Disclaimer: Rumiko Takahashi ©

Of Secret Kisses and Sneaking Around

The shaded sky made Akane believe it would be cool that day. She laid on her bed with her legs upright, pressed against the wall as her upside-down gaze wondered out her window. Her hands held light dumbbells as she did quick arm exercises; up and down in a slow motion, lost in thought. She wondered about Ranma precisely; but lately that's all she had been doing. "Date? He wants to date," she mumbled to herself, remaining silent as she came to the realization that she didn't know how to date. She's had suitors of all kinds before, but none that ever got to take her out.

Her arms extended on the bed with her, letting them rest for a minute while she went on with her mindful discussion. She had been betrothed to Ranma for two years now. She wouldn't consider that dating, right? "Huh, two years." It's been that long? It wasn't like she had agreed to the whole bizarre antics her father had thrown her in without consideration. Then, why didn't she allow herself to date other boys? It was too late for that now. Her interests had pinned towards a certain pigtailed martial artist with a turning-female curse at the splash of cold water.

The simple thought made her smile. She really did like that idiot. She sat up, pushing her skirt down before readjusting her top. Her hands tucked her blouse back in as she stood to walk out her bedroom, noticing the house was oddly quiet. Breakfast was served a few hours ago, meaning everyone should be awake. With their usual full house there was bound to be sound coming from somewhere. Her feet tapped lightly at each step she took down the stairs, glancing around before she found the one person she had been wondering about.

Ranma sat slumped over the family table, his head low and shoulders forward with elbows resting on the flat surface. He was alone, she noted, his concentration captivated by whatever afternoon television was offering. She began making her way towards him, not meaning to be as quiet as she had managed, although she was sure Ranma was aware of her presence. A childlike smile spread upon her cheeks as she bent down to push his pigtail aside and softly press her lips against the warm nape of his neck. His tan skin felt soft upon contact, making her keep her stance longer than she had intended to.

She giggled when she felt him shiver, taking a seat next to him, mimicking his sitting posture. "I didn't know you were going to do that," his tone of voice was deep, letting her know he had been dozing off. Her eyes looked over at the television in front of them, not paying any attention to it. Her lips still tingled and although she kissed him only a few seconds ago, she wanted to do it again.

"Where's everyone?" She asked instead, glancing around the room to make sure they hadn't been caught by her mindless act.

"Mom and Kasumi went to the market, needing some things for dinner," he replied, his head now glancing over at her, lazily leaning his cheek against the palm of his hand. "And, pop, I think he said something about a shogi event, with your dad. I don't remember."

She also turned to look at him, gazing into his marble-like eyes as she had shamelessly had accustomed herself to recently. Deep and large; tempting with an invitation she couldn't decline. That she didn't want to decline. And although his expression offered drowsy energy along with his scruffy hair, she still managed to find him very handsome. His structured nose and curled eyelashes accessorized his well-defined face; a strong jawline and curved lips. It made her toes crawl.

"Nabiki's meeting up with a study group," the blue haired teen commented suddenly, not knowing why she'd done it but believing this piece of information was necessary to mention as they sat rather close to one another.

The room was quiet again, as quiet as it can be with television buzz and the wind chimes clinking to the light breeze outside. She could hear the rush of her blood accelerate now that she wanted to touch him; she wanted to reach for his hand, she wanted to feel the heat of his neck against her cool palm, and she wanted to kiss him. Like the ones he'd been secretly giving her behind closed doors.

The beats of her heart began pounding loudly at her ears tuning out her surroundings, unconsciously taking in her bottom lip and softly nibbling on it due to her sudden nervousness. She didn't know why she was shy all of a sudden, they had talked about this, and with agreement it was clarified that if they wanted to they could kiss. And, oh boy, did she want to.

"Di – did you, I don't know," Ranma gulped loudly, shifting his eyes left and right and up and down, "hang until?" It was a loaded question and it wasn't supposed to feel as weird as he was making it out to be. But Akane sat right next to him and he watched her small hands anxiously push the short strands of blue hair behind her ear multiple times although the hair did not stay. The rosy hue layered upon her cheeks and her pointy nose made her appear cuter than she was. Abnormally large eyes blinked towards him and he found himself staring too intensely into them. The way her pouty lips parted, curving beautifully as she talked to him.

"We could go up to my room," She suggested, her face continuing to overlay shades of crimson, "to study, or whatever!" She mumbled, but she never stopped looking into his eyes.

Ranma nodded, now beginning to feel steamy himself, grinning like a goof as he said, "Or whatever sounds good."

