Chapter Text
"Okay!" Nagisa announced with an unshakable enthusiasm. "Let's begin the 'let's figure out why Haru-chan won't have sex with Gou-chan' meeting! Anybody have any thoughts?"
And it was at that exact moment when Gou realised that asking Nagisa for his help on the matter was a huge mistake.
The members of the Iwatobi swim team (minus the man in question, of course) were kneeling around the low table in the clubroom, all in mutual thought.
Three pairs of eyes peered at the girl with curiosity, openly scrutinising – much to her annoyance – every aspect of her physical appearance and personality in attempt figure out why exactly their best friend, Nanase Haruka, would be reluctant to 'tap that.'
Rei was first to speak up.
"Maybe Haruka-senpai just isn't interested in sex?"
Makoto sent the younger boy a warning glance after he noted Gou's crestfallen reaction.
Although Rei had brought up a fair point, his mechanical, insensitive delivery was not what she needed right now.
"What?" Rei defended himself, misreading Makoto's cautioning. "It makes sense, right? Haruka-senpai doesn't like to do things that he has no interest in. Maybe sex is one of those things?"
"Poor Gou-chan…" Nagisa cooed with unwanted sympathy.
Gou's eye twitched with irritation for more reasons than one.
"For the last time, it's Kou!" she snapped, slamming her hands down on the table.
Nagisa didn't even flinch.
"Now, now," Makoto appeased, trying desperately to keep them all on the topic at hand. "There's got to be another explanation. Gou-chan needs our help, so lets take this seriously, okay?"
With a final, daggering glare at Nagisa, Gou and the younger duo settled down and assumed their 'thinking positions' - Nagisa scratching at his chin, Rei adjusting his glasses, and Gou staring down at the surface of the table in rapidly increasing mortification.
"Now, I am sure Haru must be at least curious about sex – what eighteen year old isn't?" Makoto continued thoughtfully. "Although…Haru isn't exactly your typical eighteen year old boy…" he added with a small laugh.
Rei hummed in thought.
"How long have you two been dating now?" he asked Gou. "Maybe it's a timing issue."
"Um, officially? S–seven months this Friday…" she answered him, for some reason a little hesitant.
"And you guys haven't done anything?" Nagisa pressed shamelessly, providing her the reason why.
The girl flushed, averting her gaze down to her balled fists, resting on her thighs.
"Of…of course we've done…stuff…" Gou replied in a mixture of impatience and embarrassment.
It wasn't as if they hadn't done anything at all.
They kissed, they cuddled, and they did a little more than that most of the time – even though everything seemed to remain above the clothes and never below the belt.
It had always confused her because Gou was well aware of the hot-blooded, physical attraction they had for each other, by the way Haru would kiss her, moan into her mouth and grapple at her clothing with an impatience that she matched…
…but, for some reason, it just never seemed to go anywhere from there and she could never figure out why.
Haru would always make some excuse before they could take things further. He wouldn't ever let her take him to the bedroom or stay the night.
And because this was her first serious relationship, Gou had never dealt with such a problem before. She wasn't sure how to bring the topic up with Haru or aware of his opinions of it – if he had any at all.
She heaved a sigh, her small shoulders deflating – not knowing why she had to fall in love with the one guy in the world whose sexual interests were solely reserved for anything that involved water.
Nagisa urged her to elaborate: "what kind of stuff?"
Gou's cheeks flushed pink.
"Uhm…just kissing and stuff…"
"But how about stuff like…?"
He proceeded to list a vast inventory of foreplay activities that left everyone both intrigued and horrified.
Gou was quick to renounce all of them before the boy went into details.
"N–no, nothing like…that!" she waved her hands frantically in front of her.
Nagisa huffed and turned to Rei sitting next to him, crudely remarking in a stage whisper:
"Damn, do you think Haru's balls are as blue as his eyes?"
Gou glowered at him but grudgingly held back a clever retort, letting his comment slide – for now.
She didn't appreciate that her relationship was seen as somewhat abnormal just because they hadn't gone 'all the way' yet.
Besides the whole 'no sex' thing – she and Haru were like every other couple their age.
They went on dates, out for dinner or to the movies; talked and laughed like good friends, and were silly and sweet with each other as lovers.
For a girl as inexperienced as herself, Gou was - at first - glad that she had a boyfriend who wasn't all about the intimacy.
