Chapter 5

"I'm just saying, you guys could warn me or at least try to be quieter!"

Kiba and Ino are arguing yet again. After a day and a half of traveling, we're starting to get on one another's nerves. The five of us were lucky enough to find a car, but it only had five seats, so it was a snug fit for all of us.

Ino scoffed, "I don't wanna have to announce that I'm about to get busy every single time, Kiba! Just put your earplugs in if you hear something. Or you can listen. I don't give a damn. I'm not shy. Do you care, Babe?"

Sai shook his head without pulling his eyes away from the window he was looking out of, appearing uninterested in their conversation. The blond woman gestured at her beau, "See?"

I glanced over at Sasuke, who was driving, before averting my eyes down to my hands in my lap with a red face. Ever since my best friend and his brother made up, they've been even more smitten with one another than before. They were making out in the backseat right next to Kiba, which sparked this entire argument. The Inuzuka man's sitting behind Sasuke, and I don't even have to turn and look to know his face is likely bright red.

"I'm just asking for a bit of common courtesy!"

The blond woman sitting in the middle of the backseat made an annoyed sound, "You need to get laid, my friend. Maybe then you won't be so uptight. Sakura, can you take one for the team?"

I turned around in my seat, face ablaze, and glared at her, "I-Ino!"

"I can't do that with her!"

We both looked at Kiba, and as soon as I saw the look on his face, I realized what he actually meant. Ino either didn't or was playing dumb, "Why not? She's a total hottie! You'll be lucky to find someone even close to as cute as her!"

My eyes narrowed threateningly at Kiba, but he swallowed nervously and averted his gaze onto Ino. My best friend looked between us before her mouth fell open, and she brought her hands up to her lips, "I thought she and Sasuke were fucking, but it was you two all along? What the hell, Sakura! Why didn't you tell me?"

Sasuke laughed as Kiba shouted above my loud objections, "Those two are sleeping together, Ino! You're so damn annoying!"

Ino began laughing like Sasuke was, and even Sai put a hand over his mouth to muffle his chuckling.

I pressed my hands to my warm cheeks, "Don't tell me you heard us…."

Kiba's bashful aura melted into an amused one once he realized no one was seriously angry at him for talking about it, "It's kinda hard to ignore you two confessing your love for one another while you go at it!"

My hands covered my face, and I groaned. After the Uchiha man and I talked about what'd happened at the Gosei factory and I managed to calm down, one thing led to another in that motel room. The day after we did it for the first time, I complained to Sasuke that his sex drive was too active, but it turns out I'm a bit of a hypocrite.

Ino squealed, making the two men in the back cover their ears, "You guys said the "L" word already? That's so unexpected!"

I smacked Sasuke's arm lightly and spoke bluntly, "Pull the car over. I'm gonna kick her ass." He just smirked and kept his eyes on the road, utterly unbothered that our business was being laid out to the others.

"Sakura, If anyone should be mad, it's me! I told you every detail about how I lost my virginity. Why haven't you said anything? I mean, I already knew, but still!"

I pointed at her with an irritated frown, "You made me listen. I didn't ask for it!"

My eyes widened as I recalled my thoughts before Sasuke and I did it for the first time, and my tone changed as I leaned toward her a bit and lowered my voice, "By the way, what was that guy's name? The one you lost it to. I can't remember, and it's been driving me crazy."

She brought her hands up to her cheeks and made a dreamy expression, tone mimicking the same emotion, "Genma. That man has some talent."

Kiba blushed, but Sai's eyes narrowed as he finally deemed us worthy of his undivided attention, "Pause. Where does this Genma live? Bro, we need to make a pitstop."

Ino giggled and leaned over, resting her head on his shoulder, "That's ancient history, Babe. You're better at it than him anyway." The Uchiha brother looked satisfied with her response and went back to absently listening to our conversation as he looked out the window.

"Anyway, why were you thinking about him, of all people?"

I glanced at the men in the car and lowered my voice further, face red, "Can we talk about this later when we're alone?"

She wagged her finger and made a "tsk!" sound, "You shoulda thought about that before you deprived me of important girl talk. Spill."

I groaned loudly, relenting only after Kiba agreed to switch seats. Sasuke refused to pull over for the sake of Ino and me gossiping, so it was a loud and annoying ordeal, but we somehow managed it.