Agreeing far too quickly, Akane jumped to her feet and stuck her tongue out in a kiddy fashion, staggering his thought process in her sudden change of character as she said, "Race ya' up there?" But before he had a chance to accept the challenge, the soles of her feet pitter-pattered down the hall and up the stairs. She found herself laughing because she knew he would find a way to beat her; when it came to speed, there was no one faster than Ranma. Just as her arm stretched for the door knob, Ranma's body crashed behind her as she opened the door, both of them falling onto the carpeted floor while her laughter filled the empty air half way into her bedroom, her body laying next to the pigtailed-teen.

He watched her quietly, observing the long eyelashes of her shut eyes and how her cheekbones lifted with its pink hue. Her beauty was something unique. He was now prompting himself with his elbow, observing how her wide smile began to shrink when she noticed he wasn't laughing along. Not because he didn't want to, but because he was fascinated at how attracted he was to her. She cleared her throat quietly, still smiling and her eyes wide and concentrated on him. He lowered his head towards her, waiting for a reaction that said she didn't want him as close. Instead her eyelids had become heavy and he watched her stay still with slightly parted lips. His nose skimmed onto her cheek, breathing her in, feeling her stiffness as she held her breath.

"I want to kiss you so bad right now," he found himself admitting aloud, silently with his own half-lidded eyes becoming misty. "Okay," she said with a meek voice. And then he kissed her, like he had done so before, starting out slowly and carefully. She adjusted her head to coordinate with his rhythm, feeling as his upper torso slightly covered over her chest, his palm gently taking hold of her forearm and squeezing softly.

She had never kissed anyone before him, not the way he kissed her. Her insides vibrated and sent shivers down her spine. It was an experience she didn't know she'd become obsessed with. Obsessed with was a strong word all on its own, but whenever he wasn't touching her, she found herself wishing he was. His large hand began to slowly travel down to press onto the dip of her back. Akane felt the tip of his tongue skim over her top lip, and she granted entrance almost immediately. Her mouth was hot, and she squealed at the way his tongue tried to wrap around hers, his mouth deepening into hers. His hand kept on lowering, over her behind and pressing softly until he rested behind her lower thigh. It felt like fire. He was making her give off embarrassing sounds into his mouth. He soothed her up and down her thigh, gently but sternly pressuring his palm against her milky skin. He pulled away from her lips while stringing a line of saliva between the two, leaving her dazed before he went to kiss the crook of her neck, hearing her loud purr against his ear.

Ranma's smirk imprinted on her neck, and she found herself once again digging her teeth into her bottom lip while her hands reached to hold onto the collar of his classical red mandarin shirt. The way his tongue glided one way just before his lips followed along caused another groan to be repressed by her clasped lips. He felt so good. Her hands crawled up his neck and hooked behind, the tips of her fingers digging into the soft chunk of hair. She could feel herself get tingly, pressing her thighs together, breathing heavier than earlier.

"Ran..ma," she breathed out, soft and hoarse, feeling his teeth slightly dig into her skin before he sucked softly, "n – no love bites," she reminded him, only imagining the horrors she'd pass if anyone were to ever see her with a hickey. As much as she enjoyed his attention on her neck, she needed him to be careful. He obliged nonetheless, dragging his tongue up and kissed her jawline before trailing further until reaching her earlobe. He began to nibble on it, enlightening himself at the way she whimpered at his tug.

He relished on her fragrance, the heat of her neck, and the way her slender fingers held onto him exciting him further. She took pleasure at the way his broad hand pushed itself past the barrier of her skirt, his fingers lingering at the hem of her panties. His skin burnt her in an accelerating way, it made her want more. "Oh, god," she heard him growl silently, the sudden clutch on an ass cheek making her gasp loudly. Her toes extended outwards as she stretched her legs and feeling the fresh carpet against her skin. It reminded her they were still on the floor.

The blue-haired teen was losing her mind. He was kissing her again, deeply and sloppier as earlier, her arms fully enveloping around his head while he continued to massage her ass. She felt perverted and embarrassed all at the same time. Ranma began to position himself on top of her, and she granted him comfortable readjustment as she spread her thighs. Without second thinking, the pigtailed teen pressed himself onto her with a slight grind against her hips. She wanted more. She wanted him to do it again, wrapping her legs around his hips, softly whimpering when he thrusted again.

She could feel his erection prodding into her warmth, the only barrier being her wet panties and his drawstring pants. Her lips pulled away from his and snuck her head into his neck, "A – again," she said almost in an whisper, her mouth giving off sounds that made him oblige immediately. Each time he would grind himself into her, her face would squirm in the cutest way, it wasn't helping him stay in control. The sensation was too much, she noted. Ranma grunted lowly, keeping his teeth clasped while his mind went haywire when he began to shove himself at a faster pace.

