"honesty and grace" (Mezo Shoji X Reader)

Chapter 31

He nods, his once tidy hair bobbing slightly in a tangled mess. “Of course.” From behind the thin fabric, you can tell he’s smiling.

It warms your heart to see that he cares so much about you. “I’m so lucky to have you.” You say longingly, pressing your lips against his masked ones. Shoji rests his hands on your hips, gripping them just tight enough to make you feel secure.

The heat in your body had not yet cooled, and you didn’t want it to. Your lips began to trail from his, to his covered jaw, then down his neck. The sound of his breath hitching was like music to your ears. “(Y/n),” He breathed as his body became rigid.

“Hm?” You hummed, pressing your chest against his.

Your lips disconnected from his neck after leaving a line of light and gentle kisses. “How far are you trying to go?” Shoji asks, placing his second pair of hands on your back while the first continues to rest on your hips.

For a moment, you actually stopped to think about how far you were really willing to let this go. It would be great to go all the way, but you knew better than to push that on the first day. To some, the question he asked might have been a bit offensive; they might have taken it as he didn’t enjoy what was happening, or what you were doing. However, you knew he enjoyed every second of it based on his breathing and heartbeat.

“I’m sorry if that was a little fast,” you nuzzle your face into the crook of his neck, “but it just felt right to me.” Your arms lay against his chest, feeling the strong muscles beneath his thin, white tank top.

He laughs softly, rubbing your back and clearing his throat. “Don’t apologize, Love.” It was quiet, but the boy could hear you yawn. “Would you like to go to bed? You seem a little tired.” He asks, caressing the side of your face with a rough hand as you look up at him.

“Yes, please.” Your half-lidded eyes looked exhausted as you climbed off of him, slowly making your way to your bedroom. As you did so, Shoji grabbed the bowls of melted ice cream from off the coffee table. He had almost completed his bowl, where you barely ate half of your’s. He trailed into the kitchen, pouring the liquid down the sink and running the hot water. Before he could get a chance to start cleaning out the bowls, he heard footsteps from behind him. Suddenly, there was a set of arms wrapped around his back, just like you had done earlier in the day. “Come to bed, baby.” You mumble against his back, lightly pulling him towards your room.

An eye forms to look back at you. The way you sleepily called him the cute pet name made his heart skip a beat. The way you pull at him makes him struggle to keep his balance. “You want me to sleep with you?” His voice is quiet.

You release your grip around his muscular torso, grabbing one of his hands and kissing it softly. “Duh. Why wouldn’t I?”

Shoji turns after placing the bowls in the sink. His eyes beamed, and a smile laid beyond his mask. “Let’s go to bed, then.” Never before had he felt this type of way towards someone. Especially with someone who felt the same with him. It was a different sensation. Warmth flooded his body every time he would think of you, that beautiful smile being something he didn’t ever want to forget. The way you looked up at him to speak or listen was cute to him, though everyone had to do the same thing. With you, every little thing was different, but it was a feeling he loved so much.

He allowed you to pull him to the bedroom. The lights were off, the only source coming from the bright street lamps of the sketchy street. Your body was still hugged tightly by the torn skinny jeans as you crawled into the bed, opening the covers enough for your lover to crawl in next to you. He obliged happily, not even bothering to remove his khakis.

“Hey, Mezo?” You ask, cuddling close to him. Your face rests against his chest while his arm wraps itself around you like a blanket.

He quirks an eyebrow. “Yes?”

“Can you promise me something really quick?”

The tone you spoke in made him nervous. “Of course.”

You brought a hand up to rest on his torso, the other laying comfortably next to you. “Can you promise that you’re always going to love me?”

The dupli-armed boy smiled, one of tentacles rubbing your back slowly in the form of hand. “I promise. Is there a reason you ask?”

You breathe out shakily, biting the inside of your cheek. “I, as an individual, have gone through a lot that you don’t know about, stuff that my mom and I would never speak of. My past is fucked up and everything about me has a downside. I just wanted you to promise because I don’t want to lose this feeling.” The sound of your voice was soothing to the boy. “I don’t want to lose you.” Mindlessly, you grabbed his tank top and held onto it, your hand balled into a tight fist.

“Well, in that case, I promise that I’ll never stop loving you. No matter what you tell me, no matter what I learn, no matter what goes on; I’m always going to love you.” His arms hold you close, the warmth of your bodies together being the most comfortable feeling in the world. “You never had it easy, and what happened to you then doesn’t define who you are now. Sure, it may create a mold, but who says that you have to fit? As long as you remain true to yourself, that’s what’s important.” He concludes, letting out a soft sigh.

You gave him no reaction, just slow and even breaths. With a quick glance down at you, the boy could see your peaceful sleeping face. The sight warmed his heart, wanting to cherish this moment for a lot longer than he could. However, sleep soon came for him, too, and he nodded off with a large, dopey smile on his face.