"Okay, so I was just thinking about how you said your first time was great to help with the anxiety before we did it. It's not a big deal."

Sasuke scoffed, surprising us both, "Like hell it's not! You were thinking about some guy fucking Ino? That's what had you so distracted?" His tone wasn't severe, and I could tell he was just trying to embarrass me. It worked.

I reached around the headrest and tugged on a strand of his hair, "I was nervous, you jerk. Shut the hell up!" He did but was obviously amused by my irritation.

Ino shook her head, "My little Sakura has finally blossomed! So…" I gave her a confused expression, and she shook her head, disappointed, "So how was it? Details, Bitch!"

Kiba groaned loudly in the front seat, hands over his ears, "Can you two not talk about this right now? I don't want to know how Sasuke is in bed."

Ino tutted at him, "If I promise to introduce you to one of our friends when this is over, will you shut up? I know the perfect one, and you're just her type."

I knew who she was talking about immediately, "Okami? I didn't even think about that! He really is her type, isn't he?"

Ino winked at the blushing man in the front seat, waggling her eyebrows as she looked him up and down, "Brown eyes and shy with a nice ass. She's gonna eat you alive, Sweetheart."

Okami looks pretty similar to Ino, but it's simply a coincidence. After meeting her, she didn't change her looks and already had an almost identical hairstyle. She's undoubtedly a beauty, though.

Kiba turned to look at us, face red as he bashfully responded and lowered his hands from his ears, "Her name's Okami? What's she like?"

I grinned, "Okay, picture Ino with a tan and green eyes."

Sai snickered suddenly, and we looked at him expectantly, "So, she's a mixture of you two, then?"

Ino and I met eyes before laughing, my friend getting it together before I could, "I guess she does kinda look like that! What do you say, Kiba? Want me to set you up?"

The Inuzuka up front pouted cutely, "If you think she'll like me, then I guess so…."

Ino made a spinning motion with one of her fingers, "Great, now turn around and zip it," then she met my eye again without waiting for his response, "Okay, go!"

Face bright red, I stuttered, "I-It was…really nice." Sasuke snickered from the driver's seat but didn't say anything.

"If you don't give me details, I'm gonna ask Sasuke, and I've got a hunch he won't leave a single thing out."

The man in question said in a sing-song tone, "She's right."

"I'm going to kill every last one of you," I muttered under my breath before sighing and giving in, "Okay, fine."

Having been through this same drill with Ino and multiple of our friends during high school, I knew what questions she would ask and answered most of them quickly. My humiliation was evident in my tone, "Y-Yes to foreplay, no to toys. Multiple positions. Twice. We cuddled after. Ten out of ten."

Kiba made a disgusted sound, thumping his forehead lightly on the dash a few times, but both Uchihas laughed.

Ino squealed again, grasping my hands in hers and shaking them excitedly, "It must run in the family! Kiba, don't look. Show me how big he is!"

I pulled my hands from her grasp and weakly swatted at her, "I-Ino! That's private!"

She moved to hold her hands apart, "This is how big Sai is. At least tell me if it's bigger or smaller." Sai and Sasuke both started laughing again, even louder than before, and my face got so hot that I felt light-headed.

Once the boys quieted back down, Sasuke looked at me in the rearview mirror, "Go ahead, tell her."

Mortified, I mumbled, "I-It's about the same, I think…."

Ino gasped loudly, "Are you two identical twins after all?!" She met my eye again before parting her legs and pointing to her upper thigh, right on the inside, maybe two inches below the special regions, "Does he have a birthmark right here, too?"

Her blatant disregard for their privacy embarrassed me, but neither seemed to mind and even appeared to find it funny. Honestly, though, I couldn't recall if Sasuke had a birthmark there because I'm not sure I ever looked at that exact spot.

"Don't know."

Sasuke flirted brazenly, "If you want to check, I don't mind pulling over for a bit."

My mouth opened as I tried to come up with a retort, but our surroundings caught my eye and distracted me from the inappropriate topic of our conversation, "We're in Suna!" I hadn't noticed, but we were driving through a high-end residential area.

Ino bounced excitedly in her seat, "It is getting kinda late. Do you guys wanna see if we can find a place to crash for the night?"

Kiba nodded quickly, face almost as red as mine, "Yes, please, God. I need some time away from you people."