Her slim fingers fumbled with the first frog button of his shirt, trying to untie each one faster than the last, which could be difficult to do when he was moving onto her the way that he was. When all were undone, she hurriedly began pushing it off his torso and down his arms to toss it to the side. The palm of her hands touched his broad and muscular shoulders before one began to linger lower onto his chest. He pressed his stomach against her with her arms embracing him desperately. She could feel how careless she was being, how excited she was.

Ranma felt so horny, he was impressed at how long he was lasting. Her cutesy expressions were enough to rile him up, but each time she bit her lower lip or gasped unexpectedly it made him want to be rougher against her. He could see sweat begin to drip down her forehead as some strands of hair stuck on her face. She was so sexy, and having her looked so pleased because of him made him begin to get frenzy. If he didn't stop himself soon he knew he would release himself and he didn't need to embarrass himself like that in front of her anytime soon.

Yet Akane continued to caress his body. She raveled her hands as though it were the first time and she was exploring with a time limit. It was her turn to kiss his neck and take his Adam's apple fully in her mouth as she suckled with such lewd sounds. He groaned inwardly, his mind beginning to feel dizzy. They needed to stop before it escalated into something further, even if he didn't want to. Her nails clung onto his skin, making his eyes roll backwards.

"'Kane," he called feeling his mouth go dry, "w – wait," he heard himself saying, and within seconds she stopped kissing his neck and looked up at him, a twinkle in her eyes.

"Did – did I hurt you?" She asked worriedly, quickly glancing at the unconscious scratches she made on his biceps, panting heavily while trying to gasp for air. He breathed just as loudly shaking his head, his arms keeping him afloat atop of her and his lower body still pressed against hers, hot and as sweaty. "Then what is it?" She asked, pushing his messy hair away from his face. She watched him fondly, with a warm smile and concerned eyes. She was so cute, her face obviously flushed and swollen lips with large eyes.

He went to kiss her once again, softer this time, feeling her smile against his lips before she pulled away from him. Although she wanted to do a lot more, there was concern on his face that she couldn't simply dismiss it, worrying her furthermore.

She began to sit up, gently pushing him off her and watching him roll over to lay on his back. He stared at the ceiling, her hand reached to tenderly caress the side of his face, asking once again, "Ranma, what's wrong?"

"I don't wanna force ya' into nothing you ain't ready for, ya' know?" His voice was low and almost in a whisper, not knowing why he was blaming himself for allowing the situation to escalate as much as it did. If there was one thing they couldn't deny about Ranma Saotome, it was that he had respect for women. Especially Akane.

Her hazelnut eyes blinked several times at him, cocked eyebrows with her perplexed expression as she began to shake her head. "Force me?" Her sudden burst of giggle startled him, "And you would know when I'm ready? You're not making me do anything I don't want to do, you know that, right?" A hint of blush stood out from her flushed face, admitting such statements out loud feeling far more intimate than actually doing any of it. But then it struck her, "Am I making you do something you don't want to do?" Selfishly, the thought had never crossed her mind.

The subtle horror on her face forced him to laugh as well, "I didn't want to stop," he confessed mindlessly. Akane's cheeks creased at his bold statement, watching him the palm of his hand smack his face, "I sound so lame," he groaned. But she shook her head in disagreement, leaning down and kissing the tip of his nose, "I didn't want to stop either."

His goofy grin made her stomach do a flip or two, and she laughed lightly, "Kasumi and Auntie Saotome could come through that door any moment anyways," Akane reminding him, pushing strands of blue hair out of her face and readjusted her skirt from where his hand had just been. He sat along with her, brushing his fingers though his fluffy bangs while he realized there was something he needed to take care of. Privately.

"What do you wanna do then?" Her question was nonchalant, her hands going to help him fix his hair as she smiled fondly at him. "I can help you with some of your school work," she offered, not noticing how Ranma's back shivered to her touch. Her slender fingers moved small strands off his face, picking at the singular hairs upon his cheek tenderly and giggling when seeing him observe her in awe.

Akane had been helping in the kitchen before dinner; she took care of rinsing the vegetables and setting them by the cutting board for Auntie Saotome to chop. She would usually complain about wanting to do more but that afternoon the youngest Tendo stayed by the sink and did as she was told. Her mind was preoccupied, and her thoughts about Ranma had been distracting her from real life.

