?
 
I turn and look at the clock next to the bed, seeing that it’s almost six a.m. “Alright then, let’s get dressed and I’ll make some breakfast. It is Christmas, after all,” I swing my legs over the edge of the bed and begin searching for my discarded boxers. “I’m definitely going to need a nap later, though. I barely slept two hours before you so rudely woke me up.”
 
I turn to help Rin put her shirt on, and a tiny smile crosses her face. “Aren’t you glad I did, though?”