So the car was parked, and we spent the next hour checking the abandoned houses for one that had power and eventually found one before breaking in and settling down for the night.

After bathing, I wrapped myself in a big, fluffy robe and collapsed onto the giant bed with a sigh. I managed to heal all the bruises and scratches on my body over the past two days, so I was completely healthy for the first time in a long time. The fact that I was also squeaky clean made me feel a bit giddy. It was just what I needed after being cooped up in the car for almost two days.

"I think the clothes here might fit you."

My eyes opened as Sasuke flopped down onto the bed beside me. He had a robe on, too. I closed them again, nodding, "Yeah, I thought so, too. I might raid the closet before we leave."

I'm a bit taller than the average girl, so it's been hard to find pants that are small enough at the waist and long enough to not stop above my ankles. I've been pretty insecure about it all my life, even if I've never been the tallest girl around. The fact that Sasuke's tall enough to still tower over me has definitely helped my confidence and made me feel more feminine.

It was silent for a long time as we just lay there and relaxed, basking in the peace and quiet. Nothing lasts forever, though, because Ino could soon be heard yelling from somewhere else in the large house, "Kiba, we're gonna fuck! Put your earplugs in…or don't!"

Sasuke and I looked at each other before bursting into laughter. The poor Inuzuka man keeps complaining that he prefers traveling with the Subakus, and it's almost solely Ino's fault. She just can't help herself around shy people.

Feeling brave, I rolled over on top of the handsome Uchiha man at my side, straddling his hips, and he sat under me with his feet on the ground, "And here I thought you'd be all pissy because of what happened in the car."

I steadily untied the belt of his robe before pulling it open, so I could press my hands against the firm muscles of his chest, "Well, I'm all fresh and clean, and we have a perfect opportunity for Kiba not to hear us. Besides, I'm in the mood." I met his eye and froze what I was doing, teasing in an offended voice, "Unless you're not in the mood. I can do it by myself."

His eyebrows raised in surprise, and a soft blush dusted his cheeks, but he masked his bashfulness expertly, "Tempting, but I'd rather participate. I'm a team player, as you know."

My nose brushed against his as we gradually leaned in closer. My voice was as low as a whisper, "I thought you were the coach?" He smirked before finally pressing his lips against mine, hands sliding under my robe to rub my thighs.

As our kiss deepened, my body slowly began to warm, and the familiar arousal sensation dropped down my stomach into my nether regions. I let my hands explore Sasuke's body as though it was the first time all over again. I'll probably never tire of the feeling of his skin under my fingertips. It's intoxicating.

One of my hands dropped between us to pull his hardening member into its grasp, and I pressed against him more firmly, so it was touching my stomach. It was so big it nearly reached my navel.

He heatedly bit my bottom lip, just hard enough that it hurt but not enough to break the skin. Large hands untied my robe, and it fell off my shoulders to rest with the sleeves at my elbows and the rest down near my lower back.

The calluses on his fingers offered a pleasant friction-induced sensation as he massaged my small breasts, and I naturally pressed into his touch. His hands slid down my waist before he tore his lips from mine and dipped to attack my neck, nibbling and sucking greedily at the sensitive skin there.

I let my head fall back, speaking in a slightly breathy voice as I continued to massage him between us, "I need to check for the birthmark, Baby."

A low sound rumbled through his chest, hot breath tickling my skin, "Don't let me stop you."

I untangled myself from his lap and knelt at the side of the bed between his feet. My eyes widened in shock when I realized he did, indeed, have a birthmark. My hands both went to work massaging his sex, but I looked up at him in disbelief, "It's actually there!"

He smirked, "I'm offended you didn't notice before."

My face warmed slightly, and I cocked my head to the side, "My eyes are usually on a different part of your body when I'm down here, you know." His shy emotions washed over me, and I grinned knowingly at his attempt to mask it before deciding to give him a break from embarrassment and took him in my mouth.

He hardened the rest of the way in mere seconds, and I did my best to remember all the tips he'd given me before and what he liked. I somewhat zoned out as I focused on the technique I'd developed, but he suddenly reached down to lift my chin slightly so I'd meet his eye. A soft sound of surprise left my chest, and I felt my throat vibrate around the tip of his cock as it pressed into the deepest part I could physically let it.