While studying, if she could even call it that, Ranma would pull her to him and rest his heavy arms around her. She didn't mind at first, until he nuzzled at the crook of her neck and breathed heavily onto her skin with soft pecks that began distracting her. She began pushing him off by insisting they should study. Although it really wasn't the scholar in her refraining her from doing other activities, but the thought of being found voluntarily giving into lewd acts, leading to the end of their secret encounters. And if Akane were being honest with herself, she was enjoying their sneaking around a little too much to give it up so early.

Their studying session ended early when Ranma found her the bed too comfy and he needed to feel at ease. Wrong. He ended up falling asleep, and she only noticed when he wasn't nitpicking at everything she read out loud. She closed her book and set it aside, letting a deep breath out in disbelief but knowing all too well this would be the outcome. "Dope," she called him quietly, gently taking a seat by him, her delicate hands slipping through the scruff of his bangs as they did earlier, smiling like a goof while she allowed herself to get lost in thought.

"Akane," she heard her name being called, turning to find her eldest sister staring at her with knitted eyebrows, "are you feeling alright?"

"We've been calling you for a minute now," Auntie Saotome continued, setting her knife down and walking towards her and mindfully pressing the back of her hand against Akane's cheek. "Everything alright, dear?"

"Y – Yes!" She wished she hadn't hesitated, "I have an exam coming up, I'm just overthinking, really." She tried not to sound too nervous and more convincing, it's not like they knew anything, right? Still, her stomach churned at how she wasn't being careful. When Kasumi announced herself home earlier, Akane rushed down the stairs after closing the door to her bedroom behind her while Ranma stayed sleeping, offering her help in the kitchen prep for lunch. Since everyone was busy that afternoon, Kasumi opted for heavy snacks instead, and began setting up for an early dinner.

Akane turned off the kitchen faucet and began taking the produce from the sink to Auntie Saotome.

"Hmm," the older woman hummed as she pouted her lips drastically, "and here I thought my son could have been the reason for your distractions," she smiled fondly and all Akane could do was mimic the color of the tomato that had just been sliced as she shook her head. Denying it was all she had going for her, but her hands got clammy and she could feel sweat begin to buildup on her forehead.

"Oh, Auntie Saotome," Kasumi giggled, "those two won't really have any sort of affection until they're married, isn't that right, Akane?"

"R – right! I mean, I don't know, maybe." She also didn't want to sound too excited.

"Maybe? So there's a chance you two could build a relationship before being wed?" Her desperate tone clung onto Akane's shoulders, not wanting to lie but also not wanting to reveal that, yes her son had been kissing her up and down these past few days.

"All I'm saying is there's no reason to talk about it until we have something to talk about."

"Oh, to be in love," Auntie Saotome sighed, a sparkle in her eye as she took a carrot and began cutting perfectly thin slices. She was quick, too, Akane noted as she did every time she helped in the kitchen. Within minutes the vegetable laid on the chop board, the knife gliding swiftly as she chatted on, "Oh, the fun I had when I was your age," Auntie Saotome continued, "some of my best years, if I'm being frank."

"Why is that, Auntie Saotome?" Kasumi found herself asking as she prepped a pot over the stove, suddenly infatuated by the topic while Akane watched both women begin elaborating on their conversation.

"Well, I'll just say, Gemma and I took advantage of every minute of the day, if you know what I mean."

Akane watched her in disbelief as she swore she had just winked at her. No, she must have mistook a simple blink of her eye. No one knew Ranma was napping inside her bedroom at that very moment. Especially Auntie Saotome. Right? She needed to kick him out before anyone dared to waltz themselves in without knocking.

Kasumi asked for further detail, and both women began to speak among each other, Auntie Saotome reliving her youth through memory. Akane watched for a moment. The way Auntie Saotome sighed merrily, a slender smile gently spread across her cheeks. Her tone was soft and lovingly, making Akane wonder if she could ever talk about Ranma with the same fondness aloud.

Some words struck her more than others, and it seemed Auntie Saotome knew that Mr. Saotome was her match made. Dr. Tofu, only a few years ago, made her think she was certainly in love. Of course, she was only infatuated to what she believed she wanted. But now?

"Oh, but believe me, we did have our bad days!" Auntie Saotome groaned dramatically, yet her tender eyes continued to watch over the vegetables with now a smaller smile.

"Bad?" Akane repeated curiously. In the way the older woman was talking, it made it seem like everyday was paradise. "Why so?"