They had a great relationship outside of it, Haru being a surprisingly caring boyfriend in his own way, which she grew to understand and adore.
"Maybe you just haven't been in the right situation," Rei suggested. "Have you tried setting the mood?"
Gou blinked, a little too innocently back at him.
"Y'know, dim lighting, candles, maybe some mood music or an R-rated movie..."
The blush on Gou's cheeks deepened as she bashfully remembered that the last film she and Haru had seen together was some childish, animated movie about a talking rat.
"…Little things like that let the guy know that you're up for it and get them in the mood too."
Gou's brows furrowed with confusion.
Up until her relationship with Haru, she was under the impression that guys were always in the mood for it.
"And you could always dress a little more…" Nagisa was about to add, but his words trailed off after registering the way Gou was scowling at him.
"…A little more, what?" she dared him to continue.
Nagisa quickly put his hands up in defence.
"I was actually gonna say," he emended immediately, "that your dress sense is great…!"
He teetered nervously at the skeptical look she gave him, a thin eyebrow arching with contempt.
"…But, perhaps you should wear clothes that are a little more…revealing to capture his attention? Use your sex appeal, Gou-chan!"
Nagisa completed with a suggestive wink and Gou's face creased with embarrassment.
As annoying as it was to admit, Rei and Nagisa were right.
All this time where she had been waiting for Haru to make the first move, she hadn't considered taking that step herself.
But was she really cut out of it?
She chewed at the inside of her cheek, painfully acknowledging the fact that she was not exactly well versed in the art of seduction.
It wasn't only the thought of having to somehow sexually entice her boyfriend that terrified her, but the possibility of being rejected – something in which Gou wasn't sure her dwindling self-esteem could handle.
Easily reading her turmoil in her expression, Makoto was quick to speak up in that calm, assuring way he was so good at.
"If you want my opinion Gou-chan; I think sitting him down and talking to him about this is your best bet," he explained. "Haru isn't really one to take notice of little hints or gestures. I'm sure he'll appreciate your honesty and willingness to discuss these issues as a couple, rather than dealing with them alone."
He closed with that angelic smile of his and Gou's eyes softened.
Maybe Makoto-senpai was right – he knew her boyfriend the best out of all of them after all, understanding that Haru was never one to let someone he cares for suffer where he could do something to help.
"Thanks Makoto-senpai," she smiled gratefully. "I think I'll do that. Maybe we–"
"–Or!" Nagisa interrupted rudely, clearly not a fan of the 'truthful' and 'honest' approach. "We could do an experiment!"
"Eh?" Gou expressed, caught off guard. "An experiment of what?"
"An experiment to figure out where Haru-chan's breaking point is – to seduce him until he gives into his unknown desires!"
Nagisa punched a fist in the air for effect, announcing his plan as if it were the most normal thing in the world.
Makoto and Gou regarded him with similar, uneasy expressions.
"Nagisa, that is the stupidest idea I've ever–!"
"–that sounds like a great idea," Rei chimed in, seemingly on board with the plan without much need for encouragement. "Look at it as a study for science – to greater our understanding of Haruka-senpai's mind!"
An excitable Nagisa leant across the table towards Gou, his face only inches away from hers.
"Neh, Gou-chan, what do you say?"
Beads of sweat formed on the girl's forehead at the way those dark pink hues stared at her in silent persuasion.
Suddenly, Gou knew exactly how it felt to be Rei, and why the butterfly swimmer somehow always ended up in stupid situations with him – now aware of how it felt to be on the receiving end of Nagisa's cute, expectant stare.
Almost against her will, she found herself contemplating the idea.
"I guess we could give it a shot…?" she answered tentatively, and the boy yelped in triumph.
Makoto reached out a shaky hand, his gut feeling telling him that all of this was a bad idea.
"Wait, hey – guys –" he stammered, but Nagisa spoke over his attempt to intervene.
"Great! We should start planning!" he said enthusiastically. "Let's go shopping for new clothes on the weekend…!"
"…Heh?! But I don't need new clothes…?!"
"…We'll take you to Victoria's Secret…"
"…Buy scented candles…"
"…Eh?!"
Makoto heaved a sigh as he was quickly forgotten amongst his excitable underclassmen.
He could feel the headache coming on already.
Hunching his broad shoulders, the boy groaned as he buried his face in his hands.
"Does anyone actually ever listen to me…?"