The dark look on his face has me enamored. It made the heat pooling in my lower regions double in temperature, and my brow furrowed as an almost unbearable wave of arousal washed through me.

After another thirty seconds or so, he surprised me by standing up, a hand coming to the back of my head as I rose up higher on my knees to match his height. Then he took control of the speed. Slow and steady, he thrusted his hips at a steadily increasing rate to test what I could handle before eventually finding a balance where I could manage, and he felt good. Somehow, I don't know how, but it was easier to take more of him in this way.

With how he was moving, I couldn't keep my hands on his sex, so I reached up to feel the muscles of his lower abdomen, enjoying the firm and tight way they lay under his skin. My other hand simply gripped his thigh in an effort to keep me grounded as Sasuke pushed me to the very brink of what I was physically capable of handling.

A soft groan met the air, and I looked up to see his head was thrown back. He's struggling to maintain this controlled speed, I can tell. What he really wants to do is just go crazy, but he knows it'll likely hurt me, so he's doing his best to hold on.

God, he's so damn sexy, even at this angle. Actually, looking up at his incredibly toned and fit body, feeling him move so confidently, I'd venture to say I'm the lucky one in this scenario, even if he's the one receiving the sexual favor.

My gaze danced hungrily down his torso, taking in the plains of his muscles and memorizing every little scar or scratch until I was looking at what was right at my eye-line. An idea popped into my head, and my face warmed slightly, but I considered it momentarily. In one of Ino's Cosmopolitan magazines, I read that some men like it if you pay attention to their scrotum during fellatio.

Would Sasuke like that kind of thing? Lord knows we've never discussed it! As I looked back up and realized he still hadn't looked down at me again, I decided to just go for it and try. I want to make him feel as wild and out of control as he does me, so why shouldn't I? He'll just tell me if he doesn't like it, and we'll move on anyway.

Feeling nervous, I cautiously moved my hand from his thigh and looked up to study his response as I gently grasped the body part, massaging him slowly with extreme care. The organ in my mouth flexed, and suddenly bright red and black eyes stared down at me, wide with surprise, "...K-Keep doing that…." The sexual and breathy rasp in his voice sent sweet satisfaction down my spine.

Sasuke's other hand came down to wrap tightly in my hair, and my eyes widened when the control of his movements seemed to slip a bit. My free hand came down to his hip because it helped me adjust to the sudden uptick in excitement. I did my best to accommodate him but didn't have to struggle for long because his fluids were suddenly exploding down my throat, barely even touching my tongue with how far inside he was thrusted.

When he finally pulled away, I released my hold on him, and the hands in my hair disappeared. He offered me a hand, and I took it, letting him help me to my feet so I could walk around the bed and get a drink of water. The moment I sat the bottle back down on the nightstand, I was tossed onto the bed, and rough hands were parting my legs so he could bury his face between them.

"S-Sasuke!"

The last time he did this, he was on the bed with me, so all I could see was his messy hair and shoulders, but this time he wasn't, so Sasuke met my eye with a look that told me he was about to pay me back for trying so hard to please him just moments ago. Air sucked in through my teeth when his tongue met my body and immediately went to work, driving me wild.

I wanted to watch him do it because I realized just minutes ago that I quite liked seeing him while we were doing things like this. Still, it felt so good that my body was barely in my control anymore, so my head was against the bed, my back was slightly arched, and panting breaths were starting to escape my mouth.

An odd sensation suddenly joined the miraculous jolts of pleasure he was shooting through me with each flex of his tongue, and my eyes squeezed shut when I realized he'd slid two fingers inside. As he began moving them in and out, my orgasm started to build much more quickly than before. One of my arms fell across my eyes while my other hand absently squeezed my breast.

"Oh, god, Baby. You want me, don't you? You're amazing."

I shuddered as his breath hit me before he returned to blessing me with his mouth. Something's in the air tonight because his words only turned me on further, and not a single hint of the bashful annoyance at his teasing arose. Maybe the fact that he seemed almost happy to admit to our friends that we're together made me feel so eager, but I'm not sure.

After another few moments, my pride disappeared, and I found myself lost in my desire, "Just put it in."

Sasuke made a sound that told me he wouldn't obey, and found it amusing that he'd managed to get me to this point of desperation.