"Well," she continued, "sometimes we had disagreements. And it wasn't easy, but both of us had to sacrifice our differences and compromise. Keeping our word as promised, proved to be just as difficult. But love can conquer all. That's why I believe you and my son can – "

"Oh, I just remembered, uh, this assignment, super important!" Lame excuse, she knew, but also the only one she could pull out of thin air within seconds. She felt their eyes piercing through her skin as she slowly backed out of the kitchen in trying to save herself from being asked more detailed inquiries about her love life, or rather Ranma particularly.

When Akane opened her bedroom door she found her bed empty. She found herself feeling silly in hoping she'd catch him sprawled like she had left him.

Akane's behind sat on the creaky floor of the dojo. She was dressed in her worn out gi, her round cheeks pressed against the palms of her hands as she watched her show-off of a fiancé practicing kata. Her large eyes observed his movements, in slow motion even, as his arm stretched forward and around. She felt like a girl; queasy and like a slobbering mess when noticing how his sweat wonderfully shined against his tan skin.

She had originally planned on practicing herself, truly unaware that Ranma was occupying the room. And, sure, they could share the space, there was definitely enough space for the both of them. He was already in his own session when she walked in, and suddenly all she only wanted to do was watch him. So she settled herself on the floor after some time, rolling her eyes that accompanied her oversized grin each time Ranma would showcase an advanced move. She would also laugh when he'd accidentally trip or stumble from his stance, which was rare. There had to be a distraction in order for that to happen.

"Losing your balance, aren't we?" She called out, teasing him in pure enjoyment.

"Let's see you do better, tomboy!" He grunted, mainly because he felt embarrassed that he missed a step. He hadn't been expecting her to use the dojo that night with school work getting heavy, and more surprisingly an audience. When she simply took a seat and began watching him, Ranma felt a sudden wave of adrenaline flush through his veins. Could have been his large ego wanting to impress the cute girl only a few feet away from him. Or wanting, as usual, to execute his stance flawlessly like he accustomed to.

Either way, the distraction was there.

"Oh, hush! I'm still too full from dinner, I can't perform," she said in a matter-of-factly, throwing a towel at his direction for him to dry the sweat on his face.

"Sure, we'll go with that," he huffed.

She laughed in disbelief, expressing the fakest emotion her face could foster as she stood from the floor, "You don't believe me? That's rude," she claimed. Once she reached him, her arms reached for the towel he was already using, taking it and beginning to wipe his cheek roughly.

"I'm not the one being creepy, just sitting on the floor watching me," he retaliated, squinting an eye when Akane's towel-brushing pushed at his temple.

"Was I really distracting you?" Her question was genuine, with a hint of annoyance as he usually lived for this sorts of stuff; Ranma never missed an opportunity when it came to showing off. He was now watching her as she waited for an answer, and it took her a minute before she noticed. He stayed quiet, and although he wanted to make a snarky comment his mind came out blank. "Are you blushing?" Akane teased, quickly brushing the towel across his bone cheek with a toothy grin.

"No," he tried to convince himself, but her giggles weren't helping.

"Hey, look at me," she asked, and after a few seconds he complied, turning his head to face her staring up at him adoringly. He felt her fingertips begin to linger on his chin before trailing up across his cheek and under his ear to stop once they've reached the nape of his neck as she tiptoed and very gently kissed him. It was too short, he noted, as she dropped the soles of her feet on the floor, "Is this also distracting?"

Oh, damn it. She was so cute. He leaned down to kiss her, too. His lips were salty and hot and welcoming. Like clockwork, his hefty hand set onto the curve of her back as she kissed him back. It had to be short-lived because although they were late hours it was still a dangerous spot. Anyone could walk in. So, with all her might, she pulled away and allowed Ranma to lean his sweaty forehead against hers. "Meet me later in my room?" She asked in between breaths.

He nodded, pecking her lips a few more times before she pulled away once again, leaving the towel in his hands before she began to walk away.

"Also, make sure to shower," she called out.

"You saying that makes me not want to shower."

She turned, now walking backwards, "You smell."

"You didn't seemed too concerned about that just now."

She threw a mocking face at him before sticking her tongue out, "My window could be locked or opened, you decide."

A/N: Guys! I'm crying, you guys are so kind! I'm so happy that y'all have been enjoying my fic! I know, I took a lot longer than I expected to update, but I'm so grateful if you're still sticking with me. Life got in the way, a tale I'm sure we can all relate to. I tried to make it up by making this chapter a bit longer, I hope it works!

I hope to update way sooner this time, but until then I definitively appreciate a review or favorite or share from you guys!

Also, it's a crazy world out there in these hard times, but I hope y'all are staying safe and healthy! Remember, your mental health is just as important as your physical one! Take care of yourself! okayimastopramblingnow