"honesty and grace" (Mezo Shoji X Reader)

Chapter 30

“Thank you, Shoji. I appreciate it more than you may think.” There was the sound of papers rustling again, followed by a long sigh. “Please stay with her inside the apartment. If she asks you any questions about this call, I’m sure you can make something up. Both of you, get some rest.” Aizawa doesn’t give his student any time to speak before hanging up.

Slightly confused, he pulls the phone from his head and looks at it. Did he really have to make something up just to keep the call a secret? His thoughts run quickly as he emerges from the bathroom, seeing you quickly look over at him with concern. “Hey, is everything alright? That sounded important.”

“It’s alright. Mr. Aizawa was informing me of a villain that had been spotted in this location and wants me to stay here with you, just in case.” He says, calmly taking a seat on the couch.

You tilt your head slightly, grabbing your bowl of ice cream. “That explains the cop car parked in the parking lot.” A laugh rattles its way through you as you begin to snack on the frozen treat.

Shoji seems to do the same, both of you watching some game show that just so happened to be on TV. Once again, you were both engulfed in a comfortable silence. You wanted to think of something to say to make an attempt to lessen the lack of sound, but it was too comforting. In the back of your mind, something told you that it would be times like this that made you fall deeper in love with the dupli-armed boy. Knowing that the both of you could just stay quiet made you feel like the love he gave was different, in some odd definition of the word. It was genuine and special.

“I love you.” You say, mixing the dessert in your bowl. It had just rolled off your tongue, and it felt so nice to say.

Your lover turns his head slightly in your direction. “I can guarantee I love you more.” Though the mask was covering it, a small glint in his eyes showed off a cocky grin.

Deciding it would be best to humor him, you retort. “Oh, really? But that’s not even possible. Lying is a sin, you know.”

“Forgive me, but I would never lie to you. Maybe you’re the liar?” By the sound of his voice, you could tell that his smile had grown.

Your hand flies to your chest as you set the bowl of ice cream on the coffee table, Shoji doing the same. “How dare you accuse me of lying. I would never!”

“You accused me first--”

“I would never!” You repeated, barely able to contain your laughter.

He laughs softly, covering his face with his hands. An idea pops into your mind, though you’re not so sure how he’d respond to it. With his face being covered, that would be a perfect opportunity to get closer to him; kiss him, cuddle next to him, straddle his hips -- the possibilities are almost endless.

However, when his hands fall back down to his lap, the idea of doing anything like that dissipates. “You crack me up.” He says, that smile still on his face. Your only response is to laugh, though it seems to come out a little forced. Quickly, Shoji takes note of this, looking down to meet your eyes. “Are you alright?”

A little surprised that he caught that, you nod. “Yeah, I’m just thinking of things.”

“What things?” Without much thought, your fingers intertwined with his.

“It’s just…” You pause before letting out a long sigh. “Do you ever really want to do something, but don’t know if the other person is ready for it? Like, I know that I’m ready to do some stuff, but I don’t know how you’d feel if I just made a move, or tried something new.”

“You think you’re ready.” He corrects.

You tilt your head. “What?”

“If you’re ready for something, it means you know that the other person wants it to happen, too. If you’re truly ready to try something new, then you’ve already consulted to see if the other person wants it as well. It’s not a guessing game.” His charcoal eyes meet your (e/c) ones, something in them shining with hope. “Why, did you want to do something with me, Darling?” Hearing the pet name roll off his own tongue caused his face to heat slightly. He liked it, though.