A strangled groan of annoyance left my lips, and my toes curled as the knot in my lower regions flexed as though mocking me for the fact that I was not in control of the situation in the slightest. Sweat dusted my skin as I got closer and closer, but I couldn't seem to make it over the edge. I knew what I needed to get there, and so did Sasuke, yet he was intent on torturing me for his own amusement.

What happened to repaying my efforts, Uchiha! I know him too well. He just can't help himself from teasing me whenever a chance arises like this.

After another minute or so, I couldn't take it anymore and sat up, pressing him back so he was sitting on his knees, and took him inside me as quickly as I could without hurting myself, a soft moan escaping me. My hands desperately gripped his shoulders for support, and I shoved my lips roughly against his, unable to control my urges any longer. Strong hands held my hips, waist, and bottom, whatever they could reach as I moved atop him.

My head fell back as my climax continued to build, parting our kiss, and his teeth grazed my collarbone as he dipped down to attack my neck and chest. How quickly he responded to this irritates me, but I still somehow know that he's completely stunned. He has to be because he's not whispering his dirty little compliments into my skin like usual.

My arms wrapped frantically around his head, holding him still against my chest as my insides quaked and shook and threatened to never release him. Large, calloused hands gripped my bottom almost roughly, nails digging into my skin as he ceased his movements like I wanted him to. A higher-pitched moan managed to slip past my lips, and I gritted my teeth and squeezed my eyes shut as the dam holding back bliss finally broke down within me.

Moments later, I naturally came forward to rest my forehead on his shoulder when I came down from my high, loosening my hold on him. Sasuke's hands moved up my hips to hold my waist so I wouldn't fall from his lap as my forehead rested against his shoulder so I could try and catch my breath. Both of us were drenched with sweat, and I could tell it was slick as can be where our bodies were connected.

Slow kisses pressed into my shoulder for a long moment or two before he started to rise, picking me up without pulling out. My back hit the bed, and my eyes shot open as he held my bent knees. I can tell by the faraway look on his face. He's lost, too.

The desperate arousal in my loins swiftly flared back up when he spoke in a deeper, low voice, "I'm gonna keep going, Baby."

I nodded, still breathless and unable to form a coherent thought after such an intense climax. Sasuke was hard as a rock inside me as his hips began to move, and he wasn't being gentle like he'd been when in my mouth. My body surprised me by immediately reacting to his movements. It's different this time, though. Stronger. The pressure's harder to withstand, even in its early stages of development.

When our emotions linked, I realized he was in a frenzied state, similar to how I'd been since the moment I attacked him a few minutes ago. We locked eyes, and then all hell broke loose. My knees were suddenly to my chest, and he was on the bed, body bent over mine as he thrusted into me with every bit of might he could muster. His hands were on the underside of my knees, holding them down firmly.

Cries of pleasure were begging to be released from my mouth. I had to bite the back of my hand to keep them down, but his eyes were locked hard onto mine. He was so deep, much deeper than ever before, and his tip was hitting something inside me that's never been touched before. He knew it, too, because he was barely trying to hold back the attractive sounds rumbling out from his chest.

It was reckless, sweaty, and inhuman, but it was the best damn thing I've ever felt in my life.

My eyes widened barely a minute later, and my brow furrowed when the feeling in my lower regions suddenly spiked substantially. Somehow I managed to keep my voice down as I gripped Sasuke's arms with my hands, "I-I'm gonna cum, baby! Don't st-! Don't-Ah! Don't stop!"

And he didn't stop, thank the lord. Instead, his eyes narrowed with focus, and he barked in a low voice, "Hold your legs."

My arms wrapped around my knees in an instant, and he kept one of them pressed firmly against the underside of my thigh to make sure I didn't move from the position we were in, but the other one slapped down over my mouth so hard that it might've hurt if I wasn't so lost in the pleasure.

Then I was climaxing again. Despite my very best efforts, my hold on my legs failed, and the one Sasuke didn't still have a grip on curled over his shoulder. My entire lower body trembled, and my vision blurred, and if his hand wasn't over my mouth, the whole world might've heard me. Everything was stinging, vibrating, pulsating, and tearing my sanity to shreds.

My eyes were watering by the time I came back into focus, and when I blinked, Sasuke roughly returned to holding my knees against my chest like before. After only a couple more moments, he growled my name out in a thick and dangerous voice before pulling out and releasing his hold on one of my legs to hold his sex in his hand while he came. White fluid splashed over my legs, stomach, and chest, but I didn't care. I only cared about the look of pure ecstasy on Sasuke's face.

When he was finally finished, he released my other leg and let himself fall to the mattress at my side, drained. "Christ, Sakura…" He sounded equally as impressed as he was exhausted and followed his statement with a short chuckle before quieting again.

I grinned, eyes closed as I let my heart rate slowly return to normal, "That was really hot."

"You're really hot, Baby."

I laughed, "Careful. You don't want to spoil me, do you?"

He turned his head to look at me, and I did the same, a soft blush on both of our faces after what we'd just done, "After that, I think you've earned a compliment or two."

My lips tugged into a grin, and I shook my head, "You haven't done it like that before."

The room got silent for a bit as we simply stared into each other's eyes and appreciated the magnificent sensations we'd just granted one another. Sasuke broke the quiet aura by rising onto his knees and looking at my body, "That robe is ruined."

I followed his gaze, realizing I'd somehow kept the fluffy gray bathrobe on throughout the entire tryst. The semen on my stomach had dripped down the sides of my waist and hips to fall onto it.

My blush warmed further, and I groaned, "Sorry for jumping you like that."

Strong fingers gripped my jaw, and I was forced to look into his eyes as he glared down at me, "Don't apologize. It was so fucking sexy."

Sasuke's tone was half-playful and half-threatening, "I mean it. Do it as often as you want."

I made a humiliated face, and he released me so I could sit up and get to my feet.

My hand shot out to grab the nightstand when my legs almost gave out from under me, and we met eyes before laughing. The man smirked proudly as he rose to wrap an arm around my waist and pretended to complain, "And we just showered, too!"

I grinned to myself, blush still ever present on my face as he guided us back into the ensuite for our second shower of the night.

Once it was done and we climbed into bed to turn in for the night, I absently traced patterns into his stomach, his arm loose around me, "Why did you guys sign up for The Program?" I've always wondered why they'd need the money because they're very well off, but I haven't remembered to ask until now.

Sasuke didn't respond for a long moment, and I looked up to see him glaring at the ceiling with an uncomfortable expression. When he noticed my gaze, he frowned and shook his head, "Sai wanted to meet Madara."

My brow furrowed, and I sat to look down at him with a frown, "I thought you said he didn't even know who you are?" I didn't need to ask why he'd follow Sai into something so dangerous because we both knew he didn't make decisions for himself back then and was content to follow in his twin's footsteps.

He matched my unhappy look, "He didn't, but he did know our older brother, Itachi. He's the one who convinced him to move away."

Realization swept over me, and I slowly settled back down into his side, taking on a more sympathetic tone, "I see…What's he like? Itachi."

Sasuke took his time coming up with a response, and I was surprised by the slightly idolizing quality of his words when he eventually did, "He's pretty intimidating. I don't think I've seen him fail at anything in my life."

This is a sensitive topic for him. I could tell even without him saying it or our emotional bond enacting. His family is close to dying out, so I know he cares deeply for his very few living relatives, but one of them up and left with little regard for how he or Sai feel.

I saw it when he took me to the compound.

The way he refused to even glance at the empty houses we passed by said it all. Rather than face his abandonment issues, he ignores them completely and pretends to be unbothered. That's probably why, up until now, he's not had any problems blindly following Sai around. At least he wouldn't be alone that way.

My hand slid over his stomach so I could embrace him firmly, an attempt to comfort him without making things awkward by saying all this out loud. "So does Itachi study Xenology as well, then?"

"No, he's a P.I."

I was tempted to sit up and look at his face again in confusion, but I didn't, "Then why would he go to Madara for advice?"

Sasuke sighed, "That's what Sai and I wanted to find out."

The room went silent for a long time before I mustered the courage to ask, "Do you know where Itachi is right now?" The Uchiha man made a negating sound deep in his chest but didn't verbally respond in any other way.

Hoping to cheer him up since I'm the one who brought up the sensitive topic, I nuzzled my face into his chest, "Well, if you want some help finding him after all this is over, I'll gladly lend a hand. I don't know how much help I'll be, but-"

"Let's tackle one trauma at a time, Sakura," He cut me off, tone a bit amused.

A small laugh left my lips as he rolled onto his side to pull me closer into his embrace, and I accepted the affection bashfully, "Alright, fine."